Success

[C.J. Gates]

"Here," Vincent James says as he tosses a folder down on to the top of C.J. Gates' desk. Gates looks up from his computer, looking at James for a few moments.

"What's this?"

"Help," James replies. "Or at least, something to get the juices going again. To get your head back in the game."

Gates leans forward and slides the folder closer before picking it up, opening it and flipping through the contents. "Head shots?" Gates asks, dropping the folder back on to the desk. "Pictures of APW wrestlers? Why would this help me? In what world would these pictures set me apart from everyone else?"

"Isn't this how you used to do business?" James asks, looking confused. "Didn't you use to hone in on the person, what they're all about, what they're specialties are?"

"I did," Gates says. "And I still do. It's just that I don't need to be following them around, taking pictures of them to hang up on my wall."

"Anymore."

"Anymore," Gates echoes. "Besides, that was a one time thing, one event, one moment when I wanted to make sure I had everything right. After all, it was the biggest event of my career up until that point, and I didn't want to disappoint at Survive and Conquer in 2011."

"And you didn't. In fact, you went on to outlast people like Level One, the same Level One who bashed you in the face with a camera last week. You finished fourth, and put yourself on the map. Maybe it wasn't thanks to pictures, but you used them."

Gates smirks and glances back down at the folder. "You make a compelling argument. Are these the pictures of everyone in APW?"

"Just the ones in your elimination match," James says. "Maybe a few others from the other match, just because they seem like candidates to survive and meet you in that battle royal."

"You've done your homework."

"Haven't you?" James chuckles as he takes a seat across from Gates.

"Of course I have, I always do. I've just been watching a few matches, getting a feel for where some of these people are lately. But with stakes like this, half of the problem is trying to predict who you're going to be facing off against, and sometimes, it's best to just get yourself physically and mentally prepared before jumping into the fire with both feet."

"Yeah, but at least you know your own match," James reminds him. "You at least know the main players in that. And after coming up short last week, maybe what you need is something like this to get the ball rolling again. Even if you don't win the battle royal, you can still hold your head high if you survive."

"And then I conquer?" Gates asks with a slight smile. "Or is that too obvious."

"Probably too obvious," James answers. "Besides, there's more at stake, and survival might be more than just a stipulation." Gates looks at James for a few moments before the tall man continues. "I was scouring all things APW and saw a news article saying that there are going to be some people drafted from Meltdown. And you know what that means, right?"

"More opponents?"

"And more people to potentially overtake you in the Overdrive hierarchy."

"There's always that," Gates starts, "but I'm confident in my abilities, so I'm not too worried about being overtaken. At least not when I'm making the Undisputed champion sweat in a non-title match." James nods in agreement. Gates motions toward the folder. "So what do we have?"

"What don't we have?" James asks rhetorically as he sits forward and scoops the folder off the desk. He opens it on his lap and pulls out the first picture, one of Mark Mania. "Starting with your match, we've got your partners. Current Overdrive champion Mark Mania."

"He and I have had our scuffles, though knowing how hard it is to beat Delikado, him holding that title tells me a lot about what he's improved on since the last time he and I fought. Glad to be teaming with him as opposed to facing him...at least to start."

"Who knows, maybe you'll be able to show them that when you beat him and Delikado without the title on the line, it's enough for you to get another crack at their belt. Next up," James puts the Mania picture down and picks up the next. "Nick Watson."

"Don't know much about him," Gates admits. "I mean, I've seen him wrestle, but I haven't stepped into the ring with or against him. Seems like he's got that mean streak ability, and it seems like he's made great stride since he first came into APW, but he's still a bit of a question mark to me. I know I can probably trust him not to bean me with his title belt, or anything like that, but I don't know what he's capable of."

"Well, that's something you're going to figure out whether you like it or not," James chuckles. He puts the picture down and picks up the next one. "Lastly, for your team anyways, Biggs."

