But, I do know that company has produced quite a few stars; and I do know most of this roster has seen some success over in PWX. I mean, John Pariah is in their Hall of Fame; Ryan Kidd, Adam Stryker, and various others have made a name of themselves as well.
So Tim, if you wrestled with those big names, then it’s clear that you’ve got some talent.
I mean, let’s take a look at some of your accomplishments shall we. You won the ECWR Ultraviolent Champion twice; because of its name, I assume that was some kind of hardcore or extreme championship. You won the THW Evolution Champion once as well.
And then, there were the two PWX Hybrid Champion reigns that you had. Now granted, both of those reigns were only about a month or so; but, they were two reigns nonetheless.
Why am I bringing all of this up Tim?
Well Tim, those reigns say something about you. First off all, they speak a bit to your skill. But more importantly, those reigns reveal a bit about your character. You see, those reigns show everyone that you’ve been to the top of the mountain; you’ve tasted the sweet flavor of success, not once, but multiple times!
Maybe with the exception of Ryan Kidd, you’ve probably had the most title reigns here. Perhaps…perhaps in your mind, that makes you favorite to win this match?
But it doesn’t Tim!
Tim, you are good wrestler; there’s no doubt about that. And when you are in the ring, you are pretty intense. But I’ll be honest; I don’t think you want this match. Here, I’ll there you why I feel that way. Let’s go back to 2CW 4: Redefine. On that card, you were booked in another four-way match; ironically, it was similar to this one, minus all the eliminations. That night you were booked to face Spencer Vain, Marisol Hawkes, and Johnny Ajax.
Tim, do you remember the purpose of that match? I only ask, because I remember clearly.
You see, that wasn’t just some random four-way match. No, far from it! That match was booked to determine the Number One Contender for the 2CW Championship. It’s kind of crazy, because it was only your second match at the time. Now, any other wrestler would have been excited; any other wrestler would have made sure that they took full advantage of that opportunity.
But apparently, not you Tim.
I watched that match. You went out there and had a very mediocre performance.
Honestly, I’m not sure what happened to you that night Tim. Maybe…maybe you can explain it to me; and perhaps you can explain it to all your fans as well. What happened out there Tim? Did you’re your nerves get the best of you; is that what made you freeze up? Were, you simply out-matched? That is a hard thing to admit, but it happens sometimes.
OR, did you simply not want that match as much as Marisol?
Tim, you had only had one match in 2CW at the time. Management basically placed a golden ticket in front of you, and simply asked you to reach out and grab it. Hell, if you had won that match, then you’d be in the Main Event of Cardinal Sin. But the fact of the matter is you didn’t reach out and grab that golden ticket; you threw away that golden opportunity.
That’s a shame.
So, here’s my question Tim; how badly do you want THIS match? A few weeks ago you basically told Second City and its fans that you didn’t want its prized title; so, why would you want the Heritage title?
Tim, you don’ want this match; you don’t want to win and become the Heritage Champion. Yeah, you won your qualifying match; but this elimination match is a whole another animal. And I’ll tell say this; you may not want this win, but I can guarantee you that Kidd, Rommie, and I desire to walk out of the PPV holding that title belt!
Tim, you are a good wrestler. And, you are a champion. But, you will not be walking out of Cardinal Sin with that heritage Championship!
That’s not a prediction—that’s a promise sir!
Now, how about we move one to Rommie Sharpe shall we.
Believe it or not Rommie, I’m very excited to face you at this event. Honestly, I’d thought our first meeting would be in a singles match; but, that’s the Business for you right?
Now, why am I excited to face you?
Well, the first reason is your name value. I can’t speak about other here in Second City, but, I had heard your name before signing to Second City. Now, I can pin down where you worked previously, but I do remember hearing very good things about you. And then, I was able to watch your matches here in 2CW; I’m not going to lie, I was very impressed.
I knew that if you and I had the chance to step into the ring, then we’d have an awesome. And this week, we’ve got the chance to do just that. Only this time, it’s for that Heritage belt.
