Post by Parody on Sept 14, 2014 22:37:59 GMT -6
September 11, 2001. Who doesn’t remember where they were, or what they were doing the very moment those planes crashed into the Twin Towers?
I had received a phone call from my manager at 6:30 that morning with some great news. He told me that he was able to hook me up with a reputable personal trainer right there in Las Vegas that wanted to meet with me by 7 sharp. With a huge grin on my face, despite being hung over from the night prior, I thanked him, and started rushing him off the phone to get ready. That is, until he told me something else: that after all the legal issues, the scandals, the highs and lows that made up the better half of my amateur wrestling years, there was a wrestling promotion out there that was willing to give me a chance. The catch? Well, they were obviously banking on me saying ‘yes’ and signing on the dotted line, because they already had a match lined up for me just five days later, on September 16.
Smart strategy on their end. They knew I had been looking for my big break all along. They knew they could practically book me whenever they wanted, and pay me whatever they wanted, if even pocket change, and that I’d accept the offer. At the time, I was only in it for the fame, though. I wanted to be a legend. I wanted groupies. I wanted everything good, and hell, everything bad that came along with the pro-wrestling lifestyle.
And it would eventually happen for me. All the hard work would eventually pay off…
”Checkmate!”
”Oh fuck your couch, bro!”
”Hahahahaha! Sorry, man!!”
”No you’re not!! Why does your favorite game have to be Chess?! I don’t know how to play this shit!”
My trainer’s name was Dale. Really cool guy, even if at times he seemed a tad bipolar in his methods. One second he’d have me take eighty consecutive turnbuckle bumps and then the very next he’d set up a table in the middle of the ring for us to play Chess. And it was always Chess, no matter how many times I had expressed to him “I’m no good at this!” In fact, as the following months passed, and the more we would get together to train, our sessions would become less about wrestling and more about Chess. Crazy, right?
In the middle of a heated Chess match, I would receive a phone call around 10:00 A.M. Once again, it was my manager. I figured he was just checking in on me..
”Shane….. have you heard?!”
”What?! Is my contract suddenly in limbo?! Did the promotion change their mind?!”
”No, man. The Twin Towers in New York just went down. Terrorist attack on our country.”
”Huh?!”
”Yeah… two planes just crashed into the World Trade Center.”
I was in a state of shock. How could such a great day for me be such a horrible day for others? The ones who were directly affected by this attack on our Nation? The ill-prepared that lost their lives ; their loved ones that would be forced to mourn under these unexpected circumstances. I shook my head in disbelief, looking at the small table across from me as Dale would continue to study the Chess board.
”Alright, man… Well, are you okay? You sound pretty shaken up..”
”I don’t. I’m just pissed off, man. How could they do this to us?! And more importantly, what if this turns into a full-fledged war and they send me to Afghanistan? You know I just returned from being overseas a few months ago. I’m not really trying to go back, no matter how much pride and love I have inside of me for this great country. You know how much I hate the state that we’re in with George Bush as our president…”
”Don’t think that way, man. We both know George Bush isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I doubt he would pull such a suicidal move and force our men to battle.”
”Suicidal.. way to comfort me, Shane..”
”Sorry, man…..”
”What would you do if you were me, man?! And shit! What if I get sent back over there?! You won’t have a manager. And I would hate that, more than anything, Shane. I know how badly you want to succeed, and I want nothing more in this world to see you succeed!.. You’ve got this great deal with the Colossal Wrestling Federation. I’d like to see that experience through!”
”Trust me, dude. Everything’s going to be fine. Stop panicking. I’m going to give you a buzz after my training session and we’ll talk more about all of this later, alright?”
”Alright, man. Later…”
What a worry-wart! I was still in a state of disbelief by this news. Even if I wasn’t there to witness it for myself, and even if I didn’t see it on the television. I couldn’t believe it had happened. It seemed random. At least, to us that weren’t in the “know” it was random. Slipping my phone back into the left pocket of my Reebok shorts, I redirected my attention to Dale.
”I’m sorry about that, bro…”
”Everything alright?”
”Apparently a terrorist attack had been planned on the United States. The World Trade Center in New York was just waylaid by two air planes, man. Fucking schmucks..”
He nodded.
”I’m sorry to hear that, man.”
