Unexpected

[Luke Jackson]

The event area was packed with people. In the front of the room sat a table full of FGA starts. Luke Jacksons sat the end of the table alongside him was his tag team partner Ricky Valero. Alongside them were Fujiko Mine, Dom Harter, and Annie Zellor. The line of people kept coming and coming. All 5 of the wrestlers took time to shake hands and take pictures and sing autographs. As Luke was slipped one of his pictures to sign he grabbed a sharpie and was about to sign his name. 

Luke Jackson: Who should I make this out to?  

?: Mom… 

Luke heard the words and looked up and let his mouth hang wide open. Ricky looked over and patted Luke on the back.  

Ricky Valero: Bud, who is that? 

Luke fumbled for words as he looked at Ricky and then the women who stood in front of him. Ricky thought quickly and got up from his chair and extended his hand.  

Ricky Valero: Hello Miss, I’m Ricky Valero and who may you be? 

?: I’m Tina Jackson, the mother of Luke here. 

Ricky sits back down aghast as he knew the history of Luke and his mother. They had talked about it a little bit and Ricky had felt bad for his partner because it was a shitty situation that Luke was put in that long ago. She stood there looking at Luke, Luke pushed his chair back and looked at Ricky and the line of people that was behind his mom. He looked around and found a security guard. He motioned him over and whispered in his ear he nodded his head, he walked to the front of the table and grabbed his mom by her arm. 

Security Guard: Excuse me ma’am. You have to leave now. There are tons of people in line and we need to get it moving.  

Tina Jackson: But, I just wanted to see my son. 

Security Guard: You can see him some other time. Move along. 

Luke slumped back down on his chair as he watched his mom escorted out of the building.  

Ricky Valero: What the hell was that man? 

Luke Jackson: Rick, I’ve got no idea. Let’s not talk about it please. 

Ricky nodded his head and slapped his partner on the back as the line started to move. Luke kept looking back at the door wondering when she would come back. He took a deep breath and finished what he had to do.  

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Luke and Ricky stepped out of the event after their time had come and gone. They shot the shit back and forth as Ricky hailed a cab so they could go back to the hotel. As the cab pulled up he opened the door and looked at his tag team partner. 

Ricky Valero: You coming man? 

Luke Jackson: Nah, man I have to clear my head. I’m going to go for a walk I will catch up with you at dinner or something. 

Ricky Valero: Alright, be careful.  

Luke nodded his head as Ricky stuck out his fist for a fist bump which Luke took. Ricky stepped into the cab as Luke turned and started to walk the other way. It was a nice day and the sun had started to beat down on him. As he turned a corner he looked and saw his mom. She was sitting on a bench, he tried to turn around when she spotted him she got up and yelled at him. 

Tina Jackson: Lukey!  

Luke muttered to himself “fuck” as she bounded towards him. He took the sunglasses that were on top of his head and put them over his eyes as she got closer. She tried to pull him in for a hug but he stepped back as she did so.  

Tina Jackson: I’m so happy I found you. I didn’t think I would ever see you again. 

She smiled a huge smile as she looked at her son. 

Luke Jackson: Am I supposed to be happy to see you? Forget that the last 11 years didn’t happen? No, that isn’t going to happen. You can forget the fact that you were ever here. No stop. 

She tried to talk but Luke put a finger up. 

Luke Jackson: I’m not done. See it was bad enough that you called Larissa out of the blue. You made her upset, and now you come here and you want to see me why? The very fact that we have been fine for 11 years without you means we don’t need you. The fact that dad died doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to see you. It is simple Tina, I have no desire it getting to know you again, or hell even seeing you. You don’t deserve to meet Jules, you don’t deserve to even be alive. Is that a little harsh? Yeah, but so wasn’t leaving us. 

She looked down and shook her head. Tears had started to fall down her face.  

Tina Jackson: Can I at least try to explain myself? 

Luke Jackson: Nope, not even going to let you do that. The best possible thing for you to do right now is go find a plane and see if it’ll take you back to hell or wherever you live. Also lose my sisters number. You don’t need to know us.  

