Post by "The Welsh Dragon" Dan White on Feb 25, 2013 10:12:15 GMT -4
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, North America, Northern Hemisphere, THE WORLD
That is where the scene opens up. More specifically, right next to a tree overlooking Reversing Falls, which may or may not have been inspired by a picture with that very description on the Saint John Wikipedia page. It’s a bright, sunny day. We’d say about One in the afternoon, and the traffic isn’t too busy. Perhaps four or five cars per lane at the lights. It’s quite tranquil, which cannot be said for the wrestling promotion that’s just parked itself into town. And the man they’ve recently assigned to their flagship show might just make things a little louder.
The second time the APW audience enjoys the pleasure of witnessing our hero is in the next scene, where “The Welsh Dragon” Dan White is sat in a restaurant on his own, playing with his mobile phone. Wearing jeans, a brown leather jacket and a grey beanie with dreadlocks poking out at the bottom, he doesn’t look like a former World champion, or someone who is about to make their debut in a major wrestling company. He multitasks, keeping one eye on the menu as he scans through the contacts on his phone, finally settling on a number and rings it.
There’s an answer.
Dan White: Now then boyo, how’s it going?
We can hear a voice on the other end of the line, however it’s indecipherable from our location, and so we only hear Dan’s side of the conversation.
Dan White: Aye boy, I touched down about a week ago. Just settling in now. Was in a town called Moncton or something like that in New Brunswick. Just in a place called Saint John now. It’s alright, a bit boring though. Wish there was more to do.
The voice at the end responds, and Dan smirks.
Dan White: Aye well, when you and the twins are able to get over here, we’ll be able to get some proper sessions on the go. It wouldn’t be so bad being in Canada but we’re in the French side, and we all know they can’t handle their beer. Remember that time in Paris where we were doing a pint to Pierre’s quarter? It was great stuff! They didn’t know how to handle us Welsh boys.
The voice on the other end gets louder and assumptively angrier, while Dan just laughs out loud.
Dan White: Haha, I know you’re not Welsh you daft bastard. Even though you are, dad’s from here. So call yourself whatever you want. English, Geordie, you’ve still got some Welsh blood in ya and that’s not a shameful thing to have!
So, it’s established that the person on the other end of the voice is Dan’s brother. And what his involvement in APW might ever be is….well, we don’t yet know. A waitress goes over to Dan’s table, indicating whether or not he wants to make an order. However Dan puts two fingers up to signify that he’s not ready, and continues with his phonecall.
Dan White: So yeah, I’m fighting a guy called Anthony Washington. Calls himself “The Future”, which is cute. I’ve done a bit of research on the chap, he seems to be one of those generic, egotistical “I’m better than everything that ever existed in the history of everyone” kind of tools. He seems a bit like a gangster in a suit.
Another response, and then another laugh from Dan.
Dan White: Yeah, he is black! He’s a “brother”! He’s from Miami so I reckon he’s got a bit of that cocky attitude about him. At least growing up in the pikiest area of Cardiff I was able to learn a few life lessons! I can accept that I’m a bit crap and probably a bit washed up. Can he? I doubt it! I might not have wrestled in a few years but I’ll still teach him a thing or two. I still know how to fight.
Dan’s brother then asks a question that makes the Welsh Dragon furrow his brow.
Dan White: Of course I still know how to wrestle. Anyways what’s the difference? I go out there and give Washington an arse kicking either way. I can wrestle him down or I can fight him down. The only problem might be if I get a bit too carried away fighting him and I end up getting disqualified. But that’s not really the point, is it? Winning isn’t all fun and games, it’s how you present yourself. If I went out there and lost on a disqualification but I’ve destroyed Washington, made an utter mockery of him and made him want to reconsider the direction his life is going in, then I’ve done a good job, haven’t I? I’m pretty much starting from scratch again here. It’s not like all these guys know me as the guy who pretty much carried ACW through its last days. They see me as a guy fast-tracked to the main roster, and they’re thinking “wow, this guy better be impressive if he’s on the big shows already”. Well news flash, I am! I know I am, and you know fine well I am cos I have a better record against you.
