Post by jamesedwards on Feb 21, 2016 4:09:17 GMT -5
02/11/16
I’ve always had a knack for pissing people when I shouldn’t; I’ve also always had a knack for asking inappropriate questions when I shouldn’t. Of course, I’ve managed to do both in my meeting with Cadence Brown from the Universal Wrestling League.
She’s offered me a contract. A good one. I really want it, but it’s also a contract that I know that I cannot accept.
“What kind of extenuating circumstances are you talking about, James?” asks Cadence.
“Ma’am, I’m not signing an exclusive deal”, I say,”There is no damn point in it.”
I know for a fact from watching Ms. Brown’s body language this issue is not one she will drop; neither will I.
“This is a non-negotiable, James. You are either an exclusive talent with UWL or can stay in wrestling No Man’s Land” she replies with a subtle hint of acidity and arrogance in her voice.
My instincts scream to blow my top. I hate it when someone talks down to me and tries to tell me where my life will go if I don’t do as they tell me.
I guess I should mention another knack of mine, losing my temper at the worst possible time.
That’s gotten me into trouble, though. A lot of trouble. Enough trouble to where I had to flee into the metaphorical woods to keep my career alive. I have to keep calm in this situation because if I don’t then it is another few months without a steady paycheck.
It’s funny how the thought of cash can quickly calm a person down,
I reach for my coat and say, “Well ma’am, I’m sorry for wasting your time. I just do not believe that we are going to be able to work this out.”
Ms. Brown doesn’t even try to stop me. She calmly picks up her smartphone and glides her fingers across it. For some reason it reminds me of watching a kid fingerpaint.
“Before you go, James, I want you to watch a short video on my phone.”
I finish putting on my coat and gesture for her to slide the phone across the table. She does and what is on the screen freezes my entire body despite the fact that it is boiling hot inside the Denny’s.
The image on the tiny screen is me. Specifically highlights of me yelling and kicking an opponent’s head in.
Ms. Brown reaches across the table and taps the screen so that the video is paused.
“James”, she says,”What I, and a lot of people in the wrestling business want to know, is what happened to this young man? I sure as hell don’t think he and the person sitting across from me are the same.”
___________________________________
“Alright, Iceman, I don’t like to F*** around, so let’s get right down to the matter at hand, aight’? This coming Saturday both of us are going to introduce ourselves to the League. If either of us wanna’ climb above the fray then we’ve gotta’ make a helluva of a first impression, and the only way I know how to do that is to put your ass down for the count.
With that said, I’m interested to know something, what the hell kinda’ cool do have running through your veins? Are you, like you the promotional material claims, one of those those level headed motherF***ers who can walk into the heart of the storm with a smile on your face? Or, are you a stone cold killer? The kind of a man who is gonna’ break me methodically without an ounce of regret in his body.
I’ll be honest with ya’, I don’t really care because I don’t buy your act for a moment. I’ve trained with your type, fought with your type and beaten your type. All of you are the same; calm when things are breezy and out of control when the world throws you a junk ball.
Let’s step back for a moment and paint a damn pretty picture of the Iceman archetype. Usually, he is a big sum’ bitch; He has a real smooth voice and doesn’t hide any pretensions about the violence he intends to commit. Beneath all the bluster, he is also a cocky F*** that thinks a little shit like me isn’t gonna’ present much of a challenge, and that attitude is always his downfall.
So our Iceman climbs into the ring with the lil’ bitty shit and throws em’ around for a few minutes. There is a good chance he knocks lil’ bitty shit loopy for a second or two and thinks that he has the match won. Then, just for the hell of it, let’s say that lil’ bitty shit kicks out. Ole’ Iceman thinks nothing of it; he has fancier moves to put the little F***er away. The funny thing is those fancy moves don’t amount to jack shit. Lil’ bitty shit is just gonna’ keep kickin’ out and getting right back up. So when the pressure ratchets up, what does the Iceman do? The answer is simple, he melts.
