Post by Johnny Rebel on Oct 22, 2011 20:05:52 GMT -4
The scene opens up with the flickering of a TV in a dark room, where “Simply Put” Johnny Rebel is slumped down on a couch directly in front of him. He seems to be watching an old home video of an old Christmas when his secretary pops her head in.
“I’m leaving. Do you need anything else?” She says.
“I think we’re good. Go home and get some rest!” Rebel says.
“You know I’m not one to nag. . .” She continues. “But aren’t you going to get off the couch at some point and get ready for Kurt? Your match is just a few days away and I haven’t see you spend more than five minutes preparing for your match!”
“Here we go again,” Rebel says while breathing deeply. “Haven’t you learned anything over the past few months? I do things on my own time and when that time comes I’ll be ready for whatever he throws at me!”
“This isn’t just any match, Johnny!” Sarah answers back. “It’s a Sadistic Match! Kurt’s one and only goal is going to be to bust you wide open!”
“I’m not afraid! I’ve taken his best shot and I’m still standing. He doesn’t have anything left in his bag of tricks that I haven’t seen before. I’ve been in the ring before with guys twice as tough as him. . .believe me when I tell you that he’s going to have to bring everything and the kitchen sink in order to pull off the upset!”
“Aren’t you starting to get a little bit nervous? After all there are a lot of people placing their bets on Noble to take away the Overdrive championship!”
Rebel takes a minute to ponder her question but it doesn’t take long before his focus is back on the flickering television in front of him.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t a little bit worried about our match. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a match like this. Up until now, the name of the game has been survive and conquer in the APW. It hasn’t been personal. . .it has strictly been a competition between two megastars stepping in the ring against one another with the best man coming out on top! This is something more than that. . .it went from being a competition over the Overdrive championship to something personal! It would be one thing if Kurt wanted a simple match between the two of us but this time he’s out for blood, literally! He doesn’t just want to beat me and take my pride, he wants to physically harm me! I’m going to have dig deep in to a place I haven’t been in a long time.”
Sarah plops down on the couch on the opposite side of Rebel and begins to question him. “What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t believe this about me but when I first got started in the wrestling business, I was considered a bit of a joke. I always ended up on the wrong side of the equation no matter what I did! Instead of floundering around in mediocrity, I decided to go back to the drawing board and create a new identity that would help propel me to the next level. I knew what I had to do. . .I had to be willing to sacrifice myself in order to get ahead!”
“What do you mean sacrifice yourself?” Sarah asks.
“I turned to the X-tremely Brutal Wrestling League. . .and let me tell you, it wasn’t a walk in the park! It sure felt like every match was a Sadistic Match where I was constantly sporting the crimson mask. However, after several years my body just couldn’t hold up to the abuse and I had to throw in the towel. That’s where it all came crashing down.” Rebel says.
“Well, at least you got out of it while you still could! I mean. . .you could be like Kurt Noble and walking around with a cane!”
“A few more matches and I’d probably be wheeling myself down that ramp and not walking! I’m thankful I got out while I did with at least some health intact.” Rebel says. “I had almost forgot about that lifestyle until Noble challenged me a few weeks back. It sure brings back a lot of memories!”
“Well,” Sarah says, “You have got to push through. If you spend too much time worrying about your former way of life than you will let Noble slip in and finish what he’s started!”
“Yeah, yeah. . .” Rebel responds. “I get what you’re trying to say and thanks for trying to motivate me but I’m going to have to do this my own way.”
“I’m just trying to do my job.” She says while shrugging her shoulders and brushing off Rebel’s indifference. She stands up from the couch but before taking off completely something catches her eye and she sits back down.
“Oh my!” She exclaims. “Are you watching old home videos?”
Rebel sighs deeply and responds with a simple, “Yes. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me you were watching home videos! I’d stay up all night for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a young Johnny Rebel!” she says with an excited tone in her voice. “I’ll go get the popcorn!”
“That’s not necessary,” Rebel says, “Go home and get some sleep! You are going to need it!”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” She responds.
“On second thought, I’m kind of tired. . .maybe I’ll go home too!” Rebel tries to weasel his way out of reliving terribly childhood memories with his secretary. He stands little chance however as she has already begun popping a bag of popcorn. Within seconds she has flipped her shoes off in to the corner and cuddled up on to the couch.
