Post by jjslayer on Oct 18, 2022 12:01:17 GMT -5
docs.google.com/document/d/10U6c5NaHvX128lv3zrxCSLKjmvRcDtBKYEyDAeQ6eNk/edit
When I was young, maybe six or seven, I found an injured bird in the overgrown grass in the field behind my house. I ran back inside and grabbed my mother and brought her out to help.
I know now that she knew immediately that the poor creature was doomed, that this was an exercise in futility. Even still, she took the softest towel we had and lined an old shoebox with it before she went to collect it. She scooped it up gently, turning her head and holding it towards the animal.
She remained silent, the bird cradled in her hands as she continued to check for… something. After a few heartbeats she nodded and placed the bird into the box.
I watched as my mother did this, her nimble fingers moving the towel around the dying animal to make it as comfortable as possible. Once her gaze returned to me I finally spoke up.
“Mom”, I began, “what were you doing?”
“Learning its name.”
She could see that her answer only served to further confuse me, which drew a warm chuckle from her as she motioned for me to follow her back towards the house.
“Names have power Jake. It deserves to have its name known so that we can honor it. This little one calls itself Swift, after how it soars in the sky.”
The bird would fade from my mind over the years, but the lesson never did. Names do have power. True power. Power that the vast majority of people can’t possibly understand.
Hi. My name is Jacob Jameson, Jake to my friends. Professionally, however, I go by JJ Slayer.
Yes, there’s a reason for that. No, I won’t be explaining it to you other than to say it's to honor my past.
I’m telling you my name because I need you all to understand the power that I possess. I’m not a fool, I know that the rest of you in this match are going to disregard that power. You’ve never heard of me, I’m sure they’ll all say.
They would be correct, they haven’t. I’ve spent the past couple of years learning and honing my craft in obscurity. This match is going to serve as my coming out party.
And what a place to make a debut, am I right? Beautiful Hawai’i. I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting, so I jumped at the opportunity. I get to have my first match on a major platform and spend time in an island paradise?
Hawai’i is more than that, though, isn’t it?
It’s a land with a deep history, not simply the most beautiful tourist trap in the US. A history filled with names. Powerful ones. The House of Kamehameha and their rule over Hawai’i in the twilight of its sovereignty. The priest Paʻao and the order he brought to the islands over 800 years ago.
Or there’s the legend of Princess Popo’ala’ea, who hid in a cave from her husband Chief Kaakea until she was discovered and he had her killed for being unfaithful. The cave is located in the Wai’anapanapa State Park in Maui, and the waters located inside turn red every once in a while. Scientists say that shrimp that get into the water cause it, but that has never stopped people from talking, from feeding the mystery.
They say it’s the princess making herself known, showing the world that this was the place her husband had the waters stained with her blood.
In this way they honor her. They give her name power. She isn’t forgotten.
The first thing I did after I arrived at the Kahului Airport was to find my way to this park. I wanted to partake in the mystery.
Yes, I do get the irony of how much of a tourist that makes me sound, thanks.
The disappointment I felt that the tide wasn’t crimson when I arrived quickly melted away as I took in the beauty of the place. With each footstep I sense the power held there, the ancient history we couldn’t hope to know and mysteries that had long since passed beyond our reach. So many of us visit a place like this and only care about how they can relax, with no consideration of what came before.
This is the land of Kanaloa and Kane. Pele and Poliahu.
This is the land of Popo’ala’ea.
The land of Kū, and in that ring I shall honor him.
This land isn’t in my blood, but I pay them their due respects nevertheless because I understand that to honor something is to give it power.
And, if need be, power over it.
I am centering myself now because soon enough I will be learning so many new names. The names of the people entering the rumble with me. The names of the individuals that hope like I do that success in that will breed success elsewhere. They hope their time in Hawai’i will be a stepping stone to greater heights.
They don’t get it. It’s so much more.
I waited until nightfall to find what I was looking for. The rumored cave where Chief Kaakea had his wife murdered, without all the other prying eyes around.
I stepped inside so I could study the water. I knew that she wasn’t going to reveal herself to me, an outsider. That wasn’t the point. Her mysteries were hers to keep.
I wished only to remember her. To let her know that she still held sway. In death may she have the power that was torn from her in life.
Just as her name holds sway over the imaginations of the people who hear it, my name will hold sway over the fans who are about to learn it in the rumble. Just as my name will strike fear in my opponents’ hearts when they hear it soon enough. Until then, I pay respect to those who have done what I seek.
