Post by Jules on Mar 21, 2012 10:19:07 GMT -4
ǀ The Past ǀ
Where do I am come from and where am I going? This conjunction of questions is the driving force behind all human aspiration. The Buddhists believe time is fleeting, a transient flux where the words ‘past’, ‘present’, ‘future’ are merely conveniently designators for a fickle and limited consciousness that consoles itself with taxonomy. The question ‘what is there?’ is really ‘what can I categorise in my experience?”
The point here is not merely metaphysical (whoever thought metaphysics had a place in a wrestling promo?), but runs deeper than that – it is, as the sages would put it, ‘philosophical’. The past, the present and the future are inseparably connected: they shape, drive and excite every thought, feeling, action and aspiration formed by a human mind.
I want to be sober tomorrow because yesterday I was a drunk.
I want a rich future because I was poor in the past.
I desire love because I’ve never felt happiness.
In the future I want to be a winner because I have always been a loser.
This is exactly where John Dionysus stands. He stands at the fork in the road: the path that has led him here is the past. The choice is to continue along that path or to deviate towards a future. But remember, the future is a product of the past. Men desired travel to the moon because it had not been achieved in the past; men today desire travel to Mars and beyond because the men of yesterday have walked the surface of our satellite.
Cause and effect.
Evolution.
Progress.
Two events from the past have led Dionysus to this very place, this very time where he stands on the cusp of the future. The first event was the decision to drink. Its determinants were many and varied, but it remains a pivotal moment in his life – the moment when his struggle against himself began. The second centres on a night many years ago when John Dionysus stepped into a wrestling ring to face the man he still considers to be his greatest rival. The Rival, as we shall know him, was at the peak of his powers, and Dionysus had never beaten him. That night John Dionysus promised himself he would not fail...that promise was broken, and the shattered remnants of the man known as ‘John Dionysus’ would that night complete his downward spiral into oblivion.
It would take years for the shards of that catastrophe to be reassembled to form the man that stands before us here and now, the man we call ‘John Dionysus’.
Rasslemania is the culmination of Dionysus’ past and present; it is the night that holds the key that will open the door to his future.
It is his beginning.
Where do I am come from and where am I going? This conjunction of questions is the driving force behind all human aspiration. The Buddhists believe time is fleeting, a transient flux where the words ‘past’, ‘present’, ‘future’ are merely conveniently designators for a fickle and limited consciousness that consoles itself with taxonomy. The question ‘what is there?’ is really ‘what can I categorise in my experience?”
The point here is not merely metaphysical (whoever thought metaphysics had a place in a wrestling promo?), but runs deeper than that – it is, as the sages would put it, ‘philosophical’. The past, the present and the future are inseparably connected: they shape, drive and excite every thought, feeling, action and aspiration formed by a human mind.
I want to be sober tomorrow because yesterday I was a drunk.
I want a rich future because I was poor in the past.
I desire love because I’ve never felt happiness.
In the future I want to be a winner because I have always been a loser.
This is exactly where John Dionysus stands. He stands at the fork in the road: the path that has led him here is the past. The choice is to continue along that path or to deviate towards a future. But remember, the future is a product of the past. Men desired travel to the moon because it had not been achieved in the past; men today desire travel to Mars and beyond because the men of yesterday have walked the surface of our satellite.
Cause and effect.
Evolution.
Progress.
Two events from the past have led Dionysus to this very place, this very time where he stands on the cusp of the future. The first event was the decision to drink. Its determinants were many and varied, but it remains a pivotal moment in his life – the moment when his struggle against himself began. The second centres on a night many years ago when John Dionysus stepped into a wrestling ring to face the man he still considers to be his greatest rival. The Rival, as we shall know him, was at the peak of his powers, and Dionysus had never beaten him. That night John Dionysus promised himself he would not fail...that promise was broken, and the shattered remnants of the man known as ‘John Dionysus’ would that night complete his downward spiral into oblivion.
It would take years for the shards of that catastrophe to be reassembled to form the man that stands before us here and now, the man we call ‘John Dionysus’.
Rasslemania is the culmination of Dionysus’ past and present; it is the night that holds the key that will open the door to his future.
It is his beginning.
ǀ The Present ǀ
?: You know what, you may just be right about that Paul. All I know is that these guys need to do more to put their name out there. Okay, time for some commercials but we’ll be right back and when we do we’re talking more APW Rasslemania and in particular the battle for the Xtreme Title.
