Two of a Kind - Royal Flush Wrestling (C-Verse)

[Aura]

I've been enjoying your style for this diary. It's easy to follow and you describe what's going on pretty well.

[eayragt]

Yes, +1 from me. Don't worry about anything more labour intensive, it works well.

[Scapino1974]

I've got no complaints about the shows, they're easy enough to follow. All I'd like to see is maybe a roster rundown with some pics? It'd be easier to figure out who everybody is that way.

 

Okay, so this is what I came up with...

 

I put together these galleries of anyone who's been in a ring. No pictures of Reverend Kil, for example. I tried to group the tag teams together.

 

 

 

 

 

[1PWfan]

Oh, that is gorgeous, nice one Scap!

[Scapino1974]

Oh, that is gorgeous, nice one Scap!

 

Yeah, my skills with PowerPoint are unmatched. LOL!

[Scapino1974]

Hitting the Fan

 

Wednesday of Week 4, June 2021

 

“So have you heard anything from him?” Abigail asked. “At all?”

 

I sighed and shook my head. She made a soft, comforting sound and rubbed my shoulder.

 

If I was really honest, it felt a little…silly. Here I had hoped that, with Grace moving back home, somehow Reverend Kil would change his opinion about me. Maybe relax his ban on us seeing each other. And when he learned that Grace was dating Mark, I was sure that my friendship would look better by comparison.

 

But that hadn’t happened. Grace and I were still able to text each other once in a while. And we had been able to spend the last show together. But that had been it. I was still persona non grata to the Kil family and that wasn’t about to change anytime soon.

 

I had known that Grace and my relationship would have to change at some point. How could it not? But I didn’t want it to be like this.

 

It didn’t help that Abigail had moved home for the summer as well. She had tried to convince her parents to let her stay in Rochester but they didn’t like that idea at all. The fact that Cassidy had moved home probably factored into that, but still. Suddenly we had gone from seeing each other almost every day to resorting to phone calls or Facetime or texts. It just wasn’t the same.

 

When she drove out here from Albert Lea, I should have been ecstatic. But for some reason, I was in a funk and just couldn’t pull myself out of it.

 

Part of it was related to our finances. Oh, sure, we had made almost $1,800 this month, bringing our account to almost $62,000. And in some ways, we were making some good progress. As angry as Big Smack Scott had been at losing to James, I thought it worked out pretty well. We did have to pay Scott $1,600 for the appearance, but I figured that was money well spent to start building James as the Son of the Monster.

 

But in some ways, it felt like the RFW had stalled out. Sure, we were gaining a little bit of momentum every month, what with the audience for our shows growing in dribs and drabs. But I felt like we should have grown faster.

 

I did have a way to maybe accelerate our growth. The other day, a rep from WrestleWorld got in touch with me about putting our shows on their broadcast service. That would allow people all over the U.S. and Canada to be able to see our shows. Only we had some major hurdles to clear first. We weren’t quite popular enough yet. And we’d need to upgrade pretty much everything: our production values, our broadcast quality, and our music. While I couldn’t say for certain, I was pretty sure that would eat through our profit margin pretty quickly. Would that be worth it? We had a bit of a warchest we could—

 

Abigail nudged me. “John? You with me?”

 

I shook my head and smiled at her. At least, I tried to. I think I could only muster an anemic grin. “Sorry. Just…a lot on my mind.”

 

“More stuff with Grace?” she asked.

 

I shrugged. “Some of it.”

 

She fell silent. Then she cleared her throat. “Maybe…maybe you two not spending time together isn’t such a bad thing.”

 

My head snapped around. “What?”

 

She sighed. “Look, I love Grace. She is a sweetheart and I always have a blast with her in the locker room. But sometimes I wonder, John. Are you dating me or her?”

 

I gaped at her. What did that mean?

 

“I mean, I moved back home a few weeks ago and it seems like all we talk about anymore is how you can’t talk to Grace, how you can’t see her, how unfair that is.” She wouldn’t look at me. “So who have you missed more this month? Her or me?”

 

“That’s ridiculous! I’ve missed you a lot,” I said.

 

“You have a funny way of showing it. I drove an hour to see you, and yet all you’ve done is mope and whine about Grace. What am I supposed to think?”

 

“Look, I’m sorry if I’m not feeling all that great tonight, but—”

 

“This isn’t just ‘not feeling great,’” Abigail said. “Do you want to even be with me anymore?”

 

“How can you ask that? I love you!”

 

“And I love you too.” Tears glistened in Abigail’s eyes. “But I really don’t know if you feel the same way.”

 

“I do!” I touched the necklace I had given her on Valentine’s Day. “I love you as much as ever.”

 

She didn’t buy it. What should have been a fun evening together turned into a hard talk about our relationship and our future. I don’t think either of us enjoyed it. I know I didn’t. At the end of the evening, we kissed good night, but it felt hollow. Something we did out of habit more than anything. And when she left, I felt even worse than when the night started.

[Scapino1974]

All In (July 2021)

 

RFW All In

Sunday of Week 2, July 2021

Held at the Civic Center in Rochester, MN (Mid West Region)

262 in attendance

 

1) My entrance music hit and I strode out to the ring. I’ll admit, I would have hoped that the crowd would have been more on my side, but they seemed somewhat apathetic to seeing me.

 

“Welcome to another All In, folks. You know, we keep getting requests to take this show on the road. Why not travel over to Wisconsin or maybe down to Iowa? Why not head over to Sturgis next month and put on a show for the bikers? Well, we’re not doing that. Why would we ever leave Rochester? We have the best fans right here.”

 

That got a little more of a pop. Still not as big as I wanted.

 

“Now most of you know that I’ve been here since day one. As a matter of face, Jack Pryde and I kicked off the RFW revolution right here in this ring. The first time that bell rang, I could feel it in my chest. I could feel the way my blood boiled within me. This was going to be something good. And you know what? That feeling has never left me.

 

“I’ll admit, not everything has gone the way I planned. I had hoped that I would have won the RFW Championship in that first tournament, and that didn’t happen. When the RFW first opened our doors, we didn’t have womens wrestling and now…I mean, I know why you all came here tonight, right?”

 

A few people started chanting Grace’s name.

 

“That’s right. But in spite of those surprises, one thing has remained the same: every time that bell rings, my heart starts pumping. I feel that same excitement. And I’m bound and determined to give you all my best. Every time I’m in this ring, I promise you, I’m going to give it my all.

 

“And I want to make good on that promise tonight. Now I’ve got no problem with Fro Sure as a person or as a champion. But a champ is only as good as his challenger and you know what? I’m feeling like seeing if our champ is up for this challenge. What do you say, Fro? You. Me. Tonight. Title on the line.”

Fro’s entrance music hit and he came out to the ring entrance. He made some crying noises and pretended to swipe some tears from his eyes, but it was clear that he was teasing, not mocking.

 

“Ace, man, what you said there. It moved me. It was just so…so…” He pretended to break down crying, then started laughing. “No, seriously, what you said makes sense. I think a lot of the guys in the back would agree with you. What we have here is something special and we want to give the fans the best show we can.

 

“And you know what? I’ve been watching you, kid. I’ve seen the fire in your belly. I’ve seen the way you fight every time you’re in that ring. So let’s do this. Let’s see who the real champ of RFW is.”

 

RATING: 55

 

2) PAPA SWOLL vs. MARK LATRELL

 

Fro and I got out of the way so his tag partner could make his way to the ring. Papa sauntered down the entrance and spent some time glad-handing with the fans. He even stopped to take some selfies with a few of the front row fans.

 

When Mark made his entrance, he strutted out to the ring, once again wearing a shirt that proclaimed himself “Mr. RFW.” He made it pretty clear from his attitude that he wasn’t about to pal around with the fans, although he did stop to take a selfie with one of the front row people. But then he stole the girl’s phone and tossed it away from her.

 

As great as their entrances were, this match kind of dragged. It was clear that Papa was doing most of the heavy lifting while Mark struggled to keep up with him. Mark did his best to play up the fact that he was a cocky heel, overly confident in his ability and chances. He tried to pin Papa several times, but he was lazy about it and grew more and more frustrated each time Papa kicked out.

