As the video begins playing, the first thing brought to the viewer's attention is a dark, stone passageway. A tunnel, perhaps, or a hall of some long-forgotten ruin. The walls of rock and mortar extended into the distance of the shot, creating the illusion of a hallway that stretched on for many feet. The sound of water dripping could be heard before the soft, somber voice of Salem Croft joined the footage.
"I used to think that you were "The Dream", Cyrus." Salem said, his words sincere but bearing a tone of regret. Scenes of Salem's heartwarming arrival to F:G and G-Fedding flashed onscreen as Salem finally spoke. "When I first met you, I was told that the sky was the limit. I was promised the keys to tomorrow. But little did I know that your keys were nothing more than shackles."
Clink. Clink. Clink.
The camera zoomed quickly down the hallway, moving deeper and deeper through it as the rattling noise grew louder. Images of Cyrus walking away at Wrestlemania, back up the ramp from whence he came were spliced in as the footage continued down the hall. As the camera reached the end of the passage, a lone figure was seen chained up to the cobblestone wall at the opposite end of the hall, the clinking noise before revealed to be the chains that bound the man, now identifiable as Salem, emaciated and bound to his surroundings. Struggling to get free, Salem's face was wild as his arms lashed about, shaking the iron links that kept him imprisoned.
"...You promised me greatness. You promised me glory. But your words were as empty as the dreams you speak of, and I was left as nothing more than a prisoner of your shadow."
The scene cut to a blurry shot of Salem in his debut match in F:G, a TLC match with fellow rookie Justin Spectacular. As glimpses of the match were shown, detailing Salem's emotional entrance to the ring and hard-fought struggle within it, the finish would play out in slow motion as Justin climbed the ladder and pulled down Salem's contract with Cyrus, voiding his employment as Salem's manager.
"...But little did I realize that in my darkest hour, I'd find my ultimate salvation." Salem whispered, his voice hushed while the scene cut momentarily to a black screen.
An instant after, dramatic images of Salem attacking Justin Spectacular during his tournament match with Bison Mbadi, an altercation that marked a turning point in Salem's career and his victim's.
"You see...leaving you was my chance to finally discover freedom. Despite being my manager, you only sought to hold me down and take advantage of my imminent future. You thought you'd make yourself a profit off of me...but it turned out that I was the one holding the change."
Clink. Clink. Clink.
The scene cut to the entrance of the hallway once again, but from the shadows further down the hall a silhouette would slowly come into focus, a masculine frame with bronzed skin and dark hair, tattoos running up the figure's arms. As the visage grew closer, the clinking grew louder...until at last, Salem stepped from the darkly hollows of the passageway, gently bouncing a handful of change in one palm with a satisfied smirk, bloodstains on his wrapped knuckles and forearms.
"I discovered myself when I cut ties with you, Cyrus." Salem explained, images of his speech following the attack displayed in the same dream-like spectacle. "...And with that newfound confidence, Cyrus, I accomplished something that no one who's stood before you has managed in quite a long time."
The film would cut to images of Cyrus surrounded by Salem's former stable, "The Pride", during their initial gathering and attack on Cyrus Leone. Scenes of Salem chesting up to Peyton Manning and Cyrus were followed by images of his comrades laying waste to Salem's former manager, Salem laughing and reveling in the carnage. "I reminded you that you're human."
"But, alas...I was wrong about them. I was wrong about the people I thought were worthy of making this place different." Salem whispered, more images of his vicious beating in a two-on-one assault by the hands of Justin and Cyrus played out, The Pride nowhere to be found.
"I let myself believe your lies." Salem said, his voice laced with venom. Scenes of Salem confronting a fan at the Royal Rumble replaced the aftermath of the previously displayed attack, highlighting a more vicious and sadistic side to Salem than seen before. "But it wasn't until then that I realized just how deep your corruption went...it wasn't until I met Joe, that I saw just how far your hypocrisy traveled to the core of this company." A standoff was shown between Salem and Joe the Pizza Guy, a fan that had accompanied Cyrus during the Royal Rumble. Inaudibly, Joe could be seen holding his ground to Salem before the latter gave him a sinister glare.
"...And at that moment, I knew what I had to do."
The scene cut to Salem with Joe on his shoulders, standing proudly in defiance to Cyrus while atop the announcers' table. With a bone-shattering crunch, Salem threw Joe into the air while Cyrus watched helplessly as his beloved fan was driven through the table with the Guillotine DDT.
"These people think you're their savior. But you're not, Cyrus...you're just a fraud, a washed-up veteran who makes promises he cannot hope to fulfill. That's why you call yourself "The Dream"...but I've woken up. At Wrestlemania...it all comes full-circle for you and I, Cyrus. My dreams will become a reality...and you?"
A static image of Salem standing over Cyrus following his beating from The Pride flashed on screen once again, the camera zooming in to capture Salem's overbearing grin of satisfaction as blood seeped from Cyrus' face onto the canvas.
