Post by T-Marv on Jun 29, 2013 16:07:42 GMT -4
Reflection.
Like with so many words in the English language, this one has many different meanings depending on the context. But there are two very relevant ones for today:
It is an image cast back against a mirror or other surface where light refracts.
It is also the act of deep thought and contemplation, often about one’s self or one’s past.
It’s hard to look in the mirror and actually like what you see. Even if you can get past the physical imperfections that today’s society tells us are unacceptable, you are forced to stare into your own eyes and see every single thing that lies deep beneath the surface. Everything you’ve done, every feeling you’ve ever had, and every mistake comes rising to the top and illuminated for you to stare at and regret!
But sometimes, you can stand there with every single piece that makes up the whole that you are and look past all the flaws and errors, past all the indiscretions and lapse in judgements. The key is to accept everything you’ve done and everyone you’ve been in the past and realize that it all blends together to make up who you are. And whether or not you like that person, you at least get the whole picture and know what you have to do to change, to adapt, to EVOLVE!
Because that’s what life is all about, a series of evolutions leading up to the person you want to be. It doesn’t matter if that measurement is success, or fame, or happiness... stored there in the reflections of your life are all the answers. You simply have to figure out all the right questions.
The scene slowly fades in on a dimly lit room where the one overhead light seems to be swinging back and forth, flickering at every turn. Suddenly we see a figure approaching the camera from a distance. As the light swings away, we see nothing. When it passes by the scene again, we see the man significantly closer. This happens a couple times, the scene disappearing and the man incrementally getting closer as if he were teleporting slowly.
Finally we see the face of “The Real Show” Terry Marvin. He doesn’t smile, not one bit. His forehead is wrinkled and the years are eminent under his eyes. This man is tired, but not to the point of exhaustion, just more worn and weathered. He shifts and for the first time, we see the APW undisputed Title displayed over his shoulder, the faceplate glittering brightly. He lets out a sigh as his face turns contemplative in nature.
“Twenty years. For twenty years I’ve been busting my ass for this business. I have sacrificed every personal goal I’ve ever had just to get ahead professionally. Gallons of my blood has stained many a canvas in my pursuit of perfection, in my pursuit of MORE! For twenty years, my sweat has evaporated into the air and is now in current circulation with the rest of the oxygen the world breathes, forever imprinted in this business. No matter what I do, no matter where I go, my IMPACT has been made! I AM WRESTLING! “
A smile now crawls over his face as the light slowly swings by and the light passes over him for a quick second to illuminate the scars above his right eye, the gash below his chin, and the slight sign of a receding hairline. Then we’re back into darkness.
“You don‘t get to where I am today by staying the course, by finding a formula that works and then continuing to beat it into the brains of the fans until they‘ve been so conditioned that nothing you do is ever a surprise. You don‘t get to be the best by stubbornly staying on the bus as it‘s heading full steam towards an unforgiving brick wall. No, you get this way by evolving, adapting, and learning at every step on the way. This business of ours isn‘t a sprint to see who can do everything as fast as humanly possible. It‘s a marathon, to prove who has the staying power, who can last the longest, be at the top the most, and be remembered forever! And over the years, I‘ve had to adapt, change, and find out what things worked for me…until they didn‘t. The journey wasn‘t all sunshine and rainbows. It wasn‘t all rise, it was a roller coaster with dips and turns every single step of the way. That‘s the same in all journeys…but those who persevere, those who learn to lean into those turns instead of bailing out at the first sign of trouble, those are the ones that survive.”
The light passes by again as the scene pans out a bit. Suddenly, through the flicker of light we see TWO Terry Marvin’s standing there facing each other. The swinging light flickers off completely and for a second there is nothing but an almost suffocating sense of darkness.
Bright overhead lighting flicks on and we see Terry Marvin standing in a small room surrounded by mirrors on all four walls. He slowly turns, looking at each one.
“NOTHING we do in our lives ever really goes away. It stays in us, deep within us and reflects back as a version of ourselves. When you look into a mirror, you never know the man who will be looking back at you.”
He looks straight ahead into the image staring back at him, mimicking his every move as a perfect double.
“Sometimes you see the person you are, exactly as you are. This reflection will not lie, cannot lie! Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to what you see. This is the truth... ”
He turns to the left, and we see a very different version of Terry Marvin staring back at him. This man is all smiles and waving to all of his adoring fans as they shower him with love and affection. He hugs his beautiful wife and lifts up his two adoring children spinning them around. This man is the picture of happiness. We look back at Terry, face set in stone just staring at the image.
“Sometimes we see the person we want to be, that deep seated image we all have in our souls of our perfect selves. All our goals and desires have been accomplished. This is what we build towards, what we as human beings NEED to be in order to have a satisfied and fulfilled life. THIS version is our Objective, our paradise. It’s something few people get to experience...ever.”
Terry flashes one last smile at this version of himself, wondering if he’ll truly get there, wondering if it’s in the cards. He turns to the left again to the mirror that was directly behind him. This wall is flooded with images. It’s of a younger version of himself, still quite accomplished and on the surface happy. But we also see the hatred and disgust instilled by fellow peers, by the fans that he deeply wishes to satisfy. And in his eyes, we see a sadness, a deep seeded sadness of a man who has accomplished great things, but still sits empty and shattered.
“Sometimes we see what we used to be... Our past that we still carry with us, that we can never get away from. We see things we hated, things we loved, and things we wished we could change. All our regrets, all of our broken dreams lie in the past. But also there are all the tiny bits and pieces that make up who we are today. The foundation for what we’ve become and what we may yet be in the future lies in this image. This... is who we were!”
