Post by perilloboy123 on Jul 17, 2008 11:50:28 GMT -5
Source: ROHWrestling.com
Things change. Since the beginning of my career, lots of things have changed. In 1999, when I started training to become a wrestler I was 150 pounds, soaking wet. I looked like a kid and couldn't grow a decent beard. I was wrestling on local shows in Montreal for my trainer's company once every three or four months while watching wrestling tapes on TV every minute of every day. I remember watching an ECW PPV from the Hammerstein Ballroom and thinking of how cool that placed looked. Meanwhile, all I could think, all I could dream about was of the day I'd get to wrestle every week and be a champion.
Nine years later, I'm 250 pounds, I wrestle pretty much every weekend all over the United States for Ring Of Honor, the greatest wrestling company in the world. A few months ago I actually got to wrestle in the Hammerstein Ballroom and will get to do so again in a few weeks and I even get to wrestle on PPV...I still can't grow a decent beard though.
During my first run with Ring Of Honor, which spanned from Febuary 2005 to August of the same year, it seemed like nothing I did was good enough to win matches. Eventually, we parted ways and I started to travel the world to get better. England, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, not to mention all over the United States and my home country of Canada. I went everywhere I could to wrestle and learn from anyone that had something to teach, good or bad.
In 2007, after a year and a half, my return to ROH was announced. El Generico and I were going to face the Briscoes in Philadelphia. That night, my career changed again. That night was the beginning of a new era for me and it was also the beginning of the craziest feud I've ever been a part of.
On the other hand, some things don't change. For instance, I'll never stop hating the Briscoes. And I'll never stop dreaming of being a champion.
Earlier this year, I made a promise that I would hold an ROH World Title before 2009 comes around. Recently, I changed the deadline to November 21st, the next time RoH comes to Dayton, OH. I'm not quite sure why I did that. Maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through my body after the brawl I was involved in, or maybe it was finding myself standing by Generico's side, staring at the Briscoes and having flashbacks of how close we came to taking the World Tag Team Titles from them in 2007. But all that matters is that now, I said I was going to come to Dayton as a ROH champion and I am a man of my word.
Now, if you want to talk about things changing, Nigel is a great example. In 2005, when I first met Nigel, he was one of the nicest guys in the locker room, just one of the boys working his ass off trying to make it up the ladder and hoping to one day get a chance at winning the big one. When I returned 18 months later, he was at the top of the company and it was just a matter of time until he got that big win.
Then he did it. He defeated Takeshi Morishima and finally, after years of hard work, became the ROH World champion. You would think that if anything could make someone like Nigel happy, someone who eats, breathes and sleeps wrestling, whose entire life has been dedicated to being the best wrestler he can possibly be, winning that title would be it. But Nigel started to change again. He became bitter, blaming fans for not caring about him and about his injuries. Complaining that they don't appreciate all the sacrifices he's made in his career.
Nigel wants to talk about injuries? I have sprained, blown out and tore up my left knee more times than I can count. I have buldging disks in my back and neck. At “Manhattan Mayhem 2,” for a few seconds in what was the scariest moment of my life, I thought I was paralyzed after Mark Briscoe's Cutthroat suplex. Nigel has had his share of injuries also, sure. The difference between us is that I don't blame anybody for those injuries but myself.
Sacrifices?
I've sacrificed plenty in my career, especially for ROH. Before Ring Of Honor asked me to come back in 2007, I had just taken part in my first, and what would turn out to be my only, tour of Dragon Gate in Japan. Dragon Gate has asked me to return to Japan for them several times but I have never accepted. Why? Because that would mean missing ROH shows like Generico is forced to do every now and then. ROH is where I want to be. And Ring Of Honor World Champion is what I want to be.
On July 25th, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I get my third shot at your championship. Generico won't be there to back me up that but that's okay because I will have an entire country behind me.
Nigel, I've beaten you before and I know I can do it again. All I need is a sharpshooter...or package piledriver. On that night, Kevin Steen WILL become Ring Of Honor World champion...or die trying.
Nine years later, I'm 250 pounds, I wrestle pretty much every weekend all over the United States for Ring Of Honor, the greatest wrestling company in the world. A few months ago I actually got to wrestle in the Hammerstein Ballroom and will get to do so again in a few weeks and I even get to wrestle on PPV...I still can't grow a decent beard though.
During my first run with Ring Of Honor, which spanned from Febuary 2005 to August of the same year, it seemed like nothing I did was good enough to win matches. Eventually, we parted ways and I started to travel the world to get better. England, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, not to mention all over the United States and my home country of Canada. I went everywhere I could to wrestle and learn from anyone that had something to teach, good or bad.
In 2007, after a year and a half, my return to ROH was announced. El Generico and I were going to face the Briscoes in Philadelphia. That night, my career changed again. That night was the beginning of a new era for me and it was also the beginning of the craziest feud I've ever been a part of.
On the other hand, some things don't change. For instance, I'll never stop hating the Briscoes. And I'll never stop dreaming of being a champion.
Earlier this year, I made a promise that I would hold an ROH World Title before 2009 comes around. Recently, I changed the deadline to November 21st, the next time RoH comes to Dayton, OH. I'm not quite sure why I did that. Maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through my body after the brawl I was involved in, or maybe it was finding myself standing by Generico's side, staring at the Briscoes and having flashbacks of how close we came to taking the World Tag Team Titles from them in 2007. But all that matters is that now, I said I was going to come to Dayton as a ROH champion and I am a man of my word.
Now, if you want to talk about things changing, Nigel is a great example. In 2005, when I first met Nigel, he was one of the nicest guys in the locker room, just one of the boys working his ass off trying to make it up the ladder and hoping to one day get a chance at winning the big one. When I returned 18 months later, he was at the top of the company and it was just a matter of time until he got that big win.
Then he did it. He defeated Takeshi Morishima and finally, after years of hard work, became the ROH World champion. You would think that if anything could make someone like Nigel happy, someone who eats, breathes and sleeps wrestling, whose entire life has been dedicated to being the best wrestler he can possibly be, winning that title would be it. But Nigel started to change again. He became bitter, blaming fans for not caring about him and about his injuries. Complaining that they don't appreciate all the sacrifices he's made in his career.
Nigel wants to talk about injuries? I have sprained, blown out and tore up my left knee more times than I can count. I have buldging disks in my back and neck. At “Manhattan Mayhem 2,” for a few seconds in what was the scariest moment of my life, I thought I was paralyzed after Mark Briscoe's Cutthroat suplex. Nigel has had his share of injuries also, sure. The difference between us is that I don't blame anybody for those injuries but myself.
Sacrifices?
I've sacrificed plenty in my career, especially for ROH. Before Ring Of Honor asked me to come back in 2007, I had just taken part in my first, and what would turn out to be my only, tour of Dragon Gate in Japan. Dragon Gate has asked me to return to Japan for them several times but I have never accepted. Why? Because that would mean missing ROH shows like Generico is forced to do every now and then. ROH is where I want to be. And Ring Of Honor World Champion is what I want to be.
On July 25th, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I get my third shot at your championship. Generico won't be there to back me up that but that's okay because I will have an entire country behind me.
Nigel, I've beaten you before and I know I can do it again. All I need is a sharpshooter...or package piledriver. On that night, Kevin Steen WILL become Ring Of Honor World champion...or die trying.
