Post by "Cholo" Giovanni Santana on Sept 23, 2022 22:26:45 GMT -5
He holds in his hand a photo of his parents, both dressed in their work clothes, sitting in a cozy sofa with a small Christmas tree by it. Humble ornaments hang form it; a single string of lights wraps around it. A top of it is an angel with its wings spread out and its hands clasp together. While their smiles are big and bright, their eyes look tired and sad, the date on the photo reads 12.24.1999, Christmas eve but clearly they are on their way to work and someone wanted to take this picture quickly before they left. He takes a deep breath and then flips the photo over to reveal a dedication that is written beautifully in Spanish. Loosely translated it reads:
A tear hits the photo, one that he quickly wipes away to avoid ruining it. Someone bursts into the room he is in, and he quickly puts the photo away.
Cholo we’re ready for-, are you… okay?
Giovanni Santana stands up, wipes his eyes and then smiles with a smile that matches that of his mother. He fixes his colorful collar shirt and then checks himself in the mirror, puffing his afro a bit. The man looks good. He puts his heavy hand on the scrawny assistant, squeezing his shoulder and responds.
Amigo, I am more than okay! I’m ready to fiesta, are you?!
Um, ow. Uh, yes, just thought I saw – ow!
Cholo squeezes a little harder.
Todo esta bien, comprendes, amigo?
uh, si?
Good! Vamonos!
Cholo steps out of the room which is inside what is known to his fans as Cholo’s, um, party bus… It’s a party, inside a of a bus… When it works, why change it? There are tables-for-two set up at each side, then in the middle a golden dancing pole and past that a few sofas, some leather, some velvet, 95-inch TV screens hang across from them. There is a bar, fully stocked and it is here where Cholo stops; the bartender having his drink ready.
Mezcal paloma señor Santana.
Por favor, call me Cholo.
Cholo pats the man hard on the arm and then takes the jarrito, a small ceramic jar full of ice, mezcal, grapefruit soda, lime juice and tajin, a Mexican spice that goes around the rim of the jar and gives a nice little kick to the smokiness of the cocktail. Cholo tries it, closes his eyes and smiles.
Bien hecho hombre, nicely done.
Cholo slips him a large bill and then exits into a large fiesta taking place right outside of the casino formerly known as Lucky Club, which is now closed and will be the site of the new Latin Casino to be known as Hotel Jefe. A few days ago, the groundbreaking took place, but today, there is a fiesta to celebrate the Latinos finally having a casino they can call their own. There are many Latin celebrities here, and Cholo is one of them, after all, he is a multimillionaire now thanks to a wrestling tournament he was in just over a year ago and has been doing a lot of charity work both in his home country of El Salvador and in the U.S. Now Vegas is known to be the place where people come to gamble their money away, but some people decide to do some good with their money, and that is why Cholo is here, while investing on a new Casino is part of the reason, this will also help raise money not only for his charity but many in the area…
Plus the parties are going to be off the hook!
Cholo heads to a tented area where there are many table games going on, but one that the Latinos love is called: “Loteria”. Our version of Bingo, except that instead of letters and numbers, you use cards with pictures and the object is to fill the entire card. Each card has images from a drunk and a lady to the sun and the moon. Even the devil and death have a card; it’s cool.
So cool!
Cholo will be one of the honorary callers of the game, but before that he has to mingle with the celebrities, investors and partners, do a Q&A with the media and a meet and greet with the fans, especially now that he has signed to WGWF and he will be competing close by in a few days at the Velvet Rabbit Arena.
A few hours later…
Cholo stands at a podium overlooking the tables set up for the game of Loteria. Looks like they are on their 5th game, and every time he calls a picture, it is shown on the big screen behind him. He calls out “El Diablo”, “El Sol”, and many other iconic imageries of the game. Some people cheer while others groan, it is a game of chance after all. Cholo is then surprised as the next picture he pulls out has Lexi Gold, one of his opponents for Monday Night Brawl.
La Diosa de Oro!
The people at the tables look up confused not recognizing the picture Cholo just called.
