Post by Joey on Apr 28, 2020 16:38:02 GMT -5
The scene is Raleigh NC. Its been years since I was here. This is the city where Legion was buried. I never knew him, didn't care much for him. But he is part of the past and we need to respect at least in some way the past.
He was buried at Black Rock cemetery on the outskirts of town. Buried far away from his family and the few “friends” he had. As the years have gone by you can tell less and less people have come here to visit, fresh flowers have not been placed in over a year. He lay on a corner of the lot, a small little headstone marking his name. Forgotten and discarded like so many before and after. A fitting end to an ex priest that turned his back on God.
I do not bother to say any words, Legion never spoke, only fitting I do not speak at his grave site. I spend a handful of minutes there, wondering what my brother Redd ever saw in this man to blindly follow him. But some show blind faith in the lowest of things. I walk away from his and will not think of him again for a very long time.
When I was up and coming I used to think that wrestling was an art form, that the men and women who put their lives on the line every night were something special. But I was wrong, they were not special, just one step up from carnival folk and like all carnies they come and go and always and I mean always utterly forgettable.
Just as I am forgettable. I am nothing special. Neither is Redd. We may be dinosaurs in the business, but that is all we are. And longevity is not always special. In fact I consider it more luck than anything else. And I will admit I have been very lucky in my career. But luck only gets you so far. The rest is talent, or sheer will. I think I have the latter.
There have been rumblings abound and around SFT since before my departure about new people coming new people entering and I find that extremely funny. New people do not know the first thing about what it takes to succeed. They jump around from place to place thinking they are doing something special. They are not. Special? There really is no such thing? Special to me is loving one place more than you love yourself. And these days there is no such loyalty. Special means doing more for one place than you could do for yourself. So many people rack up titles in lesser feds and list them as if it were a resume. They don't stop to realize that so many titles in different places only helps to diminish the very titles they tout around.
People always wondering how they can put themselves in the best possible light, always trying to position and jockey themselves for more power. Such a thing is a fleeing stance. Power of any kind in a wrestling federation is like trying to catch falling water on your hands. It is folly. Every single person has dreams of what a perfect place is, and there is no such thing. Every single person in power thinks they know whats best, but how can you, you’ve never been responsible for anyone other than yourself. You want to prove whats best? Prove it by doing something for others and expect nothing in return for yourself, and if those powers that be see the true worth in you, you would be rewarded. Those that do not have no worth in themselves.
Redd has always thought he was a teacher. He is not. How can he teach others loyalty and love, when the world is different. NO one loves anything, much less hold the ability for any semblance of loyalty. Those days are gone. And no one is willing to learn anything from Redd, not today, not ever.
So now that brings me to Jack Jones. I like you Jack. You are a good kid. You have always been a good kid. But that is no longer enough. It wont be enough anymore.
The thing is Jack this isn't 2010. I am not your friend, nor have I ever been your friend. We are acquaintances. We knew each other through Shadow and Shadow is dead. I am sorry but he is. And even at that it is Redd who was closest to him, closest to you. Yes I miss Shadow too, he was someone that I will never forget. But he is gone and you and I are still here. That is our life that is our situation. Like it or not.
I have had to deal with a lot of death in my life. That is the nature of this life of ours. I was never part of the so called Dead Pac or the inner circle. I have always paved my own way and I suggest you do the same. Do not worry about SFT anymore, be like the rest and just go off and be nothing like the rest of the industry. There is no more love, no more loyalty. So why have you stuck around? Why is the only question worth asking anymore.
Why do you stay? Whats in it for you these days? Some sort of lost loyalty? What are doing? Fighting for SFT’s place in the world? Lining yourself up in the so called ICW/SFT war? How'd that turn out? You guys went over there, beat them up and for what? No one over there was impressed. Because none of them there care. Do you see what I mean? You guys wasted your time on a place that does not care about itself. What you guys did was stupid. And all you did was try to convince people that are not worth it to care, you may have won the big match at the end but you failed at everything else. Just like you will fail at everything from here on out. People only care about themselves and nothing you do nor say nor try will ever change that, and will never change other people. So give up Jack.
