PWP 5: The Gold Rush - Flex Johnson vs. Robert Saints

Scene One
“Well, it’s over.

“Not, not my wrestling career. I was referring to my time in Insurgency. I know that there are many rumors floating around. Some of them are true, but most of them are false. Let’s looks at some of the false ones shall we.

1. “Flex is old and washed up. He finally decided to hang up his boots.”

Pssh―hardly. Although, I bet a bunch of wrestlers wish that this was the case. I’m like fine wine; I get better with time.

2. “Flex got AIDS or some other disease.”

Another false claim. I’ve never taken drugs, Mya is the only girl for me, and even in the ring I try to stay away from blood. But, I understand where people are coming from with this rumor. Many wrestlers careers have been cut short by disease.

3. “Maybe Flex got injured.”

Actually, all things considered, I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel good; my bad knee hasn’t given my problems in about two years.

And lastly:

4. “Flex got fired!”

I guess I’ll clear this up once and for all; I was not fired from Insurgency.I’ll be open and honest. A few months ago I received from wonderful news. As most of you all know, I’ve been engaged to Mya Laynes for the past year or so. Well, very soon we will have a new addition to our family.

When I found out that I was going to have a daughter, I started to think. I started to think about my career, about my life. You got to understand, Insurgency is a large company; sure you make a load of money, but there are a lot of obligations that go along with your job. There are charity events, press conferences, interviews, house shows―the list goes on and on. This stressful on the wrestler, but it’s even more stressful on a family.

I’m we have all heard the stories before. Wrestler A is the best in the land; he travels and fights all over the world. Everything seems perfect. But at home, his wife is a mess; she is ready to leave. Wrestler A’s children feel neglected; the only time they really get to see their dad is on TV.

What kind of a man does that make you?

That’s not what I want for my child. Therefore, I asked Insurgency to restructure my contract. that’s why you all saw me end up on commentary; Tim Patrick likes to take credit for that decision, but he really happen nothing to do with it. Doing commentary was cool; I enjoyed it. But to be honest, it wasn’t much different than being on the main roster.

The commentary contract was short-term; it was basically to see if I liked the position. And I did like the position. In the end, however, I choose to do what I thought was best for my family. So, I fulfilled my last match obligation.

Now I’m a free agent.

I’ll be honest―it’s a strange feeling. Ha, I’ve always been signed to a big company, whether it was UECW, PWSi, XDF, or what ever. I was always able to jump to another big spot whenever I wanted. And don’t get me wrong, I still can.

But I’m not.

For all intents and purposes, you could consider me an indie wrestler at the moment. I’m going to continue to wrestle once a month here in PWP. I’m supposed to be in this huge memorial show in February. And, I’m in talks with WARPED about doing a couple of shows. But as far as signing on a dotted line, as far as being tied down...there’s no more of that.

Aint nobody got time for that!

But although I’m not tied down, I consider PWP my home.

Why shouldn’t I?

I helped establish PWP; I helped build PWP!


Scene Two
“Flex,” said Mya. “Did you get that tea that I asked for.”

A few moments later Flex walked into the living room. He kisses Mya and hands Mya a bottle of tea.

“Is that the right kind?”

“Let’s see,” said Mya. She looks down at the bottle. “Yay! you got the right kind this time. Thank you so much.”

“Phew,” said Flex. He took a seat on the couch next to Mya. A few days ago Flex had been sent out to get some tea; he came back with the wrong kind and got in trouble.

Mya leaned over and gave Flex a kiss.

“I’m sorry babe. I know I’ve been a burden on you lately. I’m sor…”

“It’s ok dear,” said Flex. “It was my fault last time for not paying enough attention.”

“No, it’s all on me,” said Mya. “You’ve been very patient with me; I know I’ve been a hand full.”

Flex smirked.

“Just a little bit. But I’ll get a chance to relax soon enough.”

Mya nodded her head.

“Hmm, babe, when is your next show?”

“PWP is next.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re going for the title there! Babe I’m sorry, I’ve been eating into your training time!”

Flex laughed a bit before he leaned over give her kiss on the forehead.

“Babe, everything is alright. I’ve be training at night time, over at that 24/7 gym. Everything is fine, I promise.”


Scene Three
“So, what’s going on Flex?” asked Riley Owens. Flex slightly turned his laptop so that he could see Riley clearly over Skype.

