MAV !! Requiem For The Maverick

How do you define success? Success is a criterion that we all, at different points, strive to attain. Throughout my entire life, success was the driving force behind everything that I wanted to do. I grew up in a family that had an insatiable drive for success. The earliest memories that I have in life, would not have been possible without the successes of my parents. My father fought tooth and nail to make something out of himself as a trader on the New York Stock Exchange. My mother took her financial knowhow, and launched her own investment company. I am born and bred to be a success. It was instilled in me that my individual’s success is what the world would remember me for. This engrained a vision in me that has never left my side even to this day. It is the driving force in which I use it in all aspects of my life. For me, watching my parent’s successes motivated me to follow the ambitions of life. I have found myself being successful in many things I have done in life. From sports and modeling, to a foray in politics, I’ve had many successes that have meant a lot to me. Yet, only one success has culminated in the fulfillment of a true childhood dream. Growing up in New York City, wrestling became ingrained in my blood. My earliest memories in life involved wrestling. The pomp and pageantry of the sport captivated me. From the first hold I saw, I knew that I wanted to be the man who did those things. I knew that I wanted to be a star in the business. I knew that wrestling was the calling that I was truly made for. I knew that I was meant to be a champion. It took a few winding paths to bring me to my childhood dream, but that dream has finally been fulfilled. Becoming a champion literally has completed the first stage of the dream that I’ve had since I was a boy. Now, I have to continue to climb the ladder of dreams. I have to defend MY championship. That first defense is so important. That first defense is what cements a champion as more than someone who got lucky. I cannot, and I will not lose. I refuse to have the dream that means the world to me, stripped away from me. 

 

>>>

 

It had been one of the greatest nights in the Mason’s life. While there were many times in which Mason had found happiness in life, especially the birth of his children, Toxic Tag was one of those great nights. For the first time since the start of his career, Mason was able to ascend to the top, where he only thought he would be able to be in his dreams. Finally becoming the Brooklyn Champion brought Mason to a state of nirvana that he hadn’t felt in quite a long time. Finally, his perceived wrongs had been rectified. He knew that there were many who believed that the championship was something that wasn’t meant to be his, but this was his time to prove those individuals wrong. After the event, a celebration was meant to follow. With Sienna Sharpe at his side, the celebration was guaranteed. After a night of celebration, Mason found himself back in an environment that he was used to, his loft. As the sun began to creep through the blinds of his bedroom, he began to stir. Rolling onto his side, his eyes creep open. Wiping his eyes, he is shocked to see a brunette laying at his side. He quickly sits up in his head, obviously confused about the environment. Looking around the room, he quickly darts his eyes about searching for clues of just who was inside his bed. Upon his examination of the room, he sees a pair of black Louboutin heels. At their side, a black dress lays on the floor. Taking a deep breath, Mason turns his attention back to the brunette. As she rolls over, Mason realizes that he has in fact bedded Arabella Evers. Letting out another deep breath, he slowly slips out of his bed. As his feet hit the floor, he stands to his feet. He looks down to notice his black Calvin Klein boxers. Turning his attention back to the bed, he notices that Arabella is now awake. A smirk has come over her face as she sits up in the bed. 

 

Arabella: “Well, good morning champ!” 

 

Letting out a soft yet nervous chuckle, Mason looks down at the floor attempting to find his pants. 

 

MAV: “Morning… Bella. Umm… how’d you sleep?” 

 

A wide smile comes over Arabella’s face. She crosses her arms over her supple chest before she begins to speak. 

 

Arabella: “Dude, I slept like a goddamn baby. You have the most comfortable bed I think I’ve ever been in! Like seriously, no matter how hard last night was… this bed made it all worth it!” 

 

Mason locates his pants on the floor. He swiftly bends over and picks them up. Without hesitation, he slips them on before responding to Arabella. 

 

MAV: “Yeah… I refuse to sleep on a bad mattress. I’ve been that way my entire life, even when I was a kid, it had to be memory foam. I do have to ask though, what was so rough about last night?” 

 

Arabella lets out a chuckle before throwing the comforter off of her body. Mason turns around to see the stunning sight of her black bra and panties. Though Mason had never really viewed Arabella as a conquest, he always admired her for her beauty. She began to rummage around the bed, before finding her phone. 

 

Arabella: “Dude, dealing with you and Sienna was easily the roughest thing I’ve done in a really long time. Like, you really let her ruin a celebration of your moment. I don’t understand why you put up with her, like at all.” 

 

Zipping up his black slacks, Mason shakes his head. 

 

MAV: “Bella, I really can’t explain why I do many of the things that I do. Sienna has been great for my career. Since the moment I aligned with her, I’m finally something. Yeah, she can be a bitch, but she’s been great for me. You signed with her because she’s promised you the world, you know that. So far, she’s gotten you some things lined up, hasn’t she? Well, we don’t get along recently, but I can’t bring myself to let her go. She’s part of the dream that I have always wanted from wrestling.”

