Post by HUNTER on Apr 29, 2017 11:39:20 GMT -5
There are moments in sports we live for.
Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs, game seven of the World Series. Tie game.
Fourth quarter. Two minute warning. Down by a field goal in the Super Bowl.
Game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. Down by a goal. Under a minute left in the game.
I'm sure there's something to compare to soccer or...bowling or something. But we won't go there.
In professional wrestling...in the WGWF...it's WrestleWars.
**Ding...Ding...Ding**
_____________________________________________________
REPORTER: Hunter, tell us how you felt out there today.
HUNTER: You know, I felt good. Arm felt good. I had everything working for me today. Defense played outstanding behind me. That catch by Kiermaier in the sixth - I mean what more can you say about that guy. He's the best in the game at what he does. That was a huge moment for us. I give that guy and those guys behind me a lot of credit.
REPORTER: Can you walk us through the fourth inning? Bases loaded and you hit Gardner to push home a run for the Yanks.
Hunter chuckles a bit. He rubs his greying beard.
HUNTER: Sometimes things like that happen. We're athletes, sure. But we're human. The moment can be bigger than us. In fact - most moments are bigger than us. I've been in this game a long time, now. I've made my share of mistakes. Cost my team some games. Maybe even cost myself some years in this game with how I've abused my arm. In the fourth - the ball just got away from me, there. I gotta be better than that but - it happened. We recovered and well - the rest is history, isn't it?
He dabs away at his face as champagne starts to trickle down his forehead, again.
REPORTER: Looking back at your career - over a decade, now - where does this moment rank? You've had quite a few classics.
Hunter stares out through the lights, the flashes, and the mass of people in front of him. He squints a bit. Takes another drink of his water bottle.
Classics. Yeah he's had a few of those. Eleven years in the game is gonna allow anyone some highlight, memorable, and even sometimes legendary moments. He was no exception to that.
HUNTER: You know I've thought about that, actually. Some guys will come up here and they'll immediately say some bottled, recycled answer to a question like that. For me - it's more than that. It's special. Winning on this stage, especially with these guys around me - it's special, for sure. I've had some really good people around me for a long time and it wouldn't feel right to not give them credit. My career would be totally different without them. They know who they are.
REPORTER: Ten years ago - did you ever imagine you'd be where you are today?
HUNTER: Ten years ago I was in a totally different place. Coming up through a different system. Facing much different competition. I did battle with some greats and some not so greats. I remember being on the mound facing the same guys every week, it seemed. Eventually you get to a point where you have to move on to advance your career. That's what I did...and here I sit today. You guys remember - I even managed for a hot minute.
There's laughter throughout the masses.
No one forgot about that, apparently.
REPORTER: What does Hunter do next?
HUNTER: You know, I don't know. This is the pinnacle, isn't it? I've won championships. I've lost to really bad teams that I sit back and scratch my head, wondering how that happened. The fact is - we're all pros. We're all capable of a big moment. A defining moment. Then - we're all faced with...
Hunter pauses as he starts to feel his eyes water. That tingly feeling in your nose right before the water works.
HUNTER: Being a professional athlete is the only business where 35 is considered old. What we do to our bodies every day...every week...no other profession can compare. So what's next for Hunter...
____________________________________________________
Hunter limps to the podium, towel slung over his shoulder. He hadn't had a chance to shower, yet, and he still reeked. The press never cared.
REPORTER: Pretty big performance tonight, Hunter. Walk us through that two-minute drill that led to the win.
HUNTER: It's a crazy game, isn't it? I've been in these kind of moments for over a decade and they never get old. Tonight was no different. You just have to go out there, take a deep breath, and realize all 22 guys on the field are playing for the same thing. That big 'ol brass ring. I just felt like my eleven guys deserved it more. Every single guy on that sideline deserved it more. That's what separates the winners from the losers in any sport. Tonight - we wound up the winners.
REPORTER: Yes, but, after taking that cheap shot late in the third, it seemed like you were just - rejuvenated.
