Only God Knows Why

[Eddie Nash]

Come On...
Alcohaulin' Ass
Pour Another Drink in My Glass

August 11th, 2005
Knoxville, Tennessee

When he finally came to, he could barely see. His vision could hardly be considered blindness, so distorted and blurred were his eyes from the wreck .With little to no recollection of the moments that lead to his current predicament he could only barely make out the outline of the passenger seat in front of him. He could feel his wrists aching and throbbing as a sharp metallic stabbing sensation sliced into his skin cutting off the oxygen to his hands . As a result of associative learning patterns he'd picked up in childhood began to kick in he suddenly realized exactly where he was now despite still being hazy. He knew this predicament he found himself in to be one he only wound up in when he'd screwed up and boy did he ever screw up this time. He was being arrested, again.

“Nice move asshole” came the mocking voice of the arresting officer as he slammed shut his door.

“Yeah. Real smooth going. You're going down for a long time punk” taunted another one equally as venomous as the first. The threat rang in his ears as tinnitus-like symptoms began to kick in. The ringing in his ears which often came with a concussion was also something that he knew far too well for his own comfort..

“What... happened?” he asked groggily, barely able to keep one eye open as his brain began to pulsate and lurch inside his rattled skull..

“Awh, forgetful? I'm sure you'll remember soon enough when we take you down the station.” said the first officer who had now climbed into the driver's seat of the police car.

---

December 18th, 2010
Cookeville, Tennessee

Rain fell hard upon the Kingdom of Pride arena and on the surrounding city streets as the night before Winter Warfare began. As the hours rolled by the weather reflected the bleak time of year in an intense prelude to what would end up being a storm of a high calibre. In the pitch black darkness of a lone alley a single light beam shone out like the beacon of the heavens, its bright light distorted by the forming mist and rain. Grumbling in rythym, the steel stallion slowly rolled out of the hidden alley and onto the streets of which it was born to ride. Hungrily anticipating the ride ahead of him the mysterious biker revved his engine as he braced himself for the trip he was taking.

This horseman of the apocalypse sat atop his mighty steed looking nothing short of terrifying in his head to toe biker attire. An image of fear like this started simply with a pair of blue jeans that were shredded at the knees as a result of many a crash over the years. His hands, encased in black gloves wrapped tightly around the large handlebars of his bike and his heavy duty combat boots rested one foot on the pedal, one foot on the ground. Completing this image he wore a jet black helmet with a matching visor, a lone silver star on the back of the helmet preventing it from camouflaging completely into the night sky. It concealed his identity making him even more menacing a figure on the night streets of Tennessee. He was anonymous to all who would get any kind of a look of him as he roared past them on his cycle. The only possible clues to his identification was the large “Sons of Anarchy” patch splayed across the back of his leather jacket and the patch on his left breast saying “TNC (Tennessee Chapter) Enforcer”..

“Time to floor it...” husked the biker before kicking into gear, his voice muffled by the helmet. Powering down the streets at high velocity he swerved through traffic as he took this ride like he took every other, as the last one of his life. He scorched it around corners and narrowly dodged pedestrians in his travel. He even mounted the curb occasionally in his dangerous quest like a modern day black knight..

Within about ten minutes the biker finally arrived at the arena, his destination for the evening and for many more to come if all went to plan. As he rolled along the concrete into the underground parking lot he slowed down so as not to collide and kill himself before his work had even begun. Through the visor the biker analysed the immediate area and found a space to park right next to a silver Lexus. A real fancy affair no doubt owned by a chairman or one of the main eventers, he assessed as he parked up right next to it.

Eddie hated cars with a passion not only for the size of their vehicle but their reciprocated ignorance towards bikers. He also hated the idea of being cooped up inside a “cage” when he could be free to enjoy the wind and catching flies in his teeth for a free breakfast. He may have worn a helmet but this was only because he was frequently being stopped by the police for his reckless driving.

