Post by Mike Laszlo on Mar 26, 2018 4:06:44 GMT
The scene opens up and the bright rays of the sun are beaming down through the clear Arizona sky. I’m standing on the corner in front of the marquee residing in front of the curved architecture of the arena that will host this year’s High Stakes, and therefore host the site of my most important victory to date...a victory in the Roulette.
You’ve heard it all by now. You’ve heard it from the perspective of the down and out. You’ve heard it from the pedestals of a God. You’ve heard it from the shadows of a wolf’s lair, and you’ve heard it from me. The lot of us, all telling you why we’re going to win. Each and every single one of us venturing to the past to validate what we want you to believe is going to happen in the future.
But why?
Why should we look toward the past for answers to the future? Why even ask the question if it might quite possibly change by the time we get to High Stakes in mere hours? Why look back when we should all be looking ahead?
I look over my shoulder at a promotion for High Stakes, it’s Spike Kane with the Invictus Title over his shoulder. I smirk and chuckle a bit under my breath.
Take this guy for example. He wants you to believe he’s the only one worth being here. Yes, he’s had a great year, yes he’s champion, and yes, he’s putting that title on the line within the confines of the most unpredictable setting in the IWF’s history. Kudos to him for his bravery, and the success he’s had...but I hate to break it to you almighty God...you’re not alone.
As a matter of fact, this has been a new era of sorts. Dean Harper was Man of Steel Champion. Rowan MacDonnough was Diamonds Champion. Hell, even the little blonde girl in the pack managed to make something out of herself, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Andrew Jacobsen laughed at your oh so long title reign and just as he did most of last year, he said “Anything you can do, I can do better.”.
I point into the camera as if pointing toward Spike himself.
Then you criticized me for not “being here”. Well, Spike, I’m here now. I’m here not because you’re some unstoppable force. I’m not here because your buddy Angel holds the World Title and I want to take it from him again. I’m here because there’s a new life within this federation, a change for the better, a healthy dose of competition, and that is the lure that has brought me back from the depths of non-booking.
I came back from an injury to exact revenge on Rob Diamond...and I did. I came back around the Roulette last year because Steve Awesome wanted to open his mouth and talk crap about me, and I shut him up. The Council came into existence and Spike, last I checked, you weren’t the only one in that match.
You are perhaps my greatest obstacle, both in this match, and in my career. There’s been a seldom occurrence that I’ve beaten you, if ever, but every time you were in that ring with me, you knew you were in a fight, and you came out just as badly as I did, only your hand raised in victory.
So cut the bullshit. You’re not some almighty. You’re not this person who should be praised beyond recognition. You’re merely a man who has painted a target on your back, and I think in the end...you’re going to regret that decision.
The marquee in the back changes from Spike to a picture of Angel. I point back to the sign.
As much as he’d love to have this be all about him, it’s not. Angel is merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things no matter how much he claims to be the ruler. For it is now what Angel is, but what he holds that is the sole motivation for entering this matchup in the first place. That championship, that symbol of excellence he carries around is what makes every man in this match want to risk it all against the other competitors. It’s what makes them want to fight all the way through and end up on the biggest stage with the brightest lights we have, Night of the Immortals.
I point to myself.
I’ve gone through my own motivations. You know what side quests I have to win this match, and if you want to add shutting the biggest mouths we have on the roster up to the pile of objectives I’ve set before me…
I smile.
...go right on ahead.
I walk around the marquee and I’m now standing in front of the glass front of the building a golden hue falling down on everything behind it’s walls. I point to the building.
This is it. This is where my dreams come true. This is where my objectives are conquered. I aim to win the IWF Roulette Match in the year 2018, for nobody else, but myself. I aim to conquer all the other participants so that I can look myself in the mirror and utter the words “I did it.” I will defeat each and every single one of you, tossing you over the top rope, clearing hurdle after hurdle on my way to victory, not because I say I’m going to, but because I need to.
I need to because the next day in our lives is never guaranteed.
For all I know...this might be my last shot...and I will...not…fail.
===========================================
Title: Just React
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Time: 11:36 AM Local Time
I’m sitting in my chair, focusing on the task at hand. I take a deep breath while closing my eyes. The anticipation has been killing me for the last few weeks, and now it’s all finally here. The moment I’ve been waiting for, the moment that all the pressure has built up towards, The Roulette Match...is finally here.
