NEXT MATCH: vs - Raven & Chris Jericho
EVENT: ECW Barely Legal
WINS 0 || LOSES: 0 || LOSES: 0
ECW ACCOLADES:
Coming Soon
► PLAY.
As the static adjusts to a clearer picture, we open our scene in the sacred sanctum of ECW - The Hammerstein Ballroom. In the middle of the ring we see The Hardcore Legend himself Cactus Jack pacing back and forth. He has set up various items inside the ring, a steel chair, a table, a singapore cane and in his hand he holds a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. The camera quick cuts to a close up of Cactus who is leaning against the ropes surveying the venue that will mark the return of ECW in just under 2 weeks time
You know it feels like only yesterday that I was lying in this ring, sweat dripping down my body and blood pouring from the various holes and lacerations on my face. It feels like only yesterday when Terry Funk and myself asked the ECW crowd for a chair and they proceeded to bury Public Enemy in a sea of solid steel chairs. And it feels only yesterday when I turned my back on Hardcore wrestling due to the fans demanding that I cane my 3 year old son.
Cactus laughs to himself and picks up the singapore cane from the ring. He holds it up in the air as the camera quick cuts to old footage of the infamous 'Cane Dewey' sign. The camera quick cuts back to Cactus who is gently tapping the cane against the side of his head.
I turned my back on Hardcore wrestling because I thought that I was better than that. I thought that hardcore wrestling was breeding sick individuals who only came to ECW for the blood and stayed for the blood. I thought that I could be a role model and save this business like the Ric Flairs and Harley Races of this sport.. but then I took a moment of deep contemplation. I looked at myself in the mirror and I knew that the man staring back was not Ric Flair or Harley Race. The man staring back was what the fans aspired to see every single time they turned on their televisions and every single time they stepped foot into these halls.. a sick individual who came to ECW for blood and a sick individual that stayed for blood. THAT was what Cactus Jack represented! Some guy once said 'You are what you eat' when it came to this sport and all I ever feasted on was carnage and destruction and by god thats what I became in ECW!.
The camera quick cuts to Steve Austin's ECW debut promo and then quickly cuts back to Cactus who is now upping the intensity of hitting himself in the side of the head with the cane.
That ladies and gentlemen, was what Cactus Jack stood for. There is nobody and I mean NOBODY that has given their body more than I have inside this very ring. I have lost my teeth, I have broken my bones, I have had my flesh torn and set on fire and I have lost most of my ear all in the name of Hard.. Core.. Wrestling. And you all know damn well that I took enjoyment out of every god damn second of putting my body through all that destruction and I would do it again without a single ounce of regret because THAT is what I am and THAT is what makes Cactus Jack the most dangerous son of a bitch in ECW!.
Another series of quick cuts gives us some highlights of Cactus Jack back in ECW. A shot of Cactus on his knees with his face covered in blood, smiling, ends the quick cuts. He is now pacing around the ring using the barbed wire 2x4 to scratch the back of his head. He smiles and brushes the hair back from his face.
You know it's funny.. when I heard that ECW were opening the doors once more to give the wrestling fans their nostalgia back, my phone never rang. Paul E never dialled up Cactus to ask him if he wanted to lace up his boots one last time and spill blood in the ring - the one thing I do better than any damn wrestler out there - one more time. Instead I have to go to Mr Paul E and practically beg him for one last swansong. And then came the questions: Can you still do it? Can your body still handle it? Is it even possible for you to be the Cactus Jack of old.
His voice breaks ever so slightly, but Cactus looks on with a determined look.
And I took that personally. And that pissed old Cactus off. Because for the first time in a long time, it made me doubt myself and made me reconsider whether or not I could still do this. Then it struck like a great bolt of lightning from God himself that seem to breath new meaning and understanding into me, it may not be possible for Cactus Jack to be the Cactus Jack of old.. but what it is, is it's NECESSARY for me to be that old crazy s.o.b that smiles when he's busted open, smiles when his body is thrown from the top of cages, and by god smiles when his blood stains the ring as a warning sign for everyone on that roster that Cactus Jack will not stop and will not ever quit!
Cactus takes the 2x4 and sets it against the turnbuckle. He turns around and picks up the steel chair, unfolding it and taking a seat.
Which brings me to the subject matter at hand so to speak. I’m stepping into the ring with two tough s.o.bs in their own right, Raven and Chris Jericho. A three way dance to close out Barely Legal seems fitting for the three of us, three ECW originals who each of us understand what it means to bleed in this ring and what it means to sacrifice our bodies in the name of entertainment. Times have changed for all three of us but the one constant that remains is that Cactus Jack’s thirst for blood remains at it’s most MASOCHISTICAL peak!