This is a radio show, a wrestling radio show to be exact. And during this week there can be only one thing worthy of discussion amongst the marks and smarks of the professional wrestling world.
?: Welcome back, you’re listenng to KJWTYD Sports Radio. This is ‘The Slam Show’ with me, your host, Josh Crowe, and our guest panel of ‘Slam’ regular Chris Lebone, and former mat legend Memphis ‘Six Seconds’. We’re talking APW Rasslemania VIII that GOES BIG in Indianapolis this Sunday. Okay, lots of burning issues and we’ve just been discussing the 8-man elimination match. But we’re going to move onto the slow burning rivalry for the Xtreme Title: John Dionysus defends against Michael Harris. What do you think about this one Chris?
Chris: I definitely think this is one that could light up the midcard. I’m just looking through the card rundown and this one follows Marvin vs. Saint, so there is going to be a lot of pressure of both guys to put on a show following that one. Last thing these guys want is for this to be a transition match between the ‘I Quit’ match and the main events.
Josh: Memphis?
Memphis: I’ve been mighty impressed with what both these guys are doing. I know Michael Harris is a bit of a legend in some professional wrestling circles, you look at his record and you know he has all the credentials you’re looking for. But Dionysus is the champ, he seems to me to be hungry, and I’ve been really pleased with how he has notched up the intensity in his matches over the past few weeks.
Josh: That is certainly the case. You know, there is a lot of talk about these guys really being pegged for bigger and better things. But what do you guys at home think? Get on the phone, email us, or even tweet through #TheSlam Show. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. But let’s look at the issue here: Michael Harris has come into APW and said he wants to make a statement, he’s chosen Dionysus as his message, even going as far as to call Dionysus a ‘weak champion’. Do you guys agree?
Memphis: Listen, speaking from experience it’s all head games. This is classic psychology by Michael Harris. He wants to try and get inside the mind of John Dionysus to try and make this personal.
Chris: But it’s always going to be personal, Harris wants Dionysus’ title.
Memphis: I think Harris is trying to work on a deeper level than that. He doesn’t just want to win the title, he wants to humiliate and destroy Dionysus. Smash him to pieces so that Dionysus has to rebuild himself.
Chris: I’m putting my hat in firmly with Harris here. He has all the momentum: he has continually outsmarted Dionysus and physically taken him apart on Overdrive for weeks. We saw last time out that Dionysus’ ribs are clearly injured, in an Xtreme rules match it will favour Harris.
Josh: I see what you mean Chris, but you have to admit all of those attacks were cheap shots, or they were done right after Dionysus had competed in a match. In fact, the one time these two guys were in a match together Dionysus pinned Harris.
Chris: Yes, but look at the circumstances of that. Harris had dominated Dionysus, but a distraction outside the ring let Dionysus get that pinfall. It was a hollow victory in my eyes.
Josh: I’m sure you fine people listening at home have your own thoughts on this. Get on the phone, text, email, tweet us. Let us know what you think. I’ve got a tweet here from ‘CornDawgChief’ which says “harris has dionysus number dionysus has no ribs and he has to wrestle in CWC on saturday night #NewXtremeChampAtRasslemania”. He, or she, raises a good point – how important is the fact Dionysus has to travel to Brazil for CWC on Saturday, and then get all the way back to Indianapolis for Rasslemania the next day?
Memphis: I’m sure Dionysus has factored that into his preparations. These are professional athletes, they are on the road 300 days of the year.
Chris: How can you just shrug it off like that Memphis? Let’s get all the facts out there, Dionysus is not just going to CWC to wrestle, he’s going to wrestle a former NEWera Heavyweight Champion in Outkast, one of the smartest and toughest veterans in the business. All of this just leads me to believe that title is Harris’ to lose on Sunday.”
Memphis: Trust me you little pipsqueak, if anybody in this studio understands the demands of a pro wrestler it is not you. John Dionysus wouldn’t be wrestling two matches in two days if he wasn’t fit to do so. His body has two weeks to heal. Anyway, you can look at it this way: Dionysus goes to CWC on Saturday and he beats Outkast, that’s a whole lot of momentum he is bringing to Rasslemania.
