Post by thesouthsidekid on May 21, 2007 2:14:12 GMT -5
“You’ve been given the one thing that every athlete has ever dreamed about. And that’s a second chance. And you are afraid of blowing it.” Gene Hackman as Coach Jimmy McGinty, The Replacements.
Part 1: Destiny Unfulfilled
Charleston, West Virginia. I’ve come back to my home after the Pure Rules match on Felo De Se a broken and beaten man. I have just arrived at my home. I haven’t eaten since Wednesday, and it is Friday. I haven’t bathed since the same day. All I’ve done is lay up in a hotel room in Philadelphia, sleeping. I open the door to my house and walk in. I toss my duffle bag on the floor and close the door. I didn’t bother to take my shoes off, as I just went into the living room and collapsed on the couch.
So close, yet so far away. I can’t believe that I hit Obo with everything that I had in me, and it still wasn’t enough to put him away. I’ve failed. It was my destiny to win that match. Everything was in my favor, a match that favored my athleticism and my ability to mat wrestle; an opponent who overlooked me while I had him very well scouted. It was my opportunity to pull off the upset of the century, and I couldn’t get the job done.
ing loser. I let up when I had him down for the Frog Splash. I was trying to be a showman, instead of taking care of business. Why the didn’t I finish him there? It’s pathetic. And now look at me, moping around. I don’t want to move, I don’t want to think. I called the shot and I missed it. How am I supposed to live this down? How am I supposed to be able to continue to compete when I pulled the biggest choke job ever? I know I have a title shot against Yukio for the tag team titles, but I can’t focus on it!
I lay there on that couch. No tears came to my eyes, even though losing upset me. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling. A trance is what I was in. The ceiling seemed to get closer to my face as I lay perfectly still. I know it’s me hallucinating due to a lack of sleep. I look at the designs of the sheetrock on my ceiling. A maze. I tired to follow the patterns as best I could. The patterns remind me of the maze of my career, trying to find the path to glory. One route is blocked, take another.
But how? How do I reroute myself from this match? I was right there. Right on the cusp of finally nailing down the most prestigious title in the industry. Sure I’ve one titles all over the world, but never the WFWF Title. And I let it slip through my fingers. Through my fingers like quicksand. I thought that the odyssey was over, and maybe I can finally relax for a moment. With everything I’ve gone through, when is it going to end? When is it going to be my time for peace?
I continue to lie on the couch, staring at the ceiling. At this moment, Yukio was probably in a gym somewhere, preparing himself physically, or in a film room, preparing himself mentally. He was also a witness to the match, and he is using it as a tool to study me. I have done no such preparation, as Yukio is the farthest thing from my mind. High Horror is pretty far from my mind as well, and he is my own tag team partner. No one has seen or heard from him in a week or so. He hasn’t called me or anything. But I just continued to lie there on the couch.
The Pure Rules match is being called one of the best matches of the year thus far. But I know differently, I know what the people are really thinking. I’ve been around after the match in various public places. I’ve become a joke to these people. I’ve heard it all.
“Well, looks like Josh Dean made true on his promise. Way to “SHOCK THE WORLD” kid.”
“Josh Dean is starting to look more and more like Yukio Blaze. He can’t win the big one.”
“When the chips are down, Josh Dean folds like a bad poker hand.”
“Josh Dean was in over his head. The better test that kid because he had to been on drugs to make that stupid prediction.”
People don’t understand the pressure of a big money match like this. They don’t know because they aren’t in the match, they are spectators. I love my fans, but that is something that they can’t understand. They can’t understand fully unless they were actually there. They can’t understand that I tired everything to give them the greatest match I could, and that I tried to steal the show.
As I continued to lie there, I felt fatigue growing on me. Even though I had slept pretty much all day everyday since Felo De Se, I was still tired. I tried to close my eyes, but the images of the match popped into my head. The images of the match.
In hindsight, maybe I should’ve gone for the Frog Splash after I hit the Yakuza Kick. Missed opportunity. Just like Yukio. But has Yukio ever had a show stealing match like this? Wait did I say show stealing? Did I really steal the show? Did I really in losing, still give the fans something to remember? Maybe the match wasn’t so bad of a failure.
