You've Got a Friend in Me

Friday 29th November, 2024 Long Beach Arena Long Beach, California, United States of America You've got troubles, I've got 'em too There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you We stick together, we can see it through 'Cause you've got a friend in me Yeah, you've got a friend in me

“So what about we go out there and put on a show? You and me, not as rivals, but as friends, and show the world what we’ve learned from each other? Whatcha think?”

She’d agreed, and with that the match had been set for Colossus; Seán O’Neill versus RIA.

Seán O’Neill made his debut in the professional wrestling business on February 11th, 1997. The UK was swept up in the Eurodance craze at the time, with “Where Do You Go?” from German hunks No Mercy reigning supreme in the charts. Across the Atlantic, the United States were busy Un-Breaking their Hearts with Toni Braxton and the nation had turned its focus to Florida, where the Space Shuttle Discovery was poised to launch on a ten-day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in a few hours time.

Under the dim lights of the small sports hall at St. David’s Church in St. Helens, Merseyside a terrified young Seán O’Neill, merely twelve days past his seventeenth birthday, faced his best friend, Logan. With an audience of thirty (optimistically) mildly interested (even more optimistically) spectators, Seán wrestled under his middle name as he often did in those early days of his career. Logan adopted a ring-name that paid homage to his favourite heavy metal bands. Thus, on this night, the crowd witnessed Liam O’Neill and Flynn Burton grapple to a fifteen-minute time-limit draw. In the years to come they’d be able to tell anyone willing to listen they had seen SurReal and The Real Deal wrestle their first ever match – if they even remembered that little nugget of trivia themselves.

The match was refereed by Jay Phoenix, who had encouraged these two trainees to step into the ring earlier than planned. Although neither Seán nor Logan were quite ready to compete in front of any size of audience, their determination not to let Jay down carried them through. In hindsight, their performance was a commendable showing, considering their inexperience.

It had been the best day of O’Neill’s life. If there’d been any question of that fact, Erin had ensured any doubt was erased later that night, but that story is not suitable for the workplace!

In the nearly twenty-eight years since that night, O’Neill’s pursuit of glory within the wrestling business had taken him to every corner of the globe. He’d competed at every level of the sport, from performing in front of a handful of people for the promise of a hot meal, to thrilling tens of thousands in sold-out stadiums.

He’d believed he’d experienced every kind of match imaginable: from inconsequential throw-away bouts to bitter blood feuds against the most implacable of foes. He’d endured humbling defeats, vanquished in mere moments, and triumphed in gruelling wars of attrition. He’d seen it all... or so he’d thought.

This match, however, was going to be different. It wasn’t the prospect of wrestling a friend - he’d done that numerous times. His early career alone was marked by frequent matches against Logan. He’d faced opponents who later became friends, and those he considered friends who’d later revealed themselves to be otherwise. But this match was about something more profound - it was a testament of gratitude and appreciation; it was a heartfelt tribute to their friendship and the mutual respect they had cultivated.

Words failed him when he reflected on how much he appreciated the help RIA had given him over the past six months – Although she seemed oblivious to having been any help at all.

Maintaining confidence had always been a daunting challenge for him. His career often felt like a series of false dawns - just as he would gain momentum, it seemed to slip away, leaving him feeling as though each step forward resulted in two steps back.

Being signed by PRIME should have been a monumental boost to his self-assurance. A company of such prestige recognizing him as a valuable addition to the most illustrious talent roster ever assembled should have filled him with pride. Instead, it filled him with fear.

During his hiatus from active competition, he’d almost forgotten the struggle of feeling 'good enough'. His past failures to reach his goals certainly played a role in this insecurity. When he took the leap to return to wrestling full-time, those old demons resurfaced swiftly, casting shadows over his renewed efforts.

He had waged a solitary battle against the relentless grief of loss and the self-destructive voice in his mind, steadfastly determined to endure on his own. It was a hard-earned lesson, but over the course of the last twelve months, he finally came to realize that his tendency to shut everyone out was a root cause of his struggles.

