Mariah (1994)

[Rick Majors]

"I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby, all I want for Christmas
Is you"

The holiday season is upon us. The world is filled with cheer. There's a giant tree at city hall and every shopping mall is filled with frantic shoppers and kids who want to meet Santa. It's a special time. A time for joy. A time where, collectively, we decide to work together to make the longest, coldest, and darkest nights of the year some of the warmest and brightest.

We all have different beliefs. We all have our own traditions. The holiday season means something unique to each of us. For some people, it's a religious experience. For others, it's about gifts. A lot of the time it's about rituals and traditions and feeling like you belong. Many people use this time to see friends and family members, to catch up on each other's busy lives, to reminisce about the past, to show those who matter how much they love them. In whatever way you do it, however you celebrate, this is a special time of year for most of us.

It's traditionally filled with love and kindness and caring. It's a celebration and a warm embrace all at once.

But who will Rick Majors embrace?

There are so many stories and songs written about this time of year, and a lot of them have a common theme: "I don't want presents, I don't need riches, I just want to be around those I love and those who love me." 

Rick Majors doesn't have anyone who fits that description. He wishes he did. Wanting to belong is a very human emotion. Wanting to be loved is natural. And he is alone. It hurts.

Sure, he has his mother and, yes, technically him and Kelly are friends again, but those relationships are strained at best. The year he spent as Seromine's lackey hurt what was already fractured. And he hasn't made it any better since returning. He doesn't call his mother. What would he say? "Hi Mom, I sat quietly in my apartment for the entire day, then I watched some video to prepare for the wrestling match I'm having soon. I'm nearly 50 years old and I bleed on national TV for a living. How are you?"

It's embarrassing.

Sure, his mother would love to hear from him and, sure, she's getting older, but he still can't bring himself to call her. It seems like they only speak to one another in times of tragedy now. That relationship has slipped through his fingers and he's done nothing to try to catch it. Kelly has her own life, of course. She has no interest in hearing from him either.  Why would she?

And so he sits. Silent in his apartment. Watching video of Texas Tim to prepare for his next match. Texas Tim. There's a guy who certainly shouldn't be here. But he is. He's gone from being a warm body used to fill a spot on the card to the number one contender for the Genesis Title. Rick Majors doesn't know whether to attribute that to Tim's skill and desire or to the small roster that PCW has right now. Maybe it's both. Maybe it doesn't matter. Texas Tim is the challenger.

Tim is going to be inspired at Collision Course. This is the biggest shot of his career. Rick Majors? He's going to do what he always does. He'll cling to whatever he can get his hands on. He'll desperately attach himself to any relevance he can reach. He'll fight his heart out and leave it all in the ring because that's all he knows how to do. The Genesis Title is all he has. He's not giving it up.

And that's what it's come to. While others sing that all they want for Christmas is their boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse, all he wants is to continue to hold this belt. That's his only wish this year. That's what he wants to see under the tree. A piece of metal. A piece of metal that didn't even exist a year ago. It's sad but true. He craves it. He treasures it. He needs it desperately.

Texas Tim can't take it. He can't ruin Christmas. Rick Majors won't let him. This is all he needs... more than you could ever know.