Post by Markw on Oct 13, 2014 14:52:10 GMT -5
WFWF Men & Monsters – Blitzkrieg and the Rebuild
We all have defence mechanisms, I'm not going to sit here and pick yours apart Daniel. You share it with billions of people around the world, so it can't be a particularly bad choice. Once upon a time, I may have mocked you for it, it might have even angered me a little. I would have probably verbally eviscerated you for hanging on to that little bit of hope, that little bit of light that cuts through the dark.
I don't believe in a higher power, I don't think there's anything 'out there', I believe that when I die, I'm going nowhere but six feet under. I've broken seven of the ten commandments, and I'm not particularly adverse to breaking the other three in the right circumstances. I'm not at all convinced that God is the light of the world, and I'm certainly not convinced that my life lessons should be taken from some ancient plagiarized book.
But I can't really judge you for it, when I have just as many ridiculous, unfounded, laughable defence mechanisms in place. When so much of my time and effort goes into making sure that when things inevitably go wrong, I can keep a little bit of light. A little bit of hope. So that I'm not left in complete darkness.
If I didn't then I sure as hell wouldn't be stepping back into the ring with Dave Demento, if I didn't have that defence mechanism then I never would have stepped into the ring with him. And I wouldn't be preparing for this clash with you. Heck I wouldn't have walked back through that door after losing the National Championship to Jon O'Deeves all those years ago.
I'm not ashamed to admit that, because it's true of everyone.
We need something, to keep us fighting, to keep us believing in whatever twisted world we've constructed for ourselves. I tell myself that my loss to Dave Demento, my loss to Penny Shannon, were off nights. That I'm going to come back stronger, that I'm going to work harder and that I'm going to reclaim my International Championship back in good old England.
But I have no idea if it's true. I won't know until my second match with Dave Demento comes to a close. I just have to tell myself it was a one off so that I can keep going. So that I don't give up on the only thing that's keeping me from descending completely into the darkness.
Of course I'll prepare for that clash properly, I'll do everything I can to stack the deck in my favour. But because of the unpredictable nature of stepping in that ring, I can't know that it'll be any different this time. I think it will be, if his last performance is anything to go by it should be, but I can't know it as fact.
And I can appreciate, that that's exactly what you do Daniel. You tell yourself a story. You use that story to keep moving on. To keep yourself dangling above the darkness, and to stop yourself from falling in.
And maybe surrounding myself with a group of people who are, at least popularly perceived as being, just as dysfunctional and warped as I am, is another defence mechanism. Maybe it's a way of shifting the blame across four people rather than letting it all lie on me. I'm not entirely convinced by that, and it certainly isn't a conscious decision if that is the case, but I can see that there's an argument to be made. And the same, if you're convinced by that idea, can be said for Dave Demento, or Penny Shannon, or poor old crippled Dex. Shawn Malakai, or Trace Demon, or Solomon Crow, or Jesus Christ. Maybe we all surround ourselves with allies, with friends, with disciples, so that we don't have to take all of the blame when it all goes wrong. When we make a mistake.
Maybe Dave Demento liked having Randel Benjamin in his corner so that whenever he lost, he could always look at the poor old guy and think 'that one was Randel's fault – he's past it'. Maybe you like having God in your corner, so that whenever you make a mistake, it can be part of a plan.
Maybe that's all a load of pseudo-psychological babble.
The over riding point, what I'm really trying to get at here, is this. I think that this match, in the grand scheme of things, means very little. There's nothing at stake here. If I win, then I use that to reinforce the idea that my defeat to Dave Demento was an off night, I keep moving forward, and you tell yourself that God wanted this, that perhaps he wants to test you, that you were meant to lose? I don't know, whatever fits your narrative.
If you win, then I tell myself it was just another off night. And, in theory, you choose not to covert my shot at the International Championship, and not to covert the belt itself. Because that's what your story tells you to do.
A lot has been made of this match, there have been a suggestion, that I imagine originates from Lila Sleater's office, that maybe you should be the one stepping into that ring with Dave Demento. I mean, you beat Dave Demento, Dave Demento beat me, it makes all kinds of sense doesn't it?
