Author Topic: It’s Not About Winning  (Read 484 times)

Offline O Malley

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It’s Not About Winning
« on: July 03, 2020, 09:41:34 PM »
 
Friday July 3rd
Last Minute Training...and Pep Talk
OG Gym


This week has not been a good week, and it’s not looking to get any better. O’Malley had been chomping at the bit to get his hands on Austin James Mercer and, hopefully, the Internet Title at the same time. At first glance of Jack Washington’s King For A Day booking, O’Malley had thought Jack had actually given him a title shot against Austin. But a second glance proved otherwise. Non-title. Because Jack Washington had to have all the spotlight on an otherwise decent booking. At least it was better than the shit Christina Rose had booked.

O’Malley had very nearly talked Jack into changing the match, too. Jack had left it in the hands of Austin James Mercer himself, but one tweet from Mark Ward and that put the stop to that idea. So much for card subject to change, eh? It wasn’t exactly how he wanted to fight Austin, and because of that, his mood has been less than nice the entire week. On top of other things bothering him.

Today is the last day he has to get any sort of workout or training done for the match. And he’s laser focused as he’s letting off some anger on one of the punching bags in the OG Gym. Gabriel is over by the ring with two other students, his eyes glancing over to O’Malley from time to time. When it is becoming clear that O’Malley is growing more and more frustrated, Gabriel orders a break between the sparring prospects and heads over towards O’Malley. O’Malley is firing away on the punching bag with sweat pouring down his face.


Gabriel: Oi, O’Malley. Take it easy or you’ll be too exhausted to face Mercer on Sunday.

O’Malley stops, if only for the moment, and takes in a few deep breaths trying to catch his breath. He holds onto the punching bag and turns to look at his mentor and trainer.

O’Malley: Not a chance o’ that, Gabriel. Nothin’ is gonna stop me from getting me hands on him.

Gabriel: So you think, but go easy on that punching bag for a bit. If you were punching that any harder, you’d be on the verge of a broken wrist.

O’Malley: Me wrist is fine, Gabriel. Really.

Gabriel nods and folds his arms. He shakes his head as he stares at O’Malley.

Gabriel: Yeah, at the moment. You want to tell me what’s going on? You’ve been pissed off all week and not very social, either. And judging by the fact Darcy isn’t with ya, I’d gather this has something to do with her...again.

O’Malley shakes his head and stands up straight. He places his hands on his hips and takes in another deep breath, breathing easier now.

O’Malley: Not just her, no. I mean...she’s part of it. I’ve just got a lot of shite goin’ on, and finding out this is a non-title match didn’t make my mood any better. Jaysus I can’t even get a feckin’ title match against him!

O’Malley balls up his fist and punches the bag hard in a fit of rage. Gabriel holds up his hands, trying to get O’Malley to calm down.

Gabriel: Whoa, calm down. Look, you didn’t honestly believe Jack Washington was going to give you a title shot did you? You two aren’t even friends, and he honestly had no reason to give you one. And just because you don’t have one now, doesn’t mean you can’t work your way towards one. Not every match can be a title match, mate.

O’Malley: I know that. I just...I’ve got nothin’ goin’ fer me right in SCW right now, and it’s frustrating me to no end. The way it’s lookin’, I’m gonna have some random match at Summer XXXTreme, and I don’t exactly like the idea of that. Not to mention, I’m still gettin’ shite fer how I cashed in the briefcase.

Gabriel cracks a smile and chuckles. He only offers O’Malley a simple shrug before be responds.

Gabriel: Yeah, well you kinda brought that on yourself, mate. I don’t exactly agree with how you went about it either, but that just means you’ll have to work twice as hard to prove that you deserve it.

O’Malley: I did what I had to do! And the only reason they’re givin’ me shite, is because they didn’t get the chance to do what I did! They all woulda done the same thing. Bunch of feckin’ hypocrites!