 

Papa finally took control of the match, tossing Mark around the ring before finally putting him down with the Pounce.

 

WINNER: Papa Swoll in 15:23

RATING: 28

 

3) Quentin Queen interrupted Papa Swoll’s post-match celebration.

 

“Stop the music! Knock it off! Can you believe the garbage that Fro and Ace were spewing earlier. ‘Oh, it’s all about the fans.’ ‘It’s such an honor to wrestle you.’ I’m going to go into diabetic shock if those two keep that kind of garbage up.

 

“Look, it’s this simple: everyone here is out for themselves. They want to prove that they’re the best. And Ace? We all know he isn’t, because I beat him for the championship in that tournament. As for Fro? He spends more time dancing than fighting. He doesn’t deserve that strap at all.”

 

Papa Swoll got on the mic and cut him off. “Better watch what you’re saying there, Q man. Someone might take offense to it.”

 

Quentin snorted. “Oh, please. You’re just as bad. Swoll, what’s your record here at RFW? You haven’t held any titles. You haven’t even come close. So until you have a few more tally marks in your W column, you’ve got nothing to say to me.”

 

Swoll glared at him and then said, “Okay. If that’s the way you want it.”

 

Swoll then dropped the mic and rushed the ring entrance. He caught Quentin by surprise and the two of them started brawling in the ring entrance area. Backstage folks rushed out and pulled the two of them apart so the show could continue.

 

RATING: 42

 

4) SHERRY SMART vs. RUBY REECE

 

Once again, Sherry came out with a few divination tools. She settled herself in the middle of the ring and started to do a reading to predict her future…

 

Only to have Ruby Reece interrupt the proceedings and kickstart the match. Sherry struggled to keep up as Ruby knocked her around the ring. The crowd really ate it up for some reason, but it clearly wasn’t because of the action. Ruby finally put Sherry down with a Head Kick and got the pin.

 

WINNER: Ruby Reece in 11:39

RATING: 29

 

5) Grace came out to the ring to a pretty good pop. I have to admit, I was a little jealous as she smiled and waved at the fans and then waited until they had settled down.

 

“So tonight, I have a title defense against Talia Quinzel and you would think that I would be nervous. Talia’s a tough competitor and she’s making quite the name for herself all across the U.S. She is fierce, she is strong, she is something else entirely.

 

“But I’m not worried. You know why? Because Talia’s just a glorified sidekick. Oh, sure, she’s beaten me once or twice, but not when it’s counted. I still have the women’s championship and this title isn’t going anywhere.

 

“So Talia, let’s get this over with so I can put you down and show everyone why you’re not as big of a threat as you think you are.”

 

RATING: 47

 

6) CHIP MARTIN vs. JAMES DIAZ

 

James came out with fire in his eyes, but it was pretty clear that Chip didn’t see him as much of a threat. That changed once the bell rang. James was all over Chip and didn’t let up for a moment. James absolutely destroyed Chip, and Martin and Curt did their best to cover up for the face that these two just didn’t click at all.

 

Chip managed to rally once or twice, but it really didn’t matter, because in the end, James got Chip down with an Asian Thumb Spike.

 

WINNER: James Diaz in 14:54

RATING: 19

 

7) Garry the Entertainer came out with his ventriloquist puppet and started a quick routine. It basically consisted of Garry trying to figure out why Zippy turned on him when they had such a good thing going while the puppet resorted to increasingly vulgar insults about Zippy. While Garry tried to restrain the puppet at first, he eventually let the puppet do the talking, then shrugged, and said that Zippy should come out and face him.

 

RATING: 23

 

8) GARRY THE ENTERTAINER vs. ZIPPY DEVERELL

 

I asked Garry and Zippy to put on a comedy match and, according to Freddie, this was perfectly timed to give the crowd a breather. Problem was, it went on too long. Garry capered around the ring for a lot of it, clearly trying to prank and annoy Zippy as much as possible.

 

The crowd enjoyed laughing at Zippy as Garry kept pulling prank after prank on him, but finally Zippy apparently had enough and launched a blistering assault that smashed through Garry’s defenses and finally put him down with a Spinning Bulldog.

 

WINNER: Zippy Deverell in 11:23

RATING: 28

 

9) FLYING PATRIOT & ROGER MONTEIRO vs. DREADMASK © for the RFW Tag Team Championship

 

This turned out to be a much better match than I anticipated. Patriot and Roger turned out to be a pretty decent combination, but the champs proved to be better. Once again, Masked Mauler was the MVP for the match, carrying his team to victory when he got Roger to tap with the Iron Claw.

 

WINNERS: Dreadmask in 9:44

RATING: 35

 

10) GRACE “DIAMOND” KIL © vs. TALIA QUINZEL for the RFW Women’s Championship

 

The crowd really popped when Grace returned to the ring. Grace took a page from Papa’s playbook and spent some time shaking hands and hugging fans at ringside. She even found a group of young girls who enthusiastically took a group selfie with her.

 

Once Talia made her entrance, the match was on. It was pretty clear that Grace’s words earlier had lit a fire under Talia. She was particularly fierce, laying into Grace with a flurry of blows that actually took Grace off her feet. That gave Talia the advantage through the early part of the match. She spent several minutes just punishing Grace, ignoring opportunities to pin her.

 

“That’s going to turn out to be a mistake,” Martin observed. “One thing I’ve learned about our women’s champ: you never count her out until she’s out. So long as this match is going, Talia’s in danger.”

 

The challenger clearly didn’t feel that way. As Grace lay on the mat, trying to recover, Talia shouted some abuse at Grace’s fans. But then, when Talia finally started to pin Grace, Grace kicked out and started to rally. It was sloppy at first, as Grace clearly was trying to shake off the cobwebs from the beating. But the momentum quickly shifted to Grace and she started fighting back in earnest.

 

Talia stopped messing around and tried to pin Grace repeatedly, but she could never get much past two. Finally, as Talia tried to set up a Spinal Trauma, Grace blocked the attempt and turned it into a Diamond’s Edge.

 

WINNER: Grace “Diamond” Kil in 19:47

RATING: 52

 

11) FRO SURE © vs. JOHN “ACE” HART for the RFW Championship

 

The crowd was still pretty hot as Fro and I went out to the ring. Once again, Fro took his time to get to the ring, stopping to dance with some of the fans at ringside. One of them pointed to me in the ring, so Fro laughed and got into the ring with me. He waved off referee Parker Terry and motioned for me to show off my dance moves.

 

I did my best, I really did. But it was pretty clear that I’ve got no moves when it comes to the dance floor. The crowd hooted at me and Fro laughed good-naturedly. He showed off a bit more, then handed the title out of the ring and motioned for the match to start.

 

We put on a pretty good show, if I do say so myself. Martin hyped up the fact that you could tell that we really respected each other as competitors. At one point, I nearly got a pin on Fro. He broke the attempt and rolled out of the ring, then smiled and applauded for me. A few minutes later, Fro almost pinned me and so I did the same for him.

 

In the end, we had battered each other pretty good and you could tell that we were both struggling to keep fighting. I managed to hit an Ace of Harts on Fro and I tried to make the pin. He kicked out and clambered to his feet. I tried to hit him with the Ace of Harts again, only to have him hit me with the Sure Thing for the pin.

 

WINNER: Fro Sure in 15:22

RATING: 55

 

12) As soon as he was declared the winner, rather than start a celebration, Fro came over and offered me his hand. I took it and he helped me up. I lifted his hand in victory and he gave me a hug. Then we started a celebration of our own. Fro showed off his dance moves and even encouraged me to try again. The results were laughable.

 

But then James Diaz charged the ring, carrying a baseball bat.

 

He went after Fro first, taking out the champ’s legs and them pounding on him for a bit. When I tried to fight back, he hit me in the gut and then clubbed me over the back. He then took turns smashing Fro and me before he tossed down the bat, glared at the crowd, and rolled out of the ring again.

 

RATING: 34

 

***

 

Afterwards, I gathered the locker room together and gave props to Grace and Talia for their excellent match, and I thanked Fro for the good back and forth with me, both in our promo and our match together. I spoke a few more words about how appreciative I was for everyone’s efforts and then we set about cleaning stuff up and heading home.

