The little engine that could

[SouthernBoy]

(FADE-IN: A dark room. A telephone breaks the silence - a tiny, unfamiliar ring. The blob under the covers fumbles for the bedside lamp and turns it on. The head of Shane Southern emerges from under the thick multi-colored blanket, and squints as he looks around)

Where the hell am I?

(Southern looks around and notices the white bathrobe with "Ritz Carlton" monogrammed on the back. Slowly the fog began to lift. A bandaged hand emerges from under the blanket and picks up the phone)

"Yeah?"


(Southern listens to the other end of the phone, but he isn't really hearing the voice. He's thinking about last night. The plaster scrambling his brain, the brief hospital stay, the massive bump on his forehead. The dose of pain killers...How many did he take anyway? It all comes roaring back now...)

"... Mister Southern? ... "

" Uh, yeah...I'm hear. Thanks for tha' wakeup call. I'll be down inna' sec."

(Ugh. Another promo. CSWA's kicked back into gear now and it's double duty time once again. Why do you do this to yourself Shane? Why do you put yourself though the pain? ... You're addicted to the thrill, that's why. Wrestling is your drug. Winning is your high. The ring is YOUR world, and now, it's time to defend your world, yet again)

(CUT-TO: The Ritz banquet room. Southern sits at a table dressed in a CSWA T-shirt, cowboy boots and jeans. His hair is pulled back in a pony tail, and his clean shaven face shows multiple scars)

" So, CSWA FIFTEEN...I finally get mah' shot on tha' grandest stage of 'em all. It's funny how things work ya' know. Six months ago...things were in tha' dumps. I couldn't buy a win...now, I'm sittin' here with tha' biggest match of mah' life starin' me right in tha' face. And people said I'd never amount ta' anythin'. (laughs) But before all that...before I make it ta' Anniversary and strap up tha' laces with tha' World Champ...I've got ah' fight of another kind waitin' fer me at ON TIME. That's two hundred plus of Canadian fury, Jean Rabesque. "

" Jean...hell, there ain't much ta' say really. We fought on tha' same team a few weeks ago, got blown up inna' cage, beat up by Eddy...excreta, excreta, extra. But it's a different ball-game here...as I'm sure you know. Not necessarily harder, but just .... different .... n' until you've been here a while, you're not gonna' KNOW what I'm talkin' ah'bout. Things are just ... "bigger" .... here. Not ta' discount anythin' you've done in tha' past...but when you step into a CSWA ring....things are never quite tha' same. "

" Not only that Jean...you're steppin' into tha' ring witha' guy that's got nuthin' ta' loose right now. Tha' title shot at fifteen ain't up fer grabs...this is just ah'bout a little pride. THIS match...at least fer me...it ah'bout showin' tha' fans of tha' CSWA that I've still got it...that, in reality, I can still win on ability alone. It's about gettin' back ta' basics. What better test than a guy like you? "

" I'm lookin' forward to it...really. A guy with nothin' ta' loose, facin' a guy with everythin' ta' gain. "

" It's gonna' be interestin' ta' say tha' least. "

" But Jean...when tha' lights come up, and tha' last song is played, it's gonna' be Shane Southern's hand they're raisin'...and fer you, at least fer one more week... tha', "

" Party's Over. "

{{...FADE OUT...}}

 

[SteveA]

Back to business

(The screen comes in on a close-up of the CSWA Greensboro Championship, and as we pan away, we see that belt sitting proudly on the shoulder of one Jean Rabesque, who is dressed in his normal black great, “NO FALSE GIMMICKS” blazoned proudly across his chest, Rabesque pauses for a moment, gathers his thoughts, and then speaks)

Rabesque: “So Shane, here we are, it seems as though we’re following each other around. But unlike you, I’m actually tripling up right now with the CSWA hitting gears once again, so I guess I can empathize with what your body is going through.

