Brandon Macdonald [vs.] Axle Vengeance

A MASSIVE match for The Empire's newest acquisition. Can Axle Vengeance rise up to take down the newest IWF Hall of Famer?

(OOC: I'll code it and add my GFX later, I need to do some last minute shopping. Good luck BMac I've had fun RPing against an HOFer here.)



Flashback
Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

The rising sun was indeed blinding me in Japan. Standing outside my balcony preparing for another day at the office. Damien Drake had just won his Heavyweight Championship and I was there to witness him in all his glory…not to mention provide a critical assist. The international wrestling world was an odd one. The few days I had been here I was treated as royalty. I guess they really knew their wrestling and no matter if you were “good” or “bad” they recognized you as a fighter, a warrior, and a competitor. It was a respect thing. Most people here had respected everything I had done in my storied career. I’ve taken pictures and signed autographs it was a weird culture shock. Sure the deepest darkest part of me wanted to grab anyone’s camera when they came near and shatter it by throwing it against the nearest wall. The last thing I needed was to wind up in jail again especially overseas.

Damien Drake was already at the gym getting even bigger than I thought possible…dude was turning into the monster I knew he’d always become. Hell I didn’t run with pussies. Maybe this was exactly what I needed. Damien hit the nail right on the head. A change of scenery would allow me to get over that cunt that cheated me out of my money and lied to my face about a child I didn’t even father. He wasn’t my seed and she wasn’t my wife…not anymore that is. Filing for an annulment was the smartest thing I had done since getting out. The bitch wouldn’t get another dollar and I’d be damned if she would sport my last name. It was time for me to stop thinking about it though, time for me to move on with my life. As I woke up it was ten in the morning. Drinking my coffee enjoying a cigarette in just a pair of gym shorts it was becoming my routine.

“What to do today, what to do…”

Thinking of what to do I ran my fingers through my messy morning hair and let out a yawn while I stretched my body out. I guess I could hit the gym and workout with Dames or maybe just maybe I’d hit the town and explore Tokyo. There wasn’t much I knew about Tokyo and the Japanese wrestling organization Dames was wrestling for. Fuck it time to put on my Sunday’s best and take a stroll.

*30 minutes later*

Hopping out of the shower I quickly got dressed throwing on a pair of torn slate grey colored skinny jeans followed by a black vintage Axle Vengeance v-neck. Yeah I liked wearing my own shirts so everyone knew who the fuck I was. Not like someone with my appearance could even walk the streets without being recognized. My tattoos, distinct hair and eyeliner would’ve made me regardless. Slipping on a pair of all black authentic vans I was ready to go explore. Oh wait couldn’t forget my pair of Rayban Wayfarers. Covering my eyes with the shades, grabbing my keys and wallet I was out the door. There was a shopping center I wanted to check out.

The elevator carried me down to the lobby as I exited the building plugging my iPhone earbuds into my ears playing some Emmure Speaker of the Dead. Yeah the music was pretty brutal for the morning but fuck it that’s me…simply brutal. As I walked the streets it was crazy how many people were out walking around and most appeared to be in some kind of hurry. This place reminded me a lot of New York City minus the massive amount of sketchy people. Sure Asians were sneaky but I didn’t feel threatened what so ever.

People were noticing me pointing and talking amongst themselves in Japanese. Here came my fame that prevented me from being normal. It was a curse but one that I gladly embraced on a regular basis. Nodding my head to a few people waving about like a bunch of Pokémon. Giggling like children covering their teeth with their hands it was pretty comical to me. Smiling and being gracious this was completely out of character for me. It was probably the norco I popped before leaving the hotel.

Walking though I arrived at Ginza the shopping center in Japan where I guess a lot of us tourist went. Everything was modern and built up so it wasn’t like I was going to eat some weird ass food or see disgusting beggars. The smell on the streets was starting to turn my stomach. All the raw fish made it smell like a whorehouse in Vegas or hell even a raunchy strip club. Burping under my breath I fought my stomach from vomiting. I quickly ducked inside a steak house…finally some good ol’ American food to satisfy my hunger. Steak and eggs were on the menu and that would soon be shoved into my gullet.

“How many for your party?”

“Just me…”

“Right this way sir.”

The small petite Asian woman actually spoke extremely good English I was impressed. She showed me to my table and I slid myself into the booth. It was a pretty nice joint and everything was extremely clean.

“You’re waitress will be right with you.”

“Thanks.”

She nodded and disappeared to the front. Unfolding my menu I started to browse…no prices listed yeah this would cost a pretty penny hopefully the steak was as succulent as I had imagined. My stomach started to growl as I envisioned my teeth softly tearing into a juicy rare piece of steak. The steak practically melting in my mouth exuding it’s bloody juicy onto my taste buds. Fuck, I couldn’t wait.

Shuffling her feet my waitress made her way over to my table. Her hair tied up in a bun and nothing but delicate smiles. Looking her up and down I thought to myself “yeah I’d wreck her” it made me chuckle inside.

“What would you like to order sir?”

Sir I liked that, she was ladylike, respectable and I doubt that there was a rude bone in her small tight little body. Smiling back at her I removed my sunglasses locking eyes with her. I could see her trying not to blush and giggle as I flashed her my dimples and a small glimpse of my pearly whites…couldn’t show too much teeth that’d just look crazy.

“I’ll take the steak and eggs…rare, over easy, sourdough toast and a cup of coffee doll face.”

“Ok, I’ll have your order prepared right away sir.”

Still smiling and flirting I nodded to her saying thank you as she shuffled her feet off to the kitchen to put in my order. Her ass looked surprisingly nice for an Asian girl as I checked her out watching her all the way to the kitchen. I relaxed my stomach muscles as my stomach let out a large groan dying of hunger. I didn’t need my stomach growling like a savage in front of her while I was trying to run game. I held back from pursing her talking to myself under my breath.

“Fuckin Bonzai…bon-fucking-zai. I’d go Hiroshima on her tight ass.”

Looking around the restaurant I noticed a few older Japanese businessmen talking to each other going over paperwork to the right of me. My eyes switched to the left where the bar was located and a few men and women sat one was reading the paper a few others watching the news on the televisions above the bar. A couple was on a date enjoying each other’s company. Then I looked right in front of me. I caught the eyes of a woman reading her menu. I could barely see her face. But her eyes told me she was a foreigner like myself. I couldn’t help but think to myself that it was typical of me to be on the prowl this soon after everything that had happened with Ashley. Part of me wanted to feel sorry for myself but the words of Damien Drake echoed through my head not allowing me to get to that point. The woman placed down her menu and we locked eyes. She was just as surprised as I was.

“Alex?”

“Joey?...”

It was Joey Reyes the starlet whom I had a love hate relationship with. Joey and I had gone round and round before both in the ring and out of the ring. For being a woman Joey was feisty and a hell of a competitor in her own right. I remembered the war of words we had and the matches we put on together. The most dangerous woman I’d ever seen step foot into a ring. I didn’t know if I should jump across the table and start a fight or if I should invite her to sit at my table. Quickly she stepped out from her booth and I clinched my fist ready for anything.

“So what you’re not going to invite me to sit down?”

She placed her hand on the table looking at me. I took her up on the offer motioning with my right hand for her to join me.

“How have you been?”

This was throwing me off, why was she being so gracious with me? I didn’t understand the play in this game but quickly responded seemingly unfazed by her presence.

“I’ve been good, honestly I’m shocked to see you but nonetheless I’m doing good.”

“I saw everything that happened with Ashley. Have you really been using again?”

How dare her ask me a question like that. I was clean just drinking more often now but the drugs hadn’t been part of my life since I had been incarcerated. My eyes gave her the death stare and she put her hands out defensively.

“Touchy subject I see…no offense Alex it’s just an honest question.”

“Look she’s a liar. I don’t know why she’d spread rumors about me like that but the bitch just wants me to seem like a pathetic loser who has nothing to live for because I don’t have her anymore. She can play the good role in this tale of hearts but in reality she’s evil. Who pretends they’ve had a child with someone so you can marry them and take their money?”

“She lied to you?”

“Yeah she lied about Aiden being my son and God knows what else. The bottom line is I married her because of Aiden. Now that Aiden isn’t my child I filed for an annulment and as far as I know it’s just about complete.”

“Good for you, it’s good to see you Alex.”

Good to see me? Was she serious or just playing another one of her mental games again? One thing was for sure…Joey Reyes was the hardest person to read I’d ever come across. She’d done this to me before. I’ve been lured in by her just to catch a swift kick to the jaw. It wasn’t about to happen again.

“You know Joey I thought for a minute we were about to go to blows right here in this steak house.”

Looking down to the table she started to giggle. I could see her holding back and she couldn’t hold it in anymore as she burst into laughter. Wait what? I didn’t understand, fucking Joey.

“Go to blows? Really Alex? I mean come on we’re both about to eat breakfast. I didn’t come to Japan to look for old foes and pick fights. I’m here on business but not like that. We had our past and I’d like to leave it exactly where it is…in the past.”

“I can understand that. You’ll have to forgive me…I’ve been on edge lately. I’m sure you know why. But wow of all people I didn’t think I’d be running into you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you want me to go back to my booth Alex?”

“I’m not saying that don’t be stupid.”

“Stupid?”

“You know what I mean.”

Damn it here we go she was already stirring the pot. Joey could push my buttons like no other. It probably all stemmed from the night we spent together…bad decisions or good decisions depending on how you viewed them…were made. That left me confused and vulnerable like some fucking female. I didn’t like that at all. While petite and gorgeous she was an aggressive woman.

“Look Joey this is starting to get awkward. I’m just going to come out and say it. You know me I’ve always been a straight to the point type of guy. I know we have history and I have a hard time reading you. Are you seconds away from trying to stab me or are we genuinely being civil?”

She grabbed a steak knife and lifted it up looking me dead in the eyes. My eyes widened thinking “what the fuck is she seriously about to stab me in the chest?” Suddenly she laughed setting the knife back down.

“I told you it’s all done with. I’ve moved on. You helped me move on when we had our little rematch and scuffle in UECW. The way you took command and put me in my place. It all made me realize that I was done fighting.”

“Put you in your place?”

“I’ve always had a big mouth and it finally got me in trouble. I’d never admit that to you when we were having our so-called war. Oh and by the way I still think I could’ve beat you if not for Jack Diamond fucking with my head.”

