December 28th, 2020

Ned and Urias stand in the good doctor’s office, both wearing gloves as the recently attained bootleg backpack lies upon a table in front of them. Dr. Pheelanruff takes a deep breath, wiggling his fingers slightly as he prepares to unzip the backpack.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Urias gulps cautiously moving his hand towards one of the zippers, trying to steady his arm as much as possible. Ned, standing closeby, nonchalantly holds a flashlight towards the backpack while Urias sweats profusely, his nerves wracked. Urias wipes the sweat from his brow, doing everything he can to be steady! Can he do it?! Can he successfully open the backpack without damaging the intrica-

“Urias.”

Pheelanruff looks up, stricken from his inner monologue.

“You know you can just open it right?”

“Geez Ned, you really have no eye for suspense do you?”

Reluctantly, the doctor opens the backpack normally, dropping the intense Arc of the Covenant-esque preamble. Looking inside, however, nothing appears to be face-meltingly good or bad. Rather, it’s mostly just a normal backpack.

“Typically, you let me kinda do my thing for a little longer? What’s the rush, buddy?”

Immediately looking a tad coy, Ned stumbles over his response.

“Well, I’m gonna try and… y’know… meet up with someone.”

“Meet up? Like hook up? Ned, you dog, I thought for sure you were a virgin!”

“No, no, nothing like that! And you know that’s not true!”

Playfully, Urias responds, “Well, I don’t know what to believe anymore! My lil’ Neddy going out on dates already! He’s growing up so fast.”

Ned rolls his eyes as he inspects the backpack further, the counterfeit Hart belt nearby for close examination. Looking over it, he quickly has trouble finding any common identifiers the two share, despite his hopes that they might be linked.

“I just thought… because you set up that whole profile for me that I might as well make a genuine attempt to follow through with that religious girl for at least a date.”

“But, Ned, you don’t sound very into her. Plus, I’m 90% certain she’s in love with the church and 100% certain that your whole “Burning Bright” thing will be a little too real if you ever walk into a church!”

“Ha ha. I’ve been to church before, Doc. My parents weren’t Catholic for nothing. They just respected my choices. That’s basically the most I could ask f-AHA!”

“Whatcha find? This I gotta see!”

Ned turns the backpack slightly inside out, revealing a small tag with the letter BDD and a copyright symbol on them.

“We have a lead. Or, at least a logo.”

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“2020 has been a shit year.”

“And in an odd way, the fact that such a statement is so universal is somewhat reassuring. Many of us walked into this year with a sense of optimism, a desire to push forward, especially in the XWF. 2019 was a landmark year for this company. The beginning of a new era, depending on you ask, and I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of it. But as triumphant as 2019 was, 2020 on all fronts has been a harsh contrast. It feels like all of us are walking out of this year in rougher shape than when we entered. Worn, tired, and beaten by twelve months that feel like a stride through hell itself for many, despite good news coming for many of us as we march towards the sluggish conclusion we’ve been waiting for. Just my own experiences this year have brought a myriad of feelings that skew primarily towards anguish. Be it my defeat at the hands of The Engineer and my self-imposed exile that came from it, my isolated wandering throughout the world as I fought to regain my own sense of optimism, and the torment I suffered at the hands of Chris Chaos. 2020 was a year defined by the influence of the corrupt and ignoble, but that’s only half of the truth. Yes, Sarah Lacklan was unjustly stripped of her title, but it was won by someone not only deserving of it, but someone beloved for his spirit and his willingness to stand against the preconceived notion of what made an XWF Champion nowadays in a thrilling battle filled with the best of us. On the same night where Kenzi Grey took one step towards righting the wrong done to her spouse. The same night I took a stand against BOB’s muscle and won the Hart Championship, one of the most prestigious awards in this company and one that has fallen under dark times as of recently. All of these events took just one night to occur. And that’s where the true beauty comes in.”

“Because this painful year has been a surprising unifier for many of us. A reminder how close and fragile we all are despite the belief of the contrary. We convince ourselves so often that we’re so different, but be it Chris Chaos or Thaddeus Duke, we all had to live through this abysmal year. We all had to adapt. And that’s where it becomes so particularly fascinating. I chose to return in this dark time after the goading of a bastard. Chaos chose to succumb to his worst instincts in a year that uniquely allowed him to cosplay as the worst version of himself. And my two opponents, Felix Jones and The Wizard, well, they joined the XWF. And certainly not without fanfare or success. No, they stood up to bat in one of the most competitive companies in the world in its most harsh and dangerous. And both have strived despite the circumstances. That’s why this match is so important.”

“It’s not just about the calculating and impulsive nature of Jones that suits him to a Hell in a Cell match or Wiz’s experience with hardcore monsters such as Robert Main. It’s not even just the emblematic nature of this match when placed against this year as a whole. It’s about two men who adapted easily to the chaos of a devastating time and me: someone who has had to overcome it. Which is why I’m so grateful that we’ll be having this match in the first XWF show of 2021. After all this time where Felix has been able to walk forward on the coals beneath him and The Wizard has been able to conjure schemes and victories alike, we are going to see what really will define a Hart Champion in the new year. And while magic might sell tickets, and charm might attract a few longing gazes, this belt doesn’t see your smile or your illusion. It only reflects and lets you see what a champion might look like. And that’s the key word. Might. I didn’t fall this year, hell, I came back stronger than before. Every moment that I spent away only made me understand myself further and why I walk into the flames every night, despite the heat and the exhaustion and the pain. It’s because I burn hotter than even the flames of Hell itself. I’m not going to let this year live on. I’m not going to let the lessons it has taught reflect on this title, this federation, or this business’s future. The Hart Championship and fans alike have been waiting for someone to honor its legacy and to fight for a new one. And I hate to break it to you both, but that’s been my intent for a long time. You want to push me off this hill? Get ready for sore arms, because I’m standing my ground and I’m not about to give up this title so easily. See you on Wednesday.”

TO BE CONTINUED

"You can't run from yourself."