Monsters Creating Monsters

It’s the losses.

It’s how you respond to adversity when everyone thinks that you’re down and out.

Its how quickly can you dust yourself off and get back into the fight.

Everyone sees the victories…

…but no one is around when it comes to the losses.

They don’t see the struggle.

They don’t see the adversity.

They don’t see the fight or the climb.

They don’t want to. It’s not glamorous…It’s not hip…It’s not what sells tickets or merchandise. 

But it’s the struggle that defines us. It’s the struggle that creates us.

It’s the struggle that makes us who we are as men.

But I’m not just a man.

I’m a goddamn Monster.

For those of us Monsters who are climbing up the food chain, there can be NO MERCY, there is all but one rule:

Hunt or Be Hunted

And I'm feeling particularly Hungry today.

Power is my Food.

Combat is my Sleep.

Blood is my Oxygen.

Wrestling is my Blood.

Sleep is my Enemy.

...and my Enemies are my Food.

[www.thebigbadbrooks.com/promo]
[Repetition of Hatred]
[Justin Brooks vs. Christian Kane (Champion)]
[International Championship Match]
[The Finale]
[Part I]

The large desk was handcrafted out of mahogany, aged perfectly and every detail...every curve was measured to a absolute perfection, a science if you will. It's tabletop was buffed to a mirror shine as Justin Brooks couldn't help but reach out with a single finger and run it horizontally across the desk. He smiled with appreciation for the work and the man hours that had went into making something so perfect that it felt as if it would be a crime if you were to use it. Sitting behind in the desk in a large black leather bound chair, Justin opens a large drawer and reaches inside to produce a small inkwell and feathered quill. Reaching to the drawer on the other end of the desk, he produces a small pile of loose parchment paper, setting in front of him before taking a single piece to put before him. With a piece of paper in front of him, Justin takes a large quill between his fingers and tips the thin edge into the black inkwell. With a few flicks of quill to rid it of excessive ink, he places the tip onto the thick parchment as carefully and with an artistic hand begins to handcraft a letter, dedicating it to so many as he speaks out loud as he writes.

“I’m going to do something in this business that I never thought I would ever have to do, but for things to move forward and for me to finally reach that brass ring that’s been sitting above my head for years, I need to atone…”

“...I need to apologize”

With a piece of paper in front of him, Justin takes a large quill between his fingers and tips the thin edge into the black inkwell. With a few flicks of quill to rid it of excessive ink, he places the tip onto the thick parchment as carefully and with an artistic hand begins to handcraft a letter, dedicating it to so many as he speaks out loud as he writes.

“Ruby Tyler.”

“I want to say that I’m sorry. I want to apologize to you first because honestly, if it wasn’t for you I would’ve never reached this epiphany and for that I want to thank you but more importantly, I need to offer my apologies because when we first meet all those weeks ago, we fought to a double count out.”

“And I’m sorry that I allow that to happen.”

“I’m sorry that I kept you in the match that long...I apologize for giving you the false hope that you could stand toe to toe with me and live to tell the tale. I’ll be the first to admit that my mind wasn’t in the right place and for it, I found myself not a winner but not defeated as well. But because of my failure to put you down and make sure that you stay down, it’s lit this fire inside of that small frame that honestly should’ve never been lit in the first place.”

“But if you give me the opportunity, if given the chance, I’ll rectify my wrongs. I’ll leave you without a shadow of a doubt that Justin Brooks is all that he says he is and then some. The frustrations, the anger, the hatred...the misdirection hostility.”

“I’m a man who learns the error of his ways and only makes those mistakes once.”

Putting the quill back into the well of black ink, he looks over his work and carefully places it aside, before reaching another piece of paper and the quill once again.

“Jonathan Collins and Jimmy Riley.”

As he scribed the two mens names, Justin let out a soft sigh.

“I have to lump the two of you in the same because honestly, what I say to one...I will say to the other.”

“But gentlemen, allow me apologize to you both.”

“You have my deepest apologies because I left my destiny in your hands and I let it happen. It’s my fault when I stood back and allow you to deal the cards but there’s one thing that I failed to realize, either in my exuberance or my own ignorance.”

“...but the house always wins.”

“It’s until you finally turn the table and to take over the entire deck for yourself do you realize that in the business when you want something in this world, that if you don’t reach out and take it, you’ll only be destined to watch someone take what should be yours.”

