Date: 6th April 2023
The scene opens inside the media and conference room of Madison Square Garden only hours after the HWA reunion show has taken place. After everything that happened, the place is abuzz with media outlets, sports and wrestling journalists are gathered in the scrum area, exchanging their own opinions and discussing fervently what took place throughout the history-making show.
Out of sight, off-camera, are the HWA co-owners Butch Parker and Wisdom Parker. Wisdom is pacing back and forth, her hands on her head, massaging her temples as she replays the incidents over in her head. Butch hasn’t moved. He stands idle, his weight leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. His mind is still racing after everything that took place during the reunion show. Wisdom is still absolutely furious over what happened with Brandi Rhodes so Butch somehow managed to convince him to take care of media responsibilities until things cooled over. In his hand, Butch rolls something between his fingers. He brings his hand up and opens his fingers out to reveal Hulk Hogan’s WWE Hall of Fame ring that he ceremoniously “loaned” to Butch in symbolic fashion. He balances the ring between his thumb and index finger, looking over the intrinsic details of it. There was no way he was going to put this on. It wasn’t something he’d earned but he respected the fact Hulk Hogan was using it as a gesture to showcase his trust that professional wrestling was in safe hands with Butch and Wisdom at the helm of HWA. Wisdom is toying with her emotions, torn between wondering if what she did to Brandi was the right thing to do or not. She glances over at Butch who hasn’t taken her eyes off her; his emerald gaze fixated on her.
(Wisdom): Goddamnit, I can’t believe what just happened…Did I do the right thing, Butch? Did I just completely f**k everything up for us by clocking that bitch?
Butch sighs and exhales loudly through his mouth. He takes his weight off the wall and stands up straight, walking towards Wisdom and puts his hand on shoulder before he raises his hand up slightly, stroking her cheek affectionately with his thumb.
(Butch): No, babe. You’re only human. What Brandi said was beyond the pale.
(Wisdom): Were we really that desperate, Butch? Did we really pester Cody that much?
(Butch): No! You’re just panicking now and second-guessing yourself. Technically we could sue Brandi for slander for what she accused you of. Not that I’m suggesting that as a course of action but there’s no way anything you done was wrong.
(Wisdom): Our voicemails are probably full with missed calls from CBS.
(Butch): Babe, they’re not going to cancel us after one show.
(Wisdom): And poor Eddie. How did that happen? We look like monsters. I know you guys didn’t get on but I wouldn’t wish death on him.
(Butch): I know. Terry’s looking into who authorised the video for the in memoriam without telling us. I’m going to reach out to his family. Talon didn’t respond to the invite. I might try and call him, see if he can put me in touch with them.
Before their conversation can continue, Terry, Butch’s head of staff peaks his head from the door of the media room.
(Terry): Sorry to interrupt, guys, but they’re ready for you.
(Butch): Thank you, Terry, I’ll be right in.
(Wisdom): Maybe you should handle this one yourself? I should maybe lay low for a few days. I need to phone the sitter anyway, Evina and David will be going to bed soon and I want to wish them goodnight.
Wisdom reaches and gives Butch a loving kiss on the lips before giving his hand a reassuring squeeze and she turns and walks to the locker room area. Butch takes a deep breath as he prepares to face the frenzy of sharks awaiting him. He puts Hogan’s ring in his pockets, puts his game face on and walks into the media room. He takes a seat in the centre, in front of the assembled plethora of microphones from numerous entertainment outlets, journalists etc have been placed hoping to capture Butch’s thoughts on the night. A sea of camera flashes begins as soon as Butch appears along with a round of applause. He politely holds his hand up in acknowledgment as he takes a seat in front of the main microphone emblazoned with the HWA and CBS logos. He picks up a bottle of water, one of many placed along the table, unscrews the lid and takes a long drink.
(Butch): Well…that was an interesting night, you guys must’ve had a field day.
Small ripples of laughter echo throughout the room and even Butch affords himself a light smile before adopting a more serious expression as he thinks about some of the more sombre events that took place. One reporter stands up to speak. That reporter is well-known combat sports journalist, Ariel Helwani.
(Ariel): Butch, overall, how are you feeling about tonight went down?
Butch doesn’t respond straightaway. He puffs his cheeks out with a deep exhalation and sits back in his seat.
