Post by Mike Laszlo on Mar 16, 2018 16:48:25 GMT
There’s a fact in this business, a simple line that if it doesn’t utter your lips, you’re lying to yourself and all of those around you. If you’re not here to be the Imperial Champion or World Champion, or whatever it is the company you’re in wants to call the top championship in the organization, you might as well walk your ass through the door you walked in because you’re wasting your time.
The paragraph above, sprawled across a black background in lime green letters slowly fades into the background as the scene starts to break in, and sitting in front of you is me, Mike Laszlo. I start stroking the facial hair on my face as I contemplate my first thought to be spoken out loud.
The month of March for the last couple of years has had two focuses for myself, and that won’t be changing this year. Number one of course, is my own birthday which is celebrated on a grand scale, and the other, happens at High Stakes. The entire company gets into a ring, each fighting tooth and nail, throwing people over the top rope and making sure they hit the floor with both feet, all to be named the Number One Contender for the Imperial Championship at Night of the Immortals. That focus started for me this past week when I won my way into the final five entries in the Roulette Match.
I hold my hand out to the side with a shrug of the shoulders and a tilt of the head.
This year, as Roberto Verona stated after Danger Zone, that title is no longer the Imperial Title, but the IWF Men’s World Championship. So no longer am I chasing the elusive title of becoming a two time Imperial Champion, but a first time World Champion here in the IWF. No matter, a top title is a top title, and as you read at the beginning of this little video package, if you’re not here for that, you might as well get the hell out.
I shake my head slowly from side to side.
That’s not all I’m after. I’m after a distinction the likes of which nobody else in this company’s history has ever had, and I’m pretty sure that last year I went in depth on my situation. I’ve won the Heir to the Throne. I conquered Angel in the Extinction Event. I won the Joker in the Pack Ladder match at Night of the Immortals. I’m the only one in this company to do all of that, and there’s only one big event left for me to put my mark on, and that’s the Roulette Match.
I let out a sigh, my mouth covered by the knuckles of my fist, pressing up against my lips as I close my eyes experiencing the memories of the 2017 event. With my eyes remaining closed, I recount the events.
I was so close. I walked out there with the intention of walking out the winner, just as I do this year. I eliminated the most men, I got down to the final four. I could taste victory within my grasp. Devlin and I had gone over the top rope, but we held on. We were punching each other without a care in the world, and in the end, that’s what cost us both as we were blasted by Spike Kane and the eventual winner Andrew Jacobsen, knocking us to the floor.
I cringe at the thought. I remember the exact feelings in that moment.
I realized the dream was over. There wasn’t another way to get into the main event of Night of the Immortals. There was no mark made on the one thing I haven’t done in this company within reach. I sat there for a moment as the action continued in the ring. I stared at the floor realizing that my opportunity was gone. One simple mistake...and it was gone. I smacked the floor in disgust, pushing myself up, and as I walked to the back, my hands on my hips, clearly dejected, I realized that this would be the first time I would miss Night of the Immortals.
I look up from the floor, my eyes connecting dead center with the lens of the camera.
This year, that’s not going to happen. This year, missing Night of the Immortals is not an option. The feelings I experienced last year were so unbearable, so heart wrenching, so pain staken that I will never experience them again. My wife and I sat there, signing autographs, taking pictures at the meet and greets and all of that, and in the end, we were left behind.
So there’s one way to correct this, and the rest of the guys in this Roulette had better take notice here and now...getting rid of all of you, winning the Roulette Match, becoming the first to complete the foursome of events is the way. It is the first step to correcting the wrongs of last year. Winning the Roulette is the beginning of my road to redemption, my road back to the promise land, and my road back to Night of the Immortals.
I chuckle a bit, not able to help but think of last year.
Last year, I showed a list of my accomplishments, and ever since, I’ve been accused of living in the past. Last year, I claimed my entry into the Roulette as a reclamation project. I wanted to reclaim the Mike Laszlo of old, but this year is a little different. I still have the same want and desire of the man who made that proclamation last year, but a lightbulb went off in my head. I can’t reclaim the Mike of old because he no longer exists.
