Tomorrow night the EBWF would be rolling into the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans; Louisiana for the annual Fallout event, the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania. But before all of the lights, the havoc, and the 11 matches would get underway, the EBWF made a stop at the Lakefront Arena just 20 minutes from the Smoothie King Center for a live event. It was going to be a big occasion for Sami Zayn; he hadn’t competed in any match since his brutal ‘loss’ to AJ Styles at Christmas Eve of Destruction. His next match was going to be against the same opponent and knew a loss could see him become a fringe player at WrestleMania, something he desperately wanted to avoid. He wanted a big WrestleMania opponent, he knew things needed to change, and he needed to pick up plenty of big wins – deserved big wins – and he was hoping that would begin at Fallout but having AJ Styles standing opposite him never ends in easy fashion.
The eight or so thousand capacity arena was sold out – as expected – with some big names competing at the house show. As the night rolled on fans erupted into cheers as out of nowhere, “World’s Apart” by CFO$ blasted the PA system, and the fans erupted into cheers as the lights started to flash red, yellow and blue. Eventually, Sami emerged from the curtains and was pumped up for the occasion as he scouted the arena with a huge smile on his face while nodding his head. Wearing his new, black bomber jacket over his traditional flag-design tights topped with the flat cap, he shouted “Let’s Go” into the camera in sync with his music and the audience. Sami and the crowd were pumped up as he danced his way down the ramp and greeted the fans who were desperately leaning forward to receive a high-five. Sami tried his best to meet them all before progressing down the ramp as he approached the steel steps with his name being announced to the EBWF Universe. He got into the ring and danced around a little more to his music before grabbing a microphone and walking around the ring, waiting for his music to fade out so he could speak. The fans weren’t going to make it easy for him, though, although the music stopped it didn’t stop the fans from showing their appreciation for the wrestler with the thunderous ‘Ole!’ chants breaking out through the arena and he couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Eventually, he raised his hand a little along with the microphone and was forced to cut short their chants.
SAMI ZAYN
I’m really sorry, thank you for that welcome but if I let you guys carry on I think I’d end up missing Fallout tomorrow night.
He let out a laugh as the fans then continued the ‘Ole!’ chants which he expected, he leaned against the ropes a little, almost challenging the fans to get louder which they did before he was forced to intervene yet again.
SAMI ZAYN
What a welcome, thank you once again, and I hope the guys and girls so far have put on a great show for you all but just for a little while…I want to talk about tomorrow. Just a few miles from here I hope to see you all there for EBWF’s Fallout. We have a stacked card, and I’m finally competing as well after I was given the clear and I’m taking on…a strange opponent in AJ Styles, somebody I’m all too familiar with. The thing is, I’ve taken on a lot of opponents here in the EBWF. I’ve taken on a lot of opponents at Ring of Honor, Chikara, PWG, over in Japan, EVOLVE…the list goes on and on. I’ve taken on a lot of opponents and some I deserved to lose against, and I took some questionable losses too, but I fought through them. No complaints from me because winning and losing is all part of the business we’re in, there are no complaints from me because those losses made me who I am today. Those losses helped me become a household name; those losses helped me sign with the EBWF, and those losses helped me become the EBWF Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Fans started to cheer again as he listed some of the promotions he worked for as well as reminding them that at one stage he was the EBWF World Champion, the number one guy in the company. Who would’ve thought that when he signed in June 2014?
SAMI ZAYN
With those losses, I’ve beaten some of the finest talents this company has to offer, and I hope that continues. Usually, losses wouldn’t eat me up for too long because I’d rather go out there and I’d go and right that wrong, but…the loss at Christmas Eve of Destruction against AJ…man…this is the one lass that has been eating at me the most. A constant reminder then even when I win…I lose. This is the one I need to correct; this is the loss I need to overcome and show that the best AJ Styles cannot and will not beat the best Sami Zayn when it matters the most. After Fallout tomorrow night, this battle, chapter, rivalry…it ends. Whatever happens, whether you beat me or I beat you it’ll finally be over, and I genuinely hope that our paths never cross again. I need to move on from this, move on from you, but you brought all of this upon yourself when you decided to cheat your way to a win in December. There’s so much more for me here in the EBWF, and I need to stop wasting my time on somebody like you. Sure, this will be one hell of a wrestling match that people will be talking about for a long time to come, but there are opportunities I simply can’t afford to miss out on and the longer I let you inside my head, the more I miss. I need the championship titles, I need that World Title, I need Chris again too, we’ve finally grabbed Shinsuke Nakamura too, he and I need to get it on in this ring and hell…U think we all know Kevin Owens, and I are going to cross paths sooner or later. But the only way I can give those guys any attention is after I beat you.
