Wrestlemania II: Starr/Walker vs. Kendall/Callihan

[Dominic Reynolds]

Austin Starr/Kenneth Walker vs. Alex Kendall/Caitlin Callihan

From the moment that Caitlin Callihan defeated General Manager Starr back in their SCW days, it planted an obsession that has been eating away at the General Manager for the past year. Signing the devious Alex Kendall to Thy WWE was revealed only to be an attempt to finally get his chance at revenge. We all know Austin was retired since Oppression, along with Kenneth Walker, but both men are making one final stand together in the ring, with Austin looking for redemption and Kenneth is simply looking out for the security of Thy WWE. Either way, this is gonna be amazing.

[Dominic Reynolds]

"Retribution and the aftermath in its quest to obtain it is a curse that all men live with..."

---

DATE: FEBRUARY 11, 2011

IS IT FINALLY OVER?

Austin made me promise that I would keep myself and the kids in his dressing room. “No matter what Lily, no matter what you see, you and the kids stay here until I come for you”. The whole ordeal had gotten me so numb; I could only muster a feeble nod to acknowledge him. It took its toll on the kids too, as the match progressed, I would see Michael and Savannah watching Austin and Ken go to war with tears in their eyes. Finally Michael asked me a question that made me just not able to take it anymore.

Michael Walker: Mommy, why are daddy and Uncle Austin hurting each other?

I couldn’t bear to answer him; I couldn’t bear to sit here anymore. I had to go out there. Taking the kids with me out to the ring, I knew that one way or another that this would have to stop after tonight. Coming down the ramp slowly, I seen a bloody Austin and Ken both trying desperately to get back up. The two of them were hurt, they were exhausted, but they were also too proud to get shown up by the other. That stubborn pride is what always made Austin and Ken excel at everything they did, because ultimately at the root of it all, was a undying fire to compete and always show the other up. Completing my walk down to the ring, it’s Kenneth who I locked eyes with first. Unable to stop the tears from welling up, I see the icy hate that had been burning within Kenneth fade. At that moment I knew that he was sorry for what had happened. But what he did next surprised even me. Turning towards Austin he starts screaming for Austin to end it and how it’s the only way. I look at Austin and see that he is hesitant at first, looking back at me for approval I simply lower my head and nod feebly. I then see Kenneth look at me once more and mouth how he will always love me. When Kenneth closes his eyes, I turn away and can’t look at what happens next. The tears are flowing now openly, but they aren’t tears of sadness, instead they are tears of liberation.

Thank you Ken, thank you for finally setting me free…

I’ll always love you too…

---

DATE: FEBRUARY 13, 2011

A NEW BEGINNING.

It’s been a rough couple of days here at the hospital, at the end of the event, as we all stood at the top of the stage. Austin motioned for me to come close and whispered to me that this was over. Hearing those words made me smile genuinely and warmly. Since then has been a pins and needles wait though as the doctors have taken care of Austin’s wounds and advised that he will need to sleep for the time being. Since the night of the eleventh I haven’t left his side, Michael and Savannah wanted me to stay but I made my parents take them home. Grabbing Austin’s hand warm hand I look down at him and feel myself getting teary eyed once more.

Lily: Wake up Austin, please wake up Austin.

I have been doing this at periodic times throughout the days, hoping that the sound of my voice of the feeling of my touch might spur some kind of response, but so far it has not.

Lily: Austin my love, please wake up. I need you.

After waiting for a few more moments which felt like eternity, I realize that once again it’s not going to do any good. Squeezing his hand, I slump down and begin to weep softly. Wait! Did I just feel a squeeze?

Oh my god I did!

I feel a frantic excitement from deep within me as I see Austin’s eyes flutter open and I hear him whisper something as he clutches my hand harder. Not able to hear him, I lean down closer and what I hear almost causes me to faint.

Austin Starr: Lily, marry me darling. Marry me so we can live happily ever after. I lost you once; I don’t ever want to lose you again.

Lily: Oh Austin…yes, yes, yes.

I couldn’t tell you all the times that I had rehearsed this moment in my mind, I knew from the moment that we first met that we would eventually end up together. I fell for Ken, loved Ken, and I still do. But the connection that Austin and I shared, just simply couldn’t be ignored. I only wish that Ken and I would have gotten the chance for a proper goodbye. You see that night after the event concluded, both of them were taken to this same hospital, but after a day Ken checked himself out and hasn’t been found since. Where ever you are Ken, I hope you can find peace wherever life takes you. Because it was your selfless actions that finally brought us the peace and happiness we deserved, I just hope you are able to be as fortunate.

