Post by Nick Watson on Oct 27, 2012 20:58:31 GMT -4
*The Day After Overdrive, Corey's Hotel Room*
"I don't know what to tell you, Sienna."
My eyes fluttered open for what felt like the first time in a long time and I began to shift them from left to right, taking in my surroundings. I was in a hotel room, not a very lavish one, but none the less a decent enough room for a person to stay in during a trip. It had one televesion, a door that more than likely lead to a bathroom, and an alarm clock. I was currently laying in the only bed in the room and turning my head to the right I could see Corey sitting in the only chair in the room on his cell phone.
As soon as he noticed I was awake, which was only a few seconds after he looked over at me, he gave me a smile, and then said over the phone in relief:
"Yeah, he is up now. I will let him know you called and I'm sure he will get back to you as soon as possible....uhuh...goodbye, Sienna."
"What is she calling for?"
I said, half groaning, and half in bewilderment of the horrible night of drinking I had before. Corey got up from the chair, deposited his cellphone, and then made his way over to the bed before replying.
"She was just worried about you is all."
I nodded my head, understanding that she probably had seen me in a pretty bad way last night, and I made a quick mental note to apologize to her about that when I called her later.
"She thinks she is responsible for what happened last night. You know...the losing and the drinking."
"Why would she think that? I lost that match and I went out drinking to soothe my nerves. She had nothing to do with it."
"I tried to tell her that, but she just can't help feeling responsible for the whole thing."
I tried to get up, but felt some pain shoot up from the side of my face, and feeling around it with my left hand I soon found I had a rather large bruise on the side of my face. 'Probably from the bar fight you got into, moron', I thought to myself as I lay my arm across my chest, and grunted in displeasure.
This wasn't who I was normally, I didn't go out drinking to solve all of my problems! I usually went on a stroll through a park or watched some tape to better understand my next match up. I was not a man who went to bars, got drunk, and then fought random people in a bar room brawl. Yet, here I was. Laying in bed, with a bruise the size of Texas on the side of my face, and looking rather stupid for having drank so much the night before.
"She shouldn't feel responsible for me being a jack ass."
"Yeah, but you know women...they don't like to be told they are wrong and she has it in her head that this is all her fault."
"So what do you think I should do? Since I can't seem to get her to stop feeling like she is responsible."
"Why are you asking me for advice on women, bro? You are the ladies man among us two."
"I know, but I'm absolutely clueless about what to do when Sienna is involved."
Corey gave me a sly look and then his smile turned into a grin. I didn't like the way he was looking at me.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Maybe I do... what of it?"
"You sly, dog! You like the sister of your enemy!"
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh as I sat up as to get more comfortable.
"He isn't just my enemy. He is everyone's enemy, Corey, and at One Night in Hell I'm going to have to go in at my best and put him down like a rabid animal."
"Forbidden love."
"God damnit, Corey! Why the fuck do I tell you anything?"
He chuckled at me and then made his way to the door, but not before reaching in his pocket, and throwing a piece of paper on to the bed.
"Give her a call, bro. Tell her you want to go out to dinner or something."
"We both know I don't have the money for that...hell I don't know how I'm even going to afford lodging when I get to Tokyo after last night's little drunken escapade."
"You don't need to. I've got some spare cash left over from me paying for my ticket to fly here. I'm sure you can use that cash to take her out somewhere nice."
"I don't know man..."
"Don't be such a pussy! Go and call her up and tell her that you want to go out to dinner."
I let out another sigh and then nod my head in defeat. In truth, I didn't want to take her out to dinner because I really didn't know what to say to her. We had only talked a few times, but we barely knew anything about each other at all, and the thought of sitting there with somebody I barely knew was a frightening thought. Be that as it may, I couldn't just ignore my feelings for her just because I barely knew her. So without a second to lose, I reached over to the nearby table where the alarm clock lay near the bed, and grabbed what I hoped was my cellphone.
While doing so I reached over and grabbed the piece of paper with Sienna's number on it which had been thrown so casually on to my bed by Corey. Corey looked back at me and smiled as I carefully dialed the number, a feeling of anxiety washing over me, and waited as the phone rang for her to answer. Which only took a matter of seconds.
"Yeah...its me, Nick. I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner say...this coming Thursday?"
*Thursday, Tokyo*
Tokyo was a huge city filled with bright lights, technology, and innovation and here I was standing in the middle of it, next to a beautiful girl. Life didn't get much better then this. It had been roughly thirty minutes since Sienna and I had finished our meal at a local restaurant. It had not been the most glamorous of evenings, but at least it had broken the ice between the both of us. So much in fact that we had decided to walk around a bit and enjoy the night air.
"I want to thank you for taking me out tonight, Nick."
"It was the least I could do to make up for the sorry state that you saw me in last week. I promise you that I'm not some kind of freakish alcoholic and that was just a one night thing."
"I don't think that at all...I know you have been under a lot of pressure and it just got to you. And there is of course nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, I know...I just wish hadn't torn at the seams like that."