Relax mi gente, she’s one of the opponents Cholo will be facing at the fatal-four-way on Monday. You see, Cholo has been keeping his eye on her from a distance, she don't know this but she was in a promotion with a good friend of Cholo's: Douglas Crane. Yeah, that crazy vato and Cholo are in the same inter-promotion stable together, though if you asked Cholo where he is at right now, he couldn't tell you. Crane straight up disappeared; Cholo guesses he was finally 'released', ha. Cholo thinks at one-point they were talking, hoping to work together but it wasn't meant to be, mainly because they were gunning for the same title. Still, Cholo saw enough of her in action to know that she is a good wrestler that brings a lot more than just beauty to the ring. Like her, Cholo loves to feed off the crowd, he is a man of the gente, and hopes that they get behind him like they have done in the past. WGWF is lucky to have her and Cholo is lucky to be in a showcase match with her. This is just the beginning, and nothing but a small sample of what her and Cholo can do here. There is potential for a lot of fun in a one-on-one match too, so we'll see if señor Page agrees and makes it happen in the future... But if not, best of luck of to her, like her name says, I'm sure her path will be paved in gold.
The crowd begins to get restless and Cholo notices and continues calling the game…
El Soldado! El Borracho! The Ace! Joseph Buongiorno!
The crowd curses in Spanish...
Lo siento! He’s a New York kid, Italiano, naturally gifted athlete, multi-sport standout but chose wrestling!
They clearly don’t care but he continues.
Cholo can relate to that, as he could have done many things himself after college, but decided to stick with wrestling as a trainer and coach. Cholo loves teaching kids the craft, teaching all about the business but at the same time teaching them how to take care of their body, both with exercise and nutrition. Cholo would have loved to have an Ace as his student... Cholo is more of a joker himself, and no Cholo doesn't mean a buffon, but the joker can be whatever you want it to be, and right now, Cholo wants to be the best WGWF has to showcase... But unlike him, Cholo didn't have the opportunity he had to go the Olympics. I'm not sure if Cholo would have passed that up, pero las cosas pasan, "things happen" and here we are, two hombres who took very different paths that landed them in the very same glorious promotion. Cholo hears he loves to brawl, we’ll brawl on Monday, no weapons though. Cholo wants to be able to go to the afterparty at the Velvet Rabbit. Hope he comes, Chollo’ll buy him a mezcal or two.
Cholo goes back to calling and the crowd relaxes.
El Alacran, El Diablo... Now what do we have here? The "Real Vee" Victoria Strader, daughter of Matthew Knox!
A loud ‘otra vez!’ is heard in unison from the party crowd, ‘not again’.
Just one more! Promise! Actually, one of the many, many, daughters of the pajarraco Raven no? According to “the internets” her papi has more kids than Mama Wayans. She is probably too young to know who that is... Cholo does wonder what 'the real vee' means... Does it have something to do with her multiple personalities? Vanessa, Valentina, Velveeta, how many are there? Cholo don't know because Cholo frankly doesn't know her. But Cholo knows her papi, you see Cholo is primo to The Malvado Brothers, and they not only beat Raven and his partner for the TPW Duos Championships, but Victor also beat Raven in a singles match. Those are the type of matches you don't hear about, but at that time, they were huge upsets. Would Cholo beating her be considered an upset? Cholo hasn't had a chance to watch her wrestle but does wonder how similar her 'estilo' is to her papi's? As for Cholo, his style is nothing like The Malvados. They are all about the high flying and trickery, but as you can see, Cholo is a powerhouse, a fair man, and he hardly ever leaves his feet. Well, unless he is swept away by a beautiful mamacita... and she’s a beautiful mamacita, but also my opponent, so Cholo must focus and not let that great smile of hers distract him from the task at hand, being the best showcased wrestler of the night.
Someone throws Cholo a poker chip, which lands in his afro. He digs it out and then looks at the crowd.
En Serio? Who did it?!
Someone from the middle tables responds.
Just call the cards puto!
Seriously tio?
Cholo laughs and so do a few others, realizing that Paco “The Drinking Time Bomb” Perez, not only Cholo’s uncle but the manager of the 7 Deadly Sins is in attendance as well, but clearly Cholo had no idea.
Paco: Just trying to win the dinero sobrino, let’s go!
Yeah alright, alright… El Sol… La Muerte... El-
Some yells “LOTERIA!” from one of the back tables and Paco curses and flips his card in the air in frustration. Cholo applauds along with a few others, but most are bitter they didn’t win one of several one-thousand dollars in chips prizes. The lady comes up, gets her card confirmed as the winner then gives Cholo a hug, they pose for a photo and then she gets her chips. Cholo thanks and waves to the crowd, saying Pitbull is taking over the game and then heads out of the tent and back to the party bus...
El Closing Shoot
Mi gente, normally these are very elaborate and long and Cholo goes at his opponents but this is our debut, there is no bad blood here, we are all here just to put WGWF back on the map and showcase some of the best wrestlers in the world today. We want to put everyone on notice, and for the fans to realize that the best wrestling can be found right here, under the guidance and leadership of Señor Page. So instead, I’ll just say that I am very humbled to have been asked to be a part of this, but at the same time, hungry and cannot wait to show you what Cholo is all about. Let’s get ready to rumba!
