Post by The Ace on Jul 23, 2017 15:36:15 GMT
The Ace is sat on a black steel folding chair, his signature rake rests in his lap, contracted. He is wearing jeans and a black Motorhead branded tank top. He stares directly into the camera and begins to speak, directly and very matter of factly addressing his opponent.
Jayson Matthews.
Three time Imperial Wrestling Federation Invictus Champion.
No matter where you go in life from here Jayson, nobody can deny the significance of what you achieved last month at Bloody Assizes when you finally managed to beat Bob Pooler and etch your name in the annals of this company's history as the first man to hold the IWF Invictus Championship on three separate occasions.
It's been quite a journey getting to this point in your career, hasn't it Jayson?
I know it's never been easy for you to get the credit and the spotlight that frankly somebody of your incredible perseverance and resiliency deserves.
Over the years, I've watched as so many of our peers in this business consign and condemn you to Steve Awesome's shadow. Seven years ago, I made the mistake of underestimating you myself Jayson, and on that night you showed the world just how wrong I had been about your worth and ability as a legitimate competitor when you beat me in the middle of a professional wrestling ring and put an end to the last time I was standing on the mountain top as a World Heavyweight Champion in this business.
In retrospect, I should have known better, especially given the number of times in my own career that I myself have been relegated to the role of a supporting act for a "real" main event megastar like Steve Awesome, Roberto Verona or Spike Kane, and even though it might be long overdue at this point in both of our careers, Jayson, allow me to take the opportunity to do today what I couldn't do seven years ago.
Allow me to apologise, allow me to congratulate and allow me to celebrate.
I'm sorry for underestimating you all those years ago, Jayson.
Congratulations on shattering not only my every expectation of you but also the glass ceiling.
You reached for the brass ring and now it is firmly in your grasp, but whilst I stand here today celebrating that fact, there are others who will always resent it, and for those bitter individuals, somebody like you Jayson - somebody with the proven heart of a Champion, will always be a target.
Around this time last year Jayson, as a top contender, you were a target for Cable Arcane and the House of Howlett.
Now, as a top Champion, you are a target for Xavier Cross and the Council.
For better or worse, you, Jayson Matthews, are the Imperial Wrestling Federation's single greatest example of the fact that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The wolf packs that band together in this business may change periodically, but the mentality never does, and that is why it will always be of great personal amusement to me that every disgruntled voice that has ever promised to reshape history only ends up repeating it.
The Council is no different today than The House was a year ago - right down to the very same poor bastard they chose to make an example of last week, you, Jayson Matthews.
And yet for as often as history seems to repeat itself at your expense Jayson, it seems that nobody ever learns a damn thing in the end, and so to any members of the Council who may be considering a repeat performance of last week when we meet in the ring on Monday Night, I say simply this:
Picking the bones of the battle worn doesn't make you a predator, it makes you a scavenger.
If you boys want to prove you are the heralds of this new dawn in the Imperial Wrestling Federation, you might do better by first demonstrating that you can operate on the level of the very elite that you condemn - and I've got to be honest, every helpless victim you've left in your wake, every cowardly attack you've orchestrated and every agent of chaos you've recruited to your cause so far has barely elicited a yawn from me.
I've not only seen this whole act before, I've been a part of quite a few in my nearly fifteen years in this industry, and so not only do I know all the tricks, I'm more than prepared for them.
The Ace then raises his contracted steel rake, momentarily transfixed by it. He smiles, before lowering it again.
So it would be in your best interest to keep every single one of your mongrels on a leash this week Cross whilst I face one of the most impressive young Champions in this company today, not because his status as the Invictus Champion is a target for my ambition or because his position in the history of this promotion is a threat to me, but rather that he represents yet another test for me inside a wrestling ring.
I can think of no better penultimate test on my journey back to the top of the mountain than the very man who knocked me off it last time and then spent seven years carving his own little niche into the side of it as the greatest representation of the testament of the truly unbreakable human spirit - Jayson Matthews.
You sunshine, are the living embodiment of every ideal that Andrew Jacobsen rediscovered not so long ago because of me, and that is why it will be an incredible honour for me to face you once more on Sacrifice Jayson. You represent everything that Andrew Jacobsen should never have strayed away from, because throughout your life you've managed to do the one thing that he still hates himself for never being able to do.
Staying true to himself.
It may have been only for a brief time in his life, but Andrew did the one thing that you have never done.
He gave up.
He gave in.
