Have you ever heard the story of Jephthah? You see, he was a judge who lived in Gilead. Jephthah, he was a man from Gilead, born of a harlot. He was driven out of his own home by his brothers because he was a bastard. The man became an outlaw out there. Those same brothers, along with the elders of Gilead, came crawlin' back when the Ammonites were knockin' on their door, beggin' for his help. He told them to fuck right off. He held out until they agreed that he would become the permanent chieftain of their little tribe. Desperation is a mighty thing, ain’t it? They would agree to it, so he challenges those Ammonites. As he goes to do so, he made an oath to the Heavenly Father above. ‘What comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will off it up for a burnt offering.’ Needless to say, he emerged victorious. Jephthah defeated the Ammonites and then returned on home. As he got to the doors of his humble abode, someone came out of those his doors to greet him. His own daughter. His heart broke in an instant. Brought him real damn low. It tore him apart, but he knew that once it is said, there is no taking it back. Now, he could have turn back on his promise. Could turned around to God and told Him to fuck right off. But Jephthah knew that he had no choice. So with a heart heavier than the stones of Sinai, he made the sacrifice. He fulfilled his promise, and I shall do the same at Road to Redemption.
My vow is a simple one. I will win. I will tear that Hardcore Championship from Cameron’s cold, broken hands, and I will raise it high as a testament to the power MY faith. Now, the reason I bring forth the story of Jephthah is important. This too, this road I walk, will demand sacrifice. One more. Just one more act of consecration, and then my Children, my flock, will be rewarded for the faith they’ve placed in their Deliverer. I want y’all to think about what has happened over this past year. If you were looking at the person I was prior to Fighting Spirit 2023, you would just thought I was a madman. Just a wayward soul, a prophet crying out in the desert, spewing words that seemed like nonsense to the ears of the unfaithful. Every endeavor that I attempt to carry out here in Elite Answers Wrestling had been a failure. But then, faster as a flash of light, I became something better. Something inside be just changed. I keep trying to rationalize what that could be. Is it God? Is it my faith? Or have I just finally become every bit of the force of reckoning that I knew myself to be? See, I used to think that my sacrifice was blood, sweat and tears. It was everything that I put into this company and into my church. But I was mistaken, for the true sacrifices…the ones demanded by my original vow…are not my own, but those of the flesh. The flesh of those who stand in the way of my divine mission. Kirk Redwood was in my way and I cast him out. A useless, pathetic human being that could do nothing but hold me back. Methuselah was in my way and I cut him down. A monolith of pride that I toppled. Caroline was in my way…and now she’s never going to make that error in judgement again. A devil that thought she could step into my garden without having it’s head removed. My path to glory is not paved with kindness or compromise. It is stained with the blood of those who dare defy what is MINE.
That road leads to Cameron Ella Ava. Not because she’s particularly special in any regard. I’m sure to this promotion she’s invaluable. After all, she has captured so many accolades. She has done essentially all there is for an Elitist to do. But what sins have she has done? None that have been revealed to me. None that I care to punish. See, her part in the story is truly unimportant. If it has been Ashlynn who had survived their championship encountered and was my future foe, it would not make a difference. See, the only thing of value to me is the Hardcore Championship. And she knows, deep down in her soul that I shall have it. Every other competitor she has faced so far…they lack conviction. No, they lack the vision to see this through. I said the words. Fiery end. That is precisely what it shall come to. I would burn the world to complete my mission. Cameron might have burn my leg on Voltage but I’m going to incinerate her entire reign. It is going up in smoke right in front of her eyes. There will be nothing she can do about it. Nothing but accept that I, Solomon Stane…
…was chosen by God Himself to do this.
No one is going to get in my way any longer. Not even you Xander Payne. Now, I wonder if you could keep that promise to your pretty little wife? Especially after what you did to close the show. Bashing in Limmy’s brains with a bat? That kind of shit right there is why you find yourself in this situation. You couldn't bear the weight of your own failures, and now you’re drowning in them. It’s tragic, really. It is a tale as old as time. A man wants to be good but can’t escape his demons. The question is whether you truly ever wanted that to begin with? I mean, everything is slipping out of your grasp. Your own fucking sanity for one. Your career for another. You couldn’t defeat Limmy and you were the one that fell to The British Invasion at Wicked Games. Now, you can’t even keep your word to the woman that you love. Now, I do want to talk about your sins Xander. Pride is all to common these days. It’s barely even worth discussing any further. One could that you are envious but that’s the not the cardinal one here. Greed is not it either. Everyone in this company suffers from avarice. No, it is wrath that plagues you. Anger that you might believe to be justified but it ain’t. Bitterness has a way of gripping the soul, making ya’ into a real mean son of a bitch to say it simply. Realistically, what did Limmy did to you that justifies your actions? They don’t. You can’t help yourself though. You’ve become a slave to it. A man consumed by his wrath, enslaved by his own bitterness, and craven enough to believe violence could fill the emptiness inside. But let me tell you, boy, it won’t. It never will. And you see, that is my official view as a Man of God. As a preacher, I should tell you that violence ain’t the answer. But sometimes it is. Sometimes violence gets you exactly what you want. And maybe, just that devil inside ya’ will get you everything you desire. You might just catch up to what you’ve been chasing. But whether you want it afterwards? You just might be able to pull it off. But here’s the hard truth kemosabe, it won’t stop there. No. That hunger? That gnawing emptiness? It won’t be satisfied. It’ll just grow. It’ll fester…because you are cursed to never have enough. And I hope that you come to this match with all that hatred, all that rage. Because hand to fuckin’ God…
…I don’t need a handshake from ya’.
