His mind raced this morning, and he was sluggish as he pulled frozen fruits from the freezer for his ritual smoothie to feed the machine. He was quite the introvert, and typically retreated into his own world following shows. Some guys could jump from wrestling to interviews, or shows, and appearance, pop up on social media while their head is being stapled, but a solitude of sorts is what worked best his mind and body.
He had intended on spending a few extra days in his old stomping ground, caught up with friends and family, tried to stay as much off the public radar as possible as he visited favorite eateries and just enjoyed being back home a bit. He spent most of the day yesterday at the Kennedy Space Center for the millionth time, just to clear his head. There was a lot to unpack from the last few days and unlike the luggage sitting by the door, he wanted to leave as much baggage as he could behind.
He had scheduled his second Reddit AMA, this last morning in his Airbnb but now that the time had arrived….he didn’t feel like doing it. However, fans would be waiting and he didn’t want to disappoint so he just had to suck it up and play along long enough to give them a little face time before he made his way back to Los Angeles. His laptop was ready and he sat there at the little desk in the living area and logged in to get the stream going. Ironically, he was in just as bad a mood as he was the last time he did this. Perhaps he should stop, because they sure as hell are starting to seem like a curse. As he logs in he sees that there’s already over 1,900 people logged in and waiting, twice as many as last time.
(Jeremy): Good Morning everybody, hope you’re all having a great day from wherever you are in the world. I uh……before we get to questions, I just have to say a little bit about Art of War now that the dust has settled. First, I have to congratulate Mr. Butch and Wisdom Parker for setting this whole thing up and producing one amazing show. A year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined being where we are today and it’s all thanks to them. To my gals Alexis and Sarah…I’ve never seen a better tag match and being out there together for the first time you were absolutely amazing. I know it didn’t go down the way you’d hope, but I know you’ve got those girls number come Havoc.
Jeremy smiles just a little.
(Jeremy): Michelle...I’m so proud of you, not only did you put Erica in her little place, but you faced your demon head on and Superkicked his front fuking teeth in. I hope you can close those chapters now and look ahead, you’ve got all the talent in the world and I can’t wait for you to show them all what we know you can do.
Sensei, seeing you out there was like traveling through time. You and Nakamura set a tone for the night the rest of us were challenged to live up to. I’m so honored to have been trained and mentored by you, I’m so grateful to everyone out there that is supporting you, and I’ll be so privileged to have the opportunity to get in the ring with you myself on this last leg of your in-ring career.
He takes a chug of his smoothie and looks at the screen and laughs at a comment.
(Jeremy): Yeah I bet…..don’t worry guys, I’ll get to those questions….gimme just a minute. You know I missed the triple threat at the time, I was in the zone getting ready to go out there with Hans but I caught it later on. Mr. Price making a fashionably late entrance was an interesting bit of mind games I wouldn’t have expected, but I don’t think Legion and Draconis had time to think much about it as they hammered things out.
Anyway…amazing match gents.
His eyes catch the screen as the comments and questions keep coming and holds his hand up.
(Jeremy): Five minutes guys, I just need five more minutes. Hans, our match was everything I had hoped it would be. We were the “Art” in Art of War painting that ring canvas with our sweat in amazing display of athleticism and competition. You challenged me, stoked my fire and it was an absolute privilege, but despite what the records show…I didn’t win. We both lost and there’s no one to blame but Maniac and that bitch of a sidekick of his. Somewhere down the road we will finish what we started, and I look forward to it but right now the circus is in town and every clown is desperate for an audience.
That means you Maniac…our resident Joker with your Mexican Harley Quinn. From day one all you’ve done is antagonize. You’ve needled your way under Matt’s skin, you poke at Butch Parker’s cage, you put a target on all our backs because we didn’t want your “guidance,” and now you’re taking shots at Hans. You’ve turned HWA into your own little house of mirrors, where you’re just seen everywhere, but therein lies the problem…you overestimate yourself. There are more of us, than there are of you and right now, you’re the one with a target on your back. Matt, Hans, and I…Oh and let’s not forget Sarah who has your face on a punching bag at the Academy…what are you going to do when everyone you’ve come after…comes after you? It’s a good think you like dangerous games, because you’re playing one, only you’re not going to come out the winner you think you are. You stuck your nose in my match where it didn’t belong, and stole part of a dream away from me, and from the fans and you will answer for it.
