Post by Mark Mania on Nov 26, 2013 12:31:55 GMT -5
“He’s tired. That took a lot out of him.”
“He’ll be fine, it was his first match back after half a year. He’s allowed to be tired.”
“I don’t know, Bill. He never had this problem before.”
“I’m sure that’s what all guys tell you.”
“I’m gay, remember?”
“Oh…yeah…Well, I’m sure that’s what all the girls tell you.”
“Trust me, a girl has NEVER had to say that to me.”
I’m woken up by my assistant/ friend Rosa Ramirez talking to my best friend since childhood, Bill Gnarly. I turn over in my bed and look at the clock. Ah fuck, I’ve been sleeping for like thirteen hours.
“Rosa, he’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m just worried about him going into this match.”
I sit up in bed, “Thanks for your concern, but believe me, I’m good.”
“Oh, Mark, I didn’t realize you were awake.”
“Marky!”
I put on a shirt that was on my side table as I roll out of bed. As I walk around the corner into the kitchen where Rosa and Bill are standing I can see the concern in their eyes.
“Really, I’m all good. That was a blast last night. It felt amazing to be back in the ring.” I say this as I’m rubbing my shoulder.
“And you’re fine to get right back into this ring this weekend?”
“I’m not an old man, I’ll be ready. This is right up my alley, you know that.”
“I can’t believe your bullshit luck. You wrestle for one week and then you come back to the Main Event.”
“Well, Rosa, you called me the Main Event last week, I guess some people heard you.”
“When I talk, everyone listens.”
I thought I was the cocky out one out of the bunch. I think it just must be everything I do rubs off on the people around me. Based off how they’re acting, what I must’ve been doing lately is acting like a whiny bitch.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Gotta prepare for the match.”
“Already? It’s going to be Thanksgiving in a few days. Maybe we should make some pies or bob for apples.”
“Bobbing for apples? That’s a Halloween thing.”
“It’s not an anything, thing. There’s no time for any foolishness. I’m returning to the Main Event this week. I’ve got to be ready, I’ve got to win.”
“Oh, Mark, you’re just coming back to the game, you don’t need to win, you can work your way up.”
“Fuck working my way up. This is my shot. This is a new federation, a new start, and I want to take this world by storm. I want to be the first World Champion that Pure Wrestling ever has. I want to defeat every competitor in my way. I mean, hell, I’ve already defeated three of them and I have the opportunity to defeat four more this week. Defeating seven people in two weeks, not too bad if you ask me.”
Rosa and Bill both look at me. I think they get it now.
“Fuck, I love the feel of bright lights on my face.” I look up towards the lights shining on me on the set. Everyone around me is bustling, making sure this is the most perfect work they’ve ever done. This could be a make or break moment for every one of them. As I settle into Pure Wrestling I need a great staff around me and each and every one of them knows that. Yet, I can’t focus on any of them right now.
After wrestling last night, it’s difficult to focus on anything. Every punch I threw felt more powerful. Every move I pulled off seemed more technical. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I feel energized, revitalized, and just all around good. Of course there are the aches and pains that come from any day after a match, but even the aches and pains feel better. My shoulder isn’t hurting so much I can’t imagine it ever feeling normal again. It’s feeling like I need to push it even more. My whole body feels like I could push it even more.
I know this week I’ll have to push my body. Four competitors, all victorious last week, all with their own distinct abilities and skills; another wily veteran in APB, a tag team that if they had their way would let this match get down to just the two of them, and of course, a former APW Champion. There will be a lot of people trying to keep me from getting into the Fatal-Four Way Championship Match at Crisis. That’s fine, the more the merrier in my mind. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the result.
Last night wasn’t so much a challenge as a warm-up. It’s almost like it was the perfect match for me to be in before I head into this week. I’m already familiar with beating multiple opponents. I’m familiar with being the one who has the target on their back. I’m familiar with being the hands down favorite. So when I walk into the ring next week, with all the same familiarities, and a few new faces, I’ll be ready.
“When are we ready to go?” I call out.
“Should be good in just a few minutes, boss.” One of the crew members yells out to me.
