Heart Of A Lion (Triple Threat Match)

[Mike Corral]

For the second time in many months, you've robbed me of what is mine.

*Michael Hayden is seen staring at a poster for Brawl For It All, staring intently at the image of The Judge. Hayden just stares at the image for a few seconds before smiling.*

There was a time when you running away from a challenger was unheard of. When you would willingly take on any challenger and actually fight fairly. No sneak attacks, no disqualifications, just two men looking to see who the better man is. I have to ask, why me? Why do you stoop so low when I'm your opponent? You didn't need anyone's help when you took on Ranks for the EWE Title, you needed no help when you took on The One to decide who would become the unified champion, and the argument could be made that they're tougher competiton than I am. Well, The One is tougher competition than I am; Ranks has been on quite the slide down to obscurity since his loss. Yet, you needed no help against them. So why me? Why do you continue to cheat me out of the fight that I deserve, the victory that I earn over you?

Do you want to know my theory Judge? I think in some small way, you're actually trying to help me. You want to see how determined I am, how persistent I can be. You and your group prevented me from winning the EWE Title in the gauntlet, you had T-Dog attack me from behind during our match last week, all to prevent me from getting that win that I so desperately crave. You might say that you do all this because I'm not worthy of beating a Royal, that Michael Hayden comes from a lower stock than those that consider themselves Royalty. But underneath the bravado, underneath all the bullshit, you see something in me that reminds you of yourself. You see the desire I have, the determination inside, and you recall the early days of PCW. You remember how much passion and energy you put into your battle against SiNN, you remember taking on "Big" Ray Williams and how much effort it took, and you see that in me. You've seen me go to war against Raelis Shy and Cassius, you saw how much I fought to not only win the tag titles but keep them, and above all else, you see how much I want this victory over you and you're reminded of a younger TJ. And while part of you hates seeing a younger version of yourself breaking through the glass ceiling here in EWE, your subconscious is proud. You enjoy seeing the younger generation try to emulate you and follow in your footsteps, you enjoy the fact that your legacy will live on no matter what. The only thing that infuriates you is knowing that it's Michael Hayden, not T-Dog or The Stallion or whoever else you choose to claim as your new protégé, that is continuing The Judge's legacy.

You have defeated me in the past TJ, and while it wasn't the way I would have preferred, I do have a victory over you as well. But since that victory, we've never had a fair match have we? Even now, at the Brawl For It All, we're joined by Dan Murph in what is a cheap attempt to put him on the unemployment line. Dan Murph has no business being in this match Judge, you and I both know it. It should be you and me inside that ring, looking to see which one truly is the best. But since I can't get that, I have to settle for second best. I have to take on two former World champions, two men who have been in this business longer than I have. And while lesser men may be intimidated by this match, I can't wait. I want to test my skills against men who have been to the top of the mountain, I want to step my game up even further. Hell, when I was told I was facing you last week I was five seconds away from getting on my hands and knees and thanking Jeffery O'Donnell. Because you know as well as I do Judge, I'm not gonna back down from a fight. You and me Judge, we're cut from the same cloth. We both continue to try and improve, we*try to inspire others not by our words, but our actions both inside the ring and out,*and we'd rather take a beating than run away from a challenge. It's that stubbornness that made you strive to be the best, and it's the same damn stubbornness that's pushing me to get to your level. And while you may hate me, while you may see me as inferior, you know deep down that the day is coming when there won't be any outside interference to influence the outcome of the match. You know that there will be a day when you look at me from across the ring and know that I'm not leaving without a victory. And most importantly, you know that day is coming soon.

At Brawl For It All, we hold a man's career in our hands. And while I may respect Dan Murph, I need this. I need this win, I need to get that victory over you TJ, because I've been denied too many times. I've had my victory snatched from me to the point where I'm not letting anything else deny me what is rightfully mine. It pains me to say it, but Dan had his opportunity even before this match, and he put himself in this predicament. Should he lose this match he still has the Brawl, and it's because of that match that I don't feel the weight of a man's career on my shoulders. Maybe you feel the same way, maybe you don't. But at least I know that my conscious is clear. At least I know that it wasn't my doing that put a man out of a job. And if Dan takes offense, then so be it.

