Post by logansky on Mar 17, 2024 20:14:14 GMT
“It all started about 40 years ago. I wasn’t big in the wrestling scene, but we’d have big guys come through. Stars. They’d show back up at the promotions they started at. Give some love to where they’d come from. Go out, wrestle a match in front of the folks that have been with em since day one. Then, afterwards, they’d party with the boys.”
He grips his hands tight, staring down at the calluses on his knuckles. Examining the rough shape he had put them in.
“Then I was using it even without parties. Then I was using it everyday. I first got an inkling that there might have been a problem with my first knee injury.”
He resisted the desire to rub the offending limb. Thinking back on what happened always made it twinge.
“I was so high that I didn’t land a fall right and tweaked it. Ordinarily something to work around. But I had so much painkillers in me already that I didn’t even know how bad I was hurt. I just wrestled through it. Didn’t even realize how bad it was when I went to stand up after the finish and my leg couldn’t support me. Turns out I tore my ACL. Had to get married in a wheelchair.”
He shook his head, suppressing the pain in his chest.
“Course then the doc was giving me the pills. Much as I could handle. I told myself that once I was healed up I was done with it. But we know how that goes. I just kept taking the pills. I didn’t get serious about trying to sober up until my daughter was born. She is the light of my life and as soon as I looked down at her precious face I knew I had to do better. So I made a promise to her I was gonna get clean.”
He stares down at the floor in front of him, falling silent for a long moment.
“That was the first promise to her I broke. It wasn’t the last one. I lasted 4 months, trying it on my own. But my wife and I weren’t on great terms. I was starting to pick up steam. Had some companies interested. Had a chance to earn some good money. But it meant traveling. Leaving her at home with the baby. She wanted me to pick up a job, just to help out. She hadn’t started hating my job yet. But I was either away from my family, or when I was home my wife and I weren’t talking. So I started using again. I needed that numbness it gave me.”
________________________________
The scene opens up on Logan finishing a set of Dumbbell presses. He lets out a final gasp of breath as he wraps up and pulls himself into a sitting position. He rests the weight on his knees, leaning forward as the camera pans around to face his face.
“Another night, another lost. Most men might let that eat at them. Most might consume themselves with self doubt. They might start questioning if they can even do it anymore.”
Logan shakes his head.
“Every loss is an opportunity. It is a moment for growth. Struggle breeds success. I am not most men. You want to know why they call me The Machine? It’s not because I can go as long in the ring as I want to. It’s not because I’m still pushing men to their limit in my 50s. Though both of those are true.”
He exhales a breath and rolls his shoulders.
“It’s because I keep on trucking. No matter the adversity I face. It doesn’t matter if my streak is winning or losing. Every time you step in the ring with me you are in for the fight of your life. Win or Lose I take my licks, I learn my lessons, and I keep on pushing forward. Going till the wheels fall off.”
He falls back onto the bench, hefting the weights in his hand and starts running through a set, his breath hissing out on each down swing of the weights.
“Can’t stop won’t stop, as the 20 somethings might say in their youth.”
He pauses, focusing harder on pushing the weight up from his chest.
“Speaking of, next I face off against J TV."
Red faced, arms shaking he pushes the weights up a final time before letting them fall to the side. He lays there for a moment, catching his breath before he inhales deeply and curls himself back up to a seated position.
“Kid, you seem stuck in the 90s. And an old fossil like myself can understand that. It was the golden era of our sport. We were on the top of the world back then. The perfect storm of frustration, spectacle, and violence to ease into the hearts and minds of everyone. But son…”
He shakes his head.
“That was 30 years ago. It’s time to move on. And while an old dinosaur like me might be set in some of his ways, the Machine keeps on trucking. My prime may be long behind me but I am still here and still ready to fight. You might look past me. You might think this is an easy win for you. But nothing is easy when you get in the ring with me. I have a hell of a lot to prove to people better than you could ever hope to be. Prove why maybe I didn’t throw my life away. So you best come ready. Cause this might be TV but we don’t have stunt doubles and when I hit you in the face you are damn sure gonna feel it.”
