Post by Mav. on Apr 29, 2020 21:18:34 GMT -5
October 17th // Wexford Town, County Wexford, Ireland
Although the result was on the losing scale at Tuesday Night Riot in Mexico, Maverick has now been put into the Undisputed Championship Match at Devil’s Dance But the alliance between Howell and Maverick has already reached a breaking point. As Howell walked out of the King of Trios Final, Maverick was left vulnerable and Hughes was brutally attacked by The Resident Rejects who ended up winning the match along with Alex Withers. The scene begins with the view from the balcony, that balcony being apart of an apartment home where Maverick and Hannah will now live in. Their bags arrive tomorrow but today, the furniture moves in as every seems ready. Maverick is the only person in the apartment as Hannah heads out for the day to meet up with family members, but his humble silence is interrupted by a simple knock at the door. Maverick makes his way from the balcony, placing his vape pen back into his pocket and heads for the door. Although expecting it to be Hannah forgetting the front door keys, he's a little bit stunned to find out that standing on the opposite end of his door is Shawn Hughes.
Shawn Hughes: This place is hard to track down, don't you think?
Maverick: Only hard if you don't know where you're going, Shawn. [ Maverick replies, with a smile on his face. ] Do come in, welcome to Casa Del Maverick!
Shawn steps inside, observing the home in it's finer details.
Shawn Hughes: I'll admit, it's a fine looking home. Though it's not what I expected with the amount of wealth I've seen you collect.
Maverick: Wealth doesn't mean anything to me, Shawn. I've collected my shares and now I'll slowly use it to build a better future for not only myself but Hannah too. [ Maverick says, with confidence in that statement as he looks around the home. ] I'd suppose you're wanting a drink?
Shawn Hughes: I wouldn't say no to one.
Shawn answers as he heads to the sliding doors that lead to the balcony.
Maverick: So what brings you to Ireland, Shawn? [ Maverick questions. ] I know XHW aren't here for Devil's Dance unless there's been a change in plans.
He says as he heads into the kitchen and rummages through the cupboards for some alcoholic beverages.
Shawn Hughes: Oh no, the show is still happening in Mexico. The Estadio Azteca to be precise. [ Shawn replies. ] I just wanted to come here personally and talk about what happened on Tuesday Night. I apologize about letting both of you down and I apologize about Saylor, I know I said she was a top talent but I never expected this from her. This was totally out of my control and I took matters into my own hands.
Maverick: To be honest, I had forgotten about Riot. I let it all go past me when I found out I'd still be entering the match at Devil's Dance, although pleased with the announcement… [ Maverick pauses for a moment as he pulls out a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream liquor. ] I felt like it was unearned. I mean, I know Oscar has always kept an eye on me but let me earn my shot.
Shawn Hughes: Are you kidding me? [ Shawn says, walking over to the kitchen's counter and leaning forward onto it. ] If there was anyone who deserved that shot along with The Resident Rejects and Alex Withers... It's you. You've been known as a man who's ready for that title since you won your first Pride Championship and that's just from what I've been hearing by everyone backstage at shows. They always whispered about this Maverick kid and I never knew who you were, once I saw what you were like, I told Brendan and I said to him that you were the future and now here you are.
Maverick: I guess you're right.
He pulls out two glasses from another cupboard and places them along the counter between himself and Shawn. Unscrewing it's cap, he pours the drink into the glasses before screwing it's cap back on and sliding it against the wall, out of arm's reach. Maverick lifts his glass up, swirling it around and then knocking it back in one go. He slammed the glass down on the counter, letting out a soothing "aaaah." Shawn looks down at his glass before raising his head back up to look at Maverick.
Shawn Hughes: Tell me exactly what this is, I'm not aware of it.
Maverick: It's called Bailey's Irish Cream. Made out of Irish Whiskey and Cream. Swirl it around and then try it, it's very good.
He does exactly that, swirling his glass around and then taking one gulp out of it. It takes a few seconds before there's a freshened smile on his face.
Shawn Hughes: That's pretty good! [ Shawn says, nodding in approval. ] I might try and bring a few back over to the States.
Maverick: I'm not sure if they sell it over there, maybe in LA when I was there but not in Canton.
