Post by Travis Pierce on Feb 4, 2017 12:07:29 GMT -5
Victoria Jensen: How much does it help your chances in the Global Challenge that Jet Somers isn’t in it?
Pierce: Next question.
The flight from Chicago to Los Angeles seemed to take forever. Of course, going home always does.
“Your mother is looking forward to seeing you.”
“It’s nice that somebody is.”
It has been several years since Travis saw his family, his father in particular. Yet now that he comes to another crossroads in his career, another turning point, it was time to ground himself once more, a reminder of who he is and who he wants to be.
And who he doesn’t want to be.
“We thought you’d be past this wrestling business by now.”
“Sorry to disappoint you again.”
“When you told is you were joining that first place, we let you go because you thought you could leverage the exposure into something. Breaking in is hard, nobody knows that better than me. But you were supposed to come back here, get a real job in media. It isn’t too late, Travis. You can still get your career on track.”
“I’m getting my career on track.”
“Fighting people for a living isn’t a career. It’s catering to the lowest common denominator.”
“That’s what entertainment is a lot of the time.”
“You’re a human cock-fighter.”
“Nobody in their right mind bets on this.”
“You just think about what you’re going to say to your mother when you see her.”
“Pull over.”
“What?”
“I’m getting an Uber.”
Roxy Malone: What do you think about Eden Morgan dropping out of the tournament and allowing Jason Ingalls to take her place?
Pierce: Ridiculous. Eden thinks that championship opportunities are disposable because she is still hoarding an obscenely high amount of purse. She thinks that the Global Challenge is somehow beneath her. This is the kind of shit that got her in trouble with Deimos last year. Real competitors will take any opportunity to be the World Champion, and it doesn’t matter how many times you can buy yourself another chance, you don’t let any of them go to waste. Jason Ingalls is still fighting to be taken seriously, to be seen as anything more than a wannabe. That’s what Eden Morgan thinks is deserving of being UGWC’s World Heavyweight Champion.
“Downright dreadful, what you did to that poor boy.”
“I hurt a lot of people on Monday, mom. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“You know the one, the cute one. Terrible things you did to him with that chair.”
Travis choked for a moment on the water he was drinking.
“Rydell?”
“No, not that dirty toe-rag. The good-looking one with the shiny head.”
“B-Pac?”
“I don’t know what his name is, honey, but the past couple weeks he’s made that filth you insist in participating in much easier to watch.”
“I’m going for a walk.”
“You just got here. Where are you going?”
“Anywhere.”
Jason Reeves: Zane Scott didn’t take kindly to recent comments that you made about him. Given your past, is it wise to be poking this bear heading into Infinity?
Pierce: There isn’t a bear to poke. Wherever Zane has been the past year, he left his balls there. We’re talking about Zane Scott, who went on record this week as saying he isn’t ready to face Travis Roberts. Opportunities to face the World Champion do not fall from the sky. The last time that I was in a match for the World Heavyweight Title, it was 2011 and Tyvola was the champion. This isn’t something that you take lightly, that you throw aside because now it’s a time that works for you. You make things happen today, because tomorrow may never come.
Travis stared into the flickering flames of the fire pit. Years ago as a teenager he would sit out here at night envisioning his future, picturing himself as a Hollywood mega-star.
Life has taken something of a different path.
“Hey stranger. Been a long time.”
The soft voice breaks Travis from his trance, the sound of a chair being pulled up alongside his own.
“Amy? How’d you even know I was here?”
“Your mother called me.”
“She should mind her business.”
“You know how she is. Listen I didn’t come here to bother you, I can go.”
“No, you can stay. Why did she call you?”
“She thought I might, how did she say it? Talk some sense into you.”
“You can go.”
“It’s not why I came. There’s no talking sense in you.”
“Thank you.”
“I think the better question is why YOU came. You haven’t been out here in forever.”
Travis sighed as she sat down.
“I might have the biggest opportunity of my career coming up next week.”
“Are you Jet going for those team titles again?”
He gave her an incredulous stare, and she laughed.
“Kidding, Trav. Believe it or not, I do keep an eye on you. I know about the tournament.”
“For a long time, I really did believe that I told my parents all those years ago. Wrestling was a stepping stone to the real achievement. A way to get fame and notoriety and then I’d make the jump. Then I found success, and I was happy with it, it kept me around, and then it was taken from me. I could have walked when Eden took PMN away from me. My parents thought it was a blessing in disguise. I couldn’t let it go, though. I had built something and I wasn’t going to let it get ripped away from me. I won everything back, and then my stint as Creative Director, I was invested all over again. During that year, I missed it, I missed something I never thought I would. I missed being in the ring. That brought me back last year. It’s where I belong, it’s what I was meant to do, I know that now. Everything that came before, it’s just noise.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“These newcomers are hungry. You’ve got a veteran like B-Pac who wants to conquer new territory and is willing to do anything to do it. Mil Vidas has been simmering right under the glass ceiling for months and is ready to break through. Noobs like Dazza and Tiger that want to make a name for themselves. All that makes them dangerous.”