I'm not going to argue. Partly because, absolutely you deserve a shot to move up, you've made an incredible start to your career. It's guys like you who have been held down by the current regime. Why wouldn't you deserve a shot at the International Championship?
I mean, in recent years, guys like you would either be forced to rot with the guys at the bottom who make up the numbers, like I had to. Or even worse you'd be thrust into the spotlight way before you're ready, before you really understand what it takes. You've made a great start and you do deserve a chance to step up.
The other reason I won't argue, is quite simple, I don't have to. I have a clause in my contract that entitles me to this match with Demento, so you're not worming your way in.
While you absolutely do deserve a shot, you can't have it yet. The fact is, I am the number one contender and I'm taking on Dave Demento, one on one, in my home country. That's the reality, no matter what the dirtsheets want to say, no matter what Lila Sleater whispers in the ear of journalist. I am taking on Dave Demento for that belt.
And honestly, I hope after that Lila sees fit to give you the opportunity that you have earned. I sincerely hope, that at some point you and I will once again meet in that ring for MY International Championship.
But regardless of what happens here, I am facing Dave Demento for that belt. You can come out all guns blazing, you can beat me in that ring, 1...2...3.
It won't make the slightest bit of difference.
That's the situation really, I want to win, of course I do. But nothing will change if I don't.
That flicker of light is going to remain for both of us, either way. I'm not interested in extinguishing it, I'm not interested in getting too bogged down by your beliefs or too worried about your defence mechanisms. And contrary to popular belief, I am not evil. There's no reason for me to want to punish you in that ring, I just want to win and move on to Dave Demento. And I'm sure you want to do the same, to win and move on.
This isn't some grand battle, that ends with one man standing tall and one consigned to the darkness. This is nothing more than a wrestling match between two men who want to prove that they deserve a place among the elite, but who can't prove it by beating the other.
As much as people may want to dress it up, turn this into a clash between good and evil, it's not. My war is with Lila Sleater, it's with Dave Demento, it's with the status quo. It's not with you Daniel.
I don't believe in a higher power, I don't think there's anything 'out there', I believe that when I die, I'm going nowhere but six feet under. I've broken seven of the ten commandments, and I'm not particularly adverse to breaking the other three in the right circumstances. I'm not at all convinced that God is the light of the world, and I'm certainly not convinced that my life lessons should be taken from some ancient plagiarized book.
But I can't really judge you for it, when I have just as many ridiculous, unfounded, laughable defence mechanisms in place. When so much of my time and effort goes into making sure that when things inevitably go wrong, I can keep a little bit of light. A little bit of hope. So that I'm not left in complete darkness.
If I didn't then I sure as hell wouldn't be stepping back into the ring with Dave Demento, if I didn't have that defence mechanism then I never would have stepped into the ring with him. And I wouldn't be preparing for this clash with you. Heck I wouldn't have walked back through that door after losing the National Championship to Jon O'Deeves all those years ago.
I'm not ashamed to admit that, because it's true of everyone.
We need something, to keep us fighting, to keep us believing in whatever twisted world we've constructed for ourselves. I tell myself that my loss to Dave Demento, my loss to Penny Shannon, were off nights. That I'm going to come back stronger, that I'm going to work harder and that I'm going to reclaim my International Championship back in good old England.
But I have no idea if it's true. I won't know until my second match with Dave Demento comes to a close. I just have to tell myself it was a one off so that I can keep going. So that I don't give up on the only thing that's keeping me from descending completely into the darkness.
Of course I'll prepare for that clash properly, I'll do everything I can to stack the deck in my favour. But because of the unpredictable nature of stepping in that ring, I can't know that it'll be any different this time. I think it will be, if his last performance is anything to go by it should be, but I can't know it as fact.
And I can appreciate, that that's exactly what you do Daniel. You tell yourself a story. You use that story to keep moving on. To keep yourself dangling above the darkness, and to stop yourself from falling in.
And maybe surrounding myself with a group of people who are, at least popularly perceived as being, just as dysfunctional and warped as I am, is another defence mechanism. Maybe it's a way of shifting the blame across four people rather than letting it all lie on me. I'm not entirely convinced by that, and it certainly isn't a conscious decision if that is the case, but I can see that there's an argument to be made. And the same, if you're convinced by that idea, can be said for Dave Demento, or Penny Shannon, or poor old crippled Dex. Shawn Malakai, or Trace Demon, or Solomon Crow, or Jesus Christ. Maybe we all surround ourselves with allies, with friends, with disciples, so that we don't have to take all of the blame when it all goes wrong. When we make a mistake.