Iceman, I suggest you pay attention to my little F***in’ story. There is one difference though, I ain’t some little plucky rookie who is gonna’ be happy kickin’ out of all your pet moves. I’m a fighter, plain and simple. I don’t need a fabricated wall like you do to face combat. I take wrestling and my matches very seriously. This is my life and when you try to drag your Mr. Freeze act into my world I don’t appreciate it. Show me you’ve got some fire in that self-proclaimed tundra you call a heart. If ya’ don’t, I promise your ass is going to sleep.”
________________________________________________
I stare at the screen and then at Ms. Brown. I shake my head and bite my lip. She is not going to make me explode. I’m a cool customer now. Everything I do and say is deliberate. My life is easier and safer when I do that.
“I’m not that guy anymore”, I finally say.
Ms. Brown gives a stern look. “Bullshit”, she says.
“It ain’t bullshit ma’am. The guy in that video was a stupid kid who spent all his time frothing at the mouth and not delivering in the ring.”
Well the way I see it”, Ms. Brown says,”Is that the man, if you want to call him that, who fought Cross Recoba a few weeks ago in Shreveport looked tentative.”
I should have expected her to say that, it’s a classic move that anybody trying to get a rise out of me will make. I’m not proud of my effort in Shreveport but I did my damndest to win. I tell her as much.
Her response: laugh right in my face.
“James, you barely put a dent in the guy. Why else would you not be able to keep him down for more than a one count? There was no energy or passion in your kicks. You may hate the guy you saw in that video but the rage he, you, channeled hurt people. Fire in your soul is not a bad thing, James. I thought that perhaps being belligerent about the contract would piss you off enough to rekindle whatever burned in your heart. That was a dumb move on my part because it almost derailed the meeting. The truth is the League doesn’t care if you are exclusive to us or not. All we ask is that you show up and help us put asses in the seats. If you do that you are free to do whatever the hell you want when you are not on our time.”
She pauses and reaches under the table. Seconds later she produces a leather folder with the UWL logo on it.
“This is your contract. Sign it whenever you like and fax it to the number on the business card I’ve attached. If you don’t then the best of luck to you. All I hope is that the young man in the video shows back up. He had a future in this business.” Ms. Brown says as she gathers her belongs and power walks towards the door.
I stare at the folder in front of me and begin to feel the ice around my heart melt.
“
I’ve always had a knack for pissing people when I shouldn’t; I’ve also always had a knack for asking inappropriate questions when I shouldn’t. Of course, I’ve managed to do both in my meeting with Cadence Brown from the Universal Wrestling League.
She’s offered me a contract. A good one. I really want it, but it’s also a contract that I know that I cannot accept.
“What kind of extenuating circumstances are you talking about, James?” asks Cadence.
“Ma’am, I’m not signing an exclusive deal”, I say,”There is no damn point in it.”
I know for a fact from watching Ms. Brown’s body language this issue is not one she will drop; neither will I.
“This is a non-negotiable, James. You are either an exclusive talent with UWL or can stay in wrestling No Man’s Land” she replies with a subtle hint of acidity and arrogance in her voice.
My instincts scream to blow my top. I hate it when someone talks down to me and tries to tell me where my life will go if I don’t do as they tell me.
I guess I should mention another knack of mine, losing my temper at the worst possible time.
That’s gotten me into trouble, though. A lot of trouble. Enough trouble to where I had to flee into the metaphorical woods to keep my career alive. I have to keep calm in this situation because if I don’t then it is another few months without a steady paycheck.
It’s funny how the thought of cash can quickly calm a person down,
I reach for my coat and say, “Well ma’am, I’m sorry for wasting your time. I just do not believe that we are going to be able to work this out.”
Ms. Brown doesn’t even try to stop me. She calmly picks up her smartphone and glides her fingers across it. For some reason it reminds me of watching a kid fingerpaint.
“Before you go, James, I want you to watch a short video on my phone.”
I finish putting on my coat and gesture for her to slide the phone across the table. She does and what is on the screen freezes my entire body despite the fact that it is boiling hot inside the Denny’s.
The image on the tiny screen is me. Specifically highlights of me yelling and kicking an opponent’s head in.
Ms. Brown reaches across the table and taps the screen so that the video is paused.
“James”, she says,”What I, and a lot of people in the wrestling business want to know, is what happened to this young man? I sure as hell don’t think he and the person sitting across from me are the same.”