Shawn Hughes: Well, once you go ahead and win that Undisputed Championship, then we can celebrate with a bit more of this. [ Grabbing the bottle by it's neck and lifting it up in the air. ] Until then, don't drink too much. You've got a hell of a fight in store.
Maverick: I'm well aware. Frankie Harkins, David Arnold, Alex Withers, Howell and Eddie Kovacs… [ Taking a moment to process the toughness of a challenge he has in store for himself. ] They always said getting to the top wouldn't be easy but this... This will be the toughest challenge I have had since joining XHW. I've faced some on their own but how do I work with them all in one giant cage-like structure?
Shawn Hughes: That's what The Elimination Chamber is like, it brings out the best, the dangerous, and the most violent in anyone that enters. [ Hughes says, remembering the past matches that have taken place inside of the Chamber. ] I remember Howell winning it back to back in 2017 and 2018, and there were no words to describe how hard he put himself through to train for this match. I can only imagine he'll do the same this year, maybe harder than before, because of you.
Maverick raises an eyebrow.
Maverick: Because of me?
Shawn Hughes: Have you not realize that you're both the fan favorite and the odds on favorite to win this? All eyes are on you to win this right now, so do me and yourself proud and kill it.
Shawn begins patting his back.
Maverick: I'll do my best, although I cannot promise anything, I will make sure I come back with a title.
Shawn Hughes: Well make sure you come back here with two, and then we can have a little bit of the bubbly to celebrate with Le Champion!
He shakes his head in disagreement, smiling and laughing along with Shawn as the scene fades out.
A few hours later...
Night time has descended onto Wexford Town, the balcony lights have dimmed to a calm and soothing mood as the sounds of some music known only as "lofi hip hop" playing through a small speaker resting on the counter that hangs from the wall. Taking one quick puff from his vape pen, he looks out to the cold darkness of the sea and takes a deep breath before turning his head towards the camera's direction.
Maverick: The Elimination Chamber has been a match that's become a staple to XHW for the last ten years. The many that have stepped through never walked out the same as they once were before. This is a match that I've been told is a match that changes people not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. When I first heard of the Elimination Chamber, I won't lie, I was scared to enter. [ Pausing to think back to those thoughts he had once it was announced that he'll be entering the Main Event of Devil's Dance. ] Now I can tell you that I've been in some crazy fucking matches, I've been in a match where you had to climb a cage and onto a platform and then walk across that to a ladder that brings you to the prize. I've been in Falls Count Anywhere matches, I've been in First Blood matches, I've been in Ladder Matches, I've been in each and every single match-type you could imagine but the Chamber... There's no experience.
He turns himself around and leans back onto the glass wall and bannister that surrounds the balcony.
Maverick: The Chamber is sixteen feet high, thirty-six feet in diameter and weighing ten whole tons. With no experience, I should be the least favorite but with the same people who've turned their backs on me when I faced Leon Washington, they made me the one to watch. But the one thing that makes me more focused on this than anything is the XHW Undisputed Championship. That title. That’s the one thing i’ve been chasing for ever since I arrived here in XHW. The first time you’ve heard my voice, I said I was coming for the top prize, the richest prize in all of XHW and all of wrestling. I said it’s the one thing i’ll be coming for and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. It’s the reason I came here, with the lineage of a World Championship like that, anyone would be fucking mad to not come here and chase the biggest title in wrestling history. [ Taking another drag from his vape pen before placing it along the counter beside the speaker. ] As the reigning XHW United States Champion, I already have a challenge to fight through. I have to keep the image of this title sacred along with fighting five of XHW’s finest, the odds are against me in a million ways than one.
He taps his shoulder, normally where his title would be.