“What did I miss?” She says.
“Oh, nothing. Only the embarrassing part where my mother spends twenty five minutes in the camera wondering if the thing is even on. . .”
“Fast forward. Get to the good stuff!”
Rebel picks up the remote next to him and hits fast forward to the part where Rebel’s family is opening Christmas gifts.
“This video is terrible! How old is this?” Sarah says.
“I couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen. . .so, somewhere around 1984?” Rebel says with a shrug.
“1984!” She blurts out. “I was two years old!”
Rebel shakes his head and puts his hand over his eyes. It all happened so quickly! It didn’t seem that long ago that Rebel was just a punk kid who was getting his feet wet in the wrestling business. Fast forward more than 20 years and still going strong. . .however, he’s keenly aware that the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to get a little bit brighter. His time in the ring is slowly coming to a close.
“You don’t have to keep reminding my of my age, y’know!” Rebel replies.
“You are too much of an easy target! I don’t have to try very hard!” She answers back with her slick grin that Rebel has become accustomed to over the past few months.
The camera focus in on the screen where the much younger version of Johnny Rebel is opening neatly wrapped presents. As he opens up each one, you can see the disappointment mounting on his face. Christmas wasn’t exactly a time to get excited about in the Rebel household, as gifts usually revolved around the basics: the occasional new pair of shoes, undergarments and the occasional toy.
Sarah chimes in, “You don’t look real jazzed about the prospects this year! Even as a teenager you were an ungrateful son-of-a. . .” she again blurts out until Rebel slips his hand over her face.
“Ungrateful isn’t the right word. . .I was just hoping for something. . . else.”
“Like what?” She asks.
Rebel points toward the screen towards the background where two tiny action figures, dressed in pro wrestling attire, are positioned perfectly.
“Those were my life!” He says.
A confused look immediately comes over Sarah’s face, “You used to play with dolls?”
Her question is met with an emphatic “NO!” from Johnny, while shaking his head. “They aren’t dolls! They are action figures. . .huge difference!”
“Uh, no there isn’t!” Sarah responds. “They don’t look a whole lot different from the Barbie’s we played with growing up!”
“You have officially lost your mind!” Johnny snaps back at her accusation. “I used to have an entire backpack filled with wrestling action figures. I remember spending hours in my dad’s old shop putting together a ring made out of old scraps of wood. Those were the days!”
“Nope, not dolls at all. . .” Sarah says sarcastically.
“Dolls just sit on the shelf and take up space! There was nothing better than the feeling off coming up with your own story with your action figures. In all honesty, it’s where I learned how to become the story teller that I am!”
“You aren’t doing such a great job here, I must confess! It looks like a doll, smells like a doll and is dressed like a doll. . .it’s a doll!”
“You can think whatever you want but every kid who was ever interested in pro-wrestling had a whole host of these guys! I guarantee it!” Rebel says.
“So, if they were that important, whatever happened to the lot?”
“Just keep watching.” He says while picking up the remote and forwarding through the video. The last present is in sight as his father nudges it across the table in Johnny’s direction. . .at this point, he’s opened so many gifts that felt meaningless that he’s just going through the motions. As he unties the bow and rips through the paper, the expression on his face lights up and the joy on his face can only be described as euphoric. He reaches down in to the box to reveal a brand new bike helmet.
“I didn’t own a bike at the time so I figured if they bought me a bike helmet than surely there was a brand new bike waiting for me somewhere around the house!” Rebel says.
Within seconds of Rebel finishing his sentence, the camera on the home video catches his mother walking a bicycle down through the hallway and in to the dining room where the family has gathered to open gifts. Rebel’s face beams as he inadvertently knocks down the action figures that were positioned in the background of the camera.
“A brand new bicycle was all that I ever wanted!” Rebel exclaims, the same smile on his face that was in the video, almost reliving the moment from the couch.
Sarah watches in the amazement at the joy the bicycle brings to the thirteen-year-old version of Rebel. “All that excitement over a bike? The way you were talking about your dolls. . .”
Rebel clears his throat before interjecting, “Action figures!”
“Whatever! The way you were talking about your. . .action figures. . .would have led me to believe you were just waiting for a few more to add to your collection. I bet you forgot all about them by the time you unwrapped that bike helmet!”
