Post by Will Washington on May 13, 2012 2:52:15 GMT -6
{We open our scene inside the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. There we see our favorite NCW wrestler, Will Washington, walking around the casino as if he’s looking for something. Eventually he throws his hands up as he finally spots his target.}
Will Washington: “There you are. What are you doing?”
{Our camera reveals Rick Jacobsen standing at the end of a Craps table, rolling the dice. The crowd gathered around cheers as he rolls seven. Will goes over to the table as Rick collects more chips.}
Will Washington: “You’re gambling now? What kind of message does that send to your daughter?”
{Rick continues to ignore Washington, as everyone places their bets. Rick rolls the dice and they come up with a two and a one. Rick drops his head as the crowd groans. Jacobsen starts to walk away from the table and towards the slot machines.}
Will Washington: “Nice job. The guy who was looking for a handout, is gambling it all away.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I never asked you for a handout. You gave me a job. End of story.”
{Rick sits down at a slot machine and loads in a quarter. He pulls the handle and has no luck.}
Will Washington: “So you don’t have very much money to start with, and now you’re wasting it?”
Rick Jacobsen: “That’s why it’s called gambling. I’m gambling on the fact that I’ll win big and never have to see your face ever again.”
Will Washington: “While I appreciate the sentiment, I do have to worry about your family. What will they think?”
Rick Jacobsen: “I was winning until you came around and ruined it. Just like you ruin everything else.”
Will Washington: “Oh yeah. I’m definitely ruining things for you Jacobsens. Putting money in your bank account and helping your brother get on the biggest show on the year. I should be jailed.”
{Rick pulls the lever again, and again wins nothing. As he loads in another quarter, Will reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet.}
Will Washington: “You’re seriously this desperate for money? How much do you need?”
Rick Jacobsen: “All I need is for you to go away so I can start winning again.”
Will Washington: “I’m so glad I’m not poor. This is just depressing.”
{Rick loses again, and in a show of frustration, he reaches out and smacks the side of the machine. It stops working correctly, so he stands up and moves across the casino floor to a Roulette table. He puts it all on black and the dealer gives the wheel a spin before dropping the ball in. It spins around and around before slowing down as the ball makes it’s way around. Finally it stops and skips over the nearest black number into a red one. Rick throws down his bucket of quarters and everyone looks at him in fear.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Why can’t everything just be like it was?! I worked my whole damn life to start my business, and it’s gone just like that! Now I’m stuck away from my family, working for some dickhead with a god complex!”
Will Washington: “Hey! I’m your boss! If you’re going to call me a dickhead, at least throw a ‘Mister’ before it.”
Rick Jacobsen: “*** damn it!”
{Casino security run over and get in front of Rick.}
Security Guard: “You have to leave. Now.”
{Rick starts to buck up to the much smaller security guards, but he decides it’s not worth the trouble. He drops to the ground and starts to pick up all of the coins he threw on the ground as security keeps a close eye on him. After gathering what he could, Rick Jacobsen storms off. Will opens his wallet again and pulls out some cash before handing it to the security guard.}
Will Washington: “That should take care of the broken slot machine and whatever else he broke.”
{Washington shoves his wallet back into his pocket before following in Rick’s path. He catches up to him outside the building.}
Will Washington: “You’re really racking up a tab buddy. First there was that kid you Powerbombed and nearly killed, now I have to pay off broken slot machines. Did you see the Avengers recently and get inspired by the Hulk?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Well it’s hard not to be pissed off with you around.”
Will Washington: “Is that a compliment?”
Rick Jacobsen: “No. No it’s not.”
{The two men stand there in silence as Rick tries to figure out where to go next.}
Will Washington: “You know something… You’ve got one heck of a mean streak. You really wrecked that slot machine. That took some serious strength.”
Rick Jacobsen: “It comes from working hard every day. We can’t all be trust fund babies.”
Will Washington: “True, but what has hard work gotten you? You Jacobsens are all the same.”
Rick Jacobsen: “People with values?”
Will Washington: “Values are for the weak. Wouldn’t life be a lot easier if you did what you wanted and didn’t care about the consequences?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Like you?”