“You…beat me? That’s funny Joey…”

I couldn’t help but smile looking down for a moment thinking about everything we’ve said to each other. We never held back the words or the aggression. Hell I befriended her father acting as if I had all intentions on having her turn her back on The Drifters. Calling The Drifters a group of bad influences on her life. The Drifters consisted of Jack Diamond and Dirk Bentley two wrestlers that were talented in their own rights. Joey was far superior to both of them so naturally I targeted her. I remember to this day the moment her father walked to the ring with me she was furious. Next thing she knew I was beating the hell out of him.

“My dad wouldn’t be happy if he knew we were being civil.”

“I’m sure the old man would flip his shit.”

“What can I say I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.”

Swallowing hard I looked to the right acting cool and playing it off. FUCK. I hated how she made me nervous. Fuck feelings. Turning back to her I cocked a half grin.

“Well I’m as bad as they come.”

“Oh God really Alex?”

She started to laugh and placed her hand on mine looking at me. Staring directly into my eyes it was almost like she was breaking me down and breaking through my cold exterior.

“You don’t have to put up the act with me. I know you too well. Yes we’ve been together and yes we’ve spent the night together. It was fun and you’re just misunderstood. I’ve always admired your tenacity. You see something you want and you go out there and get it…never once blinking or hesitating. I wish I had that kind of gumption. I wish I had the will to be that ruthless and never let anyone get in my way.”

“It’s a curse what can I say?”

“Maybe I could’ve continued on my career in wrestling if I had that ability but I don’t. After all it’s a skill in it’s own.”

“I’ve seen the ruthlessness in you…you’re more than capable.”

“No I’m definitely not.”

“So what you’re better than me? Trust me doll speaking from first hand experience I know what you’re capable of. When you fought for your father and what you believed in even my methodical approach mixed with my heartlessness couldn’t beat you.”

“You backed me into a corner and I fought, it was all I could do. But I still cried my eyes to sleep every night.”

“What do you mean you cried yourself to sleep?”

“Alex, I didn’t want to be that person. I never did. You pushed me to that and it scared me.”

“Why because you knew that you had a monster in you just dying to come out?”

“Yes…”

Wow I couldn’t believe she agreed with me. She was just as troubled as I was. Only a few people have that monster deep down inside themselves. More people than you’d think…but still a select few considering how populated the world was. Sometimes people were afraid of the monster when they felt it start to rise up and consume them. I’ve had that fear and I knew what she was talking about.

“So you’ve felt it too. You know normally I’d consider it an insult when someone tried calling me out like that but I actually understand. It’s taken two sentences in prison for me to bury the monster inside myself.”

“That’s not what I saw the other day.”

What was she talking about? How could she know that the nightmares were coming back and the monster that was in a deep slumber was starting to resurface? It was time for me to act ignorant.

“Wait what do you mean?”

“I was in the audience the other night sitting three rows from where you were standing.”

“You didn’t even say hi.”

“There’s a reason for that Alex. I saw the look in those eyes again. The focused look…the fire…the hate and anger.”

Damn she was on point. If she had said hi to me in that moment I probably would’ve taken the fight to her. Everything was a blur including my actions when I jumped the barricade to assist Damien. Joey clasped my hand tighter and a genuine look of concern appeared on her face.

“I know right now things are hard but you can be great again. Now I shouldn’t be saying this but you need that monster as you call it to come out. It’s a shame and it pains me seeing you the way you’ve fallen.”

“The way I’ve fallen? I think I’ve done a good job picking myself up.”

“A good job? Alex you’re broke barley hanging on and trying to be someone you’re not. How in the world is that picking yourself up?”

“……….”

I couldn’t say much she was right again. I had become broke after Ashley robbed me of everything. Even in my dreams the nightmares plagued my vision. I was struggling to adapt to this new lifestyle…this happy go lucky everything is going to be all right bullshit.

“Look Alex, this is your livelihood on the line. You have to be that guy…even if you don’t want to. Aren’t you tired of people wondering if you can still go? Doesn’t it bother you how you went out last? It was all because of drugs and you going soft.”

“Me…soft?”

“Yeah I don’t know how else to say it Alex but you went soft. Trying so hard to be someone and do things that are completely uncharacteristic of your true nature has made you soft. I know you wanted a family and you wanted to feel like you could be a loving father…but what now? What are you going to do now that you’ve got nothing left?”

What was it with people telling me I had nothing left? Even though they were right it was absurd to think I could just drop everything. Here I was thinking everything was going fine only to be told to my face that it’s not the truth. Suddenly I saw her cock back; yeah I should’ve seen this coming. She then smacked me across the face. I could taste a little blood on the inside of my lower lip. Damn could she slap.

“ALEX! Wake up and realize you need this!”

That was it I had enough. Excusing myself from the table I walked out the door as my food was coming to the table. I threw some cash down exiting the steak house. Joey followed me close behind yelling at me.

“Are you gonna be a coward and run from it?”

Fuck that I didn’t need to hear this especially not from her. Who did she think she was? I was Axle Vengeance. Sure everything had fall apart. The house that Vengeance built had crumbled to a million pieces. Little by little I had picked up the piece and was rebuilding my house into a fucking palace that would rival the Taj Mahal.




Flashback
Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

Not again, not again…the nightmares rolled on. The demons they stirred deep from within me. Every time my eyes would close images of horror, treachery and darkness plagued me. Rubbing my eyes I could feel my heart just dancing on my tongue. Looking to my left there was someone under the covers next to me. Lifting up the covers slowly I noticed Joey Reyes fast asleep. What the fuck, when did this happen? I started to feel nervous looking at her in all her beauty. How did we go from yelling and fighting to getting in bed together? These blackouts were starting to get the best of me. I hadn’t remembered anything after we spoke at the steak house.

Sirens began to wail from outside my hotel room. I crawled out of bed slowly so not to wake her. Looking outside my window I could see like six cop cars and a van pull up to the hotel. This took my mind off of everything for a moment. Where were they headed I wondered as they rushed into the hotel like madmen.

Next thing I knew my door was getting pounded on. Curiously I walked over to see if Damien had stumbled to my hotel room in a drunken stupor. Looking through the peephole I could see nothing but a swarm of Japanese policemen. The door was kicked in sending me stumbling backwards.

“手を上げろ!”

Pointing their guns at me I backed up throwing my hands in the air. I had no idea what they were saying to me but one thing was for sure I wasn’t about to resist.

“今床に降りる”

The policemen tackled me to the ground placing me in cuffs tightly. I groaned as one drilled me in the back with a knee and continued putting pressure on my spine. None of these fuckers could take me out in a fight without guns. What appeared to me as the lead police officer walked over to the bed pulling the sheets completely off of Joey. I wondered to myself how she could be so calm during all the chaos that had ensued. Placing his fingers on her neck he checked her pulse.

“彼女は死んだ”

His look I’ll never forget as he burned a hole through my soul. Fuck I wish I spoke Japanese. What was wrong with Joey and why was I in handcuffs? Someone needed to explain everything to me. Someone needed to help me. Just then the lead officer stepped towards me placing his foot on my chest.

“YOU! Alex Dillinger you are under arrest for the murder of Joey Reyes.”

“WHA…”

Before I could finish my sentence I received a boot to the throat cutting off my vocal throats and air supply.

“No more talking. We’re taking you down. You Americans think you can come to our country and live your dark dreams out causing chaos in our peaceful homeland without consequence.”

Peaceful HA! Someone needed to tell this guy about the Yakuza or maybe give him a lesson on Pearl Harbor. I closed my eyes tightly wishing I was back home in Los Angeles…it worked for Dorothy right? Suddenly there was silence, an eerie silence I might add. Opening my eyes slowly the sight was horrific. I looked around me and every last one of them was dead. Blood was shed all over. The bodies of the policemen were lying around dismembered and some even so bad you couldn’t see their facial structure at all anymore. Gasping for air it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. My hands were covered in blood. How could I have done all of this? The monster had truly taken over me and I had given into the monster. Time was of the essence as I quickly washed the blood off of my hands and face. Freaking out in the bathroom my adrenaline was on crack. I ran out of the room and through the fire escape.

Fog had covered the streets in thick layers. I could barely see two feet in front of me but I didn’t stop once I left the hotel. I kept running and running not being able to see but still I was persistent…just running for my life or running from what I was becoming. The sirens were drawing closer they must’ve been onto me. I couldn’t let them catch I just couldn’t let them. How could I escape in all this fog I didn’t even know where I was?


I tripped and fell on the sidewalk face first. My teeth were knocked out of my mouth and my palms were a bloody mess. The sirens were getting closer and closer as I stood up from the ground.


A sharp pain cracked through my spine and I saw blood start to pour from out of my chest. The bullets were whizzing by my head. I was shot in the back and it crippled me to the floor. Clenching my chest I struggled to grasp for air. Falling over I guess my days had come to an end. All of the changes in my life I had tried to make were for nothing. I would die alone in a hail of gunfire running away scared. This wasn’t how I pictured myself going out…lying there on the pavement blood pouring from my mouth air bubbles turning blood red while a few tears poured from my eyes. I guess sometimes no matter how hard you try some fates are just inescapable. This was my fate and these would be my final few breathes.

Turning onto my back facing up at the stars the ground began to move. What was once concrete turned into a sea and I began to sink deeply falling faster to the bottomless pit. The sea began to turn blood red and as my mouth opened trying to scream the blood red sea entered my mouth. The bittersweet taste of blood spiked my taste buds. I was drowning in a sea of blood. Was this my descension into the fiery depths of hell? Falling and sinking faster and faster I could hear the sirens once more. Wailing sirens hounding my eardrums. My eyes opened wide as everything turned bright white.

“FUCK!”

If my heart was ever in danger of exploding it was now. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. Everything had been a dream. I wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come. Sitting up in my bed I was trying to catch my breath. This feeling in my body, mind and soul was consuming me. I had to focus and regain my composure. If I didn’t I was sure it would kill me…




Flashback
Location: Psychologist’s Office, Los Angeles, California

The nightmares were far too reoccurring for me to deal with. Damien and I had been working well in Japan however my life was being torn down from the inside. Without there being any warning the nightmares continuously came. I hadn’t had nightmares for years. Deep down I knew why but Damien referred me to a shrink he used to talk to and get pills from. At least I would walk out of the meeting with pills, so not all would be lost if he or she didn’t know what the fuck they were talking about.

