A Few Weeks Ago…
’The Waystation’ – Gulf Shores, Alabama

(Continued from ‘The Secret: Part Two’)

“Oh my God…”

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as she approached the building, what was supposed to be ‘The Waystation’, a bar she’d been building for Rogan on the beaches of the Gulf Shores in Alabama. Her heart dropped in her chest when she first noticed the deck on the outside was destroyed – and it dropped even further when she looked again and noticed that every visible window had been broken.

She questioned the notion of moving in closer, part of her wanting to spare herself the anguish of seeing what else could possibly lie within. And as she began the short trek toward the building from where she stood, dread filled her body as she could already see that the outside of the building wasn’t the only thing that had been destroyed.

Stepping up on what was left of the deck, the sound of glass crunching beneath her feet – she peered in through the broken door and saw everything she’d poured her time, her money, and her love into… it was gone. Destroyed. There wasn’t a part of the bar that was recognizable from the place that she’d shown Seb not that long before.

At that point, she didn’t want to step any further. The part of her that had earlier wanted her to just walk away, pushed further into her thoughts. Begging her to just leave and forget that she’d bought this building, forget that she’d dumped so much of the money she’d saved back into building this dream for the man she loved. It did all it could to pull her away from it, but Lucy stepped through the shattered door anyway.

A lump rose in her throat as tears stung her eyes while she walked around the mess that whoever had done this had left her with. All the work, the sweat, and the tears…

“For nothing…” She muttered to herself, kicking the pieces of a broken chair across the floor as hard as she could. She was devastated, but as she watched the splintered piece of wood slide across the floor, the sadness was quickly replaced by rage. She wanted to find whoever did this, and she wanted to hurt them.

But who would do this?

As she knelt down on the floor and picked up a discarded piece of drywall, she wracked her brain but nothing came to mind. That was until she thought about something she’d been told months before.

She pulled out her phone, pressed a few keys, and put it up to her ear as it began to ring.

“Lucy?” Joe’s voice sounded surprised. Even a little bit annoyed, which if Lucy were actually thinking about anything other than the mess she was kneeling in when she picked up her phone, she would have understood. But at that moment, any semblance of Joe’s potential annoyance went straight over her head.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah.. I’m sorry to be calling you like this… But I–”

Joe sighed. “What’s going on… What’s wrong now?”

Lucy sighed back. “Listen, I’m sorry to be calling you like this.”

“Well you’ve got me on the phone now, so just tell me what’s going on.”

She tossed the drywall back onto the floor and stood up, pacing around the room as she tried to figure out how to say what she wanted to say next. But Joe cleared his throat and interrupted her thoughts.

“Luce?”

“It’s just.. Something happened and I–”

“Are you okay?”

“Joe, I’m fine. I just, I know this is weird and I don’t know how to ask this so I guess I just will because this is already awkward as hell and I know this just comes off like before we–”

“Let me stop you right there, Luce.” Joe began, his tone a little softer than it was just a few minutes before. “First off, take a deep breath.”

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay, now… What’s going on?”

For a split second, Lucy calmed down but when she opened her eyes again – the reality and the reason she called Joe in the first place hit her all over again.

“Did… Has anything else happened to… anyone else lately?”

Lucy could almost feel Joe’s tension through the phone after she asked that loaded question and it made her feel bad for even making that phone call in the first place.

“I’m sorry Joe, for asking. It’s just… Someone wrecked the bar I’ve been building for Rogan and I don’t know who could have possibly done it.”

“How would they have known that you were–”

Lucy sighed again. “I don’t know. If they’re following me?”

Silence took over for a few minutes before Joe exhaled loudly. “I guess that’s not out of the realm of possibilities – but to answer your question, no. Nothing has happened, lately. But thanks for reminding me of the lurking threat.”

“I’m sorry.” She replied quietly as she considered just hanging the phone up right then and there. But Joe didn’t give her a chance.

