It's good to be back.
Jul 31, 2013 8:44:33 GMT -4
Tommy Knox, Shione "SURGE" Ōshima, and 4 more like this
Post by A.C. Smith on Jul 31, 2013 8:44:33 GMT -4
Our scene opens on a gorgeous Wednesday morning in Virginia. We're on a pier, looking out at a beach being hit by waves from the Atlantic Ocean. It's the perfect summer morning: Sunny and warm, but a bit of a breeze to take the bite out of the air.
Seagulls fly in from the water, allowing their wings to rest on the pier's railing as they prepare for journeys elsewhere. None of the businesses on this pier are open at this time, but there's plenty of foot traffic around where we're standing due to locals starting their days off with runs up and down the boardwalk.
Amidst those working out, though, we see a very familiar couple walking arm-in-arm, smiling all the way. Indeed, the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, and his girlfriend, Roxanne, have just come from having breakfast at a cafe, and the pair seem ecstatic to be with each other.
We see Smith's eyes wander just a bit, and that's not lost on Roxanne. A.C. isn't looking around at other women, or the birds, or the ocean, or anything we can definitively put a finger on, but it's clear that something about this area has a certain grip over the current APW Xtreme Champion.
Roxanne: “You alright, A.C.?”
A.C.: “Yeah. It's just been a while since I've been back here.”
Roxanne: “How long?”
A.C.: “God, it's been what, nine years since the Back Yard Brawl closed up shop? Sheesh. I'm old. Really, painstakingly old.”
Roxanne laughs heartily, and the pair approaches a wooden bench that looks out onto the ocean. The two hold hands as they sit down, with Roxanne using her other hand to grasp an iced coffee from a nearby Dunkin' Donuts.
Roxanne: “You miss this place, don't you?”
A.C.: “This pier, and places like it, are where I got my start. I left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in the little convention centers around here.”
Roxanne: “Not to mention a lot of money in the bars next door.”
Smith manages a smile, but it's apparent that nostalgia has come over the Big Apple Asskicker.
A.C.: “You know how much of a mess I was after the whole Tracy thing happened. I didn't talk to anyone for weeks, maybe longer...”
Roxanne: “Months.”
A.C.: “Right. Months.
“Anyway, wrestling saved my life, and the guy that discovered me ran summertime shows on the piers in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. He saw something in me that nobody else did, and if he hadn't given me that shot, who knows where my life would have gone?
“We'd run the circuit a couple of times between May and September, and we packed the houses everywhere we went, but the biggest thing for me was how much I learned about the business through what happened then. It was a crash course in the sport, and not a day goes by where I don't apply what I learned those summers to what I do now.”
Roxanne: “And now you're back, playing to bigger crowds. You must be really excited for Thursday.”
Again, Smith allows a smile to form on his face.
A.C.: “That doesn't begin to describe it. To be in the main event of Overdrive, with so many guys who have done so much in this business, back in one of the places it all started for me?
“Roxie, I don't allow myself to get emotional too often. But all that put together? Get me to the damn building right now, play my music, and let's go.”
A.C. and Roxanne trade ear-to-ear grins. Smith is genuinely happy, and his girlfriend seems genuinely happy by osmosis.
A.C.: “Thanks for coming.”
Roxanne: “No sweat. The kids both have baseball camp at the University of Maryland, so the timing worked out.”
A.C.: “Can I ask how Bobby's doing?”
Roxanne: “Eh. He's hanging in there. You know teenage boys. They never want to show any emotion, but when they get their heart broken, they can't hide it.”
A.C.: “Maybe there's a softball camp going on in College Park, too. He'd forget about that girl REAL quick then.”
Roxanne play-smacks Smith on the arm, and both erupt in laughter.
A.C.: “While we're talking about what happened last week...what happened between us was, um...nice.”
Roxanne: (blushing) “Not so loud! People can hear you!”
