Post by MERICA on Jul 7, 2023 12:41:54 GMT -5
Merica SEES Merica
The voiceover…
By now most of you know who I am, and by that I mean you know that I exist. Many of you try to place me into your convenient little boxes based on how I look or some of the things I say and you think you know me but the reality is you don’t really know me at all. You really only know what little I have elected to tell you so far.
But have no fear my fellow MERICA loving Patriots for I am about to board a Greyhound Bus that I will spend the next two and a half days on as I travel cross country to spend some time with my mentor in the place he elects to call home. California and while on that trip I will tell you all you need to know about your favorite Country Loving, God Fearing, Masked Patriot.
The camera pans back and we see the MERICA boarding Greyhound Bus 746 destined for Los Angeles, California.
The camera quickly transitions to an interior view of the bus where we see MERICA seated in the aisle seat about 10 rows back. Seated next to him is a young boy approximately 12-13 years in age. Merica’s head is slightly tilted into the aisle as he takes stock of each and every single person who gets on the bus while the boy next to him has his eyes fixated on his masked row mate.
Sensing that he’s being watched MERICA looks over at the boy next to him who quickly shifts his attention towards the bus’s window. MERICA stares at the back of the kids head for a few seconds before turning his gaze back towards the aisle. Coincidentally this happens at the exact same time the young fella turns his attention back towards MERICA. A few seconds later MERICA quickly turns his head back towards the boy and the boy turns his head back towards the window. This little game of cat and mouse goes on for about 5 minutes before the two are interrupted by the driver who announces over the intercom their imminent departure at which point both MERICA and the young boy turn their attention towards the front of the bus.
“Something I can help you with fella?”
The boy doesn’t respond, instead he just stares at the masked man for a few seconds until the man repeats his question.
“Who are you?” The boy asks as he continues to study Merica’s face.
“My name is MERICA but you can call me MERICA.” Merica responds with a smile. Possibly since we can’t actually verify the existence of a smile behind the Red White and Blue Guy Fawkes mask.
“Merica. That’s a weird name. Why did your parents name you that?”
“They didn’t. They gave me a standard issue government name. But MERICA is the name I chose when I turned 18 and was legally able to do so.”
“What was your name before?”
“That was so long ago I can’t even remember.”
“Really?” The boy asks as he pushes himself up in his seat. “You must be really old then.”
“Not that old and no not really. I remember my name. I remember everything about my past but just like how history started on July 4th 1776 my history started on my 18th birthday. Everything before that was a mistake.”
“Why was it a mistake?”
“It just was. When are you getting off this bus anyway? Please tell me it isn’t Los Angeles.” MERICA asks as the boy shakes his head and laughs.
“Middletown. My grandma and grandpa are picking me up there. I’m going to spend the summer on their farm learning how to be a farmer like my daddy was and my grandpa was and his father was.”
This time it’s Merica’s turn to push himself up in his seat and fully engage with his neighbor.
“A farmer you say? Well isn’t that just the manifestation of the American Dream. Proud land owners who provide for themselves and their local community through agriculture. I’m a little jealous kid. Sounds like you are about to have a fantastic summer.”
“What about you Mr. Merica? What are you going to do this summer?”
“Me? I was recently selected to take part in a very unique, very elite wrestling event called The Trials where I will get to compete against some of the industry's biggest names in an effort to claim one piece of the Triad.”
“What is the Triad?” The inquisitive little dude asks.
“The Triad are three pieces that when put together form the greatest prize in professional wrestling history. Those pieces are Bravery, Strength and Wit.After all 3 trials have taken place there will be a match called The Great Illuminatus which will feature the winner of all 3 trials. The person who wins that match will walk away with wrestling’s ultimate prize.”
"The Triad?"
"You guessed it."
“It sounds kinda confusing. Whatever happened to good old fashioned wrestling belts like you see on TV?”
“I understand that because you are just a child and your brain is still forming that this might seem confusing to you but to those of us who have made it through puberty this is basically the greatest spectacle in wrestling history and I am one of the chosen 12 who gets to take part in this fine federations inaugural event. Me. MERICA. A guy who has never wrestled before was picked because my team Captain saw in me something special. Something great.”
“What’s that?”
