Post by C.J. Gates on Dec 19, 2012 3:16:03 GMT -4
"This is it.
"This is the opportunity that I have been looking for. The chance I have been hoping for. The reward for putting up with all of the shit that pollutes APW on a daily basis. This is my chance to get back to where I once was, back to defending APW from everyone who thought they deserved to stand at the top.
"Everyone has been waiting for this moment, for this opportunity to watch the past or APW take on the present of APW. It's a moment that I've been waiting for for quite some time, and the fact that there is an Undisputed title shot on the line? That just sweetens the pot. That just makes me want this win that much more.
"Above all of that, this is a chance for me to prove to everyone that 2011 was not a fluke. This is the moment when I can put all of those doubting Thomas' out of their misery by beating the one man that people think I have no business in the same ring as.
"But my desire to face off with and ultimately beat Level One did not start this summer. No, this goes back years, back to when I first entered APW. This goes back to when I first stepped through that curtain and knew that I wanted to make myself known around the world as a top competitor.
"Level One stands in my way, however.
"Level One blocks my path.
"Level One is holding me back.
"Not to say that I am not well known around the world, but beating Level One, beating him for a Undisputed title shot, that would cement it. That would show that all of this waiting, all of this preparing, it was all worth it.
"And it all started just over two years ago."
Thursday, December 10, 2010
4 Hours Before Overdrive
"You couldn't give two shits about the well being of the APW because if you did, you'd be glad to hand over your 'spot' to someone like me!" Level One says through the television screen. C.J. Gates is sitting on a chair in front of it, watching intently. "I've main evented more events than anyone else. I've won and held the APW World championship more times and longer than anyone else."
"What the hell are you watching?" Blade asks as he walks into the locker room, a tag team title strapped around his waist.
"Unless you plan on tag teaming your way to mediocrity for the rest of your life, prepare to have your spotlight stolen more than once!" televised Level One says right before Gates raises the remote control and pauses the television.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" Gates says with a shake of his head. "That someone who has been around this place for so long can still have his head stuck in the clouds."
"He's got to the point he's at by being that much of an asshole," Blade responds. "He doesn't really care about anyone who isn't named Level One."
"I know," Gates says after a moment of silence. "It's just that, I don't know, I guess I expected him to be a bit more humble. To realize that he was where I am at one point in life."
"Oh he realizes," Blade chimes in. "He just doesn't care. You've got to consider yourself lucky though, he's usually much more harsh then that."
"I've noticed."
Blade pauses and looks at Gates. "How long have you been watching this for?"
"What time is it?" Gates asks.
"Four in the afternoon."
"I've only been here for about four hours," Gates answers.
"Only," Blade mutters under his breath.
"But I couldn't help it," Gates continues. "What he says, it grips me, but not for the reason he thinks it would. It grips me because every time I hear him speak, it makes me want to face off against him that much more."
"Well, good thing you'll get that chance tonight."
"I mean one on one, Blade. None of this eight man tag action, I want to face off against him one on one." Gates nods his head, staring at the television. "Not just that though, I want to beat him." Blade stifles a laugh, but Gates continues. "He angers me, but more than that, he just doesn't know what he's talking about. He thinks he knows who I am, but he doesn't. He's just lumped me in with everyone else. See?"
Gates hits play again and the television screen comes to life again.
"You're damn right I am the gatekeeper of this APW World championship division. The fact is C.J. Gates, you're not on my level. You're not on Sally's level. You may be above Blade, but that's just one ugly whore sucking your dick. I'd even argue you're expendable. You may be valued stock at this point, but you're drunk off you're own ignorance if you think you have the lasting power I do in the business." Gates pauses the television.
"Some harsh words."
"Always," Gates says. "He claims that you're no good in the ring, and that I'm just carrying you along, but he doesn't know anything. He doesn't know that we won these titles together and we're going to keep defending them together. Just because he doesn't have any friends doesn't mean no one else does. And the fact that I'm expendable?" Gates shakes his head. "He doesn't even know what I'm capable of! I've been here for what, five, maybe six months? That's such a small sample size, he has nothing to go off of."
"He doesn't need it," Blade says. "All he cares about is himself, no one else. If your name isn't Level One, then you don't actually matter to him, and he just wants to squish them under his heel."
Gates resumes the clip. "You may be the tag team champions, but I could run you both out of business running solo."
"He says he can, but I don't think he really could. Basically, he talks a big game, but he's not really using his head."
"Maybe you're not using your head," Blade says. "This is Level One we're talking about, not Young Mannie. This is a man who has made it his business to hurt people."
"But he doesn't even know me!"
"He doesn't have to."
"Well, he should," Gates says as he shakes his head. "One day I'm going to show him just what I am capable of. One day, I'm going to show him that his time is up, and that he isn't the only thing around. One day, I will beat him, and I will show him that he is beneath me."
Gates resumes the clip and continues to watch as Blade simply shakes his head in the background.
"If I knew how much of an impact those words would hold further down the line, I would have made sure to keep them at the forefront of my mind. Not because they scarred me or hurt me or anything like that, but because they hold so much in them.
"No longevity? Well, I proved that wrong, just like I proved you wrong when you tried to push along your idea of me not caring about APW. Of course, hindsight is always twenty-twenty in these types of situations, but that doesn't make them any less potent.
