Post by Meatball-kun on Jun 21, 2014 22:51:20 GMT -6
June 16, 2014
Japan
A Bar
Sofia Sinclair: "Mom and Dad say hi."
Chuck Matthews: "Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
Sofia Sinclair: "I will."
Chuck Matthews: "I'm going to try and take a trip home for a few days next week. I'll let you know."
Sofia Sinclair: "It's fine, Chuck. Really. You have a job to do. I understand."
Chuck smiles.
Sofia Sinclair: "So what are you up to tonight?"
Chuck Matthews: "Just enjoying the city. Nothing too exciting."
Sofia Sinclair: "Don't have too much fun."
Chuck laughs.
Chuck Matthews: "I'll try not to."
Sofia sighs on the other end.
Sofia Sinclair: "Well...I guess I'll let you go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
Chuck grunts his approval.
Sofia Sinclair: "Love y-"
He hangs up before she can finish her sentence. He looks down at his glass in front of him. This was his third drink of....whatever the fuck it was. Most of his days lately were spent roaming the city, drinking himself stupid, and passing out for twelve hours. It killed time, at least. Truth was, Chuck couldn't wait for this Japan tour to be over. He was ready to be home in Chicago...with his wife. His kid.
?: "You look like you've seen better days."
Chuck looks over his shoulder. A woman takes a seat next to him. She's...American, by the looks of it. Blond hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Short black dress. Brown eyes. But the way she carried herself...the way she spoke. Definitely American.
Chuck Matthews: "Long day."
Woman: "Say no more. Work?"
Chuck looks at her for a moment.
Chuck Matthews: "Yeah, you can say that."
She nods in agreement.
Chuck Matthews: "So what do you do for a living?"
She giggles.
Woman: "That's such an American tradition. Ask someone their job before their name."
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "My apologies."
She shakes her head, laughing.
Woman: "Don't worry about it. I work in television. Sports, mostly. I help to negotiate deals between American and Japanese companies."
Chuck turns, leaning back against the bar.
Chuck Matthews: "You don't say?"
Woman: "It's a tough job sometimes. But it's lucrative if you're good."
Chuck nods, a slight smirk forming on his face. The woman extends her hand.
Woman: "Rebecca Dalton."
Chuck shakes her hand.
Chuck Matthews: "Chuck Matthews."
Rebecca Dalton: "Pleasure to meet you. So what about you? What do you do, Mr. Matthews?"
Chuck Matthews: "Well, believe it or not, I'm very much in the same business as you. I work in television. CEO of Matthews Enterprises back in North America."
Rebecca Dalton: "MEN TV?"
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "The very same."
Rebecca Dalton: "I'd heard a report a while back that you were trying to break into the Japanese market."
Chuck Matthews: "Failed endeavor."
Rebecca Dalton: "What got you so interested in Japan?"
Chuck Matthews: "Wrestling is huge here. If you're going to operate a television network focusing so heavily on the wrestling business, you should know that you're not going to find a tremendous market in the US. America breeds a very specific type of wrestling fan. But if you can get a foothold in Canada? In Mexico? In Japan? Then you find that you can create something that a lot of people will buy into. It's a diverse product. A diverse market."
Rebecca Dalton: "What about other sports?"
Chuck Matthews: "What about them?"
Rebecca Dalton: "MMA is on the rise, Mr. Matthews. I know you've been opposed to it in the past, but the jump from MMA to wrestling isn't a terribly big one."
Chuck Matthews: "Are you proposing something, Mrs. Dalton?"
Rebecca smiles.
Rebecca Dalton: "I'm saying if you're having trouble negotiating network deals with Japanese wrestling, perhaps you should try a different approach. Use MMA as your in to the Japanese market. Once you establish brand loyalty, prove that MEN TV can broadcast in Japan and turn a profit, then perhaps these wrestling powerhouses will be more willing to do business."
Chuck Matthews: "And I'm guessing you're in an MMA business."
Rebecca Dalton: "You ARE as smart as they say."
