“Maverick looks to be in trouble!” The commentator screamed as Maverick was lifted in the air by Williams.

“Wait, Maverick escaped….. SUPERKICK! 1…… 2…… 3! Maverick has done it! He’s finally beaten Wayne Williams! The giant has fallen! The giant has fallen!” Announced the second commentator.

That was the moment he was hooked. In the small Canadian town of Grillington, where everybody knew each other, only one person had wrestling on the television. The child scrolling through the channels on a random Thursday night had his heart touched. ‘Thursday Night Rage’ had captured the heart of young James Cypher. He was seeing the 5-foot-10 Maverick defeat the 7-foot-4 Wayne Williams was encapsulating for the short child.

Yes, even for his young age, James was considered short. At the age of 11, James was only 4-foot-5 and was very frail. James was often bullied for his physique and height, having nearly no friends. The friends he did have, however, lived far away. After all, James could only make virtual friends from online games.

The year was 2013, and James had decided on his future. No matter what, he wanted to be a professional wrestler.

He HAD to be a professional wrestler.

As James grew up, he worked towards this goal. He was filling his room with posters of his favourite wrestlers, with the biggest poster being of his absolute favourite, Maverick. James went to the gym almost every day for years, not getting overly muscular but building a very toned body. James also went into amateur wrestling, learning his way around the mat.

On the side, James also trained at a boxing gym. James’s parents were scared that James was taking this obsession too far. After all, professional wrestling was a very dangerous and real sport. There were no weight classes; only the crazy and abnormal people wrestled, and James didn’t seem to grow fast like the other boys. However, despite all this, James never stopped training.

When James turned 17, he finally had his growth spurt, reaching the height of 6-foot-1. It seemed so sudden, but it helped make James look more impressive. James had a decent amateur wrestling career in high school, nearly grabbing a championship last year. James also became a well-known sparring partner for many of the boxers that trained in the same gym as him, though he never tried to become a boxer. James was set on professional wrestling regardless of his untapped boxing potential.

The day James turned 18, however, was the day that his life changed. James’s father, James Sr, walked into his room.

“I’ve got something for you.” James Sr stated with a calm voice. James Sr was a man of few words. James Sr handed James a ticket. The ticket had a location and time, but the event title caught James’s attention.

WWPW Thursday Night Rage!

“NO WAY!” James yelled as he jumped up. He had dreamt of the day when he could watch a wrestling event live, but he never had the chance. World Wide Professional Wrestling was coming to Canada, and James would not miss it.

James gave his father a very tight hug. He knew that his parents didn’t understand wrestling, nor did they understand James’s obsession with it, but they knew it meant a lot to him. James Sr took James to the show that very night, as he had this planned out for months. The pair didn’t have the best seats, but the atmosphere was almost enough to make James cry with joy.

The show started with pyrotechnics, as the live crowd went wild.

“Toronto, welcome to Thursday Night Rage!” The announcer yelled out, making the crowd scream even louder.

James knew some of the scheduled matches, as some were announced on television the week before. The main event was expected to be Maverick against the world champion, Todd Prescott. But, before that, there was an exciting card.

The first match was a singles match between ‘The Fallen Knight’ Greg Black and Horus. Black was known to be a brawler cast out by The Militia, the top faction of WWPW. Horus was a high-flyer, known for his super-hero-like offence, able to pull off acrobatic moves that nobody had seen before. Just as advertised, Horus pulled off moves that made the audience drop their jaws. The match didn’t last long, with Horus picking up the win.

After the performers exited the ring, the lights turned red. This signalled that The Militia was coming, which immediately drew many boos from the crowd. As the music played, Wayne Williams marched out with ‘The Blood Brothers’ Alpha and Omega. Alpha was 6-foot-5 and one of the world’s best technical wrestlers. Omega was 7-foot-1 and was only beaten in strength by Williams himself. Alpha and Omega were fraternal twins.

As The Militia came to the ring, Williams grabbed the mic to announce their presence with the signature opening line of The Militia.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Toronto…. Stand in awe of my might.” Williams exclaimed calmly as the crowd showered him with boos. Williams has a surprisingly soft voice for his size. He walked with confidence every time he approached the ring. He stood tall, knowing that very few men could beat him. He didn’t need to project his voice, as his presence commanded the people’s attention. Williams could do whatever he wanted with the audience. If he wanted them to boo, he would make them boo. If he wanted them to cheer, he’d find a way to make them cheer even though he claims to hate everyone. When he puts a mic to his mouth, people quickly silence themselves to hear what he has to say. Alpha and Omega were decent at grabbing the audience’s attention, but Williams made the group more than simply physically imposing men.

“Tonight, we celebrate. Alpha and Omega will be getting their shot at the title…. Finally… After so long… We will stand on top of the world once more… nobody will ever stop me again!” Williams announced. James didn’t catch every word, as he was too caught up in the moment.

As the show rolled on, the excitement in James’ eyes was exceedingly evident. James Sr couldn’t help but nearly cry at the sight of his son so excited. All those years that James was bullied, and the journey that James made to transform himself. He may have turned his body into a machine, but his heart was still a joyful child.

