Post by Centurion on Oct 10, 2020 21:18:37 GMT -5
(It has not been a good stretch of weeks for Centurion and his wrestling career.
In the XWF, Centurion has lost every match he has been in since June, the most recent of which was a tag team title match that included Ruby, the person he totally doesn't have feelings for and no one can prove otherwise.
In the UGWC, his hot start had turned into an equally cool streak, losing to Hide Yamasaki in a singles match before failing to get out of the first round of the Outlast Tournament, an event he guaranteed victory in. It was the equivalent of Babe Ruth calling his shot before completely striking out.
So it's a natural human reaction to be a bit bummed out. We open up inside the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There, we see Centurion, looking a bit depressed in a grey suit, sitting at a table. He has a cocktail glass sitting next to him, which is half empty. He has three others next to him - two to the right of him and one to the left. A young, attractive dealer stands on the other side of the table. The game is baccarat - the "mini" version seen at most casinos in the US and Great Britain.)
Dealer: No more bets.
(The dealer wipes her hand over the table before pulling two cards, face down, out of the plastic "shoe". She places one in front of a spot that says "player" and one in front of a spot that says "banker". She pulls out two more cards and repeats the process before flipping over the two cards for the "Player" - a Queen of Diamond and a 10 of Spades.)
Dealer: Baccarat for the player...
(The dealer then flips over the two cards in front of the Banker, revealing a Six of Clubs and an Eight of Spades.)
Dealer: ...and four for the Banker. Extra card for the Player.
(The dealer pulls out another face down card from the "shoe" and places it next to the Player position. She then flips it over, revealing a Three of Hearts.)
Dealer: And that's a win for the Banker, Four over Three. Congratulations to the winners and thanks for the game. Bets are now open.
(The dealer reaches over and grabs the losing bets - any bet made for "Player" or "Tie" - which includes a stack of chips in front of Centurion. Centurion doesn't change his expression - he just stacks more chips in front of him, this time betting on "Banker". He takes a big swig of his cocktail, and as he does, he hears the familiar voice of his daughter behind him.)
Nellie: Dad?
(Centurion turns around and glances at Nellie. His down expression slowly changes into a smile, but it's not a forced smile - it's the smile made by a drunk person who sees someone he likes, but it takes a while for their face muscles to match what his brain is thinking.)
Centurion: Hhhhhey Nell Bell!
Dealer: No more bets.
(Centurion stretches his arms out, looking for a hug. A concerned looking Nellie walks up to him and lightly gives him a hug, but the look of worry stays on her face.)
Nellie: What are you doing? Walter says you've been here gambling for the past five hours.
Centurion: Yeah, see, I've haven't been doing well in the ring, ya know...
(One of the guys to his right elbows the other player to his right.)
Player: Fuckin' told you he was the wrestler.
Centurion: I've had a string of bad luck, so I've come here to try and break myself out of it. I figure, if I can get on a roll here, I can get back to being on a roll out there.
Dealer: Three for the Player, two for the Banker. Double draw.
Nellie: Yeah, and how is that working out for you?
Centurion: Including this bet?
Dealer: Player wins, eight over four. Congratulations to the winners and thanks for the game.
Centurion: ...I'm down 25 grand.
Nellie: Ok, well maybe it's time you call it a night.
Centurion: I can't! You don't understand. This is just money. In that ring, it's more than that. It's my legacy. It's my livelihood. It's my future. I'm willing to lose as much as I need to here if it means I can get back on my winning ways out there.
Nellie: Ok. So, let me ask you this - say you win all your money back. Say you go beyond that - you win a hundred thousand dollars! How in the hell are you supposed to translate that into winning in the ring?!
Centurion: ...I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
(Centurion goes to drink the last of his martini, but Nellie grabs it out of his hand and downs it. Centurion sighs and slumps his shoulders as Nellie holds the glass out beside her. A waitress shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs the empty glass before handing a new martini over to Centurion. Nellie grumbles as Centurion picks his head up and smiles before taking a sip of his new drink.)
Nellie: This entire town is filled with enablers.
Centurion: You need to relax. I'm going to be fine. I'm just...going through some shit here.
Dealer: Place your bets.
(Centurion doesn't even look at the table - he takes a few chips from his stack and places them on a random spot in front of him.)
Centurion: Your concern is warranted. It's justified, and I appreciate it. But when I get in moods like this, I need to engage in some sort of vice in order to get myself straight. And I need to do it NOW, before my upcoming tag match, because if I'm less than 100%, I'm going to get torn apart.
