Strictly Business

Direct Hit 28: Hidden Agendas
October 16, 2010

Chuck stands backstage with Aubrey.

Aubrey Falcon: “I got your daughter tonight?”

Chuck nods. Aubrey rolls her eyes.

Aubrey Falcon: “I’ve been on a winning streak lately, and I don’t get anything, but Ashtyn wins one fucking match and she gets a shot at your daughter? I bet if she still had the belt, she would have had to defend it.”

Chuck Matthews: “And now you’ve got the opportunity. What’s the problem?”

Aubrey Falcon: “I don’t know. I want to get back in the title picture.”

Chuck Matthews: “I don’t make the matches around here, Chris does.”

Aubrey Falcon: “You’re his brother! There’s nothing you can do?”

Chuck Matthews: “Not really. I trust his judgment. He’s been putting on great shows. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?”

Aubrey Falcon: “Easy for you to say. You’ve been in a title hunt since like, the dawn of time.”

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: “What are you saying?”

Aubrey Falcon: “I don’t know…just…I miss it sometimes, you know?”

Chuck nods.

Chuck Matthews: “I’ll see what I can do, alright? I promise.”

Aubrey smiles lightly. The two move in close, about to kiss. Chuck spots a cameraman standing nearby.

Chuck Matthews: “Whoa!”

Aubrey turns and sees the cameraman.

Aubrey Falcon: “You son of a bitch, how long have you been standing there?”

She grabs the camera out of the man’s hands, and cracking it across his face. The man slumps to the ground. Aubrey stares into the lens.

Aubrey Falcon: “Show’s over, bitches.”

She slams the camera onto the ground, smashing it. She looks back at Chuck.

Chuck Matthews: “I have to pay to replace that, you know.”

They stare at each other for a moment, then start laughing. She kisses Chuck, immediately tucking her hand into his pocket. Chuck breaks away from her.

Chuck Matthews: “Don’t you have a match to get ready for?”

Aubrey groans.

Aubrey Falcon: “I’ll see you in a few, then.”

She kisses his cheek, and heads down the hall.

Chuck Matthews: “Hey, listen, Aub.”

She turns around, looking at Chuck. Chuck rubs the back of his neck.

Chuck Matthews: “I’m gonna head home after the show.”

Aubrey Falcon: “You’re not coming with me?”

For the last couple of weeks, Chuck and Aubrey would wait until the arena cleared out, at which point they would head to wherever they were staying without anyone noticing them together.

Chuck Matthews: “I need to take care of a few things this week, alright?”

Aubrey stares at Chuck, a slightly suspicious look on her face.

Aubrey Falcon: “Okay. I’ll see you soon though, right?”

Chuck Matthews: “Of course.”

Aubrey tries to hide her smile as she turns to leave.

Chuck Matthews: “You really shouldn’t hide your smile.”

Aubrey turns once again to look at Chuck.

Chuck Matthews: “You’re too beautiful to be frowning like that all the time.”

Aubrey pauses for a moment, then laughs, and walks back to Chuck. She kisses him deeply for a moment, before finally turning and walking off.

Chuck Matthews: “That was so fucking lame…”

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October 23, 2010
Matthews Tower

Chuck leans back in his seat, looking at the nervous man standing across the desk from him. He shuffles through a small stack of papers in his hand.

Chuck Matthews: “Well?”

Man: “I have…uh…I have the-”

Chuck Matthews: “Numbers. You have numbers. Let’s see what you got.”

The man fidgets, thumbing through the papers, and accidentally dropping them, scattering them all over the floor. Chuck takes a deep breath, burying his face in his hands as the young man scrambles to pick them up. Finally, he stands back up, and slides a wrinkled page across the desk to Chuck.

Chuck Matthews: “For this week?”

Man: “Yes sir.”

Chuck Matthews: “What are you so freaked out about?”

Man: “Sorry, I’m just-”

Chuck Matthews: “You new here?”

Man: “Intern.”

Chuck frowns, but shrugs, looking at the paper. It shows the ratings for all shows on Matthews Entertainment Network.

Chuck Matthews: “You want to work in TV?”

Man: “It doesn’t matter.”

Chuck doesn’t look up from the paper. NLWF pulled the highest ratings, as usual. Revolution often brought in the highest ratings every week. More often than not, Direct Hit was second, but some weeks, it was competing with other big shows on the network, usually Shit Pit or Roger & Friends, the stoner cartoon that had replaced The Adventures of Stoner K.I.D in the station’s lineup.

