You Want a Meltdown? Here's a Meltdown

[Zero McHannon]

Cindy Parker isn’t the only one who has lost her smile.

I hate to admit it, but dropping the FGA World Championship to her has been one of the poorest decisions of my life. Not because it upset her, or it wasn’t the right way to go about things, but more because I feel empty without it now. I reach into my gym bag at home and it isn’t there. I tap my shoulder when I appear on the shows, but it isn’t there either. I’ve lost weight over my time gone, but this is the biggest weight I’ve lost so far.

And what does Cindy do now? She acts like a little high school girl who had to sit through detention during lunch. It’s about time she sucks it up and we settle this face to face. No bullshit of leaving the arena and coming back to talk shit behind my back. No more of showing up to Vertigo just to wrestle her match, then go about her business.

She’s the FGA World Champion, right? The first ever female FGA World Champion.

Well, she needs to act like it.

FGA needs a face that doesn’t put in their hardest work to get the title, then do jack shit when they finally complete their dream. I don’t care if I dropped the match or not. Cindy is better than this, and that world championship deserves better than this. I didn’t lose to her so that she could throw this fit and ignore her duties as the champ.

Who knows, maybe this is what I needed the most. They always say you never know what you’ve lost until it’s gone. At first, I thought it was our friendship. Now? I’m starting to realize that friendship didn’t mean fuck all to me, it’s the title that meant everything.

Gold Rush. I refuse to bring up the rumble part, because the tension between me and Cindy means a lot more than a clusterfuck of a battle royal. At the Gold Rush, I will take back what I should’ve never gave away. It’s like giving away your kid----....

Too soon for that…

Regardless, if Cindy wants to meet me man to woman, I’m not the one avoiding her. She refuses to look me in the face. Refuses to answer my phone calls or texts. Refuses to just… admit the truth.

I will have to SHOW her the truth then. I’ll beat her so badly at Gold Rush that she will soon realize that I could’ve kept that title on me if that’s what I really wanted to do at that point of time. When I’m standing over her, holding the FGA World Championship, and forcing her to look up at what a real champion looks like, a two time FGA World Champion, I will only have to say these words…

