Oh, I’m sorry, everyone! I’m sorry, Nathan Fiora! Somewhere along the way in Nathan Fiora’s meaningless drivel, he touched on a topic and rebuked me in a way that I simply don’t have any counter for — he said I’m not a prophet and my predictions “have no credibility” to them! Silly Machine, not relying on the always-astute judgment of some wet-behind-the-ears upstart who’s as green as a frog. Silly Machine — you should have known that predictions about the landscape of EAW somehow also equate to victories in matches. I mean, if what Nathan Fiora said was any indication, he’d have you believe that just because he beat a bunch of one-note scrubs with resumes and legacies that don’t even stand to mine at an eye level that he — not me — was the prophet. I mean, Nathan Fiora doesn’t know anything else about the vastness of EAW and its wrestlers because he’s still sheltered in that little bubble of his that hasn’t yet popped, so despite having elementary knowledge of his surroundings at best, listen to the guy talk and you’d think little Nathan’s got it all figured it out. He’s got his entire career mapped out — he’ll win a few World Championships, sell a few t-shirts with a pseudo-witty catchphrase on the front and an ugly face appropriately plastered all over the back because at least that way he’ll be spared the cruel and unusual punishment of looking at two of himself in the mirror — trust me, one is already enough — and then he’ll ride off into the sunset in a luxury vehicle after punching his ticket into the EAW Hall of Fame. And yet here the silly, vision-impaired Machine was thinking you actually had to climb every rung of the ladder to reach stardom — but nah, forget about that nonsense, let’s all heed the invaluable advice proffered to us through Nathan Fiora’s words, let’s listen to him, let’s treat him as the measuring stick and suddenly all our concerns about working hard and training in the gym room will vanish before our eyes. Like when you’re surfing through channels at 5 AM and the only thing on television is “Paid Programming” featuring some snake oil salesman telling you how to become buff in three weeks with an unreasonably priced monthly subscription to some supplement that does absolutely nothing, Nathan Fiora’s words hold no basis in reality because they’re all about convincing people of an unmatchable success rate when he’s competed in a grand total of four matches. Take it from me — Nathan Fiora is the formerly no-name sports prospect who for a brief period of time posts scorching hot, gaudy statistics and when you’re at the crossroads of deciding whether to trade him to another team at his highest possible value or hedge your bets and pretend his overperformance is sustainable over a longer period of time, nine times out of ten you reflect on your decision in hindsight and you’re either laughing with the other executives in your office about how you fleeced another team’s General Manager, or you’re lamenting your woes and frustrations thinking what a coup you could have pulled if only you hadn’t ignorantly decided to keep signing the checks of a guy who turned out to be a dud. That’s Nathan Fiora.

You’ve conquered every obstacle that’s been set out before you and you’re incredibly proud of this achievement — as if you’ve somehow moved mountains and colonized other planets by winning four matches. You talk about how you believed in yourself when no one else did and that innate confidence allowed you to succeed when everybody else had already written you off, and that sounds good, it’s something anyone would like to hear — a kid who came from humble beginnings climbing to uncharted heights — but you discredit yourself and you marginalize every difficulty you suffered through in your journey by pretending that you’ve already made it, that you already have all the skill and fortitude and wisdom and talent to prosper in this industry like nobody else ever has, as if because you’ve won four matches you’ve lifted the weight of the entire world off of your shoulders and now you can make a phone call to your parents, your gym teachers, student counselors, and everybody else who said you weren’t cut out for the physicality of the wrestling business, who guaranteed you wouldn’t make it and told you to be realistic instead of following your dreams, who tried to crush those dreams, told you to work in retail, and disguised all of those doubts as a simple “helping hand” — and mock them because you did what they said you couldn’t. Why bother even working for the Hardcore Championship? With the way you talk, it’s as if you think you deserve to have that title gift-wrapped for you. You don’t think you’re on the level of a former Hardcore Champion like a Captain Charisma or a Rated R Shaman of Sexy; you think you’ve already surpassed them, and that’s exactly why you’re going to lose on Voltage — because that confident inflection in your voice and that relaxed body language that makes you look like you don’t have a single worry in the world isn’t going to mean squat when you lose and all your guarantees and promises turn into excuses waiting to happen. So call all those gym teachers, all those parental figures, guidance counselors, unprofessional teachers, psychiatrists, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, fourth cousins, wives of cousins, uncles of cousins, and retirement home receptionists of grandfathers — call them all right now — because when your shoulders are pinned to the mat for the three count on Voltage, I can promise you one thing — they’ll be calling you back.

And yet your faith in yourself is your biggest weakness — how ironic that what got you to the dance will also become your undoing — because you’re operating under the assumption that nobody else has faith in you. You think you NEED to imprint your boot on the trail you’re running because nobody else is going to run with you, but for a man that has has supreme faith in himself, the cynical tone in your voice when you say people always claim they’re believing in you and the next moment they’re riding roughshod on your name and abandoning you when you need it the most, it illuminates one thing — that you have no faith in anyone else, and that chip you carry around is going to weigh you down; and come Voltage, high noon, breaking dawn, or midnight sailing — it doesn’t matter — those shoulders are going to become very, very heavy.

