The cool Pacific Northwest breeze brought a calm to Matt, as he enjoyed an early morning coffee on the balcony of his hotel room. It was a few days following his last match, and he was feeling pretty good about his tenure so far in WLCW. He recently took CM Punk to school, ultimately proving to CM Punk and the WLCW Universe that this was his time. That he wasn't going anywhere. He was ready for his next X-Division Championship defense. The final defense before he could cash in his shot at gold.

The calm that Matt was experiencing wouldn't last long, however. A shrill, annoying voice could be heard.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Matt's head dropped. This couldn't be good, he thought.

Matt Cardona: What happened, babe?

Chelsea came onto the balcony, looking annoyed, her regular look in fact.

Chelsea Green: They FINALLY released the card for Vengeance this week.

Normally, this would have excited Matt. However, the lack of happiness Chelsea had was a tell tale sign.

Matt Cardona: Tell me, Chels... how bad did Mick fuck this one up?

Chelsea Green: Well.. they've thrown you in a freaking six-man tag team match.

Matt rolled his eyes. Yup! Complete bullshit, he thought.

Matt Cardona: A six-man tag match? Really? Real creative there, Mick.. Spill it... what's the matchup?

Chelsea hesitated, knowing that this would not be well received.

Chelsea Green: You're facing off against Prince Devitt..

Matt Cardona: What..

Chelsea Green: Eddie Kingston..

Matt Cardona: the..

Chelsea Green: and CM Punk.

Matt Cardona: FUCK!?

Matt slammed his coffee mug down, shattering it against the concrete balcony floor. Pieces scattered every which way, luckily none flying off the balcony.

Matt Cardona: What kind of shit is this? I've already proven that ol' Fergie and old man river don't belong in the same ring as me! Now they're throwing some washed up street fighter in to the mix? For fucks' sake!

Chelsea bit her lip, apprehensive about telling him the rest of the match. Matt caught sight of this and immediately felt deflated. He knew this wasn't all of the news.

Matt Cardona: Go on.. how bad did he screw me?

Chelsea Green: Bad, babe... real bad.

Matt rubbed his hands over his face, exhausted.

Chelsea Green: You're teaming with Atticus Cogar and Damian Priest.

Matt just sat there stunned for a few minutes. Unbelievable. This is how Mick Foley and WLCW treats their greatest talent. Ungrateful pricks.

Matt Cardona: So the usual booking.. facing irrelevant competition with no support. Got it.

Matt got up from his chair and walked past Chelsea. She knew that he was upset.

Chelsea Green: This is such bullshit. You shouldn't be misused this way. You should be given your 3rd defense which is an obvious win for you. Then, they have you headline Clash at the Canyon. It's simple math.

So simple, even Chelsea can do it.

Matt Cardona: Mick's just trying to pull a "power move" to save his own ass. He knows damn well that without me, WLCW wouldn't be around any more. So instead, he's making it seem like this "amazing main event" is going to put asses in those seats. In reality, he KNOWS deep down... that it's ME who is putting asses in seats.

Chelsea Green: But still! You've already beat Devitt and Punk. It's a waste of time!

Matt clenched his fists. He took a deep breath, trying not to go off on his wife. He knew she meant well.

Matt Cardona: And I'll just have to whip their asses... AGAIN! Done it once, I'll do it again. I'll add Eddie Kingston to the list as well. Shit, half my wins will have been over those two fucks anyways.

He had to accept it. He knew it. Nothing was going to change the booking in WLCW. He was going to continuously feel this way, undervalued, underappreciated. One more defense is all he needed.

Matt Cardona: It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine.

He rolled his eyes.

Matt Cardona: They can throw whomever they fucking want at me. It won't matter. This match means NOTHING. This isn't an X-Division Championship defense. This isn't anything other than an opportunity for more guys to step up in this organization. And guess what?

Pause.

Matt Cardona: They won't step up. I'll have to elevate them up to a whole other level in order to make this match worth it. This is their Super Bowl. To me? It's a pre-season game.

Chelsea Green: That's right, babe. You'll make everyone look good, just like you always do. I get this grudge match with Devitt and Punk, somewhat anyways.. but Eddie Kingston?

Matt did not quite know the answer to this one. He did not appreciate being kept in the dark either.

Matt Cardona: I don't fucking know. Mick probably just ran out of ideas and was like "Oh, this sounds good.." Whatever. He's not going to be a factor in this match up. He brings no VALUE to this show. He brings no entertainment. He's just a washed up, never-was street fighter who loves to spill his sad tale of his life to anyone who will listen. Fun fact, Eddie.. NO ONE GIVES A DAMN!

He rolled his eyes, still annoyed at all of this. Chelsea walked out of the room, likely headed to the bathroom to reapply the 50 layers of make up she wears.

Matt Cardona: Seriously, no one cares. Have you ever checked the TV ratings for any of the shows so far? Have you ever noticed a massive DIP in ratings? No, not the one you're thinking of any time Devitt or Punk are on camera.. unless I'm involved of course.. but I am talking about the crater in the ratings when YOU appear, Eddie. The world is trying to tell you something. It's quite clear. No one wants to watch you. No one wants to listen to you. No one gives a damn about you.

He rubbed his face into his hands again.

Matt Cardona: At Vengeance, once again, I am going to be the one putting on a show. It's about damn time you all realize this place revolves around ME.

Fade.

Record - 6 / 0 / 0