Post by Mark Mania on Jan 9, 2013 14:24:04 GMT -4
Tick, tick, tick… Time’s running out for Buckson Gooch. Can he last?
“I just think it’s a little embarrassing.”
“Maybe for him! I don’t see how it could be for you.”
Rosa and I are sitting in the hotel room, waiting for the owner of the Liverpool Football Club to take us down to dinner.
“It’s just, I go from Azrael Goeren, one of the top competitors in all of wrestling to Buckson Gooch? What on earth does he think is going to happen?”
“No reason to count this guy out, Mark, he’s clearly proven himself, he worked his way up from Meltdown and now clearly he’s done some things to impress the higher ups in order to give him this shot.”
“Somebody must be trying to appease him, he must have something on someone.”
“I don’t think APW deals with blackmail very well.”
“Well, how else can you explain it then?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not like this match is very flattering for Gooch either, did you see what the stipulations are?”
“Yeah, if he lasts fifteen minutes, he gets a title shot.”
“And you don’t see why that should be offensive to him?”
I look at her with a blank stare.
“It’s basically saying that there is no way in hell that Gooch can beat you, so if he can at least last fifteen minutes he’ll get rewarded. He doesn’t even need to win!”
“Right and that’s unfair to me! If I beat him at 15:01 suddenly he gets to challenge for my title at Survive and Conquer, which I’m competing in too by the way!”
“You just think the entire world revolves around you, don’t you?”
“I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to figure that out. Of course I do. How can you say it’s fair that I can win the match and still have to face this Neanderthal again?”
“I admit that it’s a strange stipulation, but that shouldn’t affect how you go into this match. Just beat him in less than the fifteen minutes and you won’t have to pull double duty in a few weeks.”
“Well, at least if I am going to have to pull double duty, it’ll be against this fool and not another person like Goeren.”
“He beat the hell out of you.”
I tap on the title sitting next to me on the couch.
“Did you see the pictures of him? C’mon now.”
“If you keep winning matches you’re going to become unbearable.”
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t tell you what I did to the so-called ‘Xtreme Champion’ in a hardcore match this past week.”
Rosa rolls her eyes at me.
“I was there, I saw. You’ve put yourself through hell these past few matches.”
I smile and rub the bruise under my eye.
“It’s been pretty impressive hasn’t it?”
“That’s how you took that? I meant you’re an idiot. You’re the Overdrive champion, not the Xtreme Champion, you don’t need to be fighting in these types of matches.”
“Hey, I don’t decide who I face, I see my name on the card, I show up, and I win. Simple as that.”
“Unbearable.”
“Thanks for this little tour here John, for all the times I’ve been to Fenway, never really thought you’d be giving us a tour of Liverpool.”
“Glad to do it Mark, always been a fan, I had no idea you were such a big football fan.”
“Not big enough where I call it football, I guess you’d call me a soccer guy.”
“That’s not much of a compliment in these parts.”
“I can handle that. Always been more of a Sox fan anyways. How do you like the team this year?”
“We’ve done some things that I’m excited about. Signed a lot of character guys, I have all the faith in Larry and Ben to get the job done.”
“You’re the eternal optimist aren’t you?”
“When you’re butt is on the line, optimism is your best friend.”
“That’s the truth.”
“It’s an interesting time we’re in here in the APW. Big names are coming and going, realize they can’t hack it with the best of the best. Yet, young talent, like Evan Envi, Jair Hopkins and TJ are rising through the ranks to make a name for themselves. It’s impressive and confusing all at once.”
“Look at Overdrive, the Undisputed Champion is a man who fizzled out in his first run with APW. Then, he comes back, hits a hot streak, and suddenly is on top of his game. He’s beaten the biggest of big names and deserves all the praise he’s gotten.”
“The Xtreme Champion, a man who toiled with Terry Marvin for as long as either could stand it. A man who always seemed to be one step behind. But finally, through perseverance, he captured that ever elusive first title in the APW.”
“And then there’s me, Overdrive Champion. A man who most had assumed was long gone. Left after failing to capture the Undisputed Title and then returned to little fanfare. I was in a slew of unimportant matches, then I failed on three separate attempts to win the Overdrive title. Yet now, here I am, holding it, defending it against the former CWC World Champion, and winning, decidedly.”
“The stories within the walls of APW go back for years and each one of them is unique and impressive in their own way. It’s enough to motivate anyone to try harder. It’s enough to give every person that walks into that ring the hope that they can one day be on top of the mountain. Story after story describes how important it is to persevere and to hope.”
