Standards and Practices #4a: Balance

[Smash INC]

Keaton Saint in...
Standards and Practices #4a: Balance

Imbalance

It was a bizarre moment.

Professional Wrestling had been filled with a history of heroes and villains, feuds and alliances and a lifetime of conflict. It was the ultimate conflict sport after all, Mixed Martial Arts may have held the claim to being the ultimate in contact sport but wrestling had always been the king of conflict. If you wanted to see people hit each other you could watch any number of sports, if you wanted to see the difference between fighting and fighting with genuine emotion you'd watch wrestling.

Conflict was the core of what made wrestling, so it was a bizarre moment to see Terry Marvin raising the hand of Keaton Saint after any match. It may have only been for a second but the two were aligned in some twisted connection. Keaton had beaten Phil Atken in what could only be seen as an undoubted victory, submissions tend to be absolute when gunning for the win. The victory was the assurance Saint needed going into Mayhem, readying himself to face the beast that had haunted him for far too long. The same beast that made him recoil from the sheer concept of being in the same alignment as Terry Marvin, even if it was just for a moment.

Terry Marvin had done more to Keaton Saint than Keaton had ever let on, but the truth was there in that image. An image that would be studied for years to come by the connoisseurs of the sport. It made Keaton think about two very different things in the same moment. One was related to Terry Marvin.

The other was how far he had progressed in challenging Phil Atken, it had only been a few months since Atken had progressed from an outside chance to the next championship heir.

November 2012 really wasn't so long ago after all, but the conflict was raging at the time. The same conflict which powered the force of wrestling now and between the three men who would claim to be King. The hierarchy was different now, but the great and sweeping changes were a reminder of one thing for Keaton. He was still in the running, he was still progressing.


DUKE ATKEN
11th November 2012

"You know what? I never really wanted to be World Heavyweight Champion anyway. You lot can duke it out for yourselves." Atken stood out by virtue of this claim, to turn down the chance to become the greatest wrestler on Asylum bordered on obscenity and yet he stood in the ring making the claim. This was a man who was willing to part the seas of opposing wrestlers and stand apart by his lack of desire rather than an abundance of it. When he walked, Keaton was left with the realisation that he was relieved to see Atken go.

Atken had outperformed the expectations of most at One Night in Hell, it was something that had people talking and yet to have the same man claim he had no desire a scant few weeks after the fact was disturbing. It didn't fit the mould and there was an imbalance because of it.

Time would prove Atken to be a liar as his proclamation was shown to be a ruse, his plan was instead to acquire a better chance than the rank-and-file at becoming the contender to Sally's championship. It was something that echoed Johnny Rebel's plan to disregard the Overdrive title months before he had a chance to become the Undisputed Champion at Rasslemania 8. There was a history and a precedent to all of this, but Atken succeeded in his plan. By the end of the night, Atken had elevated himself in the Asylum hierarchy to something more than a rank-and-file wrestler. The plan was formed by a Duke, the success of it made him a Prince.


PRINCE ATKEN
23rd December 2012

Dirk Dickwood called Phil Atken the last line of defence for Asylum. Whether he truly believed that or not is up for debate but the words were strong, along with the implications. The Pillars had been erected and the ideal of a conscious effort to improve wrestling was coming to fruition. But Atken was called the last line of defence, the Prince standing against the forces of the Asylum Queen. War came to Christmas Chaos and it was one that left scars for all involved.

Maybe that was the truth of the conflict within APW and Asylum. Everyone was willing to go to war but only a few were willing or capable to lead. Sally formed the Pillars, Keaton knew that implicitly but it was something he was willing to dedicate himself to. Leaders and visionaries may have been few and far between but Keaton envisioned himself as a fortress, an impregnable force that would not be taken out of balance by another. Sally helped him understand that, but it was up to Keaton to realise it as a truth rather than a thought.

Keaton's involvement at Christmas Chaos helped explain aspects that were lost on Keaton initially, but the core of it became clear that night. Atken was motivated beyond any normal means, he was willing to sacrifice everything if it meant having the chance to become the champion. The amount of drive involved to even get that in motion was admirable, but it was also frightening.

In the end, Atken was able to dethrone Sally and become a King. Every action has a consequence but this was a bigger one than most, Atken's rise was something that stood out against everything in APW. It was a reminder to Keaton that where Atken was standing could be his position in time, the unfortunate was now unsurpassed but that was something that had to be challenged in due course.

Keaton needed to beat Phil Atken.


KING ATKEN
10th March 2013

Progression can sometimes be a hard thing to track.

For Keaton, the match against Phil Atken before Rasslemania was a last chance for many things. One of those chances was to evaluate his progression since November the previous year. Atken's progress was obvious enough, from a standout performance at One Night in Hell to contendership and beyond he proved he was progressing beyond what the majority had believed he would do. Atken's ascension was a damning statement to those who would doubt him, but it was something more to Keaton.

It was evidence to Keaton that he hadn't done enough in his time on Asylum. His opponent was a man who had taken advantage of every opportunity and used it to fuel his journey into the stratosphere, meanwhile Keaton had been languishing by comparison.

Keaton found himself in an unenviable position, he knew what was at stake and he knew that his opponent was something beyond the expectations of the majority. But the championship reign had left Atken in a different position than he was before winning the title, the hunger wasn't as prominent as it was at Christmas Chaos. Keaton needed to realise it in full and take advantage of it and as the memories of that night came back, Keaton realised what fuelled him on a night where it mattered most.

