Post by C.J. Gates on Feb 20, 2013 7:28:14 GMT -4
"I knew it was going to be sooner rather than later.
"There's only so much time that can past before a match-up between two men that have never met one on one happens. There's only so much you can do to avoid the subject, and once that six man tag match happened, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Evan Envi and I were thrown into the ring together.
"The question, however, will be just how much of a one on one match this is going to be. After all, this is Evan Envi we're talking about, a man with connections. Who knows if he'll call upon his tag team partner Delikado to run a bit of interference, and I know that Terry Marvin is going to be lurking around.
"Maybe not to help Envi, but he'll be there to take a few pot shots at me, that much I know for sure. Why wouldn't he? He has to deal with me at Rasslemania, and if he's like any of the other frauds I've had to deal with, getting the upperhand is their forte.
"And I think it's safe to say that would be Marvin's M.O.
"We're talking about a man who has fakes friendships and faked a retirement just to get one over on all of his opponents. So, yeah, I think Marvin would definitely come down to cost me that match, especially since he already has done so in the past.
"But I can't be focused too much on the champion. Sure, I need to make sure I'm watching out for him, but I need to make sure my main focus is on Evan Envi. He's the one that I'm facing, he's the one that I have to out wrestle to score the pinfall, and he's the one that I need to be worried about.
"Because if there's one thing that I don't want, it's for Evan Envi's ego to get any bigger. We've already got enough hot air being blown around Overdrive, with enough heads in the clouds to stop air traffic, the last thing we need is one more.
"So I will do my best to pop his ego.
"I will make sure he eats the words that he has said about me, and I will make sure that he learns to rethink what I am all about. After all, everyone has their opinions of me, and most of them see me as some sort of pushover who can just be walked over. They don't realize that I get back up after every assault. Envi doesn't realize that I get back up after every attack.
"So I will show him what I am all about.
"And in doing so, I will ground the Mega MegaStar."
"There's a guy in a suit here to see you," the voice of Vincent James says through the speakerphone. C.J. Gates looks toward the phone, raising his eyes up from the papers and video he was studying.
"A guy in a suit?" Gates asks. "What's his name?"
"He didn't say," James responds. "He just knocked on your office door and was looking for you. I told him that you were in Canada on business, but he didn't seem to want to take that for an answer."
"He's still there?"
"Yeah," James says. "He plopped himself down on the couch and never got up. He's looking through his briefcase right now."
"Find out his name," Gates says. "If it's who I think it is, he's harmless. He's just a shrink." There's a muffled sound coming through the phone and then a moment of silence. After that moment, the voice of Vincent James returns.
"He won't give me his name," James finally says. "But he assures me that he's not a shrink."
"Likely," Gates says under his breath. "Ask him if his name is Dr. Waterson." Another muffled sound is heard.
"Nope," James says. "His name isn't Dr. Waterson."
"Well that's good. Do your best to convince him to come back next week or something. Get his number and let him know I'll call him back when I get back to the country."
"What? You don't want to keep grilling him? What could be more important than finding out who this joker is."
"My match against Evan Envi."
James can be heard chuckling. "Evan Envi? Come on, that's an easy win."
"It might be," Gates begins, "it might not be. I can't say for sure. All I know is that I need to be ready for this match and ready for everything that he has to throw my way."
"But why? It's not like you aren't already the number one contender."
"That's not the point," Gates sighs. "How many times do I have to fill you in on this? If I take one week and just decide to mail it in, I could lose all the momentum I may have gained. Rasslemania is an important night, and every match up until then is just as important."
"I highly doubt that."
Gates shakes his head. "That's your decision, but it's not mine. I am going to treat every match the same, like I always have. And that includes a match with Evan Envi."
"But has he earned that?" James asks. "Like, does he deserve all of this attention?"
"That doesn't matter, you know that," Gates says. "Whether it's Shadow, Evan Envi or Mr. Dangerous, everyone gets the same treatment."
A bit of silence can be heard, though through it, the faint grumblings of James can be heard coming through the speakerphone.
