Post by masondaniels on Jan 16, 2017 0:11:35 GMT
Loss
It was never an easy thing. It was never easy to lose some one or something; no one ever wanted to lose. Yet that seemed to be Mason's M.O. these days. He re-entered Phoenix collecting a loss to the now champion, Aurora; he then allowed some one else to collect a victory for him over Reya Serra; and now he had lost in the first round of the Iron King tournament to Sophie El. The only two real matches he had so far in this company were losses. It was enough to frustrate any man.
He could take the cowards way out and claim that his losses were due to distractions or interferences. Rowyn Starr did indeed make an appearance during that first match, which pulled his attention long enough for Aurora to come back around. Then there was the brawl backstage with Masaru just moments before his street fight with Sophie El. A lesser man, a coward would use those as excuses and still claim himself great; but Mason knew better; he knew he was better. Those distractions, those interference, shouldn't have cost him those matches.
Mason knew he was above those things. Despite the distraction, he knew he should have emerged victorious; despite the assault from Masaru, he knew he should have won; despite the appearance of Crystal in Siberia, he knew he shouldn't have been locked up in that cage; like a dog. It was that last one that hurt the most. He had the element of surprise and he had the upper hand when he took his trip into the icy winter wonderland of Russia; but that little girl ruined it all. Mason knew that he couldn't let that slide; he couldn't let any of it slide. He would have his revenge, they would all pay the price.
Until that time though; until he was ready to make them pay, he would have to focus on himself and his career; he would have to focus on getting back on the winning track. Mason Daniels was no loser, but it seemed to be that was what he had become. He was losing everything; he was losing matches; he had lost his friends; and most importantly, he had lost his family. He had lost it all for the sake of this business and in the end, he had nothing to show for it. There no feeling more irritating then to give your life, your whole being and essence to something, and have nothing to show for it in the end. That was going to change though, and it was going to change this week.
This week he would step into the ring with Faith, a woman who stood toe to toe with Aurora and lost, just as he had. The only difference was that the PW Rebirth Championship was on the line when she faces Aurora. Faith had been given the honor of being one of the first two people to compete for the title. In the eyes of those in management, that meant that she was one of the elite; she was one of the ones you had to get past to reach the top, and Mason planned on doing just that. He planned on taking her down and proving once and for all that he deserved a place in line to get a shot at the biggest title that Phoenix Wrestling had to offer.
Now was his time to shine; it was his time to break through into the spotlight. Nothing was going to get in his way and stop him. Faith may be considered one of the great wrestlers in the business, but that did not matter to him at all. He had faced the best and beaten them before. That ability to win the big match rested within his fiery soul; he just needed to find it and unleash it. He had to dig down deep and find what had gone missing; because if he didn't, Faith would surely make him pay and embarrass him in the process.
* * *
It was a cold morning as Mason walked through the woods, snow on the ground as he made his way through the trees leaving footprints behind him. He was wearing what looked to be a set of warm and comfy clothing; and covering his signature mohawk was a black skull cap. It was here that he had chosen to refocus his energies and find himself once more. He was on the complete other side of the country from where he needed to be in just a few days time, but he wouldn't leave this place until he was sure that he had found what he had lost.
There was no one here to bother him; no one here to rub in his face how he had lost and been eliminated from the tournament. It was just him, all on his lonesome; just the way he wanted. Mason was in need of the peace and tranquility; he was in need of the time to himself that would allow him to prepare for what was head. There was so much to be done, and such little time to do it in. When it was all said and done though, when the next edition of Redemption came to and end, Mason was sure to be the most talked about name in Phoenix Wrestling.
The thought is what kept Mason going; it is what drove him forward. Mason didn't know where he was heading, but he was following his gut; something deep inside told him that he would get to his destination and that he would be happy with where he ended up. Mason knew that it wasn't going to be pretty; he knew that the road ahead was going to be vile and nasty, but he trusted that in the end, it would all be worth it. So he pushed ahead, through the snow and the trees, no sign of life or anything else for as far as the eye could see.
Mason: Faith, what a fitting name for a wrestler. You see, you have to have faith to be in this business. Every time you set foot in the gym or the ring, you risk injuring yourself; you risk ending your career. Every time you lock up or go flying out of the ring, that could be the very last time you do so. Men have died in these rings. Every time you set foot in the squared circle, you do so on faith. You have faith that you are good enough to walk out; you do so on faith that you know what you are doing and that you won't get hurt.
Well Faith, I don't know about you, but my faith in that ring has been tested a great deal and as far as I can tell, God is no where close to being done with me. I've been scalped by a barbed wire bat; I've been put into a coma; I've had my spine broke in half; and most recently, I had a man named Rowyn Starr try to end my life in a ring. Yet here I stand; here I stand taller then I've ever stood before, and I do it all on faith. I know that bigger and better things are in store for me in this business and I know that the wrestling gods aren't through with me just yet.