"Am I below Sally Talfourd? I don't think so since six months after that, I had beaten her twice in the ring, twice on Pay-Per-View, something that most men could only dream of doing. Not because she's female, but because she's a damn good competitor.
"Am I below you? That has yet to be seen, though if you ask me, I'm above you. Maybe I'm just going back to the whole idea of how different we are, how you are more interested in cheating your way to winning while I prove to get there by way of competing. The fact that you've had to cheat in our most recent meetings, it shows me that you've got a bit of a problem admitting that you're not one hundred percent better than me.
"Maybe it's just me though. Or, at least, it won't be you and Terry Marvin. Half of that equation has already left APW once while the other half, you, took a sabbatical when things became too tough for you to handle. When you finally lost to someone you felt was below you, you tucked your tail and ran away.
"Is that how a man like yourself should act, Lester?
"Is that how a future Hall of Famer should behave? Taking his ball and going home?
"For shame, Lester. For shame. But there's more to this story, isn't there? Not that you know it, but there is much, much more."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
4 Hours Before Overdrive
"Are you still listening to him?" Blade asks as he prepares for his match. C.J. Gates holds up a hand, his attention locked on the television monitor in front of him.
"There's no room for your dark horse in the larger game, C.J. Gates," the televised Level One says. "Evidenced by a very impressive showing at Survive and Conquer. Hell, you had a hand in eliminating me, but in the larger picture, where are you and what am I? As long as you wrestle here in the APW, I will always be above and beyond you."
"He thinks he's going to be able to hold me down," Gates says as he pauses the clip. "He thinks that I'm always going to be stuck under his thumb."
"Well, what do you expect?" Blade asks. "He's had the run of APW for awhile now, with the only real threat, prior to Sally Talfourd, being Pence Weatherlight."
Gates nods. "But he's just so God damn smug about everything. He speaks like he's never going to see a consequence in his life."
"And for all we know, he might not."
"That's impossible," Gates says. "At some point, everyone has to answer for what they've said or done. It's just a matter of when."
"Don't tell me you're going to be that person who tries to get him to answer for everything." Blade shakes his head. "You already lost to him once, do you really want to go back into the ring against him?"
"Maybe," Gates shrugs. "I just know that what happened the first time he and I met one on one isn't what will always happen. Eventually, I'm going to get the better of him."
"Pipe dreams," Blade chuckles. "Nothing but dreams. This is Level One we're talking about."
"And he's talking about me," Gates answers. "Nothing nice, either, so it's a bit hard for me to sit here and not want to do something about it."
"It's just talk, nothing more."
"Is it?"
Gates resumes the clip. "Protect your brand, punk," the televised Lester continues. "I won't lose any sleep, knowing that you'll never be anything more than 'one' in a 'two' man equation and that there won't be a hall of fame spot waiting in the wings for the both of you. At Thursday Night Overdrive, you'll realize just how little power you have around here. And your fans will too."
"I think you're too worried about it. Nothing he said there was horrible, nothing made you seem like a bad guy. You've got to put it out of your mind and focus on the tag team title match we've got coming up."
"Oh, I will," Gates says. "When that match comes up, I'll be just as focused, but right now, with tonight's match, I need to be focused on my opponents, and of all of them, he's the most interesting."
"Because of what he says?"
"Especially because of what he says," Gates answers. "It also helps that he's been talking crap like that since the beginning, since I took the first step into his APW spotlight."
Blade chuckles to himself. "I wouldn't say you're in his spotlight. Not yet anyways."
"Then why is he worried about me?"
"Is he?"
Gates motions to the clip and resumes it. "In turn, all that's left is me and you," the televised Level One says. "And once I beat you C.J., the writing on the wall will be as potent as blood used to write it. Level One is the number one contender. There's nothing you can do about it. You are no stepping stone because you aren't that good. This notion that I am going to have to beat you for spotlight is absolutely bat shit crazy stupid. I am the spotlight."
"See?"
"All I see is a man hell bent on getting back what was once his," Blade answers as Gates pauses the clip. "Did he actually say that this week?"
"No, not this week," Gates answers. "This is from January, back when he and I had our one on one match. But still, if you read between the lines..."
"You're reading between the lines?" Blade cuts in. "That doesn't mean anything. You could read between the lines on pretty much everything."
"He seems to realize that if anyone is a threat to him as the number one contender, it's me."
"No offense C.J.," Blade begins, "but I don't think he has much to worry about."
"But he said..."
"Just because he said doesn't make it true," Blade says. "If anything he's probably trying to build you up so that you'll be out of your element and make a costly error."
"Is that what he thinks is going to happen?" Gates asks.
"That's what he knows is going to happen," Blade answers. "Like I said, no offense, but Level One has been around for awhile. I'm sure he's been in this situation before, fighting against guys who think they're on his level when they're really not."
"But I'm not like everyone else," Gates reasons. "I'm not like anyone that Level One has seen before."
"He doesn't know that. To him, everyone is the same."
"Well, then I will have to show him."
"When?" Blade asks. "Tonight?"
Gates shrugs. "Maybe not tonight. But I am going to do my best, and one day for sure, I am going to end up showing Level One that he's not the best in the world."
"And you are?"
"One day."
"And maybe that day is now.
"After all, this is our first one on one meeting that actually means something. The first match between us that is more than just a weekly deal. What better way for us to settle everything that has been building between us since 2010 then in grand fashion at the end of the year?
