Building a Legacy

Upper Limit Lounge
Boston, MA
February 18th 2012

The construction crews were all cleaning up their work sites from the hard day that had finally ended. Tomorrow will be easier for them, knowing that Robbie Hart, will be on the other side of the country. From the start of this project Robbie has worked them like dogs, bringing to light all of the slightest imperfections and immediately having them redone. But at the end of the day, the workers get paid and the Upper Limit Lounge is only a few days out from completion. Minor construction, permits, and inspections were all that was holding Robbie back from opening the doors to the public.

ROBBIE HART
“Make sure all the trash makes it to the dumpster out back, and get ALL of this plastic shit out of my walkway. How many times do I gotta repeat myself?”

He shook his head and walked off into the back room, taking a seat behind a large, custom carved mahogany desk. It has a nameplate resting on the front that reads ‘The Degenerate King’ in smaller letters, above ‘Robbie Hart’ in a larger font below the tagline. He opens a side drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch along with a small glass, placing them on the desk in front of him. In the same motion, he pulled his iPhone from his pocket and rested it on the desk as well, it wasn't long before it was ringing.

Robbie checked the ID, and saw it was Corey

ROBBIE HART
“Hello"

COREY CASEY
"Yo Robbie, it’s Casey"

ROBBIE HART
"What’s up?"

COREY CASEY
"I need you to do me a favor…can you come to Logan Airport and pick up Jess for me and bring her to the Garden?"

Robbie Hart laughs, every member knew CC has been on edge lately, Robbie figured he was busting his balls.

ROBBIE HART
"What happened? Your magic school bus break down?"

COREY CASEY
"Fuck you haha"

The lack of a witty comeback, made Robbie think he was serious about him picking up Jess

ROBBIE HART
"Yeah, yeah…I can come and pick up Jess though man, no problem"

Robbie poured the scotch into the glass in front of him and grasped it, leaning backward in his chair and tossing his feet up on the desk.

COREY CASEY
"Alright, thanks man. I’m gonna sort this rental car situation out here and then meet you guys at the Garden for the show"

ROBBIE HART
"Sounds good. I’m on 93 right by the airport now, ironically enough. Tell her I’ll be there in like 5 minutes"

Robbie wasn't really bullshiting, the site for the Upper Limit Lounge was right off 93, and Boston Traffic wasn't much on a Saturday

COREY CASEY
"Sounds good…text me when you’re here"

ROBBIE HART
"Dude…I just told you that I’m going to be there in…"

Corey immediately cut Robbie off, making sure to let the frustration in his voice weigh heavily, its what really told Robbie how concern Corey was.

COREY CASEY
Just…text me when you’re here so I can send her out

ROBBIE HART
"Alright man"

First pouring himself a refill, Robbie stood and walked back into the main room. Only a couple of stragglers left loading tools and equipment into their trucks. He looked around, admiring how much has come together in such a short amount of time. Not only with the Upper Limit Lounge, but all together. In a week or so, the High Impact Champion would be opening one of the most anticipated and hyped entertainment spots in the city. As he continued admitting his own success, finally he heard the last truck start up and pull away from the building. He walked around, giving one final inspection as he finished his glass of scotch. He walked over behind the bar and placed his glass in the sink, turning on the water and washing out his glass. He placed it with the rest of the rocks glasses and pulled a large set of keys from his pocket on his way towards the door. He visually inspected the area one last time as he turned off each set of lights.

In the parking lot, Robbie's BMW stood park by the back door. Robbie approached, and press the unlock button on his keys. In a few moments time the BMW starts to pull away from the Lounge and heads to Logan International

♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥
♥ Logan International Airport ♥
♥ Boston, MA ♥
♥ Same Day ♥
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥

Robbie pulled up in front of the 'Drop-Off' spot in front of the Terminal, and turned down the sounds of the 'Dropkick Murphey's' coming from his radio. He didn't spot Jess or Corey outside. He looked at the time, and it literally only took Robbie 6 minutes to get to the airport.