Chuck Matthews: "It's an interesting approach...I would need to see your operations, of course."
Rebecca Dalton: "Of course."
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "I'm in town for another few weeks. But why don't we set up a meeting, hm?"
Rebecca Dalton: "You're conducting business in a bar? Shameless."
Chuck Matthews: "I learned that from my father."
Rebecca laughs.
Rebecca Dalton: "Well, I'm sure Mr. Matthews would be proud."
Chuck forces a smile.
Chuck Matthews: "I'm sure."
Rebecca pulls a pen out of her purse, and scribbles a note onto a napkin.
Rebecca Dalton: "Here's my cell. Why don't you give me a call next week, and we can set something up. I'm looking forward to doing business with you."
Chuck glances at the napkin, then to Dalton.
Chuck Matthews: "The pleasure's all mine."
He stares at her a moment longer.
Chuck Matthews: "Come on. Let me buy you a drink..."
Perhaps Japan wasn't as bad as he thought.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Matthews: "I think there are people who are expecting a lecture of some sort. They're expecting a long speech about the master plan, about how this match serves as yet another means to my twisted ends. You're sitting there, waiting to see what I'm going to say to get everybody riled up to the point that when the bell rings on Monday, there will be nothing that you'd like more than to see Zack Lifer kick the high holy hell out of Chuck Matthews and finally get him to shut up.
Unfortunately, that is NOT on the agenda tonight.
This match puts me in a strange position, really. I mean...on the one hand, there's the plan. There's always the plan. That much, I think I've made perfectly clear. Every match, every fight...there's always an end game. There's always a bigger picture, and everything I do slowly builds to making that vision a reality.
But at the end of the day, despite everything that may happen, everything I plan, I say, I think, I do...I am a professional wrestler.
And that's the key point. I own a business. I've trained wrestlers. I've earned a reputation as a teacher, a thinker, a philosopher, a preacher...one of the smartest men in the business. A genius. But all of that takes a backseat to the thing that has made all of that possible: Wrestling.
That IS what started it all, isn't it? I mean, if not for this whacked-out business, where would I be? Sure, I'd be the same smart dude we know and love...but without an audience, does that matter? Without the respect that I've earned from my colleagues, would anybody care?
Look at my business. These days, Matthews Enterprises is a nationally recognized entity. But did you think that its close ties to the wrestling industry was coincidence? Hell, the company got its start endorsing hot new prospects in the wrestling world. It televises events. There's an entire branch of its operations devoted solely to the wrestling world. And, of course, those of you who are intimately familiar with my career know that I started that business with money I made when I was competing for the big-name companies.
"Get to the point, Matthews." Right, right. The point. The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that regardless of all my plans, I still have that wrestler's mindset. While I can think ten levels above you, come up with plans and schemes that you can't wrap your heads around, I've still got one thing that keeps me tethered to this business and all of you kind folks in it. It's that anchor that keeps me tied down to this industry.
And, like all you other wrestlers, I've got that short list floating around in my head. You all have one. You all know what I'm talking about. It's that list of people that you would absolutely love to fight.
Zack Lifer has been on that list for some time.
I don't think this is new information, really. I'm sure, at some point, I've mentioned this. There are just...names, you know? Those people that seem to permeate all these circles. The names that keep popping up. Leander Apollo. Chris Strike. Gordon Fury.
Zack Lifer.
So...sure, there's a plan. That's nothing new. There always is. I think everybody knows that by now. Whenever I step into the ring, there's a bigger picture that goes far beyond what happens in the next ten minutes. But for a match like this? There's more to it. There's something that means a bit more than simply 'how does this serve my agenda?'
This is one of those happy few instances where I can walk into a match and compete not to further my own master plans...but to simply enjoy the work that I do. To go out, put on the most entertaining spectacle I can, and not particularly care about the outcome. You can say what you like about Zack Lifer, but he's a man who has bled for this business. He loves it. He has utmost respect for it. He works hard to reach the top of his industry. And he's recognized. It seems that, wherever I've gone, wherever I've poked my head, laced up my boots, his name is always one floating around.
