Going The Distance

It felt good to win another match against a different opponent, and once again the congratulations as I came through the curtain was nice to see and hear as well. Really, the only person I could think about was Lizzie. Like… she really talked some sense into me and it was great. I almost couldn’t wait to thank her, so after feeling the effects of a hard fought match with Chelsea, and a nice shower, I did call Lizzie.



“Hey.”



“New phone, who dis?”



“Dammit, Lizzie. Don’t do that to me.”



“Oh, what’s up, Holly?”



“I won my match.”



“Good job! I knew you could do it.”



“Thanks to you.”



“Yeah, Yeah that’s what I do.”



“I knew you’d like that.”



“ What? Praise? Yes. Yes I do. You can continue if you like.”



“Yeah, probably not right now, I’ve got to go, get back to my hotel and zonk out for a long time.”



“So, you just called me to tell me you won?”



“Yes. And to say thank you.”



“See, this is one of the reasons I like you, Holly.”



“There’s other reasons?”



“Like two, but yeah.”



“Funny. Alright, I gotta go, I’ll talk to you later.”





That’s Lizzie. But she was right and I made a move and it was an important one for me. It was good to have that momentum.



Another comfy Hotel bed and then it was back home.



- - -



I came home to Zeus, who always misses me when I’m gone, and he’s always so excited when I come back. He’s always been so loyal and he always is there to work with me, get me out of bed on days I don’t want to, and everything else a good doggo does. Sometimes he’s a pain, but that’s okay. I’m more than willing to deal with it.



Returning to Pittsburgh around this time is always rough. Thankfully we don’t get as much snow as some places close to use get, but it still sucks to be caught in it. But then again, when I moved away, and I lived in San Diego, where it was constantly 80 degrees and sunny, I missed the snow. I missed the leaves turning colors, I missed the cold chill, I missed Steeler football and Penn State football. Those were good times and I just didn’t have them readily available anymore. So, as much as I’m bitching about the snow now, I did miss not having it around. I never thought I would miss waiting for the damn bus in a snowy windstorm because they wouldn’t cancel school, I did end up missing snow.



Anyway, during the little time off, once I got word of the rumble, it was back to training, back out into the cold and snow, and gingerly jogging and working on my wind. I had to take into account that I could draw an early number and have to wrestle or… fight as it were, for a very long time. Hanging on and surviving being thrown over was also important, so I had to do exercises to improve grip strength. And man, my body hated me. It screamed at me to stop like it always did, but I was pushing it further than I did normally. This was basically training for a marathon. Which I had only previously attempted to do once, and let me tell you I hate running and running for the sake of it is for the birds. I stopped Doing that, because even 13 miles was grueling. I hated feeling my lungs burn and realizing I was only halfway to halfway. I did 6 and a half miles and I wanted to die. So, that was where I was headed.



It wasn’t six miles, it was only 5, but that was it. 5 miles is still a long way, but in between trying to do wind sprints was killing me. My legs burned, the lungs burned. I was going to nearly muscle failure, since, you know, I’d be like one of those old ladies from that old I’ve fallen and I can’t get up commercial! I had to save some energy.





I was focused on just getting better and working out and eating the correct stuff. It was the same training I had always done, but as much as I hated it, I remember that Rich always told me that once you build it, you have to maintain it, because you have to remember how hard you worked to get to this point, and then think about having to do all the work all over again. I was not about to do that, so I kept getting my ass out of bed, even when it hurt to move, and even with Disney plus sitting right there to teasing me and try and make me not actually do what I needed to do. I did it.



There was no doubt that this rumble would be crazy, and I had a bunch of people I had only seen on TV, or actually saw that worked for Pro Wrestling EXCELLENCE that I knew about. Some of these people were complete mysteries to me and I had to make sure that I knew what I needed to know about them. That was another big part of my training was trying to figure out who some of these people were, and their strengths and weaknesses, and anything I could do to get an advantage.