“So allow me to make amends by being the man who takes his own fate by the horns and bends to my own will.”

“I find myself staring at the chance to become the International Champion, allow me to prove how sincerely sorry I am, when I break that blonde bastard in two and do with it what Lexy Chapel couldn’t.”

“And with the exception of one single person…”

Once again, he places the quill back into the inkwell and carefully picks up the hand-written letter placing it on top of the rapidly drying letter addressed to Ruby Tyler. Reaching over he grabbed a fresh sheet and took the quill...

“I want to apologize to the entire Exodus Pro Wrestling Roster...from Fiona Collins, to Abby Park, to Chris Strike and everyone else in between, I want to apologize to every single one of you because I allowed you all to forget.”

“It’s my deepest regret that I allowed you all to take the name of Justin Brooks in vain.”

“It’s my faults that I allowed you all to overlook the Big Bad Brooks.”

“It’s on my shoulders that when I walk through the halls of the RIMAC Arena and every single venue we’ve travelled and toured that when you see Justin Brooks, you all tend to forget what Justin Brooks is capable of.”

He refreshed the ink of the quill as his writing became a bit more quicker...a bit more aggressive, almost threatening to tear the paper with each stroke of his wrist.

“The destruction.”

“The pain.”

“The undeniable tenacity that is Justin Brooks.”

He stops writing for a moment as he looks down at the scribbled letters on the page. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep relaxing breath as he refreshed the ink and continued on.

“So allow me to offer up my own brand of reparations...and at Repetition of Hatred, I will show you what Justin Brooks is all about, so less you all forget again you will all have it all bookmarked in your head to the point where the Big Bad Brooks has become something that he’s been saying all along.”

“A Machine.”

“A Monster.”

“And soon enough an Exodus Pro Champion.”

With a deep exhalation of breath, Justin taking the letter and placed it with the other before grabbing another sheet and began to write once again.

“Which leads me to the man who I owe the biggest apology to of all.”

“Christian Kane.”

He underlined the name several times over again.

“That magnificent bastard.”

“Chris, I want to apologize the most to you. I’m sorry that at Dead in Hollywood, I left you with enough breath in your lungs to survive. I was rather selfish and absent-minded me, to be honest. I should’ve done what I knew was best at the time and that was to put you out of your misery as if you nothing more but a bleached blonde version of Old Yeller, but I didn’t.”

Justin looks away for a moment as he bites down hard on his bottom lip, threatening to break the skin. He closes his eyes for a moment and sighs, letting the exact moment of watching the Exodus Pro International Title slip through his fingers. Slowly, as if he’s finally come to grips, his nostrils flare wide as he nods his head slowly.

“And I’m sorry, Chris. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive the fact that I allowed you to survive just so you could walk out with the International Title around your waist. It was an unforgivable mishap that I promise won’t happen again.”

“Because I can’t let those mistakes happen, Chris.”

“We both know this.”

“So my way to make amends to you, Chris is simple really.”

Looking into the camera with his hazel eyes, a soft smile spreads over Justin’s lips as he looks back down at the letter addressed to the International Champion.

“I’m going to beat the ever living hell out of you and I’m going to take the Exodus Pro International title and I’m going to put it around my waist and come back to San Diego with a clear conscious...and fifteen pound heavier waistline in leather and gold.

Placing the quill back into the inkwell, he holds the parchment in the air to let the ink dry and sink into the fine fabric of the paper and for his own inspection and nods his head in approval. With a soft smile on his face, he takes the other letters and carefully folded the parchment into a large envelope. Sealing it carefully, he looks at the full envelope before holding the very edge over a lit candle and watching the letter slowly begin to burn in front of him.

His smile never leaves his lips.

His eyes never leave the flicker flame, even as he drops the burning letter into a small dish as the paper become charred as it burns.

[February 6, 2015]
[Office of Audrey Figgins PhD OB-GYN]
[Knoxville, Tennessee]

The inside of the doctor’s office, it was rather quiet. Not quiet to hear a pin drop but quiet enough to make you sweat bullets and feel your hands get all moist. Yeah -that- quiet. The walls were that bland beige color, they were supposed to be soothing, but yet instead it made me want to be sick as the smell of complete sterilization filled my nose. Other than the various frames diplomas from University of Tennessee, University of Chattanooga, and Appalachian State, the office would be nothing more but a few padded walls short of a loony bin.

