Round 3: "The Blade" Kendall Codine vs. Mikey Massacre

[Chad]

Roleplay begins Sunday and ends next Sunday. 3 RP maximum.

You may submit a card segment for use on the card by private messaging it to the following usernames: Chad; Ford; User Poets Not all segments may be used (i.e. we might only include winners, just depends on the amount of craziness).

 

[KRobinson]

Moving Forward

[Location: Rosemont, Illinois….May 30th, 2012]

[Fade In: Focusing on the center of the Allstate Arena, where a sold out crowd cheers loudly watching the squared circle on the arena floor.]

Kendall Codine connects with the Guillotine Blade and then secures the pin over his opponent, Troy “The Baller” Franklin.

[Cut To: The backstage locker room area of the Allstate Arena. Once again, we find an aged Codine, who is gingerly favoring the aches and pains of father time. Nearly two decades of competition has taken a toll on his body, yet he continues to press on for the ultimate goal of capturing the UltraTitle Championship. A man of fate, consequence, and a bit of superstition, Codine is seen putting on his black “NBK” t-shirt that has accompanied him through hundreds of victories over his career. Without looking at the camera, Codine begins to speak.]

Codine: Two up….two down. They said I was too old. They said my body could no longer take the toll that comes with regular competition. They said that an eight year layoff would prove to be my downfall. They said I had no chance….

[Codine hesitates, as a smirk stretches across his face.]

Codine: Let’s see what they have to say now….

[Codine pauses, as he continues to change out of his wrestling gear.]

Codine: In these first two rounds, I stepped into the ring with two formidable foes in Steve “Axion” Jackson and Troy “The Baller” Franklin. Both men were decorated with career accolades, as well as the enthusiasm that comes along with their youth. The same naïve youth that proved to be their downfall against me.

However, that all changes as I move on to the third round, as now I will square off against a man very similar to myself….

Mikey Massacre

[Codine tosses his knee braces into his bag, continuing on with the addressing of his next opponent.]

Codine: I now find myself coming face-to-face with a man who shares the same tenure. Ironic how two men that are “past their prime” have made it this far, don’t you think Mikey?

But wait!! Before I go on, I need to know exactly who I’m facing here….

Am I facing Michael? Or am I facing Massacre? Am I squaring off against the “manager”? Or am I locking up with the “wrestler”? This is a point I’m going to need you to clarify for me Mikey because I like being prepared.

I’m thinking New Alberta Pro Wrestling would have probably preferred some clarification as well because this kind of nonsense wreaks havoc on a company’s public relations department.

[Codine hesitates once again, laughing to himself based upon the prospects of his opponent’s past.]

Codine: Mikey, I commend you for elevating yourself from the depths of jobber and mid-card status to a highly decorated champion….specifically amongst the ranks of REBEL Pro. Your accomplishments read like a laundry list of pro wrestling lore….

REBEL Pro Tag-Team Champion….

Two Time Carolinas Champion….

Two Time World Champion….

I have to say, most impressive of all is the fact that you held that world title for nearly three months.

Bravo Mikey….Bravo.

[Codine hesitates for a moment, displaying a confused look upon his face.]

Codine: But Mikey, one has to wonder how great those accomplishments really are when you dig down to the bone of it all….

REBEL Pro is near and dear to your heart, wouldn’t you say Mikey? After all, you proudly display their likeness in your promos.

I have to ask, for a history that you’re so proud of and titles that you mention with glory, why is it that this “historic” company was dominated by a….

WOMAN!!

[Codine snickers to himself, before proceeding.]

Codine: Come on Mikey, you mean to tell me that on seven different occasions, a female held the world title? And if that isn’t enough, she eclipsed your reign by holding the title for 345 days!!

Don’t get me wrong Mikey….Lisa Seldon sounds like a formidable foe. I mean, the vary name strikes fear in my heart each time I release it from my mouth. However, one would think that you wouldn’t boast about competition in what seems to be a woman’s wrestling league. There are several things that woman do better than men….

Cook….

Clean….

Complain….

Wrestling SHOULD NOT be one of them.

[Codine pauses one last time, as he collects his thoughts before offering his final address.]