It’s kind of crazy Roomie, because at one point I was hearing a lot of buzz around your name. And then one day, it all came to a halt. I didn’t know what happened at the time; but now we all know that you had some kind of injury.
But now you are back, and you seem to be better than ever.
Honesty, as a guy who loves wrestling, it’s been a joy to see you back in the ring. Your style is a bit different than mine. While you can do it all, you are pretty comfortable getting into a brawl; you are quick, hard-hitting, and you can take to the air when you need to.
Honestly, I feel like I’ve learned a great deal about you, just by watching your matches here in Second City.
First off, I can tell that you are strong. And when I say “strong,” I mean mentality and physically. We have all seen your physical strength on display; your match with Pat Gordon, Jr. was a prime example of that. Pat is known for being a rough-houser in the ring. But, you are faced him in your debut, went blow-for-blow with him. That match is a good example of your mental strength as well. Pat Gordon is awesome wrestler; the man is known all around the world. It would have been understandable for you to be a bit intimidated of him, especially in your first match her.
But, you weren’t intimidated at all ma’am.
You stepped into ring and squared up with Pat. You were mentally focused, and that’s why you ended up picking up the win.
What else have I learned about you? Well, I know that you’ve got Heart, that’s for sure. You’ve shown that in all of your matches here. You’ve also shown that by simply making your return to wrestling. A lot of people would have just quit; many people would have just dropped out of wrestling.
But you didn’t. You regrouped and have come back stronger than ever!
That’s to be commended.
And now you find yourself in this title match. Ha, it’s a great comeback story; you, one of those that you might find on ESPN or something.
Rommie, I probably don’t have to question you about your Drive and Will, unlike Tim. You’ve proven yourself to be a good competitor here in Second City. You’ve fought hard lately; you deserve to be in this match.
But, just because you deserve to be in the match, doesn’t mean you deserve to win it all. What happens in this match will determine that, have no doubt about that.
You’re good Rommie, damn good.
But, I don’t think you understand ma’am…you don’t understand how badly I want that title. Now, I’m sure you want it to. You’re coming back from and injury and you probably think you need something to thrust you backing into limelight. But Rommie, as good as story, as good as headline that would make, I can’t let that happen! You see, this match is a test for me. AJ Fairchild used to be great; he used to be revered. But those times are long gone; my win over him was nice, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The same could be said about my match with Pat. It was ok, but it wasn’t great by any means. It definitely wasn’t a match that I’d tell people to go out of their way to see.
Now, that match with Derrick Wiland, I’m very proud of that match.
Rommie, my point is; I’ve still got a lot to prove here in Second City. And, my time is limited. So I need to win this match; I need to defeat Tim, and I need to defeat you. I want to show everyone that my 3-0 record is just due to luck; I want to show the world that my record is due to my skill.
Rommie, in this match I plan to show everyone why I’m one of the best, upcoming wrestlers in the world!
Now don’t get me wrong, I want that title. But, I want to be known as a great wrestler too Rommie. And to be known as the best, I need to wrestle the best; I need to defeat the best. I’d like to think that you are one of the best; so, I’m looking to take you out as well.
Trust me, it isn’t personal.
Nothing personal…
And, I guess that leads me to the last man in the match; yeah, I’m looking at you Ryan Kidd. Ha, you may not remember; but, you and I have shared a locker room once before. If I’m not mistaken, you were pretty well known and featured in FGA when the company was first starting up. You had two title shots for the Heavyweight Championship if I recall. Then, you took a pretty long break from the company; I assume you went out and worked at other places. But then, you re-joined FGA; you signed back up shortly after I signed with the company. You know how big the roster is there; so, we never really had a chance to meet and talk.
I was still a diamond in the rough then. But, I remember there was a great deal of buzz around your name. At the time I hadn’t heard of you, so I wasn’t actually sure what the buzz was about.
