Post by Markw on Dec 22, 2014 16:26:00 GMT -5
WFWF The Clash – A Stern and Silent Pride
I went into Battle Of The Garden feeling pretty anxious.
I was confident, that Dave Demento would be a walk in the park. But I was worried, about whether Trace could get the job done. Whether he could walk out with the belt. Or, God forbid, whether he could stop Dex walking out with it. I was fairly sure he could, but I believed it was a race, to see who, Drakz or Trace, could pin Garrett or Dex first.
I suppose my anxiety was simply misplaced. Of course Trace wasn't going to let Dex retain the World Championship, even if he had to sacrifice what he deserves to ensure that fact. I missed the bigger picture, I was too concerned about Trace winning the belt, when clearly the important thing was making sure that Dex and Garrett didn't somehow get their hands on it.
The WFWF deserves a champion who deserves to be up there with the very best. And whilst he is not on our side, I think that there can be no doubt that Drakz does belong with the very best this company has to offer.
I was wrong, of course, to think I'd stroll in, pin Dave Demento, and stroll out. I paid the penalty for it.
But the important thing was, that a fraud was no longer the World Champion.
I go into The Clash, anxious, about my own clash with Dave Demento. I don't believe this time, it's going to be a walk in the park, though we may end up there.
However, I am absolutely not worried, in the slightest, about Trace Demon's clash with Drakz.
The variables have been removed, and now it's about Trace Demon and Drakz, one on one, battling to prove who is the better man. It's the first match for the World Championship match we've seen in months, that has deserved to take place.
Trace promised that Dex would not walk out of Battle At The Garden with the belt, and he did not.
I am certain, that tonight, the image we saw at the conclusion of WFWF Black Friday, will be relived. Trace Demon standing, this time midgetless, in the middle of that ring, the World Heavyweight Champion, the leader of the true saviours of the WFWF. Trace made a statement at Black Friday and I have no doubts, that he will live up to it, when The Clash comes to a close.
90,000 of my fellow country men, will probably boo and hiss and moan. And fling trash into that ring. But one day they will realise, that what they have just seen is the rebirth, of the sleeping giant that is, the WFWF.
My clash with Dave Demento, is an important battle, because it is against a man who I believe is a more direct threat to this promotion than Drakz. But this night, this great spectacle, will be remembered for being the night that Trace Demon stood tall, under the Wembley arch, with the World Championship in his hand. A light at the end of the darkness. A symbol, that all those who love and recognise what the WFWF really is. A symbol, of hope, a symbol, of glory.
---
It's difficult not to feel moved, standing in front of this sea of poppies. That symbolise the sacrifices of hundreds of men, who died fighting for what they believe in.
Hundreds of people, lined up to commemorate the lives of millions of men who died fighting to protect everything they believe in.
It's important to remember, I think, that these innocent men didn't just die fighting for whatever it is that led them onto the battlefield.
They killed for it as well.
It's an often overlooked, but crucial detail.
These people killed, they killed people who were just as innocent.
And they're remembered, commemorated, not as villains, but as heroes.
I'm not complaining about that. They are heroes. They did what they had to do to save themselves, to save the people, the things, the country, they loved.
But me? I'm a villain.
For doing exactly the same thing.
For being willing to attack innocent men, to save what I love. I am a villain, because Trace Demon has shown me the bigger picture. Because I can now accept, with all the facts in front of me, that as unpleasant as it is, sometimes innocent people have to be hurt, to save many more. Because I can recognise that some things are worth dying, and killing for.
Right now innocent wrestlers have to suffer, to save wrestling. And people like me, like Trace, like Kyle, we have to make the ultimate sacrifice. We have to be willing to make them suffer, even when they've done nothing to deserve it.
It's a s***ty situation.
But that's war.
---
I think it's fair to say every wrestler had a pretty big ego. Some let it dictate their actions more than others, but in pretty much every case, it's there. You'll be hard pressed to find many WFWF wrestlers who didn't walk in here thinking they could already cut it with the best of them. Of course it's incredibly rare to come across a wrestler who could, but they all walk through the door believing they can.
