[ O N ]
Hard Knox Training Facility
October 4th, 2014
Inside the gym of the Hard Knox Training Facility, I found myself sitting on the bleachers, staring out at one of the three rings in front of me. I didn't realize how close we were to PWP 12 actually was, or even how big of a match it truly was. I was going up against a man that's been dominant all over the wrestling scene. He wasn't a ego-driven, hype monkey like Liz was. Dex was the real deal. But things were quiet from his side, and shit, even my side was quiet. Couldn't handle all the silence anymore, and it was time to break it.
"Just like that, the big return had come and gone. Didn’t think I lost a step out there, did I?"
I smirk, showing off the pearly whites just a bit.
"Nope. Actually pulled off some shit I ain’t think I could anymore. Shiiit, I ain’t done the No Ceilings in damn near forever, and that was the move that put Liz away...
Tried that shit at the HKW 9/11 and slipped off the damn ropes, bruh. Shit was humiliating to be honest wit ya. I mean, shit… Moms was there. The entire HKW roster was there. Surprised nobody busted my balls about that, but they probably gonna now."
I shrug my shoulders, and looked toward the ring square in the middle of the facility.
"And it’s crazy too because I wasn’t even nervous that night at 9/11. I kinda knew enough bout everyone in that match, so it was like aight... lets do this. Just another day in the neighborhood, ya know? Few days later, I got this match with Liz Smalls, and I’m over here trippin, man. I wasn’t scared of Liz or no shit like that, but there was this part of me that was thinkin’ I was gonna end up takin’ her to lightly or some shit. Straight up thought that when I got out to the ring, I was gon’ end up seein’ Liz and bein' all like...damn, bruh."
I smirk again, shaking my head at that exact memory.
"This gon’ be light work. This bitch can’t step to me. I ain't gon' break a sweat...
I got a tendency of doin’ that, man. Lost titles in both FTW and PDW because I got overconfident. Got cocky. Started gloating before the match was even over thinkin’ I already had it in the bag. I was more worried bout embarrassin’ my opponents instead of beatin' them 1...2..3.
I wanted to win the wars, not the battles. These days? A couple more battles and a few wars is all I got left. This the end of line for Ol’ Bankster, but unlike Yeller, Bankster don’t get put down.Bankster gon’ go ahead and walk away on his own terms. I’ma go when I’m good and ready. I still got a loooooot of things I gotta do before I can seriously walk away for longer than six months. Shit was a vaction, bruh. Seems like a lot of people thought I was done, but they stupid. Never once did I say I was done... I just needed a real reason to come back. Somethin' worth more than gold...
And I found exactly that. Told all y’all ninjas that my main priority in PWP was to prove to these ‘new bloods’ that they still ain’t at my level. Or at the level of the homie Kuwop. Or the homie V. "
I paused for a moment and turned my head to look at the camera.
"Well, shit. Don’t even know if V the homie, but ya’ll catch my drift. See Liz was just the beginning of it all cause I know eventually one of these fools gon’ pop off with they mouth again. I know one of these new bloods gon’ piss me off and I’ma end up tellin’ em to come have a match with me right in PWP, but until then... I’ma handle whoever they decide to throw my way."
I stood up from my seat on the bleachers and started to walk down them, toward the ring.
"At the next show I got a match with Dexter Jacobs. Someone who’s pretty much the complete opposite of those ‘types’ I’m tryna expose. This match with Jacobs? Shit ain’t bout exposin’ that ninja for a fraud."
I shook my head from side to side, now standing right outside of the ring.
"I know he ain’t no fraud. Any dude who could push someone like Bryte and Syn to their limits ain’t no fraud, bruh. Ever since homie popped onto the scene he been goin’ up against the best of the best, with no signs of slowin’ down. Slowly but surely homeboy turned himself into a household name. Might not understand a single thing that comes out dudes mouth, but in the ring? He a bonafide killer."
I leaned my elbows onto the ring apron and looked ahead as the camera kept rolling.
