Valquist: Simplicity

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When you live standing opposite a sword, there's a day when we all fall and feel the sharp slice rip through flesh. We all die in its image.

Death though was only the beginning. A long road of penance and perseverance waits, without the guarantee of rebirth. In defining moments remembered or forgotten when we are tested to our absolute limit, eventually toppling and conceding under the weight of our actions, the trueness of man unveils.

What must be asked is what you see beyond the veil of our buried horizon. The mantle was born to honour the actions of the valiant past, and ultimately, to eclipse and prosper. To see the good in all men, to stay rooted in the right light. Reclamation of the Infinite vision.

A new Valquist rises, and there is only one requirement. No half measures.

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Should these words ever reach the public eye, then all will be revealed of who I once was, and the man I became. Gifted an opportunity to travel the world with a World Champion, The Valquist, my very existence changed. A rapid rise and a quick demise saw one Valquist eventually buried alive by the wrestling federation that had grown fond to his heart, but it would not be the end for the famed name. Val and his brother Isis, they both kept diaries detailing their lives in professional wrestling, and I will be no different. This is a story of finding purpose and continuing a great legacy, and adorning the principles of Full Measures. These words once belonged just to me, but now they belong to all of you.

After a spell of nine months removed from the Visionaries of Wrestling, a new Valquist rose, returning at Heatstroke 2016 against Kincaid. After a month of trying to pursued Kincaid to accept the offer of the match, Val turned to management to escape the darkness of his eternal sleep. Val was granted his match with Kincaid, and was victorious in just a matter of minutes, downing Kincaid with the Whirlwind. Now, removed from a night to prosper, Valquist celebrates his return to in-ring competition at Breakthrough 50, VoW’s milestone broadcast, against the third Quest for the Case winner, Datura. 

I’m a little lost for words. This transition from man to myth has left a part of me believing that I do not deserve to be in the position I am. I’m lost to this new reality, because never before has The Valquist ever looked so dominant, not even when holding the Visionaries World Championship. We’ve been told that we are Visionaries under the Stars, and that the platform for Breakthrough 50 is one that might never be eclipsed. Victory over Kincaid, it set a new trend for this path of enlightenment, perhaps an uncompromising affair between Chris McCarthy’s dream and Valquist’s rapid acceleration. Val’s history in VoW was an eternal struggle, one culminating in a brief moment glittered in gold, and then the next painted black, forgotten. As the instigator for change, it felt wrong to adopt anything else other than the struggle, believing that any deviation from a shared principle would be met with failure.

The only pressure to succeed in this new relationship is between me and the ego that now morphs my growing wrestling acumen. Isis Derrida and The Copycat Kid endorsed the move, as did the man himself, but they have lived their entire lives under the shelter of multiple guises and existences. For them, a single wrestling character is just one of many, but for this Brooklyn boy who’s only ever gone by his own name, it’s a big deal. It’s everything. I get that wrestling twitch that makes your body numb before you go out to a live audience, and I appreciate the thrill of the crowd and the love of the game, something that through the veteran tag is occasionally lost to TCK and Derrida. They don’t understand the pressures I face, especially under a moniker where the name Valquist is already associated with gold and synonymous with incredible wrestling matches; they only understand what they want Val to be. World Champion. The real struggle here is in my own humanity between now and that fateful day when my ascension with the name is complete.

This diaries main purpose is to align my focus to the principles of Full Measures, so that everyday whenever I’m struggling, low, and downed in defeat, I can come back these words and remember why they’re so important, and why the insanity of Val’s path of enlightenment is worth my time. The idea of a life of struggle is something a wrestler faces everyday they wake up in the morning, and we all need selling on the idea. This profession, the deeper you go, truly does its best to malign and poison. That’s the flaw of being so heavily invested in your characters and their stories. For loving every aspect of this reality. The struggle begins to hurt and ache, with the pressure never going away. Will they ever trust me? Do they think I’m worth my weight my gold? Is my character just going nowhere, with no hope of rescue? What Val and Isis would say, and what I’d say too is that nothing in life is ever guaranteed. You can fight for something your whole life, and never achieve anything. Life can turn cruel and twisted, without remorse. In the blink of an eye, you go from champion to chump.

