A Break from the Tour: Don't Sweat the Small Shit

Dean Wolf: Two weeks. Two fucking weeks.

He’s in his bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. A toothbrush with toothpaste sits on his counter, suggesting that he was about to take care of some personal grooming when the sudden flash of anger over his Alpha Showdown defeat come rushing into his head.

Dean Wolf: You went into that match wanting to kill ZMAC and keep your title. You didn’t do any of that. No, you just looked like a fucking jerk in the end. You let ZMAC in your head and fuck you up. Then, after he’s done making you look like a fool, he trolls you on Twitter and you took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. You let him fuck with you some more!

He punches the counter top. Suddenly, he hears a voice from the door.

Phillip Dexter: What happened?

He looks to his left. It’s his father, 20 years younger, wearing his coveralls after a day sweeping up careless people’s garbage. Wolf looks back in the mirror. The room has changed to his parents’ old bathroom, with the tile missing from the floor and the paint on the wall fading.

And his face. It’s no longer the face of a 34-year-old wrestler. It’s the face of 14-year-old Daniel Dexter, this time with tears welling up in his eyes. Daniel looks back at his father.

Phillip Dexter: Kids in school picking on you again?

Daniel is ashamed to report the same news he reports every day.

Daniel Dexter: Yeah.

Phillip Dexter: And you got angry?

Daniel Dexter: Yeah.

Phillip Dexter: And you screamed?

Daniel Dexter: Yeah.

Phillip Dexter: And you cursed?

Daniel Dexter: Yeah.

Phillip Dexter: And you gave them the reaction they wanted?

Daniel Dexter: Yeah.

Phillip Dexter: So they kept picking on you?

Daniel Dexter: Yeah

Phillip Dexter: And what does your mother always say?

Daniel Dexter: Dad…

Phillip Dexter: [sternly] What does your mother always say, Daniel?

The young man sighs.

Daniel Dexter: “If you react, they’ll keep doing it. If you ignore them, they’ll realize they can’t get to you and stop.”

Phillip Dexter: And what do I always say to you?

Another pause.

Daniel Dexter: “Don’t sweat the small…”

He hesitates. Phillip get annoyed.

Phillip Dexter: Daniel, if I’m telling you to say it, then you can say it.

Daniel waits another second.

Daniel Dexter: “...shit. Don’t sweat the small shit.”

His father nods his head.

Phillip Dexter: Yeah. When are you gonna learn?

He looks over Daniel one more time before shaking his head slightly and walking away. Daniel closes his eyes, thinking not only about the kids in school giving him a hard time, but now at the fact that he’s disappointed his father. He opens his eyes and looks back at the mirror, Dean Wolf’s face looking back at him. He’s back in the present, his eyes no longer wet with moisture. He leans his hands on the counter top and leans into his image in the glass.

Dean Wolf: When are you gonna learn?

---

Backstage at the Fort Worth Convention Center, Wolf waits for Metal to begin. He sees various APW staff and talent walk by, including those carrying championship gold just like he had in that brief period between Atlantic City and Alpha Showdown. A better person might try and choke their anger and jealousy down. For Wolf, those things have always been his motivation.

Dean Wolf: I could sit here and say that the lesson I learned from my loss at Alpha Showdown is that I shouldn’t get emotional anymore, but that’s not reality. I’m an emotional person, and the one emotion that I feel above all others is anger. Whether that’s good or bad doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I let my anger over ZMAC’s comments get in the way of me keeping my title. All I had to do was hold on to it, but I went into that match wanting to murder the coked-up fuckface and finally shut him up for good. Instead, I let him beat me by allowing him in my head. I let Spartan beat me by giving him an opening to spear me and hit me with The Revolutionizer. And worst of all, I beat myself by losing sight of my real reason for being here: to be a champion.

That’s the truth. That’s what happened at Alpha Showdown.

But my anger can be useful. Instead of using it for revenge, I can use it to get back on the ladder of success. Before Alpha Showdown, I was on it. Now, I’m at the bottom and I’m looking up. What do I see above me? I see Jubei with the World Title. I see Road Dawg with the North American Title. I see that stupid bitch Lucy Sixx with the Junior Heavyweight Title.

Then I take a look at the last three people. I see Spartan with my Hardcore Title and The Canadian Coalition with the Tag Team Titles. I’m going to use the image of those last three people to fuel me in this match on Monday. Don’t think I didn’t realize that I’m the only guy walking into this tag match without gold around his waist. The guy who beat me for the Hardcore Title is gonna be my partner. Maybe that was Irina Ivanova’s way of fucking with me. Maybe she saw how ZMAC fucked with my head and decided to try it out herself.

