UNIFIED FINAL FOUR: Dan Ryan vs. Troy Windham vs. Vince Jacobs vs. Vacant

[GreggG]

The Time Has Come

(CUE UP: "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil.

LYRICS: Out where the river broke
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees

CUT TO: A faded shot of a young Troy Windham in 1995 -- babyfaced, wearing a T-Shirt and jeans, standing in front of a a cherry red Sports Car, drinking a Slurpee as two 17-year-old Hot Topic girls w/ belly-button rings sit in the back seat.

LYRICS: The time has come
To say fair’s fair

CUT TO: Troy Windham, in 1996, slapping "Showtime" Shawn Mattews right across the face.

LYRICS: To pay the rent
To pay our share

CUT TO: Troy Windham, standing over a bloodied Mark Windham, stomping him.

LYRICS: The time has come
A fact’s a fact

CUT TO: Troy Windham, holding the CSWA World Title in 1998. CUT TO: Troy Windham, bloodied, fist-fighting with Eli Flair. CUT TO: Troy Windham, holding up the CSWA World Tag Team Titles w/ JJ DeVille.

LYRICS: It belongs to them
Let’s give it back

CUT TO: Troy Windham doing a sychronized Fargo Strut with Eddy Love. CUT TO: Troy Windham, with The Entourage outside a nightclub.

LYRICS: How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep when our beds are burning

CUT TO: The banner which reads CSWA17 -- CORONATION OF A KING. The camera pans down to Troy Windham, hair artfully tossed, wearing a suit jacket over a white dress shirt.)

TROY WINDHAM: God, that song brings me back. The first time I heard it, I must've been 12 or 13. We just got cable television. MTV. And I remember hearing that song... or hearing U2 or hearing Bruce Springsteen... and I knew then that there were no limits. I didn't just have to some dumb troublemaker on a dusty ranch in Sweetwater, Texas. I knew there was more to life then what was in the barren planes of West Texas. And I knew that one day... one day I was going to be on the TV set and kids at home, nationwide, were going to know MY name.

(Troy smirks.)

TROY: Just didn't know how it was going to happen. I didn't expect to become a wrestler -- to do the same thing my older brother, always the hero, did. But I did. And then I figured out a way to take the sport he helped create... a sport he dominated... and make it my own. I saw a way to do this MY way, on MY terms.

(The camera slowly zooms in on Troy.)

TROY: You see, let's not beat around the bush. This promotion, the CSWA, is the ONLY thing that matters in this sport. It doesn't matter WHAT you do anywhere else. If you don't do it here, then it doesn't count. And winning the top belt in the CSWA... that MEANS that you are, without a doubt, the best wrestler in the world.

(The camera stops on Troy's face.)

TROY: I ask you, the viewers at home, to look at me and then look at my opponents. Do you think any of them can rightfully claim to be the best wrestler on this planet Earth? You have one guy in a mask, another guy who does a 4th-rate impersonation of yours truly and a muscle-bound stiff who feels the need to talk with the lowlives we have to compete with. Troy Windham? Heh -- if you look closely, I'm not addressing my opponents by name. Y'see, this match isn't ABOUT them. Because they aren't the best, they never have been the best and none of them will ever BE the best.

(Troy shakes his head.)

TROY: Me? I *AM* the best. That's why I'm not going to lower myself and even bother to dignify my opponents by their names. Because frankly, I don't care and none of the fans at home care. Like I've said before, I've done more these past 90 days then what any of these piddling idiots have done their entire careers combined. And in my career? I've done more than anyone else in this industry. I don't need 1,000 words to brag about myself -- all I need is 100. I don't need a spooky mask to hide behind. I don't need to do anything but come out here and speak The Gospel as I have always done. And the latest proverb for you all to learn is this.

(Troy smiles.)

TROY: CSWA 17 is about me CEMENTING MY LEGACY as the greatest of all time. Taking the title I PUT ON THE MAP, placing it once again around my slender waist and then SHOWING THE WORLD that no one... and I repeat no one... was better, is better or EVER WILL BE BETTER than yours truly. CSWA 17 isn't about crowning a new champion -- it's about the CORONATION OF A KING. Long Live The King. He will never die.

Because The Time Has Come.

(FTB)

 

[DBrunkGXW]

"Out of the mouths of babes...."

Fade in - Dan Ryan alone in front of a large high quality CSWA 17 backdrop, looking straight ahead - focused on the camera.

