When you meditate, the mind becomes rock-steady. All the troubles, whether they be minor or major, are forgotten. It grows more aware of its surroundings. Most importantly, it becomes completely tranquil. Or so you’d think.

You’d be amazed at the things the Independence Day Rumble can do to the mind. Normal behaviors and routines change. I’m finding this out right now, just five days before the event takes place. Five, short days away. I had been in the same meditative state since I got into the room. It was probably well into the wee hours of the morning. And the only thing on my mind, was the rumble, to take place Sunday. My mind was anything but quiet. With an event like this coming up, how could it afford to be quiet?…

Suddenly, something that had never happened to me during a state of meditation happened. An image began to manifest itself inside my head, but it was so obscure I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what It was. I heard voices…distant voices that slowly came closer to me.

…has been eliminated! The familiar voice of Gary Trudeau rang out. I knew exactly what I was seeing…Independence Day Rumble 2005.

Jimmy: And he’s been eliminated by Rodney Phoenix.
Fat Tony: Rodney Phoenix is on fire tonight. He wants to come out of this with something.
Jimmy: And now five men remain.

I was slumped in the corner, watching the other five men compete, in pain. The remaining men were Mr. Darkness, the Green Eyed Monster Leviathan, Rodney Phoenix, and Brian Calvin, which meant Calvin lost to Joey Edwards earlier that night. Darkness and Calvin were slugging it out in the other corner, while Rodney was now trying to push Leviathan over the top, but to no avail. I watched that and figured I’d go blindside both of counter part rookies over the top. Just as I made my way back into action…

Jimmy: Watch out.

…Calvin whips Darkness into me, driving the air out of me and the Devil’s Own member both. I fall flat on my face and roll over, while Darkness turns around and walks into a Brian Calvin dropkick, which sends him over the top rope.

Mr. Darkness has been eliminated!

Jimmy: Who would have thought that these two rookies would make it so far into this match?
Fat Tony: I thought Rodney could have won the whole thing. I thought Evan McDaniel would have been eliminated much sooner than this!

I stare up at the lights, and attempt to recollect myself. I’d come too far, now. Letting this opportunity slip through the cracks of my fingers was not an option, just as it was not an option for the other remaining three men. I tried to pick myself up off the mat, But I had help from one of the remaining entrants, ‘Flyin’ Brian Calvin.

Jimmy: Could Evan’s run in this match be ending now?
Fat Tony: I sure hope so. It‘d be a rip-off and an injustice if Evan McDaniel won this match. It‘d be a travesty.

Calvin had me up, and I was reeling on my feet. Every few seconds, I would soak in one of his fists. Everything was becoming hazy. I knew I was walking the fine line of elimination, and I was tipping toward the undesirable side.

Rodney Phoenix has been eliminated!

I didn’t see how my enemy had been eliminated. All I knew was that he was no longer a part of the match.

Jimmy: Leviathan simply overpowering Rodney Phoenix there.
Fat Tony: I want to hear some ‘Rodney got screwed chants’ in this arena…right now.
Jimmy: In any event, Rodney Phoenix garners the most eliminations and thus earns a US Title Shot.
Fat Tony: Well, I suppose not all is wrong with the world.

Calvin continued to fire away at my forehead, picking up the pace considerably. Right, left, right, left. I was leaning up against the ropes, he had me exactly where I wanted. I was S-O-L, and we both knew it. He made ready to bound off the ropes. I saw him hit the opposite side of the ropes and I closed my eyes tighter than I ever have in all my life. I made ready to take that humiliating tumble over the third rope. But the crowd erupted into a surprising pop. After a few seconds of waiting, I open my eyes.

Brian Calvin has been eliminated!

If I was in trouble with Calvin, now I was up to my neck in it, for I was up against the beast. The Green-Eyed Monster. Leviathan. Oh boy, was I ever in trouble. My eyes rolled into the back of my skull. I knew very well where the odds of me winning this match now were. Somewhere along the lines of slim, to none, to impossibility. But what could I do? Could I simply let him have his way with me? No. I’d come this far. I might as well go out with the biggest of bangs.

