I COME IN PEACE
The broadcast’s normal plans are interrupted by a man dressed in black with a black hoodie over his face walking down to the ring. There’s no theme music to accompany him, he seems to be on a mission and he already has a mic in hand.
Nick Stuart: That’s Darin Zion!
The man lowers his hoodie once he slides into the ring while pacing around. It is indeed Darin Zion.
Darin Zion: I’m tired of being the butt end of jokes and not taken seriously. I’m angry that I got suspended on Jabber. I’m sick of HOW. I’m sick of PRIME. I’m sick of wrestling!
The crowd boos Zion but he keeps powering through.
Darin Zion: But most of all… I’m sick of two people… two owners. One isn’t with this company, so I’ll deal with his blocking ass later but the other one revived PRIME.
Zion rolls a frustrated hand through his wavy blonde hair.
Nick Stuart: We’re seeing a different side of Zion.
Richard Parker: I like it!
Darin Zion: Lindsay Troy. You had no right to have me and my best friend face Brandon Youngblood and Nate Colton last show. All Jonathan-Christopher and Vickie wanted was to express true love… REAL LOVE…
Zion points into the apron camera.
Darin Zion: And you’re jealous of that!
Darin is fuming. He’s barely able to speak again so he takes a moment to try a calm walk around the ring. It works a little bit.
Darin Zion: And you place bullshit restrictions on them. They can’t appear within ten feet of each other on PRIME TV so why would they even bother showing up!? They aren’t here tonight because of this.
Nick Stuart: Thank god.
Richard Parker: Speak for yourself! They’re better than the champs we have!
Darin Zion: But I am. And I’m calling out the King of Popsicles. We don’t have to wait until Colossus!
Zion’s anger morphs into a reckless expression as he stares at the entrance.
Nick Stuart: I’m not so sure Darin knows what happened to Jared Sykes – King Blueberry – earlier tonight.
As the announcer suggests, Darin likely isn’t aware. Regardless, DZ’s not moving until he gets someone.
It doesn’t take long, but Justine Calvin appears from behind the curtain. No theme music plays her out, either, although she receives a strong reception from the fans. She marches to the ring, her eyes never leaving Darin Zion. This is a trap, of course it is. She knows as much. With her partner currently in the care of the PRIME medical staff, there’ll be no one to have her back if things go sideways. She knows this, too.
And she doesn’t care.
Nick Stuart: Honestly, we should get security out here. We’ve seen what the Hall’s and Zion have done to Justine Calvin and Jared Sykes a number of times now. Also I’m sure she’s not going to hold back on Zion.
Right before Justine reaches the apron, Zion throws an arm up and takes numerous steps away from the edge of the ring.
Darin Zion: Whoa! You got me wrong, I didn’t want to fight. I want to talk.
Zion adds a clever grin.
Darin Zion: Fighting and losing your titles hmmm… that can wait until Colossus.
Justine isn’t having any of it. She slides into the ring, hands already balled into fists.
Richard Parker: She doesn’t want to talk.
Nick Stuart: And why would she? After all they’ve done to her and the King.
She cocks back a fist, as if she’s ready to plant it on Darin’s face. This ignites the crowd as Zion scurries into the ropes on the other side of the ring. Gone is the anger and passion Zion displayed earlier. Now he’s much more subdued.
It’s still a very different side of Darin… and Justine isn’t sure how to take it when Zion holds his arms in the air, as if surrendering. He walks to the center of the ring and falls on his knees. For her part, you don’t need a microphone to understand what she says:
Justine Calvin: You’ve got ten fucking seconds.
Darin Zion: I’m sorry.
Nick Stuart: I’m sorry, what?
Mic still in hand, Darin can barely hold onto it as a tear rolls down his face.
Darin Zion: I’m fucking terrible, okay? I haven’t won a singles match here, I got pinned two weeks ago. No one fucking wants me. I’m sorry for everything. You win; I’m done.
Nick Stuart: He can’t be serious, can he? Ten seconds ago he said he was going to win their Tag Titles!
However, Zion looks serious.