He pulled out his Iphone again, and started typing away on the touch screen

"I'm outside mang, hurry up! I don't like how this statey is eyeing me"

A minute or two later Corey came out holding hands with Jes, Robbie could see the love from the both of them. Even in the mist of past drama they came walking towards the car with love and hope in each step.

The look on Corey's face told a completely different story. He was wearing his worry and concern on his face like it was a badge of honor. Then he thought about Loca, and what he would do to keep her protected from nut jobs like Dark Archangel.

Corey opened the door for Jes, and then made a Bee-line for my driver side window

COREY CASEY
"Thanks for coming"

ROBBIE HART
"Don't mention it mang."

COREY CASEY
"I shouldn't be to long dealing with this bullshit. I'll be at the Garden as soon as possible, just make sure she stays safe."

ROBBIE HART
"This shit with Dark Archangel ... Is it getting this serious?"

COREY CASEY
"Possibly ..."

But before Corey could finish, the State Trooper came strolling up the drivers side of the car

STATE TROOPER
"Move this car, before I move it for yea"

Both Corey and Robbie bit there lips, it wouldn't do Jessica any good if they both got arrested.

ROBBIE HART
"We were just leaving officer"

Corey ducked his head back into the car, and attempted to reassure Jes

COREY CASEY
"I'll be there as soon as I can get there. Then we'll spend the entire night together"

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Be careful"

COREY CASEY
"You two"

He pulled out of the car and looked at Robbie

COREY CASEY
"She doesn't leave your sight until I get there. PROMISE ME!"

ROBBIE HART
"No Worries, consider Jes my shadow"

Jes rolled her eyes at that last comment. Robbie smirked and saw the Statey getting pissed from his rear-view; he gave Corey a nod and he pulled out of the terminal, leaving Corey standing there watching until Robbie's BMW was out of sight ...

They drove down 93 heading towards North Station/The Garden. For the first few minutes no one spoke a word. The uneasy silence was enough to drive Robbie crazy.

ROBBIE HART
"You look like there's something on your mind"

She shoot me a look, and Robbie realized it was a dumb attempt to break the ice, sure there was something on her mind.

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"The last few weeks, have been trying to say the least."

ROBBIE HART
"Can't be easy having to always look over your back"

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"It's not just this thing with Dark and Corey, I've been getting so caught up in all of it, that I haven't had time to even react to Chuck's death."

The car almost fish tailed, Robbie though Chuck's death was a stunt. But by Jessica's reaction he could tell it was anything but a publicity stunt

ROBBIE HART
"Jes, I'm sorry ... I saw the news but didn't read anything into it. These days seems like every IWF Superstar plays dead"

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"I wished it was one of those, but Chuck's really gone"

The Degenerate King took a hard swallow. He didn't know Chuck that great, but his father did. And as a kid he loved hearing about the wars Chuck and Frank had.

ROBBIE HART
"Anytime you wanna get away from Corey and just vent, I'm here for yea Jes"

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Thanks."

Another round of uneasy Silence, they were almost at the Garden. Robbie could see the Bruin's Beer billboard that hung up against the side of the Garden. My phone started to vibrate against the center consule, Jessica took a look down at the ID

It Read JADA

Robbie also spotted the name, and hit the 'Ass-hole button'

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Jada ... wasn't that your mom calling you?"

ROBBIE HART
"Yea, and just like all the other times she called, she gets to entertain my voice mail"

They drove across the Charleston Bridge, the Garden was a right turn away.

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"You guys haven't spoke since ... your father's ..."

ROBBIE HART
"Since I sentenced my father to a concrete grave. Can't say I have"

Robbie's demeanor changed

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"We all make mistakes"

The High Impact Champion didn't say a word, he pulled into the Performer's parking lot outside of the Garden. He slammed the luxury car into park, and took a second to calm down.

ROBBIE HART
"For the moment, the only mistake I'm not trying to make is letting Darkwing Duck harm you in any way."

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Your a good person Robbie, don't ever think different"

Robbie smirked at Jessica

ROBBIE HART
"Thanks, but enough of the sentimental crap, lets get you settled in. Corey should be on his way soon."

