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Yes, “Gary”, I will win.
What you deem “overconfidence” is belief in self.
What you deem “the same mistake as last year” is progression.
Those are the two keys to what I am, belief in self and progression. I believed in myself a year ago, why was that so wrong? Yes, with the power of hindsight, you can tell I made some mistakes and wasn't ready yet, hell, I even overlooked the eventual winner which is a massive mistake in hindsight, but well, I learned from that mistake and remembered who Kassidy Heart truly was, because while I was looking for revenge on you– no, Drake King, while I was looking for revenge on Drake King from the brutal King of Elite match a few months before, I was overly focused on someone who, if you truly look at it, only got that far because of me and did what he did because it was his job, I had no need for revenge on him, I had no reason to count out somebody like Kassidy Heart, and do you wanna know the big difference from last year, Gary? I am just that much better than last year, because this season has reformed my presence, it has built another layer of armor that keeps on growing stronger and stronger, some people say I’ve got this aura around me, and if that’s what you’d like to run with then it’s not a bad description, last year I had a dream, I had a path I needed to take, and I was extremely hopeful in that path but sadly hopes don’t exactly dictate everything in here, the difference is exactly what you call it, Gary, a year. That is the difference. A year. Frankly, I’m not here to hope anymore, I’m not here to give importance to people that promise they’ll beat me when they never will, I’m not here to dream about one big goal that I think I deserve, I’m taking it for myself no matter how anyone feels about it, because if somebody is mad I’ve main evented every marquee I’ve been on this season then that’s their problem for not knocking me off that spot, if anyone thinks I should take a step back then they should make me instead of sitting there and watching, I took everything in stride and decided to knock down those who then were how I am right now. In the end, my dreams became reality, Gary. Since my return in August 2022, I’ve learned all those lessons and I became a World Champion by writing my own destiny. Since losing that World Championship I’ve had to learn to live life at the top without the championship that earns you validation and in all honesty, there won’t be a single second I won’t aim for another World Championship, last season I did *need* to win at all cost, I just didn’t win it, just like this year I do *need* to win at all costs, and with my notoriety growing consistently since last year, I’m take to take destiny into my hands once again and redeem my spot at the top. I’m not overconfident, I’m not making on an impossibility, I’m banking on the expectations. I’m banking on the status I’ve earned.
If someone of my caliber didn’t walk into this match with every intention of winning it, then what would even be the point of comparing myself to all these other names which would do the same?
I’ve always believed in myself, even when everybody else didn’t. If I kept too humble, would I have even made it anywhere? If I didn’t rub people the wrong way, would I have ever got their attention? If I didn’t have an ego, would I have ever earned what I deserve? If I didn’t see things for how they truly are, then what would the point of this even be?
Like I keep saying, I’ve earned all of this – just like I have earned my redemption.
Because I am not redeeming a title reign that you may think didn’t reach my expectations, because it did. I am not redeeming something some may assume I think I got screwed over, because I earned those losses that kept me away from the main event of Pain For Pride a year ago. What I am redeeming is myself. I am redeeming what I couldn’t have done a year ago, I am redeeming my mistakes, I am redeeming history some still cling on to so they can make themselves look better, even though I’ve eclipsed their careers spanning years in the span of a few months.
I am on another level.
Than last year. Than most of my competition. Than everyone in this match.
Why shan’t I embrace that?
