A Calm Before the Stormm - Eight
May 21, 2018 15:09:15 GMT -5
Stace Matthews and The Anarchist like this
Post by Stormm on May 21, 2018 15:09:15 GMT -5
Delta Airlines flight two ninety-seven from Kansas City to Greenville took off from MCI around 7:45 that morning. Justin and Lindsay Michaels were supposed to be in their usual spots in first class, but a mixup by the airline had them overbooking first class while economy still had a dozen or so seats available.
While several executives and other couples fought over why they deserved to keep their place aboard, the Michaels, with sincere apologies from Delta and a free flight in their future, willingly switched seats.
The happily married couple were no strangers to economy, in fact, they chose to fly that way from time to time, to try and keep their heads out of the clouds, no pun intended. That is, when not flying privately on the Havoc Entertainment jet, but with Justin’s friend and business partner officially taking over as CEO of the worldwide corporation, they’ve been letting Brian use it more so lately, and are back to public transportation.
From takeoff to landing, the flight usually lasted just shy of two and a half hours, and the couple would normally spend it in slumber. Despite the stress that Justin has been under the last couple of months, both personally and professionally, and being pinned in the fatal four-way two weeks prior at Trauma, he and Lindsay were in high spirits that day. The attention they were receiving from the small handful of people that recognized them was not at all unwelcomed.
With empty seats left on the plane, several of those around where Justin and Lindsay were seated, it gave plenty of opportunity for those wanting to take pictures or speak with them. Of those taking advantage of being in close quarters with the Michaels, most knew of Stormm through PCW, especially given where the flight they were all on was headed. However, there was one couple who had been following Stormm, as well as anyone with the name Matthews since clear back in the InterAction Wrestling Federation days.
It was very apparent that Justin and Lindsay getting together was kind of a perfect storm, okay that one might have been more deliberate, from a fandom standpoint, but they took to the “power couple” very early on in the flight. When the initial smoke cleared with the other dozen or so people getting their selfies and getting back to their seats, the personal interview began.
After brief introductions, Melissa and Jackson, who are natives of Spartanburg and were on Missouri visiting relatives, proceeded to question every aspect of Stormm’s career. He spent most of the flight talking about his time in Japan and the indies, before signing his contract with Lindsay’s father and the IAWF, the point in which the Ryan’s became aware of the star, and began to follow him.
Lindsay was not safe either, as she was met with a barrage of questions about her father and brother, and if she’d ever considered getting back into “the biz” in a large capacity than just managing Stormm.
“I’ve tried on several occasions to get her to run Action Wrestling, you know, Havoc Entertainment’s flagship promotion, but she doesn’t seem to think she’s qualified.”
“He’s just being nice. My dad ran promotions for years, and I watched him struggle to keep his marriage together, and ultimately, being on the road got him killed. I’ve watched Johnny try his hand at filling Daddy’s shoes too, and all it’s done is drive him to drugs and alcohol, and if he’s not careful, we’ll be putting him in the ground next to my parents.”
“What about Lonestar? The old Matthews brand has been brought back to life and seems to be doing well down in Texas right now.”
“Stace is running that, and I’m not sure if that’s going to fix their estranged marriage or break it further.”
Lindsay had been aggravated at her brother and sister-in-law for a month or two now, and not even Justin was one hundred percent on why. If it had something to do with their rocky marriage, or if Stace promoting Lonestar Championship Wrestling down south, and asking Justin a favor in appearing on the opening show was the reason. Regardless, it was a hot topic, and knowing his wife, knew when to change the subject.
Which brought the Carolina couple to finally start asking about Pure Class Wrestling. They’d been watching it since Luis Malave opened the doors all those years ago, and stumbled through how excited they were to see the Force of Nature show up on the roster just a couple years later, after working with Luis in the IWL.
They discussed Stormm’s early struggles in PCW, his first title win, winning the Icemann Invitational, the hiatuses the company went through before coming back strong in 2011, and eventually to the first and last time Stormm won the World title back in that same year.