A.C.: “Sheesh. Didn't realize implying you were amazing in bed was a BAD thing.”
Roxanne still blushes, but adds that million-dollar smile that could light up a pitch-black room.
A.C.: “Kinda wish I hadn't done what I did after I left the force.”
Roxanne: “...you remember that?”
A.C.: “All too well. I didn't want to see anyone, even someone I had off-the-charts chemistry with. We had one night, one really amazing time...and then I never called you. I'm sorry about that, and I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you that.”
What was once a happy situation is now painful for Smith, who's looking Roxanne dead in her blue eyes.
Roxanne: “It's okay. Things worked out for the best, right?”
A.C.: “Yeah. It just took 11 years too long for them to come together!”
That breaks the building tension, as both A.C. and Roxanne chuckle. Any awkwardness between them is suddenly gone, as if they've been together all this time and are perfectly used to each other's quirks.
A.C.: “I guess I've just been reborn, in a sense, over the last couple of months. And that's fitting, because this week, I come full circle, in one of the cities where I wrestled my first matches as a member of this great business.
“Roxie, I'm as happy as I've been in a long, long time. And I guess what I'm trying to say...is thank you.”
The gamut of emotions on that bench continues. We now see Roxanne crying some tears of joy, and she can't speak. Instead, after a moment or two that probably seems like an eternity for her boyfriend, she grabs A.C. and gives him a long, passionate kiss, one several passers-by notice.
A.C.: “What happened to not wanting other people to notice us?”
Roxanne: “You did.”
The two get up off the bench, with the Big Apple Asskicker holding his love interest in his arms as they walk away. They enter a hotel located on the boardwalk, and we see the door close behind them as our scene fades to black.
---
We fade back up, and we aren't in a hotel room. Instead, we're in one those small convention centers Smith talked about earlier in the day, and it hasn't been touched for years. Chairs are set up, and the building's capacity can't be more than 1,500 people, but the building itself has a charm about it, and we can almost hear the echoes of crowds that have cheered wrestling events that took place inside these four walls.
There isn't a guard rail set up, but there is a clear opening where an entrance aisle would be on the floor, and we see A.C. Smith slowly walk through it, taking every inch in as he steps closer to the empty space in the center. Nodding slowly, he eventually gets to the center, and if we look closely, we can see him fighting off a couple of stray tears that have made their way down his face.
The nostalgia we saw earlier has come out in full-force, and it's clear that the memories Smith has of breaking into the business are running through his head. This was his life for several years, and as anyone can tell you, times like those go by way too quickly.
We zoom in, and Smith begins to compose himself as he notices the camera. He clears his throat before wiping his brow once more, and when he's ready, the Big Apple Asskicker opens his mouth to speak.
A.C.: “The first match I wrestled here was in 2002, and it ended with me holding my first World title high over my head. Whenever I came back, I'd always run into someone who was there that night, and that never, EVER got old.
“You can't know where you're going until you know where you've been. I've always been a huge proponent of history and learning from it, and that's what I've done. This place doesn't look like much now, but 11 years ago, it served as a launching pad for a guy who desperately needed one, and I've never forgotten that.
“11 years after that match, here I am again, back here in Virginia for Overdrive on Thursday night. Again, I'm in the main event, but this time, it's not just 1,500 people watching. It's the entire wrestling world, and given who else is involved, that's to be expected. I'm teaming with CJ Gates, Nick Watson, and Biggs, and going up against Level-One, Victor Hades, Michael Jennings, and Leon Roberts.”
Smith pauses, looking around at the empty building for a moment before locking his eyes on the camera lens again.
A.C.: “It's a long way from being a former cop and bouncer with less than 10 matches under my belt, that's for sure, but everything I've done since the last time I was here has prepared me for this moment. I may be from New York, but this is a homecoming of sorts for me, and I fully intend to make the most of it.
