Post by Josh Stewart on Jan 30, 2015 19:21:54 GMT -6
There he sat, a broken down and defeated man. His wrist tape still fastened around each extremity. Two toned locks dangling in front of his face, masking his expression.
This is what it looks like when you lose a match to an opponent who had more to give inside the ring. It's the one thing we, as professional wrestlers, fear most of all. It isn't so much the fall of grace, but more so... the aftermath. Every conceivable remedy to try and rebound from a hard fought loss, yet nothing seems to work. We, quite frankly, wallow in our own shortcomings.
Chase talked a big game. He was a wee bit inaccurate in what spewed from between his lips, but at the end of the day? The long and short of it was he's the better man. And now I'm left wondering, so very early in my tenure.. if lacing up these worn out boots was worth it.
But that's when I heard a knock at the door to my locker room. Before I had time to pull myself up and walk toward the door, a rather understanding Stefan Frei stepped in. I plopped back down on the bench and awaited whatever type of critiques he would've had for more. However, to my surprise, it didn't quite go as I expected.
"Taking it pretty hard, aren't you?" He questioned with a smile. Josh glanced up to see the CEO hovering over him.
"Guess I just expected more out of myself, you know?
"That's be biggest difference of the era when you and I wrestled... and this one. Sometimes walking the walk isn't enough, Josh."
With a nod of approval, Josh carried on. "At the very least, I wanted to gives the audience a show."
Frei leaned down slightly, placing a hand on the shoulder of Stewie. "I highly doubt they were disappointed in what they saw... and neither was I."
With asense of recharged confidence, Josh stood from his bench and paced back and forth as a smile developed on his bosses face.
"You're absolutely right about that, Frei. The fans bought into Josh Stewart, even though I've been gone from this industry for many years. They rallied behind me. They sat in the comfort of their seats for the entire match, captivated by every move I made. Why the hell am I so down on myself for one slip up? Truth is, sure... I lost to Chase Michaels, but it was nowhere near academic. I made him earn that victory!"
"Now that's the Josh Stewart I remember. Going into your next match, maybe this advice will help you."
Josh made eye contact with Frei now, awaiting whatever kind of gem he could extract from the man known as "Mr. Wrestling."
"Don't ever, for one second, lose sight of who you are. Of what you're capable of. Or, ultimately, of what brought you to the dance. You'll need all of that if you and Blue Suede Bruce hope to make history at Double Jeopardy. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have other pressing matters to attend to. Good luck, Josh. Bruce picked your match for a reason. It's time to show the entire World, once again, why."
As Josh stood there, in deep contemplation, his employer exited the locker room. As the door slammed shut, Stewie began to pace some more. He suddenly came to a halt directly into the middle of his locker room, closing his eyes.
"Two men, who are total opposites. From the way they dress, to their lingo, all the way to their taste in music. Clumped together and given a monumental opportunity to show the World that you don't always needs to be the same person to accomplishment something great in our sport. My extensive past in tag team matches only illustrates that point. Multiple Tag Title reigns, with a guy who was one step removed from a psychopath. Hell, with the kind of communication barrier there was, half the time... we couldn't even understand each other. But that meant very little once the bell sounded. Because... it didn't matter if we were on the same page or not... when you put the two of us together, magical things happened. I get that sense from this match with Blue Suede Bruce. He and I haven't gotten off to the best starts either of us could ask for... but that doesn't mean we won't shine on perhaps the grandest stage of all."
Josh sauntered over to the locker behind the bench he'd been sitting on, pulling out a black duffel bag. After unzipping it, Josh removed a single piece of steel from the contents of his bag. He held it in both hands, examining it closely.
"Know what this belongs to? The rung of a ladder. One foot hold of many, used to construct what is perhaps the most unforgiving structure in all of Wrestling. Every time men enter that match, or any variation of it, they leave with life altering experiences. Some for the better, far more for the worst. Now I could name off a laundry list of men and women who have tried their luck. Who have stared death in the face and laughed... only to be carted off on stretchers, because they fell victim to the malicious intent of that steel. But I'd rather use my time wisely, and warn not just my opponents... Shay McClure and Jermaine Browne, but also my partner - Blue Suede Bruce. The absolute worst part about a ladder match? You aren't fighting just your opponents. You're fighting that ominous steel structure as well."
A grin suddenly forms on his face.
"The best part about this match in particular, boys? It won't be for bragging rights alone. Whichever team manages to obtain those Twin City Titles etches their names into the books of history, forevermore... and it won't matter how much this company changes, or how many grains of sand fall from the hour glass. That is the ONE thing NOBODY will EVER be able to take away from us. You can't be afraid to fail. And... if none of us are afraid to lose this match, I personally think we'll all be better for it."
We hear a distinct ringtone coming from Josh's bag as he pulls out his prehistoric flip phone, answering it by way of putting whoever is on the line on speaker mode.
"Hello?"
...
"Stewie, I'm all shook up. You wanna meet at the local malt shoppe so we can go over the game plan? Jackie's been dying for a chocolate swirl."
...
"I'm in like flint, Brucie."
...
"Thank ya... Thank ya very much, Stewie."
...
"You got it, dude. I'm coming."
After hanging up, Josh began to unravel the tape that surrounded both wrists. He tosses the remnants of battle against Chris Michaels into the nearest bin and started to undress. Obviously now in the process of getting dressed so he can meet up with his tag partner and they can go over any last minute details regarding their double jeopardy ladder match for the Twin City Championship.
