Post by C.J. Gates on Mar 24, 2012 9:07:47 GMT -4
"This could be the beginning of the end.
"A bit drastic, perhaps, but still, it applies. There is a very good chance that this weekend could be the end of my reign as APW Undisputed champion. It could be the end to my time at the top of the mountain. I'm going up against three very talented men, and while many people are holding out hope for me to retain my title...others are asking other questions.
"One thing is for sure though, and that is that if I lose the match this week and subsequently lose my title, I won't forget the fans. I won't suddenly turn my back on them, because that's not how I operate, that's not my style.
"I plan to continue representing them just like I would represent APW.
"But that is definitely not a sign of me giving up. This isn't my speech about how I've rolled over and thrown in the towel. That would be unfair to everyone who has had my back. No, if anything, this is me declaring how important this match truly is, and how much I am invested in this.
"I've talked about it for awhile now, the implications this could have not only on my career, but on the careers of the others involved. Kurt Noble is looking for his break out into the upper echelon of APW Mega Stars. Johnny Rebel wants to turn this entire federation into his own playground. And Blade is just looking to keep his head above water, to prove the doubters wrong and walk away the champion.
"But I'm not just going to let one of those happen.
"I am going to be fighting my heart out for that entire match.
"And in doing so, I will be answering questions about myself that have surfaced over the past two weeks.
"Do I deserve the title? Did I really earn it? Am I coward? Was Blade really the best member of the Exchange Rate? Will Johnny Rebel finally get a win in over me?
"All questions that have been posed to me at one point or another in the lead up to Rasslemania. All questions that I could answer verbally, but they would be answers that wouldn't really hold any water until after Rasslemania. Until after the smoke has cleared.
"Because Rasslemania is a night that could change the entire landscape of APW.
"I just hope that it doesn't change for the worse for me."[/i]
The scene opens up in a suburban area of Fargo, North Dakota. A car sits across the street from a large three story house. Inside of that car are two familiar faces, B.J. Gates and his brother and current APW Undisputed champion C.J. Gates. B.J. is in the drivers seat and he drums his fingers on the steering wheel, while C.J. sits in the passenger seat, staring at the house.
"So, you going up there?" B.J. asks, being the first to speak. C.J. takes a deep breath and shrugs his shoulders, shaking his head as he does.
"I don't know man, I've got a lot on my plate right now," C.J. answers, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I don't know if I need to hear one lecture after another from mom about what I've chosen to do with my life."
B.J. chuckles. "Whether you hear it now or later, she's going to stick it to you. You know that."
"True," C.J. concedes, "but at any other time I'd be fine to hear it. But not now. Not this week."
"And why not?" B.J. asks, turning to face his brother in the seat. "What have you got on your mind that's so important that a little visit to your mother would get in the way?" C.J. stares at his brother.
"Rasslemania?" C.J. shoots out. "A match that could determine whether I sink or swim. A match against three men who want nothing more than to see me fail and fail hard. I know that I should visit, I do, but I also know that this is an important match, and that there are a lot of fans rooting for me to win. I can't do that if I'm busy focusing on my mother and how she doesn't want me to do this."
"You're sure she will say she doesn't want you to do it?"
"Yeah," C.J. begins before trailing off. "Well, no, but I figure that's why she wanted to see me before Rasslemania. Why else?"
"Maybe because you haven't been home in awhile?" B.J. asks, and as C.J. opens his mouth to continue, B.J. chimes in again. "Maybe she wants to simply wish you luck. Maybe, just maybe, she just wants one last look at her son before he dies?"
"Dies?" C.J. asks, looking at his brother with wide eyes. "What the hell man?"
"I know, I know, over the top," B.J. admits with a smug smile. "But you have to admit, there's always the chance she might not be worried and wanting to stop you from doing what you obviously love to do."
C.J. nods his head in response as B.J. continues to drum on the steering wheel. After a few moments C.J. lets out a long breath before opening the passenger side door. B.J. remains in the car.
"You coming?" C.J. asks through the open window after closing the door.
"In there?" B.J. chuckles and shakes his head. "Naw. I'll drive around for a bit. I'll swing back around in like, two hours to pick you up."
C.J. shrugs and walks across the street, up the driveway and to the front door. He glances back over his shoulder but his brother is long gone. C.J. turns back around and raises his hand to knock on the door, but before he can, the door swings open.
"C.J.!" a woman's voice shouts as his hand is grabbed and he is pulled into the house. "So nice of you to come visit your mother."
Mrs. Gates closes the door behind her son and grabs both of his cheeks, kissing them and his forehead. C.J. looks slightly annoyed as she does so, but after a bit she lets go and stands back from her son. "Let me get a good look at you. It's been too long since you were last around."
"Yeah, I know, sorry about that," C.J. admits, glancing at the ground. "I meant to come by earlier, and then I got your letter and figured I would--"
"Oh, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're here now."
Mrs. Gates looks her son over one more time before turning and walking into a different room. C.J. slowly follows, taking a look at a few of the family photographs that hang on the wall. As he enters the living room, his mom is disappearing into the kitchen. "Do you want some tea?" she asks.
"No, I'm fine, thanks." C.J. walks over to the large fireplace to look at a few photographs sitting on the mantle. One is of Gates holding the APW Undisputed title shortly after Shockwave, while others are of various other family members. C.J. picks up the one of him and looks at it.