“Now you’re starting to catch on!” says Rebel. “This is exactly the situation I’m trying to avoid heading in to this match with Kurt!”
“What do you mean?” She says, which is a common phrase in normal, everyday conversation between these two.
“I went down the same path that I have been accusing Noble and President Jeff of embracing over the past several weeks. When I first came to the APW, I had to earn everything that was given to me. I didn’t waltz right in to a program with Biggs for the Overdrive championship! I had to pay my dues and work my way up the card to eventually I got to the point where Jeff couldn’t deny me anymore and had to give me a crack at the title!”
“I’m not sure how that has anything to do with Kurt Noble, Johnny?”
“See, I’m the old action figure sitting in the background to keep with the theme that we’ve contrived. At first, I was the hottest thing going. . .there wasn’t anything on the planet that could have slowed my trajectory! I was the face of the franchise. . .Johnny Rebel Pro Wrestling was in full force! Everywhere you looked was a poster with my face front and center! The buzz for each event centered around me and whoever I was facing that particular week! It was a great feeling, everybody wanted to be a part of what I was doing! That was until something newer and shinier came along. . .” Rebel says with a bit of anger growing in his tone.
“Let me guess,” she says, “That would be Kurt Noble. . .aka the bicycle.”
“Precisely!” Rebel says with a finger in the air. “I’ve been busting my butt around here and out of nowhere, Noble comes in and is Jeff’s favorite new toy! I can’t say that I’m surprised though. . .he’s just like the rest of the fans who cheer for you one second and then flock to the next guy that comes through.”
Sarah says, “I can understand your frustration. . .but it’s not Kurt’s fault that Jeff had taken such a liking to him. After all, he’s fairly accomplished in this business. He’s no slouch!”
“Oh, I understand completely. I don’t blame Noble a bit but if he thinks he’s just going to walk in and take everything that I have worked so hard to build than he’s absolutely crazy! I’ve learned from my mistakes in the past. There is nothing like a brand new shiny bicycle when you are a teenager but eventually the parts begin to rust and slowly it becomes unusable. What do you do then? You park the bike in the garage and go back to the old things that had you first loved!”
Sarah nods in agreement as Rebel flips off the TV. “Let’s get out of here. We’ve got a busy couple of days ahead!” The scene closes out with the two exiting Rebel’s office and Johnny flipping the light switch.
*****
It’s finally here.
The match that I have practically been begging for since I stepped in to the APW! Finally, I have the chance to show the world what I’m capable of doing against top tier talent. It’s been so long since I’ve been this amped up for a match and honestly; it’s been awhile since I was booked in a match where I wasn’t one hundred percent confident that the outcome was going to be in my favor! Kurt Noble is certainly no slouch and is capable of pulling the upset at any given moment and in the words of our good friend, C.J. Gates. . .it’s time to go big or go home!
Ten years ago I told the world that I was walking away from that ring and that it was finally my time to hang up my boots. I was pretty confident that nobody was ever going to see Rebel walk through this curtains ever again. I’m sure I wouldn’t have ever admitted this to you back then but I had mixed emotions about the decision I had made. I knew that I couldn’t keep going down the path I was going but I wasn’t quite sure if the final chapter had been written in the Johnny Rebel history books.
So, I decided to throw my hat back in the ring and see what would happen. I quickly found out that even though the variables changed, the business stayed the same. I didn’t have a clue of anybody on the roster but it was always politics as usual. Whoever was willing to stick their thumb up the rear ends of those making the decisions got the immediate shove to the top billing and the pay day that came with it! It seemed like because I was willing to speak my mind and not hold back my true feelings, they did their best to get me to sit down and shut-up!
So, to pacify me for a bit. . .they decided to give me a shot. There wasn’t a soul in that locker room that believed I could defeat Biggs! The man who conquered Level One just a week prior and had taken the mantle of the face of the APW! I’m not a betting man but something tells me the lines waiting at the polls weren’t exactly overflowing with people throwing their money on me! However, I shocked the world and walked away with a championship that was in desperate need of some new life and Jeff knew that the only guy to do that was Johnny Rebel.
