06-12-2019, 04:25 AM
In one of the rooms aboard the cruise ship that’s currently playing host to EMERGE, Gwen Blair sits on the edge of the bed. With her grey eyes lined with red, but still smiling, she holds the camera up to her face.
"My name is Gwen Blair, and I am a member of the EMERGE roster. I wrestled last night against three others, and came up just a touch short of the goal of contendership for the Spirit title. I'm tired, I'm sore, my bruises are spectacular, but I'm having the time of my life. A wrestling show, on a cruise ship, it sounds like a peculiar fever dream, but this is our current reality, and I plan to take advantage of everything I can experience.”
She grins.
“Which means entering into this Invitational. We've got gods and monsters, superstars and nobodies, and everyone in between. Some of the entrants scare the shit out of me. Some of the entrants, well, I can't believe I'm breathing the same air as them. For some, it's both.
I'll be fine by the time comes around to crowd into the ring with everybody, but I think I can be excused for having a bit of a fangirl moment.
But you know what most of these people have in common?
They're not roster members.”
She shakes her head.
“They're in it for the money, or the shot at glory. They're in it to prove a point, or make waves. They're in it to prove that they've never gone away, or that their reach is long. They're here as threats, defenders, or simply because they want to be.
And I think that's brilliant.
Then there's me. And if I stood here and told you that I wasn't in it for any of the reasons I mentioned, then I'd be a hypocrite.
The money would be lovely, the glory and the shot better. I'd love to continue making waves. I'm always watching, I'm always learning. I'm proving a point to myself and others. I have so many reasons to be in the Invitational.
And not one of them matters. Reasons don't win matches, bodies do. Reasons drive the body, I suppose, but they themselves aren't going to chuck anyone out of the ring.”
She chuckles.
“I know that I'm at a disadvantage going in, but this is a chance that I can't pass up. For myself, for my fans, for my family. And as long as I get in the ring and give it everything, then I'll be happy with my performance, and the experience that it gives me.”
"My name is Gwen Blair, and I am a member of the EMERGE roster. I wrestled last night against three others, and came up just a touch short of the goal of contendership for the Spirit title. I'm tired, I'm sore, my bruises are spectacular, but I'm having the time of my life. A wrestling show, on a cruise ship, it sounds like a peculiar fever dream, but this is our current reality, and I plan to take advantage of everything I can experience.”
She grins.
“Which means entering into this Invitational. We've got gods and monsters, superstars and nobodies, and everyone in between. Some of the entrants scare the shit out of me. Some of the entrants, well, I can't believe I'm breathing the same air as them. For some, it's both.
I'll be fine by the time comes around to crowd into the ring with everybody, but I think I can be excused for having a bit of a fangirl moment.
But you know what most of these people have in common?
They're not roster members.”
She shakes her head.
“They're in it for the money, or the shot at glory. They're in it to prove a point, or make waves. They're in it to prove that they've never gone away, or that their reach is long. They're here as threats, defenders, or simply because they want to be.
And I think that's brilliant.
Then there's me. And if I stood here and told you that I wasn't in it for any of the reasons I mentioned, then I'd be a hypocrite.
The money would be lovely, the glory and the shot better. I'd love to continue making waves. I'm always watching, I'm always learning. I'm proving a point to myself and others. I have so many reasons to be in the Invitational.
And not one of them matters. Reasons don't win matches, bodies do. Reasons drive the body, I suppose, but they themselves aren't going to chuck anyone out of the ring.”
She chuckles.
“I know that I'm at a disadvantage going in, but this is a chance that I can't pass up. For myself, for my fans, for my family. And as long as I get in the ring and give it everything, then I'll be happy with my performance, and the experience that it gives me.”