Post by Mr.Ego on Feb 4, 2015 23:53:37 GMT -5
One to Remember
UGWC: The Mag
The Official Magazine of the Unified Global Wrestling Coalition
Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Or at the very least, not acted so surprised once it happened.
I’ll be the first one to admit, I didn’t think much of the signing. While it can be argued that he was, at one time, one of the greatest to step foot into the squared circle, that had been years previous. There would be absolutely no way that he would be able to rekindle the same magic that he had almost a decade ago. I – like most people within our company – assumed this man would bring a bit of notoriety to our company, but that he would flame out within six months.
Color me surprised.
Countless times over those first six months, I wondered when he would pack it in. I wondered when the time would come where he would look in the mirror, and not like what was staring back at him. He looked slow…he looked old…and he looked like he no longer belonged in the ring.
And just when we all thought we knew the answer…he went and changed the question.
Down went the likes of Erika Langford, Jordan King, and Kurt Brady. Say what you will about the caliber of athletes that those three were, but they were still professionals. And in Jordan’s case, a professional who had had a fair amount of success. And yet ‘The Money Maker’ mowed through all three of them with relative ease. Still, a lot of us cast those wins aside, because we all felt that this was a man who was far past his prime, regardless of what he had done to that point.
Isn’t it funny how we can spend so much time in this business, and yet still not know our asses from holes in the ground?
Luckily, ‘Vain’ Alan Wallace isn’t one to allow the masses to forget any of his past accomplishments. And while he was spouting off about those aforementioned successes, he was still making an extreme impact at every turn. And with every victory, his self-confidence grew tenfold…which is quite the accomplishment, in and of itself. I still wasn’t completely sold, but when Dirge hand-picked him to become a member of ‘The Puppet Masters’, that point marked the change in my opinion of the man. Because knowing Dirge as I do, he wouldn’t align himself with just anyone.
Legitimacy. When Vain joined forces with the likes of Dirge, Travis Roberts, and Donovan Hastings, it legitimized him within this company. It added credence to all of the things that he had been saying about himself, since he first appeared within UGWC. With those four fighting alongside of one another, the sky was the limit.
Yet never underestimate Vain’s ability to continually reinvent himself. Especially when it pertains to injecting himself back into the limelight, when he feels as if the camera is no longer focused squarely upon him.
Conscious decisions were made, and Vain bit the hand that had been feeding him as he stabbed ‘The Puppet Masters’ in the back.
Ironic that he screwed over one faction by aligning with yet another one. And for those of us that assumed that he would get what was coming to him? It’s probably a good thing that we didn’t put money on it.
Really, you’d think that we’d know better.
Champions know how get to the top, and they know how to stay on top. And in looking at how Vain is performing now, he has the ability to stay on top for as long as he chooses.
Underneath all of the arrogance and bravado truly is a man that is excellent at his craft. He continues to push himself to be better with every match, and that fact is cemented by the hardware that he currently holds: The UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Title; the HSW World Title; and one-half of the UGWC Cooperative Titles, with Killian King.
Silence is all that we’ve heard from ‘The Vain One’ since his matches at Infinity were announced. While some may wonder if ‘Mr. Ego’ is worried that he has finally bitten off more than he can chew, I am of the opinion that a silent Alan Wallace…is an extremely dangerous Alan Wallace.
Guys in the back have been wagering which title Vain will be losing at the pay per view. It seems as if everyone has had an opinion on whether or not Dave Rydell or Martin Graber will be hoisting a title at the end of the night; and on the surface, it’s a good bet.
Only problem for me is, I’m not viewing this match – or these matches, if you will – solely on what it looks like on the surface. Much like ‘The Vain One’ himself, you have to view this calamity in its entirety. And that leads to a lot of questions.
Even if Rydell and Graber render both Wallace and King unconscious, what decision will they make? Will one of them pin King, thus allowing the two of them to become the new UGWC Cooperative Champions? Or will their egos get in the way, and ultimately be their undoing?
Should either Rydell or Graber gladly step aside, and allow the other to come out victrious? With as hard as Dave Rydell fought to become the Cross-Hemisphere Champion, losing it during the Run of the Mill match had to be a hard pill to swallow. Could he stand there and watch as The Mainstreamer pins Vain to the mat, and becomes the new HSW World Champion? Likewise, Martin Graber has been plotting his revenge on ‘The Money Maker’ for eight long years. Could he swallow that hatred for one more night, and willingly allow Dave Rydell to become the Cross-Hemisphere Champion again?