However, now we find ourselves coming full circle and back to where we first began. The roles have reversed this time. Despite all of the credentials that Noble brings to the squared circle, there aren’t a whole lot of people banging his drum this week. But because I’ve lived through this movie once already I know that anything can happen at any given moment and at One Night in Hell, it will only take a second for all of my fortunes to be washed away and I’ll be back at square one!
I will confess, I don’t usually have a problem standing in front of a camera and ripping in to someone. Put a microphone in my face and I’ll tell you how it is! However, this week has proved to be difficult to find the right words to say towards you. I’ve been sitting back and waiting for you to trip up! I’ve been waiting to find something to exploit to my advantage. I keep waiting but it never comes. You are always on top of your game and maybe on some level I’ve stumbled upon something that we can agree upon. We’re both going to give it everything we have when we stand face to face on Sunday evening.
I don’t expect you to lie down and simply put, I’d be quite disappointed if you did. Deep down inside I think we understand that we’re pretty much the same person. We’re both clinging to the only life that we have ever known. The both of us have always pushed through when everybody else has counted us out and all but eliminated us from contending. I can dig that about you but don’t let that go to your head. You know the high opinion that I have of myself and I won’t apologize for that. . .so the fact that I would give you the incredible compliment of pointing out some basic similarities between the two of us means that I have an ounce of respect for you.
After examining the similarities that we share together it does make the differences blatantly obvious! The lack of confidence that you have in your own self is disgusting! I’ve had to sit back and listen to you wail on and on about how I’ve flipped your world upside down and shattered a once proud man. I call bologna! Let me borrow an example from a great children’s story. . .Winnie the Pooh! Winnie wasn’t always the most confidence of the bunch but he always found a way to make sure the job got done. He was always bringing the cast of characters up to his level but then there was the donkey, Eyeore, who would always walk around stumbling over himself! He spent the majority of his time downtrodden and melancholy because he didn’t have the confidence to push forward.
Say what you want about me but you know that I’ve done nothing but bring the best out in you. I’ve watched your tone change from being someone who was questioning his existence in the APW to someone who is bubbling over with confidence.
The only problem with your newfangled plan is that confidence is only half of the battle! You still have to perform! You are the one that has to come and take this championship from me! That’s going to be a lot harder than it sounds! I’ll do anything that I have to do to walk away as the last man standing! I’ve heard you make your stand and claim to always doing the honorable thing no matter what the situation and that ultimately will lead to your downfall. While you stick to the rulebook and are afraid to get your hands dirty, I have zero qualms with living on the dark side to protect what is mine. I’m willing to concede the battle to be declared the winner of the war. Go back a few weeks ago on Overdrive when Young Mannie got taught a lesson on how to walk away as champion! He thought he had everything under control until I ended the match on my own terms and was disqualified! While his hand was raised and he celebrated the victory, I won the war because the championship was still mine!
But since we’re quoting the Bible these days, let me give you a dose of your own medicine!
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer! Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life!” Revelation 2:10.
I have been preparing for this for months now! I knew the time was coming when I was going to be tested! The text is clear. . .if I remain faithful to the things that have got me here than I’m going to be successful and obtain the crown of life! In our instance, the crown of life is more than the APW Overdrive Championship but it’s the pathway straight to the top! It’s obvious that whoever walks away from this match with the belt is going to be on the fast track to the Undisputed Championship and the winner of Biggs and Gates!
“In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you!” Isaiah 54:14
Do you see the common thread here? It’s all about fear and overcoming! If I stick to my game plan and continue to walk the path that got me to where I am today than I’ll be far from the terror that you claim to be bringing on Sunday evening! Even I’m not naïve enough to buy that you truly believe I’m the type of person you described by the seven deadly sins!
You have been spinning your wheels and trying to get me to believe in you and perhaps all along the purpose has been for you to believe in yourself! I know what you are capable of and I know that if I don’t bring everything I have come October 23rd than I’m going to walk away the disappointed one and I refuse to let that happen. You have spent so much time and effort, jumping up and done with your arms waving, to get me to pay attention to you. Meanwhile, I’ve done nothing but go on to accomplish bigger and better things. I’ve carried Team APW during CWC Supremacy while you sat in the background twiddling your thumbs and riding my coattails. Now I’m going to do what you couldn’t and beat Jack Benevolence for the True Expert’s championship! Maybe then you will respect me for the real champion that I am!