I sit back in the chair at the desk in the hotel room. In front of me is the itinerary for the day with a few meet and greets scheduled, some radio, and even a spot on the local news. Picking up the papers, glancing back and forth at the times and the travel around the city, I seem to be fed up and just toss them down in front of me. My wife looks up from her book and scoots off of the bed.
Alexis Caffrey: What is it babe?
I motion toward the papers on the desk.
Mike Laszlo: Just all this crap they have us doing. They know this is a huge event, and they should know that we all need time to prepare for it.
She reaches over my shoulder and takes the paper off the desk.
Alexis Caffrey: These are all pretty standard though. You gotta think of it from their angle. They’re a business, they make money off of our names, and throwing us out there like circus acts and rare attractions is the way they make that money. You know that. You know the grind of being involved with such a well thought of federation.
Mike Laszlo: Yeah, it can just be...I don’t know, overwhelming I guess?
Alexis Caffrey: It can be…
She tosses the paper back on the desk and leans in to kiss me.
Alexis Caffrey: If you let it.
Mike Laszlo: If I let it?
She grabs hold of the chair, spinning it around with little resistance from me, and she sits down in my lap.
Alexis Caffrey: I think you’re taking this all a little too seriously. You should relax, have fun, indulge in these meet and greets, enjoy being on these radio shows, have fun, maybe do a sports coverage on that news station. If you wrap your mind up too much in the Roulette, too much in accomplishing that victory, you know as well as I do, you’re going to overthink it and the littlest mistake is going to piss you off for the next month.
I sigh as I lean my head back against the back of the chair.
Mike Laszlo: But a lack of focus is what leads to those mistakes.
She shakes her head.
Alexis Caffrey: Not necessarily. Think of it like sports. You played, did you ever really think of what your next move was?
Mike Laszlo: No. Something happened, we reacted. That’s how we were taught by the coaches.
Alexis Caffrey: And that should still apply today, especially in a match like the Roulette. With so many people in the ring, and having to have your head on a swivel, you can’t be thinking about every little move...you just have to react.
I take a breath.
Mike Laszlo: I just like being prepared.
Alexis Caffrey: And I understand that...trust me. I’ve watched you rack your brain over the last month plus trying to come up with every single scenario that can possibly happen, and quite frankly, it’s exhausting to watch. That’s also what I mean by overthinking it. You can sit there and come up with every counter to every situation, but in the end, you know damn well not every situation is going to happen. So while you’re thinking of all that, your brain is going to explode, you’re going to make a mistake, and you’re going to dwell on it. Get in that ring, and just react.
I grab hold of the itinerary.
Mike Laszlo: Well, my reaction to this is…
I start to crumble the paper before she takes it away from me.
Alexis Caffrey: Quit being a jerk and let’s go have fun with this weekend.
Mike Laszlo: But…
Alexis Caffrey: ...JUST...REACT!
She pulls at my arm and I allow her to pull me out of the chair. We leave the hotel room, and off we go to have “fun”.
===========================================
I credit my wife as being my rock.
The scene comes to and the stage is being set up for the High Stakes Pay Per View, and I’m sitting in one of the chairs that an audience member will be occupying in mere hours. The lights are flashing all around me, and they’re even doing some sound checks to make sure that everything is in tip top shape for one of the IWF’s biggest events.
She’s there for me whenever I need her, and me for her. She’s seen me through my highest points and my lowest of lows, and despite it all, she’s stuck by me, and for that I give her all the credit in the world.
Before this vignette, before I went to a radio station earlier today, and another before that, she said to “just relax”. So the media was done, and the news channels did their little interviews, and I thought to myself, where can I “just relax”?
I point to the ring.
Is it in there? My home away from home?
I shake my head.
No. No, because every moment I’m in that ring, I know I have a task at hand. Every single time I’m in that ring, I allow a pressure to build on me to succeed, to perform at the highest of levels. No...I can’t relax there.
I point to the backstage area.
What about there? Why can’t I find a spot in catering, or in the locker room, have a seat and just chill?
I shake my head again.