"You looked so happy when you won that," his mother says as she comes back into the room with a cup of tea.
"I was," C.J. echoes before placing the picture back on the mantle. His mother takes a seat in a large armchair and C.J. sits on the couch. "So why did you want to see me?"
"What? Can't a mother just want to see one of her sons?" She takes a sip of the tea. "With all the traveling you've been doing I just thought that I could see you before you jet off on the next world tour."
C.J. nods. "But why now? I mean, I've got an important match this week. Why did you want to see me before Rasslemania?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"Well, no, I guess not," C.J. answers after some thought. His mother recognizes the answer with a smile.
"So are you ready?" his mom asks. C.J. looks at her, perplexed and she smiles. "For the match. Are you ready for your match."
"Oh, well, yeah, I'm ready. I've been ready since Survive and Conquer." His mother gives him a blank expression and he smiles. "I've been ready since January for this match. It's going to be a hard one to win, but I think I'm getting to the point where I'm confident I can pull it out."
"Good, good, and how are you feeling?"
"Feeling?" C.J. asks and his mother nods. "I'm feeling fine."
"Your head is alright?"
"My head is fine, mom," C.J. begins. He glances absently around the room. "Aside from the continuous chair shots and title shots that I've been taking, my head is fine. But those shots are half the fuel for the fight, because I want to make sure that I pay Rebel and Blade back for all the shit--" C.J.'s mother glares at him. "Sorry. For all of the stuff they have put me through, I want to make sure they get what's coming to them."
"Are you sure your head is alright?" Mrs. Gates asks, the worry evident on her face.
"Mom, I'm fine," C.J. says once again.
"Okay, okay," Mrs. Gates says. "No need to snap at me. I know when I've crossed a line asking too many times." A silence falls between mother and son as C.J.'s mom sips her tea. C.J. himself lets out another long breath before turning back to his mom.
"I'm sorry, mom," C.J. says. "For snapping. I've just had a lot on my plate lately, and it's been playing with my mind. I mean, I've had to deal with three men stealing my Undisputed title for the past month, as well as comments about whether or not I am truly fit to hold the belt in the first place. Add that to the fact that I am constantly getting knocked down, how I can't seem to trust anyone to have my back, and how I always seem to be fighting this one man battle against everything that is horrible in the business that I love...It's been a rough year."
"Seems like it. But you're having fun, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," C.J. starts. "It's just...I haven't really had time to think about the fun. About the joy that I get from this. I wouldn't even say that it ends in fun, but that it ends in an achievement of something great. I've been too busy trying to talk sense into Johnny Rebel, trying to talk truth to Blade, or trying to talk logic to Kurt Noble."
C.J. shakes his head and leans back on the couch before continuing. "Take this week for example. Johnny Rebel could never beat me, he may never be able to beat me, and I find myself talking about why he thinks that. I find myself wondering what possesses him to keep trying. I find myself trying to dissect what is going on in his brain so that I can rightfully figure out how to approach him. But no matter what I do, he seems to ignore it and play his own games.
"And Blade, well, Blade is a different story altogether. He's the one who truly doesn't deserve this title match, yet here he is, engrossed in the thick of it with three top talents." C.J. pauses as he takes a few breaths. "A man that I once looked at as a friend is now hunting for my title, and in the weeks prior, was hunting for my head each chance he got. But he won't listen to the fact that he doesn't belong and, instead, he keeps plowing ahead as if he really has a chance. He's thinking that he might actually walk out as the APW Undisputed champion."
Mrs. Gates nods as she sips her tea. C.J. continues. "And then there's Kurt. I don't mean to trash Kurt or bad mouth him...but there have been a lot of things tested between he and I lately. It almost sounds like we were in a relationship at some point, the way it's being talked about, but it's just...once he ruins the trust that was built up, especially in a world where there is no trust, it's hard to get it back. I mean, I understand that now that he has Chris Hart around he doesn't really have the same need for me as he did, since Hart can just bail him out. But he could have told me that instead of stealing my title, which was something I never thought he would do."
"Sounds like you've had a lot on your plate," C.J.'s mom finally chimes in. "Seems like it hasn't been easy these past few months."
"For the thousandth time, mom, I'm fine."
"Oh, I don't mean health wise," Mrs. Gates begins before placing her cup down, standing up and walking to the mantle to pick up the picture of C.J. Gates holding his newly won title. "I mean your enjoyment. The person I'm seeing sitting on my couch, is not the same person in this picture. You were ecstatic when you won this, but now...now you seem a bit on the run down side. It seems as though in the time that you were champion, you've lost some of that spring in your step."
"Well, I guess it has been tough to keep watching my back for attacks every week from everyone who thinks they have a legitimate claim to a title shot," C.J. says as he looks at the picture in his mothers hands from across the room. "But I'm sure that after Rasslemania, my load will be lightened and I can relax."
"And you're sure about that?" Mrs. Gates asks rhetorically. "Because I don't believe that. I'm watching my son do what he loves to do, but show no sign of it on his face right now. I don't see enjoyment in your eyes, C.J. I see anger."
