[ Graham Baker ] The Ascent

We enter on the last few moments of what appears to be a tense matchup as a noticeably younger Graham Baker eats a knee to the face from a man who appears to be driven to win the match that he's competing in. A commentary team speaks loudly.

"Marcus Allen Jones headed to the top rope-if he nails this Senton, Baker's dreams of claiming the Freedom Pro Heavyweight Championship are done for!"

The man heads to the top rope, but we see a flash in Baker's eyes, a shine of consciousness-and then, as the man dives, Baker snaps to life and grabs hold of the man's arm in a Cross Armbreaker! The crowd goes wild, screaming, chanting...and the man taps out!

Baker appears standing up a few moments later, holding the Freedom Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship on his right shoulder as he looks out to the crowd, a smile on his face, as a voice begins speaking overhead.

"That...was just a year ago, today."

We cut to a new scene, a different atmosphere as Graham Baker sits in a steel folding chair, now holding the ALPHA Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship on his right shoulder. He looks down to the belt, and begins speaking softly. He wears a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but he looks ready to go and fight at a moment's notice.

"When I first entered this business, I was told I needed to narrow it the fuck down, that my style was too bold, too dangerous, too brash. That men who transition from flight to armbars aren't ever gonna get anywhere, because I'm a 'jack of all trades, master of none'-but even back then, I knew that was all bullshit. It's always, always been bullshit, and after hearing enough of it, I cut my losses in the United Kingdom and headed westward, my eyes set on the United States, on the big time independent scene, on promotions like PWG, CZW, GCW, where I could make my name and be known as a revolutionary competitor without being forced into a niche.

It wasn't easy, but I broke in.

Day after day, I drove myself into the ground, putting on matches that I could be proud of to crowds that ranged from fifty to five hundred. It didn't matter if they loved me, hated me, I was burning oil giving it my all so that, hell, maybe I'd make a fan by the end of it. When I started breaking out new, innovative moves, the boos got a little softer. When I nailed my opponent with a nasty kick before tossing them up into an armbar, the cheers got louder, and I knew, despite the effort it had taken, despite my dwindling savings and my lack of any connection, support, whatever-the-fuck you wanna call it, I was making my name. Graham Baker was an unknown, but within a year?

I made a bet that Graham Baker would be household.

Two days after that bet, my first big break came in the form of a contract with Freedom Pro Wrestling..."

We cut to another shot, this one of Baker making his debut at FPW, holding his arms out to both sides as he drops his leather jacket to the ground. He faces off against world-renowned technician MDE, who regards Baker with a casual glance. The two trade blows back and forth as the match goes on, MDE hitting hard and putting Baker down with power moves to set up for submissions, but Baker never taps out. He tries for another cattle mutilation attempt, but Baker manages to evade it, before transitioning into a roll-up for a near fall, managing a few more impressive falls before he fails on a dive and MDE manages to catch him with a powerbomb into a pinfall for a win.

"...and it didn't go so well."

We see repeated matches as Baker's own faults catch him. A loss in the FPW Young Lion's Cup as he crashes and burns on a dive. Another loss as MDE takes advantage of his distracted state and handcuffs him into a roll-up. Yet another loss as he's knocked out of the tag team classic before it can even start, but Baker grabs hold of the microphone, screaming out for MDE, offering one last chance in an I Quit Match. MDE accepts, on the grounds that if Baker can't change his losing ways, he's done.

The two men shake hands, and MDE cracks a cocky smile, the same smile on his face as we cut away to another ring where the two face off one more time.

"I shouldn't give any props to that cockney fuck, but here I am doing it nonetheless. MDE was a submission specialist, a world class technician, and while he had my gameplan figured out and forced me to adapt more than I ever had before, he still couldn't tap me out. I used that to my advantage, I got in his head, and when, at the last moment, I'd torn his arms to shreds, I locked in one last armbar, and I made him quit.

From there, things got a tad bit easier."

We see Baker go off on a tear through Freedom Pro, defeating the team of Nick Jameson and Jeremiah Johnson before later capturing Nick Jameson's Freedom Pro Hardcore Championship. Baker holds the championship high as he runs through the Free-1 tournament, his wins stacking up in a column while he sustains no losses. Baker pins Adam Thompson to win his block, and we cut to a shot of him pinning Jerry Bishop to win the Free-1, both a trophy and a briefcase greeting him as he holds the briefcase high, staring at then-champion Marcus Allen Jones on the entrance ramp. We cut to another staredown as Baker, without his hardcore championship, enters the Staples Center for his world championship bout with Marcus Allen Jones.

Again, we see the two trade blows, going back and forth while MAJ locks in a nasty sharpshooter on Baker, but Baker refuses to tap out. MAJ locks in another hold on Baker's knee, which looks to be hurting, but Baker refuses to tap out. Eventually, he heads to the top rope, setting up the scene we saw before, and Baker catches him in the Emergency Landing for the win. He holds the championship high, putting it on his right shoulder as we cut back to our scene with Baker holding the ALPHA World Heavyweight Championship on his right shoulder.

"When I beat Marcus Allen Jones, I solidifed myself as a main event talent, and I didn't fucking stop there. I went on a tear through ALPHA Wrestling, winning the tag team championships, the Ragnarok Royale, the ICW World Heavyweight Championship and the ALPHA World Heavyweight Championship in a six-month span. I was a double champion, the first in company history, and I still hold and represent ALPHA everywhere I go. I put that company on my fucking back, and I don't back down for a goddamn thing. No opponent has made me kneel, no man has broken my resolve, no contender has shattered my spirit.

No one has made me tap, not in the ring, not outside, not fucking ever.

And for this reason..."

Baker chuckles, shaking his head.

"Well, it's for this reason I came to WrestleWorld. I came with my eyes on the prize, my desire...to pursue the European Championship. To put this company on my back and watch it join me in my ascent, my screaming rise to the top of the fucking world.

So tell me, WrestleWorld...you want to fly with The Aviator?"

Baker adjusts the championship on his shoulder as he smiles into the camera, a cocky, yet determined grin as we fade to black...