Valquist’s story is epitomic of life’s cruelty. We know how he fell, at the hands of Casanova English in a Buried Alive match. He was toppled waving his flag of being a good and righteous man, trampled on by an inferior heel Champion whose main selling point was blowing smoke in your face, and using curse words for dramatic effect. As a reporter, I felt embarrassed that VoW chose a marriage with English over Val. They made the wrong choice in embellishing the bad of English and there was a sense from the very beginning that the end was approaching. Derrida believes I should be anything but there, but Val wouldn’t walk away. He’d rather I walked the path again, and never lose sight of the goal to improve this company. Villains and the terrible people associated with their names come and go, but leaving the right legacy will stick and adopt. Val wanted to be at the top to change the way people approached the ring, improving them as wrestlers, writers, entertainers and people. He really did want a better class of criminal, not the platter of villains and seedy management types that over the course of the last nine months, have settled for second best.

I’m more than just a commentary piece, a passive walkthrough, and the reporter who writes his own fable. I’m not going to allow Datura to sully the path, especially at a milestone show. I saw Kincaid’s star falling, but with Datura I see a star burning brightly. She’s conquered the Quest for the Case as its third victor, and did it in true Olympic style, doing all she could to survive and prosper, and eventually prevailing. She, unlike the Valquist of old, who at times struggled to put away his opponents, managed to prove a winning spirit. I should be scared and respectful, knowing that my opponent is well versed in the ring, dogged and determined, and truly believes in the message they’re fighting for. Datura is primed, just like Ace Watson was, to achieve wonderful things, and that’s where I believe her head will be. She’ll almost definitely fear the myth of The Valquist, even if on paper she appears triumphant. I quickly learnt they all feared Val, that’s why opponents jumped down his throat so fiercely. They didn’t allow him an inch, and went on a destructive path to dismantle Val. It’s all most ever learn in their pursuit to victory, and to me, it’s a well-worn path which unveils weakness in a way that doesn’t need my words.

The past, and the path once walked, it matters. Valquist’s rise and fall and provided for an eternity’s worth of learning towards the shared value of perfection. This mantle isn’t difficult to understand, it’s no joke. It’s a new found winning mentality, with Datura as its second victim. As this stories prophet Datura will learn, just how Valquist did, that the path they walk sometimes meets a foe that is immovable, and more stubborn than them. Valquist is selling simplicity, with the promise of certain victory. That’s all the company needs to know. They don’t need to ever known of the man wearing another’s skin. Life is an array of complexities and strings that tug at one’s heart, but for once the hero has no heart. The hero lacks a very basis in reality, and just as one does when buried, he becomes an erithrial vision that haunts, with their abilities hidden until you experience them for yourself.

Breakthrough 50, a truly special occasion, will feature a special moment. The return of Valquist in the ring. There is no man or woman who embodies the spirit or presence of the word Visionary like the men carrying The Mantle of Full Measures. It will be an honour to make my Breakthrough debut at perhaps its most defining show. Less than two years ago I was sat at home with no job, just a huge hole of University debt, using my free time to report on something that has always been dear to my heart. I was the summation of the common desperation most suffer. Not given opportunity, given nothing to fight for in life, and generally lost amongst the circus of people just trying to make a dime. I craved a future, any future, that would make my life worthwhile, and now I’ve found my moment, there’s no hope for the others in this company to deny me a lifelong dream. You’re looking at the man to beat at the big occasion, at an evening that will define my ambitions to grace Valquist’s name on championship gold. On this day, there will no single measure greater.

