The Countdown

[Ben M]

OOC: I haven't had time to proofread this, so apologies in advance for any errors. Good luck everyone.

The scene opened in a dark room. What little light there was seemed to focus on a clock on the wall. The room was almost silent, giving the ticking sound of the clock an echoic effect. As the clock ticked, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Moments later, the lights in the room came on and Chris Jericho was revealed. Jericho stared at the clock, watching the seconds pass by. He then began to speak.

Chris Jericho: Time takes it all. Whether you want it to or not, time takes it all.

Jericho turned to face the camera, then continued speaking.

Chris Jericho: It's been four years since I won the Royal Rumble. Two years, seven months since I won King of the Ring. Two years, four months since my last World Title win, and two years, three months since I lost it. I have spent the last 27 months in limbo; my list of accomplishments still outshines almost every single EBWF Superstar, past and present, but I've been unable to move forward. For the last 15 months, I've stepped away from the ring almost entirely, acting as the interim CEO while waiting for Wes Ikeda to relieve me of my duties and retake his rightful place at the top of EBWF. Wes was given a vote of no confidence - I had to make him an EBWF Superstar just to keep him in his own company - but still the "interim" part of my title remains. It's like I'm destined to be stuck in limbo both inside and outside the ring.

Jericho smiled dryly at the irony of it all.

Chris Jericho: I told everyone that I was entering the Rumble as part of my plan to make sure there were 30 participants, but that's not entirely true. I've brought seven former superstars back as surprise entrants to help make up the numbers, and I could easily have made that eight. The truth is, I'm tired of waiting to get back to doing what I do best - wrestling. So I'm taking matters into my own hands. I didn't put myself in the Rumble just to make up the numbers... I entered myself with the intention of winning it. Everyone knows I've got my sights set on beating Raven's record of nine World Titles, but I've been stuck on seven for over two years. At Christmas Eve of Destruction, Trent? became the ninth different World Champion since my last reign. The competition at the top is getting tougher. There are guys in this company who have only ever known me as a part-time wrestler and a full-time CEO. Something has to change. I need to remind the guys whose paychecks I sign that I'm more than just their boss. That I am the only EBWF Superstar to have been in this company since it was formed over 12 years ago. That I have been here longer than Wes Ikeda himself, and that despite my lack of ring time over the last year or so, I am still a larger than life living legend. Most people would be disappointed at having to enter the Rumble at number 2, but it's a challenge I welcome. Because if I can outlast Wade Barrett and the 28 other superstars that will enter the match after me, I can prove to each and every one of them that I've still got it. The last time I main evented WrestleMania, I came up short. I lost, and that has haunted me ever since. The year before that, I went into WrestleMania as the World Champion, and lost to Shawn Michaels... I think it's about time I won a main event match at Mania. If I win the Rumble, it doesn't matter whether I face Trent?, AJ Styles, or anyone else at WrestleMania. There's no way I'm going into that main event and not walking away with the World Title; I won't go through that again.

As he talked about his previous WrestleMania failings, it was clear that this was still a sore subject for Jericho. You could hear the hurt in his voice as he spoke.

Chris Jericho: I know I'm going to have a fight on my hands if I want to walk away from the Royal Rumble victorious, but it's a fight that I'm ready for. I'll finally cross paths with Wes Ikeda, 15 months after we were supposed to wrestle one another at Fanniversary. Wes is one of my best friends, and it will be good to see him back in the ring. But he knows I won't go easy on him, and I know he'll give me everything he's got. If I see an opportunity to eliminate him, I'll take it, and I expect he'll give me the same treatment. I'm sure we'll work together if we need to, but every alliance in the Rumble is temporary, and everyone knows it. Speaking of alliances, I might as well let the cat out of the bag... my other best friend and former tag team partner, Lance Storm, is one of the surprise entrants. Though I guess he isn't really a surprise any more.

Jericho smirked to himself.

Chris Jericho: It goes without saying that I can't wait to reunite the Thrillseekers, and Lance and I can probably form a more effective alliance than Wes and I can. After all, we have been working together for over 23 years. But I'll give Lance the same warning I gave Wes; I'll eliminate you if I have to, even if we're not the final two. I'm all for loyalty, but tonight, winning is more important to me. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn my ticket to WrestleMania, even if that means betraying the guy I wrestled trained with and wrestled in my first ever match. That might sound harsh, but it's the truth. I don't just want to win the Rumble... I need to.

Jericho paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

Chris Jericho: Of course, there are some superstars who I'll have no moral dilemma about eliminating. Randy Orton is top of the list. We've got a lot of history, and ruining his chances of setting up a rematch with Trent? would be my greatest pleasure. Besides, Orton is one of the biggest threats I'll be up against in this match. No one expected Trent? to beat him at Christmas Eve of Destruction, not even Trent? himself. Randy has been biding his time for the last month; he's been saving his anger and he'll unleash it all in the ring tonight. I almost feel sorry for the first superstar he gets his hands on, but one thing is for sure... it won't be me. The good thing about having so much history with Orton is I know what to expect from him, and I know how to beat him. The same goes for his partner, Edge. I've had many a run-in with Edge in the past, mostly in tag team action. Even now, people dismiss Edge as nothing more than Orton's lackey, but I haven't forgotten how impressive Edge was when he won the Royal Rumble in 2011. I won't underestimate him, but at the same time, I know him well enough to know that I can beat him. As they say, better the devil you know...

