What ULTRATITLE represents for me.
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(A lone, baritone voice sounds out, solemn and thoughtful.)
LARRY TACT: "Wrestling..."
(We open on a shot some meters behind a man. His feet crunch on the gravel of a circular driveway, the sun shining on the countless small pebbles laid down. His destination is a house with a split exterior: the top half, perhaps the second level, consists of white aluminum siding; the lower exterior, or ground level, is constructed of brick. Some steps lead up from the driveway to a double door entrance, framed by two white, cylindrical pillars.)
TACT V/O: "What can a wrestler do for the world?"
(The man, himself, is tall-- somewhere in the range of six-and-a-half feet, maybe more. He wears a black windbreaker, stonewashed blue jeans, a pair of black shoes, and a silver watch. His golden blonde hair, typically falling to between his chin and neck, is tied back. As he reaches the steps, one of the doors opens and three people step outside: a hispanic family of father, mother, and teenage son, dressed casually.)
TACT V/O: "Are we leeches of society, selfishly indulging ourselves at the expense of others, with no benefit?"
(As we near and the man ascends the steps, closer inspection reveals the son wearing a blue t-shirt along with his black jeans. Zooming in on the shirt, we see a worn image of Larry Tact, sporting a crew cut and wearing long tights with lightning bolts on them. He is seemingly about to tie-up with another wrestler, and more lightning surrounds them. Above this image is the word "SHOWTIME.")
TACT V/O: "Are we responsible for serving a greater purpose to society, outside of the ring?"
(Zooming out, the man greets the father with a handshake and a couple claps on the shoulder. He gives the mother a kiss on the cheek, and a smile, which she returns as she speaks. The man turns to the son, and points at the shirt and commenting to the parents, who nod. The man reaches out and ruffles the teen's curly black hair, causing the kid to swat away the hand. Instead, they exchange a unique handshake. The man nods approvingly, and speaks in the same baritone voice.)
"We'll grab lunch, then beat it to the gym before they start, so you can see how everything works. You ready, Daunte?"
(The teen nods.)
DAUNTE: "Dude, I feel like I've been waiting forever, of COURSE I'm ready! And, ah, you know... thanks for coming by. This is gonna rule!"
TACT: "Count on it. We're going to teach you about every inch of the ring today, kid."
DAUNTE: "Yeah, then I'm gonna get in there and make YOU tap!"
TACT: (laughs) "You want to bet on that?"
(As the two continue to banter, they all turn to head inside and, as they do, we catch sight of the back of the teenager's t-shirt. It reads: "YOU WILL BE TACTILIZED!")
TACT V/O: "What is our legacy?"
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
(CUE UP: "Infection" by Onitsuka Chihiro.)
(FADE TO: Larry Tact and Daunte heading into a complex, with the sign over the entrance reading, "RingRats Academy."
FADE TO: Daunte watching, intently, as wrestlers lay down planks and setup posts; and screw together pieces.
FADE TO: Canvas being stretched out and laid over a base and secured.
FADE TO: Larry Tact helps Daunte to secure rope to a turnbuckle. Daunte wipes his forehead, clearly strained and breathing hard, but determined and smiling the whole time until they finally accomplish the task.
FADE TO: the wrestlers shaking hands with Daunte, as he and Tact admire the completed wrestling ring.
FADE TO: Daunte watching Tact in the ring. There are several shots of Tact wrestling with a few of the academy's trainees, finishing with a shot of one of them tapping out to the Tactful Surrender. Daunte cheers at seeing the submission locked on, with its desired effect.
FADE TO: Daunte with his parents, outside of RingRats Academy. As they begin walking away and wave goodbye to Tact, who stands at the doorway, Daunte runs to him and gives him a quick hug, they do their handshake, then he runs back to his parents, still excited.
Although he is smiling as he watches the family go, Tact's expression looks conflicted, with a tinge of melancholy. He heads back into the building.)
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
(Larry Tact sits on the apron of the ring.)
LARRY TACT: "When I was young, my parents never took me to wrestling events. They didn't embrace it, the way my brother and I did. We would sneak upstairs to watch wrestling, while dinner was made; find a way to get to the mall for an autograph signing; save up from our summer jobs to make the live events. It was completely worth it, the sneaking around and scrounging to save up."
"I remember telling my parents I had gone to wrestling school and was being booked at events. I thought they would tear me apart, and ban me from going back to school without some kind of constant surveillance. Instead, they actually warmed up to it. My determination, my passion... it seemed to win them over a little. And bit by bit, I made my way into the industry."
"Nowadays, it seems like wrestling isn't as polarizing, but it's still not mainstream, either. The subculture is more diverse, we have a lot of styles and personalities. In some ways, it makes finding your niche, and carving out your own career, that much more difficult. But if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way."
"I'm a veteran now. I've heard so many criticisms of the industry, and even of myself. Even though I've taken time to carve out not only a wrestling career, but some business ventures to keep me steady, there are still people close to me who shake their head at what I do. They disrespect what I love, what I have worked tirelessly at for my entire adult life, and even before then."
"But I deal with it, because there's no critcism that can weather away one simple truth... the only one you really need to have, in your heart, to keep going."
"I love being a wrestler."
(He reaches up and takes hold of the ropes with his hands.)
