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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2024 11:38 pm
The following video is an EBWF.net exclusive.
A shaky camera opened up on the inside of the back of a limousine. Damian Priest was in the left seat, in a black silk button-up shirt and black jeans. The EBWF World Championship rested over his shoulder. Paul Heyman was to the right, in his usual suit. Heyman looked more animated than usual, his hands gesturing wildly as he spoke.
Paul Heyman: Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. And I am riding with style alongside your reigning, defending, undisputed, undefeated, EBWF World Champion. Damian....Priest.
His indoor voice didn't carry its normal gravitas, but his confidence was indisputable.
Paul Heyman: And while we ride to Fallout in such class, we do not ride to Fallout with some heady aroma of overconfidence.
Damian Priest: The limo was my idea.
Paul Heyman: Exactly. As Damian Priest's manager and counsel, I urged him to focus on his match tonight. And focus he did, getting ready for Chris Jericho with a level of zeal hitherto unseen. So yes, I think we earned a little sophistication in our travel plans. A little pampering, if you will! Damian earned at least that much. The preparation that goes into any match in EBWF, for any wrestler on any level of the card, is an order of magnitude above anything you can imagine in any other promotion. EBWF is top tier in that respect. But my client? My champion Damian Priest? He, in and of himself, is an order of magnitude above any other EBWF talent. He's not just any wrestler, at any level of the card. He is the bar. The final rung. The endgame. And Damian? He put the work in. He prepared for this match, which I'll let him speak about, in a way that would make Randy Orton nod his head in approval. He prepared for this match with such intensity and ferocity that most wrestlers would simply not show up for the match if they saw it.
Damian tapped the face plate of his EBWF World Championship as he leaned forward, looking closer into the camera.
Damian Priest: But we’re not dealing with any average EBWF talent, are we? This is Chris Jericho. A literal icon of pro-wrestling, and the true face of EBWF. Yeah, I said it. Your boy Damian might be champ, but Chris Jericho is the man, always has been, and always will be. And he expects me to come out here and deliver lame, tired zingers about his championship reigns like everyone ain’t already heard that before. Nah, that’s not my style, Chris. Let me tell you what you’re not gonna hear from me tonight. You’re not gonna hear me come out here and talk about your age. Hell, I’m 41 years old bro, I’m just getting started. Everyone knows the prime age is going up in pro wrestling. You’re not gonna hear me belittle your accomplishments, because that’s stupid. 12-time EBWF World Champion. That shit is unheard of, and it should be acknowledged. You’ve done everything. Accomplished everything. King of the Ring, Last Survivor, every title worth a damn. You’ve done it. So no, you’re not gonna hear me come out and disrespect any of that.
Paul Heyman: And there’s a reason that he won’t, Chris. Because for Damian Priest to assume the status as the face of EBWF, he must acknowledge those that came before him.
Damian Priest: Damn right. And for another reason. I want people talking about Chris Jericho’s accomplishments. I want people putting respect on that man’s name. That way, when I beat him at Fallout, pin his shoulders to the mat and send him to the back of the line, everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, will have no choice but to... acknowledge the fact...
Damian wiggled his eyebrows before continuing.
Damian Priest: That I am the new face of this company. I’m the man. I’m the icon.
He smirked confidently.
Damian Priest: It’s not lost on me the poetic nature of this match, Chris. There have been a lot of wrestlers in EBWF that have come and gone through 23 plus years of rich history. None of them have had your staying power, or your importance. That’s just a fact. And now, here I am. Finally, someone for you to hand the reigns to. Someone to take over as the image you see when you think of EBWF. So as your current EBWF World Champion and future icon of the company, I want to take this moment to thank you for being the face of the business for all this time. Rest now. I got this.
Paul smiled wickedly into the camera.
Paul Heyman: And that’s not just a prediction...
Damian grabbed the camera and pulled it close, zooming in on him and his World Championship title belt.
Damian Priest: That’s a spoiler.
With that, Damian threw the cell phone camera to the floor and the video cut to black, with the EBWF logo flashing in the corner.
