Post by Nathan Webb on Feb 1, 2012 19:34:05 GMT -6
Eric Hardy: It’s time to put up or shut up!
Eight words directed at me. Eight words that said a lot. Eight words that stuck in my head out of a whole sequence of events that was my match leading into my challenge towards Jake Conway (which was accepted). No matter how many times I watched my match on Collision those eight words always left the most lasting of impacts.
Those eight words, especially the last five, “put up or shut up,” struck a nerve, a raw chord with what I needed to do, especially on this coming Sunday.
“Put up or shut up.”
It was an ultimatum that said, perform or get the hell out.
“Put up or shut up.”
It told me to stop under-performing and under achieving. It told me to finally not to JUST perform admirably in the ring, but to actually finish the job and end this winless drought I have been having.
“Put up or shut up.”
Because if I didn’t everything that this has built to between Jake and myself, the attack on me late last year, the interment into a mental facility, my own personal blow against the man on my birthday, to finally the reveal and the brutal assault on Rose, everything I had been thru would have gone for naught. If I didn’t another hero would die at the hands of Jake Conway, while Jake would once again stand on his pedestal gloating before the masses.
“Put up or shut up.”
It was either win or die on Sunday. There was no middle ground. Live as a hero, or die as a pitiful martyr.
"Put up or shut up."
Monday Night, January 30th, 2012
San Diego, California
Home Base
Sleep had been at a premium for me for the past few weeks. Ever since I got my hands on Jake, opening the dam of vitriol I had for the man that I had blocked for so long. There I was in the most primal of human forms, biting scratching, and clawing just to get whatever hands I could on my most hated of adversaries. Ever since than my dreams were nightmares with Jake asserting himself in my head. It was either that or a dreamless black void, that while better than the former did little to give me a good night’s sleep.
I was literally now making up this lack of good sleep with an abundance of caffeine and nicotine. I could tell how this unhealthy cocktail was affecting me.
My mood was changing at a constantly. I was irritable and moody I was snapping at Rose and others at a moment’s notice, over things that were probably trivial at best. Then there was how I bad I was when I was training. I could tell how slow and sluggish I had become with both Lou and Rose being able to connect with moves and blows that on better days I had been able to deflect with ease.
This whole thing had really worn on me. Sunday couldn’t come soon enough. But while I knew I needed to win to stop myself from continuing further on this downward spiral there was a part of me that wondered what would happen if I wasn’t able to keep Jake down for that 21 count, and I was the loser and not the victor of this match.
Of course seeing that it was dreams causing me all of this it was convenient that I was thrown another curve ball in another dream that Monday night, the night after that faithful Collision.
After sleeping for a period of time staring at the dreamless void I was all of a sudden thrust back into the sequence of events that transpired the Sunday before last when Rose was brutally assaulted. There I was being worked over by Jake and Caleb Lockwood as Rose was in the opposite corner getting the same treatment from Kathy. I was just sitting the looking and even feeling ever blow landed upon me, but I was just sitting there not able to do a damn thing. I was essentially a prisoner in my own body. Just someone along for the ride and watching the carnage unfold. Just like the events on that Sunday Rose was able to break free and tried to come to my aid. Unfortunately the same sequence of events played out where Rose was dragged by her hair to the center of the ring by Jake Conway before being mercilessly planted by him with his Fame-Acer as I helplessly watched.
At that point when Rose’s face ate the mat, everything stopped and all of a sudden I was brought back to the beginning of the sequence. Back to that same corner. Back to getting beat down again and back to Rose getting the same treatment and back to simply watching the show as a prisoner in my own body. The story played out like the last time. Rose was able to break free and tried to help me out but alas it was a futile effort yet again. Jake once again pulls her to the center of the ring but before hitting the Face-Acer Jake went motionless; not only Jake, but Rose, Kathy and Caleb, and everyone else in that arena for that matter. It was like someone pushed pause on the whole thing.
On that bright side, I was finally able to move. I got up from that corner and moved around the ring trying to assess the situation before me. Suddenly I heard steps coming down the ramp. Looking over I saw two familiar faces heading my way. Two faces that I had not see in quite a while and faces that I NEVER had seen together. There they were walking right toward Violence and Nate Nate.
Both were manifestations of my mind expressions of emotions I suppressed due to a reliance of rational thinking and logic over pure emotion and instinct. Both were at opposite ends of the behavioral spectrum. Nate Nate was a more jovial wisecracking form of me while Violence was a representation of pure anger and hatred.
“So this is your doing?” I asked as they entered the ring.