It’s that connection. I know that if I’m back there, eventually, I’m going to come out here. Knowing all that, my mind starts to race on what’s going to happen. Am I going to mess something up? Am I able to physically put on the show stealing match of the night? Will people be talking about me when the night is over.
I turn to the camera.
Yes, those things go through even the most seasoned of performers because in this business, recognition is key.
I shake my head again as I turn back toward the stage.
No...not there.
I throw my arms up on the arms of the chair. I sit back and let out a deep breath through my nose.
Ahhhhhhhhhh...right here is the place to be. After all, this is where my love affair with this business began.
I smack the arms of the chair.
It may not have been in this arena, or this city, but it was out here, as a fan that I became enthralled with this business. That saturation into my life made me want to become the man, the performer, and the wrestler you see before you today. It was that drive, that determination that made the journey to the top of the mountain worth every bit of sweat, every tear shed, and every drop of blood spilled. It made the ridicule, the training sessions, the “you can’t” phrases, all of them worth it.
It made coming out and shutting those voices up, all the more satisfying. It made sitting here as a member of the IWF Roster, about to compete in the Roulette, all the more rewarding…
I turn to the camera.
...and I can’t think of a single other place I’d rather be.
I point to myself, pressing all five fingers into my chest.
I’m not stupid, I’m not naive, and I damn sure am not star struck. I know what this match entails. I know it may quite possibly be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. This is thirty of the best this company, and perhaps wrestling in general have to offer, going at it, toe to toe, word for word, punch for punch to see who is worthy of that big moment, headlining Night of the Immortals.
I can sit here in this spot and tell you I’m ready, but so are all of those other people in this match. I can sit here and tell you I possess the skills, but so do all the rest in this match, otherwise, they wouldn’t be in this damn company. I can tell you pretty much anything you want to hear, but in the end, it’s all a bunch of words that if not backed up by action, are completely and utterly useless.
So…
I’m not going to tell you I’m ready for the Roulette...when that buzzer goes off for the final entrant, I’m going to come down that ramp and show you.
I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to win the Roulette…
I’m not going to tell you how much it would mean...I’m going to show you.
All you’re going to be able to do when it’s all said and done, is the same thing I’m going to do throughout...just...react.
I get up from my seat and walk off as the scene fades to black.
You’ve heard it all by now. You’ve heard it from the perspective of the down and out. You’ve heard it from the pedestals of a God. You’ve heard it from the shadows of a wolf’s lair, and you’ve heard it from me. The lot of us, all telling you why we’re going to win. Each and every single one of us venturing to the past to validate what we want you to believe is going to happen in the future.
But why?
Why should we look toward the past for answers to the future? Why even ask the question if it might quite possibly change by the time we get to High Stakes in mere hours? Why look back when we should all be looking ahead?
I look over my shoulder at a promotion for High Stakes, it’s Spike Kane with the Invictus Title over his shoulder. I smirk and chuckle a bit under my breath.
Take this guy for example. He wants you to believe he’s the only one worth being here. Yes, he’s had a great year, yes he’s champion, and yes, he’s putting that title on the line within the confines of the most unpredictable setting in the IWF’s history. Kudos to him for his bravery, and the success he’s had...but I hate to break it to you almighty God...you’re not alone.
As a matter of fact, this has been a new era of sorts. Dean Harper was Man of Steel Champion. Rowan MacDonnough was Diamonds Champion. Hell, even the little blonde girl in the pack managed to make something out of herself, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Andrew Jacobsen laughed at your oh so long title reign and just as he did most of last year, he said “Anything you can do, I can do better.”.
I point into the camera as if pointing toward Spike himself.
Then you criticized me for not “being here”. Well, Spike, I’m here now. I’m here not because you’re some unstoppable force. I’m not here because your buddy Angel holds the World Title and I want to take it from him again. I’m here because there’s a new life within this federation, a change for the better, a healthy dose of competition, and that is the lure that has brought me back from the depths of non-booking.
I came back from an injury to exact revenge on Rob Diamond...and I did. I came back around the Roulette last year because Steve Awesome wanted to open his mouth and talk crap about me, and I shut him up. The Council came into existence and Spike, last I checked, you weren’t the only one in that match.
