Uphill Battle

[Miles]

Following his victory over Christian at Survivor Series, Justin Gabriel was able to shake off any lose of confidence. He had found himself entered into a tournament to crown a new PTG Champion. Finding out he was going to be facing a member of The Shield was not exactly something he was looking forward to. But there was no way he was going to back down from this challenge.

Michael Cole: "Well, I'm supposed to be joined by Justin Gabriel but.."

Justin Gabriel: "Up here."

Within the hallways of the arena, Gabriel could be found sitting with his legs crossed on top of a soda machine. He was dressed in his ring gear and sleeveless black t-shirt and didn't seem poised to cut a anger fueled promo as his eyes were closed.

Michael Cole: "Oh. Of course. Why didn't I expect that? What are you doing exactly?"

Justin Gabriel: "I was meditating. It brings me to a certain state of mind. Peaceful. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense considering what I'm about to do but it makes sense to me. Everything is calm right now but when I get to the ring I'll be ready to explode."

Michael Cole: "And you are going to need to as you are dealing with Roman Reigns of The Shield. A powerhouse if there ever was one."

Justin Gabriel: "I'm prepared to get tossed around and I'm going to need to have eyes in the back of my head. If one of The Shield is around, that probably means another one isn't too far behind. But it's not like a tank like Reigns is going to need any back up. I plan on moving, avoiding that spear, picking up the win and getting the hell out of there. I want that PTG Title and having a beast like that hurt me before the next round will kill my chances. If I can get a 450 in there, great, but I'll just as easily take a roll-up."

Michael Cole: "Like you said, there is always the danger that a Shield member will have back up.."

Justin Gabriel: "Nothing is accomplished without ever taking a few risks. That's true for me inside and outside of the ring. And those are risks I'll take to become a champion."

Cole thanked Gabriel for his time and backed away. The camera lingered on Justin as he drifted back into a deep, meditative state. Preparing for the upcoming battle his own way.