Maverick: But I beg to differ, I’ve come from a place where beating odds and taking names was the normal for not only me but everyone else. [ Pausing for a moment to think back to his childhood here in Wexford, his childhood home being not too far from the apartment complex that he lives in. ] So with the odds stacked against me, I know I can overcome this. I can defeat the Chamber, I can survive The Devil’s Playground, I can walk out both XHW United States Champion and Undisputed Champion. Speaking of the Undisputed Championship, Eddie Kovacs… Oh, Eddie, I’ve watched you become a Pride Champion to Undisputed Champion within a few short weeks. I remember watching you win the All or Nothing Battle Royal, I remember you losing that Pride Championship to David Arnold, and then I watched you win the Undisputed Championship from Neon when nobody expected it to happen. I’ve been there, Eddie, you know that yourself. I follow the same path as you, being a newcomer and a nobody to shooting to the top at a lightning speed and now here we are, so I’ve been in your footsteps and I know what it’s like. I know what the fame and the fortune was like, I know what glory of being a top class champion is like but the one thing we cannot relate to is our style.
He raises his finger up to the camera.
Maverick: Eddie, you’ve faced everyone and anyone, you’ve bested the very best that they threw at you but even you… Even you, Eddie… You knew that once I was coming, you would have needed to train a little bit harder or research me a little bit more, dig deeper into my matches and try to find that weakness. See, Eddie, when I try to find that weakness, I have to get in your head and although I don’t know you that well to do so. I’ve only got one thing that’ll help me and that’s skill. I’ve got to hit harder, strike harder, and make sure I have you concussed or better… Knocked out. You see me, a man that’s twenty two in just a few short days, a man who’s only been doing this professionally for 2 whole years, a man who’s been dominating this entire roster quite like you since the arrival back in February… I have to ask you, what are your chances? What are your odds? [ Saying it with a devious smirk along his face. ] You face five men but be real with me, it’s me you have to focus on the most. I’m an ultimate opportunistic man, I take chances when I see them and if you have your back turned to me, then you'll find yourself laying on the flat of your back for the first time in quite a while for you. You'll find yourself helpless, and you'll find yourself rethinking everything over and then the anger and frustration kicks in… [ Pausing for a moment to let that sink in. ] You know how it goes, Eddie. Eleven years experience and after Devil's Dance, I'm going to ruin all eleven of those years for you, Eddie. I'm going to make you regret everything you do in that Chamber, and if you dare touch me by any means, I will kick your jaw off and I will make sure you spit out your own blood, just to wipe it all over me so I can show you who's the more deadlier man around here, Eddie.
Shaking his head with that same devious smile.
Maverick: But Eddie, you're not the only man with a presence that would scare a man. [ Knowing who he's speaking of, he smiles, knowing their history in the past. ] David Arnold... Your team got lucky, we had to deal with substitution on our team whilst you were left picking up the scraps of a broken link. With Howell walking out and ruining the match for myself, costing me my first King of Trios award, what else could I have done? Tell me, David, who do you think you are. The days have been drawing very close to the match but you have been calling me the Golden Boy, in which I am, and you've been calling me the future of these realms, which I am but you've been getting things all wrong, David. Everything you've said about how the victor goes to the spoils and how it is written that The Rejects will be walking out as Undisputed Champion, it's all wrong, mate. Everything that you've said, has all been wrong, and your little prophecy that you're trying to give us a view from... It's all bullshit. [ He says with a smile on his face, followed by a little chuckle coming from Maverick. ] As for the many battles we've had many moons ago, please do tell me this, David Arnold... Who won most of them battles many moons ago? Who came out the overall winner in that series of matches for a certain championship? Who kept their hands raised up high as the bell rang?
Maverick keeps being all smug and confident with the questions he's asking.
Maverick: Let me tell you who, David, it was fucking me. When it came down to it all, I beat you twice for the Pride Championship. I pinned you for the title at Full Throttle and then I left you laying on the floor for a whole ten fucking seconds. So what have you done since then? You've won the X-Core Championship, lost it in your first defense once again and then won it back when Jason Hunter vacated it. [ He slightly laughs, like mocking at the constant failures in David's title past. ] So what does happen if you do win this Undisputed Championship? Lose it within a week? Come on, David, you know better... You wouldn't be a great champion to begin with and we've seen it with your previous championship reigns, and guess what, the only title reign that was somewhat reasonable and successful was that Tag Team Championship run and even then, you didn't even fucking defend them for months! This is what you're going to do with the Undisputed Championship? Jesus wept, you are a serious nuisance and a literal failure. And knowing your little prophecy and how you see the world around you, I'd be afraid you try too hard and then fall too quick.