O’Malley starts to grow frustrated again, and he just shakes his head. He wants to punch the bag again, but he holds himself back.

Gabriel: I think you’ve been in this sport long enough to know that this is how it goes, O’Malley. Your opponents will always try and find a reason to hate you for one thing or another, whether it’s legitimate or not. It’s how you handle your response that matters. You want a shot at Austin’s title? Prove it. Earn it. Don’t expect for it to be handed to you.

O’Malley: I don’t expect it to be handed to me. I was just hopin’ that someone hated him just as much as I do to want that belt off of him sooner. And not by Senor Vinnie, either.

Gabriel laughs.

Gabriel: You’ve got to figure this out for yourself, O’Malley. And stop focusing all your energy on championships. That will come with time, but build yourself without a title. It can be done.

O’Malley: Yeah try tellin’ that to everyone else. I’m just tryin’ to be successful, Gabriel. Tryna feckin’ be somebody to be taken seriously in SCW, but I can’t even do that!

As he stares at O’Malley, Gabriel gets the sense that there’s more to what is bothering O’Malley than what he’s saying. And if O’Malley wants to stand a chance at defeating Austin James Mercer, he has to get his head in the game.

Gabriel: What’s all this really about, O’Malley? You said that you’ve got a lot of shit going on, so what else is there? Because you’ve gotta get past all these distractions. If you let other stuff overwhelm you like this, Austin will take advantage and you’ll have another loss on your record.

O’Malley: It’s nothin’, Gabriel. Really.

Gabriel: Like hell it isn’t. You need to focus, and you’ve got something holding you back. So get it off your chest.

O’Malley looks at Gabriel. Gabriel is not about to let him get away with keeping whatever is going on bottled up, so O’Malley has no choice but to tell him everything.

O’Malley: Darcy’s been buggin’ me about havin’ a baby. She sprung that shite on me now of all times! I love her, Gabriel, but damn if she ain’t maddening…

Gabriel: And what did you say?

O’Malley scratches his head and Gabriel lets out a laugh.

Gabriel: Jesus, you actually agreed to it?

O’Malley: Sort of! I made her a deal that if she stopped interfering in me matches, I’d agree to it. I mean..it’s not like I don’t want kids with her. It’s just…

Gabriel: It’s tough being a father and having an active wrestling career. I could have told you that much.

O’Malley nods.

O’Malley: That and the fact that I’m still tryna figure out how the hell to make things right with Owen. How would it look if I went and had another kid and hadn’t tried to make things right by me son?

Gabriel nods slowly as a light bulb goes off.

Gabriel: So that is what this is about, isn’t it? This is all about Owen.

O’Malley: His birthday is next week, Gabriel. Me boy is gonna be five years old, and I haven’t seen him in two years. I was a complete failure last time I saw him and I’ll be damned if I come back into his life the same. I want him to see I’ve turned things around.

Gabriel: And you have, mate. You don’t need titles to prove that. You want Owen to be proud of you? Just be in his life and be a father to him. Stop wasting time and go see him already. Start making things right because the longer you wait, the harder it will be.

O’Malley closes his eyes. He keeps nodding and lets out a sigh. He knows Gabriel is right, but he had to think about that later. He had to focus on Austin James Mercer.

O’Malley: I’ll...figure something out. I guess I need to start worryin’ about beatin’ Austin.

Gabriel: It’s not always about winning, O’Malley. You can make an impact and still lose the match in a split second. It’s the performance and the heart that you put into every single match. Just remember that.

O’Malley: Easier said than done, but I’ll give it a shot…

Gabriel pats O’Malley on the back and nods.

Gabriel: Good. Now take a break from the punching bag and get in the ring. Can’t get focused on Austin by just hitting the punching bag.

The two share a laugh before Gabriel turns around and heads towards the ring. O’Malley follows behind him and they decide on who will be his sparring opponent.




