Style Quest: El Caballa Rubio

A flyer for the Masked Federation of Wrestlers hung on the bulletin board in the guild. It offered a chance for amateur wrestlers to enter a tournament for an opportunity to challenge a professional. Event organizers provided prizes with different things that a challenger could add to the final match to increase the payout for the amateur should they win or lose. Most of the flyers didn’t sound like they expected a  challenger to beat the pro. Usually, Varick would ignore these types of brochures, but there was something about El Cabro Demonio, the masked black and brown goat that was the league champion. It took a moment, and then it clicked in. The league champ was the ringleader of the kids who bullied the mahogany Clydesdale in school. A quick search of El Cabro Demonio through guild records revealed that he never did grow out of being a homophobic jerk. It looks like it’s time for some revenge.

 

“So you want us to help you practice wrestling as part of a revenge plot,” Kriv, the soot-colored Dragonborn, asked. He had helped Varick learn to control his elemental magics and taught him to fight.

 

“Yes and I intend to destroy him,” Varick answered as he looked between Kriv and the Gard, the red-skinned demon spawn to his right. “I know you’re both itching to claim you trained a champion.”

 

“Gard Guyner, trained of champions would look good on my record,” the demon spawn laughed. “Come on, Kriv you old war criminal, let’s teach the boy how to wrestle like brothers.” Gard was already shirtless but threw off his jacket with that statement.

 

Over the next few weeks, Varick was trained in the finer wrestling arts by the grey Dragonborn and demon spawn. The blonde Clydesdale practiced strikes, throws, pins, and showmanship. Despite being sore each night, Varick worked hard to make his costume for the tournament. Finally, the day came, and the tailor quickly swept the contest to become the amateur champion. Dressed in a blue and purple mask, no shirt, and spandex pants with blue and purple sequin patterning, he wrestled under the name El Caballa Rubio.

 

“I am Matthias and my cohost Snake-pire are ringside with the new amatuer champion El Caballo Rubio,” a red squirrel in a nice suit called to the audience.

 

“Tell me, Rubio who do you plan to challenge in your final match,” a snake-headed rakasha dressed in a black and gold singlet asked in a loud, booming voice. 

 

“El Cabra Demonio and I would like to add the additional hazards of making it an electric cage match,” Varick smirked through his mask. “I could use the gold and the champion’s signature fight sounds like fun.”

 

“The last wrestler that attempted to fight Cabra in this type of match almost died. Are you sure you want to risk this,” Matthias asked, concerned as he signaled the organizers.

 

“This is quite unusual for an unproven rookie to issue a direct challenge to a reigning champion but the rules of the tournament allow it so it will proceed,” Snake-pire boomed above the stunned crowd. Moments later, Varick found himself locked in the ring surrounded by an electrified cage with the black and brown goat champion.

 

“Why do you look familiar,” El Cabra Demonio inquires as the bell rings. Varick didn’t waste time hitting him with a strike to the chest, followed by a leg sweep, tripping the goat.

 

“Fancy pants dress wearer, maybe,” Varick sneered at his downed opponent. “You and your flunkies made my life hell in school.” Cabra rolled away from a stomp and back to his feet.

 

“Varick,” the champion wrestler said as he locked the horse in a grapple. The horse pushed his opponent into the electric cage using his superior strength. El Cabra Demonio took the shock and tried to charge Varick, only for him to sidestep. El Caballa Rubio grabbed the goat’s horns with deft hands and slammed him into the mat. The match proceeded in a dance in which Varick wore down his opponent to the point where the goat was too sore to stand. That was when the brown horse climbed the cage.

 

“And now El Caballa Rubio is climbing the electrified cage surrounding the ring! There’s enough lightning magic in there to knock out a dragon,” Snake-pire shouted as he slammed his reverse-palmed hands on the announcer’s table.

 

“He is a latent fire element, so perhaps his own magical aura is making him feel a cool bre-,” Matthias guessed as Varick reached the top corner of the cage and flapped his arms.

 

“HOLD THAT THOUGHT MATT, EL CABALLA  RUBIO IS SIGNALLING FOR HIS SIGNATURE MOVE! LIGHT THE BEACONS AND SAY YOUR PRAYS! HERE COMES THE MESSENGER OF THE GODS, BURNING PEGASUS,” the snake-headed rakasha called out as the masked horse’s mane and tail erupted in blue and purple flames. Flaming blue and purple wings erupted from Varick’s back as he backflipped into a 540-degree twist straight into a knee dive into El Cabra Demonio. The black and brown goat had managed to get to his knees before being struck by the horse. As the two hit the mat, Varick used his momentum to roll his opponent into one last slam before pinning him. Once the three counts finished, the blonde Clydesdale’s hands immediately went for the former champion’s mask.

 

“The fuck you doing man? This fight wasn’t a mask match,” El Cabra Demonio tried to shake off the hands, tearing at his mask, but didn’t have the strength. “You get my belt! Isn’t that enough to make up for a little name-calling?”

 

“This wasn’t about the name calling. This was for in highschool when you came to me and asked for help coming out to your parents claiming that you’d been a dick all those years because you were afraid of yourself,” fabric torn as the horse continued to tear at the mask. “Then I show up to help you and your friends jumped me. Sure, I held my own in that fight but you never got punished because you weren’t there. Then I find out youre a big shot wrestler thats still a homophobic asshole.” The mask came free of the goat’s face, allowing Varick to claim his prize and banish the former champion from the federation. El Caballa Rubio held the torn mask  high as he proclaimed, “This is for anyone that has been bullied or othered by this pitiful excuse for a wrestler or anyone else.”