Shaking his head in disgust.
Maverick: Then, we have a name I have not known too much about, that name being Frankie Harkins. Now, Frankie has been a smart man by complimenting me, telling me that I've got a future and all... If only I didn't hear that shit every so fucking often. [ Rolling his eyes. ] Frankie, I don't need to look in a bathroom mirror and tell myself I'm one of the best there is because I already know I am. I've already proven it so many times by winning so many fucking matches and when you think about it... For the shortest amount of time I've been here, I've got such a very good win rate and it's better than everyone else here. You think I didn't beat David by sheer luck? Fuck no, Frankie. You think I beat Leon Washington, who people call the backbone of XHW, by sheer luck? Fuck no, Frankie! What have you proven to yourself lately, mate? Fuck all!
Smiling but also a slight bit speechless with how Frankie has put Maverick's chances.
Maverick: And sure, I'm stuck in a sealed off pod and being watched by a pack of hyenas in the wild known only as "the very best XHW has to offer" but you have to realize that four out of six people in this match are only here to keep their relevancy alive, and that, Frankie, includes you. [ He points to the camera. ] You, Frankie, haven't been relevant in a fucking year, am I correct? Within this year, you've been booked sparingly and yet you're in this match with "the very best". You're in this match with the same people you've just called the very best in this company so where do you separate yourself from this conversation? Every time I've seen you, I've been told that you were once a great Undisputed Champion but there's that key word... Once. You swept away all the awards last year, so why aren't you being as good as you once were? This is the one and only chance you have with me, so prove to me why you're as good as you've shown before and say you are, Frankie. Show me the same you that was a two-time Undisputed Champion, Pride Champion and 2018 Man of The Year. Show me that side of you, Frankie, show me the real you.
He scoffs, knowing he won't get that with Frankie.
Maverick: I'm not done... but that camera's battery is almost dead. Take my word for granted, you fuckers are not going to become XHW Undisputed Champion, and right now, you're looking at him. This is going to be my era, this is going to be my time, this is The Era of Maverick and you will look like a fucking fool when you disallow it. Maverick out.
End Transmission.
Although the result was on the losing scale at Tuesday Night Riot in Mexico, Maverick has now been put into the Undisputed Championship Match at Devil’s Dance But the alliance between Howell and Maverick has already reached a breaking point. As Howell walked out of the King of Trios Final, Maverick was left vulnerable and Hughes was brutally attacked by The Resident Rejects who ended up winning the match along with Alex Withers. The scene begins with the view from the balcony, that balcony being apart of an apartment home where Maverick and Hannah will now live in. Their bags arrive tomorrow but today, the furniture moves in as every seems ready. Maverick is the only person in the apartment as Hannah heads out for the day to meet up with family members, but his humble silence is interrupted by a simple knock at the door. Maverick makes his way from the balcony, placing his vape pen back into his pocket and heads for the door. Although expecting it to be Hannah forgetting the front door keys, he's a little bit stunned to find out that standing on the opposite end of his door is Shawn Hughes.
Shawn Hughes: This place is hard to track down, don't you think?
Maverick: Only hard if you don't know where you're going, Shawn. [ Maverick replies, with a smile on his face. ] Do come in, welcome to Casa Del Maverick!
Shawn steps inside, observing the home in it's finer details.
Shawn Hughes: I'll admit, it's a fine looking home. Though it's not what I expected with the amount of wealth I've seen you collect.
Maverick: Wealth doesn't mean anything to me, Shawn. I've collected my shares and now I'll slowly use it to build a better future for not only myself but Hannah too. [ Maverick says, with confidence in that statement as he looks around the home. ] I'd suppose you're wanting a drink?
Shawn Hughes: I wouldn't say no to one.
Shawn answers as he heads to the sliding doors that lead to the balcony.
Maverick: So what brings you to Ireland, Shawn? [ Maverick questions. ] I know XHW aren't here for Devil's Dance unless there's been a change in plans.
He says as he heads into the kitchen and rummages through the cupboards for some alcoholic beverages.
