| CJ Gates and Mark Mania | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 10 2013, 01:11 PM (107 Views) | |
| Bobbie Hearst | Feb 10 2013, 01:11 PM Post #1 |
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One Rp per team member. Tournament Deadline: Thursday, February 28th, 2013 |
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| MarkMania | Mar 1 2013, 03:20 PM Post #2 |
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“There is a strength in the union even of very sorry men.” – Homer – The Iliad There comes a time in every man’s life when they must learn to work well with others. For some it comes in kindergarten while they play with blocks and board games. For others it comes when they join the football team. Even later still it may come for people when they join the work force and are relied upon by others and must rely on others. For me, I never had those situations. I was in boarding school my whole life, I played baseball, tennis, and golf- hardly team sports. Then, I owned my own company and wrestled. Despite my countless tag matches, I’ve never worked will with others. I know that, my past partners have known that, and now you know it. I think my biggest problem over all these years is that I’ve never truly trusted a partner. From Pence Weatherlight to John Green to Evan Envi. There has never been that mutual trust. Both of us on our own are great competitors, but we don’t have faith in the other one to live up to our expectations. That’s held me back for many years. I can’t allow that happen this time. In fact, I don’t even have to worry about it happening. This time I trust my partner whole-heartedly. He is talented, experienced, respected, and one of the best wrestlers in the sport. CJ Gates is the cream of the crop in APW. He will be battling for the Undisputed Title at RassleMania in a few short weeks and by all accounts, he will be winning that title. He’s won it before and was one of the most successful champions in APW history. I don’t need to worry about him showing up and doing his part. All I have to worry about is living up to his expectations. That’s what a team is all about. Both men, not just trying to do their best, but to exceed their best. I don’t want to let down CJ and he doesn’t want to let down me. The win is the most important thing to the both of us. We’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll rely on CJ to teach me the ways of working as a team, as part of The Exchange Rate he was one of the most successful tag teams in APW as well. I will teach him the value of stepping up to the plate. The value of proving yourself to the entire world, and the value of being the best in the world. “The outcome of the war is in our hands” – Homer – The Iliad There are a lot of teams in this match that are very impressive. There’s no denying that. Between the dream team of Kurt Noble and Doug E. Fresh, and the super team of Terry Marvin and Level-One there’s great reason to believe that other teams may not have success. Sure, James Stall and Adrien Specter have a lot of star power on their team and Sally Talfourd may be one of the best of all time. But I’m starting to think that the team of CJ Gates and Mark Mania might be being overlooked. The way I look at it, you have one of greatest APW Champions of all time in CJ Gates, and then you have one of the greatest and most experienced wrestlers of all time in myself. It’s a team that’s built to succeed. Both of us with a lot of drive and a lot of passion. I know that CJ Gates wants to show Kurt Noble who is better out of the two of them. I know he wants prove that he should be ahead Noble in talks of the best of all time. I know that CJ Gates will stop it nothing to beat Kurt Noble. On the other hand, I have an added reason to defeat Doug E. Fresh. He holds the True Expert title, the title that has plagued my existence for over fourteen years. My cousin was the very first person to hold that title and it’s been my goal to bring it back to the family. There is nothing like defeating the current champion to prove that I should be in contender ship for it. Beating Doug would mean a lot to me and obviously to our team. Then we have the obvious match-up. CJ Gates and Terry Marvin will be meeting at APW RassleMania in a few short weeks and if we were to face them I know that CJ would fight his ass off to beat Terry. That way he could show Terry that he will not be beaten, he will not be defeated, and that after RassleMania he WILL be the Undisputed Champion. Take the flipside of that, we have Level-One. A man that I have known and respected for the past six years. Another former True Expert Champion, he impressed the entire wrestling world when he broke onto the Experts scene in 2007. He was the epitome of greatness and the measuring stick for all to live up to. During that time my reputation was destroyed and my friendships were ruined. I certainly don’t blame Level-One for that, but my thought, my dream, has always been that when given the chance to beat Level-One, I better damn do it. And on this stage, in this caliber of match; my dream may finally be fulfilled. And for the finally little “super team” we have Sally Talfourd