That’s the story of your career! You get right to the cusp of greatness and you always come up short.
#SIMPLY
#F’N
#PUT?
I don’t see that changing any time soon!
“I’m leaving. Do you need anything else?” She says.
“I think we’re good. Go home and get some rest!” Rebel says.
“You know I’m not one to nag. . .” She continues. “But aren’t you going to get off the couch at some point and get ready for Kurt? Your match is just a few days away and I haven’t see you spend more than five minutes preparing for your match!”
“Here we go again,” Rebel says while breathing deeply. “Haven’t you learned anything over the past few months? I do things on my own time and when that time comes I’ll be ready for whatever he throws at me!”
“This isn’t just any match, Johnny!” Sarah answers back. “It’s a Sadistic Match! Kurt’s one and only goal is going to be to bust you wide open!”
“I’m not afraid! I’ve taken his best shot and I’m still standing. He doesn’t have anything left in his bag of tricks that I haven’t seen before. I’ve been in the ring before with guys twice as tough as him. . .believe me when I tell you that he’s going to have to bring everything and the kitchen sink in order to pull off the upset!”
“Aren’t you starting to get a little bit nervous? After all there are a lot of people placing their bets on Noble to take away the Overdrive championship!”
Rebel takes a minute to ponder her question but it doesn’t take long before his focus is back on the flickering television in front of him.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t a little bit worried about our match. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a match like this. Up until now, the name of the game has been survive and conquer in the APW. It hasn’t been personal. . .it has strictly been a competition between two megastars stepping in the ring against one another with the best man coming out on top! This is something more than that. . .it went from being a competition over the Overdrive championship to something personal! It would be one thing if Kurt wanted a simple match between the two of us but this time he’s out for blood, literally! He doesn’t just want to beat me and take my pride, he wants to physically harm me! I’m going to have dig deep in to a place I haven’t been in a long time.”
Sarah plops down on the couch on the opposite side of Rebel and begins to question him. “What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t believe this about me but when I first got started in the wrestling business, I was considered a bit of a joke. I always ended up on the wrong side of the equation no matter what I did! Instead of floundering around in mediocrity, I decided to go back to the drawing board and create a new identity that would help propel me to the next level. I knew what I had to do. . .I had to be willing to sacrifice myself in order to get ahead!”
“What do you mean sacrifice yourself?” Sarah asks.
“I turned to the X-tremely Brutal Wrestling League. . .and let me tell you, it wasn’t a walk in the park! It sure felt like every match was a Sadistic Match where I was constantly sporting the crimson mask. However, after several years my body just couldn’t hold up to the abuse and I had to throw in the towel. That’s where it all came crashing down.” Rebel says.
“Well, at least you got out of it while you still could! I mean. . .you could be like Kurt Noble and walking around with a cane!”
“A few more matches and I’d probably be wheeling myself down that ramp and not walking! I’m thankful I got out while I did with at least some health intact.” Rebel says. “I had almost forgot about that lifestyle until Noble challenged me a few weeks back. It sure brings back a lot of memories!”
“Well,” Sarah says, “You have got to push through. If you spend too much time worrying about your former way of life than you will let Noble slip in and finish what he’s started!”
“Yeah, yeah. . .” Rebel responds. “I get what you’re trying to say and thanks for trying to motivate me but I’m going to have to do this my own way.”
“I’m just trying to do my job.” She says while shrugging her shoulders and brushing off Rebel’s indifference. She stands up from the couch but before taking off completely something catches her eye and she sits back down.
“Oh my!” She exclaims. “Are you watching old home videos?”
Rebel sighs deeply and responds with a simple, “Yes. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me you were watching home videos! I’d stay up all night for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a young Johnny Rebel!” she says with an excited tone in her voice. “I’ll go get the popcorn!”
“That’s not necessary,” Rebel says, “Go home and get some sleep! You are going to need it!”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” She responds.
“On second thought, I’m kind of tired. . .maybe I’ll go home too!” Rebel tries to weasel his way out of reliving terribly childhood memories with his secretary. He stands little chance however as she has already begun popping a bag of popcorn. Within seconds she has flipped her shoes off in to the corner and cuddled up on to the couch.
“What did I miss?” She says.
“Oh, nothing. Only the embarrassing part where my mother spends twenty five minutes in the camera wondering if the thing is even on. . .”