I look up at the camera.
Not because I don’t want him to. He doesn’t exist because of experiences, because of time, because the man in front of you is the Mike Laszlo of old, with layers added on. As circumstances have mounted, and different challenges have come my way, I’ve managed to adapt, I’ve managed to change to survive in a cutthroat industry, a cutthroat company where only the strong survive. It’s these adaptations, the skills garnered, and the lessons learned that make me a better man, a better competitor than the Mike Laszlo of old. It’s what makes me confident in my own ability to win this match, to go on to Night of Immortals, to win the World Championship.
=====================================
Title: Disappointment to Motivation
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 11:24 AM Local Time
There’s a time of year where the focus of every IWF star peaks. Now is that time. You train harder, your outside interest dwindle, and there’s a laser focus that beams right at the Roulette Match. Even the years where I was in another match leading up to the event, the Roulette was the prime focus, and though I thought I couldn’t be anymore focused than last year...I was wrong.
This year there was no Steve Awesome to worry about. This year, there was no shot at the Imperial, now World Title on my mind. Then, after winning the Roulette Invitational this past week on Sacrifice, guaranteeing myself a final five draw...that’s when it hit me for real. That’s when it felt as if a sledgehammer had been driven into my brain. The time for focus...is now.
I got some time to myself, and I was in my gym working out in my top floor office of the Montecito, a gym built in just to relieve the stresses of the day. I grab hold of my tablet, hooked up to the television set on the wall and punch in a few things. The screen flickers as it connects to the tablet and an exercise routine pops on. The focus wasn’t heavy lifting, it wasn’t any sort of move training, it was a simple thirty-five minute workout that involved one thing...cardio.
Stamina is key in a match like this, and I intend to make sure that mine is at a peak heading into what might be the biggest match of my year.
The first of the exercises after some warm-up stretching was high knees. I started doing them and almost immediately felt better about how the day was going. I don’t know what it is, but there’s like an adrenaline feeling that just makes exercising that much more enjoyable. I start to feel a bit of burn as the intensity of the leg lifts raises. I stare at the screen, watching every move while still focusing on myself and just letting any and all stress melt away. That’s the bad part about this time of year...too...much...stress…
There’s so much pressure heading into this event, and I think that’s been my downfall the last few years. I’ve expected way too much out of myself between winning a title, winning the Roulette, going to Night of the Immortals, and then on top of that, there’s daily life, and the road to Night of the Immortals starting to ramp up. I think in the past, I’ve just put too much on my plate, and that needs to stop, and I’ve made sure that my plate is as clean as it can get leading up to the next few months. I’ve been accused of picking my spot, well damn it, I’m picking my spot, and I’m making sure I hit it out of the park.
From the high knees the routine transitions to high knee touches. Slowing down for a few minutes which allows me to reflect on past High Stakes, including my first, March 24, 2014. I was set to celebrate my birthday in grand style. I would either win the Imperial Championship, or the Roulette. I was all set to take on Davey Ortega, then came the insertion of the eventual winner, Malaki Toala. So, that said, I got in the Roulette. I made it to the final seven before being eliminated. I was more focused on winning the Imperial Title. My training was all geared toward that and the Roulette was a “Plan B” of sorts. It was that moment though where I experience the Roulette for the first time and garnered a respect for the Roulette as it’s unlike any other Battle Royal type match I’ve been in, just based on the talent in it alone.
The next transition was Jump Squats. As I came down from the first, I thought of coming down and getting kicked in the face my the then champion. I had lost the Imperial Title and was doing all I could to get it back, but as was the case the year before, winning the Imperial Title the year before was just not in the cards. For some reason though...that one just hit a little harder. Perhaps it was because I had been at the mountain top and wanted to get back so badly, I wasn’t even in the Roulette that year.