Ryan: "Out of the mouths of babes, comes bull***t."

"I was told by someone not long ago, that if I wanted to win the UNIFIED World Title I should ignore my opponents - become obsessed with the belt itself. Embrace the inner struggle to show oneself worthy to be called the best in the business."

"This man, you see had held the title once before himself many years ago. It was his singular obsession with the belt, his...pure motive of winning the biggest prize in the game that focused his pursuit to the point of victory."

"If he was me, he'd do the same now."

"Apparently, his advice gets around."

"I told this person that it just wasn't me to be obsessed over a thing, to discard myself for an object, to..... glorify myself over my ideals in order to put forth the apparition of angst, of darkness, or even of casual reverie."

"Troy Windham was inspired into wrestling over an Australian protest song about the treatment of Aborigines."

"Interesting drive."

"But I don't really think anyone buys it anyway."

"Troy Windham, the boy who would be king and his inspirational highlights are a bit like Ryan Leaf singing the lead in a Chorus Line because of his golden boy youth and how tingly he felt inside when he stepped on campus in Spokane and just knew it would lead to a whole new world."

"But of course...then came the professional ranks - and reality."

"You're full of s**t, Troy. And did I break the secret future UNIFIED Champion's code by addressing you directly? I tend to think of myself as my own man, a man against the mold so to speak. Do tell me how I'm doing."

"You're full of s**t because you've managed to throw together the sort of track record in the ring that would hardly impress even the biggest marks in the sport. An AAWC TV Title here....a CSWA World Title seven years ago."

"And ever since, you've peed on a guy and maced some audience members on GXW television."

"You're too old to get by on smoke and mirrors anymore, and when you get right down to brass tacks Troy, you've won exactly as many World Titles in CSWA - the only place that matters - as I have and I did it a lot more recently than you did. I think your brother may have been involved. I know I beat him at least twice, maybe more."

"You've done more in the last ninety days, but no one knows what any of it is unless you bring it up yourself."

"And allll of a sudden.....Troy Windham has wrestling as his own. Troy Windham has found himself, run up to professional wrestling and given it a manly hug, wrapping himself up inside of it like a pig in a blanket and become one with the universe."

"Do you really expect anyone who knows you to fall for that line of bull?"

"Is there a chance in hell, really that anyone will listen to you talk and think to themselves - well damn, he really is wrestling around here. He really is all that personifies what's great about this sport. Do I really have a chance in this match? Can I really compete against a man with so much history....."

"AND SO LITTLE TO SHOW FOR IT?"

"The answer of course is no, Troy."

"No one will think that, and yes I know I can not only compete with you but I can also confidently say that I can defeat you cleanly in any match on any continent in any arena in the world. I can say it because I'm not spending my time rewriting who I am and what drove me to the business."

"I was attracted to this business because I'm big, athletic and I just happen to be pretty damned good in a fight."

"I didn't get drawn to the sport to make it my own, to fight the oppression of the Aussie natives or see how many times I could pour bodily fluids on people without actually winning anything in the process."

"You say this belt represents being the best wrestler in the world, and you're suddenly licking the ass of this company to make it look like you give a damn. It's all pretty poetic of you, Troy. It really is."

"What does it mean to you really?"

"To me it means clearing my name. To me it means wiping the slate clean and showing what happens when Dan Ryan is slighted without cause."

"To me it means not only being the best wrestler in the world, but making sure everyone else knows it too."

"A symbol is a powerful thing, Troy."

"You can reminisce about good times all you want. Vince Jacobs can listen, learn and then go towel himself off. Vacant can continue to try and adjust the tracking on his video-cam."

"Do whatever you want."

"You, along with the rest of this group - are just another block in the road."

"You're one more step to be taken, one more hurdle to jump, one more rock to be crushed underneath my boot."

"You're not the first, and you won't be the last."

"I'm not running for office, so my methods may not be popular."

"But I can and will beat the hell out of you for as long as it takes to pin your shoulders to the mat for three seconds."

"Whether it's Vinnie....whether it's 'Vacant'...or whether it's you, Troy."

"This is my destiny, not yours. You wasted your potential a long time ago."

FADE OUT...

 

[GreggG]

Ego Busted

(CUT TO: August De La Rossi, sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a bandana and a T-Shirt reading "YOU THOUGHT WRONG." Behind him is the CSWA17 CORONATION OF A KING banner.)