"...I'll let you dream for a lifetime."
With these final words, the video cut off, leaving with it the date of Wrestlemania, a single phrase written across the screen before the film went to black.
Change is coming.
"I used to think that you were "The Dream", Cyrus." Salem said, his words sincere but bearing a tone of regret. Scenes of Salem's heartwarming arrival to F:G and G-Fedding flashed onscreen as Salem finally spoke. "When I first met you, I was told that the sky was the limit. I was promised the keys to tomorrow. But little did I know that your keys were nothing more than shackles."
Clink. Clink. Clink.
The camera zoomed quickly down the hallway, moving deeper and deeper through it as the rattling noise grew louder. Images of Cyrus walking away at Wrestlemania, back up the ramp from whence he came were spliced in as the footage continued down the hall. As the camera reached the end of the passage, a lone figure was seen chained up to the cobblestone wall at the opposite end of the hall, the clinking noise before revealed to be the chains that bound the man, now identifiable as Salem, emaciated and bound to his surroundings. Struggling to get free, Salem's face was wild as his arms lashed about, shaking the iron links that kept him imprisoned.
"...You promised me greatness. You promised me glory. But your words were as empty as the dreams you speak of, and I was left as nothing more than a prisoner of your shadow."
The scene cut to a blurry shot of Salem in his debut match in F:G, a TLC match with fellow rookie Justin Spectacular. As glimpses of the match were shown, detailing Salem's emotional entrance to the ring and hard-fought struggle within it, the finish would play out in slow motion as Justin climbed the ladder and pulled down Salem's contract with Cyrus, voiding his employment as Salem's manager.
"...But little did I realize that in my darkest hour, I'd find my ultimate salvation." Salem whispered, his voice hushed while the scene cut momentarily to a black screen.
An instant after, dramatic images of Salem attacking Justin Spectacular during his tournament match with Bison Mbadi, an altercation that marked a turning point in Salem's career and his victim's.
"You see...leaving you was my chance to finally discover freedom. Despite being my manager, you only sought to hold me down and take advantage of my imminent future. You thought you'd make yourself a profit off of me...but it turned out that I was the one holding the change."
Clink. Clink. Clink.
The scene cut to the entrance of the hallway once again, but from the shadows further down the hall a silhouette would slowly come into focus, a masculine frame with bronzed skin and dark hair, tattoos running up the figure's arms. As the visage grew closer, the clinking grew louder...until at last, Salem stepped from the darkly hollows of the passageway, gently bouncing a handful of change in one palm with a satisfied smirk, bloodstains on his wrapped knuckles and forearms.
"I discovered myself when I cut ties with you, Cyrus." Salem explained, images of his speech following the attack displayed in the same dream-like spectacle. "...And with that newfound confidence, Cyrus, I accomplished something that no one who's stood before you has managed in quite a long time."
The film would cut to images of Cyrus surrounded by Salem's former stable, "The Pride", during their initial gathering and attack on Cyrus Leone. Scenes of Salem chesting up to Peyton Manning and Cyrus were followed by images of his comrades laying waste to Salem's former manager, Salem laughing and reveling in the carnage. "I reminded you that you're human."
"But, alas...I was wrong about them. I was wrong about the people I thought were worthy of making this place different." Salem whispered, more images of his vicious beating in a two-on-one assault by the hands of Justin and Cyrus played out, The Pride nowhere to be found.
"I let myself believe your lies." Salem said, his voice laced with venom. Scenes of Salem confronting a fan at the Royal Rumble replaced the aftermath of the previously displayed attack, highlighting a more vicious and sadistic side to Salem than seen before. "But it wasn't until then that I realized just how deep your corruption went...it wasn't until I met Joe, that I saw just how far your hypocrisy traveled to the core of this company." A standoff was shown between Salem and Joe the Pizza Guy, a fan that had accompanied Cyrus during the Royal Rumble. Inaudibly, Joe could be seen holding his ground to Salem before the latter gave him a sinister glare.
"...And at that moment, I knew what I had to do."
The scene cut to Salem with Joe on his shoulders, standing proudly in defiance to Cyrus while atop the announcers' table. With a bone-shattering crunch, Salem threw Joe into the air while Cyrus watched helplessly as his beloved fan was driven through the table with the Guillotine DDT.
"These people think you're their savior. But you're not, Cyrus...you're just a fraud, a washed-up veteran who makes promises he cannot hope to fulfill. That's why you call yourself "The Dream"...but I've woken up. At Wrestlemania...it all comes full-circle for you and I, Cyrus. My dreams will become a reality...and you?"
A static image of Salem standing over Cyrus following his beating from The Pride flashed on screen once again, the camera zooming in to capture Salem's overbearing grin of satisfaction as blood seeped from Cyrus' face onto the canvas.
"...I'll let you dream for a lifetime."
With these final words, the video cut off, leaving with it the date of Wrestlemania, a single phrase written across the screen before the film went to black.
Change is coming.
