Chains and Burdens

It’s reassuring to know that people can see the harsh truths of the world when it doesn’t involve them. I’ve heard it from fellow competitors in this match. I’ve heard it from the media. I’ve heard it from every single person with a mouth that’s aware of this match’s existence. The same people that glorify their teams with hopeful expectations. They can see the truth when it comes to someone else. And for once, the truth is a universal one. Poor Jay Jones, they say. Stuck with the short end of the stick when it comes to teammates in this cruel “team” match. When others talk strategy. When other teams have the privilege of competent wrestlers on their side. Poor Jay Jones is stuck babysitting a mismatched collection of amateurs. Even the Parejas, possibly an even more random group of individuals, at least have a smidgen more of individual talent than these incompetents have. What will I ever do? How will I carry this sad group to the end? People think they know what I’ll do. They take me as someone who only thinks inside the box. Not that what I’m doing is particularly creative. It’s harmful to me trying to keep these idiots in the match. If they stay, what will it do for me? Will they stand in and be meat shields so I don’t get thrown over? Because that’s all they’re good for. They won’t because of that hope. Every single person in this match thinks they have a shot at winning it all. They think that they can outlast the masses, and win the big prize despite all the odds against them. The pawns on the AD side think no differently. They’ll try their best to win as a team, I’m sure, but their best really isn’t much at all. They can do whatever the fuck they want to do, but I won't be a part of it. I won’t touch them, because that would be putting effort into something that doesn't benefit me. Some people think that I'm dooming the AD side to failure. Which I guess I'm doing for the people on this team who don't have the privilege of being successful, which happens to be most of them. Only with me, did the rest of them have a chance at anything. And they're about to lose their only lifeline. How heartless I must be, to throw these poor souls to the wolves while I run solo. I think more...angry people in my positions would do even more, out of...spite, maybe? Anger at being put in a situation like this. But for me, this decision is merely tactical. There's no true ill will against anyone that happens to be on my "team", it just happens to be that they're incompetent. I don't blame anyone on the AD side for anything other than being picked by an architect that doesn't know what she's doing. Well...she knows exactly what she's doing. She knows she's doing a disservice to me, but I'll get to that part later, don't worry. These people are negative assets to me. While other participants may be thanking their stars that they have Ozymandias or Chris Sabertooth on their side, everyone on the AD side is detrimental to my success. Unless the surprise entrant is a miracle worker, that is. I'm not an idiot. I know that my chances get lower as I stay in the match on my own. But they're even lower if I try to carry these sad individuals on my back. It's only strategy. I do what I need to do to stay alive, and these people won't be doing me any favors.

People must think that I'm talking out of my ass. How could Jay Jones possibly think that he can make it on his own when there's all this talent working together? There's a possibility for anything to happen, and me winning isn't as unlikely as some people think it should be. People are used to me playing it aggressive. Being the first one to engage, being the first to strike, and sometimes being the first to lose. But in a match like this, it's usually not good to make yourself a target. That means that I have to stray away from my usual style of running at an opponent and hoping for good results. For once in my life, I'm forced to play it safe. To keep my distance. To not just focus on eliminating as many as possible, but putting more stock into keeping myself in the match. In fact, the only goal is keeping myself in the match. Until we have two. Then I can have the luxury of going back to old reliable. The normal strategy that has yet to dramatically do me wrong. But during the main stages, the only thought is survival. While teams go on a hunt and probably eliminate the people I'm supposed to be bossing around, I'll hang on until the end. Until I claim my destiny. Some call it cowardice. The fact that I refuse to lead a pack of imbeciles to a grisly elimination of the entire team. Take it from me. This team is useless to me. A parade of clowns I'm expected to have to carry on my back until the end which I refuse to do. Because despite the team aspect of it, there can only be one winner. Only one person can last all the way through and take home the prize. I'm just starting that part early. For my own survival. For my own chances at winning that grow higher and higher for every competitor thrown over the top rope. Not because of any misguided emotions. No hatred towards anyone on my team or against me. Just for myself. If this surprise entrant can handle themselves, maybe we can work something out. But if not, they'll go with the rest of the AD team. I've always been the one ruining the dreams of the hopeful survivors, but in this case the survivor will come out on top.