Codine: In all seriousness Mikey….we are two older men at the end of our career and one of those careers is going to have to end in the third round. I can assure you that it won’t be mine.

You’ve begged for a challenge over the past two rounds. Guess what Mikey….

NOW you’ve got one!!

At this point, there is only one thing that I can predict for your career and that is the same prediction I have offered each of my opponents thus far….

[Codine stares intently into the camera’s eye.]

Codine: THE END IS NEAR….

[Fade Out.]

 

[MikeyMassacre]

Re: Moving Forward

[FADEIN: the side parking lot of the Allstate Arena, same evening as the promo preceding this, minutes after Codine and Mikey secured their respective victories. A door opens and Mikey emerges from the door, nodding at a guard standing at the door. He is wearing a blue sweatsuit and has globs of shampoo on his poorly-shaven scalp. His beard is soaking wet and dripping. He approaches a once-baby-blue-but-now-rusty-and-faded 1993 Nissan Sentra, opens the trunk, deposits a gym bag, then turns to the camera.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: I have to race across town for an autograph session, then catch a redeye to do some dubbing for a DVD. You’re welcome to catch some words from me in between the two.

[CUTTO: Mikey leaving Jamie’s Tavern, a place strikingly similar to the bar at the beginning of Terminator 2. Mikey, with dried shampoo on his scalp, leaves, scowling. He has twenty bucks in his hand. He walks up to the camera and shows the bill.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: An hour and a half of my time for twenty bucks. What is that? Twelve, thirteen an hour? Is this what my life is worth now? Subtract the gas to get here, the sub I wolfed down on the way, and I might’ve made ten, whoop-de-(BLEEP)-doo. But this is the life I’ve chosen. For good or bad, mostly bad, I chose this career. I looked in the mirror, saw a guy with crooked ass teeth, an untameable unibrow, no six pack to speak of, little natural athletic talent, and decided I could make a decent living as a professional wrestler. And here I am, more than twenty years later, living in a friend’s basement, traveling all around the country trying to get a paycheck as a wrestler, an announcer, an autograph-signer, as whatever-the-heck-they-want-me-to-be.

And, you know what, my accolades don’t measure up to yours, Codine. The companies you worked for, the places where you held championships, they were bigger names than New Alberta Pro Wrestling and REBEL Pro Wrestling. So if you want to feel good about yourself comparing your life to mine, go for it. If I could, I’d probably switch places with you. You’re better-looking than me, you draw bigger crowds, the nerds love you, you have great boots and untie them with precision, and I get the impression you don’t have to sign autographs in meth bars. You should be proud of all you have accomplished. I would be.

But, man, if you want to beat Mikey Massacre in Round 3, if you want to win the ULTRATITLE, you’re going to have to do a whole heck of a better job finding my weaknesses. All you could find was… that I was an announcer, and a former champion, in a company that had… a female champion? Seriously? How the **** does that help you beat me? Is it just to get under my skin? What are we, frat boys? Are you seriously a middle-aged man? Because you sound like a childish prick.

Yes, it’s true, REBEL Pro Wrestling has had a female champion. And you know what, Codine? It gets worse than that. If you were really trying to **** with me, you could’ve mentioned that she pinned me. That’s right. Lisa Seldon, a female, pinned me. I was pinned by a woman. Are you done laughing yet? I have no excuses. On that particular night, she was the better warrior. But what does it matter? I defeated Azreal in the quickest match in the tourney, then I crushed a man with as many accolades as you in Alias. God damn it, Codine, I am in Round 3 of the most prestigious tournament in a decade, maybe ever… you will have to do a better job than that.

There are tons of weaknesses you can try to exploit, Codine, if you’d take the time to watch my tapes and do more than a quick Google search in between masturbation sessions, jerking off to your accolades like they were big, floppy tits. For example, right before I perform a drop toe hold, I tend to blink in rapid succession. And sometimes when I’m applying a Boston crab, my bowels forget where I am and start a process I don’t want to start until right after my match, right before my shower. Those are the types of things you should be exploiting, not the fact that I once held a title that was later held by a female. Weak.