___________________________________
“Alright, Iceman, I don’t like to F*** around, so let’s get right down to the matter at hand, aight’? This coming Saturday both of us are going to introduce ourselves to the League. If either of us wanna’ climb above the fray then we’ve gotta’ make a helluva of a first impression, and the only way I know how to do that is to put your ass down for the count.
With that said, I’m interested to know something, what the hell kinda’ cool do have running through your veins? Are you, like you the promotional material claims, one of those those level headed motherF***ers who can walk into the heart of the storm with a smile on your face? Or, are you a stone cold killer? The kind of a man who is gonna’ break me methodically without an ounce of regret in his body.
I’ll be honest with ya’, I don’t really care because I don’t buy your act for a moment. I’ve trained with your type, fought with your type and beaten your type. All of you are the same; calm when things are breezy and out of control when the world throws you a junk ball.
Let’s step back for a moment and paint a damn pretty picture of the Iceman archetype. Usually, he is a big sum’ bitch; He has a real smooth voice and doesn’t hide any pretensions about the violence he intends to commit. Beneath all the bluster, he is also a cocky F*** that thinks a little shit like me isn’t gonna’ present much of a challenge, and that attitude is always his downfall.
So our Iceman climbs into the ring with the lil’ bitty shit and throws em’ around for a few minutes. There is a good chance he knocks lil’ bitty shit loopy for a second or two and thinks that he has the match won. Then, just for the hell of it, let’s say that lil’ bitty shit kicks out. Ole’ Iceman thinks nothing of it; he has fancier moves to put the little F***er away. The funny thing is those fancy moves don’t amount to jack shit. Lil’ bitty shit is just gonna’ keep kickin’ out and getting right back up. So when the pressure ratchets up, what does the Iceman do? The answer is simple, he melts.
Iceman, I suggest you pay attention to my little F***in’ story. There is one difference though, I ain’t some little plucky rookie who is gonna’ be happy kickin’ out of all your pet moves. I’m a fighter, plain and simple. I don’t need a fabricated wall like you do to face combat. I take wrestling and my matches very seriously. This is my life and when you try to drag your Mr. Freeze act into my world I don’t appreciate it. Show me you’ve got some fire in that self-proclaimed tundra you call a heart. If ya’ don’t, I promise your ass is going to sleep.”
________________________________________________
I stare at the screen and then at Ms. Brown. I shake my head and bite my lip. She is not going to make me explode. I’m a cool customer now. Everything I do and say is deliberate. My life is easier and safer when I do that.
“I’m not that guy anymore”, I finally say.
Ms. Brown gives a stern look. “Bullshit”, she says.
“It ain’t bullshit ma’am. The guy in that video was a stupid kid who spent all his time frothing at the mouth and not delivering in the ring.”
Well the way I see it”, Ms. Brown says,”Is that the man, if you want to call him that, who fought Cross Recoba a few weeks ago in Shreveport looked tentative.”
I should have expected her to say that, it’s a classic move that anybody trying to get a rise out of me will make. I’m not proud of my effort in Shreveport but I did my damndest to win. I tell her as much.
Her response: laugh right in my face.
“James, you barely put a dent in the guy. Why else would you not be able to keep him down for more than a one count? There was no energy or passion in your kicks. You may hate the guy you saw in that video but the rage he, you, channeled hurt people. Fire in your soul is not a bad thing, James. I thought that perhaps being belligerent about the contract would piss you off enough to rekindle whatever burned in your heart. That was a dumb move on my part because it almost derailed the meeting. The truth is the League doesn’t care if you are exclusive to us or not. All we ask is that you show up and help us put asses in the seats. If you do that you are free to do whatever the hell you want when you are not on our time.”
She pauses and reaches under the table. Seconds later she produces a leather folder with the UWL logo on it.
“This is your contract. Sign it whenever you like and fax it to the number on the business card I’ve attached. If you don’t then the best of luck to you. All I hope is that the young man in the video shows back up. He had a future in this business.” Ms. Brown says as she gathers her belongs and power walks towards the door.
I stare at the folder in front of me and begin to feel the ice around my heart melt.
“