"New car, caviar, four-star daydream..."
"We're not... in Vegas anymore... Toto."
(The scene opens in the nation's capital... away from the glitz and glam of a desert oasis and into stark grittiness of an East Coast urban setting. Once again, the camera opens inside another local boxing club, although the culture and patronage looks remarkably different from the Irish-influenced, white-dominated gym back in Boston. Clearly, this isn't the place the tourists visit on their sight-seeing trips to D.C. But for some others, who aren't quite as bothered by racial tensions, it serves its purpose. Once again in a far corner, we find KERRY KUROYAMA off to himself, apart from the regulars, occupying himself with a series of chin-ups on a bar set a couple meters off the ground. Beads of sweat roll down the young athletes back, implying that he's been at this for a while. By sheer irony, Pink Floyd's "Money" is playing on the nearby portable radio on the bench next to his stuff.)
"I'm beginning to learn... just how much... of a roller coaster... this business can be."
(He addresses the camera between reps, before finally reaching a limit and dropping to the floor. As he turns to show his face, we can see he's appearing without that usual youthful zest. Instead, his features have hardened to an expression of determination and steeled will.)
"I left Boston after Reloaded 19 riding on Cloud Nine, feeling good about myself after a hard-fought victory over a tough and determined opponent in 'Da Man' Xavier Langston. Then arrived at Brawl 68 in Oklahoma City, where I was brought crashing back down to earth courtesy of a human steamroller like Teddy Alexander. I thought I had all the skill and preparation I needed to outlast that juggernaut... and indeed, there were moments where it looked like I was going to pull through. In the end, though, I misjudged the Philadelphian Nightmare's monstrous tenacity, and nearly got my head kicked off for it."
(He shakes his head, pursing his lips briefly into a grimace as the sting of defeat hits him again.)
"I'm disappointed in myself. I really wanted to go out there and prove to the world that even this early on in my New Frontier career, I could still stand and compete on a championship level. But clearly, there's still much for me to learn in that ring... and I just have to keep chipping away, doing what I can to improve myself and prevent those mistakes from happening again. Better to learn that lesson now, than later down the line, when something potentially more valuable is at stake."
(His attitude softens as he speaks on the silver lining in the cloud, and briefly towels himself down before speaking to the camera again.)
"The critics might point at that loss and say it's evident that I'm not living up to the hype surrounding me, or whatever... but if you ask me, a truly 'great' wrestler isn't so much defined by how consistently he can out there and find ways to win, but also how he can handle himself in the rare occasions he's handed a defeat. So I feel that all that's left now is to make the most of it... to turn this unfortunate set-back into the impetus I need to push myself further in NFW. I feel it's important that I go back into that ring and prove to the masses that the loss proves nothing... only that I'm more motivated that ever to overcome whoever may stand across from me in that ring."
"So I congratulate you, Teddy Alexander... but understand that next time you and I come face to face between those ropes, it's going to be a much different story. Best of luck to you in your pursuit for the Triple Crown Championship, although if you ask me, knowing the Cartridge Cruiser in the way that I came to know him back in Seattle, I'd say you're well on the path toward your own disappointing finish."
(He pulls from his Dojo-issued duffle bag the latest t-shirt out of New Frontier's merch department: the new official Kerry Kuroyama t-shirt, bright green in color with the Kanji character for "arashi" emblazoned across the front in thick black strokes. Rocking his colors)
"As for myself, though... I'm moving on from Brawl 68, and looking forward to Reloaded 20, taking place in just a few days right here in Washington D.C. It will be there at 'the Grand Double-Ecks' where I intend to respond to this shortcoming in a big way, by trying to pick up another big win. But I don't expect it to be an easy task, as I'll be standing across the ring from Lane Cash, a man who boasts gifted talents and starpower as his two greatest assets."
