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Sometimes, when life throws you a curve ball you're not expecting, your only option is to try and make heads or tails of everything that just happened, and figure out the best course of action going forward. Unfortunately, there are those times that doing that is much easier said than done. It's a situation Jake Starr has been in for a couple of months now, in dealing with Child Protective Services, and their case against him, alledging he's an unfit parent. When the CPS agent first appeared on his doorstep, he fought back hard. He put Brandon on the scent of the "watch" car, and he got his lawyer and a private investigator on retainer from the Golden Nugget on the scent of who was responsible for this fiasco.
Waiting for answers from any of his "eyes" wasn't easy for Jake. It gnawed on him daily, wanting to know exactly what and who caused all of this to blow up in his face. To cope, he tried working out, he tried relocating his family, and he's tried taking on more of an active role in the professional wrestling community. None of it has been successful. None of it has aliviated the pressures of worrying, and wanting this issue resolved. That's when answers apparently came his way. When his phone rang, and he saw the name and numberof his lawyer appear on his caller ID, the nerves began to race for Jake. They really began to put him on edge, as he worried, and hoped as well. It's this moment that he's been waiting for, yearning for, and desperately wanting. It's this moment of potential clarity on the situation that has acted as a carrot dangling in front of Jake this whole time. Unfortunately, the answers wouldn't be exactly what he had hoped to hear. As his lawyer broke the news to him, and explained everything that he had turned up, Jake had gone a completely unnatural shade of white. It was a ghostly look that terrified Shawn Wright, as he looked upon his friend. It was a look that Shawn had never seen in his friend before. It was a look that was unmistakable. It was a look telling Shawn that something bad had really happened, and it was news that Jake was not anticipating. Shawn's immediate reaction was to try and get Jake to talk to him. He quickly realized that the likelihood of that happening, like he would want, was pretty slim at the moment, so an eerie silence came over the room. It's here, they still stand. Jake's mind is in a whirlwind. He hasn't been able to fully wrap his mind around everything he was just told, and the look of confusion and horror tells that tale. His eyes are locked, staring straight forward, giving an even deeper feeling of uncomfortability to the situation. Shawn begins to feel a sense of panic come over him, wondering if whatever Jake was told has completely caused him to be unable to speak, or sent him into such a horrible state of shock he won't be able to process someone talking to him, as he normally would... Shawn Wright: What happened, man?! Shawn's pleas seem to go unnoticed.
Shawn Wright: ... Dude, you have to talk to me, here! The trance-like state that Jake's body had gone into, and he begins to blink quite rapidly. Reality begins to sink in, and the sinking feeling in his gut begins to seem like it weighs more and more by each passing moment. He begins to really accept the facts that were presented to him by his lawyer, and with that acceptance, begins to look down slightly, and also begins to breathe faster and faster.
Seeing this alteration in appearance gives Shawn another window to try and breakthrough... Shawn Wright: Jake? Jake's head is going back and forth, as if he's almost hearing voices coming at him from both directions. He looks side to side repeatedly, as his jumbled thoughts begin to truly line up, and sinks in.
Shawn leans his head down lower, hoping to get into Jake's field of vision. Shawn Wright: Jake? Jake, what's going on, man? Jake still is still seemingly putting the final "pieces" in place, in his head.
Shawn Wright: ... Talk to me, man. What did the lawyer say? Jake swallows a gulp of saliva, then his head slowly looks up toward Shawn.
Jake Starr: I... I... I don't believe it... Shawn Wright: What? What don't you believe? Jake is still breathing pretty heavily.
Jake Starr: It's... It's them... Jake's cryptic answers aren't ringing any bells with Shawn.
Shawn Wright: It's who, man? Jake Starr: Ron... And Alice... Shawn becomes a bit confused at the nature of Jake's inlaws being brought into the conversation.
Shawn Wright: What did they do? Jake looks Shawn square in the eye, with a look that Shawn has never seen out of Jake before. It is one of pure seriousness, and honesty. Jake, then, takes a deep breath, and breaks the news.
Jake Starr: They're responsible for Child Protective Services... Shawn goes to reply, and then it sinks in what Jake just said. He immediately goes wide-eyed, completely taken aback by the statement Jake just made to him. In his soul, he would have never thought that Jake's own inlaws would be responsible for trying to take their granddaughter away from her parents. He knows Ron had a major disliking for Jake, but never thought, for a moment, they'd resort to this.
Shawn Wright: What?! No! Why?! How can this be?! Jake, still struggling and fragmented with this terrible news, manages to try and push through, and explain what he knows.
Jake Starr: ... Apparently they filed the claim against us, saying we were completely unfit to raise Mara in a safe and happy home. Shawn is still having many issues comprehending it.
