"Life is an interesting journey. You never know where it'll take you. Peaks and valleys, twists and turns...you can get the surprise of your life. Sometimes on the way to where you're goin', you might think 'This is the worst time of my life.' But you know what? At the end of the road, through all the adversity, if you get where you wanted to be, remember whatever don't kill you make you stronger. And all of the adversity was worth it. On your way to the top, you'll do anything. But how do you get your life back when you get there? Yeah, that's my dilemma."

Fight Night was inching closer and closer. Words were being exchanged left and right. No other match, however, had gotten more personal quicker than the recently announced match between Phoenix Winterborn and "The WGEF Savior", where the winner was one step closer to facing Drew Stevenson at WGEF Whatever It Takes for the vacant WGEF Championship. The so-called Savior thinks that his match against Phoenix is going to be an easy one and yet, he doesn't know the half of it. He doesn't know the awakening he is going to be getting on Friday Night. The scene opens outside of Phoenix's home in Oceanside, California He is laying back on the hood of his 1994 Toyota Celica GT-S. The sky in Oceanside today is balmy, but comfortable. Phoenix is in a black t-shirt with a WGEF logo on it, and a pair of olive cargo pants. His slippers were lazily hanging on his feet as he started talking.

"The American Tradition" Phoenix Winterborn:
(in a mock voice) O, great WGEF Savior, come save us from monotny. (changing tone) Please, you think that you're actually going to save the WGEF? As far as I'm concerned, saving the WGEF doesn't rest with just one person. It's all of us. And for you to come along saying you're going to save this company. Save it from what? I know personally what I'd like to save this company from. Your stupid know-it-all quips, and your general smartass remarks. First off, kid, don't go around insulting my friends, my family, or my girlfriend. I know you really don't give a damn either way, but let's say for the sake of arguement that you do have a family. Are they a family of masked people too? Are they all afraid to show their identies? Is it because of the fact that either A) You're someone in disguise that this company doesn't want back cause he will bitch, moan and cry because he didn't get his way and (sarcastic gasp) lost a match? Or is it simply because you're ugly enough that most sane people would run from you when they saw you? You want to sit there, pounding away on some metal with a hammer like you're some master blacksmith? Or merely a caveman. In that case, let me speak in your tongue. (he clears his throat momentarily) Ooga-booga! Me stong man. Me beat anyone! Me save! (rolling his eyes) Dude, please. You couldn't be me if you tried, and let, I could go parading around in a mask all day and be better than you on my worst day. This whole passad you have going on for you just isn't working. At all. You say I'm the epic failure? Let me break this down for you. An epic failure is someone like Michael Harris. Someone who throws a bitchfit when something doesn't go his way. He kept claiming that he was better than me in every sense of the word. But look where I am compared to him. I'm still going out there week after week, doing what I love, and he is at home, banging that tramp Charlene or whatever the f*** her name is. He quit. He took his toys and went home. I love this business too much to do that crap. Oh, and way to screw up the names of the pay-per-views, loser. If you had been "watching"  this company for some time and wanted to make an imact like you're so DESPRATELY trying to do, maybe you get the names right. The show with the Elimination Chamer was On The Edge. not Taking Over. Get them straight. Ok, so maybe the decision to try turning heel didn't work out so well. I made the rash decision because I was mad at myself for coming so close to winning the WGEF Championship, but was countered at the last possible second. It was that fact that got me upset. As you can see, I've bounced back from it. You think that my segements have the low ratings? You might want to have a second look at that, because from what I saw, they were considerbly higher. So, you might want to get out of the dream world you're living in. I have earned my place in this company, win lose or draw. Yes, I did ask Drew to team up for the WGEF Tag Team Championships, because I knew that him and I would be a dynamite team together, not because I think he could help me win the titles. I could pick anyone on this roster and win those titles if I felt like it, understand? And the attention that I get? I love it. I crave it. It's a rush for me. And once again, you're mis-construed on what you "hear". I don't really care what sets you off and what doesn't. You want to call me a Mr. Kennedy ripoff huh? Real creative (he claps) What else do you have up your sleeve? Some other magic tricks? Ooo, could you do that 'fade to static' thingy one more time? That was kinda cool. (Phoenix feigns a spooked look) Yes, you do have the lamest gimmick of the year, and I am not afraid to show my face here. At least I come back as myself instead of being some so-called "legend" that used to be part of this company before leaving and coming back with this masked man deal. This facade ends tonight, kiddo.  Oh, and as far as you think of my assumptions, you don't know a damned thing about me, as much as you may think you do. I am always innovative, always changing it up. You can claim all you want that you're going to win this match, but Friday, I take the first step back to where I belong. In the chase for the WGEF Championship. Where will that lead you? Let's take a look, shall we? After I pin you and beat you on Friday, you'll crawl back to whatever hole you crawled out of to sulk for a few days. After you stop the pity party, you'll be bouncing from fed to fed for the remaining time that MSN has left, proclaiming to be their savior as well, and you'll get beat by them too, leaving you wallowing in your own self-pity. Such is the life of a fallen "savior", kiddo.

