Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2012 21:27:32 GMT -6
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A set of candles flicker in the large dining room of Kelly Fox, the light glistening on the crystals which drape from the chandelier above the table as a roaring fire burns at the back of the room, filling the room with a cosy warmth despite the cold feeling between the occupants. Hannah takes a few delicate nibbles from her plate as Verona taps a single fingers obsessively, taking a sip of wine as he sits uncomfortably watching Kelly and Adam, who stare back at him, the latter with a clear look of pure annoyance at the Italian’s presence in his home. Suddenly, Kelly interrupts the awkward silence with some small talk.
So where did you two love birds meet?
None of your business.
Verona mutters under his breath, taking another sip of wine.
We met in Chicago.
How wonderful, was it love at first sight?
I like to think so, one minute I was getting ready to curl up on the couch with a bucket of ice cream and the next I find my plans are shattered by a charming young man from Italy moving in down the corridor.
Very touching.
Well, underneath that rough exterior lies the heart of a sweet and caring man.
Adam can barely contain himself as he bursts out laughing, trying his best to compose himself.
Heh….
What are you laughing at you jack ass, a few weeks ago you went to hunt down a man in another country because he gave your wife a boo boo.
You sanctimonious little ****….
Before the tension can raise any further Kelly places a calming hand on Adam’s and smile politely at him.
Adam, honey, remember what we talked about?
Begrudgingly, Adam takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down, taking a few swigs of alcohol to dull the rage.
Besides, these are our guests.
Verona grins cockily across the table.
Yes Adam, behave yourself.
Hanna turns and glares at Roberto who rolls his eyes at having his fun spoilt as Kelly suddenly stands up with a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other, quickly rattling the two together to gain everybody’s attention.
If you’d allow me to beg your indulgences for a moment, I’d like to make a toast. I’d like to welcome Hannah Reed to the Kelly Fox administration at New Championship Wrestling, I am sure it will be a business relationship that flourishes for years to come.
You’ve got to be kidding me….
Hannah is clearly touched, despite Verona’s scepticism.
Thank you very much, I’m very honoured. This is such a wonderful gesture.
Well, we here at NCW like to extend a warm welcome to all of our employees.
Verona quickly interjects, once again trying to get under Kelly’s skin.
How many of them do you like to butter up with wine?
Only the very best. You know Roberto I’m really quite surprised you aren’t being more supportive of your wonderful girlfriends success, do I detect a hint of jealousy.
Hannah does her best to intervene.
Please Kelly, Roberto had every right to be angry with me.
For furthering your career?
For lying about it, as you damn well know.
There’s no need to be rude.
Suddenly, Verona loses all of his composure as his anger gets the best of him.
Cut the crap, what is this all really about? Just an opportunity to brag about trying to dismantle my long term relationship to get one over me? You know I always knew you were vindictive Kelly, but I never realised you were willing to go these lengths to rub salt in the wounds.
I hired your girlfriend because of her qualifications and credentials, Roberto, as hard as that is for you fathom.
That isn’t what I have a hard time understanding, it is all this, it’s just a manufactured evening that is betrayed by reality. We all know you don’t give a crap about me winning the Road to the Gold, hell I’m pretty sure you wish Little Miss Soon-To-Be-Baldylocks over there had punted my head off of my shoulders.
You can’t just enjoy a pleasant evening can you, Verona? There always has to be an ulterior motive, some vast conspiracy designed to undermine you.
If you were anybody else I’d perhaps trick myself into believing this was all just an innocent little get together.
Shaking her head, Kelly turns to Adam.
Adam, would mind showing Hannah the projections for this month, I need her to familiarise herself with where we are at for the meeting with our investors next month.
Whatever you want.
Adam kisses Kelly on the cheek before standing up and walking towards the doorway.
Ms. Reed, please follow me.
Oh, I, erm, thank you.
Hannah leans into Verona, whispering in his ear.
Please Roberto, be careful.
With that she stands up, walking towards Adam before turning to Roberto.
For me.
