Brad Johnson Press Conference

[As the scene opens up, Brad Johnson walks up to the podium. Behind him is a WMW banner. He looks around him with a smile. He nods and turns his attention to the camera in front of him.]

Just under a week ago, many reporters, fans, critics, and competition lined up outside of this building for hours, waiting with excitement and anticipation for what was to be Wrestling Midwest’s first opportunity at WWA gold and WWA history. And, it was a great night.

[He clears his throat.]

A great night that we will all remember. Leading up to the main event, we saw Matrix continue on his way back into a WMW title picture, after almost 2 years of being out of the Cleveland spotlight. We also saw the Celestial Avatars, your reigning Heartlands and Shoot Champions, Hecate and Jade, continue to shock and awe with their tag team abilities. They’ve continued to succeed both at home, but also in WWA’s Tag Wars.

[He looks down as he nods triumphantly. He takes a deep breath as he looks back, with his tone changing ever so slightly.]

But, with greatness, there is always trial.

[He nods and leans up against the podium.]

You know, it was 3 months ago, I came to you with great sadness to announce that the AWA had closed their doors for good. A group we put a lot of time and energy into. And, it hurt all of us to see it fall and not be able to help it any further. It was hard to push forward with that on our minds and our hearts, but obviously, all we could do was just, continue as we had done since 2003.

[He stands up and raises his hand up, as if catching himself from saying the wrong thing.]

Yes, it’s disappointing when support pieces around you begin to fail. But, you always have to press on with the belief that the hard work of the people here…

[He points down at the podium.]

…would finally pay off. And sure enough, 2 weeks later, I came back out here with great enthusiasm for the situation we found ourselves in. When one door closes, another opens. We had done so well while working with the AWA that it got noticed. Both by our competition and by the many media outlets out there nationwide.

[He pauses and laughs to himself.]

And, as if they were waiting outside door bell rang, sure enough, the door bell rang and there stood the WWA officials awaiting with contracts in hand. Now, not everyone in this room were aware of the WWA before we partnered with them. But, to the many, many wrestling fans around the world that were aware, know exactly what I mean when I say:

[He stands up straight and smiles with pride.]

The WWA stands tall on the pillars of honor, dignity, fairness, and tradition. The WWA is a collection of the best wrestling companies in the world.

[He looks around the room with a great big smile.]

And, we had an opportunity, not just to stand side by side with the leaders, the winners, and the gods of this business. But also stand above them. And without hesitation, we signed that deal. We jumped right on board, because we knew this was our calling.

[He loosens his tie as he shrugs to the group around him. He shakes his head.]

And… to think, a small company from the Midwest. Hell, from Cleveland, Ohio, a town that has been hit with so much criticism and sadness over the last 40 years, some people have just forgotten about how good it was here. Well, there is a reason we stayed in Cleveland. There’s a reason we headquartered ourselves here in Cleveland. And you know…

[He grins with joy again.]

This town has been asking for a Championship… a World Champion to call their own for so long.

[He nods.]

And at Graveyard Shift 110, this town got itself a World Champion.

[He smiles and laughs to himself as he looks around the room. He shakes his head and lets out a deep sigh before shaking his head. He clears his throat.]

As you can see, I’m still incredibly, incredibly happy about what Valora and Umbrage helped us accomplish. The only travesty, is that…

[He shakes his head and lets out another deep sigh.]

…the title that quenched the thirst of a town that has been stuck in a long and painful drought for so long. A title that offered a cathartic relief and once again instilled real hope in this town, this community, this region. The only travesty is that that title, before we could even bask in it’s glory for even a moment, it was ripped away from us unjustly while the officials of World Wrestling Alliance looked on. We all know that the WWA stand for honor, dignity, fairness and tradition, but unfortunately…

[He trails off as he pauses solemnly. He looks around with a sad look on his face.]

Unfortunately, to the fans, not just Wrestling Midwest fans, but to wrestling fans, to the roster here within WMW, and to the community surrounding us, they no longer stand for those things.

[He takes a deep breath.]

And they will never stand for those things, as long as they stand and let the travesty that took place at Graveyard Shift 110 continue to stain their legacy. We were all witness to what took place at GS110. Team Danger*, Stephen Greer and Johnny Lightning, took something back with them to Defiance that does not belong to them. Defiance, without question, is an accomplice for publicly defending their actions.

[He takes another deep breath as he looks into the eyes of the camera.]

We are in a very poorly managed situation. A situation that can be resolved very easily. Prior to the after-match happenings, we were all a witness to a match that will go down as one of the greatest Championship matches in WWA history. In that match, the WWA Tag Team Championships were defended in a contest that both participating teams agreed to. The match was sanctioned under WWA rules. At no time were the titles put into a situation that would risk their credibility, their recognition, or their desirability.

[He opens his mouth as if to continue, but then pauses. He blinks a few times before closing his mouth and leaning back.]

Sadly, they are now. We respect Defiance and Team Danger for their opinions, but we will not stand a-side and let either deface WWA or it’s Championships. With all due respect to the officials of the World Wrestling Alliance, this situation must be resolved without hesitation. Valora and Umbrage are the rightful Champions, and we demand that those titles be returned to us. There is no room for negotiations. We have officially sent notice to Defiance and to the WWA that we expect the WWA Championships to be returned to us by Graveyard Shift 111.

[He pauses.]

Those requests have gone unanswered. This morning, we bring that same message to the wrestling community. Wrestling Midwest has followed similar footseps as the WWA. We stand for the very same principles. The four pillars: Honor, dignity, fairness, and tradition. With the passing of the AWA, we knew that we could push on during tough times. As long as we kept those four principles at the forefront. We did not falter then and we will not falter here. We hope that the WWA will take the right steps so that they, too, will not fall.

[He takes a deep breath.]

Thank you.

[With that, he nods with a reassuring smile to the reporters. They try and ask him questions, but he leaves the room. The scene fades.]