Maybe Dave Demento liked having Randel Benjamin in his corner so that whenever he lost, he could always look at the poor old guy and think 'that one was Randel's fault – he's past it'. Maybe you like having God in your corner, so that whenever you make a mistake, it can be part of a plan.
Maybe that's all a load of pseudo-psychological babble.
The over riding point, what I'm really trying to get at here, is this. I think that this match, in the grand scheme of things, means very little. There's nothing at stake here. If I win, then I use that to reinforce the idea that my defeat to Dave Demento was an off night, I keep moving forward, and you tell yourself that God wanted this, that perhaps he wants to test you, that you were meant to lose? I don't know, whatever fits your narrative.
If you win, then I tell myself it was just another off night. And, in theory, you choose not to covert my shot at the International Championship, and not to covert the belt itself. Because that's what your story tells you to do.
A lot has been made of this match, there have been a suggestion, that I imagine originates from Lila Sleater's office, that maybe you should be the one stepping into that ring with Dave Demento. I mean, you beat Dave Demento, Dave Demento beat me, it makes all kinds of sense doesn't it?
I'm not going to argue. Partly because, absolutely you deserve a shot to move up, you've made an incredible start to your career. It's guys like you who have been held down by the current regime. Why wouldn't you deserve a shot at the International Championship?
I mean, in recent years, guys like you would either be forced to rot with the guys at the bottom who make up the numbers, like I had to. Or even worse you'd be thrust into the spotlight way before you're ready, before you really understand what it takes. You've made a great start and you do deserve a chance to step up.
The other reason I won't argue, is quite simple, I don't have to. I have a clause in my contract that entitles me to this match with Demento, so you're not worming your way in.
While you absolutely do deserve a shot, you can't have it yet. The fact is, I am the number one contender and I'm taking on Dave Demento, one on one, in my home country. That's the reality, no matter what the dirtsheets want to say, no matter what Lila Sleater whispers in the ear of journalist. I am taking on Dave Demento for that belt.
And honestly, I hope after that Lila sees fit to give you the opportunity that you have earned. I sincerely hope, that at some point you and I will once again meet in that ring for MY International Championship.
But regardless of what happens here, I am facing Dave Demento for that belt. You can come out all guns blazing, you can beat me in that ring, 1...2...3.
It won't make the slightest bit of difference.
That's the situation really, I want to win, of course I do. But nothing will change if I don't.
That flicker of light is going to remain for both of us, either way. I'm not interested in extinguishing it, I'm not interested in getting too bogged down by your beliefs or too worried about your defence mechanisms. And contrary to popular belief, I am not evil. There's no reason for me to want to punish you in that ring, I just want to win and move on to Dave Demento. And I'm sure you want to do the same, to win and move on.
This isn't some grand battle, that ends with one man standing tall and one consigned to the darkness. This is nothing more than a wrestling match between two men who want to prove that they deserve a place among the elite, but who can't prove it by beating the other.
As much as people may want to dress it up, turn this into a clash between good and evil, it's not. My war is with Lila Sleater, it's with Dave Demento, it's with the status quo. It's not with you Daniel.
---
Aaron: “Why on earth would you be happy playing second fiddle? Maybe not even second, I guess Jason Anders outranks you?”
I must make it clear that, I don't usually look for intelligent debate in bars. That's a pretty flawed plan and certainly not something I intend to make a habit of.
But I can't help but feel frustrated that the fans of the WFWF keep lining Lila Sleater's pockets. That despite the absolute garbage she is shoving down their throat, they keep coming back. And the funny thing is, the bit that really makes me laugh, they know that what they're getting is garbage. They know that what Lila Sleater puts on their TV screen is nonsense and they keep throwing their money at it.
I don't know if there is some desire amongst the general population to moan, I can only assume there is and they'll look for anything to moan about. Or maybe, like me, they love it so much that they'll keep watching because they can't bare to lose it. Even though they know they're watching its destruction.
