Post by Lachlan Kane on Jul 27, 2022 9:54:11 GMT
Waterford, Ireland
2010
Another good night at the fights, 16 year old Lachlan O’Connell thought to himself with a smile as he bounced up the walkway to his home. Despite the fact that Mum’s gonna really question me if my face puffs up like it did last week. Starting to run out of excuses…not to mention she’s gonna make me quit if she thinks I’m being injured on the job too much.
The teen boy made his way around the modest-sized cottage to the backyard, nimbly hopping the fence and wincing as he landed, holding a hand to the side of his ribs as he tried to catch his breath for a moment. He made his way up to the back door of his home and began the ritual of sneaking in, seeing as it was nearly two in the morning. He didn’t dare go in the front door, since he knew the top hinge squeaked loud enough that it would wake his mother. His entire body felt like one giant bruise, and his temple throbbed from where he had caught a decent right hook from his last fight. But overall, he was happy with how the night progressed, since it had filled his pocket with the most money he had made since he started underground fighting at the shipyards he worked at almost a year ago.
He softly closed the door behind him, careful to keep the handle turned until the last moment before letting go. Letting out his breath in a soft whoosh, he turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a shadowy silhouette standing near the living room window. He squinted slightly, trying to make out who it could have been and praying to the Lord above that it wasn’t his mother. He knew it definitely wasn’t his little sister, and the figure was a little too tall to be his mother…
“Mal?” he whispered. “That you?”
The table lamp flicked on, and the face of Lachlan’s 14 year old brother Malachi came into view. He looked like he had just woken up, his brown hair sticking out in every direction and his blue eyes blinking sleepily. There was a golf club clutched in one of his hands, however, and it was halfway raised. “Lach?” the younger boy whispered back. “What are you doing getting home at near two?”
Lach rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “How about you put down Da’s driver and I’ll tell you?”
Mal glanced over to the club in his hand and lowered it back down, leaning it up against the wall. “Sorry, I came down for some water and I heard the door. Thought you were a burglar.”
The two boys moved to sit on the threadbare sofa in the centre of the room, and Mal’s eyes immediately went to Lachlan’s beat-up face. “Bloody hell, Lach! What happened to you?”
Lachlan put a finger up to his lips. “SHHH! You wanna wake Mum?”
“Maybe, if you don’t tell me what’s going on!”
“Alright, alright! Settle down!” the older boy sighed, wincing as another sharp pain ran through his abdomen. “So, you know how I’ve been telling Mum I’ve been picking up extra hours at the docks?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, a while back I found out some of the guys there run a fight club during the night shift. So I’ve been entering myself in some fights and making some extra money.”
Mal just gawked at him for a moment, mouth open and eyes wide. “You’re taking the piss.”
“God strike me down if I’m lying.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out the wad of bills he had collected. “This was tonight’s take.”
Mal’s eyes grew even wider at the sight of the money. “Holy crap, that’s more than you make in a month.” He looked back up at his older brother. “But why?”
“Cause I don’t want us to struggle. I don’t want to see Mum crying at the kitchen table anymore, trying to decide which bill needs paying more. You remember what it was like after Da died, don’t you? Some months we didn’t even have electricity. I don’t ever want us to be like that again. So if I gotta take a few lumps to make sure that the family is taken care of, I’ll take ‘em with a smile on my face.” His face went deadly serious as he stared at Mal. “But you gotta promise me that you won’t tell Mum. She’ll have a fit if she knew what I was up to.” He held up his right hand with pinky finger extended. “Swear?”
Mal just shook his head with a rueful grin as he hooked his own pinky with Lachlan’s and they shook their hands once. “You’re absolutely mad, you know that?”
Lachlan grinned and clapped his young brother on the shoulder. “Absolutely. Now, help me find the painkillers and the ice pack. Gotta try and get this swelling down before the morning or Mum’ll have my head.
—----
Orlando, Florida
Present Day
The soothing sounds of a crackling fire were the first thing to be introduced to the viewers as the scene opened up, followed closely by the visual of said fire, burning brightly in a fancy stone firepit in the centre of a tastefully decorated patio. And seated in front of that fire in one of the plush lounge chairs was a man that was starting to become a household name around the world of professional wrestling, Lachlan Kane. The Irishman, casually dressed in loose khaki shorts and a snug white T-shirt, reached beside him to pick up a chunk of wood and tossed it onto the fire, where the sparks flickered up into the twilight sky and the light of the flames intensified for a moment, illuminating his chiseled good looks.
“So, I see by now that you’ve all been introduced to the two lads in the company that I came up with. So I suppose it’s my turn next, eh?” A boyish grin painted his lips as he lifted his arms and laced his fingers together, bringing them to the back of his head. “Name’s Lachlan Kane. Some folks call me The Scrapper. But after Friday, I’ll be known as the inaugural Wrestleverse Champion.” The grin turned somewhat cocky, his blue eyes sparkling in the firelight. “I know, I know. Just another voice to add to the cacophony already swirling in the air. Everyone and their mother is coming out of the woodwork to let you know just why they’ll be the one to outlast every other competitor in this thing and be the one to claim that belt.” He shook his head slightly. “Only difference between them and me is they’re a dime a dozen. I’m once in a lifetime.”
