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nsw:
MISTAKEN IDENTITY,
PERSISTENT INDEMNITY
(The scene opens up inside a fairly empty, dimly lit locker room in the backstage area of some arena. We can only
conclude that a No Surrender Wrestling live event has been taking place and has just come to an
end. We see Scott "The Boy" Hellings wearing a custom Team Canada hockey jersey and a pair of
track pants. His US Title is around his waist, as always. The Boy is seen packing away all of his things, including his ring gear into a box.
He looks quite solemn for once. Gone is the usual cocky attitude. In its place remains the face
of a man who looks as though he has just lost his best friend.)
HELLINGS-
"Sometimes it takes someone from the outside looking in to show you the err of your ways. Sometimes
you need an outsider to show you that everything you've ever done has been wrong. I had no idea.
But then along comes Jake Hero and he...he gets me. No one before has ever understood what The Boy
is all about more so than Jake. He took one look at me and he figured me out. And the things he said, they
cut me to the bone. Because what hurt more than anything was that he was right. It's scary because it is as though
he has known me my whole life. Despite the fact that he and I have never actually met face to face yet, the man
is capable of knowing everything about me. It's surreal. Yes, I was cocky. Yes, I was disrespectful. I hurt
others needlessly, but ultimately I was only hurting myself. Was I just using my perceived confidence and
conceited attitude to mask some repressed regret or fear? Was I just masking my own pain? I don't know, but clearly
I have a lot of thinking to do. Who was I kidding? I'm not The Nielsen's Favourite Son! It takes more than
just one man to make a company successful. The North American Legend? How could I have been so blind?"
(Hellings rubs his eyes as though something is obstructing his vision).
HELLINGS-
"Oh, now I get it! The gold around my waist was blocking my vision! Well I guess until someone comes in
here and takes this title away from me, I'll just continue to live in my (making quotation marks with his fingers)
'ignorance.' What some people call ignorance I call dominance. Yep, (The Boy looks down at his title) I guess
the glare from my belt was the cause of all my blindness. I guess this is one case of the future being so bright
I literally have to wear shades, huh? Well you know what?"
(The Boy sits down his box of items.)
HELLINGS-
"The more I think about it, maybe Jake Hero wasn't so right after all. In case you didn't get the memo Jake
this company does revolve around me because I make it that way! Talk all you want, but you don't know me; you
don't know a damn thing. You've seen it a thousand times before you say? Well maybe all the rest couldn't
cope with their success, maybe they self-destructed but they weren't as good as me. And as we all know by now
my name is The Boy and that damn sure means I am The Best! What are you going to do about it Jake?
You want to try and take my title away from me, that's just fine, I'll entertain the possibility, no matter
how ludicrous it may be. I'm feeling pretty confident that I am walking out of our Falls Count
Anywhere match as the champion though, so I wouldn't get too attached to the idea of being a
champion again. For the record, I don't appreciate you coming in here and mouthing me off either.
Who do you think you are, huh? You come in here and without getting your facts straight you start
acting as though I am somehow disrespecting you and this championship. I MADE this championship! I was
the first United States Champion and I'll damn sure be the last one too! And if I have insulted you Jake,
isn't that really the pot calling the kettle black? You seem to think that me wearing this belt
is somehow blasphemous to all of America. Well excuse me I had no idea that your dad's brother
was Uncle Sam! I guess only Americans can be US Champion then. A Canadian Legend like myself is somehow beneath America
and can therefore not possibly be worthy of holding this title. And I am truly sorry; I had no idea that not
only was I offending you, but that you were the right man for the job. What makes you think you
are the ideal champion? I think you're getting so old you might have Alzheimer's or something,
because this isn't the 1970s and you are not twenty years old anymore Jake.
Champions these days aren't guys coming to terms with a middle-aged crisis. A champion is a guy like me, and to a lesser extent even a guy like Jason Maverick.
You talk about me insulting you? How about insulting the youth, the FUTURE, of this company
like Jason Maverick and, more importantly, myself? It's a disgrace that they are even letting
you in the ring. It's also a health risk, but I guess if James Higgins doesn't mind paying the
insurance around here that's his own prerogative. Go ahead and quote the Pledge of Allegiance all you want
Jake, but Lady Liberty can't help you when you step into that ring with me at Genocide. Reciting
The Declaration of Independence won't win you a title either. When you face me, you are entering my world, my time.
Maybe if you got into a time machine and could face me while you were in your prime, maybe then you would
have a chance. But that isn't going to happen. I know that you just want to live out The American
Dream Jake, but at Genocide I will crush both you and your dreams because that is what I do.
My name is Scott HELLINGS and I am The Dream Crusher! Or....maybe I was wrong. Maybe I really
am getting overconfident. Maybe I'm not as good as I think. Maybe I'm not as valuable to this
company as I thought. I guess I'm not The M.I.P.-the MOST Important Person after all! After all,
you clearly know what you are talking about here. I suppose I have to learn to respect my elders and all that. Clearly
you can predict the future because you've seen it all before. Somehow you have me all figured out.
I wonder why that is? Hm...let me check for a minute."
(The Boy pulls out his high school yearbook from his box of items and begins flipping through the pages for a bit, before
closing it and tossing it aside.)
HELLINGS-
"What do you know? I DIDN'T go to school with a Jake Hero after all. Are you sure you know
the same Scott Hellings? Because this one is far better than you seem to think.
You think you know me Jake? You think you have it all figured out, don't you? I'm going to
let you in on a secret Jake: you haven't even seen what I am capable of yet. Go ahead, tell
me your sob story one more time Jake. Do I care that you wrecked your knee? Do I care that your
career came to a grinding halt? Do I care that (in a whiny, bad imitation of Jake Hero)
'you lost your wife and kids?' Spare me the story of another washed-up has-been who is trying
to take the spotlight from the younger, better generation. See that is the real story here Jake.