In these ranks, I see a depressing delusion of division loyalty. A need to prove that their division is somehow superior when the true representative for their division is nowhere near this match. Even a man like Animus, who at heart is a sad little boy driven to madness feels a need to show loyalty to the land of carnivals and freaks. How sad. I'd think that a big trophy and more importantly a title shot would be enough fuel to motivate them. But now they want to show that a division that couldn't give a shit about them is the best. To represent architects that don't remember their existence well. Fighting for architects that only care about creating their own little title matches and lining their own pockets with cash. Trust me, they don't give a shit about whether you win or lose. If you win, it's just one less title match they have to organize. If you lose...life goes on as normal. In my experience with Claudia Michaels...she says one thing and does the other. Sure, she says that she wants the AD division to be done proud, but does she care? Or course not. Because the real representative of her division is facing Layne Driver. She says that she's rooting for me, but then she surrounds me with the bottom barrel of the Wrestleworld roster and expects me to thrive. I'm being sabotaged, whether she realizes it or not. The same architect that prides herself on being the best proceeds to pick the very worst to represent her.  I can't say she's not unaware. But that's how she rolls. She pretends she's on your side only to stick the knife in your back. And in this case, the knife has already been stuck in. I know she's been actively trying to sabotage my chances in this thing by surrounding me with idiots. Because I beat her last chapter, maybe? Or maybe it goes further back. At the second she realized I wasn't going to be one of her loyal servants like the entire Underworld was. Disgusting. But I can't say the other architects are doing much better. Their true horses in the race are above matches like these. With the exception of Jaydayne Pendragon, none of these people are even trying. The teams are picked to represent divisions, but it's like the night janitor trying to appease to the company CEO. Cute to watch, but they couldn't care less in the long run. The sooner these people realize that, the better. But I know some are already on the track I'm on. Division loyalty is disgusting.

There's a hierarchy to this match. I think even the least educated viewer can see that. But it involves less tiers than you think. There's the contenders, which makes up a surprisingly large amount of the group. The people who actually have a chance, no matter how small at winning this. Sure, there's the obvious choices, but people like Cynthia Rose, and Lillie Saint have a shot at glory. Which of course implies that a large chunk of the field doesn't stand a chance. Like most of the AD team. Sure, they might think that they can shock the world, but they won't. We all know they won't. The unknowns shouldn't be totally underestimated either. How many times has this happened? The unknown newbie shocks the world with a win over reputable opponents. Of course, this won't happen this time, but you'd think a lesson would be learned by now. There's no such thing as unknown and out of the picture. They're either talented or they're not. But in this case, I don't know if there's much talent. And even within the teams, it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows. There's the "leader". The individual that the others are supposed to listen to. Now I don't know why anyone with a capable brain would listen to Reginald Dampshaw, but I don't make the rules here. Behind them are the capable ones. The ones who could very well win this entire thing. A real leader could come out of these ranks if they prove themselves capable, but the smart ones don't flaunt that they're a threat. And then there's the pawns. The poor souls that are thrown in harm's way so the real contenders can survive. Of course, nobody sees themselves as a pawn. They're always looking on the bright side. Hopeful that the impossible can somehow happen and that they'll prove themselves as a step ahead. Until they're thrown over the top rope, of course.

On my side, I don't know what to say. Only that it only proves my point that I'd be better off without these idiots. The AD division is about pure violence. The lack of rules showcases the animalistic nature hidden inside us all, and I know some of us show it more than others. But as I've said before, this group is a sad example of it. There's better people I'd choose. Hell, if I had a choice, I'd have chosen anyone but these people. I'd have chosen people you wouldn't expect to be in this lawless hell. But when it's time to fight, the animal will come out. If any of these clowns are lucky enough to survive with me, it'll be easy pickings. The only mercy I'll offer them is not actively sabotaging them after witnessing a second of their incompetence.

