PRIMETIME in Atlanta: Pat Gordon, Jr.and Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

[Chad]

Unified Tag Tournament: Pat Gordon, Jr. & Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

Round one of the tag tournament continues with the former EPW tag standouts and two singles wrestlers with impressive pedigrees that have been thrown together as a tag team. Which team will win in their CSWA debut and move on to the semifinals?

Roleplay is still open until Thursday, 1/17.

I need the participants to get basic bios up in the Backstage as soon as you can -- you should have all your login info now, etc.

 

[EpyonMarx]

[FADE IN to a vast collection of wrestling titles from around the world. There are two of every belt, with titles from across Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Canada and the United States. In pride of place keen eyes will spot the Empire Pro Wrestling and A1E Tag Team Titles, but between them there’s a space that’s been cleared.

CUTTO: A corridor with various photos and posters hanging. Each one shows Max and/or Jecht and/or Leonard Johnson, the two wrestlers either delivering a beating or triumphant, arms raised in victory

CUTTO: A CSWA PRIMETIME backdrop, in front of which stand Max and Jecht, arms folded, with Leonard Johnson standing between them]

LJ: Well, well, well. CSWA didn’t think even dare think it would see this day. The day that the greatest combination of power and speed in professional wrestling was reunited and focused on one thing. Adding more gold to their impressive collection of titles from around the world.

For the uninitiated, let me introduce them. Max… and Jecht. Between them over three decades of in-ring experience combined. Between them, more titles in more companies and in more countries than anyone else in this business. Between them, strength, power and ability that men their size should never have, but do.

Between them more focus and dedication that anyone I’ve met as long as I’ve been in the industry.

Impressive, aren’t they? Look at them. The height. The muscularity. The size that screams POWER. The determination in the eyes that screams…

A bad night in Atlanta for Pat Gordon Junior and Jesse Ramey.

You two shouldn’t even bother turning up.

Jecht: It’s been a long, long time since we’ve teamed together but Max and I are STILL the best. Tag team wrestling isn’t the same [FCC] as you find in singles, you need to trust your partner, know what they’re going to do, and do what they need you to do in the ring without them even thinking. Before Max got hurt we’d been teaming over 10 years…

That’s longer as a team than most guys have careers, and I went from strength to strength to STRENGTH while Max recovered.

Max: Und if you think that the time away from the ring has affected mich…

LJ: You’re going to be in for a bad, bad night.

Max and Jecht could individually beat both of you within an inch of your miserable lives in a fight. In the ring there are rules while save your bones from being too badly broken, to stop them destroying your careers and cutting at the root all chance of you two making names for yourselves here in CSWA.

And those same rules are going to guarantee your downfall.

Pinfall. Submission. Count out. Knock out.

Blitz are capable of doing any of those things in seconds, and luckily for you, they’re professional enough to want to go for the win instead of the breaking you into pieces.

Now… we can guess that you’re going to either say you know everything about Blitz, or that you’ve never heard much. It’s the easy thing to do. Deny an opponent’s existence, deny their accomplishments, to make you seem untouchable. It’s the sad pathetic thing that thousands of wrestlers across the world do day after day after day.

Truth is, it’s old, tired. You can see the tapes. You can see what Blitz were, and we’ve shown you a glimpse into the trophy room here at my headquarters.

You don’t need to respect Blitz, because they sure as hell don’t respect you. You two are in their way, and that’s the biggest thing you need to realise and know.

Jecht: Leonard, you forgot something.

LJ: Oh?

Max: What gets in our way… doesn’t stay in our way.

Jecht: It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or what you say you’re going to do. This is a results based business. CSWA is going to be crowning tag team champions who matter now. It’s not going to be some cheap-ass promotion throwing teams together so the office can say “Look, we have tag teams.”

Max: Until we win the titles, Freund.

Jecht: True. Who in their right mind will come after us as champions without a huge [FCC]ing pay day in front of them, especially after we’re through with this tournament.

LJ: You see, Pat, Jesse, there’s one thing Blitz does better than anyone. They don’t go straight for the titles. When they walk into a company they deliberately don’t attack the champions, and do you know why?

Because the only way to prove you’re the best is to leave no doubt. Anyone can get lucky in one match. The champs could have an off night. But when you’ve gone through every single team on the roster, destroyed them and left no doubt before you set foot in the ring to win the titles… that’s greatness. There’s no doubt who the best are.