See, you want to see something here. Well come and see it. How many times have we have done this dance, Xander? From my rookie season to know, at least a handful. Not once have I been able to defeat ya’. I’m honest enough to admit that. Now, back then, I was weak. I did not deserve to defeat you. But these days, I am more than worthy. I have gone out there every single for the past year and proved it. You want aggression out of me? I have been delivering that shit in spades. It is how I have been able to move from little fish to the shark circling bloated corpses like Cameron. You want anger from me? I have it. The most righteous anger that has ever been seen. Wrath that isn’t petty like yours. Wrath that is pure and just like The Lord Himself. I don’t need to tap into that man who beat Methuselah. I don’t need to tap into that man who beat Caroline. I have been that man for the past year. That man has left a trail of broken bodies, shattered dreams and endless bloodstains. And every single week, every time I have stepped into the ring, that man gets deadlier. He becomes more of a threat to those around him. There ain’t that a soul in that locker room that I cannot smite. I don’t need someone like you to come out here, extend their hand and tell me that I could do it. Save your respect for someone who needs it. Save it for someone that doesn’t have the Heavenly Father at his back already. I already know that I can take that title from Cameron. I know what I am capable and it is a holy goddamn terror. Just like I know that is it within me to defeat you. None of this ‘making you bleed’ crap that I was saying during my early days here. No, I am going to destroy you Xander. I am going to leave zero doubt in the mind of Cameron Ella Ava that her time is just ticking away. Tick. Tock.
And there is not much of it left.
So, to hell with your pride. You ain’t my daddy. I need to make you proud. All that matters are my people…my wife…my God. I will do whatever it takes to hand them that championship. hey’re the ones I fight for. They’re the reason I step into that ring, why I bleed, why I hurt, and why I refuse to quit. I will not let you get in the way of that. I can’t let ya’. This story ain’t about anybody else. It is about The Deliverer. It is about a savior finally getting what he is owed. I am going to get it. Xander, with all due respect, there ain’t a damn thing you can do to stop it. So, try. Bring all the things that make you Xander Payne. But no matter how hard you fight, no matter what you do…
…I will not be deterred.
So it is written, so shall it be done.
My vow is a simple one. I will win. I will tear that Hardcore Championship from Cameron’s cold, broken hands, and I will raise it high as a testament to the power MY faith. Now, the reason I bring forth the story of Jephthah is important. This too, this road I walk, will demand sacrifice. One more. Just one more act of consecration, and then my Children, my flock, will be rewarded for the faith they’ve placed in their Deliverer. I want y’all to think about what has happened over this past year. If you were looking at the person I was prior to Fighting Spirit 2023, you would just thought I was a madman. Just a wayward soul, a prophet crying out in the desert, spewing words that seemed like nonsense to the ears of the unfaithful. Every endeavor that I attempt to carry out here in Elite Answers Wrestling had been a failure. But then, faster as a flash of light, I became something better. Something inside be just changed. I keep trying to rationalize what that could be. Is it God? Is it my faith? Or have I just finally become every bit of the force of reckoning that I knew myself to be? See, I used to think that my sacrifice was blood, sweat and tears. It was everything that I put into this company and into my church. But I was mistaken, for the true sacrifices…the ones demanded by my original vow…are not my own, but those of the flesh. The flesh of those who stand in the way of my divine mission. Kirk Redwood was in my way and I cast him out. A useless, pathetic human being that could do nothing but hold me back. Methuselah was in my way and I cut him down. A monolith of pride that I toppled. Caroline was in my way…and now she’s never going to make that error in judgement again. A devil that thought she could step into my garden without having it’s head removed. My path to glory is not paved with kindness or compromise. It is stained with the blood of those who dare defy what is MINE.
