Post by Xander Famularo on Apr 12, 2011 19:42:32 GMT -6
Combat was once respected. A sound mind and body were once celebrated. Up until 532 AD the Coliseum was used as a way to showcase the macabre, to put and end to the mundane. Of course, the stakes were higher then the idea that losing meant your life meant that you would see something full of passion each and every time. Never would be saddled with mediocrity or someone having an off day because in that form of combat an off day meant death.
I have driven myself this way my whole life.
When I was a child I used to watch real gladiators on the television, men like my father who would go to the ring and brutalize each other not until someone hit a flashy move, raised his arms to the crowd and gyrated his hips on his opponents face but when he wore his opponent down, when he beat him to a bloody pulp, when he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the only important thing in this business.
That he was superior.
I drive myself to be the best, I drive myself to rise to the occasion, and I drive myself to climbing the ladder to the very top rung. I know that life can easily be taken from you in a matter of seconds. My mother was taken from me when I was a child after one split second. It only took a bad decision on the part of that drunk driver to take her from me and in doing so put a splinter between my father and I that took over 7 years to heal.
Now I am ready.
I used to watch videos of my father trying to emulate the things he did, I tried to be him when I first wrestled, I used his moves, I used his mannerisms and I wanted to inherit his legacy. It took me a long time; it took me several years to realize that only monetary goods and material possessions can be inherited. A legacy isn’t inherited, respect isn’t inherited. You can’t live off the accomplishments of another person and magically be transported to a world where unicorns shoot rainbows out of their asses and lucky charms fall from the sky as opposed to rain or snow.
Legacies are made.
And that is what I have finally realized. I realized that my little sister became a world champion by herself. She drove herself, not once did she lean on her father’s legacy or name to create herself, someone I have attempted to do for years with little to no success. I took his mask, but with that mask I did not find solace, I did not find the promised land of milk and honey.
I found sadness… Regret… And above all I found disappointment.
Now I stand on the grandest stage of all, with 5 other hungry people all wanting to fuel their own story, wanting to forge their own place in the history books, with these people that have worked hard to be where they are. I know I am not the favorite, I know I am the underdog and a long shot to win this one. But for the first time in my career, I am not chasing someone else’s dynasty, and for the first time in my career I can say that…
I am happy.
{Scene opens to the training facility in the basement of Gib’s home. Xander runs on the treadmill wearing a tank top and a pair of gym shorts. We see someone walking down the stairs in the back, it is his half sister Zelda.}
Zelda: You are still down here? I thought you would be done by now.
{Xander shakes his head, continuing his stride}
Xander: I have to train, I need to get ready. I can’t go into this match unprepared. This is my shot and if I pilfer it I don’t know when I will get another.
{Zelda jumps on the elliptical machine next to him
Zelda: You do all right in the ring, but you have some things you could work on.
Xander: Tell me about it, wrestling came natural for you. You must have gotten the good part of Dad’s DNA…
{He shakes his head realizing what he just said, Zelda chuckles to herself.}
Zelda: Good thing he wasn’t here now, or else I am sure that he would have made some perverse joke.
Xander: Well, he made a career of perverse jokes. How did you do it? How did you cope with being the son of a legend?
Zelda: I didn’t cope, remember, I was successful before I knew he was my dad. I think I had it easier, not having to live up to some career that was laid out before me. It was never about being Gib’s son, it was about being Adam’s sister. That of course came with its own set of limitations.
Xander: I am sure it did…
{The two continue to exercise side by side. Zelda occasionally looking over at her brother, trying to find the words to say something, finally she just blurts it out}
Zelda: You know, you were a real douche a couple months ago, trying to hurt Rob like that.
Xander: Me? Rob kicked the **** out of me. You should be mad at him for beating your brother’s ass.
{Zelda is able to laugh at this, and Xander has a genuine smile on his face}
Zelda: Don’t you think you went too far? With Harold?
