Post by C.J. Gates on Jan 17, 2014 17:54:41 GMT -4
"I was told to come in here and convince you not to wrestle," Vincent James says to C.J. Gates as he closes the office door. Gates looks up from behind his desk and smirks.
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah," James says as he crosses the room to the empty chair across from Gates. "They're worried about you. And I can't say I blame them after what happened at One Night in Hell."
"I'm fine," Gates smiles. "A few bumps and bruises the day after the event and then I was fine."
James stares at Gates. "You were out cold for the rest of that night into the next day. You were a wreck."
"Life of a wrestler I guess."
"And maybe that's why they want you to bow out of this match," James repeats. "You're just able to shrug off a fall from the top of a cell to the ground below as if it was nothing. You had a concussion. Hell, I'm surprised it didn't kill you or Biggs."
"Maybe that's the difference between you and me," Gates says. "You're able to let things like that get to you while me, I'm able to look ahead to the next day."
"But-"
"If I didn't think I could wrestle," Gates interrupts, "and compete at Survive and Conquer, I would have never accepted Smith's offer to tag up with him."
"I guess so."
"I know so. People need to stop worrying about me so much and just let me be."
"Well, you brought her into your crazy lifestyle."
Gates remains silent before nodding. "Abby?" James nods his head. "I'll have to talk to her later. I mean, I know she worries, but I don't do things in this business if I don't think that I can. If I didn't feel one hundred percent ready to do battle, I wouldn't step out there at Survive and Conquer. I'm not an idiot."
"Well," James begins before he trails off.
"Are you saying I'm an idiot?"
"I never said that," James says. "Just sometimes, you feel like the fans are more important. Sometimes you feel like you need to do certain things because they want you to."
"I know," Gates says. "I'm aware of all of that. Thing is, with APW having been closed since October, there's not as much pressure from the fans. I mean, sure, I love that they were always cheering for me, and who knows, maybe when I step out there in that tag team match they will still be cheering for me. But with this downtime, I haven't felt like I had to perform for them. So this won't be a case of me needing to prove anything to them."
"Which leads to the next worry, though this one seems to be from a more critical point of view then a worry about your health."
"What's that?"
"A lot of people think you might have lost a step. They think you might have ring rust."
"Why?" Gates asks. "Because I haven't been in a wrestling ring in an actual match since One Night in Hell?" Gates smiles and shakes his head. "I took my time and I recovered. I rehabbed from the injuries I sustained and now I'm back in shape and ready for everything that comes my way. So what if I haven't been an active participant somewhere for the past few months, I still haven't given up."
"And that just leaves me with one last question."
"Hit me," Gates says, sitting back in his chair.
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why," James repeats. "Why have you decided to participate in this match. It's not like you and Biggs are coming back from the potential grave to compete?"
Gates remains silent for a few moments, looking past James before responding.
"Because I miss it."
"You miss it?" James asks. "You might have to elaborate."
"I miss the rush, I miss the excitement," Gates says. "I miss that adrenaline that pumps through your body whenever that bell rings. Jason Kash might not have always been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was right about one thing. It's kind of like an addiction."
"I guess I can see that."
"Years ago, I couldn't get enough," Gates continues. "I was signing up for every tournament, battle royal, blood bath and more. And I was competing in all of them, running myself ragged. But I was having fun and I was having success. After taking these past three months off to gather myself, and even in the month before that when I wasn't wrestling as much as I used to, well, I grew to miss it."
"So you're diving back in then, full time, non stop?"
"I don't think I'd say that much yet. I'm going to give this match a try, I'm going to do my best to help Smith pick up the win over the other two, and then we'll go from there. We'll evaluate what the next step is going to be."
"We?"
"Like you said, people worry about me," Gates says with a smile. "I want to make sure that it's in everyone's best interest before I sign my name down to a long term contract. If it comes to that. Who knows, maybe I'll go out there this week, tag hands with A.C. Smith a few times and realize that my heart or my body just isn't in it."
Gates pauses for a moment before chuckling to himself. "It would have to be my body because, who am I kidding, the moment I hear those fans, I'm going to be acting like I did when I was APW Undisputed champion. I'm going to be acting like I'm on top of the world."