 

As Arabella begins to look throughout her phone, she lets out a soft laugh. 

 

Arabella: “Yeah, she’s a fucking great person to make me a star. Yet, I’m not going to let her talk to me like she does about you. Come on, I literally just scrolled through Twitter and she’s taking credit for your win. Like she stepped into the ring and made that sexy beast Enforcer tap out. Like, she’s great, don’t get me wrong, but you did that on your own.” 

 

Letting out another deep breath, Mason takes a seat down onto the bed. 

MAV: ” I can’t understand why she makes the decisions that she makes. She’s important, there is not a single doubt about that. I don’t think she understands how bad some of those things make her look, and she knows that I would tell her exactly how she is. I’d assume that I would tell her about how she felt, I’d guess that’s what happened?” 

 

With a serious smirk on her face, Arabella shrugs her shoulders. 

 

Arabella: “Well, I”m happy that you’re thinking about it that way… but you didn’t. I actually stood to her for you last night. She’s a bitch, and I didn’t want to hear her diminish your accomplishment. Mason, you’re fucking great, and she just wants to use us. Well, I’m using her for what she’s good for. I just don’t understand why you let her just talk out of her head, and you just kept drinking. Eventually, you just kind of gave up, and I don’t get it. Why’d you give up?” 

 

Mason took a moment to recollect his thoughts about the previous night. He takes a deep breath before turning his attention back to Arabella. 

 

MAV: “Ever since I was a child, I’ve never been confrontational. I’ve just always thought that life was easier when we don’t get into conflicts with people. From a young age, my parents have always told me that my actions speak louder than anything you could say in a confrontation. Sienna and I would never become physical enemies, so nothing that she could say would ever truly cause me to lose my shit. I just, I’ve never been like that, even at my youngest. It wasn’t me shutting down, it was simply me being a pacifist.” 

 

Flicking her hair from her shoulder, Arabella lets out a soft chuckle. 

 

Arabella: “Trust me, I know I wish I was more of a pacifist. If I was, I wasn’t going to be fucking arguing with Sienna at two in the morning. I wouldn’t have gotten kicked out of Silas’ apartment, but I wouldn’t have slept in this great bed. I guess it’s not a bad thing after all. I appreciate you for trying to give up your bed by the way, but I was never going to let you.” 

 

Mason looks over at Arabella before he lets out a laugh. 

 

MAV: “You really can’t stop talking about how great my bed is, can you? I just, I guess I was slightly confused. I didn’t really know how we ended up in bed together. I’ve always been really hospitable, so I would have given up my bed.” 

 

Arabella nods her head in agreement. 

 

Arabella: “And you definitely were, but I wasn’t going to let you just sleep on your own couch. Don’t worry, we barely touched!” 

 

A sigh of relief escaped Mason’s mouth. Though he definitely would not have minded a tryst with Arabella, he knew that it would be something that he would ultimately regret. He wanted to look out for an old friend’s sister, not bone her. 

 

MAV: “That’s really nice to know. Just know, I’m always quite the gentleman! Now, you can stay here as long as you need to. I have to hit the gym, I have a championship that I have to defend against Ricky Rodriguez!” 

 

With a smirk on his face, Mason grabs the gym bag near his door. He knew that the situation that had transpired was awkward, but he knew that Arabella was right about everything. He knew that Sienna Sharpe was only looking out for her intentions, and that he was only a cog in her wheel. Yet, he knew that she was a necessary evil. When we’re young, we learn to keep our friends close… but that enemy even closer. 

 

>>>

 

There was no doubt in my mind that my championship victory would lead to a quick challenge. Ricky Rodriguez had proven himself to be more than worthy of a shot at the championship when Amari was champion. He earned that opportunity, but things changed. Amari decided to vacate, and the higher ups changed course. Now, he’s making a beeline to take what I’ve worked just hard to achieve since entering the company. I can take a loss, but I can’t take losing a dream that I’ve had since I was a young boy. This championship means the world to me, and in more ways than anyone would probably ever know. You can’t replicate the taste of your first bite of something amazing. That transcendent feeling isn’t always brought back. This championship win means the world to me, because it’s the culmination of my childhood dream. Ricky isn’t taking that shit away from me.

 

In quite the departure from his previous settings, the live feed picks up on Mason simply seated on the black leather couch inside of his loft. The usual Armani suit is simply replaced by a white tank top and red athletic shorts. Looking forward, Mason has a smile on his face, another unusual site. After a moment, he lets out a soft chuckle before beginning to speak. 