Xander: I do think I went too far at times but ultimately I just did what I do without the mask, I am just trying to be successful. I didn’t let Chris torch you. There was no way I would have let that happen.
{Zelda looks at him, her eyes full of thoughts she can’t express and then she just blurts out quickly}
Zelda: Thanks…
{Xander smiles, a real smile}
Xander: No problem sis…
{He reaches over and tussles her hair, she quickly slaps his hand away and he loses his balance on the treadmill almost falling as the scene fades}
So this is the part I have been dreading for a long time, the idea of going into a lengthy diatribe about why I am better then my opponents and why they will ultimately succumb to my will. I am going to try something different this time, I am going to take the humble route and realize that any of the five of us can win this match and that anyone can lose on any given day. So I plan on taking a different route, I won’t do what everyone else is going to do.
I won’t guarantee victory.
How can anyone in their right mind guarantee that they will win this match, there are too many things that can occur and too many possibilities. I refuse to be so ignorant and disrespectful to my opponents that I will guarantee victory. I instead will promise one thing and one thing only.
I will give it my all, as I do each and every time I enter the ring.
I will leave it all on the mat.
I will do everything in my power to win.
Those are guarantees and they are things that I can predict, and things that I can’t control. There are so few things in this life that are definite that I won’t guarantee the impossible. However, on the anterior I also don’t intend on losing that match. I don’t want to rehash my thoughts on people time after time here. So I am going to focus on only two people right now.
I know the competition is great, and the obvious favorite in this match is Steve Awesome. He is the man that everyone expects to win, and for good reason. He is the most experienced and most successful of this group. He has done things in the ring that will be remembered for years. I understand the value of the things he has done, but don’t respect them because of how he has chosen to be. You know, Mandi was hot and messing with you was fun. It was nice to have a reason to become embroiled in a couple month long battle with you, one that ultimately backfired on myself.
But, honestly what did you do to me? You attacked me while by back was turned; you attacked me when I was trying to save my own sister from being destroyed by Chris, a monster I then destroyed. You haven’t shown the fire that defined you since my father turned your life upside down years ago. Realize Steve, you have a huge target on your back, because you are the favorite. That status may help you gain confidence but that is one area you need no help.
I played around with you before Steve; I played around with you and didn’t finish the job. Now is my chance, not to take something from you like a woman, something you don’t care about I can take something from you that will really affect you. I will take your shot at the title, which will hurt you more then any sort of issue with a woman or family because you truly are the most self serving person I have ever come to know. I want to crush you where it will be long lasting.
Your pride… I am going to shave your mane Steve, one piece of hair at a time.
Then there is the other focus of my anger, Alex Jones. Time after time you are thrust into the main event, time after time you leave and return and get the star treatment without working your way back. When are you going to realize that you are done? When are you going to realize that you didn’t tame the bull when you had the chance and must step aside? You are the reason this business grows stagnant, people refusing to understand when they are no longer effective at their jobs, people not willing to step aside for a new crop to step forward.
I know what you will say, that for years my father took opportunities from the young stars, but the fact is that he was still relevant into his later forties. He became the champion of this federation at the age of 48. He was the oldest nCw champion ever and I plan on being the youngest to hold that title. I plan on setting this on fire and since you refuse to step aside, since you are the only person that made it in this match by losing…
I am going to force you out of the way.
There is no contentment in waiting, and the last thing you need is another chance to fail. If you need someone to state it plainly for you, you just aren’t getting the job done. You have had more chances and have done nothing with them, and I will be damned if you are going to take that chance from me, stealing another’s chance just to fail again.
That seems like an exercise in humility.
But one you have come to excel in.
It is time Alex, it is time to realize that you are done. It is time to understand that the world title isn’t your destiny. You have had a great number of accomplishments here but every time you fail and the one thing you can’t get, you sully your reputation. I am saying this not as an enemy but as a fan.
Your legacy is over.
