After becoming GBC champion for the last ever time. Valencia, Spain. Sunday 12th November 2017. (Off Camera)
The season has now finally ended for Agostino Romano who announced in June he's retiring from racing as a whole to do a whole new sport, although he still will get offers to test with his team from time to time to test new parts, but of course, this won't be all the time as he will focus more on his wrestling career once it's all done. Problem is not only he still had nowhere to go with wrestling, but he still had no trainer also.
He couldn't find anybody to train him and didn't know any famous wrestlers in Italy who could, however, it didn't mean he couldn't do gym work to prepare himself for the new path of being a wrestler. Of course, the word had got out in June Agostino was going down that path and he knew he had big hands to fill with lots of young guys in the sport now that Agostino wasn't needed.
However, his main championship contender throughout the whole season Marc López despite some beef between the two because of them being rivals with one playing mind games on the other even admired how much Agostino has done for the sport as they stand to wait to get their GBC awards as he says this.
Marc López: "This sport isn't going to be the same without you. I know we may not always get along, but I won't lie, you have been a great role model to riders like myself in this sport and you'll go down as one of the top champions this championship has ever had."
Agostino Romano: "I like to think I inspired everyone, but I hope you understand why I had to leave this business behind me because the truth is, there's nothing for me to achieve now and I thought a lot what I wanted to do. I thought wrestling could do with charismatic and fun loving guys like me around."
Marc López: "Of course I do, if you aren't enjoying it anymore, why bother continuing? I think wrestling is way out of our league in terms of risks as it's nowhere near as dangerous as our sport is."
Agostino Romano: "You may feel that way, but you can risk getting a lot of concussion from my research on the sport. What sucks is although I really want to be a wrestler, I can't find anybody who'd train me. Who wouldn't take this charismatic guy on in his school to get better at wrestling?"
Marc López: "There will be someone out there for you, don't worry about it. You just do a good job promoting this sport for the fans and bringing in more bike racing and wrestling audiences like I know you can. I see you around."
Marc pats Agostino's back as he wasn't the only person who challenged for his title this year, there's somebody else who's from the same country who's been a threat as well, Andrea Ricci as he comes to give Agostino like a present that's fully wrapped as he says this.
Andrea Ricci: "Since you inspired me so much as an Italian to be a great rider like yourself, I've made this just for you to remind me of a great hero you've been in the sport, not just for me, but for every rider in this series."
Agostino Romano: "No doubt in my mind you've been a great friend and I'm gonna miss all of this media attention I got along with the number of fans supporting me, especially some will not follow my wrestling career."
Andrea Ricci: "No you won't because you'll get the same attention as you do now."
Agostino Romano: "While the popularity isn't gonna be the same. I got all of this, yet in wrestling, I'm gonna be an unpopular wrestler and that's down to me having no experience or much knowledge of the sport."
Andrea has always had Agostino's back when it came to getting in trouble with Marc López because of them being championship rivals, while Andrea was, it was only the second half of the year that he came out strong with a few wins under his name, turning a lot of heads on Andrea Ricci being the next Italian champion of the sport.
Andrea Ricci: "That may be so, but think of the other wrestlers you'll wrestle with that barely been in the media spotlight like you have and I'm more than certain you'll be successful as a wrestler as well as here. I could never be great at another sport, but you got so many fans behind you that will follow your new career, even if some don't like wrestling, but they'll grow to be fans of it."
Agostino Romano: "That's true and I feel you're the future of our sport when it comes to Italy. I can feel you being the champion of GBC next year. I believe in that. Thank you for the present. I will open it after the awards ceremony finishes. I will still be around the sport as my team has offered me to do some testing and still guide you with your career, but wrestling will always come first as I want to do new things and possibly become champion in that as well."
Andrea and Agostino gave each other a hug as the respect between them is massive as they near enough started on the same path, but in different years obviously as Andrea was only twenty-three years old and still had a lot left to give as now it was time for Agostino to come on stage and discusses his biking career, what he advised up and coming riders to do and also talking about his new career of being a wrestler and where he aims to take it before a lot of tears comes down on a lot of faces of the riders, his team, his friends and family, the Global Bike Championship organizers, everyone was in tears of how much they'll miss Agostino Romano being a big part of the sport.
Obviously was hard to take in, but was certainly a change Agostino is willing to do as although he agreed to be a test rider, it's far from the same of being at the races every single weekend and instead work more on weekdays which will keep him very busy, certainly more than motorcycle racing as he leaves the sport behind him, moving forward to exciting adventures of wrestling with him. He takes the present Andrea gave him and goes back to his hotel room after a party he had last night of Agostino's farewell to the sport.
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Shoot. (On Camera)
"Once again here I am going to wrestle against four great talent, especially two of them made their debuts last week of Alex Anarchy and Peyton Rice. I don't know much about Johnny Taylor and I'm sure you all know how difficult it was for me to even make a start in this sport. When I started, I wasn't like the majority of you having a trainer to back me up. Straight after I ended my motorcycle career, I was already training at wrestling schools against different kids, some way younger than me, but I had no idea how hard it was to find a trainer.
I was looking for someone who'd take me on, but nobody was willing to take me on and how could they with the disappointing matches I had in Revolution Pro in Italy, but I come to Emerge where they were willing to take me on and learn the ropes more about this sport and now I begin to feel I could lead myself towards being a better wrestler.
Especially we know how much experience Peyton Rice has which we could all say she's coming in as the heavy favourite to win this whole title qualifying tournament we all been put in. Needless to say, I like to say I've earned the right to be here and I believe I have after the hard work I've put in to be here. But this is one of those times I say I hate being in this position because I know I have to be serious and that's something I can't do without doing this."
Agostino as always has the chance to stick out his tongue and pulls his eyes back with his fingers to relieve the pressure a bit as he continues.
"That's a bit better now I got that out of my chest and maybe I come across funny and showing my butt off with the crazy designs I used to have for my helmet designs and giving away merchandise I used to design and I still do as I want to get my name out there in this business along with some fans following me as a wrestler from my glory days.
But although I might come in as the underdog just down to lack of experience in the sport, I will give it everything I got as I want to be the top wrestler in Emerge and I'm willing to listen to everyone on what I need to do to improve, but I can't and won't fail once again as I want to be the best and want to be champion someday, who knows that I could overcome the odds against Peyton, Alex and Johnny to go through the Emerge title tournament and I will succeed as being champion here as well as being a GBC champion."