Nellie: Tough opponents?
Centurion: Tough opponents, and a tag partner I don't completely trust in terms of his skills. I'm in a really shitty situation, where I'm essentially in a must win match, and it's a glorified handicap match against two top quality opponents. And I'm doing it all while my luck has completely run out and my brain has turned into pudding. So, yeah...I'ma need some time.
Dealer: Two for the Player, and One for the Banker. Double draw.
Nellie: Nothing has changed. Your skills are still the same now as they were when you first joined the UGWC. All that's different now is that your opponents are taking you more seriously, and their skills are a lot better than you thought they were. Doesn't mean you need to throw the entire dinner out. It's not your luck that's the problem. It's your outlook. You need to stop walking into these matches thinking your the best wrestler in the ring. There are a lot of folks that are really good. You may be the underdog in a lot of matches. If you have that mindset, you'll be fine.
Dealer: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie with seven. Tie bets pay out 8 to 1. Congratulations to the player in the grey suit.
(Centurion arches an eyebrow before turning back around to the table. Sure enough, the random stack of chips of placed in the table happened to be placed on the green "Tie" bet. The dealer starts placing the winning chips in front of Centurion as Centurion gets a giant smile on his face.)
Centurion: Nell Bell...I think it's time to cash out.
-------Chemin de Fer------
Folks...there is something I must admit. Coming in second at WrestleStock was the worst thing that could have happened to me.
I didn't win, which would have vaulted me directly to the top of the UGWC and made me first in line for the World Title. I also didn't get bounced in the first round, and shown that my skills just don't match up with the best wrestlers in the federation. No, instead, I came in second, putting me in this really weird spot.
I set high expectations on myself - too high, in fact. People expected a lot out of me. Hell, I expected a lot out of myself. But it takes time to adjust to a new home. It's not as easy as walking into a new ring and immediately transferring your skills over. No, you have to adapt.
But when you show everyone that you're really good from the jump, you get put in the ring against the best. And if you haven't adapted your skills to your new promotion, you're going to get eaten alive.
(Centurion steps forward, and as he does, a light shines on him. He is standing at the very baccarat he was at earlier, with the same dealer sitting behind the table; however, there is no one else around.)
Punto Banco, otherwise known as baccarat in the United States. The game is very much based on luck - the only thing you control is how much you bet at the beginning of the game. The dealer does all the work for you. And yet, there is so much to learn from this very simple game. For example, just because something is great in one instance, doesn't mean it's great in another.
(The dealer flips over the two cards under Player, revealing a King of Hearts and a King of Diamonds.)
Two kings. In blackjack, this would be 20, one of the best hands to stand on. If this were poker, you'd have a pocket pair - a really strong position. One you'd bed all your chips on. But in baccarat? It's completely worthless. Two kings equals zero.
In the XWF, and in other feds around the world, my skill set was such that it set me apart from so many others. Sure, I was called "boring", but I was also highly effective. My style is the kind that prevents me from getting burnt out.
But in the UGWC, so many others approach the ring the same way I do. My style is no longer original. If I went anywhere else, I would likely be World Champion within weeks. But here? I need to redo my thinking.
Now, it's not as easy as just being great. If you overdo it, eventually you'll come crashing back to earth. I thought by making it so late in the WrestleStock tournament, I was destined for greatness. But sometimes, that greatness catches up to you.
(The dealer flips over the two cards under Banker, revealing a Nine of Spades and a Three of Hearts.)
12. Right? Can we all agree that the sum of these two cards should be 12? Well...you're wrong. In baccarat, there are no double digits. If you go beyond nine, you loop back around. So, instead of 12, this is two.
See, you can work your ass off. You can work and work and work to try to climb to the top, but eventually you'll come to the conclusion all greats eventually come to - there is no ending. Making it to the top just means you loop back around again.
Ask Travis Pierce. Ask Angelica Vaughn. Ask anyone who has experienced that moment of greatness, only to find themselves viciously searching for their own self worth just mere months after the fact. This is a reality that will come to Hide at some point - it won't be now. It may not even be within the next couple of months. But even he is going to have his moment of self doubt.
Carlson Rex and Konrad Raab are a lot like me in the sense that the expectations are high for both of them. The difference - the big difference - is that they are both younger than I am. They both have time. They can both take their swings and miss, and still come out fine on the other side.