And everyone in this company, whether they want to admit or not, has had their ego bruised at one point or another.
I've had plenty of those moments.
Probably none more so, than the moment I heard those words.
“The winner of this match and the new WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
I stood at the top of the ramp, looking up at Dave Demento lifting my belt, in front of thousands of people in that famous arena.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
There it was, for the whole world to see, in the arms of another man.
A coward who had to fake a concussion to ensure he had an excuse in the event of the defeat, had taken her from me, and was showing her off to the whole world.
And I stood there, helpless, metres away, as Christa Adina uttered the words that will live with me till the day I die.
Christa Adina: “The winner of this match and the new WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
God that hurt.
It wasn't about losing the International Championship, not really.
It was about looking up as you lifted that belt high in the air, listening to the roar from the Madison Square Garden crowd, and knowing that I had lost a huge battle, in the most important war that has been fought in a wrestling ring. It was about knowing that I'd handed Lila Sleater, a massive propaganda coup, and I had given you, her hand picked star, a massive boost.
Everything that threatens the WFWF was there, in reach, just waiting to be ripped apart. And I had failed. I had thrown the International Championship into the hands of a man who was unknowingly destroying the WFWF. Professional wrestling as a whole.
In that moment, what really hurt was knowing, that I had given the 'Saviours of Salvation', Lila and her poor deluded puppets, the high-ground. And that it would take something extraordinary to make it back up.
I had the chance to set the tone, pave the way for a Final Revolution triumph, and instead...
“The winner of this match and the NEW WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
“The winner of this match and the NEW WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
“The winner of this match and the NEW WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
“The winner of this match and the NEW WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
From the second I heard them, those words have been pounding away at my head. Day after day, night after night.
“The winner of this match and the NEW WFWF International Champion... DAVE DEMENTO!”
I can't take it.
I never want to hear the words 'WFWF International Champion, Dave Demento', preceded by anything other than the word 'former' for as long as I live.
Years I chased that belt. I put so much blood, so much sweat, so many tears into winning that belt at SuperBrawl. And I threw it away, straight away.
That moment, well quite frankly, it f***ing sucked.
Jason Anders: “What the f*** was that?”
And, needless to say, that didn't help.
Blood pouring from my mouth I walked back down the ramp, after what had felt like an eternity staring at Dave Demento and my International Championship. Anders was in pretty bad shape himself after a beating at the hands of Demento and more embarrassingly Lila Sleater, so it's fair to say the mood walking back up that ramp was pretty sombre.
Joe Bishop: “I...”
I struggled to get the words out, partly because I was still in a state of shock, partly because blood was spurting out my mouth every time I opened it.
Joe Bishop: “I can't believe it.”
I still can't really believe it, even a month on. I keep watching it back, over and over again, and ever time it feels less real.
Jason Anders: “You need to put it right, quickly.”
Anders said assertively, at least as assertively as he's capable of sounding. We made our way through the curtain and began to head through the backstage area. Thunderstruck blaring through the arena, as Dave Demento, no doubt soaked up the atmosphere following the biggest win of his career. Myself and Anders didn't share a word until we eventually reached the locker room, allowing AC/DC to rub it in.
I grabbed a towel from my bag, using it to soak up the blood from my mouth, as Anders took a seat opposite me.
Jason Anders: “That was an absolute shambles.”
Joe Bishop: “So, what do we do?”
Jason Anders: “We? This is your mess.”
Thanks.
Joe Bishop: “That's not exactly helpful.”
Jason Anders: “If you keep slipping up like this, I'm not going to get my job back. Helpful or not, that's where we are.”
Joe Bishop: “It's not about getting your job back. Have you still not worked that out?”
Jason Anders: “Right, the revolution.”
He replied, rolling his eyes. I honestly have no idea what Anders brings to the table. Whilst I'd been a little shaky in the weeks leading up to Battle of the Garden, at least I believe in what we're fighting for. At least I want to achieve the same things Trace wants to achieve. But I have no idea what Anders is supposed to offer us. Trace will have an ace up his sleeve, of course he will, but I do find it odd.
