Post by Raiden Ishimori on Nov 24, 2020 16:20:40 GMT -5
How long had it been? A couple months? Three, four even? Nate didn’t really know at this point and if he was being honest, he stopped counting after one month and it was all thanks to the ongoing pandemic. Given his job outside of pro wrestling, he was at least busy and staying in shape with all the heavy lifting and constant walking around within the warehouses. To say he wasn’t thankful for still having a job at the docks would be an understatement, but it didn’t mean he was exactly happy with his circumstances either and if he was being truthful, the wrestling urge kept pecking at him ever since his release from J-ROK when he was let go due to budget constraints. The urge was no less evident as he was rolling fish barrels down the docks, keeping small talk with one of his longtime colleagues, Severin.
Severin: “You been feelin’ alright, Nate? You’ve been seeming on edge for the past couple weeks.”
Nate: “It’s that wrestling itch, Sev. Ever since J-ROK had to let me go, I’ve been trying to find elsewhere to go but then, well, COVID happened and that has pretty much crippled travel by plane so there ain’t much I can do there. Recently though, and thank the stars they called back, I managed to land a contract with one of the newer places: Next Level Wrestling they’ve branded themselves, and there’s a couple familiar figures there. Rob Arnold being one of them.”
Severin: “That legend from AXW? Damn, I didn’t think he was making moves in that kind of way.”
Nate: “Aye, but he’s mainly management while one of his clients is wrestling there on top of it. As for me though, I’ve more or less been put in a rather similar situation from when I first returned from my absence in the wrestling word.”
Severin (confused): “Said situation being?”
Nate: “Triple threat with some of the other newcomers: Rex Brandon and JC Keeton. Which, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t care less about the former. He’s like a more boring version of when I fought Price with his elder status. I wish I could say it out of love, but he’s nothing but a boomer with how he views the wrestling world today. ‘It’s not the same’ he says. ‘Where are the old glory days?’ he cries.”
Nate shakes his head as he stops in his roll, propping the barrel up and resting his forearms atop it. Severin cocks his head at him, brow raised.
Nate: “Like he claims this whole hard knock life crap when…”
He gestures to the dock workers around them, including themselves, wearing their mandatory face masks and trying their best to keep a safe distance between one another.
Nate: “Open your eyes old man. Life’s been a hard knock even when you grew out of poopy diapers. I’m a former Marine and I don’t want to hear any mouth from someone who complains about life being hard when I was constantly getting shaken awake at sunrise and then forced to run in the sand, do push-ups in the sand, yatta yatta, the boomer don’t know jack shite. He can rant all he wants with his philosophy. He’ll break my bones, yeah? I’ll break his damn spirit so he’ll know the real meaning of hard knocks.”
He lays the barrel back on its side, resuming his rolling.
Nate: “Then this JC kid...I don’t know what to make of him. Another youngster, trying to follow in his daddy’s footsteps. It almost seems like this industry keeps getting more and more second generation wrestlers, but how many of them are actually going to make it? Sure, the kid has his accolades but I have mine, one that took the feat of having to outlast over a dozen other wrestlers. I kicked, I punched, I slammed people around and even sent that cheeky bastard Kai through the damn table to put an exclamation point to state that I mean business in that ring.”
Nate shakes his head, though it’s hard to tell if it’s out of disgust or slight confusion.
Nate: “I don’t care what that kid has to gloat about. If he can survive this dance between old and young, then he can get back to me. For now, it’s all about letting the folks at NLW that this is my homecoming in that opener. No more, no less.”
Severin: “You been feelin’ alright, Nate? You’ve been seeming on edge for the past couple weeks.”
Nate: “It’s that wrestling itch, Sev. Ever since J-ROK had to let me go, I’ve been trying to find elsewhere to go but then, well, COVID happened and that has pretty much crippled travel by plane so there ain’t much I can do there. Recently though, and thank the stars they called back, I managed to land a contract with one of the newer places: Next Level Wrestling they’ve branded themselves, and there’s a couple familiar figures there. Rob Arnold being one of them.”
Severin: “That legend from AXW? Damn, I didn’t think he was making moves in that kind of way.”
Nate: “Aye, but he’s mainly management while one of his clients is wrestling there on top of it. As for me though, I’ve more or less been put in a rather similar situation from when I first returned from my absence in the wrestling word.”
Severin (confused): “Said situation being?”
Nate: “Triple threat with some of the other newcomers: Rex Brandon and JC Keeton. Which, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t care less about the former. He’s like a more boring version of when I fought Price with his elder status. I wish I could say it out of love, but he’s nothing but a boomer with how he views the wrestling world today. ‘It’s not the same’ he says. ‘Where are the old glory days?’ he cries.”
Nate shakes his head as he stops in his roll, propping the barrel up and resting his forearms atop it. Severin cocks his head at him, brow raised.
Nate: “Like he claims this whole hard knock life crap when…”
He gestures to the dock workers around them, including themselves, wearing their mandatory face masks and trying their best to keep a safe distance between one another.
Nate: “Open your eyes old man. Life’s been a hard knock even when you grew out of poopy diapers. I’m a former Marine and I don’t want to hear any mouth from someone who complains about life being hard when I was constantly getting shaken awake at sunrise and then forced to run in the sand, do push-ups in the sand, yatta yatta, the boomer don’t know jack shite. He can rant all he wants with his philosophy. He’ll break my bones, yeah? I’ll break his damn spirit so he’ll know the real meaning of hard knocks.”
He lays the barrel back on its side, resuming his rolling.
Nate: “Then this JC kid...I don’t know what to make of him. Another youngster, trying to follow in his daddy’s footsteps. It almost seems like this industry keeps getting more and more second generation wrestlers, but how many of them are actually going to make it? Sure, the kid has his accolades but I have mine, one that took the feat of having to outlast over a dozen other wrestlers. I kicked, I punched, I slammed people around and even sent that cheeky bastard Kai through the damn table to put an exclamation point to state that I mean business in that ring.”
Nate shakes his head, though it’s hard to tell if it’s out of disgust or slight confusion.
Nate: “I don’t care what that kid has to gloat about. If he can survive this dance between old and young, then he can get back to me. For now, it’s all about letting the folks at NLW that this is my homecoming in that opener. No more, no less.”
