Darkane, clean the shit out of your ears and pay attention you greasy looking fuck. I didn’t say I was a “ dog that shit out razor blades.” What I did do was make a metaphor that was lost on a small brained fuck boy like yourself. I ain’t never scared…. You can continue to doubt me, to look past me but at the end of the day all that matters is what happens in that ring and when I toss you out on your ass I don’t want to hear you bitching and moaning about it in the back. I don’t want to hear you come out the day after Pain for Pride talking about how you were robbed. I want you to try for once in your pathetic existence to be humble.  I want you to realize that you aren’t the best thing since sliced bread and I want you to realize that you weren’t able to inflict the damage that you promised, that you weren’t able to take my limbs, that you weren’t able to get rid of me in the manner you have been preaching since you decided to speak my name and don’t worry about buying yourself a six pack fam, I will send you a bottle of Henny to drown your sorrow in. You are going to need it when you are eliminated by me, you are going to need it when I am the one who finally humbles you. You know the guy you keep fucking sleeping on?  Darkane, others might fear you. They might get worried when you claim to be a shark that smells blood in the water but all I see is a man lost in his own imagination who is going to end up over those top ropes looking up at the sky as the thousands in attendance pop for the Human Highlight Reel better known as Johnny Fucking Nova.


As far as Mark Michaels goes, you are looking at someone who has been in the EAW for less than a month, yet here I stand obviously enough of a threat to draw your attention. Here I am as one of the contenders in this match at Pain for Pride X.  Enough of a threat for Hall of Famers to be mentioning when they speak. You can talk about wins and losses, you can talk about your past accomplishments, what I should and shouldn’t say but here I stand just as much of a threat as anyone else in the match.  But let me go ahead and do the fans a favor and give them a glimpse of what they are going to hear from you next. You haven’t done anything in the EAW or no one sees you as a threat…. you are going to get tossed over the ropes just like everyone else. Does that sound, about right? Are you just going to speak word for word what the likes of Darkane and others have already been saying? We get it, all of you veterans want to stay nice and comfy where you are at. You think that the young bloods in this match are just going to go over the top rope without a fight. Well maybe some of them will but I am telling you right now I am going to fight tooth and fucking nail to make damn sure that I make an impact, that I am remembered and that I leave everything in the center of the ring knowing that, that 24/7 contract is on the line. The times they are a changing, get used to it. The future of the EAW is standing before you and he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  


 Which speaking of legends and veterans brings me to Scott Diamond. Now Scott I think you got it a bit twisted, I never called you boring. What I said was that I didn’t understand why a legend, a hall of famer would be arguing about efficiency and who is and who isn’t efficient while seemingly not being worried about the task at hand. You know…like winning the 24/7 contract? It’s like you think you already have the battle royal on lock and that everyone else should just eliminate themselves. That isn’t how it’s going to go down. You have done plenty to earn my respect as I have said time and time again. But don’t get it twisted, just like everyone else in this match you are an obstacle that must be overcome to reach my end goal. You want to talk about grade school promos, and insults or call my bringing up a run of the mill underdog story then so be it. I am not here to impress you, as I have said before I could care less what any of the Elitists in the back think of me and that includes hall of famers, legends, you name it but still zero fucks are given. The only thing that matters is what happens between those ropes and when I step between those ropes at Pain for Pride I am going to do everything within my being to make sure that I have my hands raised at the end of the night. The Miracle Child from the 313 has everything to gain and nothing to lose and that makes me just as much of a danger in this match as a legend like you…..

There's a song on the Pain for Pride playlist that I just can't get out of my head these days. "Final Masquerade".

I just think it's so appropriate in times like these. In the book of Revelations it is said that as the world as we know it approaches its end, all that was hidden shall be uncovered and the true nature of all who inhabit this world will be unraveled. Foes will become closer than kin, and the closest of kin will shed their skin and bear the likeness of the serpent. The black magic of The Great Deceiver creates a thick, black fog that hovers over all Mankind like a black cloud - yet it permeates at surface level, creating a haze of distractions. Worldly things and hedonism become sacred to the sinners of all the land, but the anointed cannot tolerate the thick, dark smoke. Revelations is an era of confusion, but there's great realization to be had among such confusion as the layers are peeled back. In an event like Pain for Pride where we are guaranteed to see the demise of legends and the creation of new legends, millions will gather in assembly to witness the supernova of the dying star.

But I don't think you believe for even a second that it could possibly be your star that falls, Senn.

How can it possible be yours? After all, you're the center of the Universe. You're the incarnation that has arrived to the stage of history with the sword pulled from stone, ready to slay each fearsome and terrible dragon that meets you at the gate. And every year, you slay the dragon. Every year, you are allowed to dine with the Immortals because you've managed to defeat some of the biggest wrestlers in modern EAW history - hell, you said it yourself, you succeeded where I came up short! You defeated Jaywalker! But in the world and the mindset of Jacob Senn, it's only right that we disregard the success of others and the failure of his own self because that's the only way he's allowed to live up to his concocted Fable. In the world of Jacob Senn, he is the protagonist. Despite Pain for Pride being your own personal Genesis 32:22, in your world the entire metaphorical Bible itself is nothing more than the Book of Jacob. Unfortunately Senn, you are doomed to come to grips with reality. You don't get to wear the same Masquerade you've been wearing for the majority of your career after this. Your Fable becomes proven to be a MYTH, I WILL EXPOSE YOU. I WILL EXPOSE YOU FOR THE FRAUD THAT YOU ARE! 

If you really understand that Pain for Pride is your own personal Penuel, you would understand what's going to happen this weekend. You would understand that you're competing with someone who - in the wrestling ring - is an immortal. The problem is you don't truly get that, because you're still doing your damnedest by whatever means to codify me; even in the form of belittlement. Your hopeless attempt at "triggering" people by suggesting that you don't believe any of my praise confirms that. You haven't triggered anybody, because I've been undercut a million times before, it's nothing new. It's just pathetic, because your masquerade is beginning to wear off already. You are a purveyor of falsehood; you say that you hold me to the same regard as most others would, but that's a fucking lie. I'm sorry, correct me if I'm wrong because in my old age I'm getting a little forgetful... who were you just begging to induct you into the Hall of Fame? No no no let me change that a little bit, maaaybe I'm getting a little facetious here ... who were you DEMANDING that they induct you into the Hall of Fame? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the person inducting you now. It wasn't any of the legends you've conquered in the past, it wasn't any of your road buddies, OH! -That's right! It was me! Humor me for a moment; why would you have someone who's hype you supposedly don't believe in present you with the highest honor an EAW Elitist can possibly be bestowed? Wouldn't that be a contradiction? Maybe I've found a little plot hole in your Fable. Maybe you ought to ret con that and do your best to deny that you weren't fucking groveling at my feet before like a spoiled petulant child, demanding that I hand you the keys to my castle. There's a reason why you want to face me at Pain for Pride, and it's not because Mr. DEDEDE is a facade who becomes an even bigger facade named 'Methuselah' when the going gets rough. It's because every honor I've been bestowed comes with a decade of mangled bodies, bloodshed and Gold.

 Everything that makes me a legend is tangible, Senn. You can look back and see it all for yourself, it's not something that I have to scream about you get you to hear. Hell, if you shut your mouth for the next couple of days or so you can experience it all first hand and remove all doubt. Or maybe, if you're not too busy crafting the perfect masquerade to wear into the showcase of the Immortals, you can ask Xavier Williams. A man who was standing in your exact same place just a year ago. A newly inducted member of the Hall of Fame with about as much momentum as one can possible have behind themselves... until I crushed him, and delivered unto him a loss so painful it sent him into a deep depression. Or take it further back to the man in this year's Pain for Pride main event, when I defeated Sekaiichi at the headline of Pain for Pride 7. I rendered him into a catatonic state, because he tried to push me into the sun on his attempts to ascend into heaven. But he didn't understand that I am the sun. I melted his wings upon his ascent, and he will never live down that night as long as his body draws breath. Jacob, bigger legends than you have fallen harder when I am their opposition. It isn't because they aren't as passionate as you are. Everyone who's made it to this place is - is passionate, Senn, but that doesn't change RESULTS. It doesn't. change. ANYTHING! It does not amount to a god damned thing when you're in the ring with me, I don't give a fuck how passionate you are! I don't give a fuck if you eat, sleep and breathe this! I DON'T CARE! 

Other legends take a hiatus while you remain, okay! That's great! Never taking a day off from working on your little Fable doesn't discredit the undeniable! I call CM Banks a legend once and suddenly I fellate him? This is what I can't stand about your generation. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about but it sure as fuck won't stop you from speaking on a subject that you, again, know nothing about. CM Banks was my protege and he's the creator to this illustrious company, and I acknowledge that, so that means I'm kissing up to him? Please tell me how I've kissed CM Banks' ass? What have I said that's so great about CM Banks? I've hated the man for years, he's still the son of a Bitch who forced me into retirement and took so much time out of my career. There's no lingering grudge but he and I have a long way to go before ever being good friends again, but I can still respect an all time great for being an all time great. Please tell me, again, what I've said in the past that would make it seem like I'm "worshiping" CM Banks? Please, go ahead, I'm waiting. I don't understand your beef with Banks, but it's probably that same bullshit "what have you done for us lately" mentality that you little assholes under 30 all seem to have nowadays. Xavier Williams still had that fucked mentality until I beat it out of him, and now he talks in a completely different tone. I don't hate Banks, or any of my past rivals, but I do resent them as much as I resent myself for giving a bastard like you the platform to run your mouth about us. Every now and then entitled pricks like you make me wish I had just let this whole son of a Bitch company die after Pain for Pride 6, because it's not like you could ever appreciate everything EAW's given you. In fact all you did after Pain for Pride 6 was cry and moan because Zack Crash defeated you soundly, and you felt entitled to something that you didn't earn to the point where you dragged out a grudge for years until you finally got your revenge. Four years later and history repeats, Jacob Senn is still an entitled Fable manufacturing bitch who sits at his desk and jots at his Fable until everybody superior to Jacob Senn is discredited and only he and he alone is exalted.

Even though he's never been good enough to do something like Headline a Pain for Pride, or even so much as be in anyone's all time list. 

Maybe you go after Banks so much because you're jealous of him, after all he actually managed to defeat me in the main event of a Pain for Pride no less, whereas you'll never be able to defeat me and you probably won't get to headline a Pain for Pride considering I'll knock you so far down the rung you'll wish you never attempted to climb "Jacob's Ladder" in the first place. I get the last laugh over all of my rivals, whether it's Banks, or Impact, or Jaywalker, or you. I don't intend, however, to allow this thing between you and I to drag out much further. I don't have the time or patience for it. But I am going to make sure you're never seen in the same light ever again. I am going to make sure you're reminded of your place, even if it means stooping as low as grappling with a mortal man. Except this time when I defeat you I won't change your name to ''Israel''. When I expose you and rid you of your masquerade, I will change your reputation into a liar. 

THAT'S GOD.

Pain For Pride X Promo 2: Sharks and Ringers

The camera opens on the zoomed in shot of a white billiard resting on a green felt tabe.  The point of a cue stick pops into frame and knocks it out of the shot, resulting in a very loud clack of marble hitting marble.  In the background, a pair of legs walk past the previous resting place of the cue ball.  The camera pans back to find Pizza Boy playing what appears to be a solo game of 8-ball.  He leans over the table and lines up his next shot.

There's a certain level of hatred I have for anyone who feels entitled.  This contempt I have for the entitled, It cuts deep into the sinew and past the bone.  People here don't seem to understand the difference between earning an opportunity and winning a championship.  You're just another pretender in a long line of pretenders Lannister.  You're anointed by the church and you believe it makes you god.  You stole from me, and that's a lead that everyone seems to want to bury.  They want to claim that I'm the one running scared when I'm the only one in this fight charging forward into battle.  I've been on a warpath to get to you long before Grand Rampage was placed on my trek.  I was never given a rematch, I was never offered any handout, and I wasn't given some sort of contract that makes it OK to jump another human being and rob them.  I bid my time, I ran through twenty-nine other men, and I bit my tongue when they told me I had to wait until Pain for Pride to get my hands on you.  Do you know why? because that's what real champions do.  The Judas's and the Nico Borg's of the world will soon understand that when I show them on the grandest stage in EAW that cheaters never prosper.  You'll learn too.  

