PWP 10: Nothing Like The First Time - Zack Lifer vs. Shawn Roberts

1 RP Max. 300 word minimum. Deadline is July 16th at 11:59 PM Eastern.

:: At first there is just darkness, a crackling can be heard, then slowly a dull red light fills the screen. The light comes into focus as flams dance around a pile of logs. The flames flick up to the night sky that is filled with stars. Then we can hear the sound of crunching gravel. The sound of muffled voices draws nearer. The voices die out, and the camera slowly zooms backward away from the dancing flames. As the scene recedes out, we can see Shawn Roberts sitting on a collapsible folding chair. He is wearing jeans, a well warn IW t-shirt, and has a mission cool towel wrapped around his head like a bandana. Shawn is holding a bottle of water, and there is a backpack at his feet. A couple hundred feet in the distance you can see the glow of a lantern inside of a tent. We can now hear the sound of running water in the distance, and Mountain walls line our surroundings. Roberts head is down as he looking into the flames. Shawn begins to speak his focus still trained on the fire. ::

Roberts: This fire was started by a single match, one small spark made this camp fire that provides so much for us. It gives us light in the darkness, warmth from the cold, and strikes fear into predators keeping them away. Out here in White Rock Canyon trail it is needed.

:: Shawn Roberts looks up his eyes focusing on you the viewer. ::

Roberts: This physical fire is just like the fire that burns in your soul. The smallest spark can ignite a fire deep inside of you that makes anything possible. The trick is finding the spark that lights that fire. For me it is wrestling. It has been the thing that has driven me since I was a child. The first time I went to a wrestling meet I was hooked. I wrestled from the time I was a child through college. It was an easy choice in what career I wanted to follow.

:: Shawn rubs his hands together and then places his palms toward the fire letting its warmth wash over them. ::

Roberts: For those of you in PWP who don’t know me, allow me to make a brief introduction. I am Shawn Roberts. I compete in Inferno Wrestling, and now in PWP. Wrestling is my life. It put me through college, and helped me get over the greatest tragedy in my life. Now it allows me to make a living to support my brother and me. I am described as the typical good guy. I like to think I simply was raised to have a conscience, and to listen to it, when it speaks. I believe that there is honor in the ring still. It is my belief that people should shake hands before and after a match. I think that we as competitors should have the same respect that those who came before us had. That in a nutshell is who I am. Naturally I have layers upon layers, but, going forward this is enough for all of you in PWP to understand who I am and where I am coming from.

So why have I chosen to come and compete in PWP? It is a fair question, it is a simple answer. IW has some of the best wrestlers in the world today. I get challenged each and every time I step into the ring there. Yet, I still find myself yearning for me. I want to face not some of the best, but all of the best wrestlers that walk this planet. I want to see where I truly stack up in terms of in ring skill. The Professional Wrestling Projects houses a number of those people. In fact with their open door policy even those who aren’t a member, still have the opportunity to walk in and compete. That is the reason I have chosen to come and compete in PWP. I want to face trials and tribulations in this business. I want to become known as one of the best wrestlers it has to offer. PWP gives me a platform to face men I wouldn’t get to in Inferno Wrestling.

I understand that to progress I have to challenge myself constantly. I have to improve in life every day. Man am I going to be able to show that when I step foot into a PWP ring for the first time. I am getting to face two men that are well known and respected in Pat Gordon Jr. and Zack Lifer. PGJR, is a second generation wrestler who has been a journeyman. He has been around and knows more about professional wrestling than I do. Then we have Zack Lifer, a guy with an unknown past but a storied wrestling career already. I know that Zack is a big deal over in Exodus wrestling.

:: Shawn leans back in the chair having been warmed sufficiently for now. ::

Roberts: This kind of match is exactly why I joined the company. Where else can you go and get guys from around the world of wrestling in one place? Don’t get me wrong in no way am I saying that the competition in IW isn’t enough for me. I am proud to keep my head above water there the talent is outstanding. You all know Sister Liliana and what she brings. I just want to be able to branch out and face people that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to face in the ring. I can say each and every match I have been in I have learned something. So as the youngest person in this match why wouldn’t I want to wrestle as often as I can against the best that I can? I want to improve and get better. I want to be able to one day retire and look back with no what ifs. This company helps me accomplish that.

