Post by Steele on Oct 25, 2018 16:07:14 GMT -5
APRIL 3rd, 2011
We flash-forward almost two years from where we left off with Richard - well, "Jackson Steele" as he was now known.
The plucky young porn star had found his groove in the business, though unfortunately for him that groove just so happened to be the crack of another man's ass. He wanted more, he knew he was worth more. This wasn't what he signed up to do. Absolutely not.
Jackson: Marty? Marty, I know you're there. Pick up the damn phone!
Jackson barked at producer Marty's answering machine.
Jackson: I know you can hear me, Marty. You can't avoid me forever!
He heard a sudden click and Marty's voice came back at him down the line.
Marty: Kid, what's the matter? I ain't avoiding you, I been out outta the office.
Jackson could hear Marty moving round his office, the sound of him moving things around on his desk, taking off his jacket. Marty was either telling the truth or putting on an act - even two years into their professional relationship, Jackson still couldn't tell.
Jackson: Whatever, man. Look, has anything come up yet?
Marty: Ugh. This again?
Jackson: Yeah, this again. I'm not gonna stop until I get what I want. We both know that I'm not gonna be doing this forever, Marty. Some time or another you're gonna have to put me into the normal stuff. I'm already the top star in gay porn!
Marty: Not even close.
Jackson: Well you wait. I will be.
Marty: You told me three years.
Jackson: Yeah, well it looks like I'm gonna beat my own forecast.
Marty: Listen, kid. Like I told you, you ain't gonna make nearly as much doing the straight gigs as you do right now.
Jackson: That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
Marty sighed.
Marty: Alright, look. Let me level with ya. You're making me too much money for me to let you go right now. Nobody that side of the biz is gonna lay out the kinda money you command for a booking, the guys ain't the stars over there. And I can't let you go for peanuts because I - we - can make so much more with you doing gay-for-pay!
Jackson: So that's how it is, is it? You're gonna hold me back so you can get rich off of my work. That's great, Marty, real nice of you. I can make you even richer if you give me a shot at the straight stuff.
Marty: I don't disagree with you kid just... not now, ok?
Jackson was silent for a moment, then he hit Marty with an ultimatum.
Jackson: Then I'll walk.
Marty: You've got a no-compete clause in your contract! If you walk out now, you won't be able to get work anywhere!
Jackson: I'll wait it out. Someone'll hire me eventually. I started at the bottom once, I can do it again. This time NOT in gay-for-pay. You might not think I'm as famous as I do but I've got a name now. The money doesn't matter to me, I'm not a fucking {Mongo Edit: Nah we don't say that anymore}. I know how to save for a rainy day - there's a reason you don't see me buying sports cars and big houses, I don't need to compensate for anything. You've seen first-hand.
Jackson could hear Marty groan on the other end of the phone.
Marty: Goddammit. Alright kid, meet me in the middle. It's gonna mean doing a double-shoot on the same day though, you think you're up to that?
Jackson: Are you kidding me? Maybe you haven't seen my movies after all. Alright, I'm listening. What's your offer?
Marty: So I got this one shoot coming up, a threesome. But lucky you - there's a girl involved this time. Just the one, though. It's a bi flick.
Jackson: Good enough for me.
Marty: Great, kid. Don't get cocky - I'm gonna be monitoring this one very closely. I want you to get more than your wood up, I need to see numbers. We both know you're popular with the gay crowd so this is your big chance to impress those who might be a little bit... how should we say, on the fence. If you can get some good reactions outta the girl then maybe - MAYBE - I'll think about putting you in more of those.
Jackson: If I can get- Jesus, come on. Give me some credit!
Marty: Could be harder than you think, kid. She's notoriously hard to please for real. She's a good faker, but I want to see something real from her. If you can pull that off, a real fucking orgasm from this bitch, then I'll cave.
Jackson: Challenge accepted. What's her name?
Marty: Stacey Lane.
Jackson's mind flashed back two years to his chance meeting with a girl in a bar.
Jackson: eXXXstacy?
Marty: That's the one, yeah. You know her?
Jackson: No, I bumped into her once but...
Marty: Well, good luck kid. Don't fuck this up - I ain't gonna hand you anything. This is your chance - now take it.
JANUARY 18th, 2016
eXXXstacy: What do you mean you want to become a wrestler?
Jackson: Come on babe, you know that's always been my passion!
eXXXstacy: I thought porn was your passion!?
Jackson: That too! But... I've done everything - and everyone - there is to do!
eXXXstacy: So you're going to become a wrestler?
Jackson: What's wrong with that?
eXXXstacy: Well... nothing, I guess but... it just seems so left-field.
