Breakdown 10-28-21
{{Sunday, September 26
Denver, CO
Marriott}}
Spencer wakes up with a raging headache, and a warm body next to him that he can't remember the name of. She's cute, brunette, and sleeping. He grabs a water bottle from the night stand and looks around the room, downing half the bottle as he tries to remember things. He'd come to Denver yesterday, traveling with Amy Chastaine and Simon Lyman again. He'd done a promotional appearance for Apocalypse with Amy at a local comic book store. They grabbed dinner, then Amy left him to his own devices. The sleeping woman stirred in her sleep, turning to her back. Spencer now could see her face, and with that his memory started to come back. After Amy departed, Spencer had found a bar in the area and stopped in, intending to have a beer or two, that was all. But then the body next to him topped with that gorgeous face sat next to him at the bar. Desiree. That was her name. They talked and drank. Spencer learned she worked with SCW as part of the ring crew. They drank some more. And she came back to this room with him. The rest of the night's activity quickly flooded Spencer's memory, and he grinned to himself. Desiree had been great entertainment. Spencer gently pulled the sheet covering her back - she's still naked. Come to think of it, so is he.
As Spencer is trying to decide the best way to wake his new friend up, a loud and determined knock on the door causes Desiree to jolt awake and sit up.
"Oh my God... who's that? Wait... where am I?"
"Hey lovely." Spencer smiles at her, ignoring the knocking.
"Oh right. Spencer. Wow, how much did we drink?" Desiree holds her head.
"Too much, is my guess. Here, pull this up over you. I'll get the door." Spencer pulls the sheet up to her. She grabs it and pulls it over her head.
The knocking continues as Spencer gets up and pulls on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt - the clothes he wore last night. Sighing, he goes to the door and opens it... finding a glaring Amy Chastaine on the other side.
"Oh... it's you. You could have called instead of trying to beat the door in, you know?"
"I tried. Your phone is dead."
"Shit. Sorry, I-"
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"No? Am I late for something?"
Amy glares harder, something Spencer didn't think was possible. "Not yet, but you will be. It's just past noon. We need to be at the arena early, call time is always early for Pay Per Views. I told you this last night!"
Spencer holds his head, the headache was coming back thanks to Amy's tone. "Yeah, I remember. Sorry, I guess I had a few too many drinks and..." Spencer glances back at the bed over his shoulder. Amy peers around him, then scoffs.
"Oh... that's why you slept in. How late did you stay out? Who is that?!"
Spencer steps out into the hallway and closes the door, leaving it open a crack so he isn't locked out. "That doesn't matter, okay? I wasn't out late, I was just up late..." He let the words trail off, his meaning was clear. Amy shakes her head.
"I thought you were taking this opportunity seriously. You can't-"
"I am! Look, I can only apologize so much, I didn't mean to do any of this, it just happened."
"Oh really? And is that what you're gonna tell Jodi? I thought you two were-"
Spencer steps closer, now angry. "Hey! That's none of your fucking business. You might be my manager in-ring, but you're not my keeper, and sure the fuck not my mother."
Amy steps back, properly rebuked. If Spencer was going to throw attitude though, Amy was throwing it right back. "You're right. What you do with your personal time isn't my business. If you want to fuck around and end up hurting a girl who cares about you, that's certainly your right." Spencer rolls his eyes, he couldn't explain to Amy why he kept a distance from Jodi. That would ruin everything. Amy points one finger at Spencer, in a scolding gesture, as she continues. "Where it does become my business... is if the way you act behind the scenes becomes locker room gossip and then public knowledge. My job as your manager is to steer your career in the right direction, but I can't do that if you sabotage your own reputation."
Spencer scoffs, shaking his head. "I think you're taking this a little too far."
"Maybe I am, but I don't want to see you go off the rails already. You're too good and have too much potential to get off on the wrong foot." Spencer shakes his head again. Amy was in lecture mode and it was pointless to try to stop her until she's said what she wants to say. "I just want you to think about the kind of person you want to be seen as in this business, and then act accordingly. You've talked about doing the right thing... Does this seem like the right thing to you?" Amy points to the door.
