Post by Anthony Bailey on Nov 10, 2013 21:40:15 GMT -5
“The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.” – Dennis Green
For whatever rationale, I could not get rapper The Game’s song “Start From Scratch” out of my head. It randomly arose on my Spotify playlist one recent afternoon, but besides that I had not heard the song in quite some time. It was a tune that definitely stood out on his highly anticipated debut album “The Documentary” back in 2005, the same year that I was a freshman in high school, and the Westcoast protégé of Hip Hop legend Dr. Dre grabbed my attention for some reason. Maybe it was because he survived a shooting a few years prior like his G-Unit affiliate 50 Cent and went on to become a multiplatinum artist. Or maybe it was because he was a regular kid involved in high school sports like I was and who wanted to grow up and make something of his life.
Whatever fascination I had with Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, he and I were from “different” sides of the tracks as you would say. The streets of Compton and the suburbs of Westchase in Tampa were the polar opposite. And though I’m totally hijacking what the song was about conceptually, I felt as if I was starting from scratch in my own life. Only a little over one week ago my world was rocked and my sense of security was taken from me. Action Packed Wrestling, the company that helped propel me into professional wrestling, had suddenly closed and I was left to fend for myself. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. Many of APW’s employees were worried about the financial hit that they might take, but not me. I wasn’t wealthy but I was well off. But just because I’m no longer in the “starving artist” phase of my career doesn’t change the fact that I still felt hopeless.
Anthony Bailey and APW had become synonymous with one another but now my identity abided in limbo. Coming into this business, my mentor Frank Cavalli would always tell me to never find my identity in the tangibles of life and this business. Titles, accolades, triumph…all of these things were so fickle and could be seized from you at any given moment. I understood what he meant cognitively but putting his words into action when times got difficult was a whole nother story.
“How are you holding up?” asked my mother, Tracy.
“It’ll all be fine don’t worry,” I assured her.
“I’m your mother, I’m supposed to worry. It’s what we do.”
{{I rolled my eyes as she giggled in that high pitch tone of hers.}}
“I can’t lie though. It’s been great having you around the house longer than usual. Even the fact that you didn’t scarf down your dinner because you had to rush to the airport and catch a plane reveals something,” she said while smiling.
The upside to APW abruptly shutting down was that I was able to take a week off and head down to Tampa to visit some of my family and friends. My mom was aware of the new contract with PURE Wrestling and she supported my new move, though it was all a bit too instantaneous for her.
“I agree. You never realize how much your vocation can consume you until you are afforded the opportunity to just take a step back and breathe. This shocker ended up being a blessing in disguise.”
Tracy, staring directly at her son, blurts out five simple but effective words that every child longs to hear from their parents. “I’m so proud of you.”
My mother’s randomness made it difficult to follow what she was trying to communicate at times. Was she proud of the fact that I was grown and mature enough to realize that the ones you care about always trump your career or was she proud of how Michael Callahan and I squashed our beef and I decided to sign with PURE?
“For what?” I responded.
“Just from all that you have done so far in only two short years. Who would have ever known huh?”
In November 2011, the condition of my lifestyle was so much different than it is today. I was excelling in my part time internship at a well known marketing firm in Jacksonville, Florida and because I was graduating from Flagler College that December, I was offered $80,000 a year to join the staff full time. Also during this same time I was volunteering with the Florida Amateur Wrestling Association, a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization, and it was no secret where my heart was at. The marketing firm looked delightful on my résumé, but I was never satisfied whenever I left for the day. I would constantly rush out of the office from my internship and head over to the gym so that I could train and learn everything that I could about wrestling. My mother along with the rest of my family thought that I was foolish for turning down a lucrative career at the firm to chase a boyhood dream. But two years later everyone sees the fruit of my labor and knows that my decision was not in vain. It wasn’t easy but it was certainly worth it.
“Yeah it’s crazy, God is good. Hard work can go a long way,” I said while slightly reclining in my chair.
“So speaking of long…how long will you be in town for?”
The small talk had abruptly ended. My mom is an intelligent woman and wants to know if commuting back and forth from St. Augustine and Seattle will hinder our close knit bond.
“I have to head out this weekend to make it to Seattle in time for PURE’s presentation event. I’m excited about it but I have the jitters at the same time.”
