Post by Anthony Bailey on Dec 28, 2011 17:43:35 GMT -4
"The late James Dean's iconic character of Jim Stark from the classic film Rebel Without a Cause uttered the memorable words "If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and I didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know?" Within the past few years, psychologists and life coaches nationwide have acknowledged that a large amount of individuals currently suffer from a crisis of meaning. Many are unaware of their life's objectives and the point of their existence. What a privilege it is to know why you were placed on this earth…a privilege that is a proximate reality for some while for others, it is a distant nightmare.
{{The scene opens to the inside of a nicely decorated townhouse. Sounds of voices and a television are heard as Anthony "The Promise" Bailey is seated beside a beautiful, young Hispanic woman with long dark hair on a black leather couch typing away on a Macbook. Bailey's wearing a plain white T-shirt' black sweatpants' and a pair of black and white Jordan's. The young woman is wearing a white sweatshirt and tight blue jeans. An unidentified young African American male wearing a blue hoodie and jeans is seated on a black leather chair not far from Anthony and his female companion. Bailey's friends are glued to the television as Bailey's eyes continually go back and forth between the laptop and television screens. The forty inch LED TV screen is showing Johnny Rebel and Kurt Noble's Overdrive Sadistic Match for the Overdrive Title from this past year's One Night in Hell. "Rebel begins to hammer on Noble's body, before hitting a hard elbow on Noble's chin that makes him fall off of the table. Rebel then grabs one of the monitors off of the table, and as Noble stands up, he gets blasted with it!"* Anthony's friend slowly begins to speak.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: How long ago was this match?
{{Anthony turns his attention towards the Macbook screen.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Ummm….this is from October.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Oh okay.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hey, wait a second….do you mind running that back a little bit? I missed some of it because I was checking out something on the computer.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: No prob fam.
{{Anthony's friend holds a remote up and points it towards the television. The current clip pauses and begins to rewind for a few seconds.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Right there is good.
{{The rewinding stops as everyone in the room looks on in silence for a few seconds. "He grabs Rebel, and locks in some sort of clutch, but Rebel knees Noble hard in the stomach to break it up, and then grabs Noble and hits him with a snap suplex on the steel ramp! Noble grabs his back in pain, and Rebel stands up, a stomp to the face demonstrating his lack of love for Noble."* Anthony’s friend once again breaks the silence.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: What you thinking right now, Ant?
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I’ve been thinking the same thing since I first learned that I was booked for this match. I’m excited but nervous and hopeful yet fearful all at the same time.
Young Hispanic Woman: Fearful in the aspect of your opponent himself? I think you can take him.
{{Anthony smiles.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: No baby, it’s not that. I’m not afraid of any man. My father taught me to never fear anybody because nothing separates a man apart from you. He’s a man just like I am. I’m just afraid of failing to live up to everyone’s expectations; yours, the fans, my family’s. I’ve got so many people rooting for me and the last thing I would want to do is to let any of you down.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Man, it is what it is. Just go out there and do you, don’t worry about us or anybody else. You’ve had our backs since day one so whatever the outcome is with this, we still got yours.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Thanks my dude, that means a lot. But I can’t lie though…
{{Anthony pauses for a quick moment.}}
I do have my work cut out for me. This dude is experienced and he knows what he’s doing.
{{Anthony's friend becomes seemingly irritated.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Forget that n*gga man! Don’t big up him when he disrespected you. He’s good and all, but I don’t like the way he carries himself.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I feel you, but I don’t know him well enough to make the same assumption.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Well he seemed to know you well enough on that video you showed me on YouTube. You gotta be more aggressive, Ant…
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: But you just said that I need to do me. Being aggressive in certain situations just isn’t me. Trust me; I’m taking this a lot more serious than I appear to be. I’m focused now more than ever before. I just choose to maintain a laidback demeanor and not take stuff to heart, especially when it deals with people talking reckless about me when they don’t even know me.
