Chuck's Story

Chuck slumps on the sofa, groaning.

Anna Stone: “Tell me about it.”

The two of them had just returned from a....rather interesting day at Matthews Tower, and were now relaxing in the comfort of Chuck’s home. Anna curls up next to him on the couch, yawning loudly.

Chuck Matthews: “Tired?”

Anna Stone: “Not really.”

She stretches out, then curls right back up, cuddling up next to Chuck, and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Chuck Matthews: “Sure doesn’t seem that way.”

Anna Stone: “My feet hurt.”

Chuck kisses the top of her head.

Chuck Matthews: “I guess we’re crashing right here then.”

Anna Stone: “I guess so…”

She looks at Chuck for a moment, then kisses him.

Anna Stone: “Today was fun. Thank you.”

Chuck raises an eyebrow.

Chuck Matthews: “Fun?”

Fun wasn’t exactly the word he would have used to describe the day. Ashley and Brandon had gone to his office, demanding to know where Ashley’s dad was. Chuck had answered truthfully. He didn’t know. Ted Borden was homeless He was a wanderer. As far as Chuck knew, he had walked from Miami to Chicago, looking for him, and was likely making his way to New York City as they spoke, tying to find where his missing daughter was. He had no home. No car. Nothing.

Ashley didn’t buy it, despite her search for Ted leading to one dead end after another. Every address she had gotten had apparently been wrong, and by the time she got there, she had found that someone else was living there instead. She was convinced Chuck was lying to her to cover his own ass. Of course…Chuck hadn’t told her the situation her father was in. She had asked only where her father was. Chuck said he didn’t know. The question was answered. No need for further explanation.

Anna Stone: “I don’t know. I mean, having to deal with Brandon and your daughter wasn’t the best time ever…but the rest of the day was nice.”

Chuck Matthews: “We didn’t do anything.”

Anna Stone: “We got to spend some time together. And we went to dinner. That was nice.”

Chuck shrugs. The girl was easily entertained. What was just a dull meal at a restaurant in Chicago was apparently a huge deal for someone like Anna. Then again, she had married Brandon…so that explained a lot.

Chuck Matthews: “Glad you enjoyed it.”

Anna smiles, hugging Chuck tight. They’re silent for a moment.

Anna Stone: “Can I ask you something?”

Chuck Matthews: “Sure.”

Anna Stone: “What’s your family like?”

Chuck looks at her.

Chuck Matthews: “My family? Why?”

Anna shrugs.

Anna Stone: “I was talking to my mom the other day…talking to her about the divorce and stuff. I told her I was spending time with a good friend of mine, and that he was helping me through it. She asked me what he was like, and it got me thinking.”

Chuck Matthews: “We’re talking about me, right?”

He smirks. Anna giggles, and kisses him.

Anna Stone: “Yes. We’re talking about you. But I mean…I don’t really know you. I thought I did. But when I think about it…I guess I don’t. I don’t know where you came from. I don’t know who you are.”

Chuck Matthews: “I’m not that interesting.”

Anna Stone: “Come on. You’re the CEO of a global corporation. You’re a multiple time champion, one of the best wrestlers in the world…you have no stories to tell at all? How does someone grow up to do that? I mean, what was it like growing up? Where did you go to school?”

Chuck Matthews: “Prometheus Academy.”

Anna Stone: “Where is that?”

Chuck Matthews: “It was the private school in the town I grew up in.”

Anna Stone: “Wait…high school?”

Chuck nods.

Anna Stone: “And after that?”

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: “I started my career. Got a job fighting in this small fighting company called UGW, and-”

Anna Stone: “YOU were a fighter?”

Chuck Matthews: “For a while. I went 9-3. They thought I was nuts because I was constantly asking to be booked. Most guys fight a match, then spend a few months preparing. I would take a fight, go in, get it done, and immediately ask for another one. It was just constant. Boom, boom, boom. Once I got an offer to wrestle, I quit fighting immediately.”

Anna Stone: “Why?”

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: “It never had the same appeal. Fighting was tough in its own right, but it bored me to tears. Wrestling was far more interesting. It gave me a chance to properly utilize my skills, and it was just a bigger challenge. It was tougher.”

Anna Stone: “Where did you train?”

Chuck Matthews: “I didn’t. Self-taught. That’s how I’ve always been. Everything I know, be it in the ring, or my relationships, or the stuff I know, it’s all things I’ve learned by my own research and studies on my own time.”

