WWE Road to WrestleMania Part 2: Fear and the Detour Along the Path

"

“There are four ways you can handle fear. You can go over it, under it, or around it. But if you are ever to put fear behind you, you must walk straight through it. Once you put fear behind you, leave it there.”

                                ~ Donna A. Favors

"

As those who hold hope within their hearts commence along the early stretches of road towards greatness, there comes a moment when one must take pause and choose the path they will take whenever the road splits. It is in these precious moments when these warriors must not only look ahead to the land laid out in front of them, but also allow faith to override fear and know that the path they choose will lead them to the ultimate prize. A prize that while many have found, few have claimed as there own.

There is a well-kept knowledge amongst those that have discovered the secret of this road. A road filled with so many obstacles, dead ends, emotions and fallen comrades. A secret that only those with the inner strength of legends can discover if they set aside the one thing that traps many along the road—fear.

While there are many things that are responsible for defeating man, it is fear that is the true poison of the human spirit, conscious and physical form. It has the ability to paralyze, freeze and create an unyielding shadow of doubt that destroys not only the person who allows fear to sink in, it also destroys and clouds the path they have embarked on. 

The secret that is kept by those who have traversed the road is simple: Do not hesitate to confront the horrors, obstacles, dangers and fears that this road is known to create along its journey towards the heavens. And that sometimes the best path to choose whenever you come to a fork in the road is to simply take a deep breathe, cast away all fears, stare into the abyss and head straight into the unknown.

Fear is the darkness, the enemy and the biggest detour within the road...

...This is the story of the road to WrestleMania.  

Road to WrestleMania Part 1

The Overture of Fear and Redemption

Within moments of delivering what must have been the final blow ever dealt to the legend that now lie beneath him, the wounded, frustrated and nearly defeated warrior could no longer believe what he had just seen. Victory, a feat no man had ever accomplished, had been ripped away from him by the sheer mythical will power of the legend that would simply not die.  

Could it be this hard? What was there left to do?...And with these questions now racing through his mind—the one thing he had never felt, never experienced, never thought about—had now seeped in like it did to so many before him. Fear.

He knew he had voluntarily chosen this path. This moment. This impossible task. This man, within moments of setting foot along the road towards WrestleMania—while those hurtling behind him chose to simply pay no attention and diverge either left or right—knew that this was his destiny. His path. His calling. His undertaking. He had voluntarily chosen to stare into the abyss, cast away all fear, submit to faith over the darkness and proceed straight into the unknown.

The wounded warrior now, in a state of complete desperation, lingered around for a moment, struggling to find the one thing he knew would end this epic encounter with the legend who continued to lie motionless, but not yet defeated.

As the warrior found and gripped his trusty weapon that had dispatched many enemies before this moment, the world around him felt the end near. The warrior, who had been given this opportunity for releasing the fear that turned many away from this path, knew he was moments away from achieving immortality because of it. He had looked fear in the eyes and submitted to faith instead, and he was now ready to reap the rewards for his bravery.

And as he lifted the weapon high above his head to deliver the final blow, the wounded warrior once again looked into the abyss and the darkness that had now instantly, in an act of desperation from the still-living legend, caught hold of the warrior. 

Unlike the first moments when he—standing alone when others traveled safer paths—submitted to faith and descended into the darkness in hope of achieving what no other had achieved, he Had now found himself locked and surrounded by the darkness and clutch of evil...and finally submitted to the fear.

And became just another victim along the road to WrestleMania...

Chapter 4: The Not-So-Heavyweight Champion

If there is a path to the showcase of the immortals that no one has ever traversed, then Daniel Bryan, the WWE kingdom's current World Heavyweight Champion, has discovered the hidden tunnel that guides the way. He has seemingly accomplished what few thought was ever possible for such a man of his stature. He is now living the dream of dreams amongst those who still dream for the one day when they awaken to all the wonders this kingdom gives to those who deserve it...

Or in Bryan's case, steal it.

Bryan has not been a formidable foe, a known threat or a callous manipulator throughout his stay within the kingdom's walls. Bryan had decided to carve, just like his close friend, CM Punk, his own way while others continued to travel in packs along the open, lighted, safe road. While those that ran, hastily, straight without direction or focus, Bryan slowed down, and discovered a tunnel. A tunnel whose door contained a keyhole. A keyhole that Bryan just so happened to have the key for.