It’s the way Blitz work. If there’s an obstacle in the path, they don’t go around it. They certainly don’t turn tail and run.

The obstacle gets the hell out of their way.

At PRIMETIME in Atlanta, you two are an obstacle.

The best thing you can do is get out of their way, or you’ll find out why they’re called Blitz.

[FADE OUT]

 

[Jesse Ramey]

The scene opens on Jesse Ramey, sitting in front of a small twelve in monitor. The sound coming from the box is very familiar.

“Yeah, see there is the first problem,” Ramey points out shaking his head all the while, “they honestly think I’m going to be a part of a team that has no class. If that were the case and we were going into a battle of who has the least class, then you two would definitely take the cake.”

“Or we could just make this a battle of worst tag team name in the business,” Ramey paused for a moment, “in which case you two would definitely win out on that one too. What is this? I’ve got to deal with enough video game enthusiasts in other realms of the world and then I step foot into CSWA and I’m doing battle with two more? I’m sorry guys, but I think the nostalgia of NFL Blitz faded away somewhere in the 90’s.”

“Oh, but look, one of us is fast and one us is strong!” Ramey mocked laughing, “That’s all fine and dandy, but what exactly is that going to do for you when you step foot into that squared circle with two men who are far your superior? I’m no rookie to this business boys, but I don’t need to blow steam about how my team was the best in the world at one point in some far off deep spaces of the wrestling industry.”

“I’m no amateur, and you can bet for one thing, inside of that ring I’m not going to make a mistake.” Ramey turned his focus to the camera on himself, “This is the part you’re going to want to pay attention to. You may not know me, CSWA may not know me. You may not know my partner in crime, Pat Gordon, Jr. either, but in Atlanta you’re going to remember our names.”

“We are going to be your wrestling nightmare!” Ramey spat as he said, “You think that because there are rules inside of that squared circle that it is going to limit you from being able to hurt us? Well, I’m going to tell you one thing that’s the advantage we’re going to take. Because where those rules limit the two of you, we find our strengths.”

“Ten years as a tag team?” Ramey scoffed, “Look at me over here, I’m shaking in my boots. I’ve been working in that ring twice as long as the two of you have been a team, but you’re right. There does need to be something to make a team gel so to speak, and Pat and I, are easily just as gelled as the two of you. Just because you’ve done it in the past, doesn’t mean you’ve got it now, and doesn’t mean we’re not going to take you on as a serious threat.”

“If you don’t want to come into this company shooting for the tag team titles straight out of the gate then maybe you need to get your priorities lined up.” Ramey chuckled again, “We’re gunning for those titles, Pat and I, and we’re going to win them when this tournament is all said and done. That’s a fact, and a check that you can take to the bank and cash.”

“You two useless pieces of euro trash are just the first foot step on our way to the top of this division, and eventually to the top of CSWA.” Ramey smiled once more, “That’s where we differ so much more than the rest of you. We respect this business, we know this business, and most importantly, we know how to get it done in that ring. It doesn’t matter if you’re shoulders are pinned to that mat, or if you tap before passing out to a Pat Lock.”

“Let me say this in closing very slow for the two of you so you truly understand,” Ramey’s face turned serious, “in Atlanta; Max… Jecht… You will be handed your first defeat back together as a team, and you will come to know exactly what your Wrestling Nightmare is!”

Fade to Black

 

[Ernie]

Living the Dream: Pat Gordon, Jr. and Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

Boston, Massachusetts?
Nope.
Greensboro, North Carolina.

It’s a rainy day, but not for Pat Gordon, Jr, who sits on a park bench. His duffel bag rests in the spot next to him. Pat is clad in his blue jeans and the green “Pat Lock: Snap or Tap” t-shirt that FGA was nice enough to make for him. His euphoric smile that stretches from ear to ear says it all. It’s a beautiful day for him. The guy looks like he just won the lottery. And then got laid. By the most beautiful woman in the world. Three times. And then drank a keg of Guinness. That’s how happy Pat Gordon, Jr. looks. Why is he so uncharacteristically happy?