PB steadies his stick, taking aim down the cue, before shotgun blasting the cue ball into a pair of consecutive balls and sinking them one after another.

So what does the great and mighty Darth Lannister do now that he has no more bodies to throw in my path?  What does he do now that every ticket to stardom he's ever had has been punched? Does he go to the back of the line like a common peasant after I knock his privilege down a few pegs? Does he hit the gym and get into better fighting condition, even though he already beats me in every measurable athletic department?  What happens after Pain for Pride? Where do you go after being beaten by a lowly commoner? a pizza boy? What must that do to a man whose only discernible feature is being superior to everyone?  Do you snap? Do you blame everyone around you? Or do you change because someone finally forced you into a corner where you realize there's a flaw in your method? Will this be your Vader moment? Will I finally show you the err of your choices? I'm banking on it, and I'd put out a heftier wager that so is the EAW fandom.  I must admit that I'll take a sort of sick pride in watching your world crumble around you, but I'll still be the better man and do what you've never done after destroying the dreams of others...

PB lines up his next shot.  He's got a clear line of sight on the hole, but instead turns his stick and cracks the cue ball off the side of the table, sending it in a triangle around the targeted ball, and into the corner pocket for a scratch.  He retrieves the cue ball and holds it in his hand momentarily as he finally meets eyes with the camera.

I'll offer you salvation.  And no, this isn't bible thumpy Andrew showing up at your door on Sunday morning with the good book ready to shill, this is me telling you that I'm willing to show you the man that you should be.  You should be the top competitor in EAW, and as long as that belt's around your waist I can't argue against the fact even if you took it under less than noble circumstances.  A guy like you, that looks like you, that has your swagger and wrestles like you should be the face of this company.  You're the archetype for what an Elitist should look like, but I wonder how corrupted that perfect vessel is.  Will you go the true way of Vader? Too corrupted by the dark side to pull out? Or will you shake my hand after I take the world away from you and use it to show you the reflection of what you've become?  I'm not out to destroy you, Lannister.  I'm giving you the tools for construction.  I can't help if you use them to self-destruct.

PB places the ball back on the table and lines up a new shot.  His gaze narrows as he measures with a shaky hand.

Even if I lose, I can't imagine a guy like me giving you the fight of your career is going to set well with your ego.  I'm here to change you, Lannister.  One way or the other, you're coming out of this match different than when you came in.  You might walk out with the new perspective of a true Elitist, or you may be forced to do the one thing you'll secretly regret, the thing that pushes you over the edge of darkness and into the void.  The only way you're beating me is if you put me down for good.  That's not me coming into this match with a death wish, that's just the nature of every single encounter like this that I've ever walked into.  What happens to a man like you once he's completely lost his humanity?  I shudder to think, and for many reasons hope I don't find out.

PB finally goes for the shot, but buries the cue's tip into the velvet in front of the cue ball, nearly putting the stick through the table in the process.  Shaken,he pulls away from the table and paces in place for a moment, before steadying his nerves and picking up the cue meekly once more.

Do you know what bravery is, Lannister? It's staring down a kingdom with nothing more than your hands to fend them off.  It's charging into insurmountable odds with fear in your stomach.  It's having hope of victory in a zero sum game.  It's having faith in  the face of adversity.  Bravery isn't all about being an underdog though.  Bravery is showing mercy when you finally have your most reviled opponent on his knees.  Bravery is showing compassion to an abuser who wouldn't show you an ounce of it.  Bravery is a mouse daring  to pull a thorn out of an agitated  lion's paw.

PB sinks yet another shot and lifts the cue to his lips, blowing the dust off of it's tip in ritualistic celebration.  He lines up his second to last shot, which happens to be just behind the eight ball.

I'm a brave man, Lannister.  I don't have pride in much else other than the fact that I don't buckle when the pressure's on.  I've never compromised my morals unless it was dire to do so.  I've never kicked a man while he was down unless he was trying to get up with a knife clenched in his hand with my name on it.  That doesn't mean I don't fear you, but it does mean that I'm not afraid to face that fear head on.  If I beat you, and I truly plan on doing so, then I'll walk away from the battle when the final bell rings without fear of recourse.  I'll give you your rematch, and I'll face you again if I have to, and if I beat you once I'm confident in my ability to beat you twice.  The question remains will you be brave enough to face that defeat? After we beat one another half to death and one of us manages to finally put the other out of his misery, will you be brave enough to grant me mercy?  If I beat you, will you walk away knowing that the better man won?  I know I can say for a fact that I'm capable of doing both.  But what about you? What do you do when you're behind the eight ball?  I've seen what you can do, and that's not what I'm asking.  I'm asking whose walking away from that ring? win lose or draw? Whose standing tall at the end of the night despite who wins? Will we stand together? Or will I lay at your feet with my belt around my waist with a reason to show no mercy when you get your rematch?

PB swerves the cue ball around the eight and handily sinks the second to last ball behind it.

The ball's in your court Lannister.  Will you walk away with more of my contempt? Or will you let everything evil about your nature finally consume you?  Either way, I promise we wont leave this match without a scratch.

Pizza Boy sizes up the final shot of the game.  As he pulls back the cue the camera cuts to black.  The sound of balls clacking in the darkness is met by a momentarily silence, then the sound of a pool stick snapping in two, and the sound of Pizza Boy storming away from the table.

Son of a...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Theron...

For your sake, for my sake, for the sake of everyone, just please shut your mouth.

I've heard the outside chatter, I've seen the social media feeds, the world has become enamored with Theron Nikolas. They say he's getting the better of me, really dragging me through the mud. They say, and God I hate this term, that he's "ethering" me. But is that really the case? He's addressed me now what... 4, maybe 5 times? And each and every time it's the same thing. I get it Theron, we all get it, you think my aura's gone, that my light no longer shines bright. You believe that I'm past my prime and no longer take any of this seriously, that I'm only here because this is Pain For Pride and then once it's over I'm going to drive right back home. Well you are technically right about that last part, that's a luxury of having Pain For Pride in your backyard. But as far as the rest of it goes I'm a little torn on whether you believe all of what you're saying or if the only reason you keep repeating yourself over and over again is because of the attention it gets you. 

If it's the former then you believe a lie; in fact not only do you believe it but you've become consumed by the idea. Feeling the need to repeat it constantly, driving yourself almost to the point of insanity.

If it's the latter it's equally as sad. You're forcing yourself to rehash a proposition that you don't even believe in just for the sake of getting a little attention thrown your way. 

I throw out a simple challenge for you, Theron. Dig something else up on me. Something that'll really get me good, something that'll force itself under my skin. Something that I can't deny nor back my way out of. But the caveat is, it needs to be something true. Not a front page tabloid headline you see when you're checking out at the supermarket. It needs to be fact based, not opinion. If you can do that, then at the very least I'll know that you're somewhat genuine in what you think of my abilities, it won't make it any more true... just authentic. But if you don't carry out this simple task, because it isn't as juicy as your other story is... then I'll know where your morales lie. The choice is yours.

I'm not entirely sure who should be next. There's Mark Michaels who thinks I should be honored to share a ring with him. The less said about the better. Johnny Nova is another one, he had the audacity to call me boring right before delivering one of the most run-of-the-mill underdog stories I've ever heard. There's Darkane who shares a similar narrative as Theron Nikolas so Darkane, I extend the same challenge to you as well. Have I gotten everyone? Surely not, but I can't be bothered to remember anyone else.

It upsets me that that's the best these guys and gals have. Grade school insults. Jabs and slander that you'd find in the first chapter of Promoing For Dummies, Vol 1. "How to sound like you know what you're doing". I really shouldn't be all too surprised though, in a way I guess I asked for this. It's only natural that in a battle royal, where indeed most don't know what they're doing, it would come to this. Well, I've certainly learned my lesson, no more battle royals for me. Next year it's gonna be the main event where it seems you can get away with only doing one of these things. 

Oh, Pizza Boy... you don't know how good you have it.

I took headlining Pain for Pride the last two years for granted. 

But this time around, it is different. The spotlight is not necessarily fixated on me yet my desire to attain my goal burns stronger than the last two years combined. Why? It is because taking three vultures of this company down at the same time will put me at eternal peace. 

And I am not in solitary this time around. I stand united with one man who bred and revolutionized this company and another man who has produced more highlight reels than any other elitist in the history of this company. It is being highlighted that we are not in the peak of our form and are only relying on mere luck to get by in this match but pundits claiming such stuff obviously have no idea what we are truly competent of. Furthermore, the match will reside at the pinnacle of all events in history so no matter how much our body will refuse to move, we will still take the next step. How many times do the three of us have to be written off in matches before people realize that it is inherently impossible to predict a man's will and his appetite for retribution glory; it is absurd. That said, I was expecting the most sane one out of my opponents to be a bit more conservative with his claims but it would seem that I gave Jaywalker far too much credit. This man not only try to discredits the legacy of CM Banks himself but makes further claims of how he is light year ages ahead of him despite no merited context backing him up. The only legacy that I see averting from you is your odd traction to heartless cunts like Ares Vendetta and Cage, and I do not settle that as a compliment. For some reason, they like to believe that you are some flawless deity who has enriched his malice to take over this company. Yet, not only am I failing to recall a single moment where your avarice has been in notoriety but I am also failing to recall a single moment where you Jaywalker were of really any relevance at all within this company. You claim to be the bigger and in all its irony 'noble' man yet burned upon the very championship you proposed to this company because it did not reside within your arms. And when you realized that you were behind in this race by my introduction of CM Banks and the Heart Break Boy, you recruited your lackluster self-acclaimed protege to fight in a battle where he is destined to be dwarfed for a loss. All those actions are synonyms of a coward, not a legend who claims to be in the talks of the best to have ever stepped inside the ring in this company. All those accomplishments you have received are a testament of the eras you have fought in, you were never really the best; just conveniently the best placed to succeed at the time. And above all those convenient accomplishments, you are a false prophet who promises justice. So whilst my ideas may get stale and harder for the people to follow, at least I stay true to my claims. I personally took on more of a backside role to alleviate this company to greater heights but setting ablaze my championship changed everything; it sealed your fate. Watch me as the fans swarm back to me one by one for every punch I throw at you, reminding you once again what the meaning of humble is.

And then there is the loss entity in this match who really has no other reason to be present than to be someone else's lap dog, Cage. I am willing to recognize that you got an unjustifiable victory over me a few weeks ago through the light of presence but you will not have the luxury of such benefactors at Pain for Pride. Whereas you could rely on your commandants in other matches to save you from a quick one, this match is a whole another different beast. All three of you are present competitors and everything is legal, that above everything is music to all three of our ears. Humor me though Judas, is the reason you are speaking for Cage now because he has run out of excuses for his piteous career so he has standing you by his side doing that for him? I lamented Jaywalker earlier for his success through convenient timing but if anything, you are even more accredited to that claim than he is. Your whole career has been tangent on these 'revolutionary' feuds that you had where you ultimately did nothing and accomplished absolutely zilch. When you debuted in 2011, it was written off that you were not going to be anything special in this company. Fast forward six years to 2017 and you have made it into the Hall of Fame somehow. If that is not the biggest robbery in the history of this company then I do not know what it is. The selectors must be getting especially desperate to consider a man who has not only let people around him down but also his own opponents with his lackluster performances. The very meaning of Hall of Famer resides in the fact that they have changed the very omnipresence of this company at least once, this man simply did not. If things do not go his way even once, he sits down on his arse and strap up his boots blaming the upper management as if he had nothing to do with his breakdowns. When all else fails, just slither out the back and come back a few months later blaming it on personal life bullshit. We have all had our own troubles, for god-sake, I was known as the man who could not just get it done despite getting so far every time yet I never blamed on anyone else. I cleaned up my own act, took responsibility for myself and drove my own future to headlining Pain for Prides winning many other championships. But continue to remain naive as long as it benefits you Cage but I assure you that it will come back to bite you in the arse soon enough. A ring is a ring but its weight of guilt will be enough to shoulder you down throughout the match making it hard for both Ares Vendetta and Jaywalker to get into their own zone. No revenge, no desire to exist in this match. You play with fire long enough and you may just get burnt.