A shaky camera opened up on the inside of the back of a limousine. Damian Priest was in the left seat, in a black silk button-up shirt and black jeans. The EBWF World Championship rested over his shoulder. Paul Heyman was to the right, in his usual suit. Heyman looked more animated than usual, his hands gesturing wildly as he spoke.
Paul Heyman: Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. And I am riding with style alongside your reigning, defending, undisputed, undefeated, EBWF World Champion. Damian....Priest.
His indoor voice didn't carry its normal gravitas, but his confidence was indisputable.
Paul Heyman: And while we ride to Fallout in such class, we do not ride to Fallout with some heady aroma of overconfidence.
Damian Priest: The limo was my idea.
Paul Heyman: Exactly. As Damian Priest's manager and counsel, I urged him to focus on his match tonight. And focus he did, getting ready for Chris Jericho with a level of zeal hitherto unseen. So yes, I think we earned a little sophistication in our travel plans. A little pampering, if you will! Damian earned at least that much. The preparation that goes into any match in EBWF, for any wrestler on any level of the card, is an order of magnitude above anything you can imagine in any other promotion. EBWF is top tier in that respect. But my client? My champion Damian Priest? He, in and of himself, is an order of magnitude above any other EBWF talent. He's not just any wrestler, at any level of the card. He is the bar. The final rung. The endgame. And Damian? He put the work in. He prepared for this match, which I'll let him speak about, in a way that would make Randy Orton nod his head in approval. He prepared for this match with such intensity and ferocity that most wrestlers would simply not show up for the match if they saw it.
Damian tapped the face plate of his EBWF World Championship as he leaned forward, looking closer into the camera.
Damian Priest: But we’re not dealing with any average EBWF talent, are we? This is Chris Jericho. A literal icon of pro-wrestling, and the true face of EBWF. Yeah, I said it. Your boy Damian might be champ, but Chris Jericho is the man, always has been, and always will be. And he expects me to come out here and deliver lame, tired zingers about his championship reigns like everyone ain’t already heard that before. Nah, that’s not my style, Chris. Let me tell you what you’re not gonna hear from me tonight. You’re not gonna hear me come out here and talk about your age. Hell, I’m 41 years old bro, I’m just getting started. Everyone knows the prime age is going up in pro wrestling. You’re not gonna hear me belittle your accomplishments, because that’s stupid. 12-time EBWF World Champion. That shit is unheard of, and it should be acknowledged. You’ve done everything. Accomplished everything. King of the Ring, Last Survivor, every title worth a damn. You’ve done it. So no, you’re not gonna hear me come out and disrespect any of that.
Paul Heyman: And there’s a reason that he won’t, Chris. Because for Damian Priest to assume the status as the face of EBWF, he must acknowledge those that came before him.
Damian Priest: Damn right. And for another reason. I want people talking about Chris Jericho’s accomplishments. I want people putting respect on that man’s name. That way, when I beat him at Fallout, pin his shoulders to the mat and send him to the back of the line, everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, will have no choice but to... acknowledge the fact...
Damian wiggled his eyebrows before continuing.
Damian Priest: That I am the new face of this company. I’m the man. I’m the icon.
He smirked confidently.
Damian Priest: It’s not lost on me the poetic nature of this match, Chris. There have been a lot of wrestlers in EBWF that have come and gone through 23 plus years of rich history. None of them have had your staying power, or your importance. That’s just a fact. And now, here I am. Finally, someone for you to hand the reigns to. Someone to take over as the image you see when you think of EBWF. So as your current EBWF World Champion and future icon of the company, I want to take this moment to thank you for being the face of the business for all this time. Rest now. I got this.
Paul smiled wickedly into the camera.
Paul Heyman: And that’s not just a prediction...
Damian grabbed the camera and pulled it close, zooming in on him and his World Championship title belt.
Damian Priest: That’s a spoiler.
With that, Damian threw the cell phone camera to the floor and the video cut to black, with the EBWF logo flashing in the corner.