Sacrifice Is A Funny Word.

[The American Tradition]

Open scene on Phoenix Winterborn standing in front of a basic red background with his logo on the back. Nothing fancy about him today. Just a white buttonup shirt and black urban camo pants.

"You see Mack..you wanna talk about sacrifice? You wanna talk about...you wanna talk about putting it all on the line? Mack, you talk about everything you've gone through. Everything you've done in your career, and I just..ya know. Man to man. No matter how much we fight. How much we argue, how much we disagree. How we just don't get along. I have a measure of respect for you. It may not seem like much coming from me, but it's there. Which leads me into tonight."

A pause.

"The SEF World Heavyweight championship. I lost a title just a few weeks ago, and it was no one's fault. No one's fault but my own. No one else is to blame for that except for me. And I'm not gonna lie. It sucks. It sucks in the fact that...I came back, and I had worked so hard to get back to where I was. To become the champion once again. All to have it taken away from me." He snaps his fingers. "In the blink of an eye. It was disappointing. It hurt. And it upset me. It upset me, Mack. To the point where I...I had to take a breather. I had to take a step back, and realize what was going on. To see the whole picture. I see the whole picture now, Mack. I know what I have to do."

A sigh from Phoenix.

"I know what I have to do. I have to beat you. I have to beat you, and I have to go onto Wrestle X. See, I'm not even thinking about the rumble yet, Mack. I'm not even thinking that far in advance because...because i want to be the man that gets challenged. I want to be the man that gets challenged by the winner of the rumble tonight. And whether you want to believe it or not, Mack...I'll be taking the title to Wrestle X with me. The SEW Championship was taken away from me way too fast. I didn't get a chance to fully show what I could do with that, and it's disappointing."

Thinking for a moment, he cracked his neck.

"See, I'm not going to come out to the Hardcore Hotel tonight. You can sit there, and you can run your mouth about me all you want. I have bigger and more important things to worry about tonight. I have more important things to focus on. That being...winning the championship, and finding out who I'll be facing at Wrestle X. See Mack, I don't know if this is personal to you or not, or if it's just business or whatever. For me? It's just business, and what's best for business...is Phoenix Winterborn as the SEF World Champion. What BEST for this BUSINESS...is a man...who respects the business. See you think that I'm blowing this stuff off, Mack. But, if you would actually do some research, I had gone to management, and asked for some time off after I lost the title. Now, it looks like there was some mis-communication at that point, but it is what it is. I'm not going to sit here, and complain about it because it's in the past. We can only move forward. I'm back, I'm refreshed, I'm ready to go. And I'm ready to take the SEF World championship. We'll get to that tonight, though."

A smile came across his face for a moment.

"To everyone that is entering the Hardcore Rumble tonight. I want you all to realize something. Whoever goes on to win that match, will be facing me. And when they face me, they will not beat me. You're going to go through a lot to get to Wrestle X. I'm gonna get there, I'll be there waiting. With the World championship in my possession."

Phoenix walks off, ending the scene.

[Daddy Mack]

Open the scene to The Mack standing front and center in front of a plain old back backdrop cause he don't need nothing special as Mack himself is The Showsteala and what's special is what he delivers as the SEF World Heavyweight Champion, the true face of the whole company, not just one fed on this network. The SEF Title belt around his waist with ring gear on and ready to go as he has shown to be already, just been waiting for Phoenix to work with him. Mack with that cocky sarcastic, and arrogant grin stretched across his face as he stands with hands on his hips.

Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix my boy, I never understood is where this edge comes from?! You seem to have some sort of chip against me and well I realize I'm the most hated wrestler of all time, I understand why I am. So when you come at me thinking we got some big disagreement, that we at war, I naturally react as if we are at war even though I don't know why, just in my blood, I be wired for this business of professional wrestling!?! The Mack shoots first and asks questions later, if he even bothers!?! You come at me, I steal the show and kick your teeth down yer throat if you don't know who you coming at which you prove to not know everytime I see ya. I get learning, hell, Mack is always learning cause I do my research and I know nothing of what you did after ya lost the title, SEW Title, that is I think your referring to!?! I never heard of you asking for time off, nor do I really care cause that is your business. I talk about what happens here and now, LIVE, like SEF brings to us every week, and then some. I saw you blow off two shows in a row, now you expect to go from dropping the ball in one fed to carrying the ball for this entire network!?! Well I do my research and I know your a good wrestler, I know you come from a long list of feds spanning the course of a decade, at least, I don't know much more besides that than what I see and what I see is a man who thinks he doesn't have to pay his dues. That he can be handed a title and be given time to shine while a guy like me shines every night he is given the time on the card to do so and not only that, The Mack steals every goddamn show. I been in as many feds before SEF myself, hell, I was at least a ten time World Champ before I ever got here. So how is it a man who works harder than you and as every bit as damn good as you not going to walk out the SEF World Heavyweight Champion? Because you say so, well son, your say carries as much wait around here as your actions and your lack of action pales in comparison to the action I bring to SEF. You got a long way to climb before your barking up my tree for this title, but ya know, I asked Whitney, who do you want to face Mack tonight and she chose you, she handed the title shot to you and I know why, cause your good. Problem is your not good enough to keep up with Mack cause in one title reign I shine more than you in all of then ones you got. I win a title and the next appearance I am there ready to defend it, ready to give everything I got like its my last shot. Call me burned out if ya want, but in twenty fucking years all I ever felt was more amped up, more fire burning inside me to go on forever if I can!?!

Mack with that fire in his baby blues shining that lust to be the best in the business and retain his rightful spot for years to come. That arrogant, sarcastic grin still there trademarked to The Mack.

I have nothing personal against you Phoenix, I let your disrespect in my Hardcore Hotel go out the window with the kick I sent your way, so no hard feelings kid, I got none. I am all business and this business is my life, it is all I live for cause the ho's swinging off my nuts are just a fun time between matches!!! Wrestling is my blood and if you or anyone thinks I don't respect it, think again. Its all I respect sometimes because well I may respect you, when you show up to work your ass off, to wrestle your best match instead of slack off and be a bathroom breaker, I love what I do so much that respect isn't even a question I think about. I am dedicated to pro wrestling and SEF is number one so where else you gonna be, son!?!?! You say your back, but we've heard it and everytime ya end up slacking off, dropping the ball, but hey, who knows, let's put it on him again and see if he can live up to the hype or bail and fail again!?! Who knows kid, but Mack knows that he will always show up, hell, I was in the hospital nearly dying from dehydration once upon a time ago in dubya two kay just a day before my match at Wrestlepalooza and still showed up to out shine everyone, but they failed me, refused to work with me and even used an imposter like they used to do before I ever went there, but this time I wanted to work there. Another story for another time I know, but point is, I show up no matter how I feel, no matter what else I got going in my life that no one else gets to see, I show up and still manage to show you and everyone else up which is why I be number one. You want to be the man who gets challenged, then come challenge Mack cause I only seen that happen once and it was right here on Sacrifice, a few weeks ago, you tried hard. Now its back to square one and you better get real familiar with the rumble cause I ain't seen no reason you can carry this SEF World Heavyweight Championship better than Mack. Then again, what do I know, just a dumb jock with a small cock!?!?!

Mack all crazy eyed with that hunger burning, raging and his smirk widened to make ya wonder how serious he is, so step up and find out or hang back with the little dawgs!?! Mack pats his title and skips away leaving the scene to fade back to black.