Joe Bishop: “It's about getting rid of Lila Sleater, it's about rebuilding this company.”
Jason Anders: “Well we're not going to get rid of Lila Sleater, if you don't start pulling your weight are we?”
In this case though, he was absolutely right. I've been letting the side down and it absolutely does need to change, I can't let people like Dave Demento best me, if I really, genuinely, want this revolution to succeed. Because then... now, I'm an anchor, holding Trace Demon's revolution down.
I do need to be better, or it won't be Lila Sleater, or Shawn Malakai, or Dex, or Dave Demento who kills this company.
It'll be me.
Joe Bishop: “What do I do?”
Why I was asking Jason Anders, I have no idea.
Jason Anders: “Win it back.”
Joe Bishop: “What if I can't?”
Jason Anders: “If you can't, Trace has made a big mistake.”
I took a moment to contemplate those words, before sorting out my stuff and moving towards the locker room door.
Jason Anders: “You need to fix this.”
Joe Bishop: “I know.”
My ego took a big beating at Battle Of The Garden, but if I do it again. If Dave Demento beats me, in the middle of that ring, and retains the International Championship. That'll kill me, worst still, it might kill this company.
---
This is what I love about wrestling. It's one of the big things anyway. The joy that it creates, the passion of those fans.
But right now, it's killing me. Seeing Wembley Way littered with wrestling fans, singing, cheering, drinking.
But they shouldn't be doing it. Not now.
They clearly don't quite realise the enormity of the situation, and that disturbs me. I've been trying so hard, working day and night to get people to understand just how important tonight is, how much danger the WFWF faces right now. And here they are, singing, chanting, dancing, enjoying themselves, when everything they love is on the verge of collapse.
Unless we can save it.
It feels like a big “you
ed up” to me. All the work I've put into trying to make these fans understand the danger that this promotion faces right now, and there's no nerves, no tension, no fear. They're just... happy.Professional wrestling is on the brink of collapse and they're still funding it's destruction, and watching it happen with a smile on their faces.
And it's because, up to now, I've failed. We've failed.
This Revolution isn't about power, it's about resuscitation. And the message should have spread wide and clear, that everybody who truly loves professional wrestling, needs to be doing everything they can to save it. To stop Lila Sleater.
I don't like failing.
I don't like knowing that 90,000 fans are going to, in a few short hours, be chanting the name of Drakz. Rather than chanting for Trace Demon, Jason Anders, Kyle Matthews, Joe Bishop. The four men who are trying to save what they love.
I don't like it one bit.
---
I underestimated you David. I looked at the start of your run with the WFWF. Defeat after defeat after defeat. And I assumed, that defending the International Championship against you was going to be a walk in the park.
I made a mistake and it cost me the belt I spent over a year chasing.
My mistake wasn't failing to spot that your 'concussion' was a ploy to gain an advantage. My mistake wasn't some misguided belief that I am unbeatable. I was well aware of that your phantom concussion was just that, and that I am capable of losing, I've been doing it most of my life.
My mistake, was failing to notice that you'd changed.
This wasn't the same fraud who was stealing a spot on the roster for the first year or so of his WFWF career. The man who couldn't buy a win no matter who you put in front of him.
Dave Demento, changed, and I failed to spot it. I paid the penalty.
I underestimated you. And perhaps even more dangerously, I underestimated Lila Sleater, I assumed that recruiting you was a huge error of judgement on her part and clearly, I was very, very wrong.
But now Dave, going into this second clash, in my home country. I think it's only fair to warn you, I have changed.
I'm still as driven, as determined to rid the WFWF of the cancer that's killing it, Lila Sleater, and although most of you are misguided rather than inherently evil, the Savio(u)rs of Salvation.
But I am not the mentally fragile man who stepped into that cage with you first time around. I may well be capable of losing this Falls Count Anywhere match, but if the worst comes to the worst and I do lose, it won't be because of the same simple mistakes I made last time around. It won't be because I misjudged you.
I know, that I am in for the fight of my life. That I have to prepare for a war comparable to no war I've fought before.