The shot fades out as Logan leans forward with his arms resting on his knees.
He grips his hands tight, staring down at the calluses on his knuckles. Examining the rough shape he had put them in.
“Then I was using it even without parties. Then I was using it everyday. I first got an inkling that there might have been a problem with my first knee injury.”
He resisted the desire to rub the offending limb. Thinking back on what happened always made it twinge.
“I was so high that I didn’t land a fall right and tweaked it. Ordinarily something to work around. But I had so much painkillers in me already that I didn’t even know how bad I was hurt. I just wrestled through it. Didn’t even realize how bad it was when I went to stand up after the finish and my leg couldn’t support me. Turns out I tore my ACL. Had to get married in a wheelchair.”
He shook his head, suppressing the pain in his chest.
“Course then the doc was giving me the pills. Much as I could handle. I told myself that once I was healed up I was done with it. But we know how that goes. I just kept taking the pills. I didn’t get serious about trying to sober up until my daughter was born. She is the light of my life and as soon as I looked down at her precious face I knew I had to do better. So I made a promise to her I was gonna get clean.”
He stares down at the floor in front of him, falling silent for a long moment.
“That was the first promise to her I broke. It wasn’t the last one. I lasted 4 months, trying it on my own. But my wife and I weren’t on great terms. I was starting to pick up steam. Had some companies interested. Had a chance to earn some good money. But it meant traveling. Leaving her at home with the baby. She wanted me to pick up a job, just to help out. She hadn’t started hating my job yet. But I was either away from my family, or when I was home my wife and I weren’t talking. So I started using again. I needed that numbness it gave me.”
________________________________
The scene opens up on Logan finishing a set of Dumbbell presses. He lets out a final gasp of breath as he wraps up and pulls himself into a sitting position. He rests the weight on his knees, leaning forward as the camera pans around to face his face.
“Another night, another lost. Most men might let that eat at them. Most might consume themselves with self doubt. They might start questioning if they can even do it anymore.”
Logan shakes his head.
“Every loss is an opportunity. It is a moment for growth. Struggle breeds success. I am not most men. You want to know why they call me The Machine? It’s not because I can go as long in the ring as I want to. It’s not because I’m still pushing men to their limit in my 50s. Though both of those are true.”
He exhales a breath and rolls his shoulders.
“It’s because I keep on trucking. No matter the adversity I face. It doesn’t matter if my streak is winning or losing. Every time you step in the ring with me you are in for the fight of your life. Win or Lose I take my licks, I learn my lessons, and I keep on pushing forward. Going till the wheels fall off.”
He falls back onto the bench, hefting the weights in his hand and starts running through a set, his breath hissing out on each down swing of the weights.
“Can’t stop won’t stop, as the 20 somethings might say in their youth.”
He pauses, focusing harder on pushing the weight up from his chest.
“Speaking of, next I face off against J TV."
Red faced, arms shaking he pushes the weights up a final time before letting them fall to the side. He lays there for a moment, catching his breath before he inhales deeply and curls himself back up to a seated position.
“Kid, you seem stuck in the 90s. And an old fossil like myself can understand that. It was the golden era of our sport. We were on the top of the world back then. The perfect storm of frustration, spectacle, and violence to ease into the hearts and minds of everyone. But son…”
He shakes his head.
“That was 30 years ago. It’s time to move on. And while an old dinosaur like me might be set in some of his ways, the Machine keeps on trucking. My prime may be long behind me but I am still here and still ready to fight. You might look past me. You might think this is an easy win for you. But nothing is easy when you get in the ring with me. I have a hell of a lot to prove to people better than you could ever hope to be. Prove why maybe I didn’t throw my life away. So you best come ready. Cause this might be TV but we don’t have stunt doubles and when I hit you in the face you are damn sure gonna feel it.”
The shot fades out as Logan leans forward with his arms resting on his knees.
Well howdy there pardner.