Post by Peter Vaughn on Oct 21, 2023 22:59:00 GMT -5
~As the picture goes up, Peter Vaughn is seen, sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of his ranch. He's flipping through the book in front of him, looking at the various pictures shown there. We can see a few of them from above, showing Vaughn as a youngster, with his dad beside him, the two laughing their heads off at some joke that only the two of them probably knew about. Vaughn shakes his head, and then looks over to his left.~
Peter Vaughn: Where did you even find this?
~The camera pans out to show Vaughn's mother, Angela Hill. She smiles, shrugging her shoulders, before leaning backwards.~
Angela Hill: I had a lot of old things stuffed away in a storage locker. I guess I never really wanted to go back to it, because of... well, you know what happened.
Peter Vaughn: Of course I do. You abandoned us, after all.
~Angela winces, but she can't deny the truth. When Vaughn was still a young boy, Angela had left her husband and her son, disappearing into the night. Part of it was due to national security issues, but the fact remained that she never tried to return to her original family, instead starting a new one that would result in Vaughn's half-brother, Thomas. She never reconnected with Vaughn's father, who passed away, never knowing why he had been deserted. Obviously, this is still a sore spot for Vaughn, but then for who WOULDN'T it be?~
Angela Hill: Anyway... I thought you would like to see some of these memories. I know maybe they're a little bit... bitter. But at the same time, they're your life, and I'm sure you didn't have too many of these. Your father wasn't much of a collector of items like these. He trusted in his own memory more than pictures or shows.
Peter Vaughn: Yeah. I'm pretty much the same, I guess. There are plenty of videos out there of me competing, but I have to say, I don't have too many shots of myself that weren't professionally produced. Maybe I need to work on that.
Angela Hill: Maybe you should. After all, at some point, you might want to hang onto those memories for yourself... or for someone else.
~At that point, the sound of hoofbeats can be heard approaching. Vaughn gets to his feet, looking to the right, a rare smile appearing on his face. He watches as the woman rides closer, eventually getting to the stable area nearby. She dismounts easily, handing off the reins to another ranch hand.~
Sadie Anderson: Make sure she gets some water, okay, Clint? I gave her quite a run up there.
~The ranch hand nods and takes the horse away, as Sadie walks over to join Vaughn. She looks questioningly at the lady standing there, reminding Vaughn that, somehow, these two have never met before.~
Peter Vaughn: Sadie... this is my mother, Angela. Angela... this is my girlfriend, Sadie.
~Angela's eyes go wide at the announcement, but a smile soon develops on her face. After all, she's always been worried about Vaughn's solitary lifestyle. The smile doesn't go both ways, though, as Sadie looks a little uncertain, staring at the woman. She steps forward, though, raising up her hand. Angela, who probably was interested in a hug, relents and returns the handshake, looking a little uneasy.~
Angela Hill: Well... I should go. I just wanted to make sure you got that, Peter, while I was in town. Maybe we can talk again in the future?
Peter Vaughn: Sure. I'll call you. Sometime.
~Angela again moves in for a hug, and this time it's reluctantly accepted, although Vaughn doesn't look too enthusiastic. He watches as she heads down the steps and to her car, pulling away from the PMV Ranch. Sadie stands next to him, putting a comforting arm around his waist.~
Sadie Anderson: Sorry. I didn't know she was coming.
Peter Vaughn: Neither did I.
Sadie Anderson: Why was she here? Just to, uh, catch up?
Peter Vaughn: She was visiting Thomas. He's hoping to be out of the wheelchair soon, plus there's that possibility that he's going to become a father. I guess she decided to check up on her other son at the same time.
~The annoyance in Peter's voice is obvious to anyone who knows him. After all, he went through a hell of a lot because of her decisions. That being said, he might not be the man he is today if Angela hadn't snuck out the door that day. For both good and bad, it's what's gotten him to the success he's currently had. You don't become a multi-time World Champion by living a cushy life. Vaughn turns and walks back, picking up the photo album once again. Sadie comes over as well, peeking at it.~
Sadie Anderson: She brought you photos?
Peter Vaughn: Yeah. Of times gone by. There are probably shots in here I won't even recognize. But I will say, it's good to have a few more of Dad...
Sadie Anderson: Show me. Please?
~Vaughn nods, and the two of them take a seat, with Vaughn beginning to flip through the album. It's a journey into Vaughn's past, one that, for once, is not a completely negative experience.~
The past can always come back to haunt you. But sometimes you can make it into a positive experience.
I mean, I really can't say that about you, Enigma. My experience with you is all disappointment. You gave me a terrific match once upon a time, in a fight that I truly believe you never should have won. But flukes happen, mistakes were made, and you walked away with your hand held high. It didn't matter, your fed still lost that night, as CCPE ended all respect your guys could have, but at least you got to have a little respect for yourself, right?
And then you threw it all away, in one single moment... siding with Joe Montouri and his band of rejects.
