JakeStarr.net :: The Official Home of Jake Starr

Rise to Greatness was a time to shine for Jake Starr. He had an opportunity to right a "wrong" in his career, by defeating Adam Allocco, and putting the criticism he has continually faced since their meeting to a permanent rest. When the referee's hand came down for the third and final time, signifying Jake as the winner, he knew that it was one of those mountains every performer scales in their career. He knew that when his hand was raised in victory, the comeback was not something that was a mistake on his part. He learned quickly that he still can run with the big boys, and succeed against the big boys.

Ultimately, the match against Allocco had many meanings for Jake. He was able to prove to himself that he could beat Allocco, and do so convincingly. He was also able to shrug off the notion that Allocco was the one who helped "create" the Jake Starr phenomenon. Another meaning the match had swirls around the boiling feud between Jake and, now SCW World Champion, Shawn Winters. Winters had initially called Allocco to dispose of Jake, knowing that with a successful blocking of Jake's direct path to him, an encounter would prove to be less and less likely. Unfortunately for Winters, Allocco didn't succeed.

With Allocco not succeeding, it also puts Winters in a precarious position, due to his own personal success at Rise to Greatness. Jake made it clear, before ever seeing Winters with the World Championship draped over his shoulder, that he wanted to face him at Apocalypse. Jake made it clear the title was not a factor. It's a challenge that has seemingly fallen on deaf ears from the Winters camp, but is one Jake does not plan to let be forgotten. Jake knows that he hasn't risen to the top of the World Title Contenders rankings, and knows that with Winters as the champion, a match with him at Apocalypse is a little less likely.

Jake is not deterred!

Apocalypse feels like the "right moment" for the encounter to Jake. He sees the pay-per view as the night where he really began to become a namesake in the rankings of SCW, and was the pay-per view that truly catapulted him from mid-level superstar, to main event superstar in 2009. For those who don't remember, Apocalypse 2009 was Jake's first match with, then champion, James Exeter. It was a match that ultimately lead SCW Management to make two subsequent matches between the pair, with the third time truly being the charm for Jake, as he captured the SCW Championship from Exeter. So he sees the rendezvous with Winters two years later as a fitting night. The name itself, Apocalypse, fits the match. It is the night where, arguably, the two most controversial stars in recent SCW history would clash, and truly put the battle of good versus evil to the test. It would be a night where Shawn Winters would have to face down the man he called out months ago, and prove to the world it wasn't because he knew Jake couldn't retaliate at the time. It would be a night where Jake could take a sword to the head of Greaternity, and ultimately drive a stake into its heart as well...

... In a nutshell, it'd be a night of historical proportions!

But until that match is signed into "law," Jake must continue down his immediate path. He knows that eventually, he'll have Winters. But he also knows if he wants to make a case for it to be sooner than later, he can't forget that other opponents shall cross his path in the meantime. In that department, up next is another familiar face to his history in SCW, Justin Davis. Davis is marked as the first real test Jake ever faced in his SCW career, and Jake was able to overcome the pressures. It was a battle that helped his meteoric rise through the rankings.

This encounter with Davis, though, doesn't follow the real pattern of how most challenges are made and accepted. Their second encounter was due to a popular vote contest, and this one, well, it was all done by Jake and Justin. Justin issued a comment on Twitter, calling for Jake to agree to a third bout between the two. Jake, having been fresh off of his victory against Allocco, was quick to reply and accept. Neither knew that SCW Management was watching their respective Twitter accounts, and was quick to make the final call, and sign the final paperwork to make the match official. When the card for Breakdown was announced, the agreement was finalized that Jake and Justin would battle for a third time.

The only question in Jake's mind has stemmed from Justin's motives. There aren't really any reasons for Davis to come out of the woodwork to challenge Jake. He doesn't have any discernible ties Greaternity, and they haven't split their matches in the past. So, to Jake, this came as quite an "out of the blue" type of event. Nevertheless, it's agreed upon, and it's happening.