{{A disappointed look appears across the face of Tracy.}}
“This weekend?! Oh okay, I see…”
{{Anthony stands up from his chair, walks over to Tracy, puts his arm around her, and begins to softly rub her shoulder.}}
“But don’t worry,” I asserted. “I’ll be back down by Wednesday to take you out to one of the finest restaurants in town.”
Life away from her only child was pretty lonely at times. Even as a divorced but educated single woman in her early forties with two doctorate degrees, she would trade her financial prosperity for deeper relationships. She had siblings and peers who lived nearby, but having their own families posed difficulty for regular gatherings. But peers or no peers, nothing could ever replace spending quality time with the young man she had raised.
“You promise?”
{{Anthony playfully shakes his head while smiling.}}
“Come on mom,” I joked. “They don’t call me that for nothing now do they?”
{{Tracy rolls her eyes as she stands to her feet.}}
“Maybe Seattle will be a good thing for you after all…”
“You think?”
“Oh yeah,” she added. “Maybe a habitual Starbucks intake can fuel some better comebacks for you.”
{{I responded by poking her in the side of her stomach. She hated when I did that because she was so ticklish.}}
“Yeah yeah. Whatever mom,” I said over her penetrating laughs.
It feels weird addressing a camera without the APW emblem situated on the side of it. But life must go on. APW is no more and now it’s all about PURE Wrestling. The irony of working for Callahan and Rebel hasn’t fully settled yet but I’m sure it will be smooth sailing after tomorrow when I take on Maverick Jones. And speaking of Mr. Jones, there is something interesting I learned about my opponent that I can agree with. It is the fact that we all have an internal struggle. The real issue is how you choose to deal with it. My internal struggle for nearly two years has been trying to be myself while being pulled in the opposite direction by the pressures of conforming to the "industry." That in it of itself is enough to make a man go insane. So I can definitely relate when it comes to internal struggles....maybe a little too well. It has become second nature. But I don't know if this struggle of mine is enough to conquer all of my desires and deviate my attention away from you, Jones. This debut tomorrow night is one of the few opportunities that I have at a fresh start.
I don't envision PURE being a sequel to APW like others have, I envision it being a whole new beginning. Though I'm grateful for all that company did for me and how it helped jumpstart my career, The Promise was boxed in for the majority of his duration there. It was expected of me and my Dying Breed brothers to just fall in line and happily do what we were told without questioning authority. There's a place for authority, I'm not pro anarchy, but some of the "politics" that I became acquainted with were uncalled for. But all of this is not coming from a place of embitterment or being ungrateful because I had Dying Breed and the fans in my corner the entire time. Without them, there's no telling where I would be.
So as I’m dealing with my own visceral battles, I see the man whom they call Maverick Jones and I am aware of all that he is capable of. I am aware of his VWF Heavyweight Title reign and also of his CWC Tag Title reign. Heavyweight Title reigns are always made much of but I want to definitely commend you on winning the Tag Team Titles. For those who have followed my career thus far, you know how dear the tag team division has become to me. Hopefully Hopkins and I can help blaze the origins of PURE’s tag team division when the time is right, but that’s a different topic for another day.
I see a man who won’t allow my first time inside of a PURE ring to be a simple walk in the park. But I also see a man that causes me to not only examine my internal struggles, but to channel the spirit of the Apostle Paul and take these deceitful philosophies captive. Now I am not a religious individual, but I am spiritual, and this whole “Grand Design” philosophy is sort of strange to me. It almost…almost makes Scientology look coherent…
Disclaimer: The previous statement was not meant to offend any of my fans who endorse the Scientology worldview.
A man that can come up with his own philosophy is dangerous in more ways than one. Does this “Grand Design” philosophy of yours have a standard of absolute truth? If it does then what basis do you have for it? Was it something that you just brainstormed one day back in VWF? A man who comes up with his own beliefs will ultimately start believing his own lies. I’m not a psychologist, a counselor, or anything of that nature but this could be the root source to the internal struggles you have been having. Before you can ever think about seriously going toe to toe with anyone inside that ring, you must be comfortable and confident in your own skin. But above all, you must be truthful.