“Of course it was. Did you honestly think it was anyone else?” Nate Nate responded in his usual nonchalant tone.
“And the dreams I have been having. The ones with Jake was that you guys as well?” I asked still puzzled over what was going on now.
“Negatory Ghost Rider that was all you.” Nate Nate said shaking his head.
“That’s all because your bitch ass let Jake in your head.” Violence said speaking up in his raspy and angry voice.
“I thought we over this. No need to go off cursing at people.” Nate Nate said looking over at Violence who simply shrugged off the comment. “But he is right you let Jake get into you head and believe me is he really crowding the place. Jesus Christ I haven’t heard so many bad clichés and puns in my life.”
After that nothing was said for a few moments until Nate Nate once again spoke up breaking the silence.
“Now as much as you probably don’t want to see us at this time of need for you, believe me when I say that we really want to help. So we set this up as a kind of “Come to Jesus,” type of meeting for you.”
“Yeah because your dumb ass really needs to grow a pair and get rid of that ****er.” Violence added.
“So we set this up to show how badly things have fallen for you. Of course Violence wanted you to thru this event twice, for whatever reason.”
“Because I wanted it sink in that much more. If Tweedle Dumbass over there was living his worst nightmare over and over again I figured he would actually take something away from this.”
“Whatever dude, but let’s move on to the matter at hand; getting Jake Conway out of our head.” Nate Nate said trying to keep the conversation moving along.
“So I assume I have been doing something wrong, or you wouldn’t be here.” I asked knowing what direction this was going into.
Nate Nate nodded. “Unfortunately you have made one glaring mistake that is causing all of this.”
“What is that?”
“You‘re thinking too much dumb ass.” Violence interjected in usually Violence fashion.
Nate Nate glared at Violence before stepping in. “Unfortunately despite his bluntness and obvious lack of tact is very true. You have been thinking too much, and in fact you are trying to play a mental game you cannot win.”
“So are you saying he is smarter than me?”
“Dear God no, we all know you are much smarter than him. We all know you can out think him any day of the week.”
“So what is the problem? Why shouldn’t I try to match wits with him?” I asked perplexed by what I was hearing.
“Because he has already started the game, and right now you are playing his game like the stupid bitch you are.” Violence said obviously annoyed by the facts that I was not able to get right off the bat.
“Essentially, Jake has started a course of events whether you believe it started with the attack on you last year, or the attack on Rose that we are showing you. Jake has put you in a position where you are playing his game. The point being, before you ask, is that yes you may be smarter to him but he has all the rules and is pretty much playing the pieces to his favor. Now the human mind is the interesting piece to this equation, while you are trying to play the chess game you can’t anticipate his moves. If you go one way, he’ll throw out the plan to deal with you there, if you go another he will have to deal with you on that end. No offense but the only way to win is you muscle your way to victory and believe me you don’t want that to be your only option.”
“You realize I am in a match where I pretty much have to out endure Jake right?”
“No **** Sherlock. You were the dumbass that even went so far to make the stipulations, and a even bigger dumbass to make the stipulations in his favor.”
“What my ignorant friend is trying to say is that yes the course is set for this match and it will require a big of fortitude on your part but let’s face you don’t want to play into his hands more than you already have.”
I stood there silently looking for an even bigger point.
“Okay, think about it this way in history there have been numerous battles, some we don’t even know about but think about the battles that have been looked at with the most reverence. The battles that have the most heroics, and those that we all take to heart are those where the underdog showed his stuff….Battles like when the 300 Spartans made the Persians insignificant…”
“Where the Barbarians decimated the Romans in what is now Germany…”
“And even the slave uprising by Spartacus that sent the Roman army in disarray…”
“Then of course who can forget the American’s pushing back the British…”
“And what about the Zulu taking their stand against the British as well…”
“I get the point.” I interjected understanding what their point was.
“Good, then you will see that each of these great moments in military history was accomplished because the armies that were being pushed down on stood their ground and not only fought back but did so on their own terms. They used what they had to their advantage, whether it was terrain, training, tactics, or whatever. They fought these battles and made glorious stands doing it their own way and not playing to the others’ games.”
I sighed. “I just hope it isn’t too late for that.”
Upon hearing Violence smashed his palm into his forehead.
“Now now,” Nate Nate said, “he does bring up a valid point, but since our time is short I will leave you with this. Jake Conway may think he has all the answers, but right now YOU NEED to change the questions.”
With that both of them disappeared and whatever play button there was, was pushed resuming the scene with Jake Conway completing the Fame-Acer, which jolted me awake.