Boss. I like that.
“Alright, I’m going to hang here, let me know if you need me to move.” I bask in the heat from the lights.
“Will do.”
“It’s another day c’mon, c’mon!” The song C’mon, C’mon by the Von Bondies plays as I walk into the bright lights.
“Hello, hello, hello!” I scream out to the world.
“Welcome everyone, I am Mark Mania and here we are on a wonderfully cold Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots beat the Broncos, the Bruins beat the Penguins, and now this week I get to beat some turkeys. I don’t mean like, beating my meat, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“I also don’t mean that on Thursday I’m going to beat up a turkey and then cook it up and eat it for Thanksgiving dinner. No, I’m referring to my opponents next Monday. I mean, I thought I had an easy go of it last week, but for THIS to be my qualifying match? Man, I am one lucky son of a bitch. It must just be the world’s way of telling me that they want Mark Mania to compete for the World Championship. Well, I’ll answer that call. No matter who it is that tries to get in my way, I’ll answer that call. If it’s a sixteen year veteran of the business who has had some competitive matches here, I’ll answer the call. If it’s a tag team duo that has impressed everyone and has been nearly unstoppable, I’ll answer the call. If it’s a former nobody from APW who turned himself into a premier performer in Pure…I will answer the call.”
“Wrestling is my life. I never feel as alive as I do when I’m in the ring. I have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When I hit that Mania Madness on Triple J, God did it feel good! When I heard the referees hand hit the mat for the third time, I was on the absolute top of the world. That’s why I have to win this week. I can’t let this feeling get away. When you’ve been in the business for as long as I have, people always wonder how you stay motivated. They wonder what gets you out of bed and into the ring. It’s that feeling. That feeling that you are unstoppable. That feeling that can only be experienced and can’t be described. It’s the feeling that I can’t wait to have again next Monday.”
“I can’t get a real beat on my competitors here. I mean, obviously I’m new to Pure, but as I look back at this first month of events, I can’t really tell who these four wrestlers are. APB, ‘Portal’, as some call him, seems like he should be a lot better. Hard fought matches, loads of experience, and just a general winners demeanor. Yet, for some reason, he can’t do a damn thing. Obviously he won last week which got him into this match, but the two weeks before that, he just couldn’t pull it together. What does that make him? I mean, this was one of his last chances to get into the Fatal-Four way, so is he stepping up to the pressure? Is he getting better with each week? I can’t really tell. To me, it seems like he just got lucky. I think the first two weeks are a better indication of what he really is. I think he’s a loser. I don’t think he still has it.”
“Allen and I have a lot in common, of course. I’m sure when people look at us they think they see the same thing; older wrestlers who have had their time in the limelight, guys that maybe were the best in their heyday but are past their prime. That’s a dangerous line of thinking. I mean, it very well could be true for Allen. He may have had his ‘prime’. He may just be hanging on trying to cash in a few more paychecks, but that’s not why I’m here. I don’t need the paycheck, I don’t need the attention. I mean, I love the attention, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win. I keep seeing and hearing people describe me as, “Mark Mania, a man looking to reclaim his former glory’ I appreciate the thinking that I had glory, but the truth is, I never fucking lost it. Yeah I was MIA for a few months, but that doesn’t make me less of a competitor or less of a champion. I’m Mark fucking Mania, I don’t care how old I am, I don’t care how much glory I’ve already had. I’m always striving for more.”
“I think I made it pretty obvious last week that I wasn’t just holding on for dear life here, trying to remain relevant. I am relevant, I am the past, present, and future. I’m going to be the first Pure Wrestling World Champion and no sad sack old timer who doesn’t know if he can still hack it is going to get in my fucking way.”
I open my arms to the world and the bright lights above.
“I know I’ve got more competitors to deal with. I know they’re better than APB, but how much better? I was going to save this guy for last, but frankly, I just don’t like him and don’t want to waste too much of my time with him. Young Mannie is a man that I have known for a long, long time. He was around back in the APW when I started there six or so years ago. We’ve crossed paths many times. And frankly, I just don’t like him. I don’t know if it’s because he’s annoying and cocky. I know that if you put two arrogant people together they never seem to get along. But my arrogance at least has some basis! I mean, what on earth has Young Mannie ever actually done? All you can really applaud him on is his ability to stick around. It seems like you can’t get rid of this fucking guy.”