There's a part of me that just doesn't understand it, and I don't like that. So contrary to what my brain is telling me, I feel compelled to get to know 'the men on the ground', the WFWF fans, the people I'm sure Lila, and perhaps many of the good guys would look down on as the 'little guy'. These people must surely see the damage that Lila is doing to the company that I and they devote so much to.
That's how I ended up here, with a surprisingly articulate, middle aged WFWF fan, in a bar. Aaron I believe his name is.
And of course, rather than answering any of my questions, he left me pondering once again, the question everyone keeps asking me. 'Surely, you can't be happy taking a back seat to Trace Demon?'
It's just another of the misconceptions, that Lila Sleater's smear campaign has created and sadly it means I'm faced with this question everywhere I go. The only upside being that it's not particularly difficult to answer and as I've done it so many times already, I can answer the man's question on auto-pilot.
Bishop: “I'm not playing second fiddle to anyone. There doesn't have to be a hierarchy. Yes Trace Demon, right now, is a better wrestler than me. But it's not about one man leading and the rest following. We are all united by this cause, we all want to save the WFWF and we all believe in the way we're going about doing it. There doesn't have to be a dictator.”
Aaron: “But there obviously is, Trace Demon hasn't exactly been taking a back seat.”
It's a fair point, but only because the view that the fans (and in a lot of cases the wrestlers) are getting is so far from the reality.
Bishop: “Of course he isn't. He's a former world champion, he's the man who people will listen to. But that doesn't make him a dictator. Everything he has done, everything he has said, simply reflects what we as a group believe. The vision isn't just Trace's, it's what we all believe in.”
He didn't seem particularly satisfied with my explanation, but he had no response. Much as I would love to have spent the rest of my day clearing up his misconceptions, that wasn't why I was here. And I didn't want to stick around too long in what can only be described as 'this depressing hole'.
Bishop: “What I don't understand is, why do people like you keep coming back?”
Aaron: “What do you mean.”
Bishop: “Well... surely you can see the damage Lila is doing?”
Aaron: “Not really.”
Sigh.
Bishop: “Do you think Dex being handed the World Championship was right, do you think someone like Jayson Garrett deserved a match with someone like Drakz, let alone a World Title shot?”
He seemed a little bit more convinced this time.
Aaron: “I guess not.”
He responded, taking a swig from the bottle at the bar.
Bishop: “Well that's on Lila surely? She's giving you a sub-par WFWF and you keep lining her pockets. You keep turning up, you keep buying the pay-per-views...”
I pointed to my fellow countryman's SuperBrawl shirt.
Bishop: “...you keep buying the merchandise. I don't understand why. What is it that keeps you coming back?”
He just sat there, silent. The truth is, like me, he had no idea why he did it. It was a sad moment really, the realisation was clearly came as a crushing blow to the man.
Bishop: “See that's why we're doing this. It's not some power trip on Trace's part, it's because she's killing this company. People like me, and Anders and Trace, we have to do something about it. Because if we don't then, this company has no future. If she carries on doing what she's doing then she destroys it all. I'm not a villain, I'm not a hero either, I'm just doing what I have to do to keep it alive.”
I think he could hear how broken I sounded, how much it was hurting me, I imagine he could understand that. He seemed to love wrestling as much as I do.
Aaron: “So what happens to The Final Revolution if you succeed?”
Good question.
Joe Bishop: “I don't know.”
I responded honestly. What this war will do to me, isn't really a question I've asked myself until now. What happens to The Final Revolution when we've won the war? At this moment, I couldn't give a satisfactory answer. What does happen?
Joe Bishop: “I don't know.”
I answered my own question this time.
Joe Bishop: “Thanks.”
And I walked away from the poor man who had fallen victim to Lila's media campaign. From the man who had thrown up more questions than answers, putting down my half empty bottle as I left.
I must make it clear that, I don't usually look for intelligent debate in bars. That's a pretty flawed plan and certainly not something I intend to make a habit of.
But I can't help but feel frustrated that the fans of the WFWF keep lining Lila Sleater's pockets. That despite the absolute garbage she is shoving down their throat, they keep coming back. And the funny thing is, the bit that really makes me laugh, they know that what they're getting is garbage. They know that what Lila Sleater puts on their TV screen is nonsense and they keep throwing their money at it.
