Living In The Shadow | 02.

Living In The Shadow | 02. Jan 13, 2021 23:44:41 GMT -6 Deana Barrows likes this

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Post by Dex Griffin on Jan 13, 2021 23:44:41 GMT -6

Griffin grabs hold of Rodriguez at the top, looking for the Song of the Hunted (Regal-Plex) off the top!! But no, Rodriguez blocks it again... then reverses off the top into The Crash Report (Avalanche DDT)!!!! Both wrestlers are down, with Rodriguez on top... 1... 2... 3!!!!

Minos: Here is your winner... Crash Rodriguez!!

LOCAL GYM | DALLAS, TEXAS | JANUARY 12TH, 2021

The same memory kept playing in Dex’s head over and over and over again. Right now, he’s standing in the ring in a local gym just training. He would blank out for a few seconds and the memory would play again. It was just like one of those dreams or nightmares you have and can’t figure out how to get rid of it. The difference here - this was his reality.

“FUCK!”

His frustration was exactly why he’s been mostly radio silent - not only here, but also his social media. Dex has spent so much time training, so much time focusing on each mistake he makes so that he can come back better next time, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. He lost the Purge Match at Project: Honor - which he was mostly okay with since he did pretty well, he also lost to Drago Santiago in Project: Honor and now he lost to someone he truly thought he had the advantage over.

That’s the beauty of wrestling and he’s starting to understand. You can never truly know how a match is going to go. Every match is going to be different and it’s up to you - the competitor, to pull out all the stops in order to achieve victory. Unfortunately for Dex, that didn’t happen this past week. Every waking moment of the past week he has been in the gym. He eats at the gym, sleeps at the gym, basically spends every second of his life here.

“Let’s go again.”

The camera focuses in, showing Dex in the wrestling ring with another person. Dex grabs a hold of the other person that’s honestly irrelevant to anything and pulls them in for a Spiked Regal-Plex. Song of the Hunted connects and he lifts the leg up for the cover.

“ONE! TWO! THREE!”

Without wasting any time, Dex gets back to his feet and waits as another person steps into the ring. It’s taking longer than it should due to the fact that the unlucky person that was just victim to the Spiked Regal-Plex, lost consciousness. Trainers get them out of the ring and the next person enters. The ref signals them to get started. The person charges at Dex. He pushes his momentum forward and nails him with a Running Yakuza Kick. Dex then pulls the person up and places them on the top rope.

“What are you doing, Dex?”

He climbs up to the top with the person and proceeds to connect the Reverse Spin Scoop Slam off the top rope. Dex calls that move ‘Edge of the World’. Pain took over that person’s body quicker than a blink of an eye. Holding their back and calling for help, Dex simply just stands over them. Before another second could pass, someone started yelling at him.

“Get the fuck out of my gym, right now! Take some time and calm yourself before coming back here.”

If this was a cartoon, you would be able to see the steam fuming out of Dex’s head as he grabbed his stuff and exited the gym. Unfortunately it isn’t, but you can feel his frustration and get a feeling of worry of what’s coming next. The night sky was lit by the stars up until Dex turned on the lights to his car, put it in reverse, then peeled out of the parking lot.

HOTEL ROOM | DALLAS, TEXAS | JANUARY 13TH, 2021

The very next morning was no different. Yet another night of tossing and turning, the same memory on repeat in his head. Dex sits up in the bed and wipes his eyes. He then pulls his hair back and stretches before transitioning to the side of the bed. Today is supposed to be his rest day from training. Instead, he gets up, grabs a yoga mat, and lays it across the floor. Despite the lingering effects of the horrid memory, Dex reaches for a remote that lays on a table nearby and clicks the power button. Soft, relaxing piano music begins to play quickly changing the frustrated look on his face, to a more calm and relaxed one.

During this time, there wasn’t a thought in Dex’s mind besides the feeling of serenity. The calmness that took over his body was more of a threat than the frustration he had just minutes ago. Dex took this time to channel this inner peace he’s found and to continue his relaxation. He hasn’t been able to do this since the day before the loss happened. With his stomach on the ground, Dex pushes up and arches his body so that his legs are almost flat on the ground and his body is curved straight up. He takes a deep breath and releases any frustrated thoughts out. This concluded his relaxation session, so he grabbed the mat, wiped it off, then headed directly to the shower. Dex turns the hot water on and let’s the shower warm up before climbing in and shutting the door behind him.

GCWA ARENA | DALLAS, TEXAS | JANUARY 13TH, 2021

“Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes it's built on catastrophe.” - Sumner Redstone

A single light lit up the ring in the GCWA Arena. Nothing could be seen outside of the ring, but inside of the ring stood Dex Griffin, which was a sight to see. Only wearing a tank top, jeans and tennis shoes, his fully tattooed body shined brighter than the light.

“Failure. A word that many of us fear and want nothing to do with while the rest of us embrace it. Without failure, there’s no room for growth. If you’re not failing, you’ve basically peaked in life. That doesn’t mean you’re succeeding either. You’re just… existing. Failure can be in the form of a simple mistake, failing a task at work, failing your family… etc. The possibilities are endless and that alone strikes fear in people. As a human being on this very planet, we are bound to fail at some point, whether we expect to or not. It’s not failing that’s the issue, it’s embracing the failure and learning from it.”

Dex pulls his long hair back behind him and out of his eyes.

“There’s a fine line between failure and failing. To go through failure, you have just unsuccessfully completed a task. To be failing, you are unsuccessfully completing tasks consecutively and aren’t trying to find a fix. That’s the fine line right there. If you’re failing and continue to do so, that’s just on you at that point. Eventually, you’re going to find a fix to your problems and start succeeding.”

He pauses abruptly and chuckles for a second, pointing directly into the frame.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case for you Atara.”

After a wave of enlightenment hit him, Dex gathers himself together and walks to the ropes just to lean against them.

“I know we don’t formally know each other yet, which will soon change, but I’ve had the luxury of reading up on you. After like five minutes of digging, I gave up… because there wasn’t much there. You’ve been around for over a year now and what do you have to show for it? Shawn Warstein? Doll, you’re living in his shadow. He’s got two belts on him right now and you have never had one? That’s a tough life there. You got the supermodel look and that’s good and all for thirst traps and what-not, but where’s the championship gold so you’re not living in the shadow any longer?

Shawn Warstein is the reason why you’re even here right now and that’s just a fact. I’ve seen him do his thing over in Project: Honor and that’s a sight to behold. You’re a sight to behold also, don’t get me wrong, but that’s all you are. Just another pretty face living in her boyfriend's shadow. Me - on the other hand - I’m a couple matches into my entire career and while it’s been a rocky start, it’s just getting started. I’m only going to get better. And better. And. Better. You will just continue to be fed whatever scraps come your way like a horse eating out of a trough.”

Dex steps away from the ropes and back to the middle of the ring.

“Let me introduce you to The Perfect Disaster.”