Prelude: Loss

Quest for the Best is over. 

I'm no longer in it, so as far as I'm concerned, it's done. 

That's not how it should be. I should be in the quarterfinals at this PPV, with only three matches separating me from glory. I didn't even care about the prize at the end. I wanted everything I've done until now to be validated. That's what Quest is about. It's validation. I wanted that validation so bad that I forced my way into the tournament. Fucking Drake Munday, of all people, dumps me out of it on my head. Drake didn't win our match in the second round. He survived. I'm not supposed to be in some battle royal for a participation trophy. I want a rematch. 

Right. 

Fucking. 

Now.

That's why there's a Plan B. I don't get to take the easy route to prove I'm the best. Instead, I take the long way around. It's not the first time. I'll win the Network title and defend it three times, then I'll cash it in and get my rematch. Only this time Drake, I'll take everything from you. I'll take your title, your mask and your career. 

Until I earn my second chance, I'll just have to accept what happened. Loss is a part of life. In my forty years of existence, I've lost friends, family, wives and girlfriends.

These days, I just lose my temper.

There are eight people in this battle royal and we've all experienced loss. Jackson's the face of Carnage Wrestling, and he lost the chance to make a name for himself here. After Quest is over, he'll probably go crawling back to CW to forget that he's merely an afterthought in promotions that really matter. 

Moxie, I once had to team with a guy obsessed with dildos and I can honestly say you were the worst tag team partner I ever had. You're such a pain in the ass you make Greg Jackson seem like the only sane man in your group. Greg Jackson. I know, it hurts me to say it. Moxie lost her Quest match because well, that's just what Moxie does. Ask her about the time she lost years of her career. I hear that story's hilarious. 

You might call Chris Green lucky. He lost to CJ Wylde but now he gets a second chance. You might also say he's unlucky, because he's up against me. Now he won't be able to make the most of his opportunity. Speaking of The Inner Circle, my best friend Trent Steel knows exactly what I'm about. I look forward to that crazy bastard giving me a fight, but I'm tossing him out like everyone else. Trent's my friend, Green's my ally, but there's too much at stake to get sentimental. They'll feel the same way if they're smart. We're all enemies in this match.

I almost respect Lorenzo DeMarco. Almost. In spite of his dedication to this sport, he's a loser. It's childish to say but it's true. Every single time he has a chance to win something big, he fails. This time will not be different. After I'm Network champion, be sure to cut another promo on Addiction. Talk about how this time you're going to dust yourself off and do things differently. I'm sure it'll be just as believable then as it was the last five times. Your compensation for losing is at the bottom of my size 16. Trust me, you'll definitely get paid in full.

Finally, there's Will. It's been a while, hasn't it? I could ramble about you, but the truth is beating you up on a weekly basis got boring to me around week four. It's routine now. Phoenix goes against JC, Phoenix loses to JC. You can set your watch to it. You can come up with as many excuses as you want. If you were half the wrestler you claim to be, you would have stopped me in NLW. You didn't stop me then. You won't stop me now. What excuse will you have this time?

The person in this match that gets most of my focus is Shaun Stewart. He lost his spot in Quest, his blood and his bodyguard because of me. Well, it's actually because of him. He started this, after all. He attacked a Rogue and didn't think about the repercussions. He attacked me and didn't bother to think about what I might do when I got up. He sent his goons to my home and now one of them may be unable to walk until next year. Maybe. Even with all I've done to him, he thinks he still has a chance to win our little game. 

That's the problem with a lot of you. You have hope. It's actually kind of sad. Hope is one of the last things you'll lose and I'll be the one to steal it from you. If you could only see the looks on your faces when you realize there is no higher purpose for you. It's time for someone greater than you to reach for the brass ring by stepping on your skull for leverage.

Drake brought up something before our match. He said there was still good in me, as if I'm simply Dr. Jekyll and the elixir just needs time to wear off. It's a ridiculous notion and completely wrong. I haven't been Jeykll for so long I don't even remember what he looks like. 

All I hear is the voice of Hyde. He tells me to hurt anyone in my path.

No matter what the cost.

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She Slept