Post by A.C. Smith on Apr 10, 2013 13:01:13 GMT -4
Our scene opens today not in the hustle and bustle of New York City, but in a spot of the United States that's pretty much the very antithesis of that. Instead, we see the famed Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, site of the annual Masters tournament.
The famed Bobby Jones layout is in all its glory, as it always seems to be in early-spring when the best golfers in the world descend upon the Peach State. The azaleas and other flowers are in full bloom, the trees have their leaves back after the cold winter, and we can almost smell the famed $1.50 pimento-and-cheese sandwiches and $2.50 barbecue sandwiches, both of which rank as some of the best values in the culinary universe.
The sun is slowly rising over the horizon, and we see a crowd of people jammed next to one another outside a closed metal gate. It's the Monday before the tournament, which means the Masters participants will be playing their practice rounds this morning in preparation for the four most grueling days of golf they'll see all year long. It's a crucial day, and fans are eager to see how the pros react to Augusta's lightning-fast greens and tense atmosphere.
In the crowd, we see three faces that just don't seem to fit in with the largely-aristocratic crowd. Towering over most of the fans in the vicinity is the APW Xtreme Champion, the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith. Bobby the Bavarian Man-Bitch is to his left, and Stevie the Slovakian Slobberknocker stands to his right, all three wearing short-sleeved polo shirts and dress pants. Bobby looks extremely uncomfortable, and we see him turn to Smith.
Bobby (whispering): “I never liked golf. 'Hey, let's all get dressed up and look like idiots trying to hit a little ball that doesn't move.' Why are we here, anyway?”
Smith shakes his head, responding in a soft, but firm, tone.
A.C.: “Because the Masters is a tradition unlike any other, Bobby. There are a ton of sports fans who would KILL to be where we are right now. I've always wanted to see Augusta, and trust me, you guys will enjoy it, too.”
Stevie: “Plus, those seafoam pants look REALLY good on you.”
Stevie snickers, and Bobby shoots him a look that would melt steel.
A.C.: “OK, boys, remember that once you get through these gates, there's no running. You conduct yourselves with discipline, with respect for the people you're fighting for spots, with respect for everything around you. We clear?”
Bobby: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I still don't understand why we're here. Shouldn't you be preparing for your match against Dan White at Overdrive Thursday?”
Smith looks at Bobby with a sideways glance as he tilts his head in confusion.
A.C.: “Who says I'm not?”
Suddenly, a disembodied, Southern-drawled voice comes over a nearby loudspeaker to address the throng.
Voice: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the practice round for the 2013 Masters tournament. Guards, open the gates.”
We see people get on their toes in anticipation, and after a few moments, the gates pull apart, setting in motion the most orderly stampede you'll ever see. True to Smith's word, nobody runs, instead “race-walking” to their desired viewing spots on the course.
We see that A.C., Bobby, and Stevie are all carrying lawn chairs over their shoulders, and after a few moments, we see Smith motioning that they've found the spot to stop at. It's a familiar one to golf fans around the world, and as the trio sets up the chairs, even Bobby, the golf cynic, pauses to admire the scenery.
This is the 12th hole at Augusta, christened “Golden Bell” for the forsynthias around the green. It's one of the most famous par-three holes in golf, a 155-yard downhill tee shot over Rae's Creek and the bridge named after golf legend Ben Hogan. The green, which slopes ever so slightly down towards the water hazard, is also guarded by bunkers and trees behind it, obstacles that have devoured plenty of hopes and dreams in the past.
Smith sits down, as do his compadres, and the scene looks more like a post card than like anything you'd see on a golf course. A.C. reaches out with his long arms, opening a small red cooler and pulling out a can of Michelob Ultra. He takes a sip, puts the aluminum container in a cup holder on his chair's right arm, and turns to Bobby with a knowing, “I told you so” smile on his face.
A.C.: “Satisfied, Bobby?”
Bobby: “Maybe I WOULD be if you'd offered me a beer!”
Smith chuckles, and Stevie goes to the cooler, tossing Bobby a beer and keeping one for himself. A few seconds of silence come next, and the three soak everything in even as a small crowd of people forms around them for the same reasons A.C. and his buddies settled in at that spot.