But who am I to tell you how to strategize against me? I’m just Mikey Massacre, a guy getting paid to sit at a table and sign four autographs for creepy, smelly dudes, a guy with serious and documented personality problems, and you’re this big shot **** from big shot leagues, from a world where women exist only to cook, clean, complain and suck your cock, so who the **** am I?

I’ll tell you who the **** I am.

[Mikey leans closer to the camera. A Michael-esque smirk appears.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: I’m the uglier, less successful, hard-to-remember, easy-to-forget version of you who is going to walk into Round 3, and send the nerds into a tailspin when I frog splash you in the middle of the ring. That’s who the **** I am. And whether it’s Mikey, or Michael, or Massacre, or even if I’m only answering to the name Jim Bob, it will still be this wrist that is held up by the ref as the confused fans wonder what the **** happened to the guy who was supposed to win, and who the hell this ugly sum***** is.

I am Mikey Massacre.

And you are right… the end is near.

[We begin to FADEOUT just as Mikey’s cell phone rings.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: Hello?

…

MIKEY MASSACRE: Brian who?

…

MIKEY MASSACRE: From… where?

[… FADEOUT.]

 

[KRobinson]

I've Heard This Story Before....

[Location: Rosemont, Illinois….June 4th, 2012]

[Fade In: Courtyard by Marriott, about a mile away from the All State Arena, where round two of the Ultratitle Tournament has just completed. An aerial shot of the surroundings, slowly fades to black, before cutting to the inside of room 116. Inside of this room, we find Kendall Codine relaxing on the bed and icing his knees. On the television is Mikey Massacre’s most recent promo in which he addressed Codine. Obviously, Codine is in between stops, as he prepares to move on to the next city on the tour of this tournament. As the promo comes to a conclusion, Codine can do nothing, but laugh to himself, before addressing the most recent remarks from his opponent.]

Codine: It never ceases to amaze me how each opponent I face seems to have their life story lifted straight from the big screen. In the last round, I locked up with Troy Franklin, who seemed to be the poster boy for one of John Singleton’s hits. Now, I come face to face with Mikey Massacre….it seems that Darren Aronofsky mis-casted Mickey Rourke for the lead role, as you should have been the obvious choice.

I’m growing a little tired of these repeated clichés. You see Michael, I was simply pointing out that the mistaken identity routine simply won’t work for me. I’ve seen it over and over and over again. I was hoping that I would face a little change at this point in the tournament, but I guess I was wrong.

[Codine pauses, as he readjusts himself on the bed, favoring both of his arthritic knees.]

Codine: I find it laughable that you question the research that I put in to my opponents, as its obvious you have absolutely no clue who you’re dealing with. In fact, if you really knew who you were dealing with, you would know that my past accolades mean nothing in terms of my current financial situation. Quite frankly, this very hotel I’m sitting in is being financed by my son, courtesy of his newly inked contract with Dan Ryan and the EPW.

Embarrassing?

Certainly, but I left my pride at the professional wrestling door nearly eight years ago. At this point, my run in this tournament is to simply see how far this old dog can run at the twilight of his career. You’re making the same fatal mistake that each of my opponents has so far….

Assuming….that I have something to lose.

[Codine hesitates once again, as he gets up to dispose of the now melted ice that once rested upon his knees.]

Codine: Michael, my pointing out of your shortcomings in the ring was to simply draw attention to how incredibly fortunate you were to make it this far in the tournament.

You dismiss the fact that Lisa Seldon was superior to you and the entire REBEL Pro Wrestling roster for that matter, but then point out how quickly you disposed of Azreal in the first round of this tournament. I question as to whether he even showed up, but that’s neither here or there.

The point is, you need to make up that bipolar mind of yours….either be modest or boastful.

You can’t play the pity card, and then brag about your physical prowess in the same breathe.

[Codine begins to clean up his room, as if he is expecting a visitor.]

Codine: Mikey, I’ve done my research and watched the tapes. Regardless of what you think, Google didn’t work too well because I would have had to gone ten pages deep to find the first mention of your name. Luckily, I have a business associate that has spent some time in the management offices of professional wrestling….

[Codine pulls a box from underneath the hotel bed. He places the box upon the bed, slowly removing the lid.]

Codine: Who do you want to discuss first Mikey?

[Codine pulls out several DVDs in succession, reading the title from each.]