“No much homie,” said Flex. “How you doing over there in Japan? Everything working out?”

“Everything is going well. I’m getting a bit sad though. I only signed a short-term contract for Sh!taki. I think I’ve only got one more match left.”

“Hmm,” said Flex. “I mean, if it’s something you really want to pursue, then go talk to the heads.”

“I mean, I’m not sure. Japan is alright; I love the style here. And, the fans seem to like me and everything.

“But, I don’t speak the language. I tried a couple of times―big time fail.”

“They didn’t give you a translator or anything?”

“For like one day. The translator got me to the hotel, then she left. If the hotel wasn’t right next to the arena, I’d be in big trouble.”

“I see,” said Flex. “Yeah, that language barrier can be tough. Hmm, I mean, there are some other international companies out there. There’s a few in the UK that are doing big things, maybe you can reach out to them.”

“Yeah, that’s a could I idea,” said Riley. “Thanks.”

“That’s what mentors are for,” said Flex with a slight laugh.

“So, I heard you’ve got a match coming up?”

“Yeah, something like that. It’s more of a tournament type thing. And if I win it all then I’ll capture the PWP title.”

“That’s awesome. That place is pretty sweet. I’ve been dying to get back there, but I just haven’t had the time.

“So, are you ready for it?”

“Meh,” said Flex. “I guess so.”

“Hmm, you don’t sound like it.”

“Man, there’s a lot of shit about this whole thing that rubs me the wrong way. I was on the first PWP card. I was on there in the beginning; I’m not saying that I deserve a shot at the title because of that, but it’s something to take into consideration. But, I mean come on. Look at some of the people in this tournament. They have seen set foot in PWP. Hell, they NEVER would have set foot in the company if it wasn’t for a title shot.

“They are the kind of wrestlers that I hate!

“Yo, I understand that everyone wants to become a champion; all that shit is well and good. But if you are going to come into a company, it should be because you want to be part of the company. You should join because you want to see the company grow, and because you want to have a different stage to exhibit your craft.

“And, let’s not forget half of the people in this match are bums anyway. I mean, take Savannah for example. She struggled and fought to become a tag team champion in IWF. Yeah, that’s cool. And then her boyfriend pulled strings to get her into high profile matches. Case in point, her boyfriend set up a match with Gordon Fury, and if she won that match, she was supposed to get a title shot. Yeah, fuck the number one contender at the time, she was just going to jump ahead…

“But I guess it doesn’t matter, cause she got her ass kicked.

“Then there is that Peyton Von Licht character. Shh, I’m I supposed to take him seriously? He just joined Inferno had has done what...nothing.”

“Yeah. Well hey look at it this way, now you’ll get a chance to right the wrongs and really bring the fight to those people.”

“Indeed.”

“Well, Flex, I have to go. I need to start my training for the day. I’ll catch you later ok?”

“Yes sir, peace.”


Scene Four
Champions…

What does it mean to be a champion?

I’ve been wrestling for eight years now; I know what it means to be a champion. But let’s be honest, some of the people in this tournament don’t know what it means to be a champion. They associate being a champ with money and fame.

Or, they think simply holding a belt makes you a champion…

But that’s so far from the truth.

What does being a champion mean to you Robert Saints?

If I had to guess, you’re one of those people who think holding a belt makes you champion. You see Robert, no one knows who you are. Twitter can’t tell me who you are; my friends in the business don’t know shit about you. So, that tells me something; that tells me that you are just one of those people who joined PWP because you wanted a title shot.

And because of that, I can’t stand you!

And I can’t stand others like you, but I’m going to address them in a few short moments.

But back to you, Mr. Saints. I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for you because I’m the one that is going to crush your dreams of being a champion. I’m going to be the one to kick your ass straight out of PWP. But, it’s kind of fitting. Let’s be honest kid, this place aint for you. PWP doesn't NEED you Robert, because you don’t give a shit about this company. You don’t care about helping this company grow…

...You, simply want a belt.

…

I’d like to ask everyone in this tournament one simple question…

Why do you wrestle?

I don’t think that’s a hard, or an unfair question.

You see, people wrestle for various different reasons. Some people were forced into wrestling; this happens a lot with second and third generation stars. Hell, their hearts may not even be in wrestling, but they HAVE to do it, because their mother or father did it.