 
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen this match pop up on my schedule. Cailin Dillon vs. Sheridan Müeller. This happened for the first time all the way back in January. The win and loss record since then don’t tell the story one bit. I don’t care how many matches we’ve fought. I can promise you that Sheridan and I are the hardest working Vixens in this division. We don’t get all caught up in the extra stuff behind the scenes, pushing ourselves in social media or getting lost in cases of mistaken identity. Our only goals week in and week out is to work our asses off to get ready for a match and then try to out-work our opponent when we step in the ring. And it’s been the reason why Sheridan and I are where we are today. There are two champions in the Vixens Division, and two other names that are constantly synonymous with both titles. We are the names on the tips of everyone’s tongues. I am the former five-month long Specialist’s champion and Sheridan is arguably the most dangerous Vixen in this entire company with that Vixen’s Cup in her back pocket. So sure, they want us to clash. They want us to go at each other’s throats and try to rip each other apart. Maybe we can solve a bigger problem and have one of us take a step ahead of the other one. Or maybe one of us can take the other one out completely. Maybe Sheridan could take me out like she did to Rey so the champions can feel more comfortable about the ones that are coming for their titles. Or maybe I’m actually completely delusional.
 
Sheridan and I seem to be heading in some different directions. Sheridan scored an amazing win at Pain for Pride over Kendra Shamez. I admit I feel a twinge of jealousy when I think about it. She is supremely talented and she has achieved so much in a short time. When I came here I just had dreams. I had to take a backseat to people early in my career. I had to fight my way into the edge of the spotlight. Sheridan burst on to the scene and never look back. She took me to the brink of losing my title, she went on to win the Vixens Cup and then she got a memorable Pain for Pride moment. I always dreamt of standing on that stage in the light at the end of a match and look out over the crowd. I always dreamed of feeling that accomplishment that Sheridan felt. She didn’t win a title, but she held on to something she earned. Down the road, I have no doubt that she will cash that in and become a champion in this company. My moment was fight in a 10-person match, lasting all the way to the end and coming seconds from getting the moment I always wanted. I was seconds away from standing in the corner with the Specialist’s title back in my hands as the crowd had whatever reaction they felt like having. It didn’t matter because it was my moment. Instead, the moment I had was being part of someone else’s. I lost to a friend and the memorable picture from my first Pain for Pride will always be me fighting back tears as I embrace a friend at the end of an absolute war. So what are we supposed to do in this industry? We have to pick up the pieces and focus on the next thing or we bury ourselves under our own weight. Everyone is waiting for Cailin Dillon to head to the feed and post about how she’ll be back next year fighting for a title at the next Pain for Pride. They don’t see the Cailin that sat in a dark locker room alone in Miami and let the tears flow before she could collect herself and focus on the next thing. They saw the end result. I decided to open myself up enough on the feed to show off a new look. They’d see it anyways, right? But it was important to me to show people that I still had a pulse. Why? I can’t even explain it. Do I think about the next Pain for Pride and getting my moment there? Not one bit. My mind is on this week. I look at Dia Del Diablo and ask what I can do to make sure I’m fighting there. Vixen’s title? Specialist’s title? How about just a match. Is it about the crowds? No. Is it about the stage? No, not that either. The only matches at FPV’s are the ones that are good enough to belong there. I just want to be in every ring. I just want to fight everyone who wants to stand in my way and say I can’t make it. I want to be the best.
 
Everyone says that. Everyone wants to claim they are already it. You won’t hear me say that. Am I the best in this company? Hardly. But I’ll never stop trying to be the best. When someone wants to belittle me or try to put me under their thumb and brush me off, I’ll just come right back at them. I’ll continue to rise to the challenge they put in front of me. I’ll unabashedly look them in the face when they call me a motivational speaker or claim I’m trying to be the hero of this division and I will tell them the truth. I’m doing this for me. I’m no hero. I’m just someone who wants to win. I’m someone who is determined to leave an impact. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone other than myself. I took the Specialist’s title and I gave it life. I did that for this division so that we’d all have something to fight for. But I won’t pretend I did that because I ever believed I would have to fight someone else for it. I’m allowed to be selfish in that I never wanted to stop winning matches that had that title involved. As for motivating people, I don’t care if they’re motivated to fight me. I’m motivated to fight them. Whoever the hell they are or are pretending to be. So let’s not act like anything we say is groundbreaking. We’re all here fighting like savages and letting our tongues slay each other like it earns some sort of undue privilege to have a one-up on someone in the ring. You will always get the same thing from me every single week. I will fight you with my words, tooth and nail. And I will enter that ring and fight you with everything I have left. That’s who I want to be. I could have been so many things if I wanted to be. I could have been the girl that trys to hard to impress everyone. I could have been that bitch that just talks endless shit like her teeth don’t detach like everyone else’s. I decided to be me. And me is the same bitch that shows up every week like she doesn’t know what a break is. She goes into the ring and fights like it’s the last one she’ll ever get to be in. Who doesn’t waste her time taking a break from training for a next match to see if someone is throwing shade on the feed. I will take you in the ring and leave you throwing shade on yourself in the end.
 
Have I said all that much about Sheridan? No, not really. She’s as talented as any woman in this business. I’ve made that clear. But two women claim control of the Vixens division right now, and they’re two women who are hanging on to the past and standing over every single person who came into this place after them and flying their belts as champions. They are flying their titles as reasons why they are above the rest of us. They are blocking the road to the future by pointing into the past. It’s a common theme here. You get used to the way things are. They’ve both been champions long enough, so they’ve earned that right to stand with one leg elevated like they are claiming this territory as their own. But their way is not the future. Aria Jaxon is the future. Eris LeCava is the future. Sheridan Müller is the future. Cailin Dillon is the future. This right now? This is a holding pattern. They had their moments in title matches at Pain for Pride and they have the right to take the stance over us they do. But the better not be complacent. Because we will never stop being hungry for more. We will never stand aside and watch someone pass us by. It will always, and I mean always, be a battle if someone wants to push us down the ladder. This isn’t about being brought down to earth. We haven’t even begun to reach the depths in the stars that we are capable of climbing to.
 
