Post by Nicole Evans on Jan 31, 2016 20:34:02 GMT -6
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” - Milton Berle
Some people like their entire life sitting back and just waiting to be handed an opportunity. It’s an all too common occurrence - one that is often used as an excuse for laziness. But long gone are the days when chances are handed to whoever just happens to waltz on in at that moment. The professional wrestling business is becoming more of a meritocracy. Essentially, opportunities come to those who earn them. Not those who sit around expecting to be handed everything on a silver platter, because they happen to have a respected surname.
For almost three years, Nicole Evans did nothing in her career. She debuted in two-thousand-and-thirteen, having had little-to-no training. She assumed that she would immediately shoot right to the top, because her father is a well-respected name within certain areas of the business. But it didn’t work out as she would have anticipated. She hadn’t received an opportunity; instead she congregated at the foot of the card. She got out what she put in: nothing. But then, something strange happened. Something that nobody would have envisaged: she became friends with Gina Neon, who is the exact type of person who she would usually bully to no end. For some reason, Gina seemed to be the catalyst that Nicole needed to get her career on track. Since joining VoW as the Neon Babes, both women are undefeated. Nicole is on the roll of her life, and at Double Jeopardy, she has an opportunity. For the first time ever. In the co-main event. It’s safe to say that she is excited!
~ Look at me go!
“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Daddy! Look at me!” I yell as I zoom past at a whopping one-mile-an-hour.
“I see you, Nicole. You’re better at driving than me!” my father replies with a chuckle. I ‘drive’ past him, pushing my toes off of the tarmac to gather momentum.
“Look what I can do daddy!” I demand, before I expertly perform a three-point turn into the garden fence; a maneuver which my uncle had performed many of times. Only I was in my Little Tikes Cozy Coupe; she was driving a more up-market Nissan Maxima. Of course, this is only a minor detail; because I am back on the road - or to be more accurate, the garden path.
“I’m okay, daddy. I have my seatbelt on!” My father breathes a sarcastic sigh of relief and brushes sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Now you’re more like your Aunt Betty!” he chuckles, as I struggle to keep to a straight line. I swerve to avoid a small twig, which had fell from the bushes when I collided with the fence.
“Daddy, I can’t do it!” I yell, getting frustrated with myself as I repeatedly veer off to either side. “I’ll never be as good as you!” He sighs as I stop in a huff, after once again unsuccessfully attempting to avoid the tiniest of debris.
“You CAN do it, Nic. You’re doing great!” he claims as he walks towards me. I smash my fist against the red, plastic ‘car horn’ in anger, to his great amusement. Frustrated tears start to flow from my eyes, and daddy dearest instinctively pulls me from the car and hoists me into the air. He wraps his arms around he, and rests me upon his hip.
“Come on, darling. What’s wrong?” he asks with sincerity. On the verge of crying, I look at him with my emerald green eyes and blink several times in rapid succession.
“The stupid car is stupid! It won’t go straight the stupid!” I retort as I glare at the red car with the yellow roof. I hate it. I never want to see the stupid thing again!
“But I thought you were doing great, sweetheart! You’re better at driving than me!” he responds, but I’m having none of it. I turn my nose up at him, giving him something else to laugh about.
“Nicky, come on. It’s only a little car. It’s not the end of the world! Besides, you were doing well!” He almost repeated himself, and I have no idea why. I paid no attention the first time, so why would this time be any different?
“Really?”, I respond with a sniff. I have no explanation as to why it worked, but it did. I look at my father, and he flashes a smile. I use my right hand to wipe my tears away.
“Of course baby. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream!” I scream with joy. Whenever I get upset, he always knows that a cone of vanilla ice cream with a 99 Flake will work a treat - and sometimes a few sprinkles of hundreds-and-thousands doesn’t go amiss. He places me down onto the floor and races me into the house, my tongue hanging out as I try to beat him to the kitchen door.
~ Forget it!
If you thought that six-year-old me was a spoiled brat, then wait until you meet teenage Nicole. The scene fades into Bishop Perowne Church of England school, where the bell has just rung for the start of the second period. I reach into my bag and pull out my timetable.
“We’ve got Maths,” I exclaim to my group of friends. The five of us, six if you include the tag-along who none of us really like, begin to make our way to the lesson. Slowly, of course. Only geeks get to Maths on time!