Baltimore was quiet tonight, and for the city that coined the US national anthem there was no jubilation on the port town amidst the calming and cool city breezes. The whole place was sombre; it was the perfect place to reflect for the upcoming broadcast of Breakthrough. All of this would soon change when the show kicked off, the calm waters of the Patapsco River that was Chris McCarthy’s view for the evening from his hotel room were a comforting reminder that a great noise was soon coming to the city. Chris entered his hotel room and dumped his bag to the side of his bed, the work on his physical conditioning was endless, yet he enjoyed feeling accomplished with what he was building. Nothing had changed except one small detail…a brown envelope placed noticeably on the middle of his bed with the message ‘all looks are deceiving’ written on the front in black pen. Chris knew exactly what this was, his dossier, his next assignment, the tale of the tape for his next opponent. 

The desire to learn and prepare was now a pre-requisite of Isis Derrida’s oversight of his wrestling activities. Chris understood the need for Isis to be constantly prepared for any situation, in his affiliate’s former life as a lawyer preparation was essential to tasting victory. Being studied, learned, and willing to broaden your horizons was now expected to be a normal behavioural attitude, fine tuning the mind was most of the battle. Each time a new opponent would come to cross the mantle of Valquist a dossier would appear with the essentials. This was the reality of real wrestlers; the hard work that defined them was as much in the fine print as it was being in the moment, perfection was never achieved by just winging it. Chris got comfortable on the bed and opened the envelope, pulling out five sheets of paper all neatly stapled together. Going through the back of his mind when he saw the photo of Datura staring back at him he got a glimpse into The Copycat Kid’s way of life, the veteran was a reliable source of wisdom because for a living he dissected the fine print of life, people, motivations, patterns, weaknesses, strengths, and anything deemed to be relevant. TCK was a serial planner; his gift to Chris was this knowledge, no matter how sociopathic or obsessive it was. Each page of the dossier was filled with facts, photos, and analysis on his upcoming opponent; it did make him wonder as to the nature of TCK.

“For years I always wondered if he ever had a real name.” Chris mumbled as he quickly flicked though the pages carefully constructed by his mentor, he wasn’t surprised by the level of detail he must have gone into to complete this report. Getting into the skin of others is exactly what the Copycat does best; he was an idol to be admired by Chris for this reason. TCK was a character first and foremost; he lived and breathed acquiring new identity.   

Chris knew that whatever he would read on this dossier would have been reliable information; he trusted TCK’s judgement on these matters above anyone else, perhaps even more so than Isis. As a journalist he appreciated the written art form, Chris quantified words better than most, and for this he was grateful. He started reading the dossier with an open mind, he felt strangely alive and thrilled. In TV and films dossiers were given to assassins working to a contract, and in more ways than one there was very little difference about the way in which he was operating. The plan of any assassin was simple: study, execute, move on.

Do you know what a Datura is? A flower of many forms, some hang and droop down from branches on trees, others point up towards the sky from the ground, the flower is poisonous to even touch, and the one thing they always are is purple. Like Elizabeth Maudit this is a very apt metaphor for her ‘other’ self. 

Taking on a personality is always different than a real person and that is exactly what Datura is, the person known as Elizabeth is a passenger on the show of her life. Datura has all the fun and gets all the blame too when it goes all wrong. Trust me when I say that it is easy to sink too deep into a different mind, and that is clear when examining this pairing. Elizabeth’s ring name is who she wants to be seen as by the world because the real person behind it is nothing like it which is sort of embarrassing as she is a creation of her own. Datura is essentially a radicalisation of Elizabeth Maudit, an isolated and addictive personality who does not care for much. To be honest that is where we run out of room for exploration because I have seen this story run many times, it is the most common of dark aspirations. 

The story is always the same, the old excuse of “I’m not good enough, I wish I was more!” mixed with the typical “I want to take it out on this world and whoever stands in my path!” routine. Characters are created out of minds who seek to renew themselves because at its core the person in control is normally the weaker of the two. Datura is the manifestation that Elizabeth sees for herself, her rebel, her true self. People are not good at creating other realities, they just aren’t, there is no grand escape from personal problems and a figment of their imagination is never the cure. Datura in this respect is flawed because she is only as poisonous as Elizabeth wants her to be and I don’t think she wants it that bad, she just isn’t that full measures of a being, the only outcome is that the expectation and reality of the pairing couldn’t be further apart. 