When Jake was alerted that the match was official, it was a mixed bag of emotions for the former World Champion. For one, he knew he accepted the challenge, and knew the match would end up being signed eventually, so there wasn't an inordinate amount of surprise there. There was a bit of a surprise just because of the speed at which the members of SCW's Management Team jumped at the chance to make the match official. Jake was expecting something more along the lines of another member of Greaternity, or someone Winters had personally paid off. So to that extent, Jake was a bit caught off guard by the announcement. It was a whirlwind of emotions for Starr, but nothing like what he faced with Allocco. These emotions were understood, and easily dealt with.

As he's sat back and really begun to ponder everything that has transpired recently for him, it's all really become surreal. The build up to fighting Allocco, the actual match, the victory, the post-fight emotions, everything has just forced him to take a second look at everything. The whole "Allocco Situation," started to illuminate in a new light, and a new perspective for Jake. It's really forced him to feel that, while he is proud of his victory, proud of his accomplishment in defeating Shawn Winters's scheme to stop him dead in his tracks, and proud of remaining undefeated at Rise to Greatness, he doesn't have the same desire to gloat as usual. Knowing this, he's felt that, going forward, he may have to address everything in a much different manner... Or at least this immediate scenario, whichever the case is. He doesn't know why his heart has taken a bit of a detour, but cannot deny that today, the animosity and bitterness toward Adam Allocco doesn't quite exist to the degree it once did...

Jake Starr: I have to say, I have built up quite a reputation, if I do say so myself. See, everyone out there expects Jake Starr to saunter out here, and immediately jump into bragging about Rise to Greatness. Everyone expects me to rub salt in the wounds of those who had hoped I would fail, and while eventually, it'll probably happen, first and foremost, I have some business to tend to. This business, honestly, still involves my counterpart from Rise to Greatness...

So Adam... Listen closely!

At Rise to Greatness, you and I walked into that arena with far different agendas. Your goal was to prove that when you beat me, it was legit. You wanted the world to see that when Adam Allocco pinned Jake Starr, he did it because he was superior, and ultimately was the catalyst to my success. I think, honestly, you wanted to do it again to break free of the shadows that have shrouded your entire career. Those shadows are merely those of Shawn Winters. His career, his life, his persona was so big, people never gave you the time of day, or respect you deserved. Me, on the other hand, I had to go in there and prove that what happened wasn't reality. I had to face down the demons of facing a man who had legitimately beaten me once, and ultimately right that wrong. I had to be able to beat you, just as you beat me. Our agendas were very selfish. While I think part of you, whether you admit it or not, will always be loyal to Winters, and see him as your leader, you have that fire inside to be a little selfish, and do something for you. I was selfish because, honestly, I want to decimate the remnants of Greaternity. You, whether you admit it or not, are one of those remnants. You are the one who bested me, and probably to a degree, did jump start the Jake Starr freight train that was beginning to simply run on cruise control.

With all of that being said, what you put me through, and what we did at Rise to Greatness showed me a lot about you. I beat you, yes, but I beat someone better than the man who beat me. The man who beat me then, is dead. That man, the man I ultimately expected walking into that arena, never showed up. Instead, a man who was willing to scratch, claw, punch, and kick his way through whatever I had to dish out came at me. I had to rethink everything on the fly. I had to search within my soul to see if I had the "intestinal fortitude," as they say, to rise above this frieght train steaming toward me, and ultimately not be pancaked. You brought out a level in me very few have. You brought out a fire and a passion that, while I don't like you, and probably never will, taught me to really respect Adam Allocco. I'm not ashamed to say you put me to the test. I'm not ashamed to say that you earned a level of respect from me that I don't just dish out to anyone. Whether you care or not, I'm really not concerned. I just felt I owed you the honesty after what you and I went through.

Now... With all of the mushy stuff out of the way, let me do what I do best, and that's be me!

Jake's face gets his trademarked grin and glare, showing the cockiness that many have come to attribute to the former SCW World Champion.

