Post by John Anthony on Aug 14, 2007 14:13:48 GMT -6
DVD Taping Role Play #3
/*\ Breaking It Down /*\[/u][/color]
Continuing his stay in Beverly Hills, John Anthony had setup today as a day of preparation for his title defense this Friday. With a press conference or two behind him, it was time for the tooth and nail parts. It had been quite a while since John had stepped inside the Hard Knox Gym where his former instructor David Knox had worked with him day after day on John’s kickboxing techniques. After a short reuniting conversation and catching up on things, the two wasted no time getting inside the ring and donning their sparring gear. David congratulated John on his successes, but noted that he was in the mood to smack him around if so necessary.
The two sparred back and forth for half an hour, sometimes garnering the attention of others inside the gymnasium. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence to see the gym owner inside the squared circle and this “professional wrestling” business was pretty abstract to the other kickboxing stars in the area. David, whose physical stamina was simply absurd, had hardly broken a sweat as he stood in the center of the ring across from John. Despite being in good shape himself, John found himself wiping the trail of sweat from his brow.
David:
“I’ve gotta say John, you’ve honed your techniques, but you aren’t putting much behind it. I feel like I’m sparring against someone who’s scared to actually hurt their opponent.”
John:
“Come on David, you’re a friend of mine. What do you expect me to do?”
David:
“Tackle me.”
John raised an eyebrow towards his instructor who put his arms behind his back and stood prone.
David:
“I’m serious. Come at me and spear me to the mat. Show me that you’ve got it in you to lay one on a friend.”
John hesitated, thinking about the situation, but then rushed forward. He took maybe two steps towards David before being met with a swift kick to the shin that sent him flipping over and down to the mat himself. A surprised gasp could be heard from the few men watching on as David looked down at John.
David:
“See what I mean? You hesitated and brought nothing at me, so I laid you on your ass. Is this how you plan on defending your title this Friday?”
Slightly agitated, John jumped up to his feet and walked back to his original position. David again tucked his arms behind his back and beckoned John to come for him. Trying to convince yourself to spear a prone man who you have respect for isn’t as easy as one might assume, but embarrassment was unacceptable. No hesitation this time, John rushed forward, tucking his head and preparing to bulldoze David. However he was more than ready and sidestepped the bulrush then used a combination of his strength and John’s momentum to send him through the ropes and crashing to the floor outside of the ring. A small crowd began to form around the ring as David called out to his downed student.
David:
“That won’t do either John. Where’s the cunning? Where’s that explosiveness that made you such an astute student? I highly doubt you won that title from Zevon with such shabby efforts as this. Now get up and try again. You’re embarrassing me.”
Picking himself up, John climbed back into the ring and stared down his opponent. He had to quit looking at David as a friend and look at him as a fellow competitor. As someone who was a threat to him and his pride. John told himself to quit holding back and give the man what he had coming to him. Bouncing off the ropes, John took a step before diving across the ring towards David who had an awaiting smile on his face. David caught him in midair, put his hands behind John’s head, and brought his face crashing down onto a stiff knee. John bounced off and quickly grabbed his face as blood began flowing from his nose. David walked over to John and got down on a knee beside him.
David:
“Seriously John, I’m getting upset here.”
John:
“You just busted my nose wide open!”
David:
“What did you want me to do? I had a man flying towards me set to spear me into the ground. It’s called a gut reaction. Now if you were being serious about this, you would have seen that coming or found some way of reversing it on me, but no, you just took the blow like some kind of surprised novice. And do you know why? Because you’re letting respect and friendships get in your way. You’re letting your judgment be clouded by alliances and your reward is a busted nose and humiliation. The sad thing is, your reward for this kind of attitude Friday will be handing over your title to Buddy Love. If you come at him with whatever it is you call this crap you’re bringing at me then you’re not going to be a champion much longer.”
