Post by Deleted on May 21, 2011 22:26:08 GMT -6
”Character, not circumstances, makes the man.”
-Booker T. Washington
-Booker T. Washington
The scene opens along the coastline of Miami, Florida. The sun is setting and a deep orange haze emanates across the waves, blending mesmerizingly with the baby blue waves which lap the shoreline gently. The beach is clear, save for a few remaining sun bathers and the odd dog walkers, their canine companions weaving across the sand leaving padded trails in their wake. The camera pans across the coastline, fading between shots of palm tree attired sidewalks and whitewashed buildings, the warm glow of the sun reflecting from the multitude of windows. Eventually the camera settles on a shot of a small bistro looking out across the advancing tide, a few tables hosting a variety of occupants whilst waiters and table attendants drift slowly across the forecourt, congregating towards the rear of the complex. The camera settles on a shot of one of the table, occupied by Roberto Verona, his assistant Hannah and the nCw Women’s Champion, Trish Newborn.
Roberto Verona : Seriously, that is last time I ever drink wine after eating a enchilada. It was like a massacre the next morning.
Hannah scrunches up her faces, shaking her head in disgust.
Hannah : Thanks for lowering the tone in a matter of minutes. I had hoped to forget nights like those.
Roberto Verona : I wouldn’t dare repeat some of the things you used to get up to in Chicago. Seriously Trish, you won’t be able to look at her the same again.
Hannah : Hey! Leave me out of this! You make me sound like some kind of complete whore! Honestly Trish, he exaggerates.
Trish Newborn : I am sitting out of this one I’m afraid, what you guys did in Chicago can stay there as far as I am concerned.
Hannah : Thank god for that! See, not everybody wants to listen to your vulgar stories over a coffee Roberto!
Roberto Verona : Trish doesn’t need to. Didn’t it cross your mind I already told her them?
Hannah : Wait….what?
Roberto and Trish laugh mockingly at Hannah, who sits quietly as Roberto takes another sip of coffee.
Roberto Verona : In all seriousness though, it has been great spending time with another Italian. You go insane been stuck in the locker rooms with some of the dregs of society we share the roster with. Have you ever seen Tommy the Cat without a mask on?
The trio let off a collective shudder mockingly.
Roberto Verona : And the less said about DDK the better. I don’t know when he last washed that wig but I am sure he started out as a bleach blonde not a dirty one.
Hannah : Remind me to thank God again for you getting your own locker room tonight.
Trish Newborn : Those are the perks of being a Young Gun, besides the fact that you’re being acknowledged as far superior than the rest of the dross backstage.
Roberto Verona : We don’t need a fancy locker room to know that Trish. If we don’t all manage to walk away stinking of gold on Sunday something has gone horribly wrong.
Trish Newborn : I am just worried how I will smell after being stuck in the ring with Roxxxie and Dumb and Dumber.
Roberto Verona : As long as you walk out with your belt, that is all that matters. Having to watch Crystal prance around with her half of the Tartlet’s Championship is nauseating enough, imagine if she had another belt to go with it?
Suddenly the sound of a mobile phone ringing can be heard as Roberto stops talking, reaching into his pocket before acknowledging the name “Venom” across the screen.
Roberto Verona : V? How are you my friend?
Roberto raises his index finger to the two women, nodding his head in agreement.
Roberto Verona : Hang on a second… Listen ladies, you will have to excuse me a moment. I will be right back.
Roberto lifts himself up and drifts past Trish and Hannah, walking towards the sea front, leaving the two women alone with one another as he moves out of earshot to continue his discussion with Venom.
Trish Newborn : So…. I have got to ask. What is going on between you two?
Hannah : What do you mean?
Hannah asks, a confused look written across her face.
Trish Newborn : I mean, what is the deal between you two? A few weeks ago you show up out of nowhere and ever since then you’ve both been inseparable. I’d never even heard of you until Roberto introduced us a few weeks ago.
Hannah suddenly perks up startled, realising what Trish is inferring as Hannah begins to stumble over her words.
Hannah : Nothing… I mean, well…what I meant to say is. Not what you are thinking. Honestly, there isn’t anything going on between us two.
Trish Newborn : You could have fooled me.
Hannah blushes, forcing herself to look down and cover her face before running both her hands back through her hair, turning to make sure Roberto isn’t nearby.
Hannah : Listen, don’t say anything, but me and Roberto go way back. I always felt close to him, even though he could be away for weeks searching for suspects. As far as he is concerned I am here because I want to help him with his career.