The frustration mounting on his face is evident and he tries to change the subject.
(Jeremy): Matt…
He pauses…a flash of post ppv backstage with Matt had ran in his for days a like a cracked out hamster on a wheel. What the hell happened, or was about to happen rather? Just as he was trying to push his feelings aside and move on, Matt goes and…. God he wanted to kiss him. Look at the state he was in, he really just wanted to take care of him, but then…that. The look in his eyes…the touch of his hand. “I’m serious,” he said. And those words had been like a broken record playing over and over in his mind. That lingering glare as he left the room. That trainer or doctor or whatever he was…when he walked into the room he either saved Jeremy from potential heartache and making a fool of himself, or he ruined something that could have been special and amazing. He just didn’t know which. The little flash in his mind was over in a blip and he continued on.
(Jeremy): Matt, you went out there and did exactly what you said you would do, and exactly what we knew you would. I want everyone to be perfectly clear about this because Maniac will mouth off about how he brought out the best or the dark, or the worst or whatever in you, and you might even agree…but you’re both wrong. You unleashed a dragon at Art of War not because you were in the ring with a veteran, in a crazy Asylum Match, and not because you were pissed off and things had escalated to the point that violence was the only answer…you did it because you could. Because for 8 years you’ve carried this company on your back and everyone watching would walk away knowing why. There’s a lot more I can say, but I think your actions spoke louder than my words can, and I hope you are recovering well.
There’s a touch of sadness in his voice, but no one knows of catches it as he moves on.
(Jeremy): Sean, I don’t want to forget about you my friend, but if I don’t get to these questions I’m going to have a virtual riot on my hands, but I will say this…You gave an amazing performance, and trust me when I say I understand why you did the things you did like climbing a damn cage as it was rising up and jumping off it at a inhumane height. You made a lot of people proud, feel vindicated and if you’ve looked at social media these past few days since…even avenged! It’s really incredible, and let it be a lesson to Fallen that there’s nothing he can do, or try to do that someone like Sean isn’t going to shut down.
Suddenly Jeremy claps his hands together sitting further upright.
(Jeremy): Okay…so thank you for indulging me for a few minutes folks lets dive into some of your questions. Ummm lets… see…
(MommaBevRocks): What did you do after Art of War?
Shyt…why didn’t I skim through this first. That flash of Matt again…goddamnit. “I’m Serious”…was he? Focus, lets just focus…get through this and hopefully no more triggering or even probing questions arise.
(Jeremy): You know MommaBev…after a show you don’t always just come back to the hotel room and crash, the adrenaline high is still flowing and you don’t always come down so fast sometimes I’m learning, it’s hard to explain but just imagine taking one of those 5 Hour Energy drinks at 9:00 p.m. when you usually go to be at 10:00 p.m., I guess it would feel something like that. You also know that sooner you go to sleep, the sooner that pain is going to hit you in the morning. Everybody knows what the body endures one day, it feels it more the next. Okay who do we have next…
(ChicoRico90): What’s next for you with the ppv behind you?
Thank God, a normal fuking question!
(Jeremy): Actually, just a bit more of the same really. I seem to have a lot of unfinished business so I look forward to putting a lot of that to bed. I’m still working through where I’ll land with William Draconis, we definitely need to come together again and see what’s what there. Beyond a doubt, Hans and I deserve a true finish so there’s that. If Bryan Deas ever shows his face again I’ll be looking to bash it in, and I’ve yet to have a one-on-one with Maniac. He’s been a thorn in my side indirectly and directly and I look forward to that one as well. So, plenty to look forward to I guess. Thanks for that one Chico.
(VegiTatePhillips): Not including your own, what was your favorite match of the ppv?
Son of a bytch! I already answered this kinda, just rinse and repeat real fast.
