"Wow...if it wasn't for the fact that I've been there before, I'd almost say it's "Deja Vu"."
(Fadein, Cameron Cruise in front of an Empire Pro Aggression backdrop, with the company name in block lettering and the show name in cursive. Dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt. Cruise slowly paces back and forth in front of the backdrop, his matching Anarchy-style shades flashing across the lenses as he turns.)
CRUISE: At the end of May it'll have been SEVEN YEARS...since I first won the Empire Pro Tag Team titles, the first time I'd won a Tag Team Championship with someone I'd not necessarily even WANTED to team in the beginning with.
But believe it or not...it turned out to be one of the signature moves that would help make my CAREER.
Granted that moment was at a different event and this is at Aggression, baby, LIVE!!!
Not only that, but instead of Joey Melton, this time I've got a man who's in his PRIME....Empire Pro TV CHAMPION...as my partner.
In this day and age with technology and software changing from week to week, month to month...in this particular model, See-See-Pee Version Two-Point-Oh, while Donovan doesn't have nearly the same amount of accollades...but rest assured, the makeup for it and the drama it ensued...hell, it's a more than welcome UPGRADE.
But this week...."KING OF THE CAGE FINALS"....well now this is a whole different matter altogether.
Seven years ago it was against "Blitz" and Golem and X-ecutioner....(Cruise sighs)...I couldn't make this up people...and I along with Joey Melton, became Tag Team Champions.
Fast-Forward to Two-Thousand-Eleven.
Stalker and Steven Shane.
Believe me, I'll get to Stalker in a minute...but first off...Allow me to take a minute.
Hello Steven Shane, while I'm sure you might think that this is an honor for me to finally meet you again, please pardon me while I wait for you to blow it up your @ss.
(Cruise smiles.)
Now you must be thinking to yourself..."Why the attitude?? That's just downright RUDE???"
I'll tell you, why, Shane.
Years ago, after Melton and I had taken this company by storm...and you had been over running things in A1E with Ken Cloverleaf, people had made lists, lists of Dream match-ups, you know what I mean.
And on one of those lists were a match that was CLEARLY a "Match of the Year Candidate" with Tag Team titles BOTH on the line:
"Simply Perfect Versus The Cameron Cruise Project".
But that never happened.
That COULDN'T happen.
Why??
Because you had up and DISAPPEARED.
Not even a "Thanks, not interested" note either.
Now, while Joey's always been a man about knowing where to find a "Big Fish"...I knew what implications that had meant for myself and Empire Pro, financially.
But once again...you weren't interested.
That was bad for business, Shane, very bad.
Not just for myself and Melton, not just for Empire Pro, but for the FANS.
You gotta give 'em what they want Shane...and you weren't interested.
But now??
Now you're back, and you're tagging up with STALKER of all people, and you're the Empire Pro Tag Team Champions....not exactly an upgrade on your part, but hey...who am I to judge??
Oh yeah...a Two-time former Empire Pro Tag Team Champion...but I'm sure that doesn't mean much to you, right??
But it does to me, Shane, it does to me.
Why??
Because not only will I be able to at least fix partially what was broken years ago by pinning you, but winning the Tag Team Championship titles in Miami will make me a THREE-TIME Empire Pro Champion, the most Championships won in EPW HISTORY.
That...and not to mention it'll make Astros a DOUBLE CHAMPION, history in his own right as well, and you're a smart man Shane, I hope you understand what this means.
Myself and Astros are pulling out all the stops.
Now then....Jason "Stalker" Reeves.
I suppose I SHOULD congratulate you, winning the Empire Pro Tag Team titles is no easy task.
Even if it was in a Three-way match against Impulse, Erik Black and the Heirs of Wrestling...something tells me to think back to what I'd said when you and I first faced off, afew years ago....
(Cruise stops a moment and scratches the back of his head. Having a "Eureka" moment, Cruise snaps his fingers.)
Oh yeah!!! It was FUCK YOU.
Seriously Jason, have you not grown up YET??
"Stalker's World"??
How old are you??
We've faced each other almost half-a-dozen times, you and I, and every time we do...you swear to God HIMSELF...
That I've entered "Stalker's World".
Yet, you call US idiots.....Roadblocks even??
Who's hand was raised, EACH and EVERY time, Jason??
(Cruise raises his right hand.)
You'll have to pardon me while I don't shake in my boots.
I'll say it again, Jason.
Astros and I are going to come out swinging, and believe me...regardless of what you have going on with Anarky, everything else that you've got planned for this week in Miami...
The odds are in OUR favor to win, not yours.
And that is a REALITY CHECK Jason...Stalker...that you and Steven Shane too...just...won't like.
FADEOUT