Anna Stone: “So you never went to college or anything?”

Chuck shakes his head.

Chuck Matthews: “Nope. Prometheus Heights Academy for high school. Never did anything after that.”

Anna Stone: “The smartest man in wrestling…never went to college.”

Chuck Matthews: “Who cares? I learned all the same things a college student did. I’ve read the works of Shakespeare. H.G. Wells. Robert Frost. I’ve studied Socrates, Descartes, Plato. I’ve read countless books on the sciences. I just didn’t spend a hundred grand to get a slip of paper that says I studied at an institution.”

Anna Stone: “But it’s a powerful credential.”

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: “What do I need the credential for? To get a good job? I’m the CEO of a company that’s turned out to be an extremely prestigious investment. I mean, I had thought about going. I would have done it, too. But I figured, after high school, I’d try my hand at wrestling. My plan was to give it a year. If I felt I wasn’t going anywhere, I would have been nineteen at the time, and I would have quit and gotten a formal education. Turns out my career was looking bright. So I stuck with it.”

Anna says nothing. Chuck frowns at her.

Chuck Matthews: “Anything that’s ever been known is known now because someone went and figured it out for themselves. Self-teaching is a traditional way of learning. And honestly, I think it’s far more efficient. Everything I know, I’ve learned by my own personal experience. Sure, you can read about the Revolutionary War…but if you study it on your own time, by your own merit…if you take the initiative to better your own mind…isn’t that better than simply listening to endless facts so you can regurgitate them when a test rolls around?”

Anna stares at Chuck for a moment.

Anna Stone: “I suppose so…”

Chuck slumps back in his seat.

Anna Stone: “I didn’t mean to say you were stupid.”

Chuck doesn’t say anything.

Anna Stone: “You’re not. You definitely live up to your name.”

Chuck smirks.

Chuck Matthews: “Thank you.”

Anna kisses his cheek.

Anna Stone: “Enough about that though. Tell me more. You went to that Academy. What was that like?”

Chuck thinks back.

Chuck Matthews: “It was…interesting. It was a private school. One of the best in the state.”

Anna Stone: “Did you have to wear a uniform?”

Chuck Matthews: “Yeah.”

Anna tries to stifle a giggle.

Chuck Matthews: “Fuck it, I’m not talking about this.”

Anna stops laughing immediately.

Anna Stone: “No! Please, go on. I totally know what the uniform thing was like. I went to a Catholic school until college.”

Chuck Matthews: “That does not surprise me at all…”

Anna puts on an expression of mock offense.

Anna Stone: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chuck Matthews: “Virgin schoolgirl from Toronto, remember?”

Anna rolls her eyes, and kisses Chuck.

Anna Stone: “I’m from Ottawa.”

Chuck shrugs.

Anna Stone: “So…back to the story. Prometheus whatever. Tell me about it.”

Chuck leans back on the sofa, thinking back…

------------------------------------------------------------

August 20, 1990
Prometheus Heights Academy

Chuck slowly steps out of the car, staring at the massive building before him. The school had always freaked him out a bit, but to finally be there, standing in front of it…it was almost petrifying. It was a huge, foreboding building, sitting on a hill outside of town. It was a three minute drive through the woods to get there, and once it opened into a clearing, there sat the castle-esque towers that made up Prometheus Heights Academy. The building was gothic in design, with flying buttresses along the east and west walls, and gargoyles with distorted faces staring down at visitors from tall spires on the roof. Tall hedges lined the path from the parking lots to the building itself, and a massive red wall blocked the school from the outside world, though the barrier itself had since been overtaken by ivy. Chuck takes a deep breath. Behind him, Jessica hops out of the van, grabbing Chuck’s hand. Chris and Jacob step out behind her, grinning.

Jessica Matthews: “Come on, Charlie!”

She pulls him towards the school. Behind them, their mom shouts from the driver’s seat.

Amy Matthews: “Have a good day! I’ll pick you up at three!”

The Matthews kids turn and wave at their mom, before turning back to Chuck.

Jessica Matthews: “You coming?”

Chuck nods. Jessica puts her hands on her hips.

Jacob Matthews: “You ain’t scared, are you?”

Chuck shakes his head.

Chris Matthews: “How come you ain’t saying nothing?”