 

But before he left, Fro grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. “Hey, Ace, I’m not trying to be nosy here, but…is everything okay between you and Abi?”

 

I stared at him blankly for a bit. “What? Why would you ask that?”

 

“Well…she’s not here.”

 

“I didn’t book her for tonight.”

 

“Yeah, but even on nights when she’s not in the ring, she usually comes here to hang out with us. But she’s not here tonight. Everything okay with you two, man?”

 

I tried to keep it together, but I think I must have failed. My eyes started burning and my throat constricted. Was I going to cry? That was stupid! I hadn’t cried in front of other people for… I couldn’t even remember the last time.

 

He looked around the locker room and ushered me to one corner.

 

“Hey, it’s all right. Tell you what. Why don’t we get finished up here and we’ll go out and talk about it, okay?”

 

I wanted to turn him down, but the words wouldn’t come out. So I nodded.

 

Fro quickly packed up his stuff, put his arm around my shoulders, and walked me out of the locker room. The last thing I saw as the door shut was Grace watching us leave, a concerned look on her face.

 

FINAL RATING: 52

 

 

Quick Results:

From RFW.com...

 

Papa Swoll defeated Mark Latrell

Ruby Reece defeated Sherry Smart

James Diaz defeated Chip Martin

Zippy Deverell defeated Garry the Entertainer

Dreadmask © defeated Roger Monteiro & Flying Patriot to retain the RFW Tag Team Championship

Grace "Diamond" Kil defeated Talia Quinzel to retain the RFW Women's Championship

Fro Sure © defeated John "Ace" Hart to retain the RFW Championship

[Scapino1974]

For Sure, Fro Sure

 

Sunday of Week 2, July 2021

 

Fro wouldn’t let me escape, even after we left the Civic Center. Not that I tried that hard. I mean, when we got out of the locker room, I tried to make excuses, say that I was okay, and that we didn’t have to bother, but he wasn’t having it. He basically steered me to his car and drove us to a nearby Applebees. He ordered himself a beer and a lemonade for me.

 

Once we had our drinks, he fixed his gaze on me. “All right, man. Spill. What’s going on?”

I didn’t intend to share, but with that prompt, the story came spilling out: Grace hiding the RFW from her parents, her dad’s attempt to break up our friendship, the way we had drifted apart over the past year, my unease about her relationship with Mark, my jealousy over how Reverend Kil accepted Mark and continued to freeze me out. Fro listened to my rambling story quietly, taking only the occasional sip of his beer.

 

Once I wrapped up my litany of complaints, Fro remained silent for a few minutes. He took a long drink of his beer. Then, with a sigh, he leaned back and said, “Okay, before we get into anything else, I have a couple of questions. You and Abi: you still together? You good?”

 

“Yeah. Well…we did kinda have a fight the other day about all of this. But yeah, we’re still together.” At least, so far as I knew we were. We hadn’t really talked for two weeks, which was killing me.

 

Fro’s gaze sharpened and he leaned forward. “Do you wanna be?”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Ace…c’mon, kid. Do I have to spell it out?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

He shook his head. “Are you in love with Grace?”

 

My head snapped back as if I had been super kicked. “What? No!”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Why would you even ask that?”

 

He laughed, and then ticked off the reasons on his fingers. “You’re upset that she still hasn’t told her parents about the company. You’re angry that her dad is, in your own words, trying to break you up. You’re freaking out because she was keeping secrets from you as well. You’re obviously jealous about her dating Mark. Why do you think Abi was so angry with you? She thinks you’re in love with Grace and, if I gotta be honest, so do I.”

 

“That’s ridiculous.”

 

“No, it’s not. These sorts of things happen all the time. Look, I’m still playing the field right now, but I gotta tell you, when I finally choose to settle down, I really hope she’s not just my wife and lover, but she’s my best friend also. You and Grace, you’ve been tight for so long, I think you two could be something amazing if you both wanted that. And I think that’s why Abi got so upset with you. Your words to her have been ‘I love you,’ but your actions and attitude are screaming something else.

 

“And look, if you really aren’t in love with Grace, that’s fine. But if that’s the case, then you have to realize that there are going to be some new boundaries in your friendship that you have to accept. Her parents like Mark better than you? That’s probably good, because if Mark and Grace go the distance, he’ll be part of their family in a way you never could be. She doesn’t want to tell her folks about something or keep a secret from you? That’s her business.”

 

I started to object to that last one and Fro held up a hand to cut me off.

 

“I’m serious, man. Even if she was your woman, she wouldn’t be yours to control, right? Yeah, maybe keeping secrets aren’t the healthiest thing in a relationship, but are you expecting to approve everything she does in her free time?

 

“I mean, suppose she catches the attention of Allen Packer? Or Steve DeColt? Some big promoter rolls up and throws a ton of money at her. You gonna forbid her from signing the contract and moving on to bigger things?”

 

I bristled. “Of course not!”

 

But even as I said the words, my stomach twisted. That could happen. Grace was easily one of the best wrestlers we had on the roster. Even better than me, turned out. We had been riding on her skills and popularity for the past year or so. While that was good for us, that also couldn’t last. Eventually Grace would get an offer from someone else and move on to a bigger promotion.

 

“Look, I don’t wanna bust your chops on this, kid, but you gotta pull your head out of your ass. Near as I can tell, you’re playing both sides of this. Unintentionally, maybe, but all you’re doing right now is making yourself and Abi miserable. You gotta stop that right now and figure out if you’re lying to everyone, including yourself, about how you feel about Grace.” He studied my face for a few moments, then sighed. “Now I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. So I’m getting some appetizers or something. You hungry?”

Not even a little bit. So I wound up sitting there, nursing my lemonade, as Fro chowed down on a burger and I wrestled with the question Fro had dropped on me.

[Blake Trask]

Fro is a bro.

[Aura]

This diary is making me like Fro even more than I already did.

[Scapino1974]

A Leap

 

Tuesday of Week 3, July 2021

 

I knew I couldn’t keep going on like this. I couldn’t. For the previous two nights, ever since my talk with Fro, I couldn’t sleep. What he said kept ricocheting through my mind. As soon as I would start to drift off, I would picture Abigail. Or Grace. Or Mark. Or Reverend Kil. These living ghosts haunted the realm between sleep and wakefulness, needling me with memories. The way Abigail and I fought. The condescension whenever I saw Reverend Kil. My continuing unease around Mark. That strange twist in my stomach when I thought of him being with Grace. And the questions that Freddie had asked me, that Fro had peppered me with. What were my feelings?

 

I flipped over in my bed, that question assaulting me. Memories bubbled through my mind: when Grace kissed me in middle school to see if we were something more. The strange disorientation I felt when we danced at prom. How good it felt to have her head on my shoulder while we discussed where she should go to college.

 

But then there was Abigail. Remembering how bowled over I was the first time I saw her. How excited I had been when she found me at the prom. The delicious energy that shot through me the first time we kissed. The long talks we had about everything and nothing. The pain—her pain—that echoed in me even now when we fought.

 

A sigh rattled through me. It really came down to my feelings for Grace. Did I love her? Freddie had asked me that a year ago. And now Fro had confronted me with the same question. The more I considered it, yeah, I did love Grace. Definitely as a friend. But was there more? Did I want there to be more?

 

I don’t know how long I wrestled with those questions and feelings, but somewhere around three in the morning, I had an epiphany. The sudden clarity cut through the emotional noise. And I knew. I knew what I had to do.

 

***

 

Friday of Week 3, July 2021

 

My palms were so sweaty, I was convinced that the steering wheel would slip through my hands. Well, that and the fact that I was severely sleep deprived didn’t help matters any.

 

After that first horrible night, I had come up with a plan. A multistep plan, one that would hopefully set things right, bring some balance back to my life. Or, at the very least, pull me out of this weird emotional quagmire. But even with that plan in place, just the thought of carrying through with it had been enough to keep my nerves firing day and night.

 

I pulled up to her house and parked across the street. I don’t know why I did. Maybe to give me a little buffer before I put my plan into motion. If I had pulled into the driveway, someone would have seen me, maybe come out to investigate. Here, I could pretend to be anonymous for a little while longer. Take a few deep breaths. Hope that I said the right things. Bracing myself since I knew I wouldn’t.

