Post by J-Hop on Jan 13, 2013 20:16:59 GMT -4
OOC: Would've been up earlier but I had WB and had to overcome it. Totally rewrote the damn thing. GL!
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MOTIVATION 101: BUCKETS OF SWEAT
[/size]“Finding Oneself”[/font][/right]
“Boy, you need to re-work your craft!” The somewhat disappointed tone of Juan Ramirez’s voice as he shook his head towards that of Jair Hopkins.
Hopkins, who was literally ‘sweating buckets’, in his “workout” outfit. Torn and ripped tee-shirt with a pair of baggy black cargo shorts on, his hands, inside of a pair of ‘Everlast’ boxing gloves. He was huffing and puffing like he was almost about to pass the hell out.
“Yes, Juan. I do, I need it badly. I’ve fucked up in some ‘key’ situations that I could’ve capitalized on.” Hopkins agreed, nodding his head to that of needing to train on what got him to where he is.
Ramirez, who played the role as Hopkin’s trainer as well as his mentor, he stood behind the punching bag as he signaled for Hopkins to start the process. Jair punched, you could see the frustration, you could also see the lack of focus and power in his delivery. Juan gave him a stern glare as Jair ‘tirelessly’ punched the bag.
“What the hell is this man? These cheap-ass punches. You’re getting soft on me. This is why Callahan ‘whooped’ your ass!” Ramirez knew he was in the wrong for saying that, but Hopkins was in need of something.
Something was what he delivered, a forceful punch that sent Ramirez back a bit. A smile grew upon his face as he nodded, liking that previous shot.
“Good intensity, keep at it!” He said, trying to inspire Hopkins to do better.
Moments later, he paused, again huffing and puffing.
“Dude, I’m literally burnt. I got no fight in me right now. I’m a day fresh off of that long plane ride back home. I gotta head back out and go again. I’m t-i-r-e-d…” Hopkins stressed.
“I could care less. I travel the road on a daily basis, tired or not. It’s called ‘Hustle’. You need that right now. You need it in your matches. Those same old bullshit maneuvers, people know who you are now. Face and all, you’re the same. Change shit up, homie!” Ramirez said with honest tone of voice as he went back to that disappointed look on his face.
Jair, looked down to the floor, shaking his head, as if he lost the battle.
“I’m tired. I got hustle. I’ve traveled the road. I’ve been damn near all over, without a break. I need a break RIGHT now. Callahan got lucky. I had him. I will have these two dudes coming up. Hell we’ve beat them before…”
That just seemed to piss Juan off even more.
“First, he wasn’t lucky, he beat you. He got lucky against Bailey. You, he just kept it close before taking you out. You never had him. That slick bastard is elusive to bring down. Your attitude right now, it’s unacceptable, home boy. You made it to the big stage, and now you think you’re a hot bowl of shit…”
Juan shook his head.
“No way, Jose!”
It was like a kryptonite punch right to Jair’s ego that seemed to be growing rapidly by the second. Juan knew what was up, but Jair failed to realize it for some reason.
“Juan, I appreciate every word you’ve said but man, I’m really doing things. I’ve worked hard. Let a brotha’ rest, ya’ know what I mean?” Jair asked, pleading for a moment to rest.
Juan just shook his head, denying the request.
“Work till’ you fall the hell out. You need it. You didn’t beat Callahan or had him in your possession anytime in the match. You barely beat your opponents that you have this week the last time you met. Sure, you’ve worked hard but your fundamentals are quite choppy as hell. You need the work.”
Jair, gulping down the words spoken towards him as he isn’t looking well. Juan, who was sipping on a orange soda, Jair, with quick movement, motioned towards Juan with the quickness before smacking the soda out of his hands. The tension between the two had risen to new heights.
“Boy, you done fucked up…” Juan said as the orange soda had splashed and exploded all over his workout gear. Jair smiled.
Not for long though, Juan leaped like a cat, right onto Jair as the two battled with fists. From afar, the trainers working solo quickly came over, breaking up the two as they were evenly heated, especially Jair who had that ‘killer’ glare in his eyes.
“You bitch!” Jair said as Juan held up his fists.
Both men were separated a few feet apart. Juan had a smile on his face as Jair had nothing but a mean mug on his face, a bit of blood on his upper lip, from the quick exchange from the hands of Ramirez.
“It worked though didn’t it? That fire in your eyes, Jair. That’s what you need. You haven’t had that fire lit under your ass.” Juan said, nodding at his ‘work’.
“You busted my lip, damnit!” Jair said as he rubbed his lip to see the showing of blood.
“You deserved it. You messed up with that cheap shot. I paid you back and in the end, it worked. I haven’t seen that fire since week one on your debut.” Juan said as Jair was still bitter as shit.
Juan requested for the ‘holders’ to let him free as his work seemed to be done. Jair was released as he still rubbed his sore, busted lip. They slowly proceeded back to their areas as Ramirez and Hopkins were left staring at each other.
Jair grabbed his towel, wiping his face. Ramirez walked over as he engaged Hopkins into a ‘manly’ hug, smacking him on the back.