Now I won't stand here acting as if I know you're whole life story; I won't even act as if I know anything more than a paragraph out of your book. In all honest Faith, I don't really know anything about you. All I know is that you were the one that was chosen to face Aurora for the Rebirth Championship, and you failed to win and walk away with the title. Now, that is not something that I can knock you for. I myself set foot in that ring with her and fell short due to extenuating circumstances. I allowed myself to get distracted and I paid the price by losing my match against her.
Meanwhile, you can't claim that. You lost your shot at the title fair and square; you're mind is clear on that. You walked away knowing damn well that you weren't good enough to defeat Aurora. Meanwhile, I walked away knowing that I could have beaten her; I walked away knowing that victory was mere moments away; I walked away knowing that I lost, not because she was better, but because I made a mistake.
The War Hound continues to walk through the wooded area, footprints being left behind him in the snow. Just ahead of him though, there appears to be a clearing.
Mason: You see Faith, for you it is oh so easy. You walked away simply knowing that you weren't good enough. You walked away knowing that you have to get better if you want to accomplish great things in this business. When I walked away from my match with Aurora, I walked away knowing that I was at the pinnacle; I walked away knowing that I was in fact good enough to walk away with a title around my waist. I walked away knowing that I was just as good, if not better then Aurora. Ever sense it has been eating at my soul; it has been chipping away at me and making me less of a man.
All of that is about to change. This week, I am going to set foot in that ring and I am going to show you why I am one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace a Phoenix Wrestling ring. You can dismiss me all I want; you can say that I am no where near being one of the best in this company; but at the end of the day, I have competed alongside and beaten some of the greats to set foot in that ring. I have competed in some of the most grueling and sadistic matches this company has devised.
Go ahead and be the foolish one Faith; go ahead and be the type of competitor that will dismiss me. I will let you walk right into that trap. Ask around Faith, I am not the man you dismiss. Ask Rowyn Starr or Masaru, they will tell you that I am one of the most dangerous competitors that they've ever competed again. That's not one, but two former Phoenix Wrestling World Champions that will claim that I am a man that you can't take lightly. You should know better Faith, you were there when I made my return to Phoenix; you were standing there as you saw the fear that Masaru and Rowyn had in their eyes when I appeared on that stage.
You were there when I stormed that ring and handed Rowyn his ass and then sent a scared Masaru running with his cowardly tail tucked between his legs. You were there and you did nothing Faith. You claim to be a hero, but you too are a mere coward. You could have, at any time, stepped in that ring and come to Rowyn's defense; you could have defended a man whom has defended so many over his stints in Pheonix Wrestling; but you didn't. You stood by and watched as I dismantled him; you stood by and watched, but yet you claim to be a righteous person.
You are far from it though. Before I finally woke up and became aware of the true reality of this business and the world; I was much like what you claim to be. I was naive and thought that being righteous was more important that winning; I thought having those idiotic fans on my side and doing the right thing was what was really important. I always came down to the aid of others. I was one of the most respected wrestlers in the locker room because anyone in the back knew if they needed some one to be there for them, I was that guy; it was something that I took pride in.
Then when it came time for me to collect on all those favors I had done; when it came time to need a friend in my corner; it turned out that I was the only true righteous person around. No one came to my aid; no one was truly my friend. I had given and given, and I got nothing in return. It turned out that all those righteous people were just like you. They were all punks and cowards; they were all fucking talk and couldn't back up a damn thing. They all left me hanging, just like you left Rowyn hanging; which is funny because Rowyn in turn got exactly what he had coming for leaving me hanging.
Mason makes his way into the clearing, and as he does, there is an old church in the center of the clearing. He walks closer towards it and then comes to a stop.
Mason: Kind of funny, faith is. I mean, to have faith, you have to believe and have trust. Some people place it in something they can't see or feel. Me, I like to place it in myself. I know what I am capable of; I know who I am; and I damn well know how dangerous I am. I have faith in my abilities and I know that when it comes down to it, I am not the type to back down from a challenge. I never show fear and I never back down. You may not be afraid right now; you may not be intimidated; but once you set foot in that ring with me; once you lock up with me for that first time and you see what I am capable of; you will be.
Faith, you may be mighty; you may be elite; but so am I. You can underestimate me all you want; you can laugh me off all you want; but come Redemption, you will be tested by me. At Redemption, we will go to war. We will battle and I will win. That isn't a presumption, that isn't even cockiness; that is just fact. Think what you want of yourself my dear, but I know that I am truly one of the greats, and I have proven it time and time again. I am the one man whom is feared by all, and once I am done with you, you will too; HAVE FAITH IN THAT!