He lowered his arms to rest casually in his lap, but there was a subtle shift in the energy emanating from him. He seemed more focused, determined…a little bit dangerous. “That’s not to say that I’m looking down on Aiden Reynolds or KERBEROS, mind you. They’re the two exceptions. The three of us together are the future of this company, and we are going to make damn sure you all see that come Friday night in Siesta Beach. Now, I can already hear the Nancy Naysayers and the Donnie Doubters nattering away - ‘well, what happens if the three of you are left in the final?’ Which is not only entirely possible, it’s pretty much guaranteed. I know most people are holding their breath and waiting for one of us to turn and stab the others in the back for the title…but they’re all gonna suffocate.”
“See, the three of us have enough respect for each other that we can leave it all in that ring without resorting to that old tired trope of ‘Surprise Betrayal Incoming!’” He chuckled slightly. “Well, respect for our skills anyways. We all know that we’re the products of one of the most prestigious training centres in the entire world. We all know how good we are, and we all know that any one of us has an equal shot at claiming that belt. And if I’m being completely honest, it really doesn’t matter which way it goes, because in the end it’s a Wolfslair win. And besides, it’s not like that’s the only belt this company has. I can almost guarantee you that by the end of this year, you’ll see all three of us with some form of championship gold from this company.”
“But let’s step back from stating the obvious and take a look at the rest of the field, shall we? We’ve got a pair of bosom buddies, we got a little woodland sprite, we got a cyborg, we got TJ Alexander - oh hey, I know that guy! Beat him a couple times in another company to boot.” Lach gave a cheeky wink to the camera. “And a whole other bowl of mixed nuts poured into this little shindig. I tell ya, the recruitment drive for this place sure brought out quite the assortment, didn’t it? Aside from the aforementioned Mr. Alexander, I can’t say there are many names on the roster that I’m familiar with, though a few do seem to know who I am. And while I’m quite flattered, it ain’t gonna save you from getting tossed out of the ring onto your arse in the sand. Because if you know anything about me, you know that when I’m in that ring, it’s all business. I’m ready to step up, claim the glory, and make myself the face of this company.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with the firelight casting a warm glow across his face. His blue eyes glittered in the light, hardened into a look of pure determination. “But I’m not coming alone. The wolves are at your door, Wrestleverse.”
2010
Another good night at the fights, 16 year old Lachlan O’Connell thought to himself with a smile as he bounced up the walkway to his home. Despite the fact that Mum’s gonna really question me if my face puffs up like it did last week. Starting to run out of excuses…not to mention she’s gonna make me quit if she thinks I’m being injured on the job too much.
The teen boy made his way around the modest-sized cottage to the backyard, nimbly hopping the fence and wincing as he landed, holding a hand to the side of his ribs as he tried to catch his breath for a moment. He made his way up to the back door of his home and began the ritual of sneaking in, seeing as it was nearly two in the morning. He didn’t dare go in the front door, since he knew the top hinge squeaked loud enough that it would wake his mother. His entire body felt like one giant bruise, and his temple throbbed from where he had caught a decent right hook from his last fight. But overall, he was happy with how the night progressed, since it had filled his pocket with the most money he had made since he started underground fighting at the shipyards he worked at almost a year ago.
He softly closed the door behind him, careful to keep the handle turned until the last moment before letting go. Letting out his breath in a soft whoosh, he turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a shadowy silhouette standing near the living room window. He squinted slightly, trying to make out who it could have been and praying to the Lord above that it wasn’t his mother. He knew it definitely wasn’t his little sister, and the figure was a little too tall to be his mother…
“Mal?” he whispered. “That you?”
The table lamp flicked on, and the face of Lachlan’s 14 year old brother Malachi came into view. He looked like he had just woken up, his brown hair sticking out in every direction and his blue eyes blinking sleepily. There was a golf club clutched in one of his hands, however, and it was halfway raised. “Lach?” the younger boy whispered back. “What are you doing getting home at near two?”
Lach rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “How about you put down Da’s driver and I’ll tell you?”
Mal glanced over to the club in his hand and lowered it back down, leaning it up against the wall. “Sorry, I came down for some water and I heard the door. Thought you were a burglar.”
The two boys moved to sit on the threadbare sofa in the centre of the room, and Mal’s eyes immediately went to Lachlan’s beat-up face. “Bloody hell, Lach! What happened to you?”
Lachlan put a finger up to his lips. “SHHH! You wanna wake Mum?”
“Maybe, if you don’t tell me what’s going on!”
“Alright, alright! Settle down!” the older boy sighed, wincing as another sharp pain ran through his abdomen. “So, you know how I’ve been telling Mum I’ve been picking up extra hours at the docks?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, a while back I found out some of the guys there run a fight club during the night shift. So I’ve been entering myself in some fights and making some extra money.”
Mal just gawked at him for a moment, mouth open and eyes wide. “You’re taking the piss.”
