Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thursday 6th June. (Offline)
At an abandoned wrestling school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rodrigo knew his trainer, Lee Baker heard about his lack of charisma training as he hadn't been trained in this area. Lee hired the time to not really learn about Rodrigo's wrestling skills, but charisma that Rodrigo needed to develop and overall speaking to the crowd. He and Rodrigo sit in the ring and discuss it as Lee shook his head, not being mad or anything.
Lee Baker: “You're right, we haven't trained you in this area. I didn't think it was vital for wrestling to be honest.”
Rodrigo Afonso: “It is because I get called out for not doing interviews which you know I don't like doing and being a briefcase holder, I haven't gotten in faces of wrestlers or challenged champions. But I don't feel comfortable of doing that.”
Lee nods, fully understand Rodrigo making a point about his uncomfortably talking in front of a crowd. It was a concern as Rodrigo couldn't think to go out and be entertaining at any point to talk in front of fans without doing his skateboarding stunts stuff. Lee scratches his head, knowing he had a plan with another student who could possibly teach Rodrigo on how to talk and get a crowd to react.
Lee Baker: “I know your not and I do put blame on myself for not doing so. Today, we are going to sort this whole thing out and I brought a student who's very charismatic and feels more than comfortable of talking to the crowd without you feeling robotic.”
Lee goes to the locker room where he came out with a young guy that was known for his ability to talk, a student Rodrigo knows well as he done some training sessions with him a few times, a man known for his charisma star power, Josh Webb. They were embraced into a hug as while they were consistant enemies, they were good together on training at the same time. Rodrigo widens his eyes.
Rodrigo Afonso: “Wow man, you look great.”
Josh Webb: “Thank you.
Lee Baker: “Rodrigo here is having a problem of not saying anything and not feeling comfortable of talking to a live crowd and doesn't have charisma to him. So I thought I brought you in and give Rodrigo some help with that.”
Josh knew it was the one thing Rodrigo hadn't really been confident with and it did need to be sorted out. They had many training matches together and worked a lot on wrestling holds, submissions and style of wrestling which was an issue for Josh, but not for Rodrigo. However, it was the other way around for Rodrigo.
Josh Webb: “You see, you need to feel like your a comic character or something that fans will attach you to. I never had a problem of speaking in front of an audience and come up with wild shit. You don't want to be a character like Jayden Harris of being an entitled spoilt brat.”
Rodrigo Afonso: “I never want to be that guy whatsoever. I learned that mistake when I was fifteen and I refuse to repeat that ever again.”
Josh Webb: “That's a good start. But you do have to stand out at the same time. Granted, you are doing so with the face paint and skateboarding, but what I was thinking for you is to use like skateboarding term words, not only in front of the crowd, but in your videos material as well. My last name is Webb and I revolve everything around of being a spider and place my wrestling skills around being a spider..”
Lee decided to take a seat as so does Rodrigo, although he was right opposite where Josh was talking in the ring to show Rodrigo an example of the charismatic nature he had in him that would shock Rodrigo.
Josh Webb: “I'm the spider Joshua and all I do is webbing people up to size and feeling free by jumping web to web and get myself in knots to untie myself. I make wrestlers be stuck in a web knot and can't get themselves free. I'm a spider that can fly and leach my web to the ring lights. I jump from one web to the other and fly on top of the wrestlers who think they can mess with a spider.”
Although it wasn't true entirely which was something Rodrigo wasn't getting as he was more of a guy that tells the truth than lie about something. Lee saw that Rodrigo wasn't really getting the picture of the situation he was seeing with Lee reacting to him favourably.
Josh Webb: “If you piss me off, I will unleash a toxic web to want to squeeze you with so you struggle to fight the toxic web from you and it will leech onto your body until you take a poison tablet. I'm the spider of professional wrestling and I can get out of any holds and can get you into a hold that you can't get out because I'm the best knots master in wrestling. The spider doesn't stop crawling and you can't step over a spider because they get back up and slither all over you with webbing.”
Rodrigo cheered and applauded as it did fit into Josh's character that he was meant to be and parts of Lee was laughing on the idea of Josh being this charismatic guy and Rodrigo just wasn't. Lee feels that although Rodrigo cheered and applauded, he was still not getting it due to how he is as a person.
