Post by Will Washington on May 18, 2013 4:42:13 GMT -6
"The hardest part about growing up, is letting go of what you were used to; and moving on with something you're not." - Anonymous
{We find ourselves inside Will Washington's home, where our hero sits in a chair, staring aimlessly at the wall. In his hand, he mindlessly rolls his smartphone, while never diverting his stare. He hears his new wife approaching, but he still can't be bothered to stop staring at the wall.}
Kristen: "You seem really out of it today, Will."
Will: "I feel out of it. Just getting jittery, I guess."
Kristen: "Nervous about the match, or nervous because it's your last one in NCW?"
Will: "Both, I guess. I really never thought this day would come. I've got such an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach."
Kristen: "Aw. I'm sure you'll find something else to do after Sunday. There are other wrestling companies out there who would love to have you."
Will: "Yeah, but none of them are NCW."
{Kristen walks over and looks at Will from the side, as he still stares over at the wall. She smiles and playfully sits down on his lap. This finally causes him to break his gaze.}
Kristen: "Or you could just stay home with me for a while. We could finally spend some quality time together. That sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Will: "It does."
Kristen: "So take some time off after Sunday and you can decide what you want to do next in due time."
{She hugs his neck and puts her face against his.}
Kristen: "Like say... in 2016?"
{Will's wife laughs, and he mutters a chuckle.}
Kristen: "You've clearly got something on your mind."
{She stands up and reaches her hands out for Will to grab. He does so, and pushes himself up, out of the chair, and to his feet. Washington then looks down at his phone and starts to pace a bit.}
Will: "It's just... I've gotten some job offers lately. Quite a few, actually.... and I need to get an answer in to one of the companies before Sunday."
Kristen: "Wow. Really? So soon?"
Will: "Yeah... It's this new company called Imperial Wrestling. Apparently it's going to be the successor to NCW... carrying on the legacy and whatnot."
Kristen: "That sounds like the perfect place for you then. I only wish they'd had given you more time to think it over. And I wish they didn't want you to dive right back in."
Will: "Well that's the thing... two of the offers are from them. One to be a wrestler... and one in an important, behind-the-scenes role."
Kristen: "And you're considering the second option? You're a wrestler, Will."
Will: "I know, but the staff job would let me still be involved with continuing NCW's legacy... and I'd still be involved with wrestler... but I just wouldn't be doing it in the ring. I'd be able to help out the future superstars the same way guys helped me in NCW."
Kristen: "I just can't believe you'd actually stop wrestling."
Will: "I could always come back at some point, but honestly, there's one big advantage to the staff job."
Kristen: "Which is?"
Will: "I wouldn't have to be on the road almost every day. I would be here probably... 5 or 6 days of week. So I could still be a part of something, but still have my home life."
Kristen: "Really? That's so exciting! We could finally start a garden together! And oh the brunches we could have!"
Will: ".... Now I'm reconsidering."
Kristen: "I'll shut up."
{She feigns locking her mouth and throwing away the key.}
Will: "I'm sure I'll get the itch to wrestle again, but for right now, I think it may be the right decision for me. I'll get to rest up... I'll get to help shape the future of wrestling... and I'll get to be with my new blushing bride more than ever."
Kristen: "So does this mean you're taking the job?"
Will: "I guess it does. I'm an IWF man now."
{Kristen stands on her toes and reaches her arms up around Will's neck, pulling him in close for a kiss.}
Kristen: "I think you made the right decision, Mr. Washington."
Will: ".... You're trying to bait me into calling you Mrs. Washington, aren't you?"
Kristen: "Yep."
Will: "And you realize how cheesy that is, right?"
Kristen: "Yep."
Will: "Okay then. Just as long as you know, Mrs. Washington."
Kristen: "I'll never get tired of hearing that."
{Another quick kiss and Kristen releases the hug. Will sits back down in the chair, and she sits down in the sofa, immediately to the right. She goes to pick up her phone to share the news with her sister, before turning back to Will.}
Kristen: "By the way... You never told me what Xavier had planned for you the other day. I know you said it was some kind of late bachelor party.... How'd that go?"
{Will shudders.}
Will: "I don't want to talk about it."
{Fade out.}
______________________________________________________________________
"This can't be the end, can it?