"However the best part about what you said might be when you called yourself the number one contender. Not last week, but back then, in 2011. Back when you said that at the end of the match, you would still be looking at that title match that was hanging before you. Fitting considering where we're head, and what's on the line.
"I warn you though, things aren't going to unwind the way you think they will, or the way you've been thinking they will for the past two years. After everything that has happened since that day, since I knew I would be the one to prove to you that you aren't the best thing going, I'm a changed man. I'm an entirely different cowboy than the one you saw wrestling in tag teams.
"But of course, you probably see yourself as king shit right now.
"You managed to predict nearly two years ago that we would, one day, fight for the number one contender spot, so you can't be wrong when you say that you'll win it. Can you?
"Oh, you can, Lester. And you are.
"I mean, you were wrong about me never amounting to much, wrong about me never making it as anything more than a 'two man equation'. Wrong that you are the spotlight of APW. Because correct me if I'm wrong, Lester, but from Shockwave until the new year, you were no where to be found. You abandoned what you swore was yours and yours alone to protect. But who stepped up to the plate? Who helped lead APW to greater heights?
"Me.
"But then again, I'm just a generic nobody, right?"
Sunday, December 16, 2012
In the Office of C.J. Gates
"It's only fitting that come Overdrive that I am teaming up with CJ Gates," a televised Level One says as C.J. Gates sits behind his large wooden desk watching a television screen. "CJ Gates is a perfect example of what 'generic' is."
"Is that recent?" Vincent James asks from his seat on the sofa by the office door.
"It's from June of 2011," Gates answers. "Just getting myself psyched up for the match that is coming up at Christmas Chaos."
"This is your opponent?"
Gates nods as the clip continues. "CJ Gates is a hard sell because he's just...not as exciting as you and I despite being an exceptional talent."
"At least he's nice," James says with a smile.
"He's not," Gates says. "This clip is from when he was trying to deceive the world, lying to them about how he was a changed man. He was trying to make it seem like he and I could co-exist, but deep down, all of his hate toward me kept coming out."
"It's been coming out in spades lately," James reminds Gates.
"That it has. Though I'm not surprised. This is what he does. He tries to break down his opponents before he steps into the ring with them."
"Is he breaking you down?"
Gates smirks. "Not in the slightest. Of course, he thinks that he is. He thinks he's getting into my head."
"Maybe he is," James says. "Maybe he wanted this to happen all along, for you to comb over every bit of video that you have of him."
"If that was his end game for this, then he wouldn't have bothered going through with all those attacks."
James chuckles. "Maybe you just don't give him enough credit."
"That's not it," Gates argues. "I give him all the credit in the world. That's what separates us. I can give my opponents the credit they deserve, while he can't. Besides, there's a reason that he's lasted so long in this business, so long in APW, but being a crafty mastermind, that's not one of them."
"But didn't he and Marvin just orchestrate that whole revelation?"
"They didn't orchestrate anything to me," Gates says. "I knew what was happening all along, so if they want to use that as a jumping off point for how Level One is in my head, they aren't going to get very far. And it's not like I'm using these tapes as my entire preparation. I'm just reliving the moments in my APW career when Lester and I butted heads."
"Well, whatever helps, I guess," James says with a shrug. "I just don't think it's worth to get yourself all worked up about stuff like this, like these tapes, when you should really be looking at his in-ring work."
"I will," Gates says with a smile. "But right now, I guess I feel like I need to get myself a bit more psyched up."
"And an Undisputed title shot doesn't do that for you?"
"It does, but Level One has this way of charging someone up for battle," Gates says as he picks up the remote. "See?"
"What's this?"
"Snippets of what Lester's been saying lately."
"You see guys like you?" the televised Level One asks, "They want to play fair. They want to play clean. They want to get onto the microphone and throw barbs back and forth all day as to avoid a physical altercation." Gates shakes his head as the clip continues. "You make me sick, C.J. You're acting like a spoiled child! Everything I have done in the past several weeks was to your benefit but you're too ignorant and shallow minded to see that!"
"And you said he was nice," Gates says with a laughing, pausing the clip.
"I guess not everyone is a saint," James says.
"Add in how he seems to blame me for my own downfalls, how he calls me out because he thinks I was swerved into a trap when I was just trying to stop the two monkey's from swinging their chairs." Gates shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. "There is just so much that Level One has been saying that just gets me fired up for this match."
"Just don't lose sight of the important aspects of the match."
"I won't," Gates says quickly. "I won't, and I'm going to make sure that by the end of it, Level One understands that C.J. Gates is much more than just a one trick pony, much more than a tag team specialist, much more than a charity case for him to 'help out'."
Gates smiles. "I'm going to show him that this former Undisputed champion means business. And it's going to come at his expense."
"Am I obsessed?
"Some people might think so, though I see it more as me being entirely focused on this match. I see it as wanting something so much that you will do what you need to do to prepare yourself for what is to come. Who knows, maybe Terry Marvin had it right at One Night in Hell. Maybe all of this intense focus is going to end up being my downfall.
"But can you blame me for being this focused, this driven? After all, Lester is the measuring stick around here, isn't he? He's the one that everyone needs to test themselves against if they want to have a shot at making it any farther than the opening matches. Right?
"Wrong. I mean, sure, he's got a history in this place, he's got his name etched on a hall of fame plaque for whenever he decides to hang up his boots, but to me, he's not the measuring stick. He's not the man you have to beat to be able to make it in APW.
