"Greetings and Salutations everyone! It has been quite some time since I, Finnegan Wakefield, have had the privilege to address you, the EAW Universe. In that time, a lot has changed both for myself and to EAW as a whole so if I would beg your indulgence for a few moments, allow me to set the scene for you.

June 25th, Pain for Pride X; EAW's biggest show of the year. I was a member of Friday Night Dynasty, competing in an Ultimate X match for the EAW New Breed Championship. I was fingertips away from living a dream I have had since I was but a child, literally fingertips away from becoming a champion. However, it was not to be and I was left wondering one thing; what is next for Finnegan Wakefield? July 1st, I got half of my answer. As a result of the EAW Draft, I migrated from the brand where I cut my teeth to Sunday Night Voltage and found myself a little lost in the shuffle with this Interwire Championship tournament. Voltage presents a tonne of competition from people I have had the privilege of watching but yet not the privilege of stepping in the ring with myself. There were some familiar faces, of course, especially my fellow at the time Dynasty competitors but there was one familiar face that stood out among the others. A man who holds the championship I thought I had all but lost; Moongoose McQueen. July 7th, I was unsure whether it was coincidence or fate, but it was the definition of opportunity. I confronted McQueen and challenged him to a match for the New Breed Championship and, after a little pushing, he accepted.

A time and place were not determined until just a little under 24 hours ago. This match wasn't going to take place on Voltage, but rather a much more special occasion; in the main event of the official return of the NEO brand. On the return of a brand created to showcase the future of EAW, could there be a more fitting place to host a match between the New Breed Champion and one of the hardest working men in the division? I couldn't think of one better myself. An event fittingly titled Uprising no less. Suddenly, all the doubt and concerns I had about the future of Finnegan Wakefield disappeared as if by, for the want of a better phrase, divine intervention. Because now it has become clear that I have a destiny, a prophecy if you will, and that prophecy needed to be self-fulfilling. And that prophecy hasn't changed since coming to EAW because I feel it impossible to move past it until I have achieved it; becoming the EAW New Breed Champion. A championship that transcends the borders of EAW, with challengers lining up from Dynasty, Showdown, Voltage and now NEO, has been one of the most competitive championships in EAW's lineage and yet, a lot of people see it as something of lesser value. Many believe it's value to be laughable, a title for the rookies to fight over while the big boys fight for prizes that close shows and sell tickets. In the eyes of myself, this title holds similar value to the National Elite, Interwire and Hardcore titles, as they have launched their careers into the headlines with their tenures as those respective championships, the New Breed title launched their careers into the next stage. It may not be the be all and end all, but it very much is the first real step to becoming one of the best in the business, if not the world.

So it is ever so fitting that the one thing I have to do to obtain the New Breed Championship and progress my wrestling career forward involves facing a reoccurring figure of my past and defeating him. Moongoose McQueen and I have faced each other twice now, teamed together begrudgingly on two occasions, even going as far as to have a match go to a no contest due to a pre-match attack and it's safe to say there is no love lost between he and I since. I'll give McQueen credit where credit is due. He won Ultimate X fair and square, completely by the rules of the match. He defended the championship admirably against Lucas Johnson on the Draft Show, fair and square. But with Lucas Johnson defeated and Chris Elite now preoccupied chasing the Interwire Championship, I am the only man with a claim to the championship remaining. Because although the history books will show I lost at Pain for Pride, I was far from defeated as Moongoose has yet to pin my shoulders to the mat or forced me to surrender. Whereas I, pardon me for opening old wounds, have pinned Moongoose McQueen in the past albeit during my more rookie days. Since I have only improved since then, I wish to test in a straight up one-on-one match whether or not that past result was, in his words, a fluke. Or, if possible, the results of Ultimate X would have been much different.

McQueen, we have shared many words with one another over the past few months. You have come to eat some of yours and I have come to eat some of mine. This is an opportunity I can not afford to lose. And if I have to end your reign as New Breed Champion before it really begins, so be it. Because I know I can be a proud New Breed Champion and I know I can defeat you for it. But I also know you, possibly better than anyone else in EAW, that you are not going to make it easy for me. And to be honest, that's how I prefer it. Last season is a chapter written, finished and in the past. This season is a new chapter, a clean slate, one in which I am willing to prove myself further by fighting harder than ever before. And that chapter starts with you and defeating you for the New Breed Championship. July 16th, San Diego, California. NEO Uprising, we've made the main event, we've made the posters. All that's left to make is the definitive result."