The Iphone vibrated again, only this time it was Jada's name highlighting the screen it was James Shark. Robbie reached for the phone, and saw a text from Sharky

Aye Rob my nigga, meet me in the garage, got some killa shit to show you.

Robbie looked over to Jessica, and it was as if she already knew the question

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Go, I'll be fine. I planned on freshening up before Corey came back anyways. And I'm sure the shower is the one place CC doesn't want you babysitting me in."

The Degenerate King looked like he was in between a rock and a hard place.

ROBBIE HART
"I promised I wouldn't let you outta my sight"

She smiled and Robbie quickly realized how she had CC wrapped around her fingers

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"GO! I'll be fine, I kinda want some alone time anyways"

ROBBIE HART
"But if Corey ..."

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"He wont know, This place is crawling with security. Trust me Robbie ... I'll be fine. Go meet Shark, then come meet me and Corey back at the Upper Limit locker room."

Robbie nodded and got out the car, he spotted a Garden Security guard walking over to check there passes. Robbie meet him half-way, he showed him there passes, but also slipped a few Benjamins into the guys shirt pocket.

ROBBIE HART
"Do me a favor, and make sure nothing and I mean nothing happens to her"

Hart points at Jessica who was just getting out of the car. The Security guard nods and heads over to Jessica with Robbie

ROBBIE HART
"Rent-A-cop here is gonna make sure you get to the locker room safe. I'm off to meet Shark"

JESSICA MATTHEWS
"Thanks again Robbie"

He smirks back at Jessica, before heading off to meet up with his tag-team partner James Shark ...

♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥
♥ TD Bank North Garden ♥
♥ Boston, MA ♥
♥ Later On that Night ♥
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥

A cloud of smoke enters the garden, and its followed by a coughing Robbie Hart and his partner James Shark.

JAMES SHARK
"Chyo ... Robbie Dawg, I though you were ready to hang with the big dogs?"

ROBBIE HART
"I thought I was to!"

Robbie breaks out in a chuckle. The two were taking the edge off before Shark's tournament match against Libra. To Robbie, it seemed like everyone was on edge. From CC to Shark, tension was deferentially in the air.

ROBBIE HART
"I'm starting to worry about Corey"

JAMES SHARK
"Really? I get a nigga high and you turn around and get sentimental on a nigga?!"

ROBBIE HART
"Fuck no! But you can't deny he's on edge"

JAMES SHARK
"He's fucking with Dark Dick, nigga aint all there in the head dawg, ask me, CC aint worried enough!"

ROBBIE HART
"I hope Jessica is alright"

JAMES SHARK
"Chyo, that's right. You pawned her off to blow it down with yea dawg! Means a lot to me, but Corey gonna be pissed!"

ROBBIE HART
"Thanks for reminding me ... You know Sharky, you really know how to kill a high"

JAMES SHARK
"Na, that shit there kills a high!"

James points out the carnage that used to be the Upper Limit locker room. There was debris from the broken door everywhere. Robbie's heart sank into his stomach.

ROBBIE HART
"Please, let Jess be alright! I can't live with any more shit on my back."

JAMES SHARK
"Chill out homie, Bet it was that wangsta Sho, trying to coop my swag!"

Shark and Robbie both make there way to the wreckage. There eyes are quickly removed from the shattered door and on to Corey Casey who looked like a broken man, on his knees. Robbie almost shitted out his heart. Corey trusted Jessica's life to him, and he dropped the ball

ROBBIE HART
"What the fuck happened here?"

JAMES SHARK
"Chyo … did someone try to cop mah swag new chain?"

Corey's face said it all, there was heart ache, and pure rage, mixed with disappointment. Robbie really felt like shit, he couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. The he thought about what if the roles were reverse, and Loca was kidnapped.

Robbie saw his whole world crumble before his eyes, and he totally felt for Corey. Almost joined him on the floor. He only knew Jessica for a little while, but she was a sweatheart, she acted like a friend to Robbie

COREY CASEY
"Dark Archangel was here…he kidnapped Jess…kidnapped her right out of our locker room…"

Shark and Robbie both exchange nervous glances, they both had the look like 'Shit we fucked up...'

