Post by Markw on Sept 24, 2016 19:12:55 GMT -5
WFWF The Gate – The Enemy Within
I've always believed that wrestling is as much a psychological battle as it is physical. That what goes on in that ring is as much about the wits of the men involved as it is about their physical capabilities.
Stepping into that ring tests everything about you, your strength, your athleticism, your morals, your technique, and perhaps most importantly of all, it tests your mind.
I don't like losing. Nobody does, obviously.
But I can cope with being overpowered, I can cope with losing to an opponent who is that little bit faster, that little bit more agile than I am. Believe it or not, I can cope with being out-wrestled. But if there's one thing that really grates, that brings out the worst in me, it's being out-thought.
The truth is, I used to despise Trace Demon, not because I had any moral objection, not because I had a problem with the way he went about doing things. Not because he was a better wrestler than me. No I loathed Trace Demon because at the time he had beaten me twice, and he hadn't done it by out-fighting me, he'd done it by out-thinking me.
I envied Trace Demon.
I'm not too proud to admit it. It was obvious to everybody, apart from me of course, that three years ago, I was jealous of Trace Demon. I was jealous because he was the International champion, because he was in the midsts of one of the most impressive unbeaten runs in WFWF history, and most importantly, because he was better than me full stop.
I was oblivious to the cause of my hatred. I told myself that I had been wronged by Trace Demon, but deep down I knew that, whether that was true or not, my hatred of Trace Demon had a lot more to do with my own insecurities. A year later, when I aligned with Trace Demon, became a member of the Final Revolution, I was once again oblivious to something that was quite clear to everybody else.
I was oblivious to the fact that I had signed up to be Trace Demon's lackey. I was fooled into believing that I was a vital component in a grandiose plan to revitalise the WFWF, to make it mean something. I had some very reasonable concerns about the direction of this promotion, of professional wrestling, and Trace Demon exploited that. He exploited my anger, in an attempt to get himself back to the top of the ladder. That was, essentially, what the Final Revolution stood for. It was only ever about putting Trace Demon back in control and I was too blind to see it. I wanted to hoist the red flag over WFWF headquarters, to say to the whole world that the WFWF has changed, that it was no longer the circus that it was and, sadly, still is.
Unfortunately for Trace Demon my commitment to that ideal, the ideal he had convinced me he was also committed to, put pave to his plans. Because as soon as it became clear to me, that Trace Demon could not do what he had told me he would do, I turned my back on him. And much to my annoyance, I had to wage war with Trace Demon, before I could continue working towards the revolution I so firmly believed in.
As I say, I think wrestling is as much psychological as it is physical. That most matches, truth be told, are decided before you even step through that curtain.
At End Game I came face to face with my enemy, my 'mentor', the man who had twice gotten the better of me. And the truth is, I had lost before I stepped foot in that ring. I had lost, not because of my enemy in the ring, but because of the enemy within.
I had lost, because for a second, doubt crept it.
I began to doubt whether I belonged in the squared circle with Trace Demon. Here was a two time World Champion, a man who I had seen tear through the WFWF locker room, a man who had twice bested me. And there was a part of me, that didn't think I could beat Trace Demon. There was a part of me, that didn't believe I had it in me to beat him, or to bring about the change I desired.
I lost, of course. And I wouldn't win again until I had left the WFWF behind. Not because I wasn't equipped, physically, to win wrestling matches. But because I wasn't in the right place mentally. Because I doubted my ability.
I know I can beat Lucas Crowe, I did it three weeks ago. How focused Ante is, how capable he is going into a match like this, it's out of my control. The big question mark that hangs over me, that people are asking of me, is am I capable of besting Trace Demon?
And most people think they know the answer already. Trace Demon has always had my number and should we come face to face again, during this match, then the result will be the same.
I fell into the trap of buying into that last time and I paid dearly for it.