"Besides," Gates continues, "this is a chance for me to shut that fool up once and for all. To keep him from thinking he's the only thing that matters in this company. He's riding some kind of high horse pulled by Delikado, and I can't just sit back and let him continue to think he's worth a title shot he hasn't earned."
"Against Terry Marvin?"
"Probably," Gates says, "though I meant against Mark Mania. He's demanding an Overdrive title match because he's had some wins here and there. Nothing that I can really see as title worthy, but I guess Envi kind of lives in his own world."
"Wasn't he the first one to jump from Meltdown?" James asks. "He probably thinks he's owed a whole bunch more than an Overdrive title shot."
"True," Gates says while nodding, "though I don't think that's because he left Meltdown. I think that's because he just feels like he deserves it. The kind of guy that feels like he's constantly facing adversity from everyone, even though that adversity is self inflicted."
"How so?"
"The fans boo him, and he might think that is unfair to him. That he puts out all of this effort to get a shit reaction from them. What he, and everyone like him doesn't understand is that they get what they give. If he wants the fans to like him, he has to give them a reason. But he doesn't."
"You sure about that?" James asks. "I'd peg him as the sort that doesn't care. The sort that thinks a boo is a positive reaction."
"That's the other side of the coin."
"But either way..."
"Either way, he's still a bit of a pain and a bit of an egomaniac. I mean, he calls himself the Mega MegaStar after all."
"I guess you have a point there, though didn't Azrael Goeren call himself Das Megastar or something like that?"
"Yeah, and look where it got him."
"Is he still even in APW?"
"That's my point," Gates says as he scans over a few of the papers. "Envi thinks calling himself the Mega MegaStar is supposed to impress people, or make them think twice about him, but that's not what it does for me. To me, it just shows that he's full of himself."
"Who knows," James asks. "Maybe it works for him."
"Works as well as it can."
"Hey listen," James says after a bit of silence. "I wanted to ask. Last week, when you said you saw it all coming, you were just playing, weren't you? It caught you just as off guard as it did everyone else."
Gates sits in silence for a bit before James cuts in. "I knew it!"
"Not so fast," Gates fires back. "The whole episode caught me off guard in the sense that I didn't think it was going to happen when it did. But I had an idea that Marvin wasn't serious when he said he was leaving."
"Really? I think everyone was caught off guard. Even me."
"Which is understandable, but Marvin didn't exactly leave much up to the imagination. I mean, who resigns while holding the Undisputed title and set to headline Rasslemania? It wasn't hard to see a flaw in his plan."
"So you knew he wasn't going to retire?"
"I had a good idea," Gates says.
"But you weren't sure."
"I rolled the dice that he wasn't."
"And you got blasted in the face with the title," James says. "It's just you and me, you can be honest with me. I would have assumed that if you knew it was coming, you would have prepared yourself better for it. But maybe that's just me."
Gates takes a deep breath. "I didn't know what was going to happen that night, but I had a feeling that it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. I figured he would have drawn it out, had a fairwell tour of sorts and make Rasslemania the final match. Or at least a few more weeks to keep himself relevant."
James can be heard chuckling again. "Whatever you say, Ceej."
"Listen, find out who that guy is," Gates starts before James cuts him off.
"So what are your plans for this week?" James asks.
"To put on a good match and beat Envi inside of the ring. That way I'm able to have a good bit of momentum heading into next week, making me one step closer to Rasslemania."
"Predicting a win, I like it," James says. "What about Marvin?"
"I'll deal with him if he gets in my way," Gates says. "I've got to stay focused on Envi first, and then I'll worry about Marvin and potential others who are looking to chip away at me."
"Make sense," James says. "Hold on." Silence fills the room before James returns. "The guy just gave me his card. Didn't seem like he was anything to worry about."
"At least it's nothing truly important, right?"
"Right," James says.
"Not as important as this match anyways. Not as important as proving Envi is in over his head."
"Give 'em hell!"
"I will," Gates says. "Any other messages for me?"