From Jump Squats, we go to Jump Lunges, and my legs are starting to feel the burn already. The third incarnation of High Stakes, wasn’t about a title for me, or an opportunity to get it as I had the Joker In The Pack in my hands. No, High Stakes’ third showing was all about revenge, and boy did I get it against Rob Diamond. That might be the most hellacious match I’ve ever been in, and in the end...I came out on top with a smile on my face...though that was after plenty of aspirin and regaining consciousness.
From the Jump Lunges, we go back to the High Knees, as we’re now repeating the movements for a second go round. This leads me to last year’s disappointment. Sure, beating Steve Awesome was fun. Then the Roulette. I swore up and down I was going to win. I swore that the past demons of High Stakes wouldn’t comeback to bite me in the ass…
I was wrong.
I remember getting thrown off the apron. I remember the feeling of disappointment. I remember all of it, and in the end, that disappointment is what turned my focus to this year. That disappointment turned into motivation. I went from final seven, to final four, and the improvement from year to year as far as the standings goes, was noticeable. There’s only one thing left to do...win.
No distractions, no excuses. There was nothing else in my way, but myself. I will not be my own obstacle...there’s twenty nine other guys who want to be that. I will not be my own detriment, there’s twenty nine others who want to do so. I’ve failed in the past...I CAN’T fail now. I won’t allow it...I won’t allow the rest to cause me to do so.
I can’t feel that disappointment again…
I won’t…
No matter how hard they try.
=====================================
The scene opens and I’m walking through the corridors of the arena. We had just complete a show and it was onto the airport to head off either to the next town, or home for some R and R. I had a t-shirt and shorts on to combat the heat outside, even this late at night, and my one bag was flung over my shoulder, as I rolled another behind me, heading toward the parking area. I was told this was being filmed to the Roulette, and so it was time to speak on the most important moment of 2018 to date.
Many have high aspirations with the Roulette coming up. Some have laid down challenges to their greatness in the form of Spike Kane laying out a challenge to defend his Invictus Title within the Roulette. Others have expressed their desires to win simply based on the initial principle of going to Night of the Immortals to face the World Champion. Others like myself want to complete circuits, reinforce our legacies within this business, within this grand company.
I stop in my tracks, slide my bag down my arm, dropping it on the floor, and prop the roller suitcase up behind me. I turn to the camera and hold up a single index finger.
Truly, all of those inclinations, all of those lofty goals, they all lead to one, solitary idea...being the best.
I turn that finger from the ceiling to my side, outstretching my arm to reference the scene at High Stakes.
Thirty men, a single mission, to prove they’re better than allllll the rest. To prove that it is them and them alone that deserves that right to challenge for the IWF World Title at the biggest event of the year, and this one perhaps the biggest of this company’s history with all the changes. This is the chance of a lifetime to regain past glory, to reassert one’s self into the biggest equation once more. This is the chance for the new guys to make their mark, to show they’re better than the old guard, or perhaps, and as will be the true case when I win...a chance for the old guard to strike back and say that we’re not done yet. This is the opportunity for the obscure to become relevant, the relevant to possibly become the grand marquee, and it happens once a year, and it is perhaps the most glorious time of the year.
I point down to the floor.
From now until the end of the Roulette, all you’re going to hear is “who”.
Who will win?
Who will challenge for the title at Night of the Immortals?
Who will make a name for themselves even if they don’t win?
Who will have the biggest impact on the year 2018, the same way Andrew Jacobsen had on 2017?
They’re all valid questions, they’re all debatable. They all have a single answer because there’s not a man on the roster, a man returning, a man looking to make his name, or a man looking to recapture past glories who is going to stop ME from coming into that match somewhere in the final five, standing on the ramp, surveying the scene, then walking down and taking my place among the greats who have won this match. There’s not a man alive who’s going to stop me from hurling the rest of the field over the top rope. There’s not a man alive who will stop me from claiming my spot in history, and my place in the future, for my disappointment last year has become my motivation this year.
