Tell The World Something They Don't Already Know....
[Fade In: A pitch black screen, with the only visible element in the picture being that of a an outdated AM/FM record player. The audio being emitted is that of Aerosmith, specifically the song “Same Old Song and Dance”. As the hits from the 70s plays, it suddenly becomes stuck upon the chorus and repeatedly plays over and over again.]
It's the same old story
Same Old Song And Dance, my friend
[Suddenly, just as the repeated chorus rings about in an annoying manner, a hand emerges from the darkness and removes the pin from the record. As a result, silence now encompasses the scene. Nevertheless, one must be aware that the repeated rendition of the song’s chorus is symbolic of Kendall Codine’s opponent’s verbal addresses throughout their encounter.]
[Location: Atlanta, Georgia….July 10th, 2012]
[Scene: Just days removed from the Sweet Sixteen Round of the Ultratitle Tournament, we finds ourselves in the city which Kendall Codine calls home. The camera currently provides a beautiful aerial view of Atlanta, panning throughout the city. Eventually, the camera touches down upon the Atlanta World Wrestling Alliance & Professional Wrestling School, located at 4375 Commerce Drive. Due to the late hour of night, the gym is empty. However, the stench of sweat is present throughout, representing the hard work, dreams, and desires of several young men and women that aspire to make professional wrestling their career. The camera slowly pans throughout the gymnasium, eventually settling upon a shot of the wrestling ring that is arranged within the center of the facility. A single spotlight shines down upon the center of the ring, focusing specifically on a large individual who is sitting upon the canvas. His arms are wrapped around his legs, while his mixture of black and gray hair covers his face that is directed towards the ground. The man who sits in solitude is none other than Kendall Codine. It is apparent that he is gathering his thoughts in the city which he calls home, as he draws closer to the biggest match of his career. A match that could perhaps be his last.]
[Since his return to the ring, an ending has been prevalent. First with Steven Jackson, then with Troy Franklin, just recently with Mikey Massacre, and now with Kiyomori. The possibility of an end has yet to discourage Kendall Codine from silencing his critics and advancing through each round of the Ultratitle Tournament. At this point in his career, Codine has come to embrace fear and he understands that an end will come. Will it come in the next week? Codine’s opponent, Kiyomori, would lead you to believe so, but unfortunately for him, Codine has a different plan for his immediate future and it doesn’t involve an ending to his career just yet. Remaining in a motionless state, Codine breaks the silence and addresses the latest words from his opponent.]
Codine: Kiyomori….you are foolish enough to compare me to your previous opponents in this tournament, yet I’m somehow the ignorant one….
(A low tone chuckle arises from Codine’s stomach based upon the thought, before he eventually continues on.)
Codine: I’ve been questioned about several character traits throughout my career, but my intelligence has never been one of them. The irony in this entire situation is that the man that is throwing around false claims of ignorance is not really looking at me, but rather looking at himself in the mirror. I’m the first one to present you with a true challenge up to this point and it is showing. Since the beginning of our encounter, you have reached for obscure points in an attempt to break me down. Nonetheless, I laugh at each feeble attempt and continue to point out your hypocritical way of life and your tendency to repeat the same things over and over and over again.
I may have remained idle for nearly a decade, but I still accomplished more within that time then you could ever dream of accomplishing in a lifetime. Victory within the ring is not the only form of success in a person’s life, but then again, you should know that being an honorable Japanese warrior. I dare you to ask amongst the roster of those that remain in this tournament who Kendall Codine is….
Eli Flair
Deacon
Joey Melton
Cameron Cruise
….and they’ll tell you exactly who I am. Can you make the same claims Kiyomori? With a man who boasts of such success and accolades, there is nothing remotely significant about your career that can be identified by anyone that matters. Each and every round, you tell your opponents that we should know the man that hails from the country of Japan, yet I would question if you even know yourself. However, I’m convinced that in a repeated fashion, you’ll spew some more hypocritical nonsense in how the name Kiyomori represents honor, respect, and so on.
(Codine snickers to himself once more, acknowledging the truth behind his last statement.)
Kiyomori….you told me not to dare to credit myself as being on your level and you’re right, I’m not on your level….
I’M ABOVE IT….
(Silence overtakes the scene once again, as Codine collects his thoughts before proceeding to the next subject.)
Codine: I’ve come to realize that your greatest fear is not having the sham that you call a career being exposed, but rather losing to the man that revealed the facts behind the nonsense you deliver to the viewing audience. A man that you have painted out to be a cripple that can barely get out of his own way. The aches and pains that consume my body are the result of years of competition within the ring, something which most true competitors experience. It appears that you, being the super-human that you are, were able to avoid the wear and tear that accompanies a career spent in the squared circle.
(sarcastically) You are the perfect physical specimen. You are of superior intelligence. You are a warrior, yet respectful and honorable. You are an icon on the island of Japan. You are surrounded by fame and riches. You are a supreme being amongst us mortals.
One has to wonder if you’ve ever even wrestled prior to entering this tournament.
Based upon all of this information, I’ve learned a lot about you Kiyomori. The most important fact being that not only are you hypocritical, but you’re also….
Full of sh*t….
You speak so highly of your career, yet there is no evidence to support such claims. You speak of respect for others, while disrespecting them in the same breathe.
Ultimately, you have created an elaborate story based in fiction, in an attempt to masquerade the fear of never being noticed. Outside of organized religion, your bullsh*t story may be the best one ever created by common man.
That’s what I question….if it’s all true, then prove it.
(Codine sits in silence once again, pondering his next thought before moving on.)
Ultimately, you can look into my big, beautiful, blue eyes all you want and the only thing you’re going to see is the absence of fear….
The very fear that Eli Flair beat out of me within a steel cage in HEW years ago….
The fear that the mute freak, Deacon removed from my heart as I earned my first CSWA World Title shot….
The fear that I had when my only child was taken away from my arms as an infant….
The fear that overwhelmed me when Chad Merritt fired me from CSWA and I was left jobless….
The fear that took over my life when Erik Zieba closed the GXW doors and essentially ended my career nearly ten years ago….
That fear is gone Kiyomori. If my body fails, then I return to obscurity. If I lose in this tournament, then it will be as if I never entered from the start. What is there left to fear Nao?
A falsified “samurai” who may or may not have an accomplished career in “Puroresu”. That’s my point, no one knows anything about you Kiyomori, aside from the nonsense you put on the television screen and then you call them ignorant for pointing it out. That’s the difference between you and I….
My life is an open book, a best-seller if you will, and anyone you ask would be able to recite it by heart. So instead of sounding like a broken record, talking in circles, why don’t you tell the world something about me they don’t already know….
(Silence passes once again, allowing for an unsolicited response.)
Codine: My point has been the same from the start of this tournament and quite simply put, I don’t care….
I have a single goal in mind and that’s to end my career as the Ultratitle Champion.
Therefore, I don’t care what you choose to verbally repeat in a third consecutive promo, I don’t care if you question my physical abilities to withstand the punishment within the ring, I don’t care if you question my abilities to comprehend the spoken word, and I certainly don’t care who you are or where you’ve been….
I simply don’t care and for you, that’s the worst possible thing you could imagine.
(Codine slowly raises his head, exposing his face that is still somewhat hidden behind his hair. With an intense look upon his face, Codine offers his final address.)
And I most certainly don’t care what comes of your life after I end your run in the Ultratitle Tournament. I say it with heart, I say it with passion, and I say it with pride….
….you would be wise to listen….
THE END IS NEAR….
[Fade Out.]