Post by tapp on Dec 13, 2020 21:51:28 GMT -5
A camera cuts on. The cameras visual is shaky and the quality isn’t anything fantastic, something reminiscent of an early 2000’s webcam Chatroom feed. The camera eventually begins to focus and the room becomes much clearer to see. The space is about the size of an average room in your everyday studio apartment. An ordinary beige wall making up the background is barren apart from a few Martial Arts Belts and a couple of plaques engraved with indistinguishable text. The floor of the room is completely clear except for a single folding table, like the kind most people use for cookouts or barbecues. Centered on that table is The NVR World Championship Briefcase and the Young Lion’s Cup looking as if it had been recently shined. From somewhere out of frame, a familiar voice can be heard.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. REAL Wrestling fans of all ages. Future Wrestling Stars of Tomorrow. Welcome....”
It’s at this moment Tapson Addams, or as he likes to be referred to; Tapp, walks into the frame with a folding chair in hand. He’s dressed in a black pair of slacks accompanied with a nice white button up shirt. Over the shirt is a maroon vest accented by a black bow tie.
“To Wristlock Academy. A premium learning experience designed to help young aspiring wrestlers reach their full potential. A unique opportunity to learn from arguably the best wrestler of OUR generation. That man is a Black Belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu. A wrestling LEGEND after only two years in the business. And some might argue that he has the best damn wristlock you’ve ever seen. The man I’m talking about is none other than the man you’re looking at right now, Tapp.”
Tapp gives a big gapped tooth,shit eating grin and proceeds to set up his chair behind the desk. Before he says anything else he takes a minute to admire his prized possessions in front of him. After bathing in self appreciation the REALEST wrestler in the business interlaces his fingers and stares directly into the lens as if speaking directly to the watcher.
“Now. Over the next few modules you’ll learn a variety of valuable information. From the basics and fundamentals of wrestling to the intricate and gem filled history of the business as a whole. But today. Right now. The first thing I want to teach you about are obstacles.”
Tapp adjusts his bow tie and sits up straight in his chair as if to stress the importance of the upcoming information.
“The Incredibly Rich History of Pro wrestling has many paths leading to many different areas depending on who you ask. One common place that path tends to lead us is Ancient Greece. So what better way than to start out with a classic myth. The story of Sisyphus. See Sisyphus was a man that was gifted with incredible knowledge. He often used that knowledge for his benefit, as he should. It WAS gifted to him after all. But the more he used that knowledge the more others became upset. The more they grew jealous of Sisyphus. Even the gods grew angry at T-Sisyphus' success. Huh. Relatable.”
Tapp pauses for a moment. He stares at the YLC before shaking his head and returning his gaze to the camera.
“Anyways. Sisyphus died and as punishment Zeus decided his punishment would be pushing a Boulder up a steep hill. However every time I-Sisyphus made it up that hill the Boulder rolled right back down to the bottom. He’d work his ass off pushing the Boulder to the top. And right back down to the bottom it went. No matter how hard he pushed. No matter how fast he made it up the hill. The result was the same every time. Right back down to the bottom. That’s the lesson I want you to learn before we go any further. No matter how hard you work to achieve something. No matter how well you follow instructions. Someone will be dissatisfied. Someone will always raise the bar. Add another goal. They’ll always push your Boulder back down the hill. It’ll be trying. It’ll be tough. You’ll probably want to quit. But don’t. Because you’ll never get the Boulder up the hill if you don’t push in the first place.”
Tapp stands up briskly, clearing his throat and adjusting his bowtie once more. He uses the sleeve of his shirt to polish the YLC and walks around to the front of the table.
“Well. This was your Introduction to Wristlock Academy. Stick with me, follow this course, and you’ll be Grappling With Greatness in no time! This has been Tapp. I welcome you and wish you luck on this journey.”
Tapp walks towards the camera and waves a final time. The young technician extends an arm out towards the lens and the feed is abruptly cut.
—————————————————————-
“Union Battleground. Here we go. Finally here.”
Cameras fade in. A figure is seen running the ropes and as the image becomes more and more clear it becomes obvious that the figure is none other than The Wrestler Formally Known as Tapp. He stops running the ropes and grabs a towel hanging from a corner turnbuckle using it to wipe his face. Once finished he drapes said towel around his neck and leans over the ropes nearest to him. His breathing is heavy and beads of sweat rhythmically drip from his forehead.
“A new beginning. New challenges and new challengers. But why?”
Tapp steps through the ropes, opting instead to sit on the apron.
“What is the purpose of me being here? To seek out tougher competition?”