“But is he the face of Pure Wrestling? Is he the guy that’s going to usher in this amazing new federation? Why am I even wasting air on asking these questions? Of course he’s not. He’s a great middle of the road guy. He’s someone that the new guys can learn a few things from. He’s a career builder, a rung on the ladder. He’s the base of the pyramid. I don’t want to bring him down too much because I want him to realize that I don’t think he’s a terrible wrestler, he’s just not the BEST wrestler. He’s not the man the fans pay to see. Maybe the fans laugh at him here and there and get nostalgic when they think about the great wrestlers that used to be around him. But no one sees him as a leader…as a champion.”
“When I get into a ring, people know what they’re in for. When I get into a ring, people know some shit is going to go down. If I’m in the ring, you better damn believe that I am going to whoop some ass. That’s why I AM going to be champion.”
“However, if anything were to get in my way, it would be the tag-team of Alessandra Nayara and Joe Martinez. They’re the wildcard of this match. They’ve been so good as a tag team that you don’t really know how they’re going to perform in singles competition. If I were them, I’d team up and try and knock out the best competitors. If I were them, I’d get into that match and double team me immediately. And no, I don’t mean double team like that, you sick fucks. If I were them, I’d make it as hard for me as possible… Again, not what I meant.”
“Without any sexual innuendo, what I’m trying to say is that they need to work as a team to have any chance in this match. They need to be focused on the prize and they need eliminate the real competition. I know they had a match with Mannie a few weeks ago, so they already know he’s not going to be a threat. They’ve seen how decrepit Allen Bartsch is. So it really seems like the smart play.”
“There are two problems with that philosophy though. One, I can already see it coming. They don’t know a fucking thing about me or my ability and yet I can see their exact plan play out. They both go after me, I’m completely ready for it, and like I’ve done countless times in my life, I win two on one easily. I’m not intimidated by two people both trying to take me out. I’m not scared of this dynamic duo shit they’ve got going on. I can beat each of them separately or both of them together. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Although, I have a feeling that it won’t ever come to that, because the second problem is really going to be their downfall. The second problem is that they’re both wrestlers. They didn’t grow up thinking, ‘Oh boy, I’m going to be the best tag team ever!’ They grew up thinking, ‘I’m going to be the World Champion!’ So when it comes down to it, what kind of team are they? Are they really close enough that they’d be okay with one member of the team fighting for the World Title and not the other?”
I look directly into the camera, “Alessandra, how would it make you feel if you saw Joe stumble off of Young Mannie’s dilapidated body? As the referee rose his hands into the air. Can you honestly say you’d be happy for him? And Joe, how would you feel if Alessandra were to win this match and go to Crisis and win the World Heavyweight Championship? I mean, she wouldn’t need you as a tag team partner anymore, that’s for sure. She’d be the World Champ, the face of the franchise, what would she need some useless partner for?”
“I don’t think the two of you could make it through one of you winning and the other one not. That’s why I think when the rubber hits the road, you’re both fucked. If one of you is about to get the win, the other might just drag that body right off and try and win themselves. It could be a real hectic night for you two.”
“Settle down, settle down, I know I’ve gotten you all riled up, but uncle Marky is going to make everything alright. I’m going to give you an early Christmas present and beat the both of you so you don’t have to deal with the awkwardness of one of you winning. You can come out of this match as the same strong team that you were before. You can be the best tag team of all time! I encourage you to do so! Leave the heavy lifting to the real wrestlers. Leave the singles competition to the people that can actually handle it. I don’t need a partner to reach the pinnacle of Pure Wrestling. I’m going to walk into that match on Monday with not a single person on my side and that’s just how I fucking like it, because I know I’m going to walk out, knowing that the whole world will be watching me at Crisis.”
The lights fade down as I look back out into the cameras.
