The Mercenary: Everything Wrestling Podcast

[MERCENARY]

“Pop a beer and gather near because I am The Informer Gene Ross Styles and Everything Wrestling is broadcasting live from the WorldWide Combat BattleSports studios. Tonight my friends we here at WCBSN have a rare and special treat for our fans. My guest this evening is a guy whom I have had the privilege of knowing for over a decade now. He is a man who fought his way to the top in the much renowned IIW promotion only to take his talents out on the road after that company said its last goodbye. Since that time he’s been a nomad, making a name for himself as a man that you really don’t want to mess with. Indeed it seemed that he might remain a journeyman for the remainder of his career until last year when he signed with The Future Stars of Wrestling promotion. There he seemingly has found a place to re-establish himself as the undeniable force that he was early in his career. It’s the man reborn. The Street Dog himself: The Mercenary Michael Mercer. Welcome mate. It’s damn nice to have you on the show after all this time.”

Mercenary: “Thanks for having me Gene. It’s nice to see ya in a studio setting for a change and not in some random alley or parking lot.”

Styles: “What can I say my boy, I go where the action is.”

Mercenary: “Whether you’re wanted there or not.”

Styles: “Well, ya know me, I’m the bloke who will always ask for forgiveness instead of permission. Gotta chase down the news that my listeners need to know. Gotta feed the addiction. Now, after many years of constant travel throughout the various territories you-somewhat unexpectedly to many of those in the know- ended up making your permanent home in the FSW, prompting many to ask ‘why?’ Why, considering your years of experience, did you decide to re-root yourself in the EWC’s developmental brand? Why didn’t you instead sign with Brawl or Rampage?”

Mercenary: “It’s not that complicated an answer really. After IIW went under I was left to wander in the wilderness where I did the only thing I knew how to do to feed myself and keep fuel in the tank. I rode the roads for several years but I couldn’t find that one ‘thing’ that I was looking for… um… that intangible energy I guess you’d say. Nothing felt really right to me. Then FSW found a home at the Cow Palace right across the Bay in my backyard. I went to the first Uprising show and realized that this was the environment I had been lookin’ for. FSW is the kind of place where someone can find a new beginning. I didn’t want to have my entire career defined by only a few good years. I wanted to prove that I could still perform at a high level, even if I only prove it to myself. I didn’t want to waltz onto Rampage or Brawl waving my record around expecting to be shoehorned into the main event. I wanted to do the work.”

Styles: “And so far you have done just that, finding yourself in the Main Event on FSW television and earning yourself a North American Title shot against Kyle Gautier. But though you have earned opportunities of late you have been unable to make them pay off for you. Could it be- and this is not just me asking mind you- that your… relationship… with this FEUD faction and more specifically with Dalilah Ashe might be getting in the way of you finding a way over those hurdles to a greater level of success?"

Mercenary {Scowling}: “I wouldn’t say that. No. Not at all. In fact I would say that being with Dalilah has had the opposite effect. Being with her has brought my purpose into focus.”

Styles: “But to be fair now, It was Dalilah who took the pinfall in your last two matches together. Doesn’t that make her something of a liability to you? Might you be better off if you didn’t have so many other interests other than your own?”

Mercenary: “I’ll say this once, and as civil as I can manage: I’m getting really tired of all these outside opinions on my relationship with Dalilah. None of the people doing the yapping know a damn thing about her beyond what they can see. Lilah is a sweet girl with a very deep well inside her head. She cares about me in a way that no one ever has in my life and I care about her. Without hesitation. She means a lot to me.  Dalilah is a real person. She’s not a lie like so many other people in this world tend to be. I trust her and I don’t consider her to be a liability of ANY sort, in or out of the ring. So Gene, if ya wanna keep talkin’, that will be the last we will say on that subject. Cool?”

Styles: “Alright boss, I can certainly respect that. We’ll just move on before our nice little chat changes its tone. Some of my listeners wanted to know why you opted not to be a part of the New Blood pay per view?”

Mercenary: “I thought about it, but I decided it was better to leave a spot open for one of the younger talents to showcase their skills. At this point I don’t really see myself as being a ‘new’ talent, even if I am still somewhat new in the FSW. To perform at a show called New Blood made me feel like the guy ten years out of high school who shows up at the Senior prom. It’s just not a good fit. I will have plenty of chances to remind the world what I can do between those ropes. ”

Styles: “Like this week at FSW #89 when you play welcome wagon to yet another emerging talent on the roster, one Allen Anderson?”