HUNTER: Darlin, I've taken cheap shots my whole life. Hell, my whole career has been filled with random cheap shots, unfair advantages, and just plain bad luck. It happens and you recover. You move on. Step up and shake it off. That's how you become a champion. That's how you become a legend.
REPORTER: Take us back to that play, though. When he went low and you were laying on the ground for those few minutes - what was going through your mind?
HUNTER: At first you want to be angry. Behind the agonizing pain, that is. You want to be angry and get up and slug the guy who took you down. But you don't. You realize it's gonna happen and that it's a part of the game, unfortunately. We see how it finished, though, didn't we? Maybe the better question should be asked to him, how does he feel after this one was over knowing he took himself out of the game when he could have been helping his team win.
REPORTER: You seem to turn it up when the pressure is on and play at another level. After so many years, so many bumps, bruises, blood, etc - how do you do that?
HUNTER: You could ask any one of these guys that same question. Whether you've been in this business two years or ten - it's all the same. You're not the same person after that first snap. You're not the same person after the first snap of your tenth season. But to answer your question - I can't really say for sure. It's a combination of the high you get after a big win and just loving what you do. It's why I wake up in the morning. It's why I come to work every week.
REPORTER: So what's next for you, Hunter?
HUNTER: Man...what a question...
____________________________________________________________________
Life will always find a way to humble you. Whether it's someone, something, or some moment - it'll happen. Every single time I've stepped away from this business, I've been humbled. Sometimes, it's had nothing to do with wrestling. Other times - it's been a literal slap in the face that's knocked me down. Then a moment comes around and it all starts to make sense, again.
I've never played baseball or football. I've never considered it. But you know what? It's all the same. Competition, bright lights, championships. Moments. That's what it all comes down to. Can you step up or do you stay down when the lights are brightest? Some people can while others spend their lives...their careers...fighting but always coming up short. The last few years I've had more shortcomings than successes. I'm not too proud to admit that. But the moments where I have shined have been pretty spectacular. WrestleWars has been one such moment. Chris Page has been one such opponent. Who'd a thunk...a few years back, that Hunter and Page would not only be close companions but in line for the Tag Team Championships? I wouldn't a thunk it. Neither would you a thunk it.
But times have changed. Chris and I are both on the tail ends of our careers. However, it seems like when we both feel like the last *ding, ding, ding* of the ring bell is upon us - this business sucks us right back in.
So here we are. Two matches in one night. The night. WrestleWars night.
Chronically Hunted makes their way into Phoenix to do battle for the WGWF Tag Team Championships against four other teams - including the champs, themselves, DVC. Turmoil doesn't begin to describe this match. From pure talent to absolute jokes - there's a little bit of everything in this one. Give the champs their absolute due. The DVC have been dominate. Frankly - few teams in recent memory have been as dominant as Connolly and Josten. With three Tag Team Championships on my own resume - I like to think I'm pretty well versed in what it takes to win on the tag team scene. No doubt in my mind - if and when it comes down to Chronically Hunted and the champs - that's when the real match begins.
The one thing I'll say about the teams of The Dancing Dudes and The New People System is simply this - the names. In what universe is either of those remotely intimidating? Sure, the seven feet of Sentinel can be quite menacing. I've been in the ring with him before. He's a big, tough dude. Don Crusade isn't a tiny sample size, himself. So it begs the question - The New People System? A team that at one point embarrassed The Extinction by shocking the world with a victory over them not long ago. Page and I don't plan to take them lightly. But man - that name...
Bill and Ted. It's been quite the "excellent adventure" for you guys as you've found yourselves in the biggest match of your lives. To echo my partner's thoughts - kudos to you for not being The Extinction's bitches. You've stood your ground and held your own. Now you're here. On the grandest stage in sports entertainment against four other teams gunning for the championships of the tag team division. How does it feel, dudes? So many story lines around you guys and The Extinction. So much history. There's history all over this match. So it will be very interesting to see who aligns with who. Where each team's focus lies throughout the match. One thing is certain - Page and I are focused on the one thing that matters most - being the last team standing with the belts hoisted high above our heads.
The Extinction.