"So much history there. That's one guy I know to a tee. Can't say he's not going to turn his back on me, because part of me is waiting for that moment when he attacks me, but for right now, I'm going to go with the flow. In any case, I'm more worried about my opponents."

"Well, these men could be your opponents," James says as he puts the picture of Biggs back down and goes to pick up the next.

"I know they could be," Gates says. "But we have to get to that battle royal before then, and to do that, we have to win. So while it's great that I'm reflecting on Biggs, Watson and Mania, I should first and foremost be worried about the people we have to beat. Terry Marvin, Kurt Noble, Michael Callahan and Level One."

"That's a beast of a team."

"Exactly," Gates says, slapping the top of the desk. "And I have to face off against them. With three others, sure, but still. It's not going to be easy, and even though I've had success over these guys in the past, in varying ways save for Callahan, it's a whole new ball game."

"Yeah, but we know that Level One can't play well with others," James adds. "And if you look at that team, there's such a great chance that they will implode on themselves, that you worrying about them might not matter."

"There is always that," Gates chuckles. "Maybe if we're lucky, Level One and Kurt Noble will tear Terry a new one, Callahan will get lost in the shuffle, and then Noble and Lester will beat the tar out of one another. Either that, or this is one huge swerve to catch us all off guard."

"You're so paranoid about a swerve," James says. "Can't you just enjoy things?"

"Enjoy?" Gates asks with a smile. "When I'm stepping into the ring with guys who are always pushing boundaries and always trying to fortify their ranks because they're too afraid to stand alone, I can't exactly enjoy. And it's not paranoid, it's prepared."

"Prepared? I call it worried about what might happen, not what will. And to me, that's someone who's paranoid."

"Forget it," Gates says shaking his head. "Who else is there in this thing? For the battle royal, I mean."

"Evan Envi, Delikado, Azrael Goeren, Aubrey J. Parker," James trails off. "Those are probably the ones to worry about anyways. I don't think Krunk, Shadow, Yarmouth or Gooch are going to make much of an impact."

"Gooch?"

"Yeah, he's new on Meltdown," James answers.

"Unfortunate name," Gates chuckles. "So it sounds like I'm not going to be out of the woods if I survive my tag match."

"Did you think you would be?" James asks.

"Fair point," Gates says. "I just thought that maybe there would be some easier competition if we get to the battle royal. You know, people that I could easily toss out of there and eliminate."

"There could be, it all just depends how the chips fall. Though I never pegged you as a guy looking to take the easy way out."

"Yeah, because I'm doing everything I can to run away from this match," Gates rolls his eyes. "I didn't mean it like that, I was just wondering who I might have a chance to meet if my team comes out victorious."

"Yeah, well, first you have to win."

"And win I will. I have faith in my team and myself. I know that when push comes to shove, we can launch ourselves forward. I'm not worried about that in the slightest. I have faith that I will survive."

"Well, don't get too full of yourself," James says as he closes the folder and places it back on the desk. "Last thing you want to do is fall flat on your face."

"Not exactly possible when you prepare like I do. In these cases there is only one thing on my mind to worry about.

"Success."

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"Looks like we have quite the match-up this week, a week of opportunity, a week of possibility. There is so much that one can speculate about, so many options that could happen, so many rewards that could be earned by the time this song and dance is over and done with. It's one of those weeks that makes you glad to be lacing up wrestling boots and stepping into the ring.

"Truly. This isn't some Thanksgiving warm feeling that I've got going on. This is the truth. The fact that, at the end of the night, someone is going to walk away with a title shot is a huge opportunity. The fact that someone is going to outlast, at the most, eleven other men and woman, it shows a lot for what they are capable on a week to week basis.

"This week provides great opportunities for men like Yarmouth, Buckson Gooch, Germaine Williams, and Shadow, men who haven't exactly been rolling in success since coming to APW. It's a chance for them to put their stamp on the federation, to show everyone that they mean business.

