Ghost of Christmas Past

[Joe Everyman]

You could have been all I wanted
But you weren't honest
Now get in the ground
You choked off the surest of favors
But if you really loved me
You would have endured my world

So, it is now finally time. It finally time for the biggest match in my career. Alot of people love throwing that saying around, but this time, it's true. Before, it was my wins against JFK and Milo Holland, and then it was my first win over Spike Kane. After that, it was the Coliseum match. And even after that, it was my first match for the nCw World Heavyweight Championship. Even myself is guilty of throwing this around. And still even now, I am saying it. My first match against Lance Ryan was the biggest win of my current career. And then when I retained my championship against him the second time, it rose above even the first win. I have had alot of career altering matches against huge opponents, and still even now, I am saying this one thing...that it will be the biggest ever. This time, it's for real. The biggest feud nCw has seen all year is Joe Everyman and Lance Ryan. Everyone is talking about it, everyone is wagering on who will win. No match in the history of nCw has had more on the line for it's combatants than this match. I am not just saying this because I myself am in the match. I know what the stakes are. And if I was looking in on this match from the outside, I would just cringe and weep for the people in that very match. I wouldn't be able to comprehend going into a blood bath that those two men would have to endure. But alas...I am going to be in the middle of it.

Well if you're just as I presumed
A whore in sheep's clothing
F*cking up all I do
And if so here we stop
Then never again
Will you see this in your life

Lance, I am ready for this battle that we are about to embark on. But, instead of being ready, it seems that you have another dark thing on your mind. Over the past could weeks, you have talked alot about family. It seems family is a huge part of your life, as it should be. But it also seems like your family is your downfall as well. Wither it be just bad timing or karma, it seems family always gets in your way when you're about to have a huge match. You were more than ready to go toe to toe against your biggest threat, when a complication stepped in. Cassandra's grandfather has fallen ill. Just perfect timing isn't it, Lance? Weeks of preparation for this match, where you could finally capture the nCw National Championship...and this happens. I don't know if you believe in karma Lance, but I have never seen it stronger than right now. And if you ask me, this is all kind of funny. My family has always stuck by my side, no matter what was happening with me. I got calls from both of my parents, my uncles and aunts, brothers, all of them calling me just to check up on me. And even when I leveled Jack Hammond and showed my true self...they still loved and cared about me. Does your family do the same Lance?

Hang on to the glory at my right hand
Here laid to rest is our love ever longed
With truth on the shores of compassion
You seem to take premise to all of these songs

First off...your wife, Cassandra. Don't get butt hurt because there is another guy noticing your wife. And don't get all anal because I'm talking about her. I really hope you aren't one of those guys. But, as I was saying...it seems like Cassandra is always by your side. No matter what is going on, she's there to hold you and help you, just to make sure you feel loved. And yet...even with everything going on, she claims she 'needs some time away from you'. If you ask me, that is a really...poor thing of her to say. When couples need 'time away from each other', they are clearly having problems. I know her grandfather is in the hospital, but this is still a dark sign. Come on Lance, you can open up to me. We were once great friends. You can still tell me these things. Are you and Cassandra having troubles at home? I know people can hide these things from their jobs fairly easily...but sometimes it's obvious. Are you and her drifting apart at all Lance? Are you having troubles in bed? Does she not love you anymore? Come on Lance, there has to be a reason in there somewhere. I would hate for something like this to hamper you in any way for our match.

You stormed off to scar the armada
Like Jesus played martyr,
I'll drill through your hands
The stone for the curse you have blamed me
With love and devotion, I'll die as you sleep
But if you could just write me out
To neverless wonder... happy will I become
Be true that this is no option,
So with sin I condemn you
Demon play, demon out!