"Even if he really ain’t the type of ninja I was tryna expose as a fraud, I’ma have a damn good time beatin’ his ass. Not because I got some grudge or any personal vendetta against him, but because I’m out here tryna prove that Brandon Banks is still the number one mawfucka in the game, breh. Can’t really think of a better way to prove that then by beatin’ someone considered one of the best goin’ right now. Another top tier champion, just like Liz was."
Another brief pause so I could gather my thoughts quickly. I slowly turn my head and look at the camera.
"But you ain’t Liz, Dex. I ain't afraid of costin’ myself this match wit you because I know I’m gon' bring everything I got so I could beat yet another champion in the business. To prove that I could still be champion if I decide that that’s what I want."
I turn around just to lean my back against the ring apron.
"Couldn’t take the Uncensored championship away from Liz, and I for damn sure can’t take away IWF Undisputed championship away from you, Dex. Both y’all reached the very top of the mountain in your respective companies. Y’all did somethin’ that even I; this so called living legend haven't been able to do. Pretty much the wrestling game Charles Barkley over here, but shit. I’m good with that...I think."
Whoa. Strange twitch. I pause momentarily and smirk before scratching at the back of my head.
"If another opportunity were to ever come up, I’ll grab that bitch and roll with it. But for now, I’m good with knowin’ that if I could beat these champions from all across the wrestling world. I can still be at the very top...and I could step into an Uncensored or into a Insurgency and take that championship right away from whoever the hell holdin’ the damn thing!"
I shake my head with a shrug.
"But I ain’t about that no more. I gotta commend y’all lil ninjas on one thing, though. The fact that y’all wrestle damn near every week surprises the fuck out me. Maybe it’s because I already been there and done that, and now? I’m just tryna finish this shit off wit a bang. Cancel out unresolved issues so I ain’t forced to come back like I was in the last days of PDW. And on my towards finishing those resolved issues, Dex, you come in handy.
I know that you and Syn been to war before, and if anyone could show me what I’m expectin’ when I decide to finish those unresolved issues I was talking about...it’s you."
I hop up onto the apron and rest my head and back against the ropes.
"It ain’t all about winnin’ and losin’ this time like it was with Liz, Dex. This match bout me comin’ back from a six month hiatus, and bein’ thrown right back with the sharks, showin’ the world I ain’t lose no steps or nonna that. Provin’ to myself, not y’all, myself why people put me on legend status when I haven’t achieved half as much some these ninjas in the game. Maybe it’s because I left a mark in and outside the ring? Maybe it’s because I’ve influenced more careers than damn near anyone else? Shit, I don’t know...but this shit? My own personal self doubt? That’s what drives me to keep goin’. Despite all the things I get praised for, I still got this massive chip on my shoulder, bruh. I’m the type of person who could walk away at anytime and still have ninjas bowin’ the fuck down in presence."
#FelVoice
"… and they always will. This shit ain’t about establishing myself to y’all people anymore. This shit bout me gettin’ myself comfortable with walkin' away and lookin' back thinkin' 'damn... You did good, B...'
And that I ain't gonna happen until I walk out on top... And I will be on top before it's all said and done.
Bank on it."
I hop off the ring apron and walk passed the cameraman, motioning for him to cut the camera feed.
-------------
OCTOBER 16TH, 2014
12:01
Hard Knox Training Facility.
[ O F F ]
HKW’s new business headquarters was going to be in Times Square now after Risky and I decided to move it from Philadelphia. It was a pain in the ass for me to be driving from Jersey City to Philly at six in the morning, and Risky and Selena were both closer to New York as well.
BB: So glad I convinced him and Selena it was a good idea. Got tired of drivin’ to Philly all the damn time.
I was packing up the things from my office, getting ready to bring it home, and then to the new HKW headquarters. Looking around, there wasn’t really anything for me to take. I kept all my plaques, awards, and titles at the crib because I didn’t want to show off in front of the young’n’s. The only thing I had in my box was a book that read ‘You want to take over world - This is how you do it.’
BB: The hell Selena’s book doin’ in here anyway? She probably the one stealing my damn candy, bruh!
I ripped the book out the box and tossed the box onto my desk before storming out the office door. About twenty feet across the hall was my Chief of Staff’s office, where she too was packing up her things.