(Jeremy): It would have to be the main event. Not because it was brutal and all that excitement, but because the world got to see what Matt is capable of on a grander stage than Youtube. I don’t know the actual numbers, but millions of people across the world watched the ppv, a lot only newly familiar with a lot of us this year and I think Matt deserves that recognition for everything he’s done. Okay next…
(PepperSteakJacks68): Congratulations on your ppv win. When is the next ppv?
(Jeremy): I appreciate the sentiment but as far as I’m concerned…like I said earlier if you heard…I didn’t win anything. We were robbed of that and I think the fans were the biggest losers because it seemed to me that it was something everyone was really looking forward to. And…I don’t know when the next ppv is, or what it is, but I’m looking forward to it.
(KimKitty): How do you guys stay shape now that you’re on the road more?
(Jeremy): I love this questions Kim, thank you. It’s actually a lot harder than I imagined. Before this CBS deal we were pretty stationary and I had a set routine. We were all at the old Academy a lot, had plenty of time to work out, eat right, rest enough and all that. Since April of this year though we’re going from city to city, we’ve got meet-and-greets, and other PR commitments, long flights…the whole thing..so it’s a bit of a juggle. Whether I’m in an Airbnb like this one or a hotel…I always have a small blender with me for protein shakes and stuff like that, I try and scope out local restaurants if I want something specific, but the company has great catering for us at the shows….really healthy and well prepared stuff for us an the crew from our nutritionists. I do local runs for cardio, most of the arenas have some bit of fitness center or I just do bodyweight training in my room. And I try to power nap on flights when I can… for some recovery.
Still lots of questions were coming in and viewers had jumped to 5,453.
(CoolCollinCrush): What are your thoughts on Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt passing.
Jeremy takes a long exhale, lifting his arms and interlocking his fingers over the back of his head before resting them back on the desk.
(Jeremy): First, I think its important to acknowledge that Terry Funk wrestled until he was 73. I know a lot of people have varied opinions on guys getting into the ring past their “prime” (he makes air quotes) but it says a lot about this business. He didn’t need the money, and have to hold down a job until retirement age so he could collect full social security, he wasn’t trying to hang on to the past…he just loved his job, he loved being in the ring and entertaining the fans, and he left a legacy behind him that will talked about for generations to come. He was one of the purest tough guys you’d ever want to see in the ring and I’ve got tons more video to go before I scratch the surface of really, deeply appreciating who and what he was to this sport.
Bray Wyatt hit me hard. I think because he was so close to a lot of our ages, he’s more prominent in our memory from recent years. I enjoyed his work, I’ve heard nothing but great things about his mind for the business, he came from a great wrestling family but really carved his own path. I think a lot of people were really looking forward to the future with him in it and I’d be lying if it didn’t make me reflect back on Art of War and our own mortality. Sean jumping 40 something feet….40 plus freakin’ feet in the air off a cage for what? Matt jumping down into what was left of the ring, and on fire at that, for what? In a moment, for whatever reason…any of us could just be gone and you think about what more Bray would have contributed to the business. What if something happened to Matt or Sean, not necessarily death but a career ending-injury…the same question of what more would they have done would have to come to mind. It’s an uncomfortable question to wonder about. I never met Terry Funk or Bray Wyatt but I have nothing but respect for them, and I mourn their loss to our world at large and that of professional wrestling.
It was a deep question, and something that had weighed on him the last two days since the news broke forcing him to reflect on the ppv. The thought of something happening to Matt was challenging to say the least, and even Sean brought some anxiety.
(MaxFlasher): Who do you have your eyes on at the Academy as the next superstar?
(Jeremy): Oooooh! Nice one…..I’m actually very, very keenly following Jesse and Kratos. I think there’s a lot of potential there and more importantly knowing that Jesse’s dad William isn’t too far out of sight or earshot…I get to see more about the man from that perspective as well. So yeah…I’d say them…Oh and I guess his sister too…umm…Luna or Luna Rain was it? She got her hands dirty at the ppv, which was way out of line for a trainee so there’s bound to be some repercussions there, but if she’s as eager as she seems, she could be one to keep your eye on as well.
