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Page 13 of 35
The crowd cheers as we return to the backstage interview area where Todd Grisham stands smiling with microphone in hand next to a pumped up Triple H, The Game dressed in ring trunks and classic 'D-Generation X' t-shirt ready for action later in the evening, taking a quick swig from his water bottle as Todd begins to speak,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm joined currently by D-Generation X's Triple H, as he prepares to go one on one with his former Evolution team mate and mentor Ric Flair, with both the future of DX and the Nature Boy's illustrious career hanging in the balance... Triple H, what are your thoughts going into this match?" asks Todd, angling his mic toward The Game.
"..."
Deadly serious, Triple H remains silent and deep in thought, as if he hadn't heard a thing Todd had asked. Nervously, Todd glances at the camera for a second before going to ask again,
"Triple H, your th-" suddenly Todd is cut off as Helmsley grabs the mic from him and bellows
"DETROIT, ARE YOU RRREAADDDDYYYYYY"
the crowd popping big time for the old school DX, Todd nearly jumping out of his skin with the shock as Triple H comes to life, smirking at the crowd reaction before continuing in usual mocking reverent fashion,
"Then, for the thousands in attendance... and the millions watching at home..." The Game pauses, soaking up the atmosphere and buzz from the WrestleMania crowd, before finishing off the famous catchphrase, possibly for the last time ever
"LLLLLETS GET READY TO SSSUCKK IIITTTT" the thousands of fans joining in as the familiar, iconic words echo around the sold out Ford Field, Helmsley taking a few seconds to catch his breath and take in the atmosphere some more, feeding off the buzz of the crowd. A noticeable "D-X, D-X" chant starts to ring around the arena, which The Game seems to acknowledge with a trademark smug looking smirk. As the chant dies away, Triple H continues recomposed, speaking into the camera in a more collected fashion
"Y'Know something, this past week I've heard nothing but people talking about how tonight's gonna see the end of an era one way or another... How it's either gonna be the end of D-Generation X, or the end of the Nature Boy's career, right here on the grandest stage of them all, at WrestleMania 23..." the crowd give a mixed response to these options,
"The end of one of the greatest factions of all time, or the end of the greatest wrestler to ever live.. The end of the cornerstone faction of the attitude era, the group that made professional wrestling cool again in the 90s, the group that made guys like me and Shawn Michaels huge stars, the end of the group that defined an entire generation, the end of D-Generation X, forever?" Triple H asks rhetorically, the crowd booing at the suggestion, Helmsley's expression entirely serious now as we understand the gravity of both possibilities
"Or the end of Ric Flair... the thirty-five year long career of the Nature Boy, decorated with Sixteen World titles, brought to a close in the same city he lost his fourth World Championship twenty long years ago. The end of the dirtiest player in the game, the end of the man I looked up to... as a living legend, the single greatest professional wrestler to ever step into the ring, the end of the man I idolized, the man I once called my best friend, my former partner in Evolution, Ric Flair..." the crowd boo a little at Flair's name but otherwise remain silent, possibly moved by Triple H's intensity, and the emotion behind his words as he pauses for a couple of seconds
"No more jet-flyin'... No more limousine-ridin'... Space Mountain, closed for good..." a small positive reaction from the crowd this time at the last reference, with even a few WOOOOO's echoing around the arena from the sold out crowd, The Game cracking a little smirk at this in acknowledgement once again, momentarily breaking his intense speech before reiterating with a degree of finality, "No more Nature Boy..."
"Y'know Ric, for all these people, it must be damn hard to imagine that tonight could be the last time we see you strut down that aisle, wearing that Nature Boy robe, walking that walk, after thirty-five long years..." Triple H says, almost reminiscently, the WOOOOs from the crowd popping up with greater frequence, the underlying respect for Naitch in the arena transcending even the situation it would seem
"But it sure as hell isn't hard for me to imagine, Flair..." deadpans The Cerebral Assassin in his trademark gravelly tone, to a confused, mixed reaction
"Cause to me? the Nature Boy's been dead for a long long time." spits a cold Helmsley, his tone now bitter and harsh. Parts of the crowd don't appreciate Triple H's disrespectful words, garnering another mixed response from the sold out Ford Field crowd, with the realization of how personal this match seems to be for the D-Generation X member. Now speaking intensely into the camera, The Game states powerfully with a scowl
"You're a shell of a man, Flair... and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let someone tarnish my memories of The Nature Boy... the man who reached the top of the mountain sixteen times in a lifetime, the legend, the best this industry had ever seen, the man I respected... I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you strut out here week after week, reveling in your new found mediocrity, trampling all over the legacy you built, and the memories you'll leave behind after tonight's all said and done..."
Visibly intense, directly addressing the Nature Boy through the camera, Triple H continues as serious and threatening as ever,
"Ric Flair, you had better be in the best damn condition of your career tonight... you had better pray that this is the night all the dirty tricks you have up your sleeve pay off... you had better pray that tonight is the night you become the Nature Boy again... you had better pray that tonight is the night you turn back the clock twenty years, and do to me what you couldn't do to Ronnie Garvin that night in Detroit when you lost that fourth World title all those years ago. Cause tonight, Flair? You step into the ring, toe to toe with The Game... And as you stand there, and you look me dead in the eyes... you'll know why I put the legacy of DX on the line for this match... and you'll know in your heart of hearts, the only man who can beat me tonight died a long time ago. And that man's name, is The Nature Boy... and unless you manage to bring him back somehow? Unless you figure out, how to be great, again? Tonight is the night I take the horse out behind the barn... and I pull the trigger once and for all."
His final words dripping with intensity and threat, the crowd give a mixed response as Helmsley walks away to make his final preparations, shades of the old Triple H apparently being brought out by what this match means to him.
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WrestleMania 23