Post by Frank Venable on Mar 15, 2020 22:24:28 GMT -5
FPV RP #4 - Hotel Blackout, Half Pipe Wipeout
With one round down, the APW Tag Team Tournament rolls on.
The first round of the tournament was not much to speak of for the Man Made Gods. We came in, crushed the competition, and left. I wish I could give it more description but with opponents of that level of apathy, more description is not deserved. They never stood a chance, they were simple outmatched by legitimate champions of the business, embarrassed in the only main event Metal spot they will ever get.
This week, however, things get turned up a notch with Bad Boy Energy.
The team of Masuda Teijin and Aaron Blaze had a similar first round of the tournament as we did, clearing through the competition of Old Man and Cray Mitchell. But it was not the walloping it should have been. Teijin and Blaze should have easily clocked their opponents, but instead petty sniping from Masuda's end put his partner in a bad spot, and for a second it appeared as though they'd be paying the price for it. And though they picked up their victory, they find themselves in front of the GODS this week, and they're gonna learn just how hard we punish little mistakes like that.
But I'd belying if I said APW was the only thing on my mind this week. XIII came and passed through Chicago on Friday, and the post match attack by one Joey Flash had left me exhausted. I was able to hold it together in the short term, giving my partner Corey Black info I had learned on BBE in preparation for Metal, but once he was gone and I was alone in my hotel room, I could find no strength within me, resigning myself to collapsing on top of my bed. Up until this point, I had been doing a good enough job of pacing myself as AW World Champion, not over exerting myself and guaranteeing the best performance I could give. But this week, diving headfirst into a six-man tag team deathmatch, feeling the full force of Flash's World, and now having to delve back headfirst into the tag tournament only two days later, I could feel things begin to build up. This was starting to become the first time in my career things had gotten this busy, this intense.
I thought that when this time would come I would welcome it with open arms. But now, I'm not so sure.
I try to keep that train of thought out of my head. That's the train of thought that kills new recruits who come into this business wide eyed looking for glory without the work. That train of thought is not befitting a world champion like me, or a legend like Corey Black, and if Bad Boy Energy know this industry like they should, then they should know better than to give in to those thoughts as well. Sunday is when I find out if they are or not.
But still, I'm only human, and in that hotel room I was a human in a lot of pain. But it was pain that had to be pushed through, because in that ring I am not nearly a man. I am a God, and God's scoff at the idea of pain.
In my pocket, I could feel my phone vibrate. Pulling it out revealed my Ramon had sent me a text message some time ago, while I was driving to the hotel room.
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The streets have all felt so empty these past few days.
With the coronavirus outbreak and pandemic affecting much of the world, it was nice to see some people actually practicing self quarantine here in New York. I sat at the top of the tallest half pipe in New York, and as I surveyed my landscape around me (not unlike Teijin brooding on a rooftop like a pansexual Japanese Batman) I could no one else within the skate park today. Not even a camera crew. I was completely and utterly alone. As it should be.
Phone in hand, I went live to deliver a message to Team BBE.
With one round down, the APW Tag Team Tournament rolls on.
The first round of the tournament was not much to speak of for the Man Made Gods. We came in, crushed the competition, and left. I wish I could give it more description but with opponents of that level of apathy, more description is not deserved. They never stood a chance, they were simple outmatched by legitimate champions of the business, embarrassed in the only main event Metal spot they will ever get.
This week, however, things get turned up a notch with Bad Boy Energy.
The team of Masuda Teijin and Aaron Blaze had a similar first round of the tournament as we did, clearing through the competition of Old Man and Cray Mitchell. But it was not the walloping it should have been. Teijin and Blaze should have easily clocked their opponents, but instead petty sniping from Masuda's end put his partner in a bad spot, and for a second it appeared as though they'd be paying the price for it. And though they picked up their victory, they find themselves in front of the GODS this week, and they're gonna learn just how hard we punish little mistakes like that.
But I'd belying if I said APW was the only thing on my mind this week. XIII came and passed through Chicago on Friday, and the post match attack by one Joey Flash had left me exhausted. I was able to hold it together in the short term, giving my partner Corey Black info I had learned on BBE in preparation for Metal, but once he was gone and I was alone in my hotel room, I could find no strength within me, resigning myself to collapsing on top of my bed. Up until this point, I had been doing a good enough job of pacing myself as AW World Champion, not over exerting myself and guaranteeing the best performance I could give. But this week, diving headfirst into a six-man tag team deathmatch, feeling the full force of Flash's World, and now having to delve back headfirst into the tag tournament only two days later, I could feel things begin to build up. This was starting to become the first time in my career things had gotten this busy, this intense.
I thought that when this time would come I would welcome it with open arms. But now, I'm not so sure.
I try to keep that train of thought out of my head. That's the train of thought that kills new recruits who come into this business wide eyed looking for glory without the work. That train of thought is not befitting a world champion like me, or a legend like Corey Black, and if Bad Boy Energy know this industry like they should, then they should know better than to give in to those thoughts as well. Sunday is when I find out if they are or not.
But still, I'm only human, and in that hotel room I was a human in a lot of pain. But it was pain that had to be pushed through, because in that ring I am not nearly a man. I am a God, and God's scoff at the idea of pain.
