Success

[Dan Herrera]

”Success is not the key to happiness. 

Happiness is the key to success. 

If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

~Albert Schweitzer~

[ Begin Diary Entry ]

Entry 14: Success
Date: 15SEP16

Dear Loved One,

        I want to take the time to tell you how great it feels when the culmination of your life work takes its physical form. It feels amazing. As I am writing this to you, I am currently the holder of three different tag team championships. I’m the 2CW Texas Tag Team Champion. I’m the WLW Tag Team Champion. And finally, I am the FGA World Tag Team Champion. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that I would hold three different belts at the same time. But right now, after the 2CW show… I am doing just that. And like I said, it feels amazing.

        To put in hard work for years not only as a wrestler but as a man that has promoted wrestling at it’s highest level around the globe, the realization of everything you work for coming together at the same time is the top of this business. Now, we don’t know if you’re going to become a wrestler, and even at the top of my game and peak of excitement I don’t know that it is what I hope for you. But this feeling is not just caged to the world of professional wrestling, loved one. No, it can be felt from the accomplishment of being successful in all walks of life.

        If you become a lawyer, winning the biggest case of your life would be comparable. If you become a doctor, successfully performing a surgery that had never previously been accomplished would be comparable. If you’re a scientist, finding the cure to a disease would be comparable. If you become an engineer, building the world’s longest suspension bridge would be comparable. Hell, let’s be honest… doing any of those things outside the realm of professional wrestling would be even better and more meaningful. Imagine the joy that I feel writing this becoming a three time champion. Now just imagine the great things that you will go on to do in your lifetime. You have great things ahead of you, and just think of how great it will feel once you achieve them.

        It won’t be easy. I know I’ve said this many times before. You will fail. But that’s okay. The most important thing is that you do not give up. I failed plenty in my road to becoming a professional wrestling champion. More times than I care to admit, I looked retirement right in the eyes and let it spit in my face. But even after attempting to retire, the nagging thought of everything that I could become and do pulled me back. And now, I’m right where I want to be. I’m fighting to keep my nameplate strapped to these titles for as long as I can to cement mine and Cordy and Peaches names in the history books as some of the best tag teams that have wrestled in our respective companies.

        But what happens when you reach the top? There’s nowhere else to go right? Well that my friend is a myth. You move on to the next challenge that you want to beat. You look for the next thing that you have never done and you go into it full speed. For me, yes I’m the tag team champion… but as far as singles competition goes. I’m not where I want to be or where I am going yet. For the first time since I returned from my “retirement”, I’ll be fighting in a singles match at the upcoming FGA show. If I were to say I wasn’t nervous, Peaches would laugh me out of our house. I’m a wreck. But that’s because despite the success I’ve had as a tag team wrestler, my next goal is to continue to improve on my singles record. To be seen as good as a singles wrestler as I am as a tag team wrestler.

        I’m put into a great situation too. When I “retired” from Frontier Grappling Arts, I had just been defeated in the Frontier Lions Cup. Taking the loss the Izzy Anders in the 2015 Tournament hit me hard. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career in FGA after that point. It rocked me hard. So after lots of thought, I left FGA thinking I would find my way into another company's front office and go back to what I knew I was good at. But over time, I knew I missed the ring and it was my place to be in it. So I returned to it in Dynamic Duos with Cordelia Stevenson, and as you can tell from above, that was a good move. But now, in my first singles match since I left FGA, I fight the same woman that made me decide to bow out. Call it a chance at redemption, but I plan on making this match with her the time I crawl back not only in tag action but as the singles wrestler that everyone had always known me as.

        Don’t ever give up loved one. You’ll find hardship on your path to success, but in my experience it only makes the arrival at the top all that much more exciting. You’re destined for great things. Do everything in your power to make your dreams happen. And when you reach them… enjoy it. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Signed with Love,

Dan Herrera

[ End Diary Entry ]

---

[ Begin Scene I | Film ]

[ Setting: Local AMC Theatre ]

[ Location: Raleigh, North Carolina ]

[ Cast: Dan Herrera, Peaches ]

(I see a bright light hit the movie screen as someone walks into the theatre that I’ve rented out. I look back and the light blinds me a bit but from the figure I can make out that it’s probably Peaches making her way into the theatre. I hit stop on the remote to the projector that the theatre has provided me and stand up as she walks down the aisle smirking at me.)

Peaches: You needed a theatre for this? You know we have a projector at home right?

(Laughing I point at the screen and then look back at her.)

Dan Herrera: Yeah, but it isn’t THAT big.

(Peaches looks up and sees that there is video of a FGA match up on the screen paused. She puts her hands out.)

Peaches: So what is it that we’re watching here tonight?