Sometimes we'll be disappointed. Sometimes things will let us down, sometimes things don't work out, and sometimes we will fail. But sometimes.... we won't. Sometimes things work out just the way we want them to. Sometimes dreams do come true. Sometimes.... if we want something bad enough, and if we don't give up on it... sometimes we get it. Sometimes we just... get it. I want this win Judge, and nothing you say or do will deter me from acheiving my goal. At the Brawl For It All, you, Dan, and all of EWE are going to remember the name Michael Hayden...

*Hayden rips the poster off the wall before staring at it intently, his eyes focused on the image of The Judge.*

Whether you like it or not.

[DjM]

When a man is placed with his back against the wall, it's said he comes out fighting. They say a man is most dangerous when everyone is against him, and he's forced to bring out a side of himself he never knew existed. But what if he can't do that, what if he doesn't know how anymore, what if he's just had enough? What happens then? Does he somehow defy all logic and prevail, or does he merely depart with a whimper?

The scene opens to Dan Murph sitting in a small room, alone. There is little light, 'cept for a single candle in the centre, resting on a table. Dan is sitting in front of it, looking forward, almost as if he's in his own little world. The candle illuminates his face just enough to see the emotion in his eyes, or in this case, lack there of.

Don't mistake where I sit as a lame attempt to intimidate you, the man you see before you is not the same man you may have encountered before. As cliched as it may sound, life changes people. The smallest decision or incident in someone's life can and trust me, on the last few months evidence, will change everything. Even deciding to stop and scratch your head for two seconds before leaving the house can turn your world upside down, it can alter your destiny, your future, it can change everything you thought you ever wanted, everything you needed, and it can make it seem worthless to you.

Now look into my eyes, do you see the hatred you once saw? Is this the man who went on a near year long tirade in an attempt to bring down an entire wrestling federation? Call me battered, call me beaten, call me a has-been if you wish, I honestly don't know what to say about this. This is not something I ever expected, to sit here and tell you I just don't care anymore. To sit here, with an opportunity to go into a match that I always seem to bring damn close to my A-game for and tell you, with a World Championship on the line, this match is not for me. It's not something I have any intention of trying to win, let alone even entering.

I've tried so many times to escape this business, so many times I've tried to walk away and leave it all behind me. But there's always been something to bring me back, there has always been something that motivated me to return, and be better than I ever was before. I just don't feel like there's something that does that anymore. I look around, I see guys I ruined, guys I loved ruining, men I stole dreams from, I see them return, I see the hype and the fuss over them, the fuss that would have usually pushed my game up a notch just to top that, so my name would be on everyone's lips. And I would be lying if I said that there wasn't a small bit of me that wants to make the return of the century, bring back the monter that terrorised some of the greatest names in Wrestling Evolution history, but I just don't think I have it in me anymore, I don't have it in me to come back and battle Royalty, with their new blood, and their experienced old minds, I don't have what it takes to be the best, and if you're not here to be the best, then you shouldn't be here at all.

Maybe there are only so many times you can make a come back, so many times you can say "Fuck EWE" before you run out of something original to say. Maybe that's my problem, I don't have anything more to say or do here, I've won everything, I've said everything, I've beaten everyone and god damn it I've pretty much lost to everyone too.

And finally I look to this upcoming match, and I see so many surprises, some good, some bad. Judge, I have to start with you. What the hell happened to you? What the fuck happened to the guy that brought my game to a whole new level? Even in defeat, at Redemption I brought everything I had, and more, and it was all because of you, because you had pushed me for months. I was ready to walk out of WPW as Champion, I had had enough, and you knew that. It was you that kept me around, it was you that motivated me enough to keep that Championship on my shoulder. And it was you that inspired Gunnar Brian to finally shatter that glass ceiling and reach for the god damn moon, it was you that made Sal Karver believe, when I had bullied any belief he had out of him. So what the fuck turned you into what you've become? You may not think guys like Gunnar and Sal were grateful for what you did for them, but I know they were, I saw it in their eyes. And even if they weren't, even if two people you tried to help out, hell, even if every single fucking person you tried to help out wasn't grateful, so fucking what? You did a good thing, you did the RIGHT thing....atleast for a while. But you're not the person I thought you were, hell, I was even grateful to you for what you did. You righted the wrongs I made, and maybe I'm only grateful because you cleared my on concious, but, I've never been more disappointed in anyone in my entire life. You were the one reason I was sticking around, that one on one match we never had, the one I was waiting for...but you're not worth it now. I'm not even sure you ever were.

