Part 1 - Dragon on Tour
We are taken to a wrestling arena, made almost immediately obvious as the ring pans into view within seconds. A Japanese flag looms large from the rafters, and the words Pro Wrestling JAPAN can be seen written in both Western and Japanese characters on alternating sides of the ring curtain. With the show about to begin, most of the seats in the arena have already been filled, predominantly with Japanese fans, who sit politely, talking quietly amongst themselves as they wait for the show to begin.
The camera begins to zoom in on a man very familiar to Sin City Wrestling fans, as he shuffles his way along one of the rows to find his seat.
The Dragon: すみません...すみません... [su-mi-ma-sen...su-mi-ma-sen...] (Excuse me...)
Mark’s progress is suddenly halted as the next fan along stands up from his seat, blocking the path of the much larger man.
Fan 1: マーク クロス! [Maa-ku Ku-ro-su!] (Mark Cross!)
A second voice, equally excitable, pipes up from a couple of seats behind.
Fan 2: はい, マーク クロス! [Hai, Maa-ku Ku-ro-su!] (Yes, Mark Cross!)
From the row in front, a third fan leaps up from his chair, both hands holding out his t-shirt for Mark to see - Clocking eyes on his own face is plastered alongside Valentina’s...a Fire Dragons shirt.
Fan 3: 火のドラゴンはクールです! [Hino-do-ra-gun wa kuru-desu!] (Fire Dragons are cool!)
As Mark begins to chuckle, giving a double thumbs-up to the fan with the shirt, he is tapped on the shoulder by the second man, who is now holding out a leather-bound notebook in both hands, head bowed, much like the Japanese presented their business cards.
Fan 2: サインをお持ちください。[Sai-yo-muchi kudasai?] (May I have your autograph?)
The Dragon: はい、もちろん。 [Hai, mo-chi-ron] (Yes, of course)
Mark took the book in the same manner, double-handed, head slightly bowed. He found a pen stowed helpfully in an elastic loop on the cover. He scrawled a short message in hiragana and kanji before signing his autograph, returning it the same way a few moments later.
When it came to my early career, it’s been said that Japan made me. Hell...I’ve probably said that Japan made me before, but that’s...not strictly true. I love this place, I feel comfortable here, and it’s where I’ve had some of my finest matches, but it isn’t home. The Japanese wrestling culture merely suggested a different approach that I decided to adopt early on in my transition from football to wrestling.
When I first came here, I was not long out of the NFL, two years if that. I was wrestling regularly in the US, mostly small shows of course. I wore an old jersey to the ring, threw more spears and chop blocks than I can count...and for a guy that played in the biggest game, the Superbowl, in the country’s most popular sport? The fans would be behind me all the way. Anywhere in the Oakland area? Guaranteed sellout crowd as the Raider Nation came out in full force to support their former player. I was pretty happy with how the career change was going...right up until the same stuff that got me adoration in the States got me a whole host of boos here. I didn’t get it. I was confused. I asked my trainer about it after my first couple of shows and his words, in very broken English still ring in my ears most mornings as a reminder to be true to myself…’you just a walking talking gimmick’
He was right, of course. The average Japanese wrestling fan isn’t boring by any means. They chant, they cheer and they boo. They’ll blow the roof off a joint if the action is good enough. They buy merchandise of their favourite wrestlers and they wear it at the shows…not that different to the US, or back home in England. So what went wrong for me? The Japanese respect the sport, of two men or women displaying a high level of skill, the ART of technical wrestling, developed by the many hours of training, put on display. The jersey itself wasn't the problem, costumes and masks aren’t taboo here, but it was because I tried to hide behind ring attire to cover up for the fact that I just wasn't a very good worker back then.
It was a struggle finding plain black t-shirts my size in their department stores, but I got there in the end, and I bought plenty. The football jersey got buried somewhere in the bottom of a kitbag, never to be seen again all Spring tour, and I got to the hard work. You’ve seen Kill Bill right? An ancient, white-haired Kung Fu master shouting “AGAIN” as he watches me fail time and time again? That’s not a million miles from the truth. It was relentless, it was visceral, it was physically, mentally and emotionally draining, but nothing I hadn’t done with the Raiders of course. We’d run plays until we could run them in our sleep, then we’d run them again. Take the pigskin, get nailed, get up, do it again. We went Bruce Lee 10,000 kick style all over again, only this time it was Shining Wizards rather than HB Dives, and Go 2 Sleeps rather than post corners. I was first in the Dojo in the morning and the last to leave in the evening every single day. I came into that tour a plucky brawler, I left as a legitimate Strong Styler. The flood gates were opened, and I came back to the US determined to invest all my time and energy from then on into becoming the most technically proficient, well-rounded competitor on any roster.
