Post by Anthony Bailey on Jun 23, 2012 13:23:23 GMT -4
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." – Eleanor Roosevelt
The spouse of this good woman once said that the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself." What is fear? Is it relative? If so, what does a promising young rookie like Anthony Reese Bailey have to fear? I mean with the World Heavyweight Title within arm’s grasp, one couldn’t possibly have much to be fearful of, correct? Though that might be a presumption for the majority of others, this is not the case according to Bailey himself. But fear is no option come July 8th when he comes face to face with Jason Kash one more time. Every single sentiment is different this time around and Bailey is well aware of this.
After losing the Tap Out Title this past Sunday on Asylum, Bailey felt deep down inside that he still had more to prove to the world. Though content and grateful for his brief title reign, being Asylum’s "golden boy" wasn’t good enough if the golden boy couldn’t become a King Midas like character and turn things into gold with a simple touch. The world was already seemingly at the disposal of The Promise because he brought something new, moral, and refreshing to this business, but this was also accompanied by the burden of dwelling under a microscope.
As Jason Kash watches and observes every move that Bailey will attempt to pull off, thousands of other individuals are also participating in this game of observation and watching The Promise’s every move. He would have to do everything he was able to do to conceal his privacy, but he fears that it is already too late. If the world is feasting its eyes on you, there is only one thing left to do…deliver. Silence the critics and your opponent and do what they did not expect of you.
{{The scene opens to the inside of Anthony Bailey’s luxurious townhouse located in St. Augustine, FL. Anthony, fresh out of the shower, is standing near the front entrance because he just heard the door close. Having only a towel wrapped around his waist, his firm six pack has most likely sent many adolescent girls across the nation into a frenzy. Anthony, looking somewhat surprised, begins to speak.}}[/color]
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hello? Is that you Tasha?
{{No one responds. Anthony, now facing towards the cameraman, asks him a question.}}[/color]
Hey, did you just see my girlfriend anywhere around here by any chance?
APW Camerman: No sir, Mr. Bailey.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Really? So no drop dead gorgeous Latina woman was roaming around?
APW Camerman: No sir, I can assure you that I haven’t seen any drop dead gorgeous Latina woman around here.
{{Anthony looks offended.}}[/color]
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hey pal, watch how you talk about my girlfriend…
{{Fearfully the cameraman remains silent. After a short awkward pause, Anthony bursts into laughter.}}[/color]
Man, I’m just playing with you! I’m not the jealous type, trust me.
{{The cameraman lets out a laugh of relief.}}[/color]
But that is weird that she isn’t around though. She’s always popping up out of nowhere trying to surprise me so I just figured that it was her. It must’ve been you just coming through the door then. You’re early though because I wasn’t expecting you for at least another…
{{Anthony glances down at his watch.}}[/color]
Twenty or thirty minutes.
APW Camerman: I apologize for that, it certainly will not happen again.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: It’s all good man, don’t even sweat it. It’s a good thing that you showed up early anyway, I have a lot of things to get off of my chest. Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you on the back patio. Make yourself at home in the mean time…
{{The scene fades to black as Anthony begins to walk in the opposite direction. The next scene shows Anthony making his way to the back patio. He is now fully dressed and wearing his own black and white "The only Promise that can't be broken" T-shirt, a recent but hot addition to the official APW merchandise store, blue jeans, and a pair of black and white Nike sneakers. Anthony takes a seat and soaks in the beauty of a breezy warm summer afternoon here in the Sunshine State. Appearing to be in deep thought, he slowly exhales, and then begins to speak.}}[/color]
As much as I want to overanalyze my loss to Julius Farquhar and reconstruct my title defense game plan, I’m reminded to not dwell on that for too long. Farquhar got the best of me and let’s face it, he needed the win much more than I did. It amazes me how one could be viewed as a “top” talent on a particular brand but at the same time is irrelevant and surrounded by a cloud of obscurity. I’m not taking a cheap shot at Farquhar, I’m just telling you how it truly is. But at the corresponding time I must be on guard because if I’m too consumed about a match that has already taken place and cannot be undone, I’ll lose sight of the bigger picture…becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. Yes, my nearly three month reign as the Tap Out Champion of Action Packed Wrestling administered me far beyond what I could have ever imagined. I’m grateful for my term as champion, but sitting at the feet of the likes of Frank Cavalli, Sally Tallfourd, and Juan Ramirez and becoming some sort of a sponge has taught me a lot in my brief career. Always focus on what is ahead of you and not behind you.
