The Ledger Is Open and Every Name Is on It

There are men in this federation who have spent the better part of a week informing me of my own inadequacy, and I have listened to every word with the patience of a man who intends to collect on each one. Let me address the room in the order it deserves.

The Ghost of Death By Me has spoken at considerable length about milkshakes, piss tests, my poetic failings, my destiny as a jobber, and, most recently, has gone to the trouble of laying hands on me before the contract is even signed. I will say this plainly: a man who requires a binding and a sucker punch to demonstrate his capability has already told you everything about his capability. You called yourself one of the greatest of all time, Ghost, and I do not doubt that you believe it. Inherited conviction is the cheapest currency there is. I will not be counting myself out. I will be counting your shoulders to the mat.

Sweet Baby Ken Howard offered his opinion in eleven words, seven of which were profane and none of which were original. Ken Howard, you borrowed your insult from the man above you on this card, which tells me you are already working for someone else. That is a habit that tends to persist.

Ethan Deathwish Locklear 2 announced that he and I are friends for life on the basis of a shared enthusiasm for quartering hotdog vendors with horses. Ethan, I do not make friends on the basis of livestock arrangements, and I do not make them for life. But I will say this: you saw something worth defending, and you put your name behind it. That is more than most men in this building have done. I will remember it.

Now, Ghost, you have called me a mental midget, a tool, a jobber, a goon, a loser of the supreme variety, and a man not worth your time, which has not prevented you from spending the majority of your time on me. You dragged me into a picture, bloodied and bound, to make a point. The point you made is that you required ropes to hold me still. Come Friday, there will be no ropes between us. There will only be the ring, the work, and what I take from it.

Every man in this building is owed a return on the attention they bring. I intend to pay that debt in full, and I intend to collect the interest from one man in particular. You don't get to be the Ghost of anything after Friday, Death By Me. You get to be a memory I made.