Terry’s face is solemn looking at this picture. In it he remembers things that are better left forgotten. A sadness wells in his own eyes as he takes a deep breath to move on. He turns one last time to the remaining mirror. This one is shrouded in darkness. There is an eerie feel about this as the shadow in the mirror flashes a dark and evil smile. The fires of hell burn behind him and everything in here is wicked and evil.
“Sometimes, sometimes we see everything we wish we could wipe out, that we wish we could deny about ourselves. We see that darkness, that evilness that we try to repress, that we all have. We see every despicable deed we’re capable of. We see greed, jealousy, hate, and malice. We may wish that this part of us didn’t exist. We may be happy that this part of us is in fact a constant presence. We may occasionally need to dip into it and harness these feelings and desires to get to who we want to be. But the one thing we can never do... is destroy it, no matter how badly we may want to. They’re always a part of us. It’s something we have to live with, something we have to battle against every day. Some lose the battle, some give in and allow themselves to be consumed by this darkness. Some dance a dangerous dance with the line that leads to it, floating over it and back again pretending that it never really touches us... But it does, it always does!”
Terry turns again and exits the small little passageway out of the well lit room into a dimly lit hallway walking slowly but deliberately.
“Level One... you live in the darkness. You’ve let it consume you completely. You’ve given into gluttony, avarice, jealousy, and malice. You’ve become that shadowed version of yourself and you LOVE it! You’ve brought this war to me out of pure selfishness. I get it, I’ve been there myself many MANY times. And now that you’ve fired the first shots, now that you’ve decided to disparage everything I’ve done and everything I’m doing, it’s time for me to fire back. You sit there and try to deny the changes I’ve made in my life, as a person, saying that it’s all a charade, all another one of my deceptions. You say that I constantly use these veils as not a method to deceive the world as some massive plot to continually play mind games, but as evidence of discontent with my own life. There is surely some merit to that argument, a lot more than I’d like to admit. But be careful Level One, those who live in a house of mirrors shouldn’t throw stones. You may shatter the perception that you’ve built around yourself!”
Terry smirks as he continues down the hall. He turns sharp to the left as we hear the constant drip of water echo in the distance.
“You’ve heard of the golden rule correct Level One? Well here’s my version of it, “Do onto others before they can do onto you!” Today, all the secrets will be revealed and that perfect image that you’ve created for yourself Level One will be shattered into a million pieces. The world already thinks you’re selfish bastard who doesn’t give a shit about anyone or anything... but today we’ll show them the REAL Level One, the TRUE Level One all the way down to his core. And then when your dirty laundry has been laid out there for everyone to see, and you’ve been reduced to the pure rotten core that lies underneath...the world will understand and will know why I WILL walk out of Test for the Best with this title still around my waist. And why even if I don’t... NOT A DAMN THING WILL CHANGE!”
Terry smiles as he continues down the hallway, the sounds of the dripping water getting louder and louder. His feet stop right in front of a large puddle. The pipe in the ceiling is old and rusted as water slowly leaks down adding to the already formed puddle on the floor. Terry leans down and hovers over the puddle, his reflection smirks back at him.
“I’ve done EVERYTHING I possibly could to get ahead in this business Level One, that goes without saying. I didn’t care who I hurt, and for the most part the pattern continues.”
Terry touches the middle of the puddle and it ripples outwards The scene changes to Terry talking to his Ex-Wife Faythe, and he is extremely harsh and cold to her. His eyes are set in anger. WE can feel the rage coming off of him as he blames her for EVERYTHING that he ever failed to do.
“Everything I ever wanted was to win Survive and Conquer. And I sacrificed everything to do it. You’d think it’d make me happy to achieve my biggest goal and it truly did....for a while. After I battled 99 other competitors and proved I was the greatest thing to EVER happen to wrestling, I felt empty. I felt cold. I felt alone.”
Terry shuffles the water again and the ripples switch the scene to Level One, that cold cocky smile on his face as he constantly destroys his chance at personal happiness. He now sits, surrounded by the LeWinter sisters, hungrily gazing at the power that they’ve acquired for him, for themselves. To them, Level One is simply a tool... and will always be a Tool.
“You are the same as me Level One, constantly poisoning your chance at love to chose your career. But each and every time you do it, you lose a bigger and bigger piece of your soul. You surround yourself with shallow bitches who will pad your ego and tell you exactly what you want to hear. But they don’t love you Level One, they could never love you. Look at yourself, you’re a soulless monster without a single redeeming quality about you! The difference between you and I, Level One, is that I hate that about myself, I WANT to change it. You LOVE it.. you EMBRACE it, and you’re too damn stupid to realize that it’s killing you. You talk about ME never being satisfied, filling my life with more and more companies cause I’m always lusting after goals? Look at yourself you gluttonous PIG! Nothing is ever enough. Nothing will ever be enough. The more you covet, the less you gain. You could win every belt on the planet, but they’re just gold and leather to you. They carry NO meaning, and therefore YOU carry no meaning.”
The ripples manifest again and the reflection changes to Terry standing there with his fiance Maggie in his arms and his title on their laps. They’re truly happy.
“I will NEVER back down from my dreams Level One. I will never roll over and just give up. But this title... this title isn’t the ONLY thing on the planet anymore, because I have somebody to share it with. I found somebody who lets me BE me and who relishes in my accomplishments. I have somebody in my corner praying to whatever gods are out there that I succeed. I have a muse! I will take you down at Test for the Best because she believes in me, because she is proud of me... I win BECAUSE of her, not in spite of her!”