Trish Newborn : So why are you here? You seem pretty involved in his match preparation backstage.
Hannah : I am here to help him out, don’t get me wrong. He wanted my help, although I haven’t done much yet he has plans for me when the time is right. It is complicated but part of me just wanted to be back around him again. I missed him when he disappeared so suddenly.
Trish clears her throat before boldly leaning forward.
Trish Newborn : So what exactly happened in Chicago?
Hannah is taken aback by Trish’s brash approach, taking a moment to collect herself before responding.
Hannah : He never said?
Trish Newborn : Not really, all I know is you guys worked together a few years back in Chicago. Whenever we’ve asked about it he has changed the subject pretty quickly.
Hannah : I am not sure I should be talking about this but….
Hannah turns to check Roberto is still on the phone before turning back to Trish and leaning towards her, the tone of her voice softening.
Hannah : Everything that makes Roberto the man he is today stems back to the last time I saw him. We had been working a rape case, only the guy was acquitted despite all the evidence against him. Little did we know then, but the defendant and the judge had connections and he had bought his way to freedom. Roberto was furious. He’d been chasing the guy all across the state and it took him months to track him down and after all that he walked out a free man.
Trish Newborn : I am guessing Roberto took his job seriously?
Hannah nods, clearing her throat before continuing.
Hannah : It was his life. He genuinely thought that he was doing the right thing, bringing in criminals to face justice for the crimes they were accused of. For years he had dragged back some truly terrible people, people who had hidden for years. Gradually though, I could see a change in him. For every success there were failures and whilst some men were really innocent, most of them weren’t. I didn’t listen to him at the time, but Roberto got more and more frustrated at the legal system and its ability to fall foul of corruption. The Masterson case was the final straw.
Trish Newborn : What happened?
Hannah : Roberto pursued him after the trial. I aren’t sure what happened, but he was in a blind rage after seeing him walk free. Either way, for the next few months Roberto found himself receiving fewer contracts which hit him hard. He spent so much time alone in his apartment, I barely ever saw him down at court anymore, even when he did bring people in. Masterson systematically ensured Roberto got less work and before long he had his license revoked. Roberto was broken, his entire life’s purpose was taken away from him by a man who dodged justice by the virtue of his bank account. A few days after they took his bounty hunting license I went to visit him, but his car was gone and his apartment was empty. I honestly never thought I’d see him again, he just spiralled into his own world and then vanished without so much as a goodbye.
Hannah starts to tear up, taking a deep breath as she stems the flow before continuing.
Hannah : I tried to just get on with things but before long, I started to see the injustice Roberto had grown so frustrated with over the previous months. I had always pledged to serve victims in the pursuit of justice and punish those who broke the law, but I found myself increasingly unable to guarantee those noble goals. I became disillusioned with the legal rat race and one night I found myself online and decided to try and track Roberto down.
Trish Newborn : How’d you find him? He seems to be the type who can disappear if he wants to.
Hannah : Oh, it wasn’t easy. He always knew how to be difficult to track, just in case suspects had any friends wiring them information. I wasn’t having much look, then I remembered one night over drinks he was telling us about his days as a wrestler before he gave it all up to pursue a more realistic career he found more rewarding. So, I searched the Indy circuit and eventually came across a video and there he was. I barely recognised him, not because he looked any different but his whole demeanour was….alien to me. The kind hearted, cocky young man I once knew was dead. Some of the things I saw him do Trish…..
Trish Newborn : We all do what it takes to win. I wouldn’t read too much into it…
Hannah shakes her head, cutting Trish off mid-sentence who sits quietly, a little puzzled as Hannah continues to speak to her.
Hannah : I can’t claim to be a wrestler, or even to really understand how your minds work, but when I watched him the things he did to people were…. Unnecessary….
Trish Newborn : What do you mean unnecessary? Sometimes we have to push our limits to win.
Hannah : What I mean is he would beat a guy to a point where, if he wanted to, he could have finished it, but he wouldn’t. He’d just keep going and going and going. He’d inflict pain where it just wasn’t required, it was if he wasn’t even trying to win anymore, just hurt people. It was completely opposite to the man I knew who pledged his life to helping people. Now, all he was doing was hurting them. He’d leave them broken… there was blood everywhere, it was horrific. It scared me seeing what he’d do to people, I knew then I had to try and find him. To see what had made him so vicious, so twisted.
Hannah pauses again, trying to hold back her emotions as she continues to look over her shoulder from time to time to keep an eye on Roberto’s location.
