Post by C.J. Gates on Jan 2, 2013 9:49:03 GMT -4
"Tango, fox trot, waltz," Vincent James utters out loud. "Nope, each one needs two people."
"What are you mumbling about?" C.J. Gates asks from his seat in the locker room. James looks up from his laptop and looks over at Gates.
"This week you're fighting a three way dance," James responds. "I was just trying to figure out how that makes sense, since no dance takes three people."
"Really?" Gates asks. "That's what you're going on about? Stuff like that doesn't matter, Vinnie!"
"I know," James says with a chuckle. "I'm just, I don't know, bored maybe."
"Bored?"
"Yeah."
"Bored?" Gates repeats. "Did you miss Christmas Chaos?"
"No, I saw it, but come on, that was then. What have we got this week? Just another match. The real bang is at Survive and Conquer and then Rasslemania."
"But that's where you're wrong. It might seem like just another match, but that's not it at all. It's a big match. Every match is a big match. I can't just take a week off and hope that everything solves itself."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not how I roll," Gates says. "I am always on my toes, always ready for a battle. I can't just mail it in, because then, I'm letting down the fans that come to see me wrestle."
"Even if it helps you in the long run?"
Gates chuckles. "Oddly enough, it's rare that I put myself ahead of everything else. Sure, there are times when I want the win more than anything, times when I want those titles, but it's rare that I go all in. I did it once and regretted it ever since."
"But that was then. This is now, and this is an entirely different ball game."
"Is it?"
James shrugs.
"I might be the number one contender, but nothing has really changed. I'm not about to cheat or do anything like that just to keep myself on a roll."
"Maybe you should," James offers.
"Why?" Gates asks. "So that I can show people I'm no better than Level One?"
"To keep your head above water. You're facing Level One and Michael Lively, those two are going to do anything they can to win this match, and maybe you should too."
Gates shakes his head. "It's not my style. It never will be, and I don't need people trying to get me to go against everything that I stand for and everything that I've stood for."
"Just trying to help get you to see the bigger picture," James says with a shrug.
"Well, thanks, but no thanks. I'm doing fine as it is, I'm doing a great job at keeping myself afloat, and, as it stands, I've accomplished the goal I had of being relevant again. I spent the better part of 2013 spiraling downward, but I managed to climb back up. Now I'm the number one contender. And I did it all on my own skills."
"Yeah but..."
"No buts," Gates interrupts. "I got here without having to bend the rules, without having to ignore the fans, without having to simply think about myself. There's more to this than that. I've gotten here by doing what I've done since day one."
James looks at Gates before sighing. "Fine, fine, forget I said it."
"Good," Gates says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the match. I want to make sure I'm prepared to give Lively and Lester my all."
"Well good luck, you just might need it."
"Maybe," Gates nods. "But if I lose, at least I'll be able to say I lost the proper way, with my head held high."
"True," James adds. "I guess there's nothing on the line to worry about."
Gates smirks. "That helps as well."
"Seems like somebody has it out for me.
"Knowing who's making the matches, that shouldn't surprise me. Knowing what's coming up for me at Rasslemania, stacking the deck against me shouldn't really shock me. Yet, for some reason, seeing my name alongside that of Level One and Michael Lively, it opened my eyes a bit.
"Though maybe it opened them because of what it all means. Some people might just see this as a fight, but me, I see this as a symbol of everything that makes APW what it is.
"To put it bluntly? Level One and Michael Lively represent an old guard. They represent what APW was before, years ago, when they could run roughshod over the federation at their own whim. It represented a time when people were more hesitant to stand up to them, allowing them to become super stars that would always shine.
"I guess it's hard to think of it like that, thinking about how I represent the new age. Maybe new age is the wrong choice, but that's what it seems to be. That's how it appears. The veterans against the guy who's not quite as much a veteran as them. The two men who people look at, who's name they remember from years ago, going up against the man who has become synonymous with APW over the past two years.
"Hard to believe? Well believe it. I've heard many people mentioning how I am the flag bearer for APW. How I am the one name that jumps to mind. I haven't had to put it out there, to shove it down their throats like the two of you probably did at one point. All I had to do was wrestle. All I had to do was put my body on the line each time I stepped into that ring.
"And because of that, I have learned never to let myself get intimidated. I have learned that even though I sit here, staring at two men who would like nothing more than to eliminate me so they can have the spotlight again, I know that I can't let it get to me. And I won't, simple as that.
"Because it is that easy for me. Others might not see it, but for me, I am capable of looking at a difficult situation and powering through. Seeing something like Level One and Michael Lively staring me down, and still manage to find the positive. And that positive is that the two of them might want to hurt each other as much as they want to hurt me.
