Post by Level-Two on Jun 26, 2013 19:00:45 GMT -4
Ones Guide: How to Lose to Terry Marvin
When I was asked by a world renowned professional wrestling star to help guide him through his career as his personal sports psychologist my life changed.
Today, I tour around the world with both he and his entourage. While the experience has been both stressful and unnerving, I still find myself eternally grateful for this amazing opportunity and I can't wait to take the biggest test of my career head on.
My client has had many big matches on free television, pay-per-view and even internationally in countries like Japan, Brazil and Russia for every title a promoter could possibly think up but this match was something different and I'm not only referring to its earth shattering magnitude but rather all the raw emotion that was invested behind it.
It is my job to ensure that mentally my client, Lester Only is thoroughly prepared - which also means I will need to readjust my strategies and sharpen the mental tools I still have as any conventional tactics on both of our behalves simply won't cut it this time around. This is all a test and we all need to be at our best.
So what exactly was my strategy you ask? Well... Lester Only needed to learn how to lose to his obnoxious opponent, Terry Marvin.
If you were to ask him, it's easier said than done.
''Applying the Pressure''
It is from my experience that often times you will find these wrestling athletes emphasizing the importance of their match ups with a rainbow colored sharpie when in reality; it's really nothing more than a wrestling match. While my client was not above doing this himself, his opponent was notorious for equating both his losses and victories to end of the world scenarios with a side dish of self-importance that would make even the most gluttonous ego eaters nauseous. While it may work some, I felt like it jeopardized my clients chances.
At a message clinic, I met with Lester Only in the middle of one of his sessions.
''How are you doing?'' I asked before placing my belongings on the floor beside me and taking a seat. ''I got here as fast as I could!''
''Well, I could be much better. Which is ironic, considering I am receiving a massage and I should be feeling nothing but fucking zen right now.''
''Yeah, you seem pretty tense.''
''No shit.'' He hissed before he lifted up his head and motion for me to move in closer, which I quickly obliged. ''Did you see my Masseuse?''
Confused, I glanced up at her taking look at a fairly normal young woman. I couldn't quite see what the problem was.
''Yeah, what about her?''
''She's like barely a seven and a half.'' Lester had whispered in disgust. ''She looks like she could be any one of Terry Marvin's past ten ex girlfriends or something and I am finding it very hard to enjoy this right now.''
''Lester, I'm a sports psychologist. I am not exactly sure how you want me to rectify all this.''
''Can you give a call to Kaylyn Evans for me?'' Lester desperately pleaded. ''I don't know how her dead beat ex Jason Kash will feel about this but I really don't give a shit!''
I sighed.
''Sure but first let's discuss Test for the Best.'' I said, much likely to his disappointment. ''I need to know how much this match means to you...''
''Seriously?'' He said with a snarl. ''This is easily the biggest match of my career, it's the biggest match in our companies history and it will set the tone for years to come. We are both bonafide legends but this matchup is likely the one everyone will point to when the discussion about who is the best of all time comes up.''
''What if you lose?''
He really seemed insulted by my question to be quite honest. I think he knew it was certainly a possibility.
''Then maybe that's it for me...'' He said, dejected by such a grim possibility. ''I mean, I'd be a joke. I'd have to return to Overdrive as a second rate champion, backed up by what will be considered a second rate faction on a second rate show.''
''You really think losing is that bad?''
''I was being generous.'' Lester admitted before an eerie air of silence came over him. ''I might just try to kill myself... again.''
I was surprised by the revelation - he never mentioned this in our prior meetings.
''Okay, now you're just being ridiculous.''
''Am I?'' Lester asked. ''If you felt the fucking pain I felt after losing that match then you'd probably swallow a bottle of pain killers to escape the hurt too. This sport has taken years out of my life and I'll be damned if all I go home with is a second place ribbon for my cause...''
I found myself holding a pad and pen but unable to take any notes. Though he was waiting for me too, it is what he expected of me. At some point, he felt he was more of my lab rat than a human being.
''I know this is a big match for you but win draw or lose it is not the end, Lester. We have studied this. You know Terry Marvin. That man is already thinking retirement. Hell, you beat him now and he just might take his survive and conquer money and set shop up on some island somewhere and live out a nice life. You on the other hand? You have so much more left in you, so many more legends to make! So many more... stories to tell.''
''You may be right.'' Lester said although his tone was rather dismissive. ''Just leave me alone. I perform better this way, I perform better when my livelihood is on the line.''
''No, no you don't.'' I flatly argued to which he lifted up his head and stared at me. ''You perform better when your head is clear and not filled with this entire ridiculous diatribe. You can't name one person who has ever beaten you that is still at the top of their game, can you? Face it, the constant in this business has been you and it'll always be that way until the day you decide to retire and don't you forget that.''
He continued to stare at me and it was clear my words had got to him. Quickly, he pushed himself up off the table with a towel wrapped around his lower half as he turned to the masseuse.
''I think we're done here for today...''
He said promptly dismissing the masseuse.
''Listen Doc, maybe you're right. Maybe this match isn't the end or be all of my career nor my life but I am damn well going to treat it like it is. I hope that if this doesn't all pan out the rest of the world can see things through the same rose colored glasses you wear.''