"That's where you want to take this? Cause you're really not the person to be trying to lecture anyone about sleeping around."
"In a way, maybe not. The difference with me though, is that the people I'm with know about each other. Does Jodi know about her?" Amy points to the door again. Spencer has nothing to say. Amy is right on this point. "I didn't think so."
"Regardless... it's not your business."
"No, who you fuck around with is not. And Jodi won't hear a thing from me. Do what you want Spencer, I am not your mother. But as your manager... I will tell you to at least be discreet. Don't come begging me to fix perception if an image you don't want becomes what people see you as. Perception is roughly ninety percent of this business. You need to remember that."
"Noted. When is call time?"
Amy checks her smart watch. "Less than two hours."
"I'll be there."
"Spencer-"
"I will be there. Promise. You might not think I'm taking this seriously just because I had fun last night, but I promise you I am."
Amy looks at him a few seconds, contemplating how much she can believe that. Apocalypse is in a few hours, she has no choice but to take his word for it and give him a chance to prove it.
"Okay."
Amy gives Spencer a nod before walking away. Spencer watches her leave a few seconds, then shakes his head as he goes back into his hotel room.
Desiree had gotten up and dressed while Spencer was talking to Amy. She's sitting on the edge of the bed, tying her shoes.
"I heard some of that. Did I get you in trouble?"
"Not really. She's just trying to look out for me. She has a point though, you and me can't really be seen together."
Desiree smirks. "Oh I know that.... I don't think my husband would approve."
"Ouch." Spencer puts his hand to his chest in mock hurt. "You could have warned me about that."
"Would it have mattered?"
Spencer thinks a moment, then smirks. "Probably not."
"See you next time?" Desiree asks as she stands up.
"Maybe. You should probably get going, I can't be late."
"Understood. Thanks for the entertainment." Desiree drops a kiss on Spencer's cheek before leaving.
Spencer sighs, and drags himself to the shower. Hopefully the slightly too cool water would kill his hangover and he'd be in perfect shape for his SCW in-ring debut later tonight. As he cleans up in the shower, he thinks that maybe Jodi should find out about last night. He was letting himself get too close to her, too comfortable. There were walls he couldn't pull down though, he couldn't let anything or anyone derail his plans. If he let his guard down too much, he might say too much... and ruin everything. He came close in Beaumont, when he took Jodi with him to stay with his brother Caleb, escaping the wrath of Hurricane Ida...
* * * * * {{ September 1 – Beaumont, TX }} * * * * *
Spencer and Jodi had been at Caleb's for a few days. The hurricane was gone and left a huge mess over a good portion of southern Louisiana. From what Spencer had heard, his apartment was fine, BlackOut Academy had roof damage, and Jodi's apartment had a broken window. Officials asked everyone who evacuated to not return home just yet, as a lot of streets were still unpassable and power was still out for almost a million people. So, they made do at Caleb's, which had been their mother's house and both men grew up in. Spencer and Jodi shared Spencer's old bedroom. On this day, it was mid-morning and the two were preparing to head out to the gym. Jodi had done her best to not take up too much space or be an inconvenience, despite both Spencer and Caleb telling her she wasn't. So she hadn't really looked around much or touched anything.
Jodi was ready to go and Spencer was sitting on the end of the bed putting his shoes on. Jodi's curiosity over the contents of Spencer's bookshelf got the better of her and she walked over, wanting to see what books were there. Most were textbooks from college, mixed with a few classics. A picture caught her eye, the only one on the shelf. She picked up the frame and looked closer. It showed a pretty darker skinned woman - she was either a light skinned black woman or mixed race - and a little boy, around nine or ten years old. They were on a beach, smiling. Jodi knew that smile. She turned to Spencer, holding the picture up.
"Is this your mom?"
Spencer grinned at the picture. “Yeah.”
“She's so pretty.”
“I always thought so.”
“Do you have one of your dad?” Jodi looked around the shelf a bit.
“No. Never knew him.” There was a hard tone to his voice that made Jodi put the picture down.