Jimmy: Well, looks as though it’s going to be easy pickings for Leviathan, with Evan McDaniel so out of it right now.
Fat Tony: The fact that either of these men remain is a nightmare.

I shot up as quickly as I could, to meet the fast approaching Leviathan. I exploded at him with a series of fists, to the surprise of the fans on-hand. The big man was being driven back. Slowly, slowly, slowly. Then, he halted my momentum with a simple clothesline.

Jimmy: He almost had something going there.
Fat Tony: Who cares? This is boring now.

He picks me up by my ears. I scream out in pain, which embarrasses me immensely. He appears to take pleasure in this, which I find incredibly insulting. With a little bit of the energy I’ve got in my tank, I force myself to fight back with a few shots to the solar plexus. I pull myself up by his forearms, still firing away.

Jimmy: He’s still fighting. He’s been in there for so long. Something’s got to give.

Again, he kills my momentum by lifting a knee to my stomach. He scoops me up and drives me straight into the canvas.

Jimmy: Leviathan driving the air out of Evan McDaniel with that scoop slam. That was to take so much out of Evan.
Fat Tony: You can wake me up whenever this is over.

I again find myself staring up at the lights. Everything’s going hazy, and all I can truly hear is the roar of the crowd. It’s down to the last two men, and it appears as though the WWA faithful will have their winner within a matter of moments. It would be a cold, cold day in hell before I won this match. I was entrant number…

No, something kicked in within me. No way you’re going to let yourself go that easily. You’ve barely put up a fight. You were the one who dreamt of having your name with the great ones. Outlaw…Lantern…Tracer Bullet…Shaman…Nick Adams…Quietus…all the men to win the previous Independence Day Rumbles. Would you really come as far as you have to let Leviathan become the next name added to that list? I think not. Get yourself up and fight.

I wanted this. No…I needed this.

I pulled myself to my feet once more, Leviathan placing his foot squarely in my spinal column. Each time I got to my knees, he put me down with a boot. But I kept fighting…kept pushing.

Jimmy: Tony, this is unbelievable. This kid is still fighting back.
Fat Tony: Oh, well that’s great Jimmy. Tell someone who cares, please.

One final boot. I rolled to my side and got up as quickly as I could, a fire burning in the pit of my stomach that could rival the California Wildfires. It fueled me. I charged Leviathan with every fiber of my being. I took him down with a huge clothesline.

Jimmy: What the hell?
Fat Tony: How??

I motioned him to arise to his feet. Once he was up, I squarely placed my foot to his stomach, then began pounding away on his back like I was a high school band percussionist, bearing down on my snare drum. Shot after shot after shot, I was relentless on my assault.

Jimmy: This kid has no die in him, whatsoever.
Fat Tony: Oh, well get a room with him, since you love him so much.

But something had to give. He forced himself up, hoisting me up, and drilled me into the ground with a spine buster.

Jimmy: It’s all over, now. I think that may have taken the fight out of Evan McDaniel.
Fat Tony: Oh, well that’s super. That means I can leave soon.

He was tired now. I had time to recuperate, just as he did. I tried to stand and winced from the pain. I had to pull myself up the ropes and he was nearly on his feet. The big man charged at me with a head of steam as I finally got to my feet.

Jimmy: This is it!

I ducked, with my last drop of energy, and pulled the rope down with me. The arena grew silent.

Leviathan has been eliminated!

Jimmy: We just witnessed a miracle! We just witnessed a miracle! Evan McDaniel has overcome the odds and won the Independence Day Rumble!
Fat Tony: A miracle?! This is the worst thing that could have happened! I can’t believe it!

The fans began to cheer for me as I looked around. The unexpected had happened. A rookie had walked out of IDR with the sweetest of all victories. I raised my hands in disbelief, breathing as hard as I ever have in my life. It was the most gratifying feeling ever…

My eyes opened. I looked about the empty, dark room I had rented. It was all in my head. I didn’t win the Independence Day Rumble. But imagining that I had was the greatest.

But was I merely imagining…or seeing the future?

In any event, it was time to get training. Just five days, and the big day is at hand.