Post by Mark Mania on Mar 22, 2013 13:56:36 GMT -4
(OOC: A little bit shorter, Evan and I agreed to cap the second RP at 3,500 words due to time constraints on both sides.)
Sunday March 10th, 2013
Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
I stumble into the hospital, hand wrapped in my own shirt, sweat beating off my face, and I have no idea how everything just happened so quickly. I walk up to the E.R. desk and show my hand to the triage nurse. She immediately ushers me in to find a bed. My mind is dazed as I try to and figure out what I should do next.
The doctor rushes over to me, “Mr. Mania, let me take a look at that hand, what happened?”
I look at him, and then down at my hand, he knows what happened.
“Was this treated recently? I see what looks like broken stitches around it.”
I nod my head, ‘yes’ at him.
“What happened to the person you hit?”
I shrug my shoulders, truly having no idea. I ran out so quickly that I never even turned around to look.
“Mr. Mania, any light you can shed on this situation would be very helpful.”
I look at him with a blank stare. He looks back for a moment before he realizes that I’m no use. The doctor turns around and leaves. I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. The image of me hitting the man in the bar flashing over and over in my head. Shortly after, the doctor returns with a local anesthetic and the items needed for new stitches. He begins to sew me up and I lie back and fall asleep.
Sunday March 24th, 2013
RassleMania IX, Toronto, Ontario
1….
2…..
3!!!!!
“And here is your winner, and NEW Overdrive Champion, the MegaMEGA Star Evan ENVI!” Nicky Paige screams into the microphone as I lie face up looking towards the ceiling with Evan Envi towering over me with the Overdrive Title in his arms.
I look up at him, with what feels like a tear rolling down my cheek, “No!”
Evan looks down at me, a cruel smile pouring over his face. He holds the title directly in my face, “Say goodbye you washed up has-been.”
Funnily enough, I don’t remember any of the match. My head hurts, my hand hurts, and I can’t seem to get up from this position. In my head I hear Nicky Paige announce Evan Envi as the ‘NEW’ champion over and over again. It hurts to think about, it hurts to hear the voice. The blood in my body is pumping in my hand and my head. Each heartbeat feels like a freight train hitting me.
Monday, March 25th, 2013
Mania Enterprises, Boston, MA
Suddenly, I’m in my office, on my couch. My hand is still hurting, my mind still not even close to clear.
RING
RING
RING
The ringing of the phone matches up with the beating of my heart. I turn to see the phone on the other side of the room. I get up and rush to get it, my head is swimming and my legs don’t seem to want to work.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Yes, is this Mark Mania?”
“You’re talking to him.”
“Mr. Mania, this is Cindy Shannon from APW.”
“Yes, Cindy, I know who you are. What’s going on?”
“Mr. Mania, please call me Ms. Shannon.”
“Uh, what? Cindy, we’ve known each other for years.”
Cindy is noticeably upset, “You’re making this very easy on me. Mr. Mania, I’m calling from President Jeff’s office. He wanted me to inform you, that you’ve been fired.”
I stand, stunned, the phone drops out of my hand. The tear hits my cheek yet again, “No.”
March 24th, 2043
Gately Funeral Home, Melrose, MA
I seem to be laying on a couch or in some sort of a bed. There are many chairs in the room with me. I try to look around but I’m having a difficult time moving my head. I notice though that all the chairs are empty except for one. My mother, whom I haven’t seen in nearly a decade sits. She has no emotion on her face, nor does she seem to know why she’s there.
Another man walks up to the front of this room and stands between my mother and I. He faces her and turns his back on me.
“I did not know Mark Mania well. He was from Melrose and at point in his life he was a professional wrestler. From what I’ve heard, he had moderate success until thirty years ago today when he lost to Evan Envi, the man who is now considered the greatest wrestler to ever live. I asked around for any of Mr. Mania’s family or friends who would like to come and share some stories, but, unfortunately no one answered the call. Mrs. Mania, would you like to say anything?”
My mother shakes her head.
“Well, in that case, Rest in Peace Mr. Mania, we hardly knew ye.”
Suddenly like a flash I understand what’s happening. I’ve died. And this is all that’s left for me, there is no one by my side. No one to usher me into the afterlife. This is all there is. This is all there ever was.
“No.”
Sunday, March 10th, 2013
Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
“Mr. Mania, Mr. Mania!”
I’m startled awake by a nurse. I look at her, not sure what she’s doing here or where exactly ‘here’ is.