She helped him see that - she was unapologetically herself, no pretences, no denials of who and what she is. Through her actions, rather than her words, she reminded Seán of some incredibly important lessons he’d let slip along the way. She taught him the significance of being true to oneself and that human existence is not meant to be lived in isolation.

She was the first true friend he had made in countless years. He’d decided long ago that his small circle of friends was enough, and he avoided the prospect of making any new ones. An outside observer, would doubtless see the folly in this, but he had convinced himself of the logic behind it.

Those few friends he hadn't alienated over the years had always told him he took everything too seriously. He’d scoffed at this, seeing it as the attitude of those less prepared to do whatever it took to fulfil their potential. As time passed, he dedicated less and less time to the idea of having fun, of enjoying life. He assumed he would enjoy himself once he reached the pinnacle in his career, once the world acknowledged how good he was.

Idiot.

The truth was, RIA's presence reminded him that life is for living. In spending time around her over the past few months, he stopped resisting this notion. He allowed himself to relax and find joy in things other than winning wrestling matches. Suddenly his world felt a little different; there wasn’t that overbearing sense of pressure he imposed on himself throughout the years. Even struggles they’d not spoken about had begun to feel more manageable.

He once bought into the myth that a platonic friendship between a man and a woman just wasn’t possible - It had been a great pleasure to be proven wrong in this.

So, why was it time for them to go their separate ways? Whilst it might appear that way in terms of their paths in PRIME, he certainly had no intention of ending their friendship. They both acknowledged that the time was not right to pursue opportunities as a tag team, so it made perfect sense that they needed to focus on their individual goals.

As a former champion, RIA undoubtedly intended to regain her place in contention for more gold. Seán recognized that his immediate goal was different; he needed to improve his win-loss record before he could realistically consider challenging for a championship here. A better return on his match results would have to be his primary focus for the coming year.

His confidence had been gradually rebuilding, and he was optimistic that the lessons he had learned in the last few months would serve him well moving forward. He was absolutely certain that it was time to wrap up this year and move forward with renewed determination and a desire to enjoy himself – to live well. He’d seen a quote once, he’d given it little thought in the years since, but it came back to him now, and it felt right;

Cherish your yesterdays, dream your tomorrows and live your todays.

Yeah, he liked that.

*****

Tuesday 3rd December, 2024 Front Street Gym Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America

The scene opens on an empty, old-school boxing gym; shadows obscure much of the worn-out surroundings, creating a sense of eerie familiarity. The faint glow of a single, dangling bulb casts long shadows, illuminating a well-worn ring in the centre of the space. The creaking of the well trodden floorboards and the distant drip of a leaky pipe echo softly, adding to the ambiance. In the middle of the ring stands a solitary wooden folding chair, its paint chipped and splintered with age.

From the enveloping darkness, Seán O’Neill emerges, his figure silhouetted against the dim light. The Irishman, moving with a deliberate calm, climbs onto the ring apron and slips between the ropes. He strides confidently to the centre of the ring, turning the chair backwards before settling into it in Rikeresque fashion.

O’Neill lounges back; his eyes scanning the walls adorned with faded fight posters and tarnished championship belts. The gym, a silent witness to countless battles and sweat-soaked dreams, feels both nostalgic and foreboding.

After a few moments, his gaze shifts to the camera trained on him. He leans forward, resting his crossed arms on the back of the chair, and his lips curl into a sly smirk, his eyes gleaming.

“Cliché no? I thought about booking Creed to be playing behind me during this but apparently they are having some kind of career revival right now and you wouldn’t believe how much it costs to book them!”

His smirk evolves into a broad grin.

“The wrestling business is built on a foundation of time-honoured clichés, but this time I thought it was appropriate to revisit one of the old favourites – the contrast felt the right way to underscore my point, because there is nothing cliché about our match at Colossus. Over two nights, intense feuds will reach their boiling points, new rivalries will ignite, and perhaps some old ones will resurface from the ashes. Battles will unfold for championship glory, for pride, for supremacy... and then there is me and you. Just two friends determined to show the world what they can do.”