Hannah smiles before turning around and following Adam who shoots one last scowl at Roberto who waves mockingly at him before the door closes and he is left alone with Kelly. Turning quickly he interjects before Kelly can even react.
You can stop the act for Hannah’s sake now, Kelly.
Why? It was so much fun. A girl has to have her vices, torturing you just happens to be one of mine.
Real cute. So what’s the plan? Is Curtis going to jump out of a cake and cave my head in with a sledgehammer? Xander the Clown going to hit me with a Widowmaker?
Suddenly, Kelly produces a stack of paper, neatly clipped together with the NCW corporate logo emblazoned across the top of the page. Smiling, she pushes it across the table to Verona who looks a little confused.
What’s this?
Everything you ever dreamed of.
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A set of candles flicker in the large dining room of Kelly Fox, the light glistening on the crystals which drape from the chandelier above the table as a roaring fire burns at the back of the room, filling the room with a cosy warmth despite the cold feeling between the occupants. Hannah takes a few delicate nibbles from her plate as Verona taps a single fingers obsessively, taking a sip of wine as he sits uncomfortably watching Kelly and Adam, who stare back at him, the latter with a clear look of pure annoyance at the Italian’s presence in his home. Suddenly, Kelly interrupts the awkward silence with some small talk.
So where did you two love birds meet?
None of your business.
Verona mutters under his breath, taking another sip of wine.
We met in Chicago.
How wonderful, was it love at first sight?
I like to think so, one minute I was getting ready to curl up on the couch with a bucket of ice cream and the next I find my plans are shattered by a charming young man from Italy moving in down the corridor.
Very touching.
Well, underneath that rough exterior lies the heart of a sweet and caring man.
Adam can barely contain himself as he bursts out laughing, trying his best to compose himself.
Heh….
What are you laughing at you jack ass, a few weeks ago you went to hunt down a man in another country because he gave your wife a boo boo.
You sanctimonious little ****….
Before the tension can raise any further Kelly places a calming hand on Adam’s and smile politely at him.
Adam, honey, remember what we talked about?
Begrudgingly, Adam takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down, taking a few swigs of alcohol to dull the rage.
Besides, these are our guests.
Verona grins cockily across the table.
Yes Adam, behave yourself.
Hanna turns and glares at Roberto who rolls his eyes at having his fun spoilt as Kelly suddenly stands up with a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other, quickly rattling the two together to gain everybody’s attention.
If you’d allow me to beg your indulgences for a moment, I’d like to make a toast. I’d like to welcome Hannah Reed to the Kelly Fox administration at New Championship Wrestling, I am sure it will be a business relationship that flourishes for years to come.
You’ve got to be kidding me….
Hannah is clearly touched, despite Verona’s scepticism.
Thank you very much, I’m very honoured. This is such a wonderful gesture.
Well, we here at NCW like to extend a warm welcome to all of our employees.
Verona quickly interjects, once again trying to get under Kelly’s skin.
How many of them do you like to butter up with wine?
Only the very best. You know Roberto I’m really quite surprised you aren’t being more supportive of your wonderful girlfriends success, do I detect a hint of jealousy.
Hannah does her best to intervene.
Please Kelly, Roberto had every right to be angry with me.
For furthering your career?
For lying about it, as you damn well know.
There’s no need to be rude.
Suddenly, Verona loses all of his composure as his anger gets the best of him.
Cut the crap, what is this all really about? Just an opportunity to brag about trying to dismantle my long term relationship to get one over me? You know I always knew you were vindictive Kelly, but I never realised you were willing to go these lengths to rub salt in the wounds.
I hired your girlfriend because of her qualifications and credentials, Roberto, as hard as that is for you fathom.
That isn’t what I have a hard time understanding, it is all this, it’s just a manufactured evening that is betrayed by reality. We all know you don’t give a crap about me winning the Road to the Gold, hell I’m pretty sure you wish Little Miss Soon-To-Be-Baldylocks over there had punted my head off of my shoulders.
You can’t just enjoy a pleasant evening can you, Verona? There always has to be an ulterior motive, some vast conspiracy designed to undermine you.
