Post by Lance "The Icon" Ryan on Jul 13, 2008 22:18:08 GMT -6
~*~*~When the lights go out and the game begins there is never a sure lock any day of the week. They say that in any sport when it is one on one there is the possibility that any team can win any day in any way. What then would you say about when four men get into the ring with one another in a hellacious ladder match and are all gunning for one prize, one golden title that represents everything to every member of this company and every wrestler that sets foot into this business. The nCw World Heavyweight Championship is what Trent Helms, Spike Kane, Joe Everyman and the incumbent Lance Ryan will be at war over on Sunday July 20, 2008 when they go to war at nCw Last Stand. For months and months now people have been decrying Lance Ryan and his ability to continue doing what he has done so far in his career here, and for months people have said that Dave Holland would beat Lance Ryan. Brad Kane would beat Lance Ryan. Trent Helms would beat Lance Ryan. Steve Awesome would beat Lance Ryan. Four huge names that have done it all in this business…done it all except for defeat Lance Ryan for the highest prize that any man can achieve. Now, heading into a huge match the calls are out again. The people are saying that this will likely be Lance Ryan’s last stand as the World Champion and that the time has truly come for Lance to drop the World Title and for a new face to emerge as the lead in nCw. The only debate seems to be whether the next world champion will be a former champion in Spike Kane, a former two time national champion in Joe Everyman or a man whose talent is out of this world in Trent Helms. Last Stand will indeed see four men fighting. Three men will be losers. One will walk away as the flag bearer for this amazing company and it seems that one man will walk away with his legacy and his record, but not his world title.~*~*~
In the world that you perceive
Who are your true enemies?
Is it those you do not know...
Or the ones you can't control
Does joy excite every nerve
From the 'Mistress' that you serve
Do you have the strength at all
To heed the final call
End the Reign!!!
~*~*~It is a summer evening, as can be seen by the setting sun and the beach that we can see. Two figures are seen walking together hand in hand along the beach just at the crest of the beach where the waves are trickling up onto the sand where the two of them are walking. The camera sets focus and we can make out that seemingly the young man that we see is in fact a young Lance Ryan although we do not recognize the young lady that is with him. The two are walking along and the love can definitely be seen in their body language as they chat amongst themselves.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: …So it’s incredible. Allan got me my very first show. I am getting paid to go have a fight in Toronto with this kid named Adam Copeland. It’s a small payday, but let’s be honest it’s definitely a start babe. This could be the beginning of the huge break that I have been looking for. We could have the huge house, the sports car, little Lance’s running wild around the house like banshees…I am so excited for all of this.
Woman: Yes, I hope that it all goes well for you. I want to start planning for our future and if you make it as big as I think you can then I believe that we will have more than enough to get by on. I am so glad that we found each other. I can’t imagine getting on without you in my life now, most of all I can’t imagine raising a family with anyone else, and who knows maybe we will start having children sooner rather than later.
Lance Ryan: Now slow down there sweetheart. One step at a time. This isn’t the big leagues yet, this is just ONE small indie show. Let’s not jump the gun on this children thing just yet. I would rather wait until we have the money and the life to support another human being. The last thing that I want is to have some kid raised the way that I was. Waiting is definitely a good thing Jessica.
Jessica: What if waiting wasn’t an option?
Lance Ryan: Waiting is always an option, I mean you can always make the decision to…
~*~*~Lance stops walking and looks at Jessica. She is beaming from ear to ear and she nods at Lance.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Oh ****…
Jessica: That is not the reaction that I was looking for. I was hoping for a kiss, and maybe a spin in your arms…what do you mean “oh ****”?
~*~*~Lance slumps down into the sand on the beach and hangs his head down into his hands. He lets go of Jessica’s hand and Jessica crosses her arms glaring down at Lance.~*~*~[/i]
Jessica: All these years you told me that you would not be one of those scum bag boyfriends…you told me that if we got pregnant you would be there for me forever. We would be together forever and we would make that baby’s life the best life that we possibly could. Now, here you are at the moment of truth, your offspring is slowly starting to grow inside of my womb and all that you can say is “oh ****”? You are just like all of the other assholes out there that leave there baby’s mama when she finds out that she is pregnant. You are just like every other asshole out there. I always thought that you were special. Now the truth comes out, you are a liar and you will never become anything in this life. You know what…so be it…good luck with your wrestling career. I hope that Adam Copeland ends it before it can take off.
