Faith

[Cory]

Backstage at the Barclays Center, It was mere minutes before Damian Priest's main event match, defending his EBWF World Championship. Priest was ready, in every way that mattered, for the guaranteed carnage that would ensue in his match. Damian was rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck, and generally getting loose for his match when Renee Young approached him.

Renee Young: Damian, I wanted to get your thoughts on this match and what it means for your legacy in EBWF. Do you have the time to--

Renee was interrupted as Paul Heyman walked up to her, narrowing his eyes.

Paul Heyman: Renee, as you can see, my client is preparing for his match. Scaffolds, as far as the eye can see. Imminent danger and risk of extreme injury. One must be psychologically prepared. So you may ask me questions about Damian's match tonight.

Renee Young: Well, Paul, since you volunteered, I wouldn't mind hearing more about your--

Paul Heyman: Renee, please. Now is not the time.

Renee furrowed her brow, clearly irritated by Heyman's antics.

Renee Young: Is this how you're gonna be, Paul? I can just--

Renee stopped as Damian approached her, putting his fingers around her microphone and pulling close to his lips, a sinister smirk on his face.

Damian Priest: Relax, Renee. We don't got a lot to say about Seth Rollins, because honestly he doesn't give lot of bulletin board material, get me? But there is the one thing I think Paul wanted to talk about, right Paul?

Damian gave Paul a look end gestured towards Renee. Paul smiled sheepishly.

Paul Heyman: Well, I... yes. Of course. I guess I'll reserve my gratuitous abuse of backstage correspondents for another time.

Paul looked at Renee, narrowing his eyes.

Paul Heyman: It always entertains me when someone tried to invent a narrative in their own head canon to justify the delusion that they really, actually, have a shot against Damian Priest. The Undefeated Damian Priest. The undisputed EBWF World Champion Damian Priest. And so it is with "The Messiah"...

Paul threw out some overdramatic air quotes.

Paul Heyman: ...Who threw this theory out there, that Paul Heyman does not have faith in Damian Priest. This is a new chapter in the tale spun by Seth Rollins, a man desperate to find any sense of relevance in this company. The theory goes that I, with my incredible pedigree of wildly successful world champion clients, do not see Damian Priest at the same level. That I don't have faith that Damian Priest can reach the pinnacle in the same way as Brock Lesnar.

Heyman grinned malevolently, leaning in towards Renee.

Paul Heyman: He's absolutely right.

Priest smirked and nodded slowly as he started taping up his wrists.

Paul Heyman: I don't have faith in Damian Priest. I don't need to. Faith is the belief in something you can't touch or see. Faith is knowing something is real, despite your inability to prove that it's real. That's what faith really is. I don't have faith in Damian, because I don't need it. I have two perfectly functioning eyeballs in my head. I can see what Damian Priest has done to literally every opponent that has stood in the ring with him. I can see why he carries himself with the confidence and swagger that he does. I watched him wreck the entire King of the Ring ladder to become EBWF's 2023 King of the Ring on his first attempt. I saw him beat the stuffing out of Seth Rollins in a non-title match two weeks ago. Why would I have faith, when I have evidence?

Heyman smiled wryly as Damian stepped up to Renee and leaned towards her raised microphone.

Damian Priest: I'll give it to the Messiah. He's at least trying to do something to get in my head. It's a plan at least. Throw anything at the dartboard to see what sticks, trying to force a wedge between myself and Paul. The one thing that he forgot is that my arrangement with Paul is about one thing and one thing only.

Priest rubbed his fingers together.

Damian Priest: Money. I pay him to put me in a position to succeed. To pound the table for me. To grab opportunities for me thatI might not get myself if I was just standing around in catering. It's not about trust, or respect, or anything like that. It's about me paying for a service, and it's a service that Heyman has delivered on. So no, driving a wedge between me and Paul is not going to work. But at least he had some kind of strategy. It was a stupid plan, but at least it was a plan. Most of the guys in the back don't even have that when they face me. They just thing 'hey, he's a big guy, I'll just kick him in the legs and try to get him down on the mat.'

Damian shrugged, adjusting the World Championship title on his shoulder.

Damian Priest: Long story short, Renee, I got this. Paul's got this. There's no wedge. Paul is delivering on his part of the deal, which is why I knew he would secure this scaffold match. A match that's as rich in history as it is violence. Guys like Jerry Jarrett and Dirty Dutch Mantell have been in scaffold matches. I'm proud to continue that proud tradition of sending a charismatic, talented wrestler like Seth Rollins through several scaffolds before crashing into the mat, as my hand is raised in victory.

Priest grabbed Renee's microphone and faced the camera, looking deep into the lens with a cold expression on his features.

Damian Priest: Seth, listen up bro. I want you to enjoy this moment. Soak it up. Main event at the Barclays, in my town of NYC. This is as good as it gets for you. The referee is going to do you the solid of showing you the EBWF World Championship before the match starts. I want you to study it hard, see all the intricate designs, and memorize it. That is as close as you're getting to my title ever again after tonight. It's gonna get further, and further, and further away as your body plummets down to the ring, leaving you in a heap as I leave with this championship STILL around my waist.

Priest tapped the title a few times with the palm of his hand.

Damian Priest: But don't worry. Maybe you'll get another shot. Never hurts to have faith.

Priest and Heyman both smirked as they walked off, leaving Renee alone as the EBWF logo flashed in the corner and the camera cut to black.