Post by James Gilmore on Mar 19, 2022 19:36:59 GMT
“Yeah, that’s right...I said ‘earn it.’
I don’t say those words simply as a professional wrestler or even a trainer. I say those words as a proud father, one of many whose mission in life is to become a mentor, a guide to our children. Yet eventually, our kiddoes are gonna wind up goin’ through school and makin’ it out on their own two feet. It don’t take a rocket scientist for ANYONE to understand that growth is just a part of this life we live.
Imperial, with its colorful cast of characters, is like a kid at heart.
Yet the truth is, IWF can’t stay the same forever. We need fresh faces, even if they come from places that our outside our l’il bubble. So when I hear someone like Dean Harper runnin’ his mouth about how certain members of our roster, the Alek Bronsons or Nick Dangers, would rather allow ‘outsiders’ to push for our company’s titles instead of competin’ for belts themselves?! When I hear him hear him talkin’ about bein’ realistic, that makes me wanna remind everyone on the planet of the ‘other side’ or bein’ real.
The side that Dean doesn’t wanna mention.
Let’s assume that Alek or Nick does win the Roulette, then what?! They’ll get the shot at Wraith at Night of the Immortals or whoever’s champ by then, but does that mean that they’re gonna win it all right off the bat!?! Hell no...’cuz even Warren understands the brutal truth, that this ain’t no 80s action flick. Sometimes, the underdog doesn’t get to have the big win that he’s searchin’ for! Some wrestlers make it through their entire careers without winnin’ the big one, but ya know what?!
Havin’ somethin’ to add to a trophy case is great and all that mess.
But it should NEVER define who you are as a man, as a human bein’.
I look at these ‘outsiders’ – the Jason Cashes, Declan O’Connors, or the Matt Knoxes – in the same way I look at a Leo Hemmingway or Jason Williams. Those guys are the future stars of this industry, the men who will usher in a new wave of professional wrestling for years to come. The Roulette is THEIR platform, THEIR moment, to go out and prove themselves against the likes of a James Gilmore, Warren Kane, or Dean Harper. They might win a title right away, they might not have a trophy case at all, but when ya think about it in retrospect?!
Their impact on this profession will be far greater than simply holdin’ a piece of gold…”
Long after the Academy’s doors were closed for the night, JJ stood silently in his office. He shed a tear or two as he peered his eyes upon a large photograph, dating back to September 2020, that hung on his wall. As he stared the mugs of himself, Steve Awesome, Fiona McFly, and Rob Diamond – with the Cotton Bowl as a backdrop – holding onto their official World title replicas, a realization dawned upon him.
This was where he came from, what it took to get him to this point.
Yet as much as he loved Rob like a brother, JJ had to move on with his life -- scars and all. The Islander alum panned his vision towards his iPhone, where he took a picture of his twin children Luke and Leia. Now ten months old, the two were learning how to stand on their own two feet. Yet they couldn’t walk just yet, but at that moment...he realized that they were growing up right in front of his eyes.
He was at peace with who he had become from the days of Being Infamous.
“That’s what ‘dare to dream’ means to me.
The titles, the awards...I ain’t lettin’ those things define who I am. Spottin’ future talent like a JC Keeton or Caroline Machado?! That’s my purpose now, my reason for puttin’ myself through the fires of hell and back. When the alphas come in and tell ya that you ain’t good enough, that ya ain’t mentally capable of bein’ the best in the IWF after comin’ from some indy promotion?! This is your time to tell ‘em in one loud voice:
SCREW YOU!
I AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE!!!
The point is, dudes...we ALL gotta get our start from somewhere, even if that start comes from somewhere outta our own l’il world. Now...we’re on the same boat. I bounced around in the indies before joinin’ Imperial in 2016, and lookin’ back at it...I made the wisest choice to stay despite the alpha males tellin’ me I didn’t belong, that I was pathetic. I got my big break here, I won my titles here, but more importantly...I had the honor of meetin’ some good friends and takin’ on some powerful foes.
To all the stars in this Roulette – young and young at heart, new and old – I say to you right now.
The Roulette is your chance to become a big star, a household name. This is your shot, your opportunity, to EARN your place in the history books. If ya don’t win it all right away, just remember this one thing – that while it’s easy to get riled up or somethin’ that doesn’t go your way, the real task is to see what lies ahead of you. It’s every man for himself out there, but at the end of the night?!
No shortcuts, no bullshit.
No easy way out.
You’re gonna have to EARN your chance to be immortal!
Ya gotta live for yourself ‘cuz ya gotta live WITH yourself. If you’re a newcomer and thinkin’ about leavin’ IWF after the Roulette, DON’T -- I hope you stick around and keep fightin’ to make this company the greatest professional wrestling company in the world. If you’re a seasoned veteran...then batten down the hatches and hold on tight! ‘Cuz you will be made, you will be measured, and you will be left…
...SHELL-SHOCKED!!!”
