Post by Michael Callahan on Mar 22, 2013 7:42:19 GMT -4
An air of antagonising tension hangs over the backstage zone at The Rogers Centre in Toronto, March 24th as we stand hours before the night where destinies will be unfurled. Yet not for Rasslemania itself, nor for the stress and the workload put upon the people behind the scenes who make the whole show go off without a hitch, but for the maniacal constructs of one Michael Callahan as he prepares to give his final address to the people. Standing high up above a gathered crowd of confused technicians, Michael Callahan has fashioned himself a podium out of stacks of oil drums lined up eight by four with a banner draped across the front titled “Callahan's APW”.
With a microphone in hand, everyone watches with baited breath as Dr. Alexander Gray steps out from behind the barrels to try and explain what is actually going on.
Dr. Alexander Gray: Members of the Asylum production team, citizens of the APW fandom and to the world watching at home, I have the absolute privilege tonight to introduce the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Champion, Mr. Michael Callahan!
Inexplicably, the crowd burst into cheering and clapping for The American Hero who steps to the front of the barrel stack holding a microphone of his own. A giant brass eagle hanging off the wall behind Callahan serves as the backdrop to the speech he's about to give.
Michael Callahan: Thank you! Thank you. Thank you very much.
The technicians, all fans of Michael Callahan, continue to applaud and whoop for their working class hero as he uses subtle hand gestures to try and hush them down. When it looks like they're about to calm down though, they whoop up and scream even louder.
Michael Callahan: Thank you all so much for being here.
The audience finally quieten down. There's a crowd of about a hundred people back here, but there's also cameras filming his every move. Why? Because like all good political leaders, in times of crisis one must address his people. It's time for Michael to deliver his first ever State of the Empire.
Michael Callahan: Ladies, gentlemen, workers, fans, citizens of the world alike. This week marks one of the most important moments in professional wrestling, indeed, in all of our lifetimes as we head towards the crown jewel of our industry, the main platform where we display everything we have to offer on a global stage. The world is watching us, ladies and gentlemen. In the week that we close yet another year in the APW calendar, start the cycle a-fresh and prepare for another season of in-ring action that we hope will be even better than the stellar year we've had so far, we face one last evening to top off our year of success.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Callahan is referring to RassleMania IX, hands on the most stacked card in the history of the promotion. It is here, that Michael's greatest battle yet awaits him.
Michael Callahan: And indeed, what a year it has been for us. In our coalition to form the greatest wrestling promotion in the world, we have seen our strongest assets grow stronger. This is the year we saw Terry Marvin destroy all-comers in a clean sweep of a year that saw him win Test for the Best, the Undisputed Championship and indeed the biggest Survive and Conquer Battle Royale in the history of Action Packed Wrestling to become the hottest commodity in all of professional wrestling today.
One smark in a Terry Marvin t-shirt cheers and yells “FUCK YEAH!”, much to the amusement of everybody else. Even Callahan cracks a smile at his outburst, but he's not to be distracted.
Michael Callahan: This is the year we saw Jason Kash become a Grand Slam Champion ladies and gentlemen, when he dethroned me to become the Suicidal Champion and ensured himself a place in the history books as the first man in history to hold all of Asylum's prestigious championships. This is the year that Level One reinvented himself as a celebrity icon, a permanent fixture on the VIP list of every high-flying Hollywood party you could hope to think of, and in doing so has earned himself in a small period of time the kind of money that some men could live their entire lives off of.
Indeed, one only has to cast their mind back to Terry Marvin's extravagant New Years party as an example of one of those highly publicised soirées where the man himself, Level One was responsible for starting a chain of events that may well make Selena Gomez the next Lindsay Lohan.
Michael Callahan: And while we've seen some people take a step back a little or even outright retire from APW such as Blade, Yarmouth, to some extent Johnny Rebel and of course the legendary Jason “Bacon” Andrews, a whole raft of new talent from the wonderful Meltdown product have come up take their place and boy, am I excited to be something of a newcomer here in this promotion. If you're talented, this is a very bright place to be right now. There's people like Delikado, Christian Kane,, Kaylyn J. Evans, Evan Envi and of course, my bestie Aubrey J. Parker who have come seemingly from nowhere right to the fore-front of our promotion by excelling the high, high expectations we had of them.
Another round of applause and cheering, for this fresh batch of nasties to fill up the dwindling rogues gallery have been warmly received by the APW fandom, even if their only purpose is to antagonise.
