Darin Zion
“It’s interesting to see Lindsay Troy match me up with someone who defines my nature so well: Impulse. I always have a spontaneous inclination to act with urgency. Everyone in this business knows I’m the most headstrong individual to ever set foot in a ring. I don’t ever think about the consequences; I only act when I wrestle. I ramble on incessantly before inserting my foot into my mouth; no questions asked. I write checks my ass can’t cash. Sometimes it’s a formula for success in many promotions like PWX. Other promotions like 4CW and HOW, well; we know I don’t have the most spotless reputation…
I could bore you with all the long-drawn details of my wrestling career. I’ve earned 24 separate accomplishments across 6 separate promotions. My failures span copious amounts of others, but it’s a banal story every wrestler tells upon their debut. It’s the same drawn out sales pitch we do night in and night out when we travel that long-winding road.
You can’t tell me you haven’t heard about my negative reputation, Impulse. Don’t hide behind the excuses of honor and humility. I’ve seen some of the talents gracing their presence on the PRIME roster. The Almasy Invitational’s prestige brought out some of this business’ best. I’m not fucking stupid that Genevie Carlson and Bryan Williams have thrown their names in the hat. Hell The Egg Bandits and The Bruvs could share countless legends on how incredibly pathetic I am. You uttered my name once before cutting off your interviewer. You spent more time looking off into the distance like a distracted puppy. I know when someone patronizes me in this business. You see me as inferior and you kept your demeanor. You ‘watched’ all my tapes you could get your hands on.
Really? You watched highlights that spanned 17 years of my career in the span of 3 weeks. You couldn’t talk about the wars I’ve waged in PWX. You didn’t once utter that I’m one the most loyal hands in this business bar none. You never mentioned my passion for this sport or any of my accomplishments. You didn’t give me a single nod to my tenacious attitude. Shit, you couldn’t even speak ad nauseam about any of my weaknesses or how you’d squash me into the ground. You only gave me a cheap plug and wished the better athlete success in the damn match. How DARE you!
I’m not gonna lie and say I know your reputation, Impulse. I hadn’t heard of your name until the draft. I frantically searched Google trying to find tapes of you on the independent scene. But I came up short. I’ve heard you’re the Marathon Man who can wrestle like a machine. I spent hours on the PRIME site, studying your bio, hoping to learn ANYTHING. I’ve watched you in the spontaneous PRIME training sessions leading up to our matches. You’re a damn ruthless son of a bitch. You’re the type to wait out the full five count, dishing out pain. I know I am rigorously trained to handle your style in an effective way. We’re going to have an all out war when we step into that ring. A ruthless grappler tying it up with a sadistic submission artist. No doubt the PRIME fans will eat that shit up in the first round. We will put on a wrestling clinic for all our doubters to see.
But between you and me, Impulse; I know you lack one key characteristic to finish me off. You don’t fucking love yourself as much as I love me. So far, you doubt your talents and heart in our competition. You’ve sauntered around the MGM Grand like a decrepit old man when we’re the same age. You couldn’t keep a solid poker face when discussing our match. You sowed doubt into your biggest believers talking about your loyalty. You couldn’t commit ANY more time to PRIME outside the Almassy Invitational. Your confidence petered out before stepping into the ring with me. Your mind’s distracted with life circumstances throwing you curveballs. Hell, your PRIME bio outlines you’re standing on your last leg…
You don’t love yourself like I love me.
Sure, my armor might have chinks in it. I’m a fucking human being for Christ sakes, but it hasn’t become my identity in this business. I didn’t sign my PRIME contract because I wanted to wallow in my self-pity. For the last three years, I spent all my time doing that in HOW and it yielded me NOTHING. I came here to hit the reset button on my career. My only desire is to shed the image people like you see in me. It’s time I loved myself instead of drowning in a pool of self-hatred every week. I came here to win the Universal Title and transform my own self-image. My sole goal is building the PRIME brand in my image of love.
You don’t win championships when you doubt your talents.
You can’t earn respect when you’re hobbling along on one leg.
Only confidence, strength, and self-love wins championships in this industry. Go ahead! Tell yourself the same sob stories about how the good guys always win eventually. Pat yourself on the back you never got wrapped up in the bullshit of this business. The politics, backstabbing, treachery: you’re above that. You stand out like a white knight on a fucking chess board, but it drains you.