I see the writing on the wall... I see the signs that it's ending, and yet, I still don't want to believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was a fresh-faced rookie who wanted to take the world by storm. I had goals... I had dreams. Nothing seemed too big or too far away for me to accomplish.
Now when I look in the same mirrors I looked in four years ago, I see the same man. A little older, but much wiser. A man who has been through everything you could ever think of, and came out the better for it. I still have hopes and goals, but the fact of the matter is, that in those four years, I didn't do everything I said I was going to.
I mean... when I started out, all I wanted to do was hurt people. I wanted to make everyone feel the way I had felt, and I wanted everyone to be like me. I wanted to break everyone and everything, and I guess in some small way, I did make that mark. I've injured people along the way... I crushed spirits. Am I proud of what I did? Not always. Do I wish I had done some things differently? Sure.
Can I change it?
No.
Nothing short of Dr. Hitler's time machine can help you change the past, and that's something NCW helped me learn. I grew immensely over my years here, and I went from being a loner kid fresh out of Iraq to a legitimate professional wrestling star. Heck, if you read my life script to a film producer in Hollywood, they'd laugh you right out of the building. It was never a perfect road, but it was the road I needed.
And just look at me now. I didn't achieve all of my goals... I was never World Champion... I was never the biggest star or got the most screen time, but I still made a difference. I couldn't change the world, but I changed my world. What once was black and hopeless, is now full of color and life again. This may be the end of NCW, but this is not the end of my story. I wasn't everything I wanted to be, but I was something much more important.
I was an NCW wrestler.
You can't ever take that away from me. For nearly four years, I was one of the elite. I'm part of something that can't die. When we close for the last time on Sunday, NCW will be gone, but you can be sure it won't be forgotten.
The Steve Awesomes... the Angels... the Spike Kanes.... they won't be forgotten.
....The Thunderkids.... the Dnt Touches?
They won't be forgotten either.
And Will Washington? Xavier Cross?
Immortal.
So I really shouldn't be afraid that A Night to Remember is our final show... but I am. Because even though I know that we'll live on, there is still a feeling of finality to it. This is the last time this roster will be together for a show. It's the last time I'll turn the corner and see Mitch Kennedy, Norman Dafoe, and Bob Mailville drinking coffee together. It's the last time I'll see Andrew Jacobsen trying his heart out to finally pull a successful practical joke.... the last time I'll see Curtis Kanyon trying to teach Joe Everyman the latest internet dance craze...
...The last time I'll wrestle my friend.
With all of this reminiscing going on, it's easy to think back to a time when you and I couldn't stand each other, Xavier. A time when we openly wished death upon each other. We both loved the same girl, and we put ourselves through hell for her. Ultimately, she choose you, and I had to live with that. My battles with you and that whole messy saga became kind of a building block for the man I am today. Everything changed in my life around that time, and then we both had to face the ultimate loss.
And that tragedy ended up building a bond between us. Not because we had to or because we felt we owed it to Cari's memory, but because we were the only two people who truly understood what the other felt. I mean.... you became a single father of three, and I lost the only thing that ever made me feel human in the first place. That pain still lives in me today, and I hope you still feel it as strongly as ever. Because even though life went on, I can't help but relive those moments over and over again.
But life always works in the ways you'd never expect, and we went on to become the best of friends. I was there for your kids' birthdays... you were a groomsman at my wedding. Two guys who couldn't have been more different, now forever linked by the thing that once divided them.
So when NCW came to me and asked me what I wanted to do for the final show in our history, there was only one person that I could have faced. There was only one match that could have mattered to me at this point. Sure I would have loved to be defending the World Championship on Sunday, but if I can't have that, a match with my best friend is a great consolation prize. Two guys who once fell off of a ladder and crashed through the ring to try and prove who was the better man, now face off at the final A Night to Remember. There isn't a number one contendership on the line this time... this one is all about pride.
We're going to go out there and put on the best damn match we can, and we're going to leave our mark, one last time. We nearly killed each other last time, and this time should be no different.... Only this time, there is no hate between us. There is no ill-will between friends. If I put you through the ring this time, it'll only be because I know that's what it takes to keep Xavier Cross down.
And when it's all over, we'll shake hands.... we'll probably even hug in a manly way. And then on Monday morning, I'll wake up with a possible concussion and a broken hand, still knowing that I've got a best friend.
And I'll know that Xavier Cross, Will Washington, and NCW went out on a high note.
