Post by Adrien on Jan 31, 2021 11:17:16 GMT -5
“Have you ever been disappointed when you have high hopes for someone and then… boom…”
Adrien Cochrane pantomimes an explosion with both of his hands. Despite the undertones of his words, the New Orleans native was actually quite chipper, a smile as he looks back towards the camera as he sits on a bench in the middle of an empty park. The sun has barely risen behind him.
“They shatter that hopeful illusion. But you know, it’s not your fault, Jay. It’s mine for having such expectations for you. Because I saw that you wanted to become the ultimate professional. You said you were hungry for this victory and to win this tournament. You said how there was no way you could ever be the complacent one in this match.
“You displayed zero of those qualities. Nil. Zilch. Naught a single one. And do you know the biggest cardinal sin you committed when you started talking in front of a warehouse like ten billion other wrestlers have?
“You dismissed an opponent… which is a sign of complacency, a lack of hunger, and an overall sign of unprofessionalism.
“And I get it. You’re leaning on the data that’s available to you. The great wrestlers that have been bringing you up only have the WWA for any sort of frame of reference. But here’s the main problem with that flawed line of thinking that I shouldn’t have to explain to you: fourteen-year-old data is massively outdated.
“Tell me, Jay. Did you, Walker, Greer, or anyone watch a single match of mine since the fall of the WWA? If we’re gonna dig into my past, we might as well get the full story, right? After all, the WWA was only the initial quarter of my career, when I didn’t find my footing yet. I was going to mature. It was before #Believe, before the nickname, before I won any of my World Titles, or even found myself inducted into a Hall of Fame. This may come as a surprise but…
“People actually can improve if they keep doing something long enough. Case and point.”
The Dropkick King points both index fingers upward at shoulder level, indicating himself.
“It is irresponsible to assume that someone didn’t get better over the course of eleven years. I mean, did you assume that I didn’t? You don’t know my work ethic. I beat the sun to this park this morning for my morning cardio workout.
“And do you know why, Jay? To constantly improve myself. Because I don’t care that I’ve won all those titles that I’ve gotten the past eleven years, almost as much as I expect you not to care because I didn’t get them in the presence of Team Danger. I don’t care how exciting my matches are to whoever gives them little star ratings. I don’t care how many wins I stack up… I have to keep improving. THAT’S how I got to where I am today from where I was back then.”
The smile has entirely faded. The optimism remains, but the cheerful demeanor vanishes.
“You tell me that I’m not a man, and it makes me wonder just how much of a man you are. Do you know what makes a real man, Jay? It’s not about anything that goes on in the ring that determines what kind of man you are. It’s about how you treat people, especially people who add no value to you. It’s about how you are benefitting society as a whole. It’s about you making the world around you a better place because you exist in it.
“Now look in the mirror. Are you doing that? How are you treating people, Jay? Are you showing people respect and kindness? Are you making the world a better place? Or do you look down upon everyone who doesn’t fit the mold of how you want people to be like some sort of egotistical narcissist? You’ve never been in a room with me. You’ve never interacted with me. And you wanted to call into question if I’m a real man. Honestly, Jay, that’s not a reflection of the kind of man I am. That’s a reflection of how much of a man you are.
“What was the first thing you said? That I don’t make people care. Yeah, maybe that wasn’t something I had figured out fourteen years ago. But today? Don’t even worry about outside the network for a moment… just look at what’s going on right here in the XHF Network. I inspired the careers of Adam Sanders and Betsy Granger in AWF. They look to me as a mentor. The Junior Heavyweight Champion, who faces the winner of this tournament, stepped into a ring at Destiny Wrestling and singled me out. Lord Dominicus deemed it worth his time to interrupt me when I was just filling out paperwork to be a part of this great event. I’m wrestling at XHF Supremacy because the FWA owner wants to showcase himself against me as a recruitment tactic to sign me to FWA. Even Eric Dane decided to make his presence known during one of my matches.
“People care a LOT more about me than they did fourteen years ago, even if your head is buried in the sand too much to realize it or admit it. I’m sorry that all of you have been living under a rock over in the WWA Legends Room, but I’ve made a name for myself in the industry since I left while all of them have been living in the past.
“In the end, that’s your core problem. You’re stuck in the past, but our match is taking place in the present. What’s going on right now is more important than fourteen years ago. If you want to wrestle me with the mindset that I am who I am from 2007, that’s your prerogative.
