Eavan Maloney vs Tyke Index

Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Monday, June 21st, 2021
(Off-Camera - Part 2 of previous promo)

Eavan sat outside the gate of a very nice house a half hour out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She thought of driving away and not bothering, but in the next thought, she had come this far. Her flight was brief yet it left her exhausted. All of this left her exhausted. She knew the man, one of a slew of trainers she had used over the course of her career. She trusted him, and as she sat in her rental car, the open gate mere feet away, she felt betrayed. How someone who was close to her, who had this secret, and yet said nothing. She had so many questions, so many conflicting emotions. Would she kill him, COULD she kill him? The place had no security that she noticed, she thought she could do the job, leave little to no trace, and nobody would be the wiser. As she looked around though, the mountains in the distance, the terrain, the calm, the quiet, it was... peaceful. None of that electricity in the air you get living in a city.

“It’s beautiful here.”

With a sigh and a steel resolve, Eavan started the car and drove slowly up the driveway. Her knuckles white, her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. After pulling up in front of the two-car garage, she sent a quick message to Katra and Adrianna letting them know she arrived safe, plus the address she was at in case that safety went sideways. Eavan stepped out of the car and caught herself trying to fix her hair and remove the wrinkles in her clothes and shook her head to herself. As she passed an iron side gate, she heard a familiar gravelly voice.

“Hey, come ‘round back.”

Eavan stepped through the gate, her guard up, walking along the pathway at the side of the house when she saw her old coach. Her old trainer. Her actual father. Randall Kash looked as fit as one can be in his early 50s, a tan shirt and blue jeans. His arms outstretched to invite her in. Eavan closed her eyes for a second to take a deep breath before approaching. Eavan took a wrought-iron patio chair, and turned it backwards before sitting on it as Kash sat down at the table a solid thirty feet away. He can tell she came armed with her wit, probably a sharp tongue, and based on the leather outfit she was wearing, who knows what else she’d be armed with.

“Before we get started, I wanna thank ya for comin’ out. I can’t imagine this is easy on ya.”

Eavan sneered a little and rolled her left shoulder before slowly nodding.

“What do I call you now, sir? Don’t say Dad, we’re not there.”

“You can call me Randy. Call me Kash. Call me the bald sonofabitch who lied by omission for years. I ain’t here to fight you, nor am I gonna defend myself if you wanna hit me. Whatever you need to do, Sprout.”

Eavan chuckled at the nickname. He had always called her that, and Eavan always felt… like she mattered. It was one of the reasons she went back to him when she could. Things start to make a bit more sense now.

“I’m not here to hurt you, I just want answers. Mom told me her side, and I forgave her. I’m sure I can do the same for you in time.”

Kash leaned forward in his chairs, his elbows in his knees before rubbing his head, and it was then that Eavan realized how nervous he actually was. He’s been trying to make her comfortable, but knowing he was as hesitant as she was made her more at ease.

“Alright, look, I was a different cat then. I had a head full of dreams, I was just cutting my teeth in the business when I met Ellen. She was going through her own shit, we hooked up, dated for lack of a better word but neither of us wanted to be tied down. Then Ellen done tells me she’s pregnant, but that she’s wanting to work it out with Ryan. She got things worked out with him, which was the best thing she could have done. Ryan knew you weren’t his but damn if he didn’t step up, for you and your brothers, and I ain’t got a bad thing to say about either of them. I’d send money when I could at first but as things got good, I made sure you didn’t go without. Again, wasn’t something you were to know about. I’ve been a small part of your life all your life.”

Eavan smiled, then got up and brought her chair closer and sat down with him, placing a hand on his.

“Thank you. I think I just needed confirmation of what Mom told me. Why wait until now, though, to tell me?”

Kash sat up a bit, tilting his head back, trying to find the best way to answer.

“Remember when I tracked you down in Lost Angeles? You were tore up and headed for Hell after Ryan passed. I’m sorry to hear about that, I said it then but I’ll say it again considerin’ the circumstances.”

“I took it hard, I won’t deny that. Pretty sure I told you to go screw yourself a couple of times then.”