Because like Will Washington... like Xavier Cross. NCW is immortal.
...and you can't kill the memories."
{We find ourselves inside Will Washington's home, where our hero sits in a chair, staring aimlessly at the wall. In his hand, he mindlessly rolls his smartphone, while never diverting his stare. He hears his new wife approaching, but he still can't be bothered to stop staring at the wall.}
Kristen: "You seem really out of it today, Will."
Will: "I feel out of it. Just getting jittery, I guess."
Kristen: "Nervous about the match, or nervous because it's your last one in NCW?"
Will: "Both, I guess. I really never thought this day would come. I've got such an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach."
Kristen: "Aw. I'm sure you'll find something else to do after Sunday. There are other wrestling companies out there who would love to have you."
Will: "Yeah, but none of them are NCW."
{Kristen walks over and looks at Will from the side, as he still stares over at the wall. She smiles and playfully sits down on his lap. This finally causes him to break his gaze.}
Kristen: "Or you could just stay home with me for a while. We could finally spend some quality time together. That sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Will: "It does."
Kristen: "So take some time off after Sunday and you can decide what you want to do next in due time."
{She hugs his neck and puts her face against his.}
Kristen: "Like say... in 2016?"
{Will's wife laughs, and he mutters a chuckle.}
Kristen: "You've clearly got something on your mind."
{She stands up and reaches her hands out for Will to grab. He does so, and pushes himself up, out of the chair, and to his feet. Washington then looks down at his phone and starts to pace a bit.}
Will: "It's just... I've gotten some job offers lately. Quite a few, actually.... and I need to get an answer in to one of the companies before Sunday."
Kristen: "Wow. Really? So soon?"
Will: "Yeah... It's this new company called Imperial Wrestling. Apparently it's going to be the successor to NCW... carrying on the legacy and whatnot."
Kristen: "That sounds like the perfect place for you then. I only wish they'd had given you more time to think it over. And I wish they didn't want you to dive right back in."
Will: "Well that's the thing... two of the offers are from them. One to be a wrestler... and one in an important, behind-the-scenes role."
Kristen: "And you're considering the second option? You're a wrestler, Will."
Will: "I know, but the staff job would let me still be involved with continuing NCW's legacy... and I'd still be involved with wrestler... but I just wouldn't be doing it in the ring. I'd be able to help out the future superstars the same way guys helped me in NCW."
Kristen: "I just can't believe you'd actually stop wrestling."
Will: "I could always come back at some point, but honestly, there's one big advantage to the staff job."
Kristen: "Which is?"
Will: "I wouldn't have to be on the road almost every day. I would be here probably... 5 or 6 days of week. So I could still be a part of something, but still have my home life."
Kristen: "Really? That's so exciting! We could finally start a garden together! And oh the brunches we could have!"
Will: ".... Now I'm reconsidering."
Kristen: "I'll shut up."
{She feigns locking her mouth and throwing away the key.}
Will: "I'm sure I'll get the itch to wrestle again, but for right now, I think it may be the right decision for me. I'll get to rest up... I'll get to help shape the future of wrestling... and I'll get to be with my new blushing bride more than ever."
Kristen: "So does this mean you're taking the job?"
Will: "I guess it does. I'm an IWF man now."
{Kristen stands on her toes and reaches her arms up around Will's neck, pulling him in close for a kiss.}
Kristen: "I think you made the right decision, Mr. Washington."
Will: ".... You're trying to bait me into calling you Mrs. Washington, aren't you?"
Kristen: "Yep."
Will: "And you realize how cheesy that is, right?"
Kristen: "Yep."
Will: "Okay then. Just as long as you know, Mrs. Washington."
Kristen: "I'll never get tired of hearing that."
{Another quick kiss and Kristen releases the hug. Will sits back down in the chair, and she sits down in the sofa, immediately to the right. She goes to pick up her phone to share the news with her sister, before turning back to Will.}
Kristen: "By the way... You never told me what Xavier had planned for you the other day. I know you said it was some kind of late bachelor party.... How'd that go?"
{Will shudders.}
Will: "I don't want to talk about it."
{Fade out.}
______________________________________________________________________
"This can't be the end, can it?
I see the writing on the wall... I see the signs that it's ending, and yet, I still don't want to believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was a fresh-faced rookie who wanted to take the world by storm. I had goals... I had dreams. Nothing seemed too big or too far away for me to accomplish.