"Just don't overdo it," James says. "We wouldn't want you to pull a muscle or something like that."
"Oh, don't worry. I don't plan to do anything like that."
"Sometimes that stuff just happens. You get things cooking, you over exert yourself and then you find yourself trying to recover from a pulled hamstring."
"I guess it's always a possibility, but I'm not going to let a possibility ruin my night." Gates shakes his head. "No, this is going to be a good night, because APW will be back, even if it's just for one show."
"The last time people saw me, I was being pushed from the top of the War Games cell, crashing down into the announce tables. The rest of that night remains a blur and most of it, I can't remember. What I do remember, however, is hearing about the APW closing its doors for good.
"It wasn't long after One Night in Hell that it happened, as many people know. In fact, it was one of the first things I truly remember after One Night in Hell. It was almost as if I woke up and was instantly told that APW had closed. That's how fresh it was.
"I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I gave my blood, sweat and tears to help make APW one of the premier wrestling federations in the world. On the other hand, I gave my blood, sweat and tears to help make APW one of the premier wrestling federations. While I helped it become a stand out, it also took a toll on my body, which was thankful for a three month rest.
"But now we're back.
"Now we're back to the event that helped define my singles career. We're at the event that saw a nobody tag team wrestler rise up to become one hell of a singles wrestler. I opened eyes that night in 2011, and I've opened eyes each year since then in that Survive and Conquer main event.
"This year, however, I won't be involved in the over the top mayhem that the others will be. This year I decided to go a different route. It's no secret that my body was bruised and bloodied after that War Games match, and I didn't want to jump into the lions den right away. I wanted to make sure I could compete at my normal level before I signed up alongside seventy-nine other people, as well as potentially participating in a hellacious final round.
"That's not to say that the path I've chosen will be easy. My opponents for my first official match since Halloween aren't what anyone would call pushovers. The one thing I do have going for me, though, is I've at least managed to have one of their numbers one on one.
"But even those victories over Evan Envi can't get me to think that this is a match that I have in the bag. Sure, I've beaten him, but who knows what kind of man he's become since then. Who knows what kind of animal he's evolved into once he lost that Overdrive title. The world could have come crashing down on him for all we know, or he could have simply gone out, kicked more ass, and taken more names.
"I mean, I'm not going to sit here and speculate as to where he ended up, Logan too for that matter, and I'm not going to pretend like I followed their careers after they left the banner of APW. In fact, this will be one of the few moments when I will admit that I am not one hundred percent up to date on my opponents. Normally I would be able to tell you what you've done the past few weeks but now, it's not so simple.
"Even my partner is a question mark to me. Not because I don't know what he is capable of, but because I don't know his direction. I don't know his mindset right now. Did the last few months of APW encounters with old friends take a toll on him? Is this entire match just a big set up for me to once again be the fall man of APW? Are shenanigans in the work that I am to be the butt end of?
"Maybe I'm off base, but I'd be lying if I said those thoughts had not entered my mind. If I could say that I knew one thousand percent that Smith was strong to the cause that he was on before the APW closed, then I would be a bit more at ease. Unfortunately I can't, and even if the Big Apple Asskicker comes out and assures me that there is nothing funny planned, until the match is over and done with, I can not be sure.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I can't work alongside him or trust him enough to compete as a team. I might be clocking every possible outcome, but I'm not stupid. I'm not going to refuse to tag into the match because I'm worried he won't tag back in. I'm not going to avoid him at all costs so that he doesn't plant his boot in my mouth. No, I'm going to go into that match with the idea that we're going to be working as a team, and until A.C. Smith gives me a reason not to trust him as a partner - if that moment ever comes up - I am going to fight along side of him.
"Can we say the same about Envi and Logan Alexander? Maybe, though if my memory serves me right, the last time they were both in APW, things didn't exactly end on a pleasant note, but I'm not to one to judge their relationship. I barely knew Logan when he was in APW and my observation of Envi is that he goes through allies and friends more then most people go through toilet paper. So I guess part of me finds it interesting as to how he and Logan will be able to work together.