So I guess there isn’t one bit of delusion. This is a nice match. It’s going to be a great match. I can assure every person that sees this in paper and gets excited that Sheridan nor I will disappoint you. But neither one of us are focused on whether or not we will entertain you. We are focused on fighting each other with the same ferocity we bring to every match. That’s why you all care about this match so much. That’s why we’re the two Vixens you all just can’t seem to shake from your mind. Sure, we’re not champions, but people can’t seem to stop talking about us. They can’t stop putting or names in the championship conversations. But being a part of the conversation will never be enough for me. I won’t stop until I am that conversation. It’s just me. And then, I’ll just stop for a second to smirk as I focus on the next task at hand. Because being a champion isn’t the end goal for people like me, or Sheridan, or Aria or Eris. It’s only the beginning. It’s just the climb of an even bigger journey. I will never stop trying to be the best in this company. It’s not about leaving a legacy or reaching the Hall of Fame. Those are just perks that come with taking care of business along the way. I just want to compete. I just want to win every single battle that’s put in front of me. On Saturday they’ve chosen to put one of the biggest warriors this company has to offer right in front of me. She’s as efficient as the most efficient machine in this whole world. And I will come at her with the fire you all desire to see. We will leave the ring with out blond and orange hair stained with crimson if it’s what it takes for one of us to come out the winner. And the world will be reminded once again why they can’t stop talking about us. They will be reminded that we are two of the best women’s wrestlers on this planet. Maybe we haven’t reached the top yet, but we are far from up and coming. We aren’t common rookies who are still trying to gather their bearings and figure out how this all works. We know what we’re doing and we know what we want. We are the revolution this place is reluctant to accept, but I’m not about to stand around and wait for acceptance. I have no problems with burning my road blocks right to the ground to accomplish my goals. I have no problem being a leader of change. I don’t need to tell you to get ready, Sheridan, because I know during this entire speech you’ve been busting your ass in the gym to get ready. But everyone who is doubting us and questioning if we’re falling off, they best shut their mouths and glue their eyes to this match. I’m coming to Showdown with a match. And I’m about to start a fire.

The scene opens with Matt Miles walking the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina just outside of the PNC Arena. He ushers his hand towards the cameraman to come closer and sits down on a nearby bench.

So apparently, and correct me if I'm wrong, having a bit of fun with the crowd is now considered a cardinal sin. Long gone are the days where us Elitists would actually interact with OUR fanbase and make them feel welcomed by our presence. No, in 2016 we have to make sure that every single one of us has a stick shoved firmly up our ass because the moment we actually start to let our personality shine through is the moment that the people watching us in the crowd and at home realize that we're only human. They forget that we're supposedly expendable, that we're just another cog in the machine. "Oh no, he actually said something that made people laugh!" They cry because they know someone's done their job of actually breaking through that glass ceiling and connecting with our audience. At least, that IS what we're supposed to do, isn't it? Connect with our audience? It certainly seems like that SHOULD be the case but clearly Mr. Christian Locke thinks differently. What's the matter, Christian? Can't take a joke? After how you reacted to what was merely meant to be poking fun it certainly looks like that stick up your ass has started to get sore. Then again you did manage to find yourself looking miiiiighty hypocritical in your response, didn't you? I mean sure, having a stick up your ass about someone making fun of you is all fine and swell but come on, man, don't do it RIGHT AFTER you made a fat joke.

I'm sorry, what was that you were saying about not paying attention to people's looks and what I did being immature? Looks like you done fucked up, kid! Second of all, Judas is like 220 at 6'1. In what universe is that even fat? That sounds more like a you problem than anything in all honesty. Anyway, I'm getting off track. I'm not here to talk about Judas' size or Judas at all, quite frankly. We're here to talk about your constant slip ups.

I just want to get one thing straight before I continue, though. You seem to have made a habit of claiming that you're only ever yourself in the past but, just as I've already pointed out, your words are filled with hypocrisy. Don't get me wrong, I get it, a former world champion and future Hall of Famer is overweight so he must love cake. Hahahaha. Very funny. I'm bursting with laughter, I really am. I can't believe I hadn't heard that about anyone else before.

Yeah, if you hadn't guessed, not as funny a joke as you think it is buuuuut that's not the point I'm making here. The point is that even something so small and usually so insignificant diminishes your already flimsy argument so much. How could you ever say that you're nothing but yourself when within seconds of you talking you've already shot yourself in the foot? It looks like someone's pants just might be on fire because there's no denying you're a liar. Also, do you live under a rock or do you just not have internet or something? You do realize just how google searches work, right? You know, the thing I had to do just so I could see who you even are?

Miles pulls up a laptop bag next to him and unzips it. He pulls out a blue Acer laptop and opens it up on his lap. After a few moments of typing he spins the laptop around to reveal a google search "Christian Locke wrestler" with a link to his wikipedia page and several images both from the past and present. He points at a picture of Christian from a recent EAW photoshoot.

You see, this is you now.

Miles moves his finger across to point at an older picture of Christian with long hair and a ponytail on the very top of his head.

This is you with a rat's nest on your head. You're still following, I hope...

Finally, Miles points at an old picture of Christian Locke wearing a du-rag in baggy shorts and he can't help but chuckle a bit.