As a child, there was no endangerment to my innocent little soul as I believed in the fantasies that was common amongst most children at that age…Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns, affordable health care…
{{Bailey follows his political jab with a smile and a wink directly at the camera.}}
But as I got older, if I still consented to these popular childhood fables, I would’ve been deemed mentally restrained because it is not acceptable for any grown man to walk around still believing in these things. Now the “Grand Design” would have probably thrived in middle school right along with the reputation of the Harry Potter brand of books and movies, but as a grown man competing in a brand new company that has the eyes of the masses on them right now, you should probably rethink this. I’m not saying to abandon your beliefs for the sake of mine, but what I am saying is that the truth will set you free. And not just what is true to Maverick Jones, but what is accurate according to the universe.
I remember back in high school how we had to do this assignment that dealt with the Apostle Paul addressing the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers on Mars Hill in the book of Acts. That was years ago but it brings me to tomorrow, November 11th inside of the Key Arena. I, like Paul, have endured my fair share of persecution. All that I have ever desired to do is to communicate the truth and in the name of truth, I have been verbally attacked and slandered, physically beaten, spit on, the whole nine. The setting of Mars Hill was just that…it was a hill and I am once again taking on the task of climbing these inexperienced elevations known as PURE Wrestling.
But before I can even begin to truly ascend the ranks, an intellectual scholar awaits me at the top of the hill proclaiming a bizarre notion. Do I get upset? I could if I wanted to but that wouldn’t be beneficial. Or do I take the humble approach and point this man that has strayed back to the truth? The humble approach will speak volumes beyond a lifetime. Maverick Jones that’s what I plan on doing with you. I’m not going to take the conventional approach and rattle off how I’m going to bash your brains in and go on to become PURE’s next “big” thing. I have been the “big” thing before in APW and I’ll tell you what…it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. I want people to see past my potential. I want them to see what I am already capable of.
PURE is my clean slate and you better believe that I’m going to capitalize on this opportunity. With a brief but historic APW career under my belt and with Hopkins and the fans by my side, what more do I need? My perseverance is still intact and my focus on both short term and long term goals are clearer than ever. I look forward to our match together Jones. It’ll be some superb competition that will give all a minor taste of what’s to come for this place. It’s sure to be one for the books. But most importantly, I look forward to declaring a design so grand that even you failed to foresee it. How is this even possible? It’s humble confidence…and it’s because I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the first episode of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
For whatever rationale, I could not get rapper The Game’s song “Start From Scratch” out of my head. It randomly arose on my Spotify playlist one recent afternoon, but besides that I had not heard the song in quite some time. It was a tune that definitely stood out on his highly anticipated debut album “The Documentary” back in 2005, the same year that I was a freshman in high school, and the Westcoast protégé of Hip Hop legend Dr. Dre grabbed my attention for some reason. Maybe it was because he survived a shooting a few years prior like his G-Unit affiliate 50 Cent and went on to become a multiplatinum artist. Or maybe it was because he was a regular kid involved in high school sports like I was and who wanted to grow up and make something of his life.
Whatever fascination I had with Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, he and I were from “different” sides of the tracks as you would say. The streets of Compton and the suburbs of Westchase in Tampa were the polar opposite. And though I’m totally hijacking what the song was about conceptually, I felt as if I was starting from scratch in my own life. Only a little over one week ago my world was rocked and my sense of security was taken from me. Action Packed Wrestling, the company that helped propel me into professional wrestling, had suddenly closed and I was left to fend for myself. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. Many of APW’s employees were worried about the financial hit that they might take, but not me. I wasn’t wealthy but I was well off. But just because I’m no longer in the “starving artist” phase of my career doesn’t change the fact that I still felt hopeless.
Anthony Bailey and APW had become synonymous with one another but now my identity abided in limbo. Coming into this business, my mentor Frank Cavalli would always tell me to never find my identity in the tangibles of life and this business. Titles, accolades, triumph…all of these things were so fickle and could be seized from you at any given moment. I understood what he meant cognitively but putting his words into action when times got difficult was a whole nother story.
---------------
“How are you holding up?” asked my mother, Tracy.
“It’ll all be fine don’t worry,” I assured her.
“I’m your mother, I’m supposed to worry. It’s what we do.”
{{I rolled my eyes as she giggled in that high pitch tone of hers.}}
“I can’t lie though. It’s been great having you around the house longer than usual. Even the fact that you didn’t scarf down your dinner because you had to rush to the airport and catch a plane reveals something,” she said while smiling.
