"Last Chance?" I've Been Told That for 20 Years
Apr 21, 2020 19:11:20 GMT -5
Grimm, The Anarchist, and 2 more like this
Post by Rick Majors on Apr 21, 2020 19:11:20 GMT -5
The door to an average suburban middle-class home swings open. The walls are painted an off-white colour that is likely named cream, eggshell, ivory, or vanilla. However, there is a noticeable dullness to the paint, as if it has been worn down from years of people rubbing against it, children slamming sticky fingers onto it, and furniture bumping it. The carpet shows the same type of wear. Overall, the house feels like one that has been cared for but also one that has been broken in. “Please excuse the mess, we are busy making memories,” and all that.
In through the door steps Larry Robertson, a middle-aged white man wearing a slightly-wrinkled button up shirt and ill-fitting jeans.
“Honey, I’m home,” he calls out as he slumps down into a nearby recliner.
In walks a woman, presumably the “Honey” he just called out to. She isn’t a supermodel, but she’s clearly out of Larry’s league. While he is in his mid-40s, slightly sloppy and holding onto more than a few extra pounds, she is a few years younger, perfectly put-together, and in very good shape.
“Tough day?” she asks, looking at him in the chair.
“You could say that,” he says. He then stands up, but immediately falls down to the floor. There is an audible thud. Laughter is heard.
“Oh dear,” the woman responds. “I know you’re tired, but the Stevensons are coming over for dinner tonight and I need your help setting the table!”
“The Stevensons?” he shoots back, getting up from the floor. “Why are they coming? You know I don’t get along with them. John Stevenson is a boring old grump!”
The same laughter as before is heard.
“You’re the one acting like a boring old grump right now,” the woman replies with a smile. There’s a moment of that laughter again before it changes into a long “Oooooooooohhhhh.”
Rick Majors flips off the television. He’s not in the right mood to watch “A Regular Family Like Yours” right now. Besides, he’s already seen this episode. Larry lends John his new lawnmower despite his reservations about doing so because his wife says he should be a nicer person. Then John breaks the lawnmower and tells an elaborate story to cover it up. It ends with everyone hugging and being thankful for the family and friends in their lives.
Even below-average sitcoms have emotional warmth these days. Probably. Rick Majors barely remembers what actual emotional warmth is. All he has are these sitcoms. But he doesn’t feel like watching one right now. He doesn’t feel like being reminded of the family he doesn’t have. He doesn’t need to see anyone else hugging their wives, playing with their children, and laughing with their friends.
Not after the last Trauma. On the last Trauma, Jason Willard walked back onto the scene with his loving wife by his side. But Destiny wasn’t the only family member with him. No, he also brought his daughter Kristen along with him. Jason Willard, the disgusting scumbag who perverted the words of God for his own personal gain is happily married with children who adore him. And he wants everyone to know about it.
But he’s not the only one surrounded by loved ones and well-wishers. High Tide has Wasp and Arica Lewitt by his side. Holden Ross has David Hunter and Gerard Angelo. Even Cory Steel has that masked man. Almost everyone in PCW, even the worst of the worst, has friends or family members or an entourage to turn to. They have people who care about them and support them. They have full, rich lives but inside and outside of the ring.
Rick Majors has Rick Majors. And Rick Majors is an old, broken down man.
And yet, he’s going to step into the ring and enter the Last Chance Battle Royal. Why? Because he wants another shot at Holden Ross? Because he wants to earn himself a title opportunity? Because he wants to prove that he still has it? Yes, yes, and yes.
The whole world knows that Rick Majors hasn’t accomplished much in PCW, but winning the Icemann Invitational Tournament would etch his name into the history books. It’s an achievement that only a select few have claimed. And that means it’s going to be incredibly difficult to succeed.
Professional wrestling is a youngster’s game. It takes the kind of speed, strength, agility, and fearlessness that only come with youth. There aren’t very many professional wrestlers who are pushing 50, and even fewer who manage to be competitive at that age. It’s a tough, hard, and grueling way to earn a living. People get hurt, people get run down, people die. Rick Majors often wonders if there are more wrestlers who died at his age than who won championships. This business chews people up, spits them out, and sets them on fire. Most don’t survive in this industry for over 20 years. Hell, most don’t make it more than a few months.
Yes, professional wrestling is for the young. And that’s why everyone should be wary of the old who are still in it.
Because anyone who is approaching retirement age and is still going has stuck around for a reason. They’ve been through hell and they’re still asking for more. They’ve survived the wrestling world. They’ve outlasted hundreds if not thousands of others. They have something that no one else has. Plus, they’re on borrowed time. They have nothing to lose.
Rick Majors has been hurt many times. Rick Majors has felt run down almost every day for the last 20 plus years. Rick Majors has nearly died more than once. But Rick Majors still gets into that ring without fear. That’s one thing no one else in the Last Chance Battle Royal has. They may have skill, they may have strength, they may have ability. Hell, they may have spouses and children and friends and lovers. But they don’t have the tenacity of Rick Majors. They haven’t lived through what he’s lived through. They haven’t survived like he has.
And that’s what this battle royal is all about, isn’t it? Surviving. Outlasting. Holding on for as long as you can. It’s a match that is tailor-made for The Ageing Impact.
The “Last Chance” Battle Royal? It’s never Rick Majors’ last chance, yet somehow it’s always his last chance too. He never knows when his career is going to end, but he knows for sure he’s never going to willingly stop. Being told it could be your last chance might intimidating to everyone else, but it's just a standard Friday night for Rick Majors.
This is what he does. This is who he is. He’s been forging on and defying the odds forever. His career should have ended back when he broke his neck, or when he ripped apart his knee, or when he tried to take his own life. But he didn’t. And it won't. He doesn’t know how to stop. He doesn’t know when it’s the “Last Chance” and he doesn't care. He’s been doing this forever and he’s going to keep doing it forever.