I sat up almost immediately breathing heavily and sweating profusely. My pillows, my blankets, my sheets were all drenched in sweat. Pulling my legs over the side of the bed I looked over at my alarm clock and saw it was on 0330 in the morning.
No rest for the weary I guess.
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out,
Up came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.
Yes I just got rained on. Is it still raining? Who knows, but the truth of that matter will be answered on Sunday. On Sunday when I face Jake in a match of his own creating, a match aptly named the Natural Selection match. A match where two men come to prove that they are evolutionary superior not only to exist in a wrestling organization, but to prove a man’s worthiness to have life on Planet Earth.
Now I understand the masses including entities within myself, not to mention my dear sister Rose believe I proven that I am insane by laying this challenge down, playing into Jake’s hands. Many can question my sanity, and they have a right a right to but you know what the challenge has been laid out and has been accepted. The contract has been sign and there is no rescinding it now. I have to take what I have been given and go forward.
You may question the intelligence of my decision but one fact remains. I told Jake I would follow him to the gates of hell to ensure I ended his reign of terror and as promised I will follow him there via this match.
While Jake may be playing and in fact winning in his mind games, on Sunday in this match the mind games are done. This isn’t going to be a chess match, but a match of purse strength and will, where the victor will almost have to kill his opponent to win. In fact you can say we are going to the basics with this match. The basics where it is not a matter of eloquence of words, or showmanship in promos that determine a winner but the sheer brute force behind blows, and the sheer will to endure even when you don’t think one can endure anymore.
You see that is the difference between you and me here. For you it’s about another hero falling at your knees, a simple walk in the park as far as you are concerned. To me it is so much more. It is much more than simply a win. It is about avenging the attacks on me as well as Rose. It is about avenging innocent people you have put out of commission just to prove a point, or to be in the good graces of Leonard Fox. People like Venom and Roberto Verona who were nothing but business obligations as far as you were concerned. It is about saying that someone will stand against you and not allow you to do what you have without consequence. It is about saying that this spider is not so easily squashed.
These things are fuel for my fire. These things are driving me to not only beat you but destroy you. I don’t think you realize the size of the flame that burns inside of me and even if you do you probably scoff at it as insignificant. I pray to God that you continue to do because it will make my victory that more satisfying because as much as you put that cocky front out there I know deep inside of you that the APEX of Evolution that you claim so much to be is about to start a path of evolutionary decline. But I will save that for a later date….
Eight words directed at me. Eight words that said a lot. Eight words that stuck in my head out of a whole sequence of events that was my match leading into my challenge towards Jake Conway (which was accepted). No matter how many times I watched my match on Collision those eight words always left the most lasting of impacts.
Those eight words, especially the last five, “put up or shut up,” struck a nerve, a raw chord with what I needed to do, especially on this coming Sunday.
“Put up or shut up.”
It was an ultimatum that said, perform or get the hell out.
“Put up or shut up.”
It told me to stop under-performing and under achieving. It told me to finally not to JUST perform admirably in the ring, but to actually finish the job and end this winless drought I have been having.
“Put up or shut up.”
Because if I didn’t everything that this has built to between Jake and myself, the attack on me late last year, the interment into a mental facility, my own personal blow against the man on my birthday, to finally the reveal and the brutal assault on Rose, everything I had been thru would have gone for naught. If I didn’t another hero would die at the hands of Jake Conway, while Jake would once again stand on his pedestal gloating before the masses.
“Put up or shut up.”
It was either win or die on Sunday. There was no middle ground. Live as a hero, or die as a pitiful martyr.
"Put up or shut up."
Monday Night, January 30th, 2012
San Diego, California
Home Base
Sleep had been at a premium for me for the past few weeks. Ever since I got my hands on Jake, opening the dam of vitriol I had for the man that I had blocked for so long. There I was in the most primal of human forms, biting scratching, and clawing just to get whatever hands I could on my most hated of adversaries. Ever since than my dreams were nightmares with Jake asserting himself in my head. It was either that or a dreamless black void, that while better than the former did little to give me a good night’s sleep.
I was literally now making up this lack of good sleep with an abundance of caffeine and nicotine. I could tell how this unhealthy cocktail was affecting me.
My mood was changing at a constantly. I was irritable and moody I was snapping at Rose and others at a moment’s notice, over things that were probably trivial at best. Then there was how I bad I was when I was training. I could tell how slow and sluggish I had become with both Lou and Rose being able to connect with moves and blows that on better days I had been able to deflect with ease.
This whole thing had really worn on me. Sunday couldn’t come soon enough. But while I knew I needed to win to stop myself from continuing further on this downward spiral there was a part of me that wondered what would happen if I wasn’t able to keep Jake down for that 21 count, and I was the loser and not the victor of this match.
