Post by Jess Fowler on Mar 16, 2020 6:28:20 GMT
It's easy to sit back and tell myself this isn't about glory. It isn't about wanting another hit of the intoxicating spotlight, no. It's about doing the right thing. But there will always be those voices that doubt it. Nothing is purely altruistic, they say. Nothing is ever done just because it's a perceived right, and even if it is the root cause is narcissism or greed. Those people live sad lives...but there is a kernel of truth at the heart of it, as with any good lie. We never do anything without an ego, a sense of self. But ego doesn't always mean believing that you're the be-all, end-all. Sometimes it's knowing that you have to try.
The Roulette is going to attract the best from all around the world, like moths to a flame. Those already here in IWF, those coming from the past or afar to try their luck, it represents a singular opportunity. A moment in time where a career can be made or remade. The biggest stage, the grandest prize, the ultimate pressure. Why would you willingly put yourself through that gauntlet if you didn't have something to prove? Why would you throw your body through the violence of twenty-nine other men, all desperate to be the one to find the summit and claim the greatest prize in professional wrestling? Simple. Love.
Love is just a chemical. We give it meaning by choice. I choose to go through this all because I love professional wrestling. I love the Imperial Wrestling Federation. And I love all of you. Everyone watching, everyone who gives the kids who stared at their televisions and dreamed of being the next big star their chance to shine, everyone who lets those who thought they had no path forward see the light at the end of the tunnel and find their grace. Thank you all. I love you all. And that love...that's what I'm addicted to. Not the spotlight, not the money, not the posters and accolades. The love you give, the love we get to give back. It's the ultimate privilege.
And I won't take it for granted. I've been working my ass off, training, getting into the best shape I can for this. But no amount of training prepares you for stepping out from behind the curtain again. It's blinding. It overwhelms even the best of us, catches us on the back foot and sends us reeling. If anyone tells you that they've never been intimidated in front of a crowd, they've never had jitters, even after achieving and succeeding time and again, either they're so self-assured of their self-worth they're our current Imperial Champion or they're lying. Or both. Steve's never been one to pass up a good chance to lie.
There's always an underlying question in these little interviews. "Why you? Why do you, of all people, deserve this?" I don't deserve this. Nobody deserves anything of this sort. They earn it. They fight for it. I'm going to fight for it. And I'm willing to put my best against anyone in the world, not because I believe nobody can beat me at all, but because I believe that on any given night, I can beat anyone else. I know my worth, finally. I know what I can do. And I know what must be done.
You don't need to sacrifice who you are for success. You don't need to strip away everything that made you who you were in order to achieve your greatest peaks. That's exactly the opposite of what you need to do. My darkest moments have come trying to be someone that I'm not. I'm just going to go out there and be who I am. Who I've always needed to be deep down, even when I've pretended otherwise. It's for the best. And if anyone doubts that, meet me in the middle of that ring and I am oh so happy to show you just how deep your wrongness runs.
There are a lot of men and women who want their work in the ring to do all the talking for them. Unfortunately, that's not the way the business works anymore. You need to be able to speak, not just to go. Win the war of words, not just the war of holds. There's a difference between technical knowledge and the drive to compete, the drive to win. If you treat every match like a dispassionate game of chess, if you simplify and reduce people to puzzles to be solved, like some sort of high-functioning sociopath of the squared circle, the magic goes away. There comes a time when the match cards lose their luster, when the belts lose their sparkle, when the ring becomes a prison, and all that keeps you going is the belief that you have to, that you have something left to prove. Don't do it because you have to. Do it because you want to. Do it because it's the right thing. Don't succumb to your own hubris and ennui. Rise above. Be better. Every day.
Bury the hate deep. Bury it with love. Burn it out of yourself with passion and hunger and fire to be better. You all have it in you somewhere. It just needs the spark to be relit. And I am happy to be that spark. I will be the one who sets your preconceived notions ablaze, and I will tear you DOWN...just to rebuild you as the person you could always be. It's never to late to learn. Come at it, gentlemen. I've got a lot of lessons left in me.
The Roulette is going to attract the best from all around the world, like moths to a flame. Those already here in IWF, those coming from the past or afar to try their luck, it represents a singular opportunity. A moment in time where a career can be made or remade. The biggest stage, the grandest prize, the ultimate pressure. Why would you willingly put yourself through that gauntlet if you didn't have something to prove? Why would you throw your body through the violence of twenty-nine other men, all desperate to be the one to find the summit and claim the greatest prize in professional wrestling? Simple. Love.
Love is just a chemical. We give it meaning by choice. I choose to go through this all because I love professional wrestling. I love the Imperial Wrestling Federation. And I love all of you. Everyone watching, everyone who gives the kids who stared at their televisions and dreamed of being the next big star their chance to shine, everyone who lets those who thought they had no path forward see the light at the end of the tunnel and find their grace. Thank you all. I love you all. And that love...that's what I'm addicted to. Not the spotlight, not the money, not the posters and accolades. The love you give, the love we get to give back. It's the ultimate privilege.
And I won't take it for granted. I've been working my ass off, training, getting into the best shape I can for this. But no amount of training prepares you for stepping out from behind the curtain again. It's blinding. It overwhelms even the best of us, catches us on the back foot and sends us reeling. If anyone tells you that they've never been intimidated in front of a crowd, they've never had jitters, even after achieving and succeeding time and again, either they're so self-assured of their self-worth they're our current Imperial Champion or they're lying. Or both. Steve's never been one to pass up a good chance to lie.
There's always an underlying question in these little interviews. "Why you? Why do you, of all people, deserve this?" I don't deserve this. Nobody deserves anything of this sort. They earn it. They fight for it. I'm going to fight for it. And I'm willing to put my best against anyone in the world, not because I believe nobody can beat me at all, but because I believe that on any given night, I can beat anyone else. I know my worth, finally. I know what I can do. And I know what must be done.
You don't need to sacrifice who you are for success. You don't need to strip away everything that made you who you were in order to achieve your greatest peaks. That's exactly the opposite of what you need to do. My darkest moments have come trying to be someone that I'm not. I'm just going to go out there and be who I am. Who I've always needed to be deep down, even when I've pretended otherwise. It's for the best. And if anyone doubts that, meet me in the middle of that ring and I am oh so happy to show you just how deep your wrongness runs.
There are a lot of men and women who want their work in the ring to do all the talking for them. Unfortunately, that's not the way the business works anymore. You need to be able to speak, not just to go. Win the war of words, not just the war of holds. There's a difference between technical knowledge and the drive to compete, the drive to win. If you treat every match like a dispassionate game of chess, if you simplify and reduce people to puzzles to be solved, like some sort of high-functioning sociopath of the squared circle, the magic goes away. There comes a time when the match cards lose their luster, when the belts lose their sparkle, when the ring becomes a prison, and all that keeps you going is the belief that you have to, that you have something left to prove. Don't do it because you have to. Do it because you want to. Do it because it's the right thing. Don't succumb to your own hubris and ennui. Rise above. Be better. Every day.
Bury the hate deep. Bury it with love. Burn it out of yourself with passion and hunger and fire to be better. You all have it in you somewhere. It just needs the spark to be relit. And I am happy to be that spark. I will be the one who sets your preconceived notions ablaze, and I will tear you DOWN...just to rebuild you as the person you could always be. It's never to late to learn. Come at it, gentlemen. I've got a lot of lessons left in me.
Well howdy there pardner.