"Vengeance," C.J. corrects her, "for everything that Rebel and Blade have thrown at me. It's the residuals that have hung over from matches with Jack Benevolence and his cheating partner, from meetings with Azrael Goeren, Biggs, Sally Talfourd...everyone that has made my life hell."
"You're not the same man," his mother says with a shake of her head before she places the picture on the mantle again. After a few long moments of having her back to her son, she turns around. "I guess, that was one of the reasons I wanted to see you."
"I knew there was something," C.J. says with a slight smirk. "There's always a reason that you want us to visit."
Mrs. Gates smiles slightly. "It's just, I've heard things."
"Things? What things?"
"About you and who you've been associating with while on the road."
"You mean B.J. and O.J.?" C.J. asks. "Of course. They've helped me out a decent amount. Dad, too."
"Are you sure it's helping?"
"Of course I'm sure, mom. If they weren't, I'd send them packing." C.J. pauses as he looks down at his watch. "Listen, I've got to get going. If I leave now, I can make it in time for some more training before the match. I've got to be well prepared for what's about to come my way."
Mrs. Gates nods, still smiling slightly, as C.J. gets up and the two head to the door.
"Thanks for coming by, C.J.," Mrs. Gates says with a smile on her face and a slight tear in her eye. "It was nice to see you."
"Anytime, mom. And next time, we'll make it a family affair. B.J., O.J., dad, the whole bunch."
Mrs. Gates is caught off guard as she stares at her son. "But they don't..."
C.J. steps forward and places a hand on each of his mom's shoulders, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be fine, mom. It was great seeing you. I'll call after Rasslemania, alright?" Before his mom can answer, C.J. turns and walks out the door, closing it behind him.
"They don't exist," his mom finishes as the scene fades out to black.
"This weekend, this is the weekend when we can put everything to rest. Everything that has been building up over the past few months, it can all be put to rest at the end of one important match. After the final bell of Rasslemania sounds, there is a good chance that the entire face of this federation could have changed.
"But there is also the chance that it could stay the same. But we will be able to settle everything that has popped up between the four of us, and that, that might be the most important thing to come from of this match. Yes, one of us will walk out with the Undisputed title, that is true, but one of us will also stamp home our claim to being one of the best that APW has ever seen.
"Is that man me?
"Well, that is one of the questions that I have been asked over the past few weeks. Do I have what it takes to walk out of Indianapolis with the APW title still around my waist. Do I have what it takes to continue to represent APW, to be the face of the federation. Do I have what it takes to take on two of my enemies and one of my acquaintances and come out on the other side with my head held high.
"I think I do. I've done it before, against each man on their own. I have defeated Kurt Noble the lone time that we have faced off in singles action. I have defeated Blade at numerous opportunities since he turned his back on the Exchange Rate. And Johnny Rebel...well, I think the interactions between Rebel and I have been well documented, and anyone following this entire ordeal already knows that he has had his problems defeating me inside of the ring.
"However that question continues to be a topic of interest.
"Will Johnny Rebel conquer his Everest this weekend?
"That's for him to answer. He has had time to prepare for this match, especially since he had a good idea that it was going to happen ever since he decided to force his way into the title picture. He should have had plenty of time to fine tune his skills to make sure that he is capable of coming out on top. The real question, is whether or not that actually happened.
"The real question is whether or not Johnny Rebel is actually able to beat me, or if he can only do so relying on interference, sneak attacks and the lucky intervention from his Phoenix Wrestling enemies. Time will tell, it definitely will, but unlike Noble and Blade, if Rebel were to lose, that wouldn't stop his quest. If Simply Put simply couldn't, I doubt that he would suddenly throw his hands in the air and realize that he doesn't have what it takes to get the job done. If anything he would work THAT much harder and cheat THAT much more to get the job done.
"And that might be what is both aggravating about Rebel and what also is a bit fascinating. It's aggravating that he is constantly throwing aside what happened for what he thinks could happen. The fact that he has lost time after time, he tosses that aside like it never really happened, only to focus on what he wants to have happen. Him winning. Though the whole idea is fascinating because...to think, that someone would go through so much loss time after time and willing run back into that loss just to...prove a point? Make everyone jealous?
"It's hard to say what his drive is, really. He claims it's because he is the best that this federation has ever seen since Level One's mold was first created, but if that were true, then at some point he would take a step back and evaluate. Granted, this is his first actual Undisputed title shot, but at every hurdle beforehand he's been thrown aside, reduced to putting up with the Overdrive title, constantly taking a back seat to the Undisputed title.
"Though I do know that the fans would love to see me beat Rebel one more time. But then again, it's the fans that I can say weren't the ones questioning whether or not I actually deserve this title.
"That honor falls to everyone else that has been chasing it. They all throw back to Shockwave and what went down during the match. They all see Biggs tipping the scales in his favor, only to have Kurt Noble make his debut in APW and count that final pinfall. They point fingers, they claim that I didn't earn it, even though I have done nothing but prove that to them when I defeated Biggs at One Night in Hell to retain it, and then beat him at Christmas Chaos to once again defend that title.
"And I wouldn't doubt it if Noble was one of the ones thinking that I didn't earn it. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere, deep down inside, Kurt Noble has this thought that if he hadn't have signed his contract, would C.J. Gates have been able to climb that mountain and capture that Undisputed title. Would he have been able to become one of the best that APW has seen.