I sat up for the first time since coming home. I began to feel a little better about my loss. I stood up from the couch. I began to move from the living room back to the entrance of the house. I picked up my gym bag and began to walk up the steps to my bedroom. I opened the door and I was over taken with the scent of fresh linen. It had been a while since I had actually been home and the smell of the sheets was euphoric, just like the euphoria that I get when I’m about to go out there and perform. It is the euphoria of awakening. It’s the adrenaline that pumps when you awake and get out of bed in the morning. It was that same awakening that I got when I stepped out into the ring with Obo last week. And it will be the same awakening sensation to step into the ring with Yukio Blaze this week. Now it is time to get focused, it is time to prepare, it is time to do what I should’ve done last week. That time is now. I sat my duffle bag on the bed and unzipped it. I started to grab my clothes from the road trip out of the bag and toss them to the floor. Later on, I planned on doing some laundry, to clean not only my clothes, but also the dirt of failure, the blemish on my near flawless record in WFWF. It can be a fresh start to a new winning streak. But for now, I just need get prepared.
Part Two: Back to the Drawing Board
When one route doesn’t work to accomplishing a goal, you try and find another route to the goal. That’s the situation I found myself in as I walked into the arena a couple of hours ago. I had to be prepared for my workout. High Horror had notified me by text saying that he couldn’t make the FDS show, due to uncontrollable circumstances. He didn’t go into detail, and I wasn’t about to ask. It wasn’t my place. Either way, I text him back before coming over here, after getting a shower, telling him that he just needed to take care of his problems and I would worry about bringing the belts home tonight. I walked into my locker room and took a seat in my chair. I put my head in my hands and began to meditate on tonight’s match.
I shouldn’t have said that I’d worry about getting the belts tonight. The pressure has just increased. I have to come through tonight, not only for me, but also for Horror. While he has been my rival, he has also been a great ally, and a great friend in the process. I can’t lose tonight. I can’t fail again. The last time a guaranteed victory, was last week, and see what happened there. Why did I do that? crap, I don’t even have a game plan for Yukio. I’ve teamed with him, but never faced him. Come on Josh! Get it together! I just got to go back to the drawing board. There are still a few hours before the show. Tape, film! Yes! At least then I’ll have a clue.
I walked into the film room and searched on the shelf of the video archives. Then I found the tape I was looking for. Yukio vs. the Axis from Forever Unscarred, which was perfect for what I needed. I opened the DVD case and put the DVD into the film projector and pressed play. The match came on and I fast-forwarded through part of the match. Then I fixed it to normal speed as I became fixated with what I was watching on the projector.
This time Thunder points the blame to Burton, but quickly both agree that they need to work as a team to beat Blaze. As they let Blaze get to his feet, Burton charges with two knees to the back sending Blaze into the corner chest first. Kurt seats Blaze on the top turnbuckle, his face to the crowd. Thunder takes the lead and climbs up to the top, grabbing a waist without hesitation he hurls Blaze off with a german suplex but keeps his feet planted. Kurt begins to climb the ropes and grabs Thunder, calling for the Trebuchet. He sending Thunder up and over with a german suplex, resulting in Thunder being physically moonsaulted onto Blaze. The referee once again begins the count. but nothing more then a 2.
No just a 2 count, as Kurt looks in shock that the move was not enough to put Blaze away.
Burton tells Thunder to go stand on the apron, and the two once again appear to show friction, with Kurt winning the argument and Thunder going to 'his corner'. Kurt arrogantly smiles. Grabbing Blaze and pulling him up by his beard, Kurt is immediatly caught off gaurd when Blaze hits a standing enziguiri. Yukio grabs Kurt and quickly lifts him up hitting an air raid clash. He turns him over and begins to grab ahold of Burton's legs. Blaze smiles and slaps the sides of Burton freeing his arms. As Thunder just looks on Blaze reveals something new in his arsenal has he hits vicious curb stomp, which he calls the detroit stomp. He makes the cover but only gets a 2 count.
Thunder sneaks back into the ring, seeing how close Kurt came to losing the belts, and goes for an ace crusher, but Blaze counters it and sends Thunder crashing into his partner. Kurt crashes to the outside, as Thunder turns right into a sickness spear that sends both men into the corner. Blaze quickly seats Thunder on the top turnbuckle. He calls for the Blaze and Glory. Hooking each arm, Thunder fights it but Blaze throws heavy hands each shot bringing back less fight from Thunder. He finally hooks the arms and comes off with the top rope pedigree. He makes the cover hooking the legs, as the referee begins the count.
