"Transcending Victory." | #1 of 2

Dread. Utter dread. The kind you wake up from at night, drenched in sweat.

Not because Bryan had absolutely no clue what his father wanted, Bryan was more terrified of what his fiancée would do when she saw the old man. The two hadn’t had the best first impression of each other, not since the Atlantic City incident almost two months ago. Bryan had been able to keep the two apart, but his father’s constant interest of meeting Tate again proved to be too much. There was going to be a sit down, and Bryan could do absolutely nothing about it.

The diner bell caught his attention, Bryan looking up from the table to see the old man’s face. Weathered from years of hard field work, he had been gone for most of Bryan’s childhood. The old man would pop up every now and then, holidays and birthdays, but it never felt like he was there. Bryan had taken his Mother’s looks, the only thing keeping them linked together was name. Tate gripped his hand, the two watching like hawks as the old man made his way towards their table. He sat down, giving her a smile. Bryan was surprised to see Tate look away, she was already trying to calm herself down. Years of being overseas had heightened her ‘fight or flight’ reaction, she was definitely being tested now.

Bryan took the coffee cup in front of him, opting to take a sip rather than say anything. The old man looked around, possibly in search for another waitress.

Mr. Williams: “Would be nice to get some service here, maybe.”

Bryan: “You’ve been here for five whole seconds, calm down.”

The old man looked over, surprised to hear his son speak up so soon. Bryan reluctantly put down the coffee cup, his hands coming up onto the table as he folded them together.

Mr. Williams: “So ...how have you been? How was that fight thing you were getting ready for?”

Bryan laughed, the old man hardly took an interest in what he did. Professionally, or for habit, either way he usually had some negative comment to go along with it. His opinions had weighed heavily on Bryan for many years, he could only handle so much.

Bryan sneered at his father, scoffing at the comment.

Bryan: “You got something you need from us? I’d like to get this over with ...quickly.”

Bryan’s bright blue eyes cut right through the old man, confidence that he had never seen from his son before. Maybe the tipping point had already happened, maybe the old man finally lost his edge. He cleared his throat as he nodded.

Mr. Williams: “Okay, that’s fair. You are a busy man after all, signing with wrestling companies left and right. Must be nice to have that kind of free time, to be able to do whatever you want. EOW, was it?”

The old man smiled, Bryan’s face pulling into a quizzical look. Tate bit her lip, trying to keep herself from speaking up.

Bryan: “How did you know about that?”

Mr. Williams: “Oh, come on son … I think you would know me better than that! Twenty-five years in field operations, you learn a lot of things. Priority one is keeping tabs, it was all over social media anyway.”

The old man grinned, Bryan hadn’t figured him to be one that enjoyed “social media” too much. The two went quiet as a waiter finally arrived. The old man ordered coffee, black without sugar. It didn’t take long for the drink to arrive, and soon enough he was speaking again.

Mr. Williams: “Bryan, I’m going to need you to catch onto something real quickly. I’m here now, in Boston, and I’m going to be around. You’re just going to have to accept that, you and your fi-”

Bryan: “Don’t.”

Bryan was quick to cut him off, mainly because he knew where this was going. Tate continued to look away, staring a hole right through the diner window. The old man just smiled, he already knew the right buttons to press.

Bryan: “What do you want? Why did you want to meet with us? We have lives, we both have things we need to do. I can’t be worrying about meetings like this, I don’t need you popping up whenever you feel like it.”

The grin was gone from the old man’s face, his voice becoming an authoritative whisper as he leaned forward.

Mr. Williams: “Do I need to remind you the troubles I have saved you both from? The favors I had to get done were astronomical, you wouldn’t believe the amount of strings I had to pull. Something like that requires cash, a whole lot of it. Normally I’d just take you out and bury you somewhere by now. Seeing as how you’re my own son though ...I’m willing to give you a chance. I know how much this quote unquote wrestling stuff brings in for you. Shouldn’t take you too long to get me the money I need.”

The old man sat back, smiling as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips. Bryan was still trying to process what his own father had just told him. Tate, now looking at the old man, finally speaks.

Tate: “You are the biggest piece of shit I have ever met.”

The old man just winked, raising his cup towards her. It took all of Bryan’s strength to keep her back, as she tried to lunge towards him. This wasn’t the first time that Bryan and his father had caused a scene in this same diner. The old man laughed as Bryan escorted Tate outside. He watched, still drinking his coffee, as the two argued. A nearby garbage can gets kicked over, Tate storming towards their vehicle.

Soon enough Bryan walks back into the diner, still heated over everything. He doesn’t bother to sit down, standing there as he looms over the old man.

Mr. Williams: “So ...do we have an understanding?”

Bryan: “I do this, and you leave my life for good. You hear me?”

The old man just smiles, setting down his cup as he scoots out of the booth. Bryan backs up slightly, almost forgetting his father is about two inches taller than him. The man looks about sixty, but somehow still overshadows Bryan.

Bryan: “Stay away.”

Mr. Williams: “Twenty-five thousand.”

Bryan: “What?”