"Lane... allow me to begin by humbly recognizing your impressive qualities in natural ability and charisma. Judging by the company you're often seen in, you're clearly a man to be envied in those respects. And, perhaps that's why you've gained the favor of the Commissioner... because he sees in you a man who can use put God-given talents to use and make this company a lot of money in the process. If that's the path of life you choose, then power to you... the weight of a fine woman on your shoulder is nice, to be certain."
(He stops the portable radio in the middle of Roger Waters singing about money being the root of all evil, and stows it away in the bag.)
"Personally speaking, though... I don't know if feel it's as nice as holding up the weight of a championship belt, that was put there on your own determined effort."
"When it comes to my own level recognition, Lane, I feel it's a thing to be earned by focusing more on the sport, rather than the spectacle that 'superstar wrestlers' like you have made it out to be. I want people to come see me for the athlete that I am, rather than being a celebrity. I'll create my own starpower and fill those seats by leaning on those very qualities you so callously pass off as 'throwaway'. Practice, patience, perseverance... those things the hip, sarcasm-fueled pop culture of today's sports entertainment industry deem as vanilla. Certainly lacking in flair, but at the end of the day, for as boring as it all gets perceived, the fans still come out to see it, and they remember it when they go home."
"Those fans may look at you now, Lane, and wish they had the things you have... like you're a living constant reminder that they are all born to be losers. But I don't fly that way. I go into that ring to prove to those fans that champions aren't born; they're made. I want to inspire those fans to believe they can have anything they want, so long as they work hard and have the willingness to reach out and take it. That's the very message I want to give these fans here in Washington, D.C., by putting your shoulders to mat, and showing all those people that come out to see Peter Windham's vaunted Showcase that natural ability and starpower will only get you so far in this sport if you're not willing to advance yourself beyond those levels."
"Greatness isn't an entitlement; it has to be earned... and for as much as you curse those critics, you'll never silence them until you step up and prove them wrong. But I don't see that willingness in you, Lane, to be perfectly honest. You seem to already think you're on that level, and you never needed to do anything to earn that regard. You're more interested in letting fame come to you rather than going out and taking it for yourself. That's why you're in for a bad night at Reloaded XX, and why I will reach that level of greatness before you."
(Gathering together the last of his belongings, he zips up the bag and slings it over his shoulder, making his way to the exit with the camera following.)
"And it's more than just watching tapes and taking notes that will get me there, Lane. For that matter, it's more than my own natural abilities, gifted to me by two prior generations of professional wrestlers with the last name 'Kuroyama'. What is it then? Xavier Langston proved to me that he knows what it is, and he could probably tell you something about it... although something tells me your friend the Commissioner is going to be told a bit sooner. You can't pin it all on one thing, though, because the truth is, it's everything. No one quality is 'throwaway' in my eyes. I try to be the best of what I am in every aspect... and I strive to make my only vulnerability to simply be the willingness to fight clean, and not make everything about personal vendettas."
"Hence, I feel, these comparisons to the acclaimed Evan Aho. For as much as you see him as a man consumed by this industry, Cash, even you can't deny that he's still being talked about and remembered this long after his brief but memorable campaign. At the same time, though, I want to make it abundantly clear, that I am NOT Evan Aho. Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered that people make that comparison... as Aho is regarded as a hero by many back home in Seattle. But years from now, when all is said and done, I want the public opinion to know that at the time of his arrival, Kerry Kuroyama was forging his own path, instead of following another's."
(He respectfully nods to the graying old man working behind the counter before coming to a stop at the door, looking at the camera a final time.)
"I don't make warnings or threats unless warranted, Cash, so don't expect any of that out of me at this time. Only understand that I'm walking into that ring looking to answer for what I couldn't get done at Brawl 68. You can dismiss all that motivation as inconsequential, but blind confidence won't help you once that bell rings. You can sell tickets... you can get all the ladies... but none of that is going to stop me from doing whatever it takes to drop you onto that canvas and pick up the three."
"Take a lesson from Dorothy: when the storm comes, you better get down and brace yourself... otherwise, it will blow you away."
(He steps through the door and we go to black.)