Post by Will Washington on Mar 10, 2013 5:39:55 GMT -6
"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." - Kahlil Gibran
"Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock."
"You hear that, Verona? That ticking sound that just won't quit? That thumping in your chest that's beating just a little too loudly? It's probably a feeling you're not acquainted with, but you're slowly becoming used to it. It's starting to feel like the norm for you... you're beginning to accept it."
"...It's called fear."
"I know you don't fear me, do you? No. You're far too stubborn for that. You've managed to tell yourself that I'm no threat to you. You see me as any other challenger... no better or worse than Mike Laszlo. At least that's what you'd have us believe. You're putting on your bravest face and showing the world that I'm nothing compared to you.... but that's not what your heart says, does it, Robbie?"
"Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock."
"You can lie to the world, but you can't lie to yourself. No matter how hard you may try, when it comes right down to it, you know that time is running out for you. In your eyes I'm nothing more than the next man to fall at your feet, but in your heart... you know that I'm the one who is going to take that belt. You pretend it not to be true, but you know there's just something different about me. The other men you've faced have had some fatal flaw for you to exploit through mind games or in the ring, but me? Well... we both know I'm a different breed."
"And that's what scares you more than anything. The fact that you can't get into my head... the fact that you can't outwrestle me. I'm too smart, and frankly too damn good to fall into the same classic traps you've set before. You put Xander Famularo under your thumb and Andrew Jacobsen under your boot heel, and yet I am not so easy to figure out. So you sit high atop your throne and claim that I don't matter at all."
"The heart beats... the clock ticks.... so loud that you can't hear my footsteps as I pass you by."
"It's not like I didn't warn you either, Roberto. For months I've been making my charge towards the top, and you sat there with your fingers in your ears pretending like not listening would make it go away. You counted on your so-called 'empire' to protect you and make sure I'd never see the glimmer of gold. I overcame your politics, your muscle, and Nathan Webb to get to where I am. I yelled, screamed, and fought every step of the way, and still you call me unworthy. Well, Verona... you won't be able to ignore me any longer."
"Tick...."
"....Tock."
"The seconds are winding down. With every pendulum swing you get closer and closer to meeting your worst fears. That empire you've so beautifully built to protect you? It's nothing more than a house of cards... and with one swift blow... your whole world will come crashing down. Everything you've erected in your perfect kingdom will fall and amount to nothing more than a pile of rubble and crushed dreams. The remnants of a once great wrestler, warped by his own self-delusion."
"I promised to save NCW... but who will save you?"
"Kelly? Ace? Xander? They've tried. They failed. There's nothing left to protect you from your fate now, champ. Sunday, it comes down to just you and I. Champion versus challenger... 'King of the World' versus his greatest challenge. As you stand across from me in that ring and the realization finally sets in... and your heart rises up into your throat... the sound will be deafening. Maddening, even. But worry not, Roberto... you won't have to suffer through it for much longer."
"Because when I pin your shoulders to the mat and the clock strikes midnight on your title reign... it will all go away. All of the pressure, all of the fear will disappear, and you'll wake up on Monday at piece, knowing that NCW has been saved, and you can go back to doing what you do best...."
".... rebuilding an empire."
".... and watching it fall."
__________________________________________________________________________________
{The scene opens up inside the Crossroads arena, the night before the show is scheduled to take place. Only a few lights are on in the arena, but from an overhead shot, we see a hooded figure sitting down in the ring. We zoom down and see Will Washington, stone-faced, looking out across the empty sea of chairs. Deep in thought, he scans the arena and seems to soak it all in. Suddenly, he hears a friendly voice from across the way.}
Xavier Cross: "Is that future World Champion, Will Washington?"
{Will turns his head and sees his friend coming down the entrance ramp.}
Xavier Cross: "By god, I think it is!"
{Cross walks up the steps and onto the ring apron. Will stands up to greet his friend with a bro handshake.}
Will Washington: "Cross, my man. I appreciate you coming down here."
Xavier Cross: "No problem. You know I'm always around for a friend. But I do have to ask why I'm here?"
{Will grabs the top rope and looks over at it, tugging it towards himself, getting a feel for the ring.}
Will Washington: "I've just been under a lot of stress lately, and I thought a little friendly advice from the great Xavier Cross could be some help."
