Post by Johnny Gillmen on May 1, 2016 4:08:21 GMT
JOHNNY'S LOG
April 29, 2016
April 29, 2016
'Sup dudes and dudettes?!
Well...where should I begin? Oh yeah, last week.
Last time y'all saw me in action, Landon Dalmon somehow managed to cheat his way to a win at my own expense. Granted, it ain't exactly fun when you're the one who gets gipped out of a hard-fought match 'cuz some hot chick was smackin' you around like you were nothin'--much like what happened to me throughout that event. In a manner of general speakin', conventional wisdom would suggest that I'd spew out a bunch of NC-17 rated vocabulary, tellin' the entire world that I was gonna get revene on Mr. Dalmon and hurt him in so many bogus ways.
But that ain't me. That just ain't my style.
In a society in which people cheat each other out of things all the flippin' time, I can't get all miffed over what happened to me. Instead I gotta sit down and keep on pluggin' away 'til I accomplish my ultimate goal in the VWS--to become its World Champion--and this week, I get that chance to stake my claim as the number one challenger for said title when I take part in an over-the-top rope battle royal. As someone who used to be a big fan of the wrestlin' gig before taking part in it myself, I happen to know for a fact that battle royals are quite unpredictable in nature--you can't possibly give a forecast as to what's gonna happen out there when ya got multiple people in one ring at the same time.
But I can give y'all ONE thing that's mighty accurate.
I'm a survivor, even if other people like Landon Dalmon condemn me as bein' honest about sense of respect and humility. I keep goin' at it even when the times get rough or if I get cheated outta somethin' I really wanna have. I'm the torchbearer who brings boatloads of smiles, happiness, and sheer joy to the millions of folks around God's green earth who watch me go to work on a weekly basis. I'm the bringer of hope to those who haven't had any in their lives or who've never ever heard of that word before.
And why I'm I sayin' those things, some might ask?
It's 'cuz I dare to live my life my way--the right way.
It's 'cuz I dare to ply my craft with creativity--yet also with honor and respect.
It's 'cuz I dare to dream.
~~~~~~~~~~
Episode IV
"FASCINATION"
Episode IV
"FASCINATION"
April 29, 2016 - 4:45 PM
Inside Johnny Gillmen's villa...
...we find the graduate of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, sporting his blue Tony Romo jersey and black jean shorts, as he watches some old game shows on the BUZZR channel on his living room TV. Chuckling to himself as he watches the late, great Richard Dawson host an older airing of Family Feud, Johnny relaxes in his black leather recliner while slowly sipping from a glass of green tea.
This was the Islander alum at his most comfortable point in time--relaxed, focused, reflective about the day he had.
On a cloudy and humid late Friday afternoon, the only thing that Gillmen wanted to do was to stay right where he was at, but his TV-watching is short-lived when he wears a knock at the door. Stretching his arms out, Johnny slowly gets up out of his chair and steps toward his entrance; he opens it up, revealing a smiling Helena, wearing a conservative attire.
JOHNNY GILLMEN: Yo Helena!
HELENA: Hi...how was Las Vegas?
JOHNNY: Busy as all-get-out, doin' nothin' else except takin' selfies around screamin' folks...
Johnny allows Helena to step inside; she sets her bookbag down on the couch before taking a seat as the TAMUCC graduate sits back down in the recliner and turning his high-definition TV down to a minimum.
HELENA: Must be very rough.
JOHNNY: It is...actually, I ain't comfy around large crowds of people--makes me very nervous. But I'm tryin' to be. I really am.
HELENA: That's all that matters, right?
Johnny nodded his head as Helena reached into her backpack, pulling out the term paper she had been working on for weeks along with her friend's book on the French Revolution.
JOHNNY: Sweet! That's your term paper for Dr. Sanos, right?
HELENA: Yes...take a good look at it.
Johnny, grinning from ear to ear, peers his eyes upon the 15-page document, gasping as he sees a 92, written in green marker, on the top of the first page.
JOHNNY: Whoa... she gave ya an "A!?"
HELENA: That I did, and when Dr. Sanos asked who would've helped me on a project like this...
"Pfffft...I never got a single 'A' on anything in that class. It was always a 'B,'" Johnny started bellylaughing, for he remembered the torture that the venerable history professor had put him through while he was a student himself. Helena handed him his book back, and Gillmen set it off to the side on the oak coffee table. The German's wide, yet humble smile was evident.