“Mr. Mania you were screaming ‘no’ in your sleep. Are you okay?”
I look at her for a moment more, realizing where I am and everything is starting to come together. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“Do you want anything? Water, something to eat?”
“Water.”
The nurse leaves and I start to be back within my own body. I look at my hand which is neatly stitched up. I check my head to see if anything is wrong with it, nothing. I check my phone to find out what day it is. March 10th, just how I left it, RassleMania hasn’t happened it. I take a deep breath as the doctor walks back towards me.
“How’re we feeling Mr. Mania?”
“Much better, thanks doc.”
“Oh and we’ve found our voice now too have we?”
“Needed a little nap first.”
“I figured. How about you tell me what happened now?”
I go over the entire story to him. Rosa leaving, me going to the bar to have a few drinks, and me punching out the man. The further on the story goes the more the doctor is surprised by my openness to tell him.
“Mr. Mania, listening to all of this, I think you might want to consult a therapist. I think that it could do a lot of good for you.”
“Saw a therapist for a long time doc, I was actually diagnosed as a schizophrenic about three years ago, but it was trauma induced and I learned to control the alternative personality.”
The doctor looks at me for a moment, in complete shock, “Mr. Mania, I don’t know how to put this any clearer, you need to see a therapist, like, yesterday.”
Don’t often hear doctors say ‘like’ much. The doctor takes out a pad of paper and writes something down on it.
“Here’s the number of a friend of mine who has a practice right here in Boston. You need to talk to him, work out some of these issues. If you have a history of bad reactions to trauma, a situation like losing the person closest to you could be a serious issue.”
I take the note from him, “Thanks doc.”
“You might want to get in touch with a lawyer too, I have a feeling whoever you hit probably knows who you are.”
I wink at the doctor, “You’re a smart one.”
Monday, March 18th, 2013
Mania Enterprises, Board Room, Boston, MA
“Gentlemen, I know that a lot of things have happened recently that would probably concern you about Mania Enterprises. There was no one in this room that was more personally hurt by the purchase of Meltdown being ruined than me. I know that it cost the company a substantial amount of money and I know that it puts the future of the company in jeopardy.”
I look around the room at the various dignitaries and company owners sitting in front of me that make up the Mania Enterprises Board of Directors.
“But let me assure you that there is nothing wrong with Mania Enterprises. We lost some serious money and some serious chances for expanding out income but the basic business model is reliant on me. I’ve been wrestling as well as I ever have been and for as long as I’m wrestling Mania Enterprises will be going strong. While business relations with APW have certainly cooled, my standing in the company is still strong. I remain the Overdrive champion going into RassleMania and I plan on leaving the building as champion as well. I am proud to be the second longest reigning Overdrive Champion and I plan on holding on to the title long enough to surpass even Biggs.”
“I will continue to run this company successfully and I will find new business opportunities for Mania Enterprises that will lead to growth. You shouldn’t be worried about the future of this company.”
I finish my spiel and take a deep breath. The men chat amongst each other a little bit, taking in what I’ve just said. One of them raises their hands.
“Yes, Mike?” Mike Desmond, owns about forty Laundromats in the greater Boston area.
“Mark, this is all well and good, but clearly Evan Envi got under your skin and somehow ruined this deal for us. How can we trust you going forward in any deal in the future when your very profession leads to people wanted to screw you over?”
“Thanks for asking Mike. In the future I will make sure to do a much better job at separating Mania Enterprises from whatever in-ring issues I may have going on. Evan is a different type of person than most others, he has no heart and doesn’t understand when he’s gone too far. This shouldn’t be a problem in the future.”
Another raises his hand and starts to talk, it’s Steve Smith who serves on the Board of Directors for Fidelity, Putnam Investments, and Biogen.
“I don’t want to step on any toes here, Mark, but aren’t you currently being sued for assault? Are you in the right mindset to continue running Mania Enterprises or should we look elsewhere for business operations?”
I take a breath, visibly angry about the question, “I understand your concern Steve. This was a lapse in judgment on my part and this will never be going to trial. The charges will be dropped tomorrow. I have decided to settle outside of court with my own money and it will not affect Mania Enterprises. We all make mistakes gentlemen, mine just happened to be a little more costly. There is no one alive today who could run this company better than I can and I will continue to run it. Mania Enterprises has been around for nearly two decades and I’ve been at the helm for the last six years. RassleMania will be over on the 24th and everything will run smoothly again after that.”