I have first hand knowledge on this. I spent many years doing the same song and dance, Impulse. The exhaustion from all the opportunities passing you by hits different. It adds to the pain you suffer from all the bumps. It cuts straight to your soul. The love of this sport drains right out of your heart. It’s why you walked away in the first place.
You didn’t love yourself enough! You didn’t let the burning desire to wrestle guide you like I’ve done. Hell, this is the third company I wrestle for on the regular. It’s that passion that drives me to push harder and harder to break through the glass ceiling after 17 years. It’s won me various championships.
And it’s going to push me to beat you.
Before you step in that ring; ask yourself; what’s love got to do with wrestling?
It’s everything. It fuels you, it drives you, and it pushes your limits. It’s what drove me to continue on when everyone hates my guts. That’s why I’m better than you. And that’s why I’ll move on in the next round of the Invitational. And I’ll make sure to send your ass back to your retirement home, old man.”
Saturday, January 15th, 2022
11:59 AM
MGM Grand Hotel Marquette Ballroom
Las Vegas, Nevada
“CUUUUUUUUUT!” Meredith exclaims before tapping the record button on my iPhone. Her applause echoes throughout the vacant ballroom while I exit the podium. Exiting from my promo zone, I examine the spacious room to see no patrons at my MEET ZION session. The color drains from my face as Meredith rushes up to wrap her arms around my neck.
“That’s your best promo in years, dear! It’s simply a masterpiece from your others. I’ve gotta rush to post this on the PRIME website in time. We can’t wait until 11:59…” she utters while typing in a viscous manner.
Rolling my eyes in the back of my head, I understood Meredith’s confidence. With her two years of managerial experience, only the basics mattered to her mind. She’d only experienced the technical prowess of the HOW culture and hadn’t ventured out of her comfort zone yet. I’d kept her sequestered from the rest of the world due to my bitter feelings.
She’s about to get her first taste of the cold-hearted wrestling world outside those #97Red walls. When no fans attend our sessions, money comes out of our pocket books. It builds more ammo for our opponents. I didn’t have the heart to deliver the cold, hard truth. A forced smile appears on my face with my beaming eyes.
I pull her in for a kiss. My arms move down her back in a slow demeanor. While we engage in a passionate make out session, we make our way near the cracked doors. I can feel the hotel patrons’ eyes gawking at us. Kicking the door gently closed, I start stroking her gorgeous blond locks. As the lustful urges continue to pang at me, I pull away. My glazed eyes stare back at Meredith. I flash my life partner a sensual smile. Regaining my composure after a few minutes, I brush the dust off my suit.
Once again, my eyes circulate around the empty space. Resting my arms against my sides, I shrug at Meredith and keep up the facade.
“To be honest, it doesn’t matter that we’re alone in this room. I didn’t promote my PRIME appearance to my loyal HOW fans. This experience isn’t about them. I wanted to see if I could rebuild a brand without all the notoriety after 17 years. I didn’t expect the PRIME audience to line up overnight to get their first experience with ZIon. I don’t need their validation to know my worth. I’ll show it to them in the Garden Arena next Friday night. When Impulse and I wrestle, I’ll steal the damn show and the win at the same time.”
I jaunt over to the stage and sat down for a moment. A vision of the bright spotlights beaming down in the PRIME ring filled my head. Goosebumps form all over my arms, and chills run down my spine. After 17 years, I’d never set foot in a Las Vegas arena, much less the MGM Grand. I’ve heard countless stories about the thrill of wrestling in front of a Vegas crowd from my peers. The thought of a new frontier exhilarates me.
Meredith waltzes over right next to me and sits on my lap. Wasting no time, she presses her lips against my forehead before gazing into my eyes. “Keep loving yourself and the sky’s the limit in PRIME…”
“Oh, don’t worry, babe! I’ll make sure to love myself. After I pull a crowbar out, I’ll wrap it around Impulse’s jaw…” I cut her off before her mouth drapes down in shock.
In an instant, Meredith scolds me after my interruption with one of her own. “DARIN! Have some manners for the poor old soul! You can strangle him without your sadomasicist ways! The Red Rings of Death is the perfect submission to make geezers like Impulse tap out!”
I bury my palm into my forehead before asking my question to her.