 

One more breath, and I forced myself out of the car. Headed up the sidewalk to the porch. But as I approached, the front door opened. Her dad stepped through and paused when he saw me.

 

“John? What are you doing here?”

 

My mouth went dry, so I swallowed hard and said, “Good to see you, Mr. Thompson. Is Abigail here?”

 

His smile faded, chased by confusion, but he nodded. “Uh, sure. I’ll go get her.”

 

He stepped back inside and I stayed outside, rubbing my hands on my jeans. I knew I was doing the right thing, but that didn’t make this any easier. Somehow, it made it worse. My stomach felt like it was trying to crawl up my throat to escape. If Abigail’s dad hadn’t seen me, I probably would have chickened out. But I was committed now. Couldn’t back down.

 

Then Abigail stepped onto the porch, her expression unreadable. “Hey.”

 

I tried to speak, but it came out as an indistinct croak. “H-hey.”

 

“What are you doing here, John? I mean, I’m…well, I’m glad to see you, but my family is going on vacation, remember? Leaving for the Dells for a week?”

Oh, that was right. She had told me, but that had been before any of this broke loose.

 

“I hope…” I swallowed again. “I don’t think this will take long. Can we…can we go for a walk?”

 

She rubbed her arms as if cold, but she nodded once, sharply. “Let me tell my folks.”

 

A few minutes later, we started down her street. We walked side by side, close but not too close. She must have sensed my unease and kept her distance. That was probably for the best. My thoughts had gotten all twisted into knots and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say what I needed to say.

 

“Look, John…” Abigail finally said. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that we fought. I was being jealous and petty and…”

 

“No, you were right to be upset,” I said. “I haven’t been fair to you. At all. I was frustrated about…well, so much and I took it out on you and I shouldn’t have. That wasn’t fair to me and…I have to make things right.”

 

She nodded, sniffled a little. “I think I understand.”

 

“No, I don’t think you do.” I turned to her. “I’ve been thinking a lot about…well, Grace and me. And you and me. And how everything got so…so complicated. But a few nights ago, I came to a realization. I suddenly understood. And I know what I have to do.”

 

Grace closed her eyes and nodded. “I wish you would have done this before I went on vacation, John.”

 

“I couldn’t do it any earlier,” I said.

 

She frowned, tipping her head at me. “What?”

 

I took a deep breath, knelt down right there. And I pulled out the ring that had been jangling in my pocket the whole drive to Albert Lea.

 

“Abigail Thompson, will you marry me?”

[Herrbear]

Wow!!!

[1PWfan]

And the Finn Hudson Memorial Award for 'Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Are you freakin' kidding me?!' goes to!

[Scapino1974]

Aftershock

 

Friday of Week 3, July 2021

 

Time had frozen. Abigail stared at me, her mouth open, her eyes wide. I held my breath and waited.

 

Then she laughed. She stumbled forward and took the ring from my trembling hand and looked at it. She laughed again, a nervous giggle.

 

“John…” She whispered. “No.”

 

Now I was frozen. No? But…but that wasn’t what she was supposed to say! This had been step one of my plan: show my commitment to Abigail. Cut through my confusion and make the choice. The better choice. The right choice. So how could she say “No?”

 

“But…I love you and—”

 

She laughed and knelt down, touching my cheek. “And I love you too. But I’m not going to marry you.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I’m nineteen. You’re only twenty! We’re too young to be talking about this right now.” She pressed the ring back into my hands. “Why would you do this in the first place?”

 

“Well…we fought. We argued. And you said you were worried that I didn’t love you and I wanted to…” Oh, God, why was I crying? “I wanted to show you how much I love you and so I got this ring and I came out here and…”

 

She laughed again and hugged me, kissed me. “You’re an idiot.”

 

The words were harsh, but her tone was music. She rose and pulled me to my feet and steered me back toward her house. This time, though, she threaded our fingers together and squeezed my hand.

 

“It was a fight, John,” she said. “I was…well, I’ll admit. I was jealous. I am jealous of Grace. I’ve only known you for a year now and I wish I had known you as long as she has. And you were so angry and I just kept feeling worse and worse…”

 

“I should have been more sensitive to that,” I said.

 

She shrugged. “Maybe. But how many times have you listened to me complain about my friends and never complained? Grace is your oldest friend. It’s…well, it’s a little weird to me, but if she’s important to you, then she’s important to me.”

 

I kissed her. Unlike the last time we kissed, this time it felt right. Comforting. Like things were one step better in the world.

 

As we approached her house, I spotted her parents and siblings working on loading their van. We lingered at the end of the driveway.

 

I held up the ring again. “You sure you don’t want this?”

 

Her eyes widened and she shoved my hand down, shooting a look toward her family. “Put that away right now. I love you, but if my dad saw you with that, he’d either shoot you or take you out for a beer.”

 

“And your mom?”

 

She smiled. “She’d probably spend our entire vacation crying. Look, I’m not saying ‘no’ forever. Just not right now. Hang on to the ring and…we’ll see. Just…don’t do anything stupid until I’m back from Wisconsin, okay?”

 

I pocketed the ring and followed her up the driveway. Her dad roped me into carrying luggage out of the house so he could pack it in the back. We chatted as we worked. Abigail’s older brother, Mel, helped us, but he seemed content to let me “bond” with his dad.

 

After about a half hour, we had everything squared away. Abigail’s dad shook my hand. Her mom hugged me. And Abigail gave me a kiss that caused Mel to hoot a little before she punched him in the arm. Then they pulled away and left me with a ring in my pocket and the harder conversation yet to come.

[Blake Trask]

abigail is honestly the one with her head screwed on here.

 

but this was still pretty much the best possible outcome.

[Herrbear]

abigail is honestly the one with her head screwed on here.

 

but this was still pretty much the best possible outcome.

 

Agree

[Scapino1974]

Confrontation

 

Saturday of Week 4, July 2021

 

I don’t know why I put this off for so long.

 

Once Abigail and her family left, I had driven home, trying to work up my courage to finally have this talk. But when I made it home, I chickened out. At the time, I said it was because I was too emotionally wrung out to have another hard talk. But now, as I sat across the street from the Kil’s house, I knew the truth.

 

I didn’t want to have this talk. I was too scared. Old fears, old threats, deeply ingrained in my mind, proved so hard to overcome. But I had to do this. I had waited too long.

 

The walk to the front door felt like it lasted for miles. But it also felt like I stood at the door in the span of two heartbeats. I flexed my fingers, screwing up my courage, and rang the doorbell.

 

After a heart-wrenching wait, the door opened and Mrs. Kil looked up at me in surprise. “John? What are you doing here?”

 

I swallowed hard. “Is Reverend Kil here?”

 

She stared at me and, for a moment, I wondered if she hadn’t understood me. But then she nodded slowly. “He’s in his study. Just a moment.”

 

She stepped back inside. I took a shuddering breath and waited, although I did glance over my shoulder just to make sure I had a clear path to retreat if I had to. But before I could actually move, Mrs. Kil came back and motioned for me to come inside.

 

I knew the way. When we were kids, Grace and I were forbidden from ever entering Reverend Kil’s study. Of course, that meant that we tried to sneak in as often as we could. When we were kids, Reverend Kil’s study felt like the lair of an evil wizard or some sort of supervillain.

 

That feeling hadn’t gone away as I stepped through the door. Three of the walls were covered with full bookcases. He had a large wooden desk shoved up against one wall looking through the only window. The few empty spots on the walls were covered with religious paintings and icons. He was seated in a plush chair, a leather folder open in his lap and a pen in his hand. He set all of that aside and fixed me with a hard stare.

 

“Hannah told me you wanted to speak with me, John. Please. Have a seat.” He motioned for a nearby chair.

 

I settled into it. He studied me for a few moments.

 

“I must say, I am disappointed you came over here,” he said. “I thought I had made my feelings about your continued…presence clear.”

 

“You did, sir. But I’ve been thinking. So far, you’ve done all the talking. You haven’t given me the chance to speak. And doesn’t the Bible say something about being quick to listen and slow to speak?”

 

His gaze narrowed. “It does indeed.”

 

“And I’ve listened so far. I’ve listened to everything you have to say. But shouldn’t that go both ways?”