(Butch): Obviously a lot went down tonight. Some things I’m really happy and proud of and other things I would’ve rather have seen went down differently or even not at all. In terms of my people, A-kay-A, the guys and girls that represented mine and Wisdom’s new vision of HWA. The ones that sacrificed their own pro wrestling careers by choosing us when the likes of WWE and AEW were sniffing around, looking for talent to put on shows like NXT and Dark. They showed tonight all the emotion, the passion and hunger that we had when we were starting out.
Michelle Learner, I want to give a special mention to her. She went out and competed against an opponent she wasn’t prepared for. She’s one that wears her heart on her sleeve and has almost become Wisdom’s little protégé. I’m immensely proud of everyone. Jeremy, Sean and Matt, my boys, stepped up tonight too. Jeremy and Matt had an epic match that showed the world what they’re capable of. Sean and Matt also did a phenomenal job of taking us down memory lane as well and there’s definitely a future in presenting for those when they hang up their boots.
(Ariel): What about what happened between Matt and Jeremy afterwards? Jeremy didn’t seem too happy with Matt which resulted in your head coach, Red Dragon coming to ringside to try and sort things out. Anything there?
Butch lightly smiles.
(Butch): Look, we have a relatively young roster. Matt and Jay are both about a year older from when I made my debut in HWA. I had the advantage of being exposed to
Butch holds his hands up and makes air quotes with the index and middle fingers of both his hands to accentuate his next words.
(Butch): TV wrestling. As a lot of you guys on the dirt sheets will know, as the business has evolved over the years as well as how it’s reported, there’s a massive difference between how the art of wrestling is showcased on the independent scene as it is when it’s on television. You’re not used to cameras, knowing where to look, when to stop on the ramp etcetera. Plus, when you’ve got nearly twenty-one thousand people with their eyes on you, cheering vehemently and you’re not used to it, it can be quite overwhelming. It’s also worth noting, you don’t know what the dynamic is like between Matt and Jeremy. These are two young guys who’ve spent their formative years in HWA. I’ve overseen their training, their transitions, I’ve watched them grow from young boys to men I’m proud to call my students, they’re my honorary kids, as are all boys and girls that have helped forge HWA, Sarah, Michelle, Erica, Sean. They’re my kids. And when you have two kids who have trained together, fought together, fought against each other and they both get the chance to showcase what they’re capable of inside Madison Square Garden when you’ve got wrestling legends like Buff Bridges, Ronnie McNeil, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair watching, the need to win, to prove yourself goes up another echelon.
Butch stops for a moment, rehydrating himself for a moment with a long drink from his bottle of water before he continues.
(Butch): Yeah, we had some drama afterwards but for those who haven’t followed our programming over the last few years, you won’t know just how much tonight meant to both Matt and Jay. Both of them have headlined our shows, they’ve opened our shows, they’ve both had their share of victories over one another but tonight was special. Jay obviously felt crushed over losing and can you honestly tell me any competitive athlete, when they lose, they’re happy? I know I certainly wasn’t. Was I worried? No. Matthew – Red Dragon, is closer to the boys when it comes to the training than I am, he’s my head coach, he’s the Sensei. Whilst my name is on the deeds, Matthew is in charge of training, he manages the relationships, he deals with any beef and I don’t like to step on his toes. So when he made the decision to go down and have a word with Jeremy, I trusted his judgement and I knew everything would get settled. And you know what? If that was the most amount of drama on the night, I would have been a happy man.
Butch takes another drink from the bottle of water as another reporter stands up.
(Reporter 2): Evening, Butch.
Butch recognises the reporter as Sean Ross Sapp from the popular wrestling outlet Fightful.
Butch nods his head in acknowledgement towards Sean.
(Butch): Sean, how’s it going? Long-time-no-speak.
(Sean): I know, it’s been a while. So, staying on the subject of your young guns, as it was reported during the night, AC James, the man who inducted Ronnie McNeil into the HWA Hall of Fame, was viciously attacked by an unknown assailant. Obviously it’s been well-documented in recent promos cut as well as those familiar with HWA programming, that your own nephew, Sean Parker suffered a near career-threatening injury at the hands of AC James, and you yourself had your own issues with him once upon a time-
Butch knows where Sean is going with his line of questioning and interjects. He holds up his hand, cutting off Sean mid-sentence.