“And you? You’re not hungry?”
“I’m hungrier than I’ve ever been. I want this more than anything, I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion again, and I want it on my own merit. I deserve it on my own merit. This is who I am, what I’m going to do. The problem, as you asked, the problem is that I’ve spent the past year trying to do exactly that and I’ve come up empty.”
“You’re worried that you can’t do it? The Travis Pierce I knew never let anything stop him.”
“The Travis Pierce you knew never faced odds like this.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do they call you all there?”
“Entertainment Professionals.”
“So be that. That is who you are. It doesn’t mean you’re not a wrestler just because you’re entertaining. UGWC doesn’t want a wrestler as the face of the company. If they did, they’d call the roster wrestlers and not underline the entertainment piece like they do. You, Travis Pierce, are more entertaining than anybody. Don’t ignore your natural skills just because they don’t explicitly define what it is you want, because what you want needs those skills, demands those skills. A ho-hum wrestler doesn’t deserve to be the champion. Travis Pierce, the greatest Entertainment Professional that ever lived, the Icon of Entertainment, HE deserves to be the champion.”
She stands and gives him a kiss on the forehead.
“It’s good to see you. Good luck, I’ll be watching.”
Grey Coppi: There are a lot of new faces in UGWC and in the Global Challenge in particular. Which of these newcomers presents the biggest obstacle for you?
Pierce: A lot of them might go on to promising careers here, but it’s obvious that nobody has the resume that CJ Wylde does. I don’t want to make this an OWF thing. They’re here now, they’re UGWC, that’s all that matters. But I started all this, I started it when I was the Creative Director and I set up the first WrestleStock Cup. I kicked open the door that the Wyldes and JC came through. Compare CJ Wylde to people like Zane Scott and Eden Morgan, they want to shy away from title opportunities, CJ Wylde came to Outlast last year to win the World Heavyweight Title and he wasn’t even a member of the roster. Imagine what he is going to do now that he is here full time.
“You know, when we were in Consortium meetings together, you used to make fun of me a lot.”
Travis Pierce stared across the table at Dexter Vines, the Sports Entertainment Executive.
“Are you going to help me or not, Dexter?”
“You want me to arrange a press conference for you. Didn’t think we’d ever see you on a podium again. Fine, you got it.”
Travis nods and stands to leave.
“Travis.”
Travis pauses and looks back at Vines.
“Just so you’re aware, lately we’ve handed out a few extra credentials.”
Rob Cartwright: What is your biggest regret?
Pierce: ...we’re done here.
Pierce: Next question.
*
The flight from Chicago to Los Angeles seemed to take forever. Of course, going home always does.
“Your mother is looking forward to seeing you.”
“It’s nice that somebody is.”
It has been several years since Travis saw his family, his father in particular. Yet now that he comes to another crossroads in his career, another turning point, it was time to ground himself once more, a reminder of who he is and who he wants to be.
And who he doesn’t want to be.
“We thought you’d be past this wrestling business by now.”
“Sorry to disappoint you again.”
“When you told is you were joining that first place, we let you go because you thought you could leverage the exposure into something. Breaking in is hard, nobody knows that better than me. But you were supposed to come back here, get a real job in media. It isn’t too late, Travis. You can still get your career on track.”
“I’m getting my career on track.”
“Fighting people for a living isn’t a career. It’s catering to the lowest common denominator.”
“That’s what entertainment is a lot of the time.”
“You’re a human cock-fighter.”
“Nobody in their right mind bets on this.”
“You just think about what you’re going to say to your mother when you see her.”
“Pull over.”
“What?”
“I’m getting an Uber.”
*
Roxy Malone: What do you think about Eden Morgan dropping out of the tournament and allowing Jason Ingalls to take her place?
Pierce: Ridiculous. Eden thinks that championship opportunities are disposable because she is still hoarding an obscenely high amount of purse. She thinks that the Global Challenge is somehow beneath her. This is the kind of shit that got her in trouble with Deimos last year. Real competitors will take any opportunity to be the World Champion, and it doesn’t matter how many times you can buy yourself another chance, you don’t let any of them go to waste. Jason Ingalls is still fighting to be taken seriously, to be seen as anything more than a wannabe. That’s what Eden Morgan thinks is deserving of being UGWC’s World Heavyweight Champion.
*
“Downright dreadful, what you did to that poor boy.”
“I hurt a lot of people on Monday, mom. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“You know the one, the cute one. Terrible things you did to him with that chair.”
Travis choked for a moment on the water he was drinking.
“Rydell?”
“No, not that dirty toe-rag. The good-looking one with the shiny head.”
“B-Pac?”
“I don’t know what his name is, honey, but the past couple weeks he’s made that filth you insist in participating in much easier to watch.”
“I’m going for a walk.”
“You just got here. Where are you going?”
“Anywhere.”
*
Jason Reeves: Zane Scott didn’t take kindly to recent comments that you made about him. Given your past, is it wise to be poking this bear heading into Infinity?