“Oh... I'm sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Mom always told me he split after she told him she was pregnant with me. Wouldn't say anything else about him, not even his name.”
“Wow... she must have been really hurt.”
“Seemed like it. In fact, the only thing she ever told me about him, was that he's white. I could have figured that out myself.” Spencer held his arm up and rubbed his skin, showing off his complexion.
Jodi thought about Caleb, who's skin was a shade or three darker than Spencer's. “So, if your dad left... Caleb?”
“Different dad. Mixed, like Mom. He's kind of a piece of shit, but at least he stuck around and tried to be a father until Mom got tired of his shit and put him out. He's mellowed out with age, Caleb has a good relationship with him, he's civil to me. My father was a much bigger piece of shit, he wanted nothing to do with responsibility. At least Clarence tried, you know?”
It was the most Spencer had ever said to Jodi about anything personal, and it seemed he'd dove into the deep end. “I can see why you don't talk about your family much.” Spencer just nodded. “I'm sorry.... did I ask too much?”
“No. It just makes me mad that I never got any useful information about my father from Mom before she died. Never had a chance.”
“How did she-”
“In her sleep. I found her. We didn't know what happened til the autopsy weeks later. Aneurysm.”
“My God. That's so tragic, I'm sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” Spencer cleared his throat. “Anyway, she took her secrets with her.” Spencer glanced at his phone. “We should go, the gym starts to get crowded closer to noon.”
Jodi took the hint, and asked no further personal questions the rest of the time in Beaumont.
* * * * * {{ Spencer's hotel room }} * * * * *
Done with his shower, Spencer chides himself for the umpteenth time as he dries off. He never should have told Jodi any of that, and he could only hope he hadn't ruined things. He had to hit the brakes with that girl, he couldn't let her any closer. It was too easy to talk to her, and talking isn't something he could afford to do.
{{Friday, October 8
Toronto, ON
Westin}}
The morning after Breakdown where Spencer made his regular TV debut, he and Amy are in an elevator, on their way out of their hotel. Spencer had done as Amy strongly suggested Apocalypse weekend, and kept his 'meetings' with Desiree quiet. At home, he still spent time with Jodi but he'd created some space. She never asked why he backed off, and he never offered an explanation. Maybe the personal talk at Caleb's spooked her. Didn't matter to Spencer, the important part was that the wall was back up.
The elevator stops on the ground floor, and Spencer and Amy step out. As the do, another elevator door opens, and Marie Caedes walks out, pulling a suitcase. She stops when she sees them.
“Oh... good morning.”
"Morning, Marie." Amy smiles.
“Hi Marie. How are you?” Spencer gestures to Marie's arm, the one he trapped last night and made her tap out.
“Good, thanks. My shoulder isn't even sore.” She gives Spencer a grin. He smiles at her.
“Glad to hear it. I was hoping I hadn't actually hurt you. No hard feelings, huh?”
“None at all. It's what we do, and you just happened to do it better last night. It's very clear you had excellent training.” Marie glances at Amy.
“Yeah I did, but don't knock yourself, you didn't make it easy. You have the goods.”
“He's right, I was very impressed. I see a lot of your mom in you.”
Marie smiles. “Thanks. It's sort of the family business. But... I think I'm heading down to New Orleans soon to see what BlackOut is all about. Get some different perspectives, maybe train there, finesse my skills where I'm lacking.”
“I hope you do train there, maybe we can work out together. I notice you're more of a flyer, I could help you with submissions. It's my specialty.”
“I noticed.” They both smirk. “I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the offer. I really have to run now, or I'll miss my flight. Thank you both for the encouragement.” Marie smiles and gives a little wave before hurrying off.
Spencer watches her stride away and towards the desk to check out. Faced with her in normal clothes and not inside the ring, he finds her cute and intriguing. He knows she's a little younger than he is but... Amy grabs his arm and pulls, turning him to face her.
“No.” Spoken sternly. Spencer plays innocent.
“No, what?”
“Not her.”
Spencer holds his hands up defensively. “What? I was just being friendly.”
“Spencer...” Amy isn't buying it for even half a second.
