And so the traditional day of reckoning dawns upon normal men once more. American Nightmare pay-per-view. Events such as this are the reason that people like myself get out of bed. It’s the reason people like myself hit those weights hour after hour.
People like me? It’s the reason for our existence.
You cannot compare anything to the feeling you get at a PPV. Hell, it even makes the best of us shake a little. However, the best of the best, they do not shake with fear. They shake to supply their bodies with the adrenaline rush needed to see themselves through the night. They shake in order to guarantee that any arrogance is left in the locker room. They shake to prepare, perhaps? No.
They shake because they must.
Must? What does that word actually mean to normal men? “Must” a fireman wake up and go to work in a morning? No. That’s choice. “Must” a man punch another for messing with his relationships? No. He could just as easily shrug it off and get on with his life.
When you think about it – there’s not a lot that the human “must” do. It’s all about choice.
So, then, why does that same man choose to punch the unwanted x factor in his relationship? Why does he turn to rage to satisfy some kind of bodily need? Evidently, we see choice once again.
Or is it?
What is to say that we’re not being internally governed by a force that lies dormant within us each of us? What if, lurking beneath the surface, lies the battle cry of a Viking or the charge of a cavalry regiment? The human race is violent by nature. Maybe then, violence does not boil down to choice at all. Maybe violence exists not because we want it.
But because it must.
[The scene fades into a dream like phase as images of Travis Miller and Chris Champion flash across the screen. Each shot shows a more sadistic move than the previous until it finally ends with The Educator smashing Miller with the chair a few weeks ago. The camera slows down and focuses on the shot of a bloody Travis Miller lying motionless in the ring.
“Take five seconds to think about your demise” – The Educator
“Why the hell do you treat me as if I’m not as good as I truly am?” – Travis Miller
“You're going to face a man at American Nightmare that has never been pinned in the HWF. You're facing a man that's never submitted. More importantly, you're facing ME” – The Educator
“Champion’s hopes at making it big will be shut down this week, when I step foot in that ring” – Travis Miller
“Three stages of Hell, Miller. A normal match. First blood. And then, to top it all off, how about a Hardcore match?” – The Educator
The Educator – “The way of the world has always continued to baffle me as I’ve progressed through life and gained experience with age. However, no matter how much you think you understand something; it can just as likely come back and haunt you.
I cannot understand why I’m being forced to wrestle a man I’ve already defeated twice. I’m the man that’s never even been pinned here in the HWF!
You could argue that this was all my doing. You could argue that I’m the one who has taken this entire scenario to the level we’re faced with now. Yes, you could argue that. But then, I’d point out that at Holiday Hangover, I was screwed over by Travis Miller. I was cheated out of a TV Title shot.
The fact is that if the HWF management had done a proper job – the likes of Travis Miller would not be receiving anything resembling a title opportunity. He’s not fit to walk through the same ropes as me. Me? It’s an insult to suggest that Travis Miller is a legitimate part of this Company.
At American Nightmare, I have the opportunity to draw this little confrontation to a close. Again, it all boils down to the matter of choice. So far, I’ve elected to prolong your agony and string you along as much as I possibly can. However, you’ve always known that a time would come whereby I’d have to stop taking it so easy. I’ve chosen American Nightmare as that time. It’s time to put you on the shelf permanently, Travis.
I’m the man that’s about to set all the records here in the HWF.
I saw the look in your eyes at Suicide, Travis. When I walked down that ramp on Sunday I could almost feel your body start to tingle just that little bit more. The mere presence of The Educator sent your body into a state of panic as you slowly watched your future unfold in your head. You watched as I crucified you in yet another match but what hurt the most was that you watched as I defeated you once again.
And it happened. The recurring nightmare that you saw right before the match actually became a reality. Why did it happen though? Because I wanted it to.
It’s fitting that this PPV is called American Nightmare. You can take that on face value and it apply to Cross or you can examine the words on a much deeper level. They’re not referring to Cross at all.
Ever since Holiday Hangover a dark cloud as emerged and engulfed Travis Miller. It has followed him across the land and appeared only to cause suffering. I’m the reason you can’t sleep at night, Travis. I’m the reason that you keep waking up with cramps and black eyes. I’m your personal nightmare.
AMERICAN nightmare though? No, no, no. I am British. However, I represent the entire American Nightmare. I create nightmares for the good people of this nation. Think about it. How many kids will I have sent to sleep with visions of Travis Miller’s blood ridden face imprinted into their dreams? We’re talking about thousands of innocent kids here. I’m the original American Nightmare. Make no mistake about it.
All dreams just come to an end though, Travis. We’ve all got to wake up at some stage. Everything has an end. It’s for that reason that another chapter in your life will end at American Nightmare. I’m tired of telling you about how I’m going to end your career and how I’m going to do this to you and how I’m going to do that. You only need to look at last week to see that the proof is in the pudding. I’m a man of my word, Miller. You’ve already learnt that the hard way.