Xavier Cross: "I am a fountain of knowledge. Especially if you need to know something about My Little Pony. The kids watch that show non-stop."
Will Washington: "Yeah... the kids..."
Xavier Cross: "Hey! It's well-written."
Will Washington: ".... anyway. I've got the big match against Verona this weekend, and I know I'm going to have to be on my game if I want to beat him."
Xavier Cross: "I don't think you're going to have to worry about that, Will. You've been killing it lately. How many other guys can say they pinned Verona, Xander, and Webb all in one month?"
Will Washington: "Probably not many."
Xavier Cross: "Right. So what's there to think about? Just go out there and do what you've been doing for the last month or so. Kick his ass and take his title."
Will Washington: "If only it were that easy. You know the spector of Kelly and Xander is going to be looming over the match the whole time. I'm going to have to constantly watch my back to make sure nobody is trying to screw me."
Xavier Cross: "... I'm not touching that one."
{Cross laughs.}
Will Washington: "Oh come on. A gay joke? What are you? Rob Diamond? Lex Sense every time I ever wrestled him?"
Xavier Cross: "Touche. So what's the problem? You want me to come to ringside to have your back?"
{Will paces around the ring, throwing downward punches as he steps.}
Will Washington: "Nah. It's not that."
Xavier Cross: "Then what are you thinking?"
Will Washington: "I'm thinking back to a time a few years ago when you and I wrestled at Mind Games to be Number One Contender."
Xavier Cross: "Don't remind me of that match. My back still hasn't fully recovered from that."
Will Washington: "Exactly. You and I put each other through hell that night... almost literally, considering we went through the ring. We wanted to kill each other, and I haven't hated anyone that much since."
Xavier Cross: "Same here."
Will Washington: "So I'm thinking about that match and how I felt that night... and I feel like I need to tap back into that for Sunday. I need to hate Roberto Verona more than I ever hated anyone."
Xavier Cross: "It's not a bad idea. Has Verona been fooling around with your fiance? I know that's a good way to make a guy hate you..."
{Will laughs and feels badly at the same time.}
Will Washington: "Fortunately, no."
{Washington walks over to the corner and smacks the top turnbuckle. He then kicks the second and bottom turnbuckles, as well as the bottom rope.}
Will Washington: "I want to beat the guy so badly and finally get that title around my waist... but I don't hate him yet. I want his belt, but I don't want him dead... and I need to want that. I need that no mercy attitude."
Xavier Cross: "That shouldn't be hard."
{Cross walks over to Will and puts his arm around him.}
Xavier Cross: "I think the key is to look at Roberto, and think about all of the injustices of the past. Think about how much you hated me during our feud. Think about Angel ruining your A Night to Remember star-making moment. Think about being constantly overlooked and disrespected by NCW management."
Will Washington: "Verona is pretty much the face of all that's wrong in this world. He's greedy, arrogant, and self-righteous."
Xavier Cross: "Reminds me of a young Will Washington..."
{Washington heads over to the corner and climbs to the second turnbuckle, sitting down on the top rope.}
Will Washington: "That does sound like me, doesn't it?"
Xavier Cross: "Maybe you don't hate him, because it means you'd have to hate yourself from a few years ago."
Will Washington: "Who could hate that guy? He had all the talent in the world and hadn't been a victim of the system yet. He was awesome."
Xavier Cross: "But you're not that same person anymore, right?"
Will Washington: "No. I'm much smarter now."
Xavier Cross: "So how about the fact that you've grown in those years, and Roberto Verona is still that same jackass that you once were? He's comfortable being ignorant, and you've grown."
Will Washington: "... Maybe that's why I can't hate him. Because I have grown since then."
{Will has his eureka moment.}
Xavier Cross: "I think you just solved you mystery there, bro. You don't have to hate Verona to want to win. You want to win, because you'll be World Champion. You want to win because it will prove Verona, and people of his ilk, wrong."
Will Washington: "I do. I want to win more than anything in this world. I want to shut Roberto up... I want to make this place great again. I'm so sick and *** damn tired of watching it go to hell so we can support the agendas of Kelly Fox and whoever her hand-picked charge is that month."
{Washington jumps down off of the turnbuckle and is getting fired up.}
Will Washington: "I want to win the World Championship, and finally write my legacy here, instead of letting everyone else try and dictate it. I want to win because I've been called a 'choker' one too many times, and I feel like I'm going to snap on the next person who does it and actually choke the life out of them...."
