Post by Tatiana on Mar 13, 2022 13:33:00 GMT -5
And so, what now?
Where was I going to go from here?
What was the logical next step for Tatiana Jolee?
God, if only I had the answer to that, I wouldn’t be in this messed up situation right now, would I? And yet here I am… I’ve lost my Television Championship. I was knocked out of BattleBowl in the most humiliating way possible, and then I was shunned when I made my challenge on Last week’s CLASH. Though, I know now that the reason the segment never aired was because the powers that be and NOT Dandy Divito axed the challenge and opted not to air it as not to make the champion look weak.
It’s logical, even if I was pretty jaded about it at the time.
But I feel it necessary to say that Dandy DiVito is anything but weak or a coward.
And though I’m sure he would have accepted the match… It also makes no business sense to sanction it if you’re ACTION WRESTLING… Especially if it’s outside of Canada. The risks outweigh the reward. If I defeat the champion, then it puts the succession of number one contenders into question. And if he beats me, then they’ve wasted a Cage match on an exhibition with no real heat or build.
Politics…
But shit, it’s whatever. I’m over it now. It doesn’t mean that I’m not pissed off, or feeling jaded anymore because if I wasn’t… Then it’d be time to retire…
Indifference is the mortal enemy of the professional wrestler.
The moment you lose that drive to thrive, is the moment you cease to be a productive member of the roster.
Indifference is the mortal enemy of the professional wrestler.
The moment you lose that drive to thrive, is the moment you cease to be a productive member of the roster.
But don’t worry, Dandy… After I become AW World Champion, I’ll give you the cage match that I know both of us would be down for. And I’ll do it in Canada, so we can have the showcase match of the calendar year on the biggest stage available to anyone in this sport.
Cool story…
Right?
Alas, onto the task at hand… A fatal four-way battle with four of the best athletes on the roster with nothing but pride on the line. A match that will pit myself against the likes of John Black… Odin’s BFF… Or at least you’d think so with how much that moron obsesses about him… Sam Kidsgrove, who is both sophisticated, humble, and dangerous all at the same time. And Cass Adler, who isn’t getting the same press attention as the rest of us… despite his best efforts… But he is as capable as anyone.
I mean that… Even despite the fact that he’s a total asshole…
And then there’s me…
My actions as of late have been under a microscope. Sometimes it feels like I can’t sneeze without people pointing at me in the streets and yelling “HERITAGE!”. Yes, I get it… You all think that I’m in cahoots with those guys, and if you listen to James for a moment it becomes quite obvious that he thinks a lot of me.
Not going to lie… I appreciate that about him. He’s a good friend to me
But once again, I will tell you ALL that I’m NOT a member of the Heritage
We’re all from Canada, and we’re friends outside of work.
THAT’S IT
It’s NOT the fault of The Heritage that I’ve lost my last couple of opportunities, and it WON’T be because of The Heritage that I go out there at BattleBowl and beat Black, Adler, and Kidsgrove CLEAN in the middle. I mean, I’m good friends with Holden Ross, but nobody is accusing me of being a part of GRINDHOUSE. I’m friends with Lissie Hope, but there’s no conspiracy that we have some secret cabal or that we’re a part of some secret society where we plot the demise of the wrestling world.
Or do we…?
I kid, I kid…
This match at BattleBowl might not be at the top of the marquee. It might not have the hype of the tournament and no championships are up for grabs. But for all three of us involved, it means everything in the moment. For me, it’s a much needed reset after the controversy that has followed me for the past month. It’s an opportunity to step back, focus on winning ONE match at a time and EARN my way back up the ladder.
Yes, I still want my TV Title back
Yes, I wish I were in the tournament still
Yes, I would LOVE that cage match vs DiVito
But none of that matters this weekend, does it? And that’s especially true if I go out there and have another stinker of a match. The world is focused on me right now, not because of what I’ve done but because of what I’ve failed to do in recent weeks. There are whispers of my decline, and some who feel that everything is pushing me towards an unsavory outcome. My critics have all the big guns out, and they’re taking aim at me.
