Post by Speede on Jun 13, 2015 23:59:04 GMT -4
In the weeks and months following the closing of Action Packed Wrestling, the world seemed to fall out of touch for one young Roy Speede. The young man seemed dismayed that the company he'd found and immediately loved as the next step toward a long, successful career in professional wrestling had closed, and it left him unsure of what to do next. There was always the push to find the next big thing in the wrestling world, that next superstar-packed company where setting one’s foot in the door made an immediate impact, and the question lingered, if Roy couldn't hold his own in Action Packed Wrestling, could he handle something bigger and arguably better.
Then the idea hit him that taking a step back to where he was before, making his mark once again, someplace he'd been crowned as one of the best multiple times and won many a hard-fought match, regaining his composure and taking the loss of his new home in stride would perhaps be a good idea. Roy toyed with it and tried it, and decided it wasn't what was best for him. The competition, the friendships, the rivalries, and the atmosphere wasn't the same once he got back; he missed APW; he'd never made a name for himself, never left his mark, but he just freaking ached deep down for the company he had been a part of for a very short period of time, for the place where he was and would always be a nobody.
Accepting very early on that he would never make an impact on the level of CJ Gates, Kurt Noble, and especially not Terry Marvin, he knew it was time for a step back; it was time for himself to accept that the professional wrestling world wanted him to remain at Level Zero, because he'd never best Level One or Biggs or Sally Talfourd. He had to brace for the reality that Michael Callahan and Jason Kash and Aubrey J. Parker were all destined to be bigger names and hold bigger spotlights than he.
But then, it came back.
He got the invitation; he didn't know how long it would last; maybe a night, maybe a month, maybe fifty years, but when he was told there was even the slightest chance that he could make his name memorable for more than just beating Isamu Suzuki, there was no way he would pass that opportunity up. And now here he was, sitting in an APW locker room, lacing up his boots all over again. There were no interviewers flooding the door looking for an interview. There were no crazy fans looking for fifteen seconds of fame on an APW broadcast. The only other person aside from Roy Speede in that locker room was Alex Haden, his friend, cousin, and loyal companion.
Alex Haden: “I never thought I'd see this day come. APW is back, and you didn't hesitate to start polishing your boots and washing your ring gear. I hope you're not a little too eager!”
Roy Speede: “There’s no such thing as too eager, Alex. This is a chance for me to get back to what I love best. I don't care if I get hurt out there. I don't care if I mess up. I don't even care if I get paid for this gig. I've been waiting for this for over a year, and you're damned right I'm not going to miss this.”
Alex Haden: “I wouldn't say that in front of the cameras or they might think they don't have to.”
Roy Speede: “So what if they don't pay me? This is a reunion show, a chance for me to prove I deserve to be on that roster for however long they decide they want to stay open. It's my opportunity to go out there and prove to them I'm the best wrestler in APW history who never held a title belt.”
Alex Haden: “Alright, and what if you're wrong, hmm? What happens if you go out there and start to stink it up like skunk shit in a dumpster fire?”
Roy Speede: “I'm not going to let that happen; tonight I get to step out of retirement and into the next phase of my life. I thought I could live without APW. Tonight, I show everyone that APW couldn't live without Roy Speede.”
Alex Haden: “You also said you couldn't live without sour cream and onion potato chips, but you haven't had any of those in like a month!”
Roy Speede: “That you know of…”
Alex Haden: “You mean you've been cheating on your diet? Dammit, Roy! For someone so dedicated to getting back in that ring, you certainly have been slacking off, haven't you?”
Roy Speede: “A couple extra pounds of fat won't stop me from being the same lightning-quick superstar that nearly ran away with the tag team titles back in 2012. And hell, Deruty was proof that a couple pounds didn't mean anything. He was impressive himself back then, if I recall correctly.”
Alex Haden: “Then why didn't you win the titles?”
Roy Speede: “It was a bad night, okay?! Now if you don't mind, I'd like a few minutes alone to gather my thoughts. I've got a huge match against arguably the biggest star in the history of APW tonight, and I would like it if I didn't have to sit here and think about how ,u can pressure this puts on me!”
Alex Haden: “Okay, geez dude, sorry!”
