Victory - "Know Thy Enemy"

Only one chance to make a first impression.

Aside from appearances for SWWS and Pro Wrestling RUSH, he was a ghost. A relic of professional wrestling’s past. Whether he was embroiled in controversy or relegated to injury reserve, Colton Saint was far from an active competitor where so many others had flourished. It took signing with Pro Wrestling Excellence to bring him out of his comfort zone of sitting at home or doing occasional mandated commercials for the State of Nevada to avoid conviction. Hard asses these days. Maybe it was best to expand the horizons like Colton did, yet here we are.

Minutes after landing at Orlando International, the family made their way through the terminal. Colton, carrying two heavy bags while his wife Emiko pushed a stroller with Kenji and Maya, felt a few eyes on him. He didn’t know what to make of the attention, given the intentions of the trip to Orlando in general. To return to the ring at Victory was incredibly important to him, but even he didn’t know what to expect as he was set to kick off the event in triple threat action.

Colton Saint: “Orlando has always held a special place in my heart. I wouldn’t be in the minority by saying that every kid growing up wanted to go to Disneyworld. To see Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, you would think about how this larger than life park could encapsulate so many memories. I haven’t been here since we got married, but trust me, I’m ready. We’re hitting up the House of Blues for an event that will be larger than life that night.”

Emiko: “Are you seriously filming this right now?”

He glanced over at his wife while struggling to juggle the two bags with his cell phone that was aimed right at him in selfie mode. To him, this was one of those special moments. It was a second chance for him in pro wrestling and he had no intentions of making this thing private.

Colton Saint: “Why wouldn’t I? You know how long it’s been since we’ve been here? We always kept saying ‘Let’s go back to Orlando, we can bring the family and have an awesome time.’ Here we are, let’s have an awesome time.

A quick eye roll from his wife said it all. She enjoyed a private life far more than he did. She wanted to keep things local, he wanted to hit the town. He was going to enjoy this moment. Back to the camera he went.

Colton Saint: “Long flight from Santa Monica. We got our directions from the wonderful people at PWE as to where the hotel is and all that stuff. This weekend is going to be one of the biggest nights of my life, I can feel it. Triple Threat Match, we got Kevin Hunter and Moniker. I don’t even know these guys! That’s how out of the loop I have been when it comes to pro wrestling, not many familiar faces but damn if we’re not going to rip the roof off for the world to see. A newcomer showcase and let’s be honest here, any one of the three of us need this win. Lose the match and you’re that much more behind.”

Emiko: “You lose almost every debut match you have. Isn’t that kind of your speciality? Lose the first couple, then eventually get somewhere?”

Colton Saint: “Key word, almost. I went to Wrestleworld and went something like 21-2, won that debut. Other places, not so much. Lose in the debut match, try to work back in. This is my chance to TRY and replicate the success I had there. I may have been a part time guy for the last two years, but I know the one fundamental thing about pro wrestling that has always stood true. Win Good. Lose Bad. I don’t want to lose. Kevin Hunter doesn’t want to lose. Moniker doesn’t want to lose. At least, I assume they don’t. I don’t know you guys very well, but maybe you can tell me AFTER the match if you enjoyed losing or not. It’d be easier to lose than win, right? You literally can just lay on the mat and lose a match. To win, though.. I don’t know guys, seems a little tougher to me.”

That was a true enigma. Of course, had it not been for the OVERWHELMING support of his wife, he wouldn’t have thought about losing the match to begin with. Now, there were doubts, but he tried to shake his head clear of those negative vibes.

Colton Saint: “I guess it would be a bad look to lose this one. A lot of people don’t really know the road I took to get back to this point. Whether it was three surgeries to repair my shoulder, a nearly crushed trachea from getting a Full Nelson from basically a Human Mountain, I had to make it happen. All of those moments are what makes this match even more important to me. Why deny the opportunity to get back out there and show the world that finally I can do this at a level that I feel I deserve to be at. You can only wait on the sidelines so long. This is the chance and I barely even know the people I’m facing. Barely know the fans in Orlando. Barely know the company. Still, in spite of those things, I’m ready to step out into the fire.”

Finally, he was able to take a seat outside of the airport. Once the bags were set down, he was finally able to stabilize the camera to his liking. Emiko sat at a distance from him, checking on the children. They were surprisingly quiet, having worn themselves out from the long flight. No ear piercing screaming, always a win with that.