Who was once your 'savior' will now be your undoing..
This is where we make our historic stand.

 
 
 
 
 

Here we are the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The Super bowl of professional wrestling but yet even bigger than that.  An event we wait for each year and we fight our hardest to make sure we get to be part of history. The event where I become a two time New Breed championship and break the hearts of many and break the pride of 3.  3 men who are so obsessed with me it’s crazy and pretty creepy as well. 3 men who are going to do anything in they possibly can to make sure I don’t walk out with the championship. 3 men who are so obsessed with me they make up stories about me. Like let’s start this off with the man who’s currently holding the championship. Making up this story that somehow I’m scared of him what would make you think that Lucas? The fact that I “Ran” from you? I was just trying to make sure you didn’t do something you’d later on regret. I was just making sure for this moment in time that you weren’t in the hospital eating out of a tube. I wanted to hear the unnecessary yelling this weekend I wanted to hear you make this stupid comments that you already wasted no time making. Like making me bleed, yeah from my god damn ears with all this yelling you do which is also pretty much the only time you are a threat too. When you continue to yell and yell and you know what we do instead of taking you seriously? You know what we do instead of actually believing what you say? We make fun of you, the guys backstage, the woman the entire EAW Universe laughs at you Lucas. You literally have not one fan in this business not one person has the slightest amount of respect for you and as they shouldn’t.  Me and you are hated for two completely different things I’m hated because I’m great and they hate that I know I’m great they hate that I’m going to be successful and 2017 really is my year because I’m going to take what belongs to me. Yet they have respect because they know what I’m capable of even though no one wants to admit it.  They hate you due to the fact that you are most annoying arrogant piece of shit EAW has ever witnessed.  You unlike me aren’t as great as you say you are and not one person looks at you and feels threatened then you go around saying.  Hold on a second I actually have a list of all the idiotic things you’ve managed to say in just a span of 10 minutes.
 
 
1.        I am the most successful superstar of all time. 
2.       I make the big bucks, I get all the ladies
3.       by the great white shark and his name is Lucas Johnson.
4.       I smell blood and that is coming from Elite and Wakefield. I know both of you are shitting your pants right now, I know both of your hearts are racing up high. 
5.       Ultimate X doesn't scare me
6.        Does it scare you? Or does my presence scare you?
7.        I maybe got bullied as a kid for not being good at sports but now I am the best athlete this company has ever seen! 
8.       I hope you don't plan on using a white suit for the press conference later this week.....
 
The list can honestly go on and on but we don’t have all day.  Those though are 8 stupid things you’ve said in a span of 5-10 minutes.  Most successful superstar of all time? First of we are Elitist and you are the furthest thing from that and being the most successful one.  You have a large gut and you have no ladies, you might weigh as much as a great white but that doesn’t make you one you are no predator and you never have been this week though you have 3 of them all wanting the same thing and you like any other time in your career are the pray.  Whatever you are spelling damn sure isn’t coming from me especially if it’s blood or fear.  This Ultimate X match nor your presence scare me and never will scare me. The fact you are so damn delusional and literally believe everything you say should scare me and should scare whatever doctor you are sent to after Pain for Pride.  I mean come on best athlete this company has seen when they have seen guys like me? Guys like DDD, HBB,Robbie V, Brian Daniels and even CM Bank$ yet somehow Lucas Johnson someone who has to use a ladder to be able to grab his championship instead of doing what the rest of us will be is the best athlete? Then you tell us not to make jokes? How do you expect us not too? You are a walking joke, every time you speak it’s a joke, every time you get in the ring it’s a joke and when you lose your championship after saying all of this non sense it’s going to be the funniest joke you’ve made since the transition from Franchise Demon to Lucas Johnson. 
 
Now onto the 2^nd most obsessed Finnegan Wakefield. Man I can only imagine the wave you are surfing right now you just defeated me God Given Greatness.  You did what you said you were confident you would and I failed at doing what I said I would. You’d probably assume I’m angry however I’m far from it and you’d probably well already did assume I’d tried to make an excuse or act like it didn’t happen. That’d be a Lucas Johnson or Moongoose thing to do though. You beat me fair and square congratulations probably the most noteworthy thing you’ve done in EAW since you began your career here.  That will remain the only noteworthy thing you’ve done because at Pain for Pride you fail to do the most noteworthy thing and that’s win the New breed Championship. Something that you said you’d make great again you fail to even capture.  You are so obsessed with me you went into detail about how long my championship reign was who I defeated for it and how.  Then how I lost it and everything that has happened after.  You know all of that but you still don’t know answer to the question I’ve been asking since our first confrontation on the mic. What’s wrong with me being cocky? What’s wrong with me knowing I’m great? Please just for this weekend answer the god damn question.  Stop ducking it with these terms like Messiah Complex and just be honest.  Why does it bother you so much? Even with that win over me do you still have no confidence? Good, you shouldn’t because as much as you make it seem it has nothing to do with what’s going to happen at Pain for Pride.  Sure you beat me on Dynasty the week before giving you this well needed “Momentum boost” but what momentum did it really boost? Momentum for a loss? Momentum to fail at something I said you and the others would fail at doing since the match was announced? I’m not salty about my win whatsoever you got the best of me congrats as I said but again it means nothing.  You can try to keep making something out of nothing all you want and you’re going to end up with just that by the end of the week… Nothing.
 

Now onto the most obsessed, a man who’s been jealous of me since the first time we’ve met.  Moongoose Mcqueen don’t you dare try to deny it. Week after week, day after day every time you speak on me and my existence you prove exactly what I’m saying to be correct.  You even claimed to hate me the most out of your opponents.  Do you know the time and effort you take out of your life hating someone? It means you spend all day thinking about me and plotting against me.  It’s a shame because every time you claim how much I suck and all the other bullshit you continue to spew about me you just prove how obsessed you are. You even try to be like the more feminine version of me even have a more feminine version of Big Mike.  It’s crazy how much you think everyone is so worried about you when that is just as far from the truth as Lucas Johnson being most successful or most talented. Making threats to guys like DDD and Jacob Senn which I doubt either of them acknowledged. No one took your spotlight because you can’t take something you never had or owned to begin with.  Then thinking this title is beneath you.  How many times do I have to tell you this isn’t the old company we know each other from, no one is going to hold your hand this time and give you what you want you have to earn it. So stop being a Lucas Johnson with all the yelling and actually do so or try to do so.  You have no midas touch nothing you do is anywhere close to being “Magic”.  Moongoose I know misery don’t you ever try to say something like that again because even you know what I had to put up with.  Here and the original company we know one another from.  I’ve dealt with misery most of my god damn career.  I’ve dealt with misery at every Pain for Pride I’ve been a part of as well.  Not anymore though this title is just as beneath me as it is to you even more to be honest. However I had to humble myself and I had to save something that I did months ago and make it so I never have to come back and save it again.  While you are stuck on how good you think you are and how much you think you deserve.  I’m taking everything you and want I’m taking everything you “deserve” and it all starts this weekend.

[The scene opens up to an open trophy case, red velvet fabric lying propped up with nothing behind the glass. As the camera zooms outward, there is a plate that reads “The King of Elite 2017” etched in gold. The camera continues moving outward to reveal a record player with the same record that has been playing all these months. Footsteps can be heard as someone enters the room, stepping in front of the camera with his back turned. The light behind the case grows to illuminate the silhouette just enough before it speaks.]
 
I have always been the irritable type. When I was young, I hated interacting with people because each interaction was a ticking time bomb of when they’d display some characteristic that would grind against me. Sometimes it’d be something as simple as clicking their tongue to fill the void of silence. Other times, it’d be losing control of their own enthusiasm and letting their voice rise up to the point of near yelling. At times it’d be something more deeply rooted—a character flaw or something in their way of thinking that irked me. But among all things that anyone could do to me in any interaction, nothing would make me grit my teeth more than having someone tell me that they know more about who I am than I do. It’s something I’ve had to deal with as time has gone on, as my career has bloomed in the last decade, allowing for analysts to list all the reasons I could or couldn’t do something. I’ve had to go on podcasts and answer questions that resembled statements instead—“It’s clear that you feel…” or “It’s obvious that you think…” I’ve had opponents drill me week after week after week, telling me the type of person I am, what matters and what doesn’t to me, what my endgame is. And while it irked me as a child, I’ll admit that the constant beating over my head has filled dulled out. I expect it. I almost immediately write it off. For anyone else in this industry, I would do the same here, but there’s something different about when you describe me, Tiberius.
 
You’re right.
 
It’s not like me to sit back for a moment and digest what you have to say about me. It’s not like me to take some time to myself and not just spew every single thought out of me all at once. I sat back and I considered the possibility of sitting in front of the camera and denying everything you said about me—that this isn’t like me, that my heart didn’t become stronger when I won the EAW Championship, that I’ve allowed depressive episodes to surface into my work as I’ve come more and more. But what good what that do, Tiberius? What could I possibly accomplish by coming out here and spending this entire week lying about who I am and what I’m about? You’re right when you talk about how masks slowly peel away from the faces that they hide. I’ve seen it time and time again no matter the climate of this industry. There will forever be people who spend more time trying to hold the mask to their face than they do actually accomplishing anything. And by doing so, they get stuck in this limbo and eventually fall to the wayside while the others achieve. My mask, for the longest time, was the solitude that I created for myself as a result of avoiding all of these people that I wanted nothing to do with—the people that I knew would find a way to disappoint me in one way or another. But that’s who I used to be. I know you’ve probably heard this same story told a million different ways, but I know that you can believe what I’m saying because you’re deeply tied to it, Tiberius. Six months ago, you and I entered the finals of the King of Elite Tournament, arguably the most competitive finals matchup in the history of this storied company. In the six months we’ve been apart, we’ve lived through very different journeys. But now that I stand here a week away from what could be one of the biggest matches of my career, now that I’ve had the chance to sit back on what I wanted to say to you since you chose to jump me in London at Fighting Spirit, I’ve come to terms with something:
 
You've changed me.
 
Moral victories like that are what I’m sure guys like you hang your hat on, but I’m man enough to admit it. When I walked into King of Elite, sure I decided to dawn the role of being the overactive pest, but it was obvious where my heart was. This was just something I thought I could throw onto a resume sheet. This was another chance to stack my list of accomplishments and prove to everyone who continues to doubt me that I am the fastest rising competitor this industry has ever seen. I was fixated on this idea that I could come and go as I please because I was that good—that no one could get in my way, especially not any new talent. And for the most part, I was right about that. I trampled over the competition on Voltage, all of the guys that I was told again and again were the “next great talents” but many of which aren’t even on the roster anymore. I didn’t bother taking anything seriously. And when I stood in the ring looking at you and Jamie O’Hara, I didn’t take either of you seriously. It wasn’t an act in the week leading up to our match; I genuinely believed that the heartbroken boy with the on and off friendship and the once-camera-boy didn’t have a chance because they were just polished versions of the same people I steamrolled before. Everyone knows what happened that night. And everyone knows that that night has projected you into the next level where people have stopped talking about if you have what it takes to be champion and turned it into a question of when you’ll finally be crowned. You’ve silenced your own naysayers. And in the process, I was left flat on my back just as I had threatened to leave you so many times before. That night was the first in a long time where I questioned if I was in the right place—if the well had run dry and the fun was over. I know you’re well aware of how that sulking led me to overcoming Eclipse Diemos for my first EAW Championship, but the truth is, Tiberius—and this is the first time I’m admitting it—this championship isn’t all that I wanted. You see, you might think that I believe I’ve changed strategy—that I’ve just tweaked my offense just enough to put me over the hump—but that’s not it. I don’t care about facing guys like Lethal Consequences or ONI on a weekly show—who even tunes into that stuff? In fact, I had been asked a million times about how excited I was to be the champion likely headed into Pain for Pride to main event. I wasn’t. The thing that’s changed within me, Tiberius, is that this isn’t about padding a resume anymore. This isn’t about adding to a list. This isn’t about boasting how good I believe I am. This is about taking back the night that you stole from me so many months ago. This is about showing you how I felt when the night that was supposed to be magical for me turned out to be magical for someone else. This EAW Championship doesn’t mean a thing to me when it comes to this match. It’s only really there to make you dream about it—because I know you have. I want you to spend the next few days believing more and more that you have my number. I want you to dream of how magical your moment will be when you fall to your knees and are finally crowned the kind of king that you’ve wanted to be. I want you to feel so close that you already feel the excitement before it’s even there. And when you step into the ring with me, looking across from me, I want you to look back at me with the same eyes that I shot you before our match. Look at me like you think I don’t stand a chance. Look at me like you know how this story ends. And in the end…
 
I’ll prove how wrong you are.
 