and Rex Evans. Now, my distaste for Sally Talfourd goes back a long time. She has screwed me over time and time again and kept me away from being APW World Champion three years ago. My thoughts on Rex Evans are not deep, certainly can’t lie there. I have nothing against him but I know he’s a solid opponent and I know that he’s definitely interested in winning this little tag-tournament we have here. CJ Gates on the other hand, probably has more of a grudge against Sally than I do. They battled for the world title also and have long been seen as peers in this industry and in APW. I know CJ pretty well and I know that he wants nothing more than to separate himself from the pack and be known as the best APW has to offer. I want to help CJ do that and in the process show that not only is CJ one of the best, but that I’m right there with him. If at the end of this tournament, it comes out that CJ Gates and Mark Mania have defeated Kurt Noble, Terry Marvin, Level-One, and Sally Talfourd there will be no denying that the Wall Street Warriors are the best that APW has. “By their own follies they perished, the fools.” - Homer – The Odyssey This is a big tournament though, and it doesn’t end with the “super teams” that I mentioned before. There are other lesser known teams that are going to do all they can to prove that they deserve some recognition. Buck Dempsey and Donovan Davenport from CRW obviously stand out. Buckson Gooch and TJ from APW will try their best. Keaton Saint and Olive are clearly trying to make some moves and show their worth. With Buck and Donovan, I don’t know much about them. I know Buck had some sort of charity thing going a few months ago, I wasn’t part of it, but anyone that puts something like that together is definitely trying to increase their presence in the world. So I know that he’ll be interested in showing the world what he’s made of. The APW D-Team then comes in of Buckson Gooch and TJ. Gooch who I have already shown how easily I can defeat him and that he’s worthless to the Overdrive roster. TJ on the other hand has had some success in APW on the secondary brand, but he’s definitely not good enough to carry his team into any sort of success. I don’t think that CJ has had the pleasure of facing either of you, but I mean, you’re obviously not on the same level as either of us. Keaton Saint on the other hand has had meetings with the both of us and it’s clear that he’s trying to prove something with this match. The hype around Keaton and his reputation has taken quite a hit over the past year. He was one of the most respected and feared guys in the industry and now he’s little more than a secondary player on APW. He hasn’t gotten himself involved with anything noteworthy and really hasn’t done anything to increase his presence. He moved to the Asylum brand basically admitting that he couldn’t hang with the big boys. Now, he’s been one of the few to show his face in this match already and he was definitely driven. This guy wants to win this match, he wants to show that he’s not a failure. I can’t blame him, if I were him I’d be doing my damndest to make a name for myself again. It must be pretty embarrassing to go from one of the biggest free agent signings to basically a nobody so quickly. And I don’t mean to say that Keaton is a nobody, but, in the grand scheme of things who is really expecting him and Olive to do anything that impressive? Hell, I don’t even know who Olive is. What I do know, is there is a lot of APW and a lot of CRW in this tournament. And with the CRW and APW and their history recently, if I was supposed to hear about Olive, I would’ve heard about Olive. “A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king.” - Homer – The Iliad With the world that we live in together, as technologically savvy as it is and as expansive as it is, there is an abundance of opportunity to show your worth. In the wrestling business alone the amount of interfed tournaments and charity matches and brand cross overs is ridiculous. Everyone has some sort of accomplishment that they hold onto as being impressive. There was the True Expert Champion, the CWC World Champion, the Survive & Conquer winner, not to mention individual titles within your own federations. You know what it reminds me of? Participation trophies in little league. It disgusts me. Do we really need all these accolades to make people feel better about themselves? When I was coming up there was the few select titles and that’s it. If you didn’t win it, fucking try harder and maybe you will next time. Now, if you don’t win something, just transfer to a different place and try and win over there. Eventually, with the infinite destinations, you’ll win something of merit. I’ll recall a story of a younger Mark Mania where I fell into this trap. I had been wrestling in the premiere destination of the time, Xtreme Championship Wrestling. Home to the greats like Smitty, Jesse Gunn, Jeremy Clarkson, and myself Mark Mania. I had held some of the lower titles, and made a small name for myself, but I could never get over the hump and become World Champion. It plagued me, it hurt me, and I wanted to feel like I was worth something. So I took