But after 3 weeks, I felt as prepared as I could be. There was only time to rest, and think about what lay ahead. It was important to me to do well, but I knew the odds were long. But not impossible. Things are always possible if you go into things with the mindset that you can do something. And now, thanks to Lizzie of course, I have that mindset. Now, with everything in place, I just have to wait and see where the chips fall.



But I made a promise to myself, that I was going to continue to do something about my situation. And winning this rumble? That… could really help the situation a lot.



Just a few more sleeps.





- - -

Let’s Go.

- - -



Holly:

While it is a giant monkey off my back to finally have another win under my belt, It’s not something I’m going to dwell on. I won against Chelsea Skye and I’m happy about that. It was something that I was looking for and I was hungry for and I went out there and I finally got it. I have to tell you that it felt good, but I don’t want to savor the taste of one victory too long. Even if it was the first one in a long time, some of that was my doing. I was in my own head and I couldn’t get out of my own way. I cost myself because I was going out there and thinking too much. I was out there trying not to mess up, and when you do something like that, when you try not to make a mistake, it’s almost a guarantee that you WILL make a mistake. And that’s what I did. But I, like so many other people in my position, had to learn from my mistakes, and learn to take this stuff one match at a time.





It was helpful advice from my friend Lizzie that really helped me at the last Victory show, so, as I’m sure it will fill her with a lot of…I don’t know, I don’t want to say smugness, but she will most likely pat herself on the back pretty hard by me saying that I am very thankful that she was able to help me, and while Chelsea is new, she did give me all I could handle, and really that’s what I was after, so I’m happy about that and obviously, happy with a win.





But we move past that now, it’s in the rear view mirror. Because coming up, it’s Magnificence. I’m not sure if that is the coolest sounding name for a pay-per-view, supercard, whatever the buzzword is now for this type of show. But, it is a chance, a chance to do something, yet again. Yes, I will continue to follow Lizzie’s advice. Lizzie talked a lot of sense, in her own way, I suppose. The whole reason I was floundering is because of my in-action on a lot of things. I was sitting on the fence, not willing to make a move one way or another. That kind of stuff is why you get frustrated and unmotivated. And I was both. I really was. I was sitting here and trying very hard, but not really wanting to try very hard. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. And then bam, sometimes you need a friend like Lizzie to show you where the heck you are going wrong and just be blunt about it. And before this turns into the Lizzie Jones admiration hour, let me wrap that up. She set me on my path, but it’s up to me to continue to walk down it. And so, I will.





- - -



The Rumble



- - -



Holly:

I’m not sure which of the 500 cliches about rumble matches I should use here. It’s everyone for themselves. No friends, only enemies. It’s one of the most dangerous matches you can ever be in. You have to watch your back at all times. Always keep your head on a swivel. Keep a tight parimenter. You have to throw people over the top rope to the floor. You barely have time to catch your breath before someone else is coming down. And the winner goes on to… Have a championship match of their choosing. I almost said something different, but I caught it there. Anyway, did I use enough of them for everybody to understand the point? Oh wait, I should also mention the luck of the draw. It’s pretty clear that drawing a late number is really good, and also having the last number would be the very best option for anyone and give you the best chance of winning. I think by now, I have most of them covered. I think I hit the quota. So that means I’m winning, right?



I mean, no, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?



Look, I know what I’m up against here, and I’m not going to waste your time, or my times running through the list of people in this match and telling them that they suck and that I am better and I’m going to win the match and throw them over the top rope and drop some cheeky or silly pun about their name or who they are. The fact is, I don’t know a lot of these people in the match. It's an invitation rumble. People are going to be coming from everywhere and that’s just the truth of the whole thing. I know I have long odds, and they are the same as everyone else. Right? We’re all aware of all these things. I know people may even be gunning for me. Or people may be overlooking me because again, my win-loss record isn’t the best thing in the world. And that’s okay with me. People can overlook me, I like being in the mix most of the time. You know, just hanging out, doing my own thing and not bothering anybody, but when it comes to this match, I have to bother a WHOLE LOT of people if I’m going to win. It’s as simple as that. Yes, my work is cut out for me and…



Man, I am dropping every cliche in the book aren’t I? This is getting a bit out of hand. So, let me try and keep that to a minimum.