A heated response allows Dan to crack a smirk, but he’s quite tense about speaking about his first opponent in an APW arena.
Dan White: Well, you can’t argue with the facts! I believe we’re 3-2 in my favour anyways. We’re definitely going to have to have a match if you manage to get over here. But nah, that’s not much else to say, I don’t think. What was the Cardiff score on Sunday?
A wide smile suggests that Dan got an answer he wanted.
Dan White: Excellent news! We’re Premier League bound and you know it! I saw your result, it wasn’t bad against Southampton! 4-2, eh? Anyways, I’m off cos I’m starving and this waitress is getting pissed off at me not ordering. She probably thinks I’m just in here to get some warmth. It’s fucking cold in this country. Right then, in a bit, later.
Dan hangs up on his brother and leaves his phone on the desk, as the waitress comes over to get the order.
Dan White: Hi, you alright there. Can I get a pint of ale and the scallops, please? They sound a little bit of alright.
The waitress cocks an eyebrow, not fully understanding Dan’s lingo and dialect, but absorbing as much as she could before heading off to the kitchen to hand in the order. Dan looks at the camera, and begins to speak, very much in a manner of breaking the fourth wall.
Dan White: So here I am, two years on and preparing for my first wrestling match in almost thirty months. Give or take a week. It’s felt like a long time. They say that a week is a long time in politics. Well if that’s the truth, then it’s an era, or even an eon, in professional wrestling. And people forget things. People forget people. They forget the significant things. They forget the people that build the foundations for their livelihoods, and they forget the heroes. In the previous promotion I have in, have I mentioned it by the way? Anyways I made a statement once saying that in more recent times, there has been a phenomenon where there appears to be a lack of heroes in professional wrestling. Everything is just a damn flavour of the month before the next coolest thing is in stock and everyone crowds into the store, pushing the smaller kids to the ground and demanding that their mum buys this new toy instead of the bottle of wine she needed just to get through the afternoon. Speaking of which, thank you very much.
An off-the-cuff comment to say, perhaps, until we notice the waitress putting Dan’s pint down next to him. He takes a long sip, that first sip of the day, the one that’s always so gloriously tasty, before continuing.
Dan White: My point being, that like myself and so many of us in the past, we lay down the foundations, only to be forgotten. Now that’s fine. I’m not going to walk into the arena on Thursday and bitchslap everyone who doesn’t cheer me. I’ve given them nothing to cheer about so far, so that’s fine. I can deal with that. However, I do think professional wrestling loses itself out to legacies and loses touch with the very people that brought us to where we are. How many times have you turned on an Indie event, maybe from a company that you know has a decent reputation but is still very much regional, and there’s a guy on the card that twenty years ago was fighting in the biggest arenas on this continent and indeed the world, generating the most money, being on all the tele adverts and talk shows, and was in the same class as A-List Hollywood celebrities? And then he’s there, probably trying to make ends meet by doing local wrestling shows part time in front of maybe four hundred folk tops. This might sound a lot like the plot to The Wrestler but I think it’s very true. Good film as well, should have won more awards at that show thing in Los Angeles. But this business does not lend well to history. You can take a look at the history of APW’s Undisputed Title and it will confirm it. The first three winners apparently are John Green, Kenny Lombardo and “The Icon” Doctor Phate. All good wrestlers in their day, however I am talking about a time just over five years ago. The cream of the crop. The headliners, main eventers, the reason you stayed up late so you could watch their interviews on Jay Leno. And now where are they? Well, you tell me. I don’t have a clue, do I? I’m new here!
He takes another sip of his pint.
Dan White: So yeah, professional wrestling doesn’t lend itself to history. It’s rare that you get it in Hollywood, where a former A-Lister is then earning $500 a week to star in some crappy little television film because that’s the only break he’s gonna get. It happens, but it’s rare. In the music industry it’s even rarer, because if you were ever considered one of the biggest artists or bands in the world, then you’re gonna have a big enough following to constantly have a cash flow with royalties, and have enough fans to tour because people are going to want to hear your old stuff live, even if you’re a bit washed up and you’re creating terrible album after terrible album nowadays. It’s the other way around in wrestling. Rare is it, for a man to be so popular in the ring and be able to stay on top of his game without falling down the ranks. And that’s because there’s a flavour of the month. You can listen to the same album over and over again and you can watch your favourite film all the time, go to the pictures and watch it until you’ve run out of pocket money. But how many times did you go to a wrestling event to see your favourite wrestler? And how many times was it the same wrestler? I bet you it’s a very small number indeed.
As I said, a week can be considered an era in wrestling terms. That’s why you have to do everything you can to stay on top of your game and stay relevant. Me, I’ve said it a few times now but I’m two years out of wrestling. That makes me as irrelevant as a roast dinner on a Monday. Maybe I’m like those faded stars I was mentioning, though. Like them, I had the urge to come back to pro wrestling and seek out whatever was in the back of my head that claimed I had unfinished business in this sport. I’m not sure what it was, but it’s the reason I made some phonecalls and I’m here, in Canada, in a small city I’ve never heard about before, about to make my APW debut. I don’t know why I had the urge. I was doing fine in the journalism business, but I just did. I wanted back in the ring, but at least I’m doing it at the age of 32. Most wrestlers would strive to be able to retire before they’re 30, and I have the pleasure at coming out of retirement while I still feel like I’m at my peak. If others can last the test of time then I’m sure I can. Forget those fans that don’t know me, to those that do, I’m pretty sure you have not seen the best of me!,/color]
He takes another drink of his pint, a large gulp this time to satisfy his thirst.
Dan White: And the point of all this? I’m sure you’re probably thinking that I sound like I’m 20 years older than I really am, rambling about a subject that has nothing to do with me. But it does. And it has something to do with you guys as well. You see, on Thursday I fight a guy called Antony Washington. But what’s interesting about him is that he regards himself as “The Future”. And I don’t know about you but that interests me a lot. I watched his match last week and I’ve seen some of his stuff and yeah, he’s not bad at all. I’ve seen worse, and I’ve seen better. But to call yourself “The Future” is going to cause you a lot of problems in the future, boyo. And why? Because you’ll get to that realisation one day that you’re no longer the future, but the past. As long as you believe you can stay relevant and compete against your contemporaries, you’ll be fine. But with a nickname like that….well boy, you’re just asking for a lot of trouble. And you’ll be asking a lot more as well, specifically questions about yourself. When you’re walking around calling yourself Antony “The Past” Washington, how do you think you’re going to feel? I think I can tell you that it ain’t gonna be a good feeling. I’ve already been there, done that, banged the questionably attractive ring announcer and bought the t-shirt and I can tell you that it’s a tough business, but it’s even tougher if you go out of your way, intentionally or not, to shoot yourself in the foot.
Another sip
Dan White: And you’re arrogant. I said that just then on the phone to my brother and you know that because you watched it happen on this very camera here that seems to like following me into seafood restaurants. But you are and when you’re young that’s a good thing. But I noticed that you played off this quite a lot in your last week at Meltdown. And then BAM! Shot yourself in the foot again. See, where you went wrong was by disregarding your unbeaten streak as a minor achievement and focus on championships. Then you go to Overdrive and you lose your first match within APW. I’d say this was a big mistake. You’re young, and arrogant, and the last thing you would have wanted to do is forget about your early success. I’m not saying flaunt it at all, I’m just saying that remembering that you have momentum would have been preferable to your match. Instead, you went out there like you had some imaginary chip on your shoulder and it cost you the match. You were pretty bad against that Michael Lively, it was like you never bothered to turn up. Not a great start to Overdrive with all those people, including your bosses watching, is it?