HELENA: I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. Really, I can't...
Johnny humbly nodded his head as Helena moved to the end of the couch that was closest to the recliner, causing him to perk up his brows.
JOHNNY: Like I've always said, I always want the history majors who come after me to succeed--
HELENA: (interrupting) –just like you did, right?
The two giggled.
HELENA: Listen, I fully understand that our schedules can be quite busy at times, but I was wondering...if I could ask you out for dinner.
"No way," Gillmen thought. Nobody from the opposite sex had asked him out for dinner in years, and so Johnny developed a sly, sheepish, almost embarrassed expression on his face.
JOHNNY: You're takin' me on a date...like, a "real" date?
HELENA: It's...the least I can do.
JOHNNY: You're takin' me on a date...?!
Helena batted both of her eyelashes, winking twice, which flattered the ex-Islander student even further.
HELENA: ...yes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Like I said, battle royals aren't exactly fun to predict a winner.
To be perfectly fair, chuckin' dudes over the top rope and onto the floor ain't that simple. Ya gotta be ready and willin' to take on all comers--many of whom vary greatly in terms of height and weight. Yet while I've only gotten a small glimpse of the majority of folks are in this contest of skill with me and, as a conseuqence, know very little about them, there's one man in this match that I do know very well.
Duke Andrews, my friend...you've been in VWS since the very beginnin'; in fact, you were one of my first opponents in that five-way at March Madness. Last time you and I met, it was a one-on-one contest that, althought ya fought heroically, in the end you pressed your luck, hit a Whammy, and suffered a major wipeout. Yet I've been hearin' through the grapevine that ya haven't exactly been feelin' well these days and, thus, wasn't fully at a hundred percent. Despite this, however, I respect the livin' snot outta ya--ya keep on workin', even if you ain't exactly in tip-top condition. It's a very admirable trait for someone to keep on goin' strong even if your body doesn't wanna cooperate with ya, and for that...I salute ya.
But that's where the praise is gonna end.
Now the stakes are at its highest buddy...and I hate bein' blunt with people, but I STRONGLY urge ya to find someway to get back into the peak shape that you were once in. Otherwise, you're gonna be ripe for the pickin's when ya get thrown outta the ring, leavin' you with nothin' in your mind except the feelin' of disappointment that ya weren't strong enough in the frame to survive in a match where everyone and anyone's out to get ya. With that outta the way...I can truly sail into the unknown and try to get a sense of the other dudes I'm facin' out there.
Justin Harmony, I understand where you're comin' from. You're quite a confident who's got a ton of speed and agility--just like me. Ya like doin' stuff that you consider as "creative"--and to be very fair and balanced, I'd say we share those same qualities. We go out there, do what we gotta do, and pull rabbits outta our proverbial butts in order to succeed in a place like the Valentine Wrestling Syndicate. But for all the good qualities that you and I share...there's two things that I can't stand with a passion--the things in which if I were to allow 'em to control me, my mother would be rollin' in her grave.
I'm talkin' about ego...and arrogance.
Despite the cruel nature of a battle royal, ya gotta be ready and willin' to set aside your ego and keep on toilin' away until you succeed. Ya can't be playin' around out there in that ring--otherwise you're gonna be in for a VERY, VERY long night. Ya can't cheat your way to a victory either--ya gotta have the heart and the desire to step into that squared circle and give me--and your other opponents--everything you can muster. When it's all said and done, you just gotta be yourself and stop pretendin' to be somebody you're not.
Mike Bradley, much like Mr. Harmony...you've got a lot of the same "good" qualities as me and him, so there's no sense in goin' over the same ol' shindig. Yet there is one glarin' exception...you're a tag team specialist, often teamin' with Dnielle in competition from time to time. I will admit that you, like myself, were a victim of Landon Dalmon's bogusly uncool games, and my heart breaks for ya 'cuz ya got gipped out of a hard-worked bout. People might tell ya that it's better to be lucky in that ring than good...but that's where they're mistaken.
In fact, I call it "B.S."--bent outta shape...
...or manure or some other reasonable facsimile.