"Your mom called," James says. "I haven't heard the message yet, just saw it on the call display. I figure it's nothing to worry about, although she never really calls unless theres something to worry about."
"Worry," Gates scoffs. "The last time she called she wanted to have me committed to an asylum."
"You wanted to go to Asylum?"
"No," Gates says. "My mom wanted me to be declared insane. She's probably just lonely right about now."
"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to call her back. At least call the machine and see what she had to say."
"Later. I can't worry about that crazy bitch this week. I need to be focused on my goal.
"I need to be focused on Evan Envi."
"He calls himself the Mega MegaStar, and I can't figure out why.
"I mean, I know why he does. He needs to satisfy his over-inflated ego somehow, so adopting a nickname that makes you seem like the best of the best is only natural. And really, there would be no problem with it if someone who has actually earned that right did so. Like the Level Ones, the Kurt Nobles, hell, even the Terry Marvins. At least those three have actually done something to earn that right.
"But you, Evan? What have you done?
"You defeated and retired John Dionysus at Survive and Conquer, though a lot of people might say that Dionysus had lost a step or two from when he was here before, from when he dominated earlier in the year. I guess we can't take away that accomplishment from you, but just remember that the only one who might see it as a feat is you. And that's not a knock on Dionysus, it's simply a knock on you for holding that up as some sort of special talent.
"Sure, you won titles. You were the first North American champion Meltdown has ever had, at a time when the talent pool might not have been at it's strongest. Things were still being felt out, and you took advantage. Ever the opportunist, that's for sure. And while you're tenure as champion was long and might stand as one of the best ones that show will see, it wasn't anything special. It wasn't like you were holding the Undisputed title or the World Heavyweight championship. Maybe I'm not being fair, though.
"You were also the Xtreme champion, though you lost that title to Nick Watson, who just so happens to have recently been bumped to Meltdown. Yes, it's a few months removed, but to claim that holding the Xtreme title and beating a man who couldn't stick on the Overdrive roster, might not be exactly what you should hang your hat on. But then again, maybe things were different in October.
"Admittedly, after all of that, you still managed to find yourself on a bit of a roll. You struck gold teaming up with Delikado and riding his back to success, and you've even parlayed that into a few singles wins. Beating Kurt Noble and Terry Marvin isn't an easy task, that's for sure, so I have to take my hat off to you there. However, I question how that little string would have done had you not teamed up with Delikado.
"Just like I question whether or not you score that win last week if you didn't resort to the count out.
"But those are just questions that I have when I look at you. Questions that I have when I hear you refer to yourself as the Mega MegaStar, as if you're the best of the best. As if you are some sort of wrestling God that everyone must bow down to. If that's your intent, then perhaps you need to pad your APW resume a bit so that it actually holds some water.
"The one question I don't have, is about your talent. I'm well aware that when you are on, you're on. That when you want something bad enough, you will pull out all the stops to get it. Unfortunately that hasn't translated into anything higher then the Xtreme title, but you've got that...potential. With that, however, I also know that you don't like to play by the rules.
"Shock, surprise, I know. Just like everyone else who claims to be the best of the best, you like to bend those rules to meet your own requirements. You want to take a cheap win so you can look tougher? Well, I'm sure you could find a few ways, right? I'm sure you could reach deep down and find those resourceful tactics that everyone keeps talking about.
"But I'm ready for that. I'm always ready for that. I've had to put up with enough of it during my career that nothing surprises me anymore.
"It also helps that I do the homework necessary to get to that point. It helps that I watch video on you, that I've studied your habits when you step into that ring. But this is the same old song and dance that you always get, right? Either someone is threatening you or someone is claiming to know all about you.
"Rest assured that I do know a lot about you.
"And unlike you, I'm not going to waste my time threatening someone. Especially over twitter.
"Don't think that little gem skipped past me, Evan. I caught wind of it and it only made me smile. It only made my chuckle, because it allowed me to affirm that you would do anything that it took. If President Jeff asked you to hide a body in exchange for a title shot, you would do it. Because not only are you willing to do anything, but you're willing to take the easy way out to do it.
