Wrestler's Name: "The American Nightmare" Sean Cain
Wrestler's Age: 29
Height: 6’4
Weight: 242
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Years Experience: 10
Entrance Music: "Great American Nightmare" by Rob Zombie

Description:He is approximately 6’4” and muscular. He recently shaved his head to keep his hair out of his face. His upper body is a scars from past matches, a trait that he considers a history of his career. He comes to the ring wearing black shorts, kneepads, and boots. He occasionally likes to drape himself in the American Flag during his entrance.

Finisher:A.D.K (Camel Clutch Sleeper) / Welcome to Philadelphia Motherfucker (Running Crucifix Powerbomb)

Wrestling Style: Technical

Career Highlights: IWA World Heavyweight champion x 3, IWA United States Champion x 2, IWA Television Champion, IWA Hardcore Champion, IWA Tag Team Champion (with Zombie), TAWF Champion, NWA Tag Team Champion (with Joshua Baker), WWA Cannibal Champion, 2008 Cannibal Cup holder, RPW World Heavyweight Champion x 2


Roleplay:
May 8, 2009
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

There are times is our lives that we face the decisions that can almost become life altering. Should I go to the ATM in the middle of the night to save me time tomorrow? Should I listen to my more animalistic urges and mess around behind my wife’s back? Should I quit my job for one that would bring in more money and better benefits? We have all been stuck with decisions like these. Every once and a while arrive the times when the one thing that has eluded our grasp comes and lands in the palm of my hand. Times when we can almost feel our creator slapping us across the face with a chance of a lifetime. I currently find myself in this role as I sit propped up on a beanbag chair in the basement of my mother’s home. I came here between Crossfire, my first successful mixed martial arts fight, and an obligation I have close to here to wrestle at tomorrow.

However, the provocative question I have before me is not how long I should procrastinate before hitting the road to head to the show I’m wrestling at tomorrow. A question poses more of a definite direction to my career and the lives of everyone around me. Should I stay or should I go? I feel like I’m taking a test in some weird manner. A test that will determine the rest of my career.

The question before my weary mind all lies in the contract sitting in my lap from one of the well-known entities in professional wrestling. Apparently, I’ve gotten their attention enough to warrant a developmental contract. So many problems would vanish if I just look past the commitment and dedication I have for Ricochet Pro Wrestling. After Crossfire, the entire company has to be wondering where my head is. They might even be wondering if I’ve grown tired with the current financial crisis Ricochet finds itself in. I walked out on a number one contendership match for the World Championship. I gave Adam Heaton a one on one encounter with his former friend. I’m still trying to figure out if I did it for him or myself as I mull over this contract. I may never have the answer to that question. In my heart, I know that I did the right thing, but my head screams that there were other reasons for making such a hasty decision.

“Penny for your thoughts handsome?” I look over my shoulder to see Shelly walking down the stairs. I had almost hoped that my family would keep her busy upstairs with family albums so I could think this decision over in peace. I’m almost overjoyed to see her because I know that she avoided some of the albums that contain not faltering pictures of myself.

I place the contract back in the manila envelope that previously housed it. “My thoughts cost a lot more than a penny. I’m afraid that you do not have the funds that it would cost to get one thought out of my brain.”

I have a small smile on my face as she descends from the final stair. I’m taken back fro a moment in how her features closely resemble an angel to me. I consider her an angel due to the way she makes me feel after everything I’ve been through in the last couple of months. I remember the day we first met. I thought that she was just another annoying wrestling groupie that wanted a quick way to fame. That didn’t stop me from starting up some type of relationship with her. I figured it would just be a quick thing to get me over the loss I was dealing with at the time. However, she has quickly become one of the main people that I know I can depend on. I can share things with her that I would never imagine sharing with Sam. That fact that she understands the business that employs me makes things even easier. She prefers to travel with me instead of sitting at home and having phone calls become our only way of communication. She has no idea how much I really appreciate her.

“How about I just take my shirt off and skip around the room topless?” She has this kinky grin on her face as she grips the bottom of her tank top. She begins to hop back and forth, as she thinks I’m contemplating her offer.

“Not in m mother’s house.” I take a quick glance up the stairs. For a moment, I actually consider her offer. She and I haven’t really done anything since before leaving Europe. However, I decide that its not a good idea since I have no idea where my mother is up there. “I don’t even want to know what she would say if she walked down here and saw you walking around without a shirt on.” I could almost begin to guess what she’s say and none of it is overall flattering. “She would probably take a heart attack.”