Oh, how I would love nothing more than to be in that position. To be looked upon as great, and yet to not have to worry about holding the big belt high for a while. No one is coming for their spot. If Rex and Raab - the UGWC's version of Rizzoli & Isles - don't win this week, they will be perfectly fine. I doubt anyone will even notice, to be honest.
My partner isn't even under the same pressure I am. Phoebe, or whatever his name is because I still haven't really learned it, doesn't have to win. His legacy isn't built on victories. He's a weird dude who talks kind of funny and makes scary noises. He's pretty secure in his spot in the company.
But me? If I don't get off the losing train soon, I'm going to be selling my own merch at a table at one of those shitty conventions with the rest of the wrestling washouts. As quickly as I came in, I can very easily be gone and forgotten.
So, Rex and Raab, you're probably feeling really confident right now. In baccarat, you'd be the banker. You're sitting with the better hand. You've gone one opponent who needs a victory more than anything in the world, and another opponent who doesn't really give a shit. If things were to end right now, you'd be the winners. You'd take home the bet. But, you see, there's still another draw - because no matter how good you think your hand is, you still didn't get the Nine you need to secure a victory. I may be down. I may be a broken man who is still trying to find his way in this federation. But... there's still another draw.
(The dealer pulls out two cards, and sets one next to the Banker and one next to the Player.)
And I know the two of you are going to bring your best. Hell, you're going to try to bring more than your best. I'll get the best Carlson Rex and the best Konrad Raab I can see in that ring. But sometimes, even your best...
(The dealer flips over the card next to the Banker, revealing a Queen of Spades)
...can be worthless. Meanwhile, I'll be changing my approach. I'll be trying something new. And while you're still going to see the best Centurion you can get, it will be a different Centurion than you are used to.
Konrad. Carlson. I get the feeling, if I watch your matches at Outlast, I'll get a pretty good idea as to how you're going to approach your match this week. I don't think you're going to change much. Why would you? There would be nothing you've seen over the past few weeks that would convince you that you need to do something different. But, then the match will happen, and you're going to be shocked. And what you originally thought was a surefire victory...will turn into an easy loss.
(The dealer flips over the card next to Player and reveals a Nine of Clubs. Player wins, Nine over Two.)
For weeks, I've been trying to win a game I didn't even know how to play. Outlast was a wake up call for me, and Konrad & Carlson? You'll be the next to meet your...
FINAL FANTASY!!!
In the XWF, Centurion has lost every match he has been in since June, the most recent of which was a tag team title match that included Ruby, the person he totally doesn't have feelings for and no one can prove otherwise.
In the UGWC, his hot start had turned into an equally cool streak, losing to Hide Yamasaki in a singles match before failing to get out of the first round of the Outlast Tournament, an event he guaranteed victory in. It was the equivalent of Babe Ruth calling his shot before completely striking out.
So it's a natural human reaction to be a bit bummed out. We open up inside the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There, we see Centurion, looking a bit depressed in a grey suit, sitting at a table. He has a cocktail glass sitting next to him, which is half empty. He has three others next to him - two to the right of him and one to the left. A young, attractive dealer stands on the other side of the table. The game is baccarat - the "mini" version seen at most casinos in the US and Great Britain.)
Dealer: No more bets.
(The dealer wipes her hand over the table before pulling two cards, face down, out of the plastic "shoe". She places one in front of a spot that says "player" and one in front of a spot that says "banker". She pulls out two more cards and repeats the process before flipping over the two cards for the "Player" - a Queen of Diamond and a 10 of Spades.)
Dealer: Baccarat for the player...
(The dealer then flips over the two cards in front of the Banker, revealing a Six of Clubs and an Eight of Spades.)
Dealer: ...and four for the Banker. Extra card for the Player.
(The dealer pulls out another face down card from the "shoe" and places it next to the Player position. She then flips it over, revealing a Three of Hearts.)
Dealer: And that's a win for the Banker, Four over Three. Congratulations to the winners and thanks for the game. Bets are now open.
(The dealer reaches over and grabs the losing bets - any bet made for "Player" or "Tie" - which includes a stack of chips in front of Centurion. Centurion doesn't change his expression - he just stacks more chips in front of him, this time betting on "Banker". He takes a big swig of his cocktail, and as he does, he hears the familiar voice of his daughter behind him.)
Nellie: Dad?
(Centurion turns around and glances at Nellie. His down expression slowly changes into a smile, but it's not a forced smile - it's the smile made by a drunk person who sees someone he likes, but it takes a while for their face muscles to match what his brain is thinking.)
