Opportunities don’t come often enough in life for you to ever look at them and turn them down.
If you want to be successful in life, in whatever profession you choose to be, and try and be the best at then you need to be able to recognize when an opportunity is being given to you, or it’s one that you’ve earned, and not care. It doesn’t matter if you were given something or if you are that in the long run, what matters and what you need to keep in mind is what you do with it.
To dismiss it because of some thought of morality in not earning it, to let it go to waste, that would be a true crime. A true crime that should never be committed by someone who is supposed to be one of the best. As someone who is always trying to improve themselves and the business that they choose to be part of.
That is where Alex Jones found himself.
Two roads sitting in front of him, one where he could accept the championship match that he had been given, all that he had earned according to some people, or, to turn his back on it and spiraled down a hole into self-loathing and anger. Sometimes you start down one path, and you have to turn around and walk yourself back to the beginning to find the right way
And make the right decision
A Regular Match.
Walking into the gym at four like any other day. The warmth hitting him even though summer had just ended. A few hours ago he had unlocked the giant metal shut up, pulling it upwards to let it roll all the way to the top as the shaking metal rumbled and helped to wake him up. He went about his day, rolling out the mat, making sure the ropes were tight, making sure the canvas was clean and straight inside the rain. Turning on all of the lights, unlocking the gym door to get into the weight room. This was everything that Alex did in a normal morning, setting everything up for the senior members as well as the students to come in, and work out, and become the best.
This had been Alex‘s dream, to get like-minded individuals together and build the gym around them to inspire others. And to inspire himself to stay where he needed to be.
As everyone filtered in and started going about their usual business Alex sat down in the office after warming up, all sorts of contracts sitting in front of him, merchandising deals, contracts for his younger rookie members at smaller independent companies for appearances and tryouts, all of this was on top of his job as a professional wrestler, as someone who still loved the business and wanted to be a part of it. His eyes moving from the desk over to the Sin city wrestling Roulette championship sitting on the side of the opposite desk.
He smiled and shook his head stacking the papers up and keeping them all in order before putting them in his out file.
Inside the main floor of the gym, he noticed everyone going about their business but also is starting over towards the office door as if waiting for something. Waiting for him? Alex smiled and shook his head, maybe he was just being paranoid. But, it was time to get out there, it was time to work out and get ready for a match that he never thought he would have, an opportunity he never thought he would have, and something he needed to be in top shape for. Facing one of the most dominant professional wrestlers he has ever seen since watching Austin go on his early run through Sin city tearing through the roster.
Mac Bane.
Alex took a deep breath, opening the door to the office walking out on the gym floor. He looked down at the ground and slipped off his shoes getting ready to warm up, but something stopped him. A feeling that went up and down his spine as he could almost cents every single set of eyes in that gym on him at any given moment. He looked up, everyone had stopped what they were doing and was staring right at him. He blinked a few times waiting for someone, anyone to say something and make sense of this. Then it happened.
A single clap.
Austin’s large hands coming together to create the noise that suddenly filled the entire gym. Every single man and woman in every single corner started it. Alex took a deep breath again not knowing exactly where all of this was coming from. He put his hands on his hips as the clapping reached its crescendo and then slowly stopped. Everyone giving Alex a nod of respect as Austin came over and put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. A smile on his face. Something Alex had not seen in months. Since Austin had been one of the most miserable individuals in the world. ”We all have your back.”
Alex shook his head and laughed under his breath. ”My back? For what?”
Austin raised his eyebrow, unsure of if Alex was serious or if he was just screwing with him. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know if he needed to spell it out. After a few awkward moments, he smiled. ”The match, the title match.” Austin slapped his shoulder again. Alex scoffed and backed away tapping Austin on the chest.
”It’s just a regular match brother.”
Alex gave a sarcastic smile, Austin confused, almost hurt. Alex turned away and moved towards the white room, everyone separating away from him to give him room to get in there and work out. His heart sank, he realized what he just said in front of everybody, he realized how it must seem and how it sounded. But how could any of them really understand? How could any of them get the kind of pressure that he was putting himself under and that all of their attention that they were drawing towards the event, and the occasion, was not going to help.
