The Minstrel
League Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2012
- Messages
- 92
- Points
- 0
[Laid out on a burgundy-colored wooden table sits a poster – the first, official UltraTitle tournament poster to be exact. The poster lists the names of the one hundred twenty-eight combatants in this tournament, which will break federation bounds and unite the wrestling world to crown one definitive champion.]
[A hand reaches out from off-screen with a black sharpie market in its grasp. The hand scrolls down the list before stopping at one name.]
[“The Aftermath” John McDonough.]
Hmmmmmmm…
[With the sharpie in its clutches, the hand touches the tip of the marker to the paper and makes a circle around the name.]
Couldn’t resist – could you?
[The voice is disguised - just a monotone, deep voice speaks.]
Still trying to be set free… We’ll have to see what we can do about that.
[Fade out.]
[It’s nighttime – the sky is a beautiful shade of dark blue with scattered stars shining from within. Below a parking lot sits with only two cars resting in spots. Two men lean against each vehicle with dufflebags at their sides.]
[To the right, John McDonough, his hair still wet from either a workout or shower, leans against the car’s backdoor wearing a grey t-shirt logo of a “g” and a “j” merged – the symbol for the post-hardcore band Glassjaw – and a pair of black sweat pants.]
[Opposite him is the young man, we know only as Shane, who pushed for John to enter the tournament. Shane wears a white t-shirt with a pair of black and red basketball shorts. His jet black hair sits mussed on top of his head. He leans against an SUV’s door.]
Shane: You looked good today – doesn’t look like you’ve lost a step at all.
[John gives a half-smile while nodding his head slightly.]
John: Well, I’d hope not – I’ve never really left. I’ve been training since I stepped out.
Shane: Yeah, well, I imagine some people would lose that edge over time. You still got it and I hadn’t seen that from you during training. It’s a will to compete, I don’t know that you could have that when you’re teaching. It’s just another gear, ya know?
John: Yeah…
[John seems distant as he looks up at the sky above and takes a deep breath.]
Shane: You having second thoughts about this?
[John immediately shifts his head back down and stares down the younger man with a piercing glare.]
Shane: I guess not.
[Shane says this chuckling, not being intimidated by a man he seems to know and respect. John shoots a grin in response to the younger man’s response.]
John: No, I just was contemplating whether to ask you to come on this trip…
[Shane’s eyes light up almost immediately, he steps off of the SUV’s door, and looks as though he wants to leap in the air.]
Shane: Of course, I will.
John: I’ve gone kind of back and forth about it, but I think it’ll be good for you – you can meet some guys that might be looking for talent, get a feel for an actual competitive locker room.
Shane: Yeah, that’ll be awesome – thanks.
[Shane is like a little kid on Christmas – he can barely stand still – knowing that this is an opportunity for him to land his dream job.]
John: Plus, I want you there to watch my back.
[John says this sternly – Shane quickly issues the appropriate response by calming down from his “high” and leaning back against the car with his arms folded. A concerned look crosses his face.]
Shane: Oh… Why? Did someone enter that you used to know? An old enemy?
John: No… But it’s easy to make enemies at these kinds of things. It’s also completely possible for old enemies to come out of the woodwork to try and screw this up for a guy like me. I know plenty of guys, who would come back just for that sole purpose.
Not to mention the fact that you have fighters in this tournament, who are tied up in whatever alliances they might have, and are going to be looking to help each other out.
[Shane nods understandingly, but before he can get a word in edge-wise, John quickly regains his attention so he can finish his point. He points his finger at Shane to emphasize his next statement.]
John: This does not mean I am giving you license to do that – I have never been that type of fighter and never will be. Neither will you. You can protect my back, if someone else takes those steps… I, in NO WAY, want you to take those steps. You understand?
[Shane nods with a look of admiration for his teacher.]
Shane: Yeah.
John: We’re better than that.
[A moment passes, John looks at his watch.]
John: Get out of here, kid, we’ll talk tomorrow about getting to the first round.
Shane: Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
[Shane gives John a handshake before heading around to the other side of the SUV, getting in and driving off. John stands there still against the car. After he is left alone, he eyeballs the camera with his icy blue eyes.]
John: I’ve been playing catch-up the last few days – lot of training and a lot of film work. Trying to get a feel for the field and I cannot help, but be impressed at this point. Lot of talent, lot of terrific athletes and a lot of different styles…
It’s gonna be a lot fun.
[He raises his eyebrows as he says this dripping with sarcasm.]
The boys at the gym…
[He tilts his head motion to the gym on his left.]
Informed me that the experts hadn’t even mentioned my name in any of their roundtable discussions concerning the UltraTitle Tournament.
[He shrugs his shoulders and smiles.]
I told them – “Good.”
I love flying under the radar. I love being an unknown, unranked and overlooked, an afterthought.
You see, I’m not flashy, I’m not out here pumping my chest claiming to be some “god” of the ring or the perfect athlete or anything like that. And if that’s what I would have to do – is throw some fit or sideshow on camera to get people to notice me – I’m better off being unnoticed.
I don’t need to hold my breath to be noticed, I don’t need to list off a series of accomplishments… Frankly, I do not care what the experts do or do not talk about.
Because ultimately, this is going to be decided between two men – one at a time, sixty-four times in the first round, and downward until there’s just one man standing.
[He stands up from off the car door – his voice and expression are brimming with a calm confidence.]
And that is where I excel – in a one-on-one setting – not in garnering political points and not in being the biggest blowhard. But by outworking my opponent, by using my motivation to push past my opponent…
And that is one thing I will not be understated about – this is as big a tournament for me as any wrestler in the field – and I will use that to run that extra mile, to do that extra deadlift, to push that little bit extra… That little bit more that will make the difference.