When I walked into Rise to Greatness, I was walking in with a mission. Greaternity had waged war against me, and hoped to stymie my goal of getting to their fearless leader. Shawn Winters had hoped that, by calling in a favor from Allocco, he would be able to avoid me interrupting his long term plans. Well, truth be told, win or lose, I was planning on ruining his plans. If Adam had beaten me, I would have shrugged it off, and gone back to what I wanted to do all along, which was continue my b-line straight for the head of the snake that had the balls to call me out when he KNEW I couldn't fight back. Allocco was merely a speed bump. He wasn't going to impede my progress, no matter what he did. The worst case scenario was he may have a nail to stick in one of my tires, but instead, I just rolled right over him, and went about my business, aiming directly for Shawn Winters.

That, now, brings us to the present!

So where do I go from here? Do I keep focusing on the long-term goal? Do I alter my path to Shawn Winters? Or do I continue to do everything in my power to make that direct line his way?

Questions... Decisions... So many options...

Truth is, when it comes to Winters, I made my plan very clear early on in my return. I wanted him at Apocalypse, whether he was champion or not. The belt was irrelevant. That's still what I want. If Sasha wants to reward me with a shot, then great, everyone knows I'll take it. I've never turned down a title shot. But if she wants to say I haven't earned a World Title shot, and simply give me Winters at Apocalypse, then I'm more than ok with that, too. I want to settle this little charade he has tried to put forth, saying I was ducking him. I'm being straight up, I know he is capable of fighting. He isn't injured. He hasn't run away to some unannounced leave of absence. He's shown he is ready to try and showcase himself as the king of SCW.

So here's his opportunity. Here's his opportunity to put his money where his mouth is. Do I expect him to man-up, no. Do I expect him to show up, yes. I expect to see Shawn come out, run his mouth, like we all know he will, and claim now that he's World Champion, he has bigger issues to deal with than me. He'll find some way to try and push me to the side again, hoping I go away. When his Allocco plan failed, he'll try "Plan B..." No not the abortion "Plan B," although I bet he'd induce his own period and miscarriage if he felt it would get rid of me. But I will not go away. I'll be that unwanted child, that unplanned disease, that itch on your back you just can't reach to scratch, and ultimately, I'll get my hands on him. Sasha and the other big-wigs in the front office can, with the stroke of a pen, give me what I want, give the fans what they want, and give Winters what he wants when I'm not around...

... So Sasha, I say to you, "Number One, make it so!"

Jake wipes his hands together, as if getting rid of the dust. He then begins pacing back and forth, and letting the world in on the inner-workings of his mind going forward.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the next order of business, and arguably the most important at this very moment, Justin Davis!

The way this whole match came to fruition is, well, quite interesting, actually. After Rise to Greatness, I'm checking my Twitter, noticing that the usually babbling Syren, Ravyn, and Christy were all unusually quiet, and I see I've been mentioned. I figure, "goodie, here comes Infamous, whining, using the same ole schtick, etc.," when I see that I was mistaken. Yes, Jake Starr made a mistake assuming Infamous would be up to their old, tired, boring, and repetitive antics. Instead, it was a man whose path I had crossed twice earlier in my life. It was Justin Davis. He had floated the idea out there for a third encounter between he and I. It was an idea that had never really crossed my mind. Not because I'm sitting here thinking I've done it twice, proved it twice, and why would I want to do it again, but more so because I figured I would be lined up somewhere along the lines of more scourge from the Greaternity closet. To me, that made more sense to think about and ponder, than a third fight with Davis. But, I humored the idea. I thought about it, and I realized he has quite an idea there.

Think about it, twice before, Jake Starr and Justin Davis have crossed paths, and put on a show for the fans. The first match was when I was the Adrenaline Champion, and he was making a case to try to be the one who unseated me from my throne. He wanted to be the one who walked into Out of Control 2009, and beat Jake Starr, to put him in his place, and become the new Adrenaline Champion. It was one of my FIRST matches in SCW. I mean hell, I think it was my first PPV to walk into as a champion in SCW. I could be a little off, and that's always possible, but I swear it was my first entrance as a champion. By that point, I really had made a name for myself, annoying the masses, and pulling off victories that people thought I wouldn't be able to pull off. Justin Davis, he was fairly established at that point, I would say. People knew who he was. Everyone thought that Jake Starr's little run would be coming to a quick end at the hand of someone who was a bit of an SCW veteran.

