Post by Dontevius Ellis on Apr 5, 2016 2:23:51 GMT -5
The bright lights of the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort shine into the night. A clean-cut man in a fine suit stands just outside the four star hotel. He seems to be waiting for someone as he scans the area around the hotel in anticipation. On cue, a large, black Lincoln Navigator pulls up to the hotel entrance. The valet, who had been standing off to the side, leaps into action and approaches the vehicle. The driver’s side door swings open as former wide receiver Dontevius Ellis steps out onto the pavement. He tosses the keys to the approaching valet.
“One scratch and I’ll have ya ass,” he comments to the valet with a smirk.
“Jesus, D. Are you serious?” the suited man remarks as he approaches the young athlete.
“Benton,” Dontevius bursts out in greeting. “My man!”
Dontevius and Benton clap their hands together before pulling each other in for a pat on the back, simulating a brief hug. Benton, however, doesn’t look entirely pleased.
“What’s that?”
“Twenty-fifteen Lincoln Navigator. Slick, right?”
“Expensive is the word I’d use,” Benton grumbles as his narrow gaze targets the Navigator. “How exactly are you affording that?”
“Boosters, man,” Dontevius answers. “C’mon man. Don’t act like you ain’t familiar.”
“Oh, I’m familiar,” Benton quickly replied. “Probably a big reason we couldn’t get you into the combine or any pre-draft workouts.”
“It’s all good though, right? You got me,” Dontevius adds. “That’s why we’re here in beautiful Myrtle Beach.”
“That it is,” Benton acknowledges with his first smile. “Now you’ll be able to afford the gas for that hog with legit cashflow.”
“Dollars, baby!” Dontevius shouted in response. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Listen, D,” Benton begins. “You’ve got to be serious about this shot. Sure, it’s not football, but we’ve been training. We’ve been getting you ready for a moment like this. I’ve done a phenomenal job keeping this out of the public eye. Your workout for Pure Class Wrestling turned heads. They’re ready to offer a substantial amount relative to this business to see what you can do. You can do this. Your conditioning is top notch. You’ve been sparring with some of the best trainers in this industry. You’ve got to make this--”
“Calm down,” Dontevius interjects, placing a hand on Benton’s back in reassurance. “I know what we’ve done. I was there, remember?”
“Right,” Benton says as he begins making a conscious effort to slow his breathing. “You’re right. Right now, it’s about securing those dollars.”
“Now you’re speaking my language,” Dontevious beams at Benton. “C’mon. That contract ain’t gonna sign itself, now is it?”
The two men walk into the front doors to conduct their business.
Two glasses of champagne clink high above. Cheering fills the air. Benton Ryan and Dontevius Ellis smile at one another as they each sip from their respective glasses. Benton Ryan steps back up to the podium.
“With this signing, Dontevius joins the wrestling industry in what should be an illustrious career! With his athleticism, he should transcend this business and change the game far beyond what anyone has done before. Many former athletes of other sports have attempted to wrestle and failed. Dontevius? He will succeed… No, he will prosper where few have before him! Tomorrow, the road truly begins. Tonight however, we celebrate!”
Cheers once again reverberate off of the walls of the conference center as all in attendance hoot, holler and applaud the eloquent speech. Benton steps back from the podium as he also applauds Dontevius Ellis. Dontevius stands and bows low to the crowd as well as his agent. Benton Ryan walks over and sits beside Dontevius at the table.
“So here’s what I’m thinking. There’s a tournament getting ready to kick off, the Icemann Invitational Tournament. PCW officials have already told me they’d like to put you in this tournament. It’s a great opportunity to get your name out there. Six people have won this prestigious tournament before and only one has won it more than once. Even the World Championship has changed hands more than that over the same period of time. Imagine if you could win--”
“Chill, bro,” Dontevius interrupts. “All in good time. I ain’t gotta be in this tournament for people to take notice. No need to rush into anything just yet. If they want me in this thing, they’ll put me in this thing. If they don’t? Well, I guess they’ll just regret it, huh? I ain’t gettin’ started at Trauma 190 but I will very soon. Tonight, you just head home, pop a xanax, cue up the Netflix and just… Chill.”
“Strike while the iron’s hot,” Benton stressed. “That’s important. Opportunities like this don’t come around every day. The tournament starts this coming week. If you don’t want to be booked, that’s fine. I’ll let them know. But you can’t keep passing up opportunities because it’s more convenient to do so. No, no,” Benton says as Dontevius starts to interrupt him again, “don’t worry. Consider the matter dropped. You do what you feel is best for you and you keep me in the loop on what that is. I’ll convey it to them and we’ll see what happens. Just do me a favor.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Do big things.”