And that is what gets me amped for a match like this. Again, I find myself in a situation where winning is not necessarily my goal. No...my goal here is not victory by any means necessary. My goal, more than all else, is simply to put on the best possible match I can. My goal is to earn respect from a man who has already earned plenty.
So...Zack...and yes, I will call you Zack. That's a name you've adopted, and that means something to people. You find yourself in an interesting position as well. I'm sure you, as much as anyone else, were expecting me to tear you down. Tell you you're not smart enough to challenge me. Tell you all the mistakes you make and why they're going to cost you. Tell you why I'm untouchable, why there's nothing you can do that can derail my momentum.
But no. I won't do that. I said it before, and I'm a man of my word: There's no bullshit from me this week. No tricks. No ace in the hole. Just a wrestler, going out to do what he does best.
We've seen these 'mind battles' with me before. EXODUS seems to get off on it. They try to find guys that they think can match wits with me, outsmart me, get inside my head. Understandable. I'm a code they can't crack. Everybody else on this roster? They're easy to decipher. They're simple creatures. It doesn't take a master's in psychology to see what makes them tick. But me? We've been hearing a lot lately about this...'evolution' of Chuck Matthews. Believe it or not, I actually have a negative record. I'm 2-3 here. And yet...nobody seems to be noticing that. Nobody puts any weight in that. Rather, it seems that everybody's on board this idea that with every match, Chuck gets smarter. Tougher. More dangerous. He adapts to the world around him. He learns the tricks. He learns the moves.
Now, the really scary part is that this takes absolutely no effort from me. I mean, hey, if that's how people are thinking, more power to them. I won't deny them that. But if you think it's an active piece of my puzzle, that I'm striving to do exactly what they're saying I'm doing...you're a bit mistaken. No, that's not a part of the plan. That's just me. That's what I do. That's just Chuck Matthews being Chuck Matthews.
So a match like this...this isn't made by accident, Zack, and I think you and I both realize that. I think we know that we were not put against each other simply to get us on the card. We were not thrown together simply 'because.' No...there's a reason for it. There's a point to it. The kicker? You've already foiled it simply by being...you, really. Simply be being one of those few men I want to fight.
That's confusing. Let's try and break that down. See, Zack...we're not all that different.
They'll hype up the differences, sure. I mean, at the end of the day, this IS a sort of 'meeting of the minds.' In one corner, you have the Smartest Man in Wrestling. You've got a man who's made an entire career out of wrestling a very distinctive style. It's controlled. Methodical. He picks his spots, he takes hits where he can afford them, and he spends the entire match waiting, creating opportunities, searching for that decisive moment when he can hit that spear and put the match to rest.
On the other side...there's you. Zack Lifer. And you, in many ways, are very different. Unorthodox. Unpredictable. For every bit of control I maintain over my matches, you bring a level of controlled chaos.
But unpredictability is a funny thing, isn't it? This match pits two of the most unique and recognizable brains in the business against each other. Method vs. Madness. But if there's anything that I've proven in my tenure in EXODUS so far, it's that I, too, am unpredictable in my own right.
How many people foresaw me entering the Crucible at number two? How many people expected my plan going into it? I mean, isn't that why people even listen to what I have to say? Isn't that why people tune in? They have no idea what I'm going to do next. They don't know what I'm going to say next. And THAT, Zack...is how we're exactly the same.
I mentioned that a match like this has a purpose. I'd like you to consider, for a moment, what the powers that be are after. What do they want?
For you, it's simple. You're still getting punished for...whatever it is you did that pissed people off. You have somehow gotten on the bad side of...just about everybody, really. It seems to me that things seem to be going further and further downhill. You're on a downward spiral, Lifer, and I don't necessarily think that you're the one to blame for it. You had a handicap match a while back. You've been attacked by Furor's merry men. You fought this big baddie himself how many times now? I mean, this is not happening by chance. This is not random happenstance that you're slipping slowly down the food chain.