And this is you looking like Slim Shady. That wasn't so hard, was it? If that's what you want to call stalking then I guess I must have a lot of those.

The camera pulls back to reveal a few fans in the background with their smart phones recording Matt Miles' promo on Christian. He looks back towards some of them and laughs.

Now THIS is stalking...

Miles points towards one guy hiding behind a bush, causing him to look flustered and move away.

and that was just a little bit creepy. You see what I'm getting at though, right? Not as much stalking as it is just doing a quick search for you on the internet. I could literally do that with just about anyone but go ahead and believe what you want to believe because it's not going to do me any harm.

Oh, and yeah, I said it was CRINGEWORTHY, not cringe. Who do you think I am, the same pre-teen girls that had your haircut 2 months ago?

 Oh but I'll stop! I don't want to make it look like I'm getting caught up in those small and irrelevant details again, do I? The problem with that is if I listened to you I wouldn't have anything to say at all in the first place. I couldn't bring up that fact that you won the 24/7 because, according to me, no one cares about it. I couldn't bring up that you lost to Starr Stan because, according to you, no one cares about it. What I could do is go on about how I wouldn't bring anything else up but I think that list wouldn't go very far in the end.

So let's see, I can't talk about you losing to Starr Stan. Check.

I can't keep talking about the 24/7 because it's worthless. Check.

What CAN I talk about that won't get you all in your feelings, Christian? Some match on Battleground against some nobody schmuck who was never to be seen again after that night? Okay, congrats on that win, buddy! I'm sure you did a wonderful job at beating a guy who probably didn't even know how to lock in a headlock! For once in your life, Christian, be real. There is absolutely nothing left that's even remotely interesting about you. Those are the only two talking points you have and that's not my fault and it's not anyone else's fault for talking about it. If you really don't like it that much, maybe you shouldn't have bitten off more than you could chew and won like you promised to everyone that you would, huh? But sure, feel free to play the blame game and pass it on to me and anyone else you have to face because you can't accept that, at the end of the day, it's your fault everyone brings up your loss to Starr Stan. You got too cocky and he left you looking at the lights like a deer in dark country road. So just in case you didn't get the message, yeah, I'm not listening to your whining about how "you're all so stupid for bringing up that I'm a loser!". If you want to talk about how to be mature, at least own up to your own mistakes and accept that you're going to have to live with people talking about it. That's life and life is hard. If you don't like that then by all means feel free to bitch but that won't make the game any easier on you. This game has on difficulty and that's ELITE. If you can't hang with the Elitists then that's your problem to deal with, not ours.

But. BUT. Since I'm on the topic of Starr and you've brought up your supposed "victory" over Starr Stan, I think it's time to bring up the fine detail that you thought you could try to get past me and that's the fact that you...

Drum roll please!

...

...

...

YOU BEAT HIM BY COUNTOUT! STRIKES ONE, TWO AND THREE AND YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!

I bet you were thinking, HOPING that I wouldn't catch that fact but you couldn't have been more wrong! If you really think that's something to brag over then, boy, your list of accomplishments must be shorter than I first thought. I'm sorry but that doesn't count. Well, I guess in the sense that he got COUNTED out... but look, if you're going to go out to your fancy little party inside that arena back there and boast over such a hollow victory then by all means but you know that it has nowhere near the same sense of accomplishment. Tell me, does that really FEEL like a win to you? Sure, getting in to the Grand Rampage because of it is all fine and dandy but I can't see you truthfully saying that that "win" was fulfilling. As far as I'm concerned if he doesn't have his shoulders down to the mat or he's not tapping out to your submission then you fluked, plain and simple. Yeah, yeah, "you're only saying that as an attempt to discredit my victory" yada yada yada, I've heard it before and I'll hear it again and all I can say to that is "sure". Sure, that win was totally well deserved and you aboslutely bested Starr Stan. Maybe if you put him through a table and left him unable to beat the ten count then I could definitely agree with that statement but you didn't. Instead, you ran from him like a little baby chicken and stalled until he caught up with you so you threw him in to the steps at the last second. Some could argue that was intelligent; I say it's intelligence but out of cowardice. I would assume that you knew you couldn't beat him so you stalled for as long as you could and took the cheap way out and, in turn, got a big head and convinced yourself that you could beat him again which is why you didn't take him seriously as Triple Threat. Tell me if I'm getting cold but that makes a lot of sense to me. Guy gets flukey win, guy gets overconfident, guy falls flat on his face. I've seen it too much not to recognize it now of all times but here's the kicker: While you may have gotten your little fluke victory against Starr Stan ONE MONTH IN TO YOU CAREER! I was already a champion at that point. Apples and oranges it may be as not everyone gets the same opportunities but the fact of the matter is that I got myself noticed which is what got me that title shot in the first place. I had to defeat Scott Oasis one on one to get to Vic Vendetta's Interwire Championship and, even then, the games were only just beginning. I had to put up with attack after attack after attack leading up to the Showdown SuperShow and still, STILL, I overcame the odds and locked him inside his own freshly made casket win the Interwire Championship. But yeah, you getting a countout win over Starr Stan sure overshadows anything I've ever done!

Then in so many words, by "defeating" Starr Stan, you went on to qualify as an entrant in the Grand Rampage.

First off we'll go by your on-paper result.

