- Event: Chaos 044
UK Wrestling Talk-May 1st, 2023
A flurry of activity took place at ringside following a UK wrestling show in Bolton. The seats were emptied but the flashing sign behind the wrestling ring with “UKPW” flashing continued to work as the ring technicians began to tear down the ring.
On the other side, one of the wrestlers was giving an interview to another wrestling journalist by the far barricade. That person was Simon Wilson, a bald UK wrestling personality who stood before the camera. Microphone in his right hand, he said, “Simon Wilson for What’s Up Wrestling right here with American professional wrestler Joe Bergman from High Octane Wrestling.”
Joe may have been still in the UK after the March to Glory show but he was doing some PR work for War Games with the UK press.
Simon Wilson welcomed Joe with his left hand as he stepped into the shot. Joe seemed a little more relaxed than usual tonight.
“Thank you so much for joining me today,” Simon said to Joe.
Joe nodded back. “Thank you Simon.”
While Simon and Joe continued the interview, along the dimly lit walls of the auditorium where the UKPW show had taken place, Sunny O’Callahan walked up to one of the wrestlers who she noticed standing alone along the wall. Sunny dressed ‘normally’ tonight in her usual street clothes sans the ever-present bottle of Southern Comfort that usually accompanied her and eyed the wrestler who stood before her. He was about six foot two, 225 pounds. He had muscles but looked a little thin, blond hair, and a blond goatee. It appeared that he was in his very early twenties.
“Um… hi,” Sunny said nervously, extending her hand out. “Sunny O’Callahan.”
The wrestler took her hand and looked into her eyes with a devilish smirk, shaking it firmly.
“Drew Mitchell.”
Sunny pulled away from his grip a few seconds later and leaned back against the wall next to Drew.
“Drew, you looked pretty good out there,” she said, trying to break the tension between them. “I was impressed.”
“Cheers. You’re gorgeous,” his gaze never left her body.
Sunny blushed, noticing how close they were standing. She could feel the heat radiating off his body and the air between them seemed charged with energy.
“Well… thanks…,” she finally managed to respond.
“Aren’t you here with him?” he asked, pointing over to Joe Bergman, still in the middle of his interview with Simon Wilson. Sunny turned her head and saw Joe talking with Simon. She also saw Laura Bergman in the general vicinity of the interview. Joe and Laura had begun to reconcile.
“No,” Sunny replied. “My relationship with Joe is strictly business.”
“Strictly business, you say? ‘R you a wrestler then?” His voice was now lower with a more intimate tone than ever before.
“No,” Sunny responded, running her fingers through her hair and feeling her pulse quicken. “Wrestling manager.”
“Oh. Shall we go to a pub and talk about it then?” Drew asked.
“Sure.” A slight smirk crossed her lips as she took one step closer to him and a few minutes later, Sunny found herself sitting in a nearby pub. The dim light of the pub cast a warm glow on Sunny’s frizzy blonde hair as she sipped from a glass of whiskey. Her loose-fitting, flouncy top swayed gently with each movement, revealing hints of her toned physique beneath.
Across from her sat Drew Mitchell, all 21 years of raw, untamed potential bristling with rowdy energy- a fact that was not lost on Sunny.
“Look, Drew,” Sunny began, her Californian accent blending with a gentle Irish lilt. “You have the potential to be one of the top wrestlers on the circuit, but you need to step up your training if you’re going to make it.”
She watched as Drew edged closer, his thick British accent filling her ears. “I know what I’m capable of, love, but can we talk about how much more fun we could be having back in my flat?”
A wave of warmth rushed to Sunny’s face as she tried to regain control of the conversation. “Drew, focus,” she said firmly, trying to guide him back to their task at hand. “Let’s plot out your career plan.”
Drew acknowledged her words with a brisk nod, though his gaze never left her face and lingered on her lips.
“I think you have potential here. I think you have a unique set of skills here,” she continued, feeling an unfamiliar intensity in his stare. “And I… I… want to be the one to help you make it happen.”
He threw his hands up in amusement. “Alright, alright. I hear what you’re saying but before we get into that can you please revisit my other suggestion?”
Rolling her eyes with a mischievous glint in them, she gave an exasperated sigh and unsuccessfully tried stifling the grin that threatened to spread across her face.
“We’ll see, Drew. We’ll see. But first let’s discuss your plans for wrestling.”
Drew Mitchell’s Apartment- The Next Morning
The sun’s golden fingers crept through the curtains, gently nudging away the last shreds of night and casting its hazy light upon Drew’s disheveled flat.