There a murmurs around the table.
“Gentlemen, you’ve trusted me for the past six years and through the ups and downs this company has still been going smoothly. These last two indiscretions will not derail Mania Enterprises. I encourage us to have another Board Meeting following RassleMania to discuss future projects. For now I wanted to bring you all in and give you my assurances. Thanks for coming, meeting adjourned.”
The men seem surprised by this sudden ending. They all file out of the room and I shake hands with them as they exit. Finally the last person leaves and I shut the door behind them. I sit at the head of the table and contemplate the future. I’ve accepted that Rosa Ramirez is gone, I’ve accepted that I don’t have many people close to me, but what I will not accept is losing the Overdrive Title. I’ve accepted failure in other parts of my life but I will not accept failure inside the ring. I will not allow Evan Envi to get the better of me. RassleMania will be a new beginning for me and another bump in the road for Evan Envi. I’m ready for the biggest stage of the year.
“So this is what it’s come to. RassleMania IX, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The up and coming MegaMega Star Evan Envi goes up against the legend himself, Mark Mania. What is one to expect? The predictions have started to pour in. Some people claiming that this is Evan Envi’s time. I’m reading predictions from people that say they can’t believe Evan Envi isn’t currently holding a title. People proclaiming him to be the next Overdrive Grand-Slam Champion. The love for Evan Envi is coming in faster than we can all handle!”
“But, why? Can anyone figure out why it is that Evan Envi is having all these platitudes hoisted upon him? Is it his inability to retain the Xtreme Championship? Is it the fact that he was the only the SECOND person to ever be promoted from Meltdown? Could it be his two regulation losses to me? I don’t think the public will ever really know why it is they predict Evan Envi to win this match. I have two theories and either one could be true. One casts the public in a not so bright light, and the other, the public sees the writing on the wall and is smarter than we all think.”
“The first possibility is that the public doesn’t have any idea what it’s talking about. One of my favorite quotes from any movie is from the original Men in Black. Tommy Lee Jones is sitting down next to Will Smith who is flabbergasted that the Men in Black exist and that they don’t tell the general public about potential world ending disasters. Will Smith pleads that people are smart enough to handle that type of information. Tommy Lee Jones puts it succinctly, ‘A person is smart, but people, are dumb.’ Truer words have never been spoken.”
“I don’t know when it was, maybe when Evan Envi was tearing up the Meltdown ranks but suddenly he got this reputation as the next big thing in APW. He had a good run in the Extreme Tournament and he became the golden boy. He made a splash on Overdrive by winning the Xtreme Title from a man who had just competed in a match not a few minutes before and then he shortly after lost it. Yet, through that failure, this idea that he was the next best thing stuck with him. People still thought of him as someone who still had Undisputed Title ability.”
“So when all of a sudden, he’s in a match for the Overdrive title, the general public, as uneducated as they can be, think, ‘Oh Evan Envi, he’s supposed to be the next big thing, I bet this will be his chance to make that move up the ladder!’ Which is just plain ole’ ignorant thinking. Let me put this bluntly, Evan Envi is not the next big thing. Evan Envi is a good wrestler who peaked early and has been flaming out ever since. Evan Envi had a lot of potential but he let everyone’s praise get to him and he’s been trying to find a way back to the top ever since. He has somehow continued to fool the public into thinking that he’s not just wasted talent. Which is fine, but I’m here to let the world know, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, Evan Envi is not the savior you’re looking for.”
“Evan will not reach his full potential because he doesn’t know his own limits. When everyone tells you you’re going to be one of the greats, you forget that you still have to work to get there. You forget that you need to earn your position in the company. Evan Envi forgot that. Evan Envi doesn’t deserve to be across from me in the ring with the Overdrive title on the line and he’s going to find out real quick that despite all the predictions, he just can’t hack it.”
“Now, the second possibility for why the predictions are going this way are far more meta. I remember a little less than a year ago Terry Marvin won the Test for the Best tournament while he was the Overdrive Champion. Everyone knew that he was going to be fighting for bigger and better things with Kurt Noble and thought that maybe his time as Overdrive Champion was over. I went into a match against him and Delikado the week after Test for the Best and the predictions started to come in.”
“Expert after expert was predicting that either I or Delikado was going to win the match. Everyone knew that Terry Marvin had his sights on a bigger prize and so the predictions went against him. So maybe, just maybe, the public and the experts are starting to think that Mark Mania has his sights on a higher prize. Maybe they’re realizing just how good Mark Mania is and how strong his reign as Overdrive Champion has been.”
