"The following match is for the Intercontinental Title. Making his way to
the ring, the champion, Chris Jericho!" The announcer announced. Hi, my
name is Chris and this was about to be one of the biggest matches of my
life. "And his opponent, Chris Benoit!" I looked at my opponent who was
also my best friend. We were shocked when we found out about this match but
we had no choice, thank you Vince McMahon! We stood in the ring for a while
and just stared at each other, but we knew we had to fight. Ding! We began.
It was a pretty good match. I got him in the Walls of Jericho and he got me
in the Crippler Cross-face. But it was coming down to the closing and we
were both at equal strength and have dished out about the same amount. It
was coming down to it, down to the end. I hit a bulldog and went to land a
Lionsault but got hit in the gut by Benoit. I was lucky enough to use my
cat instincts to land on my feet but when I turned I was kicked in the jaw
and slammed with a suplex so fast it made my head spin. 1, 2, 3! Ding,
ding! Benoit picked up the win from under my nose. "The winner of the match
and the new Intercontinental Champion, Chris Benoit!" The crowd went wild
as he held up my once belt. I fell to my knees and stared with a dropped
jaw. I lowered my head as Benoit came over to me.
"Chris?" He asked and reached out a hand. I tried to regulate my breathing so it wouldn't look like I wanted to cry.
"Guess you won." I looked up with a forced grin and shook his hand.
"Yea, I guess so." He replied, understanding. At the hotel I lay in my room all night and into the next day thinking, why did I have to loose? Outside in the hall, the wrestlers on the same floor were talking. There was Trish, Lita with her friends Matt and Jeff. RVD and Benoit were in the elevator going to grab a bite to eat so they weren't in on the talk.
"So he's just been in there?" Jeff asked.
"Yea, ever since we got back last night." Lita sighed, she had always liked me.
"Do you think he's depressed about the match?" Trish wondered aloud.
"No, I think he's coming down with a cold." Jeff rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"You mean he's sick?" Matt gasped, not hearing the sarcasm in his tone of voice.
"Ok I've had enough, I'm going in." Lita grumbled and opened the door. I looked over but didn't bother to move, I did feel sick but not the kind of sick where you have a fever or are in pain physically, I was hurt as far as pride and feelings and all that stuff goes. "Want to grab a bite to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." I sighed.
"Do you want to come out and hang out with us?" Lita asked.
"Not now." I replied, and now Lita was getting annoyed.
"Why don't we go to the arena?" Lita went to touch me. "Maybe we can- "
"Leave me alone." I jerked away.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help!" Lita cried.
"Well I don't want it." I sat up and our yelling caused everyone else to run in.
"Hey guys, chill out. Chris, Lita thinks you should be happy." Trish cut us off.
"Why?" I demanded.
"Perhaps if you trained better you would've been able to keep your belt." Matt said. I had no comment for that, he was right.
"Well that's kinda hard, especially for some of us who are dumb or lazy." Lita sighed.
"Who you calling dumb and lazy?" I yelled.
"I didn't call anyone anything, I was talking to myself." Lita groaned.
"I heard what you called me." I stood up and Lita stared at me.
"I said I didn't and I didn't." She cried.
"Well I said you did because you did!" I yelled and we began one of our arguments.
"I didn't!" "You did!" And so on and so on until finally we got tired of it.
"Look, let's just go join Rob and Chris in the lobby." Trish moaned so we all left my room. Maybe some food in my stomach would help, but I dunno if I wanted to see Chris yet. Chris was back in his room when we found Rob in the lobby. We joined him for brunch. A while later, Chris re-joined us.
"Chris!" I called and he came over.
"Paul Hey-man." He sat down, we made up that joke on a long plane trip one night.
"Good luck with your title." I grinned.
"Thanks." Benoit replied. We began to eat. I hadn't eaten for quite a while and was starving. I ate so fast I choked on a bone in my rib rack.
"Just make sure you don't choke like Chris did." Lita said, meaning me
"Well you don't have to put it that way." I grinned after taking a big, long drink. Benoit laughed, it seemed that we were all getting back to normal. For tonight on SmackDown, Benoit would be putting his title up against Triple H, talk about in the interest of fairness, thanks again Vince McMahon! SmackDown went by fast. I had a match against Kane and I got pretty beat up, I got quite a chokeslam, I doubt Kane meant to hurt me that bad but man! I was watching the match with Lita and the Hardy Boyz since they had a TV in their locker room, lucky guys. Chris was doing great, I could tell he wanted to win it for the both of us. It was getting time for the finish and both of them knew it. Benoit decided to end it fast and now with a cross-face. But Triple H was smarter than that, he countered it and landed quite the Pedegree and went for the cover. 1, 2, 3!
"The winner of this match and the new Intercontinental Champion, Triple H!" The announcer said and the crowd applauded. I was shocked.
"I cant' believe he lost." Lita whispered, I said nothing, I was too stunned to speak. That night, I found Chris standing on the ledge over the parking lot staring at the sky. I decided to join him.
"Chris." I said and he motioned for me to come over. We smiled but were silent.
