Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

B.O.B. D · (06-06-2019)

Wrestling has always been a big part of my life.

When I was a child, my brother and I used to wrestle each other in our parents' living room. We'd bounce off the couch like it was the ring ropes and hit each other in the head with pillows, standing in for steel chairs. The winner got to hold the World Title, a $10 replica belt made of plastic and foam. Back then it was all fun and games, we never fully understood what holding a Championship REALLY meant, we just knew it was a prop the best wrestlers held when they entered and left.

When I grew older, I would watch wrestling to cope with my anger. Seeing these titans beat the hell out of each other helped me forget life was kicking the shit out of ME. Whether it was being a 5th stringer on the football team or being nonexistent to women, I felt as low as humanly possible. I thought about dropping out, even contemplated ending it all, but I knew I was meant for something greater.

And that's when wrestling became my life. I watched matches and taught myself the ins and outs. Even if I couldn't be the strongest, I could DAMN SURE be the most technical. I watched guys like Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit destroy throw opponents with German Suplexes, learned how men like Eddie Guerrero hit flawless looking Verticals AND bring themselves to pop right back up and deliver more. Perfected my ability to see how a hold is applied, while also figuring out a way to avoid and escape said maneuver. That one was courtesy of tacticians Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan, of course.

I spent my weekends practicing these things with my brother. We taught ourselves how to mimick the moves we saw on TV; not to harm each other, but to figure out how to harm others. Much like Spongebob said to Squidward about blowing bubbles, the art of wrestling was about technique and I had become a master of it.

Another skill I needed to perfect was my public speaking. Being a fat guy who was made fun of, I was a shy teenager and had no confidence. While it did help to watch guys like The Rock and John Cena rip into their opponents verbally, I need my own forum in which to practice. At school, I got myself prepared by giving speeches. Though none of them were wrestling related, I used this platform to conquer my fear of talking to a room full of people.

In addition to speeches, I also made fake promos in my backyard, and partook in a thing known as E-Wrestling. This was a game in which people wrote their own promos online and whoever wrote the best would win their virtual wrestling matches. It may have been stupid, but it was a chance to figure out how to deliver the messages I needed to get out. Though I was playing a character, this version of Big D was a stronger version of the man I wasn't at the time. And though it sounds silly, it was just as key a part to getting me here as anything else.

After high school, which I DID graduate, I went off to a small wrestling camp. As I expected, I was light-years ahead of everyone else. They lacked the basic fundamentals, things I had practiced over and over again until I could do them in my sleep.........to perfection. Sure most of the trainees had the bodies of Greek Gods, but it didn't matter if they couldn't do a simple arm drag or get on the mic without sounding like a complete buffoon. I was told to lift weights and work on my conditioning and I could make it in the business. I didn't work on either one, relying on the adrenaline to make up for the things I lacked. And it usually worked out for me over the years.

I started my career for some smaller promotions, winning their lower tier Titles along the way. The place that launched my career, for better or worse, was WWF. No, not THAT WWF. This one was a bit smaller than the more well known brand, but that didn't keep me from trying to make the most of things. Despite a rough start, I began making a name for myself upon capturing their X-Division AND Dark Championship. I had gone from an 0-9 win/loss record to start, to being a Double Champion.

Things got even better when I won the vacant TV Title in a Battle Royal. My name was cemented in their history books as I became the FIRST wrestler to ever become a TRIPLE Champion. Not winning three titles at different points of their time there, but winning three of them AT ONCE. It was Big D, and always will be.

I may have lost the TV Title a week later, but nobody could deny I had been making a splash. Despite this, no-one even thought to mention my name in contention for the World Championship. Instead, me and the fans were left to watch guys like Green Warrior and Big Evil continue to hog the spotlight, holding people like myself back.

I couldn't take it anymore and I made sure they knew about it. It didn't matter to them, I was just a replaceable mid-carder whose greatest achievement was winning their 3 worst Titles. Big whoop. Even if I was making a name for myself, it was just too much of a problem to throw me to the lions and see if I survive. They couldn't waste a Main Event, even on a weekly show, for an up and comer to show what he's got. This wasn't XWF, and I wasn't Ned Kaye. I was Big D and I didn't fit the mold of what they viewed as a quality superstar. It was like I was in high school all over again.

After months of complaining and eventually losing my titles, which I blamed on lack of motivation anymore, an old friend of mine approached me. The Eagle had been in a stable of mine, The Kings of the Ring, but turned on the group eventually when he Powerbombed me off the stage. Despite this, we held a mutual respect for each other. He told me about a Federation he was in, the NWF, and how quick he had gotten a shot after joining. It sounded right up my alley.