“All that aside, I don’t think you’ve really been paying very much attention. You speak to me like I don’t know what the hell is going on in the CSWA. You speak as if it is some mountain that is unattainable to me. Hell, Shane, I’m already I’m on way, and after you kick Ryan’s ass to win the Heavyweight title, I’m going to be asking for a rematch.

“You may want to go hit play on the VCR, but over the last three CSWA shows, granted that’s been like eight months, but I’ve taken down GUNS, I’ve taken down Hornet, and I’ve beaten Hirsohi for the strap on my shoulder right now. Now are those men the caliber of say..... Shane Southern? Probably not, but don’t lecture me about anything Shane. I’ve been doing this as long as you have, and I’ve fought just as tough people as you have. We just ran in different circles. Now those circles have collided headfirst. Almost like a little Venn Diagram if you will. The thing is I’ve been paying attention, I’m not sure you have.

“I saw what you did at Primetime. I saw how you got plastered and then were awarded a title shot, and like I inferred earlier, I wish you the best of luck. I honestly have no doubt you’ll take the Golden Lion out in no time. But not this time Shane. You speak of me having everything to gain, but as far as I’m concerned Shane the two of us are in the same situation. We both have everything to lose right now. You have a lot of momentum built up, and I’m sure you would hate to see that vanquished. Me..... I have the honor of being a champion here in the CSWA. Yeah, this might be non-title, but it’s all the same to me.

“I’ve mentioned several times before about the lack of respect I’ve been given not only by the other wrestlers in the industry, but by the promoters as well. They always saw me as small time, as someone incapable of getting the big one done, as someone incapable of hanging with the ‘big boys.’ Well, right now, in both CSWA and NFW, I’m proving that I am not only capable of hanging with them, but I am one of them. I’m not about to let that start to slip through my fingers. And to be honest, a win over the #1 contender would be a hell of a feather in the cap.

“So I will make this as clear to you as I can Shane. If you’re expecting this to be easy, then I say it’s about damn time you wake your ass up and pay attention. We’re in the same boat, we are both out to prove to the world that we still have it, and that we shouldn’t ‘move out of the way’ like people have been telling us for years. As far as I’m concerned, flip a coin Shane and you’d probably have a better shot of predicting the winner of this one.

“But mark my words right now. You had better leave me unconscious if you’re going to keep me down Shane, because I will always get back up, and I will always push harder. Don’t believe me? I have a LONG list of references that will back this one up. I’m not trying to toot my own horn, I’m just telling you in advance. There will be no easy match for you Shane, because I’m gearing to come into On Time.... and kick your ass.

“Nothing personal, it’s strictly business.

“No false gimmicks.... no false hype.... I am the CSWA Greensboro Champion.... I am Jean Rabesque.”

(Fade out)

 

[SouthernBoy]

{{...FADE-IN: Shane Southern is standing in front of a CSWA backdrop wearing an old Doc Silver t-shirt, faded jeans and cowboy boots...}}

SHANE SOUTHERN: " Yeah Jean, I can sympathize. What we will do for this sport of ours 'eh? I mean, doubling, tripling, sometimes quadrupling up on work just ta' feed tha' urge. It's ah' disease of sorts, it gets in tha' bloodstream n' tha' only way you can survive is ta' let it out inside that squared circle. It makes fer a pretty pathetic personal life, ah' hellish road life, n' an even WORSE healthy life. But hey, we do it ta' ourselves, so complainin' ah'bout it ain't exactly in our nature. "

" It's been mah' nature sometimes ta' speak before I think. N' perhaps durin' mah' last "promo" I insinuated ya' didn't know what was going on in tha' CSWA. Hey man, yer tha' Greensboro champ, I'm not sayin' that shouldn't be applauded. Yer one HELL uva' wrestler...you ARE a "big boy" as you put it. But ya' haven't yet made that "next" level yet, champ. I'm talkin' ah'bout that glass ceilin' you hear talked ah'bout in tha' dark corners uv tha' locker room. I'm talkin' ah'bout that mystical place where ah' guy like you n' me can actually stand ah' chance of gettin' to tha' top of this federation. Don't be fooled Jean, you're NOT there yet...n' neither am I. I've been poundin' on that ceilin' for TWO years now, n' it's yet ta' break. I exposed tha' crack at PRIMETIME when I SURVIVED that 6 man, n' Anniversary is where I either shatter it, or have it CRUSH me like ah bug like it's done time n' time before. "

