Post by Chris Madison on Jun 13, 2015 12:19:23 GMT -4
"No Regrets"
June 5th, 2015
Long Island, New York
The Warehouse Training Facility
"You sure you're up for this? You haven't competed since October", Nick prodded as the two Madison brothers sat upon the rooftop of their wrestling school. In the rear of the hallowed out warehouse turned training facility was a tall, rusty, steel ladder that was bolted against the back wall with roof access. From time to time the guys would use the flat roof as a patio area decorated to the nine with a grill, some lounge chairs, a cast iron fire pit, and two wooden picnic tables. Nick and Chris sat on the lounge chairs with a roaring fire separating the two. "Eight months between matches is a long time..."
I took a swig from the brown glass bottle of beer that was trapped in my vice-like grip as it pressed up against my lips. "It's a one time thing", I responded with an overwhelming sound of insincerity in my voice that nearly caused nick to spit out his mouthful of crisp, refreshing, ice cold beer.
"You and I both know where this road leads to", Nick countered while placing his chilled brew down between his feet. He leaned forward, digging his elbows into the tops of his knees before beginning to explain, "you're going to get that itch to be inside a ring again. You won't be able to keep yourself apart from it".
I tilted the bottle back and allowed the rest of my beer to flow down my hatch while processing Nick's words before tossing the empty bottle aside into a trash can. Clink. The bottle bounced around off of the other empties that filled the trash can. "That's where you're wrong Nick. Under normal circumstances, sure. I go into the ring and feel that rush of adrenaline. It fills a void in my life that I didn't even know existed. But not this time", I began to explain before being interrupted by my boisterous little brother.
"How does this differ from any of the previous times you've retired", he asked while miming quotation marks with his hands as he said the word retired.
"No regrets", I muttered.
"No regrets", Nick questioned as he gazed at me with a puzzled look on his face. "You don't need to feed me that line of bullshit. I'm not some mark trying to grab a headline for the dirt sheets. I just want some honesty. Don't jerk me around."
"I'm not jerking you around. I have nothing left to prove. The only reason I'm taking part in this reunion show is to show my gratitude to APW for giving me a platform to resurrect my career here in North America", I elaborated while rubbing at the thick beard that blanketed the lower half of my face.
You could see the doubt in Nick's eyes as he stared at me trying to get a good read. Nick knew me better than anyone else. He knew the passion and love I had for the wrestling industry. Nick also believed that love and passion couldn't be satisfied by running a wrestling school. "You honestly expect me to believe that you're going to roll into the Time Warner Arena, team up with Knox for one final match and be at peace with that being your final match", he interrogated with an agitated ferocity, as if I would boldly lie directly to his face.
"I'm not doing this for me Nick. APW gave me a contract a few years ago and allowed me to prove that I can still roll with the best of them. Without APW Chris Madison would have been nothing more than a faded memory to few. Without APW I wouldn't have been afforded the opportunity to reconnect with Tommy Knox and form The Black Hand. Without APW closing its doors I would have never found my way to Second-to-None Wrestling where I beat Megan Dela Vega to become World Champion. Which also means I would never have had my opportunity to stand toe to toe with Brad Jackson in Tokyo in a match for that strap", I paused for a moment and hel my hand up with my palm facing Nick. He reached down into a cooler that was beside him and tossed me another beer. I twisted the top off and took a quick chug. "I owe a lot to APW. Participating in their reunion show is the least I can do for them..."
"I get that you feel indebted to APW but you need to look at this from a different angle. Working out in this gym a few times a week is a far cry from a triple threat tornado tag rules match", Nick hinted before pushing off of his knees and rising to his feet. He paced around with his hand placed on his head, his fingers interlocked together. He let out a deep sigh. "Dude you're way out of your league this time around!"
"You of all people should know that I thrive in the underdog role", I declared while slamming down the bottom of the beer bottle onto the plastic arm rest.
Nick chuckled, knowing he had gotten under my skin. "This has nothing to do with you being an underdog. I don't think anyone in that match is foolish enough to underestimate you. I just think you and Tommy are in over your heads", he clarified. "Look, I'm not trying to get into it with you. You know I support you no matter what. You know I'm going to help you get into fighting shape. I just want you to realize the position your in. You are going up against arguably the greatest tag team to ever step in an APW ring. That'd be hard enough to prepare for if you were regularly competing..."
Nick walked off towards the grill and lifted the lid. He began to twist the nozzles on the front of the grill and fired up the barbecue. While he was occupied I was given a chance to reflect on my upcoming match against The Dying Breed's Jair Hopkins and Anthony Bailey, as well as "The Soul of Philly" TJ and Keaton Saint.
