Post by Mike Laszlo on Sept 21, 2013 4:07:39 GMT
Have you ever had a dream? Have you ever had that one dream that everyone around you says will never happen? No matter how much you fight, kick, crawl, and scratch your way toward that dream, others will always do their best to hold you down?
I have.
For years I’ve dreamt of what is to come this Sunday at Extreme Endurance. In front of the world, in front of the live crowd, and more importantly, in front of my family sitting in the front row, I main event not just any show, but a Pay Per View, in my hometown, and on that night win. That has been my dream and I have had it in my grasp so many times, and even on occasion have done so. Never though has the match had the type of magnitude that it has Sunday. For thirty minutes I will step in that ring with the Man of Steel, Ryan Blade, and the two of us will fight tooth and nail against one another. We will put each other through insurmountable amounts of pain in an effort to not only show our endurance, but win. For a couple of weeks now, the two of us have been pitted against one another to gauge interest in this match. The brass wanted to see the level of competition we bring out in one another in order to deem it worthy of Pay Per View status. Ryan, we not only made it worthy of that status, we told them, better yet, we showed them that we had what it took to main event this Pay Per View.
So here we are. Sunday Night, around ten-thirty at night, in my hometown, my home arena, we make a mark on this company, on this industry that nobody could ever foresee coming. I beat you a few weeks ago in a one-on-one confrontation and the next week I let my emotions get the better of me. I let the competition that fuels my every waking moment save you from the despicable actions of Jake Keeton because that’s not what I wanted. That lowly act isn’t how I wanted to win, because while the result is good, it proves nothing.
You can call it noble if you want, I wouldn’t. You can call it selfish of me to not allow Jake to blast your face in with that elbow pad due to my own wants and needs, I wouldn’t. This week, there’s no excuses. This week Ryan, you have half an hour to hit me with your best shot and gain your revenge, but I tell you now, I hope and pray that you don’t for one second try and brush off what has happened the last couple weeks. I beat you, no matter the circumstances, the two of us walked out to that ring and I showed the world that on that night I was the better man in that ring. The next week I repeated the process and showed that I was the better man morally. So while you sit there with your title, I want you to have it polished one last time to the point that you can see yourself within its silver plating and I want you to ask yourself two simple questions deep-seeded in your mind no matter you admit them or not…
“Am I good enough to beat Mike Laszlo?”
“Is this the end of my reign?”
I tell you now that for not one second should you take this match lightly because to me there are few things that can top the moment of beating you in the main event, not by pin-fall but by making you admit that you weren’t good enough. Making you tap out in the center of that ring Sunday night, hearing the bell ring, having my hand raised in victory in front of my hometown is the dream I seek out Ryan. It is my mecca in the world we live in known as professional wrestling. It’s also the realization that I will live this Sunday after the final bell at Extreme Endurance.
====================
Title: No Doubt About It
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Time: 10:50 Local Time
So I had gotten back from the show in Cincinnati last weekend, and by now it’s Wednesday and I haven’t heard from Raven since the middle of last week. As if I hadn’t already been suspicious enough, this made me just a bit more uneasy. You would think that her, knowing that I’m looking for her abuser, would be calling me non-stop to see what I’ve found out and how exactly I’ve been planning on going about the current situation. So being confused, I decided to pick up the phone on my desk and give her a call. Three rings go by and yet there is no answer, and then the voicemail picks up. Holding out the phone, I look at it rather confused. Since she’s been back in my life, Raven has always been one to answer the phone and look for any excuse to talk. Setting it to the side I can’t help but have a bad feeling, you know, those kind of feelings you get in the pit of your stomach that tell you that everything is wrong? The look on my face must have told the story, as Alexis walked in and stopped in her tracks with a puzzled look on her face as well.
Alexis Caffrey: What’s wrong?
I was thinking of all the bad possibilities, and in the process I ignored the question from my significant other. She walked over and sat on the couch next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder which caused me to come to from my train of thought.
Mike Laszlo: Huh? What?
