Blue eyes scan the computer monitor before them as the images of Huckleberry’s leap of faith and devastating elbow drop race across. Each time Davey-Boy O’Brien had watched the footage, he was astonished. Not even during his carnival days of wrestling had O’Brien wrestled an alligator. That said, alligators weren’t exactly commonplace in Scotland. But, alligators didn’t exactly have the technical prowess of a human wrestler either. Despite the shock factor of this incredible feat by his next opponent, The Scottish Terrier wasn’t exactly rattled.
By the Tale of the Tape, Davey-Boy O’Brien in a rare situation was actually the larger of the two men. Davey was a master at proving that the Tale of the Tape wasn’t as much of a factor as some might have others believe. Constantly, sportscasters would roast on Davey about his apparent lack of size as a professional wrestler. Constantly, they would choose against him. And, constantly, he would prove them wrong.
Davey shifted uneasily when the alligator didn’t move after the match. It was dead. His jawline tightened as frustration took him as it had the first ten times he’d watched the video. Huckleberry had unnecessarily leapt from the top of that cage to defeat the gator. Had it been survival, the Scot wouldn’t blame the man, but it was quite clear based on the footage here that Huckleberry had knowingly and blatantly killed the gator. Similar feelings had filled him when he saw the way his tag team partner, Kronin, had finished their last match.
Davey-Boy was all for some gratuitous violence, but there was a limit. Professional wrestling, after all, is a sport, not death row. Maybe he was just naive, but Davey preferred to have a respectful match with his opponents, and while injuries did happen in wrestling, there was no reason to needlessly put his opponents into unnecessary danger.
“Ya’ gonner stare at that screen all day, Boyo?” his mentor, Baz Jones, inquired, awakening the young grappler from his locked gaze upon the monitor.
“Crivens, min,” Davey muttered before turning to Baz. “Didnae ye tell me to watch film. Ah’m watchin’ film, ye auld codger.”
An amused grin crossed Baz’s face as he leaned in. “So, what’re yer findings then, lad?”
“That Huckleberry needs a wallap upside the nut just like Kronin,” Davey replied as he smoothed over his mustache with his index finger and thumb.
“Whoa there, lad!” said Jones, “ain’t ye bein’ a bit harsh on yer partner? He won ya the match.”
“He’s a damn bampot! Kronin nearly ended that poor bastart’s life, and ye expect me to raise a mug to that?” Davey-Boy was deadly serious as he glared at his wrestling coach. “He’s almost as clarty as Mudcock. It’s a damn good thing we got that dunderheed to agree to health insurance otherwise that poor sob Kronin dropped on his nut would up to his een in debt.”
The United States, after all, was known for the high cost of healthcare. Davey-Boy had known about that prior to coming to work in the US, but it had never dawned on him until he saw some of the medical bills he had received. It was a damn good thing the others and himself had fought so hard for that insurance.
“That lad must be strong to be able to take on that ‘gator on his lonesome though,” speculated Baz Jones.
“Aye, but I ain’t a damn ‘gator, min. Ah’m a trained fighter. My technique is second to none. In layman’s terms, Huckleberry and ah are going to have a square go and ah’m gaun to put my nut through his face. But, here’s the difference: ah ain’t gaun continue battering him after ah pin ‘im.”
Baz watched as Davey winced before a look of frustration crossed his face again.
“Ya smell it again, don’t yer, lad,” he inquired observantly.
“Aye,” he stated reluctantly. “Seems like that stench will never gaun. Every time I smell it, I just want to wallap something.”
A knowing smile cross Baz’s old features, “wallap Huckleberry, lad.”
Davey’s eyes turned to regard Baz once more. A smirk crossed his face as he nodded.
“Now, ain’t ya got some grapplin’ ter do. On yer feet, ya lazy arse!”
(To learn more about the characters of UOW please check out: http://www.efedzone.com/fed/115)