"Just look at your little threat. Maybe the realization is setting in that you're in trouble and you know that the only way for you to actually survive is to eliminate your competition. Kill somebody off and you can step right up into their place moments before the police arrest you for manslaughter. But maybe I'm giving myself too much credit in that regard. After all, the only results I have over you, is a pinfall in that six man tag match two weeks ago.
"Where I eliminated you.
"Yeah, I didn't win and you ultimately got that little 'dubya' by your name, but just remember that you weren't there to score that final pinfall. It wasn't you that was taking on nearly and entire team by yourself and putting up one hell of a fight. I know, I might not have given you the performance you were hoping for, considering you wanted me to be the man that beat Level One at Christmas Chaos, but I did better than you so that has to say something, right? And then the only reason why your team won, was because Level One did what that dirty rat always does.
"He cheated.
"Just like you cheat, just like Terry cheats. You're all one in the same really, the only difference is that you don't have the credentials to back it up. Not like the other two, yet you're the one out of your mind, claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread.
"The best thing to weasel his way into title shots. Like I was saying before, you take the easy way out, and that easy way extends to your title aspirations against Mark Mania. True, you did what most people won't, you grabbed the bull by the horns and demanded the respect of anyone who will listen until you got that shot. But the part of it that doesn't really sit well with me, is how you didn't earn it.
"I mean, there's something to be said for winning the right to face someone. Something to be said about defeating every other competitors to get to that point. Look at me, I had a great showing in the Elimination Chamber and was rewarded with a title shot. I didn't barge down Jeff's door until I got one.
"I didn't make proclamations at a Pay-Per-View. And I definitely didn't demand a title match from someone just because. Yeah, you've had a good stretch of wins lately, but sometimes you actually have to pay your dues before you should be rewarded. Then again, you like in that world where everything is the color rose, don't you?
"You live in that world where you can do no wrong, where you are the only one that is seen in a positive light. You can waltz around with your head held high and no one can tell you otherwise. You demand everything and you demand that you should be given it. You need to be the certain of attention at all times. All of this was evident back when you first came to Overdrive and couldn't settle for just that bit of exposure once a week. You had to keep whoring yourself out on Meltdown just to make sure that you could watch enough of your own face.
"But you stopped that, so maybe I need to take my hat off once again for that. After all, the fans can only take so much of you before they just get fed up and find something else to do.
"Luckily, that won't happen this week, since you will be fighting against me. You might not see me as anything more than a road bump, a man taking a spot that you probably think should be yours, but in that same vein you fail to realize that I'm the sort of person that makes sure those fans get their money's worth. The sort of person who makes sure to put on a good performance each and every time I am inside of that ring.
"Which includes this week. And you don't need to worry about me not living up to your expectations and hopes, because I'm planning to bring everything that I have to your doorstep. I am planning to give you that Christmas Chaos performance you don't think I delivered on in that six man tag.
"I am going to prove to you that I deserve the opportunity that I earned, the chance to fight Terry at Rasslemania for the Undisputed title. And I am going to prove to you that, while on the rise, you've still got a long way to go before you can start calling yourself the Mega MegaStar.
"A long, long way.
"You probably think that's an impossible task, but just like Marvin and Level One did, I will send you running for the hills. Sure, I won't be able to make you stop your attempt to get that title match, but I can at least poke a few holes in the theory, show the fans and everyone else that your greatest success so far is nothing big.
"I can put you to the test and make sure that if you beat me, you would have earned it. And at the end of the night, if I can't beat you for whatever reason, then it will at least put my mind at ease knowing that you didn't just sneak away with one. Now if you have to resort to cheating, well it would just be another tainted win that will show the world that you're as much of a fraud as Terry Marvin is. That your Mega MegaStar status is a bit inflated.
"And by the end of the night, you will have answered one question that many others before you have answered. You will have made the one choice that many others have made.
