For Chad
(A dimly lit room, perhaps a gallery. The lights come up a bit revealing a quiet room decorated with warm tans and browns and portraits of various professional wrestlers throughout the decades. All of them are legends. The room is empty with the exception of one man, casually taking his time as he passes the displays, glancing at the captions.)
(Then Daymon, in jeans and a black dress shirt, turns to the camera.)
Daymon
I can credit two people responsible for my being here...
Number one is Big Dog. Turns out he had an issue he needed to resolve, and I, being the guy on reserve, am the man to take his place. Which is fine by me... cause now I finally get a piece of the action.
Number two is Chad Dupree...
(Daymon approaches a large portrait of Chad Dupree standing in the middle of a GXW ring, holding a mic and smiling as he waves to the sea of cheering fans around him. In the corner reads 1975-2004.)
Daymon
Little known story about me... I made my start in SCW, where I competed for a good four years until it shut down. When it did, I was without a job and without any direction, thinking I'd just hang up the boots after those quick few years and pursue other things.
But Chad... he saw potential in me. He gave me a job at Global Xtreme Wrestling. He gave me the hope I needed to keep hauling ass, learning, improving my game... doing anything and everything possible to be where I wanted to be. Chad gave me the motivation to do that, and as a result, I'm in the best condition of my career, boasting numerous awards and an impressive record.
Chad was always there for counsel and advice. If I had a problem, he always knew how it needed to be handled. Even after I parted ways from GXW, we kept in touch over the months that followed.
Then one day--August 27th, 2004, I'll never forget--I get a phone call, and I'm told Chad Dupree is dead...
(Daymon turns away from the camera for a moment, falling silent. It's hard for him to recall this memory. It's hard for this writer, too. After a moment, he turns back to the camera.)
Daymon
You know, for me, competing in this TEAM Dupree Cup is personal because of everything Chad did for me. But even so, I know he did a lot for many other wrestlers...
I look at my opponents in this match. Adam, Cameron... the three of us knew Chad thanks to our time in GXW. I look at how far the both of you have gone, and I realize that Mr. Dupree is responsible for some of the greatest professional wrestlers of this generation.
It's as personal for me as it is for the both of you...
And while the overwhelming majority of people in this event probably didn't know who Chad Dupree was when they signed up to participate (and probably still don't to this day), I feel relieved to know that at least a small number of us from different federations can compete in his honor.
That's what the purpose of this game is... it's not about one federation proving itself better than the next. It's about honoring CHAD DUPREE, the man who CHANGED THE FACE of professional wrestling and died before his time.
And yet in spite of my fondness for Chad, I'm nothing more than an alternate. I get this one chance to fight for Chad's memory, then I go home and watch things unfold without my involvement.
(Daymon grimaces slightly, as though he wish he could do more.)
Daymon
This is my one chance to do whatever it is I have to for the Dupree Cup. In one match, I fight for Chad's honor. In one match, I show A1E my loyalty and strength.
To my partner Andrew... it seems almost fitting that we should be on the same side, you being one of A1E's most prominent competitors, while I'm the exact opposite, a mere new guy trying to find his place in a new federation. But this is your chance to see what I'm made of, Andrew... and maybe in time, in A1E, you'll get a chance to see it again, on the receiving end.
But until then, you can rest peacefully knowing I'll fill the void Big Dog left us for this round. I have your back, and I have the back of A1E.
More importantly, I have a goal that transcends federations and status. I fight for my fallen friend in the one chance I get to do it.
Adam, Cameron... I respect the hell out of both of you, and your federation. But we know this isn't about A1E versus UCW. You guys are regular members of your fed's team, but being an alternate, this is probably the only time anybody will see Rocko Daymon in the Dupree Cup.
And I'm not going to let it go unnoticed.
(Daymon gives the portrait of Chad Dupree a final look, then walks away. The lights dim down to black.)