Codine: Mikey Massacre vs. J.J. Nickels….

Mikey Massacre vs. “The Show” Chad Kurtis….parts I and II mind you….

Mikey Massacre vs. Nick Everhart….

Mikey Massacre vs. Manny X….

And one of my personal favorites….Mikey Massacre vs. “The Ego Buster” Dan Ryan….

The list goes on and on. My point is Mikey, I ALWAYS know my opponent. And quite frankly, the only weakness I need to exploit is getting into that diluted head of yours….a task which I have already accomplished. Your emotional reaction to my initial address displayed that weakness for the entire world to see.

So ultimately, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is that is standing before you….

A dominant female champion in Lisa Seldon….

A highly decorated star in Dan Ryan….

A virtually voiceless opponent in the form of Azreal or Alias….

Or me….

The point remains the same, you are mentally weak and that will be your downfall. You begged for a challenge Mikey and as the old adage goes, ask and you shall receive….

That challenge now stands before you.

[Suddenly, Codine’s address is interrupted by a knock at the hotel room door. He approaches the door in order to allow the guest access.]

Codine: It’s about time you got here. Thanks for the tapes, now let’s talk business.

[As Codine opened the door, the camera remains focused on him, not to display the image of the mystery person on the receiving end of the conversation. The simplicity of a thick puff of cigar smoke is the only clue coming from the other end of the hotel room door.]

[Fade Out.]

 

[MikeyMassacre]

Re: I've Heard This Story Before....

[FADEIN: Mikey, shirtless, sitting on a toilet, scratching his beard and kinda-shaven scalp. Thankfully, the camera is only showing his belly button and up, so we do not see his buttocks or thigh muscles clench. We do, however, hear a couple noises that may or may not have originated inside of him. He is reading the Wall Street Journal, but after a few seconds, tosses it to the ground, and picks up an old PWI from 2002. And on the cover… “The Blade” Kendall Codine. The screen goes black as we hear Mikey reaching for toilet paper, and a less-than-ideal amount of time later, the screen goes back on. Mikey continues to read. A moment later, his cell phone rings. Mikey looks down. His camera is on his whitey tighteys, between his ankles. Reluctantly, he reaches down and presses Receive, then Speaker.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: Hold on, Rob, I can’t remember which hand I wiped with. Don’t want to pick my phone up ‘til I wash.

ROB MARTINEZ: What?

MIKEY MASSACRE: Hold on, just let me think for a second. I’m ambidextrous, and never remember.

ROB MARTINEZ: Mikey… I’m pretty sure everyone just uses whichever hand can more easily get the paper. It’s not a lefty/right thing.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Are you sure? I don’t think I do. I switch it up. Dammit, I can’t remember!

ROB MARTINEZ: Your memory is that bad?

MIKEY MASSACRE: ****, I’ll just risk it.

ROB MARTINEZ: You used to wrestle Manny X while both of you were bleeding all over the place… and you’re worried about this?

MIKEY MASSACRE: You’re right.

ROB MARTINEZ: I don’t think anyone ever tested Manny in those days.

MIKEY MASSACRE: (putting the phone to his ear and pulling his pants up) Hey, speaking of tests… the reason I called, CSWA wants to give me the standard physical and tests, then want to discuss a contract!

ROB MARTINEZ: Wow, Mikey, really? This is something you’ve always dreamt of.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Yeah, no ****, right? But, listen, let me call you a little later. Want to get out of this bathroom before TONY’s wife gets home and knows I was in here. They don’t like me using their bathroom, but this one is so much nicer.

[A door closing elsewhere in the house is heard.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: Gotta go!

[CUTTO: Mikey pacing in the unrenovated basement he occupies, talking to himself. On a distant wall, we see the entire ULTRATITLE bracket painted with various names crossed out. Codine, Kiyomori, and Smallz's names are circled. A woman at the top of the stairs can be heard yelling for him, but he’s ignoring her, and continuing to talk to himself. After a few moments of this, he turns to the camera.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: Codine, I wholeheartedly apologize for acting excited in my last promo. But don’t you mistake that excitement for evidence that you’ve somehow wormed your way into my head. No, no, you see, that’s not why I was excited. I was excited because this tournament has my blood pumping. Being able to compete with people like you in front of more fans than ever before in my life—that is why I am excited! So if I YELL!, or em-pha-size certain syllables, please excuse me!