Pulling up in my brand new jet black Lexus GS-300 the parking lot was relatively empty so parking was easy. Making sure not to park next to any cars I parked a little ways away from the building…I’d be damned if someone was going to put a scratch on my new beauty. I’ll be the first to admit it was nice having some money again. Ridding myself of that leech Ashley Valence was the smartest thing I had done in years. Damien was right. Money gave me a sense of security, my lifestyle was lavish what could I say. Climbing out of my car I locked it behind me with my alarm…twice. Like a man on a mission I put forth one foot after the other my charcoal colored TOMs carrying me all the way. Adjusting my slim fit leather jacket I brushed myself off. My black skinny jeans fit perfectly and matched my outfit with perfection. Opening the door and stepping inside the doctor’s office the place was small and quiet. The soft soundings of some generic elevator music could be heard in the background.

“Hello, anyone home?”

There was no one at the receptionist desk as I decided to remove my coat tossing it on the coat rack revealing my deep wine red v-neck. I could hear someone in the back of the office moving around. They surely had to have known I was out here waiting…I had a GOD DAMN appointment after all. Pounding my hand on the receptionist counter I yelled out to them.

“HEY! YO! Anyone…HELLO!”

Still no answer and I was easily starting to get overly perturbed. They should be waiting on me hand and foot I was Axle Vengeance not just some fuck off the streets…my name held meaning. Just when I was about to walk to the back a scantily clad woman walked out from the back chomping on some gum twirling her tossed up hair with her right index finger.

“Hi, can I help you sir?”

Chomping away like some sort of barnyard animal, it was disgusting this bitch needed to stop chewing like a cow or I was going to snap and strangle her to death. Cracking my knuckles not because they needed it but out of pure necessity to regain my composure. I leaned over the table looking the fireball redhead in her eyes. She didn’t look back but I never took mine off of her.

“I’ve got an appointment…”

“Last name and first name please and fill this out.”

This bitch…really you need my name and you want me to fill out paperwork? Where did Damien Drake send me? A visit that was supposed to be one off the books was about to be placed into my file no I wasn’t having that. Lowering my Raybans I made sure she made eye contact this time as she refused prior. Snapping my fingers she got the hint.

“HEY! Look at me when you're talking to me!”

“Excu…”

“That’ll be enough out of you red. If you open your mouth again I’ll be sure to grab your tongue rip it out of your mouth and shove that pen right through it nailing it to this counter here.”

Her eyes widened like she had seen a ghost. The fear was beginning to rise throughout her entire body…I could smell it. Letting out a coy smile she was frozen. Taking my finger I started to twirl her red locks with it following the flow of the curl. Shuttering in fright she was horrified so I began to whisper to her.

“Now why don’t you do your job sweetheart and go get the doctor for me.”

Nodding her head slowly she backed away as soon as she got her feet under her. Backing up little by little she backed into the wall quickly turning and fleeing the scene like a cat burglar in the dead of night. Suddenly from behind the curtain a man stepped out limping with his cane. The small-framed older man had a certain mystique about himself. With a grin on his face he looked at me. When he spoke he spoke with a slight Russian accent.

“You must be Mr. Dillinger I presume?”

“You’d presume right.”

“Right this way sir, Damien Drake has spoken highly of you.”

He was weird for sure. As we walked into his office he closed the door behind him and waved with his hand for me to longue on the couch. It was strange to be in this position; I always considered this as stupid and pointless. However because of Damien’s recommendations and him being right about everything else lately I needed to trust him. He was my brother in arms that held a lot of weight with me. As I got comfortable the doctor sat behind his desk folding his leg over the other leaning back in his chair holding a notepad.

“I’m Ivan Romanov or you can call me Doctor Romanov if you prefer.”

“Thanks for seeing me on short notice Doc.”

“I owe a lot to Mr. Drake so the pleasure is all mine. Tell me something Mr. Dillinger when did these nightmares start?”

“They started coming back to me around the time I got out of prison. My wife or well ex-wife now had stolen my money and taken my child away from me. That night I had a brief nightmare. They’ve just started happening non-stop one after the other now…hell I was starting to be afraid of closing my eyes…”

Wow this guy was good he hadn’t even said much to me yet. Maybe it was his professionalism that made me comfortable. I didn’t really know exactly what it was but I was just pouring it all out there for his ears. It was uncharacteristic of me to be this open with someone that I had just barely met. In any other circumstance I would’ve probably beat this guy down and kicked his teeth in just for asking me about my nightmares. As I spoke on he continued to jot things down before looking up from his paper.

“Mr. Dillinger I’d like to try something with you if you don’t mind?”

“Depends on what it is Doc.”

“Well it’s a form of hypnosis, we can get straight to the source of these nightmares.”

Hesitant with hypnosis I didn’t answer right away. He twirled his pen in between his long slender fingers still looking my direction. I didn’t want this guy doing something strange to me but I needed to get these nightmares taken care of if I was ever going to get a good night sleep and return to ring form.

“Alright let’s do it.”

“Close your eyes Mr. Dillinger, I want you to get comfortable and relax yourself. Sleep Mr. Dillinger…sleep.”

His words echoed through my mind as I began to fall asleep. Damn this guy knew his shit for sure. Falling deeper in my sleep everything flashed white.

Visions began to flash through my memory once more. Just like the nightmares I saw the vision of my loving mother and sister hit in a head on collision by that bastard of a drunk driver. The horror and blood the disfigured faces that caused a closed casket ceremony. My body jolted as the horror was becoming too much to relive. The next flash was my father beating me fist after fist launched at my young and innocent face…why did he hate me? Downing bottle after bottle I saw him waste away to nothing. Tears flowed down my cheeks.

“That’s it Mr. Dillinger focus. Get passed the visions and proceed to the next stage.”

I could hear the doctor’s voice in the back of my mind while the visions continued to pile on one after the other. Lila Vincent’s face had come into focus and her love affair with Gavin Saint was extremely vivid, the two of them together started to get me furious. Next thing I knew all of my career accomplishments flashed before me as it culminated to the end of my career. Needles, pills, lines, tabs, bottles, cans, mushrooms and the like sprinkled through and rained down on me. Every horror and every tragedy I had suffered was being shown to me. The word VENGEANCE splashed about randomly within the imagery. I could see myself looking in a mirror. Taking a long hard look at myself and the man I had become…simply pathetic. Feeling sorry for myself on a regular basis. Alex Dillinger was a weak man. He was a sorry excuse for a man if there ever was one. Punching the mirror it shattered slowly into a million piece as the blood flowed down my knuckles. Instantly my eyes opened.

“Find what you were looking for Mr. Dillinger?”

I had found what I was searching for. All this time I just needed to find myself again. Raised by wolves the inner beast had been embraced. A euphoric feeling came over my entire being. It was refreshing really. Everything was back to normal. No more weakness and no more pain…only VENGEANCE.

“I found exactly what I was looking for doctor…exactly what I was looking for.”

“Glad to be of assistance to you Mr. Dillinger.”

He kept calling me that. Not that I didn’t like him putting the word mister in front and showing respect in that nature. My eyes pierced through his soul and he started to tremble as I stood up slowly walking over to him.

“Mr. Dillinger everything alright?”

Was everything alright? He had no idea, for someone so intelligent and so good at his work he was foolish. I snatched the pen out of his hands that he was twirling and he whimpered. Grabbing his tie within the blink of an eye I tugged on it forward as hard as I could slamming his head onto the desk in one fell swoop. His nose busted and blood seeped from his nostrils.

“You shouldn’t call me that doctor…the names Vengeance, Axle Vengeance or to you…MR. VENGEANCE. I doubt you'll forget that next time.”

I started to let out a devilish laugh as the receptionist came into his office to see what the commotion was. As the door opened she poked her head inside scanning the room. When her eyes focused on the doctor and I she let out a frightful shriek. Guess it was time to take care of her too…I had a pen and she still had that fucking tongue.




Present Day
Location: Abandoned Farm, Benton County, Indiana

“My God does it feel good to be back. You see it’s been a long time since I’ve felt whole again…since I’ve tasted the evil. Embracing my inner beast has been quite glorious. I haven’t felt this alive in years hell I haven’t felt this feeling of rage but a controlled rage since long before HFF. Some had said Axle Vengeance was dead and lost but it’s quite the contrary you simpletons Alex Dillinger is the one who is truly deceased.”

I walked through the empty fields in my black pea coat and black skinny jeans. A black beanie covered my head but hung off the back casually. Smoking away on a Marlboro Light I glanced around the area. The open farmland had made things peaceful but the storm clouds above head had provided a dark and omniscient setting.

“Alexander Remington continues to run his mouth spouting off about his lone victory over yours truly. It only shows me how significant that win has been in his short career. He did get the better of me on a night where I was lost. What would your meaningless career be if not for me Remington? You’d be nothing but just another ordinary wrestler trying to make something of himself. You want to take my tag line claiming that you were the quote unquote Mother Fucking Greatest…try and stake that claim Remi it only makes me want to decimate you that much more. My hunger and thirst for revenge have been unquenchable lately. The more fuel you add to the fire the more the flames begin to rise and when those flames begin to rise there’s no stopping the inferno that is likely to ensue. I’m at the top of my game once more and you well you are the cause. Maybe I should thank you? Perhaps. But instead I choose to loathe you. I loathe everything you’re about Remington. Soon enough we will meet and when that day comes I expect you to dig down deep and try as hard as you can to defeat me. While your attempts will be futile it will be nothing short of entertaining for me to watch your downward spiral. You see Remington beating you couldn’t possibly satisfy my yearning for revenge. I couldn’t just simply beat you and call it a day Remington. It could never just be that simple. I have to take from you what you took from me…my livelihood. Prepare yourself Remington because as we all know Hell Hath No Fury like…VENGEANCE!”

As I roared an old yet familiar saying the winds started to howl and kick up even harder. My beanie was blown off of my head revealing my long black locks. Rain began to pour down on me as I stood there in the middle of the empty field getting soaked. My hair while wet hung in front of my face but the focus wasn’t lost.

“Brandon Macdonald doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into. His overly aggressive tactics had played right into my hand. Do you not thing there was a reason for me doing what I did Brandon? Everything I do and every move I make serves a purpose. They didn’t call me the Methodical Mastermind for nothing. When I ruined the speech you gave and called you out I knew it would get you hot and bothered. I knew that you would start to freak out. You couldn’t stand the thought of someone new to the IWF was making a mockery out of you on your oh so special night. The look in your eyes the moment I hit that stage told the whole entire story. I could see that you wanted to physically assault me right then and there…so I pushed. I continued to push forward until you couldn’t take it anymore and fists were thrown. Giving you an upper hand was part of the plan. I allowed you to develop this false sense of security. A thought had popped into your head…I could beat him you said to yourself. FALSE! You and no man alive in that IWF locker room could beat me…not now and not ever. You’re all weak and pathetic. With my current frame of mind and current focus there wasn’t a single soul that stood a chance against me.”

