Post by Will Washington on Mar 16, 2013 21:19:16 GMT -6
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." - Anatole France
{Our scene opens up backstage, shortly after Crossroads went off the air. Will Washington grabs his rolling suitcase and puts on his Red Sox cap before heading out of the lockerroom. He walks solemnly through the halls with his head down. As he walks, he spots his fiance waiting for him patiently. He walks up and she puts her arms around him.}
Kristen: "Oh, Will. I'm so sorry you didn't win. That jerkass Verona cheated!"
Will Washington: "It's my fault. I should have seen it coming."
Kristen: "No. It's not your fault. The referee should have disqualified him. Or at least Kelly could have restarted the match... but no. She's in Roberto's back pocket."
Will Washington: "Yeah it sucks, but what can I do?"
{The two break their embrace and start to walk slowly toward the parking garage.}
Kristen: "Wow. You're handling this much better than I thought you would. I thought for sure you'd be throwing a fit."
Will Washington: "Yes, I'm pretty ticked off, but what good does complaining do? I'm going to get another shot at Verona."
Kristen: "You really think they'll let you wrestle for the title again? They tried everything to keep you from getting it this time."
Will Washington: "Kris... there's nothing they can do to keep me away from that belt. You should know better than anyone that when I want something, I go out and get it. I mean... remember how much convincing it took for you to agree to a date?"
Kristen: "Oh I remember. You're a persuasive fellow, Will Washington. You're the first guy who ever tried to take me to Italy for a first date."
Will Washington: "Yeah... I may have overdone it there."
Kristen: "So you won me over, but how are you planning on convincing them to give you another shot? Play the 'I'm your child's godfather' routine with Kelly and Adam? Take Roberto out for a seafood dinner?"
Will Washington: "I'm going to do whatever it takes. I can't afford to give them the chance to pick anyone else. Plus, I feel like the fans are getting behind me now. So I've got the momentum in my favor."
Kristen: "Well I hope you can get another chance. Nobody deserves it more than you."
{As the two walk into the parking garage, Will looks over and sees Andrew Jacobsen putting his luggage in the back of his 1996 Ford Fiesta. The two lock eyes and have a brief staredown. Will nods to the man and Jacobsen returns to packing up his Fiesta. Washington and his future wife continue a few steps, before Kristen stops him again.}
Kristen: "Will. Before we get to the car, I need to tell you something."
Will Washington: "Tell me something? You're not pregnant are you?"
{Kristen pushes his arm half-jokingly.}
Kristen: "No! No. It's just... I thought for sure you'd win tonight, so I.... may have set up a surprise for you."
Will Washington: "... what surprise?"
Kristen: "Don't get mad, but I may have had your family flown in to celebrate.... and they may still not know that you lost..."
Will Washington: "Oh no. They're here in the parking lot arent' they? They're going to jump out and think they're surprising the new World Champion..."
Kristen: "Yeah. I thought I should warn you. I'm so sorry."
{She turns towards some cars parked near Will's rental.}
Kristen: "Come on out everybody!"
{With that, Will's mother, father, sister, and protege, Rocky all appear and yell.}
Group: "CONGRATULATIONS!"
{Will whispers.}
Will Washington: "Oh god."
Kristen: "Guys... he didn't win. He got cheated."
{Will's sister, Tori, quickly speaks up.}
Tori Washington: "Well... uh... You'll get 'em next time!"
Rocky Kingman: "Yeah, bro. Next time!"
{Tori hugs Will as his parents look on.}
Will Washington: "Hey. It's just one match. I'm just happy to see all of you."
{He looks over at his parents.}
Will Washington: "I really am."
{Will walks up to his parents and gives his father a firm handshake as his mother starts to tear up. Our scene ends with Kristen quickly hiding a 'Congratulations, Champ!' cake while Will is distracted.}
________________________________________________________________________________
"Where's my justice?"
"That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think back to Crossroads. I had Roberto Verona's championship life in my hands, and he low-blowed me to save it. Normally I'd say, 'Whatever.' Cheating has never bothered me, and I know I'm not above doing it myself. No. My problem is the obvious instance of a double standard here in NCW."
"All you have to do is look back at a few weeks ago when I pulled the same move on Verona. I did the same exact thing he did on Sunday, and what happened to me? I was disqualified. I had my win over Roberto stripped away from me, and yet when he does the same thing to me, he's rewarded for it. It's becoming increasingly clear to me that there's no justice here. The only way you're ever going to get a fair shake is to play by Kelly Fox's rules... something I'm sick and tired of trying to do."
