Friday June 2nd, 2017.

Okay, so let’s recap, shall we?


Dolly had been turning down my every advance. Even my attempt to take her away from all of the so-called negative influences in the XWF in hopes that she would “see the light” once we were alone ended up failing. It had become apparent to me that my feelings for her were not going to be returned no matter what I said or did. Jim and Robert, having noticed how down I was about the entire situation, offered to take me out for ice cream. I didn’t know if even that would help, but I agreed to go. Turns out, my AX3 brothers never intended to take me out for a delicious frozen treat after all. Instead, they dumped me in an insane asylum and left me to the mercy of the white coats.

If that wasn’t bad enough, while there, I was visited by an old man who looked like The Kings(™) member, Doctor D’Ville. This man claimed to be a wizard from a far away land who needed my help to save his princess. I’ll be honest here, I really didn’t give two fucks about this guy or his princess, not at first anyway, but before leaving, he mentioned the Princesses name was Dolly. Suddenly, I couldn’t help but wonder if this princess of his was a double of my Dolly Waters much like he was a double of Louis D’Ville. Still heartbroken from the rejection of my worlds Dolly, and desperate to try and fill that hole in my heart that she left bleeding, I dove into the portal ready to risk life and limb for an otherworldly copy of the girl that I loved.

Sounds crazy right?

Well, it get’s a whole lot crazier. Once I landed in this other world, I would end up befriending The King and his men. It was odd because even though they were all just and right men, they all consisted of doubles of a rival stable named the Kings(™) back home in the XWF. I should have hated these guys on principle, but I actually admired their courage and honor. Theo was willing to do whatever it took to save his beloved daughter, and his men were ready to give their lives to help him reach his goal. They knew that the force that they were facing could very easily spell their end, and unfortunately for most of them, it did.

We found the princess, but we didn’t find what we expected. She turned out to be a cold hearted sorceress, and the evil force that we were trying to save her from. She killed her father, King Theo right before our eyes. Worse than that was the fact that I could see that there was no love in her at all. Not for him, not for me, not for anyone but herself.

Next, I met myself, or my double from this world. He was thought by me at the time, to be the mastermind behind the whole ordeal, but he denied that fact and claimed that Princess, or at this point, Queen Dolly was really the one that had planned everything from the kidnapping to the eventual conquest of the Ravrac Kingdom they had been planning. He killed The Wizard D’Ville, and was going to kill me next, but that didn’t work out so well for him. I snapped his neck despite my restraints and left him lying in the spot he had intended to take my life.

I reached out to Cadryn, a once close friend who I believed would be able to both hear, and save me if I reached out to him. So I concentrated as hard as I could and tried to make some sort of psychic connection with him. It worked, and Cadryn teleported into the dungeon that we were being held in, but he quickly showed no interest in saving me. Cadryn poofed away and left me alone to consider how my actions as of late had brought me to this end. How I had betrayed friends and let them down at every turn. Before Queen Dolly was able to shove a sword into my breast, I came to the realization that I did not like the man that I had become, and I couldn’t blame Cadryn for leaving me behind.

As the steel blade tore into my heart, I couldn’t help but notice the look in Dolly’s eyes. She hated me for killing her world's version of me, but that look in her eyes, it was one that I had seen before. Everytime that I showed up at Dolly’s apartment or bumped into her backstage. Every moment that I spent with her from the day that she returned and gave me the beating that put me into this mask, up to the night that I kidnapped her and tried to force her to love me, that was the one look that I received each and every time.

Suddenly, as I stand there dying, I realized that I was the horrible monster, not Dolly as I had tried to justify. I was trying to project blame onto her because of my broken heart, but none of this was her fault. We had a budding relationship back in April when we teamed against Iconoclast. Over the course of the week that we spent together preparing for that match, we had grown to become friends. Even after losing our match, Dolly turned to me with the biggest smile, her arms outstretched for a hug, so happy to see that I was okay. Her punishment for trusting me, for caring about me, was a brass knuckle shot to the face. I’m not saying that we were ever going to be a couple, but whatever love existed in Dolly Waters heart for Micheal Graves was lost that day. I turned my back on that poor girl and beat her into a pulp, and for what? A chance at a wrestling belt?

The true monster in our story is me, always has been. So as I stood there taking my last breath and staring into Queen Dolly’s eyes, I realized that I truly deserved to die.
























