Opportunity Knocks

[Ben M]

OOC: Sorry this isn’t my best work, I seem to have come down with a bit of cold/flu so not feeling 100%. Good luck to AJ, DJ and Murf!

The scene opened in what appeared to be a trophy room. On the wall were several championships, most prominently the Ring of Honor World Championship, which was in the center of the wall. Around it were titles from various other promotions, including NXT, PWG, CZW, and other lesser known promotions, such as UK-based Preston City Wrestling and Australian promotion New Horizon Pro Wrestling.

Adam Cole walked into the room and looked around at all the championships, trophies and awards. He let out a sigh, then turned to face the camera and began to speak.

Adam Cole: I have wrestled all around the world, and everywhere I’ve been I’ve made waves. For several years, I have been considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, and yet despite all the great matches I’ve had, and despite all the championships I’ve won, I still here marks say “but Adam hasn’t won a major World Title, he can’t be that great”.

Cole mimicked the people he called marks with a whiny voice, but he couldn’t quite mask the angry, bitter tone underneath it.

Adam Cole: Truth be told, I don’t really care what those assholes think of me, but do you know what really gets to me? They’re right. I have accomplished so much, but the biggest prizes on offer in pro wrestling have so far eluded me. And that’s why I came to the EBWF, because I wanted to prove that I am one of the best wrestlers in the world. That not only am I every bit as good as guys like Chris Jericho, Edge, Randy Orton and Kenny Omega… but actually, I’m better. And yet here I am, sitting on the sidelines, watching a guy who isn’t fit to shine my boots – Xavier Woods – call himself the EBWF World Champion. A guy who claims to be a “great champion”… but who, rumor has it, asked for Christmas Eve of Destruction off so he could “spend more time with his family”.

Cole shook his head in disgust.

Adam Cole: There hasn’t been a travesty this great in professional wrestling since The Great Khali was a World Champion. I shouldn’t be seen as less than guys like Xavier Woods, and yet if I want an opportunity to challenge him for the World Title, apparently I can’t just declare myself the number one contender like The Miz did… no, I’m not close enough to Wes for that, so I have to win the Last Survivor match.

Cole chuckled.

Adam Cole: But you know what? I welcome the challenge, because if I outlast 29 other superstars to win the Last Survivor match, then go on to become World Champion, I will have proved definitively that am a worthy contender and a deserving champion. And although we might not be bowling buddies, ole Wes Ikeda clearly sees something in me, because he has given me the opportunity to secure myself an advantage going into the Last Survivor match. Tonight, on the extreme version of Christmas Eve known to EBWF fans as Christmas Eve of Destruction, I compete in a four way Sadistic Madness match where the winner will enter the Last Survivor match last. To gain that coveted number 30 spot, all I have to do is beat Roman Reigns, Matt Riddle, and… Johnny Gargano?

Cole raised his eyebrows, as if surprised.

Adam Cole: Didn’t he just debut last week? Wow. Maybe he and Wes bonded over Marvel cosplay or some shit. Anyway, whatever. I know Gargano pretty well, which means I know his spots. The rules of Sadistic Madness mean I have to make my opponents bleed before I can beat them, and I will take great pleasure busting open that spot monkey. As for Matt Riddle, there’s not much for me to say about him… I’ve beaten him already, and I probably don’t have to worry about making him bleed because the guy is such a goofball, he’ll probably bust himself open accidentally. No, the guy I’m really interested in stepping up to face is the so-called Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Roman has a somewhat… interesting history in EBWF. After years of being Vinnie Mac’s golden child, he decided to try and test himself elsewhere, but he quickly realized that Wes Ikeda wouldn’t dance to his beat. Roman got himself fired after a matter of weeks, and after months and months of begging Wes to let him come back because nowhere else wanted him, Mr. Ikeda took pity on the Samoan suck-up and gave him a second chance. It hasn’t quite been the fairytale return Roman wanted though… he’s picked up wins over Riddle and Samoa Joe, but when he faced Xavier Woods, he came up short. I bet that pissed you off, didn’t it Roman? Losing to a guy like Woods? Vinnie wouldn’t have let that happen to you, would he, Big Dog? But hey, that’s not how it works here. As I’ve had to learn the hard way, you have to scratch and claw for every opportunity here in EBWF, and if they throw you a bone you’ve got to seize it with both hands, and cling onto it. Because if you don’t… if you throw away your shot… you might end up sitting on the sidelines for weeks or months, waiting for another chance. That’s the situation I find myself in tonight. Just under six months ago, at Total Supremacy, I had the chance to become number one contender for the Breakout Championship, and instead I lost to Kane. That was supposed to be a turning point for me – I got rid of the Bullet Club, became a Lone Wolf instead, picked up a few wins, and yet at the next pay-per-view, Gateway to Glory, I “wasn’t required”. Fast forward another two months to the biggest pay-per-view on the EBWF calendar, Fanniversary, and despite being one of the most popular guys at Access – fans were queuing for hours to meet me – I wasn’t booked. I attacked Chris Jericho to make a statement, and I thought for sure that would result in me getting a match with the 12-time EBWF World Champion… but no, the only time I’ve seen him since is when he attacked me and cost me a win over Kevin Steen. I guess that makes us even Chris, so tonight, do us both a favor and stay away. If you want to take another shot at Adam Cole Baybay, wait until Last Survivor. Because tonight, my focus is on Roman, Riddle and Gargano. They are the three obstacles in my path, and if my fists, my feet and my knees aren’t enough to make them bleed I will grab any weapon I can get my hands on and beat them until they wear a crimson mask. Tonight, opportunity knocks… and I won’t just walk through that door, I will tear it down!

Cole let out an intense cry and then superkicked the camera, bringing the scene to an abrupt end.