Then there was match number two.

Match number two was, for Davis, his second chance to do something special in SCW, and at my expense. This time, however, it wasn't my Adrenaline Championship on the line, no, it was the SCW World Championship on the line. See, for Davis, it was a time to be voted, by your peers, as the number one contender for the World Championship. He got to go into the 2009 End of the Year Special, along with Hurse, and vie for the World Title. It was, yet again, a time when my peers in the locker room saw this as the time when Jake Starr would be knocked from his pedestal, and put in his "rightful" place.

Both matches, for Davis especially, had a lot of meaning to them. Both matches involved championships within the halls of SCW. Both matches would ultimately be looked at, in hindsight, as great moments in SCW history. They were matches that were, in a sense, turning points in SCW for me. So, when he tweeted me and suggested we roll one more time, the best response I could think of was:

"@TheLoudestMoFo You know I don't turn down a fight - We've put on two spectacles, a third wouldn't be out of the question..."

See, looking back on my battles with Davis, I realize what the first two meant for me. The first was my first real test within the halls of Supreme Championship Wrestling. It was my first real test since becoming the Adrenaline Champion, hell, since joining the SCW rankings for that matter. It was my first chance to, as the saying goes, "put up, or shut up." We all know I ran my mouth a lot. I made a lot of big claims. Facing Davis, and ultimately beating him, was my chance to say that I was, who I said I was. When he was voted to be the man I, then, defended my SCW World Championship against at the end of the year, it was a chance for me to end 2009 the way I always intended to. I beat him, then I beat Hurse, solidifying myself as one of the marquee names in this business, yet again. Greatness, my friends, greatness, is what came out of those confrontations.

For me, it wasn't just about winning. All along I have done nothing but do everything I could to prove that I am worthy of respect around here. It's been my ultimate goal. Sure, for a while I was obsessed about championships, and feeling that they, alone, proved greatness, but all along, the underlying factor was one thing, respect. Justin Davis, each time, was a moment where I inched my way up the ladder in SCW, and in the minds of my peers. I beat him twice, and made people look at me and say, "wow, he may be for real." So why wouldn't I want a third match with him? Why, especially now, would I not want a chance to inch more and more up the ladder of respect? When I came back to SCW, it was for a purpose. Sure, I did so hoping to get my hands on Winters, and ultimately get a chance at reclaiming my past glory, but that wasn't my primary reason for returning. My primary reason was to finish what I started.

I started earning respect, and I failed to keep pushing forward to continue to do so. That's why I couldn't even fathom not accepting his proposed challenge. Allocco was the first step in my quest to reclaim my respect. Hell, in the eyes of some, the "boring" guy toppled the man who was revered as "amazing."

So it is a quest for me. It is a quest to make those who continually look at me, and perceive me as ill-equipped, time and time again look like complete morons who have no real perception of talent. It's a quest for me to walk out there, know that people are continually pleading for me to be unsuccessful, thinking it'll ultimately make me believe their perception is "correct," and prove them wrong. I came back because I was utterly annoyed, tired of the bitching, the criticism, the continual pandering to a select few, and I'm here to end it all. I'm here to, well, do what they hope to do, and prove them wrong.

I accept the call.

Jake stops pacing, and turns to face the camera directly.

