Shadows of Remembrance

Returning to his father’s home country had not provided the ideal homecoming Indy had hoped for. The Crowning itself was an intense battle against some of the company’s best, and while there was no shame in coming up short against that kind of talent, Indy could not help but feel as if he’d let everyone down. With all the turmoil in his personal life, he had lost focus on what he was supposed to represent, the kind of man he had been raised to be. Yet he wasn’t about to make excuses or blame his failure at the Crowning on anyone but himself.


With the Pay-Per-View behind him, Indy made the decision to stay behind in England while the majority of the roster returned to the United States in preparation for the next round of shows. Yes, the event itself was over, but The X-Factor Champion knew that he had unfinished business to take care of before he could return home. Somewhere between being questioned by the police, the painful separation with Meg, and the bitter betrayal of Julius, Indy gave in to a combination of hatred and arrogance that was both out-of-character and irresponsible. He knew he would have to make amends for some of the things he said heading into the Crowning, but first he needed to take responsibility for his actions and try to forgive himself. Then would come the even harder part of letting go of the past in order to embrace his future. The week that laid ahead was not only to heal his body, but his soul as well. For that, he knew he would need patience, determination, remembrance, and ultimately closure.


Getting out of bed on Monday morning was not easy. The elevated backbreaker that Ozymandias had used to eliminate him from the match at the previous night’s event had taken its toll. Not only did it render Indy temporarily immobile during the conclusion of Wargames, but it was still making it difficult for him to properly use his legs a full twelve hours later. Despite the numbness in his extremities and the sharp pain in his back, Indy knew that nothing could keep him from going through with the day’s plans. He would follow through with what he needed to do, even if The Butcher of Reine had succeeded in snapping his spine in half.


He hadn’t been to the care facility in years, not since he and Doc had their last tour of The UK, long before he had the good fortune of signing with Project: Honor. Still, upon first glance, the building hadn’t changed in that time, nor had the fenced in grounds surrounding it. Despite his long absence, Indy didn’t have any difficulty in gaining admittance, earning himself a visitor’s badge at the front desk. He silently cursed the pain in his body as he hobbled on his way, his gait resembling that of the elderly residents who seemed to wander the halls aimlessly.


When Indy finally reached his destination, he took a moment to glance at the open door and he took a deep breath, preparing himself for what awaited him inside. He then gave the open door a polite knock before entering, as if the room’s resident had any choice when it came to allowing guests to enter or making them stay away. The elderly man in the bed had turned his head in the direction of the door upon hearing the knock, taking his attention away from the World War II documentary that played on the wall-mounted television. When Indy locked eyes with the old man, he could not help but feel as if he was looking into a mirror that had aged him 50 years, and those years had not been kind.


“Clive? Is that you, son?” came the old man’s inquiry as the trace of a bright smile began to appear on his face.


“Uh...no, grandpa. It’s me, Nate. Clive’s son.” Indy stammered out his response, suddenly suffering from pangs of guilt over not visiting his grandfather as often as he should.


There was a momentary pause from the old man, as if he had to force his mind into recognizing the visitor in his doorway or to remember that he had a grandson at all. Just as quickly as the bright expression had started to fade, it suddenly re-emerged alongside the light of recognition in the old man’s eyes.


“Nathaniel! My boy! You look so much like your father! I guess it took me back a few years!” The shaky and confused tone of his grandfather’s voice had quickly turned into the warm and familiar baritone that Indy remembered from his youth.


Living in the states with his father had provided few opportunities to grow up around the man he was named after, yet the memories he did have were nothing short of joyous. Indy found a smile of his own beginning to form as he moved fully into the room, eventually taking up a spot in the chair next to his grandfather’s bed. He reached out to take the old man’s hand in his own, momentarily surprised at the strength his grandfather maintained in his advanced years.


“I’ve missed you, grandpa. I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last visit.” came Indy’s sincere and apologetic greeting. “Living and working in the states doesn’t give me many chances to visit.”


“Nonsense, my boy! It makes my heart proud to know there’s still a Darling out there, stirring up trouble and chasing the young ladies!” The old man’s teasing nature gave Indy further reason to smile, even if he preferred to keep the subject of female relationships out of his thoughts.


