Fred Yehi vs Jake Something | AAW 2023 | Yehi's Narrative *In Description

Описание: Fred Yehi vs Jake Something
AAW Chicago 2023

Yehi’s Narrative:

"I’m not sure how this narrative will be received. Anything that comes off questionable just know it has nothing to do with my match or my opponent. Jake Something is an awesome worker and I absolutely loved this match. However, it was my mindset coming into this match and afterwards that I found disturbing at this point in my career. I wasn’t in the best place mentally as a performer. For all the fun, excitement, and passion I’ve had for the wrestling business, there’s been even more disappointment, confusion, and feeling of being left out. In 2023, my flame for pro wrestling wasn’t burning too bright. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed creating and entertaining, however the politics and volatile nature of the industry had me at my end. As I reflected at this point in time, despite me giving so much of my time and energy to wrestling, it yet seemed I wasn’t reaping much returns. For years I’d continuously remained ready for the good and right opportunity…. Moving without certainty. Making sacrifices, working and working…. Hoping that the next opportunity would be the one to launch me to orbit. I was getting tired…. I worked too hard to only be booked 2-3 times a month. I worked too hard to be ignored. I worked too hard to not be advertised on a flyer. I worked too hard to be left out and disregarded. I was tired….. I didn’t have much umph left in me to go out and prove something. Time and time again I was proving why I should be booked everywhere if not signed to a big company. Time and time again I showed I had the goods that made people want to watch me. I was tired of being in that spot. I was tired of being labelled “underrated and underutilized.” I believed I had long shown and proven I was worth my salt yet not getting the nod of approval aside from being pigeonholed the “technical wrestler guy”. My days of proving were numbered and I was counting them down.

I recall after the match talking to one of the producers AAW producers Mike. He was talking about how great he thought the match was and genuinely asked how I was doing. I gave him a genuine answer. I told him I was getting tired of wrestling and the lack of return I was getting for working so hard to stay ready. I shared with him the risks we take when taking bookings we’re not the most equipped for. That I was tired of being in that spot of feeling it out and regaining my footing every time I perform because I wasn’t performing enough. Never in my career was I able to just be a wrestler through and through. The business didn’t reward me the way. Prior to the Jake Something match, I hadn’t wrestled in nearly a month. It was all gym and keeping in shape the best I could. I was working 2 jobs at the time because wrestling didn’t give me the opportunities to work. Viewers don’t realize the risks a performer takes on when accepting bookings. Workers accept bookings and commit despite lack of preparation physically or mentally. We accept bookings when we’re ill or just not mentally there. We accept bookings when we didn’t have the time in our schedules to train in-ring. The list goes on.. Crowds and press can often be very unforgiven while not considering these realities. However, if we seek work and opportunities these are the risks we take. Here I was nearly a month without a match ( cancellations and lack of work ) nor ring-time yet accepting a match with a guy who is televised weekly AND we’re semi-main. There are situations in pro wrestling where you can show if you really are legit and this was one of them.

Preparing for this match turned out to be tons of film study as well conditioning ( sprints especially ). If I wasn’t getting the desired ring time then I wanted to be as best conditioned as possible. I recall studying my usual All-Japan as well our previous match from 2020. I also used my Brian Cage match from 2017 as a good reference point because I saw similarities in their respective styles. Unlike my Brian Cage match, I wanted to work Something in a way that looked believable. I needed to slow things down and make the crowd watch. This was risky since with matches involving big guys vs smaller opponents, it’s typical to see the smaller wrestler more on the move. Relying on spots, utilizing speed and evasion rather than being scientific, scrappy, and methodical. Of course also to take in consideration, the matches we’d follow. AAW has a strong roster of consistent guys. Nice blend of The Who’s Who’s of the Indies as well hungry up & comers. Crowds there can expect to see wild and death defying throughout the card. We needed to be different, but would the crowd be willing to go on the ride? I believe they were. This was great. One of my favorites :)