"Evan Envi, it's time to go big or go home."
"There's only so much time that can past before a match-up between two men that have never met one on one happens. There's only so much you can do to avoid the subject, and once that six man tag match happened, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Evan Envi and I were thrown into the ring together.
"The question, however, will be just how much of a one on one match this is going to be. After all, this is Evan Envi we're talking about, a man with connections. Who knows if he'll call upon his tag team partner Delikado to run a bit of interference, and I know that Terry Marvin is going to be lurking around.
"Maybe not to help Envi, but he'll be there to take a few pot shots at me, that much I know for sure. Why wouldn't he? He has to deal with me at Rasslemania, and if he's like any of the other frauds I've had to deal with, getting the upperhand is their forte.
"And I think it's safe to say that would be Marvin's M.O.
"We're talking about a man who has fakes friendships and faked a retirement just to get one over on all of his opponents. So, yeah, I think Marvin would definitely come down to cost me that match, especially since he already has done so in the past.
"But I can't be focused too much on the champion. Sure, I need to make sure I'm watching out for him, but I need to make sure my main focus is on Evan Envi. He's the one that I'm facing, he's the one that I have to out wrestle to score the pinfall, and he's the one that I need to be worried about.
"Because if there's one thing that I don't want, it's for Evan Envi's ego to get any bigger. We've already got enough hot air being blown around Overdrive, with enough heads in the clouds to stop air traffic, the last thing we need is one more.
"So I will do my best to pop his ego.
"I will make sure he eats the words that he has said about me, and I will make sure that he learns to rethink what I am all about. After all, everyone has their opinions of me, and most of them see me as some sort of pushover who can just be walked over. They don't realize that I get back up after every assault. Envi doesn't realize that I get back up after every attack.
"So I will show him what I am all about.
"And in doing so, I will ground the Mega MegaStar."
----------------------------------------------------
"There's a guy in a suit here to see you," the voice of Vincent James says through the speakerphone. C.J. Gates looks toward the phone, raising his eyes up from the papers and video he was studying.
"A guy in a suit?" Gates asks. "What's his name?"
"He didn't say," James responds. "He just knocked on your office door and was looking for you. I told him that you were in Canada on business, but he didn't seem to want to take that for an answer."
"He's still there?"
"Yeah," James says. "He plopped himself down on the couch and never got up. He's looking through his briefcase right now."
"Find out his name," Gates says. "If it's who I think it is, he's harmless. He's just a shrink." There's a muffled sound coming through the phone and then a moment of silence. After that moment, the voice of Vincent James returns.
"He won't give me his name," James finally says. "But he assures me that he's not a shrink."
"Likely," Gates says under his breath. "Ask him if his name is Dr. Waterson." Another muffled sound is heard.
"Nope," James says. "His name isn't Dr. Waterson."
"Well that's good. Do your best to convince him to come back next week or something. Get his number and let him know I'll call him back when I get back to the country."
"What? You don't want to keep grilling him? What could be more important than finding out who this joker is."
"My match against Evan Envi."
James can be heard chuckling. "Evan Envi? Come on, that's an easy win."
"It might be," Gates begins, "it might not be. I can't say for sure. All I know is that I need to be ready for this match and ready for everything that he has to throw my way."
"But why? It's not like you aren't already the number one contender."
"That's not the point," Gates sighs. "How many times do I have to fill you in on this? If I take one week and just decide to mail it in, I could lose all the momentum I may have gained. Rasslemania is an important night, and every match up until then is just as important."
"I highly doubt that."
Gates shakes his head. "That's your decision, but it's not mine. I am going to treat every match the same, like I always have. And that includes a match with Evan Envi."
"But has he earned that?" James asks. "Like, does he deserve all of this attention?"
"That doesn't matter, you know that," Gates says. "Whether it's Shadow, Evan Envi or Mr. Dangerous, everyone gets the same treatment."
A bit of silence can be heard, though through it, the faint grumblings of James can be heard coming through the speakerphone.