“That I am a God Damn Red, White, and Blue American Icon. That like your land-owning family, I am a Manifestation of the American Dream. And throughout it’s history America has been know for one thing and one thing only. Exercising its imperial might all over the globe and I am going to do the very same as part of The Trials. I am going to dominate. I am going to destroy everything that stands in my way and I am going to win. For me. For my teammates and for my country.”
“That sounds weird. You’re weird.”
“And you're an annoying little troll whose parents can't stand to be around him anymore, so they put you on a bus by yourself rather than drive you 90 minutes to your grandparents.”
The boy’s mouth drops almost to the floor as he stares at MERICA for a few seconds before turning to face the window. Which he proceeds to do for the duration of his trip to Middletown, Pennsylvania.
:::About 6 hours later:::
As the ending credits begin to roll on in route movie “The Expendables”, the bus driver announces over the loudspeaker that they are roughly 10 hours out from Pittsburgh, their last stop before crossing over the border into Matt Knox’s least favorite state, Ohio.
After the young boy departed the bus in Middletown his seat remained open at least until they get to Pittsburgh at which point someone new could take up residence right next to America’s favorite masked hero. In the meantime, the relative silence and lack of 100 questions have given MERICA some much needed time to reflect back on his life and how he came to be here at this moment. On a bus, traveling cross country to train with a Mentor that he only met a few months in what some would call pure dumb luck while others might call it divine intervention.
:::I hear voices in my head:::
“About a week ago I tweeted out that I was going to be boarding a bus to make the trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to meet my mentor and almost instantly various people in the business picked up the tweet and the guessing games as to who my mentor is started. Which I really enjoyed. It was nice that people cared so much that they started guessing and placing bets on who the mysterious mentor could be and while I would love to tell you exactly who he mentor is.......he asked that I not reveal his identity at this time and I must respect his wishes. But here is what I can tell you, before the Trials are over you will all get to meet him and I for one could not be excited. Not just for the reveal but for all that I am going to learn from my mentor over the course of the next few weeks.
Most people probably don’t know this but I’ve actually never wrestled before. Not once. Not ever. I have a lot of experience with hand to hand combat on account of my military training so I can absolutely hold my own in a fight but a wrestling match? A whole different story. A few months ago my mentor made the trip out to Philadelphia and because of some connections he had in the business he was able to rent out a gym and bring in a sparring partner for me to practice and learn with. According to my mentor I picked up on things very quickly. My mentor was careful not to call me a natural but I could tell that the words were on the tip of his tongue the entire time. You see my mentor knows what any good coach knows and that’s that you don’t want to give your student false confidence or build them up too high too quickly because it makes the inevitable fall that much harder to overcome. But you see what my mentor doesn’t know, what no one really knows because I have elected to share very little about my past is that I am used to having to adapt and overcome. My entire life has been one struggle after another and make no mistake, that is not a complaint it is simply a statement of fact and one I am perfectly happy to admit because it’s the struggle that makes the successes feel as great as they do. You haven’t lived if you haven’t struggled. I truly believe that and while I believe there will be struggles along the way in these Trials I am fully confident in me, my mentor's teachings and my teammates.
It’s why I can go into these Trials as the long shot favorite to win and keep my head held high. It’s why I can stand across from two far more accomplished wrestlers in Catalina Cortes and Sarah Wolf and not have even an ounce of concern or worry that it won’t be my hand raised in victory at the end of the match. I know both of these women are fantastic wrestlers who have succeeded many times over in this business and I am a green as green can get rookie. I know this. But this knowledge does not intimidate me. It does not scare me. It motivates me. Nothing is more exciting than accomplishing something after being told repeatedly that you can’t. When doubters and converted into believers. That’s when you know you’ve done your job and that is what I am going to do on June 11th in Miami, Florida. I am going to make all the doubters eat their words while my opponents eat my fists and whatever else I serve up to them on my road to victory. Sid Buckley said I wouldn’t get drafted and until I did. Marcus Welsh has me as the wrestler with the longest odds to win the event…which is why I will. The doubts and the hate do not anger me, they do not upset me, they do not spin me out, they fuel me.
Consider this my official declaration of War. MERICA is coming for you!. All of you. One by one until there is only one left. The Red, White and Blue, Star Spangled American Icon - Me.
Merica’s focus is disturbed by the driver announcing over the loud speaker that their bus was now arriving at the Greyhound Terminal at 55 11th Street in downtown Pittsburgh before continuing it’s 2 plus day journey towards the City of Angels.