Josh: Well it is a big ‘if’ whether Dionysus can get the job done against Outkast, but I do see the point you’re making Memphis. Anyway, we’ve got a caller on line 1, er, Mark from Chicago. Hey Mark.
Caller ‘Mark’: Hey Josh, how are you?
Josh: I’m good bro. So Dionysus/Harris, which way do you see this one going?
Caller ‘Mark’: I’m 50/50, but I wanted to ask you guys about whether this match will restore prestige to a title that seems to have been forgotten about on Overdrive.
Josh: That’s a great question – Memphis?
Memphis: Well this seems to be the issue we touched upon earlier when it was mentioned Harris called out Dionysus as a ‘weak champion’, and it is certainly something both men have talked about.
Chris: Not to mention both C.J. Gates and Terry Marvin have said recently it’s a title nobody cares about anymore.
Memphis: Let’s bear in mind both those guys have titles of their own; they’re obviously not going to hype somebody else’s match ahead of theirs. But the way I see it there is an element of truth in what Gates and Marvin have said: the Xtreme Title has become a bit of an afterthought on Overdrive, and some of its recent holders probably haven’t done it justice. So to the answer caller’s question, yeah I think it will. At the end of the day some people may look at it and say ‘it’s just a gimmick title’, but let me tell you holding down a title reign in Xtreme rules matches requires a specific set of skills, not to mention an inhuman ability to take physical punishment. On a show where there are limited resources in terms of championships everything has to carry its weight in gold, so if these two guys can put this title back in the spotlight it’s no bad thing for the title or for Xtreme wrestling as a whole.
Josh: And especially when you consider the atrocities Michael Callahan is trying to commit against hardcore wrestling on Asylum.
Memphis: Exactly. As a former practitioner of the art I am always glad to see a strong hardcore title and a strong level of competition.
Josh: Mark, what do you think?
Caller ‘Mark’: I completely agree with Memphis, APW needs more hardcore wrestling. We all love to see the great wrestling matches involving guys like C.J. Gates, Kurt Noble and Keaton Saint, but we also want to see a couple of guys duke it out with blood and guts.
Josh: A man after my own heart. Thanks for your call Mark. Chris, I can see you’re itching to say something.
Chris: Yeah, I’m with Memphis on this one. But I also think the Xtreme Title needs a champion that embodies the ethos of that type of wrestling. Is Dionysus that man? I don’t know, but I do know that Harris has a long and proven record in these kinds of matches; he understands hardcore and he will bring it right to the forefront of APW television.
Josh: Wow, you really are cheerleading for Harris today. But let’s be fair here, who says Dionysus can’t embody hardcore? You got to give the guy a chance, this is his first defence.
Chris: Yeah, well I just think the guy is a bit too nice, a bit too clean cut. He’s had his chances to show that dark side, to release that rage on Michael Harris in recent weeks, but he just hasn’t done it.
Charlie Continental closed down the webcast of the radio show and looked across at John Dionysus who had been listening while lounging on a sofa.
“That is what you are up against my friend,” said Continential. “Not only do you have to prove you can beat Michael Harris, but you have to convince your audience that you can beat him and be better than him in an environment where he excels.”
Dionysus sat back and digested Continental’s assessment of the situation. Dionysus knew Continental was correct; the challenge before him was more than just about scoring a pinfall victory over Michael Harris and successfully defending his belt. His role in all of this extended beyond that to something bigger and more absolute, something that throbbed from deep within his soul.
“This match is not just about me and Harris,” Dionysus said after some pause. Continental looked back at him with a curious expression.
“It’s a fight to settle the future. My future. His future. Our future.”
ǀ The Future ǀ
part one
part one
“Have you considered the alternative?”
John Dionysus was asked by Vern Wheeler. They were on a plane flying to Sao Paulo, Brazil for Dionysus’ upcoming match against NEWera icon Outkast. It was a busy schedule for Dionysus, competing in Brazil on Saturday and having to fly immediately back to the United States for his Rasslemania against Michael Harris the next day. The APW Xtreme Champion was taking it all in his stride; not through any misplaced arrogance about the outcome of those matches, but simply because he had begun to accept that if he ever wanted to reach the levels the likes of C.J. Gates, Kurt Noble, and Keaton Saint competed at he would need to learn to replicate and flourish with that workload.
The conversation between the two had arrived at that much-anticipated Rasslemania match, and Wheeler’s question about ‘the alterantive’.