There is only one man on this planet who can stop me, and that man is me...and I…
Won’t…
ALLOW IT!
The paragraph above, sprawled across a black background in lime green letters slowly fades into the background as the scene starts to break in, and sitting in front of you is me, Mike Laszlo. I start stroking the facial hair on my face as I contemplate my first thought to be spoken out loud.
The month of March for the last couple of years has had two focuses for myself, and that won’t be changing this year. Number one of course, is my own birthday which is celebrated on a grand scale, and the other, happens at High Stakes. The entire company gets into a ring, each fighting tooth and nail, throwing people over the top rope and making sure they hit the floor with both feet, all to be named the Number One Contender for the Imperial Championship at Night of the Immortals. That focus started for me this past week when I won my way into the final five entries in the Roulette Match.
I hold my hand out to the side with a shrug of the shoulders and a tilt of the head.
This year, as Roberto Verona stated after Danger Zone, that title is no longer the Imperial Title, but the IWF Men’s World Championship. So no longer am I chasing the elusive title of becoming a two time Imperial Champion, but a first time World Champion here in the IWF. No matter, a top title is a top title, and as you read at the beginning of this little video package, if you’re not here for that, you might as well get the hell out.
I shake my head slowly from side to side.
That’s not all I’m after. I’m after a distinction the likes of which nobody else in this company’s history has ever had, and I’m pretty sure that last year I went in depth on my situation. I’ve won the Heir to the Throne. I conquered Angel in the Extinction Event. I won the Joker in the Pack Ladder match at Night of the Immortals. I’m the only one in this company to do all of that, and there’s only one big event left for me to put my mark on, and that’s the Roulette Match.
I let out a sigh, my mouth covered by the knuckles of my fist, pressing up against my lips as I close my eyes experiencing the memories of the 2017 event. With my eyes remaining closed, I recount the events.
I was so close. I walked out there with the intention of walking out the winner, just as I do this year. I eliminated the most men, I got down to the final four. I could taste victory within my grasp. Devlin and I had gone over the top rope, but we held on. We were punching each other without a care in the world, and in the end, that’s what cost us both as we were blasted by Spike Kane and the eventual winner Andrew Jacobsen, knocking us to the floor.
I cringe at the thought. I remember the exact feelings in that moment.
I realized the dream was over. There wasn’t another way to get into the main event of Night of the Immortals. There was no mark made on the one thing I haven’t done in this company within reach. I sat there for a moment as the action continued in the ring. I stared at the floor realizing that my opportunity was gone. One simple mistake...and it was gone. I smacked the floor in disgust, pushing myself up, and as I walked to the back, my hands on my hips, clearly dejected, I realized that this would be the first time I would miss Night of the Immortals.
I look up from the floor, my eyes connecting dead center with the lens of the camera.
This year, that’s not going to happen. This year, missing Night of the Immortals is not an option. The feelings I experienced last year were so unbearable, so heart wrenching, so pain staken that I will never experience them again. My wife and I sat there, signing autographs, taking pictures at the meet and greets and all of that, and in the end, we were left behind.
So there’s one way to correct this, and the rest of the guys in this Roulette had better take notice here and now...getting rid of all of you, winning the Roulette Match, becoming the first to complete the foursome of events is the way. It is the first step to correcting the wrongs of last year. Winning the Roulette is the beginning of my road to redemption, my road back to the promise land, and my road back to Night of the Immortals.
I chuckle a bit, not able to help but think of last year.
Last year, I showed a list of my accomplishments, and ever since, I’ve been accused of living in the past. Last year, I claimed my entry into the Roulette as a reclamation project. I wanted to reclaim the Mike Laszlo of old, but this year is a little different. I still have the same want and desire of the man who made that proclamation last year, but a lightbulb went off in my head. I can’t reclaim the Mike of old because he no longer exists.
I look up at the camera.