Phoenix pushes himself up off of his car, looking out over the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful sight to see in the evening. Sitting back down on a tree trunk, he resumed his talk.

"The American Tradition" Phoenix Winterborn:
I, for one, have management's blessing to pick you apart, and make damn sure that you don't make it to the next round of this tournament. I was hand-picked from everyone in the roster to face you, because they know that I will be the one to prove you wrong and slay the savior. This company isn't big enough for both of us, "Savior". The plain and simple fact that you hide you face shows me what kind of man you are. You are someone who is a coward. You made this very nice birdcage, but I do believe that Trish Stratus already did a promo with that a couple months ago. If you were really paying attention, you would try to come up with something more creative, but again, that's asking too much of you. (he pauses) O great "Savior", take a look out there. The Pacific Ocean. One of the great bodies of water on this Earth. Your ego already is about the size of that entire ocean, and I really don' know why. You haven't even been in a damn match here yet. And yet, you parade around here believing your own hype. You keep talking about how I am an epic failure. I'm sensing a running theme here, and frankly, I don't understand why. Take a look at yourself, man. You are a waste of space. A cheap knockoff of a gimmick that never got over in the first place. Epic failure this, epic failure that. My god, you're like a broken record, and it's about time for me to put the record out of it's misery. You're prolly not old enough to know what we do with old records when they're no longer good. As a kid, mom gave a me a few records that didn't work anymore, and I took them outside to smash them up against the brick shed in our backyard. Granted, I still had to pick up the pieces afterwards. That's exactly what I am going to do with you. Break you, pick up the pieces of your shattered ego, and dispose of you properly cause hey, we still gotta recycle.

He smirks at his attempt to be funny, no matter how it got over. He didn't care at this point. This idiot was getting on his last nerve, and people knew what happened when Phoenix's last nerve snapped. Bad things happened to people. Good thing it happened to people that Phoenix didn't like. The scene fades out with Phoenix talking a walk down towards the ocean as the sun sets over the horizon...

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When we re-join Phoenix Winterborn, it's Friday morning in Burlington, Vermont. Phoenix Winterborn is standing out in front of his hotel. He has on a mask exactly like that of Sui-"The WGEF Savior". He notices a taxi parked in front of the hotel that has been empty for awhile. People were mulling about their business, which all in all gave Phoenix an idea. He climbed up on top of the car, shouting out to all who would listen. Some people came over to him, mostly wrestling fans who were in town for the show tonight as he started talking.

"The American Tradition" Phoenix Winterborn:
Citizens! Look unto me, for I have seen your great and mighty Savior of WGEF! I took his mask from him to prove to all you something important! Your savior is a fraud! Your savior is a man who believes not in the saving of this company, but in the saving of his wallet! He cares not about any of you, no matter what he does or how he tries to bribe you into thinking so!

Phoenix rips the mask off his head, holding it high for everyone to see.

"The American Tradition" Phoenix Winterborn:
This "Savior" that you all have taken to is merely a man! A man who thinks that because he can dress up in a fancy body suit and this mask that I hold here, that he is going to save you! I have but a simple message for you people! Save yourselves! Do what you need to do to make yourselves happy! Abandon this! (shaking the hood) This "Savior" thinks that I am drowning in a 'sea of lies'! This "Savior" thinks that he is going to rid the WGEF of me! This man, as he like to say, is going to save this company from the brink of destruction! Do you know what I say to him? Nay! I say, leave our company before bad things happen to you and your livelyhood! These promises that you make mean nothing in grand scheme of things because you cannot...no, you WILL not be able to follow though on them. It's that simple. Let me ask something of our great and powerful "Savior". What has he done for this company, let alone this industry? What kind of passion does he truly have? What kind of man does he think he is? I know exactly who I am, do you? This "Savior" has not done a damn thing for this company! I have been in some of the highest-profiled matches in this company's history. I have garnered fans all over the world who watch in shock and awe as I push the envelope further and further every time I step between those ropes and every time that that bell rings. Tonight will be no different. This "Savior" will fall before "The American Tradition". You can take that to the bank. I promise you that much.

Phoenix hops off the car with a smile on his face. He knew that tonight was going to be one hell of a match with this "Savior" fellow, but there was no way that Phoenix Winterborn was going to let someone like this get a win over him. With a chance at the WGEF Championship on the line, one had best believe that good money was going to be with the veteran Phoenix in this match. Bank on it.