Terry smiles and stands up. He takes a step through the puddle completely decimating it as he walks on. He comes to a vast open room filled with junk. It appears to be an old garage. In the middle of the garage is an old 69 corvette, beat to all hell. The car is a shell of it’s former glory, but the shine is still somewhat on it enough to cast a hazy reflection.
“Sometimes, the purpose of things are fuzzy. You forget your motivation behind them, forget the reasons. But it doesn’t matter - are the reasons ever good enough?”
The scene switches to a montage of Terry’s interactions with Keaton Saint over the past year and a half. Terry enacts despicable crime after despicable crime on him time after time! Terry went out of his way to PROVE that he was the king of Keaton, that he was his master. He cared not about Keaton’s feelings.
“Success clouds our mind from seeing the truth behind our actions. We run people over, cut them down all to advance our own agendas. You know this quite well don't’ you Level One? It’s been as much apart of your everyday life as it has mine. For all your self righteous bullshit talk about how despicable I am, about how I can never change, you’re a fucking hypocrite! You blatantly ignore your own crimes, but they’re still there.”
He takes a few steps further down the car and the cloudy reflection changes. We see image after image of Level One interacting with Vannah White, the very accomplished wrestler who is nothing more than a joke due to Level One’s constant embarrassment and exploitation of her. We see him set her up for failure over and over again. We see him use her to advance his own needs. We see her in the corner, crying her eyes out. She never had a fair chance, never had an opportunity to truly make it, and it’s all because of Level One’s selfish greed!
“The difference... I’ve been making amends. I surround myself with people I’m proud of, people I’m trying to advance in this business... I don’t NEED to use them to get ahead, cause I’m good enough to kick your ass on my own. But not you Level One... sure you’re good enough, but you won’t let yourself believe that fact. Instead you have to play these games, instead you have to continue to find stooges and pawns to advance your evil wishes. You can’t stand on your own two feet, because you don’t think yourself worthy. You won’t TRULY let the plethora of volunteers throwing themselves at your feet offering to have your back actually stand beside you. You won’t let them get close... cause deep down you’re a scared little boy! Scared little boys don’t win Undisputed Championships Level One... they whine and cry and bitch till they get their way. I’ll play the part of the strong parent and ignore you temper tantrums, never giving in, and never reward your insolence!
GROW UP Level One... I think it’s long past time!”
Terry continues past the car and down the hall again. He enters another room, this one with his puppy Prince standing in there. Prince hops to his feet and runs over to Terry hopping excitedly in his arms. Terry smiles and pets his lovable pup. Prince sits on his chest and looks up into Terry’s eyes and Terry sees his reflection staring back at him as he smiles.
“I’ve never been worried about how others see me Level One. I always thought, I’ll be who I am and the world be damned. Never did I realize that part of being a REAL man, part of being the soul you TRULY strive to be is how others see you in their eyes.”
The scene runs through a montage of Terry’s recent past. It begins with Terry handcuffing Keaton Saint to the Cage. It continues with Terry forcing Kurt Noble to be the evil man that consumed the twilight of his career. It paints a worse picture when he cut loose everyone who cared about him. Throughout all of that the reflection got darker and darker until.... Terry defeated TJ, and shook his hand. We see Terry preaching about respect, and going out of his way to earn it and show it to others. The reflection brightens as Terry stands with those behind him, his friends and family all smiling, proud of the man he’s become.
“Despite your skewed view of me Level One, altered by your own imperfections, I am slowly becoming the man I want to be. You, however ...can’t see that Level One. You can’t let yourself believe that a Man can change, because then you’ll have to admit that you’re a FAILURE at something! You try to TELL these people how they should see you. You try to FORCE your image. All you had to do, was take one small step to SHOW it, and these people would respect you. What do they get instead? ”
We see Level one cheating, and laughing. We see Level One clutching his title in one hand while reaching for Terry’s in the other. We see him change before our very eyes into a large monster, ever hungry, drooling and snarling with his bright green eyes. This monster won’t stop... can’t stop until he’s devoured everything in his path.
“We get this thing. Less than human, driven by desire, and not healthy desire either! He’s driven by the desperate need to be more than everyone, to NEVER allow another soul to enjoy even a second of happiness. But that drive, that endless thirst has never paid off for you in the past Level One. You’ve always ended up drowning yourself in your own festering bile as you attempt to devour the world. It’s sad to watch. But this week, at Test for the Best, you’ll be forced to watch as you’re once again left unsatisfied. I will not LET you turn this prestigious championship into your own little chew toy! I won’t let you DEFILE the history of it, the meaning behind it. I won’t let you soil it’s legacy the same way you’re shitting all over your own. Nobody sees Level One anymore...they see the green eyed monster. Well, I’m the monster slayer Level One! Deal with it!”
Terry pets Prince one last time and then leaves the room. He wanders down a hallway where there are two large mirrors, one on either wall. they take up the entire distance of the hall way.
“Here’s a sad fact that you’re going to have to learn to accept Level One. It truly doesn’t matter how our match turns out. If you win, or I win, our futures are the same. No longer will I be consumed by my career and no longer will I allow it to ruin my life. Win or Lose... I will be happy.”