Will Washington: “I was thinking more like Tony Stark, but I guess I could work as an example too.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Tony Stark?”
Will Washington: “Wow. You really haven’t seen the Avengers. Have you never heard of Iron Man?”
Rick Jacobsen: “The only Iron Man I know about is Bill Ferris from back home. He was the best blacksmith in town.”
Will Washington: “….”
{Our scene fades out with Washington looking at Rick Jacobsen with a flustered look.}
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“You got to me again, AJ. Congratulations. Somehow you outsmarted my idiot bodyguard and attacked me from behind for the second time in the last month. Am I supposed to be impressed by your ability to sneak attack someone? Does blindsiding the unsuspecting make you feel like more of a man? If it does, that’s fantastic. You’re falling into your very own trap you don’t even realize you’re setting up for yourself. Because pride comes before the fall, and you’re in for one hell of a fall.”
“You’re getting all of this bravado built up from this unprovoked attacks, and it’s starting to lead you to believe that you can actually beat me. Every time you manage to jump me from behind, you gain a little more self-confidence. You may think that you’re getting to me and becoming more hazardous to my health, but in reality, you’re only hurting yourself. You’re blinding yourself with thoughts of great battles not yet won, while overlooking the daunting task that lies ahead. I’m not the man to take lightly… I’m the man you hope for the best with and prepare for the worst. You may see stars in your eyes now, but on Sunday it won’t be stars you’re staring up at, but the harsh lights staring down at you as your shoulders are pinned to the mat yet again.”
“…And that’s the hardest thing you’ll ever have to see.”
“I came back to this company to try and make you a star and you resisted. For whatever reason you refuse to see the fact that you’ve just been spinning your wheels here for three long years. You firmly believe that you’re doing things the right way despite the fact that you’ve seen peer after peer pass you by, doing the same things that you refuse to do. You won’t kiss management’s ass, but you’ll kiss the ass of each and every fan that plants themselves in a chair to watch NCW TV every week. Why? Why do you insist on doing the ‘right’ thing when that has been proven to be the less option time after time?”
“…The door is open, but you just keep bumping into the wall.”
“And isn’t it ironic how I may actually be helping your career after all? All the while you’ve been claiming that I’m the lowest form of humanity… a cretin if you will… you’ve actually begun to show some signs of personality. Four months ago, would you have ever shown the aggression towards an opponent that you have lately? I don’t think so. I’ve lit a fire in you that we’ve never seen from Andrew Jacobsen before, and more importantly, I’ve given people a reason to care about you, AJ. How does it feel to finally matter for once? Good, I hope.”
“It really must be a special feeling to get a spot on the biggest Pay-Per-View of the year while the people who continually drag your name through the mud and treat you like dirt are bumped off completely. You get the prime position in the opening match of the night, while people like Alex Jones are relegated to wrestling on the pre-show. Now you can stand on the mountain above and laugh down at people of his ilk and say ‘I’m wrestling at A Night to Remember, and you’re not!’ It’s a minor victory, but it’s a victory nevertheless. Something you can hang your hat on and hold over their heads. You’ve got a spot on wrestling’s Super Bowl…”
“…And you have to share the credit with me.”
“The man you wouldn’t spit on if he was on fire is at least eighty percent of the reason you’re even on the card, and that eats you alive, doesn’t it? Your quest to bring me my comeuppance has only further benefited my career and made me look like even more of a star. I have no doubt I’d be wrestling on Sunday no matter what, but can you say the same thing? Without me you’d still be doing the same old crap with the same old people. Whether you see it or not, I’m saving you from yourself… saving you from your own mediocrity. Even with the loss you’ll inevitably suffer this weekend, you’ll still be able to say you made it on the biggest card of the year. You’re doing something many people never get the chance to do. As it’s name implies, this will certainly be a night to remember for you, AJ.”
“…It’ll be fun for the whole family.”