I really do…

---

I used to lay in bed alone night and stare up at my ceiling wondering if I would ever get to experience happiness. I use to wonder if I would ever get the chance to experience love and compassion. The bitter emptiness left a hole in the very depths of my soul that I first tried to fill with material wealth. The alcohol, the parties, the money, and the women; I had a lifestyle that any regular average would have killed for. But it all was just so empty; none of it was truly gratifying. I think deep down I always knew what I would have to do, what would have to be done for me to get what I wanted, but I chose to lie to myself. I chose to turn away and not acknowledge it. But it got to a point where it was affecting my very sanity. Turning my back on my best friend and brother was not an easy decision to make, but she was always supposed to be with me. Now I sometimes find myself asking if it was worth it. You see Lily and I had a fairy tale wedding, I finally got the chance to get close to my daughter Savannah, and I got the chance to be there for Michael during Kenneth’s absence. But as the time ticked by, as the warm sense of domestication slowly sunk in, I found myself getting bored. Gone was the adrenaline rush that came from stepping out onto the top of the stage, hearing the fans cheer or boo you. Gone were the first class flights, the after parties at the hotels. Now it was replaced with weekly soccer games and family game night. I could tell Lily and the kids were finally at peace to have me at home, to have me no longer fighting. It took a few months before the thought of wrestling again starting resurfacing. I couldn’t do that to Lily though, but when the opportunity to step in front of the camera in a managerial role came up, I knew I had to jump on it. I had worried about how hard it would be to convince Lily, but surprisingly it wasn’t difficult to get her on board.

Lily: I knew this would happen, you love competing too much to stay away. Just promise me Austin, promise me that this won’t lead to you fighting again. Promise me that those days are behind us.

Austin Starr: I promise you my darling; my days of competing in the ring are behind me. I don’t ever want to put you, Lily, or Savannah through that ever again.

I genuinely thought that I wouldn’t break that promise, when I said it to her, I honestly meant it. However, that was until she returned. The night that I got approached by Alex Kendall, whom was seeking employment in Thy WWE…from the moment he sat down in my office, all I could think about was her. Caitlin “Wildcard” Callihan, during the prime of Sin City Wrestling, she was an enigma who outshined her male counterparts week in and week out. I remember upon my debut, being told how she was the standard bearer, how every male superstar in the back needed to emulate the example she set. I remember being offended, blatantly insulted; there was no way that a woman could outshine her male counterparts in this sport. I had decided that the majority of the men that I shared roster space with were simply weak, inadequate, and flat out incapable of getting the job done when it mattered most. I made her my target; I made a vow that I would not stop, that I would not be able to rest until I defeated her. Making my disgust of the SCW roster known would hinder my journey slightly, I had to bide my time at first, dealing with second rate bottom-feeders like B-Zero before the undeniable truth was undoubtedly clear. It took several months before I would finally get my chance, along with five other men, we all challenged the Wildcard for the SCW World Championship. Getting rid of the fodder that didn’t belong took only a short while. When it was finally one on one, I couldn’t help but savor the moment. Despite her face being hidden behind that insufferable porcelain mask, I could tell by her body language that she was staring at her destiny. I could tell that it was finally dawning upon her, that her time was short, that her days were numbered. Our battle was an amazing one, but I made the mistake of underestimating her resolve and I paid the ultimate price for it. It was my back to the canvas getting counted out that night. It’s a loss that has haunted my dreams, it’s a loss that I have been driven to near madness trying to avenge. Defeating her is the final thing I have left to do, until that happens, I can’t walk away.

I just can’t…

---

Lily: You son of a bitch! You promised me!

After the match was announced, my phone went off the second I got backstage. I knew it would be Lily calling me, but I couldn’t have this conversation over the phone. This is something that had to be discussed face to face. Coming through the door that night, I knew she was going to be furious with me. But the level of anger burning in her beautiful green eyes was a level I was not expecting.

Lily: Do you not remember Oppression? Do you not remember you being driven out of the arena in an ambulance? You promised me that you were done fighting! How dare you.

I did promise her, but how could she understand? Defeating her is the final thing I need to do, it’s not a matter of wanting to, it’s a matter of needing to. I need to do this.

