Post by Anthony Bailey on Nov 17, 2013 22:59:26 GMT -5
“There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.” – John Lennon
Fate has a unique way of working itself out. I willingly abandoned my spot in the Elimination Chamber for the Undisputed Title at APW’s One Night In Hell pay per view. And not just any pay per view, the last one ever. I was more concerned about the bigger picture that night than I was about pulling a double duty. But after witnessing my good friend Sally get chastened by a man who couldn’t get cast on the Preachers of L.A. to save his life, PURE TV’s fatal five-way qualifier for the World Title was my golden ticket. Aubrey “Veruca Salt” Parker was in for a surprise and so was the ever vexatious Ash “Violet Beauregarde” Scion. Sure this wasn’t the Tokyo Dome and sure PURE’s global recognition pales in comparison to APW’s, but I couldn’t deny that this was indeed a special moment.
I gave up my spot never foreseeing an opportunity like this…the opportunity of going on to compete for a new establishment’s most prized possession. I had to work my way up and fight tooth and nail to even get on Schmidt and Kash’s radar for a shot at the World Title last summer. But those blood, sweat, and tears were not exhausted in vain. Unlike the Chamber, there was no added gimmick because my opponents themselves were extreme enough. Four individuals stood in my terrace to Crisis. AJP by her lonesome was already a ferocious impediment, so how would I fare against three others? Seattle symbolized new opportunities for me and every contingency, whether good or bad, comes at a price. Just how bad did I want this? What were the wages that I was truly willing to pay?
“Oh snap! I love this part,” cheerfully said the inner child in Jair Hopkins.
I raised the volume on the TV so that Jair would be able to clearly hear one of his favorite parts in the entire movie.
“I want a party with roomfuls of laughter
Ten thousand tons of ice cream
And if I don’t get the things I am after
I’m going to sccccrrrreeeeaaaaaammmm!!!!
I want the works
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes and noooowwww!
Don’t care how
I want it now
Don’t care how
I want it noooooooowwww”
{{Hopkins bursts into laughter after.}}
“She was a bad egg,” said the recognizable voice from the TV screen.
“Never gets old.”
“We all saw that one coming,” I chimed in. Even after seeing this particular movie a thousand times, director Mel Stuart depicted justice being served in the most humorous way possible.
“Doesn’t she remind you of somebody Ant or is it just me?” asked Hopkins drowning out the flat screen.
“No, not really…”
{{Hopkins reluctantly shakes his head.}}
“Come on Ant, think for a second.”
The weekend had exhausted me so I was trying to conserve whatever bit of energy that I had left. I lowered the television volume because I wanted to be free from all distractions. “Hmmm.”
{{Hopkins didn’t relent as I pondered.}}
“Who is a spoiled rich woman that we are considerably acquainted with?”
My brain had defaulted to Miley Cyrus until Hopkins emphasized the word “considerably.” I had only met her briefly in passing at Young Mannie’s MuthaFunction event back in August, so I didn’t really know her too well.
“I’m drawing blanks my man. Spill the beans if you don’t mind,” I said unconvincingly.
“She doesn’t remind you of Parker?
Parker? Ugh! That woman was nowhere near my concerns at the moment but I can definitely see how and why Hopkins would make that parallel.
“Honestly, Parker makes Veruca look like Mother Theresa. That woman is vile!”
I was known to exaggerate when it came to my frequent rival AJP, but a lot of my “jokes” about her were declared out of the abundance of my own heart and how I truly felt towards her.
“Mother Theresa? Dag son!” Hopkins shouted in laughter.
“Speaking of Parker…”
{{I paused for a brief moment.}}
“I’m not looking forward to Monday bro,” I confessed.
{{Hopkins looked bewildered. He knew that I wouldn’t just make a statement like this on a whim.}}
“Really? Why not? The way you two go at it on Twitter, I thought you wouldn’t be able to contain yourself for a moment like this.”