[The sillhoutte turns to show Drastik’s face, a smirk painted across it. He leaves the room as the camera moves back inward, locking in on the plate again: “The King of Elite 2017.” The shot fades to black before white text flashes across the screen for a moment and then quickly disappears.]

SAIL

 
 
Maero walks through a large open field. He kicks his feet through the tall mixture of dead and living grass as he hums to himself. Owls hoot in the distance as he stops in a small circle devoid of any plant life. He steps into the ring of dirt and paces around it. He takes a deep breath and snarls.
 
“Let’s go.” He whispers under his breath as he stops in the center of the circle. “Here we are. The war begins and the world begins the bleed. Once more into the fray with blades in hand. We’ve all fought to be here, we’ve all put our heads down and prepared for months. We’re all inches from the light at the end of the tunnel. Alas, only one of us will make it through. So let’s dig into the responses to my last speech.” Maero clears his throat.
 
“We’ll start with you, Keelan. You seemed so ready to respond at a moment's notice. So I’ll make sure to give you the same attention. I’ll humor your demons, let’s act like they’re anything like my own. I’ll humor you and pretend like the match from almost a year ago is still a good measure of either of our skills. But what I won’t do is pretend like you know a damn thing about me. I’m afraid of change? I’ve reinvented myself more times than I can count. Stagnation is the antonym of success, no one knows that better than me. I’m not that easy to pin down. The first time I reinvented who I was entirely was in 2011. That’s when Victor died and Maero appeared. Something huge happened to me and being a surgeon stopped being what I wanted. I needed to cut people, not to heal them, but to hurt them. You come to me acting like I can never understand you but you know everything about me. Again, hypocrisy at its purest. You’ve come from nothing to something in so little time. Impressive sure, but your castle of dirt and fool's gold is under siege by a rejuvenated monster. Your kingdom of filth doesn’t intimidate me. I’ll let you in on a little secret though, Keelan. I’m scared. I’m scared of what’s going to happen in this match. Because it’s a scary image, six men scrambling up ladders and slamming each others heads all in pursuit of greatness. There are some strong men who are going to enter this arena. Avoiding fear is a fool's errand, one that you’ve put on your to do list for some reason. Come on, tell me how you’ve switched off your fear response. Tell me how fight or flight will be completely out the window. Tell me how adrenaline doesn’t fill your mind and your blood doesn’t pump when you think of me. Explain to me again how you’ve suppressed your most basic instincts. You’ve suppressed what makes you human and that’s why you’ll fall.” Maero kneels down into the dirt and cups some in his hands. He lets it run through his fingers as he speaks.
 
“I fear you, Keelan. When we fought last you didn’t let up your assault until your body was unable to move. You’re unrelenting, powerful, and experienced. But don’t take this the wrong way, this doesn’t mean you paralyze me or make me want to fight. On the contrary, you excite me. See, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky. This match is the best way for me to get my fix that I’ve had in ages. What better way to feel that heat in my veins than pain from all angles? This is exactly the kind of thing that I love. No rules, no restrictions, just carnage. Men bled dry lying in the sidelines as a single man stands above them and smiles through bloody teeth, me. That’s my addiction, that’s my dream.” Maero licks his lips as a shiver runs through his body. “I can’t think of it without getting chills. I’m going to make that dream a reality. You may scare me, but you’ll never stop me. I’m not just in this match to win, I’m in it to bleed you dry, to slit throats, to stain the mat red. I want to see convulsing broken men when I’m finished. Get ready to get bit.” Maero snarls as he gets to his feet and dusts off his pants.
 
“Nico, you blessed me with your voice. Hearing you say Maero again really got my blood pumping. But what I didn’t hear was an answer to any of my questions. Not even a whisper of what I’ve said to you, only belittlement. You’ve already blinded yourself by ignoring facts, now you’re ignoring questions. I don’t know what you plan on saying next, but it better be a fucking answer. Regardless, I’ve always been a fan of your voice. I can’t wait to see the vocal cords that make it strewn around the ring, no, the battlefield. Like you said, this is war. War is not for the faint of heart, so it’s good neither of us are afraid of a little blood. War tears men limb from limb, takes their hearing and sanity. Fire and brimstone, pain and hate, that’s all that ever comes of war. I can see why you’d want a God to comfort you, but what fucking god would let this happen? What fucking god lets mothers die before their children hear their voice? What fucking God is leaving you high and dry before you fight with a monster? This match may be war, but war is Hell. And Hell is my home. Hell is where I was born and raised. For so much of my life, I only knew the flames and pain that awaits us in that ring. As they say, Hell is where the heart is. I feel alive in the ring. I know I’m alive when I feel blood drip down my skin. The threat of being shattered is what keeps me going. Seeing war looming overhead makes me shake with anticipation. This match is everything I’ve been waiting for. Another chance to soak my hands with blood, another chance to be surrounded by broken men. I will rise from the ashes of this war, and neither you nor the power your God has given you will stop me.” Maero digs his heel into the dirt.
 
“Your God may have gifted you with strength and eloquence, but knowing your way around words is not the same as knowing your way around men. I don’t mean in the ring, I know of your prowess. You’ve put your mind into your God so much you don’t understand the workings of individuals. You don’t understand why I attack your faith. It’s because it does have power over me. The church has power in the government, so your imaginary friend decides who I can marry and what fucking bathroom I can use. Your faith attacks others without mercy simply because they’re different. I fear not God, but those that believe that their hate is justified. I’ve read the book, I wouldn’t worship him were he real. A man became holy for being a profit even though profits are of the devil. I’m talking about Joseph. He predicted a drought in the fucking desert. And the pharaoh was surprised when it happened? Let me make a prediction too: water is wet. Can I be holy now? Or do I have to hide the fact that my compatriots are perverting their religion to have sex with children and then pardon them when the news gets out? Do I have to burn anyone who is different to me along with the symbol of my religion? Do I have to collect two of every animal during a bit of rain? How would I repent if I chose to do so? You’re a zealot. That’s all you are. And yet you belittle those that comment on your only fucking feature. Yes I attacked your faith, if there’s some other part to you then fucking point it out to me. Because I’ve looked and looked for it, but I always come up empty. You’re nothing but a man stuck in his ways. In your little world you may not being going to Hell after you die, but I’ll take you there at Pain for Pride. Show me what your hateful, vengeful, repulsive God has for me. If you do, maybe I’ll help you burn some mosques.” Maero’s heel taps something in the dirt with a thud. A smile creeps onto Maero’s face as he reaches down and unearths a set of car keys. He spins them on his finger before sticking them in his pocket.
 
“The last person I want to talk about is TLA. TLA how dare you. How dare you… uh… enjoy life? Shit. I didn’t really think about this one in advance. Hold on give me a minute. Enjoying life leads to joy, joy leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side… Nah, that doesn’t really fit. Quick question: What does TLA stand for? Taquitos… Laced-with… Alfredo sauce? That’s pretty fucked up. I thought I was a monster, but that’s total disrespect. You can’t just take a sauce from one ethnic type of food and spread it on another country's food and call it fusion. Food takes tact you fucking heretic. I feel so offended on both Italy and Mexico’s behalf. You’re sick. You’re no cook, you’re a disgrace. I plan to destroy you in the ring the same way you destroyed those poor taquitos.” Maero traces the path of a tear on his face with his finger. “What disrespect. If you’re a founder of a porn production company why do you wrestle? Because you enjoy it? Bah, you’re not supposed to enjoy it. Stop enjoying it! I see you enjoying it over there, don’t make me slap the weed out your ass. Why I oughta... ”
 
“I hunger for this match. I can’t help but thirst for the bloodshed on the horizon. I’m ready to bear my fangs at PFP. I’m ready to put my head down and charge into greatness. I’m ready to break that glass ceiling that has been dangling over my head since I came to EAW and I’ll crush heads to break through. I’m going to make glass rain down from the sky by making blood fall from the bodies of my opponents. No one expected to see me here and no one expects me to win. And yet, nothing will deter me, not doubt, not hate, not booing, not pain. I won’t be felled so easily. This is wartime and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m ready for the gunfire, the rage, the blood, the sound of bones breaking.” Maero blows the hair out of his eyes before turning to walk back the way he came.
 

“It’s about time I felt alive again.”

(Jack can be seen sitting criss cross apple sauce on the grass in some sort of a park. He's talking but you can't see who he's talking to.)

Jack: Did you ever think you'd see the day? I don't know, I guess I'm feeling festive seeing that it's PFP week. More cheerful, and open and accepting to things. I know you and I have pretty much been bitter enemies since I joined EAW, but I think we've gotten to a point that, it's ok! I mean here I am, on a beautiful day, one half of the Tag Team Champions, A part of the greatest tag team of all time, a team that has carried this company on their back since they signed back in November. Life is good. And I can finally say that all of our history? It's just a thing of the past, and I'm willing to move past it. What do you say guys?

(The camera pans to who Jacks talking to, and it's the ducks in the park. They say nothing.)

Jack: Cool cool, well you're not attacking me like usual so I'll take that as you forgive me too. I don't know what you'd forgive me for seeing that I didn't exactly do anything to you. Didn't provoke you at all, was trying to get one with nature and you just decide to bite me... But it's fine, I'm over it. You see, if hearing what Nobi had to say taught me anything it's that... I should appreciate everything I have, because if I was in his position, then I just don't know how I would live with myself. He has literally been handed everything ducks, and he's PROUD of that fact. How can you be proud of something you didn't work for, how can you be proud about being pathetic, and make no mistake Nobi you are pathetic. You go on and on about your journey, about how this time last year you were competing in the 24/7 battle royal, and now you're competing for a title at PFP. Well that's cool man, really proud of you and everything, but I wouldn't get on  your high horse just yet... Sorry ducks I'm just gonna talk to Nobi right now. I'll come back to you later. But yeah Nobi, you had your shot at this title before, and you failed. You and Lioncross had your chance, and you failed. What's changed since then? You grabbed some pointless victories over my partner and I? Who cares? Is that what tag team wrestling is about? Individual success? I think not, I think it's about enjoying the success of your partner as well as your own. But you can't do that can you? Because Lioncross doesn't have much success, Nobi doesn't have much success. As a matter of fact I can't even remember the last time Lioncross even wrestled on Showdown, he's not really an asset. So it boggles my mind as to why anyone would care about him retiring. Why he's being handed a title match on the way out makes no sense to me. That's all it takes to become number 1 contender now? Quitting? I don't think so. It should be about blood, sweat, tears, and all that jazz. But no, Nobi gets handed  yet another title match just because Lioncross is, and Pizza Boy is busy yet again. That's all this is really, a partnership of pathetic losers that don't belong. A partnership Nobi that you yourself said that you were given a spot in.. Given, you were given it because you're not good enough to actually earn anything in the business. I mean except for Pizza Boy, all of Stuffed Crust is handed everything. The one thing that Lioncross wasn't handed was that CITV Briefcase and he even messed that up. So when you say that we're scared to go into this TLC match with you I just have to give that notion a big old chuckle. We've faced everyone there is and we've came out on top every single time, including you, so why would this time be any different? Well because Lioncross is leaving. That's it right? You actually have a purpose to win, to give him his retirement present. Well have you thought about the preprucussions of your actions? How that effects the Tag division? We'd have a single person as the tag team champion, now how does that make sense? It doesn't. So you'd find a new partner, fantastic. Let's just hand a title to someone who didn't deserve it, who wasn't in the match, that is how Nobi always wants things done right? Just hand things to people because without that happening, he'd never get anything in his life. But have no fear people and ducks, that will not happen, we don't have to worry about the what if because the High Rollerz aren't going to lose.

