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What do you do when no one is listing?
He's a good boy The man said, smiling. Very quiet. No trouble to us. He's almost a part of the family already. I will get you your money, Gaspare Paolino said, the lupara hanging over his shoulder, partly hidden by the sleeve of his shepherd's coat. I give you my word. Now, please. Let me have my son. Your father gave his word, too, Many times. And I am still left with nothing. Besides, the boy will know a better life with us. We can give much more than you. And with your father out of the way, you will no longer have to live in debt. At least to us. Paolino looked down at his son and remembered the early mornings when he would lift him onto his shoulders and carry him down the slopes of the olive groves toward his flock. His head was filled with the happy sounds of a boy's laughter, as he urged his father to go faster and catch up to the grazing sheep. That brief and blissful memory was quickly replaced by the image of a grown Carlo, now a hardened member of the camorra, glowering at him from the top of that very same olive grove, standing tall and silent as men with guns raced to fill their pockets with the wages of the working poor. Paolino Vestieri knew he must never allow the son he loved so much to grow up to be such a man. He stepped closer to Gaspare and his son, ignoring the two men standing on either side of the room. One way or another, Paolino said, my son will come with me. You talk like a brave man. Gaspare put the cigar back in his mouth, his voice turned harder. But your actions will show where your courage takes you. Let me have my son Paolino said, feeling the sweat race down his neck and back. I have no more to say to you. Gaspare dismissed Paolino with a wave. Tend to your flock, shepherd. Let me worry about the boy. Paolino fell to his knees and swung the lupara from his back to his hands. But he did not aim it at the criminal Gaspare. The gun was aimed directly at his son's chest. The two men in the corner pulled their own handguns and aimed it at Paolino. Gaspare backed away from the boy, his smoldering cigar now cupped in his right hand. Carlo stared at his father, his lower lip quivering. You would kill your own blood? Gaspare asked. Your only son? Better for him to be dead than to live with you Paolino said. You don't have the heart for such a move, I don't even know if I do. Then save him and let him come home with me. Gaspare stared at Paolino for several minutes, glaring into his eyes, taking slow puffs off the cigar. No He said, shaking his head slowly. Paolino turned away from Gaspare and looked at his son. It was as if the two of them were now alone. The hard gaze of the boy's eyes told his father all that he felt he needed to know. It would not take the camorra long to steal the young boy's spirit and turn it against those he loved. They would seduce him with romanticized images of power and wealth, easily lure the child in with vivid portraits of a life much more alluring and appealing than that of a shepherd's son. It would be a corrupt life, one without scruples or morals or decency. They had not had enough time to completely tear the boy away from him, not yet, but Paolino could see that such a path had already been paved. The boy would be a thief, a criminal and, one day, a murderer. I love you, Carlo Paolino said and squeezed the trigger. He watched as the bullet's impact sent his son hard against the stone fireplace. Carlo crumpled to the ground, his face inches from the sparks of the crackling wood, his eyes half-open, dead from his father's hand. Now he belongs to no one He tossed aside the lupara and walked toward the fireplace. He bent down, picked his son up in his arms, turned and left. That’s how my father killed the brother I never got to meet. This is my story… Nothing left to lose… 
Matt, the old man is to no use to me. He’s where you last saw him. That’s as much as I am going to say. Your acting as if there is still a grudge to be had between us. But there really is nothing. No feelings of revenge. Nothing. I’m that soul who is just here to collect a pay check. Nothing more. But I wonder why you would believe everyone is against you in this four way match. There isn’t anyone I can turn to inside that ring come Vital Signs, I’m as alone as you. Except Dragon. Double D was on your side. The Modern Marvels. He was the 3rd link. And because that anniversary hangover is over I’m supposed to believe you two don’t harbor any ‘Partnership’ I may be dumb, but I’m not retarded. It's funny how much things change over time, how different a person can become and how far they can trail from who they once were. Some for the better, some for the worse... but ultimately, it happens to everyone. We all change, we all grow, we all evolve... it's part of human nature. If we wish to survive in this world, we have to know how to adapt and move forward, and so many of us have mastered doing just that. For different reasons, mind you, but nevertheless there is not a single person in the HIW who does not understand the importance of moving forward against all odds. The problem with moving forward, however, is how one manages to do it. Some of us move forward with our heads held high, whilst some others go blindly into the future, their vision focused on the past. That's the problem I seem to find in everyone else towards me, actually... so many look to my past and they don't see the true story, they just see the surface of an ocean-deep reality. I've heard people talk before, of course... say that I'm trying to relive the glory days-- which, you know? I only retired... what, two years ago now? Just about? I'm in my early thirties, guys... I'm getting old, but I'm not an old man just yet. What I made was an early retirement and I changed my mind... most people would think it a good thing that I did. I suppose though that it's just the nature of the beast in the end... those that stand against you will conjure up everything they can to try and bring you down, even when those against you are generally good, decent people. It never changes, that at least is true. From Dragon to Matt, the nature of the beast is prevalent in many. There was a saying I used a very, very long time ago... it's fitting, really, especially for those few of the HIW who believe themselves to be miracles of wrestling: we're nothing like God-- in fact, sometimes, we're