“Yeah but it’s not just her, there are others. And you know her…she always has something up her sleeve. If she had Matthews attack Sally, there’s no telling what she has in store for me. For all I know, Jimmy Swaggart and Eddie Long are going to come down the ramp during the match and take my head off.”
Hopkins had his infamous “Chill out Ant, you’re exaggerating” face on but with AJP, no exaggeration or speculation was too grand.
“There’s no way that anything like that will happen bro. Not on my clock. And especially if I am in the same building.”
“I appreciate that my dude.”
“No doubt, we’re family. But take advantage of this chance. Don’t let her or anybody else in that match hold you back. This could be big,” Hopkins reassured me.
“Yeah you’re right. I just have to go out there and do what I do best eh?”
Suddenly I heard her say “Yep, go out there and surrender your life to Jesus! (;” in my head. I couldn’t let her phase me, but it was nearly impossible. I needed to get my attention elsewhere.
“Hey J,” I said as his attention was drawn back into the movie returning from commercial break.
“Yeah Ant?”
“Did you eat before you came?”
“I had some leftover Chinese but that’s it. It did the job but New York still has the best Chinese food though,” Hopkins revealed.
I snickered but I fully agreed with his statement. New York City has the best Chinese food and pizza that I have ever tried. I’m a glutton at heart.
“Want to go down the street to grab a slice of pizza or something? My treat.”
The restaurant was decent but since he is a Brooklyn native, his standards of “good” pizza are higher than the average American.
“Yeah that’s cool,” he responded.
“Maybe we can meet some people or something,” I pronounced hopefully.
The term “people” usually signified women ninety-eight percent of the time. We were still new to Seattle and hadn’t had an ample amount of time to mingle with the opposite sex. We met a few female fans after PURE TV last week and took them out to a bar after the show, but that was it. I loved Jair like a brother and all, but the testosterone was too dominant in the condo. We needed the presence of some femininity to switch things up a bit.
{{We both stood to our feet and headed for the front door. I stopped and quickly remembered to grab the umbrellas because we would likely encounter some sort of precipitation on the way there or back. I closed the door and locked it behind me.}}
Here we are once again…traveling down a road that’s known but slightly unfamiliar at the same time. It has been awhile, months come to think of it, since I have had the opportunity to compete against Ms. Parker and our hate hate relationship makes it even more worthwhile. I am aware of the fact that I have three other opponents, and besides the ounce of curiosity that I have in knowing whether or not Ash Scion’s bark aligns with her bite, AJP is my main concern for tomorrow night. Not saying that Jordan Caliban or Xianlong are incompetent by any means, but I don’t have history with either of them the way that I do with Parker.
Aubrey, you failed to verbalize or express any external interest when the doors of PURE had initially opened for business. Call it paranoia if you’d like, but I honestly feel with all of my heart that the signings of both myself and Hopkins wooed her over here. The heart may be wickedly deceitful but so is the frame of mind of Talon Wilkinson’s fiancé. You can probably point to her signing up to be because of her friendship with Callahan, but with this woman you have to read between the lines. Trust me…I know. There’s always an ulterior motive with her, even if you think that it is inherently impossible.
Not only are you one of the most talented competitors that I have ever laid my eyes upon and fought against; you are also one of the most ruthless as well. I see way beyond the superficial emoticons on Twitter and the fake smiles you give everyone backstage. The Aubrey Jessica Parker who had a biblically traditional man, and I use the word loosely and sarcastically, like Jerry Matthews come into Japan, a predominantly Buddhist and Shinto nation, and beat Sally into an oblivion because she couldn’t get the job done herself…that’s who you are. Throwing the Shane Borderland incident in my face like you are constantly known for doing used to bring you delight. It used to reveal chinks in the armor of a moral and upright Anthony Reese Bailey right?