BB: Selena Selena Selenaaaaa!
She turned around, startled after hearing me push the door open and singing at random
BB: You remind of an office snooping stoorrrrryyyy.
I walked toward her desk and tossed her book onto it, causing her to look down and bite her lip.
BB: Growin’ up in Puerto Riiiicooo. She livin’ the life of a snooping staaaaaaaar. Ohhhh Selena Selenaaaaa!
She finally looked up with a laugh and reached for her book.
Selena King: What?
BB: The hell were you doin’ snoopin' around in my office? Told y’all I don’t like anybody goin’ in there cause shit always goes missin’.
She squinted her eyes and just laughed before she tossed the book into one of her many boxes on the desk.
Selena King: I had to use your computer, jeeze. I didn’t think it was such a big deal.
Wasn’t having her innocent act right now. At least I was gonna try not to.
BB: Nah, yo. It is a big deal. Where my candy at?
She rolled her eyes before looking down at the clock on her desk.
Selena King: Ugggggh. I can’t talk to you right now. I have to leave in five minutes and I still have so much to pack!
She looked around at the boxes all across her desk and blew some of her hair away from her face.
Selena King: Could you do me a favor and please take some of these boxes out for me?
She sighs and looks around at her heavily decorated office.
Selena King: I guess I’m just gonna have to come back tomorrow and finish.
I walked forward and looked inside the boxes.
BB: The hell? Why you got you got damn near everythin’ but kitchen appliances in here for?
Selena King: Because your office is supposed to feel like home, duh. That’s what my one of my business teachers told me at least.
Hm. Maybe that was a good idea. Mine was pretty bland outside the co-office.
BB: … we got a ton of offices, bruh. Maybe too many. The hell do we all need individual offices for if we got the big ass co-office in this joint?
Selena King: Because you and Blake wouldn’t let me get anything I would want done in there. It would be all you-guys-ish.
Damn, she was right.
Selena King: Now take these boxes to my car, please. I seriously have three minutes until I have to leave. I’m on a set schedule and I can’t mess it up!
BB: Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure.
I reached forward and grabbed the first two boxes I saw along with Selena’s car keys before heading out the door and toward the back exit. Once I got outside, I made my way into the employees parking lot and saw Selena's Audi parked just a few feet away. Best parking spot in the whole lot, man.
BB: I’m gettin’ the good parking spot at the new HQ, breh. Don’t care what Risky or Selena say. I'm old and brittle. I can't be walkin' all that much these days.
I walked toward her car and set the boxes on the floor when I reached it before looking for the button to pop open the trunk on the keys.
BB: Hope she ain’t got no dead bodies back here with her take over the world ass.
I pressed down on the button and pulled up the trunk; luckily no dead bodies. I reached down and grabbed both boxes and set them in the trunk. I glanced inside one of the boxes as I started to pull the trunk down and saw an envelope from HBO.
BB: The hell?
Usually Selena would give me stuff like that, but this one I hadn’t seen before. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t heard from HBO since their surprise conference with Risky and I.
BB: Gonna peep this.
I pulled the trunk back up and reached into the box, pulling out the envelope. I reached inside and pulled out a folded up piece of paper, complete with the HBO logo on it and everything. Once I got it open, I went to read it, but my eyes went to one specific part as soon as I looked at the document.
BB: WE’D LIKE TO DISCUSS TERMS ON A TEN SEASON CONTRACT?! SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF WHAT?! Ahhhhhhhshit! Why ain’t Selena tell me this?!
If I knew how to do the Schmoney Dance... I would’ve been doing it.
BB: Ahhhhshiiiiit!
HBO had wanted to work out an offer with HKW for a ten season, forty to seventy million dollar deal. And then I continued reading…
BB: But we would have to see some changes made. Please give headquarters a call and ask for Jason to schedule a meeting with us when you would like to discuss the deal.
I tucked the piece of paper into my sweats pockets and tossed the envelope into the trunk before slamming it down shut. Walking back into the facility, I debated how I was going to go about asking Selena why she didn’t tell me about the letter from our network.
