David Shreve

Zam Zero Part 2
By
David Shreve

So now Zam Zero was a trained pro wrestler. Although no one is ever fully trained in the sport, or any sport for that matter. Anyway Zam was ready and primed for his first match. Lee advised him that his first match would find him wrestling a man known as Clawman. His gimmick was basically that he was a mutant like Wolverine from the X Men comic book series. So he called people “bub” and pretended to heal after every hit, despite the performer’s advanced age. But he was pretty much a rip off of a Marvel Comics hero. Anyway the way Zam saw it Clawman was basically false advertising. Because the legend told about him is he once had claws that came out of his knuckles but, in a grudge match, he was beaten severely and declawed. So now the only ability he has is his superhuman healing factor that was somehow linked to whether or not the crowd was cheering Clawman on. Stupid right?

Anyway the bell rang across the half-filled arena in the small corner of Oklahoma. Where nothing much happens except it is where many entertainers get there start. Oklahoma was a nice wholesome place to grow up. Zam was proud to grow up there. Doing so may not have lent itself to easily starting an acting career. But Zam also knew anyone who made it in Oklahoma really wanted it. So that’s where Zam decided to start his pro wrestling career. Right at home.

So the bell rang and, in the half-filled arena, all the cheers went to Clawman, the veteran of Oklahoma wrestling circuit. Well I say all the cheers but it was only about four people give or take. Everyone else just sat and watched without offering their opinion. And those four people were Clawman’s family. Still supporting his hobby after all these years. This made Zam think of his family too. He knew that even if they weren’t present for the match that they were with him in spirit. Thus the match began.

The two competitors locked horns in a cotton elbow tie up. A staple of wrestling maneuvers. It is basically a grappling maneuver. Both superstars, if you can call semi pro wrestlers superstars yet, used the grapple to test one another’s strengths. This grapple went back and forth. Until the good guy, Clawman, got the upper hand. So Zam let the good guy put him in the corner of the ring and into the ring ropes. The referee called for a break of the hold and after a count of four our hero, Clawman, broke off the cotton elbow tie up. If he hadn’t then Clawman would have been disqualified and Zam would have been declared the winner of the match on a technicality.

So the ref broke the hold and, in the confusion, Zam poked Clawman in the eyes with a claw like strike that raked Clawman’s eyes. Clawman backed off from this assault holding his eyes in pain. But the referee didn’t see what had occurred and the match continued without disqualifying Zam.

Then Zam took advantage of Clawman’s inability to see and went low. Not a low blow mind you. No, instead he did a shoulder tackle to Clawman’s knee. This took away the striker’s ability to use punches and kicks. The television announcers started talking up Zam on the live stream happening on YouTube of the event. They started selling Zam as wise beyond his years and pointing out how Zam was taking away Clawman’s striking ability and putting him where Zam wanted him. Because, they explained, Zam was a submission wrestler. One that focused on painful holds to get his opponent to give up. They explained that many of the holds Zam knew Zam must have learned in boot camp. Playing up the fact that Zam was as dangerous as he was good looking.

Next Zam grabbed the newly injured leg of Clawman and began twisting it while the crowd booed in disgust. They began yelling for Clawman to stop the young veteran. Meanwhile Zam smiled a devilish knowing smile. It was working. Zam was getting a lot of heat from the crowd. And the match was going according to plan.

Still Clawman continued to fight back while selling the injury. Making Zam seem like a real threat. But before he could truly go back on the offensive Zam got Clawman in an even worse situation. He put Clawman in a dreaded figure four leg lock. Not one that was legal. But an illegal version where he included the ring post. A figure four leg lock on the ring post was devastating and dangerous. It could end a wrestler’s career. And the announcers began admonishing Zam on the live stream calling him a dangerous psychopath.

The referee tried to get Zam to release the hold. But Zam refused to. And after a count of 5 Clawman was declared the winner by disqualification. So Zam broke the hold and stood in the middle of the ring shaking his head in disgust as the crowd cheered for Clawman, who in Zam’s mind had just lost the match.

An announcer got in the ring with a microphone and officially announced the winner. Then the unthinkable happened. Zam attacked the announcer and stole the microphone. He had something to say.

“I see this is how things happen in the World Mutant Wrestling Federation. What do you call it WMW?” Zam mocked them. “Well I call it the support losers league. That’s all Clawman is. He’s a loser. His gimmick is he can heal faster than normal. So he’s just a freak. Yet you all cheer him. What’s wrong with you?”

The crowd booed.

“You people dare boo me?” Zam shouted. “I’m an American hero. And this Clawman of yours is just a false messiah.”

The crowd booed louder.

“Fine you all want to cheer for  Clawman?” Zam exclaimed. “How about next week we have a rematch, streamed live. And let’s make it more interesting this time. I say we should have a submissions match right here live in WMW. Then I will show all you losers the truth. You’ll see that when the going gets tough Clawman will just quit and give up. And after he does you people will be forced to change your tune and cheer for a real American hero. Zam Zero.”

Then Zam dropped the microphone and stormed out of the small arena while the crowd looked on anticipating the rematch that was just announced to officially happen live next week by the owner of the small Oklahoma federation. And somewhere in the crowd Lee was smiling.