But a year is a long time, a lot can change, and in my case a lot has. Trace, I know you like to think you have a psychological advantage every time you step in that ring. And I know that right now, you'll see me as an easy target. That right now you'll be looking at me, the same way you're going to look at Yukio Blaze come SuperBrawl. As a man who you have bested so many times, that they don't truly believe they can beat you.
I've banished those thoughts.
I have spent a year improving every aspect of my game by an inch or two. I'm faster, stronger, technically better than I was when we met at End Game. But mentally I am light years ahead of where I was when I walked through that curtain that night.
The self doubt, it's gone. The insecurities, they're gone. The fear that I can't beat Trace Demon in that ring, gone.
How do the title matches looming on the horizon for Lucas Crowe and Trace Demon affect this match? What frame of mind is Ante Whitner in, how sharp is he on his return? These are variables that are going to make a difference, of course they will.
But this Joe Bishop is not the Joe Bishop of 2015, and this time – regardless of the other factors - the end result is not going to be Trace Demon standing tall over a defeated Joe Bishop.
That's just not how this one ends.
---
My trip back to Japan was certainly thought provoking if nothing else. The opportunity to compete against competitors who I respected, who love this sport in the same way I do, was a welcome contrast from stepping foot in a WFWF ring. I'd be lying if I said that there was no part of me that questioned why on earth I had gone back to the WFWF.
But it did reaffirm what I already know, that professional wrestling can be so much more than what it is here. That as unfulfilling as wrestling in the WFWF can be, this mission is fundamentally the right thing to do. Ultimately professional wrestling is about sport, competition and a chance to compete properly, fairly, with the best professional wrestlers the world has to offer both reinvigorated my love for this sport and reaffirmed that I have got to fight to reshape the WFWF.
My decision to call out The Future, the thought and care that went into the decision of how best to approach changing the WFWF for the better, had obviously thrown up a number of issues for me to contemplate too. How can I most effectively ensure – assuming he accepts my challenge – that I can not only beat Future at SuperBrawl but undermine everything he stands for, how can I ensure that professional wrestling does not descend further towards the comic-book, childish, cartoon circus that he is at the very least enabling?
On top of that, you didn't really have to do much reading between the lines to gather that the man I drove out of the WFWF Solomon Crow is back with a seemingly enlarged God complex, which is quite an achievement.
Needless to say I had a lot of things hit me all at once and a lot of prioritizing that needed to be done. Stepping away from the WFWF for a week had thrown up a lot of questions that I needed to answer.
Having said all of that, the overriding outcome of my trip, of those few days, was...
Joe Bishop: Shut up!
A massive f***ing headache.
Poppy Yates: I'm just saying, calling out one of the most popular wrestlers in the WFWF is not a great plan for gaining mass approval.
I was used to the spotlight of the WFWF, the attention it brings. The press hounding, tapping and general interference in your life that comes with that. I was well aware that was what I was signing up for. But my word knowing one of them makes it a million times worse. Poppy had, naturally, decided she was going to fly out 'with' me to report on the show, and of course that meant that I had to spend a week knocking back the most mundane questions imaginable. She'd now, on our way back, moved on to offering advice, which was quite a surprise to be fair, one could have almost been fooled into thinking she cared if they weren't aware that she's followed the career path of the subhuman leech.
Joe Bishop: This is part of the, fix the WFWF plan, not the win a popularity contest plan, keep up.
Poppy Yates: You won't get one without the other.
Ugh.
I was going to treat that with the contempt it deserved but it seems she was in the mood to pile on.
Poppy Yates: Nobody changes anything without having the people on their side.
I really don't think that's true, but I certainly wasn't going to turn this into a philosophical debate, I'd found that it was remarkably quicker and less tiresome to accept her flawed logic and cut right to how she'd misinterpreted my plan to revitalise the WFWF.
Joe Bishop: People like winners, not people who cheat to win obviously, but they like genuine winners. It really doesn't matter who the opponent is, winning while wrestling properly, is what's going to popularize proper wrestling. It's not complicated.