 

He steepled his fingers, his head tipped to one side. “Very well. What’s on your mind?”

 

I took a deep breath. “Sir, you’ve known me pretty much my whole life. And yes, I know that I haven’t always made the best decisions. And sometimes, those decisions have gotten Grace and me into trouble. But you have to believe me, I never intended for her to get hurt. And I definitely don’t want to hold her back.

 

“But this is the thing, sir: I love your daughter.”

 

He stiffened in his chair and his face twisted into a snarl. I quickly held up my hand to stop him from speaking.

 

“Not like that. I love her like a sister. And I think she loves me the same way.” Once I said it, I regretted the phrasing, but I had to keep going. “I’ve tried to respect your wishes for the last year, sir. I really have. But it’s been killing me. It feels like you’ve torn out a part of my heart.

 

“Now I can’t promise that I’ll never make dumb choices, sir. As a matter of fact, I’ve made some doozies lately. But I want to assure you: when it comes to Grace, I don’t want to ruin her future. I think she’s going to do some amazing things. I just want to be able to see it as her friend.”

 

I leaned back in the chair and opened my hand. “Now I realize that I’m not your favorite person in the world. I have to be honest, while I understand some of your concerns, I think you’re overreacting. Tell me, what were her grades like this year?”

 

He pursed his lips, but then said, “They were…adequate.”

 

I fought to keep from smirking. I had learned how to decipher Reverend Kil’s way of thinking a long time ago. “Adequate” likely meant a 4.0 GPA.

 

“I’m not going to derail that. I wouldn’t want to. All I’m asking is this: can you give me a chance to prove it?”

 

The floor creaked behind me. I turned and saw that Mrs. Kil was lurking in the half-open doorway. Her eyes glistened and she offered me a small smile.

 

Reverend Kil studied me, his face inscrutable. But then, finally, he nodded.

 

“Very well, John. I appreciate your candor in speaking with me. And I also appreciate what you have said. I withdraw my objection to your friendship with my daughter. And I am…sorry for any pain I may have caused you.”

Wait, had he just apologized to me? In all my years of knowing him, Reverend Kil had never done that for anyone. For a second, I wondered if I should press my luck, tell him about how amazing Grace was in the ring, invite him to our next show.

 

Nah. That would be the height of stupidity, and I was pretty sure I had used up my fair share over the past few weeks.

 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my preparations for tomorrow.” He picked up the folder and set to work again.

 

It was a dismissal, but I didn’t care. I considered offering him my hand, but he had already turned his attention back to his work. Some other time.

 

As I left the room, Mrs. Kil gave my arm a squeeze and then a pat on my back. I walked a little taller as I headed for the front door…

 

…only to nearly collide with Grace and Mark.

 

“Ace!” Grace said, her gaze shooting over my shoulder toward her dad’s study. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

 

“Just got done having a chat with your dad,” I said.

 

She stumbled back a step. “And?”

 

“I think we’re good.”

 

Her mouth popped open. I glanced at Mark. His expression was unreadable, but then he smiled and gently punched me on the arm.

 

“Well, I don’t want to interrupt you two,” I said. “Call me later?”

 

Grace nodded and I walked out of the Kil house, my head high. Now all I had to do was keep the RFW going, get ready for classes in the fall, and see how long I could keep things the same. But after talking to Reverend Kil, I figured all of that would be easy enough.

[Scapino1974]

A New Fight

 

Friday of Week 1, August 2021

 

Upside: Abigail and I were on good footing again. Not engaged, not heading there just yet, but we were solid and looking forward to another year at RCTC.

 

Upside: Reverend Kil had indeed backed off. Grace called me more often, we were able to hang out a couple of times, and Mrs. Kil even had me over for dinner once. Granted, Reverend Kil was off at a church meeting, but it felt nice. Like old times.

 

Downside: Now that the embargo had been lifted, Grace had the crazy idea that we should go on a double date together.

 

Don’t get me wrong, Mark was fine. The guy’s a little too public with his affection sometimes, but nothing that made me worry for Grace or her safety. And the movie Grace picked was fine, a romcom so vanilla and generic I saw every plot twist coming from the first five minutes.

 

But for some reason, although Abigail and I were fine, and Grace and I were fine, there was still a weird tension in the air all night. When we had dinner together, Mark did most of the talking, with Abigail and Grace interjecting comments once in a while. I tried to get the two of them to open up, talk to each other, but they didn’t. Even though we weren’t supposed to talk during the movie, I still felt the tension. And afterwards, when we all said goodnight to each other, I gave Grace a hug and Abigail even hugged Mark, but Grace and Abigail basically nodded at each other before we went our separate ways.

 

I tried to get Abigail to talk as we walked back to my car, but she seemed lost in thought. I finally fell silent as well. As we drove back to Cassidy’s house, I worried that another fight was brewing.

 

“Hey, John?” she finally said, an odd tone in her voice.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Have you finalized the card for the next All In?”

 

Weird question. “Not quite yet.”

 

“Do I have a match?”

 

“No.”

 

“Does Grace?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Good.” She looked at me, a fire burning in her eyes. “Give me a title shot.”

Okay… So a fight was brewing, just not with me.

[Scapino1974]

All In (August 2021)

 

RFW All In

Sunday of Week 2, August 2021

Held at the Civic Center in Rochester, MN (Mid West Region)

291 in attendance

 

There was a tension in the air. At least, I felt it. I’m not sure if anyone else did. Freddie had gathered Charlie Corner, Pepper Pelton, and Jerry Pepper, taking them off to one side. I drifted past them and heard that he was trying to give tips to Charlie and Jerry on how to sell an opponent’s offense, while he was explaining the finer points of psychology to Pepper. They seemed fine, for the most part (although Charlie looked a bit in over his head).

 

Then Fro came over to me and socked me on the arm. “This is your solution? You put Grace and Abigail in the ring together?”

 

I rubbed the sore spot. “Abigail wanted it. And Grace agreed.”

 

He stared at me, then snorted and walked off, muttering something about white people under his breath.

 

Tamara found me next. Thankfully, she didn’t punch me, although from her expression, I suspected she wanted to.

 

“Are they ready?” I asked.

 

“As much as they can be,” she said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

 

So did I.

 

***

 

Martin and Curt welcomed the audience to the show.

 

1) JOHN “ACE” HART vs. JAMES DIAZ

As I made my way to the ring, Martin reminded people about how James had made himself a nuisance recently. “And I think John Hart has taken that personally,” Martin said. “I suspect that he’s hoping to put an end to the James Diaz situation right now.”

 

“Except this isn’t just anyone we’re talking about,” Curt countered. “James Diaz is the Son of the Monster. And he’s shown that he isn’t going to back down from anything. I wouldn’t count him out yet.”

 

Once the two of us were in the ring, we tore into each other. Martin said that if we kept after each other like this, we’d wind up burning out in the first few minutes.

 

Only neither of us could really put the other one down. At least, not for long. It was very clear that I was out to really punish James, and I spent some of the time shouting abuse at him as I tried to get him to stay down. But James remained silent, simply kicking out of pinning predicaments and firing back as he could.

 

Out of nowhere, I hit the Ace of Harts and tried to pin him, but James kicked out not once, but twice. I hit another Ace of Harts on him and, while he was struggling to keep up, he managed to kick out again. I started getting more and more frustrated, which Martin said was stupid on my part. “Sending a message is one thing, but no one’s gonna get it if you lose the match, kid.”

 

Finally, I managed to hit the Ace of Harts a third time. I staggered to James and tried to make the cover. Only he came back to life and caught me in the Asian Thumb Spike. I struggled to get free, but then I passed out.

 

WINNER: James Diaz in 24:57

RATING: 47

 

2) While paramedics came out to retrieve me, James got on the mic.

 

“You see what happens when you oppose the Son of the Monster? You see, Hart? This is my ring. This is my house. And Fro Sure? You’re next!”

 

RATING: 19

 

3) SHERRY SMART vs. DUPLIKATE

 

Ouch. This one hurt us. Sherry, on her way out to the ring, tried to tell the fortune of a few of the fans, but no one seemed all that interested in what she offered (or even her, really).