“That’s right Andrew. We still haven’t mentioned the elephant in the room, or rather, the brother at ringside… my ace in the hole. I know you AJ, and I know that more than anything else, your family comes first. You so desperately cling to any semblance of the typical American, loving family that you’ve seen in sitcoms and heartwarming made for TV movies. The stern yet forgiving father, the wholesome mother, the protective and fun-loving older brother, and the little brother who gets into a jam but always learns a lesson and comes out better for it. The perfect family… but things don’t always work out the way we want them to, do they? Your dad’s a pushover, your mom’s a slut, your brother’s a failure, and you’re some Frankenstein monster mish-mash of all those qualities. You let people walk all over you while you whore yourself out to the undeserving fans, and continually fail at everything you try. Charlie Brown never kicks the football, and Andrew Jacobsen never learns his lesson.”
“ARGH!”
“Because of all those things, and in spite of them, you still hold out hope that big brother will come through for you in the end and give you the extra boost you need to beat me. Well he may be your flesh and blood, but at the end of the day, money trumps all. Your brother’s business went under and I gave him the lifeline that he so desperately needed. Was it to get under your skin? Maybe a little. But it also gave me the opportunity to show some compassion and do something you could have done, but didn’t. You had the same opportunity to help your brother out, but for whatever reason, you failed to do so. Maybe you don’t respect him enough to help him in his time of need… maybe you’re just selfish. I don’t know. What I do know is that now Rick Jacobsen works for me. That means when push comes to shove, he’ll take you down if he has to.”
“…How’s that for brotherly love?”
“It’s the messed up world we live in, but I don’t make the rules… I exploit them. I’ll take each and every advantage I have to to get ahead in this world and that’s what separates me from you. It all comes back to the original point that started this whole damn thing. I’ll do whatever it takes to win, and you’ll only do whatever is on the up-and-up. I’m not doing anything anyone else wouldn’t do in my position, yet you look at me with disgust. Why? Why am I wrong for wanting to win more than anything else in this world? Because it’s not nice? You keep judging me and I’ll continue to seize every opportunity and we’ll see which of us gets further in this business. Eventually you have to stop and look at the grand scheme of things. If everyone except you is blazing past you on the road to greatness, maybe they’re not the ones that are wrong. Maybe it’s not the world or the system that’s wrong after all… maybe you’re the one that’s wrong.”
“No… that couldn’t be it. Could it?”
“You’ve done your best to shelter yourself from the virus that inhabits anyone who takes a path that conflicts with your ideologies, but this Sunday it all comes down on you. You’re looking dead in the eyes of everything you desperately try to steer clear of and it’s going to hit you like a freight train. There’s no running any more, and there will certainly be no sneak attacks. You take on everything you hate and you get another chance to silence me once and for all. For one night you get to dance on the biggest stage of them all with the biggest demon you’ve ever faced. With the lights on bright, will you wilt under the pressure or will you outshine them all? I think we both already know that answer…”
“See AJ… I know you’re a tough opponent and a heck of a wrestler, but I know I’ve got something you don’t have. I’ve got six foot six of lumberjack backing me up, and I’ve got the killer instinct that you so greatly lack. If you want to win this match, you better leave your conscience at the door or don’t come at all. Those kinds of things will only weigh you down.”
“This Sunday you’ll either have your star-making moment, or your glorious collapse. Where does someone who is already on the bottom, fall from there? I guess we’ll find out. You either play the game, or the game plays you.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
{We open back up a few hours later inside the empty arena where A Night to Remember will take place in less than a day. Inside the ring, Will grapples with an unnamed sparring partner as Rick Jacobsen sits outside the ring with an Iron Man mask in his hands.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Man…. The Avengers was insane. I can’t believe I didn’t know about those guys before.”
{Will tosses his sparring partner into the corner with an Irish Whip before turning to the outside to respond.}
Will Washington: “You didn’t have any comics or anything as a kid?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Andrew had some, but I never read them. I was always too busy.”
Will Washington: “Who are you kidding? You can’t read anyway.”
{Will laughs and sees his sparring partner approaching out of the corner of his eye. He sidesteps him and drops him to the mat with a Suplex.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Anyway… I’m not looking forward to the match this weekend. It’s never fun to see your little brother in pain.”
Will Washington: “You probably shouldn’t watch too closely then.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I don’t even know why I need to be out there anyway. I’m here to keep Andrew away from you, but if you’re wrestling him, what’s the point?”
Will Washington: “It’s psychological. You give me the mental edge.”