Make no mistake about it Mr. Bradley...buddy, as hard as it is for you to accept it, this AIN'T no tag team matchup. It's a battle royal, where every man has to survive on their own. Ya can't rely on a tag-team partner to help you succeed, for in a nutshell, nobody will be there to help you. In fact, you're stumblin' into a match in which EVERYONE will eat you alive--includin' people who are, quite frankly, stronger and more beefier than you'll ever realize. As Mr. Spock would say, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one," but in an event of this scope and size Mr. Bradley, Captain Kirk's axiom is more important--for indeed, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. If ya don't follow that latter saying to the letter...chances are, you're gonna be feelin' quite miserable when the world jumps up and bites ya in the bum.
Jimmy Wicked...wow! I heard you looked quite impressive in that trips match last week, but unfortunately I didn't get to see ya in action on the monitor as the feed was havin' some tech borks. Regardless of that, you still went out there and beat two equally worthy opponents. And why's that? Well...in many ways, you're fearless, always lookin' to take that chance. You're optimistic, always lookin' forward to the future. You're very balanced, very well-grounded in all aspects of wrestlin.' In a perfect world, you would generally come out on top of any matchup that is presented to ya--thus makin' you a BIG star in a cutthroat sport where the testosterone flies uncontrollably.
Except there's one minor problem...the world AIN'T perfect.
My mother used to always tell me that while it's okay to be fearless, optimistic, or balanced...ya gotta be those things within a sense of reason. Ya see Mr. Wicked, ya can't afford to look too far ahead of the battle royal and a future VWS World title shot--otherwise, you're gonna have your hopes dashed faster than you can say Plinko. Ya can't take risks all the time in a match of this nature--for when you gamble, ya gotta be ready and willin' to lose and lose BIG, just like the millions of dudes or dudettes, myself included, who spend money on a Powerball ticket only to get no numbers right. You have to be able to adapt your game to anyone--includin' the 300-plus pound behemoths that you'll likely have to face as the weeks pass--otherwise...welp, the entire VWS is gonna eat you alive for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Amok...before I can start with the "runnin' amok" puns that most people would spew out, lemme get a few things off my shoulders. First off, I saw your interview last week. Ya seem to be quite the confident guy, wantin' the chance to try for this grand company's biggest prize at such an early stage. Confidence is a good thing to have in an industry like professional wrestlin', a realm in which the competition will most certainly step up their game at a moment's notice and carve you into shreds in a heartbeat. For a 270-pounder, you appear to be quite agile and won't hesitate to use any means at your disposal to win.
But if there's one thing you lack, it's respect--for yourself and from your peers.
I've been a part of the wrestlin' business for six years, and if there's one thing--one singular thing--that I know for a fact, it's that ya gotta go out there and EARN everything. With that said, it's very presumptuous of you to take a microphone, run amok, and demand a shot at the VWS World title without workin' a single match, without doin' so much as earnin' respect from the people around ya. I might've worked my butt off in several different promotions prior to joinin' the Syndicate, and I've earned everything that I've won. Never did I demand a shot at the top prize without doin' so much as goin' out there and makin' a name for myself, and quite frankly good sir...you won't be runnin' Amok in VWS unless you step inside that ring and prove to the entire planet that you are worthy of a shot at the biggest trophy this organization has to offer.
Look at me...I ain't backin' down from nothin'. I ain't gonna let myself look too far into the future. I'm gonna focus on the here and now--winnin' this battle royal and gettin' the chance to etch my name into the annals of wrestlin' history for all time.
See y'all Sunday dudes--keep on dreamin'.
To be perfectly fair, chuckin' dudes over the top rope and onto the floor ain't that simple. Ya gotta be ready and willin' to take on all comers--many of whom vary greatly in terms of height and weight. Yet while I've only gotten a small glimpse of the majority of folks are in this contest of skill with me and, as a conseuqence, know very little about them, there's one man in this match that I do know very well.
Duke Andrews, my friend...you've been in VWS since the very beginnin'; in fact, you were one of my first opponents in that five-way at March Madness. Last time you and I met, it was a one-on-one contest that, althought ya fought heroically, in the end you pressed your luck, hit a Whammy, and suffered a major wipeout. Yet I've been hearin' through the grapevine that ya haven't exactly been feelin' well these days and, thus, wasn't fully at a hundred percent. Despite this, however, I respect the livin' snot outta ya--ya keep on workin', even if you ain't exactly in tip-top condition. It's a very admirable trait for someone to keep on goin' strong even if your body doesn't wanna cooperate with ya, and for that...I salute ya.