Of course seeing that it was dreams causing me all of this it was convenient that I was thrown another curve ball in another dream that Monday night, the night after that faithful Collision.
After sleeping for a period of time staring at the dreamless void I was all of a sudden thrust back into the sequence of events that transpired the Sunday before last when Rose was brutally assaulted. There I was being worked over by Jake and Caleb Lockwood as Rose was in the opposite corner getting the same treatment from Kathy. I was just sitting the looking and even feeling ever blow landed upon me, but I was just sitting there not able to do a damn thing. I was essentially a prisoner in my own body. Just someone along for the ride and watching the carnage unfold. Just like the events on that Sunday Rose was able to break free and tried to come to my aid. Unfortunately the same sequence of events played out where Rose was dragged by her hair to the center of the ring by Jake Conway before being mercilessly planted by him with his Fame-Acer as I helplessly watched.
At that point when Rose’s face ate the mat, everything stopped and all of a sudden I was brought back to the beginning of the sequence. Back to that same corner. Back to getting beat down again and back to Rose getting the same treatment and back to simply watching the show as a prisoner in my own body. The story played out like the last time. Rose was able to break free and tried to help me out but alas it was a futile effort yet again. Jake once again pulls her to the center of the ring but before hitting the Face-Acer Jake went motionless; not only Jake, but Rose, Kathy and Caleb, and everyone else in that arena for that matter. It was like someone pushed pause on the whole thing.
On that bright side, I was finally able to move. I got up from that corner and moved around the ring trying to assess the situation before me. Suddenly I heard steps coming down the ramp. Looking over I saw two familiar faces heading my way. Two faces that I had not see in quite a while and faces that I NEVER had seen together. There they were walking right toward Violence and Nate Nate.
Both were manifestations of my mind expressions of emotions I suppressed due to a reliance of rational thinking and logic over pure emotion and instinct. Both were at opposite ends of the behavioral spectrum. Nate Nate was a more jovial wisecracking form of me while Violence was a representation of pure anger and hatred.
“So this is your doing?” I asked as they entered the ring.
“Of course it was. Did you honestly think it was anyone else?” Nate Nate responded in his usual nonchalant tone.
“And the dreams I have been having. The ones with Jake was that you guys as well?” I asked still puzzled over what was going on now.
“Negatory Ghost Rider that was all you.” Nate Nate said shaking his head.
“That’s all because your bitch ass let Jake in your head.” Violence said speaking up in his raspy and angry voice.
“I thought we over this. No need to go off cursing at people.” Nate Nate said looking over at Violence who simply shrugged off the comment. “But he is right you let Jake get into you head and believe me is he really crowding the place. Jesus Christ I haven’t heard so many bad clichés and puns in my life.”
After that nothing was said for a few moments until Nate Nate once again spoke up breaking the silence.
“Now as much as you probably don’t want to see us at this time of need for you, believe me when I say that we really want to help. So we set this up as a kind of “Come to Jesus,” type of meeting for you.”
“Yeah because your dumb ass really needs to grow a pair and get rid of that ****er.” Violence added.
“So we set this up to show how badly things have fallen for you. Of course Violence wanted you to thru this event twice, for whatever reason.”
“Because I wanted it sink in that much more. If Tweedle Dumbass over there was living his worst nightmare over and over again I figured he would actually take something away from this.”
“Whatever dude, but let’s move on to the matter at hand; getting Jake Conway out of our head.” Nate Nate said trying to keep the conversation moving along.
“So I assume I have been doing something wrong, or you wouldn’t be here.” I asked knowing what direction this was going into.
Nate Nate nodded. “Unfortunately you have made one glaring mistake that is causing all of this.”
“What is that?”
“You‘re thinking too much dumb ass.” Violence interjected in usually Violence fashion.
Nate Nate glared at Violence before stepping in. “Unfortunately despite his bluntness and obvious lack of tact is very true. You have been thinking too much, and in fact you are trying to play a mental game you cannot win.”
“So are you saying he is smarter than me?”
“Dear God no, we all know you are much smarter than him. We all know you can out think him any day of the week.”
“So what is the problem? Why shouldn’t I try to match wits with him?” I asked perplexed by what I was hearing.
“Because he has already started the game, and right now you are playing his game like the stupid bitch you are.” Violence said obviously annoyed by the facts that I was not able to get right off the bat.