"That's all I've been trying to do lately. I jumped through your hoops and over your hurdles. I had to battle with Nathan Webb for a month just to finally get a shot that I should have had years ago, and even then I got screwed. I do everything that gets asked of me and still it's never enough. Now everybody's expecting me to fall to the back of the line like a good little soldier, all because the one opportunity I was 'given' has been used up."
"Think again."
"It's not over between us, Roberto. Not even close. No matter how much you wish it were, and how quickly Kelly will move to push me down... I won't be kept back. Not anymore. You pinned me at Crossroads, Verona. You did. And I pinned you a few weeks ago on Collision, so in my mind, we're tied up. I know that all I need is one more chance... one more match and I'll put you down once and for all. I'm not sitting back and waiting for another number one contender's match, and I'm not waiting for Kelly and Roberto to 'give' me anything. I'm going to kick down the front door and take what's mine."
"... I'm not giving you a choice."
"All the while I've had my singular focus placed squarely upon winning the World Championship. I've been so blinded by my burning desire for gold that I've managed to miss the fact that I'm becoming someone I'm not proud of. I came back here last year in order to try and make a difference, yet my attention quickly turned away from the goal at hand and I became a man obsessed. I want nothing more than to finally win that World Title and stake my claim as champion, but at what costs?"
"What price will I pay?"
"I'd trade it all away to win that title, but my sanity is the one thing I can't stand to lose. It's slowly being chipped away at each week I'm forced play into Roberto Verona's games. I'm dropping down to his level instead of bringing him up to mine... I'm being the guiding light I was born to be... I'm chasing him right into a sea of darkness."
"The fact of the matter is that I'm finally growing up. I'm getting married soon, I'm on the second half of my twenties, and I've come to realize that I'm not the same man I was a few years ago. The angry young man who started out here isn't the man you see in front of you today. I'm not in this for revenge or to lash out against my past. The demons are still there, but at some point, you stop trying to fight them and learn to live with them. It's time to stop pretending to be the monster I see myself as, and start being the man that I am."
"Which brings me to my opponent this weekend, Andrew Jacobsen. I put you through hell last year, AJ. I toyed with your mind and used your brother as a pawn, all in the name of 'helping' you. I told the world that you were inferior to me in every way possible... and hell... that might be true. I certainly think I'm a better wrestler than you, but a better man? Probably not."
"I did my best to break you down, and you fought me every step of the way. I physically and emotionally ripped you to shreds, but you still came out of it the same as you ever were. I can insult your personality... or lack thereof... but fortitude? You've got it in spades. In the face of mounting adversity, you stood steadfast and overcame."
"... and maybe that's why I targeted you in the first place."
"Call it jealousy... call it envy... but the one thing about you that I always admired was your ability to let it all slide off your back. While people like Alex Jones have made a career out of hurling juvenile insults your way, you were always able to ignore the world. You set your path a long time ago and you stood true to it. When things got hard for me, I'd always find a way to get around it. You? You faced it head on. Despite my insistence of change and the constant mocking of others, you never changed."
"... and it made me hate you."
"I mean... look at how it all turned out for us. I embarrassed you for most of 2012, and where has it gotten me? I'm in the same position I've always been: the greatest to have never done it. You? You won that World Championship. You lived my dream, and I'm still chasing it. I tried to change you... the world tried to change you. And in the end, you got the last laugh, because I'm the one who ended up changing."
"I told you to be more like Roberto Verona... I told you to do whatever it took to be champion... to break every rule. You sat there as I told you how you'd never make it and everyone would pass you by, and you proved me wrong. You proved to me that guys like you and I? We're the backbone of NCW. Mike Laszlos and Xander Famularos come and go, but guys like us... we're forever. Without Andrew Jacobsen, there would be no Roberto Verona. Without people like us, there would be no NCW for us to call home."
"And yet, here we are again. Our careers have been connected since the first day you showed your face around New Championship Wrestling. I was your first challenge. Our first match put you on the map and you've been there ever since. We spent all last year battling each other, but none of those matches mean as much as that first Submission Match in December 2009. Because even though we've wrestled on grander stages with bigger stakes, that match was all about two guys trying to make their name. It wasn't about politics or posturing. It was about giving your best and being your best."
"There's nothing left to prove between us, Jacobsen. I've beaten you time and time again, and I know that you're still going to keep coming back. I respect that. But you have to realize that I've got a higher goal calling my name, and right now, you're in the way. I expect you to leave it all in the ring, but know that it's still not going to be enough. I'm not the man I was in 2012... I'm better. I was right there at the top of the mountain on Sunday, and I'm not about to let you, Verona, or anyone else knock me back down."