Michael Hayden, I've insulted you, I've tossed your name about whenever a bad example needed to be made, I've talked down to you like you were a piece of shit I had trod in. But you, my friend, have become a very good surprise. A lot of people have said in the past that you were the future, and I've always been the first in line to put my hand up and scream "bullshit" from the mountain tops. Not because I didn't think you had what it took, but because you were always so fast to disappear and throw away not just everything you had built up, but every bit of hope people here had for you. I saw the hope they had distinguish so much in fact, that at times I was sure they wouldn't even let you come back here. But this time around, you've fought through that, you've not only held your own, but enough times you've prevailed. And even though you have so much more to learn, and so much further to go, your persistance and your "Heart of a Lion", as you put it, has made me a believer. I now find myself routing for Michael Hayden, rather than hating on him. I just hope you keep pushing, never take "You're not good enough" as an answer, keep improving, when you get advance, take it on, try to improve with it, and you will most definetely go far.

And as far as this match with the two of you goes. Even if it's just one last time, the big, Irish son of a bitch will be there. He will be there to fight, and win, lose or draw, I plan on making the two of you fight like you've never fought before.

Don't fret, you haven't heard the end of Dan Murph just yet.

End scene.

[The Judge]

The scene opens up to a shot of The Judge sitting in a chair. There is someone to the right of him doing something the camera can’t catch, but the attention is on The Judge as he begins to speak as soon as the film rolls.

“I was told this week that no matter what I said or did, and whether I liked it or not, I am going to get defeated. I was told this week that there is a man who will carry on my legacy, a man not named T-Dog, a man not named Stallion, but by a man named Michael Hayden, and you know what? …I believed him.”

The Judge shakes his head.

“When I heard those words from the man who thought I considered him an inferior, I thought to myself… Damn… He’s absolutely right. Everything Michael Hayden said was absolutely right. How can you combat truth? How does one go about speaking against what he knows to be the truth and convince the person who told it and everyone who’s listening that it’s nothing more than fantasy? I almost expected Dan Murph in his sad state to do it but even Murph himself seems to have given up on this battle before it started. It seems like everyone in the world is ready to see the emergence of the man who has been denied for far too long, Michael Hayden.

Everyone but The Judge.”

The Judge remains still other then his neck as he turns to the camera.

“Hayden you told the world what it needed to hear from you, and you told The Judge something that no matter what you think of me, made me proud. When I see you you’re absolutely right, I do see a younger me. When I asked T-Dog to pull me from that ring you were absolutely right, I didn’t do it because I was afraid you’d beat me, I did it because I wanted to see how you’d react when you were denied of something you waited sooo long for. I am testing you, I am toying with you, all along everything that’s happened in the past month has been one long, carefully drawn out plan by The Judge. A plan that started when you came to my aid at When World’s Collide, and one that will reach execution stage come the Brawl.

Don’t act too surprised Hayden, and please don’t go the tired route of reminding me how horrible of a person I am like your good buddy Dan here. Oh horrible Judge has damned the world again, I wish I was half as good at crying as all of you because maybe then I’d know how to deal with my problems better. Unfortunately I don’t, the only way I know how to process is by winning matches, by being the best I can be, crying and conceding is for losers, and losers simply are not Royal. I may disgust both of you, I may be that villain you can’t wait to destroy, but I am something that neither one of the two of you will ever, ever be.

I’m the man that creates heroes.

And now I will be the man that shuts them down.”

The man on the side of the Judge moves away from him. The Judge nods to him and they both walk to the front counter together.

