Honor.

[Juan Ramirez]

OOC - Thanks to Brian for Writing Stinger.


" I was born a leader... Not because I was in line for a throne, not becaue people chose me to be a leader, but because my path is so righteous I am the most logical choice to lead by example."

Sordid punches echoed around an empty gymnasium, a punching back dangled from side to side an athletic, yet not overmuscular figure struck the bag over and over again.

"At Survivor Series it will be no different. My choice of a pure and clean lifestyle keeps dragging me into situations like these... I guess nobody's ever mentioned the CM stands for Conflict Making."

Bandaged knuckles from the straightedge savior continued to jab rhythmically at the bag, at an almost hypnotical pace. His brown bangs of hair dragged backwards, with well shaved sides and just the right amount of stubble on his face, the Chicago native finally grabbed a hold of the bag with both hands. Crystal clear sweat dribbled from his naked torso, all the way down as his thorax expaned with each respiration he gave.

"I've earned quite a share of enemies and people who would deport me to another planet if it was their duty -Yep, even if THEY are the ones who hail from planet Krypton. I never back down against a challenge, and I was not going to start when Barrett said I was all by myself, that there was not a single soul backstage who would join my cause... Boy was he wrong."

Punk reached out for a sports bottle full of water, opening it to dump it all over his widely open jaw.

"Turns out there are people who share my views of a world where honor reigns supreme and men are able to take justice by their own hand and without stabbing each other in the back... Yeah, we might be one bunch of outcasts with little to nothing in common... But somehow we have survived, somehow we will survive and somehow we will defeat Team Barrett and prove our point, MY point once and for all... Honor is the only thing that matters."

Punk's hands slowly guided the bottle over his forehead, allowing the crystaline liquid to splash his forehead and head, his fingers released the grip on the bottle and began dragging the bangs of brown hair backwards.

"You can say I am not the most loved person in the EBWF Universe. You can say I have scrapped the bottom of the barrell when I gathered my soldiers, you can say we are an explosive accident waiting to happen... But there is one thing you cannot say, and that is that we are not going to throw it all out there and fight for what we believe in. 5 completely opposite and different people, fighting for a 5 letter word: Honor."

The scene faded to black.

XXX

Static was followed by Living Colour' "Cult of Personality" over the PA system. The arena got a huge pop for the Captain of Team Punk a he walked through the curtain. Dressed in zip up hoodie with the Chicago Flag printed upon it, black wrestling tights with the trademark 4 six pointed stars of the chicago flag on the back. Black wrestling boots and kneepads completed the attire. He went on one knee, traced his hand along the floor, looked at his imaginary watch and proceeded to scream his battle cry to the top of his lungs. It was clobberin' time indeed. The crowd loved every second of it. Punk quickly got into the ring and grabbed a hold of a microphone.

CM Punk: November has been one helluva ride huh? Some people backstage are calling me the master of mind games... Some people backstage are calling me one lucky bastard... Some others are calling me crazy for gathering such an uncanny group. I didn't get where I am right now by paying attention to what people say about me... So here's the drill... My name is CM Punk, I am the best in the world, and tonight I shall lead a team of men to victory!

The crowd roared in approval.

CM Punk: Unlike team Barrett, this team's victory will not only be meaningful to their members, or the captain of the team, no. Tonight, a victory for team Punk is a victory for every single one of you... Every single one of you who had stood up and spoke your mind, against all odds, swimming against the current. Every single one of you who have had seen friends turn on you, enemies belittling you... Tonight the five of us expect to make a statement, to make you all believe that when there is honor, there is truth, and where there is truth, there is glory. I began my search around the locker room for men who aren't just interested on wrestling big events, doing massive media appearances or just making the headlines for their looks... I started looking for men of honor. Men who like me, have had to earn their daily bread with their bare hands... Men who come from harsh backgrounds, who weren't blessed with a famous last name... Men who had to change inside their cars and wrestler for the week's groceries and the bills... My attention immediately turn to Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan.

The crowd reactive negatively for Bryan, albeit a "YES" Chant broke out.

CM Punk: "CM Punk, you made a mistake by trying to recruit Daniel Bryan". For the record, CM Punk does not commit mistakes. Daniel Bryan is a changed man... He was once a man of honor, he was once fighting for truth and glory... But when he turned on me, the team and every single one of you people... He burnt the bridge... He went onto a dark path, a path that it is really going to cost him to return from... But the worst consequence of betraying me Bryan is that I will not rest until you are completely out of your senses, with me and my team standing right above you... And not even Wade Barrett and his promised land where you somehow beat me and rule this place are going to get you out of this.

Punk chuckled.

CM Punk: Which reminds me... The Almighty Team Barrett captain. There is absolutely no virtue, no honor and no gain in gathering a bunch of scumbags to do your dirty deeds. You might have swiveled your tongue around their ears like the coward snake you are... You might have made them bite your apple of temptation Wade... But I'm not sure they will be able to continue biting their apple when they lack their teeth after I am done with them. You want to preach and say you are a great leader... But there is no greatness in leading others to commit foul actions, Wade... Don't you think about the consequences of your actions? Enzo Amore, he's another one of those consequences of your actions... You like to think you are the center of the universe, but let me tell you something Wade, you don't want to be the center of the universe if you are not used to having a huge target on your back. Time and time again I have proven I am better than you in and out of the ring, tonight it ends. You will regret the day you deliberately crossed my path and prevented me from becoming Path To Glory Champion...

Punk ran a hand along his beard.

