Taking Back

[Kyle]

OOC: So I know this is up really early but I had been on a roll writing the last couple days and managed to get probably my largest RP to date. It's a bit of a read, and it takes the Cena/DiBiase feud to another level. I had a lot of fun writing this one and if anyone has any feedback that would be great. Thanks to Holly for having this feud continue from last year.


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330 days Ted DiBiase had held the Path to Glory Championship and defended it proudly. He created history and rewrote the record books. He became the only person at the time to hold the Path to Glory more than once and he had held the championship longer than anyone else in the company. With all of the success that he had, with all of the high calibre opponents he defeated, Ted DiBiase still was treated like dirt. DiBiase had never received the respect that he rightfully deserved since arriving in tail end of 2009. In 2013 when there were talks of superstars being approached by rival organisations, it was publicly known that Randy Orton was courted by Vince McMahon personally. Ted DiBiase was also approached by the WWE and also TNA. He was promised championships and main event status that he deserved. He was promised a fat pay check which rivalled and surpassed what he received in EBWF. News of DiBiase's potential defection weren't made known publicly at all, and his rejection of those offers were also kept quiet. Even though Ted was promised the world in the WWE and TNA he stayed with EBWF. He stayed with the company that he had been with for over 4 years. In his 4 years he had achieved many things. He wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin in his debut, won the World Championship, held Tag Team gold, Path to Glory gold and competed against the best wrestlers in the world. But with every high note in his stint in EBWF, there was an equal low point. A 6 month injury kept DiBiase off TV for most of 2011, and before that he had been losing consistently for several months prior to injury. But throughout all of the ups and downs in his career, he had wrestled and held his own against legends and the best in the wrestling business. At only 31, Ted had several years left in his career. He still had time to soar to the heights he wanted to reach. Ted had goals that he wanted to achieve and he knew that EBWF was the place to achieve them. He could have gone back to the WWE, but anything he did there wouldn't stack up to what he did in EBWF.

In the lead up to Wrestlemania XII it was Ted DiBiase who challenged John Cena to a match. As the weeks progressed, what was a simple challenge turned into a bitter feud between the two culminating in a hellacious First Blood match in which Cena retained his Intercontinental Championship and was victorious. Since DiBiase had been in EBWF, he had seen Cena enter EBWF as well and take EBWF by storm. He saw Cena win the World Championship, defeat him for the Tag Team Championship and go on to hold many more titles in the last few years. In all that time Ted had never defeated John Cena and the victory constantly eluded him. It hurt DiBiase mentally to know that there was a man in EBWF that he couldn't beat. He had defeated Randy Orton, CM Punk, and Jeff Hardy who were all at one stage successful World Champions and embroiled in feuds with DiBiase. But John Cena kept winning. At first Ted thought that it was just a fluke, anybody could get a lucky win. But as the years went on and the record became more embarrassing for the son of the Million Dollar Man, Ted knew it was more than a couple of lucky wins. John Cena had DiBiase's number and he knew it. By now it was no challenge to John and he was simply humouring DiBiase by accepting his challenge. He didn't respect Ted and didn't see him as any sort of threat at all. All Ted wanted was that one victory, that one pinfall or submission, to hear the announcer say that the winner of the match was him and not John Cena. He wanted the respect gained from defeating Cena. He wanted Cena to acknowledge that he wasn't a push over, that he wasn't weak. After losing at Wrestlemania XII to Cena, Ted and Cena went their separate ways and most people thought that was it, but with the New Year the two wrestler’s paths crossed once more. John Cena had not lost the Intercontinental Championship since winning it at Fallout in February of 2013. While it never mattered to Ted after losing to him at Wrestlemania, Cena looked to take more from DiBiase again. The record for longest reigning champion in history was about to be broken by Cena. Soon Ted DiBiase's mammoth reign and his crowning achievement in EBWF would be shadowed once more by his nemesis. Once again it was John Cena showing that he was better than Ted DiBiase. His reign of 330 days seemed to be unbreakable, at least Ted thought that. Now it would soon be nothing. It was still a long reign, but it meant nothing once John Cena reached day 331 of his reign. Ted challenged Cena once more on Warfare, and being the "fighting champion" John Cena accepted. By now Cena accepted purely out of pity, Warfare would be another day at the office for Cena and he would walk in and walk out as champion. Nobody for a second believed that Ted could win, at times not even Ted believed anymore. But the match would take place on the defining day of John Cena's career, the day that he eclipsed Ted DiBiase's record. His match against DiBiase would not be a standard match, much like his other matches against Ted it would be a violent match. On the 20th of January John Cena would go up against Ted DiBiase with the Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Steel Cage match.