"I'm living proof of that, though no matter how many times I remind dear old Lester about it, he seems to want to ignore it. He doesn't want to have anything to do with it. He doesn't want to remember that he was the one that left APW high and dry when things weren't working for him. He was the one who had to go find help in the form of the Sindicate to buy his way to victories, to make sure that he wouldn't be soured any longer. And truly, is that the way to get it done? Sure, maybe for someone like Lester who is all about the results, all about the God damn wins.
"But there's something to be said about making it on your own and battling through those low points. I assume that Lester was so disgusted with himself after losing to a man he deems inferior to himself in Biggs, he just had to disappear so people would forget all about it. Unfortunately, I'm not about to let people forget it, nor am I going to look past the fact that it was Biggs who eliminated Level One from the chamber at One Night in Hell.
"Though maybe that was all part of the master plan that the new Sindicate was trying to roll out there. Let Biggs think he has the upper edge over Level One, only to brain him with steel chairs. And who knows, maybe I don't give the cold, calculating Lester Only enough credit with his tactics. Maybe he's more capable then I give him credit for. But then again, I also look at all of the facts, as opposed to omitting what doesn't sit right with me.
"Of course, everyone has their own ways with dealing with defeat.
"My way is to come back stronger the next time out, and after losing at Overdrive to Lester and his pal Marvin, I'm ready to come back strong the next time out. Fortunately for me, that next time out is at Christmas Chaos against the Sindicate's baddest bodyguard, Level One.
"And it's a moment I've been waiting for.
"For the past few weeks, all you have done, is make my life hell. You say that you were doing it with my best intentions in mind, that you were doing it to make sure that I was worthy of stepping into the ring with you, but everyone can see through that. Everyone knows that you were doing all of that to try and get into my head.
"Who knows, maybe you have. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming that it wouldn't happen to me. But what I do know is that no matter what you've got in mind, Lester, no matter what you've done to me in the past, I am only ever going to grow from it.
"I grew from everything that Sally Talfourd threw at me week after week in a battle that you kept using as a signifier to my actual talent. And in the end, I not only beat her at Mayhem, but I also beat her at Test for the Best. No matter how many chair shots she threw at me, no matter how many times she tried to screw me out of matches, I still rose above it.
"And then there's Biggs, who I know you're familiar with. After all, he's the one that beat you for the World title, even though you don't want to admit it. Instead, you'd rather say that Biggs is below seemingly everyone, which in my mind, means that you are below everyone as well. Yet somehow your brain doesn't see it that way, and your brain continues to tell you that you can do no wrong.
"Until you started messing with me.
"The odd insult here and there, I can handle. The fact that you feel that you're owed the Undisputed title because of your name? That I can't handle. The fact that you decided to smash a camera into my face and blame it on me? I can't handle that either. But for months, even years before that, I have say back and watched as you ran your own agenda. I sat back and watched as you basically did whatever you could to turn APW into your own playground.
"Using the Sindicate referees to rig the matches in your favor? Please. If you want to shove the fact that you've won all of these awards down our throats, at least have the decency to earn it. Because while I might be a nice guy, and while I might not cheat whenever the time doesn't call for it, I still earn what I've received. I've still earned my stripes. Whether it was the tag team titles or the Undisputed belt, it was earned.
"Not stolen.
"Not bought.
"Earned.
"Just like I earned this opportunity being presented to me. You and Terry might be looking ahead, but you can't look past me, Lester. You can't just predetermine the outcome of the match, because that's not how it's going to end. Just like a major sports league, you can't crown the winners of the off season without playing the season out. Anything can happen, Lester, and anything will happen. That anything includes yours truly having my hand raised high at the end of the match.
"You probably think I'm just blowing smoke, living in some sort of fantasy dream land if I think I can beat you at Christmas Chaos. But the thing is, I'm not crazy. I'm not insane. I haven't suddenly lost my marbles. But I can be. I might not be ready to use your head as a volley ball, and I might not be bringing steel chairs into the equation, but if the moment arises, and if you decide that they are necessary, I'm not adverse to doing so. Just a little food for though. I'd hate for you and Terry to continue to have your Rasslemania wet dreams without knowing the full facts about your opponent.
"Facts that you probably won't care about, but facts that you should probably still know. Facts that have changed from when we first met, facts that have turned me into an entirely different person. The sort of person that doesn't let opportunities slip through my fingers.
"Now, there are moments I need to capitalize on, like this one. There are moments like one of our last one on one meetings where you used your underhanded tactics to score the pinfall. Don't think I've forgotten about that, Lester. Don't think for a second that I've put that into the back of my mind, because I haven't.
"Just like everything you've ever said to me, it floats around in my mind. Just like everything you've ever done during my time in APW. I don't easily forget, and you've done quite a bit that's hard to just slip from someones mind.
"I guess everything comes back to that one question. Am I obsessed? Possibly. But then again, Lester, without obsession, life is nothing, right? And if this so-called obsession is what gets me over the hump and allows me to actually beat you, then I am going to embrace it wholeheartedly. If that's what it's going to take, then yes, Lester, I am obsessed with beating you. Beating you will allow me to prove that I belong at the top of the pile. It will prove that 2011 was not the fluke you claim it was.
"So now you have a question to ask yourself.
"Are you going to leave it all in the ring? Or are you simply going to leave empty handed.