"I wish it weren't true though.
"I do, because if it's true, that means that Kurt Noble was holding some unresolved issues for quite some time. That would mean that Kurt Noble had been lying to me when he denied such allegations on a few occasions. And quite frankly, I can't dwell on it. I can't sit here and think about whether or not Kurt Noble is one of those doubters. Not when I know that Johnny Rebel, Biggs, Level One, Pence Weatherlight, Sally Talfourd, Terry Marvin, Blade, Nathaniel Havok...Not when I know that all of them don't think I earned it.
"No, I need to be focusing on Kurt for an entirely different reason. Because he is the true threat to winning this title. If I've said it before, I'll say it again, Kurt Noble is the one man in this match that I actually think has truly earned it. He hasn't stuck his nose into in unwanted, he hasn't forced anyone's hand. He had simply gone about his business until he was rewarded with the opportunity.
"Which is also why, if anyone is going to beat me, I think it's going to be Kurt. For no other reason than he is a tough competitor who seems to have ice water in his veins. I've watched him in high pressure situations. Extreme Tournament finals, Survive and Conquer final four, CWC World title matches with Azrael Goeren. When everything is on the line, Kurt Noble does one thing and one thing only.
"He brings his A game.
"He makes no mistakes. He fights, and he does so at a high level. Johnny Rebel has skill, and Blade has tenacity, I don't take anything away from those two, but they aren't the two that I think has the best chance at walking out the winner. They have a chance, but not the best chance. That honor is left to Kurt.
"But I can hear Johnny and Blade now. Asking me how I can write them off, telling me that I'm going against everything that I normally believe in. Which could be true. I could be writing them off verbally, but mentally, I am preparing for them like I prepare for anyone. I am making sure that I am ready for anything that they have to throw my way.
"After all, this is my chance to show that I deserve the title and the honors that go along with it.
"This is the chance for me to show them why the fans have my back, why I am so focused each time I'm in that ring. The opportunities I have been given abroad, in the Experts and CWC, they don't happen because I'm lucky, or because everyone is taking pity on me. Those opportunities are given to me because I have worked my ass off to get them.
"Not like Blade or Rebel, the two who didn't really work their asses off to get this title match. Rebel, spending week after week hitting me with any weapon, and Blade, playing the role of puppet until he was thrown in as a last minute addition. An addition that does nothing but ask that age old question that I really haven't been able to shake since he returned to Overdrive.
"Was I really the best member of the Exchange Rate?
"If we're comparing myself to Blade, then I'd like to say that I was. Because ever since that moment, I have kept fighting at a high level. After the Exchange Rate folded, I rose to the top while Blade fizzled out and disappeared. Sure, it might not be a great representation because when Blade is on he's on. When we won the titles, he was fighting at a high level. A level that seem to fade as time went on.
"Not exactly something that you look at when talking about a champion that will represent APW at every moment. Not exactly the sort of person you can get behind as the man at the top of the mountain. Though maybe I'm wrong. I've been proven wrong before, and won't be the one to say that everything that exits my mouth is one hundred percent truth.
"I am not Johnny Rebel.
"I will leave the lies and the stretched facts to him. After all, he can get away with it, since he is just that crafty and that much of a bullshit specialist. If it helps him get to where he needs to be, then that works for him, but it doesn't for me. I know that he is going to hate me for those remarks, but what's said is said, there's nothing that I can do about that, really.
"Nothing except prove myself to him. Prove that I am not just another cookie cutter champion, that I am not some long term paper champion just waiting for Rebel to come through and claim his prize. I've earned it, I deserve it, and I know that he will eventually see that, once he has finally given up his quest, if he ever does.
"And all I have to do is win. Not my usual strategy, since putting on a good match for the fans is always first and foremost, but I'm not worried. I'm not worried because I know that this is going to be the match of the night, that this is going to be burned into the minds of everyone at home as they cheer and show their support for everyone involved.
"So the next step is to win.
"To show that I am better than Blade.
"To show that I am able to survive without the need of having someone watch my back.
"To show that I am more competitive and deserving then some people give me credit for.
"Of course, this doesn't mean that there still won't be some doubters as we approach Rasslemania. This doesn't mean that there will be no more questions. In fact, one of the oldest questions I have had floating around my head has stemmed from Survive and Conquer.
"Am I a coward?
"Would a coward be looking forward to this match as much as I was? Would a coward have done anything but trying to back his way out of a fatal four way that could very well see him lose his title? Sure, I might not have defended the belt at Survive and Conquer, but neither did Johnny Rebel, and I didn't see anyone calling him a coward. They just overlooked that and focused in on me.
"Why? Who knows. If I had those answers, then I wouldn't be where I am right now. If I had those answers, then this entire ordeal might be that much easier because I wouldn't have twenty other people to worry about breathing down my neck. But Survive and Conquer aside, I am no coward, that question I can answer with certainty. I am not a coward because I have done nothing but run at this fight every time I could.
"Each time my title was stolen, I wanted it back, no matter the cost.
"The moment this match was announced, I nodded my head. I wanted this match. I wanted the chance to prove everything that I have been trying to prove since day one.
"I wanted to prove that I am the Undisputed champion for a reason.
"I wanted to show everyone just what C.J. Gates is capable of.