Nobi you keep complaining about your "childish antics" and "cheating" but the thing is, if you're so sick and tired of what you think is as an unfair advantage that we take, then do something about it. You know what's coming apparently so maybe you should do something to stop us. Maybe you shouldn't even put yourselves in the position to be "cheated" out of these titles. Welp I mean I guess you think you have, by laying out all the weapons inside and outside the ring, you have brought out all the ways we can "cheat" and keep an eye on us. And actually try and use it against us! But here's the thing, the High Rollerz can get pretty damn hardcore I'm not going to lie. It's not like we haven't fought in hardcore wrestling matches before, we have. We've done it all that's how we've gotten to the very pinnacle of this business. So you think we're scared because of the stipulation? Naw we just chilling. Although the very fact that you get to choose the stipulation makes absolutely no sense. Why were you given the chance to get the upper hand on us? What did you do to get that distinction? We're the ones that have been busting our asses to make sure this division is worth a damn. We're the ones that have been carrying this company on our backs. We're the ones that the people actually want to see. What match did you win to even get this match? Who are your references? TELL ME?! We are the ones that should've been able to pick what the match was but it's fine. You picked a match that we have the upper hand in anyways. You may not think that, you may not believe that but it's a fact. I mean Nobi, the person that is so noble, and trustworthy how could you ever use a weapon in a match? How could you ever do something that could be looked at as wrong? I can't see it happening, but hey maybe you can surprise me.

This match is all about Lioncross Nobi like you said, just like your entire career you're just another throw in. You don't actually belong here and I don't think you've ever done anything to prove otherwise. But to be honest I don't think Lioncross has either. What has he done in EAW? That one thing that lasted all about a month? Why is he getting all this attention and notoriety? I just don't get it, we've already been in the ring with him and he's nothing special. No one will remember him within a month of his absence.. Mostly because he's always absent on Showdown most weeks already. I mean when was the last time he even wrestled a match? Whatever, I just think this is a waste of our talent. This is a waste of a spot for Pain For Pride. Maybe after Pain For Pride EAW will find more tag teams, tag teams that actually are worth a damn. Right now Stuffed Crust is the best we got? Then we have a whole bunch of problems going on. But hey after this weekend we don't have to worry about Stuffed Crust wasting space anymore. And lets be real, once Lioncross is gone so goes Stuffed Crust. Pizza Boy and Nobi aren't a thing, they've never been a thing. Nobi has been a leach to Lioncross side for months nothing more, I don't even know if Pizza Boy knows you're in Stuffed Crust Nobi. You know what happened right? Pizza Boy was getting all this attention and progressing his career to levels never imagined. With this Lioncross knew he was completely alone, and he needed someone, anyone to fill his time with. He was lonely, so he picked someone easy to get along with. Someone too pussy to actually say no to him, a guy that has this delusion of grander. But not for himself, but for Lioncross. No one else on this planet thinks that Lioncross deserves any resemblance as a proper send off except you Nobi. He's no hall of famer, he's no world champion.. Hell he's no champion period, and that won't change after this weekend at the biggest show of the year. You see this is the biggest stage of you career, all eyes will be on you. They want to see if goody two shoes Nobi can actually go that extra mile and actually make something out of his pathetic career. The short answer is no, Nobi you can't, not against us, not against anyone. You are bound to be nothing for the rest of you career, and lets be honest, for your entire life.

Ok so where were we ducks? Right, we're good now.

(Jack sees some geese in the distance.)

Ha, see those dumb geese over there? Look at there dumb goose necks, why are they so long. Am I right? I'm so good with connecting with people.. And ducks.

(Well one of those geese heard what Jack said about his neck, and he alerted his goose friends.. Now they're mad. They take flight right towards Jack. They block out the sun, Jack is confused as to why it is now night time.)

Jack: Oh no... DUCKS SAVE ME!

(The ducks look at each other and start charging at Jack)

Jack: No ducks no! I thought we were good, what is this betrayal?!!

(Jack runs. A bunch of other birds start dive bombing him. Just some random birds, we're talking cardinals, blue jays, orioles.. and I'm not talking about the baseball teams fam. I'm talking about the real deal.)

Jack: WHAT IS GOING ON?!! ITS A BIRD APOCOLYPSE.

(Jack runs to his car and locks the door... He's breathing heavily)

Jack: What the hell just happened it was all going so positively. The birds have formed some sort of a bird alliance against me.

(The creep interviewer pops up from the back seat.)

Interviewer: HEY JACK!

Jack: AAHHH WHAT THE FUCK!!! WHY ARE YOU IN MY CAR?!! LEAVE! NOW! 

Interviewer: Aw...

(Interviewer leaves and gets taken out by the birds.)

Jack: Ha.. That's good stuff.... Anyways... As I was saying before the bird apocalypse.. Nobi, this feel good story won't have a happy ending, it will have one of those old time fairy book tales.. You know the ones where the hero dies at the end? Yeah.. Lioncross gonna die... Then you gonna die... And we will remain the champs. Now I'm going back to the RAD Betting agency... This is why I don't go outside...

(Jack puts on his sunglasses that he's had on the dashboard of his car, and speeds off.. He's followed by the gang of birds.. Camera fades to black)

Hold on hold on... I think it's time to take a moment and step back. So much has been said already and we still have days before we meet in the ring. The intensity and effort that has been put in is admirable and says a lot about those of us who will walk into Pain For Pride with so much to carry on our shoulders. But what I feel might be happening is that so much is being said at once that we are getting lost in the heat of it all. We're getting so caught up in protecting our own credibility and dismantling our opponents that perhaps some of us are losing sight of reality. Or maybe some of us actually are THAT delusional, but I'll give some of my opponents the benefit of the doubt. I have spent my time putting in the effort to make sure I am ready for this match and I have opponents who can only reply with "I'll hurt you." Which I've never seen pain as an obstacle but to that they seem to say "Well... I'll hurt you really bad. You don't even know." As a man who prides himself on his abilities as a competitor it tests my patience when all the competition for such an important match can do is try to attack my character and my ability to do what I do best with such weak justifications. So perhaps I have gotten ahead of myself.

I've said a lot of things over the past couple of days, and a lot has been said about me. I've been called arrogant, foolish, worthless, and it has been questioned by my opponents why I even deserve to be in this match. When I first came to EAW there were men who said that I didn't deserve to share the ring with them. There were men who wouldn't even grace the ring with their presence if I was in it because they said I don't deserve it. So what did I do? I told the world that I would beat anyone who was put in front of me until I started to see that change. It didn't matter how much better they were supposed to be than me I would go and I would beat them and that's exactly what I did. It didn't matter if they had been here a 6 months or 6 years. It didn't matter if they were a week away from never being seen again or if they had been immortalized in the Hall of Fame. Nobody was able to beat me. 

Am I perfect? Have I never made a mistake? Of course not. It doesn't take an all knowing benevolent force to know that anyone who claims otherwise is a liar. Everyone has something to hide. Yes I wear a mask Solomon Caine, you caught me. I have secrets I want nobody to know. Just like I'm sure you do as well. I'm sure Ryan Marx has secrets. I'm sure Tarah Nova has secrets. But in my case, none of those secrets have anything to do with you. I have nothing to hide from you. If you knew as much as you think you do wouldn't it be pointless for me to try to hide anything from you. But your bold statements about myself only prove to me that you don't actually know what you're talking about. In fact if you knew so much then there are much worse things that you could hold against me than to accuse me of being afraid of you. With that understanding what reason would I have to fear you?

You ask me how I expect to win this match? What reason would I have to believe I won't win this match? Because you guys are gonna hurt me? Honestly, I'm getting tired of hearing how you guys are going to break my legs. I get it! You all wanna break my legs. All of you. You've all said that. You can't even come up with something original when you say that you're going to beat me up. Not my arm or my neck, my ribs, face, nothing else. Just gonna break my legs. Then when I ask you what you're going to do when you break my legs but I continue to fight you say "Then we'll break your legs!" In this imaginary scenario you've set up my legs are already broken... Honestly if you guys are going to use the whole "We're gonna hurt you" argument at least be a bit more creative with it. Say how you're going to dismember me and set up a human effigy in the middle of the ring. That's dark as hell and I'm supposed to be the good guy. 

But if you really want to know what my answer is to how I'm planning to win this match then why don't you look at what I've been doing to prove myself as the finest competitor EAW has to offer. Why don't you look at all the matches I've won against people who you continue to echo. I don't need to sit here and tell anyone why I expect to win this match because I've already shown why. Just like I showed Ryan Marx just a couple of weeks ago. 

Here we are. Ryan Marx continues to make excuse saying how he's progressed and how the man I beat then is not the man who he's become since then and when I call him out he plays the victim. Do I like being condescending? Really Marx? I thought you had thicker skin than that. I'm sorry if you're hurt that I don't care about your self righteous philosophy that you have built your life off of but it's funny that you want to bring the Sanatorium into the equation because at least Eclipse Diemos has been able to convince members of the EAW roster to follow him. 

But honestly, I'm no expert on leading cults so I'll just leave that discussion between your two factions while I move onto something more relevant to you and me. You make all of these promises of your actions. All these factors and variables you promise to bring into the match and I'm not going to doubt your ability to do that. Where you seem to be mistaken is believing that any of that will be enough to beat me. I'm not afraid to make sacrifices or suffer for success. You say that you're going to force me to do both of these things and that's fine. But what you and our friends Solomon and Tarah don't seem to understand is that you can go ahead and do that, but I'll still win. There is no glory in competition huh? Only success? Well I could disagree with you and use the fact that Tarah Nova was so offended by my claims of being the competitor I am, but instead I'll just tell you that when I compete I succeed. So no matter how you spell it out the end result for me is glory. And I'm saying that using your own logic but it seems as though you've been backtracking a bit.

You said I would be eliminated by Tarah Nova or Solomon Caine. Then I called you out and you say that's not what you said. No no! You were just saying what everyone else is saying, which is funny because I never thought that you were one to just go along with what you hear on the street. During your next cult meeting are you just going to update them on the daily gossip? Or are you just not willing to own up to what you said? Are you you just trying to shift the blame from yourself to the same people who didn't even think I'd make it into this match? Because those people are very good at being proven wrong by me. At Pain For Pride that will be no different. 

Once I've beaten you, Solomon Caine, and Tarah Nova I will be standing tall with every Smiling Face around the world. In that moment we will look to every person who doubted us and we will say, with Smiles on our faces, that we were right again.

It baffles me. It absolutely baffles me that Moongoose and Wakefield are days away from the biggest match of there lives and they are thinking they deserve this championship match? Are you kidding me? None of you earned this, both of you should begging on your hands and knees to the ruler of The New Breed division. I don't want to hear any crap like "Ohhh Lucas you attacked us before the match started, you are a bully..." Blah blah blah, I attacked both of you fools because not only both of you aren't on my level but the champ should be defending his title in a one on one match not a Ultimate X Match with three other men. I can be dangling from a cable and seriously injure myself, this match ends careers and it won't end me. I hurt people and make them feel the pain I suffer and this weekend I am going to make these three chumps feel the pain and end there career without hesitation. I don't care if I have to make one of you bleed to death like Chris Elite, I don't care if I have to break Wakefield's arm again, and I certainly don't care if I have to F-5 Moongoose off a Ladder to retain my beautiful New Breed Championship. I don't care about anyone else but myself and quite frankly I can't wait to start fresh on a different brand once the draft comes around because I am going to hold onto this beautiful championship forever. No one is going to stop me and in the meantime this title will become more prestigious after I win the World Heavyweight Championship. Moongoose you actually think you have a chance in this match? You actually think you have a chance against The Wrestling Machine? YOU'RE WRONG MOONGOOSE! YOU DON'T HAVE A SHOT IN HELL, YOU HAD ONE LUCKY WIN AGAINST JACOB SENN WHO IS GOING TO DESTROY THAT FOOL MISTER DEDEDE ONCE AND FOR ALL AT PAIN FOR PRIDE! You are never going to become champion, never! Don't you idiots get it? There will never be another New Breed Champion! The thirty-eighth and final title reign is happening right now and there is not a person alive that can take it from me. I am the most successful superstar of all time. I make the big bucks, I get all the ladies and I get the championship gold. As for Moongoose the man from the land of the rising sun that wants to crack jokes I would wake the hell up if I were you because this isn't comedy hour. This is the biggest week in the world of professional wrestling. Once you step out on that stage inside Metlife Stadium it's time to sink or swim and I guarantee you, Moongoose McQueen will sink to the bottom of the ocean and will be bitten by the great white shark and his name is Lucas Johnson. I smell blood and that is coming from Elite and Wakefield. I know both of you are shitting your pants right now, I know both of your hearts are racing up high. Ultimate X doesn't scare me. Does it scare you? Or does my presence scare you? Do you guys wet your little feety pajamas at night when you think about stepping into the ring with The Wrestling Machine at Pain for Pride X. All of you know I will do anything and I MEAN ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING TO KEEP THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS TITLE IN OUR SPORT TODAY! BROKEN BONES, BUCKETS OF BLOOD, SHATTERED DREAMS. I DON'T CARE IF ANY OF THAT HAPPENS TO ANY OF YOU AND I DO SURE IT DOES HAPPEN SO I CAN SEE YOU FOOLS SCREAM IN PAIN INSIDE MY SPOTLIGHT WHILE I STAND TALL ON TOP OF A TWENTY FOOT LADDER AND GRAB MY TITLE! GRAB MY TITLE THAT I WILL RETAIN! THERE WILL BE CASUALTIES LIKE BIG MIKE AND MAYBE EVEN WAKEFIELD'S CINDERELLA STORY WHICH ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN!