Alex took a sip of water placing his bottle back on the ground before moving over to the dumbbells. He picked them up and started counting as he did reps, feeling the blood starting to flow in between the vessels in his arms. Each rep was partnered with a breath, each breath being pushed out he could feel himself slipping into deep thoughts. Could he do it? Why was he doubting himself? He felt his heart drop again. The weights then seemed to get heavier, his arms ached. He could feel his heart beating faster and the sweat seemed to fall from his body. He put the dumbbells down and shook his head, his hands moving to his hips yet again
”Fuck”
As the word left his lips he didn’t notice the door open. But he heard the footsteps. Turning to face Austin whose large arms were folded over his chest, the smile he had moments ago now faded into what seemed to be an annoyed scowl. He pushed out a breath and shook his head, almost growling at Alex.”Legit, what the hell is up with you?” Alex sighed and turned sitting down on the weight bench, he shook his head and threw his arms in the air. ”You know how many people would kill for this opportunity?”
Alex took a deep breath, he held it in for a moment and closed his eyes before calming himself down and pushing out a breath. He looked over at Austin, swallowing hard, clasping his hands together in his lap.l”I know, but….I just don’t know if it should be me.” He smiled and offered a shrug. ”You clearly wanted the shot...and I got it handed to me.”
”Handed to you? You’ve been scraping and clawing for months, you went back to the drawing board and have worked hard…” Austin paused, he smiled and shook his head thoughtfully before moving around and sitting next to Alex looking out at all of the weights. They both knew that everyone was looking through the window at them, ”You earned this...and now we’re going to make sure everyone knows it...I’m going to help you. So get up...pick up those damn weights...you have chicken arms”
Austin stood up, folding his arms over his chest again. Alex groaned and pushed up to his feet walking over and picking up the dumbbells again. Turning to look at Austin with a wink. He groaned and pulled them upwards faster, harder, with more effort than he had in months. Austin was right. And now he needed to prove it himself. All over again
I’m a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride…
”Well, to say I didn’t expect this is a complete understatement. A few months ago when I received the championship opportunity for the Roulette title, I told everyone that if I was to win it I wouldn’t be doing things half-assed. I told everyone that I was gonna throw myself in headfirst I do everything that I possibly could to make that championship mean something again and to bring it up to a certain level that maybe it had not been before. I meant what I said and have done everything in my power to do it.”
Alex looked down in his hand, his right hand wrapped around the metal strap of the Roulette championship.
”I defended it against everyone that sin city wrestling management wanted me to. I face every single one of them including Caleb storms three separate times, making the Roulette championship mean something should’ve been facing other people not him over and over again but for some reason, it’s still got me noticed. I can admit when I’ve had my shortcomings, I can admit when I haven’t been the best of the best, and about a year ago? Even though I was at the top of my game physically, I was a total prick”.
“Don’t believe me? All you have to do is go back and have a look at what I said about Griffin Hawkins”
“I had an issue with Griffin, which is strange because he and I were friends. He was the champion and I didn’t think he should have been. I didn’t think he deserved it and that he got handed in opportunity and was lucky to come out the other side of the title. I used that to get a shot against him and I used that to get him to put the title on the line. And in the end, I did what I always do, I was able to take advantage of the situation and become the champion. But to be honest with all of you, I didn’t deserve it and I should never have been the sin city wrestling world heavyweight champion at that time.”
“And I paid for it. No sooner had I won that championship then I lost it. I lost it to someone who, to be honest, I don’t like. Jack Washington is an arrogant kid, someone who believes himself to be better than he really is. Someone who is insecure, he carries a chip on his shoulder and thinks the entire world is against him. Someone who believes the entire world is against him and even when he earns anything, believes more should be handed to him. That kid? Like looking into a mirror for me.”
“So, that’s a harsh reality when you see that happen. When you realize what kind of person you are and how you promised to be better and failed miserably”
Alex turns, placing the Roulette title on the table to his left. He slides his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. A pair of tight-fitting black denim, a pair of black and white converse, a red and black wolfslair shirt over his upper body, and a black leather jacket over the top of that. His long black hair was tied back in a bun. His eyes staring forward, honest and deep. Emotions running through them.
