One has the world at his feet the other seems to be at the feet of the world. Hayes could use this to properl his career over the former World Champion or Tastic could use it as an opportunity to get back on his saddle. To top things off this will be a Mayhem match, a former speciality of Matt Tastic.
Deadline Tuesday 15th October 11:59pm Eastern (No extensions)
Deadline extended for all matches to Saturday 19th 11:59pm Eastern
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Matt: I want to tell you something.
Granpa: Go ahead, mijo.
Matt: Thank you. For everything. For being how I got into this business. For being my advicer. For better or worse. For never leaving my side. For seeing my best and worst. For being my Granpa. I love you. Thank you.
Granpa: Nah, thank you. But you still have one thing to do. Itâ??s time to end it. Truly.
======
Johnny Klamor: After nearly ten years�� What made you decide it was time to retire?
Matt: Truth be told, I shouldâ??ve retired long ago. When you look at my body of work the past couple of years, itâ??s clear I just have not been performing at the top level as I wanted. Injures have piled up, my body has been exhausted and my mind is just not what it used to be. I am WZCWâ??s most tenured wrestler ever. Some have been on and off longer but aside from 2 and a half months I have been active as a wrestler for WZCW non-stop since January of 2010. No one comes close to that. Its a point of pride with me but at the same time, I also show the results of that. I am exhausted in every sense possible. Physically, mentally, spiritually, socially. Wrestling has consumed my life. Inside and outside of the squared circle. Iâ??ve long passed the point where Iâ??m a detriment in the ring.
Klamor: I kind of feel its quite the change of mind. Youâ??ve always been about maintaining the grind. Staying strong and consistent. What changed?
Matt: I was sat down and told I was not up to par in my work. They were right. I tried to keep my chin up and stay on track in spite of myself because of a sense of responsability. But it just blinded me from the fact that Iâ??m just weighing others down. I should be doing whatâ??s best and continuing to stick myself into a card when Iâ??m not at a 100% is not whatâ??s best for anyone.
Klamor: You say you donâ??t feel like youâ??re 100%. Is there a chance you can just rest and come back?
Matt: I would not put any money behind that idea. Thereâ??s already parts moving for things outside wrestling and they are just, if not, more time consuming. Maybe a one-off at some point, but as far as working full-time, Kingdom Come X is where it all ends........ Saying that gave me chills. The day after Kingdom Come X, I would never have to think about the ring again. For the first time in 10 years, I would be waking up not thinking about having to take another bump. Not cutting another promo. Not worrying about a new rival. No concern over merch sales or travel. I should have piece of mind. Instead I worry about the giant black hole that will be in my mind from nothing to do. Like Fortnite. Except itâ??s not a shit ripoff game. Itâ??s real life.
Klamor: Can you tell us what is next for Matt Tastic? The most decorated wrestler in the history of WZCW. The longest tenured. What will be your next endeavor.
Matt: I wouldnâ??t be a very good wrestler if I told you everything Iâ??m gonna be doing and not leave anything to speculation. You'll just have to find out.
Klamor: Your opponent Stetson Hayes has also indicated he will be stepping away once your match concludes. What do you make of this?
Matt: It's whatever, really. Truth be told, I don't care about Stetson Hayes. He's not done much. He's not sticking around. He's a footnote at best.
Klamor: Still though, he seems to have some sort of connection with Ramparte. A man you've had a bit of a past with.
Matt: I had a past with him. I don't have a future with him. Ramparty, Rampart, Ramparrapa The Rapper, whatever his name is. I took his Tag Team title. He beat me at a PPV year's ago. That's it. I'm going out there for my farewell match. Sure, it sucks that it's against this crap-ass mediocre southern stereotype drunkard. But it's whatever.
Klamor: I sense an air of frustration in your words. Are you not pleased with your match?
Matt: No. But at the same time, I have no right to complain. WZCW did not see fit to give me a higher profile match because of my performance. So even if I am mad about the selection, it's the best they can give me, really. And sure, I hate what this country yeehaw represents. But I know he's no slouch in the ring.
Klamor: This match is going to be your ball park. Mayhem Rules.