As Sunny stirred, she felt the unfamiliarity of the sheets that cradled her, along with the ache of regret settling into her chest. She shifted to find a note resting on the bedside table with an empty glass beside it. It read: “Gone to the gym for training. See you soon – Drew.”
“Dammit,” she groaned in despair as reality hit her like a thunderbolt. The implications of their night together ran wild in her mind; how foolish she’d been to mix business with pleasure and yet how irresistible his charm had been. Her brain raced to make sense of it all and regain control over her emotions.
“Right,” she thought steely, fist clenching at her side in determination. “This won’t happen again. It’s strictly professional from here on out.” With one last sweeping gaze around the room, Sunny placed her business card on the bedside table, ensuring it would catch his eye before she left. With one last glance around the room, she walked out of the flat, preparing herself for the flight back to the United States.
Drew Comes Calling
Four weeks later, Sunny stood backstage at a Missouri Valley Wrestling house show, her frizzy blonde hair draped across her forehead as she sipped from her bottle of Southern Comfort. The Alabama Gang, her usual companions, were busy preparing for their upcoming match, leaving her to enjoy a moment of rare solitude.
Her cell phone suddenly rang. Sunny did a double-take and pressed the button to accept the call.
“Oi, Sunny!”
The familiar voice caught her by surprise, and she fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it before managing to answer. “Drew? What’s goin’ on?”
“Guess what, love? I’m comin’ to the States in early June! Fancy sitting down and talking business?” Drew’s British accent rang clear through the phone, his excitement palpable.
“Business?” Sunny paused for a beat as conflicting feelings threatened to overwhelm her. On one hand, the thought of reconnecting with Drew filled her with anticipation. She cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of ‘business’ are you talkin’ about?”
“I’ve decided I must have a manager, Sunny. And I think you’d be perfect for the job,” Drew declared, his voice confident and hopeful.
“Is that so?” She took another swig of her drink, pondering the offer and its implications. After a few moments of deliberation, she made up her mind. “Alright, but one condition.”
“What’s that?” Drew asked.
“We keep things strictly professional. No more… extracurricular activities.”
“Deal,” Drew agreed without hesitation.
“Good.” Despite being slightly apprehensive, something inside Sunny stirred with joy at the prospect of reuniting with him again. Drew had potential… a lot of potential… inside the ring and Sunny wanted to be the one to nurture and help Drew in his development. She also wanted to prove she belonged in the big leagues as a manager.
“See you in June then,” she finally replied before hanging up the phone.
A Week After Drew Arrived in June
The morning sun cast its effervescent rays across the hotel room where Drew was staying outside of St. Louis. Sunny took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She looked around the room, the sunlight illuminating the tangled sheets in a warm golden hue.
“Dammit.”
Sunny tried to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest as she realized that she had let it happen again.
“Dammit… dammit… dammit!”
She frantically chastised herself internally and smacked her hand on the bed for letting herself blunder into another passionate night with Drew.
“Get it together,” Sunny scolded herself, resolutely vowing not to fall victim to their irresistible chemistry again. She reminded herself of the reason why she was there—to help him achieve the breakthrough he deserved. “Focus on his career; that’s what matters,” she muttered to herself as she got out of bed. “Focus on his career.”
This mantra kept ringing through Sunny’s head all day until later when she watched from the sidelines as Drew effortlessly moved through his training session, electrifying everyone with his natural talent. His moves revealed an insight into his true potential and Sunny’s faith in him was restored. Her mind raced as she considered her options. She had a sudden urge to call up Ray McAvay and take him to Missouri Valley Wrestling to see if Joe Bergman could help develop Drew. But the more Sunny thought about it, the more she realized Drew deserved something else. He needed something bigger, better, special. With a newfound resolve, Sunny decided that she could do this—that she possessed the capability and fortitude to guide and direct a burgeoning pro wrestler—so she set out on another plan.
“Hey, Drew,” she called out during a break in the action.
“Yes, lov,” Drew responded.
“I’ve heard of this new promotion called X-Pro. It’s like a minor league for HOW. What do you say we try to get you in there instead?”
Drew grinned widely at Sunny’s suggestion and said: “Sounds brilliant! Let’s do it!”
“I’ll make the call then,” Sunny said. Drew’s enthusiasm gave Sunny a renewed sense of fortitude and purpose. Now with a clear goal firmly set in her sights, she was ready to guide his blossoming career and give it the boost it needed as she and Drew embarked on this new adventure together.