In no way am I looking into retirement anytime soon. I am only twenty two. I have been making waves since I joined IW seven months ago. I will continue to make waves going forward. At twenty two I have already started my rise up the IW roster, competed in the Phoenix Wrestling Iron King Tournament and now am getting to fight in this sure to be historic match. I feel like my wrestling career has taken off at a million miles an hour and I wouldn’t change one bit about it. Already wrestling has cost me my condo, and I am sure it will cost me more things in the future. It has also given me amazing people in my life. You can take away all my earthly possessions and as long as I have good friends, and family I will never have failed.

It is a lot like this match I have. I might get my hand held high at the end. I might be the first one eliminated; I guarantee I am going to come out of this match better than when I go in. In that regard there is no way for me to lose.

:: Shawn nods slightly to the camera. ::

Roberts: You see I am the young gun in this match. If Lifer and Gordon take my lightly they might be surprised. I know there is a real possibility that I don’t walk out of that match the winner. I also know that I just might pull it off. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am going in as the underdog. I am supposed to lose. But who knows sometimes the underdog gets lucky. That is what makes this sport so amazing. We could have this match a hundred times and the same things probably wouldn’t happen over and over. I am mentally ready for it. I have been studying film of Lifer in Exodus, and some old film of Pat from IW. Physically I have never been more ready. I am as fit, as I have ever been and continue to improve every day. I am also the biggest guy in this match. I am a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier than the others. I am not some lumbering giant though and I still have speed and quickness on my side as well. I feel like I match up well with these two men.   The main disadvantage I have is a lack of experience. After all that is why I am joining PWP so that I can continue to increase my experience exponentially.  

:: Roberts leans back in toward the fire the flames casting shadows in the distance. A coyote howls in the background. Shawn stops and listens for a second before continuing. ::

Roberts: I know what I stand to gain, besides bragging rights with these two, and that is knowledge. Lifer is the oldest of us in the match. I was always taught eldest first. ::

:: Shawn gives a smirk to the camera before continuing.::

Roberts:  Even at the young age of twenty-seven Lifer is the oldest man in this match. Zack is a bit different than Gordon or me. You see Zack, for the most part follows a righteous path and does what he needs to do. There are times though that if a situation is dire enough, and if the person across the ring from Zack pushes his buttons just right he will snap. When he snaps he will do whatever is necessary to win a match. I am a propionate for doing the right thing. I believe that you can walk the straight and narrow and pick up wins. I don’t resort to cheating and won’t. I want to know who the better wrestler is. Not who can gain an unfair advantage. I am better than that. I hope that my opponents this week will be as well. I won’t lie I have been a lifer fan for a while. It will be an honor to face him in this match going forward.

There is a small part of me that feels bad for Lifer, what with his memory being in shambles and all. Even still he pushes on. From what I can tell Lifer’s biggest problem is he cares too much about what people think about him. Hey, I was right there myself. I came in and did a stupid ass gimmick in IW right out of the gate. I decided I needed to be myself. Stood up and decided it didn’t matter what people thought. I was going to do what was the ethical thing. It has taken me far in IW to date. I don’t plan to change that again anytime soon.

The one thing I can give Zack is the guy has a monumental amount of hart.  I know Gordon does, and I do. But the fact is Lifer wears his emotions on his sleeve. I am able to keep my emotions in check for the most part. That is who I have been my whole life. I still respect someone who lives there life like Zack. He is going to provide a challenge in this match. There is no doubt about that. I will enjoy facing him in the ring. Speaking of in the ring, man this guy is innovative. He is a technical genius he can be extremely unpredictable and he is completely relentless when he finds an advantage. The two of us would be able to go hold for hold for an hour and never use the same move twice. Where Lifer’s strength is innovation and relentlessness mine is the ability to stay calm and be able to reverse most holds. There is always a way to swing the tide of a match and a well time reversal can do just that.

Lifer is going to bring a tough match and that I can respect. He is the only one I fear doing anything shady, but I would hope knowing that Pat and I won’t stoop to such a level he won’t either. Just because Pat and I won’t bring ourselves to such a level doesn’t mean our desire to win isn’t more or less than Lifer’s it just means we live by a code and follow it. We could cheat; we have had every trick in the book played on us. We have overcome though.