1.......2.....3!
I paused the match. To be honest, I was impressed with what I saw in Yukio. His style is something completely different. It kind of reminds me of my style in the ring. Hybrid, with innovative moves. But I can’t let that throw me off guard; I can’t make him take me out of my style. Maybe I should show him a thing or two about my style no one has seen yet. Maybe I need to throw him off his game. Ok, that’s it. I think I finally got the game plan. Ok time to get a quick workout in, and a shower, and do this thing!
I turned off the projector and took the DVD out. I sat it back on the archives shelf and exited the room. I began to walk towards the gym for a quick workout and last minute preparation when I felt a vibration in my pocket. My cell phone was going off. Who could be calling me, I was about to find out as I took my phone out of my pocket. I looked at the caller ID, but I couldn’t recognize it. I flipped open my phone and decided to take the call.
“Hello?”
??: Josh?
“Hi Amy, what’s up?”
Amy: Nothing really, I wanted to see how you were holding up after the match?
“I’m fine.”
Amy: Really? That is good Josh. I was worried because you put so much time into preparing for Obo.
“You know, I was bummed out for a little bit of time.”
Amy: Well you seem in good spirits now.
“I am, because I came to the realization that maybe the odyssey isn’t ready to be ended yet.”
Amy: Is that all?
“Well ok, I lied. A tag team title shot doesn’t hurt either.”
Amy begins to laugh over the phone as I crack a smile. It was nice to see her at least a little happy now. After all that she has went through, it’s time she catches a break. I look at the time. Oh crap, it’s almost showtime. I got to cut this short.
“Amy, I just looked at the time, it’s almost show time. I guess you can say, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. I’ll call you after the match and let you know how it went.”
Amy: Ok. I’ll talk to you soon.
“Ok, bye.”
I hung up the phone. This was going to be an interesting match. But I feel ready. My confidence has grown. I have gotten the sulking and self-pity out of the way from the loss to Obo. Now it is time. I’m ready to finally make my path in WFWF known. I was ready to finally win some gold!
I continued my walk to my locker room. As I reached the locker room, I sat down in the chair, and I leaned my head back. I closed my eyes and began to envision tonight’s match. The feel, the atmosphere, the crowd. I got chills thinking about it. This could be just as big as the match with Obo. And I am going to make sure of it.
Message to Yukio Blaze
Yukio Blaze, tonight thousands upon thousands of people are going to fill this arena, looking for something special to remember. I am one of the people that they are expecting something special from. Tonight, is more than just a match, more than just a title, it is the beginning of something. Tonight, I take a step towards proving that I am the Franchise. Tonight I prove that I am the man that is the future of WFWF. Yukio, it is a big match situation, whether or not anyone else sees it. Are you ready? Let’s hope so for your sake, because Yukio, you haven’t been known to shine on these occasions.
But let’s talk about something Yukio. For me, this isn’t a consolation prize because I couldn’t beat Obo last week for the World Heavyweight Title. This is an opportunity to create more memories on the way to the top. And I’m going through you to do it. They say that if at first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again. That is the case her Yukio. I didn’t win, I didn’t succeed in the purpose, but I’m back, ready for more! I will not be denied tonight!
Yukio, you claim that you are the man that is responsible for my rise to the top. I call bullcrap on that. See you might have helped me, but you didn’t make me. I am the only one that has made me. You know why I am at the top in WFWF. It’s simple, because I am the best! I have done in six months what you can’t do in almost three years Yukio. I won the New Breed Tournament, no actually, I regress, I dominated! Have you won that? Nope. I took on Obo for the World Title, first World Title shot in WFWF. And guess what, I may not have won, but this match is already being called a Match of the Year candidate, and I took Obo to the absolute limit, first time out. Can you say you’ve done that? Can you say that you’ve almost tasted the World Title? It has taken you three years, and you are just now winning a title. But this dream ride that you are on, ENDS TONIGHT!
Why am I so confident? I don’t know, maybe you can call it foolish pride. But tonight, I made a promise to “The High Horror” Shawn Thomas that I was going to bring the belts home for us tonight, and I’ll be damned if I fail on two promises in a row. I can’t lose this match Yukio, and I won’t. I’m going to win tonight, simply, because I want it more than you. Yukio I wish you luck.