Tapp scoffs and shakes his head.
“Not likely. Perhaps it was the fact that, as I mentioned on Twitter, I was personally wanted here to prevent others from winning? Also not very likely. I have no stake in personally ruining someone’s career by comparison. So we find ourselves asking. WHAT could possibly bring the hottest young talent in the business here to Union?”
Tapp sarcastically taps his chin, feigning a REAL serious thinking session.
“Well. Let me tell you. For my entire career gatekeepers have had a say on my career. I mean from the moment I stepped into the ring professionally I was dubbed one of the best rookies in the game. I didn’t ask for that. I just wanted to wrestle and have fun. Unfortunately some of us are created for greater things. From that moment on I had a constant voice in my ear. You haven’t done this. You haven’t done that. I was just a kid. Hell I still am. My whole life is ahead of me. But that doesn’t matter to those voices in my ear. They’re constantly stacking tasks for me to complete. You don’t have any Championship wins. Did that. You’re unknown. Nobody knows you. I’m a household name now. As much as they deny it everyone knows it true. They keep pushing that Boulder back down. Because they hope that by the time I finally figure out how to get my Boulder to the top, it will have rolled me over already. Everything I’ve done over the last year were things people said I needed to do to be taken seriously. And they were all excuses. The moment I achieved something the entirety of wrestling was already there waiting to throw the next thing above my head and watch me jump for their amusement as I tried to reach it.”
Tapp hops down from the apron and grabs the towel hanging from his neck with both hands.
“It never stopped me though. I kept on like the professional I am. I worked my ass off. I knocked every goal down. And you know what you all had the audacity to say then? You’re not competing anywhere worthwhile. I’m competing in the same places as the legends you praise. The veterans whose asses you kiss. But because it’s me they’re not worthwhile? When I ask of a place worth proving something? The same answer every time. Union.”
Tapp throws his arms up in a quizzical manner.
“So after this what’s next? After I run through Ben Everest. What’s next? After I prove that I can compete on the same level regardless of the location. WHAT'S NEXT? The way I see it? There is no next. You’ve exhausted your excuses. You’ve placed your last obstacle. I’ve finally figured out how to get my Boulder to the top of the hill. And after this? You’ll have no choice but to realize what I’ve been saying all along. You’ll have no choice but to accept what you’ve all been avoiding. And that’s the fact That I’m as good as I say I am. And that’s better than every single one of you.”
Tapp grabs the towel around his neck and tosses it at the camera causing the scene to cut abruptly, but the audio can still be heard. The sound of a door opening rings through the training area and Tapps voice can be heard one final time.
“Fucking Clowns.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen. REAL Wrestling fans of all ages. Future Wrestling Stars of Tomorrow. Welcome....”
It’s at this moment Tapson Addams, or as he likes to be referred to; Tapp, walks into the frame with a folding chair in hand. He’s dressed in a black pair of slacks accompanied with a nice white button up shirt. Over the shirt is a maroon vest accented by a black bow tie.
“To Wristlock Academy. A premium learning experience designed to help young aspiring wrestlers reach their full potential. A unique opportunity to learn from arguably the best wrestler of OUR generation. That man is a Black Belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu. A wrestling LEGEND after only two years in the business. And some might argue that he has the best damn wristlock you’ve ever seen. The man I’m talking about is none other than the man you’re looking at right now, Tapp.”
Tapp gives a big gapped tooth,shit eating grin and proceeds to set up his chair behind the desk. Before he says anything else he takes a minute to admire his prized possessions in front of him. After bathing in self appreciation the REALEST wrestler in the business interlaces his fingers and stares directly into the lens as if speaking directly to the watcher.
“Now. Over the next few modules you’ll learn a variety of valuable information. From the basics and fundamentals of wrestling to the intricate and gem filled history of the business as a whole. But today. Right now. The first thing I want to teach you about are obstacles.”
Tapp adjusts his bow tie and sits up straight in his chair as if to stress the importance of the upcoming information.
“The Incredibly Rich History of Pro wrestling has many paths leading to many different areas depending on who you ask. One common place that path tends to lead us is Ancient Greece. So what better way than to start out with a classic myth. The story of Sisyphus. See Sisyphus was a man that was gifted with incredible knowledge. He often used that knowledge for his benefit, as he should. It WAS gifted to him after all. But the more he used that knowledge the more others became upset. The more they grew jealous of Sisyphus. Even the gods grew angry at T-Sisyphus' success. Huh. Relatable.”
