Hey guys. I want to explore the history of Kai Shepard a bit, so over the next couple of weeks I'm gonna be putting together some information on the character's history (making it up as I go, mostly). In particular, the history of Cloud9 which started as a small idea but now I'm working it into something that defines Kai as much as anyone. And a hint of who I may bring in later on. If anyone wants to use these picbases I've picked out, feel free, I can always rearrange - only Angelico, Ivelisse and Noam Dar are locked in for me at the moment, the rest are mostly a guide.
Here's part one, a look at the nine members of Cloud9.
Kai Shepard3x SAC World Champion
3x SAC Tag Team Champion (2x w/Jack Grayson, 1x w/Sarah Knight)
2x SAC National Junior Champion
3x King of the Jungle
The WWG superstar known as Kai Shepard was born Hendrik Malakai Shepard, Jr., a name he debuted under as a seventeen-year-old in South African Championship Wrestling, a promotion owned and operated by his own father. In his debut year he shocked the South African wrestling scene becoming the youngest “King of the Jungle”, the company’s annual tournament and was marked as the future of South African wrestling.
With Hank Shepard Sr. as his manager, Kai was heavily criticised for his over reliance on dirty tactics to win matches, with many saying the youngster had the natural ability to be a champion in his own right, a fact he proved with his first World Championship victory at the age of 19 in a match where his father had been banned from ringside. It marked the transition to using Kai as his name, and a cleaner style of wrestling was adopted. Hank turned on his son, organising an uprising of the biggest bad guys in SAC. As this new faction dominated SAC, Kai began his rebellion against his father, uniting a new group that came to be known as Cloud9, to fight against Hank Shepard’s dominant faction.
Kai had spent a lot of his early years fighting against and alongside Jack Grayson, and the two quickly formed a dynamic tag team. Kai eventually split from Jack as a tag wrestler to regain the World Championship (twice) before eventually leaving SAC due to irreconcilable differences with his father. Kai leaving Africa in 2013 effectively ended the 9-person union of Cloud9, although over the next few years, sporadic reunions were held, but the 9 were never in the same country or company at the same time. Kai, in particular, isolated himself from the group, seeking to prove himself as an individual who was in every respect different from his father. In early 2016, as we have seen, Kai reconciled with Jack Grayson and Sarah Knight, and is believed to be in contact with other Cloud9 members on a regular basis.
Jack Grayson1x SAC World Champion
4x SAC Tag Team Champion (2x w/Kai Shepard, 2x w/Deacon Clarke)
5x SAC National Junior Champion
Jack Grayson was a dominant force in the SAC Juniors, trading championship victories with eventual partner Kai Shepard, before setting his sights on becoming a tag specialist and then chasing the world championship after Kai’s departure from SAC. Jack considers himself a master of speed and was the fastest wrestler in SAC from his debut to his departure.
Jack left SAC in 2016 after being defeated for the World Championship by Hank Shepard. He had decided to follow in the footsteps of his best friend Kai. Jack, however, is not above cheating to win, and has often straddled the line throughout his career, but after Kai’s departure from SAC he adopted Kai’s approach with limited success. Currently, he’s frustrated at not being able to secure a job with WWG, despite several try-out matches at house shows, and is looking at all his options.
Jack thinks of himself as a loyal friend and a terrific comedian, but many of his friends in Cloud9 would beg to differ.
Sarah Knight4x SAC Women’s Champion
2x SAC Women’s Tag Team Champion (w/Leah Wagner)
1x SAC Tag Team Champion (w/Kai Shepard)
Sarah is Kai Shepard’s on-again off-again girlfriend from the past six years. Together, with Jack Grayson, they formed the cornerstone of Cloud9. Sarah was dominant in the women’s division, and even held her own against men, famously teaming with Kai to capture the tag team championship (and becoming the first woman to do so). Before joining SAC, Sarah had been training as a MMA fighter, but abandoned those dreams after meeting Kai one night.