 

”God, I feel awfully stupid doing this. I never understood the concept of going ‘live’ on the internet to talk about shit. I’ve always rathered my pomp and circumstance when I started talking shit. I always thought that the direct approach such as this was… insignificant. When wrestlers take the internet from their own home, I always thought that there was a lack of presentation to back up their words. Well, much like certain aspects of my philosophy, I’ve started to realize that they just don’t hold up in today’s professional wrestling. It’s definitely not where you do these sessions, it’s all about what you say about the person you’re stepping into the ring with. So, I wanted to try something different. Instead of going forth and giving a rally like I’ve done, I think it is beyond time for me to sit down and talk to you all directly. It’s time for me to take the time to be real with everyone. You see, I think we all grow up with the same idea in our heads. We all have dreams and ambitions of being something on a grand scale. We all have visions of becoming a doctor, an actor, or even the President of the United States. Now, we are not all able to accomplish those dreams, but it doesn’t stop us from wanting to pursue them. Guys, when I was five years old, I decided that I wanted to become a professional wrestler. There was just something gripping about the gladiators that I saw do battle at that young age. Those men became my heroes, and I knew that I wanted to follow in their big footsteps. Now, I didn’t do it automatically, but I’ve done it now. I’ve taken my time, and I’ve found my way to accomplishing my dream. With that dream, came a goal that I wanted to accomplish come hell or high water. I wanted to become a champion. I wanted to etch my name into the record books so no one could ever diminish what I had accomplished. When you’re a kid, you pester your parents to buy those replica championship belts, and run around like you’re hot shit. You want to pretend that you were the man. Well, at Toxic Tag, I became that man. After months of chasing the moment I thought I was denied, I finally became the FNYC Brooklyn Champion. Now, I was not able to beat Amari Kent for the championship, but I was able to prove why I became champion. When he gave up the title, I had to face off against Enforcer and Ricky Rodriguez. At Toxic Tag, I showed that at that moment, I was truly good enough to hold a championship in the most competitive wrestling company in the world.”

 

Mason looks down at the screen for a moment. 

 

”Wow… I did not expect so many of you to wanna watch this, I feel loved! Well, being that I am now a champion in the most competitive companies in the world, I have a target automatically on my back. I haven’t even really had a chance to celebrate this win, without having to come here to speak about facing Ricky Rodriguez. Ricky, you such a valiant opponent. You are a top-tier athlete, and you’re only just getting started. You showed the world on multiple occasions that you have what it takes. You brought us all to our limits in that triple threat match. While you did not win, you obviously impressed the world. I was simply in the right place, at the right time. I was able to pick off Enforcer, and gain the championship. You were able to walk out of that match-up knowing that you were not the person who took the fall. You were not the person who was beaten in the center of the ring. You just simply was the person who just came up a little short. You should take that in stride, because your one on one opportunity comes at Venom. We get to lock horns man to man. You will easily be the toughest opponent that I’ve faced thus far in FIGHT, but I’m ready for it. Ricky, there’s nothing but respect from me to you. You know that I’ve made public statements on Twitter commending you, wishing you luck. I truly believe that you are good enough to be a champion. However, I don’t think it’s going to happen off of my back. You’re good, one of the best in my opinion, but you’re not taking this from me. I scratched and clawed my way up, and I’m not falling back down. I realized that there was something wrong with how I was conducting myself, and I’ve changed it. I’ve shown the real me, and I’m not going back. I’m not going to sit there and call out the flaws that I think you have because it’s not what I always perceived to be right. I’m not going to sit here and diminish you because of your extreme partying, because I can’t. I’m no better. We all enjoy a good time, and we all love to have fun. You’ve proven to me that you are a threat in that ring. You’ve proven that you can take down some big challenges, and that’s more than enough for the world to take you seriously. That’s enough for me to take this seriously. I may have been the better man at Toxic Tag, but that doesn’t mean I’m coming into this overly confident. I’ve been working all week, preparing for you. There has never been a time where I’ve done this much preparation for an opponent. Ricky, you’ve been the only thing on my mind all week. Notice how different this is. There’s no Sienna at my side. There’s no podium, no signs or flags, this is me. Ricky, I am ready for you, and whatever you’re bringing to our match.

 

Mason takes a deep breath to compose his thoughts. 

 

”Ricky, we are going to tear the roof off of FIGHT Tower. We are going to put on a wrestling masterclass. I have no doubts about that, and I don’t think you do either. Just realize, no matter how much I respect you, I’m not going to let you beat me. I’m not going to give up easily. I’ve clawed to get here, I’ll be damned if I reach the promised land only to be dropped back down to reality. Mason Alexander Vanderbilt isn’t waving the white flag, you’re going to have to kill me for me to give this championship up. No matter the level of respect, this is my livelihood on the line. I’ve looked evil in the eye before, I can go to a place that hasn’t been seen if need be. Ricky, you’re not taking this from me, I’d rather die. My respect for you is unwavering, however, I’m not letting you take MY moment. I’ll see you Saturday night, and as cliche as it may be, may the best man win.”

 

A stern expression falls over Mason’s face. He reaches forward, clicking a button on the screen to end his live social media stream.