I really don't get it, honestly. You've got a ton of skill, Enigma. You should be a main event player, for sure. You proved that once again in your battles with Chris Page and winning the Smash Championship. But you decided to take a backseat to one of the biggest crybabies in WGWF history. J Mont couldn't help but whine and cry for months, wanting his title shot against me that he never, ever earned. When Page finally relented, in one of his dumbest decisions ever, J Mont got to take advantage of Page and Jim Caedus' mistakes and got the belt for a short time... until I kicked his ass and retrieved it back. And then... you showed up.
You did see what J Mont did to Sonya Benson, right? He made her look like a complete fool, which, okay, she's ALWAYS been a complete fool, but still, he embarrassed her... for no real reason. Either he's running an angle to make her a tool in the future, or he genuinely shit all over everything she had ever done for him. Then there's Justin York, who, again, was willing to do anything and everything to make J Mont look better. What did J Mont do? He beat the ever-living hell out of him and ended his run in the business, possibly forever.
This is the man that you said "Oh, hell, sign me up! I want to work with THAT guy!"
It's pretty damn sad, Enigma. You should be on top of the world, and you're hitching your wheel to a guy who's never going to be willing to let you be #1. He'll turn on you eventually, because, let's face it, he's a #2. That's just who he is. And in the end, he's going to flush your ass down the toilet, and I'll be laughing all during your terrible plunge into the depths, because you'll deserve every minute of it.
With that said, we still have to fight, and you're still going to have J Mont out there willing to cheat, along with that little harlot, Mansley. I bet chubby Flash will be around as well, trying to get involved. So how would you feel, Enigma, knowing that they're going to try and get you this championship through cheating and deception? And I can hear it now: pot calling the kettle black, everyone stand back. Yeah, I get it. I certainly have had a pretty devious career in the business, no question. But when it comes down to it, I still care about the glory of the WGWF World Heavyweight Championship. I didn't win this belt through trickery, like I've 'possibly' done in other feds.
I won this title by winning the West Coast Rumble, one of my biggest achievements in 2023. And then I won it a second time by beating little ol' J Mont cleanly in that Ultimate X match, refusing to have anyone interfere on my behalf, including Chris Page. I did it all on my own, and I walked out a two-time champion. I managed to clear up some of the disgusting smell that had been added to the title, making it worthy once again. And damn it, I have no interest in letting you and your little Fortunado buddies making it stink once again.
You won't be getting your hands on this title, Enigma. I won't be allowing it. Because I have friends, too, and they'll be watching my back. We're going to make sure that you don't find a way to cheat your way to the gold. You're going to just have to satisfy yourself with that Smash belt, which, let's be honest, it's a nice belt. Honors a dead man and everything. So once I've put you down and sent you back to the bottom of the line, you take that belt and shine it up really nice. Don't let J Mont get his hands on it. You make that belt worth something, you hear me?
It's all about creating the memories right now, Enigma, and you've still got a chance to right the ship and continue on a better path. But it's really all about you and what you've got in the tank: diesel or unleaded... or if you're just completely bone dry at this point.
Fuel up and find out, boyo.
~The two are still sitting on the front porch, looking through the photos, as Sadie giggles at the look of a much younger Vaughn wearing only swim trunks as he dives headfirst towards a pool.~
Sadie Anderson: You were always a wild man, then.
Peter Vaughn: Yeah. I can blame Jonathan Barrows for a lot of things about how I am, but as for the lack of fear, well, I suppose I always had that. I mean, I wouldn't have become a wrestler otherwise. When the Accelerator pointed at me, ordering me into the ring, a smart man would have run in the other direction as fast as possible. But for some reason, I didn't. I went along with it, I took my lumps, and I was on my way in the business.
Sadie Anderson: You definitely have one of the craziest stories in wrestling that I've ever heard.
Peter Vaughn: Yeah, I'm probably up there. Although there are still some lunatics out there who went through far worse than I ever did.
~They turn the page, showing another picture of Vaughn. This one's at some sort of birthday party, as Vaughn is blowing out the candles in front of him. It's hard to tell where, exactly, this is, although the flashing lights in the background make it likely it's a place like Chuck E Cheese or one of those other arcade ones.~
Sadie Anderson: I know you went through a lot as a young man, Peter... but these memories really do look happy.
Peter Vaughn: There were some good times for sure. I guess it's good to keep them in mind, even if it's hard to forget about everything that came after.
Sadie Anderson: Hey, the kid in that picture is wishing for something happy as he's blowing out those candles. Do you think he ever got what he wanted?
Peter Vaughn: ... I was probably wishing to become an astronaut or something. But I guess that kid's going to have to settle for having grown up into a rancher and a major wrestling superstar, I guess.
Sadie Anderson: I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see what you've become.
Peter Vaughn: Maybe so. I can hope for that... and that he wouldn't be horrified at how I am now. But we're working to change that, aren't we?
Sadie Anderson: We certainly are.
~Sadie rests her head on Vaughn's shoulder as he turns another page. They continue to look at the memories, seeing what came of the past, while possibly thinking about what the future could hold. Could Vaughn actually manage to fall in love? Or will nothing come of his time with Sadie? And what will happen with his future in the WGWF? Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?~