AUGUST: Dan Ryan. (August smirks.) Let me be the first to say it is an honor. It isn't every day someone like me gets to talk to a man of your reputation. (August laughs snidely.) And what is that reputation? A reputation of being an overrated, ignorant, partially-retarded slug. You see, Ryan... apparently the ability to see through literary sub-text did not make it through that thick skull of yours when you were busy being "educated" in the Double Dragon Rattan Cane Steven Segal Institute overseas. Troy Windham fights for one cause -- the chance to cement himself as the greatest of all time.

(August points to himself.)

AUGUST: But fighting for the rights of indigenous, exploited peoples around the globe? That's where I come in. In fact, Ryan, since you are so concerned about the plight of the aborigines, how about I send you a .wmv file of the seminar I gave about the topic of Aboriginal Drinking Water at the last Oxfam seminar held the weekend of Live 8? All you have to do is contact one of my mentor Troy Windham's many agents, we can set it up.

(August sneers again.)

AUGUST: And don't pretend that you DON'T have Troy Windham's agents phone number on your rolodex, Ryan. The little league you're bankrolling, the league I'm a member of, even though those checks with your name on them keep on bouncing... well, you'd do ANYTHING to have Troy Windham on the roster. Hey, James -- (August snaps his fingers like he's training a dog.) PLAY THE TAPE I HAD YOU CUE! DO IT NOW! PLAY IT, YOU IDIOT--

(CUT TO: A shot of the ring at EPW's Russian Roulette. In the ring are Dis and Beast.)

Mike Neely: Any guesses on who this Dis guy is?

Dave Thoas: I’ve heard varying rumors. Some have speculated that perhaps someone like Shane Southern could be underneath the mask, although this young man looks a lot like Troy Windham to me – and with his entourage showing up tonight it seems like the perfect fit.

(CUT: Back to a stern looking Troy Windham.)

AUGUST: You see, Ryan -- you spread the rumors and promoted the rumors that Troy Windham was going to appear in your league. Your own commentators even had it on their talking points, Ryan. YOU USED MY BOSS' GOOD NAME TO SELL PAY-PER-VIEWS, Dan Ryan. And yet you stand out here and DARE acuse him -- the greatest wrestler of all time -- of his "not living up to his potential."

(August shakes his head.)

AUGUST: Let's check the record book, Ryan. Troy Windham, his first CSWA World Title came by defeating GUNS, then the biggest threat the CSWA had ever faced. A man no one -- not Hornet, not Mark Windham -- could get the best of. Troy Windham's title reign was then used to finance the launch of FWrestling.com, creating the greatest home of professional wrestling found anywhere in the universe. Dan Ryan -- his first ever CSWA World Title victory came after a middling, boring match against Mark Windham. It resulted in cascading ratings, depleted attendence and, eventually, the stripping of his title and its reward to a better, more rightful candidate.

(August holds his fingers in the air.)

AUGUST: Windham 1, Ryan 0. Now let's also look at your entrance into the CSWA, Ryan. How did you arrive? As part of Invasion Angle 45,032 -- a failed invasion, since, right now, the CSWA is again here and again flourishing. Even though you almost killed it as World Champion. Troy Windham, himself, ran an invasion angle. In a promotion called GWE. Perhaps you've heard of it, Ryan. Because you can't see it anymore, Ryan. And why do you think that is? I think we all know the reason, Ryan -- BECAUSE TROY WINDHAM PUT IT OUT OF BUSINESS. He attacked its fans, he attacked its wrestlers and NO ONE IN THAT PROMOTION COULD DO A THING ABOUT IT... except shut down its doors for good. TROY WINDHAM CLOSED A PROMOTION IN HIS INVASION, RYAN... all you did was become a glorified Greensboro Champion.

(August now holds two fingers in the air.)

AUGUST: Windham 2, Ryan 0. Ryan, no doubt you'll want to brag about about beating Mark Windham. Well, Ryan -- my boss hasn't just beaten Mark Windham in the ring... HE'S BEATEN HIM IN LIFE. Another one for Big Daddy T!

(August now holds three fingers in the air.)