The camera feed quick cuts again with clips of Raven and Cactus in ECWs first run.
A man like you Raven, you are one of the smartest guys i've ever met in this business. You remind me of myself in a few ways, you dress like you're trash but you have the IQ of a genius. I myself dont have that IQ and I credit the many chairs that have crashed through my skull over the years for that, a small price to pay in a long career of bumps and bruises. One man in particular branded me as nothing but a glorified stunt man and in some ways he was right. The stunt men don't get the accolades, the stunt men are not front and centre of the main show. Instead they take their applause backstage or below the stage whilst the ones that dont get their hands dirty take the glory in front of everyone. To take a page from your book Raven, what about me? What about Cactus Jack? You see at Barely Legal, I will not be the one taking the applause from backstage, and I damn well sure wont be the man taking the applause from the fans with his back to the mat staring up at the Gods of The Hammerstein Ballroom!
Cactus brushes the hair from his face again as his voice starts to rise with intensity.
This time around Raven, Cactus Jack is playing for keeps! No more throwing myself from the top of structures or putting myself through tables set on fire just so the fans can chant - E C FUCKING W - Because that side of things does not appeal to me anymore. There's no flock at your side anymore Raven, you dont have any degenerates by your side to take your place, it's just you. You're like me, the last man standing in this new wasteland of wrestling. I dont have Terry Funk by my side, he's gone and he's not coming back. But what I do have is resolve, a purpose and a REASON to be in ECW again and thats to prove to the world that this outlaw is and always will be the last man standing after a shootout. You rush at me and i'll not only spill your blood all over this arena, but i'll kick your teeth all over Manhatten and i'll pick them all up one by one, nail them to that 2x4 there and i'll slap you right across the face with them! Call your friends Raven, call all the junkies from the streets to give them that promise of one last high if they'll be your shield because i'll send them back to the gutters where they belong and i'll clip your wings and ground you, proving that you just dont have what it takes anymore to be in this business, NEVERMORE!
The next clips show Chris Jericho smiling with his Jericho Appreciation Society with intercuts of 'FRAUD' being displayed over Jerichos face.
Speaking of people that rely on the help of others, this brings me to my other dance partner for Barely Legal, Chris Jericho. The Demo God himself. Staying on theme of being an outlaw and surviving shoot outs, it's funny to me seeing you lead your merry band of misfits into ECW, all seven of them. The Magnificant Seven. Yet when I survey their faces I think it's more appropriate to call them the seven dwarves, not because of their size, but because they are well over their heads if they think they can not just protect you Chris, but also survive in this landscape we call Extreme wrestling
Cactus gets off his seat and runs head first into the 2x4 that was resting against the turnbuckle. He gets up quickly and starts to ram his head into the barbed wire, blood beginning to run down his face and into the mat. He gets up and storms over to the camera and smiles, pointing at the gash in his forehead.
YOU LOOK AT THIS CHRIS! YOU GET YOUR LITTLE ENTOURAGE TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE COMING INTO. This is not some billionaires playground that protects you with padding and safety nets, this is uncut, unfiltered and un-fucking-censored! The minute your society step into this hallowed arena and see the intimidation from these fans, they'll look into my eyes and they will see one crazy son of a bitch that does not discriminate when it comes to violence! When that happens Chris you will find your band of merry men will dessert you and you'll be left to fend for yourself and you and I both know.. YOU CANT DO THAT ANYMORE! You have spent the last few years of your career like a leech - sucking the blood of the up and coming talent in order to stay relevant, hiding behind the numbers to protect yourself and to prolong your career. You hide behind a mask and that mask will come off at Barely Legal, THAT I can assure you. You see this blood right here Chris - Cactus wipes the blood from his head and smears it onto the camera - This doesnt come from a hidden blade in your trunks! This comes from walking into this ring and being prepared to be carried out in a god damn stretcher! You are a fraud, you are NOTHING like the Chris Jericho of old and I DARE you to prove me wrong Chris. I will get onto my knees and I will BEG you to make me bleed, make me feel it, because I am sure as hell going to paint these halls with your blood when you come face to face with Cactus Jack!
Cactus paces about the ring as the blood stained camera follows him. His blood is still dripping over the ring and he drops to his knees.
This is symbolic to everyone watching, Cactus Jack has spilt first blood in ECW and has set the marker. Here's the line in the sand and it's stained in blood, lets see who has the balls to cross it. BANG BANG!