Face Down on Top of Pride | Blood from a Stone

I’m laying face down on top of Pride (Michael Carlson). The bell has just rung as we finished 27 minutes of the best work of our lives. I’m holding his head away from the view of the audience and thanking him, not just for doing the favor, but for everything he’s done for me over the last 2 years. Helping me grow as a wrestler, sharing the road trip as well as being the first mate on our friendship (That’s a boat pun). We put together a match that was as close to perfect as possible, “This is awesome”, “Fight Forever” “Holy sh*t” and “Stone is gonna kill you” chants (I still don’t know why they chant about me killing people…. Not even close to one of my catchphrases lol), and a standing ovation at the end. This is face down on top of pride.

And yet as I and Pride embrace after ascending the biggest summit of our careers, leaving every drop of blood, sweat, hate and love that we have for one another on the canvas to paint our final masterpiece…..  I have to tell him……… “You stepped on my thumb in the shine, ya d**k!”. This is the latest installment of blood from a stone.

It’s the 5 days after the biggest match of my career, I am the reigning RCW Alberta champion….. my thumb really hurts, I have massive bursitis in my left arm, and I am currently counting the drugs in my medic bag. To the world of wrestling I am “Mr. Saturday Night”, but now that I’ve flown back to my real life, I am currently “Hey d***head, Go wash the ambulance!”…. The life of a champion.

Stone Pride
Photo / Dylon Stone

But even though I’ve come back to the “real world” my mind is still stuck in the clouds, because last night I was given some news. News that blew my fragile little mind. No chance to rest on my laurels of a 27 minute classic with Pride… My return match is against a little known indy worker… You may have heard of him, Ring of Honour, WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, MATT TAVEN!!!!!

Face Down From The Top of Pride

(Breathes intensely into a paper bag)

Yup by the time this piece airs it will be announced that on May 4th, in Edmonton Alberta, I will be going One on One with the CURRENT ROH WORLD CHAMPION under the RCW (Real Canadian Wrestling) banner….. (Continues to breathe into a paper bag).

Stone paperbag
Photo / Dylon Stone

Don’t get me wrong, I believe I am physically and mentally able to keep up with anyone in the ring…..HOWEVER, Matt Taven just main evented MADISON SQUARE FREAKIN’ GARDEN in front of 16,000 people. I main evented Red Deer’s Festival Hall in front of 400 people. What I’m saying is there is a marked disparity between our worldly visibility.

Supervisor: STONE!!! THE AMBULANCE won’t WASH ITSELF!

Stone: IM COMING!!!

Everyone wants the champ!…. So I sit here contemplating, what does this mean? Will this match just be business as usual? Will I walk out of the building, head home, do my laundry and get ready to fly back to my northern ambulance? Or will this match be special? Will Matt Taven develop Manga style heart eyes when he sees my work, smuggle me into his gear bag and present me to the head of Sinclair broadcasting and demand they give me a 7 figure contract! Maybe Kenny Omega and the Young bucks will sideswipe his car and steal the gear bag that is hidden inside and take me to Cody Rhodes to be apart of AEW’s “All In 2” PPV

Stone signing
Photo / Dylon Stone
Supervisor: STONE!! IM NOT TELLING YOU AGAIN!!
Or maybe I’ll just wash the ambulance :’(

In any event, I’m grateful for the opportunity that Real Canadian Wrestling has given me. I’m grateful they considered me to be of the caliber to work with someone as talented as Taven, and I am eternally grateful to everyone who read this article and is taking the journey with me. And ill also be grateful to anyone who comes to the May 3-4 “Sweet 16” Anniversary shows in Calgary and Edmonton Starring ROH World Champion Matt Taven and WWE Superstar Gangrel… as well as, well me… DYLON STONE!
https://www.showpass.com/o/royal-canadian-wrestling/

But seriously, I really need to go wash my ambulance. This was the latest installment of blood from a stone. This was face down from the top of pride.

Sweet XVI Anniversary
Photo / ShowPass.com

To read my previous edition of Blood from a Stone ‘Moonlighting’ you can click here.

Dylon Featherstone is a firefighter, paramedic, mixed-martial artist, kinesiologist, existential nihilist, professional wrestler, and now a columnist! What does that mean? Probably that he is mediocre at all of these things (at best). Born and raised in Central Alberta, Canda; he waxes and wanes unpoetically and unapologetically about his life experiences as a self-professed hobo and how he goes through the daily struggle of trying not to become a full time professional wrestler. “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man” – Samuel Johnson.