AUGUST: Windham 3, Ryan 0. Now, Ryan, let's talk about ANOTHER league you and Troy both participate in -- the NFW. Your career in the NFW? A fourth or fifth placed finish, behind Michael Manson, of all the wrestlers in the world. Struggling, to this day, to get a win -- barely beating Michael Manson, at best a curtain jerker here in the CSWA. Troy Windham in the NFW? A hellacious beating of Craig Miles. The final burial of Tom Adler. The denouncing of his country and the starting of his New Patriotism. The physical destruction of Eddie Mayfield. And the urniation on Donovan Winters' face. Ryan, in short, you've done NOTHING in the NFW while Troy Windham has set that promotion on its ear and MADE IT HIS OWN.

(August now hold four fingers in the air.)

AUGUST: Windham 4, Ryan 0. And now, Ryan, let's talk about career legacy. Your career legacy? A CSWA World Title reign which devalued the importance of the title like an International Monetary Fund loan. A few "impressive" victories in leagues which sound like rash medication. The ownership of a league teetering on financial bankruptcy which is so desparate they would promote a man they have not yet signed to sell their pay-per-views. My mentor's legacy? Sold out arenas. Record PPV revenues. Cable Ace Awards. UPN sit-coms. The biggest contract in professional wrestling history. Ryan, it again is a loss for you.

(August now holds up five fingers.)

AUGUST: Windham 5, Ryan 0. And Ryan, with a score like that, I will now enact the "mercy rule" which you, the slow kid in an AmeriKKKan Public School, are no doubt familiar with.

Another brick on the road, Ryan?

No. Troy Windham, to you, to EVERYONE in this sport... is The Epitome.

And at Ann 17, Ryan, I will stand by and watch, proudly, as you see your foe victorious, as we all watch the Coronation of a King. (FTB)

 

[DBrunkGXW]

FADE IN...

Dan Ryan, video-cam remote clicker in one hand sitting behind a wooden desk in a high-backed leather chair.

Ryan: "Cute."

"So August De La Rossi is now teaching me on the fine points of literary subtext."

"Allow me to direct you to a few very very simple points."

"You August, are not worth the s**t stain in Troy's boxers. As for your employment in Empire Pro, I imagine I can easily rectify that situation don't you?"

"I'll be sure to speak with you when you show up in Indy, if indeed you show up at all. You tend to reflect your boss' work habits; a chip off the old block so to speak."

"Secondly, I'm fully aware of Troy's desire to be around Empire Pro."

"You're also fully aware that nothing is said on any of my shows' programming without an agreement of some sort signed and in my hands. There's something about a flunky like you verbally limping your way through promo after promo in my company and then coming on here and acting like you don't have some grand plan to unleash Troy upon the masses and save the company from bankruptcy. I expect it. That's also why I acquired the rights to use his name on my show if the need arises. I'm a businessman. The only question is what form of ill-conceived plan I'll have to endure to see it come to pass. Posing as the popcorn vendor perhaps. I know it's been done, but he blends in with hired help so well. I imagine he won't use the mace again."

"Still, I guess you think I'm stupid. That's fine. You're not smart or important enough to draw me into revealing my hand, August."

"Frankly, if with you and Zoltan moving forth to clear the way for Troy's mighty appearance....my announcers didn't make the connection...they wouldn't be worth that t-shirt you're wearing."

"I also know that you're fully aware that I could buy and sell you in pieces five times and never break a sweat."

"If you would like to rewrite history, try rewriting some that I wasn't around for."

"Troy was a blip on the radar of one show in Global. Troy Windham taking credit for Global closing it's doors is like you out here talking like you mean even a shred of one single thing in this industry."

"All of the people he 'embarrassed' in NFW? Yeah, I beat those guys too chief. Tom Adler? Did that. Craig Miles? Been there. And it's funny but...didn't I see Troy with a stake in that company somewhere? Maybe that was just an internet rumor, though it is interesting how he singlehandedly manhandles top names in the business in that fed only"

"But then, I've said too much already. I wouldn't want Vinnie-boy getting Kay and Fabe after me again."

"So who else you got, August? GUNS? Yeah, been there too."

"Troy's legacy? Show me the Cable Ace awards, August. Show em to me. Bring em on TV. Better yet, direct us all to the Cable Ace Awards show website where surprisingly enough and despite what you and Troy would say, there seems to be no record of Mr. Windham's accomplishments anywhere."

"Oh look, there's my surprised face."

"The sold out arenas. Which arenas were those again? The Windham living room doesn't count and you don't get bonus points for selling out barns and farm stables."

"All of those PPV buyrates. I'm sure I'd love to see the numbers on those, August."