The Irishman's grin fades, replaced by a more sombre and earnest expression. He unfolds his arms, and still leaning his elbows on the back of the chair, he interlocks his fingers with a deliberate, thoughtful gesture.

"This business forces you to lead two lives at once; there is the side that the cameras capture. The elation of victory and the agony of defeat are laid bare for all to see. However, there is the other side of the coin, hidden from the public: the relentless grind of travelling from town to town, sleeping in a different bed each night, never knowing when you'll next enjoy the comfort of your own. It's a tightrope walk, balancing the life of a professional athlete with the necessity of often resorting to junk food as the only means to quell your hunger - it's not always easy."

He pauses to draw a deep, contemplative breath.

“I love wrestling, I’ve loved it my whole life, and I’ve honestly never considered doing anything else. Yet, what they don't tell you when you sign up for this life is that the moments you spend in the ring are but a fleeting fraction of your day. Ninety-nine percent of your time is taken up with all the baggage that comes with working in this business.”

As O'Neill speaks, the camera slowly transitions to a montage of photographs chronicling nearly three decades of his storied career. Each image tells a tale of its own, featuring a wide variety of faces that will ignite memories for long-time fans - some showcasing the legends of past and present, others featuring less familiar, but no less significant, companions on his journey.

The one constant theme running through the montage is that of living a life spent on the road. There are snapshots of car trips, where a much younger Seán and his fellow wrestlers share laughter and camaraderie. Photos of weary, yet determined, faces on long bus rides - the miles rolling by as they journey to the next town. There are scenes of train journeys, where moments of boredom and quiet reflection are etched into the expressions, and photos from flights, where mischief befalls the unfortunate few who’ve fallen asleep as they hop from one destination to the next.

Each photograph encapsulates the nomadic existence of a professional wrestler, a life defined by constant travel in the relentless pursuit of fame, fortune and notoriety. The photos give an insight to the unseen side of the wrestling world and the unyielding spirit required to thrive in such a demanding profession.

“Maintaining friendships, or even relationships, is not easy in this world of ours. We’re always on the move, always exhausted. If you’re not very careful, it will get to you – start to wear you down, not just physically but emotionally. I’ve not been careful enough over the years; I fell into the trap of thinking the destination was more important than the journey. What can you do, when you only believe in the destination, but it’s always just out of reach?”

As the montage continues, the photographs shift in tone, now depicting moments when things haven’t gone as planned for O’Neill. Fans that’ve followed his career will undoubtedly recognize some of these scenes, each one a testament to the setbacks he has faced along his journey.

There was Donny Diamond, triumphantly gloating over the fallen O’Neill, the Irishman lying broken at Diamond’s feet - the victim of a Tombstone Piledriver gone wrong, resulting in the first serious injury of his career.

There was Jack Murphy with his hand raised in the opening round of the fifth Golden Turnbuckle Tournament, a heartbreaking defeat which had signalled the end of O’Neill’s dreams of a fairytale return to action following on from that very same injury.

There was the sneering face of Christian Zenith, watching with cold satisfaction as his new monstrous client, Rasa, snapped O'Neill’s arm in two. This crushing defeat and the blind folly of having placed his faith in Zenith not only cost O’Neill his job at Global Championship Wrestling but also stripped away the last remnants of his confidence, of his very identity.

“It eats away at you, erodes your confidence bit by bit, until you wake up one morning, and there is nothing left of it at all. That has been my reality now for a very long time.”

The photographs fade out, transitioning seamlessly into a series of video clips showcasing O’Neill’s setbacks since joining PRIME.