“Essentially, Jake has started a course of events whether you believe it started with the attack on you last year, or the attack on Rose that we are showing you. Jake has put you in a position where you are playing his game. The point being, before you ask, is that yes you may be smarter to him but he has all the rules and is pretty much playing the pieces to his favor. Now the human mind is the interesting piece to this equation, while you are trying to play the chess game you can’t anticipate his moves. If you go one way, he’ll throw out the plan to deal with you there, if you go another he will have to deal with you on that end. No offense but the only way to win is you muscle your way to victory and believe me you don’t want that to be your only option.”
“You realize I am in a match where I pretty much have to out endure Jake right?”
“No **** Sherlock. You were the dumbass that even went so far to make the stipulations, and a even bigger dumbass to make the stipulations in his favor.”
“What my ignorant friend is trying to say is that yes the course is set for this match and it will require a big of fortitude on your part but let’s face you don’t want to play into his hands more than you already have.”
I stood there silently looking for an even bigger point.
“Okay, think about it this way in history there have been numerous battles, some we don’t even know about but think about the battles that have been looked at with the most reverence. The battles that have the most heroics, and those that we all take to heart are those where the underdog showed his stuff….Battles like when the 300 Spartans made the Persians insignificant…”
“Where the Barbarians decimated the Romans in what is now Germany…”
“And even the slave uprising by Spartacus that sent the Roman army in disarray…”
“Then of course who can forget the American’s pushing back the British…”
“And what about the Zulu taking their stand against the British as well…”
“I get the point.” I interjected understanding what their point was.
“Good, then you will see that each of these great moments in military history was accomplished because the armies that were being pushed down on stood their ground and not only fought back but did so on their own terms. They used what they had to their advantage, whether it was terrain, training, tactics, or whatever. They fought these battles and made glorious stands doing it their own way and not playing to the others’ games.”
I sighed. “I just hope it isn’t too late for that.”
Upon hearing Violence smashed his palm into his forehead.
“Now now,” Nate Nate said, “he does bring up a valid point, but since our time is short I will leave you with this. Jake Conway may think he has all the answers, but right now YOU NEED to change the questions.”
With that both of them disappeared and whatever play button there was, was pushed resuming the scene with Jake Conway completing the Fame-Acer, which jolted me awake.
I sat up almost immediately breathing heavily and sweating profusely. My pillows, my blankets, my sheets were all drenched in sweat. Pulling my legs over the side of the bed I looked over at my alarm clock and saw it was on 0330 in the morning.
No rest for the weary I guess.
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out,
Up came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.
Yes I just got rained on. Is it still raining? Who knows, but the truth of that matter will be answered on Sunday. On Sunday when I face Jake in a match of his own creating, a match aptly named the Natural Selection match. A match where two men come to prove that they are evolutionary superior not only to exist in a wrestling organization, but to prove a man’s worthiness to have life on Planet Earth.
Now I understand the masses including entities within myself, not to mention my dear sister Rose believe I proven that I am insane by laying this challenge down, playing into Jake’s hands. Many can question my sanity, and they have a right a right to but you know what the challenge has been laid out and has been accepted. The contract has been sign and there is no rescinding it now. I have to take what I have been given and go forward.
You may question the intelligence of my decision but one fact remains. I told Jake I would follow him to the gates of hell to ensure I ended his reign of terror and as promised I will follow him there via this match.
While Jake may be playing and in fact winning in his mind games, on Sunday in this match the mind games are done. This isn’t going to be a chess match, but a match of purse strength and will, where the victor will almost have to kill his opponent to win. In fact you can say we are going to the basics with this match. The basics where it is not a matter of eloquence of words, or showmanship in promos that determine a winner but the sheer brute force behind blows, and the sheer will to endure even when you don’t think one can endure anymore.
You see that is the difference between you and me here. For you it’s about another hero falling at your knees, a simple walk in the park as far as you are concerned. To me it is so much more. It is much more than simply a win. It is about avenging the attacks on me as well as Rose. It is about avenging innocent people you have put out of commission just to prove a point, or to be in the good graces of Leonard Fox. People like Venom and Roberto Verona who were nothing but business obligations as far as you were concerned. It is about saying that someone will stand against you and not allow you to do what you have without consequence. It is about saying that this spider is not so easily squashed.
These things are fuel for my fire. These things are driving me to not only beat you but destroy you. I don’t think you realize the size of the flame that burns inside of me and even if you do you probably scoff at it as insignificant. I pray to God that you continue to do because it will make my victory that more satisfying because as much as you put that cocky front out there I know deep inside of you that the APEX of Evolution that you claim so much to be is about to start a path of evolutionary decline. But I will save that for a later date….