“Do I ever think I’ll hold it again? That’s hard to say for certain, I mean, if I’m being honest with everyone here. It was a near impossible task the first time, and even with a smaller roster these days, it’s not going to be any easier.”
“Don’t be so modest babe, you’ve been a perennial contender in a lot of the Icemann Invitationals for the last several years, and have two of the longest North American title reigns in the company’s history since you held the title last, there’s no doubt you’ll be World Champion again soon!”
“She’s not only my wife, mother of my children, and manager, she’s also my biggest fan, folks.”
Taking things one step at a time had worked really well for the Force of Nature since returning from injury and legal battles last year, even if his character didn’t always seem like the “one step at a time” type, it’s how he’d been battling himself since then.
Of course, Lindsay would do whatever she could to support the man she chose to spend her life with. Even that biggest fan bit wasn’t far off, as she had been a fan of his wrestling style and his mentality while inside of the squared circle. He was, even to that day, one of the most determined, resilient, and technical wrestlers she’d ever seen, that anyone has seen even. Almost 20 years of Stormm from a guy who only wrestled for 2 years in high school, and at most, had 6 months of professional training before jumping into a ring in Japan at just 19 years of age.
Nevertheless, Pure Class Wrestling at almost forty was a whole different monster, and with an absent partner in crime and instigator to get Stormm back inside a PCW ring, it seemed he was back at it alone once more.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine Gabriel has forgotten that I took the North American title from him last year, nor will it be lost on him that beating me later this week would be another time Seromine and his followers have prevented me from getting close to a World title.”
“You’ve been held back from competing in the main event for far too long. It was a fun stipulation at first, but the only people your old contract was hurting were the ones trying to make money off of you in the first place. Now look at the company, it might as well have been on it’s last leg before you and my brother resigned with them, and it’s starting to flourish again, but…”
“But I’m stuck holding a mid-careder’s title? It’s honestly a little more than just that. I may be a little condescending with carrying the inactive International title along with it and all, but at least they didn’t try sticking me back in the Underground again. Seriously though, beating Gabriel on Thursday, and hopefully getting to face Seromine in the semis at Living a Legacy in a couple of weeks, especially after what he pulled on Trauma two weeks ago.”
It would be the icing on the cake that his return needed, and sprinkle on anything on top of that with whoever he would get to face and try to beat in the finals that same night. Kyle Shane could joke, make light of all the competitors with fake betting, and be like every other apathetic, young piece of shit in the world today all he wanted, but if Stormm won the invitational, there would be redemption. No more belt stealing. No more name calling, from his end anyway, and no more false promises.
There would only be an ass kicking worthy of nobody other than Kyle Shane waiting for him. A whoopin’ that only a future World Champion would be capable of dishing out.
But first, Gabriel.
“We’ve had our moments inside of the ring together, and if he’s out there on his own, I have no doubt that I can beat him again. But with the Willards and their lemmings prancing about, who knows what to expect. I know Lindsay could hold her own if need be, but I’d rather not put her in that position, and with Johnny being off only thinking about himself, we’ll just have to see what odds I’m up against.”
“It’s just a surprise to me that more people on the roster haven’t gotten as fed up with those two as much as the rest of us have.”
“Not everyone is brave enough to speak for themselves, or fight against more than who they are booked against. But I’m not worried, it’s been Stormm versus the world for years, so why should 2018 be any different?”
While the condition of the flight were different than usual, it seemed to go as quickly as it normally does, even considering Justin and Lindsay sleep most of the time. The conversation was nice, and there’s always room for Stormm fans when Justin is out and about. They have made him just as much as he made himself.
As everyone began to unbuckle their seatbelts as the plane rolled to a stop at the terminal, remembering where everyone who stopped by on the flight were actually sitting, the duo were quick to their feet and handed each one of them tickets to Trauma later that week, and thanked them for being fans, not just of the Force of Nature, but of the sport, and not being afraid to admit it, like some had become.