"Lester, it's time to go big or go home."
"This is the opportunity that I have been looking for. The chance I have been hoping for. The reward for putting up with all of the shit that pollutes APW on a daily basis. This is my chance to get back to where I once was, back to defending APW from everyone who thought they deserved to stand at the top.
"Everyone has been waiting for this moment, for this opportunity to watch the past or APW take on the present of APW. It's a moment that I've been waiting for for quite some time, and the fact that there is an Undisputed title shot on the line? That just sweetens the pot. That just makes me want this win that much more.
"Above all of that, this is a chance for me to prove to everyone that 2011 was not a fluke. This is the moment when I can put all of those doubting Thomas' out of their misery by beating the one man that people think I have no business in the same ring as.
"But my desire to face off with and ultimately beat Level One did not start this summer. No, this goes back years, back to when I first entered APW. This goes back to when I first stepped through that curtain and knew that I wanted to make myself known around the world as a top competitor.
"Level One stands in my way, however.
"Level One blocks my path.
"Level One is holding me back.
"Not to say that I am not well known around the world, but beating Level One, beating him for a Undisputed title shot, that would cement it. That would show that all of this waiting, all of this preparing, it was all worth it.
"And it all started just over two years ago."
----------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 10, 2010
4 Hours Before Overdrive
"You couldn't give two shits about the well being of the APW because if you did, you'd be glad to hand over your 'spot' to someone like me!" Level One says through the television screen. C.J. Gates is sitting on a chair in front of it, watching intently. "I've main evented more events than anyone else. I've won and held the APW World championship more times and longer than anyone else."
"What the hell are you watching?" Blade asks as he walks into the locker room, a tag team title strapped around his waist.
"Unless you plan on tag teaming your way to mediocrity for the rest of your life, prepare to have your spotlight stolen more than once!" televised Level One says right before Gates raises the remote control and pauses the television.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" Gates says with a shake of his head. "That someone who has been around this place for so long can still have his head stuck in the clouds."
"He's got to the point he's at by being that much of an asshole," Blade responds. "He doesn't really care about anyone who isn't named Level One."
"I know," Gates says after a moment of silence. "It's just that, I don't know, I guess I expected him to be a bit more humble. To realize that he was where I am at one point in life."
"Oh he realizes," Blade chimes in. "He just doesn't care. You've got to consider yourself lucky though, he's usually much more harsh then that."
"I've noticed."
Blade pauses and looks at Gates. "How long have you been watching this for?"
"What time is it?" Gates asks.
"Four in the afternoon."
"I've only been here for about four hours," Gates answers.
"Only," Blade mutters under his breath.
"But I couldn't help it," Gates continues. "What he says, it grips me, but not for the reason he thinks it would. It grips me because every time I hear him speak, it makes me want to face off against him that much more."
"Well, good thing you'll get that chance tonight."
"I mean one on one, Blade. None of this eight man tag action, I want to face off against him one on one." Gates nods his head, staring at the television. "Not just that though, I want to beat him." Blade stifles a laugh, but Gates continues. "He angers me, but more than that, he just doesn't know what he's talking about. He thinks he knows who I am, but he doesn't. He's just lumped me in with everyone else. See?"
Gates hits play again and the television screen comes to life again.
"You're damn right I am the gatekeeper of this APW World championship division. The fact is C.J. Gates, you're not on my level. You're not on Sally's level. You may be above Blade, but that's just one ugly whore sucking your dick. I'd even argue you're expendable. You may be valued stock at this point, but you're drunk off you're own ignorance if you think you have the lasting power I do in the business." Gates pauses the television.
"Some harsh words."
"Always," Gates says. "He claims that you're no good in the ring, and that I'm just carrying you along, but he doesn't know anything. He doesn't know that we won these titles together and we're going to keep defending them together. Just because he doesn't have any friends doesn't mean no one else does. And the fact that I'm expendable?" Gates shakes his head. "He doesn't even know what I'm capable of! I've been here for what, five, maybe six months? That's such a small sample size, he has nothing to go off of."
"He doesn't need it," Blade says. "All he cares about is himself, no one else. If your name isn't Level One, then you don't actually matter to him, and he just wants to squish them under his heel."
Gates resumes the clip. "You may be the tag team champions, but I could run you both out of business running solo."
"He says he can, but I don't think he really could. Basically, he talks a big game, but he's not really using his head."
"Maybe you're not using your head," Blade says. "This is Level One we're talking about, not Young Mannie. This is a man who has made it his business to hurt people."
"But he doesn't even know me!"
"He doesn't have to."
"Well, he should," Gates says as he shakes his head. "One day I'm going to show him just what I am capable of. One day, I'm going to show him that his time is up, and that he isn't the only thing around. One day, I will beat him, and I will show him that he is beneath me."
Gates resumes the clip and continues to watch as Blade simply shakes his head in the background.
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"If I knew how much of an impact those words would hold further down the line, I would have made sure to keep them at the forefront of my mind. Not because they scarred me or hurt me or anything like that, but because they hold so much in them.
"No longevity? Well, I proved that wrong, just like I proved you wrong when you tried to push along your idea of me not caring about APW. Of course, hindsight is always twenty-twenty in these types of situations, but that doesn't make them any less potent.
"Am I below Sally Talfourd? I don't think so since six months after that, I had beaten her twice in the ring, twice on Pay-Per-View, something that most men could only dream of doing. Not because she's female, but because she's a damn good competitor.
"Am I below you? That has yet to be seen, though if you ask me, I'm above you. Maybe I'm just going back to the whole idea of how different we are, how you are more interested in cheating your way to winning while I prove to get there by way of competing. The fact that you've had to cheat in our most recent meetings, it shows me that you've got a bit of a problem admitting that you're not one hundred percent better than me.
"Maybe it's just me though. Or, at least, it won't be you and Terry Marvin. Half of that equation has already left APW once while the other half, you, took a sabbatical when things became too tough for you to handle. When you finally lost to someone you felt was below you, you tucked your tail and ran away.
"Is that how a man like yourself should act, Lester?
"Is that how a future Hall of Famer should behave? Taking his ball and going home?
"For shame, Lester. For shame. But there's more to this story, isn't there? Not that you know it, but there is much, much more."
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
4 Hours Before Overdrive
"Are you still listening to him?" Blade asks as he prepares for his match. C.J. Gates holds up a hand, his attention locked on the television monitor in front of him.
"There's no room for your dark horse in the larger game, C.J. Gates," the televised Level One says. "Evidenced by a very impressive showing at Survive and Conquer. Hell, you had a hand in eliminating me, but in the larger picture, where are you and what am I? As long as you wrestle here in the APW, I will always be above and beyond you."
"He thinks he's going to be able to hold me down," Gates says as he pauses the clip. "He thinks that I'm always going to be stuck under his thumb."
"Well, what do you expect?" Blade asks. "He's had the run of APW for awhile now, with the only real threat, prior to Sally Talfourd, being Pence Weatherlight."
Gates nods. "But he's just so God damn smug about everything. He speaks like he's never going to see a consequence in his life."
"And for all we know, he might not."
"That's impossible," Gates says. "At some point, everyone has to answer for what they've said or done. It's just a matter of when."
"Don't tell me you're going to be that person who tries to get him to answer for everything." Blade shakes his head. "You already lost to him once, do you really want to go back into the ring against him?"
"Maybe," Gates shrugs. "I just know that what happened the first time he and I met one on one isn't what will always happen. Eventually, I'm going to get the better of him."
"Pipe dreams," Blade chuckles. "Nothing but dreams. This is Level One we're talking about."
"And he's talking about me," Gates answers. "Nothing nice, either, so it's a bit hard for me to sit here and not want to do something about it."
"It's just talk, nothing more."
"Is it?"
Gates resumes the clip. "Protect your brand, punk," the televised Lester continues. "I won't lose any sleep, knowing that you'll never be anything more than 'one' in a 'two' man equation and that there won't be a hall of fame spot waiting in the wings for the both of you. At Thursday Night Overdrive, you'll realize just how little power you have around here. And your fans will too."
"I think you're too worried about it. Nothing he said there was horrible, nothing made you seem like a bad guy. You've got to put it out of your mind and focus on the tag team title match we've got coming up."
"Oh, I will," Gates says. "When that match comes up, I'll be just as focused, but right now, with tonight's match, I need to be focused on my opponents, and of all of them, he's the most interesting."
"Because of what he says?"
"Especially because of what he says," Gates answers. "It also helps that he's been talking crap like that since the beginning, since I took the first step into his APW spotlight."
Blade chuckles to himself. "I wouldn't say you're in his spotlight. Not yet anyways."
"Then why is he worried about me?"
"Is he?"
Gates motions to the clip and resumes it. "In turn, all that's left is me and you," the televised Level One says. "And once I beat you C.J., the writing on the wall will be as potent as blood used to write it. Level One is the number one contender. There's nothing you can do about it. You are no stepping stone because you aren't that good. This notion that I am going to have to beat you for spotlight is absolutely bat shit crazy stupid. I am the spotlight."
"See?"
"All I see is a man hell bent on getting back what was once his," Blade answers as Gates pauses the clip. "Did he actually say that this week?"
"No, not this week," Gates answers. "This is from January, back when he and I had our one on one match. But still, if you read between the lines..."
"You're reading between the lines?" Blade cuts in. "That doesn't mean anything. You could read between the lines on pretty much everything."
"He seems to realize that if anyone is a threat to him as the number one contender, it's me."
"No offense C.J.," Blade begins, "but I don't think he has much to worry about."
"But he said..."
"Just because he said doesn't make it true," Blade says. "If anything he's probably trying to build you up so that you'll be out of your element and make a costly error."
"Is that what he thinks is going to happen?" Gates asks.
"That's what he knows is going to happen," Blade answers. "Like I said, no offense, but Level One has been around for awhile. I'm sure he's been in this situation before, fighting against guys who think they're on his level when they're really not."
"But I'm not like everyone else," Gates reasons. "I'm not like anyone that Level One has seen before."
"He doesn't know that. To him, everyone is the same."
"Well, then I will have to show him."
"When?" Blade asks. "Tonight?"
Gates shrugs. "Maybe not tonight. But I am going to do my best, and one day for sure, I am going to end up showing Level One that he's not the best in the world."
"And you are?"
"One day."
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"And maybe that day is now.
"After all, this is our first one on one meeting that actually means something. The first match between us that is more than just a weekly deal. What better way for us to settle everything that has been building between us since 2010 then in grand fashion at the end of the year?