“Michael Hayden you watched what I did and told yourself that one day you’d do the same thing, and I watched you, and a waited, and I smiled, and I plotted, and every step of the way that you thought you were unknown, unwatched, off the radar of Royalty, you were the one who wore my crosshairs. You’ve been wanting me? I’ve been wanting you, I just made you think it was your idea. You’re just like the others thinking that a victory over The Judge is going to be the career moment for you where everything turns around and you finally proved to the world how great you are, but you’re wrong. You got so blinded by your want to make a name over my expense that you fell right into my hands and did exactly what I wanted you to do. You took your eye off the ball.

And while I am busy showing you why a defeat over The Judge is easier said than done, T-Dog will be resting up backstage, and the man who had the best shot of taking his championship… Michael Hayden… Will be out of gas.”

The Judge pays the man and the man then moves to tend to The Judge’s shoulder. The Judge turns so the man can get a better angle.

“The saddest thing we as men do is underestimate ourselves, hold ourselves back by low confidence and belief that everything we want in life, everything we don’t have that we desperately want to attain, is all within our own power to have. Dan Murph knows this quite well, or are we going to forget that part of our story when you tell me how strongly disappointed you are? The EWE Championship, the gold that symbolizes you’re the best in the world, is up for grabs and after all this time all the two of you can see is me, but that’s okay, because in the process Mr. Hayden has failed to realize his own skill. Not the inferior man, not the man we expect to see tossed over in the first few minutes, noooo. Michael Hayden is the best wrestler in EWE today.

And THAT is why I need to beat him. Why I need to beat you.

I encouraged you to be a hero, I told you to stand up and fight for what you believe in and you chose to fight me just like I knew you would. I needed you to be this good, better than anything Ray Williams could have done on his finest days. I needed you to feel like you couldn’t be stopped, to smell a victory, just like The One was so convinced he had at When World’s Collide before The Judge pulled the carpet out from under him and taught him a lesson in pre-emptive bragging. Does this make me a bad person? Does this make me a monster? According to Dan Murph I did the right thing until it didn’t suit me anymore, but it’s funny seeing the result isn’t it?

Look at Dan and his words now, his mention of inspiration and faith, look at Michael Hayden feeling like he can’t be stopped. You mention Gunnar Brian and Sal Karver, the last champ and the guy who is T-Dog’s biggest threat in the brawl to become the next one. Look around at the lives I’ve impacted and the men I’ve taken under my wing and tell me that my message wasn’t effective. Tell me that I didn’t do exactly what I set out to do! Maybe I was just something the two of you can’t understand, maybe I was just the man behind the curtain. Maybe I just realized for you all to ever have any chance to shine, you needed a man to hate. You needed The Judge to get out of your way to ever pass The Judge by. The puppet strings wrap around my fingers as we speak, I see the heroes rise to face the mighty foe, but this story is not yet complete, the ultimate foe although defeated still rings his bell and promises to rise. This battle does not end here though, this battle ends when said foe realizes who he truely is, and this war ends when you all realize not just who I am, but what I am doing.”

The Judge turns and walks away from the man after quickly thanking him.

“I told you all I was here to save you from yourselves, and the first two people I’ll save is the two of you. Dan Murph’s rescue is overdue, for too long have I watched you bounce back and forth between caring about your career and wanting to self destruct it, now The Judge is going to do for you what I should have done a long time ago, I’m going to make sure when that bell rings that it will be the last bell you hear for a very long time. You’re unable to indentify when you need a break so The Judge is going to make the decision for you, just like a good leader does. Michael Hayden may think he’s saved, he may think my message had made him into the strongest man he can possibly be, but what he doesn’t know is there IS something The Judge can say or do about Michael Hayden, and I’ll do just that when I pin him to the mat one two three. I will pin the man with the most promise, with the most fire, and who’s promising a victory, because that’s what I do.

Because that’s what Royalty does.”

The camera swivels around as The Judge steps outside, it moves to his shoulder, which now has a fresh tattoo of a giant crown covering it.

“Twenty-four days will pass since Los Angeles’ last king fell, and the city needs a new king, but not just the city… The world. This world full of hate and destruction, full of people who talk about wanting change but never actually move to make it happen, full of people making false promises and declaring love for the things they also try to destroy, this world so lost seeks so desperately that which only I can be. It’s ruler, it’s leader, it’s prophet.