''If you win, we won't have to worry about any of that.'' I reminded him calmly. ''I am just approaching this situation realistically and you should too. I have no doubt that you winning would make for a perfect story.''
''Maybe in my book...'' Lester retorted, even the thought of victory kept him somber. ''At the end of the day, I still lost a friend. He may be a prick, an asshole but he's still a brother. In this story, one of us lose and there are no happy endings.''
I was able to get through to my client and show him that losing wasn't so bad. The goal wasn't to make him comfortable with losing nor to deter his will to win but to rid himself of the fear; he cannot fear losing because he and he only must control whether he wins or loses. Fear is the greatest method of control known to mankind. Anyone who has ever watched the news understands this age old philosophy.
Terror.
Terrorist.
Terrorism.
Below, I have listed some more things one must be able to do in order to avoid losing to Terry Marvin - such has been an epidemic in the APW as of late.
''Hanging on''
I know writing this, I am opening up myself for some harsh criticisms but my next approach went above and beyond what my work rate implies and right into the confines of my client’s bedroom. During some of our extended conversations spread out through several months he had opened up enough to indulge in his personal relationships most notably the one with his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Lewis. The couple had reconciled quietly immediately following Rasslemania IX but had decided to keep their rekindling romance out of the public eye. However, recent revelations put the two at odds and once again the not so happy couple was on rocky grounds.
I had to save them.
''I can't believe she would to this to me! All this time she was here rooting against me, just hoping I'd fail. I fought tooth and nail to get my briefcase back, to get her back, to save us - everything and her shady allegiance is how she repays me for it!'' Lester ranted, his face settling into the palms of his hands as he sat in my office.
''I understand how you feel...'' I replied, giving him my sympathies. ''However, the timing of this is rather odd. Who sent you those tapes?''
''I don't know but they did me one hell of a great service...'' Lester argued. ''I saw her betrayal with my own eyes while she staged her own kidnapping, I don't need that type of energy around me anymore.''
''This isn't adding up, Lester.'' I said fearing the worst. ''Somebody wanted this to happen, somebody is trying to throw you off your game and call me Miss Conspiracy but this points directly to Terry Marvin and his goons.''
Lester snarled at my assertion. ''Listen, Terry Marvin isn't as scary as he himself tries to portray nor is he some diabolical genius who could ever think something like this up. I don't care who sent the tapes, I saw what I saw.''
''Well, have you thought maybe she did all of that because she loves you?''
Lester looked at me as if I had just grown three heads and a tail - he wasn't left speechless often but it took him a few seconds to process the stupidity he perceived.
''Love?'' Lester said in a dismissive tone. ''Yeah, love. Nothing says love like your best friend cheer leading your enemies. Nothing says I love you more than hoping your significant other fails miserably at life. You're right, nothing says I love you more than fucking I hate you! Thanks for showing me the light...''
Lester snarled in annoyance as he stood up to his feet and made a B - Line for the door.
''You walk out of here and you lose.'' I said flatly, stopping him dead in his tracks. ''Go on Lester... go on and become just like Terry Marvin. Give up on your family, give up your women to the alter of wrestling just like your friend Terry did and spend the next ten years trying to replace what you already had knowing that you can't... go on.''
...
He didn't move.
''Lester, where is she right now?'' I asked, already knowing full well I had gotten through to him.
''In a taxi cab headed towards the airport...'' Lester confessed as he opened up the door. ''I told her I never wanted to see her face again...''
The whole way there I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to get his wish. Inside the airport he managed to track Miss Lewis down. She was is a beautiful young women obscured by her smeared make up and water pot eyes and things only seemed to get worse once she saw Lester Only.
''You lied to me...'' He started. ''And for that, I thank you.''
Patricia looked to me for answers but I had none for her. Truth be told, I had no idea what he was thinking at this point.
''The fact that you went through all this for me is admirable. The staged kidnappings, the stolen billion dollar briefcase and your constant reinforcement that I should cash this bad boy in on Terry Marvin thinking that he'd kick my ass and I'd end my career on a low note was all so... cute.''
Lester couldn't help but laugh to himself as he reached out and grabbed both of Patricia's hands and looked into her eyes.
''At the end of the day you only ever did it with one goal in mind bringing the both of us together. Though, it's time to grow up and face the truth... I can't have the best of both worlds. I can't settle down and raise a family and wrestle the likes of Terry Marvin at the same time, so today... today, I stand before you truly a changed man and the whole world is going to know it.''
Lester dropped to one knee and reached into his back pocket pulling out a ring worth more than my house.
''WILL YOU MARRY ME!?''
Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face a mile wide as she ran into his arms tying him up with a warm embrace.
''Yes!'' She cried. ''I love you!''
As amazing as this story is on the surface, I knew it was for naught. He had that wedding ring on hand, literally in his back pocket all along. He wasn't ready to retire yet, win, lose or draw and his marriage ploy was likely nothing more than attempt to hang onto what he still had a little bit longer...
On a human to human level, I wish I could've screamed out and let her know the truth but in the same breath he is no more guilty than she is. The secret to life is simple in my eyes, it's nothing more than one big game. We barter our goods and services and we surround ourselves with people that can get us closer to our goals and dreams - even in scags alley, a drug addict befriends other addicts in hopes of scoring their next hit.
