You Are Not Worthy

[Ben M]

OOC: Had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Welcome back Brian, and good luck :)

Almost three weeks had now passed since the Royal Rumble, and Chris Jericho was still disappointed by his performance. With no eliminations to his name, and an in-ring time of just a few minutes, it was undoubtedly Jericho's worst Rumble performance to date. It was not the glorious return to the ring that he had envisaged. However, with an Elimination Chamber qualifying match to look forward to on Warfare, Jericho was still dreaming of a third WrestleMania main event match, and a long overdue WrestleMania main event victory.

It was the Saturday night before Warfare and Chris was sitting in his hotel room at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. His wife Jessica was spending the weekend at her parents' house, visiting her mom who had recently had a hip replacement. Which meant that Chris got to take his three children on the road with him. Ash, Sierra and Cheyenne had all been excited at the prospect of a weekend away in New Orleans, and the chance to see Warfare live; as such, getting them to bed had been somewhat difficult, and it was past 11pm before Ash and the twins had all fallen asleep. He texted Jessica to let her know that the three most important people in their lives were safe and sound, and when his iPhone began to vibrate a few minutes later, he was expecting it to be a call from his wife. However when he picked the phone up, Chris couldn't hide his surprise at seeing another caller ID. Despite his surprise, Jericho still answered the call.

Chris Jericho: Hey Steve... it's been a while.

It had been a while - about a year, in fact. Stone Cold Steve Austin had been in talks with EBWF at the start of 2014, but things hadn't worked out and apart from the occasional tweet, Jericho hadn't heard from Austin since. That was what made his call all the more surprising. Jericho couldn't help but wonder if this was a social call, or if Austin had an ulterior motive...

Steve Austin: Chris! How are you?

Chris Jericho: I'm good. How are things with you?

Steve Austin: Are you sure? I thought you might still be hurting from what happened at the Rumble. I went on my podcast and said you were going to win... you made me look like a damn fool!

Austin laughed. His laugh was contagious, and Jericho couldn't help but laugh with him.

Chris Jericho: Yeah... it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. But you know how these things go. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think anyone was expecting Ziggler to win again. So you weren't the only person that called it wrong.

Steve Austin: It was a swerve, no doubt about that! But hey, it's the road to WrestleMania now... there's time for a few more swerves yet! Tell me, is this the year we see Chris Jericho win the World Title again? It's been too long...

Chris Jericho: Is this a social call or an interview?

Steve Austin: Funny you should mention that... I was going to ask you if you'd be on the Steve Austin Show. But that's not why I'm calling! I wanted to see how you were doing. Besides, I still feel like I owe you an apology for how things went down last year. It might have taken me a year but you know me, I'm not one to apologise!

Jericho couldn't help but laugh again. He'd never been close friends with Austin, but one thing he'd always appreciated was how honest Austin was. Whether you wanted the truth or not, you'd always get it from Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Chris Jericho: Honestly Steve, it's fine - there's no need to apologise. It wasn't like we had a deal on the table and you bailed at the last second. We talked about getting you involved and bounced some ideas around, but there was never anything concrete. No hard feelings. And I'd love to be on your podcast. You were my first guest on Talk is Jericho, it seems only fair that I return the favour...

Steve Austin: I like the way you think Jericho! We can do something before Fallout if you like, you can use it to advertise the Elimination Chamber match. You are gonna be in the Chamber, aren't you?

Chris Jericho: I don't know yet. I've been with EBWF for 13 years, and I ran the place for two years. But when it comes to my matches, I never seem to know what the plan is until the last minute...

Steve Austin: You better be in the Chamber, I don't want you on my podcast if you aren't! I'm not interviewing anyone who jobs to Damien Sandow!

Austin laughed, and again Jericho couldn't help but laugh with him.

Chris Jericho: Well thanks for the confidence boost! In that case, I guess we'd better wait until after Warfare before we plan anything...

Steve Austin: Fine by me! I might even come to one of the shows and we can record the podcast there. That way I can catch up with Wes too.

Chris Jericho: Well you know you're welcome any time, so let's just hope our mutual friend Wes puts me over on Monday!

Steve Austin: I'll drink to that!

Chris Jericho: You'll drink to anything!

Steve Austin: Damn right! Anyway I know it's late so I'll catch up with you later. Let me know about that podcast... unless Wes wants to put Sandow over, then maybe I'll give him a call!