Justin, you wanted this fight. You wanted to fight me one more time. It's no rubber match, and there is no tie breaker involved. This time, you don't have a title to try and earn from me. So, in my eyes, there's an ulterior motive for you here. There's a reason for you wanting to dance this third time with me, and I'm honestly curious as to why. Is it pride? Are you hoping third time, for you, could be a charm? Is it you just wanted to wrestle one of the best ever? What is it Justin? I know you had a match at Rise to Greatness, just like I did, but did you take a few too many punches to the head to see what I did? Did you not see me go in there, face a man who was widely perceived as superior to myself, and beat him? Believe me Justin, I know you're a proud man of your accomplishments here. I know you want to rise up from the lower rankings of SCW, and try your luck in the "big boy" matches, but really? Right now? You want to try your luck when I just downed Adam Allocco, a man who made me supposedly look "boring?" I mean, it's rare that "boring" beats "excellency," but I seemingly have that ability down quite nicely.

As for me, though... My reasoning for accepting isn't because of pride or anything like that. I made it clear that I don't back down from a fight, and I felt we did a great job entertaining the people. I accepted because I knew we could do it again. I look at this as another opportunity for me. I don't see it as a match where I really have to go out there and prove anything. I've shown that I can best you in the ring. I've shown I can defend major championships against you successfully, and handle the high pressure situations, but yet, there is opportunity in this match. While with Allocco there was a measure of "getting even," with you there is a chance for me to garner more respect here. People still perceive you in that light they saw you in when we battled those two previous times, and I'm all about proving those doubters wrong. I won't say you don't deserve the praise. I won't say you're someone who hasn't earned your respect. In fact, I'll say you've earned both. I'll say you've done just as many others have in SCW, and shown why you are a real competitor in this organization. It's exactly why you're my opportunity to continue to sway the masses back my way. It's the exact reason I was all for facing you.

Truthfully, I see every match, every challenge, and every path my career takes with the perception of how it'll best serve me in the long run. Call it selfish, call it self-centered, but I don't do anything without knowing how it'll help ME, and benefit ME. Why? Because otherwise, like I told Adam, there is nothing worth fighting for, no reason to be here, and honestly little to even bother taking the time to put any energy into. Justin, you are another opportunity for me. Nobody remembers matches one or two. Nobody cares about them. They only care about them when, seemingly, they show me being weak. So right now, they don't care, and they don't matter. I want this match because it builds more momentum, when I win, against Winters. It gives me more power to look at the powers-that-be and say, "look what I've done, give me Winters, don't let him duck me."

Justin, you asked for a match, I granted it. You asked to battle, I said when and where. You want to try your luck in a no-win situation for a third time, you've already signed your own death warrant. Face it buddy... You picked the wrong fight, at the wrong time. You decided to step in front of me when you hoped my gaze would be elsewhere. Instead, my gaze is straight ahead. Anyone stepping in my path to ultimately shutting Shawn Winters, and his attitude, up, is going to face the dire consequences just like Allocco. He may be superior in the eyes of the masses, but that night, he fell just short. He fell short because of a man on a mission... A mission that won't be marred by the early raising of a banner reading...

MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED!

With those last two words, Jake disappears, walking past the camera, and out of the room. His words, while similar to what many would consider "typical Jake Starr," definitely come across with a more respectful tone to them.

One would wonder if this truly is the point where Jake has realized that, while he's had success, and most likely will going forward, has he learned that he needs to give his opponents a much-deserved showing of respect? Could Allocco have triggered Jake's brain to realize that he can't always give that "holier than thou" feel when addressing his opponent? Or, could this just be a one-time moment for Jake, showing a little more respect to someone who stepped up to the plate, and pushed Jake past the limits he thought he'd have to put forward? Regardless, Jake has put it on record that he has a new-found respect for Allocco, and his unmistaken talents. He almost feels thankful that Adam pushed him over that limit, and has given him a new confidence in himself.

If Jake truly feels he has found a "new level" that he can rise to, one should wonder if the upper echelon of SCW should be on notice... He's always been a force to be reckoned with, but if he's even better than ever, could his path to supremacy be a foregone conclusion, and every match from here, until then, is a mere formality? With Justin Davis on the horizon, who in his own right should not be taken lightly, the odds of the world seeing what version of Jake Starr to expect should become apparent at Breakdown.

Fin

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