Victory usually seems so cut and dry. You either pin your opponent to the mat for a count of three, or you force him to submit. Anything else is a failure in this business. And as simple as that seems, the rules of this match make it anything but.
And I have a feeling that Wallace and King are just fine with that.
I was admiring the beauty and splendor that is the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain when I first arrived in Westminster, and to my surprise, I turned to see ‘Vain’ Alan Wallace himself. Only, he wasn’t enjoyed the scenery of such an historic place. No, he had taken the opportunity to do what he does best – which is talk – and quite a crowd had already gathered around him. In that crowd was a class of school-age children, and the message that he provided them was done in typical Vain fashion.
Nobody spoke while Vain told the story of the mule in the well. They all listened attentively as he compared the mule to both of his opponents at Infinity. Both Dave Rydell and Martin Graber were going to take advantage of the situation, and hope that the end result would be one of them standing tall at the end of the night. Just as the mule used the shoveled dirt to eventually escape that well, Rydell and Graber were going to use the circumstances surrounding them to their advantage, and survive the carnage that would be ‘A Vanity Special’.
Silence reigned as Vain had seemingly built the two men up, showcasing them in a way that would make it seem as if Alan Wallace would have no shot in hell of burying the two of them this coming Monday.
True to form, however, that was not where his story ended. When he then began to explain the difference between make-believe and reality, I wished I had charged my camcorder before going sightseeing.
Reality for Vain is walking into Infinity holding three title belts, and walking out of Infinity holding three title belts. Failure is not an option…regardless of what obstacles are put in front of him.
Ego aside, he truly has been one of the greats during his illustrious career. And oddly enough, he seems to be even better now than he was when he was ruling over Headstrong Wrestling with unrivaled ring execution, and the determination to be the very best.
All of the boys in the back want to bet against this man? That is their right.
Me? I should have seen this coming all along.
Jason Reeves
UGWC Backstage Interviewer
UGWC: The Mag - Guest Contributor
UGWC: The Mag
The Official Magazine of the Unified Global Wrestling Coalition
Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Or at the very least, not acted so surprised once it happened.
I’ll be the first one to admit, I didn’t think much of the signing. While it can be argued that he was, at one time, one of the greatest to step foot into the squared circle, that had been years previous. There would be absolutely no way that he would be able to rekindle the same magic that he had almost a decade ago. I – like most people within our company – assumed this man would bring a bit of notoriety to our company, but that he would flame out within six months.
Color me surprised.
Countless times over those first six months, I wondered when he would pack it in. I wondered when the time would come where he would look in the mirror, and not like what was staring back at him. He looked slow…he looked old…and he looked like he no longer belonged in the ring.
And just when we all thought we knew the answer…he went and changed the question.
Down went the likes of Erika Langford, Jordan King, and Kurt Brady. Say what you will about the caliber of athletes that those three were, but they were still professionals. And in Jordan’s case, a professional who had had a fair amount of success. And yet ‘The Money Maker’ mowed through all three of them with relative ease. Still, a lot of us cast those wins aside, because we all felt that this was a man who was far past his prime, regardless of what he had done to that point.
Isn’t it funny how we can spend so much time in this business, and yet still not know our asses from holes in the ground?
Luckily, ‘Vain’ Alan Wallace isn’t one to allow the masses to forget any of his past accomplishments. And while he was spouting off about those aforementioned successes, he was still making an extreme impact at every turn. And with every victory, his self-confidence grew tenfold…which is quite the accomplishment, in and of itself. I still wasn’t completely sold, but when Dirge hand-picked him to become a member of ‘The Puppet Masters’, that point marked the change in my opinion of the man. Because knowing Dirge as I do, he wouldn’t align himself with just anyone.
Legitimacy. When Vain joined forces with the likes of Dirge, Travis Roberts, and Donovan Hastings, it legitimized him within this company. It added credence to all of the things that he had been saying about himself, since he first appeared within UGWC. With those four fighting alongside of one another, the sky was the limit.