“Nope.” She says after stopping her dance and taking a seat next to me. “She would probably cut the lights off and tell you to start making her a grandchild.”

I let out a loud sigh and she immediately gets this apologetic look on her face. She managed to say the one phrase that still hits me like a ton of bricks. All at once, she realizes that she has jumped on a topic that most people try to avoid around me. A baby. I have found a way to make peace with Sam dying in that car accident. I juts haven’t found the strength to look past the tiny life that died with her. I had my life almost figured out until that tragic night. It took me so long to come to terms with being a professional wrestler and a father. I was prepared to make so many sacrifices to my career to insure that I’d be there for her and the baby. I never had the chance to hold my little boy. Now nothing pertaining to babies makes sense to me anymore. I don’t know how I would feel if Shelly was actually pregnant one day. Part of me wants to say happy while I know that I would have trouble putting myself back in a position where I’d know how the feel.

After an awkward silence that seems to last forever, Shelly finally says something. “I’m sorry. I forgot.” I can see the genuine sadness in her face. She doesn’t like bringing up things that have the potential to depress me. She rather me stay happy and bubbly like she is.

I crack a smile to let her know that I’m fine. “It’s okay sunshine. I can’t expect the rest of the world to dance around subjects that I consider a little on the touchy side. That’s just the way life goes. I just have to find a way to adapt to that one day. I’ll get over the hurt eventually.”

I place my right arm around her. Her smell is intoxicating to me. Sometimes I wish that I would have meet her ten years ago. I think that my life could have been considerably better with her in it. Unfortunately, she was eleven years old when I was nineteen. Therefore, I don’t think that people would have thought very positively about a relationship between the two of us. She would have been in heaven since she’s been obsessed with my career since the first day I stepped into a wrestling ring. It’s just nice to think about how things would have been with someone who actually understands me and what I do.

“So...” she tries to make a dive towards the manila envelope, but I manage to stop her. I noticed that she could not stop looking at it from the moment she sat down. She is a great girl, but she is noisy as hell sometimes. “What was so important that you ran down here as soon as we arrived? I know your mom gets all your mail, but I never knew that you would get something that would send you into seclusion. Did you get the new issue of Playboy and decide that you wanted to come down here and check it out before I found it? I promise I won’t walk around asking you which girl is hotter again.”

“Funny. I should put you out on the corner and let you make me some money with a mouth like that.” I laugh to myself while I think about how there are some times that I try to block out of my head the fact that Shelly is bisexual. Granted, I have taken part in some amazing threesomes with other women because of the bisexuality, but I tend to try not to think of it as something that defines her. Although, she never passes an opportunity to remind me about it. “You aren’t up there telling my mom about all your previous bisexual encounters are you?”

My heart actually skips a beat as I await her answer. “Nope.” She let loose a smile that sends shivers down my spine. “Your mom did ask me if she still had the body to be a Milf. I told her that she could be a milf for years to come and I would give her a twirl around the room if she wanted to. She told me that she would let me know. She even gave me a wink or two.”

I wish that my brain had a reset button on it. That’s what I’m going to ask for Christmas this year. A tiny button behind my left ear to press at my digression. That way I could have something to fall back on instead of the unnerving feeling in have to scram and claw my eyes out. Its not everyday that you hear that you girlfriend is telling you that she thinks that you mother is hot. Maybe I can get someone in the upcoming tag match to crush my skull in so I can forget the last two weeks. I look over to Shelly and see this shit eating grin on her face. She knows that she has finally found a way to get to me with those comments.

“Stop being such a big baby.” She smacks me gently on the back of my head. “I would not care if you thought my mom is hot. It might actually turn her on if you said something about her looks.”

“Okay let’s stop right there with all this talk about each other’s moms. Its starting to get on the disturbing side.” I say a silent prayer asking God if he will make sure that Shelly never brings this subject up again. “So why did you escape from my mother’s clutches to come down here? Did you have enough with the photographic journey down Sean Cain lane?”

“Nothing really.” She leans her head on my shoulder. “I was just wondering what you were up to. Besides, your mom wanted to go up in the attic and find the pictures from kindergarten. She said that there is a Halloween costume in that album that I can use as blackmail.” She rubs her hands together and shows me a devilish grin.

