Post by Craig Anderson on Mar 1, 2018 20:20:36 GMT
“I've been here before.”
Craig Anderson is stood in Tokyo, Japan. Perched upon a glass balcony, he peers down at the city that has become synonymous with so many things. He looks at all the large billboards, advertising global companies such as Nintendo and Sony. For such a small company, Japan has such a huge global presence. Tokyo is the most populated city in the world, and it's easy to see why.
“I've been here before. So why do I feel like I'm in uncharted territory?”
Craig soaks everything in. Tokyo is unlike anything he's ever experienced at home, and it's always a special feeling whenever he gets to come here.
“I've been to Tokyo; I've been to Japan; I've been to NJFC. I've done all of this a few times now. I love this country, and this culture. But this time, something is different.”
On one of the electronic billboards, an advertisement for NJFC FIGHTING Spirit flashes onto the screen. Craig focusses on it – or, rather, somebody featured on it.
“Look at that. An NJFC poster. There's Jack Tillman, there's Chandler Scott. Shimada, Ana, Cosmo. All the people you'd expect to be on it, are on it. And then you look down there, at the bottom. There's me: Craig Anderson. I made the poster. Me!”
Craig seems rather chuffed having made the cut, fighting off the urge to smile from ear-to-ear.
“It shows that my hard work is not going unnoticed, and that 2018 really can be my year. But do you know what else it shows? It paints me as one of the favourites to win this tournament – and to me, that's a strange feeling. Surreal, almost.”
Craig takes one last look at the poster, letting the feeling truly sink in before the billboard flashes onto the next slide.
“I'm not complaining. I've worked my entire career so that people would truly appreciate my work, and I feel like I'm finally getting there. It feels great. But at the same time, that 'favourite' tag has never done anyone any favours. It puts more pressure on them, and it comes with no added benefits. By being one of the favourites, the other competitors in this thing will be watching my every move. Every slight weakness in my game will be exploited, every strength neutralised. It makes things a lot harder. But do you know what I say to that?”
Craig reaches up and turns his cap back-to-front, stepping back a few paces and standing up straight.
“Bring it on!”
Craig's body languages welcomes the challenge that is in front of him, and his facial expression has the confidence to match.
“I've walked in to NJFC events and tournaments before, and up until now I've always been an underdog. I've never been mentioned as one of the names expected to go the distance. But whether I'm the underdog or whether I'm the favourite, it really makes no difference to me. I'm here to win the FIGHTING Spirit tournament, and the NJFC Junior Heavyweight Championship. All that's standing in my way... is fifteen men and women all with the same goal!”
Craig reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his phone, before holding it up. On the screen is an image of a man. Not just any man, either.
“The first one up? Jason Hunter.”
Craig looks at his screen, before putting his phone back into his pocket.
“Jason Hunter is a man who, if I'm being honest, I'd not heard of until recently. That's not me slighting him or his accomplishments in anyway. The wrestling world is so vast now that I physically cannot know everybody. But you can beat your backside that the second the bracket was released, I poured every spare hour I could into finding out about this man. I found out everything I could. I've watched his matches, his promos. I've read reports about him, fan tweets about him. I used whatever material there was available, because to make it at the top of this business you need to do your homework. It's one thing to step into the ring and kick really hard. Sure, it's about strength and skill and power. But there is nothing more powerful than the human mind – and by going in unprepared, you put yourself at a grand disadvantage.”
Craig is handed a notepad from somebody off-screen, and he holds it up. He begins to flick through the pages, showing pages and pages of detailed hand-written notes.
“Do you see that? All of that? That's just everything I wrote down about Jason Hunter. I've got fourteen other notepads just like that one!”
Craig chuckles for the briefest of moments, as he hands the notepad back.
“But out of all the notes I made about Jason, do you know what one thing stands out, and worries me the most? He was in a bad car accident. Doctors thought that he would never walk again; his hopes of ever wrestling again were crushed. Yet, somehow, here we are today. He didn't accept his fate. He didn't give up, he kept on going. Not only is he walking, but he is competing at the absolute highest level. Physically, he is strong. Mentally, he is even stronger. All the traits and characteristics you need to be a success in this tournament, he possesses. If I truly am a favourite to win, I'm going to have my work cut out for me to get past him!”
Craig grabs hold of the camera and turns it around, pointing to the pile of notepads that he was referencing earlier.
“Even if I do get past him, though... my work is far from over!”
Craig turns the camera back round to face the city of Tokyo. He focuses on Korakuen Hall for a moment, before placing his hand over the lens.