You would think that I was on trial as I sat against in the wall in a rather uncomfortable brown cushioned chair. It was made from stiff unconditioned leather, almost as if no one sat in it for some time. My hazel eyes glanced up at the woman next to me and she was just as nervous. But yet beautiful all the same, with her blonde hair tied back into a single ponytail. She held her hands in her lap as she crossed her legs, looking down. She couldn’t look at me for whatever reason. All I could do is look away and shook my head slowly.

We had tried to be as careful as we could until everything had finally taken place back in Fort Worth but yet there was no way that you were going to keep us apart from one another. And once we were in Japan, needless to say it was like the vacation we’ve always wanted to take and never got the chance to take earlier. With her suddenly becoming a bit ill, it was time that I brought my family home back to the states. But we took the risk and apparently...it came up snakes eyes.

At least that what we had both had come to same educated guess.

“Look, Kyra, I’m sorry.” I said softly as she looked up with her blue eyes and smiley sweetly and gently.

“Sorry for what, Bull?”

“Sorry for all of this, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen...at the least this quickly anyway. If anything, I’m surprised this didn’t happen when we were kids.”

She reached over and placed her left hand on my knee. I couldn’t help but look down at her hand and when I looked up at her and she was still smiling.

“But life didn’t happen like that when we were kids. Look, Justin, we both are in this, so I’m in this just as deep as you. If this test comes out positive...” She sighed softly as I watched her drift off for a moment at the possibility of what could happen. “...my Dad isn’t going to be all that thrilled. But it doesn’t matter though, right? We’re adults...very successful adults, we can handle this. I just want to know that we will be together through it and everything will be alright, right?”

I simply nodded. “Yeah, we can handle anything that comes our way. It’s just, we kept talking about being careful and in the end, here we are.” I looked around the doctors office and I just chuckled to myself as I shook my head slowly. I couldn’t help but think of the irony of the situation. As High School sweethearts, our biggest fear was getting pregnant and now as full fledged adults...here we were.

Possibly.

“Shhh…” she cuts me off and chuckles. “..the time before I left in San Diego and the overnight in Ft. Worth we really weren’t that responsible…. To be honest, I would’ve done the same thing then as now. So stop apologizing, okay. It’s not like you to apologize about anything baby.”

I could only smile and chuckle once again as I listened to her soft voice of reason. She was right about that, it was rare that I apologized for anything. But maybe because of the gravity of the life-altering outcome that was staring us both in the face finally started to become a bit more real and tangible that I would’ve liked. I glanced down and noticed that her hand never left my knee. Suddenly we both looked up at the brown wooden door that had slowly opened as Dr. Figgins opened the door. She was a short woman, about 5' in height, a bit pudgy with salt and pepper hair tied up in a small bun. She was holding an open manila folder. He looks with a smile and nods his head as the both of them stand up.

“Mr. Brooks, Ms. Kopus, I have some good news for you both.”

Kyra slowly snakes her hand into mine and intertwines her fingers as she squeezes my hand…

…and I squeezed right back.

“Well, you two lovebirds. I got the results test back.”

Time seemed to just stand still for that moment in life. I watch Dr. Figgin’s face form a soft smile spread over her lips. I knew the verdict before she even opened her mouth as I waited for the cannonball to get launched into my chest but all I could do is wait for the Doctor to read the result but yet she continued to stand with Kyai as the doctor read me our combined fate.

This was going to be a life-altering moment and everything I was knew it had the major possibility to changed forever. But maybe, just maybe….she wasn’t pregnant and this was just a major scare.

There was a shot.

“Congratulations….”

And there it went in a puff of smoke.

“…you guys are going to be parents. It seems that, Kyra...you’re about three or maybe four weeks along. We’ll have to give it another two weeks and I’ll have you come back in and we’ll be able to listen to the heartbeat. Sounds good?”

Kyra smiled and nodded her head nervously as she looked up at me as I just smiled and looked back at her and nodded my head as well. I wanted to give her all the security that she wanted and needed even though, inside I might had wanted to begin to freak myself. But yet, this was the woman who I had been waiting for since I was in High School...the girl who had always been through all of my bullshit and then some.

And we were going to have a child together.

“Together, right Bull?”, she said softly as she looked up at me.

I simply nodded my head and smiled in return, never breaking once .