Rick Jacobsen: “…Great…”
Will Washington: “Plus, won’t you want to be there in case things get out of hand? You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your source of income would you?”
Rick Jacobsen: “You don’t pay me enough to put up with your crap.”
{Back in the ring, Washington slams his training partner’s head into the top turnbuckle before kicking him to the mat.}
Will Washington: “Speaking of which, I’ve decided to add a little incentive to the match this Sunday.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Oh really?”
Will Washington: “Indeed. I’ve decided that if I beat your brother, whether it be by pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout, you will get a pretty hefty bonus on your next paycheck.”
Rick Jacobsen: “So basically you’re trying to pay me to screw over my own flesh and blood?”
Will Washington: “No way. I know I can beat AJ on my own. It’s actually more like I’m paying you to make sure you don’t screw me over.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I’m not going to screw over anybody.”
Will Washington: “Yeah… I’ll believe it when I see it. Just remember that sizeable bonus if you even think about trying anything funny.”
{Will wrestles some more in the ring before dropping his opponent with a big Clothesline that nearly takes him out of his boots. He jumps down out of the ring and approaches his bodyguard while wiping some sweat with a towel.}
Will Washington: “You know something, Rick? You may be dumb and as strong as an ox, but you’re not a bad guy.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Well the same can’t be said of you.”
Will Washington: “Now I know that’s a compliment.”
{Will starts to walk off while smirking when he looks over and sees a familiar face.}
Will Washington: “What are you doing here?”
{Will’s fiancé is shown sitting in an empty seat.}
Kristen: “I came to watch your match.”
Will Washington: “You know I don’t like to put you through that.”
Kristen: “I’m here to support you. You need all of it that you can get.”
{Our hero walks over to meet the love of his life with a cautious approach. They haven’t been on the best terms recently.}
Will Washington: “Are you sure? You know I’m going to do some things you’re probably not going to like…”
Kristen: “I’m here for you no matter what. I need to start showing that. Just go out there and do what you do and just forget I’m in the crowd.”
Will Washington: “You’re the best.”
Kristen: “I know.”
{Our scene ends once and for all with the two in a hug embrace while Rick Jacobsen looks on with a half-smile.}
Will Washington: “There you are. What are you doing?”
{Our camera reveals Rick Jacobsen standing at the end of a Craps table, rolling the dice. The crowd gathered around cheers as he rolls seven. Will goes over to the table as Rick collects more chips.}
Will Washington: “You’re gambling now? What kind of message does that send to your daughter?”
{Rick continues to ignore Washington, as everyone places their bets. Rick rolls the dice and they come up with a two and a one. Rick drops his head as the crowd groans. Jacobsen starts to walk away from the table and towards the slot machines.}
Will Washington: “Nice job. The guy who was looking for a handout, is gambling it all away.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I never asked you for a handout. You gave me a job. End of story.”
{Rick sits down at a slot machine and loads in a quarter. He pulls the handle and has no luck.}
Will Washington: “So you don’t have very much money to start with, and now you’re wasting it?”
Rick Jacobsen: “That’s why it’s called gambling. I’m gambling on the fact that I’ll win big and never have to see your face ever again.”
Will Washington: “While I appreciate the sentiment, I do have to worry about your family. What will they think?”
Rick Jacobsen: “I was winning until you came around and ruined it. Just like you ruin everything else.”
Will Washington: “Oh yeah. I’m definitely ruining things for you Jacobsens. Putting money in your bank account and helping your brother get on the biggest show on the year. I should be jailed.”
{Rick pulls the lever again, and again wins nothing. As he loads in another quarter, Will reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet.}
Will Washington: “You’re seriously this desperate for money? How much do you need?”
Rick Jacobsen: “All I need is for you to go away so I can start winning again.”
Will Washington: “I’m so glad I’m not poor. This is just depressing.”
{Rick loses again, and in a show of frustration, he reaches out and smacks the side of the machine. It stops working correctly, so he stands up and moves across the casino floor to a Roulette table. He puts it all on black and the dealer gives the wheel a spin before dropping the ball in. It spins around and around before slowing down as the ball makes it’s way around. Finally it stops and skips over the nearest black number into a red one. Rick throws down his bucket of quarters and everyone looks at him in fear.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Why can’t everything just be like it was?! I worked my whole damn life to start my business, and it’s gone just like that! Now I’m stuck away from my family, working for some dickhead with a god complex!”
