Obstacles
The gym is empty, as you would expect at this ungodly hour. A quick glance at the clock on the wall shows you it’s barely past 5 AM.
This 24/7 fitness facility does have at least one visitor, though, as we can hear from the sound of weights dropping on the floor every few second. As the camera pans to the area where the noise is coming from, we see DEADMARSH putting down a bar he’s been deadlifting. There’s about 500 lbs on it.
DEADMARSH, dressed in a black tanktop and shorts, is sweating, having just finished a heavy workout. He takes the AirPods from his ear and places them in their case, takes a sip of water from the bottle right next to him, then faces the camera.
„This… is the first good workout I was able to get done in the last few days,“ he says, still breathing a little heavily after the recent set.
„I’ll be honest, the WrestleVersary match against War Gods was… More violent than I originally imagined. I knew it would be a tough fight, but I kind of expected it to finish in the ring. Instead, it took like three physio sessions to get rid of the pain in my back after being powerslammed into a bunch of chairs.“
He sighs and shakes his head.
„And the worst thing? It profited no one. Whoever won between us was supposed to step up to The Order and challenged them for the titles. But no one won. So… now what?
I always lay out plans for us in these videos. We’ll beat these guys, then we’ll beat these guys, then we’ll take the tag belts. But I’m learning that sometimes, a lot of the times actually… Plans like that don’t work. It isn’t as smooth and straightforward. But I’m just…“
He takes a moment and sighs again.
„…Maybe I’m just too impatient to keep learning.“
There is a quick, sudden cut. The room we’re in now is minimalistic. A simple bed, a lounge chair close to it. One wall is fully taken up by a massive wooden bookshelf stacked to the brim with books. Balístico is sitting in the lounge chair, comfortable. He’s dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, and his mask as always. He’s reading The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday.
„I turn to philosophy often after our matches,“ he says, closing the book and looking at the camera.
„It helps me unwind. Gives me a chance to look at our situation from a distance. These books are full of wisdom, from the times of ancient Rome to the great men and women that built the world we live in during the 20th and 21st century. And funnily enough… I always find something that relates to where we are at any given moment.“
He smirks and puts the book away.
„This book is all about obstacles in your life, no matter how big or small. Not just about overcoming them, but about acknowledging them, accepting them. Understanding that they are not something extraordinary, but a part of everyone’s road. That you only grow if you learn to live through them.“
Balístico takes a second to let the words hang.
„Take John D. Rockefeller for example. When the world was falling apart at times of economic crisis, everyone around him was panicking and trying to make sense of the chaos… He just kept working. Like nothing happened. And that’s why he came out of it stronger than anyone. He just kept being himself when everyone else was trying to figure themselves out and reinvent.“
He smiles at the camera.
„I think that’s something we can all learn from.“
Sudenly, static. Then, the feed comes back. We are on a rooftop at sunrise. Balístico and DEADMARSH are both together, both in t-shirts with the Battle Beasts logo.
„At Assault,“ DEADMARSH starts, „We’ll be in a clash of very different approaches and mentalities. World Elite live the lavish lifestyle and all they talk about is being the best and how there’s no one above them. Us? We’re just two friends trying to make it. Unlike some others, we have respect for our competition. And instead of talking up our skills, we show them.“
„And we haven’t even shown everything yet,“ Balístico chimes is.
„That’s right,“ DEADMARSH nods. „In the matches that have gone our way, we improvised for the win. We are still yet to show the world the deadliest maneuver in all of tag team wrestling. The Giant Slayer. AJ, Kofi, whoever ends up with the shorter straw that night, one of you will have their head in the clouds, up on my shoulders. And then, suddenly, my friend here will drive it aaaaaaall the way down to the mat.
That’s what we do. We don’t bitch about things not going our way. Even when management books a big number one contender’s match and doesn’t put us in. And we don’t brag about being the best. We just show up, put on a fight and SHOW that we are and will be the best. And at Assault… That’s all we’ll need.“
Balístico raises his arms to the air.
„A LA BATALLA!“ he shouts and it echoes all around. We fade to black.