The Las Vegas heat hit Scott Washington as soon as he got off of the plane at the airport and stepped out into the sunshine. It had been years since he was in Vegas as it wasn’t a part of the country that he enjoyed for pleasure, but was where so much of his past business had been conducted within the worlds of MMA and pro wrestling. Dressed in a tracksuit for comfort and some dark shades to try and avoid being recognised, Washington breezed through the airport and quickly made his way towards the cabs that were lined up on the sidewalk looking for business. Jumping into the nearest one with his one small carry on sized bag, Washington knew exactly where he was heading having travelled the route so many times before.

Cab Driver: “Yo big man, where are we heading today?”

The cab driver glanced back in the mirror at the massive bulk of Washington as he folded himself into the back seat, his bag sitting alongside him. The driver hadn’t even attempted to help him with his bag, that was going to be a few dollars off of his tip straight away.

Scott Washington: “Goodfellas Casino my man.”

The driver had dollar signs in his eyes as he nodded his head whilst plumbing the address into the meter and preparing to rob an out of towner.

Car Driver: “Say your not one of those wrestler types are you? You sure got the size!”

Washington said nothing but continued to stare straight ahead as the cab driver pulled away from the side of the curb towards the destination. The last thing Washington wanted to do on the 20 minute plus journey in mid day traffic was sit and chat to this guy.

However the cab driver having not had a whole lot of business all day was not going to give up that easily….

Car Driver:“I heard a while back that the Goodfellas Casino was gonna start running those wrestling shows again! Say I haven’t been to a wrestling show for years but anything that means more business to me is definitely a good thing in my eyes! I had a few business type people heading there this week and was wondering if they were involved somehow but no one was sayin nothing… your the first person I picked up that looks like he could be a fighter though!”

Washington stayed silent and nodded his head.

Cab Driver: “I remember the good old days where they used to run them shows every week, used to get some good business on Sunday’s that’s for sure!”

The cab driver looked back to Washington in his rear view mirror to continue the conversation, but Washington caught his eye from behind his dark glasses and slid his Apple Airpods out of his pocket and into his ears, ending any chance of a back and forth. As the beat of his SPotify playlist started in his ears, he wasn’t sure if the cab driver was continuing on the conversation to himself or not.

As Washington stared out the window at the passing Vegas skyline which had changed a bit in the time he was last here, the last thing he wanted to do was talk shop with an outsider. It was true he was one of those ‘wrestler types’ but he wasn’t back for the love of the business. He was back purely for the love of the almighty dollar.

It had been a week or so since he had received the call from Amy Page, the sister of the Owner of the sVo which gave him the heads up about the return of the sVo and the chance to earn a big pay day. Washington had been in the sVo in the last days back in 2013 and although the place was in shambles back then, the money was always good and always on time.

It had irritated Washington slightly that the call had come from Amy Page and not Jon Page, but he had always gotten on better with the younger Page sibling so it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise, and she was about to open up a big pay day for him on the sVo roster.

As the cab sped past the New York, New York hotel, Washington pulled out his phone and typed a simple message and hit send.

“Nearly there.”

Washington had fought many fights in the city, not all in the wrestling ring. MMA was something that Washington had enjoyed for quite a while before pulled into pro wrestling by the Page family. Although MMA was more his love, the wrestling business had definitely paid him better.

The cab driver finally weaved his way through the last bit of traffic and hit his turning signal to pull into the front valet area of the Goodfellas Casino. It definitely wasn’t the most glamorous casino in Las Vegas and was quickly beginning to be dwarfed by the bigger casinos in the skyline, however it certainly had the old mafia era charm of the city from years gone by.

Washington was pleased to see that he had a welcoming committed waiting for him as the cab pulled in. Standing on the top of the steps up to the main lobby was Amy Page, flanked by two bodyguards. Page looked like a sight to behold as she slowly stepped forward in her high boots and ordered the nearest bodyguard to pay the cab driver. The second bodyguard quickly took Washington’s bag as Page greeted her old friend with a tight hug.

Amy Page:“Welcome back Scotty! I got you the best suite in the hotel, I will get your stuff taken up right away!”

Washington was sure that every talent anyone from the Page family welcomed to Las Vegas also had ‘the best suite in the hotel’, but he didn’t care about that right now.

Scott Washington:“How about we get down to business. I want to get this contract signed so I can get training for the first match straight away.”

Page shook her head and laughed as she began walking and beckoned Washington to follow her.

Amy Page: “I see you haven’t changed a bit. Relax about that will you! I will get the contract sorted for you and your lawyer to read but the first card hasn’t even been announced yet! No go and freshen up so we can get some food and hit the town!”

Washington had no intention of hitting the town with his employer but some food sounded good as he began to make his way back into the hotel lobby. Washington looked up at the giant ‘Goodfellas’ sign that hung above him for a few seconds before entering. He had mixed emotions about being back in Sin City, but the lure of the power of the almighty dollar was far too much to resist.

F A D E O U T