And this weekend I will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my stock is on the rise. I am not the same man that a few years ago tucked my tail between my legs and ran from this place after losing a match. Like everything else, losing helps you grow...
So my opponents should all be 10 feet tall by now...
I have grown since my last run here.
Now it is time to prove it.
I have driven myself this way my whole life.
When I was a child I used to watch real gladiators on the television, men like my father who would go to the ring and brutalize each other not until someone hit a flashy move, raised his arms to the crowd and gyrated his hips on his opponents face but when he wore his opponent down, when he beat him to a bloody pulp, when he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the only important thing in this business.
That he was superior.
I drive myself to be the best, I drive myself to rise to the occasion, and I drive myself to climbing the ladder to the very top rung. I know that life can easily be taken from you in a matter of seconds. My mother was taken from me when I was a child after one split second. It only took a bad decision on the part of that drunk driver to take her from me and in doing so put a splinter between my father and I that took over 7 years to heal.
Now I am ready.
I used to watch videos of my father trying to emulate the things he did, I tried to be him when I first wrestled, I used his moves, I used his mannerisms and I wanted to inherit his legacy. It took me a long time; it took me several years to realize that only monetary goods and material possessions can be inherited. A legacy isn’t inherited, respect isn’t inherited. You can’t live off the accomplishments of another person and magically be transported to a world where unicorns shoot rainbows out of their asses and lucky charms fall from the sky as opposed to rain or snow.
Legacies are made.
And that is what I have finally realized. I realized that my little sister became a world champion by herself. She drove herself, not once did she lean on her father’s legacy or name to create herself, someone I have attempted to do for years with little to no success. I took his mask, but with that mask I did not find solace, I did not find the promised land of milk and honey.
I found sadness… Regret… And above all I found disappointment.
Now I stand on the grandest stage of all, with 5 other hungry people all wanting to fuel their own story, wanting to forge their own place in the history books, with these people that have worked hard to be where they are. I know I am not the favorite, I know I am the underdog and a long shot to win this one. But for the first time in my career, I am not chasing someone else’s dynasty, and for the first time in my career I can say that…
I am happy.
{Scene opens to the training facility in the basement of Gib’s home. Xander runs on the treadmill wearing a tank top and a pair of gym shorts. We see someone walking down the stairs in the back, it is his half sister Zelda.}
Zelda: You are still down here? I thought you would be done by now.
{Xander shakes his head, continuing his stride}
Xander: I have to train, I need to get ready. I can’t go into this match unprepared. This is my shot and if I pilfer it I don’t know when I will get another.
{Zelda jumps on the elliptical machine next to him
Zelda: You do all right in the ring, but you have some things you could work on.
Xander: Tell me about it, wrestling came natural for you. You must have gotten the good part of Dad’s DNA…
{He shakes his head realizing what he just said, Zelda chuckles to herself.}
Zelda: Good thing he wasn’t here now, or else I am sure that he would have made some perverse joke.
Xander: Well, he made a career of perverse jokes. How did you do it? How did you cope with being the son of a legend?
Zelda: I didn’t cope, remember, I was successful before I knew he was my dad. I think I had it easier, not having to live up to some career that was laid out before me. It was never about being Gib’s son, it was about being Adam’s sister. That of course came with its own set of limitations.
Xander: I am sure it did…
{The two continue to exercise side by side. Zelda occasionally looking over at her brother, trying to find the words to say something, finally she just blurts it out}
Zelda: You know, you were a real douche a couple months ago, trying to hurt Rob like that.
Xander: Me? Rob kicked the **** out of me. You should be mad at him for beating your brother’s ass.
{Zelda is able to laugh at this, and Xander has a genuine smile on his face}
Zelda: Don’t you think you went too far? With Harold?
Xander: I do think I went too far at times but ultimately I just did what I do without the mask, I am just trying to be successful. I didn’t let Chris torch you. There was no way I would have let that happen.