If you were anybody else I’d perhaps trick myself into believing this was all just an innocent little get together.
Shaking her head, Kelly turns to Adam.
Adam, would mind showing Hannah the projections for this month, I need her to familiarise herself with where we are at for the meeting with our investors next month.
Whatever you want.
Adam kisses Kelly on the cheek before standing up and walking towards the doorway.
Ms. Reed, please follow me.
Oh, I, erm, thank you.
Hannah leans into Verona, whispering in his ear.
Please Roberto, be careful.
With that she stands up, walking towards Adam before turning to Roberto.
For me.
Hannah smiles before turning around and following Adam who shoots one last scowl at Roberto who waves mockingly at him before the door closes and he is left alone with Kelly. Turning quickly he interjects before Kelly can even react.
You can stop the act for Hannah’s sake now, Kelly.
Why? It was so much fun. A girl has to have her vices, torturing you just happens to be one of mine.
Real cute. So what’s the plan? Is Curtis going to jump out of a cake and cave my head in with a sledgehammer? Xander the Clown going to hit me with a Widowmaker?
Suddenly, Kelly produces a stack of paper, neatly clipped together with the NCW corporate logo emblazoned across the top of the page. Smiling, she pushes it across the table to Verona who looks a little confused.
What’s this?
Everything you ever dreamed of.
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I know what this means to you, Andrew.
This is your opportunity to vindicate yourself in the eyes of your peers, to legitimize your world championship reign and to solidify your name in history be resisting the challenge of the Road to the Gold challenger, against all the odds. There’s just one problem.
It doesn’t matter what you do this weekend.
I’ve sat here and I’ve listened, not just to you, but to the whole roster and amongst the macho chatter I hear one resounding opinion. Andrew Jacobsen sucks and is a complete waste of a champion, and quite frankly that’s the censored version. I’ve seen champions come and go but nobody in this federation seems to have received quite the same amount of vitriol for simply exploiting the same opportunity every member of this roster would do if they were given the chance. Quite what you’ve done to deserve it is anyone’s guess, but it reveals a very sad fact.
They will never respect you. Honestly, if beating Xander Famularo doesn’t earn you respect I am struggling to think what you would have to do to get it around here and that is a sad indictment of the fragile egos in that locker room. They treat you like a cancer, some sort of scumbag out to ruin the reputation of this federation by stinking up the joint on a nightly basis when the truth is, you’re probably the most genuine guy here. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you do what you think is right, yet regardless of what you do this Sunday you will still be seen as the second coming of Adolf Hitler.
If you win, you’ll gain no respect. If you lose, you’ll continue to be mocked. This really is a lose lose situation for you in terms of vindicating and justifying your title reign because I don’t even think curing cancer could see your reign legitimised by those who purport to be your superiors.
Do you want to know the saddest part about all this? Nobody has anything to gain from painting you as a worthless vessel who is merely keeping that belt warm. It makes pinning Xander look like a walk in the park and consequently makes him look like **** in the process, it makes the title seem utterly worthless and devoid of any value and frankly it doesn’t do any of these people any favours. Do they honestly think that if I beat you this weekend they are going to walk into a title shot? Or that if you beat me they are next in line to climb over my corpse whilst it is still warm?
Please.
The only thing these jackoffs will walk into is my fist. This is precisely why I turned my back on the locker room and denounced my revolutionary nirvana in the first place, they are all wolves masquerading as sheep. When they need something they are up your arse faster than you can say the word “Please, be gentle”, but when something doesn’t go their way that is when you see the nasty side of this business. The pointless sniping, the backstabbing and venomous tongue lashings. I know you like to believe that they view me as some sort of legitimate force, but frankly the moment I showed any weakness they tore me apart and made me out to be a perennial jobber just like you.
Hell, I’m sure there’s some who are sitting there right now who genuinely believe I don’t deserve to be in this match either.
You and I both know that this match is more than good enough to grace a main event at a major pay-per-view and more importantly, the NCW fans know it. The only people you need to justify yourself to Andrew is them and frankly, win or lose, they already respect you. You may feel like you’ve got to win to prove something to people, but you don’t, because you have the respect of the people who keep this business going with their hard earned money and support.