Will Washington: “Hey! I’m your boss! If you’re going to call me a dickhead, at least throw a ‘Mister’ before it.”
Rick Jacobsen: “*** damn it!”
{Casino security run over and get in front of Rick.}
Security Guard: “You have to leave. Now.”
{Rick starts to buck up to the much smaller security guards, but he decides it’s not worth the trouble. He drops to the ground and starts to pick up all of the coins he threw on the ground as security keeps a close eye on him. After gathering what he could, Rick Jacobsen storms off. Will opens his wallet again and pulls out some cash before handing it to the security guard.}
Will Washington: “That should take care of the broken slot machine and whatever else he broke.”
{Washington shoves his wallet back into his pocket before following in Rick’s path. He catches up to him outside the building.}
Will Washington: “You’re really racking up a tab buddy. First there was that kid you Powerbombed and nearly killed, now I have to pay off broken slot machines. Did you see the Avengers recently and get inspired by the Hulk?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Well it’s hard not to be pissed off with you around.”
Will Washington: “Is that a compliment?”
Rick Jacobsen: “No. No it’s not.”
{The two men stand there in silence as Rick tries to figure out where to go next.}
Will Washington: “You know something… You’ve got one heck of a mean streak. You really wrecked that slot machine. That took some serious strength.”
Rick Jacobsen: “It comes from working hard every day. We can’t all be trust fund babies.”
Will Washington: “True, but what has hard work gotten you? You Jacobsens are all the same.”
Rick Jacobsen: “People with values?”
Will Washington: “Values are for the weak. Wouldn’t life be a lot easier if you did what you wanted and didn’t care about the consequences?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Like you?”
Will Washington: “I was thinking more like Tony Stark, but I guess I could work as an example too.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Tony Stark?”
Will Washington: “Wow. You really haven’t seen the Avengers. Have you never heard of Iron Man?”
Rick Jacobsen: “The only Iron Man I know about is Bill Ferris from back home. He was the best blacksmith in town.”
Will Washington: “….”
{Our scene fades out with Washington looking at Rick Jacobsen with a flustered look.}
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“You got to me again, AJ. Congratulations. Somehow you outsmarted my idiot bodyguard and attacked me from behind for the second time in the last month. Am I supposed to be impressed by your ability to sneak attack someone? Does blindsiding the unsuspecting make you feel like more of a man? If it does, that’s fantastic. You’re falling into your very own trap you don’t even realize you’re setting up for yourself. Because pride comes before the fall, and you’re in for one hell of a fall.”
“You’re getting all of this bravado built up from this unprovoked attacks, and it’s starting to lead you to believe that you can actually beat me. Every time you manage to jump me from behind, you gain a little more self-confidence. You may think that you’re getting to me and becoming more hazardous to my health, but in reality, you’re only hurting yourself. You’re blinding yourself with thoughts of great battles not yet won, while overlooking the daunting task that lies ahead. I’m not the man to take lightly… I’m the man you hope for the best with and prepare for the worst. You may see stars in your eyes now, but on Sunday it won’t be stars you’re staring up at, but the harsh lights staring down at you as your shoulders are pinned to the mat yet again.”
“…And that’s the hardest thing you’ll ever have to see.”
“I came back to this company to try and make you a star and you resisted. For whatever reason you refuse to see the fact that you’ve just been spinning your wheels here for three long years. You firmly believe that you’re doing things the right way despite the fact that you’ve seen peer after peer pass you by, doing the same things that you refuse to do. You won’t kiss management’s ass, but you’ll kiss the ass of each and every fan that plants themselves in a chair to watch NCW TV every week. Why? Why do you insist on doing the ‘right’ thing when that has been proven to be the less option time after time?”
“…The door is open, but you just keep bumping into the wall.”