ROBBIE HART
"Dude…"

JAMES SHARK
"Ma du I’m sorry…"

Are apologies were falling on deaf ears.

COREY CASEY
"WHERE WERE YOU TWO?!"

James Shark and Robbie Hart both once again exchange glances, they both knew they dropped the ball, and really didn't have any excuses.

ROBBIE HART
We were…

James Shark wasn't gonna bullshit Corey, in his eye's it was time to man the fuck up

JAMES SHARK
"I got some good weed and uh…"

COREY CASEY
"You know what…it doesn’t matter where you were. Honestly, I could give less of a shit were the two of you were and what you were doing. The long and short of it is this…we need to find Jess…and we need to find her RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

Corey wasn't concerned about who fucked up, he only wanted one thing ... Jessica. He pointed right at Shark

COREY CASEY
"Shark, go check the rafters, and locker rooms on the east side"

He pointed at Robbie

COREY CASEY
"Robbie, you go search the west side locker rooms and anywhere else you can think of. I’ll go scour the backstage area and any of the other places I can think of"

James Shark nods his head as a determined look appears on his face

JAMES SHARK
"Ight dog, I gotchu"

ROBBIE HART
"Got it"

I follow the two members of Upper Limit out of the locker room, my heart pounding fast in my chest. I whisper to myself

Corey followed Shark and Robbie out of the locker room, and the three men went out in different directions, with one goal in mind. Bring Jessica back to Corey. Robbie felt it was his duty to find her. It really was his job, Corey was booked to face Death Angel and Shark was booked as well. Robbie had the whole night to find Jessica ...

♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥
♥ TD Bank North Garden ♥
♥ Boston, MA ♥
♥ A few hours later ♥
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥

ROBBIE HART
"I damn near checked every fucking inch of this side of the Garden. No sign of Jess of Darkwing Duck"

Robbie was losing hope, and losing it fast! There was still no word from Corey or Shark, Robbie figured they also were turning up empty. The Degenerate King was just about to quit.

He sat down against a wall donning a giant Celtics' logo. He put his hands against his head in a sign of defeat.

JOHNNY STYLES
"There's a face I didn't expect to see here tonight"

Robbie looked up at the face of his uncle. The two haven't seen each other since the night Frank Hart was buried under concrete.

ROBBIE HART
"Johnny ... Congrats"

JOHNNY STYLES
"You didn't show for your father's funeral"

Right out the gate the Hall of famer throws out the donkey in the room. A question Robbie expected, but at the current moment didn't want to deal with

ROBBIE HART
"Been to one, didn't feel like catching the reply"

JOHNNY STYLES
"Guess you got a point"

Robbie was getting fed up, now wasn't the time for ball busting. He stood up and stood toe for toe with his uncle

ROBBIE HART
"I don't got time for this family bullshit! I live with regret every fucking day, I don't need your guilt shit to top it off."

Johnny smirks at his nephew, and it was clear Johnny wasn't hear to bust his balls. He saw his nephew in need.

JOHNNY STYLES
"I'll save it for the reunion. But what the fuck is wrong with you kid, you look like shit"

He gave up hope already, Robbie figured why not be honest

ROBBIE HART
"Dark Archangel has Jessica Matthews. I was supposed to be watching her"

JOHNNY STYLES
"So You have a fucking heart"

Robbie dropped his head

ROBBIE HART
"I deserve that"

JOHNNY STYLES
"I haven't seen Jessica or Dark"

Styles put his arm on Robbie's shoulder, in a act to comfort his nephew

JOHNNY STYLES
"But I saw Corey running like a bat outta hell to the parking lot. Running like his life depended on it"

Johnny pointed in the direction, Robbie didn't know what to say. After everything he put the Hart/Styles family through, he was still standing right beside him in his hour of need

JOHNNY STYLES
"Go see if he found her"

Robbie nodded before starting off in the direction, a few steps in he turns towards Johnny.

ROBBIE HART
"I don't know what to ..."