"Don't worry...everyone goes through it once in a while. The life of an athlete is not all it is cracked up to be. Especially when you are competing for a title."
I nodded my head and turned to look at Sienna. She was shivering and though I wanted to keep my jacket, I knew that she was cold, and needed the warmth more than me. So, I took off my jacket, and put it around her. She tugged it close and smiled warmly at me.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
We continued walking in silence for a while. While I didn't know what she was thinking about, I knew what I was thinking about, and that was my upcoming match. I knew there was a lot riding on my success and there was a lot at risk. I also knew that nothing was going to be easy about this match up, especially when it came down to the fact that anything could happen. After all, I was stepping into the ring with two people who were clearly more experienced with me, and both of them were coming in with a lot of built up momentum waiting to explode. As for me...well I didn't have that going in my favor, but I knew that if I kept my head up straight, and tried to remain confident that maybe, just maybe...I could win this match.
"Ummm...Nick, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"No, not at all."
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"
I looked over at her confused and then nodded my head.
"Sure. What exactly am I agreeing to?"
"To never change."
I cocked my head to the side, confused by that statement completely.
"What do you mean, by that?"
"Remain the happy, confident, and honor bound man that you are because people like you are few and far between."
"Somebody told me that before, but the losing streak I'm going through..."
"Will end once you get over the fact that these things happen and that the only way to get back on the horse is to stop thinking about it as a losing streak and more like a learning experience."
"I've heard that one too."
I grin and nod my head in agreement.
"But you're right. Maybe this is all about confidence and about learning the ropes. After all, I'm still a rook."
She nodded her head and the both of us continued down the street in silence. I walked her back to her car, gave her a hug, and took my jacket back. As she left I watched her drive off, her words still ringing in my ears, and my heart a-flutter with butterflies and a new found confidence.
"Maybe I can win this thing."
I said to myself as I turned and began to walk in the direction of my own parked vehicle. My mind was filled with energy and my thoughts drifted off to the match up this Sunday. A match up that would not be easy, but a match up that I would none the less have to under-take to win the championship and set things right within the APW. And though the odds were stacked against me, I knew that deep down that I had a chance and that was all I needed to know.
*Present Day, Parking Lot*
"Hey ladies and gentlemen, one second, alright?"
As I say this the camera comes to life on me standing next to my rental car. I look over to the camera with a grin on my face and as I stretch a bit to get more comfortable I begin to speak.
"Hello folks, as you can see we're back only a day after the last video package was sent out at my home away from home, my rental car."
I look back at the car and then look back at the camera, the grin on my face dropping rather quickly.
"It is rather embarrassing to be recording here again...I can tell you that, but this is all I have. As pathetic as that sounds, it's true."
I look deeply into the camera, frowning as I do so.
"Anyway! You didn't come here to see me pouting about my financial situation, you came here to see me talk a big game and act high and mighty!"
I pause, flex, and then let out a snicker at the camera. Clearly I'm taking a jab at Smith.
"You know, the whole time I was speaking yesterday I couldn't help, but think about how my message would be received, and about how Smith and Envi would react. At least I have my answer now. And honestly, I didn't expect anything less.
These two have had huge winning streaks because of how they have gone in to the ring and fought either by using under handed tactics or by overpowering strength and needless to say they have both been effective in their own way.
As for me...well..."
I sigh and then continue on.
"I haven't been doing so hot. I've cashed a lot of checks that my mouth couldn't deal with, but at the same time I can say that at least I tried my hardest to pick up wins. I didn't slack off as Smith would try to make you believe and I did fight from bell to bell. Smith, however, does not believe that.
And why should he?
Smith is a ones and zeroes man. He doesn't care about try, he only cares about do, and to be fair that has gotten him pretty far in his career and who am I to judge him based on that. But, is it right to judge me based on the statistics of the past two months by wins and losses instead of by effort? I don't think it is, but to think such things only means to Smith that I am wrong, because in his eyes he has to always be right...otherwise his precious illusion that he has built around himself comes crashing down, and God only knows what will happen if that does occur!
To him, I'm nothing more than a gnat, an unworthy gnat that apparently isn't worth a God damn thing. I mean, totally ignore the fact that I've won at every PPV except Mayhem, and that I have put out solid effort each and every single week. Sure, that effort didn't turn into ones in the win column, but I feel as though I made steady progress in the right direction. Of course to Smith, progressively getting better is not as good as having immediate success. So it actually matters little to nothing if I actually put in the effort to him."
I roll my eyes and then sit down on top of the hood of my car. It is quite chilly out just like last time and I stick my hands into my pockets in response to the cold.
"Steady progress, however does not mean that I have been living up to what I have been preaching, and though I have wanted to win these matches for the people, I have come up just short each, and every single time. But does that mean that I should just lay down and roll over like Smith thinks I should do? That I should just admit defeat like some little bitch that he thinks I am?
I say no.
In fact I say fuck no because Nick Watson does not know when to quit! Who cares if Smith thinks I'm not worth a damn? I think I'm worth something and I'm sure the people who have been cheering for me each and every week think the same thing too."