Similarly, you’ve got people were were talking into wrestling. Many times, these people were on completely different career paths, but someone pulled them into the Business. We all know these type of people; they are the body-builders, they are the ex-pro wrestlers. More often than not, these people fizzle out of the business. Sometimes it’s because they don’t put in the hard work; they underestimate the work it takes to become a wrestler. But, even more often, they just don’t have a love or respect of the business.

Then there are the fame seekers. These kind of wrestlers don’t give two shits about the business. To them, wrestling is just a launching-pad, a catalyst that will lend them enough credibility to what their hearts really desire.

And lastly, there are people like me.

You want to know why I wrestle? I wrestle because I love this Business; I always have. I’ve been in love with wrestling since the first time I saw it on TV. As a young child I told myself that I was going to become a wrestler; I was going to grow up and do what I loved. I was proud of wrestling, and I began to tell others about it.

That’s when shit hit the fan.

That’s when my friends started telling me that I was dumb; they told me that my dream, that my love of wrestling was foolish. That’s when family started coming down hard on me. My family told me that I should simply focus on school and focus on getting a “real job,” whatever that is. That’s when teachers and counselors started bumping their gums. They told me that the chance of me becoming successful was very low.

Everyone told me that my love of wrestling was absurd.

Everyone told me I was dumb for following my dream, for following my passions.

The only person who truly believed in me was my mom.
But you know what, everything turned out fine. All those people who doubted me, all those people who told me to my face that I was making the biggest mistake of my life―they ALL had to eat their words!

You all can say what you want about my, but the simple fact is I’ve become a legend in this business. It took eight long, grueling years to reach the level that I’m on now. It took eight years of hard work, eight years of dedication.

But look at me now!

I didn’t just wrestle a few matches and then wash out of the Business. No, I made an impact!

You know, during my third stint in UECW, I had the current champion, Vincent Palmer approach me. Palmer is a brother, not unlike myself; he was a hard working wrestler. He and didn’t get along too terribly well, you know how egos can get. But, he did say something that I’ll never forget. You see, in our first encounter Vincent thanked me. Before I had joined the company, UECW had been in existence about three or four years. A number of names had gone on to become champions in the company. But, as is the usual in wrestling, all those names were white.

Most of you all aren’t going to understand this, but it’s cool. But, as a black male existing in a predominantly white business, you face a lot of adversity. People judge you, not based your wrestling ability, but on your skin color. I respect the all the legends of UECW: Alex Dillinger, Lionheart, Shane Michaels. But you know what, I had to work ten times harder than them, just to be on their level!

But I’m digressing, Vincent thanked me. He thanked me for paving a way for him. You see, I was the first Black champion in UECW; not only that, I was a TRUE champion. I wore that belt with pride, I represented the company proudly.

I opened the door for black people in that company. But that fact had never dawned on me until Vincent brought it up.

Ladies and gentlemen, THAT is leaving an impact!

Above all the frame, the gold, and everything else, I wanted to leave an impact. I loved wrestling so much that I wanted to contribute something great to it.

That’s what it means to be a champion, a TRUE champion!

But, that’s what bugs me about this about this whole tournament. You see, ALL of yall were wrestling when PWP was formed. Some of yall were in Insurgency, some were in PDW, some of yall were in smaller indie feds. PWP opened it’s door to every single wrestler on the planet; and yet, only a few showed up.

I was one of them.

I saw PWP as a great opportunity. I came onto the scene in UECW and helped raise its stock. When PWSi was formed I joined there, and helped the company establish a brand name. So, when I heard about PWP, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to help PWP grow; I wanted to help the company become a giant powerhouse!

Truth be told, I didn’t give a fuck about a title belt.

I LOVE wrestling, and that’s why I joined PWP.

But some of yall...shit, yall don’t love this business. Hell, most of yall don’t even love this company; yall don’t want to see the company grow. The ONLY reason you are here is because a title belt is one the line. And after this event is over, 90 percent won’t ever wrestle in a PWP ring again.

What a fucking disgrace!

Yup, it’s a fucking disgrace that you all came out of the wood-works like roaches, just for a title belt.

And if you are offended by that statement―good, because you should be. I know I’m offended that you all are here.

Yeah, I’m talking about people like Sylar Drake. Yeah, I’ve heard about you homie; you’re supposed to be the shit huh? Most people here won’t know about you, but I watch UK wrestling. For a little while you were a big deal over in Pro Wrestling FRONTIER. But if I recall correctly, you never really one the big matches did you? The fact of the matter is, you couldn’t cut it! So, you left the company.