Alexis Caffrey: You were thinking about something.
Mike Laszlo: Sorry babe. I didn’t mean to ignore you. What’d you say?
Alexis Caffrey: I saw you were deep in thought and I was wondering what was wrong.
Taking a deep breath I looked forward as I explained the situation to her.
Mike Laszlo: I tried to call Raven and she didn’t pick up.
Alexis Caffrey: That alone caused that train of thought?
Mike Laszlo: No. I haven’t heard from her since before we left for Cincinnati. She’s always one to talk, especially since coming back for the help she wants. I have a feeling that something isn’t right.
Alexis Caffrey: What do you mean? You left her at the apartment. Nobody gets access unless she or the doormen buzz them in to get to that top floor.
Mike Laszlo: I know. I just have that feeling. Something doesn’t seem right, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Alexis Caffrey: Why don’t you go check on her then?
Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the support from Alexis. Her support in pretty much any endeavor in which I decide to take part in is one of the reasons I love her so much. When it comes to Raven though, she’s been…skeptical for lack of a better term. So for her to say this shocked me a bit as I looked over with a bit of a glare.
Mike Laszlo: You sure? You’re okay with that?
Alexis Caffrey: Yeah, it’s not a big deal. I know that nothing is going on there.
Mike Laszlo: Well I know you’re not too keen on the fact that I’ve decided to help her.
Alexis Caffrey: Do I like her? No. Do I trust you? Yes, with my life. To see you sitting here in the mood you’re in doesn’t sit well with me. If it will ease your nerves to go check on her, go do it.
With a nod I stand from the couch and lean over, kissing her on the lips.
Mike Laszlo: That’s why I love you.
Alexis Caffrey: I love you too.
Mike Laszlo: I’ll be back in a bit.
Alexis Caffrey: Okay.
Heading from the living room to the door, I grab my keys from the hook and leave the house. After about twenty minutes, I arrive at the apartment building and from the outside, everything appears to be normal. Walking up to the revolving door, I see that some of the things around the desk have been disheveled and a plant on the desk had been knocked over.
Mike Laszlo: What the hell?
Pushing the door to make it go faster, I rush to the desk where I see Reynolds laid out behind the desk with his cell phone knocked to the side. Jumping over the desk, I do my best to revive him, but only get a faint groan. Looking around, I see nobody in sight and immediately think of Raven several floors above me. Running to the elevator I step inside and enter the access code to the top floor. The elevator goes, obviously not to the pace to which I desire. Finally the doors open and I rush around, looking to find Raven somewhere, anywhere in the apartment. Running into the bedroom I find her, bleeding from the head, unconscious in her bed. Pulling out my phone I dial 9-1-1 and immediately get them to send two ambulances to the scene. As I keep the operator on the line, I ignore her questioning in my attempts to wake Raven. The blood was fresh indicating that I was mere minutes late on the attack. As I made attempts to wake her, she slowly came to, but only whispered a name before slipping back into the unconscious.
Raven: (In a faint whisper.) Sane.
I caught the name though just barely and the fire that rushed through my veins made me want to explode. There was no doubting. There was no feeling of uncertainty. This was real, and something needed to be done. I heard the sirens down below as I ran to the front door’s intercom downstairs.
Mike Laszlo: This is Mike Laszlo on the top floor. When you enter the elevator press the numbers four, five, seven, one, and it will bring you up.
They did as instructed as the doors soon opened and they rushed in with the gurney. They picked her up with a flat board and stabilized her neck as a precaution. Asking me a few questions, I rushed through the answers as we all headed for the elevator. When the doors opened again, they rushed out, me following, and loaded Raven into the ambulance. I looked to my right and saw that they were doing the same with Reynolds in the second ambulance. The scene was a disaster. This whole situation was a disaster. A feeling of guilt overcame me as I watched the ambulances pull off.
Mike Laszlo: I didn’t keep her at my house. I didn’t keep her safe. I didn’t trust her to be around my life and now she’s paying for it, fighting for her life.
