Subject: Gold in my Veins - Paradise Lost I Mon Oct 23, 2023 6:09 am
Darkness swallows the screen. You would be easily mistaken to believe that no footage was playing… until a familiar voice begins to echo.
I’m a fraud. I’m a paper champion. I don’t have the guts to leave Paradise Lost with this PCW World Championship still around my waist.
This is what Jacky Sweetwater would have you believe.
“Who is Jacky Sweetwater?” I hear you ask… and to that I say “Exactly.”
Colours slowly begin to fade onto the screen, revealing a suited and booted Matt Miles, black formal attire complete with an elaborately decorated golden tie, standing in the center of frame in some kind of private room, removing a pair of thick, black sunglasses with one hand while the other holds the PCW World Championship. He takes his time folding the arms of his Ray Bans, tucking them into the pocket of his jacket. There’s a distant look on his face as he stares off-screen, his head only slowly turning back once he has already resumed speaking.
For someone who has accomplished so little in the amount of time he’s spent between the ropes of the squared circle, he’d love to convince the world that he’s this big hotshot. That he’s the next big thing. That he’s the guy who’s going to take this championship away from me. Yet what has he got to show for himself since walking into PCW? A single victory over Nobi? Impressive, but far from impossible, and we all know even a broken clock is right twice a day. The real challenge — the test set before him — was when he got to step into the ring with me for the very first time. He got to see for himself that the man he’s chasing isn’t running from him. He isn’t hiding. The World Champion is right there and ready to fight him… and what happened? What happened, Jacky? These have been a busy couple of weeks for me so forgive me but I think I need a refresher on just how badly you were put in your place. You were given a chance. You had the opportunity to show everyone the kind of mettle you’re really made of — and so far all you’ve done is disappoint. For a man who waltzed into this company demanding a world championship match you haven’t even come close to what I or anyone else had expected from you. Now, this Sunday that could very well all change. While you may have been gifted this match — you should make no mistake about it — this is well and truly your last chance to prove that we do in fact belong in the same ring together because for as much as you wanted to say I have been running my mouth, I’m the only one here with a damn thing to show for what I’ve said. So far all I’ve heard from you are hollow words from an even more hollow man.
Miles bares his teeth. He bites down on his bottom lip, shaking his head.
Now, I promised myself I wouldn’t try to cut this deep, that when I spoke about the men and women I’d be facing, that I’d show some decorum, because ultimately this project — this company — is about more than just me. We’re the ones laying the foundation and building the first walls that make up this kingdom… but the problem with you, Jacky, is I don’t see a builder. You’re not here to create. You’re here because you think there’s something that you can take and that really, really grinds my gears. Against someone else, maybe I’d be able to find some common ground in that. I’ve been selfish for so many years of my life that I forgot what it was like to care about other people. I’d go on about how being such an influential part of the Dynasty’s success reminded me there’s more to this business than stabbing others in the back. Problem is, even if I didn’t believe my story would fall on deaf ears, I already know the only lesson worth teaching you is waiting at Paradise Lost. Not because you got your match for this title unfairly. I’ve seen that happen too many times for me to care. And it’s not because you blindsided me after our tag match two weeks ago. The last guy to try that on me was Damian Mordeau… and you saw how that panned out for him.
The reason you bother me, why you get under my skin, is because you have slandered and misrepresented me at every opportunity you’ve been given. You’ve tried to drag my name through the mud thinking I’d be too afraid to get in the weeds and deal with you like a man should. Yet here I am. I’ve nothing to hide, nothing worth saying that I won’t in front of this camera, showing my true colour to you and the rest of the world. Cut me open for yourself and you’ll see there is gold running through these veins but I promise a parasite like you will never get a taste for it, Jacky. Not while I’m still breathing. These title matches haven’t just been about keeping this championship. Every single one, from winning it against Mordeau, to my first defense against Kasey Kash, to you, to anyone who steps up next, has been about sending a clear and concise message: I’m the man in PCW. Not you, not the other guy. Me.
Matt points at himself determinately. There is no doubt in his mind.
Day in and day out I have proven myself to be the standard bearer for Prestige Championship Wrestling and I’m not going to let someone like you cast doubt over that fact when you’ve only scraped together pennies in comparison to the gold sitting over my shoulder. Well now the chips are down. You thinking you could just cash that pocket change in for a favour this huge was the biggest mistake you could’ve made — and when this is all over there’s not going to be any refund. You’ve made your deal with the devil that runs this place and now it’s time you find out that just because you have this title match, Jacky, doesn’t mean we’re of the same ilk.
A moment of silence. Miles steps towards the camera, eyes glaring, piercing like daggers. His words become louder, clearer, with an unmistakably cutting edge.
Dirt and gold are found in the same place. That doesn’t make them equal.
Today at 12:05 pm by 
Subject: Gold in my Veins - Paradise Lost I 
