Dr. Moira Bancroft has a tall order ahead of her. A sports psychologist by trade, Dr. Bancroft is used to dealing with some of the biggest names in athletic competition. Typically, her services are sought out by leagues or teams looking to provide blanket support for their stars in an effort to foster the greatest return on investment – after all, players are nothing if not investments to team owners. So when they want to give their players a mental edge, they bring in professionals like Dr. Bancroft. But this…?
She recites her pre-session notes to herself, a practice she had developed early in her career as a means to familiarize herself with the task at hand.
“I was contacted on Friday, October 29, 2021, by Ms. Ava St. Claire, the owner of St. Claire Management Associates Ltd. The call was brief, yet polite. Ms. St. Claire sought out my services for her client, a professional wrestler named Gavin Taylor, following his recent television appearance on Supreme Championship Wrestling Breakdown. Her concerns were not stated. I have scheduled Gavin in for an initial meeting on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 10am.”
She passes through the door into her office in the corner suite of a new high-rise in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Not wanting to put out a hostile feel, she chose soft colours, decorating with various sports memorabilia collected from clients she accumulated at past employers. It was a setting that would make even the most critical of minds at ease. It was the perfect setting to bring in a man like Gavin Taylor.
The All-Star rests his his back upon the sofa inside the office. Not wanting to put out a hostile front himself, Gavin chose not to get up to greet the good doctor, much against his usual character. Instead he waits patiently, hands folded over his stomach, as Bancroft moves around to her chair, notebook in hand, and sits across from him. She throws one leg over the other, straightening her skirt before addressing her newest patient…
“Mr. Taylor,” she begins the formal introduction. Gavin turns his head to spot the young Doctor sitting near him. He smiles politely, another trait not often seen from the All-Star. “I’m Dr. Moira Bancroft. I’ve been contracted by your agent to help you get your head on straight before the big ga-… er… the big match.”
Gavin chuckles. “Yeah… Ava has this idea in her head that I should get some “coaching” before the Trios finals, as if I haven’t already had enough to go through with this tournament.”
“I see,” Dr. Bancroft begins to write out a few notes. Gavin sits up from the sofa looking over.
“What are you writing?” he asks, pointing to the notebook.
“Just a few thoughts,” she replies, finishing her sentence. As she sets the pen back on the book, she looks to Gavin. “Why does that bother you?”
“Whoa, hold on. It doesn’t bother me by definition,” Gavin retorts in his own defense, even putting his hands up to ease the situation. “I just didn’t know you’d start writing just after we said “Hi”.”
“I said “hi”,” Dr. Bancroft points out. “You jumped right into things with your opinion as to why your agent sent you to me. You don’t need to be that defensive, Mr. Taylor… can I call you Gavin?”
“Usually I’m the one asking to go on first-name basis…” Gavin points out, sensing that this time the shoe is on the other foot. It doesn’t exactly make him comfortable, but he doesn’t fight it… at least he isn’t fighting it yet. “But sure… “Gavin” is fine.”
“Thank you, Gavin,” Dr. Bancroft replies, which sets The All-Star at ease even more. “But to get back to my question, why did you get so defensive when you first came in here? Do you understand why your agent, Ms. St. Claire, set up this appointment for you to come see me?”
Gavin sits back on the couch again, resting his head upon the pillow.
“I figured,” Gavin begins to relate. “Well, I guess that Ava is concerned about my mental wellbeing. It’s all the rage in the news these days, isn’t it? Taking care of your head so you can stay in the game longer is paramount. Not that I have any actual issues with staying in the game longer, you know? They don’t call me “The All-Star” for nothing!”
“Don’t they call you that because you trademarked it?” Dr. Bancroft asks. Gavin’s boasts, along with his boastful tone, immediately cease.
“But there’s always kind of been this thing between Ava and I,” Gavin continues, moving past his being called out for his trademark. “Ever since I joined her agency, there’s always been this kind of “Will they, won’t they” Sam and Diane energy put out into the world there, and it’s absolutely a “won’t they” with us. After all, I’m a happily married man and I just learned a couple weeks ago that she had a date. Without even telling me! Can you believe that? But there aren’t abandonment issues there. Not at all.”
“Gavin,” Moira’s hand goes up from her notepad after continuously scribbling down her thoughts, seeking now to stop the All-Star from rambling further. “That’s not actually anything close to what I was cited.”