“And isn’t it ironic how I may actually be helping your career after all? All the while you’ve been claiming that I’m the lowest form of humanity… a cretin if you will… you’ve actually begun to show some signs of personality. Four months ago, would you have ever shown the aggression towards an opponent that you have lately? I don’t think so. I’ve lit a fire in you that we’ve never seen from Andrew Jacobsen before, and more importantly, I’ve given people a reason to care about you, AJ. How does it feel to finally matter for once? Good, I hope.”
“It really must be a special feeling to get a spot on the biggest Pay-Per-View of the year while the people who continually drag your name through the mud and treat you like dirt are bumped off completely. You get the prime position in the opening match of the night, while people like Alex Jones are relegated to wrestling on the pre-show. Now you can stand on the mountain above and laugh down at people of his ilk and say ‘I’m wrestling at A Night to Remember, and you’re not!’ It’s a minor victory, but it’s a victory nevertheless. Something you can hang your hat on and hold over their heads. You’ve got a spot on wrestling’s Super Bowl…”
“…And you have to share the credit with me.”
“The man you wouldn’t spit on if he was on fire is at least eighty percent of the reason you’re even on the card, and that eats you alive, doesn’t it? Your quest to bring me my comeuppance has only further benefited my career and made me look like even more of a star. I have no doubt I’d be wrestling on Sunday no matter what, but can you say the same thing? Without me you’d still be doing the same old crap with the same old people. Whether you see it or not, I’m saving you from yourself… saving you from your own mediocrity. Even with the loss you’ll inevitably suffer this weekend, you’ll still be able to say you made it on the biggest card of the year. You’re doing something many people never get the chance to do. As it’s name implies, this will certainly be a night to remember for you, AJ.”
“…It’ll be fun for the whole family.”
“That’s right Andrew. We still haven’t mentioned the elephant in the room, or rather, the brother at ringside… my ace in the hole. I know you AJ, and I know that more than anything else, your family comes first. You so desperately cling to any semblance of the typical American, loving family that you’ve seen in sitcoms and heartwarming made for TV movies. The stern yet forgiving father, the wholesome mother, the protective and fun-loving older brother, and the little brother who gets into a jam but always learns a lesson and comes out better for it. The perfect family… but things don’t always work out the way we want them to, do they? Your dad’s a pushover, your mom’s a slut, your brother’s a failure, and you’re some Frankenstein monster mish-mash of all those qualities. You let people walk all over you while you whore yourself out to the undeserving fans, and continually fail at everything you try. Charlie Brown never kicks the football, and Andrew Jacobsen never learns his lesson.”
“ARGH!”
“Because of all those things, and in spite of them, you still hold out hope that big brother will come through for you in the end and give you the extra boost you need to beat me. Well he may be your flesh and blood, but at the end of the day, money trumps all. Your brother’s business went under and I gave him the lifeline that he so desperately needed. Was it to get under your skin? Maybe a little. But it also gave me the opportunity to show some compassion and do something you could have done, but didn’t. You had the same opportunity to help your brother out, but for whatever reason, you failed to do so. Maybe you don’t respect him enough to help him in his time of need… maybe you’re just selfish. I don’t know. What I do know is that now Rick Jacobsen works for me. That means when push comes to shove, he’ll take you down if he has to.”
“…How’s that for brotherly love?”
“It’s the messed up world we live in, but I don’t make the rules… I exploit them. I’ll take each and every advantage I have to to get ahead in this world and that’s what separates me from you. It all comes back to the original point that started this whole damn thing. I’ll do whatever it takes to win, and you’ll only do whatever is on the up-and-up. I’m not doing anything anyone else wouldn’t do in my position, yet you look at me with disgust. Why? Why am I wrong for wanting to win more than anything else in this world? Because it’s not nice? You keep judging me and I’ll continue to seize every opportunity and we’ll see which of us gets further in this business. Eventually you have to stop and look at the grand scheme of things. If everyone except you is blazing past you on the road to greatness, maybe they’re not the ones that are wrong. Maybe it’s not the world or the system that’s wrong after all… maybe you’re the one that’s wrong.”
“No… that couldn’t be it. Could it?”