"Besides," Gates continues, "this is a chance for me to shut that fool up once and for all. To keep him from thinking he's the only thing that matters in this company. He's riding some kind of high horse pulled by Delikado, and I can't just sit back and let him continue to think he's worth a title shot he hasn't earned."
"Against Terry Marvin?"
"Probably," Gates says, "though I meant against Mark Mania. He's demanding an Overdrive title match because he's had some wins here and there. Nothing that I can really see as title worthy, but I guess Envi kind of lives in his own world."
"Wasn't he the first one to jump from Meltdown?" James asks. "He probably thinks he's owed a whole bunch more than an Overdrive title shot."
"True," Gates says while nodding, "though I don't think that's because he left Meltdown. I think that's because he just feels like he deserves it. The kind of guy that feels like he's constantly facing adversity from everyone, even though that adversity is self inflicted."
"How so?"
"The fans boo him, and he might think that is unfair to him. That he puts out all of this effort to get a shit reaction from them. What he, and everyone like him doesn't understand is that they get what they give. If he wants the fans to like him, he has to give them a reason. But he doesn't."
"You sure about that?" James asks. "I'd peg him as the sort that doesn't care. The sort that thinks a boo is a positive reaction."
"That's the other side of the coin."
"But either way..."
"Either way, he's still a bit of a pain and a bit of an egomaniac. I mean, he calls himself the Mega MegaStar after all."
"I guess you have a point there, though didn't Azrael Goeren call himself Das Megastar or something like that?"
"Yeah, and look where it got him."
"Is he still even in APW?"
"That's my point," Gates says as he scans over a few of the papers. "Envi thinks calling himself the Mega MegaStar is supposed to impress people, or make them think twice about him, but that's not what it does for me. To me, it just shows that he's full of himself."
"Who knows," James asks. "Maybe it works for him."
"Works as well as it can."
"Hey listen," James says after a bit of silence. "I wanted to ask. Last week, when you said you saw it all coming, you were just playing, weren't you? It caught you just as off guard as it did everyone else."
Gates sits in silence for a bit before James cuts in. "I knew it!"
"Not so fast," Gates fires back. "The whole episode caught me off guard in the sense that I didn't think it was going to happen when it did. But I had an idea that Marvin wasn't serious when he said he was leaving."
"Really? I think everyone was caught off guard. Even me."
"Which is understandable, but Marvin didn't exactly leave much up to the imagination. I mean, who resigns while holding the Undisputed title and set to headline Rasslemania? It wasn't hard to see a flaw in his plan."
"So you knew he wasn't going to retire?"
"I had a good idea," Gates says.
"But you weren't sure."
"I rolled the dice that he wasn't."
"And you got blasted in the face with the title," James says. "It's just you and me, you can be honest with me. I would have assumed that if you knew it was coming, you would have prepared yourself better for it. But maybe that's just me."
Gates takes a deep breath. "I didn't know what was going to happen that night, but I had a feeling that it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. I figured he would have drawn it out, had a fairwell tour of sorts and make Rasslemania the final match. Or at least a few more weeks to keep himself relevant."
James can be heard chuckling again. "Whatever you say, Ceej."
"Listen, find out who that guy is," Gates starts before James cuts him off.
"So what are your plans for this week?" James asks.
"To put on a good match and beat Envi inside of the ring. That way I'm able to have a good bit of momentum heading into next week, making me one step closer to Rasslemania."
"Predicting a win, I like it," James says. "What about Marvin?"
"I'll deal with him if he gets in my way," Gates says. "I've got to stay focused on Envi first, and then I'll worry about Marvin and potential others who are looking to chip away at me."
"Make sense," James says. "Hold on." Silence fills the room before James returns. "The guy just gave me his card. Didn't seem like he was anything to worry about."
"At least it's nothing truly important, right?"
"Right," James says.
"Not as important as this match anyways. Not as important as proving Envi is in over his head."
"Give 'em hell!"
"I will," Gates says. "Any other messages for me?"
