Post by Zack Fantana on Feb 13, 2017 3:07:01 GMT -5
"Is this appropriate?"
As Zack Fantana finished tightening up the knot of his tie, he turned toward his his lawyer who was stuffed awkwardly in the corner of the apartment room in an armchair woefully small for his frame. Until now, the lawyer was sitting quietly holding Zack's AWE briefcase on his lap like a bored husband waiting for his wife to wrap up her shopping at a department store.
"I normally opt for a simple black blazer and a nice pleated khaki--"
"--That's great, Samson."
Zack had suddenly lost interest at 'pleated khaki' (much like many of Samson's dates) and soon found himself using the full length mirror on the wall to comb the hair out of his eyes.
"Is this too formal for a reunion?"
Clearly insulted by the dismissive interruption, Samson grumbled an unintelligible answer under his breath.
"You're probably right. I should keep it cas'."
After adjusting his hair one final time, Fantana quickly returned to his armoire, leaving the lawyer to fiddle with his thumbs. It wasn't terribly long before Zack returned wearing an argyle cardigan and a pair of black slacks.
"Too 'dad', no?"
Samson was completely tuned out at that point and staring at the wall, leaving Zack with no answer. Fantana strolled off the the armoire again but returned even quicker than before, sans sweater and slacks. Instead he was standing bare-chested in wrestling tights, fully decked out in elbow pads, knee pads, and boots. And, of course, lathered up in the essential oils that separated the professional grappler from the amateurs.
"This... this feels right. What do you say, Samson?"
Zack turned to find Samson slumped over in the chair and snoring.
"Is this what it's like to wait for validation? Ugh. I suddenly feel so bad for making Tommy Stone wait so long."
Fantana approached the night stand next to his bed and plucked something out of the top drawer before walking over to Samson and slapping a Breathe Right strip across his nose. This did little to interrupt the lawyer's slumber. Zack focused in on the camera.
"Maybe I'm overthinking this. See, I never went to my high school reunion. These things just aren't my cup of tea. Spare me the lies and the pretense and the unsolicited pictures of your ugly babies. I'm not interested in finding out how far everyone's waistlines have expanded or whose hairline is receding the fastest. If I wanted to see years of regret and shame manifested in the flesh, I'd just shop at Wal-Mart after midnight. But this reunion is a little different. I can't pretend that I didn't receive the invitation. Attendance is more or less mandatory. This is business. I'll be stepping into the ring with my former tag team partner for the first time in nearly three years.
I'm sure you've noticed my apprehension. Look, it's not so much that I don't want to fight Tommy Stone. When I saw the news that he'd signed with AWE, I was itching for the opportunity to step into the ring once again. I just figured it would be under different circumstances. I wanted it to be... bigger.
There's bound to be ungodly amounts of posturing at a reunion of any fashion. Everybody wants to be the most successful person in the room and nobody wants to be the guy that 'settled'. It's human nature. It could be their expensive car, their fancy house, their smoking hot spouse, but everybody has something to brag about. Me? I have none of that. I've dedicated my entire life to my career. I skipped the trophy wife and now I don't even have the trophy. So yeah, it stings.
As if that wasn't enough to worry about, Tommy Stone is upset that I haven't tweeted about him. I lost everything in the past month - the Alpha Cup, the Resilience Championship, the company - EVERYTHING, and now I have to worry that I haven't given my old tag team partner enough attention? Really?! You really turned out to be pretty high maintenance, Tommy Stone. You sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend, and a clingy one at that. I've gotta say, green isn't really your color. But rest easy, sport, I haven't forgotten about about you. You can stop acting like the guy who's afraid he peaked in high school now. I haven't forgotten about you or the fact that we've squared off a few times in our careers, even if you might have. I could tell you the result of either match, but it doesn't really matter, does it? I'm not here to relive past glories or reminisce about the old days with you. I've got an eye on the future, but you seem awfully wrapped up in the past.
I mean, you can talk about our old tag team all you like and you can pine for the 'old Fantana', whatever that may mean, but you're looking at history with rose-tinted glasses, Stone. I seem to have a different recollection. I guess you could say nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.
Sure, you and I were a dominant force at one time, but we were never a good tag team. Never won gold. We were just two parts of a clique who happened to find individual success around the same time. We never needed one another to achieve what we've achieved, so why, after nearly three years, have all of these insecurities suddenly bubbled to the surface? I've always given you respect and never once tried to undermine your talent to sell my own, but now I have to hear all about how you're the 'point maker'... how you're the guy that's been sent to refine Zack Fantana's game.
Tommy, if you believe for a second that I need you or anybody else to drag me along to greatness, you're out to lunch, old friend.
The fact of the matter is that this match doesn't need to be oversold. You and I both know the wrestling clinic we can put on inside that ring. We don't need the social media hype. We don't even need the title. We just need the opportunity. We've already gotten it - Sunday, February 19th.