Shawn Wright: I... I just can't see where they would have ANY case... Jake Starr: Man, I don't either. My lawyer says that they apparently really put together something exaggerated and convincing that caught the attention of CPS. I... I just don't know what to do now. Shawn tries to shake off the shock, and tries to put on the "hat" of the friend whose job it is to be the reasonable one.
Shawn Wright: Well... Honestly... I think the first thing you need to do is tell Roeper. Jake immediately goes wide-eyed, yet again. The idea of telling Roeper that her parents are the ones responsible for trying to take her baby, sends an even bigger sense of horror through his body. It's an even bigger scare than when he found out that it was her parents that were responsible.
Jake Starr: Oh my God... I never even thought about that! Jake looks right at Shawn, with a sense of fear in his eye.
Jake Starr: ... Dude, I can't tell her that! I can't do that to her! Shawn Wright: What do you expect to do then? What is it you're going to tell her when you two get this all settled? What is it you plan on doing when everything gets back to normal, and she wants to try and have some kind of familial get together? Is your plan to simply walk around faking all of the family fun? Would you even be able to look at them walking around, holding YOUR daughter? Seriously Jake, think! You can't be scared to be honest with your own wife. This is something you CANNOT go around lying about... Jake gulps.
Shawn Wright: ... Dude... I know this is probably the last thing you EVER anticipated, but there's not much choice in what you have to do! Jake Starr: Gee... You think? I mean, I was expecting it to be someone in SCW, someone from Infamous, hell, an ex girlfriend, but someone with a fucking agenda! I never thought this would be my own family! Shawn Wright: I know, man... But you need to talk with Roeper, though. This, more than anything, has to be something you two attack together. Jake Starr: Man, we've tried "tackling" issues with her family together. Obviously, we now realize how far it's gotten us. Shawn shakes his head slightly.
Shawn Wright: No, this is completely different, man. This isn't about you and Ron getting along, or seeing eye to eye. This is about you and Roeper's name as parents, but more importantly it's about Mara. You HAVE to protect YOUR family. Jake runs his hands around his mouth, and sighs. His voice, now, is quieter, and much more somber.
Jake Starr: I want to protect Mara more than anything, man... Shawn nods.
Shawn Wright: I know Roeper feels the same, brotha... You need to let her know the truth, though. There's no way around it. Jake takes another deep breath, this one accompanied by another gulp of saliva. His head slumps down again.
Shawn Wright: ... This is something YOU have to do, Jake. Nobody can do it for you, and nobody can "help" you. It's all on YOU. After another sigh, Jake realizes Shawn is right.
Jake Starr: Ok... I don't know HOW I'll tell her, but I'll come up with something, I suppose... After a pause, Jake pulls his phone back up, and looks at the black screen. He pushes the lock button, and the screen illuminates. As he goes to slide to unlock it, Shawn reaches over and pushes Jake's hand down.
Shawn Wright: You need to do this face to face, man... Jake is initially confused. He begins to think to himself what his options are. After the pause, he realizes there's a way to do so without actually going down to Texas to see Roeper.
Jake Starr: Alright... If you'll excuse me, then... Jake heads back toward his office, and Shawn sits back down, letting Jake tend to his business.
As Jake enters his office, he looks at his desk, seeing his MacBook closed on his desk. He approaches it, and lifts the screen. He immediately sees Skype login, and sees his parents username show as online and "available." He immediately double clicks on their name, and initiates the chat. Jake Starr: Hey... Jeff immediately notices son's instant message, and responds.
Jeff Starr: Hey, son! I was just checking in on your little Twitter thing, to see what was new! The thought of his dad actually looking at Twitter makes Jake chuckle a bit. After the moment, breaking his mood, he immediately initializes a video chat, which his father immediately accepts. They both start sharing their webcams, and right as Jake appears on Jeff's screen, and it's immediately evident something is wrong with his son.
Jeff Starr: What's wrong, bud? Jake Starr: Well, just talked to the lawyer... I need to talk to Roeper, like, now... Jeff realizes something serious is going on, and immediately calls out to Roeper, who is just in the adjacent room. Roeper quickly gets up, and comes in, seeing her husband on the video chat. Initially happy to see him, she quickly notices the same shaken nature of her husband.
Before Jake or Roeper can say anything, Jeff quickly excuses himself from the room, and Roeper sits down. Roeper Hart: Jake, what's wrong? Jake Starr: I just talked to the lawyer... He found out who is responsible for all of this... It's not good... Roeper Hart: What do you mean? What happened? Jake Starr: I'm sorry to have to say this... As Jake breaks the news to Roeper, she is immediately hit with a face full of shock. As the initial shock wears off, she quickly breaks down, realizing exactly what it is that Jake has just told her. She begins to bawl, and it's a sound that immediately brings Jake's parents into the room. Jake then explains to them what he found out, and they begin to console Roeper, and feel a definite sense of betrayal from Ron and Alice.