“Well here we go again...” muttered the biker as he pulled up to a stop in the parking space. Removing his helmet he exposed to the world and to the security cameras a strong, masculine face. He had a sharp jaw-line and hawk-like eyes that could put the fear of God into even some of the toughest individuals. With scars and scratches etched into his face from many years in bars and on the road, this man, this modern day cowboy once went by the street name of Eddie Agony. Now he was simply Eddie Nash. He came to Kingdom of Pride to put his second love, fighting, into a marketable career that wasn't hideously illegal like some of the jobs he had performed in the past. Why KoP? Because it was based in Tennessee, and that was where Eddie lived. Seemed to be the obvious choice.

Before Eddie could make any significant trail towards entering the building his arrival in the parking lot had already garnered him some attention. Eddie turned to notice a production crew member giving him the eye from the other side of the parking lot, a cute glasses-wearing blonde girl with a red bandana wrapped around her head and a cigarette between her fingers. Eddie, ever the smooth operator gave her a slight grin.

She bit her lip salaciously before ending her smoking break and heading back to work. Eddie started to walk now towards the fire exit to make his grand entrance in KoP but this time he was again to be intersected by the attention of another person. Only this time it was no hot blonde but in fact Alex Avice, the “backstage correspondent” with a mouth as big as the wheels on Eddie's bike.

“Excuse me, sir, are you the new wrestler here?! I'm Alex Avice. I was told you'd be here right about now!” said Alex introducing himself to the mean-looking biker. His voice was already irritating Nash but for the sake of making a good first impression he decided he could put up with it. Looking Alex in the eye he could see that all too familiar look of desperation, like a junkie looking for his next tab or a crack whore looking for her next lay. Sheer desperation but Eddie had to admire the courage of Alex as it was pretty plain and obvious to see that from the way Eddie dressed he had no qualms about punching a man in the face for even looking at him the wrong way. Eddie decided to reward his courage no matter how irritating he may be and nodded his head although he'd be playing it by ear and making sure he got no disrespect from the youth.


”Yeah that's me. I'm your man. What's up?” asked Eddie stating the boldly obvious fact. Alex smiled with relief, this guy didn't seem so bad after all.

“I was just wondering if we could get an interview to introduce you to the KoP fans. Do you think you can do that?” said Alex, a hungry look in his eyes.

”Alright buddy. Are we rollin'?” Eddie asked as he gave the camera a look over. This was his first wrestling company and he wasn't too familiar with this kind of technology.

“Yeah we're good.” confirmed Alex nodding in agreement.

”Then fire away.” said Eddie now ready to go. Alex stood next to Eddie as the cameramen got their act together and began the interviewing process. The cameraman gave Alex a visual cue to start and with that the interview was now under way. Eddie was curious himself to see how this would pan out and kept a straight face as Alex started off the procedure.

“Ladies and gentlemen. It is I, Alex Avice standing here with none other than... Well. Would you like to introduce yourself sir?” began Alex, stretching the microphone out to Eddie for him to respond.

”The name's Nash, Edward Nash but you guys and girls can call me Eddie. There's not really a great deal that you need to know about me. The first thing is that in my life there are four elements that make up everything I stand for. Beer, Babes, Bikes and Battles. I love to drink, flirt, ride and fight just like anyone else. Not at the same time though you gotta' understand. I drink responsibly. I'm not dead yet.” said Eddie, laughing at his own joke. Alex chuckled too. For a big tough biker this guy seemed fairly easy to get along with.

“I think there's a good percentage of our viewers who share those tastes. What else is there to know Eddie?”

”One reason I wrestle is to put asses in seats. I'm a HUGE show-off and love nothing more than kicking some ass and hearing the crowd go ape watching me bust some chump in the face. I love the noise, the atmosphere, the crowd coming alive with every punch thrown. The ideal wrestling show to me like a big rock concert, hearing everyone go batshit crazy when I nail a drum solo in the ring, figuratively speaking of course. The day I start boring people is the day I change it up and try and do something new to keep it original y'know?”

“Oh really? That sounds awesome. I look forward to watching you wrestle man. Where did you learn?”

”Truth be told most of my beginner's training was in my backyard as a kid. I picked up most of my babyteeth off the wooden boards we used to grapple on. However as I grew up I saved and scrimped and paid to be taught by some pretty big names how to throw and slam just like a pro. I may look like a wild punchy brawler and sure, I can knock your ass out but I can also mat-wrestle with the best of 'em. Ain't no two-ways about it.”