“Well, I have to live up to that Demetrius name, don’t I?” was Indy’s playful response as he attempted to match the carefree nature of his father’s father. “Besides, I’m sure you’re keeping all the nurses on their toes.”


“Bah! They’re just like all women, trying to poke and prod for my blood until I’m dry as a stone!” the senior Demetrius seemed to say everything with the mischievous smirk of youth on his face, despite those days being long behind him. “Now tell me all about your work! Fighting for a living, earning your way with your bare knuckles! It does me proud to know my boy has grown into a man that demands respect!”


Indy ignored the comment of being his grandfather’s “boy”, assuming it to be a slip of the tongue or a term of endearment as opposed to a result of his condition. Still, he slid his father’s sunglasses away from his eyes to help his grandfather avoid possible confusion.


“You know how it is, grandpa. You win some and you lose some, but I’ve managed to do alright for myself. I do my best to make you and dad proud every time I’m in the ring.” Indy said it with a smile, all while ignoring the burning pain of his back muscles.


“I was quite the fighter myself, once upon a time. I may not have earned my living that way, but being in her Royal Majesty’s Navy gave me plenty of chances to find a scrap or two.” the old man recalled his memories with pride as he turned his head away from Indy to absently look at the ceiling tiles above them. “Your mother, god rest her, cured me of all that though. A gentle woman like her deserved a man who worked with his hands instead of using them to hurt people. Ah, I miss that woman so.”


Indy ignored the fact that his grandfather had referred to his deceased wife as Indy’s mother and not his grandmother, focusing his response on the present reality in a vain attempt to keep the old man focused.


“I wish I’d had the chance to know her. I’m sure grandma was a very special woman. Dad always spoke of her with such fondness. I miss hearing his stories about growing up here, about how you and grandma raised him to be a good man.” Indy found himself speaking softer as he began to internally question whether his visit was doing either of them any good.


“I wonder what’s keeping that woman. A drive into town shouldn’t be taking her this long…” the old man seemed to say to himself, his mind drifting back even further than it had before.


Slowly, the elder Demetrius Darling turned back to look at his grandson, as a sudden recollection caused pools of salty liquid to form along the bottoms of his eyelids.


“Your dad. He’s gone, isn’t he? Been gone...ten years now.” the old man spoke with his own once cheerful tone becoming more quiet. “You’re grandma, she’s been gone for twenty. I’m...I’m sorry, Nate. I...I get so damn confused sometimes. It can be hell living without real closure...”


Indy reached out to rest his hand upon his grandfather’s shoulder, the same strong shoulder he used to rest his head on after a long day of exploring the English countryside during his summer visits. Upon doing so, he could feel the slight tremble of age under his grandfather’s skin, as if the old man’s body had betrayed him so that the once strong shoulder could not even bear the weight of his long-lived life.


“I know, grandpa. You don’t have to apologize. I don’t mean to confuse you or bring up painful memories. I just...I just miss him so damn much, and you’re the only family I have left. Maybe I shouldn’t have come. I don’t want to make you sad…” Indy rationalized out loud, his own tears battling like hell to break free.


“No. You being here is a gift, Nate. I know your dad and your grandma are gone. I realize that now, right here in this moment. And I know that I couldn’t be more proud of my grandson for having the patience to visit a confused old man. The only memories you bring back are the good ones. So you stay as long as you can, and I’ll try to do the same.” came the crystal clear response from the patriarch of the Darling Family. His voice was clear and focused, the most focused Indy had heard since entering the room.


“I’d like to stay all day. Maybe spend the whole week with you if it’s okay. We can talk or just watch your shows together. If you think you can manage…” Indy was almost pleading with his grandfather, begging him to stay focused long enough to accept the offer of companionship.


“I may be old, but not too old to manage you. I’d like you to stay as long as you’re able, Nate. It would mean the world to this old man.” his grandfather’s words forced Indy to relinquish his fight against his tears, finally allowing one to make its escape and roll down his cheek.


He moved his hand from his grandfather’s shoulder to place it back into the old man’s. In that moment, they squeezed each other’s hands as if they were both hanging on for dear life, even if that moment was fleeting. Indy felt his grandfather loosen his grip as the clarity began to fade from his face.