Chuck Matthews: “But you’re liking Matthews Enterprises?”

Man: “I’d love to work here.”

Chuck nods, and puts the paper down.

Chuck Matthews: “It looks good. Tell your boss he’s doing alright.”

The young man nods, and picks up his papers.

Chuck Matthews: “Hold it.”

The boy turns, looking at Chuck. Chuck slides his business card across the desk.

Chuck Matthews: “When the internship is over, give me a call, we’ll see about getting you a job.”

The young man smiles wide, and pockets the card.

Man: “Thanks a ton, Mr. Matthews!”

Chuck nods. He watches as the young man leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Chuck props his feet up on his desk, and smirks. Since bringing Mr. Handerson in, the network had become more profitable than ever, which somewhat surprised Chuck. When Handerson’s resume appeared on Chuck’s desk, he was hesitant. The man wasn’t much older than Chuck, and Chuck had already received heavy criticism for trying to run an entire company at such a young age. He had proven them wrong though, why couldn’t Voss be the same? Chuck smirks. He could remember that meeting…

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A Couple Months Before...

Penelope Palmer: “Mr. Matthews? Mr. MacDonald is here to see you.”

Chuck presses the button on his phone.

Chuck Matthews: “Send him in. Thank you Penelope.”

The door slowly opens, and Biggie Mac walks into the office. He takes a quick look around.

Chuck Matthews: “Do me a favor, close the door behind you?”

Biggie pushes the door closed and approaches Chuck’s desk.

Chuck Matthews: “Go ahead, take a seat. Make yourself at home. Drink?”

Chuck reaches under his desk, for the mini-fridge. Biggie shakes his head.

Biggie Mac: “No thanks.”

Chuck stares at the man before him. He’s sure he’s heard that voice before, that he’s seen that face, but he can’t remember where.

Chuck Matthews: “So…you’re here to discuss a contract with Matthews Enterprises.”

Biggie nods.

Biggie Mac: “It was your daughter’s idea.”

Chuck smirks.

Chuck Matthews: “Always thinking, she is. She really is a chip off the old block, ain’t she?”

Biggie Mac: “She’s adopted, right?”

Chuck Matthews: “It was a figure of speech.”

Biggie smirks.

Biggie Mac: “Right.”

Chuck opens a drawer and pulls out a paper, sliding it across the desk.

Chuck Matthews: “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Biggie scans his eyes down the page.

Chuck Matthews: “Pretty standard issue stuff, really. You’re wrestling for NLWF, you make your money, plus TV benefits, and ME gets a little slice of the action. We get you sponsorships, press conferences, whatever you need. We give you opportunities to put your name out, earn a little extra cash on the side. You’re signed exclusively to us. You’ll have a Matthews Enterprise agent taking care of your affairs…sound good?”

Biggie reads over the contract, nodding slowly.

Biggie Mac: “Looks good to me.”

Chuck hands him a pen.

Chuck Matthews: “Just sign the dotted line, and we’ll be in business.”

Biggie scribbles his name across the line and hands the pen and paper back to Chuck. Chuck glances at the name.

Brandon MacDonald. Where had he heard that before.

Chuck Matthews: “MacDonald?”

Biggie Mac: “That’s my name, yeah.”

Chuck knows he’s heard it before, but he can’t think where.

Chuck Matthews: “You were a fighter…”

Biggie Mac: “Yeah.”

Chuck suddenly remembers sweating in a raggedy old mask, staring across a cage at a fighter…Brian MacDonald. In his mind, Chuck shaves Brian’s head, and sees….the same man sitting across the desk from him.

Chuck Matthews: “You fought for Full Circle, didn’t you?”

Biggie narrows his eyes.

Biggie Mac: “Who’s asking?”

Chuck smirks, and stands up, walking across the room. He opens a cabinet hanging on the wall over a glass case, and opens it, pulling a mannequin head off the shelf inside, and tucking it under his arm. He rests the head on the table, and turns it towards Biggie, who stares at it for a moment.

Biggie Mac: “You’re kidding.”

Chuck smirks, and extends his hand, which Biggie shakes.

Biggie Mac: “Damien!”

Chuck cringes a bit at the name, but quickly turns it into a smile.

Chuck Matthews: “Small world, ain’t it?”

Biggie laughs.

Biggie Mac: “I’ll say.”

Chuck Matthews: “2-1, huh?”

Biggie shakes his head.

Biggie Mac: “If we ever fought again, I think we’d know who’d take it.”

Chuck Matthews: “Me?”

The two laugh.