“So... your opponent is one half of one of KoP's hottest tag teams in the form of Spooks and Gooks. You're facing Jerome, the man who drops more N-bombs in a single sentence than Tupac and Biggie's entire discographies combined. How do you feel about this and the obvious culture-clash that's going to occur in the ring?” asked Alex bracing himself for what he believed would result in a racist tirade. It's no secret that bikers have had a bad rap over the years for discrimination in their ranks. Would Eddie be any different?

”I gotta' respect a kid like Jerome. We're like brethren in both our roles in society and our persona's. We may not be the same ethnically but our subcultures, our lifestyles are one in the same but differ only by ethnicity and music.. Our role in society is to empower the poor, antagonize the wealthy and stick it to the man no matter what anyone else thinks. Myself and my fellow road warriors? We ride hogs, we get drunk, we raise Hell and we have a kickass time no matter what anyone else thinks. We're outcasts that belong only to the patches we wear on our leather. We're thrill-seekers looking for the next journey to carry us through life. As for Jerome? Gangster Culture and the Rap Game? They tune up their low-riders and get high and rebel against the 5-0 and white oppression having a great time despite the odds they've overcome. At least if stereotypes are anything to go by. I don't like rap music and I certainly don't like any form of cage, whether it be a low-rider with the top down or even a Hummer V2 Limousine it never quite compares to the freedom of the steel stallion. Though there's appearance differences, our persona's are the same. It just manifests differently.” explained Eddie, an articulate response to what most people assumed would turn into “Fuck Rap, Fuck Gangsters, Fuck Fiddy Cent”.

“That's a very open minded attitude you got Eddie. Admirable.” said Alex, utterly relieved at how well that went.

”Yup. I was taught well. There are a small minority of racist bikers out there that tar down the image of the rest of us. I'm happy to say that I'm not one of them and would sooner die then be caught associating with the intolerant filth. However, racial bigotry aside there are more important things to discuss than culture and creed in regards to competing with Jerome. More important than stylistic differences is where I hold an edge over my adversary and that is in-ring ability. I saw what the kid did last week. He's got potential to be something. However, he's never come up against someone like me. I'm strong, fast, tough and I've been in enough bar fights to know how to deal with thugs of any race be it Spook, Gook, Mook or... Jewk. I don't discriminate, there's an ass-kicking for everybody and I'mma make sure Jerome understands first hand that no matter what creed, religion or ethnicity you're from nothing has the same impact as an All-American ass kicking. I'm gonna' go out there against Jerome and win, lose or draw I'm gonna' make sure I make an impact and win me some fans at the same time. I'll make sure everybody knows what 'King of the Road' Eddie Nash is all about when I take on Jerome. I've got a great pedestal to make my start on, in a big supercard at Winter Warfare. I plan to make the most of that.” said Eddie, deadpan expression as Alex nods along in understanding hanging onto every word of the tough biker.

“Well I'm sure the fans are all looking forward to seeing you make your debut. Thank you for joining us. All I have to say is, do you have any final words then for the audience?”

”My people... my brothers, my bikers in The Sons of Anarchy have a little saying, a little creed, a motto if you will and I feel now's a good a time as any to share it with you all as it's one of the most important phrases in my life. Jerome, either you can ride and fly-high here in The Kingdom of Pride or you can get rolled on, buried under the power of my fists. What's it to be? It's your choice my friend. Ride or get rolled on. Kingdom fans, I'll see you out there.” threatened Eddie, his face with an expression of a look to kill..

“Thank you very much Eddie. There'll be more from him later. For now though, that's all for me on KingdomofPride.net.org, this is Alex Avice signing off!”[/B] closed Alex as the screen faded to black. After the interview the two quickly shook hands and Alex slipped Eddie twenty dollars for his time but Eddie declined it instead paying Alex twenty for allowing him to introduce himself to the fans.

Tomorrow night Eddie would face Jerome but would he triumph against a man he describes as being a cultural kinsman? Find out this Sunday.

FADE