BACKSTAGE
DEFCON Night Two
April 24th, 2025

The Favoured Saints Championship Ladder Match is blasting for everybody to see near one of the backstage monitors. Several BRAZEN talent in the house, as well as some others not booked for the show are watching closely. Perhaps studying, watching for big moments… or wishing it was them instead. 

Normally upselling people on the fine arts of his questionable martial arts background, instead there is a much more subdued Archer Silver. Watching the show sporting a classic Seattle Supersonics jersey, black basketball shorts and sneakers, Archer is half-watching, half-wandering. On the monitor, his best friend and tag team partner, High Flyer taking part as he’s on the monitor climbing the ladder.

Archer Silver:
Show ‘em what’s up. 

High Flyer comes down on everyone with a 450 suicida! 

Archer Silver:
Heh. 

He continues watching, but the voices of BRAZEN newcomer K-Tez and Nathan Cross are both standing behind him engaged in their own conversation about the match. 

K-Tez:
Man, that was FIRE. How may flips did that boy hit! 

Nathan Cross:
I dunno. I think I could do more. 

K-Tez:
My ass, bro. You? Pfft. 

Nathan Cross:
I totally could. But people are gonna pay to see that. 

K-Tez:
Man, they ain’t paying you NOW. 

Nathan Cross:
Shut up. 

The two continue their brosome laughter going… perhaps a little TOO close to Archer. He turns around and moves over so he can focus on the match. 

K-Tez:
Hey, my bad. 

Archer Silver:
It’s fine. 

As the moves out of the way, the not-subtle conversation continues. 

K-Tez: [Not-so-quietly]
Yo… what’s his deal? Thought he’d be out there with all them. Didn’t they all come up together? 

Nathan Cross:
Shut up… 

Archer turns around and stares daggers through both BRAZEN prospects. 

K-Tez:
Shit… sorry, man. No disrespect. 

Archer… says nothing. 

He turns on his heel and walks out of the backstage area. 

He keeps walking. 

He keeps thinking. 

He’s happy for his friend. He really is. 

But… 

???:
You think that’s the first time someone’s had that conversation since you’ve been up here, Archie?

Archer painfully turns his head up. Slowly, he looks off to his side. 

His uncle himself. 

Sonny Silver. 

Archer Silver: [sighing]
What you do you want? And I told you… I don’t do “Archie.”

Sonny points back at the monitor. 

Sonny Silver:
Okay… first… You’re always gonna be Archie to me, you fucking jughead. And two… just checking in with my only-slash-favorite nephew employed by DEFIANCE. It’s been a minute. 

Archer scoffs. 

Archer Silver:
Cause cleaning up Oscar Burns’ drool is a full-time job, right? 

Sonny Silver:
Pays a lot more cleaning that man’s drool than being a M4NTRA bootlicker. Speaking of… I haven’t seen you around with them or with that shithead Tom Morrow in a minute. What’s going on there?

Archer Silver scoffs. 

Archer Silver:
Morrow got hurt. Came back. Says… “he’ll call me if he needs me.” Beeh helping Flyer do his thing. Smacking around his dad. 

Sonny now smirks. 

Sonny Silver:
And while you’ve been doing that… that call hasn’t come. And you wonder why I kept trying to bring you into the GC Universe. 

Archer Silver:
And you know why I’m not. I’m doing my own thing right now. 

Now for the first time, Sonny doesn’t look pleased. 

Sonny Silver:
Look… cause I promised your Dad, I’m not gonna pressure you and have Steve come kick my fucking door down. If you ever want me to properly guide you, you make that choice, not me. 

Sonny points at the monitors. 

Sonny Silver:
I think in this business, everybody needs to figure out who and what they’re gonna be by themselves… But I AM going to ask you, this, Arch… you happy with that hokey martial arts Temu Miyagi-do bullshit you’ve been selling since you came up here? 

Archer Silver:
What?

Sonny Silver:
There’s my answer. You got all these gifts. You have a LEGIT black belt in BJJ! You have a KICKBOXING background, but you wanna cosplay some Cobra Kai shit to make your friends like you?

Archer Silver: [matter-of-factly]
I thought you weren't going to push me?

Taking a step back, Sonny puts his both hands up and moves back a step. 

Sonny Silver:
You know what, Bunker? You're right. Like I said… cause I promised your Dad, who we both know didn’t want  you in this shit in the first place… I’m not getting involved in your business… but I AM gonna tell you this… 

He pats his 6’4” nephew in the chest. 

Sonny Silver:
My blood, sweat and tears made my last name mean something. Much as I don’t like that prick, your dad in Japan… same thing for our last name. OUR dad, YOUR granddad, Big Rich himself, God rest his soul…

Sonny points down at the ground. Archer looks a tad disgusted. 

Sonny Silver:
All of us Hall of Famers in one place or another… we MADE that last name. If you’re gonna still be rocking our last name… then you better figure out who the fuck YOU’RE gonna be with that last name. Or you can go save yourself a seat near the backstage monitor next year cause you won’t be on DEFCON 2026, either. Feel me? 

Archer looks at his uncle. Clearly, what he's saying has struck a nerve. His face is shaking. His fists are balled up. Sonny sees all this, but still gives his nephew a playful slap on the arm. 

Sonny Silver:
Food for thought. See you around, kiddo. 

The GC Universe Spokesman takes off and Archer watches him go. Still shaking, he takes a second to collect himself… 

Then heads back to the backstage station with monitors nearby. 

More Propaganda | View Archer Silver's Biography