Made In America

[Tommy Knox]

///Made In America\\\
Chapter XXIV

"You need to forget about everything else going on in your world right now and focus on bringing that strap home."
- Wallace -

Thursday 6:57 PM [April 4th, 2013]
Long Beach, California

The sun sets over the city, leaving a trail of shadows within the streets. The sky is orange, with traces of yellow and red. Down by the beach, the gentle waves flow onto the sand before being sucked back into the sea. It's a beautiful evening, maybe even too beautiful to be stuck inside.

Across town, we find ourselves at the Nomads clubhouse, Long Beach charter. The parking lot if full of life and energy. Motorcycles line up the sides as packs of people stand together and unite. Spring has finally come and by the looks of it, the Nomads are having a little welcoming party.

Standing together, by the front doors to the clubhouse, Wallace and Jared separate themselves from the crowd. As the two carry on, Knoxville walks out from the clubhouse with a beer in hand and a smile on his face. As he passes the two, Wallace grabs the back of his shirt and stops him in his tracks. Knoxville quickly turns around, only to find the two looking back at him.

"What's up, guys?" Knoxville asks.

Wallace stares back at him for a moment before replying. "You are."

Knoxville looks puzzled for a split second. "Me... what do you mean?" He asks.

Just as Wallace goes to answer, Jared cuts him off. "That's what I've been asking." He then walks away leaving Knoxville and Wallace behind.

Wallace shakes his head as he watches Jared walk away. He then looks back at Knoxville. "He'll get over it." I'm glad you came by the party tonight, Knox."

"How could I pass up a party like this?" Knoxville questions.

"Good point. This party isn't the only reason I told you to stop by." Wallace says.

Knoxville looks over at him in silence for a moment before answering. "What's up?"

Wallace walks towards the clubhouse, leaving Knoxville behind and entering through the door. "Come on..."

Knoxville takes a swig from his beer and quickly follows Wallace inside. Wallace walks over to the bar and grabs a bottle of tequila. He then pours two shots, side by side, as Knoxville walks over and stops to his left. The two then grab a glass each and kick it back.

As Wallace slams his empty glass on the table, he pulls out a cigar and places it in his mouth. He then pulls out his lighter and lights it up as Knoxville pours them both another drink. "Knox, I've been talking with Mikey and we've decided to come together on this."

"Come together on what?" Knoxville asks.

"Well, you wanted it. Now you have it." Wallace says as he takes a slow drag from his cigar.

Knoxville then takes a shot really quick before pouring himself another and looking across the bar at Wallace. "I have what? What in the fuck are you talkin' about, bro?"

Wallace then walks behind the bar and reaches underneath, searching for something. He then stands up and tosses a black, Nomad, vest towards Knoxville. Knoxville catches the vest and looks down at it in silence. The patch on the left reads; "Prospect". Knoxville continues to stare down at it for a moment before speaking what's on his mind.

"Dude, is this for real?" Knoxville asks as he looks over the bar at Wallace.

"Indeed." Wallace replies.

Knoxville continues to look at the vest in amazement. "I didn't think this was goin' to happen."

"Knox, Mikey told me that he told our Toronto brothers that you were a prospect." Wallace says as he takes another drag from his cigar.

"I didn't think he was serious. Things were gettin' heated between me and one of the members there. I thought Mikey just stepped in and said that to calm things down." Knoxville then puts the vest on and walks to the other side of the bar and looks at himself in a mirror.

"Nope, he was serious. Him and I had discussed it a couple of days before." Mikey then takes the shot waiting for him on the bar.

Knoxville thinks to himself for a moment before replying. "Hold on a second... I have a question. If I'm a prospect here, what does Mikey in New York have to do with the decision?"

Mikey grabs the bottle of tequila and pours himself another shot. "We're trying something new. We understand that you're on the road with APW every week. We also understand that you need us to help run your business. We're trying something totally new here and bringing you in as a prospect for both the Long Beach and New York charters. This is something that has never been done before."

Knoxville then walks back towards Wallace and grabs the shot he pourned for himself. He then looks at Wallace. "Bottoms up." The two then take a shot. Knoxville then slams his glass on the bar as the sound echoes throughout the clubhouse. "How am I supposed to attend to both charters if I'm on the road every week wrestlin' with APW?" Knoxville asks.