Michael Callahan: It's a bright time to be a Megastar right now ladies and gentlemen. Indeed, at no time in the history of the APW has our future seemed so positive. We are the number one wrestling promotion in all of the world. We are the ENVY of our competition. But it's now at the beginning of APW's Golden Age, and indeed on this week of weeks that we must must become aware of something far more sinister.
In the silence that follows, you can hear the crowd collectively gasp. Who, or what could possibly jeopardise APW's future when it has so much going for it?
Michael Callahan: We stand at the dawn of a new era, ladies and gentlemen, but this glorious future may yet be snatched away from us by a much greater problem. This isn't something impending. This isn't something lurking around the corner like a mugger. This is something that's happening RIGHT now and is eating away at our existence like termites in the hull of our ship. Open your eyes! It's all around us! Corruption, lies, sleaze, the very destructive elements that I have fought tirelessly since my arrival! They continue to fester and chew away at our future and if left unchecked, we risk an entire generation of crippled wrestlers, ruined careers, wasted potential and an impossibly steep decline from which we WILL NOT recover! We CAN NOT allow this to happen!
There's a look of concern on the crowds faces as Michael's expression changes from a pleased grin to a frazzled low brow of grave concern.
Michael Callahan: While the nation under Barack Obama is just about managing to pull itself free from the wreckage left by the collapse of the banks, we now stand at that point that he did when he assumed office. Rather than one dramatic collapse however, over the years we've slowly had more and more tonnage piled on top of our heads. We are buried in amongst the rubble, and the powers that be continue to pile it on until it smothers out the goodness left within this promotion. However, there IS a solution. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and that my friends?
Who else but...?
Michael Callahan: That light at the end of the tunnel... is me.
Everyone nods in silent agreement as Callahan throws both his hands in the air with the Nixon V's, feeling the adrenaline of the night beginning to ebb and course through his veins. The hype starts now.
Michael Callahan: More than anything else right now, what APW and Asylum needs is a leader. They need an honest, hard-working, dedicated, ruthless individual willing to do everything it takes to protect the future of the company. They need somebody with the physical attributes to be a dominating ring general, they need somebody with the charisma, the natural speaking ability to get their point across in a way that makes sense and can influence people to stand up and fight the good fight, and they need someone with the knowledge, the intelligence to conduct himself and his business outside of the ring like a true professional.
As both an aspiring politician and a man who holds one of the most impressive win/loss records in APW, Michael Callahan obviously has all of those credentials. He also has the mental instability required to lead the masses.
Michael Callahan: Ladies and gentlemen, these are qualities that I have... in... spades. There is no better candidate to lead APW into the future than yours truly. Since arriving in APW, I have done nothing but perform to the highest of my abilities all year round. When I talked about newcomers before, I failed to omit one of the fastest rising MegaStars we've had all year. With victories over two former Undisputed Champions in Sally Talfourd and Kurt Noble, with victories over a myriad of World Heavyweight Champions like Phil Atken, like Sally Talfourd, like Anthony Bailey and Jason Kash. There is no other man that you can count on to get the job done than me.
Few can claim to have had a better year than Michael Callahan. He may not have been a winner week in and week out, but when the chips were down there weren't many that could honestly beat Michael Callahan, and in those circumstances? There weren't any who could do it cleanly.
Michael Callahan: But I can not do it alone. Y'see, in just a few hours I go on to face Keaton Saint in what will be one of the most competitive wrestling matches of our lifetime. But I don't want you to see it as just a match. I don't want you to see it as a championship bout because there is SO, SO MUCH MORE at stake here. I want you all to see it the way I see it, and that ladies and gentlemen is a war, a big, bloody, gruesome battle for the very future of this promotion and for everything I outlined before. This match isn't just about who's the better wrestler, it's about who has the strength of character and the intestinal fortitude to be the man that powers APW's driving direction into the next year!
Callahan thrusts a fist into the air, as the crowd hang onto his every single word. Move over Stalin, the new cult of personality is upon us.
Michael Callahan: Everything is to play for here. I can't stress enough how monumental this match will be to the history of Action Packed Wrestling. To become leader of the APW's new generation, I must be in the position of power to make the changes necessary. I must be elected into the highest office in the land, and the only way to do that is to become the World Heavyweight Champion. By wearing that championship around my waist, I will become the new ambassador for the sport. I will have the sway to make the decisions that count and to drag APW kicking and screaming out of this mire of corruption and sleaze and into the new dawn that awaits us.
