" You just don’t seem to get it, Jake. And I know this is meat and potatoes for you, it’s been this way for as long as I can remember, you shoot your load all over the place, and then you come to find out it’s not as impressive as you wanted it to be. There are twenty-eight other elitists in this match, and you think that of all people, I want to stand here and have a pissing match with you? I’m going to be honest, I’m good. I’m not really feeling it in the slightest. I already have one delusional
But if anyone if capable of storming the weather, it’s you Jake. You’ve been in this position before. You know what it’s like to have your back against the wall, and that’s an amazing skill to have especially in a match like this. Your experience and your ability to adapt is a weapon. But what you fail to understand is that you are not alone in this endeavor. You’re not the only person, chasing after history. You’re not the only person with everything to gain. You fault me for keeping an eye out and scouting the competition, but you’re wrong for thinking I don’t have my attention and focus set on the goal at hand. Winning The Grand Rampage isn’t just something I woke up a week ago and decided I wanted to do. I’ve had these thoughts and ambitions for as long as I can remember, it’s just now, I have the means and ability to make it happen. Keep doing what you’re doing Jake, keep pushing boundaries and rattling cages, and I’ll continue to tell my story the only way it can be told. To you, I may seem like an underdog incapable of getting it done when it matters the most, but it’s ever so often people learn the difference between an underdog and a dark horse, unfortunately for you, I’m the latter.
Jay Jerry Johnson.
Unlike the vast majority of elitists in this match who would probably bash you for simply existing. I want to give you credit where it’s due. I also want to admit that I was wrong about you. It’s no secret that you and I have gone back and forth a lot over the past few years, and I’ve said some pretty rude things to you. But the biggest regret I have is telling you that you’ll never find success in a place like EAW. Not only did you prove me wrong, you went on to have a great Interwire Championship reign, and even beyond that you’ve continued to be a mainstay on Dynasty, persevering and proving yourself capable of hanging with some of the best. Your persistence and dedication aren’t lost upon me. Neither is the dramatic improvement and evolution you’ve undergone to become the elitist you are today. I don’t expect us to be friends after the battles we’ve had, but I want you to know that I see you for who you are and not what you’ve done and been through. I know what winning this match means for you, and I know it’s something you have your heart set on… but it simply can’t be. And it’s not because you’re not good enough. It’s not because you’re not deserving. It’s not because you’re incapable. It’s because you simply don’t want to win as much as I do. Your resolve lacks in comparison to my own. And that’s just the way I have to think and maneuver through this match. Even if what I’m saying isn’t the truth, it’s a hill I’m willing to die on as long as it means I can achieve what I have my heart set on. That’s just how it has to be. I can’t think about what this match means to everyone else. I can’t prioritize anyone else's needs over my own. I have to win this match. I have to atone. I have to prove to myself I’m the man I’ve always wanted to be. That alone outweighs any petty need to showcase superiority and dominance. To me winning this match is more than a want, it is a need, it’s a necessity to me. It’s the same as drinking water and breathing air, it’s vital. And that’s what I keep trying to tell everyone. It’s more than just a match, it’s more than just an opportunity for a World Championship, excuse my French, but this shit means everything to me.
So I’ll mince words with anyone. I’ll hear your stories. Your promises. I’ll watch all the theatrics and hear the reasonings, but at the end of the day, I want each and every single person in this match to know that I mean it when I say, this moment, this opportunity, this match— it’s all mine. Believe me, don’t believe me, hate me, refute me, I truly couldn’t care less. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am. I’ve pushed myself to be this person. And finally, after years of being so close to achieving greatness for myself, I once again find myself on the cusp of it. After years of letting it slip through my fingers, I’ve finally found myself mere days away from closing the chapter of a book that started writing itself over a decade and a half ago. So while everyone else spends the next week trying to convince themselves and the world that this moment is theirs for the taking, I’ll continue doing my damndest to tell my story and educate them on why they’re wrong and why they’ll have to wait until next year to achieve their dreams. This is my time. This is my year. My match. My moment. My opportunity. And I can’t stress it enough. I’ll never be able to say it enough. No amount of words or yelling or explaining will be significant enough to get the point across, and even if I did possess the words necessary to describe it, I highly doubt people would be willing to lend an ear and listen. These days the only thing people respond to is action— results. Without that, everything is just yapping and waffling, the Jake Smith specialty. And that’s not what I aim for, or to be. Unlike most people in this match, I don’t want to be known for talking about useless things in a pointless effort to attempt to boost my numbers and give the illusion of a work ethic— I’d rather use these moments as a reminder of just how far I’ve come and how far I continue to go as the days pass. “