So they throw you against Chuck Matthews. They pit you against the guy that's climbing just as fast as you're falling. More importantly, they pit you against the one guy on this roster who DOESN'T seem to hate you and everything you stand for. It's simple: Chuck goes in, does what he does best. Lifer loses. Chuck goes on his merry way, none the wiser, and Lifer's momentum is crushed after a loss to a guy with little more than two months in EXODUS.
Or, maybe you win. Chuck loses. Chuck suffers his third straight defeat. Goes off the rails. Destroy the bond before it sets. Do not let these two get on the same page. Divide them before they can ally.
And even then, there's another angle being played here. I mean, consider the opposite. We know that they want a Zack Lifer opponent who can win. But what about Chuck? What do they want out of a Chuck Matthews opponent? What is their goal of putting you against me?
That's simple: They're still trying to see what makes me tick. I've said it before: I'm the uncrackable code. I'm the one guy that they can't figure out, and as time passes, I'm just becoming a bigger threat. People are starting to notice. People are recognizing that Chuck just keeps getting better, but for all their best efforts, nobody can figure out what it's all building towards. He keeps talking about a plan, and for weeks, people assumed, logically, that it must have been for the world title...a notion that was shot down instantly just a couple weeks ago. So what is it with me?
And that's where you come in. Zack Lifer, the man WITHOUT a plan. The man who is, in many ways, a foil to Chuck Matthews. Two men with two very distinctive mindsets...who have made careers with their unique ways of thinking.
That's what you're really doing, Zack. That's your job, whether you realize it or not. They're using you to try and find a crack in my armor. They're trying to find a weakness. Trying to find exactly what it takes to throw me for a loop. Get me off my game. Why you? BECAUSE you're you. Because they know you. Because they've already cracked you.
If you've got some new foreign alphabet, some new technology, a new computer program, how do you figure it out, Zack? You run it next to a similar one that you're already familiar with. They're familiar with you, Zack. You've been here a long time. They know what makes you tick.
But me? I'm alien technology. I'm a computer code that they can't figure out. And not only that, but I'm a code that just keeps getting tougher to crack. They need to act fast. They need to figure out how it works before it gets out of hand. And THAT is what you need to do. You need to slow me down. You need to help them to figure out the source of my power.
Now...as I said, their plan falls apart simply because I'm not really here to win. My goal, as I mentioned, is to simply put on the best match that I can. My goal, as uncharacteristically humble as it sounds, is to earn your respect. If I have to beat you to do it, so be it. But if I lose...if I can't get the job done...I can't say I'll be upset. As long as I can put on the best performance I can...as long as I can come out thinking 'Damn, that was a great bout'...then I consider my night successful. And that's what foils the plan for this match. They can no longer rely on me to go in and tear you down further. It's not my goal. It's not my intent.
So it rests on you. We're about to see exactly what you're capable of doing. We're about to see if you can do what nobody else has been able to: Is Zack Lifer the man who can counter the intelligence of Chuck Matthews?
Win, lose, draw...the result isn't terribly important to me. I've said what I had to say about it. But when push comes to shove, I'm still the smartest dude in this industry. I've still got that advantage, and I'm eager to see how it fares against your distinctive style of wrestling. You? This ball is in your court. You can see if you can figure me out. See if you can crack the code. See if you can beat me just to say that you've beat Chuck Matthews. But me? I've already laid out my plans for the match...and that plan is that I have no plan.
There is no agenda. There's no plots, no schemes, no manipulation. I intend to simply go out there and do my thing. Put on a great match. Compete for the sake of competing. Fight for the thrill of an entertaining bout. Be a fucking WRESTLER. So I thank you, Mr. Lifer, for giving me a match where I can let my plans and plots take a backseat for a night. For allowing me to go out and fight the way I did when I was just starting my career...when it wasn't about plans or cons, but about the love of the sport. Mr Lifer, for the first time in my EXODUS tenure, I do believe I can honestly say:
I'm going to enjoy this."
