Konrad Raab -versus- Sal Kulina

[Feigel]

Singles Match
Konrad Raab -versus- Sal Kulina

[Konrad Raab]

 

Atlanta, Georgia. Wednesday 8th March (Off-Camera)

Before, I had to go to Dallas, Texas, for a wrestling match elsewhere and to race in Phoenix, Arizona. On Monday, I permanently brought this holiday home to get away from everyone and relax if I get stressed out or need time to myself. I loved it here, and the place was enormous, with more than enough bedrooms and bathrooms for reasons I won't get into. It was brand spanking new, and I was already relaxing with a lot of furniture already in as I had planned it all before I moved into my second home. It also was a memory when I won my first-ever race in NASCAR, and I wanted to come here to soak up the memories. 

Where I could be happy, and I was delighted, technically, with winning Apocalypse Chamber and the Xfinity Series Las Vegas race. However, there was one slight problem with what I won, mentally, because I've been out of the Heavyweight title contention for so long, I'm not there with it, which is why someone close to me phoned up a sports psychologist. Aaron and John are reasonable people and have helped me a lot, but I couldn't tell them what I felt mentally.

So I told the sports psychologist to come here instead of the NASCAR track or at my house. My holiday home was the best, especially as I was still getting used to things. There's so much more for me to do here than in Chicago which I only live there because of a wrestling company that wrestles there weekly. The house was modern with red and black tiled walls and overall very modern, which I had to get used to seeing it's two thousand and twenty-three. I already hated this society where I didn't belong.

I did have a balcony with cameras for the doorbell in case I couldn't hear the door, with a large pool and chairs to relax. I also had my room with a NASCAR complete simulator machine in case I needed to either learn new tracks like the Chicago street race coming up or work on things like the Bristol dirt race and road courses. When I was relaxing, a doorbell went off as I got up from the chairs on the balcony and walked back into the house to answer the door. It was a man I was expecting, my sports psychologist. He was in his forties, with a moustache and blond hair.

Konrad Raab: “Are you Mr Russell?”

Russell: "Yes, call me Peter."

Konrad Raab: “Come in.”

I was nervous, well I was since I won the Apocalypse Chamber and it was nice to get away from talking to Aaron and John because although they are good people, I couldn't always see them all the time and certainly when I'm a home town hero. He closed the door and was the second person to visit my holiday home beside someone close to me. He took his shoes and coat off because he respected the new house.

He came to my living room, where I had a large TV and saw how big the place was; he even saw the balcony with a pool, skateboarding park and ramps for someone close to me and even a small race track. It also came with a gym. Anyway, we sat down on large sofas, already feeling at home. I did put glasses of water earlier for Peter and for me. However, I was shaking like a leaf, not to mention I'd vomited twice already because of the nervous wreck I was in with the pressure of the title shot I got coming up. Peter saw straight away.

Peter Russell: "So we know why I came today, and I'm glad I did, looking at you. You should be happy to get a shot for the Heavyweight title. But you look like you saw a ghost, frightened of the shot you got."

Konrad Raab: "That's because I am. You have to understand that I've avoided this particular career my entire life because I always feel I need to win, which scares me. After all, if I fail, I never get the chance to go for the Heavyweight title again. I get so stressed about it, and that's the pressure. I've already vomited twice today alone. That's how much getting this shot scares the shit out of me. I don't know how to handle pressure like this."

Peter Russell: "Wow, it's more serious than I thought. You seem to have major anxiety when it comes to this. How long did you say the last time you had a heavyweight title shot?"

Konrad Raab: "Two thousand and eighteen when it comes to one-on-one situations, and I never demanded or asked for it. My best friend I had in wrestling, Alistaire Allocco, offered the shot to me. That's how rare I go for it because it scares the living hell out of me. I'd be a laughing stock, a joke for winning this shot and then lose it."

I was almost going to cry. After all, I could not handle the stress I already went through, especially since I couldn't speak because I didn't know what to feel. Peter seems to understand what I'm going through, and it was one of my bad days when I was already depressed earlier today that I won't get into it. Still, Peter wrote down in his notes what I said. It hunted me severely.

Peter Russell: "Just because you think you'll fail doesn't mean you will. I hear what you're saying. This match you got coming up, it's clear you're not ready for it. I think you've been trying too hard to avoid the situation because it's well outside your comfort zone."

Konrad Raab: "It is. I look at Vin and wonder how he got through the stress of being a Pinnacle Heavyweight champion with the high pressure to perform. Honestly, I don't even know why I said I had no choice but to be going for the belt."

Peter Russell: "It's because you believed in yourself. Honestly, you had no other goals in wrestling because you've done them. I saw that video you did for the match. I saw it right through your eyes; you wanted it. But at the same time, I also see a man crawling on his hands and knees for the help of the pressure you face. I see you holding your chest. We all need to get outside of our comfort zones. This match will do it for you."

He was right; I had already been told earlier in the week I'd been in a closed box for too long for not unveiling who I am. But at the same time, Peter was right that I had been in my comfort zone for too long to avoid getting the Heavyweight title shot. I mean, heck, I never felt confident in myself. I drank some water, as so did Peter when I was talking.

