The future talks to the future
[FADE IN. A small gym, with a wrestling ring set up in the centre. A group of wrestling trainees are being taught the ropes by some now retired stars of yesteryear. Outside the ring, sitting down, some more students watch on. Suddenly, one of the trainers blows a whistle, and all the students take a seat on the outside]
Trainer#1: OK. I promised a guest speaker today, and we’ve got a great one, almost fresh out of training himself, and already facing some of the best this business has. Let’s give a warm welcome to Karl “The Dragon” Brown.
[Karl, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, walks out from a door on the side as the trainees give him a polite reception. He stands in front of them, shaking hands with the first trainer, before leaning back against the ring apron]
Karl: OK. I was told you guys wanted to hear from someone who’s been in the business and gotten some success. Unfortunately, you’ve got me instead. [Some polite laughter at the lame joke] Seriously, though, I heard you guys wanted some insight into what it’s like going into the business. For those who don’t know me, I was in MCW before it closed, and currently compete in Empire Pro and the NWL. I’ve had a couple of near-title experiences, losing to Adam Benjamin twice, once for the MCW world title and once for Empire’s IC strap, and am going up against four other guys in the WLS in the NWL to decide their world’s champion. That’s some basic about me, like I said. The way I intend to do this today, though, is for you guys to ask questions, and I’ll try and answer them, k?
[The trainees almost immediately raise their hands. Karl points to one on the second row, a man in his mid twenties wearing an orange and black T-shirt, his black hair tied in a pony tail]
Trainee#1: Yeah, I was wonderin’, what’s it like working for two groups?
Karl: It can be quite tough sometimes, especially if they both have cards close to each other time wise but at other ends of the country. Both the companies tend to do shows at similar times, so it can be a rush to get from one to the other. Thankfully, NWL has cards mainly in New York, so I know roughly where I’ll be from week to week. But at the same time, it’s a lot of fun. I work with a lot of different people, from the likes of Adam Benjamin, Jonathan Marx and Tyrone Walker in Empire to Dakota Smith, The Watcher and Maelstrom in the NWL. Lots of different styles, and a lot of good competition, it means I have to be at the top of my game a lot. But it’s fun.
[Karl nods to another trainee, a young woman, her hair braided, each braid a different colour]
Trainee#2: Hi. When you travel, do you travel with people, or on your own, and how do you keep your mind occupied?
Karl: Well, I know a lot of the guys travel together sometimes if they have a busy schedule, but I tend to keep to myself on the road. I always drive, unless it’s a mad rush to get somewhere, when I’ll fly. If I’m flying, not a lot I can do, since it’s economy class, but when I drive, I have a rather large selection of CDs, dating back to when I did student radio back in England, so there’s a lot of fairly obscure British acts in there, as well as the more known bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blue Oyster Cult, and the like. I listen to a fair bit when I’m driving to keep myself awake. Some of those drives can be pretty bad.
[Karl points again, this time to one of the younger trainees; a kid aged about 16, wearing a homemade “Emperor Marx” T-Shirt]
Trainee#3: Yeah, I was wondering what your thoughts were going into your match against Marx and Walker at this weeks Aggression? I mean, you’ve been pretty quiet, almost as if you don’t care about this match.
Karl: This is a match like any other to me. The same as my match with Maelstrom upcoming, the same as my matches against Benjamin, Sands, Dakota Smith, Magellan, and others I’ve met in the ring. Yeah, I’ve been quiet, not promoting as much as I normally would, but there’s not been much to say. I’ll be honest and say my mind was on my career in NWL earlier this week, especially going up against a man regarded as the best in the industry. But, no I haven’t been overlooking Marx or Walker.
My thoughts? Well, Walker’s a very diverse character, coming off some good wins. He’s got some good offence, and he likes to take risks. And a man who takes too many risks will crash sooner or later. Maybe this match? Who knows. He’s going to be tough enough. And then you’ve got Marx, a man I’ve faced before, a great talent. He showed me why he was the Rookie of the Year according to FWI last year. I may not like his friend Brandon’s take on satire, but I can’t and won’t take anything away from Jonathan. He’s a highly skilled technician in the ring, and I know that for every hold I’ve got, he knows how to counter it. But the thing is, I know how to counter his holds too. I may be British, but I’ve trained in Canada and Japan, under some great tutors, and mixed the styles together. Marx I hear is going over to the UK to get some pointers? [The trainee who asked the question nods] Well, he can do that. It’s a smart move on his part. Me, I’m going to do what I always do, and train like it’s the match of my career. Both these guys are tough, and both are over one hundred times better than I am. That’s how I train. I always expect to lose.
Trainee#3: So, what you’re saying is you don’t get your hopes up?
Karl: No. I’m realistic, and work on the basis that losing is inevitable. Look at Marx; he lost in the triple threat against myself and Christian, and lost in the four-way. Look at Maelstrom; he lost to The Watcher a couple of weeks back. No-one is unbeatable, and I know that. If you think you’re the best and are guaranteed to win, then you’ll hit the floor hard when you lose. Losing hurts at the best of times, which is why I expect it. It hurts a helluva lot less, especially if I know I’ve done my best in the ring. And if I win, then it’s that much more of a buzz, that much more of a drive. It’s like here; you get shown the ropes, shown the moves, and it hurts when you mess up, right? But when you get it right for the first time, it’s a great feeling. Think of that little moment coming amplified with every win, and you’ll get where I’m coming from.
[Before any more questions can be asked, one of the trainers steps back in]
Trainer#2: OK. Karl’s said he’s willing to do some training with us, and it’s getting on in the day, so let’s get back to work, shall we? Paul, you’re up first.
[Karl and Paul, the youth wearing the “Emperor Marx” T-shirt, climb into the ring and shake hands, before beginning a slow-paced training match. FADE OUT]