Terry Marvin has played this game we call life amazingly well and I find him admirable but he has made one fatal mistake that will prove to be costly. Though, you don't expect me to tell you do you?
In closing, if you want to lose to Terry Marvin just keep eating those vitamins and saying those prayers in hopes your conventional tactics finally prevail.
... Or, you can stay tuned and watch us draw up the blue print.
The NEW standard.
If I wanted to learn how lose to Terry Marvin, I'd take advice from the rest of you.
IT'S...
You give him all the power and then you wonder why he’s so strong…
...SHOWTIME!
… but before you sit down, grab your popcorn and give your mind, body and soul over to his walking, talking verbal highlight wheel allow me the honor of being the opening credits.
Credit... apparently this isn’t a concept familiar with Terry so assuming he’s listening let me break it down like this. This world we live in does not orbit around your over bloated ego. The stars aren’t aligned with your enlightenment and the outer space isn’t just there to host your so called ‘’unlimited’’ potential. Thus, I am indeed insinuating you aren’t a god. Everything you own today is not a byproduct of yourself imagined superiority and in the words of Barack Obama…
You didn’t build that.
Unlike you Terry, I built everything I own today. Unlike you, I never found myself floundering with no direction in life and unlike you; I never needed to hitch my wagon onto a bigger one to get my ass around town. Your entire shtick is predatory; you prey on both the people’s ignorance and their short memories and you tout yourself made propaganda while popping quarters into your own hype machine to keep the beast going. You act as if The Sindicate came crawling to you the great Undisputed Champion when in all actuality, it was you who came to us with enough money to buy yourself a referee to help you through your Keaton Saint issues.
I knew you before all the championship fame and all the glory Terry but lucky for you, you don’t need to convince me. You just need to convince enough gullible idiots to buy whatever you’re selling, fuck the truth… as long as your rich and you win, right? But see… therein lies my great advantage. I watched you grow up and I had the best seats in the house! It wasn’t too long ago that I saw you were very vulnerable and very much beatable, Terry. And while you have undergone many changes through that short time the fact that I was there to see your growth first hand gives me a depth of insight nobody you ever faced has seen, nor can fully understand or appreciate.
In the past, you’ve portrayed me as some tyrant who was only out to take ‘’credit’’ for what you have done – but you couldn’t be further from the truth, Terry. While I very much had everything to do with your success, I don’t want the credit for making you into the beast you are today. If that was the case, I would’ve cosigned your side groupies and played ball! However, that to me isn’t very fun. That would just leave an empty feeling in my chest! That would be so… anti climatic.
I want the credit for destroying you!
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Nice little motto you got going there, I hope it sells you a few extra t shirts and earns your vapid main squeeze a couple extra handbags to fit your royalty checks in but let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
I’ve seen the Terry Marvin show both on television, behind the scenes and hell… I’ve even made a few cameos along the way and let me tell you, I don’t see it winning any golden globes anytime soon. Anyone whom has followed Terry Marvin extensively understands that the man sadly lacks any real direction – under the wings of the Sindicate we did our best to compensate for this but even then all we could ever really do was minimize the damage he did.
It doesn’t matter if it’s his failed CWC invasions, his Sam Strachon and VIW ventures or his stupid little New Sindicate project – he always has to have ten cooks in his kitchen before he gets up to go eat something himself. Of course, this isn’t even addressing his constant good guy, bad guy, monthly bloody crotch mood swings he’s always going through that are NOT a case of Terry Marvin outsmarting the fans but rather Terry Marvin not even knowing what Terry Marvin wants…
This guy is so desperate to create something so big that he ends up ruining it all when it can no longer sustain itself. I am not going to stand here like I am the bad guy – the New Sindicate was just the final straw that broke the camel’s back. There are only so many times you can be thrown a fucking t shirt with initials you don’t know what they stand for and told to wear it proudly…
CWC…
What over the night promotion are you going to join next, traitor? Terry, I’ve seen the signs of you being a defector a long time ago but I gave you the opportunity to make the first move and expose your true colors and you did so with pride.
Though, I should probably pity you. You’re so fucking empty. Here you are the undisputed champion in the APW and it still isn’t enough for glory junky like you. Remind us, you've had how many significant others this year? Faythe? Olivia? Maggie… insert the next main bitch here? You wrestle for how many promotions again? Two, three – maybe four and it’s all for what? A fancy diversion, a distraction from how many cocks your life actually blows? Congratulations, Terry… you won survive and conquer but everything you gave up detailed in that promo of yours remains gone, forever.
What, did you think you could just buy it all back for 500, 000?
IT’S SHOWTIME!
... co starring Terry Marvin! Sorry to break it to you Terry but the show does not nor will it ever revolve around you or either of us. I admit wholeheartly that I was once as naive as you were until the APW fucked me over in the ass ham-fisted wearing a rubber glove. While we may make this promotions money, tons of it - we're only a cog in a billion dollar machine. Though, if you’re looking to experience everything this sport has to offer it's talent then should you lose your title be sure to stick around the fall out for a awhile to witness the APW hold up their next big deal, the same way I've watched them hold and coddle you for a year on end.
I know talking to solid shiny objects that cannot communicate with you has become all the rage this year Terry, Evan... but it isn't cute, rather it's a sign of a severe delusion disorder and or abuse of the APW's wellness policy. Imagine how Marvin will react when I take away his only real friend and leave him with nothing more than his three new imaginary ones and a budding drug habit!? I mean it’s one thing to put all your eggs in one basket - it's another to put all your egg's right the foxes den...