Pierce: There isn’t a bear to poke. Wherever Zane has been the past year, he left his balls there. We’re talking about Zane Scott, who went on record this week as saying he isn’t ready to face Travis Roberts. Opportunities to face the World Champion do not fall from the sky. The last time that I was in a match for the World Heavyweight Title, it was 2011 and Tyvola was the champion. This isn’t something that you take lightly, that you throw aside because now it’s a time that works for you. You make things happen today, because tomorrow may never come.
*
Travis stared into the flickering flames of the fire pit. Years ago as a teenager he would sit out here at night envisioning his future, picturing himself as a Hollywood mega-star.
Life has taken something of a different path.
“Hey stranger. Been a long time.”
The soft voice breaks Travis from his trance, the sound of a chair being pulled up alongside his own.
“Amy? How’d you even know I was here?”
“Your mother called me.”
“She should mind her business.”
“You know how she is. Listen I didn’t come here to bother you, I can go.”
“No, you can stay. Why did she call you?”
“She thought I might, how did she say it? Talk some sense into you.”
“You can go.”
“It’s not why I came. There’s no talking sense in you.”
“Thank you.”
“I think the better question is why YOU came. You haven’t been out here in forever.”
Travis sighed as she sat down.
“I might have the biggest opportunity of my career coming up next week.”
“Are you Jet going for those team titles again?”
He gave her an incredulous stare, and she laughed.
“Kidding, Trav. Believe it or not, I do keep an eye on you. I know about the tournament.”
“For a long time, I really did believe that I told my parents all those years ago. Wrestling was a stepping stone to the real achievement. A way to get fame and notoriety and then I’d make the jump. Then I found success, and I was happy with it, it kept me around, and then it was taken from me. I could have walked when Eden took PMN away from me. My parents thought it was a blessing in disguise. I couldn’t let it go, though. I had built something and I wasn’t going to let it get ripped away from me. I won everything back, and then my stint as Creative Director, I was invested all over again. During that year, I missed it, I missed something I never thought I would. I missed being in the ring. That brought me back last year. It’s where I belong, it’s what I was meant to do, I know that now. Everything that came before, it’s just noise.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“These newcomers are hungry. You’ve got a veteran like B-Pac who wants to conquer new territory and is willing to do anything to do it. Mil Vidas has been simmering right under the glass ceiling for months and is ready to break through. Noobs like Dazza and Tiger that want to make a name for themselves. All that makes them dangerous.”
“And you? You’re not hungry?”
“I’m hungrier than I’ve ever been. I want this more than anything, I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion again, and I want it on my own merit. I deserve it on my own merit. This is who I am, what I’m going to do. The problem, as you asked, the problem is that I’ve spent the past year trying to do exactly that and I’ve come up empty.”
“You’re worried that you can’t do it? The Travis Pierce I knew never let anything stop him.”
“The Travis Pierce you knew never faced odds like this.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do they call you all there?”
“Entertainment Professionals.”
“So be that. That is who you are. It doesn’t mean you’re not a wrestler just because you’re entertaining. UGWC doesn’t want a wrestler as the face of the company. If they did, they’d call the roster wrestlers and not underline the entertainment piece like they do. You, Travis Pierce, are more entertaining than anybody. Don’t ignore your natural skills just because they don’t explicitly define what it is you want, because what you want needs those skills, demands those skills. A ho-hum wrestler doesn’t deserve to be the champion. Travis Pierce, the greatest Entertainment Professional that ever lived, the Icon of Entertainment, HE deserves to be the champion.”
She stands and gives him a kiss on the forehead.
“It’s good to see you. Good luck, I’ll be watching.”
*
Grey Coppi: There are a lot of new faces in UGWC and in the Global Challenge in particular. Which of these newcomers presents the biggest obstacle for you?
Pierce: A lot of them might go on to promising careers here, but it’s obvious that nobody has the resume that CJ Wylde does. I don’t want to make this an OWF thing. They’re here now, they’re UGWC, that’s all that matters. But I started all this, I started it when I was the Creative Director and I set up the first WrestleStock Cup. I kicked open the door that the Wyldes and JC came through. Compare CJ Wylde to people like Zane Scott and Eden Morgan, they want to shy away from title opportunities, CJ Wylde came to Outlast last year to win the World Heavyweight Title and he wasn’t even a member of the roster. Imagine what he is going to do now that he is here full time.
*
“You know, when we were in Consortium meetings together, you used to make fun of me a lot.”
Travis Pierce stared across the table at Dexter Vines, the Sports Entertainment Executive.
“Are you going to help me or not, Dexter?”
“You want me to arrange a press conference for you. Didn’t think we’d ever see you on a podium again. Fine, you got it.”
Travis nods and stands to leave.
“Travis.”
Travis pauses and looks back at Vines.
“Just so you’re aware, lately we’ve handed out a few extra credentials.”
*
Rob Cartwright: What is your biggest regret?
Pierce: ...we’re done here.