Chuck shrugs.

Jessica Matthews: “It’s his first day, he doesn’t know anyone. Why don’t you guys introduce him to some of your friends?”

Chris Matthews: “No way. We can’t be seen with him. He’s a little kindergartner.”

Jacob Matthews: “They’re on the first floor for a reason.”

Chris Matthews: “Because they’re not big enough to climb the big boy steps?”

He and Jacob laugh, and slap high five. Chuck hangs his head. Jessica hugs him, watching as Jacob and Chris take off towards the school, laughing.

Jessica Matthews: “They’re just being dumb. You can hang out with us if you want.”

Chuck nods, and follows his sister through the huge black iron gate, onto the school grounds. Jessica looks around, and spots a group of kids over by the entrance to a hedge maze. Jessica walks over to them. One girl sees her approaching, and points excitedly. She runs up to them, smiling wide. Chuck recognizes her. She was one of Jessica’s friends, Bridget.

Bridget Baker: “Jessie!”

Jessica and Bridget hug, squealing excitedly.

Jessica Matthews: “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Bridget Baker: “All summer!”

Jessica looks at the kids around the maze.

Jessica Matthews: “What’s going on?”

Bridget rolls her eyes.

Bridget Baker: “Sean dared Cody to go into the maze. Since he’s an idiot, he did it.”

Jessica shakes her head. Another girl turns away from the group, noticing Jessica standing there.

Melissa Kessler: “Hi Jessica!”

Jessica Matthews: “Melissa! Hi!”

She hugs Melissa as well. Melissa notices Chuck, who stands off to the side, looking at his shoes.

Melissa Kessler: “Hi Charlie.”

Chuck waves shyly. Bridget and Melissa were Jessica’s best friends. They were in first grade this year, and were a year older than Chuck. He knew them, just because they had been at their house many times before. He had never really talked to them. He was afraid to. Chuck was a very shy kid.

Jessica Matthews: “It’s his first day.”

Melissa smiles wide.

Melissa Kessler: “Cool! Are you excited?”

Chuck shrugs, and mumbles something.

Bridget Baker: “Come on, Charlie, talk to us, not your shoes!”

Chuck Matthews: “Yeah, I guess.”

Melissa shakes her head.

Melissa Kessler: “You’re funny.”

Chuck looks back at his shoes. Jessica holds him close to her.

Jessica Matthews: “He’s shy, come on guys.”

She looks at Charlie. She suddenly looks up.

Jessica Matthews: “Oh…I forgot what my locker number is.”

Melissa Kessler: “Talk to Ms. Mulligan.”

Jessica Matthews: “Can you guys look after Charlie while I’m gone?”

Chuck looks up at Jessica, scared.

Bridget Baker: “What’s that look for?”

Melissa Kessler: “Come on, you know us!”

Bridget Baker: “Come on, Charlie, you can hang out with us.”

Jessica looks Chuck in the eyes.

Jessica Matthews: “I promise I’ll be right back, kay?”

Chuck nods.

Melissa Kessler: “We can show you around the grounds!”

Bridget Baker: “Like a tour! I get to be the bus driver!”

Melissa Kessler: “Come on, Charlie!”

She and Bridget each grab one of Chuck’s hands and pull him towards the hedge maze. Chuck looks over his shoulder, as his sister walks towards the building, away from him.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Anna Stone: “Wait…you were scared?”

Chuck Matthews: “I was five!”

Anna Stone: “But you’re…you! You had two girls with you, and you were scared?”

Chuck Matthews: “I was five!”

Anna Stone: “It’s just funny to imagine.”

Chuck Matthews: “Fine, I won’t tell the story then.”

Anna Stone: “No, keep telling it! This is funny. So you were with Bridget and Melissa…”

Chuck Matthews: “They showed me around the school. What’s there to tell?”

Anna Stone: “Ok, so skip to an interesting part. Enough about your first day at school. Tell me about your first kiss.”

Chuck Matthews: “I’m not telling you that.”

Anna frowns.

Anna Stone: “Why not? I want to know.”

Chuck Matthews: “It’s like, the universal dating rule of the universe. You never talk about your past girlfriends with your current one.”

Anna Stone: “What if she asks about it?”

Chuck sighs.

Chuck Matthews: “Fine…”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Prometheus Heights Academy
December 18, 2001

Chuck walks through the snow, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

Melissa Kessler: “Chuckie!”