You are perhaps my greatest obstacle, both in this match, and in my career. There’s been a seldom occurrence that I’ve beaten you, if ever, but every time you were in that ring with me, you knew you were in a fight, and you came out just as badly as I did, only your hand raised in victory.
So cut the bullshit. You’re not some almighty. You’re not this person who should be praised beyond recognition. You’re merely a man who has painted a target on your back, and I think in the end...you’re going to regret that decision.
The marquee in the back changes from Spike to a picture of Angel. I point back to the sign.
As much as he’d love to have this be all about him, it’s not. Angel is merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things no matter how much he claims to be the ruler. For it is now what Angel is, but what he holds that is the sole motivation for entering this matchup in the first place. That championship, that symbol of excellence he carries around is what makes every man in this match want to risk it all against the other competitors. It’s what makes them want to fight all the way through and end up on the biggest stage with the brightest lights we have, Night of the Immortals.
I point to myself.
I’ve gone through my own motivations. You know what side quests I have to win this match, and if you want to add shutting the biggest mouths we have on the roster up to the pile of objectives I’ve set before me…
I smile.
...go right on ahead.
I walk around the marquee and I’m now standing in front of the glass front of the building a golden hue falling down on everything behind it’s walls. I point to the building.
This is it. This is where my dreams come true. This is where my objectives are conquered. I aim to win the IWF Roulette Match in the year 2018, for nobody else, but myself. I aim to conquer all the other participants so that I can look myself in the mirror and utter the words “I did it.” I will defeat each and every single one of you, tossing you over the top rope, clearing hurdle after hurdle on my way to victory, not because I say I’m going to, but because I need to.
I need to because the next day in our lives is never guaranteed.
For all I know...this might be my last shot...and I will...not…fail.
===========================================
Title: Just React
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Time: 11:36 AM Local Time
I’m sitting in my chair, focusing on the task at hand. I take a deep breath while closing my eyes. The anticipation has been killing me for the last few weeks, and now it’s all finally here. The moment I’ve been waiting for, the moment that all the pressure has built up towards, The Roulette Match...is finally here.
I sit back in the chair at the desk in the hotel room. In front of me is the itinerary for the day with a few meet and greets scheduled, some radio, and even a spot on the local news. Picking up the papers, glancing back and forth at the times and the travel around the city, I seem to be fed up and just toss them down in front of me. My wife looks up from her book and scoots off of the bed.
Alexis Caffrey: What is it babe?
I motion toward the papers on the desk.
Mike Laszlo: Just all this crap they have us doing. They know this is a huge event, and they should know that we all need time to prepare for it.
She reaches over my shoulder and takes the paper off the desk.
Alexis Caffrey: These are all pretty standard though. You gotta think of it from their angle. They’re a business, they make money off of our names, and throwing us out there like circus acts and rare attractions is the way they make that money. You know that. You know the grind of being involved with such a well thought of federation.
Mike Laszlo: Yeah, it can just be...I don’t know, overwhelming I guess?
Alexis Caffrey: It can be…
She tosses the paper back on the desk and leans in to kiss me.
Alexis Caffrey: If you let it.
Mike Laszlo: If I let it?
She grabs hold of the chair, spinning it around with little resistance from me, and she sits down in my lap.
Alexis Caffrey: I think you’re taking this all a little too seriously. You should relax, have fun, indulge in these meet and greets, enjoy being on these radio shows, have fun, maybe do a sports coverage on that news station. If you wrap your mind up too much in the Roulette, too much in accomplishing that victory, you know as well as I do, you’re going to overthink it and the littlest mistake is going to piss you off for the next month.
I sigh as I lean my head back against the back of the chair.
Mike Laszlo: But a lack of focus is what leads to those mistakes.
She shakes her head.
Alexis Caffrey: Not necessarily. Think of it like sports. You played, did you ever really think of what your next move was?
Mike Laszlo: No. Something happened, we reacted. That’s how we were taught by the coaches.
Alexis Caffrey: And that should still apply today, especially in a match like the Roulette. With so many people in the ring, and having to have your head on a swivel, you can’t be thinking about every little move...you just have to react.
I take a breath.
Mike Laszlo: I just like being prepared.