You're the bullies in this match. The ones who have done nothing but push and shove your way into contention by taking out anyone in your path by any means necessary. Some may see that as smart. And maybe they'd be right. However the actions you've shown for months now ends on Monday night. Dusk and Ridge have all the momentum heading into this match seeing as who they roll with could come into play. However, you enter your first WrestleWars and the lights couldn't be brighter. No matter what plans the rest of your posse may have to assist you in bringing more gold to your little family - it is going to fall by the wayside in a match like this. Under the brightest lights of any Pay Per View in this business - it's all up to you to finish the job. Not your cohorts. Frankly, gentlemen - you just don't have what it takes to fly on your own.
Page, we've got a job to do Monday night. It's quite possible that no team in that tag title match has more history and chemistry than you and I. I look forward to walking out with my fourth tag team championship with you, "The Stoned One" as my partner.
But then, make no mistake, it's time for the main event.
We're not the last match of the night. But I promise you - we'll tear the God damned house down and leave Slater, MDK, and Frost to fight for the championship on a pile of rubble. The fans will have started to head for the exits. After all - they'll have just seen the best of the best for the third and possibly final time leave it all in the ring - no matter who walks out the winner. It's never been done before, Chris. Say that out loud to yourself. Stand in front of a mirror and watch the expression in your face change when you say it.
"Never been done before."
Man that's sexy, isn't it? You and I have been in this business as long as we have, done everything we've done, but yet here we are involved in something that's never...been...done. A few years ago I'd promise to leave you a bloody mess in the middle of that ring. Today, I know for a fact it just might be both of us who barely walk out of that ring. This time, however, it's the ultimate show of respect between two legends in this business. Does it get any better than this? The card will lead you to believe the WGWF Championship Match is the main event - thereby signifying the best match of the night.
How wrong that is.
Chris Page. Hunter.
One more time.
Yes, there are moments in sports we all live for. Moments in life that define us. On Monday night in Phoenix - Chris Page and I have the honor of two of those moments. The latter being the one years in the making. It's time to truly determine who "Mr. WrestleWars" really is.
My the best legend win.
Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs, game seven of the World Series. Tie game.
Fourth quarter. Two minute warning. Down by a field goal in the Super Bowl.
Game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. Down by a goal. Under a minute left in the game.
I'm sure there's something to compare to soccer or...bowling or something. But we won't go there.
In professional wrestling...in the WGWF...it's WrestleWars.
**Ding...Ding...Ding**
_____________________________________________________
REPORTER: Hunter, tell us how you felt out there today.
HUNTER: You know, I felt good. Arm felt good. I had everything working for me today. Defense played outstanding behind me. That catch by Kiermaier in the sixth - I mean what more can you say about that guy. He's the best in the game at what he does. That was a huge moment for us. I give that guy and those guys behind me a lot of credit.
REPORTER: Can you walk us through the fourth inning? Bases loaded and you hit Gardner to push home a run for the Yanks.
Hunter chuckles a bit. He rubs his greying beard.
HUNTER: Sometimes things like that happen. We're athletes, sure. But we're human. The moment can be bigger than us. In fact - most moments are bigger than us. I've been in this game a long time, now. I've made my share of mistakes. Cost my team some games. Maybe even cost myself some years in this game with how I've abused my arm. In the fourth - the ball just got away from me, there. I gotta be better than that but - it happened. We recovered and well - the rest is history, isn't it?
He dabs away at his face as champagne starts to trickle down his forehead, again.
REPORTER: Looking back at your career - over a decade, now - where does this moment rank? You've had quite a few classics.
Hunter stares out through the lights, the flashes, and the mass of people in front of him. He squints a bit. Takes another drink of his water bottle.
Classics. Yeah he's had a few of those. Eleven years in the game is gonna allow anyone some highlight, memorable, and even sometimes legendary moments. He was no exception to that.
HUNTER: You know I've thought about that, actually. Some guys will come up here and they'll immediately say some bottled, recycled answer to a question like that. For me - it's more than that. It's special. Winning on this stage, especially with these guys around me - it's special, for sure. I've had some really good people around me for a long time and it wouldn't feel right to not give them credit. My career would be totally different without them. They know who they are.