Bryan was awarded this key when he managed, in a shocking manner, to defeat a number of other warriors who fought, battled and climbed to reach the key that was dangled high above the stadium's walls in one of the kingdom's time-honored traditions known as the "Money in the Bank" challenge. Bryan retrieved the key to the delight of the crowd and promised, as was his good-natured way, to follow the straight and safe road to WrestleMania, where he would unlock the golden door to a championship match on the grandest stage of them all. He promised to patiently wait and use this power to procure a spot at the front gate that many know as the end of the long road to WrestleMania...

...But to hold such power is to become entrapped by its illusions of grandeur, power and premise.

Bryan would attempt, whether through misguided luck or opportunity, to cash in the key's power earlier than promised, but he would hesitate or be overthrown by higher powers in his advances. But on one fateful night as the champion, a friend of Bryan known as the Big Show, found himself in a weak position, only protected by the doors his friend held the key to. Bryan would rush out from behind the veil of promises, good will and honesty, unlock the door, and steal away the one thing his friend worked years to achieve, but took only seconds to lose...the World Heavyweight Championship.

Bryan, who now faces growing dissension from the WWE universe's inhabitants, is now no longer known as the hard-working, young warrior he fought so hard to become, but instead he is not only a liar but a thief. Bryan, who could no longer travel safely along the road to WrestleMania for fear of the giants that now chase him and his championship, has decided to take a tunnel that continues to dodge those, and the multiple obstacles that attempt to take away what he feels is rightfully his. 

What Bryan did not realize, but is slowly starting to figure out, is that all roads, paths, bridges and even tunnels lead to one destination before they once again branch off. The barbaric and callous Colosseum known as the Elimination Chamber. 

The once easy, guaranteed and bright road to WrestleMania that Bryan was awarded has now been replaced—due to greed—by a dark, twisting, treacherous path filled with fear and giants that now chase after the kingdom's current champion. Daniel Bryan, now traveling with only the girl that loves him, continues to travel underground until the inevitable day where he must come out of hiding and face the fears that lie in wait.

Chapter 5: Those That Travel in Packs

For many, the road to WrestleMania has already been pre-ordained. They have been trusted, by those who watch over the lands, to be the brightest stars that light the way for those still searching for their own paths, or to follow the paths already carved by others. While their roads are not deemed easy, they are almost guaranteed pathways that lead to the golden gates—as long as they are successful in overcoming the obstacles thrown their way.

For those whose paths are not already determined, they now face the long, unpredictable, winding, unforgiving road to WrestleMania. For those unsuccessful in their attempt to win the Royal Rumble, they now travel along this path, together at first, until they either find their way or are lost amongst the other fallen warriors who must patiently wait until the next year's journey. 

These warriors who travel with the pack—Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barret, Randy Orton and many more—now travel along the road to WrestleMania with the hope that they can overcome the horrors and fears the road contains.

While their individual stories along the road have yet to be told, there is one interesting story that already has a rather unique prologue...

The Miz, who at this time last year sat amongst the kings and laughed at those who traveled in packs along the long road to WrestleMania, now finds himself as the one who is laughed at, even by those who travel with him. His long fall from the mountain top was not necessarily foreseen, but signs were present if you wanted to pay close enough attention. Of all the ones who travel in the pack, the Miz seems to be the one who is most lost without any light to guide him.

The Miz might not even be traveling along with the pack, perhaps not even on the road at all. Perhaps it is wise for those to take heed if, in their journey towards the golden gates, they come across the very same path the Miz took last year. Perhaps that road no longer exists, and it has now become a mere mirage that acts as a trap to others. 

The Miz now faces his biggest fear of all...being completely forgotten.

There are many roads to WrestleMania. All that is needed to begin the journey is hope. Hope that the road you choose leads to everlasting immortality among the legends who have captivated the universe at the showcase of the immortals. 

When that path is chosen, or bestowed upon you, you then must remember the secret shared by those who have traveled this reckless road before...

...Do not fear the darkness that lies ahead and the detours it will surely bring. Forget all about your fears and hopefully you will find yourself standing outside the golden gates, or become lost along the road to WrestleMania.

... To be continued.