- Event: Refueled XXV
Location: San Antonio, Texas: Stevens Performance Center
May 6, 2020: Time: 10:30 am
As the screen comes into focus we see that it is a beautiful day outside with the sun shining brightly and the clear blue sky showing. However, the only downside of this gorgeous day is that it is hot as hell outside like most Texas days leading into the summer season. In the park across the street we see individuals playing basketball and Frisbee while others are jogging, practicing martial arts katas, or playing with their animals. As we continue to pan left we see a giant sign in the air that reads, “Stevens Performance Center” with the tagline, “The Bar of Professional Wrestling.”
As we make our way to the training facility we see that the building has been remodeled and updated from the last time we saw it when it looked like an old, abandoned building. Once inside, we see the accolades of the Stevens family in the form of awards and championship titles displayed in glass trophy cases as well as other graduates from the performance center. We also see banners hanging from the rafters of the Stevens family as well as graduates who have gone on to make it big.
As great as the intoxicating sight of the facility with all of its updates and upgrades the sound of yelling draws our attention away from the shiny new toys and we make our way through a pair of glass doors and we see multiple rings within the facility with one of them occupied with a large crowd around the ring and two people inside of it. As we get closer to the action we see that the Patriarch of the Stevens Family, Cary Stevens, watching closely as he’s flanked by his sons, George and Ricky, on either side of him and cousin Bo paces around behind them. The sound of someone’s back hitting the mat is heard as we see Scott Stevens lying on the canvas holding his back crying out in agony as his father shakes his head.
The man in the ring facing Stevens is Ted Tebow. You may recognize him as Lisa Barbosa-Stevens’ manager in Missouri Valley Wrestling. Tebow is a collegiate athlete and physical specimen that decided to make the transition to wrestling when he didn’t get drafted or invited to be on practice squads to play professional football. He is a graduate of the performance center and right now he’s having his way with the former world champion.
Cary motions for Tebow to continue the assault and Ted runs over driving a knee into his former trainers head. Tebow drops to a knee and looks as if he is praying before jumping up and delivering an elbow drop to the chest of Stevens. Tebow then mounts the Texan and begins producing a flurry of right hands. Tebow transitions to choking the life out of Scott before he lets go and lets out a primal yell. Tebow goes to the opposite corner and gets into the three point stance position and yells at Scott to get up who is using the ropes to slowly pull himself up. Tebow charges at Scott looking to deliver a clothesline, but Stevens avoids it and as Tebow turns around Stevens desperately reaches around Ted’s head and drives him face first with a Toxic Sting.
Cousin Bo appears to be salivating as he makes his way over to get in the ring but Cary uses his nine iron to stop him as he holds it up to his head and shakes his head no. Scott, who looks to be on empty, begins to slowly crawl towards a corner that has a steel pole attached to it with something dangling from it. With closer inspection it appears the object hanging from the pole is a Scott Stevens stuffed doll (Think the old WWF Wrestling Buddies). Stevens continues to crawl to the corner slower than a tortoise, but eventually he makes it and slowly begins to crawl, but the sweat protruding from every pore in his body makes it difficult as he loses his grip on the ropes and falls back to the mat causing a sea of laughter from the spectators around the ring.
Stevens slowly rises to all four and heads to the corner once again and begins to pull himself up to make the climb to retrieve the Scott Stevens doll. As he begins to climb, Cary looks across the ring and motions with his head to a monstrous, bald-headed, black man with a long and shaggy beard and gold grill (think Kimbo Slice) to get into the ring. The man’s name is De’Angelo Mayne-Mann and he sprints towards the corner and delivers a running splash before delivering stiff rights and lefts to the body of Stevens as he does his best to cover up. However, De’Angelo gets overzealous after a haymaker shot when he looks to deliver a buckle bomb in the opposite corner, but doesn’t make sure his opponent is fully receptive to the maneuver. As Mayne-Mann goes to deliver the running powerbomb Stevens is able to transition sideways and connect with a very sloppy looking Toxic Sting.
Cary looks on as he watches his son continue his long trek back to the pole to retrieve the doll. When Scott is at the bottom rung of the ropes he motions for cousin Bo to go in next, but stops him with his nine iron causing Bo to look at his uncle.
“Break his heart.”
Cary says coldly and Bo simply nods as he rolls into the ring and stalks his cousin. He waits for the right moment to strike and he does so when Scott has his hands on the doll and goes to unhook it when he drills his cousin in the nuts. A scream of agony is heard from the Texan’s lips as he drops to the canvas holding his junk. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Bo saunters his way over to his cousin and drags him to his feet by his hair. Bo slowly wraps his arm around the neck of Scott in an inverted DDT position before spinning over driving his cousin’s face into the mat with a Game Changer (Roll the Dice/Cross Rhodes). Bo gets to his feet and makes his way to the corner and retrieves the doll from the corner and tosses it next to his cousin who is beginning to awaken.
“FUCK!”
Stevens shouts in frustration as he sees his doll lying on the mat next to him.
“Again.”
Cary says with almost no emotion and Scott shakes his head no infuriating the head of the Stevens clan.