Like the Japanese, I began to respect the sport a lot more than I ever have the business of wrestling. I could have sold more shirts, by choosing to put on an act. I could have landed bigger contracts in more major league promotions, if I'd chosen to be a better entertainer and a less capable wrestler. It sounds counterintuitive, right? I give you...the US market everybody. My 'sacrifice' has made me a Champion, and one of the most valuable partners up for grabs for Blast from the Past. To anyone questioning that choice - Sorry, not sorry.
Announcer: 今、リングに彼女の道を作り、5フィートと5インチの高さに立って、ユタ州、米国で生まれました。フェース シムプソン
(Now making her way to the ring, standing at 5 feet and 5 inches tall, born in Utah, USA...Faith Simpson!)
Chants of MI-RAI (The Future) begin to echo around the arena, almost drowning out Mark’s first entrance music "Are You Ready to Fly" as it blasts over the PA system. Faith’s blonde locks burst through the curtain, her movements still displaying every ounce of nervous energy that she was known for as she bounded towards the ring, but her face showed the signs of mental exhaustion.
Having worked with Faith for four years now, getting the phone call telling me that she was struggling emotionally, it dropkicked me right in the feels, but I knew how important moments like these were for her development. Wrestling for a living could be hard. Training intensely every day, being disciplined, sticking to a meal plan, long hours spent travelling on short hours of sleep, trying to keep a work-life balance in the most challenging of circumstances. From what I’d been told, she wasn’t missing a step in the ring, that filled me with confidence, but I wanted to see it first-hand. After all, nobody knew more about her performance levels than I did.
The chants of “MI-RAI” continued to bounce off of every surface in the spacious arena, growing in intensity as Faith’s opponent made her way to the ring. She looked older, Mark’s age, probably...and the death stare she was giving her younger opponent told us two things, she was less than impressed with the attention the ‘gaijin’ teenager was getting, and was determined to bring her down a peg or two tonight. The older woman’s first advance was ducked effortlessly by Faith, who was on hand to bulldog her opponent’s face into the mat a pace or two after she came back off the ropes. The crowd erupted, it was infectious. Mark even joined in the chant.
I wasn’t surprised to find Faith already well and truly in the good books of the PWJ fans. Faith is a different animal. She has something I never had, never will. In fact, she has something most coaches can only dream of in one of their students to be honest. Put her in a ring, she doesn’t have to think, she just does. I haven’t figured out how, and she can't explain either most of the time, it’s completely on instinct. She’s third generation wrestling blood, maybe that’s it...but she is wrestling in its purest, truest form. All we have to do is work on getting her physically stronger, and give her some new weapons in her moveset to unleash in the ring.
The ever familiar sight of a Faith Simpson opponent smashing the mat in anger greets us next, the experienced head on her shoulders baffled, having not even managed to lay a finger on the young pretender yet. Nothing Faith had done up to this point had been devastating, it was more probing, frustrating, and when there was a threat of retribution she got out of dodge. It had been a professional, measured performance, but it wouldn’t last forever, that was no fun. Pushing back up to one knee, the opponent was at perfect height for a SHINING WIZARD from Faith, the crowd again voicing their approval at the Strong Style signature move.
Faith was gonna be absolutely fine. I’d crossed paths with a lot of wrestlers, either as fellow competitors, guys I’d trained, or legends that I’d tapped up for advice over the years. Real life happens to the best of us...and a good percentage of any locker room wear their hearts on their sleeves when you get to know them. You can tell when things aren’t good out of the ring straight away. It shows in their body language. It shows in their PERFORMANCE. Faith was young, sure, but since leaving school, going full-time, she lived and breathed nothing but wrestling. That was her grand scheme of things, and she didn’t take her eye off the ball.
Another cheer erupted as Faith’s opponent’s face hit mat once more, this time from a DDT that she stumbled into after a desperate lunge. Seeing the end in sight, the girl began to climb for the top rope.