John sat up on his knees and used his shirt to cover his nose. He eventually stood up and let the shirt fall from his face, blood still flowing around his mouth and down his chin. A look of determination came over his face and he stared down David. His instructor walked to the middle of the ring casually, tucked his arms behind his back once again, and welcomed an assault. John came at him with his right hand held high. David reacted by ducking down and prepared an uppercut. As David brought his own right hand upwards to connect with John, John brought his left knee forward and blocked the uppercut. Dashing to the back of his instructor, John jumped into the air and locked his legs around the neck of his crouching opponent. Spinning forward, John managed to whip David around from a standing head scissors that brought them both down to the mat. Instinct and adrenaline drove John on top of his instructor and he then brought an elbow crashing down, stopping a mere inch or two from caving in David’s face. A few claps emerged from those watching on, and David smirked. John got up off of his friend and walked over to the turnbuckle.
John:
“I haven’t lost it David; I just don’t like having to pull out all of the stops against friends. But you made a valid point. If I bring a half-assed performance against Buddy Love then I’m going to lose more than a sparring session, I’m going to lose my championship. I want him to know that I respect him, that I hold no ill-feelings towards him, but when that bell rings I have to set all of that aside. When the referee starts the match, Buddy Love isn’t a friend; he’s someone who has come to take away what I’ve earned. I didn’t crawl into the lion’s den and strip the title from the teeth of JR Zevon just to hand it over to the first person who comes calling for it. I didn’t wrestle inside that demonic cage mere days after fighting for my life against Brine just to cop out of my next match. I worked my way to the top of the mountain and grabbed onto the Eastern Heavyweight Championship with my two hands to be a fighting champion. Not a sometimes fighting champion either. A champion who would welcome all challengers, friend or foe, and unleash hell on them if so needed to defend my title.
And yeah, I said the fans win either way this weekend because Buddy Love and I are both easy going guys, but let’s look at the facts. I’m a nationally known figure in the sports world and now have a chance to have a truly epic reign as Eastern Heavyweight Champion once we transition to Great Britain. I can’t hand over the title to a man whose idea of cardiovascular training is two women at the same time! The man hydrates himself with wine coolers. I’m surprised JR Zevon hasn’t rambled on about how Buddy Love is a disgrace to professional wrestling and the integrity of the sport.
Speaking of Zevon, that guy needs to realize something. He claims wrestling isn’t about the glitz and glamour, the bright lights and limousines, the parties and late nights, or the fame and glory that we all enjoy. Well look around you Zevon. Who holds the titles in this company? People like Shawn Stevens, Rich Morrison, John Anthony, and Buddy Love do. People who have experienced the finer side of life and know how to enjoy it. Sure we divulge ourselves in some of the guiltier pleasures of the flesh, but so what? It’s all part of the lifestyle. Zevon seems to think that has-beens like George Duke, Terry Funk, himself, Flying Diamond Cutter Man, and whatever else Two-For-Ninety-Nine-Cent wrestlers you can find in the Wal-Mart discount bins are what wrestling is really about. Maybe twenty years ago. These days the crowds don’t pack the stands to see men who think a Flair chop is the greatest wrestling move in the book or to see men who can hardly defeat arthritis in the ring “wrestling” one another. They come to see charismatic individuals that are in touch with today’s society and the rock star lifestyle that they all wish they could experience. Welcome to a new age Zevon.
So here’s how it’s going to go. This Friday I’m going to walk into that ring at Legendaria and Buddy Love and I will have some fun with our pre-match activities, but after that the fun ends. When I hand over my championship title, the gloves come off. I will bring everything I have to the table to ensure that I leave that arena just how I entered: Eastern Heavyweight Champion. So Buddy can try to prepare for this match by watching movies, playing poker, blazing up, and having cybersex affairs with other men, but my preparations carry more bite. The world will witness Legendaria and stand in awe at the greatest event POW has ever produced. So many titles on the line, so many stories about to be written, and so many opportunities for all involved. One of those opportunities rests in the hands of Buddy Love. A chance to become the first man to ever hold two championship belts in our promotion. Not today my friend. Not so long as this belt has my nameplate bolted onto it. John Anthony isn’t a placeholder champion; I’m a fighting champion who will make our match worth every penny. You might think you’ve gotten a glimpse of the grand lifestyle I live Buddy, but Friday you’re going to get the main course. I’ll give you a real taste of the high life.”
David, sitting against the turnbuckle and watching his protégé ramble on, mumbled the words “Now that’s what I’m talking about” to himself.
