SCENE BEGINS
(Not entirely quiet, as music plays from a radio in the background. I will spare you the lyrics… and the title; no drawn-out intros here, thank you. In a dim room, which looks to be a part of the Daymon household, Rocko Daymon sits alone on a stool next to a personal bar. In his hands, he holds a few sheets of paper.)
Rocko Daymon
I have some quotes to read and reflect upon… and I’d like you, the people, to listen well to what I have to say. Reason being is because… well, in a world where almost nothing seems to go right, you have to try your hardest to make some sense of the every-day crap we all have to put up with.
This is the first quote… “Rocko, I do not know if you were around when it happened...but if so, do you remember the biggest upset that ever took place on SCW Television? LIVE television?”
(He looks to the camera for a brief moment. Refusing to comment on that particular line, he flips over to the next sheet of paper and reads.)
Rocko Daymon
This one says, “I applaud you of all that you have done… but here, in my house… in my domain, you might get an ugly wake-up call from me personally.”
(A slight twitch forms in his face, as though he were to be subjected to slight humor or pain by that statement. Perhaps both. He flips to the next page.)
Rocko Daymon
Here’s one from the internet… “Last week, Rocko Daymon made a stellar debut when he defeated Evol one on one. This week, however Daymon will have his work cut for him even further as he must meet his old acquaintance, Damian Stone one on one.”
Heh… I like how they use the word “acquaintance.” It really proves that nobody working over there in EUWC knows jack **** about Rocko Daymon and his history. Rather, they would listen to what a man like Damian Stone has to say.
(He lets the stack of papers fall from his hands, letting them flutter placidly to the floor at his feet. He looks up into the camera.)
Rocko Daymon
Here are the facts: in truth, Damian Stone and I were signed to Superior Championship Wrestling’s roster around the same time. During that time, however, there was no “acquainting” going down between either of us. We never stepped into the ring, side-by-side or face-to-face… hell, we never even spoke backstage. I probably would have never known he existed were it not for his… “reputation”, shall we say?
But, I read this word. “Acquaintance.” They say it like it means something… almost as though this were a match between former friends or rivals. In truth, the relationship between Damian Stone and myself is nonexistent… so much, that I’m not even sure why Mr. Stone made the effort to film a promo directed solely at me, dealing with issues that are long dead in my history.
Superior Championship Wrestling is dead… and so is my history there. I and everybody else involved with that federation have moved on with our lives… with the exception of, it seems, ol’ “Dangerous Dante” Damian Stone. As it seems, the former laughing stock of the SCW locker room is still living in the past, trying to put ancient demons to rest through victory over me.
Why else would I be booked in this match? Why else would I be wasting my time shooting a promo over an untalented hack who doesn’t believe in anything that doesn’t feed his ego like this?
(He shrugs, coming off his seat and stepping on the discarded pieces of papers littering the ground.)
Rocko Daymon
Stone and I never met formally… so I think the term “acquaintance” is a little inappropriate for this situation. I’m not going into this match under the impression that I’m fighting an old friend, or anything. I’m going in to beat a man who I feel is one of the most ego-centric and over-exaggerated competitors of this age, who, coincidentally, was in the same federation as me years ago.
Hell… I fight a bunch of guys in other federations from the deceased SCW, but we’re never described of as “acquaintances.”
But that’s not what has me pissed off. No… something else has been burning my ass over the past few days, and it has to do with one of those other two quotes, from Damian Stone’s promo, directed at yours truly.
(Rocko comes around the stool and goes behind the bar, fixing himself a drink while he speaks.)
Rocko Daymon
First and foremost, Damian… let me apologize for not getting back to you. You see, I don’t care much for you or your obsession with a federation that is years behind me, and when I sat there, hearing you speak directly to me for the first time in our professional wrestling careers, I merely scoffed. I felt it was unnecessary to waste my time cutting you apart, piece by piece for every moronic statement that came out of your mouth… but now that we’re booked to face each other at Main Frame, I figured I might bring this up.
But before I get to that… I understand that there’s an overwhelming majority of people out there who are totally in the dark. So, I’m going to take some time now to explain a little about the relationship between Damian Stone and Superior Championship Wrestling…
…from the perspective of a man who has seen truth in one hand, and a fabricated lie in the other.
(He tips his club soda slightly to the camera before taking a quick sip, then he sets it aside to continue.)
Rocko Daymon
There’s one thing that needs to be said before we go any further. People, understand this bold truth: much of what Damian Stone says about himself is either not true, or entirely over-exaggerated in order to stroke his own schizophrenic ego. Case in point, take his claim of being partly responsible for what he calls “the biggest upset that ever took place on SCW Television.”
I almost threw up when I heard that the first time.
Quite a bold statement… and I can tell you all right here and now, that it’s nothing but bull****. The only “upset” Damian Stone ever took part in occurred when he met Daniel Wight in a match that ended with his defeat and subsequent mauling by a band of pagans and bikers. “Upset” was how everybody felt when he CAME BACK weeks later, ready to wrestle again.
Understand, ladies and gentlemen, that Damian Stone is a leech. He rides the coattails of greater wrestlers to gain fame… and claims he does it on his own effort. He fails at every opportunity he’s given, yet has the audacity to call himself a wrestling legend in the presence of the true legends of the ring. Stone is a cockroach; you can spray him, step on him, burn him with gasoline… and somehow, he doesn’t die. That’s all the worse for US, because it means we must continue to put up with him and his nonsensical television rants!
