Standards and Practices #4b: Force

[Smash INC]

Keaton Saint in...
Standards and Practices #4b: Force

Driving Force

Two thoughts crossed Keaton's mind in the bizarre moment with Terry Marvin, one was of the history he had with Phil Atken and the other was of what brought him to this stage. Having his arm raised by the very man he was opposed to was something Keaton could not escape from. It was a bizarre moment, nothing more could explain it in full.

Keaton found himself thinking about what might have been if he had defeated Terry Marvin in 2012, the Overdrive title had been challenged for many times but never claimed and Test for the Best was the last barrier for Terry Marvin to cross before he placed himself as the heir-apparent for the Undisputed Championship. Keaton was there for every step but he was always behind, Marvin had led the way and had proven himself in his own respect. By hook or by crook, Terry Marvin made a reality out of his own dream to be the Undisputed Champion in APW. Keaton was only there to witness it.

The thoughts continued to plague Keaton, even as Phil Atken made his attempt to gain ground before Mayhem. Terry Marvin was pulled into the range of a chair shot and Keaton was left wondering whether it was a purposeful move by him or just a means of escape, it was another reminder that Terry Marvin could still get into his head. An unwelcome reminder at a time when Keaton needed to know that he was ready for anything, Terry Marvin still had an advantage in this respect.

Regardless of Keaton's motivations, Terry Marvin still had something on him. If Keaton was intentional in putting Marvin in the way of Atken's attack then Marvin was still a huge emotional force in Keaton's head. If it wasn't, then Marvin was either playing a dangerous game to make Keaton believe he wasn't in control or he was willing to hedge his bets of causing enough doubt in the minds of the challengers that he would be able to remain champion past Mayhem.

Either way, some of it was working. This was the thought that Keaton carried with him from Asylum leading to Mayhem.

"I said we'd cross that bridge when we came to it." John spoke, looking over the remaining footage of the previous Asylum, Keaton avoiding the attack from Atken and the aftermath of what followed.

"Did it really take that long to analyse things?" Keaton replied.

"I wanted to be sure myself, there's a lot riding on this as you well know."

"Definitely."

"So it would be wrong of me not to give this the attention it deserved."

"I just figured you had your own things to be dealing with."

"I do." John replied with a smirk.

"So why drop it all for me?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because."

"Seriously though."

"I have to answer for real?"

"Yes, you do." Keaton sighed.

"Because we're tight, you're my boy and it's only right I have your back on stuff like this."

"That makes me sound like I'm your kid or something."

"If we're any sort of family, it'd be brothers."

"True."

"But that's not what you need to hear."

"You'd be surprised."

"I've got the answer anyhow." John withdrew a paper from his pocket and began to unfold it. "Based on a few--"

"--Wait." Keaton interrupted.

"For what? I already said I've got the results here."

"I'm not saying you don't, it's just that I think I already have a good enough answer of my own."

"Really?"

"Well, it doesn't answer whether my actions were intentional but I can at least understand my path leading to Mayhem." Keaton smiled. "That's what I wanted to know, more than anything else."

"I can understand that, but I do have it here." John paused. "The fact is I have something you could call clarity in my hand, you might be unsure of your actions so the question I ask will be simple. Do you want to know for sure?"

"If you asked me a week or two ago then I would have said yes, but now I don't care." Keaton sighed. "I've always known that I despised Marvin, the results of what happened in the last few weeks won't change that."

"You've changed your tune."

"I know, I've got some sort of clarity on the situation now."

"What's that?" John asked.

"I need to be willing to enter the state of mind that he's not ready for, that means going to a point where few know me."

"Like what?"

"2009."

"But surely Level One would have said something to Terry Marvin about THAT?"

"Level was the one on the receiving end of it, he doesn't know what my entire mindset was at the time."

"Even so."

"Maybe I'm wrong, but when it comes to Terry Marvin I need to drop any illusion that he's going to realise what he missed out on."

"Maybe he didn't miss out on anything?"

"He ignored the fans for his own self-satisfaction, he got in bed with a group dedicated to pursuing the worst parts of the sport." Keaton shook his head. "He broke records as a champion, but he could never share that with the fans because the majority of them hate him."

"You sure you're not embellishing on this, even just a bit?"

"It's what I believe John, it's what my driving force is going into the match."

"So your whole thing is that Terry Marvin did things wrong and you're going to show him where?" John paused as he finished the question, letting it hang in the air for longer than a usual one.

"Well, yeah."

"And you reckon this is enough?"

"It's going to have to be."

==========

Shining Force

Terry Marvin is a record-breaking champion, that much is simple fact.

