Post by Will Washington on May 19, 2013 4:06:31 GMT -6
"There truly aren't enough words in the English language to properly emote what NCW has meant to me. You gave me the outlet I needed to express exactly how I was feeling every over the last four years. It's been like therapy, if therapy included getting to beat guys up at the end of the day.
Come to think of it, why isn't therapy like that? Win or lose, after every match, I come out feeling better than I went in. That may sound crazy considering the injuries I've suffered, but there's just something so fulfilling about going out there and feeling bone on bone contact. I'd take a broken arm over the broken spirit that goes along with a common desk job any day. NCW is a dream job, and since 2009, I've been able to live that dream.
And along the way, I found out that there was a dream inside me that I had never even imagined.... normalcy. I have always shunned the idea that I could be a normal, everyday guy, but now it doesn't seem so bad. I wake up every morning next to a woman I love, go to work and do what I love to do... and I realize that I have it all. I have everything that a man could ever want, and it makes me feel... it makes me feel whole.
Then I look at Xavier Cross... the man I consider to be one of my very best friends.
Even that fact was hard to imagine three and a half years ago. Will Washington with friends? I certainly never saw it, and yet here we are. I have so much, and then I see Cross, and I know that he has a hole in his heart. His days are filled with making lunches, driving his kids to and from school, and helping them try and achieve the sense of normalcy that they once had.
Ever since Cari left this Earth, you've done everything you could to try and feel whole again. And unfortunately, you still don't realize that the hole in your heart isn't something you can just plug and move on. Drake Tyson's barely legal daughter couldn't do it, and spoiler alert.... Adam's sister won't either. There are some things that you can easily move past in this life, but losing half of yourself isn't one of them.
So while you jump from half-hearted relationship to half-hearted relationship, you fail to address the real problem: Xavier Cross.
Let me tell you first hand, Xavier... when you find the one that completes you, it's an otherworldly experience. It's something you'll never understand, but it's something that you'll spend the rest of your life trying to. You had that once with Cari... and you lost it. Now you're so desperate to feel that again that you're willing to date anything with two legs and half an IQ to achieve it.
See... life isn't about searching for your other half. You're not Ted Mosby. When it happens, you'll know it, but until then, you're just driving yourself crazy for no reason. You know that I'm not a man who believes in fate... but when it comes to matters of the heart, there's just something there that logic can't explain. The sooner you realize that, the better.
Then there's the matter of our match on Sunday. I know it's not the most highly-anticipated, or the most overly-promoted, but I also know how much it means to both of us. This is the last match of our NCW careers, and neither of us wants to go out with a loss. Sunday is our last chance to make a lasting impression, and I'd be lying if I said that the result didn't matter to me.
I want to beat you, Cross.
And when A Night to Remember finally comes around, I don't want to be standing across the ring from Xavier Cross: Family Man. I want the old Cross. I want the guy who tried to legitimately kill me in October 2009. I want the guy who pissed gasoline and stepped on anyone to get ahead. Because while you managed to politic your way into a National Title match a few months ago, it's been awhile since you really had something worth fighting for.
So don't fight for the three kids at home... don't fight for the memory of your dying wife or for the honor of your latest god awful romance... Fight for youself. Fight because this could be your last fight, and fight because you know that I'm going to fight you.
Because as far as our records are concerned, we're even against each other. The record book says we're 1-1 in singles matches, but what do you say? I want you to step into that ring for one last time, and give everything you've got to show that you're better than I am, and know that I'm going to be doing the same.
There aren't any friends in that ring on Sunday. Just two wrestlers, one history, and one last match to prove who the better man is.
Give me everything you've got left in your playbook...
Leave it all in the ring.... because after A Night to Remember, there will be nothing left to hold back for. I have never won at A Night to Remember, and I'll do whatever it takes to change that fact.
On Sunday, we either live forever, or we die in that ring.... the choice is ours.
Either way, it was an honor to wrestle you, and an even bigger honor to call you my friend."
____________________________________________________________
{We open up on Will Washington, who is sitting at a desk with a pen and paper in his hands. As he writes down some information, he stops and puts his face in his palm, before balling up the paper and tossing it in the trash. Over his shoulder, we see Kristen Washington looking on.}
Will: "You know, it's not super easy to write when you've got someone looking over your shoulder?"
Kristen: "Ha. I'm surprised you even realized I was here."
{She moves from the doorway and stands right behind Will's chair.}
Kristen: "What'cha writing? ... and more importantly, don't you have a laptop? You didn't break it again, did you?"