What about your parents, Lance? You don't talk about them much. But you yourself being a father, you could always know how it feels. My father, John, has always respected me and pushed me forward. He has never dropped me when I was falling. He never stopped caring when I needed it the most. He never stopped loving me, even when I wasn't exactly excelling at my career. Is your father the same Lance? Or does your father see you as I see you...a failure. If I had to guess, your father is proubly one of those real asshole dads. One of those who is never impressed, regardless of what you do. You could be a two time World Heavyweight Champion, you could be a former Tag Team Champion. And you could ever be in the nCw Hall of Fame...but that just isn't enough for him. He won't be happy until you bring in a few Super Bowl rings, Cy Young awards, Medal of Honors, Olympic gold medals, the works. I'm sure he wouldn't even be impressed if you defeated me. He would just sit there and laugh it off. But, I guess it is kind of laughable. It's laughable in the fact that it would never happen. And I believe he sees the same.

Hang on to the glory at my right hand
Here laid to rest is our love ever longed
With truth on the shores of compassion
You seem to take premise to all of these songs

What about siblings? If you do have any brothers or sisters, I've never heard of them. You see, sometimes in a business like this, it's good to have brothers. Some of the greatest wrestlers of all time had famous brothers or sisters, or had siblings who looked up to them. In my case, it's the latter. I have two brothers, Russell and James. Both of these men served in Iraq. My brother Russell, whom I presume you saw on the news, was killed by an enemy sniper. He was killed because he was protecting civilians and his own men. He was prestigious enough to achieve the rank of Major. He lead a platoon of fierce soldiers. And he died for his country. My other brother, James, is now a First Sergeant, still serving in Iraq as I speak. Every time I speak to him, I always ask him the same question...'Why do you do it?' And he always tells me the same thing. He says, 'It's because it's the thing I am best at'. So many people over the years have asked me why I keep doing what I'm doing. And it seems it escalated a little more each time I take a big loss under my belt. They always ask...why do I keep doing it? And I always have the same answers...because it is what I am best at. I look up to my brothers, because they are fighting for the good of our country. They have risked their lives more than once to fight for this great nation. All I can do is channel their souls and see if it propels me further.

One last kiss for you
One more wish to you
Please make up your mind girl...
I'd do anything for you
One last kiss for you
One more wish to you
Please make up your mind girl...
Before I hope you die

Lance, I bring these things up for a reason. Everyone's lives are shaped by their pasts. My past is filled with heartbreak, torment, joy, love, passion, hatred, destruction, greatness...everything people see on a daily basis. I have done some great things...I have also done some horrible ones. But after the day is done, I can always fall back on family. They were the first ones to congratulate me on my third National Championship win. They were all the encouragement I needed to beat you. It was their whispers that kept the National title around my waist after our second outing. It is always the echoes of the past that keep our present in check. No matter when people say that they are trying to forget their past, they always have that little flicker of their old selves in their eyes. I have tried to do this on more than one occasion. I tried to burn away my past. But it never works. I don't know if it was my subconscious, my heart, my soul...but it always kept my past alive in me. So many great moments, but so many horrific ones as well.

Do you let your past control you, Lance? Do you ever just sit down and look back. Maybe you see how great it used to be, and how you wish it was the same now. Or maybe, you see a dark void and hope that the future holds something brighter. My life is mixed with both. So many memories running around in my head. In our Lethal Lottery match this Sunday, I will have these thoughts going again. We have had eight total matches with each other now. My mind will be running through all of those this Sunday. I will see the past Lance Ryan, while fighting the present Lance Ryan. The former Icon, and it's run down future.

What I said on Collision is one hundred percent the truth, Lance. This Sunday, I will be the end of the Lance Ryan era. You had a great run. The past shows this. The echoes that still haunt me can never let me forget these moments. I know your past just as well as you do. I was once a disciple of Lance Ryan's Era. But no kingdoms endure the test of time. Eventually, even the strongest fortresses fall. Even the nobelist of us all fall to the sands of time. Even Gods die. The powerful become the powerless. Eras come to a close. The Lance Ryan Era will be nothing more than a footnote as the bottom of the Joe Everyman Legacy.

Eras will die...Legacies are forever.