- Forget -

See how easily they forget.

It's all a laugh, of course. Just one big practical joke being played on you, as if your talents are something that could ever be forgotten. Are they mental? Did they get struck on the head and get amnesia?

But it's plain to see the stigma is still there, ingrained in their shallow little minds. Even when you're battering your opponent and proving your incredible skillset in front of millions, they're stuck in their rubbish ways. Really, honestly, look into their eyes and you'll know what they believe to be true.

See how easily they believe that Wade Barrett is nothing without the Nexus.

It's common perception around these parts. And admittedly, that Nexus pack mentality helped you reach heights you never would have attained on your own so soon. You were good already, but when it came to competing with the Orton's and Cena's of the world? Especially during your rookie year? You needed help. So you went out. You got it. And suddenly that relative unknown, that NXT winner, that leader of the Nexus - Wade Barrett - suddenly put the world on notice.

So yes, you owe quite a bit of your early success to them. But truthfully, those seven owe you so much more.

Because the fact of the matter is that the Nexus was nothing without Wade Barrett.

It was you who started it - you who brought all seven of those talents together, you who harnessed their skills and turned them into a force to be reckoned with.

Your initiative and guidance gave them the motivation to go out there and take what they wanted no matter what. You gave them all the tools to succeed in this business, only asking for their support in return. And if their careers failed after Nexus broke up, they can only blame themselves. After all, you made something out of yourself, so why couldn't they?

These days, some of your former Nexus teammates are still with the company, some of them aren't - one of them is holding the same world title you're fighting for - but at the end of the day, they're but specks of dust on the winds of change you created.

Yes, it was all you. You brought the youth movement to the forefront and turned the main event scene on its very head. And look how much you've changed in the process as a result.

My, how you've grown.

Because you know damn well that you can hang with the best of the best now, no back-up needed. It's a good thing, considering you'll be facing the very best Smackdown has to offer inside one of the most violent environments this sport has ever seen. Any normal man would weep thinking about those kind of circumstances, but you're confident. As if anybody can stop you anyway. That awkward ogre Khali or pretty face Rhodes? Please. Big Show? He'll soon learn how a real punch is thrown. Daniel Bryan? You've beaten that pale pipsqueak more times than you can count.

And Randy Orton?

Perhaps you underestimated his resilience. He wasn't supposed to come back.

But when the time comes, you'll be glad to display your dominance as you punch his lights out, slam him into the glass pods, and then hurl his body down onto the cold, hard steel. You'll leave him beaten and helpless. And when all that's left inside that chamber is a wasteland of broken bodies, and you're the only man left standing, there will be no more doubt.

For once you become the World Heavyweight Champion - and hopefully put that snake on the shelf for good while you're at it - they'll see the light. They'll understand.

See how easily they forget Wade Barrett then.

- Wade Barrett -


A/N: For all new readers: I explain the Randy Orton/Santino Marella situation in chapter four.

The elimination chamber is possibly my favorite gimmick match, and I wanted to write a short piece for each of the wrestlers involved. I'm hoping to do two a day, although really that doesn't matter as much as getting all twelve done before the pay-per-view.

I'll be changing the listed main characters with every update, so don't be surprised if the story doesn't show up under a searched character in the end (unless you're looking up one of the final two ficlet subjects).

Thanks for reading. Reviews would be much appreciated. Next chapter: Leap.