Jackson: You don't think I can do it?
eXXXstacy: No, I... I think you can. But is it really the best career move? You've already got everything you could want, Jackson. Do you really need to go out every night and get beaten up in front of people for money you don't need?
Jackson: Who says I'm gonna be getting beaten up? I do intend to win my matches, you know!
eXXXstacy: Well obviously, but I don't think you get the option of not getting hurt in that line of work...
Jackson: Please. This coming from the woman who stepped on my balls in stilettos on multiple occasions...
She held up her hands in defeat.
eXXXstacy: Alright. Not gonna argue. I know how bull-headed you are when you get an idea in that brain of yours. You just don't quit.
Jackson: Damn straight. That's what got me where I am today. If I'd let Marty have his way, I'd probably still be fucking dudes right now. But the point is, I didn't. I stuck to my guns and kept pushing to get where I wanted to be.
eXXXstacy: Well, I can't deny you that.
Jackson: So anyway, I've found myself a school-
eXXXstacy: What, already?
Jackson: I'm always one step ahead! It's called-
FEBRUARY 4th, 2016
eXXXstacy: "Harry The Hammer Hansen's Hammer House Of Horrors?" That's a bit of a mouthful...
Jackson: Not the first time I've heard that one...
eXXXstacy: Shut up. Are you sure this is the right place? Or are we about to be horrifically dismembered?
Jackson: Only one way to find out.
They stood outside of a solid-looking steel door down a back alley in Rochester, New York. Jackson rapped at the door and a prison-style hatch slid across to reveal an aged yet piercing pair of eyes.
Harry Hansen: You the new guy?
Jackson nodded. The hatch suddenly slid back into position and the door began to make loud clunking noises as the locks were disengaged. As the door swung open, it revealed a short but stocky old man with a shock of white hair and a jaw the size of Belgium.
Harry Hansen: Get yer ass in here.
He set off down a dimly-lit corridor, and eXXXstacy turned to Jackson.
eXXXstacy: Yeah, we're gonna get dismembered.
Jackson: By him? Ha.
TEN MINUTES LATER
Jackson: MY AAAAAAAAARMS! MY LEEEEEEEGGGGGGG! AAAAAAGHHHHHGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
Harry had Jackson face down on the mat, one leg bent back so he was almost standing on his own head, his arms wrenched back almost popping out of their sockets.
Harry Hansen: D'ya say 'uncle'?
Jackson: Uncle! UNCLE!
Harry Hansen: I can't hear ya, you fucking pansy!
Jackson: UNCLE! JESUS, MAKE IT STOP!
eXXXstacy grimaced and held up a "time out" sign to Harry, who acquiesced and let Jackson out of the hold. He flopped to the mat, the blood rushing back into his extremities as Harry paced around the ring, barely even breaking a sweat.
Harry Hansen: I gotta give it to ya, scrub, you're pretty damn flexible.
Jackson: Uh... thanks? I guess.
eXXXstacy: Is it... always gonna be like that?
Harry Hansen: Only until he stops being a fucking pussy millennial.
Jackson: Pussy? I ain't no pussy!
Harry Hansen: Oh I'm sorry, musta been someone else screaming like a little girl then!
Jackson: I haven't even warmed up yet! You went to shake my hand and then next thing I know I'm in that fucking... whatever it was!
Harry Hansen: That's pro wrestling, scrub! Always expect the unexpected!
Jackson: But it's my first lesson!
Harry Hansen: And it'll be yer last if you ain't man enough to take a whuppin!
eXXXstacy: Oh no...
Jackson: Man enough? You think I'm not man enough?
Harry Hansen: You sure didn't sound man enough! You sounded like someone kicked one a them Chipmunks in the nuts!
Jackson: Chipmunk? You old fucking-
Jackson lunged at Harry, who quickly and expertly took him down with an arm drag and then applied the very same hold that he'd had Jackson in just moments before.
This time, though, Jackson tried to ball himself up, make himself harder to stretch. It didn't work, of course, but he gave Harry a harder time putting on the hold.
Jackson: OK! Ok! I give!
Harry Hansen: You give? What are ya? Are you a man or a chipmunk? Think careful now, wouldn't wanna break one of these arms of yours!
Jackson: A chipmunk! I'm a chipmunk!
Harry laughed and let Jackson out of the hold again, and he rolled out of the ring towards eXXXstacy.
eXXXstacy: Do you wanna go?
Jackson shook his head.
Jackson: No.
Harry Hansen: What's the matter, kid? Gotta get your boo-boo kissed?
Jackson seethed, and slid back into the ring. He went after Harry again - and this time he made sure to strike first, trying to use Harry's own hold against him!