This is what it looks like when you lose a match to an opponent who had more to give inside the ring. It's the one thing we, as professional wrestlers, fear most of all. It isn't so much the fall of grace, but more so... the aftermath. Every conceivable remedy to try and rebound from a hard fought loss, yet nothing seems to work. We, quite frankly, wallow in our own shortcomings.
Chase talked a big game. He was a wee bit inaccurate in what spewed from between his lips, but at the end of the day? The long and short of it was he's the better man. And now I'm left wondering, so very early in my tenure.. if lacing up these worn out boots was worth it.
But that's when I heard a knock at the door to my locker room. Before I had time to pull myself up and walk toward the door, a rather understanding Stefan Frei stepped in. I plopped back down on the bench and awaited whatever type of critiques he would've had for more. However, to my surprise, it didn't quite go as I expected.
"Taking it pretty hard, aren't you?" He questioned with a smile. Josh glanced up to see the CEO hovering over him.
"Guess I just expected more out of myself, you know?
"That's be biggest difference of the era when you and I wrestled... and this one. Sometimes walking the walk isn't enough, Josh."
With a nod of approval, Josh carried on. "At the very least, I wanted to gives the audience a show."
Frei leaned down slightly, placing a hand on the shoulder of Stewie. "I highly doubt they were disappointed in what they saw... and neither was I."
With asense of recharged confidence, Josh stood from his bench and paced back and forth as a smile developed on his bosses face.
"You're absolutely right about that, Frei. The fans bought into Josh Stewart, even though I've been gone from this industry for many years. They rallied behind me. They sat in the comfort of their seats for the entire match, captivated by every move I made. Why the hell am I so down on myself for one slip up? Truth is, sure... I lost to Chase Michaels, but it was nowhere near academic. I made him earn that victory!"
"Now that's the Josh Stewart I remember. Going into your next match, maybe this advice will help you."
Josh made eye contact with Frei now, awaiting whatever kind of gem he could extract from the man known as "Mr. Wrestling."
"Don't ever, for one second, lose sight of who you are. Of what you're capable of. Or, ultimately, of what brought you to the dance. You'll need all of that if you and Blue Suede Bruce hope to make history at Double Jeopardy. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have other pressing matters to attend to. Good luck, Josh. Bruce picked your match for a reason. It's time to show the entire World, once again, why."
As Josh stood there, in deep contemplation, his employer exited the locker room. As the door slammed shut, Stewie began to pace some more. He suddenly came to a halt directly into the middle of his locker room, closing his eyes.
"Two men, who are total opposites. From the way they dress, to their lingo, all the way to their taste in music. Clumped together and given a monumental opportunity to show the World that you don't always needs to be the same person to accomplishment something great in our sport. My extensive past in tag team matches only illustrates that point. Multiple Tag Title reigns, with a guy who was one step removed from a psychopath. Hell, with the kind of communication barrier there was, half the time... we couldn't even understand each other. But that meant very little once the bell sounded. Because... it didn't matter if we were on the same page or not... when you put the two of us together, magical things happened. I get that sense from this match with Blue Suede Bruce. He and I haven't gotten off to the best starts either of us could ask for... but that doesn't mean we won't shine on perhaps the grandest stage of all."
Josh sauntered over to the locker behind the bench he'd been sitting on, pulling out a black duffel bag. After unzipping it, Josh removed a single piece of steel from the contents of his bag. He held it in both hands, examining it closely.
"Know what this belongs to? The rung of a ladder. One foot hold of many, used to construct what is perhaps the most unforgiving structure in all of Wrestling. Every time men enter that match, or any variation of it, they leave with life altering experiences. Some for the better, far more for the worst. Now I could name off a laundry list of men and women who have tried their luck. Who have stared death in the face and laughed... only to be carted off on stretchers, because they fell victim to the malicious intent of that steel. But I'd rather use my time wisely, and warn not just my opponents... Shay McClure and Jermaine Browne, but also my partner - Blue Suede Bruce. The absolute worst part about a ladder match? You aren't fighting just your opponents. You're fighting that ominous steel structure as well."
A grin suddenly forms on his face.
"The best part about this match in particular, boys? It won't be for bragging rights alone. Whichever team manages to obtain those Twin City Titles etches their names into the books of history, forevermore... and it won't matter how much this company changes, or how many grains of sand fall from the hour glass. That is the ONE thing NOBODY will EVER be able to take away from us. You can't be afraid to fail. And... if none of us are afraid to lose this match, I personally think we'll all be better for it."
We hear a distinct ringtone coming from Josh's bag as he pulls out his prehistoric flip phone, answering it by way of putting whoever is on the line on speaker mode.
"Hello?"
...
"Stewie, I'm all shook up. You wanna meet at the local malt shoppe so we can go over the game plan? Jackie's been dying for a chocolate swirl."
...
"I'm in like flint, Brucie."
...
"Thank ya... Thank ya very much, Stewie."
...
"You got it, dude. I'm coming."
After hanging up, Josh began to unravel the tape that surrounded both wrists. He tosses the remnants of battle against Chris Michaels into the nearest bin and started to undress. Obviously now in the process of getting dressed so he can meet up with his tag partner and they can go over any last minute details regarding their double jeopardy ladder match for the Twin City Championship.