It was true. No one could defeat me and no one would match me verbally or physically. I had no fear in my heart and my blackened soul prevented me from feeling anymore. The beast had taken over and the beast would prove its point.

“You see I’ve said it before and maybe most will finally understand it…I was lost and now I’m found. My true form the BEAST within has consumed me and I’ve embraced it whole-heartedly. Nothing but darkness had filled my soul. Brandon Macdonald I will say for someone with as big of a mouth as you have you’ve been quiet about our match. Your focus has been lost and soon enough so will your career. This is your last match and while you’re out partying and living it up I’ve been getting ready…preparing to beat you to the point that you beg for mercy. Taking me lightly would be your inevitable downfall. Maybe the silence and lack of emotion from you was just weakness. Just maybe you’d been afraid all along of Axle Vengeance. Not having anything to say looking down on yourself perhaps my words truly had become venom to you. Perhaps everything I said previously had infected your mind. Like paralysis my venom had poisoned your entire body rendering you a complete and utter vegetable. That’s it…that’s the truth isn’t it!? You fear me Brandon and after I unleashed the hell fire and fury you’ve come to realize that you cannot beat me. You Brandon Macdonald are no match for Axle Vengeance and now you’ve realized that.”

Chuckling to myself Brandon Macdonald couldn’t beat me. He had no chance and his silence had proven so. It was just like old times. Another foe silenced just from my tongue. The match was won before it had even begun. He knew deep down that he’d never seen an evil like this before.

“I detest you Brandon, much like I detest everyone else in this God forsaken company. It’s been tainted with lackluster superstars such as yourself. A company that puts forth these heroes on a pedestal yet shuns people like Jack Savage. I see Savage forced to the back forced to choke on the leftovers. Well, guess what? No more. It continues this week, and rolls onto the end, Brandon. So after the dust settles...I want you to stare into the lights and come to grips with reality...take a moment to reflect, as broken and beaten down as you will be, that supermen are a thing of the past, innocence will be lost...and even your heroes bleed. But most importantly, Brandon...as you lie there, just know that I was right all along. Think it as well when I put a shame to your so-called storied career and Hall of Fame induction. Bask in it, let it set you free. Come to me when you learn your lessons, beg me for forgiveness and ask me for assistance. Only THEN will you be worthy of the Hall of Fame. I...am the BEST. I...will NOT let a joke of a performer like yourself ruin MY reputation. YOU...will become the shining example of what happens to those unfortunate enough to be placed in front of me on my quest. Hate me. Boo me. Cheer me. I don’t care once the bell tolls it’s final toll for you Brandon your career will be nothing more than a bunch of shattered broken pieces. As for me…it’ll just be another win on the road to immortality.”

My statements were quickly made and to the point. Surely I didn’t need to continually re-enforce the fact that Brandon Macdonald was in store for the beating of a lifetime. Then again maybe I did because after all he was an ignorant piss ant.

“Macdonald you will play the role of the victim and I will play the role of the killer. This horror movie has no happy ending with the hero’s hand raised and his people cheering him on. Quite the contrary really, you see in this movie the bad guy always wins. I await your words Brandon I can’t wait to hear what you have to say if you can eventually reach down and find the balls to say them. Maybe you’d given up all hope Brandon. Either way victory would be mine. You know, I know it and everyone else in the IWF universe knows it. Come New Years Evil that’s exactly what shall begin…an era of EVIL. I’m not alone in this fight. You have your fans and I have my brother’s. Prepare for a war because when it’s all said and done Axle Vengeance will have made true on his promises. I’m going to break you Macdonald. You will never be the same again. Take the shiny plaque home with you because when I’m done it’ll be all you have left…oh the blood, oh the blood, OH THE MASSACRE!”

Looking up my hair still covering my face I let a sinister grin creep across my face. The grin shined through my hair as I began to laugh loudly. He was defeated and he knew it. New Years Evil was just the beginning in the RETURN of AXLE VENGEANCE!

>-|END|-<

------------Saturday, December 1st, 2012------------

I pushed open the door to my apartment complex and walked inside. The only person I could see was the security guard, who had dozed off at his desk. The whole building smelled like smoke and cats. But that’s what happens when you have no money and have to find a place to live in Los Angeles. You don’t get to pick and choose how nice of an apartment you want to live in. You pick whatever place will allow you to rent a room. It just so happened that the only place that would let me rent a room was this dingy apartment in a corner of the city.

It was hard to imagine how I got into this situation. Well I didn’t really have to imagine it, because it really did happen. I went from being one of, if not the most well-known wrestler in the entire world, to being barely even noticed. With no job and a pregnant wife, I had no choice but to sell the rest of my houses to pay off the debts I owed.
So here I was, waiting for the elevator in my run-down apartment complex. I was tired and worn out. I had been searching for jobs for weeks, but nobody could hire me. That’s what happens when you drop out of university to focus on fighting. I know that any mixed martial arts company or wrestling federation would hire me back, but that wasn’t an option. Ever since I was shot at my wedding, I hadn’t been able to do much. I wasn’t out of shape by any means, but I definitely wasn’t in top shape either. And with the bullet wound still not quite healed, I wasn’t going to risk wrestling again.

But that’s why I had recently refereed two pay-per-view matches with the NLWF. Even though I hate Nick Ridicule and the entire federation and what it stands for. Even if I was robbed of my spot in the Hall of Immortals. I needed the money. So I agreed to be part of those matches.

The elevator finally arrived at my floor. I walked out and began the journey down the dark and broken hallway. My room was at the very end of the 21st floor. I pulled out my key. I was going to be alone this weekend. Karly was off visiting her parents, and they hated me. We both decided it would be best if I just didn’t go with her. Besides, I had two job interviews earlier today and I couldn’t miss those. Even though I can almost guarantee that I won’t be hearing back from any of them.

One of my neighbours walked out from her door and locked it. She was a twenty-one year old girl living alone, going to school in L.A. I tried to help her or encourage her as often as I could. I now knew the importance of what she was doing. I wish she would get out of this neighbourhood, but, just like me, she was doing the only thing she could. I couldn’t fault her for it.

Brandon: “Hey hey, heading off to school?”

She turned and looked at me. She smiled when she saw me.

Neighbour:: “Yeah! I’m going to the library to study. I have a big exam on Monday”

Brandon: “Well good luck! I’m sure you’ll do great though”

Neighbour:: “Thanks, I hope so. By the way, there were people at your apartment earlier, dropping off a bunch of packages I guess.”

That was weird, I hadn’t ordered anything. Or been told about anything arriving at my apartment. This sounded suspicious already. But I didn’t want to let on.

Brandon: “Awesome, thanks. I’m gonna head back to check them out, hope the studying goes well”

Neighbour:: “Thanks Brandon”

I turned and walked towards my apartment. I waited until she was gone before I opened the door and walked inside.

Ten large boxes lay on the ground in the middle of my apartment. I looked around. Nothing was broken or appeared missing. Whoever got in just wanted to deliver these packages. I walked up and looked at them. All were unmarked. Except for one, which had a letter attached to it. I was pretty certain I knew what it said before I even opened it. But I had to make sure. I read the letter.

Letter: “Meet at the Taco Bell on East Compton at precisely 5pm, or the cops show up at your door with a search warrant. Make the right choice.”

Taco Bell, what a funny spot to meet. It wasn’t signed, but I knew who it was from. I was kicking myself for getting involved in this. Now I was paying for it. I opened one of the boxes and almost fell backwards. I quickly opened another box. The same. All of the boxes contained bags upon bags of cocaine. There was enough there to put me away for life.

I had no choice. I had to go to this meeting. I hated that I had to, but there wasn’t another option. I couldn’t call the police; they’d never believe me, even with the letter. I couldn’t even talk to Karly, or she’d start to freak out. And there was no way I was going to get rid of all this cocaine before 5pm. I checked my watch. Two o’clock. Three hours.

Fuck.

I couldn’t believe this was all happening. And yet, I was warned. I knew that it could happen. In fact, I was told that it would. I just didn’t want to believe it. I knew I never should have talked to her. Anna was the cause of all this. She was the reason that I was going to be involved now. I wish I didn’t recognize her that day. Everything would be so much easier if I didn’t.

I dropped the letter and walked into the bedroom, collapsing on the bed. I lay there for a while, just trying to collect my thoughts. Trying to think back to everything that happened. How all of this really began.

------------Saturday, September 22nd, 2012------------

I walked into the headquarters of the New England Patriots, where I was scheduled to meet coach Bill Belichick. I was dreading the meeting, because I knew exactly what was going to happen. I had just been released from the hospital a few days ago. The doctors said it would take at least three months for the bullet wound to fully heal in my shoulder. On top of that, when I fell after being shot, I severely twisted my ankle, which meant I should probably be on crutches. But since my right arm was in a sling, crutches weren’t going to happen. Instead I had this black cane that helped me limp along. It wasn’t pretty, but it helped me get from point A to point B. The only time my body was in worse shape was after I fought Chuck Matthews at Fallout a year ago.

I walked into Coach’s office, and saw him sitting down watching some game footage, taking some notes. He paused the tape once he saw me come in.

Bill: “Brandon, thanks for dropping by”

Brandon: “No problem coach”

Bill: “I heard what happened to you at your wedding. Very sorry to hear that”

Brandon: “Thanks coach, shit happens”

Bill: “Shit does happen. Anyways, you know I have to cut you right?”

Straight to the point. I sighed. I knew he did, but it was still hard to hear

Brandon: “Yeah I know.”

Bill: “Unfortunately, the contract you signed was all non-guaranteed money, so there’s nothing we can give you as compensation. I wish we could’ve done this differently, but you were adamant about wrestling still, and I couldn’t take that risk”

Brandon: “I know. I signed the contract, I knew what I was getting into”

Bill: “You don’t have to clear waivers or anything, once you’re cut you’re a free agent. You’re welcome to sign with any other team and get put on their injured reserve and wait until next season, providing that’s a possibility. Don’t feel the need to be loyal to us”

Brandon: “I know, thanks coach. I’ll have to see what happens I guess”

Bill: “If you’re still available at the end of the season, and you’re healthy, and committed, then we can talk again. But I can’t keep you on the team, I’m sorry”

Brandon: “I understand. Thanks for the opportunity coach”

I stood up and shook his hand, before leaving the office. I wanted to ask him if there was any way he could keep me, any way that he could pay me. But he was just so intimidating, I just didn’t know what to say to him. Not like it would have mattered anyways, he had his mind made up. Well, there goes my income for the year.