“Heh, that was the drugs talkin’, I didn’t pay it any mind. I told myself I’d tell ya when I knew you’d handle it alright. Sure as shit didn’t expect the man to die before I would, so that kept things on the down low for considerably longer. Then ya went off the rails, so stepped in as someone you could trust, vent to, whatever ya needed, without any threat of you being taken advantage of. I wanted to tell ya then but I knew you’d have ran, and who knows where you would have ended up. Now that you’re sober, got your life on track, I reached out. Gotta ask ya, though. What was it that finally pulled you through all that?”

This time, it’s Eavan who leans back, closes her eyes, and signs deeply.

“Truthfully? It was the guilt I was letting my family down. I read, and even written, so many suicide notes, they all said that same thing. Guilt. I had to stop feeling sorry for myself, so got into rehab, started dating again. Two of my ex-girlfriends are now my bosses in the Shieldmaidens. My second ex-wife is doing alright for herself and I’m friends with her group, well most of them. Katra, who you’ve heard me talk about during our training sessions, she never gave up on me. Proud to say her and I are back together, plus one. She remarried, and now the three of us are together.”

“You got back with Katra, huh? Man, I would see the pain in you when you’d talk about her. And I’ll even bet the reason ya’ll had so many exes is because you were trying to fill a void that couldn’t be done. That’s why I’m a confirmed bachelor now. There ain’t anyone that’d mesh with me. Had a woman a long time ago, this was before I got in the business, actually she told me to choose between her and the business, and well I think you can tell which direction I chose. She passed away in 2014 to cancer and I got to see her before she went to make amends and stuff. She went peacefully with her family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation. And yeah, you’re absolutely right with the fact nobody could fill the Katra-sized hole in me. Marilyn came close, but there were a lot of complications there that I didn’t want to deal with. Maybe I got scared that she had that ability and wasn’t willing to accept that.”

“Sounds like you’ve done a lot of reflection.”

“More than people know. Most people only see the persona I portray publicly. The little bitch who says what she wants in promos, on social media, and shit. Few people see the insecure woman I really am. I still don’t get why I have fans, or why people look at me as a role model. I get a lot of hate from many in the business because I don’t work the same way they do. I struggle as privately as possible with my mental health but sometimes it comes through in public and then I end up changing in broom closets instead of being allowed to share a locker room. It’s tough. I tell people I’m retiring in October to be able to have a life outside of wrestling where I’m not always in pain. The truth is, I’m leaving the business because it’s too toxic. Too many egos, too many people living their gimmicks 24/7. I was guilty of it too, but I’ve stopped doing that during the pandemic.”

“I can tell the business is in your blood, you answer my questions like you’re cutting a promo. You sound like a female version of me. All ya’s need is a bald head and some plain black trunks, and ain’t nobody would be the wiser.”

They both start laughing, and Eavan realizes how comfortable she is right now. All the stress and anger she had was gone. Kash notices any tension there may have been at the beginning had dissipated completely.

“How are you managing retirement? I have a plan to get out by Halloween this year, tentatively. I made a deal with my girls that unless I’m holding a championship or the top contender for one, I’m calling it a career. Do you still miss it?”

Kash slowly shakes his head.

“Nah, I’ve done my time. Besides, I just turned 52 in March. If fans bought the age I always told them, they’d say I was 46. I’ve seen guys come back at my age, either it’s for the money or because they need the road of the crowd. I never say never, but I have no need to ever go back. I still train, I can still go, but I prefer helping the new cats get in, or help others get back on the right track. What’s your plan after rasslin?”

“Music. I own a record label. Got American Murder Log and Adriana Zdunich under the banner. Got a side gig myself called the Sirens of Valhalla. AML and Addy are booked to tour Europe this fall through the winter, still getting venues nailed down. I get to be in the background as the support while Katra and Addy get the spotlight. I’m really looking forward to it.”

When Kash heard Adriana’s name mentioned, he cocked an eyebrow and started shaking a finger like he’s trying to remember something.

“I know AML, you had me listen to their first album. They’re alright, I can respect them even if I prefer more classic rock and metal like Priest, Maiden, Pink Floyd. Stuff like that. Adriana, ain’t she that tiny girl with the voice like Thor’s hammer?”

Eavan took a second to understand what Kash was talking about before almost doubling over in laughter.