Not because I don’t want him to. He doesn’t exist because of experiences, because of time, because the man in front of you is the Mike Laszlo of old, with layers added on. As circumstances have mounted, and different challenges have come my way, I’ve managed to adapt, I’ve managed to change to survive in a cutthroat industry, a cutthroat company where only the strong survive. It’s these adaptations, the skills garnered, and the lessons learned that make me a better man, a better competitor than the Mike Laszlo of old. It’s what makes me confident in my own ability to win this match, to go on to Night of Immortals, to win the World Championship.
=====================================
Title: Disappointment to Motivation
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 11:24 AM Local Time
There’s a time of year where the focus of every IWF star peaks. Now is that time. You train harder, your outside interest dwindle, and there’s a laser focus that beams right at the Roulette Match. Even the years where I was in another match leading up to the event, the Roulette was the prime focus, and though I thought I couldn’t be anymore focused than last year...I was wrong.
This year there was no Steve Awesome to worry about. This year, there was no shot at the Imperial, now World Title on my mind. Then, after winning the Roulette Invitational this past week on Sacrifice, guaranteeing myself a final five draw...that’s when it hit me for real. That’s when it felt as if a sledgehammer had been driven into my brain. The time for focus...is now.
I got some time to myself, and I was in my gym working out in my top floor office of the Montecito, a gym built in just to relieve the stresses of the day. I grab hold of my tablet, hooked up to the television set on the wall and punch in a few things. The screen flickers as it connects to the tablet and an exercise routine pops on. The focus wasn’t heavy lifting, it wasn’t any sort of move training, it was a simple thirty-five minute workout that involved one thing...cardio.
Stamina is key in a match like this, and I intend to make sure that mine is at a peak heading into what might be the biggest match of my year.
The first of the exercises after some warm-up stretching was high knees. I started doing them and almost immediately felt better about how the day was going. I don’t know what it is, but there’s like an adrenaline feeling that just makes exercising that much more enjoyable. I start to feel a bit of burn as the intensity of the leg lifts raises. I stare at the screen, watching every move while still focusing on myself and just letting any and all stress melt away. That’s the bad part about this time of year...too...much...stress…
There’s so much pressure heading into this event, and I think that’s been my downfall the last few years. I’ve expected way too much out of myself between winning a title, winning the Roulette, going to Night of the Immortals, and then on top of that, there’s daily life, and the road to Night of the Immortals starting to ramp up. I think in the past, I’ve just put too much on my plate, and that needs to stop, and I’ve made sure that my plate is as clean as it can get leading up to the next few months. I’ve been accused of picking my spot, well damn it, I’m picking my spot, and I’m making sure I hit it out of the park.
From the high knees the routine transitions to high knee touches. Slowing down for a few minutes which allows me to reflect on past High Stakes, including my first, March 24, 2014. I was set to celebrate my birthday in grand style. I would either win the Imperial Championship, or the Roulette. I was all set to take on Davey Ortega, then came the insertion of the eventual winner, Malaki Toala. So, that said, I got in the Roulette. I made it to the final seven before being eliminated. I was more focused on winning the Imperial Title. My training was all geared toward that and the Roulette was a “Plan B” of sorts. It was that moment though where I experience the Roulette for the first time and garnered a respect for the Roulette as it’s unlike any other Battle Royal type match I’ve been in, just based on the talent in it alone.
The next transition was Jump Squats. As I came down from the first, I thought of coming down and getting kicked in the face my the then champion. I had lost the Imperial Title and was doing all I could to get it back, but as was the case the year before, winning the Imperial Title the year before was just not in the cards. For some reason though...that one just hit a little harder. Perhaps it was because I had been at the mountain top and wanted to get back so badly, I wasn’t even in the Roulette that year.
