Post by Deleted on May 15, 2015 12:03:11 GMT -5
Shawn Malakai walks through the door of the Atlanta Hyatt's breakfast restaurant. The once towering man is, well, still towering, but physically he's a shell of what he once. His massively long legs and arms have lost nearly any muscle mass they once had. Even still, he's moving around well and in high spirits. I get up from the table and shake his hand.
"Long time no see pal."
"That it has been. How long now? Six months?"
"Nine months actually."
"Damn, time flies."
"That it does."
"Cancer treatment going alright?"
"Alright is a good word."
He laughs.
"It's cancer treatment, it'll never get any better than alright."
"Totally understand man, but hey, you're in town and getting around at least."
"Indeed, I'm lucky. Still hanging in there."
He smiles, still able to be a lively guy even with his cancer. We both sit back down.
"So nine months huh? You remember what you were doing nine months ago?"
"I do. I was in New York, preparing for what was the biggest fight of my life."
"Yes you were. Something I believed in you throughout."
"I don't think much about that anymore. Live in the past, die every day, right? Besides, if I do, I remember the helplessness I felt having that opportunity slip through my fingers."
"I warned you exactly about that feeling back during our last conversation."
"I know you did, I know. It was my first shot though. The biggest title here, my first chance. It still hurt, you know?"
"What'd I say then? I told you to go out there and give yourself a name. You translated that and now you're doing something pretty damn impressive. DJS is a hell of a competitor. That triple threat tag team match really helped you prove that you can compete at the highest tag team level. Even though you came up short, look at where you are right now."
He pauses.
"You're right back in the mix for the belts again. Vacated because Dave decided to do something stupid. Here's the problem though Jayson, you've seen the teams, you've seen the talent. It's incredible. Just like that four-way in the Garden. Some guys you know, some guys you don't. While you may have a little more chemistry with your partner, some of these teams are going to have the raw talent. Zmey and Drakz, they're going to be an absolute force no matter how much they may butt heads with each other. Trace and Nikki? Kyzer and Ante? You know as well as I do that they're going to have the talent to win, even if they hate each other."
"It's all about having that opportunity to win it though."
"Now you're getting it."
"What do you mean?"
"That's exactly what I've been saying and hoping for you to understand. Whenever there's a big moment for you like that world title match or these tag team title bouts or anything else. Everything that you've done, it's about how you take that moment and sprint with it. One day you're going to seize that opportunity. We can't know for sure when, but once you get to the top of the mountain you're going to fight to stay there."
"I was there though with Chase as my partner and I fell off."
"Let's look at the facts. You were young, inexperienced. You had a partner who was even more inexperienced than you. Not only that, but you more or less had to babysit him through your entire time spent as a team. Your dethroning was inevitable."
He pauses and takes a breath. I'd never thought about it like that.
"Now you know what's it's like. You know what it'll take to stay atop the mountain. You're partner is capable enough. You know I think you're capable enough. When it's your time, it'll be your time. The only question is when. Let it happen, go out there and make everyone recognize how good you are. Ascension is your kickstart. McMann and Shannon are the two perfect opponents for you to begin your showcase on. Then the tag team tournament starts and you and DJS will be off to the races."
He stops talking and I think about everything he's just said. He's right. Ascension is my takeoff point, my next opportunity at showing how ready I am to get my tag team titles back with DJS, and McMann and Shannon it just so happens will be the first two to see that up close and personally. Shawn starts to speak again.
"It's funny, Dex is god knows where, Sam is buddy-buddy with DMK, Cam is behind the announcers' desk. I guess you’re the last good guy left."
"I don't think you could exactly call me a good guy."
"The other thing you haven't gotten is that it's not black and white with two totally opposite ends of the spectrum and that's all. There's some gray in there. Just because you think you're this guy the fans hate doesn't mean that you're thinking correctly. You can be selective in what you hear and what you ignore, it doesn't change the validity of what you ignore."
I let that sink in before chuckling.