"It's time to go big or go home."
"A bit drastic, perhaps, but still, it applies. There is a very good chance that this weekend could be the end of my reign as APW Undisputed champion. It could be the end to my time at the top of the mountain. I'm going up against three very talented men, and while many people are holding out hope for me to retain my title...others are asking other questions.
"One thing is for sure though, and that is that if I lose the match this week and subsequently lose my title, I won't forget the fans. I won't suddenly turn my back on them, because that's not how I operate, that's not my style.
"I plan to continue representing them just like I would represent APW.
"But that is definitely not a sign of me giving up. This isn't my speech about how I've rolled over and thrown in the towel. That would be unfair to everyone who has had my back. No, if anything, this is me declaring how important this match truly is, and how much I am invested in this.
"I've talked about it for awhile now, the implications this could have not only on my career, but on the careers of the others involved. Kurt Noble is looking for his break out into the upper echelon of APW Mega Stars. Johnny Rebel wants to turn this entire federation into his own playground. And Blade is just looking to keep his head above water, to prove the doubters wrong and walk away the champion.
"But I'm not just going to let one of those happen.
"I am going to be fighting my heart out for that entire match.
"And in doing so, I will be answering questions about myself that have surfaced over the past two weeks.
"Do I deserve the title? Did I really earn it? Am I coward? Was Blade really the best member of the Exchange Rate? Will Johnny Rebel finally get a win in over me?
"All questions that have been posed to me at one point or another in the lead up to Rasslemania. All questions that I could answer verbally, but they would be answers that wouldn't really hold any water until after Rasslemania. Until after the smoke has cleared.
"Because Rasslemania is a night that could change the entire landscape of APW.
"I just hope that it doesn't change for the worse for me."[/i]
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The scene opens up in a suburban area of Fargo, North Dakota. A car sits across the street from a large three story house. Inside of that car are two familiar faces, B.J. Gates and his brother and current APW Undisputed champion C.J. Gates. B.J. is in the drivers seat and he drums his fingers on the steering wheel, while C.J. sits in the passenger seat, staring at the house.
"So, you going up there?" B.J. asks, being the first to speak. C.J. takes a deep breath and shrugs his shoulders, shaking his head as he does.
"I don't know man, I've got a lot on my plate right now," C.J. answers, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I don't know if I need to hear one lecture after another from mom about what I've chosen to do with my life."
B.J. chuckles. "Whether you hear it now or later, she's going to stick it to you. You know that."
"True," C.J. concedes, "but at any other time I'd be fine to hear it. But not now. Not this week."
"And why not?" B.J. asks, turning to face his brother in the seat. "What have you got on your mind that's so important that a little visit to your mother would get in the way?" C.J. stares at his brother.
"Rasslemania?" C.J. shoots out. "A match that could determine whether I sink or swim. A match against three men who want nothing more than to see me fail and fail hard. I know that I should visit, I do, but I also know that this is an important match, and that there are a lot of fans rooting for me to win. I can't do that if I'm busy focusing on my mother and how she doesn't want me to do this."
"You're sure she will say she doesn't want you to do it?"
"Yeah," C.J. begins before trailing off. "Well, no, but I figure that's why she wanted to see me before Rasslemania. Why else?"
"Maybe because you haven't been home in awhile?" B.J. asks, and as C.J. opens his mouth to continue, B.J. chimes in again. "Maybe she wants to simply wish you luck. Maybe, just maybe, she just wants one last look at her son before he dies?"
"Dies?" C.J. asks, looking at his brother with wide eyes. "What the hell man?"
"I know, I know, over the top," B.J. admits with a smug smile. "But you have to admit, there's always the chance she might not be worried and wanting to stop you from doing what you obviously love to do."
C.J. nods his head in response as B.J. continues to drum on the steering wheel. After a few moments C.J. lets out a long breath before opening the passenger side door. B.J. remains in the car.
"You coming?" C.J. asks through the open window after closing the door.
"In there?" B.J. chuckles and shakes his head. "Naw. I'll drive around for a bit. I'll swing back around in like, two hours to pick you up."
C.J. shrugs and walks across the street, up the driveway and to the front door. He glances back over his shoulder but his brother is long gone. C.J. turns back around and raises his hand to knock on the door, but before he can, the door swings open.
"C.J.!" a woman's voice shouts as his hand is grabbed and he is pulled into the house. "So nice of you to come visit your mother."
Mrs. Gates closes the door behind her son and grabs both of his cheeks, kissing them and his forehead. C.J. looks slightly annoyed as she does so, but after a bit she lets go and stands back from her son. "Let me get a good look at you. It's been too long since you were last around."
"Yeah, I know, sorry about that," C.J. admits, glancing at the ground. "I meant to come by earlier, and then I got your letter and figured I would--"
"Oh, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're here now."
Mrs. Gates looks her son over one more time before turning and walking into a different room. C.J. slowly follows, taking a look at a few of the family photographs that hang on the wall. As he enters the living room, his mom is disappearing into the kitchen. "Do you want some tea?" she asks.
"No, I'm fine, thanks." C.J. walks over to the large fireplace to look at a few photographs sitting on the mantle. One is of Gates holding the APW Undisputed title shortly after Shockwave, while others are of various other family members. C.J. picks up the one of him and looks at it.