But that's where the praise is gonna end.
Now the stakes are at its highest buddy...and I hate bein' blunt with people, but I STRONGLY urge ya to find someway to get back into the peak shape that you were once in. Otherwise, you're gonna be ripe for the pickin's when ya get thrown outta the ring, leavin' you with nothin' in your mind except the feelin' of disappointment that ya weren't strong enough in the frame to survive in a match where everyone and anyone's out to get ya. With that outta the way...I can truly sail into the unknown and try to get a sense of the other dudes I'm facin' out there.
Justin Harmony, I understand where you're comin' from. You're quite a confident who's got a ton of speed and agility--just like me. Ya like doin' stuff that you consider as "creative"--and to be very fair and balanced, I'd say we share those same qualities. We go out there, do what we gotta do, and pull rabbits outta our proverbial butts in order to succeed in a place like the Valentine Wrestling Syndicate. But for all the good qualities that you and I share...there's two things that I can't stand with a passion--the things in which if I were to allow 'em to control me, my mother would be rollin' in her grave.
I'm talkin' about ego...and arrogance.
Despite the cruel nature of a battle royal, ya gotta be ready and willin' to set aside your ego and keep on toilin' away until you succeed. Ya can't be playin' around out there in that ring--otherwise you're gonna be in for a VERY, VERY long night. Ya can't cheat your way to a victory either--ya gotta have the heart and the desire to step into that squared circle and give me--and your other opponents--everything you can muster. When it's all said and done, you just gotta be yourself and stop pretendin' to be somebody you're not.
Mike Bradley, much like Mr. Harmony...you've got a lot of the same "good" qualities as me and him, so there's no sense in goin' over the same ol' shindig. Yet there is one glarin' exception...you're a tag team specialist, often teamin' with Dnielle in competition from time to time. I will admit that you, like myself, were a victim of Landon Dalmon's bogusly uncool games, and my heart breaks for ya 'cuz ya got gipped out of a hard-worked bout. People might tell ya that it's better to be lucky in that ring than good...but that's where they're mistaken.
In fact, I call it "B.S."--bent outta shape...
...or manure or some other reasonable facsimile.
Make no mistake about it Mr. Bradley...buddy, as hard as it is for you to accept it, this AIN'T no tag team matchup. It's a battle royal, where every man has to survive on their own. Ya can't rely on a tag-team partner to help you succeed, for in a nutshell, nobody will be there to help you. In fact, you're stumblin' into a match in which EVERYONE will eat you alive--includin' people who are, quite frankly, stronger and more beefier than you'll ever realize. As Mr. Spock would say, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one," but in an event of this scope and size Mr. Bradley, Captain Kirk's axiom is more important--for indeed, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. If ya don't follow that latter saying to the letter...chances are, you're gonna be feelin' quite miserable when the world jumps up and bites ya in the bum.
Jimmy Wicked...wow! I heard you looked quite impressive in that trips match last week, but unfortunately I didn't get to see ya in action on the monitor as the feed was havin' some tech borks. Regardless of that, you still went out there and beat two equally worthy opponents. And why's that? Well...in many ways, you're fearless, always lookin' to take that chance. You're optimistic, always lookin' forward to the future. You're very balanced, very well-grounded in all aspects of wrestlin.' In a perfect world, you would generally come out on top of any matchup that is presented to ya--thus makin' you a BIG star in a cutthroat sport where the testosterone flies uncontrollably.
Except there's one minor problem...the world AIN'T perfect.
My mother used to always tell me that while it's okay to be fearless, optimistic, or balanced...ya gotta be those things within a sense of reason. Ya see Mr. Wicked, ya can't afford to look too far ahead of the battle royal and a future VWS World title shot--otherwise, you're gonna have your hopes dashed faster than you can say Plinko. Ya can't take risks all the time in a match of this nature--for when you gamble, ya gotta be ready and willin' to lose and lose BIG, just like the millions of dudes or dudettes, myself included, who spend money on a Powerball ticket only to get no numbers right. You have to be able to adapt your game to anyone--includin' the 300-plus pound behemoths that you'll likely have to face as the weeks pass--otherwise...welp, the entire VWS is gonna eat you alive for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Amok...before I can start with the "runnin' amok" puns that most people would spew out, lemme get a few things off my shoulders. First off, I saw your interview last week. Ya seem to be quite the confident guy, wantin' the chance to try for this grand company's biggest prize at such an early stage. Confidence is a good thing to have in an industry like professional wrestlin', a realm in which the competition will most certainly step up their game at a moment's notice and carve you into shreds in a heartbeat. For a 270-pounder, you appear to be quite agile and won't hesitate to use any means at your disposal to win.
