Post by Anthony Bailey on Aug 25, 2012 16:41:10 GMT -4
"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." – Henry Ward Beecher
Anthony Bailey has been notorious for exhibiting anxiety with imminent opportunities of grand caliber. Tomorrow night, he will walk down the aisle of the Staples Center in Los Angeles to face the number one contender for his World Title, Sally Talfourd. Once again being the underdog made Bailey feel like people constantly overlooked his talent and his capabilities no matter what he did, but this had to be inspiration going into his match. This wasn’t the time to be mentally discouraged, but the time to travail.
The last time an unlikely candidate captured the hearts of those in attendance at the Staples Center with his endowment was sixteen years ago with the Lakers and that man was Kobe Bryant, who was at the time the youngest player to ever play in the NBA. Bailey was in no way trying to compare himself to arguably the greatest player currently in professional basketball, but he could identify with him. At the age of eighteen and nineteen, Kobe Bryant took the NBA by storm and at the age of twenty-two, Anthony Bailey is just beginning to get his feet wet here in Action Packed Wrestling. Tomorrow has been taken hold in faith by Bailey and he plans on leaving Los Angeles, California still being the World Heavyweight Champion.
{{The scene opens to a dazzling picture of Hixon Lake, which is located near the prosperous Westchase suburban community in Tampa, FL. Westchase is where Anthony Bailey had the privilege of being raised and the last time our World Champion found himself here to shoot a promo was on the eve of the memorable Rasslemania pay per view event. Ironically, he is also on the brink of another event that is bound to be remembered for years to come. It’s a warm and sunny afternoon here in the Sunshine State and the weather hasn’t shown any signs of the converging Hurricane Isaac so far. Clad in a short sleeve red and gray collared shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of red, white, and gray Nike sneakers, Anthony along with his girlfriend Tasha stroll along the lake’s pier while Anthony glances over a set of papers he’s holding and smiling.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: Wow, I cannot believe what I am reading! It’s flattering, it’s an honor, and others could very well judge it as absurd. Have you seen this yet?
{{Anthony shows Tasha the small stack of papers, revealing a freshly printed recent article published about him on Yahoo.com}}[/color]
Tasha: Oh no, I haven’t. It looks pretty interesting though.
Anthony Bailey: How about you guys out there watching? Have any of you seen this?
{{Anthony, now facing the camera, holds up the stack of papers to the camera for a few seconds and then removes it.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey Has Kobe Expectations Sunday for APW’s Shockwave event at Staples Center[/color]
It’s not a long write up and everyone should take the time out to read it for themselves when they have the opportunity. It’s comparing me to Kobe Bryant surprisingly and discussing how the Staples Center hasn’t been graced with a highly regarded young athlete with so much hype surrounding him since Kobe was drafted from high school into the pros back in 1996. Dag, talk about a weighty responsibility.
{{Anthony briefly pauses in astonishment.}}[/color]
Maybe I should change my nickname to The Promise Mamba or the Black Promise. How does that sound?
Tasha: Morbid.
{{Anthony shakes his head at her comeback.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: But it’s still pretty insane don’t you think? I was just viewing Shockwave as an opportunity to get even with Sally Talfourd and prove to everyone that I’m not some fluke champion. But little did I know that others, mainly the kind people in LA, were this excited about me and my movement. Shows how much TJ knows, the West Coast has great taste and doesn’t suck after all…
{{Anthony smiles as Tasha innocently peeks back over at the article.}}[/color]
Tasha: Oh my God, did you see Vanessa’s heels in that picture?! They are so cute! I wonder where she got them.
{{Anthony rolls his eyes and responds with sarcasm.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: No clue babe, maybe you should tweet her and find out.
{{Tasha pretends to laugh.}}[/color]
Tasha: That was not funny at all.
Anthony Bailey: Yes it was.
{{They both pause.}}[/color]
Tasha: Wait, Vanessa Bryant has a Twitter account??
Anthony Bailey: She might. I don’t keep up with celebrities like I used to, I bet Jason Kash would be proud.
{{They both laugh as he pulls her closer and gives her a kiss on the cheek.}}[/color]
Tasha: So what are your thoughts about tomorrow? A week ago you wanted to be left alone and didn’t even want to talk about it.