It didn't go so well... Harry reversed the move and slammed Jackson down to the mat. He grabbed one of Jackson's arms and twisted it painfully backwards, immobilizing him.
Jackson: Alright! Aright! You win!
Harry pushed Jackson away and walked over to the corner of the ring.
Harry Hansen: Pah. Guess you don't want it as much as you thought you did.
Jackson sat on the mat and looked up at Harry in confusion.
Jackson: I came back at you, didn't I? Twice.
Harry Hansen: You did, scrub. And you lost.
Jackson: Well what the fuck did you expect? I'm a rookie!
Harry Hansen: Not even close.
Jackson: I literally have no idea how to counter what you're doing to me, Harry. That's... kinda the whole point of why I came here.
Harry Hansen: I just don't think you can take it.
Jackson pulled himself up using the ropes, he looked groggy and in pain, but he stood mostly under his own power.
Jackson: Can anyone? You're insane!
Harry Hansen: I breed tough fighters.
Jackson: I just took a beating off of you without even getting warmed up and I'm standing aren't I?
Harry turned and looked at Jackson.
Harry Hansen: Gotta say, you look like you got a resilient streak in you. And truth be told, you did put up something of a fight against my submissions, even if you fight like a bitch. Alright, scrub. I'm willing to give you a chance. But I gotta warn you, it won't be easy. I preach tough love here. You're gonna get stretched. A lot.
Jackson: Been there, done that...
Harry Hansen: You're gonna get beaten. A lot. Sometimes there'll be more than one guy beating you.
Jackson: Been there too...
Harry Hansen: Most of the time, you're gonna take a real good dicking.
Jackson: You know, I get the picture.
Harry Hansen: Alright. So long as you know it's not gonna be easy. I don't give handouts here. You ain't owed shit, scrub. You want something, you gotta take it.
Jackson: Don't you worry about me. I made a pretty good career out of taking it. When I put my mind to something, I achieve it, Harry. Mark my words - three years from now I'm gonna be making it big.
JUNE 17th, 2017
Jackson: Harry, it's Jackson.
Harry Hansen: Who?
Jackson: What do you mean who? Jackson Steele! Your student! I literally spent a year and a half training with you!
Harry Hansen: Oh that Jackson. Sorry kid, you don't know how overused that name is in wrestling.
Jackson: Well I'm keeping it! That's what people know me as, I ain't shooting myself in the foot by becoming "The Trash Man" or some shit like that!
Harry Hansen: Well good because that name sucks even more than yours does right now.
Jackson: Thanks for the vote of confidence. Anyway, you remember back when I first came to your gym and I told you that I was gonna make it big? Well guess what, I just made it big! I signed with AWF!
There was a pause.
Harry Hansen: Who?
Jackson: Goddammit Harry, do you know anything about the world of wrestling outside your little bubble? They just started up in the XHF Network and bought out Kingdom Wrestling Federation!
Harry Hansen: I.... I never heard of any of those things, kid. Sorry.
Jackson: Jesus, Harry. Anyway... I just wanted to say thanks. It was your "tough love" that got me here. You gave me the tools I needed to get myself noticed, and AWF have taken a big gamble on me.
Harry Hansen: It's what I do best, kid.
Jackson: You told me, if I want something then I gotta take it. I intend to take it, Harry. I promised Felix Ziko-
Harry Hansen: Who?
Jackson: Come on! Felix Ziko, he's the boss there! I promised him when I signed, I said; "Felix, this time next year, I'll be your champion!"
OCTOBER 25th, 2018
"Hmm. Can't get them all right, I guess. Still, when I told Ziko that a year from signing I would be AWF Champion... well, I was technically right. I won my first AWF Title within two months, then my second before my first year was out. My actual 'one year anniversary' with the company I wasn't champion any more, and I was on my way across the Atlantic... but I made sure to take the physical AWF Title belt with me to AXW! Ha!"
"Actually... I probably shouldn't have done that. I've burned a lot of bridges this year."
We catch up with Steele as he walks down the street of a small suburb of Dublin, Ireland. He's in Ireland a few days early for the End Of Days PPV event in order to try and clear his mind and hit the gym with ample time to prepare without the hassle of a long transatlantic flight from his main Toronto home so close to the show.
He looks down to the ground as his headphones blast rock music directly into his ears, as he desperately tries to pumps himself up.
It's not working.
"This isn't the first time in my life that I've thought about giving up. Not by a long shot. But it's the first time in a long while that I haven't had somebody around to convince me otherwise."
Jackson turns the corner and follows the pavement as he heads back towards his hotel. As he approaches the lodging, he sees two teenagers hanging around outside.
Teen #1: Hey there he is, look...