I slowly walked to the front door next to the revolving door that they had just pushed both gurneys through and watched as they pulled onto the main road and drove off in the distance toward the hospital. As I looked around in a desperate, chaotic state of mind, I dropped to my knees and sat there alone in a state of confusion.
Mike Laszlo: This is all my fault. What am I going to do?
I sat there and stared into the distance, the wind blowing through my hair as I tried to sort through the chaos and confusion in my brain. There was nothing I could do at that very moment in time. There was no quick fix for this situation at hand. I felt helpless for the first time in a long time. I sat there alone as the scene faded.
====================
Have people not heard the words that come out of my mouth? Do they just hear sound and then wait for the words to stop so that they can spout off about how great they are, and how bad they perceive me? I swear to God that is what it feels like nowadays. From Spike Kane to Roberto Verona, all the way down to Ryan Blade, and yes, I do mean down.
Don’t get it twisted Ryan, I do indeed think that you are one hell of a competitor, hell you’re a champion in this company; a company full of the best wrestlers the world has ever seen. I don’t mean down as a method do discredit you because you’ve earned every single accolade of which you possess to this day.
What I mean by down Ryan is the fact that when it comes to men like Spike Kane, and Roberto Verona, your name simply doesn’t belong. They’ve defeated men that you can only hope to beat one day. They’ve transcended this industry to heights previously unknown. What have you done? You won the Man of Steel Championship and defended it against men who at the time were deemed worthy, buy since have fallen by the wayside. You’ve taken on their “challenge” and surpassed them and that gives you this aura of confidence in yourself that you feel is well deserved. I understand it because I was the same. I was considered the rising star Blade, just like you. I was beating guys and holding titles for lengthy periods of time, and that gave me the same confidence you have today, the same confidence that I still possess.
Overtime, you will realize, what I just recently, and regrettably so, took too long to realize. Those mediocre accomplishments, while meaningful at the time, have become nothing more than a distant memory. Let me ask you some questions Ryan, but they’re rhetorical so please, feel free not to answer.
Does anyone truly care who you beat to become the first-ever Man of Steel Champion?
No.
Does anyone care that you made Andrew Jacobsen tap out to retain that title in your first defense?
No.
Does anyone really give a monkey’s left or right testicle that you defeated the likes of Davey Ortega, Deathtrain, and Seth Evans to still hold that belt to this day?
No.
They don’t care because who you beat to this point is a list of pointless names that in this company at this present time, really mean nothing. Each of those men in their own right have had their successes in other companies but here, they’ve done nothing of valor. So one will look at this Sunday, and from an outside perspective will say, “This is Ryan Blade’s first shot to truly prove himself.” You’ll hear that and you’ll probably get the ugliest confusion look on your face known to man, and you’ll sit there on a chair somewhere and ask yourself, “Why?” What has Mike Laszlo done that makes this a true “test”?
I could run down the things I’ve done in this company from competing in the first main event, to competing in the first Heavyweight Title match, to putting on the most memorable in-ring performance with Spike Kane, all the way to beating Trent Helms a few weeks ago, but these are all things you know. You could look at my win-loss record since this place opened and you can grin and ask “What threat is he to me?” I would then look you dead in your eye and tell you one thing. I would remind you of the simple fact that I beat you when it seemed that nobody could, and you have yet to actually beat me. You beat my team, big deal, you haven’t beaten me. You have yet to step through the ropes, take me on man to man and be able to come out at the end and say “I’m better than you.”
You can trash me in interviews all you please. You can call me a loud mouth all you want. Please do because I need a good laugh from time to time, and it seems as if the entire roster is willing to give it to me. Please Ryan, fall in line with all the rest who cast me off as a loud mouth punk who talks the talk and can’t walk the walk. Tell yourself over and over that you’re better than me; that you mean more to this company than me. Tell yourself that you are winning this match repeatedly until you finally believe it. In the end though Ryan Blade, when the bell rings for that final time, and the realization hits you square in the face that you are no longer the IWF Man of Steel Champion, I want you to tell yourself the most important thing of all…I want you to say the words “I was wrong.”