Danse Macabre? A pawn. No chance. You can let him think that he's in control while he's playing his guitar and rambling on about blood and guts, but when it comes down to a real fight, he's more useless than a small child. At least you can make your opponent hesitate when you put a small child in front of them. Hell, maybe the child could put up a better showing than Danse. Daniel Horror? Not much better than that. Despite his obvious flaws, he's apparently a fan favorite with his own fan club for some reason. I can't deny his grit, but nobody cares about grit when he gets tossed over in the first five seconds. No matter what you do to the guy, he keeps coming back for seconds. And then you beat him up again. And again. The cycle continues, and Daniel Horror continues to get the short end of the stick. Pawn. He'd be lucky to last more than 30 seconds. At least he has plenty of experience with losing, and you can count on the man to come back next week. I haven't seen much of Hank Hect, but I guess he'll have his chance to lead after all. He's used to bossing around children who don't know any better, but what will happen when he tries to push around grown men and women? Well it won't be my problem. I'll say that he could have potential, but it won't be among these clowns. Crazy Violet is the closest thing to a contender I'm going to get, which says more about Claudia's bad decisions than Violet's skill. On any other team, she'd be a solid choice for the bottom of the ranks, but here, she's on the upper tier. I'm sure she's used to teaming up with people who are miles better than her, so let's see if she can work with the lowest of the low. This surprise entrant could be promising...or the opposite. When it comes to Claudia's selections, expect the latter, but you never know. It's not like there's much more down to fall.

The shoguns are probably the favorites in this thing if there ever was one. An incompetent leader in Dampshaw but a collection of underrated wrestlers under him, with only one true bottom feeder in their ranks. I said before that only Nakajima really represents the...style that Jaydayne is looking for, but from what I've seen from these teams, nobody's really worried about their style being represented. But unlike the other architects, it seems that Jaydayne actually cares about if his team wins or not which isn't a surprise. He's all about honour. About making a good name for himself and being respected by his peers. While other architects sit around and choose whoever they lay eyes on first, Jaydayne put in work into picking quality...with the exception of a couple people. I guess we'll see if his hard work will pay off.

Reginald Dampshaw is only here because Jaydayne wanted to play the weird father figure to a man who wants to beat him up. Unimpressive in a ring. But he's used to getting everything he wants, so why not, I guess. If not this, he probably would've weaseled himself into another title match. I wouldn't expect anything else. I can't wait to see his team eventually turn on him after one too many orders. He's no leader. He has no aura of authority to anyone. And WOTW will prove it. He couldn’t lead a group of starving dogs to food. Beauty Melanie is the lone weak link of this group. In a team full of people who can manage themselves, I know Beauty will hold them back and be a burden. I’m sure she’d feel at home on the AD side. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets tossed to the curb once everyone else realizes this. Chris Sabertooth has promise, he was a former champ as Havoc after all, but his stint as himself has been disappointing. He's on a quest to repent for his sins as Havoc, but all I've seen from the man is the same old same old. Chris Sabertooth is nowhere near the former European champion. Losing when it matters the most. Making new enemies when it's inconvenient. Would Havoc have done the same? Probably not, but maybe it's for the best. You can't count on a superhuman demon to win your matches all the time. It’s about time he learned how to be successful as himself again. I guess Hana Nakajima has a shot at winning as well. She’s...on the lower side of things on a team like this, but on any other team she’d be higher up in the ranks. But I don’t know if she’s more focused on winning than extracting some petty revenge against her factionmate. In life, there’s some things you have to let go. Because they don’t matter. Because some dramatic confrontation isn’t worth the energy. And that’s what I’m seeing here. Hana could focus solely on winning this match, and maybe she’d have a shot. But devoting herself to petty revenge will ruin her already mediocre chances. Makes my job easier, though. Xavier Grimwood doesn’t scare anyone. I see right through the guy. He tries his best to put out this mysterious intimidating aura. But nobody with more than half a brain is impressed by a man who needs the light to go out for him to have a chance at winning a match. All he does is strike from behind against opponents that have no business being in a wrestling ring. He builds up his ego against lesser opponents until it all falls down like a house of cards. The man has a case of main character syndrome, and all we can do is laugh as he falls over the top rope.

