Into the Sunset

by Jason Spade Sat Aug 05, 2023 7:01 pm

As Shockwave rolls on, Jason Spade's entrance music hits. The crowd erupts into cheers as the newly-minted CMV Hall of Famer makes his way to the ring. Spade is all smiles as he high fives fans and slides into the ring, microphone in hand. Spade raises the microphone but pauses as the crowd cheers louder. Spade smiles and waits as cheers of "Thank you, Jason!" fill the arena. Finally, Spade speaks.

"Y'know, I had, uh... I had a whole speech ready, talking about... The people I've known and the places I've been, but... Now that I'm out here it just doesn't feel right. So, I'm gonna tell you guys a story about a little boy named Jason. When Jason was six years old, his father came into his bedroom and asked him, 'Hey, do you want to see something cool?' And his father turned on the TV and flipped to a channel with professional wrestling, and Jason's life changed forever. He'd never seen anything so amazing in his entire life; he was watching real life superheroes- guys like Rey Misterio Jr. emulating Spider-Man and flying through the air, larger than life characters with muscles bigger than their heads, it was... Well, it was amazing. And right there, Jason knew what he wanted to do with his life. And so, as soon as he graduated high school, he signed up to the nearest wrestling school, walked in those doors, and smiled, because he was ready.

And he failed."

A long pause.

"Jason dropped out after two days... He couldn't do it. He was too weak, too small, not tough enough... So he tucked tail and ran. He went home, he got a normal job, and for three years he sat at that job, slowly getting more and more miserable, being abused by his managers, the customers, his girlfriend dumped him, he gained a ton of weight until one day he said... Enough. He quit his job, he took his last $400, and he hopped into his busted up 2005 Corolla and drove to a new wrestling school. He slapped that last $400 on the table and said, 'Train me.'

And it was hard... Maybe the hardest thing he'd ever done. Sleeping in his car, working odd jobs to buy food and gas and pay for the training that brutalized his body and mind, but finally... After a year, Jason walked into his first wrestling match. And well, the rest is history."

Spade pauses for a long time.

"I guess... What I'm trying to say is... Thank you. Thank you for... Letting that scared little boy live his dream. For letting him be... Something stronger and braver than he ever could've been otherwise. I won't... Say goodbye. This is wrestling, after all... Nobody is ever really gone. So instead, I'll say... Thank you... And see you later."

Spade sets the microphone down as the crowd cheers for him one more time; he gets down onto his knees and bows to them, a final gesture of thanks, as the scene fades to black.