(Butch): I’ll stop you there, Sean, sorry buddy. I don’t mean to be rude, I just know what you’re going to ask. I’ll let you ask another question after. You’re going to ask me if Sean was responsible for hospitalising AC James as recompense and revenge for what happened to him back in 2009. I can confirm that I don’t know. The show only ended an hour ago, I haven’t had a chance to properly speak to Sean. Our main concern was getting AC to the hospital and making sure Lisa was okay as well, she was very shook up. Despite what happened all those years ago, AC and Lisa James are members of the HWA family. He and I feuded over the HWA World Championship and he used Sean as a pawn in that game. Am I still angry over what happened to Sean? Of course I am. Will I ever forgive AC for what he did? Probably not but in this business, it’s very hard to hold grudges. Grudges make for unhealthy working relationships. I mean, did we ever expect to see Eric Bischoff working for Vince McMahon? Did we ever think we’d see Bret and Shawn bury the hatchet? As for Sean? I don’t know his mindset, I know he was nervous about AC being there tonight but he understood how important it was that he be there. It was important for HWA and it was important to Ronnie McNeil who, like you say, was inducted by AC tonight. I will find out what happened though come hell or high water and if Sean is responsible, I will deal with that internally as his boss. If anyone is interested, AC is stable. He needed staples to close the wound on his head and he’s likely suffered a concussion but he’ll make a full recovery. Sorry for interrupting you, Sean, I just wanted to give my own steer on things.
(Sean): No, it’s fine, thank you for the update. If I can ask that other question?
Butch nods and motions for Sean to continue.
(Butch): By all means.
(Sean): Speaking of another returning HWA icon coming together with an up-and-comer; former World Champion, Maniac has had a war of words with both you and Matt Miller. Is there anything you can tell us on that?
(Butch): Look, Maniac is a complex guy. Even back in our day…god, I said in our day, I really am getting old, aren’t I?
More laughter trickles throughout the room and even Butch manages a light laugh before he continues.
(Butch): Anyway, back in our day, Maniac was hard to keep up with. One minute he was Maniac, the next he was Adam, then he was Antonio. A few of us suspected he had a personality disorder but back then, in the early noughties, it was sort of taboo. Y’know, if someone had those kind of mental health problems, they belonged in a facility and I know he’s had his share of spells getting help. He and I have a lot of history; we debuted in HWA not that far apart from each other. We competed for the number one contendership for the World Title before he took a leave of absence and he won his first World Title from me as well. But in all honesty, we didn’t have any real issues or qualms, any of that until he left HWA right before the end of its last tenure. As for what’s happened more recently, my only assumption, is that Maniac isn’t familiar with the ins and outs of running a company, let alone a professional wrestling organisation and the rigmaroles that come with that. Obviously he felt I was being ignorant and rude to him by not responding to his voicemails and messages when in actuality I didn’t know he’d messaged me until about a week later. In the past few months since HWA was picked up by CBS, my phone has been going ding-dong with messages from ex-superstars, media like yourselves, sponsors, every Tom, Dick and Harry has wanted to speak to me and speak to Wisdom. So Maniac certainly wasn’t the only one to get an overdue response going to be near the top of my list of priorities.
(Sean): And what about this tactic he seems to be employing trying to be some kind of mentor and teacher to the younger guys on your roster, like your nephew as well as Matt Miller?
Butch shrugs his shoulders and affords himself a small smile.
(Butch): Look, if Maniac wants to come back on to the scene of professional wrestling after doing God knows what for all these years and thinks he’s suddenly some teacher, then so be it. I’m not worried it. Matt and Sean are big enough and ugly enough to make their own decisions regarding who they go to train with but from what I’ve seen from their recent promos, I don’t think they’ll be taking him up on any offers anytime soon. I’m proud of the coaching we’ve been able to provide to both of them as well as countless others who’ve walked through our doors. Myself, Wisdom, Sensei Matthew, all my coaches, we don’t just teach someone how to be a wrestler, it’s more than just taking a bump, executing a suplex or applying a sleeper hold. It’s an ideology we’re trying to pass on, how to carry yourself, a respect for our business and, not to brag, but it’s served us pretty well so far.
(Sean): Have you seen Maniac has just cut a promo on you? It’s just came up on the HWA’s Twitter page.
Butch’s eyes widen slightly and only momentarily at being informed of this new information but his expression returns to normal soon after.