“You know, Clive...you could always move back here and wrestle. Your mom and I would go to every match if you’d have us. Why, there’s even a regular outfit set up in Blackpool now. I reckon they’d love to have a young man like you working for them, what with you spending the last couple of years in the states and all.”


In the blink of an eye, Indy knew that his grandfather no longer saw him for who he really was. The moment of recollection, of remembrance and clarity, had been stolen from them both. Yet as he continued to squeeze his grandfather’s hand, silently cursing the effects of the old man’s dementia, Indy knew he wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the day.



Visiting his grandfather meant more to Indy than meeting a family obligation or spending time with a cherished loved one. It was a way for him to acknowledge his heritage and remember where he came from. It served to remind Indy that while we may forget who we are from time to time, there are those without the good fortune to find their way back. While his grandfather’s mind would literally get lost in stories of the past, it was his brief moments in the present that Indy appreciated the most. It was during those rare instances that Indy saw the true strength of his grandfather, how he wouldn’t let his deteriorating mind get the better of him. Even with no hope of a cure or a triumphant victory in sight, the old man didn’t stop fighting. It was that spirit of determination that he had passed on to his son, which in turn had been passed on to Indy himself. It was that trait that Indy had twisted and taken for granted on the road to The Crowning, and he now found himself desperate to get it back.


Indy: “I need to be honest for a minute, but not like I was the last time I stood in front of this camera. No, I need to be honest with myself and with all of you. There’s no better way to say it than how it really is. I forgot who I was heading into The Crowning. That’s not to say some of you didn’t deserve being called out for your behavior or your actions, but I made the mistake of lumping you all into one single group of liars and thieves. I made it sound as if I’m better than all of you, and despite the catchphrase I’ve been using for months, I managed to prove myself wrong.”


The scene behind Indy is that of an urban cemetery, just a matter of miles from where he had been visiting his grandfather throughout the week. The drizzling rain of late February doesn’t seem to deter Indy as he makes his way through the maze of headstones and mausoleums with a clear destination in mind.


Indy: “I lost track of myself. I found myself wrapped up in the tangled mess that life can turn into sometimes. In my own self-absorbed way, I thought that no one could possibly have it worse than me. For a brief moment, I felt like it was me against the world, and while that’s not always a bad place to stand, I didn’t take a single moment to consider that my fifteen opponents might be battling demons of their own. That they might also be capable of rising up and overcoming the odds.”


He ducks under a dripping tree branch, the ice that recently covered it having turned into teardrops of frigid water.


Indy: “I told the world that I was better than all of you, because somehow I was going to lift myself up from the pit I found myself in and rise like some kind of avenging angel. I was overly dramatic, arrogant, and focused on my own self-importance. I can’t even go back to watch that promo without wondering who in the hell I’m looking at. All I know is that it wasn’t the Indy Darling that you deserved and it wasn’t the man I was raised to be.”


The camera stays with Indy as he continues to follow the cobblestone path that winds its way through the plots of lost loved ones, some well attended and others long forgotten.


Indy: “We all forget who we are from time to time, and some of us are lucky enough to realize it and correct the trajectory before the plane crashes into the side of a mountain. I wasn’t so lucky this time, was I? I drowned myself in anger and pity until I crashed into a determined mountain named Ozymandias. I won’t deprive that big bastard of the credit he deserves, but I know that the only reason he had the opportunity to try breaking my back was because I steered myself into it. I forgot what I was fighting for and what I’m trying to represent. For that, maybe I deserve the bruised spine that I’m dealing with now.”


He pauses for a moment, resting his hand upon one of the weathered monuments, as if giving his memory the chance to flourish and show him the way.


Indy: “What I didn’t deserve was to become Project: Honor’s Tyrant. Whether my rant came from some dark place in my soul or whether it’s what I felt was needed to cope with the dire circumstances we all found ourselves in, ultimately doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that I failed my fans, my family, the company I work for, and myself. I failed to prevent the rise of a tyrant because I was too focused on becoming one. The truth is, it’s something I never should have wanted in the first place. Shawn Warstein wanted it and he deserved it. Now we’re all left to deal with his proclamations and fledgling tyranny in our own ways. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have no intention of bowing down to a guy like Shawn Warstein.”