------------Present Day------------

I should have known right then and there that I was fucked. I needed that income to protect me from the blowback of being associated with Anna. I didn’t think it would be quite as bad as it was, but I should have known. I let my guard down. I felt like I had failed Karly. She just had our baby, Brandon Jr. And I spent so much of the money I had left on hospital bills for us. I was down to basically nothing. Just enough to keep us afloat for a few more months, living in this dump and living on the bare necessities. Of course the NLWF ripped me off and gave me a miniscule amount of money compared to what I should have been getting. But being in the situation that I’m in, I had no choice. I had to get any money that I could. I just couldn’t believe that I lived so large, and had it all come crashing down on me.

------------Friday, October 5th, 2012------------

I walked into my financial advisor’s office. He had called me a day earlier, and told me that he had to talk with me. He told me that it was pretty urgent. I had a feeling I knew what it was about.

Greg: “Hey Brandon, how’s it going?”

Brandon: “Meh, can’t complain”

I sat down across from his desk

Greg: “You might not be saying the same thing after this meeting”

Brandon: “Whats going on?”

Greg: “Well, as you know, you recently tied a bunch of your assets into the Giordano family business’s. As well as keeping an offshore account that was tied up with the family as well. A smart investment at the time.”

Brandon: “What happened Greg?”

Greg: “Well after the Giordano’s were wiped out, FBI and DEA agents found a bunch of their record books in one of Giancarlo’s safes. Some of your assets and your account were in that book.”

Brandon: “What does that mean?”

Greg: “It means the government has seized your assets and frozen your account”

Brandon: “Ok, so do I get them back once they find out I had nothing to do with the family?”

Greg: “That’s the problem Brandon, you did. Just having your stuff tied in with them is enough. You’re not getting that stuff back.”

I stared at Greg.

Brandon: “So what do I do? Almost all my money was tied into that family, are you saying that they’ve basically taken away all my money? They can’t do that!”

Greg: “Unfortunately, they can. And they did. Brandon we need to go over all your remaining assets. You have plenty of bills to pay and you can expect to have to pay a hefty settlement to keep you out of court for associating with the family”

I couldn’t believe it. All my money, gone just like that. What was I going to do? I had taxes to pay, my wife was pregnant, I had medical bills to pay.

Brandon: “Ok so what can I sell?”

Greg: “Well if my estimations are correct, your island will cover the cost of your settlement. I’ve talked to Saul and he says that the most you’ll have to pay is what your island is worth. I’ve got a buyer lined up, should I give him a call and tell him that you can sell?”

I loved that island, but if I needed to sell it, then I needed to sell it. It was worth more than anything else I owned.

Brandon: “Yeah that’s fine”

Greg: “Alright, if you sell your Miami house, your New York condo, and your LA house, you’ll have enough money to pay taxes, Karly’s hospital bills, and a new apartment, really low end. I’m talking college student low end. That should support you for about a year, before you completely run out. In the meantime, you really need to consider a job”

Brandon: “What job? All I’ve ever known is sports. Fighting, football, wrestling, I have nothing else Greg. I don’t even have my degree and I can’t go back to school. You know that. I couldn’t even afford it, and I doubt I’ll qualify for a loan now”

Greg: “I don’t know what to tell you Brandon. I wish I could have done something to stop this, but you knew the risk when you invested with the Giordano’s. This was going to happen at some point or another.”

He was right. But I thought I would have a lot more time. Enough time to cover all my tracks and get out of the deals. Enough time that this wouldn’t happen. But clearly I was mistaken.

Brandon: “So you’re telling me I’m broke”

Greg sighed.

Greg: “In a nutshell. Yes”

Brandon: “Fuck”

Greg: “Look, I’ll help you look for jobs and see if I can figure out any other way to get you money, but it doesn’t look good. I’m sorry Brandon”

I didn’t say anything. I just stood up and walked out. I didn’t want to hear about it anymore. Ever since I became champion in the UFC, my life has been nothing but money. And now, here he was telling me that it was all gone. My lifestyle, how would I adjust? How could Karly adjust? She was pregnant for fuck’s sake. She needed a nice place to live and rest until she could give birth. Fuck. This was going to change everything.

------------Present Day------------

How right I was. Being broke changed everything about my life. I had to completely change how I did everything. I had to start begging for jobs. None of which panned out. I even had to referee two matches at the NLWF which had restarted. I hated it; I hated everything to do with that place. But I put on my smile and did it. At this point, that’s what I was doing with everyone. I hated all my fans now. I wouldn’t even call them fans. They cheered for me and treated me like royalty when I was part of the IWF. But ever since I left? Nothing. I barely even get recognized anymore. When I need people the most, when I need my fans to help me get things together, I get nothing. And then I come back and appear on an NLWF show or IWF show, and they love me again.

I grabbed my jacket and walked out of my apartment, making sure I locked the doors on the way out. I had to make sure that nobody accidentally walked in and found the insanely illegal amounts of drugs sitting right in the middle of the room. Oh how I wish this hadn’t happened. It was all my fault.

------------Saturday, Novemner 24th, 2012------------

Employee: “Hi welcome to Taco Bell, can I take your order?”

Brandon: “Yeah, can I get one of your beefy 5-layer burrito’s and some volcano nachos with it?”

Employee: “Is that everything?”

Brandon: “Yeah, I’m paying with credit”

Employee: “Ok, swipe towards me”

I swiped my credit card. I moved out of the line and waited for my burrito.

Employee: “I’m sorry sir, but your card has been declined”

I looked back at the employee.

Brandon: “No, that can’t be right. Try again”

I swiped the card again. The employee looked at the screen.

Employee: “No, it’s been declined. Do you have any other methods of payment?”

I let out an angry sigh. I reached into my coat pockets and pulled out some change. I dropped it all on the counter and reached into my pockets, pulling out a few crinkled bills. I handed them to the employee, who counted them.

Employee: “I’m sorry sir, you’re four cents short”

I looked at the cashier incredulously.

Brandon: “Four cents? Come on man, that’s nothing, can’t you let it slide? I just gave you all the money I have”

Employee: “I’m sorry sir, but company policy dictates that you need to pay in full. No exceptions”

Brandon: “Come on dude, it’s four fucking cents”

Employee: “Sir, please don’t cause a scene. I need four cents or I can’t give you your burrito”

Brandon: “This is ridiculous, do you have any idea who I am?!”

Employee: “In all honesty sir, you look like the homeless man who lives on the corner of my street”

I was angry now. This punk kid had a stupid grin on his face, clearly, he was enjoying this part of his pathetic little life.

Brandon: “I’m Brandon Macdonald you little shit”

Employee: “Oh right, and I’m Chuck Matthews. Can’t you tell by my dashing good looks?”

The kid grinned even wider, but that soon disappeared as I reached across the counter and grabbed the kid by the shirt.

Brandon: “Listen you little punk, you better shut the fuck-”

I felt an arm on my shoulder. I let go of the kid and turned around as a security guard was grabbing me.

Security: “Sir please take your hands off the employee”[/color][/b]

I thought about it for a second. The security guard was big, but not that muscular. He would be intimidating to most, but I knew that I could easily take him out. But then I noticed everyone looking at me. I decided that I didn’t want to cause more of a scene than I already had.

Brandon: “Sorry officer.”

I let go of the kid and turned to face the security guard.

Security: “If you have a complaint, you can go talk to the store manager. She’s just out back checking on the inventory, but I can take you to her office and tell her that you’d like to file a complaint”[/color][/b]

Brandon: “That would be great, thanks”

I followed the security guard into a small office in the back of the store. I thought about leaving, but the thought of that stupid kid grinning at me, egging me on, added on by the fact that I had another unsuccessful job interview today; I just had to do it.

I sat down in the office as the security guard closed the door behind him. I stared around. It was a nice office, way nicer than I expected a Taco Bell manager’s office to be. I guess this was a better area for one, being so close to Mexico. They probably got a lot of business.

I looked at the desk. It was empty, aside from a few pictures on it. I grabbed one to look at it. There was a bunch of people standing around. My eyes were drawn to a very attractive woman in the middle of the picture. She looked familiar, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Fuck this was going to drive me crazy. I assumed she must have looked like someone famous that I knew. I’ve never been to this Taco Bell before, so there’s no way I’ve seen her or met her before. I heard the door open.

Manager: “So my security officer tells me you’d like the file a complaint”

That voice. I’d recognize it anywhere. She sounded like she was trying to hide it a bit, with a slight Spanish accent. But there’s no way I could forget that voice. I looked up and saw her. The girl from the picture. Even with her hair dyed black, and way more of a tan, I knew who it was. I can’t believe it took me this long. I felt so retarded. Clearly she had tried to change her appearance, but when you know someone your entire life, it shouldn’t be difficult to figure it out.

Brandon: “No fucking way. Is it really you?”

She looked at me, and suddenly had a huge look of regret and disappointment on her face.

Anna: “Fuck…”

Anna Giordano, aka Anna Stone, my ex-wife and high school girlfriend. Managing a Taco Bell. Right here in front of me. After four months of never hearing from her after she and her husband faked their own death to escape a rival crime syndicate that was after them. Yet here she was.

Brandon: “What the fuck are you doing managing a Taco Bell?”

Anna looked really worried as she looked around. She locked the door behind her and walked over to me.

Anna: “Brandon, what the fuck are you doing here? Fuck this isn’t good, not good at all”

Brandon: “Anna, what’s the matter? Aren’t you excited to see me?”

Anna: “Dammit Brandon, you don’t get it! I can’t believe I let them put me here, I told them I was too familiar, that people would recognize me. What the hell were you doing over in this area anyways?!”

Brandon: “I was looking for a job. Besides, I live near here”

Anna: “What?”

Brandon: “Yeah, maybe you didn’t hear, but all of my money and properties were seized. Because they were tied with YOUR family. So I’m broke now. Karly and I are living in some gross apartment a few blocks away”

Anna stared at me. I don’t think she was really listening to me, she looked so worried.

Brandon: “Anna, what’s the big deal? I haven’t seen or heard from you in four months, and now that I finally found you, it’s a bad thing?”