Those are things that experts can’t see until it’s already come to pass. Until it’s the aftermath.
[Fade out.]
[A hand reaches out from off-screen with a black sharpie market in its grasp. The hand scrolls down the list before stopping at one name.]
[“The Aftermath” John McDonough.]
Hmmmmmmm…
[With the sharpie in its clutches, the hand touches the tip of the marker to the paper and makes a circle around the name.]
Couldn’t resist – could you?
[The voice is disguised - just a monotone, deep voice speaks.]
Still trying to be set free… We’ll have to see what we can do about that.
[Fade out.]
[It’s nighttime – the sky is a beautiful shade of dark blue with scattered stars shining from within. Below a parking lot sits with only two cars resting in spots. Two men lean against each vehicle with dufflebags at their sides.]
[To the right, John McDonough, his hair still wet from either a workout or shower, leans against the car’s backdoor wearing a grey t-shirt logo of a “g” and a “j” merged – the symbol for the post-hardcore band Glassjaw – and a pair of black sweat pants.]
[Opposite him is the young man, we know only as Shane, who pushed for John to enter the tournament. Shane wears a white t-shirt with a pair of black and red basketball shorts. His jet black hair sits mussed on top of his head. He leans against an SUV’s door.]
Shane: You looked good today – doesn’t look like you’ve lost a step at all.
[John gives a half-smile while nodding his head slightly.]
John: Well, I’d hope not – I’ve never really left. I’ve been training since I stepped out.
Shane: Yeah, well, I imagine some people would lose that edge over time. You still got it and I hadn’t seen that from you during training. It’s a will to compete, I don’t know that you could have that when you’re teaching. It’s just another gear, ya know?
John: Yeah…
[John seems distant as he looks up at the sky above and takes a deep breath.]
Shane: You having second thoughts about this?
[John immediately shifts his head back down and stares down the younger man with a piercing glare.]
Shane: I guess not.
[Shane says this chuckling, not being intimidated by a man he seems to know and respect. John shoots a grin in response to the younger man’s response.]
John: No, I just was contemplating whether to ask you to come on this trip…
[Shane’s eyes light up almost immediately, he steps off of the SUV’s door, and looks as though he wants to leap in the air.]
Shane: Of course, I will.
John: I’ve gone kind of back and forth about it, but I think it’ll be good for you – you can meet some guys that might be looking for talent, get a feel for an actual competitive locker room.
Shane: Yeah, that’ll be awesome – thanks.
[Shane is like a little kid on Christmas – he can barely stand still – knowing that this is an opportunity for him to land his dream job.]
John: Plus, I want you there to watch my back.
[John says this sternly – Shane quickly issues the appropriate response by calming down from his “high” and leaning back against the car with his arms folded. A concerned look crosses his face.]
Shane: Oh… Why? Did someone enter that you used to know? An old enemy?
John: No… But it’s easy to make enemies at these kinds of things. It’s also completely possible for old enemies to come out of the woodwork to try and screw this up for a guy like me. I know plenty of guys, who would come back just for that sole purpose.
Not to mention the fact that you have fighters in this tournament, who are tied up in whatever alliances they might have, and are going to be looking to help each other out.
[Shane nods understandingly, but before he can get a word in edge-wise, John quickly regains his attention so he can finish his point. He points his finger at Shane to emphasize his next statement.]
John: This does not mean I am giving you license to do that – I have never been that type of fighter and never will be. Neither will you. You can protect my back, if someone else takes those steps… I, in NO WAY, want you to take those steps. You understand?
[Shane nods with a look of admiration for his teacher.]
Shane: Yeah.
John: We’re better than that.
[A moment passes, John looks at his watch.]
John: Get out of here, kid, we’ll talk tomorrow about getting to the first round.
Shane: Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
[Shane gives John a handshake before heading around to the other side of the SUV, getting in and driving off. John stands there still against the car. After he is left alone, he eyeballs the camera with his icy blue eyes.]
John: I’ve been playing catch-up the last few days – lot of training and a lot of film work. Trying to get a feel for the field and I cannot help, but be impressed at this point. Lot of talent, lot of terrific athletes and a lot of different styles…
It’s gonna be a lot fun.
[He raises his eyebrows as he says this dripping with sarcasm.]
The boys at the gym…
[He tilts his head motion to the gym on his left.]
Informed me that the experts hadn’t even mentioned my name in any of their roundtable discussions concerning the UltraTitle Tournament.
[He shrugs his shoulders and smiles.]
I told them – “Good.”
I love flying under the radar. I love being an unknown, unranked and overlooked, an afterthought.
You see, I’m not flashy, I’m not out here pumping my chest claiming to be some “god” of the ring or the perfect athlete or anything like that. And if that’s what I would have to do – is throw some fit or sideshow on camera to get people to notice me – I’m better off being unnoticed.
I don’t need to hold my breath to be noticed, I don’t need to list off a series of accomplishments… Frankly, I do not care what the experts do or do not talk about.
Because ultimately, this is going to be decided between two men – one at a time, sixty-four times in the first round, and downward until there’s just one man standing.
[He stands up from off the car door – his voice and expression are brimming with a calm confidence.]
And that is where I excel – in a one-on-one setting – not in garnering political points and not in being the biggest blowhard. But by outworking my opponent, by using my motivation to push past my opponent…
And that is one thing I will not be understated about – this is as big a tournament for me as any wrestler in the field – and I will use that to run that extra mile, to do that extra deadlift, to push that little bit extra… That little bit more that will make the difference.
Those are things that experts can’t see until it’s already come to pass. Until it’s the aftermath.
[Fade out.]
Last edited: