Post by M͓̽o͓̽n͓̽e͓̽y͓̽ M͓̽i͓̽k͓̽e͓̽ on Sept 16, 2018 22:55:39 GMT -5
Fade in… Action Wrestling programming resumes following a commercial break, fading in from darkness, and our scene begins to reveal itself little by little. The sounds of leather on leather, smacking against each other with the muffled impact associated with most heavy bag training. We're able to see a dimly-lit interior view of O'Malley's Gym, looking as if most everyone else had departed for the day, our camera zoomed in and slowly panning out from the aforementioned training gloves, that work over the massive black heavy bag before them. The bag sways with each hit, though a pair of hands also reveal themselves, as our cameras pan out to get a fuller view of the immediate area.
“Mike, you gotta want to win, baby. That's it. Stop figuring your got these people beat, get in there, and show them what you're good at. Nobody remembers people for losing gracefully, right?”
“You gotta forget that stuff, bro… It's not about what happened last time, it's about what you're going to do…”
“Yeah, what's the difference from any other fight… I give it my best, and I'm still comin’ up short. I look like a fuckin’ joke to these people!”
Michael's trainer shakes his head, and sighs, holding the bag a bit tighter and standing well-poised behind it.
“Man, forget what I said about losing gracefully, you're lettin’ your emotions get the best of you man… Come on, you been through tougher shit than this, now realize what you're doin’ wrong, correct it, and come back stronger!”
“That's it, forget what the fuck happened out there last week, last year, any time before!! You're not gettin’ no younger Mike, show them you're not even at your prime yet.. Come on!”
Michael remained silent, just letting sharp exhalation through his mouth as he continued his flurry of high-low combos, and mixing them with knee strikes, spinning back elbows and forcing his trainer to duck out from behind the swinging of the bag.
“Alright, better… You can get pissed off. But can you use it?”
Michael looked back at the trainer, pausing the momentum of the heavy bag with his own hands, before backing up a few paces, and hitting a spinning roundhouse kick. Mike's trainer shrugged and tilted his head, laughing quietly before nodding.
“Alright, just don't hurt yaself, Mikey. I know you're not a chump, just go out there and show them why you should be champ. You hear me?”
“...yeah, I hear you. Listen, thanks for the pep talk. I'll see you later, bro.. Hey, you got any plans Sunday night? I'll get some tickets for you and your's.”
“Why, you need someone to furnish your insurance information, after?” He chuckled lightly as he hung his hand out for a handshake.
“Aye, glad I've got such great friends here. If it comes to that, then it is what it is. Just sayin’ you done a lot for me, least I can do is get you and your old lady some tickets, maybe backstage passes if y'all like that…” Michael grabbed a towel and dried his face off sparingly, hanging the towel over his shoulder before shaking hands with his friend.
“I mean yeah, sure… Listen bro, win or lose, you're a champion already, you hear me? Don't let that shit get in your head, I mean it.”
“I hear you… Just really wanna make Mom proud, that's all.”
“No doubt… How's she doing anyways?”
“Good as she can be, my sister's been with her more than I have lately. Listen, I'll talk to my people, I'll drop the stuff off before I head out. You need a few bucks, just so you don't get chewed out comin’ back late?”
“Nah, she knew I was staying late. She knew you been goin’ through a lot, so she's just having time with Layla. Thanks for offerin’, though…”
“Yeah, of course. You'd do the same for me, man. I appreciate it… Tell her I said thanks too.” Michael smiled and pat his friend on the shoulder, before he'd started to walk off, himself.
“Remember what I said, Mikey!!”
“You know it… Hey, have a good night!”
“I'll do my best! Haha later, brotha.”
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ Commercial Break █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▂ ▁
“What's up A-Dub? See, every time y'all check in with me, the more familiar we all get with each other. Like any good relationship, we both need time to grow, and lo and behold… Here I come, headed for my third Pay Per View match, in Action Wrestling. They say the third time's a charm, right? Who knows how tomorrow night's gonna go for ya boy from Brooklyn. A blue-chipper. I heard that moniker more times than I can remember.. Whether high school, boxing, wrestling, all people ever said is watch out for this young guy, Mike Massaro. And I take pride in that, believe me. That means that someone out there notices what I'm capable of. That means someone knows, I'm a threat to each and every person in that locker room, on that roster, or even those who got yet to even sign their names for a contract here. Action Wrestling staff is no different, you hear it week to week, you feel it as fans, you see that even lately… ‘Money’ Mike been selling himself short. Well, time's over for that.