Japan
A Bar
Sofia Sinclair: "Mom and Dad say hi."
Chuck Matthews: "Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
Sofia Sinclair: "I will."
Chuck Matthews: "I'm going to try and take a trip home for a few days next week. I'll let you know."
Sofia Sinclair: "It's fine, Chuck. Really. You have a job to do. I understand."
Chuck smiles.
Sofia Sinclair: "So what are you up to tonight?"
Chuck Matthews: "Just enjoying the city. Nothing too exciting."
Sofia Sinclair: "Don't have too much fun."
Chuck laughs.
Chuck Matthews: "I'll try not to."
Sofia sighs on the other end.
Sofia Sinclair: "Well...I guess I'll let you go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
Chuck grunts his approval.
Sofia Sinclair: "Love y-"
He hangs up before she can finish her sentence. He looks down at his glass in front of him. This was his third drink of....whatever the fuck it was. Most of his days lately were spent roaming the city, drinking himself stupid, and passing out for twelve hours. It killed time, at least. Truth was, Chuck couldn't wait for this Japan tour to be over. He was ready to be home in Chicago...with his wife. His kid.
?: "You look like you've seen better days."
Chuck looks over his shoulder. A woman takes a seat next to him. She's...American, by the looks of it. Blond hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Short black dress. Brown eyes. But the way she carried herself...the way she spoke. Definitely American.
Chuck Matthews: "Long day."
Woman: "Say no more. Work?"
Chuck looks at her for a moment.
Chuck Matthews: "Yeah, you can say that."
She nods in agreement.
Chuck Matthews: "So what do you do for a living?"
She giggles.
Woman: "That's such an American tradition. Ask someone their job before their name."
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "My apologies."
She shakes her head, laughing.
Woman: "Don't worry about it. I work in television. Sports, mostly. I help to negotiate deals between American and Japanese companies."
Chuck turns, leaning back against the bar.
Chuck Matthews: "You don't say?"
Woman: "It's a tough job sometimes. But it's lucrative if you're good."
Chuck nods, a slight smirk forming on his face. The woman extends her hand.
Woman: "Rebecca Dalton."
Chuck shakes her hand.
Chuck Matthews: "Chuck Matthews."
Rebecca Dalton: "Pleasure to meet you. So what about you? What do you do, Mr. Matthews?"
Chuck Matthews: "Well, believe it or not, I'm very much in the same business as you. I work in television. CEO of Matthews Enterprises back in North America."
Rebecca Dalton: "MEN TV?"
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "The very same."
Rebecca Dalton: "I'd heard a report a while back that you were trying to break into the Japanese market."
Chuck Matthews: "Failed endeavor."
Rebecca Dalton: "What got you so interested in Japan?"
Chuck Matthews: "Wrestling is huge here. If you're going to operate a television network focusing so heavily on the wrestling business, you should know that you're not going to find a tremendous market in the US. America breeds a very specific type of wrestling fan. But if you can get a foothold in Canada? In Mexico? In Japan? Then you find that you can create something that a lot of people will buy into. It's a diverse product. A diverse market."
Rebecca Dalton: "What about other sports?"
Chuck Matthews: "What about them?"
Rebecca Dalton: "MMA is on the rise, Mr. Matthews. I know you've been opposed to it in the past, but the jump from MMA to wrestling isn't a terribly big one."
Chuck Matthews: "Are you proposing something, Mrs. Dalton?"
Rebecca smiles.
Rebecca Dalton: "I'm saying if you're having trouble negotiating network deals with Japanese wrestling, perhaps you should try a different approach. Use MMA as your in to the Japanese market. Once you establish brand loyalty, prove that MEN TV can broadcast in Japan and turn a profit, then perhaps these wrestling powerhouses will be more willing to do business."
Chuck Matthews: "And I'm guessing you're in an MMA business."
Rebecca Dalton: "You ARE as smart as they say."
Chuck Matthews: "It's an interesting approach...I would need to see your operations, of course."