Anna: “Brandon, you don’t get it. You shouldn’t have come here. And you shouldn’t have recognized me.”

Brandon: “What the fuck are you going on about?”

Suddenly it clicked. Her changed appearance. The fact that she was working in a Taco Bell so close to the Mexican border, and one that was in an extremely low-end neighbourhood. The fact that she was now freaking out about that fact that I knew who she was. It all made sense now.

Brandon: “You’re not just a manager of Taco Bell are you?”

Anna sadly and slightly shook her head no. I should have figured. Knowing what her and Gianni were doing before they vanished, it only made sense that she was doing something like this. What exactly she was doing I wasn’t sure. But I knew the generalities of it.

Anna: “I’ve already said too much. I shouldn’t have brought you into this”

Brandon: “Brought me into what?”

Anna sighed

Anna: “You’ll know soon enough. You need to go Brandon. Before it gets worse. I might be able to keep you out of this but you have to leave now”

Anna grabbed me by the arm and led me out of her office. She pointed me to a back exit.

Anna: “Go”

I looked at her

Brandon: “Will I see you again?”

Anna looked at me, with a sad look in her eyes

Anna: “I really hope not”

With that, she burst into tears and ran back into her office, slamming the door shut. I heard it lock behind her. What the fuck was that all about? Why did it matter if I saw her again? Why was she being so rude to me? I had so many questions, yet absolutely no answers.

I walked out the back door and into a dark alley. I made my way back to my apartment building. Clearly something was up with Anna, and I wanted to know what.


------------Present Day------------

Clearly I had found out what was up. Anna was deep in some drug dealing game, and now I was involved. If this happened to me after just talking to her, then it must be some powerful gang or something. I mean they had to have been watching her, and now they were blackmailing me to come talk to them because of it. Obviously they thought I knew something.

------------Four Hours Later------------

I walked into the Taco Bell, looking around for anyone who looked like a drug dealer. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I sat down at a table and waited. Hopefully someone would come and get me soon or something.

Eventually I saw Anna walking behind the counter. She motioned for me to follow her. I got up and walked back behind the counter into the back area of the store. She led me into her office, where I saw about 4 men standing around, and one man sitting at her desk, with a big smile on his face. I sat down in the chair across from him, as Anna sat down beside him. The five men in the room were all Mexican or some sort of race like that.

Man: “Mr. Macdonald, how nice of you to join us. Are you comfortable?”

Brandon: “Yeah, I’m fine. Why am I here? Why did you send me all that stuff?!”

Man: “Where are my manners? My name is Hector Beltran. I work for Joaquin Guzman. Maybe you know him as El Chapo?”

The name rang a bell. The most powerful drug lord in all of Mexico, possibly even the world. Leader of the Sinaloa cartel. A very mysterious man, as nobody had seen him in years.

Brandon: “I’ve heard of him”

Hector: “Then you know he is a very powerful man”

Brandon: “I do”

Hector: “Excellent! You know so much already. I do not have to explain much to you. However, I need to ask you something very important”

Brandon: “And what’s that?”

Suddenly, Hector reached down and pulled out a gun and shoved it in my face

Hector: “Who have you told about meeting Ms. Giordano last week?!”

Brandon: “Take it easy! I haven’t told anybody!”

Hector smiled and took the gun away from my face.

Hector: “I thought you might say that”

Hector grabbed Anna by the hair and held the gun against her head. I immediately stood up, as two of the men behind me reached out and held me back.

Brandon: “Leave her out of this!”

Hector: “But why? She was the one who saw you, and got you involved. It’s part of her job to make sure that our operation is kept a secret, and she failed when you found out about this. Why should I keep her alive if she’s failed me?”

Brandon: “I didn’t even know exactly what she was involved in until I came here today! Honestly, I just knew something was wrong, I didn’t even tell my wife that I had met her!”

Hector: “How can I be sure of that?”

Brandon: “You can’t. You just have to take my word for it”

Hector looked at me for a bit, his hand tightening around the trigger of the gun. I reached out for Anna, who closed her tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly, Hector laughed and pulled the gun away as he let go of Anna.

Hector: “I like you Macdonald. I think you’ll make a great addition”

Brandon: “Whoa, hold up, addition to what?”

Hector looked at me

Hector: “What, you didn’t think that we were just going to let you walk away from this did you? Anna told us that you needed a job. Well you’ll make all the money you need right here. It’s a wise career choice. Besides, Anna told us how you used to have experience when you were younger. Think of this as that, but on a much, much larger scale.”

I thought about it. He was right, I did need a job. And I did have drug dealing experience. Granted it was in high school, which meant nothing compared to this, but still. I guess it was better than nothing. It wasn’t like I could say no either. I knew who they were, what they looked like. If I tried to back out, they’d kill me. I had no choice.

Brandon: “Fine, I’ll do it”

Hector: “Excellent, you start tomorrow”

Brandon: “What? How, where, what?”

Hector: “Just come here. You’re going to be working as Anna’s new assistant here at Taco Bell. At least, that’s what you’ll tell everyone.”

Brandon: “What about if I ever go back to wrestling, or fighting or something. It would look somewhat suspicious if a pro wrestler was working at a Taco Bell in his downtime.”

Hector: “Nonsense. You have no money, wrestling won’t pay for everything. Just do what I tell you, and be here tomorrow, yes?”

Brandon: “Alright. Fine”

Hector: “Good. I’ll have the packages removed from your apartment; you can go home and rest. Tomorrow, Anna will teach you all that you need to know. Good day to you both”

With that, Hector and the four men stood up and walked out of the room, closing it behind them. Anna reached into her desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and took a huge drink of it.

Anna: “You should have listened to me”

Brandon: “Why, this could be exciting, me and you working together, just like old times!”

Anna: “I never wanted you to get back in this business. Especially with these guys. Brandon, whatever you do, don’t you dare try to do anything to defy these guys. You do everything exactly as they say, no matter what. You understand?”

Brandon: “Anna, relax, it’s going to be fine. I can handle myself”

Anna: “Just promise me you’ll do exactly what your told.”

Brandon: “Okay, I promise.”

Anna took another drink. She handed it to me. I grabbed it and took a drink myself. I definitely needed it. This had been one of the craziest days of my life, and now I just wanted to relax. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

(OOC: I really enjoyed this RP battle. Its been nearly a year since I RP'd as Brandon, and you pushed me so hard. Congratulations, win or lose, it was a phenomenal battle in my opinion. Sorry I didnt get at least one of these up earlier, I was really pressed for time, literally just finished them minutes before I posted them)

------------Saturday, December 8th, 2012------------

I was sitting in Anna’s office at the Taco Bell, counting some money while she dealt with some real restaurant problems outside. The first two week of my new job were going great. I was so worried, and all for nothing. This was the most well thought out and safe operation I had ever been a part of. There was virtually no chance of me or Anna being caught.

Suddenly, Anna walked into the office and looked at me. I looked back at her.

Anna: “Corey is here”

Brandon: “What?”

Anna: “Corey Casey. He’s here, and he wants to talk to you”

Corey was here for me? The fuck did he want? And how did he know I was here? Oh shit, he didn’t…

Anna: “And no, he didn’t recognize me”

Brandon: “Answered my question before I even asked. Can I go talk to him?”

Anna: “Go for it”

I stood up and walked out of the office, and went over to the main part of the restaurant. Sure enough, there was Corey Casey, sitting at one of the tables, eating a taco. I laughed. I hadn’t seen Corey in months, hadn’t had any communication with him, and yet here he was, sitting in front of me, enjoying a delicious taco.

I walked over to him.

Brandon: “Well this is quite the surprise”

Corey looked up from his food and grinned as he saw me.

Corey: “You are a hard man to find, you know that Brandon?”

We shook hands as I sat down across from him.

Brandon: “Yeah well, that’s by design. How did you find me here anyways?”

Corey: “I have my people. Found out you got a job here. Times are tough eh?”

Brandon: “Yeah, they’re not great, but I’d rather not talk about it”

Corey: “Well I’ve got some news that might make these times a little bit better”

Brandon: “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

Corey: “Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven’t, but I’m the Chairman of the Board of Directors at IWF”

Brandon: “Yeah I think I remember hearing something about that”

Corey: “Anyways, we recently had a vote. And based on that, we’ve decided that you are going to be the next induction into the IWF Hall of Fame!”

Wow, what? The Hall of Fame? Me? I had barely been in the IWF for a year. Sure I helped found it, and I really did a lot for it, like carrying it for that year. But still, a hall of fame spot already? What an honour.

Brandon: “Wow, really?”

Corey: “Absolutely. We feel that nobody has contributed as much to the IWF as you have. Not even SBK or Death-Angel. You really led the way for us in the year that you were there. We’re going to give some back to you now”

Brandon: “Yeah, well thanks. This is pretty exciting news”

Corey: “Yeah, so your induction show is next weekend. You’ll be flown out to Chicago, you can make your speech, talk to all the guys backstage, all that stuff. Can we count you in?”

I was about to say yes, before I remembered what I was doing here at Taco Bell in the first place. I would need to ask Anna, who would probably have to ask Hector or one of her bosses. I couldn’t just do whatever I wanted anymore. I needed their approval.

Brandon: “You know, I want to say yes, but I have to talk to some people first. Can I give you a call either later today or tomorrow with my definitive answer? I just need time to talk it over with some people”

Corey: “Of course. You’ve got my number still?”

Brandon: “Yeah, I do”

Corey: “Excellent! I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully seeing you next week.”

Brandon: “Yeah, thanks Corey”

Corey: “Don’t mention it. By the way, this was a damn good taco.”

Corey got up and shook my hand one more time, before turning around and walking out of the restaurant. I walked back to Anna’s office, and shut the door behind me as I walked inside.

Anna: “What was that all about?”

Brandon: “Apparently I’m being inducted into the Hall of Fame”

Anna: “Wow, well, congratulations”

Brandon: “Thanks. Its next weekend, any chance I can leave here to go? It’s in Chicago”

Anna: “I’m fine with it, but I need to call Hector and ask”

Brandon: “For sure”

Anna reached for her phone and dialled a number. She waited for an answer. I sat down, waiting. I wanted to explain my position to Hector, and why I thought this was a good idea.

Anna: “Hector? Yeah, Brandon wants to know if he’s got permission to leave here for a weekend. He’s being inducted into the IWF wrestling Hall of Fame, and he’s been asked to go give a speech at the show….Yeah sure, hold on”

She handed me the phone.

