Underground Kings

[UWL presents Destiny VII] 

[Myrtle Beach Convention Center] 

[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina] 

TWO! 

THREE! 

Gene Anderson: “And the winner of this match…Xplode!”

Barry Sharpe: “It’ll be Xplode to move onto the Finals!”

Fred Overstreet: “That’s right, Robb Daniels will meet Xplode in the finals of the 2013 Coronation Cup!”

Rolling out of the ring, my ribs were sore from the beating that I just took as my head dropped in defeat as I slowly made my way back up the darkened aisle alone. Passing through the curtain, there was no fanfare, there was no pats on the back, or any acknowledgement.

Just a lonely walk to the locker to pack my bags.

With a defeat the developmental contract that I signed with the UWL had come to an end and it was time to head back to Atlanta after a short stint in the spotlight. In that short span of time though…I had made a dream a mine come true.

But the problem with dreams is that once you get a taste for them…you’ll do whatever you have to do to make sure that you get another taste.

When one door opens…you go buy a sledgehammer and you just go knock a wall down.

[Atlanta, Georgia] 
[The Warehouse GYM]

-POP!- 

-POP!- 

-POP! POP!- 

-POP!- 

-POP!- 

-POP! POP!- 

My arm extended with every since snap jab on the large black stationary punching bag followed by two quick roundhouses on the side of the bag. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of my face and dripped off of my chin with my jaw tightening with every heavy impact on the bag.

"Time!", Justin Brooks, three-time World Champion, Justin Brooks, said looking at the stop watch in his hand. He chuckled to himself as I took a step back way from the bag and placed my hands on my waist. "You know Aries, I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but if you can bring this type of intensity to the ring, Clue is going to be in a world of hurt.”

I just nodded my head as I ripped off the velcro straps to my fingerless gloves, pulling them off of my heavily tapped hands.

"Yeah...", I said as my bare chest heaved with heavy exhausted breath.

"You ready for him...you ready for (R)Evolution debut?", he asked me, throwing a white towel in my direction. Catching the cloth in mid air, I draped the small towel over the top of my head and let out a slow breath.

"You know I'm ready...I've been working my ass off for the better part of the year even before I decided to throw my hat into the ring when it comes to going out to San Diego." I said, taking a seat on a nearby barstool. Brooks approached me with a pair of medical shears as I held out my outstretched hand, watching him cut away the tape from my hands.

With strict regime of weight lifting, cross-training, a diet consisting of fish, steak, chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables, I had dropped a few extra pounds and tipped the scale at a lean two-hundred-twenty pounds, my lightest weight in my short-lived career to date. But I felt better than I did in, it was amazing what Justin was capable of in terms of getting me in some of the best shape of my entire career, if not my life.

With the tape cut from my hands, I rubbed my sore knuckles with my brain still on the first episode of (R)Evolution peeking over the horizon

And I wanted my first victory.

There was no way that I was going to leave without it.

And if someone wanted to deny that from me, mainly Clue, then I was hoping that he was going to bring an army with him to the ring because I refuse to be counted for the three count...I refuse to tap out...they was going to have to kill me and even then...

...God himself was going to have intervene just make it happen.

"Aries are you okay?", Justin asked me, bringing me back into reality.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay. My mind is just going a mile a minute is all.", I answered.

"You're such a horrible fuckin' liar." ,he said busting me out. I rolled my eyes and huffed and stood from my barstool, placing my bare hands on my hips.

“I’ve been patient…I’ve been calm…I’ve been working as hard as I possibly could and when I’m ready. Even back in the UWL…I was ready, they were ready to commit to me…but I was ready I’ve taken guys to their limit and then some. I’m tired of waiting…I’m ready to get back to San Diego and I’m ready to set the world on fire.”

"Listen, Aries...just listen..." he pulled back from me for a minute and placed a finger on my bare chest. "...you need to make sure that despite what everyone else is saying that you're doing this for you. Not because I vouched for you, because you don’t owe my shit...or because of whatever one else is saying it’s what you should do. You make sure that when you step into the ring you're doing because you're doing it for you..."

I looked into Justin's hazel eyes and nodded my head slowly. I knew where he was coming from, I know what he was saying but months and years of listening and listening to them tends to wear even on the strongest of men.

"Fuck the doubters, Aries. Fuck the haters…fuck them all. And you know why? Because they are all jealous and they all want what you have. This going to be the first of many great moments in your career. In the end the only person who can hold you back is you. Don't let that happen."

"Never."

"But you won't fall...you'll never fall because I know you better than that. I've watched you take on the odds night after night and come out smelling like a rose on the other side."

He patted the side of my face as I rolled my eyes with a soft smile on my face.

"You're going to do great, kid. Trust me on this... "