Callahan drops to a seated position on the edge of the barrels, beckoning his crowd in closer so that the can see him, touch him, taste him, feel him, know that he is there and feel like he's on there level, not on some self-imposed pedestal.
Michael Callahan: And that's why I need your support, because I know this will be the most difficult challenge I have ever faced. To score that home run, to extend my undefeated streak at Rasslemania to 2-0, I have to bat with the world's most motivated catcher standing behind me. Those people out there filling up the stands? They may not all support me. The management here? They definitely don't support me. But you people, here and now, watching at home know that I need you backing me EVERY step of the way, otherwise there is no beating Saint.
It doesn't matter if Callahan believes in people power, or if he thinks Keaton is unbeatable. What matters to him is that THEY believe in it and believe in him. For without their support, he has no fuel for his direction.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint is a man who has spent his last year being the cat chasing the laser pen. Every time it seems like he's finally got his claws into the little red dot on the carpet, it's cruelly snatched away from him. Now though, he's turned on the man holding the laser pen and he's taken it from him. After so much time spent chasing smoke and vapour trails, he will be ruthless in his pursuit to hold onto it for as long as possible. Cracking the code to Keaton Saint will be an uphill battle at the best of times, and fresh off the back of his championship victory? There may not be a move in my arsenal that can take that away from him.
No doubt Keaton will have scouted for everything, so the possibility of Michael having to step outside of his comfort zone to do something new to win is not unforeseeable. We've seen it done before when he defeated Sally Talfourd, but there's so much more at stake now.
Michael Callahan: Losing to Keaton Saint however, is no longer an option! It's do or die ladies and gentlemen, it's sink or swim because with Keaton Saint at the helm? This place will nose-dive into chaos and anarchy from which we may NEVER truly recover! See I admire Keaton Saint. He's tougher than anyone I know, capable of delivering such incredible punishment and damage to his opponents, but the fact he's taken this long to become champion is something of a freak accident! However, his problem is that he lacks the direction. He knows what he wants, but he doesn't know how to get it! He's much too laid-back, and in times of crisis, that's not the person you want at the captain of the ship!
The crowd aren't sure what to make of that assertion but they carry on listening, as Callahan's passion keeps them hanging on for the next.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint will not exacerbate the problem, but he will not do what is necessary to stop it! He is passionate about the business, but as a whole, and will not change anything out of his sheer tolerance! Is this gutlessness? Is this being a soft-touch? I don't know, but it's not traits fitting of the man who will become the face of a generation. As a champion, he is clearly the people's choice! The masses adore him for his devotion and his ability, for his legacy as a wrestler, but he simply doesn't have the heart or the stones to make those make or break decisions that I do! That is why he can NOT be allowed to hold that championship!
The crowd mumble amongst themselves. You can tell beyond shadow of a doubt that this is what Michael believes in, that HE is the future of the company.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint, although his motives are pure, he stands between us and the future perfect! He is the gatekeeper to progress and for the sake of this industry that he claims to value, HE MUST be removed! It is only I, the most dominant champion in Asylum history and a bonafide American Hero that is the only one who can hold that championship and assure the future of the company! I am the only one that you can rely on, that you can trust, that can be transparent in every decision he makes in his road to becoming the greatest American icon in wrestling in history! There is no other choice! In the war for APW, there is but only one true choice to make!!
Get your helmets on soldiers, because the battle will commence!
Michael Callahan: At RassleMania IX, the show of shows, where the light shines brightest, all I ask of you is to pledge your support to me! Feed your energy to me, so that I may champion the good fight and break this threat! The final hour is here! The only solution is trial by fire! With the people behind me, I will rise up to the legendary expectations put upon me to do the impossible! I must destroy Keaton Saint, for the very mission depends upon it! That my friends? THAT is a promise. Keaton Saint, bring your everything to RassleMania. Leave nothing left unchecked. The nuclear payload is coming out in our war of mutually assured destruction. The Michael Callahan you've seen on game time, the Michael Callahan you've seen attack you with a bat.... If you thought that was impressive, then Keaton Saint?!
One last final pregnant pause.
Michael Callahan: You dipped your toe in the water. You haven't scratched the surface. You haven't lived, you haven't BREATHED. You have seen... NOTHING until you step into the ring with Michael Callahan at RassleMania!
