Friday, July 07, 2006 – New York City, New York

The following is a recorded promotion in association with Lee Stone and the Xtreme Wrestling Federation.

And we open up into another part of this “C2 I’m Better Than You” spectacle. This is the real meat of the story too. What you’ve seen in the last few episodes is where Lee Stone is at in life, his opinion on his career to date and queries about the future of his career. What you’re going to see now is Lee Stone. Pure Lee Stone. Because regardless of whether or not he decides to stick around to see more of this ‘XWF revival’, he is still the World’s Greatest. And in order for Lee Stone to be displayed at his finest on Sunday, he needs to be displayed at his finest right now. And he will be.

A hotel room in New York City is where we find Lee Stone this time. He’s standing by a window overlooking the city as it slowly gets plunged further into the darkness of the night. He wears baggy jeans, but they’re not hanging halfway down his ass like you’d expect. The common misconception about Lee Stone is that he’s trying to be something that he’s not, but this shows that he’s not trying to be a gangster or anything. His blue jeans are just baggy, that’s all there is to it. The waistband of his silk boxer shorts can be seen revealing an army camouflage pattern, but even that doesn’t show that he wears his pants too far down. His feet are bare, much the same way as his torso is. The customized necklace he so often wears is still present however, and the clenched fist holding what appears to be notes of money rests just above his navel with its chain looped around Lee’s neck. He starts off looking out at the city sprawled out below him, but then turns to face the camera as he begins to speak.

”Madison Square Garden. One of the most famous venues in the world. Arguably the most famous. More memorable events have occurred there than can be counted, whether they be sporting classics, immortal concert performances or even Marilyn Monroe’s infamous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” at J.F.K’s 45th birthday. This weekend another event is added to MSG’s storied history. The XWF’s Last Breath. The XWF’s last lifeline. For the first time in history, it’s in the hands of the wrestlers in which the future of this company lies. It is us who decide the future. Our performances dictate if there shall be anymore life squeezed out of this once mighty company. And who better to decide that than Leroy Bruce Stone?

Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m not in the main event. Steve Jason and Judas Iscariot have been given that right, and quite frankly if it means the two of them can finally stop being such homos then by all means let them try to beat the gay out of each other wherever the hell they get the chance. But that match, as can be seen by the stipulations, is all about death. The second main event, Lee Stone vs. Christian Connolly, is about life. It’s about the life of the XWF, the life of the fans, wrestlers and staff who all made this company possible, it’s about our lives.” His words trail off as he turns his head away from the camera once again to face the darkening island of Manhattan sprawling out below him. In the dimming light of dusk, the neon signs and streetlamps all hurt to look at for long. For this reason, and possibly his own other reasons, Lee’s eyes dart to and fro as he looks down. All we see of this is the constant moving of his left eye, as he stands silent in profile.

”Look at the tiny specs down there. Moving about barely even knowing the person next to them. People. People who don’t care to know. Yet what they could gain from simply taking the time to get to know the man standing next to them as they wait to cross the road, or the young kid who delivered their pizzas, or even the lady who fitted the nice suit they wear each day… they could gain so much. They could learn from the other’s mistakes. You see, down there around one and a half million people live. That’s Manhattan alone, completely ignoring areas such as Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Combined it surpasses the eight million mark. Eight million people, in such a small area. If they simply took the time to get to know the people around them then the possibility of finding somebody who has been through the same problem that they face now is incredibly high. Now I’m not saying that they should get to know eight million friggin’ people, but if you could find somebody who had been through what you’re going through, and came out fine… wouldn’t you want their help? No matter how stubborn you are, surely a simple touch in the right direction would be of great help. But what would I know? I’m not a New Yorker, hell, I’m not even American. But despite that, I managed to find somebody whose life resembles my own to an eerie degree. What’s his name? Christian Connolly.

Christian, you’ve been talking about your life a lot in the lead up to this match so far. It’s the driving point for everything that you’ve done in this business. And that’s where the first comparison can be made, because the exact same thing can be said about me. And why is it, that here, at the possible end of the XWF, we find ourselves standing on the exact same platform… in the exact same position as one another? It’s simple really. Because our driving forces are the same. Not just in the respect that our personal lives provide us motivation, but even down to the exact, minute details of our personal lives that provide the motivation for us. First and foremost: our fathers… jackasses in their own rights. He got you interested in wrestling to begin with, and to spite mine I became interested. Not exactly the same, but we came into this business for at least slightly similar reasons. And who has been there to keep us guided on the right path? Family… friends… other wrestlers… without whom neither of us would be who we are. Our mothers… saints in their own rights. The non-family women in out lives: Crystal and then Meika for you, Shelly and the Mandy for me. Your past friends in this business: the Odinist, Joel Kurtiss and other names that mean nothing in this place. My equivalent being Eric “X-Treme” Bruce, Hellhole and many others, who also have no name value in XWF. They built who we were before we wandered into the feeding grounds of this company. Our lives, personal and professional, are so close to being mirror images that it’s scary. But do you know what’s even scarier? It’s taken me this long to figure out just why the hell we became friends in the first place.