BB: If this shit got somethin’ to do with her bein’ afraid of bein' fired again I ain’t speakin’ to her again for real this time.
As I reached her door, I saw Selena scrambling to get her jacket on with her purse strap wrapped around her head and her cell phone in her mouth.
BB: Damn, yo. Relax. You’re gonna end up choking on your phone or somethin’ one of these days.
She finally managed to get her jacket on and took her phone out of her mouth, waving off the rest of the boxes in her office.
Selena King: Screw these. I’ll get them at another time. Give me my keys, Brandon.
She ran toward me and reached out her hand, but I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter.
BB: You know what this is?
She shook her head, but didn’t seem to care much as she reached forward and tried snatching her keys from my other hand… tried.
BB: It’s a letter from our good old buddies HBO. Your OTHER employer.
Selena helped as a program manager on the network after applying for a job during her stint as HKW interviewer.
Selena King: ...o-oh. Di-Did you get th-that out of the box?
I nodded my head.
Selena King: I was gonna tell you!
BB: Well why didn’t you?!
She sighed and flapped her lips.
Selena King: Because I saw the word changes and I know how you and Blake feel about people telling you how to run HKW. I wanted to find out for myself what they meant by changes before I brought it up.
BB: Maaan, but why? We know how to bargain with them kinda fools, Selena. Shit, we could get that forty to seventy changed to like ninety. You see how much merch we sell? See how much talent we got? We worth more now than ever before, bruh.
She shrugged.
Selena King: Duh, I know. That’s another reason I didn’t tell you. You said you didn’t wanna be bothered by HKW things while you were working with PWP, remember? And Blake has all his things going on too. I just wanted to do something on my own for once because you guys should trust me by now...and you don't. You don't let me do anything at all.
THE HELL WAS WITH THESE PEOPLE GUILT TRIPPING ME LATELY.
BB: The hell you mean? You the one that helps sign people. You do a boat ton of stuff! And this deal? This deals worth a whole lot of goddamn money, Selena! We gotta know about these things!
Selena King: I know! But you’re always doing stuff without me and we’re supposed to be a team! I thought we were at least!
Damn, I was starting to feel like she was actually bothered by something.
BB: We are though. Me, you and Risko the three musketeers.
Selena King: Yeah, you guys say that, but you don’t trust me with anything. When you guys saw me walk into the conference with Mac and Vince you automatically assumed I turned my back on you or something. You said you’d never trust me again.
BB: Bruh, it wasn’t that serious. I was jokin’ around, yo.
She shrugged once more and reached forward for her keys. Still didn’t get them, though.
Selena King: Well it is to me. I can do anything you two can do, and I want you two to have some faith in me. I don’t have to be the one that’s just there for when you guys piss the rosters off.
Ouch.
Selena King: Can I have my keys now?
I paused for a moment, thinking over everything Selena had said.
BB: Fine.You gonna have to triple this number or I’ma be disappointed though.
Selena King: Triple?!
She reached forward and grabbed the keys and letter out of my hand.
Selena King: I don’t know about triple, but I’ll get the max. I swear, okay? Just watch, you’ll see.
She looked at her watch and squeeled at the sight of the time.
Selena King: Gaaaaaah!!! I’m late! Bye Brandon!
She blew right by me and never looked back as she stormed out the back exit.
BB: Can’t believe she actually felt like that, bruh.
That bothered me. But something else she said messed with my head even more.
BB: Damn. I really did say I didn’t wanna be bothered with HKW shit anymore…
Started to think that couldn’t happen. Not when money like that was involved now.
BB: I’m fuckin’ up, bruh… Straight up.
There was a time where I was strongly considering selling my share of HKW, but after I saw how much money we were raking in as a company, I couldn’t. That, and I wasn’t about to leave Risky stranded with someone he probably doesn’t know, or a group of people he didn’t associate with. Problem was, I didn’t have enough time to wrestle and run my own business. Hell, I had my own damn soccer team now. I wasn’t just a wrestler no more. I was a businessman.