And then I saw you work, and I instantly understood. You only had a few matches there in FGA, but you impressed a lot of people believe it or not. I’m not a booker or anything, but it looked like they were about to push you to the moon! You had a match against Sean Sands in place. Sean had just lost the FGA World title a month or two ago.
But, then you left.
I’m not exactly sure why you left; and, the company didn’t elaborate on it. All I know is that’s your business.
But, let me tell you what happened because you left.
Poor Sean Sands was left with his crotch in his hands; he was all ready to fight, but he didn’t have anyone to go against. One young man saw that as an opportunity; he had won most of his matches but until then, but he really hadn’t faced anyone big yet. He stepped up. That young man grabbed the mic and challenged Sean Sands to a match for the next supershow.
Ryan, that should have been your match!
The young man went into that match with a lot of pressure; he was a bit nervous. But, he knew he needed to show out. And, show out he did. But, not only that, but he ended up defeating Sean. He thought maybe that would be the end of his run; but it wasn’t. Boy was he wrong. That win of Sean boosted his ranking so high that he was automatically in contention for the FGA Pride Championship. It was his first title shot. But this time, he wasn’t nervous; he probably should have been, but he wasn’t. If anything, the kid was more anxious than anything. He knew his back was against the wall; at the time, the Pride Champion was almost as dominate as the FGA World Champion. Before that title match, the young man had a couple of matches with the champion; he lost those match, even though he tried his hardest. So, when the title match came, he knew he had to perform; he knew he had to win. And that’s just what he did. The two wrestlers had a blood-chilling match; you would have thought the two were born in Japan, based upon how stiff the match was. But in the end, the young man had his hand raised in victory! That night, he had his name written in the history books; he was his first championship!
Ryan, that young man was me of course.
Truthfully Ryan, that spot, that position, it all could have been yours. You could have gone on and become a mainstay of FGA; but, that didn’t happen. Now let’s be real; part of my success has to do with being in the right place in the right time. The rest of it I chalk up to skill.
My point being Ryan, in FGA I essentially took your spot. I didn’t intend to; I just wanted to face the best of the best. But, I did take your spot. And if I hadn’t who knows where I would be now? I probably wouldn’t even have had the confidence to enter and win Dynamic Duos; and I probably wouldn’t have been anywhere near the Pride title.
I’ll be honest Ryan; winning that Pride title changed my career. You see, it changed the way I thought about wrestling; and, it changed the way I viewed myself. Before that match, I sued to get really nervous; I used to doubt myself.
But, I don’t do that any longer; I can’t do that any longer you see!
Ryan, over the past nine months I’ve faced the best of the best; and not only have I stood toe-to-toe with them, but I’ve been a good deal of them as well. That nervousness, that’s gone. I honestly feel like I can match up and defeat anyone in this Business.
And don’t get me wrong; I’m not arrogant or cocky. I know that I’ve got some things that I need to improve upon; you can ALWAYS get better in the ring. But now, I’ve been in a couple of wars; and, I’ve survived and thrived in them!
That’s why I believe that I can beat you, and everyone else in this match!
And, that’s why I’m going to beat you Ryan!
Ryan, I’m looking forward to this match man; I’m really excited about it. A few weeks ago you and I had the opportunity to get into the ring and train a bit. Believe it or not, that was a real honor for me. Whether you realize it or not, you’re a star man; people think very highly of you. Our session only lasted for a little while, but I learned a lot in that short time.
Similar to Rommie, I thought we’d meet in a single match down the line; but Fate had different plans once again.
Ha, it’s crazy you know. I often wonder how people become so good so fast. I wrestled for about for years before I got my big break in FGA. But, there are people in this Business that seem great on day one. People like you and Sean Sands; people like Gordon Fury, etc. You all started about two years ago.
And look at you now!
Ryan, you are a lot like me, probably more than anyone else in this match. You see, I know you’ve that passion; I saw it when we trained, and I’ve seen it in your matches here in Second City. Deep down, you want to be the best; you want to be the best in the world. That’s why you fight so hard; and, that’s why I fight so hard. That’s probably why you work in multiple different feds, just like I do.
