Post by amyzing on Aug 17, 2014 9:55:11 GMT -6
It goes without saying that most people have something in their home to display their accomplishments and milestones. These may be things like degrees or diplomas, wedding photos, medals or trophies. It is common nature to do so.
Inside her living room, Amy Zing has a bookcase she has built to display what she considers her accomplishments. It is empty of championships and trophies. However, it is not empty. Instead of trophies and title belts and medals, it has what appears to a small box of postcards of every city she has ever wrestled in that she could buy a postcard in, a strange habit she got into when she began.
Also on this trophy care are various photos of her with those people she has met and considers her friends. There is of course a photo of Amy and Jamie Hensley. The two women are dressed casually, both wearing sunglasses and sticking their tongues out for the photo, just having fun. Another photo is of Amy with a young Goth woman in PVC clothing with the ACW Women’s Championship over her shoulder. Amy’s arm is over the other woman’s shoulder. This is Dahlia, Amy’s friend in ACW, after she won her second ACW Women’s Championship. The other picture is a Japanese woman, just a bit taller and more of a muscular build than Amy has, her friend in the APW, Shione "SURGE" Oshima. This one was taken backstage, the two women talking. When Shione came to APW, she and Amy sparked up a friendship.
Two of the photos are labeled “Before” and “After”. They show Amy with the same woman, a Caucasian woman with black hair with purple streaks wearing black. This is Robina Hood, the woman she considers not only her greatest rival in APW, but of her entire career. Of Robina, Amy once said that they brought out the best in each other and that “We’ve never actually wrestled a match against each other; we’ve fought wars”. One photo, the “Before” photo, depicts the two women in a match trying to beat each other as they climb a ladder for a contract Amy would ultimately claim in the first match they ever wrestled. This is a contrast to the “After” photo which shows Amy and Robina at the final APW pay-per-view, RassleMania X, which was a three night event celebrating the APW. The two women are shaking hands after Robina defeated Amy and another wrestler, Young Mannie, to reclaim the North American Championship in the penultimate match of the first night, .
Only one photo shows Amy holding a championship. It was taken on August 27th, 2013, when Amy Zing defeated Robina Hood for the first and only championship not only in the APW but of her entire career, the APW North American Championship.
In the photo, Amy’s hair, usually kept in a ponytail, is nearly undone. She seems to be only standing up due to adrenaline and the heat of the moment. Her arms are in the air with her arms pointing to the crowd and the title around her waist. The title around her waist has part of the US flag as the plate, with the words “APW North American Championship” with it. The leather strap of the title is black. One side plate is the flag of Mexico and the other is the Canadian flag. Despite her exhaustion after wrestling an all out war for the title against the person she considers the greatest rival she ever had. She would hold that title from August 27th, 2013 to March 28th, 2014, a title reign that lasted 213 days.
The real Amy Zing is seated in front of her bookcase. She wears a pair of shorts and a pink top. Her long hair is unbound, hanging down her shoulder. Her laptop is sitting in front of her. On the screen is that match, the night of August 27th, 2013, Tuesday Night Meltdown Supershow, “The Hong Kong Sensation” Amy Zing versus Robina Hood for APW North American Championship.
In the video, Amy lands the Fenghuang Kick to Robina, who drops to the mat. Amy drops to her knees, seeming to pray for a moment before she makes the cover and hooks the leg for the pin. The referee counts the three and the crowd explodes as Amy Zing wins her first and only championship. She rolls off Robina, laying on the mat seemingly in shock. Her arms rise into the air. On shaky legs she gets to her feet, taking the title from the referee, completely overcome with the emotion of the moment. The title is wrapped around her waist by the referee as Amy is unable to do it herself. She begins to climb the turnbuckles. It is at that point, as the announcers sign off that the video ends.
The real Amy Zing looks from the video on her laptop to the trophy case. She closes the laptop and pushes it aside.