I face an opponent this week who has shown he is able to keep his head held high, even if behind-the-scenes his relationships have been ripped to shreds, his investments have lost money hand-over-fist, or results haven’t gone his way in the ring. Impressive stuff. This match is different, since there’s a clear gap in skill, but it serves as a reminder to me that no matter what TNA has going on outside of the ring, it isn’t going to work in my favour when the bell rings.
Instead of showing us the final moments of the match, the camera follows the path of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, who has worked his way back to the edge of his row, and is already climbing the stairs to exit the arena. Without once turning back, his left hand raised in the air, his fingers shot up one-by-one to match the count of the referee...1...2...3. Faith’s “Have A Little Faith” connected from the top rope. Victory assured, and on to the next one.
I left the arena, got in a taxi, and went to the airport. I hadn’t told Faith I was coming, and I didn’t plan on letting her know I was there either. We’d spoken about the importance of this Tour in her development, being able to stand on her own two feet, away from family, friends, and the comforts of home, and she wanted me to trust that she could handle it on her own too. I didn’t doubt her for a second, and I didn’t want her to believe that I had. The truth was, I doubted myself. Was it too much too soon, had I made the wrong decision sending her to Japan in the first place. Well done Mark, you didn’t make a mess of this one.
Part 2 - Guy Time
We are taken to a nondescript kind of location, with neutral painted block walls and very little decoration to speak of other than what had been put in the scene by the crew - A perfect set for filming. Placed within the shot are two chairs, already occupied by two familiar faces of Sin City Underground fame, Backstage Interviewer Dev “Big D” Khatri, and Mark “The Dragon” Cross, current Underground champion. Placed in between them sits the title belt in question on a small round table, that also holds a bottle of water for each of them.
Dev: So did you talk to Valentina about the Fire Dragons 2.0 thing before you got merchandise made up?
Mark shrugged nonchalantly.
The Dragon: Talk to her about what?
Dev: Oh...you know…a week after finding out you’re partnered up with a former Triple Crown champion, not to mention a previous winner of Blast from the Past, and you’ve already made t-shirts calling it the 2.0 version of your old team?
The Dragon: Well when you put it like that…
Dev: Do you consider it an upgrade, Evie for Valentina?
The Dragon: Do you, Big D?
Dev: I wouldn’t like to say.
The Dragon: Gemma Frost would have. First of all Fire Dragons 1.0 didn’t lose its title in the ring, Val got injured, so I’m not looking to put everything we achieved on the shelf. By this point I was already defending the Underground championship here, challenging for titles on the main show, my dance card had already gotten pretty full, and it was the right decision for us to step aside. You have to question how valid it is to hold a title when you didn’t defeat the champions, and we might have to address that in the near future. Look - When it first came together, I was a ring-rusty Brit working his way back to full-time, Valentina had bags of potential but her results were patchy at best. Version 1 came together when we both needed that extra boost. It jump-started my career again too and I won’t forget that. I've seen the chatter about Val being the weak link, it started from minute one, I've talked about it before in the past, so I won’t go over the same old ground, but from certain viewpoints I can see why it’s a valid argument. You see what that is?
Mark gesticulates to the title belt sat between them.
Dev: Your Underground title.
The Dragon: And out of any SCU title that is?
Dev: Erm...the best one?
Mark nodded enthusiastically
The Dragon: Correct - Held by the strongest singles competitor in the company at the time. So it’s not that far of a stretch to suggest that if you put the holder of that belt in a tag team, they might become the strongest link. I didn’t hold it at the beginning of course, but my early results probably showed the potential. Now there’s a female version...see where I’m going with this?
Dev scratched the back of his head for a moment.
Dev: Valentina...something something...win the Underground title?
The Dragon: You're a smart cookie Dev, it’s why I like you. Valentina wins the Underground title, proves herself as the number one female wrestler standing atop the pyramid, and any raised eyebrows about the balance of our partnership drop back to their regular height. Permanently. She’s good enough to pull it off too.
Dev: You didn’t ask my question about whether you’re upgrading though - Does Val need to become Underground champion to prove her worth to you or something?
Mark holds his hands up defensively.