You can't handle seeing guys like myself being successful because you know deep down inside that
you can't cut it anymore. But still you feel the need to try anyway. You feel you have to come
in here and you think to yourself what a coup it would be for you to come in here and take my
title from me in your comeback match! What a headline, huh? There's a reason something is
nostalgic Jake and that's because no one wants it in the present. If it was so great, why did
it have to go away in the first place? Guys like me, we are eternal, we are immortals, we are icons!
It is true when I say that I am the marquee player, the franchise saviour and the number one
money maker! And if you don't like it then try to prove me wrong. Let's do a simple math test
here Jake. How many people have paid to see you wrestle in the last, say, ten years? Hm...not
too many I'm thinking. Now how many people have paid to see me? Uh..."
(The Boy starts counting on his fingers)
HELLINGS-
"Oh heck I lost count. You see what I'm saying Jake? You say that this isn't my company it is
OUR company? Who invited you? So now No Surrender Wrestling belongs to everyone. Who are you? This is your first match, you're not part
of OUR group at all! That will be especially true after Genocide because I will make you disappear, like
I always do. I am The Bermuda Triangle of Wrestling Jake and your career is about to end, it's
heading towards the light. See no one will care about you after I humiliate both you and Jason
Maverick this weekend. This isn't a rags to riches story, this is the story of a guy who wants
to steal the thunder of those who are superior to him. You're like that geeky, awkward kid who
stands around by the cool kids on the playground, hoping it will somehow rub off on him and make
him cooler by association. Not gonna happen Jake. So spare me all your little head games about
how you're going to teach me a lesson and how my attitude is going to somehow cause my own
downfall. If I wanted that bargain-bin psychobabble I'd watch Dr. Phil Jake. I won't have a
downfall Jake. You even admit that I am talented! How is that going to hurt me? See I know you
have an Achilles Heel...or should I say Achilles Knee. But me? If anything my only weakness
at Genocide will be debating whether I should pin you or Jason Maverick. You can't stop me, you
never could stop me, and you will NEVER be able to! In fact this whole match is really a waste
of my valuable time. I am the one and only UBERstar, I should be facing off against those who
deserve to be here. What have you done to get here? You just walked in the doors and they
handed you a title shot. In fact, that goes for both you and Jason Maverick. Whatever happened
to '...and justice for all Jake?' Is that fair to anyone else who has been around here longer
than either you or Maverick? Is that the American Way you talk so highly of? Seems to me it's not
about The Land of Opportunity, it's about The Land of Who You Know. Well let me tell you something,
I earned this title and I will defend it. Because, whether you like it
or not, I am a champion and that is what champions do. You don't scare me, you haven't got into
my head, and in fact, all your words have fallen on deaf ears. You are not a challenge for me because you don't even
show up on my radar of potential threats. You know what? I think I get it now. You only
think you know me, but in reality you don't. I know it, you know it, the whole damn world knows
it! So maybe I should introduce myself to you."
(The Boy pulls a nametag out of his pocket and places it on his chest. It reads "Hello! My
Name is SUCCESS.")
HELLINGS-
"I figured it must have been a while for you, I thought I would remind you what success looks like.
See if one of us understands the other, it is me having an understanding of where you are coming from. Because I'll
tell you, I've seen the same thing thousands of times before too. I've seen guys who want that
one last shot at glory, that one last run to come in here and try for one more shot at that
brass ring. In the process they just step aside and ignore all the better, younger talent, forcing
us out of the spotlight. Don't believe me? Has anyone heard much from Jason Maverick, you know, the third
man in this triple threat match lately? Nope. Because Jake Hero has been running his mouth too much.
Poor Jason is already fading into obscurity and he hasn't even had a chance for me to destroy
his career yet. And do you know what always happens to these washed up bums who get in my way
Jake? I beat them, just like everyone else. The clock is ticking as we inch towards Genocide
and your gameplan of trying to get into my head doesn't seem to be working. What are you going
to do now? Pray? Beg me not to hurt you? It won't work, I'll tell you that right now because
it is too late. Time is your worst enemy now Jake. It's too late for you to devise a new
strategy, just as it is too late for you to attempt a comeback. The sand in that hourglass
is heading south mighty quick, so you had better act soon. See I don't even have to
beat you. All I have to do is let time beat you and Jason Maverick. For Maverick, time is against
him because his time is not now. Maverick is in this spot too soon, he is too inexperienced. As for you it appears as though time
has expired. The clock has struck midnight and it's time for this Cinderella story to turn back
into a pumpkin."
(The Boy pulls out an egg timer out of his pocket and winds it up, as it starts to count down.)
HELLINGS-
"Hear those seconds tick away? They are your worst enemy now. In a split second, everything
can change. One second you can be on top of the world, dominating our match. And the next?
You're on you back counting to three, wondering if you'll be able to live off your pension.
For Jason Maverick, one second he's the next can't-miss prospect, the next second he's just
another 'Where Are They Now?' story. One second you feel fine, the next something goes wrong.
You know all about that, don't you Jake? That's what happened to you and that little knee of
yours, huh? You see time is not, nor has it ever been, on your side. Like it or not, your
career is coming to an end. You see boys I will spare you your lives, you can have your liberty, but you will have to find a new avenue for the pursuit of happiness because it isn't in wrestling, I'll see to that! And at Genocide the clock will strike zero for both of you because I am
walking out of there the same way I came in-as the champion! Why? Because I want to, because
I can!"
(The Boy stares at the camera intensely for a second, before walking off. The camera zooms in
on the egg timer as it continues to count down as the scene fades to black.)
  
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