" I haven't gotten to this point in mah' career by underestimatin' anyone Jean. From PI to Mike Randalls, from Calvin Carlton to Hornet, I treat EVERYONE as ah' threat. You're not different mah' friend. We may see eye ta' eye on many things, but yer ah' threat ta' EVERYTHING I've worked so hard fer. I'm NOT gonna' let that happen. In tha' past few months, I've done what it takes ta' win....n' you can bet, that at ON TIME, I'll do it again. "

" I'm bettin' on tha' fight on mah' life...but then again, I do that each n' every time that bell rings. With you though, I'm sure I'll get mah' expectations met...n' fer you Jean, in tha' end, you'll still have that gold belt, but yer surge to that' top is gonna' be derailed. "

" Party's Over. "

{{...FADE OUT...}}

 

[SteveA]

Respect

(The screen comes in on the CSWA backdrop, and as we slowly back away, Jean Rabesque clearly becomes visible, dressed in his normal black gear, the Greensboro Title adorned across his shoulder, he looks in, gathers his thoughts, and speaks)

Rabesque: “It is a very refreshing site Shane, I have to admit it. It is not very often in this business that you see someone who actually gets it. You really have it figured Shane, and for once in my life I am in no way being sarcastic. I understand exactly what you feel when you talk about the things that you are going through to survive in this business. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that the two of us aren’t really as different as others might think. We have the same love, the same desire, the same intensity. The only main difference is how we go after everything we try to accomplish. I don’t think anyone has ever confused you to be the consummate amateur wrestler Shane, while no one has ever thought of me as someone to head into a street fight with. But the drive is there.

“You may be right about the glass ceiling, but I’m all about shattering those types of things. That’s why I’m here in the CSWA. I came here to shatter every ceiling that everyone in the industry said I would never be able to break. I’m here to do what no one said was possible. And hell, to this day they are still saying that it’s not possible. That all comes to a close here.

“But here’s my thing Shane. To be quite frank, I’m sick and damn tired of this glass ceiling existing, and right now, I think something needs to be done about it. That’s why I can’t begin to tell you how damn excited I was when you earned yet another shot to bust through it. There is a hope now that where you can lead, we can follow. Hell, makes it easier on the rest of us. So, I will be pulling for you over Ryan. I hope you knock his out, rip off his arm and beat him with the bloody stump.

“But that’s not going to be happening at On Time. At OT, you’re going to experience why I am renowned as being the finest pure wrestler on the planet, why I am the man that can carry absolutely anyone to the match of the year. A man that has made more men tap out than he can possibly remember. That’s what you have in store Shane. You said it yourself that I’m reaching new levels, and I do appreciate that, and you’re about to experience that first-hand. There is a reason that I am where I am, at the top of the NFW standings, with a belt proudly on my shoulder. I’ve fought, scrapped, and clawed for every last bit of it, and I will simply NOT stand by and let my momentum slip away.

“So On Time is going to be two men long overdue for an encounter, each thinking they clearly have the advantage going into the match. (Chuckles to himself) This one should really be a hell of a lot of fun Shane. Not only for us, but for everyone watching this around then world. It might just be an OT, but these people are certainly in for a treat.

“How is it all going to turn out? I guess this why we actually have to go through and wrestle the match. If we knew the result now, then where would all the fun be? See you in a few Shane, I can’t begin to describe for you how much I’m looking forward to it.

“No false gimmicks, no false hype, I am Jean Rabesque.”

(Fade out)