I nod my head and straighten up proudly.
"He, however, does not care if you cheer for me because in his mind he has already won. He said so himself, but at the same time he hypocritically says that is what I'm doing. That I believe that the Xtreme title is just going to be handed to me on a silver platter...I think those were his words? But yet, if he believes that is what I think then he is clearly as dense as I fucking think he is.
I never once said that the title was going to be handed to me on a silver platter, I said that I was going to win, and I stand by that because what man goes into a title match saying: "I'm gonna lose this one." That is moronic and completely defeats the point of going into the match at all.
No, I know what I'm getting myself into, and yes I do understand that I have put myself into a very difficult position. I know that at One Night in Hell I'm going to have to fight with every last ounce of strength because that is what you two are going to be doing and if I want to win the title then I'm going to have to put in just as much effort as you guys did and more. I understand this because I know what I've done in the past has not worked and I know that I need to change my plan. I don't need to be reminded of my past failings because I can remember those without somebody needing to remind me.
I remember the pain of those losses, I remember losing each, and every single time that I have lost and that feeling is something that has hurt me deep down to my core. Yet, I am stronger because of it. You see, Smith...even though you have won so many matches in the past you haven't learned anything from those wins. You still go on with the same thing you have done before. After all...why change what isn't broke?
You arrogantly walk around proclaiming your dominance over a division and then lord over us with your experience like it makes you the instant winner of this match hands down, and that anyone who challenges that and calls you out on your bullshit is nothing and will always be nothing."
I snicker and then continue on.
"Hell, I did it, and look at your response? I mean you assaulted me by targeting my track record and made up a whole bunch of shit to make yourself seem like a saint and me like I'm some kind of monster. Yet, deep down we know that half of the shit you said about me isn't true.
And all of that started because I called you out on your exploitation of WWII veterans and the bomb sites in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Which is of course true, but I am clearly an idiot for saying it because I knew deep down that you would piss yourself and try to come up with some sort of long winded rebuttal about how you are better than me because you went around the country and spent money. Hey, news flash, moron! I have no money!
This is not an act! I am living out of my fucking car!
Sure, I would love to go around the country, and see the splendor of the Japanese country side. Pay visits to the bomb sites and pay my respects to the innocent people who lost their lives. But, you see...Smith, I don't have that luxury. I don't have a trust account building up cash for me back in the states. I don't have an endless cash flow from wall street. The money I make goes to get me from point A to point B, to have dinner, to get a bit of gas for a rental car, and to pay for lodging for one of my best buds in the whole world. After that I am lucky to have two pennies to rub together, but yet you insult me by saying I'm a narrow-minded son of a bitch because I can't go visit those sights.
First of all, who put you in charge of making that decision. I sure as hell don't remember a verdict going out stating that A.C. Smith was in charge of making such outrageous claims. Second of all, fuck you for judging me for being poor. I don't go around yelling at people because they don't have something that someone else does have...that just isn't right, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Lastly, go fuck yourself for being so God damn arrogant. We know you have accomplished a lot...thank you!
I mean honestly, how many times can a man toot his own fucking horn before it just fucking breaks? I don't know and I'm sure as hell confident that Smith doesn't even know either! Yet the fact remains that he keeps on tooting it...bragging about his big successes and holding them over me like some God damn pedigree of championship excellence."
I face palm and let out a long winded sigh as I continue on, clearly agitated by this whole thing.
"We know you went on to give Marvin hell, I wouldn't say you gave him his biggest challenge before the Chamber, but I guess to each his own. After all if that weren't true you couldn't brag about it right? We also know that you disassembled Michael Harris. Thank you for that, but saying that I didn't handle him myself would be a fucking lie in itself. Sure, I didn't end his career, but I wasn't out to do that...I was just there to smack him down. And I did, no matter how much you seem to think that he had me on the ropes the whole fucking time...I did win. With my head cracked open, I might add.
I could keep going on and on for days talking about how many things you have bragged about in the past few hours...but then again everyone has already heard all of this shit before. Mainly because you just can't seem to shut up about it because you think the defining point of a career is the small victories you pick up. Yet, I am under a different opinion. To me it is always about those big wins at the PPVs and in that regard...I have you trumped. Its the main reason you bring up the last two months of my career as being bad because you realize that I have won at every PPV save one, and that PPV was a loss to someone who isn't even here anymore, and if I do remember you were eliminated before I even was...imagine that?
But we will chalk that one up to ring rust...don't want to sully the image that you have created for yourself with all of this bragging and manipulation of historical events that were tragic and completely unnecessary to bring up just to make yourself seem knowledgeable.
You see, Smith...I don't care about ones and zeroes...in fact the only thing I care about is doing the right thing and for the last two months, I have done the right thing in smacking Evan down for hitting his sister, something you didn't even give a fuck about because you were in a self-imposed exile because you were too stupid to predict he would cheat you out of a match. I have done the right thing by getting up in Evan's face and calling him out...something you didn't even do till about a few weeks ago when you realized that you were going to be in this match.
