Post by Patti Rose on Jan 5, 2020 2:30:39 GMT -5
Wrestling, like life, has a habit of surprising you when you least expect it. At forty nine years of age Patti Rose had considered throwing in the towel, and hanging up her well worn white boots. She’d seen a lot throughout her career. High points, low points. Titles won, titles lost. But there comes a time in your professional life where you’re no longer..relevant.
In a world dominated by social media, where success is defined less by your resumé, and increasingly by the number of followers at your fingertips, there appeared to be no road back for a middle aged woman, sporting a haircut that was last in style before most of her counterparts were even born. She would look around the locker rooms of the rare shows she got invited to. Young models with their MMA backgrounds in a merry go round of same sex relationships. They laughed at her because for being different. She laughed at them for being the same.
And so the story goes; if you want to stand out from the crowd, give them a reason not to forget you. And on that basis, or so she assumed, an opportunity had presented itself. An opportunity most wrestlers would sell their own Grandmothers for.
She was returning to the limelight.
‘Hello Action Wrestling. My name is Patti Rose and I am the future of professional wrestling.’
She let out a laugh, nervously twirling a lock of her silver hair around her finger.
‘Ok, maybe not the future. But I am the past. And the fact that I stand before you here today, an Action Wrestling superstar suggests I’m still very much the present. Now I’m a straight talkin’ girl, I prefer to shoot from the hip, so let’s address the elephant in the room. You’re probably thinking, ‘who’s this old chick with the mullet? And why have they signed her to a contract.’ Hell I’ve been asking myself that same question myself these past few days. This place is a who’s of who of the some of the best wrestlers in the world today. Any grappler with half an ounce of ambition would want to be here, testing themselves against the great and good of the squared circle. To make it here you have to be one hard working son of a gun, and ready for a challenge.’
‘Now I’m no stranger to adversity. I’ve had mountains to climb and obstacles to overcome in my long ol’ career. I beat men when it was deemed impossible to do so, won belts I shouldn’t have won, and toured foreign lands in this profession long before women were ‘in vogue’. I’ve built a legacy on defying the odds, and working my ass off to get noticed. The harder the battle the sweeter the victory, in my eyes. So this to me is just another hurdle standing in my way. Another opportunity to prove folks wrong, and give hope to those that need it.’
‘Now they don’t come much harder than a four way dance that’s for sure. Multi person matches can be unforgiving. You can be at your best throughout and still come away empty handed. I know that more than anyone. But at the end of it all, success is what happens when you’ve survived all your mistakes. Only one of us newbies will seize the moment this Sunday. But any of us can get noticed. An aging woman, two guys in animal masks and walking vanity project. When the four of us hit that ring the crowd won’t know which way to turn. A sea of unconventionality if ever they saw one. But when it’s all said and done, they will only remember one of us when the curtain comes down and they head on hone for the night. The one with their arm raised aloft.
So bring your best, boys. Because I wouldn’t want it any other way.’