Post by Brandon Hendrix on Feb 25, 2022 1:46:12 GMT -5
'My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I
Got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
And I can't see at all
And even if I could it'll all be gray
Put your picture on my wall
It reminds me, that it's not so bad
It's not so bad'
Unrecorded ■
Three eliminations, rode to the ring on horseback, and one of his best performances to date, final three in a way, but still wasn't enough. Maybe Havoc was right. Maybe Bishop was right. Brandon Hendrix is a l- "And one of the matches on Proving Ground is former and longest reigning Project Honor Legacy Champion Elena DeDraca going against 'The Don' Brandon Hendrix. Elena coming off a win against Arik Holt at The Crowning II. Meanwhile, Brandon Hendrix scored three eliminations and was a final participant of the 2022 Tyrant Casino Battle Royal match where he was eliminated by the eventual winner, Project Honor Prime Champion Christopher 'Havoc' Sabertooth. This match will be one to look forward to on Proving Ground March Fourth!"
What the fuck? Dude didn't win, but he still gets a high profile match on Proving Ground? Did Indy Darling take too much of his 'pain' medication to realize? Maybe the company has more faith in Brandon then even he believed. Sitting in the hotel room, staring out the window, gazing at the Philadelphia city, lost deep in thought.
**KNOCK KNOCK**
That train of thought gets derailed as Brandon turns his attention in the direction of the hotel door. Brandon wipes his face, still exhausted physically and mentally from the event the night before before walking over to the door, opening it to see two Philadelphia police officers standing in the doorway. "Can I help you two officers?" "Are you Anthony Roberts?"
"Speaking."
"We regret to inform you Mr. Roberts that your father was found dead this morning in his house. It appears that he committed suicide."
'SUICIDE SUICIDE SUICIDE SUICIDE'
Confused, Brandon stumbles backwards. "No no. You must have the wrong person. I spoke to my dad yesterday and he was fine. He was laughing and telling me how proud he was of me. You must have the wrong guy."
"We're sorry sir, but it's the truth. Your aunt found him this morning at six in the morning in his bathtub, wrists were slit. We're deeply sorry sir. Please give us a call if needed." The officer places his hand on Brandon's shoulder before he and his partner leave the doorway. Still in utter shock of what he just heard, Brandon falls forward onto his knees halfway outside his hotel room…. And finally everything comes out….
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
Recorded ●
**Sniffle**
"... I do miss her though… After she passed, I lost my number one fan.. Yeah there's Stella, but that's a whole different topic. When my mom died, a part of me died. A part of my love for this sport died, and a part of my will to live died with her. Then, when my father, my… coward of a father committed… I started hating… I started hating everything at once. Him…. Life… wrestling...everything. I'm at my wits end with everything right now… and maybe that's just what I need to move on. Elena DeDraca…"
Unrecorded ■
[WARNING! Graphic scenes, attempted suicide, inappropriate language, and depressing quotes below. View at your own risk.]
"Ha, Marshall, you're so funny, man
You should be a comedian, goddamn"
Unfortunately I am
I just hide behind the tears of a clown
So why don't you all sit down
Listen to the tale I'm about to tell
Hell, we don't gotta trade our shoes
And you ain't gotta walk no thousand miles"
Shands Hospital Morgue- the eerie feeling of death is consuming to the soul. Two doors get pushed open with one person being the diener and the other is Brandon Hendrix. Leading the way, the diener brings Brandon over to the Cold Lockers before opening up the latch, pulling the sliding table out. Pulling the sheet down some, there stands Brandon…. Face to face with his deceased father. Tears start to flow down his cheek, Brandon continues staring down at his father as the diener speaks up. "I'll leave you to it Mr. Roberts.". The diener leaves the room, leaving Brandon and his father alone. Silence fills the air, until Brandon starts to speak.
"Are you happy? Is this what you wanted? HUH?!?! IS THIS IT TERRY?!?! IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED ALL ALONG?!?! YOU WANTED TO GET BACK IN MY LIFE, PREACHED YOU'RE NEVER LEAVING AGAIN AND TO LIE TO ME! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT YOU BACK INTO MY LIFE BECAUSE YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO….". Silence again. Brandon starts choking up, the tears start falling harder. He goes to say something else… but runs out. The sounds of crying follows as Brandon runs out of the morgue and to his car.