Most importantly to Elizabeth the Datura persona is meant to be special, and it is but only to her. Datura is not special to me, you, Isis, anybody except of course Elizabeth. Lots of things in this world are poisonous, most things could kill us if they wanted to, and yet here we are. Flowers are never unique, they are grown in great bunches and are indistinguishable from each other, they can easily blend in among their kind, and there are many people like Elizabeth out there who think that what they have is special when in truth it is actually very ordinary and conventional.  

A Datura will lure you into believing that is it dangerous when the real actuality of the situation is that things like this evolve to merely survive their environment, and that alone.

From all the matches I have watched of Datura it is really simple to see how she wrestles. Methodical is one way of putting it, but she isn’t clinical enough to be called decisive. Elizabeth likes being in control of the situation and due to her difference in size will relentlessly target the limbs of her opponent (watch out for your neck and arms). This benefits her because she is quick too, and when she has real momentum going for her it is very difficult to cage her in. There is a threat she presents, it isn’t the greatest you will face or neither it is the weakest, it quite simply average. The reliance on her style is her weakness (see next section notes) and there have been times where she has been overwhelmed if slowed down. 

Elizabeth has declared everything she wants you to know about the kind of wrestler she, if you can hardly call her that. In terms of a wrestling match there is a blatant mismatch between the two of you and it would be wise for you to target this, her technical style may not work against your raw power, meaning that Elizabeth’s impact style may be implemented more. I really doubt she has the power in her back to perform her primary finisher on you, the Thom-Apple Driver is redundant just like half her move set, and she can’t do both at the same which means you will always know which style of hers you are competing against which could result in multiple counters against her high-risk moves. Predictability in her movement is also a positive for us, she will attack from the sides, from behind, so as long as you are prepared for this anything you will see face on will be firmly in your control. Ground her at every possibility, and if you’re quick enough a submission move to one of her legs might keep her permanently floored.

Be aggressive when in control, you shouldn’t even care if her heart gives out, and when she builds some speed negate it quickly and react. As mentioned she isn’t clinical enough, granted she is strong in parts, but when it faces the reality of her in-ring ability she is average at best and highly predictable. People that always want control are exactly that, foreseeable and not that special. How she won her last match is highly surprising, then again everyone has moments where they overachieve. 

Reserved, shy, a person will do anything to avoid people unless she truly has too. Datura is best described as being of secular isolation. What I find fascinating is that the hypocrisy of her mindset is truly outstanding, one moment she thrives as a loner; she doesn’t want you knowing anything about her yet leaves herself as an open book to be read. A crucial example of this is her so called intelligent wrestling that is then combined with outburst of rage when she is pushed over the edge, this down to her breaking point which is actually very easy to find. She likes being a loner because she is in control of her actions; her wrestling style also reflects this. Datura is one who uses high impact and technical moves to inflict dominance over her opponents and that is where it can be easily broken. Take her power away by frustrating her and you will begin to see the quickly formed cracks of her persona. 

Getting in her head will be very easy just be being one step ahead of her, much to the contrary of her own opinion things affect her much more than she lets on. Elizabeth can be easily manipulated in both body and mind; she isn’t the largest of athletes so this should be easy for you, Chris. 

As you are aware Datura went through hell at the pay-per-view and mentally this would be a boost to her confidence, she will go into this match with an eye to winning it, she may view this as a simple collision that she can easily overcome. Unlike the last show she is in a singles match, this time she does not have chaos on her side which can benefit you greatly if you can keep it together. Datura’s smiling because she got her big win, and knowing competitive arrogance she will overlook most parts of the Valquist. Datura is in for a real eye opener and I wouldn’t be too surprised if she then crawled back into the dark space filled with painkillers once you are through with her. 

To reference an old cliché welcome to the jungle, and Datura is very much a part of it here in VoW. The trick is not to trust anything you see in this wildlife exhibit, even if it doesn’t look dangerous to the eye. Great men have been fooled by basic ignorance, and many more will continue in that vein. Datura may not look the dangerous type, but like the flower she is so aptly named after you can be lured into a false sense of security by laying a finger on her. Deep within there is a bite, a poisen not to be trifled, a darkness that can be brought out of her. 

