The King of Hearts

[Joe Everyman]

All of the time we've lost
All of the love we gave
And now these hands are tied
I can't help thinking
That I was in a daze

It's finally come to this. One final showdown to put this to rest. Two months ago, I needed to take some time away from this place to rest up, mentally and physically. And yet, here I stand, still doing what I do best. So, Will... I guess I should thank you. You helped me realize that my no days off attitude I've clung to over the past year will always pay off. You helped me realize I can stick around and still succeed. And now, I get to repay you for it. I get to repay you the pain and torment you caused me for the past two months. You attacked me, personally, in the ring and backstage. You took every single shot you could at me. And now... it's time for revenge. I know that word it thrown around here a lot, but for me... it's honestly new. I've claimed revenge before, but I've never truly been able to capitalize on it. But now, I can. I have more riding on this than people realize. I know that nobody will care... but I've got my career riding on this match. If I lose, I will be lost. If I lose, I won't know where my future will lead. If I lose... I may just lose it all. I hope it doesn't get to that point. But just to be safe, I will win. I will do something that so few have done in the past; defeat Will Washington on the big stage.

The scene slowly opens up inside of the Joe Everyman locker room in the back of the Izod Center in New Jersey. Joe is laying on the couch with Aurora sitting up on his stomach, watching the television they have set up in the room. After a few moments, Melanie walks into the room and tries to be as quiet as she can be. She slowly walks over to the couch, lifts up Joe's legs and sits under them, putting them up on her lap. She then smiles at Aurora.

Melanie Brooks: Are you enjoying yourself?

Aurora nods, not breaking her concentration from the television. After a few moments, Joe tries to roll onto his side on the couch, but feels a snag and wakes up, looking down the couch.

Joe Everyman: Oh... hey guys. Sorry for falling asleep on you two.

Melanie Brooks: It's alright. You look awfully tired.

Joe Everyman: I am. I've been putting a lot of work into my match this week.

Melanie Brooks: I can tell. But that hard work won't go to waste, I'm sure of it.

Joe Everyman: Thank you, Mel. You, uh... you think I'm going to win, right?

Melanie kind of looks away from Joe.

Joe Everyman: Melanie?

Melanie Brooks: Huh, what?

Joe Everyman: You think I'm going to win, right?

Melanie Brooks: I... uh...

Joe Everyman: What?

Melanie Brooks: I... don't know.

Joe Everyman: You don't know?!

Melanie tries to look away again, but instead looks back at Joe.

Melanie Brooks: Well... look at it from my prospective, ok? Will almost never loses. He's amazing in the ring. He can always get into the head of an opponent-

Joe Everyman: But not mine.

Melanie Brooks: Hasn't he, though? You haven't been the same person the last few months. I know he's gotten in there. I've tried to take your mind off of it the best I could, but it's hard sometimes. I know he's in there. And I think you know how hard it is to get him out.

Joe Everyman: But...

Melanie Brooks: I'm only telling the truth. Or, I could just list your accomplishments and praise you.

Joe Everyman: That would be nice sometimes.

Melanie Brooks: I will, any other time. But not this time. I need to lay the truths down so you can truly prepare. Is that ok?

Joe Everyman: Yeah, I need to hear it sooner or later.

Melanie Brooks: You need to train and practice hard to beat Will. You need to watch tape, watch whatever you need to get his movements down. But most of all, you need to get back into his head. You most likely can't win this match on skill alone. You need to get into his head and truly tare him down. Can you do that?

Joe Everyman: Yeah... of course I can.

Melanie Brooks: Can you truly do it?

Joe Everyman: Yeah, I know I can.

Melanie Brooks: Good. You need that confidence if you're going to get close to beating Will.

Joe Everyman: Thank you, Melanie. This has been... eye opening.

Melanie Brooks: It had to be said. I didn't want to be your ex-wife, after all.

Joe Everyman: Thank god for that. But, I need to get out of here for a little while. Can you watch over Aurora?

Melanie Brooks: Yeah, of course. Where are you going?

Joe Everyman: I just need to go for a drive. I'll be back in a couple hours.

Joe then lifts Aurora off of her stomach and hands her to Melanie as he assembles his things and walks out of the room in a haste.

Aurora Everyman: Is daddy ok?

Melanie Brooks: I sure hope so.

Melanie sighs slightly as the scene slowly fades to black.

It's almost time, Will. And to think, we're almost the main event of Battle Grounds, too. Maybe we're both getting the recognition we deserve. As much as I hate you, Will... I still have to respect you. You are one of the best this company has ever seen. You should and could have been a multi-time World Champion by now. But instead, you let it all slip away and never capitalized on any of it. You just fell into mediocrity. You fell back down the proverbial ladder, back down to the bottom.