And now you’re here as part of your “rebirth.”

Sylar, you fucked up, plain and simple. And you are trying to redeem yourself by winning the PWP championship. But, if you think I’m just going to sit on the sideline while you waltz in, then you are gravely mistaken.

I’m out of fucks to give son. I don’t care about your resurgence or your “rebirth.” Tonight, you are going to fail. You are going to fail, just like you did over in FRONTIER. And this time, when you walk away, maybe you will stay there for good.

Oh, hey Peyton Von Licht...don’t think I’ve forgotten about you homie. You are the vato that has been stinking it up over in Inferno. Yeah, my boy Josh Anderson informed me about you kid. What the fuck do you think you are doing here son.

Your balls aint even dropped yet, and you think have what it takes to be a champion here in PWP?

Yeah right.

Then there is Savannah, my ex co-worker. We all know your story love. You came into Insurgency and stunk up the place for months and months. Hell, for a while, people didn’t even know your ass was on the roster. Then you hook up with Tim Patrick, and everything magically turns around right? You became the tag team champion. Hell, you even got a shot at Gordon Fury.

But, known have that means a damn thing. Yeah Savannah, you are a tag team champion; I’m sure you are going to let that be known. But, I’m wondering if you are going to mention that IWF basically has no tag team division; it hasn’t for the past year and a half. I love your partner Ava, but you two going around beating up teams that have been thrown together for one match.

You know, thats the same thing that happened in UECW. You shouldn’t be proud of that.

Oh, and let’s not forget your “boo’s” involvement in all of this. Yeah, Tim and I settled are differences. And ever since then he has been on a Twitter Crusade trying to clear his name. But facts are the facts, when Tim was in charge, certain people got title shots, matches, a privileges that the rest of the roster didn’t. And whether you admit it or not, whether you benefitted from Tim being in power.

Savannah, I’d like to give you props, but I just can’t. You may hold a title belt, but you aren’t elite, not even in your own company. You aren’t a Gordon Fury, a Tiffani Michaels, or a Blyss Lockheart. You see ALL of them forged their own paths. Hell, Blyss even broke away from Tim so that she could find her path, and look at her now―she’s earned herself a shot at the IWF championship.

Key word dear, “EARNED.” You haven’t earned anything Savannah. You haven’t earned the right to step into a PWP ring, much less to compete for it’s most coveted prize!

You don’t deserve to be here.

Speaking of which, Johnathan Blade, you’re up next. First off, who the fuck are you? I think that’s the question everyone wants to know. Hell, Sylar may be a hack, but at least he has some Twitter buzz. You aint got shit.

Want to know what else you don’t have?

A chance at making it past the first round. You see, you are going to be bounced out by Frankie Emerson…

Hmm―speaking of which, let me address you too Frankie, cause I’ve got some words for you. You don’t remember don’t you? I mean, we just teamed up at Unsactioned to face Kelly Fury and Chaz Holiday. Hmm, but maybe “teamed up” isn’t the best choice of words. I say this because, you weren’t a team player Frankie. You thought you were big and bad, and you thought you could handle both Kelly and Chaz by yourself. And for about 15 straight minutes, both Kelly and Chaz proceeded to whip your ass.

You could have tagged out, you could have been smart. But you weren’t.

Let’s be serious Frankie, you don’t give shit about wrestling and you don’t give a shit about PWP. The ONLY thing you are concerned about is some loose snatch at the bar. That’s cool homie, because I’m sure after tonight, that’s exactly where you will be, trying to drown your sorrows.

I have a greater chance of becoming white than you have of becoming PWP champion!

...

But, it would be foolish of me to go on and on about some of these scrubs and no-bodies. There are actually a couple of people who I can honestly say should be competing along side me in this whole thing.

Those two people are Darren Maddox and James Shark.

Now Mr. Maddox, I’m not going to sit here and lie; I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’ve followed your entire career.

I haven’t.

But, I have been told about you. I’ve been told that you are a warrior in the ring; I’ve been told that you are fearless. And, I did have the pleasure of watching you on the last PWP event. Sure, you lost, but you put on one hell of a match up.

Darren, unlike a lot of these busters, you’ve been here in PWP since the beginning, or damn close to it.