PGJR: “I’m in Greensboro, North Carolina. And what brings me here? Four letters and a dream. My old man left Ireland for Canada in the mid 1990s, and from there he was able to find work here in the United States. He landed in the Fantasy Wrestling circuit in 2000, working for such promotions as the Rocky Mountain Wrestling federation, CWWF, and the World Wrestling League, to name a few. He came here with a dream, and that dream was to be at the top of the sport we call professional wrestling. And back then professional wrestling was dominated by four letters. C. S. W. A.”

PGJR holds up his hand and counts a finger with each letter, resulting in four fingers sticking up from his hand.

PGJR: “I used to love to watch my dad wrestle when I was a kid. And even though my old man never wrestled there, I also used to love to watch the CSWA. Guys like Hornet, Shane Southern, and Eli Flair. I used to dream that one day I’d stand in a ring marked with those four letters and compete against legends like them. And now that day has come. Now I am here in the CSWA. And while my dad never got to wrestle in a CSWA ring, he’s going to get to see my debut here.

“So that’s what brings me to Greensboro, North Carolina. Four letters - CSWA - and the dream to make it to the big time, to wrestle in a CSWA ring. And in my first match in that CSWA ring, I’ll be the proud partner of ‘The Anti-Star’ Jesse Ramey as we take on a legendary tag team in their own right, Blitz.”

The smile retreats from his face and is overthrown by a scowl.

PGJR: “Now Blitz, on paper you two have every advantage coming into this bout... except one. You have the size, the strength, and the experience as a team. You even have that loudmouth Leonard Johnson out there to help you cheat if you need it. But matches aren’t fought on paper. They’ve got to be won in the ring.”

The Southie Scrapper picks up his duffel bag and rises from the bench. He takes no notice of the rain cascading down his face and dripping from his chin.

PGJR: “And here’s where your plan goes wrong. Because I couldn’t have PICKED a better tag team partner than Jesse Ramey. And I know that Ramey’s gonna be flying around that ring so fast you won’t be able to catch him. And as for me, well I’m gonna let you catch me. Because when you catch me, you’re gonna catch HELL. I’m not coming into this match looking for an easy win and I’m sure as hell not coming into this thing to just roll over and get beat. My dad’s gonna be watching from ringside and you’d DAMN WELL better bet that I’m coming into this thing with FIRE. I’m coming into this fight with TENACITY, FEROCITY, and INTENSITY!”

Pat jumps and lands in the middle of a fairly large puddle, causing water to explode everywhere.

PGJR: “So you two may be taller than us - you’re definitely fatter than us - but while the CSWA Unified Tag Team Titles may just be another set of goblets to add to your Dungeons and Dragons collection, this is our chance at the Golden Ring. And I plan to grab that Golden Ring and white-knuckle that sumbitch so tight and NEVER let go. And I TRUST in Jesse that he has the same plan.”

“Your overconfidence is gonna bite you in the ass. For all of your time in the sport, you’re pretty ignorant about wrestling, because you don’t know the name Pat Gordon. You don’t know what a Gordon is and you don’t know what being a Gordon is all about. You’re gonna have to beat me from pillar to post, because I plan to drag your tubby asses to all four corners of that ring so that each and every fan in the arena can see you get beat.

Gordon does his best to sing, but it’s pretty awful. This guy isn’t quitting wrestling to cut a record deal anytime soon.

PGJR: “Hey, Jesse Ramey, I’ve got two tickets to paradise. Pack your bags, we’ll leave tonight. And Blitz, you two bring your thirty years of combined experience eating Twinkies and we’ll bring the passion, the desire, and the VIRILITY. Because you two are gonna be F(CENSORED) when you get in the ring with the Ring Nightmares!”

Pat Gordon, Jr. turns his back and walks away from the park.

 

[Jesse Ramey]

Re: Living the Dream: Pat Gordon, Jr. and Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

The scene opens on the downtown streets of Atlanta. Jesse Ramey walks about the streets taking in the sky scape.

“This is the place it’s all going to happen,” Ramey began, “this is the town CSWA is given new life. Where new and old collide, so to speak.”

“Probably not so much new actually,” Ramey smiled, “when you think about it. This was the pinnacle of professional wrestling at one point in the history of wrestling. Setting out on a new path to try and regain past glories, and without the strangle hold of past owners…”

Ramey trailed off for a brief moment as he thought, “This is completely ground breaking! This is just like the Wild West! We’re in the beginning stages of a new birth of a company ripe with history, and this is the point in time where you draw the line in the sand and make your stand.”