Young Hispanic Woman: And that’s the best thing to do.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I’m glad you agree…
{{Anthony mumbles under his breath and turns back towards the laptop.}}
What time is it?...oh okay cool. Would ya’ll excuse me for a second? I’ll be right back…
{{Anthony grabs the Macbook as he stands to his feet. He folds the laptop and places it on the coffee table in front of him. As he heads towards the door at the entrance of the townhouse and opens it, the camera follows him.}}
Four days…I am only four days away until the momentum of my entire career is set. I can’t help but to constantly think about the outcome of my match against Johnny Rebel and what all of it will mean for me. I’ve eaten, slept, and breathed this thing for over a whole week now. The process has left me physically and mentally exhausted but because I haven’t been left discouraged but in fact, have been more encouraged than ever before, proves to me that I am cut out for this business. In my opponent’s eyes I’m some pushover, but if that’s the case, then why am I being scheduled to fight against you, the self proclaimed future Undisputed Champion? Shouldn’t guys like you be headlining at every event against the crème of the crop? And speaking of the Undisputed Title, you are worried about that belt a little too much in my opinion. You should be more concerned about this young man right here before your eyes causing you to leave New Orleans embarrassed and defeated. Now that’s an underdog story for you, isn’t it?
How dare you speak ill of the fans and call them herpes harvesters. The same fans that you belittle pay good money so you can receive nice sized paychecks to keep your little girlfriend’s Botox injections up to date. I mean, she’s a beautiful girl and all but let’s be honest Johnny, all of her body parts aren’t…well…it isn’t entirely authentic. But that’s totally okay if you like that sort of thing. What’s that chick’s name again? Sarah? Hey Sarah, nice of you to throw a little jab in there about how no one has heard of me. It’s also kind of ironic because until the Montgomery Bus Boycott back in 1955, a lot of people hadn’t heard of a young Baptist minister from Atlanta by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. either. What’s the correlation I’m trying to make? Well, he went on to change the face of this nation and civil rights as we know it. I don’t care about nobody knowing my name or my face yet, because sooner or later, that’s all going to change.
But not to get off topic and to somewhat reiterate my mission statement; of course I do this for the fans. I mean why wouldn’t I? What a waste of time it would be for me to wrestle for my own sake. I’m not here to build my own grand empire or to make enough money to move away to some isolated tropical island lying on a hammock counting dollar bills all day. To some that is the ideal life but to me, that’s a wasted life and that’s the life you are leading Mr. Rebel. I aim to influence the fans and to inspire them. The doctors, lawyers, teachers, and athletes of tomorrow will be seated in the audience fervently watching each time I step through that curtain and if I could play a role in shaping their futures, then I have accomplished what I set out to do.
No measure of wins or championship belts could ever amount to that. The dear fans are the consumers and the consumers possess the true power. Do you not understand the basic principles of economics? Apparently not. The fans are the heartbeat of this sport, not cocky guys like you who verbally assaults them week after week. Your last name couldn’t be anymore fitting for you because ironically, you do come off as a rebel. But you my friend are a rebel without a cause. I mean, what is it that you stand for again? Do you speak on behalf of all arrogant fools scattered across the globe? If you compared our track records competitively, then of course you got me because I have yet to even wrestle professionally but when you compare our mission, our objectives, what grounds us, and ultimately what sustains us, I make you look like the rookie.
I stand for this great country that we reside in truly being the land of opportunity. Only in America can a regular kid grow up to become a wrestling superstar who impacts the lives of thousands, even millions. I represent the abandonment of reluctance and fear when it comes to pursuing one’s dreams. That’s what Anthony Bailey stands for, but you Johnny….ou are passively navigating through life thinking the next man is a mere stepping stone for your propelling to the spotlight. You can have that because I honestly do not crave to be in that position because I know the responsibility that comes along with it. But given our field of work the spotlight is inescapable. By no means is it something that I desire but what can I expect if my face is popping up on national television every other week? The spotlight is inevitable…and so is the beginning of your demise come this Sunday evening.