The Dragon: Not where I was going with that, no. Over the years, I’ve virtually always stuck to singles matches and haven’t had much in the way of a sustained partner, but it can’t be a lot of fun hearing things like ‘the main reason you’re winning is because you’re paired up with Mark Cross.’ No amount of me saying that’s not the case is going to make any difference of course, because those same doubters will write it off as me just sticking up for my partner. The reason I am here with my belt, challenging for bigger prizes on the main show, and in this tournament is because of her. Otherwise, I’d be in Japan right now watching my protege get the glory instead, living vicariously through her. I just want to see my buddy shut the doubters up once and for all, that’s all.
Dev: As annoying as you’ve both been with your pranks backstage at times, you’ve certainly built some great chemistry in and outside of the ring...but your first encounters with your new partner have been...less than friendly to say the least...and with the Blast From The Past winner getting a shot at her husband, what motivation does Evie Jordan have to hold up her end?
The Dragon: Because she can.
Dev: Because she can?
The Dragon: Exactly. Because she’s looked through the sixteen teams, seen she paired with one of the few current Sin City champions in the contest, and even though we haven’t exactly warmed to each other outside of the ring, has figured we;ve got a good chance of taking the whole thing down…then have another run at that Bombshell title at the same time. That isn’t how everyone thinks, it's a natural human condition to say ‘Blast from the Past? Completed it mate - Got the achievement’ and leave it well alone. Why spoil it? A real competitor though, a warrior, a winner, a champion? Who cares, I'll win it again and this time I'll hardly even break a sweat. Evie's past successes confirm that winning is something she does very well, and full credit to Ben Jordan, he conducts himself in the right way by opening himself up to anyone willing to ask for a chance at that title, SCW or SCU. That could have been me...grabbing a microphone and just asking...but I prefer to earn my shot, that’s why I’m in this tournament in the first place. Maybe I possess a little of that warrior spirit myself?
Mark reached across for his bottle of water, taking a long swig from it. Dev took the opportunity to do the same.
Dev: So let’s move on and talk about your first opponents, any thoughts?
The Dragon: Hey Dev, you remember when Taylor Swift was releasing nothing but breakup songs and we were starting to ask if maybe the problem was...well...her?
Dev: I guess?
He wore the expression of someone who was hoping he could nod, agree, and get away from this line of questioning. Clearly not a Tay-Tay fan. Disappointing.
The Dragon: Yeah, that. Travis strikes me as a guy with such a level of self-importance that he feels he could wander in with no real training, ring-rust and all, and waltz through into the semi-finals. I've started to do my research as always, and you know what jumps out the most? Mr. TNA can have the whole world falling in around his ears, most of it from his own errors, his own mis-steps, and still the arrogance flows from him like a torrent. He lives in a bubble, seemingly immune to the reality around him. Either it's a front, then I'd hate to be the therapist that has to try and hold him together away from the ring, or he is completely oblivious, and wholly unprepared for his Sin City return.
Dev: Do you think that counts against him, having to get familiar with his surroundings again?
The Dragon: I think it counts against anyone coming back to be honest, not just him, but he’s an excellent example. Travis Nathaniel Andrews…TNA...The FORMER Sin City Roulette champion...is a human representation of the single biggest issue that dogs entrants into Blast from the Past that aren’t still active here in Vegas - He's a former everything. I don't want to tear the guy down by writing off his past achievements, they’re far from insignificant, and they deserve respect, especially since the list is long...but look at it this way - He was Roulette champion once, I'm Underground champion now. He won matches here once, I'm winning matches right now, in Sin City rings, week in, week out. I have Mixed Tag title winning prowess, in this company, right now. He has proved, I am proving. He thinks he's the greatest gift to the sport of wrestling, and because of that he doesn't train as hard as I do. He believes he doesn't have to. There are a lot of comeback kings and queens, and once they have that first W under their belt, it'll be less of a disadvantage but in round number one? You don’t want to be finding your feet when I’ve already hit the ground running.
Mark took another sip from his bottle of water as Dev pressed on.
Dev: To TNA’s partner Jessie Salco then, who has been consistently active for a number of years here...how do you think she stacks up against Evie?