"Your mom called," James says. "I haven't heard the message yet, just saw it on the call display. I figure it's nothing to worry about, although she never really calls unless theres something to worry about."
"Worry," Gates scoffs. "The last time she called she wanted to have me committed to an asylum."
"You wanted to go to Asylum?"
"No," Gates says. "My mom wanted me to be declared insane. She's probably just lonely right about now."
"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to call her back. At least call the machine and see what she had to say."
"Later. I can't worry about that crazy bitch this week. I need to be focused on my goal.
"I need to be focused on Evan Envi."
----------------------------------------------------
"He calls himself the Mega MegaStar, and I can't figure out why.
"I mean, I know why he does. He needs to satisfy his over-inflated ego somehow, so adopting a nickname that makes you seem like the best of the best is only natural. And really, there would be no problem with it if someone who has actually earned that right did so. Like the Level Ones, the Kurt Nobles, hell, even the Terry Marvins. At least those three have actually done something to earn that right.
"But you, Evan? What have you done?
"You defeated and retired John Dionysus at Survive and Conquer, though a lot of people might say that Dionysus had lost a step or two from when he was here before, from when he dominated earlier in the year. I guess we can't take away that accomplishment from you, but just remember that the only one who might see it as a feat is you. And that's not a knock on Dionysus, it's simply a knock on you for holding that up as some sort of special talent.
"Sure, you won titles. You were the first North American champion Meltdown has ever had, at a time when the talent pool might not have been at it's strongest. Things were still being felt out, and you took advantage. Ever the opportunist, that's for sure. And while you're tenure as champion was long and might stand as one of the best ones that show will see, it wasn't anything special. It wasn't like you were holding the Undisputed title or the World Heavyweight championship. Maybe I'm not being fair, though.
"You were also the Xtreme champion, though you lost that title to Nick Watson, who just so happens to have recently been bumped to Meltdown. Yes, it's a few months removed, but to claim that holding the Xtreme title and beating a man who couldn't stick on the Overdrive roster, might not be exactly what you should hang your hat on. But then again, maybe things were different in October.
"Admittedly, after all of that, you still managed to find yourself on a bit of a roll. You struck gold teaming up with Delikado and riding his back to success, and you've even parlayed that into a few singles wins. Beating Kurt Noble and Terry Marvin isn't an easy task, that's for sure, so I have to take my hat off to you there. However, I question how that little string would have done had you not teamed up with Delikado.
"Just like I question whether or not you score that win last week if you didn't resort to the count out.
"But those are just questions that I have when I look at you. Questions that I have when I hear you refer to yourself as the Mega MegaStar, as if you're the best of the best. As if you are some sort of wrestling God that everyone must bow down to. If that's your intent, then perhaps you need to pad your APW resume a bit so that it actually holds some water.
"The one question I don't have, is about your talent. I'm well aware that when you are on, you're on. That when you want something bad enough, you will pull out all the stops to get it. Unfortunately that hasn't translated into anything higher then the Xtreme title, but you've got that...potential. With that, however, I also know that you don't like to play by the rules.
"Shock, surprise, I know. Just like everyone else who claims to be the best of the best, you like to bend those rules to meet your own requirements. You want to take a cheap win so you can look tougher? Well, I'm sure you could find a few ways, right? I'm sure you could reach deep down and find those resourceful tactics that everyone keeps talking about.
"But I'm ready for that. I'm always ready for that. I've had to put up with enough of it during my career that nothing surprises me anymore.
"It also helps that I do the homework necessary to get to that point. It helps that I watch video on you, that I've studied your habits when you step into that ring. But this is the same old song and dance that you always get, right? Either someone is threatening you or someone is claiming to know all about you.
"Rest assured that I do know a lot about you.
"And unlike you, I'm not going to waste my time threatening someone. Especially over twitter.
"Don't think that little gem skipped past me, Evan. I caught wind of it and it only made me smile. It only made my chuckle, because it allowed me to affirm that you would do anything that it took. If President Jeff asked you to hide a body in exchange for a title shot, you would do it. Because not only are you willing to do anything, but you're willing to take the easy way out to do it.