 

The real problem was with DupliKate. Seeing as her gimmick is to copy the other person’s moves, that proved difficult since Sherry really doesn’t have that many of her own. It was mostly a bunch of awkward moves, with DupliKate imitating Sherry a second too late.

 

In the end, Kate put Sherry down with a move Curt identified as the Cracked Mirror.

 

WINNER: DupliKate in 11:34

RATING: 14

 

4) CHARLIE CORNER vs. ORIGINAL SINNER

 

Charlie looked like he had taken some of Freddie’s advice to heart. He really did his best to sell Sinner as a powerhouse threat. Sinner, though, didn’t really live up to his side of hte match. He stumbled through a lot of it until Charlie put him down with a Corner Cutter.

 

WINNER: Charlie Corner in 10:02

RATING: 24

 

5) Wild Red Stallion came out to the ring. He sheepishly admitted (in a somewhat hesitant, stumbling way) that he hadn’t had much luck going solo. So he thought he would try the tag scene again. Only not with Texas Hangman. Instead, he wanted to see how he did with Roger Monteiro.

 

Roger came out to the ring and took the mic. He said he was honored to give this a shot with Stallion. He spoke of the connection they both had since they were both members of a First Nation (since Stallion is from the Lakota tribe and Roger is Ioway). He spoke of how they would show people what two men connected to their heritage would be able to do.

 

RATING: 21

 

6) WILD RED STALLION & ROGER MONTIERO vs. THE SCOFIELD INDEX

 

Unfortunately, Pepper didn’t really listen to Freddie (apparently). He was all over the place. But then, so were Roger and Stallion. As much as Roger tried to keep Stallion focused, it was still clear that Stallion had something to prove. He was clearly trying to show that he could handle this challenge on his own. He refused to tag in Roger a few times when he should have and, as a result, Jerry and Pepper were able to put him down with a Carolina Reaper, allowing Pepper to get the pin.

 

WINNERS: The Scofield Index in 16:17

RATING: 31

 

7) PAPA SWOLL vs. QUENTIN QUEEN

 

Martin reminded everyone that last month, Quentin shot off his mouth at Papa Swoll and, as a result, the two of them have a match tonight.

 

This match proved to be similar to James’s and my match. Papa Swoll was clearly trying to teach Quentin some manners and, in the early going of the match, he managed to dominate Quentin pretty easily. He knocked him around the ring and laughed off the few times Quentin managed to rally and fight back.

 

But Quentin reminded everyone why he had been our first champ. He managed to rally. Swoll tried to stop his offense with the Pounce, only to have Quentin duck it and then hit him with the Q-Ball.

 

WINNER: Quentin Queen in 14:02

RATING: 38

 

8) Abigail Thompson came out to the ring with a mic.

 

“Hello, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Abigail Thompson. But I’m not surprised if you don’t know that. I believe the term most people would use for me is ‘curtain-jerker.’ Yeah, I get thrown into a match now and then, but can any of you remember what one of those matches are?”

 

She waited, and while a few people shouted some suggestions, she laughed them off.

 

“Okay, so some of you were paying attention. Thank you! But I’m not here in the RFW to just be remembered by a few people. By the end of tonight, I want people to remember my name. I want them to know who I am. And so tonight, I’m challenging Grace Kil for the RFW Championship. What do you say, Grace?”

 

Much to my surprise, the crowd seemed to be behind Abigail. There was something about the way she talked to them and interacted with them. And the crowd only got hotter as Grace’s music hit. She came out to the ring entrance with a mic of her own. She studied Abigail before she said two words: “You’re on.”

 

RATING: 57

 

9) GRACE “DIAMOND” KIL © vs. ABIGAIL THOMPSON for the RFW Women’s Championship

 

What on earth? I mean, I could tell that Grace was doing a lot of work to carry this match and she really sold Abigail’s offense, but Abigail really stepped up her game as well. Much to my absolute shock, she actually took some risks, leaping off the top rope a few times to try to take Grace out.

 

But as much as Martin cheered her on, as much as Curt grudgingly said that Abigail was proving herself, it was clear that Grace still deserved to hold the title. She managed to knock Abigail out of the air and then, before Abigail could recover, Grace slapped her in a figure four neck-lock. Abigail fought to get herself free, but Grace demanded that she tap out now. Abigail started to fade, so she tapped.

 

WINNER: Grace “Diamond” Kil in 10:14

RATING: 54

 

10) FRO SURE © vs. DREADNOUGHT for the RFW Championship

 

I think the crowd was a little burned out from the women’s championship. I mean, Fro did his best to get them pumped up with his entrance, but it was clear that the crowd was still trying to figure out what to call Grace’s submission move.

 

Dreadnought came out, clearly focused on trying to take the champ out. And he did a pretty decent job knocking Fro around. But Fro managed to maintain control through most of the match, kicking out when he needed to and avoiding unnecessary showboating. In the end, he put Dreadnought down with a Sure Thing.

 

WINNER: Fro Sure in 16:50

RATING: 48

 

11) Dreadnought rolled out of the ring and retreated up the ramp. Fro started his usual post-match celebration, but then James Diaz vaulted the security rail and took Fro down by sweeping his feet out from under him. Before the champ could react, James put him in the Asian Thumb Spike and held it until Fro passed out.

 

RATING: 27

 

***

 

The locker room was buzzing when I made it back there. I called them together, and I congratulated James for being so intimidating. I tried to reassure Stallion that he was doing a good job too. And I heaped praise on Abigail for the way she cut her promo and how well she did with Grace. A few of the wrestlers complained, but I think most of it was good-natured.

 

After I was done, though, Abigail walked over to Grace. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before Grace spoke.

 

“We good?” Grace asked.

 

Abigail’s gaze narrowed, and then she laughed. “We are. Thanks for that.”

 

“Anytime you need it.”

 

The two of them hugged it out. I considered asking them what that was about, but decided against it. No way I wanted those two teaming up against me.

 

FINAL RATING: 47

 

 

From RFW.com...

Here are the latest results from "All In!"

 

James Diaz defeated John "Ace" Hart

DupliKate defeated Sherry Smart

Charlie Corner defeated Original Sinner

The Scofield Index defeated Roger Monteiro & Wild Red Stallion

Quentin Queen defeated Papa Swoll

Grace "Diamond" Kil © defeated Abigail Thompson to retain the RFW Women's Championship

Fro Sure © defeated Dreadnought to retain the RFW Grand Championship

[Scapino1974]

Moving On

 

Friday of Week 4, August 2021

 

It was remarkable how ordinary life had become in the matter of just a month or so.

 

Oh, sure, there were still some lingering sore spots. Abigail and I spent the rest of our summer talking on the phone a lot, working through some of our issues. By the end of August, when she moved back in with her aunt and uncle, I think we had sorted through most of it. She did keep making jokes about how, if I started acting up again, she would demand a rematch against Grace. I laughed with her, but I was a bit worried about where that might take us. The ring I had bought her was stashed in my desk. We both knew it was there, but neither of us really talked about it anymore. I had come to realize that my impromptu decision to propose was born out of stress and desperation. Not a great foundation for a marriage.

 

As for Grace and me, well, things were still a bit tenuous there. Reverend Kil proved true to his word. He never overtly objected to my presence in Grace’s life. Just like when Mrs. Kil had me over for dinner, Reverend Kil made himself scarce whenever he knew I was going to be around. I suppose he figured that if he wasn’t around, that would make things easier. It didn’t. If anything, it made me more nervous, like the other shoe was going to drop at some point.

 

But he couldn’t avoid me when Grace moved back to the U. This time, Grace invited me to come help her pack up and I did. Reverend Kil was cordial to me the whole time, but he didn’t say much aside from greeting me. But I was able to laugh and joke with Grace like it was old times until finally, her folks loaded up and headed for the Cities.

 

And things were looking up at RFW as well. We had made $6,675 in August, bringing our accounts up to $73,549. And Grace and I had made a major decision: we were going to start charging for tickets again. We had almost cracked 300 for attendance. We knew we’d take a hit, but we wanted to build up our financial reserve some more because, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get on WrestleWorld. We’d have to do some major upgrades to do this, but maybe, if we were bringing in ticket sales again, that would be enough to cushion the blow.