"You're right, Shawn. Sometimes though, that negative energy, there's just something about it. I almost need it. It's my device to use and harness it to prove everyone that boos me wrong."
"Imagine the thought of calling you the "last of the good guys" back when you started up here. I mean, I still remember that match we had. Thinking of you as a good guy didn't fit. Yet here we are, a year and a half after that match, chatting it up."
"But I never set out to be booed or cheered -"
I'm cut off.
"Really? Because you could've fooled me."
"Well it's true, believe it or not."
"What made you react so negatively towards everyone then?"
"I...I don't know."
I pause. He doesn't speak. I wait for a moment before realizing he's trying to get me to keep talking. So I continue on.
"All the doubts that were surrounding me, I guess. It just felt like my back was pressed up against the wall and if I wanted to get away I'd have to fight my way out. It got to this point where I didn't even know what I was fighting for. I didn't know whether I wanted this for myself or because I was just so bloodthirsty to shut the critics and doubters up. I was able to straighten that out, then here I am."
"There's a difference between motivation and obsession. That negativity became your obsession and in due time after you debuted you forgot about yourself even and just became so hell-bent on proving everyone you couldn't remember what your purpose here was."
"Whoa Shawn, no. You don't get to come here and give me some deep psychoanalysis on why I used to suck because not only would that be false, but you don't know how I could deal with the negativity."
"I'm not trying to, I'm simply pointing out what I feel happened. Sure you were still able to be successful, but think back, how well did you really deal with those failures? You know what to do now though. I wasn't meaning to insult you by calling your obsession with negativity an obsession. I'm bringing it back to your situation now. You lost at End Game, but you aren't bitching and complaining about the loss, you're back your feet."
He pauses again. I guess he has a point. The times where I used to cope with defeat by blaming everyone other than me have passed me by. He starts back up.
"You know what bothers me? The fact you see some of your defeats as failures. Jayson, you only fail when you go down and don't even try to get back up. Here you are though, standing straight up. Everyone eventually suffers defeat, hell, your job next show is to make sure McMann suffers his first defeat. How you bounce back is the most important thing. You're a perfect example. Your first loss was in a title match against a guy who was far more experienced than you in Joe Bishop. How'd you come back?"
"Well, I beat you."
"Exactly. That's the first moment I saw you and realized that, okay, this kid has something in him that can make him a star. Becoming a star is all about the opportunities and Ascension is your next one."
"But what good are the opportunities if they don't end up going my way?"
"It's not about the ones that pass you by or the ones that have already come and gone. You've gotta go on to the next one. Again, just because some didn't go your way does mean it's a failure. It's about the next one. You keep working at it, they'll go your way."
It's not easy to think that way so quickly after a loss. It's still difficult, coming so close to the apex of the mountain only to take a step down. That energy is what I'll need to channel into my next shot though. It's the motivation I'll need. Not the negative motivation of the crowd that I used to thrive off of. This is different. This is the positivity I need to not got hung up on any one particular event, good or bad.
"You're right Shawn."
"Aren't I always?"
"You seriously are though. It's what I need, that outlook."
"Be upbeat brother, hey, who better to pass that message on than this cancer patient."
We both have a laugh. It's been too long since I last talked to Shawn. He was a guy that believed in me, one that saw what I could do and told me that I could absolutely do great things. Sometimes the only guy that thought that when I was starting off was myself. Shawn gave the extra confidence I needed. I knew that someone else saw what no one else did at the time and it's something I still think fondly of him about.
"I'm gonna stay here, actually get some breakfast. The waiter has glanced our way at least five time. I think he wants us to order or get out. You go on to press or work out or whatever you need to do to prepare. Kick some ass at Ascension."
"You know I will. You take it easy Shawn."
"And you know I'll do that."
He gives a half-smile.
"Don't wait until nine months from now to say you want to meet-up sometime. My schedule is clear Jay, you just give me a call."
I smile back.
"Sounds good to me, I'll see you soon Shawn."
I walk out leaving the former WFWF World champion to order his breakfast.
