Post by Patrick Jones on Jan 31, 2016 23:59:59 GMT -6
Purpose is something every single person either is searching for or has found. Or maybe they have just found what they think is their purpose. Trying to ignore the ambiguity about “knowing” anything as ethereal and intangible as a person’s purpose, the important information bears itself out in that no one is doing ANYTHING without reason. One of the keynote oddities about that purpose is that even if it is misguided and ill-aimed, the impact can be quite awe-inspiring, good or bad. A vehicle on the edge of losing control is often the fastest in a race, but losing control at that point is catastrophic.
People, as vessels of their own causes, are the same way. The moments with the most positive, in terms of reaching the desired goal whatever the morality of that end, impact are often just before the train derails and ends up as a hulking pile of wreckage. Those who have a tenuous connection with reality thus become a double edged sword. They are inherently in a position to have the most effect while also being predisposed to losing control the easiest. Thankfully for the ones with full control of their mental capacities the shoe-string hold on reality causes alliances between individuals riding the edge of insanity to inevitably falter. Of course, that waiting game is a bit like praying the executioner has a stroke before he can flip the switch to end your life.
This situation has come to life in VoW as the ChaosSworn have swept upon the wrestling promotion promising to be some new beginning through destruction of the old, corrupt ways or some other ideology that screams of desperation for attention. In a business full of men and women claiming similar causes, the duo has claimed the proverbial scalps of 4 women even if the latest duo was technically victorious in the match. Unlike many claims of progress through defeat, ChaosSworn does have a legitimate argument due to how they dismantled the Neon Babes before crossing the line and being disqualified.
War and Death’s mission has only had one setback since coming out of the shadows and into the light. It came in one of the most surprising yet fitting ways possible. Patrick Jones, who actually then lost to Nicole Evans who ChaosSworn would allow to become #1 contender for the Twin City Championship by walloping her partner with a chair, somehow found a way to defeat the Warchild in her coming out party. Inevitably, his defiance earned the man a place in the cross-hairs of the destructive duo. Is the 8-16-1 Jones supposed to somehow captain the forces that defend VoW? That surely seems to be a dangerous proposition for the future of the company. And how would Jones be getting ready for this great battle?
“When you gonna wake up and fight…for yourself?!”
Unfortunately for anyone who might be near him on the beach, PJ is singing. Even worse, he’s singing loudly. For all of his talents in the ring, Jones has an equal deficit in the vocal department. The poor pitch control may not be the leading reason his normally present friends have been otherwise occupied, but they would likely all say getting away from his musical attempts is certainly a bonus. Whether coincidental or due to his voice, the surrounding area is almost entirely empty.
Jones is laid out on long wooden beach chair in a pair of simple blue board shorts and a pair of sporty Oakley sunglasses. The music is provided by a pair of earbuds running from the phone on his stomach to his ears. His eyes are closed, enjoying the mild weather with mostly clear skies. The previous song, “Sound of Madness” by Shinedown had ended but is quickly replaced by a familiar but long unheard guitar riff. PJ starts to nod his head while his smile widens.
“I’m not list…”
Unfortunately for Jones, the song audio is interrupted by his dinging text notification. He pulls the earbuds from his ears, realizing that it has been a while since he checked out the surroundings. The phone is removed from his stomach to check what message had just come through, but a faint outline can be seen where the skin under the phone was protected from the sun’s rays. Patrick shakes his head at the slightly paler rectangle on his stomach.
“Never been a fan of sunscreen. Maybe I should have used some. Will it be gone by next Thursday?”
The question to no one but himself goes unanswered. Talking to yourself is one thing, but to answer one’s own questions brings an individual’s sanity under scrutiny. With is focus back on the screen, his eyebrows furrow slightly in a mixture of confusion and…something else. Distrust maybe? The sunglasses hide the exact nature of his facial expression caused by the words he reads aloud to himself.
“Charter flight. Meet at main desk of Orlando International Saturday at 4:00 PM.”
Scrutinizing the number, Jones racks his brain for someone who might be relaying the information without being a saved contact. When none come to mind, he shrugs. Could Owen have sorted out the flight as a show of good faith? Shrugging, PJ accepts that as the most likely explanation before typing his reply.
“Thanks.”
He had considered adding “dude” or “partner,” but the possibility this was just someone new in VoW’s logistics department causes him to leave the response ambiguous. It probably was someone with VoW since the flight was being chartered. Surely Owen hadn’t ponied up for a nearly private flight, much less to cover his partner for the week’s share. Or maybe he was going to bill PJ later. Getting charged for something you did not plan would probably not do much for the whole team building thing, so surely Gonsalves was not that short-sighted. Whatever the case, the sun is high in the sky at noon, so Patrick has 4 hours to change and make the short drive to the airport. Until then, it is back to driving away any other beach-goers with his awful pitch control.
Sliding the earbuds back into his ears brings the disappointment of having entirely missed the song that was interrupted. For a moment, he just lets the song currently playing go, but an urge causes him to restart the previous track. Again, the driving electric guitar kicks in and gets his head going before the lyrics start.
“I’m not listening, not anymore. The more I learn, the more I ignore. I’m not listening, not anymore…”
As Jones goes on butchering “Not Listening” by Papa Roach, he really gets into the song. That fact does not improve his vocal abilities in the slightest, but even with the sunglasses, a passion can be seen from the way his head bobs and his right leg starts to move up and down with his tapping foot. The song does have strong ties to Jones and his wrestling career since it was his first theme when he really broke through for TEW all those years ago. It seems not that long ago, but 7 years have passed since he got the first taste of the big time in this industry in 2009.