“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you for wondering, and I wish I were more helpful. But I really don’t have any good information to give you. If I did, this problem would already be taken care of.”

Lucy lowered herself onto the floor amid the wreckage and nodded her head. “I know it would be.”

She felt terrible. Terrible that she was sitting in a wrecked bar that she was hoping to finally be able to reveal to Rogan within the next few weeks – and terrible that she bothered Joe with this when he was already dealing with enough already.

“I shouldn’t have bothered you with this. You’re probably right. I’m just gonna get off of here and… Figure this out.” Lucy said, pulling the phone from her ear –

“Lucy? Lucy!”

She could hear Joe’s voice bellowing out of the phone and she put it back up to her ear. “What, Joe?”

“I.. I’m sorry about your bar.”

“Me too.”

 

Later that Night…
’The Waystation’ – Gulf Shores, Alabama

Lucy sat on what remained of the deck, her bare feet in the sand after the police had left. They looked around, and they told her they’d look into ‘it’, but at the end of all of it – Lucy wasn’t really hopeful for a solution through ‘conventional’ means.

She knew she needed to get back home to Rogan soon, but she didn’t know how she was going to go into their apartment and act like everything was okay. She could just tell him, she supposed – But she didn’t want to because a portion of her still wanted this to be an amazing surprise for Rogan. He deserved it.

He deserved a lot more than Lucy felt like she could give him.

And that felt like a punch to the gut.

“Miss Lucy?” The strange voice came out of the darkness and it startled Lucy so badly that she jumped up to her feet and straight into a fighting stance. Her heart was beating out of her chest but she was ready to hurt whoever it was.

But when the mystery person stepped out from the darkness, Lucy heaved a sigh of relief as she saw a familiar face.

“Trayvon?”

“It is you! It’s been a long time.” Trayvon replied, stepping closer. “How are you?”

It had been a long time since Lucy, or Rogan for that matter had stepped foot in the Pink Pony Pub, where they’d met Trayvon, the bartender. But something didn’t look right as she looked at Trayvon now, the usually happy guy looked disheveled and troubled… And he was holding a bottle of liquor in his hand.

“I’m… I’m good.” Lucy exhaled deeply. “Been a trying couple of weeks, but I’m okay. How are you, Tray?”

Trayvon didn’t answer right away, but he followed Lucy’s eyeline down to the bottle in his hand and he shrugged his shoulders as she made eye contact. “Been a little down on my luck, to be honest. I miss seeing you and Mr. Rogan down here, ya know?”

“I know. I…Er, we miss you too. It’s been a busy year. I’ve been down here every now and again working on…” She motioned back towards the building behind her, before remembering the building looked the way it did and she felt a bit of flush rising to her cheeks. “…Well, I was working on this for Rogan.. But things aren’t going well, obviously.”

“Oh yeah? This is you, huh? I been noticing a lot of stuff goin’ on around here.”

Lucy’s eyebrows raised. “Did you see…. When this happened?”

Trayvon didn’t answer straight away, but Lucy could see the man’s demeanor change right in front of her. But Lucy wasn’t about to back down.

“Trayvon?”

Trayvon’s face dropped and he took a few steps forward, nearly getting into Lucy’s face before he spoke again, this time in a whisper. “I don’t think you wanna be lookin too deep into this, Miss Lucy. Ya hear me?”

“Oh, I hear you,” Lucy replied, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. “But I don’t hear an answer to my question.”

He sighed, running his free hand over his head. “Listen, I got a good thing going down here, and I can’t be messing it up. I’m sorry about what happened to ya place, but I… I can’t help you.”

Trayvon turned to walk away, but Lucy caught him by the arm – Digging her nails into the bare flesh on his bicep. He stopped, but he didn’t bother turning his gaze back to Lucy’s.

“Please, don’t.”