Xavier Cross: "Calm down. Good grief."
Will Washington: "This match is the biggest of my life, and you've helped me realize that I don't need to be the old me to win it. The new me is more than ticked off enough to do the job."
Xavier Cross: "And why are you going to win on Sunday?"
Will Washington: "Because I have to."
{Cross says while extending his hand.}
Xavier Cross: "You bring half of what you brought at Mind Games to Crossroads on Sunday, and you'll be World Champion. I guarantee it."
{Will shakes his friend's hand with extra energy. The fire and will to win on Sunday is rushing through his veins.}
Will Washington: "Hey. Since you're here anyway, you want to spar a little? Assuming you're not completely rusty, that is."
Xavier Cross: "Just take it easy. It's no cake-walk coaching RARO soccer with a broken rib."
{The two men circle around the ring, preparing to have an impromptu match.}
Xavier Cross: "You know what's funny? You spent all this time trying to get a title match, and I've still got that guaranteed one from 2010. All you had to do was ask, and you could have had it."
{Washington's eyes widen as he becomes frustrated, having realized the missed opportunity.}
Will Washington: "... Well... it may have taken longer than it should have, but on Sunday, I will win that championship. And unlike Verona, I can say I did it all on my own."
Xavier Cross: "That's the mark of a true champion... Or something inspirational like that."
{Fade out.}
__________________________________________________________________________________
"This isn't a game to me, Roberto. This isn't a power-play on my end. I'm not trying to steal your spot as an alleged 'king' in NCW. This is about me finally achieving what I've set out to do since day one. I have been chasing that World Championship for three years. THREE YEARS. And for me to have come so close so early, and to have had to wait so long ever since... it's only survived to feed into my hunger. It's made me obsess over getting that gold in my hands."
"... and you better believe that once I get it, I'm never letting go."
"It hasn't been easy, but what ever is? I've had to sit and watch as people like Andrew Jacobsen and Charlie Velez won the title, and I waded around in the shallow end of the pool. Wrestler after wrestler achieved their dreams and I was left to ask 'Why not me?' I let other people control my destiny, and I let other people tell me what I deserved. Then, when I was at home with an injury, I saw Roberto Verona win the title and I thought to myself; 'Hey. He deserves it.' I told myself that you were the man who was going to turn the ship around."
"... boy was I wrong."
"You became everything that's wrong with professional wrestling. You became the guy who let everyone fight his battles for him, and never gets his hands dirty. The man who would be a revolution, became a tyrant. You went from conquering hero to sniveling weasel at the drop of a hat."
"So I came back. More determined than ever to save this company from people like you and every other power-hungry scumbag who thinks the world should bow to him. I took my destiny into my own hands and I forced Kelly Fox to take notice and give me my opportunity."
"See, Roberto... I don't want it all. I just want what's mine."
"That World Championship? That isn't your's anymore. You don't deserve it. The champion of NCW represents every single person behind that curtain, and everyone in the stands... and you don't do that anymore. You stand for tyranny and the iron fist. People like you and Kelly... you don't give a damn about anyone else."
"... well... I don't either."
"But what I do care about is New Championship Wrestling... and you? You're destroying that title and this company every day you've got that title around your waist. You make it all more and more meaningless as you use politics and claim that it's for the good of these people. You sold your soul to the devil to be champion, and now you've got nothing left to give."
"I've got hope on my side, Verona... I've got change in my hands. I promised to save this place from you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"... But change has it's own rewards, doesn't it? NCW gets a champion that it can actually be proud of, and I get to finally be on top of the mountain. Win - win. You've been champion for a while now, Robbie... but all it takes is three seconds for it all to go away. ONE. TWO. THREE. and everything changes."
"... the world changes."
"I've been chasing this for a long time. I've had my ups, and I've had my downs. I've been beaten and I've been the one dishing them out. The journey has been a difficult one, but on Sunday, it's all there for the taking. The scars will never fade, but neither will my burning desire. All the blood... all the sweat... all of the lost friends and broken relationships will all be worth it. Because for at least one night... one minute even... I will be your champion, and my dreams will come true. Every single disappointment has led me to this moment, and I'll be damned if I'd trade it away."
"... and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you take it from me."
"... I've never wanted anything more."