Colton Saint: “So, I guess this gets to that strange point where I doubt myself a little more. A little question to be asked as I reflect on what’s going to happen at Victory. When I was given the marching orders by Charlie Jones, I did think about my opposition. Rather than knowing exactly what I was up against, I played the match out in my mind. I know, that sounds cliche, but think about it. If I don’t know what to expect from these guys, I’ll already assume that they are these incredible, unbeatable opponents. Moniker. Look, the only thing I thought as I closed my eyes to think about this match was this 7’5”, 450lb guy who wants to rip my face off and wear it so he can use me as his next Moniker. Honestly dude, that’s kind of creepy. Why would you want to do that? I also thought of possibly a fantastic dancer. I like that. A man that can dance in the ring and NOT wear someone else’s face, that would be incredible. So, let’s assume the best for you and believe that you are the Baryshnikov of PWE. Oh man, those dance moves, NOT to mention wearing a mask or something. A big 7’5” guy twirling around, the ladies must love it. I know I do, and I haven’t even met you yet. Dude, you’re fantastic. You’re a dude, right? Moniker could be a name for a female wrestler too. I’m not sure where to even go with this, but I believe that any masked 7’5” dancer could be a major threat to me this weekend.”

Emiko: “What?”

Colton Saint: “Hmm? What’s up?”

Emiko: “You didn’t do ANY homework on these guys, did you?”

Colton Saint: “No, I didn’t. Look, the thing is, what had happened was.. Okay, I got booked for the match, we got our tickets and here we are. IT HAPPENED SO FAST!!”

Needless to say, Emiko was not impressed. She glared at her husband without an ounce of humor in her eyes.

Emiko: “Okay, I’m just going to make this easy for you. You’re in there with Kevin Hunter, who is a WELL KNOWN Wrestler. He’s psycho. He thinks he’s the devil or whatever, but that’s not the point. He’s been the Champion in quite a few places and you didn’t even take the time to watch one match of his. Instead, you closed your eyes and used your imagination to see how the match would go. What in the world, Colton? You’re not even trying to prepare for the match!”

Colton Saint: “Okay, fine. I don’t know these guys. I do know something of importance though that people might want to consider before assuming that I’m going to crap the bed in this match. You know what that is? Hmm? Little expert lady?”

She was getting on his nerves..

Colton Saint: “Knowing the names of every professional wrestler doesn’t mean you’ll have a great match with them. You could know this person like the back of your hand and they’ll steamroll you because you thought you knew them. I don’t know the backstory to a psycho guy, I admittedly don’t watch much wrestling anymore so I don’t know who half these guys are. What I do know is how I’ve done in the ring at House of Paine, trying to get better so I don’t go out there and make myself look like a complete idiot. It wouldn’t be hard to look like one, especially with the ring rust that I have. I made a joke about Moniker, yes. I don’t know Moniker, but I envision someone who is bigger than me because then I see them as a threat. I think of Kevin Hunter as a guy who is a wrestler, who I see as a threat because he probably is a better technical wrestler than I am. I’m pretty bad at it, but I know how to use my fists and I know how to throw people far and wide. Yeah, I may not be mentally ready for this match, but damn it I have to make sure this moment counts. Now, can I go back to being silly and make this entertaining?”

Emiko’s glare continued for the moment. Seeing the frustration in his eyes, though, she looked down and nodded. He mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to her before moving on.

Colton Saint: “It’s been a journey to get back to Orlando. PWE has given me the chance and I’m going to make the most of it. By that, I mean I’m going to gauge how I do in this contest to see if I am capable of being a guy I should be. Now, with that said. I see what Kevin Hunter can do since I was told how great he was, but I’m still not sure on Moniker. Whether or not he’s the world's greatest giant dancer, he’s still my opponent and still somebody I have to contend with. I’ve been through enough giants to know that they can be taken down, but it takes iron will. Will that I have. Will that I can never give up. The House of Blues will see great professional wrestling this weekend. PWE will put on a hell of a show, but I am making a bold promise to everyone. What you get out of me when I take on Moniker and Kevin Hunter will be simple and to the point… I WILL give it everything I have and I WILL come away with victory. See you soon, guys.”

His debut match would be something to remember in PWE. He knew in his heart that he could defeat the likes of Moniker and Kevin Hunter, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task. A Newcomer’s Contest was the perfect way to create that first impression to the PWE faithful and he had every intention of making the moment count. Tune in this weekend to hopefully see the grandest ass kicking by the former Last Breathing Outlaw. No more nicknames, just a redemption story for the ages.