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Monday January 27 2017 – EBWF Monday Night Warfare – Legacy Arena – Birmingham; Alabama
Samoa Joe: My name’s Samoa Joe, I’m a professional wrestler, and I’m here…to hurt people.
The scene opened up with Samoa Joe just looking to the right of the camera. He clearly looked agitated, as if he didn’t want to be there due to his bored look. The microphone was clipped on to his dark blue t-shirt as he ran his hands through his short hair just wanting it to end, breathing a sigh of relief and looking around for someone to give him the signal to continue. He shook his head once more before looking up at one of the producers.
Samoa Joe: Are we good? Can I go? So, um yeah, my name is Samoa Joe and I’m here in the EBWF to hurt people. I think people already know who I am, I don’t need to be that guy that’s going to sit here and list every single promotion I’ve worked in, every single championship I’ve won, every single person I’ve choked out to get to this stage because I’m pretty sure you all know that, I mean it is the reason you were all shocked when I walked through the curtains at Christmas Eve of Destruction, right?
Joe laughed to himself as he crossed him arms.
Samoa Joe: I’m not gonna deny that it took me a little longer than I would have liked to get to the biggest stage, and yeah, I'm an asshole, scumbag and whatever other insult you can throw mmy way, I'm not denying that. But that doesn’t matter because the second I signed on that dotted line, it ended up with me being the guy to beat around here, it’s as simple as that. The second the roster saw me on screen, they knew things are going to be a little different around here. We’re not having goths main event shows, we’re not having has-beens coming back when it suits them best, we’re having reality take over and the reality is that nobody on that roster can beat me. You can bring me AJ on a plate and I’ll deal with him like I’ve dealt with him all my career. You can bring me frickin’ Chris Jericho then I can snap him in half, bring me Brock Lesnar and I’ll slay that son of a bitch in the middle of that ring and give these people the stupid dream match they want and show them that the reality is they just envisage him as a beat whereas I know he’s a bitch. Or go crawl into the hole John Cena is hiding him and I’ll put him out of his misery too, I don’t care, it’s as simple as that. That’s the thing that people need to understand as I start my career, whatever I do, whatever decision I make, I do it to advance my career and to reach the top, where I belong. I’m not taking emotions into account, I don’t care if you have a family or how popular you are, if it means I have to choke you out in the centre of the ring or break your damn neck and leave you a broken mess to achieve my goals, then so be it. I’d say it’s not personal, but it is. It is personal. I’m tired of seeing the less deserving getting all of the glory, those days are over, that’s why this is the perfect time to be here.
Joe laughed to himself again, sitting forward and rubbing his palms together before staring at his fist.
Samoa Joe: Social media is a powerful tool, you have the smart fans that think they know it all using terms in the wrong context. Spreading rumours, most of which are false, and they also choose to throw insults your way? Me? I just have to read through so many messages of how I’m looking for the easy way out, how I choose to debut close to the Royal Rumble and throw my name in there without busting my ass off to deserve a spot. Those people just don’t know that I’m more than happy to enter at number one in that Rumble and outlast 29 others to get to the WrestleMania main event. Even if it’s number 30, I’m not going to turn that down, either way the result remains the same and it’s pretty much a spoiler at this point, not only for the fans and the roster, but the marketing team that needs to start producing the ‘Mania merchandise. To save yourselves the time, you may as well start creating it all, because I’ll be there. But before you do that, there’s only one stop for me, call it a warm-up match if you will and it takes place just a few minutes after you this message gets out to you all. Tonight, you’ll get a glimpse of what I am all about, that I do talk a lot…but I back it just as well, in fact, better than anybody in the locker room. So tonight, the merchandise team better get the material ready, the wrestling sites better get a head start in writing their reviews because the only thing that’s happening in my debut match in the EBWF, the only thing that’s happening in my WARM UP match for my big win at the Royal Rumble…is I’m skinning The Lone Wolf alive, and he’s going to regret every pulling up to this arena thinking he even had a chance to beat me.
Joe sat back in his seat, one arm on each side to rest as he nodded his head in silence for a few moments, visualising how the match would go before showing an evil smirk on his face.
