Post by Lance "The Icon" Ryan on Sept 11, 2009 16:01:28 GMT -6
~*~*~The total package. In every industry this is the name that is used to describe someone that has everything that it takes to succeed. In baseball, this would be a player that can field, hit and run at high levels. In wrestling, this is a performer that can go in the ring, that knows how to get over, and that is incredible on the stick. There are very few people in any like of business that can really say that they are the total package, all of these attributes combined decide just how successful a wrestler may be. Many say that Lance Ryan is one of those few that fit in all of those categories. That is why he has been dubbed as an Icon, a Legend, and a Hall of Famer. This coming week Lance is going head to head with a man that is often considered to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. A man that can go pretty well in the ring, but lacks in consistency in pretty much every other area of the sport.~*~*~
~*~*~The scene is simple, a darkened room that seems to be some sort of screening area. The room suddenly comes to life as the screen lights up with highlight package of the things that Joe Everyman has done in his career. With the light, Lance comes into view. He is sitting alone in the room on a leather couch and he appears to be taking notes and watching the video intently. Lance continues taking notes as he watches on as Joe Everyman defeats JFK back on June 15, 2008 for the national title. Lance is dressed pretty casually today, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a simple flat black t-shirt. As the footage comes to an end, Lance puts down his pen and paper and lets out a sigh.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Joe, you know, usually when I try and put together a video package of my opponents to scout their better moments it looks a little better than this. I mean, let’s be serious here, you have held three titles. The National Title twice, and the Xtreme Title once. The last time that you tasted gold here in nCw was 2008. It has been a long time considering that much like a bad flu, you don’t ever seem to go away. However, it’s not the length of time that you have gone without a title that I find particularly disconcerting, actually, it is the style of wrestler that you have always been when you hit those glorious moments. People trumpet you as a gifted athlete, a tremendous wrestler, but looking back at your glory, I just can’t see it. You won the National Title the first time by cheating, you won the National Title the second time in a No Holds Barred Match, and well, the Xtreme title is exactly that. A title for garbage style wrestlers. What have you done when a match came down to pure talent alone? Nothing that I can find Joe, I cannot find one big name match that you have won that was settled in the confines of a pure, clean wrestling match. In fact, I think that your credibility is completely killed in my eyes. I used to trumpet you as a hero to the people, but it seems to me that you are nothing more than another average performer competing for an average paycheck.
~*~*~Lance rises up from his seated position and grabs another DVD from a pile beside the couch and takes a moment to exchange the disc for the one that is inside the player already. As he does so, he continues to talk.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: I do understand what it is like to be a midcard wrestler, I mean, I dwelled in that area of the card for many years before I hit my break, but at the same time I cannot understand your mentality coming into this match that we have scheduled. I understand that you are looking for that break, that victory to put you over the top. I also understand that you feel the need to make an impact. But what I want to know Joe is whether or not you knew what you were doing when you came out here weeks ago and got in my face and told me that I was washed up and that I should go home. In lighting the fire under my ass you effectively ruined any chance of you coming out of our eventual match victorious. I do not deal well with people that insult my level of intelligence, or more importantly the level of ability that I have inside of the ring.
Another thing that I realize is that you needed someone that the fans loved to come out and become the target for you so that you could have your “bad ass” turn, and I am more than obliged to help you make the people at home and in the audience hate you on every given night. I have been used for years as a tool to get people over on one side of the card or the other because I am capable of doing it. Without fail, the one thing that I may do better than anyone else, is make people care about what they are watching. Joe, you could have come to me and asked me to do you that favor, in fact, I could have done it better than you did, but that is besides the point, what is done is done. When you walk that aisle this weekend, the fans will indeed meet your music, your persona and your performance with thunderous boos that you cannot even imagine. The problem however is that they will never be that loud again for you, because you will never again get the chance to grace the ring with me again, you aren’t in my league. The fans will boo you because they will be cheering for me equally as loud. They don’t give a lick about you Joe, nobody does. They will be into our match because it will be the pay per view return of THE ICON.
~*~*~Lance finishes with the DVD player and heads back to the couch. The screen has loaded up and we see that the DVD of choice right now is not on Joe Everyman but rather a DVD of the very first Road to the Gold Tournament. Lance leaves the DVD on the title screen for the time being however, and he continues to speak.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: It is almost ironic that we are at this point in time and space right now, because you chose to use words like irrelevant and washed up to describe me and my career, when in point of fact your career has never progressed past irrelevant. What’s wrong Joe? Does the truth hurt? Did you think that I would have nothing but kind words to say to you after you decided to openly attack my livelihood? The gloves are off now Joe, and as far as me clinging to my spot, since I came back on the scene I think that I have proven to everyone that I do not cling to my spot, I fight for it every day that I live. I have earned my standing in this company, in this sport and in the hearts and minds of every man, woman and child that chants my name. I have bled all over the world, I have lost teeth on three different continents and I have earned everything from a one dollary payday to a six digit figure for one wrestling match. Joe, I know that the business could carry on with or without me, but the reality is that I cannot live without this business, not when I still have more to give, not when I know that I am the best damn wrestler in the world today.