The left side of the hallway shows two scenes side by side. Terry is standing next to Maggie, lifting her veil and kissing her gently. It switches to Terry and Maggie side by side in a nursery, their baby in Terry’s hands and smiles on his face. Terry is truly happy. Terry has found peace. The scenes, side by side are both identical except for one small fact. ON the left side, Terry is wearing a Undisputed Title belt. On the right, He’s not. The title changes nothing... ruins nothing.
“But you... you Level One are doomed to the opposite fate. Win this title, and you’ll feel a seconds worth of accomplishment, a second’s worth of satisfaction. But it won’t last, it will never last. YOU Level One will never know true happiness. YOU have NO soul to fulfill. You’re empty inside now, and you’ll always be hollow through and through!”
The right mirror shows two scenes side by side. It’s Level One, sitting in a dark room all by himself. There is no joy in this room, no smile on his face. A chill comes over the scene that seemingly drains the heat out of the room. The look on Level One tells the story. He is empty. He is sad. He is alone. Once again, there is only one difference between the two is the title belt in Level One’s hands. His eyes are hollow, empty, black...After accomplishing his dreams, his desires... he is still a soulless creature, a shadow of a man... an empty wraith doomed to be forever hungry, doomed to always want MORE!
“Let’s cut through the bullshit shall we Level One? The time for talking has come to an end. The time for your games has come to an end. All that’s left is you, and me...and this Undisputed Title. This is what your egomaniacal behavior has led us to, a massive showdown worthy to headline any Pay Per View, anywhere, for any company! Here you stand, licking your chops hoping to add another 15 pounds to your collection. Here I stand trying to defend EVERYTHING this championship stands for in an effort keep your miserly little paws off of it. But let’s face one certain truth right now Level One.
This match isn’t Terry Marvin vs. Lester Only!
This match is Level One vs. Level One! ”
The scenes on the Mirrors fade as Terry continues walking down the hall.
“When you look at me Level One... you see yourself! You see a man with EVERYTHING he’s ever wanted in this business, and you WANT it so badly that you can picture yourself living in my skin, stealing my life! But more than that, you see a man who’s given everything up to get what he wants, just like you’ve done over and over. You see what you used to be in APW, the envy of every single person who laces up the boots. You see what you want to be again, the man that has everyone bowing down to worship. But there’s one other thing you see, one thing that eats away at you, that makes you want to rip your own heart out and devour it!
You see happiness in me Level One!
You try to deny it, try to pretend that I’m going to fuck it up, you blast me to the world that I’m never going to have that, to be that. However, that’s a thin little veil futilely covering up your own deep down desires and wishes. It pisses you off that I can have both Level One. It infuriates you to no end, and that’s why you can’t simply let me be content. That’s why you’ve started all this isn’t it? Don’t fucking deny it... you’re a transparent window I’m looking right through to what’s left of your tattered little soul! You’ve NEVER been able to have it all Level One. So if you’ve got to be miserable... than everyone else must be too! NOBODY else is allowed to have the Holy Grail if you can’t... so you made it your mission to completely ruin everything I’ve built, everything I’ve busted my ass for!”
Terry smirks slyly.
“But you’ve made ONE big mistake Level One! I’ve already GOT everything I’ve ever wanted. Losing this title to you, it’s not going to ruin my life. It’s just going to move me on to another chapter. But if you lose, if you fail at your only goal in life...where does that leave you Level One? You’ll be empty, alone, AND a failure professionally. You won’t even be able to look at that World title of yours, cause you’ll know it always was and always will be second best. You’ll be lost, broken, DEFEATED!
And I’ve gotta be honest with you, after all the crap that you’ve put me through and seeing the fact that you hate me so much that you’d love nothing more than to put a HOLE in my soul, I’m going to relish widening the gaping void in yours!”
One more smirk and Terry is standing in front of another mirror. This time, he doesn’t see his own reflection staring back at him... he sees Level One!
“In turn, I’m fighting this battle with myself as well Level One. I’m facing off against what I used to be. Looking at you I see everything I’ve EVER hated about myself. And I guess, I really can’t move on, really can’t be the person I want to be until I decimate the person I was. It’s like the room with the four mirrors... You can only look at two of the mirrors at once and get a true reflection. I can’t be the person I am now, while the person I was still creeps up behind me. I can’t have that one perfect image of everything I want to be while all my demons and shadows looms over my other shoulder.
To accomplish all my dreams, all my goals, I have to break the illusions down, have to shatter those versions of myself that I despise. And YOU represent all of that Level One. You’re the insecure little child that can never be happy. You’re the greedy little prick who would stab his mother in the back to get what he wants. And you have to be vanquished before I can be who I really am.”
Terry picks up a crowbar sitting next to the mirror and swings it hard at the image of Level One, shattering it completely.
“Tomorrow Night... I shatter the image that you’ve painted of me Level One, the one that I used to be and loathe.
Tomorrow Night, one version of me stands out... the image of GOD’S GIFT TO WRESTLING!
Tomorrow Night, the two biggest egos in Wrestling collide. But it won’t be my ego carrying me to victory, It will be my perseverance, it will be my FUTURE, my PERFECTION!
Tomorrow night, all the useless waste of the man I used to be falls away and everything divine shines through.
Tomorrow Night... I ascend to perfection!”
Terry smirks again.
“On the largest stage possible... I’ll do what I’ve done for the past year and a half. The Real Show Era continues on the stage where the SUMMER OF SHOWTIME began, and now returns hotter and more fierce than EVER.
I won’t stop until I see One’s dreams shattered for good!
IT’S SHOWTIME!”