Letting everyone out of the cabin before them, Justin and Lindsay grabbed their carry-ons and exited the plane, hand in hand, luggage rolling behind them.
It was going to be one hell of a week, they could already tell.
While several executives and other couples fought over why they deserved to keep their place aboard, the Michaels, with sincere apologies from Delta and a free flight in their future, willingly switched seats.
The happily married couple were no strangers to economy, in fact, they chose to fly that way from time to time, to try and keep their heads out of the clouds, no pun intended. That is, when not flying privately on the Havoc Entertainment jet, but with Justin’s friend and business partner officially taking over as CEO of the worldwide corporation, they’ve been letting Brian use it more so lately, and are back to public transportation.
From takeoff to landing, the flight usually lasted just shy of two and a half hours, and the couple would normally spend it in slumber. Despite the stress that Justin has been under the last couple of months, both personally and professionally, and being pinned in the fatal four-way two weeks prior at Trauma, he and Lindsay were in high spirits that day. The attention they were receiving from the small handful of people that recognized them was not at all unwelcomed.
With empty seats left on the plane, several of those around where Justin and Lindsay were seated, it gave plenty of opportunity for those wanting to take pictures or speak with them. Of those taking advantage of being in close quarters with the Michaels, most knew of Stormm through PCW, especially given where the flight they were all on was headed. However, there was one couple who had been following Stormm, as well as anyone with the name Matthews since clear back in the InterAction Wrestling Federation days.
It was very apparent that Justin and Lindsay getting together was kind of a perfect storm, okay that one might have been more deliberate, from a fandom standpoint, but they took to the “power couple” very early on in the flight. When the initial smoke cleared with the other dozen or so people getting their selfies and getting back to their seats, the personal interview began.
After brief introductions, Melissa and Jackson, who are natives of Spartanburg and were on Missouri visiting relatives, proceeded to question every aspect of Stormm’s career. He spent most of the flight talking about his time in Japan and the indies, before signing his contract with Lindsay’s father and the IAWF, the point in which the Ryan’s became aware of the star, and began to follow him.
Lindsay was not safe either, as she was met with a barrage of questions about her father and brother, and if she’d ever considered getting back into “the biz” in a large capacity than just managing Stormm.
“I’ve tried on several occasions to get her to run Action Wrestling, you know, Havoc Entertainment’s flagship promotion, but she doesn’t seem to think she’s qualified.”
“He’s just being nice. My dad ran promotions for years, and I watched him struggle to keep his marriage together, and ultimately, being on the road got him killed. I’ve watched Johnny try his hand at filling Daddy’s shoes too, and all it’s done is drive him to drugs and alcohol, and if he’s not careful, we’ll be putting him in the ground next to my parents.”
“What about Lonestar? The old Matthews brand has been brought back to life and seems to be doing well down in Texas right now.”
“Stace is running that, and I’m not sure if that’s going to fix their estranged marriage or break it further.”
Lindsay had been aggravated at her brother and sister-in-law for a month or two now, and not even Justin was one hundred percent on why. If it had something to do with their rocky marriage, or if Stace promoting Lonestar Championship Wrestling down south, and asking Justin a favor in appearing on the opening show was the reason. Regardless, it was a hot topic, and knowing his wife, knew when to change the subject.
Which brought the Carolina couple to finally start asking about Pure Class Wrestling. They’d been watching it since Luis Malave opened the doors all those years ago, and stumbled through how excited they were to see the Force of Nature show up on the roster just a couple years later, after working with Luis in the IWL.
They discussed Stormm’s early struggles in PCW, his first title win, winning the Icemann Invitational, the hiatuses the company went through before coming back strong in 2011, and eventually to the first and last time Stormm won the World title back in that same year.
“Do I ever think I’ll hold it again? That’s hard to say for certain, I mean, if I’m being honest with everyone here. It was a near impossible task the first time, and even with a smaller roster these days, it’s not going to be any easier.”