Austin laughed again and then said goodbye. Jericho ended the call and then got up from the seat where he had been sitting when Austin called. Jericho had rented a family room, with one double bed and two singles. Sierra and Cheyenne were sharing the double bed and Chris walked over to them, kissing them both good night. He then did the same to Ash, who was sleeping in one of the singles, before getting undressed, brushing his teeth and getting into the other single bed. As Jericho began to fall asleep, he thought to himself how much he wanted his three beautiful children to see him pick up a much-needed victory on Monday night.

On Sunday, Chris took Ash and the twins sight-seeing round New Orleans, then on Monday he brought them to the arena nice and early for Warfare. The three children were excited to see their "Uncle Wes", who offered to watch them while Jericho prepared for his match. Jericho had a choice between a pre-match interview and an in-ring promo, and wanting to get a feel for the live crowd before his match, Jericho opted for the latter. Wearing the trunks he had grown accustomed to in recent years after many years of wearing tights, and his infamous light-up jacket, Jericho waited behind the curtain. "Break the Walls Down" hit and although there were a few cheers from the fans who always cheered for heels and the die-hard Jerichoholics, most of the fans inside the Smoothie King Center booed, and that was just the way Jericho liked it. With a sly grin on his face, Jericho made his way down the ramp, then as he reached the ring he climbed onto the ring apron, looking around at the crowd and scowling at the fans in attendance before entering the ring. As he entered the ring, Jericho took a microphone from Christy Hemme, then when his music was cut and the arena lights came back up, Jericho began to speak.

Chris Jericho: Welcome to Warfare is Jericho! Three weeks ago at the Royal Rumble, things did not go according to plan. Myself, Lance Storm and Trent were planning to dominant the Royal Rumble match, and ensure that there was a worthy winner going into WrestleMania. We failed, and now the EBWF Universe will have to put up with Dolph Ziggler in the WrestleMania main event for the second year in a row. For that, I truly am sorry.

The crowd responded by booing, then a chant for Dolph Ziggler broke out. Jericho laughed at the fans, then continued to speak.

Chris Jericho: Oh you can cheer for Dolph all you want, but I'm warning you now, he's a specialist in failure. The Royal Rumble match is the only trick he has up his sleeve. Last year at WrestleMania, Dolph had his ass handed to him by Brock Lesnar, and this year he'll be left disappointed again by yours truly. Because at Fallout on Sunday, I will walk out of the Elimination Chamber as your new EBWF World Champion. And at the risk of uttering a phrase that will probably get me fined or sued for copyright, there is no chance in hell I'm letting an overrated spot monkey like Dolph Ziggler take the World Title away from me. Now I can already hear some of you smarks pricking up; in fact I can't just hear you, I can smell your stench of self-righteousness. I can hear you muttering to your fellow smarks (Jericho put on a whiny voice) "But Jericho! You haven't even qualified for the Elimination Chamber yet! You have to beat Damien Sandow first!" As that reality show reject The Miz would say... Really? I might have failed at the Royal Rumble, but to you really think I'm going to fail again tonight? Against an ignoramus like Damien Sandow? In case you've forgotten, the last time we saw Damien Sandow, he was getting beaten by that star-spangled freak Stardust for the Breakout Title. Which - no offence Stardust - is the least important title in the EBWF. And now, after a four month absence, he has a chance to qualify for a match where the most prestigious championship, not just in EBWF but in all of professional wrestling, is on the line? Sandow does proclaim to be our Intellectual Savior, so maybe he used his intellect to be persuasive, and gave Wes an earful to get himself in this match. But to be honest, I think it's more likely that Damien got this match because Wes gave him a mouthful!

That comment drew some laughs from the crowd, and Jericho hoped that his children hadn't heard it - or at least if they had, they hadn't understand what it meant. Smirking, Jericho continued to speak.