“You laugh but I gotta tell ya. I was on the road, listenin’ t’ the radio, and one of her songs came on, and damned if she ain’t got one of the prettiest voices I’ve ever heard. Then she broke out with a scream, and I was like what in the damn hell was that? She damn near blew me out of my boots. I dig it, I think she’s awesome.”

“That’s my Mini-Floof. Hang on, I have pictures of the three of us.”

Eavan pulls her phone out for the first time since she arrived, and smiled to herself when she had texts from the two of them wishing her luck and she was loved. Eavan finds the picture she was looking for. A selfie she took of Katra sitting in the overstuffed chair they have at home, with Eavan and Adriana each sitting on an arm of the chair. She hands the phone to Kash, who chuckles to himself as he looks at it, and hands it back.

“Look at ya’ll. Don’t think I’ve seen ya that happy, though right now I’d say you ain’t far off. Ya got a beautiful family, Sprout.”

“I am happy, finally happy. I still pinch myself sometimes, or expect to wake up and all of this was a fever dream, and I’m still in that house in L.A. with a needle in my arm.”

Kash reaches over and pinches her, hard. Eavan winces for a second, before looking around again and smiling.

“Ya ain’t dreamin’, kid. All of this, everything you have in your life right now is as real as it gets. You fought hard to get here, enjoy your spoils of war. When I first met ya, you told me you call yourself a warrior. You’ve proven to me you’re exactly that.”

Eavan tries not to cry, and takes a few deep breaths and smiles painfully.

“Thank you, Dad. You better come down to New Orleans and visit. I want you to meet everyone. You’re family too.”

Kash nods his head slowly and gets up. Eavan gets up from her chair as well, and the two hug and we leave here...



Undisclosed Location
July 6, 2021
ON-Camera

A simple black screen. Nothing more. Nothing fancy.

Eavan (voiceover): “Ladies and gentlemen of Mile High Wrestling, I am here tonight to offer a series of apologies. You were promised a main event star that would turn the business on its ear. A multi-time champion that has wowed fans the world over. A raging leprechaun with a foot on the gas pedal and no brakes. You were promised a warrior.

Instead, you got… no. Cut. Cut.”

Eavan walks into frame, throwing a stack of sheets in the air, and walking away and shoving the black curtains over, revealing herself to already be inside the Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado. She continues shaking her head as she picks up a microphone, and looking directly into the camera.

“Nah, I’m not going to apologize for a damned thing! I’ve been doing this shit for a decade now, and over time though, I forgot a critical point. Wrestling fans are stupid. Seriously, fill up this arena, and the combined IQ would be 2 points above a box of Corn Flakes. The reason none of you have gotten behind me is because I’ve proven too many times that I am simply smarter than you. You all get behind the typical boring people who tell you week in and week out how they are going to whip this person’s ass or that person’s ass, and you guys eat that shit up. You pop for the good guys, and you boo for the bad guys. And yet, with me, you sit on your hands. You don’t know me, despite me being glaringly obvious about who I am and what I do, but I never dumbed it down for you.

Nor am I going to. Every single thing I have done since I arrived in Mile High has been for a single purpose. And at Mile High Spectacular III, when I stand face to face against Leah, EVERYTHING I worked for will come to fruition. If you haven’t caught on by this point, you won’t ever catch on, and that is on YOU, NOT me. Cheer for the idiots who’ll tell you they are nothing without you fans. Eat that bullshit up until you die from diabetes for all I care. Leah can wait two more weeks, this week I have another in my path.”

Eavan combs her hair back with her free hand, as she’s shaking her head. She starts to pace around in a small circle.

“I have the resident nutjob, Tyke Index. Now, Tyke, before we go any further, I feel like I need to say something that will hopefully make you feel a little better. I personally don’t think you had anything to do with Solomon Cain’s death. I truly don’t. I don’t see a killer in you. I don’t see you as the type that would push somebody to want to end their life…

...because you’re a coward.”

Eavan shrugs her shoulders and cocks her head, strutting a little as she continues to focus on the camera in front of her.

