Re: Round 1: “The Kochi Cannibal” Freddie Sagawa vs. Kevin Hardaway
FADE IN:
A small clap of thunder is heard from the distance, as the scene in question cuts in to a small graveyard near the city of Baltimore, Maryland, about a few miles from it as we can see the giant city in the background of the area. There, we see a man in a black hoodie slowly walk up to the desolate and grim area, music blasting from his ears, as he seems to be wearing a pair of earphones as he walks up towards one certain grave in particular, one that isn’t as worn down and rotting like some of the others around it are, as those have been there for near 30-40 years. There’s a couple that look like they have been there for perhaps 10-15 years, but this one. This one in front of him. This is the newest one that they have put in this sea of corpses.
He places a small red rose in the front of it, like any normal man would do, as we see that there’s a cornucopia of dead roses on the bottom of where he placed it at. He’s been here before. A daily occurrence from the looks of it.
He turns off the music from his pocket and takes his earphones off…followed by the hood that’s wrapped around his neck as we see it’s the head of one Kevin Hardaway, as we slowly move towards what’s written on the grave stone in front of him.
ANGELINA MARIE HARDAWAY
Loving wife, loving mother, loving person.
August 30, 1982 - March 3rd, 2010
His wife. His…former wife. Angie was there for the beginning of his career, and up until her death, the end of it. Sure, Kevin and Angie had their problems, they had their fights, and there was a matter on whether or not the baby growing inside Angie’s was even his to even begin with. But all things turned out okay in the end. The “other father” thing was just a ruse in the end, and now, he has a loving daughter to call his own. But around the end of 2009, things started to get really bad for her. Around the summer time, Angie grew ill with a sickening flu, but like most flus, he just thought it was your ordinary cold. Angie grew better, but near Christmas time 2009, she knew that it just wasn’t your typical illness. Something was wrong.
On Christmas Day 2009, Angie told Kevin that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And they weren’t sure on whether or not they could get it in time.
They tried getting the cancer out, but they realized the awful news. It was too late. Who knew how much time she had left in this world?
Kevin saw this, and in January 2010, he decided that he would rather spend as much time with her as possible, and ended his wrestling career. He cared more about her than some stupid “sport” around that time.
In the end of February, Kevin had what many thought to be his last match as a professional wrestler. Angie somehow got the courage enough to sit in the front row with their daughter, Kimberly, to see the one she loved with all her heart, avenge his demons and defeat one of Kevin’s biggest rivals ever for the first time. At the end of the match, a bloodied but hopeful Kevin went over, kissed Angie on the forehead, picked up Kimberly, and took her to the back to get his well-wishes from the rest of the guys. It was a moment that he never wanted to forget.
5 days later, Angie was admitted to the hospital. She would pass away a couple days later on March 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2010.
Kevin wouldn’t wrestle again until sometime the following July of 2011, completely heartbroken and disheveled at the news. He couldn’t get himself up; he couldn’t even bother to do anything. Due to Angie’s passing and the fact that Kevin was such a mess, child services went in and swooped up Kimberly and took her to a foster home…she wasn’t even 2 for f*ck’s sake and they took her away like that. Luckily, a couple months in, Kevin’s parents decided to pick up the slack and they adopted her, disguising them from the world. Yeah, life sucked back then for him. But near the beginning of summer 2011, Kevin got a call from an upstart promotion in the United Kingdom and asked him if he wanted a job there. It was finally time to get back on his feet. He accepted.
And now…he’s the face of the franchise over there.
But…things are starting to get a bit grim on Kevin’s part. That’s why he’s here today to see if he can fix things…and there’s only one person to talk to.
A damn grave stone.
Kevin looks behind him and in front of him, perhaps trying to see if nobody’s near him. He knows that almost everybody talks to their loved ones like this, but…he just doesn’t seem right doing so in front of others. He’s neurotic like that. He slowly whispers…
HARDAWAY: Am I doing the right thing here? Am I honoring your memory the right way? Or am I still wrong for coming back to this? I know it’s been all great and all since I came back, but…but recently I’ve been hitting a low point. Don’t get me wrong…our daughter is alive and healthy. She’s growing in front of my very eyes, and it’s amazing that she’s turning four in a couple months. They grow so fast. Although I’m afraid of the day where she wonders where you’re at. I’ll never be ready for that day, believe you me. Is it Jen that’s bothering me, and I don’t even know it? I mean, I thought you would be happy that I actually met somebody new back in October, and that we’ve grown to truly care for one another? Is she bothering me? I just don’t get it, you know?