Alexis Caffrey: And I understand that...trust me. I’ve watched you rack your brain over the last month plus trying to come up with every single scenario that can possibly happen, and quite frankly, it’s exhausting to watch. That’s also what I mean by overthinking it. You can sit there and come up with every counter to every situation, but in the end, you know damn well not every situation is going to happen. So while you’re thinking of all that, your brain is going to explode, you’re going to make a mistake, and you’re going to dwell on it. Get in that ring, and just react.
I grab hold of the itinerary.
Mike Laszlo: Well, my reaction to this is…
I start to crumble the paper before she takes it away from me.
Alexis Caffrey: Quit being a jerk and let’s go have fun with this weekend.
Mike Laszlo: But…
Alexis Caffrey: ...JUST...REACT!
She pulls at my arm and I allow her to pull me out of the chair. We leave the hotel room, and off we go to have “fun”.
===========================================
I credit my wife as being my rock.
The scene comes to and the stage is being set up for the High Stakes Pay Per View, and I’m sitting in one of the chairs that an audience member will be occupying in mere hours. The lights are flashing all around me, and they’re even doing some sound checks to make sure that everything is in tip top shape for one of the IWF’s biggest events.
She’s there for me whenever I need her, and me for her. She’s seen me through my highest points and my lowest of lows, and despite it all, she’s stuck by me, and for that I give her all the credit in the world.
Before this vignette, before I went to a radio station earlier today, and another before that, she said to “just relax”. So the media was done, and the news channels did their little interviews, and I thought to myself, where can I “just relax”?
I point to the ring.
Is it in there? My home away from home?
I shake my head.
No. No, because every moment I’m in that ring, I know I have a task at hand. Every single time I’m in that ring, I allow a pressure to build on me to succeed, to perform at the highest of levels. No...I can’t relax there.
I point to the backstage area.
What about there? Why can’t I find a spot in catering, or in the locker room, have a seat and just chill?
I shake my head again.
It’s that connection. I know that if I’m back there, eventually, I’m going to come out here. Knowing all that, my mind starts to race on what’s going to happen. Am I going to mess something up? Am I able to physically put on the show stealing match of the night? Will people be talking about me when the night is over.
I turn to the camera.
Yes, those things go through even the most seasoned of performers because in this business, recognition is key.
I shake my head again as I turn back toward the stage.
No...not there.
I throw my arms up on the arms of the chair. I sit back and let out a deep breath through my nose.
Ahhhhhhhhhh...right here is the place to be. After all, this is where my love affair with this business began.
I smack the arms of the chair.
It may not have been in this arena, or this city, but it was out here, as a fan that I became enthralled with this business. That saturation into my life made me want to become the man, the performer, and the wrestler you see before you today. It was that drive, that determination that made the journey to the top of the mountain worth every bit of sweat, every tear shed, and every drop of blood spilled. It made the ridicule, the training sessions, the “you can’t” phrases, all of them worth it.
It made coming out and shutting those voices up, all the more satisfying. It made sitting here as a member of the IWF Roster, about to compete in the Roulette, all the more rewarding…
I turn to the camera.
...and I can’t think of a single other place I’d rather be.
I point to myself, pressing all five fingers into my chest.
I’m not stupid, I’m not naive, and I damn sure am not star struck. I know what this match entails. I know it may quite possibly be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. This is thirty of the best this company, and perhaps wrestling in general have to offer, going at it, toe to toe, word for word, punch for punch to see who is worthy of that big moment, headlining Night of the Immortals.
I can sit here in this spot and tell you I’m ready, but so are all of those other people in this match. I can sit here and tell you I possess the skills, but so do all the rest in this match, otherwise, they wouldn’t be in this damn company. I can tell you pretty much anything you want to hear, but in the end, it’s all a bunch of words that if not backed up by action, are completely and utterly useless.
So…
I’m not going to tell you I’m ready for the Roulette...when that buzzer goes off for the final entrant, I’m going to come down that ramp and show you.
I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to win the Roulette…
I’m not going to tell you how much it would mean...I’m going to show you.
All you’re going to be able to do when it’s all said and done, is the same thing I’m going to do throughout...just...react.
I get up from my seat and walk off as the scene fades to black.
Well howdy there pardner.