Tapp pauses for a moment. He stares at the YLC before shaking his head and returning his gaze to the camera.
“Anyways. Sisyphus died and as punishment Zeus decided his punishment would be pushing a Boulder up a steep hill. However every time I-Sisyphus made it up that hill the Boulder rolled right back down to the bottom. He’d work his ass off pushing the Boulder to the top. And right back down to the bottom it went. No matter how hard he pushed. No matter how fast he made it up the hill. The result was the same every time. Right back down to the bottom. That’s the lesson I want you to learn before we go any further. No matter how hard you work to achieve something. No matter how well you follow instructions. Someone will be dissatisfied. Someone will always raise the bar. Add another goal. They’ll always push your Boulder back down the hill. It’ll be trying. It’ll be tough. You’ll probably want to quit. But don’t. Because you’ll never get the Boulder up the hill if you don’t push in the first place.”
Tapp stands up briskly, clearing his throat and adjusting his bowtie once more. He uses the sleeve of his shirt to polish the YLC and walks around to the front of the table.
“Well. This was your Introduction to Wristlock Academy. Stick with me, follow this course, and you’ll be Grappling With Greatness in no time! This has been Tapp. I welcome you and wish you luck on this journey.”
Tapp walks towards the camera and waves a final time. The young technician extends an arm out towards the lens and the feed is abruptly cut.
—————————————————————-
“Union Battleground. Here we go. Finally here.”
Cameras fade in. A figure is seen running the ropes and as the image becomes more and more clear it becomes obvious that the figure is none other than The Wrestler Formally Known as Tapp. He stops running the ropes and grabs a towel hanging from a corner turnbuckle using it to wipe his face. Once finished he drapes said towel around his neck and leans over the ropes nearest to him. His breathing is heavy and beads of sweat rhythmically drip from his forehead.
“A new beginning. New challenges and new challengers. But why?”
Tapp steps through the ropes, opting instead to sit on the apron.
“What is the purpose of me being here? To seek out tougher competition?”
Tapp scoffs and shakes his head.
“Not likely. Perhaps it was the fact that, as I mentioned on Twitter, I was personally wanted here to prevent others from winning? Also not very likely. I have no stake in personally ruining someone’s career by comparison. So we find ourselves asking. WHAT could possibly bring the hottest young talent in the business here to Union?”
Tapp sarcastically taps his chin, feigning a REAL serious thinking session.
“Well. Let me tell you. For my entire career gatekeepers have had a say on my career. I mean from the moment I stepped into the ring professionally I was dubbed one of the best rookies in the game. I didn’t ask for that. I just wanted to wrestle and have fun. Unfortunately some of us are created for greater things. From that moment on I had a constant voice in my ear. You haven’t done this. You haven’t done that. I was just a kid. Hell I still am. My whole life is ahead of me. But that doesn’t matter to those voices in my ear. They’re constantly stacking tasks for me to complete. You don’t have any Championship wins. Did that. You’re unknown. Nobody knows you. I’m a household name now. As much as they deny it everyone knows it true. They keep pushing that Boulder back down. Because they hope that by the time I finally figure out how to get my Boulder to the top, it will have rolled me over already. Everything I’ve done over the last year were things people said I needed to do to be taken seriously. And they were all excuses. The moment I achieved something the entirety of wrestling was already there waiting to throw the next thing above my head and watch me jump for their amusement as I tried to reach it.”
Tapp hops down from the apron and grabs the towel hanging from his neck with both hands.
“It never stopped me though. I kept on like the professional I am. I worked my ass off. I knocked every goal down. And you know what you all had the audacity to say then? You’re not competing anywhere worthwhile. I’m competing in the same places as the legends you praise. The veterans whose asses you kiss. But because it’s me they’re not worthwhile? When I ask of a place worth proving something? The same answer every time. Union.”
Tapp throws his arms up in a quizzical manner.
“So after this what’s next? After I run through Ben Everest. What’s next? After I prove that I can compete on the same level regardless of the location. WHAT'S NEXT? The way I see it? There is no next. You’ve exhausted your excuses. You’ve placed your last obstacle. I’ve finally figured out how to get my Boulder to the top of the hill. And after this? You’ll have no choice but to realize what I’ve been saying all along. You’ll have no choice but to accept what you’ve all been avoiding. And that’s the fact That I’m as good as I say I am. And that’s better than every single one of you.”
Tapp grabs the towel around his neck and tosses it at the camera causing the scene to cut abruptly, but the audio can still be heard. The sound of a door opening rings through the training area and Tapps voice can be heard one final time.
“Fucking Clowns.”