His memory kicks in and Indy resumes his movement through the cemetery, now with his final destination in sight.


Indy: “Warstein technically has two wins over me now, so maybe he’s the dragon I can’t slay. Then again, maybe I just haven’t used the right weapon. Truth be told, he could beat me a thousand times and I still wouldn’t bow to any man or woman. Not to a king, queen, or peasant, and certainly not to a tyrant. No matter what, that’s not something I need to concern myself with at the moment. I’ll cross that bridge when it becomes necessary, but for now it’s time to remind myself and the world exactly who Indy Darling is. That’s the reigning X-Factor Champion, a position that I still intend on elevating until it’s the most desired spot to have on either Proving Ground or Fallout. It’s a championship that has meant the world to me since that upset victory that brought it into my possession. It’s time for it to mean the world to everyone else, and the next step in making that happen is by defending it against “The Pop Punk Prince” Blair Regent.”


Indy’s walk seems to reach its end as he stares ahead, the focus of his gaze unseen to the viewers as the camera stops recording.



He knew it was time to remember who he was, for better or worse, but Indy also knew he had to do more than admit his mistakes to the world. He had to admit them to the person who mattered the most, the man who had helped shape Indy into the person he’d become. It wasn’t enough to dredge up the half-forgotten lessons of his youth and refocus on them. He needed to do something more tangible, something real that would make his atonement complete. Deep in his heart of hearts, he knew it was time to pay Clive Darling the visit he had put off for over ten years. It was time for closure.


The fact that he remembered the path through the cemetery that led to his father’s final place of rest came as a surprise to Indy. Even while speaking to the camera that his hired guide carried upon his shoulder, Indy was able to trace his footsteps along the path, a walk he hadn’t taken since attending his father’s burial at the age of twelve. Leaving his hired assistant and the invasive lens of the camera behind for the next part of his journey, Indy leaves the cobblestone trail to trek through the half-melted snow at his feet. He glances at the headstones as he walks, knowing that soon enough he would see his father’s name etched into one of them. As expected, the name jumps out at Indy like some ghoul from beyond the grave, along with a simple epitaph below it.


As Indy kneels down to gaze upon the grave marker at eye level, he glances to his left where his grandmother’s stone seems to protrude from the ground, as if the snow at its base has been pushed upward instead of gathered there by the wind and rain. On her stone, he also sees the name of his grandfather, although a date of his passing has yet to be carved. Imagining the man he had spent the previous week with one day being put to rest under the carved name is too much for Indy to consider. It forces him to push his eyes back to his father’s headstone, a simple marker that had been generously paid for by his peers, as the group of independent wrestlers hadn’t been able to afford anything more than the simplest of stones. It’s something he considers rectifying with his own sufficient income as he starts to talk out loud.


“Hey, dad. I guess it’s been awhile. I would have come sooner but my trips here came to an end once mom had full custody. I guess the last thing she wanted was for me to connect with my roots. Not that you want to hear about her, I suppose.”


Indy lowers his head as he pushes away the embarrassment one tends to feel when talking to slabs of granite or marble. Knowing that countless others had done the same in that very cemetery does little to ease the awkwardness or the fear of being overheard, but neither of those concerns manage to stop Indy from continuing.


“I came back to England a couple of times with Doc, you know, my trainer. I just couldn’t bring myself to come here then. I don’t really know why. I guess there’s no good excuse. I just didn’t think I was strong enough to do what I’m doing now. Probably seems pretty silly to you. After all, the one thing I never had any trouble doing was asking you questions about life.”


Raising his head back to gaze upon his father’s name, Indy begins to grow more comfortable in his one-sided conversation, as if his father is listening to his every word.


“I guess I should have tried asking you for advice when everything started going wrong. Even then, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when it all started to spiral out of control. I was accused of something horrible, of hurting one of my closest friends. After that, I lost someone I had really started to care about. A girl. Her name is Meg and I’m sure you’d have liked her, but I’m also sure that bridge has been burnt. Then there’s Julius, or Luther I guess, which is a long story in itself. The short version is that I was so desperate to have a friend, a brother, that I trusted someone I shouldn’t have. It just seems like things are so different now compared to how they were when you were in the business.”


