Post by Daron Smythe on Jul 31, 2023 11:05:40 GMT -5
It's an exceptionally warm July evening, especially so in Tampa, Florida. It's the last flight of the evening, but you wouldn't know it from the amount of people walking around. Tampa International Airport looks like midday on a holiday weekend. After fighting through the throng of wary travelers, Daron Smythe has his luggage and is headed towards his rental car, thankfully started and ready for him in the lot. Daron throws his luggage in the trunk, flings open the driver's side door, and slumps into the driver's seat, eagerly typing in an address into his phone's GPS.
"Keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-275 N/Tampa and merge onto E State Rd 60 East"
DARON: As much as my father wasn't around when I was younger, one think I have come to know about him is his work ethic, his ability to navigate any situation thrown in front of him, his willingness to learn how to do things - the man wouldn't ask his employees to do anything he himself wouldn't do. This allowed him climb to the top at TruckStops of America, despite the fact that he could barely read or write. The man never graduated high school, and due to the brand new Wheeling Park High School opening in 1976 and the demolition of Wheeling High that same year, it could never be verified that he didn't graduate. So, he fabricated information that could never be verified one way or the other. But, the man understood numbers, he understood customer service, he understood that to be successful, sometimes you just had to figure it out...
"Merge onto East State Rd 60 East"
DARON: And so, even though I don't think I ever really got to know the man, I understand a bit about him through myself - the work ethic, the tenacity, the ability to show up, day after day, even if you felt like an imposter. I had to bury this professional wrestling thing deep down inside myself for a decade, had to try to move on and live a "normal" life, but I knew that wasn't it for me. One way or another, I would figure out a way back...
"Take the exit onto I-275 North toward I-4"
DARON: My mom was the same way. Hell, she was in accounting years before you really needed a degree0- you could work your way up as a bookkeeper and evetually into the official department. But, the recession happened, and suddenly companies had to get more selective. Suddenly, decisions needed to be made. Suddenly, my mom, despite all her best efforts, was out of a job....
"Merge onto I-75 North"
DARON: And that's tough to do, raising an energetic four year old in a depressed steel town all by yourself, because he still wants the toys, the video games, the experiences. That little boy doesn't understand why we can't go to the WWF show when they are in town at the Civic Center. You put an immense pressure on yourself to not only provide, but go above and beyond. To be, somehow, both mother and father...
"Take exit 301 to merge onto US-98 South/Cortez Blvd toward Orlando"
DARON: And so you do what you have to do. You enroll in community college, you apply for every grant in sight, and you take that precocious little boy with you and let him sit in the student lounge while you take classes. That same little boy sits up with you at night, studying for an endless amount of tests, algebra, medical terminology, history. I felt like I was getting a college eduation myself at 10 years old. She graduates with a 4.0 and finds a new line of employment. She figures it out...
"Merge onto US-98 South/Cortez Blvd"
DARON: Fast forward about six years, that same little boy is in his teen years and he hears that someone nearby is going to be setting up a ring in a backyard barn and offering professional wrestling training? They'll train every Saturday but you have to find your own way there. Oh, you don't drive? When these opportunities come up, you don't see any other way out of this small town. You rack your brain, you exhaust all possibilities. You figure it out....
"Turn right onto Lakewood Drive"
DARON: David Carroll, the first time we stepped into the ring together, I was able to beat you - I was riding high on a wave towards this UWL World Championship. But, I knew that loss wouldn't deter you from coming back after me. Deep down, I knew you'd be back. And here we are - you pinned me in the Coronation Cup, you pinned me in a tag team match, and most people would suspect you'll pin me again this Saturday, just a short trek up the road from here in Orlando, Florida...
"Turn right onto Orchid Parkway"
DARON: You're a very intelligent, charismatic man David Carroll, and you might have some people fooled, but not me. I can see right through what you are doing, to the very plans, plots, and schemes of many men that came before you. Those that manipulate the words of religion for their own selfish means. I keep talking about these men I have experienced in my past because I see all the worst parts of them...in you. I'm going to do what I need to do, I'm going to figure it out, like my dad, my mom, and hell, even I've done throughout the course of my life. To truly understand what you're up to, I had to come to one place...
