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Sunday August 28 2016 – EBWF SummerSlam – KFC Yum Center – Louisville; Kentucky
Joey Styles: Oh my God! It can’t be! That’s AJ Styles! HE’S BACK!
The lights turned blue as Sami Zayn got himself together at the side of the ring, holding his ribs with a confused look on his face. He scrambled into a seating position at the side of the ramp, leaning on the barricade as he stared towards the top of the stage at the returning AJ Styles, before looking into the ring at Chris Jericho and his EBWF World Championship. At that moment he knew he had been overtaken, and perhaps rightfully so, after suffering two huge back to back defeats against PJ Black for the Path to Glory Championship, and now losing in his bid to become the World Champion after a tough year of battling it out with the best to reach this stage. Sami’s head sunk, he held his ribs and his shoulders, taking turns to tend to them both with the referee continually checking up on him. Eventually the show had ended, and only Sami was remaining near the ring as he stood up on to his feet, despite most of the crowd forgetting he was there now that Styles had returned, and his intentions were clear.
Sami slowly stood up, as the fans applauded him for his effort and the appreciation was clear on his face. He scouted the arena, nodding his head which triggered the ‘Ole!’ chants from the rowed Louisville audience. Eventually, his head sunk yet again as he looked down at the ramp in disappointment, his music didn’t play either as he made the long, difficult walk up the ramp having lost in his golden chance to reach the summit of the company yet again.
Joey Styles: What do you think is going through that man’s mind right now, Corey?
Corey Graves: I’d hate to know, Joey. The year he’s had has been nothing short of incredible, but the Sami Zayn we all know will be back out here tomorrow night on Warfare giving it his all. Tonight, he lost to the better man, but I can assure you this, this isn’t the last you’ve seen of him in the World Title picture, I guarantee you that.
He slowly walked up the ramp, and stopped on the stage, before turning around and looking down into the ring, and around the arena once more, realising that another year of ups and downs, ended on a negative at SummerSlam. He made his way through the curtain, still looking down, leaving the fans wondering what would be next for him in the EBWF.
The cameras followed him, despite going off-air, although the footage would be shown during the week. He stumbled through the curtains and leaned against the first wall he could find, still looking disappointed at the outcome and how he was feeling at that point. He glanced upwards, seeing Michael Cole hastily approaching him with a microphone, tip-toeing around him as he knew how Sami would be feeling.
Michael Cole: Sami, I…I understand what you must be going through right now. It was one hell of a match, everyone inside of this building and watching at home knows you gave it your all, like always. But, on a positive note, we did see the return of AJ Styles, what are your thoughts on this whole experience tonight?
Sami shook his head, looking confused, trying to understand Michael Cole’s question.
Sami Zayn: That was positive? Who was that positive for? It certainly wasn’t positive for me. It’s probably not positive for the women’s locker room, or for Chris Jericho, hell, even for these fans because like them, just when I get excited to see him do something, ANYTHING…he vanishes out of thin air. Now, he pops up from nowhere, again, so it’s nothing new, nothing positive. It is what it is.
Michael Cole: I understand that, so what’s the process now, what do you do fro…
Sami Zayn: For the first time in a very long time, I have no idea. I feel like calling Chris out tomorrow night to do it again, but I know I don’t deserve that. I and only I know what I’ve been through to get to this stage, and if I’m being honest…right now…I’m done. I can’t go through all of this again. I can’t.
Cole then looked confused at Sami’s blunt response as he got off the wall in pain, and started to walk away.
Michael Cole: You uh…what do you mean you’re done? Sami, just this last question.
Sami continued to walk away, picking up the pace a little before being stopped by Cole.
Michael Cole: What do you mean, Sami?
Sami Zayn: What I mean is that right now I don’t think it’s worth it, none of it. You guys don’t know what it took to get to this stage, I don’t think I can do that for an entire year, again. You can tell the bosses I’m going home.
Michael Cole: Sam…Sami! Can he do that?
Cole talked to the cameraman as he continued to watch Sami walk through the backstage area in frustration, telling Cole he was going home.
