OOC: Always a pleasure Dohko! I had fun with this one.

The PTG Title tournament hadn't worked out as Wade Barrett had hoped, but with the King of the Ring tournament just around the corner, Barrett didn't have to wait long for another chance to make an impact in EBWF. Barrett had been booked against Ryback in the opening round, and was due to travel to Indiana for the show on Saturday. Having not been booked for Death Before Dishonor, Barrett spent the week before Warfare at his home in Florida. On the Thursday, two days before he was due to travel, Barrett was working out in his local Gold's Gym. As Barrett threw some right hands at one of the gym's punching bags, his workout was interrupted by someone calling after him.

"Hey... are you Wade Barrett?"

As Barrett turned around to face the person who was speaking to him, he ended up face to face with a guy who seemed to match the description "meathead" perfectly. The guy had a crew cut, and a bodybuilder's physique, but there was something about his facial expression that suggested he didn't have much between the ears. From looking at the guy's tan, Barrett surmised that this meathead divided his time between the gym and the beach.

Wade Barrett: Yes, I am.

Barrett didn't expect that to be the end of their conversation, but hoping it was, he went to turn back to the punching bag. Before Barrett could throw another punch, the meathead spoke again

Meathead: What are you doing here? I thought the only iron pro wrestlers pumped came in a pill.

The meathead laughed at his own joke. Barrett responded with his typical dry British wit.

Wade Barrett: That's funny. Did you think of that just now? If you did, I wouldn't try to think of anything else for about an hour... you might give yourself a migraine.

Either the meathead didn't understand Barrett's retort, or he chose to ignore it. Either way, he continued to try and get under Barrett's skin.

Meathead: Don't deny it, everyone knows wrestlers use steroids. Just like everyone knows wrestling is fake...

Barrett couldn't help but roll his eyes at that one.

Wade Barrett: Well you're original kid, I'll give you that. I've never had anyone say that to me before... If I give you fifty bucks to treat yourself to another spray tan, will you leave me alone?

Before the meathead could respond, one of his friends shouted across the gym. He had obviously been listening to their conversation.

Meathead's Friend: Yeah, leave him alone Duane. He needs to build up some muscle, he's got a match against Ryback next week!

Meathead (aka Duane): Ryback? The "Big Guy"?

Meathead's friend did an impression of Ryback that was so poor, a child would have been embarrassed by it.

Meathead's Friend: Feed. Me. More!

Duane turned his attention back to Barrett.

Duane: You're wrestling Ryback? That guy's huge! He's gonna destroy you, man...

Wade Barrett: You mean he's going to pretend to destroy me, right? Wrestling is fake, remember? That's why it doesn't hurt when I get slammed on my back, or hit with a steal chair...

Duane responded "I don't even watch wrestling, I only know who Ryback is because my roommate watches it", as if Barrett had asked him how he knew who Ryback was. He made no response to Barrett's other comments, though he seemed determined to get the final word in.

Duane: Yeah, Chris is right, I'd better leave you to your workout. If you keep working hard, you might even get some real muscles by the end of the day!

Wade Barrett: You keep working hard too, kid... if you do, maybe one day you'll earn enough money to buy yourself a second brain cell!

Barrett was also determined to get the last word in, so much so that he turned back to the punching bag without giving Duane a second glance. If Duane said anything else to him, Barrett didn't hear it. He focused on hitting the punching bag, pretending it was Duane, and everyone else that had tried to put him down over the ten years he'd devoted to professional wrestling.

********************

Four days later, Barrett was inside the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, watching the dark match between Batista, Tyler Breeze and Jack Evans on one of the backstage monitors. After the match had finished, Barrett checked the time and realised there were still 15 minutes until Warfare was due to get underway. After a quick visit to Stephanie McMahon, Barrett was given five minutes to address the crowd. A few moments later, "Rebel Son" by CFO$ hit and Barrett walked through the curtain, stepping out onto the stage. Though the crowd greeted him with a mixed reaction, Barrett could feel the excitement in the air, and he soaked up that excitement as he made his way to the ring. Upon entering the ring, Barrett took a microphone from Justin Roberts, then after his music was cut, Barrett began to speak.