“You’re a damn good wrestler, Hopkins. For one with the moniker “Great” attached to him, I want to see you be just that. Great. I know it took me some training. It took me some fights with my trainer. It took me years to progress but I’m finally there with plenty of room to go on.”
Jair nodded his head as his eyes were closed.
“I know you can do the same, even better than I did, probably quicker than I did as well. It’s why I push you. What we just went through, that’s the fire I missed seeing out of you. That angry look, built-up steam. You need that in your arsenal. You need that against guys like Callahan. You said you were dedicating your performance for your partner, you slacked in my opinion.”
Ramirez released as he backed up, looking at his ‘mark’ on Jair’s face.
“Damn, I did cut you up bad. That’s what happens when you box with God. You get fucked up on the instant. Your guard lacks as well, but luckily you aren’t a boxer.”
“It’s no problem, I deserve it. Kinda glad you punched the shit out of me. You brought me back down to size before someone else did.” Jair acknowledged as his head hung low.
Ramirez made Jair follow him up the near-by steps to which led to the medical room. Jair kept messing with that lip.
“You’re with a good core right now. Bailey and now Williams Jr, That’s a youth movement. You need to do your part within that group. They expect better from you. Callahan is beatable, these ‘kids’ coming up, they’re defeatable. You beat them before but they aren’t nowhere near the caliber of you and Bailey. You need to realize that and make use of it.”
The paid nurse came towards both Ramirez and Hopkins as she saw that lip from afar. She immediately looked at Ramirez.
“JUANN!!!” She yelled out.
“…It was a mistake. He was holding the bag, I aimed for the bag but missed and kinda ‘jacked’ him up. Can you fix him up, pretty please?”
Juan with his charm, tried to get the nurse to fall for that excuse but she had that look. She grabbed Jair taking him into the room. Ramirez looked on.
“Remember what I said, Champ!” Juan said before walking off.
In the room, taken care of by the nurse. Jair sat in the chair by the door as the nurse went for her gauss, grabbing along a cue-tip and a small bottle of Peroxide.
“Yeah, I will remember those words, Juan. I realize how ‘big headed’ I quickly became with this sudden amount of success. He knew where I was headed and he quickly put me into place. You know, that little ‘scuffle’, I applaud Ramirez for doing what he did. I deserved it like he said. I’ve not been myself. That man is in great shape and he’s trying to push me into that direction. Tired or not, that hustle, that hunger, that desire. I was lacking it. Sure, I may have been on the road, the jet lag, the autograph signings but that was just “extra”. The work in the ring, the tireless effort, having to build that stamina to continue like some of the greats in APW. They have that stamina, they do not tire easily.”
The nurse continued traveling around the room as she came and began ‘nursing’ that lip. Dipping the cue-tip into the bottle of Peroxide, she placed it on my lip as that shit burned so bad, my lip felt numb for a slight moment. Wanting to jump up, I couldn’t. I had to take the burn, like a true champion.
“Last week, I gave up at the end. Callahan beat me. I hate the motherfucker to a ‘T’ but he beat me. I can’t make any excuses. I tried to ride with inspiration to grab a victory but it didn’t work. I slacked up, plain and simple. Just like what Juan did to me today, I let my guard down, I got fucked up. I can’t let that happen again. I can’t allow to be defeated for a second time in a row. I need to find the constant and stick to it. I need to change shit up as he suggested I do. People have read me like a book. The members of ‘Sons Of the South’, they’ve seen me before. They’re ready for this second duel. They want that victory over the tag champions. They need that to propel them up the ranks. They’re underrated, they’re hungry for success. They want to be considered a threat, not the ‘underdogs’.”
The lady placed the gauss on that part as she plastered it with a band-aid, securing it down onto my lip. The pain faded away as she went over to the sink to wash her hands. Her job was done, just like that.
“Buckson Gooch and Mac Bane, you two were a ‘handful’ when we last met. You made it known that you two ‘Country Boys’ weren’t going down with ease. You brought us nearly to the edge but we put that effort to rest. It was the beginning of this tag team. Plenty of people doubted that we wouldn’t succeed as a team as many seemed to think that I was being under the shadow of Bailey. Critics can be such a fucking pest, but you have to learn to ignore them like flies. Anthony Bailey is not shadowing over me. He’s my brother, he’s been there with me since the start. He helped ‘calm’ these nerves on that very first night in the ring. Now with the new addition of “The Smooth One”, William D. Williams Jr., he’s now our brother. I bet in a few weeks, they’ll be saying J-Hop and Bailey are casting a shadow over Williams Jr. career. It’s just going to be there.”
Jair sighed.
“Sons’, I hope you two are prepared for this storm. I may not be on Meltdown anymore, but I keep an eye on the talent. You two will get there in due time. You two deserve a chance in the light, you get the chance in Saskatoon to own the night. It’s going to be another brawl. We’re going to get down and dirty. It all comes down to who makes the ‘killer mistake’. TDB looks to capitalize on your every move. Get ready!”
