Johnny Maverick- If You're Gonna Be Dumb...

“Fair play to Avery. His balls were every bit as big as I thought they were but not big enough. He showed me that open challenge was the right call and he was the right guy to answer the call but like I said… I did not see a future where I wasn’t leaving the arena with this title and here I am. April Fools Day has come and gone and the ‘Joke’ is still in full swing.” Johnny says in the darkness. Johnny takes a deep breath.

“I’m willing to accept that a lot of this is probably going to seem rambling and incoherent but there’s some shit I gotta say. I’ve decided to let everyone look behind the curtain because it’s honestly a curtain I have no interest in anymore.” Johnny says. The lights have come up and there is nothing extravagant about him or his surroundings. Just Johnny sitting alone with his belt.

“There’s a lot of bodies I can’t bury. My Mom. My Sister. I’ve never… made peace with any of that in a healthy way. As I watched the life drain out of my sisters body in that cold unfeeling hospital I was supposed to resolve to be a better person, that’s how it was supposed to work. I chose instead to live my life from the age of 18 onward with an unacknowledged death wish. I fought everything and everyone not because I was expecting to win but because it was all I had. I ran my mouth to the biggest and the baddest because I wanted to deserve every bit of what was coming to me. Solipsism turned to Nihilism and I opened my arms to everything you could shoot, snort, or smoke. Here I sit, two wives and one death later and I have to ask myself if I learned anything and all I can do is shrug. I mean, I quit the drugs and all that but I have to ask if the reason I really wanted this title was to prove I was the best or to try and get the attention of someone who could just REALLY beat me. Someone who can put an end to my mantra that may have become my curse. Maybe I want to give up. Maybe I want to surrender. Maybe I want to relent. I have two beautiful women in my life who I love more than anything…how am I supposed to tell them this? So often when I step into the ring with anyone on this roster I put my chin out to you and I show you my mouth guard that says ‘Punch Here’. Some of you take me up on the offer and some of you don’t but every single time it’s happened I have been disappointed. That is to say nothing of the character or skill of these individuals… but every time I find myself wishing they’d have hit a little harder.” Johnny says. He lightly taps himself on the chin a bit with an introspective look on his face.

“I don’t really play well with others when it comes to this business. Outside of the ring? I’m easy enough to get along with, but I stood pretty firmly on my ‘Lone Wolf’ platform amidst all of this Destroyer and Guardians nonsense and yeah I’m sticking to the word ‘nonsense’ in regards to all of that. I think a good lot of that had to do with the fact that an individual who I trusted above all else crucified me on television with my own father. That kinda put a damper on any inkling I had of trust but I’m recovering, I think. I dunno. It felt good that I won this and fan response has been amazing but… I mean, very few people in this company congratulated me. I shrugged it off. I continue to shrug it off. I can only shrug so much though, ya know? Maybe it is a good time to see how I work with others. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come out of this with a friend or two. I’m not holding my breath. At the very least I made my peace with a few people in private. To make a public show of it would’ve made it feel…inauthentic.” Johnny says. He runs a hand through his facial hair.

“I’m a different person than I was since I was 18, that much is certain. It helps that I constantly see so much of my old self around me. I can go on twitter and see 40 self-aggrandizing individuals who have taken black spraypaint to their third eyes. Victims of Solipsism. I’ve never considered anything grosser than worshipping at the Church of Self. See, no one ever really understood the whole ‘I’m Johnny Maverick’ World Title thing. I was holding up a mirror to the ego of this industry. I hold a mirror up to so many of you and you laugh at the image you see in it because you think you’ve got me figured out. You’re laughing at yourself. That’s why I smile in the face of those unnamed individuals who continue to call me a joke. To steal some logic from a student of mine; the joke is satire and the punchline is YOU.” Johnny says with a smirk.

“A lot of you may not like that. The truth isn’t always easy to hear or accept. I may not be the best, but I know what I’m capable of and I know I’m damn good. Any team would benefit from me being a part of it and if you’re wondering if I can get along with certain people? I don’t really hate anybody save for my father so…I mean I’ll be fine. I’m secure in the knowledge that more than a few people in this company spare a few thoughts every day to hate me while I’m thinking about whether the NGW Championship looks better around my waist or over my shoulder. Hating people is a waste of mental energy. Once your third eye is open you can see people as they truly are. Scared, mostly. We’re all mostly just afraid and the desire to be respected or feared is usually just an extension of your own fear. I don’t really care to earn the respect of anybody. I get called stupid a lot lately…and I’ve never once denied it. My life has been a series of poor-decisions justified by self-destructive tendencies. That part of my life is over but through all of it I cling to a singular ideal… ‘If you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.’ That’s me to a tee, I think.” Johnny says, he takes the NGW Championship off of his knees and drapes it over his shoulder.

“Teammate or opponent… You don’t have to respect or fear me. I have no expectations at all in that regard. Just pay attention. If you do? You’re in for one hell of a Third Eye Opener.” Johnny says as he stands and walks away before the camera fades to black.