บท 14: Killer Instinct
I arrived in Las Vegas a few days ago and had gotten settled into the apartment they had provided for me. Tonight was the first time I had stepped into the Sin City Wrestling arena since my tryout match. I arrived at the arena at nine in the morning for my first meeting regarding my tenure at Sin City Wrestling. I looked around the backstage area in awe. The hallways were cast, I imagined an entire parade marching through it briefly. In the walls were dozens of framed pictures of wrestlers. As I walked closer to inspect them, I noticed several names dribbled on the walls in black sharpie.
“ Excuse me, can I help you?” Came a voice. I turned my head to see a bald man with a black pike beard wearing a black suit walked towards me.
“ Yeah I’m Josh Newman. I’m new here,” I said, extending a hand which the man shook
“ So you’re Josh! Yes, we’ve been expecting you. I’m Bret Hudson, I’m in charge of talent relations here. Come with me please,” I followed the man down a series of hallways, looking at the pictures and the scribbled on names.
“ Every single wrestler to ever work here has written their names here. It’s a type of tradition we have,” Brett said when I inquired about it.
“ That’s pretty damn cool,” I said.
“ After the show tomorrow night, you’ll get the chance to write your name.”
We stopped in front of a black door that has a sign on it.
“ Bret Hudson. Head of Talent Relations.”
Bret opened the door and ushered me inside. This office was magnificent. Red velvet carpet, mahjong desk, and cabinets. A large ceiling fan that spun lazily. Pictures of wrestlers lined the walls, there were a couple of trophy cases at the far end of the wall with various championship titles. There was a black leather sofa in front of a sixty-inch flat-screen TV.
“ Have a seat, please,”
I sat in one of the plush chairs opposite from the jet black office chair which Bret sat in.
“ So Josh what type of character are you when you wrestle?”
“ What type of character?” I asked.
“ Yeah, what’s your gimmick?”
“ I don’t really have a gimmick. TSW doesn't focus too much on gimmicks or promos. It was really a wrestling first promotion.”
“ Okay, so what type of wrestler would you say you are?” Bret asked, “ Are you a high flyer, a technician, a powerhouse, a high flyer, a brawler, give me something.”
“ I’d say I’m more of a brawler, striker type of person. A street fighter if you will,” I answered.
“ Okay,” Bret said nodding his head and twirling in his chair “ What type of match do you like? What type of wrestling do you enjoy watching?”
“ I’d say a mix of really long technical bouts and hardcore matches,” I responded.
“ Are those matches you like to be in?” Bret asked, stopping his chair to regard me.
“ Long technical bouts not so much. But I’ve been in a few hardcore matches and enjoyed them,” I answered wondering where this was going.
“ Okay, so would you like to be like a hardcore, unhinged, sadistic type of character? One who specializes in that type of match?” Bret asked, grabbing a blank piece of paper
“ Maybe, that’s certainly not all I’d like to do and there’s a limit I will do. I once saw a match where a guy used a power drill on someone else’s skull. I don’t want anything like that. I’ll do Deathmatches but stuff like that is going too far. I’d prefer my hardcore matches not be that crude if that makes any sense.”
“ I understand,” Bret said, taking notes. “ Okay, so this is what I have gimmick wise for you. You’re someone who just does not give a damn. You’ll do whatever you have to in order to win but you’re very cautious, you’re very meticulous, cerebral if you will.”
“ Like how one might think of a serial killer?” I asked.
“ Hmmm,” Bret said “ I like it. What do you think would be a good nickname?”
“ Umm, how about… The King… The King of Depravity?” I asked.
“ I love it!” Bret said writing faster now.
“ Also, I’m thinking for big-time matches I could come out dressed like iconic bad guys. Like Jason, Freddy Kruger, The Joker, etc,”
“ Oooh, very good idea,” Bret said, standing up. “ Alright, we got your gimmick planned out. Now to get your stablemates.”
“ My stablemates?” I asked.