"Maybe they're secretly brothers and nobody knows it. Maybe they are the best of friends and simply fooled everyone with their simmering tension.
"Or maybe Evan is just a fill in for Logan's usual partner - or at least to me - who would rather test herself in the Survive and Conquer festivities then to wrestle in a tag team match. Whichever way you slice it, it's hard to understand the truth of their relationship, which is something I'm going to have to keep myself alert for.
"Because if there's something else I learned about Evan Envi, that was to always expect the unexpected. Never take what he says at face value and to always be ready for anything. So I have. Mentally, I know that at the drop of a pin, I can be ready to change my approach and mindset. I know that I will be capable of adapting to whatever curve balls those two can throw my way.
"Then again, Envi probably knows that. He and I have had our head to head match ups and while none of them ever resulted in one final throw down, it's enough to have a feel for the other person. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, that was the Evan Envi I fought before, when he was still the Overdrive champion, still considering himself big shit. Then he left APW, lost the title, and who knows where he went next. Even though I know what he is capable of, I will have to be ready for even more if I hope to succeed.
"Logan, though, he doesn't really know what I'm like in the ring. Sure, he and I can watch video about one another, but it won't have the same effect as if he and I had been in more matches together, more events that could give us a better feel. Instead, I'm going to have to prepare like I would for anyone I'm facing for the first time. If anything, it makes his post APW mindset less of an importance in the grand scheme, because I'm not going to be relying on anything prior to use as a bench mark.
"What I do know, is that both of these men can be dangerous when cornered, and dangerous when they are set on a goal. I can only assume that they are looking to compete this time around, or they wouldn't have taken the match, which shows me that they are going to be hungry and driven. But that's the way I like my opponents.
"What good is an opponent who doesn't want to compete? What good is an opponent who doesn't want to give it his all inside of the ring? Answer is they're no good and that's not what Envi and Logan are.
"These men are athletes.
"These men are competitors.
"These men are going to push me to my limit and I'm okay with that. In fact, I'm ecstatic about that fact.
"So Envi, Logan, bring everything you have when we step inside of that ring. I'm expecting a challenge, and I don't want to be disappointed.
"It's time to go big or go home."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah," James says as he crosses the room to the empty chair across from Gates. "They're worried about you. And I can't say I blame them after what happened at One Night in Hell."
"I'm fine," Gates smiles. "A few bumps and bruises the day after the event and then I was fine."
James stares at Gates. "You were out cold for the rest of that night into the next day. You were a wreck."
"Life of a wrestler I guess."
"And maybe that's why they want you to bow out of this match," James repeats. "You're just able to shrug off a fall from the top of a cell to the ground below as if it was nothing. You had a concussion. Hell, I'm surprised it didn't kill you or Biggs."
"Maybe that's the difference between you and me," Gates says. "You're able to let things like that get to you while me, I'm able to look ahead to the next day."
"But-"
"If I didn't think I could wrestle," Gates interrupts, "and compete at Survive and Conquer, I would have never accepted Smith's offer to tag up with him."
"I guess so."
"I know so. People need to stop worrying about me so much and just let me be."
"Well, you brought her into your crazy lifestyle."
Gates remains silent before nodding. "Abby?" James nods his head. "I'll have to talk to her later. I mean, I know she worries, but I don't do things in this business if I don't think that I can. If I didn't feel one hundred percent ready to do battle, I wouldn't step out there at Survive and Conquer. I'm not an idiot."
"Well," James begins before he trails off.
"Are you saying I'm an idiot?"
"I never said that," James says. "Just sometimes, you feel like the fans are more important. Sometimes you feel like you need to do certain things because they want you to."
"I know," Gates says. "I'm aware of all of that. Thing is, with APW having been closed since October, there's not as much pressure from the fans. I mean, sure, I love that they were always cheering for me, and who knows, maybe when I step out there in that tag team match they will still be cheering for me. But with this downtime, I haven't felt like I had to perform for them. So this won't be a case of me needing to prove anything to them."
"Which leads to the next worry, though this one seems to be from a more critical point of view then a worry about your health."
"What's that?"