“No?”
Cary asks aloud before rolling into the ring.
“No?”
Cary asks his son again with a puzzled look on his face as he gets near him.
“NO?!?!?!?!?!?”
Cary shouts in anger.
“Then what the fuck are you doing here boy besides wasting my time?”
Cary asks harshly as he pokes him with his nine iron.
“You told me you needed to be ready!”
Cary continues yelling as he walks around his son.
“You told me you needed to get the rust off.”
He says before stopping and lifting his son’s chin with his golf club.
“You’re slow, out of shape, and most of all you don’t have that fire I’m used to seeing.”
Cary shakes his head.
“What I see before me is not the son I raised, but a fucking quitter.”
Cary says in disgusts as he removes his club from Scott’s chin and places it on his shoulder.
“Do you think Max Kael cares about whether you are at one hundred percent or fifty percent?”
Cary asks before shrugging.
“Max Kael is the number one ranked wrestler in HOW for a reason son.”
Cary says as he kneels next to his oldest offspring.
“Max is the best wrestler in High Octane Wrestling and I don’t give a shit if that Farthington fellow is the world champion or undefeated the fact is he isn’t ranked number one. Being number one means he is the absolute best there is and he has proven it by retaining that championship of his in some of the most grueling of matches.”
Cary informs his son.
“Prison yard matches. No DQ matches. Steel cage matches.”
Cary continues driving his point home.
“He’s already been world champion, but it seems once he won the LSD championship something in him changed and these blood filled matches took him back to his days where he enjoyed causing pain and agony on his opponents.”
Cary says as a worrisome father.
“From what you told me he’s already counting this as an easy victory and he’s salivating to get you in the ring to tear you apart just because he can.”
Cary informs his son as he sits on the mat in front of him looking him dead in the eye.
“If this version of you shows up….Max will fucking kill you!”
Cary says bluntly and truthfully as he gets back to his feet.
“The choice is up to you son whether you want to this or not.”
Cary says as he climbs out of the ring.
“We can either go again and get you in some form of shape where you don’t make an ass out of yourself or you can sulk and pout and get the shit kicked out of you by Max and go back to crunching numbers and posting on social media what Jay Imaginary had for breakfast last week.”
Cary says as he gets back to the position he was standing previously.
“Get your ass up and continue or get the fuck out of my gym!”
Cary gives his son an ultimatum and Scott thinks about it before rolling out of the ring and heading out the door.
Location: San Antonio, Texas: Winner’s Lounge
May 6, 2020: Time: 1:30 pm
Still hot as hell outside but it is cool inside the Winner’s Lounge as multiple televisions are on as, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” by George Strait is blaring over the sound system. As we pan the bar we see Scott Stevens drowning his sorrows at the bar.
“Another.”
Stevens says as he motions for Steve the bartender to pour him another shot and bring him another whiskey sour. Steve pours the shot and Scott quickly downs the tequila and waits for his drink when a sultry voice gains his attention.
“I thought I would find you here.”
The voice belongs to the exotic beauty known as Lisa Barbosa-Stevens.
“What do you want?”
Stevens mutters as he motions for another shot.
“The better question is, what do you want Scott?”
His wife asks as she pulls out a stool and takes a seat next to her husband.
“What I want doesn’t matter.”
Scott informs his wife as he looks delighted to quench his thirst with his new whiskey sour. As he goes to take a drink, Lisa grabs his arm to stop him.
“Of course what you want matters.”
Lisa says as she leans in.
“You don’t think I’ve noticed you’ve been miserable? You don’t think I know you still want to compete in that ring?”
Lisa asks as she grabs her husband’s hand and lays her head on his shoulder.
“Scott, I’m appreciative of the fact you’ve chosen to take a backseat to your wrestling career after I healed fully and staying home and being a stay at home dad for our children to allow me the opportunity to compete in MVW. I may be the champion but it wasn’t because you stayed at home to be Mr. Dad.”
Lisa says shaking her head.
“Because I had accomplished that before when you were competing full time as well.”
She says as she raises her head from Scott’s shoulder.
“Scott, I love you, and I want to see you happy, but you have to make a decision.”
Lisa says as she gets up off of the stool.
“You have to commit to one or the other. You’re either the Chief Information Officer of HOW on a full time basis or you’re Scott fucking Stevens, the former two time HOW World champion.”
Lisa says to her husband before downing his tequila shot and making her way towards the exit.
“You’re either in or out. You can’t have it both ways.”
She says as Scott watches her leave and grabs his whiskey sour and gives it a long look before downing it and asking for another.
Location: San Antonio, Texas: Stevens Performance Center
May 6, 2020: Time: 5:30 pm
Back in the performance center, Cary is going over different things with his current batch of trainees when he suddenly stops mid-sentence and sees his son standing in front of him.
“What are you doing here?”
Cary asks and Scott walks passed his father and simply rolls into the ring causing his old man to smile.
“George! Get the pole! Ricky! Get that Scott Stevens doll and put it on the pole! Everyone surround the ring! We got some training to do!”
Cary says with glee as the image slowly fades.