Now when I look in the same mirrors I looked in four years ago, I see the same man. A little older, but much wiser. A man who has been through everything you could ever think of, and came out the better for it. I still have hopes and goals, but the fact of the matter is, that in those four years, I didn't do everything I said I was going to.
I mean... when I started out, all I wanted to do was hurt people. I wanted to make everyone feel the way I had felt, and I wanted everyone to be like me. I wanted to break everyone and everything, and I guess in some small way, I did make that mark. I've injured people along the way... I crushed spirits. Am I proud of what I did? Not always. Do I wish I had done some things differently? Sure.
Can I change it?
No.
Nothing short of Dr. Hitler's time machine can help you change the past, and that's something NCW helped me learn. I grew immensely over my years here, and I went from being a loner kid fresh out of Iraq to a legitimate professional wrestling star. Heck, if you read my life script to a film producer in Hollywood, they'd laugh you right out of the building. It was never a perfect road, but it was the road I needed.
And just look at me now. I didn't achieve all of my goals... I was never World Champion... I was never the biggest star or got the most screen time, but I still made a difference. I couldn't change the world, but I changed my world. What once was black and hopeless, is now full of color and life again. This may be the end of NCW, but this is not the end of my story. I wasn't everything I wanted to be, but I was something much more important.
I was an NCW wrestler.
You can't ever take that away from me. For nearly four years, I was one of the elite. I'm part of something that can't die. When we close for the last time on Sunday, NCW will be gone, but you can be sure it won't be forgotten.
The Steve Awesomes... the Angels... the Spike Kanes.... they won't be forgotten.
....The Thunderkids.... the Dnt Touches?
They won't be forgotten either.
And Will Washington? Xavier Cross?
Immortal.
So I really shouldn't be afraid that A Night to Remember is our final show... but I am. Because even though I know that we'll live on, there is still a feeling of finality to it. This is the last time this roster will be together for a show. It's the last time I'll turn the corner and see Mitch Kennedy, Norman Dafoe, and Bob Mailville drinking coffee together. It's the last time I'll see Andrew Jacobsen trying his heart out to finally pull a successful practical joke.... the last time I'll see Curtis Kanyon trying to teach Joe Everyman the latest internet dance craze...
...The last time I'll wrestle my friend.
With all of this reminiscing going on, it's easy to think back to a time when you and I couldn't stand each other, Xavier. A time when we openly wished death upon each other. We both loved the same girl, and we put ourselves through hell for her. Ultimately, she choose you, and I had to live with that. My battles with you and that whole messy saga became kind of a building block for the man I am today. Everything changed in my life around that time, and then we both had to face the ultimate loss.
And that tragedy ended up building a bond between us. Not because we had to or because we felt we owed it to Cari's memory, but because we were the only two people who truly understood what the other felt. I mean.... you became a single father of three, and I lost the only thing that ever made me feel human in the first place. That pain still lives in me today, and I hope you still feel it as strongly as ever. Because even though life went on, I can't help but relive those moments over and over again.
But life always works in the ways you'd never expect, and we went on to become the best of friends. I was there for your kids' birthdays... you were a groomsman at my wedding. Two guys who couldn't have been more different, now forever linked by the thing that once divided them.
So when NCW came to me and asked me what I wanted to do for the final show in our history, there was only one person that I could have faced. There was only one match that could have mattered to me at this point. Sure I would have loved to be defending the World Championship on Sunday, but if I can't have that, a match with my best friend is a great consolation prize. Two guys who once fell off of a ladder and crashed through the ring to try and prove who was the better man, now face off at the final A Night to Remember. There isn't a number one contendership on the line this time... this one is all about pride.
We're going to go out there and put on the best damn match we can, and we're going to leave our mark, one last time. We nearly killed each other last time, and this time should be no different.... Only this time, there is no hate between us. There is no ill-will between friends. If I put you through the ring this time, it'll only be because I know that's what it takes to keep Xavier Cross down.
And when it's all over, we'll shake hands.... we'll probably even hug in a manly way. And then on Monday morning, I'll wake up with a possible concussion and a broken hand, still knowing that I've got a best friend.
And I'll know that Xavier Cross, Will Washington, and NCW went out on a high note.
Because like Will Washington... like Xavier Cross. NCW is immortal.
...and you can't kill the memories."