“Feeling pretty confident, eh?”
“Fucking right.”
“He’ll be fine, it was his first match back after half a year. He’s allowed to be tired.”
“I don’t know, Bill. He never had this problem before.”
“I’m sure that’s what all guys tell you.”
“I’m gay, remember?”
“Oh…yeah…Well, I’m sure that’s what all the girls tell you.”
“Trust me, a girl has NEVER had to say that to me.”
I’m woken up by my assistant/ friend Rosa Ramirez talking to my best friend since childhood, Bill Gnarly. I turn over in my bed and look at the clock. Ah fuck, I’ve been sleeping for like thirteen hours.
“Rosa, he’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m just worried about him going into this match.”
I sit up in bed, “Thanks for your concern, but believe me, I’m good.”
“Oh, Mark, I didn’t realize you were awake.”
“Marky!”
I put on a shirt that was on my side table as I roll out of bed. As I walk around the corner into the kitchen where Rosa and Bill are standing I can see the concern in their eyes.
“Really, I’m all good. That was a blast last night. It felt amazing to be back in the ring.” I say this as I’m rubbing my shoulder.
“And you’re fine to get right back into this ring this weekend?”
“I’m not an old man, I’ll be ready. This is right up my alley, you know that.”
“I can’t believe your bullshit luck. You wrestle for one week and then you come back to the Main Event.”
“Well, Rosa, you called me the Main Event last week, I guess some people heard you.”
“When I talk, everyone listens.”
I thought I was the cocky out one out of the bunch. I think it just must be everything I do rubs off on the people around me. Based off how they’re acting, what I must’ve been doing lately is acting like a whiny bitch.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Gotta prepare for the match.”
“Already? It’s going to be Thanksgiving in a few days. Maybe we should make some pies or bob for apples.”
“Bobbing for apples? That’s a Halloween thing.”
“It’s not an anything, thing. There’s no time for any foolishness. I’m returning to the Main Event this week. I’ve got to be ready, I’ve got to win.”
“Oh, Mark, you’re just coming back to the game, you don’t need to win, you can work your way up.”
“Fuck working my way up. This is my shot. This is a new federation, a new start, and I want to take this world by storm. I want to be the first World Champion that Pure Wrestling ever has. I want to defeat every competitor in my way. I mean, hell, I’ve already defeated three of them and I have the opportunity to defeat four more this week. Defeating seven people in two weeks, not too bad if you ask me.”
Rosa and Bill both look at me. I think they get it now.
“Fuck, I love the feel of bright lights on my face.” I look up towards the lights shining on me on the set. Everyone around me is bustling, making sure this is the most perfect work they’ve ever done. This could be a make or break moment for every one of them. As I settle into Pure Wrestling I need a great staff around me and each and every one of them knows that. Yet, I can’t focus on any of them right now.
After wrestling last night, it’s difficult to focus on anything. Every punch I threw felt more powerful. Every move I pulled off seemed more technical. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I feel energized, revitalized, and just all around good. Of course there are the aches and pains that come from any day after a match, but even the aches and pains feel better. My shoulder isn’t hurting so much I can’t imagine it ever feeling normal again. It’s feeling like I need to push it even more. My whole body feels like I could push it even more.
I know this week I’ll have to push my body. Four competitors, all victorious last week, all with their own distinct abilities and skills; another wily veteran in APB, a tag team that if they had their way would let this match get down to just the two of them, and of course, a former APW Champion. There will be a lot of people trying to keep me from getting into the Fatal-Four Way Championship Match at Crisis. That’s fine, the more the merrier in my mind. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the result.
Last night wasn’t so much a challenge as a warm-up. It’s almost like it was the perfect match for me to be in before I head into this week. I’m already familiar with beating multiple opponents. I’m familiar with being the one who has the target on their back. I’m familiar with being the hands down favorite. So when I walk into the ring next week, with all the same familiarities, and a few new faces, I’ll be ready.
“When are we ready to go?” I call out.
“Should be good in just a few minutes, boss.” One of the crew members yells out to me.
Boss. I like that.