“Always, homie,” Dontevius agreed. “Always.”
The two clasped hands and patted backs one last time before proceeding with the night’s celebration.
“One scratch and I’ll have ya ass,” he comments to the valet with a smirk.
“Jesus, D. Are you serious?” the suited man remarks as he approaches the young athlete.
“Benton,” Dontevius bursts out in greeting. “My man!”
Dontevius and Benton clap their hands together before pulling each other in for a pat on the back, simulating a brief hug. Benton, however, doesn’t look entirely pleased.
“What’s that?”
“Twenty-fifteen Lincoln Navigator. Slick, right?”
“Expensive is the word I’d use,” Benton grumbles as his narrow gaze targets the Navigator. “How exactly are you affording that?”
“Boosters, man,” Dontevius answers. “C’mon man. Don’t act like you ain’t familiar.”
“Oh, I’m familiar,” Benton quickly replied. “Probably a big reason we couldn’t get you into the combine or any pre-draft workouts.”
“It’s all good though, right? You got me,” Dontevius adds. “That’s why we’re here in beautiful Myrtle Beach.”
“That it is,” Benton acknowledges with his first smile. “Now you’ll be able to afford the gas for that hog with legit cashflow.”
“Dollars, baby!” Dontevius shouted in response. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Listen, D,” Benton begins. “You’ve got to be serious about this shot. Sure, it’s not football, but we’ve been training. We’ve been getting you ready for a moment like this. I’ve done a phenomenal job keeping this out of the public eye. Your workout for Pure Class Wrestling turned heads. They’re ready to offer a substantial amount relative to this business to see what you can do. You can do this. Your conditioning is top notch. You’ve been sparring with some of the best trainers in this industry. You’ve got to make this--”
“Calm down,” Dontevius interjects, placing a hand on Benton’s back in reassurance. “I know what we’ve done. I was there, remember?”
“Right,” Benton says as he begins making a conscious effort to slow his breathing. “You’re right. Right now, it’s about securing those dollars.”
“Now you’re speaking my language,” Dontevious beams at Benton. “C’mon. That contract ain’t gonna sign itself, now is it?”
The two men walk into the front doors to conduct their business.
<------------------------>
A Little While Later…
<------------------------>
Two glasses of champagne clink high above. Cheering fills the air. Benton Ryan and Dontevius Ellis smile at one another as they each sip from their respective glasses. Benton Ryan steps back up to the podium.
“With this signing, Dontevius joins the wrestling industry in what should be an illustrious career! With his athleticism, he should transcend this business and change the game far beyond what anyone has done before. Many former athletes of other sports have attempted to wrestle and failed. Dontevius? He will succeed… No, he will prosper where few have before him! Tomorrow, the road truly begins. Tonight however, we celebrate!”
Cheers once again reverberate off of the walls of the conference center as all in attendance hoot, holler and applaud the eloquent speech. Benton steps back from the podium as he also applauds Dontevius Ellis. Dontevius stands and bows low to the crowd as well as his agent. Benton Ryan walks over and sits beside Dontevius at the table.
“So here’s what I’m thinking. There’s a tournament getting ready to kick off, the Icemann Invitational Tournament. PCW officials have already told me they’d like to put you in this tournament. It’s a great opportunity to get your name out there. Six people have won this prestigious tournament before and only one has won it more than once. Even the World Championship has changed hands more than that over the same period of time. Imagine if you could win--”
“Chill, bro,” Dontevius interrupts. “All in good time. I ain’t gotta be in this tournament for people to take notice. No need to rush into anything just yet. If they want me in this thing, they’ll put me in this thing. If they don’t? Well, I guess they’ll just regret it, huh? I ain’t gettin’ started at Trauma 190 but I will very soon. Tonight, you just head home, pop a xanax, cue up the Netflix and just… Chill.”
“Strike while the iron’s hot,” Benton stressed. “That’s important. Opportunities like this don’t come around every day. The tournament starts this coming week. If you don’t want to be booked, that’s fine. I’ll let them know. But you can’t keep passing up opportunities because it’s more convenient to do so. No, no,” Benton says as Dontevius starts to interrupt him again, “don’t worry. Consider the matter dropped. You do what you feel is best for you and you keep me in the loop on what that is. I’ll convey it to them and we’ll see what happens. Just do me a favor.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Do big things.”
“Always, homie,” Dontevius agreed. “Always.”
The two clasped hands and patted backs one last time before proceeding with the night’s celebration.