And at the end of the day, whose opinions really matters more?
The people we share the locker room with, or the people who effectively pay our wages? Maybe a win will turn some people around, but in all honesty we both know that you can do nothing to change anybody’s opinion of you from a negative to a positive, but what you can do is continue to fulfil the belief those fans have in you.
Win or lose.
I know we both feel that neither of us can lose this week, but the truth of the matter is that in the long run, we can, but that doesn’t make for good television. As long as you leave everything in that ring, the crowd will respect you whether you have that belt around your waist or not and frankly, even if Jesus himself walked to the ring and recommended you as a brilliant champion our colleagues would still hate you.
But who cares what they think? This is our moment.
I’m going to go out there and throw my very best at you Andrew, and win or lose, I am going to hold me head up high and continue to not give a flying **** what these parasitic leeches think of me. We may not be so alike but if there is anything I can give you this weekend, beyond an ass kicking it this simple lesson.
Don’t value your self-worth on the jealous rambling of an incoherent mob who are just bitter that they weren’t in the right place at the right time and you were, this is a short career and you need to invest your energy into enjoying the things that really matter. The roar of the crowd which sends goose bumps up your arms, whether they love you or despise you. The adulation and appreciation they show each and every one of us for putting our bodies on the line every single time we go out there.
Give it your best shot Andrew, because when it is all said and done, as long as you do you’ll have cemented your legacy in their eyes.
I’m coming to the Road to the Gold to win and to fulfil my potential, but no matter what happens out there, you’ve earned my respect. You’re every inch a champion, just like I will be when I beat you this Sunday because just like you, I will not play parley to defeat unless I’m forced to do so and even if I have to break my body and soul this weekend, I will do anything it takes to be the next NCW World Champion.
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Kelly and Verona sit in complete silence as Roberto clutches the piece of paper in his hand, his eyes darting frantically over the words as he tries to comprehend what is happening. Kelly sits leaned forward, her elbows on the table and her fingers arched into a pyramid as she waits patiently for her nemesis to finish digesting the bitter pill she has forced down his throat. Suddenly Verona puts the contract down and looks up at Kelly.
You know that I can’t accept this.
Why not? Because of whose offering?
In a round about way, yes.
I’m not the monster you portray me as Roberto, cut away all of the **** we sling at one another and you know we are both very similar. I want what is best for NCW and you want what is best for your career.
Verona’s face suddenly becomes awash with contempt.
I built my career on my own.
And I have built a better wrestling federation than my father ever could in under a year, all by myself.
Verona scoffs.
By accumulating all of the best talent under your tutelage, rendering them lifeless puppets in the process. I don’t want to become a bitter, twisted monster like Xander or a love sick giant like Lex.
You think this is all about control for me Roberto?
Why else would you push a lucrative contract under my nose?
Because you have earned it.
That doesn’t wash with me, this is about pushing a debt on me that you will consistently keep wracking the interest up on. If you just wanted to give me what I deserved, you’d have done it months ago after all of the probing Hannah did.
Maybe I’ve only just come to realise your potential worth to me?
Funny you should reach an epiphany when your hired guns are beginning to lose their grip on the federation.
This isn’t about building a debt to me Verona, this is about doing what is best for business. I need to inspire my best talents to push themselves to greater heights to maximise my profits and to cement my legacy as the CEO of NCW. You were right, I have been holding off from offering you the terms you deserve because quite frankly you’ve been a pain in my ass.
Suddenly the fire in Kelly’s voice ignites as she almost launches herself out of her seat.
The moment I was thrust into this position by my closest friends after they beat my father into a coma you were on my case imploring me to do the right thing and when what I felt the right thing was didn’t stack up with your ideal you turned on me. Week after week you spat venom in my direction, you constantly undermined my credibility as CEO all because I didn’t do as I was told.
I betrayed you? Are you serious? Kelly I stood by you and supported you right up until the day you ditched me like a bad smell because I made one little mistake and didn’t beat Ricky Johnson. All because you didn’t get your own way you unleashed a monster on NCW to get beck the control you constantly crave.
