Official Nathan Kaye Roleplay #02

"Three For Free"

The scene opens up from black on what appears to be an airline passenger jet, with new, upcoming AWE superstar Nathan Kaye in the middle of the shot. Kaye is shacked up in the corner of the three seats on this particular row, with the furthest left seat untaken and therefore at the edge of the shot, while next to Kaye sits a middle aged, balding, overweight gentleman in a light blue shirt and red tie � how vile. Kaye�s long hair obstructs the viewers� ability to see where Kaye is looking, but the positioning of his head indicates that he is probably glimpsing out of the three-inch thick window at whatever land is below the cruising plane.

There is the usual humming and noises that one immediately associates with a flight-in-progress. There is the chatter of other passengers in the background � �Do you think they�ll hand them British sailors back?� � along with the odd stewardess and wandering passenger walking in front of the camera�s view. The balding gentleman, fingers interlocked, is obviously nervous from the fact that for some reason, one that may be known to him and he may just be playing up to the role, his standard flight is being filmed and he is playing a big part of the scene.

The gentleman turns to Kaye � who else could this filming be for? � and leans forward slightly. Like us, the viewer, the gentleman has no way of knowing whether Kaye is asleep, awake, in a world of his own or somewhere else. In an attempt to simply see where he stands in this wonderfully complex situation, the gentleman turns to focus on something he knows more than anything else � his legs. He grabs his right knee with his hands and squeezes, sighs and appears to awkwardly stretch his back. Kaye turns slightly. Revealed!

�I must say, I�ve never seen such a glamorous film crew on a flight before, not that I fly often.� The man says. Pleasantly enough, it must be stressed. Kaye turns to the man - there is a charming smile on his face, his hair parting and swooping down. He looks at the gentleman and develops a bigger smile, one revealing some �pearly whites�.

�I apologise if it�s intrusive in any way to your flight, sir.� Kaye says, almost softly spoken, as if treating on a thousand egg shells. The man is quick to reply.

�Oh, I can�t say it has, these flights are usually dull. Dull food�dull movies�dull�people�� The man stops, eyes bulging, realise his gaffe. Kaye laughs.

�Yes. Yes I agree. Nathan, by the way.� Kaye extends his right hand awkwardly, as if the limb appears out of nowhere. The gentleman looks at it, reaches for it, grabs and shakes it.

�Oh, call me Peter. It�s my�er�name.� Peter, evidently, replies. Kaye smiles � not one to laugh at terrible jokes, but not one to totally ignore either. �Are you attending business in Los Angeles or�?� He hastily adds, once again realising how inept he has been in this conversation so far.

�No, from Los Angeles I�m travelling to Sacremento. Los Angeles isn�t�my type of town.� Kaye adds, now turning to face out of the window again, which could easily be misinterpreted as rather rude. �On business, I add.�

�What do you do?� Asks Peter. As he does, he reaches into his breast pocket subtly to reveal a business card, although the writing on the card is impossible to decipher from this distance.

�Sportsman�er�professional wrestler.� Kaye replies. He giggles. �It always sounds awkward when you say that, doesn�t it?� He adds. Some sort of private joke with himself and a viewer? Who knows?

�A wrestler? How exotic. Much better than used car parts�� Peter utters, slowly placing the card back whence it came. Kaye smiles.

�A lot less tables��

�Excuse me?�

�Oh, nothing. No, as long as you enjoy what you do. I suppose there are certain similarities between selling used car parts and being a professional wrestling. A certain dismay from the public perhaps? Out cast? That sort of thing.� Kaye looks into the eyes of the man he�s talking to. He, in turn, appears to be thrown aback by this suggestion of being a social-inferior, but one wouldn�t particularly vocally disagree with a professional wrestler on an airline flight, would they?

�I�I suppose�I�.�

�Oh come on, I wouldn�t criticise someone I don�t know having just met them on a flight, would I?� Kaye says. His grin is marvellous, Peter obviously is thankful for this show of sarcasm. The ice below the ice broken? �Forgive me. I�m just incredibly nervous. Uncharacteristic for a man in my profession, I know, but I have this wonderful feeling of anxiety and wonderment.� Kaye adds.

�Why�s that?�

�Well, I�ve recently signed with All-Star Wrestling Entertainment following an unavoidable hiatus due to injury. Monday evening will see my first televised wrestling contest in nearly five years. But at the same time, it�s going to possibly be the exhilarating feeling I�ve had in a long time when I step out in front of that curtain. To hear the music, to see the masses, to smell the overpriced popcorn and to feel the ramp and wrestling mat below my feet will bring it all back to me.� Kaye breaks this monologue with a sigh. �I�ve missed it. I�ve truly, truly missed it. The anticipation from the crowd as you walk to the ring of a gruelling contest between two equally ept foes�sometimes friends�coming together for the entertainment of the masses. I guess, Peter, I just love wrestling. And talking about it.� Kaye turns. Peter, evidently, has turned to his right to try and find some awkward way out of this conversation.

�What? Yes. Oh. My son adores all that wrestling business, but, I, er�� he replies, ending his stuttering of syllables with a wry but forced smile. Kaye understands. He�s always understood.

�Enjoy the rest of your flight, sir.� Kaye says. He grins one last time before turning to gaze out over some anonymous part of the North American continent. He pops his earphones in and the annoying hum of music from them can be heard, as the camera zooms out and we fade out.