Will: "First of all, I didn't break it. Gravity did. Secondly... I'm really having a tough time with NCW closing and all, so I'm trying to find the right words to express it.... and as you can see, it's not working so well."
{He motions toward the waste basket, where a collection of balled up pieces of paper have created a mountain.}
Kristen: "You really want me to give you the whole 'speak from your heart' cliché, don't you?"
Will: "... It couldn't hurt."
Kristen: "Come on, Will. You know what you want to say. It's all in there... you just have to get it out on paper."
Will: "It's just.... there are so many people that I owe so much to. Leonard Fox for giving me the job of a lifetime... Xavier Cross for bringing out the best and worst in me.... But how do you thank the Andrew Jacobsens, the Joe Everymans, the Adam Knites, the Brad Kanes, the Falcons of the world for being your friend?"
Kristen: "That's the point of friendship. Nobody expects to be thanked for it. They just do it and know that it's meaningful.
{She pauses and looks perplexed.}
Kristen: "Also, how weird is this business that you can beat a guy and his brother up in a hospital or try to bury someone in a casket, and still consider them a friend?"
Will: "Some of the best friendships are the ones you least expected. Like... didn't you meet your best friend at a Blue Man Group concert?"
Kristen: "You're going to compare that to the time you tried to run Andrew Jacobsen over with a car during a match?"
Will: ".... Good point."
{Will's new wife puts a hand on his shoulder.}
Kristen: "Like I said, speak from the heart. It's a universal language."
{She starts to leave the room, but stops before exiting completely.}
Kristen: "But whatever you end up saying, hurry it up. The backyard is filling up with people, and you are locked away in here, writing love letters to Adam Knite."
Will: "Hey! That man and I had a very successful detective agency!"
{Kristen laughs and heads off to the backyard, as Will puts pen to paper yet again.... and still he suffers from writer's block. Giving up, he drops the pen to the desk and makes his way to the French doors of his home, opening them and looking out into the backyard. The sun shines brightly on a beautiful Massachusetts afternoon, and the crowd of people gathering in Washington's yard. He sees the smiling faces of children as they run through the grass... the mixed sound of chirping birds and laughter fills the air. He steps out and is immediately greeted by his sister, Tori, who grabs him for a big bear hug.}
Tori Washington: "Will! I'm so proud of you!"
{When she breaks the hug, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nick comes up and looks for the big fist bump. Will feigns annoyance before laughing and reciprocating the fist bump. He continues walking forward and spies his protégé , Rocky Kingman, hitting on Brooklyn and Elizabeth, those two girls that Will dated that one time. He starts to wonder why ex-girlfriends of his would be there, but his attention is turned to a surprising face.}
Will: "Holy crap. Ian Kline is here?!"
{Washington approaches his former tag team partner with caution, remembering that the last time he saw the man, he was destroying him with a steel chair. With his significant other, Candice Greer, standing next to him, Kline looks up and spots Will, who gives him a concerned look.}
Will: "I'm really surprised to see you here. Especially considering... you know..."
Ian Kline: "Where you put me out of NCW for good?"
{Will looks down at his shoes and realizes how awkward this is going to be.}
Will: "Look, man.... I'm really sorry for all of that. I was a complete and utter jackass, and I probably ruined your life. I was in a bad place, and I ended up taking it out on you."
Ian Kline: "Will. Yes you definitely put a damper on my wrestling career, but you gave me my first opportunity to be a wrestler in the first place. And I watch NCW every week. I know that you're not the same guy you were back then."
Will: "I'm not."
Ian Kline: "So lets leave the past in the past, and forget the whole thing ever happened."
{Kline extends a hand to Washington, who appears to be extremely grateful to be given another chance. He reaches out and shakes the man's hand.}
Will: "It means a lot, Ian. I'm so glad to see that everything turned out alright for you."
Ian Kline: "We can catch up later, but for right now, I think the host needs to make the rounds."
{The two nod towards each other, and Will turns back, and looks towards the grill, where his father, Michael, and Patrick Kline seem to have taken over the responsibility. Will finally makes it over to the picnic table where his mother, Patricia, and his wife are talking to the family of his former Army best friend, Tyler. The group shares a hearty laugh, and Will turns, seeing Xavier Cross' twins playing ball with Kristen's sister's children, as Cross keeps a watchful eye. After taking the whole scene in, Will's wife looks up at him as he smiles to himself.}
Kristen: "So what do you think?"
{Washington pulls his wife in close with his arm for the half hug.}
Will: "It's perfect."
