Pedro Gonzales vs. Shaelin Marie O'Hara

Cesar Salazar is a proud man. At one point in his career, he was
positively cocky for all the right reasons. Once you become a champion,
knowing that you are the best doesn't go away so easily. He used
to be able to go down to that ring and pour his heart out on that canvas,
spilling an adversary’s blood with it. But the way of life being what it is,
the gravy train couldn't last forever. Things happened to derail
his sense of self. Eventually, he came back into the ring with
uncertainty in his brain and a lot of secret regrets.

Now in his wheelchair, he looks at his protégé and sees a hint of was
he was before everything happened. There's starting to be some
measurement of pride in his step. Cesar knows it’s not because of
the match against Jin. Far from it. There was disappointment on
all sides following that exchange. Maybe it was the training. Maybe
it was just having somebody that could understand ways most can't.
Maybe he got laid and didn't tell anybody. Whatever it was, the results
have Cesar worried.

"You must not get too arrogant. That's how you get trapped after all."
There's a simple nod in response as the punching bag bobbles to and fro
under the ferocity of Pedro's fists. But that didn't persuade him.
"I have watched all your matches, so I know what you do. The moment
you gain a bit of confidence is the moment you lose."

"But I can't really afford to doubt myself either, can I?"

The wheelchair blocks the bag. "Have you forgotten that I'm the trainer here?"

Pedro freezes and turns his head towards Salazar. "Not at all, Senor."

"Then listen. There's nothing wrong with being cautious."

"There is if you overdo it.” Gonzales softens a little. “I'm sorry if you think
I'm talking back to be rude, Senor. That is not my intention. But I think
when it comes to this subject, I know what I'm talking about. Caution killed
me once. Most of my body made it back."

Salazar's eyes hover over to a small edge of a large bandage on Pedro's
hip mostly covered by his tights. Yes. He had heard about that. "And
your mind?"

"Foggy at first. Then broken. That was harder. But then again,
you already knew that." A smile forms as if a part of one giant cosmic
joke. "The point is even the strangest things can cause harm. Self-preservation,
fear, doubt. They cripple people..."

Pedro almost seems stunned that he said it out loud. He mutters an
apology meekly and turns his attention to the bag. Cesar nods and
wheels away to gain some distance, the cogs turning in his brain as
those words echo in his subconscious.

___________

Bad things happen when wrestlers become complacent. It's a perfect
moment of weakness for somebody to bring in a bomb, declare a war,
cause mass death. When the wrestlers stop caring, the fans stop caring
about them and thus the whole house of cards falls down. The roster numbers
are dwindling. People that the higher-ups were grooming and oohing and
aahing over have unceremoniously stated to stop existing. Where are your
Armadas, your Cutter Driftwoods, your Jake Venoms?

...anyone?

Most would say that it's the survival of the fittest. But let's be real with
each other. If that was the case, it would be the stronger, the most
knowledgeable, the most skilled that would currently make up Pangaea.
Yet outside of the Grand Champion, we only have a handful of rookies
struggling to prove themselves. Brooklyn Blake is a woman who is trying
to prove beyond all doubt that she's more than just her inheritance.
Keegan Hightower is a misogynist whose main goal is to be a real boy with
talent to equal his beauty. Karen Hardy is chiseled but lacks killer instinct.

And then, of course, there's her.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Shaelin who
dreamed big dreams but was, until fairly recently, too
worried about her boyfriend to actually make her own claim on
the business. The only reason it happened at all is because loverboy
was too damn crippled: mentally, emotionally, and mechanically.
The majority of her time was spent trying to ease feathers and
becoming all sensitive over nothing.

People called her a slut and her ego bruised so easily that if the
marks had shown on her skin, everybody and their mother would be
arrested for battery just by indulging in an exercise wrestlers had been
doing for a while i.e. demeaning the opponent. Now suddenly, just because
she racked up a few wins against people who were never there, our
little Irish Mary Sue believes that she has actually done something
of merit.

For all of her claims that she took Olethros to the limit, looking back at
their encounter shows that the so-called Murder Machine had barely
broken a sweat. He threw her out like yesterday's trash just as
he did everybody else. What is she doing about it? What has
anybody done about it? Stratosphere stayed grounded before
he even took off. Jake Mandell lasted longer and was even praised
for the way he absorbed punishment. People were convinced that he'd be

around forever. But ultimately, he crumbled under the bright lights of an

international stage. Both of them didn’t attempt to become better than

before. They managed to shrug and say "that's the way the cookie crumbles".

But there are always exceptions to the rule. Perhaps his win-loss record
wasn’t super impressive like O’Hara’s, but Pedro lost to people who were
actually competitive against him. Through those matches, he was learning
just as much as he is in training. He learned and is still learning what worked
and what didn’t work. All of these lessons will prove helpful in the long run.

Was she learning her flaws when she won?