Who's on first?

Sometimes it’s the little things (when stacked one-on-another) that devour the soul.  That is the lesson that I have come to learn these last few cycles in the Lone Wolf League. 

Allow me to explain.  While many may not have known it, the commish committee in the LWL consisting of Pete Houston, Sean Grady and myself was not always cohesive.  In fact, all three players had some substantial obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and control issues.  Early in the team development some members butted heads constantly.  This one had a vision and format for design that just could not be altered.  That one complained about the need for artistic control over things that seemed trivial.  And in truth some things were trivial.  And in some cases, there were literal  behind-the-scenes, dick measuring fights that served no good purpose at all.  It was the reality for the most active and well liked league in all of the IWA. 

The bottom line is that in-fighting and discord is a part of creating something that others see as being beautiful.  

But then there was life and surprises and then bigger surprises.  

The artist workhorse was Pete Houston.  There was no secret that he was the one making up random headlines and creating magazine-like schemes.  In terms of creativity, he was the Bill Apter.  And there was no argument with it.  In fact, this guy was firm in my opinion that I was not going to be creative director because I did not have the time anymore for such endeavors.  Pete’s contributions were without measure on the visual.  And it was not without difficulty.  He had his format; he had his pattern. And when he was working on something, the timeline for submission or his just doing it was according to the “now”.  That’s the nature of the beast. 

The Imperial Light Heavyweight division was the brain child of Sean Grady.  He was a returning manager from the Davis MRL days.  A good mind for business was certain.  And Sean loved the IWA.  The success of the ILH division and the want for so many to be a part was indicative of his vision- a vision that I (Jamie Davis) was wrong in not sharing.  But he also was firm in his vision for how things should be, uncompromising in his will for appearance and form without a fight.

I was going to handle TV booking, title shots and some fluff stuff plus the LoneObserver blog stuff.  It’s what I like most at this point.  It’s what I wanted  most.  And frankly. It’s what my life would allow.  For those not in the know, I have a high stress job in healthcare, a wife and twin daughters.  It’s all that I can do to keep my head above water without the IWA.

Sometimes you had two or three alphas vying for the peak in a single, short discussion.  And not a single person was afraid to make threats or peacock for the masses.  (Then again there were times when the same egos would gladly beat a whining manager or malcontent into submission.  There was a yin and yang to it for sure.)

So what happened? 

Well a perfect storm hit the commish committee as will happen in life.  Sean took on a new job and found the love of his life.  An imaginary game while loved would be forced to take a back seat for a few cycles.  No worries.  There was always Pete and Jamie to handle the slack.  But that was not accurate. 

At the same time that Sean was discovering real life bliss, Pete encountered an unforeseen, imaginary world turmoil.  EDGE, the most successful stable in the IWA, through a series of discussions and a subsequent, swift decision decided to part ways with some members.  Pete was among them.  The shock reverberated through many but in it’s wake, Pete determined that the Lone Wolf League was a part of his dismissal.  As a result, he parted ways on a full-time basis with the league.  

So the creative director left abruptly.  The man who was thought to be the heir apparent for running the company was caught between two worlds.  And the last remaining member of the team was the one who desired the least power in the first place.  This was in almost an overnight swing the new Lone Wolf League.  

So what is to happen?  The commissioner championships were reset and continued to be defended.  But what about the popularity ranks?  What about the title ranks?  What about the in bulletin articles?  Those were barely surviving.    And what about the new talent joining?  Fazio, Maple, Yunick and others having finally bought into the hype were being disappointed.  What  now? 

What now indeed?  Tony Dungy always posted a sign in his Tampa and Indy locker rooms that asked the simple question – Who’s up next? 

Now is the time for the Lone Wolf League membership to answer that call.