Lisbon, Portugal. Wednesday 16th August. (Off-Camera)
Rodrigo was back in his home country because it had been a while since he saw his family. They had been busy training for the Olympics in Paris next year, much like Rodrigo had, well he did a bit of training with his skateboard in his home town, being that's what he's famous for. Of course, Rodrigo had another sport to compete in to show off his high-flying skills a lot more: wrestling. Of course, they spent a lot of money on Rodrigo travelling back and forth with a wrestling school in the United Kingdom as it was the only place he could get his start in the wrestling world in Europe due to no wrestling schools in Portugal.
They have been very supportive of Rodrigo in whatever he chooses to do. In fact, Rodrigo was the only member of the family that wanted to go outside of the gymnastics stuff. Rodrigo's parents were proud of him for doing something different and that he was a gold medallist in the X-Games skateboarding street event, and he had to start travelling around the world again for Skateboarding Olympics qualifiers.
But that accomplishment wasn't why he was back home; although he was proud of being an X-Games gold medallist, Rodrigo knew he had yet to tell his parents about the other sport he had done recently. Today was that day in a small apartment with his parents, Rodrigo, his older brother, Jose and his sister, Benedita, which makes Rodrigo the youngest of the three siblings who visited them and Rodrigo. Although they had their own lives, Rodrigo was the only one who lived outside of Portugal and the only one not doing gymnastics.
They sat in the living room, as they had just finished working out in the gym, Rodrigo included, as he did need to train for wrestling, knowing he had to push himself harder than ever. Rodrigo knew he was expecting a phone call from his trainer sometime in the next two weeks. However, his mother, Clara, hugged Rodrigo, while his father, Miguel Afonso, looked on, but he also hugged Rodrigo. They all sat down on the large sofa.
Clara Afonso (Rodrigo's mother): "We're so proud you won the X-Games gold medal at skateboarding street. Fantastic job well done."
Miguel Afonso (Rodrigo's father): "I was so excited watching you do your stuff with your skateboard and walk away with this fantastic-looking gold medal. I suppose that's what you came here to show us, right?"
Rodrigo Afonso: “No, not at all. I came with it to show you, but I still need to come. It was nice to see how all of you are dedicated to still being Olympic gymnastics champions, and I'm still going to compete in the Paris Olympics with the skateboarding street gold, no matter what."
Clara Afonso: "Oh, your other sport, wrestling, right?"
Rodrigo nodded as he never felt more at home than he is currently with his family, more his parents, as he interacted with his brother Jose and his sister Benedita a lot the last few days. Everything until now had surrounded Rodrigo as a skateboarder and the only one doing so with face paint. Even at his parent's home, he wore face paint.
Rodrigo Afonso: "You know how much I appreciate you both taking me to the wrestling school every time there was a school holiday. The hard work of that has finally paid off. I've signed to Sin City Wrestling, a small Indy company in Las Vegas, Nevada, that needed male wrestlers."
Miguel Afonso: "Oh wow, that is major news. I'm so happy for you, and it doesn't matter if Sin City Wrestling isn't a mainstream company; you usually get your start in an Indy company anyway in the professional wrestling world."
Rodrigo Afonso: "For someone who doesn't religiously follow the sport, you certainly know that part very well."
Clara Afonso: "Because your dad knows how much wrestling means to you. I wish you told us sooner so we could find a way to watch on television."
Rodrigo Afonso: "It happened so fast; I signed a contract and got a match the next week. On top of the X-Games, I had no time to tell you both. Also, I don't believe you can watch this company on TV. It's all exclusively online on scwrestling.net with a small fee to pay to watch the Climax Control shows and the Super Shows."
All of Rodrigo's family, including his brother and sister, came downstairs and heard everything as the walls were thin and you could listen to everything in the house; it's why Rodrigo left to live in America as well because there was no privacy and he wanted that, on top of having to live in America anyway because of his skateboarding career. They decided to come downstairs and sit on the sofa, too.
Jose Afonso (Rodrigo's brother): "That's so awesome. I'm glad you can live your dreams of being a professional wrestler."
Benedita Afonso (Rodrigo's sister): "Shame you had to wait until you were eighteen to be a professional wrestler, though."
Miguel Afonso: "But it's how it is in professional wrestling. I will pay a small fee to watch the shows for all of us to watch your wrestling career unfold. So, who was your first opponent?"
Rodrigo Afonso: "A very experienced guy who also was making his debut on the show, Eddie Lyons. I have a lot of respect for that dude, especially after our match. Although part of me feels a little jealous, he got more attention than I did with the match. Because he got given a title opportunity after that match and won it to get a title shot for the Super Show. He's a good dude, and he beat me because he had more experience than me in the ring. I'm proud of him for sure."