a hiatus from XCW. I moved to a small federation called GWA. The talent level wasn’t great and the competitors weren’t ready for someone of my caliber to show up. Within two weeks I was named the World Champion. Three months later the federation shut down and I was named as a member of the Hall of Fame and was widely considered the greatest wrestler in GWA history. I was on top of the world and thought that I couldn’t be beat. After GWA shut down, I made my return to XCW. Where the men that kept me from the top were still residing. I went in, with an ego bigger than ever, and challenged for the world title again. I was beaten down. Defeated. I honestly looked the worst I had ever looked. I was embarrassed. I had made a fool of myself in front of the people I looked up to most. The little foray I made into GWA may have made me feel good but it definitely didn’t make me any better. After that, I vowed to never find lesser competition to beat up on. Since then I’ve always found the best of the best talent and tried to beat them. To finish the story of XCW; I stuck around for another year and battled those same guys that embarrassed me during my return. Finally I was in an elimination chamber style match with those same men and I walked away victorious. I held the XCW World Heavyweight title and it was honestly the greatest moment of my career. Because I fucking earned it. I didn’t cheapen my skills and contort the system so I could be a champion. I faced the best of my time and won. There is no greater feeling than that. This Clash of the Titans match that we’re all in together is the cream of the crop for Tag-Teams. You have some long standing tag teams in it and you have some new teams. But only one team can win. Only one team can be named the greatest. “Even when someone battles hard, there is an equal portion for one who lingers behind, and in the same honor are held both the coward and the brave man; the idle man and he who has done much meet death alike.” - Homer – The Iliad In the remaining teams for this match I’m sure there will be many that do their best and who really make a name for themselves in the international world of wrestling. But I do not see them having the ability to win. Most of these teams are thrown together and with that comes the great likelihood that one member of the team will excel and the other will disappear. It has been my history in tag matches that leads me to believe this. As I said earlier, I never enjoyed being on a team because I could never trust my partner. Are you telling me that long time APW member Johnny Knuckle has faith in a Meltdown no name in the Guv’nor? I can’t say I’m sold. And Jason Kash do you think that he feels comfortable with Cid Phoenix as his team member? C’mon now, let’s be serious. No one is worried about Trevor Hyatt when AC Smith is right next to him. There are so many of these teams that are going to go down in flames because they’re not built to succeed. Whether one of them shines and the other one fizzles, in the end, they’ll both be losers, so it doesn’t really matter who does what on those teams. The lack of success will be embarrassing. Gatesy and I are built as a team that can take on all comers. We have the skill, the fortitude, and hell, the checkbook to deal with any problem. A lot of people say that Gatesy and I have been coddled our whole lives or that we don’t live in the real world because of our money, but all you need to do is take a look at either of our track records to realize that’s bullshit. I’ll challenge any many, millionaire or homeless man to a match and I guarantee I’ll beat the shit out of them. Same goes with CJ. Our money doesn’t define us, our ability to succeed in every aspect of our lives defines us. I never understand how a successful wrestler could be in the poor house. It’s not that difficult to take that paycheck you get at the end of the week and turn it into a mansion and a Forbes rated company. Gates and I both fly to each venue on a fucking private jet, while I hear stories of guys driving their beat up Honda Civics from city to city. It’s called being responsible, being smart, and knowing how to succeed in EVERY part of your life. Stop being such a fucking embarrassment. “The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for.” - Homer As I’ve said, tag-teams are not my forte. But it can’t be understated how excited I am to work with CJ Gates. He’s one of the best in the business and even though on this past Overdrive him and I fought against each other, I still respect him like no other. He is one of the most trustworthy and hard working men I know. At this time, I’m glad to call him a friend. Now obviously, things might change after this match or after RassleMania if he were to walk away with the Undisputed Title. I would be happy for him of course, but our bond and our friendship is bound out of competition. Both of us have been tied together by our success in the ring and our success in the business world. I know, much like he knows, that if he wins that Undisputed Title, I’ll come for it. Not because I sense weakness, but because then I’ll truly be beating the best to get it. That’s in the future, not something