Konrad Raab: "I don't feel ready for it. Everyone says I should take the shot right now, but I don't think it's enough time until I get over the failing pressure and the stress I have for the match. I feel like I don't want to do it. I don't feel like I can perform at the highest level."

Peter Russell: "That's what I'm going to help you with, and that will include a lot of gym work, things that will get you to do things outside of your comfort zone."

Konrad Raab: "Fine, but please do not tell Aaron or John about this. I want some help because I can't handle this. When wrestlers usually win Apocalypse Chamber, they go whoo, I won a title shot, and I'm confident to go for it, but that would be a fucking lie for me. Because I'm not. Maybe wrestling against Sal Kulina might help me, but I have no motivation to go through the Pinnacle Heavyweight title match."

I had to think about this if I was to do it, but I'm hoping AWS will allow me to delay my shot for the title because I don't want to go for it right away. Not at all. Peter finished his water while I still got mine left. So at least, he understood that.

Peter Russell: "I promise I won't. I will make sure you will be ready. I agree, if you do it in the next two months, it will be too soon for you. I say within five months; you will be ready for the Pinnacle Heavyweight title in terms of mentality. I know you got to prepare for Sal Kulina, but don't treat the match like you've already beaten him, despite him using that approach already for the rumble, which cost him."

Konrad Raab: "There were things he said that pissed me off, and I'll address it to the piece of shit. However, I'm not stupid to do that, considering I've learnt from my mistakes, plus, this isn't the company for me to do that. I'm confident in beating Sal but not mentally for the Heavyweight title. I always feel sick and feel I'm in danger when I do something I'm afraid to do."

Peter Russell: "I will come to see you weekly to discuss it and even to do gym work to make you go through hell, seeing you're so unconfident. Although you are with Sal, it's not for the Heavyweight title. I will go now, I have other clients to see, but it's nice to meet you. Call me anytime you need to chat or if things change regarding your shot for the Pinnacle title, and we'll find ways to prepare you for it."

Konrad Raab: "What do I do in the meantime?"

It made Peter pause for a minute because he didn't know how much I was affected by this, and I didn't know how to think or prepare when he was not around me. Peter had the answer after thinking things through.

Peter Russell: "Write down what you feel when you think about the title match, do some yoga or meditation to help you overcome things, and you also need to visualise the title match."

Konrad Raab: "What do you mean visualise the title match?"

Peter Russell: "Because you aren't confident, you must tell people you are. I know it's not what you want to hear, but you must act like you are. There will be techniques you can do to work on that, but I will also work with you for the next five months. But please try not to panic about it and not make yourself sick if you are stressed. I will see you next week."

I shook hands with Peter. Peter stood up and went to grab his coat and his shoes to put them on before he left, leaving me to think about the comments he said about how he became a wrestler, and everything else pissed me off. Peter opened and closed the door as I lay on my sofa, relaxing, soaking in what I achieved in NASCAR in Atlanta to gather memories, before thinking about Sal Kulina on the comments he said I couldn't get over.

-----------------------------

Atlanta, Georgia. Friday 17th March (On-Camera)

With the rain falling in Atlanta, I knew qualifying for Xfinity Series wouldn't happen. It ended up being cancelled anyway, so instead of doing a video that I do at the racing track. At the same time, I brought the holiday home; I found something I would need in case I'd have to do videos for my matches when I wanted to have time to myself, an abandoned shelter. It wasn't big, but it was perfect for what I planned to do with it. I spent the whole day building it to my liking with flames designed plank wood with flame fluid, lighter, and my mace stuck to the wall, although not what I'd use to take to matches, just replicas of them. I looked at the camera that I had to get permanently.

I always find something to do my videos in because I didn't trust any wrestler to know where I live to cause shit to my home. Of course, this was my home town, so I had the crowd behind me, but I knew I would only have a little time to do a video in Germany. I wanted to spit out facts to this fucking punk that pissed me off.

Konrad Raab: "Well, haven't you got some fucking mouth to trash all of your opponents in the match, or ones at the time that were confirmed, huh? How did that go for you again? Oh, right, you still lost. Granted, I saw your efforts in the Chamber, Sal. I saw potential in the ring, and that's no bullshit. Heck, I see you doing well against Night Rider. Before you go on about my loss to him, to be frankly honest, I made myself lose to him to move on to bigger and better things. Did he beat me? Yeah, and clean, but it benefited him more than me."

I smirked, knowing I was telling the truth as I also had my trusty tins of red paint I also always carry around with me because it's who I am and what I portrayed to be.

Konrad Raab: "But you must be bullshitting if you think anyone buys into the shit of you given pro wrestling skills for free. There is no way anyone can get into the wrestling business by being unprofessionally trained and not perfecting skills with the star potential I saw in the rumble. Because if you weren't unprofessionally trained, you wouldn't have lasted as long as you did in the rumble. Everyone was trained by someone and put in hours of skills to get where they were. But do you know why that comment pisses me off in particular? My German fans know all about this."

