He squats up and down, the veins in his neck and arms popping as he strains, sweat pouring from his face as he lets out occasional deep gushes of air from his mouth and nose. He doesn’t even notice the door to the gym open and the sounds of footsteps making their way down. Wisdom enters the room wearing one of the Venum sportswear sets she, Butch and Sean were doing a campaign with them on. Her incredibly, vivacious and toned, muscular figure is accentuated in the wear easily showing that while behind the scenes we don’t see her as much, nothing has changed in her personal health routine and she’s in top form. In tow, she brings a power bowl for Butch’s lunch. Roasted sweet potato, grilled steak, edamame, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, roasted peppers, grilled corn and sprinkle of feta, with a light balsamic vinaigrette and a sprinkle of chia seeds. She walks over towards Butch as he continues to drip sweat.
(Wisdom): You need to eat babe!
Butch talks as he continues to squat and lift.
(Butch): I’m ….. I’m almost done…. I’m nearly… nearly there…
He quickly heaves the massive barbell from his shoulders and it clatters to the ground with a resounding clang. Butch involuntarily collapses onto his ass, bending his knees, putting his head between his legs and breathing heavily and steadily through his nose. He dusts the excess chalk off his hands as he lays on his back, stretching his arms outward. Butch tentatively extends his left knee, reaching up and unfastening the brace, running his fingers along the scar tissue from when he had his ACL surgery. Wisdom sits the power bowl down on another bench beside him, turning to her husband and sitting on the floor in front of him as she does a few stretches.
(Wisdom): You want to talk about it?
(Butch): I’m fine, I just haven’t worked out in a couple of days. You know how I get a bit antsy when I’m not lifting something heavy or punching something really hard.
(Wisdom): This is more than a bit antsy. You’re in here going like Cocaine Bear at the Olympics.
Wisdom scoots closer to him, grabbing his leg and begins to massage his knee. Her soft, but strong hands knead into him with care.
(Wisdom): So?
Butch can’t help but feel immediately relaxed with his wife’s touch. It was like Midas, somehow the feel of her hands on his skin was like a natural relief.
(Butch): I don’t know… I was talking to Matthew earlier and he said something that got to me. I’m meant to be having this match with him soon and I haven’t been in the ring in forever. What if…what if…. I don’t want to be like those embarrassing idiots trying to be alleging they’re not… look at Ric Flair, Taker… they were too stubborn to know when their time was up and they kept going and made themselves laughing stocks… I don’t want to be like that…
(Wisdom): That’s what this is about…you think you’re going to be a laughing stock?
Wisdom rolls her eyes and huffs.
(Wisdom): Ric Flair got in the ring at 70 years old. Was he Ric Flair circa 1980 something? No! Did we see him at his very best? Of course not. Was he gassed out early on, Sure! Did he walk that aisle with dignity, get in there and do the very best he could, and leave with his head held high? Damn right he did. He’s a testament to perseverance. How many 70 year old's even work out let alone get in a ring to compete, and you at 44 are worried about looking bad, when you’re just as fit as ever? Don’t forget the guy came to our Reunion and if he heard you say that he’d still chop your chest raw.
Wisdom jokingly gestures as if she’s about to give Butch a chop, drawing a little smile from him.
(Wisdom): Babe, look at me. You are one of the biggest superstars in this sport. You’ve always been hard on yourself as a result, but this match…its not about you. It’s about Matthew. You don’t have to be Butch Parker, World Champion. You just need to be Butch Parker, Matthew Kiriyama’s longtime friend.
Butch nods. He knows Wisdom is right, as always. He turns and absentmindedly picks at the beautiful bowl of food she’d prepped for him.
(Butch): There you go again with that iron-clad logic of yours…but all the same, it got me thinking…do you think I should think about retirement? I’m not talking about anything with any pomp and circumstance. But it’s been two years since Omega and I wrestled… my knee is feeling it each time I take a bump when I’m helping Matthew out with a class or I’m just making sure I don’t seize up like the goddamn Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. And what about this stupid anxiety? I mean what if I suddenly have a damn anxiety attack in the middle of the ring and I have to be stretchered out? I couldn’t handle that embarrassment, babe. It would ruin me. No one would take me seriously.
She tries to mask it, but flashes of anger brush her face at the very thought of him thinking less of himself because of certain physical conditions, recently thrown throughout the media as weaknesses and other fabrications. She pushed Brandi from her mind to focus on this hulking figure before her. He was like a giant teddy bear with a tiny Band-Aid on a boo boo. She puts her hands on his legs and looks up at him.
(Wisdom): Babe, other than some doctor with a very legitimate reason…no one can tell you when to retire or when to even think about, no one has that right, not even me. We’re older babe, there are things that are going to ache, or hurt, or whatever. It’s up to you if you want to manage those things and continue, mitigate as best you can, or not.
She gets up and goes to the wall where a large poster is of Butch from his 2004 World Title win against Thane Givens.
(Wisdom): Be the best you baby, but stop fighting him…
Pointing at Butch’s poster.
(Wisdom): The fans, the world, the business, our family, we love you as you are. You need to love and stop punishing yourself for the hands of time turning which is beyond our control.
She goes back over to the bench where he sits and kneels down at his feet.
(Wisdom): Not that it matters, but if you want to know I think…I think Butch Parker has a whole lot more in the tank than he thinks. And while he’s in here waiting to hear those engines fire up, he’s failing to realize that he’s smoking the house up from the fumes not noticing that he’s already roaring…and I know we’ve had some health scares latterly with your anxiety, and I can’t imagine how that feels but I see it in your face. I realize how protective I’ve been about it, but it was never meant to make you feel more humiliated, or belittled because of it. Someone has to look out for you, mister, because you’ll push yourself until no tomorrow. You’ll run when you should rest, you’ll pump this iron, when the only thing you should be lifting is your spirits. Nothing has or ever will hold you back, that’s who you are, and maybe that’s your answer within you need to find.