With the "mystery" now solved, and everyone now "in the loop" as to what has transpired, everyone who supports Jake and Mara as parents, and truly care for Mara, now begin to combine their resources, in order to make sure that nothing comes of this CPS investigation. This now pushes Jake into a new fight, and one that he now knows the full scope of as well. Will this change his mentality going forward with his battle against those who have tried to soil and sully his name, or will this merely encourage him to fight harder? One has to wonder what kind of toll this is taking on Roeper as well, knowing her parents have defied her, by trying to take her daughter from her. Needless to say, the coming days, weeks, and months, will be ones that could allow this situation to continue to become clear, as Jake also tries to focus on what is ahead of him, in his professional career as well. Jake Starr: Greedy... Deserving... Motivated... Cocky... Demanding... Worthy... Unappreciative... Phony... All of those adjectives I have heard said about me since it was announced that I would be getting a shot at the championship that, yes, I helped bring back to the forefront of the SCW title picture. It seems as if nobody is quite pleased or quite happy that I'm getting a title shot of any kind. It seems people think that it's solely based on my attacks on those "powers that be," and they're merely doing it to shut me up, try and keep me happy, and it's based nothing on what I've done or accomplished. It seems people think I have done NOTHING to deserve any opportunity in SCW. Needless to say, these are people who obviously have zero clue, and zero idea about what I've done since returning to the ring. Now, I'll be the first to admit that SOME of these assumptions could have some merit. I don't know if the brass is simply trying to shut me up and appease me, or what. They won't ever admit it, so assuming one way or another would be purely speculative. They could be fed up with my criticism of their decision making, and my belief that they seemingly have their head stuffed so far up one another's ass, that they look like a human centipede, and this could be their way of saying, "Let's just shut this guy up!" On the other hand, maybe they realize that there is a lot of discrepancy in their way of thinking. Maybe they're starting to realize their, "shoot first, aim later" mentality is beginning to blatantly overlook those who are deserved, for those who, maybe, haven't quite done as much. Again, I don't know, it's pure speculation on my part, but I will say this, anyone out there who may think I'm greedy, demanding, unappreciative, and phony, can kiss my ass. Yes, I admit, I want a lot. Yes, I admit, I want to be that guy viewed as the best of the fucking best. But those who see it as greed completely miss the point of why. Those who see it as me just wanting everything, don't see what the ultimate goal is. It's as if they would look at a goalie in the NHL, a pitcher in Major League Baseball, or a quarterback in the NFL, and think that because they want to win it all, they're greedy bastards. That's me... I'm one of the SCW elite because it's where I strive to be. As far as I'm concerned, once again, it's the SCW management who finally grew a set and realized it as well. I'm the guy who isn't willing to settle or be content with just being "someone else." So if anyone is offended, or bothered by me claiming and PROVING that I'm the best, they simply don't know what the hell their talking about. Needless to say, it's a bit of a sore subject with me... I'm not ok with being questioned anymore. I'm not ok with people thinking that they "know" how I should be acting, or have some idea of what "role" it is I play in this industry. I play the role I play. I go out there, and I transform an industry. I go out there, and I take something from mediocrity to viable main event status, if not complete main event status. It's something very few can EVER claim to have done, and to all you assholes out there who call me out for wanting my shot to do it again, know that I've done it MANY times! It wasn't just in SCW, it's been several times prior. So if you're one of those guys out there who wants to try and run your mouth, try and talk me down, try and belittle what I'm getting, know that it's because you're jealous... And don't go running, saying that I'm the pot calling the kettle black either. I'm criticizing people who have gotten blessed with opportunities that I haven't, and ultimately I've done more, and received less. So I have reasoning, and odds are, you critics have none! Jake cracks his neck from side to side, feeling a lot of the tension escape his body. After letting out another sigh of borderline relief he continues on.