**Later That Day**
Mentally gone… doesn't give a fuck anymore, Brandon sits on the bed, one leg on the bed, one off. On one hand is a razor used for box cutters, the other: a Glock 45. Brandon places the gun down on the bed before standing up and entering the bathroom. Brandon stares into the mirror, his reflection staring back as his eyes are red, his cheeks stained from the tears as he looks at the razor in his hand. He pulls up his phone, getting to Stella Jades number before typing in: "Thank you for everything. It was nice knowing you beautiful. Live your life to the fullest that I won't be able to. Love Brandon". He doesn't push send yet, however. He sets his phone down onto the toilet lid before lifting the razor up to his left wrist. Why not He? He lost both his parents within two weeks, the pressure he set on himself has come crashing down on his shoulders, the pain of knowing he hasn't reached the full potential he and so many others have given him just to know he hasn't and most likely won't reach it. He almost puts the tip of the blade against his skin, but he stops. He struggles with himself to do it, but he cannot. Dropping the blade into the sink, Brandon stumbles backwards, the tears starting to fall again before turning his head and sees the gun on the bed. Wiping his eyes, he starts slapping himself in the face, trying to get out whatever it was that stopped him the first time. Brandon jolts to the bed, grabbing the gun and puts it to his head. Finger on the trigger, the end near….. he just can't do it. "..... Stop being a FUCKING COWARD BRANDON!! PULL IT!!!". Brandon yells at himself as he tries again… but cannot. He lowers the gun and he falls to the bed. He removes the clip from the gun, and pulls the gun back to send the bullet out of the chamber and tosses the gun on the floor. He wants out.. but cannot get himself to do it. Brandon starts crying again, rolling himself up into a ball on the bed. His cries for help not being heard, and his cries for attention being dismissed.
Recorded ●
I'll be the first to admit, you in your prime was a monster. Ten wins and zero losses. Legacy Champion on top of that too? But you found out that there are five levels of grief. Whether it's a part of your favorite book, smacking you in the face as you read it, to a schmuck on YouTube dissecting your favorite movie, you always feel some type of grief. Yours came from the defeat you suffered to one Shawn Warstein. Your win streak SNAPPED, your title GONE, and your monstrous mystique gone. And you felt every single level of grief. And that grief must of grown to a superordinate level when at Disputed Territory in 2021, you lost that Legacy Championship to Shawn, and had to watch him quit twelve days later, forcing any 'prestige' you believed you installed into the title for ninety eight days only to beat Mark Hunter to 'reinstate' that prestige back. Of course, you had to go against the ringer to even get that opportunity back because they wouldn't give you a rematch. Sure you had a field day with that, huh? You win the title again, first ever and currently only two time Legacy Champion, go back into a winning streak, even managing to bring that title to the main event, only to retain because of luck. For once, Elena was not the best person in that match. You were far from it, actually. You were just…. Average.
Which by everyone's standards of you, is horrible. And after that match, we couldn't even get 'average' out of you. Syndicate had to carry you to a match that could be somewhat passable for a company event that you lost at. Come on Elena, you're supposed to be this untouchable beast! But, you went from someone that falls to no man or woman, to dropping to the mat by someone who at the time, wasn't main event worthy himself. So what happened? You knew you lost, you didn't have your way with a rematch after one hundred and five days as Champion, so you took your ball and went home. And all honestly, you should have stayed home Elena. You aren't who you used to be and it's time you realize that. You have gone from a welcomed participant to a blood sucking parasitic leech that's draining money she doesn't deserve anymore. Come on Elena, in your prime, you would have defeated Jason Long on your own, not because the ring collapsed and his unresponsive body was near a rope that was on fire. In your prime, you would have defeated Syndicate and not get trampled on by him. Not to take three months off and lose as soon as you make your 'triumphant' return to Project Honor. And it must have eaten you alive after your first match back. You got carried in that multi man woman bullshit match with titles and cases on the line that could make you relevant again. What happened Elena? You got outdone by a rookie. You couldn't knock out Havoc who you tried to 'pressure' that you were going to take his title, you couldn't beat Billy because she already knocked Syndicate ass out, who you couldn't beat either. And when you lost to Slade, well… that was the last straw wasn't it?
You couldn't handle not being the main focus anymore. It bruised your fragile ego so badly that you demanded to switch brands. Don't get confused though people. She says she switched brands for new competition! But let me tell you what really happened."
Unrecorded ■
"Hate me, hate me, tell me how you hate me
Tell me how I'm trash and you could easily replace me
Tell me that I'm strung out, wasted on the daily
Prolly 'cause there's no one around me numbin' all my pain"
Silver Springs State Park- He was… done. Brandon did not want to continue on at all… just wanted to be done with his life… his career… everything. Brandon sits on a park bench, hands together and his head down as he… he honestly doesn't know. He doesn't know now if he should just cry, be angry, be self pitied… he doesn't know at all now. He doesn't know what to think. He just hates himself now. Maybe he'll do the world a favor and-
"Um excuse me?". Brandon looks up quickly, seeing a middle aged woman standing in front of him.