Lily: How can you be so selfish! How can you keep wanting to put me through this, to put Michael and Savannah through this? If the way I feel doesn’t matter to you Austin, then think about what you fighting does to them. Does that matter to you? Does scaring those two mean anything to you? Michael has already lost Ken, don’t make Savannah lose you again Austin. Please, I’m begging you.

Austin Starr: Lily, I have to do this.

Lily: Why Austin? Why do you have to do this? What do you have left to prove?

Austin Starr: I won’t be able to stop until I do this my darling. She haunts my dreams, my every waking moment. Until this is done Lily, we will never be able to have peace.

Lily: Don’t give me that Austin, we’ve been together, we’ve been happy. Please Austin, be the man that I love, be the man that I know you can be. Please put this behind you, let your vendetta with this woman go. Please.

Seeing Lily start to cry makes me feel terrible, but I have to hold firm, I have to stick to my resolve.

Lily: You were able to forgive me Austin; you were able to forgive Kenneth. Why can’t you do it again?

I did forgive Lily and Kenneth for what happened, but this is different.

Lily: Did you want to hurt me Austin? Did you want to hurt me the way you want to hurt this woman? Do you want too now? Are you going to hurt me Austin, if I don’t go along with this lunacy? Has our life together since that night all been a part of some master plan of yours? Was everything you told me a lie Austin?

Austin: HOW DARE YOU!

The slap she gives me not only stings my cheek, but it snaps my head back.

Lily: How dare me! HOW DARE YOU! You lied to me when you told me that you were done fighting? How am I supposed to trust you Austin? How can I believe anything you have ever told me, if that was a lie?

Tears are now in my eyes, not only from the sting of her slap, but from the sting of her words. Every single thing she says is true, every bit of her anger is justified. I wish she could see that I will never be able to be happy until this is done, life will cease to continue for me until I defeat her. Watching Lily shake her head, what she says and does next take my breath away.

Lily: I’m taking the kids and we are going to stay with my sister, when you decide what you really want Austin, when you decide what is most important to you, well then you come and find us and get us. But until then, we’re having no part of this.

The familiar cold numbness slowly creeps up on me as I let her push past me and stomp upstairs. I hear Michael and Savannah objecting vehemently, but Lily holds firm as they come back down the stairs a few moments later. The three of them stop in front of the door, perhaps waiting for me to plead with them to stay, but that plea would not come. Having them leave was painful, but it’s a consequence of my decision that I have made. And it’s a decision that I am going to live with, one way or another. The heavy oak doors then open and slam shut, and I am alone in life once again.

---

How are you able to have such an effect on me Callihan? It’s been over a year since our paths last crossed, but you continue to haunt me. Since you came back to this business, I have barely been able to eat, barely been able to sleep, I have been obsessed with finally getting my hands on you and avenging that night. As usual Callihan, you continue to duck me, but unlike your smug arrogance that you displayed when flanking Kendall in Second Chances Wrestling, I see something different within you. Your body language and mannerisms have changed entirely, your smug arrogance and dismissive demeanor has been replaced with a frail humility. I would even go a step further to say that I can see fear in you Callihan.

Is that it Caitlin?

Are you afraid of what is coming to you? Are you afraid of the inevitable Caitlin?

Wrestlemania II is a mere hours away Caitlin, in that short time you and Kendall will step into the ring with Kenneth and myself. Think about this Caitlin, think about the motives of the man that you work for. Think long and hard about the fact that his only goal, his only motivation is increasing his shares of this company. Think about the fact Caitlin, that he is treating you like a sacrificial lamb, giving you to me to help him further his goals quicker. Has any of this crossed your mind Ms. Callihan?

Doubtful, very doubtful.

The climax of our story is fast approaching Caitlin, and the outcome has been predetermined. This time, it will be your shoulders on the mat being counted out, and when that glorious moment comes Caitlin.

I will finally be able to walk away for good….

---

[Deleted]

So I had some bad news in the form o two of my neighbours, both of whom I've known all my life, dying within the same two week period, in addition to a bunch of other shit that's brought me down. I know it's no excuse given the length of time I had to RP, but this is honestly all I'm in the state of mind to write. I really am grateful to everyone who chipped into this storyline and it sucks that I can't give back something actually worth reading.

