(US vs. UK) Night Rising: The Thoughts of Two Men

[NightofDay]

Night Rising

Hello everyone and welcome to a special edition of Night Rising. This column will be submitted as a part of the US vs. UK Tournament coming up. I hope to join Joey Shinobi, Mazza, sheepster and two other UKers to take the fight to the US. After all, from viewing the tryout sheets we have more columnists than them anyways.

The Thoughts of Two Men

I clench my teeth as the hot stones begin to seep onto my skin on my back, attempting to soothe the sharp jolts that are regularly sent up from my tailbone all the way up to my neck. As I lie on my bed in searing pain, I wonder how I'll be able to defend my Title tomorrow against Bret "The Hitman" Hart at SummerSlam. My back has been acting up for ages, and as the pain shoots up my spine, I'm struggling to believe that I can make it through tomorrow night's match. I can't help but think that by the end of tomorrow night, my career will be over. As much as I would like to make a comeback, I can't. Not with the condition that my back is in. When I was first told by the doctors that my back was in bad shape and that I would have to retire from wrestling, the first thought that entered my mind was "I'm doing SummerSlam". There has been nothing that's happened since to change my mind from doing my job as a wrestler. It has been bad enough that my back problems have caused me to miss several house shows since the start of August, but because of that I'm depriving the fans of the Intercontinental Champion. And I say that in a non-egotistical way. When they go to a live event, they expect to get a little bang for their buck. Part of that bang is to see the big guys and I, Mr. Perfect, am one of those big guys. As the Intercontinental Champion and a heel Champion at that, it's my job to get the fans in to buy tickets to see me get the shit kicked out of me. When I can't do that, the fans are being ripped off. It's bad enough that Hogan doesn't do live events, but when the only Champions that show up at the show are the Tag Team Champions in the Nasty Boys it's a bit of a disappointment. To make matters worse, I've been told that I'm risking serious injury if I do my match tomorrow night. I've been told by several top doctors that one little mistake could end up with me spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair, and it may cost me my life. Thinking about my wife Leonice, and my four children spending the rest of their days without me in their life had temporarily swayed me in going out to the ring. But then I thought that if I didn't perform at SummerSlam, I would be cheating myself. Not only that but I would be cheating Bret. He's deserved every single bit of the push he's been getting, and it would be a honour to drop the Title to him tomorrow night. Even though Bret says he has no problems with me cancelling the match, I still want to go out there and do what I do best: Wrestle. Fuck the doctors and fuck all that medical bullshit. Come tomorrow night, you're going to look at a damn near cripple put on a match that will be just like every other match: Perfect.

As I continue to sweat all the calories I've gained over the day on the treadmill, my mind keeps brushing through two thoughts. I'm happy that I'm going to win my first singles Title in the WWF but I'm also a little nervous as well. Curt's back has been giving him problems lately and caused him to miss several house shows. It's scary to think about because one misstep and Curt could get up leaving Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair. Part of me is looking toward tomorrow night regardless of the dangerous conditions of this match but my parents, Stu and Helen, will be there as well. I know that they will be so proud to see their son become a Champion in the World's Most Famous Arena, especially my father. My father has always given me some sound advice over my career. One of the first things he said when me and Jim split up was "You're getting your big break now kid. Don't screw this up". With the way I've been rewarded for all my hard work since March, I think he'll be proud of my new accomplishment. My mind keeps going back to Curt however. I know that he has a wife and four kids, and the feeling that Curt could end up leaving in a bodybag is too haunting to think about. I've felt tragedy before, as my brother Dean passed away due to a kidney disease last November, and the pain and suffering my family had to go through is something that I would never wish upon anyone. Knowing Curt and what goes through his mind, I don't think he'll give two hoots about whether or not he lives or dies tomorrow. Paralysis be damned, that'll be Curt's mindset right now. To be honest, as much as becoming Intercontinental Champion tomorrow is sweet, I'll be so glad when it's over so I can put my mind at ease. I turn off the treadmill, and begin to go and do some weights. At this point I notice Curt's wife and children talking to him, there to see what could potentially be his last match. Upon seeing this, I flee to another room, and the tears start flowing. To see Leonice's concerned face and the innocent looks on their children's faces is something that tugged at my heartstrings. Come on Bret, be a man. You can get through this. You and Curt. If Curt can go through his daily routine without any worry whatsoever, why should you be? I dry my tears, and begin to pull on the rowing machine, to keep my arms strong enough for the Sharpshooter finish tomorrow night. Hopefully, everything goes well.

It's over. Not just the match but my career as well. Bret and I had pulled out a great match, and judging from the looks on people's faces they're surprised that it turned out so well considering the poor condition that my back is in. Another sharp jolt of pain shoots up my spine, but I quickly punch it into gear. I walk over to Bret and we begin talking about how the match went. We hugged and Bret thanked me for me helping him get over with the crowd. I'm proud and honoured that my final match is with Bret, because there's nobody else that I'd rather have my final match against. It's all about Bret now. In a few months time most fans will have forgotten about me, and that's OK for me. Unless Vince comes up with a tremendous offer for me to come back and manage, I'm looking to spend some quality time with my family. I look over at Leonice and I think to myself "Damn, I'm one lucky son of a bitch" and then I look at my children and think "Even better". They were worried that something would go wrong, but I persevered. There was one instance during the match though that nearly had me vomit in fear. Me and Bret were fighting on the ropes, and I took a bump to the floor that would've sent shivers down my spine if it wasn't already in pain. The stabbing agony came and stayed for about five minutes afterwards. I was convinced that I was a goner. John checked on me to see if I was alright. Thankfully, we managed to get through the rest of the match without incident. As I leave the arena after the show's end, I notice the entire roster in a line, along with my family. They're clapping and the tears start dripping down my cheeks. The applause really touches me. Even Hogan is there too. He comes up to me and says "Brother, what you did out there tonight was an act of God. You are probably the most gutsiest individual I've ever met brother." His words touched me. I leave the arena, with my family in tow, and leaving a perfect career behind.