"But it's also an opportunity for people like Aubrey J. Parker, Michael Callahan, Evan Envi and Delikado to get back to where they once stood. All of them are former champions and I know that each of them is probably chomping at the bit to get to that battle royal so that they can stand tall at the end of the night, with a guaranteed shot coming their way.

"Or maybe it's a chance for Azrael Goeren to prove that he can live up to all of that hype, to prove that he's capable of what everyone says he's capable of.

"Or maybe, just maybe, it's a chance for yours truly to climb out from the riff raff and claim a golden moment. A chance for me to build off of this impressive streak I've been riding lately, and a chance for me to get back to the top, to get back to the point of holding a title and being recognized as one of the best. After all, there are those that don't see anyone without gold as something worth talking about.

"That isn't to say that there is no one else that has a chance, because so many people do. Whether they earn it or steal it is an entirely different question. If you look at the people I am set to face off against, stealing is probably high on their list. Noble, Marvin, Callahan, Level One, all of them would have no qualms with stealing a win out from people who actually deserve one. None of them would care if they cheated to get themselves to that battle royal.

"As much as they might choose to ignore it.

"But it doesn't end there, because there are others. Hell, there might even be some on my own team, but that isn't going to change how I approach things. That's not going to mean I will throw away the reputation that I have created, the promises I have made to the fans, just for the sake of throwing it away. Even for a title shot, I wouldn't do that...

"Again...

"But the past is the past and I am looking to the future. I am looking to what could be, and looking at what I need to do to get there. I need to beat the likes of Kurt Noble. I need to pin Terry Marvin. I need to outlast Level One, Azrael Goeren, Aubrey Parker, Evan Envi. I need to do all of these things while keeping myself out of harms way.

"That's why I have a team, though I can't say that my team would bend over backwards to help me. I can't say that they would come in and break up a pin to save me, because I don't really know what their thoughts are going into this week. Are they looking to fight for themselves, or do they honor the team idea and keep us as a strong unit up until that battle royal and then, may the best man win. Who knows. If I were a betting man, however, I'd go with the thought that they might lean more toward leaving someone high and dry to reduce the numbers in the royal.

"Of course, that might all depend on the numbers in the tag team match first. And really, that is what I should be worried about first and foremost. I should be thinking about those four men before I look beyond, because the last thing I want to do is overlook something that could have been vital to a victory.

"At first glance, the only man across from me that I don't really know anything about is Michael Callahan. I've watched what he's done on Asylum. I watched as he brought prestige back to a title that was left for dead after Rico Casteel lost it. I watched as he made a mad dash for the World title, only to come up short. And now, I've watched as he returned to the tag team division that spawned such great Callahan success' as his stint with Takayama, or whatever his name is.

"I've watched all of that live, and I've also watched tapes. I've made sure to do my homework, to prepare myself for what the false political prophet has to throw my way. I'm ready. I'm more than ready, and it's only a matter of time before I am in the ring with him, raring to go, ready for whatever he can throw my way. And on the plus side, Callahan doesn't know to much about me. Aside from what he's seen, he can't really boast too much because this will be the first time we truly get a good look at one another in person.

"And I am definitely going to make the most of it.

"A few weeks ago, he was being touted as one of the World title contenders, as a man that had a great shot at the top, but he's slipped. And while some people might see that as a downward spiral, I see it as a possum technique. I see it as a man laying in wait for people to lose their guard before he strikes with all the viciousness that he and GI can muster up. And I'm ready for that. I'm ready for his attempts, because no matter how many times he tries, I'm just going to get back up, brush it all off and step right back up to him. Whether I ask for me remains to be seen.

"He's not the only man, though the other three, I have history with. The other three I know as well as anyone can, because I've dealt with them over the course of the past year. My battles with Kurt Noble over the Undisputed title. My battles with Terry Marvin over his smug facade of lies. My battles with Level One over his inability to beat me fairly. I've had them all, and that more than prepares me for what's about to come my way.