“Is the star power on the other side this week daunting? Sure. Those are some tough, TOUGH dudes, and anyone who says otherwise is lying through their teeth. However, it's also not an understatement to say that none of them, shall I say, play well with others. All four of them haven't exactly done well in the 'team up with others for a common good' department, and hell, some of them have been downright awful in that regard. Level-One was once part of the most dominant alliance in wrestling, and then he and Terry Marvin imploded. Michael Jennings takes pride in being the lone wolf, and Victor Hades and Leon Roberts won't exactly be on too many people's, 'Boy, I sure trust HIM,' lists anytime soon.
“Myself, Biggs, Gates, and Watson? Maybe we don't ride together to shows or get each other birthday presents, but one thing we have in common is that we can put personal differences aside for the common good. I respect the living daylights out of all three of those guys, and I know all of us are united in wanting to take out the trash this Thursday night in Richmond.
“Level-One, Victor Hades, Michael Jennings, and Leon Roberts may all agree that they want to win in the main event this week. But beyond that, they couldn't agree on what to have for lunch. They want to win, but they don't have any interest in working together to reach that point, which is something they'll have to do against the unified front Biggs, Gates, Watson, and I will put up on Overdrive.”
We see Smith hold up the five fingers on his right hand.
A.C.: “These five fingers, individually, are nothing. They do very little, and as such are almost useless. However, when they work together, like so...”
Smith takes his fingers and forms one of his huge fists.
A.C.: “...they form a weapon that is very fearsome and powerful to behold. That's what's going to happen this Thursday night. My team's fists are going to outwrestle, outmaneuver, and outlast the fingers on the other side, not because we're smarter, or quicker, or more powerful, but because we know we have to work together to do it.
“If you ask Level-One, though, he'll probably say he can take all four of us on at once with no help and win. Given everything he's accomplished on his own, he'd be one of the few guys that can possibly ATTEMPT that. Still, look at who he'd be going up against. CJ Gates and Biggs, the most formidable team on Overdrive. Nick Watson, who's come back with a vengeance. And myself, the longest-reigning champion on the Overdrive brand. Certainly a daunting task, huh?”
Smith smirks.
A.C.: “Michael Jennings had his fun last week. I'll give credit where credit is due. He beat me clean, and that's not something a lot of people have done since the calendar switched to 2013. He gets a tip of the cap and my respect, but what he DOESN'T get is the act of me rolling over and playing dead, like I'm someone he never has to worry about again.
“See, I'm ready to work with my partners to do what needs to be done. Michael Jennings? No chance in hell. He's one step shy of anti-social when it comes to dealing with fellow wrestlers in APW and on the Overdrive brand, and that makes him not one of the most dangerous men in the company, but a liability.
“That's a bold statement, but not an inaccurate one. No one man is big enough to succeed on his own in a match like this, and the second he starts thinking otherwise is when he's most vulnerable. Everyone on my side recognizes we need each other to succeed, so we're putting our egos aside and relying on a formula that's worked time and time again. Jennings? He's never so much as SEEN that formula, let alone subscribed to it, and I look forward to teaching him that lesson this week.”
A shrug, as if Smith is saying, “Hey, the truth hurts,” with the rest of his body.
A.C.: “Then we come to Victor Hades. Admittedly, we've never hooked up before, so from a physical standpoint, it's going to be a new challenge. However, from a mental standpoint, he's as screwed as a wrestler could possibly be.
“See, last week, he spent a ton of time berating Level-One, who just so happens to be one of his partners this week. The words he used weren't exactly soft-hitting, either. He called the APW World Champion weak and a selfish piece of shit, and now he has to TRUST him? Yeah, not happening in ANY universe.
“I'm supposed to give people the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time, I do that, and it's the smart, rational thing to do. However, Victor Hades can't undo the things he's said, and I'm pretty sure Level-One hasn't forgotten any of them. Add both of those facts together, and you get someone who's the probable favorite to be eliminated first out of all of us on Thursday night.”
