" Akari.
Let me make something clear, before I proceed. Not once did I ever say that it was an insult to try to make something out of your career. If I thought or much less believed that, then I wouldn’t be in this match. Hell, I wouldn’t be in this company. What I said more-or-less was that you went out of your way to attempt to assume the role of Showdown's savior, and all I had to do was exist. And I get why you’d like to change the subject and make that statement anything but what it was. But I’m not going to allow you to misconstrue my words in a pathetic excuse to avoid the truth. I said what I said. If your ego is too fragile to accept it and grow from it, then that’s on you. But know that I haven’t lied or backtracked on anything that I’ve said thus far. I still believe that you’re a poor man's imitation of me. I still believe that you’re in over your head. I still believe that you’re an idiot. And above all else, I still believe that you are a pretender. There isn’t any amount of jumping from topic to topic, or any form of deflection and avoidance, that’ll change my mind on that. So I have to ask you, why even waste your time, Akari? Why subject yourself to a pointless humiliation ritual like this? Why continue to feed fuel to the fire? These questions are rhetorical. You don’t have to strain yourself to look for a reason. It’s obvious. Despite what you claim and what you pretend to be —you just can’t help yourself. It’s the same as a fish taking the bait just to be reeled in, or a mouse stepping on an adhesive trap before—the inevitable. And it’s fitting that I say that, because that is exactly what I am to you in this instance, Akari– the inevitable. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not here on Minerva timing. I’m not calling myself a “god amongst mortals”, but when it comes to you, Akari, I might as well be.
Because even with all the added motivation, you have. With everything on the line. With the most important opportunity you’ve had to date, standing in front of you, you still don't have a clue in the world how to deal with me. And so you backtrack, and you continue to throw shit at a wall in the hopes that it sticks. And I’ve grown bored of that dynamic. I’m bored with the nonsensical chatter. From your own mouth, you said that I’ve been granted leniency for failure. You said that I’m a hypocrite. You’ve said so much yet so little at the same time. And it’s a shock to me that you’ve made it this far and no one has called you out for stumbling over your words and contradicting yourself at every turn. I mean, seriously? How the hell have I been granted leniency in any way, shape, or form? I hear the same insults and criticisms every single day. Every time a match of this magnitude comes around, or every time there’s something to be won, I hear about my lack of World Championship wins. I hear about how long it’s taken me to reach the top of the mountain. I’m subjected to that same conversation time after time. There’s no leniency. But in spite of people's best attempts to dismiss me, I give them reason to reconsider and reassess. And I’d implore you to do that right now, Akari. Maybe if you did, you would realize that everything you’ve asked me, I’ve answered before. Hell, you’d even realize that you answered your own question.
Let me make something clear, before I proceed. Not once did I ever say that it was an insult to try to make something out of your career. If I thought or much less believed that, then I wouldn’t be in this match. Hell, I wouldn’t be in this company. What I said more-or-less was that you went out of your way to attempt to assume the role of Showdown's savior, and all I had to do was exist. And I get why you’d like to change the subject and make that statement anything but what it was. But I’m not going to allow you to misconstrue my words in a pathetic excuse to avoid the truth. I said what I said. If your ego is too fragile to accept it and grow from it, then that’s on you. But know that I haven’t lied or backtracked on anything that I’ve said thus far. I still believe that you’re a poor man's imitation of me. I still believe that you’re in over your head. I still believe that you’re an idiot. And above all else, I still believe that you are a pretender. There isn’t any amount of jumping from topic to topic, or any form of deflection and avoidance, that’ll change my mind on that. So I have to ask you, why even waste your time, Akari? Why subject yourself to a pointless humiliation ritual like this? Why continue to feed fuel to the fire? These questions are rhetorical. You don’t have to strain yourself to look for a reason. It’s obvious. Despite what you claim and what you pretend to be —you just can’t help yourself. It’s the same as a fish taking the bait just to be reeled in, or a mouse stepping on an adhesive trap before—
Because even with all the added motivation, you have. With everything on the line. With the most important opportunity you’ve had to date, standing in front of you, you still don't have a clue in the world how to deal with me. And so you backtrack, and you continue to throw shit at a wall in the hopes that it sticks. And I’ve grown bored of that dynamic. I’m bored with the nonsensical chatter. From your own mouth, you said that I’ve been granted leniency for failure. You said that I’m a hypocrite. You’ve said so much yet so little at the same time. And it’s a shock to me that you’ve made it this far and no one has called you out for stumbling over your words and contradicting yourself at every turn. I mean, seriously? How the hell have I been granted leniency in any way, shape, or form? I hear the same insults and criticisms every single day. Every time a match of this magnitude comes around, or every time there’s something to be won, I hear about my lack of World Championship wins. I hear about how long it’s taken me to reach the top of the mountain. I’m subjected to that same conversation time after time. There’s no leniency. But in spite of people's best attempts to dismiss me, I give them reason to reconsider and reassess. And I’d implore you to do that right now, Akari. Maybe if you did, you would realize that everything you’ve asked me, I’ve answered before. Hell, you’d even realize that you answered your own question.
