Moving forward (invite)

[Jacob Stevens]

After Sean, Johnny, and Jacob won their match against Bruiser & Freedom, Jacob walked back to the locker room with his head held high. Now they would be going against each other at Lockup! for a chance at the 4 way ladder match. Jacob was going to give it his all to win at lockup and go on to the ladder match and win that. Only two matches were in his way from being the number 1 contender for the GCW World Championship. He walked up to his locker room door and went in to get some rest before Lockup!

Jacob shut the door behind him and walked to the bench. He started taking off his wrist bands and gloves. When he got them off, he walked over to the sink and looked deeply into the mirror.

Ok, Jacob, it's been two years since you've had a chance like this. You can't let it go to your head, but you can't let it go to waste, either. This is going to be one of the hardest trials since your return and those other two aren't exactly rusty. But you can do this. All of this would be for nothing if you didn't at least try to beat the living shit out of them.

Jacob laughed at himself for that thought. The sight of his opponents laying on the ground with blood running down their faces made him smile that innocent devil's smile he had become accustomed to over the past year. He turned the sink on and leaned over, cupped his hands until the water flowed over the sides, and splashed it in his face. When he straightened back up and looked back in the mirror, someone was standing behind them.

Hey, I didn't even hear you come in, what are you doing here?

[William James]

...behind him was William James.
He was still in his ring gear, coming to the locker room,
shortly after his match with Justin Sane, which was a total loss.

"So, feelin' pretty good about that win, huh, Stevens?
Too bad it took three of you to beat the two of them."

WJ smirks at the last comment, and continues...

"But, I've got to say, look at you now...
teaming with them was probably the smartest thing you could have done.
Set yourself up nicely... now all you have to do is follow thru."

WJ walks over to the bench in the room, and puts a foot on it.

"But, now on to why I'm here...

Before WJ could finish his sentence....

["The Hot Stuff" Johnny Phoenix]

Johnny comes walking in with a bottle of water in his hand. He is still walking around half naked in his wrestling gear. He sees that Jacob is talking with William James who Phoenix has never really personally met. But knows ALOT about him.

Well well now who do we have here? Mr. William James the III. What brings you inside the WINNERS Locker Room? Did you see how we BEAT THAT FUCKER CARSON FREEDOM AND THAT AFROED FREAK JOE BRUISER? They had NOTHING ON US...

Johnny waits for a response from anyone as he takes another bottle of water.

[Jacob Stevens]

What the hell are you doing in my locker room, Phoenix? Just because we won the match doesn't give you the exclusive rights to come in to my, yeah, MY dressing room! You're lucky that we have a match at LockUp! or I'd personally beat the living shit out of you right here and now.

Jacob looks over at William. With a smile, he turns his attention back to Johnny.

And I'm sure James wouldn't mind helping me out if the need arose, Phoenix. So just say anything you have to say right now and get out before I decide to let go of the control.

Jacob looks away and the sledgehammer in the corner catches his eye. It was just sitting there in the corner. It was apparent that it had just been waxed and polished by the gleam on the wooden handle. The temptation built in Jacob's mind.

No, that was a lifetime ago, Jacob, don't let it get to you now.

A thousand thoughts filled Jacob's mind making him think about the past, but then someone in front of him snaps his thoughts back to the present...

["The Hot Stuff" Johnny Phoenix]

Johnny has his head tilted up with the tip of the bottle in his mouth. He paused right there as Jacob screamed at him for no reason at all. Only in Johnny's mind though...Johnny lowers his head and removes the bottle and lowers it to.

You know, you would not be declared a third of the winner of that match if it was not because of me. Get out of your locker room? Well coming to congratulate you on what WAS a good match against 2 people who have done nothing at all. But now I think I'm just going to tell you how it REALLY was. Me and Sean tested you, we tested you in so many ways you would not believe. We thought that maybe you would be a good ally to us down the road. You think that we forgot what you did in VWE? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, we remember EVERYTHING. We have been keeping our eyes on you Jacob. You have balls to go out and call out Joe Bruiser. That takes balls to call out a fan favorite like that. But you did, VWE taught you one thing man. NEVER be afraid....

Johnny waits for a response as he glances over at WJ.

["The Hot Shot" Sean Dravis]

With the last words that Johnny had said, in walks Sean Dravis with a water bottle in hand, still dressed in his wrestling gear with a black decal t-shirt on his torso. He takes a sip of his water bottle and has a smirk on his face as he passes his hand through his hair. Sean then looks over at Jacobs and laughs momentarily before he then begins to speak up for a moment towards him.

“Well, well... If it ain’t the useless piece of trash they threw into the ring with us tonight... How ya’ feeling there Jacobs? I’m sure you’re well rested aren’t ya’? I mean, all of us in here know that you were no help whatsoever to our win here tonight out in that ring... You just stood on the apron and watched us do all the work didn’t ya’?”

Sean looks over at Johnny and nods his head before he takes another sip of the water bottle and throws it over towards the garbage can in the room of Jacobs. He then smirks and he continues to speak up towards him momentarily.

“Who are we kidding Jacobs... we didn’t need you out there tonight, the Hot Shots just proved what we’ve proved in the past... that we are the best tag team in this industry as we speak... And even with a short absence since VWE, we’re back and we’re better than ever and we’re going to prove that on LockUP when we take you out in that triple threat as well haha.”