“For the longest time, all they said of me was that I was good, I could win, but I could never win the big one. They said I was not a closer. They said I could not win a championship. To say that that night was not the greatest of my career would be a lie. It was. I had tried to win the North American Championship time and time again only to fail as I had with every title I attempted to win.”
“That night, something was different. Maybe it was that I was in the ring with Robina Hood. We had fought wars against each other. Every match we faced each other in just seemed to be all out fights. That night was no different. We brought out the best in each other. That night really showed that. It was a war. It was probably the best match we ever had. And there was no one else I would rather have won my first title ever from, and lost it to Robina Hood.”
Amy smiles a bit.
“We may not be the best of friends, and even though we seem to have buried the hatchet between us, I have no doubt that if she was here in the UWA, we would be right back to square one, but I respected her. I don’t think anyone can face someone like that, that person that brings out your best, that you have that kind of a feud with and not end up with a mutual respect. Honestly, if she showed up, I would volunteer to be her first opponent. It was everything I hoped the moment would be.”
Looking up at the photo of her winning the championship, and then down at the match in which she lost it, she sighs a bit.
“I just sort of wish the title reign could have been as great.”
She catches herself like she said something wrong.
“It’s not that I did not enjoy being a champion. I mean after I won the title, it was, without a doubt, the best run I have ever had. I do not recall losing a match between when I won the title and my first title defense at the October pay-per-view, One Night in Hell. But between One Night in Hell and RassleMania X, the APW was sort of shut down. I didn’t wrestle in APW during that time. No one did.”
“I mean I didn’t sit home and collect a paycheck. That’d have been wrong. I love what I do too much to just sit around and collect a paycheck for not working. During that time, I wrestled in Japan and Mexico, but I had to get permission to defend the championship, and I only got it if I was able to face another APW Megastar who was on the show. I spent 213 days as a champion, the longest reign as APW North American Champion in history, and I had so few title defenses during that reign. The first two months I didn’t even defend the title, and I really wanted to.”
She brushes her hair from her face.
“I don’t think it made me a paper champion, or a transitional champion, but it was rather vexing to have that first championship reign, make history and yet, feel like there is an asterisk on that record because you barely defended it.”
Amy flops down on her back, laying down on the light blue, plush carpet. Her hair is spread out. She shifts her legs, uncrossing them and stretching them out.
“I don’t know. Maybe I expected more from myself or from the reign. I don’t feel like I was a bad champion, or that I just gliding through my title reign without defending it as I have seen some do. But, I expected more.”
She sits up for a moment. Again her eyes fall on that photo of her holding up the APW North American Championship.
“For so long I went into title matches talking about the Mandate of Heaven, a political belief in China that basically says the heavens pick the rulers of China. If the rulers are good, then the heavens smile down upon them and allow them to rule. However, if the rulers are tyrants or despots or just pretty bad at their job of being rulers, then the heavens will not smile upon them and will pass the Mandate of Heaven to another, allowing that ruler’s reign to end. This is why China had so many dynasties. Every dynasty started of with the Mandate of Heaven, and eventually, that line just stopped being worthy of it. Sometimes it took generations, great-great-great-great grandsons. Other times it took a very short time, either with the son or the grandson. And sometimes, the person hoping to start a dynasty loses the Mandate before they even get the chance. And we, as Chinese, accept this. We still believe in it. Even today, the idea of the Mandate of Heaven has been used with the communist government of the People’s Republic of China. It is just a part of our culture, an idea that has been developed over centuries and still resonates today. It is small wonder why I would compare a championship to it as it somewhat comes down to a question on worthiness. It’s only natural to wonder about such a thing given the first reign I had wasn’t what I truly believe I should have made it be rather, than as I feel, me coasting through for 213 days as a champion, and only having like one title defense, and really that only coming like 60 days after winning the title.”
Realizing that she has been rambling for awhile now, she stops talking and lies back down on the carpet. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Slowly, she exhales. But this time, she does not reopen her eyes.