You also decided to say some pretty stupid things on your last visit to Meltdown. Things like people buying tickets to come and see you. Come off it, don’t be daft. Of course they’re not. They’re here to see Terry Marvin, Level One and all the other main eventers. There’s a reason we’re second on the card, and not main eventing, and with an attitude like that I think you’ll be waiting a long time before people are queuing up to see “Mr. Washington” wrestle a match. I know that feeling and I apologise for going back to my past, but unlike you, I have main evented Pay Per Views, with my name in lights and people paying to see me. Perhaps some were baying for my blood and others were eager to see me lose, but they were still there to see me wrestle. Arrogance is always a good trait to have in this industry because mind games are important, they really are. You need to believe that you’re better than your opponent and you need to make them believe they’re not as good as you. But when you rub people the wrong way and they think you’re some cocky little shit who can’t back up what he’s saying, then you’re going to made a fool of, boy.
Another sip, as Dan looks around, almost to wonder where the hell his food is.
Dan White: As for our match? Well I’m going to be rusty, so you’re going to get a few shots at a former World champion. That’ll feel good for you. You’ll hit a few moves, there’s no doubt about that. I did notice one of your finishers is a kick to the head of an opponent. Well snap! Who would believe it, I’ve been using that move for years! So maybe when you’re sat there, decked out on the ground and I’m charging towards you, you’ll be able to take some notes about how to really execute a kick, before I cave your daft little head in and win the match. Or maybe I’ll use the Stunt Bomb. Or maybe the Armbar. It’s funny how over the years I’ve been so many shapes and sizes that I’m pretty much ready for any opponent, and it’s kind of the APW to give me some talkative little gobshite to throw about in our match. As I said, I’ll be rusty, but I’ll enjoy getting back into the swing of things. I absolutely promise that it will be nothing more than a sparring match. So Washington, please take note, because you’re in for a hell of a beating! And that, my friend, is a right….
A quick final chug of his drink to finish the contents, and Dan grins largely as he puts the empty glass down, looking down the camera.
Dan White: Touch……waitress, another pint please love.
Fade to black…
That is where the scene opens up. More specifically, right next to a tree overlooking Reversing Falls, which may or may not have been inspired by a picture with that very description on the Saint John Wikipedia page. It’s a bright, sunny day. We’d say about One in the afternoon, and the traffic isn’t too busy. Perhaps four or five cars per lane at the lights. It’s quite tranquil, which cannot be said for the wrestling promotion that’s just parked itself into town. And the man they’ve recently assigned to their flagship show might just make things a little louder.
The second time the APW audience enjoys the pleasure of witnessing our hero is in the next scene, where “The Welsh Dragon” Dan White is sat in a restaurant on his own, playing with his mobile phone. Wearing jeans, a brown leather jacket and a grey beanie with dreadlocks poking out at the bottom, he doesn’t look like a former World champion, or someone who is about to make their debut in a major wrestling company. He multitasks, keeping one eye on the menu as he scans through the contacts on his phone, finally settling on a number and rings it.
There’s an answer.
Dan White: Now then boyo, how’s it going?
We can hear a voice on the other end of the line, however it’s indecipherable from our location, and so we only hear Dan’s side of the conversation.
Dan White: Aye boy, I touched down about a week ago. Just settling in now. Was in a town called Moncton or something like that in New Brunswick. Just in a place called Saint John now. It’s alright, a bit boring though. Wish there was more to do.
The voice at the end responds, and Dan smirks.
Dan White: Aye well, when you and the twins are able to get over here, we’ll be able to get some proper sessions on the go. It wouldn’t be so bad being in Canada but we’re in the French side, and we all know they can’t handle their beer. Remember that time in Paris where we were doing a pint to Pierre’s quarter? It was great stuff! They didn’t know how to handle us Welsh boys.
The voice on the other end gets louder and assumptively angrier, while Dan just laughs out loud.
