Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2018 0:14:20 GMT
“A truly brave man is ever serene; he is never taken by surprise; nothing ruffles the equanimity of his spirit. In the heat of battle he remains cool; in the midst of catastrophes he keeps level his mind. Earthquakes do not shake him, he laughs at storms. We admire him as truly great, who, in the menacing presence of danger or death, retains his self-possession; who, for instance, can compose a poem under impending peril or hum a strain in the face of death. Such indulgence betraying no tremor in the writing or in the voice, is taken as an infallible index of a large nature—of what we call a capacious mind (Yoyū), which, far from being pressed or crowded, has always room for something more.”
As Nighthawk sits down cross-legged in front of his locker at the Wrestle Factory, taping his hands with the practiced care of someone who has done this exact task a thousand times and more and thus can make the movements seem as natural as breathing, we see the dignity and clarity of focus of someone who has spent their entire life working towards mastery of a task and continues to spend every waking day in honorable service of that goal. It is this deep, almost monk-like, chase of perfection that has drawn so many to his side, and also managed to make him something of an underdog in an IWF whose top stars are larger-than-live supernovas of charm.
And as the “American Samurai” continues to tape his hands carefully, looking up at the camera with ice-blue eyes as cold as Lake Michigan in the winter with absolute serene focus, Nighthawk lays his hands out flat so we can see the brilliant royal-blue tape on his hands.
Clad otherwise in a dark-blue USA Wrestling t-shirt, blue-and-orange wrestling shorts, and blue-and-orange wrestling shoes done in a rising-sun pattern, Nighthawk simply finishes the process and slowly pulls himself up to his feet, the depth of musculature in his arms and upper back somehow made all the more impressive by the black-and-blue marks up and down his triceps.
Nighthawk: “Persistence and time. Diamonds are made from nothing more complicated than those 2 combined forces. And yet, at least in this sport, those 2 forces that create gems are in the shortest supply. Look back through your IWF histories, remember the men who were expected to be ‘future champions’ and the building blocks of this federation, and try and ask yourself how many of them are still here.
How many of those men your mind named, those can’t-miss stars and supernovae, missed? Meanwhile, without overly praising myself, I stayed. When all around me others grabbed championships everyone believed to be mine, I stayed and learned from my failures. And the whole time, I watched. But more than that, much more than that, I waited. I bided my time. I consolidated my advantages and worked endlessly on eliminating my weaknesses.
And now, 4 years into a career that has not been decorated with the kind of glory I wished for, I have my moment. They’re saying this roulette is the most wide-open in company history. This roulette is the one with no discernible favorite. This roulette can announce a new star, a new king to ascend to the throne alongside all the other kings ruling their respective realms.
And come hell or high water, I will be that king. I don’t care if I have to start at #1 and work my way through every man who wants the throne. I don’t care if I’m one of the last four in, and have everyone’s attention on me.
I WILL BE THE LAST MAN STANDING.
Clear enough?
Goodnight IWF. May sleep give you the courage to go on.”
As Nighthawk sits down cross-legged in front of his locker at the Wrestle Factory, taping his hands with the practiced care of someone who has done this exact task a thousand times and more and thus can make the movements seem as natural as breathing, we see the dignity and clarity of focus of someone who has spent their entire life working towards mastery of a task and continues to spend every waking day in honorable service of that goal. It is this deep, almost monk-like, chase of perfection that has drawn so many to his side, and also managed to make him something of an underdog in an IWF whose top stars are larger-than-live supernovas of charm.
And as the “American Samurai” continues to tape his hands carefully, looking up at the camera with ice-blue eyes as cold as Lake Michigan in the winter with absolute serene focus, Nighthawk lays his hands out flat so we can see the brilliant royal-blue tape on his hands.
Clad otherwise in a dark-blue USA Wrestling t-shirt, blue-and-orange wrestling shorts, and blue-and-orange wrestling shoes done in a rising-sun pattern, Nighthawk simply finishes the process and slowly pulls himself up to his feet, the depth of musculature in his arms and upper back somehow made all the more impressive by the black-and-blue marks up and down his triceps.
Nighthawk: “Persistence and time. Diamonds are made from nothing more complicated than those 2 combined forces. And yet, at least in this sport, those 2 forces that create gems are in the shortest supply. Look back through your IWF histories, remember the men who were expected to be ‘future champions’ and the building blocks of this federation, and try and ask yourself how many of them are still here.
How many of those men your mind named, those can’t-miss stars and supernovae, missed? Meanwhile, without overly praising myself, I stayed. When all around me others grabbed championships everyone believed to be mine, I stayed and learned from my failures. And the whole time, I watched. But more than that, much more than that, I waited. I bided my time. I consolidated my advantages and worked endlessly on eliminating my weaknesses.
And now, 4 years into a career that has not been decorated with the kind of glory I wished for, I have my moment. They’re saying this roulette is the most wide-open in company history. This roulette is the one with no discernible favorite. This roulette can announce a new star, a new king to ascend to the throne alongside all the other kings ruling their respective realms.
And come hell or high water, I will be that king. I don’t care if I have to start at #1 and work my way through every man who wants the throne. I don’t care if I’m one of the last four in, and have everyone’s attention on me.
I WILL BE THE LAST MAN STANDING.
Clear enough?
Goodnight IWF. May sleep give you the courage to go on.”
Well howdy there pardner.