Centurion: Hhhhhey Nell Bell!
Dealer: No more bets.
(Centurion stretches his arms out, looking for a hug. A concerned looking Nellie walks up to him and lightly gives him a hug, but the look of worry stays on her face.)
Nellie: What are you doing? Walter says you've been here gambling for the past five hours.
Centurion: Yeah, see, I've haven't been doing well in the ring, ya know...
(One of the guys to his right elbows the other player to his right.)
Player: Fuckin' told you he was the wrestler.
Centurion: I've had a string of bad luck, so I've come here to try and break myself out of it. I figure, if I can get on a roll here, I can get back to being on a roll out there.
Dealer: Three for the Player, two for the Banker. Double draw.
Nellie: Yeah, and how is that working out for you?
Centurion: Including this bet?
Dealer: Player wins, eight over four. Congratulations to the winners and thanks for the game.
Centurion: ...I'm down 25 grand.
Nellie: Ok, well maybe it's time you call it a night.
Centurion: I can't! You don't understand. This is just money. In that ring, it's more than that. It's my legacy. It's my livelihood. It's my future. I'm willing to lose as much as I need to here if it means I can get back on my winning ways out there.
Nellie: Ok. So, let me ask you this - say you win all your money back. Say you go beyond that - you win a hundred thousand dollars! How in the hell are you supposed to translate that into winning in the ring?!
Centurion: ...I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
(Centurion goes to drink the last of his martini, but Nellie grabs it out of his hand and downs it. Centurion sighs and slumps his shoulders as Nellie holds the glass out beside her. A waitress shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs the empty glass before handing a new martini over to Centurion. Nellie grumbles as Centurion picks his head up and smiles before taking a sip of his new drink.)
Nellie: This entire town is filled with enablers.
Centurion: You need to relax. I'm going to be fine. I'm just...going through some shit here.
Dealer: Place your bets.
(Centurion doesn't even look at the table - he takes a few chips from his stack and places them on a random spot in front of him.)
Centurion: Your concern is warranted. It's justified, and I appreciate it. But when I get in moods like this, I need to engage in some sort of vice in order to get myself straight. And I need to do it NOW, before my upcoming tag match, because if I'm less than 100%, I'm going to get torn apart.
Nellie: Tough opponents?
Centurion: Tough opponents, and a tag partner I don't completely trust in terms of his skills. I'm in a really shitty situation, where I'm essentially in a must win match, and it's a glorified handicap match against two top quality opponents. And I'm doing it all while my luck has completely run out and my brain has turned into pudding. So, yeah...I'ma need some time.
Dealer: Two for the Player, and One for the Banker. Double draw.
Nellie: Nothing has changed. Your skills are still the same now as they were when you first joined the UGWC. All that's different now is that your opponents are taking you more seriously, and their skills are a lot better than you thought they were. Doesn't mean you need to throw the entire dinner out. It's not your luck that's the problem. It's your outlook. You need to stop walking into these matches thinking your the best wrestler in the ring. There are a lot of folks that are really good. You may be the underdog in a lot of matches. If you have that mindset, you'll be fine.
Dealer: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie with seven. Tie bets pay out 8 to 1. Congratulations to the player in the grey suit.
(Centurion arches an eyebrow before turning back around to the table. Sure enough, the random stack of chips of placed in the table happened to be placed on the green "Tie" bet. The dealer starts placing the winning chips in front of Centurion as Centurion gets a giant smile on his face.)
Centurion: Nell Bell...I think it's time to cash out.
-------Chemin de Fer------
Folks...there is something I must admit. Coming in second at WrestleStock was the worst thing that could have happened to me.
I didn't win, which would have vaulted me directly to the top of the UGWC and made me first in line for the World Title. I also didn't get bounced in the first round, and shown that my skills just don't match up with the best wrestlers in the federation. No, instead, I came in second, putting me in this really weird spot.
I set high expectations on myself - too high, in fact. People expected a lot out of me. Hell, I expected a lot out of myself. But it takes time to adjust to a new home. It's not as easy as walking into a new ring and immediately transferring your skills over. No, you have to adapt.
But when you show everyone that you're really good from the jump, you get put in the ring against the best. And if you haven't adapted your skills to your new promotion, you're going to get eaten alive.
(Centurion steps forward, and as he does, a light shines on him. He is standing at the very baccarat he was at earlier, with the same dealer sitting behind the table; however, there is no one else around.)