With an intense and insane smirk on his face, the scene fades to black and ends.
It was never an easy thing. It was never easy to lose some one or something; no one ever wanted to lose. Yet that seemed to be Mason's M.O. these days. He re-entered Phoenix collecting a loss to the now champion, Aurora; he then allowed some one else to collect a victory for him over Reya Serra; and now he had lost in the first round of the Iron King tournament to Sophie El. The only two real matches he had so far in this company were losses. It was enough to frustrate any man.
He could take the cowards way out and claim that his losses were due to distractions or interferences. Rowyn Starr did indeed make an appearance during that first match, which pulled his attention long enough for Aurora to come back around. Then there was the brawl backstage with Masaru just moments before his street fight with Sophie El. A lesser man, a coward would use those as excuses and still claim himself great; but Mason knew better; he knew he was better. Those distractions, those interference, shouldn't have cost him those matches.
Mason knew he was above those things. Despite the distraction, he knew he should have emerged victorious; despite the assault from Masaru, he knew he should have won; despite the appearance of Crystal in Siberia, he knew he shouldn't have been locked up in that cage; like a dog. It was that last one that hurt the most. He had the element of surprise and he had the upper hand when he took his trip into the icy winter wonderland of Russia; but that little girl ruined it all. Mason knew that he couldn't let that slide; he couldn't let any of it slide. He would have his revenge, they would all pay the price.
Until that time though; until he was ready to make them pay, he would have to focus on himself and his career; he would have to focus on getting back on the winning track. Mason Daniels was no loser, but it seemed to be that was what he had become. He was losing everything; he was losing matches; he had lost his friends; and most importantly, he had lost his family. He had lost it all for the sake of this business and in the end, he had nothing to show for it. There no feeling more irritating then to give your life, your whole being and essence to something, and have nothing to show for it in the end. That was going to change though, and it was going to change this week.
This week he would step into the ring with Faith, a woman who stood toe to toe with Aurora and lost, just as he had. The only difference was that the PW Rebirth Championship was on the line when she faces Aurora. Faith had been given the honor of being one of the first two people to compete for the title. In the eyes of those in management, that meant that she was one of the elite; she was one of the ones you had to get past to reach the top, and Mason planned on doing just that. He planned on taking her down and proving once and for all that he deserved a place in line to get a shot at the biggest title that Phoenix Wrestling had to offer.
Now was his time to shine; it was his time to break through into the spotlight. Nothing was going to get in his way and stop him. Faith may be considered one of the great wrestlers in the business, but that did not matter to him at all. He had faced the best and beaten them before. That ability to win the big match rested within his fiery soul; he just needed to find it and unleash it. He had to dig down deep and find what had gone missing; because if he didn't, Faith would surely make him pay and embarrass him in the process.
* * *
It was a cold morning as Mason walked through the woods, snow on the ground as he made his way through the trees leaving footprints behind him. He was wearing what looked to be a set of warm and comfy clothing; and covering his signature mohawk was a black skull cap. It was here that he had chosen to refocus his energies and find himself once more. He was on the complete other side of the country from where he needed to be in just a few days time, but he wouldn't leave this place until he was sure that he had found what he had lost.
There was no one here to bother him; no one here to rub in his face how he had lost and been eliminated from the tournament. It was just him, all on his lonesome; just the way he wanted. Mason was in need of the peace and tranquility; he was in need of the time to himself that would allow him to prepare for what was head. There was so much to be done, and such little time to do it in. When it was all said and done though, when the next edition of Redemption came to and end, Mason was sure to be the most talked about name in Phoenix Wrestling.
The thought is what kept Mason going; it is what drove him forward. Mason didn't know where he was heading, but he was following his gut; something deep inside told him that he would get to his destination and that he would be happy with where he ended up. Mason knew that it wasn't going to be pretty; he knew that the road ahead was going to be vile and nasty, but he trusted that in the end, it would all be worth it. So he pushed ahead, through the snow and the trees, no sign of life or anything else for as far as the eye could see.
Mason: Faith, what a fitting name for a wrestler. You see, you have to have faith to be in this business. Every time you set foot in the gym or the ring, you risk injuring yourself; you risk ending your career. Every time you lock up or go flying out of the ring, that could be the very last time you do so. Men have died in these rings. Every time you set foot in the squared circle, you do so on faith. You have faith that you are good enough to walk out; you do so on faith that you know what you are doing and that you won't get hurt.
Well Faith, I don't know about you, but my faith in that ring has been tested a great deal and as far as I can tell, God is no where close to being done with me. I've been scalped by a barbed wire bat; I've been put into a coma; I've had my spine broke in half; and most recently, I had a man named Rowyn Starr try to end my life in a ring. Yet here I stand; here I stand taller then I've ever stood before, and I do it all on faith. I know that bigger and better things are in store for me in this business and I know that the wrestling gods aren't through with me just yet.
