[FADE IN to a totally black background, a small Empire Pro Wrestling TV logo in the top right corner. A few seconds pass before we hears some footsteps, and out of the distance walks “The Dragon”. He’s dressed casually in jeans, boots and a pale T-shirt. He walks slowly, straight towards the camera, and seems to be a good 5 feet off the floor. When he reaches a middling distance from the camera he stops, arms out]
Karl: This is probably how I’m meant to feel right now if rumours are to be believed. Out of the King of the Cage tournament in the first round, out of the Kings of the Cage tournament in the first round, losing all bar one match since I’ve gotten back. If you listen to some people or read some critics, I’m supposed to be feeling empty. Nothing. I’m in the longest losing streak of my career, and probably one of the longest since Ice Tre. According to some, I’ve lost my edge. I’ve taken a huge step back. I should have stayed away from wrestling and stuck to radio. According to some, all this losing is costing me something that took four years to build – a legacy as one of the best young wrestlers in the history of the business.
It’s funny to read all that, to listen to it, because for the most part the people who’ve been saying those things also say they know the way my mind works. They say they’ve followed my career, they’ve wrestled me at some point, and they’re saying that because I’m not winning, I’m not succeeding.
Odd. Because I’ve never claimed that winning was my be all and end all. But I guess it’s a difficult concept for people to understand in a society which focuses on the individual and builds people up to be either a winner or a loser. I saw it at school, I saw it at university, I see it walking down the road. People competing against each other. People saying that it’s not the taking part that matters, but the winning. Everybody from the newest wrestling blogger, to our World Champion, is saying it.
I sound like a stuck record, don’t I? But, look around me at this very moment. In this Nothing you can see exactly how much I care about winning. Winning is kind of nice, you do get a warm, glowing feeling, but winning’s never even been the second most important thing in anything to me. Back when I played rugby, I just wanted to have fun. I stopped playing rugby when it became about winning rather than getting better and enjoying your rugby. I’ve stuck at Taekwondo for 20 years, doing the same art-based discipline, because I enjoy it, and because it challenges me and pushes me further and further. I’ve been involved in wrestling, whether training for it or having matches or talking about it, for 11 years because I enjoy it. I have fun. I enjoy the challenge and seeing how much further I can get pushed. Winning has never been my major concern.
Ah, but that doesn’t fit in with Anarky’s world view. Sorry, I mistook him for someone who didn’t give the impression that he sees it as him against the world, I’ll try harder next time.
Honestly, Anarky, do you think it matters that you weren’t born eight feet tall weighing five hundred pounds? Do you think it matters that you’re not a ring technician? Do you think it makes your success seem any more impressive that you’ve done it your way and not followed the crowd?
If not, why did you bring it up?
Listen, Anarky. I enjoyed our last match. I learnt a lot about myself and my limits. And I had fun. I’m not all that fussed about losing – I’m certainly not going to take my ball and go home just because of a loss or… seven I think it’s up to. It could well be eight after Aggression. But it won’t matter to me if it’s eight losses on the trot, or I win for the second time since I came back last year.
I’m going to enjoy the challenge. I’m going to enjoy you and Copycat pushing me physically, so I can push myself mentally, and see whether I need to push through another limit. The only true competition in life anyone has is against themselves, and whether they win or lose that competition has nothing to do with wins and losses against others.
Oops, I better stop the philosophising. Copycat might claim that it’s part of what’s wrong with the business. Or Sean Stevens might. Or Uncle Tom Cobbly. It seems everyone and their canary is trying to “save” the wrestling business these days. But, and I’m addressing Copycat or Aaron or whoever’s going to be the third in this contest, let’s look at something very, very simple about the wrestling business.
Wrestling is something the masses enjoy. Why do they enjoy it? Yes, there’s spectacle, but the Transformers films Michael Bay puts out have bigger bangs, and Hollywood puts out enough films with spectacle that if that was all people wanted, they’d turn to them. And yes, there are some terrific personality clashes that create a lot of interest, sometimes lasting years, but that’s not enough.
No. Wrestling is about more. There’s something… magical about watching professional wrestling that you don’t see in other sports. Behind all the pageantry, behind the words, the bright lights and the explosions, people realise that in the ring there’s more than just brute strength involved. There’s more than technical skill, and there’s more than guts and determination. There’s something that goes beyond all that, beyond heart, that keeps us as professional wrestlers doing what we do. And the fans relate to and appreciate that. They come back and watch us week after week after week not because someone’s telling them to, or to see if the sport’s been saved, but to watch people struggle against each other and against themselves. The person who loses the match can still be a winner so long as they can honestly say, I gave it my all. Everything I had I left in the ring.
And in Empire Pro Wrestling right now, in March 2011? I can honestly say that I can look up and down this roster and say that every single person has that in them. The business doesn’t need saving… well, it does in a way.
The professional wrestling business needs saving from people claiming to be the saviour of the professional wrestling business.
We’ve never met, Copycat. But hopefully at Aggression we will – you, me, and Anarky. Because in this match it’s not going to be a test for Anarky, or a test for me. It’s going to be a test for you. Anarky I know is sure of his convictions, as delusional as some of what he says sounds to me, and I can hear that he truly believes what he says, from the bottom of his heart. You, though? I’ve been looking back, and you’re the same kind of delusional person I’ve met time and time and time again in this company. You believe your hype. You believe you’re bigger and better than you actually are, even though you are highly skilled.
But like the Sensational One, or Sebastian Dodd, or Layne Winters, or dozens of people I can name, you’ve over-reached. Your mouthpiece claims you’re here to save the business, then they themselves turn out because you can’t be bothered to lace up your boots. You want to test Anarky?
Well, here’s a test for you, Copycat. Turn up at Aggression, and wrestle. Wrestle against the current World Champion and a guy who has nothing to lose. If you don’t, you’ll prove an assumption I’ve got about you true. That assumption?
I’ll tell you at Aggression. See if you can guess it first. A little game for you, if you like.
Anarky and Copycat… it looks like if it turns out that way, I’m going to enjoy this match, win or lose.
Now to sit back and wait for the inevitable “You’re a loser, enjoy losing, loser”-esque comments.
[FADE OUT]