The upside to APW abruptly shutting down was that I was able to take a week off and head down to Tampa to visit some of my family and friends. My mom was aware of the new contract with PURE Wrestling and she supported my new move, though it was all a bit too instantaneous for her.
“I agree. You never realize how much your vocation can consume you until you are afforded the opportunity to just take a step back and breathe. This shocker ended up being a blessing in disguise.”
Tracy, staring directly at her son, blurts out five simple but effective words that every child longs to hear from their parents. “I’m so proud of you.”
My mother’s randomness made it difficult to follow what she was trying to communicate at times. Was she proud of the fact that I was grown and mature enough to realize that the ones you care about always trump your career or was she proud of how Michael Callahan and I squashed our beef and I decided to sign with PURE?
“For what?” I responded.
“Just from all that you have done so far in only two short years. Who would have ever known huh?”
In November 2011, the condition of my lifestyle was so much different than it is today. I was excelling in my part time internship at a well known marketing firm in Jacksonville, Florida and because I was graduating from Flagler College that December, I was offered $80,000 a year to join the staff full time. Also during this same time I was volunteering with the Florida Amateur Wrestling Association, a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization, and it was no secret where my heart was at. The marketing firm looked delightful on my résumé, but I was never satisfied whenever I left for the day. I would constantly rush out of the office from my internship and head over to the gym so that I could train and learn everything that I could about wrestling. My mother along with the rest of my family thought that I was foolish for turning down a lucrative career at the firm to chase a boyhood dream. But two years later everyone sees the fruit of my labor and knows that my decision was not in vain. It wasn’t easy but it was certainly worth it.
“Yeah it’s crazy, God is good. Hard work can go a long way,” I said while slightly reclining in my chair.
“So speaking of long…how long will you be in town for?”
The small talk had abruptly ended. My mom is an intelligent woman and wants to know if commuting back and forth from St. Augustine and Seattle will hinder our close knit bond.
“I have to head out this weekend to make it to Seattle in time for PURE’s presentation event. I’m excited about it but I have the jitters at the same time.”
{{A disappointed look appears across the face of Tracy.}}
“This weekend?! Oh okay, I see…”
{{Anthony stands up from his chair, walks over to Tracy, puts his arm around her, and begins to softly rub her shoulder.}}
“But don’t worry,” I asserted. “I’ll be back down by Wednesday to take you out to one of the finest restaurants in town.”
Life away from her only child was pretty lonely at times. Even as a divorced but educated single woman in her early forties with two doctorate degrees, she would trade her financial prosperity for deeper relationships. She had siblings and peers who lived nearby, but having their own families posed difficulty for regular gatherings. But peers or no peers, nothing could ever replace spending quality time with the young man she had raised.
“You promise?”
{{Anthony playfully shakes his head while smiling.}}
“Come on mom,” I joked. “They don’t call me that for nothing now do they?”
{{Tracy rolls her eyes as she stands to her feet.}}
“Maybe Seattle will be a good thing for you after all…”
“You think?”
“Oh yeah,” she added. “Maybe a habitual Starbucks intake can fuel some better comebacks for you.”
{{I responded by poking her in the side of her stomach. She hated when I did that because she was so ticklish.}}
“Yeah yeah. Whatever mom,” I said over her penetrating laughs.
---------------
It feels weird addressing a camera without the APW emblem situated on the side of it. But life must go on. APW is no more and now it’s all about PURE Wrestling. The irony of working for Callahan and Rebel hasn’t fully settled yet but I’m sure it will be smooth sailing after tomorrow when I take on Maverick Jones. And speaking of Mr. Jones, there is something interesting I learned about my opponent that I can agree with. It is the fact that we all have an internal struggle. The real issue is how you choose to deal with it. My internal struggle for nearly two years has been trying to be myself while being pulled in the opposite direction by the pressures of conforming to the "industry." That in it of itself is enough to make a man go insane. So I can definitely relate when it comes to internal struggles....maybe a little too well. It has become second nature. But I don't know if this struggle of mine is enough to conquer all of my desires and deviate my attention away from you, Jones. This debut tomorrow night is one of the few opportunities that I have at a fresh start.