I know that the ranks of the american dream division are the weakest by far. But if there was a second worst, the Parejas division would be it by far. As I've said before, I don't know what any of these people have to do with lucha style or tag team wrestling as a whole. But since the architects don't seem to give a shit, I wouldn't expect anything else. Too bad. I'm sure a number of the people on this team would prosper literally anywhere else, but instead they're stuck in the group of leftovers. With architects that don't give a shit either way. But with the people who could shine elsewhere, there's the people who truly deserve to be in the leftovers pile. Hell, most of the AD team could've been shoved in here too. The people who do nothing but take up a roster spot. The people who need to be put somewhere, so why not the Parejas? It's not like anyone's arguing against it. Stuck in wrestling purgatory with almost no chance at clawing out.

Cynthia Rose could thrive on the wrestling side of the European team. Her style of wrestling is more grappling based. Well...it's only grappling based. She doesn't punch. Cool. But she couldn't handle the mental side of it. Being around cold hearted monsters. Hell, she can barely convince herself that she can win a match without an army of supporters cheering her on. She has all the tools physically, but is mentally weak. One insult and she dissolves into a puddle of sadness and self doubt. Remind me to say something mean before she enters the match. Kimberly Chase is the opposite, having all the confidence in the world but not much actual skill. At WOTW, I'm sure she'll get knocked down a couple pegs, but will that stop the bragging? Probably not. She'll come up with excuses, reasons why she should've won but didn't. And we'll all put in sound canceling headphones or something and ignore her. Yawn. Jimmy Johnson is one of those guys who deserves to be in the leftovers pile. He has no relation to the lucha style or even being in any tag teams. He's just here because he has nowhere else to be. He's not shitty enough to be fired, but he's not even an average talent. He had a job because there's no reason to fire him. Nothing separates him from the pack. Sometimes people forget he exists. He just fades into the background and collects his paycheck. He's nothing. Do we care about MINORI? I see no reason why she's not another leftover. At least Jimmy had an inkling of a personality, but all I see from her is a pure generic nice girl. Boring. Yawn. When people talk to her, maybe she leaves a little bit of an impression. She makes them laugh or smile for a bit, maybe. But when they walk away, they forget her face immediately. And what is there to remember? That she's polite? Her amazing one note personality? Her stellar record in her short time here? There's nothing to remember and there will continue to be nothing to remember. Don Jordan? More of the same. Forgettable. He isn't the first large high flyer and he won't be the last. You might remember the look, but you won't remember the name. He might be a little tougher to get over the top rope, but by the way he's jumping and flipping all over the place, someone can probably catch him off guard and throw him over. He might have some physical advantage by eating too much, but it won't help him. And finally there's April Song. The only person on this team that actually has something to do with tag teams, and she'll be forced to do battle with her partner at WOTW. She took her out once, but can she bring herself to do it again? Probably. She's talented, but I'd like to think that I'm on another level. I showed that when she took the majority of the damage during the lumberjack match. Lying unconscious while everyone else fought over who got to pin her for the win. I'm sure she'll put up more of a fight than the others, but she'll fall like the rest.

I guess you could say the Europeans are in the middle of the pack. They have some monsters. Beasts that can't be stopped. Monsters that contort limbs, bend bones, all that fun shit. But they're weighed down by the weaker members of their ranks. The Neutal Coomers and Jensen Lanes. The ones who will only burden them. The ones that will hold them back from victory. Getting in the way during a crucial elimination, perhaps. Or just pissing off someone like Animus enough to have him throw them to the wolves. They talk a big game. Of them being superior. But they'll fracture off into pieces the second they face an inkling of hardship. The second something doesn't go according to plan, they'll break. They'll argue. And then most will be eliminated. It's as simple as that. I know Ozymandias will survive. I know he can run the gauntlet on his own. But what about the rest? Not so much. They'll talk their big game, but when it comes down to actually working together, the weak will be the first to fall, and the stronger ones will follow soon after.