we need to concern ourselves with now, all we need to worry about or think about is beating the other teams in this tournament. We’re both willing to do whatever it takes to succeed and I can promise without a shadow of a doubt that I’ll sacrifice myself to win this match. I know Gatesy would do the same for me. That’s the one and only reason why I’m excited about wrestling alongside him during this tournament. “It is not possible to fight beyond your strength, even if you strive.” - Homer- The Iliad There are teams even below the teams that have one man who will fight hard and one who will fizzle out. These are the teams that even with both men are their best that will not be able to succeed. You have a team like Neon Pegasus out of the CPW that just are in above their heads. There drive is admirable but when met with the likes of teams that are coming to face them, they’ll stand no chance. I feel for them, truly I do, but there’s no denying that they’re over matched. There are so many teams here, the real teams, like Divinity, CarnEvil Connection, Un-Stable, AntiMatter, EMPIRE, who have such high hopes, but I hate to say it, they don’t stand a chance. I never like to count anyone out, that’s not the type of guy that I am, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that these teams will not win. They will try hard, they will push themselves as hard as they can and they will impress few. Because you can put all the fight you want into a Chihuahua but they still won’t win a fight against a pit bull. It will be great to see the type of ability that they come with and the type of talent that is out there, but this is a three horse race and I think everyone knows it. People might not have seen the type of performance coming from Gatesy and myself as they’re about to, but once they see how driven the two of us are and how impressive we are, people will begin to realize that CJ Gates and Mark Mania are here to win, not to place. “He lives not long who battles with the immortals” - Homer – The Iliad In this type of match that we’re in where no one knows who is going to be facing who or where they will fall in the first round. I mean, we could get matched up with Terry Marvin and Level-One in the very first match. And while it would be a shame to waste such a spectacular match so early in the night, everyone needs to be prepared for that possibility. Those teams who think that they may not win but will make it a few rounds and do some damage will quickly realize that not only will they achieve that but in fact they will be swept away by the mega teams very early on. Whatever team goes up against Gatesy and myself first will be expecting far better things than they get. Everyone’s dream must end. It will come for us all someday. It will not come for Gates and I on this day though. I’m here to prove myself to the ViW world and to show that I can partner with someone and find success. It’s been a long time since I’ve won one of these interfed tournaments and frankly I’m sick of it. I’m a legend in this sport and won’t be treated like anything any less anymore. I plan to walk into this tournament and not stop until we’ve been named champions. I feel for anyone who has to have their hopes dashed by us, but at least they can take heed in the fact that they lost to the best team going. “Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing, and dancing, sooner than war.” - Homer We’re all in this battle together folks. One way or another, we’re all going to be facing each other. Obviously with the APW guys I see them every single week and I face them here and there. The others I saw a bunch at the Charity Bash held by CRW. This is a small world of wrestling we live in. But the battle never stops. Once you’ve fought everyone you’re not done. You just fight them again. That’s why we’re here. We all entered this match because we want to beat each other. I’ve been doing this for nearly two decades and frankly I’m not anywhere close to done. So you can call me old, you can call me washed up, you can call me whatever you want, but I’m not giving up. The greatest days for Mark Mania are ahead. This Clash of the Titans is just the first step towards the return to greatness. I’m sick and tired of hearing about Kurt Noble, Doug E. Fresh, and fucking Terry Marvin. I was considered a legend before I had even heard of these guys. Call me a relic, but my times not up. At Clash of the Titans you will see just what kind of Titan I can really be. You will see the Titan within me that will destroy all those in my path. Kronos, the King of all titans knew that someone had to lead. He knew that they wouldn’t respect him unless he destroyed them, so as he did with the gods, he did with the titans. Well, you’re looking at a team of Kronos’ in Gates and I. So get ready for the end. “There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” - Homer – The Odyssey |
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| C.J. Gates | Mar 2 2013, 08:56 AM Post #3 |