I have.
For years I’ve dreamt of what is to come this Sunday at Extreme Endurance. In front of the world, in front of the live crowd, and more importantly, in front of my family sitting in the front row, I main event not just any show, but a Pay Per View, in my hometown, and on that night win. That has been my dream and I have had it in my grasp so many times, and even on occasion have done so. Never though has the match had the type of magnitude that it has Sunday. For thirty minutes I will step in that ring with the Man of Steel, Ryan Blade, and the two of us will fight tooth and nail against one another. We will put each other through insurmountable amounts of pain in an effort to not only show our endurance, but win. For a couple of weeks now, the two of us have been pitted against one another to gauge interest in this match. The brass wanted to see the level of competition we bring out in one another in order to deem it worthy of Pay Per View status. Ryan, we not only made it worthy of that status, we told them, better yet, we showed them that we had what it took to main event this Pay Per View.
So here we are. Sunday Night, around ten-thirty at night, in my hometown, my home arena, we make a mark on this company, on this industry that nobody could ever foresee coming. I beat you a few weeks ago in a one-on-one confrontation and the next week I let my emotions get the better of me. I let the competition that fuels my every waking moment save you from the despicable actions of Jake Keeton because that’s not what I wanted. That lowly act isn’t how I wanted to win, because while the result is good, it proves nothing.
You can call it noble if you want, I wouldn’t. You can call it selfish of me to not allow Jake to blast your face in with that elbow pad due to my own wants and needs, I wouldn’t. This week, there’s no excuses. This week Ryan, you have half an hour to hit me with your best shot and gain your revenge, but I tell you now, I hope and pray that you don’t for one second try and brush off what has happened the last couple weeks. I beat you, no matter the circumstances, the two of us walked out to that ring and I showed the world that on that night I was the better man in that ring. The next week I repeated the process and showed that I was the better man morally. So while you sit there with your title, I want you to have it polished one last time to the point that you can see yourself within its silver plating and I want you to ask yourself two simple questions deep-seeded in your mind no matter you admit them or not…
“Am I good enough to beat Mike Laszlo?”
“Is this the end of my reign?”
I tell you now that for not one second should you take this match lightly because to me there are few things that can top the moment of beating you in the main event, not by pin-fall but by making you admit that you weren’t good enough. Making you tap out in the center of that ring Sunday night, hearing the bell ring, having my hand raised in victory in front of my hometown is the dream I seek out Ryan. It is my mecca in the world we live in known as professional wrestling. It’s also the realization that I will live this Sunday after the final bell at Extreme Endurance.
====================
Title: No Doubt About It
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Time: 10:50 Local Time
So I had gotten back from the show in Cincinnati last weekend, and by now it’s Wednesday and I haven’t heard from Raven since the middle of last week. As if I hadn’t already been suspicious enough, this made me just a bit more uneasy. You would think that her, knowing that I’m looking for her abuser, would be calling me non-stop to see what I’ve found out and how exactly I’ve been planning on going about the current situation. So being confused, I decided to pick up the phone on my desk and give her a call. Three rings go by and yet there is no answer, and then the voicemail picks up. Holding out the phone, I look at it rather confused. Since she’s been back in my life, Raven has always been one to answer the phone and look for any excuse to talk. Setting it to the side I can’t help but have a bad feeling, you know, those kind of feelings you get in the pit of your stomach that tell you that everything is wrong? The look on my face must have told the story, as Alexis walked in and stopped in her tracks with a puzzled look on her face as well.
Alexis Caffrey: What’s wrong?
I was thinking of all the bad possibilities, and in the process I ignored the question from my significant other. She walked over and sat on the couch next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder which caused me to come to from my train of thought.
Mike Laszlo: Huh? What?
Alexis Caffrey: You were thinking about something.
Mike Laszlo: Sorry babe. I didn’t mean to ignore you. What’d you say?