Chuck turns to see Melissa running towards him, a red scarf blowing behind her in the wind.

Melissa Kessler: “What are you doing here?”

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: “I could ask you the same question.”

Melissa Kessler: “I needed to talk to Mr. Zimmer about the homework.”

Chuck Matthews: “What about it?”

Melissa Kessler: “I forgot what it was.”

Chuck shakes his head.

Chuck Matthews: “You could have asked me.”

Despite being a senior, Melissa and Chuck were in the same chemistry class, Mr. Zimmer’s fourth period. They were lab partners. Melissa was a smart girl, but she was lazy. She was very pretty, and she knew it, often getting guys to help her with things by flirting with them, playing them like her little puppets. Chuck liked to think he was different. The two of them were friends, sort of. It was a tight-knit group of people they hung out with. Melissa was the head cheerleader, and in the stereotypical cheerleader fashion, was one of the prettiest and most popular girls in the school. She had this on-again, off-again relationship with Prometheus Academy’s star quarterback, Nathan Dole. Nathan was, surprisingly, a pretty nice guy, considering he had half the school wrapped around his finger. He and Chuck hung out from time to time, mostly at the gym, where Nate acted as a sort of personal trainer. In Chuck’s freshman year, Nate had convinced him to try for the football team. Chuck had made the cut, and played as a tight end. He wasn’t too bad at it, either. He never tried for the team again after that, though, a decision that disappointed Nate greatly.

Nathan Dole: “Dude, we could have been champions together.”

Chuck didn’t really have a valid reason as to why he didn’t keep playing. He probably could have made it to varsity if he really wanted. Instead, he settled for the friendship he had with the group. None of them were really involved in the same activities…and that was fine. Bridget was the thespian, choosing to spend her time in the auditorium, rehearsing for the next big school production. She was, ironically, very introverted, and rarely talked with anyone outside their strange little clique. Then there was Cody Beltram. Cody and Chuck didn’t really see eye to eye, but there wasn’t really a specific time when their rivalry really came to fruition. Chuck was one of the youngest in the group, being a full grade below them, but Cody was only a few months older, and was only a senior because he had just made the age limit for the classes. Chuck felt as though Cody only really disliked him because Chuck was younger, and Cody felt it challenged his status to be seen with a kid from a lower class. This seemed logical, as Cody also had somewhat hostile feelings towards Joseph Fugher, who was a friend of Chuck’s from gradeschool. He was the only one of the group who was younger than Chuck, but he too was a junior…and likewise, felt Cody’s wrath. Cody was on the baseball team, and his forearms looked more like small trees than human appendages…especially when compared to Chuck’s relatively thin frame. Cody could almost always be seen wearing a baseball cap of some kind, usually for the St. Louis Cardinals. Aside from them, there was also Sean Jenson, the shooting guard on Prometheus Heights’ basketball team. He was the only one of them who appeared thinner than Chuck. In reality, Sean outweighed Chuck by a good thirty pounds. However, he also towered over Chuck at six foot seven, dwarfing the six foot Chuck. Then there was Jessica and Lars. Lars went to Knoxville Community High School, the only one of the group that didn’t attend Prometheus Heights.

Lars Alexei…there was something about him that Chuck didn’t like. Like the rest of the group, he was a senior in high school. Chuck wasn’t really sure why he didn’t like Alexei. Perhaps it was because Lars was dating Jessica, and seeing Lars with his older sister angered Chuck. Maybe it was because Lars went to the public school, and didn’t fit in with the ideals of the private institution. Or maybe it was because Lars had this whole “bad boy” image to him. He was on the hockey team, and had several scars to prove it, including a particularly brutal one across his shin where he had been cut by a skate. He had long, greasy black hair that hung around his shoulders, and he was often seen wearing a black leather jacket…even during the summer, in ninety degree heat. What a fucking tool.

Melissa Kessler: “I thought you went home. Which leads me back to my original question. Why are you still here?”

Chuck looks at Melissa, snapping back to reality.

Chuck Matthews: “Missed the bus.”

Melissa rolls her eyes.

Melissa Kessler: “Dork.”

Chuck Matthews: “Shut up.”

Melissa laughs. He turns and starts walking in the opposite direction, away from Melissa and the school.

Melissa Kessler: “Where are you going?”