Thanks to Austin and everyone else who helped to build this angle, here's my slap in the face to all of you.
______________________________

"Austin, I don't want to face you."

"Matter of fact, part of me was hoping that I'd never have to see you again. The time we knew each other was brief and rather a one sided relationship - you didn't know who I was, and I spent as little time learning about as a person as possible. After you made it perfectly clear you had no intention of contributing to SCW as a company, I saw it best to try and distance myself from you. I already knew that the company was on borrowed time, given that we were never able to secure the minimal amount of funding that we needed, and despite my insistance that this company be a place for competitors, the talent still seemed to think that they were worth more than anyone with common sense would pay."

"But then there was you. Someone so obsessed with one loss, who could never appreciate the victory that followed and saw yourself wrapped in a rivalry that was never there. All you saw was one loss, one mark against what you thought was your incorruptable ego and all of a sudden, Caitlyn Callahan - the 'Wildcard' - had hell to pay for the simple fact that on that night, she was a better wrestler than you. Did it even matter that you eventually won the title? Did it matter that you had a chance to prove yourself as a new champion in a new company, an oppurtunity that we were more than happy to give you? No, it didn't. What a terrible shame."

"Something you have to understand Austin, is that none of this is personal. Despite your best efforts to intimidate us, despite everything you've done from putting us as a blockade to other individuals like Dominic Reynolds and their end goals, to insulting us with false champions of other dead federations as if we're supposed to be in the same league as them, neither of us can honestly say that we hate you. We dislike you, of course we do, but then I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to find someone who actually liked you. No, Austin, we understand why you do what you do. You're convinced that when it comes down to it, there's not a part of this sport that you don't excel at. You're convinced that when you're between the ropes, you're the best worker the company will ever know. When it comes to teaching the next generation, you're an endless fountain of knowledge. And when everything bell to bell is complete, you have to let the whole world know that Austin Starr 'gets' professional wrestling, and is just as good at running a company as he is running a company into the ground."

"That sounds a lot like a certain someone, doesn't it?"

"When it all comes down to it, Austin, the truth is you remind me a lot about myself. The only difference is that despite your best insistances, you can't separate the business side from the personal side as well as I can. While some might say that you and I have comparable amounts of ego, I do my best not to let mine show through, and most of the time I don't have to. Do you know why? It's because whenever I make a statement, that statement is typically factual. When I say I'm going to become United States Champion, I win a championship. When I say I'm going to bleed this company dry percent by percent, what do you know, we're up to fifteen already. And when I make a statement like 'I am one of the best business minds the industry has ever known', there is no one who can doubt it. After all, you were there, weren't you? You're a first hand witness."

"Are you really going to turn around and tell me that you didn't think that SCW was a well-oiled machine? Did it not eat you up inside, seeing Caitlyn - not only in a position to undermine you and give you direct orders as your employer, but to see her at the helm of a fair and balanced system? Was part of your budding hatred the fact that you knew deep down, you could never put something together like SCW? Don't answer that. I already know the answer. This kind of hatred would have never bubbled to the surface if there hadn't been that brief period where we were gone, and suddenly you thought, 'SCW is mine'. And yet you failed to figure out why lightning never struck twice. You never managed to pick up why, exactly, I was better at running a company than you could ever be, and all these cheap little insults that you try to make at the SCW that I ran on no budget, with no support and from the ground up, when the most you've ever been able to do is inherit success and try to claim it as your own - well, it's funny. Thanks for the laughs."

"And thank you, by the way, for being so emotional, for being so predictable, that all it takes is our mere presence for you to bend over backwards and give us whatever we want, just so you can enact your little revenge fantasy. Like a carrot on a stick. Thank you for this contract, that has allowed me to steal the company out from underneath you and McMahon, brick by brick. Thank you for agreeing to this match, and practically walking me into the CEO's office. Thank you, Austin. Thank you for being predictable in a way that I couldn't have even imagined, and reducing my opinion of you from someone who was a talented young man and an overambitious businessman - to an idiot."

"But, you know, I don't want to face you. I was hoping that we could have put this song and dance on a little longer, so that I could have had the moment I've been waiting for. To cross over that fifty percent threshold and see the look on your face when you have to explain to Mr. McMahon that it was you, personally, who fell at the final hurdle and gave his company over to me. That it was you, trying to be the wrestler you've lost sight of, and trying to be the businessman you never were, who let rash decision after rash decision burn Thy WWE to the ground. But the time wasn't right. It had to be Wrestlemania. I had to expose you on the biggest stage of them all, and I had to let the biggest audience possible know one simple fact."