“Fast forward. Get to the good stuff!”
Rebel picks up the remote next to him and hits fast forward to the part where Rebel’s family is opening Christmas gifts.
“This video is terrible! How old is this?” Sarah says.
“I couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen. . .so, somewhere around 1984?” Rebel says with a shrug.
“1984!” She blurts out. “I was two years old!”
Rebel shakes his head and puts his hand over his eyes. It all happened so quickly! It didn’t seem that long ago that Rebel was just a punk kid who was getting his feet wet in the wrestling business. Fast forward more than 20 years and still going strong. . .however, he’s keenly aware that the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to get a little bit brighter. His time in the ring is slowly coming to a close.
“You don’t have to keep reminding my of my age, y’know!” Rebel replies.
“You are too much of an easy target! I don’t have to try very hard!” She answers back with her slick grin that Rebel has become accustomed to over the past few months.
The camera focus in on the screen where the much younger version of Johnny Rebel is opening neatly wrapped presents. As he opens up each one, you can see the disappointment mounting on his face. Christmas wasn’t exactly a time to get excited about in the Rebel household, as gifts usually revolved around the basics: the occasional new pair of shoes, undergarments and the occasional toy.
Sarah chimes in, “You don’t look real jazzed about the prospects this year! Even as a teenager you were an ungrateful son-of-a. . .” she again blurts out until Rebel slips his hand over her face.
“Ungrateful isn’t the right word. . .I was just hoping for something. . . else.”
“Like what?” She asks.
Rebel points toward the screen towards the background where two tiny action figures, dressed in pro wrestling attire, are positioned perfectly.
“Those were my life!” He says.
A confused look immediately comes over Sarah’s face, “You used to play with dolls?”
Her question is met with an emphatic “NO!” from Johnny, while shaking his head. “They aren’t dolls! They are action figures. . .huge difference!”
“Uh, no there isn’t!” Sarah responds. “They don’t look a whole lot different from the Barbie’s we played with growing up!”
“You have officially lost your mind!” Johnny snaps back at her accusation. “I used to have an entire backpack filled with wrestling action figures. I remember spending hours in my dad’s old shop putting together a ring made out of old scraps of wood. Those were the days!”
“Nope, not dolls at all. . .” Sarah says sarcastically.
“Dolls just sit on the shelf and take up space! There was nothing better than the feeling off coming up with your own story with your action figures. In all honesty, it’s where I learned how to become the story teller that I am!”
“You aren’t doing such a great job here, I must confess! It looks like a doll, smells like a doll and is dressed like a doll. . .it’s a doll!”
“You can think whatever you want but every kid who was ever interested in pro-wrestling had a whole host of these guys! I guarantee it!” Rebel says.
“So, if they were that important, whatever happened to the lot?”
“Just keep watching.” He says while picking up the remote and forwarding through the video. The last present is in sight as his father nudges it across the table in Johnny’s direction. . .at this point, he’s opened so many gifts that felt meaningless that he’s just going through the motions. As he unties the bow and rips through the paper, the expression on his face lights up and the joy on his face can only be described as euphoric. He reaches down in to the box to reveal a brand new bike helmet.
“I didn’t own a bike at the time so I figured if they bought me a bike helmet than surely there was a brand new bike waiting for me somewhere around the house!” Rebel says.
Within seconds of Rebel finishing his sentence, the camera on the home video catches his mother walking a bicycle down through the hallway and in to the dining room where the family has gathered to open gifts. Rebel’s face beams as he inadvertently knocks down the action figures that were positioned in the background of the camera.
“A brand new bicycle was all that I ever wanted!” Rebel exclaims, the same smile on his face that was in the video, almost reliving the moment from the couch.
Sarah watches in the amazement at the joy the bicycle brings to the thirteen-year-old version of Rebel. “All that excitement over a bike? The way you were talking about your dolls. . .”
Rebel clears his throat before interjecting, “Action figures!”
“Whatever! The way you were talking about your. . .action figures. . .would have led me to believe you were just waiting for a few more to add to your collection. I bet you forgot all about them by the time you unwrapped that bike helmet!”
“Now you’re starting to catch on!” says Rebel. “This is exactly the situation I’m trying to avoid heading in to this match with Kurt!”