And because luck has an even crueller sense of humour than I do, it decided to teach him one more lesson about consistency through you Jayson.
Something always has to give in Championship showcases, and last week the world saw that once again that Jayson Matthews never gave in, Andrew did. Still, I can see why you idolise him, and I can see why he is as much a role model for you as he is for my baby girls.
As much of an inspiration as Andrew is to you, in many ways I hope that you realise Jayson that you too are an inspiration in your own right. In fact, I don't mind telling you that the way you never gave up against Bob Pooler and never settled for simply having a great series of matches with him when the clock was against you, inspired me.
You've shown me that there is absolutely no shame at all in giving yourself a second or even a third chance in this business, and so here I am, taking another chance against some of the finest competitors in the business today, hoping that one day soon it pays off for me too, Jayson.
You may not have broken Jacobsen last week, but you put one hell of a dent in him - and for that I thank you.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Thank you for reminding everybody of just who you are, Jayson - a champion.
Thank you for reminding me of the example I need to set for my daughters.
I will always be grateful to you for that Jayson, and now I know that you deserve nothing short of the match of your life from me on Monday, and that is exactly what you will get from me at Sacrifice.
I already know the moral lessons of heart you've taken from Andrew Jacobsen, but I have yet to experience first hand the physical lessons of resilience you've learned from one of the finest mat technicians this business has ever produced...
This Monday night, all that finally changes - and I'm looking forward to it.
Less than twenty four hours after Sacrifice, whilst he was sat in the departure lounge of yet another European airport, the characteristic bloop of a text bubble caught Jake Conway by surprise.
He reached into his pocket, fishing the phone out. He smiled.
Soli: Finally saw Sac on the Network. Good show. Congrats on the w.
Dad: TY pumpkin. Love you.
Soli: Love you too. <3
Soli: Q: Why didn't Andy help Jayson after their match???
Jake stared at the question for more than a few moments, unsure he could ever give her a satisfactory answer. Finally he tapped a response.
Dad: A: Cause he's not the hero U deserve!
A few moments of silence follow, before a couple of quick bloops.
Soli: </3
Soli:
Jake frowned at his screen, he couldn't see the heartbreak or the tears on his daughter's face - he could only imagine them and somehow that made the whole thing worse.
"Damn you, Andy," muttered Jake under his breath, before responding to his daughter's emoticon with the only thing he could from this distance.
Dad: ({}) <3 x
Jayson Matthews.
Three time Imperial Wrestling Federation Invictus Champion.
No matter where you go in life from here Jayson, nobody can deny the significance of what you achieved last month at Bloody Assizes when you finally managed to beat Bob Pooler and etch your name in the annals of this company's history as the first man to hold the IWF Invictus Championship on three separate occasions.
It's been quite a journey getting to this point in your career, hasn't it Jayson?
I know it's never been easy for you to get the credit and the spotlight that frankly somebody of your incredible perseverance and resiliency deserves.
Over the years, I've watched as so many of our peers in this business consign and condemn you to Steve Awesome's shadow. Seven years ago, I made the mistake of underestimating you myself Jayson, and on that night you showed the world just how wrong I had been about your worth and ability as a legitimate competitor when you beat me in the middle of a professional wrestling ring and put an end to the last time I was standing on the mountain top as a World Heavyweight Champion in this business.
In retrospect, I should have known better, especially given the number of times in my own career that I myself have been relegated to the role of a supporting act for a "real" main event megastar like Steve Awesome, Roberto Verona or Spike Kane, and even though it might be long overdue at this point in both of our careers, Jayson, allow me to take the opportunity to do today what I couldn't do seven years ago.
Allow me to apologise, allow me to congratulate and allow me to celebrate.
I'm sorry for underestimating you all those years ago, Jayson.
Congratulations on shattering not only my every expectation of you but also the glass ceiling.
You reached for the brass ring and now it is firmly in your grasp, but whilst I stand here today celebrating that fact, there are others who will always resent it, and for those bitter individuals, somebody like you Jayson - somebody with the proven heart of a Champion, will always be a target.
Around this time last year Jayson, as a top contender, you were a target for Cable Arcane and the House of Howlett.
Now, as a top Champion, you are a target for Xavier Cross and the Council.
For better or worse, you, Jayson Matthews, are the Imperial Wrestling Federation's single greatest example of the fact that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The wolf packs that band together in this business may change periodically, but the mentality never does, and that is why it will always be of great personal amusement to me that every disgruntled voice that has ever promised to reshape history only ends up repeating it.