"Daunte's father was a mentor of mine. He had a hand in helping me build up, in myself, some of what it takes to survive in this industry. But in my opinion, Daunte is braver than all of us. See, he fights a battle everyday of his life, because Sickle Cell Anemia does not give you a rest. It's not something you can talk yourself up about, meet in the ring at a designated time, and beat. It's just there, every waking moment, and every second of rest. It's not something he can beat with a chair, or wear down systematically, because it exists inside of him. It systematically, mercilessly, wears him down."
"Today was a good day. It was a great day, for me, getting to hang out and give him a piece of the business. I don't know if you saw, but Daunte has the first t-shirt they made of me when I broke into the pro circuit. "Showtime" Larry Tact, that's what they started out billing me as. I was brash and ignorant, but I was good, too. I got by more on talent than skill; more on charisma than experience. And I learned. I learned as much as I could, and continue to this day. When you think you don't have anything more to learn, you need to reconsider what it is you're doing."
(He pulls himself up by the ropes, standing on the apron. The shot adjusts so we can still see him from the front, mostly.)
"And even with all I've learned, Daunte teaches
me something new every time I get to see him. He won't ever be able to be a wrestler, like his dad. He probably won't even be able to help put a ring together, on his own power. And still, he has as much passion for wrestling as a lot--
a lot-- of guys I see step through the ropes, and try to make a career in between these four corners."
"Daunte absorbs wrestling like a sponge. And he doesn't discriminate, either. He's gone through dozens upon dozens of puroresu videos I've given. Although he seems to be hooked on Japan, in general...
(chuckles) he's a big fan of Onitsuka Chihiro... relates to a lot of her music. He's one diverse kid, and would make a hell of a wrestler."
(He slaps a turnbuckle, resting his hand on it.)
"Which brings me to a place where diversity reigns... all different styles, all different people comning together to challenge each other for supremacy. ULTRATITLE."
"What does ULTRATITLE mean? Is it a stamp on someone's legacy... a testament to the lengths people will go to win... the end-all-be-all of titles?"
"My first round opponent is "Dead End" Derek Martin, and it seems like he's got plenty of history of his own with the type of people this industry seems to harvest without fail..."
"People who will stab you in the back if it means elevating themselves."
"People who won't cease to surprise you in how low they will stoop to get what they want."
"Promoters who will jet out the back door to save on payouts, then blame the wrestlers in the dirtsheets, so they can live to run another event."
"Derek, I've heard the stories, and I've colleceted some of my own to tell. I can see your points, but I don't agree that it has to be that way."
"You don't need to be cutthroat to get where you want to be. But you do need to keep your head. I've gone through that period of knowing, just knowing you were going to be screwed. Might as well screw the other person first, right? Only thing is, it isn't one way or the other in this industry."
"If you need something that's certain, and you can believe in... it's that your work doesn't go unnoticed by the people watching. Whether they like you or not is irrelevant, Derek. They see you, and if you work hard, regardless if you get screwed or not, they'll acknowledge it. They may not like you, but more often than not they'll have to respect your work."
(He steps through the ropes and leans his back against them.)
"And sometimes, after a lot of effort, and if you really are passionate about wrestling... when you step back into the ring again, some of those people will even start to like what you do. It can even catch on, to the point where they'll start cheering you. And eventually... you might win them all over."
(Raises his hand momentarily.)
"I can attest to that. Or, hell, check out Empire Pro Wrestling, and ask 'Triple X' Sean Stevens."
(He comes towards us and leans forward on the ropes, shrugging.)
"I don't expect you to change your opinions based on what I say. I'm not in the business of changing people's minds. I'm a wrestler, and I'll be there to give you a match to remember, even in this opening round. You can chalk that up in the 'Things You Can Believe In' column, too. Because I don't come to play; I'm here to win."
"Unlike a lot of the people in this tournament, though... I'm not here for myself, Derek. See, I'm not sure anyone can really say how far anyone can make it, when you're talking about this ULTRATITLE. 128 participants? It's simply a crap shoot to predict. And I'm not wasting my time and energy on figuring out where my chances lie."
"Instead, I'm here to represent. I've already established myself, cut out a place I can be. But as the EPW Television Champion, and the only EPW Champion in ULTRATITLE, I am going to represent the promotion. Not because I'm a shill, or because of anything to do with Dan Ryan. If he really wanted the publicity, he could do it on his time, and he knows that's what I'd tell him to his face."
"I choose to represent the Empire, though, because it's simply been the home for my wrestling to fluorish. It's been where I've been able to exercise my passion and my desire to compete. I'm not indulging myself at the expense of others. In fact, people actually do like me, and what I do in the ring, so I try my best for them."
"And before you start calling it cliché... the truth is, I don't think there's really enough of us who
really do do it for the passion, and the people, anymore. In this era, that's almost frowned upon by our peers, which is a little disappointing. Then again, I've never been one to just tow the line, and maintain the standard. I set standards."
"In this first round, Derek... I'm going to show you the vulnerabilities of inevitabilities. I'll show you just how fragile that line of thinking can be."
"When you see a kid with a disease that, at one time, had the 'inevitable' prognosis of a shortened lifespan... and now, that's anything but set in stone... it makes you open your mind to what's really in our control. The most passionate of fighters can break limits that others try to set on them."
"I've heard my doom in the ring stated to me before, Derek. And I've left a path of humbled foes in my wake."
"I've been extremely fortunate because my infection... is my love for wrestling."
"It's relentless and incurable."
FADE OUT.