The Climb

CHAPTER 2: THE CLIMB

The Aftermath...

You want to know something that an athlete can never get used to, that first step into a cold, freezing ice bath. I might take a hundred ice baths a year, maybe more. There might be a different problem that I’m trying to heal. It might be a sore back. It might some tightness in my thighs or my calves. It might just be me needing some relax and restoration. Even though the reason for the ice bath might change, that first step into the icy water remains a shock to system. Tonight is no different. It makes my body lock up. Now, I just have to fight through the initial shock and for a lack of a better term, “break the ice”. Standing two feet in the tub, looking down at the icy relaxation below. I guess there’s no sense in delaying the torture. Now let’s just ease down into the tub. Yep, it still stings, at least I’m sitting in the water now. Damn, this is cold! Just give it a few seconds and the body will adjust to the cold temperature of the water. Yeah, there it is. Now it’s hitting the spot. I guess these are the pleasures of being a wrestler. Having to endure this are every single match.

However, I think I have found something that sucks even more than stepping into an ice bath, losing. I don’t know if it’s because this was my first match or the fact that I didn’t even get pinned. Either way there is a tally in the loss column for Michael Benjamin and I don’t like, not one bit. I thought I was handling myself out there pretty well. Of course, I expected there to be growing pains, I mean it was my first match. I know I may come of as the brash, cocky wrestler but out in that ring, the goosebumps come. My adrenaline is pumping like nothing I ever felt before. I know that I’m doing this to make money but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a competitor, and I want to win. I didn’t realize that it would hurt so much to lose. I think I took for granted exactly what business I was getting myself into. I went out there with a game plan. I wanted to show that I wasn’t a slouch in the ring, and somebody to be taken seriously. Also, I didn’t want to be the one to take the fall. But, when I got out there and the people were chanting and lights were on, I stopped thinking about losing and all I wanted to do was win. I think I actually wanted to be the WWG....

(Before Michael can finish his thought he feels a slap on his shoulder. He turns and looks and it’s his agent Bobby Drake. After turning and looking, he now feels a pain shooting through his shoulder, where Drake slap him. Drake sees the pain on Benjamin face and realizes he made a mistake slapping him on the shoulder.)

BOBBY DRAKE
Oh, my bad man. I didn’t mean to ummm... Yeah, that was a pretty intense match out there. But, you held your own out there man. I’m proud of you.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Proud of me, for what? I lost.

BOBBY DRAKE
No, you didn’t lose. Barney Green was the one who got pinned in that match, not you.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Spare me the detail, all I know is I didn’t win. I didn’t get my hand raised at the end of the match, somebody else did. This Alastair Morrison character, or whatever his name is. Everybody else is just second place.

BOBBY DRAKE
Listen to me, I’m your agent and all I can tell you is what I saw out there and the public is saying.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Oh and what are the people saying, huh?

BOBBY DRAKE
Well for starters there saying you didn’t get your ass kicked out there, like a lot people thought you would. You actually looked good out there, better than you good. You looked like you belonged in that ring with the rest of those guys, who’ve spent years in the business. I’m not just telling you this because I’m your agent. Quite frankly, I was a little skeptical at first. I didn’t know if this whole wrestling thing was going to work out. But you proved me wrong. You proved the world wrong. That’s why I’m proud of you. You went against the grain, and you put everything into this. Even though you didn’t walk out of that ring with with gold over your shoulder. You walked out. You weren’t carried out. You proved that you belong. You proved that this wasn’t a one and done. Now, your ready.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Ready for what?

BOBBY DRAKE
Ready for the climb, my brotha!

MIKE BENJAMIN
The climb, huh? Well, I hope it goes better than tonight did. I mean I went in to the match expecting to go up against seven other people, then somehow that ballooned to nine. I mean really on day one and we already got shenanigans I mean who the hell were those guys out there tonight.

BOBBY DRAKE
I don’t for sure, but from what can gather. There two guys who used to work here a while back, but other than that I don’t know. I don’t know what their intentions were.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Are working for Alastair?

