‘All Business’ Alex Bruder’s face takes up the screen, so close that you could count the hairs in his neat mutton chops. He speaks slowly and low, absent any apparent emotion.
Bruder: ‘Feral’ Freddy Kilgore. You come to the ring accompanied by ‘Wild Kat’ Diamond, while I bring nothing more than the boots on my feet. But I’m the coward.
A second passes.
Another.
A third.
Bruder: You depend on the roar of approval of your Wild Hearts to get you through your match, while I rely on my skill alone. But I’m the coward.
Bruder’s eyes don’t blink.
Bruder: You constrain yourself to coloring within the lines in the ring, lest the referee yell at you for bending a rule, while I risk painting the whole canvas to win.”
Bruder’s gaze remains fixed, but his voice betrays his anger.
Bruder: But I’m the coward?
Bruder draws a deep breath, settling down.
Bruder: No. Between those ropes, I may respect my opponent, but I don’t fear them. But maybe you do Kilgore. Maybe you’ve spent so much time being the biggest and the strongest, that you don’t remember what it’s like when that strength isn’t enough. Maybe, just maybe, you’re thinking about how I turned the whole world dark for you when I trapped you in my Cobra Clutch, or worse, relying on the tape of the match, because your memory is a bit fuzzy on the matter.
Bruder offers a thin smile, but his eyes remain fixed on the camera.
Bruder: No worries, Kilgore. At Capital Clash, you’ll get another chance to have your whole world disappear; to have the roar of the crowd be deafened; to have the arena become a tiny point of light; to come to your senses while the official raises my hand in victory. When it happens, just know that you did your very best, and then go ahead and live knowing that it wasn’t enough. You’re man enough to handle it, I’m sure.
The smile disappears.
Bruder: After all, you’re no coward.
Alex’s face dissolves, and is replaced with the logo for Capital Clash, only on Pay-Per-View!