“What do you mean?” She says, which is a common phrase in normal, everyday conversation between these two.
“I went down the same path that I have been accusing Noble and President Jeff of embracing over the past several weeks. When I first came to the APW, I had to earn everything that was given to me. I didn’t waltz right in to a program with Biggs for the Overdrive championship! I had to pay my dues and work my way up the card to eventually I got to the point where Jeff couldn’t deny me anymore and had to give me a crack at the title!”
“I’m not sure how that has anything to do with Kurt Noble, Johnny?”
“See, I’m the old action figure sitting in the background to keep with the theme that we’ve contrived. At first, I was the hottest thing going. . .there wasn’t anything on the planet that could have slowed my trajectory! I was the face of the franchise. . .Johnny Rebel Pro Wrestling was in full force! Everywhere you looked was a poster with my face front and center! The buzz for each event centered around me and whoever I was facing that particular week! It was a great feeling, everybody wanted to be a part of what I was doing! That was until something newer and shinier came along. . .” Rebel says with a bit of anger growing in his tone.
“Let me guess,” she says, “That would be Kurt Noble. . .aka the bicycle.”
“Precisely!” Rebel says with a finger in the air. “I’ve been busting my butt around here and out of nowhere, Noble comes in and is Jeff’s favorite new toy! I can’t say that I’m surprised though. . .he’s just like the rest of the fans who cheer for you one second and then flock to the next guy that comes through.”
Sarah says, “I can understand your frustration. . .but it’s not Kurt’s fault that Jeff had taken such a liking to him. After all, he’s fairly accomplished in this business. He’s no slouch!”
“Oh, I understand completely. I don’t blame Noble a bit but if he thinks he’s just going to walk in and take everything that I have worked so hard to build than he’s absolutely crazy! I’ve learned from my mistakes in the past. There is nothing like a brand new shiny bicycle when you are a teenager but eventually the parts begin to rust and slowly it becomes unusable. What do you do then? You park the bike in the garage and go back to the old things that had you first loved!”
Sarah nods in agreement as Rebel flips off the TV. “Let’s get out of here. We’ve got a busy couple of days ahead!” The scene closes out with the two exiting Rebel’s office and Johnny flipping the light switch.
*****
It’s finally here.
The match that I have practically been begging for since I stepped in to the APW! Finally, I have the chance to show the world what I’m capable of doing against top tier talent. It’s been so long since I’ve been this amped up for a match and honestly; it’s been awhile since I was booked in a match where I wasn’t one hundred percent confident that the outcome was going to be in my favor! Kurt Noble is certainly no slouch and is capable of pulling the upset at any given moment and in the words of our good friend, C.J. Gates. . .it’s time to go big or go home!
Ten years ago I told the world that I was walking away from that ring and that it was finally my time to hang up my boots. I was pretty confident that nobody was ever going to see Rebel walk through this curtains ever again. I’m sure I wouldn’t have ever admitted this to you back then but I had mixed emotions about the decision I had made. I knew that I couldn’t keep going down the path I was going but I wasn’t quite sure if the final chapter had been written in the Johnny Rebel history books.
So, I decided to throw my hat back in the ring and see what would happen. I quickly found out that even though the variables changed, the business stayed the same. I didn’t have a clue of anybody on the roster but it was always politics as usual. Whoever was willing to stick their thumb up the rear ends of those making the decisions got the immediate shove to the top billing and the pay day that came with it! It seemed like because I was willing to speak my mind and not hold back my true feelings, they did their best to get me to sit down and shut-up!
So, to pacify me for a bit. . .they decided to give me a shot. There wasn’t a soul in that locker room that believed I could defeat Biggs! The man who conquered Level One just a week prior and had taken the mantle of the face of the APW! I’m not a betting man but something tells me the lines waiting at the polls weren’t exactly overflowing with people throwing their money on me! However, I shocked the world and walked away with a championship that was in desperate need of some new life and Jeff knew that the only guy to do that was Johnny Rebel.
However, now we find ourselves coming full circle and back to where we first began. The roles have reversed this time. Despite all of the credentials that Noble brings to the squared circle, there aren’t a whole lot of people banging his drum this week. But because I’ve lived through this movie once already I know that anything can happen at any given moment and at One Night in Hell, it will only take a second for all of my fortunes to be washed away and I’ll be back at square one!