Dan White: Haha, I know you’re not Welsh you daft bastard. Even though you are, dad’s from here. So call yourself whatever you want. English, Geordie, you’ve still got some Welsh blood in ya and that’s not a shameful thing to have!
So, it’s established that the person on the other end of the voice is Dan’s brother. And what his involvement in APW might ever be is….well, we don’t yet know. A waitress goes over to Dan’s table, indicating whether or not he wants to make an order. However Dan puts two fingers up to signify that he’s not ready, and continues with his phonecall.
Dan White: So yeah, I’m fighting a guy called Anthony Washington. Calls himself “The Future”, which is cute. I’ve done a bit of research on the chap, he seems to be one of those generic, egotistical “I’m better than everything that ever existed in the history of everyone” kind of tools. He seems a bit like a gangster in a suit.
Another response, and then another laugh from Dan.
Dan White: Yeah, he is black! He’s a “brother”! He’s from Miami so I reckon he’s got a bit of that cocky attitude about him. At least growing up in the pikiest area of Cardiff I was able to learn a few life lessons! I can accept that I’m a bit crap and probably a bit washed up. Can he? I doubt it! I might not have wrestled in a few years but I’ll still teach him a thing or two. I still know how to fight.
Dan’s brother then asks a question that makes the Welsh Dragon furrow his brow.
Dan White: Of course I still know how to wrestle. Anyways what’s the difference? I go out there and give Washington an arse kicking either way. I can wrestle him down or I can fight him down. The only problem might be if I get a bit too carried away fighting him and I end up getting disqualified. But that’s not really the point, is it? Winning isn’t all fun and games, it’s how you present yourself. If I went out there and lost on a disqualification but I’ve destroyed Washington, made an utter mockery of him and made him want to reconsider the direction his life is going in, then I’ve done a good job, haven’t I? I’m pretty much starting from scratch again here. It’s not like all these guys know me as the guy who pretty much carried ACW through its last days. They see me as a guy fast-tracked to the main roster, and they’re thinking “wow, this guy better be impressive if he’s on the big shows already”. Well news flash, I am! I know I am, and you know fine well I am cos I have a better record against you.
A heated response allows Dan to crack a smirk, but he’s quite tense about speaking about his first opponent in an APW arena.
Dan White: Well, you can’t argue with the facts! I believe we’re 3-2 in my favour anyways. We’re definitely going to have to have a match if you manage to get over here. But nah, that’s not much else to say, I don’t think. What was the Cardiff score on Sunday?
A wide smile suggests that Dan got an answer he wanted.
Dan White: Excellent news! We’re Premier League bound and you know it! I saw your result, it wasn’t bad against Southampton! 4-2, eh? Anyways, I’m off cos I’m starving and this waitress is getting pissed off at me not ordering. She probably thinks I’m just in here to get some warmth. It’s fucking cold in this country. Right then, in a bit, later.
Dan hangs up on his brother and leaves his phone on the desk, as the waitress comes over to get the order.
Dan White: Hi, you alright there. Can I get a pint of ale and the scallops, please? They sound a little bit of alright.
The waitress cocks an eyebrow, not fully understanding Dan’s lingo and dialect, but absorbing as much as she could before heading off to the kitchen to hand in the order. Dan looks at the camera, and begins to speak, very much in a manner of breaking the fourth wall.
Dan White: So here I am, two years on and preparing for my first wrestling match in almost thirty months. Give or take a week. It’s felt like a long time. They say that a week is a long time in politics. Well if that’s the truth, then it’s an era, or even an eon, in professional wrestling. And people forget things. People forget people. They forget the significant things. They forget the people that build the foundations for their livelihoods, and they forget the heroes. In the previous promotion I have in, have I mentioned it by the way? Anyways I made a statement once saying that in more recent times, there has been a phenomenon where there appears to be a lack of heroes in professional wrestling. Everything is just a damn flavour of the month before the next coolest thing is in stock and everyone crowds into the store, pushing the smaller kids to the ground and demanding that their mum buys this new toy instead of the bottle of wine she needed just to get through the afternoon. Speaking of which, thank you very much.