"A lot of people think you might have lost a step. They think you might have ring rust."
"Why?" Gates asks. "Because I haven't been in a wrestling ring in an actual match since One Night in Hell?" Gates smiles and shakes his head. "I took my time and I recovered. I rehabbed from the injuries I sustained and now I'm back in shape and ready for everything that comes my way. So what if I haven't been an active participant somewhere for the past few months, I still haven't given up."
"And that just leaves me with one last question."
"Hit me," Gates says, sitting back in his chair.
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why," James repeats. "Why have you decided to participate in this match. It's not like you and Biggs are coming back from the potential grave to compete?"
Gates remains silent for a few moments, looking past James before responding.
"Because I miss it."
"You miss it?" James asks. "You might have to elaborate."
"I miss the rush, I miss the excitement," Gates says. "I miss that adrenaline that pumps through your body whenever that bell rings. Jason Kash might not have always been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was right about one thing. It's kind of like an addiction."
"I guess I can see that."
"Years ago, I couldn't get enough," Gates continues. "I was signing up for every tournament, battle royal, blood bath and more. And I was competing in all of them, running myself ragged. But I was having fun and I was having success. After taking these past three months off to gather myself, and even in the month before that when I wasn't wrestling as much as I used to, well, I grew to miss it."
"So you're diving back in then, full time, non stop?"
"I don't think I'd say that much yet. I'm going to give this match a try, I'm going to do my best to help Smith pick up the win over the other two, and then we'll go from there. We'll evaluate what the next step is going to be."
"We?"
"Like you said, people worry about me," Gates says with a smile. "I want to make sure that it's in everyone's best interest before I sign my name down to a long term contract. If it comes to that. Who knows, maybe I'll go out there this week, tag hands with A.C. Smith a few times and realize that my heart or my body just isn't in it."
Gates pauses for a moment before chuckling to himself. "It would have to be my body because, who am I kidding, the moment I hear those fans, I'm going to be acting like I did when I was APW Undisputed champion. I'm going to be acting like I'm on top of the world."
"Just don't overdo it," James says. "We wouldn't want you to pull a muscle or something like that."
"Oh, don't worry. I don't plan to do anything like that."
"Sometimes that stuff just happens. You get things cooking, you over exert yourself and then you find yourself trying to recover from a pulled hamstring."
"I guess it's always a possibility, but I'm not going to let a possibility ruin my night." Gates shakes his head. "No, this is going to be a good night, because APW will be back, even if it's just for one show."
---------------------------
"The last time people saw me, I was being pushed from the top of the War Games cell, crashing down into the announce tables. The rest of that night remains a blur and most of it, I can't remember. What I do remember, however, is hearing about the APW closing its doors for good.
"It wasn't long after One Night in Hell that it happened, as many people know. In fact, it was one of the first things I truly remember after One Night in Hell. It was almost as if I woke up and was instantly told that APW had closed. That's how fresh it was.
"I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I gave my blood, sweat and tears to help make APW one of the premier wrestling federations in the world. On the other hand, I gave my blood, sweat and tears to help make APW one of the premier wrestling federations. While I helped it become a stand out, it also took a toll on my body, which was thankful for a three month rest.
"But now we're back.
"Now we're back to the event that helped define my singles career. We're at the event that saw a nobody tag team wrestler rise up to become one hell of a singles wrestler. I opened eyes that night in 2011, and I've opened eyes each year since then in that Survive and Conquer main event.
"This year, however, I won't be involved in the over the top mayhem that the others will be. This year I decided to go a different route. It's no secret that my body was bruised and bloodied after that War Games match, and I didn't want to jump into the lions den right away. I wanted to make sure I could compete at my normal level before I signed up alongside seventy-nine other people, as well as potentially participating in a hellacious final round.
"That's not to say that the path I've chosen will be easy. My opponents for my first official match since Halloween aren't what anyone would call pushovers. The one thing I do have going for me, though, is I've at least managed to have one of their numbers one on one.
"But even those victories over Evan Envi can't get me to think that this is a match that I have in the bag. Sure, I've beaten him, but who knows what kind of man he's become since then. Who knows what kind of animal he's evolved into once he lost that Overdrive title. The world could have come crashing down on him for all we know, or he could have simply gone out, kicked more ass, and taken more names.