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"Mark Mania and C.J. Gates. "One is a well known seasoned veteran, the other is simply well known. One is a technician, a man who prefers to wear his opponents down, while the other is a high flyer, a man who uses his speed to get one over on his opponents. Two men, two different styles, two different points of their careers. "Before this weekend, our names have always been mentioned as opponents. There was maybe the odd randomized six man tag team match here or there, but predominantly, we have always been pitted against each other. We've never really been at odds, just competitive. After the same things inside of the ring, and wanting to accomplish the same goals. "Those same goals are what brought us together. Our similar lifestyles, similar mindsets and similar desires is what made this tag team opportunity a possibility. That's what makes this partnership so great. We both want success and we will both leave our hearts inside of that ring each night trying to achieve that success. "As Clash of the Titans gets closer, I become more excited for this opportunity. I become more excited to see what Mania and I, the Wall Street Warriors, can do when we step into that ring together. I get excited because I know that for once I won't have to be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I know that I can trust Mark Mania. "I know that Mark Mania can trust me. "That is something that might not be true for any other team in this tournament. That might not be the case for some of the more random pairs that we see littering the potential brackets. Maybe one or two other teams will be able to weather all storms, but not all of them. "For once I can go in knowing that I've got a partner who will have my back. Even though he and I have not worked together before, I know that we will have each others backs. I know that when push comes to shove, Mark Mania will be there to watch out for me. "Just like I will be there to watch out for him. "Because that is what makes a team successful. Trust. Knowing that they have your back. And while I can't speak for all of those other teams, I can at least speak for myself as one half of the Wall Street Warriors. "We are two men who want the same results. "We are two men with similar values. "We are two men that are going to be successful." ----------------------------------------------- "Hot date tonight?" Vincent James asks from behind the large wooden desk in C.J. Gates' office. C.J. Gates himself stands by the office door, putting on his suit jacket and fixing his tie. He turns to face the large man behind the desk. "What are you talking about?" "The duds," James motions to the clothes Gates is wearing. "I figured you had to be going out on a date if you were getting all dressed up like that." Gates chuckles. "No, no date. It's just a business meeting. Nothing to get yourself worked up about." "A business meeting?" James asks. "What kind of stuff are you getting yourself mixed up in this time?" "I'm not getting myself 'mixed up' in anything," Gates says. "It's a business meeting with Mark Mania. Though, maybe business isn't the right word." "You guys are getting together to talk about the upcoming tournament, right?" Gates nods. "Right. We figured it might be a good idea to get together and go over a bit of a game plan. Get an idea for what is going to happen when we finally team together. It's been a few weeks in the making, and I'm pretty sure that he and I are both excited for this opportunity." "It's not just the two of you," James adds. "A lot of people are looking forward to seeing what the Wall Street Warriors are capable of." "Mania and I are, too," Gates says. "I mean, we've both had success as singles wrestlers and we've both participated in interfed events before, but I think this is going to be something new for both of us." "New? What about the Exchange Rate?" "Fair," Gates admits. "When I started in APW, and when I teamed with Blade to win the tag team titles, I gained some tag team experience. But that was before I really hit my stride in APW and ever since then, I've really improved my game. I've really made a name for myself, just like Mark Mania has done for his entire career." "I guess you could say that you're following in his footsteps?" "I guess," Gates says, hesitantly. "What, you don't buy it?" James asks. "You're both wealthy, you're both competitive, you have both had success in singles wrestling. The only real difference between the two of you, other than your styles, is that Mania has been at it a fair bit longer than you have." "That's true," Gates begins, "but I wouldn't say I've been following in his footsteps. Before I got to APW, I have never heard of Mark Mania. But over the past two or so years, I've really come to appreciate what he's been able to do and I've really begun to respect him as a competitor." "Which I guess is what lead you to this decision?" "More or less," Gates says. "I had been thinking about the possibilities of me and Mania teaming up and figured what better place for two men who have been so involved in interfed events to finally join up." "Hey, it makes sense to me," James adds. "I just hope the two of you have what it takes to get by some of the tougher competition." Gates nods his head as he turns to face a cork board hanging on the wall. On the cork