He looked at the time and it was quickly passing. He’d have to checkout soon and head to the airport for his flight so it was just about time to wrap this up before his shuttle arrived.
(Jeremy): Ok, I got time for one more so lets make it a good one…lets see here…
(NancyBot123): Who do you like working with the most and the least? Or like or hate more if you want to look at it that way.
(Jeremy): Geez, I don’t know if I have time to answer that one, I could take all day on that subject. Let’s see….Without a doubt Matt and Sean are my favorite. We know each other so well out there in the ring, and even still seeing them both at Art of War and what they did…outside their comfort zones for the first time…I’ve learned that much more. They are great guys and Another damn flash of Matt. That goddamn smile of his, why did he have to touch me? Why did he try and kiss me? I thought I…just shake it off for now. ….and Ummm…I think we have a lot of good times coming. Sarah’s a force for sure, I’ve really enjoyed her friendship, she keeps it real with you and is just so down to earth and a natural badass, I guess the same can be said for Alexis in a way only I’m just getting to know here since she’s pretty new.
Michelle, I mean what can’t you say about that sweetheart. Such an amazing person and I think she keeps everyone around her a bit level. Just who she is makes you want to be a better person and I think she and Sean are amazing together, I’m really happy for them. She showed Erica and the world at Art of War not to mistake her meekness for weakness…she is no pushover. Stu-E Price, I’m rather indifferent to…respect his ringwork, respect his career, I look forward to getting in there with him again but there’s nothing yet that pushes him to one side or the other for me which is cool. William Draconis is obviously an enigma and my thoughts there are a work in progress. Bryan Deas…complete trash. Used to be a childhood fan and I wish I could take it back. He’s nothing but a selfish person, desperate for the spotlight he thinks never shined bright enough on him, but it’s not going to shine at my expense again.
Jeremy thinks on who is on the list next.
(Jeremy): You’ve got Maniac and Erica who I’ll lump together as two of the most vile and disgusting human beings walking the earth. The only reason Maniac has this job isn’t because he’s a veteran or a legend…its because of the Americans with Disability Act. Who wants to hire a known schizophrenic and a guy with multiple personality disorder? He belongs in a real Asylum and he can take Erica with him because she’s turned just as bat shy crazy as he is. Trying to hurt people with private attacks, he sick lusting after Hans and this twisted fantasy that he actually wants anything at all to do with her. They both need some professional help and I can’t stand either of them to be honest.
Fallen, he’s a piece of shyt obviously enough said there. Butch and Wisdom…love them. They’re tough and intimidating people but fair and very supportive…same with Sensei of course. Legion, guess I’m pretty indifferent about him too, we’ll see what he makes of himself. The new Blackthorn gals Liliana and Brair…I have no idea. They came in knocking on the wrong door, so we’ll see how things go with them. I’m probably forgetting a few people here or there, but guys I gotta run…it’s been great. Thanks for your questions, thanks for tuning in last weekend to Art of War and I’ll see you all for Havoc in Salt Lake.
Jeremy waves to the camera and ends the stream taking another deep sigh. That one was a bit of a roller coaster, but he did manage to get a few things off his chest so maybe some of that baggage he’d hope to leave behind would stay but there was still a lot more he was bringing with him. He’d be back in Los Angeles by the late afternoon and he didn’t like things eating away at him. He hadn’t heard from Matt since the ppv and he hadn’t reached out either but now he pulled out his cell, pulls up Matt’s number and sends a text.
Hope you’re recovering alright, I’m sorry I haven’t checked in sooner…just in my own head. Leaving Orlando in a bit, be back home later. Maybe we should talk, or not…I don’t know…you tell me! I wanted to…
He was about to type that he wanted…he didn’t know what he wanted…well, he did know what he wanted but he wasn’t sure if he should pursue it or not. Luckily he didn’t have time to dwell on it as the alarm on his fitness watch went off. He deleted that last bit of text he started and just pushed send. There, it was done. They either talk or they don’t. There was either something to talk about, or there wasn’t. His shuttle would be arriving shortly and packed up the last few things in his carry-on before heading out the door to leave Orlando behind. It was back to reality, whatever that reality was as the scene faded to black.
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