Savage Saturday Night had been a nice victory, and Raion Kido had got back on track successfully after War Games. But now it was time to defend the XWF Universal Title.

“I did not win this title only to lose it at my first defense! Not after finally overcoming Nickles, not after defeating Dolly Waters, and not after being the first man to pin ALIAS. Besides, Mark Flynn has his Cannabis Cup shot, and I’m going to ensure that I’ll be there when he goes for it!”

Micheal Graves, the Dark Warrior, was returning to make a bid at the Universal Title. But Relentless was in the distance - and the next goal for the Lion.

“For I have picked up a torch - and it is up to me to carry it, until I no longer can!”

So ran the thoughts inside Raion’s brain as he stared at the torch of the foremost monument of New York City, and indeed America as a whole - the Statue of Liberty. The giant copper statue stands as solid and as majestic as ever, gazing and welcoming at the vessels arriving to the New York Harbor.

“A torch…”

It is a clear day, not one single cloud over the spotless sky, and the torch’s metallic flame shines brightly in the morning sun. Not many people are around the monument as of yet, owing to the early morning time, but still the Ellis Island National Park Rangers are on duty, caring for the beloved statue.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

One such Ranger approaches the Lion as he stares blankly at the statue, bringing him back to Earth, and shaking him from his stupor.

“Oh, yes, very much indeed. Not just as a work of art, but also as an ideal.”

The Ranger - a black man - gives the young Osaka wrestler a friendly smile.

“Indeed! It started as an idealistic dream, but here it stands still - a national treasure, a worldwide icon, and a symbol of hope. It’s not a mere chance that her actual name it’s ‘Liberty Enlightening the World.’ And see that broken shackle and the chain? That’s in commemoration of the abolition of slavery. It’s meant to be an example that freedom indeed does exist.”

Raion nods, even though a shadow crosses his face.

“Some would say differently in these times though, sir, with the issues that the country has faced as of late. Many people do not believe in the ideal anymore.”

The Ranger looks somewhat taken aback, but he shakes his head no.

“I know that America still has problems, and there may be some that call it a lie, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was built upon an ideal, and Lady Liberty serves as testament to that. And besides, the fact that a society fails to live up to an ideal does not make said ideal any less valid.”

The young Lion’s eyes light up at the words “a lie”, and he shakes his head violently no, the wild mane that is his hair fluttering in the breeze. A memory has stirred within his brain - right the very week before he made his XWF debut.

One memory that it was finally time to face next Wednesday Night Warfare.

“It’s not a lie, sir. I believed in the American ideal then, and I believe in it now. And this country being what it is is more than just idealism. It’s an idea brought into reality by people who believed, and made it happen.”

Was an ideal not what he intended to show to the world? Wasn’t the very idea of the warriors of hope what made him who and what he was? And wasn’t that exact ideal what propelled him to the top of the XWF Universe? Wasn’t that same ideal which made him take up the proverbial torch?

After all these thoughts running through his brain, the young Saint of Athena’s lips curve in a radiant smile.

“And even I, not being American, can identify with that.”

“Seems like a personal tale, right?”

The Lion nods, before taking a deep breath.

“It isn’t that long since I came to America, sir, and my profession has acquainted me with some jaded, cynical individuals. One of them has gone so far as to question my entire world, before I even started to work. But then he was gone, I got pretty far ahead in my own station, and now he’s coming back to challenge me.

But rather than being indignant, I see it as an opportunity. I’ve wanted to have words with him for a long time, and now I get the chance to prove him wrong first hand. I mean to show to him, in the flesh, that there is a truth behind every ideal.

And I’m going to make that ideal a reality.”

Listening attentively, the Ranger snaps his fingers, now a beaming smile on his face.

“Exactly! That’s the spirit in which this statue is meant to be appreciated, and I’m glad to be working here to take care of it. Every single day, I feel proud to be here. That my life makes sense, and it is fulfilled, in the light of the greatest symbol of this country, and perhaps even of humanity itself. And I hope that you too are successful in what you seek to achieve.”

Raion smiles once more, shutting his eyes for a brief moment as he lowers his head.

“Well, sir… I don’t mean to compare myself to the majesty of Lady Liberty, but I too have a dream that may be considered idealistic. A silly little dream that I got from watching Anime as a kid, but a dream like any other, a dream like you had, and a dream like America itself was.