I will confess, I don’t usually have a problem standing in front of a camera and ripping in to someone. Put a microphone in my face and I’ll tell you how it is! However, this week has proved to be difficult to find the right words to say towards you. I’ve been sitting back and waiting for you to trip up! I’ve been waiting to find something to exploit to my advantage. I keep waiting but it never comes. You are always on top of your game and maybe on some level I’ve stumbled upon something that we can agree upon. We’re both going to give it everything we have when we stand face to face on Sunday evening.
I don’t expect you to lie down and simply put, I’d be quite disappointed if you did. Deep down inside I think we understand that we’re pretty much the same person. We’re both clinging to the only life that we have ever known. The both of us have always pushed through when everybody else has counted us out and all but eliminated us from contending. I can dig that about you but don’t let that go to your head. You know the high opinion that I have of myself and I won’t apologize for that. . .so the fact that I would give you the incredible compliment of pointing out some basic similarities between the two of us means that I have an ounce of respect for you.
After examining the similarities that we share together it does make the differences blatantly obvious! The lack of confidence that you have in your own self is disgusting! I’ve had to sit back and listen to you wail on and on about how I’ve flipped your world upside down and shattered a once proud man. I call bologna! Let me borrow an example from a great children’s story. . .Winnie the Pooh! Winnie wasn’t always the most confidence of the bunch but he always found a way to make sure the job got done. He was always bringing the cast of characters up to his level but then there was the donkey, Eyeore, who would always walk around stumbling over himself! He spent the majority of his time downtrodden and melancholy because he didn’t have the confidence to push forward.
Say what you want about me but you know that I’ve done nothing but bring the best out in you. I’ve watched your tone change from being someone who was questioning his existence in the APW to someone who is bubbling over with confidence.
The only problem with your newfangled plan is that confidence is only half of the battle! You still have to perform! You are the one that has to come and take this championship from me! That’s going to be a lot harder than it sounds! I’ll do anything that I have to do to walk away as the last man standing! I’ve heard you make your stand and claim to always doing the honorable thing no matter what the situation and that ultimately will lead to your downfall. While you stick to the rulebook and are afraid to get your hands dirty, I have zero qualms with living on the dark side to protect what is mine. I’m willing to concede the battle to be declared the winner of the war. Go back a few weeks ago on Overdrive when Young Mannie got taught a lesson on how to walk away as champion! He thought he had everything under control until I ended the match on my own terms and was disqualified! While his hand was raised and he celebrated the victory, I won the war because the championship was still mine!
But since we’re quoting the Bible these days, let me give you a dose of your own medicine!
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer! Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life!” Revelation 2:10.
I have been preparing for this for months now! I knew the time was coming when I was going to be tested! The text is clear. . .if I remain faithful to the things that have got me here than I’m going to be successful and obtain the crown of life! In our instance, the crown of life is more than the APW Overdrive Championship but it’s the pathway straight to the top! It’s obvious that whoever walks away from this match with the belt is going to be on the fast track to the Undisputed Championship and the winner of Biggs and Gates!
“In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you!” Isaiah 54:14
Do you see the common thread here? It’s all about fear and overcoming! If I stick to my game plan and continue to walk the path that got me to where I am today than I’ll be far from the terror that you claim to be bringing on Sunday evening! Even I’m not naïve enough to buy that you truly believe I’m the type of person you described by the seven deadly sins!
You have been spinning your wheels and trying to get me to believe in you and perhaps all along the purpose has been for you to believe in yourself! I know what you are capable of and I know that if I don’t bring everything I have come October 23rd than I’m going to walk away the disappointed one and I refuse to let that happen. You have spent so much time and effort, jumping up and done with your arms waving, to get me to pay attention to you. Meanwhile, I’ve done nothing but go on to accomplish bigger and better things. I’ve carried Team APW during CWC Supremacy while you sat in the background twiddling your thumbs and riding my coattails. Now I’m going to do what you couldn’t and beat Jack Benevolence for the True Expert’s championship! Maybe then you will respect me for the real champion that I am!
That’s the story of your career! You get right to the cusp of greatness and you always come up short.
#SIMPLY
#F’N
#PUT?
I don’t see that changing any time soon!
