- Candle in the Wind -
Notice
Many men have entered this game, this life, this profession, and left their mark on it forever. Everybody thinks they are special and they�ll be damned if anybody will ever beat them. Cash flows in, the scars dig deep, and the sex is great, but all in all, few have it right. This isn�t a job for children. This isn�t even really a job for men. It�s kind of Neanderthalic in the sense that humans will enter a box of boundaries only to pummel who ever else is in there with them. For what? Titles? Gold? Fame? Glory? All of the above?
That is what professional wrestling has turned into. A blood sport, where cracking your opponent�s head with a steel chair is called art. Where valets backstage are kidnapped and raped for ratings. The sicker you make it, the more people will watch it. It�s a disgusting way of showing how barbaric even the most sophisticated person remains.
We want to see Razor Blade bleed buckets. We want to see Big Poppa and Sapphire get it on so hardcore that we ejaculate before we can even touch ourselves. That�s what will get you ratings. That�s how the cash will come in. Want to be #1? You have to sink to the bottom of the gutter to do it. Go so low that it makes even you sick. Few people could care about a triple German suplex combo or a perfectly executed moonsault. They�ve all ready seen it before. �What else do you have?� I know, lets have someone drive a monster truck into the arena and run his opponent over!�Please, try not to be too lame.
Shock value is what has become of this great profession. And right now, the great men that created this sport are rolling over in their graves, disappointed that the generations of children after them still don�t get it. It disgusts them. This isn�t great wrestling anymore. It is a mockery of their creation.
But all isn�t lost. There are still pockets of individuals out there that do understand what all this barbaric fighting was supposed to be about. It�s supposed to be storytelling. Not hitting someone with a chair just because, or throwing someone through a door backstage because they looked at you strangely. If a parent can�t set their child down in front of the television to watch your programming, then something is wrong.
It will be interesting to see which direction Advantage Wrestling takes this time around. Will it be the average run of the mill federation that comes and goes like many of its predecessors? Will it be one of those federations that tries to push the envelope? Or will it be something special? Something that reminds you of days long since forgotten.
Lets take a trip back to the Old School.
-[ Last May, Advantage Wrestling fell apart at the seems once again and the talent moved on just like it did the last time. The wrestlers on the roster weren�t exactly sure why it folded the second time around, it just did. Monday Insomnia was pulling in decent numbers for its time slot, and it wasn�t like the money wasn�t there. All of the wrestlers were paid for their services, hell, they were even paid an extra week�s pay check just because the place closed so quickly. That was very kind of management to do seeing as they just tossed every wrestler right on their ass without warning. ]-
-[ Most wrestlers found new places to work at quickly but for Cody and Tomorrow Man, the time off was much needed. Tomorrow Man was injured on the first night of action at Monday Insomnia but continued to tough out the small tear in his left rotator cuff for a few weeks. Even injured, Cody and Tomorrow Man won the AW Tag Team Titles. Luckily for Tomorrow Man, Advantage Wrestling closed a few weeks later, allowing him to have the much needed surgery on that shoulder. ]-
-[ So while the former AW roster was out making money, Cody and Tomorrow Man stayed sidelined for the month of June. Once the wrestling world had heard that Tomorrow Man was fully healed, the offers began to pour in. Who wouldn�t want A Tendency 2 Start Fires on their roster? Face it, tag team wrestling is at an all time low in the profession and many federations would kill for a chance for a solid tag team to build a division around. Cody and Tomorrow Man declined all major offers though. Why? Because they wanted to return to their roots. The Independent Circuit had many advantages for them. They could work wherever and whenever they wanted, they didn�t have crappy creative teams to do them harm, and the money made was amazing. Seriously, a well put together card could easily earn them anywhere between $10,000 - $50,000 a piece just to step in the ring for about 20 minutes. So naturally, Cody and Tomorrow Man enjoyed working indy shows even if the exposure wasn�t there. ]-
