[The camera fades in to show Jimmy West standing alone backstage next to a door. The crowd quickly settles down and listens in anticipation.]
[PAGE]: Well, folks, it looks like Jimmy West is standing by backstage with some info. What do you have for us, Jimmy?
[West puts his hand to his earpiece and smiles.]
[WEST]: Well, I�m standing here next to the door of the man who put not only his opponent but himself as well through hell. That man is the talented young daredevil known as Python�
[The arena rumbles as the crowd drowns out anything else that West says. West grins and waits for the noise to die down. When it finally does, he turns to the door and raps on it forcefully.]
[WEST]: Python!!! Are you in there!? Hellooooooo!!??
[West once again knocks on the door.]
[WEST]: Pyyyyth� OW!
[Suddenly, the crowd pops as the door flies open and smacks West in the face, knocking him to the floor. Python pokes his head out and looks around. Seeing no one, he begins to go back inside but spots West lying on the ground.]
[PYTHON]: Oops! Sorry, man� heh. You ok?
[Python emerges from his room looking like a mummy. Half of his body is covered in bandages and gauze to heal the thousands of tiny cuts he received last week in the Crystal Dreams match. He tries to help West to his feet, but is still too weak. West climbs to his feet on his own and dusts himself up as the crowd laughs at the site of him falling on his butt.]
[PYTHON]: Once again, sorry about that�
[WEST]: Oh, uh� no problem. It happens. Anyway, I was hoping I could get a quick word with you on a few things.
[Python slowly limps over to the wall and leans against it, still obviously in pain. He smiles a relieved grin and nods. ]
[PYTHON]: Sure. Why not?
[The crowd pops and a smiles crosses West�s face]
[WEST]: Okay, good. Now, you were involved last week in what could easily go down as one of the CSWA�s greatest matches ever. A Crystal Dreams match against Jeff Kushner.
[The crowd pops again at the mention of Kushner.]
[WEST]: It was a long, hard fought battle but in the end you came out on top. Any thoughts? Comments?
[Python exhales and smiles a weak grin, choosing his words carefully.]
[PYTHON]: You know, West, no matter how hard I try there is just no way to describe the rush of 30,000 plus people on their feet screaming for you to get up and keep going. Nothing even comes close. When me and Kushner went out there on End of Days, winning wasn�t the top thing on our minds. In fact, winning wasn�t the half of it. Now, I can�t speak for Kushner, but when I wrestle in a match like that, I give it everything I have and more. My father once told me that every time I go out there, I need to put in 110% or it just ain�t worth it. I don�t do anything half-ass. Hey, a half of a knife just won�t cut it. Plus, the more you put in, the more you get out of it. People can think whatever they want of me, but when I get out there in front of thousands of fans who paid money to see a show� hell, I give �em a show, man!
[Python grins again as the crowd cheers its agreement]
[WEST]: And do you ever� there�s only one word to explain your style, Python. �Insane�.
[PYTHON]: How about �Wow!�
[West laughs and continues]
[WEST]: Now, that new style you had going at the End of Days pay per view really had people talking! What exactly was that, anyway?
[PYTHON]: Ha� the style� I guess it was just me, you know? I use my appearance as a brush and my wrestling as a canvas and I just go out there and paint whatever picture I want. People can say whatever they want but when it�s up to me, I want to express my attitude a little in the way I like. I want it to really reflect my style.
[WEST]: Oh� I get it! You�re a risk taking� uh� unique person so you used a bright, extravagant style!
[Python laughs and scratches his head]
[PYTHON]: Yeah, you could put it that way�
[WEST]: Next question.
[PYTHON]: Ask away.
[WEST]: You ended the match by leaping off of a 25-foot glass cell. What the hell!?
[The crowd laughs as Python raises an eyebrow, amused]
[WEST]: I mean, weren�t you scared up there!? You were 25 FEET OFF THE GROUND!!! No ropes, no padding, no cords, no nets, nothing! And you jumped down through a glass table! 25 feet!!!! I just� I mean� weren�t you scared???