{Zelda looks at him, her eyes full of thoughts she can’t express and then she just blurts out quickly}
Zelda: Thanks…
{Xander smiles, a real smile}
Xander: No problem sis…
{He reaches over and tussles her hair, she quickly slaps his hand away and he loses his balance on the treadmill almost falling as the scene fades}
So this is the part I have been dreading for a long time, the idea of going into a lengthy diatribe about why I am better then my opponents and why they will ultimately succumb to my will. I am going to try something different this time, I am going to take the humble route and realize that any of the five of us can win this match and that anyone can lose on any given day. So I plan on taking a different route, I won’t do what everyone else is going to do.
I won’t guarantee victory.
How can anyone in their right mind guarantee that they will win this match, there are too many things that can occur and too many possibilities. I refuse to be so ignorant and disrespectful to my opponents that I will guarantee victory. I instead will promise one thing and one thing only.
I will give it my all, as I do each and every time I enter the ring.
I will leave it all on the mat.
I will do everything in my power to win.
Those are guarantees and they are things that I can predict, and things that I can’t control. There are so few things in this life that are definite that I won’t guarantee the impossible. However, on the anterior I also don’t intend on losing that match. I don’t want to rehash my thoughts on people time after time here. So I am going to focus on only two people right now.
I know the competition is great, and the obvious favorite in this match is Steve Awesome. He is the man that everyone expects to win, and for good reason. He is the most experienced and most successful of this group. He has done things in the ring that will be remembered for years. I understand the value of the things he has done, but don’t respect them because of how he has chosen to be. You know, Mandi was hot and messing with you was fun. It was nice to have a reason to become embroiled in a couple month long battle with you, one that ultimately backfired on myself.
But, honestly what did you do to me? You attacked me while by back was turned; you attacked me when I was trying to save my own sister from being destroyed by Chris, a monster I then destroyed. You haven’t shown the fire that defined you since my father turned your life upside down years ago. Realize Steve, you have a huge target on your back, because you are the favorite. That status may help you gain confidence but that is one area you need no help.
I played around with you before Steve; I played around with you and didn’t finish the job. Now is my chance, not to take something from you like a woman, something you don’t care about I can take something from you that will really affect you. I will take your shot at the title, which will hurt you more then any sort of issue with a woman or family because you truly are the most self serving person I have ever come to know. I want to crush you where it will be long lasting.
Your pride… I am going to shave your mane Steve, one piece of hair at a time.
Then there is the other focus of my anger, Alex Jones. Time after time you are thrust into the main event, time after time you leave and return and get the star treatment without working your way back. When are you going to realize that you are done? When are you going to realize that you didn’t tame the bull when you had the chance and must step aside? You are the reason this business grows stagnant, people refusing to understand when they are no longer effective at their jobs, people not willing to step aside for a new crop to step forward.
I know what you will say, that for years my father took opportunities from the young stars, but the fact is that he was still relevant into his later forties. He became the champion of this federation at the age of 48. He was the oldest nCw champion ever and I plan on being the youngest to hold that title. I plan on setting this on fire and since you refuse to step aside, since you are the only person that made it in this match by losing…
I am going to force you out of the way.
There is no contentment in waiting, and the last thing you need is another chance to fail. If you need someone to state it plainly for you, you just aren’t getting the job done. You have had more chances and have done nothing with them, and I will be damned if you are going to take that chance from me, stealing another’s chance just to fail again.
That seems like an exercise in humility.
But one you have come to excel in.
It is time Alex, it is time to realize that you are done. It is time to understand that the world title isn’t your destiny. You have had a great number of accomplishments here but every time you fail and the one thing you can’t get, you sully your reputation. I am saying this not as an enemy but as a fan.
Your legacy is over.
And this weekend I will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my stock is on the rise. I am not the same man that a few years ago tucked my tail between my legs and ran from this place after losing a match. Like everything else, losing helps you grow...
So my opponents should all be 10 feet tall by now...
I have grown since my last run here.
Now it is time to prove it.