But enough with Yukio, Obo, I’m speaking to you now. This is for you to think about. Last week, was one of the greatest matches I’ve ever been in, and I’m sure you can say the same thing. Last week, I had you beaten, only for you to use the rope breaks given to you. I looked into your eyes Obo, and I saw a man, that knows he got outclassed last week. I saw a man, that didn’t want anymore. I saw a man that knows he is living on borrowed time.
Phillip, I have no other way of saying it, but you have something that we both know doesn’t belong to you. You have MY World Heavyweight Championship around your waist! Phillip, you can’t look me in the eyes after last week and tell me that you deserve that title, because you don’t! And I know, that in the event I was to ask for a rematch, you would turn it down. And that is a smart move on your part, because you don’t want anymore. So you can keep ducking me. You can hope that McGurk, Thunder, and Kurt Burton beat the crap out of each other. You can hope that they aren’t fully recovered for Veni Vedi Vici, so you can have an easy defense, and then all will right in the world for you. But you are always going to have it in the back of your mind Phillip. You are always going to wonder, “Am I really beating the best contenders?” You’re going to wonder, if you can really beat Josh Dean again, or did you get lucky. It starts with me Obo, and it ends with me! So while you hold my title tight right now, watch what I do to Yukio Blaze on Felo De Se. Watch how I embarrass him, and then think about how you are ducking me. Then the answer will be clear.
Part 1: Destiny Unfulfilled
Charleston, West Virginia. I’ve come back to my home after the Pure Rules match on Felo De Se a broken and beaten man. I have just arrived at my home. I haven’t eaten since Wednesday, and it is Friday. I haven’t bathed since the same day. All I’ve done is lay up in a hotel room in Philadelphia, sleeping. I open the door to my house and walk in. I toss my duffle bag on the floor and close the door. I didn’t bother to take my shoes off, as I just went into the living room and collapsed on the couch.
So close, yet so far away. I can’t believe that I hit Obo with everything that I had in me, and it still wasn’t enough to put him away. I’ve failed. It was my destiny to win that match. Everything was in my favor, a match that favored my athleticism and my ability to mat wrestle; an opponent who overlooked me while I had him very well scouted. It was my opportunity to pull off the upset of the century, and I couldn’t get the job done.
ing loser. I let up when I had him down for the Frog Splash. I was trying to be a showman, instead of taking care of business. Why the didn’t I finish him there? It’s pathetic. And now look at me, moping around. I don’t want to move, I don’t want to think. I called the shot and I missed it. How am I supposed to live this down? How am I supposed to be able to continue to compete when I pulled the biggest choke job ever? I know I have a title shot against Yukio for the tag team titles, but I can’t focus on it!I lay there on that couch. No tears came to my eyes, even though losing upset me. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling. A trance is what I was in. The ceiling seemed to get closer to my face as I lay perfectly still. I know it’s me hallucinating due to a lack of sleep. I look at the designs of the sheetrock on my ceiling. A maze. I tired to follow the patterns as best I could. The patterns remind me of the maze of my career, trying to find the path to glory. One route is blocked, take another.
But how? How do I reroute myself from this match? I was right there. Right on the cusp of finally nailing down the most prestigious title in the industry. Sure I’ve one titles all over the world, but never the WFWF Title. And I let it slip through my fingers. Through my fingers like quicksand. I thought that the odyssey was over, and maybe I can finally relax for a moment. With everything I’ve gone through, when is it going to end? When is it going to be my time for peace?
I continue to lie on the couch, staring at the ceiling. At this moment, Yukio was probably in a gym somewhere, preparing himself physically, or in a film room, preparing himself mentally. He was also a witness to the match, and he is using it as a tool to study me. I have done no such preparation, as Yukio is the farthest thing from my mind. High Horror is pretty far from my mind as well, and he is my own tag team partner. No one has seen or heard from him in a week or so. He hasn’t called me or anything. But I just continued to lie there on the couch.
The Pure Rules match is being called one of the best matches of the year thus far. But I know differently, I know what the people are really thinking. I’ve been around after the match in various public places. I’ve become a joke to these people. I’ve heard it all.
“Well, looks like Josh Dean made true on his promise. Way to “SHOCK THE WORLD” kid.”
“Josh Dean is starting to look more and more like Yukio Blaze. He can’t win the big one.”
“When the chips are down, Josh Dean folds like a bad poker hand.”