You entered at #36, got zero eliminations and were the 27th man eliminated from the match. Things are already looking a bit shaky for you, aren't they, Christian? Those aren't very strong numbers but I'm sure looking at the actual match will help. Now a friend of mine actually had the courtesy to create a "Christian Locke highlights" video from the Grand Rampage. Don't worry, it's not very long, obviously. I just want you to take quick look at just how you did in that match.

Stew: LUCIAN BLACK IS RIGHT THERE WITH MASSIVE FISTS TO THE SKULL ON THE LITTLE GUY! LUCIAN NOT GIVING A SINGLE CARE IN THE WORLD! HE STAYS ALL OVER CHRISTIAN LOCKE! But Christian Locke fights back, he starts kicking, and punching away at Lucian Black’s torso! And LUCIAN WHIPS LOCKE OFF THE ROPES! LOCKE COMES RUNNING BACK! AND LOCKE WITH A RUNNING SENTON CANNONBALL ONTO A STANDING LUCIAN BLACK! KNOCKING THEM BOTH DOWN!!! And Locke gathers himself back to a vertical stance, and stomps away at Lucian! But Judas comes FROM BEHIND! AND TRIES TO LIFT LOCKE ONTO HIS SHOULDERS, BUT LOCKE SPINS OUT OF IT! AND AS HE DOES, HE HOOKS HIS ARMS AROUND JUDAS’ HEAD, PULLING HIM DOWN FOR AN ELEVATED DDT! JUDAS LANDS NOSE FIRST INTO THE CANVAS!

Mercer: Locke hops back onto his feet, but is soon met with Tyler Parker! Tyler Parker with some right hands to the jaw, and Locke retaliates with a knife edge chop! BUT TYLER KNEES LOCKE IN THE STOMACH! AND TYLER PULLS HIM UP FOR THE DEPRAVITY! BUT LOCKE KNEES TYLER IN THE HEAD A COUPLE OF TIMES! AND LOCKE LANDS DOWN BEHIND TYLER, TYLER SPINS AROUND! BUT JJ SILVA INVOLVES HIMSELF WITH THE TWO FOR A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE!

Mercer: And Y2Impact finds himself PULLING Christian Locke off The Heart Break Gal in the corner, and Locke turns around with A FOREARM TO THE HEAD! Impact surely doesn’t appreciate that, but THE HEART BREAK GAL LOW BLOWS LOCKE FROM BEHIND! AND Y2IMPACT DELIVERS AN EVISCERATION TO CHRISTIAN LOCKE! AND HBG TOSSES CHRISTIAN LOCKE OVER THE TOP ROPE, AND OUT OF THE RING!

Ring Announcer: Christian Locke has been eliminated!

Stew: LOCKE IS GONE! LOCKE IS OUT OF HERE! LOCKE IS PACKING IT IN!

Damn, that really didn't look good on you, did it? Do you understand what I was talking about earlier now? Who on in the blue hell would want to talk about THAT performance? El Landerson lasted almost as long as you did and he's barely even a good lucha thing!

Oh right, I almost forgot! You said you beat Vic Vendetta on top of that, too, right? Well, here's the thing. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but Vic Vendetta is hardly the most consistent man in the world, bud. I mean sure, I'm boasting about beating him but that's while the guy's momentum was through the roof as he was rocketing towards the main event scene and while I was still hurting from the glass and barbed wire I was put through (so yeah, I can actually work through injuries). Meanwhile here you are bragging over defeating Vic Vendetta the FORMER champion who's been on a downward spiral ever since he lost the EAW Championship to Aren Mstislav. You see, he might have the same name that he had a year ago but he's not the same man that he was. The Vic Vendetta I had to get through was cryptic and sinister and struck fear in to his opponents while the Vic Vendetta you had to get through was just... some guy. They say time is the fire in which we burn and, while I hate to say it, Vic's candle has almost burned out.

Moving on to our class's next subject: Injuries! Boy, don't we just hate them? I certainly do as I've been a victim of many... or one recurring one, anyway. I'm going to tell you a story, Christian, and I want you to listen carefull. Back in the Winter of 2014 when I was just starting out --yes, I haven't been around as long as you think so you don't have that going for you either. I'm no has-been.-- I faced Scott Oasis. We fought at Road to Redemption VIII in the toughest match of my young career before he relentlessly dropped me on my head with a piledriver from the top rope. If you think that's just some injury a guy can bounce back from, no questions asked, no problem, you're nothing short of moronic. I rushed my return and came back a month later despite my injury because I was determined to make a statement. Win or lose, I wasn't going to let Scott Oasis keep me down forever. We had our rematch at Reasonable Doubt in 2015 where he took advantage of my injury and I lost once more. That's no problem to me. I accept that that was my fault and my fault alone. I stayed away to heal up like any normal person would, not thinking much else of it. I returned again and won the Spartan Cup on Showdown, allowing me to pick any match I wanted. Instead of putting my neck at risk I reluctantly chose to enter the 24/7. BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, DOES IT?! Nooooo! It can't! There's no logical way! I got to CHOOSE what match I was in. Here, read my lips if it's so hard for you to understand: CHOOOOOOSE. I could have been in the Cash in The Vault if I really wanted but why on Earth would I risk that when I could win another match with ease? So you know what I did?

I won it with ease just like I said I would.

You got put in to it because no one gave you a second thought. There's a really big difference there between what happened with me and then what happened with you.