The Dragon: It’s an absolute no-contest on that front. Jessie hasn’t beaten Evie straight up despite getting how many opportunities, three, four bites of the cherry? It’s all one-way traffic. Anyone can beat anyone else on a particular night, sure, but repeat results, they’re a telltale sign of things to come. Take my own example, Caleb Storms, Bill Barnhart, Teddy Warren-Steele, all of them suffering multiple defeats at my hands over the past twelve months. Who of sound mind is going to put their money on anyone but me against those men? I mean...if you particularly wanted to drain your bank account, you’ll get attractive odds, but it’s not a high percentage move. Against this level of quality, Jessie is primed and ready to bounce straight out of the first round once again.
Dev: Now hang on, you talked about respecting former achievements, yet you’ve completely written Jessie off - She’s a former champion too.
Dev leaned forward as he cut in. Mark nodded, respectfully, at the challenge.
The Dragon: Three years ago Dev. Go back to what I said about her partner, how he has done while I am doing. Evie has been more successful, and done it more recently. Jessie’s not long had to snap out of a run of over six calendar months without a win, that’s not the form of someone who is ready to win a title belt in the first place, let alone defend it every week. These two have gone out in the first round as a partnership before, and what’s passed since then? Time. Time when Jessie has been in far worse form than she was when she snagged that title. Time when Travis hasn’t been in a Sin City ring at all. Like I say, I respect anyone with the wherewithal to become a champion, but that can only stretch so far. There’s only so much stock you can put in any one achievement, and they always begin to dilute over time. Everything has a shelf life.
Dev: Anything else to add about your match this week?
Mark shakes his head simply.
Dev: So you've spent most of your career actively avoiding tag team wrestling, what can you tell me about that decision?
The Dragon: It got drummed into me during the early stages of my training that the main reason guys chose to be tag team specialists is they have nowhere to hide in singles competition, they have glaring weaknesses that get exposed, but in a team with the right balance of skills, they can cover them up to a point. A talented wrestler should be able to improve in those areas, to the point when they're no longer a weakness, and become a much more well-rounded competitor. I've done the well-rounded thing. I started out with Strong Style, trained in dojos out in Japan - In come the stiff strikes and technical, damaging grappling. I used boxing training to put even more snap into my punches, to increase my stamina, to level up my footwork. MMA, to work better on the floor, and to evade submissions. I wanted everything thrown at me, so I could learn to adapt, and I got that. It gave me so much confidence in my own performance level out there, that I didn’t really want to leave any part of it up to someone else.
Dev: Your stance seems to have softened on it this past year, what changed?
Mark shrugged again
The Dragon: It just...found its place in my schedule I guess. Most of the companies I’ve worked for have been one show per week, every week, same arena, done. I had nothing to focus on other than that one match and that one opponent. Usually I’d rent an apartment in the city, train in a local gym, get in a solid, repeatable routine. With Sin City, it’s been a whole different animal. Tours across the globe, an intense travelling schedule, doubling up with an Underground show on a Thursday, then Climax Control on a Sunday...pulling double duty with two matches in a night - It’s hectic. Miss a few training sessions being on the road? No trouble - Have a match! Sometimes tag-teaming is a perfect warm-up, keeping me sharp with a big match on the horizon, while still leaving me in a good enough condition to bring it 110% when that opportunity comes.
Dev: OK last question - Who are the danger pairings left in Blast from the Past?
Mark sat back in the chair a little, pondering that last one for a moment. He’d thought about it before, of course, waiting in anticipation for the draw of their first opponents.
The Dragon: There’s a few banana skins left honestly - I like Tallyn and Jack Washington, they’re young but they have the potential to make a ‘Culture Shock’ level splash early. Gabriel and Odette know how to produce quality, just ask my partner, and I’ll be watching them with a keen eye. Austin James Mercer and Candy, two current champions and already through the first round...I feel like those two probably aren’t well-matched outside of the ring, but if they work well together in the squared circle then they’re definitely the team to watch. Also Kate Steele and Javi - One’s a champion, the other one was until I relieved them of the very belt sitting between us.
Dev: Any shock results?
The Dragon: Dani! I was sad to see her go out so soon, especially with the amount of work to see her get back in the ring in the first place, but maybe coming up against Kate on championship form and a...erm...fired up Gonzales was maybe a tough first match to come back to. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from her.
Dev: Alright, I think that’s all we’ve got time for - Mark, thanks so much for joining me, and best of luck out there!
The Dragon: Cheers Dev!
The scene fades away as the pair shake hands in front of the Underground title.