“Hello, sir” I express, as we walk past our form tutor. He looks at us in disgust, as my tie is essentially being worn as a scarf and my best-friend - Tracy - more-or-less has taken her blazer off.
“Get to class, girls. And sort your uniform out as you do so!” he rasps, specifically pointing to Tracy and myself.
“Yes, Mister Hatton” we all respond in sync. We walk through the double wooden doors which leads to the Maths block. Unsurprisingly, every class has been called into their lessons. This leaves the six of us to walk in late, which would have been fine - if they were all in the same class as me. But they weren’t. I walk into my classroom - 21A. The rest of the group wander into 22B.
“How nice of you to join us, Miss Evans” Mrs. Caldwell remarks, to the amusement of the rest of the class. “Please. Take a seat” she says, pointing towards the only vacated seat in the room. Hesitantly, I follow orders. I fling my bag under the desk and throw myself down onto the small, black chair.
“Well?” she asks, glaring at me. “No ‘sorry I’m late, miss’ like usual?” she retorts, to my bemusement. I lift my gaze from the small single-person desk, and straight into the rim of her spectacles. I want to punch her right in her scrawny little face, but I’m not going to risk isolation. There’s a sweaty fat kid in there at the moment, so it’s a risk not worth taking.
“Sorry I’m late” I mumble as quietly as possible. Not yet content, my annoying Maths teacher decides to humiliate me further.
“Sorry, can you please repeat that? I couldn’t quite hear you!” she replies, and laughter ensues. I grumble. As if I didn’t already hate maths enough. I’m in the bottom set, for crying out loud!
“I’m sorry I’m late. I got lost.” I thought I’d try to make up any random excuse, to try and get let off the hook. It seemed a good idea, but with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I never said it. Mrs. Caldwell burst into laughter - the whole class seeing the funny side, too. I sit in my chair, counting down the hours until this hellhole of a lesson ends.
“You got lost? You’re in year nine - how on earth did you get lost?” she queries, to which I can simply roll my eyes.
“Screw this”, I groan as I lift up my bag and throw it over my shoulder. “I’m going to learning support!” I know that she can do nothing about it, because my ADHD entitles me to go to learning support when I feel it is necessary. All Mrs. Caldwell can do is sigh in defeat, look at me and mumble the words “well played”. I place my exercise book onto the desk, and she writes down the work that she has planned for the rest of the class. I grin proudly as I take my book back before heading down to learning support, where I will essentially have my work done for me after I pretend to have no idea how to do any of it.
~ An experienced head
The scene fades into a large room within a high-end apartment. The closed curtains and scented candles give the room an added ambiance, which is befitting of its location in the heart of England’s capital. Craig Anderson, a former World Champion, walks into the room and is quickly followed by his guests: Nicole Evans and Gina Neon, collectively known as the Neon Babes. Being a gentleman, Craig offers to hang Gina’s coat on the rack. Nicole, however, takes her’s off and places it down on the arm of the couch next to where she intends on sitting.
“Please. Sit.” Craig begins, inviting Gina to sit down. Nicole doesn’t wait for an invitation, as she has been to her cousin’s house many times before. “So, what brings you ladies across the ocean? Don’t you have a big match coming up?” Gina excitedly nods her head, while Nicole gets up to make herself a cup of tea.
“Sit down, Nicole. I’ll do that.” he remarks, but Nicole pays no attention. She continues to make herself a drink, and turns to offer one to both Craig and Gina. Both decline her offer, prompting a quick shrug of the Englishwoman’s shoulders.
“Yes - we have a title match!!! Against the Requiem!!!” Gina explains enthusiastically. “In the co-main event! In Puerto Rico! Brother!” Craig struggles to keep a straight face, as Gina’s enthusiasm can make for an incredible sight.
“Exactly. Puerto Rico’s a long way from England, so what are you both doing here?” he asks, as Nicole carries her brew over to the table and places it down onto a coaster.
“We need you advice, Craig.” Craig nods, expecting as such. Whenever Nicole visits him, she’s always looking for advice. For somebody who is so good at giving advice to others, he certainly needs somebody to advise him to never wear that horrible pea-green shirt again.
“Neither myself or Gina know an awful lot about either members of the Requiem, but you were competing on the BWN at the same time as them. You obviously know a lot about them, right?” Craig nods his head, wondering where this is going. “Well, we were, sort of, hoping that you’d be able to share your knowledge with us.”