REPORTER: Ten years ago - did you ever imagine you'd be where you are today?
HUNTER: Ten years ago I was in a totally different place. Coming up through a different system. Facing much different competition. I did battle with some greats and some not so greats. I remember being on the mound facing the same guys every week, it seemed. Eventually you get to a point where you have to move on to advance your career. That's what I did...and here I sit today. You guys remember - I even managed for a hot minute.
There's laughter throughout the masses.
No one forgot about that, apparently.
REPORTER: What does Hunter do next?
HUNTER: You know, I don't know. This is the pinnacle, isn't it? I've won championships. I've lost to really bad teams that I sit back and scratch my head, wondering how that happened. The fact is - we're all pros. We're all capable of a big moment. A defining moment. Then - we're all faced with...
Hunter pauses as he starts to feel his eyes water. That tingly feeling in your nose right before the water works.
HUNTER: Being a professional athlete is the only business where 35 is considered old. What we do to our bodies every day...every week...no other profession can compare. So what's next for Hunter...
____________________________________________________
Hunter limps to the podium, towel slung over his shoulder. He hadn't had a chance to shower, yet, and he still reeked. The press never cared.
REPORTER: Pretty big performance tonight, Hunter. Walk us through that two-minute drill that led to the win.
HUNTER: It's a crazy game, isn't it? I've been in these kind of moments for over a decade and they never get old. Tonight was no different. You just have to go out there, take a deep breath, and realize all 22 guys on the field are playing for the same thing. That big 'ol brass ring. I just felt like my eleven guys deserved it more. Every single guy on that sideline deserved it more. That's what separates the winners from the losers in any sport. Tonight - we wound up the winners.
REPORTER: Yes, but, after taking that cheap shot late in the third, it seemed like you were just - rejuvenated.
HUNTER: Darlin, I've taken cheap shots my whole life. Hell, my whole career has been filled with random cheap shots, unfair advantages, and just plain bad luck. It happens and you recover. You move on. Step up and shake it off. That's how you become a champion. That's how you become a legend.
REPORTER: Take us back to that play, though. When he went low and you were laying on the ground for those few minutes - what was going through your mind?
HUNTER: At first you want to be angry. Behind the agonizing pain, that is. You want to be angry and get up and slug the guy who took you down. But you don't. You realize it's gonna happen and that it's a part of the game, unfortunately. We see how it finished, though, didn't we? Maybe the better question should be asked to him, how does he feel after this one was over knowing he took himself out of the game when he could have been helping his team win.
REPORTER: You seem to turn it up when the pressure is on and play at another level. After so many years, so many bumps, bruises, blood, etc - how do you do that?
HUNTER: You could ask any one of these guys that same question. Whether you've been in this business two years or ten - it's all the same. You're not the same person after that first snap. You're not the same person after the first snap of your tenth season. But to answer your question - I can't really say for sure. It's a combination of the high you get after a big win and just loving what you do. It's why I wake up in the morning. It's why I come to work every week.
REPORTER: So what's next for you, Hunter?
HUNTER: Man...what a question...
____________________________________________________________________
Life will always find a way to humble you. Whether it's someone, something, or some moment - it'll happen. Every single time I've stepped away from this business, I've been humbled. Sometimes, it's had nothing to do with wrestling. Other times - it's been a literal slap in the face that's knocked me down. Then a moment comes around and it all starts to make sense, again.
I've never played baseball or football. I've never considered it. But you know what? It's all the same. Competition, bright lights, championships. Moments. That's what it all comes down to. Can you step up or do you stay down when the lights are brightest? Some people can while others spend their lives...their careers...fighting but always coming up short. The last few years I've had more shortcomings than successes. I'm not too proud to admit that. But the moments where I have shined have been pretty spectacular. WrestleWars has been one such moment. Chris Page has been one such opponent. Who'd a thunk...a few years back, that Hunter and Page would not only be close companions but in line for the Tag Team Championships? I wouldn't a thunk it. Neither would you a thunk it.
