Welcome to Gaia! ::

Stircken by Disturbed hits the PA and the fans cheer as the former world champion Zarel Damone makes his way out onto the stage. He stands for several seconds and then heads for the ring. He slides in under the bottom rope and rises to his full height, then calls for a mic as the music cuts out.

"Now obviously, I'm not in the best of moods right now. And truth is, Harli's win is a fluke in my mind. It is something I will avenge after Wrestlemania. But what puzzles me is your sudden interest in my matches. As all these people know, the last two times we met face to face, the end result was me standing tall in victory. So despite my foul disposition at the moment, I will allow you to speak your piece and explain yourself."

Zarel studies Cartwright from beneath his shades for several seconds before responding.

"I would be remiss not to agree that our best period here was during our reign as tag champions. During that reign I was simultaneously the Intercontinental and Undisputed champion. To say that we have crashed...." Zarel scratches his chin. "....I suppose is a fair statement. To go from where we were to here, with you unable to compete and me being cheated out of the Undisputed championship, we have fallen from grace. So a reuniting would indeed help us. But there's a few things to point out here."

the crowd gets quiet, wondering where the former champion is going

"You see, during that title reign, we were not very popular among the fans. We were the single most hated team in XCW history. We used underhanded tactics to win and retain our titles. Every tactic imaginable, we pulled out. Until finally, we got stopped in our tracks. Going into Wrestlemania, no less. I lost the Intercontinental title to Kane, then at Wrestlemania the Undisputed title to Shawn Michaels. And then, we lost the tag team titles because you turned your back on me and fed me to the Brothers of Destruction. So this raises the very clear question of how do I trust you this time, knowing that you started our crash?"

Zarel takes a few seconds to think this over. "Let's just be clear on this. If I agree, this time is different. My sole goal in XCW is the destruction of anyone and everyone that crosses my path. And at the top of that list right now is Ken Armand. After I'm done with him, I want my XCW Undisputed championship back, and I don't care who the champion is. Whether Harli pulls off another miracle and retains, or Kid pulls off the upset, or Chrono bulldozes right over them. I want my title belt. And nothing and no one will keep me from it."

Zarel actually lets out a short laugh. "You should know the answer to that by now. Since the day Jarel took over XCW, people have come in here to try and make a name for themselves at the expense of him and his family. It seems its become the most natural thing for every upstart in XCW history to pick on one of the Damones. Just look at Nuke Fusion, coming into XCW and taking my sister out in the main event she was scheduled in against Yuke. Ken targeted Janelle first too. Harli has taken shots at our family in the past. Mike Landry took his shot at my little brother. But the end result is that one way or another, we send them packing."

the crowd cheers.

"You see, Jarel stays out of things here. If we want to prove we made our own name, then we do it on our own. So he didn't fire anyone, he left it to us. And each and every time, we deliver a beating they've never received before and they go running back to whatever other federation we're not in. They run their asses back to WWE:E or GWF or some other federation with their tail between their legs. In the case of Harli, he got his many times over, as Jarel is active in other federations and personally kicked his a**. But that brings us to the most recent upstart."

Zarel looks into the camera

"Ken Armand, you obviously haven't learned from your mistakes. You were pining for a Wrestlemania moment, and there's no other way for you to get it. You aren't in contention for any titles, Jed pinned you this week on Impact thanks to an assist from my little brother. Lita has been kicking you around for weeks. So what other way do you have to make it to the granddest stage of them all? You chose to pick on the biggest, baddest, nastiest guy around.. You chose to mess with the one guy with the most reason to utterly and completely destroy you. You chose the wrong guy. You see, you should've set your sights lower, maybe aim to get Lita to make her title match a triple threat or aim for Snypa Rifle's Inter Star championship. Instead you chose the guy most likely to end your career."

Zarel turns out into the crowd.

"These fans here in Chicago and all around the world, they'll be tuning into Wrestlemania with very clear expectations. They'll expect Lita to finally shut Jed up. They'll expect either Chrono or Kid Omega to walk out as XCW Undisputed champion. And they'll expect to see me beat you, Ken, to within an inch of your life. They'll expect me to bash your skull in, kick your teeth down your throat, and most importantly, send you out of here on a stretcher. And while I cannot predict the outcome of the others, I can guarantee that these people will see me do exactly as I said I would do."