Now I won't stand here acting as if I know you're whole life story; I won't even act as if I know anything more than a paragraph out of your book. In all honest Faith, I don't really know anything about you. All I know is that you were the one that was chosen to face Aurora for the Rebirth Championship, and you failed to win and walk away with the title. Now, that is not something that I can knock you for. I myself set foot in that ring with her and fell short due to extenuating circumstances. I allowed myself to get distracted and I paid the price by losing my match against her.
Meanwhile, you can't claim that. You lost your shot at the title fair and square; you're mind is clear on that. You walked away knowing damn well that you weren't good enough to defeat Aurora. Meanwhile, I walked away knowing that I could have beaten her; I walked away knowing that victory was mere moments away; I walked away knowing that I lost, not because she was better, but because I made a mistake.
The War Hound continues to walk through the wooded area, footprints being left behind him in the snow. Just ahead of him though, there appears to be a clearing.
Mason: You see Faith, for you it is oh so easy. You walked away simply knowing that you weren't good enough. You walked away knowing that you have to get better if you want to accomplish great things in this business. When I walked away from my match with Aurora, I walked away knowing that I was at the pinnacle; I walked away knowing that I was in fact good enough to walk away with a title around my waist. I walked away knowing that I was just as good, if not better then Aurora. Ever sense it has been eating at my soul; it has been chipping away at me and making me less of a man.
All of that is about to change. This week, I am going to set foot in that ring and I am going to show you why I am one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace a Phoenix Wrestling ring. You can dismiss me all I want; you can say that I am no where near being one of the best in this company; but at the end of the day, I have competed alongside and beaten some of the greats to set foot in that ring. I have competed in some of the most grueling and sadistic matches this company has devised.
Go ahead and be the foolish one Faith; go ahead and be the type of competitor that will dismiss me. I will let you walk right into that trap. Ask around Faith, I am not the man you dismiss. Ask Rowyn Starr or Masaru, they will tell you that I am one of the most dangerous competitors that they've ever competed again. That's not one, but two former Phoenix Wrestling World Champions that will claim that I am a man that you can't take lightly. You should know better Faith, you were there when I made my return to Phoenix; you were standing there as you saw the fear that Masaru and Rowyn had in their eyes when I appeared on that stage.
You were there when I stormed that ring and handed Rowyn his ass and then sent a scared Masaru running with his cowardly tail tucked between his legs. You were there and you did nothing Faith. You claim to be a hero, but you too are a mere coward. You could have, at any time, stepped in that ring and come to Rowyn's defense; you could have defended a man whom has defended so many over his stints in Pheonix Wrestling; but you didn't. You stood by and watched as I dismantled him; you stood by and watched, but yet you claim to be a righteous person.
You are far from it though. Before I finally woke up and became aware of the true reality of this business and the world; I was much like what you claim to be. I was naive and thought that being righteous was more important that winning; I thought having those idiotic fans on my side and doing the right thing was what was really important. I always came down to the aid of others. I was one of the most respected wrestlers in the locker room because anyone in the back knew if they needed some one to be there for them, I was that guy; it was something that I took pride in.
Then when it came time for me to collect on all those favors I had done; when it came time to need a friend in my corner; it turned out that I was the only true righteous person around. No one came to my aid; no one was truly my friend. I had given and given, and I got nothing in return. It turned out that all those righteous people were just like you. They were all punks and cowards; they were all fucking talk and couldn't back up a damn thing. They all left me hanging, just like you left Rowyn hanging; which is funny because Rowyn in turn got exactly what he had coming for leaving me hanging.
Mason makes his way into the clearing, and as he does, there is an old church in the center of the clearing. He walks closer towards it and then comes to a stop.
Mason: Kind of funny, faith is. I mean, to have faith, you have to believe and have trust. Some people place it in something they can't see or feel. Me, I like to place it in myself. I know what I am capable of; I know who I am; and I damn well know how dangerous I am. I have faith in my abilities and I know that when it comes down to it, I am not the type to back down from a challenge. I never show fear and I never back down. You may not be afraid right now; you may not be intimidated; but once you set foot in that ring with me; once you lock up with me for that first time and you see what I am capable of; you will be.
Faith, you may be mighty; you may be elite; but so am I. You can underestimate me all you want; you can laugh me off all you want; but come Redemption, you will be tested by me. At Redemption, we will go to war. We will battle and I will win. That isn't a presumption, that isn't even cockiness; that is just fact. Think what you want of yourself my dear, but I know that I am truly one of the greats, and I have proven it time and time again. I am the one man whom is feared by all, and once I am done with you, you will too; HAVE FAITH IN THAT!
With an intense and insane smirk on his face, the scene fades to black and ends.