I find it absolutely hilarious that a kick-starter was made to follow Finnegan Wakefield around as they write stories on him coming up short at Pain for Pride X? How cute....don't worry guys, all of your fifteen seconds of fame is coming to a close soon. Should I turn the night light off for you? Is the spotlight to bright for you guys? I can't wait for the EAW draft to roll around so I can get away from you punks and deal with new talent and not the same old trash that is trying to make themselves smell nice but all it's all dog shit. I can't wait to get away from that scumbag Monroe and get away from all the ungrateful fans, OH WAIT I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THEM NO MATTER WHICH SHOW THEY GO TO! Want to know a fun fact people? They're about twenty matches on the Pain for Pride card and six to seven? Of those matches are featuring part timers. The board of directors can't stop jerking off to these old toys? IT MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH THAT THESE FOOLS THAT ARE PAST THERE PRIME ARE TAKING MY MAIN EVENT SPOTLIGHT LIKE BRIAN DANIELS AND ROBBIE V, GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS COMPANY AND HEAD TO THE RETIREMENT HOME! IT MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH THAT I HAVE TO WRESTLE ON THE PRE-SHOW! THE SPOTLIGHT SHOULD BE ON ME, I AM NOT EVEN IN MY PRIME YET AND I WILL HOLD THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS TITLE IN OUR SPORT FOR A HUNDRED AND FIVE DAYS BY THE TIME THE BELL RINGS THIS WEEKEND! This entire company still wants to go against me? This company wants to go against the grain don't they? Well fuck the company, I can't wait to spit in the face of every single one of them. Still to this day I hear people calling my title run a fluke, A FLUKE? A HUNDRED AND FIVE DAYS IS A FLUKE!? MARCH 11TH WAS WHEN I WON THE TITLE AND THIS WAS WHEN BEFORE ANY OF THESE CHUMPS BECAME RELEVANT! The only reason the New Breed Championship has so many challengers this year is because I made this division relevant again and all of them are jealous. All of them want to be me, all of them want to be champion like me but it's not going to happen. I maybe got bullied as a kid for not being good at sports but now I am the best athlete this company has ever seen! Keep making the jokes ladies and gentleman because all it does is make you look like an idiot, I have my game face on do you? I hope you don't plan on using a white suit for the press conference later this week.....

You sicken me, Y2Impact. You sicken me to the core. I hate the fact that somewhere in this filthy rotten world, a person like you who stands out among the horrific stench is somehow still breathing and existing with a smug look on his face. I hate the idea that after all that I have sacrificed just to detach myself from a brand that does me no favor and in no way elevates my career to heights simpletons can only dream about, you make it certain that I get pushed back in that never ending circle, never progressing, at least not without your help. You never want me to taste success without your name attached to mine. You never want me to be the measuring stick that all elitists aspire if you're not recognized as one I owe my success to. Because for Y2Impact, for this godforsaken tag team called The Mercenaries, one's success should be a team effort... isn't that right? So with every beating, every emotional stress, every match interference you remind me that so long as you exist in this company, you have me at the palm of your hands and theres no place for me at the top of the foodchain above you... even if it means killing me off. 

BUT I AM SO FUCKING DONE WITH IT Y2IMPACT. I AM SO DONE TAKING EVERY BEATING WEEK AFTER WEEK JUST TO EASE YOUR INSECURITIES. I AM DO DONE LETTING MYSELF BE THE PUNCHING BAG BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIGHT BACK THINKING DEEP DOWN THAT I DESERVED IT FOR BETRAYING YOU. I took your full blown punches. I suffered through the chokes when you pressed your boot against my neck. And I HAVE ALREADY TAKEN FIVE HUNDRED FUCKING EVISCERATIONS FROM YOU... WHAT ELSE DO YOU FUCKING WANT ME TO DO ? 

All these talk about not deserving to face you when I offered my career just to end you, was that not enough? Oh, who am I fucking kidding... it's hardly a surprise. To Y2Impact, any wrestler's career is nothing but a replaceable, disposable object, which is why you didn't even care if I was suffering so long as you send your message across. But you're careless Y2Impact. Careless and stupid. You would think that someone who believes he's an all-knowing god would use his knowledge and power to cripple me and make me doubt everything that I believe in, would make me run away so easily in fear. You would think that an idiot like Y2Impact, who calls himself The Machine, would figure out my weakness by now and use it to make me disintegrate to thin air. But you can't and you couldn't. Because there is one fact that you completely missed when dealing with me, Y2Impact -- that I'm a fucking survivor. I have strived and fought through my career more times than I can count. I am unbreakable, and suffering is nothing but a temporary struggle that lets me rise back up completely renewed as I rush forth to victory. To think all these years of being with me, and you still don't know a goddamn thing. To think almost half a decade of training together, and your ego still blinds your judgment, making you think less of what I'm capable of. At this point you have already made your judgment -- you have placed me on a seat where everyone must point and laugh at the Heart Break Gal for hitting the lowest point of her career in the hands of her ex-comrade. The once prima-vixen who is not only a master of the wrestling ring, but also a prime expert in throwing away her emotions, is now a victim of a game that she started herself when she decided to jump back in the wrestling scene with a man that she thought she was in love with. But remember, Y2Impact, that when I suffered losses on every big event that I gave my absolute efforts to, everyone was certain that was the lowest point of my career too! When my OG Sisters turned their backs on me and kicked me out of the ring just because I wanted time to myself and away from their meaningless rebellion, everyone thoughbt it was the end of me too and that I'll never find my way back! Yet I am still here with a brand new contract to Showdown, standing still after every beating and ready to fight you just to ensure that you end up nowhere near a wrestling arena and back to your puny wrestling academy where you teach kids that they can never be as great as you no matter how hard they try. I am coming to Pain for Pride to continue my winning streak for the third year in a row, while you go on your usual rant about how its "just another day in the office" because your inevitable loss IS INFACT another day in the office! I will drill to your fucking airhead that I was the one responsible for revitalizing your career while you sit there suffering in defeat! BECAUSE OF ME, YOU WERE IMPORTANT AGAIN. BECAUSE OF ME, PEOPLE GAVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU AGAIN! You shat on Hexa-gun and made everyone believe that I forced you to form that group with me, when BECAUSE OF HEXA-GUN, PEOPLE ACTUALLY TOOK YOUR CONTROL OVER THE COMPANY WAY MORE SERIOUSLY THAN THE MONTHS YOU SPENT CHASING AFTER ZACK CRASH AND FAILING! You were highlighted because of our company take overs whether we were Tag Team Champions or a team of Six, and I was always there to finish the job while you were too busy flapping around like a fucking Magikarp because Chris Elite made you take a fucking boot to your chin while the glass shards were sitting in your mouth. Because of me, you had a fucking purpose, Y2Impact, and your only remarkable Pain for Pride win in a long time FINALLY happened because I was at your side. SO DONT FUCKING TEST ME, YOU FUCKING PRICK. DON'T COME TO ME WITH THAT PATHETIC EXCUSE THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO CAUSED THE DELAY OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WHEN I ALL I DID WAS BACK YOU UP WHEN YOU WANTED TO GET A JOB DONE! My only mistake? Doing it out of love. I never held it against you, or told you that you owed me for giving my heart and soul just to secure our goals. But that's just the thing, you never really cared for courtesies and gifts, do you? You already made yourself believe that it's already a given that people make every effort and risk their physical condition to your comfort. You never really cared about any good intent from someone you claim you loved because you only cared about yourself, while despite being battered and bruised I still looked out for you and your safety. And the worst part is, you turn the other cheek when forced to face the reality that I am the only one crazy enough to do that for you, heck, no one else can even stand being in the same room as you. You got selfish, Y2Impact. You took what we had for granted. And here we are fighting for our careers. And somehow, in that twisted mind of yours, it's still my fault. 

I'm done sugarcoating the reality of our adventures together, because it's about time you finally recognized all the work I've put and why I don't need you to progress, and more importantly, why it won't make a difference that you're out of my life and out of EAW for good. I am a future World Champion, Y2Impact, cue in the laughtrack all you wish, but we both know that after I'm freed from the shackles, after I let go of you and you're finally removed from blocking my path, that title will easily be within my reach. 

And where will you be when that future comes? You'll still be a bitter baboon staring at the TV, sitting on a dusty couch... alone in the rotting lair that we used to call our home.

(The scene starts with the interviewer, yes, THE interviewer that stalks and ruins the lives of the innocent and wholesome team, The High Rollerz. He's talking in front of a camera with another interviewer interviewing him. This is getting confusing as fuck, huh? I feel your pain. The interviewer, who is still nameless is wearing a toy replica of the EAW Unified Tag Team championship around his waist. Acting like he's an actual High Roller. David, like a magician comes out of nowhere and is right behind him but the interviewer doesn't notice.)

Other Interviewer: Give us the scoop, what's the game plan for The High Rollerz when they take on Stuffed Crust at Pain for Pride X? 

The Interviewer: I don't like how you asked that. It's like you didn't include me. It's my match too. Do it again. Take two!

Other Interviewer: So um, what's the game plan for…y—your upcoming match at Pain for Pride X?

The Interviewer: Look, I'm a veteran when it comes to this professional wrestling stuff. Jack, David and I are the deadliest trio that's ever set foot on EAW soil. We've won a lot of matches together. And I mean a lot. We've traveled the world together. We've bonded like brothers. Actually no, we ARE brothers! We are as cohesive as cohesive gets. 

Other Interviewer: Okay but what does this have to do with my question? 

The Interviewer: Oh right! Like I said, I'm a seasoned veteran...grizzled even! Which means I know for a fact that you don't usually reveal your master plan before the actual match because I know our opponents are watching and listening closely..and they'll prepare to counter our attacks. So hi Stuffed Crust! You lil bitches. I mean do you really want to know what we are going to do to you? Things! We are going to do things to you! All kinds of things! Things from A to Z! You name it, we are going to do it! Yeah, take that. I know you're shaking in your boots right now. Probably crying crocodile tears because you have to go up against three very talented individuals! Oh it's true. I know, it's not fair! But guess what? No seriously, guess! I'll give you twelve seconds to guess starting now! (Twelve seconds go by.) Give up? That's what I thought. Won't be the last time you'll be giving up! Boom! Get it? Because…because they'll eventually give up in our match at Pain for Pride X? Yeah you get it. Here, you want my autograph? Who do you want me to make it out to?

(The interviewer starts signing the other interviewer’s chest and she slaps him. He falls back and bumps into David. David takes the sharpie from his hand and starts writing on the interviewer’s head.)

Interviewer: Wh—what are you doing?

David: Almost done! A Picasso I am! Okay perfect! The masterpiece is done. 

(David gets out of the way as the camera shows that David wrote “Why?” on his forehead.)

David: STOOOOOL MEEEEE!!!

(Some random person comes with a stool and David sits down. He looks at the camera with a very dramatic look.)