“These last couple ‘o weeks I’ve had a lot of time to reflect. Reflect on what, exactly? Decisions I’ve made, and the consequences of those decisions. I’m tryna build meself a pretty successful career in not only SCU but SCW, too, but it seems that every thing I do, people hold that shite against me. I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. So what is a fella to do now?”

The camera is dark at first, with only the sound of O’Malley’s voice heard. After he finishes his opening words, a light turns on, illuminating his face. He’s seated in a chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. He looks up into the camera, a contemplative look on his face.

“I used to be liked around here. But that was years ago. That was the days when Misty was still alive, and all people saw me as was her husband and the father to her son. Even when I started me wrestling career after she died, that’s all anyone ever saw me fer. Now that I’m tryna make a name fer meself and build me own career, that means I make decisions fer meself. And not what Misty would think or do. And, despite what any of ye watchin’ might think, not based off of what Darcy wants me to do. I run me life. No one else.”

O’Malley taps his index finger to his chest, emphasizing that last statement in his actions, but also with the serious look on his face.

“Several months ago when I decided to make me return to SCW, I threw me name into the mix for the Blast From the Past tournament. I ain’t exactly one that likes that tournament anymore, because of the last time I was involved but I thought, hey, maybe I can actually carry me team to the finals and win it fer the both of us. I mean, a World Heavyweight Championship match was the prize, so why not, right? And when I saw me partner, I actually liked our chances even better.”

O’Malley closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens them again, he lets out a disappointed sigh.

“And then I saw our first round opponents. Austin James Mercer and Candy. The Internet Champion and the Bombshell Roulette champion teamed together, but I still had faith that we could do it. I didn’t want to be the reason that my team got eliminated in the first round, but what happened? I’m sure Austin remembers. I know I’ll never forget it, because it was the stupidest mistake of me career so far!”

O’Malley sits back in the chair and the light remains shining on his face. He folds his arms, still disappointed in himself before he continues.

“I let meself get overly frustrated and caught up in the heat of the moment and got disqualified. I hit Mercer with a low blow and BAM! he and Candy were advancing to the next round. So why did I do it? Why did I get me and Sam Marlowe disqualified when I swore up and down that I couldn’t be the reason we didn’t advance? I’ll tell ye why.”

O’Malley unfolds his arms and slaps his palms on his knees.

“Ye ever get a bad feelin’ about someone? Like, ye don’t even really know enough about the person and ye just don’t like them? They’re tryna present themselves and somethin’ and someone they’re not? That’s exactly how I feel about Austin James Mercer and what made me do what I did. Somethin’ just told me that he needed a hard hit to the junk, so that is what I did. Lookin’ back, I don’t regret doin’ it. I just regret gettin’ caught and gettin me and Sam disqualified because had I not done that, there ain’t no way Mark Cross woulda been the one to challenge Ben Jordan at Into The Void.”

O’Malley shakes his head again. But he eventually shrugs and looks back into the camera.

“But that was four months ago. And now? Now I have a chance to right that wrong and get a clean win over Austin, because after the shite he started a few weeks ago on Twitter? I’m itchin’ to get me hands on him again. And Austin better be thankful that his Internet Title ain’t on the line, because if it were? There’d be a new champ after this weekend.”

O’Malley narrows his eyes and glares into the camera. He leans forward again and his nostrils flare.

“Austin, I’m now speakin’ directly to ye, fella. I’ve been waitin’ fer this match fer weeks. I’ve been wantin’ to beat the shite out of ye just to bring ye and that god damne ego of yer’s down several notches. Ye want to jump into shite yer not involved in? Protect yer so called friends over stupid comments I made on Twitter? Alright, I’ll get yer ass involved. I’ll show the world that yer just a ignorant jackass who thinks he has any power in this company.”

His tone increases and he gets more and more fired up as be addresses Austin James Mercer.