Merry Christmas son,
We miss you and love you very much. Know we are doing the best we can, the American dream is not easy to get, but we hope to bring you to the United States soon.
Stay strong my little cholito.
Mami & Papi.
We miss you and love you very much. Know we are doing the best we can, the American dream is not easy to get, but we hope to bring you to the United States soon.
Stay strong my little cholito.
Mami & Papi.
A tear hits the photo, one that he quickly wipes away to avoid ruining it. Someone bursts into the room he is in, and he quickly puts the photo away.
Cholo we’re ready for-, are you… okay?
Giovanni Santana stands up, wipes his eyes and then smiles with a smile that matches that of his mother. He fixes his colorful collar shirt and then checks himself in the mirror, puffing his afro a bit. The man looks good. He puts his heavy hand on the scrawny assistant, squeezing his shoulder and responds.
Amigo, I am more than okay! I’m ready to fiesta, are you?!
Um, ow. Uh, yes, just thought I saw – ow!
Cholo squeezes a little harder.
Todo esta bien, comprendes, amigo?
uh, si?
Good! Vamonos!
Cholo steps out of the room which is inside what is known to his fans as Cholo’s, um, party bus… It’s a party, inside a of a bus… When it works, why change it? There are tables-for-two set up at each side, then in the middle a golden dancing pole and past that a few sofas, some leather, some velvet, 95-inch TV screens hang across from them. There is a bar, fully stocked and it is here where Cholo stops; the bartender having his drink ready.
Mezcal paloma señor Santana.
Por favor, call me Cholo.
Cholo pats the man hard on the arm and then takes the jarrito, a small ceramic jar full of ice, mezcal, grapefruit soda, lime juice and tajin, a Mexican spice that goes around the rim of the jar and gives a nice little kick to the smokiness of the cocktail. Cholo tries it, closes his eyes and smiles.
Bien hecho hombre, nicely done.
Cholo slips him a large bill and then exits into a large fiesta taking place right outside of the casino formerly known as Lucky Club, which is now closed and will be the site of the new Latin Casino to be known as Hotel Jefe. A few days ago, the groundbreaking took place, but today, there is a fiesta to celebrate the Latinos finally having a casino they can call their own. There are many Latin celebrities here, and Cholo is one of them, after all, he is a multimillionaire now thanks to a wrestling tournament he was in just over a year ago and has been doing a lot of charity work both in his home country of El Salvador and in the U.S. Now Vegas is known to be the place where people come to gamble their money away, but some people decide to do some good with their money, and that is why Cholo is here, while investing on a new Casino is part of the reason, this will also help raise money not only for his charity but many in the area…
Plus the parties are going to be off the hook!
Cholo heads to a tented area where there are many table games going on, but one that the Latinos love is called: “Loteria”. Our version of Bingo, except that instead of letters and numbers, you use cards with pictures and the object is to fill the entire card. Each card has images from a drunk and a lady to the sun and the moon. Even the devil and death have a card; it’s cool.
So cool!
Cholo will be one of the honorary callers of the game, but before that he has to mingle with the celebrities, investors and partners, do a Q&A with the media and a meet and greet with the fans, especially now that he has signed to WGWF and he will be competing close by in a few days at the Velvet Rabbit Arena.
A few hours later…
Cholo stands at a podium overlooking the tables set up for the game of Loteria. Looks like they are on their 5th game, and every time he calls a picture, it is shown on the big screen behind him. He calls out “El Diablo”, “El Sol”, and many other iconic imageries of the game. Some people cheer while others groan, it is a game of chance after all. Cholo is then surprised as the next picture he pulls out has Lexi Gold, one of his opponents for Monday Night Brawl.
La Diosa de Oro!
The people at the tables look up confused not recognizing the picture Cholo just called.
Relax mi gente, she’s one of the opponents Cholo will be facing at the fatal-four-way on Monday. You see, Cholo has been keeping his eye on her from a distance, she don't know this but she was in a promotion with a good friend of Cholo's: Douglas Crane. Yeah, that crazy vato and Cholo are in the same inter-promotion stable together, though if you asked Cholo where he is at right now, he couldn't tell you. Crane straight up disappeared; Cholo guesses he was finally 'released', ha. Cholo thinks at one-point they were talking, hoping to work together but it wasn't meant to be, mainly because they were gunning for the same title. Still, Cholo saw enough of her in action to know that she is a good wrestler that brings a lot more than just beauty to the ring. Like her, Cholo loves to feed off the crowd, he is a man of the gente, and hopes that they get behind him like they have done in the past. WGWF is lucky to have her and Cholo is lucky to be in a showcase match with her. This is just the beginning, and nothing but a small sample of what her and Cholo can do here. There is potential for a lot of fun in a one-on-one match too, so we'll see if señor Page agrees and makes it happen in the future... But if not, best of luck of to her, like her name says, I'm sure her path will be paved in gold.