Then little Ms. Perfect over here turns around and intentionally does far beyond what my conscience could ever comprehend and it’s okay? That’s nonsense Aubrey and you know it. Also psychologically….she may not be all there so to speak, but she’s a mastermind at making everyone look like the “bad” guy except herself. Her being above reproach and her image being tarnished is unfathomable but slandering a young man who came into this business blowing the trumpet of authenticity from the get go is fair game. I understand your reasoning sometimes but at other times, it just all goes right over my head.
The reason why we don’t get along is beyond the boundries of pro wrestling. It’s way beyond “status” or popularity. We can’t co-exist like the bumper sticker because you are the yin to my yang. You represent the dark and I represent the light. Even besides my personal opinion of you, the word “yin” is characterized as femininity. And this is perfectly embodied in you. Do you know how many female wrestlers would have killed for the probability of being called the next Sally Talfourd? That would have validated and satisfied the appetites of many, but you? Nothing is ever good enough for you. Winning the Undisputed Title wasn’t good enough. You wanted people like Tyler Harrison, Hopkins, Jeff, Kash, and me to bow down to your every command and to worship the ground you walked on.
Well step back into validity and realize that you aren’t a deity. You and Maverick Jones, my opponent from last week, are so deceived that you have actually started to believe your own lies and your own worldviews. You are simply nothing short of a talented wrestler that has made a name for herself at the expense of integrity. The AJP from Meltdown was sweet, even innocent…but somewhere along the journey your heart darkened and you wanted to be regarded as the best. You were already one of the best though. You took Meltdown by storm and at your Asylum debut, you had people talking. Hopkins and I took notice. The whole backstage area took notice. But while we were talking and carrying on, so were your inner demons. The demons that robbed you of your approval.
To all of my other opponents, please don’t let this become you. If your identity is mandated by the opinions of others, you will be let down each time. You can’t please everybody so don’t try to. Ash, you are already marching at full speed in that same direction and it’s evident. You are rebellious by nature and I’m not even referring to the tattoos. Those are clearly a form of self expression. Your rebellious nature was acknowledged when you evaded The Fear Factory’s code of honor. People that took the time out of their busy schedules to train and to cultivate you and your future career and you couldn’t even comply with the simple code they try to instill into their students? That itself speaks volumes about your character and how you use people to get where you want in life.
Then you stroll on over to PURE and assume that things like that would happen the same way here, but tomorrow you are in for a rude awakening. Bodies WILL be inside of a grave but I can promise you that it won’t be mine. I’m too comfortable inside of my own skin and too confident that I won’t just become some random statistic for you. Headlining an event seems like an essential element to the appeasement of your pride. Headlining makes or breaks you, it’s what you live day to day for, but come tomorrow we’ll plainly witness what it takes to break you. As much as AJP and I hound each other, don’t overlook the chance of us teaming up to give Ms. Know It All a new plot to dig in the graveyard.
Xianlong, I’m glad that you wound up in the place that they call the land of opportunity. I haven’t heard a heart warming story like that in quite some, because upon hearing it, I oftentimes realize how much I take for granted as an American. I’m looking forward to our encounter inside of the squared circle, as I am with Jordan Caliban. New faces remind me that this business isn’t as small as I think it is. When I’m having an AJP like tug of war on the inside, I realize that I am not the best. There’s too many out there ignoring the facts like their feces don’t stink because they think that they are the “one” in seven billion. They are the exception to the rule and that’s just how it is huh? Your opponents will just have to fall in line right?