That only made things painful for Rodrigo to know Eddie led the win to get a shot for the title, while Rodrigo had been left in the dark, not being booked on the Climax Control show. That had hurt, and he needed a lot of matches to be better as a wrestler instead of going backstage and talking because there wasn't anything to talk about other than disappointment.
Jose Afonso: "That's the thing you have to take in; nobody was expecting you to win as hard as it is for me to say that, but you performed to your best and sure, you lost, but remember it's because you lacked experience."
Rodrigo Afonso: "I know it was because of that, but there wasn't anywhere else I could go to get my start. Knowing I had no matches under my belt, I didn't want to start in a big company. I'm just frustrated."
Clara Afonso: "Losses are a good thing to have. It's OK to slip up, especially since everyone saw what you did. Maybe you made mistakes in the match, but you will learn to improve, making you a better wrestler."
His family were right, of course; they were super supportive, which was unusual in family homes, but simultaneously, all within their own right, including Rodrigo, were Olympic champions. They all supported their gymnastics quest of capturing more Olympic gold; for Rodrigo, it was to capture the Skateboarding Gold medal again.
Rodrigo Afonso: "Although I'm booked against The Troll, the internet kind on the next Sin City Wrestling show, what do I say to the guy when he's won a match and I haven't?"
Miguel Afonso: "I can see why you're more disappointed now, but this guy doesn't seem like a dedicated wrestler. Seems to care from the name alone, trolling other wrestlers on Twitter."
Rodrigo Afonso: "Which is why I will never join Twitter. Joining on there would feed into him and would make him win the match. My skateboarding buddies taught me a lot not to feed the Troll of them saying vile things about you. You ignore it, and they'll go away. Many SCW wrestlers are on Twitter, but I refuse to create a Twitter account and tweet. It's not my style, and I never felt it had any benefit to being on there."
Jose Afonso: "But you can make friends easily on there."
Rodrigo sighed, and he shook his head.
Rodrigo Afonso: "I prefer to make friends in person. I don't see the need to have Twitter to promote skateboarding and wrestling when there are other alternatives to doing so. Besides, a lot of people promote my stuff online for me anyway. I don't know how to approach Troll when he's on a winning streak, and I've got no wins to my name."
Clara Afonso: "Maybe just acknowledge that was your first match and you lost, sure, but you will learn from the loss to make yourself a better wrestler. You worked out harder than any of us, which is the start of your desire to grow as a wrestler. That's all you got to say on it."
Miguel Afonso: "Just remember, you're a rookie compared to all the wrestlers in Sin City Wrestling and don't allow Troll to pray in on your disappointment. The problem is these wrestlers always have family legacies to get them where they are in the sport. You don't have that in wrestling, and there's no pressure to perform."
Rodrigo nods, agreeing with his parents about what they said about taking losses as a way to improve his wrestling. Although Rodrigo knew the family weren't wrong either, there were a lot of family legacies and wrestlers associated with other wrestlers to make them stars. Rodrigo had none of that, and he didn't have a wrestling school he could go to in America, as he needed help finding one in his area.
Rodrigo Afonso: "You're right; I'm due for a phone call with my trainer next week as I have to get to Mexico to wrestle Troll. So, there is no time for him or me to meet up and get more info on this Troll guy, as apart from the win against Max Steele and the fact Goth handed him a title over winning a match, I have limited info on him."
Miguel Afonso: "No matter what happens, whether you'll win or lose, we're proud you've finally accomplished your dreams of being a professional wrestler, even if you had a rocky start."
Benedita Afonso: "Keep working hard, and you'll become a wrestling champion and the Olympic and X-Games champion."
Rodrigo Afonso: "Oh, I will."
Rodrigo needed that support. He didn't know how to react to a loss in a wrestling match because he was never trained to deal with the losses. Rodrigo knew he would get losses but didn't know how to cope because he wouldn't be one wrestler who whined and cried about the loss. He did need to tell his family about him starting his wrestling career and what happened with the match. They went out as a family and spent the entire two days together before Rodrigo had to fly to Mexico, where he did a lot of training, both with wrestling and skateboarding in the gym and outside in public with his skateboarding stunts.
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Yucatan, Mexico. Thursday 24th August. (Off-Camera)
Rodrigo already knew where he would do his video for his match against The Troll on Saturday. But that was then; this was now as he'd just finished doing scuba diving in the Cozumel, something risk-taking Rodrigo hadn't done, and he enjoyed being so close to the sharks, providing that other swimmers were with him. However, he was back at the hotel, which was a small-budget one, as Sin City Wrestling doesn't go to expensive hotels because they are a small Indy wrestling company.