“You know I can’t let you go without something, Tray. This is meant for Rogan, I’ve been doing all of this for Rogan and it’s ruined. It’s fucking ruined and I don’t know if I’ll be able to fix it all. You gotta give me something, Tray. You know who did this, don’t you?” Lucy’s voice deepened and her grip on Trayvon’s arm tightened. She was angry earlier, but standing here in this moment Lucy felt like she could have hurt a man she once thought of as a friend – Without a single thought to the contrary.

Finally, Trayvon turned his gaze back to Lucy’s and his eyes had a chill to them that Lucy had never seen before. “This whole thing, it’s a message for you and your man, Lucy.”

“A message?”

Trayvon shook his head.

“And now I gotta spell it out for you too? You ain’t welcome here to be tryin’ to take money outta no one’s pockets. This shit around here?” He motions to the area around them. “This ain’t your domain, you know? Get outta here before something… worse happens to ya’ll. I don’t wanna see ya’ll hurt.”

It was at that moment the realization dawned on Lucy.

“Your boss? He did this? McNamera?”

Trayvon pulled his arm from Lucy’s grasp and backed away. “I already said too much. Just leave it alone, Lucy. These ain’t people you wanna be messing with.”

His eyes rested on Lucy for a few more seconds before he turned away and stalked off into the night, leaving Lucy once again by herself with even more on her mind than before.

 

Wrestlestock, 2023 – Day Two
The Devil’s District

After the last few weeks, Lucy didn’t feel entirely ready to spend an entire week at the Wrestlestock Festival. Rogan made the trip, but on this day he opted to stay at the hotel they’d booked for the week. Lucy offered up the opportunity to get a golf cart from the Desert Mobility Center in order to keep the Dark Man from having to be up on his bad ankle for hours on end – But without saying a whole lot, Lucy got the hint that Rogan needed some time to himself.

So here she was.

She didn’t know why she wandered around the grounds and ended up sitting at yet another bar – this time within the Devil’s District. Scratch that, she knew exactly why. Lucy Wylde felt like absolute dog shit and she wanted to fast forward through this week and get to Sunday, where she’d be able to take out her frustrations on someone who might not deserve it… Yet completely deserves it at the same time.

Without Rogan around, she felt a bit like a lost puppy dog. But Lucy also knew full well that if she and the Dark Man didn’t have any commitments, they’d be doing exactly what Lucy was trying to do right now.

So that made Lucy feel less awkward about drinking by herself as she looked around her at the masses of motorcycles and leather-wearing men with muscles and hair that was in most cases, longer than her own. Hell, if they were anywhere but in the middle of a desert in July – She’d likely be clad in leather as well, but since she didn’t feel like baking herself alive, she opted for a semi-cropped top paired with a tight pair of jeans.

If anything, it made the UGWC World title look even bigger around her petite waist.

Glancing back down at her drink in front of her, she didn’t notice a familiar face as he stepped up beside her, his eyes raking up and down her body shamelessly. When Lucy finally noticed him, he simply smirked and took one last look before actually addressing her.

“Well well well. Didn’t expect to see the world champion herself in these parts.”

“Did I make a mistake?” Lucy quips back, shooting a glance in his direction – a subtle smirk on her burgundy-painted lips.

“Absolutely fuckin’ not. That is unless you don’t like it… wild.” Chaos laughs at his pun, proud of using the same joke that so many have used unsuccessfully in the past.

This time, however, Lucy actually chuckles. Maybe it’s the two drinks before the one she’d been drinking when Chaos stepped up to her – she thought to herself. Usually, she’d be disappointed with yet another ‘Wild’ joke, but as she downed the rest of her drink, she realized it wasn’t for any other reason than she just didn’t care.

“Clever,” Lucy said while motioning for another drink. “Ain’t never heard that shit before. How’re you doing, Chaos?”

He stepped closer and grabbed himself a drink from over the bar, and just as he opened his mouth to answer, some fellow bikers strode up and greeted him.