:: Shawn stares back into the fire breaking his gaze for the first time in a while. ::

Roberts: Fire is a tool that we have used as years as a species. We have used it as tools to kill, and it can be used to heal. It really is an amazing thing. We use it to cook food, temper steel, move vehicles, and as light. The thing is if you aren’t careful it will burn you. Just ask Pat Gordon about that. He played around in a INFERNO and didn’t fare to well::

:: Shawn shakes his head and looks back up at the camera. ::

Roberts:  Pat Gordon Jr. Gordon is a second generation wrestler that is constantly trying to live up to his father’s name. I don’t really remember his father, but I do know that he has done a good job forging his own legacy. He was the UWL champion and has had matches in most major promotions that have come around today. He has won some and lost some. He is a tough cookie regardless. He is going to add another element to this match all its own.  Lifer and I are technical based, Gordon can be technical but he is has a lot more experienced as a brawler than either of us. That gives him an advantage. Zack and I can tie people into knots and leave them tapping out. Whereas Pat can knock you at any point with a well-placed fist.

At the same time he can leave you begging for the match to be over. Gordon is twenty four or twenty five and has more wrestling experience than most men twice his age. I guess growing up in the business can give you an advantage, over those of us who didn’t grow up in it. Knowledge is a powerful thing; it is something that is highly underrated. My youth and energy, and pure desire will have to overcome that knowledge. I will have to lean on my manager Brian Larsen to prepare me mentally for someone with that much knowledge of the business. That is something else that sets me apart having someone like Larsen in your corner who can help you prepare is a great thing. He has been in and seen more situations than the majority of people have been in.

Now I know a bit more about Gordon than I do Lifer. I was on the shelf when Pat was in IW but, I was still backstage watching and learning from the men and women who went out there. Gordon had a bit of a rough patch when he was in Inferno Wrestling.

:: Shawn takes a deep breath before continuing. ::

Roberts: I don’t know if Gordon’s mind just wasn’t into IW, or if he was focused elsewhere because the only win he had in our company was against Chris Helms. Helms never even got a win when he was in the company. He even lost to Zack Gunn, aka the spud.  Gunn for the most part loses to everyone. In fact I recently went toe to toe with Zack and he has a big hart. But, at the end of the day my hand was raised in victory. Does that mean I am better than you? No not at all. It just means that your time in IW didn’t really prove to me how good you can really be. If you come into this match like you did in IW though, you won’t have a chance. It is nothing personal; you are one of my favorite wrestlers.  I look forward to seeing what I have compared to you in that ring.

As I mentioned you were a champion in the UWL, and you have a lot of knowledge in and out of the ring. I look forward to learning from you. Win or lose, know I respect you and it is an honor.

:: Shawn looks back into the fire. ::

Roberts: Some people can stand the heat a fire emits, others cannot. Some men willing walk into, an INFERNO to test their metal. Some, stay away, others go in and are burned and purified and others still leave in smoke.  Those that walk in and withstand the heat come out pure, strong, and improved for going through the ordeal.

I come from Inferno Wrestling, where the competition is top notch. Gordon couldn’t handle the heat and had to leave. Lifer has never come in to our organization to test himself in the fire. I am still standing in the middle of the fire, being treated, constantly improving. The tribulations I face in that company burn off the things I no longer need and leave me purer than when I entered.  I will prove that we in IW are just as good if not better than the rest of the wrestlers in this business today.

:: Shawn looks up from the fire slowly. ::

Roberts: At the end of this month three warriors are going to step into that PWP ring. All of us are going to be bringing everything we have. No one wants to be the loser, we all want to win. At the end of the day all of us are going to walk out with a story to tell and our heads held high. I will offer my hand before our match, and after it is over. If I am the first eliminated I will stay at ringside to watch the finish, I would hope the two of you would do the honor or doing the same. The fans needs to see that you can go to war, and at the end still be bigger men with enough class to show respect to each other. Make no mistake, I am doing my homework. I am going to be ready. I pray that the two of you will take this as seriously as I am. If not that match might be over before it begins.

After all, I am the epitome of greatness, deal with it.

:: With that Shawn stands up and walks toward the camera. He winks into the camera right before he turns it off, we see and hear no more. ::

Must I explain this a second time? I've fought against PWP's own James Shark for the top championship. I lost the match, gained his respect. It was one of those nights that meant a lot to me, one of those days where I felt like I meant something in the wrestling business. To think a guy like him could ever stand eye to eye with a guy like me? Well, coming from a guy like me who struggled his ass off to even get recognized, it was like a silent acknowledgement that for once in my measly pathetic life, I was finally worth something.