And when I defeat Michael Hayden right in front of his cheerleader Dan Murph, the two of you will refer to me not as Judge, but what the rest of the world is already calling me.

King.”

The camera fades on the crown.

[Mike Corral]

"I believed him"...

Three words, three simple words can hold so much weight. "I love you", "I hate you", "Please don't go", all simple phrases that seem harmless enough until you understand the power behind them. Everywhere you go, and especially in this business, the power of words is effective. It was your words that originally inspired me, that made me rise from obscurity into the man that you see before you today. Back when I was Mike Corral, when I thought the world owed me everything, it was your words that broke through my ignorance and helped me to see that the life I was living was a sham. I walked away from the business, I sought enlightenment, and I came back stronger than before. All thanks to your words.

You say you create heroes, and quite frankly it's hard to dispute that. Men who have faced you, who have gone to war against The Judge are remembered even after they leave. SiNN, The One, Michael Karver, all men that Wrestling Evolved will always remember. Even now, men like Jeremiah Ranks are remembered because of how much they pushed themselves to not only get on your level, but beat you. And in what could be your greatest accomplishment, you helped to create Michael Hayden, a hero that none wanted, but one that they would need.

And now, the creation turns on the creator. Michael Hayden and The Judge are set to do battle at the Brawl For It All. And while all of my effort is put into this match, while all of my focus and determination is on our encounter, you scold me like a child. "Focus on the Brawl", "T-Dog will be well rested while you are exhausted", blah blah blah. T-Dog has enough opponents to worry about without my presence. And while that doesn't mean I won't give it the old college try and go for the title, my main concern is you TJ. Everything else is secondary.

Do not confuse me for Justin Dreamer. I won't let my career self-destruct over an obsession. But I know that after the Brawl, at Redemption, there's another that wants a match with you. There's someone else waiting in the wings, awaiting his turn against The Judge. And because I know you TJ, you'll accept that challenge. Michael Hayden will become but a distant memory as you focus on the next opponent, the next chance to prove yourself as the King of EWE. And it is for that reason that this has to end at the Brawl, that I have to win. My time in WPW and EWE is littered with what-if moments, I'm haunted by those who snatched victory away from me just as it was within my reach. When I came back, I swore to myself that there would be no more what-ifs, that I was going to take control of my destiny and become the man I always knew I could be. And for that to happen, for me to move on from this and inspire a new generation of wrestlers, I need to beat you. Not because of ego, not because it'll look good on my wrestling resume five years from now. This victory over you will become a memory that lasts forever, a moment in time that will inspire others to never give up. You said it yourself Judge, if we want something bad enough, if we never give up on our goal or ourselves, we can have anything in life. All that's needed is an inspiration, for someone to tell us that we can do it so that we will do it.

Once upon a time I wondered if my moment would ever come, and you responded by saying that kind of thinking was for lesser opponents. In that moment you created a hero, a man that would eventually inspire greatness. Our match, our battle, will be my moment, the career-defining achievement that has been denied too many times before. This time thee will be no Royalty, no T-Dog or Raelis Shy to save you from the inevitable. Twice you experienced Haydenism, you felt the power behind my actions. At the Brawl, when you witness it for the third time, everyone in that arena will know that they're seeing something special. Theyre witnessing a changing of the guard, the anointing of one that is above those of Royal descent. They will believe, just like Dan Murph believes... just like you believe.

The power of words is an effective tool in this business. And for those who still refuse to believe in Michael Hayden, watch as words become actions. And when it does, all of EWE is going to believe in Michael Hayden...

*Michael Hayden stands in front of the arena, eyes cast upwards as he takes in the spectacle of it all. Hayden sighs softly before turning towards the camera, a look of serenity on his face.*

And when I earn your handshake after the match, I'll know that you believe as well.

[The Judge]

The Judge stares down at the street lights below from atop one of Seoul’s highest buildings, he stands on the balcony of the building in what must be the 100th floor up and stares down at the world below, and the clouds that seem to be passing above, below, and through him. He stands there for a long moment just staring down as if he were waiting for something to happen, but then he abruptly speaks to the camera.