Rebecca Dalton: "Of course."
Chuck smiles.
Chuck Matthews: "I'm in town for another few weeks. But why don't we set up a meeting, hm?"
Rebecca Dalton: "You're conducting business in a bar? Shameless."
Chuck Matthews: "I learned that from my father."
Rebecca laughs.
Rebecca Dalton: "Well, I'm sure Mr. Matthews would be proud."
Chuck forces a smile.
Chuck Matthews: "I'm sure."
Rebecca pulls a pen out of her purse, and scribbles a note onto a napkin.
Rebecca Dalton: "Here's my cell. Why don't you give me a call next week, and we can set something up. I'm looking forward to doing business with you."
Chuck glances at the napkin, then to Dalton.
Chuck Matthews: "The pleasure's all mine."
He stares at her a moment longer.
Chuck Matthews: "Come on. Let me buy you a drink..."
Perhaps Japan wasn't as bad as he thought.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Matthews: "I think there are people who are expecting a lecture of some sort. They're expecting a long speech about the master plan, about how this match serves as yet another means to my twisted ends. You're sitting there, waiting to see what I'm going to say to get everybody riled up to the point that when the bell rings on Monday, there will be nothing that you'd like more than to see Zack Lifer kick the high holy hell out of Chuck Matthews and finally get him to shut up.
Unfortunately, that is NOT on the agenda tonight.
This match puts me in a strange position, really. I mean...on the one hand, there's the plan. There's always the plan. That much, I think I've made perfectly clear. Every match, every fight...there's always an end game. There's always a bigger picture, and everything I do slowly builds to making that vision a reality.
But at the end of the day, despite everything that may happen, everything I plan, I say, I think, I do...I am a professional wrestler.
And that's the key point. I own a business. I've trained wrestlers. I've earned a reputation as a teacher, a thinker, a philosopher, a preacher...one of the smartest men in the business. A genius. But all of that takes a backseat to the thing that has made all of that possible: Wrestling.
That IS what started it all, isn't it? I mean, if not for this whacked-out business, where would I be? Sure, I'd be the same smart dude we know and love...but without an audience, does that matter? Without the respect that I've earned from my colleagues, would anybody care?
Look at my business. These days, Matthews Enterprises is a nationally recognized entity. But did you think that its close ties to the wrestling industry was coincidence? Hell, the company got its start endorsing hot new prospects in the wrestling world. It televises events. There's an entire branch of its operations devoted solely to the wrestling world. And, of course, those of you who are intimately familiar with my career know that I started that business with money I made when I was competing for the big-name companies.
"Get to the point, Matthews." Right, right. The point. The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that regardless of all my plans, I still have that wrestler's mindset. While I can think ten levels above you, come up with plans and schemes that you can't wrap your heads around, I've still got one thing that keeps me tethered to this business and all of you kind folks in it. It's that anchor that keeps me tied down to this industry.
And, like all you other wrestlers, I've got that short list floating around in my head. You all have one. You all know what I'm talking about. It's that list of people that you would absolutely love to fight.
Zack Lifer has been on that list for some time.
I don't think this is new information, really. I'm sure, at some point, I've mentioned this. There are just...names, you know? Those people that seem to permeate all these circles. The names that keep popping up. Leander Apollo. Chris Strike. Gordon Fury.
Zack Lifer.
So...sure, there's a plan. That's nothing new. There always is. I think everybody knows that by now. Whenever I step into the ring, there's a bigger picture that goes far beyond what happens in the next ten minutes. But for a match like this? There's more to it. There's something that means a bit more than simply 'how does this serve my agenda?'
This is one of those happy few instances where I can walk into a match and compete not to further my own master plans...but to simply enjoy the work that I do. To go out, put on the most entertaining spectacle I can, and not particularly care about the outcome. You can say what you like about Zack Lifer, but he's a man who has bled for this business. He loves it. He has utmost respect for it. He works hard to reach the top of his industry. And he's recognized. It seems that, wherever I've gone, wherever I've poked my head, laced up my boots, his name is always one floating around.
