The arena was buzzing with excitement as the night's events continued uninterrupted. Each fan was watching the stage for the next competitors on the card, for it was taking longer than usual. As the lights began to slowly dim, the fans began to rise to see who would be arriving...
The titantron flickered and hummed with white static until the picture of a man came through. The man had black bangs hanging across his face and wore a plain black shirt with leather slacks. He sat in a fold-out chair in a dark room, with the single hanging lightbulb to illuminate him.
"... It's been half a decade since I've been in this room. This room, where it all began. When the rookie Matt Shanahan made his claim of being a God amongst us all. I remember that day fondly... He began his ascent, and I followed behind him, preaching his word to all. Those days have been lost, since he ascended..."
The man paused to look around the room as the screen flashed to a picture of Shanahan and the man standing side by side behind an altar. It flashed once more to show them landing a double clothesline on an unknown opponent from the past promotion of EEW, before switching back to the strange man in the room.
"I left the industry after he became established as the real measuring stick in this industry, but I never stopped supporting. Through-out the years, I've seen Shanahan break his back and destroy his body just to get what he wanted. I've seen him destroy career after career, just to aim for a title shot. I've seen him betray friendships, just to make his name known!... I've also seen him falter. I've seen him give up. I've seen him beaten and torn... I've seen them all be beaten and torn..."
He paused once more to look down at his hands with a sigh, shaking his head for a moment.
"It seems that more and more fall from the graces these days... They are betrayed, massacred, or even let go of the top...It's a constant theme."
As he spoke, clips of other wrestlers began to flash across the screen. DJ losing in his last match, Phoenixfire being thrown into a river by Mike Landry, Justin Amaze losing his last championship, Freakshow sitting alone in his wheelchair, and Shanahan laying on the stage as Chrono forced the pyrotechnics to explode on him.
"... But that's not always the end, is it? No, there are those rare occasions when the fallen rise above and beyond. There are those who are reborn in the ashes of defeat and manage to achieve what they have lost. To return to the ring and be stronger than ever... That is the trait of a true champion."
The screen continued with it's slideshow, now showing Phoenixfire returning after Mike Landry's betrayal on her, Cyrus Leone's first world championship win, the debut of Kelly King 2.0, and the late Saint Joey winning the EWA Sprocket Championship.
"But the difference between all of the rest and Matt Shanahan is... He doesn't rise above the rest. He burns them to the ground, and brings them to his level. He doesn't care about who's on top; he merely cares about those that pushed him to the bottom."
The screen changed to show Shanahan being pinned by Mike Landry in their Falls Count Anywhere match, losing his ICW World Heavyweight Title to Harli, and once again showing Chrono causing an explosion of flames around him.
"... Chrono, I hope you are listening right now. Because when I tell you that Shanahan isn't done with you, I couldn't be more serious. I've seen him destroy careers for lesser reasons, and your's... Your's couldn't be more at risk. Your betrayal and attempt to end his career will backfire in the worst way that this industry has ever seen..."
The finals shots that appeared on screen were of Shanahan bearhugging DJ with his shirt set ablaze, effectively burning him, along with him smashing his baseball bat down on Landry's torso at WWFG's Wrestlemania, his bat cracking against Freakshow's head twice at FFA, him throwing Kodiak into an empty swimming pool from a 20 foot high diving board, and him winning the ICW Championship in the last Falco's Nest match.
"... Believe me when I say that I have seen what he can do first hand, Chrono. You may be a God and you may have been successful in every endevour so far in your career. But... You won't escape this time. There is no victor in the end. There is only broken bodies, with your's at the bottom of the pile. And I pray for you, Mr. Clepsydra. I do... For once Shanahan gets his hands on you, there is no hope... Not even for a God."
The camera came back to show the man sitting in the chair once again, his eyes locked onto the screen with a solemn look. This remained for a few brief seconds, before the camera cut off to return the arena to it's normal state...