"However the best part about what you said might be when you called yourself the number one contender. Not last week, but back then, in 2011. Back when you said that at the end of the match, you would still be looking at that title match that was hanging before you. Fitting considering where we're head, and what's on the line.
"I warn you though, things aren't going to unwind the way you think they will, or the way you've been thinking they will for the past two years. After everything that has happened since that day, since I knew I would be the one to prove to you that you aren't the best thing going, I'm a changed man. I'm an entirely different cowboy than the one you saw wrestling in tag teams.
"But of course, you probably see yourself as king shit right now.
"You managed to predict nearly two years ago that we would, one day, fight for the number one contender spot, so you can't be wrong when you say that you'll win it. Can you?
"Oh, you can, Lester. And you are.
"I mean, you were wrong about me never amounting to much, wrong about me never making it as anything more than a 'two man equation'. Wrong that you are the spotlight of APW. Because correct me if I'm wrong, Lester, but from Shockwave until the new year, you were no where to be found. You abandoned what you swore was yours and yours alone to protect. But who stepped up to the plate? Who helped lead APW to greater heights?
"Me.
"But then again, I'm just a generic nobody, right?"
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
In the Office of C.J. Gates
"It's only fitting that come Overdrive that I am teaming up with CJ Gates," a televised Level One says as C.J. Gates sits behind his large wooden desk watching a television screen. "CJ Gates is a perfect example of what 'generic' is."
"Is that recent?" Vincent James asks from his seat on the sofa by the office door.
"It's from June of 2011," Gates answers. "Just getting myself psyched up for the match that is coming up at Christmas Chaos."
"This is your opponent?"
Gates nods as the clip continues. "CJ Gates is a hard sell because he's just...not as exciting as you and I despite being an exceptional talent."
"At least he's nice," James says with a smile.
"He's not," Gates says. "This clip is from when he was trying to deceive the world, lying to them about how he was a changed man. He was trying to make it seem like he and I could co-exist, but deep down, all of his hate toward me kept coming out."
"It's been coming out in spades lately," James reminds Gates.
"That it has. Though I'm not surprised. This is what he does. He tries to break down his opponents before he steps into the ring with them."
"Is he breaking you down?"
Gates smirks. "Not in the slightest. Of course, he thinks that he is. He thinks he's getting into my head."
"Maybe he is," James says. "Maybe he wanted this to happen all along, for you to comb over every bit of video that you have of him."
"If that was his end game for this, then he wouldn't have bothered going through with all those attacks."
James chuckles. "Maybe you just don't give him enough credit."
"That's not it," Gates argues. "I give him all the credit in the world. That's what separates us. I can give my opponents the credit they deserve, while he can't. Besides, there's a reason that he's lasted so long in this business, so long in APW, but being a crafty mastermind, that's not one of them."
"But didn't he and Marvin just orchestrate that whole revelation?"
"They didn't orchestrate anything to me," Gates says. "I knew what was happening all along, so if they want to use that as a jumping off point for how Level One is in my head, they aren't going to get very far. And it's not like I'm using these tapes as my entire preparation. I'm just reliving the moments in my APW career when Lester and I butted heads."
"Well, whatever helps, I guess," James says with a shrug. "I just don't think it's worth to get yourself all worked up about stuff like this, like these tapes, when you should really be looking at his in-ring work."
"I will," Gates says with a smile. "But right now, I guess I feel like I need to get myself a bit more psyched up."
"And an Undisputed title shot doesn't do that for you?"
"It does, but Level One has this way of charging someone up for battle," Gates says as he picks up the remote. "See?"
"What's this?"
"Snippets of what Lester's been saying lately."
"You see guys like you?" the televised Level One asks, "They want to play fair. They want to play clean. They want to get onto the microphone and throw barbs back and forth all day as to avoid a physical altercation." Gates shakes his head as the clip continues. "You make me sick, C.J. You're acting like a spoiled child! Everything I have done in the past several weeks was to your benefit but you're too ignorant and shallow minded to see that!"
"And you said he was nice," Gates says with a laughing, pausing the clip.
"I guess not everyone is a saint," James says.
"Add in how he seems to blame me for my own downfalls, how he calls me out because he thinks I was swerved into a trap when I was just trying to stop the two monkey's from swinging their chairs." Gates shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. "There is just so much that Level One has been saying that just gets me fired up for this match."
"Just don't lose sight of the important aspects of the match."
"I won't," Gates says quickly. "I won't, and I'm going to make sure that by the end of it, Level One understands that C.J. Gates is much more than just a one trick pony, much more than a tag team specialist, much more than a charity case for him to 'help out'."
Gates smiles. "I'm going to show him that this former Undisputed champion means business. And it's going to come at his expense."
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"Am I obsessed?
"Some people might think so, though I see it more as me being entirely focused on this match. I see it as wanting something so much that you will do what you need to do to prepare yourself for what is to come. Who knows, maybe Terry Marvin had it right at One Night in Hell. Maybe all of this intense focus is going to end up being my downfall.
"But can you blame me for being this focused, this driven? After all, Lester is the measuring stick around here, isn't he? He's the one that everyone needs to test themselves against if they want to have a shot at making it any farther than the opening matches. Right?
"Wrong. I mean, sure, he's got a history in this place, he's got his name etched on a hall of fame plaque for whenever he decides to hang up his boots, but to me, he's not the measuring stick. He's not the man you have to beat to be able to make it in APW.