”That is why the Roulette championship will forever hold a special place in my heart. It gave me a chance to live up to the promise that I had. I’ve been around the world and I felt all sorts of championships. Ones with certain stipulations and gimmicks, World Championships that allowed me to call myself the best. But the Roulette championship? It was a title that is built on my redemption. And it’s one that I didn’t particularly want to give up. But now it seems like I’m going to be forced to. So, if I lose to our champion, he becomes the Roulette champion and the world champion at the same time and this title no doubt be dropped and put in some kind of tournament or one-off match to crown a new champion.”
Alex looks over and gestures with his left hand to the Roulette championship sitting on the desk next to him
”It’s what happened with the Internet title: Mac going into that match with that championship and coming out with both and having to drop one. And if I beat him? well? What am I supposed to do? Do I turn down the world championship? Come on now. But as much as I respect Mac for what he has done I also can’t help but be a little annoyed. You see he came into this company and won the Roulette championship and a week later dropped it and walked out. Then he Walters back in gets the Internet championship drops that for the world title all because his wife and the women’s Internet champion had both been so dominant they faced each other. Mark Cross was a waste of time world champion and Mac was able to know exactly when and where to strike”
“It was genius. It really was. The only championship that Mac has not held is the mixed tag team championship meanwhile the only one I haven’t held is the Internet so we can both lay claim to being dominant, and meaning something to this company.”
“But while I signed a contract and stayed and have never walked out on the company, Mac cannot say the same. And I get it, man, we all have issues, we all sometimes have to deal with things in our personal lives and sometimes it just doesn’t work with what we need to do in that ring. But here you are walking back into the company, getting that world championship, and calling your shots.”
Alex laughed to himself and shakes his head letting out a large sigh throwing up his hands in exasperation
”Part of me feels honored, honored that you chose me to face, I’ve seen your comments to Mark cross and Jack Washington about me and about the world title. Jack seems to think you are hiding from him, Mark decided to run his mouth and when I called him out on it he shut up very quickly. But I honestly don’t know what to think. I’d like to hope that you aren’t going to go down that path and believe that I’m some kind of freebie. That I’m just someone who has a credible name that you could walk through, that you can add to your list of people that you’ve beaten. I’d like To believe that you honestly see me as a threat and a worthy challenger.”
“Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.”
“The truth is Mac that I have given up trying to find out people‘s motivations and study them and try and figure them out. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you believe that I am a threat to you. What matters, is that I believe I’m a threat to you. And I know I can beat you. Sure you are big and bad, you are tough, you like to beat the hell out of people and you have a certain, skill when it comes to violence. You and Amber both have that. But trust me when I say this, and I want you to listen to me with open ears and an open mind and to know that I’m telling you the truth.”
“I have had my ass kicked by bigger, badder, and better people than you.”
His top lip curls as his knees at the camera, he tries to keep himself calm, cool, and collected. But he can feel anger and rage rising inside him.
”The thing is, I’m kind of hoping that you are stupid enough to underestimate me. I’m kind of hoping that you honestly believe you can run through me like a fucking truck. See, I already explained earlier that I held that championship when I didn’t deserve it. I ran Griffin Hawkins out of this company and I did it to get my hands on that championship and I ended up paying the price of my own pride my own arrogance and my ego. And because of that, it seems like even the company forgot that I held that championship.”
“A simple tweet, where the company and one of the people running it decided to not even acknowledge that I am a former world champion.”
“You see, I beat you Mac? I can do with the world championship what I have been trying to do with the Roulette championship. I may have had my goals with the Roulette championship to break all the records, the single championship reign length, the number of defenses, I wanted to own all of those. But, to get my hands back on that world championship, to be at the top of the company again, and to be able to show that I do deserve it, that I did earn my way here, and that I can beat someone as dominant as you? To get that chance, it means everything to me.”
“I don’t even care what the Roulette wheel lands on, I don’t care what kind of match we end up getting ourselves into. At violent conduct, you will be getting the fight that you seem to want. Maybe it’s the fight that Jack Washington keeps on saying you have been trying to avoid. I can promise you, I will fight you to the nail, I will scratch and claw and kick and bite and I will do everything in my power to beat you and take that championship. And you? I know you will do everything in your power to stop me. And that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Belief
“We believe in you”
Her words were kind, they were soft and caring. Alex didn’t look at her, in fact, if you didn’t know that subtle signs you would’ve thought he didn’t even hear her. But, there were definitely signs there. A small curl in his upper lip, his hands opening softly. His shoulder slumping down showing that he is comfortable. She knew how to calm him down, she knew how to make sure her husband felt understood and believed in. He turned and pushed off the side of the couch getting to his feet, turning back towards Sonya holding out his hand to help her up.