~*~*~With that Jessica storms off down the sandy beach by herself. Lance doesn’t look up at her however as he seems content to let her go.~*~*~[/i]
~*~*~The scene cuts out and fades to black and we hear Lance’s voice but we don’t get any images on our screen.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: And that was it. With that I made the biggest decision of my life to that point and the decision that I would still say was the hardest damn decision that I ever made in my life. Sitting there on that beach I knew that it was either Jessica and that baby, or my wrestling career. I knew that if I didn’t go after my dreams I would forever regret it and I would end up doing something that I didn’t enjoy for my entire life. Too many, as Jessica said so may years ago, would have made that decision much easier than I did. The decision to run away when the word child is said is a very common reaction in people these days. A man is very capable of spreading his seed and then when it comes time to own up and be a father….he runs. I was not, nor will I ever be that man. Sure, I left her behind, but you can ask anyone, from that first show when I faced Adam to the last paycheck that I made the day before Jamie turned eighteen I sent her a piece of it. We were so young…after that day when she walked away from me on the beach she told me that she didn’t know if she could face having me come in and out of her life all the time, and I agreed. I said that I would support the two of them, but because I had things that I needed to do…I said that I would stay out of their lives. Those were the two sacrifices that I made at an early age that I regret to this day often times. I turned down a wife, a child and a very happy family all for this wrestling business. But the reality is that at the same time, those sacrifices paid off in the long run. In letting her leave me on that beach I chose a path that provided a very good life for myself, for Jessica and for Jamie. I lost a lot, but in the end all parties involved gained. That is what sacrifice is all about. Sacrifice is letting something go that you cherish so that you can attain something better.
~*~*~The black on our screens is finally filled with images and we see Lance Ryan sitting in a steel chair in front of the wrestling ring at his personal gym. Inside the ring there is a ladder set up and Lance’s nCw World Title is hanging from the rafters in much the same way that it will be on Sunday at Last Stand. Lance is dressed in a pair of torn blue jeans and he has on a simple black t-shirt. He is staring up into the ring and he has a fairly generic look to him, not showing any emotion at all.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: That was not the only time that sacrifice was a huge part of my life. I have given up many things in my lifetime. I have always put everything on the line much in the same way that hardcore gamblers decide to let it ride when they are on a winning streak. I am a firm believer in karma and that whatever you put out there is what you will reap. That is why I have had so much success in my career and that is why I am where I am today.
This Sunday is not going to be any different. I know that the odds are stacked against me. It is never good for the champion when he is set to take on three challengers at one time. It is especially not good for a champion when there are so many also-rans flying around this match. Friends of the challengers, team mates of the challengers…all of them waiting for that chance to capitalize on a fallen champion and help their man come home with the gold. I realize that the odds are against me because I choose to walk this road to my Last Stand alone. I don’t bring a stable with me, I don’t bring a tag team partner with me…I come alone. You see this ladder match is something that I excel at. I realize that very seldom in my career have I been involved in a ladder match, but the fact is that ladder matches revolve around that one thing that I keep bearing mention to, sacrifice.
The ladder match has always been about the most innovative, the most insane and the most reckless competitors. This match is no different, and add to those factors the fact that my World Title will hang above the ring much like it does now, and you have a very volatile environment.
~*~*~Lance rises to his feet and he slowly walks to the apron of the ring and he runs his hand along the apron.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: You see. I have now spent twenty years in and around wrestling rings much like the one that I will put my title on the line in this Sunday. I have put more of my own blood, sweat and tears into wrestling rings around the world than would be found on the scene of some wars.
~*~*~Lance hops up and puts himself in a seated position on the apron, facing out to where the crowd would generally be.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: So many times I have found myself sitting here on the ledge of the ring staring out into where the crowd would be later in the night and thinking to myself just how amazing it is, and how lucky I am to be able to perform the way that I do night in and night out.
~*~*~Lance gets to his feet and steps into the ring now and stops and stares at the ladder before him now. He stands staring at the ladder as he continues to speak.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: But this ladder. It adds an element that I am not very familiar with, and one that I am most definitely not comfortable with. They say that fatal four way matches are very hard on a wrestler and extremely dangerous. That is when they do not include a ladder match. When you put a ladder, tables and chairs around the ring you make any match more dangerous. It is not the men that I will be taking on that I worry about, rather it is the variables of metal and wood that will be scattered where I will be taking falls that concerns me. That is where sacrifice comes in. There is no amount of pain that I can possibly go through that will make me stop fighting, there is nothing that these three men can do to me that will prevent me from reclaiming my title that will be well above all of our heads.