(Butch): I’m not surprised, he’s been very vocal lately and based on what happened tonight, he’ll be angling for a contract no doubt. Is there any way to bring it up on that screen over there?
Butch motions to a flat screen in the media and conference room that is muted but showing ESPN. He looks around for support from anyone willing to give it.
(Butch): Is there anyone techy that can bring it up?
Seconds later and several crewmembers set the TV screen up to show Maniac’s promo. Butch glances his head in the direction of the flat screen. You can see several journalists with their phones out, recording the scene, moving their phones from the TV to focus on Butch’s reaction, keen to get an exclusive of any possible outburst from The One Man Tartan Army. However Butch remains pokerfaced, barely even raising an eyebrow. When the promo finishes, Butch takes a breath in through his nose before he responds.
(Butch): I take it you were all waiting for me to explode into a violent rage? Throw this table across the room and start cursing Maniac left, right and centre? Or maybe eat some donuts and talk about how tired I am and that I work with f**king children?
A loud chorus of laughter fills the room, notably at the latter as Butch makes reference the infamous Media Scrum involving CM Punk.
(Butch): In all seriousness, he’s not saying anything different to what he’s said before if you strip away all the bull.
Butch starts speaking in a mocking caveman-neanderthal voice.
(Butch): Butch bad! Wisdom bad! Bad owners! Hypocrites! You will pay! Me Maniac act crazy! Me want title shot! Pfft.
Butch throws his hand away in a dismissive manner.
(Butch): You know what? If I decide to offer Maniac a contract as a talent on the HWA roster and that’s a big “if” by the way, then I’ll deal with him, as I will anyone else, as their boss. Did I lose my cool at any point during the course of the night? Yes, I did. I may be the boss but I’m also human. I won’t apologise for any reaction that happened tonight, least of all to Maniac. If he becomes part of my roster, then I look forward to working with him and seeing him in the ring with many of our talented wrestlers, especially Matt, because that has the makings of a classic feud.
A young female reporter raises her hand to speak next. Butch recognises the woman instantly and smiles.
(Butch): Denise. How are you? Congratulations on the NXT gig last week, you did great. What can I do for you?
The reporter blushes before she speaks.
(Denise): I’m good, thank you, and thanks so much. Now, obviously a lot went down earlier, you can offer any information on what’s going on with the Rhodes family? Is there any truth to what Brandi said about you begging Cody to help you out when HWA was still trying to survive? Wisdom is notably absent here today as well and there was a lot that happened between her and Brandi and then you and Cody. How did you end up even getting Cody to be allowed on air given his employment with WWE. I know that’s several questions within a question but can you just give us a lay of the land?
Butch smiles lightly but it disappears straightaway as he responds.
(Butch): First of all, there is…was…is…I don’t know what the current syntax is for describing the current relationship between the Parkers and the Rhodes. As far as I was concerned, there was a friendship built on respect between Wisdom, myself and Cody and Brandi. Both Wisdom and I attended Cody and Brandi’s wedding. I gave him advice about the All In show he put on with the Bucks and Kenny, he sought my advice about starting All Elite Wrestling and even spoke to me about whether or not he should go back to WWE. They’ve had dinner at ours, Cody and I have shared numerous “lads nights” over whiskey and cigars. We were both present when Liberty was christened as well. So yeah, that’s just a snippet as to how deep the relationship between our families went.
Butch opens another bottle of water and takes a drink.
(Butch): So yeah, we’re not just two wrestling families who pose for the cameras, there is or there was a genuine friendship there. Wisdom is obviously very embarrassed about what happened earlier. There is nothing to read into regarding her absence her this evening. She will be making a statement of her own in her own time. Personally, I am proud of my wife. Yes, Brandi did us a huge favour by stepping up the way she did against Michelle but like Wisdom pointed out, it was meant to be an exhibition and there was no excuse in her trying to make an example of Michelle like she did. What she also accused Wisdom regarding our deal with CBS, I challenge anyone to keep their cool in those circumstances.
(Denise): And what about Cody? Things looked like they were about to get physical between you too.