“And you’re being introduced to the tandem of ‘Doc’ Holliday and Wyatt Earp, in the form of me and Pat Gordon, Jr.” Ramey smiled again, “We’re not here to take over CSWA, but we’re here to clean it up. If we do end up running things in the process though, we’re more than happy to step into that role.”

“Blitz, however, is not going to be our O.K. Corral showdown,” Ramey chuckled, “now you two are more the bottom of the barrel town drunks that will be nothing more than an easy take down and then being locked up into the drunk tank for the night. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that you’re not going to be a challenge in the least.”

“That’s what you need to think about,” Ramey tapped the side of his head, “you two wanted to talk a big game about what you’ve done in the past. How you’re a dominant team, and how you’ve only been getting better individually since you split up. Thing is, I don’t take days off.”

“I don’t need time off to get better,” Ramey nodded and stroked his beard, “I am the best. I strive every single time I step into that ring to put on a better performance than every single person who went into that ring before I did; and to put on a better showing than the last time I stepped foot in that ring. I know I’m the best at what I do inside of that ring, and that’s the advantage I have over both you.”

“If for one second,” Ramey paused, “the inkling of the idea pops into your skulls that you don’t know where to go to from here in our match; you’re finished. One split second of an error inside of that ring, and like the snap of a finger,” Ramey snapped his fingers for emphasis, “you’re done.”

“At Primetime,” Ramey smiled one final time, “Blitz the Ring Nightmares are not just the obstacle as you so pleasantly put it. We become the obstacle that no one will ever be able to conquer. I hope the two of you are ready, because we certainly are, toodles.”

The scene fades to black.

 

[EpyonMarx]

Re: Living the Dream: Pat Gordon, Jr. and Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

[FADE IN. Max and Jecht are dressed casually, leaning against the ropes of a training ring in a clean, well-lit gym. They’re casually chatting as the camera PANS ROUND and ZOOMS IN toward a double door where Leonard Johnson is giving instructions to his personal assistant, Laura]

LJ: …three times a week. We’ll get the intermediates in twice a week here and then out on the road the third day.

Laura: Yes, Mister Johnson.

LJ: And then get… Bryan a trial in Stamford. I don’t think he’ll get the job but the experience will be good.

Laura: Yes, Mister Johnson. By the way, Mister Johnson…

[She looks quickly over at the camera, turning her eyes back to the clipboard she’s been carrying]

LJ: Yes, yes, they can wait. Now, one more thing, Laura, did you manage to get the files I asked for?

Laura: Yes, Mister Johnson. They’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.

LJ: Good, good. Gentlemen!

[He pivots to the camera, walking straight past it as he heads toward the ring and snaps his fingers to get Max and Jecht’s attention]

LJ: It seems we have someone who thinks he’s a comedian. Or at least, tries to think.

Max: Welches?

LJ: Both.

Firstly, this isn’t the NFL, nor is it the past. Secondly, tired clichés like “Matches aren’t fought on paper but in the ring”? What are you, some rookie trying to make a name for themselves, or simply an idiot?

I don’t know which of you I find more laughable.

Jecht: Both.

LJ: I tried speaking simply. I tried to speak clearly… slowly… I’m guessing English isn’t either of your first language. Because everything you said… was defunct before it left your mouths.

Ramey. You think getting to the top of the company in the quickest timescale makes you great?

No. It makes you lucky. Do you know why most sports have a season?

Because at the end of the season, it’s consistency that matters. The champions earned it by make sure there was nobody who could lay claim to them doing it based on luck. You? You’re the sort who’ll claim greatness based on one match. “I won, therefore I’m the best!” you think.

No. The best isn’t the one who wins once, twice, then the titles. The best are those who start… win once… twice… three, four, five, six, seven times, as many times as it takes, leaving bodies in their wake so there’s no hope of anyone doubting the cold, hard reality.

That there is none better, nor more deserving, of those titles and that accolade.

You… by going straight to the top… are relying on luck. That shows me that as long as your career may have been, aren’t worth worrying about, because you’re relying on the lucky shot, the one in a billion chance that you’ll make no mistakes in the ring.

