Post by Andrew Jacobsen on Mar 10, 2013 0:04:19 GMT -6
”As the weeks drag on, it’s starting to get less difficult, reconciling my ego with where I am in my career. I mean, it’s almost easy to explain why two men like myself and Nathan Webb are sitting in a throwaway match on pay-per-view, while men like James Warren and Mike Laszlo get handed opportunities at championships. It’s almost easy to understand why men like The Ace and Roberto Verona get to have those in charge turn a blind eye to their abuses of power. It’s almost easy…but it’s not easy. It’s oh so hard.”
“It’s hard to reconcile everything I was taught to believe with what I see happening day in and day out. But then again…life isn’t like the stories they tell you. The heroes don’t always triumph. The villains don’t always get what they have coming. Sometimes evil wins…but that doesn’t stop me from fighting. I don’t want to settle for the world as it is now. I want to make it better. I want to see justice done. Some call me naïve for believing in justice anymore. Well, honestly…if I can’t believe in something as basic as that, then what’s left to believe in?”
“I don’t want to give in to the trap of cynicism. The world needs something to aspire to. We all need a hero in our lives. Someone that we can look at and aspire to be more like. I don’t know if that’s going to be me or not, but I don’t see anyone else stepping up. I see people trying, though. And that gives me hope. The more men I see like Nathan Webb, the more it makes me remember that this is not the norm. This world we’re living in, where the morally bankrupt run wild…it’s a bad dream I can’t wait to wake up from.”
“I’ve seen a lot of men come and go over the years. I’ve seen good men become shells of their former selves, and I’ve seen legends become corrupted by a hunger for fame or glory that can never be sated. I saw arguably the greatest wrestler of all time reduced to a sideshow act. I saw one of the undeniable legends of this business turn into a self-absorbed would-be Hollywood star. I watched a pioneer of high-flying wrestling become so obsessed with an honor that he thought due to him that it’s warped everything he says and does. The world deserves something better. I just want to give them that choice.”
“Nate, you’ve always been your own man, and in that respect you’re better than I am. You never gave in to the pressure, you never tried to change who you are just because someone else criticized you. You believe in yourself…and I believe in you. You’re the kind of man I could stand to see a whole lot more of in this world. You don’t believe in compromise, you don’t believe in abandoning the people that matter to you when the going gets tough. That’s…that’s something I wish I could hold to. But sometimes they don’t want to hear you. Sometimes, you go in with the best of intentions and you get shut down without so much as a single word being registered. That hurts. But just like anything else in life, you need to be able to pick yourself up and keep on fighting the good fight. If we dwell on our losses, we lose sight of who and what we are. We’re gladiators, Nate. We’re here to fight for the people, as a spectacle. They cheer us, they boo us, they make their voices heard…but at the end of the day, THEY are all that we truly answer to.”
“Oh, sure, we can achieve titles and glory. We can constantly glance over our shoulders and play games of favoritism with management. But if the fans don’t care, you’ll never get that opportunity. You’ll never go past curtain-jerking no matter how many matches you win. Because at the end of the day, to certain people in charge this isn’t about our athleticism. This is about marketing a product and making money off of it. And marketing combat means you need personalities. You need people that the fans want to see. And personally, despite what I hear from corner after corner…I’m sure they want someone better.”
“But by the same token, they don’t want someone who’s not willing to fight for what they believe in. Pacifism has no place in a wrestling ring. If you have a code of honor you abide by, you have to be ready to defend it when questioned. You need to be a soldier for your philosophy, a warrior for what you believe is right. And sometimes, it really is as black and white as it’s made out to be. Sometimes, there is good and bad. People like to add shades of grey where none exist. If they try to do that…then you need to be ready to remind them where the lines are drawn.”
“So let’s go to war, Nathan. Let’s batter each other senseless. We both want greater recognition. We both want the respect we feel we’ve earned. We both want a chance to be the one atop the mountain. Like it or not, when the World Champion speaks, people listen. They watch his every move, they hang on his every word. I want that position because I want to know that I’m the best there is…and because I want the fans to see something better. I want them to see that hard work and dedication pay off. That you don’t have to take shortcuts to be successful in life. I want to be an icon for them. We could both be that, Nathan. We could be those icons.”
“All we need to do is make enough noise that we can’t be ignored. See, if there’s just one or two voices, they can be shut out. You can dismiss them as a trick of the mind. But if you hear tens of thousands of people, speaking out as one…then, that forces your hand. And we can get so much more than that. Together, we can create a tidal wave the likes of which the world has never seen before. We can make change happen, and it starts here and now. I’m asking you to be part of something great. Will you join me?”
“One last thing before I go…I want to wish someone else luck. See, I hear rumors that this week is his 250th match with NCW. I was here for his 200th, and he achieved a tremendous feat there. No matter what match this is, whether it’s 250 or 260 or whatever it ends up being…I wish him the best of luck. Because through the ups and downs, he’s been somewhat of an inspiration to me. He’s exactly the kind of person that I was talking about earlier. Because no matter what he’s faced with in life, he perseveres. He never lets himself become preoccupied with the “what ifs” and the self-doubts of his existence. He just stands right back up. No matter the loss, he’s always pulling himself up, daring the world to throw another shot at him, asking if that’s all they’ve got. He’s an icon, not just for what he’s accomplished but what he represents: the power of the human spirit. The unshakeable strength of will. So good luck, Joe Everyman. Go out there. Be the hero I know you are.”