Sitting on some overused leather couch in Manchester, watching the world buzz by on a television screen, I dreamed of this. I dreamed of having a dressing room to myself to enjoy the comfort of my own company in my attire. To look deep into my own eyes in that massive mirror, surrounded by lights, with some blazing and some dead and neglected by the owners. To wrap tape around my wrists one more time. To lace them boots. Ah�!

It could absolutely nothing to the wrestling world, those who write on the internet, to those who take their children to house shows, to those who order every single pay-per-view � my return to the wrestling circuit. I don�t blame them, really. Looking at what I achieved before my faithful back gave way all them moons ago, I cannot be seriously considered a legend in these necks of the woods. The odd title win, the odd rankings climb. Just another tree in the forest. But this � my debut at AWE � it means everything to me.

Firstly, I must give a rather �brown nosing� type thank you to the staff of AWE. They have showed a lot of faith in me to reward my history with such a lucrative contract. It would have been easy for them to look at an old dinosaur like me, someone who doesn�t look immediately for the beautifully executed frog splash off the top rope, or attempts to bring the table into the ring at the first opportunity. No, I am someone who will drag my opponent, kicking and screaming if I must, into a wrestling match. Ring psychology, an array of submissions, and a brawl if all else fails. But first an foremost, I am a wrestler, a wrestler who is trying to shake away their history and start afresh � with the help of the good staff of AWE.

No one knows the sheer distress that doctor instilled in me when he sighed, standing over my half naked and bruised body in a Vancouver hospital and uttered those wonderful words � �May never wrestle again�. These young wrestlers of today, with their high risk manoeuvres and spots, sicken me. They are not wrestlers. They are circus acts. Wrestlers grapple with their opponents and they tell a story of strength, courage and honesty. How can one fully appreciate the experience of being a �wrestler� when they do not wrestle, merely attempt to attract the attention of the sycophantic children around them?

This wonderful, scything attack will now move onto one of my opponents on Monday, curiously enough. Sean Ryken. Sean, while I have said some derogatory remarks concerning athletes of your persuasion, I have to concede an inch of territory and allow you some respect. In an organisation like the AWE, it would be foolish of me to attempt to ignore your status as Rising Star Champion here. I watched your victory at the recent pay-per-view and, like any other wrestling fan, I had to smile at some of your accomplishments in the ring that evening.

However, Sean, I must comment on the name of that very belt that is in your possession. While the gold itself is not on the line on Monday evening, a fact that I can accept seeing my tenuous health going into my contract here in the AWE, the baggage, if you will, that comes with being labelled the �Rising Star� of the AWE can be incredibly torturous. You�re a young wrestler, younger than me, and your history before the AWE is, unfortunately, unknown to me. But I have to ask you � are you a man who is able to fulfil potential? Do you stop at the first sign of recognition or do you keep going?

The rhetorical nature of my questioning will no doubt take a wonderful root in your mind in the build up to our encounter. I have to wonder if you�re as excited about our contest as I am. My debut � my first match of many. Start as you mean to go on, and such. Is the depth of your character and ability of such a standard that it is able to compete with an accomplished athlete like myself in a wrestling match determined to impress on his first match in this organisation? Sean, maybe it�s worth considering how determined a man can be when it is his debut. Can it match the determination of a challenger in a title match? Most possibly. I like to think so. Just how much of this potential you supposedly have, Sean, are you going to truly unlock this potential that the belt around your waist suggests you do? We�ll have to find out on Monday�

In the glorious knowledge that the AWE holds, the powers that be have decided to make this not a one-on-one encounter. Fair play to them. They have thrown into this encounter the wonderfully named Johnny Vain. Now, unlike Ryker, I can�t say that I know an incredible amount about this gentleman. A few curious clicks on the AWE official website � a marvellous piece of electronic engineering, may I add � reveals to me that he is very public about his past achievements in previous organisations. However, a few more clicks reveals he is enduring something of a slump in terms of his recent record in the AWE.

Johnny, when I read up on you and fast-forwarded through a number of appearances of yours to get the basic gist, I tried to look at you and find a way in which I could give you the respect you feel you deserve. However, I failed in my task. A rough young Texan you are, sir, but an accomplished superstar here in the AWE you are not. Yet. Not yet, no, certainly. Meanwhile, Sean Ryken has gain notoriety for his potential with his current standing in the AWE. You, however. You. You have no standing. Definitely not one that I can comprehend. Your history doesn�t move me to the point of having to take a step back and really wondering about a special mindset to delve in when it comes to stepping into the ring with you, unlike Ryker�

The only thing about you, Johnny, that makes me look twice is your particular unique attributes � in particular your strength and size. However, men like you may feel nature has handed you the head start when it comes to brawls like the one we are about to encounter on Monday. Mother nature, in her infinite wisdom, has handed me the advantage. How can someone like you, with such awkward limbs and positioning sense, truly be able to comprehend with an excellent mat technician like myself? One that fateful moment comes when you crash against that cold, unforgiving mat, you are due to endure one hell of an evening. No limb will be left unworked. Bollocks to flashy use of the ropes � I will leave that to the esteemed Mr Ryker. You could almost say I�m definitely looking forward to the prospect of proving my worth in the ring to the world through your downfall, Johnny. Your inevitable, and thoroughly enjoyable downfall.

So I suppose that�s all one has to say for now. Sean, you may feel more at home in the air while I�m sure Johnny, you, sir, feel at home attempting some act of cowardice behind the back of some confused official. Let me warn you, warn both of you � I feel at home inside those ropes of that wrestling ring. That mat is my home. And you both will be inside my house.