You've set yourself up for failure!
You sir, you are a victim of your own success! You may have floundered in some other bullshit wrestling promotions prior to your run here but the fact is, you have not yet felt the fall and until you experience that fall you cannot truly appreciate the sport for what it is. However, given your aptitude for finding loopholes and short cuts to maneuver your way through life - you plan to retire long before anyone can beat you and lay a mark upon your legacy... well, excuse me but I think your flight out to Cancun was planned for a few months too late!
IT'S SHOWTIME
And I'm glad you could make it, Terry. After all, this Sunday... all eyes are on you. While this is a very important match for the upside of my career there is no doubt in my mind that you need a win here much more than I do to leave a lasting impression in the minds of millions worldwide. Hell, even from a fairy tale perspective - if god existed and he was a writer, you winning would make for the perfect story told! Finally, money talks and you retaining here works best for business as the APW's top two talent continue to hold the top two titles. I get it. I know what I'm dealing with and I understand what I am up against and you know what? I embrace it.
However, fairy tales are not real and I need not to worry about what's best for the business - rather just what's best for me!
I am not concerned that Terry Marvin is ten years my elder and has very little upside left in his career to accomplish much more. The way I see it, he should have been more efficient with his time spent in the business. It isn't my fault that he waited until he was thirty eight to finally put his name in the map and make a name for him in this business nor is it my fault he simply wasn't a natural born into doing what he does today. Terry Marvin is a slow learner, he's an observer - perhaps more harshly, he's a moocher perhaps even a thief - a man who has never had an original thought in his mind. He is like a musician known for cover songs and remixes and what he does not create, he can easily afford the patents for.
Terry Marvin carries the aura of a high school dropout.
Though, while most high school drop outs are failures - some do stubble upon success and he's one of those people. However, nothing speaks more volumes than the fact I am considered the veteran in all this and here I am- ten years younger! I can't say, I'll be tryharding as hard as he is these days by wrestling night in and night out but that means I have ten MORE years under my belt to rack up more wins, more titles and the opportunity to compete against new talent we haven't even heard of potentially capable of achieving things Terry Marvin hasn't even thought up yet!
It took Terry Marvin 38 years of his life to FINALLY hit his prime. As proud as I am for him and his delayed onset - I can't help but wonder if I've even hit my prime yet and once I do how much GREATER I will become! However, for Terry... at his ripe old age, a loss here likely means walking away with a second place ribbon stuck to forehead for the rest of his life. With six billion people on the planet most would be content with such an accomplishment but not Terry because if he's anything like me; he'll NEVER be able to live that down.
Though, you always have a friend in me. If this story of ours ends with you in Rehab, I'll be here for you. I'll be with you for every... single... step... until twelve, Terry.
IT'S SHOWTIME
... but to be honest, I think we're all sick of the show. In fact, I believe that even Terry Marvin is sick of the Terry Marvin show which just goes to show you how redundant it all has become! As much as you scream about being superior to everyone and everything around you deep down in your soul you've been looking for a true challenge. All these interfed events you sign for, all these other promotions you've signed contracts under and even your run to Asylum is consistent with this theory - however, at the same time - you tipped toed around the idea of facing me because while you wanted to be challenged and pushed to your limits, you don't actually want to be beat.
Terry, remember when we used to sit back and just laugh at the APW audience desperately looking for a new hero to step up and somehow take you out? You and I both knew this super hero entity everyone was hoping for just simply didn't exist. We took one look at the APW's self-proclaimed white knight CJ Gates and we laughed our fucking asses off because we knew the type of man that truly lingered underneath that facade was as corrupt as we were!
And here we are today with NO hero insight. We both destroyed them all. These days the crowds don't even know who to cheer for as The League mirrors everything the Sindicate ever stood for just under a different name. Any false heroes they thought they still had left like CJ Gates has been beaten down so violently that even he has tried to resort to low blows and cheap tactics in a desperate attempt to remain relevant in this new era. The Overton window has made quite the shift and it's all because of us!
Terry, you were right.
We were right.
There is no HERO that can stop you!
And that's where I come in and that when the laughter stops, Terry. There is going to be no hero in this story... no matter the outcome, we are going to be the faces in the Overton window staring back at the rest of them as the men they'll grow to inspire to be.
But as for you? It wasn't a hero that rose from the ashes to take out the big bad wolf... merely, it was just another big and badder wolf who managed to put up a little more of a fight and had a much larger appetite...
And that wolf is me! So, when you hear the howling being carried off in the winds I want you to remember one thing...
There is no honor amongst thieves, Terry.
When I was asked by a world renowned professional wrestling star to help guide him through his career as his personal sports psychologist my life changed.
Today, I tour around the world with both he and his entourage. While the experience has been both stressful and unnerving, I still find myself eternally grateful for this amazing opportunity and I can't wait to take the biggest test of my career head on.
My client has had many big matches on free television, pay-per-view and even internationally in countries like Japan, Brazil and Russia for every title a promoter could possibly think up but this match was something different and I'm not only referring to its earth shattering magnitude but rather all the raw emotion that was invested behind it.
