Whips and Chains

There is a place I want to see where every day is a sweet summer breeze. And every night is as starry as it is in my dreams...

So we're wearing gold again. This time we won't be letting it slip away.

And for those of you who thought that maybe our distractions would set us back, or stagger us in the least, what are you thinking now? The Tag Title Tournament at Hartford was further proof that when the battle lines are drawn, we'll be at the front of the lines-- leading by example. Unlike a certain Leader of the Free World, we don't always send the poor or the weak. We "man up" and fight our wars with conviction and fire and balance. If you're still scoffing, fuck you. The proof is in the proverbial pudding. And in this case the pudding is silver and gold. :)

From Hartford to Philly is about a 4 hour drive. Most of the drive was spent listening to Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Traveling Band (the girl had nothing else worth giving a shot). Needless to say, if my two prior losses to Bryan Danielson weren't motivation enough, that red and yellow drivel sent me over the edge.

Stepping into that armory in Philadelphia I got goosebumps remembering the way I felt back in March when I let myself down by not capturing the World Title at Take No Prisoners. I was one count away on multiple occasions from seizing a dream. Flash forward now, to last Saturday. Respect is Earned II. I wasn't about to drop the ball again.

I truly feel that there is nothing that can stop Jimmy and I as a team. And when he fought his heart out trying to tear Aries to pieces, I took a spark from his flame and let it truly ignite in my eyes. And when the fans in Philly felt the temperature rise as it boiled down to just Bryan and I, I breathed in that smoke. Every voice was another log and the fire just kept building. It burned out the roof and lit up the sky. And when I felt the third count after my Phoenix Splash, I knew we had done it. We had proved our point. As a team, and as revolution...

The question I get asked most. "What are you guys revolting against, anyway?"

It's that mindset. That psychology. You know the one. It lands you in a cube farm, or with paper cuts on your hands from bagging groceries all day. It leaves you broken hearted. It keeps you voting. It keeps you buying shit--shit you don't need. Shit no one needs. It keeps you detached and afraid. It keeps you apathetic. It keeps kids on the streets and books on the shelves. It keeps and it keeps and it keeps going and going and going. It's that mindset. I know you know the one, because chances are, it's yours.


Send thoughts to aotfblack@hotmail.com

Our New War

Since we last spoke one war was ended, another began, and a third is now scheduled for renewal...

Two and a half weeks ago we did just as I said we would. We tore down the superficial. We vanquished the facade. When Jimmy made Alex Shelley give up, Jimmy not only gained a measure of personal revenge, but through his desire and fortitude he showed the world that if you can visualize answers, they will appear. And now there is no longer a shadow; no longer a mask. Contracts and image and money mean nothing. Fuck exploitation. The reality isn't in the show, it's in our hearts. We believed. And we conquered. And as the garbage crashed like hail on our parade... I have never known such a beautiful shower of disappointment turned elation.

Unfortunately, our celebration was quickly soured, and just as Jimmy had put what he thought to be the last of his demons to rest by defeating Alex Shelley, it appears that old ghosts still haunt him. For now. There is not much I can ascertain relating to love and lust and how they effect Jimmy in this situation. All I can say is that anyone who has ever felt the sting of a broken heart has to empathize. More to follow...

One exception I do take in regards to Austin Aries is his use of the word "hypocrite" in relation to us and our fight.

In today's cynical world, where it has become more of a crime to believe in anything at all than it has to sit-- idle and ignorant, what kind of person do you think you are, Austin? I understand as well as anyone what personal turmoil and indecision can lead to. I know the road depression paves and uncertainty paints so simple and pretty. It's not easy to go down the gravel, signless road. It's not easy to figure things out on your own.

What we are Austin, is an alternative to that nice road that takes you to the big city and that nine to five-tired name tag-weekend warrior bullshit lifestyle. And you know what? On our end, there stand Age of the Fall and no one else. So we're fighting one versus one million. And you know what else? We're not afraid. Of the blind stereotypes like the Motor City Machine Guns. Or, of the silent cynics like you and 90% of middle class America. The ones who love to talk about all the things in this life that need to change, but never once stand up. Or even take a single look in the mirror.

And now it seems like you have been given a World Tag Team Championship. Wow. I bet you feel proud... Come the Hammerstein, we'll show you what action is all about when we pry that belt from your undeserving hands. Whether they are alive and clenched, or cold and dead...

But before we reach that road, Age of the Fall invades the nation's capitol. And there, on May 9th I find myself pitted--one more time-- against "The Best In The World."

...Bryan, the last time we met I took for granted your experience. I will give you all the credit in the world, as your moniker may not be such a stretch. But I truly believe that in Dayton last year, it was not you who beat me. It was me who beat me. A lot of kids go into matches with wrestlers they idolized just happy to be there. And the first time, maybe that is a halfway viable excuse, but it's also new motivation for me. I can defeat you Bryan Danielson. This time, will be nothing like the last time. This time, Bryan, I will defeat you.