“Oh,” Gavin responds, almost disappointed that he couldn’t talk further about that. But, as Gavin is known to be quick on his feet when confronted with conversational needs, he quickly jumps from one platform topic onto another. “I have been spending a lot of time with my Trios Tournament partners lately. I mean a lot. We trained in a warehouse. We went to the cabin. We went on a scavenger hunt. Maybe my OG team is feeling kind of left out in all the excitement, even though I’m doing it for all of us, really. I’m just putting the needs of my Team ahead of those of myself. It’s growth, actually. All those critics who run me down as this one-dimensional “athletic” archetype… hogwash, really. But I suppose when someone’s feeling left out, they want to make sure that whatever happens to you is right. Shows they care… kind of sweet, really.”
“That’s not it either,” Dr. Bancroft points out. “Do you want to know what I have?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m still right, but…” Gavin extends his hand as if to give the floor to Dr. Bancroft, however the woman shifts her approach immediately.
“Tell me about the SWA,” she asks. Gavin looks up a bit…
“Fine competitive atmosphere,” he begins, recollecting as much as he could about his tenure there, which had ended over 10 years ago when the Alliance shut down. “I was CWF National Heavyweight and Canadian Champion – a belt I still own to this day – and many believed I was there… I was on the cusp of finally becoming World Champion. Then the alliance shut down.”
“And what about NEWA?” she asks, clearly leading somewhere. Gavin, oblivious to where he’s being led, answers in earnest.
“A little bit cutthroat, but I was holding the knife,” Gavin nods, again reminiscing over the short-lived company. “I was seen as a top star there… even got my Network deal that helped keep me paid when it was over. I was almost there… the cusp of finally becoming World Champion. Then the alliance shut down.”
“What about UWA?” she asks. This time, Gavin rolls to his side and looks at the Doctor.
“One or two?”
“The first one,” she clarifies.
“Ah,” Gavin nods his head before rolling back onto his back. “I was definitely the top star there. Went through this tournament to become the first ever Universal Champion and, wouldn’t you know it? I won. Another belt I still have in my trophy room… but the place closed shortly after I was crowned.”
“IWC? UWA part 2?”
“Okay, Doc, I think I see what you’re getting at,” Gavin sits up, resting his elbows on his legs as he looks at her. “I tend to get high enough and places close down. No, I don’t want to be responsible for SCW going down the drain. But I also know the big money… the real big money… the big money where you have to capitalize it, making it BIG MONEY… it’s in being Champ. And I’ve been on the cusp of it so many times that eventually, the bounce has to go my way. Eventually I’m going to get the call going my way and I’ll hit the top! It just has to. Law of averages… for the number of times I’ve come up short, I’m due…”
Gavin pauses, reflecting over everything he just said. For the number of times he’s come up short, Gavin has to be due for a breakthrough. He’s due…
“Aren’t I?” he asks, again in earnest. Gavin sits back, laying back across the sofa. Dr. Bancroft sits forward, having scribbled more notes into her notebook.
“So why do you think you haven’t gotten there yet?” She asks. “What is standing between you and your goals? Is it all these external circumstances? Individuals looking to get there as well? Is your career completely and totally in the hands of other people? Or…“
“Whoa,” Gavin puts his hands up, looking to stop the line of questioning in it’s tracks. “Are you saying I fail because of me? Because it feels like that’s what you’re saying, but I’m not 100% certain that’s the angle you want to go with.”
“How has your recent tenure in SCW been?” Dr. Bancroft asks. “Let’s start with this year.”
“Well,” Gavin begins recalling the last year… and a bit. There was a lot to go through. “At Rise to Greatness 2020, I won a shot at the Adrenaline Championship, defeating Jake Starr and Aubrianna Powers. Then my shot was delayed so Glory Braddock could use her Trios contract at Apocalypse, and when my shot came around, I lost. Then I entered the Tag League… I was supposed to team with Aubrianna, but she left SCW before the tournament started and I was saddled with Katie Steward who really didn’t seem to want to be there. When the tournament was over, I beat her a couple times, the final time earning a United States Championship match against Xander Valentine. I lost that shot as well, but didn’t get murdered which was a big win considering Xander had been basically murdering his opposition before then. At Rise to Greatness I had another shot at the title, and managed to make the final two in a four-person elimination match before losing out to Christy Matthews. But that was an Interim Title, and Gavin Taylor is worth so much more than “Interim”, don’t you think? But then I got entered into this Trios tournament, and here we are…”
“On the cusp?” Dr. Bancroft asks.
“Yeah!” Gavin responds enthusiastically. “On the cusp of…”
Suddenly, he has a realization. Dr. Bancroft sits forward, reviewing her notes as she adds a few thoughts.