Lucy just sits there and listens to them, not really trying to eavesdrop, but also not really trying to give them any privacy either. She figured that was par for the course around these parts. After a few minutes of what Lucy would deem rather obnoxious conversation, Chaos turned his attention back to her.

“Sorry bout that. Where were we?”

“You were about to tell me how awesome your life is,” Lucy responded, her tone dry with sarcasm. Chaos simply stood there, sipping his beer – not rushing in any way to give Lucy an answer. To be fair, Lucy really wasn’t interested in the conversation, or any conversation for that matter.. Not that she disliked Chaos or any of the people partying around her – But after her last few weeks, she hoped some would at least understand her lack of socialization.

And if they didn’t? Fuck em.

After a few moments, Chaos shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have a fuckin’ thing to complain about. What about you? Can’t imagine you’d have much to bitch about considering that belt you’ve got.”

Lucy downed the rest of her drink and turned on her barstool until she was facing Chaos, the UGWC World Title sitting on the stool beside her – between the two of them. She stared at the belt for literal seconds before she shook her head.

“Nah. Absolutely nothing… I’m living the dream.” She replied with a humorless chuckle, for effect. “That’s why I’m sitting here by myself amid all this…. Craziness, trying to figure out how much I can drink before–”

Instead of finishing that thought, Lucy stopped herself and sighed. “Sorry. We don’t really know each other, so I don’t expect you to actually give a fuck.”

“Might not know you that well, but I fuckin’ respect your grit and what you bring to the industry. This shit ain’t about Dave, is it?”

“Nah.”

As Lucy shook her head, Chaos nodded – Understanding that whatever was going on in the world champ’s life, well, there was more to it than meets the eye.

“Well, whatever you got going on, don’t let it ruin your good time. The way I see it, things work themselves out just fine when you stop fuckin’ worrying about it. Then again, what do I know?” Chaos said, grabbing another beer from behind the bar and popping the top, taking another swig. “Anyway, champ. I’ll get outta your fuckin’ hair now, good luck against Dave. I think you already know what you got yourself into here this week, yeah?”

“I ain’t worried about it. Either he proves himself right, or he proves me right. Either way, thank you.”

“Yep. And listen, don’t fuck up my party, huh? Whatever’s goin’ on out there will still be out there after you had your fun.”

With that ‘sage’ advice, Chaos nods at Lucy again before he disappears into a crowd as mysteriously as he arrived by her side. She shook her head and watched the condensation roll down her glass before grabbing it and downing it in one fell swoop.

The later it got in the evening, the louder the party grew around her. She considered leaving, but instead, she pulled her phone out and began typing away on the screen, even though she was having a hard time keeping the phone still. One last button was pressed and she sat the phone down on the bar, skimming through the search results on the McNamera Family.

She didn’t expect to find much on them, and all too quickly she realized she was right for her low expectations. Without thinking, she slammed her fist down on the bar in frustration.

“God damnit.”

 

Wrestlestock, 2023 – Day Three
Piercing Media District

After the brutal attack on Seb a few weeks before combined with her own personal problems – Lucy was having difficulty trying to find a reason to not set the Piercing Media District ablaze and allow Travis Pierce to cook to death in the only setting he ever truly mattered in.

And on that note, Lucy found it equally difficult to convince herself to find Konrad’s NASCAR Fellatiofest 2023 and shove a gear shifter down his gullet so far that he wouldn’t have time to pull out before Lucy soaked him in racing fuel and allowed him to go out the same way he came into their lives… Disappointingly so.

Lucky for the two of them, Lucy had a headache to end all headaches and while avenging her (male) BFF’s injuries would be completely worth it – She knew Seb would enjoy getting revenge for himself in a few days’ time.

So she behaved herself.

All while thinking about how else she could find out information on the people who fucked up her gift for Rogan.