There’s no denying that I have an ego, and that I’ve had it for a very long time. I’ve come to accept that just in the same way as you came to accept that when you were my partner. T Money likes to think that he’s responsible for my ego, but it’s been around since before I ever knew that he was wasting my oxygen. Just ask Steve Jason about me and he’ll act as a testament to T Money being nothing but genital warts on the giant penis of society. Yet through my ego Christian, I did see something in you that others didn’t seem to. I saw talent… I saw The Future. Looking back now, it makes perfect sense that when I saw you, it was like I was looking at myself. No guidance… nobody to call on in a time of need… you were me. I’ve heard it before and now I completely agree, we were and still are the role models on how to get somewhere in this company. We didn’t come in with fanfare… we didn’t come in with a reputation built elsewhere and spread by the word of mouth of our friends… everything we got and everything we have… we earned.

Together we rose through the ranks of this company. Together we pushed and shoved until that glass ceiling shattered around us. Around us. The shards would hit everybody but us. We were at the centre of everything. Moving one muscle would send ripples down the rungs of the ladder that everybody below us would feel. We were the heart of this company and we loved it. You’ve named your reason for accepting this match, and that is my reason for requesting it. I hold three wins over you, each of which I remember as if it was yesterday. My first match after graduating from Massacre, a Fatal Four Way against Nick Nitro, Michael Graves and yourself, a singles match against you, and then a Triple Threat against you and Johnny Legend. The beginnings of our meteoric rise. And that’s why I wanted this match. To come full circle. To finish where it all started. It’s like some “we ride together, we die together” shit.

But now Christian, now I take a look at you and guess what I see? I still see me, but my name is different. My name is Christian Connolly and I’m one of the greatest XWF World Champions in history. But there I am, ripping myself bare for the world to see. Demanding that I get given respect. But therein lies the problem Christian. I have never once not given you the respect you deserve. Even as in the peak of my Universal Title reign I always told you that you should be challenging me for the title. Even now as I tell you that you won’t beat me, I’m telling you exactly what you need to hear to bring out the greatest match of your career. Because Christian, even being a Connolly won’t help you on Sunday. You’re facing a Stone. And not just any Stone either. You’re facing Lee Stone. And I’m the strongest one.

I’ve been thrown forty five feet to a concrete floor, stopping my own heart… I’ve been stabbed in the damn lung… I’ve lost everything at least once, even though I started with nothing to begin with. This is my life Christian, you’re just living in it. I know who you are, but who I am is the man that has had everything thrown at him, including the kitchen sink, and still walked it off. This isn’t a case of “The Return of the Egomaniacs” Christian, and I’m quite insulted that you of all people would consider that to be the case. You cannot beat me because you think that I’m just another egomaniac. You know more than anybody of ever faced about what it means to be Lee Stone, you’ve seen my thought process at work, yet you still have the audacity to label me in the same category as Blizzard and T Money. Apparently you don’t know me at all.

I do have an ego, as I admitted earlier, but that’s not why I’m gonna stomp your ass in this match. It’s not because I have unwavering confidence in the strength of my abilities. It’s because I have unwavering confidence in my weaknesses. Kinda strange isn’t it? But after everything I’ve been through, there hasn’t been a single one of my weaknesses that hasn’t been exploited, and yet I’m still here. And that’s the source of my ego. That’s why it grew even after being hurled off the top of that Helldome, because it showed another weakness of mine that I could survive from. So princess, you just got taught the secret to Lee Stone’s success, and the question I now ask you is what the hell are you going to do about it?

Now you bring up a few incidents from the past. Lee Stone and Christian Connolly vs. Jem Williams and Steve Jason is one, and contrary to what you believe, I don’t blame you for the loss. I was the one who tapped out. I was the one who had the most learning to do from that match and judging by the year that followed, I learned a hell of a lot. You bring up that silly little war on the emos as if it was pathetic. And largely it was. Truth be told though, that wasn’t about protecting the XWF from morons who think they can destroy something built on their own actions. That was a test. Oh yes, a test. A test of the XWF’s strength. My role there, was the examiner. Steve Jason took that whole thing a little too seriously, but me… I had a plan all along. I wanted to know if given the possibility of complete destruction, who would rise from the ashes to defend the company? Who were the true heroes? And I found out. Because had Jon Page not weaseled his way into having the XWF deconstructed, despite T Money’s belief that me as champion did so even though the company carried on for months after he ran away with his stubby little tail between his legs, well if the XWF had continued, I would’ve had those same heroes rewarded… with a shot at me. And you would’ve been at the front of the line Christian. And you are at the front of the line.

So this leads us to Sunday, and what could potentially happen. Lee Stone could suffer his first loss in over a year and still go on to win the match. Or Christian Connolly could carve out another chapter in his Legacy. Either way, the fans will get their moneys worth, and our reputations cannot possibly be damaged. Because as much as I understand that you’re not going down with a fight, I hope you understand that the exact same can be said about me. We can both claim to be the XWF’s Most Valuable Playa of 2005, we can both claim to be The Future of this business, and we can both gain a victory this Sunday, but when the dust settles, I will be the one who can look back and say where I came from and then look forward and say where I’m going. But with all the blood in your eyes… you’ll find it hard to look anywhere. Good luck to you Christian, I hope you don’t let me or the fans down. But no matter what you do, the best man will definitely win… and that man will be me. Peace…

And the camera fades to black.