“Just about them, or my knowledge in general?” Craig asks, not entirely sure what Nicole is asking for.
“Well, about them. But also whatever you know about a ladder match, because none of us have been in one before!” she replies with a smile. Gina, opposite, cringes as soon as she says ‘ladder match’. “Gigi, are you okay?”, asks Nicole.
“Don’t say that word, Nicky!” Gina demands, almost shaking. “It creeps me out!”
“What?” Nicole asks, “match?” Gina shakes her head, grimacing.
“No. Ladder.” she responds with a shiver.A pregnant pause follows.
“You’re not afraid of heights are you?” There is another moment of silence. “Gina…?”
Gina can simply look around, neither confirming nor denying whether she has acrophobia. Nicole giggles, finding her friend’s fear adorable. “Anyway Craig - please help us!” Craig waits to make sure that Gina is okay before he does anything, but when he is given the go-ahead from the young woman he begins to delve into his memory.
“I guess I’ll start with Tyron Bickerton; a man who I know better under the name of Taylor Williams. Believe it or not, he’s one of the guys I never crossed paths with throughout my time on the BWN. But I have friends who have told me just how great he is - and the records back up their claims.” Craig takes a look at his guests, to see if they are paying attention. Gina is gripped on every word, wanting to benefit greatly from his knowledge. Nicole is fidgeting, as she has done her entire life. She’ll blame her ADHD, no doubt!
“Tyron competed in FBW between two-thousand-and-ten and two-thousand-and-twelve. Again, I never competed in an FBW ring. But I know plenty of people who have, and they tell me that the guy was a tremendous talent. He quickly burst onto the scene along-side Heath Williams, and the two made quite the impact. If you believe in omens, then this is something you want to hear. He reached the finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural FBW Heavyweight Champion, but he lost - in a ladder match.” Nicole sits forward, with Craig clearly capturing her attention. Gina, on the other hand, still hasn’t moved.
“In October of two-thousand-and-ten, Tyron and Heath had a bit of a falling out. Again, I must stress that I am going off of hear-say here. Heath and Tyron started to undergo a bit of a power-struggle, when Heath tried to take over the company. Tyron, being an honest man, defended the President of the company. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but let’s just say this: Tyron didn’t return to the company again until several months later. But he’ll be glad he did: because he went onto become the FBW World Champion!”
Craig, almost bored by the sound of his own voice, takes a brief pause to clear his throat. His voice rasps as he speaks. “Now is the interesting part. He next moved onto OWA, a company I know an awful lot about, being a two-time World Champion ‘n’ all.” Craig pats himself on the back for a moment of self-congratulations.
“Tyron and I weren’t actually in the company at the same time. By the time he showed up, I was plying my trade at WEW. Regardless, I’ve kept my contacts from my OWA days and routinely tuned into the show whenever I could. Tyron was a guy who stood out for me, because he made a huge impact on his first night on the job. He saved the then-world Champion from a post-match beatdown. Clearly, Tyron is a very honourable man. But at this particular time, he was pitting himself against foes I had never encountered. It wasn’t until later that I really got to understand just how good this guy is!” Gina is completely gripped to Craig’s story, and Nicole has at least stopped fidgeting now.
“He started to feud with Zack Richards, a man who I know a lot about. Oh, by the way, may I just point out that I ended his first two World Title reigns? I can’t remind him enough about that!” Nicole smirks, as this is a story that Craig tells everybody about whenever he gets the opportunity. “The two started to feud over the number one contendership, something which Zack always believes is his despite doing a damn thing to deserve it. Tyron defeated Zack, earning the right to face the OWA World Heavyweight Champion. Now, this is where things get interesting.” Craig sits up straight, because this is the moment when his knowledge really comes into play.
“Do you know who happened to be the Champion at that particular time? Angel: a man who I consider one of my greatest rivals, and one of my greatest friends in this business. Angel and I fought many great battles. I won some and he won some. We brought the best out of each other, and we took each other to our very limits whenever we faced off. Since then, Tyron is the only guy I have ever seen trouble him as much as that. Okay sure, he didn’t manage to win. But to take an OWA Hall of Famer to his very limit, that means you have talent!” Nicole and Gina look at each other, amazed that Craig could know so much about a guy he has never actually met.