The reel begins with his unsuccessful attempt to break up Rob Williams' pin on ‘The Wild Bu’ Mar, during their PRIME debuts. Next, we see his crushing defeat at the hands of Hessian as the Murder Show made his long awaited return to the company. Following this, we see Kenny Freeman besting O’Neill, aided by Randall Schwartz and some strategically aimed baby powder. The sequence continues with Rose breaking her losing streak by claiming her first victory at his expense. The reel continues with O’Neill passing out while locked in a Crossface Chickenwing applied by the debuting Steve Harrison. Finally, the montage culminates with him crashing to the canvas, a victim of the Shamanic Dreamweaver, leading to a pinfall victory for his War Games ally, Sage Pontiff.

“My confidence had gone, my spirit was broken... I’d started to fear being in the ring. What had always felt like home was now a place of dread. I was left with crippling anxiety, worrying what the next low would be. Fearing I’d been exposed as just simply not being good enough to compete here. I had hit rock bottom, the point of no return. What did I have left to lose? So I broke the habit of a lifetime, and I asked someone for help. I asked you.”

The theme of the video clips shifts once more. The first scene features Seán seen backstage in July, asking RIA for help in catering at ReVival 51. The video briefly transitions to a series of photographs showcasing Seán and RIA spending time together outside the wrestling business. One image captures them at a soft play park, surrounded by a group of young children, their smiles genuine and faces full of laughter. Another photograph shows them at a charity luncheon under a glaring sun, playing Dungeons and Dragons with a group of young adults.

The photos then seamlessly fade back into video clips, highlighting Seán's presence at many of RIA's recent matches - offering his support from ringside, raising her hand in victory over Crash and Sebastian Gold, getting involved in a brawl with Fred Dick and Harley Walker as they help Rob Williams defeat her. The final clip captures their joint entrance at Ultraviolence, where they faced the eGG Bandits with the Irishman donning gear in white, pink, and blue instead of his usual green, black and gold, to match his friend's.

“I thought I was asking you for help to make a connection with the fans – I didn’t see the full picture at that point, what I was really asking you for was to help me to learn how to rebuild my life, brick by brick.”

The montage gently dissolves, transitioning back to the gym. Now fully illuminated, it's instantly recognizable as the iconic training venue of Rocky Balboa. The nostalgic ambiance of the gym adds an air of reverence and legacy to the scene. The chair has disappeared, and Seán O’Neill sits on the edge of the ring apron, his arms draped over the ropes.

The gym is bathed in a warm, golden light, casting a soft glow on the sweat-stained walls and the worn training equipment. The subtle hum of old fluorescent lights fills this hallowed space, rich with history and stories of perseverance, serving as a poignant backdrop. O’Neill’s eyes crinkle at the corners, his smile more genuine than we’ve seen it before.

“You’ve taught me how to smile again, how to laugh again RIA. In short, you’ve reminded me the importance of having fun, the importance of being yourself. I was burying grief and hiding behind it, you reminded me that it’s ok to let your feelings show – to process and deal with them. You’ve shown me that strength isn’t measured in how easily you can throw someone around in a ring, real strength is accepting who and what you are, and owning it.”

The Irishman rises to his feet, his movement deliberate and assured. As he gazes down into the camera, an unprecedented confidence radiates from him, a determination not yet seen during his tenure in PRIME.

“So who am I? I’m Seán William O’Neill. I make bad ‘dad’ jokes, I make outdated pop-culture references, have terrible dress sense, and I’m about as far from cool as one person can possibly be. However, I’m also one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and at Colossus, I’m going to prove that to anyone who doubts me. RIA, at Colossus I’m going to kick your ass...”

His grin resurfaces, accompanied by a hearty laugh.

“...And you’re going to kick mine! We’re going to show the world that we’re an important part of the tapestry of PRIME. Win, lose or draw, I firmly believe we can go out and steal the show – and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do. It’s not about settling scores with us, it’s not even about who’s the better wrestler. You’ve reminded me that life is really about the journey, at Colossus, we’re going to celebrate our journey. This chapter is ending, but our stories are far from over.”

And as the years go by Our friendship will never die You're gonna see, it's our destiny You've got a friend in me