One's Road to Level-One: These Filthy Hands

[Nathaniel Havok]

One's Road to Level-One: These Filthy Hands

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Monday -- June 17, 2013
APW Headquarters – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
20:00

[As Nathaniel walks down the hallways of APW Headquarters, one can only assume that he's here for business and not pleasure. As several people pass him on their way out for the evening, he pays them no attention, as he is on his cellphone. We begin to listen in...]

Havok: This whole place smells like cheese, dude! Damn!
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Havok: Of course, he did. Once he found out I was at the arena last night, he laid out the red carpet. Hell, he even invited me backstage. All he did was talk about what his "company" could do for me that Jeff and APW can't.

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Havok: No, I told him there wasn't a chance. Why would I jump ship to a place that likes to pertain to the kids? Havok couldn't be Havok over there! And besides, I just patched things up with Jeff. If I want to go to the top of APW again, I'm going to play by the rules for a bit. No politics, no bitching and moaning or taking shows hostage. I want Level-One, I want that title back!

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Havok: No, I'm not kissing his ass! That's not how I do things, why would you even suggest that, you dumbass! Jeff and I have a mutual understanding. He's just as sick and tired of the politics as I am! It has nothing to do with me being his friend. He's my boss. It's not like I'd go out and have a beer with him! Anyways, I'm outside of his office. I've got to go.

[Havok hangs up his cellphone, and knocks on the door to President Jeff’s' office. He opens the door and sees Jeff is on the phone as well.]

Jeff: Got to go, talk to you later.

[Just as quick as Havok got off the phone, Jeff does the same, as Havok walks in and sits down across from him. With a grin on his face, the APW President addresses Nathaniel.]

Jeff: So... Mr. Havok, I see you got your hands dirty last Thursday! What did I tell you? Just because you guys are taking a different approach, doesn't mean you should be worried about getting your hands a bit dirty.

Havok: Worried? Boss, we're not worried! We're leading by example. Ha, we're here to change the world, baby!

Jeff: One step at a time, my friend. One step at a time.

Havok: Your friend? So we're friends now?

[Jeff stands up and walks over to a mini-fridge in his office. He pulls out two beers, and tosses one to Havok. Havok looks at the beer, thinking of what he'd said on the phone. Without insulting the boss, he places the beer on the desk in front of him. Jeff however, opens his, takes a drink, and walks back to his desk.]

Jeff: I like this new Havok. Hell, this new Havok could be championship material, even by my standards! You've proven a lot to me. Now, you just need to win the tournament. Then, you'll get your shot.

Havok: You hit the nail on the head, Jeff. I'm going to EARN this shot! I want Level-One, I want to prove I am BETTER than Level-One, and this tournament earns that shot for me! Earning this title shot, winning this tournament, it's everything that the League stands for! Besides, winning the Test for the Best Tournament would be a very nice feather in my cap. I mean, my feathered cap already looks like a peacock, but one more feather wouldn't hurt!

Jeff: You're going to be facing some stiff competition.

Havok: Speaking of that... Have any clue who my opponent in the first round is?

[Jeff looks at Nathaniel for a moment, with a slick grin on his face. He then shakes his head "no" at Nathaniel, knowing what Havok is trying to do.]

Havok: Come on, Jeff! Tell me! I know that you know who it is, you're the damn boss!

Jeff: You're going to have to wait, just like everyone else! And if you ask me, it sounds like you're trying to use our new-found respect for one another to your advantage. Dare I say, you're politicking?

Havok: Not the case at all. I can wait, that's just fine with me. I was just curious to see if you'd tell me, that's all. Say, Jeff... Why in the hell does this entire damn building smell like cheese!?!?

Jeff: You remember Knuckles, right?

Havok: Reaver? Yeah. Why?

[Jeff looks at Nathaniel with a look that could turn someone into stone.]

Jeff: ANYWAYS... The idiot was into chocolate, and then energy drinks... And today, we were delivered a ton of "Cheese Knuckles". Apparently he had signed a deal with some pizza company to advertise for them. They delivered them as a "thank you" to APW.

Havok: Serve them for lunch, did you?

Jeff: I wouldn't serve that stuff to my dogs! Who are you kidding?

[Nathaniel looks at Jeff with a "Well then what did you do with them" look on his face.]

Jeff: I let the custodial staff take them home.

Havok: Ah. So, what did you call me in for? I'm sure it wasn't about Cheese Knuckles, or the Tournament.

Jeff: Actually, it IS about the tournament. More or less, it's about you being the only League member LEFT in the tournament.

Havok: You're really liking the League, aren't you, boss?