Anthony Bailey: I’m much more at ease now than before. I apologize if I over-reacted, I was just hurt. Not by losing the match, but just by everything else.
Tasha: I understand. It takes some time to heal emotionally when your girlfriend does you wrong.
Tasha constantly teased Anthony about Sally but not in a begrudging way, it was solely meant to be playful. Nothing romantic is occurring or has ever occurred between Anthony and Sally and Tasha was well aware of this.[/color]
Anthony Bailey: Oh look at you trying to be a comedian. So would the joke be on you then when Sally and I drive to Vegas to elope after Shockwave?
{{Tasha playfully hits Anthony in the shoulder as he laughs at his own comical retaliation.}}[/color]
I’ll even allow her to pose for a few pictures with my World Title. That’ll be the least I can do once I beat her. And speaking of the queen mastermind…what I want to know Sally is how did all of this get turned around on me? How am I all of a sudden the one who might be endangered for not “listening”? I have heard you loud and clear these past few months, as my ability to listen to others is more than adequate, but the true question is, are you listening to me? I think the days of the rookie who is unable to provide words of wisdom are far behind us. I also think that the days of the student sitting idly in the classroom and not being able to provide sufficient counsel to his peers are simply products of years gone by. Why should I be the one who’s only listening but not doing any speaking of my own? I have a voice Sally Talfourd and you better believe that it will be heard.
Your fear of me possibly experiencing in the future what you have already experienced in your career in the past should not only worry you…it should terrify you and keep you up at night. Why? Because I will purposely ignore your guidance and bring about my own demise? No, not at all. It should terrify you because I WILL experience the same things that you have…but I will experience more and on a far greater level. In the eyes of some, I might not currently be better than you. But will I be one day? You can count on that and that’s why you’re so afraid of what’s to come.
Anthony usually would have gone another route with his previous statement, but confidence was what sustained him and extinguished his anxiety against former tough opponents. If confidence would be the deciding factor against Sally, he would become doused in it.[/color]
Is this a cheap shot? No, I don’t take those. But let’s be honest, Sally’s rise to the top here in APW was gradual and steady. And I won’t even get into XPW or PWA for all of the Talfourd historians out there. But my rise? I came here, and by God’s grace and along with some blood, sweat, and tears, I skyrocketed to the top. The words “gradual” and “steady” weren’t synonymous and were non-existent with my career and I was quickly thrust into the spotlight. There was no real time to gather my thoughts or to calculate my steps because before I knew it, I was literally the top guy on Asylum. Hate him or love him, Asylum belonged to Jason Kash because he was running the show before I got there. But even with him, Callahan, Casteel, Farquhar, Knuckles, and the list goes on, even they couldn’t quench my flame.
Sally loves the truth and is a firm believer in it and she foresees me surpassing what she has done in and for this business and going on to become greater than her. And it’s not about being greater than the next guy or gal because we’re all human, but this is Sally’s plot and I’m seeing right through it. She’s not trying to guide me to a better career in the future, because with all pride aside that’s pretty much inevitable. Regardless of what the critics or predictions say, an illustrious and fruitful career awaits The Promise if I can stay on the right track, which I have vowed to do. So let’s gets this straight and cut the crap, you aren’t trying to assist my career; you are trying to murder it. That’s exactly what all of the mind games are for aren’t they?
First this is simply a test between two friends but now I’m hardheaded and unwilling to listen. According to you, I could be the greatest ever in this business if I just fill in the blank with brainless answers. Why must I conform to your way of doing things? You aren’t Mr. Miyagi and I am not Danielson. You haven’t trained me up as your student. Yes you have given me some valuable advice and we have shared some great conversations backstage here and there, but I am my own man. I listen to a few select people and as of two weeks ago, I’ve been skeptical if you should continue to be one of those people. Had you not screwed me over in my match against Johnny Rebel, I would’ve continuously sat at your feet for hours and just took in everything about the business that I could until my head exploded.