“Now if that’s the case, it makes what I have to say a little easier. Because I don’t blame the people for thinking the way they do. I have been the champion for half a year. The amount of success I’ve had in that time is second to only Terry Marvin. I’ve proved that I’m not a has-been. I’ve proved that the best days are still ahead for Mark Mania. But here’s the thing, I don’t want to be done being champion just yet. I quite enjoy this Overdrive Title, I also, really dislike Evan Envi. If I’m going to lose this title and go on to bigger and better things, I’m going to make sure that the person who has this title will respect it and continue on the tradition of great Overdrive Champions.”
“Evan Envi is not that person, not yet at least. For those of you that are saying that Evan could be the next Overdrive Grand Slam Champion, I think you forget a certain person that is already two-thirds of the way done and does have the Undisputed Title in his sights. Upon holding that title, whenever it may be, I will be the most recent Overdrive Grand Slam champion, not Evan Envi, who only has one third of the titles on the brand, the lowest title of the three if I must say.”
“Now I’m not here to bash the general public or the Xtreme title, certainly not. The one reason I’m here is to clear up Evan Envi’s image with the world. I don’t blame any of you for thinking the way you do. There was a time when I thought Evan Envi was going to be a big star here. There was a time when I believed like all of you that we may be witnessing the beginning of greatness. But I’ve been in the ring with him, I’ve faced him one on one. We don’t have greatness in our midst folks, we have a cocky, big-headed, unmotivated, loser. He’s entitled, he’s arrogant, and he doesn’t have a clue of what it takes to really be a champion. That’s the Evan Envi that you’re all so quick to pick as the person who upsets me and takes the Overdrive Title. That’s the person that you believe will usher APW into the summer of 2013.”
“I don’t know why I’m surprised, it seems that every time I get in the ring with someone for this title the predictions seem to go against me. Delikado, everyone picked him, Azrael Goeren, everyone picked him, Buckson Gooch… alright, well no one picked him, but you get what I’m saying. I have no problem being the underdog again folks. The Overdrive title will remain mine on Sunday night and Evan Envi will go back to where he belongs; In my shadow.”
Rock-Bottom Part I
Sunday March 10th, 2013
Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
I stumble into the hospital, hand wrapped in my own shirt, sweat beating off my face, and I have no idea how everything just happened so quickly. I walk up to the E.R. desk and show my hand to the triage nurse. She immediately ushers me in to find a bed. My mind is dazed as I try to and figure out what I should do next.
The doctor rushes over to me, “Mr. Mania, let me take a look at that hand, what happened?”
I look at him, and then down at my hand, he knows what happened.
“Was this treated recently? I see what looks like broken stitches around it.”
I nod my head, ‘yes’ at him.
“What happened to the person you hit?”
I shrug my shoulders, truly having no idea. I ran out so quickly that I never even turned around to look.
“Mr. Mania, any light you can shed on this situation would be very helpful.”
I look at him with a blank stare. He looks back for a moment before he realizes that I’m no use. The doctor turns around and leaves. I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. The image of me hitting the man in the bar flashing over and over in my head. Shortly after, the doctor returns with a local anesthetic and the items needed for new stitches. He begins to sew me up and I lie back and fall asleep.
Dream & Consequences
Sunday March 24th, 2013
RassleMania IX, Toronto, Ontario
1….
2…..
3!!!!!
“And here is your winner, and NEW Overdrive Champion, the MegaMEGA Star Evan ENVI!” Nicky Paige screams into the microphone as I lie face up looking towards the ceiling with Evan Envi towering over me with the Overdrive Title in his arms.
I look up at him, with what feels like a tear rolling down my cheek, “No!”
Evan looks down at me, a cruel smile pouring over his face. He holds the title directly in my face, “Say goodbye you washed up has-been.”
Funnily enough, I don’t remember any of the match. My head hurts, my hand hurts, and I can’t seem to get up from this position. In my head I hear Nicky Paige announce Evan Envi as the ‘NEW’ champion over and over again. It hurts to think about, it hurts to hear the voice. The blood in my body is pumping in my hand and my head. Each heartbeat feels like a freight train hitting me.
Monday, March 25th, 2013
Mania Enterprises, Boston, MA
Suddenly, I’m in my office, on my couch. My hand is still hurting, my mind still not even close to clear.