Wade Barrett: Good evening, Indianapolis! Would you like to see another dark match before Warfare gets underway? Some divas action, perhaps?

The crowd cheered at the mention of divas. Barrett smirked to himself, then uttered his heat-seeking catchphrase...

Wade Barrett: Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news. There won't be any divas action before, during, or after the show, because tonight is all about the King of the Ring tournament! The only divas you'll see here tonight, are the EBWF superstars who cry and tantrum when they lose their first round matches, and see their dreams of becoming King slip from their grasps.

As the crowd booed, Barrett raised his voice.

Wade Barrett: Can I have some decorum please? The good news, ladies and gentlemen is that yours truly, Wade Barrett, will not be one of those superstars who falls at the first hurdle. No, that honour will be granted to my opponent, Ryback. Also known as Ryan Reeves, "The Big Guy"... a man with an insatiable appetite, but the mental capacity of a goldfish. However, unlike a goldfish and unlike Ryback, my mental capacity is far greater. So much so, that I remember Ryan Reeves before he was known as Ryback. If Ryan and I were both still in WWE, Ryan's life pre-Ryback would be erased from the record books, but since we're in EBWF and I have permission to speak freely, I can tell you all that when I look at Ryback, I still see Skip Sheffield, the Cornfed Meathead chanting "Yup, yup, yup!" Ryan's gone from imitating Stone Cold Steve Austin to impersonating Goldberg, but he's still just a wannabe, and he's still no match for Bad News Barrett.

Barrett paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

Wade Barrett: In truth, Skip and I have both come a long way since we started out on NXT. I'm sure most of you in attendance tonight have the same goldfish-sized mental capacity as Ryback, so let you remind you how I got here. I won NXT, I formed the Nexus with Skip Sheffield and the rest of the superstars I beat to become the winner of NXT, then when Nexus disbanded, I led the Corre to success. After that, I moved to the EBWF, had more success, gave WWE another shot and then ended up back here. And if I'm being honest with myself, I'm far from happy with how I've performed since I came back to the EBWF. My career over the last six months or so has been littered with disappointments. In contrast, Ryback has only been in the EBWF for a matter of weeks, and he's already made an impact - at least, he has to EBWF's catering budget. Just ask Los Matadores...

That drew some laughs from the crowd. Barrett waited for the laughter to die down, then continued speaking.

Wade Barrett: I'm sure a lot of you here tonight, especially those of you that are meatheads, think Ryback is the favourite for our match. Some of you are probably hoping you'll see Ryback squash me like I'm a local wrestler, but if you are, I've got some bad news - you're going to be bitterly disappointed. A lot has changed for Ryan and me since we appeared together on NXT, but there's still one key difference that separates the two of us. Unlike yours truly, Ryback has never been a champion. Not only was I the first ever winner of NXT, I've also held titles, both here and in the WWE. The only gold Ryback has ever tasted is the occasional gold paper he's swallowed, when he's forgotten to unwrap chocolates before eating them.

Barrett paused again, perhaps hoping for more laughter. He then cleared his throat before continuing.

Wade Barrett: The fact of the matter is, Ryback isn't fit to be a King. By his own admission, he's a beast - a human wrecking ball. If he were part of an actual monarchy, he'd be locked away and hidden, like the Man in the Iron Mask. And then there's me, Wade Barrett - a man from a country that houses the most famous royal family in the world. The EBWF has never had a British King of the Ring, but after the crowning of Queen Paige last year, it seems only fitting that this year, the EBWF will have its first British King.

Barrett smiled smugly to himself. As the crowd began to chant "You suck", Barrett talked over them.

Wade Barrett: Four years ago on NXT, while Skip Sheffield was floundering, trying to talk about bubblegum, I intrigued the wrestling universe by talking about the Winds of Change. Those winds will be in full force tonight, and they will knock Ryback down. There will be no more disappointments for Bad News Barrett. I'll slay the beast with a Bull Hammer, and begin the journey to my divine right. The right to be King... King of the Ring!

Barrett dropped the microphone and made his way to the back, determined to make good on his promise to have no more disappointments.