What changes, what remains... what will always be.
* Larry Tact RP for PrimeTime.
FADE IN.
Coney Island peninsula. Dusk is settling into night, but people are still milling about on the famous grounds of the Brooklyn, New York site. We see shots of people entering the fully lit MCU Park, home to the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team; others are getting into the final show of the night for the Coney Island Sideshow. Tickets are collected by a somewhat chubby-looking boy who looks like he has powder messily spread over most of his face-- in truth, it’s a skin disease of some type. Still more patrons have sauntered into a showing of Burlesque At The Beach. And more line up at the original Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand.
We then arrive at the boardwalk, a trademark of Coney Island. Here, there are such unique activities as trash can art to go along with gypsy palm-readings and peddlers. We also see the beach stretching for miles along the Atlantic Ocean. While most people have cleared off of it, now that the sun is setting, there are those lining the boardwalk to gaze at the water, the sky, and the sights.
Larry Tact, dressed in black leather pants, a halfway-buttoned gray silk shirt, and blue-lensed/silver-rimmed sunglasses, is doing none of this. Instead, he leans against the railing of the boardwalk, and people-watches. The camera catches him at a side profile.
LARRY TACT: “What is that saying, again? “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It seems as if New ERA of Wrestling has become a cliché, in itself, and Shawn Hart and I are to blame.”
He regards us directly for a moment.
“Do you know about this island? Coney Island, like the rest of New York, was occupied by Indigenous Peoples before the Europeans came and settled in. As a result, power and disease helped overrun the Indigenous Peoples, killing off many and manipulating more into leaving their land. They were forced into exile; a continuously smaller space of land, which, for some tribes, now probably amounts to less space than some mansion properties. I doubt the thought ever crossed their minds that they would relinquish their territory, their lands, to anyone outside of warring tribes.”
“From the way we hear Suicide tell it, the past few weeks… although really, this isn’t much different than his opinion of me for years, now… New ERA of Wrestling is a ‘New World’ and he’s the settler coming in, and inevitably will displace the native people. The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?”
“Maybe, but as far as I’m concerned, our friend Suicide may be looking at New ERA in less tactful terms than I.”
He now turns, looking steadily at us for a few moments, then removing the sunglasses and letting them hang from a breast pocket of his shirt.
“I won’t bother explaining all the differences between Indigenous Peoples and Tactilizing Ones, Ulysis, because it really boils down to a few simple things. One of which is that you simply don’t understand the way I view your being in New ERA. It’s true, you are a world-class athlete, you’ve deserved the accolades you’ve earned-- hell, even a few that were withheld. But like you said, you’re already aware that I know who you are. It seems, however, that the changes in me have left you in a state of misunderstanding.”
“It’s a little ironic, actually. I would say the time when we started having problems seeing eye-to-eye trace back about six or seven years, now. Do you know what coincides with that timeframe, Ulysis? Do you know what I was doing back then, around 2004? I’ll tell you: I was laying the groundwork for New ERA of Wrestling. I was building its appeal for people, even people like you, to turn your heads and then, eventually, make your own entry. I was building New ERA of Wrestling, and for whatever reason, we seemed to have a divide around then. Hm, go figure.”
He waves a hand.
“But there’s no resentment off of that. No, that isn’t what I’m getting at. The point is that we’ll probably never see NEW in similar fashion, Ulysis, not you and I. Because it means something entirely different to me. I’m the original occupier, and you are just one of the next wave to arrive. You wouldn’t understand why I would go to the greatest lengths to defend this company’s roots. It may not always be in the ring, but over time I have changed. I’ve found there are many ways to get your point across, not just in the ring. However, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m proud to compete in New ERA, and nobody will ever take away what I’ve accomplished here.”
“Which brings us to your claim of naturally usurping Shawn and I. Well, as Mr. Entertainment is learning, there isn’t enough dirt and dynamite to cover or destroy the foundation that New ERA of Wrestling stands on. Contrary to certain rumors of its multiple demises, we still go on strong, and are rock solid. And the natives, at least a few of us, are still kicking around here.”
