Irony.

Webster's dictionary defines irony as incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.  Whether you're a literature buff or you ride around on a unicycle juggling bowling pins, you've surely been faced with an instance of irony once before in your life.  Regardless of whether or not you've noticed it, you've experienced it.

Irony.

The World Wrestling Alliance defines irony as Chris Bagwell defeating Jack Griffiths in a non-title match for the WWA Championship on the July 30th edition of Underground only to be paired as his tag team partner a week prior to Meltdown - against the very man who stands between the both of them and a place in history...as Champion.

RJ Stone.

When I scribbled my name along the dotted line and began my career in the World Wrestling Alliance, I had never imagined myself getting a lesson in literary terms.  I recall very vividly asking my English professors why I'd ever need to know 'this shit' if I had no aspirations to ever be a writer.

"It'll help you develop as a person," they'd tell me.  Or my favorite - the always general, "one day you'll use it and you'll remember this class...this conversation.  You'll remember me."

Not a single teacher or professor could ever give me a concrete example of why I'd need to know the difference between irony and coincidence; a pun or an oxymoron.  Yet they were right about one thing - I remember them, the class and the conversation.

Here I was, a professional wrestler, and I found myself entrapped in a living example of irony.

When I got the call telling me that I'd be in the main event of Meltdown and that it'd be for the WWA Championship, I was beside myself.  While my career thus far in WWA has been brief, it's been anything but a walk through the park.  I've been named the runner up in the Bourbon Street Brawl, I've been thrown through windows and aggressively stalked by Intrepid.  I've had my fair share of beatings and defeats - namely submissing against RJ Stone, himself.

But the moment that's defined my career with this company was when I came out of the wood work and pinned the-then Champion, Jack Griffiths.  I pulled off one of the biggest upsets the WWAtmosphere has ever season.

And that's where the irony unfolds.

Jack Griffiths was my key to the main event.  My opportunity to rip the title from RJ's shoulder is directly dependent on Jack's unwillingness to lift his own shoulder from the canvas on July 30th.

And here I am again, dependent on Jack Griffiths - only this time as a friend rather than a foe.

Though when you're Jack Griffiths, can you really be considered a 'friend' to the Rajah of Ratings?  When you're Jack Griffiths, a part of you HAS to be bitter that the Human Hype Machine was the catalyst for your downfall as Champion.

When you're Jack Griffiths, you've got to be walking into Underground with a chip on your shoulder.  And, knowing your partner is your opponent only ten days later, you have to understand when I say...I don't trust you.

When you're me - when you're Chris Bagwell - you don't let yourself get upstaged.  On any other night, I'd be thrilled to get the opportunity to wrestle RJ Stone one more time in the squared circle.  I've been CRAVING the chance to wrap my fingers around his throat and to squeeze every last breath of air out of his esophagus.

I've literally dreamt about bashing RJ Stone's face into the canvas, Jack, just to prove that the last time we faught was a fluke.  Yet, for some reason, that dream has slipped away.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't know where it went - because I know precisely where it's gone.  My dream has buried itself within my subconscious to allow me a second set of eyes.  And while the second set may be fixated on Jaymz Watkins at ringside, they'll also be watching you.

For me, it's not about winning or losing at Underground.  Give the W to Stone; give it to Hendricks.  For me, Underground is about walking away unscaithed.

Jack, on paper you may be my partner...

...but in reality, you're in the same classification as Stone, Hendricks, or even Watkins.

Now isn't THAT ironic.