Jeff: I play no favorites, you know that. Your little "inner circle" comments from a few years ago, you knew it was bullshit. I knew you were just trying to humiliate me, too. But I called you in here to have a one on one, to see where your head is at.

Havok: On my shoulders, boss. Nobody's taken it off yet!

Jeff: You know what I mean.

Havok: I've got this, boss. Now, I'm not going in overconfident. I know the challenge that's ahead of me. BUT... You know as well as I do, if I want something bad enough, I'll do ANYTHING to obtain it. You witnessed that first hand, for over a year. While I might not be proud of what I did, I did any and everything I could at that point to get what I wanted. I almost took APW right out from under you, back then. But now, with a different approach, I want to win this tournament. I want to win this tournament, BAD! Furthermore, I want that belt even worse! And I'm not doing this for JUST myself, Jeff. I'm doing this for the League, I'm doing it for the sport of professional wrestling as a whole, and as much as I hate to say it, Jeff...

...I'm doing this for you, as well.

[Jeff looks at Nathaniel, raising one eyebrow. It's clear to see that Jeff is a little skeptical.]

Havok: Okay, so maybe I don't hate saying it NOW. But a few months ago, I wouldn't have said that to save my own life! But Jeff, I know what you meant now. While we were going at it, I didn't understand how somebody like you could operate the way that you do. I didn't understand how someone could let lackluster talents and guys who've been forced down the throats of viewers for so long, push him around so damn much! But I get it now, Jeff. I really, REALLY get it now. Had I approached you differently than what I had, things would have probably been a lot easier for you to handle. Hell, I could have helped you handle it, instead of being an asshole! But now is my chance to do things differently, a chance to re-write the history books! With the League, with your blessing and approval, I can change all of that. Furthermore, I can change this business alongside my League comrades.

Jeff, I'm doing this for everyone in professional wrestling. This tournament is my ticket to the big dance, a title match with Level-One at Shockwave.

I need this, Jeff. My last World Title reign was littered with hate, and unhappiness. I was very angry, and I didn't take the time to sit back and enjoy, or even think about what I had! I did a lot of things that I'm not so proud of.

Winning the Test for the Best Tournament, gives me a chance to regain the title, and make things right. I HAVE to make things right. I refuse to let my APW legacy be remembered by the underhanded things that I've done. I want to be remembered for my talents, not my underhanded tactics. Although genius, they're just not what I want to be remembered for.

But like I said, I'm not just doing it for myself. I need that belt, but the League needs it more. With that belt, we have the power, and the voice to be heard! We'll no longer have to get our hands dirty by putting people in their places. After I win the Test for the Best Tournament, after I get my shot and I win that title, Jeff... Everyone will already be put in their places. You know as well as I do, any member of the League is worthy of that title. But now it's up to me, and I'm just fine with that. I do my best work under pressure.

Jeff: You need to take the pressure off of yourself, and put it onto whomever you're facing in this tournament. You need to focus not on what you HAVE to do, but what you're GOING to do. One thing at a time. Catch what I'm saying?

Havok: Listen to you, Jeff. You've always had this same mindset. You go over your matches in your head, envisioning everything the way it should happen. But you and I both know that 9 times out of 10, that's not the way things go down! I can sit here until the pay per view and think about how I'd like for things to go, but that doesn't change the fact that I can't control what my opponent does. I mean, sure... When I get them where I want them, when I hurt them, of course I can control the pace. But think about it, man. I know how successful you were, and your methods might have worked for you. And although my attitude has changed, my in-ring work and preparations won't. They can't.

[Jeff rubs his chin, thinking about what Nathaniel has said.]

Jeff: Okay, I get what you're saying. Fair enough. So, what's the plan? Are you ready for anybody? Ready for anything?

Havok: I always am, Jeff. You know better than anybody that if my "plan a" doesn't go the way it should, I've always got a "plan b". Hell, I've always got a "plan c", for that matter! Luckily for me, I rarely ever have to pull out "plan c". And "plan c" is normally the same thing every time.

Jeff: What's "plan c"?

Havok: Midgets, Jeff. Lots and lots of midgets.

Jeff: APW doesn't do midget wrestling, Havok.

Havok: Exactly. So whatever plan doesn't go my way, can always be stalled by a group of midgets. I mean, think about it... Knowing that APW doesn't have midgets, wouldn't you stop and be confused if you saw a gang of them running after you?

[The 2 men share a laugh.]

Havok: But Jeff, I know what I'm getting into. My head is as clear as it has ever been, and I'm ready to win this tournament.

Jeff: And your opponents? It's a tossup, Havok. I know who you're getting in the ring with, but you know I'm not going to tell you. All I can say is that you NEED to be ready. You HAVE to be ready for anyone in the first round of the night. You can't just think you're going to breeze past the quarter finals, on your way to the semi-finals.