Hannah : Finally, I tracked down a phone number and I rang him. At first he was a little surprised I’d bothered to find him, but when I asked where he had been for so long he just hung up on me. It took a few more conversations until I got anything much out of him, but he made it clear that he had seen the light and realised just how cruel and harsh the world really was. That he was waking up to the truth behind the way people act and how life really worked. I must admit, I agreed with him but I was worried about how he was behaving, so I made the decision to pack my bags and take up his offer and here I am. I still don’t know everything, but what I do know is that Roberto has a clearly defined mission and goals and he will not stop until he has achieved them all. I just wanted him back in my life, despite everything I have seen him do I still know that deep down, he is still the same guy, just maybe a little wiser to the way things work.
Trish suddenly nods her head towards the beach, causing Hannah to turn and see Roberto turning back towards the pair as he winds up his phone call to Venom, although what he is saying is still unclear. As he lowers his arm to hang up the call Hannah turns to Trish and grabs her hand, startling the usually reserved Newborn.
Hannah : Listen, you have to promise to keep this between you and me. Not even Jacobsen or Venom can know about all this, Roberto will let them know what he wishes them to know. Please don’t tell anybody else.
Trish pauses for a moment before looking up to see Roberto walking back over towards the pair. Time seems to stand still before she looks at Hannah and nods her head in agreement as Verona puts his hands on the table and leans over the pair.
Roberto Verona : Not interrupting anything am I?
Hannah turns to Roberto and smiles innocently, hiding her previous emotional tremors as her and Trish shrug off any awkwardness.
Hannah : We were just talking about how long we thing it will take for Trish to pin Crystal. I keep telling her it’ll be within five minutes, but she won’t accept anything over three.
Roberto laughs, waving his hand at a waitress to come over with the bill.
Roberto Verona : As much as I’d love to talk about how much of a beating that pampered prima donna is going to receive this Sunday, we really ought to get going. Meet me at the car, I’ll pay up here, Venom just wants to meet up to discuss the pay per view.
The two women stand up and walk off together, leaving Roberto alone. Verona looks around waiting for the bill to arrive as the sun begins to set in the distance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cry me a river Todd. Why do I get the nagging feeling that we have been here before? It seems that whenever you are due to face me, you suffer some sort of mental psychosis and develop a borderline bi-polar disorder. I suppose in a world dominated by whatever trash Hollywood is pumping out at any given moment it shouldn’t surprise me that once again I am treated to another sequel to the blockbuster, Todd Williams : The Rise Against Adversity. Once again our tortured hero, broken and belittled by everybody, written off by his own friends, must face off against his egomaniacal nemesis in an epic battle for survival.
Once more you somehow rise up from the pit and rise to the heavens covered in glory. We’ve seen it all before Todd. The brooding, quiet, shadow of a man who has finally succumbed to the looming spectre of depression who by the end of his quaint little segment has seemingly snapped out of his miserable viewpoint and re-found his passion to fight. It is growing old Williams and quite frankly for a man who has the audacity to consistently accuse me of repeating myself you sure have a funny way of following a worrying trend. Your emotional rollercoaster rides are practically a trademark Williams.
So you’re all fired up again huh? Ready to go? Ready to give me the beating I deserve for everything I have done to you? Despite spending most of your week moping around like a teenage girl you’ve made a decision to show me how wrong I am? To stand up like a man and whip my ass all across Miami like a true Champion? What a shame you’re just full of crap Todd. The fact of the matter is that you may well skip down to that ring with all your usual bravado and you may well convince yourself that you are ready to face me, to defend your belt, but you will still come up short.
When all is said and done your motives are so ****ed up you don’t stand a chance of pulling off a victory against me. Even after everything, your only real goal is to make that emotional vampire proud of you, to make Crystal Hilton want Todd Williams again. This is the exact reason why you will be walking out of that arena with your tail between your legs and your belt around my waist. You are always doing something for somebody else, and normally somebody who doesn’t give a crap about you.
You want to show Crystal how much of a man you are Todd? How about your stop being the worst role model to young boys everywhere ever by actually growing a spine and kicking that viper to the curb? You keep wanting to prove yourself to a woman who would much rather spend her time rubbing sun cream all over Steve Awesome’s abdomen than even so much as look at you. You keep wanting to win back a woman who repeatedly treats you with the most disgusting contempt all whilst emotionally castrating you in front of your daughter, draining her respect for you with every passing week. Whilst you are purely doing all this to win the approval of such a vile human being, you will never be successful Todd.