I’m a strong advocate of believing in yourself, in your career, and in your potential. Just be alert of the pendulum swing that can occur. Four PURE stars stand in my terrace to Crisis. The journey won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it. I’m bringing all that I have tomorrow with me to the Key Arena. My four opponents deserve me at my best. Nobody will get my “leftovers” so to speak because each talent employed by this company is deserving of my one hundred and ten percent. But I do plan on doing the unthinkable tomorrow and walking out of the event victorious once again. Did I just go against everything that I was saying earlier? Not at all. It’s only a humble confidence…and it’s because I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the next edition of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
Fate has a unique way of working itself out. I willingly abandoned my spot in the Elimination Chamber for the Undisputed Title at APW’s One Night In Hell pay per view. And not just any pay per view, the last one ever. I was more concerned about the bigger picture that night than I was about pulling a double duty. But after witnessing my good friend Sally get chastened by a man who couldn’t get cast on the Preachers of L.A. to save his life, PURE TV’s fatal five-way qualifier for the World Title was my golden ticket. Aubrey “Veruca Salt” Parker was in for a surprise and so was the ever vexatious Ash “Violet Beauregarde” Scion. Sure this wasn’t the Tokyo Dome and sure PURE’s global recognition pales in comparison to APW’s, but I couldn’t deny that this was indeed a special moment.
I gave up my spot never foreseeing an opportunity like this…the opportunity of going on to compete for a new establishment’s most prized possession. I had to work my way up and fight tooth and nail to even get on Schmidt and Kash’s radar for a shot at the World Title last summer. But those blood, sweat, and tears were not exhausted in vain. Unlike the Chamber, there was no added gimmick because my opponents themselves were extreme enough. Four individuals stood in my terrace to Crisis. AJP by her lonesome was already a ferocious impediment, so how would I fare against three others? Seattle symbolized new opportunities for me and every contingency, whether good or bad, comes at a price. Just how bad did I want this? What were the wages that I was truly willing to pay?
---------------
“Oh snap! I love this part,” cheerfully said the inner child in Jair Hopkins.
I raised the volume on the TV so that Jair would be able to clearly hear one of his favorite parts in the entire movie.
“I want a party with roomfuls of laughter
Ten thousand tons of ice cream
And if I don’t get the things I am after
I’m going to sccccrrrreeeeaaaaaammmm!!!!
I want the works
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes and noooowwww!
Don’t care how
I want it now
Don’t care how
I want it noooooooowwww”
{{Hopkins bursts into laughter after.}}
“She was a bad egg,” said the recognizable voice from the TV screen.
“Never gets old.”
“We all saw that one coming,” I chimed in. Even after seeing this particular movie a thousand times, director Mel Stuart depicted justice being served in the most humorous way possible.
“Doesn’t she remind you of somebody Ant or is it just me?” asked Hopkins drowning out the flat screen.
“No, not really…”
{{Hopkins reluctantly shakes his head.}}
“Come on Ant, think for a second.”
The weekend had exhausted me so I was trying to conserve whatever bit of energy that I had left. I lowered the television volume because I wanted to be free from all distractions. “Hmmm.”
{{Hopkins didn’t relent as I pondered.}}
“Who is a spoiled rich woman that we are considerably acquainted with?”
My brain had defaulted to Miley Cyrus until Hopkins emphasized the word “considerably.” I had only met her briefly in passing at Young Mannie’s MuthaFunction event back in August, so I didn’t really know her too well.
“I’m drawing blanks my man. Spill the beans if you don’t mind,” I said unconvincingly.
“She doesn’t remind you of Parker?
Parker? Ugh! That woman was nowhere near my concerns at the moment but I can definitely see how and why Hopkins would make that parallel.
“Honestly, Parker makes Veruca look like Mother Theresa. That woman is vile!”
I was known to exaggerate when it came to my frequent rival AJP, but a lot of my “jokes” about her were declared out of the abundance of my own heart and how I truly felt towards her.
“Mother Theresa? Dag son!” Hopkins shouted in laughter.
“Speaking of Parker…”
{{I paused for a brief moment.}}
“I’m not looking forward to Monday bro,” I confessed.
{{Hopkins looked bewildered. He knew that I wouldn’t just make a statement like this on a whim.}}
“Really? Why not? The way you two go at it on Twitter, I thought you wouldn’t be able to contain yourself for a moment like this.”