“You’ve done your best to shelter yourself from the virus that inhabits anyone who takes a path that conflicts with your ideologies, but this Sunday it all comes down on you. You’re looking dead in the eyes of everything you desperately try to steer clear of and it’s going to hit you like a freight train. There’s no running any more, and there will certainly be no sneak attacks. You take on everything you hate and you get another chance to silence me once and for all. For one night you get to dance on the biggest stage of them all with the biggest demon you’ve ever faced. With the lights on bright, will you wilt under the pressure or will you outshine them all? I think we both already know that answer…”
“See AJ… I know you’re a tough opponent and a heck of a wrestler, but I know I’ve got something you don’t have. I’ve got six foot six of lumberjack backing me up, and I’ve got the killer instinct that you so greatly lack. If you want to win this match, you better leave your conscience at the door or don’t come at all. Those kinds of things will only weigh you down.”
“This Sunday you’ll either have your star-making moment, or your glorious collapse. Where does someone who is already on the bottom, fall from there? I guess we’ll find out. You either play the game, or the game plays you.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
{We open back up a few hours later inside the empty arena where A Night to Remember will take place in less than a day. Inside the ring, Will grapples with an unnamed sparring partner as Rick Jacobsen sits outside the ring with an Iron Man mask in his hands.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Man…. The Avengers was insane. I can’t believe I didn’t know about those guys before.”
{Will tosses his sparring partner into the corner with an Irish Whip before turning to the outside to respond.}
Will Washington: “You didn’t have any comics or anything as a kid?”
Rick Jacobsen: “Andrew had some, but I never read them. I was always too busy.”
Will Washington: “Who are you kidding? You can’t read anyway.”
{Will laughs and sees his sparring partner approaching out of the corner of his eye. He sidesteps him and drops him to the mat with a Suplex.}
Rick Jacobsen: “Anyway… I’m not looking forward to the match this weekend. It’s never fun to see your little brother in pain.”
Will Washington: “You probably shouldn’t watch too closely then.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I don’t even know why I need to be out there anyway. I’m here to keep Andrew away from you, but if you’re wrestling him, what’s the point?”
Will Washington: “It’s psychological. You give me the mental edge.”
Rick Jacobsen: “…Great…”
Will Washington: “Plus, won’t you want to be there in case things get out of hand? You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your source of income would you?”
Rick Jacobsen: “You don’t pay me enough to put up with your crap.”
{Back in the ring, Washington slams his training partner’s head into the top turnbuckle before kicking him to the mat.}
Will Washington: “Speaking of which, I’ve decided to add a little incentive to the match this Sunday.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Oh really?”
Will Washington: “Indeed. I’ve decided that if I beat your brother, whether it be by pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout, you will get a pretty hefty bonus on your next paycheck.”
Rick Jacobsen: “So basically you’re trying to pay me to screw over my own flesh and blood?”
Will Washington: “No way. I know I can beat AJ on my own. It’s actually more like I’m paying you to make sure you don’t screw me over.”
Rick Jacobsen: “I’m not going to screw over anybody.”
Will Washington: “Yeah… I’ll believe it when I see it. Just remember that sizeable bonus if you even think about trying anything funny.”
{Will wrestles some more in the ring before dropping his opponent with a big Clothesline that nearly takes him out of his boots. He jumps down out of the ring and approaches his bodyguard while wiping some sweat with a towel.}
Will Washington: “You know something, Rick? You may be dumb and as strong as an ox, but you’re not a bad guy.”
Rick Jacobsen: “Well the same can’t be said of you.”
Will Washington: “Now I know that’s a compliment.”
{Will starts to walk off while smirking when he looks over and sees a familiar face.}
Will Washington: “What are you doing here?”
{Will’s fiancé is shown sitting in an empty seat.}
Kristen: “I came to watch your match.”
Will Washington: “You know I don’t like to put you through that.”
Kristen: “I’m here to support you. You need all of it that you can get.”
{Our hero walks over to meet the love of his life with a cautious approach. They haven’t been on the best terms recently.}
Will Washington: “Are you sure? You know I’m going to do some things you’re probably not going to like…”
Kristen: “I’m here for you no matter what. I need to start showing that. Just go out there and do what you do and just forget I’m in the crowd.”
Will Washington: “You’re the best.”
Kristen: “I know.”
{Our scene ends once and for all with the two in a hug embrace while Rick Jacobsen looks on with a half-smile.}