Stevie: “So call me curious. But how, exactly, does doing this, as fun as it may be, prepare you for your match at Overdrive Thursday night in Costa Rica against Dan White?”
A.C.: “Remember the shpiel I talked about before the gates opened? About discipline, about respect, about keeping your dignity because that's just the way you're supposed to act when you want to be successful?”
Stevie: “Sure.”
A.C.: “Well, aside from the whole, 'Augusta National is a cathedral of golf and sports as a whole,' thing, that's the reason we're here. I've gone by that mantra my entire life, of being respectful and conducting myself one particular way, so I'm a natural fit here.
All of the golfers that have won here and worn those green jackets have one thing in common. They've all been level-headed, with respect for the game and those around them. Much like me, though, even with the respect they may have for their fellow competitors, they know that when push comes to shove, they have to stomp on their opponents' necks and capitalize on their mistakes to get where they want to go.
On the surface, professional wrestling and professional golf couldn't be more different. But from a mental standpoint, the most important viewpoint from an analytical perspective, they couldn't be more similar. And that...THAT'S why we're here, to study the way champions prepare so I can apply it to my match with Dan White Thursday night.”
It's clear Stevie wasn't prepared for such an insightful answer. Yet again, he's almost used to Smith being smarter and one step ahead, so he nods with his eyebrows slightly up his forehead and brings his frothy beverage to his lips for a sip.
Bobby: “So you saw White's match with Legion last week. Brutal stuff.”
A.C.: “Sure. It's obvious Dan White's earned this opportunity. I've faced Legion before, and he's no pushover. White wanted a shot at my title, saw he had to go through Legion to get it, and that's what he did. I have respect for that; actually earning a chance at a title beats the hell out of someone pissing and moaning that they never got a chance. Lord knows I've had way too much experience with people like THAT lately.”
Smith rolls his eyes at the reference to his battles with Michael Lively and Buckson Gooch.
A.C.: “Nobody can say Dan White hasn't earned the chance he's getting Thursday night. The problem he has is that he needs to appeal to other strengths than the ones he used last week. He won the title shot because he was more ruthless than Legion was. That's not an insult, that's an accurate statement.
The problem is, these past few months, NOBODY has been more ruthless in defending a championship than the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith. There's a reason I've fended off guys like Nick Watson, Michael Lively, Buckson Gooch, and Delikado, guys who have done WAY more around here than Dan White has. It's because nobody relishes the role of being the APW Xtreme Champion more than me.
I take great pride in what I've been able to do since winning the title in December just before Christmas Chaos. A lot of really accomplished wrestlers have tried to take it from me in the three and a half months since then, and they've all failed. I know Dan White wants nothing more than to take my title this Thursday night and make his mark here in APW, and that's all well and good...but don't you guys think Watson, Lively, Gooch, and Delikado all felt the same way before realizing I was the better man?”
Smith pauses.
A.C.: “Mentally, I feel like I'm in a great place right now. I know exactly what I'm capable of doing, and I've been on one heck of a run lately. Dan White had a really nice win last week, and I'm not trying to take anything away from him in that regard. However, he's biting off a lot more than he's shown he can chew this week, and if he thinks otherwise, he's in for a VERY rude awakening.”
Bobby: “Here's what I don't get about Dan White. He's been given a big opportunity, obviously. But last week, before his match with Legion, it's almost like he was indifferent, I guess, to the whole Xtreme Championship idea.”
Smith nods, conceding that Bobby has made a rare valid point.
A.C.: “It's almost like he insulted the kind of matches I'd been involved in, now that you mention it. He outright said that he'd consider the title a means to an end, a way to get himself more money. It's all fine and good to have your own motivation for doing things, I guess, but that's exactly the WRONG way to approach a match against a champion so proud to hold a particular belt.
I didn't chase the Xtreme Championship for as long as I did because it was a means to an end, or because it'd give me a nice bump in salary. No, no, no. I went after it because it reflects who I am, an 11-year veteran of the squared circle who made his name being tougher and more resilient than anyone else in this business. And once I got the belt after beating Nick Watson for it, I've worked the hardest I've ever worked in my career to provide dignity to a championship that was in desperate need of it after Evan Harrison and Watson dragged it through the muck for so long.