Chuck Matthews: “Home.”

Melissa jogs to catch up.

Melissa Kessler: “Do you want a ride?”

Chuck looks at her.

Chuck Matthews: “Nah, I’ll be okay. Thanks though.”

Melissa shakes her head.

Melissa Kessler: “It’s fifteen degrees out, and it’s snowing. Let me rephrase. I’m giving you a ride home. Get in the fucking car.”

Chuck smirks. Melissa grabs his arm, dragging him towards the school parking lot, where a few cars are still parked. She unlocks the doors, and opens the passenger door.

Melissa Kessler: “In.”

Chuck looks at her, raising an eyebrow. Melissa giggles, and shoves his arm.

Melissa Kessler: “Don’t make this difficult, Matthews. It’s freezing outside.”

Chuck stretches out, arching his back, then pulling his arm across his chest, yawning loudly. Melissa laughs harder.

Melissa Kessler: “You’re doing that on purpose! Come on, you’re getting snow in my car!”

Chuck Matthews: “You’re the one that opened the door. You let the snow in yourself.”

Melissa points to the car.

Melissa Kessler: “I’m not letting you walk home. You’ll freeze to death.”

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: “Fine.”

He slides into the car, and Melissa shuts the door, locking it. She runs around it, getting into the driver’s seat. She stares at Chuck.

Melissa Kessler: “You’re insane, you know that?”

Chuck smiles innocently. Melissa rolls her eyes, and starts her car. She wipes the snow from the windshield, and immediately cranks up the heat in the car.

Melissa Kessler: “So fucking cold…”

Chuck laughs. There’s a long silence as she pulls out of the Prometheus Heights Academy parking lot.

Chuck Matthews: “Thanks a lot for the ride.”

Melissa Kessler: “Anytime.”

She smiles at him for a moment before returning her attention to the road. There’s a long silence.

Melissa Kessler: “So how was your day?”

Chuck Matthews: “Same old, really.”

Melissa Kessler: “You going to the Winter Formal?”

Chuck Matthews: “No.”

The Winter Formal was some big dance the school held every year right before Christmas break. Chuck had never gone, partly due to the fact that he hated school dances, and partly because he didn’t have the nerve to ask anyone to go with him to one.

Melissa Kessler: “Why not?”

Chuck Matthews: “Eh…just don’t feel like going.”

Melissa Kessler: “Couldn’t find a date?”

Chuck Matthews: “I never said that.”

Melissa Kessler: “I swear, I don’t understand you at all, Charles Matthews.”

Chuck looks at her.

Chuck Matthews: “Why is that?”

Melissa Kessler: “You’re one of the nicest guys in the whole school. You’re a good looking guy. You’re like, the perfect guy. But you’re single, and you’ve never dated anyone. Like, ever.”

Chuck Matthews: “I don’t know whether to feel flattered or insulted.”

Melissa Kessler: “You have no self-esteem at all, do you?”

Chuck Matthews: “I have plenty of self-esteem!”

Melissa Kessler: “Oh yeah?”

Chuck Matthews: “Yeah.”

Melissa Kessler: “Ask Sarah Nestor to the formal.”

Chuck Matthews: “Sarah Nestor?”

Sarah Nestor was a cheerleader on Melissa’s squad. She was a pretty blond girl, but was notoriously shy, despite her bubbly, outgoing nature when she was cheering. She sat at the back of her classes, and sat next to Chuck in French. Chuck seemed to be the only guy she really talked to, but Chuck had always assumed it was because they were partners in the class.

Melissa Kessler: “She’s been crushing on you since like, freshman year.”

Chuck Matthews: “Seriously? How do you know this?”

Melissa Kessler: “Really? Captain of the cheerleading squad doesn’t know who her team wants to fuck? It’s locker room talk, Charlie. You guys do the same thing in football.”

Chuck Matthews: “Well, like…what do they say?”

Melissa Kessler: “You did not just ask me that.”

Chuck quickly looks back out the window.

Chuck Matthews: “Sorry.”

Melissa Kessler: “Wow, Charlie, are you serious?”

Chuck looks back at her.

Chuck Matthews: “Huh?”

Melissa Kessler: “You don’t have a single sexual bone in your body, do you? Christ, any other guy would hear Sarah Nestor was crushing on them, and they’d immediately be formulating some plan to get in her pants!”