“Now we move onto Heath Williams, or Hardcore Heath if you must. This guy, I have actually met. We’ve been in the same companies, including OWA. You know about my past in OWA, and he had a five-star match against Angel at Stairway to Stardom. Clearly, these two men are incredibly gifted athletes. But it is Heath’s spell in WTF that intrigues me the most, because he has got himself inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, his two Championship victories there are the World Heavyweight Championship and the Television Championship. These titles have such a rich history, and very few people can say that they have held both. It’s an achievement that cannot be overstated!” Craig reaches for a bottle of water, which he stores in a cupboard by the side of his armchair.
“I don’t suppose that this is the best time to point out that I was the last man to hold each of those titles, is it? At the same time, may I add? Of course, this isn’t about me. This is about two phenomenal wrestlers who are fantastic alone, but when together are seemingly unstoppable. Nicole, Gina, I hate to say it. But if you two are going to pull of the win against these two, then you are going to have to surpass everyone's expectations. Yes, Nicole. That means there is no taking the easy way out and storming off! You need to work together in perfect harmony, because these guys will do everything it takes to win. One of them calls himself Hardcore, for crying out loud!” Craig finishes his speech, and Gina doesn’t know what to say. Nicole, however, is delighted with the information her cousin has provided them with.
“See, Gina. I told you he’s great!” she says, as she finished off her cup of tea.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Craig asks, as the scene fades out.
~ Biggest night of my life
The following message is a series of Facebook posts from Nicole Evans:
Tonight is the biggest night of my life. It beats the time I graduated from school, the time I learned how to swim. My first kiss pales by comparison. In 1984, Randal Brian Evans and Angela Nicola Evans had a baby girl. They had huge hopes for her: perhaps she’ll be a doctor, her mother thought. Her father suggested a doctor was a more appropriate career path. Either way, they had high hopes. But by the time I left school with no desire to do anything, you could forgive them for giving up hope on me. But they didn’t. Even when I reached my 21st birthday and still had no career path in mind, they still maintained the belief that I will make something with my life. However, it wasn’t until my father died that I knew what my vocation is.
I just had to be a wrestler. He devoted his life to entertaining thousands of wrestling fans, and I had never appreciated his work because it always seemed boring to me. But then the tributes came pouring in, for one of professional wrestling’s ‘good guys’. I finally understood what it meant to be a wrestler. If wasn’t just about kicking people in the face - it was about entertaining the lives of people you don’t even know.
I became a wrestler in 2013, and I thought that I was the greatest thing since, well, whatever the last great thing was at the time. My win/loss record was, quite frankly, embarrassing. I had more losses than victories, and this continued into 2014 and even into 2015. I wasn’t learning my lesson, and I was starting to question whether or not I’d made the right choice in becoming a wrestler. But then the Neon Babes became a thing.
I met Gina, and together we joined Visionaries of Wrestling. Neither of us really knew what to expect, but we had high hopes. Fast forward a few weeks, and we are here at our first VoW pay-per-view - and we happen to be in the co-main event! How many people can say that they co-main evented their first pay-per-view?! Not many, I bet!
We’re in a ladder match - that’s new to me. But the concept is simple: climb the ladder and retrieve the titles. It sounds so straightforward, right? But it’s not. Because standing in our way are two incredible wrestlers in Tyton Bickerton and Hardcore Heath. They’re the defending Champions, and Gina and myself have only had one match as a team. Everything points towards the Requiem retaining tonight, but my family have had the odds stacked against us throughout our entire careers. As for Gina - she won a Championship in her first ever match. We’re no push-overs, by any means - and I’m sure the Champs are well aware of this.
Individually, we all have very different backgrounds. You wouldn’t think that Gina and I would ever become friends, and Tyron and Heath have had such a rollercoaster of a relationship that they should be cast in Eastenders! But collectively, we make up two of the best teams in VoW. We earned our place in this match by beating the menacing Chaossworn - sure, by disqualification. But we refused to lie down. We withstood everything they threw at us, and they clearly got frustrated and took the coward’s way out!
I’m really looking forward to tonight, and you can be damn sure that Gina’s got herself hyped up into whatever state she gets herself into before a match. This is the biggest match of my life - the first ever opportunity I’ve had in my wrestling career. Finally, at the age of 31-years-old, my life is starting to come together. My parents were right. I will make something of my life, after all - despite all of my troubles at school. Dad, I hope you’re watching. Your little girl is going to make you proud!