JOHNNY STYLES
"We got a whole life time for you to beg for forgiveness, I'm retired remember. Corey needs a friend now."

The two share a smile and a nod before Robbie takes off running to the garage ...

♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥
♥ Building a Legacy ♥
♥ Upper Limit Edition ♥
♥ The Shoot ... ♥
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥

"In between the drama and the celebration of a new hall of fame inductee, The Upper Limit are still as focus as ever! Before last week, James Shark and myself were just going in as contenders for the Tag team championships. Now James Shark has the chance to once again become the IWF World Champion."

"And looking at the match-up, I can see that becoming a reality!"

"What RRL and Hemming, and almost every make-shift team out there don't understand is the tag-team division as it stands is a fucking joke! It was the brain child of Chuck Matthews, (Don't get it twisted, Johnny Electric and Jay Hawk were only the puppets that brought to life Chuck's dream), Chuck wanted those belts to fucking mean something! Everyone on the board wanted the tag team belts to mean as much as they did in the early days of NLWF!"

"An instead, it's on it's way to a lower pole then the New Blood Championship"

"That all changes this Sunday night! Everyone has something to lose, no one can run. If you ask me, it's about time we shot down Johnny Electric's cure to the Upper limit. Starting with his star Rat Ruben."

"From enemies to ‘Freinemies’ and back to enemies. I know you inside out, Ruben. Your habits, your mind"

"Looking at you Ruben, I can't help but see a fucking gold digger. You couldn't stand the fact that James Shark handed the High Impact Championship to me instead of you. Now that I think of it, your whole attitude changed when I returned, when I joined Upper Limit."

"You finally realized you mean jack shit in the grand scheme of the IWF Universe"

"You fucking envy me Ruben, now you're a hater because someone better then you, once again stole your spotlight. Sounds like a familiar tune, It's the story of Ruben's career."

"Face the fucking facts Ruben, I’ve got tag-team wrestling in my fucking DNA! Joke all you want about my father's tag-team with Tails, but they paved the way for teams like Salvation, like OWN. No matter the outcome of my relationship with my father, his championship blood still flows through me! Why you got the DNA of the Toco Bell Dog!"

"I'm one of the smartest man in the wrestling game. I can still find a way to win any match I’m in, no matter the venue, no matter the company initials. But anyone who thinks I’ve gotten to where I am today through pure wrestling skills simply isn’t paying any attention. And at the end of the night, it’s that lack of attention that will separate me from the rest of the pack. Because I never miss a detail, I never forget all of the advantages that I have.”

"Same can be said about James Shark ... Hemming, Ruben you're both fucked! It's about time IWF Crowns a Real Tag-Team as Champions!"

“Where Hemming and Ruben trump me in pure ring mechanics, I make up for in my cunning ability to bring my opponents down to my level. You gentlemen have been able to watch personally as I’ve turned this year into the Year of The Degenerate King, stringing together win after win, accomplishing things that the critics said I’d never accomplish. After a career as short as mine, one of the only things I still enjoy is the look on the faces of the critics. The awkward silence when they can no longer hate, rather step aside and be forced to respect the fact that while I may not have been better than them, or more talented than them … I was indeed far smarter than them. I’ve actually done my homework for this match, unlike my adversaries, and it will show. It will all be worth it when Sharky and myself hoist those titles over my head and see that look of pride on every single face in the arena.”

"Ruben and Hemming have no clue what they are stepping into. Indeed, they’ve done battle before. But however brutal, taxing, and downright exhausting those battles might have been, I have confidence that they’ve never been through a battle like the one on the horizon. Unfortunately for Mr. Leon and Mr. Hemming, they’ve given themselves a false sense of security by thinking that just because they recognize my accomplishments that they know what to expect. And at No Where to Run, Shark and myself are going to peel that sense of security back and expose what lies beneath, two men who were outgunned from the start. All of their talent and all of their drive just won’t be enough, because in me you get a competitor that doesn’t want the belt to increase my camera time. I don’t want to be the champion for the endorsements that come along with it. I want to be the champion to prove to every last spectator that ‘this is how it’s done.’”