Prepare for me to put this fucking asshole on a blast as I placed the camera directly to my face so the prick could hear every word I was saying because I was shaking so heavily, and I got angry by most things.

Konrad Raab: "Because unlike you fucking Americans that got so many wrestling schools around you, I had a lot of fucking money, but there were no wrestling schools in Germany. I had to get into the business in the hardest and harshest way possible. I had to join a wrestling company being a backstage worker to get into professional wrestling. I had to trash a champion wrestler to get my way in the business because there's no way I could've done that back in the days when Germany wasn't known for wrestling until my twin brother, and I came to change things; you little shit."

Maybe I was too harsh, but it was the brutal truth. Germany had nothing until me, and my twin brother came along. It made me so angry that this fuck can waltz right in and act like they are so fucking good at wrestling.

Konrad Raab: "I was a cocky son of a bitch because I had to be to get the match I wanted against a top champion. Sure, I was beaten in ten minutes, but it was the only way I could get into wrestling. I had nothing but boundaries in my way to getting into a wrestling school, let alone becoming a professional wrestler. I had to win a match against another champion to get into a wrestling school, and I did. I had two fucking years to improve my wrestling skills. Do you see how that's fucking insulting and disgusting that is to me that you think you've not been trained at all in your life with all the wrestling schools around you, and you act like a fucking drop of sperm gave you skills?"

It makes me sick when I hear that little shitbag speak about how he found getting into wrestling so quickly without any trainers training him. If only he had lived in Germany back in two thousand and eleven, and of course, now, they got wrestling schools and even wrestling companies there, but there wasn't one when I started.

Konrad Raab: "Seriously, fuck you for that comment. Fuck you for thinking any professional wrestler can come to the business and walk in to win matches. Honestly, that's the only fucking problem I had with you, and it disgusted me, especially when you compared CTE to sex. How fucking stupid are you? I ended many wrestlers' careers with CTE injuries, which are not the same. I already want to give you a mother fucking concussion for saying shit like that and see how CTE is like sex because it's not. You think me retiring legends in wrestling with CTE injuries are worthless?"

God, I wanted to see the potential in this guy, but all he's done is piss me off. I poured red paint all over me. It reminded me too much when I started wrestling, but I grew from those days and learnt so much more about the business, especially about injuries.

Konrad Raab: "You have a long fucking way to understand this fucking business, pal. I wouldn't take Night Rider so lightly either because even if he did beat me clean in matches, he's a wrestler that you will have more than enough issues to tackle. He would've ripped your ass up as I have here. You legit got nothing to say that will hurt me. You're here for the entertainment side rather than the actual wrestling itself. A talented wrestler but mocks it for sex and sperm jokes. I hate guys like you. It only wants me to burn you alive. It only wants me to beat the living shit out of you until you realise how fucking stupid you were with comments like that."

I know I did have to address the match I won and the fact I was going to be wrestling in Germany, but it hadn't been necessary until now to realise what I'd done and show the punk bitch what I had to do to get where I am. I gripped my fists hard and put the camera back after being right in my face with it, even with paint dripping on me. I poured some more now.

Konrad Raab: "You see, I made you into a right shitbag for even making the kind of comments I have towards your disgusting ass. Am I proud of the opportunity for the Pinnacle Heavyweight championship? Damn, right I am, especially since I much have preferred actually to have the title on the line in Germany than facing you because I would fucking love to win the title in front of my home fans. I will be keeping an eye out on Vin in everything he does, but you also need to start studying Night Rider as well. Because of the way you're acting, you aren't going to last ten minutes with him. I will show you the world of Asylum Wrestling Society because you need some lessons or two about the huge welcome you get, despite toughing it out in the Chamber. I was better because I wanted the shot way more than your fucking ass did. Also, I didn't choose to come here; I was here by force by my psychologist to wrestle because I'm fucking crazy."

I would take a breath, and sure, I was pissed off, and I was going to end things on a note that I wanted to take him seriously, but this idiot took that chance away.

Konrad Raab: "I'm so going to batter the living shit out of you. I will make you bleed in ways you don't want me to do. I'm going to clock your fucking head with my mace, and then I'll make you burn because you'll wake up to the realisation of where the fuck you're at and how a fucking CTE feels. You are well and truly fucked, Sal. Because you will be hurting and bleeding, and I know I will with the fight you'll give me, but I will be better because I am the better wrestler."

I had one more thing to say to Vin, along with finishing things up with Sal, addressing the German fan's situation as well.

Konrad Raab: "I got my eye on you, Vin, don't worry, maybe you watch what I'll do to fucking Sal to see the hell you'll step into when I face you for that title. However, I will be a fucking blessing to the German fans when I knock this Sal punk off his feet and win because I can, and I will deal with this little shit. I also know you'll shit on the German fans, too, and I will be more than happy to knock the consequences out of you for doing so. Prepare to be burned by Burned In Blood, bitch because you will get it."

When I finished the video, I left the abandoned shelter and locked it up. I had to buy an extra load of keys and a padlock to secure the place. Once I did that, I returned to the Atlanta Motor Speedway circuit and hung around with some friends and my best friend in NASCAR.