“Alright, I’m going to hang here, let me know if you need me to move.” I bask in the heat from the lights.
“Will do.”
“It’s another day c’mon, c’mon!” The song C’mon, C’mon by the Von Bondies plays as I walk into the bright lights.
“Hello, hello, hello!” I scream out to the world.
“Welcome everyone, I am Mark Mania and here we are on a wonderfully cold Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots beat the Broncos, the Bruins beat the Penguins, and now this week I get to beat some turkeys. I don’t mean like, beating my meat, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“I also don’t mean that on Thursday I’m going to beat up a turkey and then cook it up and eat it for Thanksgiving dinner. No, I’m referring to my opponents next Monday. I mean, I thought I had an easy go of it last week, but for THIS to be my qualifying match? Man, I am one lucky son of a bitch. It must just be the world’s way of telling me that they want Mark Mania to compete for the World Championship. Well, I’ll answer that call. No matter who it is that tries to get in my way, I’ll answer that call. If it’s a sixteen year veteran of the business who has had some competitive matches here, I’ll answer the call. If it’s a tag team duo that has impressed everyone and has been nearly unstoppable, I’ll answer the call. If it’s a former nobody from APW who turned himself into a premier performer in Pure…I will answer the call.”
“Wrestling is my life. I never feel as alive as I do when I’m in the ring. I have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When I hit that Mania Madness on Triple J, God did it feel good! When I heard the referees hand hit the mat for the third time, I was on the absolute top of the world. That’s why I have to win this week. I can’t let this feeling get away. When you’ve been in the business for as long as I have, people always wonder how you stay motivated. They wonder what gets you out of bed and into the ring. It’s that feeling. That feeling that you are unstoppable. That feeling that can only be experienced and can’t be described. It’s the feeling that I can’t wait to have again next Monday.”
“I can’t get a real beat on my competitors here. I mean, obviously I’m new to Pure, but as I look back at this first month of events, I can’t really tell who these four wrestlers are. APB, ‘Portal’, as some call him, seems like he should be a lot better. Hard fought matches, loads of experience, and just a general winners demeanor. Yet, for some reason, he can’t do a damn thing. Obviously he won last week which got him into this match, but the two weeks before that, he just couldn’t pull it together. What does that make him? I mean, this was one of his last chances to get into the Fatal-Four way, so is he stepping up to the pressure? Is he getting better with each week? I can’t really tell. To me, it seems like he just got lucky. I think the first two weeks are a better indication of what he really is. I think he’s a loser. I don’t think he still has it.”
“Allen and I have a lot in common, of course. I’m sure when people look at us they think they see the same thing; older wrestlers who have had their time in the limelight, guys that maybe were the best in their heyday but are past their prime. That’s a dangerous line of thinking. I mean, it very well could be true for Allen. He may have had his ‘prime’. He may just be hanging on trying to cash in a few more paychecks, but that’s not why I’m here. I don’t need the paycheck, I don’t need the attention. I mean, I love the attention, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win. I keep seeing and hearing people describe me as, “Mark Mania, a man looking to reclaim his former glory’ I appreciate the thinking that I had glory, but the truth is, I never fucking lost it. Yeah I was MIA for a few months, but that doesn’t make me less of a competitor or less of a champion. I’m Mark fucking Mania, I don’t care how old I am, I don’t care how much glory I’ve already had. I’m always striving for more.”
“I think I made it pretty obvious last week that I wasn’t just holding on for dear life here, trying to remain relevant. I am relevant, I am the past, present, and future. I’m going to be the first Pure Wrestling World Champion and no sad sack old timer who doesn’t know if he can still hack it is going to get in my fucking way.”
I open my arms to the world and the bright lights above.
“I know I’ve got more competitors to deal with. I know they’re better than APB, but how much better? I was going to save this guy for last, but frankly, I just don’t like him and don’t want to waste too much of my time with him. Young Mannie is a man that I have known for a long, long time. He was around back in the APW when I started there six or so years ago. We’ve crossed paths many times. And frankly, I just don’t like him. I don’t know if it’s because he’s annoying and cocky. I know that if you put two arrogant people together they never seem to get along. But my arrogance at least has some basis! I mean, what on earth has Young Mannie ever actually done? All you can really applaud him on is his ability to stick around. It seems like you can’t get rid of this fucking guy.”