An off-the-cuff comment to say, perhaps, until we notice the waitress putting Dan’s pint down next to him. He takes a long sip, that first sip of the day, the one that’s always so gloriously tasty, before continuing.
Dan White: My point being, that like myself and so many of us in the past, we lay down the foundations, only to be forgotten. Now that’s fine. I’m not going to walk into the arena on Thursday and bitchslap everyone who doesn’t cheer me. I’ve given them nothing to cheer about so far, so that’s fine. I can deal with that. However, I do think professional wrestling loses itself out to legacies and loses touch with the very people that brought us to where we are. How many times have you turned on an Indie event, maybe from a company that you know has a decent reputation but is still very much regional, and there’s a guy on the card that twenty years ago was fighting in the biggest arenas on this continent and indeed the world, generating the most money, being on all the tele adverts and talk shows, and was in the same class as A-List Hollywood celebrities? And then he’s there, probably trying to make ends meet by doing local wrestling shows part time in front of maybe four hundred folk tops. This might sound a lot like the plot to The Wrestler but I think it’s very true. Good film as well, should have won more awards at that show thing in Los Angeles. But this business does not lend well to history. You can take a look at the history of APW’s Undisputed Title and it will confirm it. The first three winners apparently are John Green, Kenny Lombardo and “The Icon” Doctor Phate. All good wrestlers in their day, however I am talking about a time just over five years ago. The cream of the crop. The headliners, main eventers, the reason you stayed up late so you could watch their interviews on Jay Leno. And now where are they? Well, you tell me. I don’t have a clue, do I? I’m new here!
He takes another sip of his pint.
Dan White: So yeah, professional wrestling doesn’t lend itself to history. It’s rare that you get it in Hollywood, where a former A-Lister is then earning $500 a week to star in some crappy little television film because that’s the only break he’s gonna get. It happens, but it’s rare. In the music industry it’s even rarer, because if you were ever considered one of the biggest artists or bands in the world, then you’re gonna have a big enough following to constantly have a cash flow with royalties, and have enough fans to tour because people are going to want to hear your old stuff live, even if you’re a bit washed up and you’re creating terrible album after terrible album nowadays. It’s the other way around in wrestling. Rare is it, for a man to be so popular in the ring and be able to stay on top of his game without falling down the ranks. And that’s because there’s a flavour of the month. You can listen to the same album over and over again and you can watch your favourite film all the time, go to the pictures and watch it until you’ve run out of pocket money. But how many times did you go to a wrestling event to see your favourite wrestler? And how many times was it the same wrestler? I bet you it’s a very small number indeed.
As I said, a week can be considered an era in wrestling terms. That’s why you have to do everything you can to stay on top of your game and stay relevant. Me, I’ve said it a few times now but I’m two years out of wrestling. That makes me as irrelevant as a roast dinner on a Monday. Maybe I’m like those faded stars I was mentioning, though. Like them, I had the urge to come back to pro wrestling and seek out whatever was in the back of my head that claimed I had unfinished business in this sport. I’m not sure what it was, but it’s the reason I made some phonecalls and I’m here, in Canada, in a small city I’ve never heard about before, about to make my APW debut. I don’t know why I had the urge. I was doing fine in the journalism business, but I just did. I wanted back in the ring, but at least I’m doing it at the age of 32. Most wrestlers would strive to be able to retire before they’re 30, and I have the pleasure at coming out of retirement while I still feel like I’m at my peak. If others can last the test of time then I’m sure I can. Forget those fans that don’t know me, to those that do, I’m pretty sure you have not seen the best of me!,/color]
He takes another drink of his pint, a large gulp this time to satisfy his thirst.