He got a text from his wrestling trainer, Lee Baker, saying he would call Rodrigo later when the time suits him and for Lee. It was now time for that call, and it will be about his match with Eddie Lyons. Although the support from his family was friendly and convincing, Lee knew more than anyone what Rodrigo needed to improve on. He knew the loss was a disappointment for Rodrigo, but he was told by his family what it meant and what to do to combat it. His mobile rings, and he answers it while sitting on his bed, watching a skateboarding movie on DVD with subtitles.
Rodrigo Afonso: "Lee, how are you doing?"
Lee Baker: "I'm doing well, and the school is doing well too. Got a lot of new students since they discovered you wrestle in Sin City Wrestling now."
Rodrigo Afonso: "That's great to hear."
Lee Baker: "Now, let's talk about your match with Eddie Lyons before we get down to discussing your opponent. You need to showboat a lot less because it can come across as disrespectful to some wrestlers. Granted, I know it was a way for you to hide your nerves, but I want to see none of that when you wrestle next."
Rodrigo was silent, listening and watching the skateboarding film he brought from his home.
Lee Baker: "That was why Eddie got a little disappointed with you. Understandably, you were trying to play with the crowd. But you can do that before and after the match. Other than that, there wasn't much else you could improve on. You were defeated because of your lack of experience."
Rodrigo Afonso: "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Lee Baker: "Don't let this disappointment affect you. Making mistakes is a good thing; it's growth for you. Nobody likes a wrestler going on undefeated streaks without learning anything."
Rodrigo nodded and responded yes, so Lee knew he was still there. Rodrigo drank some fresh water from a metal bottle he brought in Mexico as he didn't trust the tap water in Mexico.
Lee Baker: "However, you still need to work on the technical skills you had on bigger men, and that will be your goal this week with facing The Troll. I know it might be embarrassing to face an internet troll."
Rodrigo Afonso: "He's not a joke Lee. The stuff he does online to other wrestlers is, but I can't shake off the feeling he will brag about winning a match, and I haven't."
Lee Baker: "Wow, you are approaching this with a better mind than I would with an opponent like The Troll. That is ingenious thinking to take him seriously. Seeing you don't have Twitter, you know when Calvin Harris said there will be an internet poll for the title?"
Rodrigo said yes on the phone, even though it hurt that Calvin thought nothing of Rodrigo as a newer wrestling star than Braddock. However, he quickly shook it off and stated this.
Lee Baker: "You were one of the names listed on that pole. Sadly, you came last but would've had a title shot if you had more votes. The fact SCW was considering to put you in a title match that quickly was pretty fast, I must admit."
Rodrigo Afonso: "I wasn't aware of this."
Lee Baker: "You wouldn't be because you're not on Twitter. This is a good thing, as I heard from someone you want nothing to do with Twitter."
Rodrigo Afonso: "No, I don't because if I wanted to meet with people, I do it in person, not on Twitter. I never thought it had any use for skateboarding or wrestling. I have my fans already, and I'm ignoring that Troll even exists from my skateboarding friends telling me ignoring trolls is the best solution."
Lee clapped over the phone, knowing that Rodrigo was an intelligent guy about many things today, and it surprised him. Rodrigo smiled, and it felt like Lee was recognising Rodrigo's plan.
Lee Baker: "Wow, you really are on the ball. Anyway, I let you go because it seems you have all things figured out and let you study more of Troll in your own time. Have some fun in Mexico, as well as doing your skateboarding stuff."
Rodrigo Afonso: "I went scuba diving today and am planning to go kayaking tomorrow and then the video and doing some skateboarding on Saturday.
Lee Baker: "Good, I'm glad you're being active. Anyway, I got to go to sleep. We'll chat more on Sunday to give you some pointers. Good luck."
Rodrigo and Lee said goodbye to each other and put the phone down, knowing it wasn't entirely what he did wrong, but he accepted the mistakes he made in the match, lack of experience and his showboating stuff. Rodrigo knew he had to work on not showboating so much anymore and take wrestling more seriously. Rodrigo turned the sound back on, turned the subtitles off, and continued watching his skateboarding film. After that, he went to the gym to work for a couple more hours after working out earlier and then headed off to bed.
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Yucatan, Mexico. Saturday 26th August. (On-Camera)
Cameras open to Rodrigo Afonso being seen skateboarding, and he surprised himself to find a skate park from a brief internet search known as Parque de la Alemán, which wasn't far from where he would wrestle tomorrow night. Of course, it was who Rodrigo was all about, none of the sitting or standing behind a background indoors talking. He even got a microphone attached to his left ear to speak while skating, and the video was played on his mobile phone.