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Monday September 12 2016 – EBWF Monday Night Warfare – Philips Arena – Atlanta; Georgia
Two weeks had passed since SummerSlam, and fans were still talking about the comments made by Sami Zayn following the event, how he was ‘done’ and how he was going home. So it came as a pleasant surprise for the Atlanta fans when it was announced that the main event match would feature Sami Zayn, as he took on Seth Rollins. The mood he would be in, however, remained to be seen as nothing had been seen or heard from him since SummerSlam, and when Warfare returned from a commercial break, Joey Styles and Corey Graves continued to discuss those events.
Joey Styles: Well, up next we have the main event match, Seth Rollins taking on Sami Zayn. But, Corey, we have to talk about THOSE comments by Sami, he said he was done, talked about the long, hard path to that championship match, but now he’s back. What do you make of it all?
Corey Graves: Look, I know Sami better than most in this company. I know the struggle he went through, not just over the past year, but since arriving on the scene. Saying that, the Sami I know won’t quit as easily as that, and I know the higher-ups are clever enough to keep him around. I just don’t know what kind of Sami Zayn we’ll get tonight. For his sake, I hope the week off did him good, otherwise it could get ugly, especially against Seth Rollins tonight.
Joey Styles: So would you say despite their roles in the company, Seth Rollins is the favourite tonight?
Corey Graves: Oh, absolutely. He’s an incredible in-ring performer, and that alone is a huge test for Sami. He has the momentum, he’s the champion, he’s competing alongside his best friends and he looks good doing it, what could possibly go wrong? Everything can go wrong, Joey. This isn’t going to some enhancement talent stepping up to the plate, I’m sure Seth realises the magnitude of the situation, regardless of the loss at SummerSlam, he’s taking on a former Intercontinental Champion himself. He’s won the King of the Ring, back to back, the World Championship as well. This won’t be as easy as it looks on paper, that’s a guarantee.
Joey Styles: Unless…The Broken get involved?
Corey Graves: Jimmy Havoc isn’t around, let’s see how they do without him.
As Corey finished his sentence, the arena erupted into cheers as “World’s Apart” by CFO$ blasted the PA system and the fans got out of their seats to catch a glimpse of Sami Zayn inside the Philips Arena. He waited a little longer than usual, and fans breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the Sami Zayn they loved. Dancing on to the stage as the ‘Ole!’ chants kicked off, and he was all smiles despite everything that was going on.
Corey Graves: Well…he looks ready to me, good luck to Rollins tonight!
He danced down the ramp, and pumped the crowd up on the steel steps before getting into the ring and picking up a microphone as he was introduced to the world before his match. His music eventually faded out as he tried to speak over the loud chants, with a huge smile plastered on his face.
Sami Zayn: …At SummerSlam…
Fan booed, as Sami smiled, realising that they were also unhappy that Jericho retained his championship against Sami.
Sami Zayn: At SummerSlam I said a few things that maybe got a little out of context. I said I was done, and I picked up my bags and I went home. Really, I was on the first flight to Montreal. I said I didn’t have enough left in the tank, or the drive to continue doing what I was doing. But, despite what I said, whether I quit the company on the spot or not, whether I asked to take the rest of the year off, whatever, even if I wasn’t a part of this company…I’d still be on my couch every Monday getting ready to watch Monday Night Warfare. I’m sure most that know me will say that I make rash decisions pretty quickly, from the next move I make in this ring to not properly checking the expiration date of the milk I pick up at the store, I say and do things quickly, sometimes without thinking. Thankfully, I didn’t say anything that meant Wes would have personally released me from my contract and drove me to Montreal himself. I sat at home, on that couch, watching the same faces do what they do best, and I had zero intention of coming back here, not for a while anyway. I didn’t want to come back because I’ve gone down this path way too often to want to go down it again. Not losing in so long, and then sitting back and watching those losses pile up, and that’s just how my career works, guys, I’m going to lose and lose and lose until I’m literally at the bottom of the barrel until ONE match changes it all. Anyway, that all changed last week during Warfare when I saw…Kevin Owens.