Mercenary: “Yeah, exactly. This kid is the epitome of the talent who will be featured on the New Blood card. He’s my polar freakin’ opposite. He’s an All American collegiate athlete, a college graduate, and a fourth generation legacy who started in this business when he was fifteen years old. His pedigree is different from mine in every way possible, and yet we both find ourselves at this same place with almost identical goals. He wants to be a champion. I want to be a champion. He wants to prove he is worthy of his family’s reputation and I want to prove that I am worthy of my own. We both walk a very narrow path, just like everyone else in this business. There isn’t room on that road for everyone and everyone wants to be the first to arrive at the rewards that wait at the end. I’m afraid I’m just going to have to make Allen Anderson wait a little longer to get to where he’s going. I’m going to help teach him the lessons that guys that young and promising have the hardest time learning. I’m going to teach him patience and how to deal with disappointment.”

Styles: “And how about You yourself? How are you dealing with the disappointment of losing your match with Kyle Gautier at The Rumble.?”

Mercenary: “It wasn’t something I took all that well I can tell you that. The moody prick made his presence known for a few weeks after that match. It was my first real shot since I signed with the FSW and I just wasn’t good enough to take the Kilt Bro down. But one thing that I’ve learned in this business is that you can’t dwell on the last failure more than you prepare for the next chance at success. Every loss sucks. Every failure affects you. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. You can’t let your disappointments define you. You have to be like a shark in the water, you have to keep moving forward or you’ll die. Never stop. Never surrender. Never lay down until you are ready to die. This sport is a way of life. It’s not a lifestyle. It’s not a job. If it is not a big part of who you are as a person then it's not the path you want to follow.”

Styles: “Indeed. I’m afraid we now must pause to pay the piper. After the break we’ll take you back down that road that brought him here and talk about how Mike got into this crazy way of life and maybe even reminisce a bit about those early days in the IIW where The Mercenary’s name was made. Hold tight. We’ll be right back...

Styles: "Have you seen that Joker movie?  It's fantastic.  Really good film. The Informer would strongly recommend it.  And what I would also recommend is that you fine folks welcome back my guest this week: FSW's own Mercenary.  Now as I've touched on before our relationship goes back a ways... to like... what...?"

Mercenary: "Probably my early years in Forged In Fire."

Styles: "FIFW!  Of course!  Back before The Mercenary had even been born."

Mercenary: "Yep.  Back in the Mike Malice days."

Styles: "Indeed.  Indeed.  It seems like a million years ago."

Mercenary: "It pretty much was.  I was just out of classes at Steele Mill..."

Styles: "Where you were trained by Josh Steele and his oldest son Jason?"

Mercenary: "Right.  I had just turned twenty and had only been training for about a year."

Styles: "And did you always want to get into the business?  How does a young Michael Mercer find his way through Josh Steele's door?" 

Mercenary: "I was a fan off and on growing up.  It seemed like a world where I could learn to express my aggression in a way that wouldn't land me in and out of jail all the time.  I was a frustrated young dude.  I had a lot of guilt and really didn't think too much of myself at the time.  The Steele family did a lot to help me through all that and it didn't take too long for me to catch the wrestling bug.  The ring became my escape.  The ring was an environment that I felt like I had at least a small amount of control over, a feeling that was missing from my day to day existence.  My juvie record made it hard for me to find a job and living in California, as you know, is expensive.  I was working my ass off on a loading dock and down to my last few dollars when I went to talk to Josh.  I had no idea how I was going to pay the fees for classes, but I decided to give it a shot.  Josh took me on and let me work off the fees by cleaning up around the school.  It was kinda like the first Rocky movie.  I was mopping up sweat and spit to pay for a locker and an old army cot in a back storage space.  But honestly, up until then, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.  Josh kinda adopted me and, to this day, Jason is still one of my oldest friends." 

Styles: "And it didn't take that long before they put you on the show."

Mercenary: "No.  It was maybe my tenth match when they put me on tv in front of a live audience with Forged In Fire.  It was ugly as hell but it was a thrill I will never forget and if I wasn't hooked before that I was for sure addicted after that."

Styles: "And that was where you met Malice isn't it?"

Mercenary: "Yeah.  Keith was one of the few guys that hadn't trained at SteeleWorks.  He was hired in under the ring name 'The Ripper' Ryan Reed.  He had a lot more hair and a lot fewer tattoos."

Styles: "The FIFW territory went up and down the West coast and into Canada and Mexico. You must have logged a lot of road hours in those days."

Mercenary: "We got to know the Coastal Highway pretty damn well.  I rode mostly with J Steele and Keith and we got to know more about each other than we ever really wanted to and had a hell of a time doing it.  Those were pretty good days.  We didn't have a damn clue and all we really knew was that we were having a good time."

Styles: "And that's when you had the incident with your neighbor?"

Mercenary: "Yeah.  I call it the 'rock in the road' but it was a little more serious than that."

Styles: "You ended up going to jail?"