In her drunken stupor the night before, she’d decided that those motherfuckers weren’t going to stop her from opening up ‘The Waystation’. She didn’t let people push her around in her professional life, why would she let some stupid, entitled motherfuckers push her around when it came to her and Rogan’s future? It was a risk, that was for sure.

Lucy was lost in these thoughts when she’d absentmindedly wandered into the Piercing Media District. The bright lights and lack of almost any activity brought Lucy out of her thoughts. It was odd to be anywhere within the confines of Wrestlestock and not be constantly surrounded by people.

The only person she saw, an older man that looked like a janitor as he walked around a room to Lucy’s left, motioned to items that sat on display stands and talked excitedly and rather animatedly about said items. Of course, the old guy wasn’t talking to anyone but himself, which amused Lucy more than it should have.

She stood there amid the absent crowd and watched the ‘show’ for a little while longer before she finally decided to leave. She didn’t have any business there – Unless she changed her mind on ‘M-wording’ Travis Pierce for her best friend.

But then she saw it.

The sign.

Advertising the opportunity to host her own episode of ‘The Piercing Truth’. Well, truthfully it wasn’t advertised that well, and it was advertised as ‘Presenting the news on the Piercing Truth set’! But now, Lucy was intrigued and she made her way to the set, wondering what it would feel like to be standing on the set of something so recognizable, and mediocre.

“Oh my God someone showed up!” A young lady exclaimed as she rushed over to Lucy and ushered her over to the news desk. “Ricky! Hurry up! Someone showed up!”

She practically pushed Lucy down in the chair behind the desk before she laid a sheet of paper down in front of Lucy. Another person, a young man stepped out from behind a curtain and sauntered towards the camera – Ricky, Lucy presumed, looked like he was either high or working for Travis Pierce was sucking the life force from his body, she couldn’t figure out which.

“Wait, you’re Lucy Wylde! Ohmygoddddd!” The young lady said, having come back to the desk just as Lucy hoisted the UGWC world title up on top of the desk beside her.

Lucy nodded her head as she skimmed the paper. “That’s the rumor.”

“But.. why are you here?”

Before Lucy could answer, she heard a pointed “SHHHHHH!” coming from Ricky’s direction. She glanced up to see Ricky’s eyebrows furrowed into two very upset-looking caterpillars.

“You’re gonna get us both fired, Teresa.”

The young lady, Teresa as it may simply looked around them and shrugged her shoulders. “If there were anyone here, I’d agree with you and apologize.”

Lucy watched on, amused. That was until the two of them turned their attention toward her.

“What?”

“What’re you doing here, exactly? Like, we know you’re not a fan of Travis.” Teresa asked, taking a seat in a chair to that sat perpendicular to the desk that Lucy sat behind.

Ricky came out from behind the camera, nodding his head. “Seems kinda sus to me.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Maybe I just wanted to see what all the fucking fuss was about. So… Are we gonna do this, or what?”

“Well, I gave you the news stories to read… Ricky will count you down.”

Ricky took his place behind the camera. “Ready in three, two, o–”

“Yeeeah I’m not reading these…” Lucy said as he counted, crumpling up the paper and tossing it down onto the floor in front of the desk.

Teresa’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?!”

“Action!”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to–” Teresa began reading from a script, but Lucy cleared her throat – Interrupting the young woman. When she looked over at the desk where Lucy sat, she saw the world champion holding a hand up, shaking her head.

“I got this,” Lucy said quietly – turning her gaze towards the camera. “Hello, Target Audience. For a split second, I thought of maybe talking about my match with Dave here in a couple of days – Right here on the Piercing Media network, or whatever you call it. But then.. I realized I wanted people to actually see this.”

Lucy paused a soft smile on her lips.

“I know, low-hanging fruit, Trav. Shame on me. I should be better than that, right?” Suddenly, Lucy’s face lit up like a Christmas tree turned on. “You know what, you’re so right, Trav. I’ve got something even better for this…”

With that, Lucy got up from the desk and rushed out of the room – leaving her things on the desk. Teresa and Ricky just stood there, wondering what they were supposed to do until Lucy popped back through the doorway, pulling on the arm of Bones the Janitor.

