So...

To kinda preface this post, I'm not looking for more congratulatory messages or anything of the sort. I've had plenty of that and I continue to appreciate all of it. I got some things I need to get off my chest, and I've started writing this post like 13 times since the results for High Stakes went up and any time I try to do this, I get all up in my emotions and can't find the words.

First of all... I need to thank Doc D'Ville. He and I have talked about working together for years and it was always supposed to be OG Duke and Doc, not the boy wonder. Yet here we are with a tag team that on paper... doesn't work. It shouldn't work. It's a young kid that's all smiles and lighthearted joking, the good guy, the hero. And the manifestation of evil in the human form of an old man. But somehow, someway it works and I told him that even if we lost the tag match I couldn't be more satisfied with the results of the work we put out. That shit was the ultimate fun to plan and write (also fucking exhausting). Working with Doc has absolutely been one of the highlights of my time in the XWF. No regrets whatsoever, even if we'd have lost.

If y'all aren't hooking up with someone else to explore your creativeness with others, then you're playing the game wrong. Some of the most fun I've personally had in this game was working closely with others. [Theo, , J Mad, Griff/Az/Nate, Dolly, Corey, Doc, Caedus, Gravy, probably a slew of others]

To the emotional part... Seriously for like the last year I've been a highly emotional person and I fear I may be turning into a pre-menopausal woman. I'll let you know for sure when I find out.

I've been part of the XWF off and on for 8 years. I've done a lot of fun things, cool things, had a lot of different characters, but the one constant has been Duke. The saga started 8 years ago with the old man and continues on today with Thad. No matter what I did or didn't accomplish with OG, no matter his place on the all time list or in the Hall... that character fucking sucks compared to Thaddeus. I put a lot of me into Thad, the real me. From his personality and juvenile sense of humor, to his sexuality, to wearing his heart on his sleeve. All of that mirrors his handler, current day at least. Despite the backstory, he's far more easily relatable to every day people than OG ever was. I've put a lot of time and effort into creating the universe in which both characters live, and Thad especially, means a lot to me. To me at least, he's perfectly imperfect. OG was cold and ruthless, very seldom showed emotion. With Thad, he tends to hold back on the ruthlessness and when he doesn't, regrets it soon after and searches his soul for what the hell that means to him.

Kinda like real people. None of us are perfect and we make mistakes that we come to regret and seek redemption, forgiveness, absolution.

Anyway, I love Thad. He's easily my greatest creation and again, that character means the fucking world to me. So, winning the Uni title against that particular field of awesome writers has legitimately been a humbling, emotional experience and I can tell you with absolute certainty, winning the Uni the hard way versus cashing in a briefcase... There is no comparison. I've done it both ways (go figure) and doing it the hard way means so much more. There was no euphoria. I mean, when I can separate myself from the character, yeah I'm totally stoked for Thad, but as the handler... I was only shocked, and sigh emotional.

I debuted Sebastian Duke at the 12/12/12 ppv in a fucking squash loss to Soldier. The first Savage after the ppv is on 12/12... I don't believe in gods or anything, neither does Thad, and I don't know if fate is actually a thing, but I have a really hard time seeing it as a coincidence where I get to march Thad's pretty boy ass onto Savage as World Champion 8 years to the day OG made his debut.

Maybe it's like one of Bob Ross' happy little accidents?

Anyway, thank y'all for letting me play with all of you.

In closing: Try not to take shit too seriously. I know its hard sometimes because a lot of us can get emotionally invested into what we're writing or the characters we create. We win some and lose some. Losses can sting like hell sometimes and sometimes a win can hit you right in the fucking heart and make all those painful losses mean something after all.

That sounded like one of Jerry Springer's 'Final Thoughts'

Take care of yourself... and each other.

TL;DR version: Just read it, you're probably taking a shit anyway.