Biggie Mac: “We’ll see about that if we ever compete.”

Chuck Matthews: “I guess so. But you’re in my world now, pal. This ain’t the cage. This is the ring.”

Biggie smirks.

Biggie Mac: “I don’t think it’ll matter.”

Chuck laughs, and slaps Biggie on the back.

Chuck Matthews: “As confident as ever. Awesome. Well, don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you have more important things to do than catch up on old times with me.”

Biggie shrugs.

Biggie Mac: “I do, actually…But it’s good to see you. Thanks for signing me to your company. And for the opportunity in Bad Company.”

Chuck nods.

Chuck Matthews: “Pleasure to have you aboard, Brian.”

Biggie chuckles.

Biggie Mac: “I’ve stopped using that name. Call me Biggie.”

Chuck Matthews: “Of course. If you ever need anything, let me know.”

Biggie nods, and turns to leave the office. Chuck watches him leave, and takes a seat behind his desk once again. He spins in his chair a couple times, waiting. Finally, he hears the intercom beep. Chuck hits the button.

Chuck Matthews: “Yes?”

Penelope Palmer: “Mr. Handerson has arrived.”

Chuck Matthews: “Excellent!”

The door opens before Chuck has a chance to take his hand off the button. He stands up as Voss Handerson enters. The two approach each other and greet with a firm handshake. Chuck keeps an expressionless look as he stares at Voss.

Chuck Matthews: “Mr. Handerson…”

There’s a brief silence before Chuck starts laughing.

Chuck Matthews: “Couldn’t resist.”

Voss stares at Chuck, obviously not getting the reference.

Chuck Matthews: “Well, take a seat.”

Voss sits down at the desk, propping his feet up on the desk.

Chuck Matthews: “Well…let’s see what we got here.”

Voss Handerson: “The next big thing to hit Matthews Enterprises, that’s what.”

Chuck grins.

Chuck Matthews: “You certainly have confidence-”

Voss Handerson: “I’m telling you, Matthews, hiring me is the best thing you can do for your company.”

Chuck Matthews: “Is that right?”

Voss Handerson: “You better believe it.”

Chuck flips through Voss’s resume.

Chuck Matthews: “Your history is…impressive, I’ll give you that. But it says you want to be named the new network exec?”

Voss Handerson: “Straight to the top, baby. I shoot for nothing short of the best.”

Chuck raises an eyebrow, frowning.

Chuck Matthews: “Right…well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you the job.”

Voss grins widely.

Chuck Matthews: “You’ll be in charge of the entire network. You design the logo, you set up the lineup, you do everything. And you report to me, got it?”

Voss nods, still smiling.

Chuck Matthews: “As an authority figure in Matthews Enterprises, you’ll be allowed to use ME Security if necessary. But if you fuck this up, you’re fired. Got it?”

Voss smirks, standing up.

Voss Handerson: “I don’t fuck up.”

He turns before Chuck can say anything else, and leaves.

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Chuck had gotten some serious criticism for it. People thought it was strange that he would hire such a young man to run his network, despite the fact that Voss himself was a year older than Chuck. Chuck leans back in his seat, rubbing his eyes. It had been a long day. He just wanted to get home. Biggie’s wedding was on Monday, and Chuck had been invited. He smiled. He felt honored, for some reason. He had only attended one wedding before, and that was his own daughter’s. He wasn’t even sure she would have invited him if he wasn’t required to be there, as her father.

Biggie seemed like a good guy. Even now, after losing to Biggie twice in a row, he couldn’t help but respect the kid. Chuck could remember fighting Biggie, a long time ago…he had won twice, once when the referee stopped the fight, and once by disqualification, when Biggie would have won, except he refused to stop when the referee called the fight. Biggie had defeated Chuck once, by split decision. Still, there was no doubt, Biggie was talented.

Jasmine Crow: “Mr. Matthews?”

Chuck sighed. He had fired Penelope when he broke up with Katie. It was one of the harder things he had done, but he needed to. Since breaking up with Katie, it had become awkward for Penelope to work for him. They agreed on that. She still worked for Matthews Enterprises, and Chuck had given her a nice raise, a sign that there was no hard feelings between the two of them. These days, though, she worked in the Radio branch, working for Matt Biggars and helping run the station. Chuck in turn had hired Jasmine Crow. She was a stiff-neck, stick in the mud type. She adhered strictly to the rules, no matter who made them, be they government laws or Chuck’s own code of conduct for his office. She was a bit of an irritation to Chuck…but she did her job exceptionally well, and for that, Chuck couldn’t find a good reason to replace her.

