Monday afternoon, outside the executive offices of Bob Mitchell.
Blade Alexander, dressed in a black suit, with black dress shirt and no tie exits the office of Bob Mitchell when Melanie Jackson, until recently ring announcer with IIW, and currently dressed in a slimming grey single shoulder dress, her figure highlighted by the single black stripe that winds it's way from the shoulder to hem line around her body, catches up to him.
Melanie: Blade! Wait up!
He pauses looking her up and down, his eyes lingering on her now dark brown hair.
Blade: What's up with your hair?
She looks up at her now dark locks.
Melanie: Oh that... Osh prefers blondes so he made me bleach my hair, but since he's not in charge anymore and I have a new roll, I dyed it back to my natural colour.
Blade: Looks better this way. Now, what are you doing here?
Melanie: Well you know how Mister Bob Mitchell is pretty busy these days?
Blade nods.
Melanie: Well since he is, he hasn't got time for all the things he normally does, especially with trying to make sure everything goes smooth with the change over and “digging Osh's claws” out of IIW as he put it, he's asked me to take care of you.
Blade: What's that supposed to mean?
Melanie: Well... Since he's kinda the boss now he can't really get directly involved in your matches anymore like he used to, so I'm taking over his managing duties until further notice.
Blade opens his mouth to say something else, but stops himself and looks Melanie Jackson up and down again. She gives him a reassuring smile.
Blade: Alright, lets see where this goes. Next Monday I've got Anthony Phoenix, you up for it?
Melanie: For sure. Isn't he the guy that really had it out for Shaun Hart? What was that all about anyway?
Blade: I can't say beyond Shaun speaking some truths that Anthony Phoenix didn't want to hear. Instead he got all aggressive towards Hart and tried to plant this idea that Hart was trying to poach me away from Bob.
Melanie: I don't think he really understood the mutual respect and admiration those two seem to have for each other.
Blade: Probably not, but few do. Besides, Phoenix seems to have lightened up on his Hart hate over the past bit, ever since rumour of this match started. Not that it's helped him out much, Phoenix is a guy I respect in that ring, but he follows some of the worst advice out there.
Melanie: What advice is that?
Blade: His own, for the most part, and look where it's gotten him. He's still stuck in a dead end with Revolution X. What are they revolting against? Where has this revolution gotten him? Deep in the middle of Dan Distoner's fight against Jason Myers and that's about it. Phoenix had a shot at the Tag Team titles and all he got out of it was a partner who showed he didn't care about the Tag Titles or the guy who was supposed to be his friend and tag team partner.
Then he tried his hand at getting back the Television Championship and where did that get him? He claimed he was the old Anthony Phoenix, you know, the one that beat The Commander? The one that took the title from Benz? That Phoenix, but all he did was complain about having a bloody nose, and now he's 0-2 against Rogue and has nothing to show but some abs not covered in gold for it.
He stops focusing on Melanie and looks directly into the camera.
Blade: Take a good look at me, Anthony Phoenix, I didn't walk into a War Games match making excuses about a broken nose, I got revenge instead. I didn't whine about being robbed of what should rightfully be MY Key 2 Success, or about having the Tag Team titles stolen from The Commander and I not just once from Bob's office, not just twice in the Tag Title match, but three times now with The Commander being forced to retire. I could have done what you have been lately and cried about it and begged for rematch, but I did something better, I went out there and I made everyone responsible PAY for everything they've done.
You went out there as a failure at World's Collide, Anthony Phoenix, and for all your efforts you're standing there with empty hands and a chip on your shoulder. You're looking for someone to blame then maybe you should stop looking to cut off your nose to spite your face. Instead look to either side. Look at Dan Distoner who's gotten himself so high he's invented his own title and thinks of you as nothing more than the help, and Kevin Deane, a cement filled albatross dragging you down.
Melanie: Didn't they have a girl in that group too?
Blade: They did, but she took off as soon as she got a glimpse at the idiots she was supposed to team up with. So Anthony Phoenix looks around for someone to lash out at, and in his rage he wants to get his hands on Shaun Hart when he should be asking him for help. Phoenix you're as good as anyone in the ring, but nine times out of ten you're beaten before you ever step in the ring and you don't even know it. You let yourself get dragged down by the guys you call friends and are blind to how they use you for their own gain, then you look at guys trying to help you out like Shaun like they're trying to steal from you. You think you're friends have you back when they've never done anything for you. You look at people like Bob and The Commander and now probably Melanie here and you say they're leeching off me, but we've built each other up and you can't recognize that because your view has been so distorted by the company you keep.
But take a good look Phoenix, I'm what it looks like to never have been pinned, never been submitted here in IIW. Everything that's ever been taken from me had to be schemed and stolen, you on the other hand have talked yourself out of everything you've ever earned. You take a good look at the rankings every week and when you see Rogue on top you can know that he built that on YOUR back. And where were your friends to help? No where. You had to go out and get yourself the hardcore title just to feel better about yourself, but when was the last time anyone cared about that title? Then you boasted about how you were going to be a double champion to the guy that THREW AWAY the title you had. What happened to your self respect Anthony? Or did you ever have any?
When IIW reopened you were here, you were in the World Championship tournament and someone jumped you from behind. You lost your spot to Curtis and what did you do about it? You complained, but you let it go. You let a shot at the World Championship slip through your fingers. Then you got angry and won the Television Title instead, that was good until you lost that in your first defence. Then you let the Tag Titles slip through your fingers again, and failed to win back the Television Championship. You had big dreams of being a double champion Anthony, but no one in IIW has squandered more opportunities than you have.
Compare yourself to me. Time and again I've had someone take away what should be mine, much like you and the World Title shot, but instead of just taking what happened and aiming lower, I set my sights higher. You're good in the ring Anthony, but that hasn't helped you out very much. When someone took something from me and got his thugs to break my nose I broke his right back and took away his whole company. An eye for an eye Anthony, a nose for a nose.
So on Monday night I'm going to do you a favour Anthony, I'm going to get in that ring with you and show you exactly why I'm unbeaten in IIW, why I'm looking for the World Title shot that I'm constantly being pushed away from despite NO ONE in IIW comparing to me and then you can see what it's like to not back down. I'm going to show you exactly what it takes to get to the top in IIW so you can see first hand what the difference between looking up at the lights letting another title slip through your fingers and standing tall at the end of the night personally responsible for changing the future of the entire company. Then when you figure that all out Phoenix, maybe you'll finally take some advice and listen to Distoner and your Rev X “friends” a bit less and listen to someone like Shaun Hart a bit more.
Fade.