act seven: the inevitable future
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 NLCW, 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 NLCW Heavyweight Champion, I'm a former Road 2 Slamfest Champion, I'm the current Hardcore Champion and eventual Co-Tag Team Champion, and I'm the current reigning Sultan of the Squared Circle with a shot at any title of my choosing within the year.
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 NLCW 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 Carmine talking about how he's king of the mountain and how, despite his loss at Sultan, 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 NLCW 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. Carmine 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.
The worst part is, the man will likely be unwilling to compromise should we actually eventually tag up together. Much as I would love a competant partner at the end of this thing, the fact is that there is a very real possibility that I am teamed up with someone I simply cannot function with.
Though, to be fair... I never believed I could function well with Bucky Skylar, and look at how we turned out in Zero G-1. Definitely not something I could have ever expected, Bucky makes a great partner and he's reliable in tight situations, even despite the history we've had with each other.
In the end, however... to be honest? It doesn't matter who I team with, I'm going to work with them to the best of my ability, just because I know that we can excel if at least one of us has their heart into it. 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 NLCW 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 NLCW...
But you know what? There's only ever been one person in my career here in the NLCW 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 Pericolos 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.
Ah, but don't take my word for it. See for yourself, won't you?