David: Why? Such a simple and straightforward question. But, also a vague one at that. So let me clarify. I've been asking myself why..when it comes to a plethora of topics these days. For starters, why does the interviewer always insist on playing pretend? You are not a member of The High Rollerz. Let me repeat that even louder so hopefully you finally get the hint. YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER OF THE HIGH ROLLERZ! You hear it that time? Did my words finally get through that thick skull of yours? Yeah? Good good. An extreme recreant you are. But back to my question of why? For weeks I've been asking myself why on earth are we facing Stuffed Crust at Pain for Pride X again? I honestly don't remember. It's been a blur. Perhaps that's because of my nightlife, but oh well. All I recall is them getting in our way when we tried to end Brian Daniels’ career like the nice people we are. Yes, what a horrible thing for them to do, I agree. But now they find themselves getting a title shot. Cool cool. I mean it's whatever. EAW’s General Managers are notorious for giving opportunities to the wrong people. Yes, GIVE, because I think it's clear as day that Stuffed Crust doesn't deserve this match. Especially since we have already beaten them once before, like I've pointed out already on a few occasions and I'll continue to flog that dead horse because well, I can. Let's move on. For the past week I've been asking myself why did Stuffed Crust get to pick the stipulation of this match? We are the champions. We are 1-0 against them in tag team action…if you haven't caught on by now. But these are the facts. These are the facts that matter. Yet, they get to choose Tables, Ladders and Chairs for our bout? Where is the logic? Where?! Because it's obviously missing. Make a sign. No! Put a picture of logic on a milk carton please. But you know what? Fine. Let us beat them at their own game, I say. A game they think they control. Which is cute since we are the ones pulling their strings. It's been that way. It'll always be that way. Well, until Stuffed Crust is no more. In case you haven't realized, we have quite the history when it comes to playing a major part in a tag team’s decision of being put to rest. Let's start at the beginning. And I mean the very beginning. Back when we were on Dynasty Wrestling. Yes, back when it was its own promotion. It was House of Glass…long story short, we were in a tag team title match that involved quite a few other teams and when it was all said and done, we all witnessed the demise of The Savage Ryans. Do we take complete credit for that? Nope. But we were there when it happened. Spooky huh? I suggest you put your tin foil hats on. Random guy, hit the music!

(All of a sudden, The X-Files theme song starts playing. The interviewer looks scared and flees the scene.)

Let's fast forward to our match against Matt Squared. One of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history. Some say Matt Squared started the tag team revolution. I can't disagree with that sentiment. They did a lot for these titles…our titles, and of course, this division. Like for instance they did this one thing when they were champs and it was just remarkable, you know? Or what about that other time when they did that other thing? No, not that thing, the other one. It happened on that one day. On that one show. It was at night. Was in a ring. Yeah now you remember. It was so great. They were so great. But then we killed them. Like, we legit killed them. They are literally dead. Go find their bodies. I dare ya. We took their titles and careers and lives. Like any other humble and normal human being. Once this happened they disappeared. They are obviously no longer a team. Yes, you're welcome. Or what about Knights of the Dawning? Shortly after we successfully retained our titles against them, next thing you know, they are on a break. Well from each other. And I don't blame them one bit. Not one fucking bit. Then there is the whole RoViper thing. They are frenemies or whatever now but still, they are no longer a team. I'd like to think we played a crucial role in that. And now at Pain for Pride, whether they win or lose, we will see the last of Stuffed Crust. The very last time Lioncross and Nobi team together. What an iconic duo, might I add. But I think I made my point. We are the kiss of death when it comes to this division. Yet the critics love to deride our success because the tag division lacks competition. And I say that's fair, but only if you take into account that we are the reason why that is. We are trouble. Everybody knows it. Taylor Swift even wrote a song about it. We get in your heads. We strike nerves. And we take. We take your hopes and dreams of holding these titles and we extirpate it. We take your friendship or partnership and we crumple it into a ball and we throw it in the trash where you belong. Random outburst warning..WE ARE THE GREATEST TAG TEAM IN EAW HISTORY, PERIOD. You might not like it or respect it, and that's fine, but you must ACCEPT IT! 

(The song stops playing and David stands up and snaps his fingers. The guy takes the stool away and four other guys come in with a big ass sectional couch that sits like eight people. It’s totally unnecessary for just one person but it's The High Roller way. David sits in the middle.)

David: Ahhh, much better. Since its Pain for Pride week, I'm willing to bet this video will get buried by thirty other videos in just five minutes. Especially from the 24/7 Battle Royal guys and gals. Speaking of which fuck you guys. Go get some fresh air. Go breathe. Go sleep. Go to a casino and live an actual life. You should feel bad! You should feel bad for your constant talking over one another. Actually I wouldn't even consider it talking. Just loquacious ramble. Or not even that. Just noise. A loud irritating noise. Nails on chalkboard type screech, you feel? But have no fear ladies and gentlemen, as of right now, you are blessed with my stentorian voice. It's the least I could do. Now normally this is the part where I talk about how special Pain for Pride is, especially since it's about to turn a decade old but I don't find the need to do that since everybody else already covers it. If you are watching this and you have no idea what a Pain for Pride is, then please go kill yo— I mean, go to google and look it up and give yourself a history lesson. Yeah, do that instead. I don't feel like getting fined. So yeah let's skip all of that and address my opponents, that of course being Stuffed Crust. Let's start with Nobi. Actually…yeah let's go with Nobi. Sure why not. To most, Nobi is a sweetheart. A guy you can easily cheer for. I can see that. I can see why so many people want to see him succeed so badly. He's like a child auditioning on a talent show, like America’s Got Talent. He goes on stage, introduces himself and just warms the hearts of the audience and judges alike. You start your act and it's quite clear you're not very good. But you have a winning personality and those sad puppy eyes work wonders. So they cheer you on regardless. But then there's that one judge that doesn't give a fuck. A Simon Cowell type. And he presses the red X because he has standards and the kid begins to cry. The kid needs to learn the truth, whether it's in brutal fashion or not. Nobi, you too need to learn the truth. And the truth of the matter is, you're not very good. In fact you're easy pickings. When an elitist finds out they are facing you that night, they breathe a sigh of relief. I know I have. Trust me, I know your response already. I know you too well at this stage. “But David I just beat you in singles competition. I also beat Jack!” That does sound impressive on paper. I'm not going to lie. Well, that is until you factor in you needed a distraction and mustard…yes, mustard to get those wins. But guess what? You can have your little moments in the sun. I won't try to strip those “wins” away from you, so I apologize. I mean, singles competition doesn't even matter when it comes to the task at hand. This weekend you aren't just getting me or Jack. You are getting us as a team, which is when we are by far at our most dangerous. We are champions for a reason, Nobi. It's because we, along with our performances, are nonpareil. We are willing to do whatever it takes to secure a win. Can the same be said about you? I don't believe so. Because you have a code of honor. There are guidelines you stick to religiously. I hope it stays that way because I don't want to see you change. The way I see it, your reputation is already set in stone as the lovable defeatist. That's something to be proud of…well, not really, disregard that. Another label that often gets associated with Nobi is the underdog. The precious and relatable underdog. It's no secret that people love to watch the underdog prevail because it gives the fans some hope that they aren't complete and hopeless milquetoasts, but winners! If Nobi and Lioncross can defeat an impregnable alliance such as Jack and I’s, then it gives Average Joes all over the world a reason to roll out of bed and have an extra pep in their slow paced step the next morning. We don't want that. Trust me, you don't. I believe watching greatness live in person is much more satisfying. So then one day you can brag to your grandchildren that you saw The High Rollerz compete in their prime. Although to be fair our whole career will be considered our prime. There won't be any drop offs or plateaus. Just a line on a graph that continues to go up and up. Just like our stock in this company. 

There are a lot of reasons why we can't afford to lose this match, but perhaps most of all, we refuse to let another feel good story happen at our expense. Been there, done that with RoViper. Speaking of which, congrats on entering the Hall of Fame as a team this year! You guys so deserve it! Totally wasn't being sarcastic. Was being 100% genuine! But back to you, Nobi. You seem rather upset, compared to your usual equanimity self. Nah man I see it in your eyes. I hear it in your voice. Almost screaming with vexation. You want these titles. You want them bad. So fucking bad. And why is that? Because you want your friend, Lioncross, to go out as a winner. That's admirable. No really it is, because this is what this match means to you. Most would be in this match in hopes of adding a personal accolade. And perhaps that's a driving force as well, but just like you've always been since joining Stuffed Crust, this is just another example of you being unselfish. You give and give. But you do not take. You follow orders like a good boy. Where Stuffed Crust goes, you follow. When they ask you to jump, you respond with how high. Good good. In case you were wondering, I'm not going to address Lioncross directly this evening because other than a few episodes of Showdown, he doesn't exactly talk much these days. Do me a favor and look at that man, Nobi. Look at your partner, your friend. He's a shell of his former self. Around this time last year he was unhooking the Cash in the Vault briefcase. His career in EAW was finally looking promising. But then it all ended. Lost his briefcase. Lost his edge. His drive, his will. He's older. He's put on a little bit of weight. It's a sad sight to see, but not an unexpected one. It's been advertised that this will be his final match in Elite Answers Wrestling. But I take that headline with a grain of salt. Because how many people have uttered those words before? Lots. And how many have honored them? Only a handful. Who is to say he doesn't end up as another Hurricane Hawk or Kevin Devastation? Coming and going as he pleases? Wouldn't surprise me to see him in next year’s 24/7 Battle Royal. He would fit right in. So I'm not buying it. Nobody should fall victim to this façade. But on the off chance this is truly it, then I say good riddance. Once our match is over and we have successfully retained our titles again, only this time being at the grandest stage of them all, don't expect a proper send off for Lioncross. Don't expect a thank you chant or a one more match plead. The crowd will save those for someone who actually left their mark on EAW, that being the loser of Brian Daniels vs. Robbie V. So there you have it, Nobi. This is my rebuttal. Dissect it any way you want. I'll be patiently waiting for a response of your own, do not worry. But before I go, you must remember one thing. It's true when you say that last year you were just an “ordinary competitor” heading into Pain for Pride. And as for this year…well, nothing has changed. Not in the slightest. You my friend, are still ordinary in every sense of the word. 

You and Lioncross are bad and you should feel bad. 

(The scene fades to The High Rollerz logo. What a great logo it is. Just a beaut. Oh, the end.)

The foundation you left? Motherfucker you left this company for this shit to die. Exactly one year after you leave, Cage is unsure if he'll even have a job because Dark Demon and Scott Diamond wanna have a fight over the company and Scott fought and beat Demon resulting in the end of this company DID YOU KNOW EAW WAS GOING TO THRIVE THEN? YOU AIN'T KNOW SHIT TO WIND YOUR WATCH ABOUT IF THIS PLACE WOULD FUCKING THRIVE, a whole finale for the “house” YOU BUILT! But did you show up for that? Hell no, why not? Because you didn't care about this fucking company because you got what you needed out of it. Position among the greatest, someone who will be talked about when were all dead and buried, and money to even retire in the fucking first place, SINCE WERE ON THE SUBJECT OF HARDWORK! I don't remember you losing your job, I don't remember you constantly being screwed and told you shouldn't be here, but I remember Cage being told that, and instead of listening to those fucking idiots who knew nothing Cage fought and proved them wrong. Hard work? Growing up in the streets of New Jersey? I don't give a fuck about your upbringing, you aren't a reflection of your upbringing, your a reflection of a fantasy where your still an elite level performer AND YOU HAVEN'T PERFORMED IN FIVE FUCKING YEARS YET YOU ENTER THIS COMPANY LIKE YOUR GODS GIFT TO EAW? You are a don of this game and I'll give you that but your playing chess and it's not your move because you are about to be hit with a move of truth. Cage, busting his ass after you leave, fighting and clawing, everyday while this company was trying to cut his legs from underneath him, Cage losing his family because of Mr. DEDEDE and having to fight and work twice as hard to even enter the goddamn building to fight for what was right. Hard work? Cage represented the blue collar life, fuck his struggles and his failures, Cage represented the anomaly's of the world, he was something that wasn't suppose to happen and he did happen and in spite of your words, anyone's words, Cage still rises because that is what is EXPECTED of him, if Cage spent his career listening to you people talk about his fuck ups all day he wouldn't bother coming into town after town. It's the same old shit when it comes to Cage, and you try to tell him where he went wrong at? Banks do me a favor and shut the fuck up, I've wanted to say that since you and Cage had a brief interaction when Cage aligned himself with Ares and Jaywalker, you just talk too damn much about shit you have no fucking idea about. And the reason you are here right now is because Cage fought for EAW, Cage joining Team DEDEDE and being a sole survivor so you can have an EAW to come back to, your welcome you stupid son of a bitch. 