Chuck Matthews: “What do you need?”

Jasmine Crow: “There’s someone here to see you from Enterprise Futuristics. A Dr. Andrew O’Leary.”

Chuck Matthews: “Uh…alright. Send him in, I guess.”

Jasmine Crow: “Yes, sir.”

There’s silence for a moment, and the door slowly opens. Chuck watches as Dr. O’Leary walks into the office, a huge smile on his face. He wears a white coat, and judging by the wet stains and splatters of colors from various chemicals, it’s clear that he’s come straight from the labs. Enterprise Futuristics was the technology branch of Matthews Enterprises. It was responsible for studying and trying to make new scientific breakthroughs, which would in turn aid ME into making greater products than ever before.

Chuck Matthews: “Afternoon, doctor!”

Dr. O’Leary approaches Chuck’s desk quickly, and slaps a clipboard on his desk. Chuck looks at the doctor, then stares at the clipboard.

Chuck Matthews: “Stem cells?”

Dr. O’Leary: “Blank cells. Able to replicate themselves without having specific purpose. Blank slates, waiting to be written.”

Chuck shakes his head, standing up.

Chuck Matthews: “I know what stem cells are. I’m paying you guys to work to build the better mousetrap, not to play around with fucking amoebas and shit!”

Dr. O’Leary’s smile disappears, and he takes a few cautious steps back.

Chuck Matthews: “I’m not funding your little personal problems, O’Leary. I’m worried about my business. Now-”

Dr. O’Leary: “We’ve made a breakthrough!”

Chuck stops, and stares at O’Leary.

Chuck Matthews: “A breakthrough?”

Dr. O’Leary: “Yes!”

Chuck takes a deep breath, thinking this over in his head.

Chuck Matthews: “What sort of breakthrough?”

Dr. O’Leary points at a few key notes on the clipboard.

Dr. O’Leary: “Well…we were researching them. Some time ago, we managed to get our hands on a small colony of the cells. For months, we’ve been playing around with them, watching them multiply…and we’ve learned how to write them.”

Chuck Matthews: “Write them?”

Dr. O’Leary: “They’re blank, you see? Useless cells…unless we can rewrite them. Which we have.”

Chuck Matthews: “You learned how to rewrite them…”

Dr. O’Leary: “If you’ll look at figure 3.2, you’ll see our most recent attempt.”

Chuck flips to the page and looks at a color image of what appears to be a brown, disgusting chunk of undercooked meat.

Chuck Matthews: “What the fuck-”

Dr. O’Leary: “That’s a human liver.”

Chuck Matthews: “A liver?”

Dr. O’Leary: “We rewrote a few cells, copied the DNA from a regular liver cell, and implanted the data into the stem cells. Three weeks later, we had half a liver ready to go. At this rate, we will have a fully functional human liver, capable of doing everything a real liver can do, full grown, ready for transplanting.”

Chuck flips through the notes.

Chuck Matthews: “But you don’t know how to get the cells back?”

Dr. O’Leary: “Ah…no. But we’ve allowed the stem cells to multiply. We have a massive store of them. We should be set for a long time.”

A smile slowly forms across Chuck’s face.

Chuck Matthews: “You realize what this has the potential for? We can sell these to hospitals, to families. A man gets in a car accident, punctures his lung? Matthews Enterprises to the rescue, with a fresh lung ready to go in a few weeks. Have skin cancer? Let Matthews Enterprises recreate your skin from scratch! This is brilliant!”

Dr. O’Leary smiles wide. Chuck shoves the clipboard back into his hands.

Chuck Matthews: “I want priority shifted to this stem cell project, and I want you personally to be in charge, O’Leary, got it? Tell them that this is now taking most of my funding. Other projects will continue, but I’m cutting funding to pay for this. So you better not fail, alright?”

Dr. O’Leary: “Yes sir. Thank you.”

Chuck smiles.

Chuck Matthews: “Back to work, Doctor. Thanks for the visit. It was truly eye-opening.”

He smirks. O’Leary nods excitedly, and rushes from the room. Chuck smirks, and takes a seat at his desk once again. He turns on the TV, waiting for the picture to appear on the screen. Nothing appears, but he hears the sound of rushing wind, coming from the flat screen hanging on the wall. He stares at the screen as an image slowly comes into focus. It’s a man, about the same age as Chuck. He has his brown hair combed neatly to the side, and wears a black t-shirt that stretches tightly over his chest and arms. He stares at Chuck, smiling. He reaches towards the camera, and to Chuck’s shock, his arms come straight through the screen, grabbing the bottom of the screen. The man pulls himself through, landing on his feet in Chuck’s office, and staring at Chuck with a smirk.