-[ So why did they even bother coming back to Advantage Wrestling? For one reason only, they were still the AW Tag Team Champions. Razor Blade didn�t have to beg until he was practically in tears to get them back, even though it was funny to watch. No, Cody and Tomorrow Man knew they had to maintain the respect that they earned while competing in Advantage Wrestling the last time. Get one thing straight though, GFWA pride beats in their hearts and it will always be their home, and AW will always come second. But still, respect is worth more than silver or gold to them, and not coming back to defend the titles would have been spitting in the faces of those that stood by them from the beginning. It was time to get back to work one last time. ]-
-[ Cody drops his duffle bag as he enters the door to his home. Nearly forgetting to close the door, he throws himself onto his couch, relaxing his sore muscles from the long trip. 18 hours ago he was in Orlando wrestling a green, up and coming talent that botched nearly every move he pulled off. That�s one of the bad things about independent wrestling, some of the guys you face just simply suck. So going through a 10-minute slop fest of a match followed up by a 12-hour flight back to San Francisco will take its toll on your body, and obviously, Cody is showing that right now. ]-
-[ Before he can get any real rest, Cody hears his door open. He turns his head slightly towards the door to see who is coming in. Not to his surprise, he finds his 22-year old neighbor, Sarah Travis. He smiles at her as she makes her way towards him. Whenever he leaves to go wrestle somewhere in the world, he lets her know so she can grab his mail while he�s out. As he sits up, exhausted, she throws the mail on the living room table then walks behind the couch and starts to massage his neck. This obviously isn�t the normal next door relationship most people have. As he sifts through the mail, she begins to kiss the back of his neck, making her way up towards his right ear. She then whispers into it with a seductive voice. ]-
Sarah: Let�s go to bed.
-[ All though he�s exhausted and wants to go to bed and get some sleep, Cody figures he still has enough in him to put out for a good 15 minutes. Hey, most guys would. ]-
Cody: Good idea.
-[ She smiles behind him and walks away towards the bedroom, unbuttoning her shirt. She looks back, figuring that he�s following but he�s still sitting at the couch, looking at the front of one envelope. ]-
Sarah: Um, Cody?
Cody: Yeah?
Sarah: Bed.
-[ He doesn�t pay much attention to her though and instead opens the envelop. As he reads the document inside, Sarah rolls her eyes and starts to walk back towards him. ]-
Sarah: Now what�s so important that it would make you forget about me?
-[ Before Cody can finish reading the document, Sarah snags it from his grasp and starts to read it to herself. Quickly her sexy smile is turned into disbelief and anger. She drops the paper and shoots Cody with the look of death. As the paper floats to the floor, she buttons her shirt back up without hesitation. ]-
Sarah: I can�t believe this!
Cody: Sarah�
Sarah: �no! Don�t touch me! Stay the fuck away from me!
-[ She then throws his house keys that he gave her onto the table, then leaves the house, not caring that she left the door open. Cody shakes his head in disbelief of her actions as he reaches for the paper on the floor. ]-
Cody: Geez, its not like we were dating or anything.
-[ Apparently, Cody could careless that she�s gone for good. Besides, he did her enough times to where she was boring to him. As he sets the paper back on the table, his tag team partner, Tomorrow Man, come walking into the house. Cody looks up at him. ]-
Tomorrow Man: What was that all about?
Cody: Huh?
-[ Tomorrow Man points out the door. ]-
Cody: Oh, some girl thing I guess.
-[ Tomorrow Man laughs. ]-
Tomorrow Man: You�re smooth when breaking up with women.
Cody: Shut up! We weren�t even going out�just having fun.
-[ Tomorrow Man laughs again. ]-
Tomorrow Man: That didn�t look like fun to me.
-[ This time Cody doesn�t have the usual smart ass response but instead just looks down at the paper. Tomorrow Man quickly senses there is something wrong. ]-
Tomorrow Man: What�s up? You didn�t get beat up in Orlando too bad, did you?
