Countdown to Rasslemania #1: One Way to Lose

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Keaton Saint in...
Countdown to Rasslemania #2: One Way to Lose

Contract - Round Two

To the untrained eye, Keaton Saint's second contract renewal meeting seemed more friendly and laid-back than the first. There was a readily available selection of beverages and the bowl of Twiglets placed directly in the centre of the table made things look even more friendly, for many people this would be a sign that the meeting was nothing more than a formality and that the deal was essentially done. To Keaton, it was a statement of intent. Losing on Asylum with TJ had created a domino effect that connected to the exact moment in time he was currently residing in. That loss and that underwhelming performance that had spread to the wrestling fanbase throughout the world had enabled the APW contract renewal team to play their cards openly.

For them, this really was a formality now. For them, Keaton Saint was more malleable than ever and that meant he had to sign the generous terms that were on offer. For Saint, it was just another round of negotiations.

TJ taking the pin wasn't important to these proceedings, what mattered was that Keaton was in an even more precarious position than a couple of weeks back and for all his promises of doing something big, it had been a big thing in the wrong way. TJ took the pin but the collective unit lost, the Pillars weren't holding up to the standards that had been set and now things were beginning to look grim for the Patron Saint of wrestling.

"Read them." The nameless advisor had spoken, Keaton knew his name had been mentioned but he had been too focused on other matters. "I'm sure you'll find these terms exceed the average."

"I've read enough bad news over the last couple of weeks." Keaton replied, a stern expression on his face failed to alleviate his own thoughts about Sally Talfourd's departure and his most recent match on Asylum.

"There's nothing negative about those terms, I can assure you." Nameless spoke again in a manner that betrayed nothing about his genuine thoughts on the contract terms. "But what you're asking for cannot be offered in good faith unless you are able to prove that you are capable of taking the responsibility on board."

"Are you having a giggle?" Keaton let out just a little too much of his London upbringing into the equation.

"I am deadly serious about my work." Nameless wasn't phased in the slightest.

"So what I've asked for isn't in this contract?" Keaton asked.

"We cannot grant it." Nameless began to answer. "As I've said--"

"--So they're not in." Keaton interrupted. "You get Terry Marvin pulling a ruse on the entire wrestling world just so he can get a cheap shot in, but when I try and push forward the truth that I have no intention of being here JUST to earn a wage I get thrown out for it."

"It's not as blunt as you would believe." Nameless remained diplomatic in spite of Keaton's accusation.

"As far as I'm concerned it is, but no worries." Keaton smirked. "I've got Bailey and Callahan to face, maybe then we can revisit this properly."

"You do understand that if you fail--"

"--I know what I'm gambling here." Keaton interjected. "I understand what I'm putting on the line."

"Perhaps you're trying to play the odds too much." Nameless offered their thoughts on the situation.

"I might be, but that's my decision." Keaton sighed. "We're on a countdown to Rasslemania after all and what people expect when that reaches zero is an explosion. I intend to be that explosion."

"Big words." Nameless mused.

"Maybe you'll have the contract to back it up when I prove it's the right thing to leave me in control of my destiny." Keaton reaffirmed his stance.

"You won't get terms as good as this anywhere else."

"This isn't about the money, I just want to be sure I won't become a benchwarmer." Keaton sighed. "I am a wrestler, I'm not here for some holiday trek across the world. I'm here to face the best wrestlers in the sport and see how I compare. I do that because I've had the control and the ability to do it for years."

"And if you're not offered that in this contract?" Nameless enquired.

"If I can't get it, then I'm out." Keaton looked to the ceiling. "I don't want to believe that my time is up but if it is, I'll have to accept it."

"I'll keep you noted as a maybe then." Nameless maintained some positivity.

"Maybe, maybe not." Keaton responded.

==========

Four, Three, Two, One...

One, two, three, four.

Four, three, two, one.

I've been thinking about a lot of things these past couple of weeks, whether to count up or down from those numbers was a small thought that was eventually resolved. We're on the Countdown to Rasslemania so a count down makes more sense to me and when I'm done, you'll understand just where I'm coming from.

Before we get to that I want to get something off my chest about the Pillars vs the Dying Breed on the Asylum show just past. Sometimes the scope of an occasion really does get ingrained into the psyche of all involved, I've been in title matches and massive events like Survive and Conquer and I've never personally let the scope of a match like that get into my skin before. I've kept myself to a concept of never failing to live up to whatever the hype is and as far as that match went, I failed to keep to it. TJ may have been pinned but the failing is on my shoulders as well, I'm the one who wasn't prepared to save him from the three count. But I do know that TJ is a wrestler and a person who will bounce back from that defeat stronger than ever, there's a limit to what I can do in the ring but with him the sky is the limit. As far as Williams and Hopkins go, I don't think I've ever seen a clothesline take down a man of TJ's size and strength in a very long time and I have to commend that. I've replayed the scene in my head and on the tape, I didn't think it could be done but it was and right now you two are akin to the guy from Magic's Greatest Secrets because everyone wants to know exactly how you did it.