“How do you deny that which can not be denied? How do you fight the battle you know is already won? I used to ask myself that when I started, back before the confidence, before the truth could not be contained, it was my way of making an excuse to myself when I wasn’t good enough to defeat someone. When I just couldn’t figure out the combination to success, like it was a code I had to crack or a number I had to guess, I’d tell myself it was because the other person couldn’t be figured out. Too much momentum, too much of a following, too much of this or that, whatever I could do to avoid the truth that was harder to accept. Anyone I lost to I lost to because I wasn’t being good enough, I wasn’t giving my best effort, because I went most of the way to prove the point but failed when I had my moment of truth… That is until the whole world heard my voice.

The Judge looks upward.

“Not since long before have I looked at a battle not believing I was the best man to win it, not believing that I would come home with a victory that I earned the hard way, the same way I earn everything in life. Not until now…”

The Judge pauses and looks forward. He looks over the city for a moment and a small smile curves to the corner of his lips.

“I see men like Michael Hayden every day, everywhere I go. Men who have the potential to set the world on fire, men who seem like they’re lost and are looking for the right path, the right words to set them along the route they need to go to be successful and remembered. I speak to these men, I tell them the truth they need to hear, and every day men like Michael Hayden turn to men like Justin Dreamer, on the right path but so off course because of inability to see the bigger picture and see past the rage. Many more turn out no different than the other man in the match, Dan Murph. All the talent, all the skill, all the athleticism and brains needed to be the most dominant ever, but lacking the true belief that he was ever more than lucky, questioning the timing of his success, letting the words of others matter more to him than the words he speaks to himself. I see men like Stallion who has all the heart and desire, yet is held back by his own choices and mistakes, and only then do I start to believe… I may have failed.”

The Judge looks back up away from the view below.

“I’ve said a lot of words to a lot of people, the man without a facebook is the same man’s who’s voice is on repeat in the minds of hundreds of people, at least I like to believe it is, but I know the truth is most people take the advise with a grain of salt and move on to complain about the same thing again later as if they’d never heard the words at all. But not you, you took the words, you learned from them, you let it motivate you, drive you, push you to a limit that others were too afraid to ever touch. Suddenly I feel much like Cassius must have felt when he saw my star sky rocket so high, and only now do I truly understand and respect why after fighting so hard he made me continue to go to struggle. Only now do I understand how little it would have been worth fighting for had I taken my first championships off the lazy waist of Omar Gibson instead.

They look to me and ask me how I feel about Michael Hayden, I say what I say about everyone, another name on the list, but you’re more than that Michael. I knew it all along, and now… Now… Now you know it. Now you finally see how dig you have to deep, how far into your soul you have to reach to pull out that extra little bit for the victory, how hard you have to stretch and bend to come out with the victory that the masses believe you unworthy of. Your whole life had lead to this moment Michael, this moment when you stand at a crossroads of your life and choose the path of enlightenment and self-motivation or choose the path so many others before you chose, and find yourself in a match in two years fighting for your career when the new guy on fire is damn near unstoppable. You don’t want to be Dan Murph, you don’t want to be Justin Dreamer, and you don’t want to be The Judge.”

The Judge shakes his head from side to side and then he turns from the edge of the balcony and looks to the camera.

“I told you I make heroes, and I look forward to seeing if that’s exactly what you’ll be, or if I’ll end up smoking another cigarette as I wait for the next man, but do not take my realization of your status as admitting defeat, because you know The Judge gives up on nothing, and unfortunately for you there’s a man in the match that might be just a little bit easier to pin, a little bit easier to sneak a Judgment DDT on…

But then again I never did take the easy road did I?

No running, no games, no fear. You may be the next big thing Hayden, The Judge may even believe, and you may be more focused than anyone on getting this victory, and should you earn it, The Judge will shake your hand, but make sure to ask yourself one thing before you come into the Brawl and attempt to win the biggest match of your life.

Am I ready to be the absolute best?