Fans cheered again as they heard what Sami had to say. Not only that he was planning on putting on an incredible wrestling match alongside AJ, but the prospect of incredible matches with the likes of Nakamura and Owens were something every single fan in the arena wanted to watch as it’s never been experienced in the EBWF. Sami knew why they were cheering before raising the microphone and switching attention from them to AJ once again.
SAMI ZAYN
I have a lot of history with AJ, more than I’d like but there’s nothing I can do about that. All it tells me is that he knows I’m a threat, a threat to what he wants to accomplish and a threat because he knows he can’t call himself the best wrestler in this company for much longer. We’ve been in this ring before, but I can just feel it, tomorrow night is not going to be the same, tomorrow night there will be more than just pride on the line because neither one of us is going to want to lose and neither of us will be staying down. But what happened two months ago isn’t okay with me, the fact you had to rely on that scumbag Solomon Crowe to give you the farce of a win I mean…how can you even begin to feel like you deserved that win? If I won like that, it’d eat me up inside especially if I continued to call myself the best wrestler around. I know what this match means, though, for me anyway. For me this match, this win is the only way I can get a big spot at WrestleMania, this win is the only way I can ever call myself a future World Champion because this is the only thing I know how to do. I need this more than you’ll ever need it because any win over you is a way to make an even bigger name for myself. If I were to lose and pull a leaf out of your book and walk away from the company like an upset little bitch, these people wouldn’t know or care who I am when I returned. But if you leave – which you probably will – these people would know exactly who you are not because of the impact you’ve made inside of this ring, but your antics and your bitchery outside of the ring. That’s the sort of impact I need to make, without the bitchery, obviously.
Sami walked around the ring more, looking pumped up and ready to go now if he had to. The fans eventually calmed down after his latest statement before continuing to speak on the microphone.
SAMI ZAYN
I know it’s not an impossible task, though, we’ve traded wins before, but I know that on paper I am, and always will be an underdog while you’ll always be the badass favourite. But you, your fan and this company need to realise that I’m no new kid on the block, I’m not a fresh-faced kid looking to make an impact in this company either. We all know and hear about how long you’ve been doing this, but I’ve been around for quite some time too because I’ve been busting my ass for over ten years. You just managed to catch a break and become the face of a sinking promotion by creating a name for yourself. All the time I was on the independent scene creating waves, and I hope now you know why people were singing my praises when they heard this company was interested in signing me, something you can’t stomach to this day. The reality is the two of us do have similarities, whether people believe it or not we’re fantastic wrestlers, I can’t take that away from you. We want to be the best but our methods aren’t the same, and we both want blockbuster matches at WrestleMania, and we both think we deserve a main even spot too.
Sami scratched his head a little, taking off his flat cap before smiling to himself, understanding that it was going to be a huge occasion.
SAMI ZAYN
We’ve both won World Championships; we both love wrestling, we both want to be the best and for one of us competing in a big match at WrestleMania is going to be a reality. For the other it’s going to be a bitter, cold, horrible night thinking where it all went wrong and believe me…I’ve had plenty of those nights so if things don’t go my way I’ll know how to bounce back. I’m just worried that you’d react in the worst possible way and leave us for a little while and come back when it suits you best. The fact is I have the heart and more passion than you’ll ever have for this business, money and fame drive you while my fans and my determination to succeed is the reason I bust my ass off 365 days a year. Are you actually better than me AJ? Sure you achieved a lot in your day, and we all know you’re a three-time World Champion and all but I’ve held that championship as well, y’know? You’re coming off a win over Syxx on the odd occasion you compete…but I’ve defeated him too. A mutual friend of ours, one that dethroned you for the World Championship last WrestleMania with relative ease…because of you, we had to endure the most boring title reign in the history of this company. Until I got the one opportunity, I needed and beat Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam, something you failed to do. Hell, that beats you have stood next to you who…Brock Lesnar…I’ve beaten him fair and square as well so does that mean everything AJ Styles can do, I can do better? Does that mean unless you’re lying or cheating against me…you can’t beat me fair and square? Here I am again AJ, poking my nose in your business and I promise you by the time Fallout comes to an end you’d wish you would have finished me and my career off once and for all at Christmas Eve of Destruction.