Ted decided to film his promo in his home. It was a dark night, and Ted was sitting in his living room watching Wrestlemania XII on his large Plasma TV which covered most of the wall. The only thing illuminating the room was the light from the television. Ted wasn't watching Dean Ambrose vs CM Punk, or The Sequel vs Rated RKO, he was watching his match with John Cena. It was on a constant loop, with the camera picking up the final moments of the match.

"Ted regrouped himself, not able to see Cena, he charged and tried a suicide dive over the barricade, but as intercepted by a swing John Cena who connected with the bat to the forehead and then struck Ted three more times, the crowd was going nuts, as Ted was busted wide open, the referee got in between Cena and Ted and had no choice by rule but to ring the bell."

Jim Ross: He did it! He did it! BATTER, BY GOD, UP! John Cena! John Cena! He's retained the Intercontinental Title!

The match stopped playing momentarily before beginning again at the beginning. The camera was positioned behind Ted so only his back was visible to the camera. He was silent for some time until he let out a murmur.

Ted Jr: I still can't win...

The finish to the match played over and over, the image of Cena smashing the baseball bat into the face of Ted was burned into his head. The TV cut to an older match. Not long after joining EBWF, Ted had held the Tag Team titles with CM Punk. The video showed their defence against Cena and his partner Bryan Danielson, better known as Daniel Bryan. The two formed the Real American Heroes. The video showed Cena hitting DiBiase with the Attitude Adjustment to get the pin fall. Once again Ted murmured.

Ted Jr: I can't win...

The camera slowly moved around to show more of Ted's face. His eyes were bloodshot, he had stubble covering his usually smooth face and he looked like a mental wreck. As confident as he was on TV, he was a mess off it.

Ted Jr: Why can't I beat him? Why is it every time I get in that ring with him I always lose? WHY CAN'T I DEFEAT HIM?! For four damn years he's beaten me time and time again. Every time I say I beat him and every time I'm a liar. He's pinned me, he's made me tap, and he’s bashed my head in with a baseball bat. Now he's got a steel cage to brutalise me in. I've taken on the best in EBWF. I've beaten Randy Orton and CM Punk, both who beat Cena. I've won the Path to Glory Championship, which Cena now has. I've got the longest reign in EBWF history, which Cena is about to break. Why? Why does he take everything away from me? Everything I've accomplished gone. Everything I've worked hard to achieve, destroyed. It doesn't matter that I've held a title for 330 days, he's going to hold it for 331. Everything I do, he does better. I. Can't. Beat. Him.

Ted looked up at the screen to see himself a bloody mess after losing at Wrestlemania. He shook his head at the sight.

Ted Jr: Why can't that be him? Why can't he be the one bleeding on the ground? I kill myself and do everything for what? To have him come in and one up me? To have him ruin all that I've achieved? To metaphorically shit over everything that I've ever achieved in this business? I'll never be like John Cena. I'll never live the perfect life with the perfect wife, the perfect job, the admiring fans, and all the fame and glory of being the top athlete in the company. No, I'll be the one that gets pushed to the side, I'll be the one who sits at the bottom of the pile, waiting for the leftovers that he throws down to us peasants. I'll always be compared to my father, always be stuck in his shadow forever. No matter what I do I can't escape it. I can't escape the fact that Ted DiBiase is my father. I can't escape the fact that he is a legend and I'm not at his "level". And I'll never escape the fact that I still can't beat John Cena.

Ted grabbed the glass of scotch that was next to his chair and downed the glass quickly.

Ted Jr: I want that one defining win. I want to be the one that dethroned the great John Cena. I don't care if he's got 100 wins over me, I just want one. Just one victory to show that I'm at his level. Just one victory to show that I'm allowed to be in the same ring as him. Just one victory to let everyone know that I'm not a failure. I want that win. I. NEED. That. Win. John sits on his throne and looks down at me as nothing more than a warm up match. I want that to change. I want him and everyone to look at me as a threat in any match. I want the chance to be the best ever. As it was said, to be the best you have to beat the best. We all know that it's not Trent?. It's Cena and I have to beat him to validate myself. This isn't about the Intercontinental Championship as much as it's about me getting a victory over him.

Ted watched intently at the screen. He watched himself fight Cena, and while at times he was in complete control, ultimately he lost.

