" Last week, I did exactly what I said I was going to do with the odds stacked against me: win. And how am I repaid for that effort? Do I get to celebrate a statement win, against one half of the current Tag Team Champions? Nope. Do I get to relish in the fact that I got a small measure of revenge against that bitch Minerva and her goth hitsquad? Nope. Instead… for the second week in a row, I have the odds stacked against me. But this time, let’s just say I have an anchor tied to both my legs and a bomb strapped across my chest. Of all the people I could have been forced to team with, Ashlynn Quinn is the absolute last person that would cross my mind. In fact, I don’t think there’s anything on this earth I’d choose Ashlynn Quinn for. This makes me sick. Nevertheless, I’ve overcome worse odds.
I’ve made it well known what my plans are to close out this season. I’ve made it well known what my intentions are when the Grand Rampage rolls around. There’s a reason I was amongst the first to declare, and there's a reason why I remain full of confidence in my ability to walk out of that match, the winner.
The entirety of this season has been one giant trial by fire for me. I’ve faced the very best this brand has to offer, and each and every single time, I’ve stepped into that ring, I’ve given it just as much as I’ve gotten. I’ve been taken to my limit, and I’ve taken each and every single one of my opponents to theirs as well. I won’t sit here and say that, that’s enough for me. Because in truth it’s not. Not even close. But it does help me gauge just how far away I am from everything I’ve ever wanted. And as the season’s end gets closer and closer, I realize I’m becoming more and more conditioned. Those very same limits that have consistently been met all season long are being pushed further and further away. And this week gives me the perfect opportunity to prove as much. This match is filled to the brim with hope and desire. It’s full of people desperately chasing after momentum. It’s full of people who have nothing else significant to do with their time but fight. And people who believe that Grand Rampage is theirs for the taking. It’s their opportunity. But it’s nothing but empty words and promises. False narrative, being spun by people too blind and too full of themselves to see that they’re simply fighting for second place.
And that’s a feeling you know all too well, is it not, Saori? I mean, for a huge portion of your career here, you always finished second to Daniella Atlas, did you not? No matter how hard you fought. No matter what obstacles and hurdles you overcame en route to your showdowns against her, you just never seemed to overcome the odds. And I say that out of hilarity more than insult. Because I do find it funny that the same woman I beat last week has made a career out of beating you. But I know better than to treat the past as gospel. But I use it moreso as a means to tell you that, despite your eagerness to prove yourself capable, there is still an immeasurable gap between you and the vast majority of talent in this match. But I know you aren’t the type to be dissuaded by words and sentiments. You’re a woman of action. You’re the type to fight until you can’t fight anymore, and that’s a trait that I respect. But it won’t bring you anywhere near victory this week. Instead, it’ll only lead you closer to defeat. Because the thing about possessing an indomitable spirit that often gets overlooked is that, while you may be unrelenting in pursuit of what you want, you presume that those around you think and feel the same. This match is a must-win for you. You need a statement win this close to Grand Rampage. But do you truly think your partner cares that much? The past few months for TLA have been so eventful and tumultuous. I bet your head is spinning. You’ve been the General Manager. You’ve chased after the Unified Tag Team Championships. You’re out making dreams and wishes come true. I think the absolute last thing on your mind is winning the Grand Rampage, much less winning a one-off match on Voltage. But I’ve been wrong before, I’m simply stating the obvious. I’ve acknowledged that this season hasn’t been very kind to me. I’ve still not accomplished what I desire the most. But as I think on it, I guess, the same can be said for you, right? This season hasn’t been kind to you in the slightest. Even when you had all the power in your hands to change it and turn things around, you still managed to fall short of the goal line. And Grand Rampage is just going to prove to be more of the same. But that’s the thing I like the most about you, TLA. Even when you fail, you take everything in stride, and you move on to the next opportunity. You don’t dwell on failure too long, and I feel as though you’re like me in that regard. So I offer you a small semblance of respect, TLA. Though you’re still destined to fail, both this week and at the Grand Rampage event. I, at the very least, hope you find solace in the fact that you won’t be alone in that regard.
