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The lights in the arena went dark until the USMC Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem appeared on the blackened titantron screen before the background appeared to burn away, leaving a field of scarlet red in its place with the words Major Devastation above and below the ensignia in gold, military-style block lettering while Warrior by Disturbed began blasting over the PA system. Once the scarlet background on the screen was revealed, the arena lighting was replaced by mood lighting in a matching shade of red, alternating with gold to the beat of the music.

The Marine emerged from the tunnel to a mixed reaction, mostly cheers from the "smart" fans and those who have been genuinely impressed by the rookie sensation since his WWFG debut...and a few boos scattered in from die-hard WWFG fans who just can't bear to hear of another company, sporting an EGW t-shirt with a mic in hand and the Intercontinental Championship slung over his shoulder.

Major gave a signal to the audio technician, and the lights returned to normal as the music faded out.

"Now, now...it's a real shame when a man gets booed for acknowledging that he competes for more than one company. All that means is that it doesn't matter to me whether I'm performing in front of thousands of screaming fans, or just a few hundred, as long as I'm sending them all home happy.

Yeah, there are other promotions out there, and just because some of them don't have an enormous budget and can't broadcast their shows in HD or hold their events in huge venues, it doesn't mean that they aren't worth watching, because those "indy" feds make up for that with rosters of young, hungry, world-class athletes who just want a chance to show the fans what they can really do. Now, I think it's safe to say that I've been making quite the impact around here these last few months, but before I came here, I was making the same kind of impact in EGW, where I tore through the ranks and defeated a former WWFG Undisputed Champion to become their inaugural World Champion!

Now, my associate here does kinda have a point. While it is important for new superstars to "pay their dues" and "earn their spot", it's not always easy to stand out and make a name for yourself when rookies tend to get pushed to the back burner and get lost in the shuffle. In the "less than mainstream" promotions, this problem doesn't happen so much because when most of the roster could be considered the "new guy", everyone is roughly on equal footing and your spot on the card is earned through merit alone, without having things like tenure and backstage politics getting in the way."

The crowd stood for a moment, wondering when the new star of WWFG would me making his appearance. Then, on the titantron, a video package began to play. A scene with a man on a horse riding along a horizon can be seen by everyone, some gentle orchestration playing in the background. The short scene ends with the rider rearing the horse, one fist in the air...

"BATTLE METAL!"

Battle Metal blares throughout the arena, minus the opening drumming. Dion, in his in-ring attire, steps out onto the stage, raising a gloved fist. Those who knew of him began to cheer, while others simply stood, wondering who this new guy was.

As he climbed into the ring, he walked over to Jed, shaking his hand. Then Dion looked for a mic.

"I guess we'll always have to be at odds, huh Major?" Dion began. The crowd gave a mixed reaction; those who knew about their matches in WWE:E's Expansion understood what he meant. "But this isn't about us right now. Right now, this is about Rosario running his mouth about this company."

Dion turned his attention to Rosario. "If you want a full-fledged rookiee with talent, I'm your man, Rosario. But not once, NOT. ONCE. did I get an offer from you to join your company. While you're out there bringing in a new era of next generation superstars, I'm competing on rosters against some established superstars. You missed the boat on me, Rosario, you really did."

Some cheers from the crowd at Dion's words began to grow, as well as a small sea of "Battle Metal" chants.

"See, Jed here actually sees my worth as more than just a rookiee. He looks at the long-term. He sees a guy that, on his word, is just like him. Guess what, Rosario? He's right," he continued. "I have toiled too long and worked too hard to let that kind of trust go. I'm ready to prove to you that WWFG is more than just a federation of veterans. Its a federation for those that work to want it...and let me tell you...I want it." He lowered his microphone in a sea of cheers from the crowd.

the titantron comes to life with an image of the aftermath of the Pit of Hell match from Wrestlemania. Brandon Damone, a bloody mess, sits on a bench in the lockerroom. As he looks up, Jarel is standing over him. Brandon blinks, thinking he's seeing double, though actually, he's seeing Jarel's twin brother, Zarel, as well.

Jarel: Finally, it's time

Zarel: You passed the test, kid.

Brandon puts an ice pack to his head. "What the hell are you talking about? I lost."

Jarel: True, but are you going to let this stop you?

