- Event: MTG2020
March to Glory.
Rome, Italy.
The Roman Coliseum.
An event and arena I know all too well and I will step back into that hallowed ground as a gladiator once again this Saturday.
Location: Rome, Italy: Hotel
March 25, 2020
Sigh.
The sound of boredom is heard along with the sound of sheets rumbling in a darkened room. The face of Scott Stevens is revealed in an illumination of light from his smart phone as he looks at the time and shakes his head.
3:00 am.
I need to get sleep, but I can’t.
Something is keeping me awake.
Is it because I’m competing in the greatest arena the world has ever known?
No, that can’t be it because I’ve competed there numerous times and I’ve never felt like this before.
What can it be then?
Stevens clicks a button and his bedside lamp turns on and the Texan slowly rises. The former world champion runs his hands through his hair and over his face before resting them in his lap in front of him. The heavily tattooed upper body of Scott Stevens cannot hide the wounds of battle throughout his illustrious wrestling career as the deep scars protrude over the various artworks.
Sigh.
What is bothering the Texan enough to keep him up at this hour?
Stevens throws the covers off of his body and makes his way over to the wooden desk inside of his room. Stevens takes a seat in the leather chair and opens up his laptop. A couple of clicks are heard before typing begins and we see in the Firefox browser that HOWrestling.com has been brought up. Stevens clicks the news tab on the site and brings up the post about the March to Glory card being finalized. Stevens scrolls down the page until he reaches a certain point and uses his mouse to highlight a particular part of the article.
Brian Hollywood vs. Scott Stevens: Loser of this match will be unable to wrestle during the War Games PPV period. The winner obviously moves on with a chance to get into the biggest match of the year.
Loser of this match will be unable to wrestle during the War Games PPV period.
Loser
Unable to wrestle
War Games
The expression on the Texan’s face remains emotionless, but his eyes tell another story, a story of worry and doubt.
Can you blame him?
One mistake.
One error with a misplaced punch or kick. An ill timed finisher attempt or crash and burn maneuver could spell doom for the former World champion and end his chances at competing at the biggest match of the year and with Scott’s performances as of late he should be worried.
You see, ever since Scott Stevens came to High Octane Wrestling he has competed in every War Games match except one, and that was the year he had to settle for a consolation prize in Tara Michaels-Davidson after War Games Captains, Mike Best and John Sektor, flat out told Stevens they weren’t picking him even though he had almost won it all the previous year.
However, one year can change everything for you because Stevens went from finishing third in 2013 to going on to become the Lonesome Loser of 2014 effectively alienating everyone from even thinking of picking him for their War Games team. Being told you suck to your face and not being picked crushed Stevens. I mean, how would you feel if you were purposely excluded from competing in the biggest match of the year win your were moments away from victory the previous year only to have it taken from you because you were busted open and your own blood had blinded you?
Stevens has won a War Games match…..but it wasn’t THE War Games match.
When Stevens won his War Games match it was part of Team HOW against the invading Boardwalk Wrestling team, and it’s a great accomplishment, but it isn’t the one you go around bragging about. Hell, even at last year’s War Games pay-per-view inside of the War Games structure with a ladder thrown in to grab the Tag titles wasn’t THE War Games match either. If O’Dell and Stevens had won the match and left the structure as the new Tag champions instead of the eGG Bandits he could technically claim he is a two time War Games winner like Christopher America, but would that claim hold weight as America’s two wins or previous winners such as Mike Best, John Sektor, or Ray McAvay, to name a few?
I don’t think so.
2014.
Stevens was excluded from War Games.
2015.
Stevens barely gets drafted when it was announced that War Games would involve 16 participants from various companies that have working agreements with HOW such as Wrestle UTA, Boardwalk Wrestling, and 4CW. That’s right, Stevens wasn’t even picked in the initial draft until Lee best expanded it from the usual four or five man teams and making it to a total of 8 on a team.
He’s picked sixth by Tara causing major conflict backstage because Stevens had turned around and shed his Lonesome Loser funk into a decent year up until that point in favor for outsiders who failed to show up and compete to lackluster performances to the ones that showed.
Hype is all they were and how did the Texan do?
A fifth place finish.
Stevens had a point to prove after almost being left off War Games once again and outlasting not just every outsider on Tara’s team, but every so-called superstar from the other companies that competed in that year’s War Games match. Stevens may not be the bright and shiny new toy or the flavor of the week, but when it comes to War Games he produces regardless if he’s on a 20 match winning streak or a 20 match losing streak because at War Games anything can happen and if you sleep on Scott Stevens he could be walking out the new World, ICON, or LSD champion.
However, it could all be taken away this Saturday at March to Glory against Brian Hollywood.
An Executive Promise to the face could spell the end or getting dropped on my head by a Basic Instinct will definitely be a War Games curtain call. Hell, Hollywood could get fancy and dig deep into his arsenal with The Paycheck or The Termination kick to terminate my chances of competing at War Games this year.
You see, this is the reason Stevens can’t sleep because he has to face a man just like himself. What that means is not a former World, ICON, LSD, or Tag champion, but a man that is down on his luck and has the whole world against him. A wounded animal with his back against the wall and nothing to lose.
When you have nothing to lose you are at your most dangerous.
This is why Stevens hasn’t been able to sleep at night because after that announcement by Lee was made he knew his War Games chances were starting to slowly slip away as potential War Games favorites, the Group of Death, 24K, and newcomers, Red and Ted, are starting to make a case as to why they should be picked instead of Stevens.
Sigh.
Stevens lets out once more as he shakes his head and switches tabs to the HOTv website and brings up past matches of Brian Hollywood.
“Back to studying.”
The Texan says to himself as he hits play.