That’s unfair!
Is it? Look at you? You’ve invited the man you hate more than anybody else to a grandiose dinner, treated him like a King and then tried to pour poison in his ear and get him to sign away his freedom all because you are afraid that you may not have any control over the next guy to strike it big in this company.
Verona smiles and leans forward across the table, projecting his voice back in Kelly’s direction.
You’re worried that no matter what happens at the Road to the Gold that you will finally not have complete control over the direction of this company. When Andrew won you hoped it would just be a blip and somebody you could manipulate would storm through the Road to the Gold so you could make sure that the focal point of the company was back in corporate hands. Then I won and you’ve **** yourself.
You really think that little of me, huh?
You’re just like everybody else who gets a sniff of power, it wets your appetite and excites your taste buds and when you cannot find a steady supply of the drug you crave you begin to become desperate, clawing and scratching for any option you can find to get back the high you grew so euphoric over.
Kelly sighs and shakes her head, her patience wearing thin.
Are you going to sign the contract or not?
I think we both know the answer to that don’t we, Kelly?
This is a one-time offer Verona, I don’t make humbling myself to men like you a habit. If you walk away, I’m going to make sure somebody else gets this opportunity and you will live to regret it when I make somebody else a star.
And that’s why this would never work Kelly, you think you can make me a star, arrogantly ignoring the fact that I have done that all by myself. You could promise me the world, but I will never be your pawn.
Roberto pushes himself backwards, rising up from the chair as he maintains eye contact with Kelly.
Where do you think you’re going?
To get myself ready for my moment. Win or lose, I got there by myself and I am going to walk out of there, belt or not belt, on my own. You can fill the bank account of somebody else, I will never be your puppet, you were naïve to think that this would ever work.
Roberto pushes the chair under the table, sliding the contract into his jacket pocket as some sort of trophy before nodding at Kelly, a sly grin across his face as he walks away in triumph. Kelly stares a hole through his back, her eye brows furrowing as she contains her rage, her fingers tightening around the stem of her wine glass as her knuckles turn white. When Verona is out of earshot she produces a mobile phone, handily hidden between her breasts, and she types in a few numbers before raising the device to her ear, a strict and rigid tone in her voice.
Xander? We need to talk.
Kelly pauses, continuing to look at the back of Verona as he walks down the corridor towards the front door.
I need to send somebody a message.
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Kelly and Verona sit in complete silence as Roberto clutches the piece of paper in his hand, his eyes darting frantically over the words as he tries to comprehend what is happening. Kelly sits leaned forward, her elbows on the table and her fingers arched into a pyramid as she waits patiently for her nemesis to finish digesting the bitter pill she has forced down his throat. Suddenly Verona puts the contract down and looks up at Kelly.
You know that I can’t accept this.
Why not? Because of whose offering?
In a round about way, yes.
I’m not the monster you portray me as Roberto, cut away all of the **** we sling at one another and you know we are both very similar. I want what is best for NCW and you want what is best for your career.
Verona’s face suddenly becomes awash with contempt.
I built my career on my own.
And I have built a better wrestling federation than my father ever could in under a year, all by myself.
Verona scoffs.
By accumulating all of the best talent under your tutelage, rendering them lifeless puppets in the process. I don’t want to become a bitter, twisted monster like Xander or a love sick giant like Lex.
You think this is all about control for me Roberto?
Why else would you push a lucrative contract under my nose?
Because you have earned it.
That doesn’t wash with me, this is about pushing a debt on me that you will consistently keep wracking the interest up on. If you just wanted to give me what I deserved, you’d have done it months ago after all of the probing Hannah did.
Maybe I’ve only just come to realise your potential worth to me?
Funny you should reach an epiphany when your hired guns are beginning to lose their grip on the federation.
This isn’t about building a debt to me Verona, this is about doing what is best for business. I need to inspire my best talents to push themselves to greater heights to maximise my profits and to cement my legacy as the CEO of NCW. You were right, I have been holding off from offering you the terms you deserve because quite frankly you’ve been a pain in my ass.