“And that is what I have been sitting here asking myself. Am I worthy? Do I actually deserve an opportunity to become the first ever UWA Television Champion? If I win, do I truly deserve to be a champion?”
Now, she opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling.
“I have one win and three loses out of four total matches. It’s not exactly the most impressive record. I am pretty sure Bob Brooks, Skylar and J-Shades have better win/loss records than I do. And I cannot help wonder why I am in this match. I can guess why Skylar, Bob Brooks and J-Shades are in this match. Did I truly earn it? Was my name a random draw? I feel like there are others that could be, or rather, should be in this match and given a chance to make history.”
“But then I think about it, and I think that maybe because I question if I deserve it is why I deserve it.”
Amy sighs and makes a face.
“And then I realize that that idea sounds kind of stupid.”
Slowly, “the Hong Kong Sensation” sits up and looks to the bookshelf she keeps her career keepsakes on.
“But I also think that it really doesn’t matter if I think I am worthy or not. It doesn’t matter if I deserve it or not. All that matters is that I am in this fourway with Skylar, J-Shades and Bob Brooks. All that matters is that I have a chance to become the first ever UWA Television Champion.”
Amy Zing gets to her feet. She looks at the postcards that trace a career and to the pictures that have helped to define it.
“I may honestly believe that I could have done better the first time I was a champion, but I will not get hung up on regrets. Now I have a chance to prove that I am not a paper champion. I have a chance to prove that I am worthy of being a champion, that I deserve it.”
“I have no intention of going down without a fight. Maybe the Mandate of Heaven is an antiquated idea and it has nothing to do with wrestling or championships, but you know what? It is my belief and I am going to Raising Hell with every intention of proving I am worthy and that I do deserve to be in the match and that I can become the UWA Television Champion, and if I have to try and kick three someone’s heads off to do it, then I am going to try my best to do so.”
“I am going to show everyone why I am simply Amy Zing.”
The eyes of “the Hong Kong Sensation” continue to look at the items on the bookshelf. It is on the image of her winning the North American Championship, the first title of her career, from her greatest rival to date, that the scene fades out on.
Inside her living room, Amy Zing has a bookcase she has built to display what she considers her accomplishments. It is empty of championships and trophies. However, it is not empty. Instead of trophies and title belts and medals, it has what appears to a small box of postcards of every city she has ever wrestled in that she could buy a postcard in, a strange habit she got into when she began.
Also on this trophy care are various photos of her with those people she has met and considers her friends. There is of course a photo of Amy and Jamie Hensley. The two women are dressed casually, both wearing sunglasses and sticking their tongues out for the photo, just having fun. Another photo is of Amy with a young Goth woman in PVC clothing with the ACW Women’s Championship over her shoulder. Amy’s arm is over the other woman’s shoulder. This is Dahlia, Amy’s friend in ACW, after she won her second ACW Women’s Championship. The other picture is a Japanese woman, just a bit taller and more of a muscular build than Amy has, her friend in the APW, Shione "SURGE" Oshima. This one was taken backstage, the two women talking. When Shione came to APW, she and Amy sparked up a friendship.
Two of the photos are labeled “Before” and “After”. They show Amy with the same woman, a Caucasian woman with black hair with purple streaks wearing black. This is Robina Hood, the woman she considers not only her greatest rival in APW, but of her entire career. Of Robina, Amy once said that they brought out the best in each other and that “We’ve never actually wrestled a match against each other; we’ve fought wars”. One photo, the “Before” photo, depicts the two women in a match trying to beat each other as they climb a ladder for a contract Amy would ultimately claim in the first match they ever wrestled. This is a contrast to the “After” photo which shows Amy and Robina at the final APW pay-per-view, RassleMania X, which was a three night event celebrating the APW. The two women are shaking hands after Robina defeated Amy and another wrestler, Young Mannie, to reclaim the North American Championship in the penultimate match of the first night, .