"I know this much. I was involved in the match of the year as recently as 2003 and was the top heel in the sport as recently as...last year."

"I don't have a Cable Ace Award though. Damn."

"Your boss, August is a fraud and a joke. And you are nothing more than a lowly secretary working for said fraud and joke and burning enough bridges to ensure that once Troy bores of the wrestling business once again, you'll spend the majority of your time on the docks of East Manhattan wrapping fish and talking Yankees baseball with a guy named Hank."

"Your selective memory places you in the sort of select company that I would expect in regards to someone associated with Troy Windham, and I'll waste no more time on you."

"Tell Troy for me....the tough guy with the legacy to protect act isn't working. The cowardly heel suits him better."

"And do keep an eye out in Empire Pro, August. You never know who's watching."

FADE OUT...

 

[ErikKelly]

Black screen.

Gold line cutting through it, ready to jump.

This is Vacant, one more time.

VACANT:

How could it all be so simple?

Ocham's Razor-- the most likely explanation is the simplest one.

So Vince wants to destroy Daniel, and Daniel wants to destroy Troy, and Troy wants to circle the parking lots of junior high schools across America with a cholorform-soaked rag in one hand and the other one turning up the ice cream truck music.

Simple.

That's what all 3 of them are.

Simple.

For it seems to me this coronation is not the Terrific Three--but a Final Four. And yet everyone seems to have forgotten about me.

This works fine for my purposes. I'm just--heh heh--a stupid jobber in a mask whose reach outpaces his grasp to the three of you. This surely isn't part of a master plan. You're all simple but not idiots. A reveal of my face and you'd look up my tapes in preparation for what's to come.

But under this mask, still unseen on CSWA Television--well, I'm like Chris Masters except I can cut a promo and wrestle to you. Perfect.

Perfectly simple.

I have done planning for months to levels you couldn't comprehend if you got all three of your brains together for the culmination of this. I have hidden myself in a mask and changed my style to get you to think of me as worthless. And I'm sitting back watching the three of you continually snipe at each other, wasting space and air time.

It makes me smile, that's all. Hoisted by your own petards and playing violin while the CSWA burns at my hands.

It's a matter of days.

Maybe even hours.

And when it's over, the shadow in the background will eclipse all else and turn the words I've been saying into the truth. All of you will have been in the position to stop me. None of you will have the brains to.

It's really just...

...that...

simple.

Line ends.

Static.

howcanthisbearebirthofsomethingdying

And fade to black?

 

[GreggG]

(CUT TO: August De La Rossi, in his wheelchair, before a CSWA17 CORONATION OF A KING banner.)

AUGUST: First, let me address the man called Vacant. Vacant, it isn't Chris Masterlock we comare you to. It's ShockMaster. If you want, I can forward you some information about the new edition of WrestleCrap -- I'm sure they have a two-page spread lined up for you. Now be a good little doggie like the other peon, Jacobs, who realized when he publicly humiliated himself and stay silent.

(August clears his throat.)

AUGUST: Dan Ryan, I know you're paying attention to me. Unfortunately, I stopped paying attention to you after about 15 seconds of your latest imcomprehensible promo. Why they let a man with such a glaring, uncorrectable speech impediment speak in public is beyond me. But that's fine, Dan -- I know not everyone is as smart or as well-read as me.

Dan, you can pretend all you want. I know you'll publicly doubt Troy Windham's media empire, but I also know that you'd do anything for me to show the world your Netflix queue. Dan, deep down inside, you know what I am about to say as truth. You don't rank anywhere NEAR where Troy Windham ranks. That's why you are stuck in endless debates with the knuckle-draggers. Y'see -- I know I'm a rookie. And my boss, he pays me money to wade through the muckey muck of this sport for him. Even though I don't believe in a society with classes, I do know my place. And my place -- my honor -- is working for Troy Windham.

That is what separates man from boy, Ryan. You're ONE OF THEM. And Troy? He's NOT ONE OF YOU. You debate the vagrancies of locker room polity. Troy Windham DEFINES HIS LEGACY and DEFINES THIS SPORT. And tonight, Dan Ryan, Vacant, SVJ... THE ENTIRE WORLD... I, on behalf of the Entourage, encourage you to tune into CSTV so you can watch Troy Windham do just that... one last time before Anniversary... as he shows this entire industry why he is the greatest of all time. (FTB)

 

[Starstruck]

Vince Jacobs sits on a nice Italian leather sofa in his study flipping through some of the promos that CSWA sent him over the past few days from his three opponents at Anniversary. He pushes the mute button on the remote.