Dan Herrera: Nothing that you’d find terribly exciting.

Peaches: Try me.

Dan Herrera: It’s my match with Izzy Anders from the Frontier Lions Cup just about a year ago today.

(She scoffs.)

Peaches: Dan, that was a year ago. A lots happened since then, I doubt that anything you find in this tape will be of much use at Vertigo.

(I rub my forehead, knowing that she’s right, but despite that there may be some use to this video still.)

Dan Herrera: True… BUT… people don’t change that much. What tends to be common for a person to do in the ring doesn’t really change that much over their career. It’s like riding a bicycle. Sure, you may take your hands off the handle bars. You may use your foot as a break. You may stand on the seat with your feet. But the basic way you get the bike moving and keep it in motion doesn’t ever really change.

(Peaches holds her hand on her chin and thinks for a moment.)

Peaches: I see what you’re saying… I think.

Dan Herrera: See, not crazy. I know that this alone will not help me to defeat her this time around. But it will damn sure put me a leg up than I was when I went into that match blind last time around.

Peaches: So what’s the other part to this equation then, if this isn’t it.

(I sit down in my seat putting the remote up to the screen and starting the match back over. I put my feet up and Peaches comes sitting down next to me.)

Dan Herrera: Well I also have some other more recent matches of her from before the kidnapping. I haven’t watched those yet though, they’ll be after I’ve decided to move on past this match.

(Peaches laughs at my last comment before replying.)

Peaches: And how long have you been working on this one? I know you left the house early this morning.

Dan Herrera: Well this is about the fifteenth run through, but I don’t think I’ll need too many more.

(Peaches busts out laughing. She leans over resting her head on my shoulder.)

Peaches: You’re crazy. I’m pretty sure you know enough at this point. Just move on… you’re not getting out of that date you promised me tonight to celebrate our 2CW win.

Dan Herrera: I mean… we DID celebrate A LOT after the match last night.

(I pull out a giant water bottle from the chair on the other side of me from Peaches.)

Dan Herrera: That’s why I brought this today. So I mean, would it be so bad if…

(I look over and see Peaches scowling at me.)

Dan Herrera: Right. We’ll be out of here in time for date night. Don’t worry. So we better get to it.

Peaches: Yeah, you better.

(As the match begins playing, the light in the theatre comes peering back through. I look back and a large group of movie going patrons are filing into my theatre. I stand up looking as about twenty to thirty people begin filing into the seats.)

Dan Herrera: Hey guys, I think you’re in the wrong place. This is a private screening.

Man #1: Said theatre 12 for “Sully” at 1:15 PM.

Dan Herrera: Well that’s this theatre, but I think they may have forgotten to take the showing off since I rented out the theatre.

Man #2: Who cares? We’re all on a teambuilder from work. If it’s wrong, we don’t have time to find another. Then we’d have to go be paid for working instead of goofing off here at the movies. What are we watching?

Dan Herrera: I’m watching old film from my matches to help me prepare for my next one.

Man #1: You an MMA fighter or something?

Dan Herrera: Professional Wrestler actually.

(I can see a few people now trying to peer down into the theatre and see who they are talking to. A few people begin whispering to their neighbors and I’m starting to grow nervous now.)

Man #2: Well if it’s not a problem for you, can we just sit and watch. We’ll not cause any problems.

(I look down at Peaches and she just shrugs at me smiling.)

Peaches: You already know I think you’ve already put in enough work with this. What can it hurt?

(I turn addressing the team from whatever business is fronting the money for this “movie” trip.)

Dan Herrera: Sure, no problem. Just try to keep it down if you can.

Man #2: No problem.

(With that I sit back down starting the match back over so that everyone can see the whole thing. As it plays through, the people behind me cheer during all my high spots. It was actually kind of cool to hear them getting excited about my stuff even though they had never met me before. Maybe they were just trying to ensure they weren’t kicked out, but they seemed pretty into it. But once the match neared it’s end and Izzy hit me with the “Capetown Sunset” as I tried to spear her the group started to boo. I then turned off the tape standing up and turning to address them.)

Man #1: You had that match man.

Man #2: Damn dude, rough ending. Looked like you were about to put her down for the last time.

Dan Herrera: I thought so too. But turned out, it wasn’t meant to be.

Man #2: Well, maybe next time. Guessing you’re treating this film like a football team does their own after a game?

Dan Herrera: Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing. Tune into Frontier Grappling Arts’ Vertigo this Saturday. I intend to come out on top the second go round.

Man #1: We’ll be rooting for you.

Dan Herrera: Thanks.

(I look down at Peaches again and she’s smiling as she grabs my hand and squeezes it. A sense of excitement shoots through me as I press the next button on the remote.)

Dan Herrera: Got a few more matches to watch, you’re welcome to stay.