I don't envision PURE being a sequel to APW like others have, I envision it being a whole new beginning. Though I'm grateful for all that company did for me and how it helped jumpstart my career, The Promise was boxed in for the majority of his duration there. It was expected of me and my Dying Breed brothers to just fall in line and happily do what we were told without questioning authority. There's a place for authority, I'm not pro anarchy, but some of the "politics" that I became acquainted with were uncalled for. But all of this is not coming from a place of embitterment or being ungrateful because I had Dying Breed and the fans in my corner the entire time. Without them, there's no telling where I would be.
So as I’m dealing with my own visceral battles, I see the man whom they call Maverick Jones and I am aware of all that he is capable of. I am aware of his VWF Heavyweight Title reign and also of his CWC Tag Title reign. Heavyweight Title reigns are always made much of but I want to definitely commend you on winning the Tag Team Titles. For those who have followed my career thus far, you know how dear the tag team division has become to me. Hopefully Hopkins and I can help blaze the origins of PURE’s tag team division when the time is right, but that’s a different topic for another day.
I see a man who won’t allow my first time inside of a PURE ring to be a simple walk in the park. But I also see a man that causes me to not only examine my internal struggles, but to channel the spirit of the Apostle Paul and take these deceitful philosophies captive. Now I am not a religious individual, but I am spiritual, and this whole “Grand Design” philosophy is sort of strange to me. It almost…almost makes Scientology look coherent…
Disclaimer: The previous statement was not meant to offend any of my fans who endorse the Scientology worldview.
A man that can come up with his own philosophy is dangerous in more ways than one. Does this “Grand Design” philosophy of yours have a standard of absolute truth? If it does then what basis do you have for it? Was it something that you just brainstormed one day back in VWF? A man who comes up with his own beliefs will ultimately start believing his own lies. I’m not a psychologist, a counselor, or anything of that nature but this could be the root source to the internal struggles you have been having. Before you can ever think about seriously going toe to toe with anyone inside that ring, you must be comfortable and confident in your own skin. But above all, you must be truthful.
As a child, there was no endangerment to my innocent little soul as I believed in the fantasies that was common amongst most children at that age…Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns, affordable health care…
{{Bailey follows his political jab with a smile and a wink directly at the camera.}}
But as I got older, if I still consented to these popular childhood fables, I would’ve been deemed mentally restrained because it is not acceptable for any grown man to walk around still believing in these things. Now the “Grand Design” would have probably thrived in middle school right along with the reputation of the Harry Potter brand of books and movies, but as a grown man competing in a brand new company that has the eyes of the masses on them right now, you should probably rethink this. I’m not saying to abandon your beliefs for the sake of mine, but what I am saying is that the truth will set you free. And not just what is true to Maverick Jones, but what is accurate according to the universe.
I remember back in high school how we had to do this assignment that dealt with the Apostle Paul addressing the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers on Mars Hill in the book of Acts. That was years ago but it brings me to tomorrow, November 11th inside of the Key Arena. I, like Paul, have endured my fair share of persecution. All that I have ever desired to do is to communicate the truth and in the name of truth, I have been verbally attacked and slandered, physically beaten, spit on, the whole nine. The setting of Mars Hill was just that…it was a hill and I am once again taking on the task of climbing these inexperienced elevations known as PURE Wrestling.
But before I can even begin to truly ascend the ranks, an intellectual scholar awaits me at the top of the hill proclaiming a bizarre notion. Do I get upset? I could if I wanted to but that wouldn’t be beneficial. Or do I take the humble approach and point this man that has strayed back to the truth? The humble approach will speak volumes beyond a lifetime. Maverick Jones that’s what I plan on doing with you. I’m not going to take the conventional approach and rattle off how I’m going to bash your brains in and go on to become PURE’s next “big” thing. I have been the “big” thing before in APW and I’ll tell you what…it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. I want people to see past my potential. I want them to see what I am already capable of.
PURE is my clean slate and you better believe that I’m going to capitalize on this opportunity. With a brief but historic APW career under my belt and with Hopkins and the fans by my side, what more do I need? My perseverance is still intact and my focus on both short term and long term goals are clearer than ever. I look forward to our match together Jones. It’ll be some superb competition that will give all a minor taste of what’s to come for this place. It’s sure to be one for the books. But most importantly, I look forward to declaring a design so grand that even you failed to foresee it. How is this even possible? It’s humble confidence…and it’s because I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the first episode of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