Congratulations Christian, you get your prize for worst argument ever! Enjoy your prize: It's going to be a whole load of knees to the face this Sunday! It seems like your entire argument has been "this doesn't make sense to me" but that's because you're putting 1 and 1 together to make 3. Lannister competing at Pain for Pride has nothing to do with the mental damage I caused. He may have competed at Pain for Pride but he was coming off of the biggest embarrassment of his life after having his world title slip through his fingers right after he had waited so long to cash in his King of Elite crown. So yeah, he competed at Pain for Pride. So fucking what? There's absolutely no correlation there and it's getting more and more obvious that you're grasping at straws. So here's the end of the story just to prove my point to you:

I used the 24/7 contract as not a tool to enter a championship match but as a weapon to make Lannister crumble and I succeeded... at the cost of several more months of my career. I've already explained my detailed history with Lannister but what he did to me is something I'll never forget. Again, from the top rope, he lifted my up on to my shoulders and dropped me on the back of my head and neck.

So if you want serious, here's serious:

I had to get spinal surgery for all the damage that had been done to me so I'm sorry that to you that's a sign of weakness. To me it's a sign of not wanting to die doing what I love so much. I don't want to be the posterboy of scandals against wrestling for literally killing their talent so I took my leave and had my cervical fracture repaired, waiting for my return... but it was worth it. I made Lannister an embarrassment and a shell of his former self and now everyone knows it so they don't even care what happened between he and I before that. They know I outsmarted him and allowed him to bring his ego up to the Heavens right as he was dragged down to Hell with everyone else who failed. Now I'm back and I'm fresher than ever while a part-time Lannister is losing to the part-time loser in Jaywalker. I'm sure that my injury doesn't compare in the slightest to your widdle boo boo on your leg though, right? Hey, since you're suggesting it I think bubble wrap would work on such a ridiculous excuse of an injury.

As for me challenging you for that 24/7 contract? I gladly would if only to rip it up in to a million pieces. Why? Because I don't need the damn thing. I can win a championship without needing a piece of paper on a clipboard. Hell, I've already done it twice before and I'll do it again. I don't need a handed opportunity like the 24/7 battle royal to win something and, okay, maybe some of the guys in that match will make something of themselves one day but as of today they're still the pups in the wolves' den. Beating guys like JD Damon and Kenny Drake 2016 doesn't mean anything and it won't mean anything when you have to call back to it next year and the next year and the-- you see my point. Guys like Scott Oasis and Vic Vendetta were already dominant forces at the time, not like the guys you find yourself shuffled in to the pack with. But I'm the one that the higher ups don't care about, right? Wrong. See, your little conversation with EAW management might mean something to me if I was actually active at time. Why would they mention me when I'd been out on the injury list for 7 months? They weren't even sure the surgery would be a success so if anything, you're the one who's had nothing but flawed logic. What did you expect them to say? "Oh, look out for this Matt Miles guy! We know he's injured but he's definitely going to come back and win the world title!" Of course not because I wasn't HERE. Everyone else that you mentioned had been here for at least the calendar year and was competing every week. I, on the other hand, was not. There's a big difference there. Considering you failed to mention Diamond Cage or Devan Dubian, I'm going to go on a hunch and say they weren't listed either. Yeeeaaah, you really got me good there, Christian.

The biggest difference between  you and I is that I know my place. No, didn't expect to be placed in the main event. What I expected was someone who knew what they were doing and knew what they  were talking about. That's evidently not the case with you but it's pretty obvious to me that you're not going to see it that way. You might be determined to try and stop me and, if you're REALLY lucky, you just might be stubborn enough to get close but you'll never be able to make it to any other finish than with your shoulders on the mat for the 1, 2, 3. That's just how it goes when you're facing the man with the Midas touch and until you reach my level then you're just going to be another bird in the pond hoping to get his next piece of bread. Problem is, that's never going to satisfy you. You'll always be hungry for more but you won't be able to reach the top. As for me? The only thing that will satisfy the fire burning beneath me is gold. I don't care if it's the Hardcore Championship, the Unified Tag Team Championships or the God damn EAW Championsip. One way or another I'm going to get back the gold I've lusted for since the very beginning of my journey in EAW and if you think that your little return party is going to phase me in any way at all, that little penultimate phrase you had is going to be your worst nightmare.

As the camera fades to black the voice of EAW's ring announcer can be heard.

Ring Announcer: HERE IS YOUR WINNER, MATT MILES!

VOLTAGE II: NOTHING MORE THAN JUST FAITH.

[The scene begins with Nathan Fiora in a wrestling ring, facing an unknown wrestler.  Nathan takes the advantage but is taken down by the wrestler.  Both of them look at each other and the scene stops.  The camera zooms away and Fiora is seen watching the clip, focused and serious.]

BATTLES COME, BUT THE WAR NEVER ENDS. 