“Josh Dean was in over his head. The better test that kid because he had to been on drugs to make that stupid prediction.”
People don’t understand the pressure of a big money match like this. They don’t know because they aren’t in the match, they are spectators. I love my fans, but that is something that they can’t understand. They can’t understand fully unless they were actually there. They can’t understand that I tired everything to give them the greatest match I could, and that I tried to steal the show.
As I continued to lie there, I felt fatigue growing on me. Even though I had slept pretty much all day everyday since Felo De Se, I was still tired. I tried to close my eyes, but the images of the match popped into my head. The images of the match.
As Dean realizes the promise he made is about to come true, he lifts Obo up for the Derailer, but to his surprise Obo still has a lot of fight left in him. As Obo connects with elbow, after elbow, after elbow shot to the side of the face. He keeps delivering the vicious shots untill Dean is on one knee. Feeling Dean is hurt, he Obo goes for the Shining Ignorance and connects, busting Dean nose in the proccess. Obo gleefully covers. 1............2.............3! No, only a 2 count.
As Obo has a drained look on his face, he pulls Dean's tired and beaten body up, and calls for the burning hammer. He gets him up but Dean surprisingly escapes the hold and counters with a japanese arm drag.
As Obo comes charging at him, Dean cuts him off with a forearm. Once again Obo comes at him, and Dean hits him with a flying back elbow. As Dean signals for the end, he goes up top for possibly the Five Star Frogsplash. As Obo lay motionless Dean goes for it. But Obo last minutes moves clear.
With Obo the first to his feet, he comes like a charging bull with a yakuza kick that sends dean flipping backward, landing hard on his neck. As Obo calls for a burning hammer once more, this time he hits it and puts dean on his back, center of the ring, covering him for the 1.......2...........3!
As Obo has a drained look on his face, he pulls Dean's tired and beaten body up, and calls for the burning hammer. He gets him up but Dean surprisingly escapes the hold and counters with a japanese arm drag.
As Obo comes charging at him, Dean cuts him off with a forearm. Once again Obo comes at him, and Dean hits him with a flying back elbow. As Dean signals for the end, he goes up top for possibly the Five Star Frogsplash. As Obo lay motionless Dean goes for it. But Obo last minutes moves clear.
With Obo the first to his feet, he comes like a charging bull with a yakuza kick that sends dean flipping backward, landing hard on his neck. As Obo calls for a burning hammer once more, this time he hits it and puts dean on his back, center of the ring, covering him for the 1.......2...........3!
In hindsight, maybe I should’ve gone for the Frog Splash after I hit the Yakuza Kick. Missed opportunity. Just like Yukio. But has Yukio ever had a show stealing match like this? Wait did I say show stealing? Did I really steal the show? Did I really in losing, still give the fans something to remember? Maybe the match wasn’t so bad of a failure.
I sat up for the first time since coming home. I began to feel a little better about my loss. I stood up from the couch. I began to move from the living room back to the entrance of the house. I picked up my gym bag and began to walk up the steps to my bedroom. I opened the door and I was over taken with the scent of fresh linen. It had been a while since I had actually been home and the smell of the sheets was euphoric, just like the euphoria that I get when I’m about to go out there and perform. It is the euphoria of awakening. It’s the adrenaline that pumps when you awake and get out of bed in the morning. It was that same awakening that I got when I stepped out into the ring with Obo last week. And it will be the same awakening sensation to step into the ring with Yukio Blaze this week. Now it is time to get focused, it is time to prepare, it is time to do what I should’ve done last week. That time is now. I sat my duffle bag on the bed and unzipped it. I started to grab my clothes from the road trip out of the bag and toss them to the floor. Later on, I planned on doing some laundry, to clean not only my clothes, but also the dirt of failure, the blemish on my near flawless record in WFWF. It can be a fresh start to a new winning streak. But for now, I just need get prepared.
Part Two: Back to the Drawing Board
When one route doesn’t work to accomplishing a goal, you try and find another route to the goal. That’s the situation I found myself in as I walked into the arena a couple of hours ago. I had to be prepared for my workout. High Horror had notified me by text saying that he couldn’t make the FDS show, due to uncontrollable circumstances. He didn’t go into detail, and I wasn’t about to ask. It wasn’t my place. Either way, I text him back before coming over here, after getting a shower, telling him that he just needed to take care of his problems and I would worry about bringing the belts home tonight. I walked into my locker room and took a seat in my chair. I put my head in my hands and began to meditate on tonight’s match.