I want to say you debuted on PWP 2; that was that huge tag-team tournament. And, not to take shots at your partner, but, she had no business being paired with you; she was out of your league. And yet, you were able to carry her to the semi-final round.

I know a thing or two about carrying a partner; hell, in that same tournament I carried my partner to win the whole thing.

And then there was PWP 4, where you were in the main event against three others. That time you came out on top. And lastly, there was that holiday special, where you lost a close match to Shark.

If anyone deserves to be in the thing, if anyone has earned a title shot, then it’s you.

And let’s be honest, if you make it past the quarter finals, there is a strong chance that you and I will meet in the finals. That would be my honor. But please know Darren, my not one of those scrubs. I’ve been in this business for eight years; I’m probably the most experienced in this tournament.  

I’ve done almost everything that a wrestler possibly could do in this business. I should be at home, chilling with my wifey. But I’m here tonight; I’m here to try and help PWP go to that next level.

I’m here to fight!

So if you and I happen to square off in this tournament, then I’m going to bring the heat. If there’s one thing you NEED to know about Flex Johnson, it’s that he HATES to lose. I’ve overcome too much to be here, to be in this position in my career, just to lose.

I’m here to win Darren―I’m here to win!

But, I may not get a chance to face you Darren. Ha, there is a VERY strong chance that you and Shark will meet in the quarter finals. Shark is a guy that you can’t take lightly, I know first hand…

James “The Great White” Shark―from what I’ve been told that name used to strike fear into hearts of many wrestlers. When I first got to Insurgency everyone was fearful of you.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

But you see Shark, I’m not like the masses; I don’t fear you kid. What is there to fear? You see, you always have talked a big game; you were always loud and boisterous. You always walked out and played to the people; you tried to “wow” them with money. Ha, you tried to convince everyone that you were happy.

But, we all know that you weren’t happy Shark. Now, we know it was ALL a lie!

Your whole career has been a facade; you’ve been always been trying to cover up the fact that you aren’t shit, and your personal life isn’t shit. That’s why you’ve hurt the ones that you have loved, that’s while you are going through this bad break up―that’s why your kids have been taken away from you.

You see, over the past couple weeks I’ve had a chance to visit with Brooklyn; she’s told me the whole story Shark.

Your a fucking disgrace son!

And, I know your focus has to be off. You can continue to lie, but I know your mind isn’t completely focused on wrestling at this very moment. I know your mind is centered on your kids; I know your mind is focused on Brooklyn.

It must eat you up alive that you can’t see them.

And, it must eat you up alive to see your former love moving on with her life. It must burn your soul to see her happy.

Face it Shark―you’re weak!

This isn’t a knock at Darren, but I really do hope that some how you manage to slither into the finals. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to kick your ass. Ha, don’t think I’ve forgotten about our last match in IWF. Everyone in the company was afraid to step up and face you...everyone except me. And true, you got the better of me that time.

But it’s a new day son.

I’m going to lay into you; I’m going to hurt you. Personally, I like you Shark. But, you’ve hurt my friends, and you’ve hurt all those fans by lying to them. You need to be put in your place, you need to be beaten…

And I’m just the guy for the job!

…

Some of you wrestlers are probably asking the same question.

“What the fuck makes Flex Johnson qualified to enter this tournament?”

Let’s be perfectly clear here; I’ve EARNED my stripes here in PWP. I’ve proven myself match after match after match.

Sylar, Savannah, and the rest of you scrubs, here is what yall need to do. Go to the PWP website and order PWP 1. Then skip to the last match; that’s where you will find me about. At PWP 1 I squared off against Laura Phoenix. I’m sure you have all heard of her; she was one of the shining gems in PWSi before it all went to shit. She and I faced each other in the first main event here in PWP. We put on one hell of a match, and a victor was crowned.

That victor was Flex Johnson!

Then, I went on to PWP 2, where I picked up a random dude from Insurgency and carried him on my back to victor, once again!

Ha, you all can say what you want about me. You can call me old, you can talk all the shit you want.

But guess what?

That record book speaks for itself.

Four wins…

Zero loses!

The fact of the matter is, I’ve been busting my ass here in PWP before the idea of a title was even kicked around. If ANYONE deserves to be in this tournament tonight, then it’s me! PWP deserves a champion that actually cares about the company, it deserves a champion that truly cares about this business.

And judging by the rest of you in this tournament, that True Champion is Flex Johnson.

END