Post by Skyler Striker on Jul 13, 2007 0:39:54 GMT -5
Looking back on Jack of Blades and Ace Resoland in particular, I, Skyler Striker, have seen the value of keeping one’s own beginnings in mind. Therefore, in the same manner as Jack and Ace, I have decided to write of my past, how I came to wrestling, and why I am Skyler Striker. These are the Origins.
You already know who I am. I’m Skyler Striker. WCF World Champion. You know that my family stands by me. You know my past. However, there’s also a lot that you probably only presume.
You probably think that when it comes down to it, I’m all alone in the ring. But you’d be wrong. I’m never alone, in or out of the ring. You know my past, but there’s something I omitted. You may choose not to listen to this next part of the Origins. You may think that Christianity is ridiculous, it doesn’t make sense, etc. I’ve heard all the arguments, trust me. But this is how I, Skyler Striker, became a Christian.
When I finished these origins last, I left off in Japan for my training. So this time, I’ll pick up from there, because that’s where it started. Scott had died, Index 5 had broken up, and I was alone with Jade, who was one year old at the time, heading on a plane towards Japan. I exited the plane with my daughter and looked around for my sign. Before I’d left, I organized a trainer. He was going to train me for one year originally. But I extended it. I had to be the best. My motivation to wrestle at the time was just to make a living. In Japan, I was forced to learn Japanese quickly so I could speak with the locals. Before I even started wrestling, my trainer, a man by the name of Jon (an American who had lived in Japan for many years) taught me fluent Japanese. That took about half a year before I could have a decent conversation with anyone on the street. Even Jade began picking up Japanese words, her genius mind starting to develop.
I trained for the remaining half of the year, Jon putting me through rigorous exercises and strict drills, as well as general workouts and even an occasional independent appearance. Of course, I already knew how to wrestle, but this was different. I was learning a style. Before I left, I was an expert at fighting Hardcore matches. Hardcore isn’t a style. It’s just grabbing weapons and using them to the best of your ability. When Jon taught me, I learnt the high-flyer style. I learnt top rope moves of all kinds. My greatest achievement was the 630 Degree Senton, which I use today as my finisher, the Skyler High Dive. I learnt speed techniques, as well as some more complicated technical maneuvers.
But while my training was going well, my real life was not. I had to support Jade and myself by working four days a week, and this paid for the bare essentials as well as my training. I was working as a waiter in a restaurant, and getting paid very little. Regardless, I was constantly exhausted, emotionally drained, and always snapping at Jon for even the smallest of things. Jon saw this and sat me down one day. He said to me in fluent Japanese (I was expected to speak it constantly): ‘Skyler, you’re losing yourself. Your personality is the most important thing that you can have inside the ring. You can have all the technical skill you want, you can jump higher than anyone else, but it’s heart that will determine who walks out of the ring with a victory and who leaves defeated’.
So Jon did something that changed my life. He took me to a small Japanese Christian church. They’re considerably rare over there, it’s not a Christian country. But I went with him, eager to see why Jon was always able to remain calm, serene, and more than anything else optimistic. The preacher was speaking about faith. I knew nothing about this type of church – my father didn’t believe in church and so the only times we went were when he was away, and it was to an Anglican church that I found boring (as a ten year old, this wasn’t hard). But I gathered this preacher’s message with ease. I learnt that faith is the way to keeping yourself under control – with the only one who actually can, God. And so I prayed the prayer at the end of the service. I gave myself to someone who I thought might be able to save me and drive me further in the ring. Of course, at this time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I had no idea that I would ever be spoken to, or that I would ever be able to speak back.
From this point on, my life improved dramatically. I got a better job, my physical strength improved, I was less exhausted and was even able to enjoy my time with Jade. I raised her in the church, with Jon by my side. As the years of training went by, Jade learnt very quickly and we took her to the MENSA building in Japan, where they analysed her thoroughly and determined that she was a child prodigy. Jade was conversing with Jon at the age of three, and she was learning quicker then I was at Japanese. I came back to America seven years after I left, and I joined up with the WCF.
