Zero to Hero. Hero to Zero

I heard it for the first time at Darkest Hour after defeating Shane Sparx to win the Zero Gravity Championship.

It grew louder at Breakthrough 18 when I defeated Casanova English.

When I got past Cera at Breakthrough 19 it was becoming rather popular.

As I hit the Ziu Fly on Seth Iser at Breakthrough 20 and took the win, it was clearly deafening.

"Zero to Hero. Hero to Zero!”

The new chant from my fans summed up my time in Visionaries of Wrestling so far. I had arrived as an unknown, inexperienced amateur with something to prove. I was a nobody and had zero fans. I worked hard and stayed committed to the cause and as my fans grew in numbers I became a hero to many. Someone to look up to and take inspiration from. People watched my progress and realised that if you work hard you can be as good as you want to be.

I had started from the bottom and in a short amount of time I had left a handful of experienced professionals in my wake. Then came the Zero Gravity Championship that I had patiently waited for since I became the Quest for the Case winner back in August last year at Heatstroke. I took my chance and was back to a being a Zero again, but this time a Champion Zero.

“Zero to Hero. Hero to Zero!”

I like it, it’s catchy. For as long as I am the Zero Gravity Champion I will enjoy the chant that rings around the arena. It certainly rung around Aberdeen, South Dakota last week when I took care of ‘the veteran’ Seth Iser. I told you all I could spot a weakness and I delivered once again.

One highlight of the night was Patrick Jones showing up to celebrate his birthday right before my match with a surprising sing-a-long birthday rhyme, and I couldn’t help but get involved and snap a quick birthday selfie with him and the gang. If anything, Patrick’s little show made me relax before my match but it clearly infuriated Iser and I found it comical. I was happy that we had some fun on the show after so much drama on recent Breakthrough events, and it was a pleasure to be involved in the fun.

But it wasn’t until we got backstage that the real party started. Patrick Jones, his old boss Franco “The Bulldozer” Cruz, Blue Suede Bruce and various other wrestlers and staff were all backstage after Breakthrough finished, all there to celebrate Patrick getting closer to wrinkles and grey hair, or worse, baldness.

A great time was being had by all, certainly after another victory for moi. The birthday boy was certainly enjoying himself...

“Is he usually like this?” I asked Franco Cruz who should know Patrick better than anyone – he used to be PJ’s boss in another wrestling company.

“Only when he drinks. He has usually got a sensible head screwed on.”

Patrick Jones had a beer in each hand with his thumb over the tops whilst jumping up and down spraying beer over everyone. The room was buzzing and the dance music was blaring away. Patrick didn’t care what genre of music was playing, it was his birthday and he was dancing to everything.

“I’ve never really spoken to the guy but he looks like a laugh.”

“You won’t see him like this again until his next birthday.”

“Oh you can’t say that. I can’t wait a whole year to see that again.”

“Haha!”

Patrick was still wearing his party hat, although by now it was drenched after the raining alcohol scene he had just performed. I must admit, it was hilarious. You haven’t lived if you haven’t seen the PJ raining alcohol dance.

“So what brings you to VOW?”

“I’m here for one thing and one thing only, and that’s my boy Jones.”

I didn’t say anything in reply to Franco. We both watched on as Patrick enjoyed himself in the middle of the room looking like a total mess. It was as if there was a wet t-shirt competition but I certainly wouldn’t be judging who wins. Blue Suede Bruce was plucking away at his guitar and the vibe in the room was excellent.

“You and Jones have a good relationship then, huh?”

“Yeah we go way back. We have been through a lot and he has always been there for me. If there’s one word to describe Patrick it’s loyal.”

“Hmm.”

“The guy is underrated too. The first guy you want on your roster is that man right there.”

We both laughed at Franco’s last comment seeing as Patrick was now creating a random new dance move. I went off into my own world for a second and realised that everything Franco was saying to me I felt like I already knew. Just looking at Patrick you could tell that he was a smart man. Well, ignore tonight. I knew he was underrated as he rarely gets mentioned and I have witnessed what he is capable of. I knew that he was loyal by the way he talked about his past. I’ve been in the ring with the guy and he certainly made an impression on me.