Suddenly the fire in Kelly’s voice ignites as she almost launches herself out of her seat.
The moment I was thrust into this position by my closest friends after they beat my father into a coma you were on my case imploring me to do the right thing and when what I felt the right thing was didn’t stack up with your ideal you turned on me. Week after week you spat venom in my direction, you constantly undermined my credibility as CEO all because I didn’t do as I was told.
I betrayed you? Are you serious? Kelly I stood by you and supported you right up until the day you ditched me like a bad smell because I made one little mistake and didn’t beat Ricky Johnson. All because you didn’t get your own way you unleashed a monster on NCW to get beck the control you constantly crave.
That’s unfair!
Is it? Look at you? You’ve invited the man you hate more than anybody else to a grandiose dinner, treated him like a King and then tried to pour poison in his ear and get him to sign away his freedom all because you are afraid that you may not have any control over the next guy to strike it big in this company.
Verona smiles and leans forward across the table, projecting his voice back in Kelly’s direction.
You’re worried that no matter what happens at the Road to the Gold that you will finally not have complete control over the direction of this company. When Andrew won you hoped it would just be a blip and somebody you could manipulate would storm through the Road to the Gold so you could make sure that the focal point of the company was back in corporate hands. Then I won and you’ve **** yourself.
You really think that little of me, huh?
You’re just like everybody else who gets a sniff of power, it wets your appetite and excites your taste buds and when you cannot find a steady supply of the drug you crave you begin to become desperate, clawing and scratching for any option you can find to get back the high you grew so euphoric over.
Kelly sighs and shakes her head, her patience wearing thin.
Are you going to sign the contract or not?
I think we both know the answer to that don’t we, Kelly?
This is a one-time offer Verona, I don’t make humbling myself to men like you a habit. If you walk away, I’m going to make sure somebody else gets this opportunity and you will live to regret it when I make somebody else a star.
And that’s why this would never work Kelly, you think you can make me a star, arrogantly ignoring the fact that I have done that all by myself. You could promise me the world, but I will never be your pawn.
Roberto pushes himself backwards, rising up from the chair as he maintains eye contact with Kelly.
Where do you think you’re going?
To get myself ready for my moment. Win or lose, I got there by myself and I am going to walk out of there, belt or not belt, on my own. You can fill the bank account of somebody else, I will never be your puppet, you were naïve to think that this would ever work.
Roberto pushes the chair under the table, sliding the contract into his jacket pocket as some sort of trophy before nodding at Kelly, a sly grin across his face as he walks away in triumph. Kelly stares a hole through his back, her eye brows furrowing as she contains her rage, her fingers tightening around the stem of her wine glass as her knuckles turn white. When Verona is out of earshot she produces a mobile phone, handily hidden between her breasts, and she types in a few numbers before raising the device to her ear, a strict and rigid tone in her voice.
Xander? We need to talk.
Kelly pauses, continuing to look at the back of Verona as he walks down the corridor towards the front door.
I need to send somebody a message.
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This is my date with destiny.
Win or lose, this is the match where I can begin to solidify my legacy in this company, just like all of the previous winners of the Road to the Gold. Each and every one of them, whether they are still active or not, are former NCW World Champions. Granted, not all of them succeeded in capturing the gold after their victories in the tournament that has catapulted me back to the title scene, but it helped them build a career that included possessing that prestigious prize.
New Championship Wrestling has surrendered a great deal of its star power, this time last year we had Xander Famularo as the rising star of the company fighting against the likes of Angel, Rob Diamond, Steve Awesome, Spike Kane, Adam Knite and a whole plethora of legends and icons of the business.
Now?
The main event scene has depleted, most of those names which drew in the crowds have left and waltzed off into the sunset for a myriad of reasons and those who were tasked with replacing him have failed.
Todd Williams was so proud to be World Champion, but the moment he lost the belt he left again with his tail between his legs in a display that has become a permanent legacy of his career. When Ricky Johnson broke all the records and became the first ever Grand Slam champion and instead of carving out a legendary reign he immediately quit before tossing the belt back onto Xander who was nothing but a placeholder under the tutelage of the CEO of this company as we waited for somebody to beat him. Now that somebody did, the majority of the federation has decided he’s not worthy.