Anthony’s demeanor in Phoenix backstage at Asylum the night of his loss to Julius Farquhar was much different than it is today. He and the phrase of “Tap Out Champion” had become synonymous but a pep talk from his father that night helped him cope. Anthony had flown him into Phoenix earlier that day for Father’s day and spent some time with him at his hotel before Asylum. Though his father’s love for wrestling had waned over the years, his father insisted that he attend Asylum with his son and Anthony gladly accepted. His father was the first person that he saw upon his arrival backstage after the main event and the pep talk definitely brightened him up with his father reassuring him that he’s not a failure but a true winner.[/color]
Jason Kash is standing right before me and he is all that I should be concerned about. Not Julius Farquhar or what the critics are saying, but Jason Kash and Jason Kash alone. To clear up any confusion, you Jason are not facing a disheartened young man wallowing in defeat. The same hunger that was stirring inside of me during the Tap Out Title Tournament is still present. If anything, it has grown because I have tasted gold. I know what it feels like to be envied by all of your colleagues because you have something that they do not. I’m not like the majority of all the other rookies who are sojourning in some fantasy land with an unrealistic craving to be valued and cheered. I am a man who is already valued and cheered and because I am firmly secure about who I am, I will still be valuable in my own eyes long after the cheers have faded and the people who once loved me grow to hate me.
I feel sorry for you Kash because your whole identity is wrapped up in that World Title. Once I strip you of that, what will become of you? The possibilities are quite frightening but to your dismay it must be done. Take away his title and what do you have? You have a man who is in dire need of oral surgery and someone that constantly eradicates whatever remaining brain cells he has via marijuana. But the unfortunate reality is that he is still that same man even now. Those things are who he is even as the current Champion. It’s just that the gold has made things appear a bit more glamorous than they actually are. It reminds of the girl who might be deemed as “average looking” and who doesn’t get much attention from the opposite sex, but the right make up under a certain type of lighting will make her one of the most desirable women on the planet.
By no means am I belittling Jason Kash and referring to him as a woman, but I am trying to illustrate the perfect picture for you all. Some of you have bought into the illusion that this man has depicted for far too long and it stops in Chicago at Test For The Best with The Promise. I commend you on your nearly six month long title reign but as the old saying goes “All good things must come to an end,” and to even use you and the word “good” in the same sentence is a stretch. Yes you are a good wrestler, no forget that…you are a great wrestler, and you have been one of my toughest opponents ever, but everything you stand for is by no means good. You parade around here boasting about your partaking of illegal substances when thousands of children look up to you as a role model.
You curse like a sailor without any regard of who is around you listening or the people you might be offending. You probably don’t care about anything that I am saying to you right now but just as you carry on cursing, smoking weed, and treating women like sex objects, then I will gladly proceed with what I have to say. What you do for leisure on your own time is fine by me because I am not your father and I can’t tell you what to do, but when you make it seem like what you do is the norm and that I’m some kind of square goody two shoes who has an obsession with Hollywood celebrities. When that assumption is made, then I have an issue. Especially when you are representing such a prestigious company like APW as one of its top tier talents.
Anthony didn’t despise Jason Kash as a person, but he despised his immoral ways. The approach of “love the sinner but hate the sin” can best describe how Bailey truly feels about Kash.[/color]
You are not above the law Jason and this false entitlement of “I can say what I want and do as I please” has got you deceived. The bright lights and the gratitude that constantly flow your way because of who you are has gone to your head. Maybe once those lights begin to grow a little dim and when that river of appreciation fails to flow your way once you become the abhorred “former” Champion, then you will realize. Three months ago in Indianapolis at Rasslemania I proved to the world that, even with all of my inexperience, I was ready for the grand stage. Rasslemania is the apple of APW’s eye and I pulled out the win to become champion. And almost two hundred miles northwest of Indianapolis lies Chicago a.k.a. The Windy City, the place of this year’s Test For The Best.