“You are not the same Tyke Index I heard about back in 2019. The man who was able to stand and fight against the Shieldmaidens. The man who was able to take Bullet to Coke Mountain and win gold. The man who pushed Zombie to her limit, even if you didn’t get the win on that night. You HAD the ability, but now? Dude, seriously, I didn’t have to lay a hand on you in that five-way to eliminate you. All I had to do is…”

Eavan snaps her fingers and smoke starts to fill the area and the lights around her start flickering before turning off completely. After a few minutes, the lights come back on and Eavan is smiling wickedly, now sitting on something we can’t see but it gives the illusion she’s sitting in frame.

“The look on your face, TWICE, was priceless. I swore you were going to melt out of your skin and seep into the cracks in the floor. My best trick though, and I’m so proud of this one, was the exploding cars. I honestly didn’t know if it was going to work, but damn was it pretty. I mean, come on, Tyke. You make things SO easy for somebody like me.

Look at what I’ve done so far. I made Leah a household name by putting her as Champion. I brought back a reluctant Skrabz who wasn’t sure he could come out of retirement and still go. I inadvertently made Gabriel Ohio relevant. Stephanie Sullivan could have got a better deal sucking on my clit instead of Robert Mack’s dick, but hey, considering her best friend? I’ve given away wins to build up others, but I think now looking back, I’ve been more than generous. I only took the win when it mattered most, and that is to get a much-deserved shot at the big belt. And I think I need a few more.

And now, here you are. So what can I do for you?”

Eavan cocks an eyebrow as she rubs her chin in thought.

“Well, I would hope that now that you know who’s behind all the mindfuckery, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief, and be able to bring your best into our match. I don’t want your dust cut with powdered milk or borax. If you want to send me to Coke Mountain, son, you better bring the good shit. And I’ll know if it’s the good shit, because I’ve leveled a few mountains in my time. It’s not something I particularly miss, I’ve managed to kick the habit. See, when you have something to live for, Tyke, you find that inner resolve to be better.

You? I don’t see it. You got wrapped up in all this grief and guilt, and got used to the attention because it was all ‘poor Tyke’ instead of ‘end it already you sonofabitch’ but honestly? You’ve never been worth the pity to me. You lost your worth a long time ago, and I don’t think you’ll ever reclaim it. Truth be told, I don’t think you even WANT to reclaim it. I’ve been there, dude.

Let’s be honest here, I see a lot of the worst of me in you. Wanting to die but too chickenshit to pull the trigger. Getting more and more frustrated as the more you want to die, the more resilient you become and continue to live. Hearing the platitudes and cliches coming out of everyone’s mouths become nails on a chalkboard where you just want to lash out and eviscerate someone, but again, the fear of what people will think, say, react holds you back. I see it all, Tyke. It feels so familiar, so inviting to return to that cocoon. It’s easy, it’s comfortable, as chaotic as it seems to everyone else. Like living in the eye of a hurricane.

That is why I have to beat you, Tyke. I crawled out of that hole. My fingers were raw, I was cut up. I was bloodied, battered, emaciated. I got tired of trying to die and failing and decided I wanted to live again. So, for me, to be standing across from you in that ring, this is a war I can’t fail at. I can’t let you, and by extension my old self, win.

Seeing as I’m being honest, Tyke, letting you in to my mind a little, I think I owe you this. I was telling the truth when I said I don’t see you as someone who’d lead another to their death. The lights, the smoke, the exploding cars though? Nah, that wasn’t me. Somebody’s looking for you, and if they’re going through all that trouble? They’re not happy with you. I’d want to be careful. Right now, though, I need you focused here. On me. The one you have to fight this Sunday.

I don’t deal with losers anymore, so I will leave you with this. You have four days to get your shit together. Straighten up, or don’t show up, because if you do? I’m not going to just wrestle you. I’m going to do what people like us have always wanted to do but never had the balls to. I’m stronger now, I’m not on the coke anymore. I’ve been to Hell, I’ve fucked Lucifer in more positions than the Kama Sutra can demonstrate. People better than you have tried to break me and failed. For fucks sake, I took the worst Skrabz had and walked out on my own two feet. The fuck do YOU have in your arsenal, boy? You show up the way you have lately? I will eviscerate you in that ring and mail every body part to Solomon Cain’s family. I hate everything about you, because you reflect the worst of me.

And that bitch needs a royal ass-whipping.”