"You know Chris, now we have more than one thing in common." He spoke up.
"In common? Oh." I understood.
"We can learn a lot from losing, we can counter our mistakes and make ourselves better." Chris said finally. I began to think, he's not upset that he lost while I've been acting like a big baby. "Hey Chris, let's make a pact. We'll become the Champ no matter what."
"Hu?" I turned to him. "Ok. World Champions, that's us!" I hoped everyone heard us. "Come on, let's get our stuff in the car so we can head back to the hotel."
"That's a good idea. I bet the rest of the guys are waiting." Chris agreed and so we left.
"Chris?" He asked and reached out a hand. I tried to regulate my breathing so it wouldn't look like I wanted to cry.
"Guess you won." I looked up with a forced grin and shook his hand.
"Yea, I guess so." He replied, understanding. At the hotel I lay in my room all night and into the next day thinking, why did I have to loose? Outside in the hall, the wrestlers on the same floor were talking. There was Trish, Lita with her friends Matt and Jeff. RVD and Benoit were in the elevator going to grab a bite to eat so they weren't in on the talk.
"So he's just been in there?" Jeff asked.
"Yea, ever since we got back last night." Lita sighed, she had always liked me.
"Do you think he's depressed about the match?" Trish wondered aloud.
"No, I think he's coming down with a cold." Jeff rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"You mean he's sick?" Matt gasped, not hearing the sarcasm in his tone of voice.
"Ok I've had enough, I'm going in." Lita grumbled and opened the door. I looked over but didn't bother to move, I did feel sick but not the kind of sick where you have a fever or are in pain physically, I was hurt as far as pride and feelings and all that stuff goes. "Want to grab a bite to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." I sighed.
"Do you want to come out and hang out with us?" Lita asked.
"Not now." I replied, and now Lita was getting annoyed.
"Why don't we go to the arena?" Lita went to touch me. "Maybe we can- "
"Leave me alone." I jerked away.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help!" Lita cried.
"Well I don't want it." I sat up and our yelling caused everyone else to run in.
"Hey guys, chill out. Chris, Lita thinks you should be happy." Trish cut us off.
"Why?" I demanded.
"Perhaps if you trained better you would've been able to keep your belt." Matt said. I had no comment for that, he was right.
"Well that's kinda hard, especially for some of us who are dumb or lazy." Lita sighed.
"Who you calling dumb and lazy?" I yelled.
"I didn't call anyone anything, I was talking to myself." Lita groaned.
"I heard what you called me." I stood up and Lita stared at me.
"I said I didn't and I didn't." She cried.
"Well I said you did because you did!" I yelled and we began one of our arguments.
"I didn't!" "You did!" And so on and so on until finally we got tired of it.
"Look, let's just go join Rob and Chris in the lobby." Trish moaned so we all left my room. Maybe some food in my stomach would help, but I dunno if I wanted to see Chris yet. Chris was back in his room when we found Rob in the lobby. We joined him for brunch. A while later, Chris re-joined us.
"Chris!" I called and he came over.
"Paul Hey-man." He sat down, we made up that joke on a long plane trip one night.
"Good luck with your title." I grinned.
"Thanks." Benoit replied. We began to eat. I hadn't eaten for quite a while and was starving. I ate so fast I choked on a bone in my rib rack.
"Just make sure you don't choke like Chris did." Lita said, meaning me
"Well you don't have to put it that way." I grinned after taking a big, long drink. Benoit laughed, it seemed that we were all getting back to normal. For tonight on SmackDown, Benoit would be putting his title up against Triple H, talk about in the interest of fairness, thanks again Vince McMahon! SmackDown went by fast. I had a match against Kane and I got pretty beat up, I got quite a chokeslam, I doubt Kane meant to hurt me that bad but man! I was watching the match with Lita and the Hardy Boyz since they had a TV in their locker room, lucky guys. Chris was doing great, I could tell he wanted to win it for the both of us. It was getting time for the finish and both of them knew it. Benoit decided to end it fast and now with a cross-face. But Triple H was smarter than that, he countered it and landed quite the Pedegree and went for the cover. 1, 2, 3!
"The winner of this match and the new Intercontinental Champion, Triple H!" The announcer said and the crowd applauded. I was shocked.
"I cant' believe he lost." Lita whispered, I said nothing, I was too stunned to speak. That night, I found Chris standing on the ledge over the parking lot staring at the sky. I decided to join him.
"Chris." I said and he motioned for me to come over. We smiled but were silent.
"You know Chris, now we have more than one thing in common." He spoke up.
"In common? Oh." I understood.
"We can learn a lot from losing, we can counter our mistakes and make ourselves better." Chris said finally. I began to think, he's not upset that he lost while I've been acting like a big baby. "Hey Chris, let's make a pact. We'll become the Champ no matter what."
"Hu?" I turned to him. "Ok. World Champions, that's us!" I hoped everyone heard us. "Come on, let's get our stuff in the car so we can head back to the hotel."
"That's a good idea. I bet the rest of the guys are waiting." Chris agreed and so we left.