To Be Continued...
The voiceover…
By now most of you know who I am, and by that I mean you know that I exist. Many of you try to place me into your convenient little boxes based on how I look or some of the things I say and you think you know me but the reality is you don’t really know me at all. You really only know what little I have elected to tell you so far.
But have no fear my fellow MERICA loving Patriots for I am about to board a Greyhound Bus that I will spend the next two and a half days on as I travel cross country to spend some time with my mentor in the place he elects to call home. California and while on that trip I will tell you all you need to know about your favorite Country Loving, God Fearing, Masked Patriot.
The camera pans back and we see the MERICA boarding Greyhound Bus 746 destined for Los Angeles, California.
The camera quickly transitions to an interior view of the bus where we see MERICA seated in the aisle seat about 10 rows back. Seated next to him is a young boy approximately 12-13 years in age. Merica’s head is slightly tilted into the aisle as he takes stock of each and every single person who gets on the bus while the boy next to him has his eyes fixated on his masked row mate.
Sensing that he’s being watched MERICA looks over at the boy next to him who quickly shifts his attention towards the bus’s window. MERICA stares at the back of the kids head for a few seconds before turning his gaze back towards the aisle. Coincidentally this happens at the exact same time the young fella turns his attention back towards MERICA. A few seconds later MERICA quickly turns his head back towards the boy and the boy turns his head back towards the window. This little game of cat and mouse goes on for about 5 minutes before the two are interrupted by the driver who announces over the intercom their imminent departure at which point both MERICA and the young boy turn their attention towards the front of the bus.
“Something I can help you with fella?”
The boy doesn’t respond, instead he just stares at the masked man for a few seconds until the man repeats his question.
“Who are you?” The boy asks as he continues to study Merica’s face.
“My name is MERICA but you can call me MERICA.” Merica responds with a smile. Possibly since we can’t actually verify the existence of a smile behind the Red White and Blue Guy Fawkes mask.
“Merica. That’s a weird name. Why did your parents name you that?”
“They didn’t. They gave me a standard issue government name. But MERICA is the name I chose when I turned 18 and was legally able to do so.”
“What was your name before?”
“That was so long ago I can’t even remember.”
“Really?” The boy asks as he pushes himself up in his seat. “You must be really old then.”
“Not that old and no not really. I remember my name. I remember everything about my past but just like how history started on July 4th 1776 my history started on my 18th birthday. Everything before that was a mistake.”
“Why was it a mistake?”
“It just was. When are you getting off this bus anyway? Please tell me it isn’t Los Angeles.” MERICA asks as the boy shakes his head and laughs.
“Middletown. My grandma and grandpa are picking me up there. I’m going to spend the summer on their farm learning how to be a farmer like my daddy was and my grandpa was and his father was.”
This time it’s Merica’s turn to push himself up in his seat and fully engage with his neighbor.
“A farmer you say? Well isn’t that just the manifestation of the American Dream. Proud land owners who provide for themselves and their local community through agriculture. I’m a little jealous kid. Sounds like you are about to have a fantastic summer.”
“What about you Mr. Merica? What are you going to do this summer?”
“Me? I was recently selected to take part in a very unique, very elite wrestling event called The Trials where I will get to compete against some of the industry's biggest names in an effort to claim one piece of the Triad.”
“What is the Triad?” The inquisitive little dude asks.
“The Triad are three pieces that when put together form the greatest prize in professional wrestling history. Those pieces are Bravery, Strength and Wit.After all 3 trials have taken place there will be a match called The Great Illuminatus which will feature the winner of all 3 trials. The person who wins that match will walk away with wrestling’s ultimate prize.”
"The Triad?"
"You guessed it."
“It sounds kinda confusing. Whatever happened to good old fashioned wrestling belts like you see on TV?”
“I understand that because you are just a child and your brain is still forming that this might seem confusing to you but to those of us who have made it through puberty this is basically the greatest spectacle in wrestling history and I am one of the chosen 12 who gets to take part in this fine federations inaugural event. Me. MERICA. A guy who has never wrestled before was picked because my team Captain saw in me something special. Something great.”
“What’s that?”
“That I am a God Damn Red, White, and Blue American Icon. That like your land-owning family, I am a Manifestation of the American Dream. And throughout it’s history America has been know for one thing and one thing only. Exercising its imperial might all over the globe and I am going to do the very same as part of The Trials. I am going to dominate. I am going to destroy everything that stands in my way and I am going to win. For me. For my teammates and for my country.”