[Python rubs his arm absent mindedly and thinks a moment before answering. The crowd listens tensely.]
[PYTHON]: You know, people always ask me that question. I jump off ladders. Go through tables. Jump off cells, or through them for that matter. Get hit with chairs, flip, fly, land on tacks, go through glass� and people just come up to me and go �Python� aren�t you scared?� And you know what I say?
[West shakes his head, listening attentively. The crowd is deathly quiet, listening to Python�s strangely intense words.]
[PYTHON]: Of course. Of course I�m scared. Hell, when I was standing up on that glass cell, I was terrified. I�m human, too. People say I�m brave� they say I�m fearless� nah. No one is fearless. There is not a single human being on this planet who�s fearless. Now, being brave is a different story. Having courage isn�t the same as being fearless. Courage isn�t the absence of fear, but the will to overcome it.
[West remains quiet as Python closes his eyes]
[PYTHON]: Up there on that wall� I was scared out of my mind. I may have been knocked senseless at the time, but I still knew that if I slipped and fell, that would be the end of it. I stood up on that wall and looked 25 FEET down at my opponent. 25 feet� not many people can say that. And I�ll tell you, if I lost my nerve, that would�ve been the end of it. I could�ve been stuck up on a 25 foot tall glass wall. But there was one thing that gave me the courage to jump. One thing that fueled me to just close my eyes and fall forward.
[Python opens his eyes and looks into the camera and out at every viewer at home and in the arena watching.]
[PYTHON]: The fans. The cheer of the fans drove me to dig down and jump off the cell. I got pretty banged up, but hey! I survived and won the match. And for that� thanks. To every fan out there, whether you boo�d me or cheered me that night, thank you. You got me through one of the toughest matches of my life and I came out on top.
[Every fan in the arena is on their feet, cheering in respect for the battered Python. Python nods and gives a quick little salute to the crowd. Even Jimmy West seems moves as he turns back to the camera.]
[WEST]: Thank you, Python� that�s all for now. We all hope to see you return very soon so you can light up the ring once again.
[Python smiles a tired grin and nods to West as the camera slowly fades out�]
[Camera opens right behind Josh Peterman in full run as he enters a locker room. From the entrance the locker room looks empty. Hearing something, Josh stops in his tracks.]
[CROSS]: [Laughing.] God I knew coming here was a mistake after what I did over in the BWWa! Ah well, I�ll heal, I always do.
[Puzzled by Jack�s laughter, Josh enters further into the locker room.]
[PETERMAN]: Jack? Are you okay?
[CROSS]: [still laughing] I should have seen it coming; he only yelled at me then smoked me in the head with my title. How he managed to get the title in the first place is still totally beyond me, but it�s hard to focus with all those blurring lights.
[Josh rounds around the lockers to see Jack leaning against the far wall. He is bleeding profusely from a large gash in his forehead. The CAL heavyweight title is laying next to Jack with a small blood spot on it from where it connected with Jack�s head.]
[PETERMAN]: What the hell did you do Jack?
[CROSS]: I didn�t do this�
[PETERMAN]: [Cutting off Jack.] Then who did?
[Jack tries to climb back to his feet, but fails miserably.]
[CROSS]: You wouldn�t believe me if I told you that it was some crazy Russian.
[PETERMAN]: You�re the only crazy Russian I know. Seriously who was it?
[CROSS]: [yelling] I ****ing told you! Some crazy Russian attacked me and hit me with my own belt! It didn�t hurt as much as I thought it would though. The metal against my skull kind of reminded me of my match with Mace.
[PETERMAN]: Christ man, how long have you been sitting here bleeding?
[CROSS]: Oh not to long, twenty minutes tops.
[Josh turns to the camera man.]
[PETERMAN]: You know this arena better then I do, can you go and get a paramedic? [turning to Cross] Does Ripper and Loki no what happened.
[Cross just stares at Peterman with a blank look. Peterman curses under his breath and reaches for a cell phone]
[PETERMAN]:I sure hope they don't believe in killing the bearing of bad news.........
[fade.]