Now, Codine, let’s talk stolen clichés. As you mentioned, it is a serious problem in our sport. Athletes ripping off movies, television shows, historical icons. It’s preposterous!

So, please, cease and desist with this silly cigar-smoking man.

Most wrestling fans are nerds, and most nerds watched the X-Files, so do yourself a favor, do all of us a favor, and stop being a hypocrite.

Onto The Wrestler. Honestly, buddy, did you see it? Sure, it’s about a veteran professional wrestler, so you got me there, but it was about a guy who was at the top and led a steady downfall for two decades. Mikey Massacre, on the other hand, has just hit his peak, has never been to the top of the mountain, and has therefore never tumbled down it. But, I must ask, how am I closer to Randy the Ram than you? You’re the one spitting all this nonsense about having nothing left to lose (cough) cliché (cough.)

But, you see, I would never make that comparison. Um, dude, it’s a movie about professional wrestling, and a fairly realistic one at that. Of course there are similarities. What a stupid thing to say. Is it because I have no choice but to earn crap money in crap bars? Well, pal, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of dudes just like me, doing the same thing. And it isn’t because we watched The Wrestler; it’s because this industry is ****ing tough, and there isn’t enough money to go around.

So stop with the cheap, thoughtless crap. The fans are smarter than that, and frankly, so are you. You whine about me choosing whether to be modest or boastful. What the **** are you talking about? I’m neither modest nor boastful. I just state the facts. And that’s what I did a few days ago when I said I lost to Lisa Seldon, but on two other nights, had solid victories over established dudes. And, yes, it’s true, they weren’t in pure form those nights, but nevertheless, I won, and that is what counts. Where’s the modesty? Where’s the boastfulness?

That same honesty is why you think I am playing the pity card. Dude, each and every one of the people in this tournament—all 128 of them—have welcomed ULTRATITLE camera into their lives, into their homes, and in some cases, into their buddy and his wife’s bathroom. How is mine any different? You’re the one icing your knee on camera, talking about your son propping you up, crying about how no one knows you have nothing left to lose.

This all leaves me to wonder, Codine, when you say I stole my **** from The Wrestler, when you say I am simultaneously modest and boastful, when you say I am playing the pity card… are you looking at me?

Or are you looking in the mirror?

[The camera pans over to the wall where a mirror is hanging. Mikey turns and punches it, smashing it. He turns to the camera, glass protruding out of his fist. He looks down at it, and smiles sadistically.]

TONY’S WIFE: (off camera, yelling down the stairs) Mikey! You worthless asshole! Not only did you **** in my ****ing toilet, but you forget to flush. AND WHERE THE **** IS MY MIRROR?

[FADEOUT.]

 

[KRobinson]

Nothing Else Matters

[Location: Rosemont, Illinois….June 4th, 2012]

[Fade In: Once again, we find ourselves inside of the Courtyard by Marriott, about a mile away from the All State Arena, specifically inside of room 116. We last left off with Kendall Codine answering the knock upon his door, only to be greeted by a thick cloud of cigar smoke.]

Codine: It’s about time you got here. Thanks for the tapes, now let’s talk business.

[The camera gradually pans in a 180 degree fashion in order to get a shot of the person in which Codine is addressing. The man on the receiving end of the conversation is an older gentleman, of an athletic build. He is well groomed, sporting a full black suite. Gradually, the familiarity of the businessman begins to grasp the imagination of the viewers, as it is none other than former TCW owner, Lecompte. For years, he successfully ran one of the most successful professional entertainment organizations in all of North America. He has direct knowledge of some of the greats in the business, from Eli Flair to Sean Stevens, from Kevin Powers to Apocalypse….Lecompte has personally worked with them all. Known as one of the most crooked, yet intelligent masterminds in professional wrestling, Lecompte has reemerged to show his face in the world of professional wrestling once again.]

Lecompte: Did you miss me kid? I’ve got another surprise for you!!

[Lecompte holds up a copy of a DVD, entitled “Best of Mikey Massacre”.]