“Together.”, I said calmly as she leaned her head against my large arm. The doctor had congratulated us once again as she left the room giving us the time to compress the news. With my free hand, I reached over and cupped her cheek before lowering my head and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

[www.thebigbadbrooks.com/promo]
[Repetition of Hatred]
[Justin Brooks vs. Christian Kane (Champion)]
[International Championship Match]
[The Finale]
[Part I]

“Such a waste of talent. He chose the money over power. And in this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts to fall apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference.”
-Francis J. Underwood

“One day Chris...all of this is going to be gone.”

“The fanfare.”

“The glory.”

“The fans.”

“The high profile matches.”

“The big paydays.”

“The Championships.”

“...poof...gone like a fart in the wind.”

“And when that happens, it makes me wonder what will I leave behind? What type of legacy will the name Justin Brooks have in the annals of times When I’m long and gone, what will I leave my son...my future children? How will I arm them to carry on the legacy that is the Brooks name into the years to come when I’m no longer around to do it myself?”

“I watch you from afar, I’ve watched you up close, and frankly I’m disgusted by you...what you’ve become. You’ve become nothing more but a caricature of your former self. Because there will be a time where the good looks are going to leave and you’ll be nothing more but a crippled, gray haired old man...Venus will have left you for another stud and you’ll be left with nothing.”

“There’s going to come a time where all that God-given ability that you have is going to leave nothing more but shell than yourself.”

“There’s going to be a time a where they won’t be paying anymore and you have left is what’s in your pockets.”

“They won’t be chanting your name, they won’t erect statues for you.”

“In in the end, there will be nothing left of Christian Kane.”

“Nothing to leave behind.”

“No legacy.”

“Nothing to hang your hat on.”

“You chase money, like a Johnny Cannon-Light, but you haven’t done anything to be considered a champion since you beat Lexy Chapel in the first place.”

“And just like I said before, Christian Kane isn’t hungry, he doesn’t want it anymore.”

“He’s been on this Road of Redemption for so long that he’s lost that edge, he’s lost that hunger, he’s lost that will to strive to be better than he is because he’s already hit his ceiling, he’s already reached a point where he can sit back on his haunches and think that he’s made it on easy street.”

“It’s not that simple, Chris...it never was that simple in Knoxville and it sure as shit ain’t that simple now.”

“I see you holding that International Championship and since Dead in Hollywood, all I could think about is the day that I stand across from you one on one without the hinderance of Lexy Chapel to give you an easy out. The day where you’re going to actually have to put up a fight to remain relevant around these parts or you’ll end up just like Lexy Chapel…”

“...out the damn door.”

“I’ve made the mistake of wanting to be just like Christian Kane since I walked into Knoxville all those years ago, but it wasn’t until recently that I had the wrong mindset, I can’t be like Christian Kane because I’m built to be better, I’m built to be greater, I’m built...I’m destined...I’m focused on setting the bar higher than Kane could ever imagine.”

“So while you’ll sitting back waiting for a check, I’m the one continuing to work on getting better because if you won’t take this seriously then I’ll relieve you of your duties as International Champion and put you back on the shelf where you can have Venus licking your wounds as you go off and disappear into a bottle.”

“The last time we met in the ring, you got lucky and you survived, Chris.”

“Let me say that again because I don’t think you’re giving it enough time to set into that brain of yours.”

“You didn’t win.”

“You -survived-.”

“You didn’t earn the right to continue to call yourself the International Champion that night.”

“So Chris, what’s it’s going to be, huh? The Christian Kane who’s content to surviving night in and night out, just hoping that you can make it through another 24 hours with the International Title around your waist?”

“Or do we get to see the Christian Kane who actually fought for it because he had nothing else to lose?”

“I can only hope that which ever one shows up knows what he’s going into because there’s only one Justin Brooks that’s going to show up.”

“The one who’s ready for a fight. The same man who has nothing to lose and everything to gain, the man whos going to do more than just bring a war to your front doorstep, I’m plan coming through the front goddamn door and set up camp.”

“The one who’s will do whatever it takes to win. And I don’t mean just to survive...but to win, to leave no doubt, to leave no shred of criticism in the minds of the countless drows who watch with their mouths agape at the carnage that another man is will to put another man through just to be the last one standing.”

“The one who’s hungry. The one who’s willing to look you dead in the eyes and punch you dead in the face because when it comes down to it, I’m the one who wants it more because I know what’s it like to go without.”