Because after this moment in time, you better be. There’s no turning back, there’s no way out of this now, you show up for the Brawl and you answer my question, because if the answer is no, or if I see the lie in your eyes as you tell me you will, The Judge will do what The Judge does best.

The Judge will shut you down.”

[DjM]

The scene opens to a close of a two eyes, staring straight into the camera lens.

You are staring into the eyes of a condemned man. Someone, who for so long has lived the dream, is now waiting for it to all be over. Do not think for a minute I am kidding myself, I know what my future holds, I know this is the end for me. I will fight until the final bell sounds, but I know in my heart this is a match I cannot win, even if I put everything I have left into it.

The camera slowly begins to zoom out, as we see Dan Murph, again, in the same room as before, sitting in the dark, 'cept for a single candle in the room.

They say the anticipation of the end is worse than the event itself, perhaps they are right. For so long this has been something I've dreaded, something I always knew one day would befall me, even though I prayed it wouldn't, atleast not this soon. Over the last year that all changed, I lost something, something I never knew I could lose. You can listen to Judge, or anyone else who doubts me, anyone who believes I've just finally given up all hope on myself, that isn't the case. I know now what I should have known all along, when I want to be here, when I want to be the best in the world, I will give any man or woman who steps into the ring the biggest fight they will ever have. I will go all out, do anything I have to do to win, when I feel that greed, hunger and desire, when that fire is lit under me, when I'm focused, there is not a person alive who can stop me from becoming the very best you have ever seen.

But the last year, that fire has been extinguished, it's been non existant. I've been unmotivated, I haven't wanted to be here. That moment when I see another man with the World Championship, when my eyes zoom in, and I see a target on his back, and I'm ready to go after him - That isn't there anymore. The lump in my throat I used to get before I step through that curtain, that doesn't happen anymore.

That's why I can't be here anymore, that's why I can't win this match, not because I won't step into that ring and give every single thing I have left in my body to survive, with any hope of rekindling this dream of mine. Believe me, there is nothing I'd like more to relight that fire with a win at the Brawl for it all. I won't win this match because there are two men in there who want this win, there are two men in this match who need this win, there are two men in this match who aren't me.

And it saddens me, it really does. Some of the greatest times in my life have been standing in front of a camera, and just talking, saying whatever popped into my head 3 seconds before I opened my mouth. Meeting some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life, and even though we've had our battles behind the scenes, I would gladly call so many of you friends.

So I guess, more than likely, unless you see a miracle that only God himself could create, at the Brawl for it All, I will leave Wrestling Evolution. I guess this is goodbye....

The scene fades to bla...

Hold on one freakin' minute! Did you hear everything you wanted to hear just now? Does it fill you with joy to see a broken man who has no place to be here?

Too bad.

A lot of what I have said in this promo is true, but so much more of it is just your own perceptions of what will happen. The fact is I'm not where I was when I was World Champion, I'm not at my best. But even if that fire only flickers, it is still there. Even if it's not enough to light up the entire Wrestling Evolution, it is still there, its still there enough to see, if you look real close, that monster is still alive, he's still breathing, no matter who faint his breaths are, he's still alive.

You just have to know how to unleash him.

Michael Hayden, Judge, one man I have thought so little of for such a long time, and the other, I have thought so much of for the past five years. How can one man be so wrong twice? Michael, this is your big opportunity, this is your big shot to go out there and show the world just who in the fuck you are. This is the opportunity that I would have given my life for when I was in your situation, and thank fuck, one of the young guys has finally stood up, and decided that he isn't going to sit around and wait for his shot anymore, he's going to take it. About fucking time! There's just one problem I have with this, Hayden. This maybe your first big shot,

But it's my last shot.

It's my lost shot to do something I've always wanted to do, it's the last opportunity, maybe the last opportunity for me to go out there and do something I've loved since the age of two. And whether I walk through that curtain and end up being just a regular joe off the street, like everyone expects me to be, a guy who has done it all, World Champion, Tag Champion, Hall of Famer, nothing left to prove, nothing left to fight for. Or weather you step into the ring with a guy who has done it all, World Champion, Tag Champion, Hall of Famer, who has everything to prove, because no one believes he can walk out of this match with his job, because no one mentions his name anymore, because he's not important now, because for the longest time I haven't whooped someones ass. The guy who is so pissed off, because he realised that when all the hype died down, when the talk stopped, when my name was no longer on everyone's lips, he let the fire begin to die, he let it flicker

When he should've just added some gas to the mother fucker.