As the two look at each other, a voice fills the clubhouse from the depths of the dark halls. "That's the beauty of it!" As those words flow through the clubhouse, Mikey walks out from the dark shadows of the hall leading to the rooms of each member. "You just worry about kicking ass and making us proud. The Nomads already have enough heat on them. Wallace and I have been talking and we figure only good things can come from this. You just need to continue kicking ass, getting the fans on your side and earning title shots. With you under our brand, that should shed some light on our club and drop some of the heat from all the illegal shit we have going on."

Wallace then cuts in. "You just continue touring with APW. We'll handle the business back here and on our side. You only have a few more years before age starts creeping up on you. Once the game turns its back to you, the club will be here. You can't wrestle forever. The way we see it, any publicity is good publicity. The law will see this as a move we're making to go legit. Either way you look at it, this is the right move for the club. With you traveling, that gives us the opportunity to expand in markets we've never dreamed of."

"Mikey, it's nice to see you. Guys, I appreciate the opportunity to become a brother. I will not let you down, ever. I do have a question though. So, if I'm touring with APW you guys want to reach out to the market of whatever town we're in?" Knoxville pulls out a cigarette and places it between his lips before lighting and taking a slow drag.

"Yes, that's right". Mikey says.

"Guys, I'm not tryin' to be a buzz kill so don't take this the wrong way. When I'm in town, whatever city or country that may be in, my mind is focused on one thing and one thing only. I don't have time to hit the streets and sell our product. From the time I arrive, I'm focused on doin' what I do best in the ring. I can't get sidetracked with other affairs when I need to be committed to winnin'. That's why I came to you guys from the start with this business opportunity." Knoxville pours himself another drink and quickly pops it back.

Wallace grabs the bottle from Knoxville and looks him dead in the eyes. "We don't want you worryin' yourself with this side of the business. We want you committed on wrestling. I'll be traveling with you to handle this side of things."

Knoxville looks relieved as those words roll off of Wallace's tongue. "I'm glad to hear that. I have a North American title shot this week and then next, Gooch and I are fightin' for the tag team titles. After it's all said and done, I'll have one of those titles around my waist if not both."

"Well, lets try to get both of those straps around your waist, brother." Mikey says.

Wallace then takes a big drink from the bottle and slams it back on the bar. "I'll be there to handle this side of the business. I'll also be there to get your back if things get too heated in APW. I want you fully focused on winning those titles and defending them with every ounce of energy you have in your body."

"Once those titles are mine, I'm not lettin' go of either unless I'm dead. The Guv'nor is in for a fight, one bigger than he can imagine. It's time to bring that title back home, to the states. As for the tag titles, there's no doubt in my mind that Gooch and I will plow over any competition in the road that APW presents us with. The whole locker room see's it comin'. People are already talkin' about knockin' Gooch and I off the throne and we haven't even claimed it yet. Kash and Knuckles, well... Reaver if you will, have already made it clear that they're comin' for us. They're the least of my worries. I know Kash better than anyone else in this business. As for Reaver, he's just a clown like he's always been in this sport." Knoxville takes a drag from his cigarette and then pours another shot.

"Before you get too far ahead, you need to focus on Dying Breed and worry about defending those straps afterwards." Mikey points out as he grabs a glass himself and pours a shot.

Wallace then interupts. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. The tag titles are two weeks down the road. This Monday night, you're meeting Guv'nor in the ring for the North American gold. You need to forget about everything else going on in your world right now and focus on bringing that strap home."

"You don't think I already know that?" Knoxville asks. "I've been bustin' my ass ever since I stepped back on APW ground. The locker room seems to be concerned with me lettin' other things get in the way like the tag title shot and my relationship with Niobe. It doesn't matter what else I have goin' on in my life. When I get in that ring I'm there for one thing, it sure as shit ain't losin'. No one needs to worry about me losin' focus. I come at life, one match at a time. I'm not goin' to sit and make empty promises about what I plan to do in the future. I'm goin' to strut my ass down to that ring and show the world what I'm doin' with these fists right here."

Mikey cuts in as soon as Knoxville pauses. "You sure do talk a big game."

Knoxville smirks and then laughs for a brief moment before responding. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I sure as fuck don't let my mouth write checks that my ass can't cash. I didn't come back to APW to win championships but I won't lay down when one's on the line. I'm sick of seein' the Guv'nor walk around with that title as if it means somethin' to him. I know he hasn't held it long but one day is far too many for someone who isn't even from the North American region. This upcomin' Meltdown isn't just about goin' out there and kickin' ass this time. It's about fightin' for America and bringin' home the glory, where it belongs!"

