A quiet voice can be heard rumbling on the corded phone unclearly.
No, I know I said I wanted to come back for one more run, but when you asked me to return, I didn’t think you would throw me right back into the thick of it. The Royal Rumble? I was thinking a few warm up dark matches, maybe some tag team stuff, you know ease into it.
Again, the conversation continues. A man draped in a loose fitting sweatsuit shuffles in his chair as he listens to whomever he is speaking to on the phone drone on. It’s apparent that he doesn't like what he is hearing, but listens regardless.
Listen, it’s fine, I’ll make it work, but don’t expect any miracles. This isn’t 2004 or 2005 anymore. I’m not the young man I once was. Some of these kids now…. look, I could be wrestling my damn grandkids out there. He pauses for a moment, before moving his long scraggly hair away from his face and then cuts off the other side. And the seventh spot? I know you never let me have anything easy, but you brought me back in, at least cut me a little slack. Don’t you feel like you’re stacking the odds a little bit more against me than is fair?
The camera continues and finally we can see the face of the man on the phone come into view.
Not going to WIN? There isn’t a match that I’ve ever entered that I went into thinking I wasn’t going to come out the winner, so maybe it’s time you start preparing for the possibility that Bret “The Hitman” Hart becomes the EBWF’s first three-time Royal Rumble winner, and there won’t be a DAMN THING, that you can do about IT.
Bret slams the phone down on the counter and then hangs it back up onto the hook. He gets up and places his hands on his desk and leans into it. He looks around his office, and it’s apparent that Bret has enjoyed his time away. He has numerous memorabilia scattered about his office on shelves and walls. Pictures of family and friends fill his study, but Bret is focused on one thing. A stack of papers is dead centre on his desk
At least I'm not number one again.
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The night has finally arrived. The cameras soar around the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan as the EBWF’s ROYAL RUMBLE kicks off. Fireworks burst in the air and the crowd is rumbling with excitement. Most of the fans are standing awaiting the first match, when a familiar anthem awakens the crowd into a fever! Hart Attack is plays throughout the arena and the fans are losing their minds.
Jim Ross: NO WAY! IT CAN’T BE! IT CAN’T BE!!
As the anticipation continues to build, the tipping point is just about to be reached, when Bret “The Hitman” Hart steps out on to the stage.
Jerry Lawler: OH MY GOD! HE’S BACK! BRET HART IS BACK JR!
Jim Ross: BAH GAWD! BRET “THE HITMAN” HART HAS RETURNED TO THE EBWF!!
An older Bret Hart makes his way down to the ring as the fans are overcome with excitement. The cameras are shaking the fans are cheering so loudly. Even Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler can’t believe their eyes. Bret Hart smiles and gets into the centre of the ring. He takes in the crowd and tears up a bit, before throwing up his arms into his trademark pose as the fans explode into a new chorus of cheers again.
Bret Hart: Thank you. Thank you so much. It feels good to be standing here in front of all of you tonight. For those of you that don’t know… my name is Bret Hart and I am back here tonight to do one thing. I am here to win the Royal Rumble. The crowd erupts yet again knowing that The Hitman will be in the ring, tonight!
Bret Hart: Now, you’re going to hear a lot of people come out here tonight and say the exact same thing, but maybe I’ll add a few things that no one else is going to be able to come out here and say. First of all, you’re looking at Bret “The Hitman” Hart. The four-time EBWF World Champion, a two-time EBWF King of the Ring, and a back to back EBWF Royal Rumble winner! Not only have I won this whole thing twice, but I’ve won it starting number one and I’ve won it starting in the twenty-seventh spot. Tonight, even though I’m starting in the seventh spot, I am confident that at the end of tonight, I will be the last man standing!
Bret Hart: Now, as you all can see, I’m not the young pop that I once was, so I know this won’t be easy. I’m aware of the challenge that is ahead of me, but more than anyone else here, I’m prepared for this. I have spent months getting back in shape and I know what lies in front of me.
Bret Hart: Actually, I know WHO lies in front of me. That’s the real problem here. There are 29 other men back there, wanting to throw me over the top rope and forge their own path to Wrestlemania, an event that I’ve headlined 5 times. But if you’ve been paying attention to the EBWF the way the millions of EBWF Fans at home have been, these are all things that you would know by now.