“What do you mean?”
“What if you lose John? Have you even considered that possibility?”
Now that Dionysus was being questioned he realised he hadn’t. He didn’t quite know what to make of that fact, or the fact that Wheeler had challenged him in this way.
Dionysus looked at his agent and shook his head. “I haven’t considered it.”
“Well maybe you should.”
Dionysus was caught off guard by this. He craned his neck and peered at his agent.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Yeah, I’m telling you to think about the possibility of losing, and what that scenario means for you.”
“Why?”
Wheeler’s response was immediate: “Because I want you to consider what that means.”
“Have you been thinking about me losing?”
“Yes!” Wheeler’s voice was high-pitched and not hiding his exasperation. “It’s my job to consider it.”
Dionysus looked hurt.
“Johnny, somebody has to think up a contingency plan, and that somebody is me. Every time you lose I am the one who has to try and lift you from the depths of your soul, the canyon or whatever you call it.”
“The abyss.”
“Okay, ‘the abyss’,” Wheeler said it in a sarcastic foreboding tone. “But really, ‘the abyss’, what is all that about?”
“It’s a metaphor.”
Wheeler mockingly mumbled ‘it’s a metaphor’ parrot fashion. There is thirty seconds of silence between the two.
“I’m serious John, you need to think about what happens if you lose.”
Dionysus sat in silent reflection. He knew he hadn’t thought about losing because he believed he couldn’t lose. He thought it was probably because his mind had been so focussed on defeating Michael Harris that it would not consider the alternative. But he knew Wheeler was right: it was a real possibility, and it was a real possibility that he had to think about and plan for. Or did he? Was that already admitting defeat, and therefore rummaging around for an excuse before the event?
His thoughts were cut off by Wheeler speaking.
“I just don’t think it’s in me to resurrect you if the fall comes again.”
Dionysus nodded. “I understand.”
“Do you? Do you understand what it will mean if you lose? You’re back at square one again. Are you prepared for that?”
Dionysus pondered the question for some time before he answered.
“Listen here Vern; if Harris comes to the ring and he beats me square, then I’ll have no complaints. I know where you’re coming from, I know my past better than anyone, and I know my past dictates that I crumble when it doesn’t go my way. I know you’re looking at me now and you’re wondering whether I am still that same man.”
“It’s just...” Vern pauses. “I was there when you lost that match in UWF. I was there and had to pick you up again when WWA closed down. I was...”
“You were, and I’m always grateful. But let’s forget I am right here right now because I got myself to this place. I called you remember, it wasn’t the other way around. ‘The abyss’? I escaped that alone through my own will and my own efforts.”
Dionysus took a pause for a few moments, but soon picked up his train of thought.
“I know that I cannot very escape that past, in the sense that I just cannot rub it out. It is how I got here; it has played its part in shaping who I have become. It’s there as a learning curve, always reminding me of the mistakes I’ve made along the way, but it’s not who I am anymore.”
“Okay, but the question remains.”
“No it doesn’t; because you’re asking the wrong question.”
Wheeler looked at Dionysus quizzically and asked. “What is the right question?”
“What if I win at Rasslemania.”
Wheeler said nothing; he waited for Dionysus to continue.
“If I lose, then nothing changes. It’s just history repeating itself, I’ll wake up Monday morning with exactly the same challenge that has faced me and I have struggled to overcome for fifteen years.”
Wheeler again tried to interject, but Dionysus was having none of it.
“But if I win, then we’re into a new and open territory. That is the future and not just the past revisiting. It’s fertile ground Vern carrying with it the opportunity to create something anew. You have to see it my way Vern, I’m looking at this match as the door with the future spread out beyond it, and beating Michael Harris is the key that unlocks that door.”
“You’re talking riddles again.”
Dionysus sighed. “Fine, think of it this way: beat Michael Harris and I might just be able to change the future of APW for the better.”
Wheeler, usually a merchant of hyperbole, looked sceptical. Dionysus relaxed and exhaled.
“Okay, one step at a time. But you do have to start with one droplet before you can carry a full becket.”
The pair shared a chuckle at the corny aphorism. Wheeler patted Dionysus on the shoulder.
“Well, let’s just worry about beating Michael Harris for now; the future and all its flourishing can wait for another day.”
“That’s precisely my point Vern, the future is now...I intend to embrace it.”