Terry laughs as the scene cuts to black.
Like with so many words in the English language, this one has many different meanings depending on the context. But there are two very relevant ones for today:
It is an image cast back against a mirror or other surface where light refracts.
It is also the act of deep thought and contemplation, often about one’s self or one’s past.
It’s hard to look in the mirror and actually like what you see. Even if you can get past the physical imperfections that today’s society tells us are unacceptable, you are forced to stare into your own eyes and see every single thing that lies deep beneath the surface. Everything you’ve done, every feeling you’ve ever had, and every mistake comes rising to the top and illuminated for you to stare at and regret!
But sometimes, you can stand there with every single piece that makes up the whole that you are and look past all the flaws and errors, past all the indiscretions and lapse in judgements. The key is to accept everything you’ve done and everyone you’ve been in the past and realize that it all blends together to make up who you are. And whether or not you like that person, you at least get the whole picture and know what you have to do to change, to adapt, to EVOLVE!
Because that’s what life is all about, a series of evolutions leading up to the person you want to be. It doesn’t matter if that measurement is success, or fame, or happiness... stored there in the reflections of your life are all the answers. You simply have to figure out all the right questions.
The scene slowly fades in on a dimly lit room where the one overhead light seems to be swinging back and forth, flickering at every turn. Suddenly we see a figure approaching the camera from a distance. As the light swings away, we see nothing. When it passes by the scene again, we see the man significantly closer. This happens a couple times, the scene disappearing and the man incrementally getting closer as if he were teleporting slowly.
Finally we see the face of “The Real Show” Terry Marvin. He doesn’t smile, not one bit. His forehead is wrinkled and the years are eminent under his eyes. This man is tired, but not to the point of exhaustion, just more worn and weathered. He shifts and for the first time, we see the APW undisputed Title displayed over his shoulder, the faceplate glittering brightly. He lets out a sigh as his face turns contemplative in nature.
“Twenty years. For twenty years I’ve been busting my ass for this business. I have sacrificed every personal goal I’ve ever had just to get ahead professionally. Gallons of my blood has stained many a canvas in my pursuit of perfection, in my pursuit of MORE! For twenty years, my sweat has evaporated into the air and is now in current circulation with the rest of the oxygen the world breathes, forever imprinted in this business. No matter what I do, no matter where I go, my IMPACT has been made! I AM WRESTLING! “
A smile now crawls over his face as the light slowly swings by and the light passes over him for a quick second to illuminate the scars above his right eye, the gash below his chin, and the slight sign of a receding hairline. Then we’re back into darkness.
“You don‘t get to where I am today by staying the course, by finding a formula that works and then continuing to beat it into the brains of the fans until they‘ve been so conditioned that nothing you do is ever a surprise. You don‘t get to be the best by stubbornly staying on the bus as it‘s heading full steam towards an unforgiving brick wall. No, you get this way by evolving, adapting, and learning at every step on the way. This business of ours isn‘t a sprint to see who can do everything as fast as humanly possible. It‘s a marathon, to prove who has the staying power, who can last the longest, be at the top the most, and be remembered forever! And over the years, I‘ve had to adapt, change, and find out what things worked for me…until they didn‘t. The journey wasn‘t all sunshine and rainbows. It wasn‘t all rise, it was a roller coaster with dips and turns every single step of the way. That‘s the same in all journeys…but those who persevere, those who learn to lean into those turns instead of bailing out at the first sign of trouble, those are the ones that survive.”
The light passes by again as the scene pans out a bit. Suddenly, through the flicker of light we see TWO Terry Marvin’s standing there facing each other. The swinging light flickers off completely and for a second there is nothing but an almost suffocating sense of darkness.
Bright overhead lighting flicks on and we see Terry Marvin standing in a small room surrounded by mirrors on all four walls. He slowly turns, looking at each one.
“NOTHING we do in our lives ever really goes away. It stays in us, deep within us and reflects back as a version of ourselves. When you look into a mirror, you never know the man who will be looking back at you.”
He looks straight ahead into the image staring back at him, mimicking his every move as a perfect double.
“Sometimes you see the person you are, exactly as you are. This reflection will not lie, cannot lie! Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to what you see. This is the truth... ”
He turns to the left, and we see a very different version of Terry Marvin staring back at him. This man is all smiles and waving to all of his adoring fans as they shower him with love and affection. He hugs his beautiful wife and lifts up his two adoring children spinning them around. This man is the picture of happiness. We look back at Terry, face set in stone just staring at the image.
“Sometimes we see the person we want to be, that deep seated image we all have in our souls of our perfect selves. All our goals and desires have been accomplished. This is what we build towards, what we as human beings NEED to be in order to have a satisfied and fulfilled life. THIS version is our Objective, our paradise. It’s something few people get to experience...ever.”
Terry flashes one last smile at this version of himself, wondering if he’ll truly get there, wondering if it’s in the cards. He turns to the left again to the mirror that was directly behind him. This wall is flooded with images. It’s of a younger version of himself, still quite accomplished and on the surface happy. But we also see the hatred and disgust instilled by fellow peers, by the fans that he deeply wishes to satisfy. And in his eyes, we see a sadness, a deep seeded sadness of a man who has accomplished great things, but still sits empty and shattered.
“Sometimes we see what we used to be... Our past that we still carry with us, that we can never get away from. We see things we hated, things we loved, and things we wished we could change. All our regrets, all of our broken dreams lie in the past. But also there are all the tiny bits and pieces that make up who we are today. The foundation for what we’ve become and what we may yet be in the future lies in this image. This... is who we were!”
