His jaw cracked open wide, a cavernous yawn that swallowed up the quiet of his hotel room. His eyes, heavy-lidded, flickered closed as if to shut out the lingering echo of Sean Parker’s words. A single tear escaped his eye, a silent tribute to the man who had once been his friend.

He slumped further into the couch, the soft cushions cradling his weary body. Parker’s promo had been a gut punch, a brutal reminder of just how far Sean had really been falling. Stu-E had watched with a mixture of anger, sadness, and a gnawing sense of betrayal.

He thought back to their early days, when all that mattered was putting on the best match of the night; win, lose or draw. But now, their paths had diverged, and Stu-E couldn’t shake the feeling that he had lost a part of himself. The ecstasy of Gold might have given him wings to ascend as a person but unfortunately for Sean, his pursuit of Gold was taking him to some dark places.

A sigh escaped his lips, a sound that carried the weight of a thousand unspoken words. He closed his eyes again, letting the darkness envelop him.

“Until the lion learns to speak, the tales of hunting will be weak… my poetry hails within the streets…. my poetry fails to be discrete.”

He sits up, his words are laboured with just enough of a pause between lines.

“It travels across the Earth and Seas… From Darlington to the West Indies… It knows no boundaries.”

Price stops talking and shrugs his shoulders.

“If you had shown that fire months and months ago, lad, I’d have answered very differently than I’m about to. I don’t need to remind you that the name underneath the words ‘Ringmaster Winner’ reads Stu-E Price, and you’ve had your little beady eyes on my title belt name plate since the first moment I was wearing it around my waist.

I wish I could respond in a way more fitting of your delusions but as your World Heavyweight Champion it’s my duty to sit on this seven thousand dollar couch and say I feel sorry for you, and I think you need help before Dream Master gets bored of Martinez.

This isn’t the Sean Parker who inspired me to be a better wrestler, this isn’t the Sean Parker who taught me that I had to be quicker, to be better. Now I mention it, isn’t it poetic, then, that without you motivating me, I never would have won Ring Master, I never would have taken your World Championship.

People like you crash down and break your crowns, point your fingers but find no one’s around…. You thought you were going to play the King, but your castle crumbled, and you were left with just a name, and it’s all your own fault, King Nothing.”

A broad smile flashes across his face as he reaches across and picks up the World title placing it on his shoulders. He pauses momentarily for about 16 seconds, knowing that his opponents will have to just sit there with a dumb look on their faces looking at him as their Champion.

“And if we’re talking about Kings, I’ve got to talk about the Queen, don’t I? Don’t confuse something said in jest as an insult, Sean. I’ve got all the time of the day, and the night for that girl. You just be careful talking for her too much, I’m sure she doesn’t need two Dad’s telling her what to do.”

Price gives a little wink.

“And talking about Dad’s, that’s brought me nicely to Hans. I bet when you heard me mention Kings and Queens, you might have thought I’d call you the Court Jester but that would encourage an opinion that you’re entertaining and I’d hate my promo be black marked by the fact checkers of Twitter or X, or whatever it’s called.

The good thing about you is you’ll know that was just a joke and when I’m standing opposite you in the ring after the match, I’ll shake your hand because I respect you 100%. Deep down I wish Sean was more like you, I really do. I bear no ill will to you and I’m excited to test myself against two of the very best HWA has to offer.

Hopefully we can knock some sense into Parker together, if not for me, for Red Dragon because I’m sure he’s about to do an impression of Yoda in Return of the Jedi when he gets tired of Luke’s shit. And I’m sure you’ll agree, we need to protect that fella for the sake of the HWA Academy, don’t we.”

“Daddy?”

Laney shouts out from her bedroom, stopping the entire flow of the promo. As Price stands up to go down the hallway, the scene fades out.