The Farewell Tour #3: War is Necessary

[Smash INC]

Keaton Saint in...
The Farewell Tour #3: War is Necessary

Jimmy Carter was quoted as saying that war was a necessary evil.

There are a variety of quotes to be found on the nature of warfare, from sources distant and close but this particular idea stands out to me. The concept of war as a necessary thing has brought me a great degree of thought over the last few weeks, perhaps even the last few months. I've known for a long time that my career in wrestling had a time limit etched upon it. The hourglass was put into action from my very first match, some actions slowed the process and others sped it to the point of no return.

Where I stand now is similar to where I've always been, a place with the knowledge that my time has limits and my efforts eventually end. It just happens to be that now I know for definite the time and place where the story of my life in wrestling ends. Shockwave marks the end of my time in the sport and it comes with a certain amount of regret and a small amount of shame that I was unable to achieve specific targets in the sport. This isn't to dampen what I did do, but I know that there was more I wanted.

It might be an element of the ambition still left in me that wants to pursue all of that, but the knowledge that I was able to do great things in APW leaves me fulfilled in many ways. Wrestling at some of the biggest events in the world in front of the best crowds possible is something few dream of and even less get to do. Holding the World Heavyweight Championship and having my name placed in the list of champions is something that I aspired to and was able to eventually achieve. I got a lot of what I wanted in the sport, but there are certain things I was unable to do that I still pine for. It goes without saying that I wanted to be the one to end the reign of Terry Marvin, to be the man who put some form of end to him and perhaps absolve a little of my own guilt of responsibility. I wanted to be the World Heavyweight Champion for a longer time than I was, but simply holding that title proved something special for me and I can't fault the experience of knowing that I WAS good enough. The things I still want but can't have are still there, but I've accepted the truth that I shall not be able to achieve those deeds. Shockwave marks an end and a true piece of closure, it's necessary in many ways.

War is necessary in only one.

As the clock counts down to Shockwave and the curtain call for my career comes ever closer, I'm proceeding with this thought shining in my mind like a ray of sunlight that pierces through the thickest of clouds. War is indeed necessary for me, it's not an option in any regard save for the only one. When Anthony Bailey answered the challenge I laid out, he put his name down for something I won't allow to be forgettable. Shockwave represents my last chance at many things, a last chance to create a memory that will withstand the winds of change and the tests of time. Anthony Bailey put his name down to be my opponent, but no opposition will deny the truth that a match like this one carries extra weight.

For Anthony Bailey, the extra weight comes straight from his moniker. This is a man who is proclaimed as the Promise and the meaning of that word alone should prove just how much he's willing to give. Every wrestler picks or earns a name as they progress from the lowest ebb to the cream of the crop, we're all forged in the ring by our memories and experiences because of it. The moniker we receive is something that holds it all together and explains what we are to those who don't yet know. When a wrestler is called the Promise, it sends a huge message to any potential ally or foe. It's the mark of a man who endeavours to live in truth, to deliver everything he stands for and prove exactly who he is. Someone with a name like that has to live up to more than their own potential.

I've never held that name, but what I have held shows my history and my life in the ring. I came into wrestling wanting to be viewed as a Paragon and as I progressed from independent promotions to the grandest stage in the world I made sure I did everything I could to be viewed as that, Keaton Saint would be and was a model of excellence. The excellence I tried to portray was part of my patron, it's not just a career or a sport for me. Wrestling is my patron and to be called the Patron Saint was part of the idea that I would live and breathe the virtues of the sport, the idea that I would be man who was a wrestler first, second, third and everything right down to the last. I want to believe I held up to that standard but only my history can tell the truth about it. Some called me a Gatekeeper because I was the one who enabled certain others to perceive their own talent in full. Some of the blame and the responsibility for Terry Marvin falls on my shoulders, I gave everything I had against him and perhaps that unlocked a door in his mind to something greater. I've had a lot of names thrown in my direction, but all of them have had strong meaning and they have all represented who I am. This match carries extra weight for me because it's the last chance I have to prove I am worthy of the titles bestowed upon me.