Perfection.

[Max laughs]

LJ: Ramey, the kind of perfection you tried to brag about, didn’t impress me in the early 80s.

Yes, kid. Early 1980s. When I was a young gun in this business. I’ve seen it all. The people who claim perfection. The people who use the clichés, like your partner.

The people who think because Max is German, Blitz are European.

Where’s California, again?

[Jecht laughs this time]

LJ: An amateur mistake, Ramey. A mistake… you don’t make them, do you?

Amateur, childish.

In short, a loser.

And as for Junior…

Pat Gordon… I’m guessing that’s supposed to scare these gentlemen? A name without any real merit.

Your father… your father… is that all that matters? That your dad didn’t get to wrestle in CSWA?

How that’s relevant I have no idea. Is he going to be joining you? Because each and every title Blitz have lost… it’s taken at least three people to beat them.

Or are you somehow hoping that someone else’s achievements will make others respect you?

Max: You might want to rethink that, Kinder. You are not him. He can’t help you when the bell rings. He can visit you in hospital later if you like.

LJ: Being a second generation Gordon means as much as being second generation Flair or Windham.

Nothing.

Saying that Max nor Jecht will be able to catch Ramey?

Meaningless.

I wonder what fantasy world you two live in. A world where one makes no mistakes and the other thinks the first can avoid being caught. It isn’t a reality I’ve seen in 30 years in this business.

That’s how I know, from your worlds of fantasy, that you two are going to lose, badly.

Because this is the world of reality.

Reality, where Max and Jecht have been and done it all. Reality where they rely on their current abilities to show why their reputation globally is among the best.

Reality… where they are bigger, stronger, more experienced, more powerful, and superior to you.

Jecht: You don’t have tickets to paradise, boy. You have tickets to the most embarrassing thing your “father” will have witnessed you doing since the time in your teens you shat the bed.

The reality is, you’ll be lucky to get taken seriously after this match. You’re nothing, and you’re gonna be even less when we’re done with you.

[FADE OUT]

 

[Ernie]

Re: Living the Dream: Pat Gordon, Jr. and Jesse Ramey vs. Blitz

Boston, Massachusetts.
South Side.

Pat Gordon, Jr. wears a winter coat, blue jeans, and green earmuffs. The winter coat is unzipped just enough to show off his FGA "Pat Lock" t-shirt. He must have a closet full of those. He seems really proud of that damn thing.

Pat is stooped over, shoveling snow off the walk for one of his neighbors. There's a thurmos resting in the snow next to him. He flings a shovelful of snow over his shoulder. Not the ergonomically correct way to do it, but what the hell, it's shoveling snow. He straightens up and looks forward. Dead serious look on his face. Even bordering on looking pissed off. He stabs the shovel into a pile of snow, leaving it to stand upright.

PGJR: "You're funny, Leonard James. Very funny. You say that my partner, Jesse Ramey, is making an amateur mistake. You tell us that we're living in a fantasy world. Yet you think your team, Blitz, has the easiest match of their careers coming up at CSWA PrimeTime in Atlanta? You think this is gonna be easy for your boys? You think there's no ring rust for your boy Max? You think that Blitz who haven't wrestled as a team in so long are still some unstoppable duo who will be on the same page the whole way through and that Ramey and I won't be able to work together at all?

"Who's REALLY living in a fantasy world, James? Because I think it's you. In fact, I KNOW it's you. Maybe Ramey and I didn't wrestle together for ten years before having one of us get hurt and become so terribly irrelevant that he needed to dig up the one partner who has done anything since then and their old, loud mouthed manager. Maybe this IS the first time that Ramey and I have ever been in the ring with one another. But I can guarantee you that we'll be on the same page."

The Southie Scrapper bends to pick up his thurmos. He stands upright and unscrews the cap. Steam eminates from the top of the thurmos. Gordon takes a sip and wipes his mouth with his coat sleeve. Then he screws the cap back on.