"It's in their nature. They might start teaming up to take me out, but it won't be long before one of them spots that opening and takes it. It won't be long until Lively decides that this is his moment to break back into the spotlight, while Level One is probably going to be chomping at the bit just to get himself back to the point where he wants to be.
"After all, I doubt that you can handle the fact that I beat you at Christmas Chaos, can you, Lester? You're probably fuming, wondering how it all went wrong for you, how you ended up getting pinned by a generic piece of hillbilly trash, right? Well, there's no secret to it, Lester. There's no hidden agenda or anything like that. The fact is that I was better. The fact is that I am better. You've denied it for so long, you've tried to hide that fact from ever getting out, but at Christmas Chaos, the cat was let out of the bag.
"It wasn't just a one time thing. You didn't just make a wrong move. You lost. You ate the pinfall, something you've been afraid of since day one. I mean, sure, losing to Terry Marvin would have been alright, because then you could continue to stroke his ego. But losing to someone that you find to be inferior?
"How do you sleep at night?
"I know you'll be looking for payback at Overdrive, though. I knew you would regardless of whether or not we were in the ring together. It was just one of those things that you couldn't sneak by me. It was one of those things that you couldn't just try and hide. It's not your style to do that. Hell, who knows if you can do that.
"I just knew that you'd be on the hunt to bash my face in and do anything that you can to make sure I don't make it to Rasslemania so that you can swoop in and claim my spot. And you know what Lester? I welcome you to try. Start this week. Continue it to every week after that. I dare you to come at me each and every week, you and Marvin both. Try and attack me to take me out of the game, because each and every week you do, I'll show you that I am more than capable of getting right back up.
"And I will do just that.
"And starting this week, I will show you.
"Because no matter what kind of plan you and Lively have cooking, I'm going to make sure I'm one, maybe two steps ahead of you at all times. I am going to make sure that I don't stay down, that I don't give you the satisfaction of having beaten me. I refuse to.
"But of course, you're not the only man in this picture. Of course, there is also Michael Lively to worry about, a man who is definitely looking to make his mark as he returns from a somewhat hiatus after tearing up Meltdown. A man from the older age, looking to assert himself with a second coming. Fitting since he's been parading around like some sort of self proclaimed Jesus.
"Regardless, Michael, if you're looking to make a splash, you're not going to do it at my expense, I can assure you of that. You're not going to simply use me as a stepping stone into the next phase of your mission. Even if your bodyguard Sabur, or any of your other cronies gets involved, it's not going to tip the scales in your favor. It might make you feel better about yourself, but it's not going to take me out of the picture.
"Believe me when I say that you've not been out of the picture to me. Someone might be trying to forget you, but I'm not. It's one of those things where you were on your way out when I was on the way in. I watched you fade away as my star burned bright, but ever since you came back to APW, and ever since you made it clear you wanted to jump to Overdrive, I had my eye on you. Our paths never crossed before, but I knew at one point they would.
"Now is that one point.
"Sure, maybe it's a few years after I thought, but that is moot at this point. Fact is, we're set to face off, and I am set to show one of the old guard that I am the one to watch for. I get to show another doubter that C.J. Gates isn't just a one trick pony. That I am not just a six month treat.
"I am the real deal, and no matter how many times you try and tell yourself otherwise, Michael, it won't make it any less true. You can do it to reassure yourself, but I don't know if it will really help. Then again, you might already be looking forward to your little partnership with Level One, so you're mind might be at ease with the thought that you're going to be solid. That no matter what happens, Jesus will rise once again.
"I only wish that we would have had this battle closer to Christmas, because the Jesus jokes would write themselves. And truly, Michael, that's what you are. A joke. Plain and simple. You can pump yourself up as some sort of shining star, but I think, at this point, you're fading into the distance. But don't mistake this for me writing you off, because I'd hate for you to think that. I'm taking you seriously, but it's the way you're portraying yourself that has me shaking my head.
"It probably also helps that over the past few months my confidence has grown and I've become more sure of what I'm capable of. I know that I can walk into this match and walk out of it with my head held high. I know that I have what it takes to win this match.
"And since I know the two of you don't believe me, I will prove it to you.
"I will bring everything I have to the both of you.
"I will take on your hopeless partnership, and I will fight against it, proving that you can't keep me down.
"And by the time the match is over, the two of you are going to be left wondering what happened. Left grasping for straws and trying to figure out where you went wrong.
"As for me? I'll be standing tall. I'll be the one with my hand held high as I look down at the two of you, showing you that this North Dakota Cowboy has what it takes to compete.
"First step, three way dance, and it all leads to the final goal.