He pauses to think about how he used to watch his father share stories with the boys as they put up the ring and how they would celebrate a successful show with drinks and laughter.


“It seems like there was always a sense of camaraderie between you guys. Now it’s a lot more like every man for himself...and every woman for herself. Men and women are wrestling each other a lot more these days, but I guess that’s a little off topic. The point is, even when it feels like I’m starting to become one of the guys, something really fucked up happens. Like, there was this Colton Saint guy, right? Despite the fact that I beat him for my title, I thought he could be the kind of guy that would show me the ropes around Project: Honor. Let’s just say that he ended up showing himself the door instead.”


Indy takes a second to shake his head as he thinks about some of the others he’s shared a locker room with.


“There was even a mutual respect between me and Strader after I beat him in our cage match, but that sure as hell hasn’t turned out well either. Even Dickie Watson, who I don’t seem to have a lot in common with on the surface, shares a lot of my feelings toward the business. I mean, we’re both hungry for respect, we’ve both been denied recognition from the office, we both want our title to mean the most, and yet it’s not like I can be friends with the guy when I’m hoping to knock him out of his spot someday.”


Despite the jumbled words rambling out of his mouth, Indy cannot help but find his thoughts drifting back to Julius.


“So yeah, along comes Julius just when I needed him. Only he wasn’t the true friend he claimed to be. He was just using me to get into the business, and now that relationship is a thing of the past too. I’m back to square one, with my only friend being an old Japanese guy that gets paid to stand in my corner. I know he’d do it for free, but even then it’s not like we have much in common. I’m not even sure he’ll be able to stand in my corner anymore at all, after what he’s gone through. Still, that isn’t the point either.”


Indy lets out a heavy sigh as he reaches out to run his fingertips over his father’s name etched into the stone.


“The point is, I finally let all of my frustrations get the better of me. Meg, Doc, Julius, my desire to trust people and see the best in them, it all came crumbling down. I felt like I had nothing left to lose and I let out one of those demons you always warned me about. I cursed the entire roster out and proclaimed myself as better than each and every one of them, and not in a positive way. I vented my frustrations and lashed out with all the pent up rage I had been keeping locked up. In one promo I did more to drive everyone away than anything an opponent could ever do.”


The palm of his hand rests against the wet stone, yet Indy is too full of emotion to feel its chill.


“And it felt good, dad. It felt so damned good. It was like a drug, like being so self-obsessed and tyrannical could become an addiction. Almost like I gave in to the peer pressure and took a big drag of hatred into my lungs. And even though it didn’t do me any good, even though I got my ass kicked, I can’t help but want more. So now here I am, so desperate to make amends that I’m talking to your headstone as if you were actually here. Despite being so terribly lost himself, grandpa managed to help me remember who I am, but it’s still hard to figure out where I go from here.”


Indy lowers his head once again, as if silently praying for some kind of sign from the heavens above. Instead, he hears nothing but the drops of icy rain as they strike the surfaces of stone and earth around him. With no ethereal message to guide him, Indy realizes that drawing things out is not making the reason for his visit any easier. His logical mind tells him that his father isn’t there to hear his confession, yet it still pains him to utter the truth.


“I’m sorry, dad. I let you down. I betrayed everything you taught me. I ignored all of those lessons you so carefully passed down to me. All of the good things that I get from you were sacrificed when I tried taking the easy route. Instead of standing tall when it felt like the world was against me, I let everything beat me down. I didn’t just stoop to their level, I went even lower. I guess all of these things I’ve been sharing with you are leading to the real reason I’m here. Not just to apologize, but to make sure they never happen again.”


He pats his hand against the stone before ignoring the pain in his back so that he can rise to his feet, his eyes still focused toward his father’s name on the headstone.