"I mean, I'm not going to sit here and speculate as to where he ended up, Logan too for that matter, and I'm not going to pretend like I followed their careers after they left the banner of APW. In fact, this will be one of the few moments when I will admit that I am not one hundred percent up to date on my opponents. Normally I would be able to tell you what you've done the past few weeks but now, it's not so simple.
"Even my partner is a question mark to me. Not because I don't know what he is capable of, but because I don't know his direction. I don't know his mindset right now. Did the last few months of APW encounters with old friends take a toll on him? Is this entire match just a big set up for me to once again be the fall man of APW? Are shenanigans in the work that I am to be the butt end of?
"Maybe I'm off base, but I'd be lying if I said those thoughts had not entered my mind. If I could say that I knew one thousand percent that Smith was strong to the cause that he was on before the APW closed, then I would be a bit more at ease. Unfortunately I can't, and even if the Big Apple Asskicker comes out and assures me that there is nothing funny planned, until the match is over and done with, I can not be sure.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I can't work alongside him or trust him enough to compete as a team. I might be clocking every possible outcome, but I'm not stupid. I'm not going to refuse to tag into the match because I'm worried he won't tag back in. I'm not going to avoid him at all costs so that he doesn't plant his boot in my mouth. No, I'm going to go into that match with the idea that we're going to be working as a team, and until A.C. Smith gives me a reason not to trust him as a partner - if that moment ever comes up - I am going to fight along side of him.
"Can we say the same about Envi and Logan Alexander? Maybe, though if my memory serves me right, the last time they were both in APW, things didn't exactly end on a pleasant note, but I'm not to one to judge their relationship. I barely knew Logan when he was in APW and my observation of Envi is that he goes through allies and friends more then most people go through toilet paper. So I guess part of me finds it interesting as to how he and Logan will be able to work together.
"Maybe they're secretly brothers and nobody knows it. Maybe they are the best of friends and simply fooled everyone with their simmering tension.
"Or maybe Evan is just a fill in for Logan's usual partner - or at least to me - who would rather test herself in the Survive and Conquer festivities then to wrestle in a tag team match. Whichever way you slice it, it's hard to understand the truth of their relationship, which is something I'm going to have to keep myself alert for.
"Because if there's something else I learned about Evan Envi, that was to always expect the unexpected. Never take what he says at face value and to always be ready for anything. So I have. Mentally, I know that at the drop of a pin, I can be ready to change my approach and mindset. I know that I will be capable of adapting to whatever curve balls those two can throw my way.
"Then again, Envi probably knows that. He and I have had our head to head match ups and while none of them ever resulted in one final throw down, it's enough to have a feel for the other person. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, that was the Evan Envi I fought before, when he was still the Overdrive champion, still considering himself big shit. Then he left APW, lost the title, and who knows where he went next. Even though I know what he is capable of, I will have to be ready for even more if I hope to succeed.
"Logan, though, he doesn't really know what I'm like in the ring. Sure, he and I can watch video about one another, but it won't have the same effect as if he and I had been in more matches together, more events that could give us a better feel. Instead, I'm going to have to prepare like I would for anyone I'm facing for the first time. If anything, it makes his post APW mindset less of an importance in the grand scheme, because I'm not going to be relying on anything prior to use as a bench mark.
"What I do know, is that both of these men can be dangerous when cornered, and dangerous when they are set on a goal. I can only assume that they are looking to compete this time around, or they wouldn't have taken the match, which shows me that they are going to be hungry and driven. But that's the way I like my opponents.
"What good is an opponent who doesn't want to compete? What good is an opponent who doesn't want to give it his all inside of the ring? Answer is they're no good and that's not what Envi and Logan are.
"These men are athletes.
"These men are competitors.
"These men are going to push me to my limit and I'm okay with that. In fact, I'm ecstatic about that fact.
"So Envi, Logan, bring everything you have when we step inside of that ring. I'm expecting a challenge, and I don't want to be disappointed.
"It's time to go big or go home."