You compare yourself to the successes of a woman who has never really had to work for anything in her whole life and you want to make her acknowledge your own achievements, but it will never happen. If you want to be something more than just a belt warmer Williams you need to start doing things for yourself. As long as you are trying to be somebody for someone else you’ll only ever be a nobody who, no matter what he achieves, will never be respected. You’ll be forgotten the moment you drag your pussy-whipped cadaver out of nCw and all of your accomplishments will be lost to history.
What separates you and me Williams is the fact that when I walk down to that ring, each and every week, I go there to win. Not only do I go there to win, but I there to win for myself, not for anybody else. Not for Hannah, not for the Young Guns but myself. I do not try and win belts for other people; I go out there and try to win for myself and myself alone. The moment you stop looking out for number one in this business Todd is the moment you stop deserving to even be a part of it. You may call it egotistical or selfish, but the fact is that when you let your heart rule your head Todd you start to make mistakes. The fact that I can separate my private life and my professional one is just how I can be so cold and conniving, which is what puts me above people like you.
I will do anything it take to make a success of myself because I am not focused on impressing anybody else, all that matters is that I make my mark on this business. Nothing else matters to me when I am inside that ring, my mind is completely focused on the task at hand whereas you, you always have that niggling thought at the back of your head. That thought which screams “What is Crystal thinking of my performance tonight? Will she approve of it?”.
You may think I am a cold hearted, emotionless bastard Todd and you wouldn’t be completely off the mark. You are right, I don’t have a family who I dote upon unquestionably. I don’t have a wife, who I hurriedly lay down for and print doormat across my forehead. I wouldn’t change a thing either, because that is what makes me the man I am. I have opened up my eyes and realised that the world is a cruel, horrible place. People don’t grow up to be astronauts or super heroes, people do not have hearts of gold and people will do anything to screw one another. I have seen truly miserable people prosper in a world that rewards the cunning and devious amongst us and stamps on the righteous. People who do not deserve to be where they are today lord it up over the rest of us and what is worse is people actually buy into all their crap. Wake up Todd, the world is dark and miserable and the sooner you stop living in a fairy tale where you and Crystal will live happily ever after the better off you will be. Face the facts, your life truly is a shambles and the quicker you snap out of this belief that chasing your wife will solve all your problems the more people will take you seriously.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The night sky is cloudless, the heavens awash with sparkling stars which light up the entire sky as the moon emits a calming glow down on Miami. Outside a bar a few people can be seen cuing to get in, a large bouncer holding them back as he waits for the order to let more people enter, the potential patrons getting more and more frustrated as time goes by. Suddenly, Hannah emerges from the building, quickly moving away from the entrance. She begins o pace slowly away by herself, her head looking down at the pavement as footsteps can be heard approaching from behind. Suddenly a hand grabs her shoulder as Roberto Verona approaches her, panting to catch his breath.
Roberto Verona : Is everything OK Hannah? You left without saying anything.
Hannah stay silent, but slows down to let Roberto walk up alongside her.
Roberto Verona : OK, well, suit yourself, but I aren’t going anywhere. You’ll just have to put up with me all the way back to the hotel. I aren’t having you walk the streets by yourself like this.
Hannah smiles, but still says nothing as Verona walks by her side.
Roberto Verona : If you don’t want to talk about it, it is fine. Just don’t go running off like that again, you hear?
Roberto opens up her arm, inviting Hannah to link arms. She obliges whilst leaning her head against his shoulder as the pair continue along the roadside which is empty, leaving the pair in silence.
Roberto Verona : Let’s get you back to the hotel, I think we could both do with a rest before the big day tomorrow. I appreciate all you help but tomorrow is all about my destiny and beating Williams once and for all, I apologise in advance if my mind is elsewhere.
Hannah still stays quiet but nods her head in acknowledgement as they cross a silent pedestrian crossing.
Roberto Verona : Then you, me and the rest of the guys can go out and celebrate with my new belt and look forward to the next chapter in my career. Just make sure to bring your purse next time.
Roberto says mockingly, nudging Hannah slightly, who laughs as they approach a set of revolving doors leading into a hotel lobby, a lone receptionist sat at her desk. Roberto stops and motions for Hannah to enter first.
Roberto Verona : Try not to sleep in tomorrow, I wouldn’t want to have to come knock on your door before you get the chance to embark on your hour long beauty regime!