Faith is what keeps us afloat in a world of negativity and insecurities.  If we don’t believe in ourselves, then who will do it for us?  People say they are always believing in us, but they decide to leave us when we really need them the most.  Who do we turn to when this happens?  It isn’t a who, it’s a what for many.  Drugs, self harm, and death are some examples of what happens when we put our faith in someone or something that betrays us.  I can only believe in myself because I know what I’m capable of and trust me, it isn’t the easiest thing to do.  I will admit something; I have lost sight of who I was before.  There were many thoughts of how insignificant I was and how I was never going to be the best wrestler.  At that moment, I was going to give up on wrestling and do what everyone else thought I would do: be homeless and work a lackluster job.  Then I remembered some words a good old friend told me.  “The only way to be great is to believe that you are that”.  I began to believe in myself and I saw a light coming through a tunnel of failures and regrets.  There were victories, more victories, and even more victories.  Now, I sit here, in the biggest wrestling company in the world, competing against the best this industry has to offer.  That’s what my faith has done for me.  Going through the battle hasn’t been the easiest, but it has paid off.  There have been some losses, but the thing I do is dust myself off and work on what I failed on.  Every week, I grow and become better than I was before.  It isn’t just a catchphrase of mine; it’s a lifestyle.  Men like Y2Impact call me like the rest, but that isn’t true.  I’m not like the rest because I have a passion driving in my soul to reach the top.  If these individuals that he mentioned actually believed in themselves, they would’ve stayed and kept going, even if they failed.  If I were like them, I would’ve left the first time I failed.  I understand what I am, and that’s an imperfect man.  It’s only been two months since I started, but my mindset has me spending a whole career here.  I don’t believe that I’m the greatest, but I have to live like I’m getting there.  Putting myself down won’t help me with anything and will only end up in failure.  I want my impact will be incomparable; my efforts will be talked about for ages.  That won’t come easily, but the simple acts of trying the best I can, staying in all situations, and simply working harder than everyone else will get me somewhere.  There’s no signs of quitting for me or feeling bad for myself; I know I have failed and shown my imperfections before.  Y2Impact, on the other hand, believes that he can end my journey because he thinks he’s that damn good.  

[Fiora continues to play the match and both men are in even playing field.  There is a crowd watching and rooting for the competitors in the match.  Fiora takes the advantage, but is stopped by the unknown wrestler, who is pummeling Nathan.]

You might be that good, but I don’t think you really know what you’re putting yourself up against.  At the end of your little speech, I sensed the doubts in your soul.  Do you really know what you have in store for this Sunday?  No you don’t.  You sound like every other person I’ve taken down over my tenure in Elite Answers Wrestling.  Here’s some of the phrases I’ve heard before: “You can’t do it”, “You’re just a silly kid who believes in himself too much”, and the “I’m so much better than you” bullcrap.  Why don’t you look at what I did to those people, Impact?  They were wrong about me; everyone has been wrong about me.  I have set myself to conquer and destroy everything in my way and it has been done.  This isn’t me living in some fantasy, this is a fact.  I’m not a person on their phone worrying about what’s going to happen to me; I’m focusing on working on myself and going to Voltage with every ounce of confidence I can.  You can be right on many things, Impact, but you have been wrong before.  You, just like me and everyone else who has ever been in this company, has been wrong.  If I were to take out your list of right calls and wrong calls, I bet I would see more wrong calls than anything.  You aren’t some prophet and you never will be because your predictions have no credibility to them.  Me, on the other hand, has been right about every pinfall-related match I’ve been in.  I have a flawless record, 100%, or an A+ grade, pal.  Sure, I believe that you can fight and fight, but will you be able to back up everything you’ve ever said about yourself?  Me, unlike yourself in the beginning, hasn’t had everything handed to him.  I’ve had to work just as hard, and in many cases, harder than anyone else in this company.  You had to learn to work harder than everyone expects you to because you had a rude awakening.  I’ve already had my own, yet I’m continuing to swim across the never-ending sea of obstacles and roadblocks.  I sing my own praises because I am a man who wants something; to be Hardcore champion.  In order to be a real champion, you have to believe in your own abilities and not expect someone to do that for you.  I have done that since I’ve gotten here, and now I feel the Hardcore title getting closer and closer to me.  This isn’t some sort of joke for me; it never has been one.  Impact, you think you know me well, and that’s where you’re wrong.  Do you know every single thought going through my brain?  No you don’t.  Do you really believe that you’re right about every single thing you’ve said?  I’m damn sure that the answer to the question is a no.  This is going to be a hell of a fight, and all I know is that I’m going to take you into a place where pain is the currency.  There won’t be any bandages to heal the scars I’m going to place on you.  If I have to leave you in a pile of your own blood and sweat, I’ll do it.  If I have to be taken to a hospital right after this match, I’ll do it.  If I have to risk my own life to win, I’ll do it.  My last question to you, Imp, is: Will you do anything it takes to beat me in the biggest match of my career?  I expect you to blab about how you have a god-complex and believe you can never be touched by a newbie like me, but think about it.  Really think about what is going to happen this Sunday, and imagine what you will look like after the match ends.  I will win.  You may be the machine, but I’m the man who can shut you off.  

FEEL THE FIRE, Y2IMPACT.  IT WON’T JUST BURN YOU; IT’LL CONSUME YOU.

[The end of the match plays as Fiora takes the victory.  The mysterious individual is seen down and out.  Nathan is looking at the camera as he celebrates.  The scene fades to black.]

 

Rex McAllister, I know you are a dummy, but I never thought you are really this dumb. I really feel sorry for you because apparently you really dot know what it takes to win this match. But hey, I do know you have a problem inside your little stupid head, so I’ll be gladly to tell you, dummy.

What does it take to win this Battle Royal match? It’s simple. It’s just the passionate to be the best. It’s something you really lacked off, Rex. It’s something you don’t really have. You have worked hard to achieve your oh, so-called accomplishment? Don’t make me laugh. To me you sound like you are really proud of being the second best. To me you sound like you are really proud of getting your ass kicked by few different multiple-time champion in a few different occassions. See? That’s your problem. You are really just single-minded.  You are just a dummy. I won’t be satistified just to be the second best. I want to be the best. Not only that, I really want to be the best of the best. In order to do so, I really want to win this Battle Royal match. The National Elite Champion is a very first good steep to be the best of the best, and I won’t let any of you dummies to take that away from me. I simply have the constant desire to be the best of the best, you don’t. Want to get angry even more? Go ahead. It’s just a prove that you have a garbage mentality, dummy.