"I am the best wrestler in America today."

"And unfortunately for you, that means that no matter what you do - who you throw at me, whatever trick you try to pull behind the scenes, there is nothing you can do to stop the fact that I'm going to win this Sunday. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to develop another lifelong grudge against me, too. You can spend all your time going to your children's little league games and sit there in the stalls, seething, knowing you'll never be able to enjoy baseball again, never be able to look your wife or your child in the eye and say you're truly happy, because you're too much of a broken individual, who can't bear waking up in the morning and having the first thought of 'I never beat Alex Kendall.'"

"It's just a shame I have to go through Kenneth Walker as well."

"I wasn't anticipating Ken to involve himself, Austin. I have to be honest, it wasn't something I was entirely prepared for - not because I was unprepared physically, since I think we've already discussed the fact that I have that covered. No, it was more the fact that Ken was a collateral that I was hoping to avoid. Part of me knew that he would have something to say about our situation, and part of me - a naive little thought - actually thought that he could understand things from my perspective. I actually thought that Kenneth Walker, the man who I had as United States Champion and who I was quite happy to have fly the flag for my company as the representation of our rebirth, as the competitor - would be on my side."

"It was a dim hope, so I'm not all that disappointed. It just seems to have soured the relationship, what little one we had, a little bit. After all, to me, Kenneth Walker represented everything right about SCW. He was someone who had already seen the prime of his physical body and who had never been given the chance to grab the brass ring, to hold gold in his hands, for years. Someone who simply because a wrinkle or two was beginning to appear in his forehead had automatically been written off as unphotogenic, and not someone to carry the brand. Someone who because they were never going to be on magazine posters, or be someone who all the kids would want to go to birthday parties, he was never going to get that chance to begin with. He'd be passed over for the next manufactured star, the newest 'next big thing', when all he needed was an opportunity to show that he can outwrestle every single one of them."

"I gave him that opportunity. And by God, he ran with it."

"I was proud to have Kenneth Walker as my champion, because he showed that when it comes down to it, the thing that matters in this industry is talent and heart. A love for the industry, and the means of crafting your body and your skills into something that can show that love, not something that makes you a star, not something that makes you a millionaire. Kenneth Walker showed me that he understood that. That's why I was hoping that he would understand why I walked away. I was hoping that he would understand why I came back here, and why I was on this crusade. It turns out he didn't."

"So, now I have the highly regrettable task of showing the world something. That Ken Walker was the best thing about SCW - and represents everything else wrong with the industry."

"Kenneth Walker is an addict. A man who despite no doubt countless retirements, despite his body breaking down on him, despite the sport driving him to such an obsession that it destroyed his own family, he is still here. I did not challenge Kenneth Walker. To my knowledge, Kenneth Walker was not an active participant on the Thy WWE roster. This match was entirely his call, of his own volition, and that's his problem. Despite having already carved as much of a legacy as he is ever going to have, Kenneth Walker finds himself still here, still finding that one last thing that he absolutely -has- to come back for. Still looking for that last fix of glory, a taste of what he felt when he had a championship around his waist. It's finally starting to dawn on Kenneth Walker that the wrestling industry, as it stands right now, and as it's stood for the past twenty years - doesn't mean a goddamn thing, and he's thrown his life away on it."

"But maybe, just maybe, if he gets rid of Alex Kendall, and gets to be the hero of Thy WWE for one day - maybe he'll feel wanted. Maybe it'll all be worth it."

"And then he'll vanish. For a while at least. But how long before another voice shows up that he has to silence? Another outspoken revolutionary who speaks out against the sport that he 'loves' so much. How long before he absolutely 'has' to stand up again?"

"How long until he can't stand up at all?"

"This isn't a match I wanted, Austin, Ken. This match is a necessity. This match is simply something I have to do to show the world that neither of you are my equal. You two can continue to squabble and pretend you understand the contracts you sign and sit comfortable in the belief that you are jacks of all trades, when I stand before you as someone who has mastered both the pen and the sword. This match is another carving into the tombstone of Thy WWE, and I want to thank both of you for holding the chisel steady while I bring the hammer down."

"Oh, and good luck, by the way. It should be a good match."

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