Wheeler had heard enough. He shrugged his shoulder and reclined in his seat as he tried to get some sleep.
*
part two
A few days before Rasslemania John Dionysus sat down to record his final thoughts ahead of what he hoped would be an historic match against Michael Harris.
“So it’s finally arrived; this night of all nights. After all the finger-pointing, the promises, the posturing, the jostling for that added bit of momentum, the hopes and the dreams, we’re finally here...Rasslemania VIII.
This is it; this is the moment we have all being striving towards. This night is the culmination of a year of hard work, right? This is the final pay-off for all the wrestlers of APW who desired and even dared to dream. This is it!
Fate, Fortune and Destiny all come together as one to share their council on how history will view the men and women of APW who step in to the Lucas Oil Stadium. Winners, losers, heroes, villains – all will be made on this night.
Yet I carry with me the firm belief that I am in full control of my own destiny at Rasslemania, and with that power I can shape my future as a human being and as a wrestler. Furthermore, I am not of the view that Rasslemania is not the culmination of anything for me, it is just the beginning.
It would be easy for me to sit here all comfortable in the knowledge that I’ve made it; I’ve made it to Rasslemania. After fifteen years of struggling against the odds, of fighting for survival in this cut-throat business day after day for over a decade, I got here for the biggest night of any wrestler’s career. That is how it will look to some; that I, John Dionysus, even made it this far is a miraculous phenomena; this is my big pay-off for believing and sticking with it.
But I don’t see it that way at all. This is not the culmination of my life’s work, it is the beginning.
Everything in my past and my present has led to me this moment when I can finally begin to say ‘I’m starting something here’. I’m not quite sure what that ‘something’ is, but I know it’s something: something for me, something for the fans, something for this industry. It’s something because I finally feel it makes a break with my past and looks forward only into the future. That, for me, is a pretty important something to start.
It begins with you Michael Harris. Don’t get me wrong here, don’t confuse what I say for some arrogant hype, or any attempt to play down your role in all of this. Sure enough I’m saying I’m no longer setting any limits on what the future holds for me, and that’s a pretty mighty thing to say, but its true meaning is that I will no longer allow myself to become shackled by the past or the present.”
Dionysus stopped and ran his hands backwards through his hair, taking his time before continuing the promo. He knew he had spent a long time setting the flavour of the moment, but really this was the time not to dwell on Rasslemania hype, but the time to spare none of his thoughts on his opponent, Michael Harris.
“You know exactly what I mean and exactly where I am coming from Michael. For weeks you’ve been telling the whole world how we have never seen anyone like you, and as recently as last week even prophesised the coming of ‘The Harris Era’. I’ve had to suffer at your hands on a weekly basis as you have instigated your campaign to fashion this idea or whatever it is you believe it to be. Whether ‘The Harris Era’ is coming I’m going to make no judgements or predictions about because if there is anyone around here who knows full well what you are capable of and the depths to which you are prepared to reach in order to achieve your goals it is me.
On the surface of it may look as though we speak of the same thing when we talk about this match promising a new future. The differences are subtle in language, yet great in their ultimate meaning. The future for me is much more self-oriented, a kind of personal liberation if you like, whereas what you preach is a tyranny. Your project is nothing new Harris, not in professional wrestling, nor in the annals of time. I do admire your pluck and your ambition, and I know that you have as much talent in the ring as anybody else in this company – as those who have faced you will ably testify.
But the reality, Harris, is that you are just another Napoleon with your fantasies of domination and sublimation of those around you. And just like every other megalomaniac with a Napoleon-complex you will fail because ultimately you will be consumed by your own haughtiness and vanity. You have wrought your campaign of hate against me, and why? First you told the world it was about competition, but then it became about eradicating a weakness.
You look at me and you see weakness, but what you see is your ego talking. You are like the jaundiced man who sees the world in yellow – your vision is impaired and your notion of reality is an illusion. Your eyes tell you that you stand face to face with a man who is not your equal; what you do not see is a man who has overcome incredible odds and incredible circumstances just to be here.”
Dionysus’ mind was fixed on the memory of Michael Harris’ actions on Overdrive over the past month. It had been difficult for Dionysus to strike out the way his instinct demanded; but he didn’t want to be that guy. Instead Dionysus concerned himself with his sense that justice would be served at Rasslemania. As he thought about justice, he espoused his thoughts on Michael Harris’ merit.
