Tactical Warfare's ending was one for the ages, as, then SCW World Champion, Jake Starr's arm was raised in victory, as his championship belt was also raised, but by another man... Josh Hudson!

Hudson was able to score the winning pinfall for "Team Starr," while claiming the second SCW World Championship of his career, and sending Jake to a world he hasn't seen in over a year.

After that, the world grew curious as to what the plans were for Jake and the Social Misfits. Prior to the pay-per view, Jake had made numerous references to the "time coming," the "end of the book," and "all good things coming to an end," without much clarification on what it all truly meant.

Many believed it was just Jake's way of closing the door on the Social Misfits as a faction, and moving forward with his career and his life, while others believe it was a precursor to a more permanent plan in leaving the wrestling industry behind.

At Breakdown, Jake reaffirmed the notion that it is "the end," but continued to not provide any clarification on what that actually meant. Even with the urging of Thorn, David Helms, and Bishop Steele, Jake remained adamant that this was, indeed, "the end."

Since that moment, Jake has gone, once again, into a world of reclusion. He's seemingly cut off contact with many of his friends and family, and simply gone to staying close to his wife, their unborn child, and trying to figure out everything that has gone on in, roughly, the past month.

Roeper has noticed a definite change in her husband. She's noticed his mood going further and further toward what she would consider, depression, while Jake insists it's nothing of the sorts. She had days where she seriously worried about his mental health and safety, and on others she realizes she's probably over dramatizing the whole situation.

She's also begun to notice Jake not taking care of himself in the same manners as he used to.

Lately, Jake has gone against his normal routine of properly grooming his facial hair, and begun to let it grow out until she openly questioned it, and he finally shaved it off. But again, he's begun to let it get a little rough.

When the scene fades in, Jake is alone in a very dimly lit room, with just a little light illuminating his presence.

He sits, hands folded as if engaged in prayer, thumbs touching his lips, and index fingers lightly touching just above the bridge of his nose. He's noticeably scruffy compared to normal, and the look of his face gives the notion he may have not been sleeping very well over the near past.

As the camera zooms in on him, and gets within range of hearing him, Jake lets out a sarcastic smirk, and shakes his head back and forth in a show of obvious disbelief. He takes a deep breath and blows it out like you would candles. He continues to look "past" the camera, but begins to mutter to himself as well.

Jake Starr: Heh... Wow... This is... Well... Unfamiliar grounds for me!

I mean, this isn't something I've really been able to relate to, like some scenarios.

I mean, I didn't lose.

TECHNICALLY... I didn't lose.

TECHNICALLY... I won.

But somehow, I sit here, alone, without a championship of any sort. I somehow sit here feeling a feeling I haven't felt since my second match in Supreme Championship Wrestling. I'm... Well... A true challenger again.

I... I... I truthfully don't know what to think right now!

I've been in scenarios where I've walked into matches knowing I haven't had to be pinned to LOSE, but to not be pinned, WIN, and yet, LOSE, really isn't computing for me. It's like ordering a Coca-Cola, watching them dispense it out of the right fountain, walk out, take your first drink, and realize you have Dr. Pepper. Sure, you have a soda you're fond of. Sure, in the end, it'll provide you the same thirst-quenching abilities. But... The whole time, you thought it was Coke, and come to find out, it isn't.

Ok... So maybe it's not technically like that, but I said it didn't compute!

Trying to rationalize this thought, this situation, this reality, hasn't been something I've ever faced in the past. Yeah, I've been a challenger. Yeah, I've been the hunter. But never have I won, yet lost.

Nevertheless, that is reality.

So I sit here, as I said, without a championship. I sit here wondering what it is I do from here. I mean, sure, I know I get a chance at Taking Hold of the Flame to regain my SCW Championship, but still, the whole idea is, confusing.

Jake shakes his head violently from side to side, hoping it will jar some sense into him. As he finishes, he blinks hard, and realizes that didn't help.

Jake Starr: Wow... That wasn't one of my better ideas! Ow!

Jake rubs his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

Jake Starr: ... Anyway... Back to the reality at hand...

Tactical Warfare turned the world of SCW upon its head. A new World Champion was crowned, like I said, and quite possibly equally as important, it opened my eyes to the realization that everything comes to an end eventually, and this is no different.

Going into Tactical Warfare, there were many questions among the fans, among my friends, and more importantly than all that, among my family. People wondered what my plan was. People wondered why I decided to bring the Social Misfits, as a group, to an end. People wondered if maybe, just maybe, I had completely lost my "drive" to continue on.

After Tactical Warfare came to an end, I knew people would begin wanting more direct answers. I figured that, at Breakdown, I could at least address things, and hopefully be a little more clear about everything going through my head. I had hoped that maybe I would be able to just answer the questions in my own way, and call it good. I knew it wouldn't be something people would like to hear, and I knew that it wouldn't be something that Tommy, Dave, and Bishop would be able to fully accept.