Now, of course Ronan Malosi exists in this match to the shock of many and to the faint of many who are disappointed at hearing such news, thankfully, we know Ronan doesn’t have the best track record in matches like these, or in general, and so Ronan Malosi can go preach about positivity somewhere else and we can escape him. Ronan has many things to say to me and as always they’re not great, I mean, it’s hard to keep an act going when you’re so emotionally attached to a moment that you blame on the very downward spiral on your career even though, in the end, you did redeem yourself, and once you did redeem yourself you’ve still not had enough, and it all really comes full circle to what I’ve always said, you’ll never find in you to redeem yourself, you’ll never find any sort of redemption because the very crux of redemption is self-acceptance, and you’ll never find any acceptance in the monumental, life-shaping and life-changing failure you suffered at my hands three years ago, and in a way it’s a shame that in three entire years no matter what you do you’re never as fulfilled as you try to make it out to be, because “beat” me as many times as you wish to, win as many more titles as you can drag yourself to win, in the end you’ll never live down that loss, and this is where our careers totally contrast one another, because it’s not like we haven’t both suffered career-altering losses, and it’s not like we won’t suffer them again, just as everyone else has their whole career, but I did work myself back up from every one of those, I did go above and beyond to avenge and redeem everything and just right now, I’m fighting for my own redemption after frankly way too many people have got their redemption using my name, and that includes you, even if it’s a shell of what redemption truly is and just another excuse you have when your insecurities ring loud, and you know, Ronan, I’m pretty tired, I haven’t been very “positive” recently but it seemed like Operation: Doomsday had the same effect on us to varying degrees, as much as you make positivity an act to cope with that title you have lost, I have actually found some positivity, some light following that event, and that is escaping the cuffs of all the emotions, all the hopes, and all the preservations I made that in the end, achieved nothing and disadvantaged me when it comes to the everchanging race that is the top of the EAW foodchain, so after Operation: Doomsday I slowly, slowly, opened my eyes and looked at the light at the end of the tunnel, the same light I found time and time again a year ago – I decided to let go of my burdens, I decided to do what I must to be the best, and no longer be seen as this underdog I’ve been seen my entire life, because truthfully, I’m sick of being doubted – and I’m sure you are too.
Hi Hans, sucks to hear my words annoyed you this much, after all, I wasn’t exactly wrong, was I? To be honest, Hans, I don’t need to treat you like a rookie, because you’re kinda doing it yourself, after all, who’s to say your performance in this match isn’t gonna be a one-to-one mirror of last year? Yes, you’ve garnered more experience under your belt and more attention under your name, but in the end who’s to say you’ve evolved to the point the big stage rolls out a red carpet for you? I never doubted you and know what you can turn out to be, but you can’t tell me that you were ready at Road To Redemption when you clearly were not or that you are ready now, when clearly you are not. Life like you is a pretty pressureless one in times like these, because you can get a paycheck, you can get free lessons and a few more reps in before Pain For Pride, and who knows, get something big out of it. I understand that much like mine, your patience has been tested in recent times and you’ve had to get your big comeuppance when your determination got tested by Jay, as I keep saying a lot of people in EAW have fragile souls and cannot handle much, we’re like the outcasts of society and I cannot sit here and act like my own mind hasn’t been tormented with thoughts and prejudices about what should be, what I should do and whom should I be, and truthfully after a long search I’ve found both the answer to my emptiness and the answer to my bitterness, because I’m empty without the chance of victory at the highest stage, and pretty damn bitter at the reason for that. Things will be alright eventually, won’t they? I have to make them alright, and I’m done suffering any more of this. Hans, you want my perception of you to change, and frankly I don’t have a bad perception of you at all but if that still bothers you then it’s time for you to earn that, it’s time for you to show that a change of perception is needed or else if I didn’t adapt you would strike me down, but to this day, it’s not like you’ve made any earth-shattering advancements, you’re just keeping pace with the usual cycle, even if I’m sure your future is bright. Nonetheless, at the end of the weekend, I want all my torment to be left behind, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, right? After all, you decided to give your opinion on the matter, so I’d like to know what more you think of a situation like this, because I’ve gotten mixed receptions at the fact I want revenge, but it’s not like I’m the perpetrator, it’s not like there’s any way out, there’s only one choice I have, and that’s devoiding myself of any feelings and emotions for a man I never actually knew.