~*~*~Lance grabs the remote for the DVD player and select the scene that is the very first World Title match in nCw history. He then starts to fast forward through the match.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: There is something on here that I want to commit to your memory Joe, but I will get to that in a moment, first I need to share something with you. You see, when we were friends, when we were enemies, and to this very day, I have always seen one of the major problems in your make-up. That problem is that you have a failure to follow through. You can get some things done at times, but when the payoff comes…when it comes time to finish the job, to win that big match, to put the exclamation point on the end of the sentence…you always inevitably fall short of the mark. Let’s take the last month for example. You have been running your mouth to me and to everyone else that would listen about how my career is over and how you are going to show me on behalf of young wrestlers everywhere that my time has come. Those are some lofty words Joe, and for a while, I started to take heed. I thought that perhaps you had come around and you were going to try to ice the cake. But your silence so far this week, it showed me that nothing has changed. You are all quantity and no quality. This Sunday is going to be the biggest non title match of your life. All of the eyes are on you Joe. I don’t have to beat you, my resume speaks for itself, my history as well as what I have done since returning to nCw has preceded this match and if I win, it will be nothing other than expected. However, if you win Joe, it will do wonders for your career, for your confidence and odds are that it will help you earn a title shot once more, but I regret to tell you that I have no faith in you. You cannot finish a match with me the same way that you cannot back up your words with talent. You have been on this crusade now for weeks, the window is open and waiting for you to jump through, but much like numerous times before, you are going to run half heartedly into that window of opportunity and bounce off and you will become like many men before you, and many more after you. You will become another statistic, another man to try and measure himself up against my career, and like all the rest Joe, you will fall short. There is one more thing that I want to commit to your memory Joe…have a watch.
~*~*~Lance hits play on the DVD and we watch as he flies through the air and delivers the Train Spike to Davey Ortega at Road to the Gold. We see the draped arm and we see the three count followed by seven words that have heard by many a man after a long night at the office. “THE WINNER OF THE MATCH, LANCE RYAN” With that Lance stops the DVD.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: It will happen again Joe. It started with a win on my first pay per view in this company, and this run will be much the same. My first big match back, and rest assured that you will hear those same words. I will win Joe. Another chapter of your career will be stamped in red, FAILURE.
~*~*~FIN~*~*~[/i]
~*~*~The scene is simple, a darkened room that seems to be some sort of screening area. The room suddenly comes to life as the screen lights up with highlight package of the things that Joe Everyman has done in his career. With the light, Lance comes into view. He is sitting alone in the room on a leather couch and he appears to be taking notes and watching the video intently. Lance continues taking notes as he watches on as Joe Everyman defeats JFK back on June 15, 2008 for the national title. Lance is dressed pretty casually today, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a simple flat black t-shirt. As the footage comes to an end, Lance puts down his pen and paper and lets out a sigh.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Joe, you know, usually when I try and put together a video package of my opponents to scout their better moments it looks a little better than this. I mean, let’s be serious here, you have held three titles. The National Title twice, and the Xtreme Title once. The last time that you tasted gold here in nCw was 2008. It has been a long time considering that much like a bad flu, you don’t ever seem to go away. However, it’s not the length of time that you have gone without a title that I find particularly disconcerting, actually, it is the style of wrestler that you have always been when you hit those glorious moments. People trumpet you as a gifted athlete, a tremendous wrestler, but looking back at your glory, I just can’t see it. You won the National Title the first time by cheating, you won the National Title the second time in a No Holds Barred Match, and well, the Xtreme title is exactly that. A title for garbage style wrestlers. What have you done when a match came down to pure talent alone? Nothing that I can find Joe, I cannot find one big name match that you have won that was settled in the confines of a pure, clean wrestling match. In fact, I think that your credibility is completely killed in my eyes. I used to trumpet you as a hero to the people, but it seems to me that you are nothing more than another average performer competing for an average paycheck.
