A/N: I got a quick break from school work at the moment, so I decided to go ahead and post this now. Thank you all SO MUCH for sticking with this story. I'm elated that you've all enjoyed as much as you have. Please R&R :)
Chapter 6: Greed—JBL
"Poverty wants some things, luxury many, avarice all things."—Abraham Cowley
They say that money can't buy happiness. Well, let me assure you that that saying is indeed false. Before I became the wealthy man that I am today, I was just a wild-eyed kid from a small town in Texas. I grew up watching others pursue their dreams and gain success from them, while I struggled to find a job that would help put food on the table for me and my family. I lived from paycheck to paycheck, praying that I would never get the phone call telling me that "we're going to have to let you go." After a few years of working low-paying, dead end jobs that I knew were going to get me nowhere, I took matters into my own hands and started looking into getting a job that would provide for myself and a family, if and when I chose to start one.
Wrestling was the farthest thing from my mind, but after months and months of watching my football career go absolutely nowhere, I put aside my preconceptions about the sport and signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (then the World Wrestling Federation). I haven't looked back since. I'll be the first to admit that I never envisioned wrestling as a full-time career, but even after I paid off all my debts and finally got to have everything I'd always wanted in the past, I continued to stick with the sport.
But even though I knew that this was something I wanted to stick with until my body could no longer handle it, I wasn't going to be totally dependent on Vince McMahon and the generous paychecks I received from his company. As a little boy, my daddy always stressed to me the importance of being careful and responsible, and to never take anything for granted. So I made sure to put a little over half of my paycheck in the bank each month, just in case I was released, or, God forbid, the company went under. At the time I became an employee of the WWE, the ratings war between them and WCW was still underway, and although Vince really had nothing to worry about in terms of WCW making a miraculous comeback, I still wanted to be safe. Nothing wrong with having a little bonus protection, right? I was not going to live out the rest of my life as a poor, pathetic degenerate, like the majority of most Americans today. I knew that the only way to ensure my financial safety was to take matters into my own hands. I don't buy the argument that poor people can't do anything about their situation. Poor people are poor because they choose to be. I invested in the stock market, opened up my own company, and became richer than I ever imagined I would in my wildest dreams.
Some people say that money can change you. I'll be the first to admit that it's changed me, but not in a negative way. Being rich has opened my eyes to the way life really is. Every day, I walk down the street and I see these pathetic homeless people, with their tattered clothes and their empty plastic cups, begging for money. But it's not money they really want, it's pity. They want someone to have mercy on them and open their pockets to them. I walk right by them. No one ever gave me anything in life; I'm damn sure not going to help anyone else out. Call me cold, call me greedy if you want, but people will take advantage of you if you show the slightest sign of weakness. I can't stand moochers, and that's exactly what homeless people are.
John Bradshaw Layfield may be a son of a bitch—it's nothing I haven't heard people say before—but if you're going to call me a son of a bitch, there's one word you need to put in front of it when you're talking about me, and that's the word rich. John Bradshaw Layfield is one rich son of a bitch. People would die to be me for a day, hell, for even just a minute. I'm the richest Superstar in the WWE, and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if I'm a champion or not. Even the highest paid Superstar on the roster pales in comparison to me, money-wise. It feels damn good to be JBL.
So I know this one wasn't the best, but it's hard to write JBL. I tried my hardest…don't be too harsh with your reviews. One chapter left! Oh, and if you haven't checked out my Jeria fic, feel free to do so :)