Dale sympathized with me. He was willing to be there as a support system if I needed him. Even if he was from Britain and didn’t fully understand the weight of this tragic news ; and even if this was our first encounter with each other, there was an unspoken brotherhood there that had already been established. We would finish off the day of training playing more Chess ; our fifth of what would, overtime, become three hundred-plus games. When I left the training facility that day, I attempted to shoot my manager several phone calls. We were going to meet up at one of our favorite casinos to enjoy some “questionable” buffet food and some hot waitresses. But not only did he never return my calls. He never showed up.
To some, the latter part of my September 11th story probably seemed like “filler” ; a detail that I could’ve easily left out, as it had no bearing whatsoever on my day. However, it had plenty.
So, Colossal Wrestling Federation was my ‘big break’. I wrestled for them for two years, and met a lot of great people, many of which I had the pleasure of losing to. Talents like Nick York, Hudson McKnight and Damien Dunn only to namedrop a few. Losing humbled me, as did having to start out at the bottom of the totem pole. This ‘method’ of booking also opened my eyes, because I would later find out that most promotions did this: You started out at the very bottom, curtain jerking, no matter your background. I would go on to win three major Championships in CWF before signing on to other promotions ; each time having to start from the bottom.
New Edge Wrestling? I would go on to capture every major Championship ; after busting my ass for almost two years to prove myself, of course.
Visionaries of Wrestling? No different. Starting from the bottom!
In fact, it was the circumstances of my upcoming pay-per-view match that had me in such a nostalgic mood ; not just the fact that the event was being held on September 11th. At VoW’s Armed and Dangerous, I was to compete against Berlin Anderson for the Zero Gravity Championship ; a belt that resonated humility, tolerance, and promise. To some, chasing after a title of the lowest stature would be an issue. But for me, it was what I had come to expect. It was no surprise. And sometimes, not having any unforeseen, unwanted variables was a real comfort! Duhh!
AND it was the main event of the card?! Fuck yeah, bro. Me and Berlin Anderson would finally be given the opportunity of a lifetime – to main event a pay-per-view event where the talents of two of the promotion’s upcoming stars were set at the forefront. It had been a while since I had made the promotional poster for an event. But this poster in particular took the cake. It was without a doubt my favorite.. just for everything that it represented.
”So let me get this straight, bro… You’re totally fine about this Zero Gravity title match?! I figured you’d be bawling your eyes out when you saw that..”, a concerned Lucas McCann suggested.
”Nah. It’s actually nice. I was out for a year, and that’s the longest I’ve been out of commission since 2001, bro. Holding this Championship will be the perfect way to get my name back out there and really re-establish myself as a top-tier competitor. The bigger titles will come later, bro, don’t you worry. They always do!”
”Got’cha. But I’ve got a question..”
”Yeah, bro?!”
”What made you drag me out to the Bellagio, two nights before Armed and Dangerous? I mean, we’re pretty far away from Minnesota..”
”And for that, you should be thanking me, bro. But on a serious note, this place just brings back some fond memories…”
”Oh wait. Is this the casino that you would always come to with……”
I interrupted him.
”Yeah.. it is, man.”
”Still thinkin’ about that, huh, man?!”
”I can’t not, man..”
”So uhhhh.. what’s a Wall of Woe match, exactly?”, Lucas asked, brilliantly changing the subject.
”A match that I’m going to put my heart and soul into. I’ve got so many fond memories, and so much pride inside of me ; so much riding on me to do well, and to represent this company as a champion of some sort. I’ve got a fellow competitor to inspire by the name of Berlin Anderson. He’s usually better suited when he’s got himself a tag team partner, from what I hear. But honestly, dude, I do see the potential there. I’m going to do my best to bring out the best in him. I’m going to allow him the opportunity to shine just as I will. It’s going to be a great match. I guess you could say I’m going to be nice this Wednesday.”
“Luke, you remember what it was like getting your foot in the door. It wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing in the world to do. This kid is at least making great strides. His heart is definitely in it. I can sense that.”
“Two Crown and Cokes, gentlemen…”
”That sounds great, Shane. But you’re dancing all around the question! You don’t know WHAT THE HELL a Wall of Woe match is, do you?!”
”I’ll get with my New Edge Wrestling rival Cera backstage before the match. Maybe she can explain it to me. And maybe other things can.. come up.”
”Hahaha! I know you haven’t taken a sip of your drink yet, so you must still be hung up on her. Just a little bit!
”I never was to begin with. She’s alright to look at, mind you. But have you seen that chick’s arms?!”