“The question is one of merit, Michael. To your eyes I am not a man who merits the title ‘Xtreme Champion’, and maybe you’re right. Should time prove the truth of your hypothesis I will be the first to admit you were right, and while you’re on the money to say I cannot boast the record and the accomplishments that you do as a hardcore competitor, where you are wrong is in denying my merit in being here.
The proof of my merit is in the scars I bear, both physical and psychological, from fifteen years of battling in this business; it is in the fact that I had to beat three other men to win this title; it is in the fact that every night I try to carry myself with respect for the fans, for this business, and for the opponents I face.
Where is your merit, Michael? Is it in the fact that you demanded it be granted to you? Can we find it in the repeated attacks you have carried out against me? Is it in your provocative proclamation that you are better than me? Is it in the 21 World Titles you won...and lost? Is it in the words of a few APW Megastars who bothered to give you the time of day to say a few words of propaganda?
The cold hard truth, Michael, is that you do not merit any of this. Everything you have got so far in APW you have taken; that isn’t merit, it is robbery. But I’ll give you some credit: you have proven that you are an opportunist and, whether you deserve this shot or not, it doesn’t alter the fact that you could beat me this Sunday and walk out of Indianapolis with the Xtreme Championship belt in your possession.
The thought was difficult for Dionysus to stomach. It was clear in his mind that Harris could win; in terms of wrestling ability there was no gulf between them. In the end it would come to who wanted it more. This thought brought him back to Rasslemania and the responsibility he felt he shouldered in this match; his role in the future of APW.
We’re reaching a point now where words will no longer matter because this is a matter that can and should only be decided in the ring...at Rasslemania.
On what will be the biggest night of the year our match may not be the first thing people’s lips, and when the night comes I know that most attention will be directed at the burning issues of settling old grudges, and discovering who attains the highest honours in the company. But I feel that our match reflects on a microscopic level an important, nay fundamental, struggle in our business: the future.
Make no mistake about it; remove the personalities and the Xtreme Championship belt and what is at stake in this match is the future of wrestling itself. Rightly or wrongly, I believe in the wrestling industry and the sporting ethos it embodies; I believe in those meritocratic values that demand that a person earns what is their worth. In lay terms, what you put in you get back.
I look at you Harris and I see a man who conducts himself in direct contradiction to those values. You are a bully and a thief who sees himself not in a position of merit, but a position of entitlement. You’ve come to APW to take what is yours, right, not to earn your place amongst the pantheon of APW greats such as Sally Talfourd and Jason Kash that you are so quick to pander to.
But that little trick is as cheap as every other you have pulled since you walked through that door under the noble pretence of seeking some honest competition. But it’s not competition you seek Harris, its domination of those you perceive to be weaker than you are. I’m not going to disagree with Sally Talfourd and Jason Kash: you are a great athlete and so far you have proven yourself to a fine wrestler...but great?”
Dionysus smirked at the idea. He knew it wasn’t illogical, but the idea’s portentousness made him smile.
“Greatness is determined by conduct alone – this is the mark of difference between the true champion and the guy who holds the belt. The reason Sally Talfourd is considered one of APW’s all-time great champions is because every step along her journey she has earned the right to be in the APW ring, she has earned the respect of the fans and her opponents, she earned her right to be called an Undisputed Champion. She didn’t just carry that belt around with her...she defined what it meant be the Undisputed Champion.
This is the crucial difference between us Harris: you will come to Indianapolis fighting for yourself; I will come to fight for and defend the honour of the APW Xtreme Championship belt.
The way I see it, only one of us can walk out the Champion; you, if you get over the line, will merely walk out with the belt.”
Dionysus finished his promo and he knew nothing more could be done but get himself physically and mentally prepared. He knew he would be in the fight of his life at Rasslemania on Sunday; he knew that Michael Harris was a competitor who had no limits and who was as determined to leave Indianapolis as the Champion; he knew it was a real possibility that he would wake up Monday morning stripped of the title ‘APW Xtreme Champion’. But John Dionysus was as focussed as he had ever been in his career, and he knew if he were to win on Sunday and if he were to wake up on Monday morning still the APW Xtreme Champion he knew it would have been because he had earned it.
He would have earned the right to continue and to create his own future.