But times have changed. Chris and I are both on the tail ends of our careers. However, it seems like when we both feel like the last *ding, ding, ding* of the ring bell is upon us - this business sucks us right back in.
So here we are. Two matches in one night. The night. WrestleWars night.
Chronically Hunted makes their way into Phoenix to do battle for the WGWF Tag Team Championships against four other teams - including the champs, themselves, DVC. Turmoil doesn't begin to describe this match. From pure talent to absolute jokes - there's a little bit of everything in this one. Give the champs their absolute due. The DVC have been dominate. Frankly - few teams in recent memory have been as dominant as Connolly and Josten. With three Tag Team Championships on my own resume - I like to think I'm pretty well versed in what it takes to win on the tag team scene. No doubt in my mind - if and when it comes down to Chronically Hunted and the champs - that's when the real match begins.
The one thing I'll say about the teams of The Dancing Dudes and The New People System is simply this - the names. In what universe is either of those remotely intimidating? Sure, the seven feet of Sentinel can be quite menacing. I've been in the ring with him before. He's a big, tough dude. Don Crusade isn't a tiny sample size, himself. So it begs the question - The New People System? A team that at one point embarrassed The Extinction by shocking the world with a victory over them not long ago. Page and I don't plan to take them lightly. But man - that name...
Bill and Ted. It's been quite the "excellent adventure" for you guys as you've found yourselves in the biggest match of your lives. To echo my partner's thoughts - kudos to you for not being The Extinction's bitches. You've stood your ground and held your own. Now you're here. On the grandest stage in sports entertainment against four other teams gunning for the championships of the tag team division. How does it feel, dudes? So many story lines around you guys and The Extinction. So much history. There's history all over this match. So it will be very interesting to see who aligns with who. Where each team's focus lies throughout the match. One thing is certain - Page and I are focused on the one thing that matters most - being the last team standing with the belts hoisted high above our heads.
The Extinction.
You're the bullies in this match. The ones who have done nothing but push and shove your way into contention by taking out anyone in your path by any means necessary. Some may see that as smart. And maybe they'd be right. However the actions you've shown for months now ends on Monday night. Dusk and Ridge have all the momentum heading into this match seeing as who they roll with could come into play. However, you enter your first WrestleWars and the lights couldn't be brighter. No matter what plans the rest of your posse may have to assist you in bringing more gold to your little family - it is going to fall by the wayside in a match like this. Under the brightest lights of any Pay Per View in this business - it's all up to you to finish the job. Not your cohorts. Frankly, gentlemen - you just don't have what it takes to fly on your own.
Page, we've got a job to do Monday night. It's quite possible that no team in that tag title match has more history and chemistry than you and I. I look forward to walking out with my fourth tag team championship with you, "The Stoned One" as my partner.
But then, make no mistake, it's time for the main event.
We're not the last match of the night. But I promise you - we'll tear the God damned house down and leave Slater, MDK, and Frost to fight for the championship on a pile of rubble. The fans will have started to head for the exits. After all - they'll have just seen the best of the best for the third and possibly final time leave it all in the ring - no matter who walks out the winner. It's never been done before, Chris. Say that out loud to yourself. Stand in front of a mirror and watch the expression in your face change when you say it.
"Never been done before."
Man that's sexy, isn't it? You and I have been in this business as long as we have, done everything we've done, but yet here we are involved in something that's never...been...done. A few years ago I'd promise to leave you a bloody mess in the middle of that ring. Today, I know for a fact it just might be both of us who barely walk out of that ring. This time, however, it's the ultimate show of respect between two legends in this business. Does it get any better than this? The card will lead you to believe the WGWF Championship Match is the main event - thereby signifying the best match of the night.
How wrong that is.
Chris Page. Hunter.
One more time.
Yes, there are moments in sports we all live for. Moments in life that define us. On Monday night in Phoenix - Chris Page and I have the honor of two of those moments. The latter being the one years in the making. It's time to truly determine who "Mr. WrestleWars" really is.
My the best legend win.