Codine: (sarcastically) That must have been extremely difficult to find.

[Both men share a laugh, as Lecompte tosses the DVD aside and enters the room. A discussion between the two men ensues.]

Lecompte: Look kid, I’ve done the research and asked around about Mikey Massacre. There really isn’t much that I haven’t already shared with you. He’s your average mid-carder that has experienced minimal success in some smaller independent federations. The cat’s not wound entirely too tight upstairs if you know what I mean.

[Codine smirks, acknowledging Lecompte’s comments.]

Codine: That part is evident, as I’m already in his head. It’s evident that I’m his first real challenge in this tournament and it shows, as he stutters and stammers with each sentence, repeatedly changing his stance promo after promo.

Lecompte: He’s all over the place, having trouble determining whether he’s coming or going.

[Codine smirks once again before answering.]

Codine: He’s going….home after this round is over. I know he thinks he’s “peaking” at 45 years old, but that’s part of the delusion that is running through his head.

[Seeming bored with the conversation at this point, roaming around the hotel room and puffing upon his signature cigar, Lecompte shifts focus to change the subject.]

Lecompte: So let’s talk turkey Kenny!! I’m thinking of getting my feet wet again in the industry that I single-handedly built. What do you say about kicking a little financial assistance my way partner?

[Knowing not to trust Lecompte further than he can throw him when it comes to financial endeavors, Codine quickly dismisses his colleague’s advances.]

Codine: No interest….

Lecompte: Alright, alright, let’s take a different approach. What do you say to main event status?

Codine: No need….

Lecompte: Management?

Codine: Not my style….

Lecompte: Talent scouting?

Codine: No desire….

Lecompte: Talent development?

Codine: No time….

Lecompte: Ring crew?

[Codine offers Lecompte a stare of distain due to the last offer.]

Lecompte: Easy big fella, just pulling your chain. You know me kid, I always get my way in some form, shape, or fashion and I’ll get myself a Codine one way or another.

[Codine acknowledges Lecompte’s reference with a smile before responding.]

Codine: Ultimately, when my run in this tournament is over, that will mark the end of my career. At this point, my body is no longer cooperating and its determination of accomplishing a single goal that is pushing me through. Over the past year, I’ve done a lot of reflection when it comes to my life and I have established two goals from this point forward….

[Codine holds his pointer finger in the air, representing goal number one.]

Codine: Ending my career on a personal high note by winning the Ultratitle Tournament….

[Codine’s single digit is accompanied by another finder held high in the air, representing goal number two.]

Codine: And guiding my son through this business successfully, so that the Codine legacy can continue. Beyond those two goals, nothing else really matters to me.

[Lecompte acknowledges and appreciates the serious intent of Codine’s comments.]

Lecompte: That’s intense kid, but respectable. You need to loosen up a little, let’s have a laugh and watch a comedy!!

[With that, Lecompte reaches down to the floor and picks up the DVD that he had previously discarded entitled “Best of Mikey Massacre”.]

Codine: (laughing) A comedy indeed….

[The two men share a bout of laughter, as the scene slowly fades.]

[Fade Out.]

 

[MikeyMassacre]

Re: Nothing Else Matters

[FADEIN: a lunch in progress between Mikey Massacre, former REBEL Pro/NAPW multi-time champion and play-by-play announcer, and Rob Martinez, the original REBEL Pro play-by-play announcer, at a standard diner. They're sitting at a booth. Martinez is sipping on a coke and Mikey is pounding coffee and scratching. Both have sandwich remnants. Mikey finishes the last of his fries.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: Like I was saying, it is a new move. Not sure how it is going to work out. I figure a guy who complains about his age as much as Codine probably has real bad old man knees, so I wanted a move to go after them, but I suck at kicking. An aspect of this sport I've never been able to grasp.

ROB MARTINEZ: Your dropkick height is still good.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Different skills. Dropkicks have been around since before me. These leg strikes, kicks to the head and back, a new phase in the game, trying to roll with it, but can’t, so had to invent a new move. Hey, you gonna eat those fries?

[Rob signals him to go ahead. Mikey inhales.]

ROB MARTINEZ: So what's this new move?