“Yeah but it’s not just her, there are others. And you know her…she always has something up her sleeve. If she had Matthews attack Sally, there’s no telling what she has in store for me. For all I know, Jimmy Swaggart and Eddie Long are going to come down the ramp during the match and take my head off.”
Hopkins had his infamous “Chill out Ant, you’re exaggerating” face on but with AJP, no exaggeration or speculation was too grand.
“There’s no way that anything like that will happen bro. Not on my clock. And especially if I am in the same building.”
“I appreciate that my dude.”
“No doubt, we’re family. But take advantage of this chance. Don’t let her or anybody else in that match hold you back. This could be big,” Hopkins reassured me.
“Yeah you’re right. I just have to go out there and do what I do best eh?”
Suddenly I heard her say “Yep, go out there and surrender your life to Jesus! (;” in my head. I couldn’t let her phase me, but it was nearly impossible. I needed to get my attention elsewhere.
“Hey J,” I said as his attention was drawn back into the movie returning from commercial break.
“Yeah Ant?”
“Did you eat before you came?”
“I had some leftover Chinese but that’s it. It did the job but New York still has the best Chinese food though,” Hopkins revealed.
I snickered but I fully agreed with his statement. New York City has the best Chinese food and pizza that I have ever tried. I’m a glutton at heart.
“Want to go down the street to grab a slice of pizza or something? My treat.”
The restaurant was decent but since he is a Brooklyn native, his standards of “good” pizza are higher than the average American.
“Yeah that’s cool,” he responded.
“Maybe we can meet some people or something,” I pronounced hopefully.
The term “people” usually signified women ninety-eight percent of the time. We were still new to Seattle and hadn’t had an ample amount of time to mingle with the opposite sex. We met a few female fans after PURE TV last week and took them out to a bar after the show, but that was it. I loved Jair like a brother and all, but the testosterone was too dominant in the condo. We needed the presence of some femininity to switch things up a bit.
{{We both stood to our feet and headed for the front door. I stopped and quickly remembered to grab the umbrellas because we would likely encounter some sort of precipitation on the way there or back. I closed the door and locked it behind me.}}
---------------
Here we are once again…traveling down a road that’s known but slightly unfamiliar at the same time. It has been awhile, months come to think of it, since I have had the opportunity to compete against Ms. Parker and our hate hate relationship makes it even more worthwhile. I am aware of the fact that I have three other opponents, and besides the ounce of curiosity that I have in knowing whether or not Ash Scion’s bark aligns with her bite, AJP is my main concern for tomorrow night. Not saying that Jordan Caliban or Xianlong are incompetent by any means, but I don’t have history with either of them the way that I do with Parker.
Aubrey, you failed to verbalize or express any external interest when the doors of PURE had initially opened for business. Call it paranoia if you’d like, but I honestly feel with all of my heart that the signings of both myself and Hopkins wooed her over here. The heart may be wickedly deceitful but so is the frame of mind of Talon Wilkinson’s fiancé. You can probably point to her signing up to be because of her friendship with Callahan, but with this woman you have to read between the lines. Trust me…I know. There’s always an ulterior motive with her, even if you think that it is inherently impossible.
Not only are you one of the most talented competitors that I have ever laid my eyes upon and fought against; you are also one of the most ruthless as well. I see way beyond the superficial emoticons on Twitter and the fake smiles you give everyone backstage. The Aubrey Jessica Parker who had a biblically traditional man, and I use the word loosely and sarcastically, like Jerry Matthews come into Japan, a predominantly Buddhist and Shinto nation, and beat Sally into an oblivion because she couldn’t get the job done herself…that’s who you are. Throwing the Shane Borderland incident in my face like you are constantly known for doing used to bring you delight. It used to reveal chinks in the armor of a moral and upright Anthony Reese Bailey right?