Lee Baker: “The fact is that we know these things aren't true, but that's the kind of personality you need to bring out sometimes to get people's attention. Sometimes Rodrigo in the wrestling business, you make up crap to get a reaction of the crowd. I know your afraid of saying the wrong things and keep comments to yourself, but you aren't going to develop that way.”
Josh Webb: “He's right. I know it maybe uncomfortable for you to be charismatic by lying, but sometimes, entertainment is what the fans need to make them smile and speak about what the wrestler says on camera. The end of the day Rodrigo, there's always someone that will dislike you. Spider like me doesn't care if it pisses people off. This spider ignores people and doesn't care what people think.”
Rodrigo Afonso: “OK and you're right, I should use more of my skateboarding terms words. I need a bit more time with the pair of you on developing my persona and charisma that I need because it's the one thing that puts me off being in front of the camera.”
Lee Baker: “We give you a few weeks before then, you need to come out and do a camera trial of being in front of a local wrestling crowd and see how you do. The fans love Josh Webb because he's out there and being charismatic. Being yourself isn't going to work in the long run, no matter what people say. You need to cash in that briefcase soon. I know your in the development of having a baby born into the world soon, but these lessons can start now.”
Rodrigo Afonso: “I hear you both. I won't talk today because I don't feel I can at the moment, but I will when I feel I can find something in me that attracts the crowd.
Josh nods, looking at Rodrigo with the burnt side of his face and the skull design of his face paint and contributes to it.
Josh Webb: “Yeah it's fine, we don't expect you to get it on the first day, but use your skateboarding language, use your past of how you almost saw your death with the fire you had when you were younger. But use skateboarding language to your stuff and you'd stand out to literally everyone in the Sin City Wrestling roster, how your the only gold medallist in the Olympics to be in professional wrestling.”
Lee Baker: “That is not amateur wrestling or martial arts stuff like most wrestlers have either. You have all the materials to stand out and you have, but you need to spark some charisma in you and I can understand why you haven't gone out and put your face into the camera because you feel you wouldn't draw the crowd which right now you won't.”
Josh Webb: “I won't be going anywhere until we developed you into a charismatic machine. You heard how I did it and will take you weeks to get it. Oh and congrats on the baby.”
Rodrigo Afonso: “Thanks. I better go and attend to my girlfriend, speaking of her as the baby is due in a few weeks. So got to be a man for her and we do these charisma sessions every Thursday week.”
Lee Baker: “Deal.”
Both Lee and Josh shook hands, although it wasn't done two weeks before Rodrigo faces Justin Smith because Josh had to wrestle in the United Kingdom against another wrestler, but took a storyline injury to accommodate Rodrigo and his lack of charisma and lack of confidence of being on camera in front of fans. Lee and Josh went back to the hotel they hired for thirty days.
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Time to get back on top and show everyone what I'm made of youtube.com shoot (Online)
“As I always say, I hate when I have to be brutally honest to someone because it usually reflects negatively on myself, but sometimes, you have to say things you tell the truth of in regards to Justin Smith. I try hard to see the strengths and positives of everyone, but I don't think I can with Justin. Why is it you say the same stuff every time to your opponents of words like unlike previous encounters, I will finally get the win.
First of, ever since you've came in, not once have I ever seen you grow or make changes to yourself. Maybe you're not this monster you claim to be. I do admire you still being there to wrestle regardless of how many losses you've had, but face the facts, you aren't getting wins unless something changes.
Whether it's stepping up your wrestling game or it's making changes to yourself, I don't know. I know people criticize me for being silent on the briefcase stuff, but I'm currently working on my flaws, unlike you. I bet nothing will change for you after this match with redundant things you say to every opponent and you never do win. I think the only opponent you could defeat honestly is Troll.
I won't say much more because it's a never ending story when I simply don't have anything new to say to you since the win is going to go to me. I'm not gonna say your a waste of time like other wrestlers because your not. But I know I need to get myself back to the top after facing tough opponents. As I said, right now, cashing in the briefcase isn't something I'm entirely focused on, appearing on camera without looking like a robot when I feel I would do is the improvement I will make overtime.
Say what you want about me Justin, I don't care because nothing you say is effective to anyone. I will win and move on. That's all I got to say to a repetitive wrestler who says the same stuff over and over again without any change.”
