act ten: metaphorical history
It's funny how significant the Wii has been as of late in our society. Bringing people together, uniting families in the common goal of having a little big-headed avatar of themself perform simplistic sports... and, apparently, making NLCW tag teams stronger.
Who knew? Who knew that Nintendo could make such a device that would help make two wrestlers learn to trust each other that little bit more than they had before, so they could function more effeciently as a team? It's funny how that works, but sometimes it just takes a little time with some common interests to make a team stronger. In the case of Isaac and I, well... needless to say we didn't start as a team that had actually wanted to work together with each other. We just sort-of... wound up together, but in the span of a week we made things work out far better than expected.
Now, we're up against a guy we've beaten twelve ways from Sunday and a new guy we've very little to go by against. Carmine Vestieri and Drew Graham... the arrogant newcomer who thinks he's a legend and the actual newcomer who hopes to one day become a legend.
To be honest? I'm more afraid of the new guy than Carmine. I mean, Carmine... he shows potential, you know? He's a hell of a performer, hell of an athelete, and with enough training he's destined to be one of the greats of the future. Yet his attitude, his ego, and his lack of respect all add up to a package that just doesn't have a lot of potential for forward movement. He is basically doing the very opposite of what this federation boasts, in that he is limiting himself to being a one-trick pony.
To put it bluntly? He dishes out typical schoolyard bullshit insults that have no substance and no value outside of this primitive notion that teamwork between tag partners somehow equates to homosexuality-- which, as an aside, I find hilarious if he expects to actually try and win this Sunday-- he constantly ups his own (limited) success in the industry, he honest-to-God believes himself to be some kind of "gift" to the wrestling world...
Fuck's sake, the guy's like the wrestling equivalent to Kanye West, sans half the talent and with a magnified ego.
As for Drew... well, really, I don't know. Haven't seen any matches, haven't seen any tapes, and I can't find any records on the guy's history in the industry so that I can actually view something to give me insight on his in-ring ability. To me, he's the dangerous one of the two. With Carmine, I can expect two things: childlike babbling in an attempt to be insulting to his opposition, and a semi-decent in-ring ability that still needs a lot of honing before he's ready for the top of the mountain. With Drew? I got nothing. Literally nothing. I mean-- listen, I at least know some of his physical aspects, which I guess helps some, but for fuck's sake, he's the literal wildcard in this match. No-one knows what to expect from him.
The guy's 6'1" and he weighs about 260-to-270 pounds. Do you realize how little that gives me to work with? For all I know he could be an MMA master just waiting to get in the ring with me and snap my legs like little twigs, and I'm friggin' bigger than he is. This is the problem with new guys to the industry, you know nothing to expect from them, and while they may be a bit green to the whole process, they still have the potential to wreak some havoc if you take them lightly.
Just ask Sean Galen, he underestimated this new guy from the HWF when he went to face the guy for the guy's first match here in the NLCW... and you can guess what happened next.
He lost.
To me.
I know what Drew's probably feeling right now, I know that energy that's coursing through his veins and I know the desire he has to make a big name for himself out of this match and, hell, he damn well might... but you know what? Only he knows for certain. Not me, not Isaac, and damn sure not Carmine Vestieri who, let's face it, probably doesn't even give two shits about his own damn partner. Unfortunately for Drew, who might also be another big name for the NLCW's future, he wound up getting teamed with a guy you know is just out for himself more than anyone else.
So where does that leave us for Sunday, then?
Well, to be honest, I think Isaac said it best last time: they don't stand a chance. Isaac and I are motivated, we're a team now and we've embraced the fact that we have to act like one. When push comes to shove, if we wind up having to face each other in singles competition down the road we both know we can trust the other for a respectful, challenging match that's going to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats. We aren't going to turn on each other like rabid dogs... we don't really have a reason to, in the end.
I have everything I could ever want now, and I'm just out here now to enjoy myself and wrap up a story I'm looking forward to finally finishing... and Isaac? He's out there to define his own story in history, to make his own name synonymous with NLCW legend. He's not looking to get there by cheating or taking shortcuts, he's looking to earn his spot up there and, you know what? He can.
Unlike Carmine Vestieri, Isaac Reynolds has his heart set in the right direction, and that's exactly why he is the future of this company. That's exactly why he wound up becoming my tag partner by the end of that battle royale and, you know what? That's exactly why he and I are going to tear down the ring on Sunday and lay waste to two guys now simply standing in our way.
We have a plan, we have a future that points to success, and we both know exactly what path to take to get there.
The question is, do you, Carmine? Do you, Drew? I already know that at least one of you might claim "yes", but when you really think about it... where does that path take you in the end? Where do you wind up when this story's done and over with? Moreover... will you really be happy looking back on your own history when you've reached the end of that story, or will you end up living nothing more than a life of regrets?
The arrogant Carmine might speak differently, reassure himself that he's going in the right direction, but in the end... he won't really be the judge, will he? No. In the end... it's going to be according to the world around us all, and the world around us already knows exactly what's going to happen by Sunday night's end... it's been plainly written out since the moment the match was booked to begin with.
See you Sunday, kids.