Hi, Donovan, excited to finally get the chance at a one-on-one conversation yet again. A lot has changed since the last year but it feels like that might not apply to you, sadly, and really, I never got why. Unlike you may think, I don’t exactly doubt you, I don’t exactly count you out, if anything, I’m disappointed you’re not more. I’m disappointed you’re not on my level yet, I’m disappointed you haven’t made your presence in this company unforgettable yet, I’m disappointed you’re the outlier, because you can be a lot more. Honestly, even if this isn’t your match to win, who’s to say this can’t be your breakout performance? Who’s to say you don’t get to finally see a conclusion to all your hard work? Who’s to say you can’t end this year on top, Donovan, because sky’s the limit for you, and it always has been the limit, you’ve always had the potential to be great and you’ve always had what it takes, you just have to be ready for your takeover, nothing more and nothing less, because after four years with this company it’s about time you go for what’s yours, and that’s that World Championship. You have a lot of people backing you up, you have a lot of people who want to see you succeed, but the ball is in your court, Donovan, you’re the protagonist of your own story, Donovan, and it’s about time we stop letting this drag, it’s about time we stop letting matches like this one pass us by and it’s about time YOU go ahead and claim the prize that had your name on it since the end of your record-breaking National Elite Championship reign, just waiting to be claimed. I know how it feels, coming so close, the dread of it all, the disappointment watching others do it all while you haven’t, but you have to make your own path, your own destiny, you’ve got to take it all in your hands and lead yourself to that finish line by all means, because nobody wants to go down a “what if?”, nobody wants to go down a “should’ve been”, nobody wants to go down in history as nothing more than missed potential with a bunch of question marks around it. To my surprise, or I guess to my pleasure I should say, you’re finally doing it, you’re finally taking this more serious than ever and you’re bringing that determination you’ve been missing to the table, you’re finally starting your journey toward leaving a mark on this industry, I see something I haven’t seen in our last few encounters Donovan, if you want me to be honest, because I say it’s time you put an end to all these repeated cycles, it’s time you stop being apart of the “fat” that composes matches like this one, it’s time you give them no more reasons to doubt you and earn it all with all the pleasure of a thousand worlds in the grasp of your hands.
You win it all. You lose it all. You find your way back. You do it all over.
It doesn’t have to be so bad, Donovan, not for you, and not for me.
It really doesn’t. Once I lost it all, I didn’t know who to trust, I didn’t know what happened, I didn’t know where I would remain, I didn’t know who I was anymore, and I didn’t know where I was headed, but now I do.
The main event of Pain For Pride.
What you deem “overconfidence” is belief in self.
What you deem “the same mistake as last year” is progression.
Those are the two keys to what I am, belief in self and progression. I believed in myself a year ago, why was that so wrong? Yes, with the power of hindsight, you can tell I made some mistakes and wasn't ready yet, hell, I even overlooked the eventual winner which is a massive mistake in hindsight, but well, I learned from that mistake and remembered who Kassidy Heart truly was, because while I was looking for revenge on you– no, Drake King, while I was looking for revenge on Drake King from the brutal King of Elite match a few months before, I was overly focused on someone who, if you truly look at it, only got that far because of me and did what he did because it was his job, I had no need for revenge on him, I had no reason to count out somebody like Kassidy Heart, and do you wanna know the big difference from last year, Gary? I am just that much better than last year, because this season has reformed my presence, it has built another layer of armor that keeps on growing stronger and stronger, some people say I’ve got this aura around me, and if that’s what you’d like to run with then it’s not a bad description, last year I had a dream, I had a path I needed to take, and I was extremely hopeful in that path but sadly hopes don’t exactly dictate everything in here, the difference is exactly what you call it, Gary, a year. That is the difference. A year. Frankly, I’m not here to hope anymore, I’m not here to give importance to people that promise they’ll beat me when they never will, I’m not here to dream about one big goal that I think I deserve, I’m taking it for myself no matter how anyone feels about it, because if somebody is mad I’ve main evented every marquee I’ve been on this season then that’s their problem for not knocking me off that spot, if anyone thinks I should take a step back then they should make me instead of sitting there and watching, I took everything in stride and decided to knock down those who then were how I am right now. In the end, my dreams became reality, Gary. Since my return in August 2022, I’ve learned all those lessons and I became a World Champion by writing my own destiny. Since losing that World Championship I’ve had to learn to live life at the top without the championship that earns you validation and in all honesty, there won’t be a single second I won’t aim for another World Championship, last season I did *need* to win at all cost, I just didn’t win it, just like this year I do *need* to win at all costs, and with my notoriety growing consistently since last year, I’m take to take destiny into my hands once again and redeem my spot at the top. I’m not overconfident, I’m not making on an impossibility, I’m banking on the expectations. I’m banking on the status I’ve earned.