[William James]

Standing in silence, WJ finally speaks...

"Well, well...Johnny Phoenix... been a long time, man.
I see you've been doing well."

Before WJ could say another word, Dravis comes in, shooting his mouth off.
WJ steps in between Dravis and Stevens, looking at Dravis.

"Take it easy, man. Leave him alone..."

WJ looks to Phoenix...

"I thought you had better taste in partners, Phoenix.
Letting someone like this hanging on your coat tails..."

WJ turn back to Dravis...

"You say you were in VWE?
Funny, I don't remember you at all.

I remember Stevens and Phoenix being there...
but you... not so much.

What where you, part of the road crew of something?"

["The Hot Shot" Sean Dravis]

Sean turns to Phoenix as he raises his eyebrow to what James had just said. He raises it as if to say “Are you serious?” before he turns back to him and shakes his head with a smirk on his face. He then clears his throat and begins to speak up.

“Where were ya’ in the VWE, James? Hiding under a rock or something the whole damn time? Oh that’s right... while Johnny and I were kicking ass and taking names, you were caught down in some dump of a training league clawing your way up to the top. Ever heard of the Hot Shots James? Ever heard of Revolution X, James? If you haven’t you really must’ve been in your own world in the VWE. Maybe if I bring up the Revolutionist, it may turn on a little light in that brain of yours... But I’m all past that now. Freedom is no longer considered my brother, and I’m back to who I REALLY am... Sean Dravis... And don’t you forget it kid. And as for your little partner here... You’d better hope he work up a better game plan on LockUP because Phoenix and I will be one of the ones walking out and heading into that ladder match at the Pay Per View...”

[William James]

WJ thinks of the names Dravis shot out.
'Hot Shots'....no... 'Revolution X'... no...
WJ shakes his head...

"Nope never heard of either of them...
but that was then... this is now.

It matters very little what happened there in my eyes...
You see, I respect VWE to a point...
It's where my career all started...

But, you see, what I don't get?
Maybe you can explain...

All these guys around here, talking about VWE and how 'grand' it was...
well, .....WHERE IS IT NOW?

Nothing but an empty arena sitting in the middle of Ohio.
Really...a waste... if you ask me.

For me, what happened there is all in the past...
I'm contracted by GCW now.

Take THAT how you will..."

WJ knew in his heart how he truly felt about VWE, and all that happened there.
But, with the influx of past VWE 'superstars' showing up in GCW,
the time was fast approaching on deciding what side of the fence you stand on.
WJ looks at Dravis, and continues...

"And, don't think my pal Stevens here is just gonna lay down,
and let either of you walk out the winner.

Sure, he may be at a disadvantage...
but isn't that how all you so-called 'VWE Superstars' work?

Gang up on people until they give in
to what you want them to do?

Just like you did to even get into the postion you are in now.
Three on two... hell, with odds like that, how could you lose?
And now, another 'handicap', of sorts... pathetic.

Let me just let you in on something...
Stevens may not have me in the match with him,
but I'm not gonna be far away.

When he wins this match, I'll be out there soon after to watch his back.
I can already see how you both work, and it won't be happening to Stevens.

Not now, not ever...
You can count on that..."

[Jacob Stevens]

Jacob, who had remained silent this whole time, finally spoke up.

All right, that's enough of this senseless... whatever you want to call it.

Jacob turns to James.

Thanks for your support, and I fully appreciate you willing to back me in what will surely be an after-match brawl. But I have to say that right now, in MY dressing room, I don't think these two will be too prepared to go into LockUp! if they keep talking the shit they're talking.

Jacob could see the smug look on Sean's face from what he just said. The old part of him wanted to take a whack and just walk into a singles match, but he had learned restraint.

What are you smiling at Sean? You've got nothing to be grinning at right now, considering you are still in my locker room, and I know where I hid everything. You'd be doing yourself a service if you just walked out right now and saved face.
You love to talk about the past, so here we go, I spent nearly a year in the actual VWE, and where were you? I noticed Phoenix, and was in WTF with James before we both got called up. Yet, I never saw you once I was in VWE. Now that I think of it, I never even heard your name around the halls and the corridors. How do you explain that? You can't and you know it. So, I have to ask, is GCW just a more promising chance at the fame VWE offered in its last days? You're hypocrisizing everything you've just said to us if you say it isn't because we all know that this is only a refuge for your ego...for now...

Jacob, seemingly satisfied with the new expression on Sean's face, finally turns to Johnny.

No offense to James over there, but you're the one I really wanted to talk to right now. You said that I was a prospect the last time you talked, and I want to know the truth. I want to hear something other than a lie come from that "golden" tongue of yours. Look me in the face and tell me what you and your life-mate over there came into my locker room to do. You sure as hell didn't come in to offer me a spot in the so-called Hot Shots, according to Dravis' remarks over here. So, go ahead, fill my head with the truth of your intentions, although I already know what they were. Tell me so you can hear it come from within yourself. That's what I truly want, you to hear the truth and be disgusted by the sight of yourself afterwards. That's what you deserve right now.

Jacob stared intently into Johnny's eyes, with his arms folded across his chest, waiting for Johnny to betray himself, waiting for the satisfaction that would bring to him...

Waiting to see Johnny turn away in realization of his mistake.....