Future Imperfect

July 15th, 2015,

No matter the population, California sure is an empty place in more ways than one, isn't it? The locals are shallow and one-dimensional, and the tourists aren't much better. I suppose I'm just a tourist, temporarily living in a mediocre hotel room in downtown San Diego until the bell tolls.

Ain't that the word, huh? Mediocre. I'm surrounded by it here in (R)evo. I embody it. I've only had about eight matches to my name, give or take, with only limited success under the radar. Most hardly remember my name, I'm sure. My time in WEW was delegated to being called just a pawn, yet my short stint in Metro lead to a wild card spot in a World Championship tourney. Won the first round when the place went under, subjugating me to mediocrity thanks to their poor leadership skills and their inability to draw.

Third time's a charm, right? This is when the pawn becomes the Rook, the rook becomes The King? Maybe. Or maybe I'll always be mediocre. Maybe (R)evo is my last attempt at succeeding in this sport. Eh, better go balls to the wall then. Might as well.

Regards,
Hawke

A tattooed young man took a drag of his e-cigarette, the end lighting up with a sky blue LED while the rest looked like a pen straight out of a Star Trek movie. Vapor fluttered into the cool night air, swirling around like smoke while the man's back perched against a white brick wall behind him.

A second followed suit, his arms naked in comparison without any ink. He scoffed, digging in his pocket for a pack of his own, flipping the white stick with the brown end into his two fingers. Searching his pocket again, he searched for his lighter, only to no avail.

"You got a light?" the second man asked the first, his voice disappointed as all hell.

"Don't you know that shit's bad for your health?" The answer to the question was usually a second question, a sarcastic grin on the tattooed man's face while he held the e-cigarette between his teeth.

"Shut up, Kaiden," the other rolled his eyes, checking his other pocket. With an oblivious look on his face, he noticed he put his lighter in the wrong pocket earlier, finally lighting the cig ablaze between his lips. Smoke trailed from the end, mixing with the vapor like ying and yang, a silent moment that seemed to go on for millennia.

"All I'm saying is, those goddamn cigs can kill you, Cass," Kaiden responded while he continued to vape, a smirk besides the high-tech rechargeable instrument. "'Sides, this right now? Tastes like coca-cola. Saves me money too. The big tobacco companies are selling cancer by the stick, and you're falling for it hook line and sinker."

"Whatever, man," Cassidy answered, shrugging his shoulders and lowering his cancer stick to his side, still between his two fingers. "So, what's on that mind of yours, huh? You got a reason for calling me out here in the middle of the night?"

Kaiden sighed, puffing one more time before lowering the instrument to his side as well, sliding it into his pocket. "My girlfriend left me a few months back, Alice. WEW gave me my walking papers, and can't pay rent in Seattle anymore... I need a job. I need something that pays well. Real well," he admitted, his voice surprisingly calm in the face of unemployment. Whether or not it was the e-cigarette or his natural personality was yet to be seen.

"Aw, man! Sorry to hear that," Cassidy feigned empathy, his eyebrows raising. "You got a plan B ya got in mind?"

"That's why I called you here," Kaiden muttered, his back leaving the brick wall as a carpet of black mixed with some shining white stars stayed overhead to watch their conversation from the cosmos. "I'm going to California tomorrow. And I ain't sure I'm coming back. Make sure to tell Mom."

"Wait, what? You're just gonna move out, just like that?!" Cassidy exclaimed, suddenly hit by the enormity of the situation.

"Just like that," the almost stoic Kaiden answered, his expression unchanging while he slicked his hair back with his palm. "Too many memories here, too many failures. I've been scouting a company for a while now, and I'm looking to join their roster, and I can't have you, or Alice, or Mom holding me back."

"... You're a fucking asshole, you know that, Kaid? Just gonna fucking leave us for a job you don't even know you're gonna get," Cassidy barked, using his hands to illustrate the emotion. "Let me tell you something, 'bro.' You're not gonna make it. You're not gonna be swimming in dough or any of that shit, and you're not gonna make it big either. All you're doing is pushing everyone you know away, and for what? A chance at making yourself look like a fool on national television again?!"

"Big talk coming from a lil' shit who hasn't even moved out of his mom's place yet," Kaiden spat in response, his blood beginning to boil. "Go fuck yourself, I don't got time for this." With a final drag of his e-cigarette to calm his nerves, he walked away, heading back to his car with a aggravated scowl adorn his face.


July 18th, 2015,

30 plus (R)evo shows passed without me, so I highly doubt I'll be the highlight of the night. Moreover, this first debut of mine won't even be remembered in a month, win or lose. Still, it sets the tone for what's to come, doesn't it? Me versus Moore versus Kanemoto in the opener and I can't say I expected any different.

You want to see what I have to offer, don't you? You want to see how I handle two practical nobodies to this company, almost like a tryout after I already signed on the dotted line. Surely Moore will be easy to contend with, a man shrouded in unknowing mystery who's destined to fall by the wayside once this match is finally over from lack of trying. I'm hardly an arrogant man, but when you look at that man and then you look at me, well... I almost hate the use the cliché that size — and experience — matter.

Granted, I've only been considered 'pro' since November 2014, but I'm willing to hedge a bet that's more than Moore and Kanemoto's experience combined. We're all rookies regardless, but I know what it's like to fight underneath those lights, to give it everything I have in front of that crowd. That's my advantage, I suppose. That is, if you can even call it that.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'll rest my case as soon as that last bell rings and I'm standing to the roar of the crowd victorious. You won't remember my name, and you won't remember my victory once the show has come to an end, but I assure you, once I ingrain the words into the front of your skull, once I get closer and closer to the top of the card, you'll start to realize I'm not just this drifter who can't make it big, no. You'll understand that the name Kaiden Hawke 'll be spoken in the same breath as the other great (R)evo competitors who were trained to do great things, extraordinary things that changed EXODUS to its core.

I'm not the REVOLUTION. I'm not a Japanese superstar. All I am is a modest rookie trying to make a name for himself, but who knows? I may have a few tricks under my sleeve that'll change (R)evolution Wrestling forever, but that's a story for another day.

I'll see you out there, Chris. You too, Masato. Let's blow the goddamn roof of that place and start the thirty-first episode of (R)evo with a bang, not a whimper! Oh, and let me blow off some steam in the process, will you? I have some frustrations I need to let out that my e-cig just can't cure.

Regards,
Hawke