I was always told that wisdom comes with age but obviously Johnny Rebel still lacks a great deal of it. This isn’t about who’s new, inexperienced, or any of that. There’s quite a few new mega stars debuting on Asylum. You have people like Yuna Tanahashi, Rhonda Vixen, and Bacon all in the same boat as myself. I could’ve been put up against any of them, but I wasn’t. I’m scheduled to fight you Johnny Rebel. Call it destiny if you may, but I call it the beginning of a fruitful professional career for myself. I never for once doubted that you’d be an easy opponent, but for some bizarre reason, you view me that way and that’s fine. I could care less. And to think, all of those years of competing in this sport and you don’t represent any kind of cause or mission. Remember this though…if you don’t stand for something Johnny boy, you’re bound to fall for anything. I’ve got to go get these plane tickets booked, see you Sunday…
{{Bailey turns around and walks back inside the home as the scene fades to black.}}
*Taken from APW’s One Night in Hell 2011 results
{{The scene opens to the inside of a nicely decorated townhouse. Sounds of voices and a television are heard as Anthony "The Promise" Bailey is seated beside a beautiful, young Hispanic woman with long dark hair on a black leather couch typing away on a Macbook. Bailey's wearing a plain white T-shirt' black sweatpants' and a pair of black and white Jordan's. The young woman is wearing a white sweatshirt and tight blue jeans. An unidentified young African American male wearing a blue hoodie and jeans is seated on a black leather chair not far from Anthony and his female companion. Bailey's friends are glued to the television as Bailey's eyes continually go back and forth between the laptop and television screens. The forty inch LED TV screen is showing Johnny Rebel and Kurt Noble's Overdrive Sadistic Match for the Overdrive Title from this past year's One Night in Hell. "Rebel begins to hammer on Noble's body, before hitting a hard elbow on Noble's chin that makes him fall off of the table. Rebel then grabs one of the monitors off of the table, and as Noble stands up, he gets blasted with it!"* Anthony's friend slowly begins to speak.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: How long ago was this match?
{{Anthony turns his attention towards the Macbook screen.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Ummm….this is from October.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Oh okay.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Hey, wait a second….do you mind running that back a little bit? I missed some of it because I was checking out something on the computer.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: No prob fam.
{{Anthony's friend holds a remote up and points it towards the television. The current clip pauses and begins to rewind for a few seconds.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Right there is good.
{{The rewinding stops as everyone in the room looks on in silence for a few seconds. "He grabs Rebel, and locks in some sort of clutch, but Rebel knees Noble hard in the stomach to break it up, and then grabs Noble and hits him with a snap suplex on the steel ramp! Noble grabs his back in pain, and Rebel stands up, a stomp to the face demonstrating his lack of love for Noble."* Anthony’s friend once again breaks the silence.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: What you thinking right now, Ant?
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I’ve been thinking the same thing since I first learned that I was booked for this match. I’m excited but nervous and hopeful yet fearful all at the same time.
Young Hispanic Woman: Fearful in the aspect of your opponent himself? I think you can take him.
{{Anthony smiles.}}
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: No baby, it’s not that. I’m not afraid of any man. My father taught me to never fear anybody because nothing separates a man apart from you. He’s a man just like I am. I’m just afraid of failing to live up to everyone’s expectations; yours, the fans, my family’s. I’ve got so many people rooting for me and the last thing I would want to do is to let any of you down.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Man, it is what it is. Just go out there and do you, don’t worry about us or anybody else. You’ve had our backs since day one so whatever the outcome is with this, we still got yours.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: Thanks my dude, that means a lot. But I can’t lie though…
{{Anthony pauses for a quick moment.}}
I do have my work cut out for me. This dude is experienced and he knows what he’s doing.
{{Anthony's friend becomes seemingly irritated.}}
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Forget that n*gga man! Don’t big up him when he disrespected you. He’s good and all, but I don’t like the way he carries himself.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I feel you, but I don’t know him well enough to make the same assumption.
Young Male in Blue Hoodie: Well he seemed to know you well enough on that video you showed me on YouTube. You gotta be more aggressive, Ant…
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: But you just said that I need to do me. Being aggressive in certain situations just isn’t me. Trust me; I’m taking this a lot more serious than I appear to be. I’m focused now more than ever before. I just choose to maintain a laidback demeanor and not take stuff to heart, especially when it deals with people talking reckless about me when they don’t even know me.
Young Hispanic Woman: And that’s the best thing to do.
Anthony "The Promise" Bailey: I’m glad you agree…
{{Anthony mumbles under his breath and turns back towards the laptop.}}
What time is it?...oh okay cool. Would ya’ll excuse me for a second? I’ll be right back…
{{Anthony grabs the Macbook as he stands to his feet. He folds the laptop and places it on the coffee table in front of him. As he heads towards the door at the entrance of the townhouse and opens it, the camera follows him.}}
Four days…I am only four days away until the momentum of my entire career is set. I can’t help but to constantly think about the outcome of my match against Johnny Rebel and what all of it will mean for me. I’ve eaten, slept, and breathed this thing for over a whole week now. The process has left me physically and mentally exhausted but because I haven’t been left discouraged but in fact, have been more encouraged than ever before, proves to me that I am cut out for this business. In my opponent’s eyes I’m some pushover, but if that’s the case, then why am I being scheduled to fight against you, the self proclaimed future Undisputed Champion? Shouldn’t guys like you be headlining at every event against the crème of the crop? And speaking of the Undisputed Title, you are worried about that belt a little too much in my opinion. You should be more concerned about this young man right here before your eyes causing you to leave New Orleans embarrassed and defeated. Now that’s an underdog story for you, isn’t it?