The old man chuckles.

Mr. Williams: “You were always so dense. Twenty-five thousand dollars, that’s the first payment. I’ll contact you when it’s time.”

He smiles, patting his son on the right shoulder as he walks towards the door. Almost like he’s forgetting something the man stops, walking back towards his son. He leans in close, as he whispers again.

Mr. Williams: “If that cunt of yours ever threatens me again, you won’t have to worry about planning a wedding. Get me my money, I’m not fucking around here.”

With that he leaves Bryan with a smile, and another pat on the shoulder. The man walks out the diner, leaving Bryan stuck in a whirlwind of confusion.


Victory.

An act of defeating an opponent in competition, game or battle. When you’re in this business long enough you start to take certain things for granted. What were big milestones at the beginning of your career suddenly just turn into everyday things. I remember when I first started, when I first got into this business, I couldn’t wait to get my first win. I was a young kid and I thought that was the path to greatness. A road lined with victories over numerous opponents, respect and wealth would follow somebody like that.

I was wrong, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why. I learned that being an actual competitor, somebody that people would pay to see was the biggest reward. Sure, the victories would come and they did. It was the losses that told me a better story, showed me the bigger picture. When you can take a step back and reflect on yourself you start to see things. You see the imperfections, the mistakes that you made and errors that befell you. Learning about myself quickly became my greatest tool, my most powerful weapon. I could go back and see the things I needed to change, the work that I needed to put in to become better.

So I did all of this and I kept growing, I keep pushing forward until wins and losses didn’t matter anymore. I learned more from a hard fought battle than any quick win would ever teach me. I became a guy that people wanted to see in the ring. They knew about my work ethic, they knew the kind of quality I would bring into the ring each time I stepped into it. I didn’t complain, I didn’t bitch and moan when it wasn’t my turn. I kept pushing myself, I kept grabbing for opportunities. Doing all of that brought the victories, it brought the championships and glory that everyone desperately searches for. It made me better in almost every way, it put me miles ahead of anyone around me. I didn’t need to chase the glory, because it was always there with me.

Signing with Boardwalk Wrestling was a step to bring that back, I wanted that to come back to my life. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be back in that upper echelon of talent, after being away for three years. That’s a long time to be away from this business, things change so quickly. With that amount of time gone you start to remember things, like what it was like when you first started. You remember the things you took for granted, the things that used to come naturally. It was rough, but I stuck with it. One year later and here I am, signing with Epic Online Wrestling. I’m still going strong in 4CW as well, proof positive that I did what I set out to accomplish. I made it back to this business, and I stuck around. I put myself back into the top with the best in this game, and I’m hanging in.

It’s only natural that I would sign with Victory, a brand that represents the amount of success I look to put out. The ambitions are there, Valentina Lemay seeks to do the same things I do. She wants success of the highest degree, talent of the best caliber. I signed my name on that contract to give her exactly what she wanted, and now I will get to show you all. When that first episode of Victory rolls around you might expect to see a lot of trying. Talent that will be looking to make a name for themselves. I’m not here to try, I don’t need to make a name for myself.

I did that years, and years ago. You see when I signed with this brand people already knew what was coming. You hear the name Bryan Williams and you know exactly what you’re going to get. You’re going to get the absolute best, and that’s exactly what I will be. Seven other people will be scrapping all night, trying to get that first bite of success. They want the win, they crave that validation for their own career. I’m not looking to be second place, I don’t need a consolation prize at the end of the night. Let the losers fight and brawl for the Internet title, because I’m gunning for the top.

The championship series is exactly the way to show off Bryan Williams to the rest of that locker room. I qualify and move onto the next round, fighting to become the Ultimate champion. I know what you’re thinking - “Bryan, it’s a lethal lottery situation. How on Earth could you possibly even begin to have an idea on who you’re facing?”

Fair point, because there are seven others just as hungry as I am. I know that we only have one shot to get a good impression, and I know they’ll be trying their best. Unfortunately, that’s just not good enough. Trying your best isn’t the same as being the best. I know, I’ve spent a long enough time in this business to figure out the difference. So you could be like Mysti Savage and put on a good front. At the end of the day we all know where she’s ending up. I don’t need to look at these names to know that I am better. I don’t need to stand here for twenty hours and explain why, either. I don’t need to read down an extraordinarily long list as I describe each and every other competitor.

I will show you.

I will prove to you all exactly the kind of man that I am. That’s one of his word, because I speak the truth. What I say to each and every one of you is backed up, with action. I get in that ring, and I will make a believer out of all of you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Matthew Page or Jack Owyns. Connor Jacobs, can watch from the back as I advance onto the next round. Felix Hartley can go and figure out what outfit to set up next, she’s about to have a lot of free time to do that after this show. Jason Kaine, Finn Whelan … these are all names of people who will eventually figure out the hard way about me.

So come and watch, experience it all for yourselves first hand. Bryan Williams has arrived to Epic Online Wrestling, in a fantastic way. Victories will come, and soon enough I will be standing here as your Ultimate champion.

Count on it.