The point is, no matter when I come into the match, I know it will be tough. But I am confident that no matter where I enter the match, I will have a great shot at winning. Anybody who knows me, knows that I have the stamina if I draw an early number to last until the end. You haven’t seen me blow up, because I keep myself ready at all times for prolonged battles. And this will be prolonged no matter what. I highly doubt the person who comes in number one is going to be just throwing people out left and right, and the whole thing takes 20 minutes. It’s going to be a war, and if I’m in there early, I will be prepared to fight a war all night long.



Again, I’m trying.



But if I have a later number, the odds swing into my favor don’t they? You all have seen me doing some things that I know quite frankly you did not expect me to do. You didn’t think I would press grown ass men over my head, but I did. I did it, and I am proud that I did it. And just think, if I hit the ring and these guys are tired, they’re hurting, sucking wind and trying to call on those reserves to stay in the match, and then, here comes somebody like me. Somebody who you KNOW can get the job done in eliminating you. I’ll be fresh, I’ll be rested, and I’ll still have the stamina on my side. I can do things a lot easier if I am out there later in the match, that most people will not have the energy or drive to do so.





I have made it my goal to be in the best shape, to work the hardest, to try and be the best. People will be bigger, stronger &, faster. That’s just human biology. But while I’m not going to sit here and tell you everybody in the match’s life story, I will tell you one thing that sets me apart from a lot of them.



This is an invitation, and most of these people are not here to try and win. A lot of these people are not part of the PWE roster and actually trying to do something big. Sure, it’s a rumble, you show up, you get the crowd to go “ooh, hey it’s that person!” and they are so excited and they might just tweet about you being in the match. And for a lot of people in this match, that appears to be the goal. Come out, give a good show, but at the end of the day, the result does not matter, if they win, they are happy, if they are eliminated they are happy, because they are not going to show up to Victory after that anyway. They are here, just for this one night, just for this one show, and then? They go on their merry way.



That’s not what happens to me.



And I know, I share the same fate with a lot of the other people in this match who DO work for PWE and will be there at Victory after this Rumble. And there’s going to be a lot of disappointed people looking to rebound, and there will be one, who has gained everything.



But, what I am not hearing, from anyone who is currently signed to PWE, is the sense of pride of representing PWE in this rumble. PWE is hosting this, and everyone seems to be treating this like a normal match, look, I get we’re all-inclusive now, I’m all for that. And I get that we’re all wrestlers, and it’s all one team of people trying to do their best at this job and make it work. But damn guys and girls, How is it going to look if we all just are ho-hum about some other wrestler, who isn’t working for PWE past this show, come in and take a victory and leave us with nothing? Is that really worth it? I’m not here for a good showing and then walking into Victory just hoping to get into a good match. And I really don’t want that feeling, while watching somebody who just rolled out of bed and came to Magnificence and just won a rumble because they happened to sign up and get invited to come to a PWE show and compete. No, for me, this is about making sure that people understand how good the competition in PWE actually is. That should be everyone’s mentality in my opinion. Have some pride in the place you work for. Don’t let some random jerkoff come into this match and just win. No, that’s just unacceptable!



Sorry, maybe I’m getting a little carried away, but it’s the principle of the thing. I take a lot of pride in this being a place that I got my career back on track. They didn’t have to, but they did. And I owe to them, and those who got her where I am, and those of you who support me, to do my best and try to win this damn rumble. It’s just the amount of pride I have, and how much this stuff means to me. It’s not for the paycheck, although that’s nice. It’s about what it could mean in so many other ways, for so many people.



You just have to want it.



When you stop and think about what winning this rumble means, man, it’s a chance of a lifetime. You have a championship match in your back pocket. You get to pick your spot, and call your shot. Crap, I’m slipping back into the mode again. Hang, let me take a breath.



Okay, here we go.