Havok: Jeff, I'm not even underestimating who I'll be facing in the quarter finals, let alone the semi-finals! I know what I'm up against, and I know that night of hell I'm going to have to endure. But you remember Christmas Chaos 2011, don't you? I know that's a sensitive subject regarding our history with one another... But Nathaniel Havok has been victorious 3 times in a single night before, and I'm going to do it again!

I'm no stranger to the tournament atmosphere. While I've never been in this tournament before, I still understand what it's going to take to win the damn thing. Jeff, I'm going to win. Now, I'm not being cocky. I just know that I've got what it takes to win this thing. I know that Nathaniel Havok has the heart to take it all the way to the finals, and win the whole tournament. Regardless of who I face, I will not be beat until my heart stops! I will not be denied this tournament, Jeff! This year, it's my year! This year, is the year of the League!

Be it CJ Gates, be it Biggs... AC Smith, or anyone else! Nathaniel Havok is taking this tournament! Nathaniel Havok is going to WIN this tournament! Now, I'm not saying that I'll dominate. I know that AC Smith has beaten me, and he humbled me. I know that both CJ Gates and Biggs are former champions, I'm not disregarding the facts, Jeff! But I know what I'm capable of, and my ailments are behind me! The past is the past, Jeff. With as ready as I am now, it's going to be hell on earth for whoever I face!

Jeff: What about the people from other brands? Don't forget about them, Havok! Forgetting about somebody like Christian Kane or Logan Alexander, could prove to be fatal. You know that, Logan has beaten you before.

Havok: You're right, he has. And trust me, I haven't forgotten about them, either!

Jeff: But you ALWAYS talk about Asylum as "The B-Show". It makes me think that you might not respect them like you would an Overdrive Megastar. That's something that could lose you this tournament, Nathaniel.

Havok: Jeff, I DO respect them. Well, some of them more than others. But nevertheless, I do respect them all in some capacity. Besides, why are we sitting here talking about the tournament?!?! What are you, my mentor!?!?

Jeff: Like I told you, Nathaniel... I like the new you. The new Nathaniel Havok could go places that the old Nathaniel couldn't! In Action Packed Wrestling, we need more people like the new Nathaniel. Pure wrestlers who value the business, who will do anything they can to better the business! I'm taking an interest in the advancement of Nathaniel Havok into the main event scene of Overdrive. To do that, you need a win like this. You need another feather in your cap to advance, just like you said.

Havok: Fair enough, Jeff. But the facts stand for themselves! Nathaniel Havok has dominated a large chunk of Action Packed Wrestling in the past, and he WILL do it again. This time, I'm going to do it right. But this time, I'm not going to be stopped! Every single combatant in this tournament is unique in their own right. They're all ready, and they all think that they're going to win it all. I understand that, and furthermore, I respect each and every one of them for thinking as such! They SHOULD be thinking that they're going to win this tournament. But the fact remains that whoever gets into the ring with me, ISN'T going to the finals! Regardless of whether it's the quarter-finals, or the semi-finals... Whoever gets into the ring with the Enforcer of Sorrow, is going to be eliminated.

I'm as hungry as I've ever been, bossman. I've got a new-found motivation, Nathaniel Havok has something to prove to the world! I've been accused of turning irrelevant, being stale, a shell of my former self. They say I'm not who I used to be, and they're right. However, they're wrong about irrelevance, and wrong about me being stale! I've been told that my best days are behind me, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! I'm just getting started, Jeff! It's a new me, a new chance for me to make things right! From now on, I write my history, and refuse to let my history be dictated by my dastardly actions!

But what I don't understand, is how these people could curse me for trying to re-write history.

WHAT THE HELL ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? GIVE UP!?!?

You know better than anybody else, that Nathaniel Havok just doesn't give up! I've never laid down for a single soul, and I don't plan on starting anytime in the near future! Jeff, these people say these things, because they don't believe in me. The only people who believe in me, are all in the League. My brothers, they believe in me! The rest of the world, they don't. But trust me, the rest of the world is in for the shock of their lives, when the Enforcer of Sorrow makes it to the finals! Past the quarter-finals, past the semi-finals, and all the way to the end of the tournament! As Jason Kash likes to say... My hand will rise! But while Kash’s hand will rise from a stretcher to show the crowd that he’s going to be okay, after Michael Lively beats him within an inch of his life at the pay per view…

…Nathaniel Havok’s hand will rise not once, not twice, but thrice… ALL in victory!

