Post by Easton Alexander on Feb 27, 2024 14:26:12 GMT -5
“Man, sometimes it feels like I'm a black cat…”
The velcro from my Shin Pads echoes through the Canlan Ice sports shitty ass locker room.
“Just… Bad luck.”
I try to pull the Blood stained jersey off but it gets stuck on the shoulder pads. I wrench the fabric tarp off my head and toss it into my bag.
“I think there's somebody high up at that company that thinks I'm this world beater, some kind of unstoppable force… something along those lines ya know. OCW management… Jesus Christ Superstar… you guys know how to pack on the pressure. I haven't gotten a chance to look Donnie in the eyes yet but god he looks like he eats, sleeps and shits pro wrestling? Britt you're a fantastic owner but you couldn't have given me a tune up. I guess you didn't even have the time considering the… Presser.”
I slide my fingers through the laces on my skates, the loop getting stuck on itself before snapping free.
“This place is going up in smoke, so I say this. FUCK a tune up. If this place is gonna go under, let's give these people something to remember us by. Because until OCW is fully dead I still have full medical coverage. Donnie you are a freshman quarterback and ashes to ashes is your hell week, I will throw every trick I have, every move I've ever thought about. You are gonna get my very best… which I hope is more than 5 minutes.”
I reach my fingers into my mouth and my mouth guard pops with a string of blood connecting between the two. A tooth wedged into plastic.
“The fact of the matter is I haven't wrestled for the better part of 2 months and i haven't been fully active for about 8… Look it seems like I'm setting up excuses… but the difference between you and me is this, I can take 8 months off and still be the best goddamn professional wrestler on the planet. East, West, North, South. I AM THAT FUCKING GUY. I am that guy so much so that I come right back into one of the hottest shows running and challenge for… I guess what is at this very moment in time the number 1 belt in the company and Donnie… You CAN thank me later… Fuck… I should thank you Donnie. Britlyn Looked you in the eyes and asked you to fight a man who walked out for a title you earned and you said “Yes”... because you are a crazy tough bastard. And you have more self respect than i do.”
Everything packs neatly into a bag that my S/O keeps on begging me to wash.
“OCW doesn’t owe me a damn thing and they put me up on a perch for god knows why… a 23 year old fuck up who plays wrestler. I’ve never won the big one, and I look at you and I see your big one… that you did something I never did and that's win a belt. It became a running joke that I would choke “The big one.” So now I have this chance to come back and give whatever I think I have for this… THIS one moment where win or lose I can look at myself in the mirror and tell my future kids “I tried.””
The door to the Locker room swings open. 12 men in identical Shirts and pants take their seats in the stained wood bench stalls.
“I have no connections in this company Donnie, I know Mike… and I know you, I Remember being Hyper Critical of your attitude, I DEFO remember not liking said attitude. And then started thinking about it… Recently, I was thinking about it. You and I are so alike… We're so alike. I don't have your attitude anymore and I wish I did… I miss that chip on my shoulder because I'm so… not like that anymore. I washed up at 23 spending 200 of my hard earned Canadian dollars to play beer league Hockey with people double my age, at some point-”
One of the gentlemen speaks up through his mouth guard.
~~~~~
“Good shit kid… I don’t give a fuck what stripes said that was a clean hit.” Most of these guys are bald but this is one of the extra bald ones.
“I… I guess.” It wasn’t.
“I Mean you didn't leave your feet right? Clean as clean gets in my opinion.” He’s lying.
“I don’t think I jumped.” I did… for sure. I kinda just sat there while everybody changed and left before me, the baldy sticks around for a bit after and sits next to me.
“I don't know what you were doing before this kid… but you're a natural, it's like you were born for this.” His words ping off my nervous system like a bullet. “Born for this.” like I Weren't good at anything else other than this, like I haven't spent years breaking my back to be halfway average at hockey… he’s lying to me. I think he’s lying to me.
“The way you glide out there… You play Triple A? Junior?”
“I uhh… I was a wrestler.” I can feel his breath start to pick up “...” He’s about to laugh I can fucking feel the the laugh coming. “Oh… cool, well hey man i'll see you next week."
The eyes feel like they are about to pop out. He stops at the door to the locker room and turns to talk to me. “You should really try the whole wrestling thing again. There's a reason why people want you to come back… its because you were fucking born for it.”
“Was I born for Wrestling or beer league hockey, Aiden?” I shoot a look his way, he returns one in kind.
“Can’t it be both?”
Can't it be both.
I could probably make time for both.
But I should really just choose one.