Matt: A wrestling ring is my ball park. Yeah, I was a 5 Mayhem Champion. But you know, what else? I've also won the Elite and Eurasian titles. I'm a 2 time World Champion. Won Gold Rush and Lethal Lottery. It's silly to say a Mayhem match is in my ball park when I have success outside too. Probably more.
Klamor: Any last words to say before you go on to your final match?
Matt: Thank you. To everyone that has supported me the past 10 years. And sorry the end was...... was so small for me. But to be truthful, I'm fine with it. WZCW doesn't need me. And I'm moving on with new things. Things that have taken so much of my time, I couldn't even give a proper final interview. Life's come fast especially the last few months with new projects outside WZCW. If I had little time then, I have less now. I shouldn't be taking that slot from someone more deserving. Because I used to be in that spot, waiting for the top to clear up to show what I can do. I reach the top. And hung around as long as I could. But we all reach this point. My grip is slipping. I either come down slowly or fall. Let's see how it goes at Kingdom Come X. And one thing to Mikey. Because I would not be here without him. I made mistakes but..... In the end, this was all thanks to him. I'm sorry. Truly. Good luck in your own endeavors. Here. Outside. Anywhere. You don't deserve success and happiness. You've earned it. We both have.
THANK YOU.
Master Ramparte,
If you refuse to read this, I understand. In your position, I would have balled the unopened letter up and threw it in the waste bin. I'm sorry. You asked us to attend Kingdom Come for your retirement. We said that we would. And I lied. I lied to your face because I can't be there to watch it end.
I've become timid in my age. Time makes cowards of us all. It's an irrevocable truth. As you sit there in your dressing room, applying the cosmetics that change a young man into a wizened cowboy, maybe you have tapped into that sincerity yourself. The horrors of knowing such finalities. It clouds the mind, that underlying fear that screams how this is the last time the lights will shine on you. Whatever advice I can give that might prove useful - keep that fear. Fear births conviction. Conviction is courage under fire.
Your opponent will know those pressures well. He's spent a lifetime in the ring, always riding the wave of victory and defeat. Always building to that last breadth of momentum. That valuable breadth. He's perhaps the most dangerous man in professional wrestling because of it. He thrives in the tempestuous nature of the sport like a boulder to a storm.
Your odds are not great. I am telling the truth on that front. You're his junior and veterans know the ways of treachery. Mayhem rules.
But there is another truth to be told, Ramparte. Whatever promos you may cut or stages you need to talk about Tastic, it's useless now. Just window dressing. He sees the humor in his opponents, drags them, even belittles them when desperate. You are not desperate, are you Ram? You know his game. You've fought him time and time again. What words can he use that he hasn't a hundred times against you? What words could you weaponize to win some imaginary victory against him? Talking is filler tonight. It is not about words anyways, but the spaces between them. I will not wax poetic on passion and desire and those other pretty emotions others would, and neither should you. You know who you are. You are more than what the cameras capture. So fight, goddammit. Fight because you have nothing left to give but your wrath.
Do not worry about your secret. You've known me all of your life, sir. I am not a whistleblower. Neither is Batti for that matter (Yes, the tension in the room was great and I don't believe you two will ever be on the same page again, but there is a mutual respect I feel there). It's funny really. I retired from my services with her one Kingdom Come, and she retired from wrestling the next. Now you shall follow suit. The more things change the more they stay the same. But this time there is nobody to take up the mantle. You've created a saga that begins and ends with you. Full circle. What is left of Tastic's own I wonder? Reminiscing on past glories? Those achievements mean fair little when the lights stop shining.
What matters is you fought. No simpler way to state it. You fought and win or lose you fought to yours and your opponent's end. That is no small thing. That is a heavy endeavor. This is the biggest event you've yet to experience. Experience it fully and without regret. Grab a bat. Use a table. Make them all remember who you are years from now when wrestling itself is forgotten.
I am thankful to have known you. To teach you in your youth. To be there when life felt lifeless. Something tells me I will not see you again. Perhaps for the best. You must make your own way in the world now. Go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me I am not mistaken in mine.
Humbly Yours,
Morley
P.S. I am so proud of you. I have always been proud of you.
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