What's it gotten me? Well, I'm the longest-reigning Xtreme Champion since John Dionysus, and in achieving that mark, I beat Michael Lively not once, not twice, but three times, all clean as a sheet and all leaving no doubt who the better man was. Lively once held this championship for over six months, and beat a guy who'd held it for almost a full year to win it. And in going up against me, Michael Lively, an APW Hall of Famer who knows EXACTLY what it takes to succeed in the Xtreme division with its top prize on the line, found an opponent he couldn't beat.
If Dan White thinks I'm in this for the same reasons he is, he's wrong. I'm already one of the most popular wrestlers on the planet, as well as one of the most-feared by some people in our business who insist on not picking on wrestlers their own size. Maybe White earned this shot the old-fashioned way, something I admire more than most, but it's going to take a LOT more than someone motivated by the fame and the money to take my Xtreme Championship from me.
Motivations don't change in a week, and leopards don't change their spots. It's crystal-clear to anyone with half a brain that White is going into this match with the absolute wrong mindset, and I'm REALLY looking forward to making him pay for that mistake when that bell rings in Costa Rica later this week.”
Smith brings his beer can to his lips and takes a swig, gulping some of it down before putting it back in the cup holder. We hear the distant 'whoosh' sound of a metal driver making contact with a golf ball off the screen, and most of the gallery turns in the direction of the sound.
Stevie: “Where was that?”
A.C.: “They must be sending some of the players off on the 10th hole. That means we'll be seeing some of the guys come through here any minute now.”
Bobby: “Exciting.”
Smith rolls his eyes at the obvious sarcasm in Bobby's remark, and he throws a joking punch that slaps Bobby's right elbow.
A.C.: “These guys are the best in the world at what they do. They carry themselves properly, they execute under pressure, and they get rewarded for it. There's a lot we can all learn from the players we'll see here today, and I look forward to applying it on Thursday against Dan White, a guy who's clearly in WAY over his head.”
Bobby shakes his head, but he settles in with the help of a sip of some “liquid encouragement.” The trio sits back and relaxes, and we zoom out to take in the awesome scenery one last time before the camera shot fades to black.
The famed Bobby Jones layout is in all its glory, as it always seems to be in early-spring when the best golfers in the world descend upon the Peach State. The azaleas and other flowers are in full bloom, the trees have their leaves back after the cold winter, and we can almost smell the famed $1.50 pimento-and-cheese sandwiches and $2.50 barbecue sandwiches, both of which rank as some of the best values in the culinary universe.
The sun is slowly rising over the horizon, and we see a crowd of people jammed next to one another outside a closed metal gate. It's the Monday before the tournament, which means the Masters participants will be playing their practice rounds this morning in preparation for the four most grueling days of golf they'll see all year long. It's a crucial day, and fans are eager to see how the pros react to Augusta's lightning-fast greens and tense atmosphere.
In the crowd, we see three faces that just don't seem to fit in with the largely-aristocratic crowd. Towering over most of the fans in the vicinity is the APW Xtreme Champion, the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith. Bobby the Bavarian Man-Bitch is to his left, and Stevie the Slovakian Slobberknocker stands to his right, all three wearing short-sleeved polo shirts and dress pants. Bobby looks extremely uncomfortable, and we see him turn to Smith.
Bobby (whispering): “I never liked golf. 'Hey, let's all get dressed up and look like idiots trying to hit a little ball that doesn't move.' Why are we here, anyway?”
Smith shakes his head, responding in a soft, but firm, tone.
A.C.: “Because the Masters is a tradition unlike any other, Bobby. There are a ton of sports fans who would KILL to be where we are right now. I've always wanted to see Augusta, and trust me, you guys will enjoy it, too.”
Stevie: “Plus, those seafoam pants look REALLY good on you.”
Stevie snickers, and Bobby shoots him a look that would melt steel.
A.C.: “OK, boys, remember that once you get through these gates, there's no running. You conduct yourselves with discipline, with respect for the people you're fighting for spots, with respect for everything around you. We clear?”