Yet never underestimate Vain’s ability to continually reinvent himself. Especially when it pertains to injecting himself back into the limelight, when he feels as if the camera is no longer focused squarely upon him.
Conscious decisions were made, and Vain bit the hand that had been feeding him as he stabbed ‘The Puppet Masters’ in the back.
Ironic that he screwed over one faction by aligning with yet another one. And for those of us that assumed that he would get what was coming to him? It’s probably a good thing that we didn’t put money on it.
Really, you’d think that we’d know better.
Champions know how get to the top, and they know how to stay on top. And in looking at how Vain is performing now, he has the ability to stay on top for as long as he chooses.
Underneath all of the arrogance and bravado truly is a man that is excellent at his craft. He continues to push himself to be better with every match, and that fact is cemented by the hardware that he currently holds: The UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Title; the HSW World Title; and one-half of the UGWC Cooperative Titles, with Killian King.
Silence is all that we’ve heard from ‘The Vain One’ since his matches at Infinity were announced. While some may wonder if ‘Mr. Ego’ is worried that he has finally bitten off more than he can chew, I am of the opinion that a silent Alan Wallace…is an extremely dangerous Alan Wallace.
Guys in the back have been wagering which title Vain will be losing at the pay per view. It seems as if everyone has had an opinion on whether or not Dave Rydell or Martin Graber will be hoisting a title at the end of the night; and on the surface, it’s a good bet.
Only problem for me is, I’m not viewing this match – or these matches, if you will – solely on what it looks like on the surface. Much like ‘The Vain One’ himself, you have to view this calamity in its entirety. And that leads to a lot of questions.
Even if Rydell and Graber render both Wallace and King unconscious, what decision will they make? Will one of them pin King, thus allowing the two of them to become the new UGWC Cooperative Champions? Or will their egos get in the way, and ultimately be their undoing?
Should either Rydell or Graber gladly step aside, and allow the other to come out victrious? With as hard as Dave Rydell fought to become the Cross-Hemisphere Champion, losing it during the Run of the Mill match had to be a hard pill to swallow. Could he stand there and watch as The Mainstreamer pins Vain to the mat, and becomes the new HSW World Champion? Likewise, Martin Graber has been plotting his revenge on ‘The Money Maker’ for eight long years. Could he swallow that hatred for one more night, and willingly allow Dave Rydell to become the Cross-Hemisphere Champion again?
Victory usually seems so cut and dry. You either pin your opponent to the mat for a count of three, or you force him to submit. Anything else is a failure in this business. And as simple as that seems, the rules of this match make it anything but.
And I have a feeling that Wallace and King are just fine with that.
I was admiring the beauty and splendor that is the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain when I first arrived in Westminster, and to my surprise, I turned to see ‘Vain’ Alan Wallace himself. Only, he wasn’t enjoyed the scenery of such an historic place. No, he had taken the opportunity to do what he does best – which is talk – and quite a crowd had already gathered around him. In that crowd was a class of school-age children, and the message that he provided them was done in typical Vain fashion.
Nobody spoke while Vain told the story of the mule in the well. They all listened attentively as he compared the mule to both of his opponents at Infinity. Both Dave Rydell and Martin Graber were going to take advantage of the situation, and hope that the end result would be one of them standing tall at the end of the night. Just as the mule used the shoveled dirt to eventually escape that well, Rydell and Graber were going to use the circumstances surrounding them to their advantage, and survive the carnage that would be ‘A Vanity Special’.
Silence reigned as Vain had seemingly built the two men up, showcasing them in a way that would make it seem as if Alan Wallace would have no shot in hell of burying the two of them this coming Monday.
True to form, however, that was not where his story ended. When he then began to explain the difference between make-believe and reality, I wished I had charged my camcorder before going sightseeing.
Reality for Vain is walking into Infinity holding three title belts, and walking out of Infinity holding three title belts. Failure is not an option…regardless of what obstacles are put in front of him.
Ego aside, he truly has been one of the greats during his illustrious career. And oddly enough, he seems to be even better now than he was when he was ruling over Headstrong Wrestling with unrivaled ring execution, and the determination to be the very best.
All of the boys in the back want to bet against this man? That is their right.
Me? I should have seen this coming all along.
Jason Reeves
UGWC Backstage Interviewer
UGWC: The Mag - Guest Contributor