Terry’s face is solemn looking at this picture. In it he remembers things that are better left forgotten. A sadness wells in his own eyes as he takes a deep breath to move on. He turns one last time to the remaining mirror. This one is shrouded in darkness. There is an eerie feel about this as the shadow in the mirror flashes a dark and evil smile. The fires of hell burn behind him and everything in here is wicked and evil.
“Sometimes, sometimes we see everything we wish we could wipe out, that we wish we could deny about ourselves. We see that darkness, that evilness that we try to repress, that we all have. We see every despicable deed we’re capable of. We see greed, jealousy, hate, and malice. We may wish that this part of us didn’t exist. We may be happy that this part of us is in fact a constant presence. We may occasionally need to dip into it and harness these feelings and desires to get to who we want to be. But the one thing we can never do... is destroy it, no matter how badly we may want to. They’re always a part of us. It’s something we have to live with, something we have to battle against every day. Some lose the battle, some give in and allow themselves to be consumed by this darkness. Some dance a dangerous dance with the line that leads to it, floating over it and back again pretending that it never really touches us... But it does, it always does!”
Terry turns again and exits the small little passageway out of the well lit room into a dimly lit hallway walking slowly but deliberately.
“Level One... you live in the darkness. You’ve let it consume you completely. You’ve given into gluttony, avarice, jealousy, and malice. You’ve become that shadowed version of yourself and you LOVE it! You’ve brought this war to me out of pure selfishness. I get it, I’ve been there myself many MANY times. And now that you’ve fired the first shots, now that you’ve decided to disparage everything I’ve done and everything I’m doing, it’s time for me to fire back. You sit there and try to deny the changes I’ve made in my life, as a person, saying that it’s all a charade, all another one of my deceptions. You say that I constantly use these veils as not a method to deceive the world as some massive plot to continually play mind games, but as evidence of discontent with my own life. There is surely some merit to that argument, a lot more than I’d like to admit. But be careful Level One, those who live in a house of mirrors shouldn’t throw stones. You may shatter the perception that you’ve built around yourself!”
Terry smirks as he continues down the hall. He turns sharp to the left as we hear the constant drip of water echo in the distance.
“You’ve heard of the golden rule correct Level One? Well here’s my version of it, “Do onto others before they can do onto you!” Today, all the secrets will be revealed and that perfect image that you’ve created for yourself Level One will be shattered into a million pieces. The world already thinks you’re selfish bastard who doesn’t give a shit about anyone or anything... but today we’ll show them the REAL Level One, the TRUE Level One all the way down to his core. And then when your dirty laundry has been laid out there for everyone to see, and you’ve been reduced to the pure rotten core that lies underneath...the world will understand and will know why I WILL walk out of Test for the Best with this title still around my waist. And why even if I don’t... NOT A DAMN THING WILL CHANGE!”
Terry smiles as he continues down the hallway, the sounds of the dripping water getting louder and louder. His feet stop right in front of a large puddle. The pipe in the ceiling is old and rusted as water slowly leaks down adding to the already formed puddle on the floor. Terry leans down and hovers over the puddle, his reflection smirks back at him.
“I’ve done EVERYTHING I possibly could to get ahead in this business Level One, that goes without saying. I didn’t care who I hurt, and for the most part the pattern continues.”
Terry touches the middle of the puddle and it ripples outwards The scene changes to Terry talking to his Ex-Wife Faythe, and he is extremely harsh and cold to her. His eyes are set in anger. WE can feel the rage coming off of him as he blames her for EVERYTHING that he ever failed to do.
“Everything I ever wanted was to win Survive and Conquer. And I sacrificed everything to do it. You’d think it’d make me happy to achieve my biggest goal and it truly did....for a while. After I battled 99 other competitors and proved I was the greatest thing to EVER happen to wrestling, I felt empty. I felt cold. I felt alone.”
Terry shuffles the water again and the ripples switch the scene to Level One, that cold cocky smile on his face as he constantly destroys his chance at personal happiness. He now sits, surrounded by the LeWinter sisters, hungrily gazing at the power that they’ve acquired for him, for themselves. To them, Level One is simply a tool... and will always be a Tool.
“You are the same as me Level One, constantly poisoning your chance at love to chose your career. But each and every time you do it, you lose a bigger and bigger piece of your soul. You surround yourself with shallow bitches who will pad your ego and tell you exactly what you want to hear. But they don’t love you Level One, they could never love you. Look at yourself, you’re a soulless monster without a single redeeming quality about you! The difference between you and I, Level One, is that I hate that about myself, I WANT to change it. You LOVE it.. you EMBRACE it, and you’re too damn stupid to realize that it’s killing you. You talk about ME never being satisfied, filling my life with more and more companies cause I’m always lusting after goals? Look at yourself you gluttonous PIG! Nothing is ever enough. Nothing will ever be enough. The more you covet, the less you gain. You could win every belt on the planet, but they’re just gold and leather to you. They carry NO meaning, and therefore YOU carry no meaning.”
The ripples manifest again and the reflection changes to Terry standing there with his fiance Maggie in his arms and his title on their laps. They’re truly happy.
“I will NEVER back down from my dreams Level One. I will never roll over and just give up. But this title... this title isn’t the ONLY thing on the planet anymore, because I have somebody to share it with. I found somebody who lets me BE me and who relishes in my accomplishments. I have somebody in my corner praying to whatever gods are out there that I succeed. I have a muse! I will take you down at Test for the Best because she believes in me, because she is proud of me... I win BECAUSE of her, not in spite of her!”