Not once have I staggered away from my moral obligation to this show and the fans, but to you that doesn't matter unless something is there for you to win at the end of the night. It is why you got your panties in a bunch when I called you out. It is why you can't stand the fact that though I have not won a thing...I still feel like a winner and do you want to know why I feel like a winner? Its because I still have the love and adoration of the people...a group that you lie to when you say you came back just for them, when it is as clear as day that you came back to championship chase and prove you still had it. Mission accomplished, though I wouldn't be expecting to walk out as champion because even though you think you are dead to rights the Xtreme champion, I'm going to make it my personal mission this Sunday night to ensure that that does not happen because deep down I would rather have Evan Envi champion the Xtreme division rather than have a fake, egotistical mother fucker as the champion.
And that is the fucking truth!"
I pause and give a stern look of determination to the fans at home. I want them to know I have their best interests at heart and that I am going to do my very best to win at One Night in Hell for them.
"Speaking of Smith and his ego problems of course reminds me that I have one more man in this match that I have to discuss before I go off for my final preparations for the title match at One Night in Hell. And that man is Evan Envi.
Over the past two months, Evan has been a train wreck to APW, and not just in the sense that he has won a good chunk of matches, but also because he has been a liability in terms of the law. He has slapped his sister, violently assaulted me on multiple occasions, and then to top it all off has tried to get me thrown in prison with a law suit!
But yet, I'm the cowardly one! I'm the guy who has assaulted him and blind sided him on multiple occasions. Heh, that makes me laugh Evan. To think that for a moment, you put on your big boy pants, and said you weren't afraid...only to make yourself look like a total fucking tool. This shit not only writes itself, but it makes it almost too damn easy to mock you for being so full of shit!
Yet, since Smith is too busy moving around the country spending his money extravagantly just to "better himself"."
I begin to cough and cover my mouth when it starts. As I do so the word "bullshit" is heard. I quickly look at the camera and wink before continuing.
"And has chosen to of course spend his time pandering to a crowd that he has already insulted the intelligence of, I will have to be the one to point out the lies in your crap. Which is of course not at all hard to do because the lies are just about as easy to spot as hair on top of my fucking head.
Now, it would be easy to of course call you out in a "barbaric" manner as you put it, and just smash your head in, but I know I'm better than that. As much as you don't think I'm a good man, I would like to point out that the things you have done have been reprehensible and crude. You hit a woman, you hired a man to take me out, and you have basically shamed your entire family. You pushed me to take xtreme action and when you started receiving the punishment for your transactions you began to cry about me being in the wrong.
Me? In the wrong? For what? For trying to do the right fucking thing? By trying to right the wrongs that you had committed through hard work and effort only to be cheated out of any merritable victories by you and your would-be goon, Michael Harris?
No, fuck that, you know I was in the right...the only reason you brought it up is because the little voices in your head told you to. Which by the way, they aren't fucking real! They are just creations to deal with the loss of your family, which by the way...news flash! Is your own fucking fault! Maybe if you weren't so fucking busy trying to slap the shit out of your loving sister and trying to be your own man when your father is trying to help you maybe you would begin to realize just how fucking mental you are. But don't mind me...I'm just a loser that has never offered any sort of constructive criticism in my fucking life.
But you keep on going with your delusions. I'm sure that when you are all alone in your nineties, talking to yourself about how life could have been you will know that you have lived one fucked up and incomplete life. Because that is what this is right now, Envi...it is an incomplete life. A life without family, without friends, and without love. To me...that isn't a life. That is a joke. But it can change, Evan...it can.
You can have your family back, you can have your friends, your love...all of it back in a heartbeat. All you have to do is apologize. I know it is hard to do so, but I will say right now...I apologize for striking you. I did it because I care for your sister, I care for your family, and I care for the people all around the world. If you are a man, like you say you are, and not a villain like you say you are...then you can understand why I would do what I did.
You would understand that I had no choice, but to hit you and bring you back to earth."
I pause and sigh before going on, calmly and with a look of determination on my face.
"It is why I will say that I have no choice, but to win at One Night in Hell. I know it is far fetched for me to claim I can do it, for me to say that I even stand a chance to some would be considered a laugh, but I have to succeed. Not for myself, but for everyone.
For A.C. Smith, so that he can finally realize that though he has accomplished great things in his career...nothing is ever set in stone.
For the rest of the roster and the people around the world...so that they can finally see that I am not just a flare out like Smith thinks I am and that I am deserving of the same amount of attention and respect that I have given them.
And for even you Evan...so that maybe, just maybe you can realize that winning isn't everything and that maybe just maybe you can reconnect with your family and live your life in eternal happiness.
For now...I leave, but at One Night in Hell...I'm coming gun's blazing and I hope my opponents, for all of the trash talking and shit spewing that they have done, will come gun's blazing too. Because I want to steal the show and entertain each and every single fan in this world with the actions that we will commit this Sunday!
So goodnight ladies and gentlemen...and God bless you all."
