Post by Bear Reynolds on Oct 14, 2016 19:08:43 GMT
It was a slow day for Bear, to say the least. He had had breakfast, done his workout at a local gym, and was now left to his own devices. If he were back home in New York, there would have been much more for him to do in order to fill his time – tennis at the nearby courts, analysing his past matches, or even just sitting by or in his heated pool. But without the comfort of his home, Bear was left to feel his overwhelming loneliness first-hand. There was nothing to distract him, not even Trent was available to talk with, since he was busy with another indie show. Good for him, Bear thought as he remembered how eager Trent had been when he explained the booking. It was enough to bring a smile to Bear's face, even just for a second or two before Bear's features slackened into a blank expression.
He couldn't help but wish to be back home, amongst everything that made him feel whole and not utterly lost. Whilst the hotel was pleasant, it couldn't compare to Bear's home, though that wasn't to say he didn't try to get comfortable there. Thankfully, he had his MacBook – someone had told him it was superior to a normal laptop, and so he went along with them regardless of the price – and it was adequate in the killing-time department. Despite still getting used to it all, even after having it for almost a year now, Bear managed to get some entertainment out of it. For the first time in a long time, he found himself browsing the various professional wrestling news websites that were available. Whilst he was never one for 'dirt sheets' and gossip sites, he could at least sift through the undesirable 'news' and find actual articles. And as he scrolled through the pages, he realised how much he needed to catch-up on.
“Christ,” he muttered to himself as he scrolled through another page that was filled with news he had never seen. He had gotten through about six pages of Wrestling Worldwide, and still felt like he had only read news from around two days ago. Though that was to be expected – wrestling seemed to be booming right around now, something Bear couldn't be more pleased about. To think, he had met people who said it was a dying sport. Yet here were multiple stories from promotions all around the world, including RSW, speaking of wrestling success. It was enough to make Bear smile, especially when he thought back to the past and how much the sport had changed over the years. He knew of people who were upset at this development – veterans who wished for the highly-competitive days, ultra-traditionalists who hated the emergence of hardcore wrestling, and those who loathed the fact that new talent was given precedence. Whilst Bear could sympathise with some of their complaints, he could see the bigger picture: a growing, diverse world of wrestling that was bigger than ever. And RSW was another huge step toward expansion for that world.
However, as Bear scrolled down the page, the smile and memories faded. In their place opened up wounds and emptiness. He saw the headline, splayed across the page in bold black text. 'USPW 'REDEMPTION' 2016 RESULTS: DERRICK MANNING WINS USPW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP'. A picture accompanied the story, one of the new champion holding up the title, smiling and successful and independent. And he was being cheered, judging by the crowd in the background, most of whom were on their feet, some with arms in their air and others applauding. Bear stared for a moment, a blank expression on his face. His mouse cursor hovered over the headline, though he couldn't bring himself to click it. So he watched as the cursor trembled on the screen.
Be happy for him, he thought. You're better than this.
But clearly he wasn't. In a fit of what he hated to admit was frustration, Bear opened the article and scrolled down the page, reaching Derrick's match. He skimmed through the summary, though a particular line caught his eye, and his gaze got hung up on the words. 'After being forced to vacate the USPW Tag Team Championships due to his tag team partner Bear Reynolds leaving for RSW, Manning has received a huge push into the main event scene, and looks to be staying there judging by his victory tonight'. There was nothing wrong with that sentence. In fact, it was a fact. They had been forced to vacate the titles before Bear left for RSW, and it was a moment that the two had accepted. Yet still, Bear couldn't get over that line. It stuck in his head, repeating like a broken record. Was it the word choice? He didn't know, and that worried him more than it should have. Though he pushed past it, moving on down the page. And just when Bear thought he had moved past that sentence, he scrolled down to find another image: Derrick locking in a heel hook on his opponent. My move, Bear thought, even though he knew it was petty to do so.
Bear was quick to close the tab and tear his eyes away from the screen, turning his head and looking to the city outside of his window. They were states apart, and still Derrick found a way back to taunt Bear with his success. His main event push, his championship wins, his fans. Fans who probably couldn't care less about Bear now that Derrick had taken his spot on top of the wrestling world. The screen dimmed and darkened, but Bear didn't move. Instead, he stayed the way he was until his neck began to ache and his legs became numb. And even then, he didn't stop looking toward the cityscape. He closed his MacBook with a dull thud, tossed it onto the nearby bed, and wandered over to the balcony, where he looked past the buildings and stared into the horizon. In his mind, he imagined Derrick's victory, he saw him standing in the centre of the ring, title held up as he soaked in the appreciation from the fans. Yet even though every fibre of Bear's being told him that mental image was wrong, that it should have never happened, he still didn't allow the waves of emotion to wash over his face. He stood there in front of the city, stoic and unmoving.
“Well done, Derrick,” he muttered, his words shaking just a tad as they entered the air and attempted to travel the distance that Bear was staring into. “I guess...” Bear trailed off, not allowing what he wanted to say to be said. Instead, he finally broke eye contact with the unyielding sky, and stepped away from the balcony to grab his jacket. The room felt restrictive, like a straightjacket tightening around Bear's body. He opened the door and felt relief he hadn't experienced in what felt like forever. After checking his pockets, he realised he had left his phone in the room, but Bear didn't give it a second thought. He wasn't ready to talk to Trent, or anyone else for that matter. The only person he wanted to listen to was himself, and the only way to do that was to get away from the place that was bombarding his head with a symphony of unwanted voices. As soon as the door was locked, the voices were trapped behind it, and Bear retreated into the city to hide from their piercing whispers.