Much like WWF, I quickly made an impact on the NWF upon arrival. I had voiced my frustrations with the rival promotion, and this prompted an invasion of WWF by the NWF. I had started a war against the federation that held me back, helping NWF wrestlers win WWF Titles. And all the while my success in the new promotion thrived.

The World Champion, POz, was so impressed by my skills he tried to hand his belt over to me. It was such an honor to feel so respected by, not just another competitor, but THE best of the best. I would've taken that Championship, knowing my success up until that point had earned it, but alas it wasn't so. NWF stripper him of the belt and put it up for grabs in a tournament. I was gonna have to be Sarah Lacklan, only with higher stakes. This was my chance to prove to everyone, the fans, my peers, and most importantly......... the WWF that I meant everything I said. I WAS a Main Eventer and deserved to be World Champion.

The night started with a Round One match between POz and myself. I was nervous, because a match against the former Champion was sure gonna take alot out of me win or lose. To everyone's surprise, though, POz never showed up. Maybe it was hit form of protest me not having the belt. I never knew because I never talked to him again, but I always appreciated everything he did.

I can never for the life of me remember who I beat in the Second Round. I always figured it was because the respect POz showed to me and what happened next, were such big moments that my opponent didn't matter. Years of repeated blows to the head probably don't help.

The Third and final Round was for all the marbles: winner walks away NWF World Heavyweight Champion. My opponent was The Demond, another up and comer like myself. The two of us battled to a count out, but management ordered a restart with No Disqualifications so we would have a clear winner. I wasn't gonna squander this opportunity, not after everything I had been through. I'd been made fun of, held back, never believed in by anybody but myself. And using that determination, combined with my skills, I hit a Top Rope Leg Drop onto a chair to The Demond and captured my one and only World Heavyweight Championship.

That was the greatest moment of my career. The pure joy I felt from hoisting that belt over my head has yet to be matched. Everything I had accomplished up to that point was nothing compared to the ecstasy I felt in the middle of that very ring.

The experience I had that night hasn't been matched by any other moment of my career up to that point. War Games is a close second, but the fact I didn't make it to the end sort of squanders that victory a little bit. Nobody is gonna look back and think about how I led my team to victory and earned my Universal Title shot. They're gonna remember Vinnie's in-ring return and Lacklan's impressive Shining Wizards to seal the deal. As grateful as I'll always be for their help, it doesn't change the fact they overshadowed my moment.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in WWF all over again and it pisses me off. I was a veteran who came to XWF ready to prove myself, and I got thrown into opening matches against people who, to this point, haven't proven their worth like I have. Here I am, one win away from being Universal Champion, while people like Genie Tate no show matches.

And then there was Ned Kaye and his title shot. Robert Main handpicked Ned to challenge for his belt, lying about how he was 'impressed' by him. Everyone knew that Opie looking mother fucker wanted an easy title defense, and what better way than to choose an unpolished rookie? Here I was, a former World Champion more than capable of going toe to toe with Robert Main, and he was ducking real competition. Well he can't duck me anymore.

History is gonna repeat itself. I got held down in XWF despite winning some of their titles, just like WWF. I used to watch the same pieces of shit get opportunity after opportunity in WWF, and that almost happened here with Ned Kaye, but my team shut that down. Despite the respect he gained from me, there was no way in hell he was getting another shot before I got mine. And now that it's here, I'm gonna make the most of it.

When I was given the ball in NWF, I made it happen. Knowing how difficult my ascent to the top was, I couldn't afford to fall back down to the bottom again. If I didn't win, I'd have to work my way up the ladder once more. This is no diferent. I have no desire to lose and start all over again. I'm closer to the end of my career than the start, and there just isn't enough time for me to start all over again. This. Is. It.

I can't let this opportunity go to hell, even if the deck seems stack against me. Beating Robert Main on his own would be enough of a challenge, but adding a third opponent in Donovan Blackwater makes this task seem impossible. But it isn't. I had been in Triple Threat Matches before and found ways to overcome the odds. Whether it was WWF, NWF, or XWF, I've won plenty of bouts with more than two competitors in them. This wasn't anything new to me nor was the spotlight too much for me to handle. All that mattered was the fact I made it here. And I was gonna shine, just like the belt I plan on strapping around my waist. And that ain't no story, it's the Cold Big D Truth.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode I Can't Lose, Not After Everything I've Been Through
Author	Message