*Scene bursts to static*
"I don't know what to tell you, Sienna."
My eyes fluttered open for what felt like the first time in a long time and I began to shift them from left to right, taking in my surroundings. I was in a hotel room, not a very lavish one, but none the less a decent enough room for a person to stay in during a trip. It had one televesion, a door that more than likely lead to a bathroom, and an alarm clock. I was currently laying in the only bed in the room and turning my head to the right I could see Corey sitting in the only chair in the room on his cell phone.
As soon as he noticed I was awake, which was only a few seconds after he looked over at me, he gave me a smile, and then said over the phone in relief:
"Yeah, he is up now. I will let him know you called and I'm sure he will get back to you as soon as possible....uhuh...goodbye, Sienna."
"What is she calling for?"
I said, half groaning, and half in bewilderment of the horrible night of drinking I had before. Corey got up from the chair, deposited his cellphone, and then made his way over to the bed before replying.
"She was just worried about you is all."
I nodded my head, understanding that she probably had seen me in a pretty bad way last night, and I made a quick mental note to apologize to her about that when I called her later.
"She thinks she is responsible for what happened last night. You know...the losing and the drinking."
"Why would she think that? I lost that match and I went out drinking to soothe my nerves. She had nothing to do with it."
"I tried to tell her that, but she just can't help feeling responsible for the whole thing."
I tried to get up, but felt some pain shoot up from the side of my face, and feeling around it with my left hand I soon found I had a rather large bruise on the side of my face. 'Probably from the bar fight you got into, moron', I thought to myself as I lay my arm across my chest, and grunted in displeasure.
This wasn't who I was normally, I didn't go out drinking to solve all of my problems! I usually went on a stroll through a park or watched some tape to better understand my next match up. I was not a man who went to bars, got drunk, and then fought random people in a bar room brawl. Yet, here I was. Laying in bed, with a bruise the size of Texas on the side of my face, and looking rather stupid for having drank so much the night before.
"She shouldn't feel responsible for me being a jack ass."
"Yeah, but you know women...they don't like to be told they are wrong and she has it in her head that this is all her fault."
"So what do you think I should do? Since I can't seem to get her to stop feeling like she is responsible."
"Why are you asking me for advice on women, bro? You are the ladies man among us two."
"I know, but I'm absolutely clueless about what to do when Sienna is involved."
Corey gave me a sly look and then his smile turned into a grin. I didn't like the way he was looking at me.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Maybe I do... what of it?"
"You sly, dog! You like the sister of your enemy!"
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh as I sat up as to get more comfortable.
"He isn't just my enemy. He is everyone's enemy, Corey, and at One Night in Hell I'm going to have to go in at my best and put him down like a rabid animal."
"Forbidden love."
"God damnit, Corey! Why the fuck do I tell you anything?"
He chuckled at me and then made his way to the door, but not before reaching in his pocket, and throwing a piece of paper on to the bed.
"Give her a call, bro. Tell her you want to go out to dinner or something."
"We both know I don't have the money for that...hell I don't know how I'm even going to afford lodging when I get to Tokyo after last night's little drunken escapade."
"You don't need to. I've got some spare cash left over from me paying for my ticket to fly here. I'm sure you can use that cash to take her out somewhere nice."
"I don't know man..."
"Don't be such a pussy! Go and call her up and tell her that you want to go out to dinner."
I let out another sigh and then nod my head in defeat. In truth, I didn't want to take her out to dinner because I really didn't know what to say to her. We had only talked a few times, but we barely knew anything about each other at all, and the thought of sitting there with somebody I barely knew was a frightening thought. Be that as it may, I couldn't just ignore my feelings for her just because I barely knew her. So without a second to lose, I reached over to the nearby table where the alarm clock lay near the bed, and grabbed what I hoped was my cellphone.
While doing so I reached over and grabbed the piece of paper with Sienna's number on it which had been thrown so casually on to my bed by Corey. Corey looked back at me and smiled as I carefully dialed the number, a feeling of anxiety washing over me, and waited as the phone rang for her to answer. Which only took a matter of seconds.
"Yeah...its me, Nick. I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner say...this coming Thursday?"
-------------------------------------
*Thursday, Tokyo*
Tokyo was a huge city filled with bright lights, technology, and innovation and here I was standing in the middle of it, next to a beautiful girl. Life didn't get much better then this. It had been roughly thirty minutes since Sienna and I had finished our meal at a local restaurant. It had not been the most glamorous of evenings, but at least it had broken the ice between the both of us. So much in fact that we had decided to walk around a bit and enjoy the night air.
"I want to thank you for taking me out tonight, Nick."
"It was the least I could do to make up for the sorry state that you saw me in last week. I promise you that I'm not some kind of freakish alcoholic and that was just a one night thing."
"I don't think that at all...I know you have been under a lot of pressure and it just got to you. And there is of course nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, I know...I just wish hadn't torn at the seams like that."
"Don't worry...everyone goes through it once in a while. The life of an athlete is not all it is cracked up to be. Especially when you are competing for a title."