“That’s why in my message to Buckson Gooch I want to be very clear. I am sure that when you looked at the card for this week’s Overdrive you were immediately filled with hope. Your face was flush, your heart started to race, and a two toothed smile cracked along your face. For a few seconds you thought there was a chance that you could face me for the Overdrive title.”
“You thought about it, considered all your options, looked at the stipulation of the match and thought that you might just be able to do that.”
“I’m not here to tell you to stop hoping Buckson. I’m here to tell you, that this isn’t your time. You’ve worked your way up from Meltdown and that in and of itself is impressive in the ultra-competitive world we live in these days. You impressed enough people to get yourself brought here and into some matches. You had a chance for the Tag titles but blew it and now you’re looking to see if singles glory is coming your way. That’s all well and good, I’m happy for you, and I wish you the best.”
“But, you’re in above your head here brother. All the hope that you filled you up earlier in the week should be deflated by now. You need to realize that no one in the world expects you to win this match. Not even the person who booked the match expected you to win. You just need to last a certain amount of time. What kind of shit is that? Now a days you don’t even need to win a match to get rewarded? Seems a little foolish if you ask me. If you do, somehow, manage to last that long in our match, do you really think that come Survive & Conquer you’d stand anything close to a chance against me?”
“I’m Mark Mania, the Overdrive Champion, I’m coming off of wins against the Xtreme Champion and the biggest free agent to come to APW since…well, since me. I am a legend in this sport and I am a well-respected man within these walls. I don’t want to bring you down too much here Buck, but, you don’t stand a chance.”
“Now, I’m not a bad guy, I’m not trying to belittle you, you’re great for what you do. You’re a solid guy who enjoys rasslin’ and getting his hands dirty. You’ve got a nice little tag team thing going on and you’re a good character guy. Every fed needs those types of people. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. But while you’re the utility player, character guy, role player, you’re going up against the stud, the MVP, the premier player. It just doesn’t match up. LeBron James will beat Eddie House in basketball every day. Tom Brady will blow up Randall Gay every week. Sidney Crosby will score on Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s how the world works. Celtics wouldn’t have won a championship without Eddie House. Patriots wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl without Randall Gay, and the Flyers wouldn’t have won four straight against the Bruins without Bobrovsky. Role players are important, but they’re not the stars. They’re not made for the limelight.”
“The limelight isn’t your friend Gooch. Hell, any light isn’t really your friend, but that’s beyond the point. Don’t try and step up to the plate with a wiffle ball bat when I’m throwing fast balls. Man, this is a lot of sports references, sorry about that. What I’m saying is, Gooch, keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t get in my way or I’m going to have to teach you your place.”
“Now, I understand you’ve been thrust into the limelight here this week. This wasn’t your choice and you’re just glad for the experience. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to prove yourself to the whole world. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to show all of APW where in this company you belong. I think I already know where that is, but it’s not really up to me.”
“What are you going to do with your fifteen minutes of fame? I’m sure you’ll land a few moves and maybe give the announcers a few gems to work with. But are you going to prove any sort of staying power? I know you were promoted from Meltdown, quickly, but promoted none the less. But now that you’re here, where do you belong? I feel like Johnny Rebel must look at the roster each week and say, what the fuck am I going to do with Buckson Gooch? You don’t draw crowds, you don’t sell merchandise, and you’re not camera friendly. What can you do?”
“We very well might get the answer to that question this week. You might finally stop people questioning why you’re even here. I don’t think you will. I think if anything it will be a major hit to your psyche and you’ll probably perform even worse than expected and then even you will wonder what you’re doing here.”
“Because the way I look at it, there’s a lot of pressure on you this week Buck. First of all, it’s probably the biggest match so far in your APW career. It’s not for a title, but it’s for the chance to get a chance at the title. So I mean, that’s pretty big for you. Secondly, you’re going up against a legend of the sport. A man who has done more for this sport than just about anyone else in the business today not named President Jeff. Thirdly, it’s Survive and Conquer time around these parts and that means that a lot of outsiders are paying more attention to APW than normal. A lot of the cream of the crop from other federations around the world will be watching intently trying to size up the other people in the match they’ll all be in. Even more pressure to just load upon you.”
“How will you handle all of it Buck? Is this just going to be too much for you? I can’t blame you if it is. You’re not used to how things work around here just yet. You’re not used to the amount of press, the amount of fame that comes from even one top tier match. I just don’t know if you have it in you. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to prove me, all of APW, and all of the world wrong. Tick, tick, tick.”