"You looked so happy when you won that," his mother says as she comes back into the room with a cup of tea.
"I was," C.J. echoes before placing the picture back on the mantle. His mother takes a seat in a large armchair and C.J. sits on the couch. "So why did you want to see me?"
"What? Can't a mother just want to see one of her sons?" She takes a sip of the tea. "With all the traveling you've been doing I just thought that I could see you before you jet off on the next world tour."
C.J. nods. "But why now? I mean, I've got an important match this week. Why did you want to see me before Rasslemania?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"Well, no, I guess not," C.J. answers after some thought. His mother recognizes the answer with a smile.
"So are you ready?" his mom asks. C.J. looks at her, perplexed and she smiles. "For the match. Are you ready for your match."
"Oh, well, yeah, I'm ready. I've been ready since Survive and Conquer." His mother gives him a blank expression and he smiles. "I've been ready since January for this match. It's going to be a hard one to win, but I think I'm getting to the point where I'm confident I can pull it out."
"Good, good, and how are you feeling?"
"Feeling?" C.J. asks and his mother nods. "I'm feeling fine."
"Your head is alright?"
"My head is fine, mom," C.J. begins. He glances absently around the room. "Aside from the continuous chair shots and title shots that I've been taking, my head is fine. But those shots are half the fuel for the fight, because I want to make sure that I pay Rebel and Blade back for all the shit--" C.J.'s mother glares at him. "Sorry. For all of the stuff they have put me through, I want to make sure they get what's coming to them."
"Are you sure your head is alright?" Mrs. Gates asks, the worry evident on her face.
"Mom, I'm fine," C.J. says once again.
"Okay, okay," Mrs. Gates says. "No need to snap at me. I know when I've crossed a line asking too many times." A silence falls between mother and son as C.J.'s mom sips her tea. C.J. himself lets out another long breath before turning back to his mom.
"I'm sorry, mom," C.J. says. "For snapping. I've just had a lot on my plate lately, and it's been playing with my mind. I mean, I've had to deal with three men stealing my Undisputed title for the past month, as well as comments about whether or not I am truly fit to hold the belt in the first place. Add that to the fact that I am constantly getting knocked down, how I can't seem to trust anyone to have my back, and how I always seem to be fighting this one man battle against everything that is horrible in the business that I love...It's been a rough year."
"Seems like it. But you're having fun, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," C.J. starts. "It's just...I haven't really had time to think about the fun. About the joy that I get from this. I wouldn't even say that it ends in fun, but that it ends in an achievement of something great. I've been too busy trying to talk sense into Johnny Rebel, trying to talk truth to Blade, or trying to talk logic to Kurt Noble."
C.J. shakes his head and leans back on the couch before continuing. "Take this week for example. Johnny Rebel could never beat me, he may never be able to beat me, and I find myself talking about why he thinks that. I find myself wondering what possesses him to keep trying. I find myself trying to dissect what is going on in his brain so that I can rightfully figure out how to approach him. But no matter what I do, he seems to ignore it and play his own games.
"And Blade, well, Blade is a different story altogether. He's the one who truly doesn't deserve this title match, yet here he is, engrossed in the thick of it with three top talents." C.J. pauses as he takes a few breaths. "A man that I once looked at as a friend is now hunting for my title, and in the weeks prior, was hunting for my head each chance he got. But he won't listen to the fact that he doesn't belong and, instead, he keeps plowing ahead as if he really has a chance. He's thinking that he might actually walk out as the APW Undisputed champion."
Mrs. Gates nods as she sips her tea. C.J. continues. "And then there's Kurt. I don't mean to trash Kurt or bad mouth him...but there have been a lot of things tested between he and I lately. It almost sounds like we were in a relationship at some point, the way it's being talked about, but it's just...once he ruins the trust that was built up, especially in a world where there is no trust, it's hard to get it back. I mean, I understand that now that he has Chris Hart around he doesn't really have the same need for me as he did, since Hart can just bail him out. But he could have told me that instead of stealing my title, which was something I never thought he would do."
"Sounds like you've had a lot on your plate," C.J.'s mom finally chimes in. "Seems like it hasn't been easy these past few months."
"For the thousandth time, mom, I'm fine."
"Oh, I don't mean health wise," Mrs. Gates begins before placing her cup down, standing up and walking to the mantle to pick up the picture of C.J. Gates holding his newly won title. "I mean your enjoyment. The person I'm seeing sitting on my couch, is not the same person in this picture. You were ecstatic when you won this, but now...now you seem a bit on the run down side. It seems as though in the time that you were champion, you've lost some of that spring in your step."
"Well, I guess it has been tough to keep watching my back for attacks every week from everyone who thinks they have a legitimate claim to a title shot," C.J. says as he looks at the picture in his mothers hands from across the room. "But I'm sure that after Rasslemania, my load will be lightened and I can relax."
"And you're sure about that?" Mrs. Gates asks rhetorically. "Because I don't believe that. I'm watching my son do what he loves to do, but show no sign of it on his face right now. I don't see enjoyment in your eyes, C.J. I see anger."
"Vengeance," C.J. corrects her, "for everything that Rebel and Blade have thrown at me. It's the residuals that have hung over from matches with Jack Benevolence and his cheating partner, from meetings with Azrael Goeren, Biggs, Sally Talfourd...everyone that has made my life hell."