There was never any need for extra impetus to win this, but knowing that I have no chance beyond this one to do it gives an extra push towards success. My body is prepared to take on a good match, one final GOOD match to set an example of the career I've had. My mind wants something greater than that and the conflict between to two brings my internal war to the outside. This was never going to be some happy-go-lucky exhibition, it would become something that stood against everything I've known up to now. I go to the ring to wrestle and to fight, to deliver on everything I said I would outside of it. An exhibition wouldn't have been the right way to wrestle anyone, no matter their allegiance. This had to be a war, for the sake of the sport. This has to be a fight that has no option for either of us to back down so we both go to the very limit of our ability. Bailey has a lot to do after this, a lot more to face that will be stronger in physical and mental ways compared to a man who is about to leave. My body doesn't have the capacity to continue, but my mind is ready to provide everything of worth to a man who has it in himself to progress to the heights even he is unaware of.

It's not pretty, but it is true.

There's a lot riding on this match from the perspective of someone who makes quick assumptions about people, wrestlers included. What does it say about someone when they can't get the job done against a man who barely has a good match left in him? What would it say about Anthony Bailey if he couldn't deliver on his end and lost the war at Shockwave? Surely it would have a negative effect on his future prospects, even if it were only for a short time. What would be said of a man about to end his time in the most gruelling sport if he could achieve one last victory? What would be said of me if I could do the improbable at Shockwave and be the stronger wrestler at the very last moment? There's a chance here to cement a legacy at a point where most people would be convinced that I was still a true competitor right to the very end. People remember the endings more than the beginning and that can become especially true in my case. For a man to face this sort of adversity and overcome it would be the stuff of legend. These aren't the only questions ready to be raised for Shockwave, but they are some that will be answered at the very least. They're necessary, just like the war that will happen.

War is indeed necessary, but I made the choice in how to fight it.

I get to fight it on terms that I recognise, against an opponent who answered an open challenge with the purpose to put on the best match possible. The selflessness exhibits something that has become more rare in the sport, and it is something I want to be able to ensure gets given the treatment it deserves. Anthony Bailey wanted to put on an exhibition, I want to prove that I still have what it takes to be a wrestler right to my last moment in the ring. It will be a showcase of war and what it means to give everything of yourself in one match. All of this is necessary in one way or another, Bailey has to find out what he's capable of in the right environment and I need to know what's left of me at Shockwave. There are a lot of variables going into this match, but one constant factor is clear. There will be a winner and there will be a definitive loser.

This will be a war and like all wars it will be an ugly thing to watch, but it won't be something you can take your eyes away from. Living, breathing moments of destiny are hard to ignore and that's exactly what this will be. War is ugly, but it's the output of two foes who have something worth fighting for. By the end of it all, no matter the result of this match I will have nothing left to give and nothing left to fight for.This is my final solution, my closing chapter and the end to a career that has spanned the globe more than once. It ends with a call, my call to arms against a man who has given me a chance to prove what I have left. It ends with a promise, a constant reminder that this is a beginning of something special for Anthony Bailey. Nobody forgets a war if they've fought in one, this is his moment to seize the meaning of that in one go.

He promised to bring everything of himself to the match, I promise that what I've held to for a long time will not falter in the spotlight and the sight of the fans around the world. He made the call to be the final opponent for my career, I'm making the call that what I have been saying will not go to waste. The Pillars were a conscious effort to make wrestling better and that has not died, it lives in me and it will continue beyond me. That will carry on, much like what I represent WILL carry on regardless. Keaton Saint is a man but the message that I have delivered in the ring resonates with those who want the utmost competition as often as they can. That challenge is never over.

Keaton Saint WILL carry on and I will be at peace.

For that to happen, war is indeed necessary.