"Don't take this guy too lightly, Knox." Wallace says as he takes a drag from his cigar and takes another drink.

Knoxville laughs again as he takes another shot himself. He then pulls out a spliff from his pack of cigarettes and places it in his mouth as the burnt out cigarette falls to the floor. "I live by the American Highlife standard, each and every day of my life. I'm proud to have been made in this great country. Pride goes a long way with me and it really chaps my ass to see that title draped across his narrow shoulder. I bleed red, white and blue with every single breath that I take. This guy on the other hand, he's a phony, a fake. He carries that title with no pride at all. Made in Hackney... pfft. Get the fuck out of here. This is America bitch, where we take pride in everything that we do. It's goin' to be a pleasure knockin' him off that pedastal and back into reality, the reality that everything's better in America. London's bridges will fall down, crashin' on every poor son of a bitch beneath. And when it does, I'll be there to witness with a smile across my face."

Mikey steps forward and shakes Knoxville's hand. "You god damned right!"

"Forget that piece of eurotrash." Wallace says as he pours another round for everyone.

Knoxville then lights up the joint hanging from his lips and takes a couple tokes to the head. As the sensation overwhelms his mind, Knoxville leans his head back and exhales straight above him. "Last week I defeated three other men to earn this title shot. Of the three men, only one stands out above the others and that man is Warren Peace. The Guv'nor took the title from him, from America's grasp. I'm here to get it back. Last week I was the only man walkin' out of that match with his hand raised above the others and a title shot lined up. Peace has had his time in the spotlight, as short lived as it was. It's time for America's true anti-hero to step to the plate and swing for the fences. I haven't had a single one on one match since returnin' to APW. I've been lookin' forward to this small break, I need to rest the big guns."

Knoxville takes another puff from the joint before handing it to Mikey and taking a shot. "I've actually grown a little tired from havin' to plow through team after team or group after group, week after week. Now it's time to show the world what I'm truly capable of when my focus and attention gets drawn to one single man. We all knew this day was comin', the future is inevitable."

Mikey cuts in just as Knoxville wraps up that last comment. "People are beginning to doubt that you can hold your own in the ring when it's just you and someone else."

Knoxville laughs to himself for a moment before answering. "Those people can eat a dick. If I haven't proved what I'm capable of after beatin' multiple men in the ring then they're just blind. Whether it's one man or ten standin' across from me, the outcome is goin' to be the same. I come to the ring with a single purpose and that's winnin'. There's nothin' anyone can do about that, not Warren Peace, not NBK, not Kash and definitely not the Guv'nor. People can doubt all they want, it just makes it more of a surprise when I upset the world and prove them all wrong. I've been doin' this my entire life. It's me against the world."

"Brother, we have your back now." Wallace says as he looks across the bar and into Knoxville's eyes.

"I know you guys do. It's only me in the ring, though. I can only do it by myself when I don't have big Gooch in my corner." Knoxville says.

Mikey steps in and places his hand on Knoxville's shoulder. "Bro, you got this. I've been watching you in the ring and none of those punks are ready to go toe to toe with you. The Guv'nors time at the top will be short lived, just like Warren's."

Knoxville thinks to himself before taking another drink. "I've been waitin' for a one on one match since I stepped back into the ring with APW. The time has now come. With everything else revolvin' around me in APW, this week I'm focused only one one person. The Guv'nor talks a big game and can handle himself in the ring. Well, so can I. I've been workin' for this moment and I'm not about to let it dwindle away. It's time to show the Guv'nor, the fans and the entire world what Tommy Knoxville is all about. It doesn't matter if they put us in the ring in Argentina, Toronto, Hackney or the greatness of America. My name is my name and I am the American Highlife. It's time to put up or shut up. It's time to bring that championship back home, around the waist of an American who represents it's true meanin'."

Wallace and Mikey both nod at Knoxville as all three take a shot together in unity. Knoxville then grabs the joint from Mikey and takes a couple of hits, one in particularly harder than the others. A few moments of silence pass just as he exhales before speaking. "It's time to stomp a mudhole in his ass and walk that son of a bitch dry. I'm not backin' down from anyone. He wants a fight, he has it. I am... made in America."

With those last words, Knoxville takes another hit from the joint as the three continue to talk as the scene slowly fades to black.