If someone of my caliber didn’t walk into this match with every intention of winning it, then what would even be the point of comparing myself to all these other names which would do the same?
I’ve always believed in myself, even when everybody else didn’t. If I kept too humble, would I have even made it anywhere? If I didn’t rub people the wrong way, would I have ever got their attention? If I didn’t have an ego, would I have ever earned what I deserve? If I didn’t see things for how they truly are, then what would the point of this even be?
Like I keep saying, I’ve earned all of this – just like I have earned my redemption.
Because I am not redeeming a title reign that you may think didn’t reach my expectations, because it did. I am not redeeming something some may assume I think I got screwed over, because I earned those losses that kept me away from the main event of Pain For Pride a year ago. What I am redeeming is myself. I am redeeming what I couldn’t have done a year ago, I am redeeming my mistakes, I am redeeming history some still cling on to so they can make themselves look better, even though I’ve eclipsed their careers spanning years in the span of a few months.
I am on another level.
Than last year. Than most of my competition. Than everyone in this match.
Why shan’t I embrace that?
Now, of course Ronan Malosi exists in this match to the shock of many and to the faint of many who are disappointed at hearing such news, thankfully, we know Ronan doesn’t have the best track record in matches like these, or in general, and so Ronan Malosi can go preach about positivity somewhere else and we can escape him. Ronan has many things to say to me and as always they’re not great, I mean, it’s hard to keep an act going when you’re so emotionally attached to a moment that you blame on the very downward spiral on your career even though, in the end, you did redeem yourself, and once you did redeem yourself you’ve still not had enough, and it all really comes full circle to what I’ve always said, you’ll never find in you to redeem yourself, you’ll never find any sort of redemption because the very crux of redemption is self-acceptance, and you’ll never find any acceptance in the monumental, life-shaping and life-changing failure you suffered at my hands three years ago, and in a way it’s a shame that in three entire years no matter what you do you’re never as fulfilled as you try to make it out to be, because “beat” me as many times as you wish to, win as many more titles as you can drag yourself to win, in the end you’ll never live down that loss, and this is where our careers totally contrast one another, because it’s not like we haven’t both suffered career-altering losses, and it’s not like we won’t suffer them again, just as everyone else has their whole career, but I did work myself back up from every one of those, I did go above and beyond to avenge and redeem everything and just right now, I’m fighting for my own redemption after frankly way too many people have got their redemption using my name, and that includes you, even if it’s a shell of what redemption truly is and just another excuse you have when your insecurities ring loud, and you know, Ronan, I’m pretty tired, I haven’t been very “positive” recently but it seemed like Operation: Doomsday had the same effect on us to varying degrees, as much as you make positivity an act to cope with that title you have lost, I have actually found some positivity, some light following that event, and that is escaping the cuffs of all the emotions, all the hopes, and all the preservations I made that in the end, achieved nothing and disadvantaged me when it comes to the everchanging race that is the top of the EAW foodchain, so after Operation: Doomsday I slowly, slowly, opened my eyes and looked at the light at the end of the tunnel, the same light I found time and time again a year ago – I decided to let go of my burdens, I decided to do what I must to be the best, and no longer be seen as this underdog I’ve been seen my entire life, because truthfully, I’m sick of being doubted – and I’m sure you are too.