Countdown To The Murder City Showdown

The beauty of life is the struggle it becomes. Because then it's easy to "remember when." Then it's better to look ahead.

Stopping to smell the roses isn't what this is about. We're not here to bask in limelight, or to gloat, or to wait another day—no one in our camp waits for tomorrow. We're here to engage; to challenge; to change perspectives and to broaden horizons.

You'd be mistaken if you are to see this Friday's contest between the Motor City Machine Guns and the Age of the Fall as just another pro wrestling dream match. Sure, obvious inter-promotional implications have raised the stakes high enough; not to mention it’s Jimmy Jacobs vs. Alex Shelley in the heart of Detroit, but what I think is sort of flying under the radar about Tag Wars 2008’s main event, is its social relevance. Let me lay the groundwork…

On one side, the Guns are arguably the most popular and successful up and coming tag team in the business. They're good looking, they're athletic, and they happen to stand for nothing but tired bullshit. With them it's all fashion and flashy combos. Every week Shelley has a new hair cut to go with his calculated clever comment. Where's the substance in being stuck in that condition? Sell another t-shirt, boys. Stagnate on another quiet Thursday night...

And then the pitch changes. As Shelley and Sabin try feverishly to fit in with today’s over produced, faux counter culture, they end up looking like fools to the kids who believe in everything after looking the part. So by default the true counter culture rejects them. They…WE reject the notion that they carry any torch representing change in society. We're the ones breaking ground! We're the ones changing lives! And how? By starting with our own.

We didn't reinvent this approach; we're carving our own cracks in the sidewalk. The same cracks Shelley and Sabin, and everyone in wrestling tiptoe around, because they’re all so afraid of falling off, of hitting bottom. In case you've been under a rock for the last decade, you haven't missed much: THIS BUSINESS IS THE UNCHANGED. WWE sure isn't making any waves. TNA--and its prized Machine Guns--aren't faring any better. Even good ol' Ring of Honor has hit a glass ceiling.

Enter Age of the Fall. We’ve arrived offering answers. We are handing out solutions. It's as simple as flesh and blood. It starts with you. And it starts with action.

So, this Friday in Detroit, when years of bad blood compound into Shelley vs. Jacobs—one more time; when it’s Us vs. Them—one more time, with our backs against the wall; like always, make sure to notice the look in my eyes. They’ll tell the story of the pariah, of the kid with a trampled dream.

Because it's about more than a single match for me.

It's about timing.

It's about being unafraid.

It's about a sociological shift.

This Friday, AOTF vs. MCMG...

is for those who have heart.

A Message For Tammy Sytch From Lacey

So you call yourself the "Original Diva?" I really don't see how there's anything original about you. You're just the same as all the other women who came before you in the wrestling business who were nothing more than eye candy, and you're just the same as all the talentless Divas that have come after you. ANYONE can go out there and shake their ass and fake tits to get a crowd reaction. There's nothing special or original about you.

You say you'll be looking out for me in Orlando, eh? Well Tammy, I'm not hard to find. I'm sure I know right where you'll be...trying to corner Austin Aries and win him over with your so-called "assets." Unfortunately for you my dear, I believe Mr. Aries is far too intelligent to fall for your same old schtick. He belongs with the Age of the Fall. He knows it, we all know it...so stop trying to take something that isn't yours. As Jimmy and Tyler have said many times before, we are bigger than Ring of Honor, and we are bigger than pro wrestling. We are a revolution, a call to arms, a cry to stand up and fight for what you believe in--something you know nothing about. You're just one of the sheep, following the herd blindly. You can fake all the confidence you want, but we both know underneath all the plastic you're nothing. You're clinging on hoping for one more chance in the spotlight. NEWS FLASH: You're old and washed up. No one cares about you anymore.

Don't patronize me with idle threats. Don't tell me you'll be there somewhere 'looking out for me.' If you don't find me, I WILL find you, so we can settle this face to face. And don't think we're going to handle things in a fashion you're used to--there won't be any bikini contests or mud wrestling. You might want to buy yourself some SHIMMER DVDs and study up...

Message from The Leader

I write this at an internet cafe in Germany. Thus far my trip has gone well and have found a lot of international support for the Age of the Fall cause. For those of you who have not seen my latest video message, it is on my front page on Myspace. I recommend everybody checks it out, as I have a had a lot on my mind and had a lot to vent about. Our Revolution is undoubtedly stronger than ever, with a new chapter of AOTF just starting in southern Indiana. I will not be at the Ring of Honor shows this weekend. As important as the ROH PPV, I will be holding a meeting for people interested in the AOTF cause. For those interested, please email me here on Myspace. And as always, go to ageofthefall.com for constant updates.