Anna: “He wants to talk to you”

I grabbed the phone.

Brandon: “Before you say no, think about this. I could get back in the spotlight. Not only could I expand our business into the IWF, but we could use my popularity to increase our sales, the possibilities are endless”

I heard laughter on the other end of the line.

Hector: “Brandon, relax, I was going to say yes anyways. I just wanted to tell you personally. Good luck, I’ll be in touch this week. Give the phone back to Anna”

I handed the phone back to Anna, who listened.

Anna: “Yep…uh huh…ok I got it. Bye"

Brandon: “What was that about?”

Anna: “Just business stuff. So you’re going?”

Brandon: “Yep, should be fun”

Anna: “Yeah, good luck, and congrats again”

Brandon: “Thanks. I gotta call Corey”

This was going to be fun. Just a chance to get back out there and really let the fans have it. After all the shit I had gone through and the lack of anything from the fans these last few months, I wanted to rip them all a new asshole. It was going to be glorious.

------------Hall of Fame Show: Prior to Speech------------

Karly: “Ready to go out there babe?”

I looked at Karly, who was smiling at me as we walked towards the stage entrance. It was my Hall of Fame show, and I was just about to go out there and give my speech. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

Brandon: “Not really. What do I say? Thanks to all the fucking fans who forgot about me as soon as I was nobody? Thanks for doing nothing while my life crumbled around me? Fuck them. Fuck everybody”

Karly: “You probably shouldn’t say that”

Brandon: “I want to; I hate all my fans right now. They’re always the same. I’ve seen it first-hand now. They cheer for you when it’s the cool thing to do, but as soon as you’re gone, they can’t cheer for you anymore. None of them think for themselves. They’re a bunch of lifeless clowns”

Karly: “K hun, this is a nice little rant, but if you want any chance of getting some fans back, or coming back at some point, you should probably act like your old self”

Brandon: “So I should just lie to them? Pretend I still love them and that they’re the reason I could do what I did? That’s bullshit”

Karly: “Yeah, but it’s your only option. How bad would it look if you went out there and started bashing all the fans at your Hall of Fame induction ceremony? I’m pretty sure IWF wouldn’t want you back, and not many people would either.”

Brandon: “I guess your right”

This was going to be a short speech. All I had to do was act like I was surprised and that I had only the fans to thank. It was stupid, but Karly was right. Well, sort of. Karly was still under the impression that I was working a dead-end job at Taco Bell. Which I guess technically speaking I am. But it’s just a cover for my involvement in the Sinaloa drug cartel out of Mexico. I was working there with Anna; together we were in charge of the distribution of nearly all the drugs in the entire South Los Angeles area. But I was never going to tell Karly. Instead I was just going to keep the money I made hidden, until the time was right to either bring her in, or I could safely get out. But I don’t think that would ever be an option. Not being the somewhat public figure that I still am. But I still had to keep up the illusion that I was looking for work somewhere, trying to get my old lifestyle back. So I had to impress the fans out there, because they were the ones who I needed on my side to keep this charade going.

We arrived at the gorilla position. Karly gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as I smiled at her.

Karly: “Knock em dead baby”

Brandon: “Just for you”

I turned around as my entrance music began to play. I took a deep breath and walked out from behind the stage, into the bright lights of the arena.

------------After My Speech------------

I quickly shoved open the door to the limo that IWF had provided me for the night and slammed it shut behind me as I collapsed into the back seat. I held my shoulder tightly. It was in so much pain. Clearly it hadn’t completely healed from the gunshot wound so many months ago.

Karly: “Well that was…something”

I looked up. Karly was already in the limo, looking at me.

Brandon: “You saw eh?”

Karly: “What the fuck were you thinking? You know your arm isn’t healed enough yet. Plus you’re out of shape. You’ve got problems with your knees. You haven’t wrestled in almost a year. How do you think you’re going to be able to compete in anything next week?!”

Brandon: “Did you see me out there? I thought I did pretty well”

Karly: “Oh yeah, real well. And look at you now. How’s your shoulder feeling?”

Brandon: “It’s in a lot of pain.”

Karly: “Thought so. And your knees?”

Brandon: “It hurts to bend them”

Karly: “Brandon, you’re not even close to being in wrestling shape. You’re injured. And yet you accepted a challenge from a guy who’s been wrestling for fourteen years! I mean, if he’s just getting to IWF now, he’s obviously not that great, not as good as you in your prime. But the fact that he’s not just some guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s actually good. And you’re basically crippled. Do you want to die in that ring?”

Brandon: “Look, Karly, I get that you’re concerned. You have a right to be. I mean, we just had a child. You don’t want me to get hurt. But think of the opportunity I have. I can prove to the world that I’ve still got it. I can get a nice big paycheck from just this match. And then maybe people will start to remember me again. They’ll start to talk about me. People will want to see me in the spotlight again. It’s a chance for us to get back to our old life. The way we used to do things. Isn’t that what you want?”

Karly: “I just want you to be able to play catch with your son in ten years. I don’t want to have to take care of you because you can’t walk. I want you to be healthy Brandon. I don’t want you to go out there and risk permanently injuring yourself just so we can live a more comfortable life. If this is how we’re going to have to live, then this is how we’ll live. There’s nothing wrong with it. It might not be the most ideal, but we’re doing the best we can with what we have. And we’ll always, always, always have each other. Isn’t that all that matters?

She was right. I didn’t need to prove myself against this guy. But…I wanted to. I had to do it. Even if just for myself.

Brandon: “It is. You’re completely right. But Karly, I’m not just doing this for us. I’m doing this for me. My entire wrestling career success has been dogged with questions of it’s legitimacy. In NLWF, sure I won a few big matches. But I mostly fought people who were way under my skill level. It wasn’t difficult. People said I took easy matches to keep my win streak building, and that I avoided tough matches. Then once IWF was formed, when I first won the IWF Championship, it was dismissed as a fluke. I don’t even know if I hit Corey with that Purifier. I might not have hit it properly. People questioned how real that championship run was. Then I started another win streak, but again it was against mostly inferior competition. When I won the Battle for the Briefcase, it wasn’t because of something I did. It was because Dan made a mental mistake, and I took advantage. Then I attacked Robbie and won the title, without giving him any fair chance. I was questioned then too. Especially when I went on to fight him again, and then Steel Angel. Not a couple of real stellar opponents. And once I lost to Stygian, it was sort of like, everyone was right. I couldn’t win against real competition. I was a good but not great wrestler. And now that I’m in the Hall of Fame, people question the legitimacy of that. Oh, he bought his way in, they say. He doesn’t deserve it over some other people, I hear. What have I done to deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame so early on in my career? And then this guy comes out. A man who’s been everywhere and done everything. And he calls it into question. And he makes some great points about my career. And then he challenges me to a match. Don’t you see Karly? This is my chance to redeem myself. Losing to Stygian was the last these people really remember of me, aside from the destruction of WEW. I need to do this, to prove to myself that I deserve the Hall of Fame. To prove that I am indeed as good as people say I am. I need to fight Axle for myself Karly. I just have to do it”

We sat in silence for a few moments, as Karly tried to digest all of what I was saying. She thought about it for a bit, before she finally spoke.

Karly: “When I married you, I made a commitment to be with you forever, no matter what happens. And I intend to keep that vow. So I’ll support you on this one. You can go and fight Axle next week. But you don’t need to prove anything. You’ve already done that. Don’t doubt yourself Brandon. You are as great as people say you are. Axle just wants the match to help his career. He was saying everything that he knew would really eat you up inside. He was goading you into a match, and he succeeded. So if you want to fight him, you go fight him. But don’t do it just because you think you have to prove something to someone.”

I leaned over and kissed Karly. She was so perfect. She knew everything that I wanted to hear, and how to say it. That’s why I married her. I loved her.

Brandon: “I’m going to fight him. I’m not changing my mind now. But I’m glad that I have your support.”

Karly: “Next time, promise that we can talk about these things first? Before you just jump into it?”

I laughed as Karly grinned at me.

Brandon: “Ok, I promise”

We hugged each other and then sat down as the limousine drove us back to the hotel that the IWF was hosting us in.

Karly: “That still doesn’t answer one of my first questions. How do you expect to win when you can barely even walk, and you’re so out of wrestling shape that I don’t think you could even suplex Sean Libby at this point? You only have a week before this match.”

Brandon: “Oh I’ve got just the person to whip me back into shape.”

Karly: “Oh yeah, and who’s that?”

Brandon: “He’s one of the greatest wrestlers who ever lived. Now if I can just get down to Miami, I’ll be all set. If anyone can get me into wrestling shape in a week, it’s him.”

Karly: “Who is it?!”

Brandon: “You know who he is. He’s wrestled for over twenty five years professionally. He’s actually in the IWF Hall of Fame too. And he and I have one thing in common. Our hatred towards Nick Ridicule”

Karly: “You don’t mean…”

Brandon: “Oh, I do”

If I was going to get into enough shape to fight next Sunday night, I need help from the best. And there was only one man that I could trust to get me ready. The one and only….Johnny Stylez.

------------Unknown Time: Camera Shoot------------

It’s been a while since I sat in front of a camera and talked. I have missed it. It was always fun for me to just sit down, get all my frustrations out before I fought. I’d sit and talk, and then back it up in the ring. That’s how I rolled back in the day. Granted, it had been a while since I’ve done anything like this, but I was ready

Brandon: “Axle Vengeance, I don’t get you. I mean, I know why you did what you did. You see a Hall of Famer making his speech, and you just have to feed your ego and get out there and interrupt him. I get it. Hey, when I was trying to make a name for myself, I might have done the same thing. I mean, it’s not every day you get a chance to go face to face with Brandon Macdonald, is it? I know it’ll be hard for you, but try not to get too strastruck when you’re in the ring with me. I love an admirer now and then, but I want a fight, not a secret lovefest.”

This guy had talked so much shit about me, I didn’t even understand why. He said he hated who I was and just wanted to kill me. I didn’t get it, I’ve never ever even met this guy until he came out to interrupt my speech. It took me a while, but then I realized it. He was jealous of me. Jealous of everything that I was, and everything that I had done. While I was busy dominating the best wrestling promotion in the world, he was bouncing around a bunch of lesser places, just wishing he could be as successful as me.