Oh dear God, I almost know what picture she is talking about. My mom dressed me up as a cowboy when I was five years old. I’ve never been able to live those pictures down. “I’m going over a contract I got in the mail.” I debate whether I should have just told her that. I was originally planning to keep all of this a big secret, yet I would appreciate Shelly’s opinion. She is a part of my life now and this contract has the potential to change both of our lives.

“Oh.” She folds her arms. “RPW finally decided to send you that new contract? It’s about time we heard something from them on this contract situation. I can’t believe that you been working with that year-to-year contract until now. When did the old one expire?”

“It expired after Irish Wake. Daniel James insisted that my contract be like that in case he and I decided that we could not work together anymore. That way he would have a legal method to get rid of me.” I pull the contract back out of the envelope. “Buzz Stone and I are under a verbal agreement until I sign a new contract. I told him that I would be at every show until we work something out. However,” I hand her the contract. “This is not a Ricochet Pro Wrestling Contract.”

She eyes almost pop out of her skull. She just sits there reading the first few lines to her self before finally saying something. “Is this the real thing?”

“Yes.”

“Sean, do you know that this is a World Wrestling Entertainment contract?” Her excitement level is almost at its peak. She follows WWE shows more than I ever will. I really don’t mind as long as she does not go around quoting things that they do to me. “Do you know what this means!”

I take a deep breathe and say another pray before I answer her. “It means I have a lot of thinking to do.”

“What!” At that moment, I think that I have awakened a sleeping demon. “What is there to think about? This is the big time Sean. What could you possibly have to think about besides signing this puppy and getting it in the mail?”

“A lot.” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not sure that I want to make the jump from the Indies to the WWE. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’m not excited about this. I just not sure that it’s the right thing for me.”

“Why the hell not? You’re the one who is adamant that you have to get your mother out of this neighborhood. You’re the one killing yourself wrestling on all these shows and tournaments on off weeks from Crossfire. Isn’t signing this contract the best way to help your mom without killing yourself?”

I don’t say a word. I simply let my head nod in agreement with her.

“Think about it honey, signing this contract would mean that you would not have to worry about everything all the time. You could just worry about getting the job done in the ring and leave all the outside distractions on the back burner.” She keeps looking at the contract and me. “How did they even get in touch with you?”

“One of their road agents took a month long vacation in England and went to a lot of our shows. Apparently, the company is trying to create new stars and they want to make me one of them. Well at least that is what the letter accompanying the contract says. I just have my doubts about the whole thing.”

“Why?” She looks like she could rip me apart at any moment.

“Because too many guys in this business see the WWE as the only real way to have a legitimate career in the wrestling business. I don’t want to be one of those people who help to contribute to that stereotype. I just don’t think that it would take long for me to realize that I really wasn’t in it for the money and it would start to feel like a dead end job or a chore. I know a couple of guys from other companies who signed developmental deals with them and they all say that working for them takes the fun and purpose out of their lives a lot of the time, because you really have no friends in the wrestling business. Everyone there is trying to kiss ass and was willing to stab you in the back just to elevate their own career. Shelly, I’m just not sure that it’s the type of environment that I want to be in.”

She looks like she is slowly starting to see my point. I let out a sigh of relief just knowing that I’m not fighting for my life anymore. “So are you sure that this has nothing to do with what you did at Crossfire?”

“Crossfire was my own doing. I didn’t walk out of that match because I knew that I had this contract waiting on me. In addition, I didn’t do it to rest up for the WEC fight I had Tuesday. I had my own reasons for doing it. Reasons that I fear not many people could understand.”

“Have you talked to Heaton since the match?” I take the contract back and place it on my lap.

“Nope.” I stare down at the contract on my lap. “I figured that he would contact me if he wanted to talk about that match or the tag match that we have coming up. I told him that he would have the greatest challenge in the world before him. He now has to sit back and think about if he can live with walking into a title match that I gave him. As far as this contract goes, its really not anyone else’s business but ours.”

“Sean, what if someone in their offices leaks information about the contract to the media?” her voice trembles a bit. “You don’t think that RPW or anyone else in the locker-room would be a little annoyed by you considering leaving the company?”

I sit back for a moment and let her question bounce around in my skull for a moment. I know that her worries are legitimate, but I also know that she worries too much. Unfortunately, one of her fears has already come true.