Alex walked away slowly, and as the door to that locker room closed, leaving Roy alone, a heavy sigh escaped the lips of ‘The Silver Lining’, and understandably so, seeing as this was, as Roy had said, the biggest match of his career to date.
Roy Speede: “You know, about fifteen months ago, APW announced that it was shutting its doors for good with the completion of Rasslemania X. It was billed as ‘The Final Show’ and ‘The End of APW’, and everybody was looking for opportunities elsewhere after its conclusion. Some time later, a few of us seemed to stir up the idea of a reunion show, and a bunch of people jumped onboard. I was surprised really, because I thought that win over Isamu Suzuki was the end of the line for my business in APW, and now here I am again, staring down a far more intimidating opponent.
Think about it; a former Survive and Conquer winner, held the Undisputed Title for over a year and defended it as a part of both major brands; of course, I’m talking about ‘Showtime’. How could I be referring to anyone else? Looking at a list of the biggest names in the history of APW, nobody is quite so iconic as Terry Marvin. Sure, we’ve had Grand Slam Champions, we’ve had Survive and Conquer winners, we’ve had just about everything anyone could ever dream of here, but when one thinks about the greatest megastar in the company’s history, the conversation starts and ends with who else, but Terry Marvin?
Looking back at my first run with the APW, I was young and I was eager to prove myself; I wanted to show that I belonged here, and I belonged in the conversation as one of the top competitors on the roster, but with the list of names packed so tightly together from Level One and Sally Talfourd all the way down to Yarmouth and William D Williams, Jr., everybody was capable of making a big name for him or herself, and thinking back, I know it was damned foolish to think I could rise up the ranks that fast. I made it to a tournament finale for the Tag Team Titles, but when one has someone watching his back, one is willing to take far bigger risks. When I was in business for me and for nobody else, when I had nobody in my corner, that was the true test of just how much I was capable of doing.
I had a few big-name matches on Overdrive, against Kurt Noble and against Delikado, but I wasn't a huge star. I wasn't the next big thing in the making. I was fodder to make them look good and put on a show; nobody expected me to win, and giving it all as I did was enough to give people, myself included, hope. I wasn't ready then, and getting bumped right back down made me question if I would ever be ready. But right now, it's safe to say that, by comparison, I am far more locked and loaded. I am far more ready for this match, and for this run at glory.
However optimistic I am, however, I know I have my limitations, and even with the weight of the world on my shoulders and a chance to shock literally the entire world in front of me, I know a few things for certain; I said them as APW closed, and I’ll say them again.
I’ll never be the next Johnny Rebel.
I’ll never be the next CJ Gates.
I’ll never be the next Kurt Noble.
But unlike the last time I said those words, I know for a fact that it is something I cannot accept. The opportunity to set foot in an APW ring again has lit a fire within me that hasn't burned in some time, and on the contrary to when I was going out, I’m coming in with the mindset that anything is possible on any given day, and in APW, that couldn't be more true. The fact that I went toe to toe with other big names might have meant something before, but now, it couldn't matter any less. Looking forward now, none of that matters, Survive and Conquer never mattered. The Undisputed Title never mattered. The Syndicate never mattered.
What matters is what’s right here before us, and I could only hope that Terry Marvin is as aware of that as I am. Tonight, APW starts anew, and I for one am not going to let history stake its claim on the present. I have a shot at history, a shot at winning the first match of a NEW APW, a shot at beating someone who was once the best and claiming that label for my own, and I will be damned if I'm not going to give it everything I've got to make that dream a reality.
Say what you want about me. Say what you want about Terry Marvin. Say what you want about this match and about this entire reunion show, because at the end of the day, this reunion show is a chance for everyone who ever loved Action Packed Wrestling to show the entire freaking world why it is, was, and forever shall be the greatest. Win or lose, this is about reliving the glory days and about bringing them back, and even if I screw up, injure myself, and can never wrestle again, there’s a silver lining in the fact that I’m back with the company I loved from my first match there to its last show ‘ever’. There's a silver lining in being able to compete with the greatest wrestler ever to set foot in that ring. And there's a silver lining in the fact that I've proven that I can hang with the best this company’s got.