“It’s hard to reconcile everything I was taught to believe with what I see happening day in and day out. But then again…life isn’t like the stories they tell you. The heroes don’t always triumph. The villains don’t always get what they have coming. Sometimes evil wins…but that doesn’t stop me from fighting. I don’t want to settle for the world as it is now. I want to make it better. I want to see justice done. Some call me naïve for believing in justice anymore. Well, honestly…if I can’t believe in something as basic as that, then what’s left to believe in?”
“I don’t want to give in to the trap of cynicism. The world needs something to aspire to. We all need a hero in our lives. Someone that we can look at and aspire to be more like. I don’t know if that’s going to be me or not, but I don’t see anyone else stepping up. I see people trying, though. And that gives me hope. The more men I see like Nathan Webb, the more it makes me remember that this is not the norm. This world we’re living in, where the morally bankrupt run wild…it’s a bad dream I can’t wait to wake up from.”
“I’ve seen a lot of men come and go over the years. I’ve seen good men become shells of their former selves, and I’ve seen legends become corrupted by a hunger for fame or glory that can never be sated. I saw arguably the greatest wrestler of all time reduced to a sideshow act. I saw one of the undeniable legends of this business turn into a self-absorbed would-be Hollywood star. I watched a pioneer of high-flying wrestling become so obsessed with an honor that he thought due to him that it’s warped everything he says and does. The world deserves something better. I just want to give them that choice.”
“Nate, you’ve always been your own man, and in that respect you’re better than I am. You never gave in to the pressure, you never tried to change who you are just because someone else criticized you. You believe in yourself…and I believe in you. You’re the kind of man I could stand to see a whole lot more of in this world. You don’t believe in compromise, you don’t believe in abandoning the people that matter to you when the going gets tough. That’s…that’s something I wish I could hold to. But sometimes they don’t want to hear you. Sometimes, you go in with the best of intentions and you get shut down without so much as a single word being registered. That hurts. But just like anything else in life, you need to be able to pick yourself up and keep on fighting the good fight. If we dwell on our losses, we lose sight of who and what we are. We’re gladiators, Nate. We’re here to fight for the people, as a spectacle. They cheer us, they boo us, they make their voices heard…but at the end of the day, THEY are all that we truly answer to.”
“Oh, sure, we can achieve titles and glory. We can constantly glance over our shoulders and play games of favoritism with management. But if the fans don’t care, you’ll never get that opportunity. You’ll never go past curtain-jerking no matter how many matches you win. Because at the end of the day, to certain people in charge this isn’t about our athleticism. This is about marketing a product and making money off of it. And marketing combat means you need personalities. You need people that the fans want to see. And personally, despite what I hear from corner after corner…I’m sure they want someone better.”
“But by the same token, they don’t want someone who’s not willing to fight for what they believe in. Pacifism has no place in a wrestling ring. If you have a code of honor you abide by, you have to be ready to defend it when questioned. You need to be a soldier for your philosophy, a warrior for what you believe is right. And sometimes, it really is as black and white as it’s made out to be. Sometimes, there is good and bad. People like to add shades of grey where none exist. If they try to do that…then you need to be ready to remind them where the lines are drawn.”
“So let’s go to war, Nathan. Let’s batter each other senseless. We both want greater recognition. We both want the respect we feel we’ve earned. We both want a chance to be the one atop the mountain. Like it or not, when the World Champion speaks, people listen. They watch his every move, they hang on his every word. I want that position because I want to know that I’m the best there is…and because I want the fans to see something better. I want them to see that hard work and dedication pay off. That you don’t have to take shortcuts to be successful in life. I want to be an icon for them. We could both be that, Nathan. We could be those icons.”
“All we need to do is make enough noise that we can’t be ignored. See, if there’s just one or two voices, they can be shut out. You can dismiss them as a trick of the mind. But if you hear tens of thousands of people, speaking out as one…then, that forces your hand. And we can get so much more than that. Together, we can create a tidal wave the likes of which the world has never seen before. We can make change happen, and it starts here and now. I’m asking you to be part of something great. Will you join me?”
“One last thing before I go…I want to wish someone else luck. See, I hear rumors that this week is his 250th match with NCW. I was here for his 200th, and he achieved a tremendous feat there. No matter what match this is, whether it’s 250 or 260 or whatever it ends up being…I wish him the best of luck. Because through the ups and downs, he’s been somewhat of an inspiration to me. He’s exactly the kind of person that I was talking about earlier. Because no matter what he’s faced with in life, he perseveres. He never lets himself become preoccupied with the “what ifs” and the self-doubts of his existence. He just stands right back up. No matter the loss, he’s always pulling himself up, daring the world to throw another shot at him, asking if that’s all they’ve got. He’s an icon, not just for what he’s accomplished but what he represents: the power of the human spirit. The unshakeable strength of will. So good luck, Joe Everyman. Go out there. Be the hero I know you are.”