“Our ride is here?” ….when it was time to leave the arena.
“What gate are we at?” ….as they got to the airport and were heading to the terminal.
“You sure you don’t want anything?” ….when the flight attendant came around with snacks and beverages.
“What time do we get in again?” ….on the plane, anxious to leave Phoenix and just be home.
Matt and Jeremy held hands the entire flight, largely in silence. Earlier that evening the typically jovial and light-hearted Matt relayed the news of his injuries and absence from the ring lightheartedly. Yet, following the big announcement something had changed and Jeremy knew exactly what it was. While being away from the ring for some unknown months was a manageable notion, the emerging prospect of missing out on something he’d waited 8 years for and arguably deserved was an entirely different story.
He maintained an outwardly supportive demeanor to Matt, but inside he was raging even more than he was earlier, but had to contain it for the moment. Matt stared out the plane window into the empty black sky, it felt appropriate, as if he were heading into the unknown. Jeremy leaned over putting his head onto his shoulder. When the arrived at LAX, there were fans all over the place. They walked fast and made lengthy, fake calls to their own voicemails to illustrate they were on the phone, in a hurry and couldn’t stop for fans, but smiled and waved, posed every so briefly for a few photos along the way but maintained their pace until they were free of the terminal.
(Matt): I’m gonna head home.
(Jeremy): You sure you don’t want to stay over, or I can stop by?
Matt shook his head which hung low.
(Matt): It’s okay, I’ll talk to you in the morning.
He leaned in and kissed Jeremy. Held his gaze lovingly and gave him another peck on the lips before hopping in his taxi. Jeremy’s heart ached for him, he had an idea, but could he truly comprehend the depth of what Matt was feeling? In that he felt not only helpless to alleviate his boyfriend’s distress, but guilty for being able bodied for the Ring Master ahead. The rest of the evening proceeded uneventfully, unpacking, laundry, a quick meal, a light workout, a little reading before bed.
JPL was set to layoff 8% of its workforce and he made a note to call his friend at SpaceX, check and see if this had any implications for him over at SpaceX. The morning came and he debated on doing a live Q&A but was waiting for Matt’s call and didn’t want to get caught up in a bunch of time-consuming questions. He opted for a quick video promo, which would suffice, sat down and started up his camera.
(Jeremy): The first Havoc of 2024 has come and gone and it was quite the event. Thank you to the fans of Phoenix for joining us and your support, it was nice being there during a time when you couldn’t fry and egg on the sidewalk.
He grins…
(Jeremy): There’s a lot of things that came to light at Havoc. I know the fans weren’t expecting to hear that Matt and Sean are a little worse for wear and could be out indefinitely…well maybe a few months for Sean who thankfully doesn’t need surgery, but it could be indefinitely for Matt. I stand by everything I said, and I’ve seen the flood of social media posts. I particularly like the meme of me with my face on the little Anger guy from that Inside Out movie, but seriously…I’m doubling down on everything I said.
Fallen, you’re a piece of shit with a huge target on your back. There’s a line a mile long of guys who want to get their hands on your from all the bridges you’ve burned and I’m happy to get in line and hope there’s some meat left on your bones to pick through when they’re all done. Right now…I’m looking at you Maniac. It disgusted me at Havoc having you celebrated just because you’ve been around for 20 years. To think your ignominious name was aligned with Butch Parker and Hans von Richtoven is absurd. And to think there were some people cheering you.
Cheering!...Really? Have you all forgotten who this man is, what he’s done, and you cheer? The man who shoved shit in Matt’s mouth from an arena toilet, tried to run over Michelle and Sarah…and that’s just the more recent crap. They should have shown your 20 years of maniacal shenanigans the HWA video vaults have no shortage of them, you’ve been doing this shit since you were what…15 years old or something?
Jeremy runs his hand through his hair and rubs at the stubble on his face.
(Jeremy): You might have your hands full next Havoc with someone else we know and love who wants to get her hands on you, but save the next dance for me. You and me, No Disqualification Match. What do you say “Legend”? It’s been all fun and games to you, but you have no idea what you’ve done. Matt carried this company for 8 years and here we come to this huge announcement at Havoc and I watched his soul leave his body while you and Fallen’s eyes lit up like at the opportunity ahead. Neither of you have ever won Ring Master, and you can forget about winning this one.
Matt may not be in it, Sean may not be in…but I damn sure will be and even if I lose, I’ll make sure to take you both down with me. Before either of you came along we lived by the code of “pure wrestling.” That’s what we were taught, it's what we lived and embodied. It’s what HWA was rebuilt upon, but you’ve taken what was pure and sullied it. You’ve made it a place where we have to go to extremes to survive or simply to prove a point. Fire and barbwire, poison mist, vehicular assault, sexual assault, and the list goes on.
Look at Erica Maniac…look at what you’ve turned her into. She’s a nasty bitch that’s just as crazy as you are and you stoked her fire every step of the way. You’re just as responsible for what went down with Hans and Vanessa as she is and then we hear you tell her something about it being over and time to move on? This is you M.O. isn’t? Maniac plays his games, and Maniac gets to decide when he’s bored and it’s time to move on to the next thing, and damn everything and everyone he’s pissed on and pissed off along the way.
Not anymore. From now on you’re gonna play on the field we pick, and play the games we say, and you don’t get to walk away, log another chapter of mayhem for your so-called legacy and hope more people get amnesia so you can just keep doing it again and get your cheap pops from people who don’t any better.
You and Fallen both have experience on me, but you don’t have the drive I do, you don’t have the determination I do, you don’t have anyone or anything to fight for, but I do! That’s why you’re going to lose in the end. That’s why you’re going to get run out of this company and the charge starts now!
Jeremy’s face has turned reddish from anger and frustration and he stares at the camera before ending the video and the fade to black.
Message Thread
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