"Fifty-eight…fifty-nine…sixty…"
The sound of a man counting the push-ups he had completed was but one of the many audible noises that were being made in a small gym located in downtown Tokyo. It was here where men and women of all shapes and sizes came to improve their mind and body by performing various exercises that would condition them for whatever endeavor that awaited them. The gym had mats for stretching exercises, treadmills for running exercises, weight machines for muscle exercises, and a court was located nearby to allow the patrons to test their mettle against their friends and rivals in whatever sport they could manage there.
While this gym was not entirely unlike dozens of other gyms that were located across the city, there was one thing that made it particularly noteworthy…
…and that was the fact that the man who had been counting to himself was the fabled Tommy Dreamer.
A muscular man of medium height, Tommy Dreamer was a professional wrestler best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he earned a degree of fame as the innovator of violence and helped change the way the general populace looked at the sport. As a master of hardcore matches, Tommy had earned the respect of nearly everyone in the industry thanks to his ability to take punishment and dish it out in greater amount, and his undying courage and tenacity he showed in the ring no matter how daunting the opponent would be.
Giants, psychopaths, athletes, and strongmen: Dreamer had faced them all, and never backed down from any of them. Even though he would not always win, his soul would remain as powerful and as immortal as the sport that he loved, and no one could take that away from him…and his quest to become the ECW Champion: an honor he held for less than an hour.
Even though ECW only existed as a branch of the massive wrestling organization World Wrestling Entertainment, Tommy's love for the brand remained strong, as did his lust for the title. Every time he was knocked out of title contention, Tommy would pick himself back up and fight his way back towards the title, hoping that someday…somehow…he would become the champion again. However, he would be unable to do that in Tokyo.
As he completed his one-hundredth push-up, Tommy stood back up and wiped the sweat from his brow. In this far-away land where professional wrestling sometimes made street brawls look like pillow fights, the man from Yonkers, New York had been sent by WWE as their representative for an event that was unlike any other: the Super J Cup, where wrestling promotions from all across the world put aside their differences to compete for the honor to be lionized as the best of the best.
--
One week ago…
"Come in."
Turning around to face whoever was walking into his office, the general manager of ECW smiled as Tommy Dreamer closed the door behind him and approached the bespectacled African-American. "Tommy, it's good to see you, player. Thank you for coming."
"It's always a pleasure, Teddy," Tommy said with a nod of his head. "What did you need me for?"
"Well, you see, Tommy, the board of directors asked me to give this to you," Teddy Long turned his head to the left and nodded to his blonde assistant Tiffany, who stood off of the couch and handed Teddy an envelope. Once it was in his hand, Teddy handed the enveloped to Tommy and watched him open it.
"This…isn't a notice of my release, is it?" Tommy asked just before he completely opened the envelope, his left eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Teddy erupted into a hearty laughter. "Hohoho, no…it's nothing like that, Tommy. If it was something like that, I certainly would have enough decency to tell you in person." Once the envelope was fully opened, Tommy pulled out a plane ticket and a piece of paper. Inspecting the paper first, Tommy quietly muttered to himself as he skimmed the letter. His eyes widened in surprise, and Teddy's smile widened along with it. "So, player…what do you think?"
"This is an invitation to the Super J Cup," Tommy whispered before lifting his head and looking to Teddy. "Teddy, I don't know if I can accept this: is this some kind of practical joke?"
"Not at all, player," Teddy assured his hard-working employee. "The board of directors asked the general managers of all three brands to nominate one wrestler to accept the invitation: I picked you, the heart and soul of ECW, to represent the company in this event…and it looks like the board agreed with me."
"So you mean to tell me that I got picked over guys like Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Edge, and MVP? I find that hard to believe…after all, Vince thinks that I'm a 'never has-been.'" Tommy said with a scoff, not entirely sold on the idea that the board of directors would rely on someone who once tried to dismantle the WWE during the ECW invasion.
"Be that as it may, the WWE would like you to represent us in the Super J Cup: it would also be a great opportunity to scout talent overseas for my new superstar initiative." Teddy outstretched his hand in friendship and awaited Tommy's answer. "What's it going to be, player: do you still have enough soul left to show that ECW hasn't gone to pasture just yet?"