"I won't apologize for what I've done, but know that there is remorse. For Verona, I have none."
{Our scene opens up backstage, shortly after Crossroads went off the air. Will Washington grabs his rolling suitcase and puts on his Red Sox cap before heading out of the lockerroom. He walks solemnly through the halls with his head down. As he walks, he spots his fiance waiting for him patiently. He walks up and she puts her arms around him.}
Kristen: "Oh, Will. I'm so sorry you didn't win. That jerkass Verona cheated!"
Will Washington: "It's my fault. I should have seen it coming."
Kristen: "No. It's not your fault. The referee should have disqualified him. Or at least Kelly could have restarted the match... but no. She's in Roberto's back pocket."
Will Washington: "Yeah it sucks, but what can I do?"
{The two break their embrace and start to walk slowly toward the parking garage.}
Kristen: "Wow. You're handling this much better than I thought you would. I thought for sure you'd be throwing a fit."
Will Washington: "Yes, I'm pretty ticked off, but what good does complaining do? I'm going to get another shot at Verona."
Kristen: "You really think they'll let you wrestle for the title again? They tried everything to keep you from getting it this time."
Will Washington: "Kris... there's nothing they can do to keep me away from that belt. You should know better than anyone that when I want something, I go out and get it. I mean... remember how much convincing it took for you to agree to a date?"
Kristen: "Oh I remember. You're a persuasive fellow, Will Washington. You're the first guy who ever tried to take me to Italy for a first date."
Will Washington: "Yeah... I may have overdone it there."
Kristen: "So you won me over, but how are you planning on convincing them to give you another shot? Play the 'I'm your child's godfather' routine with Kelly and Adam? Take Roberto out for a seafood dinner?"
Will Washington: "I'm going to do whatever it takes. I can't afford to give them the chance to pick anyone else. Plus, I feel like the fans are getting behind me now. So I've got the momentum in my favor."
Kristen: "Well I hope you can get another chance. Nobody deserves it more than you."
{As the two walk into the parking garage, Will looks over and sees Andrew Jacobsen putting his luggage in the back of his 1996 Ford Fiesta. The two lock eyes and have a brief staredown. Will nods to the man and Jacobsen returns to packing up his Fiesta. Washington and his future wife continue a few steps, before Kristen stops him again.}
Kristen: "Will. Before we get to the car, I need to tell you something."
Will Washington: "Tell me something? You're not pregnant are you?"
{Kristen pushes his arm half-jokingly.}
Kristen: "No! No. It's just... I thought for sure you'd win tonight, so I.... may have set up a surprise for you."
Will Washington: "... what surprise?"
Kristen: "Don't get mad, but I may have had your family flown in to celebrate.... and they may still not know that you lost..."
Will Washington: "Oh no. They're here in the parking lot arent' they? They're going to jump out and think they're surprising the new World Champion..."
Kristen: "Yeah. I thought I should warn you. I'm so sorry."
{She turns towards some cars parked near Will's rental.}
Kristen: "Come on out everybody!"
{With that, Will's mother, father, sister, and protege, Rocky all appear and yell.}
Group: "CONGRATULATIONS!"
{Will whispers.}
Will Washington: "Oh god."
Kristen: "Guys... he didn't win. He got cheated."
{Will's sister, Tori, quickly speaks up.}
Tori Washington: "Well... uh... You'll get 'em next time!"
Rocky Kingman: "Yeah, bro. Next time!"
{Tori hugs Will as his parents look on.}
Will Washington: "Hey. It's just one match. I'm just happy to see all of you."
{He looks over at his parents.}
Will Washington: "I really am."
{Will walks up to his parents and gives his father a firm handshake as his mother starts to tear up. Our scene ends with Kristen quickly hiding a 'Congratulations, Champ!' cake while Will is distracted.}
________________________________________________________________________________
"Where's my justice?"
"That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think back to Crossroads. I had Roberto Verona's championship life in my hands, and he low-blowed me to save it. Normally I'd say, 'Whatever.' Cheating has never bothered me, and I know I'm not above doing it myself. No. My problem is the obvious instance of a double standard here in NCW."
"All you have to do is look back at a few weeks ago when I pulled the same move on Verona. I did the same exact thing he did on Sunday, and what happened to me? I was disqualified. I had my win over Roberto stripped away from me, and yet when he does the same thing to me, he's rewarded for it. It's becoming increasingly clear to me that there's no justice here. The only way you're ever going to get a fair shake is to play by Kelly Fox's rules... something I'm sick and tired of trying to do."