{The camera shot slowly moves overhead as we look down at the gathering of important characters in Will's life. Our hero soaks in the moment, and looks up to the sky, knowing that Tyler Adams and Cari Cross are somewhere watching this right now. And for the first time, Will Washington is finally at peace.}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come to think of it, why isn't therapy like that? Win or lose, after every match, I come out feeling better than I went in. That may sound crazy considering the injuries I've suffered, but there's just something so fulfilling about going out there and feeling bone on bone contact. I'd take a broken arm over the broken spirit that goes along with a common desk job any day. NCW is a dream job, and since 2009, I've been able to live that dream.
And along the way, I found out that there was a dream inside me that I had never even imagined.... normalcy. I have always shunned the idea that I could be a normal, everyday guy, but now it doesn't seem so bad. I wake up every morning next to a woman I love, go to work and do what I love to do... and I realize that I have it all. I have everything that a man could ever want, and it makes me feel... it makes me feel whole.
Then I look at Xavier Cross... the man I consider to be one of my very best friends.
Even that fact was hard to imagine three and a half years ago. Will Washington with friends? I certainly never saw it, and yet here we are. I have so much, and then I see Cross, and I know that he has a hole in his heart. His days are filled with making lunches, driving his kids to and from school, and helping them try and achieve the sense of normalcy that they once had.
Ever since Cari left this Earth, you've done everything you could to try and feel whole again. And unfortunately, you still don't realize that the hole in your heart isn't something you can just plug and move on. Drake Tyson's barely legal daughter couldn't do it, and spoiler alert.... Adam's sister won't either. There are some things that you can easily move past in this life, but losing half of yourself isn't one of them.
So while you jump from half-hearted relationship to half-hearted relationship, you fail to address the real problem: Xavier Cross.
Let me tell you first hand, Xavier... when you find the one that completes you, it's an otherworldly experience. It's something you'll never understand, but it's something that you'll spend the rest of your life trying to. You had that once with Cari... and you lost it. Now you're so desperate to feel that again that you're willing to date anything with two legs and half an IQ to achieve it.
See... life isn't about searching for your other half. You're not Ted Mosby. When it happens, you'll know it, but until then, you're just driving yourself crazy for no reason. You know that I'm not a man who believes in fate... but when it comes to matters of the heart, there's just something there that logic can't explain. The sooner you realize that, the better.
Then there's the matter of our match on Sunday. I know it's not the most highly-anticipated, or the most overly-promoted, but I also know how much it means to both of us. This is the last match of our NCW careers, and neither of us wants to go out with a loss. Sunday is our last chance to make a lasting impression, and I'd be lying if I said that the result didn't matter to me.
I want to beat you, Cross.
And when A Night to Remember finally comes around, I don't want to be standing across the ring from Xavier Cross: Family Man. I want the old Cross. I want the guy who tried to legitimately kill me in October 2009. I want the guy who pissed gasoline and stepped on anyone to get ahead. Because while you managed to politic your way into a National Title match a few months ago, it's been awhile since you really had something worth fighting for.
So don't fight for the three kids at home... don't fight for the memory of your dying wife or for the honor of your latest god awful romance... Fight for youself. Fight because this could be your last fight, and fight because you know that I'm going to fight you.
Because as far as our records are concerned, we're even against each other. The record book says we're 1-1 in singles matches, but what do you say? I want you to step into that ring for one last time, and give everything you've got to show that you're better than I am, and know that I'm going to be doing the same.
There aren't any friends in that ring on Sunday. Just two wrestlers, one history, and one last match to prove who the better man is.
Give me everything you've got left in your playbook...
Leave it all in the ring.... because after A Night to Remember, there will be nothing left to hold back for. I have never won at A Night to Remember, and I'll do whatever it takes to change that fact.
On Sunday, we either live forever, or we die in that ring.... the choice is ours.
Either way, it was an honor to wrestle you, and an even bigger honor to call you my friend."
____________________________________________________________
{We open up on Will Washington, who is sitting at a desk with a pen and paper in his hands. As he writes down some information, he stops and puts his face in his palm, before balling up the paper and tossing it in the trash. Over his shoulder, we see Kristen Washington looking on.}
Will: "You know, it's not super easy to write when you've got someone looking over your shoulder?"
Kristen: "Ha. I'm surprised you even realized I was here."
{She moves from the doorway and stands right behind Will's chair.}
Kristen: "What'cha writing? ... and more importantly, don't you have a laptop? You didn't break it again, did you?"
Will: "First of all, I didn't break it. Gravity did. Secondly... I'm really having a tough time with NCW closing and all, so I'm trying to find the right words to express it.... and as you can see, it's not working so well."