So I will commend the fact that on the night you went out there and sealed the victory on a champion, I will commend the fact that you both went out and delivered. I'll commend that but I'll have to say one thing with it, the scope of that match and the hype of it was something I failed to live up to and you didn't get the best of me as a result. That doesn't take away from your victory but I'm going to be the first in the queue to say I want to face you again. Maybe without the hype and the scope surrounding it the wrestling will take the centre-stage and it will be the BEST on Asylum. This isn't about bouncing back, this is about giving you two and the fans the match they paid to see. As a wrestler I am compelled by the desire to face those who can take me to my limits, let's see how far we all can go in the ring.

Four ways to win, I've got four ways to prove myself in this match against some of the best competition I've been given the chance to test myself against. A triple threat match is always a tricky beast to navigate, but for those that can work within the confines of the match there is nothing but victory on the horizon. A victory that I sorely need to prove that I am still a capable and competitive wrestler in APW. Getting the pin would show that I have what it takes in the most basic and perhaps most eloquent way. There's nothing wrong with being able to say that you got the pin on someone and it stands the test of time as a victory, but that's not the only way forward. Making someone tap out would push this even further, a pinfall is a couple of seconds but to make someone tap out leaves a lasting impression. I'm going into the match looking for a sign of dominance and what better way than to make someone submit to my will and the Keaton Clutch. The third way is related to a submission, I make someone pass out and when they wake up they come to realise that the match and the result of it just passed them by. It's hard to deal with the world moving on while you were sleeping and maybe that's the best way to assert myself here, to make someone sleep. Finally, I could take a page from TJ's book and knock someone out, it might serve as a nod to him but it would be all my own. I'm not big on booting people but I'm well-versed in dropping them on their head, from what I've heard it makes a deafening thud. Four ways to win, but what matters is that I do win because once you count down to three you realise that what I've been sorely missing.

Three, there have been three Asylum shows in 2013 and when you look at what I've done in them it doesn't add up to much. A victory with TJ against a team who nobody expected to be a cohesive unit, a loss with TJ against a team everybody knew was a cohesive unit and a loss on my own against Shane Borderland, a man who recently had a shot at competing for the most important title on Asylum and a shot that could have been mine had things played out a little differently. You take all three of those results and you realise that the biggest thing I've done this year on Asylum is be responsible for a popcorn overload in Vancouver. As far as I'm concerned, that's not good enough. The whole reason I applied myself as a Pillar was because it was a conscious effort to lift the quality of wrestling as a whole, a standard of quality and excellence that I'm failing to meet right now. That has to change, and with the opponents I have a chance to face on Asylum this week that change is gonna come. All it takes for now is to count down to two.

Two opponents, both with credentials and capabilities in the ring that exceed your regular wrestler. On one side you have Anthony Bailey, a former World Heavyweight, Tap Out and Tag Team champion. That's a lot of formers to list but what Bailey is right now is what matters here, right now he's an opponent, right now he's a threat and right now he's a benchmark for what it takes to become one of the absolute best wrestlers on the roster. Stick someone like Anthony Bailey in a match and the interest in it goes up tenfold, it's why he's one of the last of a Dying Breed and why I'm recognising just how important it is to overcome his challenge. On the other side we have Michael Callahan, the contender to the World Heavyweight championship and the man who could be champion by Rasslemania. The immediate future for Callahan is already set, we all know that much. The interesting point here is that for Callahan he might be walking around like a king without a crown, perhaps that's too regal a metaphor but you get the picture. Callahan is already set, Bailey already has the record to prove he has been to the top and I'm left with a decision of how to approach them both. Two opponents, two opposing forces and as we finally make it to number one we can all see that there's only one way to approach a challenge like this.

One way to lose, despite there being different methods of taking a loss there is only one way to lose and that is to accept it. For all of his size and strength, TJ got pinned because of a move that nobody expected would take him down and whilst that will remain as a feather in the caps of Williams and Hopkins, it serves as a reminder that anything has the potential to take you off your feet. Somewhere in his mind, TJ accepted that loss before he was pinned. That's what I refuse to do when facing Bailey and Callahan, they'll be the same way but I have every belief that my strength of will is stronger and more prevalent than both of yours put together. I'm not going into this match with a title match at Rasslemania on the horizon nor am I a former World Heavyweight champion who still has the merit and the history to regain his stance. I'm Keaton Saint, I'm a man without a distinct path going out of this match unless I win it. Callahan has Rasslemania, Bailey has the future but I have nothing unless I march towards it. There's only one way to lose this match and that is to accept a loss, I refuse to back down and I sure as hell won't give in. This is the sort of opportunity I've been clamouring for and there is no way I'm going to give in or give up, I have to give you everything I have on Asylum or I get nothing. And when you count down to zero you know that nobody in this sport wants to be left as nothing. I can't let that happen to me.

Four ways to win, one way to lose. Once you look at the match in that way you begin to see that the odds are in my favour. You're both going to get the kind of Keaton Saint that doesn't lose matches to Shane Borderland or the Dying Breed, you're going to get the Keaton Saint that the fans of Calgary, Alberta, Canada demand to see in the ring. They want a wrestler, I am the Patron Saint of this sport.

I'm going to pilfer a line from CJ Gates and say this about going big or going home. I'm a LONG long way away from home so my options are go big, go bigger or go biggest. The only difference is how the both of you will match up against it.

Four corners to the ring and three hungry competitors. Two of which will fall because there's only one way to find out who has the extra factor that takes them above and beyond the rest.

It's time to slay some dragons.