Smith finds an open seat in the front row and sits down, admiring the nonexistent ring in front of him before speaking again.
A.C.: “And then we come to a guy that's been a thorn in my side for a couple of weeks now, Leon Roberts. I'm really not sure what his problem is with me, other than I've been successful for over a decade living my life the polar opposite of the way he lives his.
“See, people like him disgust me. I don't like people who try and get preachy with me, people who insist they know better than I do what the right and wrong ways to go through life are. I've been in this business for a long time, and it's a business that'll chew you up and spit you out if you're not ready for the challenges it throws your way. The way I conduct myself prepares me for those roadblocks, and it has for quite some time.
“Leon Roberts, on the other hand, has absolutely NO clue what he's in for. He has his guard all the way down, thinking he's so far above me even though he's proven absolutely nothing. And you know what? I refuse to tell him to think otherwise. In fact, if he wants to think he's already taken my Xtreme Championship away and doesn't have to really WORK for it, that plays right into my hand, because I've been around much longer and know better than that. As a result, I know that the instant he tries to attack me, I'm going to be able to hit back with twice the force. And if he thinks otherwise?
“Well, I'd LOVE to have the chance to prove him wrong.”
Smith stands back up, soaking the atmosphere in one final time before opening his mouth to speak once again.
A.C.: “Plainly and simply, this week is a dream scenario for me. Cities like Richmond were a proving ground for me when I was a relative kid learning the business, and I used the foundation I built in these buildings to put together a career anyone would kill for. I'm not some grizzled veteran who's seen better days. I'm the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, and I'm as good as I've ever been.
“This week, I get a chance to work with three guys who are also at the peaks of their powers, and three guys who have no issue teaming up in pursuit of a common goal. Our opponents? Christ, they may already be making plans to stab one another in the back.
“This is going to be FUN. Not many things get me this excited. But coming back to a place like this, and imagining the possibility of some of the 1,500 people that were here 11 years ago going across town to the big arena to see me wrestle? It makes the hair on my arms stand up.
“Hopefully, I can make THE FANS stand up this week, too.”
Smith walks out of the shot, and we hear his heavy footsteps get softer and softer as our scene fades to black.
Seagulls fly in from the water, allowing their wings to rest on the pier's railing as they prepare for journeys elsewhere. None of the businesses on this pier are open at this time, but there's plenty of foot traffic around where we're standing due to locals starting their days off with runs up and down the boardwalk.
Amidst those working out, though, we see a very familiar couple walking arm-in-arm, smiling all the way. Indeed, the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, and his girlfriend, Roxanne, have just come from having breakfast at a cafe, and the pair seem ecstatic to be with each other.
We see Smith's eyes wander just a bit, and that's not lost on Roxanne. A.C. isn't looking around at other women, or the birds, or the ocean, or anything we can definitively put a finger on, but it's clear that something about this area has a certain grip over the current APW Xtreme Champion.
Roxanne: “You alright, A.C.?”
A.C.: “Yeah. It's just been a while since I've been back here.”
Roxanne: “How long?”
A.C.: “God, it's been what, nine years since the Back Yard Brawl closed up shop? Sheesh. I'm old. Really, painstakingly old.”
Roxanne laughs heartily, and the pair approaches a wooden bench that looks out onto the ocean. The two hold hands as they sit down, with Roxanne using her other hand to grasp an iced coffee from a nearby Dunkin' Donuts.
Roxanne: “You miss this place, don't you?”
A.C.: “This pier, and places like it, are where I got my start. I left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in the little convention centers around here.”
Roxanne: “Not to mention a lot of money in the bars next door.”
Smith manages a smile, but it's apparent that nostalgia has come over the Big Apple Asskicker.
A.C.: “You know how much of a mess I was after the whole Tracy thing happened. I didn't talk to anyone for weeks, maybe longer...”
Roxanne: “Months.”