And that is what gets me amped for a match like this. Again, I find myself in a situation where winning is not necessarily my goal. No...my goal here is not victory by any means necessary. My goal, more than all else, is simply to put on the best possible match I can. My goal is to earn respect from a man who has already earned plenty.
So...Zack...and yes, I will call you Zack. That's a name you've adopted, and that means something to people. You find yourself in an interesting position as well. I'm sure you, as much as anyone else, were expecting me to tear you down. Tell you you're not smart enough to challenge me. Tell you all the mistakes you make and why they're going to cost you. Tell you why I'm untouchable, why there's nothing you can do that can derail my momentum.
But no. I won't do that. I said it before, and I'm a man of my word: There's no bullshit from me this week. No tricks. No ace in the hole. Just a wrestler, going out to do what he does best.
We've seen these 'mind battles' with me before. EXODUS seems to get off on it. They try to find guys that they think can match wits with me, outsmart me, get inside my head. Understandable. I'm a code they can't crack. Everybody else on this roster? They're easy to decipher. They're simple creatures. It doesn't take a master's in psychology to see what makes them tick. But me? We've been hearing a lot lately about this...'evolution' of Chuck Matthews. Believe it or not, I actually have a negative record. I'm 2-3 here. And yet...nobody seems to be noticing that. Nobody puts any weight in that. Rather, it seems that everybody's on board this idea that with every match, Chuck gets smarter. Tougher. More dangerous. He adapts to the world around him. He learns the tricks. He learns the moves.
Now, the really scary part is that this takes absolutely no effort from me. I mean, hey, if that's how people are thinking, more power to them. I won't deny them that. But if you think it's an active piece of my puzzle, that I'm striving to do exactly what they're saying I'm doing...you're a bit mistaken. No, that's not a part of the plan. That's just me. That's what I do. That's just Chuck Matthews being Chuck Matthews.
So a match like this...this isn't made by accident, Zack, and I think you and I both realize that. I think we know that we were not put against each other simply to get us on the card. We were not thrown together simply 'because.' No...there's a reason for it. There's a point to it. The kicker? You've already foiled it simply by being...you, really. Simply be being one of those few men I want to fight.
That's confusing. Let's try and break that down. See, Zack...we're not all that different.
They'll hype up the differences, sure. I mean, at the end of the day, this IS a sort of 'meeting of the minds.' In one corner, you have the Smartest Man in Wrestling. You've got a man who's made an entire career out of wrestling a very distinctive style. It's controlled. Methodical. He picks his spots, he takes hits where he can afford them, and he spends the entire match waiting, creating opportunities, searching for that decisive moment when he can hit that spear and put the match to rest.
On the other side...there's you. Zack Lifer. And you, in many ways, are very different. Unorthodox. Unpredictable. For every bit of control I maintain over my matches, you bring a level of controlled chaos.
But unpredictability is a funny thing, isn't it? This match pits two of the most unique and recognizable brains in the business against each other. Method vs. Madness. But if there's anything that I've proven in my tenure in EXODUS so far, it's that I, too, am unpredictable in my own right.
How many people foresaw me entering the Crucible at number two? How many people expected my plan going into it? I mean, isn't that why people even listen to what I have to say? Isn't that why people tune in? They have no idea what I'm going to do next. They don't know what I'm going to say next. And THAT, Zack...is how we're exactly the same.
I mentioned that a match like this has a purpose. I'd like you to consider, for a moment, what the powers that be are after. What do they want?
For you, it's simple. You're still getting punished for...whatever it is you did that pissed people off. You have somehow gotten on the bad side of...just about everybody, really. It seems to me that things seem to be going further and further downhill. You're on a downward spiral, Lifer, and I don't necessarily think that you're the one to blame for it. You had a handicap match a while back. You've been attacked by Furor's merry men. You fought this big baddie himself how many times now? I mean, this is not happening by chance. This is not random happenstance that you're slipping slowly down the food chain.