Unfortunately... What I said, is what I meant.

I told them that the end was near, and it was inevitable. It's not something sitting real "kosher" with me either, but it's the facts. I've toiled back and forth with the ideas; I've wondered if it was just the overwhelming attention I've received, the group's received, we've all received; I've wondered if I'm just burnt out; I've wondered it all. And after all of the wondering, I'm still left uncertain.

The only thing that is certain, I know Tactical Warfare marked the end. I know it wasn't a popular decision, like I said, but it was the right move to make.

My phone's been ringing non-stop since Tactical Warfare, and it also exploded after I left the ring at Breakdown. Reporters want me to give them the "scoop" on what's next for me. Tommy's been calling wanting to really try and figure out an alternate solution to this whole matter. My parents have called, worrying about my mental state. It seems everyone has a theory about this whole ordeal. It seems like everyone is hypothesizing about what "the end" means for Jake Starr, the Social Misfits, and everything else surrounding me. It seems like everyone swears they know what's going to happen...

... Everyone, but me...

Jake looks up towards the ceiling, and takes a deep breath. The sound of him exhaling resembles that of someone on the verge of tears, yet fighting the urge to let them flow. He begins to bite the edge of his lip, furthering the idea that he is resisting the urge to cry. With another deep breath, he regains his composure, and continues.

Jake Starr: ... This isn't easy, you know? Closing the door on such a vital aspect of your life is something many wish to avoid at all costs. Realizing that the world as you know it is, well, over, isn't something you wake up one morning and just decide is the best course of action.

... And yet, here we are...

I stand here with a different viewpoint on life now. I may always be remembered as THE "Social Misfit" of the wrestling world, but it isn't who I truly am anymore. I don't feel the urge to go out and intimidate those who don't give me my way. I don't go out feeling the desire to ruin people's lives who don't just succumb to my every decision. I look at things and realize that whatever happens, happens for a reason. I look in the mirror and realize that, no matter what happens, good or bad, when I come home, I have BIGGER things to worry about now.

I can't be the guy I used to be...

Don't get me wrong, though... I am not ashamed of who I was, how I acted, or what I did. It made me a better person today. But, I also realize I can't go through life being that person, and expect to be someone I can be proud of, or others can be continuously proud of either.

So I decided that it was time to end it.

Now, like I said, people have wondered what that means. All I know to say is, I have a couple of commitments left to adhere to before I really know the extent of my future. I have Taking Hold of the Flame, and I have Paranoia. Those are the ones I've committed to being a part of. Those are what I know I have left. Those are the two I know I'm going into with an open mind, the hopes of giving it all I have, and the desire to give the crowd a great showing.

That's really all I know to do.

I'm not someone who goes into a match, and half-asses the situation. I don't lie down. I do what I can to win. So, while I don't know what happens outside of those two commitments, I simply know that I'm going to do my best to enjoy the moment, enjoy the match, and hopefully enjoy victories in both.

Jake looks down in his lap, and sighs. He swallows the saliva, resting in his mouth, and continues.

Jake Starr: But... Right now... It's about Taking Hold of the Flame. Right now, Jason Zero can simply do what he's grown good at, wait on me to give him this one on one chance he's been creaming his pants over. Right now... It's all about Josh Hudson, Thorn, and Justin Davis.

At Tactical Warfare, I, along with these three men, defeated those who are revered as the "champions" of SCW, and "legends" of IWC. The four of us, in a sense, earned our shot at the SCW Championship by defeating a team with a combined EIGHT SCW Championships between them... Granted that's only between two of them, it still is higher than the combined two (at the time of the match) on our side.

The four of us knew, going into this match, that if we won, we'd all get our chance for glory, and our chance to put fate into our own hands. We knew that if we won, we'd have our chance to "Take Hold of the Flame."

So here we are... Four men, with one goal, and that goal is victory, and an SCW Championship reign.

For participant number one, Justin Davis, he's looking for his first championship reign, of any kind, since early 2009, where, oddly enough, he was co-holder of the Tag Team Championship Belts with fellow participant, Josh Hudson. Davis, I know, hopes that he can walk into this match, and do something he's already tried to do in TWO matches with me, and that's beat me out for a championship.

... And history doesn't lie...

Justin Davis is a man who is fortunate to be in the position he is right now. He's been fortunate to be able to be put into matches due to voting, do to the fact the teams needed to be evened out, and apparently due to the fact that Buster Hymen was already booked in another match. Davis refuses to acknowledge this gift. He refuses to thank those who put him in the position he is in. He merely continues to be greedy, which, honestly, isn't too much of a shock to those who know him.