A.C.: “Right. Months.
“Anyway, wrestling saved my life, and the guy that discovered me ran summertime shows on the piers in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. He saw something in me that nobody else did, and if he hadn't given me that shot, who knows where my life would have gone?
“We'd run the circuit a couple of times between May and September, and we packed the houses everywhere we went, but the biggest thing for me was how much I learned about the business through what happened then. It was a crash course in the sport, and not a day goes by where I don't apply what I learned those summers to what I do now.”
Roxanne: “And now you're back, playing to bigger crowds. You must be really excited for Thursday.”
Again, Smith allows a smile to form on his face.
A.C.: “That doesn't begin to describe it. To be in the main event of Overdrive, with so many guys who have done so much in this business, back in one of the places it all started for me?
“Roxie, I don't allow myself to get emotional too often. But all that put together? Get me to the damn building right now, play my music, and let's go.”
A.C. and Roxanne trade ear-to-ear grins. Smith is genuinely happy, and his girlfriend seems genuinely happy by osmosis.
A.C.: “Thanks for coming.”
Roxanne: “No sweat. The kids both have baseball camp at the University of Maryland, so the timing worked out.”
A.C.: “Can I ask how Bobby's doing?”
Roxanne: “Eh. He's hanging in there. You know teenage boys. They never want to show any emotion, but when they get their heart broken, they can't hide it.”
A.C.: “Maybe there's a softball camp going on in College Park, too. He'd forget about that girl REAL quick then.”
Roxanne play-smacks Smith on the arm, and both erupt in laughter.
A.C.: “While we're talking about what happened last week...what happened between us was, um...nice.”
Roxanne: (blushing) “Not so loud! People can hear you!”
A.C.: “Sheesh. Didn't realize implying you were amazing in bed was a BAD thing.”
Roxanne still blushes, but adds that million-dollar smile that could light up a pitch-black room.
A.C.: “Kinda wish I hadn't done what I did after I left the force.”
Roxanne: “...you remember that?”
A.C.: “All too well. I didn't want to see anyone, even someone I had off-the-charts chemistry with. We had one night, one really amazing time...and then I never called you. I'm sorry about that, and I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you that.”
What was once a happy situation is now painful for Smith, who's looking Roxanne dead in her blue eyes.
Roxanne: “It's okay. Things worked out for the best, right?”
A.C.: “Yeah. It just took 11 years too long for them to come together!”
That breaks the building tension, as both A.C. and Roxanne chuckle. Any awkwardness between them is suddenly gone, as if they've been together all this time and are perfectly used to each other's quirks.
A.C.: “I guess I've just been reborn, in a sense, over the last couple of months. And that's fitting, because this week, I come full circle, in one of the cities where I wrestled my first matches as a member of this great business.
“Roxie, I'm as happy as I've been in a long, long time. And I guess what I'm trying to say...is thank you.”
The gamut of emotions on that bench continues. We now see Roxanne crying some tears of joy, and she can't speak. Instead, after a moment or two that probably seems like an eternity for her boyfriend, she grabs A.C. and gives him a long, passionate kiss, one several passers-by notice.
A.C.: “What happened to not wanting other people to notice us?”
Roxanne: “You did.”
The two get up off the bench, with the Big Apple Asskicker holding his love interest in his arms as they walk away. They enter a hotel located on the boardwalk, and we see the door close behind them as our scene fades to black.
---
We fade back up, and we aren't in a hotel room. Instead, we're in one those small convention centers Smith talked about earlier in the day, and it hasn't been touched for years. Chairs are set up, and the building's capacity can't be more than 1,500 people, but the building itself has a charm about it, and we can almost hear the echoes of crowds that have cheered wrestling events that took place inside these four walls.
There isn't a guard rail set up, but there is a clear opening where an entrance aisle would be on the floor, and we see A.C. Smith slowly walk through it, taking every inch in as he steps closer to the empty space in the center. Nodding slowly, he eventually gets to the center, and if we look closely, we can see him fighting off a couple of stray tears that have made their way down his face.