Some people like their entire life sitting back and just waiting to be handed an opportunity. It’s an all too common occurrence - one that is often used as an excuse for laziness. But long gone are the days when chances are handed to whoever just happens to waltz on in at that moment. The professional wrestling business is becoming more of a meritocracy. Essentially, opportunities come to those who earn them. Not those who sit around expecting to be handed everything on a silver platter, because they happen to have a respected surname.
For almost three years, Nicole Evans did nothing in her career. She debuted in two-thousand-and-thirteen, having had little-to-no training. She assumed that she would immediately shoot right to the top, because her father is a well-respected name within certain areas of the business. But it didn’t work out as she would have anticipated. She hadn’t received an opportunity; instead she congregated at the foot of the card. She got out what she put in: nothing. But then, something strange happened. Something that nobody would have envisaged: she became friends with Gina Neon, who is the exact type of person who she would usually bully to no end. For some reason, Gina seemed to be the catalyst that Nicole needed to get her career on track. Since joining VoW as the Neon Babes, both women are undefeated. Nicole is on the roll of her life, and at Double Jeopardy, she has an opportunity. For the first time ever. In the co-main event. It’s safe to say that she is excited!
~ Look at me go!
“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Daddy! Look at me!” I yell as I zoom past at a whopping one-mile-an-hour.
“I see you, Nicole. You’re better at driving than me!” my father replies with a chuckle. I ‘drive’ past him, pushing my toes off of the tarmac to gather momentum.
“Look what I can do daddy!” I demand, before I expertly perform a three-point turn into the garden fence; a maneuver which my uncle had performed many of times. Only I was in my Little Tikes Cozy Coupe; she was driving a more up-market Nissan Maxima. Of course, this is only a minor detail; because I am back on the road - or to be more accurate, the garden path.
“I’m okay, daddy. I have my seatbelt on!” My father breathes a sarcastic sigh of relief and brushes sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Now you’re more like your Aunt Betty!” he chuckles, as I struggle to keep to a straight line. I swerve to avoid a small twig, which had fell from the bushes when I collided with the fence.
“Daddy, I can’t do it!” I yell, getting frustrated with myself as I repeatedly veer off to either side. “I’ll never be as good as you!” He sighs as I stop in a huff, after once again unsuccessfully attempting to avoid the tiniest of debris.
“You CAN do it, Nic. You’re doing great!” he claims as he walks towards me. I smash my fist against the red, plastic ‘car horn’ in anger, to his great amusement. Frustrated tears start to flow from my eyes, and daddy dearest instinctively pulls me from the car and hoists me into the air. He wraps his arms around he, and rests me upon his hip.
“Come on, darling. What’s wrong?” he asks with sincerity. On the verge of crying, I look at him with my emerald green eyes and blink several times in rapid succession.
“The stupid car is stupid! It won’t go straight the stupid!” I retort as I glare at the red car with the yellow roof. I hate it. I never want to see the stupid thing again!
“But I thought you were doing great, sweetheart! You’re better at driving than me!” he responds, but I’m having none of it. I turn my nose up at him, giving him something else to laugh about.
“Nicky, come on. It’s only a little car. It’s not the end of the world! Besides, you were doing well!” He almost repeated himself, and I have no idea why. I paid no attention the first time, so why would this time be any different?
“Really?”, I respond with a sniff. I have no explanation as to why it worked, but it did. I look at my father, and he flashes a smile. I use my right hand to wipe my tears away.
“Of course baby. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream!” I scream with joy. Whenever I get upset, he always knows that a cone of vanilla ice cream with a 99 Flake will work a treat - and sometimes a few sprinkles of hundreds-and-thousands doesn’t go amiss. He places me down onto the floor and races me into the house, my tongue hanging out as I try to beat him to the kitchen door.
~ Forget it!
If you thought that six-year-old me was a spoiled brat, then wait until you meet teenage Nicole. The scene fades into Bishop Perowne Church of England school, where the bell has just rung for the start of the second period. I reach into my bag and pull out my timetable.
“We’ve got Maths,” I exclaim to my group of friends. The five of us, six if you include the tag-along who none of us really like, begin to make our way to the lesson. Slowly, of course. Only geeks get to Maths on time!