Well, nice try, Irina. I’m not going to let a mindfuck blur my vision this time. I’m not going to whine and complain about the situation I’m in tonight.I’m going to use my frustration, my anger over being the odd man out, to win this match. I’m gonna use the anger over not having any gold to beat the shit out of the Canadian Coalition.

And don’t think, Coalition, that I don’t know the big challenge that Spartan and I have ahead of us. You guys are the best tag team in APW right now. That’s why you hold the gold, but you are going to be standing across the ring from the first two people to hold the Hardcore Title. Spartan and I didn’t win that title under easy circumstances. Spartan won that title by beating me and ZMAC at the same time. I won that title by outlasting half the APW roster, including the guy who currently holds the World Title. Take all of that into consideration. You think Spartan and I are going to be intimidated by the Tag Team Champions? Think again.

Boys, you are in for the ride of your life. I’ll take every move that you have. I know it’s gonna hurt. I know that I may get my ass beat, but you’re gonna get your asses beat even worse.

Quinn, you may be fast. That Lightning Strike may be quick, but The Kill is quicker. Rage, you may be strong, but Spartan is stronger. He’ll spin you around all day in the Revolutionizer.

You’re gonna drive back to the Great White North, feeling every cut, bump, and bruise that we give you along the way.

I will drop you on your heads. I will knock you on your asses. I will kick you in your faces. I will wrap your legs around the ring posts. I will dislocate your shoulders. And Kyle Ryder, if you want in on this action, too, I’d be happy to oblige. You may be the Canadian Wolf, but this right here is the American Wolf, and I’m the only Wolf that matters in this business. If you need proof, just go back and watch WCF Hellimination 2018 and see what I did to a guy named James Wolf in an Electrified Steel Cage. I made him ride the lightning all night long. I may not have electricity at my disposal in this match, but step up to me and I’ll improvise.

As far as Spartan goes, he’s got the mix of size, strength, and agility to do whatever he wants to do to you boys in that ring. If he wants to knee the both of you in the face at the same time, that’s what he’s going to do. If he wants to spear the both of you at the same time, that’s what he’s going to do. If he wants to stack the both of you on his shoulders and slam you to the mat with the greatest of ease, that’s what he’s going to do.

Don’t think that you can use a divide and conquer strategy on us. I may not like him and he may not like me, but we’ll beat your asses. Plus, you two didn’t do so hot the last time you went up against a makeshift team made up of two guys that didn’t like each other. When you two went up against Masuda Jubei and Trent Page, Masuda was dropping Mr. Lightning Strike on his head with the Masuda Driver and getting the three-count.

Your “coalition” does not give you an advantage. Your union does not guarantee success. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than just “divide and conquer” if you want to overcome two of the baddest and most destructive talents on this roster.

And for all those people that may be looking at this bout like just some run-of-the-mill makeshift tag match, think about this: when Spartan and I are done kicking The Coalition’s asses, what’s to say that we don’t deserve a shot at those Tag Team Titles? I may not like Spartan that much at this moment and I may want to beat him within an inch of his life to get my title back, but if down the line, he can help lead me to more gold in the form of those Tag Team Titles, I’ll stand next to him for that express purpose.

I’m keeping my eye on the ball this time. I’ve got my anger focused in the right place. I’ve got my eyes set on the right thing. The Hardcore Title will be mine again, but for this one match, I’m keeping my eyes off that and on The Coalition’s Tag Team Titles. I may want to rip Spartan’s head off one day, but for this one match, I’m gonna have his back and make sure that he stays in one piece.

Don’t take any of this personally, Coalition. This is just business. You two are my opponents. You’re in my way and I’m gonna do everything I can to hurt you. I know you’re friendly guys, but in that ring, we ain’t friends. Hell, outside the ring, we ain’t friends either, so I will have no qualms about beating you up badly. That image you’re trying to change? It’ll change, all right. Instead of people associating Canadian factions with a bunch of American-hating assholes singing “O, Canada,” they’re going to associate Canadian factions with three Canucks lying in a pool of their own blood and piss groaning for help.

If that ain’t friendly, oh well. I don’t need friends. What I need are victories and titles. What I need is to show the entire wrestling world, whether it’s the boys in the locker room, the executives, or the fans, is that I’m not just some guy who held the Hardcore Title for 15 days. I’m not some guy who had a lot of promise but was never able to fulfill it. No, I’m looking to show the wrestling world that I’m as good as I say I am. That I am an ass kicker. That I am a force to be reckoned with. That one day, I will not only get my Hardcore Title back, not only will I take your Tag Team Titles, but I will be known as the absolute best in this business.

And it all starts with kicking your maple leaf asses.