Chuck Matthews: “What the fuck?”

Man: “Afternoon, Charlie.”

Chuck shakes his head.

Chuck Matthews: “Who are you? What is this?”

The man smirks, grabbing Chuck by the throat, and pushing him, forcing his seat sliding across the room, slamming into the wall behind him.

Man: “Well, if you had let me live, you would know, wouldn’t you?”

Chuck Matthews: “What?”

Man: “I’m Paul Matthews. And I’m going to show you the Present.”

Chuck Matthews: “Well now! Ain’t this a twist? Well, I’d be lying if I saw this coming…but I guess I’d also be lying if I said this changes everything.

Before I get into the usual berating and telling the world why I’m so awesome, and why Bad Company is the greatest thing to ever happen to this place, and all that good stuff, I have to say one thing.

I’d like to issue a congratulations to Mr. Nick Ridicule, who has officially given new meaning to the word ‘hypocrite.’

Nice work kid! I mean, check this out. Nick claims that he’s the shining light of the company, he claims that he’s the true hero, that Chuck Matthews is a weasel, that I’m some heartless asshole that doesn’t care about anyone but myself…

But shall we take a look at the last few weeks?

Chuck Matthews has been fighting for what I call ‘The Greater Good of the Company.’ Now regardless of whether you agree with it, that’s my goal. The greater good. So we have the man with good intentions.

Chuck Matthews has apologized to people he’s wronged. His daughter, whose wedding he ruined. His girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend’s sister. The list is pretty long.

Chuck Matthews runs his team like…well, a team. There is no one leader. Well, I suppose there is. But when other members have issues, or problems, or any other grievances, I sit and I listen. I take the members of Bad Company very seriously. Their satisfaction with how I conduct business is very important to me, because that’s what maintains team strength. That’s what keeps people loyal.

Last week, we saw Biggie take over. We saw what happened when someone other than Chuck Matthews is running things. Why? So I could be lazy and sit in the audience for a night? Well…yeah, partly. But there’s another reason, isn’t there? What were those rumors flying around? That Biggie was the NLWF Champion, and therefore should be the one leading Bad Company? I seem to remember something like that floating around…But hey, we see what happens, don’t we? Biggie buckled under the pressure, and that was, without doubt, the worst night Bad Company’s had since it’s formation. Now don’t get me wrong. Biggie is a great competitor. We’ve had some controversial matches…but in the end, he holds the title, and the fact that the books say he won, that’s impressive. But I’ve said before. Bad Company is about the people. I work for a greater NLWF. The greatest NLWF. An NLWF where we aren’t led by one selfish asshole. I’m out to prove that the good of NLWF has grown, that it has grown to such an extent, that no one man can carry it. We need a united NLWF to carry this company. When one man tries to do it…he falls. Members of Bad Company have said that they don’t have a problem with me leading this team. But I do. I don’t look to lead NLWF. I look to co-lead it. I have Brenton Cyrus behind me, prepared to take his part of NLWF and carry it with me, just as we did for so long. I have Biggie Mac behind me, prepared to step up and feel the weight of a great company on his shoulders.

Originally, I had planned to have Nick Ridicule behind me, helping to carry NLWF along with the other top members it had to offer.

I was sadly mistaken. See, while my cause has been…well, fuck, I’m not going to sugar-coat this anymore. My intentions are noble. My intentions, as unbelievable as it is, are truly for the greater good. You know why Nick is fighting me? Because he’s conveniently blocked out of his memory when I offered him a shot to join Bad Company. For all this time, he’s been blind to what Bad Company has done. Wait…we stepped on SO MANY PEOPLE!

Corey…Nick…uh…I think that’s it.

Damn, all two of them? Now shall we look at who Bad Company has helped?

Chuck Matthews. Matt Biggars. Biggie Mac. Ruben Ricardo Leon. TJ Tilli. Death-Angel. Ashley Matthews. Chris Matthews. Kelsey Daniels. Oh, we helped Corey at one point, before stepping on him…and let’s not forget the millions of NLWF fans that we fight in the name of.

Two egotistical assholes is a small price to pay.

Not to mention, look at these people we’ve hurt. THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSED US.

What did you expect us to do? ‘Hey I know we’re on opposite sides and all, but how bout we just hug it out, and call it a day?’