I've been insulted by owners, general managers, Hall Of Famers, wrestlers and people I've never even met 'cause of what I did on that television screen, because I attacked people from behind who deserved it and 'cause I didn't make the best choices. They said I'd never make it, said I wasn't cut out for the business. They said I'd never amount to anything, that giving me a contract was the worst mistake they've ever made!

How do you think that made me feel, huh? After giving my literal blood, sweat and tears to this sport only to get spat at by the 'righteous' who once sought to stomp out my hope like a fire just 'cause I wasn't conventional, how do you think I reacted? Because I believed the popular opinion was wrong, fed the wrong answers by those they've already hated with a fucking passion? I was deemed the villain and I'm just supposed to be okay with that?!

Those jeers and boos haunted me like a vice. They destroyed my will, made me collapse and become exactly what they painted since the beginning out of spite. What else could I do? Change? No, of course not. I was 'allergic to change.' Little do they know, change is exactly what got me that far in this business. I've always been evolving, always been taking things to a new prospective and it took me this long to find the real answer just beneath the surface.

Started out as a bright eyed rookie, just like everyone else. My obsession with success? It corrupted me into the man not much different from the one you see before you. An animalistic, desperate shell of a man who craved attention, a guy who wanted to reach the pinnacle of the company more than he wanted to breathe! I'd sacrifice my life for people to just know my name and finally respect it, and I'm not afraid to put it all on the line if that's the end result!

Wrestling made me this way, changed me to my core. I attempted to reform into a charismatic guy who everyone seemed to like for twitter purposes, tried my best to get everyone to understand my point of view and tried to become the hero, but still I failed in that regard too.

See, change is my middle name, I thrive on fixing what's broken about myself and now that I finally see the truth, now that I can finally understand, I can't help but think my career has been skyrocketed to out of this world results. I've been winning more, I've been getting more credit, I've finally been revered by the crowd and the people around me, and to tell you the truth? It feels damn good!

What am I doing back here? Well, I was hoping I'd show you all what I was lacking the first time. I was hoping I'd give it my all for once in this company and prove why I'm one of the best of the best! I live wrestling, I bleed for this sport! I'd die for the victory, for songs to be written in my honor, to finally hear the name Zack Lifer on lips around the world from the grave, to finally show that I made an impact! I'd finally show them that I was obsessed enough, that I was determined enough to pull a piece of my body off, my own flesh and blood and muscle, and leave it where the rest could see just to prove that point that I fucking existed!

I was challenged. You saw it, didn't you? I can't say no to a challenge. That would make me just like everyone else, wouldn't it? I rise to the expectations, hold it by the horns, and throw it out of the park and you best believe the winner will be yours truly by the time that final bell sounds for the world to hear!

First step? This match. The future? PWP, I will take a piece of your gold and I WILL leave a piece of me in this company as a whole. I'll have my people contact your people - so I'll have one Jimmy Riley talk to you, Mr. Duncan. Or whoever it is who handles your contracts. 'Cause you best believe I'm not leaving this company alone without a fight and you better believe the PWP Heavyweight Championship is coming to EXODUS with me.

Shout out to Blake and Aquaman in the Main Event. It'll be a terrific match, an amazing match to be sure, I have no doubt about the talent you both obviously share. Zack, you've dominated Philadelphia, becoming one of the smiling faces of PDW before it's unfortunate demise. I still miss that place, I sincerely do. And we've never had a match, have we? Not one on one, not that I remember at least. It'd be nice to have such a fight of the Zack's over in the main stage they've created over here, huh Aquaman? It'd be fun to see who came out on top.

And you, Blake Jones. We've nearly never seen eye to eye in most things, but I've always looked to you for guidance, I sincerely did. When I needed an opinion, when I needed the truth, you gave it to me candidly. I looked up to you, I still do from afar, but ever since you left our company, things haven't been the same. Not with us, not in EXODUS. Everything seems barren, seems hopeless.

I'm sorry for ruining the happy moment, but let me make myself perfectly clear. Don't get too used to that gold, whichever one of you talented individuals win. With all due respect, once given the opportunity, I'll finally have what you two are fighting over: Respect and a shiny championship belt to wear on the show you left, Blake. Oh, and San Diego misses you. It's too bad you chose to ditch us in our time of need to roll around in playgrounds like this. I thought you were better than that.