“Ye had the nerve to sit there and say that SCW is YOUR company? Really? Last I checked ye don’t sign me paychecks, fella. Ye don’t make the matches. Ye don’t run the shows. That’s Mark Ward and Christian Underwood, fella. So ye think that just because yer the current Internet Champ and a FORMER World Heavyweight Champ, that ye got ownin’ rights in this place?”

O’Malley laughs and shakes his head.

“Feck off with that shite, Austin. Ye might be the current Internet Champ, but let me make one thing very clear to ye. That former world heavyweight status of yers? It wasn’t earned, fella. The only reason ye even won that title to begin with is because Fenris let ye win that one. Do ye really think it woulda happened otherwise? Do ye really think ye coulda beat him legit? Fenris might not admit it, but I ain’t stupid. I trained in the GO Gym like Fenris. I know more than ye might think. So yer little ego trip about bein’ a former World Heavyweight Champion holds no weight with me.”

O’Malley chuckles again and he shrugs.

“Ye know, I wasn’t even interested in that title ye got right now before ye went and ran yer mouth like ye did. I had other plans fer meself. And if Vinnie boy wasn’t chasin’ after it and bein’ the annoying psychopath he is, I’d probably give it a real go after this Sunday. But ye see, I’m tired of bein’ involved in triple threats, or four corners or fatal five ways or six pack challenges. If I’m gonna go after that title...If I’m gonna beat ye fer that title? It’s gonna be one on one. So I’ll just have to settle fer non-title this go around. And hope that after Summer XXXTreme, when Vinnie gets the shot he’s fightin’ fer, that ye won’t fail like ye did when ye lost the World Heavyweight title to him last year. Because really, fella?”

O’Malley lets out another sigh. He brings his hands up to his temples wrecking his brain for answers.

“I just can’t understand it. If yer such a top athlete...a true star in SCW...how the bloody hell did ye let Vinnie beat ye? I guess it all really boils down to the fact that ye just aren’t as amazing as ye think ye are. Yer not one of the best SCW has to offer and ye damn sure ain’t worthy of walkin’ around with the Internet title around yer waist. And then ye want to sit there and call me a ‘loud mouthed fuckwit’ fer what? Callin’ yer friends out logical shite that should be called out? If ye ask me, yer the loud mouthed one, Austin. Perhaps let yer friends speak fer themselves instead of comin’ out with bullshite excuses. But, I’m gettin’ off topic here. And I’d hate to just put out a long boring repetitive promo…”

O’Malley winks and chuckles into the camera before rolling his eyes.

“Yer so quick to judge everyone else, AJ...Wait, can I call ye AJ? I’m gettin’ a little bored with bein’ so formal here. Anyway...yer so quick to judge other people if they’re not in yer little circle jerk group of friends, and I’m here to tell ye, it’s gonna stop. I may not be a champion in SCW yet, but mark my words, I will be very soon. And whether or not I’m a champion holds no bearing on whether or not I punch ye in the face, fella. Words sound familiar? Two can play the bullshite game ye like to play, pal.”

O’Malley leans forward again and he takes in a deep breath, pointing into the camera.

“I don’t care if I win or lose this week, AJ…Sorry, I just can’t help meself there...Anyone can win or lose a match. What I AM focused on doin’ is givin’ you the beatin’ of a lifetime. Win or lose, shite won’t matter because when all is said and done, ye still walk out as the Internet Champ focused on Vinnie. But I’m gonna prove to ye, that I should be takin’ very seriously around here. And that yer days walkin’ around thinkin’ you own the place...they’re done, fella. People don’t like ye anymore than they like me, so I think givin’ ye a run fee yer money will be very well received by everyone else.”

O’Malley now holds up two fingers into view of the camera.

“Two days, fella. Ye’ve got two days to prepare for the hurtin’ I’m gonna deliver to ye. I hope yer ready. And I hope ye don’t have better things to do...ye know, like yer friends did…”

O’Malley winks again before holding up his middle finger, sending one final message to Austin James Mercer. He stands up a few moments later, leans towards the camera and the scene cuts to black.

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