And with that, Callahan leaps into delighted crowd who whoop, cheer and chant “CAL-LA-HAN!” over and over a they whisk him off into the distance. This is what it's all about ladies and gentlemen. The hype, the grandeur, there is no way Michael can be more motivated. It's either all now... or nothing.
With a microphone in hand, everyone watches with baited breath as Dr. Alexander Gray steps out from behind the barrels to try and explain what is actually going on.
Dr. Alexander Gray: Members of the Asylum production team, citizens of the APW fandom and to the world watching at home, I have the absolute privilege tonight to introduce the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Champion, Mr. Michael Callahan!
Inexplicably, the crowd burst into cheering and clapping for The American Hero who steps to the front of the barrel stack holding a microphone of his own. A giant brass eagle hanging off the wall behind Callahan serves as the backdrop to the speech he's about to give.
Michael Callahan: Thank you! Thank you. Thank you very much.
The technicians, all fans of Michael Callahan, continue to applaud and whoop for their working class hero as he uses subtle hand gestures to try and hush them down. When it looks like they're about to calm down though, they whoop up and scream even louder.
Michael Callahan: Thank you all so much for being here.
The audience finally quieten down. There's a crowd of about a hundred people back here, but there's also cameras filming his every move. Why? Because like all good political leaders, in times of crisis one must address his people. It's time for Michael to deliver his first ever State of the Empire.
Michael Callahan: Ladies, gentlemen, workers, fans, citizens of the world alike. This week marks one of the most important moments in professional wrestling, indeed, in all of our lifetimes as we head towards the crown jewel of our industry, the main platform where we display everything we have to offer on a global stage. The world is watching us, ladies and gentlemen. In the week that we close yet another year in the APW calendar, start the cycle a-fresh and prepare for another season of in-ring action that we hope will be even better than the stellar year we've had so far, we face one last evening to top off our year of success.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Callahan is referring to RassleMania IX, hands on the most stacked card in the history of the promotion. It is here, that Michael's greatest battle yet awaits him.
Michael Callahan: And indeed, what a year it has been for us. In our coalition to form the greatest wrestling promotion in the world, we have seen our strongest assets grow stronger. This is the year we saw Terry Marvin destroy all-comers in a clean sweep of a year that saw him win Test for the Best, the Undisputed Championship and indeed the biggest Survive and Conquer Battle Royale in the history of Action Packed Wrestling to become the hottest commodity in all of professional wrestling today.
One smark in a Terry Marvin t-shirt cheers and yells “FUCK YEAH!”, much to the amusement of everybody else. Even Callahan cracks a smile at his outburst, but he's not to be distracted.
Michael Callahan: This is the year we saw Jason Kash become a Grand Slam Champion ladies and gentlemen, when he dethroned me to become the Suicidal Champion and ensured himself a place in the history books as the first man in history to hold all of Asylum's prestigious championships. This is the year that Level One reinvented himself as a celebrity icon, a permanent fixture on the VIP list of every high-flying Hollywood party you could hope to think of, and in doing so has earned himself in a small period of time the kind of money that some men could live their entire lives off of.
Indeed, one only has to cast their mind back to Terry Marvin's extravagant New Years party as an example of one of those highly publicised soirées where the man himself, Level One was responsible for starting a chain of events that may well make Selena Gomez the next Lindsay Lohan.
Michael Callahan: And while we've seen some people take a step back a little or even outright retire from APW such as Blade, Yarmouth, to some extent Johnny Rebel and of course the legendary Jason “Bacon” Andrews, a whole raft of new talent from the wonderful Meltdown product have come up take their place and boy, am I excited to be something of a newcomer here in this promotion. If you're talented, this is a very bright place to be right now. There's people like Delikado, Christian Kane,, Kaylyn J. Evans, Evan Envi and of course, my bestie Aubrey J. Parker who have come seemingly from nowhere right to the fore-front of our promotion by excelling the high, high expectations we had of them.
Another round of applause and cheering, for this fresh batch of nasties to fill up the dwindling rogues gallery have been warmly received by the APW fandom, even if their only purpose is to antagonise.
Michael Callahan: It's a bright time to be a Megastar right now ladies and gentlemen. Indeed, at no time in the history of the APW has our future seemed so positive. We are the number one wrestling promotion in all of the world. We are the ENVY of our competition. But it's now at the beginning of APW's Golden Age, and indeed on this week of weeks that we must must become aware of something far more sinister.