~*~*~Lance walks up to the ladder now and touches four of the rungs with his right hand slowly. From the bottom to the fourth rung.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Four rungs I will need to climb to be able to reach my title. One rung for each of the obstacles in my way.
~*~*~Lance steps with both feet onto the first rung off of the mat.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The first obstacle before I get into the big ones is of course the psychological aspect. I will be open and honest about the fact that I have likely been in less ladder matches than anyone else in this match, and because of that there is an extra amount of psychology that goes into prepping for this match for me. To be successful in this match I am going to have to get my mind to the right place where I know that I can win. The place in my mind where I know that tables ladders chairs or not I am the World Champion and there is nobody in this business that can touch me. Now a word to the unwise…that being Trent, Spike and Joe…don’t worry yourselves with that fact. It will not be a factor when I get into the ring on Sunday, by then my pensiveness will be completely gone. That is why this is the bottom rung. I know that this psychology will be the easiest of my obstacles to overcome.
~*~*~Lance now steps up with both feet onto the second rung of the ladder.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: This brings me to the second obstacle; the second easiest to overcome if you will. That obstacle is none other than the two time National Champion Joe Everyman. Joe, there are plenty of reasons that you are going to be the second easiest obstacle to overcome. Where should I start? Perhaps I should start by mentioning this disgusting adoration that you seem to have for me. Every time I turn around I hear that Joe Everyman is feeling grateful to be in a match with Lance Ryan…I hear that you have been waiting for this moment since your arrival here in nCw…I hear that you are flattered to be wrestling with me for MY prize. Joe…I am sorry but I will not make out with you. Kissing my ass is not going to get you anywhere. Let’s look at reality. I know that I am better than you, my track record shows that I am not just a little bit better than you, but worlds apart from you. Sure, you are an up and comer, sure you will likely one day have your spot in the limelight, but look around you. How on earth do you expect to compete with the likes of Spike Kane, Trent Helms and Lance Ryan? Come now baby boy, you are but a patch of green grass in fields of greatness. We are three men that are known throughout the world for being the best of the best. Joe Everyman…you are exactly that…there are still cities that you could walk downtown in and not be recognized by a solitary human being. You are something Joe Everyman, but a main event wrestler you are not.
You see, I was where you are once. I remember my first real glimpse of glory in this business. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the cheers the chants and the flashbulbs. I remember feeling sick to my stomach as I could feel my chest beating with the base of the fans clapping. Yes, Joe…National Championship material you are…World Title material you are not. You are going to be awash with emotion on Sunday. You are going to be overcome by your surroundings and that will be your downfall. This is not the kind of match where you can be distracted. Distraction leads to a chair across the skull, a body through a table, or a ladder gash to your leg. Joe…you are the second rung.
~*~*~Lance now climbs up to the third rung of the ladder and looks up to the title.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The third rung is one that I am quite familiar with. He is someone that has been to the top rung of this company before. He is someone that knows what it’s like to be main eventing with Lance Ryan. He is someone that knows what the base of the fans, the boos of the fans and flashes from the cameras feels like. He is tried, he is tested, but he is indeed not true. Spike Kane is about as far from truth and honesty as anyone can possibly be. Spike Kane…you are what comes to mind when I think of the word putrid.
Spike, it’s no secret that the two of us have a storied history. It’s no secret that the two of us have been up and down the roads of nCw enough times already to need tire changes. We are the two nCw hall of famers. We are the two longest reigning champion, in fact the only two champions, in this company’s illustrious history. I know who you are, you know who I am, the pleasantries were over long ago when you claimed to be the father of Cassandra’s baby and I in turn named my child after your failed attempt at fatherhood, Zell. The respect and the friendliness are long gone, replaced with a hatred and a desire that is something that most men will never feel in their entire life.
Two weeks in a row now Spike Kane, two weeks, you have come out and stuck your nose in my business and cost me victories against Jack Hammond and Jack Manson. Well, the blood of Jack Hammond rests on your hands, and this Sunday your blood will rest on your own hands as well. You see Spike, I see through your arrogance. I see through your attitude and your actions. I see who you are deep down inside Spike, you are a washed up former champion that is clinging for dear life to the main event that has already passed him by…you are a shell of the man that once beat me for my World Title, you are a man that is so consumed with jealousy over me that it has clouded your judgment.