Shawn Hughes: Oh no, the show is still happening in Mexico. The Estadio Azteca to be precise. [ Shawn replies. ] I just wanted to come here personally and talk about what happened on Tuesday Night. I apologize about letting both of you down and I apologize about Saylor, I know I said she was a top talent but I never expected this from her. This was totally out of my control and I took matters into my own hands.
Maverick: To be honest, I had forgotten about Riot. I let it all go past me when I found out I'd still be entering the match at Devil's Dance, although pleased with the announcement… [ Maverick pauses for a moment as he pulls out a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream liquor. ] I felt like it was unearned. I mean, I know Oscar has always kept an eye on me but let me earn my shot.
Shawn Hughes: Are you kidding me? [ Shawn says, walking over to the kitchen's counter and leaning forward onto it. ] If there was anyone who deserved that shot along with The Resident Rejects and Alex Withers... It's you. You've been known as a man who's ready for that title since you won your first Pride Championship and that's just from what I've been hearing by everyone backstage at shows. They always whispered about this Maverick kid and I never knew who you were, once I saw what you were like, I told Brendan and I said to him that you were the future and now here you are.
Maverick: I guess you're right.
He pulls out two glasses from another cupboard and places them along the counter between himself and Shawn. Unscrewing it's cap, he pours the drink into the glasses before screwing it's cap back on and sliding it against the wall, out of arm's reach. Maverick lifts his glass up, swirling it around and then knocking it back in one go. He slammed the glass down on the counter, letting out a soothing "aaaah." Shawn looks down at his glass before raising his head back up to look at Maverick.
Shawn Hughes: Tell me exactly what this is, I'm not aware of it.
Maverick: It's called Bailey's Irish Cream. Made out of Irish Whiskey and Cream. Swirl it around and then try it, it's very good.
He does exactly that, swirling his glass around and then taking one gulp out of it. It takes a few seconds before there's a freshened smile on his face.
Shawn Hughes: That's pretty good! [ Shawn says, nodding in approval. ] I might try and bring a few back over to the States.
Maverick: I'm not sure if they sell it over there, maybe in LA when I was there but not in Canton.
Shawn Hughes: Well, once you go ahead and win that Undisputed Championship, then we can celebrate with a bit more of this. [ Grabbing the bottle by it's neck and lifting it up in the air. ] Until then, don't drink too much. You've got a hell of a fight in store.
Maverick: I'm well aware. Frankie Harkins, David Arnold, Alex Withers, Howell and Eddie Kovacs… [ Taking a moment to process the toughness of a challenge he has in store for himself. ] They always said getting to the top wouldn't be easy but this... This will be the toughest challenge I have had since joining XHW. I've faced some on their own but how do I work with them all in one giant cage-like structure?
Shawn Hughes: That's what The Elimination Chamber is like, it brings out the best, the dangerous, and the most violent in anyone that enters. [ Hughes says, remembering the past matches that have taken place inside of the Chamber. ] I remember Howell winning it back to back in 2017 and 2018, and there were no words to describe how hard he put himself through to train for this match. I can only imagine he'll do the same this year, maybe harder than before, because of you.
Maverick raises an eyebrow.
Maverick: Because of me?
Shawn Hughes: Have you not realize that you're both the fan favorite and the odds on favorite to win this? All eyes are on you to win this right now, so do me and yourself proud and kill it.
Shawn begins patting his back.
Maverick: I'll do my best, although I cannot promise anything, I will make sure I come back with a title.
Shawn Hughes: Well make sure you come back here with two, and then we can have a little bit of the bubbly to celebrate with Le Champion!
He shakes his head in disagreement, smiling and laughing along with Shawn as the scene fades out.
A few hours later...
Night time has descended onto Wexford Town, the balcony lights have dimmed to a calm and soothing mood as the sounds of some music known only as "lofi hip hop" playing through a small speaker resting on the counter that hangs from the wall. Taking one quick puff from his vape pen, he looks out to the cold darkness of the sea and takes a deep breath before turning his head towards the camera's direction.