Fans cheered as Sami brought up Kevin Owens, their friendship and hatred had been well-documented over the years and Sami couldn’t help but smile over the reaction his name received.
Sami Zayn: I saw Kevin, and I heard him in this ring saying those things about his son, and what happened in my match with Chris. And it hit me, he’s a kid. He’s one of thousands out there relying on me to be in this ring, and here I was sitting at home like a child, and if I didn’t come back, that love and passion would change to hatred and there would never be a place for me in this ring or this company again. So…while I may be kicking myself for saying that, and for the impulsive decision I made…you can bet your ass I’m not going anywhere!
The fans cheered as Sami laughed, realising how happy they were that he was ready to go down that long path once again.
Sami Zayn: I’m staying right here! And I’m competing, tonight! That long road begins in just a few moments and it starts with Seth…Rollins.
The cheers quickly turned into boo’s as Rollins’ name was mentioned, and Sami’s positive attitude turned into determination.
Sami Zayn: Yeah, I heard what Seth has had to say, and I’m not going to stand here and cry about it and trying to prove his points wrong because we all know Seth is a much better talker than is a walker, in fact, maybe he’s the best at that. It just makes me laugh how he thinks me coming out to this ring and talking to you guys is predictable, how that keeps him one step ahead. I don’t know whether he’s been doing his homework or not, but I’ve been doing this same ol’ schtick and I don’t think all of this mattered when I was racking up the wins, and it’ll be the same in a few minutes. In fact, I look forward to the excuses you pull out with next week, why you couldn’t beat me, what? Jimmy wasn’t there to guide your every move? You weren’t 100% You feel cheated? There’s always something with people like you, but tonight is going to be something totally different where the only explanation you’ll be able to give to anyone, especially Jimmy, is that you just weren’t good enough to compete on the same level as Sami Zayn.
Sami circled the ring as the fans cheered for his aggressiveness and determination to finally shut Rollins up, or try to at least.
Sami Zayn: So what is it, you’re some special kind of force that’s taking in charge of your group tonight because your leader isn’t around? How is this done, you alternate each other’s basements to decide which idiot is going to pretend to cut open a body and write my name in between the words die? Is that how it works? Or do you just pick names out of a hat and decide who the unfortunate asshole is that week? You see Seth, you might like to THINK you’re the present and the future of this company, when everyone knows we see tonnes of guys like you come and go from those doors on a weekly basis, and we never hear from them again. Although you’re one of the finest wrestlers on the planet, I’ve seen this before, and you thi threatening me with a knife is what makes you better than me? I guess, if that’s your thing, I mean all I need is a pin fall tonight to prove I’m better, I don’t need to wipe your very existence I mean, man, that’s a little far don’t you think? That just reeks of desperation, that you can’t stomach the fact I’m around and I’m a constant reminder that you’ll never reach the top while I’m here, that you want to completely take me out of the picture. So all of this, it’s a lie, you’re masking the TRUTH and you don’t want to make this company better by taking me out the picture, you want a clearer path to the top. You want an easier path, because that’s all you know how to do like the little bitch you always were ever since you donned that black gear for the first time in the other company.
The fans hardly had any time to react, as Sami continued with what he was saying.
Sami Zayn: All that I get from you is that all of those accusations you throw my way, they’re your own insecurities, and let’s go through that now. You say I was riding Jericho’s coattails…why? Because I teamed with him for one match that we couldn’t get through? You don’t think my countless wins played a part in me being at the top? You don’t think me being a former World Champion warranted my place at the top? You don’t think back to back King of the Ring wins was enough to deserve that spot? Yet, I AM THE ONE riding coattails. Okay…let’s look at it on the flip side, shall we? Seth Rollins reached the top in the other company, a great champion, and although, like me, he had a great independent career…HE was the one riding the coattails of his so-called brothers to get to the top. Then he comes here, and now he has two others in his corner, riding THEIR coattails to stand where he is now, and you question MY spot in the company? Are you…are you freaking kidding me or are you genuinely that stupid?
The fans started chanting whatever they wanted at Sami’s latest statement, as he continued circling the ring in pure frustration and anger before stopping again to address Rollins.