RING
RING
RING
The ringing of the phone matches up with the beating of my heart. I turn to see the phone on the other side of the room. I get up and rush to get it, my head is swimming and my legs don’t seem to want to work.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Yes, is this Mark Mania?”
“You’re talking to him.”
“Mr. Mania, this is Cindy Shannon from APW.”
“Yes, Cindy, I know who you are. What’s going on?”
“Mr. Mania, please call me Ms. Shannon.”
“Uh, what? Cindy, we’ve known each other for years.”
Cindy is noticeably upset, “You’re making this very easy on me. Mr. Mania, I’m calling from President Jeff’s office. He wanted me to inform you, that you’ve been fired.”
I stand, stunned, the phone drops out of my hand. The tear hits my cheek yet again, “No.”
March 24th, 2043
Gately Funeral Home, Melrose, MA
I seem to be laying on a couch or in some sort of a bed. There are many chairs in the room with me. I try to look around but I’m having a difficult time moving my head. I notice though that all the chairs are empty except for one. My mother, whom I haven’t seen in nearly a decade sits. She has no emotion on her face, nor does she seem to know why she’s there.
Another man walks up to the front of this room and stands between my mother and I. He faces her and turns his back on me.
“I did not know Mark Mania well. He was from Melrose and at point in his life he was a professional wrestler. From what I’ve heard, he had moderate success until thirty years ago today when he lost to Evan Envi, the man who is now considered the greatest wrestler to ever live. I asked around for any of Mr. Mania’s family or friends who would like to come and share some stories, but, unfortunately no one answered the call. Mrs. Mania, would you like to say anything?”
My mother shakes her head.
“Well, in that case, Rest in Peace Mr. Mania, we hardly knew ye.”
Suddenly like a flash I understand what’s happening. I’ve died. And this is all that’s left for me, there is no one by my side. No one to usher me into the afterlife. This is all there is. This is all there ever was.
“No.”
Rock-Bottom Part II
Sunday, March 10th, 2013
Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
“Mr. Mania, Mr. Mania!”
I’m startled awake by a nurse. I look at her, not sure what she’s doing here or where exactly ‘here’ is.
“Mr. Mania you were screaming ‘no’ in your sleep. Are you okay?”
I look at her for a moment more, realizing where I am and everything is starting to come together. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“Do you want anything? Water, something to eat?”
“Water.”
The nurse leaves and I start to be back within my own body. I look at my hand which is neatly stitched up. I check my head to see if anything is wrong with it, nothing. I check my phone to find out what day it is. March 10th, just how I left it, RassleMania hasn’t happened it. I take a deep breath as the doctor walks back towards me.
“How’re we feeling Mr. Mania?”
“Much better, thanks doc.”
“Oh and we’ve found our voice now too have we?”
“Needed a little nap first.”
“I figured. How about you tell me what happened now?”
I go over the entire story to him. Rosa leaving, me going to the bar to have a few drinks, and me punching out the man. The further on the story goes the more the doctor is surprised by my openness to tell him.
“Mr. Mania, listening to all of this, I think you might want to consult a therapist. I think that it could do a lot of good for you.”
“Saw a therapist for a long time doc, I was actually diagnosed as a schizophrenic about three years ago, but it was trauma induced and I learned to control the alternative personality.”
The doctor looks at me for a moment, in complete shock, “Mr. Mania, I don’t know how to put this any clearer, you need to see a therapist, like, yesterday.”
Don’t often hear doctors say ‘like’ much. The doctor takes out a pad of paper and writes something down on it.
“Here’s the number of a friend of mine who has a practice right here in Boston. You need to talk to him, work out some of these issues. If you have a history of bad reactions to trauma, a situation like losing the person closest to you could be a serious issue.”
I take the note from him, “Thanks doc.”
“You might want to get in touch with a lawyer too, I have a feeling whoever you hit probably knows who you are.”
I wink at the doctor, “You’re a smart one.”
Rising Above
Monday, March 18th, 2013
Mania Enterprises, Board Room, Boston, MA
“Gentlemen, I know that a lot of things have happened recently that would probably concern you about Mania Enterprises. There was no one in this room that was more personally hurt by the purchase of Meltdown being ruined than me. I know that it cost the company a substantial amount of money and I know that it puts the future of the company in jeopardy.”
I look around the room at the various dignitaries and company owners sitting in front of me that make up the Mania Enterprises Board of Directors.