"You have arrived at your destination. Ridge Manor, Florida
DARON: See you soon, David.
Daron snaps his fingers and the picture quickly cuts to black...
"Keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-275 N/Tampa and merge onto E State Rd 60 East"
DARON: As much as my father wasn't around when I was younger, one think I have come to know about him is his work ethic, his ability to navigate any situation thrown in front of him, his willingness to learn how to do things - the man wouldn't ask his employees to do anything he himself wouldn't do. This allowed him climb to the top at TruckStops of America, despite the fact that he could barely read or write. The man never graduated high school, and due to the brand new Wheeling Park High School opening in 1976 and the demolition of Wheeling High that same year, it could never be verified that he didn't graduate. So, he fabricated information that could never be verified one way or the other. But, the man understood numbers, he understood customer service, he understood that to be successful, sometimes you just had to figure it out...
"Merge onto East State Rd 60 East"
DARON: And so, even though I don't think I ever really got to know the man, I understand a bit about him through myself - the work ethic, the tenacity, the ability to show up, day after day, even if you felt like an imposter. I had to bury this professional wrestling thing deep down inside myself for a decade, had to try to move on and live a "normal" life, but I knew that wasn't it for me. One way or another, I would figure out a way back...
"Take the exit onto I-275 North toward I-4"
DARON: My mom was the same way. Hell, she was in accounting years before you really needed a degree0- you could work your way up as a bookkeeper and evetually into the official department. But, the recession happened, and suddenly companies had to get more selective. Suddenly, decisions needed to be made. Suddenly, my mom, despite all her best efforts, was out of a job....
"Merge onto I-75 North"
DARON: And that's tough to do, raising an energetic four year old in a depressed steel town all by yourself, because he still wants the toys, the video games, the experiences. That little boy doesn't understand why we can't go to the WWF show when they are in town at the Civic Center. You put an immense pressure on yourself to not only provide, but go above and beyond. To be, somehow, both mother and father...
"Take exit 301 to merge onto US-98 South/Cortez Blvd toward Orlando"
DARON: And so you do what you have to do. You enroll in community college, you apply for every grant in sight, and you take that precocious little boy with you and let him sit in the student lounge while you take classes. That same little boy sits up with you at night, studying for an endless amount of tests, algebra, medical terminology, history. I felt like I was getting a college eduation myself at 10 years old. She graduates with a 4.0 and finds a new line of employment. She figures it out...
"Merge onto US-98 South/Cortez Blvd"
DARON: Fast forward about six years, that same little boy is in his teen years and he hears that someone nearby is going to be setting up a ring in a backyard barn and offering professional wrestling training? They'll train every Saturday but you have to find your own way there. Oh, you don't drive? When these opportunities come up, you don't see any other way out of this small town. You rack your brain, you exhaust all possibilities. You figure it out....
"Turn right onto Lakewood Drive"
DARON: David Carroll, the first time we stepped into the ring together, I was able to beat you - I was riding high on a wave towards this UWL World Championship. But, I knew that loss wouldn't deter you from coming back after me. Deep down, I knew you'd be back. And here we are - you pinned me in the Coronation Cup, you pinned me in a tag team match, and most people would suspect you'll pin me again this Saturday, just a short trek up the road from here in Orlando, Florida...
"Turn right onto Orchid Parkway"
DARON: You're a very intelligent, charismatic man David Carroll, and you might have some people fooled, but not me. I can see right through what you are doing, to the very plans, plots, and schemes of many men that came before you. Those that manipulate the words of religion for their own selfish means. I keep talking about these men I have experienced in my past because I see all the worst parts of them...in you. I'm going to do what I need to do, I'm going to figure it out, like my dad, my mom, and hell, even I've done throughout the course of my life. To truly understand what you're up to, I had to come to one place...
"You have arrived at your destination. Ridge Manor, Florida
DARON: See you soon, David.
Daron snaps his fingers and the picture quickly cuts to black...