Elizabeth wants you to see her façade, the addiction riddled plaster saint Datura. She is someone who makes a show of being without moral faults or weakness, especially in the most hypocritical of ways. What I am trying to say is that she has already beaten herself before she has even stepped in the ring with you, Chris. Elizabeth is self-conscious and caught up in her own mind, this Datura character is a reflection of not her state of mind…but her escape. The real person, this Elizabeth Maudit, is terrified that anyone will see her true face; the weak, pitiful, and lonely mirage of her existence. Datura is her agent of chaos, remove that and you peel back the layers to see Elizabeth, to do this you will need both sides of Full Measures...the full tactical awareness of Valquist, and the ruthless brutality of Derrida. If you get her down to the floor in a technical match, punish her. If she starts moving to inject pace and impact, stifle her. If you run into trouble during the bout then match her intensity, be brave. Layer by layer you will see the true self, which is who you are trying to hurt, and victimize her you will. Lay waste to the jungle, burn it down, she is just of but a single flower in an entire forest. More of the Datura type will grow with her generic and overpopulated gimmick in time, this cleansing fire is mercy upon her time in this federation, she should be thankful that this match could be over quickly. Confidence in your ability is all you need, and crucial decision making. Any chances in the match to act upon seize it, but in a realistic world this should be a short contest between the two of you. The ‘Enlightenment’ will be your best weapon, and your best counter. Perhaps a stern knock to the head from a hard knee will solve some of her issues. 

After reaching the end of the fourth page he turned over to find that the review of Datura had ended and was perplexed to see a note left by Isis himself, this was a first.

Chris, I hope you head the message from the Copycat, finish this match before it even starts. You know my reservations about VoW and the total lack of disrespect shown towards the mantle of Valquist, so this isn’t one of those moments to continue that trend. Once again the Valquist is overlooked, booked in the mid-card, a total disrespect. Seeing as I cannot detract you from this path you are on there is only choice left open to you…go out there and show the world exactly who and what you are. Valquist will no longer be a symbol of oppression; it will be a name laced with fear by the time you have jobbed out Datura. 

I am not one for irony but the title of show, Breakthrough, but it is actually epitomic for future events and your destination in this federation. In time people will look back and say how the revival of Valquist took place at this very show, the beginning of something special was born. Not many people get a second chance to reinvent themselves, so what are you waiting for? Go do what you need to do. 

The day in Baltimore was coming to an end. Skies began to glow with orange and purple as clouds and literal stars began flooding the sky with a sharp luminescence. Chris McCarthy prepped to leave for Homewood Field for the half century edition of Breakthrough. Dressed casually, in an unbuttoned turquoise chequered flannel shirt with a white cotton shirt on underneath, in brown shorts and running shoes due to recent complaints with his left ankle, Chris sat with one leg crossed as he put pen to paper for several minutes without disruption. Waiting patiently in a hotel lobby for his escort for the night TCK, Chris sat writing in his red ledger, with life since victory over Kincaid was relatively simple. Train all day, study his opponents, turn up and execute a carefully designed plan, then leave, and repeat the same action. The Brooklyn native was lucky enough, whilst on tour, to be almost unrecognisable to the public, with only one or two people, the hardcore types that followed wrestling dirt sheets closely, ever greeting Chris in the flesh. The luxury of being anonymous in a country gripped with wrestling fever, Chris didn’t ever get anxious when people were locked to his every move. Absorbed to the words of his diary, Chris looked up to see an individual looking at him with a strangeness, a chauffeur with glasses on. Chris immediately became cautious of the Infinity City eagle pinned to the driver’s black suit and white shirt combination, especially since he and TCK had been paired up on the road for the last half year.

“Mr McCarthy, would you like to come with me please?”

“Are you from the infinite city?” Chris asked the white skinned driver with blade shades. The driver stares down at the pinned badge and smiles.

“I’m merely proud of my city,” the driver says, “and hopefully, soon to be proud of the people representing it.”

