Hard Work

[Keegan Hightower]

???: Kid you gotta work harder! 

Luke Jackson hit the ropes harder as his trainer Ian Windermear watched from the outside. He slammed his hands on the mat as Luke hit the ropes again he stopped and hung his arms over the ropes out of breath. 

Ian Windermear: Kid do you want to be anything in this business or do you just want to whine and complain on twitter? 

Luke Jackson: I… 

Ian Winderear: Save it kid. Look I know your personal life is all in shambles with your dad and you just getting married but kid when you get into this gym you are in my world. 

Luke Jackson: I got it. 

Ian Windermear: You always say that you got it Luke but you never do. You need tough love kid and I haven’t been able to give that to you in sometime because I always tried to coddle you. That has to end I have to make you work harder. I’ve seen you in those matches in FGA and kid you are almost there but you are missing something. 

Luke looks at Ian puzzled a little bit and shrugs his shoulders. 

Luke Jackson: Are you going to tell me or will I have to figure that out by myself? 

Ian Windermear: What fun would it be telling you? 

Ian laughs as he starts to walk away a little bit which prompts Luke to slide out of the ring and slap him on the back. 

Luke Jackson: Ian, I need your help. I mean look my dad isn’t doing well and all I’ve been thinking about is Jules and how I’m just so happy to be with her and all of that. 

Ian puts a hand up stopping Luke from talking he throws his arm around his shoulders and walks with him as he talks. 

Ian Windermear: Like I said Luke that is the problem. It is great that you are married to the love of your life or whatever. It also sucks that your father is sick I have been there and done that but kid you need to let that stuff go for the time you are in the ring. No matter if it be for training or for a match. We all have been there I know I have been but I kept going. Now when I see the stuff you say on twitter it makes me want to come through the computer and slap you. Whining and complaining about losing or whom you have to face isn’t going to help you. Working hard not stopping will make you that much better. Now I get it you are in a big tag team match this week and that is why you called me but kid don’t waste my time. 

Luke Jackson: I’m not… 

Ian stops him again before he gets to his office door. 

Ian Windermear: Luke, you need to be here every day of the week. Starting today going all the way until Friday. Every time I see you thinking or walkover and grab your phone you do pushups. If you don’t hit those ropes hard you do pushups. If you stop you do pushups. You need to be better I see a lot of potential in you. You just need to realize it. Now hit the showers we are done for today. 

Luke Jackson: All I did was hit the ropes Ian. 

Ian Windermear: We start slow when the person I’m training can’t hack it yet. 

Before Luke can say anything Ian closes his door all he can do is shake his head as he walks towards the shower. This isn’t where he wanted to be but this is where he had to be. He had to get better. He had to be stronger and this is the way he had to do it. After his shower he sat on the bench of in the locker room and he looked at the camera and shook his head.  

Luke Jackson: Here we are I guess. Another match and well this time I have someone else on my side that man is Ricky Valero. 

He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.  

Luke Jackson: I need Ricky in this match against Cami and Yun. I’m not sure why I made the choice to walk up to Ricky and ask him if he wanted to be in this tag team tournament with me. We of course have had our problems and we haven’t really worked them out but getting into that ring and trying to team together might help. When I look at Ricky I see a man that wants to help me and maybe that is me being naïve and maybe it is going to bite me in the ass but I have to try it man. If Ricky screws me then it is my fault and I should probably have seen it coming.  

As I look at this match I can see that Ricky wants this as he has just came to FGA man and he wants to prove to people that he is good and that he deserves to be here. He has that chance and he has to take it and well I’m here with him man and I have to help him in that effort. Where he will help me as well or at least I hope he does. Ricky has been through a lot and I know that and well we have been through a lot. I’ve wanted to kill him before and I can safely say that and when I saw that he signed up for the FGA I didn’t know what to think or do. At first I was a little mad and but what happened was the past. With that we grew and we have become better people and we have done a lot more in our lives. Is there still hatred there probably, and that is something that we will have to work on. Like I have started to learn or at least to attempt to learn is that you have to let the personal stuff go sometimes. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much I want to pay him back for what he did. It doesn’t matter we have a goal to work towards and that is oddly enough the Tag Team Titles here in FGA. That is funny within itself how the hell would those titles look on people like Ricky and I. Two men that hated each other a few months ago working towards one goal together. I guess you can never say never man. 