Mercenary: "For Ten Months.  It would have been two years but my lawyer cut a deal because of the 'extenuating circumstances.' "

Styles: "Which were what exactly?"

Mercenary{Sighing deeply}: "Now Gene Ross, hasn't this story made the rounds enough by now?  Do we really need to re-hash it in detail?"

Styles: "For the fans who are unfamiliar with the sordid tale?  If you would humor me?"

Mercenary: "Fine.  I was at home on one of my few days off watching a movie.  I had a neighbor who had a bad taste in men, and her latest boyfriend was a real asshole.  The walls were thin.  I heard him smackin' her around over some burnt meat or something and it got on my nerves.  I went over to check the guy and he got in my face.  I beat his ass to see how he liked it.  They locked me up.  I did the time and... that was it."

Styles:"And you never saw her again?"

Mercenary: "Not... exactly.  We kept in touch."

Styles: "In fact she was, until this past year, living with you and a few others in the private apartments above your club in Oakland.  Hasn't she become one of your closest friends?"

Mercenary: "Yes... I would say so.  Though unfortunately we have fallen out of touch recently."

Styles: "And that was about the time you met Dalilah Ashe?"

Mercenary: "NO Gene.  We're not talking about her anymore, right?!"

Styles: "Okay.  My bad brother.  My bad.  So how did the arrest affect your career?"

Mercenary: "It certainly didn't help it.  It gets really difficult to cross the border into Canada with any kind of criminal difficulty on your record.  FIFW runs a lot of their shows up North so it complicated things for me being a part of the show.  I was twenty two at the time.  It was suggested that I take a trip to Europe and Japan to expand my style and experience.  So I went on my first tour abroad.  It was complete culture shock.  After wrestling in ratty little gymnasiums in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Germany I ended up in Japan where I met up with Keith.  He left FIFW and went to Japan months before I did and had already made something of a name for himself as Malice.  I was wrestling in Europe under the professional name 'Merciless' Mike Mercer, but when I got to Japan they gave me the name Ronin.  That was the first time we tagged together as The Terrible Two, which is just a horrible team name, but to be fair it sounds much cooler in Japanese."

Styles: "And that was where you won your first tag titles?"

Mercenary: "In Honor Japan Pro.  The HJP Heavyweight tag titles were the first titles we won as a team.  My first title was actually the Forged In Fire Television Championship.  I won that in Mexico against BattleStar."

Styles: "And this was when you were approached by the IIW?"

Mercenary: "I had been in Japan for a little over two years, mostly wrestling with Malice as a team.  I had placed in a few of their tournaments and was starting to get some nibbles from The States.  IIW was the first promotion of any note that contacted me.  When they offered me a contract I jumped at the chance to elevate my game.  But they only wanted Me and Malice had to pretty much force me onto the plane.  He was really cool about it.  He told me to go, but told me not to forget about him."

Styles: "Which you didn't."

Mercenary: "No.  I did not.  It took me about a year and winning the Internet Title to finally get them to bring him in, but I stayed on them until they signed him.  I was right in the middle of my angle with the TNP faction and it made sense for them to bring in an ally to get my back.  That's where we dropped The Terrible Two name and formed Damage Inc.  Two months later we were fighting for the tag titles and I was in the running for a Hardcore title shot, a belt that I eventually took from Pitbull."

Styles: "Speaking of name changes.  Where did The Mercenary moniker come from?"

Mercenary: "In Japan I really liked the Ronin name, but I wasn't allowed to take that back to The States with me.  One night I was watching tape of one of my later Forged In Fire matches and the announcer commented that I fought like a real mercenary.  I really liked that.  So I adopted the name and have been Mercenary ever since.  It was the name I really made famous, and it was the name I won my first major titles under.  More than that, now it's just who I am.  I'm The Mercenary."

Styles: "In the golden age of the IIW there was a near constant civil war raging mainly involving the ruling IIW stable Taking No Prisoners (TNP) mixing it up with The Resistance, which included a revolving door of different members including yourself, Whisper, Omega, Vendetta, Thorn and 'The Lady' NightShade."

Mercenary: "Those were some pretty fun times in the locker room.  Most of those guys were cool as hell to be around.  Vendetta was the only real asshole in the bunch.  But most of the boys in that locker room were cool.  The Doomsday Cult guys were cool too.  Doomsday was one of the most method guys I've ever met.  He would show up to the show in his mask.  He treated it kinda like a Luchador would.  He wouldn't talk to anyone himself.  He would talk through Johnny Death.  At first I thought that was because he was being a dick, but later I learned he was just really shy.  And I thought Whisper was quiet.  That guy really lived up to his name."

Styles:  "But you didn't get along with everyone I'm sure."

