Post by James Gilmore on Mar 18, 2022 19:25:22 GMT
“That’s right...I said ‘watch me.’
‘Cuz I know what IWF used to be.
This place used to be about a select few alpha males who had god complexes or threw money around like it was nothin’, who claimed to have everyone’s best interests in mind while usin’ their weight as a license to tear people to shreds. Those who stood in their way were quickly dispatched in the name of ‘survival of the fittest.’ The sad part about this whole saga...was that prior to 2019, I’d often find myself thinkin’ about bein’ one of those roided-up bullies, hopin’ that would pave the way to what I’ve got right now.
I wanted to be like a Spike Kane or Roberto Verona.
Sheesh...I even had a mouthpiece speakin’ for me and a guard to boot.
You dudes in the Roulette know that feelin’, right?! You know the feelin’ ya get whenever ya feel like you’re goin’ nowhere. Ya start to panic, get all rile up. Ya start feelin’ sorry for yourselves ‘cuz somethin’ didn’t go exactly how ya wanted it. For me, ‘dare to dream’ became a rather unhealthy obsession, my own mechanism to throw shade at everyone else ‘cuz I wasn’t havin’ the successes I wanted. Yet through hell and back, trainin’ with Rob and listenin’ to l’il AJ’s warnings about him, I took away one very big thing.
It taught me to see what this gig SHOULD be really all about…”
Later that same Monday, JJ found himself sitting in a chair outside one of the Academy’s two rings and watching a live sparring session. This was the “fun part” of running a wrestling school, a type of ritual that he loved with all of his heart. JJ was more “hands-off” on his approach to training people; he often took detailed notes, critiquing mistakes constructively while praising the moments in which he liked.
He kept a calm demeanor about him, only becoming stern when he needed to be that way. He wanted the recruits to have their moment, their time in the spotlight. Yet deep down in his soul, JJ’s story was perhaps a cautionary tale, a reminder to not turn the desire for success into an unhealthy obsession like he once did. Taking a deep breath, the Islander alum took some time to look up from his notes and gaze at the large Texas state flag that hung proudly from the school’s ceiling.
As he meditated on that Lone Star, a thought had crossed his mind...
“It oughta be about cultivatin’ a future, makin’ new stars and stuff like that.
About teachin’ people that there’s so much more to this life than just belts or plaques.
That’s why Fi and I got the ball rollin’ on the Academy and, later on, Retro. ‘Cuz the truth is...ya don’t know how much time you’ve got left on this earth. It only takes one moment, one lapse, and your life will be over in a snap. That ain’t grandstandin’, dudes – that’s just how the world operates. Nothin’ is all rainbows and sunshine when it comes to makin’ a livin’, be it wrestlin’ or basket weavin’.
This world is a mean, vicious, and nasty place to be – and you’re gonna be the crap kicked outta you a ton.
I don’t care how tough-minded you THINK you are, you’re gonna take more hits than dish ‘em out, lose more than win. When I step into that ring against the other 29 of youse, I feel the same bit of vibe as I’ve always had facin’ a Warren Kane, Angel Blake, or whoever’s stood across from me. I’ll get hit so hard that every part of my body, down to the bone, is so sore I can’t move no more.
Sometimes I pray that the other guy hits me in the head so hard, I can’t feel nothin’!
Then, there’s that other side – the one that ain’t so scary.
It beckons you to get your happy ass back up after you’ve been knocked down!
That’s what wrestlin’ SHOULD be all about! That’s what the Roulette means, for it ain’t the end of a journey. Rather...it’s the beginnin’ of somethin’ special – and believe me, the best is yet to come! Immortality ain’t achieve by how many things you can stuff into a trophy case; it’s about the challenges and struggles you face every day, takin’ on the alphas that wanna make you fall in line or else!
That’s what ‘dare to dream’ TRULY represents!
Pretty soon...you’re gonna stand up, bare it all in front of the world, and tell those who’ve hated on you ‘HEY! This is me – and THIS is what I see!!’ Young and young at heart, old stars and new stars...you want that shot at immortality?! You want that shot at bein’ a Champion on the biggest stage of ‘em all?! All I’m gonna say is that I’ve got two words for ya…”
...that the State of Texas was the place that JJ’s journey truly began.
He celebrated his first singles title in Houston. He won his first Men’s World title in Fair Park. The Roulette was fast approaching, but in his mind...he wasn’t dead set on winning it. Instead, he used the time to remind his class that, indeed, not everybody gets to win a title or trophy. Yet he also reminded them that it was their chance to achieve a success that was greater than anything that could be placed into a trophy case for all the world to see.
Passion, courage, devotion.
Those were the hallmarks of a true champion.