"It all leads to Rasslemania.
"It's time to go big and go home."
"What are you mumbling about?" C.J. Gates asks from his seat in the locker room. James looks up from his laptop and looks over at Gates.
"This week you're fighting a three way dance," James responds. "I was just trying to figure out how that makes sense, since no dance takes three people."
"Really?" Gates asks. "That's what you're going on about? Stuff like that doesn't matter, Vinnie!"
"I know," James says with a chuckle. "I'm just, I don't know, bored maybe."
"Bored?"
"Yeah."
"Bored?" Gates repeats. "Did you miss Christmas Chaos?"
"No, I saw it, but come on, that was then. What have we got this week? Just another match. The real bang is at Survive and Conquer and then Rasslemania."
"But that's where you're wrong. It might seem like just another match, but that's not it at all. It's a big match. Every match is a big match. I can't just take a week off and hope that everything solves itself."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not how I roll," Gates says. "I am always on my toes, always ready for a battle. I can't just mail it in, because then, I'm letting down the fans that come to see me wrestle."
"Even if it helps you in the long run?"
Gates chuckles. "Oddly enough, it's rare that I put myself ahead of everything else. Sure, there are times when I want the win more than anything, times when I want those titles, but it's rare that I go all in. I did it once and regretted it ever since."
"But that was then. This is now, and this is an entirely different ball game."
"Is it?"
James shrugs.
"I might be the number one contender, but nothing has really changed. I'm not about to cheat or do anything like that just to keep myself on a roll."
"Maybe you should," James offers.
"Why?" Gates asks. "So that I can show people I'm no better than Level One?"
"To keep your head above water. You're facing Level One and Michael Lively, those two are going to do anything they can to win this match, and maybe you should too."
Gates shakes his head. "It's not my style. It never will be, and I don't need people trying to get me to go against everything that I stand for and everything that I've stood for."
"Just trying to help get you to see the bigger picture," James says with a shrug.
"Well, thanks, but no thanks. I'm doing fine as it is, I'm doing a great job at keeping myself afloat, and, as it stands, I've accomplished the goal I had of being relevant again. I spent the better part of 2013 spiraling downward, but I managed to climb back up. Now I'm the number one contender. And I did it all on my own skills."
"Yeah but..."
"No buts," Gates interrupts. "I got here without having to bend the rules, without having to ignore the fans, without having to simply think about myself. There's more to this than that. I've gotten here by doing what I've done since day one."
James looks at Gates before sighing. "Fine, fine, forget I said it."
"Good," Gates says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the match. I want to make sure I'm prepared to give Lively and Lester my all."
"Well good luck, you just might need it."
"Maybe," Gates nods. "But if I lose, at least I'll be able to say I lost the proper way, with my head held high."
"True," James adds. "I guess there's nothing on the line to worry about."
Gates smirks. "That helps as well."
---------------------------------------
"Seems like somebody has it out for me.
"Knowing who's making the matches, that shouldn't surprise me. Knowing what's coming up for me at Rasslemania, stacking the deck against me shouldn't really shock me. Yet, for some reason, seeing my name alongside that of Level One and Michael Lively, it opened my eyes a bit.
"Though maybe it opened them because of what it all means. Some people might just see this as a fight, but me, I see this as a symbol of everything that makes APW what it is.
"To put it bluntly? Level One and Michael Lively represent an old guard. They represent what APW was before, years ago, when they could run roughshod over the federation at their own whim. It represented a time when people were more hesitant to stand up to them, allowing them to become super stars that would always shine.
"I guess it's hard to think of it like that, thinking about how I represent the new age. Maybe new age is the wrong choice, but that's what it seems to be. That's how it appears. The veterans against the guy who's not quite as much a veteran as them. The two men who people look at, who's name they remember from years ago, going up against the man who has become synonymous with APW over the past two years.
"Hard to believe? Well believe it. I've heard many people mentioning how I am the flag bearer for APW. How I am the one name that jumps to mind. I haven't had to put it out there, to shove it down their throats like the two of you probably did at one point. All I had to do was wrestle. All I had to do was put my body on the line each time I stepped into that ring.
"And because of that, I have learned never to let myself get intimidated. I have learned that even though I sit here, staring at two men who would like nothing more than to eliminate me so they can have the spotlight again, I know that I can't let it get to me. And I won't, simple as that.
"Because it is that easy for me. Others might not see it, but for me, I am capable of looking at a difficult situation and powering through. Seeing something like Level One and Michael Lively staring me down, and still manage to find the positive. And that positive is that the two of them might want to hurt each other as much as they want to hurt me.