"You're not the same man," his mother says with a shake of her head before she places the picture on the mantle again. After a few long moments of having her back to her son, she turns around. "I guess, that was one of the reasons I wanted to see you."
"I knew there was something," C.J. says with a slight smirk. "There's always a reason that you want us to visit."
Mrs. Gates smiles slightly. "It's just, I've heard things."
"Things? What things?"
"About you and who you've been associating with while on the road."
"You mean B.J. and O.J.?" C.J. asks. "Of course. They've helped me out a decent amount. Dad, too."
"Are you sure it's helping?"
"Of course I'm sure, mom. If they weren't, I'd send them packing." C.J. pauses as he looks down at his watch. "Listen, I've got to get going. If I leave now, I can make it in time for some more training before the match. I've got to be well prepared for what's about to come my way."
Mrs. Gates nods, still smiling slightly, as C.J. gets up and the two head to the door.
"Thanks for coming by, C.J.," Mrs. Gates says with a smile on her face and a slight tear in her eye. "It was nice to see you."
"Anytime, mom. And next time, we'll make it a family affair. B.J., O.J., dad, the whole bunch."
Mrs. Gates is caught off guard as she stares at her son. "But they don't..."
C.J. steps forward and places a hand on each of his mom's shoulders, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be fine, mom. It was great seeing you. I'll call after Rasslemania, alright?" Before his mom can answer, C.J. turns and walks out the door, closing it behind him.
"They don't exist," his mom finishes as the scene fades out to black.
------------------------------------------------
"This weekend, this is the weekend when we can put everything to rest. Everything that has been building up over the past few months, it can all be put to rest at the end of one important match. After the final bell of Rasslemania sounds, there is a good chance that the entire face of this federation could have changed.
"But there is also the chance that it could stay the same. But we will be able to settle everything that has popped up between the four of us, and that, that might be the most important thing to come from of this match. Yes, one of us will walk out with the Undisputed title, that is true, but one of us will also stamp home our claim to being one of the best that APW has ever seen.
"Is that man me?
"Well, that is one of the questions that I have been asked over the past few weeks. Do I have what it takes to walk out of Indianapolis with the APW title still around my waist. Do I have what it takes to continue to represent APW, to be the face of the federation. Do I have what it takes to take on two of my enemies and one of my acquaintances and come out on the other side with my head held high.
"I think I do. I've done it before, against each man on their own. I have defeated Kurt Noble the lone time that we have faced off in singles action. I have defeated Blade at numerous opportunities since he turned his back on the Exchange Rate. And Johnny Rebel...well, I think the interactions between Rebel and I have been well documented, and anyone following this entire ordeal already knows that he has had his problems defeating me inside of the ring.
"However that question continues to be a topic of interest.
"Will Johnny Rebel conquer his Everest this weekend?
"That's for him to answer. He has had time to prepare for this match, especially since he had a good idea that it was going to happen ever since he decided to force his way into the title picture. He should have had plenty of time to fine tune his skills to make sure that he is capable of coming out on top. The real question, is whether or not that actually happened.
"The real question is whether or not Johnny Rebel is actually able to beat me, or if he can only do so relying on interference, sneak attacks and the lucky intervention from his Phoenix Wrestling enemies. Time will tell, it definitely will, but unlike Noble and Blade, if Rebel were to lose, that wouldn't stop his quest. If Simply Put simply couldn't, I doubt that he would suddenly throw his hands in the air and realize that he doesn't have what it takes to get the job done. If anything he would work THAT much harder and cheat THAT much more to get the job done.
"And that might be what is both aggravating about Rebel and what also is a bit fascinating. It's aggravating that he is constantly throwing aside what happened for what he thinks could happen. The fact that he has lost time after time, he tosses that aside like it never really happened, only to focus on what he wants to have happen. Him winning. Though the whole idea is fascinating because...to think, that someone would go through so much loss time after time and willing run back into that loss just to...prove a point? Make everyone jealous?
"It's hard to say what his drive is, really. He claims it's because he is the best that this federation has ever seen since Level One's mold was first created, but if that were true, then at some point he would take a step back and evaluate. Granted, this is his first actual Undisputed title shot, but at every hurdle beforehand he's been thrown aside, reduced to putting up with the Overdrive title, constantly taking a back seat to the Undisputed title.
"Though I do know that the fans would love to see me beat Rebel one more time. But then again, it's the fans that I can say weren't the ones questioning whether or not I actually deserve this title.
"That honor falls to everyone else that has been chasing it. They all throw back to Shockwave and what went down during the match. They all see Biggs tipping the scales in his favor, only to have Kurt Noble make his debut in APW and count that final pinfall. They point fingers, they claim that I didn't earn it, even though I have done nothing but prove that to them when I defeated Biggs at One Night in Hell to retain it, and then beat him at Christmas Chaos to once again defend that title.
"And I wouldn't doubt it if Noble was one of the ones thinking that I didn't earn it. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere, deep down inside, Kurt Noble has this thought that if he hadn't have signed his contract, would C.J. Gates have been able to climb that mountain and capture that Undisputed title. Would he have been able to become one of the best that APW has seen.
"I wish it weren't true though.