And all this talk about pushing me for tangible proof to see if I am the best or not has not inspired me to want to excel further, it has only pushed me close to the edge as the legendary Grandmaster Flash would say. Deep down your intent might truthfully be that, but your actions have proven otherwise. Maybe I will not feel indifferent towards you after I defeat you tomorrow at Shockwave, but until then, our friendship is on a hiatus. I don’t need your help to succeed. Before you came along, I was doing just fine and I plan on doing so for as long as I am able. While you are trying to usher me along on the road to success, little do you know that I am in an entirely different vehicle far ahead of the one you think that I am in.
I’m not the kindergartener on training wheels who is scared to pedal forward because of a fear of falling off of my bicycle; I am the sixteen year old who already has his own license and his own means of transportation. You’re not seeing things as they are meant to be seen, you are living in a fantasy world. You are projecting onto me a person who you think I should be but Sally, I am not that imaginary person dwelling inside of your head. I am far more developed than you think that I am and I am not only capable of winning tomorrow, I will win tomorrow. There’s a big difference. You’re meditating with a little boy who could probably have the starring role in a film about my life one day but you are missing the main element of what you should be meditating on…and that’s the truth.
Truth is a hard pill to swallow for some. And by your many years of experience in this line of work, I would expect more from you. I would expect you to not only meditate on truth, but also apply it in every area of your life. And the truth of the matter Sally is that you have been selected for a battle that you cannot win. I respect who you are as a person and what you have done for this business, especially all of the gender barriers that you have torn down, but I don’t respect your demeanor towards me. All of the subliminal shots and insults have proven to me that wisdom doesn’t always come with age. A mature age doesn’t guarantee anything and wisdom has to be cultivated over the years. It won’t magically appear inside of you with the more birthdays you celebrate.
Sally, the years that you were supposed to be developing the prodigious virtue of wisdom were wasted on vain pursuits of chasing belts and pats on the back. You might say that being in this business is much more than that, but your track record has shown otherwise. But then again, how can one possess wisdom if what they proclaim and their actions don’t line up with each other? But it’s okay, I forgive you. I forgive you for all of the wrongs you have done to me and I also forgive you for foolishly doubting me. Why? Because I’m humble and try not to harbor ill will towards my fellow man? Well that could be the case but I’m willing to move on and forgive you for your wrongs because of who I am. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. See you tomorrow sweetheart…
{{The scene slowly fades to black as Anthony and Tasha continue their journey up the pier.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey has been notorious for exhibiting anxiety with imminent opportunities of grand caliber. Tomorrow night, he will walk down the aisle of the Staples Center in Los Angeles to face the number one contender for his World Title, Sally Talfourd. Once again being the underdog made Bailey feel like people constantly overlooked his talent and his capabilities no matter what he did, but this had to be inspiration going into his match. This wasn’t the time to be mentally discouraged, but the time to travail.
The last time an unlikely candidate captured the hearts of those in attendance at the Staples Center with his endowment was sixteen years ago with the Lakers and that man was Kobe Bryant, who was at the time the youngest player to ever play in the NBA. Bailey was in no way trying to compare himself to arguably the greatest player currently in professional basketball, but he could identify with him. At the age of eighteen and nineteen, Kobe Bryant took the NBA by storm and at the age of twenty-two, Anthony Bailey is just beginning to get his feet wet here in Action Packed Wrestling. Tomorrow has been taken hold in faith by Bailey and he plans on leaving Los Angeles, California still being the World Heavyweight Champion.
{{The scene opens to a dazzling picture of Hixon Lake, which is located near the prosperous Westchase suburban community in Tampa, FL. Westchase is where Anthony Bailey had the privilege of being raised and the last time our World Champion found himself here to shoot a promo was on the eve of the memorable Rasslemania pay per view event. Ironically, he is also on the brink of another event that is bound to be remembered for years to come. It’s a warm and sunny afternoon here in the Sunshine State and the weather hasn’t shown any signs of the converging Hurricane Isaac so far. Clad in a short sleeve red and gray collared shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of red, white, and gray Nike sneakers, Anthony along with his girlfriend Tasha stroll along the lake’s pier while Anthony glances over a set of papers he’s holding and smiling.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: Wow, I cannot believe what I am reading! It’s flattering, it’s an honor, and others could very well judge it as absurd. Have you seen this yet?
{{Anthony shows Tasha the small stack of papers, revealing a freshly printed recent article published about him on Yahoo.com}}[/color]
Tasha: Oh no, I haven’t. It looks pretty interesting though.