This is the sort of dream that will leave you with a choice though, Travis. I can stand here and tell how I’m going to end your career all I want but the choice is still yours. Are you going to choose to end your own personal nightmare? Do you want more? Those are the two paths that you can walk down. It’s not an easy decision though, is it? On the one hand, you can take another tremendous beating at the hands of The Educator and on the other you can just simply walk away from your dream.
Your dream, Travis? It’s mine as well. It’s the dream that every wrestler is constantly reminded of each night as they lie down on their beds. Everyone wants that title belt. Everyone wants to stand on that second turnbuckle and lift the gold into the night air. That’s why we’re here.
The question is whether or not you’re confusing dreams with reality, Travis.
Do you honestly think that fighting back against me is going to aid your quest for gold in this Company? Look at what you’ve accomplished. All you have done is continue to walk through the curtain each week and then retreat with a beating. No one likes a loser, Travis. I don’t like them. That’s why I’ll continue to hand out the same beatings I’ve handed out over the past few weeks at American Nightmare.
Imagine this scenario, Travis.
Your music plays and the crowd go moderately wild for a superstar that they see as the good guy. Then, you appear at the top of the ramp smiling, waving and blessing young children on the way down. They love you, Travis. For those precious few seconds – you’re a hero. Everything you’ve ever wanted in life is realised within the space of a few short seconds. You stand proud in the centre of the ring as the fans chant your name. Your eyes sparkle like diamonds as you think about the adrenaline rush that has taken over your body. It’s amazing. You’ve never felt quite like this. A HWF pay per view? It’s better than sex, Travis.
But then something changes. Something that stops that adrenaline rush and creates an entirely new feeling.
You don’t know what it is but what you do know is that this new feeling has spawned from another piece of music. You can feel it, Travis. The music seeps through your sink and tortures you from within as you struggle to understand what’s real and what’s fantasy. It’s all a prelude though. The worst is yet to come.
So, as you stand there in the middle of the ring not quite knowing which direction you should move in, the music becomes gradually louder in your mind. The reality is that the music isn’t actually getting louder at all but your brain has lost all sense of reality. Suddenly, you hear an unearthly amount of noise as you pick out a figure on the horizon. You can’t quite make out who it is yet because your eyes have been sent into a dizzy trance.
It’s THAT man, Travis. You finally start to understand what’s going on but you question it none the less. It’s The Educator, Travis. The man that you cannot beat. The man that has continually shown you levels of pain that you never thought existed. Suddenly, your legs don’t seem too stable anymore as you feel as if you could just break in half at any moment. Your eyes are transfixed on The Educator as he comes closer. And closer.
Your head is going crazy as you act out different scenarios in your head. You see your fate unfold before your eyes as you think of what’s gone on before. You think about being knocked unconscious. You think about being made to look a fool in front of all of these kids who think you’re an icon. You think about suffering.
By this time you begin to wonder why you woke up in the morning. You begin to wonder why you even became a wrestler. Is it worth it? Am I good enough? All of these questions and more roll through your head as your enemy continues to move towards the ring. You watch him climb through the middle rope and give you a quick glance. Unlike you, this guy doesn’t care to acknowledge the crowd because he’s hell bent on hurting you and nothing else.
A few paces later and he’s up in your face. You’re standing toe to toe with a man that has made your life a living hell. He’s the reason that you don’t even want to go to work anymore. You feel some kind of anger towards him but you can’t express because your body has been totally numbed by a sensation of utter fear. It’s almost as if you’re back in high school and squaring up to the playground bully. Various images from your life flicker before your eyes as you question why you’ve been brought here. Then, you look into his eyes. It’s almost as if you’re staring into a black hole because they show no signs of weakness. You can’t even look at this guy for more than five seconds without having to turn your head in shame and suddenly you do it – you look away. In that moment, your entire arsenal of weaknesses are ultimately exposed and Travis…he knows it.
The music stops. The crowd are still making noise but, in your mind, the arena is silent. There is no sound. All you are presented with is an image of destruction as you try to stare into his eyes. You can’t do it. It’s too much. You wait for the bell and almost pray for, hoping that it will break this stalemate. It’s a God send to you.
Ding-ding.
Suddenly, the bell doesn’t seem so kind anymore as you think about what the ringing of that bell means. Holy Hell, the match has begun! The misery has started. The pain is about to continue. The end is nigh.
You think that Chris Champion has tormented you enough. You think that’s it time to gain some retribution. You think that you’re owed this one. The reality of the situation only hits you as that bell rings. You’ve lost twice before. You’ve never even come close to beating him. It’s in that moment that mentally you cannot take it anymore – it’s do or die. However, you’ve already made the choice. So has he. It’s then that you ultimately realise the truth of the situation. It’s then that see what your eyes wouldn’t allow you to see for so long. You begin to understand the one thing that you’ve thought all along but never brought yourself to admit it.
You can’t win.
[The Educator glares into the camera evilly as the seriousness of his expression comes across perfectly. He adjusts his shirt as walks away from the table as the camera fades to black]