Spike, I would expect that you of all people would know by now that petty wins on Collision do not matter to me. Losses to five and dimers like Manson and Hammond mean jack squat to me in the scheme of things, they are nothing to me. What matters to me are the wins on the big stages, the wins that I have continuously picked up here and everywhere that I have been in my career. Spike, the attacks from behind are over now. At Last Stand you will have to face me from the front. Man to man, hall of famer to hall of famer, and let’s face it…just like your record for longest title reign, this Sunday I will prove that I have passed you by.
~*~*~Lance takes that last step to the fourth rung of the ladder now.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The last rung. Incredibly close to my goal now…I can reach up and my title is just beyond my grasps. Let’s not kid ourselves, the last rung is legitimately the only one that I will admit has a half a shot at overcoming me. This fourth rung is the only thing that I consider a challenge between myself and my prize. Trent Helms, I think that it has become abundantly clear between you and I that I do not like you. I do not respect you and I do not want to see you become the World Champion here in the federation that I built. From day one I have watched you flourish here, I have known all along that the battle lines would one day be drawn between the two of us, and if you look closely I think you will see that while the battle continues, the war is already mine.
Trent, look at the history that we have when we are sharing matches on the bill. There was that tag team match that we had against Spike Kane and Jack Manson last month…err…handicap match. Sure, the circumstances around my absence were unavoidable, but as you realized then, and as I vehemently denied, I could have gotten word to you much sooner that I was in a hospice and unable to fight. Instead…I outsmarted you. I knew that you would go into that ring and try to prove yourself…instead…you got hurt. Then, then there was the title shot that you had last month. You were so incredibly close…the title was right there after you planted Awesome…but what happened Trent? The shove heard around the world. I pushed you out of the way after letting you do the work and I took what was, and still is mine. Seems to me that I did that once again too…ah yes, the tag team match that I won for the team of myself, Joe Everyman and yourself. Hard fought win that was again on my part huh?
Trent, like I said I do see you as a threat, but you are lacking in the smarts department…you seem to be so gullible that my plots don’t even garner much forethought. I am always ten steps ahead of you Trent, and at Last Stand I wont need ten steps…I will just need four rungs.
~*~*~Lance reaches up now and unhooks the nCw Championship from the clasps and then sits atop of the ladder.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: You see, it doesn’t matter what you call the match. Whether you call it TLC, whether you call it King of the Mountain or whether you call it No Limits…it all comes down to one thing. There is no rung that is un-climbable in my life…there is no obstacle that I cannot overcome and there is no sacrifice that I am not willing to make. I have made the sacrifices that are necessary to make it to where I am today, and at Last Stand, I will sacrifice again and I will come out on top. It’s simple neither Joe Everyman, Spike Kane or Trent Helms has what it takes to dethrone me…and Lance Ryan has it all.
~*~*~FiN~*~*~[/i]
In the world that you perceive
Who are your true enemies?
Is it those you do not know...
Or the ones you can't control
Does joy excite every nerve
From the 'Mistress' that you serve
Do you have the strength at all
To heed the final call
End the Reign!!!
~*~*~It is a summer evening, as can be seen by the setting sun and the beach that we can see. Two figures are seen walking together hand in hand along the beach just at the crest of the beach where the waves are trickling up onto the sand where the two of them are walking. The camera sets focus and we can make out that seemingly the young man that we see is in fact a young Lance Ryan although we do not recognize the young lady that is with him. The two are walking along and the love can definitely be seen in their body language as they chat amongst themselves.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: …So it’s incredible. Allan got me my very first show. I am getting paid to go have a fight in Toronto with this kid named Adam Copeland. It’s a small payday, but let’s be honest it’s definitely a start babe. This could be the beginning of the huge break that I have been looking for. We could have the huge house, the sports car, little Lance’s running wild around the house like banshees…I am so excited for all of this.
Woman: Yes, I hope that it all goes well for you. I want to start planning for our future and if you make it as big as I think you can then I believe that we will have more than enough to get by on. I am so glad that we found each other. I can’t imagine getting on without you in my life now, most of all I can’t imagine raising a family with anyone else, and who knows maybe we will start having children sooner rather than later.