Jericho stopped to look at the clock. It was set to the wrong time, and was currently showing that it was ten minutes to twelve. It was unclear why Jericho was staring at the clock, but after several seconds he turned back to face the camera.

Chris Jericho: One of the other big threats in this year's Rumble is John Cena, the man who has it all and yet still wants more. Cena has two titles, one of which he can trade in for a World Title shot, and still he's got a place in the Rumble match. There's making up the numbers and there's just being greedy. Cena has been an integral part of the EBWF for several years now, and yet in all that time, I'm not sure I've ever wrestled him one on one. Whether I have or I haven't, I know John well enough to know that he's a machine. He proved as much last month in his three matches at Christmas Eve of Destruction. If I had Cena's drive, I wouldn't be sitting here now talking about winning more World Titles than Raven. I would have accomplished that long ago, and I'd probably be the longest reigning World Champion in EBWF history too. I may not have the same drive as John Cena, but what I do have can't be taught. I have 23 years of experience wrestling all around the world, and it goes without saying that Cena's in-ring experience is somewhat sheltered in comparison to mine. He might have the five moves of doom, but I'm the man of 1,004 holds. And if Cena tries to throw me over the top rope with an Attitude Adjustment, I can think of at least 112 holds that I could use to counter that. You have been warned, John.

Jericho paused again, before continuing to speak.

Chris Jericho: Another superstar that will be a strong contender to win the Rumble is the number 30 entrant, The Miz. Miz put in a great performance on Warfare to earn the coveted number 30 spot, and if he puts in another performance like that tonight, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. As cocky as Miz is, he always finds a way to back it up, and I'm sure if he books his place in the main event of WrestleMania, we'll never hear the end of it. But Miz, I invented being cocky. I can brag with the best of them, and when it's untamed my obnoxiousness knows no bounds. Being cocky can cost you dearly in the Rumble; being clever is far more important. And while I'm sure you know how to be clever, Miz, you'll never be able to outsmart me. When you enter the match, if you treat me as an easy target because I've been in the match longer than anyone else, I'll make sure you regret it.

Jericho looked back up at the clock. It was now showing five minutes to twelve.

Chris Jericho: I suppose there's another EBWF veteran that I shouldn't forget, and that's Christian. He's the only man apart from Raven to have held more World Titles than me, he won the Royal Rumble in 2006 and although he only held the World Title for two weeks last year, Captain Charisma showed he's still full of surprises. But at the risk of being cruel, what's surprised me the most about Christian recently is how little he's done in EBWF since returning to the company after a brief hiatus. I know me criticising another EBWF Superstar for "not doing much" is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, but come on - I thought that two week reign as World Champion would have lit a fire under Christian's ass. One more World Title win and he'll match Raven's record, but going into the Rumble it's obvious he's more likely to become Intercontinental Champion than World Champion... and when the Intercontinental Champion is the machine that is John Cena, beating him is no easy feat. Christian's problem seems to be that although he can hold his own against the top guys, he can't outdo them. And for all my ring rust, I'm still a top guy. If Christian tries to outdo me, I guarantee you he will fail.

Jericho stopped to think, then pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. A camera close-up revealed it to be a list, with the names of every EBWF superstar who had been named for the Rumble so far. The words "surprise entrant" were still on Jericho's list seven times, despite the fact that Jericho had already revealed one of those entrants to be Lance Storm.

Chris Jericho: The level of variety you have in the Rumble is why I find it so fascinating. I've been part of almost all the EBWF Royal Rumbles, and every single one of them has been completely different to the last one. This year, we've got Mike Bennett and Phil Shatter making their first ever appearances, Dean Ambrose is returning as Jon Moxley just a few weeks after he said he was done with EBWF, and everyone's favourite asshole, Mr Anderson, has come back with his sights set on the World Title. It might sound cliché, but when you've got thirty men competing in one match, anything can happen. That's why every Rumble is different, and that's why I love them so much. But throughout my 13 years in the EBWF, one thing has stayed constant when the Royal Rumble. Every year, the man that wins the Royal Rumble hasn't just earned their victory, they've deserved it. You might get a lucky elimination or two, but luck won't win you the Rumble. You need to be resilient, you need to be smart, and you need to do whatever it takes. Tonight, I won't be entering the Rumble as the interim CEO, I'll be entering it as a wrestler who is the best in the world at what I do. I don't just want the victory; I need it. I need to main event WrestleMania, and I need to earn my eighth World Title. I've been the top dog in EBWF before, and I need to be again.

The clock struck 12 and suddenly an alarm began to sound. Jericho looked at the clock, then looked back to the camera and uttered two simple words.

Chris Jericho: It's time.