“Hello, sir” I express, as we walk past our form tutor. He looks at us in disgust, as my tie is essentially being worn as a scarf and my best-friend - Tracy - more-or-less has taken her blazer off.
“Get to class, girls. And sort your uniform out as you do so!” he rasps, specifically pointing to Tracy and myself.
“Yes, Mister Hatton” we all respond in sync. We walk through the double wooden doors which leads to the Maths block. Unsurprisingly, every class has been called into their lessons. This leaves the six of us to walk in late, which would have been fine - if they were all in the same class as me. But they weren’t. I walk into my classroom - 21A. The rest of the group wander into 22B.
“How nice of you to join us, Miss Evans” Mrs. Caldwell remarks, to the amusement of the rest of the class. “Please. Take a seat” she says, pointing towards the only vacated seat in the room. Hesitantly, I follow orders. I fling my bag under the desk and throw myself down onto the small, black chair.
“Well?” she asks, glaring at me. “No ‘sorry I’m late, miss’ like usual?” she retorts, to my bemusement. I lift my gaze from the small single-person desk, and straight into the rim of her spectacles. I want to punch her right in her scrawny little face, but I’m not going to risk isolation. There’s a sweaty fat kid in there at the moment, so it’s a risk not worth taking.
“Sorry I’m late” I mumble as quietly as possible. Not yet content, my annoying Maths teacher decides to humiliate me further.
“Sorry, can you please repeat that? I couldn’t quite hear you!” she replies, and laughter ensues. I grumble. As if I didn’t already hate maths enough. I’m in the bottom set, for crying out loud!
“I’m sorry I’m late. I got lost.” I thought I’d try to make up any random excuse, to try and get let off the hook. It seemed a good idea, but with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I never said it. Mrs. Caldwell burst into laughter - the whole class seeing the funny side, too. I sit in my chair, counting down the hours until this hellhole of a lesson ends.
“You got lost? You’re in year nine - how on earth did you get lost?” she queries, to which I can simply roll my eyes.
“Screw this”, I groan as I lift up my bag and throw it over my shoulder. “I’m going to learning support!” I know that she can do nothing about it, because my ADHD entitles me to go to learning support when I feel it is necessary. All Mrs. Caldwell can do is sigh in defeat, look at me and mumble the words “well played”. I place my exercise book onto the desk, and she writes down the work that she has planned for the rest of the class. I grin proudly as I take my book back before heading down to learning support, where I will essentially have my work done for me after I pretend to have no idea how to do any of it.
~ An experienced head
The scene fades into a large room within a high-end apartment. The closed curtains and scented candles give the room an added ambiance, which is befitting of its location in the heart of England’s capital. Craig Anderson, a former World Champion, walks into the room and is quickly followed by his guests: Nicole Evans and Gina Neon, collectively known as the Neon Babes. Being a gentleman, Craig offers to hang Gina’s coat on the rack. Nicole, however, takes her’s off and places it down on the arm of the couch next to where she intends on sitting.
“Please. Sit.” Craig begins, inviting Gina to sit down. Nicole doesn’t wait for an invitation, as she has been to her cousin’s house many times before. “So, what brings you ladies across the ocean? Don’t you have a big match coming up?” Gina excitedly nods her head, while Nicole gets up to make herself a cup of tea.
“Sit down, Nicole. I’ll do that.” he remarks, but Nicole pays no attention. She continues to make herself a drink, and turns to offer one to both Craig and Gina. Both decline her offer, prompting a quick shrug of the Englishwoman’s shoulders.
“Yes - we have a title match!!! Against the Requiem!!!” Gina explains enthusiastically. “In the co-main event! In Puerto Rico! Brother!” Craig struggles to keep a straight face, as Gina’s enthusiasm can make for an incredible sight.
“Exactly. Puerto Rico’s a long way from England, so what are you both doing here?” he asks, as Nicole carries her brew over to the table and places it down onto a coaster.
“We need you advice, Craig.” Craig nods, expecting as such. Whenever Nicole visits him, she’s always looking for advice. For somebody who is so good at giving advice to others, he certainly needs somebody to advise him to never wear that horrible pea-green shirt again.
“Neither myself or Gina know an awful lot about either members of the Requiem, but you were competing on the BWN at the same time as them. You obviously know a lot about them, right?” Craig nods his head, wondering where this is going. “Well, we were, sort of, hoping that you’d be able to share your knowledge with us.”
