INT. HOME OF JULIA COLE - LIVING ROOM - EVENING - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
Our scene opens with a close shot of a COMPUTER SCREEN. On the screen is a photo of Adam Stryker. The cursor scrolls over the picture and we hear a click. It opens another screen, which is a biography of the man challenging for the 2CW Heavyweight Title.
The cursor scrolls across this page and hovers over the top link that reads "Title History." We hear another click, and another page opens up, setting forth a long list of the many accolades of the Socal Switchblade. Each accolade is a link unto itself, leading to written details and video footage.
The camera pans down, revealing the bottom of the computer screen. There are at least a dozen pages open-- all devoted to Adam Stryker.
The camera pans out and it reveals Second City Wrestling Heavyweight Champion DAMIAN COLE, seated at the desk in the living room of his ex wife, JULIA COLE. It is late. There is a cup of coffee at his side. Damian is burning the midnight oil, doing his due diligence. What began as a research project has turned into an obsession.
JULIA COLE comes shuffling down the stairs.
JULIA
Well the kids are in bed.
She approaches Damian and puts her hands on his shoulders. What a difference two weeks make. Two short weeks ago, the former Mr. and Mrs. Cole were cordial, friendly, but maintained a safe distance. That had all changed, starting with the night in Rivalry-- when Julia Cole, for the first time ever, accompanied her ex-husband to a match. Unbelievably, after years of marriage and a bitter divorce, it was the first time she had seen him wrestle. In that night, Damian Cole found his redemption.
Julia looks over Damian's shoulder. Damian lifts his hand to meet Julia's on his shoulder.
JULIA
What are you doing?
DAMIAN
Just some research.
JULIA
Your next match?
DAMIAN
This is him.
JULIA
How is he.
Damian looks up at her.
JULIA
That good, huh?
DAMIAN
This guy, he's accomplished it all.
Two-time LAWA World Heavyweight
Champion, two time PWX Hybrid
Champion, WBSW Hardcore Champion.
JULIA
What does that all mean?
DAMIAN
It means he is among the elite.
JULIA
You, my dear, are the elite.
Julia kisses Damian on the forehead, and moves to the couch.
JULIA
Come join me.
Damian is too fixed on the screen.
DAMIAN
Do you know he's only twenty-eight
years old. Twenty eight. I'm thirty one.
Damian lets out a sigh.
JULIA
What's the matter?
DAMIAN
Nothing, it's just that...
I lost so much time.
Sensing the weight of Damian's words, Julia rises from the couch and returns to his side. She gently grabs his face and turns it toward her, sensing the strain in his eyes.
JULIA
You can't dwell on the past.
* * *
I am the Second City Heavyweight Champion. I am eight and two since my return to sport four months ago. I am riding a five fight winning streak.
And yet I feel like the underdog coming into Saturday night.
Adam, your reputation precedes you. Your credentials are impeccable. You represent this sport the way it should be represented. You come with a rich history.
You are the wrestler I should have been.
When I look at you, and see all that you have accomplished, three years my junior, and you still come out with that same hunger-- it sends chills down my spine.
Three years is a lot to lose. My prime years, perhaps. Years I cannot get back. Years I squandered, which will always be a black mark on my story.
I've been in the ring with the glory hounds, fighting for the fame and attention. I've gone to war with the sociopaths, those in this sport simply to hurt people. I've been face to face with the men in this for the money and prestige and all the wrong reasons.
But I look at you, and it's clear that you do this for the love of the sport. Nobody lasts as long as you have, accomplishes what you have, without having the right motivation.
Looking over your storied career has caused me to question my motivation.
I started with a love for this sport, an undying passion for this sport. Since I was a child, I lived and breathed this sport.
Fast forward to my return, and I found myself fighting, first and foremost, to prove something-- to my family, to my children and to myself. Keep pushing forward, I told myself. You will find redemption, regain trust, and show your family that your former self is back-- if you just keep pressing forward.
And I did.
And they did.
And now what?
In this moment, I consider myself a blessed man. Second chances do not come to everyone, but they have come to me-- and I have latched on and I have not let go. I have succeeded, one by one taking down opponent after opponent with determination and work ethic. I have one back the respect of my family, and have made the most of my second chance.
But now, as I look upon your accomplishments, I realize that for me, this was always about my love to compete-- to compete in this sport and this sport alone-- and that while I may have found redemption, the story isn't over.
Saturday night, you are chasing gold, but I am still chasing my legacy.
So Adam Styker, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for being that good. I want to thank you for being a reminder of why I train and why I fight. Saturday night, we're gonna clash, and I'm gonna leave it all out in the ring. No matter the outcome, I am thrilled to know that when I look back on my career, I will see you in my match history log. Bring your best Saturday night, and I will bring mine. There is room in this sport for more than a single legacy.