It is my job to ensure that mentally my client, Lester Only is thoroughly prepared - which also means I will need to readjust my strategies and sharpen the mental tools I still have as any conventional tactics on both of our behalves simply won't cut it this time around. This is all a test and we all need to be at our best.
So what exactly was my strategy you ask? Well... Lester Only needed to learn how to lose to his obnoxious opponent, Terry Marvin.
If you were to ask him, it's easier said than done.
''Applying the Pressure''
It is from my experience that often times you will find these wrestling athletes emphasizing the importance of their match ups with a rainbow colored sharpie when in reality; it's really nothing more than a wrestling match. While my client was not above doing this himself, his opponent was notorious for equating both his losses and victories to end of the world scenarios with a side dish of self-importance that would make even the most gluttonous ego eaters nauseous. While it may work some, I felt like it jeopardized my clients chances.
At a message clinic, I met with Lester Only in the middle of one of his sessions.
''How are you doing?'' I asked before placing my belongings on the floor beside me and taking a seat. ''I got here as fast as I could!''
''Well, I could be much better. Which is ironic, considering I am receiving a massage and I should be feeling nothing but fucking zen right now.''
''Yeah, you seem pretty tense.''
''No shit.'' He hissed before he lifted up his head and motion for me to move in closer, which I quickly obliged. ''Did you see my Masseuse?''
Confused, I glanced up at her taking look at a fairly normal young woman. I couldn't quite see what the problem was.
''Yeah, what about her?''
''She's like barely a seven and a half.'' Lester had whispered in disgust. ''She looks like she could be any one of Terry Marvin's past ten ex girlfriends or something and I am finding it very hard to enjoy this right now.''
''Lester, I'm a sports psychologist. I am not exactly sure how you want me to rectify all this.''
''Can you give a call to Kaylyn Evans for me?'' Lester desperately pleaded. ''I don't know how her dead beat ex Jason Kash will feel about this but I really don't give a shit!''
I sighed.
''Sure but first let's discuss Test for the Best.'' I said, much likely to his disappointment. ''I need to know how much this match means to you...''
''Seriously?'' He said with a snarl. ''This is easily the biggest match of my career, it's the biggest match in our companies history and it will set the tone for years to come. We are both bonafide legends but this matchup is likely the one everyone will point to when the discussion about who is the best of all time comes up.''
''What if you lose?''
He really seemed insulted by my question to be quite honest. I think he knew it was certainly a possibility.
''Then maybe that's it for me...'' He said, dejected by such a grim possibility. ''I mean, I'd be a joke. I'd have to return to Overdrive as a second rate champion, backed up by what will be considered a second rate faction on a second rate show.''
''You really think losing is that bad?''
''I was being generous.'' Lester admitted before an eerie air of silence came over him. ''I might just try to kill myself... again.''
I was surprised by the revelation - he never mentioned this in our prior meetings.
''Okay, now you're just being ridiculous.''
''Am I?'' Lester asked. ''If you felt the fucking pain I felt after losing that match then you'd probably swallow a bottle of pain killers to escape the hurt too. This sport has taken years out of my life and I'll be damned if all I go home with is a second place ribbon for my cause...''
I found myself holding a pad and pen but unable to take any notes. Though he was waiting for me too, it is what he expected of me. At some point, he felt he was more of my lab rat than a human being.
''I know this is a big match for you but win draw or lose it is not the end, Lester. We have studied this. You know Terry Marvin. That man is already thinking retirement. Hell, you beat him now and he just might take his survive and conquer money and set shop up on some island somewhere and live out a nice life. You on the other hand? You have so much more left in you, so many more legends to make! So many more... stories to tell.''
''You may be right.'' Lester said although his tone was rather dismissive. ''Just leave me alone. I perform better this way, I perform better when my livelihood is on the line.''
''No, no you don't.'' I flatly argued to which he lifted up his head and stared at me. ''You perform better when your head is clear and not filled with this entire ridiculous diatribe. You can't name one person who has ever beaten you that is still at the top of their game, can you? Face it, the constant in this business has been you and it'll always be that way until the day you decide to retire and don't you forget that.''
He continued to stare at me and it was clear my words had got to him. Quickly, he pushed himself up off the table with a towel wrapped around his lower half as he turned to the masseuse.
''I think we're done here for today...''
He said promptly dismissing the masseuse.
''Listen Doc, maybe you're right. Maybe this match isn't the end or be all of my career nor my life but I am damn well going to treat it like it is. I hope that if this doesn't all pan out the rest of the world can see things through the same rose colored glasses you wear.''
''If you win, we won't have to worry about any of that.'' I reminded him calmly. ''I am just approaching this situation realistically and you should too. I have no doubt that you winning would make for a perfect story.''
''Maybe in my book...'' Lester retorted, even the thought of victory kept him somber. ''At the end of the day, I still lost a friend. He may be a prick, an asshole but he's still a brother. In this story, one of us lose and there are no happy endings.''
I was able to get through to my client and show him that losing wasn't so bad. The goal wasn't to make him comfortable with losing nor to deter his will to win but to rid himself of the fear; he cannot fear losing because he and he only must control whether he wins or loses. Fear is the greatest method of control known to mankind. Anyone who has ever watched the news understands this age old philosophy.
Terror.
Terrorist.
Terrorism.