I nodded my head and turned to look at Sienna. She was shivering and though I wanted to keep my jacket, I knew that she was cold, and needed the warmth more than me. So, I took off my jacket, and put it around her. She tugged it close and smiled warmly at me.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
We continued walking in silence for a while. While I didn't know what she was thinking about, I knew what I was thinking about, and that was my upcoming match. I knew there was a lot riding on my success and there was a lot at risk. I also knew that nothing was going to be easy about this match up, especially when it came down to the fact that anything could happen. After all, I was stepping into the ring with two people who were clearly more experienced with me, and both of them were coming in with a lot of built up momentum waiting to explode. As for me...well I didn't have that going in my favor, but I knew that if I kept my head up straight, and tried to remain confident that maybe, just maybe...I could win this match.
"Ummm...Nick, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"No, not at all."
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"
I looked over at her confused and then nodded my head.
"Sure. What exactly am I agreeing to?"
"To never change."
I cocked my head to the side, confused by that statement completely.
"What do you mean, by that?"
"Remain the happy, confident, and honor bound man that you are because people like you are few and far between."
"Somebody told me that before, but the losing streak I'm going through..."
"Will end once you get over the fact that these things happen and that the only way to get back on the horse is to stop thinking about it as a losing streak and more like a learning experience."
"I've heard that one too."
I grin and nod my head in agreement.
"But you're right. Maybe this is all about confidence and about learning the ropes. After all, I'm still a rook."
She nodded her head and the both of us continued down the street in silence. I walked her back to her car, gave her a hug, and took my jacket back. As she left I watched her drive off, her words still ringing in my ears, and my heart a-flutter with butterflies and a new found confidence.
"Maybe I can win this thing."
I said to myself as I turned and began to walk in the direction of my own parked vehicle. My mind was filled with energy and my thoughts drifted off to the match up this Sunday. A match up that would not be easy, but a match up that I would none the less have to under-take to win the championship and set things right within the APW. And though the odds were stacked against me, I knew that deep down that I had a chance and that was all I needed to know.
------------------------
*Present Day, Parking Lot*
"Hey ladies and gentlemen, one second, alright?"
As I say this the camera comes to life on me standing next to my rental car. I look over to the camera with a grin on my face and as I stretch a bit to get more comfortable I begin to speak.
"Hello folks, as you can see we're back only a day after the last video package was sent out at my home away from home, my rental car."
I look back at the car and then look back at the camera, the grin on my face dropping rather quickly.
"It is rather embarrassing to be recording here again...I can tell you that, but this is all I have. As pathetic as that sounds, it's true."
I look deeply into the camera, frowning as I do so.
"Anyway! You didn't come here to see me pouting about my financial situation, you came here to see me talk a big game and act high and mighty!"
I pause, flex, and then let out a snicker at the camera. Clearly I'm taking a jab at Smith.
"You know, the whole time I was speaking yesterday I couldn't help, but think about how my message would be received, and about how Smith and Envi would react. At least I have my answer now. And honestly, I didn't expect anything less.
These two have had huge winning streaks because of how they have gone in to the ring and fought either by using under handed tactics or by overpowering strength and needless to say they have both been effective in their own way.
As for me...well..."
I sigh and then continue on.
"I haven't been doing so hot. I've cashed a lot of checks that my mouth couldn't deal with, but at the same time I can say that at least I tried my hardest to pick up wins. I didn't slack off as Smith would try to make you believe and I did fight from bell to bell. Smith, however, does not believe that.
And why should he?
Smith is a ones and zeroes man. He doesn't care about try, he only cares about do, and to be fair that has gotten him pretty far in his career and who am I to judge him based on that. But, is it right to judge me based on the statistics of the past two months by wins and losses instead of by effort? I don't think it is, but to think such things only means to Smith that I am wrong, because in his eyes he has to always be right...otherwise his precious illusion that he has built around himself comes crashing down, and God only knows what will happen if that does occur!
To him, I'm nothing more than a gnat, an unworthy gnat that apparently isn't worth a God damn thing. I mean, totally ignore the fact that I've won at every PPV except Mayhem, and that I have put out solid effort each and every single week. Sure, that effort didn't turn into ones in the win column, but I feel as though I made steady progress in the right direction. Of course to Smith, progressively getting better is not as good as having immediate success. So it actually matters little to nothing if I actually put in the effort to him."
I roll my eyes and then sit down on top of the hood of my car. It is quite chilly out just like last time and I stick my hands into my pockets in response to the cold.
"Steady progress, however does not mean that I have been living up to what I have been preaching, and though I have wanted to win these matches for the people, I have come up just short each, and every single time. But does that mean that I should just lay down and roll over like Smith thinks I should do? That I should just admit defeat like some little bitch that he thinks I am?
I say no.
In fact I say fuck no because Nick Watson does not know when to quit! Who cares if Smith thinks I'm not worth a damn? I think I'm worth something and I'm sure the people who have been cheering for me each and every week think the same thing too."