So they throw you against Chuck Matthews. They pit you against the guy that's climbing just as fast as you're falling. More importantly, they pit you against the one guy on this roster who DOESN'T seem to hate you and everything you stand for. It's simple: Chuck goes in, does what he does best. Lifer loses. Chuck goes on his merry way, none the wiser, and Lifer's momentum is crushed after a loss to a guy with little more than two months in EXODUS.
Or, maybe you win. Chuck loses. Chuck suffers his third straight defeat. Goes off the rails. Destroy the bond before it sets. Do not let these two get on the same page. Divide them before they can ally.
And even then, there's another angle being played here. I mean, consider the opposite. We know that they want a Zack Lifer opponent who can win. But what about Chuck? What do they want out of a Chuck Matthews opponent? What is their goal of putting you against me?
That's simple: They're still trying to see what makes me tick. I've said it before: I'm the uncrackable code. I'm the one guy that they can't figure out, and as time passes, I'm just becoming a bigger threat. People are starting to notice. People are recognizing that Chuck just keeps getting better, but for all their best efforts, nobody can figure out what it's all building towards. He keeps talking about a plan, and for weeks, people assumed, logically, that it must have been for the world title...a notion that was shot down instantly just a couple weeks ago. So what is it with me?
And that's where you come in. Zack Lifer, the man WITHOUT a plan. The man who is, in many ways, a foil to Chuck Matthews. Two men with two very distinctive mindsets...who have made careers with their unique ways of thinking.
That's what you're really doing, Zack. That's your job, whether you realize it or not. They're using you to try and find a crack in my armor. They're trying to find a weakness. Trying to find exactly what it takes to throw me for a loop. Get me off my game. Why you? BECAUSE you're you. Because they know you. Because they've already cracked you.
If you've got some new foreign alphabet, some new technology, a new computer program, how do you figure it out, Zack? You run it next to a similar one that you're already familiar with. They're familiar with you, Zack. You've been here a long time. They know what makes you tick.
But me? I'm alien technology. I'm a computer code that they can't figure out. And not only that, but I'm a code that just keeps getting tougher to crack. They need to act fast. They need to figure out how it works before it gets out of hand. And THAT is what you need to do. You need to slow me down. You need to help them to figure out the source of my power.
Now...as I said, their plan falls apart simply because I'm not really here to win. My goal, as I mentioned, is to simply put on the best match that I can. My goal, as uncharacteristically humble as it sounds, is to earn your respect. If I have to beat you to do it, so be it. But if I lose...if I can't get the job done...I can't say I'll be upset. As long as I can put on the best performance I can...as long as I can come out thinking 'Damn, that was a great bout'...then I consider my night successful. And that's what foils the plan for this match. They can no longer rely on me to go in and tear you down further. It's not my goal. It's not my intent.
So it rests on you. We're about to see exactly what you're capable of doing. We're about to see if you can do what nobody else has been able to: Is Zack Lifer the man who can counter the intelligence of Chuck Matthews?
Win, lose, draw...the result isn't terribly important to me. I've said what I had to say about it. But when push comes to shove, I'm still the smartest dude in this industry. I've still got that advantage, and I'm eager to see how it fares against your distinctive style of wrestling. You? This ball is in your court. You can see if you can figure me out. See if you can crack the code. See if you can beat me just to say that you've beat Chuck Matthews. But me? I've already laid out my plans for the match...and that plan is that I have no plan.
There is no agenda. There's no plots, no schemes, no manipulation. I intend to simply go out there and do my thing. Put on a great match. Compete for the sake of competing. Fight for the thrill of an entertaining bout. Be a fucking WRESTLER. So I thank you, Mr. Lifer, for giving me a match where I can let my plans and plots take a backseat for a night. For allowing me to go out and fight the way I did when I was just starting my career...when it wasn't about plans or cons, but about the love of the sport. Mr Lifer, for the first time in my EXODUS tenure, I do believe I can honestly say:
I'm going to enjoy this."