I’ve spent so many years marching to the beat of my own drum, thinking that I’m something that I wasn’t. I had followers, true… But the followers I had recognized my in-ring abilities. For the rest of the crowd, they recognized the kind of person that I was being. The kind of underhanded tactics that I used, rubbed them the wrong way. They had every right to hate me, every right to despise everything that I stood for. Imagine what kind of damage I can do, what kind of name I can once again make for myself… When I have all of those people on my side!

I could care less what show anybody else comes from. Overdrive, Asylum, Meltdown, it doesn’t matter to me! I couldn’t care less about their backstories or their past accolades. Bottom line, this tournament will boil down to who wants it the most. Jeff, I want this more than I want to breathe! This is my ticket to the top of the APW mountain, my chance to show the world exactly how relevant I am, and to prove them all wrong! What better way to do it, than to prove them wrong, WHILE gaining their support? At that point, nobody can say anything negative about what I’m doing, or what I have done since joining the League!

Jeff: I’m not going to sit here and deny the fact that you’re headed in the right direction. I’ve praised you for it many times. I’m also not going to sit here and deny the fact that you’re on one hell of a role since losing to A.C. Smith at the Mayhem pay per view. Since then, you’ve only lost a single match. You lost to your League comrade, Evan, in your first match after the pay per view, and that’s been it. You’re beginning to prove them wrong. Hell, you’ve started to prove me wrong! What you need to do, is take all of this momentum, every bit of momentum you’ve garnered over the past couple of weeks, and use it to your advantage.

You can win this tournament, and in my non-biased opinion, I think you’ve got an excellent shot. People want you to prove your relevancy? They want you to show your worth to this company… How does making it past people like C.J. Gates, Biggs, A.C. Smith, Christian Kane, Logan Alexander, and all the others bidding for that spot sound to you?

Havok: I could care less who I get past, as long as I find my way to the finals of this tournament! Hell, I don’t even care who I face in the finals, I’m going to win this damn thing! Aside from all those great athletes you just mentioned, I’m not going to look past Jair Hopkins, Aubrey J. Parker, Robina Hood, or Jace Savage, either! Like I said, everyone in this tournament stands their own chance of winning. However, Nathaniel Havok wants it more than all of them combined! Anyone who would like to contest that statement, is more than welcome to contest it in the ring with me at the pay per view.

The League has goals, BIG goals. They’re looking at me to fulfill these goals at the pay per view, furthering our quest to step up the game of EVERYONE in Action Packed Wrestling. Winning this tournament, and I’m GOING to win this tournament, means that I’ve done my job. Going on to Shockwave and beating the World Champion, Level-One… That just means that I’ve done my job WELL. This is the beginning of my road to Level-One… Where I will undoubtedly fulfill a destiny, conquering a crucial goal for the League of Extraordinary Wrestlers!

We tell everyone that we’re here to save the world. Yet, nobody believes us. They think that we’re doing this for personal gain, to set out on our own personal agendas. Yes, we all have our own agendas, but we are doing this for everyone else. I can’t stress to you enough, how much a trip to the finals of this tournament would mean to not only myself, but the League in general. It would mean the world to me, to be able to face a single person at the end of the night, and walk away with my head held high in victory. I’m going to do it, and there’s not a single soul that’s going to stop me.

My heart has never loved anything, the way that I love professional wrestling. Since the first day I laid eyes on this business as a young adolescent, this business has been the only thing that goes through my mind!

You talk about my hands getting dirty? Getting filthy?

Trust me, Jeff… These hands WILL get filthy, come Test for the Best!

And with these Filthy hands…

Not only do I continue a legacy, not only do I propel the League to new heights…

Not only do I prove a point about my relevancy…

I prove the world wrong, and walk away as the number one contender to Level-One’s APW World Heavyweight Championship!

Getting through the first two matches of my night at the pay per view, aren’t going to be a cake walk by any means. But I’m ready to do anything, ready to endure the punishment that comes along with the job, just to get the job done. You know what that means, don’t you Jeff?

It means that when it comes to getting into the ring with Nathaniel Havok at the pay per view…

No one is safe, and no one will get past the Enforcer of Sorrow!

[The two men share a smirk at one another, before Nathaniel gets up from his chair and walks towards the door.]

Jeff: Yeah, you’re ready.

[Nathaniel turns his head around, as his body still faces towards the door.]

Havok: Yeah, I know.

[As he turns around to walk to the door again, Jeff notices Nathaniel’s beer still sitting unopened.]

Jeff: You didn’t even touch your beer!

[Nathaniel opens the door and steps across the threshold, but turns back to address the boss.]

Havok: What are we, friends?

[Havok closes the door and leaves. The cameras catch a shot of Jeff chuckling to himself, as the scene fades.]