Below, I have listed some more things one must be able to do in order to avoid losing to Terry Marvin - such has been an epidemic in the APW as of late.
- Failing to strike first: Do not allow him to address the public first - if he does, his silver tongued propaganda becomes more palatable to the people. You must hit him first and you must hit him hard. This strategy when employed will make him respond to your truths giving him less airtime to level his lies and his lies have become one of his greatest allies.
- Hate: You must free yourself from it or he will feed off of it and use it to leverage an advantage over you. It is recommended that you do your best to avoid emotions all together and approach the match with a business oriented mind in order to minimize potential errors
- Becoming what you aren't: Do not let him change you. You do not need to step out of your comfort zone nor must you reinvent the wheel to defeat him. Rather, you need to remain consistent and level headed and simply allow him to over think things. He is not as intelligent as he believes he is.
- Playing the Mind Game: You cannot allow him to infiltrate your mental exterior because once he's in, he wins. Please refer to patient #830424 ''Kurt Noble''; a man currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by his interactions with Mr. Marvin.
- Buying into the Hype: Do not buy into the hype. You must learn to respect his talent but refuse to worship it. Failing to give another entity too little of it can prove to be costly but giving them too much respect will guarantee your loss. You need not to worry about being better than Terry Marvin but rather being the best version of yourself. If you can do the latter than the prior will have already been spoken for.
''Hanging on''
I know writing this, I am opening up myself for some harsh criticisms but my next approach went above and beyond what my work rate implies and right into the confines of my client’s bedroom. During some of our extended conversations spread out through several months he had opened up enough to indulge in his personal relationships most notably the one with his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Lewis. The couple had reconciled quietly immediately following Rasslemania IX but had decided to keep their rekindling romance out of the public eye. However, recent revelations put the two at odds and once again the not so happy couple was on rocky grounds.
I had to save them.
''I can't believe she would to this to me! All this time she was here rooting against me, just hoping I'd fail. I fought tooth and nail to get my briefcase back, to get her back, to save us - everything and her shady allegiance is how she repays me for it!'' Lester ranted, his face settling into the palms of his hands as he sat in my office.
''I understand how you feel...'' I replied, giving him my sympathies. ''However, the timing of this is rather odd. Who sent you those tapes?''
''I don't know but they did me one hell of a great service...'' Lester argued. ''I saw her betrayal with my own eyes while she staged her own kidnapping, I don't need that type of energy around me anymore.''
''This isn't adding up, Lester.'' I said fearing the worst. ''Somebody wanted this to happen, somebody is trying to throw you off your game and call me Miss Conspiracy but this points directly to Terry Marvin and his goons.''
Lester snarled at my assertion. ''Listen, Terry Marvin isn't as scary as he himself tries to portray nor is he some diabolical genius who could ever think something like this up. I don't care who sent the tapes, I saw what I saw.''
''Well, have you thought maybe she did all of that because she loves you?''
Lester looked at me as if I had just grown three heads and a tail - he wasn't left speechless often but it took him a few seconds to process the stupidity he perceived.
''Love?'' Lester said in a dismissive tone. ''Yeah, love. Nothing says love like your best friend cheer leading your enemies. Nothing says I love you more than hoping your significant other fails miserably at life. You're right, nothing says I love you more than fucking I hate you! Thanks for showing me the light...''
Lester snarled in annoyance as he stood up to his feet and made a B - Line for the door.
''You walk out of here and you lose.'' I said flatly, stopping him dead in his tracks. ''Go on Lester... go on and become just like Terry Marvin. Give up on your family, give up your women to the alter of wrestling just like your friend Terry did and spend the next ten years trying to replace what you already had knowing that you can't... go on.''
...
He didn't move.
''Lester, where is she right now?'' I asked, already knowing full well I had gotten through to him.
''In a taxi cab headed towards the airport...'' Lester confessed as he opened up the door. ''I told her I never wanted to see her face again...''
The whole way there I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to get his wish. Inside the airport he managed to track Miss Lewis down. She was is a beautiful young women obscured by her smeared make up and water pot eyes and things only seemed to get worse once she saw Lester Only.
''You lied to me...'' He started. ''And for that, I thank you.''
Patricia looked to me for answers but I had none for her. Truth be told, I had no idea what he was thinking at this point.
''The fact that you went through all this for me is admirable. The staged kidnappings, the stolen billion dollar briefcase and your constant reinforcement that I should cash this bad boy in on Terry Marvin thinking that he'd kick my ass and I'd end my career on a low note was all so... cute.''
Lester couldn't help but laugh to himself as he reached out and grabbed both of Patricia's hands and looked into her eyes.
''At the end of the day you only ever did it with one goal in mind bringing the both of us together. Though, it's time to grow up and face the truth... I can't have the best of both worlds. I can't settle down and raise a family and wrestle the likes of Terry Marvin at the same time, so today... today, I stand before you truly a changed man and the whole world is going to know it.''
Lester dropped to one knee and reached into his back pocket pulling out a ring worth more than my house.
''WILL YOU MARRY ME!?''
Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face a mile wide as she ran into his arms tying him up with a warm embrace.
''Yes!'' She cried. ''I love you!''