“So are you retired or what? And do you box or wrestle?”

“I’m a boxer in a wrestling business. Or was. Nowadays I’m just doing my own thing and as you can see I’m a phone call away from my boy.”

“I See. What’s up with Patrick then? He has vanished and hasn’t been around for months.”

“No idea.”

“Well we now no his weakness – alcohol.”

“Haha yeah.”

I started to think about my own weaknesses because we all have them. I’m always going on about my opponent’s weaknesses but I wasn’t doing anything about my own. It’s becoming a familiar scenario being in the ring and having my opponent take me to the mat or keep me in a submission hold. I’ve managed to get by so far but eventually people will start to break me. I watched Patrick Jones walking towards us and it was as if a light bulb had switched on right above my head. I had an idea.

“Brilliant birthday party Franco. Thanks for organising it.”

“You know what you get from me man. You looked like you were enjoying yourself over there.”

“You got to when it’s your birthday.”

Patrick turned his head and glanced at me and I hoped that I gained some of his respect after taking part in the birthday celebrations at Breakthrough earlier in the night plus turning up to his party. I was deciding when the best moment was to speak to Patrick about the idea I had just thought of.

“Enjoying yourself Mr. Selfie?”

“Yeah great party. Seth Iser didn’t show up then?”

“Let’s just say that party is not a word you would associate Seth Iser with. Penis, now that is a different story.”

“Yeah, what is it with this guy and the word penis.”

“No idea.”

“Strange one he is.”

Patrick looked at me with a straight face. I could tell that he wanted to laugh but he is good at holding back. I knew what he was thinking, though.

“What’s the look for? I’m nothing like him.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t need to.”

Franco laughed and then patted Patrick on the shoulder before departing the area.

“Off to the little boys room ladies.”

“Why do people say that? There are never any little boys around when people say that.”

“That’s very true.”

There was a slight silence for a moment but it was drowned out by another tune blaring out the speakers. I was surprised VOW management allowed us to remain here into the night. With Franco gone it was the perfect moment to speak to Patrick about what was on my mind.

“What happened to you then? Are you returning to VOW or what?”

“I’ve just been doing this and that, you know.”

I could tell that Patrick wasn’t keen on speaking to me about his departure. I wasn’t surprised; I was probably not the first to ask during the night.

“You impressed me during the Quest for the Case match and then you vanished.”

“I was waiting for you to bring that match up. Well done, you won.”

“You have got me all wrong Patrick. There were five of us in that ring that night and anyone of us could have won. You really did impress me that night. I was livid that Judas Dathan had cheated to defeat me on my debut and it egged me on to take the victory.”

Patrick kept looking over his shoulder at the dance floor. He was clearly itching to get back and throw some more beer in the air whilst wiggling his ass. I decided to get to the point.

“Fair enough. Well I’m just enjoying myself at the moment but you never know, I may return.”

“That’s good news for VOW if you do. I was actually going to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yeah. I...er...it’s actually a confession and a favor.”

“Uh huh.”

“Well to be honest with you, you’re the best mat technician I have come up against in the ring. Technical wrestlers are those who have a varied catalogue of moves and holds. They are the expert submission wrestlers and also have a large arsenal of moves and counters to out wrestle any other styles. That’s you down to a tee Patrick. I can’t continue to be a high flying, risk taking, athlete all my career. I’m not a fan of submissions but I need to change that. Eventually, I want to eat, sleep and breathe submissions. I want technical wrestling on the mat to be a part of my abilities.”

“I appreciate the compliments but what can I do about that?”

“I need your help. I need to overcome my fear of submissions. My opponents are targeting me on my submission weakness. I need help performing them and how to escape them. My opponents are keeping me on the mat whereas I prefer to be on my feet or in the air, hitting opponents with quick, sharp moves. I have managed to get the better of them and win but one night it may be down to me not been skilled enough in that department. I need some technical training Patrick.”

