Now, don’t get it twisted – Rod’s still a beast, at 6-foot-9 and 290 pounds. He’s still got an iron jaw, and he still won’t hesitate to smack the spit out of somebody. Is he ready for a wrestling match? You bet your ass. But him and Geoffrey will be meeting in something less: a deathmatch. Dean told Rod that nothing evens the playing field like a bunch of weapons, so Rod’s full of confidence as he addresses the LCW cameras as he stands just outside of Dean’s house in Tempe. The look hasn’t changed – same VICK 7 Falcons jersey, same dreadlocks, same arrogant snarl.

RT: Geoff, you had three things you brought up last time, so I figured I’d just address each of them things one by one.

RT: How ‘bout I start where you said you was 10 times the man you was back when we went at it the first two times? On account of you bein’ healthier and all, I guess you mean. I hear ya, dawg. I know what you sayin’, mostly ‘cause it’s the same deal with me. Year an’ a half, two years, whatever it was, that we had off? That’s a damn long time to let your injuries heal. We should all feel refreshed, man. But let me say this… you’re what, 29 years old? ‘Bout to turn 30 this year? Dawg, I’m 24 years old. Rested and ready at 24 is a whole lot better than rested and ready at 29, especially how long you been at the wrestlin’ game compared to me. You been getting’ your ass kicked for years, dawg. So no matter how hard you try to tell yourself that your game is tight, that you feel fresh, whatever… I know that ain’t the whole truth. Once you get in this industry, Dean says it’s like agin’ in dog years. So you’re 29 with 12 years in the game? Man, Slate, you old and tired, so don’t try to front like you’re not.

RT: Second… look, dawg, maybe I don’t mention this enough or somethin’ or maybe ya’ll forgot, but I was an amateur wrestler back in high school and college. Pretty good at it, too – won two Georgia state titles in the heavyweight division and held my own at Grambling, where it was a club sport while I was there. What I mean to say is, I ain’t just some glorified bouncer who’ll try to punch and kick you until you fall down. I can forgive you for thinkin’ that though, seein’ as both of our matches we’ve had have been the two of us throwin’ bombs at each other for the majority. See, though, perception ain’t entirely reality. Truth is I can mat-wrestle with anybody in the company, I’m plenty quick and agile, and I’m learnin’ at the foot of one of the craftiest wrestlers in the game so my mental side is shapin’ up nice.

RT: But on the real, dawg… does that even mean shit in a deathmatch? We talkin’ ‘bout a deathmatch, man. Not a real match… we talkin’ ‘bout a deathmatch, man! We talkin’ ‘bout weapons and shit, ‘bout makin’ people bleed, ‘bout shootin’ to kill with everything we do on the mat and havin’ some reinforcements scattered around the ring. I could give a f*ck if you stronger, faster, more agile, smarter, what the f*ck ever, dawg… we talkin’ ‘bout a deathmatch! One good shot from a weapon and it’s lights out, dawg! This ain’t got shit to do with mat wrestling, or smarts… this ‘bout who can hit harder, and trust me, dawg, that ain’t a fight you wanna have with me because I will knock you out. Strongest man in Mercury? I AM that n*gga, Geoff. And I’ll prove it to you.

RT: Third thing… what did Dean call it? ‘Nihilism?’ Somethin’ like that? Where a person decides they don’t give a shit ‘bout anything? He says you’s a nihilist – which is a word I only kinda remember from 10th grade English. Anyway, you’re on about, ‘how can I possibly hurt you if you don’t care about gettin’ hurt?’ And Geoff, dawg… I mean, that seems like a pretty dumb-ass question to me. I’ll hurt you the same way I hurt everybody else who steps in the ring with me, and I’ll hurt you with whatever weapons they happen to let us use. And if I hurt you badly enough, regardless of how little you care… you’re gonna fall, Geoff. Maybe the spirit will be unwilling, dawg, but the flesh always has its breakin’ point. And I’m pullin’ out all the stops to find it, because I f*ckin’ NEED this, dawg. This is a win I gotta have if anybody’s gonna fear me in this new Mercury era. This is a win I gotta have because unlike you, I have a passion for what I do and I have a passion for gettin’ better at what I do.

RT: Sooner or later, Geoff, you’re gonna have to start carin’ about you and what you gotta do to survive in this business. Because nobody else will. And this game will pass you the f*ck by, while you’re standin’ to the side hatin’ yourself for bein’ a part of it. And people like me, and Dean, and them other dudes in this company, are gonna pass you right on by while you feel sorry for yourself.

RT: Geoff, this wrestling shit is ‘bout what you do in the ring to win, and always, it’s gonna be the guy who gives more of a shit inside that ring, the guy who loves it and wants it more, who’s gonna win. And I’m THAT n*gga, too.

Rod claps his hands twice, which is apparently the signal for ‘turn them cameras off’ because that’s exactly what the LCW crews do.