As amazing as this story is on the surface, I knew it was for naught. He had that wedding ring on hand, literally in his back pocket all along. He wasn't ready to retire yet, win, lose or draw and his marriage ploy was likely nothing more than attempt to hang onto what he still had a little bit longer...
On a human to human level, I wish I could've screamed out and let her know the truth but in the same breath he is no more guilty than she is. The secret to life is simple in my eyes, it's nothing more than one big game. We barter our goods and services and we surround ourselves with people that can get us closer to our goals and dreams - even in scags alley, a drug addict befriends other addicts in hopes of scoring their next hit.
Terry Marvin has played this game we call life amazingly well and I find him admirable but he has made one fatal mistake that will prove to be costly. Though, you don't expect me to tell you do you?
In closing, if you want to lose to Terry Marvin just keep eating those vitamins and saying those prayers in hopes your conventional tactics finally prevail.
... Or, you can stay tuned and watch us draw up the blue print.
The NEW standard.
If I wanted to learn how lose to Terry Marvin, I'd take advice from the rest of you.
IT'S...
You give him all the power and then you wonder why he’s so strong…
...SHOWTIME!
… but before you sit down, grab your popcorn and give your mind, body and soul over to his walking, talking verbal highlight wheel allow me the honor of being the opening credits.
Credit... apparently this isn’t a concept familiar with Terry so assuming he’s listening let me break it down like this. This world we live in does not orbit around your over bloated ego. The stars aren’t aligned with your enlightenment and the outer space isn’t just there to host your so called ‘’unlimited’’ potential. Thus, I am indeed insinuating you aren’t a god. Everything you own today is not a byproduct of yourself imagined superiority and in the words of Barack Obama…
You didn’t build that.
Unlike you Terry, I built everything I own today. Unlike you, I never found myself floundering with no direction in life and unlike you; I never needed to hitch my wagon onto a bigger one to get my ass around town. Your entire shtick is predatory; you prey on both the people’s ignorance and their short memories and you tout yourself made propaganda while popping quarters into your own hype machine to keep the beast going. You act as if The Sindicate came crawling to you the great Undisputed Champion when in all actuality, it was you who came to us with enough money to buy yourself a referee to help you through your Keaton Saint issues.
I knew you before all the championship fame and all the glory Terry but lucky for you, you don’t need to convince me. You just need to convince enough gullible idiots to buy whatever you’re selling, fuck the truth… as long as your rich and you win, right? But see… therein lies my great advantage. I watched you grow up and I had the best seats in the house! It wasn’t too long ago that I saw you were very vulnerable and very much beatable, Terry. And while you have undergone many changes through that short time the fact that I was there to see your growth first hand gives me a depth of insight nobody you ever faced has seen, nor can fully understand or appreciate.
In the past, you’ve portrayed me as some tyrant who was only out to take ‘’credit’’ for what you have done – but you couldn’t be further from the truth, Terry. While I very much had everything to do with your success, I don’t want the credit for making you into the beast you are today. If that was the case, I would’ve cosigned your side groupies and played ball! However, that to me isn’t very fun. That would just leave an empty feeling in my chest! That would be so… anti climatic.
I want the credit for destroying you!
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Nice little motto you got going there, I hope it sells you a few extra t shirts and earns your vapid main squeeze a couple extra handbags to fit your royalty checks in but let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
I’ve seen the Terry Marvin show both on television, behind the scenes and hell… I’ve even made a few cameos along the way and let me tell you, I don’t see it winning any golden globes anytime soon. Anyone whom has followed Terry Marvin extensively understands that the man sadly lacks any real direction – under the wings of the Sindicate we did our best to compensate for this but even then all we could ever really do was minimize the damage he did.
It doesn’t matter if it’s his failed CWC invasions, his Sam Strachon and VIW ventures or his stupid little New Sindicate project – he always has to have ten cooks in his kitchen before he gets up to go eat something himself. Of course, this isn’t even addressing his constant good guy, bad guy, monthly bloody crotch mood swings he’s always going through that are NOT a case of Terry Marvin outsmarting the fans but rather Terry Marvin not even knowing what Terry Marvin wants…
This guy is so desperate to create something so big that he ends up ruining it all when it can no longer sustain itself. I am not going to stand here like I am the bad guy – the New Sindicate was just the final straw that broke the camel’s back. There are only so many times you can be thrown a fucking t shirt with initials you don’t know what they stand for and told to wear it proudly…
CWC…
What over the night promotion are you going to join next, traitor? Terry, I’ve seen the signs of you being a defector a long time ago but I gave you the opportunity to make the first move and expose your true colors and you did so with pride.
Though, I should probably pity you. You’re so fucking empty. Here you are the undisputed champion in the APW and it still isn’t enough for glory junky like you. Remind us, you've had how many significant others this year? Faythe? Olivia? Maggie… insert the next main bitch here? You wrestle for how many promotions again? Two, three – maybe four and it’s all for what? A fancy diversion, a distraction from how many cocks your life actually blows? Congratulations, Terry… you won survive and conquer but everything you gave up detailed in that promo of yours remains gone, forever.
What, did you think you could just buy it all back for 500, 000?
IT’S SHOWTIME!
