The Way of the Warrior (Jon Payne)

[Magnus Von Schwartz]

The Vendetta PPV continued on, and at one moment of the show the sound of Magnus Von Schwartz's theme song began to play through the arena. The man who fell short of winning the XWA World Title at Madness walked out to the ring the same way he always did, stoically, with no regard for the crowds reactions as he marched towards the squared circle in his black business suit. The announcers had this to say as he was entering the ring.

Goldman: As Magnus comes out to the ring here, I have to ask you this Buzz...Syrus The Entertainer defended the XWA World Title in a match that favored MVS in every way, a Pure Rules match. Do you, or would you count that as an upset?

Buzz: Honestly, I wouldn't. That just goes to show you the kind of flexibility the champ has to adapt to any style of wrestling, something he's proven many times before! I think a lot of people thought Maggie would be the new champ after two decisive wins against STE, but the third time wasn't the charm I suppose.

Goldman: Well, if there's any emotion regarding falling short of reaching the top of the mountain, you wouldn't know it from looking at Magnus. His face looks like it's chiseled from granite how it never seems to move...

Magnus stands center ring now with a microphone in hand.

By all regards, I must begin tonight by congratulating the still reigning XWA World Champion, Syrus The Entertainer. For a long time, I had...and I am sure many of you thought so as well...thought that he had grown complacent with his newfound fame and fortune in being now the champion of the world. It would appear that I was mistaken.

At Madness, no one was shorted. I performed just as I have all this season thus far, with precision and with the utmost of strategy in mind. The man who I faced though was far different from the one I faced two times before. An overwhelming offense did not allow me to dictate the pace of the match as I did in the past, and that is what netted you your first defense Syrus.

You did whatever possible to defend what it yours. That is the mark of a champion. That is the mark of a warrior. This nation, this country is one who knows quite a bit and has much respect for the way of the warrior. One only need to look back to the legendary men and women who have shed blood of theirs and other in this country's history.

Jon Payne...you are a man who knows as much of this as I do. You learned of the martial arts here, long before you began your study of wrestling under "The King". Don't think that I have not forgotten our last encounter at XGAMES2. That match was the moment my eyes were truly opened to what it means to be a warrior, when you defeated me rather bloodily. I still remember the moment my blood stained this ring in that match.

As I said from the beginning of the season, my ambition is retribution. To gain atonement for my previous failures in the XWA. To some extent, I gained that against Syrus. Now, it's your turn. You, the man who drove me to train more rigorously than I ever have before...just for this moment.

Your presence is beckoned within the confines of this ring. Don't keep me waiting.

[Jon Payne]

The lights in the arena dim to green. Fans all over the Tokyo Dome raise the volume as a familiar tune begins to play. It's The Crystal Method's "Keep Hope Alive", the them that Jon Payne used way back in his first years in the business. Payne soon steps out from backstage to a roar from the crowd.

Buzz: I remember the match between these two at XG2, and I think in all honesty that I never saw Magnus get beat the way he did before that match. Jon Payne really did busted him wide open, and he just wasn't the same after that.

Matt: It's well documented that Jon Payne is a decorated, dedicated martial artist. He trained in Karate at an early age by a Shotokan master named Hito Taguchi while his father was stationed in Hokkaido in the military. Payne decided to live here after his 18 birthday and continued to train in Karate, reaching the rank of 3rd Dan when he was 20.

Buzz: How do you know that stuff, Goldman?

Matt: Research. We all know now of his eventual first MMA match in the UFC as well. This man does not pull his punches, or kicks for that matter. He's in my opinion the best pure fighter in professional wrestling, hands down.

Payne with a mic in his hands already, made his way into the ring as the announce team talked about some of his history in this country...of which he would elaborate on some himself.

Magnus Von Schwartz. We meet again. I've heard for a while now that you were going to be making this happen, and here we are. Makes perfect sense to me that you'd choose to make Japan our battleground tonight.

I know a little bit about your history in this country as well. The tournaments you've wrestled in over here, and won. There's a lot that goes on here in Japan that most American fans have no idea about, truth be told. Not unless they really follow everything there is to know about combat arts, and that's always been something I've done.