“The one who’s not chasing a payday, but chasing power...because it’s power that’s an intangible good and it stands for everything. It’s power in Exodus that makes this place go around, you want to bitch about contracts while you continue to fill your stomach with swill.”

“What you have around you waist is what I want because it doesn’t equal a big payday to me, Chris, it equals everything that I’ve ever aspired to be in this business and then some and I’ll be DAMNED if I let the likes of you tell me that I don’t belong, that I haven’t earned the right.”

“I will earn it several times over again with your blood and mine in front of thousands.”

“Because the days where Christian Kane was ready to pay the price to be at the top of mountain are over because that bank account is well overdrawn.”

“Evil this way cometh, Chris...and it goes by the name of Justin Brooks.”

“Stop me, Chris...I ask of you.”

“Fight me, Chris...I dare you.”

“Beat me, Chris...I challenge you.”

[February 7, 2015]
[Knoxville, Tennessee]
[Brooks-Kopus Residence]

ZIIIIIIIIP

That’s the sound of a zipper on a pair of size 42 denim jeans, as I look around the large master suite were clothes literally littered around the room. Size 13 black leather Polo boots, a silk blouse, white tee shirt, black laced bra, well you get the picture or at least I hope you do. Searching for my socks, I look around the room quickly not wanting to wake the sleeping blonde, who was cuddled up in the off white sheets and pillow. Finding my socks, I slowly sit on the edge of the bed sliding them on and grabbing my boots and sliding them on as well. Suddenly a pair of small hands slowly ran over my broad shoulders and down my bare chest as the mother of my child, Kyra Kopus smiled softly as she sits up and slowly kissed the back of my neck.

“Leaving without saying goodbye are you?”

She giggled softly as I smiled out of the side of my mouth. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly when she laughed like that, because it made her ass jiggle slightly when she did, but I wasn’t going to say a word about it to her.

“Nah, sweetness, I just didn’t want to wake you is all. You seemed to be sleeping pretty well and I figured the dogs needed to let out for the morning.”

Kyra simply nodded.

“Oh I was…especially after our little celebration last night.”

I chuckled and nodded my head slowly.

“Yeah, we did have some fun didn’t we? It’s reason why you’re knocked up now. “ I couldn’t help but joke at the fact that she now carried my child. She rolled her eyes with a smile and playfully smacked my shoulder.

“Oh yes we did...but that shouldn’t be that surprising with how much of a “Monster” you are.”

She smiled and kissed this side of my neck once again letting her hands simply roam down my broad chest.

“So when do you have to go back to Japan? I’m pretty sure they weren’t exactly happy with you have to abruptly having to leave like that.”

I just smiled softly and shrugged my shoulders softly.

“I’m not too sure, to be honest. I spoke with Jimmy and explained what was going on and honestly, even if he said no...or even if they threatened to fire me, it wouldn’t have mattered, family comes first. Even the ones that haven’t made their appearance yet."

She just smiled softly and shook her head slowly.

“Well, with that being said can I ask you something, Justin?”

I smiled and nodded my head slowly.

“Anything, you know that.”

“Is this what life is going to hold for us? Having to split time between here and San Diego or Japan? I mean, I know you’ve worked hard at your career and everything and I wouldn’t ask you to choose because that’s not fair. I just know what it’s like to have a father who’s always on the road and I know what it is like waiting here for you..”

Looking down and running her small hand over her small baby bump.

“And I really don’t want that for our family…that’s all.”

Cupping her chin gently I look into her eyes and give her a reassuring smile.

“My father wasn’t even around, so I plan on being more than a father to my own. I promise you that, just hang on for the next few weeks, I promise something big…”

Kyra unexpectedly placed a soft kiss on my lips before settling back on the bed and pulling the sheets over her small body.

“I’m sure that whatever you have up your sleeve, you will be doing for all of us…But, you better get a run on, those puppies are about ready to burst…not to mention, I got some beauty sleep to catch up on.”

I just laughed softly and slowly pulled my white tee shirt over my head and headed for the door, grabbing my heavy jacket from coat rack.

“Sounds good, babygirl.”

“ Justin…?”

I stop dead in my track and turn around to look back at Kyra over my left shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“….I love you.”

I stood there for a moment, completely frozen. Who knew that three words could stop a man dead in his tracks, but not to keep her waiting and worse yet, wondering…I did the only thing that I could do when I looked at the Mother of my child. With a smile on my lips, I nod my head and chuckle softly.

“And I love you too.”

-e-