The kids run up to Jackson.
Teen #2: Hey, 'scuse me mister, can we get-
Jackson: Why don't you-
Jackson's inner monologue kicked in.
"Hold up. These kids haven't done anything to you, why does your first response have to be 'fuck off'? Stop thinking you're Mr. Big shot. Maybe when you were a porn star. Maybe when you were in AWF. So what? This ain't porn, and this ain't AWF. Face it - your acting career is going nowhere because your heart's not in it. You kicked the one person who you cared about to the curb to pursue this stupid half-thought-out pipe dream and now you're lashing out at the world because for once in your life, things aren't going your way."
"Grow the fuck up, man."
Jackson: Uh, sorry. I'd be glad to sign something for you.
The kids hand him a notebook each and he opens to a blank page, asking their names and writing them each a personalized message.
Nothing dirty, mind. They're kids after all.
Jackson: So, uh, it looked like you were waiting for me?
They nodded.
Jackson: I tried to lie pretty low this time round. How did you know I was here?
Teen #2: Found out on the internet. Looks like somebody leaked it-
Teen #1: It wasn't us!
Teen #2: No, it wasn't us, mister! But we thought we'd come and see if we could find you here!
Jackson lifted his head to see who else might have turned up having read about him online. There wasn't another soul around.
Jackson: I guess for once I'm thankful that I'm not as popular as I used to be...
Teen #2: I don't get that. You're ace!
Teen #1: We're pulling for you on Sunday, by the way.
Jackson: Thanks, I could do with feeling like somebody's behind me these days!
Teen #2: Ah, you've got the X-Crown in the bag!
Jackson: Between you and me, guys, I dunno how likely that is right now. I've spent the last few months expecting things to just... fall into my lap, I guess. Because 'Jackson Steele always comes first!'
Teen #1: But it's your time, man! You came so close in the last match, you've gotta win it this time!
Jackson: Here's hoping, but I've got a lot of homework to do first. I know I've got no chance if I just walk in there expecting to walk out as champion. That's the whole reason I fell short last time round.
Teen #2: You don't think you can do it?
Jackson: Don't get me wrong guys, I know I can do it. But this match is between the best of the best, and that fucking bitch Ember Ferrari. Jack Diamond's a two-time Champion for a start. That's nothing to sniff at. You can't write off someone like Jack - but you can beat him. And I've beaten him before. The others - I've not been in the ring with. I've had a run-in with Price and I owe him a kicking, but I know he's gonna be a tough one to crack.
Jackson: Raiden Ishimori, Charlie Velez and... Abdul Jafar or whatever his name is, they're all new to me. I can't afford to take any of them lightly. They're all in this match because they're the best their respective feds have to offer and I'm going to treat them as such. Even Ember. As much as I wanna rip his or her throat out right now, I'm going to go in there and make sure that I can out-wrestle him. Or her.
Teen #1: You know it's... weird... when you're not speaking like, in-character.
Jackson: I'm just telling it like it is. The character I've been building for myself recently has been holding me back. I know I've got every right to be confident but I was just becoming... a dick, really. My ego was getting out of control, and I didn't have...
Teen #2: eXXXstacy?
Jackson sighed.
Jackson: Yeah. As much as I didn't want to accept it, she was the one that held me together through the first few months of my career. I couldn't have done any of it without her and now I've got to just man up and accept that I have to go this alone. As God is my witness, I swear that I'm going to win her back.
Teen #2: She won't come back to you?
Jackson: I've called her, she won't pick up. I've left her messages trying to explain myself. But I think that ship has sailed.
Teen #1: That sucks, man. Hey, I'll be your manager!
Jackson: Thanks for the offer, but I don't think the Annihilation Complex is a safe place for someone your age...
Jackson gave the kid a friendly slap on the back, and sent them on their way with their autographs. He was tired. It had been a long day in the gym, and it was going to be long night pporing over videos of his upcoming opponents.
He'd never been one for pro-active research, but she'd forced him to study before some of his biggest title matches and it had paid dividends. Jackson figured that if he was o stand a chance of winning on Sunday, he would need to go back to the drawing board and follow her example.
He made his way up the hotel steps and into the lobby, the girl behind the desk giving him a knowing smile as he trudged to the lift and hit the button for his floor.
Fishing his key card out of his pocket he reached for the door lock - only to notice that the door was already unlocked.
"Shit, did I forget to-"
He pushed the door open, expecting to find his room ransacked. What he saw made his jaw drop open with shock.
Someone was waiting for him, sitting on his bed.
She smiled.
eXXXstacy: I'm probably going to regret this but... you've got one chance. Don't expect anything else to come to you by dumb luck. You have to go out there and take it.