So with that, I’ll say this. I'm going to give it my best, not because I need this win, not because Terry Marvin needs to lose. I'm going to give it my best because, as I said at the close of the company last time, this one is for the fans, for the wrestling world, the wrestlers, and all the glory that surrounds such a prestigious group of people. This one is for APW.
Now, Mr. Marvin, I get the feeling this one might sound quite familiar, my friend, because it’s Showtime! Consider that your silver lining.
Then the idea hit him that taking a step back to where he was before, making his mark once again, someplace he'd been crowned as one of the best multiple times and won many a hard-fought match, regaining his composure and taking the loss of his new home in stride would perhaps be a good idea. Roy toyed with it and tried it, and decided it wasn't what was best for him. The competition, the friendships, the rivalries, and the atmosphere wasn't the same once he got back; he missed APW; he'd never made a name for himself, never left his mark, but he just freaking ached deep down for the company he had been a part of for a very short period of time, for the place where he was and would always be a nobody.
Accepting very early on that he would never make an impact on the level of CJ Gates, Kurt Noble, and especially not Terry Marvin, he knew it was time for a step back; it was time for himself to accept that the professional wrestling world wanted him to remain at Level Zero, because he'd never best Level One or Biggs or Sally Talfourd. He had to brace for the reality that Michael Callahan and Jason Kash and Aubrey J. Parker were all destined to be bigger names and hold bigger spotlights than he.
But then, it came back.
He got the invitation; he didn't know how long it would last; maybe a night, maybe a month, maybe fifty years, but when he was told there was even the slightest chance that he could make his name memorable for more than just beating Isamu Suzuki, there was no way he would pass that opportunity up. And now here he was, sitting in an APW locker room, lacing up his boots all over again. There were no interviewers flooding the door looking for an interview. There were no crazy fans looking for fifteen seconds of fame on an APW broadcast. The only other person aside from Roy Speede in that locker room was Alex Haden, his friend, cousin, and loyal companion.
Alex Haden: “I never thought I'd see this day come. APW is back, and you didn't hesitate to start polishing your boots and washing your ring gear. I hope you're not a little too eager!”
Roy Speede: “There’s no such thing as too eager, Alex. This is a chance for me to get back to what I love best. I don't care if I get hurt out there. I don't care if I mess up. I don't even care if I get paid for this gig. I've been waiting for this for over a year, and you're damned right I'm not going to miss this.”
Alex Haden: “I wouldn't say that in front of the cameras or they might think they don't have to.”
Roy Speede: “So what if they don't pay me? This is a reunion show, a chance for me to prove I deserve to be on that roster for however long they decide they want to stay open. It's my opportunity to go out there and prove to them I'm the best wrestler in APW history who never held a title belt.”
Alex Haden: “Alright, and what if you're wrong, hmm? What happens if you go out there and start to stink it up like skunk shit in a dumpster fire?”
Roy Speede: “I'm not going to let that happen; tonight I get to step out of retirement and into the next phase of my life. I thought I could live without APW. Tonight, I show everyone that APW couldn't live without Roy Speede.”
Alex Haden: “You also said you couldn't live without sour cream and onion potato chips, but you haven't had any of those in like a month!”
Roy Speede: “That you know of…”
Alex Haden: “You mean you've been cheating on your diet? Dammit, Roy! For someone so dedicated to getting back in that ring, you certainly have been slacking off, haven't you?”
Roy Speede: “A couple extra pounds of fat won't stop me from being the same lightning-quick superstar that nearly ran away with the tag team titles back in 2012. And hell, Deruty was proof that a couple pounds didn't mean anything. He was impressive himself back then, if I recall correctly.”
Alex Haden: “Then why didn't you win the titles?”
Roy Speede: “It was a bad night, okay?! Now if you don't mind, I'd like a few minutes alone to gather my thoughts. I've got a huge match against arguably the biggest star in the history of APW tonight, and I would like it if I didn't have to sit here and think about how ,u can pressure this puts on me!”
Alex Haden: “Okay, geez dude, sorry!”
Alex walked away slowly, and as the door to that locker room closed, leaving Roy alone, a heavy sigh escaped the lips of ‘The Silver Lining’, and understandably so, seeing as this was, as Roy had said, the biggest match of his career to date.