Chris Jericho: It's ironic, really. Lance Storm and I allied ourselves with Trent because we didn't feel like up and coming superstars were getting the opportunities they deserved. Trent is a prime example of that, and finally he's starting to receive the opportunities that should have been offered to him as soon as he returned to the EBWF last year. I have every confidence that when Trent is in action later on tonight, he'll beat Ted DiBiase and Adam Rose, and go on to become the new Intercontinental Champion at Fallout. But Wes, if you're going to change your nepotistic ways and hand out more opportunities, at least make sure you're handing them to the right people. I look back at the three men who qualified for the Elimination Chamber last week - AJ Styles, The Rock and Dean Ambrose. I don't like any of those three men, but I respect them, and I'm reasonable enough to admit that they're worthy contenders for the World Title. The Rock and Ambrose have both brought the best out of Solomon Crowe when they've challenged him for the World Title in the past, and AJ put in a great performance at the Royal Rumble. To qualify, they beat a champion in Stardust, a veteran in Syxx, and... well, I don't know what to say about Tyler Breeze except that there's more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. The other Elimination Chamber qualifying match tonight is between the longest reigning World Champion in EBWF history, Randy Orton, and Chris Sabin, who was a King of the Ring semi-finalist last year. Both Orton and Sabin have something in common with the other men who've had the chance to qualify for the Elimination Chamber - they've earned that opportunity. Well, maybe Tyler Breeze hasn't, but Wes probably has a crush on him, which is understandable. He's a good looking guy. Hell, maybe he'll even compete with Wes and I for Hottie of the Year at the Slammies. But Damien Sandow... he just doesn't fit with everyone else. He hasn't earned a damn thing. These imbecilic fans in attendance might not like me, and I'm sure they'll be cheering for Sandow tonight even though they know he doesn't deserve this match, just because they want to see me falter. But I can guarantee you this Wes - the EBWF locker room will be cheering for me. The only people that won't be are The Rock, AJ Styles, Syxx and Solomon Crowe - because they don't want to step inside the Elimination Chamber with me. They know that I'm a threat to them. Everyone else though - they'll be practically chanting "Y2J! Y2J! Y2J!" backstage. Trent and Lance will obviously want to see me do well, even though I know they're both bitter that they didn't get the chance to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. But so will people like CM Punk, Ted DiBiase, Sami Zayn... guys who have been here every week, clawing and fighting for an opportunity like the one Damien Sandow has been handed out of the blue. They'll want me to win because they know as well as I do how unworthy Damien Sandow is of an Elimination Chamber match. If somehow Sandow managed to pull off the upset of the century, and beat me to qualify for the Chamber, it will be the biggest conspiracy in wrestling since the Montreal Screwjob! But don't worry, my fellow EBWF Superstars, because I'm not going to let that happen. I will beat Sandow, and I'm going to dedicate that victory to every EBWF Superstar backstage who should have been in line ahead of Sandow for that opportunity. Not that it matters, because I would have beaten them too. Obviously.

Jericho grinned cockily, then turned to face the camera. He looked into it, addressing Sandow directly.

Chris Jericho: Now Damien, listen to me very carefully. But that oversized brain of yours to good use. I don't know what you and your frat boy Daniel Rodimer have been up to since you tucked your tails between your legs and took a leave of absence after Fanniversary, but let me tell you what I've been doing. I've been plotting and scheming, preparing for the alliance you saw at Christmas Eve of Destruction, when Lance Storm and I revealed that we had been working together all along to test Trent, and bring the best out of him. The three of us promised to be an unstoppable force, and at the Royal Rumble, things didn't go to plan. But three weeks later, look where we are. Lance is taking on the Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, in a non-title match. Trent has the opportunity to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Title, and challenge Zayn at Fallout. And I - I have to beat you to get a World Title shot. The revolution Lance and I spent months planning is finally coming to fruition. This Sunday, Trent will be the new Intercontinental Champion, and mark my words, I will be the new World Champion. I will be in the main event of WrestleMania. It's a spot that I've earned, and I can promise you that you will not stand in my way. Because no matter how badly you might want to be in that Elimination Chamber, Damien, I can guarantee that I want it more. And I will do whatever it takes to get there. If that means fighting dirty, so be it. You know what they say, nice guys finish last. If that means locking in the Walls of Jericho so tight that you break your back, that's fine by me. You can have another few months on paid leave. If that means punching you so many times that I give you a brain aneurysm, great. No one would miss you anyway. But if you look into my eyes, Damien - look closely - you'll see that I won't need to do any of those things. All I'll need to do is be Chris Jericho, and that'll be more than enough. Because not only are you not good enough to beat me... you aren't even worthy of licking my boots. When I'm done with you Damien, you will never - eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvveeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr - be the same, again!

Jericho threw the microphone down onto the ring mat, signalling his intent, then made his way to the back as "Break the Walls Down" blasted over the PA system once more. As he walked through the curtain, Jericho looked back at the ring, feeling determined. Standing in the ring had re-ignited Jericho's passion with a vengeance, and it had reminded him how badly he wanted this. He just hoped he had done enough to get it.