He's also the biggest example of an opponent during my time in APW and probably my entire career. Terry Marvin is a man who pushed me to my limits and in some way helped me improve as a professional wrestler. I've wanted for ages to be able to say all this and be proud of the fact but I'm not. Terry Marvin is the antagonist I've had to face in my journey as a wrestler and as an APW member, a man who elevated my own abilities and yet stood against all of those improvements. I want to be able to say that Terry Marvin was a positive influence on the sport but I can't, the improvements I've made have been born from a need to surpass a man who represents the antithesis of what I believe in.

Terry Marvin broke records, but he has also come close to breaking my spirit and he broke his honour long ago. Without being personal, Mayhem brings a title match involving three capable wrestlers willing to go to whatever limit is needed. But this is a personal endeavour for me, this match is more than just a clash of three forces looking to find out who is the strongest. Mayhem brings a chance to evaluate myself against a man who I've been able to surpass in recent times, but it also pits me against the man who has governed much of my progression during my time here. Terry Marvin has done a lot for me, I highly doubt he ever had any intention of providing a service to anyone else but here we are. Terry Marvin is an important foe for many reasons, only one of them is the title he holds.

This match is personal on many levels, it represents a chance to do what nobody else has done since Terry Marvin became the Undisputed Champion. At Mayhem, someone can end his reign. At Mayhem, I can be the one to slay the dragon I was partly responsible for breathing life into.

In the back of my mind, it's always been this way. I entered Survive and Conquer a year before I became part of APW and Terry Marvin was there to throw me out of contention. I came to APW and established myself as the opponent of a Terry Marvin who had begun to rise above the challenge. Whatever opposition I gave him then wasn't enough. Rasslemania, Mayhem and Test for the Best were all moments where I could have suspended his traction and yet he rose above. I didn't do enough at the time and it's been an eternity since then.

Terry Marvin broke records, I languished as he forged a path unseen by many in APW. All the while, knowing I had some responsibility in making Terry Marvin strong enough in the ring to take on the challenges he has overcome up to now. What happened to Kurt Noble happened because of Terry Marvin, but if I was responsible for him then perhaps I share some of the blame in what happened because of him.

This is the reason I take to me into Mayhem, others may cling to the chaotic nature of the event but I am holding what I know closer to heart. We're all about to enter uncharted territories so I know it makes more sense to ensure that what you are certain of remains at your core. I know Terry Marvin is dangerous, I know I can beat him. Mayhem is the night it shall be done.

I've been a part of APW for over a year, it's been a year that has given me more insight into myself than anything I've ever done. I have been opposed, challenged and given more chances than I have been able to comprehend since coming here. The level of competition is so high that sometimes I wonder how I even survive on the roster. But Terry Marvin was a different opponent to anything I've ever come across in my time here, different to the challenges I've faced and the things I have endured. Terry Marvin is at once my greatest foe and yet he's also a representation of the very limits I've pushed myself to within the APW ring.

I have been crushed, chained, beaten and yet I have endured. I have given everything of myself to try and defeat a man who I knew could become a great force in APW. The man who WOULD become a great force, a detrimental force against those he faced. The Terry Marvin I fought last year was on the path already, but I pushed him closer to his goals simply by being a challenger and not a man who could defeat him. Terry Marvin became something special, but that was marred with the truth that his specialty was making others suffer. My own failures gave him a chance to become that man, I have a chance to correct those mistakes now. Enough time has passed between then and now for me to grow and progress as a wrestler. There was a time when Terry Marvin would be certain to defeat me, by hook or by crook.

In time, things change.

What matters is what changes happen, whether they are for the greater good or for the benefit of those who would stall the progression of the sport.

What has changed is very little, I'm still in opposition to you as I have been for so long. I still remember every moment of our matches leading up to this point, any empathy I had for you has been left aside because what matters at Mayhem is that the Saint can march in and put an end to the reign. The record has already been broken, now the world wants to know who is capable enough to forge a new path.

We all represent a force, something that drives us and shines within. Whatever you cling to, know this. I was always going to face you down, I was always going to find the right time to come up against you with the knowledge and the belief to dethrone you and end your empire. This is not fortune and it's not the ramblings of a man who is confused by his own anger, I have achieved a balance that will take me further than you have ever seen. It will enable me to endure, to march against the wind and to deliver the final blow in the eleventh hour.

The reign of Terry Marvin will end at Mayhem, that much is clear to me as that is the mission and the purpose I will fight with. Phil Atken is a man who I know I can beat when it matters most. There is nothing that matters more to me than this match so you will see the absolute best from the Patron Saint of Wrestling.

Beyond that, know that I believe in everything I say. Know that I have been waiting for the chance to do what should have been done last year. I could have stopped you, but even in failing to do so I carried on. What matters now is that when I go to Mayhem it will be to end your reign, to end you and to ensure that you remember one fact about me...

Keaton Saint WILL carry on.