That road leads to Cameron Ella Ava. Not because she’s particularly special in any regard. I’m sure to this promotion she’s invaluable. After all, she has captured so many accolades. She has done essentially all there is for an Elitist to do. But what sins have she has done? None that have been revealed to me. None that I care to punish. See, her part in the story is truly unimportant. If it has been Ashlynn who had survived their championship encountered and was my future foe, it would not make a difference. See, the only thing of value to me is the Hardcore Championship. And she knows, deep down in her soul that I shall have it. Every other competitor she has faced so far…they lack conviction. No, they lack the vision to see this through. I said the words. Fiery end. That is precisely what it shall come to. I would burn the world to complete my mission. Cameron might have burn my leg on Voltage but I’m going to incinerate her entire reign. It is going up in smoke right in front of her eyes. There will be nothing she can do about it. Nothing but accept that I, Solomon Stane…
…was chosen by God Himself to do this.
No one is going to get in my way any longer. Not even you Xander Payne. Now, I wonder if you could keep that promise to your pretty little wife? Especially after what you did to close the show. Bashing in Limmy’s brains with a bat? That kind of shit right there is why you find yourself in this situation. You couldn't bear the weight of your own failures, and now you’re drowning in them. It’s tragic, really. It is a tale as old as time. A man wants to be good but can’t escape his demons. The question is whether you truly ever wanted that to begin with? I mean, everything is slipping out of your grasp. Your own fucking sanity for one. Your career for another. You couldn’t defeat Limmy and you were the one that fell to The British Invasion at Wicked Games. Now, you can’t even keep your word to the woman that you love. Now, I do want to talk about your sins Xander. Pride is all to common these days. It’s barely even worth discussing any further. One could that you are envious but that’s the not the cardinal one here. Greed is not it either. Everyone in this company suffers from avarice. No, it is wrath that plagues you. Anger that you might believe to be justified but it ain’t. Bitterness has a way of gripping the soul, making ya’ into a real mean son of a bitch to say it simply. Realistically, what did Limmy did to you that justifies your actions? They don’t. You can’t help yourself though. You’ve become a slave to it. A man consumed by his wrath, enslaved by his own bitterness, and craven enough to believe violence could fill the emptiness inside. But let me tell you, boy, it won’t. It never will. And you see, that is my official view as a Man of God. As a preacher, I should tell you that violence ain’t the answer. But sometimes it is. Sometimes violence gets you exactly what you want. And maybe, just that devil inside ya’ will get you everything you desire. You might just catch up to what you’ve been chasing. But whether you want it afterwards? You just might be able to pull it off. But here’s the hard truth kemosabe, it won’t stop there. No. That hunger? That gnawing emptiness? It won’t be satisfied. It’ll just grow. It’ll fester…because you are cursed to never have enough. And I hope that you come to this match with all that hatred, all that rage. Because hand to fuckin’ God…
…I don’t need a handshake from ya’.
See, you want to see something here. Well come and see it. How many times have we have done this dance, Xander? From my rookie season to know, at least a handful. Not once have I been able to defeat ya’. I’m honest enough to admit that. Now, back then, I was weak. I did not deserve to defeat you. But these days, I am more than worthy. I have gone out there every single for the past year and proved it. You want aggression out of me? I have been delivering that shit in spades. It is how I have been able to move from little fish to the shark circling bloated corpses like Cameron. You want anger from me? I have it. The most righteous anger that has ever been seen. Wrath that isn’t petty like yours. Wrath that is pure and just like The Lord Himself. I don’t need to tap into that man who beat Methuselah. I don’t need to tap into that man who beat Caroline. I have been that man for the past year. That man has left a trail of broken bodies, shattered dreams and endless bloodstains. And every single week, every time I have stepped into the ring, that man gets deadlier. He becomes more of a threat to those around him. There ain’t that a soul in that locker room that I cannot smite. I don’t need someone like you to come out here, extend their hand and tell me that I could do it. Save your respect for someone who needs it. Save it for someone that doesn’t have the Heavenly Father at his back already. I already know that I can take that title from Cameron. I know what I am capable and it is a holy goddamn terror. Just like I know that is it within me to defeat you. None of this ‘making you bleed’ crap that I was saying during my early days here. No, I am going to destroy you Xander. I am going to leave zero doubt in the mind of Cameron Ella Ava that her time is just ticking away. Tick. Tock.
And there is not much of it left.
So, to hell with your pride. You ain’t my daddy. I need to make you proud. All that matters are my people…my wife…my God. I will do whatever it takes to hand them that championship. hey’re the ones I fight for. They’re the reason I step into that ring, why I bleed, why I hurt, and why I refuse to quit. I will not let you get in the way of that. I can’t let ya’. This story ain’t about anybody else. It is about The Deliverer. It is about a savior finally getting what he is owed. I am going to get it. Xander, with all due respect, there ain’t a damn thing you can do to stop it. So, try. Bring all the things that make you Xander Payne. But no matter how hard you fight, no matter what you do…
…I will not be deterred.
So it is written, so shall it be done.