"I'm living proof of that, though no matter how many times I remind dear old Lester about it, he seems to want to ignore it. He doesn't want to have anything to do with it. He doesn't want to remember that he was the one that left APW high and dry when things weren't working for him. He was the one who had to go find help in the form of the Sindicate to buy his way to victories, to make sure that he wouldn't be soured any longer. And truly, is that the way to get it done? Sure, maybe for someone like Lester who is all about the results, all about the God damn wins.
"But there's something to be said about making it on your own and battling through those low points. I assume that Lester was so disgusted with himself after losing to a man he deems inferior to himself in Biggs, he just had to disappear so people would forget all about it. Unfortunately, I'm not about to let people forget it, nor am I going to look past the fact that it was Biggs who eliminated Level One from the chamber at One Night in Hell.
"Though maybe that was all part of the master plan that the new Sindicate was trying to roll out there. Let Biggs think he has the upper edge over Level One, only to brain him with steel chairs. And who knows, maybe I don't give the cold, calculating Lester Only enough credit with his tactics. Maybe he's more capable then I give him credit for. But then again, I also look at all of the facts, as opposed to omitting what doesn't sit right with me.
"Of course, everyone has their own ways with dealing with defeat.
"My way is to come back stronger the next time out, and after losing at Overdrive to Lester and his pal Marvin, I'm ready to come back strong the next time out. Fortunately for me, that next time out is at Christmas Chaos against the Sindicate's baddest bodyguard, Level One.
"And it's a moment I've been waiting for.
"For the past few weeks, all you have done, is make my life hell. You say that you were doing it with my best intentions in mind, that you were doing it to make sure that I was worthy of stepping into the ring with you, but everyone can see through that. Everyone knows that you were doing all of that to try and get into my head.
"Who knows, maybe you have. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming that it wouldn't happen to me. But what I do know is that no matter what you've got in mind, Lester, no matter what you've done to me in the past, I am only ever going to grow from it.
"I grew from everything that Sally Talfourd threw at me week after week in a battle that you kept using as a signifier to my actual talent. And in the end, I not only beat her at Mayhem, but I also beat her at Test for the Best. No matter how many chair shots she threw at me, no matter how many times she tried to screw me out of matches, I still rose above it.
"And then there's Biggs, who I know you're familiar with. After all, he's the one that beat you for the World title, even though you don't want to admit it. Instead, you'd rather say that Biggs is below seemingly everyone, which in my mind, means that you are below everyone as well. Yet somehow your brain doesn't see it that way, and your brain continues to tell you that you can do no wrong.
"Until you started messing with me.
"The odd insult here and there, I can handle. The fact that you feel that you're owed the Undisputed title because of your name? That I can't handle. The fact that you decided to smash a camera into my face and blame it on me? I can't handle that either. But for months, even years before that, I have say back and watched as you ran your own agenda. I sat back and watched as you basically did whatever you could to turn APW into your own playground.
"Using the Sindicate referees to rig the matches in your favor? Please. If you want to shove the fact that you've won all of these awards down our throats, at least have the decency to earn it. Because while I might be a nice guy, and while I might not cheat whenever the time doesn't call for it, I still earn what I've received. I've still earned my stripes. Whether it was the tag team titles or the Undisputed belt, it was earned.
"Not stolen.
"Not bought.
"Earned.
"Just like I earned this opportunity being presented to me. You and Terry might be looking ahead, but you can't look past me, Lester. You can't just predetermine the outcome of the match, because that's not how it's going to end. Just like a major sports league, you can't crown the winners of the off season without playing the season out. Anything can happen, Lester, and anything will happen. That anything includes yours truly having my hand raised high at the end of the match.
"You probably think I'm just blowing smoke, living in some sort of fantasy dream land if I think I can beat you at Christmas Chaos. But the thing is, I'm not crazy. I'm not insane. I haven't suddenly lost my marbles. But I can be. I might not be ready to use your head as a volley ball, and I might not be bringing steel chairs into the equation, but if the moment arises, and if you decide that they are necessary, I'm not adverse to doing so. Just a little food for though. I'd hate for you and Terry to continue to have your Rasslemania wet dreams without knowing the full facts about your opponent.
"Facts that you probably won't care about, but facts that you should probably still know. Facts that have changed from when we first met, facts that have turned me into an entirely different person. The sort of person that doesn't let opportunities slip through my fingers.
"Now, there are moments I need to capitalize on, like this one. There are moments like one of our last one on one meetings where you used your underhanded tactics to score the pinfall. Don't think I've forgotten about that, Lester. Don't think for a second that I've put that into the back of my mind, because I haven't.
"Just like everything you've ever said to me, it floats around in my mind. Just like everything you've ever done during my time in APW. I don't easily forget, and you've done quite a bit that's hard to just slip from someones mind.
"I guess everything comes back to that one question. Am I obsessed? Possibly. But then again, Lester, without obsession, life is nothing, right? And if this so-called obsession is what gets me over the hump and allows me to actually beat you, then I am going to embrace it wholeheartedly. If that's what it's going to take, then yes, Lester, I am obsessed with beating you. Beating you will allow me to prove that I belong at the top of the pile. It will prove that 2011 was not the fluke you claim it was.
"So now you have a question to ask yourself.
"Are you going to leave it all in the ring? Or are you simply going to leave empty handed.
"Lester, it's time to go big or go home."