Brandon: “You’re right. We don’t need to sit here and argue what I’ve done or haven’t done. I don’t need to pull out the history of the UFC Light Heavyweight division where you’ll see my name listen for about eight years straight. I don’t have to pull out my NFL contract, one that was voided when I was shot at my wedding in August. I don’t need to pull out my Silver Star that I won for one of my four stints in Iraq serving for the US Navy Seals. No, I don’t need to prove any of that to you do I? Maybe you’ve been living under a rock all your life, but it’s not like I’ve been hiding my history. Until lately, when I lost nearly everything, my home was in the public eye. That’s where I did everything. I had no private life. Everyone knew I was addicted to drugs back at the beginning stages of IWF. Everyone knew that I was going to try out for the NFL after I was forcibly retired from the IWF. I have no secrets anymore. Here, I’ll even tell you what I’m up to right now. I’m currently the assistant manager at a local Los Angeles Taco Bell. How cool is that right? Boy I’m really just doing everything these days. Or maybe I made that up too. Maybe I’m actually a secret agent cowboy astronaut working for the CIA. Who really knows anymore?! Anyways, my point is, I’m not sure what you’re getting at by accusing me of faking all these things. Yeah I’ve done a lot in my life. I believe that everyone should live life to the fullest. Do as much as they can, if they want to do it. I did everything that I wanted to. I consider that a successful life lived. Oh, and by the way, I was thirteen when I started smoking and dealing weed. Not ten. And it wasn’t heroin. Heroin wasn’t until last year. But you were pretty close!”

I honestly had no idea what this guy was talking about when he said all these things. Or what he was even trying to accomplish. Was he trying to get me even angrier than I already was? Maybe he thought I had this big plan on how I was going to beat him. And truth be told, the old me, that would’ve worked. But this wasn’t the old me. This was the me that was trained by the one and only Johnny Stylez. This was the me that spent all week getting back into shape, rather than looking at tapes of Axle. This was the me who was taught to just do whatever I felt I needed to do, and not to stick to a plan.

Brandon: “Have you ever heard of Johnny Stylez? He’s another IWF Hall of Famer. Maybe he doesn’t deserve his spot either, I don’t know. That’s up to you to decide. But anyways, if you haven’t heard of him, you should look him up. One of the best wrestlers of the last twenty five years. Champion in so many different federations, just like you. The man has seen so many different wrestlers in his days, he’s seen every possible style you could imagine. I lived with the man for the last week. Not just training with him every day, but living with him. Taking in as much knowledge as I possibly could. I would just sit and listen as he told me some of his stories about certain opponents, and how he beat them, or how he watched someone else beat them. You think I haven’t heard anything about someone like you? A technical fighter, maybe you like to take some risks, I don’t know. You don’t seem like you enjoy playing it safe, so I assume you’ll take as many risks as you need to. You remind me a lot of myself. Well, again, the old me. Now, I’m just out there to brawl. I’m not as in shape as I used to be. I haven’t wrestled in so many months. I haven’t been doing that much activity in the last four months, since I got shot. So I’m not going to pretend I could go out there and submit you and be all technical with you. Not these days. Johnny whipped me into shape this past week, but not even close to what I used to be. No, I’m going to go out there and throw down with you. If I get my hands on you, you’re going for a ride, and I can guarantee you won’t like where you’re going.”

I wasn’t kidding, I was nowhere near the shape I was in when I used to be in the IWF. I had gained weight and size, and still had pretty good cardio, but I wasn’t quick enough to get down and out-technical wrestle someone. So Johnny and I changed up my strategy. To just use my strength and try to manhandle Axle. I wasn’t going to pretend I could be faster or last longer than him. He hasn’t taken a break from wrestling in like over a decade, and I was just coming off a near year-long break. There was just no way.

Brandon: “Look Axle, you impress me. Don’t get me wrong. But I have but one problem with you. And that problem makes me hate you. Because I cannot stand people like you. The people who have no business questioning my legitimacy, yet you do. Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to question me in the Hall of Fame? Is it because you’re also in a Hall of Fame? Tell me, how is old UECW doing these days? Last I heard, all of your wrestlers were now in the IWF, because it just couldn’t compete with what we do here. Yeah, so you think that you can challenge my legitimacy, you’re in a Hall of Fame that doesn’t even exist anymore. Not only that, but one that is clearly far less superior to the IWF. You’ve got a lot of accolades. That’s cool. If I was in twenty different federations in ten years, I could have a lot of titles too. Were you one of those guys who the management felt bad for, so they threw you a bone, you won the title, but then lost it quickly and left? You’d have to be, the way you’ve bounced from fed to fed. It doesn’t impress anyone when you list off all the titles you won in different federations, it just shows that either you aren’t loyal at all, or you can’t make a great name in one fed, so you move on to the next. Were you ever the top superstar anywhere? From what I hear, Alexander Remington was always one step ahead of you in UECW. I bet that was frustrating, knowing that you just never could get ahead of him. It shows here in IWF too. He’s getting a title shot and you had to resort to challenging old washed up hall of famers like myself.”

I didn’t know if that was necessarily true, but I thought it might strike a nerve with him. He definitely had lots of problems with Remington, so I was hoping that me saying that pissed him off even just a little bit.

Brandon: “So why do I deserve to be in the IWF Hall of Fame you ask? I’ll tell you why. Yeah, I only won the IWF Championship twice, and defended it three times. But can you tell me who else has defended it three times? It’s nobody. The IWF title bounces around from person to person here in the IWF. But I was the constant. When I held the title, you knew it was staying with me. And if I was going to lose it, you better make sure your name is Stygian, or I’m legally dead. Let’s see, what else have I done. Well I won the first ever Path to Valhalla match. Got to main event From the Ashes. I lost that match, but then when undefeated for eighteen straight matches. I like to think that’s pretty good. Seventeen wins and one draw. Including the match of the year against Chuck Matthews, and my second IWF title reign. Hmmmm, what else did I do? Oh right, I carried the entire fucking company for a year. Go look at the first year of the IWF. Who was the constant man leading the way? It wasn’t Chuck Matthews. It wasn’t Corey Casey. It wasn’t Stygian, Dan Alexander, Steel Angel or Robbie Hart. No, it was Brandon Macdonald. I main evented half of the shows in the entire first year of IWF. I was always there for the company. Oh wait, I also fucking founded the god damn foundation. Yeah, I was brought on board part because I had the money to help jumpstart the company. But I was also the only one who had any experience running a federation. They needed me. They couldn’t have survived without me running the administrative side of the IWF. Also, calling Corey Casey the “brain” of the IWF is the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. I don’t hate Corey, but he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Corey needed me to help him get the hang of things. You think he’d be running the Board of Directors right now if I didn’t teach him a thing or two about running a business? No fucking chance. Corey Casey owes me. He knows that I was a huge key in the founding of the IWF. Buying my way into the Hall of Fame is a joke. First off, I have no money. As I said earlier, I work at Taco fucking Bell. Secondly, Corey Casey came to me and told me that I was getting inducted. That’s right, your leader was the one who personally came to Los Angeles to tell me that I was going to the Hall of Fame. Clearly he thinks I deserve it. Why don’t you?”

I was getting pretty livid now. I was ready to rip this fucking guy’s head off. I was going to destroy him. I know he thinks that I’m coming into this match underestimating him, or thinking that I’m not going to be trying my best, because I’ll be so convinced I can beat him. That’s far from the case. I want to humiliate him. I want to make him regret his decision to challenge me, for the rest of his life.

Brandon: “Axle Vengeance, you really fucked up this time. Who are you? A little fucking cunt who decided he’d put on his big boy pants and challenge the greatest IWF superstar ever. What the fuck were you thinking? Did I piss you off some time in the past? Did I fuck your girlfriend at one point? It wouldn’t surprise me, but I’m sure she liked it a lot more from me. Happens to everyone. Just ask anyone Alison Williams. She’ll tell you. No matter what I did, you disrespected me. So now I’m going to fucking disrespect you at New Years Evil. I’m going to fucking eviscerate you, you piece of shit. You picked the wrong guy to fuck with, at the worst possible time to fuck with him. And what the fuck have you done to earn a shot with me anyways? I couldn’t give ten fucks about what you’ve done in other lesser feds. You’ve never been anywhere close to the skill level of the IWF. You’ve never fought anyone as talented as me. You’ve fought a bunch of shit scrubs that could barely cut it in a minor federation. Then you come here, oh boy, the best break of your god damn career. And what do you do? You attack some new guy from behind like the fucking piece of shit coward that you are. Then you go out and beat Steel Angel. Holy sweet fucking shitballs you beat THE Steel Angel. That’s like the accomplishment of a fucking lifetime right there. Not just anybody can beat Steel Angel. Oh wait. Yes they can. Steel Angel is shit. Like literally the worst big name in the IWF. I can’t believe he wins matches because he is just so god damn awful. But anyways, you attack a guy from behind, and you beat the shit out of a terrible wrestler. Good for you you little cumstain. And then what happened? You attacked me from behind with a microphone. Another cowardly action by a fucking coward of a wrestler. A real wrestler would have come at me to my face. Tell me, how are you going to beat me when you aren’t going to have a chance to hit me in the back of my head? Yeah that’s what I thought. Also, how did that go for you? I seem to remember you getting leveled with a flip piledriver. Oh yeah I still fucking got it don’t I? What’s that? Oh waaah waaah waaah I wasn’t ready, I didn’t think you were going to attack me, you have to give me warning next time Brandon. Yeah, fuck you. I can’t wait to shove my fist so far down your throat, you’ll start puking out my rings next week.”

I was furious now. The more I talked about Axle, the more I just hate his fucking guts. This guy is like so many guys I’ve seen in my career, and they’re all fucking phonies. They go out there and they get exposed by real wrestlers like me. That’s what I’m going to do to this little fucker. Expose him as the fucking phony he really was.

Brandon: “You better pray, oh you better fucking pray Axle. Because you might think I’m old, I’m washed up; I’ve never fought anyone like you right? I’ve fought guys that you couldn’t even hold a candle to. Chuck Matthews, Corey Casey, Stygian, all these guys are ten times the wrestler you are. And you know what? I’ve taken them all to their limits. You’re coming into this match against me with the wrong fucking mindset. You’re going to be fucking surprised, and terrified when you find out what kind of a wrestler I am. I’m an in your face, fucking rip your throat out, fuck you up kind of wrestler. Johnny Stylez taught me well. I can’t wait to get out there and show you what it means to fight a Hall of Fame wrestler in the IWF. It’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen. You better fucking pray, because it’s going to be glorious”

I stood up and punched camera as hard as I could, shutting it off. I was done with this shit. It was time to shut up and put up.