PGJR: "Jesse and I, despite having two different styles, despite the differences in our ages or how long we've been wrestling... He and I are two wrestlers of the same ilk. Kindred spirits, if you will. We both have the same bold determination, the same desire to win each and every time we step into a wrestling ring. Whether it's the UltraTitle, ACW for him, or FGA for me. And you'd better believe that when we both step foot in a CSWA ring, we're coming into that ring with even more determination. More desire to win. Because this... this is the big time, isn't it, Blitz? This isn't A1E or EPW. This is the most famed, the most renowned wrestling promotion ever in the history of the sport. Nowhere has the same history that the CSWA has. And no other promotion, EVER, could put wrestling on a stage as big as the CSWA."

Gordon places the thurmos back into its spot dug into the snow.

PGJR: "Now Leonard, you did say one thing that makes sense. And you said it last week. You said, 'It doesn't matter what you've done, or what you say you're going to do.' You said that this sport is based on results. And you're entirely right. And the irony that someone who spends so much time talking so much about past accolades would say that... Well that irony isn't lost on me.

"Because you've spent a lot of time establishing the fact that, years ago, Blitz WAS a dominant tag team. Years ago, Blitz WAS relevant. Years ago, Blitz DIDN'T have a weak link. But that's exactly what Max is now, isn't it? The weak link."

He rests his hand on the handle of the shovel standing up next to him.

PGJR: "And you've gone to great lengths talking about what's gone before for your boys as if it's supposed to intimidate US. You've done it so much you have me convinced that you have a doctorate... in ancient history. And one thing you said, just one sentence, speaks volumes. 'You two shouldn't even bother turning up.' "

Pat instinctively pulls the shovel from the snow, brandishing it in front of him as a weapon.

PGJR: "See, Jesse and I, we WANT Blitz to turn up. We're not scared. We don't want our opponents to back down. We want a FIGHT. And that's what we're going to give you, Blitz. A FIGHT. On the other hand, for all of your arrogant facade, you reek of cowardice and insecurity. You talk about wanting to take the long road, to prove that you're the best the hard way, but you want an easy win. You want opponents who don't show up so you can have an easy forfeit victory and move on to the next round.

"But we see the opportunity in front of us. We know Blitz is a tag team that once meant something in our sport. We know that Blitz, in their prime, is a challenge. And we still look at them as a challenge now. We also know what the talk will be when we have our hands raised at the end of the night. 'Look at this new team! Pat Gordon, Jr. and Jesse Ramey did the unthinkable! They beat a legendary tag team like Blitz!'

"And to prove it wasn't a fluke, we'll go on to the next round and do the same thing. And in the round after. We'll keep doing it until we're crowned CSWA Unified Tag Team Champions."

He sticks the shovel back into the snow and collects his thurmos again for another sip. Wipes his mouth with his coat sleeve, then back into the snow goes the closed up thurmos.

PGJR: "You know, I made it to the fourth round of UltraTitle over the summer. And each opponent I faced didn't think I could beat them. Neither did the odds-makers. I beat Suicide, a legend in this circuit, who was one half of the famed Texas Mystery Connection with Dusty Thompson, if I'm not mistaken. I beat August Joyce, a great technical wrestler in his own right. I even beat the demented Jeffrey Roberts."

Pat subconsciously rubs the scar above his right eye - the same scar Jeffrey Roberts left when he bit Gordon's forehead in their UltraTitle third round bout. The Southie Scrapper hasn't forgotten.

PGJR: "And nobody saw that coming. Hell, it took Jack Harmen, THE High Flyer himself, to put me out of the UltraTitle. And he made it to the final four.

"That shows you the kind of dedication and perseverance that I have. And for all of that, I know Jesse Ramey has more. Hell, you don't get to win the King of Ages by being some slacker. I trust Jesse Ramey. I trust his experience. And I plan to go out there and follow his lead. I know we'll make a great team. He has tag team experience. He's won titles before. And this won't be my first tag team match, even though I haven't been in many and I've had as many partners as tag matches.

"So no. Blitz. No, LJ. We're not gonna come out there and just let you win. In fact, we're not gonna let you win AT ALL."

Pat Gordon, Jr. snorts as he goes grabs the shovel and goes back to shoveling the snow.


============OOC===========I know this is past midnight Eastern time. It didn't really give a time deadline or anything and I tried as hard as I could to get this in before midnight my time. I hope it's still okay to post.

Also, I want to thank Karl for an awesome RP battle. You're a great roleplayer, especially with tag teams, and I'm glad to have the chance to face you (again)!