Are you retarded? You’re the guy that would be leader of a country, and run it into the ground at the first sign of war.

‘Oh no! They’re stepping on us!’

NO SHIT! THAT’S WHAT WAR IS!

But whatever. Let’s take a look at Nick. While I’ve fought for the greater good. While I’ve been a man of the people…what has Nick done?

He uses Bad Company to save his career and get himself a title shot.

He gets Ashley to trust him, gets different members of Bad Company to trust him…and turns on them.

He kidnapped Biggie’s wife ON THEIR WEDDING DAY and threatened to kill her…

I mean, let’s be completely honest. I can be a real heartless son of a bitch. I’ll be the first to admit that. But I’ve never been one to threaten people’s lives. I’ve never been a fan of kidnapping. Call it fear, call it what you like. But let’s see it for what it really is. I’m a jackass, but I’m not THAT bad.

You talk to guys like Jason Hawk, or Corey Casey, or shit, even Brenton Cyrus, and they’ll tell you that I can be a complete asshole sometimes. That I can lie, and weasel, and connive my way into anything. And to be honest, they’ve been around for a while. They know me pretty well. They probably have a good idea.

Now let’s look at guys like Biggie, or Ruben. Guys who have only been around for a couple months. Well, that’s funny. They got me saying I can be trusted. You saying I can’t be. It’s your word against mine, isn’t it?

So they look at actions. Like you said, Nick. Actions speak louder than words. That’s funny. Because in the two months they’ve been here? I’ve shown myself to be a hell of a lot more trustworthy than any of you.

And yet, here we are, and you insist that I’m an asshole, that this is all an act. That this is part of my sick game…where have I heard this before?

Might it be…when Corey said the same thing around Majority Rules last year? Funny, I wasn’t acting then either…which I guess means, I can use that same argument. You think this is all a game, Nick?

THEN WHY THE FUCK AM I STILL PLAYING?

That’s the thing, Nick. I have no reason to be acting right now. You know when the acting part of this plan was?

When I was a complete and total dick to everybody. When I decided to team up with Corey fucking Casey. But you saw right through that, didn’t you? You knew that wasn’t who I really was. You insisted, ‘Chuck would never help Corey like that. Chuck would rather die than watch Corey succeed!’

You were right, Nick! I hate Corey more than anyone else on the planet! And you were the only one who caught on!

Did anyone else notice that I woke up from that coma saying that I would take down Salvation, but that I wouldn’t touch Brenton Cyrus, because he saved my life?

You caught that, didn’t you Nick? You remember what I say. You remembered me saying I would not harm Brenton Cyrus.

‘Chuck, that doesn’t make sense! You said you wouldn’t go after him, but you and Corey are planning to destroy him?’

Very good Nick! Gold star for paying attention! See, if more people were as tuned into what I say, most of my plans would never work. I mean, half the time, I practically TELL you what I’m going to do, before I ever do it! But that’s why I’m the smartest man in wrestling. That’s why I can plot, and scheme. That’s why I can leave a cool little trail of clues behind, and never worry about someone foiling my plan. Because honestly? You’re all too stupid to catch on.

Which leads us back to Nick. Nick, who saw through my true charade…when I was trying to get the world to hate me. You saw through it Nick! You knew I wasn’t such a big asshole!

But when I showed how right he was, he flipped sides in typical Nick Ridicule fashion, just so….wait, why?

I mean, of all the dumb shit I’ve seen people do, you might’ve taken the cake. Chuck Matthews is an asshole, which you see right through. He reveals that you were right all along, that all this time, he’s been working for what you’ve spent ages trying to do, and he offers you a place to help the project along. He offers you the world on a silver platter…

AND YOU TURN IT DOWN? ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Alright…Fine. Go on your little bitch fit. No kink in my plans. I’ll admit, thing would’ve been much easier without the Nick Ridicule thorn in my side…but I continued to fight. And Bad Company continued to win.

This is the fight to end it all, isn’t it? Your career versus everything Bad Company has. We’re one small step from achieving everything we’ve been working for. This is that final jump that will take us to the very top, that will put us where we’ve chased since day one.

You’re the only one that stands in our way, Nick.

Nick, Ashley and I have had some long, deep discussions lately, and she made me come to this realization. I don’t hate you. She reminded me of a day when you and I were good buddies. Good times…but things are different now, aren’t they?

I don’t need to hate you, Nick. I don’t need to want to rip you to pieces.

I just need to beat you. Bad Company needs to beat you. It’s nothing personal, Nick.

It’s just business.”