"It's in their nature. They might start teaming up to take me out, but it won't be long before one of them spots that opening and takes it. It won't be long until Lively decides that this is his moment to break back into the spotlight, while Level One is probably going to be chomping at the bit just to get himself back to the point where he wants to be.
"After all, I doubt that you can handle the fact that I beat you at Christmas Chaos, can you, Lester? You're probably fuming, wondering how it all went wrong for you, how you ended up getting pinned by a generic piece of hillbilly trash, right? Well, there's no secret to it, Lester. There's no hidden agenda or anything like that. The fact is that I was better. The fact is that I am better. You've denied it for so long, you've tried to hide that fact from ever getting out, but at Christmas Chaos, the cat was let out of the bag.
"It wasn't just a one time thing. You didn't just make a wrong move. You lost. You ate the pinfall, something you've been afraid of since day one. I mean, sure, losing to Terry Marvin would have been alright, because then you could continue to stroke his ego. But losing to someone that you find to be inferior?
"How do you sleep at night?
"I know you'll be looking for payback at Overdrive, though. I knew you would regardless of whether or not we were in the ring together. It was just one of those things that you couldn't sneak by me. It was one of those things that you couldn't just try and hide. It's not your style to do that. Hell, who knows if you can do that.
"I just knew that you'd be on the hunt to bash my face in and do anything that you can to make sure I don't make it to Rasslemania so that you can swoop in and claim my spot. And you know what Lester? I welcome you to try. Start this week. Continue it to every week after that. I dare you to come at me each and every week, you and Marvin both. Try and attack me to take me out of the game, because each and every week you do, I'll show you that I am more than capable of getting right back up.
"And I will do just that.
"And starting this week, I will show you.
"Because no matter what kind of plan you and Lively have cooking, I'm going to make sure I'm one, maybe two steps ahead of you at all times. I am going to make sure that I don't stay down, that I don't give you the satisfaction of having beaten me. I refuse to.
"But of course, you're not the only man in this picture. Of course, there is also Michael Lively to worry about, a man who is definitely looking to make his mark as he returns from a somewhat hiatus after tearing up Meltdown. A man from the older age, looking to assert himself with a second coming. Fitting since he's been parading around like some sort of self proclaimed Jesus.
"Regardless, Michael, if you're looking to make a splash, you're not going to do it at my expense, I can assure you of that. You're not going to simply use me as a stepping stone into the next phase of your mission. Even if your bodyguard Sabur, or any of your other cronies gets involved, it's not going to tip the scales in your favor. It might make you feel better about yourself, but it's not going to take me out of the picture.
"Believe me when I say that you've not been out of the picture to me. Someone might be trying to forget you, but I'm not. It's one of those things where you were on your way out when I was on the way in. I watched you fade away as my star burned bright, but ever since you came back to APW, and ever since you made it clear you wanted to jump to Overdrive, I had my eye on you. Our paths never crossed before, but I knew at one point they would.
"Now is that one point.
"Sure, maybe it's a few years after I thought, but that is moot at this point. Fact is, we're set to face off, and I am set to show one of the old guard that I am the one to watch for. I get to show another doubter that C.J. Gates isn't just a one trick pony. That I am not just a six month treat.
"I am the real deal, and no matter how many times you try and tell yourself otherwise, Michael, it won't make it any less true. You can do it to reassure yourself, but I don't know if it will really help. Then again, you might already be looking forward to your little partnership with Level One, so you're mind might be at ease with the thought that you're going to be solid. That no matter what happens, Jesus will rise once again.
"I only wish that we would have had this battle closer to Christmas, because the Jesus jokes would write themselves. And truly, Michael, that's what you are. A joke. Plain and simple. You can pump yourself up as some sort of shining star, but I think, at this point, you're fading into the distance. But don't mistake this for me writing you off, because I'd hate for you to think that. I'm taking you seriously, but it's the way you're portraying yourself that has me shaking my head.
"It probably also helps that over the past few months my confidence has grown and I've become more sure of what I'm capable of. I know that I can walk into this match and walk out of it with my head held high. I know that I have what it takes to win this match.
"And since I know the two of you don't believe me, I will prove it to you.
"I will bring everything I have to the both of you.
"I will take on your hopeless partnership, and I will fight against it, proving that you can't keep me down.
"And by the time the match is over, the two of you are going to be left wondering what happened. Left grasping for straws and trying to figure out where you went wrong.
"As for me? I'll be standing tall. I'll be the one with my hand held high as I look down at the two of you, showing you that this North Dakota Cowboy has what it takes to compete.
"First step, three way dance, and it all leads to the final goal.
"It all leads to Rasslemania.
"It's time to go big and go home."