Terry smiles and stands up. He takes a step through the puddle completely decimating it as he walks on. He comes to a vast open room filled with junk. It appears to be an old garage. In the middle of the garage is an old 69 corvette, beat to all hell. The car is a shell of it’s former glory, but the shine is still somewhat on it enough to cast a hazy reflection.
“Sometimes, the purpose of things are fuzzy. You forget your motivation behind them, forget the reasons. But it doesn’t matter - are the reasons ever good enough?”
The scene switches to a montage of Terry’s interactions with Keaton Saint over the past year and a half. Terry enacts despicable crime after despicable crime on him time after time! Terry went out of his way to PROVE that he was the king of Keaton, that he was his master. He cared not about Keaton’s feelings.
“Success clouds our mind from seeing the truth behind our actions. We run people over, cut them down all to advance our own agendas. You know this quite well don't’ you Level One? It’s been as much apart of your everyday life as it has mine. For all your self righteous bullshit talk about how despicable I am, about how I can never change, you’re a fucking hypocrite! You blatantly ignore your own crimes, but they’re still there.”
He takes a few steps further down the car and the cloudy reflection changes. We see image after image of Level One interacting with Vannah White, the very accomplished wrestler who is nothing more than a joke due to Level One’s constant embarrassment and exploitation of her. We see him set her up for failure over and over again. We see him use her to advance his own needs. We see her in the corner, crying her eyes out. She never had a fair chance, never had an opportunity to truly make it, and it’s all because of Level One’s selfish greed!
“The difference... I’ve been making amends. I surround myself with people I’m proud of, people I’m trying to advance in this business... I don’t NEED to use them to get ahead, cause I’m good enough to kick your ass on my own. But not you Level One... sure you’re good enough, but you won’t let yourself believe that fact. Instead you have to play these games, instead you have to continue to find stooges and pawns to advance your evil wishes. You can’t stand on your own two feet, because you don’t think yourself worthy. You won’t TRULY let the plethora of volunteers throwing themselves at your feet offering to have your back actually stand beside you. You won’t let them get close... cause deep down you’re a scared little boy! Scared little boys don’t win Undisputed Championships Level One... they whine and cry and bitch till they get their way. I’ll play the part of the strong parent and ignore you temper tantrums, never giving in, and never reward your insolence!
GROW UP Level One... I think it’s long past time!”
Terry continues past the car and down the hall again. He enters another room, this one with his puppy Prince standing in there. Prince hops to his feet and runs over to Terry hopping excitedly in his arms. Terry smiles and pets his lovable pup. Prince sits on his chest and looks up into Terry’s eyes and Terry sees his reflection staring back at him as he smiles.
“I’ve never been worried about how others see me Level One. I always thought, I’ll be who I am and the world be damned. Never did I realize that part of being a REAL man, part of being the soul you TRULY strive to be is how others see you in their eyes.”
The scene runs through a montage of Terry’s recent past. It begins with Terry handcuffing Keaton Saint to the Cage. It continues with Terry forcing Kurt Noble to be the evil man that consumed the twilight of his career. It paints a worse picture when he cut loose everyone who cared about him. Throughout all of that the reflection got darker and darker until.... Terry defeated TJ, and shook his hand. We see Terry preaching about respect, and going out of his way to earn it and show it to others. The reflection brightens as Terry stands with those behind him, his friends and family all smiling, proud of the man he’s become.
“Despite your skewed view of me Level One, altered by your own imperfections, I am slowly becoming the man I want to be. You, however ...can’t see that Level One. You can’t let yourself believe that a Man can change, because then you’ll have to admit that you’re a FAILURE at something! You try to TELL these people how they should see you. You try to FORCE your image. All you had to do, was take one small step to SHOW it, and these people would respect you. What do they get instead? ”
We see Level one cheating, and laughing. We see Level One clutching his title in one hand while reaching for Terry’s in the other. We see him change before our very eyes into a large monster, ever hungry, drooling and snarling with his bright green eyes. This monster won’t stop... can’t stop until he’s devoured everything in his path.
“We get this thing. Less than human, driven by desire, and not healthy desire either! He’s driven by the desperate need to be more than everyone, to NEVER allow another soul to enjoy even a second of happiness. But that drive, that endless thirst has never paid off for you in the past Level One. You’ve always ended up drowning yourself in your own festering bile as you attempt to devour the world. It’s sad to watch. But this week, at Test for the Best, you’ll be forced to watch as you’re once again left unsatisfied. I will not LET you turn this prestigious championship into your own little chew toy! I won’t let you DEFILE the history of it, the meaning behind it. I won’t let you soil it’s legacy the same way you’re shitting all over your own. Nobody sees Level One anymore...they see the green eyed monster. Well, I’m the monster slayer Level One! Deal with it!”
Terry pets Prince one last time and then leaves the room. He wanders down a hallway where there are two large mirrors, one on either wall. they take up the entire distance of the hall way.
“Here’s a sad fact that you’re going to have to learn to accept Level One. It truly doesn’t matter how our match turns out. If you win, or I win, our futures are the same. No longer will I be consumed by my career and no longer will I allow it to ruin my life. Win or Lose... I will be happy.”