“But I’ll tell you this, too: I have never rejected newcomers to New ERA of Wrestling. I don’t try to keep anyone from doing what I did, which is to rise up from ground level, and make their mark. When I was Champion, I would give opportunities to anyone who wanted to step up and take their best shot. It’s just that I’m not going to give it up to anyone, either, which seems to be something people continually have difficulty understanding.“
“And the same to you, Ulysis… old friend. I wouldn’t reject your trying to make your mark here… but don’t think it’s just going to happen because you’re here, now. Because that simply lands you right in line with the rest who tried and failed. You’d be no different than Chaos, who thought he could run me over, on more than one occasion, because he had an advantage here, some added rage incentive there, or whatever other reason. You may not possess the same motivations, but if your expectations don’t change… you’ll end up just the same as all those failures.“
“And I won‘t blink an eye seeing that happen, either.”
He looks deadpan at us.
“Ulysis, you may be here with a Championship shot, and have yourself believing that you’ve got us nervous about our places, and it’s your right to feel like that. Personally, though, it isn‘t the way I‘m feeling. Because when you’ve been in a place as long as I’ve been in New ERA, you cease to be intimidated by someone coming in.“
“The Indigenous Peoples warmed up to the bait and charm of the Europeans, only to have disease and power ruin their previous lives. But the way I see it, if the power of others is going to overwhelm me, then maybe I didn’t deserve to be here, at this time. If disease is going to destroy me, then I‘m not strong enough, and I will go the way of the other NEW originals who aren‘t here anymore.”
He smirks.
“I wouldn’t go cashing in that bet just yet, though. Because, Ulysis, I don’t just live in the moment. In fact, I’ve already help navigate the way for the future New ERA Champion, although Fanatic did the work in the ring. I’ve shown that I’m still apart of New ERA, and not just through my work with my brother. I beat Shawn Hart at Cyberstrike 01; I defeated Chaos after stirring him up into his most vile rage; and I just teamed with Fanatic to defeat you and Hart at Cyberstrike 10. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what the future holds for myself in New ERA of Wrestling. But I know this…”
“No one… not you, Shawn Hart, Mr. Entertainment, The First, Cameron Cruise, or anyone else… not one of you, or all of you, can remove my place in NEW. You may make your own mark, but that won’t remove the indelible stamp I’ve put on NEW, at its foundation. And maybe you’ll beat me in an NEW ring, too…”
“But at PrimeTime…? On the night when my brother will claim the New ERA Championship. At a time when you have done nothing but try and change the story of what lead us here… as if my actions have been solely what instigated this showdown… and show just why I can’t take the respect you claim to display, at face value.”
“And Shawn Hart, he doesn’t escape that fact, either. He is a New ERA stalwart, but he isn’t the one who set the standard from the start. He isn’t the one who guided the New ERA Championship on its first run. And for all the people who say that I failed to do what I set out, the simple truth is that I did what nobody else could do: I won it first. And for all those who proudly or boldly or ignorantly claim that they made or make New ERA better than the rest who were at the top… I breathed life into the top prize, gave it initial stability for others to have the chance. There’s no question that Larry Tact is the New ERA’s Icon. Shawn Hart would like to fantasize about knocking me off that pedestal. But he’ll find out one more time, at PrimeTime, that once I start hitting back, that fantasy gets a little less clearer with each passing moment. Until there‘s no choice other than to submit… to a Tactful Surrender.”
His eyes narrow slightly, piercing us with a look of finality.
“So, no, PrimeTime will not be the moment you’re predicting, Ulysis. It won’t be you showing that, as the wrestling world changes, Suicide will inevitably triumph. You will rise to the occasion, I don’t doubt that at all. But instead of triumph, you’re going to find that the more New ERA of Wrestling changes… the further Larry Tact embeds the Tact Legacy’s impression on New ERA of Wrestling. The eras may change, but the same man is setting the gold standard of performance. When the need arises, the same man is humbling the competition.”
“At PrimeTime, Larry Tact will be just where I should be.”
“And you, Suicide… Shawn Hart… you will…”
“Be…”
“TACTILIZED!!!”
FADE OUT.