Cage left his blood, sweat, tears, flesh everything he gave his fucking family, all the sacrifices to even get a chance to become EAW Champion and when it paid off people tried to rape him for that. To answer your question, yes Cage is sick and tired of having to come back, Cage is sick and tired of fucking up, sometimes he feels he has a dark cloud over his head, and he doesn't paint his face to be intimidating, albeit it works because men don't fight Cage the same, and he doesn't cast himself in black for it to be taken as some fucking gimmick. He's as real as it get, you like to portray yourself as a real one? Well Cage is as real as it gets. You want to know why he keeps on coming back? BECAUSE THIS PLACE, IS A DRUG, ADDICTING, CAGE CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT AND HE ISN'T SATISFIED! He never is satisfied with just leaving abruptly, Cage is an addict to this business albeit he shows his passion in a different way, a way of hurting people, Cage has passion, he has desire, and he has the intensity to where he still does it even when people ask why does he still do this shit. AND THAT IS WHERE I COME IN, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND IT, I UNDERSTAND HIM, I UNDERSTAND BUSTING YOUR ASS AND THEN HAVING IT TAKEN FROM YOU, I UNDERSTAND FRUSTRATION! AND I TOOK HIM IN NOT TO PROFIT BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE TAKES FROM CAGE, AND IF CAGE THOUGHT THAT I WAS TAKING FROM HIM HE'D DISPOSE OF ME QUICKLY! You may be the don of this federation, but Cage is the heart and soul of this shit, Cage was fighting and rebelling against the crooked authority, the fucked up management and the system all fighting against him. Cage is the pulse of this shit and he always has been and he doesn't have to prove it, I SAY IT BECAUSE HE IS IT! Cage doesn't respect many men but he respects Jaywalker but don't think that means Cage has traded his balls in and will do everything for Jaywalker because no, Jaywalker is a grown ass man and he's been standing on his own two feet for years and Cage is a grown ass man, you look at it as Cage doing the bidding for Jaywalker, I look at it as DESTINY, Cage was suppose to be in this match or it wouldn't happen, Cage was suppose to fuck up in his life just to get to Pain for Pride X where he will take a don of this company and render him a broken man, more broken than he has ever been, take him on a ride that he's never been on and test how much you can take until Cage finally leads this old racehorse to the back of the barn and puts him out of his misery. You'll happily put Cage out of his misery? How many men have tried and how many have failed, I don't sweat you, and Cage sure as hell doesn't sweat you. You won't do shit, I know it and you know it, all of that shit your talking is to hype this match up cause your words don't mean shit around here but my words do because I have proof in my words based on Cage ending careers and beating people's asses that when Cage gets his hands around your scrawny little neck, times up Banks.

 
Chorus:
 
Nico Borġ: We all like to have fun here. And what is more, we all have good reason to celebrate.From the past glories upon which Scott Oasis would hang his laurels, to Keelan and Maero’s fortune not earned but indeed blessed by grace. From Lars’ comfort in newfound companions, to TLA’s infectiously revelrous marching band of one. We can all be advised to delight in counting all the little blessings in our stars. Allow me to just say that I do appreciate how difficult a task that sometimes is. Lord knows, I know what it is like to feel that the world is against you. I have had as many reasons as any man in this match to lament. To doubt. To give in to all manner of dark thinking. I am human. That is right. I have had to contend with all of those snares and avoid the devil’s traps. It would be so easy for me just sit here and take affront and whine  to anyone who would suffer to listen that I don’t serve to be here. I don’t belong. Measured the weight of my performance against his, Lannister too looked very very human.  He now clings to his crown, champion in name alone. Sharing that spotlight with the harlot and in doing so demeaning his accomplishment to the value added of that glorified prostitute, barely fit for TLA’s house of sin. But therein rests my good reason to laugh heartily and rejoice. A less enlightened man may say that Lannister took the spoils and that I walked away with nothing. But I know better. Thank the Holy Spirit for blessing me with wisdom. That night I took everything of value. Pride. Magnanimity. I did not lower myself like bottom feeder but acted just like someone who truly is destined for greatness. Lannister could never take that away from me. The title on the other hand...I will take the World Championship that belongs to me back after rise to the challenge to see away the rest of these pretenders.
 
Chorus: There is a time to mourn and a time for recompense. The sorrow of one has past, but the other’s mirth swiftly comes.
 
Nico Borġ: Men are not fair, but the Lord in his mercy is. When night falls, I say to you, there is always a choice. You can be as Maero, purposively hiding away the lamp and drawing the curtains, retreating into the dark and scorning all who see clearly.  Or you can be as a sundial.
 
Chorus: Let others tell of storms and showers, you count only the sunny hours!
 
Nico Borġ: Precisely. You see, Maero. I am not going to bite. I am not another waif or stray who is going to be overawed by your deluded anti-sermons. I am not going to play your mindgames and snap at your petty provocations because I simply do not  recognise the need. When this is all said and done , I will not be the one having a crisis of faith. You, I cannot say. Incidentally, for you to be so concerned with attacking not the man but his articles of faith to me suggests only one of two things. Correct me where I’m understanding, but I would suggest that either these symbols, rituals and proverbs do indeed carry threatening power. Or the dearth of flaws in my armour leaves you with scare few advantages to press. In either case it does not say much for your chances of vanquishing me, and positively howls of desperation. I’d almost consider your goading a serious question if but it were novel. Epicurus precedes Christ himself. Let alone the career I have spent deflecting such well worn critique. What do you wish me to answer, Maero? Congratulations. You join a long line of men who would have their last rites delivered to them all while the sign of the cross continued it’s unerring procession on Earth and in the Heavens. Now isn’t that reassuring?
 
Chorus: A fool’s paradise is always located on the wrong side of history. The Lord makes us right and time will see the matter buried.
 
Nico Borġ: Where muted silence stills the word, I shall sing the song. Where wicked blinkers keep the eyes transfixed on shifting shadows on the wall, I will light torches of purifying fire to light the way. I. That which I am. You won’t entertain a word of scripture nor open yourself to the possibility of belief. Fine then. The matter is at your indulgence and I fear we shall unfortunately have to agree to disagree. But that sits on your head not mine.There is yet more that we have to talk about though, Maero. If it pleases, perhaps spare a few more words about what exactly happens at Pain For Pride. Or speak to me of your story. How you scratched and clawed and struggled to function. How you dug yourself into the darkest pits and somehow climbed your way out of an early grave. Elucidate how a career marred by pathetic losing streaks makes you more prepared than the more consistent among us. Speak about how being out for the count earned you this spot. Indulge. Rejoice in everything that you are and everything that brought you here. Then tell to me about how you will covet what belongs to me, but know that I may answer upon the day by extracting payment for your sins in blood. Speak of how the predator will quarrell and claw more widely than ever before,but know that on the day I shall claim your pelt. Lay out the lengths that you are willing to go to resist. And remember that regardless. I will conquer you and take what is mine.
 
Chorus: Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And unto God what belongs to God.
 
Nico Borġ: Or you can just change the subject. Quibble at length about whatever you desire. Because this is your time to do what pleases you, to make yourself comfortable. This moment is blessed unto you, but know that my time to bathe in the light is just around the corner. So go and take this opportunity that you are given. All of you. Sing your own praises. Blow every trumpet. Bang every drum. Let every man hear what wondrous things you have in store for the Cash In The Vault ladder Match. Drink. Smoke. Be merry. Have mirth. In short...celebrate. Rejoice because right now your time to do so is passing fast. Only I will prevail unconquered and even then, perhaps not fit to celebrate. This is war. And the tragic collapse of every sweet falsehood that you wrap your lives in will serve as the foil for the glory. And the truth. And the light of the Lord. The night can hide your transgressions and iniquities behind words for so long. But remember, the sun also rises. The sun always rises. And  sooner rather than later, those rays are going to cut through all the rhetoric and braggadocio to bring us all naked and exposed before the Lord. We are going to see who stands tallest and casts the longest shadow. We are going to see the shape and constitution of a man’s heart. Possibly literally considering a couple of names here in the hat. I know where I stand. I know exactly how I weigh up. I know that I don’t have to overcompensate with the lecherous machismo. I don't need to harken back to better days to please myself. I don’t require halloween stories to be feared. I just need to stand clear to see in the light of day.
 
Chorus: Ave Invictus.
 
Nico Borġ: Unvanquished. Unconquered.

Chorus: En Nico, Níka.

Gee thanks, Darkane - I don’t know what I would do if you hadn’t had told me about the weight that I’m placing onto my own shoulders. Who knows that I would have done if you didn’t tell me that I lose everything if I can’t manage to walk out of the Battle Royal with that contract in my hands. What would have I done if you weren’t gracious enough let me know that Pain for Pride is a clean slate; a situation where any fucking thing can happen. How could I prepare for the biggest match in either of our careers, if you hadn’t told me that I would be nothing if I can’t succeed. Those things have run through my mind constantly since I announced myself as the first entrant in this match. My words have held so much merit since I’ve walked through the doors of this company, and I can’t slow down now. I can’t think about the things that could happen, should happen and would happen in every situation. I’ve beaten you once, Darkane, but once was all it took. That’s all it took for that dark cloud to hang over your head. You can talk about how much you’ve improved; you can talk about the steps that you’ve taken since that night and the mistakes in the system that is Darkane that have been fixed - the cruel reality is that for every step that someone like you takes - someone like Theron Nikolas takes two. I said that I made one mistake at Reasonable Doubt - it can come down to nerves of my debut, overconfidence; but, this time I refuse to do it again. I have been perfect for four months now. I haven’t taken a wrong step yet, and it doesn’t matter about how far your managed to push me forward the first time around - because close means absolutely fucking nothing to me. Just like the threats you’ve thrown about this match or any we’ve been involved in when it comes to the past. They’re meaningless. They’ve proven meaningless on more than one occasion. Just like Lethal Consequences. Just like Scott Diamond. Just like the Heart Break Gal. Just like every other name that has attempted to stand in my way. Thirty Four names will stand out in front of the world fighting for the one goal; a match that generally comes down to finding yourself in the right place at the right time - and yet, I have no nerves. No butterflies. I have the entirety of what I’ve managed to build over the last four months on the line, and I can’t wait. I’m not going to lose. I can’t lose. These are the hardest promises that I may ever have to keep - but the euphoria when I do will be fucking outstanding.

#TakeScottDiamondSeriouslyAgain.

I’m sorry, Scott. I’ve said it in the past - I’ve tried my hardest to see you in the light that the rest of the world once did. I want to see you as the mastodon that once conquered this company, but the same truth is that those days are long, long gone. When it really comes down to it - how are you actually trying to convince? Are you trying to convince us, or are you trying to convince yourself? I know it’s a cliche of the question, generally one that you’re probably going to be forced to answer on more than once occasion, but sometimes they’re just question’s you can’t avoid. There’s always that chance that you’re going to walk out in front of the world at Pain for Pride and be the person that finally makes Theron Nikolas eat his words. There’s always the chance that you’ll find the raging fire that once burned deep down in your core and run through every single name that stands in your way - but, I’m more than willing to put my money on the fact that you’re going to fall short and the taste left in your mouth is going to be fouler than any other loss that you’ve been forced to endure throughout your entire career. I hope - I want to see the monster for myself. We had the chance to see if you what kind of man that we were going to get from you on Showdown - but, like we usually are when it comes to you over the last few years - we were all left disappointed. I have no doubt that this is nothing more than another faze, Scott. Another surge of motivation to regain some form of the things that you once held, and when you manage to do so, you’ll walk back out the doors only the return the next time Pain for Pride season rolls around. But, let’s hope I’m wrong. Let’s hope that losing at Pain of Pride will finally be the thing that pushes you off the cliff that you’re standing in front of and reawakens the man that once brought this entire business to its knees. I doubt it, but hey, neither warrants my concern.