~*~*~Lance rises up from his seated position and grabs another DVD from a pile beside the couch and takes a moment to exchange the disc for the one that is inside the player already. As he does so, he continues to talk.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: I do understand what it is like to be a midcard wrestler, I mean, I dwelled in that area of the card for many years before I hit my break, but at the same time I cannot understand your mentality coming into this match that we have scheduled. I understand that you are looking for that break, that victory to put you over the top. I also understand that you feel the need to make an impact. But what I want to know Joe is whether or not you knew what you were doing when you came out here weeks ago and got in my face and told me that I was washed up and that I should go home. In lighting the fire under my ass you effectively ruined any chance of you coming out of our eventual match victorious. I do not deal well with people that insult my level of intelligence, or more importantly the level of ability that I have inside of the ring.
Another thing that I realize is that you needed someone that the fans loved to come out and become the target for you so that you could have your “bad ass” turn, and I am more than obliged to help you make the people at home and in the audience hate you on every given night. I have been used for years as a tool to get people over on one side of the card or the other because I am capable of doing it. Without fail, the one thing that I may do better than anyone else, is make people care about what they are watching. Joe, you could have come to me and asked me to do you that favor, in fact, I could have done it better than you did, but that is besides the point, what is done is done. When you walk that aisle this weekend, the fans will indeed meet your music, your persona and your performance with thunderous boos that you cannot even imagine. The problem however is that they will never be that loud again for you, because you will never again get the chance to grace the ring with me again, you aren’t in my league. The fans will boo you because they will be cheering for me equally as loud. They don’t give a lick about you Joe, nobody does. They will be into our match because it will be the pay per view return of THE ICON.
~*~*~Lance finishes with the DVD player and heads back to the couch. The screen has loaded up and we see that the DVD of choice right now is not on Joe Everyman but rather a DVD of the very first Road to the Gold Tournament. Lance leaves the DVD on the title screen for the time being however, and he continues to speak.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: It is almost ironic that we are at this point in time and space right now, because you chose to use words like irrelevant and washed up to describe me and my career, when in point of fact your career has never progressed past irrelevant. What’s wrong Joe? Does the truth hurt? Did you think that I would have nothing but kind words to say to you after you decided to openly attack my livelihood? The gloves are off now Joe, and as far as me clinging to my spot, since I came back on the scene I think that I have proven to everyone that I do not cling to my spot, I fight for it every day that I live. I have earned my standing in this company, in this sport and in the hearts and minds of every man, woman and child that chants my name. I have bled all over the world, I have lost teeth on three different continents and I have earned everything from a one dollary payday to a six digit figure for one wrestling match. Joe, I know that the business could carry on with or without me, but the reality is that I cannot live without this business, not when I still have more to give, not when I know that I am the best damn wrestler in the world today.
~*~*~Lance grabs the remote for the DVD player and select the scene that is the very first World Title match in nCw history. He then starts to fast forward through the match.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: There is something on here that I want to commit to your memory Joe, but I will get to that in a moment, first I need to share something with you. You see, when we were friends, when we were enemies, and to this very day, I have always seen one of the major problems in your make-up. That problem is that you have a failure to follow through. You can get some things done at times, but when the payoff comes…when it comes time to finish the job, to win that big match, to put the exclamation point on the end of the sentence…you always inevitably fall short of the mark. Let’s take the last month for example. You have been running your mouth to me and to everyone else that would listen about how my career is over and how you are going to show me on behalf of young wrestlers everywhere that my time has come. Those are some lofty words Joe, and for a while, I started to take heed. I thought that perhaps you had come around and you were going to try to ice the cake. But your silence so far this week, it showed me that nothing has changed. You are all quantity and no quality. This Sunday is going to be the biggest non title match of your life. All of the eyes are on you Joe. I don’t have to beat you, my resume speaks for itself, my history as well as what I have done since returning to nCw has preceded this match and if I win, it will be nothing other than expected. However, if you win Joe, it will do wonders for your career, for your confidence and odds are that it will help you earn a title shot once more, but I regret to tell you that I have no faith in you. You cannot finish a match with me the same way that you cannot back up your words with talent. You have been on this crusade now for weeks, the window is open and waiting for you to jump through, but much like numerous times before, you are going to run half heartedly into that window of opportunity and bounce off and you will become like many men before you, and many more after you. You will become another statistic, another man to try and measure himself up against my career, and like all the rest Joe, you will fall short. There is one more thing that I want to commit to your memory Joe…have a watch.
~*~*~Lance hits play on the DVD and we watch as he flies through the air and delivers the Train Spike to Davey Ortega at Road to the Gold. We see the draped arm and we see the three count followed by seven words that have heard by many a man after a long night at the office. “THE WINNER OF THE MATCH, LANCE RYAN” With that Lance stops the DVD.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: It will happen again Joe. It started with a win on my first pay per view in this company, and this run will be much the same. My first big match back, and rest assured that you will hear those same words. I will win Joe. Another chapter of your career will be stamped in red, FAILURE.
~*~*~FIN~*~*~[/i]