“I just think it’s a little embarrassing.”
“Maybe for him! I don’t see how it could be for you.”
Rosa and I are sitting in the hotel room, waiting for the owner of the Liverpool Football Club to take us down to dinner.
“It’s just, I go from Azrael Goeren, one of the top competitors in all of wrestling to Buckson Gooch? What on earth does he think is going to happen?”
“No reason to count this guy out, Mark, he’s clearly proven himself, he worked his way up from Meltdown and now clearly he’s done some things to impress the higher ups in order to give him this shot.”
“Somebody must be trying to appease him, he must have something on someone.”
“I don’t think APW deals with blackmail very well.”
“Well, how else can you explain it then?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not like this match is very flattering for Gooch either, did you see what the stipulations are?”
“Yeah, if he lasts fifteen minutes, he gets a title shot.”
“And you don’t see why that should be offensive to him?”
I look at her with a blank stare.
“It’s basically saying that there is no way in hell that Gooch can beat you, so if he can at least last fifteen minutes he’ll get rewarded. He doesn’t even need to win!”
“Right and that’s unfair to me! If I beat him at 15:01 suddenly he gets to challenge for my title at Survive and Conquer, which I’m competing in too by the way!”
“You just think the entire world revolves around you, don’t you?”
“I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to figure that out. Of course I do. How can you say it’s fair that I can win the match and still have to face this Neanderthal again?”
“I admit that it’s a strange stipulation, but that shouldn’t affect how you go into this match. Just beat him in less than the fifteen minutes and you won’t have to pull double duty in a few weeks.”
“Well, at least if I am going to have to pull double duty, it’ll be against this fool and not another person like Goeren.”
“He beat the hell out of you.”
I tap on the title sitting next to me on the couch.
“Did you see the pictures of him? C’mon now.”
“If you keep winning matches you’re going to become unbearable.”
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t tell you what I did to the so-called ‘Xtreme Champion’ in a hardcore match this past week.”
Rosa rolls her eyes at me.
“I was there, I saw. You’ve put yourself through hell these past few matches.”
I smile and rub the bruise under my eye.
“It’s been pretty impressive hasn’t it?”
“That’s how you took that? I meant you’re an idiot. You’re the Overdrive champion, not the Xtreme Champion, you don’t need to be fighting in these types of matches.”
“Hey, I don’t decide who I face, I see my name on the card, I show up, and I win. Simple as that.”
“Unbearable.”
“Thanks for this little tour here John, for all the times I’ve been to Fenway, never really thought you’d be giving us a tour of Liverpool.”
“Glad to do it Mark, always been a fan, I had no idea you were such a big football fan.”
“Not big enough where I call it football, I guess you’d call me a soccer guy.”
“That’s not much of a compliment in these parts.”
“I can handle that. Always been more of a Sox fan anyways. How do you like the team this year?”
“We’ve done some things that I’m excited about. Signed a lot of character guys, I have all the faith in Larry and Ben to get the job done.”
“You’re the eternal optimist aren’t you?”
“When you’re butt is on the line, optimism is your best friend.”
“That’s the truth.”
“It’s an interesting time we’re in here in the APW. Big names are coming and going, realize they can’t hack it with the best of the best. Yet, young talent, like Evan Envi, Jair Hopkins and TJ are rising through the ranks to make a name for themselves. It’s impressive and confusing all at once.”
“Look at Overdrive, the Undisputed Champion is a man who fizzled out in his first run with APW. Then, he comes back, hits a hot streak, and suddenly is on top of his game. He’s beaten the biggest of big names and deserves all the praise he’s gotten.”
“The Xtreme Champion, a man who toiled with Terry Marvin for as long as either could stand it. A man who always seemed to be one step behind. But finally, through perseverance, he captured that ever elusive first title in the APW.”
“And then there’s me, Overdrive Champion. A man who most had assumed was long gone. Left after failing to capture the Undisputed Title and then returned to little fanfare. I was in a slew of unimportant matches, then I failed on three separate attempts to win the Overdrive title. Yet now, here I am, holding it, defending it against the former CWC World Champion, and winning, decidedly.”
“The stories within the walls of APW go back for years and each one of them is unique and impressive in their own way. It’s enough to motivate anyone to try harder. It’s enough to give every person that walks into that ring the hope that they can one day be on top of the mountain. Story after story describes how important it is to persevere and to hope.”