Roy Speede: “You know, about fifteen months ago, APW announced that it was shutting its doors for good with the completion of Rasslemania X. It was billed as ‘The Final Show’ and ‘The End of APW’, and everybody was looking for opportunities elsewhere after its conclusion. Some time later, a few of us seemed to stir up the idea of a reunion show, and a bunch of people jumped onboard. I was surprised really, because I thought that win over Isamu Suzuki was the end of the line for my business in APW, and now here I am again, staring down a far more intimidating opponent.
Think about it; a former Survive and Conquer winner, held the Undisputed Title for over a year and defended it as a part of both major brands; of course, I’m talking about ‘Showtime’. How could I be referring to anyone else? Looking at a list of the biggest names in the history of APW, nobody is quite so iconic as Terry Marvin. Sure, we’ve had Grand Slam Champions, we’ve had Survive and Conquer winners, we’ve had just about everything anyone could ever dream of here, but when one thinks about the greatest megastar in the company’s history, the conversation starts and ends with who else, but Terry Marvin?
Looking back at my first run with the APW, I was young and I was eager to prove myself; I wanted to show that I belonged here, and I belonged in the conversation as one of the top competitors on the roster, but with the list of names packed so tightly together from Level One and Sally Talfourd all the way down to Yarmouth and William D Williams, Jr., everybody was capable of making a big name for him or herself, and thinking back, I know it was damned foolish to think I could rise up the ranks that fast. I made it to a tournament finale for the Tag Team Titles, but when one has someone watching his back, one is willing to take far bigger risks. When I was in business for me and for nobody else, when I had nobody in my corner, that was the true test of just how much I was capable of doing.
I had a few big-name matches on Overdrive, against Kurt Noble and against Delikado, but I wasn't a huge star. I wasn't the next big thing in the making. I was fodder to make them look good and put on a show; nobody expected me to win, and giving it all as I did was enough to give people, myself included, hope. I wasn't ready then, and getting bumped right back down made me question if I would ever be ready. But right now, it's safe to say that, by comparison, I am far more locked and loaded. I am far more ready for this match, and for this run at glory.
However optimistic I am, however, I know I have my limitations, and even with the weight of the world on my shoulders and a chance to shock literally the entire world in front of me, I know a few things for certain; I said them as APW closed, and I’ll say them again.
I’ll never be the next Johnny Rebel.
I’ll never be the next CJ Gates.
I’ll never be the next Kurt Noble.
But unlike the last time I said those words, I know for a fact that it is something I cannot accept. The opportunity to set foot in an APW ring again has lit a fire within me that hasn't burned in some time, and on the contrary to when I was going out, I’m coming in with the mindset that anything is possible on any given day, and in APW, that couldn't be more true. The fact that I went toe to toe with other big names might have meant something before, but now, it couldn't matter any less. Looking forward now, none of that matters, Survive and Conquer never mattered. The Undisputed Title never mattered. The Syndicate never mattered.
What matters is what’s right here before us, and I could only hope that Terry Marvin is as aware of that as I am. Tonight, APW starts anew, and I for one am not going to let history stake its claim on the present. I have a shot at history, a shot at winning the first match of a NEW APW, a shot at beating someone who was once the best and claiming that label for my own, and I will be damned if I'm not going to give it everything I've got to make that dream a reality.
Say what you want about me. Say what you want about Terry Marvin. Say what you want about this match and about this entire reunion show, because at the end of the day, this reunion show is a chance for everyone who ever loved Action Packed Wrestling to show the entire freaking world why it is, was, and forever shall be the greatest. Win or lose, this is about reliving the glory days and about bringing them back, and even if I screw up, injure myself, and can never wrestle again, there’s a silver lining in the fact that I’m back with the company I loved from my first match there to its last show ‘ever’. There's a silver lining in being able to compete with the greatest wrestler ever to set foot in that ring. And there's a silver lining in the fact that I've proven that I can hang with the best this company’s got.
So with that, I’ll say this. I'm going to give it my best, not because I need this win, not because Terry Marvin needs to lose. I'm going to give it my best because, as I said at the close of the company last time, this one is for the fans, for the wrestling world, the wrestlers, and all the glory that surrounds such a prestigious group of people. This one is for APW.
Now, Mr. Marvin, I get the feeling this one might sound quite familiar, my friend, because it’s Showtime! Consider that your silver lining.