Alexis Caffrey: I saw you were deep in thought and I was wondering what was wrong.
Taking a deep breath I looked forward as I explained the situation to her.
Mike Laszlo: I tried to call Raven and she didn’t pick up.
Alexis Caffrey: That alone caused that train of thought?
Mike Laszlo: No. I haven’t heard from her since before we left for Cincinnati. She’s always one to talk, especially since coming back for the help she wants. I have a feeling that something isn’t right.
Alexis Caffrey: What do you mean? You left her at the apartment. Nobody gets access unless she or the doormen buzz them in to get to that top floor.
Mike Laszlo: I know. I just have that feeling. Something doesn’t seem right, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Alexis Caffrey: Why don’t you go check on her then?
Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the support from Alexis. Her support in pretty much any endeavor in which I decide to take part in is one of the reasons I love her so much. When it comes to Raven though, she’s been…skeptical for lack of a better term. So for her to say this shocked me a bit as I looked over with a bit of a glare.
Mike Laszlo: You sure? You’re okay with that?
Alexis Caffrey: Yeah, it’s not a big deal. I know that nothing is going on there.
Mike Laszlo: Well I know you’re not too keen on the fact that I’ve decided to help her.
Alexis Caffrey: Do I like her? No. Do I trust you? Yes, with my life. To see you sitting here in the mood you’re in doesn’t sit well with me. If it will ease your nerves to go check on her, go do it.
With a nod I stand from the couch and lean over, kissing her on the lips.
Mike Laszlo: That’s why I love you.
Alexis Caffrey: I love you too.
Mike Laszlo: I’ll be back in a bit.
Alexis Caffrey: Okay.
Heading from the living room to the door, I grab my keys from the hook and leave the house. After about twenty minutes, I arrive at the apartment building and from the outside, everything appears to be normal. Walking up to the revolving door, I see that some of the things around the desk have been disheveled and a plant on the desk had been knocked over.
Mike Laszlo: What the hell?
Pushing the door to make it go faster, I rush to the desk where I see Reynolds laid out behind the desk with his cell phone knocked to the side. Jumping over the desk, I do my best to revive him, but only get a faint groan. Looking around, I see nobody in sight and immediately think of Raven several floors above me. Running to the elevator I step inside and enter the access code to the top floor. The elevator goes, obviously not to the pace to which I desire. Finally the doors open and I rush around, looking to find Raven somewhere, anywhere in the apartment. Running into the bedroom I find her, bleeding from the head, unconscious in her bed. Pulling out my phone I dial 9-1-1 and immediately get them to send two ambulances to the scene. As I keep the operator on the line, I ignore her questioning in my attempts to wake Raven. The blood was fresh indicating that I was mere minutes late on the attack. As I made attempts to wake her, she slowly came to, but only whispered a name before slipping back into the unconscious.
Raven: (In a faint whisper.) Sane.
I caught the name though just barely and the fire that rushed through my veins made me want to explode. There was no doubting. There was no feeling of uncertainty. This was real, and something needed to be done. I heard the sirens down below as I ran to the front door’s intercom downstairs.
Mike Laszlo: This is Mike Laszlo on the top floor. When you enter the elevator press the numbers four, five, seven, one, and it will bring you up.
They did as instructed as the doors soon opened and they rushed in with the gurney. They picked her up with a flat board and stabilized her neck as a precaution. Asking me a few questions, I rushed through the answers as we all headed for the elevator. When the doors opened again, they rushed out, me following, and loaded Raven into the ambulance. I looked to my right and saw that they were doing the same with Reynolds in the second ambulance. The scene was a disaster. This whole situation was a disaster. A feeling of guilt overcame me as I watched the ambulances pull off.
Mike Laszlo: I didn’t keep her at my house. I didn’t keep her safe. I didn’t trust her to be around my life and now she’s paying for it, fighting for her life.
I slowly walked to the front door next to the revolving door that they had just pushed both gurneys through and watched as they pulled onto the main road and drove off in the distance toward the hospital. As I looked around in a desperate, chaotic state of mind, I dropped to my knees and sat there alone in a state of confusion.