I shouldn’t have said that I’d worry about getting the belts tonight. The pressure has just increased. I have to come through tonight, not only for me, but also for Horror. While he has been my rival, he has also been a great ally, and a great friend in the process. I can’t lose tonight. I can’t fail again. The last time a guaranteed victory, was last week, and see what happened there. Why did I do that? crap, I don’t even have a game plan for Yukio. I’ve teamed with him, but never faced him. Come on Josh! Get it together! I just got to go back to the drawing board. There are still a few hours before the show. Tape, film! Yes! At least then I’ll have a clue.
I walked into the film room and searched on the shelf of the video archives. Then I found the tape I was looking for. Yukio vs. the Axis from Forever Unscarred, which was perfect for what I needed. I opened the DVD case and put the DVD into the film projector and pressed play. The match came on and I fast-forwarded through part of the match. Then I fixed it to normal speed as I became fixated with what I was watching on the projector.
This time Thunder points the blame to Burton, but quickly both agree that they need to work as a team to beat Blaze. As they let Blaze get to his feet, Burton charges with two knees to the back sending Blaze into the corner chest first. Kurt seats Blaze on the top turnbuckle, his face to the crowd. Thunder takes the lead and climbs up to the top, grabbing a waist without hesitation he hurls Blaze off with a german suplex but keeps his feet planted. Kurt begins to climb the ropes and grabs Thunder, calling for the Trebuchet. He sending Thunder up and over with a german suplex, resulting in Thunder being physically moonsaulted onto Blaze. The referee once again begins the count. but nothing more then a 2.
No just a 2 count, as Kurt looks in shock that the move was not enough to put Blaze away.
Burton tells Thunder to go stand on the apron, and the two once again appear to show friction, with Kurt winning the argument and Thunder going to 'his corner'. Kurt arrogantly smiles. Grabbing Blaze and pulling him up by his beard, Kurt is immediatly caught off gaurd when Blaze hits a standing enziguiri. Yukio grabs Kurt and quickly lifts him up hitting an air raid clash. He turns him over and begins to grab ahold of Burton's legs. Blaze smiles and slaps the sides of Burton freeing his arms. As Thunder just looks on Blaze reveals something new in his arsenal has he hits vicious curb stomp, which he calls the detroit stomp. He makes the cover but only gets a 2 count.
Thunder sneaks back into the ring, seeing how close Kurt came to losing the belts, and goes for an ace crusher, but Blaze counters it and sends Thunder crashing into his partner. Kurt crashes to the outside, as Thunder turns right into a sickness spear that sends both men into the corner. Blaze quickly seats Thunder on the top turnbuckle. He calls for the Blaze and Glory. Hooking each arm, Thunder fights it but Blaze throws heavy hands each shot bringing back less fight from Thunder. He finally hooks the arms and comes off with the top rope pedigree. He makes the cover hooking the legs, as the referee begins the count.
1.......2.....3!
I paused the match. To be honest, I was impressed with what I saw in Yukio. His style is something completely different. It kind of reminds me of my style in the ring. Hybrid, with innovative moves. But I can’t let that throw me off guard; I can’t make him take me out of my style. Maybe I should show him a thing or two about my style no one has seen yet. Maybe I need to throw him off his game. Ok, that’s it. I think I finally got the game plan. Ok time to get a quick workout in, and a shower, and do this thing!
I turned off the projector and took the DVD out. I sat it back on the archives shelf and exited the room. I began to walk towards the gym for a quick workout and last minute preparation when I felt a vibration in my pocket. My cell phone was going off. Who could be calling me, I was about to find out as I took my phone out of my pocket. I looked at the caller ID, but I couldn’t recognize it. I flipped open my phone and decided to take the call.
“Hello?”
??: Josh?
“Hi Amy, what’s up?”
Amy: Nothing really, I wanted to see how you were holding up after the match?
“I’m fine.”
Amy: Really? That is good Josh. I was worried because you put so much time into preparing for Obo.
“You know, I was bummed out for a little bit of time.”
Amy: Well you seem in good spirits now.
“I am, because I came to the realization that maybe the odyssey isn’t ready to be ended yet.”
Amy: Is that all?
