Countdown to Rasslemania #3: Blink

[Smash INC]

Keaton Saint in...
Countdown to Rasslemania #3: Blink

Contract - Round Three

Contract negotiations were supposed to be an easy thing to handle, but Keaton Saint had turned simplicity into complication as the countdown to Rasslemania continued. It was becoming a problem even for Keaton as he began to question his worth to APW and Asylum, he had known all along that when his time to negotiate arrived he would be fighting for the chance to take control of his own destiny. Keaton wanted to wrestle the best and there was only one place for that, here. The problem was that Keaton's demand could only work on the basis that he fit the other side of the best, to face the most elite wrestlers you have to be an elite yourself. This was what Keaton had lacked in over the past year, he was good but he wasn't the best.

This is what turned a simple contract signing into a drawn-out battleground over his future. Keaton believed in himself, even when nobody else did and even when the facts themselves were telling a different tale. Keaton was worthy and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to push for the chance to continue facing the best, being the best in the sport. However time was running out for Keaton Saint, Rasslemania was a short time away and his performance up to this point had been good but not great. For a man that claimed he was the patron of the sport, being mediocre wasn't enough. It was being supreme or bust.

The third contract meeting ended up reflecting this, Keaton had entered the first meeting in the standard way. Everything about it was poised as a standard no-strings meeting, setting out the scene that this was a regular thing. Keaton's irregular refusal to sign during that meeting led to the charade of the second, a meeting designed to employ a sense of inevitability. Keaton refused to sign then, much like he did at the first meeting. So what some would call the third time lucky became a reflection of the situation. Some of this was a mental battle between Keaton trying to fight for his wrestling privileges and the evidence that he was not worthy of receiving them. Money wasn't the issue here, it never was.

Keaton's initial contract was for a huge sum in comparative terms and even though the sum on offer here was less than his first contract, the loyalty bonuses and the merchandise sales turned it into a lucrative deal. Money wasn't the issue, anyone with a brain could see that. What mattered was Keaton's future in the sport and whether he would still be able to put himself across as an international superstar. The last year had grounded him, Keaton wasn't a special attraction like he was last year because he was now one of the dependable guys. Keaton was someone who anyone could expect to see a certain amount of form from, he was a known quantity. That was the problem, Keaton wondered if it was possible to turn it into a solution.

The spartan surroundings this time around made it clear that business was firmly on the agenda. Whether this was a sign that the contract negotiations were going to acquiesce to his needs was something that would be answered in due course. What mattered was that this was a true sign that things were about to become more serious, which is exactly what Keaton thought of his concerns and desires. What he wanted was a genuine outlet to show that he was more than just the gatekeeper for the success of others. The meeting seemed to imply that his way of thinking was coming across, the Twiglets were gone and so were the surprises.

Or so Keaton thought.

"You're going to be taking on Phil Atken." Nameless had spoken softly, barely above a mutter. He was the same person Keaton had been speaking with at the last meeting and it had only hit Keaton just then how he did not know the name of the man who basically held control of his destiny in his hands.

"So I'm getting the chance I've been clamouring for?" Keaton responded with a certain amount of shock. He knew he'd be having a match of relative importance as Rasslemania came closer but to put THE champion through his paces before the biggest event of the year was a big deal. It was perhaps the last true chance Keaton had at proving he deserved to compete at that level on a more consistent basis.

"In a single word, yes."

"And assuming I beat him that has to put me in good standing for what I'm trying to do."

"I think you've missed something here." Nameless looked up from his papers to Keaton and wondered what had been lost in translation.

"Missed what?" Keaton asked. "The way I see it is that I can beat the reigning champ and that pushes the case for being able to control my own destiny on Asylum."

"You're still missing the crucial part of all this." Nameless stated.

"I don't believe I am, Atken is still the champion up until Rasslemania at the very least so that still gives him some degree of importance." Keaton sighed. "He's not been on form recently, but proving myself and beating Phil Atken would prove my point about being in contention for the title."

"You wouldn't be in contention for the World Heavyweight Championship because--"

"--Because what?" Keaton interrupted, still flustered by the thought that beating the man who stood as the peak on Asylum wouldn't be enough to change his negotiations for the better. "Because

"What I'm trying to say is that you wouldn't be in contention because you would BE the champion."

"Wait." Keaton paused, inhaling deeply so as not to make a sudden reaction. "It's a title match."

"Yes."

"A genuine title match."

"Yes."

"On the last Asylum before Rasslemania."

"Yes."

"Against a man who already has a named contender who he despises."

"I don't think it could be any clearer." Nameless held his hands out as if to emphasise this point.

"That's just crazy!" Keaton exclaimed, torn between excitement and trepidation. "I mean I get that this is a chance that comes around once in a blue moon but these kind of scenarios are generally only done when you don't expe--"

"You appear to have lost your train of thought." Nameless looked back to his papers.

"For a second there I did, but I get it all now." Keaton brushed his hands through his hair as a flickering lightbulb turned to full brightness. "You're expecting me to lose, that's what this whole thing is about. Give a title match so that when I falter you can waltz right in with a contract that I'd only sign at my lowest ebb."

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the matter."

"You don't have to be, I can tell this is a carrot-and-stick approach." Keaton huffed. "It really is as well, because this whole sweetened pot makes it all the easier for me to take my eyes away from what could happen."

"We're all pretty clear on what a title match represents, especially one as important as this."