One thing is for sure, though... Greed won't win him the SCW Championship. Greed, in this business, and in this company, has not gotten people very far at all. Ask Buster what greed got him. Ask him what happened when he took his hand-outs, and galavanted into the ring expecting to be handed a championship on a silver platter. Ask Christian Savior, who was gifted a spot in the 2 for 1 Special what his hand-out got him.

Go ahead... Ask!

The answer everyone will get will be the same! They were gifted opportunities, only to watch them sink down the toilet, bitch, piss, moan, and complain, and eventually be completely mocked and ridiculed by all of their peers. Granted if you ask them, they'll both resort to the pissing and moaning still, but it's easy to read between the lines.

I will say this, simply to play Devil's Advocate; Davis won't be like those two boobs. While, he may be gifted these opportunities, and simply ignore the fact it's been by pure gifts-sake, complete with a pretty, red, bow on top, he won't be like Buster and Savior, and throw it away. I've been in the ring with Davis on multiple occasions, and he tries his hardest to seize an opportunity if it presents itself. He won't hesitate to let someone else do his dirty work, then reap the rewards.

It's just never worked against me!

I am well aware of what, and who, he brings with him when he fights. He doesn't come alone. He has his posse, his "main squeeze," and his laundry list of people he's bribed for the day, to watch his back, and help him if he needs it. In a sense, I have a similar situation.

Well... Did...

I just had friends who I knew I could trust to make sure no shenanigans went on when the striped boss-man's back was turned. I knew I had people I could count on to make sure that if I was attacked by an angry mob of Infection members, they'd even the score, and help me eliminate them from the existence of SCW.

So I can, sort of, relate to what he has going for him. I understand he needs the help in succeeding. Why else would he have only gotten his shots at my two championships, if not by the help of others? He surely didn't EARN them.

Nevertheless... He's one of the three I'm forced to watch out for in this match. Thankfully, I know his tendencies. I know what he's going to do, and try to do, to come out on top, which I presume, assume, and expect to give me the full upper hand over him.

Jake runs his hand around the edges of his mouth. The obvious lack of shaving makes the hand-to-face contact audible to the camera.

Jake Starr: And then we have Thorn...

Wow... What can I say about this guy that I haven't said the last three times we've entered the ring together? There's honestly not much there. Everyone knows that, regardless of the whole "questionable situation" that has loomed over us, I still see Thorn as a very close friend and ally. Everyone should know that I don't just pick friends and dump friends on a whim. I have to have a reason. Which is why I still see he, Helms, and Steele as people I truly can call friends.

As for Tommy... I'm not sure how he feels. I don't know what's going through his mind, and it's not because he won't tell me. It's honestly because I've kept everyone at a sizeable distance.

See... It's one of those things I do, and always have done. When I have something pressing me, pushing on me, lurking over me, or anything of the sorts, I really begin to withdraw into my own world. I tend to really recluse myself from the world because I know I have to figure out what's going on with me, before I can really extend a hand and allow someone to join me in whatever the battle may be.

I don't know if he understands that.

Tommy's been real persistent lately. He's been trying his damnedest to get through to me, and try and help me resolve this inner turmoil that I seemingly am battling. nd, while I know he means well, I also know if I allow him to try and do what he perceives as "helping," it'll only push me to push back. And that's something I just don't want.

What I want is for this to work itself out in whatever way it is supposed to. I'm hoping it comes to an end before Taking Hold of the Flame, and Paranoia for that matter. Why? I want to be able to walk into both contests, and not have to worry that it is causing me or Tommy to behave any differently than we did going into Retribution. We both walked into that match expecting war with one another. We both walked in expecting to battle one another for however long it took, and in the end, have the loser congratulate the winner, and move forward.

That's what I want!

I want Thorn and I to walk into this match knowing that if we can remove Davis and Hudson from the match, we can go to battle against one another again. I honestly enjoyed it, aside from Cherry's unnecessary involvement. I enjoyed the "friendly" competition we had.

But I also know that, until this whole ordeal blows over, it won't be that easy. Thorn is a guy who is very passionate about things, which I respect, but it also can get the better of him. His judgment becomes clouded, and he, to be cliche, "can't see the forest, for the trees." See... When this whole thing sprung up, his only concern was to fix it so it wouldn't loom over our heads. He didn't see the big picture of it all. He just saw the immediate future.

This time, I hope that isn't the case.

I hope Tommy realizes that this all happened for a reason. This whole scenario, this whole situation, this whole reality we're living in, was for a reason. Whether it was God's Will, whether it was fate, whether it was just the nature of the beast, it doesn't matter. There's a reason the end came when it did, and the future is a simple mystery.