What I like about this company is that the names of the shows seemingly fit my current situation. This might be the best case yet. In a match where I'm perhaps the third talking point, I'm at the most dangerous I've ever been. I can check my ego at the door and look at facts. Participant number one, a real man, with two "n"s in his name because apparently that makes it more manly, that's been on a run that might be unparalleled in this company. Participant number two, the woman who survived. She survived what could be classified as one of the most vicious beatings that I've ever seen. If there's one thing I'm damn good at, it's surprising people with how good I can be. Everyone is watching out for the triumphant return of Penny Shannon to the ring and for her to take the world by storm. Or, everyone is watching Stan McMann and they just can't wait to see how he comes back off two of the biggest wins of his career back to back. I'm lucky in everyone's eyes to even be listed in the description of the match. If everyone had their way the match listing would read "Stan McMann vs. Penny Shannon, and Jayson Garrett is there too.". No one would place any spotlight on me, which I used to shake my fist at and curse out the fans personally and scream and cry until I made enough of a fuss to get my name in the headline like I felt entitled to. Now though I can have enough self-control to hang back at let my ability speak for itself. It's just a fact, sometimes the best ascensions happen when nobody sees them coming.
Penny Shannon, I want you to remember how you felt laying in the hospital bed and coming back to consciousness. Remember that first time you woke up. Most importantly though, I want you to remember that first thought of how you couldn't wait to heal up and return to that ring. Remember that, because I have a personal goal for this match (other than winning, of course). I am going to make sure you regret even having thought about getting excited to return to the WFWF. I want you to miss your hospital bed. Hell, I want you to regret even wrestling before your injury. I don't want you to forget that feeling of excitement so I can absolutely crush it at Ascension. This match is the first step on my road to showing everyone how ready I am for the tag team tournament. Maybe I still harbor some resentment towards you for being in the S.O.S., or just for having this ignorance that you can come back from a massive injury and be just as good as you thought you used to be. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter to me. At the end of this match I'm going to be standing tall over you and you'll be out cold doing exactly what I said you would. That's regretting you ever came back here. This is your warning.
Wow, McMann, you're something else. Let's see if I can step into his land of make-believe for a minute. You're this phony man that literally believes in crosses between bears and unicorns and talking deer and I'm sure you have your own adventures in your mind. Here's the thing. You're a sad, pathetic little boy who doesn't even deserve to be called a man because that's what I am. I reckon Penny Shannon is more of a man than you could ever dream of. Yukio Blaze, Daniel Kirkbride, the list of victims that you've accumulated is pretty impressive, that I'll give you. Time to face facts though, and that's non of the guys that you've been in the ring with were willing to give you a reality check like I am going to. You and your mythical creatures that you believe in can take the next train to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and stay there because that's exactly where you belong. In an imaginary world, just like everything you think is real. You honestly expect me to believe in "bearicorns" and that you've killed them? Either you're just full of it, or you need some serious mental health help, and I'm inclined to think it's the latter. The walls of your life are going to come crumbling down sooner than you think. I'm in the ring with you to insure for the betterment of everyone that it happens sooner rather than later. I want to make sure that you know that I'm damn real. If you don't want to your ass handed back to you on a mount, I'd suggest you realize that.
My conversation with Shawn gave me purpose. It's not to prove myself to two opponents that quite frankly I don't care about. It's not to prove myself to those that have legitimate hate in their hearts for me. I don't need to appease them. I want to do this for myself. I deserve to fight for my cause, my purpose, my life. This isn't about a family, this isn't about friends, it's definitely not about the crowd. This match is about me and what I'm going to do to make sure Shannon and McMann don't walk away winners. I want to prove to myself that what I do in that ring affects people. It's honestly better that this match is against two people I don't have a history with because this is my measuring stick. I set this goals so I can see where I'm at. If I can win, Shannon and McMann questioning themselves will be soon to follow. That means I've done my job to perfection. Ascension is the story of Jayson Garrett, and the rebirth of himself. My name is Jayson Garrett, and I'm winning this match for me.
I dont know good luck 
