"I’ve been slacking, I know."
[A slight pause.]
"That doesn’t matter to me right now. I'm not worried, because I know I can do better than I have so far. I’ll just start over from the bottom, and I'll just work my way up until I find my place in the MCW Pecking Order."
[Yet another, brief pause.]
"What? I can't believe you would say something like that to me. I've been busting my chops trying to make it to a credible organization where I can make a real name for myself against legitimate talent, and you're telling me to be careful? You've heard about certain people not playing by the rules? Like somehow this is a threat now, but has never been a threat anywhere else I've wrestled?"
[This pause is slightly longer than the first two.]
"This may be my only chance to get the recognition I once had, and I don't plan on ****ing it up."
CLICK.
Up.
[We fade in to the premises. In our direct line of sight, we immediately take in the several, individual pieces of furniture, fixtures, and the structure itself to allow our minds to put it together, and make something of it all. Well, we are in a living room. Starting to the left, there is a wonderful, plush, maroon sofa. Its rounded attributes make it quite attractive to our eyes. And our mind knows that it would be quite pleasing to our bodies. However, this is a sofa, not a woman. Let's not get carried away.]
[This sofa is part of a set. This set includes the usual loveseat and couch that seats one person. There is some term for this shrine of comfort, I'm sure. But at this moment, there are more important objects to observe... and more important notions to discuss.]
[The walls in their traditional off-white color are not without decor. For example, the wooden beauty of a classic 19th century clock brings life to the room, with a pinch of personality. A marvelously replicated painting of Giovanni Arnolfini and Wife is placed strategically, and ironically, above the loveseat in the room. There is also a mantle with several plaques, as well as pictures. These sort of objects we notice. We notice that they are there, but pay no attention to their detail. Unless of course, we are in search of something. At this point, we are in search of nothing. We just "are".]
[The word "focus" is traditionally associated with "the center". The focus, then, of this room is a small coffee table. Scattered upon it are several sources of reading material. Car magazines, architectural design magazines, TIME, and other assorted mainstream publications. There is also a tall candle, burning slowly. "Slowly", is the best way to describe it. To speak metaphorically about a burning candle is so cliche.]
[At this point, the pleasant harmony of the room is slightly disrupted. A man enters from the far entrance. He is roughly six foot, six inches. He has an athletic build. Nothing special, physically speaking, that would single him out from a group of thirty year olds grunting at the gym. His black hair is nicely maintained in a crew cut. His sideburns are not extra long. That seems to be the trend nowadays. He is more traditional in the design of his hair. And you will learn that it isn't the only traditional facet of this man physically, or in any other sense.]
[His eyes are blue. Baby blue would be an accurate way to describe them. But "baby blue" just isn't intimidating enough. We'll stick with "blue". He has a nice tan contrasted with the neatly trimmed goatee that surrounds the perimeter of his mouth and jaw. He is trendy in some ways, you know.]
[His attire would suggest to us that he is at home. He is dressed in black jogging pants and a white tank top. His jogging pants hug him at the hips, and fall down his legs stopping at his ankles. His feet are covered in white socks that contrast, yet coincide nicely with the thick, black, carpet beneath his feet.]
[He pays us no attention, and takes a sip of the coffee, which emanates steam from the mug in his right hand. He takes a seat on that yet-to-be-named couch that seats one person. He holds the mug in place on the arm rest and looks at the ceiling. The strong rays of light permeate the setting fluidly and consistently throughout. They emerge from the golden chandelier which hangs beautifully above the center of the room.]
[For those that have not recognized the man, his name is Joseph Justice. Some just call him ‘The Judge’. A few months ago he signed a contract with MCW, and though he has been scheduled in quite a few matches… he has hardly had the chance to make himself stand out amongst his peers. He’s hoping to change all of that.]
"They say that the more one is exposed to something, the more tolerant he becomes to it. I've been living here all my life."
[He speaks with a calmness that is so powerful, that it calms anyone who is listening.]
"Not even a mile away from the strip. Never needed to book a flight when I had extra money to spend. For some reason, I found myself in that situation quite often."
"But I digress."
"Casinos at my disposal. What others consider the finest dining, I consider the norm. What others consider a night on the town, I consider just another day on the job. The rush that Las Vegas gives to all the tourists has about as much impact on me as a glass of Mike's Hard Lemonade has on an alcoholic. After a while, it gets quite boring, really."
[The finer things in life are often associated with Las Vegas. Women, fine dining, and all the makings for a rendezvous. It's all these "finer things", that The Judge is referring to.]
"So what happens, usually, when one gets bored? Well, I can only speak for myself. But what I usually do is try and capture that rush. I try and recapture "it". That thing that keeps people coming back… The essence of Sin City. And, the longer I'm here, the more challenging this task becomes."
[He has a point, I assure you.]
"And this process is not unique to Las Vegas, or any other tourist attraction for that matter. It actually applies to most things in life. You try and reach that peak of your ability. And when you get there, the challenge is to go higher. It's a constant fight. And being a wrestler, through observation, I anticipate that progressing through the ranks in MCW is going to be much harder than anything I've ever done. I've competed against wrestlers better than me before, and no doubt that I will face wrestlers better than me again. I didn't dominate every region that I have ever competed in. I made my mark, large or small, took what I learned, and left for greener pastures. And now I have come here. This is a place that has no problem giving underappreciated talent an opportunity to succeed. I've come here to do just that, and I plan on making myself comfortable in the process."
[He lifts his feet, props them up on the coffee table, and takes a sip of his caffeinated beverage.]
"So just like any other wrestler that hasn’t proven much, prior experience or not, I started at the bottom. Fortunately for me, the bottom at that particular junction put me in contention for the number one contention to the North American Title. Not a bad place to start. Of course, my high expectations in myself caused me to lose sight of getting my feet firmly planted, and it made me blind to the truth... That I wasn’t in the same condition I was in before. I had become sloppy, and had become complacent with my style. These last few weeks have given me that time I needed to step back and reassess my strategy."
[A modest man, this Judge.]
"Returning to my original point, though, I'm not content with just being a wrestler. I've wrestled for years now, and I can do it in my sleep. And just like I have to search for the rush in Las Vegas, I have to fight for the next rung on the proverbial ladder. I don't mind."
[He shakes his head and gives us a look as if to say, "That's life."]
"As a matter of fact, it's these fights that I live for… although the paycheck is nice too."
"But that's beside the point. I've lived a life before wrestling. I've lived a life before MCW. But it’s time to get back into the game."
[He sits up, sets his coffee on the table, and turns his attention to us for the first time.]
"Which brings me to my opponents, Nikita and Rob. The practical joker and the dark phenom… Yeah, like we’ve never seen that before. Anyway, while I’d like to just jump right in on the trash talk being spewed around, it seems as if Nikita’s manager would rather just spend her time with her legs up in the air. A woman who knows what she wants, but when that person has no real business opening her mouth… maybe she just needs to keep it shut."
[He smiles briefly.]
“Nikita may not have the time to address her opponents, and considering how hard she’s training for this match, I don’t blame her. I’m sure she needs it. The thing is, don’t talk like a slut, then get upset that you were called one, Delilah. It’s stupid and childish, and quite frankly… Much like Rob Franklin’s FTO title.”
“Worthless.”
[Cut.]