“God strike me down if I’m lying.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out the wad of bills he had collected. “This was tonight’s take.”
Mal’s eyes grew even wider at the sight of the money. “Holy crap, that’s more than you make in a month.” He looked back up at his older brother. “But why?”
“Cause I don’t want us to struggle. I don’t want to see Mum crying at the kitchen table anymore, trying to decide which bill needs paying more. You remember what it was like after Da died, don’t you? Some months we didn’t even have electricity. I don’t ever want us to be like that again. So if I gotta take a few lumps to make sure that the family is taken care of, I’ll take ‘em with a smile on my face.” His face went deadly serious as he stared at Mal. “But you gotta promise me that you won’t tell Mum. She’ll have a fit if she knew what I was up to.” He held up his right hand with pinky finger extended. “Swear?”
Mal just shook his head with a rueful grin as he hooked his own pinky with Lachlan’s and they shook their hands once. “You’re absolutely mad, you know that?”
Lachlan grinned and clapped his young brother on the shoulder. “Absolutely. Now, help me find the painkillers and the ice pack. Gotta try and get this swelling down before the morning or Mum’ll have my head.
—----
Dressed up, messed up
Put on a show
So the whole damn world's gonna know
That we were here
Running 'round, pack of hounds
Young bloods burning it down
That we were here
Setting flames, taking names, just 'cause we own the town
Orlando, Florida
Present Day
The soothing sounds of a crackling fire were the first thing to be introduced to the viewers as the scene opened up, followed closely by the visual of said fire, burning brightly in a fancy stone firepit in the centre of a tastefully decorated patio. And seated in front of that fire in one of the plush lounge chairs was a man that was starting to become a household name around the world of professional wrestling, Lachlan Kane. The Irishman, casually dressed in loose khaki shorts and a snug white T-shirt, reached beside him to pick up a chunk of wood and tossed it onto the fire, where the sparks flickered up into the twilight sky and the light of the flames intensified for a moment, illuminating his chiseled good looks.
“So, I see by now that you’ve all been introduced to the two lads in the company that I came up with. So I suppose it’s my turn next, eh?” A boyish grin painted his lips as he lifted his arms and laced his fingers together, bringing them to the back of his head. “Name’s Lachlan Kane. Some folks call me The Scrapper. But after Friday, I’ll be known as the inaugural Wrestleverse Champion.” The grin turned somewhat cocky, his blue eyes sparkling in the firelight. “I know, I know. Just another voice to add to the cacophony already swirling in the air. Everyone and their mother is coming out of the woodwork to let you know just why they’ll be the one to outlast every other competitor in this thing and be the one to claim that belt.” He shook his head slightly. “Only difference between them and me is they’re a dime a dozen. I’m once in a lifetime.”
He lowered his arms to rest casually in his lap, but there was a subtle shift in the energy emanating from him. He seemed more focused, determined…a little bit dangerous. “That’s not to say that I’m looking down on Aiden Reynolds or KERBEROS, mind you. They’re the two exceptions. The three of us together are the future of this company, and we are going to make damn sure you all see that come Friday night in Siesta Beach. Now, I can already hear the Nancy Naysayers and the Donnie Doubters nattering away - ‘well, what happens if the three of you are left in the final?’ Which is not only entirely possible, it’s pretty much guaranteed. I know most people are holding their breath and waiting for one of us to turn and stab the others in the back for the title…but they’re all gonna suffocate.”
“See, the three of us have enough respect for each other that we can leave it all in that ring without resorting to that old tired trope of ‘Surprise Betrayal Incoming!’” He chuckled slightly. “Well, respect for our skills anyways. We all know that we’re the products of one of the most prestigious training centres in the entire world. We all know how good we are, and we all know that any one of us has an equal shot at claiming that belt. And if I’m being completely honest, it really doesn’t matter which way it goes, because in the end it’s a Wolfslair win. And besides, it’s not like that’s the only belt this company has. I can almost guarantee you that by the end of this year, you’ll see all three of us with some form of championship gold from this company.”
“But let’s step back from stating the obvious and take a look at the rest of the field, shall we? We’ve got a pair of bosom buddies, we got a little woodland sprite, we got a cyborg, we got TJ Alexander - oh hey, I know that guy! Beat him a couple times in another company to boot.” Lach gave a cheeky wink to the camera. “And a whole other bowl of mixed nuts poured into this little shindig. I tell ya, the recruitment drive for this place sure brought out quite the assortment, didn’t it? Aside from the aforementioned Mr. Alexander, I can’t say there are many names on the roster that I’m familiar with, though a few do seem to know who I am. And while I’m quite flattered, it ain’t gonna save you from getting tossed out of the ring onto your arse in the sand. Because if you know anything about me, you know that when I’m in that ring, it’s all business. I’m ready to step up, claim the glory, and make myself the face of this company.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with the firelight casting a warm glow across his face. His blue eyes glittered in the light, hardened into a look of pure determination. “But I’m not coming alone. The wolves are at your door, Wrestleverse.”
