Falling...
FADE IN: on a small room with beige walls, and poster-sized photos hanging one next to another. They feature such stars as Honus Wagner and Rickey Henderson; Bill Russell and Michael Jordan; Jim Brown and Art Monk; Bryan Trottier and Mark Messier. Sitting in front of the wall, on a chair, is Larry Tact. His EPW World Tag Team Championship lays across his lap, but he looks straight ahead, his back leaned against the chair.
LARRY TACT: "When you look at the legends of different sports, there are so many different stories. There are so many different paths taken, all reaching a common destination. Greatness. Achievement exceeding the average performance within that given sport... an athletic peak that only a small percentage are capable of obtaining."
"These men are a few of those who were able to reach that pinnacle of their sport. They are legends... Hall of Fame worthy. And they vary pretty far in the ways they got to that point. These guys didn't all just shoot to the top, necessarily, nor find the Promised Land of their sports in a year or two. They had to work at it, and make their legacies known."
"The Anthology is on their way, in our sport, to that Promised Land. We will make our legend known, both individually and as a dominant collective."
"But... I've been slipping."
He shakes his head.
"It's a slump, there's no way around it. Ever since my match with... Dan Ryan... it seems I've had some sort of drought. I've found myself making stupid mistakes... ridiculous decisions, ones I'm not accustomed to making. I've been second guessing myself, and it's only paid off in setbacks."
"And now Lindsay Troy has decided to take a cheap shot at Anthology, because we showed her how the tag team division wasn't up to snuff at Aggression. So what does she do, who does she bring in to face us in a 'warm-up' before our tag title defense?"
"That's right... Dan Ryan and his pet."
He scoffs.
"Big Dog, I don't know too much about you. Meaning, I haven't been in the ring with you before. I'm sure plenty of people can ring off the achievements you've claimed in A1E... the titles, the Pier Six Brawls, big time wins. Yeah, I can tell you've built up a reputation for yourself. That doesn't mean that I know much about you, though. I thought maybe that's a good thing. If I have someone who isn't as familiar, maybe it'll push me when I'm out there, thinking you won't just be the same old story, the same tired song."
"But then I realized, you're the champion of generic."
"A 'hard worker' who just wants to please the fans. Pathetic. I heard you stayed in A1E because you didn't think you needed to make a name for yourself somewhere else. That's just another way of saying you think A1E is the hottest s**t around, and your arrogance kept you locked in there. You never know until you try... and by not trying, you could live in your little bubble, and keep your misconceptions safe to yourself and your little buddies there. The people love you, your rep stays intact within that space, and you live happily ever after, as an A1E legend."
"So just get out. We don't need a guy who walked away from the sport, because he had 'done all he needed to.' We don't need one of you here. You're stepping into this place at a time AFTER you were already content to hang 'em up. Why bother? Because Dan Ryan and Lindsay Troy asked you to? A guy who tried to end the existence of the only promotion you thought was good enough to have you for years?! And a woman who is irrevocably tied to him? Come on, Big Dog...."
"That just goes to show what you bring to the table. You might have a reputation as a hard worker in the ring... but it seems like your convictions are as strong as melted butter. And your damn right I'm going to call you on going along with Troy's scheme, and teaming with Dan Ryan. Go ahead and say I don't know anything about your ties to them, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell what I just spelled out. It's common knowledge what went down, and why you shouldn't want to be anywhere but opposing Ryan."
"But one thing has changed your mind. Your arrogance. It's brought you here, thinking what you did in A1E makes you good enough to compete anywhere, on a whim. But you aren't going to have it your way, here, with your Dog Pound. You're going to pay for that arrogance, courtesy of Anthology."
He chuckles.
"I should have known it'd be like this, though. Forget the fact that Ryan shouldn't even BE here to compete... it's just flat-out ironic. That the person he's teaming with is the person who should be even MORE pissed at seeing Ryan in the ring again, than me. Because if I remember correctly, I watched Big Dog and Dan Ryan beat the hell out of each other, JUST LAST YEAR.... in order to see who would stay and who would GO. Dan Ryan or.... A1E."
"I guess a lot of people ended up wasting their $49.99 on that night, if they expected a conclusive 'finale' to that....."
"And yet, they're going to come in and show us what a 'real' dominant tag team is! Because they had a legendary run themselves, people will say."
"Sorry, I don't buy that so much."
"Because let's look at this... you two were able to coexist as a tag team. Great. You were both individually talented, and had the competency to suppress a tag division that, from what I hear, was on life support. At one point, didn't you not even MAKE a defense for over a month? And Lindsay Troy is getting on OUR cases?"
"Yeah, favoritism much.... but Anthology is already getting a raw deal, so it's not surprising. Nothing surprises me much, these days."
He shrugs.
"Maybe that's what I've been lacking, recently. A feeling like I'm actually being threatened. I just don't feel it anymore. Because all I hear from everyone these days is bulls**t. Constant, unending streams of it on these airwaves, from opposition who serve as prime examples of what Anthology is fighting. Whether it's Shawn Hart, Fusenshoff, or Dan Ryan and Big Dog... you just want to be the end-all be-all of greatness. But it doesn't work that way."
"Everyone has had bumps in the road, and you aren't any different. None of you are. Anthology has rode relatively smoothly to this point, and just because there's two guys who both were supposed to have walked away coming back to reclaim a little spotlight... it doesn't change the fact that you're facing a team who've been more than handling their business, these past few months, when paired up."
He nods.
"But unlike all the Shawn Harts, and Fusenshoffs, I'm not afriad to admit that, Individually, I haven't been carrying my weight. I may not feel threatened by an opponent... but it's costing me. I've somehow run into those moments where I make a mistake, maybe because I feel like it's all under control... and that's what's been killing me. Even the legends have to check themselves, from time to time, and make sure they don't fall into a hole."
"For me, I'm teetering on the edge. And this show will be my time to keep from falling in."
He holds up the tag belt.
"If nothing else... Wells and I will walk out with our straps in tow. And I'll find my way back from there. Because when I look inside myself, I know I've got more to lose than Dan Ryan and Big Dog. Hell, I know I may have the most to lose in Anthology, as things stand. But it doesn't scare me... doesn't bother me."
"Anyone who knows how I am will know... it FUELS me. And that's never going to change."
"Let Dan Ryan and Big Dog try... it won't change the fact that I've GOT to walk into the ring with Wells, against Jungle Storm... with our belts... and I've GOT to walk out with them. Dan Ryan, Big Dog... you two can't soften my resolve. And for all you want to throw at us, you won't change the fact that Anthology will live on, and myself, Jared, AND the EPW World Tag Championship will be apart of it."
"You can only try to share some of that spotlight with us, and then.... mull over the fact that nobody will think twice about you, here, after our match... while the Anthology continues on its way to solidifying its place, which EVERYONE has, and will cotinue to, take notice of."
"So, enjoy your fifteen minutes."
"Anthology will enjoy showing the world what a JOKE this whole scheme of Troy's is, the second the ref's hand hits the mat a third time.... and Anthology moves on, as World Tag Champions."
He holds up the belt, and smiles.
FADE OUT.