BOBBY DRAKE
Like I said I don’t know what their intentions were or why they were out there. You have to remember, just like you, I’m new to the wrestling business too. I don’t know who’s affiliated with who. I don’t know all of the handshake deals that went on in the past. I apologize for that. You’ll be happy to know that I have a meeting with the new owner or owners of WWG first thing in the morning and I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Believe me, we’re going to get some kind of justice for this, or a lease get our voice heard one way or another.

MIKE BENJAMIN
Well that’s good to know. I guess we both have research to do when it comes to this business. I just want to get back out there. I want to get the taste of this loss out of my mouth as soon as possible.

BOBBY DRAKE
Yeah, I know you want to get right to it but try and take a day or so and let you body heal before you hit training hard. I know your athlete and a competitor, but your also a brand and you need to keep that in mind. You need to keep your body in tip top shape. Neither you or I can afford for you to sustain an injury and be the shelf for months. This was a rough match, and you took some good bumps out there. They knocked you down plenty of times and you kept getting up. So, I know you’re tough. Right now what I need you do is be smart. Be smart with your body.

MIKE BENJAMIN
I hear you, I’m going to sit in this tub and relax, and think about tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll have some film I can watch and see where I went wrong. Then, maybe do another rehab session and go for there. So you don’t have to worry chief. I hear you loud and clear.

___________________________________

REDEMPTION

Sometimes being an athlete is horrible. You get to enjoy some of things that other people can. Because my job is predicated on me being in peak physical condition, I have to cut out a lot things. My diet is kind of crazy. I had to cut a lot drinks that really love. I mean I’m a man of simple taste, I like simple things. I like the things that I can grab and go. When comes to soda I’m more of a Dr. Pepper guy myself. It’s got that sweetest to it, plus the kick. When I’m looking to drink a little alcohol to unwind a bit, my go-to drinks are Tennessee Whiskey when I’m on brown liquor, and Don Julio when I’m filling clear. But All that’s out the window. Now, my life is a blender. Everything I consume seems to have to go into one. Right now, I’m making a Peach Cinnamon Protein Shake. One cup of two percent milk. Two scoops of vanilla flavored Whey protein. One half of a ripe peach. One small container of Greek yogurt. One cup of spinach. Three-fourths of a cup of cinnamon toast crunch. I guess you have to cheat a little. Throw some Ice cubes and listen as the crushing of ice commences. The rattling and shaking going on in this is one little blender is what we athletes live for. The motor just going and going as I look at my watch trying to time it just right, so that the drink is not to thick but not to thin either, but just right in that groove. And STOP! Now, let me just pour this in this cup. This is what I sip on now. This is my buzz now. This is my life.

I’ve been sitting here reviewing this tape of the match I had this past week and it’s kind of disgusting to me really. Even more disgusting than when I have an all green shake. I just look at myself out there and I’m a deer in headlights. I don’t really know what I doing, stumbling and bumbling around the ring. It’s hard to watch. I see myself doing good moves but I don’t have any real plan for what I’m doing. I’m so flustered in the match. Then, I see myself working side by side with Marshall Gates and Alastair Morrison. Then, my feelings go from sick to anger. Why was I helping them? Why didn’t I just attack them? I didn’t see it at the time, but looking at this film I see it so clear. Alastair was using me to do his bidding. He was using me. I was so blind, I didn’t even see it. How could I have been so stupid. Then, here comes the band of merry men, I now know are Ashton Stone and Drake Storm. These two lames run in and ruin any chance I had to become WWG Champion. I never thought that the idea of being WWG Champion would mean as much to me as it does. Now, it’s the only thing on my mind. Now, I’m at the bottom of the mountain and I’m looking up. I’m just praying that I get another chance. Now, all I have to is make the The Clim....

(At that moment Michael hears his phone ringing. He gets up off his couch to go and retrieve his phone which he left on the kitchen counter by the blender. He flips his phone over and the name Bobby is shown on the screen. Michael slides his screen to the right and answers it.)

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
Yo, yo, yo you’re on the mic with Mike, talk to me!