Darin Zion: I’m leaving wrestling, the match is off. Lindsay Troy really is a narcissist but she’s a winning narcissist because Darin Zion is finished.
With his free hand, Zion digs into his back pocket and pulls out a handheld wooden block…
With a rusty nail on the end of it.
Nick Stuart: You’re kidding…
Zion drops the mic but still gives directions.
Darin Zion: Do it.
Nick Stuart: Of course she’s not going to do it.
Darin eyes the object and then Justine.
Darin Zion: Do it.
All the memories come flooding back at once. The nail an inch from her eye, threatening to blind her permanently and end her career after only a few short months. The same nail finding purchase in the chest of her partner. A spray of crimson. Blood on her hands. Chocolate pouring out of the wound.
Her heart rate starts to rise. Her mouth goes dry. The same panic she felt at home so many weeks ago now comes bubbling back up to the surface.
Zion completely lets his guard down.
Darin Zion: Hell, the whole rusty nail idea was mine to begin with.
But before she can even contemplate these words, another man dressed in all black slides into the ring. The crowd catches on fast, trying to warn Justine.
Nick Stuart: It’s Jonathan-Christopher!
Hall races towards her, revealing a steering wheel in his hands. He raises it high above his head with both arms, sprinting towards her-
CRANK!
Instinct kicks in, and Justine dodges out of the way. The steering wheel crashes right into Darin Zion.
The fans are electric as Calvin hits the ropes and spears Hall out of his boots! It’s not clean. There’s no precision to it. It’s pure, primal. She begins unloading on the lovestruck wrestler.
Nick Stuart: Finally, JC and Zion are getting what they deserve-
CRASH!
She falls to the mat in a heap when another figure in black, covered in a black hood, enters the ring and smashes a bouquet of roses in a glass vase over her head.
Nick Stuart: That’s got to be Tristan-Crispin-…?
However, when the figure stands, everyone realizes he’s way too short to be TCG.
Nick Stuart: Wait a second!
Jonathan-Christopher reaches out for the figure in black’s hand but it’s slapped away before this person scurries the hell out of the ring and through the crowd.
Nick Stuart: It’s almost as if that person wasn’t allowed to be within certain feet of another…
Richard Parker: We don’t know that! It could’ve been anyone! Brandon Youngblood, even.
Nick Stuart: BRANDON Youngblood???
Richard Parker: Okay, okay, Nate Colton.
For now, it doesn’t matter. Jonathan-Christopher is unloading stomp after stomp on Justine. Zion tried to shake the cobwebs off and then he finds the steering wheel. His demeanor has changed from the humbled, disheartened man we saw a few minutes ago.
Zion smacks the wheel.
Darin Zion: HONK.
He’s back to the same Darin Zion.
Hall delivers a pile driver to Justine.
Darin Zion: HONK!!!!!
Followed by The Vow of Virtue lifting her up and connecting with his finisher, the inverted double underhook face buster, Stand By Me.
Zion wiggles over to the fallen Calvin. He takes a knee beside her and holds the steering wheel to her face.
Darin Zion: HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK…
It’s never ending.
The crowd boos the ever living hell out of this until Zion stops.
Because he sees the wooden bar with a rusty nail on the end of it.
In a trance, DZ places the steering wheel on the canvas. He methodically walks over to the wooden/rusty metal object and picks it up.
Nick Stuart: Darin, no. Just… just no.
Hall watches on in amusement as Darin approaches her again. He leans forward and lifts her head up, holding the rusty nail inches from her face.
Darin Zion: After Colossus, I’ll make everyone show me the respect I deserve. I’ll never be a joke again. No more excuses.
Zion tosses the nail aside and takes hold of the steering wheel. He adds a final, methodical word.
Darin Zion: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!!!!!!!.
With that, 2Become1 stand in the middle of the ring to a chorus of boos while a few EMTs run down to check on Justine.
Nick Stuart: Darin Zion and for that matter Jonathan-Christopher Hall better indeed have their A Game at our A Event or else they’ll be licking their wounds and playing victims again let me tell you.
Richard Parker: I’m not so sure. They continue to outplay the champions. They’re a legit threat!
ReVival goes elsewhere.