“Don’t be so modest babe, you’ve been a perennial contender in a lot of the Icemann Invitationals for the last several years, and have two of the longest North American title reigns in the company’s history since you held the title last, there’s no doubt you’ll be World Champion again soon!”
“She’s not only my wife, mother of my children, and manager, she’s also my biggest fan, folks.”
Taking things one step at a time had worked really well for the Force of Nature since returning from injury and legal battles last year, even if his character didn’t always seem like the “one step at a time” type, it’s how he’d been battling himself since then.
Of course, Lindsay would do whatever she could to support the man she chose to spend her life with. Even that biggest fan bit wasn’t far off, as she had been a fan of his wrestling style and his mentality while inside of the squared circle. He was, even to that day, one of the most determined, resilient, and technical wrestlers she’d ever seen, that anyone has seen even. Almost 20 years of Stormm from a guy who only wrestled for 2 years in high school, and at most, had 6 months of professional training before jumping into a ring in Japan at just 19 years of age.
Nevertheless, Pure Class Wrestling at almost forty was a whole different monster, and with an absent partner in crime and instigator to get Stormm back inside a PCW ring, it seemed he was back at it alone once more.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine Gabriel has forgotten that I took the North American title from him last year, nor will it be lost on him that beating me later this week would be another time Seromine and his followers have prevented me from getting close to a World title.”
“You’ve been held back from competing in the main event for far too long. It was a fun stipulation at first, but the only people your old contract was hurting were the ones trying to make money off of you in the first place. Now look at the company, it might as well have been on it’s last leg before you and my brother resigned with them, and it’s starting to flourish again, but…”
“But I’m stuck holding a mid-careder’s title? It’s honestly a little more than just that. I may be a little condescending with carrying the inactive International title along with it and all, but at least they didn’t try sticking me back in the Underground again. Seriously though, beating Gabriel on Thursday, and hopefully getting to face Seromine in the semis at Living a Legacy in a couple of weeks, especially after what he pulled on Trauma two weeks ago.”
It would be the icing on the cake that his return needed, and sprinkle on anything on top of that with whoever he would get to face and try to beat in the finals that same night. Kyle Shane could joke, make light of all the competitors with fake betting, and be like every other apathetic, young piece of shit in the world today all he wanted, but if Stormm won the invitational, there would be redemption. No more belt stealing. No more name calling, from his end anyway, and no more false promises.
There would only be an ass kicking worthy of nobody other than Kyle Shane waiting for him. A whoopin’ that only a future World Champion would be capable of dishing out.
But first, Gabriel.
“We’ve had our moments inside of the ring together, and if he’s out there on his own, I have no doubt that I can beat him again. But with the Willards and their lemmings prancing about, who knows what to expect. I know Lindsay could hold her own if need be, but I’d rather not put her in that position, and with Johnny being off only thinking about himself, we’ll just have to see what odds I’m up against.”
“It’s just a surprise to me that more people on the roster haven’t gotten as fed up with those two as much as the rest of us have.”
“Not everyone is brave enough to speak for themselves, or fight against more than who they are booked against. But I’m not worried, it’s been Stormm versus the world for years, so why should 2018 be any different?”
While the condition of the flight were different than usual, it seemed to go as quickly as it normally does, even considering Justin and Lindsay sleep most of the time. The conversation was nice, and there’s always room for Stormm fans when Justin is out and about. They have made him just as much as he made himself.
As everyone began to unbuckle their seatbelts as the plane rolled to a stop at the terminal, remembering where everyone who stopped by on the flight were actually sitting, the duo were quick to their feet and handed each one of them tickets to Trauma later that week, and thanked them for being fans, not just of the Force of Nature, but of the sport, and not being afraid to admit it, like some had become.
Letting everyone out of the cabin before them, Justin and Lindsay grabbed their carry-ons and exited the plane, hand in hand, luggage rolling behind them.
It was going to be one hell of a week, they could already tell.