Poppy Yates: Well, for the record, I think it's a mistake.
Who the f*** asked?
Joe Bishop: I thought the whole thing was a mistake?
Poppy Yates: I think it's unnecessary, sure. You're obviously committed to it though, you may as well do it right.
Joe Bishop: I know what I'm doing thanks.
Poppy Yates: I hope so.
Joe Bishop: Your concerns are duly noted, now please, for the love of God give me a break.
I reclined back in the seat of the plane, desperately hoping that she'd get the message and just let me sleep.
Poppy Yates: You think Crow's gonna come after you?
I wonder who gets jurisdiction if you murder someone on a plane.
---
I think it's fair to say that Ante, Lucas and I, we're a lot more similar than – I imagine – either of them would like to admit.
At least in the sense that all three of us are at various points along a very similar path. All three of us are talented young wrestlers who have been exploited. It's not something people like to admit it, but it's what's happened, in Crowe's case it's what's happening.
We have found ourselves doing the dirty work of people who don't actually care about what's right for us, by people who are doing everything in their power to cling to the top of the WFWF for as long as they possibly can.
Both I and Ante have made that mistake and in time it will become quite clear to Lucas Crowe that so has he.
In the meantime Lucas will be going into this match alongside a man who he sees as an ally. And given their close ties, the conventional wisdom is that they will be better placed to act as a cohesive unit in this match, to overcome a mish-mash team of myself and Ante Whitner.
I don't concur with that view.
See the reality is, myself and Ante, there's no reason we shouldn't trust one another. There's no friction, no real history, we'll both be giving everything we have to defeat the International Champion and the owner of the WFWF.
Contrast that with Lucas and Trace, and it's pretty clear that really we're in the position of strength. Trace Demon and Lucas Crowe have every reason to doubt each other, they've every reason to go into this match with a cloud of mistrust hanging over them.
It's not that long ago that Trace Demon was caught off guard when I turned my back on him. I find it difficult to believe that won't cross his mind once or twice when he looks across at Lucas Crowe.
Crowe, if he has even a modicum of sense will realise, at some point, that Trace Demon isn't remotely interested in what he can do for Lucas Crowe, he's only interested in what Lucas Crowe can do for Trace Demon. Once that finally sinks in he'll follow exactly the same course of action as I did. Throw in the complications caused by Justin Tyme, Drakz, and the pressure of two title matches on the biggest stage in professional wrestling, and you've got an awful lot of tension. One miscalculation, miscommunication, one minor disagreement and that advantage of standing alongside an ally, can very quickly turn into a nightmare.
A puppet master and his puppet, that's not a combination that worries me, and with Trace Demon involved it's not a combination that's going to last very long. It's certainly not a combination that's going to be much of a match for one man who definitely knows how unhealthy that sort of relationship is and another who certainly should.
For Trace Demon, Lucas Crowe, this match is an unwanted delay as they head for two of the most important matches in their respective careers. This isn't a delay for me. I have an important war to wage at SuperBrawl, a huge opportunity to shift the direction of the WFWF. But for me, this is an equally good opportunity. This is an opportunity to prove to the whole world, to the WFWF fans and perhaps most importantly right now, to Lucas Crowe, that Trace Demon is a cancer. Beat Trace Demon in that ring and it's strong evidence that the WFWF that he envisions, that he's enlisting Lucas Crowe to achieve, is one that doesn't reward the best that professional wrestling has to offer, it just rewards Trace Demon.
---
The announcement of the tag match rapidly altered the agenda. The grilling I was receiving about the revolution, the future and The Future was abruptly replaced with a barrage of queries about my ex-Final Revolution team mate. And this time there was another source of annoyance.
Andy Yates: A chance to put it right then, excited?
Joe Bishop: Sure, I guess.
At the time, in all honestly, I'd found it difficult to focus too much on Trace, Crowe, Ante, it was there of course, but my mind was elsewhere and it was pretty obvious.