But something gave her pause. “Drew?”
“Yes?”
“Why me?” Sunny asked.
“Why you?”
“Why did you decide to call me?” she wanted to know.
“Well mate, I did a little research on you,” Drew said with a smirk. “You were quite the bad girl once.” She knew what he was talking about– Sunny’s past wasn’t exactly a secret in the wrestling world. She had been quite the bad girl a couple years ago: The Definitive Erasure, helping High Flyer steal Rah’s bus, the time she ran over Dawn McGill with a SUV after a Jimmy Buffett concert in Cleveland, being Ultratron-6.1’s valet… and how it all cost her in more ways than one.
Sunny blushed as the memories came flooding back to her. She tried so hard to get ahead in the wrestling world, to make her mark by any means necessary, and it ended up costing her dearly in the end. Her career had been put on hold, and it took some time before she was given another chance.
“Yeah,” she finally said softly. “I did some things I kinda wished I didn’t do.”
“Oh, aye – I also read of yer fame as Joe Bergman’s valet, Bill Dickinson’s valet, the Alabama Gang’s valet, and how ye guided ’em to glory in victory!” Drew continued. There was a curious blend of admiration and suspicion in his tone as he spoke. “Not many birds can say they’ve done that, now can they?”
Sunny nodded slowly, taking it all in. She never expected anyone to remember what she had done for those teams… but here was someone who had taken the time to remember it, and respect it.
Sunny felt her cheeks flush as she replied, “Thanks, Drew.”
His gaze met hers and he gave a rakish smirk. “And more to the point, you’re a right tearaway in bed,” he added.
Sunny felt her cheeks heating up in response to his words, but also couldn’t help a grin of pleasure spreading across her face. “You really didn’t have to say that,” she said, playfully swatting him on the arm. “Really.”
***
Promo Time
Scott Stevens… Sunny O’Callahan here. How long has it been? Oh I know… February 2023. Do you remember what happened that night? You, Scott Stevens, attacked me and Joe on orders from Lee Best. Despite Lee not acknowledging your actions and having previously sent Aceldama to attack you, the attack on Joe and I was carried out in a typical and predictable manner seen on HOW television.
Yawn. Whatever.
However, instead of dissuading Joe from backing down, the attack only made Bergman even more determined. We showed up the night after Chaos 22 at a Missouri Valley Wrestling house show in Coralville, Iowa where one Scott Stevens… you… would be wrestling. Before the show, Joe talked to the MVW wrestler who would be facing you in a non-title match- J.J. Bittinger. He asked J.J. as a favor if I could accompany him to the ring? J.J. agreed and as a result I walked down the ramp to the ring at Bittinger’s side.
Scott Stevens’s music then came on and main were you pissed. The Men’s Heartland Champion came out to a healthy chorus of boos all full of piss and vinegar from what he’d done the night before. That all dissipated the second you made eye contact with me and stood on one of the corner turnbuckles defiantly flipping me off from the ring.
What would happen next? Well…
You confronted me. Some overheated rhetoric followed. Finally, you said something that set me off and…
SSSS-SLAP
…that’s right, I reared back and delivered a hard, open-handed slap across your face. You tried to shrug off the slap and immediately delivered a fierce two-handed shove that sent me hurtling backward. My legs gave out and I crashed to the mat. As the boos rained down, you moved in as if you were going for a Toxic Sting. That is until Joe Bergman hopped the guardrail from the crowd and rolled into the ring. All hell was about to break loose until Ray McAvay came out and put a stop to it.
Such fun times.
Hey Scott, just wanted to let you know that I’ll be returning to HOW this Sunday and I’m bringing along a new wrestler named Drew Mitchell. He’s only 21 years old and full of energy and enthusiasm, and most importantly, he’s at the beginning of his wrestling career. He’s the opposite of you in terms of experience, but I think he’s got a lot of potential. Looking forward to seeing you there!
As you near the end of your arc, Scott, I understand that you might be contemplating ways to put Drew Mitchell, whom you see as a “kid,” in his place. However, I must tell you that Drew is not like Benny Newell, who was at the end of his career and was brought out just so you could defeat him at X-Pro a few weeks ago. Drew Mitchell is here for a specific reason – Lee Best wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice by letting a promising young prospect slip through his fingers to a rival company. So, it’s important to remember that Drew doesn’t care about your intentions towards him. That’s right. Drew doesn’t care. Drew is here for a reason.
