Time to step up

The camera switches on, heading down a flight of grey concrete stairs in to a dark dingy room.
On the floor there is a brown/grey mat with a dark blood stain in the middle. Rick is sat in the corner, head in his hands just finishing his beer. Above him is a picture of Harley Race holding the world title. A grappling dummy lies broken on the floor. A sign along the right hand wall says 'The Snake Pit'.

Rick Wilde:
Well. You can't win 'em all.
That's all I've heard all week.
You can't win them all.
Such a sickening cliche.
You can't win em all.
It makes me wonder...has anyone ever stopped to ask...why not?

Now in case you missed it. And you might have, it's not like I was top of the bill. But in case you did miss it.
I lost. I lost to the oldest trick in the book. Some NUTJOB who can't seem to shut up about hammers tells me I'm banned from the ring.
Now with all this bull with Christina and Kuzan fighting and squabbling over the company, I had no idea whether he was right or not.
So I turn to the ref to see what he has to say and Timmy Mallet rolls me up for the 1. 2. 3.

Inhales deeply.

A pinfall. Really? I thought you were better than that Hammer! Go back and watch the tape. Commentators said it themselves.
It wasn't nothing flashy but we were putting on a clinic in their. Hold for hold. Move for move, the way wrestling SHOULD be.
We were forgetting that we're being treated like pawns in some war.
Forgetting that we're the overlooked and disregarded while some 'Knight' and a 'Demon' have their little fuss.
We forgot the drama, forgot the feuds, forgot all that bs and we WRESTLED.
Until you got a damn pinfall.

No I don't know if you've looked around but train here.
And I'm doing this from my basement this week for the exact same reason I did it last week.
Because people are scared to talk to me.
Oh they're not scared to talk behind my back.
They're not scared to book me in as a last minute filler in card where my damn name is smaller that the 'card subject to change' in the fine print!
But they're scared to come here. Face to face with me. Because deep down, everyone here knows I'm the best old school WRESTLER in this company.
Maybe even in all of wrestling.

You know what I did to train for our fight? I won 3 more tag titles. I won another wrestling title. I won another world title.
And for the first time in my young career I won a first blood title AND the Bantam Weight Submission title.
See I wasn't just jawing last time you came down here....I was training.
I trained night and DAY. I DAMN NEAR THREW MY SHOULDER OUT WORKING WITH THE MACE BELL.
I let the cameras in to my home last week. To my basement. To my SNAKE PIT!
I showed the H.O.W. world what it's like to be in MY WORLD.

You just went out in a suit. Plugged a book. Said you were some kind of lawyer DJ and rode off in to the sunset.

Well I let H.O.W know what it was like to be in my world last week and I'm letting you know now...
It hurts.
Not like a suplex, not like an armlock, not like a Buffalo Sleeper, WHICH if you're listening Josh Brahn...
Is called my Snake Bite!
But as I was saying.
Th pain wasn't physical.
I know how to come back from that.
The pain was inside.
And how do you come back from a pain inside?
It's simple. Hurt others.

I'm going to do un to others before they do un to me.
You got a pinfall and I bet you're pretty pleased with yourself.
You grab a handful of hair. Then tell me I cheated. And when I check whats going on you steal the win.
That's why I've had it with pins.

I lost. Ok. I can deal with that.
Evolve. If you don't evolve you stagnate. you stagnate....you DIE.
True in life, nature and wrestling.
From now on I won't let it go to pinfall
Every lock will be tighter. Every wrench, harder. And every choke...WILDER.
I don't know who my next opponent is.
I don't care. I'm not just training to beat one man anymore.
I'm training to beat ANYONE on the roster, be they cowboy, demon, knight or magician.
Sooner or later they have to step in the ring with this WRESTLER.
And that....that my friends....is when things really get WILDE!

Inserted for 3/5 High Octane