Bobby: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I still don't understand why we're here. Shouldn't you be preparing for your match against Dan White at Overdrive Thursday?”
Smith looks at Bobby with a sideways glance as he tilts his head in confusion.
A.C.: “Who says I'm not?”
Suddenly, a disembodied, Southern-drawled voice comes over a nearby loudspeaker to address the throng.
Voice: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the practice round for the 2013 Masters tournament. Guards, open the gates.”
We see people get on their toes in anticipation, and after a few moments, the gates pull apart, setting in motion the most orderly stampede you'll ever see. True to Smith's word, nobody runs, instead “race-walking” to their desired viewing spots on the course.
We see that A.C., Bobby, and Stevie are all carrying lawn chairs over their shoulders, and after a few moments, we see Smith motioning that they've found the spot to stop at. It's a familiar one to golf fans around the world, and as the trio sets up the chairs, even Bobby, the golf cynic, pauses to admire the scenery.
This is the 12th hole at Augusta, christened “Golden Bell” for the forsynthias around the green. It's one of the most famous par-three holes in golf, a 155-yard downhill tee shot over Rae's Creek and the bridge named after golf legend Ben Hogan. The green, which slopes ever so slightly down towards the water hazard, is also guarded by bunkers and trees behind it, obstacles that have devoured plenty of hopes and dreams in the past.
Smith sits down, as do his compadres, and the scene looks more like a post card than like anything you'd see on a golf course. A.C. reaches out with his long arms, opening a small red cooler and pulling out a can of Michelob Ultra. He takes a sip, puts the aluminum container in a cup holder on his chair's right arm, and turns to Bobby with a knowing, “I told you so” smile on his face.
A.C.: “Satisfied, Bobby?”
Bobby: “Maybe I WOULD be if you'd offered me a beer!”
Smith chuckles, and Stevie goes to the cooler, tossing Bobby a beer and keeping one for himself. A few seconds of silence come next, and the three soak everything in even as a small crowd of people forms around them for the same reasons A.C. and his buddies settled in at that spot.
Stevie: “So call me curious. But how, exactly, does doing this, as fun as it may be, prepare you for your match at Overdrive Thursday night in Costa Rica against Dan White?”
A.C.: “Remember the shpiel I talked about before the gates opened? About discipline, about respect, about keeping your dignity because that's just the way you're supposed to act when you want to be successful?”
Stevie: “Sure.”
A.C.: “Well, aside from the whole, 'Augusta National is a cathedral of golf and sports as a whole,' thing, that's the reason we're here. I've gone by that mantra my entire life, of being respectful and conducting myself one particular way, so I'm a natural fit here.
All of the golfers that have won here and worn those green jackets have one thing in common. They've all been level-headed, with respect for the game and those around them. Much like me, though, even with the respect they may have for their fellow competitors, they know that when push comes to shove, they have to stomp on their opponents' necks and capitalize on their mistakes to get where they want to go.
On the surface, professional wrestling and professional golf couldn't be more different. But from a mental standpoint, the most important viewpoint from an analytical perspective, they couldn't be more similar. And that...THAT'S why we're here, to study the way champions prepare so I can apply it to my match with Dan White Thursday night.”
It's clear Stevie wasn't prepared for such an insightful answer. Yet again, he's almost used to Smith being smarter and one step ahead, so he nods with his eyebrows slightly up his forehead and brings his frothy beverage to his lips for a sip.
Bobby: “So you saw White's match with Legion last week. Brutal stuff.”
A.C.: “Sure. It's obvious Dan White's earned this opportunity. I've faced Legion before, and he's no pushover. White wanted a shot at my title, saw he had to go through Legion to get it, and that's what he did. I have respect for that; actually earning a chance at a title beats the hell out of someone pissing and moaning that they never got a chance. Lord knows I've had way too much experience with people like THAT lately.”
Smith rolls his eyes at the reference to his battles with Michael Lively and Buckson Gooch.
A.C.: “Nobody can say Dan White hasn't earned the chance he's getting Thursday night. The problem he has is that he needs to appeal to other strengths than the ones he used last week. He won the title shot because he was more ruthless than Legion was. That's not an insult, that's an accurate statement.