Luke stroked his chin and laughed a little bit as he looked into the camera. 

Luke Jackson: It isn’t going to be easy as we face Yun Goeun and Cami D Magna. Cami has been here for a while and she has never really met the success that she wanted to have. But that never stops her she keeps on working and she will always work hard. Something that you can never give up on man when you look at her you know she is going to give 100% day in and day out. That is something you have to applaud her for. But I will get back to her in a few more moments as I want to talk about Yun first.  

Yun like me is well new to this business. I know what it is like trying to get better, trying anything and everything to make people talk about you. That is what Yun is trying to do and she is also doing something that her parents didn’t want her to do. She was a pop singer and now here she is wrestling and that takes a lot of heart to do that as I was in the same boat. People not wanting me to wrestle and stay home and maybe I should have but I’m doing something that I love now.  

Yun is strong willed like me. We both fight to the last breath even if that is the wrong thing to do man. When I get in that ring I keep going why? Because I need to keep going I need to do that because well what would I be if I didn’t work that hard. Yun has the same feeling man she needs to fight she needs to stay on top of you and if she starts to go down she will keep on fighting because well you need to do that in this business. With Yun you have to watch her kicks, and he stamina. Also on top of that she is agile. She knows how to kick and she will have a marathon match with you and she will not slow down. In tag matches you need that and that is something that you have to watch her with. If Ricky and I get her down and start to work her over it will take more time. Why? Because she doesn’t give up and she doesn’t tire very easy. She is someone that you have to watch and I believe that she will be someone that will keep on fighting and she will become someone that will be big in this company.  

But also she has some weaknesses. She is small but so aren’t I. If this were a singles match we would be very closely matched I believe. But this isn’t this is a tag team match but along with that we have partners that have been in this business for a while. Her size isn’t the only thing she is very inexperienced which well leads to her making mistakes but we all make mistakes don’t we? See even if you are a veteran you make mistakes. I know I make mistakes but it is what you do after them that makes you that much better. So with Yun and myself man it is who makes the least amount of mistakes. Or who makes mistakes and then comes back and fights harder and becomes that much better. Who will be able to do it? Who knows but man I hope I can do it.  

Now as for Cami she has been here for a while like I said man. She knows what it takes to win in that ring and she has felt the sting of losses. The losses have started to change her and all of us have been seeing it man. She has become someone that will blame people for losses. She doesn’t want to admit to the fact that she might not be good enough but then again don’t we all do that. In this tag match won’t the teammate of the person that gets pinned blame that person for losing? It is a human nature type thing to blame people for what went wrong. But then at points you have to start to admit that you are at fault as well. Maybe that is a lesson that I have to take myself. 

He stops and thinks for a little bit then gets up and starts to walk around the locker room. 

Luke Jackson: Cami like her partner doesn’t give up either. She will keep on going she will not stop and that is something you have to keep an eye on. Cami is good even if she hasn’t shown it before. Even if she has been pinned but we all have been pinned before and it sucks. But we have to keep going and we will keep on going no matter what. Cami will do that and Cami might be the wildcard in this match. Because one night she can be that good and then the other she can be bad. What Cami will we see in this match? Who knows but all I know is man that I cannot give up. Yun and Cami won’t and I know that Ricky won’t. All four of us want this but who will get it? 

He reaches for the door and then stops. 

Luke Jackson: I do not want to let Ricky down. I know it is weird for me to say and it might not resonate with him. I need this I need to get a win and continue on this tournament because as all of you know I have started to question myself and my skills. But that is what the FGA does to you it makes you question it makes you wonder. You just have to step your game up and maybe I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. But who knows what will happen in this match. Only one team is going to win only one team is going to be happy at the end of the night and man I will do everything in my body, and in my heart to do it.  

I just hope Ricky is ready, and I hope I didn’t put my trust into the wrong person.  

He smiles and opens the door as he walks out and walks out of the gym.