In my pocket, I could feel my phone vibrate. Pulling it out revealed my Ramon had sent me a text message some time ago, while I was driving to the hotel room.
Ramon: Hello my dear, I caught your match tonight on that AW Network, you and the Gods did great! Though I think you might have to explain to me just who this Joey Flash is lol. I'm heading to bed, it was a long day at the office. I'll talk to you tomorrow <3.
I had been slowly getting used to seeing goodnight and good morning texts like that from Ramon. It had taken a bit of getting used to, considering how long ago my last actual relationship was (god I don't even know how long ago it was) but seeing that text on that night, it gave a small amount of strength to use and to at least make myself mobile, even if just for the moment. I got myself back on my feet, still a bit dodgy, and after cracking a few of the still sore joints in my body I began carrying myself to the bathroom and bringing my body to the sink, I opened a packet of painkillers I kept with me on the road. I popped it, hoping it help make the night a bit easier to bear. At the very least, it would help me get a decent night's sleep. And it did.
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The streets have all felt so empty these past few days.
With the coronavirus outbreak and pandemic affecting much of the world, it was nice to see some people actually practicing self quarantine here in New York. I sat at the top of the tallest half pipe in New York, and as I surveyed my landscape around me (not unlike Teijin brooding on a rooftop like a pansexual Japanese Batman) I could no one else within the skate park today. Not even a camera crew. I was completely and utterly alone. As it should be.
Phone in hand, I went live to deliver a message to Team BBE.
FPV: Hello Bad Boy Energy...God, what a name. Anyways, I'm up here by myself at Riverside Skatepark here in New York, enjoying the silence while I can. Because when Corey Black and I come face to face with you on Monday Night Metal, we're gonna be surrounded by thousands upon thousands of screaming fans. We're in that privileged spot boys, the main event. For you both, it's a rare occurrence that should be cherished while it lasts. For me, it'll be my fifth match in APW and my five main event. And for Corey, it'll just be business as usual.
When I look at a guy like you, Teijin, I see a man with so much potential. Fast forward a few years and you'll probably be the one in this position. Wrestling is in your blood, I can tell your uncle has instilled something deep within you. It's all up to you know to take that, harness it and make something great of it. But you've got one thing that's holding you back Teijin: your pathetic little attitude.
I've never met anyone in this industry with such a cynical, pessimistic attitude as you have, Teijin. It's as if you are constantly walking around public with a t-shirt that says "My Uncle Died, So Now I'm An Asshole." Now I feel bad for you and your family, I really do. Your uncle died in one of the most gruesome ways a person can die in this industry. Yet that doesn't give you the right to be as outwardly as horrendous as you have been in both AW and APW. I saw your idea of a live apology back in Action Wrestling, and it reeked of someone who hasn't reached the maturity level of someone who belongs in this industry.
But that isn't the only thing holding you back in APW, Teijin. Nah, you've also got the albatross of your family name weighing you down like a ton of bricks. You've become so attached to your uncle's legacy in APW that you can't escape it, it follows you wherever you go. People see your failures since you got in this industry and they sigh with disappointment, saying "if only he could be as good as Jubei, he'd already be in contention for the world title." Yet you can't let go of it. I know this because of that mask. That skull mask you say holds a spirit of vengeance inside it. The spirit of Jubei.
Take it from someone who was naive like you once, angry and hurt over the world like you are now. Yearning for constant vengeance will never get you what you want. Sure you might achieve what you're looking to achieve, but it will be bittersweet at best, and at worst just not worth it. Find a better motivation to do good in this business. You don't need your uncle's legacy, you don't need a mask and you certainly don't need your current attitude. With just a little guidance in the right direction you can go far, I can feel it.
Now as for Aaron, this should make you feel at home, yeah? On a half pipe, looking down on your skateboard as you get ready to ride. You know, it's funny. I see you out there, being an asshole to Ms. Applegate, being rude in your promos, and yet I can't help but think if there was anyone else with your background, your backstory of discovering both pro wrestling and skateboarding, you'd be the plucky underdog people root for. It sucks that we live in the reality where literally no one is rooting for your success. No one at all.
You put yourself in the one division in any wrestling company that requires the least amount of actual wrestling skill and technique, the Hardcore Division, and you have YET to pick up any significant victories to set you apart from every other garbage wrestlers that have passed through here. You get the privilege of just swinging a thing at someone to beat them down rather than using holds or throws or strikes, and you STILL can't win.
Not only that, but do you know just who you're going up against? You're not only going up against the MAN MADE GODS, but you're going up against the only two men to ever be declared WCF's KING OF THE DEATHMATCH. See we put our bodies on the line for an entire week, combining the use of deadly weaponry with our equally deadly wrestling knowledge, to earn the crown of thorns for ourselves. We know how to maximize the deadliness around us, and we are gonna put that knowledge on display at Metal to show you just how it is done.
Heck, we might not even need to do too much to get the win over you, I watched your match last week and saw Teijin not even come to your aid when you needed it the most. How can you expect to beat us when your own partner doesn't even want to be there with you when you need him the most? How, Aaron? If you can come up with an answer to that questions, I'll be mighty impressed.
So try all you want to posture and make yourself look important, Blaze, but come Monday you're going to wipe right out of the tag tournament, and the Man Made Gods will move on. Because that. Is. What. We. DO.
See you Monday, boys.