Ted Jr: Next week I take on John Cena in a Steel Cage match. The stipulation being that the Intercontinental Championship is on the line. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for letting Cena choose the stipulation. I let him choose, just like last time because I want his best. I don't want to taint any victory I have. I don't want anyone to say "You didn't deserve to beat John Cena". I want everyone to say "Ted DiBiase was the better wrestler." I want that praise. I want that respect. Until then I'm nothing in this business. I can never be the best ever without defeating him. Next week on Warfare I have my final chance to do so. I can't lose. I can't lose... again.

Ted's final word was now back to a quiet murmur. Ted wanted to win, he wanted that validation but it would be no small task. It would be the biggest challenge he had ever faced in EBWF. Locked in a Steel Cage would show his strength. It would show that he wanted to be in that ring and that he wanted to face Cena. Another defeat to Cena would be soul crushing. Another defeat would prove to DiBiase that no matter what he did, no matter how hard he trained or how focused he got he still couldn't beat Cena. He couldn't beat the multiple time World Champion, Intercontinental Champion, Tag Team Champion and Path to Glory Champion. Worst of all he didn't want Cena to once again shrug off the challenge of DiBiase as nothing. He didn't want Cena to treat his challenge as a joke. While everyone was content in waiting and lining up for a shot at Cena, Ted was the only one that met him head on and challenged him. He was the one that wanted Cena to set the stipulations. He wanted Cena to be at his best. Bringing the best out of John Cena was exactly what Ted wanted. He didn't want a John Cena at 30% or even 50%. He wanted Cena to be 100% and beat him at his best. Anything less wouldn't remove the burden on Ted's shoulders, it wouldn't remove the thoughts in his head that he couldn't beat Cena. Just one win, one emphatic win was all Ted DiBiase needed and Warfare was the only place he could get it.

As his encounter on Warfare loomed closer Ted became more and more on edge. For most of the week he had watched match after match of Cena. Hours and hours of footage, he saw Cena face Orton at King of the Ring, he saw Cena's Hardcore matches and Glass Table match at Christmas Eve of Destruction. He looked at every move Cena made, every action he took in that ring. His obsession with that one solitary victory over John Cena was making Ted insane. He was glued to the footage, studying every movement of Cena trying to find a weakness, a chink in his armour. Warfare was being taped in Minneapolis at the Target Center with two matches to determine the final competitors to enter the Women's and Men's Royal Rumble match. Also on the card was Trent? responding to AJ Styles' challenge and of course the Intercontinental Championship match. Ted entered the arena quietly, avoiding almost all other people as he made his way to his locker room. When he entered the locker room he placed his bags down and got his ring gear on. Before departing the locker room he looked at his Wrestlemania match against Cena one final time on the small television in the locker room. He saw how at times he had complete control and managed to be a step ahead of Cena, but ultimately his efforts were for nil as Cena was victorious.

Jim Ross: He did it! He did it! BATTER, BY GOD, UP! John Cena! John Cena! He's retained the Intercontinental Title!

Ted threw the remote at the TV, cracking the screen on impact. He was furious, as he paced back and forth his heart rate was high. All that ran through his head was each loss, each time he fell short and couldn't quite measure up to Cena. Ted thought of his reign and how it became nothing today. While pacing back and forth, Ted didn't notice the door creak open and Michael Cole entered quietly.

Michael Cole: Uhh... Ted?

Ted stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Cole. His eyes burned into the announcer/interviewer.

Ted Jr: Get in. Now.

His words were sharp and direct. He didn't want the uninteresting conversation prior to the interview. He wanted it over and done with. He wanted to get out there and escape his locker room. Michael Cole hurried into the room and was quickly ready to begin the interview. He looked at Ted for confirmation to start the interview and was met with another glare.

Michael Cole: Welcome everyone to Warfare, with me at this time is the man who will be facing John Cena later tonight for the Intercontinental Championship. Today marks the day that John Cena makes history in EBWF and becomes the longest reigning champion of all time, a record currently held by you. John Cena has held the Intercontinental Championship since February of last year, and his reign almost ended at Wrestlemania when you competed against him in a First Blood match.

Ted Jr: I lost.

Ted's voice was monotone and showed no emotion at all.

Michael Cole: You weren't successful that night but tonight you look to become the Intercontinental Champion for the first time in your career. In order to do that you need to defeat John Cena in a Steel Cage.