driven to become the devil himself. There was a point in my career where I was driven to the brink and had to be helped back from it by a dear friend of mine, a time where I'd lost my mind and had to regain all sanity just to function well in the ring once more. The HIW was what provided me with shelter, a new home, a new hope for the future and eventually, a new life course I'd never thought possible. To spell things out here... my best days in the HIW? They're not over. They're not over, because I'm still fighting forward, and as long as I'm fighting in the HIW, I consider every day spent in this place to be the best day I've been within it. Sure, I can rank some matches in numerical order of importance to my career, but I treat each and every match the same in the end... and I can say this because hindsight allows me to do so. Final Solution? No different to me than a typical Four way match, albeit with the environment changed to something... well, something entirely sadistic, really. The point is, my matches blur together and yet remain clear memories to me, and that's because I treat every match with the same importance. I did it then, I do it today, even when I've no fear of losing today like I had back then. That's the one thing that so many of my opponents up until this point have failed to realize, and something that many of my critics just don't seem to understand: there's a reason I'm out and about on behalf of the HIW, there's a reason I'm with our fans more often making appearances, making speaking arrangements, and what have you... it's because right now I can use my abilities as a free agent to help spread the HIW's fame. That's what's important, too, it's hooking in more people to see what we're all about. When I'm out there, sure it's my name that draws people in... but I'm not selling them on who I am, I'm selling them on who I work for, who made me, who put me in the world standing I find myself in today. The HIW has given me as much as it can, and now that I have the resources to give back, that's exactly what I find myself doing. It's honestly, very fulfilling work. So when I hear critics talk, when I hear opponents claim that I'm a washed up former champion who only holds a title because I can swing a chair? It doesn't offend me, hell it doesn't even really bother me at all... it just makes me laugh. It makes me laugh because even after everything I've proven, even after all the odds defied and the matches won despite all doubt... I'm still underestimated even today. These newcomers to the HIW look at me and they don't see a legend, they don't even see a wrestler anymore... they just see a washed up former champion and expect an easy win over a guy who should have never came back after a piss pour eXperts performance Sad fact of the matter is, kids, I'm here right now, I practically never left. It took me just about two years to do for my family's future what it takes most people a lifetime to achieve. The thing that most folks don't realize is, I didn't go to college for wrestling. I trained in a prestigious wrestling school, certainly, but what I went to college for was business... I understand this game better than most people in it do. That's why I was able to capitalize on so much from the HIW, work together with the board in order to make sure both the federation as well as myself prospered and, beyond that, it's why I was able to act as CEO a long time ago for the short while I did before Hall became the face, and this is just by the by, I brought in in the first place. Yet so many of the wrestlers still around today, and so many of these wrestlers now new to the HIW scene, just either don't plain remember or they never bothered to look it up. They never realized the impact I actually had on this place, never understood the goals and reasons I had for what I was doing... why do you think I've yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? I retired, sure, but I wasn't going to be gone for long. In any event, after hearing all the criticisms and the comments going on about me, it just... I dunno, it sort-of made me a bit more confident, actually. These people are stretching for whatever they can find to reassure themselves that they'll do well against me. They keep reaching, and reaching, and struggling to grab at some misconceived notion that I'll actually take offense to what they say and let my guard down out of anger, so that they might capitalize on the advantage. I guess I'm going to have to spell this one out for the fine people who love to talk so much trash, yet seem so very afraid to back it up once their time in the ring begins: none of you, not a single, solitary one of you, could possibly deny me my dreams any longer. It's that simple, people. You just... you can't. There's nothing left for you to do, I've already earned my dreams, I'm already living my dreams, and when all that's left for me to do is finish this chapter off on this story of mine, you can bet that I'm not about to let someone take the pen out from my hands. Writing out this final chapter is very important to me, you know... it really is the culmination of all my planning, the accomplishment of all my dreaming, and the fulfillment of a goal set long before my career ever truly began. I've already accomplished so much, but there's still so much left to be done, and to me... it's an honor to be able to do it all in the place that got me to where I am. That's why I'm entering into competitions where I can, that's why I'm accepting challenges and matches when they arrive, and that's why I'm going out cross-country for the HIW, spreading the name and the fame of the place that got me where I am today. It's because, for me, this is a dream come true... this is exactly where I never thought I could be in my career and yet somehow, here I am. I'm a former multi-time HIW Elite Champion Yet it is because of these accomplishments that still others criticize, claiming that I'm nothing more than a wrestler who lives through the titles he gains. Allow me to ask the question, however... how do you really think I gained these titles in the first place? How do you think I managed to reach all the success I have? It wasn't by luck or coincidence, that's for certain, and it certainly wasn't because of always being in hardcore matches because, hey, the majority of my matches in the HIW are standard singles. Yet because of success, they choose to judge. Because