And somehow, just like you, and the country itself, it was made into reality. I too am now carrying a proverbial torch, and I too must serve as an example. For those that seek to follow in my footsteps, or for those to wish to make their own way. They need to know that someone is there that did it, and that if he could do it, they can too.

That is my own way, sir, to bring hope to the universe.”

The two men now shake hands, with Lady Liberty as the sole witness of their conversation.

“I’m glad we had this conversation, friend, but can I ask a bit more about what that entails?”

The Lion points at the statue, and then takes a knee as if in rendering obeisance - like a knight before his lady.

Or like a Saint of Athena in front of her Goddess.

“Sometimes, sir… people need to be proven that their world is only a lie if they let themselves believe it.

Sometimes, people are just in need of something, or someone, to give them hope.

And until my time finally comes, that is a duty from which I never shall stray, and just like our dear Lady…”

Raion finally stands up - the box of the Gold Cloth of Leo strapped to his back shining in the morning light. When he smiles again, there is that sly, mischievous look in his eyes.

“... so too shall I stand.”

It was time for the Lion to address his opponent, but there was more than a title at stake.

There was a torch to carry. A truth to prove.

And an example to set.


“What does it mean to be the XWF Universal Champion, the top title-holder in the entirety of the company?”

These are the first words that Raion Kido utters as he stands, now clad in his Gold Cloth of Leo and his white cape, before the Statue of Liberty pedestal - the golden armor now reflecting the light of the midday sun.

“It means not just to be the best wrestler the company can have, not just the face of the company, the icon with which it should identify. It means, as well, to be a symbol of hope.

Just like the Saints of Athena from which I’ve drawn my very identity.

Cynical, jaded souls may dismiss idealism out of hand - but examples abound throughout the entirety of history of mankind where an ideal triumphed, and not only was it made into a reality - but it survives, even to this day. Such as the United States as a whole, of which this very statue in the city of New York, and this unmistakable symbol of America, is the very incarnation.

So too, members of the XWF Universe, do I intend to stand the very test of time - and while I do this, to be the very symbol of hope for which I’ve come to hold the torch that I now do.

And here, at last, I stand at my first defense match, and Micheal Graves is literally back from the grave where he was last put, only to challenge me. And for my part, I say so be it!”

In a sharp, sudden motion, the Lion now points his finger at the camera, his cloak now floating in the island breeze. This has been, after all, a match he has expected for a very long time - and it was now time to fight the one fight he knew he would invariably have to fight.

This fight, more than anything else, meant his entire being was at stake.

“Because, ladies and gentlemen, I could tell you that I did not win this Universal Title, did not defeat the likes of ALIAS and Dolly Waters and Charlie Nickles, only to lose in my first defense, or only to lose to Micheal Graves.

I could tell you that Relentless is next on the horizon, and that Mark Flynn has the title shot he won as the very winner of the Cannabis Cup, and that I shall not stop until the two greatest winners of that event shall meet at Relentless, as it is meant to be.

I could also tell you that Micheal Graves’ endless attempts to get my attention on social media are worth just as much as his entire career has been since Fire & Ice - which is nothing, for he was seen only losing to Ned Kaye when he was the Chameleon, and that was after losing at the show where I made my debut.

I could even tell you that I’ll be damned if the story of Raion Kido as XWF Universal Champion shall end at the very first hurdle, not with Relentless a month away. Not with Mark Flynn gunning now for me.

I could tell you all that, ladies and gentlemen and I would be telling the truth. But above all of those reasons for me taking on this challenge, I’m going instead to tell you what matters the most to me.”

The Lion now grins the feral grin of the beast with which he shares his name, almost as if he held a trump card that he was saving for this very moment.

Because, in fact, he has.

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is a personal affront. A matter I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to settle. Because even though Micheal Graves and I have never been together in the ring, this is not the first time I hear of him.

I had just signed with the XWF. I was backstage, talking to the Latina Submission Machina, before I even made my debut.  And Micheal Graves comes in, out of nowhere, and tells me…

Your world's a lie.

The Lion’s serious countenance now turns into a stone-faced expression, his eyes now shining as brightly as the Golden Cloth he wears, in them reflected a tranquil fury, which soon shall be tranquil no longer.