BB: Gotta be some kinda happy medium or whatever the fuck that’s called.
Maybe I really just couldn’t fit being a wrestler into my schedule anymore. Even if it were once a month, maybe even that was too much. Constant meetings, constant promoting, everything I already did was so time consuming, and when I was done with everything I wanted to do, all I wanted to do was go home and chill with my girlfriend and the dogs.
BB: Damn, bruh. I really don’t love this shit no more.
As hype as I was when Shane and I discussed returning to wrestling, it was all pretty much gone. I was back to where I was right before I left PDW and I was only one match in.
BB: Just don’t got it in me no more. Gotta think about this shit.
I sighed and tossed my hood over my head and pulled Selena’s office door shut, wondering if this whole return was just another stupid mistake?
-------------------------------
[ O N ]
Jersey City, NJ
October 16th, 2014
Didn't take long for some dumb son of a bitch and open their mouth now, did it? Nah, not long at all. Really didn't think it was gonna be who it was, but shit. I'll take it.
Seems like a certain someones wife got a little mad about something I said on Twitter earlier today. Said something like the almighty Lord Raab was making me laugh for all the wrong reasons while I was watchin' his little skit talkin' bout all this random ass nonsense.
His wife? She didn't seem to like it all that much. She was heated as fuck, bruh. Buggin' out all damn day about it, talkin' bout how I was a pussy because I was talkin' shit about someone without a Twitter account...
...right. Probably the dumbest thing I ever heard, comin' from quite possibly the dumbest bitch in the wrestling business. She actually had the set of balls to say that I left Inferno because I was scared. Scared of what, exactly?! Some dude named Jack Savage who, like most these fools wrestling these days, can't lace my J's? Please, yo. I'd wipe the floor with him just like I'd ipe the floor with Raaby.
I ain't stick with Inferno cause I was scared you dumbass ho. I ain't stick with Inferno because I didn't realize how hard it was goin' to be runnin' my own damn company...AND wrestling full time.
The contract? Shit, bruh. The contract was pretty, but I knew I wasn't goin' to be able to commit to a schedule like that ever again. See, PWP... I don't really NEED to wrestle anymore. I ain't like some of y'all who are still fightin' to gain relevancy in the bizz. I've already reached the top when it comes to most known wrestlers in the game. Shiiiit, I can show up once or twice a year and outshine all y'all and everythin' y'all are doin'.
Sounds cocky, but it's the truth. My match with Liz was both of our first match in this company and we were the talk of PWP. We were above the mighty Lord Raab. Hell, even at PWP 12, me and my ninja Dexter Dukes are right beneath the main event again, above the ALMIGHTY LORD RAAB.
Ha... Hahahaha. Don't think suck, Raab? Your wife wanna carry around her balls with her, and speak for you... fine. Since your punk ass don't got a twitter, I'ma talk my shit right here on this here video for the whole world to see.
You wanna have your wife run her mouth bout shit she know nothin' about? Fine, have at it. Let her continue makin' a fool out of herself. Let her continue pissin' me the off.
You don't want to piss me off, Raab. I'm not a nice guy when someone pisses me off... Once you get on my shitlist, you there until I knock your jaw to the nosebleed section, fool.
You think that I'm scared of a punk like you? You think I'm actually scared of some never-has-been like Jack Savage?
...hah. Please. I'll bust both y'all asses at the same damn time! Matter fact, lets do that, huh? Lets do that for the next PWP show. It could be Raab and Savage against me, or hell, even Raab, Savage, and Raab's troll lookin' wife. I don't give a motherfuckin' flyin' fuck how many of y'all there is, I'll bust all ya'll asses!
You exactly the type of person I'm huntin, Raab. The frauds. The self promoters. The people with overinflated egos... You wanna question me and my talents? Question what I've done and how much I mean to the this business? Aight then. Step up and bring whoever the hell you want witcha, bruh. And before all that, after Jackson hands you your ass, watch as two of the best in this business in BB and Dexter Jacobs tear the roof off of the Chiles Center like you dream you could.
Write notes, takes pictures...and pay close attention to the greatness that's gonna be in front of you.