The punching bag. Leathery and faceless, it had no conscious to speak up about my onslaught, said nothing about the strikes I've made to its body. My hands bound in fingerless gloves, I tried to pound the stuffing, imagining it were anyone in the world who claimed I would amount to nothing more than a desk job one day.

That one day has come and that prediction fell tremendously short from reality. My breathing quickened as did my body, the fists flying in every which direction as long as they connected good and hard, my heart-rate elevated. I shut my eyes, letting my body do the work, myself easing into a state of subconscious where my schizophrenia took a hold of me.

"Nick," I heard shoot my way, those eyes of mine opening back up to see the source. "What the hell are you doing?!" That voice of hers echoed into my ear, her body standing beside the bag with her petite hands cuffing her waist, her raccoon eyes glaring in disappointment.

'What does it look like I'm doing? I'm training." She didn't like my answer. She shook her head back and forth. You could see it in that sinister expression of hers, that smirk that crept up on her face. She knew something I didn't. She knew the hidden detail that I hadn't paid any attention towards, knew the things that eluded me on my own.

"Back at PWP? Really?" She sure had a way of sounding smug, sounding as if she were better than I was, acting as if she were always right given every situation. "Haven't you learned the first time that you don't belong here?"

"I did damn good the first time I was here, Scarlet! I was in the main event, I almost got the PWP Heavyweight Championship!" My voice was intense, emotion shading underneath every syllable.

"Ah, there lies the keyword. Almost. It's always almost. You almost won every single big match they put you in front of, always almost make a name for yourself," she retorted, the feeling of her emotional dagger stabbing through my heart like a bullet. My fists clenched, my punching became more aggressive, more erratic. I focused on the leather body in front of me, Scarlet standing to the side.

"Not always!" I grumbled, my pace quickening and racing with my heart, the brain cells inside my head firing off at 100 MPH. "I can do this, Scar. I can fucking win for once and prove those assholes wrong, prove the whole company wrong! I can scratch and claw my way back up, reach for that gold like my life depended on it!"

"Just an inch of gratification? That's all you're looking for?" When she put it that way, my arms fell to my side, my neck rolling in her direction. I bet I looked so helpless to her, so predictable. I bet I gave her an expression that directly correlated with the words 'you were right.' Goddamn it!

"So, dearest Nick," her arms crossed over her chest, her voice sarcastic. "Do you honestly think you're actually going to be successful in this company for once in your life? Or is it going to end up just like all the others, a catastrophic failure that you'll never live done? Just like xWo. Just like PDW and FTW." I winched, her words making my eyes tighten, trying to imagine her away as she slammed the nail down my throat, insulted my career with such a nonchalant attitude about it.

"I'm not... I'm not gonna fail," I shot back half-heartedly, my chest thumping quickly, the blood coursing through my veins. I didn't believe the words I was saying, the lies I was spewing. She paid no mind to my answer. My body slumped down, sitting on the ground of the gym with a disappointed expression, knowing that at the end of the day, she was right.

"Why didn't you just say no?"

"Because, I- ... I don't know... Because a part of me still thinks that there's a chance that I could be a top champion one day. And that starts in this match. I can't be weak. I just can't be weak..." My head fell, slipping down to my lap. I leaned against that punching bag, my knuckles white with the aggression I put into every punch. She knelt down, lifting my head with her fingers sweetly, that sinister creature hidden just underneath.

"Silly Nick. Hasn't your career taught you something yet? Taught you just one thing? The truth is, no matter how much you don't want to hear it, you'll never amount to anything. Now, be a good little boy and repeat after me: I will never become a main event star. No matter how hard I try, no matter how long I train, I will NEVER be anything more than ALMOST successful. Go on. Say it."


Shawn Roberts.

Oh, yeah. I definitely remember you. You're the guy who stood up and decided to challenge us to a match. You're the man who raised his hand and offered that we fight in the middle of that PWP ring.

First of all, let me just say something. Thanks for giving us the chance, I respect you for it. Stepping into the ring with two pitbulls is very commendable. Willingly at that? Well, you've just earned yourself a gold star. You sure have a lot of guts to pull that off, huh?

Listen, you and I aren't as different as you seem to imagine. Then again, we're most likely more different than even I could conceive. You see, you're what everyone else once was on the first day on the wrestling trail.

Okay, take away the arrogant pricks for a second, and you were identical to the rest who laced up their boots as a freshly born boy (or girl) and decided to join this business with a smile and flawlessly good intentions to your name. You were made straight from the cookie cutter factory in the back of most wrestling training programs who made people like us even possible.