“It has already been leaked out. Nevertheless, most people are only calling it a rumor. As far as the locker room goes.” I rub my eyes. “If they had a problem with this then I would tell them that this is not a team sport. It’s all about the individual and his accomplishments. I would let them know that I did not become one of the best technical wrestlers in the world and a six-time world heavyweight champion by depending on the help of others or their opinions. Motivation keeps me going through all my matches. Determination makes me trained harder than any of them to be the best I can be. Dedication sets me apart from the rest of them. I would tell them that they should be happy for me.”

I take a deep breathe because I know that a majority of them will not feel that way when they find out about this. I can almost hear Johnny Royal talking about how I’m betraying the company now.

“You sound like you’ve been practicing some sort of speech for them.” She gives me a kiss on the check.

“Maybe. I have been thinking about receiving some type of static from them about this deal being on the table. I’m not even sure if I’m going to accept the deal or not. I’ve had a couple of phone conversations with them and I made it clear to them that I would sign the contract if I accepted their conditions. I wanted to put it on the back burner while I thought about this upcoming tag team match with Heaton. We still have to figure out who Royal’s tag team partner is going to be. Pickings may be a little on the slim side for him.”

“Not really? I think there are more people that dislike you right now.” I laugh at the tone in her voice.

“Always. However, Royal can only choose Shawn Kelley, Chris Deppe, or Thomas Steele. Mimic and Romano are going to be preoccupied with trying to kill each other. Kagerro may not to wrestle with her injuries. She really should have been unable to enter the building last week. After hearing some of the Ruff Ryders comments concerning Royal and myself, I’m almost sure that it won’t be one of them. My money is on it being Thomas Steele. Heaton and I defeated pairings involving each of Royal’s potential choices so I really don’t think that we have that much that we have to worry about.”

“So.” I have the feeling that I should have not said that Heaton and I don’t have that much to worry about in the match. “Then we can focus on this contract issue?”

“Whatever.” I reach down next to my seat and take a sip of the soda I brought with me.

“Okay.” She looks almost hurt, but then realizes that I just do not like over examining things sometimes.”Let’s look at some of the obvious pros and cons here. How much are they going to be paying you a year? I guess what I’m trying to ask you is how is it going to compare to the pay scale that you’re getting paid in RPW”

I look at the contract. I know the information she wants of the top of my head, but I want to give her the illusion that I’m actually reading this thing. “There is no pay scale in WWE. This contract includes a downside guarantee with all kinds of bonuses including TV, house show, and pay-per-view bonuses. I only get a pay per view bonus in RPW for the supercards we do. If I have merchandise items created for me then I would also receive a percentage of the merchandise sales.”

She starts looking like she knows that this is almost going to make me consider signing the contract. I wish that she realized that I have been sitting down here for hours mulling over these same ideas. Its is slightly helpful to have someone else to talk to about this, but in the end we are still going over the same topics that I discussed with myself prior to her coming down her. I don’t say anything to her because I appreciate her interest in the situation. Sam would have just told me to do with whatever I wanted to do and that would have been the end of the conversation.

“Most WWE developmental contracts include $25,000 per year downside guarantees. Wrestlers are required to pay for their own transportation and hotel costs, but most of the time they get these at discounted rates because WWE has an in-house travel agency. RPW pays for my airfare to arenas and what not and does pay for hotels. However, most of the hotels are small ones. I could actually get everything paid for me if I rose through the ranks to be a huge star in the company. That may take a while though. Not many people who were stars in other places end up being big stars there unless they know someone on the inside or marry the boss’s daughter.”

She snickers under her breathe because she knows exactly whom I’m talking about. “So let’s get some figures going here. I know that the other stuff is pretty important in making this type of decision, but what is going to be the overall money that you’ll be receiving from them?”

I smile for a moment. There are times that Shelly exhibits this shark like quality that makes me think that she should be my agent. “Salaries in WWE range from downside guarantees of $25,000 a year to several hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars per year. The more popular that a superstar is the more money that he or she makes.”

“So you need to get over with the crowd or under their skin?” she smiles. “That should not be that hard for you. You have a knack for making crowds hate you everywhere you go. Being a major heel in that company should be a cake walk for you.”

I scratch my head. “Actually it would be. The WWE and RPW are two different things. Buzz Stone gives us the ability to go out and say whatever we want to on the microphone. I could see myself censored in the big leagues because they want to become more children friendly. I would also have to amp down my style in the ring to match the style of wrestling they have.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Its all looks the same to me.”