His hunger and desire to be the best was absolute, it echoed something that he had lost in the process of becoming an international wrestler. Atken had re-ignited that without knowing and he would fall against Keaton without knowing that he was the catalyst that made it happen.

It was two weeks before Rasslemania that Keaton was able to become a champion, it would never reach a moment where he could truly celebrate it as Michael Callahan would find his way to the title on the fateful night. There were many forces involved during those weeks, differences in balance and ideals led to a short reign for Keaton. Whatever the reason, Keaton knew that something major had happened that night, even before Callahan made his statement of intent with his attack. Keaton had won a title in APW, Atken had been dethroned.

The hierarchy had changed.


PHIL ATKEN
5th May 2013

A King no more, but Atken was still a conduit for major events on Asylum. His was the hand that changed Terry Marvin's arrival on Asylum into something more, his insertion into the match at Mayhem brought chaos to what could have been a one-on-one match between Terry Marvin and Keaton Saint. Phil Atken had become something more in the last few months, the progress he had made was astounding on many terms but his assault on the expected hierarchy proved that Atken lived outside of common expectation.

But that didn't save him from Keaton and it didn't stop him from submitting on Asylum. Even here, his actions became a conduit for other things. Atken opened a door to the events that followed.

It was a bizarre moment when Terry Marvin raised Keaton's hand, Atken did something to bring it back to normality. The conflict remained and yet the last image before Mayhem was of the former King holding a new crown.

Keaton may have still been in the running and he may have progressed, but Atken was doing exactly the same and his progression may have been more than he was willing to let on.

Atken submitted to the Keaton Clutch, but the question was how much of that submission was Atken planning his next move compared to a resignation of defeat. Terry Marvin still held the Undisputed Championship, but Keaton knew in some respect that Phil Atken may be the most dangerous of the three. Atken was playing his cards very close to his chest and the truth of the matter was he could be the deciding factor at Mayhem.

His presence was the imbalance that shifted things out of favour.

The problem that Keaton faced was whether he could control the chaos that came from it.

==========

Counter-Balance

Twice now I've been able to beat you.

Every match and every opponent I face has a degree of importance but some are elevated more than others, it becomes less about the fact of winning and more about the personal satisfaction of doing it. So on two occasions I've been able to take that heightened importance and bend it to my will, I've been able to come into a match with high stakes and walk away with my head held high. Twice now, when it mattered most I have been able to succeed.

This is the truth I take with me as we progress to Mayhem.

The statistics read in the favour of Terry Marvin, the history reads in another favour. Everyone in this has an idea of how to approach a match as dangerous and as risky as this one. No triple threat is ever easy, but this is beyond any difficulty I have ever known. It should be this way, me and you have a chance to be the person who ends the Terry Marvin empire in one night. The reward for that should be enough for you to know what I'm feeling as we progress closer to the bell. But your task is harder than mine, I have to face down a man who has broken records and stamped his authority on the history books. I have to face a man who has confounded me on more than one occasion and FINALLY put an end to it all. You have to do all that and then you have to face me, the man who can and WILL beat you when it matters.

Maybe that unnerves you, maybe the fact that I won't align myself with either party in this scares you just a little. Maybe it fuels the fire of competition, because I will enter this with one goal in mind. I'm fighting for myself and for the fans, not for you or Terry Marvin. That's a key difference between us and one that will put me ahead of you when the match begins.

I've seen you team with Terry Marvin and Michael Callahan on different occasions, I've seen you be willing to take the sort of steps I'd frown upon just to get to this stage. I don't know whether that speaks more of your ability to find a way forward in any problem or your ability to make friends with even the worst people in this sport. While you'll willing to sleep with the enemy, I remain watchful and unerring in the storm that approaches. I make no secret of the fact that I have no love for Terry Marvin, everyone KNOWS I'm going into this to beat the living hell out of him. You're different than that, you'd be willing to stab anyone in the back just to get a step ahead. I'm going to beat Terry Marvin at Mayhem, but I'm making doubly sure that you won't be in a position to stop me from winning the Undisputed Championship when I do.

Everything I've ever done in APW comes to a head in this match, because everything I have experienced and done will manifest itself within the ring. I became a champion by beating you, Terry Marvin started his journey towards dominance by overcoming my challenge. At Mayhem, I put an end to his reign and I ensure that nobody but the Patron Saint of Wrestling takes the title at the end of it. I am not unfortunate, I am not a show. I am Keaton Saint.

I am the counter-balance and the reminder that THIS is still a wrestling match.

Terry Marvin won't last the night as the Undisputed Champion, I know that in my heart and I will act upon that motion with my spirit. The question of who shall take the mantle of champion was already answered before now, I've beaten you on occasions where the odds have been at their most extreme. Mayhem is no different and it will be by MY hand that a new champion shall see the post-Terry Marvin era.

Atken, you've got a moniker of being unfortunate and this match will prove some of that to be true. Fortune favours the man brave enough to stare down a champion who has broken records, made history and changed the way we see things in this ring. Fortune favours the man who can stand in the face of all that and claim with every ounce of belief in his soul that he can be the one to end it. Fortune favours the Patron Saint of Professional Wrestling for a very good reason, because I can look at both of you and say that I will beat you when it matters most.

The undisputed will fall into dispute, the unfortunate will be proven to have lost on more than luck but the unbreakable one will still be unbreakable.

The Saint will still march.