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Guest
A man stands in front of a mirror trying on a new suit. It's dark olive in color and a woman is measuring his cuffs and he stares at his reflection. He focuses on his face and he thinks back on the years he has waited for opportunity.
This man has been in his profession for over twenty years and he has seen men come in full of bravado, talking the talk. Men thinking that their years of training and dreaming had prepared them for a business that was waiting to crush their dreams, to chew them up and spit them out and use their dreams as fodder for itself. He thinks about the film "The Matrix" and can't help but chuckle to himself as he sees the similarities to the business. He remembers seeing young strapping men plugged into a system that was designed to use their energy to keep itself going. He watched as families were torn apart watching their loved ones push themselves to the very edge of their limits and joyfully go beyond them, ignoring the risk and damage they were doing to themselves simply to live out their dream.
He thinks back on the miles he has traveled, watching them live out their dream, some of them on the cusp of greatness, and a very rare few of them scratch and claw their way to the top only to see the voyage corrupt them and leave only the hollow shell of the person that began the voyage. He reflects and he knows the price that these young men had to pay in order to achieve their dream.
He has had his heart broken by those that he invested time and money in, only to see them buy into their own hype. He has watched them come into the business hungry, willing to do anything to reach the top and then get lazy and coast on their past successes and become nothing more than leaches sucking the life's blood from the fans who crave the best.
As he turns, while the woman puts the final chalk marks to signify where the cuffs should end, his thoughts come to a fateful day. This man, who has literally seen it all saw the one thing that made him know why he still loved the business. This man that was so jaded by all of his bad experiences came to know one man that caused him to remember *why* he sacrificed so much in the first place. He remembers seeing this man that was a seeming throw back to the time when men had pride in their performance and thrilling the fans who paid their money to see competition. He recalls the shock and awe in the faces of the fans who marveled at his prowess in the ring. What most impressed him most was the fact that, though blessed with a gift to speak and tear his opponents apart with the words of his mouth...his ability to see into the inner most desires and strengths of his opponents and turn their words and strength against them, has decided to allow his actions speak for him and decided to no longer use his voice.
These thoughts bring a smile to the man's face as he realizes what this means for the sport he loves so much. He smiles for the fans of GXW, who will finally see the athlete they have craved for so long that their very longing has caused his client to come to GXW. Finally he frowns and fears a bit of dread for those who's time has come to an end. While he is happy that their time has come to an end, he can't help for feel sorry for the spirits of those young men that have been choked out, leaving the husks going through the motions in GXW rings. All of them...from the top to the bottom, none are prepared for what is about to come upon them. As talented as they may be, they are merely sleepwalking and a man that is wide awake is coming to awaken them all.
With that, the man silently pays for his suit and walks out of the shop, knowing that the time is almost upon them.
This man has been in his profession for over twenty years and he has seen men come in full of bravado, talking the talk. Men thinking that their years of training and dreaming had prepared them for a business that was waiting to crush their dreams, to chew them up and spit them out and use their dreams as fodder for itself. He thinks about the film "The Matrix" and can't help but chuckle to himself as he sees the similarities to the business. He remembers seeing young strapping men plugged into a system that was designed to use their energy to keep itself going. He watched as families were torn apart watching their loved ones push themselves to the very edge of their limits and joyfully go beyond them, ignoring the risk and damage they were doing to themselves simply to live out their dream.
He thinks back on the miles he has traveled, watching them live out their dream, some of them on the cusp of greatness, and a very rare few of them scratch and claw their way to the top only to see the voyage corrupt them and leave only the hollow shell of the person that began the voyage. He reflects and he knows the price that these young men had to pay in order to achieve their dream.
He has had his heart broken by those that he invested time and money in, only to see them buy into their own hype. He has watched them come into the business hungry, willing to do anything to reach the top and then get lazy and coast on their past successes and become nothing more than leaches sucking the life's blood from the fans who crave the best.
As he turns, while the woman puts the final chalk marks to signify where the cuffs should end, his thoughts come to a fateful day. This man, who has literally seen it all saw the one thing that made him know why he still loved the business. This man that was so jaded by all of his bad experiences came to know one man that caused him to remember *why* he sacrificed so much in the first place. He remembers seeing this man that was a seeming throw back to the time when men had pride in their performance and thrilling the fans who paid their money to see competition. He recalls the shock and awe in the faces of the fans who marveled at his prowess in the ring. What most impressed him most was the fact that, though blessed with a gift to speak and tear his opponents apart with the words of his mouth...his ability to see into the inner most desires and strengths of his opponents and turn their words and strength against them, has decided to allow his actions speak for him and decided to no longer use his voice.
These thoughts bring a smile to the man's face as he realizes what this means for the sport he loves so much. He smiles for the fans of GXW, who will finally see the athlete they have craved for so long that their very longing has caused his client to come to GXW. Finally he frowns and fears a bit of dread for those who's time has come to an end. While he is happy that their time has come to an end, he can't help for feel sorry for the spirits of those young men that have been choked out, leaving the husks going through the motions in GXW rings. All of them...from the top to the bottom, none are prepared for what is about to come upon them. As talented as they may be, they are merely sleepwalking and a man that is wide awake is coming to awaken them all.
With that, the man silently pays for his suit and walks out of the shop, knowing that the time is almost upon them.