Mercenary: "That's true.  There were some pricks.  Kabal was the king of the locker room.  He was 'Mister TNP' and he wanted everyone to know that.  He was not happy when I took the Heavyweight title off of him.  Pitbull was kind of abrasive.  Violator was a straight up idiot."

Styles: "And then there was The Terror Squad.  The 'Ultimate Fear' David Dread.  'Malevolent' Maxx Mayhem.  And of course: 'Nightmare' Curtis Monroe."

Mercenary: "So now we're talkin' about that?"

Styles: "If you're fine with it.  I think people would like to know."

Mercenary: "Might as well.  Nothing to hide at this point.  Damage Inc was in a huge feud over the tag titles with The Terror Squad.  Leading into a big pay per view match they cut a promo, with the help of Quervo Jones, pretty much outing my entire past.  Up until that point I hadn't talked publicly about my life outside of wrestling.  I didn't think it was anybody else's business.  They laid it all out.  They told the world about my Dad taking a powder on us and my Mom's problem with drugs and eventual mental health issues.  They even told the world that I was locked in a cell while she was dying alone and calling my name.  They lay me out, gutted me, and left me for everyone to gawk at all in the name of a wrestling angle.  Needless to say I wasn't too happy the night of the match and once we were in the ring, with Malice egging it on, I lost it."

Styles: "And that was the night you injured Curtis Monroe in the infamous match where you paralyzed him in what has become known as 'The Nightmare Incident' "

Mercenary{Throwing Gene Ross a bitter look.}: "Yes Gene, The night I ruined his entire life and ended his f**king career.  Is that the answer you were fishing for?"

Styles: "I'm not trying to press you bro.  That's not what I'm trying to do here.  But I am trying to get at the heart of it.  What I'm sure you won't tell our audience, and what I know for a fact is that after that you were not the same person.  I know it bothered you more than you would ever let on.  You completely dissolved your partnership with Malice and your manager at the time Lacey Savage.  You completely cut them off and you stepped away from all IIW title contention amidst some pretty harsh criticism from the wrestling media.  What I also know is that off the record you paid all of Curt's medical expenses and set up a fund for his family.  In fact, after IIW folded, you almost went broke making sure that they were taken care of.  YOU did all that.  And you did it all for a guy that, from all accounts, you didn't even like."

Mercenary: "I consider that to be a personal issue between me and the Monroe family.  It just ain't relevant to wrestling, and it certainly isn't relevant to what is going on with me now... So...  Next topic."

Styles: "Message received.  After that you left wrestling for a number of years.  You worked security for touring bands and pooled what was left of your money to start Club 9 Circles along with Thorn and Nightshade as a minority partner. You even did some time as the booker for the short lived Barbed Wire City Wrestling company.  But eventually you found your way back into the ring.  What led to your return to the road?"

Mercenary: "Like I said earlier.  I was... I am addicted to the ring.  I guess I must have inherited some of my Mom's addictive personality.  I wasn't happy when I wasn't wrestling.  I had to get back into it.  I ended up becoming the BWC champion, very much against my wishes, but that locker room was just a really bad vibe.  So when that experiment failed I took to the Indy circuit in search of a world I was more familiar with."

Styles: "After being a two time Heavyweight Champion you now found yourself back in high school gyms and armories wrestling for crowds a fraction of the size you were used to.  What was that like?"

Mercenary: "It was like wrestling.  That's what most people don't understand about the people who do this for a living; It's not about the fame and the size of the crowd.  It's about doing something that defines who we are.  It's in our blood.  Whether it's inherited or injected, it's in there.  We do what we do because we love it... because we live it, and we would do it for ten people or ten thousand people, it really doesn't matter.  If you live this life, you have to do it, or you might as well be dead already."

Styles: "And so you have found your way back to a home of sorts in the EWC.  Is the goal to get all the way back up to where you were before in the IIW?"

Mercenary: "Of course it is Gene.  A wise man once said that if you aren't in this business to be The Champion then you are in the wrong line of work.  I don't just want to be A champion- Though FSW champion, North American champion, TV champion, and so on are all certainly on my wish list.- I want to be THE champion.  Because that is the ultimate goal for anyone in that ring.  I plan to fight until I reach THAT goal, or until I can't take another bump, whichever comes first."

Styles: "And on that last trumpet blast I regret to say that we are all out of time.  Thank you so much Mercenary for coming on the show.  I know how you are about doing shows like this and I am very thankful for the time.  I wish you well my friend and in some aspects of your life I really hope you know what you are doing.  But one thing is for certain: I'm sure that you will not leave the FSW or the EWC without leaving a huge mark on its landscape, because you really are a force to be reckoned with.  Mate, take care and all of you listeners do the same.  Until next time this is Gene Ross Styles saying that in life there are no disqualifications, so you best have eyes in the back of your head.  Goodbye everybody."