“Wait a second…”

Lucy ignored Ricky and pulled Bones over to the desk, sliding her title belt out of the way and turning to the camera as she stood in front of the desk. “To the three of you watching this…. Enjoy the show.”

She moved out of the way and stood beside where Teresa stood, a satisfied expression on her face as they all watched Bones as he ripped his shirt open and began rubbing his nipples for everyone to see. Teresa groaned and looked away, completely repulsed while Ricky had no choice but to keep recording – especially after Lucy slid over to where he stood and placed a crisp hundred in his hand.

As she did just that – Bones began his monologue.

“Mmmmmmm, Come one… Come all…..”

 

Wrestlestock, 2023 – Day Four
Hell on Heels District

“I still can’t believe you did that,” Rogan said with a chuckle as he pulled Lucy in closer – the two of them dancing in the center of the dancefloor in the Hell on Heels district.

Rogan was dressed in a pair of dark slacks and an equally dark button-up shirt with crimson red accents. Lucy, meanwhile, was draped in a long, deep purple dress with a plunging neckline that drew just about everyone’s attention when she walked into the room. Neither of them had any concern about what was going on around them as they held tightly onto each other and swayed to the music.

Lucy couldn’t stifle a laugh. “I needed the laugh. I just.. I wish you’d been there.”

Rogan shook his head. “I don’t think I would have wanted to watch a janitor rubbing himself in front of a camera. But regardless, Lass… I do apologize. You’ve spent a lot of time by yourself here this week.”

“It’s okay, Rogan. I know you’re dealing with a lot too. I’m just glad you’re here now…”

Rogan stole another look at Lucy in her dress and she noticed a faint glow coming to the Dark Man’s cheeks as he spoke. “I seem to remember seeing you across the room a few years ago and feeling the exact same way I do now…”

“Such a charmer…” Lucy spoke, her eyes coming up to meet Rogan’s. Things had been feeling out of sync between them lately, with Rogan’s doctor’s appointments and Lucy’s working on the secret – and while those issues are still hovering just over the horizon, Lucy couldn’t deny it felt nice to be in Rogan’s arms, letting it all go for a little while. “Thank you…”

Rogan cocked his head. “What for, Lass?”

“For putting up with my shit. I know I’ve been secretive lately, but I just want you to know that when I can finally tell you… You’re going to love it.”

“Oh?”

“Definitely. But don’t ask me anything else because… Because I have a few more things to take care of before you get to know.”

She smiled softly up at him and he nodded his head. “Hopefully whatever this is, it’s not taking your attention away from what’s coming up this weekend.”

Lucy shook her head.

“Oh, Dave’s gonna get all the fight he could ever ask for, and more. But I’ve got plenty of time to worry about that…” Lucy said, her voice lowering into a whisper… “So what do you say we grab a few drinks and–”

Before she could finish the sentence, Rogan leaned in and kissed her softly.

“You read my mind, Lass.” He said against her lips before he pulled away. She smiled at him as he took her arm in his and escorted her toward the bar on the far side of the room.

As Rogan stepped away for a moment, Lucy felt her phone vibrating in her bag. Her heart caught in her throat as she imagined what it could be – but she was relieved when she looked at the screen and saw the name of the man she’d been working with on ‘The Waystation’. She stole a look at Rogan as she answered the phone as discreetly as she could.

“Brian, I’m glad to hear from you.”

“Oh, Lucy – I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch since–”

“Don’t worry about it. I saw what happened.” The smile faded off her lips, and a dark expression came over her face. “I’m going to take care of it. Just… Let me know how much you guys need to get back to work.”

Just as Brian began to respond, Lucy saw Rogan turn around and begin walking back toward where she stood on the far side of the bar.

