Used To Be

[Ben M]

OOC: Exhausted from work, overheated by the warm weather, etc. Sorry for the poor showing, best of luck Will.

The scene opened with Chris Jericho sat in his locker room. The camera was positioned behind Jericho, who was watching footage of the end of the Aftermath main event. As Kaientai distracted The Miz and AJ Styles got the victory, Jericho sighed and shook its head.

Chris Jericho: EBWF used to be the place where only the very best could become World Champion. I remember the days when only a handful of men had held the most prestigious title in the business - Raven, Christian, Bret Hart, Jeff Hardy, me. EBWF used to be the place where if you wanted to be the World Champion, you didn't just have to get the seal of approval from the boss... you had to earn the gold. Nowadays, the World Title is passed around the locker room like a spare part... in 2012, the only three men to hold it have been Brian Kendrick, The Miz and AJ Styles, none of whom are fit to lace my boots. One month after WrestleMania, the EBWF was minutes away from ending a pay-per-view with AJ Styles and Kaientai forming the final image viewers would take from the show. I used to be the kind of guy that could sit back and let such travesties unfold. I'm no longer that guy.

Jericho smiled as he watched footage of himself attacking Styles.

Chris Jericho: Before you get the wrong idea, I don't have a problem with AJ Styles. At least, it's nothing personal; I don't care enough about AJ for it to be personal. The problem I have with AJ Styles is that he represents what the EBWF has become - what Wes Ikeda, the man who claims he single-handedly made the EBWF what it is today - has allowed it to become. It has become a shadow of its former self, a place of mediocrity when it was once an organisation of the highest quality. And as the last remaining EBWF original, I can't let this company slip so far away from what it once was. I remember the days when not only did the EBWF have wrestling's biggest names on its roster... it actually used them too. Look at the current roster and you'll see a bunch of names that should be headlining Warfare every week. Admittedly I've not helped my cause by pursuing other interests, but as I've told Wes before I did that because EBWF didn't seem to have much interest in me. Randy Orton, on the other hand, is too busy playing house with Nicole Ikeda, while Brian Kendrick is playing hardball over contract negotiations. CM Punk - I don't know what he's doing, preaching the values of straight edge in Brazil, maybe? My point is, Wes is paying his biggest stars a lot of money to just sit at home. If that isn't bad enough in itself, it's resulted in the likes of AJ Styles and The Miz becoming World Title contenders, not because they're good enough but simply because there is a lack of alternatives. When AJ looks over the history of the title he now holds, he bet he breathes a sigh of relief. I bet he gets down on his knees and thanks God for the fact that people like Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Sting are no longer around to beat him back down into the midcard. The sad fact is, AJ knows in his heart that the only reason he is the World Champion is because the best the EBWF has to offer has either been and gone or is no longer being used.

Jericho paused for a moment, then stared directly into the camera before continuing to speak.

Chris Jericho: AJ, I really must reiterate to you that this isn't about you. It's not your fault that Wes is a bad businessman. You deserve credit for seeing a free spot in the main event and stepping into it. The only thing you've done wrong since becoming World Champion is bringing Kaientai into the equation. That was a bad move, AJ; it makes the EBWF seem like even more of a joke. Taka and Funaki were a factor in why I ambushed you at Aftermath. I was frustrated enough as it was, and seeing those two Japanese freaks was like rubbing salt into the wound. But really AJ, you were just the messenger. I was using you to show Wes what I'm capable of. Tonight, it will be exactly the same. Every punch I throw at you will be aimed at Wes. When I put you in the Lion Tamer and make you tap, in my mind it will have been Wes that I've forced to endure so much pain. Wes traded his tights for a suit and because of that, the only way I can deal with him in the ring is to treat you like some sort of voodoo doll.

Jericho paused once more. When he spoke again, he wasn't staring so stiffly into the camera.

Chris Jericho: When you won the World Title AJ, you were in the right place at the right time. Now you've been in the wrong place at the wrong time and that's why you're in a World Title match against me tonight. I fought you to get to Wes and as a result, you want a piece of me. Wes saw an opportunity to easily book his pay-per-view main event and he took it. Maybe Wes is hoping I get distracted by you, AJ. Hell, maybe you're hoping I make you the focus of my attention so you can move on from that God-awful Miz feud and develop a rivalry with someone you'll be proud to feud with. Well, sorry to disappoint you AJ, because that simply won't be the case. Win, lose or draw, I'll be turning my attention back to Wes when the game is over. Addressing my issues with him will continue to be my focus until either we've reached a compromise or I've dealt with him the way all pro-wrestling conflicts should be dealt with - in the ring. If I win the World Title and become an eighth time champion, that would make tonight a really special occasion. But as long as I get to give AJ a beating, nothing else matters.

The scene faded as Jericho grinned slyly.