Only one photo shows Amy holding a championship. It was taken on August 27th, 2013, when Amy Zing defeated Robina Hood for the first and only championship not only in the APW but of her entire career, the APW North American Championship.
In the photo, Amy’s hair, usually kept in a ponytail, is nearly undone. She seems to be only standing up due to adrenaline and the heat of the moment. Her arms are in the air with her arms pointing to the crowd and the title around her waist. The title around her waist has part of the US flag as the plate, with the words “APW North American Championship” with it. The leather strap of the title is black. One side plate is the flag of Mexico and the other is the Canadian flag. Despite her exhaustion after wrestling an all out war for the title against the person she considers the greatest rival she ever had. She would hold that title from August 27th, 2013 to March 28th, 2014, a title reign that lasted 213 days.
The real Amy Zing is seated in front of her bookcase. She wears a pair of shorts and a pink top. Her long hair is unbound, hanging down her shoulder. Her laptop is sitting in front of her. On the screen is that match, the night of August 27th, 2013, Tuesday Night Meltdown Supershow, “The Hong Kong Sensation” Amy Zing versus Robina Hood for APW North American Championship.
In the video, Amy lands the Fenghuang Kick to Robina, who drops to the mat. Amy drops to her knees, seeming to pray for a moment before she makes the cover and hooks the leg for the pin. The referee counts the three and the crowd explodes as Amy Zing wins her first and only championship. She rolls off Robina, laying on the mat seemingly in shock. Her arms rise into the air. On shaky legs she gets to her feet, taking the title from the referee, completely overcome with the emotion of the moment. The title is wrapped around her waist by the referee as Amy is unable to do it herself. She begins to climb the turnbuckles. It is at that point, as the announcers sign off that the video ends.
The real Amy Zing looks from the video on her laptop to the trophy case. She closes the laptop and pushes it aside.
“For the longest time, all they said of me was that I was good, I could win, but I could never win the big one. They said I was not a closer. They said I could not win a championship. To say that that night was not the greatest of my career would be a lie. It was. I had tried to win the North American Championship time and time again only to fail as I had with every title I attempted to win.”
“That night, something was different. Maybe it was that I was in the ring with Robina Hood. We had fought wars against each other. Every match we faced each other in just seemed to be all out fights. That night was no different. We brought out the best in each other. That night really showed that. It was a war. It was probably the best match we ever had. And there was no one else I would rather have won my first title ever from, and lost it to Robina Hood.”
Amy smiles a bit.
“We may not be the best of friends, and even though we seem to have buried the hatchet between us, I have no doubt that if she was here in the UWA, we would be right back to square one, but I respected her. I don’t think anyone can face someone like that, that person that brings out your best, that you have that kind of a feud with and not end up with a mutual respect. Honestly, if she showed up, I would volunteer to be her first opponent. It was everything I hoped the moment would be.”
Looking up at the photo of her winning the championship, and then down at the match in which she lost it, she sighs a bit.
“I just sort of wish the title reign could have been as great.”
She catches herself like she said something wrong.
“It’s not that I did not enjoy being a champion. I mean after I won the title, it was, without a doubt, the best run I have ever had. I do not recall losing a match between when I won the title and my first title defense at the October pay-per-view, One Night in Hell. But between One Night in Hell and RassleMania X, the APW was sort of shut down. I didn’t wrestle in APW during that time. No one did.”
“I mean I didn’t sit home and collect a paycheck. That’d have been wrong. I love what I do too much to just sit around and collect a paycheck for not working. During that time, I wrestled in Japan and Mexico, but I had to get permission to defend the championship, and I only got it if I was able to face another APW Megastar who was on the show. I spent 213 days as a champion, the longest reign as APW North American Champion in history, and I had so few title defenses during that reign. The first two months I didn’t even defend the title, and I really wanted to.”
She brushes her hair from her face.
“I don’t think it made me a paper champion, or a transitional champion, but it was rather vexing to have that first championship reign, make history and yet, feel like there is an asterisk on that record because you barely defended it.”