Chris was flush red in the face. Such a quip about his alter ego left himself anxious to what waiting for him outside. Standing to his feet, caught off guard, he places his diary away in the single black and orange Superdry rucksack in his possession, before looking outside the front to see a stretch limousine, the same Ferrari design from Valquist and Derrida’s past. A door opens before Chris leaves the hotel room with the driver walking to his front seat. Outstepped a blank faced TCK, who looked pale under the guise of a random civilian, but Chris could tell who it as by TCK squeezing his right hand three times. Chris approached the limousine, and entered, sat down, and then became breathless as he looked who sat opposite a saddened Isis Derrida. Val’s biological father, Oria Valquist. TCK entered the limousine himself before the vehicle pulled away. Isis was playing with his hands, but his face was cherry red and he kept his eyes and mouth hidden beneath the growing weight of his clammy hands.

"Chris", Oria opens.

“Why are you here, Oria?” Chris asks.

“The thing with Infinity, Chris, is that we can be anywhere and everywhere. We don’t live in the vex of traditional customs. As long as you are wearing the skin of my son, I’ve every right to be part of what it is you three are conducting. This is the legacy of not just you Chris, but the Valquist name. We are public defenders, and you are no different. Every time you lace your boots and use the veil of imitation, you do so with my blessing…”

In this moment, Isis Derrida slammed his left hand against the roof of the limousine. Chris became increasingly suspicious.

“But on one condition, Chris.” Oria asked, his bushed white hair and sagged skin the only differences between Oria and his son.

“Chris, I’ve recently learnt that Donald Osman has finally executed plans to have Infinity Wrestling return. But it’s not in Infinity, we don’t know where it’s based. We can’t catch the scent of it as it is sprouting up across the world without us knowing.”

“They’ve been holding events across continents with little notice, thousands are turning up, and then the carnival disappears, and hauntingly so,” TCK elaborates.

“He said that Infinity was done,” Isis says, trying to keep his cool. “We both agreed that if one of us was not on board for Infinity, then it would remain buried.”

“Bus as you’re aware, Chris, most things don’t remain buried,” Oria furthers.

Chris’s heavy heart intensified.

“Val?” Chris asked.

“We want you to be the one to ask, Chris,” Oria claims. “No single man has heard from my son since the time he was buried, but we know he’s out there.”

“It’s got his fingerprints all over,” Isis declares.

“I’m not sure I understand why this is a bad thing. Let the man live his life,” Chris questions.

“As far as I am concerned Chris, you are the new face of The Valquist,” Oria said with reassurance. “Your only focus should be on reclaiming the World Visionaries Championship, but there is a real danger of my son returning, a changed man.”

“Val is my friend, I would cherish his return,” Chris claims.

“Would you?” Isis furthers. “you have made huge strides in the ring, and when you’re done wiping the dirt of Datura from your shoe, do you want my brother’s arrival to ruin everything? It’s a selfish decision to make, but The Mantle is no longer his to obtain. This is your path now, and just like Val did with me, I believe that he will villainise you. Turn you into the cruel image of The Valquist.”

“What do you recommend then, Oria?” Chris asks. “Ask politely?”

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you,” Isis begins. “We’re going to stay on track, and have your arm raised tonight, and when that is over, we can address our new reality.”

“And how do you know Val is involved?” Chris asks, turning his head to TCK, “and not just paranoia?”

“There’s always a price to our humanity,” TCK alludes, “we’ve taken another man’s, and for that, we must be accountable for happens in the ring, and after. All un-turning roads eventually lead down the same avenue. Soon, the dead and the living will be reunited.”

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Courageousness will lead us to victory. Courageous people carry integrity, respect, and humbleness, know their strengths and weaknesses, and keep to their vows. For me, the biggest attribution of courage is the ability to speak truthfully and know that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

Full Measures is a measure of our own worth. When our worth and value is tested, there is nothing, no odds that will overcome us. No greater value that will topple us. No force strong enough to dethrone us. No gods who can contain us.

My name is Valquist.

His name is Derrida.

Full Measures.