You see, I came out last week and said, it's no more time for Mr. Nice Guy. It's no more time for happy go lucky me. Well, at the risk of going back on my own word… That wasn't entirely true. See, all I can do, is what I'm good at. What is that, you might wonder… Well even since a young, scrappy kid from Hell's Kitchen, I made it my point to take negatives and turn them to positives. There's more than enough bullies out there in this world. I don't need to become one. That stuff I talked last week, to Casey and Claire… That was all in good fun. I had to play with what cards I was dealt. Y'all wanna make me out as a bad guy, saying I'm pickin’ on my female competition… That's just takin’ away from what they accomplished. You seen what happened, and truth be told, any of us coulda won that match. It ain't about a charity win. Not by a long shot. Those girls, matter fact any body who steps in that A-Dub ring, proves their moxy by just showing up. Granted, some of us can be stronger than other's, I mean I ain't gonna beat a dead horse, but you can't even compare a Charlie Rossi to anybody who still is working for this company. The fact is, if you're even featured on an Action Wrestling show, that is proof enough that you're doin’ better than most anybody in this world. When I asked Torture, when I asked Gravedigger what Action Wrestling had to offer for me… Far as competition goes, they promised, and they delivered. We got the best of the best. And you need an example, you can look no further than the man talking right now!
Granted, it's not been all pomp and circumstances here, so far. Those of y'all who may think I may be a lil too friendly, maybe a whiter shade of vanilla… Obviously I'm headed more toward rocky road. I came in with the fire that makes most Californians nervous, even a breeze could set them back another couple months. But day in, day out, I been working at getting even better. Honing my craft. Tuning my skills finely, just knowing that one day, my waist has every right to get a quick sixteen pound gain added on to it. Like I said before, I'm no boss man. Sure those who know me may call me that, but that's been just in my life until now. All my life I had to fight… The runt of the litter, ya know… Lil Mikey, always got a point to prove to somebody. And you know what, that's a valid statement. I got a point to prove to myself, along with anyone watching, that their faith in me is not in vain. Every time you get knocked down, you gotta get back up swingin’, and that's just what I plan on doing Sunday night at Execution.
You know, everybody loves the underdog. Am I destined to be that guy, the rest of my life? Maybe, maybe not. Just based off my size, it's easy to just count me out, when you got people the likes of Kevin Bishop, T.F.K., Sam Kidsgrove, Shadowlove, Corey Bull, sharing that ring with me. There's a good reason I am where I'm at, but that doesn't mean I'm settling for mediocrity. No sir. The thing is, these guys all got histories with each other. Me, I'm still an unknown. Rookie of the Year candidate, maybe. Blue Chipper Mike Massaro, you know? But ya know what, that's not taking the piss from my name. That's not selling me short, and for every right, by my track record here, you got proof positive that I'm just as likely to get that upset, to topple that giant, to take that elephant in the room and tranquilize his ass til he gets corralled back at the zoo somewhere. Sometimes all it takes is one lightning strike to knock down even the biggest tree, and I'm no different. Sleep on me if you want to, but you're only doing me a favor by that.”
Michael started to unzip his jacket, feeling himself heat up alongside the hype behind his own words. Standing up, Mike paced the floor in front of the bench for a moment, before smiling and looking back in the camera lens.
“That brings me to my next opportunity. This Sunday night, I'm slated to face ‘The Nice Lad’ or ‘The Lucky Lad’ or whatever he'd like to go by, Felix Stapleton the Sequel. As I said before, this guy got history here. Y'all know him, the guys in the back know him, but me? I haven't really given him all that much attention yet. So maybe we're evenly matched, in that regard. The guys who drew up the matches at Execution seem to think so too… And from all I can tell, there's good reason behind it. We're both independent, tough as nails, no bullshit guys, looking to make a name for ourselves, and maybe make enough waves to shake them guys at the top of the A-Dub pyramid. That's all good and well, I'm game, I mean what I know is this guy's got connections, and for all I know he could use that to his advantage. You got Reece, you have this chick Heather who you're worried about, meanwhile I'm in this game still solo like Han. I got nobody who's got my back. Well, scratch that. I can't say that, honestly. Know why? Because you listenin’ right now, these people in the lovely state of New York, my friends, my family, even me myself… I got my back! And dammit, that's all I really need. It got me this far, and I'll be damned if it lets me down any time soon.
