O Brother, Where Art Thou? {Tribute show Vs Brad}

[Spike Kane]

Camera opens on Spike Kane sat in front of a large XHF Banner, donning an InFamous T-shirt, and a Shitstorm 5 baseball cap.

We’ve been doing this dance for so long, haven’t we Brad?

Since before we even knew, before the dots were connected, we were rivals. Our styles are so different and yet so similar. We were destined to collide, in what this show is proof of more than anything ... .how incredibly small our little corner of the world is.

This show is full of matches that normally would never happen, but the utter respect within this industry that Vodka Fizz, and Steve Awesome bring out of everyone moves boundaries, and petty differences fall apart.

I wish our differences could fall apart. All I ever wanted was someone who had my back, someone who would take my side, and someone who would be there when I needed him.

All I ever wanted was a brother.

Do you know who was a brother to me?

Steve was a brother to me.

For over twenty years we travelled the absolute globe, from federation to federation. We rode the waves, and we’d always end up finding the most stable place to be, and more times than not? We carried the federations on our shoulders. We were BANG! Bros. We were GUNS! We were InFamous! We were The Empire….We were Overdrive.

Steve was a constant in not just my career, but my life. My bogey opponent, someone until right near the end of my IWF career, I’d never actually beaten one on one. In over twenty years…

Can you imagine that Brad? Being unable to beat someone no matter what you do.

It seems fate is not without a sense of irony, you see I gained my freedom by fulfilling my contract. I did what I came back to do, I won the X*Crown Championship. The one championship I’d never been able to capture, despite several attempts. Then my first defence rocks up, who is it?

End of Days Winner; Steve Awesome.

For the first time since I came back, I had a choice to make. The choice I’ve been presented with so many times in my career. I have the top prize, and now everyone wants it. I’ve been stabbed in the back so many times in my past. By AJ Phoenix, by MGK, by Kevin Hardaway, by Davey Ortega, by YOU.

When presented with that scenario, I’ve often been proactive, rather than reactive. I tend to go a bit too far and burn some bridges. Maybe even end some careers, like I did to Falcon, remember that douche Vertigo Dirtmurder? I’ve turned on almost everyone in my career, for fear of being backstabbed myself.

But not this time.

You see….everyone thinks the BANG! Bros are a joke, that we were just a bunch of old timers living off past legacies. Despite the fact that the group combined has been the most dominant group in Network history - Steve himself playing a huge part in that. So much so that Call to Arms had to go away.

Because nobody could stop us.

That is what I expected from you Brad.

I expected you to be there. I expected you to actually give a shit, y’know? I don’t exactly have a good barometer of what a family should be, neither do you, but I know a good family ain’t this.

Shit man, which bitch am I talking to when I speak to Freya?

I don’t even remember anymore.

You’ve always hated me because I’ve been more successful than you, and it eats you alive that you can’t deny it. The facts speak for themselves, the accolades that are written into the history books for all time, they tell the truth. It’s why we do this, it’s why we choose this business. To leave a mark, to leave something behind. A legacy. Whether it’s matches that blow peoples minds, championship victories that cannot be denied, or moments of complete and utter shock….it all comes together, and you cannot for one second deny, that the only reason anyone gives a flying fuck about the family name Kane…

Is because it belongs to Spike.

He takes a few moments to collect himself, the past couple of months seem to have drained so much from Spike, but he takes a deep breath, refocuses, and goes again.

I’ve had to deal with a whole list of worms crawling out from the dirt once I got just the right level of fame. You know, second cousins, from the other branch of the family completely, supposedly illegitimate children out the wazoo. We’ve had Brad Kane, we’ve had Jake Kane, we had Christian Kane - wanker almost beat me for the nCw World Heavyweight Title. Then we’ve got two Freya’s, fuck knows how many kids you’ve got running around now, Chris at least has his head screwed on. I know Dawn and Warren are still going, I guess. They could give two shits about me, so why should I bother?

I did my time.

The thing is, out of all of them Brad? Even myself?

You ARE the best wrestler.

By fucking far.

I’ve never denied that you know? Not once, you can go back and watch the tapes. I’ve always sung your praises. Fuck, I joined the disaster that was Age of the Revolution and what it became because it was YOUR brain child. I’d been to war with Lance, I knew if he was on your side, it was a worthy cause.

Hey, I never said I wasn’t wrong, at times.

The thing is to be a professional wrestler it takes a little bit more than just being good on the mat, or flipping about in the ring. You have to adapt with the times, you have to be able to speak on the microphone, and you have to be able to tell a story that the audience cares about, rather than cringing while they’re watching it on TV with their family.

The biggest difference between you and me Brad, is that you think everything should be handed to you. Like you’re owed it for your effort over the years. Do you know what I did? I went and earned everything I’ve ever achieved. For years, I wrestled more than anyone else, I put in the work, and I did the long miles. I worked my way into the lore of every federation I ever spent time in, so that I could become undeniable. I did it in XHF, I did it in nCw, and I did it in IWF.

Then I came back here and did it again.

It’s not because I’m better than you. I never have been. It’s because I have been willing to put in the time. To work week after week, show after show, learning from every encounter. Getting myself that TV time, so that my name is the one on everyone’s lips, and when I claw my way to the top, there’s not a person that could deny I deserve it. Whereas you, well, you tend to try…and sometimes you really try, but when you fall short….

Well, you split.

And we pick up the mess left behind.

I wish you could have the belief in yourself that I’ve had in you over the years. I wish you didn’t listen to that voice inside your head that tells you the whole world is against you. Yeah man, I get it, this is shark infested waters, but not everyone is out to get you. As I mentioned earlier with the BANG! Bros. We didn’t go looking for fights, we didn’t go attacking people, we didn’t throw our weight around. We answered challenges, and we entered official tournaments. The rest of the time, we got shit done however we needed to, whether that was off all in singles competition, or different combinations of tag teams. There are people out there who will have your back, will give you the support you don’t even know you need.

All you gotta do is reach out.

So you know what Brad?

I think it’s fitting that instead of going out trying to out violence each other, trying to prove we’re the most extreme, or the most psychotic, or whatever macho bullshit has driven us over the years. We’ll do it right. We’ll go out, the way it should have been. For, as much as I may bitch about the Kane Legacy mostly made up of my coat tails, well, there actually IS a Kane Legacy.

So we’ll go out and actually wrestle.

May the best man win.