“What? I can’t bring a little of HOW’s ruthless aggression with me? Not all wrestlers wear a coat of armor and sing Disney songs. We don’t live in a perfect world like Randall Knox. If that bastard thinks everyone is white meat and perfect; he’s delusional. It’s the one life lesson I learned from Lee Best after all these years. Everyone has different shades of gray. There’s no such thing as a pure soul. Impulse has demons in his closet he’d like to hide. I do too. I’m not afraid to do anything to win that Universal Championship in my first go-around. I’ll take a shortcut or two. It’s all about what’s BEST for me. It’s time to love myself a little more…”
In quick fashion, Meredith presses her lips against mine. A seductive grin forms on her thick lips. She grabs my tie and pulls me in before whispering at me. “I’ll show you some MORE love you HANDSOME man!”
At last, she convinced me! Screw these losers who didn’t check me out. It’s time to ditch this loser convention idea and show myself some real love.
Saturday, January 15th, 2022
2:15 PM
MGM Grand Hotel Sky Lofts
Las Vegas, Nevada
God damnit! I need a cigar after all that loving Meredith gave me. Reaching over, I cut the tip off a Diamond Crown Maximus. After flicking the match, the tip flares up on it. I exhale a huge plume of smoke into the air while Meredith twirls my chest hairs around in a playful fashion. Her eyes glow as she watches me enjoy my cigar.
“FUCK, BABY! I don’t need to work on my core muscles after that!” I exclaim to her.
She acknowledges my muscles by rolling her fingers against them. “Chiseled like a Greek God as always, honey. You’re always busting your ass to maintain that six pack of yours.”
“Can’t let those jabrones in PRIME take advantage of me. I’m wanting to be a Top Shelf talent. Can’t slack on these abs baby. People like Impulse always target that and the neck when weakening their opponents. Everyone knows I’ve busted those up when I’ve taken an impulsive dive or weapons spots in the indies. Any idiot could have checked up on that fact on Stevenspedia.” I chortle as I pass my cigar off to my love.
In the background, we hear our neighbors’ headboard thrusting against the walls. Both Meredith and I turn to one another. We chuckle at one another. After admiring their love making form, I asserted to Meredith. “Round 2 later tonight? After I take you out for the best steak in the town. Only the best for my best gal.”
After she exhales a cloud of cigar smoke, she takes a moment to let out a soft, lustful purr. “You bet, tiger! But first, you’ve got a training session with one of the best body builders in town.”
“Trust me, Rodrick wouldn’t let me forget. My phone’s been blowing up the last five hours, darling. I’ve got another hour and a half before our session. He’s been looking forward to perfecting my figure. He’s anxious to work on those legs to weaken Mr. Knox’s Boston Crabs. Plus we’ve got some agility training. Rodrick knows that Sudden Impact can come out of nowhere. He wants no stone left unturned upon my PRIME reset opportunity.” I retort back to her before indulging in another drag and cuddling up next to my love.
I struggle to pull the smooth, silky sheets off the bed. I didn’t want to get out of bed. Rodrick’s sessions always left my muscles burning for days. But a successful wrestler like myself cannot sleep. I roll out of bed and throw on my navy Versace robe with silk lining. Strutting all around the room, I find a bottle of Moët & Chandon. Pouring some into a couple of crystal glasses, I get Meredith and me a couple drinks. After distributing Meredith her glass, we both make a toast.
“To our love?” My eyebrows raise up as I ask my love for toast ideas.
“DEFINITELY TO OUR LOVE, BABE! Together, we can accomplish YOUR dreams of winning another organization’s major championship. It might seem impossible with your last few years; but our love will conquer all in PRIME. Gold is in your future and I would love nothing more than to hold my man’s Top Title.”
CLANK!
We tap our glass together before downing our drinks. Smiles fill both of our faces before I pull the sheets back over our bodies. I drive right in for my lover’s neck. Round 2’s about to begin! I can finish with PLENTY of time to spare for my training session. I’ve got the stamina and energy to do more things than Impulse. How can a 35 year old man let himself go when there’s tons of life to live? It boggles my mind! As the libo starts increasing in our room and the lust grows intense, I feel blessed. The sky’s the limit in Zion’s future. I’ve got a woman who loves me. I love me. And soon, PRIME will love me. I’ll defeat Impulse and I’ll move onto the next round and accomplish all my dreams.
The sky’s the limit when you love yourself. It builds your confidence and character in that wrestling ring. With the love I feel for me now, there’s nothing that’ll stop me from winning the Almassy Invitational. And I promise I will become the first PRIME Universal Champion in this new decade.