‘I told you so’.

~~~~~~~~~

Long Island, New York
McHannon’s House

‘The Meltdown’.

That’s the name people came up for the meltdown on twitter. So notorious that people had their own word for what Zero went through. At first they thought he was just out to make an ass of himself, but they quickly learned the situation in which he was in. The pain. The suffering. The thought of having a child ripped from your grasp when it was one of the few things he wanted in this world.

Now Zero McHannon sat at home, with the lights off, a glass of tequila in his hand, and in the corner of his living room.

Alone.

Truly alone.

He had this feeling right after he won the world championship, but this was different. Zero’s tendency to push people away from his life was about to hit an all time high since his change of heart many years ago.

The only thing I have now is wrestling. All this time spent overseas to come back to this hell. No Gambino. No Cindy. No Brandon. No title. What will I lose next before I completely lose myself, McHannon thought as he held a folder in one of his hands.

The front of the big brown package said ‘Romeo Price - I just thought you should know’. He refused to open it, completely based off the fact that he never trusted Romeo or got along with him. He didn’t care about his connections with the CIA. As far as he knew, their bad blood ended when the bell rang in their match at Destiny over in Hard Knox.

They can call it a meltdown all they want, I finally caved in with some of the things that were bothering me, whether it’s what they wanted to hear or not. Cordy tried to comfort me when she found I’ve been drinking too much. Fuck you, Cordy. Only concerned when you found out something was wrong and not before that, he told himself.

The thoughts were uncontrollable and never ending. Zero had sat in that corner for days at a time and drank his life away while he tried to figure out his next move. It was clear that the next move was in the folder that he held with his right hand.

He slowly opened the envelope and took out the piece of paper that was meant for his eyes only. There was no emotion as he skimmed the paper, then tucked it back into the envelope. What the message told him should’ve bothered him, but his mind roamed back to the same old problems that he kept having.

Who are these people to judge me? Half of them kiss ass to get to where they are. The other half do anything they can to take away the shine from people who are CARRYING this company past their injuries or other problems. But they want to judge? another thought crossed his mind as it pissed him off the more he thought about it.

He finally pulled the paper back out of the envelope and stared at it some more. It read:

DNA TEST - Zero McHannon / Claire Redford
Positive

So it was true. A secret that he had always thought about, but never brought to the surface. His goddaughter was his real daughter, and he could never tell anyone. It would ruin too many worlds. Whether he knew it or didn’t, nothing changed. Claire wanted nothing to do with him anyway since he returned from Morocco, and this had continued for almost a year.

At least there’s one place I can take out my anger… the ring. The one place where salvation is my only protection. But the fans… Zero’s face showed how he really felt about the boos that crossed his ears at the last Vertigo.

I thought if I just kept wrestling through it that their opinions would change. It did somewhat, but was that them turning on me that I heard? And for what? Because I told Cindy the truth? Because I was doing whatever it took to put Cam in her place? Because I lay out everything I have on the line every time I’m booked for the show? Fuck them, too, he told himself.

Zero crumbled the paper through his fingers and decided that was a problem for another day, then he took a long cold drink of tequila, and held it out in front of his face.

CRACK!

Blood slowly started to drip from his hand as he crushed the glass into a fist. Although, he was far too gone from sobriety to feel the pain.

If everyone wants to watch me go from the the stand up guy to a monster, I’ll give them a monster… soon. They haven’t seen a real fucking meltdown, yet.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Is this the part where I say some witty boob joke about Fujiko like everyone else does? 

I really tried to hold back on this one, to be the better man, but I don’t think I’m able to. So here’s mine for the show.

I wish your wrestling ability was just as developed as your tits. 

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get back to the reality of this situation. Fujiko Mine. This is a match that I’ve been waiting for. It was only years ago that you did TJ Jones talking for him and I wanted to punch your teeth down your throat for every piece of shade you threw my way, but when I really thought about it, you had the balls of the partnership to speak for TJ. You had the backbone he didn’t have. The guts. It’s a shame that I even remember this, but how could I forget? The stupid attachment of my name to every punchline of your sentences. I heard it all in high school before, and I expected more from you.

Twelve years in this business and I’ve never forgotten a damn thing. I remember my first wrestling match. My first title. My first world championship. The first time I made an appearance in FGA. Surely you didn’t think I’d forget you, did you?

I haven’t, even though it seems most people have. Your name is placed on the card and people see, then forget it just as quickly. But you and I? We’re very much alike and very much different. You lost that attitude in your voice and picked up another one. I tried that, didn’t work. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have the stomach to stand up for myself. 

But speaking about being forgotten… enjoy it while it lasts, because soon enough you will be pushed right back to the end of the line here in FGA. The moment Chandler Scott and Cordy Stevenson rear their heads back into the picture.

Poof. You’re done.

How does that feel, Fujiko? People like you and me have been carrying this company on our backs since their injuries and they’ll come back to the business and treated like Gods again. They’ll be in main events over you. They’ll get the matches they want, and you won’t. They’ll get all the love and affection from the twitter stalkers, fans, and management… all while you’ll continue to be overlooked once again. All your hard work and busting your ass the past couple of months, and what’s it worth?

A shot at the former FGA World Champion, that’s what it’s worth. An opportunity I know you wouldn’t pass up for anything. 

But you’ve just had another shot at a former champion, didn’t you? Jimmy Page. A man that I know all too well and loath. Let me be the one to spoil this surprise for you, Fujiko… Jimmy Page has fallen off. Let himself go. The Jimmy Page I USED to know… well, sorry, but he would’ve never lost to someone like you or Salem Cartier. That’s how you can tell how far Page has fallen, shortly after taking his loss to me at the anniversary show. You remember the one, right? The one that got me the chance to dethrone Chandler Scott, and make him tap out in front of thousands of people.

And here’s the kicker. While Jimmy Page lost to you, he’s chasing another shot at getting match against Chandler Scott. You? Well, you’re one of the many getting thrown in the Gold Rush Rumble. Spoiler, you’re not winning that either, no matter how much you want to prove anyone wrong or wish that people would actually take you seriously as a wrestler for once. 