(Butch): Irrespective of how much history there is between Cody and I and irrespective of whether or not he was defending his own wife, he was willing to put his hands on mine. That is something I cannot abide. People assume just because Wisdom and I are running HWA, that we sound have to act differently. To an extent that is correct but people want to watch HWA now because of who is running things. People watch AEW because of who Tony Khan has recruited the matches he put on. You’ve seen how quickly WWE fans have turned on the product the minute Vince McMahon is back running creative instead of Hunter. Shawn Michaels’ creative vision is finally being dividends in NXT as well. If fans have an invested interest in the people behind the match-making, behind the big decision, they’ll keep watching. Wisdom and I have a vision for what we want HWA to be and that formula is based on what we were doing for years before our deal with CBS came around. But both of us refuse to be faceless suits. We’re both passionate about this business and we want to reflect that in our product. I get it’s going to be hard to maintain that by bringing back previous roster members like Maniac for example, we’re going to be towing the line between what fans seen before and what we’re pushing for now but therein lies the challenge and it’s a challenge I’m willing to face head-on. But I reiterate, neither Wisdom nor myself will become beige corporate stooges, we will not be puppets for CBS. I’ve been given assurances there will be minimal network interference and their higher-ups and that, even after the events of tonight, they trust our vision.
Butch stops for a moment to allow the gathered journalists a chance to finish their notes and reflect on what he said. He uses the free quiet seconds to quietly clear his throat before he continues.
(Butch): Back to your point though, Denise. As far as Cody Rhodes is concerned, I will be working in the background to try and mend fences. As much as it pisses me off what happened tonight with Brandi, his friendship is one that still means a lot to me. He was given special dispensation by Hunter to appear at the show tonight and believe me, after what he went through at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns and on Raw with Brock Lesnar, it meant a lot and showed a lot about his character.
(Denise): And is there any truth to what Brandi said in terms of you begging Cody to appear? And can we expect to see you repay the favour? Will Butch Parker be invading WWE? I mean I don’t need to tell you how blockbuster that would be.
(Butch): There is categorically no truth in ANYTHING Brandi accused Wisdom or I in her little tirade earlier. I asked Cody informally over dinner if he could appear in a non-competitive capacity at one of our earlier shows, just to get word of mouth going for us, raise our numbers but he couldn’t make it. We had a gentleman’s agreement that if there was ever a show he could appear at in the future, he’d do his damnedest to appear and he honoured that tonight. As for WWE, I sincerely doubt it. Whilst you’re right, I’m sure the internet wrestling community would salivate over seeing me in a WWE ring, I’m not one to go head-hunting. I have HWA to worry about and I will not be opening any forbidden doors anytime soon.
As everyone furiously jots down in their notepads and types into the apps on their phones, Justin LaBar from WrestleZone stands up.
(Justin): Hi Butch, the last massive announcement earlier was the revelation that former HWA World Champion, Eddie Phoenix has passed away. You had a very distressing interaction with his son as well. Is there anything more you can tell us? I’m assuming you weren’t even aware of Eddie’s passing. It’s also been well-storied before about your history with him too when you both actively competed in HWA before, how are you feeling about his passing?
Butch’s face turns solemn. He mops his face with his hand before he starts speaking again.
(Butch): Thanks for the question, Justin. Good to see you too. First of all, you’re right. Eddie and I were never exactly on each other’s Christmas card lists. He liked to troll me with his personalised t-shirts mocking me and I smashed up his bar in New York. I won’t lie or sugar-coat things when I say there was never even any respect between us because our rivalry was so personal. But I cannot deny the impact he had on HWA. He’s one of the few Grand Slam Champions we’ve ever had and I know how much it meant to both he and Talon Wilkinson when he won the World Championship. Truth is, I had absolutely no idea he had passed away at all, I still don’t know any of the details surrounding it. You’ll likely have noticed from my reaction during the In Memoriam segment that both Wisdom and myself hadn’t the faintest idea Eddie had died. I can’t divulge the details at the moment because nothing has been finalised but I am in the process of reaching out to his family but that’s all I can say at the moment.
Butch motions to Terry, one of the HWA’s senior staff members that he’s done.
(Terry): Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming, that concludes tonight’s press conference. If you have any further questions, you can reach out to the HWA’s Media Office and we’ll endeavour to get back in touch as soon as possible.
Many of the journalists stand up, their voices becoming a cacophony of noise as they try and get some last-minute questions in as Butch holds his hand up in a thankful manner, grabbing his phone and a water bottle as he disappears out of the media room and the scene fades to black.
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