Post by Cable Arcane on Mar 26, 2018 1:24:17 GMT
Stepping back from in ring competition has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Wrestling has been my life for such a long time but when Roberto brought his deal to my table he explained to me that I’d have to step back. Part of being in charge is allowed other people to live their dream. So I did it. I stepped back. I watched as others rose to stardom, new names were made and I actually felt proud.
At first I didn’t understand what Roberto meant when he said I’d find pride in this new work but then I saw Dean Harper, Devlin Raine and Ulf Hednir rise up. They took the opportunities afforded to them and made the most of it.
That filled me with pride.
However there have been others who haven’t taken advantage of the opportunities I’ve presented them with. There are others who would rather sit back, rest on their laurels and allow others to do the heavy lifting while they reap the rewards.
I hate laziness.
I hate people who aren’t willing to fight for what they want.
I hate apathy.
So even though I’ve spent the last several months behind a desk, signing paper work, dealing with complaints, contracts and everything else that comes with being th4 COO of a billion dollar company I still trained. Every moment I could afford, I trained. I pushed myself. Worked harder. I joined one of the best training camps in the country. I made sure that when the time came I would be better than I ever was before.
”Let’s do this Cable!”
And now a few days out from perhaps the biggest match in the Tag Team World Cup I’m in a training camp about to spar with one of the elite athletes in MMA.
”Bring it.”
He comes in fast looking for my ankles but I spin around him and take him down with a rear waist lock. Before I can move in he gets free and moves back to his feet. He throws a spinning kick but I get under it and grab him again for a rear waist lock take down. He fights free but I don’t wait for him to stand and charge in hard with a right hook that lands firmly on his chin and sends him spinning.
”Time!”
”I was just getting started.”
“Heh, I know.”
I reach out and grip his hand, pulling him to his feet.
”You’re not pulling any punches?”
”I need to be ready for this match.”
“Why is this one so important?”
”Because he doesn’t care about this business. He doesn’t care about being the actual best. He’s a washed up sorry son of a bitch happy to skate by on his name alone.”
“Damn. Relax.”
”I can’t. Not until I drive his fucking skull into the mat and pin his ass. LEt’s go again.”
He shakes his head at me, he gets it but he thinks I’m crazy. Professional wrestling is respected but it still isn’t thought of as legitimate as mixed martial arts. That’s a view I’d also liked to change. We square up again, ready to go and this time I stuffed him in one take down, ready for a ground and pound but he waved me off.
”I think you’ve got this, Cable.”
”Thanks Randy.”
I help him up again, we embrace quickly before I turn away and head towards the ropes. I step out and hop off the apron where Abby is waiting for me with a bottle of water. I take a long gulp out of the bottle of the water before wiping my mouth and looking at her.
”I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
She kisses me on the cheek before handing me my cell phone. I open up a skype live stream and prepare myself.
”Steve…”
I sound both annoyed and sad.
”Once upon a time you were the biggest star in the industry. Once upon a time Steve Awesome was the super hero of professional wrestling. You were a goddamn Superman. I remember watching live on pay per view when Steve Awesome defeated Homeless Harold, Gib after a brutal feud that involved your whole damn family.”
“Steve Awesome was a beacon of hope.”
“People lived through through you. People wanted to be you. People saw Steve Awesome as one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. So what the hell happened to that Steve Awesome? When did you stop caring about the people? When did you stop caring about your career? When did you stop caring about being the best?”
I sneer into the camera.
”The Steve Awesome of eight years ago pushed himself to his absolute limit. He wrestled every chance he got. He yearned for opportunities to make himself better. But the Steve Awesome in IWF? He’s lazy, lethargic. The Steve Awesome of IWF turns up for big feuds, big matches, like your feud with Rob through all of last year. But otherwise?”
“Nothing.”
“Steve Awesome doesn’t wrestle on Monday Night Sacrifice. Steve Awesome doesn’t wrestle at house shows. Steve Awesome doesn’t do IWF media, meet and greets or head down to the performance center and help train the next generation of talent. The Steve Awesome of IWF sits back in a recliner and waits for an opportunity to come his way. He’s already made his name, he doesn’t see a reason to put any effort into his career anymore.”
“IWF is just a way to keep your name important as you continue to pursue an already failed movie career.”
“You’ve been given more chances than anyone else on the roster. Roberto Verona has time and time again afforded you main event spots that you don’t deserve and you’ve never once taken advantage of them. You don’t go above and beyond the call of duty for professional wrestling. You just come down to the ring, perform your five moves of doom and fortunately for you you win more than you lose.”
“But who have you beaten?”
“Spike Kane?”
“Mike Laszlo?”
“Andrew Jacobsen?”
“Dean Harper?”
“Roberto Verona?”
“No.”
“You haven’t beaten anyone important to the present and future of IWF. You didn’t even really beat me but I’m not going to waste my breath on that. The fact is Steve Awesome is a dying breed of professional wrestler. He’s a showman not an athlete. But the days of glitz and glamor are over, the people crave athleticism and that’s why they cheer for me, for Nighthawk, for Verona, for Jacobsen. We give everything we have to this sport. We train harder, work harder, we make damn sure every match we have is the absolute best match we’ve ever had.