Anthony Bailey: How about you guys out there watching? Have any of you seen this?
{{Anthony, now facing the camera, holds up the stack of papers to the camera for a few seconds and then removes it.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey Has Kobe Expectations Sunday for APW’s Shockwave event at Staples Center[/color]
It’s not a long write up and everyone should take the time out to read it for themselves when they have the opportunity. It’s comparing me to Kobe Bryant surprisingly and discussing how the Staples Center hasn’t been graced with a highly regarded young athlete with so much hype surrounding him since Kobe was drafted from high school into the pros back in 1996. Dag, talk about a weighty responsibility.
{{Anthony briefly pauses in astonishment.}}[/color]
Maybe I should change my nickname to The Promise Mamba or the Black Promise. How does that sound?
Tasha: Morbid.
{{Anthony shakes his head at her comeback.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: But it’s still pretty insane don’t you think? I was just viewing Shockwave as an opportunity to get even with Sally Talfourd and prove to everyone that I’m not some fluke champion. But little did I know that others, mainly the kind people in LA, were this excited about me and my movement. Shows how much TJ knows, the West Coast has great taste and doesn’t suck after all…
{{Anthony smiles as Tasha innocently peeks back over at the article.}}[/color]
Tasha: Oh my God, did you see Vanessa’s heels in that picture?! They are so cute! I wonder where she got them.
{{Anthony rolls his eyes and responds with sarcasm.}}[/color]
Anthony Bailey: No clue babe, maybe you should tweet her and find out.
{{Tasha pretends to laugh.}}[/color]
Tasha: That was not funny at all.
Anthony Bailey: Yes it was.
{{They both pause.}}[/color]
Tasha: Wait, Vanessa Bryant has a Twitter account??
Anthony Bailey: She might. I don’t keep up with celebrities like I used to, I bet Jason Kash would be proud.
{{They both laugh as he pulls her closer and gives her a kiss on the cheek.}}[/color]
Tasha: So what are your thoughts about tomorrow? A week ago you wanted to be left alone and didn’t even want to talk about it.
Anthony Bailey: I’m much more at ease now than before. I apologize if I over-reacted, I was just hurt. Not by losing the match, but just by everything else.
Tasha: I understand. It takes some time to heal emotionally when your girlfriend does you wrong.
Tasha constantly teased Anthony about Sally but not in a begrudging way, it was solely meant to be playful. Nothing romantic is occurring or has ever occurred between Anthony and Sally and Tasha was well aware of this.[/color]
Anthony Bailey: Oh look at you trying to be a comedian. So would the joke be on you then when Sally and I drive to Vegas to elope after Shockwave?
{{Tasha playfully hits Anthony in the shoulder as he laughs at his own comical retaliation.}}[/color]
I’ll even allow her to pose for a few pictures with my World Title. That’ll be the least I can do once I beat her. And speaking of the queen mastermind…what I want to know Sally is how did all of this get turned around on me? How am I all of a sudden the one who might be endangered for not “listening”? I have heard you loud and clear these past few months, as my ability to listen to others is more than adequate, but the true question is, are you listening to me? I think the days of the rookie who is unable to provide words of wisdom are far behind us. I also think that the days of the student sitting idly in the classroom and not being able to provide sufficient counsel to his peers are simply products of years gone by. Why should I be the one who’s only listening but not doing any speaking of my own? I have a voice Sally Talfourd and you better believe that it will be heard.
Your fear of me possibly experiencing in the future what you have already experienced in your career in the past should not only worry you…it should terrify you and keep you up at night. Why? Because I will purposely ignore your guidance and bring about my own demise? No, not at all. It should terrify you because I WILL experience the same things that you have…but I will experience more and on a far greater level. In the eyes of some, I might not currently be better than you. But will I be one day? You can count on that and that’s why you’re so afraid of what’s to come.
