New Generation

"Go home."

I figured that he would say that. Somehow, I just knew.

I didn't really believe that he was going to take me seriously when I brought it up, even though I wasn't exactly the first one to do so. Everyone else in the family knew someone was going to have to bring it up to him, eventually.

And sure enough, as soon as he caught wind of it that I was asking around, trying to find any sort of connection that I could, he probably avoided the issue or found ways to drop it when they mentioned it to him by association.

It was just recently that he even came back to the family, allowed himself to be any part of it. Although that's not to say that a lot of the rest of the family was exactly reciprocal of his sudden return into the family tree, either. Actually I think the majority still don't exactly welcome him back. Or at the very least, most of them are incredibly suspicious of him showing up out of the blue again.

Some of the more forgiving family members have taken an interest in getting to know, once again, this man that promptly walked away and burned bridges with all of us, since he was a teenager on the day he left..... or so I hear.

But for all these years before that, all anyone in our family could ever see of him was on TV. That is, at least, if most of us in our family had cared to even watch wrestling.

Well, I did.

And that was where I've always known him from. Watched him for years. But that's where this stops sounding like the typical bright eyed, eager kid with the magical respect for the man that I'm standing before.

I was never really a fan of him. But to be fair, hardly anyone was. To the world at large, he was arrogant, he was mean-spirited, he was ruthless, he was exceptionally hard to get along with, bitter, angry, unpleasant and a complete asshole with a disgustingly bloated ego about himself, who cared for no one. Some said that was just his persona. Many others said that was really him. Who knows what was correct? I don't.

But also, for all those years, I had absolutely no idea that I was his nephew.

We've never been close, In fact, I never knew I had an uncle, and for all the years I watched him week to week on television, it was the shock of a lifetime to find out that we were even RELATED. So, of course, here I am at his door, asking such a presumptuous thing of a man I barely know. However, even as I understand his reluctance to even hear me out, I won't accept it. This means everything to me.

No one else in my family is supportive. Every single one of them say that my dream is stupid. Others refuse to let me do something that could be dangerous. My own parents have always been too overprotective of me, even after I moved out with my room-mate and only friend. If there was ever anyone that was going to push me in the right direction, someone that I could ever count on, it would have to be him. The only professional wrestler that my entire family has ever produced.

This is the only way I can persue my lifelong dream, and still not turn my own back completely on my entire family.

I plead with him, crying.

I tell him that I barely even know him, and in fact this is the first time we've ever talked face to face. But i'm trusting him. I'm putting my faith at being the only member of my entire family, extended or immediate who still could possibly ever come to believe that I can do what I want to do and that I can accomplish it.

He's the only one who has been there, and the only one who knows what's truly imaginable down that path, whether it's misery or joy, accolades or failure, or something in between. I'm ready for anything, i'm willing to suffer any hardship, and willing to break every bone in my body twice over to see through to doing the only thing I can ever see myself doing with my life.

I won't go home. And i'll stand here in the rain all night outside your door until you say yes. And the next night.

I see something in his eyes. I see something starting to bend.

And with that, he promptly yells a profanity into the air, and flops down onto his run-down couch in a fit of designated defeat, covering his hand with one arm, staring up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression, as if he just tapped out from a submission.

He glances back over at me, and after 4 and a half hours of arguing, I hear the words that cause my heart to leap damn near clear out of my chest:

"Jesus fucking Christ, all right. If you'll shut the fuck up, then I'll train you. God damn."

I immediately start gushing with happiness. I must seem like such an awkward geek, spouting out all of my incoherent thank yous, and "i swear you won't regret it, sir"'s, with all the grace and dignity of a starstruck 11-year old.

And this coming from someone who never once even liked Mike Rocket.

"Really... really thank you Mr. Rocket..."

He doesn't even look over at me, before sounding irritated again with his next response "By the way, i'm not Mike Rocket, anymore. I put that name aside for good. So don't call me that, anymore."

Again, I can't control the nerdiness coming from my mouth as well as the apologies.

His reply is quick, almost dismissive: "Ah, whatever. Don't sweat it...."

...and with that, he does look over at me with a surprisingly warm and genuinely friendly smile...

"By the way, just so you know kid.... You should consider yourself lucky. Not over a year ago, I probably would have told you to fuck off and broken your neck. hahahaha!!"

W-wait. Is he seriously laughing about that?

"Oh yeah. Speaking of which, I guess we'll have to hit the gym tomorrow. You'll probably at least wanna bring some ice and first aid kit with you for the first month, if you can still move. Hope you have that stuff."

Er... No, don't think about it.

I am determined to become a wrestler.

....at least i'm pretty sure.

Ooooh, now I like that. I like that a lot.

The whole Next Generation stuff is very interesting. Wonder if we could make that work......hmmmmm.

Yeah, I got this idea for a continuing story I wanna write, and a way for me to hopefully create a whole new beginning for a new cast of mine, set in the established CWA/TXA world.

Also, so that my new continuing story/reboot thing won't tread on other people's toes, i'm only going to ever reference or include older reference to other stuff that other people have created IF they're fine with it, and if I have an idea to do that, i'll probably let people know and ask if I can use it ahead of time...

But for the most part, i'm gonna be focusing on this new guy... and, you'll learn more about him as his legacy is created.

BUT... I might as well reveal this bit of direction right now, this protagonist is not at all going to be the only new face you see me come up with for this story. Hopefully you'll see lots of other new characters related to him.

ALSO, if anyone at all here wants to write, create, come up with, contribute, or just add their own thing, or maybe their own new character or literally anything into this, feel free.

In the next couple of "episodes" (I guess I could call them that, but they'll be more like chapters) exactly where i'm going with this will be made a lot clearer.

Also, just to say, but if anyone like you or Myron or Chris, or literally anyone who reads this or comes here is fine with giving me permission to use something form your history (if you don't wanna write a thing yourself) please let me know. Because unless I ask someone specifically, i'm gonna assume you don't want me using your own canon or characters without permission.

I'm trying to keep past canon somewhat in the background anyway. I just feel like telling a story, and anyone that wants to join in is welcome.

I'm perfectly happy for you to use the Cyde brothers if you want, and you can reference Rocket's past with Shand if you like. I just ask you don't actually put Shand or his on, Luke, into any roleplays.

I'm actually considering doing a Luke CAW on the new game, and making my Reaper, Fireball, and Novaar CAWs older.

Awesome, thanks. For sure, I definitely wouldn't have used Shand, Luke or anyone directly. The Cydes though, could make for a good cameo or two.

But thanks. Yeah, I was hoping to be able to reference Shand's existance mysteriously as more of a shadowy dark legend that persists historically and far into the background of the wrestling world.

Kind of like how a lot of past controversies become sort of urban legends or how he's become like a mythical figure that some of these new guys wonder what happened or what was real about him or not, with lots of rumors that persist connected to the mysterious past with him that no one really knows for sure.

I appreciate it.

Also, about those Caws, looking forward to those.

I don't mind you using Novaar. If you do fancy using him at any stage then drop me a line and I'll give you some ideas of where his head is at. He's currently wrestling in the indies (read: I'm using the character in FB Wrestling) but I've not said a total no to joining the dots between the Reunion Show and the RP where I leave Shand sitting alone. Similarly if you want to do veiled references that's fine too.

I like the RP, btw