Man #2: Let’s do it then.

Dan Herrera: Sounds good.

(The scene fades to black…)

[ End Scene I ]

---

[ Begin Promo I | Part Duex ] 

When things are going good, it seems that nothing can go wrong.

Some may look at this match against the returning Izzy Anders as a bad thing for me. I however do not.

Yes, Izzy Anders is returning to the FGA ring after one hellacious last few months. That no doubt in itself will be enough for her to come down to the ring and rip apart anything that’s put into her way. But she wasn’t placed against any newcomer for her to throw hands with and let out her frustration unscathed. No, she was put into a match with me. A match that in no way, shape, or form will be considered a gimme.

If she thinks it is, then she’s got another thing coming. But I have no reason to think that she’d be anything other than ready to for a fight considering the way she had to climb out of a hole at the last minute the last time we met to surprise me and get me down for the three count.

Speaking of that last match between the two of us… did you know that it was the last time I faced off in singles competition here in Frontier Grappling Arts. Yeah, Dan Herrera loses in the Frontier Lions Cup to Izzy Anders and in an unsuspected move, retires from professional wrestling. 

Let’s set the record straight first and foremost here. She didn’t force me to retire. I don’t know that she or anyone else is saying that, but if someone decides to play that rhetoric… well here it is… debunked. No, It had been something that was coming for awhile and her comeback to beat me in that tournament was the straw that broke the camel’s back. A second place finish in the Gold Rush Rumble the PPV before and a first round exit in the Frontier Lions Cup the next one, it was coming. And it did.

But with time away and reflection, I came back with Cordy to form Status Quo. And we all know how that has been going. Despite this hiccup with the Usual Suspects stealing our titles, all has pretty much been bliss since my return. But until this coming Vertigo… there’d been no singles matches. No chances for me to prove once again to myself that beyond the tag team wrestling realm, I’m still the hard fighting, tough nosed son of a bitch that I’ve always been. 

Enter Izzy Anders.

My first singles match since I “retired”, I fight the woman that I lost to the last time around. A perfect setting for the comeback to continue not just in tag team wrestling, but in all around competition in general. This is my shot to continue to build upon what I’ve already built as the FGA Tag Team Champion, WLW Tag Team Champion, and 2CW Texas Tag Team Champion.

This match would have meant a lot to me no matter who I was facing off against. But the fact that in addition to fighting alone for the first time in almost a year, I get a chance at redemption against the very person I last lost too. It’s perfect.

Now I know you’ve been through some scary shit lately Izzy. I won’t pretend to know or understand exactly all the details behind this kidnapping that you had to endure. But I do know one thing, it’s a hell of a thing you coming back from all of that now and facing off with me in an FGA ring this soon. 

The unpredictability that this brings to what you’re going to bring to that ring is a scary concept. Are you the same woman you were before it happened? Will you fight with a renewed vigor and aggression that we’ve never seen before? I’m willing to bet one thing is for sure… I got a bad draw pulling you in your return match to FGA. 

But I don’t say that as an absolute to me thinking that I will lose. Only to the fact that it makes you a wildcard. I’ve studied everything I could get my hands on about you before we go into this match. I’ve got a good handle on the types of things that you are known to do. But all of that is a big question mark when it comes to what you will actually do when we step into that ring. 

You shocked the world at Next Wave when you returned to FGA. You had a lot of choice things to say about the roster. Some true, some not so true. But one thing you said rings in my head heading into our match. You want to take out FGA’s “heroes” one by one. 

Well I guess that I am number one. So the campaign is starting off hot. You say that you’ve faced off against all of us and won. Well, that’s the past. History that’s already written. Despite the fact that you’ve beaten me, it’ll have no bearing on the outcome of this coming match. There’s no tape on my Izzy. There’s nothing you can watch of me in singles competition from the last time we faced. As much as I’m going in blind against you… so are you.

This match will be a show. Despite the fact that it leads off the card, everyone will want to tune in. Because one of two things is bound to happen. You’re bound to prove what you say and begin your systematic takedown of all FGA fans hold dear. Or option B, I pay you back for the win you stole from me in the Frontier Lions Cup last year and pop your wheels off the track of your destruction train.

Get acquainted with option B, because that’s all I’ve thought about since this card came out. I’m sure that seeing my name didn’t bring any special considerations from your side. After all, you beat me once right? But that “Capetown Sunset” at the last minute was all that saved you. And I’ll be ready for it this time around. Have you evolved enough to finish me off a second time?

I’m betting that you haven’t.

And I’ll prove it at Vertigo, when I beat you and continue to move forward just as I have since I returned to this company. 

See you in Broomfield.

Thank You, That is All.

[ End Promo ]