On to something else that is of personal significance to me, Alex Shelley makes his big Ring of Honor return on April 18 in Detroit. My real hatred for him is multi-layered. Our history is well documented, but in recent years our paths have diverged. While he parades himself as a national tv sell out, I have started a grass roots campaign, not in search of fame and money, but a goal to make a legitimate change in this world one person at a time. While he uses his tv time to simply feed his ego, I have touched people's lives in a very real way from the bottom up. And all that aside, I do have so many unsettled personal problems with him. It was a feud that began in 2002 in Detroit, and to this day, has never gotten any resolve in my mind. Beyond that, many people seem to believe that along with his tag team partner Chris Sabin, that the Murder/Motor City Machine Guns are the best tag team in the world. Well, while they failed to defeat the Briscoes in 2007, Tyler Black and I were the team successful to finally dethrone them to become the Ring of Honor world tag team champions. With so much to prove to the world, to society, to myelf, to this business, to the fans, and to Alex Shelley, I'm making a campaign to bring our feud back to where it started. In Detroit, Michigan, the home of the Machine Guns, I'm putting the offer on the table to Ring of Honor as a company and to the Murder City Machine Guns to have the match... MCMG vs AOTF.

The time to move is now.

Jimmy Jacobs

Change The World

I start tonight’s entry with a quote written in response to my last post. It is the final sentence of nuketheben’s comment:

“...but today is not the day for people like me to drink your kool aid.”

So tell me then, where did you pour this imaginary Kool-Aid we’ve been handing out? Because as far as I can remember all we’ve been dealing with here are ideas and honesty; not some formulaic poison or your scapegoat excuses.

And more importantly, if not today then when? How about when it’s too late? How about when our kids are growing up and dealing with more shit than you or I or God could ever foresee, let alone save? How about after the next nuclear holocaust? Sound good to you, motherfucker? Cause it sounds like you—and everyone like you—are the reason we’ve fallen this far.

It’s this fucking absurd idea that has a stranglehold on America; the feeling that everything will just be OK. And further, that just being OK is right. So, then you have kids who grow up with no hope. And why? Because unprepared, irresponsible imbeciles are the general population. Because uneducated, underprivileged, poor kids well, they have kids. And so from Day 1, those babies have no hope. They are born into welfare and will most likely spend their entire lives dependant on a naturally corrupt government for everything from diapers to cigarettes. And the cycle will repeat.

But maybe, hopefully, those reading don’t fall into that category. No, I imagine most of the people who’ve let the message drift unabsorbed through their peripheries are even worse. I believe that the crime is not committed by the misfortunate, but rather by the sons and daughters of this generation who are intelligent and capable and well-off enough to lend a helping hand. Those apathetic fools, like nuketheben, who sit idly by and let the world rot, they…

…you…you pieces of trash are the catalysts for disaster. I see the shopping malls and superstores and suburban sanctuaries and they teem with greed. Being young and impressionable is one thing, but someday we all have to grow up and make a fucking change.

Eric’s story is a great start, but there are a million stories out there just like Eric’s. I realize understanding the magnitude of what Age of the Fall is trying to accomplish may be difficult, but so is the actuality of it. If you don’t believe this is about you, you’re dead wrong. This is about every single one of us, and the lives we lead. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating:

Change your life.

Change the world.

Every great revolution started in the same place: someone’s heart. Tell me now that this can’t be real.

TB

AOTFBlack@hotmail.com

The Democrat? The Republican?

I can always be a distraction. So, where’s the changeover then? How has time become our last resort? I’m idling here, I know….

I buy my jeans from a thrift store for reassurance. I am a rebel. I am a social drinker. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t want to be like my parents either, but heroes are a waste of time. And religion? Ha. I scoff at anything organized. No one’s going to hell because it doesn’t exist. And what is morality anyway? Such hypocrites. The artists on my iPod no one is allowed to recognize, because pop music and money is for the sellouts. I don’t feel sorry for myself, in case you’re wondering. I just don’t want to be stuck here in this little state. Everyone here is so closed-minded. Maybe if they would get off their asses. And this. And that. And the rest…

We’re tired of the same old sad story. Everyone and all their pity.

What are you doing?

What am I doing?

Yeah, you—the kid with all the potential in the world—what are you doing?

I’m working, smoking, fucking, breathing.

Taking up space. Coveting. Consuming. And now they tell you to make a difference. They say, “You invoke change! Come out and vote!” Vote for whom? Who the fuck does the United States government and all these paid celebrity campaigners want you to vote for?

The Democrat? The Republican?

Fuck. That. These political pundits with all their talk about policy and bills and Operation: Iraqi Freedom. Like this is make or break. Like your vote makes a difference. How about a vote for indifference? Every single one of these proposed candidates represents the same thing: moderation. Fuck Left. Fuck Right. Fuck the Ass and the Elephant. I am not a proponent of extremism in any form, except extremist freedom. Open your eyes America; the war we need to fight is the war within. And I don’t mean inside the borders of our own country; I mean the war we wage every day in our hearts and in our heads. Democracy, Jihad, genocide? How about depression, anxiety, and the search for shreds of remaining truth in hope. How did we get all the way from hunting and gathering, to oppression and tyranny and self-destruction? Tragedy has taken hold, and so we get our name; this is the Age of the Fall, and nothing changes until it…all…crashes…down.