“But is he the face of Pure Wrestling? Is he the guy that’s going to usher in this amazing new federation? Why am I even wasting air on asking these questions? Of course he’s not. He’s a great middle of the road guy. He’s someone that the new guys can learn a few things from. He’s a career builder, a rung on the ladder. He’s the base of the pyramid. I don’t want to bring him down too much because I want him to realize that I don’t think he’s a terrible wrestler, he’s just not the BEST wrestler. He’s not the man the fans pay to see. Maybe the fans laugh at him here and there and get nostalgic when they think about the great wrestlers that used to be around him. But no one sees him as a leader…as a champion.”
“When I get into a ring, people know what they’re in for. When I get into a ring, people know some shit is going to go down. If I’m in the ring, you better damn believe that I am going to whoop some ass. That’s why I AM going to be champion.”
“However, if anything were to get in my way, it would be the tag-team of Alessandra Nayara and Joe Martinez. They’re the wildcard of this match. They’ve been so good as a tag team that you don’t really know how they’re going to perform in singles competition. If I were them, I’d team up and try and knock out the best competitors. If I were them, I’d get into that match and double team me immediately. And no, I don’t mean double team like that, you sick fucks. If I were them, I’d make it as hard for me as possible… Again, not what I meant.”
“Without any sexual innuendo, what I’m trying to say is that they need to work as a team to have any chance in this match. They need to be focused on the prize and they need eliminate the real competition. I know they had a match with Mannie a few weeks ago, so they already know he’s not going to be a threat. They’ve seen how decrepit Allen Bartsch is. So it really seems like the smart play.”
“There are two problems with that philosophy though. One, I can already see it coming. They don’t know a fucking thing about me or my ability and yet I can see their exact plan play out. They both go after me, I’m completely ready for it, and like I’ve done countless times in my life, I win two on one easily. I’m not intimidated by two people both trying to take me out. I’m not scared of this dynamic duo shit they’ve got going on. I can beat each of them separately or both of them together. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Although, I have a feeling that it won’t ever come to that, because the second problem is really going to be their downfall. The second problem is that they’re both wrestlers. They didn’t grow up thinking, ‘Oh boy, I’m going to be the best tag team ever!’ They grew up thinking, ‘I’m going to be the World Champion!’ So when it comes down to it, what kind of team are they? Are they really close enough that they’d be okay with one member of the team fighting for the World Title and not the other?”
I look directly into the camera, “Alessandra, how would it make you feel if you saw Joe stumble off of Young Mannie’s dilapidated body? As the referee rose his hands into the air. Can you honestly say you’d be happy for him? And Joe, how would you feel if Alessandra were to win this match and go to Crisis and win the World Heavyweight Championship? I mean, she wouldn’t need you as a tag team partner anymore, that’s for sure. She’d be the World Champ, the face of the franchise, what would she need some useless partner for?”
“I don’t think the two of you could make it through one of you winning and the other one not. That’s why I think when the rubber hits the road, you’re both fucked. If one of you is about to get the win, the other might just drag that body right off and try and win themselves. It could be a real hectic night for you two.”
“Settle down, settle down, I know I’ve gotten you all riled up, but uncle Marky is going to make everything alright. I’m going to give you an early Christmas present and beat the both of you so you don’t have to deal with the awkwardness of one of you winning. You can come out of this match as the same strong team that you were before. You can be the best tag team of all time! I encourage you to do so! Leave the heavy lifting to the real wrestlers. Leave the singles competition to the people that can actually handle it. I don’t need a partner to reach the pinnacle of Pure Wrestling. I’m going to walk into that match on Monday with not a single person on my side and that’s just how I fucking like it, because I know I’m going to walk out, knowing that the whole world will be watching me at Crisis.”
The lights fade down as I look back out into the cameras.
“Feeling pretty confident, eh?”
“Fucking right.”