But if there's one thing you lack, it's respect--for yourself and from your peers.
I've been a part of the wrestlin' business for six years, and if there's one thing--one singular thing--that I know for a fact, it's that ya gotta go out there and EARN everything. With that said, it's very presumptuous of you to take a microphone, run amok, and demand a shot at the VWS World title without workin' a single match, without doin' so much as earnin' respect from the people around ya. I might've worked my butt off in several different promotions prior to joinin' the Syndicate, and I've earned everything that I've won. Never did I demand a shot at the top prize without doin' so much as goin' out there and makin' a name for myself, and quite frankly good sir...you won't be runnin' Amok in VWS unless you step inside that ring and prove to the entire planet that you are worthy of a shot at the biggest trophy this organization has to offer.
Look at me...I ain't backin' down from nothin'. I ain't gonna let myself look too far into the future. I'm gonna focus on the here and now--winnin' this battle royal and gettin' the chance to etch my name into the annals of wrestlin' history for all time.
See y'all Sunday dudes--keep on dreamin'.
~~~~~~~~~
5:00 PM
Inside Bellino's Italian Restaurant...
...we find Johnny and Helena as they sit across from each other inside the long-established Italian restaurant. While the German student enjoys some chicken pizziola and garlic knots, her friend is quietly munching on a five-meat stromboli.
HELENA: How is it—your stromboli?
JOHNNY: I love stromboli—used to get it all the time back home, at a place called Sam's Pizza, Pasta, and Subs.
Helena smiled as she took a sip from her glass of unsweet tea; meanwhile, Johnny reached into his pocket and pulled out two small photographs.
JOHNNY: I wanna show ya somethin'.
Gillmen quietly handed the pictures to his date--the first of which featured Johnny at an early age, sitting next to his mother Linda. The photo is marked "4-7-1984."
HELENA: Is that really you?
JOHNNY: Yeah, that was me when I was a l'il bitty kid—around age two.
HELENA: And the woman whose lap you're sitting on—that's your mother, right?
Johnny sighed, nodding his head. This was the first time he had opened up to anyone--other than his family--about his mother's passing due to breast cancer in May 2014. It was painful for him, her death still fresh on his mind even as time marched on, yet despite this he shouldered on.
JOHNNY: It's been almost two years since she passed...and I still keep askin' myself “why.” I have nights where I don't sleep well, if not at all. When I do sleep, she always pops into my dreams...makin' me think that somehow, someway the cancer would be gone and she'd still be alive. Yet I realize that things just don't work that way...
The brunette woman wanted to give her friend a giant hug--even in a public establishment like Bellino's--but instead she placed her right hand on Johnny's left wrist, sotthing him as he took a drink from his Pepsi.
HELENA: I never realized she meant so much to you.
JOHNNY: My mom was the primary reason why I love doin' what I'm doin' for a livin'. When I was a kid, Saturdays would be spent watchin' the cartoon blocks on Channels 4 and 8 back in Dallas, but wrestlin' fandom was big in our family. Used to go to the old Dallas Sportatorium, watch the matches...
Helena gazes her eyes upon the second picture. This one features Johnny standing proudly next to a very famous wrestler, but it has no date on it.
HELENA: That's you?
The Islander alum nodded quietly.
HELENA: Who's the wrestler standing next to you?
JOHNNY: Can't remember his name...but I still remember those days mom and I would spend together like they happened yesterday. I just...I haven't been able to let go of the fact that she's gone.
The German began to understand why Johnny Gillmen was the way he was--a man who hasn't been fully able to comprehend the fact that his mother was no longer with him on this earth. Yet she knew right away that Gillmen was, for all intensive purposes, a very proud and humble man whose family has fallen apart in recent years. The two slowly clasped their hands together as a waiter stepped to the table to take their dessert orders.
On this night, Johnny Gillmen and Helena had started to blossom.
And the Islander alum couldn't have wanted it any other way.
~TO BE CONTINUED~
