"If you want to make history, you have to know history."

~ Billy Robinson

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The rush of adrenaline.

The roar of the crowd.

The thump as his opponent hit the mat.

The fear in his eyes as he knew he was going to lose.

"Finn? Hey, wake up!"

"Mmph?"

The sudden line brought him back to reality as Finn rolled his eyes as his friend began waving his hand in front of Finn's face, muttering, "Yoohoooooo..? Earth to Finn?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here Jon," Finn yawned as he streched back in his chair, coming back to reality.

The two men appeared to be in a cafe. The setting outside was brutal, the summer temperatures definitely making their mark outdoors as dozens upon dozens of cars could be seen trying to head to the beach. People who weren't heading there were either staying indoors or heading with their friends to meet-up spots, like this one specific cafe that did not seem to have a name for some odd particular reason.

Speaking of the cafe, it seemed to be in pristine shape. The linoleum, checkered floors were spotless. Customers were hanging out, eating their food. The whole environment seemed 'care-free.'

Finn was here with his childhood friend, Jon Williams. The two had decided to get out of the house for a change and not be confined to the crappy apartment set-up they hand, the roommates had a decent bit of money to splurge from both men's meaningless 9-to-5 jobs, and they had found the cafe while walking around for something to do.

"Good, thought I lost you again to another of your daydreams," Jon chuckled, though the straight face on Finn's face made it clear he was in no joking manner. Suddenly, his face became deadly serious.

"Look Finn, I gotta ask. Why the hell did you join the XWF?" As Finn looked shocked from the sudden question, Jon continues, "Dude, we both religously follow the XWF. I was damned sure to find you, and you know it. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you join in the first place?"

Finn responded with a simple shrug before saying, "You know money's an issue. Sure, we're looking good now, but the way the world is now, you and I both know that's never gonna last."

Jon looked completely flabbergasted in response. "Dude, this is because of money? I get we're not in the most illustrious neighberhood, but surely there's got to be some sort of company nearby that can give you a better paying jo-"

Finn held up his hand to stop Jon. "It's about more than that," Finn starts, only to be cut off by Jon again.

"What is this about then, dude? If you get hurt there, then the hospital costs are going to be outrag--"

"It's about wanting more out of life. Right now, we wake up, we get ready for the day, we eat, we work our boring, meaningless 9-to-5 jobs daily, we go home, we cook and clean, maybe watch what's going on with the XWF, maybe hang out and play some games or whatever, and then we go to bed. When we get off from work, we hit the gym, or we get errands done, et cetra. And then the cycle continues daily. I don't know about you, but when I die I don't want to look back on a life filled with tediousness and nothingness. I know I'm meant for more. My parents and I struggled when we were younger, you know that. I refuse to let what they sacrificed to make my life for the best be in vain. Besides, if I'm going to stake a claim for myself in the game of life, why not do something I'm good at? Between fights out on the streets and wrestling for the varsity squad at high school, you know I can handle myself in a fight."

Jon looked fairly nervous as he responded, "Sure, you're a beast when it comes to fighting, I'll give you that. But dude, there are some mean motherfuckers in the XWF. We both know that, no question." As Finn nodded, Jon continued, "And you've already made an enemy out of one of the baddest. Dude, you're great and all when it comes to fighting like I just said, but if you seriously plan to go ahead and face Jack Cain now, I might as well pick out your flowers for your funeral and prepare a speech right no-"

"It's not coming to that," Finn sighed. "Besides, I'm not even facing Cain in my debut on that Warfare. I'm starting this Saturday, which reminds me, I'm gonna need to book a flight out to Hollywood and make plans for some accomadations."

"Oh? I haven't had a look at the card for the Savage this weekend, who are you fac--"

"Some scrub named Doc Psycho."

"Oh," said Jon, clearly sounding deflated. "Isn't that dude one member of that j0bber team with that guy... what's his name... Phantom Panzer? And isn't Psycho the guy with the brains behind that stupid Dragon House Match?"

"The one and only," Finn nodded.

"Well then, this fight is gonna seem fairly straightforward," Jon sighed. Suddenly, a loud ding can be heard cutting through the air as both men looked towards the counter. "Well, looks like our food's done. I'll be a bit in line," Jon said, getting out of his seat and waiting for his food.

It was at this moment that Finn realized the camera following him as he sighed. "Great, looks like I got the resident XWF stalker camera man following us around now." Finn shook his head. "Well, might as well talk to my so-called opponent now, if you can even call him that. Doc, I'm gonna be honest here-- do you know what you're getting yourself into? You begged for this match, you begged for the opportunity to prove yourself and knock me down a peg. Hell, you even let me choose the stipulation. I admire your tenacity for that, but ultimately it's going to be your tenacity that's your downfall, because like it or not: you've signed your death warrant by asking me for this match."

"Like, I can't even comprehend the amount of mental stupidity you must have to take this chance. I know they're letting anyone out of med school these days, but I can't imagine they let a literal walk through their halls and get his certification and actually become a doctor. Unless you're one of those special morons that just call themselves 'Doctor' just as a way to give yourself a special ring name. Listen dude, the odds of you making it out of this match alive are slim to none. And I think you know that fact as well. You've remained silent thus far, and if you even want to have a shred of dignity after this match, you'll keep it like that. If you stay quiet, I promise to make this beating swift and somewhat painless. You'll lose- horribly at that- though I'm sure you're rather used to it now ever since your parents left you in a dumpster shortly after birth. I mean, is there even a winning quality about you except for tugging onto your winning partner's coattails? You and I both know that if not for Panzer, you wouldn't be here right now."

"Now, I'm sure any fans watching this video right now are probably asking, 'Finn! Finn! What's the stipulation for this match?' Well, I'm glad you asked. The stipulation I'm choosing is a match where many great competitors have tested their mettles. This match has seen a multitude of fights take place, whether it be a knock-down, drag-out brawl or a technical masterclass. The match I'm choosing is quite unlike my opponent, in that you actually need a brain to win. The match I'm choosing... is a submission match. And trust me, if Psycho wants this match to end quick and painless, he'll stay silent, I'll lock in the Death's Grasp sharpshooter, he'll tap in record time and I'll up my record to one and oh. But if Psycho even utters one word in a promo about this match, heh..." A sinister smile can be seen on Finn's face.

"If Psycho wants to act like the tough he thinks he is and spew some garbage, then that's it. I'm going to utterly brutalize him. I'm going to destroy him. I am going to maul him. I am going to whup Doc Psycho's ass around the entire arena. I am going to throw Doc Psycho in the Lion's Den. On the timeline however, this is just going to be a stepping stone. I'm sure not a soul alive actually belives this... this joke has a chance when it comes to beating me. So, Doc. Show up to get stomped. Or don't, and just no-show. Doesn't matter to me any, I'm going to enjoy collecting my paycheck at the end of the night and look forward to bigger and better fights, like a certain assclown named Jack Cain." Finn chuckles as Jon can be seen entering the shot again with their food as the camera fades to black.

~FIN~