For the sake of the people at home, I won’t bring up the horrible memory of his lame, badly choreographed scrap with an individual named Hench Man in a junkyard…
(He shakes his head, a bitter expression crossing his face.)
Rocko Daymon
For the record, I can find at least a dozen men in today’s professional wrestling world who would agree with me.
Now, on the topic of the Damned defeating the Dark Carnival for the titles, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for the way things went down. First, I will tell everybody here and now that the team of Damian Stone and Reaver did defeat Kevin Powers and Gabriel Poe for the Tag Team Titles… at least if my memory serves me correct. You have to understand, that it was a while ago… and the Tag Team division was hardly popular.
So unpopular, that it’s quite likely that the Carnival went into that match not caring whether they won or lost. Beating the champions is one thing… but beating them while they fight without the heart to defend the frail legacy of a dying federation is another. Poe and Powers have lost greater battles in their time…
But losing to the Damned was hardly the greatest defeat they’ve ever suffered. And it WAS NOT, in any way, the “greatest upset” of SCW’s extensive history. If you want to talk about upsets, dig up the tape of SpookMaster, Sean Stevens, and myself fighting for the World Title. Nobody expected me to win that match, but I walked out with the strap. Even so, I don’t brag about it at every opportunity.
Superior Championship Wrestling is ancient history… and I’m on my way to doing GREATER things in my career. The SCW World Title is merely a footnote in my career… and with that, I’d like to drop the subject of that forgotten federation, because I’m living in the now… where EUWC is the primary focus.
(He shrugs, taking another sip of his club soda.)
Rocko Daymon
The point is that Damian Stone is known for a few certain things. The first, and most obvious, is that he exaggerates everything in his speeches… usually in anything that deals with himself, such as being bold enough to call himself a “hardcore legend”, but also in hyping matches to sound like they would be the greatest in professional wrestling history, main event or not, no matter who the opponent was. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made this match out to be some titanic showdown between a pair of wrestling legends… which is complete and utter bull****, cause Damian Stone is no legend—never has been, never will be—and I would never claim to be one myself.
Another Stoneism that people are familiar with is the constant retiring after a tough loss (in other words, an over-hyped match as previously described) either through disappointment or injury, and coming back with a new “badass” look and attitude. Seriously, folks… this guy goes through theme songs like Paris Hilton with boyfriends. One week it will be then determined babyface… then, after a horrible mauling during a hardcore match, become the insane heel a week later when he gets out of the hospital. Girlfriend/Sidekick, optional.
Oh, and we can never forget the 287432 degree splash off the roof of the arena…
(He chuckles.)
Rocko Daymon
It still makes me laugh every time I think of how many times that’s been lampooned by various talents.
I heard he’s written a book… something about an autobiography. Anybody who knows what’s best should save their money, because most of what he says is, as I’ve proven, baloney.
I could pick on Damian Stone all day if I wanted too… but I don’t think it’s important for everybody to know his every flaw. I’m sure he himself is aware of many of his quirks, but sometimes it pisses me off, knowing that he knows this… and still says stupid ****, such as being part of the “biggest upset”, and yadda yadda…
(Rolls his eyes and takes another sip. Then, he looks directly into the camera.)
Rocko Daymon
Let’s get one thing clear, Damian Stone… without a metal chair or a flaming table, you are worthless in the ring. Additionally, you’re stupid. I won’t, however, deny your determination—you’ve got the heart of a lion, and that’s fairly obvious—but heart will only get you so far in the ring if you don’t have the talent or the brains to back it up. The sad thing is, if you’re without the latter, then you don’t even have the ability to realize where you excel and stagger.
You floundered around in other federations for a while, never seeming to strike gold except here and there, where a belt or division was lacking any real interest. Then you came to EUWC, and finally found your success in becoming the World Champion for a short while.
That doesn’t mean you’re talented has suddenly blossomed, Damian; it merely means you finally found a place where the rest of the talent pool is either at or below your level. Knowing that helps me believe I’m going to do relatively well here… in your house… your domain…
(He chuckles again, half a smile forming on his face, which bears its own scars.)
Rocko Daymon
This is what it’s about, Stone. When Main Frame comes, you can come down to the ring, with your parade of friends and family to the most over-the-top laser light show, complete with colorful pyrotechnics and stunts… we can all listen to your song word for word, as though the lyrics mean something…
But me? I’m just going to cue the music and walk down to the ring… no gimmicks, no show. In the ring, I’m going to tear away your ego-stroking façade piece by piece, exposing the weakling you truly are underneath all of the glitz and glam you talk about incessantly. Then, after you receive the beating of your life, I’m going to pin you…
…and walk away without so much as looking back. From that point on, I doubt I will ever speak—much less think—of you again. And you’re just going to have to deal, amigo.
I’m living in reality, and you’re living in your own world. I think that YOU are the one who’s in for a wake-up call…
(Daymon walks out from behind the bar, bringing his drink with him, and exits the frame. As he does, he again walks over the discarded papers bearing the quotes he himself recited at the beginning of the promo. From there, we go out.)
SCENE ENDS