I am teaching you a lesson and I hope for once you are listening. Do not bother with lesser federations, or lesser people. Do not bother with inviting people into SFT. If SFT cant stand on its own merit, kissing their butts will not work, because how can you bend yourself to lesser individuals? SFT has been around since 1996. That alone should tell people about SFT. But it does not. And you all fail every single day to live up to its legacy. For one simple reason. The world has changed and no one cares and SFT failed to change with it. We are a forgotten group and we belong forgotten. I am here to ensure that. Starting with you Jack. Yes starting with you.
Jack you have been a staple in SFT. One of the last undying hero's of a generation long since gone and long since forgotten. You were a child when you started. And you are a man now. No longer a little boy looking up at hero's that never existed. And trust me Jack they never existed. It was all in your head. You were a kid and now its time to grow up. Its time for all of us to grow up.
I know this may sound rude and harsh but I am just trying my best to wake you up. IN this world no one will care about you. What has anyone ever done for you? Has anyone ever said thank you for all your years of service? Anyone ever said a nice word to you or about you? The reality of the matter is simple. No one cares, no one has ever cared and no one will ever care. You should be more like the ICW guys and not give a rats behind.
Or.
Or you could just forget all this and come with me, come with me into the outside world. Forget all this, forget SFT. Start living your life. Its time. Live your life, grow up, grow old, find a wife, have a family. Live the life Shadow would of wanted for you and not stuck here fighting a fight no one else but you and a few others refuse to give up.
Jack You guys won the war, you beat everyone, RWA, ICW, Fight 1, god knows how many other federations. You beat them all, and while no one will ever say it, I will, you guys beat them all because you were better. Plain and simple. You had more talent, more resolve and you guys refused to ever quit. Thats it. You won, you beat everyone and now, now its time to rest. Time to move on. Time to rest and leave all this behind.
That is why I came back. Redd does not have the guts to shut this place down. So I have to do it for him. Jack do not fight me on this, join me. Help me convince others its time to go and take some rest. Say goodbye to this place and just let it fade away into dust and into memories. Please.
That is all I have to say.
Fade to Darkness…...
He was buried at Black Rock cemetery on the outskirts of town. Buried far away from his family and the few “friends” he had. As the years have gone by you can tell less and less people have come here to visit, fresh flowers have not been placed in over a year. He lay on a corner of the lot, a small little headstone marking his name. Forgotten and discarded like so many before and after. A fitting end to an ex priest that turned his back on God.
I do not bother to say any words, Legion never spoke, only fitting I do not speak at his grave site. I spend a handful of minutes there, wondering what my brother Redd ever saw in this man to blindly follow him. But some show blind faith in the lowest of things. I walk away from his and will not think of him again for a very long time.
When I was up and coming I used to think that wrestling was an art form, that the men and women who put their lives on the line every night were something special. But I was wrong, they were not special, just one step up from carnival folk and like all carnies they come and go and always and I mean always utterly forgettable.
Just as I am forgettable. I am nothing special. Neither is Redd. We may be dinosaurs in the business, but that is all we are. And longevity is not always special. In fact I consider it more luck than anything else. And I will admit I have been very lucky in my career. But luck only gets you so far. The rest is talent, or sheer will. I think I have the latter.
There have been rumblings abound and around SFT since before my departure about new people coming new people entering and I find that extremely funny. New people do not know the first thing about what it takes to succeed. They jump around from place to place thinking they are doing something special. They are not. Special? There really is no such thing? Special to me is loving one place more than you love yourself. And these days there is no such loyalty. Special means doing more for one place than you could do for yourself. So many people rack up titles in lesser feds and list them as if it were a resume. They don't stop to realize that so many titles in different places only helps to diminish the very titles they tout around.
People always wondering how they can put themselves in the best possible light, always trying to position and jockey themselves for more power. Such a thing is a fleeing stance. Power of any kind in a wrestling federation is like trying to catch falling water on your hands. It is folly. Every single person has dreams of what a perfect place is, and there is no such thing. Every single person in power thinks they know whats best, but how can you, you’ve never been responsible for anyone other than yourself. You want to prove whats best? Prove it by doing something for others and expect nothing in return for yourself, and if those powers that be see the true worth in you, you would be rewarded. Those that do not have no worth in themselves.