Dan White: And the point of all this? I’m sure you’re probably thinking that I sound like I’m 20 years older than I really am, rambling about a subject that has nothing to do with me. But it does. And it has something to do with you guys as well. You see, on Thursday I fight a guy called Antony Washington. But what’s interesting about him is that he regards himself as “The Future”. And I don’t know about you but that interests me a lot. I watched his match last week and I’ve seen some of his stuff and yeah, he’s not bad at all. I’ve seen worse, and I’ve seen better. But to call yourself “The Future” is going to cause you a lot of problems in the future, boyo. And why? Because you’ll get to that realisation one day that you’re no longer the future, but the past. As long as you believe you can stay relevant and compete against your contemporaries, you’ll be fine. But with a nickname like that….well boy, you’re just asking for a lot of trouble. And you’ll be asking a lot more as well, specifically questions about yourself. When you’re walking around calling yourself Antony “The Past” Washington, how do you think you’re going to feel? I think I can tell you that it ain’t gonna be a good feeling. I’ve already been there, done that, banged the questionably attractive ring announcer and bought the t-shirt and I can tell you that it’s a tough business, but it’s even tougher if you go out of your way, intentionally or not, to shoot yourself in the foot.
Another sip
Dan White: And you’re arrogant. I said that just then on the phone to my brother and you know that because you watched it happen on this very camera here that seems to like following me into seafood restaurants. But you are and when you’re young that’s a good thing. But I noticed that you played off this quite a lot in your last week at Meltdown. And then BAM! Shot yourself in the foot again. See, where you went wrong was by disregarding your unbeaten streak as a minor achievement and focus on championships. Then you go to Overdrive and you lose your first match within APW. I’d say this was a big mistake. You’re young, and arrogant, and the last thing you would have wanted to do is forget about your early success. I’m not saying flaunt it at all, I’m just saying that remembering that you have momentum would have been preferable to your match. Instead, you went out there like you had some imaginary chip on your shoulder and it cost you the match. You were pretty bad against that Michael Lively, it was like you never bothered to turn up. Not a great start to Overdrive with all those people, including your bosses watching, is it?
You also decided to say some pretty stupid things on your last visit to Meltdown. Things like people buying tickets to come and see you. Come off it, don’t be daft. Of course they’re not. They’re here to see Terry Marvin, Level One and all the other main eventers. There’s a reason we’re second on the card, and not main eventing, and with an attitude like that I think you’ll be waiting a long time before people are queuing up to see “Mr. Washington” wrestle a match. I know that feeling and I apologise for going back to my past, but unlike you, I have main evented Pay Per Views, with my name in lights and people paying to see me. Perhaps some were baying for my blood and others were eager to see me lose, but they were still there to see me wrestle. Arrogance is always a good trait to have in this industry because mind games are important, they really are. You need to believe that you’re better than your opponent and you need to make them believe they’re not as good as you. But when you rub people the wrong way and they think you’re some cocky little shit who can’t back up what he’s saying, then you’re going to made a fool of, boy.
Another sip, as Dan looks around, almost to wonder where the hell his food is.
Dan White: As for our match? Well I’m going to be rusty, so you’re going to get a few shots at a former World champion. That’ll feel good for you. You’ll hit a few moves, there’s no doubt about that. I did notice one of your finishers is a kick to the head of an opponent. Well snap! Who would believe it, I’ve been using that move for years! So maybe when you’re sat there, decked out on the ground and I’m charging towards you, you’ll be able to take some notes about how to really execute a kick, before I cave your daft little head in and win the match. Or maybe I’ll use the Stunt Bomb. Or maybe the Armbar. It’s funny how over the years I’ve been so many shapes and sizes that I’m pretty much ready for any opponent, and it’s kind of the APW to give me some talkative little gobshite to throw about in our match. As I said, I’ll be rusty, but I’ll enjoy getting back into the swing of things. I absolutely promise that it will be nothing more than a sparring match. So Washington, please take note, because you’re in for a hell of a beating! And that, my friend, is a right….
A quick final chug of his drink to finish the contents, and Dan grins largely as he puts the empty glass down, looking down the camera.
Dan White: Touch……waitress, another pint please love.
Fade to black…