... co starring Terry Marvin! Sorry to break it to you Terry but the show does not nor will it ever revolve around you or either of us. I admit wholeheartly that I was once as naive as you were until the APW fucked me over in the ass ham-fisted wearing a rubber glove. While we may make this promotions money, tons of it - we're only a cog in a billion dollar machine. Though, if you’re looking to experience everything this sport has to offer it's talent then should you lose your title be sure to stick around the fall out for a awhile to witness the APW hold up their next big deal, the same way I've watched them hold and coddle you for a year on end.
I know talking to solid shiny objects that cannot communicate with you has become all the rage this year Terry, Evan... but it isn't cute, rather it's a sign of a severe delusion disorder and or abuse of the APW's wellness policy. Imagine how Marvin will react when I take away his only real friend and leave him with nothing more than his three new imaginary ones and a budding drug habit!? I mean it’s one thing to put all your eggs in one basket - it's another to put all your egg's right the foxes den...
You've set yourself up for failure!
You sir, you are a victim of your own success! You may have floundered in some other bullshit wrestling promotions prior to your run here but the fact is, you have not yet felt the fall and until you experience that fall you cannot truly appreciate the sport for what it is. However, given your aptitude for finding loopholes and short cuts to maneuver your way through life - you plan to retire long before anyone can beat you and lay a mark upon your legacy... well, excuse me but I think your flight out to Cancun was planned for a few months too late!
IT'S SHOWTIME
And I'm glad you could make it, Terry. After all, this Sunday... all eyes are on you. While this is a very important match for the upside of my career there is no doubt in my mind that you need a win here much more than I do to leave a lasting impression in the minds of millions worldwide. Hell, even from a fairy tale perspective - if god existed and he was a writer, you winning would make for the perfect story told! Finally, money talks and you retaining here works best for business as the APW's top two talent continue to hold the top two titles. I get it. I know what I'm dealing with and I understand what I am up against and you know what? I embrace it.
However, fairy tales are not real and I need not to worry about what's best for the business - rather just what's best for me!
I am not concerned that Terry Marvin is ten years my elder and has very little upside left in his career to accomplish much more. The way I see it, he should have been more efficient with his time spent in the business. It isn't my fault that he waited until he was thirty eight to finally put his name in the map and make a name for him in this business nor is it my fault he simply wasn't a natural born into doing what he does today. Terry Marvin is a slow learner, he's an observer - perhaps more harshly, he's a moocher perhaps even a thief - a man who has never had an original thought in his mind. He is like a musician known for cover songs and remixes and what he does not create, he can easily afford the patents for.
Terry Marvin carries the aura of a high school dropout.
Though, while most high school drop outs are failures - some do stubble upon success and he's one of those people. However, nothing speaks more volumes than the fact I am considered the veteran in all this and here I am- ten years younger! I can't say, I'll be tryharding as hard as he is these days by wrestling night in and night out but that means I have ten MORE years under my belt to rack up more wins, more titles and the opportunity to compete against new talent we haven't even heard of potentially capable of achieving things Terry Marvin hasn't even thought up yet!
It took Terry Marvin 38 years of his life to FINALLY hit his prime. As proud as I am for him and his delayed onset - I can't help but wonder if I've even hit my prime yet and once I do how much GREATER I will become! However, for Terry... at his ripe old age, a loss here likely means walking away with a second place ribbon stuck to forehead for the rest of his life. With six billion people on the planet most would be content with such an accomplishment but not Terry because if he's anything like me; he'll NEVER be able to live that down.
Though, you always have a friend in me. If this story of ours ends with you in Rehab, I'll be here for you. I'll be with you for every... single... step... until twelve, Terry.
IT'S SHOWTIME
... but to be honest, I think we're all sick of the show. In fact, I believe that even Terry Marvin is sick of the Terry Marvin show which just goes to show you how redundant it all has become! As much as you scream about being superior to everyone and everything around you deep down in your soul you've been looking for a true challenge. All these interfed events you sign for, all these other promotions you've signed contracts under and even your run to Asylum is consistent with this theory - however, at the same time - you tipped toed around the idea of facing me because while you wanted to be challenged and pushed to your limits, you don't actually want to be beat.
Terry, remember when we used to sit back and just laugh at the APW audience desperately looking for a new hero to step up and somehow take you out? You and I both knew this super hero entity everyone was hoping for just simply didn't exist. We took one look at the APW's self-proclaimed white knight CJ Gates and we laughed our fucking asses off because we knew the type of man that truly lingered underneath that facade was as corrupt as we were!
And here we are today with NO hero insight. We both destroyed them all. These days the crowds don't even know who to cheer for as The League mirrors everything the Sindicate ever stood for just under a different name. Any false heroes they thought they still had left like CJ Gates has been beaten down so violently that even he has tried to resort to low blows and cheap tactics in a desperate attempt to remain relevant in this new era. The Overton window has made quite the shift and it's all because of us!
Terry, you were right.
We were right.
There is no HERO that can stop you!
And that's where I come in and that when the laughter stops, Terry. There is going to be no hero in this story... no matter the outcome, we are going to be the faces in the Overton window staring back at the rest of them as the men they'll grow to inspire to be.
But as for you? It wasn't a hero that rose from the ashes to take out the big bad wolf... merely, it was just another big and badder wolf who managed to put up a little more of a fight and had a much larger appetite...
And that wolf is me! So, when you hear the howling being carried off in the winds I want you to remember one thing...
There is no honor amongst thieves, Terry.