“We care about this sport.”
“All you care about is your name and that’s why you’re going to lose.”
“Roberto and I are going to work together as a team and go all out to be named the Best Tag Team in the World. You’re just in this tournament because I paired you with Malo, who you somehow manipulated to be on your side.”
I take a deep breath.
”Malo, I actually respect you. You care about this business, you want to be here, you want to improve. El Grande Malo wants to be IWF World Champion. I respect that desire, that burning passion and that respect is why I have to ask you…”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“When I paired you with Steve Awesome it was to teach Steve a lesson. I wanted him to understand that there is more to this business than your own selfish needs. I was hoping he’d learn to understand and appreciate the men in the ring with him and against him. However you turned that whole plan on it’s head when you decided to throw in with Steve Awesome and fight for him.”
“Frankly, you disappointed me.”
“I saw you as a future main eventer of this company. You’re marketable. You’re likeable. You’re someone everyone can relate to. Honestly, you’re a promoters wet dream, Malo. But you’ve decided to become a human shield for Steve Awesome and that is pretty goddamn sad. You’re twice the man Steve Awesome has ever been. You’re twice as talented as he ever was. You’re everything Steve Awesome has ever wanted to be and instead of seizing the moment and pressing forward you’ve decided to take a back seat to the career of Steve Awesome.”
“I hope you come to your senses, Malo.”
“Throwing in with Steve Awesome will get you nowhere fast. Ask his former friends or partners. Ask the Ace, ask Rob Diamond, ask Jayson Matthews. Being Steve Awesome’s meat shield gets you absolutely nothing. It’s only when they broke free from his massive ego that they accomplished all they were meant to. The Ace and Rob Diamond became World Champions after they left Steve behind. Jayson Matthews is one of the fastest rising stars of the last year now that his head isn’t buried up Steve’s ass.”
“That could be you, Malo.”
“But you’ve chosen a different path. A path that leads directly to me and Verona. And I’m sorry to tell you this path ends with you laying face up in the center of our ring. Roberto and I are two of the best who have ever been and that is what you’re facing this week. We’ve never stopped trained, we’ve never stopped improving, we’ve never stopped pushing ourselves. We are more than capable of defeating the both of you but it isn’t just a victory we’re looking for this weekend.”
“We’re looking to prove that there is no one better than us in that ring. Our road to the Tag Team World Cup starts with you and we will not stop until we hold that trophy over our heads.”
I look down with a smirk.
”No sleep. No rest. Do whatever it takes to be the best.”
At first I didn’t understand what Roberto meant when he said I’d find pride in this new work but then I saw Dean Harper, Devlin Raine and Ulf Hednir rise up. They took the opportunities afforded to them and made the most of it.
That filled me with pride.
However there have been others who haven’t taken advantage of the opportunities I’ve presented them with. There are others who would rather sit back, rest on their laurels and allow others to do the heavy lifting while they reap the rewards.
I hate laziness.
I hate people who aren’t willing to fight for what they want.
I hate apathy.
So even though I’ve spent the last several months behind a desk, signing paper work, dealing with complaints, contracts and everything else that comes with being th4 COO of a billion dollar company I still trained. Every moment I could afford, I trained. I pushed myself. Worked harder. I joined one of the best training camps in the country. I made sure that when the time came I would be better than I ever was before.
”Let’s do this Cable!”
And now a few days out from perhaps the biggest match in the Tag Team World Cup I’m in a training camp about to spar with one of the elite athletes in MMA.
”Bring it.”
He comes in fast looking for my ankles but I spin around him and take him down with a rear waist lock. Before I can move in he gets free and moves back to his feet. He throws a spinning kick but I get under it and grab him again for a rear waist lock take down. He fights free but I don’t wait for him to stand and charge in hard with a right hook that lands firmly on his chin and sends him spinning.
”Time!”
”I was just getting started.”
“Heh, I know.”
I reach out and grip his hand, pulling him to his feet.
”You’re not pulling any punches?”
”I need to be ready for this match.”
“Why is this one so important?”
”Because he doesn’t care about this business. He doesn’t care about being the actual best. He’s a washed up sorry son of a bitch happy to skate by on his name alone.”
“Damn. Relax.”
”I can’t. Not until I drive his fucking skull into the mat and pin his ass. LEt’s go again.”
He shakes his head at me, he gets it but he thinks I’m crazy. Professional wrestling is respected but it still isn’t thought of as legitimate as mixed martial arts. That’s a view I’d also liked to change. We square up again, ready to go and this time I stuffed him in one take down, ready for a ground and pound but he waved me off.
”I think you’ve got this, Cable.”
”Thanks Randy.”
I help him up again, we embrace quickly before I turn away and head towards the ropes. I step out and hop off the apron where Abby is waiting for me with a bottle of water. I take a long gulp out of the bottle of the water before wiping my mouth and looking at her.