Jones has always taken his entrance music very seriously, thus having only used 4 song since then. “Not Listening” was replaced by “Save Me” from Burn Halo (which had actually been his theme prior to TEW) before moving on to Rev Theory’s “Wanted Man” until “I Won’t Back Down” represented a rebirth during the move from NEW to VoW. Each track has fit how Jones feels best describes him and his career.
To start with the one currently making him rock out on a beach in Orlando, it essentially came down to the fact that he was about to embark on a major step up in competition. The nay-sayers had said he was a big fish in a small pond elsewhere, but Jones was done putting up with the negativity. The lines from the second verse that state, “I walk my own path and blaze my own trail because I’m not afraid to derail,” mirrored his determination to do things his way.
However, his self-assuredness had faltered a bit. “Save Me” spoke to him in a new way. It was still about being strong in who you are but with a twinge of self-doubt with the lyrics, “I think it’s time for me to come back down. I think it’s time for me to stand my ground. I don’t know where to begin. I hope it’s not too late.” His foundation was a bit rocked due to major life and career events, but it would not crumble.
The song that most fans recognize as signaling his appearance was a departure from the first two. “Wanted Man” paints the picture of a troubled man (“Head down on a pillar of concrete, I won’t rest in peace either way.”) who is probably at odds with society as a whole. However, to PJ, the meaning came through a bit differently. The song talks of being “On the wrong side of a bullet” and that the subject “Won’t ever belong,” but it never actually points to the song’s protagonist as being the one causing trouble. We just know that the man has “Got blood on my hands” and others “Keep telling me to back down”, but “Won’t do it.” In a world like wrestling where the wicked rule, Jones felt like the outcast who was wanted for his convictions. Especially in NEW where ownership was one of the worst offenders of the attacks on him, the renegade mentality was incredibly accure.
Moving to Visionaries of Wrestling freed him from that role of persecution. He went back to the band Burn Halo with their song “I Won’t Back Down” for obvious reasons. The unwillingness to give in to outside pressure has pervaded his career and his entrance music from the very beginning. The most important part of the track comes with the words “You should’ve killed me faster. You should have watched me die. ‘Cos I’m back now and on the rise.” For a man who had fallen a ways in NEW, Patrick Jones saw VoW as his chance to return to a higher place in wrestling. A small stepping stone in that goal was reached at Fate of the Gods when he won the Zero Gravity championship from the future Visionary Champion Ziu Zhong. Since then a major, possibly the worst of his career, slump has overtaken Jones. However, the mantra of not backing down has never wavered. That motto served him well at the 37th edition of Breakthrough when he defeated the aforementioned Joanna Thade to end an ugly losing streak. Now, War and Chaos would get their chance to avenge that loss at Double Jeopardy. Meanwhile, PJ has to meet up with his partner to even get to Puerto Rico for the event.
“Stupid traffic.”
Jones angrily mutters to himself while sitting in the bumper to bumper logjam of automobiles. The airport was apparently busy on this Saturday night. Or something else was happening nearby that was affecting traffic to the travel hub. Either way, the dashboard clock was already reading 3:55 PM. Even if he was parking, Patrick would likely be late to meet whoever had sent him the text, who he still strongly suspects is Owen. Thankfully, a break appears in the cars, allowing Jones to slip his dinky compact rental car though and into a more quickly moving lane, following the exit signs for the rental car hub. As he pulls into the drop-off location, Jones glances at the clock again, a bit of anxiety on his face.
The time has moved by even faster than he presumed with the display showing 4:03 PM. With an exasperated sigh, PJ grabs his suitcase from the backseat and starts to hurriedly walk towards the main entrance. As he basically bursts through the doors, he immediately spots Owen and moves toward him. Gonsalves may not be the most impressive physically in a wrestling locker room, but like any other professional athlete, a certain presence surrounds him and makes him easy to spot in a crowd.
“Hey, Owen, sorry for being la…”
His apology is cut off by a whirling Gonsalves who looks none-too-happy.
“How can you be late to something YOU scheduled?! You’re…11 minutes late. Where are the boarding passes? When does our flight actually leave? Get us good seats?”
The displeased flurry is doubly confusing for PJ since the questions do not make any sense to him.
“Whoa, whoa, what?! YOU texted me about the flight.”
Owen’s expression goes from frustrated and annoyed to one of shock.
“I did no such thing. I got a text earlier today saying to meet here at 4 PM for a chartered flight. I obviously didn’t text myself, so who else does that le…”
“Nephew, stop shouting. You want to say you will control yourself in the ring better, but I see no control now. Good. You should learn to follow your emotions like you used to.”
Owen’s eyes widen as the recognized voice comes from over PJ’s shoulder. Jones turns his head, confused, before recoiling slightly while his face scrunches up leading him to exclaim about the man’s odor.
“Dude, you reek. Did you BATHE in whiskey?”
Owen sighs and adds his opinion.
“Probably. And I’m assuming you somehow set this up, Goldie? Didn’t I tell you to stay away?”
“Owen, Owen, Owen, when have I ever led you astray?”
Owen’s head drops while slowly moving back and forth instead of giving the question a verbal answer. Jones is left even more confused than before. These circumstances certainly do not seem like the beginnings of success, especially against a tandem so used to working together. Maybe now is a good time for PJ to stop listening anymore…