Fade to black.
Craig Anderson is stood in Tokyo, Japan. Perched upon a glass balcony, he peers down at the city that has become synonymous with so many things. He looks at all the large billboards, advertising global companies such as Nintendo and Sony. For such a small company, Japan has such a huge global presence. Tokyo is the most populated city in the world, and it's easy to see why.
“I've been here before. So why do I feel like I'm in uncharted territory?”
Craig soaks everything in. Tokyo is unlike anything he's ever experienced at home, and it's always a special feeling whenever he gets to come here.
“I've been to Tokyo; I've been to Japan; I've been to NJFC. I've done all of this a few times now. I love this country, and this culture. But this time, something is different.”
On one of the electronic billboards, an advertisement for NJFC FIGHTING Spirit flashes onto the screen. Craig focusses on it – or, rather, somebody featured on it.
“Look at that. An NJFC poster. There's Jack Tillman, there's Chandler Scott. Shimada, Ana, Cosmo. All the people you'd expect to be on it, are on it. And then you look down there, at the bottom. There's me: Craig Anderson. I made the poster. Me!”
Craig seems rather chuffed having made the cut, fighting off the urge to smile from ear-to-ear.
“It shows that my hard work is not going unnoticed, and that 2018 really can be my year. But do you know what else it shows? It paints me as one of the favourites to win this tournament – and to me, that's a strange feeling. Surreal, almost.”
Craig takes one last look at the poster, letting the feeling truly sink in before the billboard flashes onto the next slide.
“I'm not complaining. I've worked my entire career so that people would truly appreciate my work, and I feel like I'm finally getting there. It feels great. But at the same time, that 'favourite' tag has never done anyone any favours. It puts more pressure on them, and it comes with no added benefits. By being one of the favourites, the other competitors in this thing will be watching my every move. Every slight weakness in my game will be exploited, every strength neutralised. It makes things a lot harder. But do you know what I say to that?”
Craig reaches up and turns his cap back-to-front, stepping back a few paces and standing up straight.
“Bring it on!”
Craig's body languages welcomes the challenge that is in front of him, and his facial expression has the confidence to match.
“I've walked in to NJFC events and tournaments before, and up until now I've always been an underdog. I've never been mentioned as one of the names expected to go the distance. But whether I'm the underdog or whether I'm the favourite, it really makes no difference to me. I'm here to win the FIGHTING Spirit tournament, and the NJFC Junior Heavyweight Championship. All that's standing in my way... is fifteen men and women all with the same goal!”
Craig reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his phone, before holding it up. On the screen is an image of a man. Not just any man, either.
“The first one up? Jason Hunter.”
Craig looks at his screen, before putting his phone back into his pocket.
“Jason Hunter is a man who, if I'm being honest, I'd not heard of until recently. That's not me slighting him or his accomplishments in anyway. The wrestling world is so vast now that I physically cannot know everybody. But you can beat your backside that the second the bracket was released, I poured every spare hour I could into finding out about this man. I found out everything I could. I've watched his matches, his promos. I've read reports about him, fan tweets about him. I used whatever material there was available, because to make it at the top of this business you need to do your homework. It's one thing to step into the ring and kick really hard. Sure, it's about strength and skill and power. But there is nothing more powerful than the human mind – and by going in unprepared, you put yourself at a grand disadvantage.”
Craig is handed a notepad from somebody off-screen, and he holds it up. He begins to flick through the pages, showing pages and pages of detailed hand-written notes.
“Do you see that? All of that? That's just everything I wrote down about Jason Hunter. I've got fourteen other notepads just like that one!”
Craig chuckles for the briefest of moments, as he hands the notepad back.
“But out of all the notes I made about Jason, do you know what one thing stands out, and worries me the most? He was in a bad car accident. Doctors thought that he would never walk again; his hopes of ever wrestling again were crushed. Yet, somehow, here we are today. He didn't accept his fate. He didn't give up, he kept on going. Not only is he walking, but he is competing at the absolute highest level. Physically, he is strong. Mentally, he is even stronger. All the traits and characteristics you need to be a success in this tournament, he possesses. If I truly am a favourite to win, I'm going to have my work cut out for me to get past him!”
Craig grabs hold of the camera and turns it around, pointing to the pile of notepads that he was referencing earlier.
“Even if I do get past him, though... my work is far from over!”
Craig turns the camera back round to face the city of Tokyo. He focuses on Korakuen Hall for a moment, before placing his hand over the lens.
Fade to black.