Maybe it sounds like an ego thing, but I just have to say there are already some massive egos in this match, and they all want the same thing, because it’s not only the picking your spot and calling your shot thing, it’s the bragging rights. To say you outlasted all these people and you are at the top, looking down and having the ability to say, forever more, that you did that. But the thing is, all those egos, they’re going to clash. You know some of these folks can’t stand when they aren’t in the spotlight. They want it all, and they want it now. And you know some of these wrestlers will have some fragile egos, because if they don’t win, it becomes a pain that doesn’t go away.





Hell, I’m guilty of it myself. Everyone has an ego, and it hurts more than most things when it gets bruised. And that’s just a bruise. Can you imagine the amount of people who will have their egos absolutely CRUSHED if they don’t walk away with this win? There’s so many massive egos in this match that it’s going to be like… I don’t even know how to compare it really. So many people believing that they are destined to win this match, only for it to fall apart.



But, someone like me? I want those egos to be nice and big. I want them to inflated to the moon and back. Give me all that. Just to see the aftermath, but more importantly, when someone like me wins the match, and those egos are just killed because they overlooked me, or didn’t think I was coming here to win this match and re-take my place at the head of the contenders. They think I fell off, that I don’t care about this because I lost matches. That’s where I have them right where I want them and then, BAM. I make the move of all moves and I walk away the winner and sitting pretty with everything.



It’s people like me, you have to watch out for. Am I an underdog? I think so. Am I a long shot? Probably. But that’s the beauty of this stuff. Even someone like me, can walk into a match like this, and turn everything around. I can get right back to where I was before I slipped up. Yes, I know it’s going to be a long night, it will tough regardless of who’s in the ring with me. I would assume that PWE would only invite the best to take part in this match, so yeah, I know that no matter what happens, everybody who is in this match, will remember they were in a fight. Bodies will be flying everywhere, as everyone tries to stake their claim.



But, I also realize that despite what I said about being in shape, and being strong, that that doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to do anything in this match. The person who wins this match, may not be the best wrestler, the best athlete or anything close to it. No, it just takes someone who is willing to take that extra step, maybe sacrifice just a little bit more than anybody else. I have to tell you I’m hungry for this match, and some of these people aren’t hungry. Some of these people are content with what’s happening. I am NOT one of those people. I want more, this is just another new experience for me. A new challenge.



And I will be ready.



So, I guess now, I can name drop literally everyone in the match and tell you about how I’m going to beat them, I can call people out and make this really spicy.





Or not. I’m not going to do that, because this for me, isn’t about who the other opponents are, because for me, yes, I have a bunch of other wrestlers I’m headed into the ring again, but my main opponent? It is me.



I am my own worst critic, I am hardest on myself, and I treat my body worse than any other person by how much training I do. So there’s no reason for me to be scared or worried and intimidated by what could happen, what could go wrong, or who I may end up in the ring with. That part is the easy part. I have someone in the ring with me, they must be thrown out, overcome and I need to survive. That’s pretty much it.



Once I come back through that curtain, I have to look at the person in the mirror and deal with everything they are going to say about the night. They will point out each and every flaw I have, every mistake I made and how I could have done better. And that’s going to happen, win or lose. The point is to always be getting better, and in order to do that, I have to get my ass up and get into the ring and do it. I will not be holding anything back, there might even be some people in the match I actually like, but you know what, the prize at the end, it’s there for a reason, and it’s a goal for me to rise to claim it.



So, in closing, since I’ve rambled on here for far enough, is that I’m going into this rumble to win, like everyone else. I’ve got all the tool necessary to win this match, much like everyone else. But what I have, they a lot of them don’t, is the passion to actually go out there and do it. It doesn’t matter to me, if I’m in there for over an hour, I can do that. If I’m lucky and have a late draw, I can do that too. My goal is to make sure that everyone who is overlooking me, everyone who is doubting me, and everyone who thinks I’m going to not make an impact…



You will all be proven wrong, one way or another. I’ve been beaten, I’ve been battered, I’ve been dog tired and not have an ounce of energy left, in me before. I’ve been down, but I’ve gotten back up. So if you think this Rumble is going to break me, or not allow me to show you just how good I can be, you have another thing coming. I will show everyone.



I will shine in that rumble at Magnificence. Mark my words.