April 11 - JT Maverick vs Eron Hunter

The usual Tuesday evening.

He sits on an armchair, in front of a wooden table, playing chess with no opponent. Meaning he is in a race against himself. The night is young and the stars shine bright, their light making their way in the dimly lit hotel room, from the small window on the right of the wooden table. Eron makes some more moves on the chess board, after which he looks at the camera. He flashes his usual calm smile, before starting to speak in a placid tone.

“Chess. They call it the intelligent man´s game. You need to plan your own moves, while being able to foresee your opponent´s moves as well. Well, I agree, it is a game that requires some thinking and planning, before you can say you´ve mastered it.

It´s just like a wrestling match, actually. Just like a fight, to be honest. Just like war, to tell the truth. In a war or in a fight, just like in this game, if you can´t foresee your opponents moves, you´re doomed for. Each and every match, in a wrestling fight, has to be strategically planned and trained. If you go into a clash with another fighter, without having first scouted your opponent first, well…

…The least it can happen is that you find yourself with your back on the mat, staring at the artificial lights of the arena you were supposed to conquer. A wrestling match has to be prepared for, in the best possible way. You have to know your opponent better than you know yourself, in order to emerge victorious in it.”

Eron looks at a figure on the chess board, a soldier, he moves it and looks at the camera again, tranquil as always.

“ My first match in FCPW, and I have my fight cut out for me.

JT Maverick.

The Prodigy.

A second generation fighter, skilled to boot, with an impressive record in the disciplines he has practiced. The only thing that surpasses his fighting skill?

His Ego!

I am told the kid has a really bad temper, something that surely will hinder him when it comes to winning his true wars. You know, Maverick, it is easy to go sixty to null, when fighting small fries. The problem is, when your adversaries start being something more than punching bags.

Then and only then, will your motivation be truly tested.

How will you react, when your first opponent in FCPW does not go down so easily, and even when he does, he will be up in no time, telling you that that was nothing? How will you manage to stay calm, when you cannot win in the first three minutes of a fight, like you´re probably used to?

You know Maverick; the world is full of physically gifted fighters, whom never made it to superstar status, because of their temperament´s shortcomings. To be a skilled fighter, to be a complete warrior, you need not only have talent, no, you also need to have character strength.

I am sure you will storm FCPW with the entire possible furore, and demand attention, because you are the “Oh so talented Prodigy”. I am sure you will find some excuses for the first loss, and then some more for your second, after which, you will find yourself with your tail between your legs, if you manage to lose your third match in a row.

So, big shot, tell me, what plans do you have for your existence in FCPW?

I mean, when you understand that you are not the gift from the heavens, which you thought you would be? You know, I’ve been in the fighting scene for a long time, I can sense a flake when I see one. And you JT Maverick seem just like the typical good for nothing, incompetent, flashlight that losses its shine and vanishes into nothingness, after getting a beating from the pair of hands he so looked down upon. “

Eron shakes his head; he looks at the King, on the chess board, and moves it forward

“ One becomes a true fighter as much from his losing’s as he does from his victories. Well, what I am trying to tell, is that you ain´t got what it takes to be championship material, when it comes to wrestling. This is not the usual “ Big fish in a small pond” anymore. This is the Big Leagues, chump, and it requires much more than raw talent, in order to become victorious.

It takes true character strength.

Something you´re probably lacking.

You think I am wrong? Prove me wrong.”

Eron makes his final move on the chess board.

Check Mate!

Fade.

A park, near a lake, somewhere in Europe.

Eron Hunter is sitting on a bench, a guitar in his hands, playing some chords now and then. The music is calm and relaxing, Eron is seen flashing a tranquil smile at the camera as he tries to play the guitar. Some passerby occasionally hand him some coins, Eron smiles again and starts speaking in his usual tranquil tone.

“You know, reality is a matter of perception, most of the time. More times than not, what we perceive depends on how we interpret that very stimulus. You see, me, I am playing this guitar for my own pleasure. I know I suck at it, but if I like what I do, then what does it matter?