Chuck Matthews: “I don’t think of her like that.”

Melissa Kessler: “I know. And that’s weird.”

Chuck Matthews: “Why is it weird?”

Melissa’s voice heightens, and she seems almost frustrated for a moment.

Melissa Kessler: “Because you…you’re just….you’re PERFECT!”

Chuck leans away from Melissa, staring at her. Perfect wasn’t really a word he would have used. Chuck was sixteen years old, but he’d never dated. He was a shy kid, preferring to spend his days going to school, getting done what he needed to get done, then going home. He didn’t have a lot of friends, aside from the group he and Jessica associated with. And he’d never had a girlfriend, let alone someone as pretty as Sarah Nestor. Melissa stops the car, and turns to face Chuck.

Melissa Kessler: “Charlie. Listen to me.”

Chuck avoids eye contact with her. Melissa grabs his face, forcing him to stare into her eyes.

Melissa Kessler: “I’m going to give you some advice, okay? You have all the potential in the world to be the most popular guy in the entire fucking school. You don’t talk to ANYBODY. You could have any girl you wanted, at any time, and you could be walking around like you owned the place. You know why you don’t? Because you’re a shy little shit who refuses to talk to anybody that isn’t in his own little circle. You know how many girls on my team think come in, talking about you?”

Melissa puts on a very high-pitched, girly voice.

Melissa Kessler: “’You know who’s really cute? That Charlie Matthews kid.’ ‘Charlie is such a sweetheart!’ ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen him mean to anyone!’ Do you understand what I’m saying? People love you, Charlie.”

Chuck Matthews: “I don’t get why you’re telling me this.”

Melissa stares at him, dumbstruck.

Melissa Kessler: “Because I didn’t think it was possible for someone to be so hopeless! How can you sit there, knowing everyone in that school wants to be your friend, and still choose to be so quiet?”

Chuck shrugs sheepishly.

Chuck Matthews: “I guess I never really wanted to be that guy.”

Melissa stares at him for a moment. There’s a long silence. She suddenly pulls him towards her, and kisses him, holding him there to keep him from pulling away. Finally, she releases him, and Chuck pulls himself out of her reach. He stares at her, shocked. Even Melissa seems a bit surprised at what just occurred. She shakes her head, frowning.

Melissa Kessler: “We’re here.”

Chuck fidgets with the door, trying to get it open. He finally does, and falls out of the car, landing facefirst in the snow. He scrambles to his feet, and grabs his backpack, looking at Melissa.

Chuck Matthews: “Well…um….thanks for the ride.”

Melissa looks at him.

Melissa Kessler: “Think about what I said, alright?”

Chuck nods nervously.

Chuck Matthews: “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”

He quickly shuts the door and runs up the driveway towards Matthews Manor…and away from Melissa Kessler.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Matthews: “So this is it, isn’t it? This is what you’ve been waiting for, hasn’t it? One more opportunity to shut me up. To put me on the shelf. To teach me some lesson or punish me for my wickedness or whatever the fuck it is you’re trying to do.

But you’re not going to do that. Why? Simple. Because while I can strut around and talk about how you never know what I’m going to do next…and let’s face it, that holds true a vast majority of the time…

You’re painfully predictable. Two matches, and I know every little trick you have, and dozens that you don’t. I know exactly how you’re going to come in, I know what you’re going to try to do. Hell, I could even guess that you were going to sit there and try to brag to me about pinning Vincent Van Rose.

….Seriously?

‘BUT CHUCK! I BEAT YOU IN THREE MATCHES NOW! DAT MAKE ME BETTA!’

What parallel universe did we stumble into where two matches makes you better than me? No, as a matter of fact, last week didn’t mean a goddamn thing. Yeah, I would fully expect you to brag about last week. Pin Rose, say you beat Chuck…yeah, that makes sense. I can’t say I’d be surprised. You’re going to try and brag about that? You’re going to try and get under my skin by reminding me that I had a teammate that was too incompetent to win a fucking match? Come on, you can’t be that stupid.

Well….YOU can. But I’m not.

But, of course…there were those other two matches. Those two matches that you’ll hold high for the rest of your miserable fucking career, because honestly, they were the defining moments of your entire life. Yeah, congrats, you beat me twice. That’s no small feat. I mean, our current IWF Champion has never in his pathetic career been able to beat me twice in a row.