“ Oh yes my mistake. We’ve decided to put you in a stable with four other guys. Two of them are debuting with you, one comes and goes as he wills. And the other is our world champion, Trey Jordan,”
My mouth dropped as Bret exited the office. As in, the Trey Jordan? I was left alone in the office for a few minutes. I decided to take my phone out of my pocket and took a picture of myself. I opened up Instagram and uploaded the picture with the caption “ I made it.” Satisfied with the picture, I sent the post. I slid my phone back in my pocket as the door opened again.
Bret stepped in with four men. One of them had the sides of his head shaven, only the top of his black hair remained. He had green eyes and stood at 5ft 7. Beside him was a 5ft 9 man with a tattoo of a green and orange roaring dragon head and short brown hair and green eyes. The last of the newcomers had bleach blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the word destiny tattooed just below his left eye. The last man was tall, 6ft 3 with a crew cut, intense hazel eyes, and several tattoos on his toned arms.
“ Josh, this is Greg Ward , better known as Trey Jordan, James Wilson better known as Echo Wilson. Michael Jeffries, better known as Mikey, and Julius Jones, better known as simply Julius,” Bret said, indicating each man respectively. “ These are going to be your stablemates. You, Mikey and Echo will be making your debuts tonight. Julius is a journeyman so he’s been here before and Trey has been our champion before. This is his third reign,”
Bret had a cooler brought in and smiled “ I’ll leave you guys alone so you can talk, get to know each other and talk about your stable.”
Bret left and I was left looking at these four strangers. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, hand extended.
“ Hi, I’m Josh Norman but I wrestle as Jason Ryan. It’s nice to meet you all,”
The first man, Trey stepped forward to shake my hand.
“ Nice to meet you Josh. Welcome to Sin City Wrestling.”
Echo, Mikey, and Julius each greeted me with a handshake after Trey backed away. We then proceeded to sit down. I knew about these men, Echo had been wrestling for thirteen years, Julius had fifteen years in him, Mikey had wrestled for thirteen years and Trey had wrestled for ten. I was very much the young guy in the group. I was eight years younger than Echo who was twenty-six. The rest of them were in their thirties.
Each of them dug into the cooler and pulled out ice-cold cans of beer. Julius offered me one but I hesitated.
“ I would but I’m only eighteen,” I said.
“ Come on man, this is Vegas. No one cares, as long as you’re with the right people,” he said in an Australian accent. His voice was so deep I was surprised it didn’t shake the room. I hesitated a moment longer than grabbed the can. I wasn’t much of a drinker but wanting to fit in with these guys I pulled the tab open and drank from the can.
“ There ya go!” Mikey said. The five of us started talking as we drank, my four stablemates already knew each other to some degree so it was really them asking various questions about me. Mainly where I was from and what I liked to do for fun. Then our conversation started to go towards our stable.
“ Any idea on what we should call ourselves?” Trey asked, throwing an empty beer can into a trash can.
“ I’m thinking Execution,” Julius said.
“ That’s a good idea, anyone else?” Trey asked, writing the name down.
“ How about The Renegades?” Mikey asked, laying on his back.
“ Hmm, maybe,” Trey said, writing down the name.
“ Las Vegas Yakuza. Or Mafia. Either or,” Echo volunteered from his spot on the couch.
“ That’s a good idea,” Trey said writing down the name. “ Josh, you have an idea?”
I started to say no but then an idea came to mind.
“ Killer Instinct,” I said.
All eyes snapped to me at once, making me feel self-conscious.
“ Hmm, that’s not bad,” Julius said eyeing me with interest.
“ I like it,” Echo added.
“ I say we go with it,” Mikey said sitting up.
“ Looks like we have our name. Nice idea Josh,” Trey said writing down my idea and circling it. “ Okay, ideas for the theme song? Do you guys want to use mine or do you want your own?”
“ No offense Trey but your music sucks,” Julius said. Trey threw a balled-up piece of paper at him.
“ Dude you need to get your ears checked. Kanye’s I Am God is straight fire.”
“ I’d rather listen to myself have a lobotomy,” Julius said with a smile.
“ I’d rather have our own music,” Mikey said. “ It would make more sense.”
“ Vengeful One by Disturbed?” I suggested. Echo shook his head “ I’m not a fan of that song, although Disturbed is a kickass band.”