Redd has always thought he was a teacher. He is not. How can he teach others loyalty and love, when the world is different. NO one loves anything, much less hold the ability for any semblance of loyalty. Those days are gone. And no one is willing to learn anything from Redd, not today, not ever.
So now that brings me to Jack Jones. I like you Jack. You are a good kid. You have always been a good kid. But that is no longer enough. It wont be enough anymore.
The thing is Jack this isn't 2010. I am not your friend, nor have I ever been your friend. We are acquaintances. We knew each other through Shadow and Shadow is dead. I am sorry but he is. And even at that it is Redd who was closest to him, closest to you. Yes I miss Shadow too, he was someone that I will never forget. But he is gone and you and I are still here. That is our life that is our situation. Like it or not.
I have had to deal with a lot of death in my life. That is the nature of this life of ours. I was never part of the so called Dead Pac or the inner circle. I have always paved my own way and I suggest you do the same. Do not worry about SFT anymore, be like the rest and just go off and be nothing like the rest of the industry. There is no more love, no more loyalty. So why have you stuck around? Why is the only question worth asking anymore.
Why do you stay? Whats in it for you these days? Some sort of lost loyalty? What are doing? Fighting for SFT’s place in the world? Lining yourself up in the so called ICW/SFT war? How'd that turn out? You guys went over there, beat them up and for what? No one over there was impressed. Because none of them there care. Do you see what I mean? You guys wasted your time on a place that does not care about itself. What you guys did was stupid. And all you did was try to convince people that are not worth it to care, you may have won the big match at the end but you failed at everything else. Just like you will fail at everything from here on out. People only care about themselves and nothing you do nor say nor try will ever change that, and will never change other people. So give up Jack.
I am teaching you a lesson and I hope for once you are listening. Do not bother with lesser federations, or lesser people. Do not bother with inviting people into SFT. If SFT cant stand on its own merit, kissing their butts will not work, because how can you bend yourself to lesser individuals? SFT has been around since 1996. That alone should tell people about SFT. But it does not. And you all fail every single day to live up to its legacy. For one simple reason. The world has changed and no one cares and SFT failed to change with it. We are a forgotten group and we belong forgotten. I am here to ensure that. Starting with you Jack. Yes starting with you.
Jack you have been a staple in SFT. One of the last undying hero's of a generation long since gone and long since forgotten. You were a child when you started. And you are a man now. No longer a little boy looking up at hero's that never existed. And trust me Jack they never existed. It was all in your head. You were a kid and now its time to grow up. Its time for all of us to grow up.
I know this may sound rude and harsh but I am just trying my best to wake you up. IN this world no one will care about you. What has anyone ever done for you? Has anyone ever said thank you for all your years of service? Anyone ever said a nice word to you or about you? The reality of the matter is simple. No one cares, no one has ever cared and no one will ever care. You should be more like the ICW guys and not give a rats behind.
Or.
Or you could just forget all this and come with me, come with me into the outside world. Forget all this, forget SFT. Start living your life. Its time. Live your life, grow up, grow old, find a wife, have a family. Live the life Shadow would of wanted for you and not stuck here fighting a fight no one else but you and a few others refuse to give up.
Jack You guys won the war, you beat everyone, RWA, ICW, Fight 1, god knows how many other federations. You beat them all, and while no one will ever say it, I will, you guys beat them all because you were better. Plain and simple. You had more talent, more resolve and you guys refused to ever quit. Thats it. You won, you beat everyone and now, now its time to rest. Time to move on. Time to rest and leave all this behind.
That is why I came back. Redd does not have the guts to shut this place down. So I have to do it for him. Jack do not fight me on this, join me. Help me convince others its time to go and take some rest. Say goodbye to this place and just let it fade away into dust and into memories. Please.
That is all I have to say.
Fade to Darkness…...