I know, that I've spent a month riling you up, pissing you off, messing with your head. And that you're going to come into this like a wild beast. Desperate, to rip me limb from limb, and drag my broken carcass through the streets of my country's capital. I have to be ready to absorb absolutely everything you can throw at me, and as I'm not blessed with the same physical attributes, I have to have that little bit more about me, I have to out think you, to beat you and reclaim that belt. I need to have one or two tricks up my sleeve.
I made the mistake of thinking I could wait for you to make a mistake last time we met, now I know that to win this battle, I have to be able to force you to make a mistake. To make the mistake, that costs you everything you've fought for.
That's not going to be an easy task.
But that is the task. Make you make an error, before you get a chance to tear me to shreds.
And honestly, it's a task I'm relishing.
You can't help, but enjoy it that bit more, when the stakes are so high. When failure could cost me my last shot at the International Championship, given the dangers of this type of match, against an opponent as fired up as you, it could cost me my life. Even worse, it could cost the WFWF, it's soul.
At 'The Clash' this cold war is finally going to heat up. You and I, Trace and Drakz, are going to compete in two matches that will decide the fate of the Revolution, that will shape the WFWF for years to come.
Either it will fall to ruins, as Lila Sleater milks it dry, snatching every last penny before leaving it to rot, or it will be rebuilt, returned to its once great heights.
You and I, in this battle, are going to set the tone for the whole war. We are going to determine the future of the WFWF, one way or the other.
For me, it's kill or be killed. It's glory or the end of everything.
For you, honestly, it's lose lose. Lose this match and odds are, you're done. I think it's too late to repent to be honest. Win it, and you'll get the glory temporarily, you'll be in a great position to win the war. But as Lila rips apart everything that made the WFWF great, as she takes this once great promotion closer and closer to the abyss. You'll realise that you've made a terrible mistake. That you've traded everything that made professional wrestling so brilliant, for cheap, short-lived glory. And you'll feel sick to the bottom of your stomach, knowing that it's your fault.
Either way, win or lose, I'll go down knowing that there was nothing more I could do, to protect what I love. That everything I did, was done for the right reasons. Yes I want to get to the top, but I want to be at the top of a mountain, not at the top of a molehill. I want to be a success in a promotion that means something.
And Dave, you've taken yourself down a path, where you'll never get that.
I don't hate you. I think you're misguided, and I think it's going to torture you for the rest of your life. I pity you.
But I can't afford to take pity on you.
Once I've got you in my grasp, I can't let you go.
I have to do everything in my power to force that mistake, to leave you alone, unarmed, vulnerable, on the cold London pavement, and then, I have to crush you.
I have to do what Solomon Crow couldn't, I have to kill you.
I have the unpleasant job of killing a misguided, but for all intents and purposes, innocent man. To make sure this war is won by the right side. To make sure that good triumphs over evil.
I can't afford to let you carry on, unknowingly killing what you think you're defending. I have to do everything in my power, to not only win this match, but to end you.
I'm sorry. I have no choice.
The truth is, my tour of London hasn't been about commemorating the lives of those who fought for a cause they believe in as passionately as I am fighting to save the WFWF. It hasn't been about getting a new insight into this revolution. It hasn't been about connecting with the WFWF fans in my own country.
Those are merely by-products. The reason, I've been doing this, is to find the perfect spot. The perfect place, to smash your head into the pavement, roll you onto your back, pin you 1...2...3.
And take back what belongs to me.
Let's see if we can give you a real concussion.
OOC: I had University deadlines non-stop until last Wednesday, so couldn't get much done until then, and last Tuesday my Dad's cancer became terminal, I've been a bit all over the place since then to be honest and not really been in the mood to sit down and write, and when I have I've not exactly been in a great frame of mind. How it's ended up, I have no idea, but apologies that there wasn't more care and time put into it because I really did want to, obviously it's had to take a bit of a back seat and the ideas I had for it have had to be scaled back considerably as a result. A couple of monologues here were designed to be scenes that I would have ideally spent longer on, there are bits that have been cut, and I've tinkered with old monologues and a scene I didn't like enough to use in the past, so I can't say I'm feeling too hopeful about the quality of this.