”Yeah, I have. And I think she intimidates you because in the year you were out of action, you OBVIOUSLY stopped training. Do you even lift now, bro?!”
”Touche’, Luke. Touche’. But to be honest, I probably could use a few games of Chess..”
I took a huge sip, as the conversation had once again reached ‘emotional’ territory. Luke continued to dance all around it, as he whipped out his Smart phone right there at the bar.
”Great idea! You should totally look up that midget porn site I was telling you about! This is the perfect time for you to indulge whole-heartedly! When you’re getting shit-faced drunk!!”
”We’re going to “play Chess”, you clown.”
”Oh.. Word?!”
”A WALL OF WOE MATCH!!
”Oh, you fucker!”
”....Pretty much sounds like a match where anything goes. Weapons can be used.. and there’s some sort of steel fence structure you’ve got to climb that’s attached to a scaffold.. the belt hangs over it. Sounds interesting. Kind’ve like a ladder match on speed. Except, if you fall from this scaffold, it’s going to hurt a lot more!”
”Another Crown and Coke, please!!”, I declared to the bar wench upon hearing of this match description.
”Good thing is.. you could probably ground him a few times and pull some nice offensive maneuvers.. maybe even a few submission holds. You’ve got a lot of those in your arsenal of moves, bro. Plus, submissions maneuvers seem to be another weakness of his, as far as I’ve seen.”
”Submissions?! Dude, I’m going to have weapons! Are you shitting me?! First time since being in VoW that I’ve been told ‘Hey, Shane.. you can use weapons to your advantage!’ I feel like a kid again! Any emotional hang-up I may have had moments ago have been thrown straight out of the window!”
”See! And you wanted me to look up some weird fetish porn! I just helped you out! I did your homework for you! You’re welcome, son!”
”Thanks, father…”, I said, with a roll of my eyes.
“Here ya go, sweetie! Another Crown and Coke!”
”But seriously.. maybe you can come to the gym with me in the morning, man. Before I fly back out to Minnesota for the pay-per-view..”
”No doubt, dude..”
”You bring the table?!”
”Pfft.. and you bring the Chess game, ya queer…”
Dale would be proud of me today. He believed in me more than I believed in myself. He would go on to be my trainer for six years before having to return home to Britain. His mother had become severely ill, later to die. Contact between the two of us wasn’t the strongest, but we both knew we were in great spirits and great company.
My manager would also be proud of me. And I must say, I miss him dearly. No past tense needed for that statement. I will ALWAYS love that kid. Then again, how could I not?! After all, he wasn’t just my manager, but my older brother.. Aiden. And I regret to this day that I was so stubborn, and wouldn’t listen to him when he worried on September 11th. I swept it under the rug and told him it would be alright. And when he received that phone call within two weeks and his worries became reality, I told him the same. I told him that he wouldn’t be away for long, and that he’d be right back. Didn’t happen that way.
Aiden died within the first couple of months in Afghanistan. And to be honest, he was the reason I kept going. He got me my first gig, for Christ’ sake. And for that reason, I couldn’t just give up. I would probably be doing this wrestling thing until I, myself, dropped dead from fatigue. In honor of Aden. And in honor of Dale, whose persistence to make me play Chess showed me that you can do anything with practice. I knew nothing of the game of Chess, nor did I really know a lot about the industry. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Dale knew I had the moves down. He was just preparing me for the politics. The heart-wrenching decisions, and the losses I would encounter down the road.
“Like Chess, it will all come natural” That's what Dale said the day he stepped foot onto that plane to return to Britain...
”Cheers!”, Lucas declared, as we clinked our glasses together at the bar.
September 11th. Me vs. Berlin Anderson. What an epic showdown. It wasn’t going to be the easiest feat in the world, especially since this time of year had become relatively rough for me on an emotional level. I was going to do this for Aiden. I was going to do this for Dale. I was going to do this for everyone that believed in me from day one, daring never to spit in their face by putting forth a sub-par effort. And above all.. I was doing this for me.
There’s nothing better than a seasoned athlete coming full circle, and sporting gold ; especially when disbelievers commented that he had peaked years ago, and that his ‘prime’ was done and over with. I couldn’t let that be. Come hell or high water, I was determined that Shane Sparx.. having his arm raised in victory as he lifted his newly won Zero Gravity Title up with his other.. would be the LAST THING the camera would capture.. before we went off the air on Wednesday!