Rodrigo Afonso: "First of all, before I address my opponent for this week, let me appreciate Eddie Lyons for giving me a tough fight, but while I lost, I'm not going to be one of those guys who whines and cries about a loss. This loss is a personal growth for me, and the fact I lost to a respected wrestler means a lot for my growth. Admittedly, I'm disappointed I didn't win, but at the same time, I knew I didn't say much about what I wanted to do in Sin City Wrestling because I'd rather let them come to me than state what I wanted."
Rodrigo was nodding his head with pure honesty as he grinded on the pipe and even on the benches.
Rodrigo Afonso: "However, now I address The Troll. The Troll is someone, unlike many wrestlers, I will take seriously. Because I got no choice, to be honest, because he's already got a win and I haven't. He is someone who is a threat because of that. He beat Max Steele, received a title by Goth, and is part of The Saviours. I'm not sure if you consider Internet Trolls like him a saviour. I didn't want to play the response game because you'll never win against him in a battle of words war."
Rodrigo paused as he stopped skating for a bit and drank some water. Breathes in and out before he continues to skate again.
Rodrigo Afonso: "The best thing my skateboarding buddies told me, as they have Twitter accounts long ago, is to ignore trolls. That's why I won't ever go on Twitter to make an account because I find Twitter useless for wrestling and skateboarding, and the guy will pick on you nonstop. There's no benefit from using Twitter other than getting a living from their mum's basement-type people like The Troll bothering you. I never understand why wrestlers respond to him when it's easy to ignore him."
He shakes his head at wrestlers getting easily agonised by The Troll.
Rodrigo Afonso: "I know I made many mistakes in my wrestling debut, and I understand I'd get picked on for it, but it's personal growth for me. I've been busting my ass in the gym daily for four hours to get better. To get stronger and improve on that. Especially that will come in handy against a guy bigger than me. Many people say they don't want to be the underdog, but I do because I don't feel pressure that way. I didn't acknowledge like in a way Eddie did on making an impact in wrestling as well as I've already done in skateboarding."
He pauses again as he took a break from skating and drank water. He sat down on the ramp for twenty minutes, thinking about the title The Troll holds, and then he returned to skate again.
Rodrigo Afonso: "I want to say congratulations on your title, but I feel that's more of a win participation title. Many people wouldn't take that seriously, and I don't on that part because you didn't earn the title. You earned the win for sure, even if it was controversial, but you still won. However, I want to be the guy who can and will prove you wrong by using all my technical skills to take down a big man who can trap him in a submission hold to get him down because I was trained in that style for that purpose. I want to get that whole you beat me because you're bigger than me out of the way."
Rodrigo sighed, knowing he hated to be brutal in a way he had because it wasn't him, but he had to tell the truth.
Rodrigo Afonso: "The loss will be turned into a win this time around, especially since this is the first-ever Super Show I've ever been a part of, and I know my skateboarding fans and skaters want me to win this match because they and my trainer back in the United Kingdom know how much I've been working hard to improve on my strength along with watching the match with Eddie over and over again to acknowledge I won't make the mistakes I did again."
He closes his eyes after he stops skateboarding and feels the wind blowing in his face; you can still see the face paint on his face.
Rodrigo Afonso: "I will prove how much that has paid off by beating you in the ring for a three count, despite me taking you seriously because of the winning factor you have. I want to prove to everyone in Sin City Wrestling that I'm here to stay and will be the better wrestler in this match. Why? To prove to everyone and myself I'll pose a threat to you, and if you decide to put that win participation belt on the line, so be it. Still, I aim to win and continue to be the underdog everyone views me as since nobody, apart from Eddie Lyons, has acknowledged me as a wrestler that's a threat yet."
Everyone knew Rodrigo would be a huge fan favourite if he pulled this off and won in only his second match. He continues to skate for the last time.
Rodrigo Afonso: "But they will when I beat you, and my ignoring everything you've ever said to wrestlers works because wrestlers need to learn to ignore you, and trolls will eventually leave the sport, and you will be gone. I will beat you down for the wrestlers you've ever upset and being a bigger kid to do so, and I know every wrestler will get behind me, especially the wrestling gymnastics stuff I can do. I will be winning because I will show I will not make the mistake of showboating in my match and take you seriously, so you have no chance to win the match because it will be me, even with the Saviours being behind your back, it won't do a thing to stop me from beating you down and win."
Rodrigo finished his video for the match as he continued to skate after the camera on his phone stopped recording from a button he pressed on his headset microphone.
