Butch himself still couldn’t quite believe it. It had been a hard slog over the past eight years after the financial troubles that had plagued the company not longer after he and Wisdom inherited the keys to the biggest castle in pro wrestling.
Lots had happened since then as well, both professionally and personally. Butch was happy with what he and Wisdom had managed to morph HWA into but this was an opportunity they simply couldn’t turn down.
From the quietness in he and Wisdom’s Santa Barbara home, he had deduced their nanny had already been and taken his daughter Evina and son David to school. Butch turned and squinted as the light from his iPhone blurred his vision temporarily. All he could see was a wave of messages, voicemails, missed calls and Twitter mentions.
He thumbed through a couple of messages:
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Sender: Cody
Message:Holy shit, dude! Just seen the news, this is incredible. Brandi and are so happy for you guys! Dusty would be proud!
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Sender: Hunter
Message: Well that escalated quickly! Steph just told me the news about the CBS deal! Call me when you get this, we need to talk business, my guy!
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MEETING
Time: 10:30am
With: Enrique Acevedo
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Butch put his phone back and swung his legs around, sitting on the edge of the bed. He massaged his right knee a bit which these days was more a reflex action. A six inch medical scar could be seen contouring downwards from Butch’s right kneecap where he’d had ACL surgery three years ago after he landed awkwardly during a training match at the HWA performance centre. Whilst he no longer had any pain from it and he could move his leg pretty freely, he’d often get bouts of phantom pain. Doctors had told him to be safe as well a knee brace was recommended for whenever he was in the ring. He rolled his eyes when he recalled the doctor telling him “remember, Mr Parker, you’re not as young as you once were. The nature of your profession means the wear and tear on your joints will be considerably more than for other men your age”.
Butch was used to being more of a businessman these days although it was still a little alien to him. So when Wisdom suggested she take on a more executive role and Butch be more involved in the handling of the wrestling side of things, it was music to his ears. And having restored his relationship with his sister, Diana and his nephew, Sean, it meant he was able to rely on them for help as well. Diana was always on hand helping Wisdom with the financial side of things having graduated with honours in Business Finance. Sean had also recovered from his almost-fatal injury he’d suffered during his own wrestling career and was once again fully-abled competitor. He was an active member of the HWA roster and one of Butch’s best students.
Now that the news had officially broke to the public, Butch couldn’t believe it was only a week ago he and Wisdom were having their respective meetings with the staff they overseen within HWA.
ONE WEEK EARLIER…
There was a distinct buzz around the HWA Performance Centre on the day Butch called all the talent in. Like when everyone knows something is going on but no one knows what it is.
As Butch made his way into the the building, he was immediately flanked by his nephew, Sean and one of his oldest friends, and Performance Centre coach, Matthew Kiriyama aka former HWA US Champion, Red Dragon.
(Sean): Butch, what the f*** is going on?! There’s a rumour among the roster the company’s going under again!
(Red Dragon): Hai, Butch-San, everyone’s very nervous. No one calls in every employee for good news. We already know Wisdom called all the corporate staff in but we’ve all been made to sign NDAs!
Butch holds his hands up as he tries to make his way towards the ring. As soon as the other members of the crew and roster spot him, they all make a beeline for him.
(Butch): Guys, guys there’s nothing to worry about, trust me.
Butch climbs up to the apron of the central training ring and stands in front of the gathered crowd of the roster members, ring crew and referees.
(Butch): Guys! Thanks so much for coming in on short notice, I appreciate it and I’m sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger stuff. Like I just said to Sean and Dragon, nothing is wrong. Contrary to what you may have heard, we’re not going under, no one is getting fired. Everyone’s jobs are one hundred percent safe. I am very pleased to announce Wisdom and I have signed HWA to a major and lucrative deal with CBS which means we’ll back on Network Television!
What follows is a massive eruption of applause and hugs between each other. Butch grins from ear-to-ear. He waits for some calm before continuing.
(Butch): This is an absolutely monumental occasion for our company and every single one of you has been pivotal in helping us get the company back to where it belongs. I’m so proud of what we’ve transformed HWA into over the last six, seven years or so. This company has arguably gone through more hardship than any other wrestling organisation in history but everyone here has stood by us and helped us through some of the hardest times after what happened in 2015. And I want everyone to know as far as contracts are concerned and everyone’s roles; absolutely nothing is changing. It’s not like what’s happening in Stamford. There is no change to management, to creative decisions, to marketing. All CBS are doing is giving us a platform for Havoc and our live events and a few other things which Wisdom is helping to oversee. What it does mean is added pressure and when I say pressure I mean taking our product to the next level. You guys have all been so incredible and you all do a monumental job every single show and I know I have no right to access more from any of you. But I know, aside from Sean and Dragon, there are only a handful of you who have performed on national television. There are going to be massive learning curves for a lot of you but you have my word I will be here to guide and support you. Now there a few things that are still under wraps and in all honesty, I won’t know some of the finer details until Wisdom and I meet with the CBS Executives and discuss what is happening next but that won’t happen until after they make an official announcement to the New York Stock Exchange next week.
(Roster member): What happens now? Are we going back to what it was before? A load of “HWA Originals” coming back and us getting kicked to opening dark events?
(Butch): Like I said, Matt, no one’s roster spot is at risk. This isn’t like AEW where we hire ex employees and push them into main event spots at the expense of those who helped build the company. Remember as well, a lot of former HWA superstars may not actually want to be part of what we’ve built now and we may actually not want them to be part of it either. But what I will say is our door is open and if people want to become part of our project, whether it’s former HWA guys, Ring of Honor, WWE, Impact, it doesn’t matter.
Anyway, guys, on behalf of both Wisdom and I, we really appreciate all your patience, your dedication and hard work and we cannot wait to take you all on the next stage of HWA’s incredible journey. There’s lots more hard work to come, bigger stages, bigger crowds but I know you will all rise to the challenge and you have my word I will be there alongside you.
There are massive whoops and cheers as Butch jumps down from the apron. He fist bumps a few of the rosters members who approach him and he exchanges polite chit chat with a few of the other workers before the amassed crowd of workers behind to disperse. Butch makes his way towards the exit of the Performance Centre, nodding in acknowledgement towards both Sean and Red Dragon as he takes his leave.
ONE WEEK LATER…
Butch is back in his bed, sitting on the edge, massaging the scar tissue around his surgically-repaired knee, more so out of reflex than necessity. He takes a big breath, still trying to wrap his head around what has transpired in the last 48 hours. He wondered what Wisdom was up to right now and how her interview was going with Gayle King. He knew he had a lot of press engagements of his own to attend. Sometimes he wished all he had to think about was who he was going to be facing. He was so used to being The One Man Tartan Army but now it was time for a much different fight. He was fighting to restore his company to its former glory. And it was time for battle. He climbed to his feet, cricked his neck, stretching.
(Butch): Time to go to work, Parker.
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