“Popo’ala’ea.”
After all, names hold power.
When I was young, maybe six or seven, I found an injured bird in the overgrown grass in the field behind my house. I ran back inside and grabbed my mother and brought her out to help.
I know now that she knew immediately that the poor creature was doomed, that this was an exercise in futility. Even still, she took the softest towel we had and lined an old shoebox with it before she went to collect it. She scooped it up gently, turning her head and holding it towards the animal.
She remained silent, the bird cradled in her hands as she continued to check for… something. After a few heartbeats she nodded and placed the bird into the box.
I watched as my mother did this, her nimble fingers moving the towel around the dying animal to make it as comfortable as possible. Once her gaze returned to me I finally spoke up.
“Mom”, I began, “what were you doing?”
“Learning its name.”
She could see that her answer only served to further confuse me, which drew a warm chuckle from her as she motioned for me to follow her back towards the house.
“Names have power Jake. It deserves to have its name known so that we can honor it. This little one calls itself Swift, after how it soars in the sky.”
The bird would fade from my mind over the years, but the lesson never did. Names do have power. True power. Power that the vast majority of people can’t possibly understand.
Hi. My name is Jacob Jameson, Jake to my friends. Professionally, however, I go by JJ Slayer.
Yes, there’s a reason for that. No, I won’t be explaining it to you other than to say it's to honor my past.
I’m telling you my name because I need you all to understand the power that I possess. I’m not a fool, I know that the rest of you in this match are going to disregard that power. You’ve never heard of me, I’m sure they’ll all say.
They would be correct, they haven’t. I’ve spent the past couple of years learning and honing my craft in obscurity. This match is going to serve as my coming out party.
And what a place to make a debut, am I right? Beautiful Hawai’i. I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting, so I jumped at the opportunity. I get to have my first match on a major platform and spend time in an island paradise?
Hawai’i is more than that, though, isn’t it?
It’s a land with a deep history, not simply the most beautiful tourist trap in the US. A history filled with names. Powerful ones. The House of Kamehameha and their rule over Hawai’i in the twilight of its sovereignty. The priest Paʻao and the order he brought to the islands over 800 years ago.
Or there’s the legend of Princess Popo’ala’ea, who hid in a cave from her husband Chief Kaakea until she was discovered and he had her killed for being unfaithful. The cave is located in the Wai’anapanapa State Park in Maui, and the waters located inside turn red every once in a while. Scientists say that shrimp that get into the water cause it, but that has never stopped people from talking, from feeding the mystery.
They say it’s the princess making herself known, showing the world that this was the place her husband had the waters stained with her blood.
In this way they honor her. They give her name power. She isn’t forgotten.
The first thing I did after I arrived at the Kahului Airport was to find my way to this park. I wanted to partake in the mystery.
Yes, I do get the irony of how much of a tourist that makes me sound, thanks.
The disappointment I felt that the tide wasn’t crimson when I arrived quickly melted away as I took in the beauty of the place. With each footstep I sense the power held there, the ancient history we couldn’t hope to know and mysteries that had long since passed beyond our reach. So many of us visit a place like this and only care about how they can relax, with no consideration of what came before.
This is the land of Kanaloa and Kane. Pele and Poliahu.
This is the land of Popo’ala’ea.
The land of Kū, and in that ring I shall honor him.
This land isn’t in my blood, but I pay them their due respects nevertheless because I understand that to honor something is to give it power.
And, if need be, power over it.
I am centering myself now because soon enough I will be learning so many new names. The names of the people entering the rumble with me. The names of the individuals that hope like I do that success in that will breed success elsewhere. They hope their time in Hawai’i will be a stepping stone to greater heights.
They don’t get it. It’s so much more.
I waited until nightfall to find what I was looking for. The rumored cave where Chief Kaakea had his wife murdered, without all the other prying eyes around.
I stepped inside so I could study the water. I knew that she wasn’t going to reveal herself to me, an outsider. That wasn’t the point. Her mysteries were hers to keep.
I wished only to remember her. To let her know that she still held sway. In death may she have the power that was torn from her in life.
Just as her name holds sway over the imaginations of the people who hear it, my name will hold sway over the fans who are about to learn it in the rumble. Just as my name will strike fear in my opponents’ hearts when they hear it soon enough. Until then, I pay respect to those who have done what I seek.
“Popo’ala’ea.”
After all, names hold power.