As the sweat drips off my body, I clutch probably the most beautiful belt I've ever seen in my grubby little hands. The Intercontinental Title is in my grasp, and everything seems perfect. It feels great to be rewarded for all the hard work I've done. I'm not entirely happy though, because I felt that Curt and I could have done a better match than before. Before his back started flaring up, we were having better matches than tonight on house shows, and considering the condition of his back, it was shorter than I would have liked, but overall it was a great night. I talked to Curt, and I could sense that he was proud of the match too. I don't blame him. This is potentially his last match ever, and I'm honoured that he would put the pain behind him and fulfill his commitments to put me over. Vince said that it's my turn now, to run with the ball so to speak. I respect the heritage of the Intercontinental Title and I feel that to be given it is a sign of trust by Vince and company. As the WWF Intercontinental Champion I made a promise to Vince that no matter what, unless it was extenuating circumstances, I will never miss a show. I talked to Jim, and even though he hasn't had as much success as me since our team split up at WrestleMania VII, he's extremely chuffed to say the least. When he's excited, he strokes his goatee a lot, and he was doing it a lot tonight. My parents are proud as hell too, with my father coming up to me and saying, "You've made an old man proud, son. It's your time to shine now. Make us proud. And most importantly, make Dean proud." No doubt that as I move on in my career, I will always thank Curt Hennig for making me who I am thanks to our match together. The show is over, and everybody's in a good mood because judging from the crowd reactions the show was a rousing success. We notice Curt walking out the door and we all begin to clap this man for risking serious injury tonight. He looked genuinely touched by this show of respect. Curt's the first to leave the arena, and everyone else has left too. I've decided to wait behind and think. I stroll along the hallowed ground of MSG, watching the production crew take apart the ring. I take a look at the ring, then the belt I'm holding in my hands, and I can't help but think to myself, "This is the greatest job in the world".

Farewells

This is the first time that I haven't done the Dark Review since combining the two together, and hopefully it goes over well with the masses. I very much enjoyed doing this column, because my previous attempt that included the Dark Review was too long and went way over the maximum word count. Next time the Dark Review will be back so expect that in a few days.

Until Next Time,
NightofDay

[Martin Riggs]

Poetically thoughtful, and wonderful to see someone 'portray' Bret Hart as something other than a bitter person.

I really enjoyed this, NoDdy, keep it up!

[Mister E]

This was my favourite of your pieces so far. Bret and Mr Perfect had great chemistry in the ring and that match at Summerslam may well have been there best. You looked at it from an angle I never even thought about.

truly a fine read, Eoghan.

[Box Car Rocco]

Brilliant.

I haven't seen any of the Bret/Perfect matches but I've heard of how great they are. You did extremely well here and the lack of the dark review didn't hurt it whatsoever. Like Egohan said this is probably my favourite piece from you.

Good luck in getting into team UK.

[Jason Boy]

Hey Men Even though I am on Team USA, I've got to admit that was pretty damn good

[Leonard]

While I always enjoy your solid reviews, I didn't find myself missing it. And it was refreshing to see someone portray Bret as something besides bitter, as is mostly done with first-person viewpoint columns concerning the Hitman. What comes to mind is the oft-overdone smug Shawn vs. bitter Bret (alliteration...yes!). You didn't do that here, as you told a very nice story about a great match. You, sir, are quite the up-and-comer here. Good luck with the whole tournament thing.

--Leonard

[NightofDay]

JohnnyBoomerang- Poetically wonderful? I don't even know what means. I'll take that as a compliment.

Eoghan- Bret/Perfect was a fantastic match, but I liked their match at King of the Ring 1993 a little bit better. I don't know why, but I just do.

Box Car Rocco- I was worried that it looked a little short, before I remembered the word count of 2500 words max and I calmed down a bit. I'm extremely proud of it because this is the first time I haven't done the Dark Review since combining them together.

Leonard- I think it's totally unfair that Bret is always portrayed as a bitter person. It's like people think he's bitter all the time, when in fact he's actually expressed that if Shawn picks up the phone and calls him, he'll let bygones be bygones.

Thanks to you four for leaving feedback.

[MyLeeCyrus]

Loved it. Really well written, you conveyed the emotion from both perspectives brilliantly, so even though I know nothing about their feud, I still enjoyed it and felt something for both of them.

[Roger Murtaugh]

That's what I love to see, your reviews are good stuff but I like to see you breaking free from your shell, and as a big fan of perspective pieces (who isn't really?) I was digging this from start to finish.

Good luck with the tryouts but I got to imagine you got a pretty good chance of making it.



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Now playing: Cannibal Corpse - Fucked With A Knife
via FoxyTunes

[NightofDay]

MyLeeCyrus- It's good that I managed to enlighten you on what their feud was like. It's an awesome match that I would recommend to any wrestling fan.

Dr. Cockmilkalicious- I've been looking to break out of the shell for a while now and seeing as the US vs. UK tournament was starting I figured now would be the perfect time to break out.

Thanks to you two for leaving feedback.

[Coolio]

Very good, and like people have said its nice to see somebody write a good column about Hart, and the rest of the UK writers have some work to do.

[Vikodin]

You've really nailed the perspective piece style here. I was particularly happy to see Bret Hart portrayed as something other than bitter. Not having ever actually seen a Bret Hart match I can't say just how good this match was but based on your description of it through Bret and Perfect's perspectives I now have the desire to go and watch one of their matches so well done.

Read you next time.