"Yes ma'am? My apologies, just in my own head right now."
"Are you Brandon Hendrix by chance?"
"Yes ma'am I am. How can I help you?"
"My son is a huge fan of yours."
"Thank you. Unfortunately I wish he would have better taste in favorites. I'm not deserving of being someone's favorite right now."
"No no you don't understand. You see, my son has suffered from leukemia since he was three years old. He's been in and out of hospitals since then."
"Wow… I'm… I'm sorry ma'am."
"Thank you. So you see, my son never cared if you were good or not, but he knows what you are suffering from and what you are doing. How you refused to let your illness keep you down inspires him to continue fighting. Because of your fight, he fights. You've become his hero.". Hearing this breaks Brandon on the inside. He tries to keep it strong on the surface, but inside sends Brandon's emotions on a roller coaster ride. "I know you're a busy individual with your job and everything, and I don't have a lot of money. But I'll pay you whatever it takes to visit my son in the hospital for a few minutes whenever you can. It'll help make his days better. Please Mr. Hendrix."
"Ma'am, you don't have to pay me anything. It'll be an honor and a privilege to go meet your son. I'll walk you to your car so I can follow you to the hospital.". Brandon says this as he stands up.
"I um.. I don't have a vehicle. To pay for my son's medical bills, I had to sell my car and our home. We live in a crappy apartment up town. It's the best we can do in order to keep his treatment going."
"How are you going to work then?"
"Sometimes friends of mine or my sister brings me. Most days I end up walking."
"Do you work close?"
"By walking, it's ten miles."
"You walk TEN MILES a day to work??". If Brandon couldn't of been crushed even more than he was, this was the icing on the cake. She nods, tears coming down her face.
"I only do it to keep my child alive. I don't know what I'd do if I lose him."
".... Come on. I'll drive. Let's go to the hospital.". The lady wipes her tears before nodding. Brandon and the mom walk to his car, entering the vehicle and driving off to Palm Beach Children's Hospital. Shortly later, the mom enters the room first, seeing how her son is doing. She tells him she got a big surprise for him before peeking out the door and waves Brandon in. He wipes his face of the tears he's shedding himself before walking through the doorway. What he sees is a young child, laid up in a hospital bed with tubes and machines hooked up to his body, his face looking extremely tired. That look changes when the boy finally realizes who just entered the room. His face goes from tired to in complete and utter shock. "Hey buddy. What's your name?"
"... Brian…"
"Hi Brian. I'm Brandon. It's an honor to meet you."
Brandon holds his hand out and the children after a moment shakes Brandon's hand. "How old are you Brian?"
"....ten.."
"Wow. Ten years old. Your mommy tells me you're fighting something as well. Let me tell you something. I fight a lot of people, but you're fighting something tougher than anyone I will ever fight and you're kicking its butt. I want you to keep up the fight and never quit, you hear me?"
"Yes sir…. I fight because you fight. Your heart…. You fight to live too."
"... yeah, I do. I don't fight for just myself though. I fight for everybody like you that fights as well. I fight because of you Brian. Now, continue fighting. Because if you promise to do that, then I'll continue fighting for you. Can you please promise me that?". Brian nods as a small but noticeable smile appears on his face. "Good man. It was an honor to meet you Brian.". Brandon shakes his hand again before placing a hand on Brian's head. He and Brian's mom walks outside the room.
"Thank you so so much for that. He hasn't been that happy in years."
"It was my pleasure ma'am… but that's not all I'm going to do.". Brandon reaches into his pocket and pulls out the keys to his 2022 Grand Wagoneer and puts them in her hands. "I'll pay for the insurance, the taxes… and I'll give you guys money to pay for his treatment and so you guys can have a nice house."
"No no no no I can't take this or your money. You don't need to do this."
"Yes you can. And you're right, I don't need to do this… I want to do this."
"But… but why?"
"Because… because I know what it's like. Having a mother sacrifice everything for her child. My mother worked two jobs when I was younger when my father was not in our lives. I made a promise that she wouldn't have to work again when I made it big in any profession I did. I know what it's like being forced to suffer because of something against our control. Please… take the car and the money… I got more vehicles and cash than I know what to do with.". Brandon says that with a chuckle. The woman looks at the car keys then at Brandon, tears falling down her cheeks as she nods.