The only way I can silence them is to go out there and reestablish myself. To put on a hell of a match against three BIG time talents, and to come out on top. And that, more than anything else, is what motivates me. I must win, I NEED to win, and I'll do whatever it takes to have my arm held up in victory at the end of the night.
The only question my opponents should be asking themselves is whether or not they’ll be willing to do the same?
- - - -
Honestly, I felt a bit indignant about the snub last week. I mean, I went out there to make a statement, to prove a point… And what I got was clowned.
-huff-
Yeah, I took the high-road in my promo piece because I had to. But that didn’t change the facts. Instead of defending the TV Title, or featuring in a marquee match I was in a fatal four way with a guy I respect (Kidsgrove) - one I don’t fully understand (Black) - and a guy who is so completely obsessed with me that I’ve become one of his primary talking points.
“Fucking Cass Adler… All the bluster of Zoey Adler with only half the tits”
I shook my head as I made my way through the rows of cars in the Tacoma Arena parking lot. I specifically left mention of him out of my promo because I knew how badly he wanted it. He was a salty little prick with a warped sense of entitlement and a complex that would make Freud blush. I knew that I couldn’t let that motherfucker win this match, much less beat ME to win it…
God, I’d NEVER hear the end of it..
“Ugh…”
But I knew a lot of his bravado was part of his schtick. It was the oldest trick in the book… Talk shit about somebody so much before a match so they’ll be incandescent with anger that they focus on the wrong things. I WANTED to strangle him just to shut his mouth, but I NEEDED to win the match… And that was always going to be my focus.
“I can’t neglect Sam or John either. Both of those guys are more than capable of winning this thing. And they don’t have the burden of distraction like I do”
I would be lying if I said that I was 100% focused on this match… Hell, I did lie about it in my promo. The fact of the matter is that I have so much riding on my shoulders right now. A whole nation is holding out hope that I get back into my winning ways, and worst yet is the fact that I need this just to get myself up off the proverbial floor. Few in AW are as embattled as I am at the moment, and another loss on such a big stage would be catastrophic for my short-term goals.
Plus I’d have to listen to Adler run is mouth even more
“He has such a punchable face”
I muttered to myself, shifting the duffel bag on my shoulder as I drew ever closer to the rear entrance to the arena. Soon I’d be forced to get myself ‘into character’ and say all the right things to keep 'em all guessing. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d catch Holden, Lissie, or James in catering… If I was unlucky, I’d have to answer dumb questions, or even have to occupy the same space as Cass before it was absolutely necessary.
“Hard no”
Did I always talk to myself like this?
“Yes…”
Again, I let out a sigh with a half grin. Honestly, even if I’d MUCH rather be in a match DEFENDING the Television Title, or competing for BattleBowl itself… Getting to stretch that idiot was at least something to look forward to. I know he’s absolutely incapable of humility or even the base level of self-awareness… But it would be rewarding to hear him squeal like a little bitch when I’m putting his limbs to their breaking point.
“He thinks I’m broken… Beaten.. Pft… I’ll show him broken and beaten”
FOCUS, TJ!
Jesus H. Christ… Cassidy Adler ISN’T the ONLY one you’re fighting out there tonight. You have to deal with John Black and Sam Kidsgrove - BOTH of whom are former champions in their own right and are just as eager as you are to get this victory.
I’m sure they find that blowhard just as insufferable as I do, and they may be in queue to put a foot up his ass as well. But in my defense, it was Adler who made this a personal matter. He just had to twist that knife, to be an oppressive, immature, whiny little twit. And so whatever happens to him out there tonight will be his fault, and not mine
Hell… I might even welcome the interjection of The Heritage if it meant that piece of shit got what was coming to him
“Did I say that out loud?”
I mused with a coy look on my face… I knew the answer was no, but it was still a tantalizing thought…
“Maybe I should go have a talk with James and Harper?”
This was a mighty consideration, one that I made out loud before passing through the threshold of the parking lot and into the backstage area
I guess we’ll just have to see how things turn out…
Won’t we?