But I want you to know that the reason I dismiss your chances of winning the Grand Rampage isn’t because I feel as though I’m more accomplished than you. It’s because I know for a fact that I want to win more than you. And for the past two seasons, I’ve proven just how much I’m willing to go through and sacrifice to bring myself closer and closer to that level of success. So when you ask me what I’ve done or accomplished this season, you have a win there. I’ve done nothing of significance other than remove a cancer from my life. But beyond that, everything has been one trial by fire followed by another. But you don’t see me crying over what could have been. You don’t see me holding my head high at the idea of hypotheticals. And unlike you, I don’t need to cope in order to feel like I got myself decent footing on the mountain. I learn from failure, and this season has been one lesson after another. And I have faced the absolute best of the best, I have competed in deathmatch, after deathmatch— and yet my heart still beats. Iron still sharpens iron. And maybe that’s a concept you can't truly wrap your head around now, but you will. Seeing is believing, and the last thing you’re going to see before you leave the arena on Sunday is me standing in the middle of the ring as the winner of the 2026 Grand Rampage.
Do you think I care if you’re scared, Nick? Do I really give off fearmongering vibes? I don’t need you to be scared of me in order for me to eliminate you this weekend. In the same way, I didn’t need you to be scared of me on Voltage last week either. I hit you, and you choked me, sure, but what exactly did you accomplish? I didn’t pass out. I didn’t tap out. All you managed to do was piss me off more. And that was evident later in the night, when my elbow connected with your jaw. But I don’t want to talk about Voltage. I want to talk about the Grand Rampage. I want to talk about what you said. I’m a placeholder? I’m the guy they put in the ring to make the ring look full until a real star walks in? I’d love to hear how you came to that conclusion. And then once you explain that, maybe you can tell me who exactly is a real star. Because I know you aren’t talking about yourself, right? I love the confidence. I do. But genuinely, what leg do you possibly have to stand on? How can you, someone whose most tried and true accomplishment to date is placing in the final four in a battle royale people faintly remember, tell me that I’m fluent in failure, when you haven’t so much as even sniffed success? You’ve done more than I have in six months? Praytell, what exactly have you done? What you beat Ashlynn Quinn? Me too, twice, while she was still New Breed Champion. I’ve beaten Kai Rabeaux. I can continue, but I’m not interested in getting into a pissing match with you. Strange hill to die on. Nonetheless, I’m not going to stop you from grasping at low-hanging fruit. I want you to tell me exactly how you feel. Let me know exactly how much you don’t like or care about me— and then understand that shit doesn’t matter in the slightest. Regardless of whether you like me or not, you care about my mission or not— there isn’t a damn thing you or anyone else can do to stop me. What part of “This is my moment” was lost on you? How many different ways do I have to tell you that it's MY TIME NOW, for you to wrap your head around it? Perhaps, I'm to blame. Because I thought that after everything that happened on Voltage, you’d come to the understanding that I’d sooner die than allow myself to be denied what I want again. But instead, you allowed yourself to believe you humbled me. And I need you to know right now that neither you nor anyone else could ever. But as I said, I love the confidence, even if you’re slightly delusional. But hey.. I want you to continue to hold onto that delusion like a crown, because when I humble you this weekend, it’ll make my win feel even better.
Donovan, I’m a charity case? What exactly have you been able to do on your own? What have you achieved without someone else's interference? Hmm? Let’s not be condescending here. Because it’s not hard to remind you that everything remotely impressive about you came in the form of someone else's brainchild. Silas World? The name alone breathes life into what I just said. You are a puppet at best. And this is the same sentiment I shared with you when I beat you all those months ago. And just to clarify, I did make it known that that match doesn’t truly mean anything now, and it certainly doesn’t hold any merit in determining whether or not I can throw you over the top rope and onto the floor. But back to what I was saying; I was curious to see if you’d come to your senses and grown in any facet since we last crossed paths, but I can see now that’s a daunting task. Here we are over a year later, and your mind is still centered on Bronson. It’s as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Because Bronson is long gone, yet Silas still has his hand shoved deep up your ass. But who knows how long that’s even going to last. Because.. once you fail here—once Silas realizes he placed his chips on the wrong horse— that’s it. You’ll have served your purpose. And then by force, rather than reason, you’ll be met with the understanding that what I said is true. You were never that guy. Even with a Pain For Pride Main Event and a World Championship to your credit, you were never that guy. It was simply just your turn. And I can tell that's going to be a topic of great debate for you, Silas World boys, and
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