“Come on, I know who her parents are, how they're all connected to you.”
“Make sure you remember that.”
Amy doesn't give Spencer a chance to respond, she walks off towards the desk to check them out. Spencer turns back towards the door, and sees Marie getting into a cab. Maybe Amy had a small reason to be concerned... but Marie was a grown woman, and Amy had no real authority to hold over either of them. It sure seemed like Marie liked him, and he needed a distraction to keep himself from falling back into Jodi's comfort. Spencer watches as Simon Lyman meets Amy at the desk, also checking out. The three of them traveled together, although Spencer wished he could travel alone. The old man annoyed him. One more reason to seek out a cute distraction.
Spencer smiles to himself as the three of them walk to Amy's rental car. Things could get more interesting very soon.
ON CAMERA
The Trios Tournament is off to a hot start, isn't it? I kinda wish I had been drawn to compete, with all the attention it's getting, the opportunity the three winners will have in their pockets. It truly is epic in every sense of the word. So I know how hard it's gonna be for me this week to make a statement, to get myself noticed. In the middle of all the Trios hype, you've got me taking on G-Money. Two men new to SCW, new to the business. G has his little vlog gimmick, and it's smart, it really is. What better way to get and keep yourself out there than by literally being out there all the time, right?
Whatever works for him I guess, but I'm really pretty much the opposite. This guy wants to share everything he does, every thought in his head, with the world. Me? I'm a more private kinda guy. I like to keep my eyes on the prize. Set a goal, work for it, and whatever happens when I'm away from the cameras? That's my business. I guess that makes me an anomaly of my generation. Guys my age? We grew up on social media. Entertainment and interaction at our fingertips twenty-four seven. We don't know a world where the internet and smart phones and constant ability to share every fleeting thought doesn't exist. Personally, I always thought that even though social media makes it seem like everyone is more connected, we're really not. We're farther apart, because most of what you see online?
Is a front.
Don't believe me? Ask yourself... when you tweet a thought or post a picture on Insta, or do your lil dance on Tik Tok, are you really being honest? Is that thought really yours, or is it something that sounded profound so you shared it to sound smart? Is that Insta pic a legit representation of how you look, or did you pose yourself just right, filter it to death, before sharing? And don't even get me started on Tik Tok, that shit is just straight up dumb most of the time.
So I have to ask you, G-Money... are you being real with us in this vlog, or are you just projecting some image and keeping the real you, the man called Gianni, hidden from us? And if so... I gotta wonder why. If you're gonna go out of your way to appear as accessible as possible, why wouldn't you just be real?
For all I know, G, you might be. This could be the sincere you. But can you really blame me for questioning you? Look at how many people in this business come out here and try to convince the world of one thing when the truth is the opposite. I grew up a wrestling fan, I know the history of this place. Sienna Swann's “For the People” scam? Adam Allocco trying to convince the world he's sober? Syren and Ravyn Taylor's phantom car accident trying to frame Kennedy Street? For all we know, G... you could be using this vlog thing of yours to try to convince the world that you're just a really nice guy when the truth is that you're a raging asshole.
Or... maybe you're just a naive kid who likes to overshare.
Once we get in the ring though, it's not gonna matter. Social media doesn't exist when the bell rings. Your followers aren't gonna be able to help you if I get you tied up in a Pryce Check. Ain't no fronting when you're tapping out. You and me, bro? We might both be wrestlers and both came to SCW because we know it's the biggest and best there is. But you're out here trying to create an image and I'm out here trying to create a career.
We are not the same.
This isn't a photo op or stream content for me. This is the start of what I'm trying to make into a lifelong legacy. Vlogs and internet celebrities... they're usually flashes in the pan, bro. You'll end up just like the stereotype of guys in our generation.... short attention span, quickly bored, and move on to the next thing to create your content and keep your followers entertained. While I'm gonna be here in SCW for the long haul, doing everything I can to pull off epic moments every time I get in the ring, all I can see you pulling off my man... is an epic fail.
Breakdown later tonight, Trios might be the main attraction, and rightfully so. But I promise I'm gonna make an impression.