For this, indeed, was the time for the cosmos to burn.


“And I knew this day would be coming, and I prepared for it. And now that this day is upon us… I welcome the chance to show Micheal Graves the error of his ways, and the absolute wrath that has been waiting for him since - just waiting to be unleashed.

Seven months later, here I am, at the very top of the XWF mountain, and where in the name of Athena was Micheal Graves this entire time!? Was he at March Madness? Was he at Leap of Faith? Was he even at War Games? After doing nothing since getting buried alive, now he comes to challenge me for the XWF Universal Title? And you would think, after this absolute outrage, that he is in any kind of position to take this title from me!?

I SAY NOT!”

The XWF Universal Champion bellows these last words, which could be very well carried by the wind across the Hudson river.

For in them burns the fury of the Lion, and that of the cosmos itself.

“For I shall not let that insult stand! Every single person that tried to question the life that I have lived ended up invariably falling to the Lion’s fangs - to the very power of the cosmos that has made me what I am. From Xavier Lux to Charlie Nickles to Thunder Knuckles to ALIAS himself, they tried to tear down the very essence of my being, only to find out first hand that the reality of what I espouse is just as much truth as is all that they have lived!

And now, Graves, faced with this, answer me if you dare: What do you think is going to happen when the man whose world you called a lie, who achieved more than you ever have within a single year in the XWF than you have since 2016, stands in front of you to defend the very title that represents the peak above the entirety of this company?

I’d leave that to your imagination, but as you’ve shown at Fire & Ice, your feeble, rotten brain is too far gone for you to actually picture the consequences of going against the Lion, so I’ll spare whatever you have inside that thick skull of yours the effort of figuring it out.

Not only will Raion Kido walk out still the Universal Champion, not only will Micheal Graves return to the desk position that Vinnie Lane so kindly arranged for him, but rather, he’s going to be exactly what every enemy of Athena eventually shall be.

Utterly destroyed.”

It was not enough that Micheal Graves had appeared out of a long absence to challenge for the very Universal Title, or that he called Raion a fool, or anything he could call him. The Lion had been called worse, and had endured worse, and would come out triumphant in the end.

But this was personal. The Lion was coming not only to defend his title, but his very being - the very ideal from which his entire self was formed.

And there was no choice for him but to come out victorious.

“For I have come too far, and done too much, within this first year of my career only for my story to come to an end. I have endured more hardships, and faced more bitter, more competent, and more qualified foes than a former Xtreme and Tag Team Champion. And by the way, Graves - you are not the only one to beat Centurion. In fact, I’m pretty certain that was what I did in my second match in the XWF!

So tell me, Mr. Dark Warrior, what have you done with which I should be impressed? You’ve been in this company since 2004, and all you’ve had since 2017 is the Xtreme Title a few times, a tag team reign, and a reign for a title that no longer exists at Anarchy. At least in the time I have been here, not only have I made it to the top echelon, I have also won the staple match of the Leap of Faith Pay-Per-View!

Answer me, Graves, whether you still think that my world is a lie!

And hey, I know you’re just desperate to bring up the time I lost my first title match to Nickles, or the March Madness Tournament finals loss to Bourbon, or even being the runner-up at War Games, but that only goes to show that even there, the cream rises to the top! Even if I fail to hit that final strike, there shall no one doubt that the Lion has what it takes to rise to the occasion.

But I’ll go even further than that, Graves. Twice did Charlie Nickles lose an XWF Universal Title match, and twice he lost against ALIAS. Who was it that he lost to the third time? Bobby Bourbon beat me for the King of the XWF finals, and who was it that he lost to in the Leap of Faith match!?”

Raion now lets this question linger - though the answer should already be more than obvious.

He would, however, convey his point - with the force of a hammer driving the final nail into the casket of Micheal Graves.

“I said before that I had faced more bitter and better foes than to lose to the likes of Micheal Graves, and I did not say it lightly - for those are the names I had in mind when saying that. I was pitted against the very best of the XWF since the time of my debut. From going to the very bottom of the card against a fellow newcomer, as a replacement, in a show where you were going for the Television Title, to facing an established Legend like Centurion next. Thaddeus Duke after that, one of the best of the XWF’s present.