Ted Jr: I need to defeat John Cena. The record is one sided and in John's favour. He took the Tag Team Championships from me in 2010, he took away my perfect Wrestlemania record, and tonight he's taking away my record. The record that I earned. The record that I shattered. The one achievement that said that Ted DiBiase was the best. Now I have nothing and it's all because of John Cena. It's because he takes and he takes and he takes. Tonight I take back what's mine. I take back the win that I deserve.

Michael Cole: Last week you challenged Cena and said that you didn't care what the stipulation was. In reply John Cena chose to defend his championship inside a Steel Cage. The only way to win is by pinfall, submission and escaping the cage. Who do you think has the advantage in this type of match?

Ted Jr: I said last week that it didn't matter what the stipulation is and it still doesn't matter now. John Cena went through two Hardcore matches and a Glass Table match at Christmas Eve of Destruction. He defeated me in a First Blood match. He's held the Intercontinental Championship since February of last year. The stipulation favours nobody. You ask anyone who they think is going to win tonight and they'll say John Cena. You ask me who I think is going to win and part of me wants to say that I can, but looking at the history I'd be wrong. John Cena is going to walk into this arena not even caring about this match. He hasn't looked at any tapes, he hasn't compiled strategies or plans. He doesn't care about this match. Do you want to know what I've done for the last week? I've watched our Wrestlemania match 100 times. I've watched the Tag Team match between John Cena and Bryan Danielson and CM Punk and myself. I've watched my failures. I've seen what I've done against Cena and I've seen him overcome it all. I've seen him bash my head in with a baseball bat more times than I care to see. I've seen him take everything that I've worked for my entire career. He's happy go lucky and lives the perfect life. I've got no wife, no records, no championships and no respect. People still say the only reason I'm even in this business is because my father was successful. I can't escape from the shadow of him no matter what I do. I can't say that I'm Ted DiBiase, the wrestler. I'll forever be known as Ted DiBiase, son of the Million Dollar Man. Do I want that title? No. I want to be my own man. I want everyone to see my accomplishments. But I can't. I can't because everything I've worked so hard for has been surpassed. So tonight the only thing I want is to beat John Cena. I want the records to show that on January 20, 2014 Ted DiBiase was better than John Cena. I want John Cena to say himself that I was better than him. Then and only then will I be content with myself.

Michael Cole: Tonight is the final Warfare before the Royal Rumble event. Winning the Rumble will guarantee a World Championship shot in the main event of Wrestlemania. Have you thought about the Royal Rumble at all?

Ted Jr: The Royal Rumble is the last thing I'm concerned with. Every year there are 30 people all saying that they are going to win the Royal Rumble, that it will be the defining point in their careers. That's not what I want. Throwing someone over the top rope doesn't make you the better man, it makes you more resourceful. Pinning someone or submitting them and being called out as the winner makes you better than someone. Taking a championship away from someone makes you the better man. Tonight is the only thing I'm thinking about. Tonight is the only thing that I care about. The only thing I've thought about in this last week is this encounter with John Cena. I want to take back what I've lost from him. I want to take from him what he's taken from me. I want to be better than him. I want to be better than everyone in this company. Every wrestler on the roster wants to be the best. I know that I won't be the best while I still haven't defeated John Cena. I don't want to have that hanging over my head anymore. He is not invincible. He has weaknesses and he can lose. Tonight I want to defeat him. I NEED TO WIN.

Michael Cole: What if you don't win tonight?

Ted slowly turned towards Michael who instantly regretted asking the question. Without warning Ted grabbed Cole and threw him towards the already smashed TV. Michael went back first into the TV and before he could react to the pain DiBiase began to throw punches. Cole was soon knocked down and Ted started to kick him.

Ted Jr: Does this look like someone who is going to lose tonight? Do I look like a loser to you? ANSWER ME!!

Ted continued to kick Cole and scream at him. It wasn't long before people ran in to stop the attack. Ted just yelled as he was being forced out the door while Cole curled up in pain. Ted was soon forced out the door and taken away from his locker room. As he walked down the hall, he noticed a figure approaching him. Paul Heyman walked next to Ted and he looked annoyed.

Paul Heyman: Why have you not answered any calls? Why haven't you allowed me to represent you to the best of my abilities?

Ted Jr: Get out of my face, Paul.

Paul Heyman: I want an answer dammit. You're my client I-

Ted Jr: I was your client. You're fired, Paul.

Paul stopped in his tracks as Ted continued to walk. He wanted no further distractions for tonight. He had one objective and one objective only. Defeat John Cena.