That's right. Us. I used to follow the rules. I used to dye my hair blonde, smile for the camera, give myself a lame nickname that nobody else gave a crap about in my early years. I grew up watching wrestling too, it was an escape. Much like your childhood, I like to imagine.

The family life was... Well, let's just say less than stellar and the wrestling show once a week was something to look forward towards. It was something to spend time thinking about, something that made sure you didn't imagine that brutal reality right outside your head too much, right? I can't be alone in this methodology. You gotta understand, I assume..

So, we'd watch wrestling until we finally thought something to ourselves, something simple and naive. "Hey. I bet if I got in shape, if I practiced real hard, maybe I could join the wrestling team and then become world champion when I grow up!" Hold your horses. I'm going to attempt to teach you something that can't be normally taught. Listen closely.

Wrestling isn't easy. You may thrive starting out, but once things start picking up speed, once you start collecting losses, something changes about you. You no longer become content with failure any longer.

You become content with nothing less than success. Maybe not for an ego, maybe not for fame, but at the very least, to put money in your pocket and food on your table - to afford that food you love so much. You and your brother's story doesn't end well if you don't succeed. You and your brother don't end up with the happy ending if you've settled for just the people around you.

See, if you don't have the job, don't have the income, they'll resent you. They all will! You'll feel what its like to be me, to be ridiculed by your own parents and made to seem like a kid no matter how old you get. They'll tell you you can never do anything right and you'll believe 'cause they're your fucking parents!

You learn to try harder. You learn that once you have a taste of failure, true unadulterated failure, that following a code can't win you every single match you're involved in. Shaking hands won't get your name in lights, won't get you noticed. Most important of all?

Nothing rubs off into your psyche via osmosis when you touch hands with the person opposing you with a scowl, nothing changes your DNA and makes you a better wrestler, it just doesn't work that way. It's really a shame. You would've learned so much from me were that the case. This match would be so much more exciting.

Being polite? Well, that won't get you anywhere either but stomped on repeatedly like a shadow on the concrete sidewalk. It'll get you squashed out by those extremists who get off on eradicating hope like ours from the planet!

You gotta learn sooner rather than later that we've had enough of that little worldview of perfection of yours where people walk through the fire that is professional wrestling without any traces of damage, or remnants of scars from the ordeal.  Whether you succeeded or failed, at that. The theory was FAR from reality and you knew it all along!!

You're still young, you're still trying to comprehend this business months after starting that career of yours. Granted, I will shake each of your hands, but don't expect me to walk away from the ordeal with all smiles.

On that note, be prepared for me to break the rules if absolutely necessary. It'll be a good lesson for you, a good learning experience to see how it could benefit me in the end. Maybe you'll pick up a few ideas of mine, some moves, some important qualities you lack and this match 'll be the turning point for everything you do since! That's wishful thinking.

And what about Pat Gordon Junior? You've stayed quiet, haven't you? It's a shame you haven't took your appearance in PWP seriously. Granted, you're one of the best, even at your young age. If you went all out? I'm sure you'd be able to mop the floor with us. You're powerful, technically sound, and hopefully by the time that bell rings, you're ready to show me all that you've got!

I respect your father for what he'd done for the business, but what have you done? Anything nearly worth noting? 'Cause Shawn over here seems to think you suck in the grand scheme of things if you can't survive Inferno, something that amuses me, I gotta admit.

Way you make your father real proud of you, man. It's a nice thing you're doing. No, but in all seriousness, I want you to fight me. I don't just want you to wrestle me, I don't just want you to try and think up ways to win either, 'cause we both know that's tough for your brain to comprehend. No, what I want is to fight.

The inflated hype surrounding your name is gone. The legacy your father created? Gone. All that's left is to put your money where your mouth is and stand eye to eye with me in the middle of that ring to see which one of us ends this match with their hand held high!

You wanna challenge me? You wanna hop into this triple threat match like Shawn did over there? Go ahead. I'd like to see you try. Try to beat me. Try to break my face and send Shawn to the ER, 'cause that's the only way you can even think about winning this goddamn match and you best believe when its all over and you're both looking up at the rafters.

I'll stand front and center in that arena, hearing the cheers and the reactions from the crowd, you'll see. And you two? It's becoming harder and harder to remember your names going into this, that's for sure.