Sami Zayn: So yeah, all of these things you’re spewing out of your mouth don’t even correlate, they don’t make sense, because they’re not true. What’s true, is that you will never reach the top of this business on your own and inside, you know I’m right. In fact, none of you will reach the top on your own and it’s why these guys in this arena respect me for it and they hate you, because everything I’ve won and lost here has been all on my own, and it’ll stay that way. This five minutes of fame you and your guys are getting is meaningless when in the long run, these people will forget you quicker than they forgot Vertex. So, you want to try ending my career? Taking me out the picture and fix me? Please try, every single time you step in this ring with me one on one, I’m going to keep proving to you why I’m better, and that the only person that can put an end to my career is me, not you, not anyone else because you don’t get that honour of saying you took me out. I should actually feel good about it, that you consider me a threat that needs fixing, it means you’re scared of me, for some reason I can’t understand myself.
Sami caught his breath, looking around the arena as the fans were eager to hear from him some more.
Sami Zayn: Lucky for you, Seth. I’m a nice guy, I’m a competitor, because if I was a phoney competitor like you, I’d say you’re not on my level, none of you guys are, because I’m not breaking out any more like you guys are. IF I wanted to be a grade A dick like you, I’d say you can face me in this ring once you or your buddies have held the World Championship, but let’s face it, A…we’d probably never meet in this ring and B…I’ve already done that, it’s something you choose to forget, in fact, I’ve held your title twice as well. I actually didn’t even need Jimmy’s title to reach the top, and I don’t need your constant desire to be noticed or looked after or gagging to stay in the limelight to remain relevant, because my talking is done in this ring and my track record proves it. And what…you’ve been here for two minutes and you have the audacity to think you have the right to dictate which direction my career is going in? When the reality is, nobody will remember your run as a champion, maybe because I think Baron takes it from you, but we’ll save that story for another time.
Sami scratched his beard, thinking about something as he smiled to himself.
Sami Zayn: That’s another difference between us both, you haven’t experienced being at the bottom, so you don’t know what I’ve had to go through to reach the top. There will be a day you’re at the bottom, and I’ll my eyes on you to see how YOU bounce back from it, because personally, I don’t think a scumbag like you has what it takes to come back from it all like I did, I just don’t see it happening. So you can talk about fixing me, but I know I don’t need to be fixed. The way you see this business is very different from what I see. You want to change somebody that competes at the top level consistently, you want to take that away from these fans and change this company into a place where a pig-decapitating cult runs things. Where everybody need to worship mediocrity. Not while I’m around. I think I’ll pass on your pig-cutting adventures because I’ve said it time and time again, it doesn’t interest me. It doesn’t scare me, and it doesn’t intimidate me. In fact, you don’t intimidate me, Seth, not anymore. I mean years ago I would have been so excited about it, but the things I’ve been seeing lately…nah, not tonight. Not again. I'm ready to take this to any level you want it to, anything you have to bring I'll make sure I'm always there to be one step ahead, and to frustrate you. You won't win, you can't beat me unless you've actually felt what I've had to go through, tonight your downfall starts.
Sami walked towards the corner to put his microphone down and get ready for Rollins to come to the ring, instead he stood back up again.
Sami Zayn: I’m just sick and tired of trying to tell everyone what you’re like, what you’re all like. How you won’t last, how this phase will end, how you’re a snake, how we’ve seen this threat before. I’m tired of saying it. So, I’ll be like the rest of the fans, I’ll take my popcorn, sit back, relax and watch this freak show implode sooner or later. I’ve not travelled this world and busted my ass off everywhere to be told by some scumbag that he’s better than me and I don’t deserve my spot in main event, and again, tonight I’ll prove my opponent wrong. Tonight, I beat Seth Rollins and I PROVE that Seth Rollins is just another name on my second road to the top.
Sami smiled into the camera before placing the microphone down. The fans started the ‘Ole!’ chants once again as he took off his Harrington jacket and threw it over the rope along with his flat cap. He warmed up on the ropes for a second, before slumping into the corner, focusing on the stage, waiting for Rollins to get to the ring.