CM Punk: Speak of the devil, Justin Gabriel just showed just how deserving he was of being PTG champion when he sided with Wade Barrett to fight his battles for him. Justin, I pinned you one month ago and I beat you, and I am not afraid of doing it again!

Punk tilted his head to the side.

CM Punk: You see, everyone seems to be asking about Sting now a days... Punk, why? how? when? Well... I am not the most qualified to tell you so...

The lights in the arena dimmed and a man descended from the rafters on a bungee cord... The crowd popped for Sting, who had his bat over a shoulder and a mic on his other hand.

Sting: Once upon a time, I was known as a man of few words and much action. A silent warrior of justice in a world betrayed by the very leaders who had once set positive examples for the coming generations. Betrayal.... that's one thing that gets me. We live and work in an industry where there are a lot of “bad guys,” a lot of selfish, self-centered, spoiled brats. A lot of bullies. And you can fight the good fight and do what you will to any one of them, but the “bad guy” is always going to be there. You can take one down, and another will rise in his place. But the betrayers, the turncoats, THOSE are the ones that get under my skin! So you see, I'm here today at Survivor Series to fight alongside some good men, noble men, fighting champions. We've got a task ahead of us, a team of bullies and spoiled brats that need to be taught a lesson in humility – but there's one man I've really got my eye on. That man... is Daniel Bryan.

You see, Bryan, I've watched your career unfold over the course of years. I watched you hone your craft on the independent circuit, I watched you rise to glory and become one of the leaders of this industry. I watched you be called “Best in the World,” without having ever step foot in a ring on the big stage. And after years of fighting and clawing, you finally got your break! You got to bring your skills and your champion's heart to the EBWF. And after finding some success, you go and you take that champion's heart over to a team led by... Wade Barrett? I don't get it, Bryan. You had-- you HAVE... the potential to be something great. You could finally cement your legacy as the Best in the World, but you're going to choose to throw it away. And for what? Fame? Money? What possible advantage could there be to you turning your back on a team full of good men, some of which, like CM Punk and Sami Zayn, you rode the rails with for all those years and battled alongside for legitimacy and supremacy? You're spitting in the face of all those men in those locker rooms who did all they could to teach you the ways of this business, to bring you along and turn you into what you are today. That's something I can't just sit back at home and watch on TV.

People wonder what could bring me out of retirement? It's this. Don't think that just because I've been out of the game, that I'm out of the industry. I'm still in touch with guys like Punk, the REAL “Best in the World!” This guy has it, and everybody knows it! And he's assembled a smart team of young up and comers, Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose, Enzo Amore. Young, hungry talent, ready to rise up and take this industry by storm! I'm here to take that hunger and funnel it, shape it, coach it, impart my wisdom and knowledge of a lifetime of this business to help guide them into the future. They have SO much untapped potential, and I love these guys. They're out here doing what I did for so many years, fighting the good fight. And they... we... do have a monumental task ahead of us.

Because speaking of young and hungry, we have something called The Ryback to worry about. The big guy! The big guy with a baaaad attitude. Ryback, you may be big, you may be powerful, you may be intimidating... but you don't have it upstairs. Brawn only takes you so far without the brains! It's that classic old David and Goliath story, and it always ends the same way. Brawn can take you a long way – look at guys like Scotty Steiner, Sid Vicious – but those guys, their time was limited. Their success was hindered by a lack of foresight. One of my favorite workout mantras is to work smart, not hard. That's why I do my old buddy's program, DDPYoga (cheap plug!)! And I have a team of smart young men around me who are going to use that to their advantage tonight, Ryback. And just like all the giants of this industry, you're going to fall to someone who works smarter.

So then we've got a couple of guys in Justin Gabriel and Tyler Breeze. Honestly, you're a lot like my guys – young and hungry, ready to go out there and grab the world by the tail! The only difference... is your attitude. You're selfish. You're spoiled. You think the world owes it to you to lie down and just take the 3 count and put you over. But it doesn't! The world doesn't owe you ANYthing! You owe it to the world to be more like my guys! To come out and be hungry, be aggressive, be ruthless, but do it with honor and dignity! Fight like a champion, not like a chump! Don't take the easy way out. Don't take the shortcuts. Fight fair, fight respectfully! And at the end of the day, when you've won your match and you raise your hand above your head, you know that you earned it! Because if you take that shortcut, you take a victory you didn't earn, then what did you really accomplish? If you want the answer to that, I'm afraid I've got some bahd nyews...

Which, of course, leads me to the ringleader of this whole thing. Wade Barrett. See, Barrett, you're the culmination of the team you have around you. You're the sum of your parts. You're the worst part of every one of your teammates, and so much more. You have the smarts, but you use it in a dumb way. You're old enough and experienced enough and smart enough to know better, but too much of a coward to care. You're a coward because you hide behind those shortcuts, those dishonorable men you have by your side, the turncoats, the rebels. You're a coward because you have every tool in your arsenal and you could stand alongside good men like Punk and Sami and my boys, but you choose to take the path of the unrighteous.

And see, this... this angers me. It frustrates me! This is the kind of thing that gets me up off my couch at home, makes me come on down to the arena and get involved! When I retired, I warned everybody that you're still going to see the Stinger from time to time! Team Barrett, you've awoken something in me that's lied dormant for far too long! Guys like you, you're a plague on an otherwise respectful and honorable business, a business that I still love and enjoy! And tonight, at Survivor Series, one by one, you're going to fall. The rebels. The turncoat. The bully. And finally, the ringleader who should know better. Taken down by the lunatic. The hungry Italian. The next big thing. And the Best in the World. And you can't... teach... that. It's showtime!


Both men posed on the ring as the scene faded to black.