Lance Ryan: Now slow down there sweetheart. One step at a time. This isn’t the big leagues yet, this is just ONE small indie show. Let’s not jump the gun on this children thing just yet. I would rather wait until we have the money and the life to support another human being. The last thing that I want is to have some kid raised the way that I was. Waiting is definitely a good thing Jessica.
Jessica: What if waiting wasn’t an option?
Lance Ryan: Waiting is always an option, I mean you can always make the decision to…
~*~*~Lance stops walking and looks at Jessica. She is beaming from ear to ear and she nods at Lance.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Oh ****…
Jessica: That is not the reaction that I was looking for. I was hoping for a kiss, and maybe a spin in your arms…what do you mean “oh ****”?
~*~*~Lance slumps down into the sand on the beach and hangs his head down into his hands. He lets go of Jessica’s hand and Jessica crosses her arms glaring down at Lance.~*~*~[/i]
Jessica: All these years you told me that you would not be one of those scum bag boyfriends…you told me that if we got pregnant you would be there for me forever. We would be together forever and we would make that baby’s life the best life that we possibly could. Now, here you are at the moment of truth, your offspring is slowly starting to grow inside of my womb and all that you can say is “oh ****”? You are just like all of the other assholes out there that leave there baby’s mama when she finds out that she is pregnant. You are just like every other asshole out there. I always thought that you were special. Now the truth comes out, you are a liar and you will never become anything in this life. You know what…so be it…good luck with your wrestling career. I hope that Adam Copeland ends it before it can take off.
~*~*~With that Jessica storms off down the sandy beach by herself. Lance doesn’t look up at her however as he seems content to let her go.~*~*~[/i]
~*~*~The scene cuts out and fades to black and we hear Lance’s voice but we don’t get any images on our screen.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: And that was it. With that I made the biggest decision of my life to that point and the decision that I would still say was the hardest damn decision that I ever made in my life. Sitting there on that beach I knew that it was either Jessica and that baby, or my wrestling career. I knew that if I didn’t go after my dreams I would forever regret it and I would end up doing something that I didn’t enjoy for my entire life. Too many, as Jessica said so may years ago, would have made that decision much easier than I did. The decision to run away when the word child is said is a very common reaction in people these days. A man is very capable of spreading his seed and then when it comes time to own up and be a father….he runs. I was not, nor will I ever be that man. Sure, I left her behind, but you can ask anyone, from that first show when I faced Adam to the last paycheck that I made the day before Jamie turned eighteen I sent her a piece of it. We were so young…after that day when she walked away from me on the beach she told me that she didn’t know if she could face having me come in and out of her life all the time, and I agreed. I said that I would support the two of them, but because I had things that I needed to do…I said that I would stay out of their lives. Those were the two sacrifices that I made at an early age that I regret to this day often times. I turned down a wife, a child and a very happy family all for this wrestling business. But the reality is that at the same time, those sacrifices paid off in the long run. In letting her leave me on that beach I chose a path that provided a very good life for myself, for Jessica and for Jamie. I lost a lot, but in the end all parties involved gained. That is what sacrifice is all about. Sacrifice is letting something go that you cherish so that you can attain something better.
~*~*~The black on our screens is finally filled with images and we see Lance Ryan sitting in a steel chair in front of the wrestling ring at his personal gym. Inside the ring there is a ladder set up and Lance’s nCw World Title is hanging from the rafters in much the same way that it will be on Sunday at Last Stand. Lance is dressed in a pair of torn blue jeans and he has on a simple black t-shirt. He is staring up into the ring and he has a fairly generic look to him, not showing any emotion at all.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: That was not the only time that sacrifice was a huge part of my life. I have given up many things in my lifetime. I have always put everything on the line much in the same way that hardcore gamblers decide to let it ride when they are on a winning streak. I am a firm believer in karma and that whatever you put out there is what you will reap. That is why I have had so much success in my career and that is why I am where I am today.
This Sunday is not going to be any different. I know that the odds are stacked against me. It is never good for the champion when he is set to take on three challengers at one time. It is especially not good for a champion when there are so many also-rans flying around this match. Friends of the challengers, team mates of the challengers…all of them waiting for that chance to capitalize on a fallen champion and help their man come home with the gold. I realize that the odds are against me because I choose to walk this road to my Last Stand alone. I don’t bring a stable with me, I don’t bring a tag team partner with me…I come alone. You see this ladder match is something that I excel at. I realize that very seldom in my career have I been involved in a ladder match, but the fact is that ladder matches revolve around that one thing that I keep bearing mention to, sacrifice.