---
WORD COUNT (via LibreOffice): 993
I don’t say those words simply as a professional wrestler or even a trainer. I say those words as a proud father, one of many whose mission in life is to become a mentor, a guide to our children. Yet eventually, our kiddoes are gonna wind up goin’ through school and makin’ it out on their own two feet. It don’t take a rocket scientist for ANYONE to understand that growth is just a part of this life we live.
Imperial, with its colorful cast of characters, is like a kid at heart.
Yet the truth is, IWF can’t stay the same forever. We need fresh faces, even if they come from places that our outside our l’il bubble. So when I hear someone like Dean Harper runnin’ his mouth about how certain members of our roster, the Alek Bronsons or Nick Dangers, would rather allow ‘outsiders’ to push for our company’s titles instead of competin’ for belts themselves?! When I hear him hear him talkin’ about bein’ realistic, that makes me wanna remind everyone on the planet of the ‘other side’ or bein’ real.
The side that Dean doesn’t wanna mention.
Let’s assume that Alek or Nick does win the Roulette, then what?! They’ll get the shot at Wraith at Night of the Immortals or whoever’s champ by then, but does that mean that they’re gonna win it all right off the bat!?! Hell no...’cuz even Warren understands the brutal truth, that this ain’t no 80s action flick. Sometimes, the underdog doesn’t get to have the big win that he’s searchin’ for! Some wrestlers make it through their entire careers without winnin’ the big one, but ya know what?!
Havin’ somethin’ to add to a trophy case is great and all that mess.
But it should NEVER define who you are as a man, as a human bein’.
I look at these ‘outsiders’ – the Jason Cashes, Declan O’Connors, or the Matt Knoxes – in the same way I look at a Leo Hemmingway or Jason Williams. Those guys are the future stars of this industry, the men who will usher in a new wave of professional wrestling for years to come. The Roulette is THEIR platform, THEIR moment, to go out and prove themselves against the likes of a James Gilmore, Warren Kane, or Dean Harper. They might win a title right away, they might not have a trophy case at all, but when ya think about it in retrospect?!
Their impact on this profession will be far greater than simply holdin’ a piece of gold…”
Long after the Academy’s doors were closed for the night, JJ stood silently in his office. He shed a tear or two as he peered his eyes upon a large photograph, dating back to September 2020, that hung on his wall. As he stared the mugs of himself, Steve Awesome, Fiona McFly, and Rob Diamond – with the Cotton Bowl as a backdrop – holding onto their official World title replicas, a realization dawned upon him.
This was where he came from, what it took to get him to this point.
Yet as much as he loved Rob like a brother, JJ had to move on with his life -- scars and all. The Islander alum panned his vision towards his iPhone, where he took a picture of his twin children Luke and Leia. Now ten months old, the two were learning how to stand on their own two feet. Yet they couldn’t walk just yet, but at that moment...he realized that they were growing up right in front of his eyes.
He was at peace with who he had become from the days of Being Infamous.
“That’s what ‘dare to dream’ means to me.
The titles, the awards...I ain’t lettin’ those things define who I am. Spottin’ future talent like a JC Keeton or Caroline Machado?! That’s my purpose now, my reason for puttin’ myself through the fires of hell and back. When the alphas come in and tell ya that you ain’t good enough, that ya ain’t mentally capable of bein’ the best in the IWF after comin’ from some indy promotion?! This is your time to tell ‘em in one loud voice:
SCREW YOU!
I AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE!!!
The point is, dudes...we ALL gotta get our start from somewhere, even if that start comes from somewhere outta our own l’il world. Now...we’re on the same boat. I bounced around in the indies before joinin’ Imperial in 2016, and lookin’ back at it...I made the wisest choice to stay despite the alpha males tellin’ me I didn’t belong, that I was pathetic. I got my big break here, I won my titles here, but more importantly...I had the honor of meetin’ some good friends and takin’ on some powerful foes.
To all the stars in this Roulette – young and young at heart, new and old – I say to you right now.
The Roulette is your chance to become a big star, a household name. This is your shot, your opportunity, to EARN your place in the history books. If ya don’t win it all right away, just remember this one thing – that while it’s easy to get riled up or somethin’ that doesn’t go your way, the real task is to see what lies ahead of you. It’s every man for himself out there, but at the end of the night?!
No shortcuts, no bullshit.
No easy way out.
You’re gonna have to EARN your chance to be immortal!
Ya gotta live for yourself ‘cuz ya gotta live WITH yourself. If you’re a newcomer and thinkin’ about leavin’ IWF after the Roulette, DON’T -- I hope you stick around and keep fightin’ to make this company the greatest professional wrestling company in the world. If you’re a seasoned veteran...then batten down the hatches and hold on tight! ‘Cuz you will be made, you will be measured, and you will be left…
...SHELL-SHOCKED!!!”
---
WORD COUNT (via LibreOffice): 993
Well howdy there pardner.