I don’t know too much about anyone on this team, but I know that they won’t follow blindly behind Animus. Outside, he’s unstable. A man more concerned about bending limbs and proving that a division that he’s never had a place in is superior than actually going to Arcadia. The weak ones will fear him and the strong ones won’t listen to him. He sees his teammates as mere foot soldiers who will follow him wherever he goes. He has delusions of glory. Of finally achieving the success he’s always craved since he was a child. But inside, that child is still there, under layers and layers of face paint and masks. I don’t care about Jensen Lane. I can’t even call her generic and boring, just the latter because when I see her, she stands out in the most negative way possible. There are some fiends in this company. Real pieces of shit that I wouldn’t allow within five miles of a minor. But they can carry themselves in a ring. I wouldn’t want to associate myself with them at all, but I can respect their wrestling ability. But Jensen Lane is just...lame. She tries her best to make an image for herself and succeeds, but it’s the shittiest image I’ve ever seen in my life. Nobody gives a shit what she does with her free time. Nobody cares that she plays video games, and nobody will care when she gets eliminated. The same goes for Kennedy Matthews. I'm sure she used to have a little brigade of simps ready to massage her feet or whatever the fuck they do for her. But her absences have caused Wrestleworld to forget her existence. Nobody remembers Kennedy Matthews and to be honest, I don't think anyone cares. I'll admit that she had talent the last time I saw her. But back then I wasn't a very good wrestler myself. I wouldn't be surprised if she proves herself as nothing special. I don't think anyone can make a case for Neutal Coomer doing anything but eliminating himself in the most stupid way possible. I don't care about him. I doubt his teammates are too fond of him. And I feel bad for the poor guy because his last name is Coomer. Moving on, shall we? Lillie Saint. I already touched on her when I covered Hana Nakajima, but if I was to pick a side, Lillie's would be the correct one, I guess. She's the one who was actually right, but the whole conflict is petty and unnecessary. Out of the ticking time bomb that is the World's Finest, Lillie Saint is easily the most underrated. Never given the big matches. Always shoved off to the side while the heavy hitters take on the actually important matches. Thrown in shit like the Dreamscape instead of in that six man tag against yours truly. What a shame. Because she has talent, vision, but it still won't bring her anything until she takes it for herself. And this won't be the time that she takes it. Which brings us to Ozymandias. The butcher of reign. I'm sure he has every reason to be confident. He's thrived in matches like these before, but that was back when he was some unbeatable monster. When nobody on the roster could pin him, submit him, until...someone did. No longer was he this unstoppable beast that couldn't be defeated. Now that people have seen it happen once, they know that it can be done again, and maybe even easier than the last time. How hard can it be to throw him over the top rope? Harder than it seems probably, but I know it can be done. By one man, by a group, it doesn't really matter. As long as it gets done, and I know it'll get done. The titan will fall, whether it be by my hand or not.

This is it. I cast away the chains put on me by Claudia Michaels. I fight through the knife that she put in my back for petty revenge. But this isn't about her. This is about me. This is about Jay Jones claiming his destiny in the most inconvenient way possible. Fighting solo in what's supposed to be a team match. Being surrounded by people who want to throw me over the top rope. I haven't made many friends. But I haven't made too many enemies in this match either. I doubt anyone will target me when there are easier targets in the match. When there are people who actually did them wrong to throw over. Nobody needs revenge over me. But maybe they will when the night is over. If they do, I'll know that I did a job well done. But it'll only be worth it if I win. Nobody gives a shit about second place. Nobody remembers who almost won. But I know it'll be someone else that'll be forgotten. I'm going to win. I'm going to elevate myself higher than I already am, and I'll have a special date at Arcadia.

It's that simple, right?