“It’s better to have this crap on mute.”

“You know a fella can’t take a break for a while to rest his vocal cords after verbally *****-slapping three peons. I keep getting drawn back into these verbal wars. Especially seeing the latest rants and ravings by Troy Windham and his metro-sexual manager. Guys… guys… guys.. you know you two spout more sh*t than Dan Ryan after one of his special shakes. It amazes me that the same person that decided that he didn’t need to come out and banter with the likes of Ryan, Vacant, and myself seeks to try to get the last words in before Anniversary.”

Vince shakes his head. “Such a hypocrite.”

“You try to throw smoke screens to everyone regaling your past accomplishments and your torrid ninety day endeavors. You know what Troy I honestly thought when entering this tournament that you would be the person I would go to the finals against. But as I sit here and listen to you and August it surprises me that you are even employed with this company. I thought that this company was about the best in the world from what I hear around the locker room all the time. This was the supposed big time; you make it here than you are the cream of the crop.”

“But you know what I found out. This promotion is just like everywhere that I have been in the past. They have their so-called great wrestlers but none of them are even worthy enough to shine my wrestling boots. That’s where you fit Troy. Riding my coattails like so many have done in the past. You actually have the nerve to call me a fourth-rate impersonation of you. Now… now Troy I think it may be the other way around. I know you may be real proud of your ninety day accomplishments, but what have you really done that’s noteworthy.”

“I have been doing things my entire career. I have been stealing more shows than you have in your past ninety days. I am the only man that can actually make the three of you look credible in the ring. And that’s what I will do on my way to capturing the Unified Championship.”

Jacobs stands up and grabs a drink from the mini-bar and sits back down on the sofa.

“You keep speaking the gospel from the book of Troy and maybe one day you will get somebody to actually believe that sh*t you’re selling. Because I don’t buy it, I know Ryan doesn’t buy and I am sure Vacant doesn’t buy it if he’s still in the shadows somewhere.”

“You want to cement your legacy in the CSWA but I would like to ask you a question Troy. What legacy? It’s funny but I recall Dan Ryan saying something about you not even being the greatest Windham of all time. I had to think about that remark because I’ve heard of your brother Mark but until I came here to the CSWA, I had never heard anything about you. But it’s cool because after Anniversary 17 no one will ever see a Coronation of a King or even want to call you a Windham ever again.”

Jacobs smiled.

“Dan Ryan are you pumped and ready for a possible meeting at Anniversary 17. I know you are chomping at the bit to get your hands around my throat or maybe now Troy Windham’s throat. In a few days you will finally get your chance to shut me up and make me realize what the CSWA is really about. I don’t think you will be able to do it but I am up for some sort of challenge in this company.”

“Ryan I am done talking about what I intend to do to you and the other stooges. I am going to walk into that ring at Anniversary 17 a so-called rookie to the CSWA but I am going to walk out as the new Unified Champion.”

Jacobs took a sip of his drink as he fast forwarded the tape to the last member of this little tournament, Vacant.

“Vacant no one forgot about you. You think you can sit in the shadows in your stalker mode and peep your head in and out every once and awhile to see what is going on. You keep harping on your spiel about winning the title and ending the CSWA because it will never happen. You don’t want it bad enough.”

“Guys I am through with the talking, its time for action. At Anniversary 17 I plan to do a whole lot of action as I walk out the new Unified Heavyweight Champion.”

The camera fades out.

 

[GreggG]

Troy Windham. Icon. Hero. Legend.

(CUE UP: The triumphant horns of "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland.)

(CUT TO: A black and white photograph of Troy Windham as a toddler, sliding down a sliding board. CUT TO: A black and white photograph of Troy Windham at his high school graduation, cap on sideways as he makes the "Ozzy" hand gesture. CUT TO: Troy Windham, wearing a U Texas orange varsity jacket.)

(CUE UP: The beating drums after the initial horn interlude in Copland's piece.)

(CUT TO: In time with the beating bass timpani comes a shot of Troy in his first CSWA match, followed by a shot of Troy Windham walking down the aisle as fireworks are frozen in eternity behind him.)

(CUE UP: The voice-over narration over the last picture of Troy Windham. The voice is recognizable -- it's historian David McCullough, known for his voice work in the Ken Burns' documentaries "Civil War," "Baseball" and from the film "Seabiscuit.")