"I do, because if it's true, that means that Kurt Noble was holding some unresolved issues for quite some time. That would mean that Kurt Noble had been lying to me when he denied such allegations on a few occasions. And quite frankly, I can't dwell on it. I can't sit here and think about whether or not Kurt Noble is one of those doubters. Not when I know that Johnny Rebel, Biggs, Level One, Pence Weatherlight, Sally Talfourd, Terry Marvin, Blade, Nathaniel Havok...Not when I know that all of them don't think I earned it.
"No, I need to be focusing on Kurt for an entirely different reason. Because he is the true threat to winning this title. If I've said it before, I'll say it again, Kurt Noble is the one man in this match that I actually think has truly earned it. He hasn't stuck his nose into in unwanted, he hasn't forced anyone's hand. He had simply gone about his business until he was rewarded with the opportunity.
"Which is also why, if anyone is going to beat me, I think it's going to be Kurt. For no other reason than he is a tough competitor who seems to have ice water in his veins. I've watched him in high pressure situations. Extreme Tournament finals, Survive and Conquer final four, CWC World title matches with Azrael Goeren. When everything is on the line, Kurt Noble does one thing and one thing only.
"He brings his A game.
"He makes no mistakes. He fights, and he does so at a high level. Johnny Rebel has skill, and Blade has tenacity, I don't take anything away from those two, but they aren't the two that I think has the best chance at walking out the winner. They have a chance, but not the best chance. That honor is left to Kurt.
"But I can hear Johnny and Blade now. Asking me how I can write them off, telling me that I'm going against everything that I normally believe in. Which could be true. I could be writing them off verbally, but mentally, I am preparing for them like I prepare for anyone. I am making sure that I am ready for anything that they have to throw my way.
"After all, this is my chance to show that I deserve the title and the honors that go along with it.
"This is the chance for me to show them why the fans have my back, why I am so focused each time I'm in that ring. The opportunities I have been given abroad, in the Experts and CWC, they don't happen because I'm lucky, or because everyone is taking pity on me. Those opportunities are given to me because I have worked my ass off to get them.
"Not like Blade or Rebel, the two who didn't really work their asses off to get this title match. Rebel, spending week after week hitting me with any weapon, and Blade, playing the role of puppet until he was thrown in as a last minute addition. An addition that does nothing but ask that age old question that I really haven't been able to shake since he returned to Overdrive.
"Was I really the best member of the Exchange Rate?
"If we're comparing myself to Blade, then I'd like to say that I was. Because ever since that moment, I have kept fighting at a high level. After the Exchange Rate folded, I rose to the top while Blade fizzled out and disappeared. Sure, it might not be a great representation because when Blade is on he's on. When we won the titles, he was fighting at a high level. A level that seem to fade as time went on.
"Not exactly something that you look at when talking about a champion that will represent APW at every moment. Not exactly the sort of person you can get behind as the man at the top of the mountain. Though maybe I'm wrong. I've been proven wrong before, and won't be the one to say that everything that exits my mouth is one hundred percent truth.
"I am not Johnny Rebel.
"I will leave the lies and the stretched facts to him. After all, he can get away with it, since he is just that crafty and that much of a bullshit specialist. If it helps him get to where he needs to be, then that works for him, but it doesn't for me. I know that he is going to hate me for those remarks, but what's said is said, there's nothing that I can do about that, really.
"Nothing except prove myself to him. Prove that I am not just another cookie cutter champion, that I am not some long term paper champion just waiting for Rebel to come through and claim his prize. I've earned it, I deserve it, and I know that he will eventually see that, once he has finally given up his quest, if he ever does.
"And all I have to do is win. Not my usual strategy, since putting on a good match for the fans is always first and foremost, but I'm not worried. I'm not worried because I know that this is going to be the match of the night, that this is going to be burned into the minds of everyone at home as they cheer and show their support for everyone involved.
"So the next step is to win.
"To show that I am better than Blade.
"To show that I am able to survive without the need of having someone watch my back.
"To show that I am more competitive and deserving then some people give me credit for.
"Of course, this doesn't mean that there still won't be some doubters as we approach Rasslemania. This doesn't mean that there will be no more questions. In fact, one of the oldest questions I have had floating around my head has stemmed from Survive and Conquer.
"Am I a coward?
"Would a coward be looking forward to this match as much as I was? Would a coward have done anything but trying to back his way out of a fatal four way that could very well see him lose his title? Sure, I might not have defended the belt at Survive and Conquer, but neither did Johnny Rebel, and I didn't see anyone calling him a coward. They just overlooked that and focused in on me.
"Why? Who knows. If I had those answers, then I wouldn't be where I am right now. If I had those answers, then this entire ordeal might be that much easier because I wouldn't have twenty other people to worry about breathing down my neck. But Survive and Conquer aside, I am no coward, that question I can answer with certainty. I am not a coward because I have done nothing but run at this fight every time I could.
"Each time my title was stolen, I wanted it back, no matter the cost.
"The moment this match was announced, I nodded my head. I wanted this match. I wanted the chance to prove everything that I have been trying to prove since day one.
"I wanted to prove that I am the Undisputed champion for a reason.
"I wanted to show everyone just what C.J. Gates is capable of.
"It's time to go big or go home."