MIKEY MASSACRE: Head dive into the kneecap.

ROB MARTINEZ: You're not worried about your neck? Or head?

MIKEY MASSACRE: Of course I am, but I'm also worried about winning. The price has to be paid.

[The waitress comes over, asks them if they want anything else, then goes to retrieve Mikey’s sundae.]

ROB MARTINEZ: So where you staying now that your buddy and his wife kicked you out?

MIKEY MASSACRE: She was totally unreasonable. Got a room at the Holiday Inn. Some of the other guys are there. Decent rates. They said I can wear whatever I want to bed.

ROB MARTINEZ: Well, yeah, I mean, generally, I think that's the--

MIKEY MASSACRE: You watch Codine's latest?

ROB MARTINEZ: It felt like the beginning of a bad porno movie. Not sure why he uploaded it.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Guy still thinks he is in my head.

ROB MARTINEZ: ...

MIKEY MASSACRE: What's that expression on your face?

ROB MARTINEZ: ...

MIKEY MASSACRE: What?

ROB MARTINEZ: You won't get mad?

MIKEY MASSACRE: I'm always mad. No promises.

ROB MARTINEZ: He has a point.

MIKEY MASSACRE: What? What do you mean? He has a point about what?

ROB MARTINEZ: I think he is in your head a bit.

[Mikey receives his sundae with a child-like smile, then digs in. He makes no response to Martinez for twenty seconds or so, then looks up.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: I have enough voices in my head that I honestly wouldn't notice one more.

ROB MARTINEZ: Fair, but I think Codine represents something to you. He is right—there is something in your voice when you talk to him.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Oh, please, you think he represents who I could have been? I've thought about it. Obviously. But I don't resent him, or resent my career. I'm proud of my career. Y’know, for the most part, not proud of a few things I did, but overall, heck, inducted into the REBEL Pro Icons, 2009 King of Old School, world champion on the same lists as men like Dan Ryan and Ravager. Heck, I’ll take that.

ROB MARTINEZ: Doesn't mean you shouldn't be upset that a guy who is clearly not as talented as you rose to top levels in global promotions while you were bottom-carding carnival shows.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Come on, not you too? Codine and his cigar man already tried to rip me a new one.

ROB MARTINEZ: I'm just saying.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Y'know, you're getting awful comfortable talking to a crazy **** like me. Watch it.

ROB MARTINEZ: I know you don't get angry when you're full. That's why I ordered you a double burger. But seriously, Mikey, you can win this tournament. If you'd focus. If you'd really focus. If you'd forget about your life choices, and stop comparing yourself to others.

MIKEY MASSACRE: If this was you two or three years ago, I'd be stabbing you with this fork.

ROB MARTINEZ: But you're not that guy anymore. I mean, for the most part, you are Mikey. Who, when he is focused, is a ring general, who knows what to do and when to do it and how to do it. Don't listen to that has-been saying you are past your peak, or that you never peaked at all. You're not in the best shape of your life, but you're pretty close. But this sport isn't all about that. It’s more than just physicality and spirit, like he says. It's a mind game. And as ****ed up as you are, you are damn good at this ****. It is like poker. You can get better with age. Codine is straight up wrong, and Round 3 can and should be the end of the line for him.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Don’t you worry about me, Rob. You might think you have me psychoanalyzed, you might even be right, but I have my new sweet move, and I have a plan. I'm gonna beat this ****ing guy. Kick him to the next stage of his life managing his son in EPW.

ROB MARTINEZ: What’s this plan?

MIKEY MASSACRE: You won’t approve.

[The waitress leaves the bill. Mikey takes out twenty-five bucks and leaves it.]

MIKEY MASSACRE: This one on me. I wouldn’t want Codine saying I am playing the pity card.

ROB MARTINEZ: I’m happy to expense it.

MIKEY MASSACRE: Time to go for a run.

ROB MARTINEZ: But you just ate a double burger and—

[Mikey gets up from the table and leaves the diner. Martinez looks at the camera, puzzled, then gets up himself. As he is leaving, he sees a pill container on the seat. He picks it up and stares at it.]

ROB MARTINEZ: … Michael…

[He hurries outside the diner, just in time to see Mikey speed off. FADEOUT.]