"Which is why it makes it all the more appealing for Callahan to come right in and steal an opportunity from me."

"As you already know, Michael Callahan has his title opportunity granted and therefore has no reason to affect your chances."

"Aside from the fact that he couldn't pin me on Asylum." Keaton grunted. "Aside from the fact that I was seconds away from beating the top contender and a former champion. I know how this story goes, Callahan gets the chance to really drive the nail in and Atken becomes the rallying point for everyone who has any amount of dislike for Callahan's actions."

"And where do you stand?" Nameless enquired with a mild interest.

"Away from what matters because no matter what Callahan does it'll be an attack on Atken, not me." Keaton sighed. "I know the story, I know what the contract in front of me means and I know that I can change both for the better."

"Surely you understand that the terms in this contract are quite generous, even in spite of your demands in recent weeks."

"It's also a test."

"I assure you the contract is as genuine as it can be."

"It's still a test of my own belief." Keaton took a cursory look at the contract and held it in his hands. "The hero faces a test right before the climax, a moment in which any doubt is magnified and given form."

"If you say so."

"I know so." Keaton smiled. "And in that moment he is given the choice to continue on or submit to a lack of belief. If I sign this I'm saying I can't beat Phil Atken, but I believe with everything in my being that I can."

"So?"

"So I know right now that I won't be signing these terms and before you say anything, I know what this means."

"You may consider this a test, but this is real life we're talking about. The risk you intend to take cannot be undone." Nameless reflected on his words for a moment. "You must understand that you are risking a lot here."

"Wrong, I'm risking everything." Keaton shook his head. "And I'm saying that to a guy whose name I don't even know."

"Felix."

"Is that it?"

"I assume you wanted to know."

"I did." Keaton nodded. "What I want you to know is that despite the story being etched in stone, I know how to change the ending."

"You're that sure?" Felix's eyes darted from the contract back to Keaton.

"I have to be, otherwise I wouldn't be a wrestler." Keaton said, sealing his fate. Time would tell if it was the right decision.

==========

Blink (& You'll Miss It)

Are we looking at the next World Heavyweight Champion?

It doesn't matter how many times I replay that whole scene in my head, that's the moment that always sticks with me. A lot happened on Asylum, a lot of facts were proven and yet the one thing I'm taking from all of this is a question. I don't like it, I live to prove things in the ring and to show the truth of what putting your all into a sport can achieve. I like to answer things for myself, not to be left wondering about the solution to a question that doesn't concern me. The worst part of it all is that it serves as a reminder that Michael bloody Callahan got the pin on Bailey and I didn't. You have to have eyes in the back of your head in any triple threat and I didn't succeed in doing that, it's like writing a letter and having someone else deliver it as their own. I guess I'm supposed to take refuge in the fact that I wasn't the one laid out on the mat but it does little to quench the thirst I have for victory. I wanted so much to prove that I was the one with the best ability and the most tenacity, but Callahan was the one left celebrating and all that does for me is raise more questions.

Maybe this would be easier for me if I was the one staring at the ceiling lights by the end of it, maybe I'd be better off with the knowledge that I was beaten rather than the doubt that is seeping into my every waking moment. Callahan didn't pin me and the big problem with that is that I don't know for sure if I can beat him just as much as I don't know whether he can beat me. All I can ever do is put everything I have into a match and hope for the best conclusion. I'd prefer to walk into a match with knowledge rather than my own belief. As powerful as it is it's not fact, it's not complete truth.

That match was always going to be a huge influence on me and the one I'm about to have is an even bigger one. On the last Asylum before Rasslemania I become the golden ticket holder, the wrestler with the chance to become the next World Heavyweight Champion. It wasn't too long ago that Keaton Saint taking on Phil Atken would have been a match for the eternally curious rather than the marquee event it stands to be. Atken knew what buttons to push when I competed in the chamber last year, his intelligence stood out then and that always impressed me. He knew what I could bring in that setting and he overcame it all. This match could have been a rewrite of that moment if not for one truth.

This match is not about Phil Atken, this match is about Keaton Saint.

People don't expect me to make it, they don't expect me to win. This isn't to say they don't believe I won't put my heart and soul into this match, that comes with every match I have or will ever be in. When it comes to what they think it basically comes down to one simple conclusion, Keaton Saint is too much of a wrestler and not enough of a Megastar to be THE man. This isn't about how Atken will defend but about how I will attack, my whole career in the sport hinges on this match. Everything I have done in APW, everything I have done before and everything I can hope to achieve relies on me grasping this chance with both hands and refusing to let go. I'm going to face Phil Atken with one goal in mind, it's a simple one.

I refuse to lose.

A question was asked about Michael Callahan, whether we were looking at the next World Heavyweight Champion. I've got the chance and the great opportunity to be able to say no, you weren't looking at the next champion because you were looking in the wrong direction.

What I get the chance to say is that what you should've done was look at the wrestler, the patron of the sport and the man who lives for what he does in the ring. I am a professional wrestler first and foremost in my life, I am a Megastar in a close second. At Asylum in Winnipeg I get the chance to not only say that I am a wrestler and a Megastar but I am also a champion. My heart beats with anticipation, I can feel the match coming ever closer and I know that I won't just be marching to the ring.

I'll be running towards my destiny, I'll be running to hit Phil Atken like a runaway train.

Blink and you'll miss it.