“Just about them, or my knowledge in general?” Craig asks, not entirely sure what Nicole is asking for.
“Well, about them. But also whatever you know about a ladder match, because none of us have been in one before!” she replies with a smile. Gina, opposite, cringes as soon as she says ‘ladder match’. “Gigi, are you okay?”, asks Nicole.
“Don’t say that word, Nicky!” Gina demands, almost shaking. “It creeps me out!”
“What?” Nicole asks, “match?” Gina shakes her head, grimacing.
“No. Ladder.” she responds with a shiver.A pregnant pause follows.
“You’re not afraid of heights are you?” There is another moment of silence. “Gina…?”
Gina can simply look around, neither confirming nor denying whether she has acrophobia. Nicole giggles, finding her friend’s fear adorable. “Anyway Craig - please help us!” Craig waits to make sure that Gina is okay before he does anything, but when he is given the go-ahead from the young woman he begins to delve into his memory.
“I guess I’ll start with Tyron Bickerton; a man who I know better under the name of Taylor Williams. Believe it or not, he’s one of the guys I never crossed paths with throughout my time on the BWN. But I have friends who have told me just how great he is - and the records back up their claims.” Craig takes a look at his guests, to see if they are paying attention. Gina is gripped on every word, wanting to benefit greatly from his knowledge. Nicole is fidgeting, as she has done her entire life. She’ll blame her ADHD, no doubt!
“Tyron competed in FBW between two-thousand-and-ten and two-thousand-and-twelve. Again, I never competed in an FBW ring. But I know plenty of people who have, and they tell me that the guy was a tremendous talent. He quickly burst onto the scene along-side Heath Williams, and the two made quite the impact. If you believe in omens, then this is something you want to hear. He reached the finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural FBW Heavyweight Champion, but he lost - in a ladder match.” Nicole sits forward, with Craig clearly capturing her attention. Gina, on the other hand, still hasn’t moved.
“In October of two-thousand-and-ten, Tyron and Heath had a bit of a falling out. Again, I must stress that I am going off of hear-say here. Heath and Tyron started to undergo a bit of a power-struggle, when Heath tried to take over the company. Tyron, being an honest man, defended the President of the company. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but let’s just say this: Tyron didn’t return to the company again until several months later. But he’ll be glad he did: because he went onto become the FBW World Champion!”
Craig, almost bored by the sound of his own voice, takes a brief pause to clear his throat. His voice rasps as he speaks. “Now is the interesting part. He next moved onto OWA, a company I know an awful lot about, being a two-time World Champion ‘n’ all.” Craig pats himself on the back for a moment of self-congratulations.
“Tyron and I weren’t actually in the company at the same time. By the time he showed up, I was plying my trade at WEW. Regardless, I’ve kept my contacts from my OWA days and routinely tuned into the show whenever I could. Tyron was a guy who stood out for me, because he made a huge impact on his first night on the job. He saved the then-world Champion from a post-match beatdown. Clearly, Tyron is a very honourable man. But at this particular time, he was pitting himself against foes I had never encountered. It wasn’t until later that I really got to understand just how good this guy is!” Gina is completely gripped to Craig’s story, and Nicole has at least stopped fidgeting now.
“He started to feud with Zack Richards, a man who I know a lot about. Oh, by the way, may I just point out that I ended his first two World Title reigns? I can’t remind him enough about that!” Nicole smirks, as this is a story that Craig tells everybody about whenever he gets the opportunity. “The two started to feud over the number one contendership, something which Zack always believes is his despite doing a damn thing to deserve it. Tyron defeated Zack, earning the right to face the OWA World Heavyweight Champion. Now, this is where things get interesting.” Craig sits up straight, because this is the moment when his knowledge really comes into play.
“Do you know who happened to be the Champion at that particular time? Angel: a man who I consider one of my greatest rivals, and one of my greatest friends in this business. Angel and I fought many great battles. I won some and he won some. We brought the best out of each other, and we took each other to our very limits whenever we faced off. Since then, Tyron is the only guy I have ever seen trouble him as much as that. Okay sure, he didn’t manage to win. But to take an OWA Hall of Famer to his very limit, that means you have talent!” Nicole and Gina look at each other, amazed that Craig could know so much about a guy he has never actually met.