of accomplishments, they believe me to be a man only living through those accomplishments, and they stand by these beliefs because it's all they have to make themselves feel some form of moral superiority over a man they know they'll never truly be able to surpass. We have people like Matt talking about how he's king of the mountain and how, despite his loss to Travis, he came out the winner in the end. He thinks people were talking about him more because he was the better man, the hot young star taking the HIW by storm... and it's sad, because he's only half-right and he's letting it get to his head. He is a member of this federation's future, there's no doubting that. Matt has skills, a raw in-ring ability that makes him a serious threat to anyone who stands in his way, but that does not mean that he's already at the top of the federation because of it. The kid's headstrong, that's for certain, but the problem is that he's completely sober and rational when he says that he's at the top, and he truly believes that to the point of degrading those around him. In the end, however... to be honest? It doesn't matter about who is apart of this four way matches, my effort is to waist. As long as I show up and follow what is placed in front of me then everything is ok. I trashed DOA my first promo since eXperts and yet Im still a major playa? I could feed you all thrash because in the end everything is already clear cut. I mean they still have Sam as my right hand player, when she died. She past away due to a heart attack. Doesn’t anyone take the time to watch my life? The problem with a lot of these critics is that they don't realize the heart that I still have for this thing, the burning desire I have to see this federation prosper and move forward just as each of us individually within it work hard to move forward with ourselves. They don't understand that a lot of this final chapter I'm writing here... it isn't just for me. It's for the fans I left behind prematurely, it's for the federation I had to stop fighting for for awhile, it's for the people I left behind when I did what I had to do. Of course it's for me, there are things left from my last run that I want to experience and there are people left who I've never fought before that I would love to face one on one with someday... but I'm not the sole reason for what I'm doing here today. That's the whole point of this story I've been telling, the whole point of what I've spoke of up to this very moment. My family, my friends... the people who truly matter to me, they're who I do this for. For the fans who cheer me, who buy HIW products just because my name or picture is on them... these people who support me so fiercely, I refuse to let down. A guy can claim that I'm in it for myself, or that this humble attitude with confident bravado is nothing but a front to cover my gigantic ego... they can claim that I've never been a team player, or that I'm not cut out for the new breed of the HIW... But you know what? There's only ever been one person in my career here in the HIW who was right when they told me I wasn't a good team player, and it's because of that person that I decided to improve at it. Funny thing is, if she saw me today, I still don't know if she'd have forgiven me for the past... but at least she'd be proud of me for the present. She'd be proud because she knows at least that what she said before can't be said right now, and she'd be right there with me when I answered that I am a team player, and that right now, I'm out to help this place prosper more than anything. You see, kids... you all have your eyes on my past and see me in our present as if I'm trying to relive that glory. I'm not, those days are long behind me and I know there's no reliving them, so why bother trying when I can shape and define new moments in this life and career of mine? Hell, for all I know, the best of the best is still yet to come, and all that I've done up to this point in time has been in preparation for it. In this business, you never can know what to expect. The best you can do is study the tapes and prepare for anything. My past is secure and it's something I'm proud of, it's something I can look back on and say that I lived to the fullest of my potential during. There are people I've met along the way and friends I've made that today I couldn't give up even if I wanted to, and all because of the decisions I made and the person I was back then. The person who grew into who I am today. My present was planned out for a very, very long time... and those plans are what saw me find the success that I have. I'm proud of my present, because it took a lot of effort just to reach this point... and this point is something that even with all my planning I still didn't expect to reach in the end. My present is something I can live in and be happy, knowing that all I've wanted to accomplish I have, and all that's left to do now is tie up what loose strings still remain from before. Ah, but my future? Aside from looking as bright as it does, what do I know about it to say that it's secure? My past dictated my present, and my present dictates my future... and right now, the ball seems to be eternally in my court, doesn't it? Despite people somehow still underestimating me, despite me somehow being some messed up kind-of underdog even after all I've done... I still maintain clear control over the situations that surround me, and I don't let myself get sucked into the pettiness and the politics of the federation that so many of these newcomers get tangled in. Simply put, everything's gone according to plan up until now, and the plans I have for my future? Well... let's just say that although I'm already a legend today, this story of mine's only about to get better at its end, and my family? Heh... trust me, there will be more than enough little Johnny Styles running around when it's all said and done. The legacy I leave behind in wrestling is something that's very important to me, something I hope can inspire others when they come in to build on their own careers... and to be honest, I think I'm doing a damn good job so far. And that, my friends, is just how the story goes. There's no changing it. No avoiding it. No stopping the inevitable. I'm a dreamer, a storyteller, a planner and a believer. So tell me, because I really do want to know now... ... just who the hell are all of you? See you on Vital Signs, kids. -- FIN -- |