I nod my head and straighten up proudly.
"He, however, does not care if you cheer for me because in his mind he has already won. He said so himself, but at the same time he hypocritically says that is what I'm doing. That I believe that the Xtreme title is just going to be handed to me on a silver platter...I think those were his words? But yet, if he believes that is what I think then he is clearly as dense as I fucking think he is.
I never once said that the title was going to be handed to me on a silver platter, I said that I was going to win, and I stand by that because what man goes into a title match saying: "I'm gonna lose this one." That is moronic and completely defeats the point of going into the match at all.
No, I know what I'm getting myself into, and yes I do understand that I have put myself into a very difficult position. I know that at One Night in Hell I'm going to have to fight with every last ounce of strength because that is what you two are going to be doing and if I want to win the title then I'm going to have to put in just as much effort as you guys did and more. I understand this because I know what I've done in the past has not worked and I know that I need to change my plan. I don't need to be reminded of my past failings because I can remember those without somebody needing to remind me.
I remember the pain of those losses, I remember losing each, and every single time that I have lost and that feeling is something that has hurt me deep down to my core. Yet, I am stronger because of it. You see, Smith...even though you have won so many matches in the past you haven't learned anything from those wins. You still go on with the same thing you have done before. After all...why change what isn't broke?
You arrogantly walk around proclaiming your dominance over a division and then lord over us with your experience like it makes you the instant winner of this match hands down, and that anyone who challenges that and calls you out on your bullshit is nothing and will always be nothing."
I snicker and then continue on.
"Hell, I did it, and look at your response? I mean you assaulted me by targeting my track record and made up a whole bunch of shit to make yourself seem like a saint and me like I'm some kind of monster. Yet, deep down we know that half of the shit you said about me isn't true.
And all of that started because I called you out on your exploitation of WWII veterans and the bomb sites in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Which is of course true, but I am clearly an idiot for saying it because I knew deep down that you would piss yourself and try to come up with some sort of long winded rebuttal about how you are better than me because you went around the country and spent money. Hey, news flash, moron! I have no money!
This is not an act! I am living out of my fucking car!
Sure, I would love to go around the country, and see the splendor of the Japanese country side. Pay visits to the bomb sites and pay my respects to the innocent people who lost their lives. But, you see...Smith, I don't have that luxury. I don't have a trust account building up cash for me back in the states. I don't have an endless cash flow from wall street. The money I make goes to get me from point A to point B, to have dinner, to get a bit of gas for a rental car, and to pay for lodging for one of my best buds in the whole world. After that I am lucky to have two pennies to rub together, but yet you insult me by saying I'm a narrow-minded son of a bitch because I can't go visit those sights.
First of all, who put you in charge of making that decision. I sure as hell don't remember a verdict going out stating that A.C. Smith was in charge of making such outrageous claims. Second of all, fuck you for judging me for being poor. I don't go around yelling at people because they don't have something that someone else does have...that just isn't right, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Lastly, go fuck yourself for being so God damn arrogant. We know you have accomplished a lot...thank you!
I mean honestly, how many times can a man toot his own fucking horn before it just fucking breaks? I don't know and I'm sure as hell confident that Smith doesn't even know either! Yet the fact remains that he keeps on tooting it...bragging about his big successes and holding them over me like some God damn pedigree of championship excellence."
I face palm and let out a long winded sigh as I continue on, clearly agitated by this whole thing.
"We know you went on to give Marvin hell, I wouldn't say you gave him his biggest challenge before the Chamber, but I guess to each his own. After all if that weren't true you couldn't brag about it right? We also know that you disassembled Michael Harris. Thank you for that, but saying that I didn't handle him myself would be a fucking lie in itself. Sure, I didn't end his career, but I wasn't out to do that...I was just there to smack him down. And I did, no matter how much you seem to think that he had me on the ropes the whole fucking time...I did win. With my head cracked open, I might add.
I could keep going on and on for days talking about how many things you have bragged about in the past few hours...but then again everyone has already heard all of this shit before. Mainly because you just can't seem to shut up about it because you think the defining point of a career is the small victories you pick up. Yet, I am under a different opinion. To me it is always about those big wins at the PPVs and in that regard...I have you trumped. Its the main reason you bring up the last two months of my career as being bad because you realize that I have won at every PPV save one, and that PPV was a loss to someone who isn't even here anymore, and if I do remember you were eliminated before I even was...imagine that?
But we will chalk that one up to ring rust...don't want to sully the image that you have created for yourself with all of this bragging and manipulation of historical events that were tragic and completely unnecessary to bring up just to make yourself seem knowledgeable.
You see, Smith...I don't care about ones and zeroes...in fact the only thing I care about is doing the right thing and for the last two months, I have done the right thing in smacking Evan down for hitting his sister, something you didn't even give a fuck about because you were in a self-imposed exile because you were too stupid to predict he would cheat you out of a match. I have done the right thing by getting up in Evan's face and calling him out...something you didn't even do till about a few weeks ago when you realized that you were going to be in this match.