“Since my first day in the business, I’ve had opponents telling me that I’m anchored to the past, that I’ll never be able to fly when there are chains tethering me to the ground. I’ve always said that my past was worth honoring, that I was the better man for holding it so dear to my heart. But the people like Caliban and Blair Regent were right, and I was wrong. I will always cherish the time we had together and the things you taught me, but I can’t do this for you anymore. I can’t keep trying to live up to this mythological image of you that I’ve created in my head. It isn’t fair to your memory, and it isn’t fair to me. When I stumble or make a mistake, I beat myself up over it because I’m trying to live up to this impossible standard. Not any more. As of this moment, there are no strings on me.”


Letting go of his guilt and the burden of responsibility allows Indy to stand tall, taller than he’s felt for the first time in months.


“It’s not easy saying goodbye, but I owe myself some closure. It’s one lesson you never had the chance to teach me until now. The truth is, you’ve been gone for half of my life now, and I’m still learning things from you. In some way, you’ll never stop teaching me things, but I can’t let those lessons stop me from doing things my way. Wins and loses, failures and successes, achievements and mistakes, they’re all on me now.”


The crunch of half-melted snow is the sound Indy’s steps make as he starts to walk away from his father’s gravesite, before he ultimately stops to look back one final time.


“I love you dad, but Indy Darling can’t be the best if he refuses to escape from his father’s shadow.”


The young man continues on his way, eager to finish speaking his mind for the world to hear. Yet if he had paused just a second longer, he would have witnessed a melting chunk of snow free itself from the top of his father’s headstone. He would have seen it slide down the face of the stone, until it ultimately came to rest over the first letter of his father’s name, as if he was leaving a parting message of his own.


Indy: “Patience is a virtue. Isn’t that what they say? I suppose that old adage is right in a lot of ways. We go through life with expectations and beliefs, yet when things don’t turn out the way we expect, we often let frustration and anger take over. These things in life, the bad and the good, unfold the way they’re meant to. Turns out, all we need is just a little patience.”


As Indy succumbs to the song lyrics he’s just placed in his own head, he continues to walk along the cemetery path the same way he entered.


Indy: “While I might be guilty of forgetting to have patience at times, I hope that Blair Regent has been patient while I opened up about The Crowning from my own point of view. Just make no mistake, Blair, it all has a greater purpose. There’s a point to me revisiting the past, and that point is you. As a relatively new competitor to Project: Honor, you deserved a better introduction to Indy Darling than the one you got a couple of weeks ago. I’m not going to make excuses, but that angry young man who was preparing to enter Wargames isn’t the same guy you’re about to meet at Proving Ground.”


Indy reaches out to drag his fingertips across the standing stones as an absent-minded gesture while he continues to follow the path out of the cemetery.


Indy: “That guy received a shock to his system, courtesy of Ozymandias, something that we should both be familiar with considering he finished you off with the same move. Yet despite all of his power and determination, it wasn’t just his “World Ender” that made me see the error of my ways. In order to do that, I had to make some more personal reconciliations. Now that I’ve done that, I feel more focused than I’ve been in months. That isn’t some kind of warning or ominous prediction when it comes to our match, Blair. Instead, it’s a promise that you’re going to get the championship fight that you deserve.”


There is a confidence on Indy’s face that some viewers may have noticed to be missing in prior weeks, expressed to the camera as the corners of his mouth curl upwards.


Indy: “Of course, there are those out there that may question whether you deserve the shot you’ve been granted. I’m not one of them, because I’ve been in the exact same spot you’re in. I was scraping along in this company without my first victory when I was given a shot at the previous champion. They said I didn’t deserve it and that defeating him to become X-Factor Champion was a fluke. At times, I heard it so much that even I had my doubts. Only I don’t doubt myself anymore, and I’m not about to doubt you either, Blair.”


While mostly keeping his attention on the cobblestone path ahead of him, Indy makes sure to look in the camera’s direction every time he mentions his upcoming opponent by name.


Indy: “I know what you did at The Crowning, which was making it to the final three of Proving Ground, one step closer to the win than I was able to achieve. Good on you, Blair. For that alone, I’m happy you’ve earned a shot at The X-Factor Championship, because that’s what holding this belt is all about. You’re an x-factor in this company just like me, surpassing the expectations of others and pushing yourself to go that extra mile. Honestly, I can’t think of a better person to defend my championship against than Blair Regent. It may not have sounded like that when I made the mistake of lumping you in with everyone else in the Wargames Match, but I guarantee that’s a mistake I’ve learned from and it’s not going to happen again.”