Judge, you taught me so many things, you taught me to believe. That will be your undoing, you gave the wrong guy the right tools, you gave a man with the ability, the brains, a man with everything but the belief the one tool I needed to take you down. I haven't forgotton last May, I haven't forgotton what I owe you. I will walk into this match, the match of my life, maybe it's too late now, but one way or another I will give everything to make sure this dog fights another day.

And Judge,

I will get my Redemption.

[DjM]

So much to say, but perhaps, such little time to say it. When I close my eyes, I see moments of my career flash before me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I see the moments where I stood tallest, when I reached heights I never thought possible. Moments where I did things I always thought were beyond me, even wilder than the wildest dreams I had had. I see the moments that tore me apart, the moments that left my heart on the floor. Losing Championships I had worked years for, being beaten within an inch of my life. Five years of memories, it sounds like a lot, but when you're not ready for something to end, it doesn't seem like all that much.

So then, what do you do when things are about to end, but you're not ready to let go? There is so little in life we can control, especially when it comes to saying goodbye. When your time comes, you have to just accept it, and let go. You can't hold onto the past forever, nor can you repeat it, and you certainly can't better it. Just face it, you've had your time, you had your opportunities, and it's not all bad, you grabbed hold of some of those huge opportunities, you reigned supreme for eight months, and even if it wasn't when all of the "big names" were around, you beat those who were put in front of you, you couldn't have done anymore.

Now it's time to pack up and say goodbye, don't be a hanger on. One of those guys who keeps going past his prime, the guy that ends up wrestling in a school gym somewhere into his fifties and sixties. Desperately clinging to each cheque because he's blown all the money he made in the prime of his career, because he didn't know when the right time was to let go. You don't want to become that guy, the laughing stock of an entire industry, just because you weren't willing to realise the right time to stop. And look at you, you're 23 years old, you've had five good years, you've won World Championships, you did much more than anyone ever expected of you. You were only ever meant to be a comedy act, a curtain jerker at best. Not only did you live the dream, you bettered it.

Just walk away - No one will think any less of you for it. Be honest with yourself, you know your time is up, so do they. Nobody expects you to win this match. Hayden is younger and hungry, he's the future. And sure, he's had opportunities, he's wasted opportunities, but now is his time, and you cannot take that away from him. You know what it's like when someone does that to you, you know how it feels when it's your time and suddenly someone cuts in line in front of you. You can't do that to someone else, not again. Look where your greed got you last time, it brought you here. Your greed is what destroyed you, not what pushed you forward, not like you think. You need to understand that Hayden has everything you're lacking, he has the momentum, he has the motivation, he has people who believe in him, he'll go out there, and he won't sulk, he won't cry like a big girl, he'll fight like a man, something you can't do anymore. Because you surpressed that monster, you hid him behind your mortal emotions, because you're weak, because beneath the snorts and the grunts, behind the threats and the assaults, you're a human being, not a monster.

Dan, just say goodbye, let it go. You did good, real good, but your time is up. Judge isn't worried by your threats, he can see in your eyes that you're done. You don't want to be here anymore, that's ok. No one lasts forever, no one. I know what you're thinking, what if you somehow win this match, maybe, just maybe it can be the start of something new, the start of something better. But careers aren't made on what if's, they're made on actions. You're not the guy who acts anymore, you're the guy with the feelings, with the broken heart, the lack of motivation. You've lost your smile. And that's fine for you to be that guy, it's fine for you to take off, to leave. But you can't have it both ways Dan.

So just walk away.

You had your time.

But now it's over.

Walk away, Dan.

Walk away.

Suddenly Dan's eyes spring open, he's fallen asleep on the sofa.

No! I'm not ready for this to be over!

Not yet.

I have to win this match.

The scene fades to black.