Andy Yates: You could sound a bit more optimistic.
Joe Bishop: It's not that I'm not optimistic, it's just... I... don't know, I...
The bemused look he shot my way probably meant I wasn't really coming across as entirely coherent. It was difficult to explain really. It's sort of difficult to justify, when the likes of Trace Demon, The Future, SuperBrawl, Solomon Crow should all have been dividing my attention equally, that my mind had been drawn to Frank Lynn and a lesson that's well enough embedded in me, that I shouldn't really need to revisit it.
---
My brief exchange with Frank Lynn, in what I hoped was a one off dressing down from a semi-veteran to a rookie, had left a pretty big impression on me. There was nothing deep about, nothing even remotely surprising. Rookie wrestler beats up whiny kid, hold the front page.
But I guess it had an impact on me because, it helped me twig what it was about the main event of The Gate that was playing on my mind. What it was that left me a little uncomfortable about the chance to get revenge against Trace Demon.
It reminded me of a lesson that 15 year old Joe Bishop learned the hard way.
I guess, for some background, I should explain that 15 year old Joe Bishop wasn't, how should I put this, the sharpest pebble on the beach. In fact he was a bit of a t***. But, to his credit, he was a pretty good wrestler.
It had taken only a couple of months for me to earn a shot at the 'world' championship in a crummy little promotion in Norwich. Not the most glamorous of occasions, but at the time, it felt like a pretty big f***ing deal. I went head to head with a guy called Sam London, who was pretty good at talking absolute s*** and pretty bad at just about everything else. No serious threat to me.
But he got in my head.
He knew how to wind that spotty irritating little s*** up and he did it to perfection.
As I say wrestling is a psychological sport and I learned that the hard way that night. Because I should have been able to go in there, out wrestle him, and win that belt at the first time of asking.
Instead, I did what so many rookies do, I let him rile me and I made a stupid mistake. I decided that hurting him,was more important than winning. I smashed his head to bits with his title lost by DQ and I had to endure the smug toothless grin, blood pouring from his mouth, as he let me know that he'd bested me.
“Maybe next time kid”
He smiled as he patted his belt.
It was an important lesson for me, that sometimes being the better wrestler isn't enough. That it doesn't make a difference how much better you are technically, physically, theoretically, if you can't control yourself, if you can't prevent yourself from overstepping the mark.
---
Violence is something that, as a professional wrestler, you have to get pretty comfortable with pretty quickly.
Many of us are attracted by the sport, because we love competing. Others are attracted by the fame, the money, the glamour that surrounds it. Some are attracted because it's a way of escaping seriously crapty situations. But there are some who are attracted not by any of that, but by the chance to act violently, with no repercussions. The truth is that for every wrestler who does it because they love this sport, there is another who just loves causing pain.
As I say, you acclimatize quite quickly.
And Martin Luther King wasn't wrong. Violence begets violence.
It's very easy as a professional wrestler, surrounded by people who just like causing as much pain as humanly possible, to stoop to their level. It's easy to become corrupted by your surroundings and very difficult to undo the damage that's done.
I have seen a lot of things that don't belong in this sport. And the truth is, I've done a lot of things that don't belong in this sport. Our environment shapes us and for a long time, mine made me a monster. The majority of the incidents that stick in my mind are those I was responsible for, because they're attached to a healthy dose of guilt. The shame that I have so actively contributed to the problems that plague this sport.
But one incident above all sticks out in my mind. One incident, one image, it never goes away. No matter how hard I try to eradicate it.
Forever etched into my mind will be the image of a blood-soaked Solomon Crow. His disjointed nose, his bloodshot eyes. The moment, that will live with me for ever, as his body stopped twitching , and he lay motionless on the outside of the ring as EMTs flocked to check on him. Inside that cage, Trace Demon and I beat the 'late' Solomon Crow to within an inch of his life, we saw his twisted broken body being wheeled out of the U.S. Bank Arena, and... we laughed.