Hi Hans, sucks to hear my words annoyed you this much, after all, I wasn’t exactly wrong, was I? To be honest, Hans, I don’t need to treat you like a rookie, because you’re kinda doing it yourself, after all, who’s to say your performance in this match isn’t gonna be a one-to-one mirror of last year? Yes, you’ve garnered more experience under your belt and more attention under your name, but in the end who’s to say you’ve evolved to the point the big stage rolls out a red carpet for you? I never doubted you and know what you can turn out to be, but you can’t tell me that you were ready at Road To Redemption when you clearly were not or that you are ready now, when clearly you are not. Life like you is a pretty pressureless one in times like these, because you can get a paycheck, you can get free lessons and a few more reps in before Pain For Pride, and who knows, get something big out of it. I understand that much like mine, your patience has been tested in recent times and you’ve had to get your big comeuppance when your determination got tested by Jay, as I keep saying a lot of people in EAW have fragile souls and cannot handle much, we’re like the outcasts of society and I cannot sit here and act like my own mind hasn’t been tormented with thoughts and prejudices about what should be, what I should do and whom should I be, and truthfully after a long search I’ve found both the answer to my emptiness and the answer to my bitterness, because I’m empty without the chance of victory at the highest stage, and pretty damn bitter at the reason for that. Things will be alright eventually, won’t they? I have to make them alright, and I’m done suffering any more of this. Hans, you want my perception of you to change, and frankly I don’t have a bad perception of you at all but if that still bothers you then it’s time for you to earn that, it’s time for you to show that a change of perception is needed or else if I didn’t adapt you would strike me down, but to this day, it’s not like you’ve made any earth-shattering advancements, you’re just keeping pace with the usual cycle, even if I’m sure your future is bright. Nonetheless, at the end of the weekend, I want all my torment to be left behind, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, right? After all, you decided to give your opinion on the matter, so I’d like to know what more you think of a situation like this, because I’ve gotten mixed receptions at the fact I want revenge, but it’s not like I’m the perpetrator, it’s not like there’s any way out, there’s only one choice I have, and that’s devoiding myself of any feelings and emotions for a man I never actually knew.
Hi, Donovan, excited to finally get the chance at a one-on-one conversation yet again. A lot has changed since the last year but it feels like that might not apply to you, sadly, and really, I never got why. Unlike you may think, I don’t exactly doubt you, I don’t exactly count you out, if anything, I’m disappointed you’re not more. I’m disappointed you’re not on my level yet, I’m disappointed you haven’t made your presence in this company unforgettable yet, I’m disappointed you’re the outlier, because you can be a lot more. Honestly, even if this isn’t your match to win, who’s to say this can’t be your breakout performance? Who’s to say you don’t get to finally see a conclusion to all your hard work? Who’s to say you can’t end this year on top, Donovan, because sky’s the limit for you, and it always has been the limit, you’ve always had the potential to be great and you’ve always had what it takes, you just have to be ready for your takeover, nothing more and nothing less, because after four years with this company it’s about time you go for what’s yours, and that’s that World Championship. You have a lot of people backing you up, you have a lot of people who want to see you succeed, but the ball is in your court, Donovan, you’re the protagonist of your own story, Donovan, and it’s about time we stop letting this drag, it’s about time we stop letting matches like this one pass us by and it’s about time YOU go ahead and claim the prize that had your name on it since the end of your record-breaking National Elite Championship reign, just waiting to be claimed. I know how it feels, coming so close, the dread of it all, the disappointment watching others do it all while you haven’t, but you have to make your own path, your own destiny, you’ve got to take it all in your hands and lead yourself to that finish line by all means, because nobody wants to go down a “what if?”, nobody wants to go down a “should’ve been”, nobody wants to go down in history as nothing more than missed potential with a bunch of question marks around it. To my surprise, or I guess to my pleasure I should say, you’re finally doing it, you’re finally taking this more serious than ever and you’re bringing that determination you’ve been missing to the table, you’re finally starting your journey toward leaving a mark on this industry, I see something I haven’t seen in our last few encounters Donovan, if you want me to be honest, because I say it’s time you put an end to all these repeated cycles, it’s time you stop being apart of the “fat” that composes matches like this one, it’s time you give them no more reasons to doubt you and earn it all with all the pleasure of a thousand worlds in the grasp of your hands.
You win it all. You lose it all. You find your way back. You do it all over.
It doesn’t have to be so bad, Donovan, not for you, and not for me.
It really doesn’t. Once I lost it all, I didn’t know who to trust, I didn’t know what happened, I didn’t know where I would remain, I didn’t know who I was anymore, and I didn’t know where I was headed, but now I do.
The main event of Pain For Pride.