But wait a minute now...hold on, let’s take a step back for a second and think this through…

Someone who’s beaten me twice in the past…That makes the claim that he’s better than me…this all sounds so familiar…

HOLY SHIT, THIS IS FRANK HART ALL OVER AGAIN!

That’s exactly what you are, Brandon. You’re another Frank Hart. See, Hart beat me twice, just like you. One of those victories was in a match that everybody expected him to lose, only for him to overcome the odds and beat me. Just like you. Frank got a big head about it. He created this fun little delusion for himself, this happy little make-believe world where Frank Hart was better than Chuck Matthews. He was thoroughly convinced that I could never beat him. Just like you.

Whatever happened to ol’ Frankie?

He never beat me again.

And you’re about to suffer that same fate.

Just like Frank, your accomplishments in the ring fall short to mine. What the fuck have you ever done? Five time world champion across two companies?

In my first two wrestling companies? Eleven time world champion.

You were a two-time tag team champion?

I had seven.

You’ve won a Devastation match, an End Game, and a ladder match?

I’ve had ten Devastation victories. I’ve won two triple cages. I’ve won hell in a cell. Ladder matches. TLC matches. ‘I Quit’ matches.

You held all the major titles a company had?

I did it twice.

So let me ask you…where the FUCK do you get off thinking you’re better than I am? I am, and have been for quite some time, a fucking legend of this industry. I’ve been a mainstay in every company I’ve ever joined. To this day, there has never been a company that I’ve joined that I haven’t reached the top of the food chain.And you honestly think you’re better than me? Every accomplishment you’ve had in this business, I’ve done first, and I’ve done better. But you’re dumb enough to sit there and think you’re better than me because…you beat me twice?

I mean, I’ll step to your defense for a moment. You’re a UFC fighter. In UFC, two wins means a lot. In UFC, two wins is…about a year of your career. For me? Two wins lasts half a month. Two wins doesn’t mean anything. Especially when, like you, you pull it off back to back. You know what I see when I look at those two matches?

Dumb fucking luck. Welcome to wrestling. Two wins doesn’t mean jack shit. Especially not when they happened in some company that, you’ll notice, no longer exists. You were so dominant back then…and now what? You’ve won the IWF title once, and fucked that up. You’ve lost two opportunities to win it back, to the same guy.

Hey, you’re going to beat me this week because you beat me twice in the past? Corey beat you twice in the past. I’ve beat Corey far more than twice. IT’S A GIANT CIRCLE OF DUMBASS LOGIC!

But it’s to be expected. I don’t need to remind you who the smartest man in wrestling is. I think I’ve done a fine job of proving that…every time I do anything, ever. I mean, come on. Honestly, why should I worry? What makes you think I should sit here, sweating about this match? What, because you held a few titles? Because you caught a couple lucky breaks against me? I mean, let’s not try and sugarcoat anything. Every match you’ve ever faced me in, you’ve been lucky. A referee’s retarded call in our first face-off. Do you remember that? I didn’t tap out, you arrogant douchebag, you caught a lucky break from a dumbass referee. Which, come to think of it, is exactly how you won your second victory against me as well. And most recently? You didn’t even pin me. Fuck, you hardly managed to pin Van Rose.

So…we have your two wins…neither have been convincing in the slightest. Both were back to back, which can be attributed to about ninety different things….how are you winning this match again?

For fuck’s sake, the only thing you have that you can hold against me, and it’s the most tarnished piece of shit you could possibly have. You have two wins…which you needed all the help you could get to take. Ask yourself that, Brandon. Look back at those matches. Could you have really beaten me? Have you ever had a convincing match against me?

Rhetorical question. Simple answer is ‘No.’ You have never truly beaten me. You’ve caught one lucky break after another after another. You have never been able to keep me down to win a match. You have never managed to win in such a way that people go home thinking ‘Wow, Brandon beat Chuck Matthews.’

You know what they were thinking?

‘Wow, Chuck Matthews got robbed.’

‘That was quite an upset.’

‘Damn, Brandon lucked out.’

That’s exactly what you’ve done. Lucked the fuck out. Stolen one win after another. Failed, consistently, at convincing the fans that you can really beat me. Failed, consistently, at convincing me that you can really beat me.

I don’t think you can do it.

Actually, let me rephrase.

I KNOW you can’t do it.

At Fallout, I’m going to prove exactly why.”