”And you’ve come to me?” Patrick laughed.

“You need more confidence man.”

“It’s not that. It’s just come as a shock that’s all.”

“Shit man, I shouldn’t be doing this on your birthday. Enjoy your night and just think about it, yeah?”

“Yeah that’s true. We better make the most of it before they chuck us out of here.”

“Haha you’re right.”

We never did get chucked out but we had one hell of a night. Patrick, Franco and Blue Suede Bruce turned out to be great guys and I was glad I went to the party and got to know them. I left my phone number with PJ but it took a week before I heard anything from him. I wasn’t in a rush but with a title defence coming up at Double Jeopardy it would be ideal to get started straight away. In all seriousness, it was good of him to agree to come in the first place and I promised to pay for all his travel fares.

Patrick informed me that he would be there within 24 hours. The next day I was excited and raring to go and had arrived at my gym early to await his arrival. I set the camera up in the middle of the ring and as I did I remembered the previous times I had shot a promo in this gym. One was the Quest for the Case match in August 2014 which I won and the other was against Brett Carson for our rematch which I also won. With pictures up on the wall of my heroes, idols and loved ones, I felt good here in my own surroundings. Everything was ready and I sat on the top rope in the corner of the ring with the Zero Gravity Championship belt strapped around the second rope between my feet. I looked into the cameras lens and spoke to the wrestling world.

“Well it’s four wins from my last four matches and I can certainly get used to this. I proved that I was right in spotting a weakness in Seth and exploiting it. Some say his weakness is clear for everyone to see, but all the better to really go in hard. Seth proved a tough opponent and I could tell that I was in the ring with an experienced guy, but on this night it was about me. Since the last PPV when I became the ZG champ I have now gone unbeaten and I don’t feel like stopping there. It’s onwards and upwards for me.”

I glanced above the ring for a moment and had a quick flashback of Heatstroke when I swung from above with both hands on the briefcase. The ladder had fell beneath me along with four other bodies and I will never forget snapping the selfie just before unclipping the case to become the Quest for the Case winner, which eventually resulted in my Zero Gravity title shot.

“So Ian, it appears that you are next. Sky Sangue decided to punish you by putting you in the ring with me. You may see it as an opportunity, a gift as such, but this will be far from it and I hope you know that. I’ve been watching you closely. You impressed me when you burst on the scene a few months back but your bubble seems to have burst. Do you know why that is? You have stuck to the same game plan for each and every match. You only know one style of wrestling and preparation. For someone who has been around for a while I thought you might have realised this by now. You need to learn to change your style for the opponent you are coming up against. That’s only one of the reasons why I already know the outcome for our match on Monday night. I adjust where necessary, and I know how to work on my opponents weak points. Everyone has them, including me, but it’s how you take advantage of them that counts and you can ask many people backstage if I have managed to do just that. You have so many weaknesses to exploit and I’m going to have fun picking them out. Maybe I can pick one at random?”

I decided to mock Ian by using my index finger and thumb to pick invisible weakness from the air. I wanted Ian to remember this all the way up until we met in the ring. If it plays on his mind it plays into my hands.

“You’ve been there and done it, but I notice that you have no gold to show for during your career? It seems to me that you lived your life in safe mode. Maybe it’s because of your horrid knees? I actually smiled and rubbed my hands together when I got backstage after Breakthrough aired because you and Seth are very similar. Your knees are just as bad as his are, and you have even admitted that yourself this week. You seem to mention a lot of things that you shouldn’t. I’ve been keeping an eye on your twitter account this week.”

I withdrew my iPhone from my pocket and decided to give the viewers the exact words Ian Windermear posted on Twitter this past week.

“In your own words Ian, you said you were ‘getting a title shot,’ followed by ‘nervous’ and last but not least ‘lost’. Three comments that prove to me that you’re not ready to face me. Three comments that should not be visible for the word to see, let alone me. Let’s actually go through these comments in detail.”