board are various photos, all sorted into pairs. "There are a lot of good teams in this tournament," Gates says bluntly. "Kurt Noble and Doug E. Fresh. James Stall and Adrien Specter. Sally Talfourd and Rex Evans. Terry Marvin and Level One. Among many, many others." "The two of you will have your work cut out for you." "We will, but so will those teams," Gates says. "Aside from about a handful of them, everyone else is pairing up for the first time. Everyone is going to have to feel out not only what their opponents are all about, but their partners, too." "Which is where you and Mania are, right?" James asks. "I mean, you haven't teamed up a lot, if ever." "I wasn't excluding us, I was just saying that the majority of the teams are going to be on the same level as us, which works. Besides, I'm used to teaming up with partners I haven't always seen eye to eye with. At least with Mark Mania I've had a few years to get a feel for what he's all about." "Well, hopefully it's enough," James says. "I'm sure it will be," Gates answers before being cut off by James. "There's a lot of tough competition in this thing, and I'd hate for you and Mania to suffer because you think you know what he's all about." Gates turns to face James. "We've spoken about it before. When we brought the idea up, we went through the preliminary thoughts of the partnership. We both felt that we had the ability to work together without having been solid tag team partners before this. If we didn't think we could do it, we wouldn't have signed up." "Fair enough," James says, holding his hands up in slight defense. Gates turns back to face the board, looking at all of the pictures in turn. "Thinking about what is coming down the pipe?" James asks, noticing Gates lost in his thoughts. "Somewhat," Gates says. "Part of me is excited to get this tournament going, while another part of me is trying to figure out how they are going to work together. I mean, some of the teams I've been able to watch video on. PERSEVERANCE, EMPIRE, CarnEvil Connection, they are just a few of the teams that have had actual matches together, so I've been able to really get a good look at what to expect when facing them." "But that's just half the battle." Gates nods. "But then there are teams like the Sindicate. I've put up with enough of their shit over the past year, that I think I have a good idea about what they will do together. If they are still able to work together by the time this thing hits the mat." "You actually think they will be at odds?" James asks with raised eyebrows. "You never know with those two," Gates answers. "Terry Marvin is so focused on himself, that he's almost forgotten all about his lackey lapdog. Lets just say I wouldn't be surprised if at some point Terry Marvin brained Level One with a steel chair and walked away from the ring. It wouldn't shock me if Marvin left his partner high and dry." James nods. After a few moments of silence, he motions to the board. "I notice a few familiar names up there." "Yeah, there are a lot of wrestlers from APW involved in this tournament." Gates points to one part of the board where a few pictures are gathered. "A.C. Smith, Jason Kash, Keaton Saint, T.J., Gooch. A lot of good talent entered from APW, but it's talent that I have an idea of what they are capable of." "But what does that matter if they're teaming together?" James asks. "Didn't you just say that you don't know how they will work as a unit?" "I did," Gates admits. "Though sometimes you can find success by dividing and conquering. I can focus on each individual if I'm in the ring against them, and worry about their possible double team attacks later. I won't know everything but I should know enough to survive." "Unless you have to deal with some of these teams right off the bat." Gates chuckles. "You're right. There are some tough ones, and I'd hate to get them right out of the gate. But sometimes you don't get that lucky, and sometimes, you've just got to grin and beat it." "Yeah, but Sally Talfourd and Rex Evans? Kurt Noble and Doug E. Fresh?" James shakes his head. "In some of these cases you might be in over your head." Again, Gates turns to look at his friend. "It's as if you don't even know me," he says with a smirk. "When have I ever backed down from any sort of fight like this." "There was probably a time-" "Never," Gates chimes in. "I've never seen a challenge ahead of me and turned around. I've always gone in swinging and I've always given it my all inside of the ring. People like Stall, Specter, Saint and Noble, they might be big names, but sometimes, on certain nights, that's all they are. Names." "But they are also talented," James says. "And so am I!" Gates shouts. "I'm not that far beneath some of these people. Some of them, I've even beaten when I've faced them one on one. Some of them are just getting all of the recognition because of their interfed past. But Mark Mania and I are no strangers to interfed tournaments. We've both participated in the Experts tournament." "But that's-" "Singles, I know," Gates interrupts. "And this is tag team wrestling. But really, when you're in that ring with one person, it's one on one. For the most part