"Ironically...this is the first time that my path in APW has crossed over with any of my opponents. My time in APW wasn't long. Hell the only reason my name may stands out is because I was a mainstay towards the final days. But in my short APW tenure I have plenty to be proud of. I formed The Black Hand with my boy Tommy Knox and unleashed our own special brand of chaos and anarchy on the APW roster. I won the APW Overdrive Championship...a belt that is littered with prestige. I've had some memorable matches...War Games at One Night in Hell; and I've squared off with some amazing talent: CJ Gates, Biggs, my boy Jason Kash, Reaver, The Unforgiven, AC Smith, Rebel, even my brother in war Tommy Knox..."
"Four names sadly don't appear on that list."
"Jair Hopkins. Anthony Bailey. Keaton Saint. 'The Soul of Philly' TJ."
"Out of those four I've only competed against one...Jair...and that didn't happen until we both landed on our feet in PURE Wrestling after APW's closure. The debut show for PURE Wrestling, a triple threat match, Chris Madison versus Jair Hopkins versus Aubrey J. Parker. In that match you got pinned by Aubrey J. Parker and we both ended up on the losing end of it. Bailey we were supposed to meet in a four way match to determine the first PURE Heavyweight Champion against AJP and Joe Martinez but that match never came to fruition. That's the extent of our history with one another..."
"Until now...At the APW Reunion Show I get the honor of stepping the ring with the one person that I know always has my back and we get to square up with four legendary names."
"By the time I joined the ranks of APW 'The Soul of Philly' was a name always talked about in past tense and Keaton Saint had one foot out of the door, finishing his little farewell tour. The prospect of getting in the ring with those guys never presented itself as a viable possibility. But The Dying Breed...you guys were white hot and that was a matchup that I always found intriguing! In the midst of the longest tag team title run APW has ever seen. Bailey, Hopkins, you guys were synonymous with tag team wrestling. I'd be lying if I said that the thought of taking a shot at the almighty Dying Breed didn't cross my mind as I fought through Meltdown show after Meltdown show trying to earn a spot on one of the two main brands that APW offered their faithful fans. But at first I was a man by himself just trying to fight for a job..."
"That was of course until I aligned myself with Tommy Knox and Niobe Martin. And later on Michael Jennings and Stefan Raab. The Black Hand posed a legitimate team that could have taken you two to the limit with the right combination. Unfortunately Tommy was tied up in a feud with Evan Envi and Niobe and I just never seemed to click as a tag team. All the while you guys had your hands full with NewGen Rising and The Unforgiven. A feud that ultimately finished with the two of you losing the tag straps to Sentinel and Zachariah Blood."
"There's no doubt in my mind eventually we would have crossed paths. Eventually The Black Hand and The Dying Breed would have locked horns in what undoubtedly would have been one of the most entertaining bouts in APW history..."
"Would have been..."
"Could have been..."
"Unfortunately never was..."
"But there is a silver lining in all of this."
"That bout would have been a highly anticipated blockbuster. The hype leading to it would have put immense pressure on all of the competitors. Welcomed pressure, but pressure nonetheless. Thanks to APW closing its doors we don't have to worry about any of that. We can just go out there and leave it all in the ring. None of the ugliness that would have unmistakably shrouded a possible match of the year candidate."
"...and we wouldn't have TJ and Keaton Saint involved."
"APW closing its doors was a blessing because now the six of us can go out there and do what we do best. Kick ass, shock and awe, all with no regrets."
"It doesn't matter if you're six foot eleven, nearly three hundred pounds or five foot eight, barely two hundred pounds. This match is full of different styles and clearly stature. But what we all have in common is a desire to go to that ring, even if only for one more time, and put on the best damn possible show we can. After all is said and done, wether it's The Black Hand, The Dying Breed, or TJ and Saint whose hands are being held up high...the true winners in all of this...the fans! The fans who have been itching for APW action since Rasslemania. The fans who never let the memory of this organization dissipate from their heads. The true APW faithful!"
"For one night only...I'm sure most of the boys and girls are feeling the same way. It's not about being a heel or a face. It's about honoring this company and its fanbase...because at the end of the day, the majority of us look back at our time in APW and truly have no regrets."
Nick peered over his shoulder with a steel barbecue spatula in hand. "Steaks are just about done", he shouted while turning his attention to the meat that laid flat on the grill. "After we're done eating, no more fucking around. We need to get some of that ring rust out of your system!"