The ladder match has always been about the most innovative, the most insane and the most reckless competitors. This match is no different, and add to those factors the fact that my World Title will hang above the ring much like it does now, and you have a very volatile environment.
~*~*~Lance rises to his feet and he slowly walks to the apron of the ring and he runs his hand along the apron.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: You see. I have now spent twenty years in and around wrestling rings much like the one that I will put my title on the line in this Sunday. I have put more of my own blood, sweat and tears into wrestling rings around the world than would be found on the scene of some wars.
~*~*~Lance hops up and puts himself in a seated position on the apron, facing out to where the crowd would generally be.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: So many times I have found myself sitting here on the ledge of the ring staring out into where the crowd would be later in the night and thinking to myself just how amazing it is, and how lucky I am to be able to perform the way that I do night in and night out.
~*~*~Lance gets to his feet and steps into the ring now and stops and stares at the ladder before him now. He stands staring at the ladder as he continues to speak.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: But this ladder. It adds an element that I am not very familiar with, and one that I am most definitely not comfortable with. They say that fatal four way matches are very hard on a wrestler and extremely dangerous. That is when they do not include a ladder match. When you put a ladder, tables and chairs around the ring you make any match more dangerous. It is not the men that I will be taking on that I worry about, rather it is the variables of metal and wood that will be scattered where I will be taking falls that concerns me. That is where sacrifice comes in. There is no amount of pain that I can possibly go through that will make me stop fighting, there is nothing that these three men can do to me that will prevent me from reclaiming my title that will be well above all of our heads.
~*~*~Lance walks up to the ladder now and touches four of the rungs with his right hand slowly. From the bottom to the fourth rung.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: Four rungs I will need to climb to be able to reach my title. One rung for each of the obstacles in my way.
~*~*~Lance steps with both feet onto the first rung off of the mat.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The first obstacle before I get into the big ones is of course the psychological aspect. I will be open and honest about the fact that I have likely been in less ladder matches than anyone else in this match, and because of that there is an extra amount of psychology that goes into prepping for this match for me. To be successful in this match I am going to have to get my mind to the right place where I know that I can win. The place in my mind where I know that tables ladders chairs or not I am the World Champion and there is nobody in this business that can touch me. Now a word to the unwise…that being Trent, Spike and Joe…don’t worry yourselves with that fact. It will not be a factor when I get into the ring on Sunday, by then my pensiveness will be completely gone. That is why this is the bottom rung. I know that this psychology will be the easiest of my obstacles to overcome.
~*~*~Lance now steps up with both feet onto the second rung of the ladder.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: This brings me to the second obstacle; the second easiest to overcome if you will. That obstacle is none other than the two time National Champion Joe Everyman. Joe, there are plenty of reasons that you are going to be the second easiest obstacle to overcome. Where should I start? Perhaps I should start by mentioning this disgusting adoration that you seem to have for me. Every time I turn around I hear that Joe Everyman is feeling grateful to be in a match with Lance Ryan…I hear that you have been waiting for this moment since your arrival here in nCw…I hear that you are flattered to be wrestling with me for MY prize. Joe…I am sorry but I will not make out with you. Kissing my ass is not going to get you anywhere. Let’s look at reality. I know that I am better than you, my track record shows that I am not just a little bit better than you, but worlds apart from you. Sure, you are an up and comer, sure you will likely one day have your spot in the limelight, but look around you. How on earth do you expect to compete with the likes of Spike Kane, Trent Helms and Lance Ryan? Come now baby boy, you are but a patch of green grass in fields of greatness. We are three men that are known throughout the world for being the best of the best. Joe Everyman…you are exactly that…there are still cities that you could walk downtown in and not be recognized by a solitary human being. You are something Joe Everyman, but a main event wrestler you are not.
You see, I was where you are once. I remember my first real glimpse of glory in this business. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the cheers the chants and the flashbulbs. I remember feeling sick to my stomach as I could feel my chest beating with the base of the fans clapping. Yes, Joe…National Championship material you are…World Title material you are not. You are going to be awash with emotion on Sunday. You are going to be overcome by your surroundings and that will be your downfall. This is not the kind of match where you can be distracted. Distraction leads to a chair across the skull, a body through a table, or a ladder gash to your leg. Joe…you are the second rung.