“ How about Baby by Justin Bieber?” Julius said with a teasing smile. We all grabbed cushions and anything soft in the office to Julius with them while yelling “ Shame!” at him. His penance for daring to suggest something so terrible.
“ Countdown by Dangerkids?” Echo suggested. When we just gave him blank looks, he pulled out his phone and played the song for us. We each looked at each other with inquiring looks.
“ Yo I got it, We Are One by 12 Stones,” Julius said. The rest of us voiced agreement and got more beer,
“ You’re not going to volunteer an idea?” I asked Trey. He shook his head with a small smile on his face.
“ Nah dude. I won’t be a part of the group for long, I’m just here to help you guys gain traction. This is your thing.” He flicked his pen once he clicked his pen a few times.
“ Alright so, what do you want your gimmicks to be? Like as a group? Mercenaries?” He asked, drinking from his can.
“ Nah that won’t work for this group,” Mikey said. “ I’m thinking we just stick with our gimmicks we got now. We don’t dress up like soldiers or mercenaries or anything. We are just here to take over, kick your ass and look good while we are doing it.”
“ Well we need some identity,” Echo said. “ But I agree with you Mikey. Our group gimmick is simple. We back you up Trey cause we know the power lies with the one who holds the strap. But our goal is to take over the wrestling world.”
“ Sounds good,” Trey said, writing it down.
“ Also, I’m all for us having a group then, but I’m thinking in cases where we have single matches we have our own themes as well,” Mikey said, “ Like if we get sent to another federation to work or something, it’d serve us to have our own theme so people know it’s us and not have to guess. But when we work as a group we use our group theme.” Mikey said.
“ I agree,” Trey said, writing down the last note then stood up, “ Alright, it looks like we have everything we need. I’ll go get this to Bret. I’ll see you boys tonight. I look forward to working with you all.”
The next day, Thursday, I was in the front row of the jam-packed Grand Garden Arena. My heart was beating so hard I thought it would burst. I was enraptured by the atmosphere. The fans were loudly cheering for the wrestlers in the ring, the commentary team did their job perfectly, the wrestlers had their own unique ways of interacting with the fans. I enjoyed every single second of being in the crowd. After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for my segment during the main event of the evening.
Trey’s opponent, someone named Orlando Wright was about to pick up the win. That was our cue. I jumped over the barricade and lowered my hood. From the other three corners of the barricade, I saw Julius, Echo, and Mikey hop over the barricade as well. At once we climbed in the apron as the commentary team expressed confusion. The four of us aimed finger gums at both Trey and Orlando who were back to back at first. Then Trey aimed a finger gun at his own at Orlando, giving us the signal to attack.
The four of us got in the ring and began to assault Orlando at the same time. Punching, kicking, and stomping him until he was motionless. I kicked Irlando up and hit my elevated double underhook spiking DDT, the Perculator. Echo headed to the top rope and double foot moonsault foot stomp, a move he calls The Stardust Stomp. Mikey was next, hailing Orlando to his feet and hit his finisher, Lockdown, a rolling cutter. Julius picked the lifeless body of Orlando up his throat then hit him with the End of Days. Trey went to the top rope and finished the assault with a double foot stomp, the Air Jordan.
The fans were booing loudly as the five of us cockily walked around the ring. Trey grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd.
“ What you have just seen us the debut of what will be the great stable to ever grace the squared circle! Here we have Julius, Echo Wilson, Mikey, Jason Ryan,” Trey said introducing us one by one. “ And they are headed up by me, the greatest thing to ever happen to this company, the World Heavyweight Champion, Trey Jordan! We are Killer Instinct and if you are on our hit list, we will Kill on Sight!”
The fans booed even louder as Trey held his World title up while the four of us aimed finger guns at the camera behind him. Once we got the signal the cameras were turned off, we headed to the back where we were congratulated by various wrestlers and staff. Bret handed Echo, Mikey and myself sharpies and told us to find a spot to write our names on the wall. I soon found a spot that was free and took the cap off. As I wrote my Kayfabe name I couldn’t help but smile. Hey mom and dad, look at me now! I thought gleefully.
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