She gave him a light smile and stood up with him. It was time to get back to work, time to keep on running the gym that they have both put so much blood, sweat, and tears into.
For the last few years, they had done everything to build it up, every bit of extra money they had gone straight back into the gym. Into marketing, into extra gear and equipment. But now, they have been able to get ahead. They had attracted members from all walks of life, some of the biggest names that were currently in professional wrestling trained with them. They had opened up a second location, attracting even more names on the other side of the country. Alex’s younger sister had proven herself to be an incredibly savvy businesswoman as well as a great head trainer.
He missed her, but the success was worth it. And all of that had led to success in his wrestling career. A championship title rain that he had never expected, wins over some of the best in the company. And now, a championship opportunity against the top champion in the company.
Alex had been worried, down on himself that he was going to let everyone down and that he could not do it. He would put up a good fight, sure, but there was doubt that had crept into his mind. Doubt that he could stand up to the onslaught of a man who was so big and strong, someone who had obviously been ready to destroy anyone who stepped in the ring with him. Austin had let his feelings be known to Alex when they had talked, it had given Alex a boost and he had been training like a mad man for the last week.
Weights, cardio, submission work, working with anyone and everyone who is bigger than him.
Alex had done it all. All in preparation for a match that he felt could’ve been one of the biggest of his career. A career that had spanned two decades, a career he had faced some biggest and baddest human beings on the planet and some of the biggest names in the business. But he was getting older, he knew that he was closer to the end of his career than he ever was at the beginning. And the roulette championship had been a saving grace, but everyone wants to be world champion. And everyone believes, no matter how old matter how much evidence that is so contrary that they still have one great run left in them.
Last week, Alex did not have that belief that he had one great run left. But this week? There was something different. It wasn’t just what Austin had said to him, it was the way people treated Alex, the way they would look at him when he entered the room, the way they wanted to work with him to help him. It had been his job to help the younger generation get ready for big matches and moments and to be successful in their chosen career, but now here they were, these young kids helping him.
It made him smile and fill with pride that he had not felt in a long time. At least not in his professional life.
In his personal life, he was proud to be in a loving relationship, a stable one instead of the toxic ones that he had been in before. His past was littered with women who tried to destroy him and bring him down. He was proud of his children, a daughter that he was not able to spend as much time with that he wanted to due to her mother, but a son who is growing stronger every day, he was showing himself to be an amazing young man. All of his friends and family at the gym, he was proud of them all, but this was different.
This was his friends and students rallying behind him to help him reach a goal he thought at this point in his career was not attainable.
He smiled and turned back to Sonya again, she tilted her head holding her arms over her chest before looking out at the gym and then back to her husband. “Are you ready?”
He gave her a small shrub, a smile, and then a sigh. “I suppose. Is anyone ever really ready for this? Matches like it don’t come around much”
“So you’re nervous?” She reached out lightly touching his shoulder, Alex didn’t answer he just gave her a note. She smiled and chuckled under her breath before tapping Alex on the chest and holding her hand over his heart. “Nervous is good. You shouldn’t be comfortable in this.” She was right, being comfortable leads to complacency. You should never be complacent when competing for something so huge. He knew she was right, one of the many reasons why he loved her. She got him, she got the business. “I believe in you. They believe in you. But it won’t matter if you don’t believe in yourself…”
He took in a deep breath and pushed it out slowly, his hands sitting on his hips as Sonya gave him a small tap on his chest where she had placed her hand. “I do…..I just know that even my best may not be good enough…” There was a silence that hung in the air, Sonya gave a small nod back to him trying to understand but at the same time not knowing what to say. “I’m fine with it Sonya…..all I can do is my best….and believe.”
Part 2
“Well then, I guess it’s nice to know I was actually listened to for once”
He shakes his head, the hood from his black and red wolfslair hoodie pulled up over the top.
“And you did Mac, you listened to me. Very good. Admittedly it’s been fun to sit back and listen to you regurgitate everything that I said to you back to me, like some kind of cowboy hat wearing, overgrown, speak and spell. But there were a few things that you said in response to questions and queries that I laid out on the table that honestly made me smile. It’s good to know that you do appreciate my work and you respect the talent. It’s good to know you’re not over looking and you believe me to be a legitimate contender.”