And all that time, Micheal Graves, you were but a memory, after Ned Kaye as the Chameleon was the last one to have your measure - which, by the way, was no less than three months after you lost your Television Title shot.

And now, against those names, against that quality of people that I’ve faced and defeated, now you want to come back, and make a mockery of the XWF’s Universal Title scene!?”

One more time does the Lion raise his voice, a righteous wrath now visible in his face. Micheal Graves had stated as much in social media, but after the Cannabis Cup, one of the greatest events in the wrestling world, and the quality of his opponents - he would not tolerate a man that had not been there to fight for it to bring down the status of the Universal Title contenders.

Because to do so, would be to spit on their memory.

And the Gold Saint of Leo had earned his place with honor. With honor, then, should he uphold it.

“That can only be considered an insult, not just to me, but to every member of that locker room that has fought for this title, and I shall not stand for it, and neither shall the XWF! Claim you have nothing else to lose because that’s all onto which you can hang, but it is my charge not just to defend the Universal Title, but also the very honor of the XWF more than I do my own. For the people that came before me and for those that may come after - that they don’t see this title I now hold soiled by your filthy hands.

And now, Mr. Dark Warrior, I dare you to call my world a lie once more. After all I have done, and that which I have achieved, I want to hear long and hard how anything I have done, how anything I have ever achieved, is a lie. The truth is staring straight into your eyes, and daring you to even attempt to say otherwise. Coming to hit you in the only way the truth may ever hit - with the strength of your own certainty coming apart the moment the fist of Raion Kido collides against your sorry carcass.

For in the end, Micheal Graves, that is all you are, and all that you have ever been - a hollow shell. Under that veterancy, under that so-called XWF legend status that you so cravenly claimed at Anarchy, there only lies mediocrity. Dolly Waters might have never challenged for the XWF Universal Title until the Cannabis Cup, but even she had more right to do so than you have, even after you failed the first time, for you are no better than Charlie Nickles - and I’m not saying that only because he too had your measure, though that is also the truth. And though he may rant and rave and still claim that he was the first to beat me - I’ve done in one time what he failed to do in three, and what you shall fail to do in two.

Tell me then, Graves - what else is there inside that rotten carcass of yours that should give me pause? Even the most decorated names inside the XWF failed to make me flinch when I had them in front of me, so what remains for you? What else do you have than a broken down body, a love for pain, and a mind too far gone? None of that has served you for anything in the time since I debuted until now, and come Wednesday Night Warfare, none of it shall avail you anything either.

Because even if you were anything else than a regular the XWF keeps calling because of sheer shock value, there is something else here which stands as an affront to the dignity of the XWF Universal Title. It is completely pathetic that a 23-year-old rookie has to explain to an XWF veteran since 2004 the truth of the wrestling world, and a complete embarrassment that you speak of this after a time so long spent inside the squared circle, but alas, I shall perform my duty.”

The Osaka native now pauses once more, like the warrior that draws the blade that shall perform an execution.

For this, in the end, is what the Lion comes to do.

“Here it comes, Graves: That pain with which you fill your mouth, that thing you hated but learned to love, is the bare minimum one must withstand to even attempt to climb inside a wrestling ring.

And your body might break down and heal again, but I recall saying from my very first message to the XWF Universe that wrestling was, above all else, a contest of wills, where all that mattered was the spirit and the strength to keep fighting.

I’ve said those words in my very first match, and they’ve held true ever since. When I lost my first title match. When I lost the King of the XWF Finals. When I won the briefcase, and when I won this title!”

Raion now roars once more, the echo of his voice reverberating through Liberty Island. Was this not proven enough? What got Raion through the Television Title loss? To what had he resorted after March Madness, and what made him endure all the way to Leap of Faith, and the Cannabis Cup?

More than the promise of an uncertain prize, or than the thought of glory that had yet to come, what Raion had carried above everything else was the sheer will never to give up.

Would that sheer willpower run out now, against the likes of Micheal Graves?

“So again, Graves, I dare you, after all this, to call my world a lie! I dare you to question even one single thing that I have done, and I dare you to even attempt to mock me or anyone else that has reached this scene to compete at the level in which I now am! I dare you to do all that because all you are is a lie. Where was that love of pain when you disappeared after getting buried alive and losing to the Chameleon? That was Ned Kaye at his lowest point, and at War Games, the Meat Clowns beat the Notorious Alliance at its highest!