I slipped my iPhone back in my pocket to keep it away from the heated atmosphere as I prepared to go in hard on my opponent.

“First up is ‘getting a title shot’. Let’s actually break this down and analysis it. ‘Getting’. Getting shouts out to me that you haven’t earned it. You didn’t expect it and you didn’t earn you right for the title shot. ‘Getting a title shot’ just doesn’t do it for me Ian. You don’t get something you TAKE it. Maybe ‘my title shot has arrived’ or “finally my well earned shot at the title’ would have been better, not ‘getting a title shot’. It sounds like you’re not really bothered about the chance that Sky Sangue has given you. This upsets me because this belt means a lot and it should to you too. It’s not a toy. Your next two tweets this week weren’t much better. ‘Nervous’ and ‘lost’. What the hell is that all about? If you’re nervous and lost please tell me why you would feel the need to tell everyone about it? As you said, you’re lost and a title shot against me at Double Jeopardy is clearly not where you’re supposed to be. Don’t worry Ian, I will look after your nerves and I will certainly help you if you’re lost. I will make sure that I send you in the right direction by the end of the night.”

I wasn’t underestimating Ian this week. I know what he is capable of and I know what he will bring to the table. But at the end of the day, it’s all a game. I need to have him feeling uneasy going into the match, as I have done to other opponents as of late, and all of them matches have resulted in wins. I need to keep that trend going for as long as possible.

”Ian you want people to ‘eat your forearm’ but I’m actually looking forward to that. You think you can take me down with a clothesline and I’m going to let you take my belt away from me? You will hit a brick wall if that arm comes anywhere near me. When I’m finished with your arm I will come for your legs.“

I looked down at the belt between my feet and then back into the camera.

“I will be spending a lot of time on those dodgy knees of yours. I can’t wait to drain you of energy and make you legless and unable to move. That’s when I pounce. That’s when Ziu flies though the atmosphere in slow motion and lands on you like an atomic bomb. That’s when you have no life left and I cover you for the win. I may have come down to the ring to help you out against the Orphanage at Breakthrough but that is history now. This week it’s just you and me. It’s not personal, it’s business. Bring your best because I didn’t swing above the ring clinging on to the briefcase at Heatstroke to see it end here. I didn’t take part in a brutal match with Shane Sparx to let this slip now. I’m in it for the long haul, and by the end of Monday night you will realise just how serious I am.”

The recording ended and I was buzzing for Double Jeopardy. Buzzing to see the fans. Buzzing to take part in yet another sold out VOW PPV. Buzzing to compete against a talented wrestler in Ian Windermear. Buzzing to defend my ZG belt. All I needed was for Patrick to show up and later that day he did – on time too. He entered the gym and my technical training begun.

People may ask, why Patrick Jones? His record is not great. He spends more time on the treatment table. He has no ambition. I say they are wrong. I see a man who has been consistent all his life. I see an underrated star that has been held back. I see a guy who has maybe just given up after not been given the right opportunities in his career. But most of all, I see a decent guy who will help me become a better wrestler. As soon as he enters the room you can feel his presence. As long as he keeps the raining alcohol scene to a bare minimum then I think we can get along just fine. Hopefully with his expertise in the field that I am weak in, he can add to my game and I can become the total package. I was confident that when Double Jeopardy was over I would have one tick on my title defence history.

I heard it for the first time at Darkest Hour after defeating Shane Sparx to win the Zero Gravity Championship.

It grew louder at Breakthrough 18 when I defeated Casanova English.

When I got past Cera at Breakthrough 19 it was becoming rather popular.

As I hit the Ziu Fly on Seth Iser at Breakthrough 20 and took the win, it was clearly deafening.

Once I take care of Ian Windermear at Double Jeopardy it will be on everybody’s mind, whether they like it or not.

“Zero to Hero. Hero to Zero!”

Long may it continue