I know he wants things perfect, the tree leafs green, the grass dewy, the flowers in bloom, but unfortunately, that wasn't how things panned out, and for that, I am sorry. All I can say is I hope he knows I'm going in with the understanding that this won't effect how I prepare for this match, or my actions once the bell rings. I'm going in with the assumption I'm going to win, become champion, and reevaluate my situation from there on.

Whatever happens... Happens... Sorry... That's how this all works anyway...

Jake sniffles. His tone has dramatically gone down since bringing up the name of his friend, and opponent. He closes both of his eyes, and begins to massage his eyelids with one hand, while sighing as well. It's obvious this whole situation has taken a dramatic toll on Jake, and his emotions toward battling Thorn.

As he finishes wiping his eyes, he lets out a deep breath, and slowly opens his eyes, while slowly lifting his head back up to the camera.

Jake Starr: Lastly we come to the man who, seemingly, has his own personal agenda here. We come to a man who, surprisingly, is acceptant of his way of becoming the new SCW World Champion. We come, to Josh Hudson.

Going into Tactical Warfare, I was admittedly naive about his abilities. I knew little about him, except for the fact he was a former World Champion. I admit, for the most part, my knowledge of the SCW superstars "of old" usually comes from reading, and talking to people. I pretty much assumed he was a non-threat to taking the championship, and I was proven wrong.

He seized the opportunity without hesitation.

That, alone, told me a lot about his character. That alone told me he wasn't someone who had fallen off of the SCW map, and reemerged in recent times, but was someone who just hadn't had his opportunity to capitalize. Impressively enough, he admits he won because of that reason. He hasn't gone around boasting about having beaten Jake Starr. He hasn't gone around trying to make the claim that he ended my World Title run.

Why?

Because he's smart enough to know better!

Hudson realizes that he never "topped" the World Champion to become the World Champion. He didn't win in a triple threat by pinning the second challenger. He didn't win in a fatal four-way by pinning one of the TWO other challengers. In fact, he helped the team with the, then, World Champion on it, win, and became the World Champion because of it.

Which brings us back to how this all began...

The notion of winning, yet losing, befuddles me, and I think it doesn't sit very well with Hudson either. See, at Breakdown he made some comments that really made me perk up a little, once I finally sat down and listened. He admitted to the fact that people ALREADY doubt him as the World Champion. People have already begun to question whether or not he is worthy of carrying that championship around with him.

It's a notion driving him mad!

He openly admitted he wants me one on one. He wants the same thing Jason Zero wants. He wants to be the one to SHOCK THE WORLD by toppling Jake Starr in the creme de la creme of matches. So he has, seemingly, elected to go on trying to knock out Davis and Thorn to get his wish. He has seemingly made himself the "boss," and will alter the match at Taking Hold of the Flame to get your way.

Sorry Charlie... I don't play that way.

See, I understood the rules to be the four of us would get our chance. Not Josh Hudson and whomever he feels he needs to prove to the world he can beat.

Life doesn't work that way!

See... Regardless of life after these two pay-per views, for me, I still know I'm walking out as the SCW Champion. I may not completely remember the feeling of being the full-on "challenger," and a full-on "contender," but as he said, there's a lot of time between now and then. There's a lot of time for Jake Starr to gear up for one more "Hoorah," and remember what it is like to be the hunter. There's lots of time for me to understand what it'll take to remove the doubt from the minds of his critics. Because once that match is done, they'll know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hudson was only the champion, for ONE MONTH, because he was the one who was fortunate to score the pinfall.

There will be no questions about who's superior at night's end. There won't be any curiosity as to who is, by far, the true CHAMPION of SCW.

Overall... I look at this match as a title DEFENSE for me. I was never pinned. I was never defeated for the SCW Championship. So I don't feel the urge to pin Hudson, as he does me. I'm going out there with one goal in mind. I'm going out to become the SCW World Champion for a SECOND TIME, and continue the rise of my name to the top of the ALL-TIME GREATS in the history of Supreme... Championship... Wrestling...

As Jake finishes his comments, he returns his hands to the "praying" position they were in when the scene first opened, and he returns his gaze off into the distance.

His continuous references to the "end" have seemingly grown more and more frequent as time has progressed. Could the world of Supreme Championship Wrestling be about to see the end of one of the most dominant eras it has experienced in its history? Or will his tone change should things begin to go his way again?

Overall, the sound makes it seem that Jake's mentality is truly legit and his contemplation of the "end," is for real. It began when he was still SCW Champion, and could be a sign that it is more than a new revelation, but something that's been digging at him for quite some time.

Regardless, as these two events that Jake claims are his only two "prior commitments" remaining on his plate, the answers will surely begin to surface, and the legitimacy of this whole ordeal come to fruition.

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