Now, Kurt Burton, I really appreciate it when you made that poem for me. So please, let me return the favor to you.

Kurt Burton, you look like Eric Young.
Pretending you are still young.
You better watch that tongue.
Or I’ll send you to a barong.

You wish you can sing a song.
But you know you can’t prove me wrong.
Ouch, I’m sorry Kurt, here’s your ding-dong.
Now you can have it for all night long.

You wish you are a king-kong.
But you are not really that strong.
You just look like a dugong.
And I’ll throw you out into a gong.

A’right, I’m done Kurt. I won’t see you in Hell. I’ll see you in the ring when I throw you out over the top rope, dummy.

(Black Sven stands in the backstage, with a crazy look on his face as he wobbles his head)

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP 'EM ALL!!! The waves that come crashing down on this company have brought me! And how happy I was when I got in here! That now I can scream as much as I want! I can scream like there is nobody there to hear me! I will not scream of fear, but of rage-ess-ness! I will scream as chair shots will fly left and left! I will scream out happiness and glee when I will see blood! When my enemy will scream of pain, I will scream with him of pleasure!

(Black Sven stops with movement of his head and stands still almost like he is not breathing)

The condition that this "wrestling" company is lacks one of the most important elements: the lack of rules! You don't see the normal hardcore or extreme rules match everyday! You see a good dose of madness when it comes to pay per views when moronic people pay a large sum of money to see matches that will tear down and destroy the bodies of the people in them! But that is all! I want to draw blood! I want to see blood flowing like a river from the mat to the backstages! Yes, my desire migth come off as crazy! I might come out as some sort of psychopath! But to a simple mind...I am one! My desire does not exist because I have a morbid pleasure in seeing blood, but because there needs to be a change to the more "tame" matches that are on the card! EAW has four shows, and the main events of those shows consists of three one on one matches and one tag team match. The lower card doesn't look any better if we look at it! Even the titles matches are...normal! EAW  need to bring back to life what it once used to be! HARD-CORE! And while there might be a talk about a Hardcore Championship on Voltage, that doesn't change much! Because even if there is a single championship with the name Hardcore, that might or might not be defended under Hardcore rules, that will not change the situation of EAW!

(Black Sven's eyes start to move around like they searching every spot of the area, his head start to wobbel again)

I'll zap 'em till they die! KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILLYOUALLWITHTHEFIRSTCHANCE! ONE CHAIR! TWO CHAIR! THREE CHAIR! I will turn this place into a blood bath! I want to see blood flow like a river and I will see it! This mad-ening-ness vision that I have comes to me and shows me that there are so much to be done. This mad-ening-ness vision tells me what I will and what I can do! It speaks stories that sooth me, like mama giving me tit or dada keeping me in chains for begin a good boy! This vision has lead me here! And I will make this vision proud like I did my dada when I broke his arm! EAW will have the pleasure of hearing more screams than a maternity ward and it will have the pleasure of hearing more cries of help-less-ess-ness than little children going into the gas chamber! If there is hope for change then change shall be made in blood! And I will dance with all the blood raining around me!

(Black Sven grins with all his teeth showing as the camera fades to black)

V, if you were to observe yourself from the perspective of another, what do you think you would see? Would you be led to believe that others perceive things as you do, or would you maintain the excuse that what you see through the eyes of an other results from what you would label as their own simple minded ways? The notion that plagues you now is that what you perceive through your eyes now is the actual reality things, but what you'd witness through the perspective of another would be just that.

I don't represent or honor a color. Black is merely the color associated with darkness. In the absent of light, blackness is what takes root. Darkness is composed of things much more. Things beyond normal comprehension. I'm far from a villainous being. If you acknowledged events that don't directly correlate to you, then you'd be aware that I'm something different than the common hero or villain that many associate with light and darkness. I once aspired to revitalize this company by letting darkness take route and purge it of the impurities instilled into EAW by the hands of man. For a while after that I began to aspire the opposite. I desired the complete eradication of what I previously wanted to restore. I felt that even if darkness purified it, the same things that plagued it to begin with would come back and leave it in the state it was when I first found it. It's men like you who are responsible for these happenings. Your actions affect more than just yourself. They can have direct influence over numerous topics and things that far exceed your range of observation. I'm now teetering between the two. That's why I seek an answer. Should I once again pursue the route that was my primary objective when I was known as Erebus or should I fully recommit myself to destruction? You influence both sides, V. The part that wants to allow EAW to flourish wants to cleanse you of your self-imposed delusions. The other half is appalled that one man can lead himself down such a ridiculous path and things I'd be better off by eliminating you so you would no longer prove to be a nuisance. One way or another, something has to give.

Darkness isn't hollow. Darkness is more abundant than light and more pure. When light is present, darkness is merely dispersed else where. Once that area becomes void of light, darkness is free to return. Light is limited to where it can reach while darkness on the other hand is limitless. If light pierced darkness, It would merely consume it and darkness would cover the wound it seemingly inflicted. The irony of you claiming I incorporate my own fantasies into my agendas is appalling. Claiming that I hide behind face paint when you take shelter behind a mask his hypocrisy at its finest. If I fall, V, then where will I go? I'd plummet into the depths of darkness. I'd rise again from its depths rejuvenated and more composed than before. People fear what they cannot see but without light, darkness is visible. They just fear what dwells within that darkness. I dwell within darkness. I'm an individual that once commanded fear and I will do so once again.