When Kai left Africa in 2013, Sarah followed at first, but later disappeared. She continued to pop-up every few months or so until early 2015, where they lost contact. Rumours suggest Sarah has returned to Kai’s life in 2016 and may join him shortly in WWG, but Sarah has always kept her distance, a luxury that Kai has always allowed her. Some view it as destiny for them to end up together, but neither are willing to commit to a future together, and as such spend much more time apart than together.
The Kenyan Kings, Jabari and Jelari 6x SAC Tag Team Champions (Current)
1x King of the Jungle (Jelari)
Jabari and Jelari are brothers from Kenya who do everything together, including fight. Their names in Swahili mean brave and mighty respectively. They joined Cloud9 shortly after its inception and became a dominant tag team force, holding the SAC Tag Team Championship for a then record 278 days. They’re not fancy wrestlers, they hit hard and keep people down. Their unwavering loyalty means they rarely ever work as singles, though Jelari had the honour of winning the 2014 King of the Jungle tournament, but was ultimately unsuccessful in winning the World Championship.
The Kenyan Kings left SAC briefly in the tail end of 2014 for a year in Japan, where they dominated some tag team events, fitting in very well with the strong style approach. Currently, they’ve returned to SAC where they are the reigning tag team champions, unaffiliated with any other group.
Viktor Eriksson3x SAC Television Champion
4x SAC **** Champion
Viktor Eriksson was the first non-African member of Cloud9, a fact that he was proudest of. Raucous and boisterous, Viktor never turns from a fight and especially excels in matches involving foreign objects. Viktor’s ability as a **** fighter gained him much appreciation from the locals in SAC. He is known for his ability to take or give a beating rather than being victorious, but has held multiple singles titles in SAC. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Deacon ClarkeFar and away the most controversial member of Cloud9, Deacon never really got on well with his stablemates and was never a fan favourite in SAC. Deacon is a venomous wrestler, a man capable of persuading people to do reckless or even evil things, and gained a reputation as the instigator of some of Cloud9’s darker moments. Since the scattering of Cloud9, Deacon has gone on to see singles success, but it ultimately noted for as a dark presence, managing champions all over the world. Many expected that Deacon would ultimately betray Cloud9, and some have suggested he pushed the other members against each other. Deacon is also believed to have a close relationship with Hank Shepard, though this has never been proven.
Leah Wagner3x SAC Women’s Champion (Current)
2x SAC Women’s Tag Team Champion (w/Sarah Knight)
A beacon of positive energy, a continuously enthusiastic optimist, Leah Wagner brings a smile wherever she goes, and is much adored because of it. Leah is a multiple time women’s champion and is the currently reigning champion in SAC, having earned all her victories after Sarah Knight left the company. As part of Cloud9, Leah strongly represented the faction winning the women’s tag team belts twice, but only has recently broken out on her own as a singles competitor.
Some say the difference between the two women in Cloud9 (and I’m so sorry for this, but I have to do it) is Knight and day. There’s also rumours that Leah and Viktor are, like, totally going out, but these have been denied heavily by Leah and responded to only with grins by Viktor.
”Sin Miedo” Alfonso Gomez3x SAC National Junior Champion
1x SAC **** Champion
Until recently, Alfie Gomez was a masked luchador under the name Sin Miedo (meaning “fearless”). The youngest member of Cloud9, Alfie was Jack’s only real challenger for the title of fastest wrestler in SAC. The two met several times as juniors, with Alfie ending Jack’s final reign as National Junior champion and continuing to hold that title right through to the formation of Cloud9 and beyond. Gomez was the last member to join the team, bringing with him the Mexican lucha libre style that was not the most popular at the time, but has since risen in value in recent years.
After losing his mask and being forced to reveal his real name, Alfie Gomez took his masked name on as his nickname and almost as a mission statement. Everything he does in the ring, he does without fear, taking huge risks and frequently diving into or out of the ring. Gomez is a hot commodity in the international market, but frequently fails to reach a high standard due to his reckless in ring style.