The train screeches to a halt at the train station in Kansas city. The captain steps off, followed by the various passengers. Two or three nuns are followed by a mother and three dirty children. An old man with a camera walks out after an Asian man with glasses. Next comes a Marine, obviously on boot leave. As he pulls his things behind him, three young beautiful girls who are obviously staring at his ass in his uniform exit the train. Several others join in the throng on the deck, and finally, SAM himself steps off the train. He gazes around at the crowd, then makes his way through toward the station. He nearly bumps into the Marine, and he looks down to read his name tag. It says Lee.
Images flash in his mind, some of them not his own, memories of tagging with Wafer, memories of watching Wafer wrestle from a distance, memories of listening to him brag this past week. SAM smiles to himself as he continues on. When he steps inside, he looks back out to see if he can see the Marine, but only sees the three sexy teenagers. He turns and heads toward the area for car rentals. On the way he holds an internal monologue with himself.
Maybe the title isn't important to you, Wafer, but its important as hell to me. I've never held a title before, and this is my best chance at holding one so far. Being able to wrestle you, and Justin Payne, for that title means more than any man could ever concieve of. To win over even one of you would make me for life. But to win title gold over one of you, that would earn me that respect that is only applied to those men you guys call... what is it? Legends.
Everything about this match is important, if you want to know the truth. You are important in this match because my time of failure was overshadowed by your success. Justin Payne is important to this match because he is the first to offer an extended hand to me out of the group of men who put me where I spent the last two years. The gold is important, we already know why. Even the type of match, the only possible way I could take on two legends and secure my place in WOW history, is important. I've got everything riding on this match, Wafer. Hell, even the week of promos was important, because I've already earned two things I never had before... Respect for and from the two of you. If I were to die tomorrow, my only regret was we never stepped into the ring. This has been a week of redemption for me, I actually earned the chance to shake both of your hands, as equals.
And with that being said, yes, I will shake your hand this coming Monday. I will shake it knowing full well that I am shaking the hand of the very man who was a part of destroying me, shaking it as he acknowledges me in willful participation of raising me back up to the top.
SAM arrives at the desk and begins to fill out the paperwork and applications for renting a vehicle. On the list of hopefuls, he sees a truck. Four wheel drive Ford F-350. He wrinkles his face in disgust, knowing that Ichabod would have chosen that truck over anything else on here. He continues to examine the list and finds a 1972 Plymouth Duster. He checks it and goes to sit in the waiting lobby. As he sits, he continues his inner monologue.
The same goes for you Justin Payne. I would gladly shake both of your hands today if you were to walk through this train terminal. This week began with name calling and picking at old wounds. Yet you both showed me maturity as you progressed from pettyness to respect for all of us involved. The blatant mockery of most champions, the ones who hold their gold with both hands and stand around and talk, consuming more air time with their words than their wrestling matches, this was not present here. I had thought you full of hot air, someone used up. But you did something I have always set out to prove I could do.
I have been beaten down and destroyed so many times, especially by that rogue Ichabod and his damned brother Reverend. After so many defeats, I should have been ready to hang up my boots and just give up. But I never did. Its not my style to give up, to just fizzle out, only to show up as a one time hard to answer question on some Wrestling Trivia. No, I want to continue on and on and on until I'm forced out of the sport by death or lifelong injury.
But Payne, you have already done this. You've been to the top, you've stood with the best. Then you've had it all taken from you, and you've been cast down into the depths and shadows of obscurity... you know, the mid-card matches no one remembers. And then what? You climbed and fought with dignity until your respect was earned back. You event treated the untelevised matches like main events at a pay-per-view. And you've done this more than once.
Payne, you represent everything I want to be, everything I am willing myself toward. I want to be the comeback king, the guy who bounces back no matter what. I've done it so far, but I'm falling short of you on one aspect. The fact that I've never been all the way to the top. Well, this is it, this is my stepping stone, this is my ticket to stardom. Sure, I was in a world title match when I first took Ichabod's body, but that was the wrong way to go about it. I had to do what you do, and that is start at the bottom and work my way up. Only then can I be a true success. I've learned a valuable lesson from you both, and that is, no matter what happens, no matter how successful I am, or how much I fail, I have only to hold my head up in dignity to climb that ladder once again.
Ichabod? You're vehicle is ready.
SAM stands up and goes toward the counter where the girl on the intercom has just paged him. He accepts his keys and then exits toward the garage. He looks at the tag on the keys and sees that the car is parked at lot 54. He walks toward the lot while thinking.
Yes, I will shake both of your hands after this match. And as the cameras flash, and I stand to have my face printed in the annals forever, I'll remember that I once stood side by side with Wafer and Justin Payne, equals in heart, respect, skill, talent, and the minds of the fans. But keep in mind, I intend to stand there with that strap on my shoulder, my name will go down in the books as the winner. I take nothing from either of you, but I have the most to lose and win in this match, and I'll be gunning harder for this than anything in my entire life. All I can say is be prepared.
SAM climbs into the Duster and fires it up. He backs it out of the space and then begins to descend the parking garage. As he gets to the exit, he turns in the direction of the arena, and flames shoot from the exhaust pipe as he guns it hard.
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