From Jump Squats, we go to Jump Lunges, and my legs are starting to feel the burn already. The third incarnation of High Stakes, wasn’t about a title for me, or an opportunity to get it as I had the Joker In The Pack in my hands. No, High Stakes’ third showing was all about revenge, and boy did I get it against Rob Diamond. That might be the most hellacious match I’ve ever been in, and in the end...I came out on top with a smile on my face...though that was after plenty of aspirin and regaining consciousness.
From the Jump Lunges, we go back to the High Knees, as we’re now repeating the movements for a second go round. This leads me to last year’s disappointment. Sure, beating Steve Awesome was fun. Then the Roulette. I swore up and down I was going to win. I swore that the past demons of High Stakes wouldn’t comeback to bite me in the ass…
I was wrong.
I remember getting thrown off the apron. I remember the feeling of disappointment. I remember all of it, and in the end, that disappointment is what turned my focus to this year. That disappointment turned into motivation. I went from final seven, to final four, and the improvement from year to year as far as the standings goes, was noticeable. There’s only one thing left to do...win.
No distractions, no excuses. There was nothing else in my way, but myself. I will not be my own obstacle...there’s twenty nine other guys who want to be that. I will not be my own detriment, there’s twenty nine others who want to do so. I’ve failed in the past...I CAN’T fail now. I won’t allow it...I won’t allow the rest to cause me to do so.
I can’t feel that disappointment again…
I won’t…
No matter how hard they try.
=====================================
The scene opens and I’m walking through the corridors of the arena. We had just complete a show and it was onto the airport to head off either to the next town, or home for some R and R. I had a t-shirt and shorts on to combat the heat outside, even this late at night, and my one bag was flung over my shoulder, as I rolled another behind me, heading toward the parking area. I was told this was being filmed to the Roulette, and so it was time to speak on the most important moment of 2018 to date.
Many have high aspirations with the Roulette coming up. Some have laid down challenges to their greatness in the form of Spike Kane laying out a challenge to defend his Invictus Title within the Roulette. Others have expressed their desires to win simply based on the initial principle of going to Night of the Immortals to face the World Champion. Others like myself want to complete circuits, reinforce our legacies within this business, within this grand company.
I stop in my tracks, slide my bag down my arm, dropping it on the floor, and prop the roller suitcase up behind me. I turn to the camera and hold up a single index finger.
Truly, all of those inclinations, all of those lofty goals, they all lead to one, solitary idea...being the best.
I turn that finger from the ceiling to my side, outstretching my arm to reference the scene at High Stakes.
Thirty men, a single mission, to prove they’re better than allllll the rest. To prove that it is them and them alone that deserves that right to challenge for the IWF World Title at the biggest event of the year, and this one perhaps the biggest of this company’s history with all the changes. This is the chance of a lifetime to regain past glory, to reassert one’s self into the biggest equation once more. This is the chance for the new guys to make their mark, to show they’re better than the old guard, or perhaps, and as will be the true case when I win...a chance for the old guard to strike back and say that we’re not done yet. This is the opportunity for the obscure to become relevant, the relevant to possibly become the grand marquee, and it happens once a year, and it is perhaps the most glorious time of the year.
I point down to the floor.
From now until the end of the Roulette, all you’re going to hear is “who”.
Who will win?
Who will challenge for the title at Night of the Immortals?
Who will make a name for themselves even if they don’t win?
Who will have the biggest impact on the year 2018, the same way Andrew Jacobsen had on 2017?
They’re all valid questions, they’re all debatable. They all have a single answer because there’s not a man on the roster, a man returning, a man looking to make his name, or a man looking to recapture past glories who is going to stop ME from coming into that match somewhere in the final five, standing on the ramp, surveying the scene, then walking down and taking my place among the greats who have won this match. There’s not a man alive who’s going to stop me from hurling the rest of the field over the top rope. There’s not a man alive who will stop me from claiming my spot in history, and my place in the future, for my disappointment last year has become my motivation this year.
There is only one man on this planet who can stop me, and that man is me...and I…
Won’t…
ALLOW IT!
Well howdy there pardner.