"Whether it's Level One wanting to throw me around, Kurt Noble wanting to rip my head off or Terry Marvin wanting to make me eat my words, I'm ready for all of it. And the best part is, I'm also looking to throw all of it back in their faces. I'm looking forward to showing them all that no matter what they do, they can't hold me down, that I will continue to fight against them.

"Because that's what I do.

"That's how the North Dakota Cowboy operates.

"Though the three of you should know that, since you have danced with me as many times as I've danced with you. You've all had just as much opportunity to learn things about me as I have about you. Whether or not you have is the real test, and one that I faintly don't think you actually care about. Why would you, when the three of you enjoy spending your spare time tearing me down verbally and writing me off.

"I wonder if Terry Marvin is still writing me off after last week. After I took the fight to him at every possible opportunity. Sure, it was a non-title match, but the fact that I nearly pinned the Undisputed champion, it sent a charge through me. It kept me going, right along with the cheers from the fans and the desire to prove my worth and to prove that I still belong at the top.

"And then Level One tried to shove a camera down my throat. Not exactly a fine moment, but one that I half expected from him. After all, this is Level One we're talking about. The man that has done nothing but cheat and attack people, save for when he's lying to the fans about being a changed man.

"Sounds kind of like Terry Marvin.

"Regardless, Level One will eventually get what he has coming to him. He can bust me up and break me down, but he'll never destroy my spirit, and he'll never make me wish I was anywhere other than in that ring. It's not like I haven't been attacked before. It's not like I haven't been left for dead numerous times in my career, always after having been attacked post match. Always after being attacked when I'm already beaten and roughed up.

"None of them can stand toe to toe with me and attack me head on, when I've got the strength to fight back. They all wait. They all plot. They all sit back and just pick that moment when I'm wheezing, when I'm gassed, and then they attack. Then they show how tough they really are, unable to fight someone head on.

"But I guess you don't become a four time Undisputed champion by fluke, now do you.

"And I guess it's not as easy to throw away a partnership when you're facing your partner.

"Right Kurt?

"But truly, I don't even dwell on that anymore, because I'm too busy seeing how pathetic Kurt Noble has become. I'm too busy watching as he spirals into disarray, throwing everything he once held dear away from him. Leaving him with nothing but his wrestling tights. Maybe this was his path all along, maybe this was his destiny. Maybe he was always two screws short, and it just took a little prodding to set him over the edge. Either way, that lemming is nothing more than a shall of what he used to be. Compared to the man I fought at Rasslemania, Kurt Noble is nothing.

"There's nothing left to believe in.

"Maybe he wants to right all of that by beating Chris Hart, the man he brought to APW. Maybe he wants to change everything by killing off his former self and adopting this new Noble full time. Who knows. All I can say is that Kurt Noble is not a threat to anyone but himself at this point. Even Chris Hart should have no problem dealing with the man formerly known as my friend.

"Just like, at some point in the night these teams will be formerly known as such as everyone battles in that ring. I'd like to think that I will be able to get there, that my team and I will work well enough to grab a birth there, but I can't say with any certainty. What I can say is that if I get there, I am going to make the most of it. If I get there, I am going to make sure that each and every one of my fellow entrants remembers that C.J. Gates might have cost them their chance.

"Whether it be Goeren, Parker, Envi, Delikado, or even my own teammates Watson, Mania or Biggs, it doesn't matter. I'm coming at them all the same and making sure that I don't squander this chance if it's given to me. There's no time for second guessing or wondering what could have been, not with an opportunity like this.

"Besides, who doesn't like realizing, at the end of the day, that they are the one standing on top during Thanksgiving.

"And at that point I can tell everyone that I am thankful for the opportunity.

"That I am thankful for this chance to return to form.

"That I am thankful for my work ethic.

"And thankful that I know people as well as I do, and if I don't know, I study.

"Who knows? That could be what it all comes down to at the end of the day. Who knows who best and how is that knowledge going to be best used inside of the ring.

"It's going to be a wild night.

"It's time to go big or go home."