I don't know if there is some desire amongst the general population to moan, I can only assume there is and they'll look for anything to moan about. Or maybe, like me, they love it so much that they'll keep watching because they can't bare to lose it. Even though they know they're watching its destruction.
There's a part of me that just doesn't understand it, and I don't like that. So contrary to what my brain is telling me, I feel compelled to get to know 'the men on the ground', the WFWF fans, the people I'm sure Lila, and perhaps many of the good guys would look down on as the 'little guy'. These people must surely see the damage that Lila is doing to the company that I and they devote so much to.
That's how I ended up here, with a surprisingly articulate, middle aged WFWF fan, in a bar. Aaron I believe his name is.
And of course, rather than answering any of my questions, he left me pondering once again, the question everyone keeps asking me. 'Surely, you can't be happy taking a back seat to Trace Demon?'
It's just another of the misconceptions, that Lila Sleater's smear campaign has created and sadly it means I'm faced with this question everywhere I go. The only upside being that it's not particularly difficult to answer and as I've done it so many times already, I can answer the man's question on auto-pilot.
Bishop: “I'm not playing second fiddle to anyone. There doesn't have to be a hierarchy. Yes Trace Demon, right now, is a better wrestler than me. But it's not about one man leading and the rest following. We are all united by this cause, we all want to save the WFWF and we all believe in the way we're going about doing it. There doesn't have to be a dictator.”
Aaron: “But there obviously is, Trace Demon hasn't exactly been taking a back seat.”
It's a fair point, but only because the view that the fans (and in a lot of cases the wrestlers) are getting is so far from the reality.
Bishop: “Of course he isn't. He's a former world champion, he's the man who people will listen to. But that doesn't make him a dictator. Everything he has done, everything he has said, simply reflects what we as a group believe. The vision isn't just Trace's, it's what we all believe in.”
He didn't seem particularly satisfied with my explanation, but he had no response. Much as I would love to have spent the rest of my day clearing up his misconceptions, that wasn't why I was here. And I didn't want to stick around too long in what can only be described as 'this depressing hole'.
Bishop: “What I don't understand is, why do people like you keep coming back?”
Aaron: “What do you mean.”
Bishop: “Well... surely you can see the damage Lila is doing?”
Aaron: “Not really.”
Sigh.
Bishop: “Do you think Dex being handed the World Championship was right, do you think someone like Jayson Garrett deserved a match with someone like Drakz, let alone a World Title shot?”
He seemed a little bit more convinced this time.
Aaron: “I guess not.”
He responded, taking a swig from the bottle at the bar.
Bishop: “Well that's on Lila surely? She's giving you a sub-par WFWF and you keep lining her pockets. You keep turning up, you keep buying the pay-per-views...”
I pointed to my fellow countryman's SuperBrawl shirt.
Bishop: “...you keep buying the merchandise. I don't understand why. What is it that keeps you coming back?”
He just sat there, silent. The truth is, like me, he had no idea why he did it. It was a sad moment really, the realisation was clearly came as a crushing blow to the man.
Bishop: “See that's why we're doing this. It's not some power trip on Trace's part, it's because she's killing this company. People like me, and Anders and Trace, we have to do something about it. Because if we don't then, this company has no future. If she carries on doing what she's doing then she destroys it all. I'm not a villain, I'm not a hero either, I'm just doing what I have to do to keep it alive.”
I think he could hear how broken I sounded, how much it was hurting me, I imagine he could understand that. He seemed to love wrestling as much as I do.
Aaron: “So what happens to The Final Revolution if you succeed?”
Good question.
Joe Bishop: “I don't know.”
I responded honestly. What this war will do to me, isn't really a question I've asked myself until now. What happens to The Final Revolution when we've won the war? At this moment, I couldn't give a satisfactory answer. What does happen?
Joe Bishop: “I don't know.”
I answered my own question this time.
Joe Bishop: “Thanks.”
And I walked away from the poor man who had fallen victim to Lila's media campaign. From the man who had thrown up more questions than answers, putting down my half empty bottle as I left.