While many are aiming to Christmas tree this test and simply acquire a passing grade, I am aiming to once again prove to the world what I am capable of. If being tested will show others what I am made of, then expect the Promise to obtain a high score. Not because pride is being my tongue but because I’ve been tested with various trials throughout my entire life. Tests of insecurity, approval and acceptance from others, and desiring to fit in. I’ve seen a lot in my twenty-one years of life. More than people like Jason Kash give me credit for. I know in the past, I have mentioned how anxiety usually accompanies big opportunities. That’s more than likely true for anybody but I know with me, this has been the case for many years. But now, in this pivotal moment of my career, I have learned to embrace the opportunity more than the anxiety.
This might not be profound to some but it has allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn’t only anxious at the fact of losing, everybody has to lose sometime in his or her life, but I was anxious at the reaction I would gather from others. The bloggers and the rigid critics will always be present, but I won’t. I don’t know the average span of a wrestling career, but regardless of what it is, I refuse to go through my career enslaved to the thoughts of others about me. Kash, Farquhar, T.R.I., Calvin Ingram, whoever they are can say whatever they want, but while I have the strength in my body and the determination in my heart to captivate an audience and give one hundred and ten percent of everything I got around the clock, then I will be alright if I just stick to my agenda.
My agenda is also one that will not allow me to dwell in the past. These past few months, I have made my mark on Asylum. I have shown time and time again that I am a worthy competitor who doesn’t believe he has received even one fluke victory. Every victory that I have attained so far has been earned. No opponent of mine was ever willing to lie flat on his or her back and hand me a win on a silver platter. I’m a firm believer in fighting with every single ounce of conviction that you have and I know that Jason Kash also shares this belief. It’s kind of ironic because who would have ever thought that we would have something in common?
{{Bailey snickers.}}[/color]
Regardless of common views or if they greatly differ, Jason Kash will be the one lying on his back gazing up at the rafters of the United Center in defeat. After tilting his head in the direction of myself and the referee handing me his former title and raising my hand in victory, he’ll realize that he should have heeded these vital words that I had for him today. You, the lumberjacks standing outside of the ring, and the entire world will get to be the firsthand witnesses of The Promise era. An era of innovation and morality that will define the APW for years to come. If you don’t know who I am or what I am about by now, you will be certain of that by July 8th at Test For The Best. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until next time…
{{Anthony gawks at the camera as the scene slowly fades to black.}}[/color]
The spouse of this good woman once said that the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself." What is fear? Is it relative? If so, what does a promising young rookie like Anthony Reese Bailey have to fear? I mean with the World Heavyweight Title within arm’s grasp, one couldn’t possibly have much to be fearful of, correct? Though that might be a presumption for the majority of others, this is not the case according to Bailey himself. But fear is no option come July 8th when he comes face to face with Jason Kash one more time. Every single sentiment is different this time around and Bailey is well aware of this.
After losing the Tap Out Title this past Sunday on Asylum, Bailey felt deep down inside that he still had more to prove to the world. Though content and grateful for his brief title reign, being Asylum’s "golden boy" wasn’t good enough if the golden boy couldn’t become a King Midas like character and turn things into gold with a simple touch. The world was already seemingly at the disposal of The Promise because he brought something new, moral, and refreshing to this business, but this was also accompanied by the burden of dwelling under a microscope.
As Jason Kash watches and observes every move that Bailey will attempt to pull off, thousands of other individuals are also participating in this game of observation and watching The Promise’s every move. He would have to do everything he was able to do to conceal his privacy, but he fears that it is already too late. If the world is feasting its eyes on you, there is only one thing left to do…deliver. Silence the critics and your opponent and do what they did not expect of you.
{{The scene opens to the inside of Anthony Bailey’s luxurious townhouse located in St. Augustine, FL. Anthony, fresh out of the shower, is standing near the front entrance because he just heard the door close. Having only a towel wrapped around his waist, his firm six pack has most likely sent many adolescent girls across the nation into a frenzy. Anthony, looking somewhat surprised, begins to speak.}}[/color]
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hello? Is that you Tasha?
{{No one responds. Anthony, now facing towards the cameraman, asks him a question.}}[/color]
Hey, did you just see my girlfriend anywhere around here by any chance?
APW Camerman: No sir, Mr. Bailey.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Really? So no drop dead gorgeous Latina woman was roaming around?
APW Camerman: No sir, I can assure you that I haven’t seen any drop dead gorgeous Latina woman around here.