“Even if part of me hopes that you won’t. But since you are? At least I know that if I walk into violent conduct that I’m able to beat you, if I’m able to walk through the world champion and take that championship off of you, well, now I know that it will be you at your best. You coming at me with everything that you possibly have, every single shot, every single move, all of it will be you trying to keep the championship because you know that there would be a moment where you slip up and I can take it from you.“
“It’s good to know, it’s good to know because if I’m able to beat you back? It means that you have no excuses. You can’t turn around and say that you underestimated me, you can’t turn around and say that you made a mistake in thinking I wasn’t on your level. Because now I know, you do say that I’m on your level, you do see me as a legitimate threat.”
“With that being said, I’m not entirely certain that rule that rules is actually in my favor.“
“If we get some kind of match that involves ladders or fast movement, yeah sure. I’ll have an advantage. If we get locked in a cage? Someone like me, smaller more technical based, someone who would have to use speed and his ability to create distance against someone like you, well I’m trapped. I’ll be trapped in a small space with someone who could honestly rip my arms off like a child does with wings from a fly. That roulette wheel spins and it knows no mercy. It doesn’t favour one person or the other until it decides to land on whatever match stipulation it chooses…”
He laughs to himself, thinking back to all the strange matches he’s been put in since becoming the Roulette champion. An ultimate X over the pool? Childsplay.
“In the end Mac, whatever match we have we will both need to adapt and evolve. Whether or not the stipulation favours one or the other doesn’t matter, if it favours you I need to overcome that to prove that I deserve to be champion, if it favours me? Same deal. You and I have both been at this long enough to know that. It’s something that Jack Washington is so young that he’s having trouble learning, that’s why he bailed when he lost, he needed time. But what about you? Will you bail if you lose? If you drop that championship to me are you gonna be the first one out the door? Or will you do everything you can to get it back? We don’t know. You’ve already left the company once. What’s saying you won’t do it again?”
“See, you can bring up that you decided to state your claim for that wall title when you first got here, but everyone does that, the thing is, not everyone wins the championship and then leaves.”
“But, I need to ask back. When exactly did I refer to this as a regular match?“
“You go ahead, back through tweets, back through my interview on climate control, back through the promo I’ve already cut once against you. The promo on camera, and you tell me where I called this a regular match. Go ahead. Hit the pause button on this promo I’ll wait.”
Alex felt his arms over his chest, he sits back in his chair and crosses his ankles over kicking his legs out in front of him. He sighs and seems to just wait as he stays there, he turns his wrist up looking at his watch, he notes a few times and pulls his legs back on folding his arms and placing his hands on his knees before pushing up to his feet.
“Could you find it? Where, on camera, I have referred to this as a regular match? That you couldn’t. See, I know Damm well this isn’t a regular match. This is for a world championship. I have spent time thinking about this match, days where I’ve been going over it in my head over and over again what I should be thinking about anything else in my life. Thinking about my wife thinking about my son thinking about my daughter thinking about my friends and family all my gym or any other business I have going I have just thought about this match. Since it was announced, then after I was interviewed about it, all the way leading up through the first week as we claw closer and closer towards the violent conduct I have done nothing but eat, Sleep, breathe, and shit this match.”
“That’s what we both have to do Mac.”
“You have been a dominant force in this company, I admitted for and I have no intentions on turning my back on what I already said. Because believe it or not? I meant it. You have destroyed anyone you’ve been in the ring with, you destroyed Mark cross, you destroyed Agostino over and over again, and I know that if you get over me, if I make a mistake, if I’m off my game at all, I can kiss my championship opportunity goodbye. And at my age? With what my body has gone through? Well the truth is that I may not have many opportunities like this left.”
“I refuse to die wondering, I refuse to sit back and allow this opportunity to pass me by. If I go out there and do everything I possibly can to beat you, if I leave a part of my heart and a part of my soul in that ring with you, and I fail? Well at least I can say I did everything possible to walk away is champion.“
“However, if I hold back, if I doubt myself and don’t believe in myself at any point during this match and you beat me because of it? Well that is on me and it is something I don’t think I’ll be able to respect about myself. So yeah Mac, you’ll get the best of me….Whether you are ready, or not.”