Well... With that out of the way... Let's get down to business! A lot of people were pretty shocked when news broke that I'd be getting a shot at the Adrenaline Championship down the road. Lord knows I was. Sure, Mr. D came and told me what was going on after he finished his little parade with Allocco, but I was still shocked to hear it was official. I wasn't buying into the fact that it was a guarantee, and it wasn't until news broke, I felt like it was for real. It was something that, I know, caught people off guard. I know a lot of people were curious as to why me. Why the Adrenaline Championship? Why a step backward? Why would it be something that, truthfully, made me feel like I was finally at a point where I could really start moving forward? Simple... It's the Adrenaline Championship! Sometimes, in life, you get something that means so much to you, and yet, others look upon it like it's just something relatively meaningless. Think of it like when you were a kid. Every kid had that "security blanket." For some, it was a blanket. For others, it was a stuffed animal. Regardless of WHAT it was, it was something that meant a lot. For me, the Adrenaline Championship is much like that... ... Ok... Well... Sort of... The Adrenaline Championship is something that, for most, is a relatively meaningless title. It's not one that is hotly contested by a lot of people. At one point, it was. At one point, it meant a lot. Seeing it like it is, and like it was, pains me severely. When Mr. D approached me about it, asked what I thought, I knew it was an opportunity for me to get back on my "title" ways, but at the same time, do something special all over again. I feel that the Adrenaline Championship is one that can be that "number two" title in the organization, and honestly. I want to be the guy to make it happen. Sure, I want the World Title again, but think about it, I wanted it from day one in SCW. Then, I win the Adrenaline Championship, then the World Championship, and carried them both proudly. People were gunning for both belts, and it took a determined Greg Cherry to even BEGIN to dethrone me. So of course I was going to jump at it. It has a lot of meaning to me, and it could really be something special. BUT... There is always a but... It's not time for a reclaiming of MY Adrenaline Championship yet. It's not time for me to think about a title match. I have too much in front of me, right now, to focus on the Adrenaline Title, especially when I don't even know when it will happen. Before I can give it my attention, I have to look into taking care of business, and Taking Hold of the Flame. So, business first... Business begins at Ammo, when I take care of someone who decided that it was their job to try and run their mouth at me on Twitter. It's someone who, ironically, is supposed to be one of my favorite people. Apparently, in his infinite wisdom, Collin Cole apparently didn't learn effectively from his fellow member of the favorite tag team of the world, and felt it right to try and talk shit. It was something that, truthfully, I couldn't let go unpunished, going into the pay-per view. I couldn't let someone try and act all holier than thou, try and tell me off, and ultimately try and make a bigger name for himself. Jake holds up one finger, and pauses. His hand begins to bounce, as he realizes his point may need a bit of a clarification.
Now, before we all listen to Collin begin to rattle off the things he's done in recent months, let me just say he's done some impressive things. He's beaten Darren Drake, he's beaten the Avatar Incarnate, hell, he's beaten David Miller. Just in the past few months, he's made a name for himself, pulling off some victories he probably shouldn't have. He's made some eyes begin to turn his way. He's made people begin to wonder if he should be in line for title shots, outside of the Tag Team rankings. He's done a lot. But he's still nothing like what I could make him. That is one of those things that sets me apart in SCW. I'm the guy people call out, when they have this desire to be more than what they currently are. Right now, Collin is someone who has turned a few heads, gotten a couple big wins, but truthfully never quite had that definitive moment that would put them over the top. He knows that he needs that moment. He knows that Taking Hold of the Flame can make anyone's career. He also realizes, like the rest of us, the likelihood of that being the case is relatively slim, so he moves to try and find that "right spot" to make his move. So he's coming my way... He's wanting to try HIS luck... Just like his buddy, he will NOT be successful! Jake's facial expression becomes more and more serious, wanting to let the world know that, while this match is relatively meaningless, and has zero bearing on any of the "goings on" inside the halls of SCW, it does have some ramifications, if things were to go badly.
While I know I am guaranteed a shot at the Adrenaline Championship in the near future, I can't simply slack off. I can't simply let Collin walk in, think I've got it in the bag because I'm just superior, and hope for the best. This is my last match before Taking Hold of the Flame. This is my last chance to make a definitive statement to 39 others guys, that I am the guy to beat. Collin Cole represents an opportunity for me to showcase why I am the best of the best. He may not be my toughest opponent in recent memory, but he could very well be the most important. So... When I leave Montreal, I'm leaving with another win, more momentum, and most importantly, the vision that I will soon be adding another accolade to my SCW resume as winner of Taking Hold of the Flame, and main eventing Rise to Greatness for the first time in my career. And for everyone out there just assuming I'm overlooking this punk, don't. Think again. Collin Cole is my chance to ensure I walk into Taking Hold of the Flame with an ample momentum. And hell... If I get what I want, if I'm number one, I can't let this piece of shit get what he wants, beat me, and take my shot at winning this whole thing. He's my chance to keep doing what I've been doing, and that is winning. On top of all of that, this match marks the OFFICIAL beginning to my quest to return to the throne of the Adrenaline Division, and lead it to its NEXT level of glory. Hope you're ready for a fight, pretty boy... Fin |
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