Punto Banco, otherwise known as baccarat in the United States. The game is very much based on luck - the only thing you control is how much you bet at the beginning of the game. The dealer does all the work for you. And yet, there is so much to learn from this very simple game. For example, just because something is great in one instance, doesn't mean it's great in another.
(The dealer flips over the two cards under Player, revealing a King of Hearts and a King of Diamonds.)
Two kings. In blackjack, this would be 20, one of the best hands to stand on. If this were poker, you'd have a pocket pair - a really strong position. One you'd bed all your chips on. But in baccarat? It's completely worthless. Two kings equals zero.
In the XWF, and in other feds around the world, my skill set was such that it set me apart from so many others. Sure, I was called "boring", but I was also highly effective. My style is the kind that prevents me from getting burnt out.
But in the UGWC, so many others approach the ring the same way I do. My style is no longer original. If I went anywhere else, I would likely be World Champion within weeks. But here? I need to redo my thinking.
Now, it's not as easy as just being great. If you overdo it, eventually you'll come crashing back to earth. I thought by making it so late in the WrestleStock tournament, I was destined for greatness. But sometimes, that greatness catches up to you.
(The dealer flips over the two cards under Banker, revealing a Nine of Spades and a Three of Hearts.)
12. Right? Can we all agree that the sum of these two cards should be 12? Well...you're wrong. In baccarat, there are no double digits. If you go beyond nine, you loop back around. So, instead of 12, this is two.
See, you can work your ass off. You can work and work and work to try to climb to the top, but eventually you'll come to the conclusion all greats eventually come to - there is no ending. Making it to the top just means you loop back around again.
Ask Travis Pierce. Ask Angelica Vaughn. Ask anyone who has experienced that moment of greatness, only to find themselves viciously searching for their own self worth just mere months after the fact. This is a reality that will come to Hide at some point - it won't be now. It may not even be within the next couple of months. But even he is going to have his moment of self doubt.
Carlson Rex and Konrad Raab are a lot like me in the sense that the expectations are high for both of them. The difference - the big difference - is that they are both younger than I am. They both have time. They can both take their swings and miss, and still come out fine on the other side.
Oh, how I would love nothing more than to be in that position. To be looked upon as great, and yet to not have to worry about holding the big belt high for a while. No one is coming for their spot. If Rex and Raab - the UGWC's version of Rizzoli & Isles - don't win this week, they will be perfectly fine. I doubt anyone will even notice, to be honest.
My partner isn't even under the same pressure I am. Phoebe, or whatever his name is because I still haven't really learned it, doesn't have to win. His legacy isn't built on victories. He's a weird dude who talks kind of funny and makes scary noises. He's pretty secure in his spot in the company.
But me? If I don't get off the losing train soon, I'm going to be selling my own merch at a table at one of those shitty conventions with the rest of the wrestling washouts. As quickly as I came in, I can very easily be gone and forgotten.
So, Rex and Raab, you're probably feeling really confident right now. In baccarat, you'd be the banker. You're sitting with the better hand. You've gone one opponent who needs a victory more than anything in the world, and another opponent who doesn't really give a shit. If things were to end right now, you'd be the winners. You'd take home the bet. But, you see, there's still another draw - because no matter how good you think your hand is, you still didn't get the Nine you need to secure a victory. I may be down. I may be a broken man who is still trying to find his way in this federation. But... there's still another draw.
(The dealer pulls out two cards, and sets one next to the Banker and one next to the Player.)
And I know the two of you are going to bring your best. Hell, you're going to try to bring more than your best. I'll get the best Carlson Rex and the best Konrad Raab I can see in that ring. But sometimes, even your best...
(The dealer flips over the card next to the Banker, revealing a Queen of Spades)
...can be worthless. Meanwhile, I'll be changing my approach. I'll be trying something new. And while you're still going to see the best Centurion you can get, it will be a different Centurion than you are used to.
Konrad. Carlson. I get the feeling, if I watch your matches at Outlast, I'll get a pretty good idea as to how you're going to approach your match this week. I don't think you're going to change much. Why would you? There would be nothing you've seen over the past few weeks that would convince you that you need to do something different. But, then the match will happen, and you're going to be shocked. And what you originally thought was a surefire victory...will turn into an easy loss.
(The dealer flips over the card next to Player and reveals a Nine of Clubs. Player wins, Nine over Two.)
For weeks, I've been trying to win a game I didn't even know how to play. Outlast was a wake up call for me, and Konrad & Carlson? You'll be the next to meet your...
FINAL FANTASY!!!