Some people passing by see this the way I see it, they think I’m just having some fun, playing some chords and whatnot. Others see me as a street artist, trying to make a living. It´s not what I am, but who am I to burst their bubble?

People can believe whatever they like; they can interpret the world the way they please, as long as their beliefs and interpretations do not harm others. JT Maverick thinks he is a Prodigy, in his own right, while I think that he´s just a chump who has yet to swim in deeper waters.

As I told him, he has yet to test himself in true, blue competition. I told him that, because it´s the truth. A fighter’s greatness is measured by the strength of his adversaries. And as far as I am concerned, JT Maverick has, until now, been just a big fish in a small pond.

I told him that I knew this, because I´ve been fighting for as long as I can remember. That´s right, I said fighting, not wrestling. I´ve been fighting for as long as I can remember, since I left my rich family, to become a man standing on his own two feet…

…Street fights, Octagon, Bar Room Brawls. You name it; I have been there and done that.

But it wasn´t till I entered the world of Pro Wrestling, that I understood what it meant to be tested against superior competition. That´s why I told JT Maverick that he has yet to be tested, that he still has a long way to go. It was not something I made up, I spoke from experience.

Well, as far as JT Maverick goes, I still have to hear and understand what he really thinks. He has chosen not to speak for himself; instead he has chosen to let his manager do the talking. Well, if a man has better things to do than speak to his opponent, then more power to him.

Just do not give me the usual “He is fierce because he is training” antics.

Boyo, we are pro-wrestlers, training is part of our daily routine, and we simply do it each and every day. We do not need to boast with it. Four hours at the gym, that´s routine. I do not need to mention it in my promos, to make myself look tougher than the rest.

All the men and women that fight here, they all train day in and day out, to be ready for each and every upcoming challenge, It´s the normal gig in the world of Wrestling. So JT Maverick, you´ve chosen to let your manager do the talking….

..I hope you do not let him do all the thinking too, because as far as I can see of him, he seems to have straw where he should have brain. What else can you say of a man whom does not understand the term “Metaphor”, when he sees one applied to regular circumstances? Surely, I was playing chess, in my first promotional video, and that had its goal, as a metaphor. It was to show you that the fight we are constantly involved in, is a game of wits, more than just a show of muscles and brute force.

But your manager, JT, seems to fail at comprehending the simple truths of life. I hope, for your own good, that you are man enough to be able to think for yourself, because a man who lets others do the thinking for him, well let’s just say that he will find himself in precarious situations more times than not.

This, JT, is the line of thought of a man who has been able to stand on his own two feet, since he was nothing more than a snot nosed punk. I´ve been able to make my own decisions and feel the consequences, for as long as I can remember.

Some may call me a Vagabond; some others may say I am unstable. I can accept these thoughts and make them mine, more times than not. It´s true, i´ve been traveling the world since I was nothing more than a kid. It´s also true that I’ve spent my time going from place to place..

..But rest assured that it was never a case of me being unable to bring fortune to them places. If anything, I was the reason these places existed for as long as they did. Since MAX J closed its doors, I’ve been wandering from place to place, testing the ground and trying to understand which place was the right place to call home.

Yes, I’ve been wandering for a long time now.

But no longer than a couple of days ago, I understood something very important. That being that I am tired of wandering and that I am ready to call a new place home. In a fight against a fierce opponent, days ago, I understood that I’ve found a new resolution. And that, that resolution makes me a complete fighter. A fighter against whom you have to be really prepared, if you want to have the chance to be competitive.

I lost a fight, days ago, but I did not see it as the end of the world. Instead I see it as a chance to become better, to grow as a fighter even more.

That is the I difference between you and me, JT.

Me, I can accept a loss. I grow a better fighter after each one.

You?

You must win at all costs, in order for you to be able to look at yourself in the mirror.

There Is something you have to learn from life and wrestling. That being, that modesty is golden

That´s what I have learned from this life, amongst many other things

And I will teach that to you, with each and every boot I smash against your skull.

That´s it. Get ready and Be ready, for I won´t be going easy on you merely because you´re green behind the ears.”

Eron smiles and restarts playing some chords on his guitar, before the scene fades to black.