Adam Stryker vs. Ryleigh Mathis

"Well... That was a real something," Adam Stryker says, nodding his head as we open right in front of a big Elysium Pro banner, presumably spread on one of the walls of Stryke Dojo in Los Angeles. We see Adam is dressed in black jeans and a dark red shirt buttoned all the way to the top. Both his hands are in the pockets of his jeans.

"The finish to the latest Frontline rang a bell in me. Back when I was in PWX, I pretty much made my career when I powerbombed Darin Zion through the sound system. Of course, I did it off a ladder... And Darin wasn´t able to walk, let alone wrestle, for a couple of months, while Tiami Erickson, glad she´s okay by the way, is back on the card for the next show. You know, everything really was better in the good old days," he chuckles sarcastically.

"I believe the Cage of Death for the World Championship will be everything you can imagine and more. I believe Erik Holland will be a whole different animal inside that cage. Because Erik," he sighs, "he reminds me a lot of a younger version of me. It´s weird to say since we´re not many years apart, but he does. He´s wild and violent, yet very smart. And when he gets angry, he´s the most effective and most dangerous. And right now, he´s very, very angry. I´m backing him to win and retain the world title... eventhough the match itself will be for far more than the prestigious championship.

But what I wanna talk about more is what happened in first match of Frontline rather than the last. About how I won my Elysium Pro debut against Samantha Hamilton," he says slowly and calmly.

"I would love to say I did exactly what I promised to do, but that would not be completely true. I wanted to make a statement by making Samantha tap, but she gave me a bigger fight than I imagined and it took The Stryke out of the blue to put her down. I give you props for that, Samantha, you´re on a good path. But I am glad that path will be different from mine. Because while you´re an underdog pitted against one of the top performers in the company, albeit an injured performer, I am fighting my way up the championship rankings, just as I wanted. And if I beat former champion Ryleigh Mathis, I believe I am in line for a Hybrid Championship title shot."

A big smile forms on Adam´s face. He folds arms across his chest.

"I can´t help it, but I must make another callback to my former home, the best creation of my long lost friend John Pariah, PWX. Some four years ago when I took PWX by storm, the first singles title I won was, coincidentally, called the Hybrid Championship. I was then voted the Hybrid Champion of the Year, along with Superstar of the Year, and later, in my second reign, I made history when I unified the belt with the Evolution title. The Hybrid Championship, the prize that showed everyone you are the best in that ring in any style, really meant the world to me. And it would mean the world to me again to have a chance to win the title in Elysium Pro.

It makes sense. The World Championship, the top of the mountain, is designed for the biggest stars in the company, for people who shine bright at the top of every card for months. I never, even in my best days, claimed to be that kind of person, eventhough in most promotions, I really was. The Hybrid Championship, or its versions in other organisations, are designed for those who don´t have to talk the loudest or shine the brightest... They ´just´ have to be the best wrestlers. They can be new to the promotion, hell, they can even walk in and take it right away. I don´t believe I´m the brightest star in Elysium Pro, I am a newcomer here, not the man who has closed each and every show. But I do believe that I am the best wrestler. And I intend on proving that this week, just as I do every time."

He puts his right hand back in his pocket and gestures at the camera with his left.

"Frontline: Nightfall sees me go against Ryleigh Mathis. A woman who has seen her fortunes fade greatly eversince my arrival. When I joined, she was damn near the top of the mountain, holding the Hybrid Championship. In the first match I saw her wrestle, she lost it, and she hasn´t been seen since. I know, it might just be a tactic, being away from the spotlight and mysterious, plotting your revenge to come back all guns blazing... But really, that just doesn´t seem likely for the spoiled brat Ryleigh Mathis is.

I know what it is, Ryleigh," he raises a finger, "just like every overly ambitious person of your age, you are scared to death of failure. When you lost the title, you failed for the first time and now you´re insecure, you don´t know what to do. You went home to your little room and you just don´t know if you should come back or go somewhere else and try to be successful again.

Well let me give you an advice. It´s failure that drives you forward. Even Michael Jordan said he had to fail a milion times to actually succeed. When we meet in the ring, you´ll have a lot of similar motivation like he had. Because I´m gonna cut you in half with The Stryke, lock you in the Stretch Muffler... and I´m gonna make you fail again.

Get real."

Adam performs his usual cut-throat taunt.

"Or perish."

Fade to black.