Save the date."
As Zack Fantana finished tightening up the knot of his tie, he turned toward his his lawyer who was stuffed awkwardly in the corner of the apartment room in an armchair woefully small for his frame. Until now, the lawyer was sitting quietly holding Zack's AWE briefcase on his lap like a bored husband waiting for his wife to wrap up her shopping at a department store.
"I normally opt for a simple black blazer and a nice pleated khaki--"
"--That's great, Samson."
Zack had suddenly lost interest at 'pleated khaki' (much like many of Samson's dates) and soon found himself using the full length mirror on the wall to comb the hair out of his eyes.
"Is this too formal for a reunion?"
Clearly insulted by the dismissive interruption, Samson grumbled an unintelligible answer under his breath.
"You're probably right. I should keep it cas'."
After adjusting his hair one final time, Fantana quickly returned to his armoire, leaving the lawyer to fiddle with his thumbs. It wasn't terribly long before Zack returned wearing an argyle cardigan and a pair of black slacks.
"Too 'dad', no?"
Samson was completely tuned out at that point and staring at the wall, leaving Zack with no answer. Fantana strolled off the the armoire again but returned even quicker than before, sans sweater and slacks. Instead he was standing bare-chested in wrestling tights, fully decked out in elbow pads, knee pads, and boots. And, of course, lathered up in the essential oils that separated the professional grappler from the amateurs.
"This... this feels right. What do you say, Samson?"
Zack turned to find Samson slumped over in the chair and snoring.
"Is this what it's like to wait for validation? Ugh. I suddenly feel so bad for making Tommy Stone wait so long."
Fantana approached the night stand next to his bed and plucked something out of the top drawer before walking over to Samson and slapping a Breathe Right strip across his nose. This did little to interrupt the lawyer's slumber. Zack focused in on the camera.
"Maybe I'm overthinking this. See, I never went to my high school reunion. These things just aren't my cup of tea. Spare me the lies and the pretense and the unsolicited pictures of your ugly babies. I'm not interested in finding out how far everyone's waistlines have expanded or whose hairline is receding the fastest. If I wanted to see years of regret and shame manifested in the flesh, I'd just shop at Wal-Mart after midnight. But this reunion is a little different. I can't pretend that I didn't receive the invitation. Attendance is more or less mandatory. This is business. I'll be stepping into the ring with my former tag team partner for the first time in nearly three years.
I'm sure you've noticed my apprehension. Look, it's not so much that I don't want to fight Tommy Stone. When I saw the news that he'd signed with AWE, I was itching for the opportunity to step into the ring once again. I just figured it would be under different circumstances. I wanted it to be... bigger.
There's bound to be ungodly amounts of posturing at a reunion of any fashion. Everybody wants to be the most successful person in the room and nobody wants to be the guy that 'settled'. It's human nature. It could be their expensive car, their fancy house, their smoking hot spouse, but everybody has something to brag about. Me? I have none of that. I've dedicated my entire life to my career. I skipped the trophy wife and now I don't even have the trophy. So yeah, it stings.
As if that wasn't enough to worry about, Tommy Stone is upset that I haven't tweeted about him. I lost everything in the past month - the Alpha Cup, the Resilience Championship, the company - EVERYTHING, and now I have to worry that I haven't given my old tag team partner enough attention? Really?! You really turned out to be pretty high maintenance, Tommy Stone. You sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend, and a clingy one at that. I've gotta say, green isn't really your color. But rest easy, sport, I haven't forgotten about about you. You can stop acting like the guy who's afraid he peaked in high school now. I haven't forgotten about you or the fact that we've squared off a few times in our careers, even if you might have. I could tell you the result of either match, but it doesn't really matter, does it? I'm not here to relive past glories or reminisce about the old days with you. I've got an eye on the future, but you seem awfully wrapped up in the past.
I mean, you can talk about our old tag team all you like and you can pine for the 'old Fantana', whatever that may mean, but you're looking at history with rose-tinted glasses, Stone. I seem to have a different recollection. I guess you could say nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.
Sure, you and I were a dominant force at one time, but we were never a good tag team. Never won gold. We were just two parts of a clique who happened to find individual success around the same time. We never needed one another to achieve what we've achieved, so why, after nearly three years, have all of these insecurities suddenly bubbled to the surface? I've always given you respect and never once tried to undermine your talent to sell my own, but now I have to hear all about how you're the 'point maker'... how you're the guy that's been sent to refine Zack Fantana's game.
Tommy, if you believe for a second that I need you or anybody else to drag me along to greatness, you're out to lunch, old friend.
The fact of the matter is that this match doesn't need to be oversold. You and I both know the wrestling clinic we can put on inside that ring. We don't need the social media hype. We don't even need the title. We just need the opportunity. We've already gotten it - Sunday, February 19th.
Save the date."