“But you’re going to be very surprised that I am not the person or wrestler I was back then.”
Adrien Cochrane pantomimes an explosion with both of his hands. Despite the undertones of his words, the New Orleans native was actually quite chipper, a smile as he looks back towards the camera as he sits on a bench in the middle of an empty park. The sun has barely risen behind him.
“They shatter that hopeful illusion. But you know, it’s not your fault, Jay. It’s mine for having such expectations for you. Because I saw that you wanted to become the ultimate professional. You said you were hungry for this victory and to win this tournament. You said how there was no way you could ever be the complacent one in this match.
“You displayed zero of those qualities. Nil. Zilch. Naught a single one. And do you know the biggest cardinal sin you committed when you started talking in front of a warehouse like ten billion other wrestlers have?
“You dismissed an opponent… which is a sign of complacency, a lack of hunger, and an overall sign of unprofessionalism.
“And I get it. You’re leaning on the data that’s available to you. The great wrestlers that have been bringing you up only have the WWA for any sort of frame of reference. But here’s the main problem with that flawed line of thinking that I shouldn’t have to explain to you: fourteen-year-old data is massively outdated.
“Tell me, Jay. Did you, Walker, Greer, or anyone watch a single match of mine since the fall of the WWA? If we’re gonna dig into my past, we might as well get the full story, right? After all, the WWA was only the initial quarter of my career, when I didn’t find my footing yet. I was going to mature. It was before #Believe, before the nickname, before I won any of my World Titles, or even found myself inducted into a Hall of Fame. This may come as a surprise but…
“People actually can improve if they keep doing something long enough. Case and point.”
The Dropkick King points both index fingers upward at shoulder level, indicating himself.
“It is irresponsible to assume that someone didn’t get better over the course of eleven years. I mean, did you assume that I didn’t? You don’t know my work ethic. I beat the sun to this park this morning for my morning cardio workout.
“And do you know why, Jay? To constantly improve myself. Because I don’t care that I’ve won all those titles that I’ve gotten the past eleven years, almost as much as I expect you not to care because I didn’t get them in the presence of Team Danger. I don’t care how exciting my matches are to whoever gives them little star ratings. I don’t care how many wins I stack up… I have to keep improving. THAT’S how I got to where I am today from where I was back then.”
The smile has entirely faded. The optimism remains, but the cheerful demeanor vanishes.
“You tell me that I’m not a man, and it makes me wonder just how much of a man you are. Do you know what makes a real man, Jay? It’s not about anything that goes on in the ring that determines what kind of man you are. It’s about how you treat people, especially people who add no value to you. It’s about how you are benefitting society as a whole. It’s about you making the world around you a better place because you exist in it.
“Now look in the mirror. Are you doing that? How are you treating people, Jay? Are you showing people respect and kindness? Are you making the world a better place? Or do you look down upon everyone who doesn’t fit the mold of how you want people to be like some sort of egotistical narcissist? You’ve never been in a room with me. You’ve never interacted with me. And you wanted to call into question if I’m a real man. Honestly, Jay, that’s not a reflection of the kind of man I am. That’s a reflection of how much of a man you are.
“What was the first thing you said? That I don’t make people care. Yeah, maybe that wasn’t something I had figured out fourteen years ago. But today? Don’t even worry about outside the network for a moment… just look at what’s going on right here in the XHF Network. I inspired the careers of Adam Sanders and Betsy Granger in AWF. They look to me as a mentor. The Junior Heavyweight Champion, who faces the winner of this tournament, stepped into a ring at Destiny Wrestling and singled me out. Lord Dominicus deemed it worth his time to interrupt me when I was just filling out paperwork to be a part of this great event. I’m wrestling at XHF Supremacy because the FWA owner wants to showcase himself against me as a recruitment tactic to sign me to FWA. Even Eric Dane decided to make his presence known during one of my matches.
“People care a LOT more about me than they did fourteen years ago, even if your head is buried in the sand too much to realize it or admit it. I’m sorry that all of you have been living under a rock over in the WWA Legends Room, but I’ve made a name for myself in the industry since I left while all of them have been living in the past.
“In the end, that’s your core problem. You’re stuck in the past, but our match is taking place in the present. What’s going on right now is more important than fourteen years ago. If you want to wrestle me with the mindset that I am who I am from 2007, that’s your prerogative.
“But you’re going to be very surprised that I am not the person or wrestler I was back then.”