Let’s play with the thought of you winning the Gold Rush Rumble, though. Let’s say that you take your place into the ring and start eliminating people left and right to break my record. Let’s say that you’re one of the early entrants and outlast everyone else to be the last one standing. You’re standing in the middle of the ring after winning the rumble, you look around to the cheering crowd, and the displeasement on all the other wrestler’s faces… but everyone ignores it. The management at FGA tries to give you more exposure and you start taking the harassment from everyone else that’s jealous that you won the rumble to get your world title shot. 

You’ll still be overlooked and hated, regardless. A lesson that has taken me too long to learn. They will give you their bullshit ‘congrats’, then continue on their way like you never existed. You can win Newcomer of the Year. You can win Feud of the Year. Hell, you can win a world championship. I hope you do, so that you can finally realize how little of a fuck these people give about you, no matter how much more successful you are than them.

Past that, there’s something I do respect in you. It’s the fact that you’ve gotten yourself a few wins under your belt and you’re starting to feel a little more confident in your abilities. Good. That’s the way I want you before I send you crashing back down to the reality of this world. The reality that you are just simply not in my league. The only reason you’re even this close to closing the card is because of me, not you. I’m the guy who was sick and tired of not getting my time in the ring, and I expressed that in very few words. Do you know what happened then?

I got put on the damn card, because when I say I want booked, the management finds a place for me. So you’re lucky I spoke up, or you wouldn’t even have this chance to begin with. Overlooked. One again. The story of Fujiko Mine. 

You want your story to so badly mirror mine, I know you can taste it. You basically want to be me. You want to hang with the top dogs of FGA? Right now, I am FGA. I main evented the show after I made my appearance into the Gold Rush Rumble. You’ve been chasing that dream for as long as I can remember. If you want to cement your place into talk of one of the best FGA has to offer, you have to do a little more than just have some confidence in your voice when you speak about, you have to be about it. Fujiko wants the underdog tale that I’ve already told and pulled around full circle. 

Take your underdog story and shove it up your ass. I’ve developed way past that point now. You can have fun with my second helpings. 

I will NOT lose to someone who couldn’t buy a win before she took on Jimmy Page head to head. He isn’t that impressive anymore. You’re not a match to get me ready for Cindy Parker or the FGA World Championship. This company doesn’t have to book me for months on in and I’d still be ready for that match. Even without stepping into the ring to wrestle, I’d still be damn more exciting than you every show that I appeared on. So stay behind the camera with your original and overdone monotone speeches… There’s a reason I walked out with awards in my first year here while you walked out with… Zero.

If some miracle happens and you do manage to win the Gold Rush Rumble, you’ll remember this moment where we stepped into the same ring together and I had to show you why I won that title within my first six months here, while you’re still chasing that shot at the world championship like you chase people actually being interested in #FujikoFriday.

That’s about the only thing you’re a leader in, some twitter trend to actually keep your name on the tip of people’s tongues. The rest of the people who give in to that little trend of yours? Sheep. You herd a bunch of sheep and cater to their wants of actually being recognized. Instead of finding a way to make it on their own, you babysit them. Don’t you wish you could take that energy and support with you to the ring?

Let me tell you how things are going to go on this episode of Vertigo. You’re going to be in a match that I elevated you to. You’re going to walk into the ring with the fans on your side, because I can already tell that I did something to tick them off. You’re going to try your hardest and you’re going to fail. I will plant you on your head and lift a leg for the one… two… three… and you will go back to your losing ways going into the Gold Rush Rumble. I won’t look at this match as a warm up for Cindy Parker, because I’m already in the zone for that match. She, alone, has pissed me off to be ready for that match. You have absolutely no play into my readiness for the Gold Rush.

Honestly? This match benefits you more than it does me. You walk onto the canvas with no worries in the world because people expect you to lose, but they expect me to win, and I can’t disappoint the people, can I? If you gain anything from this, you get to go into the Gold Rush Rumble after coming off a loss to one of the best talents this company has to offer you. The man who hasn’t lost a match since I stepped into that ring at the Four Year Anniversary Show, unless you count me taking the fall for Cindy to have her first… and only one she will ever have… world championship. 

And what are you going to do when I beat you? Give me the Izzy Anders treatment? Run to TJ Jones because you became petty after a loss and get into your feelings to have me banned from ever buying a Renati Athletics tee shirt?

Good luck with that. 

You might think I’m being a little rough around the edges right now and that might be true. 

‘Why is Zero coming at me like this?’ 

‘What did I do to him to be talked down to like this?’

Truth is, it’s about time I came on camera with a little liquor in my system to say what I finally wanted to say. You can just consider yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. There has been so many feelings that I’ve kept bottled up for too long. Sad part is, you seem to only get the rightful attention you deserve when you act this way. Something that you seem too dumb to have figured out by now, but I have. 

Everyone tells you that you can’t win this match. Just like Cindy Parker, the truth is staring you right in the face and you’re unable to accept it without putting up a fight. I’ll just have to show you the truth and you’ll have to admit it after Vertigo. 

And let’s say that you do the impossible and defeat me… do you really think you’ll be in the world championship picture against me when I beat Cindy Parker at the Gold Rush? Think again… Have to keep the trend you’re going at, right? It makes you who you are. The overlooked. The underestimated. The underdog.

Everything I was, but now I’m not anymore. I run the pack. Keep up the work and you could be where I’m at in a few years, or else the losing and being overlooked will become too much for you to handle and you’ll just up and quit like I’ve seen so many people do before. At least you can say you stuck it out this long… That’s something to hold your head high for. 

I’m sorry you have to see this side of me, but someone has to. I have to get this awkward feeling off my shoulders and onto the television screen. 

Now that I’ve done that, hopefully I can go back to being my regular self again. I can go back to being the better man without the stress weighing me down. I won’t have to lash out just to make myself feel better. I won’t have to use someone like a chew toy, like I did to you. 

And maybe you’ll learn something from this battle between us. Change is coming, for better or worse. I’ll be going places, and you? You’ll be exactly where you are right now or a few steps backwards. Your winning ways will only continue for so long before you go back to being who you really are. An underdog story written about yourself that no one gives two shits about. And that book? Doesn’t look like it’s going to have an ending anytime soon. 

You’ll learn…. Like I have…. Eventually. Or so I hope, for your sake.

So here it comes.

Literally.

Zero…

FUCKS!

GIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEEENNNNN!!!"