The icy rain that has been following Indy throughout his visit to the unnamed cemetery has been pushed aside in favor of some rare beams of sunlight. It’s the only excuse Indy needs to retrieve the blue aviators from his jacket pocket and place them over his eyes.


Indy: “Not only have I had some time to reflect and recharge the past week, but I’ve also had time to get more acquainted with my upcoming opponent. I went back and listened to what Blair had to say before The Crowning. Along with admitting a healthy dose of admiration for me, Blair also owned up to respecting me. Those weren’t the kind of words I appreciated when they were first spoken, but I do appreciate them now. They won’t help Blair catch me off guard in the least mind you, even if I do appreciate the sentiment.”


The confident smile, denim jacket, and inherited sunglasses give the impression that the man speaking is the Indy Darling everyone is used to, but there is also an increased sense of wisdom about him that comes from maturity.


Indy: “Let’s be honest, Blair recognized something in me that seemed familiar because we are a bit alike in some ways. A renegade? Maybe. Someone who stands up for the little guy, the one that’s always just outside of the spotlight? Yeah, I’ll take that too. At times I’ve been known to have my own bad attitude and a chip on my shoulder, which makes our upcoming match a hell of a lot more interesting. But when it comes to being chained down? Maybe when you cut that promo it was true, but right now I can promise that I’m free to fly as high as my wings will take me.”


It is not the standard maturity of age that Indy displays, but the kind that comes from surviving the crucible to emerge stronger and more tempered on the other side.


Indy: “Even if we both came up short in Wargames, you still got what you wanted, Blair. You wanted to take a bite out of Indy Darling, to find out just how similar we really are, to have your turn on the dance floor with my championship on the line. When it comes to being your first conquest? Well, that’s another story altogether. I’ve been aching to put The X-Factor Championship on the line since my last defense, and now that it’s here, being conquered just isn’t on my agenda this week.”


The grave markers that have surrounded Indy become more sparse as he reaches the iron fence that surrounds the cemetery, meant to keep the dead safe from the world of the living.


Indy: “What I can offer is a chance to prove you’re more than just a slacker looking for the easy road to the top. Just ask Shawn Warstein or Mark Hunter. They may not like to admit it, but getting a win over me is anything but easy. If you want to be the next X-Factor Champion, the one that can take a loss one week only to rebound with a win over the best in the business the next, you’re going to have to earn it. Just like I did. Just like I’m still doing.”


Indy pauses at the gate, turning back to look upon the calm quiet that will one day claim us all. He isn’t intimidated by the thought or put on edge, but eager to make the most of the time he has left.


Indy: “I’d be lying if I said that part of me doesn’t see this match as a storybook ending to my reign as X-Factor Champion. I’m going in as the favorite against a winless underdog, someone who has everything to prove. As champion, my world has been in turmoil recently, seemingly leaving me wide open to an inside cradle from a hungry and underestimated opponent. It’s so similar to that night in November when I faced Colton Saint that it almost writes itself. The only hang-up is that I’m not on my way out. Losing this title isn’t the kind of closure I’m after right now, and I sure as hell won’t make the same mistakes that cocky son of bitch made.”


Indy turns his attention away from the necropolis that’s spread out before him, internally understanding the irony of finding motivation and purpose in a place that represents the end of a journey.


Indy: “I have this tendency to end my promos by claiming to be better than my opponents. While I’ve always understood the importance of believing in yourself and your abilities in this business, I find myself needing to prove it more than ever. So no, it’s really not good enough just being Indy Darling. I need to be better than I’ve been before, and at the next Proving Ground, I need to be better than Blair Regent. So yes, you may have this dance. I just hope you have enough steps to keep up.”


He takes his first step out of the cemetery, pauses, and gives the camera a playful smile as he slides his sunglasses to the tip of his nose.


Indy: “Because I am Indy Darling, and from this day forward, being better isn’t just something I’m gonna say. It’s gonna be what I’m all about.”