Except I didn’t…

In my final moments, I heard an angelic voice calling out my name. When I awoke, I was no longer in this far off land, but instead, I found myself lying on the ground outside of the barn that I had taken Dolly and Amber to after kidnapping them. It was engulfed in flames and beginning to collapse from the damage. The other girl that I had kidnapped, Amber, was kneeling over me with a look of concern. Her face was painted up to look like a human skull, much like how I used to paint my own face. She seemed relieved that I was alive, but for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. Suddenly, my thoughts turned to Dolly. Was she still in the barn, was she okay? I couldn’t remember, but I was overcome with fear for her well being.

Dolly!!!

I didn’t notice it at the time, but Amber didn’t seem to react positively to that name.

She's fine...

Amber helped me get to a nearby hotel and went on to explain to me what happened after Dolly had escaped from the barn. How she forced Amber to go with her, how they stole the Donkey Kong Rape Van, and how Amber grabbed the wheel and caused them to wreck so that she could come back and save me. When she returned to the barn, she found me lying unconscious as it burned around me. She dragged me out to safety and here we are.

I believe that my mind had to shut down and concoct a story to show me to truth, to show me what was really going on. So, I was never in an insane asylum. I never traveled through time and space. The entire time that adventure was happening, I was really just laying on the ground facing certain death. If it wasn't for Amber coming back to rescue me, I would certainly be dead. Now, while I was trapped in my own head, I actually learned a lot about myself. Things that I have been blind to for some time now, and even though it was just a dream, that doesn’t mean that the lessons I learned should be forgotten. I am a horrible person. I am undeserving of love, or friends. I can’t be trusted to make the right call, ever, and I always seem to screw up the lives of anyone that I’m around for too long, anyone that I care about.

I drove Cadryn to almost quit wrestling during Lethal Lottery. For months, I’ve placed blame on him for that, but truthfully, it was my actions that drove him away. Not only did I end up projecting my own insanity onto him, causing his current unstable state of mind, but it was me that convinced him to walk out on Buronan when they faced us, it was me who allowed Gilmour to capture and attack him. It was me that looked to Cadryn, not as a friend, but as a tool. I pushed him away, and I almost cost the XWF one of their fastest rising talents.

With AX3, it was me that had the bright idea to call Chris Chaos into the group. I’m the one that met with him, offered him the spot, and handed over the reigns. I’m the one that set our group down the path it’s on, where it looks like, by all rights, we may not survive past High Stakes. Chaos has been a cancer since joining. He never put his ego in check, he never once put the group before himself. I could have controlled the damage that was being caused within our ranks had I not had my head so far up Dolly Waters ass that I couldn’t care less what else was going on around me.

I’ve lost my wife, and I will likely lose the right to even visit with my children. All because I allowed myself to fall head over heels with another woman, a child no less. I pursued her like a crazy stalker. I talked about all of the disgusting things that I would do to her, and I managed to turn pretty much the entire roster against me. At the time, I didn't see myself for what I was, but now I feel nothing but shame and remorse for my actions.

Even my AX3 brothers Jim and Robert. They try to tell me that it’s cool. They say that we are brothers in this business no matter what, but I see the way that they look at me. I notice how uncomfortable they seem to get when I talk about Dolly around them. They don’t want AX3 to end, so they are tolerating me, but they don’t see me as the same man they once did. I feel like I’m no longer a friend, just another body in an army, a means to an end.

Then there is Dolly. Oh my God, Dolly. When I think of all of the shit that I’ve put that girl through. I’ve been horrible. It’s not a wonder that she has been so quiet leading into this match. I have no doubt that she is just looking for this thing with me to be over. Maybe to the point that she isn’t going to show at all. Maybe I’ve driven this girl away from the XWF in the same way that I almost did with Cadryn. I couldn’t blame her if I did. To have my crazy ass stalking, kidnapping, and attacking you at every turn… just imagine the trauma that it would cause to that young mind. If I had done it on purpose, maybe I would be proud of what I’ve done. If I could write everything off as mind games in an effort to win the Xtreme title, then I would possibly be proud of what I did. That's not the case, however. I truly wanted that girl, I called it love, but it was pure lust, nothing more. I can't even explain why I was so infatuated with her. Maybe it's the brain damage that I've been told that I suffered from her attack, or maybe it's just the real demon in me finally being unleashed on the world. I don't want to make excuses. My actions are my own, and I know that I will have a penance to pay for them.