"Thank you… thank you..". Brandon pulls her in for a hug. The two embrace as tears start flowing down Brandon's cheeks. Brandon pulls back from the hug and wipes his eyes.
"Send me the address that you stay at now and I'll have the checks sent there."
"Okay… thank you again Brandon."
"Please… call me Anthony. You got a great family between you two… it's time to make sure that stays like that. I'll be in touch.". Brandon puts his hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile before stepping backwards, then proceeds to turn around and leave the hospital. Meeting that kid… that mother…. has lit a small fire in Brandon. He has purpose again to step into that ring and continue to try. He has to keep fighting. He must fight…. Or die trying.
Recorded ●
And that's where I come in. You see, DeMarco helped you versus Arik Holt, and now he's trying to help you again by putting you against me. He saw my record and expected you to wipe the floor with me. What they didn't expect is that this jobber kicking Elena's head in and beating her in her Proving Ground debut….."
**Few Moments Of Silence Pass**
"Seriously… what more do I have to do to be taken seriously? I've tried my entire career, actually no, my entire life trying to be taken seriously in everything I do. When I was in middle school and tried out for the basketball team, I had players and coaches tell me I couldn't do it, and that I would be a joke. Football, I was told I would be a joke on the field. Professional Wrestling, management made me to look like a joke. And I'll be damned to let it continue. I'll be damned to my rotting heart if I let this go on. This match was put so Elena can 'Kickstart her Proving Ground career' because nobody expects me to win! Everywhere I look, it's "Oh Brandon Hendrix on the card! Can't wait to see him look good in defeat!". And I'll be DAMNED if I didn't come back from nearly DYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO THE SPORT THAT I FUCKING LOVE AND CHERISH THE MOST WHILE BLOOD SUCKING LEECHES LIKE YOU ARE HANDED EVERYTHING YOU OVERRATED BITCH! I'LL BE DAMNED IF I BUST MY ASS EVERY GODAMN DAY OF THE YEAR TRYING TO PERFECT MYSELF! PERFECT MY CRAFT! TO MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF! TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES SO THAT WAY WHENEVER I DIE, THAT THERE WILL BE KIDS, TEENAGERS, AND ADULTS THAT SEE WHAT I'M DOING AND BE INSPIRED TO FIGHT WHEN EVERYONE SAYS YOU WON'T WIN! I'LL BE DAMNED IF ELENA FUCKING DEDRACA TRIES TO TAKE MY SPOT IN PROVING GROUND THAT SPENT THE LAST YEAR DOING MY FUCKING BEST TO EARN!!! I REFUSE!!! I REFUSE!!"
Brandon's voice cracks as everything goes silent for a few minutes.
"..... How fucking dare all of you? I thought I left the world of favoritism in a professional wrestling company, but this? This is the same case as before. People sending 'GOATs' to me to make them look good because they're expected to beat me. Because "I suck". Because "all you do is lose the big matches". All that hatred towards me use to make me want to quit my dreams of being a professional wrestler. Why would someone suffer the tortures of everyday criticism because he losses more matches then he wins? Because he hasn't won a title? Because he isn't in with the boys like most others? Because he isn't ass kissing bosses like some? Why do I inject myself to the poison that's killing my career at this moment in time? Because I know that I Can Do It. I don't need washed up Elena DeDraca to tell me I can't. I don't need Christian DeMarco to tell me I can't. I don't need Lil Petey telling me I can't do it. And I'm sorry Indy Darling, because YOU were the first person to give me a chance. You didn't have to give me a chance at Night Of Honor to prove myself. You didn't have to put me in the Clash Of The Cup. You didn't have to hire me back. But, I don't need you telling me I can't do it either. Because I KNOW I CAN! I KNOW I CAN BEAT ELENA DEDRACA! I KNOW I CAN WIN THE LEGACY CHAMPIONSHIP! I KNOW I CAN THE BE THE MAN THAT EVERYONE WHO PUT THEIR CHIPS ON ME IN THE PAST BELIEVED I CAN BE!
Elena, you better pray that HYDRA, Christian DeMarco, or GOD HIMSELF COMES RUNNING DOWN TO AID YOU IN OUR MATCH BECAUSE I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING I LOVE YOU'LL NEED A FUCKING ARMY TO PUT ME DOWN! I AM KICKING YOUR ASS ELENA! I AM KICKING YOUR SKULL ELENA! I AM PINNING YOU ELENA! I WILL SEND YOU PACKING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE WHERE YOU BELONG! This isn't the rise of Elena DeDraca anymore! No no! This is rise of Brandon… FUCKING…. HENDRIX!
Bring your a A game Elena, Because I will."