BOBBY DRAKE
Mike my man what’s up, how you doing? You treating your body right?

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
I am drinking on a protein shake as we speak. So, what’s the news, I hope it’s good?

BOBBY DRAKE
As a matter of fact I just got of a meeting the new owners of WWG. I sat down with them and I voiced your frustration, our frustration with everything that went down. They definitely felt our displeasure with the way that things went down. But, they said they can’t reverse the decision that was made and Alastair Morrison is the WWG Champion. I think they just want to save face. It’s their first show and he’s their first champion. I don’t think they want any bad press that would come by stripping their first champion before he even has a chance to defend it. For there point of view it’s not a good look for the brand. However, they did offer you a bit of a consolation prize. A way that you vent your frustration for the world to see. Check this out! This is week live on WWG: Carnage, you, Michael Benjamin will be going one on one, with the WWG Champion! That’s right first time ever, Michael Benjamin versus Alastair Morrison.

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
You know what? I like that. I like that a lot. That’s th e best news I’ve gotten since I left the league.

BOBBY DRAKE
I knew you would. You wanna know how I knew? I knew because you are a fighter, not just a fighter, the fighter. I knew you wouldn’t be scared of a challenge, no matter how big that challenge is, because you’re the fighter. This is your shot. This is your opportunity to show the world what Mike Benjamin is all about. You see last week you gave the people a sneak. You gave a small little sample. Now, the people want more. The people want more Mike Benjamin. That’s what you’re going to give them and that’s what you’re going to give Alastair Morrison. Of course, this week is a non-title match but if you go out there and you beat the WWG Champion that puts you right in the hunt. Listen Mike, your name has been buzzing all day. I’ve been getting calls from various publication that want to talk to you. And I just book you with one called Pro Wrestling Insider, they want to do a story on you next week.

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
Really my name is buzzing. I guess I must be doing something right. What made you choose Pro Wrestling Insider, over the other publications?

BOBBY DRAKE
Well apart from it being very lucrative for the both of us. They also want to put your face on their cover for this month’s issue. Your face in stores around the world, it would be nice to have win under your belt when they read it.

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
You know what that’s awesome man. Thank you man, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.

BOBBY DRAKE
Hey no need to thank me, just doing my job. You keep doing yours and I can see the partnership going a long way brotha. Hey, I gotta go, I’m late for a meeting but I’ll be in touch. You keep doing everything you’re doing and I promise we will see the results in the ring and in our wallets. Peace Brotha!

MICHAEL BENJAMIN
Alright my man, talk to you later!

(End Call)

Well, the pressure for this week just went from zero to a hundred real quick. I know I sounded confident on the phone, but hell what am I supposed to say, I don’t want the match. You damn right I want the match. I want to go up against this guy. I want to see where I stand. It’s obvious to me that management thinks that Alastair Morrison is a better face for this company than me. It’s just up to me to show them that they are wrong. I know the optics look bad for a guy like me. He’s bigger than me. He might be stronger than me. He has the experience and a solid base backing him. But is he fighting for the same thing I’m fighting for. Is he fighting for the opportunity? Is fighting for the money? Is he fight for food? Is he fighting for life? I know I am. This is it for me. I have all of my eggs in this basket. I don’t have plan B. WWG has to work out for me or I’m nowhere, I’m nothing. So, I’m going to sit here on this computer an look for as much information on Alastair Morrison as possible. I want to know everything about him. Because everyone has a weakness and I’m going to find his before we step in that ring. Also, I want to touch up on some new moves, put some new stuff in my arsenal. Some of these guys here have some incredible moves, I’m going to need a new moveset, other than punches and kicks, if I want to stand out. Yeah, Alastair won’t know what hit him, when I step in that ring. This mountain I’m about to tackle is going to be one of the toughest, but for some reason I’m anxious. I want to tackle this beast. I want to make this climb. I want to win. I’m starting to understand why the guys back in the day loved this business so much. I’m starting to love it too. Never thought I would be saying that. Maybe this is the work I was cut out for after all.