Tommy's eyes lit up upon hearing that question. "Teddy, if there's one thing that I will never run low on, it's soul." Shaking Teddy's hand vigorously, a look of intensity flashed upon Tommy's bearded face. "All right: I'd be honored to compete in the tournament. Tell the locker room that as soon as I get back, though, they better watch out because I'll be going right back to earning a shot at the title!"
--
As Tommy finished reminiscing about he managed to find his way to the land of the rising sun and leaving "bigger" stars like Triple H and John Cena in the dust, he took one last gulp of his water bottle and reached for his gym bag before walking out of the gym and into the busy urban jungle that was Tokyo. He had spent a good three hours doing nothing but conditioning his body: it was time to head back to the hotel he was staying at.
Calling for a taxi, Tommy watched as the cab pulled up next to him. Entering the vehicle and hoping that the driver spoke English, Tommy gave the address of his destination. The cab driver nodded, and within fifteen minutes he arrived at his hotel. Tommy tipped the driver graciously before stepping out of the cab and walking into the hotel.
As soon as he did so, however, he noticed two familiar figures standing at the receptionist's desk: a well-built dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks, and a woman of similar skin color with long dark hair. He didn't need more than a second to identify them: Booker T and his wife Sharmell, former WWE employees and now a part of rival company Total Nonstop Action.
Tommy and Booker had met each before: they were once part of the same alliance that threatened to destroy the WWE, hoping to avenge the deaths of WCW and ECW. While Tommy drifted off into the land of Sunday Night Heat, however, Booker maintained his mega-star status and won WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, the King of the Ring Tournament, and a slew of other belts that belonged to the company.
However, this tournament was not supposed to be about brand supremacy: it was an invitational event made to showcase the skills of each company and prove beneficial to everyone involved: TNA or not, Booker was chosen to participate just like Tommy, and needless ill will was not was Tommy desired…at least not until it was time to get into the ring.
Approaching Booker and Sharmell with a smile, Tommy greeted the couple and outstretched his hand. "It's good to see you again, Booker…"
Booker turned his head but did not return the smile Tommy gave him. Inspecting Tommy with a quick shake of his head, Booker's eyes widened in surprise. "What in the hell are you doing here? What is a WWE lapdog doing here in Japan, when the Super J Cup is just a couple of days away?"
"I was invited here," Tommy said as he reached into his pocket to pull out the envelope that Teddy Long had given him. "I'm going to be competing in the tournament, the same as you are."
Booker was silent for a few months, and then let out a boisterous laugh that was so great that a tear fell from his cheek. "Oh, Tommy, I'm glad to see that being the doormat of WWE hasn't ruined your sense of humor. You, competing in something as extravagant as this? That's real nice, dog! BWAHAHAHA!"
"It's not a joke, Booker," Tommy replied, fighting the urge to slap the laughing man in the face for mocking him. "I'm not doing this for WWE, though: I'm doing this because this is a great honor and I intend to make the best of the situation that I'm in."
"Unbelievable: you being here just shows how little WWE cares about this business," Booker said once he regained control of himself. "See, my company sees the greatness in me, so they picked me over those rogues Angle, Styles, and Samoa Joe. After all, I'm a six-time…six-time, six-time, six-"
"You don't have to say it six times, Booker: I'm well aware of your accomplishments," Tommy rolled his eyes as he interrupted Booker's usual schpiel about how many world heavyweight championships he had accumulated in his career. "I'm a former world champion, too…"
"I would hardly consider that ECW belt a world title, and you only had it for a half-hour," Booker scoffed. "Why don't you go back to your silly little brand and let the real athletes do what they do best, and let has-beens like you go to pasture…" Turning away to head to his room, Booker waved to his faithful wife Sharmell and the two of them left Tommy's presence. "However, we shall see how much fight you have left in you when it comes time for the bell…"
While he didn't envy what was going to happen to Booker as soon as he stepped into the ring with him, Tommy did envy the fact that Booker had his wife with him. Tommy's wife Beulah, as well as their two daughters, was back in the United States. Tommy had wanted to bring her with him, but there was only one plane ticket, and he did not want to burden his lovely wife with the expenses of such a pricey trip, or cut into the shows that Beulah had already accepting bookings for. "I'll be sure to bring home tapes, honey, as well as souvenirs," Tommy had assured Beulah at the airport. "Tell the girls I love them very much and I'll bring them home something good!"
Putting aside his thoughts of longing for the time being, Tommy walked over the elevator and waited for the doors to open. He would have plenty of time to think about his family after he had a quick nap…