Maverick: The Elimination Chamber has been a match that's become a staple to XHW for the last ten years. The many that have stepped through never walked out the same as they once were before. This is a match that I've been told is a match that changes people not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. When I first heard of the Elimination Chamber, I won't lie, I was scared to enter. [ Pausing to think back to those thoughts he had once it was announced that he'll be entering the Main Event of Devil's Dance. ] Now I can tell you that I've been in some crazy fucking matches, I've been in a match where you had to climb a cage and onto a platform and then walk across that to a ladder that brings you to the prize. I've been in Falls Count Anywhere matches, I've been in First Blood matches, I've been in Ladder Matches, I've been in each and every single match-type you could imagine but the Chamber... There's no experience.
He turns himself around and leans back onto the glass wall and bannister that surrounds the balcony.
Maverick: The Chamber is sixteen feet high, thirty-six feet in diameter and weighing ten whole tons. With no experience, I should be the least favorite but with the same people who've turned their backs on me when I faced Leon Washington, they made me the one to watch. But the one thing that makes me more focused on this than anything is the XHW Undisputed Championship. That title. That’s the one thing i’ve been chasing for ever since I arrived here in XHW. The first time you’ve heard my voice, I said I was coming for the top prize, the richest prize in all of XHW and all of wrestling. I said it’s the one thing i’ll be coming for and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. It’s the reason I came here, with the lineage of a World Championship like that, anyone would be fucking mad to not come here and chase the biggest title in wrestling history. [ Taking another drag from his vape pen before placing it along the counter beside the speaker. ] As the reigning XHW United States Champion, I already have a challenge to fight through. I have to keep the image of this title sacred along with fighting five of XHW’s finest, the odds are against me in a million ways than one.
He taps his shoulder, normally where his title would be.
Maverick: But I beg to differ, I’ve come from a place where beating odds and taking names was the normal for not only me but everyone else. [ Pausing for a moment to think back to his childhood here in Wexford, his childhood home being not too far from the apartment complex that he lives in. ] So with the odds stacked against me, I know I can overcome this. I can defeat the Chamber, I can survive The Devil’s Playground, I can walk out both XHW United States Champion and Undisputed Champion. Speaking of the Undisputed Championship, Eddie Kovacs… Oh, Eddie, I’ve watched you become a Pride Champion to Undisputed Champion within a few short weeks. I remember watching you win the All or Nothing Battle Royal, I remember you losing that Pride Championship to David Arnold, and then I watched you win the Undisputed Championship from Neon when nobody expected it to happen. I’ve been there, Eddie, you know that yourself. I follow the same path as you, being a newcomer and a nobody to shooting to the top at a lightning speed and now here we are, so I’ve been in your footsteps and I know what it’s like. I know what the fame and the fortune was like, I know what glory of being a top class champion is like but the one thing we cannot relate to is our style.
He raises his finger up to the camera.
Maverick: Eddie, you’ve faced everyone and anyone, you’ve bested the very best that they threw at you but even you… Even you, Eddie… You knew that once I was coming, you would have needed to train a little bit harder or research me a little bit more, dig deeper into my matches and try to find that weakness. See, Eddie, when I try to find that weakness, I have to get in your head and although I don’t know you that well to do so. I’ve only got one thing that’ll help me and that’s skill. I’ve got to hit harder, strike harder, and make sure I have you concussed or better… Knocked out. You see me, a man that’s twenty two in just a few short days, a man who’s only been doing this professionally for 2 whole years, a man who’s been dominating this entire roster quite like you since the arrival back in February… I have to ask you, what are your chances? What are your odds? [ Saying it with a devious smirk along his face. ] You face five men but be real with me, it’s me you have to focus on the most. I’m an ultimate opportunistic man, I take chances when I see them and if you have your back turned to me, then you'll find yourself laying on the flat of your back for the first time in quite a while for you. You'll find yourself helpless, and you'll find yourself rethinking everything over and then the anger and frustration kicks in… [ Pausing for a moment to let that sink in. ] You know how it goes, Eddie. Eleven years experience and after Devil's Dance, I'm going to ruin all eleven of those years for you, Eddie. I'm going to make you regret everything you do in that Chamber, and if you dare touch me by any means, I will kick your jaw off and I will make sure you spit out your own blood, just to wipe it all over me so I can show you who's the more deadlier man around here, Eddie.