anyways. I know what I'm getting myself into, Vinnie. If I didn't, I wouldn't have signed up." "I know, I guess I just think that maybe it's another trip to getting blindsided." Gates shakes his head. "Sometimes you've got to see through all of that and realize that there are people out there that I can actually trust. And I believe Mania to be one of them. If I'm going to get blindsided, it's going to be because of the people I'm facing, not the guy I'm partnering with." "And that's half the battle, isn't it?" James asks. "Exactly," Gates says. "I know Mark isn't in the business of betraying me, not when we have such a great opportunity ahead of us. And I know that the two of us can go far in this tournament if we simply work together and give it our all. Which is exactly what we're going to do. "It's going to be a test," Gates continues, "but I know that at the end of the night, Mania and I will persevere. But you know something?" "What's that?" James asks. "It's not even the usual suspects that I am looking forward to fighting," Gates admits. "Sure, a match against some of the top names is going to be a great display of in ring prowess, but it's not what I'm looking forward to. Even those possible matches against people I've faced passingly, in battle royals and whatnot, like Davenport, Ramirez, Santana, Reya Serra aren't as enticing. I'm more so looking forward to fighting against some of the people I've never heard of before." "Really?" "Really. The likes of Mr. Abraham, Mazuki, Corbin, Guv'nor, AntiMatter, Neon Pegasus, Donavan. Names that I've only heard of in passing, but never actually fought against or anything like that. Those are the ones that I'm really looking forward to." "How come?" "Because I enjoy the unknown," Gates shrugs. "When I first started doing interfed events, I loved the idea of going up against people that I've never had the chance of fighting against. There are many here, and even some of the bigger named stars that everyone will look to as the eventual winners, some of them I've never actually gone toe to toe with either." "So going back to your roots in a way," James says. "Looking back at what got you into the interfed scene to begin with." "Yeah, I guess you could look at it like that," Gates responds. "All around, really. Back to how I first was when I started interfed matches, and back to where it all began for me, since joining APW. "Are you worried about Mania's lack of tag team experience?" "Not at all," Gates says. "I'm not worried because I know that regardless of his experience in that field, the two of us working together is going to be something special. And after our meeting, we're going to know enough to know just what we're going to be throwing out there. Am I worried about Mark Mania? "Not at all. "I know we're going to put on a show. Tag team wrestling at it's finest."[/i] ----------------------------------------------- "It's been awhile since I could call myself a tag team wrestler. "A lot of people associate me as a singles wrestler, but that wasn't always the case. Back in 2010 when I first stepped into APW, I was a tag team wrestler. Alongside Blade, the Exchange Rate dominated the tag team rankings there, putting every team into our dust. That is, until Blade decided that he was more important then the team. "He thought I was holding him back and even though we were the tag team champions, he decided that he had had enough. He decided to end the partnership swiftly, plunging that knife into my back after weeks of him costing us matches. Even though I gave him no reason to feel held back, Blade thought it was time he branched out on his own. "As I look around at some of the teams entered to compete at Clash of the Titans, I start to get that same feeling. I start to wonder just how many of these teams will be able to co-exist, how many of those egos will be able to work alongside one another without imploding. Or even more, how many of those teams can keep the final goal in mind without losing their shit to get some form of revenge. "I am able to pick out a few people I figure to put themselves ahead of the team, a person who will see himself as more important than the team. Who knows, maybe that will lead to them making a horrible error that will cost them their match. Maybe they won't even get to the match if their partner thinks that they aren't pulling their weight. "There are so many variables that can change the landscape in an instant. "Which is why I'm glad that my partner and I, we have an understanding. We know that we can work together, we know that neither of us is going to feel cheated or slighted, and we know that we both want the same thing in the end. "Success. Whether that is simply racking up wins or actually getting to the point of securing those titles, Mania and I are both after success. "Even though we have only ever really been opponents, maybe the odd partnership in a random six man melee, Mark Mania and I know that we aren't going to let those small battles get to us. We've never really had any problems with one another. We've never really hated one another. We are both just competitive and when we step into the ring as opponents we both want to do