Now, if people are confused... no, I did not just describe myself. Will Washington fits my "mold" more than I do. He did the same as me, but actually did it. I could bounce back and work my way up the ladder some without getting knocked back down, unlike Will. He would get knocked off and stay down there for a long time. He tried picking his spots, but in the end, he would lose and fall down harder than anyone else ever would. Even during my biggest losses, I wouldn't fall as far as he would. I kept digging and kept fighting. I wouldn't give up and slip into the shadows like he would. And if I don't come out on top this Sunday night... that's what I will have to do again.

If I lose this match, it will be a big blow to the... well, everything. Ego, pride, career, everything. But, even if I do lose, I will have to come out swinging. I will have to strive forward and hope to gain a spot into the Road to the Gold tournament. Because Will has taught me something that I had put away a while ago. He taught me that wins do mean everything in this company. Without wins, you can't get anywhere. You can't win titles. You can't go down in history as one of the greats. And if I am going to, I will need to beat Will. But more so than that, I need to find that will to win again deep from inside of me. I need to return to that man who everyone said could do anything in this company. I need to go back to the man that even the Will Washington of old would have be proud of. Instead of this... whatever I am, now. I just hope the current me can beat Will. Because if I can't, a gigantic overhaul will be needed.

When I wanted to take my break, it was for more mental rest than physical. I needed some time away to appreciate what I could do in the ring. But instead, I was dragged back in. But during that time, I realized what I needed to do. I just haven't executed it yet. I need a big push to get my ball rolling again. And beating Will Washington, literally burying him alive... yeah, that would do it. This match, Will... it's the best description of our feud either of us could have come up with. We just want to bury the other. We want to put the other down and stomp all over them as we propel ourselves forward. And now, we finally get our chance to do that. Over the past few years, we have hated each other, Will. It's as simple as that. I've hated you and you've hated me. There's no sugar coating it. There's no use in it. And now, finally... we get that big chance. We get to fight one another in what should be our final bout in this little scuffle. And win or loss... I will come out a better man.

I have the skills. I have the drive. And I have the heart. I have what it takes to succeed in this match. You... well, Will, you do not. You can try and try your heart out, but at the end of the day, you will not be able to capitalize. You are more like my former self than I was. You embody the old Joe Everyman more than anyone in the history of this company. And the thing is... you always did. Way back when, I tried to fight off those shadows and get ahead of them into the light. I did not realize back then that I could pass it on to someone. Had I known that, I would have given it to you way sooner. Because at the end of our match, when I stand tall... I will know that the old me is finally gone. It will have moved on like a virus and dug itself into you. I will be able to take a sigh of relief and move on. And I will be able to finally be happy, because that old me will finally be dead and gone. I will not listen to a single person who doubts me in this endeavor, because I've heard it thousands of times before. Every single opponent that I've ever had has taken their time to list my faults and my failures. But after this Sunday, they will be irreverent. I will be a new man.

I know Will will dispute this, because that is what he does. But deep down, he will know I speak the truth. Deep down, he will know he is afraid. He can lay down his cocky exterior act he always puts on as thick as maple syrup, but I will not fall for it. I've fallen for those traps through my entire career, and I will never fall for them again. I know how Will actually is. He is just a scared little child trying to find a way out. He tries to pick on the kid who he thinks is weaker and smaller. It's been his goal his entire time here. And he still thought, after all this time that I was one of the weaker kids. No... that's where you're wrong, Will. I'm not a pushover anymore. I cannot be bullied around anymore. I will fight back. I will... well, bury you.

It's almost time, Will. Judgement day will begin and end at Battle Grounds. Our final battle approaches. I've been waiting for this fight for months... but even then, it's been longer. I've been waiting for this fight for years. Our little rivalry started a long time, and now... we can finally end it. We won't come out of this as friends. We won't come out of this as equals. We will not come out of this the same. One of us will come out tired, dazed and broken. Where as the other will come out golden, victorious and everlasting. This match holds that much riding on it. I will not fail. I can not fail. There is too much on the line. You can build up your walls and craft your defenses like you always do, Will... but deep down, you know I'm telling the truth. You will say this ending of this match won't matter that much in the grand scheme of our careers. And if you do, everyone will know it's a lie. This is our biggest match to date. The winner moves on as a champion in their own right. The loser... buried alive. I have too much riding on this match to fail. But I know in my heart that I will win. I will make everyone proud. I will make my fans and family proud for sticking with me for this long. Because in a big match situation... nobody is more dangerous than me. The fans know it. My friends know it. The guys and gals in the back know it. But most of all... you know it, Will. You know that deep down, you have already lost this match. And deep down... I have already won. Soon, I will be able to prove to the world that I am right. Will Washington, it ends tomorrow night. One of us will triumph, and one of us will die in the battlefield. One will succeed... and the other will be buried. In the end... my heart will triumph over yours.

I was losing my place
I was screaming out at everything
Waiting for the walls to come down
Before my moment starts of fade
But everything that's perfect falls away