He looked at her and scoffed as he walked off. She stood there watching him leave. She took a deep breath and walked off she looked back and saw Luke hailing a cab. She thought about walking back and sharing the cab with him but realized that it was probably for the best that she didn’t. 

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Luke Jackson Blog 004. 

“What the fuck happened?! 

Complete bullshit I tell you. Days before a huge match and “she” had to show up? Is this some cruel joke that is being played on me and my sister? Is someone trying to punk us? Will we be on TV at some point and Ashton Kutcher will step out from behind the camera. That is the only possible thing can happen. I don’t even know what hole she crawled out of to come and see me. This sickens me. It was one thing calling Larissa and sending her into a tizzy but to come out here and trying a meet and greet with me I ain’t buying it. Also to be part of my life something she didn’t care about in the first place. You could see it in her eyes when she was around me for the first 10 years of my life. Isn’t because I started to find success and all of that? Does she want money? Either way it isn’t going to happen. 

I sit here typing this and I have called Jules and now I see my twitter blowing up from my sister saying that she and Ryan are coming along with Jules and Cecily. This shit should go over real well. Here I was focused on my match, focused defending my titles with Ricky. Now this shit is on top of my head and how the hell am I going to get through this now. I guess just rise up to that next level and become the great champion that I want to be. This is a huge chance and even with this over my head I will get through this.  

Fuck. 

Wish my luck. 

The kid always fights.  

Luke”  

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Luke arrived to the arena in his rental car. His sister and her boyfriend along with Jules and Cecily had just shown up. The five of them sat down together and thought of a game plan for what would happen if his mom showed up again. They all realized that they had to be strong and that maybe the whole thing would eventually go away. In his head though he knew that it wouldn’t happen. He didn’t really know her but for some reason he felt that she was going to be there. Not stalking him but finding out where his next match was going to be. Then show up and have the same conversation that they had before. He looked at his tag team title that sat next to him and put his hand on it. The feel of the metal felt good to him. He had worked hard to achieve that goal, even when people didn’t think that he could do it. He wasn’t stupid he heard all of the talk that the commentators had said about him how he was the “weak link” this match was his time to shine. He and Ricky needed to step it up they need to become the real next level to beat Status Quo. The odds were stacked against them but if they were together and strong they would have no problems. They had to be themselves. 

Luke Jackson: This is a chance right?  

A chance to take on two of the all-time greats here in FGA and beat them. A loss does nothing for us and I will sit here and say man we cannot lose this match. If we lose we will be a team that held the tag team titles and lost them and now we have to move on. But a win? A win cements us as one of the best teams in the history of the FGA, or at least in my eyes it does. Dan Herrera and Cordy Stevenson are two greats, and well everyone is penciling them in as winners already. That is a tough pill to swallow but also in a way it makes Ricky and I comfortable. Why? Well look at what we have gone through ever since we were put together in the Jokers Wild tournament people have always thought that we would implode man. That all it would take would be one misstep and we would be pissed at each other and go at the other one. But that has happened and why do people still think that it will happen? With that it doesn’t make sense because well it would have already happened. We have become a stronger team and nothing is going to come in between us now. We cannot let that happen, we need to rise to the challenge and become even stronger. This is our chance to become something very strong, we will do what it takes to keep the titles that we worked hard for. To beat us Status Quo is going to have to kill us, and guess what I don’t die very easily. I promise. 

As for our opponents we all know what they did in the Dynamic Duos tournament. They stepped up to a huge challenge and they came out of it on top. They both stood in the middle of that ring and they called out what they were going to do and they achieved it. Yet, they still have one more goal to achieve and that is the titles that we hold. Of course they have all the confidence in the world they are riding on a high and they will do what it takes to win. Though, we will do that same thing man we aren’t going to let them come in here and beat us and take the gold that we put our sights on when we were put together. I don’t envision us losing the titles right now mostly because I am not done holding this title. I’m not done putting it on my shoulder and walking around the back with t there. I am not done with Ricky and I hitting them together and making that clanking sound. I have grown accustom to the title and to lose it right now would break my heart. I have to keep my heart pumping and I will do whatever it takes for that to happen. Simply put this is my time to shine. I’m done with being the laughing stock, I’m done with people looking at me and saying have no shot in this match or that match. A win here would make people see that I can rise up to people that are legends, people that their names are synonyms with FGA.  