The Council is no different today than The House was a year ago - right down to the very same poor bastard they chose to make an example of last week, you, Jayson Matthews.
And yet for as often as history seems to repeat itself at your expense Jayson, it seems that nobody ever learns a damn thing in the end, and so to any members of the Council who may be considering a repeat performance of last week when we meet in the ring on Monday Night, I say simply this:
Picking the bones of the battle worn doesn't make you a predator, it makes you a scavenger.
If you boys want to prove you are the heralds of this new dawn in the Imperial Wrestling Federation, you might do better by first demonstrating that you can operate on the level of the very elite that you condemn - and I've got to be honest, every helpless victim you've left in your wake, every cowardly attack you've orchestrated and every agent of chaos you've recruited to your cause so far has barely elicited a yawn from me.
I've not only seen this whole act before, I've been a part of quite a few in my nearly fifteen years in this industry, and so not only do I know all the tricks, I'm more than prepared for them.
The Ace then raises his contracted steel rake, momentarily transfixed by it. He smiles, before lowering it again.
So it would be in your best interest to keep every single one of your mongrels on a leash this week Cross whilst I face one of the most impressive young Champions in this company today, not because his status as the Invictus Champion is a target for my ambition or because his position in the history of this promotion is a threat to me, but rather that he represents yet another test for me inside a wrestling ring.
I can think of no better penultimate test on my journey back to the top of the mountain than the very man who knocked me off it last time and then spent seven years carving his own little niche into the side of it as the greatest representation of the testament of the truly unbreakable human spirit - Jayson Matthews.
You sunshine, are the living embodiment of every ideal that Andrew Jacobsen rediscovered not so long ago because of me, and that is why it will be an incredible honour for me to face you once more on Sacrifice Jayson. You represent everything that Andrew Jacobsen should never have strayed away from, because throughout your life you've managed to do the one thing that he still hates himself for never being able to do.
Staying true to himself.
It may have been only for a brief time in his life, but Andrew did the one thing that you have never done.
He gave up.
He gave in.
And because luck has an even crueller sense of humour than I do, it decided to teach him one more lesson about consistency through you Jayson.
Something always has to give in Championship showcases, and last week the world saw that once again that Jayson Matthews never gave in, Andrew did. Still, I can see why you idolise him, and I can see why he is as much a role model for you as he is for my baby girls.
As much of an inspiration as Andrew is to you, in many ways I hope that you realise Jayson that you too are an inspiration in your own right. In fact, I don't mind telling you that the way you never gave up against Bob Pooler and never settled for simply having a great series of matches with him when the clock was against you, inspired me.
You've shown me that there is absolutely no shame at all in giving yourself a second or even a third chance in this business, and so here I am, taking another chance against some of the finest competitors in the business today, hoping that one day soon it pays off for me too, Jayson.
You may not have broken Jacobsen last week, but you put one hell of a dent in him - and for that I thank you.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Thank you for reminding everybody of just who you are, Jayson - a champion.
Thank you for reminding me of the example I need to set for my daughters.
I will always be grateful to you for that Jayson, and now I know that you deserve nothing short of the match of your life from me on Monday, and that is exactly what you will get from me at Sacrifice.
I already know the moral lessons of heart you've taken from Andrew Jacobsen, but I have yet to experience first hand the physical lessons of resilience you've learned from one of the finest mat technicians this business has ever produced...
This Monday night, all that finally changes - and I'm looking forward to it.
Less than twenty four hours after Sacrifice, whilst he was sat in the departure lounge of yet another European airport, the characteristic bloop of a text bubble caught Jake Conway by surprise.
He reached into his pocket, fishing the phone out. He smiled.
Soli: Finally saw Sac on the Network. Good show. Congrats on the w.
Dad: TY pumpkin. Love you.
Soli: Love you too. <3
Soli: Q: Why didn't Andy help Jayson after their match???
Jake stared at the question for more than a few moments, unsure he could ever give her a satisfactory answer. Finally he tapped a response.
Dad: A: Cause he's not the hero U deserve!
A few moments of silence follow, before a couple of quick bloops.
Soli: </3
Soli:
Jake frowned at his screen, he couldn't see the heartbreak or the tears on his daughter's face - he could only imagine them and somehow that made the whole thing worse.
"Damn you, Andy," muttered Jake under his breath, before responding to his daughter's emoticon with the only thing he could from this distance.
Dad: ({}) <3 x
Well howdy there pardner.