The nostalgia we saw earlier has come out in full-force, and it's clear that the memories Smith has of breaking into the business are running through his head. This was his life for several years, and as anyone can tell you, times like those go by way too quickly.
We zoom in, and Smith begins to compose himself as he notices the camera. He clears his throat before wiping his brow once more, and when he's ready, the Big Apple Asskicker opens his mouth to speak.
A.C.: “The first match I wrestled here was in 2002, and it ended with me holding my first World title high over my head. Whenever I came back, I'd always run into someone who was there that night, and that never, EVER got old.
“You can't know where you're going until you know where you've been. I've always been a huge proponent of history and learning from it, and that's what I've done. This place doesn't look like much now, but 11 years ago, it served as a launching pad for a guy who desperately needed one, and I've never forgotten that.
“11 years after that match, here I am again, back here in Virginia for Overdrive on Thursday night. Again, I'm in the main event, but this time, it's not just 1,500 people watching. It's the entire wrestling world, and given who else is involved, that's to be expected. I'm teaming with CJ Gates, Nick Watson, and Biggs, and going up against Level-One, Victor Hades, Michael Jennings, and Leon Roberts.”
Smith pauses, looking around at the empty building for a moment before locking his eyes on the camera lens again.
A.C.: “It's a long way from being a former cop and bouncer with less than 10 matches under my belt, that's for sure, but everything I've done since the last time I was here has prepared me for this moment. I may be from New York, but this is a homecoming of sorts for me, and I fully intend to make the most of it.
“Is the star power on the other side this week daunting? Sure. Those are some tough, TOUGH dudes, and anyone who says otherwise is lying through their teeth. However, it's also not an understatement to say that none of them, shall I say, play well with others. All four of them haven't exactly done well in the 'team up with others for a common good' department, and hell, some of them have been downright awful in that regard. Level-One was once part of the most dominant alliance in wrestling, and then he and Terry Marvin imploded. Michael Jennings takes pride in being the lone wolf, and Victor Hades and Leon Roberts won't exactly be on too many people's, 'Boy, I sure trust HIM,' lists anytime soon.
“Myself, Biggs, Gates, and Watson? Maybe we don't ride together to shows or get each other birthday presents, but one thing we have in common is that we can put personal differences aside for the common good. I respect the living daylights out of all three of those guys, and I know all of us are united in wanting to take out the trash this Thursday night in Richmond.
“Level-One, Victor Hades, Michael Jennings, and Leon Roberts may all agree that they want to win in the main event this week. But beyond that, they couldn't agree on what to have for lunch. They want to win, but they don't have any interest in working together to reach that point, which is something they'll have to do against the unified front Biggs, Gates, Watson, and I will put up on Overdrive.”
We see Smith hold up the five fingers on his right hand.
A.C.: “These five fingers, individually, are nothing. They do very little, and as such are almost useless. However, when they work together, like so...”
Smith takes his fingers and forms one of his huge fists.
A.C.: “...they form a weapon that is very fearsome and powerful to behold. That's what's going to happen this Thursday night. My team's fists are going to outwrestle, outmaneuver, and outlast the fingers on the other side, not because we're smarter, or quicker, or more powerful, but because we know we have to work together to do it.
“If you ask Level-One, though, he'll probably say he can take all four of us on at once with no help and win. Given everything he's accomplished on his own, he'd be one of the few guys that can possibly ATTEMPT that. Still, look at who he'd be going up against. CJ Gates and Biggs, the most formidable team on Overdrive. Nick Watson, who's come back with a vengeance. And myself, the longest-reigning champion on the Overdrive brand. Certainly a daunting task, huh?”
Smith smirks.