Hannah continues to remain in silence but walks away, her mind a little more at ease as she begins to reassure herself that elements of Roberto’s personality haven’t died since they parted in Chicago. Yes, there was still something of the Verona she knew deep down. Turning, she waves good night as she walks towards the lift, leaving Roberto alone in the lobby.
Roberto Verona : Women….
Shaking his head Roberto fishes through his pockets and produces his room key, smiling politely at the receptionist as he heads towards his own room to rest before he leaves for the biggerst match of his career to date.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do I know what a leather strap match is Todd? How stupid do you think I am? I am fully aware of the concept Williams. I know that you and I will be bound at the wrist, two people who despise one another connected by a small length of leather, unable to back down. You’re damn right, it will be just you and me and that is exactly how I want it. You see, no matter how many times you keep crying about the Young Guns interfering in our previous match you have to realise that this Sunday, I have no qualms about kicking your ass without their help. At A Night To Remember I am going to have you all to myself and there will be no mercy.
Everything I have done to you for the past two months will pale in comparison to what I plan to do to you this weekend, I don’t just want to beat you Todd I want to rip your heart out of your chest and watch the life drain out of you. I am sick of listening to you whine about how bad everything is for you, only to suddenly perk up like a bitch on heat. This weekend everything between you and me ends. All of the smack talk, the sneak attacks, the stare downs and the beatings. All of it. After you and I meet at A Night To Remember, I will be the new X-Division Champion and you? Well, you’ll no longer be of any significance to me Todd.
I am flattered you seem to think I have some sort of obsession with you Williams but frankly you could not be further from the truth. The only thing interesting about Todd is what you have wrapped around your mid-drift at this moment in time. Sure, I find everything about you detestable; you’re a whiney, sackless and pathetic excuse for a man who exemplifies everything that is wrong with the men of this generation and when I wipe the smiles off your legions of moronic fans I will bask in that moment and remember it for the rest of my career, but once my job is done, you will pass into the annals of history for me.
I have pursued you for month for a very simple reason Todd, you were the easiest target available and you provided me a quick route to potential glory so soon in my career in nCw and you have danced to my beat every step of the way. I made you what you are today and on Sunday, I will take it all back from you. This is the end for you and me Todd, the mind games stop here and the false belief of superiority you seem to have will be crushed one and for all. You can keep harping on about how I only won because of the Young Guns and the first time we faced you somehow fluked a victory over me, but when I walk away with your belt this weekend you will have to snap out of la la land and realise that everything you wanted is gone.
So bring your homoerotic whipping fantasies to the ring. Bring your false sense of security. Bring your buzzing enthusiasm and bring your Star Wars references because at the end of the day you could bring whatever you wanted down to the ring with you, it wouldn’t matter a jot because I will not be beaten by a man of your calibre. I have absolutely no intentions of leaving that ring as a loser because I have a higher purpose than jobbing to forgettable icons of inadequacy like you and I won’t let some no mark stand in my way. I am here to change things for the better, for too long men have scaled the greatest peaks of this company who do not deserve their success and the worship they garner. Too long has this company corruptly rewarded people who have no right to walk around with the achievements they enjoy, too long have people been able to earn their success by means other than pure talent and intelligence. So step in the way of the revolution if you like, formulate all your little solutions and jump around like a hyper active Marmoset, none of it will save you from what is to come.
They call you the Dreamer for a reason Williams, it is because you have ambitions beyond your station. You live in a world where what you want just isn’t realistic and no matter how hard you try you will never break out of the nightmare of your existence. You can tell yourself all you like that this weekend will be different, that you will beat me black and blue and finally be somebody more than a man completely incapable of retaining any level of success he achieves but when you wake up on Monday you’ll still be the former X-Division Champion, you’ll still have no wife and you’ll still be my bitch. Keep on telling yourself it isn’t so Todd, but the terrible thing about dreams I that eventually, you have got to wake up and come back to the real world and one day you’ll snap out of this coma and come to realise that everything you are is not good enough to be a success here in the nCw and if you truly want to make something or yourself you will have to leave the dreams behind and start making them a reality. Dreams are worthless unless you work to make them come true and the fact is Todd, whilst you concentrate on fulfilling your goals for everybody else but yourself you will never achieve them.
So buckle up, get yourself ready, because this Sunday I will finish this, one way or another. I just hope that if you survive our contest, you finally start to listen to what I have been telling you since day one. You are never going to amount to anything, whilst you keep living your life for the benefit of others. Wise up Todd, before you fade away and become nothing more than an afterthought for just about everybody on the roster. This is the end for you my friend, see you Sunday Todd.