“Brian, Brian – I have to go. Text me the details.”

She slid the phone back into her bag just as Rogan got to her, and handed her a drink. Lucy smiled. “Perfect.”

 

Dave.

You sure had a lot to say at Synergy, didn’t you?  And if I know you, there’s gonna be plenty more where that came from.  I wish, I sincerely wish that I could look at you and tell you that you’re unique and that the shit you spout from that hole in the front of your face was different in any way from the shit I’ve heard from people like Zane Scott and Donovan Hastings, or whoever the fuck else around here thinks that they’re Gods greatest gift to wrestling.  

But you’re not, Dave.  You’re not unique.  

You’re not even clever. 

You’re just like everyone else who assumes all this bullshit about me, or even worse – Makes up even worse bullshit about me and how I handle myself.  Am I a bitch?  Abso-fucking-lutely, Dave.  But that’s no different than the asshole I was standing across from at Synergy.  So fucking smug, like you know me.  

You don’t know a God damned thing about me because you can’t look even a centimeter past your own nose to see anything past what Dave Rydell wants to see.  

And this week, Dave Rydell wants to be the disrespected underdog who’s going to FINALLY reach the summit of the mountain.  Dave Rydell wants to be the guy who rose above all the hate and did what no one believed he could do.  He wants to rub it in everyone’s face that they should have believed in him all along… Because as Anakin Skywalker told Obi-Wan Kenobi… ‘If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.’

Well, Dave… Only a fucking Sith deals in absolutes. 

Let me be completely clear with you here, Dave.  I might not respect a thing about who you are as a person, but I do respect the effort you put in.  Whether it be your in-ring effort or the effort you put into weaving these tales of woe about how you’re treated so that everyone and their brother will feel sorry for you.   If only you put all of that brain power into, you know, something else?

Your ass may have already reached that summit that you’re so desperately trying to ascend to. 

You see, as I said, you’re here to convince everyone that you’re bigger and better than those who put you down.  But I think you’re forgetting who truly made that a thing, Dave.  I’ll give you one hint. 

You’re about to get your ass kicked by her. 

When I came to UGWC all those years ago, I was an outsider.  No one believed I’d last here after OWF closed and they treated me like it.  They hated me.  They hated what I represented.  Killian King, Jet Somers, Eden Morgan, Gabriel Baal… I could keep going, but these people made things incredibly difficult for me, as I’m sure they’ve done to countless others.  But see, Dave.. You want to say that you’re in that same position and you’re not. 

It all comes down to one very specific difference between you and I. 

YOU bitch and complain about how you’re treated and in all your crying and whining… you forget to actually put in the work to prove these motherfuckers wrong, Whereas I just shut them up.  Over and over.  I showed them who in the fuck I was and that’s why I’m standing where I am at today.  And that, Dave, is why you’re still at the bottom of the barrel, staring longingly up at people like me. 

I wasn’t lying when I told you I believed you’d get here someday.  

What I didn’t say was that day wouldn’t come until you pull your head out of your God damned ass and realize that you are ninety-nine percent of the problem here.  

I am the UGWC World Heavyweight Champion and you, you’re a wannabe.  At least you will be until you understand.  I know you’re desperate, Dave.  I said this at Synergy.  Desperation is a dangerous thing, and I have no doubts that you’re going to hurt me.  But at the end of the final night of Wrestlestock… will you walk out with MY belt?  

No. 

No you won’t because being desperate for it isn’t enough. 

There’s more to being a champion than that.  There’s more to being the face of a wrestling promotion than desperation.  No one wants a champion that bitched and whined their way to the top.  Then again, no one wants a champion that can’t hold strong in the face of adversity.  So that’s what I’m going to do.  I’m going to weather your storm, Dave Rydell and I’m going to show you what a true motherfucking champion looks like. 

And maybe, someday… You’ll see the same thing when you look at yourself in the mirror too.  

The ball is in your court. 

See you on Sunday.