Shaking his head with that same devious smile.
Maverick: But Eddie, you're not the only man with a presence that would scare a man. [ Knowing who he's speaking of, he smiles, knowing their history in the past. ] David Arnold... Your team got lucky, we had to deal with substitution on our team whilst you were left picking up the scraps of a broken link. With Howell walking out and ruining the match for myself, costing me my first King of Trios award, what else could I have done? Tell me, David, who do you think you are. The days have been drawing very close to the match but you have been calling me the Golden Boy, in which I am, and you've been calling me the future of these realms, which I am but you've been getting things all wrong, David. Everything you've said about how the victor goes to the spoils and how it is written that The Rejects will be walking out as Undisputed Champion, it's all wrong, mate. Everything that you've said, has all been wrong, and your little prophecy that you're trying to give us a view from... It's all bullshit. [ He says with a smile on his face, followed by a little chuckle coming from Maverick. ] As for the many battles we've had many moons ago, please do tell me this, David Arnold... Who won most of them battles many moons ago? Who came out the overall winner in that series of matches for a certain championship? Who kept their hands raised up high as the bell rang?
Maverick keeps being all smug and confident with the questions he's asking.
Maverick: Let me tell you who, David, it was fucking me. When it came down to it all, I beat you twice for the Pride Championship. I pinned you for the title at Full Throttle and then I left you laying on the floor for a whole ten fucking seconds. So what have you done since then? You've won the X-Core Championship, lost it in your first defense once again and then won it back when Jason Hunter vacated it. [ He slightly laughs, like mocking at the constant failures in David's title past. ] So what does happen if you do win this Undisputed Championship? Lose it within a week? Come on, David, you know better... You wouldn't be a great champion to begin with and we've seen it with your previous championship reigns, and guess what, the only title reign that was somewhat reasonable and successful was that Tag Team Championship run and even then, you didn't even fucking defend them for months! This is what you're going to do with the Undisputed Championship? Jesus wept, you are a serious nuisance and a literal failure. And knowing your little prophecy and how you see the world around you, I'd be afraid you try too hard and then fall too quick.
Shaking his head in disgust.
Maverick: Then, we have a name I have not known too much about, that name being Frankie Harkins. Now, Frankie has been a smart man by complimenting me, telling me that I've got a future and all... If only I didn't hear that shit every so fucking often. [ Rolling his eyes. ] Frankie, I don't need to look in a bathroom mirror and tell myself I'm one of the best there is because I already know I am. I've already proven it so many times by winning so many fucking matches and when you think about it... For the shortest amount of time I've been here, I've got such a very good win rate and it's better than everyone else here. You think I didn't beat David by sheer luck? Fuck no, Frankie. You think I beat Leon Washington, who people call the backbone of XHW, by sheer luck? Fuck no, Frankie! What have you proven to yourself lately, mate? Fuck all!
Smiling but also a slight bit speechless with how Frankie has put Maverick's chances.
Maverick: And sure, I'm stuck in a sealed off pod and being watched by a pack of hyenas in the wild known only as "the very best XHW has to offer" but you have to realize that four out of six people in this match are only here to keep their relevancy alive, and that, Frankie, includes you. [ He points to the camera. ] You, Frankie, haven't been relevant in a fucking year, am I correct? Within this year, you've been booked sparingly and yet you're in this match with "the very best". You're in this match with the same people you've just called the very best in this company so where do you separate yourself from this conversation? Every time I've seen you, I've been told that you were once a great Undisputed Champion but there's that key word... Once. You swept away all the awards last year, so why aren't you being as good as you once were? This is the one and only chance you have with me, so prove to me why you're as good as you've shown before and say you are, Frankie. Show me the same you that was a two-time Undisputed Champion, Pride Champion and 2018 Man of The Year. Show me that side of you, Frankie, show me the real you.
He scoffs, knowing he won't get that with Frankie.
Maverick: I'm not done... but that camera's battery is almost dead. Take my word for granted, you fuckers are not going to become XHW Undisputed Champion, and right now, you're looking at him. This is going to be my era, this is going to be my time, this is The Era of Maverick and you will look like a fucking fool when you disallow it. Maverick out.
End Transmission.