Anthony usually would have gone another route with his previous statement, but confidence was what sustained him and extinguished his anxiety against former tough opponents. If confidence would be the deciding factor against Sally, he would become doused in it.[/color]
Is this a cheap shot? No, I don’t take those. But let’s be honest, Sally’s rise to the top here in APW was gradual and steady. And I won’t even get into XPW or PWA for all of the Talfourd historians out there. But my rise? I came here, and by God’s grace and along with some blood, sweat, and tears, I skyrocketed to the top. The words “gradual” and “steady” weren’t synonymous and were non-existent with my career and I was quickly thrust into the spotlight. There was no real time to gather my thoughts or to calculate my steps because before I knew it, I was literally the top guy on Asylum. Hate him or love him, Asylum belonged to Jason Kash because he was running the show before I got there. But even with him, Callahan, Casteel, Farquhar, Knuckles, and the list goes on, even they couldn’t quench my flame.
Sally loves the truth and is a firm believer in it and she foresees me surpassing what she has done in and for this business and going on to become greater than her. And it’s not about being greater than the next guy or gal because we’re all human, but this is Sally’s plot and I’m seeing right through it. She’s not trying to guide me to a better career in the future, because with all pride aside that’s pretty much inevitable. Regardless of what the critics or predictions say, an illustrious and fruitful career awaits The Promise if I can stay on the right track, which I have vowed to do. So let’s gets this straight and cut the crap, you aren’t trying to assist my career; you are trying to murder it. That’s exactly what all of the mind games are for aren’t they?
First this is simply a test between two friends but now I’m hardheaded and unwilling to listen. According to you, I could be the greatest ever in this business if I just fill in the blank with brainless answers. Why must I conform to your way of doing things? You aren’t Mr. Miyagi and I am not Danielson. You haven’t trained me up as your student. Yes you have given me some valuable advice and we have shared some great conversations backstage here and there, but I am my own man. I listen to a few select people and as of two weeks ago, I’ve been skeptical if you should continue to be one of those people. Had you not screwed me over in my match against Johnny Rebel, I would’ve continuously sat at your feet for hours and just took in everything about the business that I could until my head exploded.
And all this talk about pushing me for tangible proof to see if I am the best or not has not inspired me to want to excel further, it has only pushed me close to the edge as the legendary Grandmaster Flash would say. Deep down your intent might truthfully be that, but your actions have proven otherwise. Maybe I will not feel indifferent towards you after I defeat you tomorrow at Shockwave, but until then, our friendship is on a hiatus. I don’t need your help to succeed. Before you came along, I was doing just fine and I plan on doing so for as long as I am able. While you are trying to usher me along on the road to success, little do you know that I am in an entirely different vehicle far ahead of the one you think that I am in.
I’m not the kindergartener on training wheels who is scared to pedal forward because of a fear of falling off of my bicycle; I am the sixteen year old who already has his own license and his own means of transportation. You’re not seeing things as they are meant to be seen, you are living in a fantasy world. You are projecting onto me a person who you think I should be but Sally, I am not that imaginary person dwelling inside of your head. I am far more developed than you think that I am and I am not only capable of winning tomorrow, I will win tomorrow. There’s a big difference. You’re meditating with a little boy who could probably have the starring role in a film about my life one day but you are missing the main element of what you should be meditating on…and that’s the truth.
Truth is a hard pill to swallow for some. And by your many years of experience in this line of work, I would expect more from you. I would expect you to not only meditate on truth, but also apply it in every area of your life. And the truth of the matter Sally is that you have been selected for a battle that you cannot win. I respect who you are as a person and what you have done for this business, especially all of the gender barriers that you have torn down, but I don’t respect your demeanor towards me. All of the subliminal shots and insults have proven to me that wisdom doesn’t always come with age. A mature age doesn’t guarantee anything and wisdom has to be cultivated over the years. It won’t magically appear inside of you with the more birthdays you celebrate.
Sally, the years that you were supposed to be developing the prodigious virtue of wisdom were wasted on vain pursuits of chasing belts and pats on the back. You might say that being in this business is much more than that, but your track record has shown otherwise. But then again, how can one possess wisdom if what they proclaim and their actions don’t line up with each other? But it’s okay, I forgive you. I forgive you for all of the wrongs you have done to me and I also forgive you for foolishly doubting me. Why? Because I’m humble and try not to harbor ill will towards my fellow man? Well that could be the case but I’m willing to move on and forgive you for your wrongs because of who I am. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. See you tomorrow sweetheart…
{{The scene slowly fades to black as Anthony and Tasha continue their journey up the pier.}}[/color]