I’m just stuck in this rut now from the looks of it. Sure, everybody has their ruts in life, but here? NOW? I can’t have a rut like this at the moment. I thought when I won the GFC [Global Frontier Crown] Heavyweight Championship that everything was all said and done. That I could finally go into the sunset with my head held high. But alas, that wasn’t the case. Because for the life of me, I can’t hold onto that title if my life depended on it. The first go-around, sure…I accomplished a goal by becoming the FIRST ever GFC Champion, but what good did that do to me? A defense against a has-been from a family who I know and love? That was it. That is all I have had holding that damn title. And yet, two of the people who I hate the most at the moment have dethroned me. And now…I’m in a do or die situation here. Because on May 20[SUP]th[/SUP], it could be my last match in general. Against one of the people who I have yet to beat in FRONTIER.
Another small thunder-clap is heard off in the distance. Today, the weather hasn’t been slowly agreeing with the skies today and it looks like it’s going to rain any second now. No worries from him, really. He has a hoodie on, and it’s only a couple mile run from here back to his apartment in the city, so why does it matter? But the fact here is that he doesn’t want to go just yet, as he rubs his eyes. Whether or not he’s crying a bit is unknown, but…
HARDAWAY: Right now, life is not agreeing with me one bit. First, after regaining the title, I lose it in my first defense via a fluke roll-up and having my opponent hold the tights. He still hasn’t shut his f*cking mouth over it. Then, a couple days ago…the same thing happens to me. Slowly and slowly, I feel like May 20[SUP]th[/SUP] is going to be my last hurrah. I keep saying this because I put my career on the line. It’s slowly eating away at me like a damn cancer. That I haven’t beaten him before. And yet…I feel like this is it for me. After a long career, with more accomplishments than one can name, that it’s the end of the line for me. Which is why I’m going out in a blaze of glory. I’m crossing things off my bucket list, just in case the inevitable does happen. At least I got things done.
One of them is participating in this ULTRATITLE tournament. Now I’ve never done this before, so who the hell knows what is going to happen. I could go all the way…or I could just plummet and die in the first round. The latter is what I’m hearing from everybody around the world. I’ll admit that I’m not the best in the world at ANYTHING. I know that hands down, there’s a ton of people in this thing who are ten times better than me. Am I scared?
Why the hell should I be scared?
Kevin’s voice grows sterner as the rain drops start falling from the sky as more thunder is heard. It sounds so clichéd at this point, but do you really think he cares right now? Not really.
HARDAWAY: I’ve been through this more times than you can count. Facing the odds, and then shoving them back in everybody’s face and laughing at them for it. “Hope Never Dies”…that’s my motto. It’s been my motto ever since day one. And that looks the case here.
I’m not going to sit here and go on and on about my opponent…hell, I have no f*cking clue on who he is. I have no f*cking clue on who MOST of these people are. If I face either Jackson or August Joyce, then maybe we’ll see about that, but on the other hand…I’m just here to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And surprisingly, I still have some gum in my pocket. I’m not expecting to go far in this, but it would be a hell of a thing to do so. Even getting out of the first round with my hand raised is a feat in itself. So right now, that’s my goal. If I can win this one, then I know I did well.
I just hope you think I’m doing well without you.
With that, Kevin leans over to her gravestone and puts his head on top of it. Uncomfortable, yes, but right now he just doesn’t care. He wants to savor the moment for as long as he can. A couple minutes though pass, but to him, it feels like days at this moment. He finally lets go for the time being though and ends up kissing the top of the gravestone, wiping his eyes. Whether or not it’s because he’s crying or it’s because of the rainstorm that has moved into the area, nobody really knows, but he finally lets it be known to her…
I love you.
He throws his hood up and puts back on his headphones, ready to walk back into the dreary, soaking city, letting the music cleanse his soul, if you will. The sweet, gentle melody of song filling his eardrums as he slowly walks away, looking at her grave time and time again, even if the fog from the rain is making it hard to see. But somehow, someway, he feels he can still see it. there’s nothing more he can do at the moment, but as the rain somehow starts to die down, he somehow smiles…he has a gut feeling that she’s looking down and smiling at him.
It’s that simple, really.
FADE OUT.