{He motions toward the waste basket, where a collection of balled up pieces of paper have created a mountain.}
Kristen: "You really want me to give you the whole 'speak from your heart' cliché, don't you?"
Will: "... It couldn't hurt."
Kristen: "Come on, Will. You know what you want to say. It's all in there... you just have to get it out on paper."
Will: "It's just.... there are so many people that I owe so much to. Leonard Fox for giving me the job of a lifetime... Xavier Cross for bringing out the best and worst in me.... But how do you thank the Andrew Jacobsens, the Joe Everymans, the Adam Knites, the Brad Kanes, the Falcons of the world for being your friend?"
Kristen: "That's the point of friendship. Nobody expects to be thanked for it. They just do it and know that it's meaningful.
{She pauses and looks perplexed.}
Kristen: "Also, how weird is this business that you can beat a guy and his brother up in a hospital or try to bury someone in a casket, and still consider them a friend?"
Will: "Some of the best friendships are the ones you least expected. Like... didn't you meet your best friend at a Blue Man Group concert?"
Kristen: "You're going to compare that to the time you tried to run Andrew Jacobsen over with a car during a match?"
Will: ".... Good point."
{Will's new wife puts a hand on his shoulder.}
Kristen: "Like I said, speak from the heart. It's a universal language."
{She starts to leave the room, but stops before exiting completely.}
Kristen: "But whatever you end up saying, hurry it up. The backyard is filling up with people, and you are locked away in here, writing love letters to Adam Knite."
Will: "Hey! That man and I had a very successful detective agency!"
{Kristen laughs and heads off to the backyard, as Will puts pen to paper yet again.... and still he suffers from writer's block. Giving up, he drops the pen to the desk and makes his way to the French doors of his home, opening them and looking out into the backyard. The sun shines brightly on a beautiful Massachusetts afternoon, and the crowd of people gathering in Washington's yard. He sees the smiling faces of children as they run through the grass... the mixed sound of chirping birds and laughter fills the air. He steps out and is immediately greeted by his sister, Tori, who grabs him for a big bear hug.}
Tori Washington: "Will! I'm so proud of you!"
{When she breaks the hug, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nick comes up and looks for the big fist bump. Will feigns annoyance before laughing and reciprocating the fist bump. He continues walking forward and spies his protégé , Rocky Kingman, hitting on Brooklyn and Elizabeth, those two girls that Will dated that one time. He starts to wonder why ex-girlfriends of his would be there, but his attention is turned to a surprising face.}
Will: "Holy crap. Ian Kline is here?!"
{Washington approaches his former tag team partner with caution, remembering that the last time he saw the man, he was destroying him with a steel chair. With his significant other, Candice Greer, standing next to him, Kline looks up and spots Will, who gives him a concerned look.}
Will: "I'm really surprised to see you here. Especially considering... you know..."
Ian Kline: "Where you put me out of NCW for good?"
{Will looks down at his shoes and realizes how awkward this is going to be.}
Will: "Look, man.... I'm really sorry for all of that. I was a complete and utter jackass, and I probably ruined your life. I was in a bad place, and I ended up taking it out on you."
Ian Kline: "Will. Yes you definitely put a damper on my wrestling career, but you gave me my first opportunity to be a wrestler in the first place. And I watch NCW every week. I know that you're not the same guy you were back then."
Will: "I'm not."
Ian Kline: "So lets leave the past in the past, and forget the whole thing ever happened."
{Kline extends a hand to Washington, who appears to be extremely grateful to be given another chance. He reaches out and shakes the man's hand.}
Will: "It means a lot, Ian. I'm so glad to see that everything turned out alright for you."
Ian Kline: "We can catch up later, but for right now, I think the host needs to make the rounds."
{The two nod towards each other, and Will turns back, and looks towards the grill, where his father, Michael, and Patrick Kline seem to have taken over the responsibility. Will finally makes it over to the picnic table where his mother, Patricia, and his wife are talking to the family of his former Army best friend, Tyler. The group shares a hearty laugh, and Will turns, seeing Xavier Cross' twins playing ball with Kristen's sister's children, as Cross keeps a watchful eye. After taking the whole scene in, Will's wife looks up at him as he smiles to himself.}
Kristen: "So what do you think?"
{Washington pulls his wife in close with his arm for the half hug.}
Will: "It's perfect."
{The camera shot slowly moves overhead as we look down at the gathering of important characters in Will's life. Our hero soaks in the moment, and looks up to the sky, knowing that Tyler Adams and Cari Cross are somewhere watching this right now. And for the first time, Will Washington is finally at peace.}
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