You said something about the way of the warrior. Here in Japan, that concept has a name, and it's called Bushido. It's something I was immersed in the moment that I began training in Hokkaido when I was a kid. What a lot of you don't know is that it was not just Karate that I was trained. Taguchi-sensei (Master Hito Taguchi) was also a master in Jiu Jitsu. You could say that I've been trained by some of the best in the world, and it reflects in what I do...Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Loyalty and Honor.

Those are virtues that I only see a little bit of in you Magnus. Why? Let's call a spade a spade here...it's not retribution you're after. It's revenge. You're "ambition" tonight is to come out here and try to punish me from bell to bell. If I were in your shoes right now, maybe...just maybe I would feel the same way if I had beaten by someone who I really didn't know what to expect from.

That's exactly the point though. You should never know what to expect when you face your opponent. That would make you one dimensional, easy to figure out and easy to beat. That was your problem last year. They called you the best pure grappler in the XWA, and they still do...so what do you do to someone who grapples well? You distance them so they can't. See, there's always a strategy to counter strategy...and so as they say making it a "game of human chess".

Now, as we've seen in your matches against STE, you have evolved a lot. But you forget one thing about me. I AM EVOLUTION. So just like I've asked so many people before...you might have gotten better, but what really makes you think for a second that I haven't either?

[Magnus Von Schwartz]

An interesting question indeed, Mr. Payne. You haven't been in action so far this year, so as it is you've said...I truly don't know what to expect. "Ring rust" would most certainly not be one of those things, for underestimation is something I will not do to a man of your caliber.

But revenge? You truly think that is my motivation for this match?

No sir, if that were the case, I would have challenge you to some barbaric gimmick match where we bludgeon one another with whatever isn't bolted to the ground and a few things that are. I do not "punish", I compete...and on a level that is higher than most.

There is a true reason why I am so adamant about a match against you, Jonathan. It's because of your rearing. You're upbringing in the art of combat has been with men who I in actuality am very familiar with.

Matt: Okay, exactly what does he mean by that?

It's no surprise to any of you that I am not exactly a young man. I have competed for decades around the world...and as you said yourself, there is much that happens that is only shared by very few. Things that haven't been shared with you for instance. I am quite familiar you see with your surrogate "fathers", Payne. I have faced them both in combat...and have beaten them.

Buzz: HUH!?

Taguchi-sensei as you call him, Master Hito Taguchi...and "The King" himself, Vincent Fate under the guise of "Riot". Granted these bouts were a long time ago, still...I found myself intrigued that you were the hybrid of both of them, such a contrast of styles. On the one hand you had a disciplined, regimented warrior, and on the other you had a bloodthristy berserker.

And here you stand...the heir to both thrones...and you truly have no idea how much you emulate them. I do though, and the last time I failed to defeat the "end result". The culmination of vigilance and violence, the embodiment of yin and yang, darkness and light.

I have no intention of failing again.

[Jon Payne]

That was a shocking bit of information shared by Magnus there, one that Jon had no choice but to believe because of the elusive nature of his martial arts teacher. Only two kinds of people knew Master Taguchi, those who train under him and those who fought him.

I don't take you as a person who would lie, or try to play mind games with anyone Magnus. You've been at this for a while, that's true...and nobody could ever doubt that you are good at what you or how long you might have been good at doing it, but those aren't men that are so easily beaten.

If you really did, then that means that you were good enough then. The question now is are you good enough to beat them both as you say rolled up into one package in me? I guess I have no choice but to give you another chance to do that tonight. I shouldn't do this but...I feel the need to give you some advice. You're only setting yourself up for failure if all you see standing across the ring is the student of Taguchi Hito and Riot. What you should be paying attention to, or WHO I should say is...

*ahem, it's been a while, folks...*

JON.





FREAKIN'.





PAYNE!!!

That's the man you've got to beat tonight. Whatever you ambition or motivation is, you just make sure that you bring all of your arsenal to this war, strength, skill, strategy, whatever. You're going to need it.

That being said, Payne sets his mic to the mat and his music begins to play. The stage has been set.

Matt: So tonight, we've got ourselves a rematch of sorts between arguably XWA's best grappler against arguably XWA's best striker. But...do you think that Magnus' claims are just speculated?

Buzz: Who knows...I mean, do you know how many unsanctioned contest go on underground? He could very well have beaten those guys at some point in the past. The only way to know for sure would be to ask them.

Matt: Indeed, this is developing into something very interesting.