”I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
She kisses me on the cheek before handing me my cell phone. I open up a skype live stream and prepare myself.
”Steve…”
I sound both annoyed and sad.
”Once upon a time you were the biggest star in the industry. Once upon a time Steve Awesome was the super hero of professional wrestling. You were a goddamn Superman. I remember watching live on pay per view when Steve Awesome defeated Homeless Harold, Gib after a brutal feud that involved your whole damn family.”
“Steve Awesome was a beacon of hope.”
“People lived through through you. People wanted to be you. People saw Steve Awesome as one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. So what the hell happened to that Steve Awesome? When did you stop caring about the people? When did you stop caring about your career? When did you stop caring about being the best?”
I sneer into the camera.
”The Steve Awesome of eight years ago pushed himself to his absolute limit. He wrestled every chance he got. He yearned for opportunities to make himself better. But the Steve Awesome in IWF? He’s lazy, lethargic. The Steve Awesome of IWF turns up for big feuds, big matches, like your feud with Rob through all of last year. But otherwise?”
“Nothing.”
“Steve Awesome doesn’t wrestle on Monday Night Sacrifice. Steve Awesome doesn’t wrestle at house shows. Steve Awesome doesn’t do IWF media, meet and greets or head down to the performance center and help train the next generation of talent. The Steve Awesome of IWF sits back in a recliner and waits for an opportunity to come his way. He’s already made his name, he doesn’t see a reason to put any effort into his career anymore.”
“IWF is just a way to keep your name important as you continue to pursue an already failed movie career.”
“You’ve been given more chances than anyone else on the roster. Roberto Verona has time and time again afforded you main event spots that you don’t deserve and you’ve never once taken advantage of them. You don’t go above and beyond the call of duty for professional wrestling. You just come down to the ring, perform your five moves of doom and fortunately for you you win more than you lose.”
“But who have you beaten?”
“Spike Kane?”
“Mike Laszlo?”
“Andrew Jacobsen?”
“Dean Harper?”
“Roberto Verona?”
“No.”
“You haven’t beaten anyone important to the present and future of IWF. You didn’t even really beat me but I’m not going to waste my breath on that. The fact is Steve Awesome is a dying breed of professional wrestler. He’s a showman not an athlete. But the days of glitz and glamor are over, the people crave athleticism and that’s why they cheer for me, for Nighthawk, for Verona, for Jacobsen. We give everything we have to this sport. We train harder, work harder, we make damn sure every match we have is the absolute best match we’ve ever had.
“We care about this sport.”
“All you care about is your name and that’s why you’re going to lose.”
“Roberto and I are going to work together as a team and go all out to be named the Best Tag Team in the World. You’re just in this tournament because I paired you with Malo, who you somehow manipulated to be on your side.”
I take a deep breath.
”Malo, I actually respect you. You care about this business, you want to be here, you want to improve. El Grande Malo wants to be IWF World Champion. I respect that desire, that burning passion and that respect is why I have to ask you…”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“When I paired you with Steve Awesome it was to teach Steve a lesson. I wanted him to understand that there is more to this business than your own selfish needs. I was hoping he’d learn to understand and appreciate the men in the ring with him and against him. However you turned that whole plan on it’s head when you decided to throw in with Steve Awesome and fight for him.”
“Frankly, you disappointed me.”
“I saw you as a future main eventer of this company. You’re marketable. You’re likeable. You’re someone everyone can relate to. Honestly, you’re a promoters wet dream, Malo. But you’ve decided to become a human shield for Steve Awesome and that is pretty goddamn sad. You’re twice the man Steve Awesome has ever been. You’re twice as talented as he ever was. You’re everything Steve Awesome has ever wanted to be and instead of seizing the moment and pressing forward you’ve decided to take a back seat to the career of Steve Awesome.”
“I hope you come to your senses, Malo.”
“Throwing in with Steve Awesome will get you nowhere fast. Ask his former friends or partners. Ask the Ace, ask Rob Diamond, ask Jayson Matthews. Being Steve Awesome’s meat shield gets you absolutely nothing. It’s only when they broke free from his massive ego that they accomplished all they were meant to. The Ace and Rob Diamond became World Champions after they left Steve behind. Jayson Matthews is one of the fastest rising stars of the last year now that his head isn’t buried up Steve’s ass.”
“That could be you, Malo.”
“But you’ve chosen a different path. A path that leads directly to me and Verona. And I’m sorry to tell you this path ends with you laying face up in the center of our ring. Roberto and I are two of the best who have ever been and that is what you’re facing this week. We’ve never stopped trained, we’ve never stopped improving, we’ve never stopped pushing ourselves. We are more than capable of defeating the both of you but it isn’t just a victory we’re looking for this weekend.”
“We’re looking to prove that there is no one better than us in that ring. Our road to the Tag Team World Cup starts with you and we will not stop until we hold that trophy over our heads.”
I look down with a smirk.
”No sleep. No rest. Do whatever it takes to be the best.”
Well howdy there pardner.