"Just look at your little threat. Maybe the realization is setting in that you're in trouble and you know that the only way for you to actually survive is to eliminate your competition. Kill somebody off and you can step right up into their place moments before the police arrest you for manslaughter. But maybe I'm giving myself too much credit in that regard. After all, the only results I have over you, is a pinfall in that six man tag match two weeks ago.
"Where I eliminated you.
"Yeah, I didn't win and you ultimately got that little 'dubya' by your name, but just remember that you weren't there to score that final pinfall. It wasn't you that was taking on nearly and entire team by yourself and putting up one hell of a fight. I know, I might not have given you the performance you were hoping for, considering you wanted me to be the man that beat Level One at Christmas Chaos, but I did better than you so that has to say something, right? And then the only reason why your team won, was because Level One did what that dirty rat always does.
"He cheated.
"Just like you cheat, just like Terry cheats. You're all one in the same really, the only difference is that you don't have the credentials to back it up. Not like the other two, yet you're the one out of your mind, claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread.
"The best thing to weasel his way into title shots. Like I was saying before, you take the easy way out, and that easy way extends to your title aspirations against Mark Mania. True, you did what most people won't, you grabbed the bull by the horns and demanded the respect of anyone who will listen until you got that shot. But the part of it that doesn't really sit well with me, is how you didn't earn it.
"I mean, there's something to be said for winning the right to face someone. Something to be said about defeating every other competitors to get to that point. Look at me, I had a great showing in the Elimination Chamber and was rewarded with a title shot. I didn't barge down Jeff's door until I got one.
"I didn't make proclamations at a Pay-Per-View. And I definitely didn't demand a title match from someone just because. Yeah, you've had a good stretch of wins lately, but sometimes you actually have to pay your dues before you should be rewarded. Then again, you like in that world where everything is the color rose, don't you?
"You live in that world where you can do no wrong, where you are the only one that is seen in a positive light. You can waltz around with your head held high and no one can tell you otherwise. You demand everything and you demand that you should be given it. You need to be the certain of attention at all times. All of this was evident back when you first came to Overdrive and couldn't settle for just that bit of exposure once a week. You had to keep whoring yourself out on Meltdown just to make sure that you could watch enough of your own face.
"But you stopped that, so maybe I need to take my hat off once again for that. After all, the fans can only take so much of you before they just get fed up and find something else to do.
"Luckily, that won't happen this week, since you will be fighting against me. You might not see me as anything more than a road bump, a man taking a spot that you probably think should be yours, but in that same vein you fail to realize that I'm the sort of person that makes sure those fans get their money's worth. The sort of person who makes sure to put on a good performance each and every time I am inside of that ring.
"Which includes this week. And you don't need to worry about me not living up to your expectations and hopes, because I'm planning to bring everything that I have to your doorstep. I am planning to give you that Christmas Chaos performance you don't think I delivered on in that six man tag.
"I am going to prove to you that I deserve the opportunity that I earned, the chance to fight Terry at Rasslemania for the Undisputed title. And I am going to prove to you that, while on the rise, you've still got a long way to go before you can start calling yourself the Mega MegaStar.
"A long, long way.
"You probably think that's an impossible task, but just like Marvin and Level One did, I will send you running for the hills. Sure, I won't be able to make you stop your attempt to get that title match, but I can at least poke a few holes in the theory, show the fans and everyone else that your greatest success so far is nothing big.
"I can put you to the test and make sure that if you beat me, you would have earned it. And at the end of the night, if I can't beat you for whatever reason, then it will at least put my mind at ease knowing that you didn't just sneak away with one. Now if you have to resort to cheating, well it would just be another tainted win that will show the world that you're as much of a fraud as Terry Marvin is. That your Mega MegaStar status is a bit inflated.
"And by the end of the night, you will have answered one question that many others before you have answered. You will have made the one choice that many others have made.
"Evan Envi, it's time to go big or go home."