 

And so, as the fall of 2021 started, I settled in for what I figured would be a normal run. James Diaz was establishing himself as the Son of the Monster and generating some heat with our fans. I had some ideas about where to take some of the other feuds.

 

Little did I realize, an even bigger surprise was lurking right around the corner…

[Scapino1974]

All In (September 2021)

 

RFW All In

Sunday of Week 2, September 2021

Held at the Civic Center in Rochester, MN (Mid West Region)

219 in attendance

 

The locker room was buzzing a little as I stepped into it. I had to check in with Linda and the Four-Clap Posse to see how we were doing. I had expected a drop in attendance since we started charging for tickets again and it looked like that had happened. Not as bad as I feared, but still, we would have to work to make up the lost ground.

 

But I was confident that we would. It felt like we were on an unstoppable upward trajectory. All we had to do was maintain course.

 

I looked over the assembled workers. Once again, Freddie had pulled Charlie Corner, Pepper Pelton, and Jerry Pepper into one corner and was having a mini-seminar. Sounded like they were discussing match psychology again. I had to smirk. Looked like Freddie had put together some disciples there.

 

Huh. That was an interesting idea. I’d have to let that one roll around for a while.

 

But I didn’t have time to think on that too much. It was time to kick things off.

 

***

 

Martin and Curt welcomed everyone to the show.

 

1) Unfamiliar music hit and...

 

 

...Too Hot came out to the ring! He rolled into the ring and basked in what little pop he got from the crowd. He then got on the mic and said that he had been hearing some big things about RFW and he had to come and see it for himself. He had heard that our champ had a love of dancing and hey, he did too. So he was thinking that maybe he and Fro Sure should at least have a dance off later on. And to warm up, he’s gonna show the crowd what he had to offer. He called for some dance music.

 

Instead, Quentin Queen’s entrance music hit. He came out and ripped on Too Hot for showing up to relive his glory days. “You may have been too hot for Canada, but you’re back in the U.S. now. And beleive it or not, this isn’t So You Think You Can Dance. This is Royal Flush Wrestling. Fro Sure may have indulged your stupid dancing, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to come down there and break both your legs so you never dance again.”

 

Too Hot’s smile disappeared. “You know what, junior? That sounds just fine to me. A lot of guys have tried to keep me from doing my thing for years. I’ve got the time. I think it’s time for you to learn a hard lesson."

 

RATING: 42

 

2) CHARLIE CORNER & FLYING PATRIOT vs. THE SCOFIELD INDEX

 

For some reason, the crowd really got into this match, although it wasn’t necessarily because of the wrestling. Charlie and Patriot were both struggling in the ring, allowing the former tag champs to run circles around them. Pepper eventually put us all out of our misery when he and Jerry dropped Patriot with a Carolina Reaper.

 

WINNERS: The Scofield Index in 12:44

RATING: 29

 

3) Texas Hangman came out to the ring, looking extremely grim. He said that he had been doing a lot of thinking lately, and he said that the RFW has a major problem: James Diaz.

 

“James seems to be carrying a chip on his shoulder lately and he seems determined to make everyone else pay for it. But that don’t sit right with me at all.

 

“For whatever reason, James has been runnin’ wild the past couple of months and allowed to stick his nose in where it ain’t needed or wanted. Since no one else seems ready or capable to do something about it, I will.

 

“Back in the day, when the law was paralyzed and wouldn’t do what was right, honest folk would sometimes have to take the law into their own hands. And tonight’s one of those nights. James, get your affairs in order, because tonight, you’re facing the Hangman’s justice.”

 

James came out to the ring and he tried to play it off like he wasn’t concerned at all. But his delivery, when compared to Hangman’s, fell kind of flat. Martin tried to play it off that James was simply too nervous about the possibility of facing someone in a fair fight.

 

RATING: 29

 

4) TEXAS HANGMAN vs. JAMES DIAZ

 

James did seem cautious as he got into the ring. Hangman looked positively menacing, towering over James. James feinted at him a few times to test his reflexes. Hangman tried to lock him up, but James slipped out of it every time.

 

Eventually the two men clashed in the ring and Hangman made good on his promise when it came to punishing James. Hangman tossed James around the ring and seemed determined to not just beat him, but break him. But then, as Hangman tried to set James up for a final Choke Slam, James twisted around the Hangman and somehow managed to get the bigger man in the Asian Thumb Spike. Hangman tried desperately to get free, but James wouldn’t let go. Hangman eventually fell to the mat and passed out.

 

WINNER: James Diaz in 12:07

RATING: 36

 

5) The Uprising, Selina Svelte and Talia Quinzel, came out to the ring. They reminded folks that they were the dominant force in the RFW and that the other ladies in the back were fooling themselves if they thought that they were match for them.

 

“Maybe we need to remind them who we are, Talia. Did you notice that Abigail Thompson tried to jump in line last month and take Grace’s title?” Selina asked.

 

“I did,” Talia said.

 

“I think we need to remind her how the food chain works here. There are bottom feeders like her…” Selina said.

 

“…and apex predators like us. Abigail, find a partner and get out here now.”

 

RATING: 34

 

6) ABIGAIL THOMPSON & JOY RIDER vs. THE UPRISING

 

Abigail came out with Joy. While Joy did her usual shtick, jumping around and hyping up the crowd, Abigail looked nervous but determined. She walked down the ring entrance with Joy, not really responding to Joy’s repeated attempts to get her to bounce around as well.

 

Once the bell rang, Abigail and Joy were all business and this turned out to be a pretty good match. Talia and Selina did a pretty decent job of selling Joy and Abigail’s offense for a while, but they slowly but surely turned the tide in their favor before Selina got Joy in a Prawn Armlock and got her to tap.

 

WINNERS: The Uprising in 13:33

RATING: 47

 

7) WILD RED STALLION vs. DREADNOUGHT

 

Once again, the crowd got into this match even though, in wrestling terms, things were kind of off. Stallion was struggling throughout the match, which Martin tried to play off as Stallion once again trying (and failing) to prove that he can go it on his own). In the end, Dreadnought put him down with a Dread Bomb.

 

WINNER: Dreadnought in 9:59

RATING: 23

 

8) Dreadnought wasn’t done. He put the boots to Stallion and beat him up some more to punctuate the loss.

 

RATING: 15

 

9) SABRINA WELLS vs. RUBY REECE

 

This turned out to be an interesting match. Curt pointed out that Sabrina and Ruby were actually tag team partners in other companies before they came here. And their familiarity with each other showed through in this match. They were able to duck each other’s offense for quite a while until Sabrina surprised Ruby with a Super Kick.

 

WINNER: Sabrina Wells in 13:28

RATING: 34

 

10) TOO HOT vs. QUENTIN QUEEN

 

The crowd was pretty hot for this match as well. Too Hot whipped them up and did some dancing and goofing around as he made his way to the ring. But once Quentin rolled in, the goofiness was gone.

 

We let Too Hot get in some good licks, and Quentin did a pretty decent job fighting back. But toward the end of the match, Too Hot botched a move that sent Quentin face-first into the ring post. You could tell that Quentin was really hurt as he staggered away, clutching his face. But Quentin powered through the pain and caught Too Hot in a Q-Ball.

 

WINNER: Quentin Queen in 10:10

RATING: 35

 

11) Quentin quickly rolled out of the ring and headed to the back, his hand over his cheek the whole way. Too Hot eventually got up off the mat and shrugged off the loss. He once again called for his music, but before he could start dancing, James Diaz hit the ring and put Too Hot in the Asian Thumb Spike. He held him there until people rushed out of the back and pried him off of Too Hot, who had passed out.

 

RATING: 26

 

12) FRO SURE © vs. THE MASKED MAULER VII for the RFW Championship

 

Masked Mauler has really been gaining some traction with the fans lately, so I figured I’d throw him a title shot and see what happened.

 

Maybe not the best idea. Fro and Mauler did a great job building some heat in the early going of the match. Mauler looked like a genuine threat, ignoring some of Fro’s offense and battering the champ around the ring.