~*~*~Lance now climbs up to the third rung of the ladder and looks up to the title.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The third rung is one that I am quite familiar with. He is someone that has been to the top rung of this company before. He is someone that knows what it’s like to be main eventing with Lance Ryan. He is someone that knows what the base of the fans, the boos of the fans and flashes from the cameras feels like. He is tried, he is tested, but he is indeed not true. Spike Kane is about as far from truth and honesty as anyone can possibly be. Spike Kane…you are what comes to mind when I think of the word putrid.
Spike, it’s no secret that the two of us have a storied history. It’s no secret that the two of us have been up and down the roads of nCw enough times already to need tire changes. We are the two nCw hall of famers. We are the two longest reigning champion, in fact the only two champions, in this company’s illustrious history. I know who you are, you know who I am, the pleasantries were over long ago when you claimed to be the father of Cassandra’s baby and I in turn named my child after your failed attempt at fatherhood, Zell. The respect and the friendliness are long gone, replaced with a hatred and a desire that is something that most men will never feel in their entire life.
Two weeks in a row now Spike Kane, two weeks, you have come out and stuck your nose in my business and cost me victories against Jack Hammond and Jack Manson. Well, the blood of Jack Hammond rests on your hands, and this Sunday your blood will rest on your own hands as well. You see Spike, I see through your arrogance. I see through your attitude and your actions. I see who you are deep down inside Spike, you are a washed up former champion that is clinging for dear life to the main event that has already passed him by…you are a shell of the man that once beat me for my World Title, you are a man that is so consumed with jealousy over me that it has clouded your judgment.
Spike, I would expect that you of all people would know by now that petty wins on Collision do not matter to me. Losses to five and dimers like Manson and Hammond mean jack squat to me in the scheme of things, they are nothing to me. What matters to me are the wins on the big stages, the wins that I have continuously picked up here and everywhere that I have been in my career. Spike, the attacks from behind are over now. At Last Stand you will have to face me from the front. Man to man, hall of famer to hall of famer, and let’s face it…just like your record for longest title reign, this Sunday I will prove that I have passed you by.
~*~*~Lance takes that last step to the fourth rung of the ladder now.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: The last rung. Incredibly close to my goal now…I can reach up and my title is just beyond my grasps. Let’s not kid ourselves, the last rung is legitimately the only one that I will admit has a half a shot at overcoming me. This fourth rung is the only thing that I consider a challenge between myself and my prize. Trent Helms, I think that it has become abundantly clear between you and I that I do not like you. I do not respect you and I do not want to see you become the World Champion here in the federation that I built. From day one I have watched you flourish here, I have known all along that the battle lines would one day be drawn between the two of us, and if you look closely I think you will see that while the battle continues, the war is already mine.
Trent, look at the history that we have when we are sharing matches on the bill. There was that tag team match that we had against Spike Kane and Jack Manson last month…err…handicap match. Sure, the circumstances around my absence were unavoidable, but as you realized then, and as I vehemently denied, I could have gotten word to you much sooner that I was in a hospice and unable to fight. Instead…I outsmarted you. I knew that you would go into that ring and try to prove yourself…instead…you got hurt. Then, then there was the title shot that you had last month. You were so incredibly close…the title was right there after you planted Awesome…but what happened Trent? The shove heard around the world. I pushed you out of the way after letting you do the work and I took what was, and still is mine. Seems to me that I did that once again too…ah yes, the tag team match that I won for the team of myself, Joe Everyman and yourself. Hard fought win that was again on my part huh?
Trent, like I said I do see you as a threat, but you are lacking in the smarts department…you seem to be so gullible that my plots don’t even garner much forethought. I am always ten steps ahead of you Trent, and at Last Stand I wont need ten steps…I will just need four rungs.
~*~*~Lance reaches up now and unhooks the nCw Championship from the clasps and then sits atop of the ladder.~*~*~[/i]
Lance Ryan: You see, it doesn’t matter what you call the match. Whether you call it TLC, whether you call it King of the Mountain or whether you call it No Limits…it all comes down to one thing. There is no rung that is un-climbable in my life…there is no obstacle that I cannot overcome and there is no sacrifice that I am not willing to make. I have made the sacrifices that are necessary to make it to where I am today, and at Last Stand, I will sacrifice again and I will come out on top. It’s simple neither Joe Everyman, Spike Kane or Trent Helms has what it takes to dethrone me…and Lance Ryan has it all.
~*~*~FiN~*~*~[/i]