Then little Ms. Perfect over here turns around and intentionally does far beyond what my conscience could ever comprehend and it’s okay? That’s nonsense Aubrey and you know it. Also psychologically….she may not be all there so to speak, but she’s a mastermind at making everyone look like the “bad” guy except herself. Her being above reproach and her image being tarnished is unfathomable but slandering a young man who came into this business blowing the trumpet of authenticity from the get go is fair game. I understand your reasoning sometimes but at other times, it just all goes right over my head.
The reason why we don’t get along is beyond the boundries of pro wrestling. It’s way beyond “status” or popularity. We can’t co-exist like the bumper sticker because you are the yin to my yang. You represent the dark and I represent the light. Even besides my personal opinion of you, the word “yin” is characterized as femininity. And this is perfectly embodied in you. Do you know how many female wrestlers would have killed for the probability of being called the next Sally Talfourd? That would have validated and satisfied the appetites of many, but you? Nothing is ever good enough for you. Winning the Undisputed Title wasn’t good enough. You wanted people like Tyler Harrison, Hopkins, Jeff, Kash, and me to bow down to your every command and to worship the ground you walked on.
Well step back into validity and realize that you aren’t a deity. You and Maverick Jones, my opponent from last week, are so deceived that you have actually started to believe your own lies and your own worldviews. You are simply nothing short of a talented wrestler that has made a name for herself at the expense of integrity. The AJP from Meltdown was sweet, even innocent…but somewhere along the journey your heart darkened and you wanted to be regarded as the best. You were already one of the best though. You took Meltdown by storm and at your Asylum debut, you had people talking. Hopkins and I took notice. The whole backstage area took notice. But while we were talking and carrying on, so were your inner demons. The demons that robbed you of your approval.
To all of my other opponents, please don’t let this become you. If your identity is mandated by the opinions of others, you will be let down each time. You can’t please everybody so don’t try to. Ash, you are already marching at full speed in that same direction and it’s evident. You are rebellious by nature and I’m not even referring to the tattoos. Those are clearly a form of self expression. Your rebellious nature was acknowledged when you evaded The Fear Factory’s code of honor. People that took the time out of their busy schedules to train and to cultivate you and your future career and you couldn’t even comply with the simple code they try to instill into their students? That itself speaks volumes about your character and how you use people to get where you want in life.
Then you stroll on over to PURE and assume that things like that would happen the same way here, but tomorrow you are in for a rude awakening. Bodies WILL be inside of a grave but I can promise you that it won’t be mine. I’m too comfortable inside of my own skin and too confident that I won’t just become some random statistic for you. Headlining an event seems like an essential element to the appeasement of your pride. Headlining makes or breaks you, it’s what you live day to day for, but come tomorrow we’ll plainly witness what it takes to break you. As much as AJP and I hound each other, don’t overlook the chance of us teaming up to give Ms. Know It All a new plot to dig in the graveyard.
Xianlong, I’m glad that you wound up in the place that they call the land of opportunity. I haven’t heard a heart warming story like that in quite some, because upon hearing it, I oftentimes realize how much I take for granted as an American. I’m looking forward to our encounter inside of the squared circle, as I am with Jordan Caliban. New faces remind me that this business isn’t as small as I think it is. When I’m having an AJP like tug of war on the inside, I realize that I am not the best. There’s too many out there ignoring the facts like their feces don’t stink because they think that they are the “one” in seven billion. They are the exception to the rule and that’s just how it is huh? Your opponents will just have to fall in line right?
I’m a strong advocate of believing in yourself, in your career, and in your potential. Just be alert of the pendulum swing that can occur. Four PURE stars stand in my terrace to Crisis. The journey won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it. I’m bringing all that I have tomorrow with me to the Key Arena. My four opponents deserve me at my best. Nobody will get my “leftovers” so to speak because each talent employed by this company is deserving of my one hundred and ten percent. But I do plan on doing the unthinkable tomorrow and walking out of the event victorious once again. Did I just go against everything that I was saying earlier? Not at all. It’s only a humble confidence…and it’s because I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the next edition of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