How did you develop that passion Ryan? There aren’t a lot of wrestlers like us you know? Some dudes just do this for money and fame; some people don’t want to be the best. Ha, I might be wrong, but I’d like to think it’s because of some of the wrestlers you’re close to. I mean, take Adam Stryker for example. I’m not sure what your exact relationship with Mr. Stryker is, but you too seem to be friendly. At the very least, you two respect each other’s work. I’ve heard that you run through the Stryke Dojo every so often to help train the students.
I’ve heard quite a few Stryker promos in my day; whenever he talks, you can hear his passion for the sport in his voice. I’m sure training with him, and helping trained others has done nothing but increased your passion for this great sport.
So Ryan, you’ve got that passion; and, I’ve got that passion.
No disrespect to Rommie and Tim, but I see that match coming to down to either or you. Both of us are skilled, and we are both in our prime. I guess the important question here is which one of us wants it more.
Which one of us truly wants that Heritage title!?
Now, I know what you are thinking Ryan. I’ve got a total of three title shot and defenses combined this week; you probably are wondering where the Heritage title ranks among those three. Honestly, they are all of equal importance to me; I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
The Heritage title, it interested me ever since it was announced. I said to myself, “that’s what I want to compete for.” Ha, honestly, I’d rather hold the 2CW Heritage title over the Heavyweight title. The Heavyweight title has had two holders already; both Pariah and Aries are great.
But the Heritage title—it’s new, it’s fresh. Winning that title would mean a lot to me; I’d be the first to hold it. But more importantly, it would mean that my name would be engraved in the history book of Second City. Whenever a wrestler or fan thinks about that title, I want them to remember that Riley Owens was the first champion!
But Ryan, I could question where your priorities are this weekend as well. I could also question where your head is at. True, you’ve been on a roll here in 2CW; but, not so much in other places. Some told me that you recently debuted for Uncensored, Inc. One of my fans sent me a link to the event. I was able to watch your match against Caleb Valentine. You two had a wonderful match. You fought valiantly; but you missed that big Swanton and landed on your neck. That’s what cost you the match.
Are you fully recovered from that bump? I know it’s been a week or so; but landing on your neck is always a big deal. It’s an even bigger deal when you are facing a technician like me. Ryan, you’ve trained with me; and, you’ve probably watched some of my matches in preparation. If you have, then you know that I like to target the head, so I can land that knockout kick.
I respect you, but I’m not going to go easy; not a chance man.
If you are still hurt coming into this match, it’s going to be a problem for you. It will be an advantage to me and everyone else in the match.
And just like me, you’ve more than one match this weekend too. This weekend you also take on Gunner Hughes for the UWL World Heavyweight Championship. Ryan, that’s a grand opportunity. And, according to everything I’ve heard about Mr. Hughes, he’s going to be a challenge.
Will you go all out in this Heritage title match, and risk your match against Hughes?
I’m not just trying to pad my stats this week Ryan; far from it. I’m trying to make history man. So, I’m going to give me all in all three matches!
I want this match Ryan, and I’m going to win that belt!
…
At Cardinal Sin I’m going to show everyone the meaning of a true champion. I’ve been to the top of the mountain once before; and in that match I defied all the odds. I’m going to defy to odds more time when I step into that Second City ring.
Now, I haven’t talked much about the stipulations; and, there’s a reason for that. Sometimes people get bogged down by stipulations; I’m not going to do that. The fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter what the stipulations are. I’m going to out there and prove myself; I’m going and wrestle. Standard rules, submissions, Iron Man rules—I’ll do it all.
I’ll do it all to hold that Heritage Championship in my arms!
Like I said before, everyone is in this match is worthy to hold that belt; but, only one of us can walk away with it. Rest assured I’m going to make sure one person is me.
I’m going to win this match! I’m going to obtain that Heritage Championship. And afterwards, everyone in the sport of wrestling is going to know the name Riley Owens!