It’s for that reason that I’ve sent Amber away. I put her on a plane back home to her parents, and I truly hope that she can find the strength to move on with her life. I’ve also decided to stop pursuing Dolly Waters. With any luck, I haven’t completely damaged her, and she can bounce back from all of this. As far as my brothers in AX3 are concerned, it’s going to take a lot of work to get things back to normal with us, and I hope that I can keep my mind clear enough to accomplish what is needed of me. With Chaos at odds with the rest of us, I have decided to take the lead tomorrow night. I called up Jim and Robert to let them know that we are going to do something big and prove to everyone that AX3 isn’t falling apart, we’re as strong as ever.

Present Day

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but I hear a voice in my head. I know right, when don’t I hear voices? Well, this time it’s different. This time the voice that I hear isn’t trying to nudge me down a dark path. It’s not corrupting my thoughts with a twisted lust for power. Instead, this voice is encouraging me to try and be a better man. That is something that I have wanted for a long time. I’ve longed to be a hero for most of my career, but at every turn, I’ve failed. Over time I’ve come to accept that doing the right thing just isn’t in my blood, but maybe this time could be different? No, probably not. The most likely scenario is that I will eventually find that I’m just kidding myself. See, every time that I have ever tried to walk the straight and narrow, I do fine for a while. I get to the point that I almost convince myself that I can be this good person that I want to be, but every time without fail, I always fuck it up.

Maybe this time will be different, maybe not, but after all of the pain and suffering that I have caused over the last few months, I owe it to everyone to at least try, right? WRONG! I don’t owe anyone anything! Well, anyone except for myself that is. See, I couldn’t care less what the fans think about me. I never have! If you decide that you want to cheer for me, then that’s fine. If you decide that you want to boo, that’s fine too! At the end of the day, it doesn’t really amount to shit in my book. The only things that do matter are these!

I hold up my Xtreme and Trios Championship belts for the camera.

Having one of these around your waist is what proves that you are worth something in this business. Nobody cares about how many fans you have, or how much the boys in the back like you. It all boils down to if you are worthy of being a champion! Well, I’m worthy, and the proof is right here! Winning these is only part of the equation though. You also have to be up for defending them to be recognized as a true champion! That’s exactly what I plan on doing at High Stakes when I defend this title against Dolly Waters in a Heyman’s House of Horrors match! See Dolly, I’m over you! Our time together was fun though, we laughed, we cried, and in the end, you died!


…


Wait, you aren’t dead you say? Well, you could have fooled me! Listen, I know that I’ve put you through the ringer here lately, and believe it or not, I’m sorry about that, but you have a shot at winning back the Xtreme Title here! Hell, more importantly, you have a shot at getting revenge against me for everything that has happened over the last month! So it begs the question, where in the fuck are you!?! Any other time, any other match, you would be running off at the mouth to anyone who would listen about how great you are. You’d talk our ears off about how bad you were going to stomp my ass, but here and now… nothing. It’s kind of disappointing honestly. Before the stalking, before the love letters, before the kidnapping, this was all about challenging one of the best in the business today for a shot at her title. This was supposed to be an opportunity for me to prove to the world that Micheal Graves is still a bankable name in this business!

I raise the titles up just high enough for the camera to see them and smirk.

Not that there is really any question to that fact. The point does still remain, however. I wanted to step into the ring with the best. I wanted you to give me the same fight that I got from Chris Chaos back in February. I wanted for us to go into High Stakes and steal the fucking show.

…


Now, I question if you will even show up. What’s worse is knowing that even if you do, your hearts not going to be in it. Admit it, Dolly, I beat you before the bell even rang. I had you on the ropes before Paul Heyman even made the match official. You allowed me to get into your head a long time ago, and now you are like a scared little child hiding under the covers and hoping that the big bad boogeyman just goes away! Well, the only place that I’m going is to High Stakes to defend this championship title against you! Then, after I beat you, I’m going to go on to win the battle royal and secure my position in the main event for High Stakes!

Then, no matter if it’s Doc D’Ville, Cadryn Tiberius, or even one of my brothers in AX3. I WILL win the main event and earn myself a shot at the number one championship in this company! I am riding a wave of momentum in this company that can not be stopped! It’s taken me six months to get here, but Micheal Graves is once again in top form, and I’m proving it this Sunday!