“Now we move onto Heath Williams, or Hardcore Heath if you must. This guy, I have actually met. We’ve been in the same companies, including OWA. You know about my past in OWA, and he had a five-star match against Angel at Stairway to Stardom. Clearly, these two men are incredibly gifted athletes. But it is Heath’s spell in WTF that intrigues me the most, because he has got himself inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, his two Championship victories there are the World Heavyweight Championship and the Television Championship. These titles have such a rich history, and very few people can say that they have held both. It’s an achievement that cannot be overstated!” Craig reaches for a bottle of water, which he stores in a cupboard by the side of his armchair.
“I don’t suppose that this is the best time to point out that I was the last man to hold each of those titles, is it? At the same time, may I add? Of course, this isn’t about me. This is about two phenomenal wrestlers who are fantastic alone, but when together are seemingly unstoppable. Nicole, Gina, I hate to say it. But if you two are going to pull of the win against these two, then you are going to have to surpass everyone's expectations. Yes, Nicole. That means there is no taking the easy way out and storming off! You need to work together in perfect harmony, because these guys will do everything it takes to win. One of them calls himself Hardcore, for crying out loud!” Craig finishes his speech, and Gina doesn’t know what to say. Nicole, however, is delighted with the information her cousin has provided them with.
“See, Gina. I told you he’s great!” she says, as she finished off her cup of tea.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Craig asks, as the scene fades out.
~ Biggest night of my life
The following message is a series of Facebook posts from Nicole Evans:
Tonight is the biggest night of my life. It beats the time I graduated from school, the time I learned how to swim. My first kiss pales by comparison. In 1984, Randal Brian Evans and Angela Nicola Evans had a baby girl. They had huge hopes for her: perhaps she’ll be a doctor, her mother thought. Her father suggested a doctor was a more appropriate career path. Either way, they had high hopes. But by the time I left school with no desire to do anything, you could forgive them for giving up hope on me. But they didn’t. Even when I reached my 21st birthday and still had no career path in mind, they still maintained the belief that I will make something with my life. However, it wasn’t until my father died that I knew what my vocation is.
I just had to be a wrestler. He devoted his life to entertaining thousands of wrestling fans, and I had never appreciated his work because it always seemed boring to me. But then the tributes came pouring in, for one of professional wrestling’s ‘good guys’. I finally understood what it meant to be a wrestler. If wasn’t just about kicking people in the face - it was about entertaining the lives of people you don’t even know.
I became a wrestler in 2013, and I thought that I was the greatest thing since, well, whatever the last great thing was at the time. My win/loss record was, quite frankly, embarrassing. I had more losses than victories, and this continued into 2014 and even into 2015. I wasn’t learning my lesson, and I was starting to question whether or not I’d made the right choice in becoming a wrestler. But then the Neon Babes became a thing.
I met Gina, and together we joined Visionaries of Wrestling. Neither of us really knew what to expect, but we had high hopes. Fast forward a few weeks, and we are here at our first VoW pay-per-view - and we happen to be in the co-main event! How many people can say that they co-main evented their first pay-per-view?! Not many, I bet!
We’re in a ladder match - that’s new to me. But the concept is simple: climb the ladder and retrieve the titles. It sounds so straightforward, right? But it’s not. Because standing in our way are two incredible wrestlers in Tyton Bickerton and Hardcore Heath. They’re the defending Champions, and Gina and myself have only had one match as a team. Everything points towards the Requiem retaining tonight, but my family have had the odds stacked against us throughout our entire careers. As for Gina - she won a Championship in her first ever match. We’re no push-overs, by any means - and I’m sure the Champs are well aware of this.
Individually, we all have very different backgrounds. You wouldn’t think that Gina and I would ever become friends, and Tyron and Heath have had such a rollercoaster of a relationship that they should be cast in Eastenders! But collectively, we make up two of the best teams in VoW. We earned our place in this match by beating the menacing Chaossworn - sure, by disqualification. But we refused to lie down. We withstood everything they threw at us, and they clearly got frustrated and took the coward’s way out!
I’m really looking forward to tonight, and you can be damn sure that Gina’s got herself hyped up into whatever state she gets herself into before a match. This is the biggest match of my life - the first ever opportunity I’ve had in my wrestling career. Finally, at the age of 31-years-old, my life is starting to come together. My parents were right. I will make something of my life, after all - despite all of my troubles at school. Dad, I hope you’re watching. Your little girl is going to make you proud!