"That's all I've been trying to do lately. I jumped through your hoops and over your hurdles. I had to battle with Nathan Webb for a month just to finally get a shot that I should have had years ago, and even then I got screwed. I do everything that gets asked of me and still it's never enough. Now everybody's expecting me to fall to the back of the line like a good little soldier, all because the one opportunity I was 'given' has been used up."
"Think again."
"It's not over between us, Roberto. Not even close. No matter how much you wish it were, and how quickly Kelly will move to push me down... I won't be kept back. Not anymore. You pinned me at Crossroads, Verona. You did. And I pinned you a few weeks ago on Collision, so in my mind, we're tied up. I know that all I need is one more chance... one more match and I'll put you down once and for all. I'm not sitting back and waiting for another number one contender's match, and I'm not waiting for Kelly and Roberto to 'give' me anything. I'm going to kick down the front door and take what's mine."
"... I'm not giving you a choice."
"All the while I've had my singular focus placed squarely upon winning the World Championship. I've been so blinded by my burning desire for gold that I've managed to miss the fact that I'm becoming someone I'm not proud of. I came back here last year in order to try and make a difference, yet my attention quickly turned away from the goal at hand and I became a man obsessed. I want nothing more than to finally win that World Title and stake my claim as champion, but at what costs?"
"What price will I pay?"
"I'd trade it all away to win that title, but my sanity is the one thing I can't stand to lose. It's slowly being chipped away at each week I'm forced play into Roberto Verona's games. I'm dropping down to his level instead of bringing him up to mine... I'm being the guiding light I was born to be... I'm chasing him right into a sea of darkness."
"The fact of the matter is that I'm finally growing up. I'm getting married soon, I'm on the second half of my twenties, and I've come to realize that I'm not the same man I was a few years ago. The angry young man who started out here isn't the man you see in front of you today. I'm not in this for revenge or to lash out against my past. The demons are still there, but at some point, you stop trying to fight them and learn to live with them. It's time to stop pretending to be the monster I see myself as, and start being the man that I am."
"Which brings me to my opponent this weekend, Andrew Jacobsen. I put you through hell last year, AJ. I toyed with your mind and used your brother as a pawn, all in the name of 'helping' you. I told the world that you were inferior to me in every way possible... and hell... that might be true. I certainly think I'm a better wrestler than you, but a better man? Probably not."
"I did my best to break you down, and you fought me every step of the way. I physically and emotionally ripped you to shreds, but you still came out of it the same as you ever were. I can insult your personality... or lack thereof... but fortitude? You've got it in spades. In the face of mounting adversity, you stood steadfast and overcame."
"... and maybe that's why I targeted you in the first place."
"Call it jealousy... call it envy... but the one thing about you that I always admired was your ability to let it all slide off your back. While people like Alex Jones have made a career out of hurling juvenile insults your way, you were always able to ignore the world. You set your path a long time ago and you stood true to it. When things got hard for me, I'd always find a way to get around it. You? You faced it head on. Despite my insistence of change and the constant mocking of others, you never changed."
"... and it made me hate you."
"I mean... look at how it all turned out for us. I embarrassed you for most of 2012, and where has it gotten me? I'm in the same position I've always been: the greatest to have never done it. You? You won that World Championship. You lived my dream, and I'm still chasing it. I tried to change you... the world tried to change you. And in the end, you got the last laugh, because I'm the one who ended up changing."
"I told you to be more like Roberto Verona... I told you to do whatever it took to be champion... to break every rule. You sat there as I told you how you'd never make it and everyone would pass you by, and you proved me wrong. You proved to me that guys like you and I? We're the backbone of NCW. Mike Laszlos and Xander Famularos come and go, but guys like us... we're forever. Without Andrew Jacobsen, there would be no Roberto Verona. Without people like us, there would be no NCW for us to call home."
"And yet, here we are again. Our careers have been connected since the first day you showed your face around New Championship Wrestling. I was your first challenge. Our first match put you on the map and you've been there ever since. We spent all last year battling each other, but none of those matches mean as much as that first Submission Match in December 2009. Because even though we've wrestled on grander stages with bigger stakes, that match was all about two guys trying to make their name. It wasn't about politics or posturing. It was about giving your best and being your best."
"There's nothing left to prove between us, Jacobsen. I've beaten you time and time again, and I know that you're still going to keep coming back. I respect that. But you have to realize that I've got a higher goal calling my name, and right now, you're in the way. I expect you to leave it all in the ring, but know that it's still not going to be enough. I'm not the man I was in 2012... I'm better. I was right there at the top of the mountain on Sunday, and I'm not about to let you, Verona, or anyone else knock me back down."
"I won't apologize for what I've done, but know that there is remorse. For Verona, I have none."