I’m never alone, no matter what any of you may think. My family, my saviour, my trainer, they’re always with me in spirit, no matter how alone I may be in the ring. My heart is what determines my strength, not my physical limitations.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
You already know who I am. I’m Skyler Striker. WCF World Champion. You know that my family stands by me. You know my past. However, there’s also a lot that you probably only presume.
You probably think that when it comes down to it, I’m all alone in the ring. But you’d be wrong. I’m never alone, in or out of the ring. You know my past, but there’s something I omitted. You may choose not to listen to this next part of the Origins. You may think that Christianity is ridiculous, it doesn’t make sense, etc. I’ve heard all the arguments, trust me. But this is how I, Skyler Striker, became a Christian.
When I finished these origins last, I left off in Japan for my training. So this time, I’ll pick up from there, because that’s where it started. Scott had died, Index 5 had broken up, and I was alone with Jade, who was one year old at the time, heading on a plane towards Japan. I exited the plane with my daughter and looked around for my sign. Before I’d left, I organized a trainer. He was going to train me for one year originally. But I extended it. I had to be the best. My motivation to wrestle at the time was just to make a living. In Japan, I was forced to learn Japanese quickly so I could speak with the locals. Before I even started wrestling, my trainer, a man by the name of Jon (an American who had lived in Japan for many years) taught me fluent Japanese. That took about half a year before I could have a decent conversation with anyone on the street. Even Jade began picking up Japanese words, her genius mind starting to develop.
I trained for the remaining half of the year, Jon putting me through rigorous exercises and strict drills, as well as general workouts and even an occasional independent appearance. Of course, I already knew how to wrestle, but this was different. I was learning a style. Before I left, I was an expert at fighting Hardcore matches. Hardcore isn’t a style. It’s just grabbing weapons and using them to the best of your ability. When Jon taught me, I learnt the high-flyer style. I learnt top rope moves of all kinds. My greatest achievement was the 630 Degree Senton, which I use today as my finisher, the Skyler High Dive. I learnt speed techniques, as well as some more complicated technical maneuvers.
But while my training was going well, my real life was not. I had to support Jade and myself by working four days a week, and this paid for the bare essentials as well as my training. I was working as a waiter in a restaurant, and getting paid very little. Regardless, I was constantly exhausted, emotionally drained, and always snapping at Jon for even the smallest of things. Jon saw this and sat me down one day. He said to me in fluent Japanese (I was expected to speak it constantly): ‘Skyler, you’re losing yourself. Your personality is the most important thing that you can have inside the ring. You can have all the technical skill you want, you can jump higher than anyone else, but it’s heart that will determine who walks out of the ring with a victory and who leaves defeated’.
So Jon did something that changed my life. He took me to a small Japanese Christian church. They’re considerably rare over there, it’s not a Christian country. But I went with him, eager to see why Jon was always able to remain calm, serene, and more than anything else optimistic. The preacher was speaking about faith. I knew nothing about this type of church – my father didn’t believe in church and so the only times we went were when he was away, and it was to an Anglican church that I found boring (as a ten year old, this wasn’t hard). But I gathered this preacher’s message with ease. I learnt that faith is the way to keeping yourself under control – with the only one who actually can, God. And so I prayed the prayer at the end of the service. I gave myself to someone who I thought might be able to save me and drive me further in the ring. Of course, at this time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I had no idea that I would ever be spoken to, or that I would ever be able to speak back.
From this point on, my life improved dramatically. I got a better job, my physical strength improved, I was less exhausted and was even able to enjoy my time with Jade. I raised her in the church, with Jon by my side. As the years of training went by, Jade learnt very quickly and we took her to the MENSA building in Japan, where they analysed her thoroughly and determined that she was a child prodigy. Jade was conversing with Jon at the age of three, and she was learning quicker then I was at Japanese. I came back to America seven years after I left, and I joined up with the WCF.
I’m never alone, no matter what any of you may think. My family, my saviour, my trainer, they’re always with me in spirit, no matter how alone I may be in the ring. My heart is what determines my strength, not my physical limitations.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
