do not go gently

[Deleted]

Since I arrived here I have been in main event after main event, I have defeated every single member of the roster that was placed in front of me and I did every single thing that I said I would in the singles world.

And next week I face Deathtrain, a man who by all accounts was once a big and powerful machine of destruction a man whose name would strike fear into the hearts of his opponents but at this point, a man who is a joke, a laughing stock. He is a man who was thoroughly decimated by Stephen Kingsley a man that has been relegated to week after week of dark shows and house shows.

But this week, the front office decided that he is going to get another chance at the big show, another chance to make a name for himself. I am not sure if they realize this or not, but all they did is sign his retirement papers. This man, this shell has the same resilience as a robin’s egg, and this week I am going to be the predator that smashes that egg once and for all.

Don’t take this threat lightly Deathtrain, if there is one thing that I have proven over the past few months it is that I like to make points, I like to make examples of people in the ring. It is no different then in any other place; the boss has to be in charge and above all must make sure everyone has a certain level of fear, to make sure people are going to follow the status quo.

Lex and I have made an example of the roster over the past two months, we haven’t defeated we have decimated.

Because that is what is in our nature… something you certainly once knew about, but that was a long, long time ago wasn’t it? That is such a distant memory that people are forgetting about it, people are starting to forget that at one point you were a viable contender, a beast hellbent on destruction, someone who I would have considered putting in my stable of relative badasses.

Now I and the rest of the world see you as a joke, much like all those football players who attempt to play beyond their means, those that instead of bowing out graciously thanking the fans for their support insist of trying to relive the magic of one more glorious career, only to be benched in place of the younger, more aggressive and well rounded upstart.

It is all the same, keep clinging to the past Deathtrain, keep falling down that spiral of darkness until your name is so destroyed that the only work you will be able to manage is signing autographs at the comic cons.

But there is one hope for survival, there is one hope for salvation, call the indy feds. Perhaps you can get a job there, running to the ring, hitting your finisher and standing up, posturing to the thirty eight people who were drawn to the show to see you.

You are done.

You career is done.

Your pathway to greatness has ended.

I am just here to put you out of your misery.

{Scene opens, Xander and Lex sit, looking at each other uncomfortably in a dank basement type setting, it looks almost like a fallout shelter, the walls are riddled with crumbling mortar and exposed pipes, Xander looks out of place wearing a fine suit}

Xander: Look, I know that you really like privacy from prying ears and all, but can’t we meet somewhere, you know, less dingy. There are private rooms at restaurants, my Dad owns a couple hundred acres with a hunting camp, I mean let’s be honest this place is kind of the pits.

Lex: Everything we do must be shrouded, people misconstrue our intentions and it is for that reason that we must be extremely cautious, I know that these conditions are not to your liking, but I find them tranquil, calming.

Xander: Ok, I won’t like I am waiting for someone to come out from some room here and stab me in the eyeball or something.

Lex: We have our representatives lined up, we have them chosen and in due time they will all be shown to the world but we must not be hasty, the fire that burns longest in the one that has time enough to build heat.

{Xander looks down at the table, struggling with a thought}

Xander: Look, I hate this waiting game, we are losing steam we need to keep the momentum, we need to keep the ball rolling all the way.

Lex: No, give people time to wonder, give them time to think, give them time to understand. We have the finest stable of superstars here, one for each title and soon enough we will have all the titles. Things will be perfect, just as you and I planned.

Xander: I hope so, but we need to talk about the weakness of one of our choices. I have spoken extensively with this particular member and I think slowly our message will draw cleanly, once the ideology of a weakened mental state is removed, we will certainly have their attention. I assure you, they are our team and they will join.

Lex: I hope so, sometimes corruption is necessary.

Xander: Anything else?

Lex: No, make an example next week. Let the world know that regardless of size or strength or past experience that we are the threat here, we made excellent strides last week with our example of Xavier Cross but it is never too soon to make sure people understand.

Xander: Don’t worry, I am going to end what is left of Deathtrain’s career this week, win, lose or draw he isn’t going to walk out of the arena and that is a definite.

{Lex stands and smile, extending his hand across the table, Xander takes it quickly without hesistation before turning and exiting the screen, Lex sits back down as the scene fades}

You know, there is something to be said about testing yourself against a once great superstar, there is something to be said about trying to get one last good match out of them. I won’t lie, I am not used to this situation, where I am thrown together with someone who really hasn’t had an impact on anything around here. I am normally facing the best of the best, the cream of the crop so going against you in a no win situation for me.

I mean, when I win everyone will simply say, the world champion beat a man who hasn’t won for a month, and no one will be impressed or enamored by this. It will be as if nothing happened, I get yet another number notched in my win column and the number in the loss column remains zero, as it should.

But is somehow you return to form, you go back to what you once were and you are able to overcome all the adversity and issues that you have been dealing with lately, what happens? A career resurgence for you, but for me what happens is people question my tenacity, they question my ability to endure, they question my ability to remain at the top.

And those are things that I will not allow

So despite being an overwhelming favorite this week, I am not taking you lightly, if there is anything my Dad taught me about this business, it is that you can never take an opponent lightly no matter what there level is. All it takes is a moment of weakness, a single second to be knocked out, and at that point you take the next month trying to regain your footing.

I minimize these seconds by being the very hardest worker in this business. No one has the resilience or explosiveness that I have, two things in you that have waned to the point of a joke over the past years, to where as now it seems like a foregone conclusion that you will only be gracing the ring for a brief period.

This is your final stand; this is the last opportunity that you will ever have to find your way out of the hole you have created for yourself. Is your career going to go gently into that dark night, are you going to allow it to fall apart.

Or this week are you going to start to rise, are you going to start with me and regain what small amount of pride you still have? Are you going to go peacefully into the darkness, the once that once worked on your side or will you rage, rage another day.

Yeah, Dylan Thomas reference, I am academic too.

I don’t want to euthanize your career Deathtrain, so give me a reason not too, otherwise there is nothing left for you here, nothing left for you to attain or attempt.

Be ready this week, because I know I will be. And that is a big problem for you.