Not once have I staggered away from my moral obligation to this show and the fans, but to you that doesn't matter unless something is there for you to win at the end of the night. It is why you got your panties in a bunch when I called you out. It is why you can't stand the fact that though I have not won a thing...I still feel like a winner and do you want to know why I feel like a winner? Its because I still have the love and adoration of the people...a group that you lie to when you say you came back just for them, when it is as clear as day that you came back to championship chase and prove you still had it. Mission accomplished, though I wouldn't be expecting to walk out as champion because even though you think you are dead to rights the Xtreme champion, I'm going to make it my personal mission this Sunday night to ensure that that does not happen because deep down I would rather have Evan Envi champion the Xtreme division rather than have a fake, egotistical mother fucker as the champion.
And that is the fucking truth!"
I pause and give a stern look of determination to the fans at home. I want them to know I have their best interests at heart and that I am going to do my very best to win at One Night in Hell for them.
"Speaking of Smith and his ego problems of course reminds me that I have one more man in this match that I have to discuss before I go off for my final preparations for the title match at One Night in Hell. And that man is Evan Envi.
Over the past two months, Evan has been a train wreck to APW, and not just in the sense that he has won a good chunk of matches, but also because he has been a liability in terms of the law. He has slapped his sister, violently assaulted me on multiple occasions, and then to top it all off has tried to get me thrown in prison with a law suit!
But yet, I'm the cowardly one! I'm the guy who has assaulted him and blind sided him on multiple occasions. Heh, that makes me laugh Evan. To think that for a moment, you put on your big boy pants, and said you weren't afraid...only to make yourself look like a total fucking tool. This shit not only writes itself, but it makes it almost too damn easy to mock you for being so full of shit!
Yet, since Smith is too busy moving around the country spending his money extravagantly just to "better himself"."
I begin to cough and cover my mouth when it starts. As I do so the word "bullshit" is heard. I quickly look at the camera and wink before continuing.
"And has chosen to of course spend his time pandering to a crowd that he has already insulted the intelligence of, I will have to be the one to point out the lies in your crap. Which is of course not at all hard to do because the lies are just about as easy to spot as hair on top of my fucking head.
Now, it would be easy to of course call you out in a "barbaric" manner as you put it, and just smash your head in, but I know I'm better than that. As much as you don't think I'm a good man, I would like to point out that the things you have done have been reprehensible and crude. You hit a woman, you hired a man to take me out, and you have basically shamed your entire family. You pushed me to take xtreme action and when you started receiving the punishment for your transactions you began to cry about me being in the wrong.
Me? In the wrong? For what? For trying to do the right fucking thing? By trying to right the wrongs that you had committed through hard work and effort only to be cheated out of any merritable victories by you and your would-be goon, Michael Harris?
No, fuck that, you know I was in the right...the only reason you brought it up is because the little voices in your head told you to. Which by the way, they aren't fucking real! They are just creations to deal with the loss of your family, which by the way...news flash! Is your own fucking fault! Maybe if you weren't so fucking busy trying to slap the shit out of your loving sister and trying to be your own man when your father is trying to help you maybe you would begin to realize just how fucking mental you are. But don't mind me...I'm just a loser that has never offered any sort of constructive criticism in my fucking life.
But you keep on going with your delusions. I'm sure that when you are all alone in your nineties, talking to yourself about how life could have been you will know that you have lived one fucked up and incomplete life. Because that is what this is right now, Envi...it is an incomplete life. A life without family, without friends, and without love. To me...that isn't a life. That is a joke. But it can change, Evan...it can.
You can have your family back, you can have your friends, your love...all of it back in a heartbeat. All you have to do is apologize. I know it is hard to do so, but I will say right now...I apologize for striking you. I did it because I care for your sister, I care for your family, and I care for the people all around the world. If you are a man, like you say you are, and not a villain like you say you are...then you can understand why I would do what I did.
You would understand that I had no choice, but to hit you and bring you back to earth."
I pause and sigh before going on, calmly and with a look of determination on my face.
"It is why I will say that I have no choice, but to win at One Night in Hell. I know it is far fetched for me to claim I can do it, for me to say that I even stand a chance to some would be considered a laugh, but I have to succeed. Not for myself, but for everyone.
For A.C. Smith, so that he can finally realize that though he has accomplished great things in his career...nothing is ever set in stone.
For the rest of the roster and the people around the world...so that they can finally see that I am not just a flare out like Smith thinks I am and that I am deserving of the same amount of attention and respect that I have given them.
And for even you Evan...so that maybe, just maybe you can realize that winning isn't everything and that maybe just maybe you can reconnect with your family and live your life in eternal happiness.
For now...I leave, but at One Night in Hell...I'm coming gun's blazing and I hope my opponents, for all of the trash talking and shit spewing that they have done, will come gun's blazing too. Because I want to steal the show and entertain each and every single fan in this world with the actions that we will commit this Sunday!
So goodnight ladies and gentlemen...and God bless you all."
*Scene bursts to static*