Sami’s expression went from an excited and eager to more serious, determined to not let AJ past him at Fallout. He circled the ring again, trying to calm himself down a little and remain composed before continuing.
SAMI ZAYN
Y’know my record here isn’t too bad here in case you didn’t notice AJ, the one thing I’d say is don’t expect me to be an easy opponent for you. I’ve proven people wrong before, and I know I’ll do it again when I leapfrog you as the best wrestler in this business. Intercontinental Championships, World Champion, a Slammy and I almost forgot I’m your reigning King of the Ring. Hardly a fluke when I have done things the hard way, the right way by starting at the bottom and working to get to this stage. If you think I’m going to be a pushover and let someone like you walk all over me to get to the top, you’re very mistaken, AJ. There’s always one common trend everybody here in the EBWF follows; we’re all so used to calling out legends and saying how we’d defeat them and how we want them to come out of their five-year retirements so that we can send them back. I genuinely believe I can put you in that position after tomorrow is done, I know I can make you a legend AJ. I know I can make you a legend who did it all but couldn’t do it when somebody better came along…plus you’d just come crawling back anyway so I doubt anyone would bother missing you.
After calming himself down Sami walked around the ring again, talking as he was walking, not wanting to forget any message he wanted AJ to hear.
SAMI ZAYN
I didn’t have any regrets since joining this company, well I didn’t until recently. I know how much that Royal Rumble meant to you and how much you wanted to win, but I think I let myself down. I let myself down because while I was at home watching that match, I should have been inside of the Rumble one way or another regardless of the injury. The only regret I have is that I was not the one who threw your sorry ass over the top rope and watched your hopes of ever main eventing WrestleMania again fade in front of your eyes. You may have proven that you’re the so-called man, time and time again, and people may start to believe you as well. You may have beaten the legends, you may have won the championships, you may be earning the most money but the only time I will ever consider you to be anywhere near the man is when you can beat me…all by yourself.
Fans cheered when Sami insinuated that Styles was fantastic – but he can’t beat Sami on his own as he needed Solomon Crowe’s help the last time the two faced off.
SAMI ZAYN
It seems like everybody in this company has a problem with me every time I am going to do something special. First Vertex, remember those guys? First they attack me and make my life a hell and when things are looking up YOU guys attack me. It’s like you’re trying to wipe me out of the competition because, at the end of the day, AJ Styles cannot beat Sami Zayn one on one. I know you’ll be listening somewhere AJ, whether it’s backstage, at home, tomorrow morning or ten minutes before the event starts tomorrow…I challenge you. I’m laying down a challenge to put your money where your mouth is and prove that you’re the best thing going. No outside interferences, no shenanigans…just you and me inside of this ring.
Fans cheered at Sami’s challenge, he wanted it to be clear that AJ shouldn’t bring anyone else out if he wanted to prove he’s better.
SAMI ZAYN
You talk a good game about defeating me, but we all know how you ‘won’ our last match. You think you’re the best wrestler in this company, and I think I’m the best wrestler in this company. Let’s go out there and prove it if you can pin my shoulders to the mat or make me submit then I won’t hesitate in shaking your hand after our match and admitting AJ Styles has still got it. AJ Styles is still the best wrestler around, and I can wait for my opportunity to be the best. But something tells me…I shouldn’t expect the same if it’s your shoulders on the mat for a three count or your hand hitting the canvas just begging me to break a hold.
Sami was about to leave the ring to cheers but did have one final comment to AJ after laying down his challenge.
SAMI ZAYN
It’s a simple choice, AJ. Either way, we’re meeting in the ring tomorrow. Now the choice is yours, which one will you make, man? Or bitch?
Sami threw the microphone over his shoulder as he quickly exited the ring through the ropes in a determined mood. The ‘Ole!’ chants broke out again as did his theme music before he started to mingle with the fans, screaming with them, pumping them up for the following night and wanted them there in full support. It wasn’t going to be an easy task, though; both men wanted to get to WrestleMania with momentum on their side. One thing was for sure; the fans were going to be in for a classic wrestling match.[/float]