He may not win. Hell, he may be tossed out in the first minute. But he’s going to put up a fight. He’s going to scratch and claw for every inch. That’s all he knows how to do. It’s time to fight. Again. Let's go.
In through the door steps Larry Robertson, a middle-aged white man wearing a slightly-wrinkled button up shirt and ill-fitting jeans.
“Honey, I’m home,” he calls out as he slumps down into a nearby recliner.
In walks a woman, presumably the “Honey” he just called out to. She isn’t a supermodel, but she’s clearly out of Larry’s league. While he is in his mid-40s, slightly sloppy and holding onto more than a few extra pounds, she is a few years younger, perfectly put-together, and in very good shape.
“Tough day?” she asks, looking at him in the chair.
“You could say that,” he says. He then stands up, but immediately falls down to the floor. There is an audible thud. Laughter is heard.
“Oh dear,” the woman responds. “I know you’re tired, but the Stevensons are coming over for dinner tonight and I need your help setting the table!”
“The Stevensons?” he shoots back, getting up from the floor. “Why are they coming? You know I don’t get along with them. John Stevenson is a boring old grump!”
The same laughter as before is heard.
“You’re the one acting like a boring old grump right now,” the woman replies with a smile. There’s a moment of that laughter again before it changes into a long “Oooooooooohhhhh.”
Rick Majors flips off the television. He’s not in the right mood to watch “A Regular Family Like Yours” right now. Besides, he’s already seen this episode. Larry lends John his new lawnmower despite his reservations about doing so because his wife says he should be a nicer person. Then John breaks the lawnmower and tells an elaborate story to cover it up. It ends with everyone hugging and being thankful for the family and friends in their lives.
Even below-average sitcoms have emotional warmth these days. Probably. Rick Majors barely remembers what actual emotional warmth is. All he has are these sitcoms. But he doesn’t feel like watching one right now. He doesn’t feel like being reminded of the family he doesn’t have. He doesn’t need to see anyone else hugging their wives, playing with their children, and laughing with their friends.
Not after the last Trauma. On the last Trauma, Jason Willard walked back onto the scene with his loving wife by his side. But Destiny wasn’t the only family member with him. No, he also brought his daughter Kristen along with him. Jason Willard, the disgusting scumbag who perverted the words of God for his own personal gain is happily married with children who adore him. And he wants everyone to know about it.
But he’s not the only one surrounded by loved ones and well-wishers. High Tide has Wasp and Arica Lewitt by his side. Holden Ross has David Hunter and Gerard Angelo. Even Cory Steel has that masked man. Almost everyone in PCW, even the worst of the worst, has friends or family members or an entourage to turn to. They have people who care about them and support them. They have full, rich lives but inside and outside of the ring.
Rick Majors has Rick Majors. And Rick Majors is an old, broken down man.
And yet, he’s going to step into the ring and enter the Last Chance Battle Royal. Why? Because he wants another shot at Holden Ross? Because he wants to earn himself a title opportunity? Because he wants to prove that he still has it? Yes, yes, and yes.
The whole world knows that Rick Majors hasn’t accomplished much in PCW, but winning the Icemann Invitational Tournament would etch his name into the history books. It’s an achievement that only a select few have claimed. And that means it’s going to be incredibly difficult to succeed.
Professional wrestling is a youngster’s game. It takes the kind of speed, strength, agility, and fearlessness that only come with youth. There aren’t very many professional wrestlers who are pushing 50, and even fewer who manage to be competitive at that age. It’s a tough, hard, and grueling way to earn a living. People get hurt, people get run down, people die. Rick Majors often wonders if there are more wrestlers who died at his age than who won championships. This business chews people up, spits them out, and sets them on fire. Most don’t survive in this industry for over 20 years. Hell, most don’t make it more than a few months.
Yes, professional wrestling is for the young. And that’s why everyone should be wary of the old who are still in it.
Because anyone who is approaching retirement age and is still going has stuck around for a reason. They’ve been through hell and they’re still asking for more. They’ve survived the wrestling world. They’ve outlasted hundreds if not thousands of others. They have something that no one else has. Plus, they’re on borrowed time. They have nothing to lose.
Rick Majors has been hurt many times. Rick Majors has felt run down almost every day for the last 20 plus years. Rick Majors has nearly died more than once. But Rick Majors still gets into that ring without fear. That’s one thing no one else in the Last Chance Battle Royal has. They may have skill, they may have strength, they may have ability. Hell, they may have spouses and children and friends and lovers. But they don’t have the tenacity of Rick Majors. They haven’t lived through what he’s lived through. They haven’t survived like he has.
And that’s what this battle royal is all about, isn’t it? Surviving. Outlasting. Holding on for as long as you can. It’s a match that is tailor-made for The Ageing Impact.
The “Last Chance” Battle Royal? It’s never Rick Majors’ last chance, yet somehow it’s always his last chance too. He never knows when his career is going to end, but he knows for sure he’s never going to willingly stop. Being told it could be your last chance might intimidating to everyone else, but it's just a standard Friday night for Rick Majors.
This is what he does. This is who he is. He’s been forging on and defying the odds forever. His career should have ended back when he broke his neck, or when he ripped apart his knee, or when he tried to take his own life. But he didn’t. And it won't. He doesn’t know how to stop. He doesn’t know when it’s the “Last Chance” and he doesn't care. He’s been doing this forever and he’s going to keep doing it forever.
He may not win. Hell, he may be tossed out in the first minute. But he’s going to put up a fight. He’s going to scratch and claw for every inch. That’s all he knows how to do. It’s time to fight. Again. Let's go.