In the silence that follows, you can hear the crowd collectively gasp. Who, or what could possibly jeopardise APW's future when it has so much going for it?
Michael Callahan: We stand at the dawn of a new era, ladies and gentlemen, but this glorious future may yet be snatched away from us by a much greater problem. This isn't something impending. This isn't something lurking around the corner like a mugger. This is something that's happening RIGHT now and is eating away at our existence like termites in the hull of our ship. Open your eyes! It's all around us! Corruption, lies, sleaze, the very destructive elements that I have fought tirelessly since my arrival! They continue to fester and chew away at our future and if left unchecked, we risk an entire generation of crippled wrestlers, ruined careers, wasted potential and an impossibly steep decline from which we WILL NOT recover! We CAN NOT allow this to happen!
There's a look of concern on the crowds faces as Michael's expression changes from a pleased grin to a frazzled low brow of grave concern.
Michael Callahan: While the nation under Barack Obama is just about managing to pull itself free from the wreckage left by the collapse of the banks, we now stand at that point that he did when he assumed office. Rather than one dramatic collapse however, over the years we've slowly had more and more tonnage piled on top of our heads. We are buried in amongst the rubble, and the powers that be continue to pile it on until it smothers out the goodness left within this promotion. However, there IS a solution. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and that my friends?
Who else but...?
Michael Callahan: That light at the end of the tunnel... is me.
Everyone nods in silent agreement as Callahan throws both his hands in the air with the Nixon V's, feeling the adrenaline of the night beginning to ebb and course through his veins. The hype starts now.
Michael Callahan: More than anything else right now, what APW and Asylum needs is a leader. They need an honest, hard-working, dedicated, ruthless individual willing to do everything it takes to protect the future of the company. They need somebody with the physical attributes to be a dominating ring general, they need somebody with the charisma, the natural speaking ability to get their point across in a way that makes sense and can influence people to stand up and fight the good fight, and they need someone with the knowledge, the intelligence to conduct himself and his business outside of the ring like a true professional.
As both an aspiring politician and a man who holds one of the most impressive win/loss records in APW, Michael Callahan obviously has all of those credentials. He also has the mental instability required to lead the masses.
Michael Callahan: Ladies and gentlemen, these are qualities that I have... in... spades. There is no better candidate to lead APW into the future than yours truly. Since arriving in APW, I have done nothing but perform to the highest of my abilities all year round. When I talked about newcomers before, I failed to omit one of the fastest rising MegaStars we've had all year. With victories over two former Undisputed Champions in Sally Talfourd and Kurt Noble, with victories over a myriad of World Heavyweight Champions like Phil Atken, like Sally Talfourd, like Anthony Bailey and Jason Kash. There is no other man that you can count on to get the job done than me.
Few can claim to have had a better year than Michael Callahan. He may not have been a winner week in and week out, but when the chips were down there weren't many that could honestly beat Michael Callahan, and in those circumstances? There weren't any who could do it cleanly.
Michael Callahan: But I can not do it alone. Y'see, in just a few hours I go on to face Keaton Saint in what will be one of the most competitive wrestling matches of our lifetime. But I don't want you to see it as just a match. I don't want you to see it as a championship bout because there is SO, SO MUCH MORE at stake here. I want you all to see it the way I see it, and that ladies and gentlemen is a war, a big, bloody, gruesome battle for the very future of this promotion and for everything I outlined before. This match isn't just about who's the better wrestler, it's about who has the strength of character and the intestinal fortitude to be the man that powers APW's driving direction into the next year!
Callahan thrusts a fist into the air, as the crowd hang onto his every single word. Move over Stalin, the new cult of personality is upon us.
Michael Callahan: Everything is to play for here. I can't stress enough how monumental this match will be to the history of Action Packed Wrestling. To become leader of the APW's new generation, I must be in the position of power to make the changes necessary. I must be elected into the highest office in the land, and the only way to do that is to become the World Heavyweight Champion. By wearing that championship around my waist, I will become the new ambassador for the sport. I will have the sway to make the decisions that count and to drag APW kicking and screaming out of this mire of corruption and sleaze and into the new dawn that awaits us.
Callahan drops to a seated position on the edge of the barrels, beckoning his crowd in closer so that the can see him, touch him, taste him, feel him, know that he is there and feel like he's on there level, not on some self-imposed pedestal.
