2014.06.16: PWN - LEGACY - First Impressions

Evil ways. In many ways Christian Othniel was the polar opposite of Bobby Langford. Othniel didn’t pretend to be good or have any sense of honor in how he conducted himself, he was in this business for his own selfish reasons and hell-bent on achieving success through any means necessary. Bobby Langford on the other hand was a blue collar man who wanted to make the fans happy while going full throttle in the ring. He conducted himself with a code of honor and showed respect for those who came before him. The wildcard in the whole equation was Brandon Marks, “The Candy Man”. So far Bobby Langford hadn’t gotten the chance to scout any of his prior work or promos but from what he could gather he was a fan favorite and conducted himself in a respectful manner. He also heard from the grapevine from several trainers at the Emerald Academy that Marks wrestled a high risk, high tempo style which could pose a problem of someone his size if he wasn’t vigilant. This triple threat was important not only because it was Bobby’s first match as a professional wrestler but also because the winner would very well be putting themselves in pole-position in pursuit of the Legacy Wrestling Championship.

Bobby Langford was hard at work at the Hollywood Boxing Gym doing a rep of bench presses in preparation of his debut. His brother David Langford could be seen nearby as his spotter encouraging Bobby to push himself further in his training. The barbell itself was 250lbs, 25lbs more than the standard weight for the bench press at the NFL combine each year for would be NFL prospects. Some professional athletes at the combine struggle to do 15 repetitions and few ever manage to do more than 30; only the most physically gifted of athletes could hope to press beyond that mark. For Bobby Langford 225lbs wasn’t enough for today’ workout, he was always about raising the bar and pushing his limits, values further reinforced from his days at the Emerald Academy. Sweat was pouring down his forehead as he was lifting 89% of his own body weight as he yelled each rep out loud, pressing the bar off his chest with authority.

Bobby Langford: 1!
2!

3!

4!

5!

6!

7!

8!

9!

10!

David is seen clapping in approval as his brother shows no signs of slowing down.

David Langford: Push yourself Bobby! Show more of that hustle, show some of that Steel City pride!

Bobby makes it through the next 15 reps in a rugged fashion, keeping his breathing at a rhythmic pace. The average man would be toiling in pain lifting this much weight repeatedly but Bobby was grinning like a child as he kept looking to push his body even further. The Langford Brothers were used to the workload from hard hours of manual labor in their home of Pittsburgh and their professional wrestling training further refined their natural ability.

David Langford: Keep the pace Bobby! You got this, you got this. Push on through!

Bobby goes for the next 5 reps showing a little bit of a slowdown as fatigue begins to set in. His breathing remains rhythmic but slowing down a he takes a little bit deeper breaths in between reps as his smile has yet to leave his face.

Bobby Langford: 26!... 27!... 28!... 29!... …30!

David stands ready to help him set the bar back on the rack should he fail to be able to lift it off his chest but Bobby shakes his head as David goes to grab the bar.

Bobby Langford: 31!... …32!… … 33!

David Langford: Finish Bobby! You’re almost at 35! Just a little bit more, show me how bad you want to win your first match! Finish strong Bobby!

Bobby Langford: 34!... …35!... … 36!

Bobby’s strength is about to give out on him as he struggles to make the 35th repetition. He manages to find a second wind and presses forward a little bit more determined to push his limits even further as David can’t help but smile and shake his head.

Bobby Langford: 37!... 38!... 39!

Bobby tries his hardest to reach 40 but his strength finally gives out on him as David grabs hold of the bar and helps him set it back on the bar. Bobby sits up from the bench as he grabs a nearby towel and wipes his head down which was soaked in sweat.

David Langford: Impressive display of strength and endurance, our father would be proud right now.

Bobby Langford: There’s a lot at stake going into Friday the 20th. You only get one chance to make a first impression in this business and the only way you can make it to the top is by putting in the hard work and showing your determination in and out of the ring.

David Langford: You’ll do great Bobby. I hope the doctors clear me to wrestle sometime soon, I’d love to join you in that ring and show the world what the Langford Brothers could do as a unit.

Bobby smiles and pats his brother on the back.

Bobby Langford: Soon David, soon. I got you a ticket for the show, figured it’d take your mind of recovery for a few hours while you’re in town visiting a specialist for that ACL. Think you can get us some Gatorade before we continue our work out? I’ll spot for you when you get back.

David Langford: I could go for some right now, I’ll be right back.

As David walks off Bobby finally acknowledges the camera’s presence for the first time as he gives his arms a rest from the intense workout.

Bobby Langford: Friday the 20th, a day many children and adults alike dream of. As a child I always dreamt of what it would be like to be preparing for my first professional wrestling match of my career. Whether it was growing up watching Monday Night Raw, Monday Nitro or during the days of World Class Championship wrestling and the AWA we’ve let our imaginations run wild at one point thinking of what could be. Unlike Christian Othniel I haven’t gone as far as I have in life through “Evil Ways” but through something called morals and hard work. There are no shortcuts to success and my father didn’t raise any liars or cheaters and with everything there’s a right way and a wrong way to conduct your business. Anyone who’s never worked a hard day’s work in their life thinks they can get by on taking the easy way out and while that may work for a while you’ll never achieve long term success with that formula.

Bobby shakes his head as a disgusted look forms on his face as he stands up from the bench.

Bobby Langford: Honestly I don’t have a shred of respect for Christian Othniel and it’s not because he hasn’t proven his ability in a wrestling ring but the blatant lack of respect he shows for anyone. How can you look at yourself in the mirror every morning when you take pleasure out of choking the very life out of your opponents in the middle of a match? You claim to call your peers savages only to act like one yourself; hypocrisy at its finest. Your past doesn’t justify your callous actions and when we face off the only thing that’s going to happen to your “Evil Ways” is a Steel Curtain crashing down to put your “purge” to an abrupt end.

Bobby releases a sigh as his expression softens having said his piece and getting that off his chest. It made his blood boil that someone could act that way and be proud of it and soon enough he’d have his chance to put Othniel in his place but he wasn’t the only opponent. His mind quickly turned its attention the “X-Factor” of the match, Brandon Marks who at the very least didn’t adhere to the mantra of “Evil Ways”. That alone was enough for Bobby Langford to respect him on little information.

Bobby Langford: As for Brandon Marks, I actually look forward to putting on a good show for the fans together with you. We’re polar opposites in terms of wrestling style for the most part but we each bring intriguing elements to the ring but don’t expect me to be your average “big man”. I’m going to do what I’ve always done and I’m going to let my work do the talking for me. I don’t have the impressive accolades and history to my name like other men on the roster; I’m here to pay my dues one match at a time. Win, lose or draw I give you and everyone in Legacy Wrestling my word that I won’t go down without a fight and if there’s one thing I learned from the steel mills is that you can never count a hard working, blue collar man out. I’ll see you gentlemen on Friday.

By now David Langford had returned from the vending machine and tossed Bobby a Gatorade. Bobby “tags in” his brother who takes his spot on the bench as the scene fades to black.