It doesn't stand out because of any remorse over what we did to Solomon Crow the man. I don't feel any remorse for that. He is, 'was', a despicable human being who filled me with that hate. But it was Trace Demon who took that hate inside me and turned it into something all together more sinister.
The remorse I feel is over what moments like that have done to the WFWF, what they did to young guys who wanted to become professional wrestlers that were watching that show. I don't want people to think I'm a paragon of virtue, I'm as guilty as anyone – well almost anyone. I don't stand before you as an innocent party, who has contributed nothing to the flawed nature of the WFWF. But what separates me from a man like Trace Demon, is that right now, I'm trying to put it right. I'm trying to atone for my sins.
Honestly Trace, I'm not a vindictive man. I'm not unwilling to forgive people who feel guilt, who feel remorse. What really hurts, isn't what you did to me, it's what you're doing, right now, to Lucas Crowe.
Because guys like Lucas Crowe, and those men who will no doubt follow the same path that he and I have, they're the future of this company. And what that future is, is down to men like you.
You don't care about professional wrestling. You don't care about the sport. You don't care about the people you destroy on your way to the top. There are three things you care about, power, violence and most importantly the fear that Trace Demon, 'The King of Demons' can inspire in anyone you come into contact with, because of that combination of power and violence.
Hate begets hate, violence begets violence. It's a vicious cycle and you enjoy perpetuating it. You enjoy being a figure that's feared. And the truth is, I'm sure you'd be willing to admit, you're not even ashamed.
In fact I imagine that what happens to men like me, Lucas Crowe, after they've done serving their purpose, doesn't even register on your radar. I imagine you just don't care about the monster you create when you put that chair in a young guys hand and you tell him to beat his opponent to bits with it.
I'm pretty sure that because you don't care, going into this match, I will barely be a blip on your radar. I'm not stupid, I know your focus is going to be purely on SuperBrawl, on Blaze, Drakz, Dean, Ahriman, Stone, perhaps on Lila Sleater. Because they're the people you need to go through to get back that power, that status, that strikes fear into most professional wrestlers. But that's the mistake that gives me the confidence, that when this is over I will be standing tall. Because while your focus will be on those things, while Crowe's will be on Brennan. Mine will be solely, on beating you.
I won't be thinking for a second about The Future. I won't be thinking for a second about Lila Sleater. I won't be thinking for a second about whether or not Solomon Crow is on his way back. Not when we step into that ring.
But the truth is, confident as I am about this match, about going face to face with the man who manipulated me for so long. There is a part of me that wants my interactions with Trace Demon to be limited. There is a part of me that wants to step into that ring with Lucas Crowe, finish Lucas Crowe like I did three weeks ago, and never come face to face with Trace Demon.
Not because I fear you Trace. But because I fear Joe Bishop.
Because I fear what stepping foot into that ring with you might do to me. I fear stepping foot into the ring with a man who has time and time again undermined our sport, who has repeatedly tried to corrupt talented young wrestlers like me, like Lucas Crowe, and usually succeeded. A man who embodies so superbly everything wrestling shouldn't be about. The truth is, I'm scared of the anger that you inspire in me. I'm scared of what I know – thanks to you - that anger can unleash.
I'm scared that stepping into that ring, coming face to face with you, will lead to the red mist descending. I'm scared that it might lead me to do something that undermines everything I have been working towards. Everything I have been fighting for.
Our last few meetings in that ring have been about whether I could overcome my own insecurities, my doubts, that niggling belief that maybe I couldn't beat you. And on all three occasions I failed. This is not about that, I can beat you and I will beat you. This clash is about whether I can overcome the urge to do more than just pin you 1...2...3 and move on. It's about whether or not I can overcome the instincts you tried to instil in me and exercise some restraint. I sincerely hope, for everyone's sake, that I don't fail this time.