Out of nowhere, Butch pulls Wisdom in for a deep, passionate kiss and smiles deeply at how amazing she is.
(Butch): Thank you, babe. And you didn’t make me feel anything but love and support. I guess I just got into my own head. I guess with everything that’s been going on in the company and what we’ve been trying to navigate recently, I guess my own head just caught up with me.
(Wisdom): You’ve given me plenty of kicks in the ass over the years too mister. This is who we are, we have each other…always! But….since we have that out of the way…care to talk about some of the heavier stuff?
Butch is forking more of the scrumptious power bowl in his mouth with a nod.
(Wisdom): Well, I think we’re all squared away with Fallen’s reinstated contract. Our lawyers agreed on a complete reinstatement, and all that other crap they were trying to throw in just isn’t going to happen. He knew from the start there was only so much he was going to get from this, but he just had to try to overreach. I just hope we made the right call. He pissed off a lot of people and Michelle…I don’t even know what more to say to her. She understands the business of this, but what he did. You know how I feel about that, especially going through an even worse scenario with Dredge. I don’t know how this is all going to work, but we’ll find out.
Butch finishes his mouthful of food.
(Butch): I just hope she doesn’t regress. She’s shown so much bravery and tenacity and her and Sean finally look like they’re getting back to their usual selves. That reminds me…Sean and Fallen’s match… that match isn’t going to last long if Sean has anything to say about it. He’s going to be out for blood. I may have to make an executive decision on that. What do you think?
(Wisdom): I think you should do whatever you feel is right. I don’t think Sean’s asked for anything specific has he? I think he’s just glad to get his hands on him. I love him, but we can’t discount the fact that he is going in there with a veteran like Fallen. The perception might be that this could be a 10-second match, but if he’s overzealous about this, blinded by rage, and doesn’t have his head on right…Fallen will eat him alive.
(Butch): I know, I’m trusting Matthew will speak to him. After what happened earlier at the Academy, he’s made it clear right now he prefers his Sensei’s wisdom and advice to mine. I think he sees too much of me in him…anyway…I managed to ensure we get the Amway Center for the entire weekend of Art of War. So the Press Conference, the fan interaction event, the Make-A-Wish thing with Matt, Sean and Jeremy. I wasn’t taking any risks after what nearly happened after the last time.
(Wisdom): Everything is going to be fine. I know we’ve had a few bumps in the road, but I feel like we’re hitting our stride. Our first ppv babe, in eight years…this is amazing. I know how excited everyone is, and we’ve put so much into this. After Havoc, I think we changed the card a bit from what we had imagined but these guys and gals…they really need to get shit out of their systems. Things that have been brewing, things starting to brew…just lay it all out there at this ppv and be done. Thank God for Hans and Jeremy’s match. It's the one match without a pinch of drama going into it. This is everything we say we are and have been these past years. I honestly feel like they could steal the show.
Butch runs his hands absentmindedly up and down Wisdom’s curvaceous legs lovingly, something he’s not ignorant to either. Butch loved how she had such an acumen for the business side of pro wrestling. He was completely and hopelessly in love with everything about her before they’d taken ownership of HWA but seeing her flourish as a businesswoman, her fiery nature had taken on an entirely new form and he’d be lying if it didn’t drive him wild.
(Butch): I can’t wait for it, babe, that and Matthew and Shinsuke. Matthew likes to make us think he’s this stoic, unwavering Sensei but he’s going to surprise a lot of people when he steps through those ropes with his ring gear on. I just hope this damn Asylum Match is the last of the chaos of the old HWA we see. I’ve already seen some of the blueprints and designs for it for when work begins on putting it together in the arena…
She sighs…
(Wisdom): It’s going to be what its going to be. Matt needs this, I think. He’s earned the right like I said before. If it were anyone but him…I don’t think we’d be doing this. The press conference is going to be great, and we can build on our reputation just as we’ve been doing. We received so much good PR last week running around Little Rock, it was great. We’re going to Florida, a mecca for wrestling. This is bigger than most people think it is from a business standpoint.
Butch nods. He unfastens his weightlifting belt, the tightness of it along with the combination of the sweat he’s built-up creating an imprint from the inside of the belt on his bare stomach. He lets his hands drift up and lets his fingers run through Wisdom’s beautiful blonde hair.
(Butch): I do enjoy Florida, but the heat is different from California heat. We could bring the kids with us? Take a day and take them to Disney? Or Sea World? Oh by the way, they’re at Whats-Her-Face’s house for dinner and a sleepover, that friend of Evina’s. Her kid brother is friends with David I think.
She sighs…
(Wisdom): It’s been a while since we’ve had them with us, I think they’d love it…especially if it meant a trip to the amusement parks. Let’s not promise all of them though, you know they get disappointed when we make promises we can’t keep. We can say one, and surprise them with more.
Wisdom moves forward swinging her leg over and sitting herself in Butch’s lap facing him, wrapping her arms around his sweaty neck and she looks around the room as if she’s checking for noises.
(Wisdom): So, while the cats are away…maybe the mice can play?
Butch smirks as he glided his hands down his wife’s incredible body, feeling the curves in his grasp as he reaches up underneath her sports bra-style top as she goes to work on his neck and the scene fades to black.
Message Thread
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