Eventually, it was time for the main event. The lights turned purple, signalling the arrival of James’s hero. The crowd went wild when Maverick showed up. James couldn’t control his excitement, jumping and screaming as Maverick made his way to the ring.

Maverick was not the physical specimen that most wrestlers were. Yes, Maverick was in good shape, but he was only 5-foot-10 and weighed 200 pounds. Maverick wore a purple mask on his entrance but always took it off before a match. Maverick was known to be a high-flyer, using speed and athletics to compensate for his lack of strength and size. However, Maverick’s super kick is his most dangerous weapon. That kick to the chin is one of the most dangerous moves in WWPW, and nobody performs it as well as Maverick.

James had excitement in his eyes at seeing his longtime hero. As opposed to when James first watched him, Maverick was no longer in his prime. Maverick was nearly 41 and was slowing down. James didn’t care, however. Whether in his prime or not, James wanted to see Maverick fight. But then the dread overcame him as he remembered who Maverick was fighting.

The crowd was silent with anticipation. Their greatest warrior was about to make his entrance. The man that once conquered the MMA world at a young age. The man that moved to pro-wrestling after wiping out a division within a year. Against all advice, Todd Prescott fought every other week in MMA, clearing out his entire division and deciding that he got bored. He had mastered that craft and wanted to move to something new. At least, that’s how the news outlets reported it when the news of Todd Prescott joining WWPW dropped. But none of that mattered now. In the two years that Todd has been in WWPW, he has never lost a one-on-one fight and was known as the greatest striker in the business today.

A single guitar note rang through the stadium, signalling that Todd was making his entrance. As his music blared through the speakers and his magnificent pyro blew up on stage, the crowd lost their minds. Whether cheers or boos, Todd got the most remarkable reaction of anybody. The 6-foot-2 light-heavyweight fighter marched out with the belt draped over his shoulder. Todd didn’t wear anything fancy, just black cargo pants and black wrestling boots. He had lean muscle but was very in shape. His entrance was a marvel, but not because of him. Todd walked to the ring, but the crowd sang his song lyrics.

“The King Has Arrived…”

That line was repeated in the chorus. Some people knew the verse to the song, but everybody knew the chorus. Even when the song finished and the wrestlers were getting ready to fight, the crowd continued singing the song.

The match was a hard-fought one. James was invested in every second. However, the result was never in doubt. Perhaps in his prime, Maverick stood a chance. However, Maverick wasn’t as fast as he used to be. Every time Maverick got offence in, Todd had a counter. The 20-minute match continued like this constantly. Until…

SUPERKICK!

The crowd roared as Maverick covered the fallen champion.

1…… 2….. Kick out!

The frustration on Maverick’s face was evident. Todd was one of the few people to ever kick out of Maverick’s superkick. What could defeat this man?

Maverick stood up, waiting for Todd to get in position for another superkick. However, when Maverick went for it, Todd slipped to the side. When Maverick turned to face Todd, the match was decided.

The Royal Decree

That was the name of Todd’s spinning wheel kick, his finisher. Nobody ever kicked out of it. Once that move was hit, every match was over.

1…. 2…. 3!

James was devastated. Maverick had lost. The first chance to see his hero in person, and he failed.

Todd did not stay around to celebrate. He left the ring and walked back up the entrance ramp quickly, leaving Maverick in the ring alone. He wasn’t moving. The royal decree got caught him significantly off guard. The referee held up an ‘x’ signal with his arms, telling the paramedics to come out. Maverick was wheeled out of the arena as people applauded his efforts.

This was when the show would end for those watching at home. However, a graphic showed up on the titantron for all to see.

Tryouts are being held at the arena at 8 am tomorrow!

That was the very moment James’s life changed. He had a chance to make it to the company of his dreams. James Sr couldn’t even protest. WWPW only held tryouts in a city once a decade. If you missed a tryout, you had to travel to another town to catch it, if one was even going on. WWPW only signed the best of the best, so most of their talent was scouted. But, every once in a while, someone will try out that changes the game. This was James’s chance.

The drive back home was quiet. James wanted to ask for permission. James Sr was also clearly waiting for James to ask. However, the silence continued in the car. The pair was lost at home when the silence finally broke.

“Don’t tell your mother where you’re going tomorrow.” James Sr said, with a very calm voice.

James’s eyes widened, excitement on his face. James Sr couldn’t help but smile as James punched the air constantly with joy.

The next day, his father dropped James off at the arena. The line for the tryouts was long and had many different types of people. Some people looked the part, while others were looking for a memorable day. James eventually made it to the table and signed up, showing his identification and signing a waiver for the day. The lady at the desk handed James a number.

278

When James walked into the main area, he saw ten wrestling rings. The only staff on the floor were the referees, security, and a couple of announcers to call out numbers. Nobody knew where management was, though there were some whispers that management was watching from the press box in the arena.

Three hundred people total were allowed in the tryouts. People who didn’t have what it took based on looks were turned away. Others were turned away because of age. Some old-looking people were let in, but they didn’t seem out of place. They were the calmest.

The 300 people were split into ten groups of 30, bringing each group to a ring. That is when the announcement came.

“Each group will be participating in a 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal. The last two from each group will move on to the next stage.” The announcer declared.

Suddenly, the mood changed. The time to be excited was over. This was the very beginning of James’s journey to WWPW.