The crowd begins to get restless and Cholo notices and continues calling the game…
El Soldado! El Borracho! The Ace! Joseph Buongiorno!
The crowd curses in Spanish...
Lo siento! He’s a New York kid, Italiano, naturally gifted athlete, multi-sport standout but chose wrestling!
They clearly don’t care but he continues.
Cholo can relate to that, as he could have done many things himself after college, but decided to stick with wrestling as a trainer and coach. Cholo loves teaching kids the craft, teaching all about the business but at the same time teaching them how to take care of their body, both with exercise and nutrition. Cholo would have loved to have an Ace as his student... Cholo is more of a joker himself, and no Cholo doesn't mean a buffon, but the joker can be whatever you want it to be, and right now, Cholo wants to be the best WGWF has to showcase... But unlike him, Cholo didn't have the opportunity he had to go the Olympics. I'm not sure if Cholo would have passed that up, pero las cosas pasan, "things happen" and here we are, two hombres who took very different paths that landed them in the very same glorious promotion. Cholo hears he loves to brawl, we’ll brawl on Monday, no weapons though. Cholo wants to be able to go to the afterparty at the Velvet Rabbit. Hope he comes, Chollo’ll buy him a mezcal or two.
Cholo goes back to calling and the crowd relaxes.
El Alacran, El Diablo... Now what do we have here? The "Real Vee" Victoria Strader, daughter of Matthew Knox!
A loud ‘otra vez!’ is heard in unison from the party crowd, ‘not again’.
Just one more! Promise! Actually, one of the many, many, daughters of the pajarraco Raven no? According to “the internets” her papi has more kids than Mama Wayans. She is probably too young to know who that is... Cholo does wonder what 'the real vee' means... Does it have something to do with her multiple personalities? Vanessa, Valentina, Velveeta, how many are there? Cholo don't know because Cholo frankly doesn't know her. But Cholo knows her papi, you see Cholo is primo to The Malvado Brothers, and they not only beat Raven and his partner for the TPW Duos Championships, but Victor also beat Raven in a singles match. Those are the type of matches you don't hear about, but at that time, they were huge upsets. Would Cholo beating her be considered an upset? Cholo hasn't had a chance to watch her wrestle but does wonder how similar her 'estilo' is to her papi's? As for Cholo, his style is nothing like The Malvados. They are all about the high flying and trickery, but as you can see, Cholo is a powerhouse, a fair man, and he hardly ever leaves his feet. Well, unless he is swept away by a beautiful mamacita... and she’s a beautiful mamacita, but also my opponent, so Cholo must focus and not let that great smile of hers distract him from the task at hand, being the best showcased wrestler of the night.
Someone throws Cholo a poker chip, which lands in his afro. He digs it out and then looks at the crowd.
En Serio? Who did it?!
Someone from the middle tables responds.
Just call the cards puto!
Seriously tio?
Cholo laughs and so do a few others, realizing that Paco “The Drinking Time Bomb” Perez, not only Cholo’s uncle but the manager of the 7 Deadly Sins is in attendance as well, but clearly Cholo had no idea.
Paco: Just trying to win the dinero sobrino, let’s go!
Yeah alright, alright… El Sol… La Muerte... El-
Some yells “LOTERIA!” from one of the back tables and Paco curses and flips his card in the air in frustration. Cholo applauds along with a few others, but most are bitter they didn’t win one of several one-thousand dollars in chips prizes. The lady comes up, gets her card confirmed as the winner then gives Cholo a hug, they pose for a photo and then she gets her chips. Cholo thanks and waves to the crowd, saying Pitbull is taking over the game and then heads out of the tent and back to the party bus...
El Closing Shoot
Mi gente, normally these are very elaborate and long and Cholo goes at his opponents but this is our debut, there is no bad blood here, we are all here just to put WGWF back on the map and showcase some of the best wrestlers in the world today. We want to put everyone on notice, and for the fans to realize that the best wrestling can be found right here, under the guidance and leadership of Señor Page. So instead, I’ll just say that I am very humbled to have been asked to be a part of this, but at the same time, hungry and cannot wait to show you what Cholo is all about. Let’s get ready to rumba!
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