Because the same can be said for Minerva. You would think by this point you’d understand that I mean what I say, Siobhan. I’m not one for dramatics, nor am I the type to play into empty threats. I told the world what my plans were two weeks ago, before you came out to the ring to interrupt me. Over two months ago, I told the world what my goal was to close out the season, and you stopped me from becoming the King of Elite, and in turn opted to hand your loser boyfriend a victory and a spot in the Semi-Finals, that he had no business participating in, in the first place. And after all of that, stabbing me in the throat, snatching opportunities away from me out of spite, and continuously dragging my name through the mud, you barely escaped me at King of Elite. And then the narrative changed. Jon Kelton wasn’t some loser cosplaying as a capable elitist anymore; but as the past few months have shown me, a victory over me is obviously deemed a respectable accomplishment— even if it only fell to you because of my own arrogance and pride. You see, I watched your video, and I thought it was cute seeing you attempt to rewrite history. I wasn’t in control? If I weren’t so impulsive and prideful, I would’ve rolled your lifeless body in the ring and secured one of the biggest victories of my life at King of Elite. But instead of doing that, the reality of everything that you did to me, and took from me, cycled through my mind, and as I gingerly ascended up the turnbuckle to the top rope, I gave you more than enough time to recover. But I’m not interested in arguing the past or results. By any and all means— you won, Minerva, but in the back of your mind, you’ll always have to come to terms with the fact that I beat myself, and you were just lucky enough to pick up the pieces. This week, you don’t get that luxury. Nor do you get it at Grand Rampage. All of the luck that's been afforded to you this season will run out, and when you inevitably fail and get hit with the realization that karma always comes back. And that’s exactly what I am, Siobhan, your karma. We can go back and forth until we’re both blue in the face, but facts are facts. And whether you like it or not, I did beat Daniella last week. And regardless of who interfered and who distracted who,--- it makes no difference to harp on the specifics. I did what I said I was going to do, and that’s what the focus should be on. And you’d be foolish to think that this week won’t be more of the same. You need to look at the facts; you’re not in there with ToxXxin this week. No, instead of a Selina Reyes or a Daniella Atlas, you’re in there with an unproven upstart in Eris Morti. And this isn’t any disrespect to you, Eris, I’m simply stating facts. I mean, Ashlynn may be the worst elitist I’ve ever had the displeasure of competing against, but at the very least, she’s been a champion in this company. She’s beaten some very talented elitists. She’s scored some massive victories under some of the brightest lights. And my understanding of that leads me to ask; what about you? What have you done? What have you given? What have you sacrificed? It only feels right to ask a question in return. Because to answer yours; I’m simply not the type of man who knows when or how to give up. I truly believe with every fiber of my being that I’m not only capable and deserving, but I am destined to be a World Champion. So why would I “break” ? I am closer than I have ever been to having everything I have ever wanted. So no.. I don’t want revenge. I don’t want your false sense of justice. I simply want to etch my name in the annals of this company's history and prove myself as one of the greatest to ever do it. That’s what I want. And that’s why it’s vital that I win this week and build momentum heading into Grand Rampage.
Auburn, Damon. Of every team in this match. I view you two as the obvious dark horses. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And it’s clear to me that you both possess the same mentality in this regard. You’ve studied every elitist in this match, and it’s clear that you both ooze confidence in your ability to walk out of this match victorious. And typically, that’s what flying under the radar does. It allows you the opportunity to slip through the cracks, to remain undetected. But I want you both to know that I see you, clear as day. Especially you, Damon. When you came out to the ring and interrupted Minerva and me, I’ll admit it left a sour taste in my mouth. But it was bold of you. It was telling that you felt that much confidence in yourself to not only declare for the Grand Rampage, but to do it in a moment that tense. The balls on you. Auburn was right in her assessment of me and how I’m feeling. I don’t like you very much, Damon. But in truth, I’m not too fond of anyone these days. But it’s something about you that just irritates my soul. Maybe it’s the fact that you speak to me as if we’re familiars. Or you pretend to know what it’s like to walk a mile in my shoes. You cosplay as someone who’s gone through the same struggles I have, yet you don’t know the half of it. Listening to you pass judgment on me and tell me that I’ve had more than my fair share of opportunities, whilst also watching you be taken to your absolute limit by someone like Jay Jerry Johnson— it just doesn’t do what it’s supposed to for me. But regardless of my personal feelings, I’ll always admit when someone is right, and you are right to a certain degree, Damon. This business is cutthroat and ruthless. And it’s all too quick to remind us of its cruelty. And that’s exactly what this week is: a cruel reminder that no matter how confident you are in yourself,