We all know what Dan Herrera has done. We all know that he has been close to titles but he has never claimed one. Yet there is still a fear in his name, when you think about him you know that he hits hard and you know that he has earned respect throughout this company and this industry. You don’t need to win titles to make a name for yourself and he is right there with that. You know that sooner or later that he will get that, which he will hold a title high above his head but guess what that isn’t going to happen here. He can talk all of the words he wants and say that he wants the title and that he will do what it takes to get it, but he has to get through us and we will not make it easy. I am not going to back down because of his name, because why should I? Yes, his name means something but if names got you titles him and Cordy would have already won these titles. They would be the ones that would be walking around in the back with them around their waists or on their shoulders. See he is a good guy and I am as well man see we have that in common, and also we have that same thing that if someone disrespects us but when has he been disrespected? That is all that I have been since I came here to the FGA. The snide remarks all of that, has Dan ever heard that? Maybe he has, but it hasn’t been from me or Ricky. If he wants to play the disrespect card it isn’t going to come from us. I know what Dan is and I know how he will be and I respect that and you won’t hear a bad word from me and maybe he is hoping that it’ll come out of my mouth but it won’t. I am not going to beat him down I will just look and realize that he is going to punch me and Ricky and the mouth and be proud of it. That is how he is and well guess what I am the same way I am not backing down from this fight man. 

Now, we have to move on to his partner in Cordy Stevenson. Everyone was excited to see her back. Along with her partner she has been close to titles but yet she wasn’t able to grab that brass ring. Again just along with Dan sooner or later she is going to grab that brass ring and hold on to it for a long time. But as I said it will not happen here she can have these grand illusions as well it is just a shame that we might have to snuff that dream out as well. She came back and everyone thought that it was great and then she laid down the bombshell that her and Dan had the same dream, the same goal. So they teamed up. Of course it is a good story and people want to see her win a title as well because well people will talk about how they were there when she finally grabbed the brass ring. That night that she was able to hold a title high above her head. Of course she will get a standing o and her name will be chanted over and over again. But see I want my name chanted over and over again and to do that I might have to take out Cordy to do that. And you know what I will. Of course like Dan I respect her, I have seen what she has done in that ring and being as close as she was. Jimmy Page she had on the ropes she could have beaten him and won the title, the same with Chandler Scott but at the end of the day she couldn’t get the job done. Maybe the lights were too bright for her man. Maybe she saw the chance and she couldn’t finish it and maybe looking back it she is saying the next time I will be able to do it. Well this is the next time can she do it or will she fail? See this isn’t me bashing her this is just me stating the facts that she has had shots but just wasn’t able to cash in. Now if she takes these words as her motivational factor then what has she been doing? See I’m motivated and words are going to make me more or less motivated. Maybe they do to her and maybe she will pin them up on the bulletin board or whatever. I would just think that the allure of winning a title would be the motivational factor that you could reign in and put on your head. And maybe I am reading this wrong and these words will not affect her. Or maybe the lights will affect her again and when she has that shot at us, she won’t be able to put in that last kill shot because she knows that she might not have it in her. 

So, what does this match mean to me? It means every single thing for me. It means that I can put my name down in history more. It means that I am still champion it means that Ricky and I can take anyone on and beat them. This is our opportunity to step up to the next level. We will do whatever it takes to get our hands raised. To have our names be uttered and to have our names not be labeled as underdogs anymore but as strong champions. This is our chance to shine and we will do what it takes because we are the Next Level and we are ready to still be covered in gold.  

Good luck Status Quo, you will need it!  

He smiles as he grabs his title and walks off as the scene fades to black.