“That’s why in my message to Buckson Gooch I want to be very clear. I am sure that when you looked at the card for this week’s Overdrive you were immediately filled with hope. Your face was flush, your heart started to race, and a two toothed smile cracked along your face. For a few seconds you thought there was a chance that you could face me for the Overdrive title.”
“You thought about it, considered all your options, looked at the stipulation of the match and thought that you might just be able to do that.”
“I’m not here to tell you to stop hoping Buckson. I’m here to tell you, that this isn’t your time. You’ve worked your way up from Meltdown and that in and of itself is impressive in the ultra-competitive world we live in these days. You impressed enough people to get yourself brought here and into some matches. You had a chance for the Tag titles but blew it and now you’re looking to see if singles glory is coming your way. That’s all well and good, I’m happy for you, and I wish you the best.”
“But, you’re in above your head here brother. All the hope that you filled you up earlier in the week should be deflated by now. You need to realize that no one in the world expects you to win this match. Not even the person who booked the match expected you to win. You just need to last a certain amount of time. What kind of shit is that? Now a days you don’t even need to win a match to get rewarded? Seems a little foolish if you ask me. If you do, somehow, manage to last that long in our match, do you really think that come Survive & Conquer you’d stand anything close to a chance against me?”
“I’m Mark Mania, the Overdrive Champion, I’m coming off of wins against the Xtreme Champion and the biggest free agent to come to APW since…well, since me. I am a legend in this sport and I am a well-respected man within these walls. I don’t want to bring you down too much here Buck, but, you don’t stand a chance.”
“Now, I’m not a bad guy, I’m not trying to belittle you, you’re great for what you do. You’re a solid guy who enjoys rasslin’ and getting his hands dirty. You’ve got a nice little tag team thing going on and you’re a good character guy. Every fed needs those types of people. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. But while you’re the utility player, character guy, role player, you’re going up against the stud, the MVP, the premier player. It just doesn’t match up. LeBron James will beat Eddie House in basketball every day. Tom Brady will blow up Randall Gay every week. Sidney Crosby will score on Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s how the world works. Celtics wouldn’t have won a championship without Eddie House. Patriots wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl without Randall Gay, and the Flyers wouldn’t have won four straight against the Bruins without Bobrovsky. Role players are important, but they’re not the stars. They’re not made for the limelight.”
“The limelight isn’t your friend Gooch. Hell, any light isn’t really your friend, but that’s beyond the point. Don’t try and step up to the plate with a wiffle ball bat when I’m throwing fast balls. Man, this is a lot of sports references, sorry about that. What I’m saying is, Gooch, keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t get in my way or I’m going to have to teach you your place.”
“Now, I understand you’ve been thrust into the limelight here this week. This wasn’t your choice and you’re just glad for the experience. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to prove yourself to the whole world. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to show all of APW where in this company you belong. I think I already know where that is, but it’s not really up to me.”
“What are you going to do with your fifteen minutes of fame? I’m sure you’ll land a few moves and maybe give the announcers a few gems to work with. But are you going to prove any sort of staying power? I know you were promoted from Meltdown, quickly, but promoted none the less. But now that you’re here, where do you belong? I feel like Johnny Rebel must look at the roster each week and say, what the fuck am I going to do with Buckson Gooch? You don’t draw crowds, you don’t sell merchandise, and you’re not camera friendly. What can you do?”
“We very well might get the answer to that question this week. You might finally stop people questioning why you’re even here. I don’t think you will. I think if anything it will be a major hit to your psyche and you’ll probably perform even worse than expected and then even you will wonder what you’re doing here.”
“Because the way I look at it, there’s a lot of pressure on you this week Buck. First of all, it’s probably the biggest match so far in your APW career. It’s not for a title, but it’s for the chance to get a chance at the title. So I mean, that’s pretty big for you. Secondly, you’re going up against a legend of the sport. A man who has done more for this sport than just about anyone else in the business today not named President Jeff. Thirdly, it’s Survive and Conquer time around these parts and that means that a lot of outsiders are paying more attention to APW than normal. A lot of the cream of the crop from other federations around the world will be watching intently trying to size up the other people in the match they’ll all be in. Even more pressure to just load upon you.”
“How will you handle all of it Buck? Is this just going to be too much for you? I can’t blame you if it is. You’re not used to how things work around here just yet. You’re not used to the amount of press, the amount of fame that comes from even one top tier match. I just don’t know if you have it in you. You’re going to have fifteen minutes to prove me, all of APW, and all of the world wrong. Tick, tick, tick.”