Brandon: Hell no.

Zarel: Then you've proven yourself worthy.

Brandon: Worthy of what?

Jarel: Worthy of wearing the name Drako. You have proven that you will be a force to be reckoned with. And now begins the change.

The screen blurs and fades out

Fall Back begins to play as the lights dim and a red light flashes. The crowd looks to the entrance and cheers as Brandon Damone, now named Drako, steps out onto the stage to the cheers of the crowd. Now in his new attire, he begins to make his way to the ring.

"Making his way to the ring, from St. Louis, Missouri, weighing in at 170 pounds, Drako!"

the crowd is perhaps puzzled by the new name, but it doesn't stop the cheers. Drako steps into the ring and takes up a mic as the music cuts out. He stands and waits for a few seconds as the crowd quiets down.

"Well, I'm sure that raises some questions, and questions will be answered in time. As you can see, the name Brandon no longer applies, as the legendary Dragon himself bestowed upon me a new name. That was his passing of the torch, I suppose you could say. but now, let's get down to business."

Drako looks to Rosario and Major.

"I have been a part of every major federation, just about. But there was one place that my brother always held special in his heart. This was the place where he worked his hardest, for years, to finally get to the top. This is the place where he overcame all adversity to become the world heavyweight champion, despite the best efforts of Kal to keep him down. And this is the company where he made it clear that one day, I had to make it into.Since I've been here, I've done a fair bit. I have defeated an icon in GBL and even the now reigning Undisputed champion, Nuke Fusion. I even survived Pit of Hell with Matt Shanahan, the innovator of the match. And here I stand, reborn in a sense, and ready to make my mark. But upon my return, I see you, trying to disparage this company that means so much to so many."

the crowd boos.

"Perhaps your issue is that you have been unable to prove yourself here. Or rather, you've proven yourself to be irrelevant to the fans here. Maybe in your mind you're being held back, but what's really holding you back from glory here is yourself."

Drako looks to Major.

"You and I have a common accomplishment, having defeated GBL. The difference is, I defeated him in a tournament and you defeated him for the WWFG Intercontinental championship. You, sir, are a champion here, yet you complain of politics here. Tenure gets you nowhere here. Look at Donny. He came out of nowhere to win the Royal Rumble this year. He didn't get to cash in at Wrestlemania, but he got a fair opportunity, the same as the rest of us. What puzzles me is how you stand here, making these comments, yet you hold the second highest championship in this federation and you haven't been here that long. You've done what legends, hall of famers, and icons here haven't done. In just a few short months, you're a champion."

Drako looks to Rosario.

"You, I don't know very well. And that, sir, is your problem. I've been in major federations, and I've been in indy promotions. Some of the biggest legends in our business have made their name in indy promotions, while others stayed mainstream. Some went back and forth. I don't think less of any indy promotion that keeps itself relevant. But the place to be, is WWFG. To imply that an upstart indy federation is somehow better or has a more prestigious championhship is offensive. Like Dion said, this is a place for those that want it and we clearly want it more."

Major once again raised his mic, this time to cut off the new owner of WWFG. "Whoa there! Now, Dion and I have met before inside the squared circle, so I know full well what he can do, and I agree that he's definitely championship material, but to go and call him 'Mr. Future Of Wrestling' might be a bit...premature." The Intercontinental Champion's remark drew a few boos from the crowd, but he took them in stride as he continued. "You see, as far as in-ring skill goes, he and I are evenly matched, so I don't doubt that he can become a champion here inside of nine months...but to become Intercontinental Champion, well, he'll have to go through me to get it and I have no intention of letting this title go anytime soon, and rest assured, I WILL still be champion when the dust settles and all is said and done tonight!"

With that being said, Devastation turned his attention toward the man formerly known as Brandon Damone. "Alright...Drako, is it? It would appear that the two of us have a bit of a misunderstanding. I don't do a whole hell of a lot of pissing and moaning, because that's just not my style. If I have a problem with something, I deal with it -one way or another- and move along. Now what you might have construed as complaints, I call voicing the concerns of some of the boys in the back who feel held back by the old management. Yeah, Draze here helped me get my foot in the door here in WWFG, but we both know that I've gotten where I am right now through straight up busting my a** inside that ring, and I wouldn't have it any other way."