/*\ Breaking It Down /*\[/u][/color]
Continuing his stay in Beverly Hills, John Anthony had setup today as a day of preparation for his title defense this Friday. With a press conference or two behind him, it was time for the tooth and nail parts. It had been quite a while since John had stepped inside the Hard Knox Gym where his former instructor David Knox had worked with him day after day on John’s kickboxing techniques. After a short reuniting conversation and catching up on things, the two wasted no time getting inside the ring and donning their sparring gear. David congratulated John on his successes, but noted that he was in the mood to smack him around if so necessary.
The two sparred back and forth for half an hour, sometimes garnering the attention of others inside the gymnasium. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence to see the gym owner inside the squared circle and this “professional wrestling” business was pretty abstract to the other kickboxing stars in the area. David, whose physical stamina was simply absurd, had hardly broken a sweat as he stood in the center of the ring across from John. Despite being in good shape himself, John found himself wiping the trail of sweat from his brow.
David:
“I’ve gotta say John, you’ve honed your techniques, but you aren’t putting much behind it. I feel like I’m sparring against someone who’s scared to actually hurt their opponent.”
John:
“Come on David, you’re a friend of mine. What do you expect me to do?”
David:
“Tackle me.”
John raised an eyebrow towards his instructor who put his arms behind his back and stood prone.
David:
“I’m serious. Come at me and spear me to the mat. Show me that you’ve got it in you to lay one on a friend.”
John hesitated, thinking about the situation, but then rushed forward. He took maybe two steps towards David before being met with a swift kick to the shin that sent him flipping over and down to the mat himself. A surprised gasp could be heard from the few men watching on as David looked down at John.
David:
“See what I mean? You hesitated and brought nothing at me, so I laid you on your ass. Is this how you plan on defending your title this Friday?”
Slightly agitated, John jumped up to his feet and walked back to his original position. David again tucked his arms behind his back and beckoned John to come for him. Trying to convince yourself to spear a prone man who you have respect for isn’t as easy as one might assume, but embarrassment was unacceptable. No hesitation this time, John rushed forward, tucking his head and preparing to bulldoze David. However he was more than ready and sidestepped the bulrush then used a combination of his strength and John’s momentum to send him through the ropes and crashing to the floor outside of the ring. A small crowd began to form around the ring as David called out to his downed student.
David:
“That won’t do either John. Where’s the cunning? Where’s that explosiveness that made you such an astute student? I highly doubt you won that title from Zevon with such shabby efforts as this. Now get up and try again. You’re embarrassing me.”
Picking himself up, John climbed back into the ring and stared down his opponent. He had to quit looking at David as a friend and look at him as a fellow competitor. As someone who was a threat to him and his pride. John told himself to quit holding back and give the man what he had coming to him. Bouncing off the ropes, John took a step before diving across the ring towards David who had an awaiting smile on his face. David caught him in midair, put his hands behind John’s head, and brought his face crashing down onto a stiff knee. John bounced off and quickly grabbed his face as blood began flowing from his nose. David walked over to John and got down on a knee beside him.
David:
“Seriously John, I’m getting upset here.”
John:
“You just busted my nose wide open!”
David:
“What did you want me to do? I had a man flying towards me set to spear me into the ground. It’s called a gut reaction. Now if you were being serious about this, you would have seen that coming or found some way of reversing it on me, but no, you just took the blow like some kind of surprised novice. And do you know why? Because you’re letting respect and friendships get in your way. You’re letting your judgment be clouded by alliances and your reward is a busted nose and humiliation. The sad thing is, your reward for this kind of attitude Friday will be handing over your title to Buddy Love. If you come at him with whatever it is you call this crap you’re bringing at me then you’re not going to be a champion much longer.”