“EARN IT!”
---
WORD COUNT: 932
‘Cuz I know what IWF used to be.
This place used to be about a select few alpha males who had god complexes or threw money around like it was nothin’, who claimed to have everyone’s best interests in mind while usin’ their weight as a license to tear people to shreds. Those who stood in their way were quickly dispatched in the name of ‘survival of the fittest.’ The sad part about this whole saga...was that prior to 2019, I’d often find myself thinkin’ about bein’ one of those roided-up bullies, hopin’ that would pave the way to what I’ve got right now.
I wanted to be like a Spike Kane or Roberto Verona.
Sheesh...I even had a mouthpiece speakin’ for me and a guard to boot.
You dudes in the Roulette know that feelin’, right?! You know the feelin’ ya get whenever ya feel like you’re goin’ nowhere. Ya start to panic, get all rile up. Ya start feelin’ sorry for yourselves ‘cuz somethin’ didn’t go exactly how ya wanted it. For me, ‘dare to dream’ became a rather unhealthy obsession, my own mechanism to throw shade at everyone else ‘cuz I wasn’t havin’ the successes I wanted. Yet through hell and back, trainin’ with Rob and listenin’ to l’il AJ’s warnings about him, I took away one very big thing.
It taught me to see what this gig SHOULD be really all about…”
Later that same Monday, JJ found himself sitting in a chair outside one of the Academy’s two rings and watching a live sparring session. This was the “fun part” of running a wrestling school, a type of ritual that he loved with all of his heart. JJ was more “hands-off” on his approach to training people; he often took detailed notes, critiquing mistakes constructively while praising the moments in which he liked.
He kept a calm demeanor about him, only becoming stern when he needed to be that way. He wanted the recruits to have their moment, their time in the spotlight. Yet deep down in his soul, JJ’s story was perhaps a cautionary tale, a reminder to not turn the desire for success into an unhealthy obsession like he once did. Taking a deep breath, the Islander alum took some time to look up from his notes and gaze at the large Texas state flag that hung proudly from the school’s ceiling.
As he meditated on that Lone Star, a thought had crossed his mind...
“It oughta be about cultivatin’ a future, makin’ new stars and stuff like that.
About teachin’ people that there’s so much more to this life than just belts or plaques.
That’s why Fi and I got the ball rollin’ on the Academy and, later on, Retro. ‘Cuz the truth is...ya don’t know how much time you’ve got left on this earth. It only takes one moment, one lapse, and your life will be over in a snap. That ain’t grandstandin’, dudes – that’s just how the world operates. Nothin’ is all rainbows and sunshine when it comes to makin’ a livin’, be it wrestlin’ or basket weavin’.
This world is a mean, vicious, and nasty place to be – and you’re gonna be the crap kicked outta you a ton.
I don’t care how tough-minded you THINK you are, you’re gonna take more hits than dish ‘em out, lose more than win. When I step into that ring against the other 29 of youse, I feel the same bit of vibe as I’ve always had facin’ a Warren Kane, Angel Blake, or whoever’s stood across from me. I’ll get hit so hard that every part of my body, down to the bone, is so sore I can’t move no more.
Sometimes I pray that the other guy hits me in the head so hard, I can’t feel nothin’!
Then, there’s that other side – the one that ain’t so scary.
It beckons you to get your happy ass back up after you’ve been knocked down!
That’s what wrestlin’ SHOULD be all about! That’s what the Roulette means, for it ain’t the end of a journey. Rather...it’s the beginnin’ of somethin’ special – and believe me, the best is yet to come! Immortality ain’t achieve by how many things you can stuff into a trophy case; it’s about the challenges and struggles you face every day, takin’ on the alphas that wanna make you fall in line or else!
That’s what ‘dare to dream’ TRULY represents!
Pretty soon...you’re gonna stand up, bare it all in front of the world, and tell those who’ve hated on you ‘HEY! This is me – and THIS is what I see!!’ Young and young at heart, old stars and new stars...you want that shot at immortality?! You want that shot at bein’ a Champion on the biggest stage of ‘em all?! All I’m gonna say is that I’ve got two words for ya…”
...that the State of Texas was the place that JJ’s journey truly began.
He celebrated his first singles title in Houston. He won his first Men’s World title in Fair Park. The Roulette was fast approaching, but in his mind...he wasn’t dead set on winning it. Instead, he used the time to remind his class that, indeed, not everybody gets to win a title or trophy. Yet he also reminded them that it was their chance to achieve a success that was greater than anything that could be placed into a trophy case for all the world to see.
Passion, courage, devotion.
Those were the hallmarks of a true champion.
“EARN IT!”
---
WORD COUNT: 932
Well howdy there pardner.