Adam Stryker vs Nighthawk

[PWXonline]

Main Event
2 out of 3 Falls
Adam Stryker vs Nighthawk

Deadline: 4-1-14 at Midnight CST


Story: In this weeks main event we have a clash of former champions. At High Stakes last week, both Nighthawk and Adam Stryker had opportunities to seize gold. They both came up short. This week, both look to gain some momentum building again as they face off against each other in a 2 out of 3 falls match. This match could be huge for the winner of either man. However this match may go, The Establishment will definitely be watching.

[Deleted]

“More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride.” Dan Gable
As Nighthawk sits in the lobby of a Motel 6 in downtown Phoenix getting himself ready for his 2-out-of-3-falls main event against Adam Stryker, one has to wonder if he feels disappointed at not being part of the World Tag Team Champions alongside Jason Aries in Bad Company as so very many expected him to be.


However, despite the temporary derailment of that dream, it could be argued that this week is a chance for the Chicago native to prove himself once again as a singles competitor, and as a master technician, which is something many have grown to argue he might no longer be due to all of the time that he has spent focused on becoming a tag team specialist.


Despite the fact that he has come to see his partnership with Jason Aries as providing his career with the kind of life and joy that he might no longer have had the ability to create for himself one has to wonder if the stoicism and perfectionist streak that propelled the “Wrestling Machine” to the lofty heights of excellence that he now enjoys has been scrubbed off of him to the point that he no longer has the fire and intensity needed to beat back a challenger of the sort he will be facing this week.


But as soon as we allow that question to enter our minds we force it to leave because if there is anyone who is more capable of finding the necessary strength and determination to bring himself back to greatness it is him, a fact best proved by his continual desire and need to face the absolute best whenever the chance to do presents itself.


However, beneath his need to battle someone that he considers an equal, another question must be asked about this week’s matchup. Is this merely a well-set up trap by the Establishment to ensure that Nighthawk and Adam Stryker, each man one of the proudest and staunchest members of what is rather quickly becoming a barely held back rebellion, fight each other with enough intensity and passion that the rebellion crumbles before it can even begin?



But as “The Man of 1000 Holds” continues to sit in the lobby of the hotel, his eyes completely closed as he is apparently trying very hard to find something approaching the calm still center that has enabled him to achieve so many victories, his cell phone goes off loudly enough to distract the receptionist behind the front desk. Grunting angrily to himself, as his meditation has now been broken by a force out of his control, Nighthawk wipes his long cherry bomb-red locks out of the way and picks up his iPhone, smiling wanly when he sees the face of his trainer Jorge Rivera on the call screen.



(Author’s Note: This conversation took place in Spanish.)



Nighthawk, his voice betraying the absolute respect that he feels for the man who has mentored him and guided him through whatever dark spots existed in his career: “I'm sorry, teacher. I am so sorry that I could not complete the task that you laid in front of me, and that I failed you in the task you set out for me. I hope, with all of my heart, that you will be able to forgive me for this.”



Jorge, his voice betraying the affection for someone he has always thought of as like a son to him: “Tristan, you are my finest student. There is nothing in the world, no loss, that could disappoint me. I am proud of you more than I can say. You losing that triangle ladder match doesn’t reflect you being that. Besides, that shouldn’t be your concern. Elijah shouldn’t, either, before you start asking. Your only concern, the only thing that you should be defining yourself by at this moment, is how it is that you can beat your opponent this week. The man in front of you is the challenge that requires your full attention, because to not give it to him, to allow yourself to let yourself be thrown off course by disputes and feuds, is perhaps the single most disrespectful thing that you could ever do. And the man I know, the man I trained, would never disrespect anyone who stepped in the ring with him. I think you know what the right thing to do is. I'll let you get back to your preparations now.”



Smiling, Nighthawk walks back up to his hotel room to finish his mental preparations for his match with Adam Stryker.



The next morning…..



As Nighthawk rolls out of his bed in his hotel room in Phoenix, his eyes bleary as he apparently just woke up from some kind of slumber, his eyes roll to his iPhone which is showing a left text message from his wife Sin. Smiling as he reads it, saving it to be read later, the former World Heavyweight Champion gazes out at the beautiful Arizona vista in front of him before closing his eyes. Clad in a red Justice League of America t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and dark-green Adidas wrestling shoes, the “Wrestling Machine” slowly opens his eyes.



Nighthawk: “When I was a young wrestler, and a man trying to find his place in the world, I traveled to Puerto Rico for a tournament, in the belly of what was, and probably still is, the single most intense wrestling environment I have ever been in before, or since. I made my way to the finals of that tournament, and in the process of doing it, I made friends with the top wrestler on the other side of the bracket. We wrestled each other, and he obliterated me. Even now, decades after, I still remember that moment. It does not matter how many titles that I have been lucky enough to have won since that night in Santurce, or how many other tournaments just like it I won later on, I still remember that night. It’s not just for the beating I suffered in the ring, although that’s part of it. It’s that, through everything that happened after that, we still remained friends. Some people will tell you they don’t want to fight their friends, and I understand and respect the reason why they feel that way. I, on the other hand, relish the chance. You see, the friends I make are friends with me BECAUSE we’ve sparred, and we’ve wrestled. And this week, that doesn’t change. This week, when I wrestle Adam Stryker and beat him, we’ll still be friends.
I can trust you, Adam, with a lot of things. But chief amongst those, at the very top of the list, is the knowledge that you’ll wrestle me with honor. I've missed knowing that. I've missed looking across the ring and knowing I don’t have to worry about cheapshots. But you are going to lose, Adam. You will not win this. I promise.
Goodnight Adam. May sleep give you the courage to go on.”

[stryker]

OOC: Sorry for a late roleplay, Okori, school and knee rehab are taking most of my time these days.

I'm Not Backing Down