Cody: Naw.
-[ Cody just keeps looking at the paper, reading the words over and over again in his mind. Tomorrow Man notices that the paper he has in his hands is too important for Cody to bullshit around. ]-
Tomorrow Man: Seriously, what�s going on? I mean, I drive over here to tell you that you have a match with some guy named Skylar Clay next week and I find your neighbor running out of here half dress, ranting and raving about you going to Hell.
-[ Cody hands Tomorrow Man the paper and he sits down to read it. His face turns into disbelief as well but he doesn�t blow a gasket over what the document says like Sarah did.. He then hands the document back to Cody. ]-
Tomorrow Man: Wow, is this the first time you�ve been contacted by the state of Texas?
Cody: No. They sent me a letter last month too but I let it slide because I figured it was a mistake.
-[ They both go silent for a moment and let the news soak in. Whatever it is, it must be serious if the state of Texas has sent a notice all the way to San Francisco to Cody. ]-
Cody: Jesus Christ, T-Man! I have a 4-year old daughter living in Texas! What the hell am I going to do?
Tomorrow Man: Well you obviously have to go to McGregor, Texas or wherever it is and figure this out. Who�s saying you�re the father?
-[ Cody looks at the document for the name. ]-
Cody: Cori-Lynn Matthews.
Tomorrow Man: Do you know her?
Cody: I have no clue! Do you know how many times I�ve been to Texas over the past 4 or 5 years?! Do you have any idea how many nights I�ve spent partying there?! How many women I�ve fucked?! Man, I always use protection! Jesus Christ!
Tomorrow Man: Just calm down! For all you know it could be a mistake. Hell, some floozy down south could be scamming you for all you know. Just go down there and get it over with. I mean, why worry about it if you aren�t completely sure about it?
Cody: Yeah, I guess you�re right.
Tomorrow Man: Go down there after Insomnia and have a paternity test done and then you�ll know for sure.
-[ Cody laughs a bit. ]-
Cody: Damn, man, you always told me I�d end up taking one of those someday. I guess you were right.
Tomorrow Man: Could be worse.
Cody: How?
Tomorrow Man: You could have ended up on Murray Povich.
-[ Tomorrow Man grins and Cody chuckles a bit. ]-
Cody: Yeah, I guess it could be worse.
-[ A slight silence takes over but Tomorrow Man ends it quickly and changes the subject. ]-
Tomorrow Man: So, what about Advantage? You�re facing this new Skylar Clay guy.
Cody: Damn it! Not another green rookie! I swear, T-Man, these new guys in the business aren�t getting decent training anymore. I just had some yeti yesterday drop me on my head a few times because he kept botching a simple hip toss.
-[ Tomorrow Man laughs. ]-
Tomorrow Man: How in the hell do you get dropped on your head from a hip toss?
Cody: I don�t know but he did it!
Tomorrow Man: Well, I�m not so thrilled I�m not on the card. But hey, I�ll deal. I don�t know what they want to do with the Tag Team Titles. They want us to still be the champions but on the other hand, there really aren�t any tag teams signed.
Cody: Whatever. Anyway, I�m not in the mood to worry about business right now. I�ve got to get some sleep and do some thinking.
Tomorrow Man: All right, well I�ll get out of here then.
-[ Tomorrow Man gets up from his seat and starts to walk towards the door. ]-
Tomorrow Man: Later.
-[ Cody just gives Tomorrow Man a sloppy wave good-bye as he walks out the door. Cody then exhales as he looks down at the letter from Texas. He shakes his head. ]-
Cody: Damn.
-[ He then gets up from the couch and heads towards his bedroom to get some sleep; not caring that his squeeze of the week, Sarah, won�t be in there waiting for him. He closes the door behind him as the scene fades out. ]-
Think you missed one?
- Click Here -