“That sounds weird. You’re weird.”
“And you're an annoying little troll whose parents can't stand to be around him anymore, so they put you on a bus by yourself rather than drive you 90 minutes to your grandparents.”
The boy’s mouth drops almost to the floor as he stares at MERICA for a few seconds before turning to face the window. Which he proceeds to do for the duration of his trip to Middletown, Pennsylvania.
:::About 6 hours later:::
As the ending credits begin to roll on in route movie “The Expendables”, the bus driver announces over the loudspeaker that they are roughly 10 hours out from Pittsburgh, their last stop before crossing over the border into Matt Knox’s least favorite state, Ohio.
After the young boy departed the bus in Middletown his seat remained open at least until they get to Pittsburgh at which point someone new could take up residence right next to America’s favorite masked hero. In the meantime, the relative silence and lack of 100 questions have given MERICA some much needed time to reflect back on his life and how he came to be here at this moment. On a bus, traveling cross country to train with a Mentor that he only met a few months in what some would call pure dumb luck while others might call it divine intervention.
:::I hear voices in my head:::
“About a week ago I tweeted out that I was going to be boarding a bus to make the trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to meet my mentor and almost instantly various people in the business picked up the tweet and the guessing games as to who my mentor is started. Which I really enjoyed. It was nice that people cared so much that they started guessing and placing bets on who the mysterious mentor could be and while I would love to tell you exactly who he mentor is.......he asked that I not reveal his identity at this time and I must respect his wishes. But here is what I can tell you, before the Trials are over you will all get to meet him and I for one could not be excited. Not just for the reveal but for all that I am going to learn from my mentor over the course of the next few weeks.
Most people probably don’t know this but I’ve actually never wrestled before. Not once. Not ever. I have a lot of experience with hand to hand combat on account of my military training so I can absolutely hold my own in a fight but a wrestling match? A whole different story. A few months ago my mentor made the trip out to Philadelphia and because of some connections he had in the business he was able to rent out a gym and bring in a sparring partner for me to practice and learn with. According to my mentor I picked up on things very quickly. My mentor was careful not to call me a natural but I could tell that the words were on the tip of his tongue the entire time. You see my mentor knows what any good coach knows and that’s that you don’t want to give your student false confidence or build them up too high too quickly because it makes the inevitable fall that much harder to overcome. But you see what my mentor doesn’t know, what no one really knows because I have elected to share very little about my past is that I am used to having to adapt and overcome. My entire life has been one struggle after another and make no mistake, that is not a complaint it is simply a statement of fact and one I am perfectly happy to admit because it’s the struggle that makes the successes feel as great as they do. You haven’t lived if you haven’t struggled. I truly believe that and while I believe there will be struggles along the way in these Trials I am fully confident in me, my mentor's teachings and my teammates.
It’s why I can go into these Trials as the long shot favorite to win and keep my head held high. It’s why I can stand across from two far more accomplished wrestlers in Catalina Cortes and Sarah Wolf and not have even an ounce of concern or worry that it won’t be my hand raised in victory at the end of the match. I know both of these women are fantastic wrestlers who have succeeded many times over in this business and I am a green as green can get rookie. I know this. But this knowledge does not intimidate me. It does not scare me. It motivates me. Nothing is more exciting than accomplishing something after being told repeatedly that you can’t. When doubters and converted into believers. That’s when you know you’ve done your job and that is what I am going to do on June 11th in Miami, Florida. I am going to make all the doubters eat their words while my opponents eat my fists and whatever else I serve up to them on my road to victory. Sid Buckley said I wouldn’t get drafted and until I did. Marcus Welsh has me as the wrestler with the longest odds to win the event…which is why I will. The doubts and the hate do not anger me, they do not upset me, they do not spin me out, they fuel me.
Consider this my official declaration of War. MERICA is coming for you!. All of you. One by one until there is only one left. The Red, White and Blue, Star Spangled American Icon - Me.
Merica’s focus is disturbed by the driver announcing over the loud speaker that their bus was now arriving at the Greyhound Terminal at 55 11th Street in downtown Pittsburgh before continuing it’s 2 plus day journey towards the City of Angels.
To Be Continued...