“Exactly. To the outsider it looks the same. Nevertheless, I can tell from watching their product that we wrestle a different style in RPW. We all pretty much lay it out and go top gear from the second the bell rings. WWE wrestles at a more relaxed pace. I’m not sure that I could deal with that.”

“True. What’s your salary with RPW?”

I was afraid that she would ask me that. Her opinion is going to swing the second she hears the number. “I make around $13,000 a year wrestling for them. This is standard for a main event wrestler in an independent promotion. I also made about $3,000 Tuesday when I choked that guy out.”

She smiles. “How does it feel after fighting your first mixed marital arts fight?”

“Pretty good. I think I’m going to incorporate some of that style into my wrestling style. I want to test it out at Crossfire and see how it works.”

“If you even go to Crossfire.” She sounds like she has already made my mind up for me.

“I’ll be there. I gave Buzz Stone my word that I would be at every show. I never give someone my words unless I plan to keep it.” I rub my hands together. “I plan to step into that ring with Royal and his partner, no matter what choice I make for the rest of my career. Royal is going to be obviously pissed about some of the comments I made about him in the ring. Yet he deserved it. He needs to get back to being the grounded wrestler he was. He wins the title again and walks around wanting to be a commentator or a referee while everyone else is wrestling for his paycheck. It just rubbed me the wrong way.”

“That happens when someone takes something that was yours.” She tries to sound all guru like, but its humor is lost on me.

“It has nothing to do with the title. I would not have walked out on that match if I cared about the World Championship. I care about RPW.” I look down at the contract. “I said all that because I figured that everyone who paid their money to see Johnny Royal deserved for their voices to be heard. Do you know how many kids look up to him?”

Shelly actually tries to figure out the number. I simply pat her on the head to let her know that it was a rhetorical question.

“Too many. These kids were excited when they heard that we were moving Crossfire around. They wanted to come out and see their Hero. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I just prefer not to think about Johnny Royal right now. Maybe that’s why I pulled this contract out. I rather be thinking about anything else than him walking around with two belts and not stepping into the ring for almost a month to do anything with them. His first match since Irish Wake is going to be a tag team match. If I were he, I’d want a one on one match so I can try to make people believe all the crap that I’ve been spouting off. Arggh!!”

I slam my fist into the ground.

“You sound like you really want this tag team match for other reasons.” She rubs my back slightly trying to calm me down.

“I do. But I plan on getting my opinion out there at Crossfire again.” I hold up the contract. “It will be the same time when I make a decision about this thing.”

“You’re kidding?” The disbelief on her face is almost comical. “Why are you going to make it there in front of all of those people?”

“Because they have the right to know.” I smirk. “Those people are paying their money to see me in the ring. I screwed them out of that opportunity last time because I wanted to do something that needed to be done. They all want an explanation and I will give them one. Up close and personal.”

“Shelly! Where are you?”

I almost laugh when I hear my mother’s voice ringing throughout the upstairs. “You better go and see the pictures. She doesn’t like to kept waiting.”

“Right.” She springs up giving me a close view of her denim-covered ass and heads for the stairs. “Just do me a favor and try not to obsess over this contract and Royal crap too much.”

“Sure thing.”

I know that I’m lying to her as she disappears up the stairs. I live this sport more than any other person does on the RPW roster. That is why I signed up to wrestle in events like the one in East Stroudsburg tomorrow. I generally love wrestling. Maybe that I why I’m so hesitant to sign this contract. I know that it will put my family at a point that we will not have to worry about money for a long time. I know that I would not be the first wrestler who was successful in the independent leagues and left to start over in the big leagues. I need to put it all out of my head and get back to business. I have Lance Storm to worry about tomorrow and Royal and his partner to worry about at Crossfire. I pull out my cell phone and consider calling Heaton for a moment. I want him to come to terms with what I did for him and realize that it was for the best. Yet I wonder if he is taking it that way. I think better of calling him and make the call that most people would think I would avoid.

“Hello... Beddford… Here is a scoop for you. The rumors are true and I plan to discuss my decision at Crossfire. Yeah… Whatever… Bye.”

I smile knowing that I’ve gotten the ball going the direction I want it to roll in. now I just have to focus on beating a man that once wrestled in the company that wants to take me away from RPW and a man that has more history with me than anyone else in RPW. I hold the contract in front of my face again. Its hard to believe that so many decisions have to come from one ten page document.

[Fin.]