“But let me assure you that there is nothing wrong with Mania Enterprises. We lost some serious money and some serious chances for expanding out income but the basic business model is reliant on me. I’ve been wrestling as well as I ever have been and for as long as I’m wrestling Mania Enterprises will be going strong. While business relations with APW have certainly cooled, my standing in the company is still strong. I remain the Overdrive champion going into RassleMania and I plan on leaving the building as champion as well. I am proud to be the second longest reigning Overdrive Champion and I plan on holding on to the title long enough to surpass even Biggs.”
“I will continue to run this company successfully and I will find new business opportunities for Mania Enterprises that will lead to growth. You shouldn’t be worried about the future of this company.”
I finish my spiel and take a deep breath. The men chat amongst each other a little bit, taking in what I’ve just said. One of them raises their hands.
“Yes, Mike?” Mike Desmond, owns about forty Laundromats in the greater Boston area.
“Mark, this is all well and good, but clearly Evan Envi got under your skin and somehow ruined this deal for us. How can we trust you going forward in any deal in the future when your very profession leads to people wanted to screw you over?”
“Thanks for asking Mike. In the future I will make sure to do a much better job at separating Mania Enterprises from whatever in-ring issues I may have going on. Evan is a different type of person than most others, he has no heart and doesn’t understand when he’s gone too far. This shouldn’t be a problem in the future.”
Another raises his hand and starts to talk, it’s Steve Smith who serves on the Board of Directors for Fidelity, Putnam Investments, and Biogen.
“I don’t want to step on any toes here, Mark, but aren’t you currently being sued for assault? Are you in the right mindset to continue running Mania Enterprises or should we look elsewhere for business operations?”
I take a breath, visibly angry about the question, “I understand your concern Steve. This was a lapse in judgment on my part and this will never be going to trial. The charges will be dropped tomorrow. I have decided to settle outside of court with my own money and it will not affect Mania Enterprises. We all make mistakes gentlemen, mine just happened to be a little more costly. There is no one alive today who could run this company better than I can and I will continue to run it. Mania Enterprises has been around for nearly two decades and I’ve been at the helm for the last six years. RassleMania will be over on the 24th and everything will run smoothly again after that.”
There a murmurs around the table.
“Gentlemen, you’ve trusted me for the past six years and through the ups and downs this company has still been going smoothly. These last two indiscretions will not derail Mania Enterprises. I encourage us to have another Board Meeting following RassleMania to discuss future projects. For now I wanted to bring you all in and give you my assurances. Thanks for coming, meeting adjourned.”
The men seem surprised by this sudden ending. They all file out of the room and I shake hands with them as they exit. Finally the last person leaves and I shut the door behind them. I sit at the head of the table and contemplate the future. I’ve accepted that Rosa Ramirez is gone, I’ve accepted that I don’t have many people close to me, but what I will not accept is losing the Overdrive Title. I’ve accepted failure in other parts of my life but I will not accept failure inside the ring. I will not allow Evan Envi to get the better of me. RassleMania will be a new beginning for me and another bump in the road for Evan Envi. I’m ready for the biggest stage of the year.
The End
“So this is what it’s come to. RassleMania IX, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The up and coming MegaMega Star Evan Envi goes up against the legend himself, Mark Mania. What is one to expect? The predictions have started to pour in. Some people claiming that this is Evan Envi’s time. I’m reading predictions from people that say they can’t believe Evan Envi isn’t currently holding a title. People proclaiming him to be the next Overdrive Grand-Slam Champion. The love for Evan Envi is coming in faster than we can all handle!”
“But, why? Can anyone figure out why it is that Evan Envi is having all these platitudes hoisted upon him? Is it his inability to retain the Xtreme Championship? Is it the fact that he was the only the SECOND person to ever be promoted from Meltdown? Could it be his two regulation losses to me? I don’t think the public will ever really know why it is they predict Evan Envi to win this match. I have two theories and either one could be true. One casts the public in a not so bright light, and the other, the public sees the writing on the wall and is smarter than we all think.”
“The first possibility is that the public doesn’t have any idea what it’s talking about. One of my favorite quotes from any movie is from the original Men in Black. Tommy Lee Jones is sitting down next to Will Smith who is flabbergasted that the Men in Black exist and that they don’t tell the general public about potential world ending disasters. Will Smith pleads that people are smart enough to handle that type of information. Tommy Lee Jones puts it succinctly, ‘A person is smart, but people, are dumb.’ Truer words have never been spoken.”