our best. We both want to win. "The same can be said for when we step into the ring as partners. We're both going to want to win and we're both going to want to give it our all. It's really just a matter of doing so and I know that once that bell rings, we will be two focused individuals working like a well oiled machine. "Sure, people will doubt that possibility, but those are probably the same people who are plotting their eventual betrayal on their own partners. Those are the same people who aren't entering to win the titles and put on a good show for the fans in attendance, they are the people in here for blood. They are the ones who will circle their prey and strike whenever they damn well please. "They are probably the same people who are going to look at Mark and I as that one percent, those rich people that think they are entitled to everything. But that's far from the case. We weren't handed anything - we earned it. Even with my father having been rich, I still had to earn my own keep. Just like I am going to earn my keep around Visionary Wrestling with a strong performance in this tournament. And I will do that alongside a friend in Mark Mania. "To those people who wonder if a random pairing like Mania and I can work, just look at Keaton Saint. He hasn't had the chance to work under the same banner as his partner, yet he's willing to go in with a level head, willing to work with Olive to make sure that they have a great chance to go far in this tournament. And if Keaton Saint believes he can work with an unknown commodity, why should people think that Mark Mania and I can't work together when we are known commodities to one another. "We have both had success. "We are both of the same mind set. "It's just a matter of application. It's just a matter of trust and I know that I can trust Mark. I know he's not one of those men who are looking to betray their partners, I know that he is in this thing for the long haul, and even if we aren't successful at Clash of Titans, for whatever reason, we will unite again to continue our quest. "Which probably gives us the upper hand over some of these other teams. Sure, there are the teams that have been working together for quite some time, the ones that have established themselves as a cohesive unit, and those might prove to be the hardest ones to overcome. Those might prove to be those diamonds in the rough that could surprise everyone and pull out a victory here and then en route to tag team glory. "Only they won't surprise me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am meticulous in my preparation. Anyone who knows me knows that I take my time when getting ready for an event, whether it be a weekly show or an interfed extravaganza. So any of these teams that have been together for awhile, I've been watching tape. I've been studying their habits as a team, preparing myself for what could possibly come. "What do they do when they have the upper hand? What do they do when their opponents are in certain situations? How do they wrap up a match? Should I be worried about cheating? These are all things that I looked at, and things that I made sure to study. I made sure to pass them along to Mark so that he knew them as well because the last thing we want to do, is be caught off guard by some of these unknown partnerships, teams that we haven't really heard that much of. "Just like I'm sure there are people who haven't heard that much of me. I don't deny that there are corners of this business where my name hasn't traveled, and I'm sure those people have studied all they could about me. But for those that decided not to, let me give you the brief run down. "I'm a competitor, plain and simple. I don't give up, at all, and I don't let other people walk all over me. If you want to throw me down to the mat, be prepared for me to get right back up and get right back in your face. Ask anyone from APW and they will tell you that sometimes, I don't know when to quit. And I'm okay with that because one of my top priorities, is the fans. Is making sure that those fans have a good time, that I put on a good show for them to remember. "People have told me that it's not a good idea to put the fans first, but I've still had success. "People tell me that I'm stupid for never giving up until I can't continue on, but I've still survived each match I've been in. "None of that will change going into Clash of the Titans. I'm going to be just as competitive and show just as much heart as I normally do and by the end of it, I'm sure that I will rewrite some peoples thoughts on me. Those people that see me as nothing more than a glorified stunt double. Those people that see me as short and unable to pull my own weight. Those are the ones whose opinions I will change. "The opinions we will change. "After all, this show is all about the team. This show is all about what Mark Mania and I can do in our first matches as a unit. "It's time for the Wall Street Warriors to rise up and show the world what we're capable of. To show them that we are about more than just our wallets and investments. "It's time to go big or go home." |
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3:40 AM Jul 11