How dare you speak ill of the fans and call them herpes harvesters. The same fans that you belittle pay good money so you can receive nice sized paychecks to keep your little girlfriend’s Botox injections up to date. I mean, she’s a beautiful girl and all but let’s be honest Johnny, all of her body parts aren’t…well…it isn’t entirely authentic. But that’s totally okay if you like that sort of thing. What’s that chick’s name again? Sarah? Hey Sarah, nice of you to throw a little jab in there about how no one has heard of me. It’s also kind of ironic because until the Montgomery Bus Boycott back in 1955, a lot of people hadn’t heard of a young Baptist minister from Atlanta by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. either. What’s the correlation I’m trying to make? Well, he went on to change the face of this nation and civil rights as we know it. I don’t care about nobody knowing my name or my face yet, because sooner or later, that’s all going to change.
But not to get off topic and to somewhat reiterate my mission statement; of course I do this for the fans. I mean why wouldn’t I? What a waste of time it would be for me to wrestle for my own sake. I’m not here to build my own grand empire or to make enough money to move away to some isolated tropical island lying on a hammock counting dollar bills all day. To some that is the ideal life but to me, that’s a wasted life and that’s the life you are leading Mr. Rebel. I aim to influence the fans and to inspire them. The doctors, lawyers, teachers, and athletes of tomorrow will be seated in the audience fervently watching each time I step through that curtain and if I could play a role in shaping their futures, then I have accomplished what I set out to do.
No measure of wins or championship belts could ever amount to that. The dear fans are the consumers and the consumers possess the true power. Do you not understand the basic principles of economics? Apparently not. The fans are the heartbeat of this sport, not cocky guys like you who verbally assaults them week after week. Your last name couldn’t be anymore fitting for you because ironically, you do come off as a rebel. But you my friend are a rebel without a cause. I mean, what is it that you stand for again? Do you speak on behalf of all arrogant fools scattered across the globe? If you compared our track records competitively, then of course you got me because I have yet to even wrestle professionally but when you compare our mission, our objectives, what grounds us, and ultimately what sustains us, I make you look like the rookie.
I stand for this great country that we reside in truly being the land of opportunity. Only in America can a regular kid grow up to become a wrestling superstar who impacts the lives of thousands, even millions. I represent the abandonment of reluctance and fear when it comes to pursuing one’s dreams. That’s what Anthony Bailey stands for, but you Johnny….ou are passively navigating through life thinking the next man is a mere stepping stone for your propelling to the spotlight. You can have that because I honestly do not crave to be in that position because I know the responsibility that comes along with it. But given our field of work the spotlight is inescapable. By no means is it something that I desire but what can I expect if my face is popping up on national television every other week? The spotlight is inevitable…and so is the beginning of your demise come this Sunday evening.
I was always told that wisdom comes with age but obviously Johnny Rebel still lacks a great deal of it. This isn’t about who’s new, inexperienced, or any of that. There’s quite a few new mega stars debuting on Asylum. You have people like Yuna Tanahashi, Rhonda Vixen, and Bacon all in the same boat as myself. I could’ve been put up against any of them, but I wasn’t. I’m scheduled to fight you Johnny Rebel. Call it destiny if you may, but I call it the beginning of a fruitful professional career for myself. I never for once doubted that you’d be an easy opponent, but for some bizarre reason, you view me that way and that’s fine. I could care less. And to think, all of those years of competing in this sport and you don’t represent any kind of cause or mission. Remember this though…if you don’t stand for something Johnny boy, you’re bound to fall for anything. I’ve got to go get these plane tickets booked, see you Sunday…
{{Bailey turns around and walks back inside the home as the scene fades to black.}}
*Taken from APW’s One Night in Hell 2011 results
