I. Hope and Hate. -- Adrenaline X: House of Horrors.

[C]

    


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Truthfully, I thought that it would've been the end. Everything I worked for in APEX Wrestling would've been casted out to the side. Months of tireless hard work, gone. Just like that.

I admit that there was a sullen feeling within my heart when I along with many of the talent received the news. We might've gotten it at different times and different places, but the despair we shared was the same. A part of me couldn't help but be dejected. After all, in my pursuit of purification, I was on the cusp of inspiring hope into many people again. Winning the Sovereign Cup was a stellar accomplishment in its own right, but ultimately, the last part of my mission would've been to use that opportunity I earned to win either the World or Next Level Championship. I was hopeful. I was determined. I was ready. But then, just as I was reaching up and my fingers came to brush along the proverbial top of the mountain, I found myself falling down. I couldn't make it. After such a long, arduous, and intense journey, I wasn't going to be able to see things through. It was disappointing. It hurt. Since APEX closed down its doors, I took the last month and a half to recollect myself. Gather my thoughts and process my feelings. The ache grew to be more tolerable with each day that passed, but in the back of my mind, I still wondered about what could've been. I also wondered if, in the long run, the actions I took would endure and stand the test of time, changing the minds of people who may be tempted to go down a path they may never return from.

I remained at home with many thoughts racing within my mind, practically consuming me. But then, one day, I realized that it would do me no good to sit around and waste precious time getting hung up on the what-ifs and have-nots. There would be no point. Even if I considered APEX to be my home, I had to find a new one. Even though I bared my heart and soul for that place, I would have to dedicate myself to another promotion and, hopefully, do so soon lest every unsavory aspect of wrestling consumes it wholly. I spent time ruminating upon where to go next, and eventually, my eyes laid upon here. Infinite Pro Wrestling.

And within my view would be a figure I have seen many times before; a wrestler who I've yet to face, yet am far from being unfamiliar with.

It was you, JUDITH. I saw you.

I bore witness to the destruction you've caused. I've seen with my own two eyes how brutal and unrelenting you are. You have forcefully engraved your name into the trunk of every promotion you've stepped foot in, including our former home. You've tortured the likes of Emmanuelle and Chelsea Creed, and now, here in IPW, it's no different. After all, had I not stepped in at such an apt time, who knows what you could've done to Stefan McCain? You know how to terrorize people; in fact, you thrive off of it. The Boogeyman mantle is not some cliched, spur-of-the-moment distinction that one bestows upon themself in an effort to create this air of mystique or fear. You are the living, breathing embodiment of fear. You are everything that makes any competition on any given night tremble, and even if they may remain stone-faced as those piercing, ill-intent eyes of yours stare them down, on the inside, there is that voice that makes them second guess whether or not stepping up to you is worth it.

I cannot fault people for being wary of you, JUDITH. With everything you've done, with everyone you've beaten, you've become one of the most dominant competitors not just here, but in the entire world. There's always a palpable sense of dread whenever you're around and for good reason. As such, I am fully aware that this is going to be an uphill battle for me. You can take as much pain as you can dish out. As much as I can go the distance, so, too, can you. You're taller and stronger than me. And, just like me, you're a highly-driven competitor, the sort who won't give up until they've exhausted every bit of their being and they physically cannot continue.

I know the risks I'm undertaking in facing you for that championship. I understand that you've likely taken exception to how I came out there and stopped you from causing any more needless destruction. I know for certain that you are going to do everything you can to make me pay and suffer for thinking that I can step to you on your own domain and challenge you for the title I've fought long and hard to try and get a while back. However, JUDITH? In spite of everything - despite all of the risks, the fears, the worries... I am not backing down. I cannot, and I refuse to do so knowing that, should I fail, your reign of terror will continue unchecked. I cannot rest easy knowing that your time as champion has come about from making the lives of others a living hell.

I do not want that title to be remembered for all of the ruination caused by those very same hands that have them trapped. I need to beat you. I need to cleanse that championship. I need to make sure that even if it's for one night, for what will likely be the last time, the Next Level Championship will represent the hopes and dreams of the future of our sport. I need to make sure that all of my efforts up until this point haven't gone to waste. I need to make sure that Infinite Pro Wrestling will not thrive off of your hate, but from my hope.

And at House of Horrors, the monster will become mortal.