Mike Laszlo: This is all my fault. What am I going to do?
I sat there and stared into the distance, the wind blowing through my hair as I tried to sort through the chaos and confusion in my brain. There was nothing I could do at that very moment in time. There was no quick fix for this situation at hand. I felt helpless for the first time in a long time. I sat there alone as the scene faded.
====================
Have people not heard the words that come out of my mouth? Do they just hear sound and then wait for the words to stop so that they can spout off about how great they are, and how bad they perceive me? I swear to God that is what it feels like nowadays. From Spike Kane to Roberto Verona, all the way down to Ryan Blade, and yes, I do mean down.
Don’t get it twisted Ryan, I do indeed think that you are one hell of a competitor, hell you’re a champion in this company; a company full of the best wrestlers the world has ever seen. I don’t mean down as a method do discredit you because you’ve earned every single accolade of which you possess to this day.
What I mean by down Ryan is the fact that when it comes to men like Spike Kane, and Roberto Verona, your name simply doesn’t belong. They’ve defeated men that you can only hope to beat one day. They’ve transcended this industry to heights previously unknown. What have you done? You won the Man of Steel Championship and defended it against men who at the time were deemed worthy, buy since have fallen by the wayside. You’ve taken on their “challenge” and surpassed them and that gives you this aura of confidence in yourself that you feel is well deserved. I understand it because I was the same. I was considered the rising star Blade, just like you. I was beating guys and holding titles for lengthy periods of time, and that gave me the same confidence you have today, the same confidence that I still possess.
Overtime, you will realize, what I just recently, and regrettably so, took too long to realize. Those mediocre accomplishments, while meaningful at the time, have become nothing more than a distant memory. Let me ask you some questions Ryan, but they’re rhetorical so please, feel free not to answer.
Does anyone truly care who you beat to become the first-ever Man of Steel Champion?
No.
Does anyone care that you made Andrew Jacobsen tap out to retain that title in your first defense?
No.
Does anyone really give a monkey’s left or right testicle that you defeated the likes of Davey Ortega, Deathtrain, and Seth Evans to still hold that belt to this day?
No.
They don’t care because who you beat to this point is a list of pointless names that in this company at this present time, really mean nothing. Each of those men in their own right have had their successes in other companies but here, they’ve done nothing of valor. So one will look at this Sunday, and from an outside perspective will say, “This is Ryan Blade’s first shot to truly prove himself.” You’ll hear that and you’ll probably get the ugliest confusion look on your face known to man, and you’ll sit there on a chair somewhere and ask yourself, “Why?” What has Mike Laszlo done that makes this a true “test”?
I could run down the things I’ve done in this company from competing in the first main event, to competing in the first Heavyweight Title match, to putting on the most memorable in-ring performance with Spike Kane, all the way to beating Trent Helms a few weeks ago, but these are all things you know. You could look at my win-loss record since this place opened and you can grin and ask “What threat is he to me?” I would then look you dead in your eye and tell you one thing. I would remind you of the simple fact that I beat you when it seemed that nobody could, and you have yet to actually beat me. You beat my team, big deal, you haven’t beaten me. You have yet to step through the ropes, take me on man to man and be able to come out at the end and say “I’m better than you.”
You can trash me in interviews all you please. You can call me a loud mouth all you want. Please do because I need a good laugh from time to time, and it seems as if the entire roster is willing to give it to me. Please Ryan, fall in line with all the rest who cast me off as a loud mouth punk who talks the talk and can’t walk the walk. Tell yourself over and over that you’re better than me; that you mean more to this company than me. Tell yourself that you are winning this match repeatedly until you finally believe it. In the end though Ryan Blade, when the bell rings for that final time, and the realization hits you square in the face that you are no longer the IWF Man of Steel Champion, I want you to tell yourself the most important thing of all…I want you to say the words “I was wrong.”
Well howdy there pardner.