The problem is, these past few months, NOBODY has been more ruthless in defending a championship than the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith. There's a reason I've fended off guys like Nick Watson, Michael Lively, Buckson Gooch, and Delikado, guys who have done WAY more around here than Dan White has. It's because nobody relishes the role of being the APW Xtreme Champion more than me.
I take great pride in what I've been able to do since winning the title in December just before Christmas Chaos. A lot of really accomplished wrestlers have tried to take it from me in the three and a half months since then, and they've all failed. I know Dan White wants nothing more than to take my title this Thursday night and make his mark here in APW, and that's all well and good...but don't you guys think Watson, Lively, Gooch, and Delikado all felt the same way before realizing I was the better man?”
Smith pauses.
A.C.: “Mentally, I feel like I'm in a great place right now. I know exactly what I'm capable of doing, and I've been on one heck of a run lately. Dan White had a really nice win last week, and I'm not trying to take anything away from him in that regard. However, he's biting off a lot more than he's shown he can chew this week, and if he thinks otherwise, he's in for a VERY rude awakening.”
Bobby: “Here's what I don't get about Dan White. He's been given a big opportunity, obviously. But last week, before his match with Legion, it's almost like he was indifferent, I guess, to the whole Xtreme Championship idea.”
Smith nods, conceding that Bobby has made a rare valid point.
A.C.: “It's almost like he insulted the kind of matches I'd been involved in, now that you mention it. He outright said that he'd consider the title a means to an end, a way to get himself more money. It's all fine and good to have your own motivation for doing things, I guess, but that's exactly the WRONG way to approach a match against a champion so proud to hold a particular belt.
I didn't chase the Xtreme Championship for as long as I did because it was a means to an end, or because it'd give me a nice bump in salary. No, no, no. I went after it because it reflects who I am, an 11-year veteran of the squared circle who made his name being tougher and more resilient than anyone else in this business. And once I got the belt after beating Nick Watson for it, I've worked the hardest I've ever worked in my career to provide dignity to a championship that was in desperate need of it after Evan Harrison and Watson dragged it through the muck for so long.
What's it gotten me? Well, I'm the longest-reigning Xtreme Champion since John Dionysus, and in achieving that mark, I beat Michael Lively not once, not twice, but three times, all clean as a sheet and all leaving no doubt who the better man was. Lively once held this championship for over six months, and beat a guy who'd held it for almost a full year to win it. And in going up against me, Michael Lively, an APW Hall of Famer who knows EXACTLY what it takes to succeed in the Xtreme division with its top prize on the line, found an opponent he couldn't beat.
If Dan White thinks I'm in this for the same reasons he is, he's wrong. I'm already one of the most popular wrestlers on the planet, as well as one of the most-feared by some people in our business who insist on not picking on wrestlers their own size. Maybe White earned this shot the old-fashioned way, something I admire more than most, but it's going to take a LOT more than someone motivated by the fame and the money to take my Xtreme Championship from me.
Motivations don't change in a week, and leopards don't change their spots. It's crystal-clear to anyone with half a brain that White is going into this match with the absolute wrong mindset, and I'm REALLY looking forward to making him pay for that mistake when that bell rings in Costa Rica later this week.”
Smith brings his beer can to his lips and takes a swig, gulping some of it down before putting it back in the cup holder. We hear the distant 'whoosh' sound of a metal driver making contact with a golf ball off the screen, and most of the gallery turns in the direction of the sound.
Stevie: “Where was that?”
A.C.: “They must be sending some of the players off on the 10th hole. That means we'll be seeing some of the guys come through here any minute now.”
Bobby: “Exciting.”
Smith rolls his eyes at the obvious sarcasm in Bobby's remark, and he throws a joking punch that slaps Bobby's right elbow.
A.C.: “These guys are the best in the world at what they do. They carry themselves properly, they execute under pressure, and they get rewarded for it. There's a lot we can all learn from the players we'll see here today, and I look forward to applying it on Thursday against Dan White, a guy who's clearly in WAY over his head.”
Bobby shakes his head, but he settles in with the help of a sip of some “liquid encouragement.” The trio sits back and relaxes, and we zoom out to take in the awesome scenery one last time before the camera shot fades to black.