In June, I contacted Lee to ask if Drew could join X-Pro and Lee made it happen. Drew performed well in the ring at X-Pro and impressed Lee Best enough to earn an opportunity to showcase his skills on the main HOW roster. Lee made one big mistake with Adam Ellis and lost him to PRIME. He clearly didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. So, at Chaos 44 this Sunday night, the young lion Drew Mitchell will face off against Scott Stevens, a two-time HOW World Champion and HOW Hall of Famer.
Scott, you have rightfully earned your place in HOW history. Sunday night at Chaos 44, Drew will begin to earn his place.
***
August 26th– X-Pro Aftershock 18 at the Best Arena in Chicago
…Mitchell attempted to use his signature move, the “Tenchi Crush,” but Rettop avoided it by kicking out. Mitchell then tried a clothesline, but Rettop countered with a DDT and set up his finishing move, the “End of the Line.” The crowd was tense and on the edge of their seats throughout the match.
The air was electric as Rettop signaled to the roaring crowd. He launched himself at Mitchell with a Slingshot DDT, but Mitchell was ready for it. In a jaw-dropping move, Mitchell caught Rettop mid-air and executed his signature “Tenchi Crush,” slamming Rettop’s face into his knees with incredible force.
The referee’s hand hit the mat: one, two, three. Drew Mitchell had secured the win in a match that was nothing short of a wrestling clinic. The arena exploded with cheers and applause as Mitchell emerged victorious from this epic battle! Mitchell’s victory not only solidified his high ranking but also set an incredibly high standard for the rest of the evening. It was a bout that encapsulated the essence of XPRO Wrestling—unpredictable, intense, and utterly captivating.
The Best Arena shook with the deafening cheers and boos of an enthralled crowd. Drew Mitchell had just won a grueling match against Jimmy Rettop at Aftershock 18, earning himself a hard-fought victory. As he stood in the center of the squared circle, sweat dripping from every pore on his body, it was clear that this young man had no shortage of resolve.
Ringside, Sunny O’Callahan jumped up and down, her unkempt blonde hair bouncing wildly. She sipped from a bottle of Southern Comfort, blissfully unaware of the copious amounts of liquid splashing onto her blouse and jeans.
“Ya did it, Drew! Brilliant!” she shouted. A mass of frizzy blonde hair framed her petite face as she clapped her hands in anticipation. She fumbled with her bottle of Southern Comfort, careful not to drench her loose-fitting top or faded denim jeans any more than necessary.
Drew stepped off the ramp and onto the fan side with Sunny following closely behind him. He responded to her cheer by saying, “Thanks, Sunny! Couldn’t have done it without ya.” Drew thanked her with a nod before making his way around the edge of the ring for a celebratory lap to thank those who had supported him on his journey. Fans reached out to him, some for autographs and others just trying to touch the energized champion. When Drew approached Sunny again at ringside they began to make their way back up to the locker room area. While the two made their way back, Sunny pondered if Drew had finally caught the attention of High Octane Wrestling’s owner, Lee Best. Drew certainly had the raw talent and potential that should make any wrestling company take notice…but would it be enough?
“Blimey, that was intense,” Drew exclaimed, wiping his face with a towel. “Reckon Lee Best was watching?”
“Hard to say,” Sunny replied. “But you gave it your all, and that’s what matters.”
Two weeks later, Sunny’s phone rang with the call she’d been hoping for. After exchanging words with the person on the other end, she immediately dialed Drew, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Guess what, Drew?” she said, barely containing her excitement. “You’re going to wrestle at Chaos 44!”
“Really?” Drew exclaimed, his voice a mixture of elation and nerves. “Bloody hell, that’s brilliant, Sunny! But… I’m a bit on edge, y’know?”
“Understandable,” Sunny replied sympathetically. “But this is what we’ve been working towards, Drew.”
“Right, right,” he agreed, taking a deep breath. “Hey, d’you think you could come over? Maybe help me relieve some stress?” He added with a suggestive tone.
“Absolutely not!” Sunny fired back, this time her voice firm and steadfast. “You need to buckle down and focus on the opportunity that’s being given to you. You need to train your ass off. This is your chance to make a name for yourself in High Octane Wrestling, Drew.”
“Fine, fine,” Drew conceded reluctantly, seemingly understanding the gravity of the situation. “I’ll train as hard as I can. Promise.”
“Good. Remember, Drew,” Sunny said, her voice softening but unwavering. “It’s showtime.”