The left side of the hallway shows two scenes side by side. Terry is standing next to Maggie, lifting her veil and kissing her gently. It switches to Terry and Maggie side by side in a nursery, their baby in Terry’s hands and smiles on his face. Terry is truly happy. Terry has found peace. The scenes, side by side are both identical except for one small fact. ON the left side, Terry is wearing a Undisputed Title belt. On the right, He’s not. The title changes nothing... ruins nothing.
“But you... you Level One are doomed to the opposite fate. Win this title, and you’ll feel a seconds worth of accomplishment, a second’s worth of satisfaction. But it won’t last, it will never last. YOU Level One will never know true happiness. YOU have NO soul to fulfill. You’re empty inside now, and you’ll always be hollow through and through!”
The right mirror shows two scenes side by side. It’s Level One, sitting in a dark room all by himself. There is no joy in this room, no smile on his face. A chill comes over the scene that seemingly drains the heat out of the room. The look on Level One tells the story. He is empty. He is sad. He is alone. Once again, there is only one difference between the two is the title belt in Level One’s hands. His eyes are hollow, empty, black...After accomplishing his dreams, his desires... he is still a soulless creature, a shadow of a man... an empty wraith doomed to be forever hungry, doomed to always want MORE!
“Let’s cut through the bullshit shall we Level One? The time for talking has come to an end. The time for your games has come to an end. All that’s left is you, and me...and this Undisputed Title. This is what your egomaniacal behavior has led us to, a massive showdown worthy to headline any Pay Per View, anywhere, for any company! Here you stand, licking your chops hoping to add another 15 pounds to your collection. Here I stand trying to defend EVERYTHING this championship stands for in an effort keep your miserly little paws off of it. But let’s face one certain truth right now Level One.
This match isn’t Terry Marvin vs. Lester Only!
This match is Level One vs. Level One! ”
The scenes on the Mirrors fade as Terry continues walking down the hall.
“When you look at me Level One... you see yourself! You see a man with EVERYTHING he’s ever wanted in this business, and you WANT it so badly that you can picture yourself living in my skin, stealing my life! But more than that, you see a man who’s given everything up to get what he wants, just like you’ve done over and over. You see what you used to be in APW, the envy of every single person who laces up the boots. You see what you want to be again, the man that has everyone bowing down to worship. But there’s one other thing you see, one thing that eats away at you, that makes you want to rip your own heart out and devour it!
You see happiness in me Level One!
You try to deny it, try to pretend that I’m going to fuck it up, you blast me to the world that I’m never going to have that, to be that. However, that’s a thin little veil futilely covering up your own deep down desires and wishes. It pisses you off that I can have both Level One. It infuriates you to no end, and that’s why you can’t simply let me be content. That’s why you’ve started all this isn’t it? Don’t fucking deny it... you’re a transparent window I’m looking right through to what’s left of your tattered little soul! You’ve NEVER been able to have it all Level One. So if you’ve got to be miserable... than everyone else must be too! NOBODY else is allowed to have the Holy Grail if you can’t... so you made it your mission to completely ruin everything I’ve built, everything I’ve busted my ass for!”
Terry smirks slyly.
“But you’ve made ONE big mistake Level One! I’ve already GOT everything I’ve ever wanted. Losing this title to you, it’s not going to ruin my life. It’s just going to move me on to another chapter. But if you lose, if you fail at your only goal in life...where does that leave you Level One? You’ll be empty, alone, AND a failure professionally. You won’t even be able to look at that World title of yours, cause you’ll know it always was and always will be second best. You’ll be lost, broken, DEFEATED!
And I’ve gotta be honest with you, after all the crap that you’ve put me through and seeing the fact that you hate me so much that you’d love nothing more than to put a HOLE in my soul, I’m going to relish widening the gaping void in yours!”
One more smirk and Terry is standing in front of another mirror. This time, he doesn’t see his own reflection staring back at him... he sees Level One!
“In turn, I’m fighting this battle with myself as well Level One. I’m facing off against what I used to be. Looking at you I see everything I’ve EVER hated about myself. And I guess, I really can’t move on, really can’t be the person I want to be until I decimate the person I was. It’s like the room with the four mirrors... You can only look at two of the mirrors at once and get a true reflection. I can’t be the person I am now, while the person I was still creeps up behind me. I can’t have that one perfect image of everything I want to be while all my demons and shadows looms over my other shoulder.
To accomplish all my dreams, all my goals, I have to break the illusions down, have to shatter those versions of myself that I despise. And YOU represent all of that Level One. You’re the insecure little child that can never be happy. You’re the greedy little prick who would stab his mother in the back to get what he wants. And you have to be vanquished before I can be who I really am.”
Terry picks up a crowbar sitting next to the mirror and swings it hard at the image of Level One, shattering it completely.
“Tomorrow Night... I shatter the image that you’ve painted of me Level One, the one that I used to be and loathe.
Tomorrow Night, one version of me stands out... the image of GOD’S GIFT TO WRESTLING!
Tomorrow Night, the two biggest egos in Wrestling collide. But it won’t be my ego carrying me to victory, It will be my perseverance, it will be my FUTURE, my PERFECTION!
Tomorrow night, all the useless waste of the man I used to be falls away and everything divine shines through.
Tomorrow Night... I ascend to perfection!”
Terry smirks again.
“On the largest stage possible... I’ll do what I’ve done for the past year and a half. The Real Show Era continues on the stage where the SUMMER OF SHOWTIME began, and now returns hotter and more fierce than EVER.
I won’t stop until I see One’s dreams shattered for good!
IT’S SHOWTIME!”
Terry laughs as the scene cuts to black.