Amy flops down on her back, laying down on the light blue, plush carpet. Her hair is spread out. She shifts her legs, uncrossing them and stretching them out.
“I don’t know. Maybe I expected more from myself or from the reign. I don’t feel like I was a bad champion, or that I just gliding through my title reign without defending it as I have seen some do. But, I expected more.”
She sits up for a moment. Again her eyes fall on that photo of her holding up the APW North American Championship.
“For so long I went into title matches talking about the Mandate of Heaven, a political belief in China that basically says the heavens pick the rulers of China. If the rulers are good, then the heavens smile down upon them and allow them to rule. However, if the rulers are tyrants or despots or just pretty bad at their job of being rulers, then the heavens will not smile upon them and will pass the Mandate of Heaven to another, allowing that ruler’s reign to end. This is why China had so many dynasties. Every dynasty started of with the Mandate of Heaven, and eventually, that line just stopped being worthy of it. Sometimes it took generations, great-great-great-great grandsons. Other times it took a very short time, either with the son or the grandson. And sometimes, the person hoping to start a dynasty loses the Mandate before they even get the chance. And we, as Chinese, accept this. We still believe in it. Even today, the idea of the Mandate of Heaven has been used with the communist government of the People’s Republic of China. It is just a part of our culture, an idea that has been developed over centuries and still resonates today. It is small wonder why I would compare a championship to it as it somewhat comes down to a question on worthiness. It’s only natural to wonder about such a thing given the first reign I had wasn’t what I truly believe I should have made it be rather, than as I feel, me coasting through for 213 days as a champion, and only having like one title defense, and really that only coming like 60 days after winning the title.”
Realizing that she has been rambling for awhile now, she stops talking and lies back down on the carpet. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Slowly, she exhales. But this time, she does not reopen her eyes.
“And that is what I have been sitting here asking myself. Am I worthy? Do I actually deserve an opportunity to become the first ever UWA Television Champion? If I win, do I truly deserve to be a champion?”
Now, she opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling.
“I have one win and three loses out of four total matches. It’s not exactly the most impressive record. I am pretty sure Bob Brooks, Skylar and J-Shades have better win/loss records than I do. And I cannot help wonder why I am in this match. I can guess why Skylar, Bob Brooks and J-Shades are in this match. Did I truly earn it? Was my name a random draw? I feel like there are others that could be, or rather, should be in this match and given a chance to make history.”
“But then I think about it, and I think that maybe because I question if I deserve it is why I deserve it.”
Amy sighs and makes a face.
“And then I realize that that idea sounds kind of stupid.”
Slowly, “the Hong Kong Sensation” sits up and looks to the bookshelf she keeps her career keepsakes on.
“But I also think that it really doesn’t matter if I think I am worthy or not. It doesn’t matter if I deserve it or not. All that matters is that I am in this fourway with Skylar, J-Shades and Bob Brooks. All that matters is that I have a chance to become the first ever UWA Television Champion.”
Amy Zing gets to her feet. She looks at the postcards that trace a career and to the pictures that have helped to define it.
“I may honestly believe that I could have done better the first time I was a champion, but I will not get hung up on regrets. Now I have a chance to prove that I am not a paper champion. I have a chance to prove that I am worthy of being a champion, that I deserve it.”
“I have no intention of going down without a fight. Maybe the Mandate of Heaven is an antiquated idea and it has nothing to do with wrestling or championships, but you know what? It is my belief and I am going to Raising Hell with every intention of proving I am worthy and that I do deserve to be in the match and that I can become the UWA Television Champion, and if I have to try and kick three someone’s heads off to do it, then I am going to try my best to do so.”
“I am going to show everyone why I am simply Amy Zing.”
The eyes of “the Hong Kong Sensation” continue to look at the items on the bookshelf. It is on the image of her winning the North American Championship, the first title of her career, from her greatest rival to date, that the scene fades out on.