Post by Static on Nov 13, 2005 12:34:25 GMT -5
Saturday, November 12, 2005
1:11pm
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Static's apartment is a shithole. It's not the apartment itself or the neighborhood, mind. Rather, the brownstone of this building in downtown Edmonton is gorgeous, with high ceilings and spread-out rooms. It's just that personal maintnance isn't high on Static's list.
His "living room" is a couch, little table, and television. This is buried by a mushroom cloud of a pro-wrestling atom bomb: copies of the Edmonton Sun and Pro Wrestling Illustrated are strewn about the perimeter, lined by faxes and printed e-mails from the NAPW president. The table's covered in wrappers of workout bars and energy supplements, with a set of freeweights underneath. A pair of old wrestling boots with "CONSTANTE" sewn on the sides sit askew, a pizza box and empty Gatorade bottles litter the floor. Crumbs, grime, and an old wrestling mask stick to your feet as you walk across it. The walls are barren except for one corner covered in posters from old pay-per-views that Static was a part of, and other wrestling shows that came through his hometown of Windsor, Ontario. In another corner is his wrestling memorobilia, belts from various promotions, a plaque of achievement, Cactus Jack, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and Art Barr figurines.
Static and "the Mayor" Bill Fleming enter the room with plastic bags in their hands and exhausted expressions on their mugs. This is the first time Fleming's been to the crib, and you can tell by the way that he stares. As Static grabs him a folding chair to sit on, he himself crashes on the floor and reclines on an ottoman. As Static starts going to work on his almond chicken, he knows what Fleming's thinking. This jumbled mess of an apartment makes sense. Static's obviously dense, and this apartment is clearly indictative of that. Actually, it couldn't be further from the truth.
He's discussed it before, even in NAPW, even though he doesn't care to. The game's half physical, half mental. That was one of the last messages taught to him by his mentor and best friend, "Love Machine" Art Barr, before life got too heavy for those shoulders to carry. At that same time, Nirvana's "Unplugged" album came out, expectations were sky high, his girl ran off to Santander with a girlfriend, and Static split from Mexico to California and made east.
STATIC: (in an earlier interview, probably just before NAPW began doing shows) Nobody knew how to play with heads like Art Barr. Mexican wrestling fans are arguably the most passionate in all of pro wrestling, and they despised Art and Eddy Guerrero. They'd come out to the ring waving American flags and shouting stuff about propositions that Congress was considering to keep Mexicans out of the States--who in their right mind would do that kind of (BLEEP) without a security escort? Insane. He was great, he taught me an awful lot.
A diehard NAPW fan might wish that Static would go a little deeper and explain exactly what Art Barr's overdose in 1994 meant to him. Alas, any attempts at finding out are met with a caustic comment and a glare. It is known, however, that his career has seen a lot of ups and downs. Cruiserweight, tag team, and federation championship belts can be seen in his apartment. There's also been documented occasions of Static reduced to extreme desolation, sitting on that very couch and struggling to get up and turn on the television day-to-day. It should be noted that all of his wrestling triumph came with the mask on. There's been nothing documented of him with it off, perhaps not having it on is what reduces him so much...
RAVAGER: (to Joey Malone) Tell Static... that when I rip his mask off, I'm taking his head with it.
FLEMING: (mouthful of egg roll) Hey, Schtatic.
Snap back to reality.
FLEMING: (swallows) He call you back yet?
STATIC: Nope.
Fleming's a different story altogether. Small guy, loved wrestling, similar to Static or D! in those respects, but unlike them, low self-efficacy scale, never was able to say to himself, "me too." Instead, he figured out the next best way to get close to the action, and graduated from the University of Alberta in '04 with a journalism degree. Skips from job to job before finally landing his dream job in NAPW, dreaming of becoming the next Mean Gene. Instead... forearm shivers on a daily basis.
In an interview with Edmonton Sun reporter Megan Adams last week, Fleming was quoted as saying, "I was two weeks into doing the job that I thought I always wanted to do and I was on edge constantly. I couldn't sit still, I always always looking behind me." Of course, when Adams pressed the issue, the interview was ended and she was chided for "having no respect for public officials," but that's a different story.
Fleming's quitting NAPW after Monday Night Fights. Already decided. He's committed to getting Static to the top of the heap, there's no looking back or concern with what Lobo might do just cos Fleming needs a quote. There might be some crazy mindgames thrown in, or a steel chair, but on Fights, these two aren't leaving the arena without a belt. This apartment wouldn't have it any other way.