A.C.: “Michael Jennings had his fun last week. I'll give credit where credit is due. He beat me clean, and that's not something a lot of people have done since the calendar switched to 2013. He gets a tip of the cap and my respect, but what he DOESN'T get is the act of me rolling over and playing dead, like I'm someone he never has to worry about again.
“See, I'm ready to work with my partners to do what needs to be done. Michael Jennings? No chance in hell. He's one step shy of anti-social when it comes to dealing with fellow wrestlers in APW and on the Overdrive brand, and that makes him not one of the most dangerous men in the company, but a liability.
“That's a bold statement, but not an inaccurate one. No one man is big enough to succeed on his own in a match like this, and the second he starts thinking otherwise is when he's most vulnerable. Everyone on my side recognizes we need each other to succeed, so we're putting our egos aside and relying on a formula that's worked time and time again. Jennings? He's never so much as SEEN that formula, let alone subscribed to it, and I look forward to teaching him that lesson this week.”
A shrug, as if Smith is saying, “Hey, the truth hurts,” with the rest of his body.
A.C.: “Then we come to Victor Hades. Admittedly, we've never hooked up before, so from a physical standpoint, it's going to be a new challenge. However, from a mental standpoint, he's as screwed as a wrestler could possibly be.
“See, last week, he spent a ton of time berating Level-One, who just so happens to be one of his partners this week. The words he used weren't exactly soft-hitting, either. He called the APW World Champion weak and a selfish piece of shit, and now he has to TRUST him? Yeah, not happening in ANY universe.
“I'm supposed to give people the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time, I do that, and it's the smart, rational thing to do. However, Victor Hades can't undo the things he's said, and I'm pretty sure Level-One hasn't forgotten any of them. Add both of those facts together, and you get someone who's the probable favorite to be eliminated first out of all of us on Thursday night.”
Smith finds an open seat in the front row and sits down, admiring the nonexistent ring in front of him before speaking again.
A.C.: “And then we come to a guy that's been a thorn in my side for a couple of weeks now, Leon Roberts. I'm really not sure what his problem is with me, other than I've been successful for over a decade living my life the polar opposite of the way he lives his.
“See, people like him disgust me. I don't like people who try and get preachy with me, people who insist they know better than I do what the right and wrong ways to go through life are. I've been in this business for a long time, and it's a business that'll chew you up and spit you out if you're not ready for the challenges it throws your way. The way I conduct myself prepares me for those roadblocks, and it has for quite some time.
“Leon Roberts, on the other hand, has absolutely NO clue what he's in for. He has his guard all the way down, thinking he's so far above me even though he's proven absolutely nothing. And you know what? I refuse to tell him to think otherwise. In fact, if he wants to think he's already taken my Xtreme Championship away and doesn't have to really WORK for it, that plays right into my hand, because I've been around much longer and know better than that. As a result, I know that the instant he tries to attack me, I'm going to be able to hit back with twice the force. And if he thinks otherwise?
“Well, I'd LOVE to have the chance to prove him wrong.”
Smith stands back up, soaking the atmosphere in one final time before opening his mouth to speak once again.
A.C.: “Plainly and simply, this week is a dream scenario for me. Cities like Richmond were a proving ground for me when I was a relative kid learning the business, and I used the foundation I built in these buildings to put together a career anyone would kill for. I'm not some grizzled veteran who's seen better days. I'm the Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, and I'm as good as I've ever been.
“This week, I get a chance to work with three guys who are also at the peaks of their powers, and three guys who have no issue teaming up in pursuit of a common goal. Our opponents? Christ, they may already be making plans to stab one another in the back.
“This is going to be FUN. Not many things get me this excited. But coming back to a place like this, and imagining the possibility of some of the 1,500 people that were here 11 years ago going across town to the big arena to see me wrestle? It makes the hair on my arms stand up.
“Hopefully, I can make THE FANS stand up this week, too.”
Smith walks out of the shot, and we hear his heavy footsteps get softer and softer as our scene fades to black.