See Felix, what I seen so far about you, is that you like to be pissed off. You feed on that negativity. Brooding, smoldering, just letting that hate take over your heart, cloud your judgment, and maybe yeah, you could win a match or two using that motivation. But how far before you start hating yourself? I been there. Believe me, when I lost, I didn't blame the ref. I wouldn't blame my shoes, my gloves, the weather, my opponent. Nah. I'd blame myself. And you know what that does? You start losing that love for yourself, and becoming your own worst enemy. Now, like I said, some people, that's good for. You all get pissed off at the world, throwin’ stuff around, coming up with any excuse that it should have been you who won, not the other guy. But you know what that does, it gives more power to the one who just beat you. See, he doesn't go home and worry about how you're feeling. He's not drinking champagne, and worried like you're missing out. He's goin’ on, celebrating, loving life, and rightfully so. Lookin’ towards the future.
Now if you seen me just earlier, my buddy reminded me of my own advice for them, for years. Live every day like you're a champion. Don't let these losses hold you back, because that's right where you're gonna end up. Left in some memory, on someone else's highlight reel, like ‘Remember that time that Kidsgrove handed Mike's ass to him?’... See, the longer you let that hate fill your heart, the weaker you're getting, Felix my boy. Don't let me talk down to you, it's just an unofficial man-to-man we're having here. Whatever works for you, by all means, don't let me stop you. Maybe I got you figured wrong, by my own right. But I guess I'll speak for myself then, in saying that I look entirely forward to our match at Execution, and I know win or lose, I'm gonna give it my absolute best.
See every time I hop in that ring, I get that little bit better. I learn something new. I get what I expect, and that's more than I bargained for. Have I underestimated my opponents? Maybe. Do I think I could have done better? Oh Hell yeah! But like I said, it's forward we move, onward I'm looking, and upward I aim. We both have a lot riding on this match. Whether you wanna say, that means room to grow, whether that means pride, honor, prestige, or whether that means deciding which one of us is going home with our tail between our legs, ashamed of ourselves…. See, that's not coming from me no more. I promise you that. I'm not letting that resentment, that anger, that hatred even stay in my body any longer than it should. The fact that I woke up this morning, or any of you all listening, you better believe that THAT is a blessing! I know you heard it, and it's damn well true… Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery, that's why we have to focus on this gift called the present! And believe you, me, that I'm taking the present for what it is. Sunday night, I'm granted a chance at redemption. I'm given a chance to get one-up on a well known A-Dub competitor, and for all rights and purposes, I'm damn sure willing to go out there, carry Brooklyn on my shoulder, and show off for all the world to see… That Mike Massaro is MORE than just some lowlife scrub from the dirt. Mike Massaro is MORE than just some scrappy kid from Brooklyn. That Mike Massaro, is greater than he even knows… Wouldn't that be a gift, huh?
Action Wrestling fans, Felix Stapleton fans, Mike Massaro fans, even if you just flipped on this channel cuz you seen a cute guy talking… Listen to me when I tell you. You don't want to miss Execution, and I mean that from start to finish. Forget about football, they got another what, three months to go at least… Tune in tomorrow night, and you'll see some of the best wrestling the world has to offer. Felix, if you're watching this, just listen to what I said so far, and bring your A game tomorrow night. The least I'd want to do to you, or for anybody in that crowd or watching tomorrow night, is to let them down. Don't let me down, and I promise that come win, lose, or draw, I'll give you my best, since so far Action Wrestling's given me nothing but the best! You prove me, that you're no different. I came here for competition, and I'll be damned if I get anything less than that. I know you're hungry, but Hell, I'm starved. I've got my mind right where it needs to be, and that means I'm doing anything in my ability to make sure that when all's said and done, it's my name being called twice by Adilene Floyd… The winner of this match. Call it, by pinfall, or submission… You save that disqualification, unless you want to make things personal real quick. See, I've been training all week, to make sure I'm in tip-top shape, and ready for our match. And you see where I'm at now? All smiles, bro. Like L says, positive vibes, always…. Felix, you can bring whatever you want, or whatever you need to that ring tomorrow night. As long as that means I get a fair fight, with someone who in every right they call a fair match for your's truly. Just know that if I beat you, and God willing I do… It's no hard feelings, bro. Just business…”
Michael smiled and nodded confidently, grinning almost ear to ear as he picked his gym bag off of the floor, and flung it over his shoulder. Without saying another word, Mike gave a quick salute from the side of his temple, and walked off from the camera's view, before our scene faded out and we were treated to another hype video to order the AW Execution event on Pay Per View. ...Fade out