 

But just as Fro was starting to get some momentum going, Mauler botched a move and Fro hit the mat hard. He clutched at his shoulder and looked like he was in some serious pain. Mauler seemed surprised by this and faltered a bit in the match. But then, before anyone could really react, James Diaz came in and attacked Masked Mauler. He knocked the big guy off his feet and put him in an Asian Thumb Spike. The ref immediately called for the bell.

 

WINNER: Masked Mauler VII by DQ in 21:04

RATING: 40

 

13) As soon as the match ended, James released Mauler and then went after Fro. Fro tried to step into the fight, but the ref stopped him and kept the two from truly brawling.

 

RATING: 34

 

***

 

I waited as Freddie looked over Fro. Quentin sat next to him, holding an ice pack to his cheek.

 

“I’m pretty sure that Quentin has a fractured cheekbone,” Freddie said. “As for Fro, he’s going to be dealing with some chronic shoulder pain for a while.”

 

I growled. “Too Hot?”

 

Freddie grimaced. “Already left once he collected his pay.”

 

Well, that was that, I guessed. But I turned back to the others who had gathered around to hear the prognosis.

 

“I have to say, I’m not happy. Two of our workers got injured tonight. We can’t have that happen.” I looked over at Mauler. “Larry, you need to do better. I was seeing if you could handle a main event push right now, and I gotta say, I’m questioning that right now.”

 

Mauler grumbled something but Dreadnought shot him a look, silencing him.

 

“I do want to thank both Fro and Quentin for fighting through the pain. I know that can’t have been easy. I want both of you to get to the hospital and see what’s really going on. If you need time off, we’ll make sure you get it.”

 

With that, people started shuffling away to clean up the locker room. But I couldn’t help but spot the look that Abigail gave me. My stomach twisted. This was exactly the sort of scenario she was worried about. And I had let her down.

 

FINAL RATING: 40

 

From RFW.com:

Check out what happened in tonight's explosive All In!

 

The Scofield Index defeated Charlie Corner & Flying Patriot

James Diaz defeated Texas Hangman

The Uprising defeated Abigail Thompson & Joy Rider

Dreadnought defeated Wild Red Stallion

Sabrina Wells defeated Ruby Reece

Quentin Queen defeated Too Hot

The Masked Mauler VII defeated Fro Sure © by DQ, so Fro retains the RFW Championship

[Scapino1974]

Hey, weird request, but can someone please post a comment here? I don't care what, but for some reason, the forum isn't showing me the show I posted this morning. I have no idea if I'll be able to see this post when I make it. So I'm hoping if I can get someone to say something, that'll clear the digital logjam or whatever it is.

 

EDIT: Never mind. This post did the trick. Weird.

[Blake Trask]

damn you too hot!

[Scapino1974]

Go Big or Go Home

 

Saturday of Week 4, September 2021

 

“So how are Quentin and Fro doing?” Grace asked.

 

I shrugged. “Fro’s doctor is insisting that he stay out of action for the next month or so. Quentin supposedly will be good to go next month. At least, that’s what his doc is saying.”

 

“That’s surprising,” Grace commented.

 

My reply was drowned out by a sudden roar from the Gopher fans. I winced. How had Grace talked me into this? I wasn’t even much of a football fan to begin with.

 

Actually, I knew full well what had happened. Grace and Mark hadn’t been able to make it to the last All In due to some early coursework, so to “make it up to me” (her words), they invited me to come up to the next home game at the U. Abigail couldn’t make it due to some family commitments, so I found myself a third wheel to Mark and Grace, surrounded by maroon and gold, trying to pretend like I cared about who won or lost. I didn’t even know where Bowling Green was, for crying out loud.

 

I tried to make the most of it. While Mark was off with his friends at one point, I tried to fill Grace in on what she missed, but our conversation kept getting interrupted by either the crowd or by Grace herself. Apparently Mark had taught her a lot about football, which led to running commentary from her about how the coaches were messing things up. Given that the Gophers were beating Bowling Green, I couldn’t understand why she was so worked up.

 

Once the crowd settled down, she asked, “And how’s Abigail?”

 

“Okay. She’s taking a government course and she’s really getting into—”

 

One of the Bowling Green players fumbled the ball and a Gopher dropped on it. The crowd went wild and Grace jumped to her feet, screaming her excitement.

 

“—porcelain dolls shaped like horror villains. She keeps posing them around my car and it scares the hell out of me,” I finished.

 

Grace eventually sat down again and Mark made his way back to us.

 

“Did you see that play?” Mark shouted. “That was amazing!”

 

He and Grace kissed. I frowned. Why had I thought this was a good idea again? I mean, I liked the idea of hanging out with Grace on paper and I had made my peace with the fact that Mark would be there. But this just felt…wrong still. I knew I had to get used to the “new normal,” whatever that might be. Didn’t mean that I had to be thrilled with every part of it.

 

“You good, man? You need me to get you something?” Mark asked, socking me on the shoulder.

 

“I think I’m good.” I wasn’t all that hungry. I mean, the snacks looked nice, but man, they were overpriced.

 

“I’ll go get you something.” Grace patted my knee and worked her way down the row to the aisle.

 

Mark settled in next to me. That wasn’t awkward at all. Well, he probably didn’t feel that way. He was too into the action, shouting abuse at the other team or encouragement to the Gophers.

 

When we finally got a small break in the action, I decided I would try to play nice. “So do you miss it?”

 

“What, football?” He sighed. “Just about every day, man. You ever have your entire world get ripped away in a moment?”

 

I almost answered, but I realized that he wouldn’t want to hear whatever I said. After all, he was part of the reason why my expectations with Grace were so up-ended.

 

“That’s what it feels like. I had a path, man. I had a plan. Do my thing here at the U and then hope for the best when the NFL Draft came along. And if that didn’t quite pan out, maybe head up to Canada or over to Europe for a few years to get my feet under me. Maybe go west to the XFL or something. But when I got injured, when they said I shouldn’t play again…that just broke me.” He offered me a smile. “That’s why I was so happy to get in the ring for you. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate it, but I wish I could have more matches, y’know?”

 

Oh, sure. I’m sure a lot of the guys felt that way. But we couldn’t just throw everyone into the ring all the time. Still… “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“I appreciate it. Mr. RFW, right?” He fell silent for a bit, then added. “So what’s this Grace tells me about some sort of broadcasting contract?”

 

I snorted. “Yeah, WrestleWorld. It’s a good opportunity, but I’m really not sure we can afford it,” I said. “I don’t want to run the RFW into the ground just to get us wider coverage.”

 

“I suppose that’s not the best idea.” Mark frowned. “But you know, there’s something my econ professor said last year that stuck with me: ‘To make money, you gotta spend money.’ Maybe look at what you’re doing as an investment in the RFW’s future, y’know? We get more fans, we get more interest, and that will help us grow bigger and reach more people. It could completely juice our growth, man.”

 

I frowned. Maybe it was the chilly air. Maybe it was the sheer boredom. But what Mark was saying…kind of made sense? I mean, my stomach lurched at the thought of burning through all of our savings, especially if we went into the red. But this was a way for us to start growing larger. Who knew how many people would tune in if they could see All In every month?

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Mark nodded and patted me on the shoulder. I tried to get into the rest of the game, but I couldn’t. I wanted to get home. I wanted to get on the phone.

 

I had a deal to make.

[Scapino1974]

Take the Plunge!

 

Sunday of Week 4, September 2021

 

The folks at WrestleWorld were a breeze to work with. They talked up how excited they were to have the RFW join their team and they promised that we would see a jump in viewers (which wouldn’t be that hard since we didn’t have any). After a bit of back and forth Saturday evening, we came to an agreement: the contract would be for nine months. Our show would be On Demand. And we would get 55% of the revenue from the buys. I tried to go for more, but they would have charged us a flat fee to do so.

 

As soon as we had that done, I cut orders to upgrade our production to Semi-Pro. I also upgraded our broadcast quality to Hired Pro. And I had to do a massive upgrade to our music, finding a local musician who could do all of our entrance music in house as opposed to licensing it.

 

In some ways, I was worried about this. All of those upgrades were going to be added expense. Even with the ticket sales (which totaled $2,409 that month), even though we had made $8,695 in profit, bringing our warchest to $82,244, I still worried that we’d wind up draining our money.

 

But hey, maybe Mark was on to something. To make money, you gotta spend it first.