“I don’t know when it was, maybe when Evan Envi was tearing up the Meltdown ranks but suddenly he got this reputation as the next big thing in APW. He had a good run in the Extreme Tournament and he became the golden boy. He made a splash on Overdrive by winning the Xtreme Title from a man who had just competed in a match not a few minutes before and then he shortly after lost it. Yet, through that failure, this idea that he was the next best thing stuck with him. People still thought of him as someone who still had Undisputed Title ability.”
“So when all of a sudden, he’s in a match for the Overdrive title, the general public, as uneducated as they can be, think, ‘Oh Evan Envi, he’s supposed to be the next big thing, I bet this will be his chance to make that move up the ladder!’ Which is just plain ole’ ignorant thinking. Let me put this bluntly, Evan Envi is not the next big thing. Evan Envi is a good wrestler who peaked early and has been flaming out ever since. Evan Envi had a lot of potential but he let everyone’s praise get to him and he’s been trying to find a way back to the top ever since. He has somehow continued to fool the public into thinking that he’s not just wasted talent. Which is fine, but I’m here to let the world know, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, Evan Envi is not the savior you’re looking for.”
“Evan will not reach his full potential because he doesn’t know his own limits. When everyone tells you you’re going to be one of the greats, you forget that you still have to work to get there. You forget that you need to earn your position in the company. Evan Envi forgot that. Evan Envi doesn’t deserve to be across from me in the ring with the Overdrive title on the line and he’s going to find out real quick that despite all the predictions, he just can’t hack it.”
“Now, the second possibility for why the predictions are going this way are far more meta. I remember a little less than a year ago Terry Marvin won the Test for the Best tournament while he was the Overdrive Champion. Everyone knew that he was going to be fighting for bigger and better things with Kurt Noble and thought that maybe his time as Overdrive Champion was over. I went into a match against him and Delikado the week after Test for the Best and the predictions started to come in.”
“Expert after expert was predicting that either I or Delikado was going to win the match. Everyone knew that Terry Marvin had his sights on a bigger prize and so the predictions went against him. So maybe, just maybe, the public and the experts are starting to think that Mark Mania has his sights on a higher prize. Maybe they’re realizing just how good Mark Mania is and how strong his reign as Overdrive Champion has been.”
“Now if that’s the case, it makes what I have to say a little easier. Because I don’t blame the people for thinking the way they do. I have been the champion for half a year. The amount of success I’ve had in that time is second to only Terry Marvin. I’ve proved that I’m not a has-been. I’ve proved that the best days are still ahead for Mark Mania. But here’s the thing, I don’t want to be done being champion just yet. I quite enjoy this Overdrive Title, I also, really dislike Evan Envi. If I’m going to lose this title and go on to bigger and better things, I’m going to make sure that the person who has this title will respect it and continue on the tradition of great Overdrive Champions.”
“Evan Envi is not that person, not yet at least. For those of you that are saying that Evan could be the next Overdrive Grand Slam Champion, I think you forget a certain person that is already two-thirds of the way done and does have the Undisputed Title in his sights. Upon holding that title, whenever it may be, I will be the most recent Overdrive Grand Slam champion, not Evan Envi, who only has one third of the titles on the brand, the lowest title of the three if I must say.”
“Now I’m not here to bash the general public or the Xtreme title, certainly not. The one reason I’m here is to clear up Evan Envi’s image with the world. I don’t blame any of you for thinking the way you do. There was a time when I thought Evan Envi was going to be a big star here. There was a time when I believed like all of you that we may be witnessing the beginning of greatness. But I’ve been in the ring with him, I’ve faced him one on one. We don’t have greatness in our midst folks, we have a cocky, big-headed, unmotivated, loser. He’s entitled, he’s arrogant, and he doesn’t have a clue of what it takes to really be a champion. That’s the Evan Envi that you’re all so quick to pick as the person who upsets me and takes the Overdrive Title. That’s the person that you believe will usher APW into the summer of 2013.”
“I don’t know why I’m surprised, it seems that every time I get in the ring with someone for this title the predictions seem to go against me. Delikado, everyone picked him, Azrael Goeren, everyone picked him, Buckson Gooch… alright, well no one picked him, but you get what I’m saying. I have no problem being the underdog again folks. The Overdrive title will remain mine on Sunday night and Evan Envi will go back to where he belongs; In my shadow.”
