Welcome Back

[Ryan Blaze]

The whine of static hits the P.A. system, changing tones every few moments. It signals the arrival of Ryan Blaze. The fans, unsure of what to think about the former "Heel of the Year", remain in a state of mixed emotions. He comes out onto the stage dressed up nicely, looking like a million bucks. He sported a pair of black pants and a black shirt, both with a slight pin-stripe design to them. His tie was his typical purple, and he was wearing a black button up vest. His hair was pushed back out of his eyes, which were covered by ray-ban aviators.

He walked down the ramp, microphone in hand, and with his free hand rubbing away at the scruff he had been growing on his face. He climbs the stairs, and hops into the ring. The microphone is raised to his lips, and he begins.

You know folks, I've had a rough month. After last months PPV, Fame & Fortune, I went in for a regular check up to find that my wrist had been sprained pretty badly. To this day, it's still pretty tender when I move it. So, I took the month of the make sure it wouldn't get any more severe.

Now, my wrist, while still a little sore, is significantly better. I'm here to challenge my opponent at the last PPV, Ken Styles, to a rematch.

And tonight, we up the odds. I beat you last month, so tonight, I want you to put your free world title match on the line against me, because there's nothing that I want more than that belt around my waist once again... I won't stop until I have it.

[Classy Ken Styles]

Ken's music hits as he makes his way to the ring. He is clearly not in any shape to compete, and it looks like he hasn't slept for a few days. He's been receiving phone calls day and night from Christian Moneymaker, and has been receiving offers left and right to join his elite group.

Ken enters the ring, and asks for a microphone.

"Ryan, you don't understand. To you, the championship belt is nothing more than a prop, a piece of leather with some steel plating. To me, it's my salvation. It's not about glory, or lineage, or any of that bullshit. It's something to help me continue my life as a professional wrestler. Without it, at this point, I can't go on. So, at all costs, I WILL beat you, and I WILL go on to win the TNB World Heavyweight Championship. Because I NEED to. It's not because it's going to look good around my waist. It's not because I want the recognition as the best there is in this business today. It's because I need what it can give me financially. I need to fix myself, and provide for my family. That's what I NEED, and tonight, once and for all, I'm going to prove WHY I deserve it!"

[Ryan Blaze]

See, that's where you're wrong, bub.

Ryan takes note of Ken's appearance. He looked slimmer, like he hadn't been eating right. He looked tired, and weak, from a lack of a good nights sleep every night. He looked like a complete mess, and RB took note of all of this. He would write it down in the big agenda that was his brain, and he'd make sure to flip to the page come match time.

The belt has never been a prop to me. It's never been just a 'thing'. I've always taken pride in being a champion. I've always taken pride in what I've accomplished. When I was the TNB Violence and X Champion, I took every moment like it was my last day. I enjoyed what I had, even if I wasn't in my right mind all of the time..

When I was the World Champion? It was even different. I prided myself in knowing that I was the best that TNB had to offer. It was all snatched away from me when I put the title on the line against three of the best competitors in the league. And by best competitors, I mean a guy that's never stepped foot in a TNB ring before the match, the biggest joke walking in terms of reliability, and a guy that's desperately grabbing and clawing at a spot above mediocrity. I got the title, and all of the pride coming with it snatched away by a group of nobodies. You know how that feels? I'm sure you don't, because you've never been in the spot that I was in. You've never been the 'IT' guy.

You might be hungry, but I'm that much hungrier. I've tasted the meat at the top, and I'm not going to move back to the slops that you get at the bottom of the ladder. You might need the money, but I need it that much more. My fucking casino burnt down, I lost all my money, and I'm living in a piece of shit apartment in the slums of Atlanta due to my debt. Do you know how it feels to be a TNB wrestler, someone that's one of the best athletes in the world, living beside a convenience store clerk on one side, and a family living off of welfare on the other? It's pretty shitty, considering the houses and condos I've resided in in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles.

RB paces back and forth as he speaks.

However much you want or need this, I want AND need it that much more!

It was obvious now that whatever money Ryan got went to either paying off his debt, or was spent on items that made him appear to be richer than he was. He would buy expensive clothes, and get his hair cut at fancy salons in order to appear like his same old self. But the fact of the matter was, he wasn't the same. He had changed.