---
The WFWF is in a state of turmoil. It's fractured.
Lila Sleater's inept leadership has taken this promotion, that I love, to the brink of destruction. Make no mistake, Lila Sleater is responsible for the situation this promotion finds itself in, a war of epic proportions is threatening everything, and it's happening because she has failed to lead this promotion properly.
She has failed in her laughable attempts to instigate a 'new era'. She has failed to keep her promotion under her control. She has succeeded only in alienating the vast majority of the WFWF locker room and the WFWF fans. Hate to say I told you so.
You see the discontent that is felt by, I believe, the majority of that locker room, stems from the fact that Lila Sleater does not know how to run this company. She has given so much power to weak men like Dex, like Dave Demento, like Shawn Malakai, and she has failed miserably to answer the concerns held by the best this company has to offer. She hasn't once consulted the best wrestler in the WFWF, the wrestler whose ownership of the company brought about by the far the most positive results. I talk of course, about Trace Demon.
And by failing to make use of Trace Demon, she has ensured that time and time again she will make the wrong decisions. So it should come as no surprise that she has done just that. She has let the locker room down, she has let the fans down, she's let everyone down.
How do we rectify the situation?
Well I'm afraid we're past the point of no return. Lila Sleater has built an army, and the only way to wrestle control away from her, is to destroy it. War is inevitable from here. We are on the brink, in the midst of something of a cold war, that's just waiting for one trigger to really spark it into life.
The people who truly care about this company, me, Trace, Anders, Kyle Matthews and anyone else who wishes to fight for the cause will fight under Trace's banner. And the people who care only about self-gain, about improving their own image, Dave Demento, Penny Shannon, Josh Dean, Nikki Dean, will fight for Lila. These armies are mobilizing, and whether people want to or not, they're picking sides. If they want to survive it, they're going to have to.
The importance of what is happening here cannot be overstated. Because if Lila Sleater wins this war, I believe, that professional wrestling as a whole, will perish. Who, Who? Will look up to champions like Dex who are handed the belt because Lila Sleater, or the flavour of the month think they should be champion? No one. And believe me it will happen again, and again, and again while she is in charge of this promotion.
No one is going to aspire to become a professional wrestler, if their role models are men like that who have done nothing to earn their position.
And the truth is, the cold harsh reality is, someone like Daniel Kirkbride, who has ripped through the lower order, won't be given a chance to step up if he isn't 'one of Lila's favourites'. I don't know if he realises that now, but in time he will, one can only hope he and those like him will figure it out before it's too late. Like I did, like Kyle Matthews did.
But we can't rely on those people, like Daniel, who haven't worked it out yet. We have to prepare to remove Lila as quickly and efficiently as we can, with what we have at our disposal. Whatever the cost.
Because if we don't. If we stand idly by, or wait too long to strike, Lila Sleater will take this company past the point of no return. She will kill professional wrestling.
And that can't be allowed to happen.
So call me evil, call me a puppet, call me a lacky, call me a pawn, call me a monster.
I don't give a s***. If saving what I love means adopting those labels, then fine. I really don't care.
And if I have to be evil, if I have to be a puppet, if I have to be a lacky, if I have to be a pawn or if I have to be a monster, to save this company.
Then I'll do that, without regretting it for a second.
And if I'm remembered for being one or all of those things, then that's okay.
But I won't be remembered as a coward, who didn't stand up and didn't do a thing about it.
I won't be remembered, as the man who watched as the WFWF was destroyed in front of his eyes.
This is a war, without rules. Without boundaries. Without prisoners.
And by hook or by crook, it is a war that we will win. Decisively.
Now whether you want to stand up and do something about the obvious flaws in Ms. Sleater's strategy is up to you. If you want to stand by and be a coward that's up to you. If you're taken in by her propaganda, then that sucks, but it's still on you.
Make no mistake though, if that is the choice you make. Then The Final Revolution will make sure you regret it. I will make sure you regret it.
What happens after that?
Honestly, it doesn't really matter.
We can worry about that after Lila Sleater's empire has been crushed back down into the dirt, where it belongs. And if, along the way, men like Daniel Kirkbride get caught under The Final Revolution's boot, then that's a shame.