“Do you know what I think, Gavin?” the Doctor removes her glasses, setting them on her desk behind her as she turns to her strung-out patient. “I think you’re subconsciously afraid of success leading to failure, so you try to keep yourself at a nominal level in your career. That way, you don’t have quite as far to fall should things go completely sideways, but conversely you don’t get to be that top guy you talk about being all the time. I think Ms. St. Claire sent you to me because she’s concerned that you’re intrinsically getting ready to sabotage yourself, so the pressure to overcome your past doesn’t get a chance to present itself.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Gavin exclaims, though his tone would betray that he is trying to convince himself more than the doctor. “I love being successful. I want to win. I don’t want to be seen as mediocre… just another guy who came close to the apex of his career, only to never reach it. I want to grab the brass ring. I want to be the best…”
“So what’s stopping you?” Dr. Bancroft asks in earnest. The question takes Gavin by surprise a bit. It seemed to be the natural follow-up, but Gavin isn’t used to be questioned in such a manner. He stammers a bit, unsure of what to say at first, until…
“Nothing?” he asks, almost as if he were a schoolboy attempting to gauge his teacher’s response to know if he was correct or not. Without getting a proper read on the Doctor, Gavin continues. “I mean, I hit some bad luck here and there. It happens to every great athlete… we get into slumps, but always rise above. And some of the greatest athletes have slumps. Besides, I can’t take away from the talent that got there already. I mean, they’re where they are for a reason, right? It’s awfully slim pickings at the top… not everyone can get there.”
“You’re rambling,” Dr. Bancroft points out. Gavin knew he was rambling, and he nods his head.
“I know,” he confesses. “But it’s frustrating, you know? I know… I know that I’m better than I’ve accomplished, and time after time, I’m left to figure out how to continue putting out this image of confidence when inside, I’m being torn to fucking shreds. I need this… I’m desperate for it…”
The scene suddenly cuts to Gavin Taylor’s face. He sits alone, for all we know, but is clearly talking to others. The shadows linger around Gavin as he appears to be confident, apologetic, and contrite…
“I’m telling you guys,” Gavin attempts to explain himself. “It was just one session. It’s not going to be a “thing”. Just one visit to a sports therapist…”
As the scene scales back, we can see Gavin is sitting comfortably in a chair… absolutely not by his own choice. The rope ties him to the chair snuggly, although he subtly attempts to struggle free.
“Can you please just loosen the rope?” he asks. Smiling in a “trust me” manner, he hopes for progress. Xander Valentine stands nearby, not sure how much he buys Gavin’s story. Ducky, however, is beside herself.
“Therapists are BAD, Gavi!” she says, swatting at him with a fly swatter a few times. Gavin can’t defend himself, his hands being bound. “What did she say, huh?! Is she going to come here? IS SHE GOING TO COME FOR XANDY!? FOR PRO!? FOR NICOLE?! FOR…”
Gavin glances over to Xander, who motions back towards Ducky, shaking his head. Gavin looks back over.
“No,” Gavin says with the most sincerity he can muster. “No, Duck… look. This was something that I needed to do for me. I have some head work to do. I’ve got a lot going on up here and right now, this Trios, I don’t want to be an albatross around your neck… around Xander’s neck. I…. look. I get close to success and happen to fall short. Every time. It can be taxing. I just know… I can’t keep up with the same old pattern. I can’t keep coming close and falling short. So yeah, I saw a therapist. I did it because I wanted to be at my absolute best, and I can’t do that if my head isn’t 100% straight. So swat me if you must. I probably deserve it for some of the things I’ve done in the past. But know that I did it for me… I did it for us.”
Ducky ponders Gavin’s words. She looks over to Xander who, still stoic with his arms crossed, his eyes pursed on Gavin. Reading The All-Star, he glances towards Ducky, shrugging his shoulders as he slightly nods his head. Ducky sighs as she looks back at Gavin.
“So they’re not coming for us?” she asks, continuing her interrogation. Gavin shakes his head.
“No, they don’t come for us. We go to them,” Gavin replies, looking to finally get himself freed. “You’re in no danger.”
Ducky surveys Gavin again, even going as far as to smell his breath. Finally satisfied, she pulls a knife.
“Hey! What…” Gavin blurts out, afraid that he’s about to be reunited with his innards. Luckily for him, it is the rope binding him that tastes the steel of the blade. As if falls to the floor, Gavin stands up, moving away from the chair as he rubs his arms to deal with the rope impressions that remain on his arms. Gavin looks over to Xander.
“She going to be okay?” he asks. Xander shrugs his shoulders.
“Probably,” he replies. “At least about this.”
Gavin nods his head.
“Good…” Gavin responds, continuing to nurture his arms. “Because we can’t afford to be off… not a little bit.”
-TO BE CONTINUED-
"The All-Star" Gavin Taylor 