{{Anthony looks offended.}}[/color]
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hey pal, watch how you talk about my girlfriend…
{{Fearfully the cameraman remains silent. After a short awkward pause, Anthony bursts into laughter.}}[/color]
Man, I’m just playing with you! I’m not the jealous type, trust me.
{{The cameraman lets out a laugh of relief.}}[/color]
But that is weird that she isn’t around though. She’s always popping up out of nowhere trying to surprise me so I just figured that it was her. It must’ve been you just coming through the door then. You’re early though because I wasn’t expecting you for at least another…
{{Anthony glances down at his watch.}}[/color]
Twenty or thirty minutes.
APW Camerman: I apologize for that, it certainly will not happen again.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: It’s all good man, don’t even sweat it. It’s a good thing that you showed up early anyway, I have a lot of things to get off of my chest. Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you on the back patio. Make yourself at home in the mean time…
{{The scene fades to black as Anthony begins to walk in the opposite direction. The next scene shows Anthony making his way to the back patio. He is now fully dressed and wearing his own black and white "The only Promise that can't be broken" T-shirt, a recent but hot addition to the official APW merchandise store, blue jeans, and a pair of black and white Nike sneakers. Anthony takes a seat and soaks in the beauty of a breezy warm summer afternoon here in the Sunshine State. Appearing to be in deep thought, he slowly exhales, and then begins to speak.}}[/color]
As much as I want to overanalyze my loss to Julius Farquhar and reconstruct my title defense game plan, I’m reminded to not dwell on that for too long. Farquhar got the best of me and let’s face it, he needed the win much more than I did. It amazes me how one could be viewed as a “top” talent on a particular brand but at the same time is irrelevant and surrounded by a cloud of obscurity. I’m not taking a cheap shot at Farquhar, I’m just telling you how it truly is. But at the corresponding time I must be on guard because if I’m too consumed about a match that has already taken place and cannot be undone, I’ll lose sight of the bigger picture…becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. Yes, my nearly three month reign as the Tap Out Champion of Action Packed Wrestling administered me far beyond what I could have ever imagined. I’m grateful for my term as champion, but sitting at the feet of the likes of Frank Cavalli, Sally Tallfourd, and Juan Ramirez and becoming some sort of a sponge has taught me a lot in my brief career. Always focus on what is ahead of you and not behind you.
Anthony’s demeanor in Phoenix backstage at Asylum the night of his loss to Julius Farquhar was much different than it is today. He and the phrase of “Tap Out Champion” had become synonymous but a pep talk from his father that night helped him cope. Anthony had flown him into Phoenix earlier that day for Father’s day and spent some time with him at his hotel before Asylum. Though his father’s love for wrestling had waned over the years, his father insisted that he attend Asylum with his son and Anthony gladly accepted. His father was the first person that he saw upon his arrival backstage after the main event and the pep talk definitely brightened him up with his father reassuring him that he’s not a failure but a true winner.[/color]
Jason Kash is standing right before me and he is all that I should be concerned about. Not Julius Farquhar or what the critics are saying, but Jason Kash and Jason Kash alone. To clear up any confusion, you Jason are not facing a disheartened young man wallowing in defeat. The same hunger that was stirring inside of me during the Tap Out Title Tournament is still present. If anything, it has grown because I have tasted gold. I know what it feels like to be envied by all of your colleagues because you have something that they do not. I’m not like the majority of all the other rookies who are sojourning in some fantasy land with an unrealistic craving to be valued and cheered. I am a man who is already valued and cheered and because I am firmly secure about who I am, I will still be valuable in my own eyes long after the cheers have faded and the people who once loved me grow to hate me.
I feel sorry for you Kash because your whole identity is wrapped up in that World Title. Once I strip you of that, what will become of you? The possibilities are quite frightening but to your dismay it must be done. Take away his title and what do you have? You have a man who is in dire need of oral surgery and someone that constantly eradicates whatever remaining brain cells he has via marijuana. But the unfortunate reality is that he is still that same man even now. Those things are who he is even as the current Champion. It’s just that the gold has made things appear a bit more glamorous than they actually are. It reminds of the girl who might be deemed as “average looking” and who doesn’t get much attention from the opposite sex, but the right make up under a certain type of lighting will make her one of the most desirable women on the planet.