When our icons left us, nobody stood up to the plate to replace them.
Nobody.
Despite all the premature claims to greatness, all of the self-proclaimed “Saviours of NCW” and the puffed out chests, nobody has stood up the plate and cemented their spot at the head of this company to help breed a new period of glory.
Since Xander became champion, no one has followed in his footsteps. Every time there was an opportunity for a rush of new blood everybody has failed, and I include myself in that category. I should have ripped that belt out of Ricky’s hands and sent him off packing to the retirement home but I ****ed it up on the big stage. When Lex had his chance to step up he should have focused more on Todd Williams than Brad Kane and marched into the main event scene where he would undoubtedly thrive. Then Andrew won and sadly, despite it being a great chance for change, the majority are just too bitter to embrace it.
This year has been a tale of missed opportunities.
That is why I must stand up this weekend and force myself into the top of this federation, win or lose. I want to be an icon who is remembered forever as one of the best men to ever lace up a pair of boots and I must start by making the most of this incredible opportunity. Only five other men can lay claim to being the victor of the Road to the Gold, who were able to be ruthlessly efficient for weeks on end to finally cement their place opposite their respective world champions.
Now I can stand beside them and draw strength from the career the majority of them went on to have and look forward positively.
I rarely agree with Adam Knite, in fact I tend to go out of my way not to agree with that regal parasite, but everything he said last week struck a chord with me. So many men have embraced failure and become consumed by it and I almost fell victim to the same trap when I lost to Ricky. I threw so much into that match that I barely had anything left when he beat me, but somewhere deep down inside that desire to leave my mark kept me alive.
I’m ready for whatever happens this weekend.
I realise that defeat will send my back to the provinces licking my wounds, waiting intently for the next lottery to emerge victorious from and I will do everything it takes to avoid that eventuality, but I will not allow my fear of another stall in my career to impede me this weekend and to weigh me down.
I have a clear mind, void of any doubts or fears.
I know that I have to win to begin the story of a new icon and to save this company before it falls any further into the abyss under Kelly Fox as she throws whatever plaything she can find at Andrew until he finally capitulates and she has the belt back on somebody she can manipulate into her image.
I have to stand up and fulfil all of my potential and finally justify all of the hype that surrounds me, even after such a prolonged blip this summer. A victory will cement my place in the history books permanently, but a victory alone will not be enough.
Champions, they come and they go, but icons must do something special, something memorable, to always remain in the hearts and minds of the fans and the amateurs who look to us for inspiration. Simply becoming World Champion will not be enough….
But it will be the perfect start.
This isn’t personal this weekend, I hold no ill will towards my opponent and no matter how much everyone wants me to just tear into him and tell him how undeserving he is to be here, I refuse. I don’t need to take cheap pot shots because I will do all of my talking in the ring, I have no desire to create tension where there is none.
I am fighting Jacobsen purely because he is the man with the belt and I am the man who earned a shot at it. This isn’t a blood feud, of a final clash between former stable mates who always despised each other, it is a titanic clash on one of the biggest stages in professional wrestling for the more important prize.
This belt needs somebody to repair its reputation and this weekend, no matter what the result, I have no doubt that me and Andrew will prove just how much it means and help restore some pride to a belt which has been pissed on ever since it was taken from Xander way back in the first quarter of the year.
New Championship Wrestling needs Roberto Verona and all of those who share the hot prospect moniker to stand up and make themselves heard, to build new legacies that measure up to the stories from the past and to take our places alongside the immortals.
The legends of the past are gone, the legends of the future must stand up and earn that right.
This weekend, no matter what happens, I will begin my journey to the top of the food chain and to immortality.
I will be victorious, hell I must be, one way or the other.
Destiny doesn’t wait forever, and this week I must grab it by both hands and take my shot at glory. These chances do not come along often and they must never be squandered.
I learnt that lesson once already this year.
I have no intention of learning it again.