Finally

It seems like it was only a short time ago that I had all my belongings crammed into a '96 Chevy Corsica; flying down Interstate 80 hoping to train with CM Punk at the ROH Academy...

It feels like only months have passed since I was "Doin' It For Her"...

And if I close my eyes tight enough, I swear I can channel the same blood that was coursing through my veins while I was pushing Nigel McGuinness to the limit at Take No Prisoners 2008....

You know, in a way I'll kind of miss those chants of "Next World Champ!"...

But man does it feel SO SO good to wake up every day, take a look at that beautiful belt, and know that the kind Ring of Honor fans will never have to utter those words in my direction ever again. Call it me coming into my own. Call it manifest destiny. Put whatever label you want on it--I don't care; because I cannot express in words the elation that poured out of me when I heard the slap of Paul Turner's hand hitting the mat for "3" last Saturday night in New York City. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to live out their dreams, but in the roar of that crowd I am forever indebted to this great world, and its people, for the immeasurable fortune it has bestowed upon me. I won't let you down...

However, there is some light left to be shed on the closing moments of my match last week. So let me flip the switch...

First thing's first, regardless of what he was doing on the apron, and regardless of who's foot met who's mouth; I fully intend to honor the commitment and the promise I made to Roderick Strong when he agreed to be my appointed judge for that match. As far as I am concerned, Roddy is one of the top competitors in the world and he should be the first guy to get a crack at my title. Now, I don't know when or where Roddy's opportunity will come, but let me reiterate what I said to Roddy before I won the belt... He'll never beat me. I'm too focused and too determined for any man to get the better of me right now. And Roddy is no exception.

And with that, let me state clearly that though I have tremendous respect for Jim Cornette and everything he has done for this business, for ROH, and for me, I don't regret superkicking him just as I don't regret kicking Roddy. Going into New York it was made abundantly clear by Jim that that match was going to be my last opportunity. So I treated it like it was the life or death of my career. I went at Austin Aries without hesitation, without mercy. And when I had the ball in my hands, I wasn't going to drop it. I wasn't going to let a single distraction stand between me and the life of my career. As far as I'm concerned, there wasn't a choice in the matter. I did what I had to do to stay alive, and take my rightful place at the throne of ROH.

All my life we've heard the doubters under their breath; we've felt the leering bystanders scoffing at the notion of a kid following his dream into this misunderstood business. And I know I'm not alone in these sentiments: Tyler Black as the Ring of Honor World Champion is a big middle finger to everyone who exists in that discontented wasteland devoid of thought and emotion. Like it or not, I am the man--and ROH is the company--that is poised to lead this business into the next generation of greatness. Let's ball up our collective fist and stick it to the f***ing man...and the McMahon. ;)