Bret Grayson

Bret Grayson is a man in prime physical condition, with wide shoulders and well-defined muscles. He has black hair kept short but messily curled. He has hazel eyes and an epic-level smirk.

Bret Grayson has been immersed in the sport of wrestling for his entire life. His father was a coach, his uncle had been a teammate of Dan Gable, and he was enrolled in his first wrestling camp at age six. He was a total natural; told from the first day that he was special. And he was pushed accordingly.

Everything was secondary to wrestling. School, social life, everything. He lived wrestling, and being so immersed in the teachings of amateur wrestling meant that he was taught the very worst things about professional wrestling. He thought it a joke and believed that professional wrestlers were frauds who could never compete in the genuine article.

Grayson won at every level. He was vicious and always walked the line in regards to what was legal... ethics had no part in his wrestling as the only right was winning and the only sin was losing. He had his choice of programs, and chose Dan Gable's school: Iowa. He was a four-time All-American, two time NCAA national champion, and lost a grand total of seven matches during his entire collegiate career. One of his losses was to a man from Indiana University known as Supreme Wright (though he beat Wright in the rematch at the NCAAs).

But through it all, he only had one goal in his life... an Olympic Gold Medal. He won the World Championship in 2003, while still in school. In the leadup from there to the 2004 Athens Games, Bret lost only one match (an international, to an Iranian named Qadir bin Nejem) and with that momentum, went through and won the Olympic Gold in dramatic fashion, persevering despite an ankle fracture.

And then, the dilemma of every Olympian... now what?

Grayson finished his college career, and then tried to take jobs that would let him keep training for another run in 2008. He tried coaching, but he had become so insufferably arrogant that he was unable to gain the trust of kids and parents. He made a good living with endorsements and TV appearances for a short time, but the memory of his achievement faded. He scraped by until 2008, but was not able to qualify for the Games as the younger generation, less burdened by injury and the pressures of life, passed him by.

Grayson managed to catch on as a trainer for the US team for the next cycle, but he was getting more and more bitter. He truly believed that he was still the best wrestler in the country, and took it out on many of the Team USA hopefuls. This was perfectly fine with the team, as he acted as a 'gatekeeper' for the team. But Grayson was miserable, and not making much money. He started training for a MMA career, though he had no real interest in it.

At this time, one of his old college rivals, whom he had become an acquaintance of, gave him a call. Supreme Wright was now a big-time professional wrestler, and was looking for allies. Grayson scoffed, but figured that if a man like Wright saw something in it, perhaps he should at least check it out. Plus, hearing how much Wright made was a major attraction.

Upon analyzing professional wrestling for himself, Grayson decided that it was a much better option than he had realized. There was a lot of legitkmate wrestling skills, a lot of legitimate amateur wrestlers alongside the bruising "talentless" brawlers he had always been told about, and the crowd involvement was very exciting. Grayson started training to wrestle professionally, and debuted under a mask in the Ohio territory in 2013.

At first, Grayson did not want anyone to know he was wrestling as a pro, so he kept his masked identity for his first year. After all, he was a Hall Of Famer in many wrestling halls, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a member of a lot of societies that would turn on him in a second if they realized he had turned "traitor". However, Minnesota promoter Henry Collier, who had trained him, was actually still respected in those circles, and finally persuaded Grayson to unmask and wrestle as himself. Grayson was an immediate headliner in Minnesota... and when 2015 rolled around, the AWA used their financial superiority to poach him.

The Liberty Lock — An anklelock submission. Henry Collier flew in Gabriel Whitecross to teach this to Grayson... and it is super effective. On top of that, Bret can counter just about any maneuver into this hold. And if Bret grapevines the leg? That’s pretty much game over.

Billion Dollar Bomb — Like the old saying goes, “What self-respecting stupid of the Combat Corner doesn’t know how to do this move?”

Signature maneuvers (Optional).

[The lights drop down to nothing, plunging the arena into darkness to the loud buzz of the crowd.]

**SHORT ANNOUNCE BANTER**

[A low electronic buzz is heard; the opening section of "Final Countdown" by Europe. As the various industrial/synth sounds come up, small plumes of steam emit from around the entranceway. ***CROWD REACTION*** And then, the famous synthiziser riff begins, causing the crowd hype to build.]

**ANNOUNCE BANTER**

[The entire opening keyboard section plays with the arena in darkness.]

**MORE BANTER**

[At last, as the voice counts down from ten, a thin golden silhouette appears on the big screen. It fills in as the countdown proceeds, and dim white lighting reveals that the entranceway is filling with thick white mist, like a smoke cloud. At about four, we can make out that the filling-in silhouette is a gradually-illuminated Olympic Gold Medal, and the mist really starts to pour out from the curtain.

At two, the entrance way floods with golden light, as if a rocket were taking off. And at zero, the light drops, replaced by red, white, and blue small spotlights playing through the now-receding mist, and resting on a figure who is now being revealed standing in the entrance way... none other than Bret Grayson. The big screen displays a slow-motion image of Bret Grayson on the gold medal stand in the 2004 Olympic Games as Grayson replicates the gold medal pose under the spotlights, head bowed as if receiving the medal. His head raises back up as the arena lights return to normal, and smirks at the arena as he displays his Olympic Gold Medal by stretching out his arms.

Bret Grayson is a man in prime physical condition, with wide shoulders and well-defined muscles. He has black hair kept short but messily curled. He has hazel eyes and an epic-level smirk. He's wearing a white ring jacket with an American flag design motif and "USA" emblazoned on the back in red and blue font. Grayson strides down the aisle, chin up and head held high as mist jets fill the aisle at his feet ahead of him, while red, white, and blue lights shine from above into the mist. The arena itself is still mostly in darkness with only the colored spotlights shining into the mist and onto Grayson illuminating the scene.]

**BANTER, INTERSPERSED WITH LYRICS**

# We're leaving together,
# But still it's farewell

[Upon arriving at ringside, Grayson walks around the ring and walks up to the steps. He stands on the steps, head bowed again, and both hands raised in the air with index fingers pointing to the sky. And he waits. The crowd ***REACTION***]

**MORE BANTER INTERSPERSED WITH LYRICS; HE TAKES FOREVER. I APOLOGIZE TO THE MATCH WRITER. GRAYSON'S A POMPOUS ASS.**

# And maybe we'll come back,
# To earth, who can tell ?
# I guess there is no one to blame
# We're leaving ground
# Will things ever be the same again?

[Grayson waits until the chorus...]

# IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

[... and as it goes, he takes the last step onto the apron, nimbly hops over the top rope, and does a quick spin, immediately dropping to his knees and stretching his arms again to the boos of the crowd as a single white spotlight is now on him. Red, white, and blue spotlights now sweep the entire arena. He leaps up from his knees, much as he did when he won his gold medal in Athens, and flings his ring jacket off to the mat with a flourish. This reveals his ring attire: a blue stylized version of a Team USA wrestling singlet, with red-and-white star logos and "USA" imprinted across the back in red and white. His boots are a matching shade of blue and he sports white knee pads. Grayson walks around the ring, going to the second rope in each corner, soaking in the cheers... which are actually boos, but Grayson acts as if they are cheers.]

Heel