Bret Hart: Speaking of things that you should know by now, I’m not the only former Royal Rumble winner in the match tonight. We have AJ Styles from 2012 as the first entrant. A man I saw tweeting that he would be the first in EBWF history to win from the number one spot. First of all, yes, I know what Tweeting is, but secondly AJ, I’m disappointed that you didn’t do your homework a little more. You see, back in 2004, there wasn’t a championship I didn’t hold or an event I didn’t win. Since I came to the EBWF over 15 years ago, I’ve done nothing but make history at every turn. That includes being the first AND only man to win the Royal Rumble from the number one spot. The first superstar to win the Rumble back to back and the ONLY legend in EBWF history to accomplish what I’ve accomplished. Now, AJ Styles I have a lot of respect for you and what you’ve done in this business but you’ve got a lot working against you tonight. First of all, starting at number one isn’t doing you any favours, but secondly, you’re just to damn easy to throw over that top rope. Now, I don’t know if you’ll still be in the ring by the time I get there, but if you are, I really don’t expect you’ll last much longer.
Bret Hart: Speaking of winning back to back Royal Rumbles, I finally get the opportunity to congratulate the only other superstar to ever accomplish the feat. Of course, I’m talking about the reigning back to back Royal Rumble winner, Dolph Ziggler. Dolph, you have accomplished something truly special. Something that you can tell your grandkids that only you and The Excellence of Execution accomplished. You can tell them that you stand beside Bret “The Hitman” Hart as the only men to have endured this gauntlet and come out the other side, now just twice, but twice in a row. Now, I saw your match at Wrestlemania XIII. We all saw. We saw you fail to seize the moment and fail to capture the World Championship. It was disappointing to watch Dolph, but I imagine it was a humbling experience for you. Because I also saw your match at Wrestlemania XIV and I saw you take hold of your destiny and finally, once and for all, become the EBWF World Champion. But I see that you have been knocked off your pedestal and I see you have fallen. Not even a premiere contender for the World Title any longer, you’ll need to outlast a long list of people gunning for the two-time Rumble winner just to get back to where you have deserved to be all this time. In time, I know you’ll reach the top of the mountain again Dolph, but that climb does not start tonight. Because tonight, if you stand in my path, you’ll find yourselff on your ass looking up at me as I throw you over the top rope on my path to redemption.
Bret Hart: But I’m not the only Rumble winner looking for Redemption because Dean Ambrose is going to attempt to brawl his way back to the top the only way he knows how. But if he thinks that he can stand toe to toe with 29 other guys and make his way to the main event of Wrestlemania again, then he has got another thing coming. The kid is tough, there is no question, but he’s stupid and cocky and hasn’t seen what will happen to him once I get the opportunity to lock the Sharpshooter on him and break his will and finally throw him over the top rope so he can rejoin his rightful place in the crowd, watching how real superstars perform in the ring. You see Ambrose, this isn’t a street fight every night. You have to have some technical ability to live among the superstars, otherwise you’ll just be what you were. A flash in the pan, passing in the night. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not giving you your due respect, but I respect those who earn it. The professionals in this business that earn their place and don’t let anyone come in and take it from them. And that is something that i haven’t seen from you yet. Prove me wrong though Dean, I’d really love to see that.
Bret Hart: Now it sure doesn’t feel like I’ve been away from the EBWF as long as I have because as I look around I see guys like Shane Helms and CM Punk back in town, I see people like Mankind and Syxx and JBL too. And as much as I feel like I should know what to expect from guys like these, these are the guys that can surprise you, the guys that can reach down when counts and pull out something you didn’t know they were capable of. Guys that have the potential to pull off something unexpected, are the ones that are truly dangerous in a match like this. Shane Helms, I saw made an appearance here earlier tonight was always a guy I wished had got just one more opportunity, but like so many others before him Wes Ikeda had his own plans and didn't really care about who got shafted because of them. Shane Helms was a guy who got so hot at just the wrong time that you really felt for the guy. Well Shane, I guess timing isn’t your thing because tonight, like so many times before, the bigger man is going to have to push you out of the way, to get things done, the way they need to get done.
Bret Hart: And how can I forget to talk about the man who ties it all together time and time again. Wes Ikeda, I don’t know exactly the role you had in getting me back into this ring here tonight. I don’t know if you’re the reason that I’m number seven, but I know full well why you’re number thirty. The last man in, last man out… right Wes? So many times we’ve butted heads. So many times you’ve played puppet master behind the scenes. So many times you figured you could preordain the outcome of everything that happened in the EBWF… but how many times did I show you that you can’t. I know we’re going to see each other in that ring, but when the time comes, I will not be the one looking up into the lights. I’ll be the one looking down at you.
With that Bret drops his microphone and heads back to the locker room to prepare for the Royal Rumble as the crowd remains electric!