1:11pm
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Static's apartment is a shithole. It's not the apartment itself or the neighborhood, mind. Rather, the brownstone of this building in downtown Edmonton is gorgeous, with high ceilings and spread-out rooms. It's just that personal maintnance isn't high on Static's list.
His "living room" is a couch, little table, and television. This is buried by a mushroom cloud of a pro-wrestling atom bomb: copies of the Edmonton Sun and Pro Wrestling Illustrated are strewn about the perimeter, lined by faxes and printed e-mails from the NAPW president. The table's covered in wrappers of workout bars and energy supplements, with a set of freeweights underneath. A pair of old wrestling boots with "CONSTANTE" sewn on the sides sit askew, a pizza box and empty Gatorade bottles litter the floor. Crumbs, grime, and an old wrestling mask stick to your feet as you walk across it. The walls are barren except for one corner covered in posters from old pay-per-views that Static was a part of, and other wrestling shows that came through his hometown of Windsor, Ontario. In another corner is his wrestling memorobilia, belts from various promotions, a plaque of achievement, Cactus Jack, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and Art Barr figurines.
Static and "the Mayor" Bill Fleming enter the room with plastic bags in their hands and exhausted expressions on their mugs. This is the first time Fleming's been to the crib, and you can tell by the way that he stares. As Static grabs him a folding chair to sit on, he himself crashes on the floor and reclines on an ottoman. As Static starts going to work on his almond chicken, he knows what Fleming's thinking. This jumbled mess of an apartment makes sense. Static's obviously dense, and this apartment is clearly indictative of that. Actually, it couldn't be further from the truth.
He's discussed it before, even in NAPW, even though he doesn't care to. The game's half physical, half mental. That was one of the last messages taught to him by his mentor and best friend, "Love Machine" Art Barr, before life got too heavy for those shoulders to carry. At that same time, Nirvana's "Unplugged" album came out, expectations were sky high, his girl ran off to Santander with a girlfriend, and Static split from Mexico to California and made east.
STATIC: (in an earlier interview, probably just before NAPW began doing shows) Nobody knew how to play with heads like Art Barr. Mexican wrestling fans are arguably the most passionate in all of pro wrestling, and they despised Art and Eddy Guerrero. They'd come out to the ring waving American flags and shouting stuff about propositions that Congress was considering to keep Mexicans out of the States--who in their right mind would do that kind of (BLEEP) without a security escort? Insane. He was great, he taught me an awful lot.
A diehard NAPW fan might wish that Static would go a little deeper and explain exactly what Art Barr's overdose in 1994 meant to him. Alas, any attempts at finding out are met with a caustic comment and a glare. It is known, however, that his career has seen a lot of ups and downs. Cruiserweight, tag team, and federation championship belts can be seen in his apartment. There's also been documented occasions of Static reduced to extreme desolation, sitting on that very couch and struggling to get up and turn on the television day-to-day. It should be noted that all of his wrestling triumph came with the mask on. There's been nothing documented of him with it off, perhaps not having it on is what reduces him so much...
RAVAGER: (to Joey Malone) Tell Static... that when I rip his mask off, I'm taking his head with it.
FLEMING: (mouthful of egg roll) Hey, Schtatic.
Snap back to reality.
FLEMING: (swallows) He call you back yet?
STATIC: Nope.
Fleming's a different story altogether. Small guy, loved wrestling, similar to Static or D! in those respects, but unlike them, low self-efficacy scale, never was able to say to himself, "me too." Instead, he figured out the next best way to get close to the action, and graduated from the University of Alberta in '04 with a journalism degree. Skips from job to job before finally landing his dream job in NAPW, dreaming of becoming the next Mean Gene. Instead... forearm shivers on a daily basis.
In an interview with Edmonton Sun reporter Megan Adams last week, Fleming was quoted as saying, "I was two weeks into doing the job that I thought I always wanted to do and I was on edge constantly. I couldn't sit still, I always always looking behind me." Of course, when Adams pressed the issue, the interview was ended and she was chided for "having no respect for public officials," but that's a different story.
Fleming's quitting NAPW after Monday Night Fights. Already decided. He's committed to getting Static to the top of the heap, there's no looking back or concern with what Lobo might do just cos Fleming needs a quote. There might be some crazy mindgames thrown in, or a steel chair, but on Fights, these two aren't leaving the arena without a belt. This apartment wouldn't have it any other way.