Samoa Joe: Baron Corbin…an interesting first choice of opponent, but why not? He has everything going for him, doesn’t he? That’s good, Breakout Champion, Tag Team Champion and The Lone Wolf who is more like a Chihuahua on the Havoc leash. But that’s fine, I mean, why would I want somebody who is completely irrelevant? Somebody who isn’t even on television? I need somebody I can use to get my message across, Baron is the perfect man for that, my platform. You see Baron, I’ve come to the realisation that you think you’re the resident ‘big-man’ around here. That you’re the muscle, the guy everyone is afraid of, you know what I mean? Sure you do, you all do, every company has the muscle, the guy. I mean, it should be Roman Reigns, but somehow… you’re ahead of him which baffles me, and the gold around your waist and on your shoulder tells me you’re the man. Abyss, Kane, The Undertaker, The Big Show…that’s the bracket the company wants you in, that’s the path you’re on. Well…that’s the path you were on, until tonight, because now I’m here which means either you step to the side willingly, or I throw you out, the choice is yours but we both know how that story ends, don’t we?
Joe cracked his neck and shifted in his seat again, getting more comfortable and looking dead into the camera this time.
Samoa Joe: I’m the guy you all fear now, not Baron. You’ve had your little run as the Breakout Champion, good, enjoy that and it’s something you can tell your grandkids if you ever live that long that Samoa Joe just about spared you to an extent where you were able to lift that championship high above your head again. But, if you choose to try and test yourself again me and try and make a name for yourself, son, I’m going to run right through you and make you tap out in the middle of the ring and I won’t let go until you’re either out cold and struggle to remember what happened when you wake up, or you’re screaming from the top of the lungs that you quit, and that you’re not on my level.
Joe’s smirk quickly turned into confusion as he looked into the camera.
Samoa Joe: You know one thing I don’t understand? That shortcut comment I get thrown at me, that I’m taking the way to get to the Rumble and the WrestleMania main event? Are these people blind? The only person taking shortcuts in this company is you, Baron. I’m not being guided by anyone, I’m not riding anyone’s coattails, I’m not having these opportunities given to me on a plate by a friend or a partner like you. But I get it, honestly I do. You take shortcuts because you NEED to, because you know that if you take the long route, the longer path which I’ve been on, you’re going to be stuck entertaining 30 fans on the pre-show before you know it where even the cameraman are eating pizza to get enough energy to work the rest of the show. Then you’ll eventually snap out of it, you’ll get fed up and you’ll have had enough and you’ll quit and your name will be in the headlines once a week because you spill the secrets of the business on the podcast before TNA comes calling and you’ll have no problem going to that sinking ship to be the franchise player in front of 30 more fans with nothing better to do with their lives and who can’t afford a ticket to Monday Night Warfare. That’s why you do it. Me? I take short cuts because I can and because I am entitled to. I’ve started to take short cuts because the guys I’m supposed to be in the ring with just don’t want to be in there with me because they’re smart and know that being able to walk means a lot more than having 15 minutes in the limelight in a match with me.
Joe laughed again, doing his best to get under Corbin’s skin as fans in the arena watching the video package couldn’t help but chant his name.
Samoa Joe: We’ve both been hearing the rumours, how you’re done. Maybe it’s better to leave on your own terms, with your head held high? Isn’t that what you’re all about? For your own sake, you need to reconsider getting into that ring with me, reconsider your future here, listen to those rumours and admit that maybe you are actually done and admit you’re finished because you’ll never be the same man you were after stepping into the ring with me. I’m sure a pretty boy like yourself won’t have any problem in finding a different income, a tattoo artist gig by the looks of things, one of those guys standing outside of the club throwing out drunk waste of spaces, something along those lines? THAT is the level you are at, and quite frankly, I’m offended that the brass think you belong in there with me. There are plenty of guys I’d have loved to have stepped into the ring in my debut here…AJ, Finn…Shinsuke. But it had to be you, and maybe that’s actually a message from the team that booked you in this match with me. Maybe they just don’t value you highly enough that they chose to sacrifice you tonight.
Joe slowly got up out of his chair, but looked into the camera one final time before leaving the fans in the arena with only a short wait before his match.
Samoa Joe: I just hope you didn’t rely on me doing extensive research into your EBWF career to stay one step ahead. I know you faced off against that weasel Enzo last week, that doesn’t impress me. What will impress me is if you’re able to leave the ring in one piece after I kick your ass. There's nothing about you that intimidates me, that makes me doubt myself. I'm not here to play games or entertain these people, I'm here to break down everyone that's in my path, and it all starts with you... because I just don’t plan on beating you, I plan on ending you.
Joe stopped talking and looked into the camera, and instantly the fans chanted ‘Joe’s Gonna Kill You’ as the scene faded to black, with Joe looking to make a dominating start to life in the EBWF.