006: Don't Hold Out For Heroes

"Whoever wrote that little ditty 'bout how there ain't no rest for the wicked clearly had your mouth in mind. Just keeps goin' and goin' like that stupid pink rabbit from the commercials. So hey, congrats on being the Energizer Bunny of migraine-inducing bullcrap, Stone. Another claim to fame for that padded résumé of yours, no doubt."

Lex stares forward, enunciating more than usual, almost as if he's trying his best to curb that lazy drawl of his.

"Upped the last thing an' then I had all these better, cleverer thoughts – all this shit I shoulda said. Ain't that always how it goes? Even as much as we can control these things, rehearse and edit and all that post-production spit an' polish, can't fix my glarin' lack of social skills. Try and keep it real, though. Genuine. Y'know, without some ludicrous production value 'cause you know what, Stone? I know the glaringly obvious difference 'tween us now. It's not skill. Or body fat percentage. Or hair products – share my secret there if you want, might get a bit more mileage out of it in the long run. Nah, see, it's that you're a showman, a fuckin' entertainer, a modern-day version of a circus geek bitin' heads off chickens – metaphorical, of course."

He shrugs.

"If you want me to CLAMOR for your respect and admiration, it ain't gonna happen. I'm not in this for some high school debate club nonsense – I wanna put asses in the seats for a fight. I don't wanna piss into the wind and try not to get wet. Nope. I wanna draw people in and I could legitimately not give a crap what any of the rest of the locker room thinks of me. I know I prob'ly alienated some folks by not runnin' to Paulie's aid. Mean I brushed shoulders with Grace. Everyone saw that. I'd lie and tell you I didn't know she was gonna do that but I got such a low opinion of people these days, the worst's what I expect. So Paulie, if you're watching: sorry. I guess Mark Storm was busy. Heroes are bound to let you down eventually. It's good you found out sooner rather than later, right?"

He scoffs, "I couldn't save you. Not even qualified to save myself – I digress – don't care about him. Guy was an object lesson twice over, nothing more. Grace mangled my sloppy seconds after I showed the locker room what I can do when properly motivated. Consider it a little warm-up for our dance. And Stone, we both know you gain nothin' in beating me now. You've got a win over Baz and that masked idiot-stick who answered your little challenge. Beating me just adds another layer to your precarious little Jenga tower of success. My name rolls in with theirs, unimportant notch.

When I beat you, though? After all the garbage you've said? After all the little barbs you flung in my direction desperate-as-fuck to pick my scabs so the old wounds never heal? It'll be JUSTIFIED. I'll put you down like the dog you are, and it'll be cause for celebration. I'll do anything to hear them scream my name one more time."

He flashes a grim smile, "I know behind my back they're still taking bets on when I'll take my ball home. Inevitable, now. Not speculation. Doesn't change any of this – win or lose, I'm still putting everything on the table every time and every moment folks're cheering... I'm stealing from someone more deserving. Yeah, I know that. I know I came outta nowhere onto this tour, expectin' last year's shine to still be here. Now I know the truth: the wrestlin' world moved on. I feel like I forced that outcome 'cause I spent the last couple years duckin' every compliment, selling short and I couldn't break that cycle 'cause I felt unworthy and dirty. Self-fulfillin' prophecy of the worst kind."

He stares in silence, cracking his knuckles slowly.

"Now every fight's the tick of a countdown to extinction. Y'know what? I don't really fear inevitability. It'll happen no matter how vigilant I am. No matter how much noise I make on the way down, it'll come when it wants to. Everything ends, Stone. Every. Thing. It already happened to me. The show goes on, regardless. Guys like us don't matter, Stone. To them, we're replaceable. Unimportant. Interchangeable. All of us," he pauses.

"Even you."