Reality.

Ah, here it goes.

I knew you’d be eager to get back into the cage one more time…but holy shit, Mike.

Out here with the daddy complex, off of a measly figure of speech.

I was gonna ask how Tyler’s doing these days, but if you’re that desperate for someone to call you daddy, I guess that answers that.

Slowly but surely failing as both a father and a wrestling trainer, and that would probably explain why the TAB has gone missing…he just doesn’t wanna put up with your shit anymore.

Must’ve been an awkward Thanksgiving.

I can imagine the empty dining table, plates set out in front of empty chairs, and ol’ Mike Best trying to stay strong as he chows down on a turkey breast and some stuffing all by himself.

Anyway.

There’s an old saying that’s been nagging the back of my mind the past few months…a phrase I know you’re familiar with.

Perception is reality.

Here’s the thing about perception, Mike…it can change over time. People’s opinions can change when new information and research is presented that refutes old preconceptions. Now, that takes some getting used to, but people can change their minds eventually.

For years and years, Mike Best has been perceived as the end all be all of HOFC…and who can blame them? Christopher America’s win over him back in 2010 is but a memory of a bygone age, right?

When men were men, or some bullshit rhetoric along those lines.

I know you haven’t actually forgotten about that, Mike…or the fact you’re not even the only one who’s retired the HOFC Championship, allegedly due to lack of contenders.

That’s an America thing…and a Jatt Starr thing.

Man, I didn’t think you’d really go and try and rewrite history like that, just to suit your narrative…here I thought that was just a Scott Stevens thing.

If you’re wondering why I’m doing the ol’ history song and dance, it’s simply because I wanted to remind myself, you, and anyone else willing to listen of the reality behind this final battle.

It’s been nearly three years since you walked that unsanctioned path, Mike…and it’s been nearly two years since the title was officially brought back through the DeNucci Cup.

That agreement you and your pops had to vacate and retire the title in August, so you could take your comfy little office job and “wither away” as you so eloquently put it?

It’s been an absolute pain in my ass ever since.

But I didn’t go crying about it, did I? No, I kept my nose to the grindstone…I kept training, working on my technique even when my future didn’t seem clear.

I figured hey, if I never get to face Mike Best again, I guess I should just focus on trying to sort my shit out…and then, the weirdest thing happened early this year.

Despite people’s perceptions about me, I actually managed to start turning things around. Just look at my run in the Maurako Cup…by some miracle, the biggest underdogs in the whole damn tournament made it all the way to the semi-finals.

Not too dissimilar to the path I took through the DeNucci Cup, despite what everyone thought of the spooky cult guy coming into a cage fighting tournament.

Will I sit here and pretend I somehow became the winningest man in HOW this year? No…but something was different, all the same.

People see me differently now.

They don’t see a total loser, despite your insistence to the contrary. They see a man that has put down Hall of Famers and people that could very well join the group in the coming years.

They see a man that isn’t afraid to stand his ground…not even against the Son of GOD himself.

Every loss is a chance to adapt, and two losses to you means I’ve been crafting a strategy to finally put you away for good.

A strategy I’ve had a chance to adjust as needed after each of those aforementioned victories, and all for the sake of enacting my grand revenge.

You really think this is about making you pass the torch, Michael?

This is about cementing my own legacy.

You don’t need to pass me the torch, Mike…I’ll take it out of your hand, shove you into the Wicker Man that is the HOFC division, and burn the damn thing down myself.

And when I’m done, you can go back to enjoying your precious retirement…without the HOFC Championship, or your fighting spirit.