John sat up on his knees and used his shirt to cover his nose. He eventually stood up and let the shirt fall from his face, blood still flowing around his mouth and down his chin. A look of determination came over his face and he stared down David. His instructor walked to the middle of the ring casually, tucked his arms behind his back once again, and welcomed an assault. John came at him with his right hand held high. David reacted by ducking down and prepared an uppercut. As David brought his own right hand upwards to connect with John, John brought his left knee forward and blocked the uppercut. Dashing to the back of his instructor, John jumped into the air and locked his legs around the neck of his crouching opponent. Spinning forward, John managed to whip David around from a standing head scissors that brought them both down to the mat. Instinct and adrenaline drove John on top of his instructor and he then brought an elbow crashing down, stopping a mere inch or two from caving in David’s face. A few claps emerged from those watching on, and David smirked. John got up off of his friend and walked over to the turnbuckle.
John:
“I haven’t lost it David; I just don’t like having to pull out all of the stops against friends. But you made a valid point. If I bring a half-assed performance against Buddy Love then I’m going to lose more than a sparring session, I’m going to lose my championship. I want him to know that I respect him, that I hold no ill-feelings towards him, but when that bell rings I have to set all of that aside. When the referee starts the match, Buddy Love isn’t a friend; he’s someone who has come to take away what I’ve earned. I didn’t crawl into the lion’s den and strip the title from the teeth of JR Zevon just to hand it over to the first person who comes calling for it. I didn’t wrestle inside that demonic cage mere days after fighting for my life against Brine just to cop out of my next match. I worked my way to the top of the mountain and grabbed onto the Eastern Heavyweight Championship with my two hands to be a fighting champion. Not a sometimes fighting champion either. A champion who would welcome all challengers, friend or foe, and unleash hell on them if so needed to defend my title.
And yeah, I said the fans win either way this weekend because Buddy Love and I are both easy going guys, but let’s look at the facts. I’m a nationally known figure in the sports world and now have a chance to have a truly epic reign as Eastern Heavyweight Champion once we transition to Great Britain. I can’t hand over the title to a man whose idea of cardiovascular training is two women at the same time! The man hydrates himself with wine coolers. I’m surprised JR Zevon hasn’t rambled on about how Buddy Love is a disgrace to professional wrestling and the integrity of the sport.
Speaking of Zevon, that guy needs to realize something. He claims wrestling isn’t about the glitz and glamour, the bright lights and limousines, the parties and late nights, or the fame and glory that we all enjoy. Well look around you Zevon. Who holds the titles in this company? People like Shawn Stevens, Rich Morrison, John Anthony, and Buddy Love do. People who have experienced the finer side of life and know how to enjoy it. Sure we divulge ourselves in some of the guiltier pleasures of the flesh, but so what? It’s all part of the lifestyle. Zevon seems to think that has-beens like George Duke, Terry Funk, himself, Flying Diamond Cutter Man, and whatever else Two-For-Ninety-Nine-Cent wrestlers you can find in the Wal-Mart discount bins are what wrestling is really about. Maybe twenty years ago. These days the crowds don’t pack the stands to see men who think a Flair chop is the greatest wrestling move in the book or to see men who can hardly defeat arthritis in the ring “wrestling” one another. They come to see charismatic individuals that are in touch with today’s society and the rock star lifestyle that they all wish they could experience. Welcome to a new age Zevon.
So here’s how it’s going to go. This Friday I’m going to walk into that ring at Legendaria and Buddy Love and I will have some fun with our pre-match activities, but after that the fun ends. When I hand over my championship title, the gloves come off. I will bring everything I have to the table to ensure that I leave that arena just how I entered: Eastern Heavyweight Champion. So Buddy can try to prepare for this match by watching movies, playing poker, blazing up, and having cybersex affairs with other men, but my preparations carry more bite. The world will witness Legendaria and stand in awe at the greatest event POW has ever produced. So many titles on the line, so many stories about to be written, and so many opportunities for all involved. One of those opportunities rests in the hands of Buddy Love. A chance to become the first man to ever hold two championship belts in our promotion. Not today my friend. Not so long as this belt has my nameplate bolted onto it. John Anthony isn’t a placeholder champion; I’m a fighting champion who will make our match worth every penny. You might think you’ve gotten a glimpse of the grand lifestyle I live Buddy, but Friday you’re going to get the main course. I’ll give you a real taste of the high life.”
David, sitting against the turnbuckle and watching his protégé ramble on, mumbled the words “Now that’s what I’m talking about” to himself.