Where was your ‘nothing to lose’ attitude when you took that desk job for which you now claim you were not made? I’ve had nothing to lose and everything to win, and through thick and thin, I’ve done just that! Call me a fool as many times as you like, at least I’ve proven otherwise several times. You’ve shown, and proven, your own foolishness in the entirety of the time I have been in this company, and come Wednesday Night Warfare, you’ll be coming out the biggest fool of all.

But wait a second. Let me amend that statement, Graves. I’ve just said you’ll be coming out, but I just realized I’m wrong. Because you see… that’s exactly my stipulation for this match.”

Again does Raion’s sly grin creep up to his lips. The words that the Dark Warrior had said to Centurion had resonated within his brain.

And Raion would know just how much truth there was to Graves’ boast.

“You wish to claim you have nothing to lose, and will keep fighting until your last breath? I say let’s put that to the test. I say, let’s take that to the ultimate consequences, and see which of us has the strength, and the valor, to stand.

Let’s make this, I say, the ultimate expression of a battle of wills and the ultimate show of courage. This Main Event Wednesday Night Warfare match shall be the very concept I embody turned into reality, and victory shall come…

… to the Last! Man! Standing!”

Fist clenched, and lips peeled back to reveal his canines, the Lion lets the words resonate throughout the island once more.

The Dark Warrior had boasted he would fight until his very last breath - and the Gold Saint of Leo would grant his wish.

“There you have it, Graves, the fate that awaits you. August 31th, Madison Square Garden, the grandest stage of combat sports. It won’t be enough to put you down for three seconds, it will only suffice to render you unconscious. No pain shall be too great, no worn limbs or breaking-down bodies will be enough for it to stop. The only way this ends is with you dying as you so made a show of desperately wanting, and the XWF Universal Champion shall be the one to grant that wish. The Saint of Athena, the bringer of light and hope, shall meet the Dark Warrior, and shall send him back to oblivion where he belongs. And maybe, six months later, you’ll resurface again, and maybe it shall be my charge again to send you back to the desk, if Centurion is still not recovered enough to do it to you as he has done before.

But rest assured, Graves, I shall not make the same mistake as he did. This is not a warm-up match. This is not solely myself putting you out of everybody’s misery as well as your own, sorely needed as that might be. This is a Main Event on the flagship show of the XWF, and my first title defense with a stipulation that I chose for us. And I’m going to take it exactly as it deserves - which means I’m coming at the man with nothing to lose as the man with everything to protect.

So bring whatever pain you believe can inflict. Bring that nail-covered sex toy you showed Centurion, if it’ll make you feel somewhat comfortable. I couldn’t fathom any other reason you would want to be seen with something like that in your hand, but hey, I’m not one to judge, and after I’m done with you, you’re probably going to need some pleasure after all the pain you’re going to suffer. Bring your Graves Consequences, your Cradle 2 the Grave, your Poison Mist, whatever you think can cause a Goregasm, and watch it all fade away before the light of the cosmos burning. Bring any hopes you have of a strong independent woman coming to save me, but unfortunately for you, none shall be required.

Bring whatever disdain you have for what I am and what I do, imitate me on social media to your heart’s content if you’re incapable of doing otherwise, and feel the might of the Lightning Plasma turning you into a twitching, quivering mess as the Lion sinks his fangs on your sorry hide. For the ideal that this company deserves, and that I mean to bring, that same idealism you called a lie. For the title, the legacy, and the honor and glory of the XWF that he comes to defend and protect.

Because, Mr. Dark Warrior… protecting is my calling. It is my duty. It is exactly, in the end, what I am.”

It was time to end this - and to end Micheal Graves. But before he finally disappeared into the oblivion whence he had come, the Lion would make certain the Dark Warrior knew exactly what it was that he chose to call a lie.

The one thing that could never be denied.

And the very thing that would prove, in the end, to be Micheal Graves’ undoing.

“I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth! Ally to good, nightmare to you!

I am a Saint of Athena! I am the Universal Champion!

And at Wednesday Night Warfare, in the greatest arena in this city of New York…

The Lion now thrusts a shining, golden fist into the camera, the force that he puts into it snapping the very air as it goes forward, as strong as the final roar that exits his throat.

“I am your end!”

Fade to black.