By no means am I belittling Jason Kash and referring to him as a woman, but I am trying to illustrate the perfect picture for you all. Some of you have bought into the illusion that this man has depicted for far too long and it stops in Chicago at Test For The Best with The Promise. I commend you on your nearly six month long title reign but as the old saying goes “All good things must come to an end,” and to even use you and the word “good” in the same sentence is a stretch. Yes you are a good wrestler, no forget that…you are a great wrestler, and you have been one of my toughest opponents ever, but everything you stand for is by no means good. You parade around here boasting about your partaking of illegal substances when thousands of children look up to you as a role model.
You curse like a sailor without any regard of who is around you listening or the people you might be offending. You probably don’t care about anything that I am saying to you right now but just as you carry on cursing, smoking weed, and treating women like sex objects, then I will gladly proceed with what I have to say. What you do for leisure on your own time is fine by me because I am not your father and I can’t tell you what to do, but when you make it seem like what you do is the norm and that I’m some kind of square goody two shoes who has an obsession with Hollywood celebrities. When that assumption is made, then I have an issue. Especially when you are representing such a prestigious company like APW as one of its top tier talents.
Anthony didn’t despise Jason Kash as a person, but he despised his immoral ways. The approach of “love the sinner but hate the sin” can best describe how Bailey truly feels about Kash.[/color]
You are not above the law Jason and this false entitlement of “I can say what I want and do as I please” has got you deceived. The bright lights and the gratitude that constantly flow your way because of who you are has gone to your head. Maybe once those lights begin to grow a little dim and when that river of appreciation fails to flow your way once you become the abhorred “former” Champion, then you will realize. Three months ago in Indianapolis at Rasslemania I proved to the world that, even with all of my inexperience, I was ready for the grand stage. Rasslemania is the apple of APW’s eye and I pulled out the win to become champion. And almost two hundred miles northwest of Indianapolis lies Chicago a.k.a. The Windy City, the place of this year’s Test For The Best.
While many are aiming to Christmas tree this test and simply acquire a passing grade, I am aiming to once again prove to the world what I am capable of. If being tested will show others what I am made of, then expect the Promise to obtain a high score. Not because pride is being my tongue but because I’ve been tested with various trials throughout my entire life. Tests of insecurity, approval and acceptance from others, and desiring to fit in. I’ve seen a lot in my twenty-one years of life. More than people like Jason Kash give me credit for. I know in the past, I have mentioned how anxiety usually accompanies big opportunities. That’s more than likely true for anybody but I know with me, this has been the case for many years. But now, in this pivotal moment of my career, I have learned to embrace the opportunity more than the anxiety.
This might not be profound to some but it has allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn’t only anxious at the fact of losing, everybody has to lose sometime in his or her life, but I was anxious at the reaction I would gather from others. The bloggers and the rigid critics will always be present, but I won’t. I don’t know the average span of a wrestling career, but regardless of what it is, I refuse to go through my career enslaved to the thoughts of others about me. Kash, Farquhar, T.R.I., Calvin Ingram, whoever they are can say whatever they want, but while I have the strength in my body and the determination in my heart to captivate an audience and give one hundred and ten percent of everything I got around the clock, then I will be alright if I just stick to my agenda.
My agenda is also one that will not allow me to dwell in the past. These past few months, I have made my mark on Asylum. I have shown time and time again that I am a worthy competitor who doesn’t believe he has received even one fluke victory. Every victory that I have attained so far has been earned. No opponent of mine was ever willing to lie flat on his or her back and hand me a win on a silver platter. I’m a firm believer in fighting with every single ounce of conviction that you have and I know that Jason Kash also shares this belief. It’s kind of ironic because who would have ever thought that we would have something in common?
{{Bailey snickers.}}[/color]
Regardless of common views or if they greatly differ, Jason Kash will be the one lying on his back gazing up at the rafters of the United Center in defeat. After tilting his head in the direction of myself and the referee handing me his former title and raising my hand in victory, he’ll realize that he should have heeded these vital words that I had for him today. You, the lumberjacks standing outside of the ring, and the entire world will get to be the firsthand witnesses of The Promise era. An era of innovation and morality that will define the APW for years to come. If you don’t know who I am or what I am about by now, you will be certain of that by July 8th at Test For The Best. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until next time…
{{Anthony gawks at the camera as the scene slowly fades to black.}}[/color]