Michael Callahan: And that's why I need your support, because I know this will be the most difficult challenge I have ever faced. To score that home run, to extend my undefeated streak at Rasslemania to 2-0, I have to bat with the world's most motivated catcher standing behind me. Those people out there filling up the stands? They may not all support me. The management here? They definitely don't support me. But you people, here and now, watching at home know that I need you backing me EVERY step of the way, otherwise there is no beating Saint.
It doesn't matter if Callahan believes in people power, or if he thinks Keaton is unbeatable. What matters to him is that THEY believe in it and believe in him. For without their support, he has no fuel for his direction.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint is a man who has spent his last year being the cat chasing the laser pen. Every time it seems like he's finally got his claws into the little red dot on the carpet, it's cruelly snatched away from him. Now though, he's turned on the man holding the laser pen and he's taken it from him. After so much time spent chasing smoke and vapour trails, he will be ruthless in his pursuit to hold onto it for as long as possible. Cracking the code to Keaton Saint will be an uphill battle at the best of times, and fresh off the back of his championship victory? There may not be a move in my arsenal that can take that away from him.
No doubt Keaton will have scouted for everything, so the possibility of Michael having to step outside of his comfort zone to do something new to win is not unforeseeable. We've seen it done before when he defeated Sally Talfourd, but there's so much more at stake now.
Michael Callahan: Losing to Keaton Saint however, is no longer an option! It's do or die ladies and gentlemen, it's sink or swim because with Keaton Saint at the helm? This place will nose-dive into chaos and anarchy from which we may NEVER truly recover! See I admire Keaton Saint. He's tougher than anyone I know, capable of delivering such incredible punishment and damage to his opponents, but the fact he's taken this long to become champion is something of a freak accident! However, his problem is that he lacks the direction. He knows what he wants, but he doesn't know how to get it! He's much too laid-back, and in times of crisis, that's not the person you want at the captain of the ship!
The crowd aren't sure what to make of that assertion but they carry on listening, as Callahan's passion keeps them hanging on for the next.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint will not exacerbate the problem, but he will not do what is necessary to stop it! He is passionate about the business, but as a whole, and will not change anything out of his sheer tolerance! Is this gutlessness? Is this being a soft-touch? I don't know, but it's not traits fitting of the man who will become the face of a generation. As a champion, he is clearly the people's choice! The masses adore him for his devotion and his ability, for his legacy as a wrestler, but he simply doesn't have the heart or the stones to make those make or break decisions that I do! That is why he can NOT be allowed to hold that championship!
The crowd mumble amongst themselves. You can tell beyond shadow of a doubt that this is what Michael believes in, that HE is the future of the company.
Michael Callahan: Keaton Saint, although his motives are pure, he stands between us and the future perfect! He is the gatekeeper to progress and for the sake of this industry that he claims to value, HE MUST be removed! It is only I, the most dominant champion in Asylum history and a bonafide American Hero that is the only one who can hold that championship and assure the future of the company! I am the only one that you can rely on, that you can trust, that can be transparent in every decision he makes in his road to becoming the greatest American icon in wrestling in history! There is no other choice! In the war for APW, there is but only one true choice to make!!
Get your helmets on soldiers, because the battle will commence!
Michael Callahan: At RassleMania IX, the show of shows, where the light shines brightest, all I ask of you is to pledge your support to me! Feed your energy to me, so that I may champion the good fight and break this threat! The final hour is here! The only solution is trial by fire! With the people behind me, I will rise up to the legendary expectations put upon me to do the impossible! I must destroy Keaton Saint, for the very mission depends upon it! That my friends? THAT is a promise. Keaton Saint, bring your everything to RassleMania. Leave nothing left unchecked. The nuclear payload is coming out in our war of mutually assured destruction. The Michael Callahan you've seen on game time, the Michael Callahan you've seen attack you with a bat.... If you thought that was impressive, then Keaton Saint?!
One last final pregnant pause.
Michael Callahan: You dipped your toe in the water. You haven't scratched the surface. You haven't lived, you haven't BREATHED. You have seen... NOTHING until you step into the ring with Michael Callahan at RassleMania!
And with that, Callahan leaps into delighted crowd who whoop, cheer and chant “CAL-LA-HAN!” over and over a they whisk him off into the distance. This is what it's all about ladies and gentlemen. The hype, the grandeur, there is no way Michael can be more motivated. It's either all now... or nothing.