“Well ok, I lied. A tag team title shot doesn’t hurt either.”
Amy begins to laugh over the phone as I crack a smile. It was nice to see her at least a little happy now. After all that she has went through, it’s time she catches a break. I look at the time. Oh crap, it’s almost showtime. I got to cut this short.
“Amy, I just looked at the time, it’s almost show time. I guess you can say, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. I’ll call you after the match and let you know how it went.”
Amy: Ok. I’ll talk to you soon.
“Ok, bye.”
I hung up the phone. This was going to be an interesting match. But I feel ready. My confidence has grown. I have gotten the sulking and self-pity out of the way from the loss to Obo. Now it is time. I’m ready to finally make my path in WFWF known. I was ready to finally win some gold!
I continued my walk to my locker room. As I reached the locker room, I sat down in the chair, and I leaned my head back. I closed my eyes and began to envision tonight’s match. The feel, the atmosphere, the crowd. I got chills thinking about it. This could be just as big as the match with Obo. And I am going to make sure of it.
Message to Yukio Blaze
Yukio Blaze, tonight thousands upon thousands of people are going to fill this arena, looking for something special to remember. I am one of the people that they are expecting something special from. Tonight, is more than just a match, more than just a title, it is the beginning of something. Tonight, I take a step towards proving that I am the Franchise. Tonight I prove that I am the man that is the future of WFWF. Yukio, it is a big match situation, whether or not anyone else sees it. Are you ready? Let’s hope so for your sake, because Yukio, you haven’t been known to shine on these occasions.
But let’s talk about something Yukio. For me, this isn’t a consolation prize because I couldn’t beat Obo last week for the World Heavyweight Title. This is an opportunity to create more memories on the way to the top. And I’m going through you to do it. They say that if at first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again. That is the case her Yukio. I didn’t win, I didn’t succeed in the purpose, but I’m back, ready for more! I will not be denied tonight!
Yukio, you claim that you are the man that is responsible for my rise to the top. I call bullcrap on that. See you might have helped me, but you didn’t make me. I am the only one that has made me. You know why I am at the top in WFWF. It’s simple, because I am the best! I have done in six months what you can’t do in almost three years Yukio. I won the New Breed Tournament, no actually, I regress, I dominated! Have you won that? Nope. I took on Obo for the World Title, first World Title shot in WFWF. And guess what, I may not have won, but this match is already being called a Match of the Year candidate, and I took Obo to the absolute limit, first time out. Can you say you’ve done that? Can you say that you’ve almost tasted the World Title? It has taken you three years, and you are just now winning a title. But this dream ride that you are on, ENDS TONIGHT!
Why am I so confident? I don’t know, maybe you can call it foolish pride. But tonight, I made a promise to “The High Horror” Shawn Thomas that I was going to bring the belts home for us tonight, and I’ll be damned if I fail on two promises in a row. I can’t lose this match Yukio, and I won’t. I’m going to win tonight, simply, because I want it more than you. Yukio I wish you luck.
But enough with Yukio, Obo, I’m speaking to you now. This is for you to think about. Last week, was one of the greatest matches I’ve ever been in, and I’m sure you can say the same thing. Last week, I had you beaten, only for you to use the rope breaks given to you. I looked into your eyes Obo, and I saw a man, that knows he got outclassed last week. I saw a man, that didn’t want anymore. I saw a man that knows he is living on borrowed time.
Phillip, I have no other way of saying it, but you have something that we both know doesn’t belong to you. You have MY World Heavyweight Championship around your waist! Phillip, you can’t look me in the eyes after last week and tell me that you deserve that title, because you don’t! And I know, that in the event I was to ask for a rematch, you would turn it down. And that is a smart move on your part, because you don’t want anymore. So you can keep ducking me. You can hope that McGurk, Thunder, and Kurt Burton beat the crap out of each other. You can hope that they aren’t fully recovered for Veni Vedi Vici, so you can have an easy defense, and then all will right in the world for you. But you are always going to have it in the back of your mind Phillip. You are always going to wonder, “Am I really beating the best contenders?” You’re going to wonder, if you can really beat Josh Dean again, or did you get lucky. It starts with me Obo, and it ends with me! So while you hold my title tight right now, watch what I do to Yukio Blaze on Felo De Se. Watch how I embarrass him, and then think about how you are ducking me. Then the answer will be clear.