V/O: Troy Windham. The name has come to mean a lot of things. To most people, the name has come to define an entire industry. An entire sport. Professional wrestling.

(CUE UP: The second part of Fanfare. CUT TO: A black and white photograph of Troy Windham, wearing trunks with fringe, with a model/actress pouring a bottle of champagne on his bare chest. CUT TO: A black and white photograph of the words CSWA w/ TROY WINDHAM TONGIHT SOLD OUT at the Norfolk Scope.)

V/O: Tonight, we celebrate not just the man Troy Windham. But tonight we celebrate who Troy Windham is. An icon. (CUT TO: A b/w photo of Troy's headshot.) A hero. (CUT TO: A b/w photo of a bronze statue of Troy Windham in a public park.) A legend. (CUT TO: A b/w photo of Troy Windham, standing in the ring as the front row fans all stand in ovation.)

(CUE UP: The end of Fanfare. The screen goes blank. CUT TO: Troy Windham, sipping a glass of champagne in a hotel lobby, then smashing the glass on the floor.) Then, all of a sudden, the number "10" in modern MTV X-Treme lettering bursts on the screen, with three different female voices saying TEN -ten- TEN.)

(CUT TO: CSWA footage of Troy Windham taking his longtime Gen X-Press tag partner "Showtime" Shawn Matthews and stuffing him head first in a garbage can, then rolling it down the arena steps.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: I told everyone in the world that I was going to become this sports GREATEST superstar. Did the world listen? No, they didn't. So you know what I did? (Troy smirks.) I MADE THEM.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, in his Strokes T-Shirt and khakis, walking off the front of his Lear Jet, hands out as two model/actresses stand behind him waving. Then the female voices say nine-NINE-nine.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, coming out of the crowd in the UWA, SlackKnifing "Cocky" Craig Miles in the ring. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham, coming out of the crowd, SlackKnifing Javid Dones. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham, coming out of the crowd, SlackKnifing Winston Steele. CUT TO: The crowd, chanting SHOW TROY THE MONEY! SHOW TROY THE MONEY! CUT TO: Troy Windham, in the ring, holding a giant, oversized check.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: And once they did listen, you know what happened? I cashed in, more than anyone else in this sport has ever done. You know why I'm the highest paid athlete in this industry? BECAUSE I BRING RESULTS. I'm a star, an attraction, a player. And nobody else can touch that.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, in a hot tub, with three Asian geisha girls. Then the female voices say eight-EIGHT-eight.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, young and babyfaced, standing in front of a 7-11, drinking a slurpee. Inside the 7-11 is a large cardboard cut-out of a younger Mark Windham. Troy spits his cherry red Slurpee all over Mark's face. CUT TO: Various shots of Troy Windham, over the years, getting the better of his brother. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham, standing over his fallen brother.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: You see, taking down the so-called legends and heroes who stood before me is what I BUILT my career on. I don't care WHO they are. Or WHERE they come from. Even if they were my own blood. NO -- ESPECIALLY if they were my own blood. My goal in this sport has been to eclipse EVERYONE who came before me.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, in the back of a stretch Humvee, surrounded by three blonde actress/models. Then the female voices say seven-SEVEN-seven.)

(CUT TO: The recent NFW footage of Troy Windham w/ The Entourage, draping an American flag over Tom Adler. CUT TO: The even-more-recent NFW footage of Troy Windham urinating in the face of Donovan Winters. CUT TO: Troy Windham standing over a fallen Eddie Mayfield. CUT TO: A shot of a pissed of Alias glaring as Troy Windham gloat/limps his way back to the locker room. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham powerbombing potential CSWA rookie "Downtown" Daryl Kegan through a table and then throwing Diablo Donovan onto a giant cake.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: And guess what? At this point in my career, I do what I want. When I want. How I want. Because I not only rose up the ranks to become the most successful star in this sport. BECAUSE I HAVE REDEFINED THIS SPORT. Check the past 90 days. Look at the damage I have done, at the havoc I have wreaked, the carnage I have left. In the past 90 days, I have REINVENTED in your minds the image of the ultimate badass. And no one else... not any of my competitors, not anyone else in the sport... can lay claim to what I have done the past 90 days. Let alone my entire decade in this sport.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, lounging on a chair in his expansive beachfront property. The female voices now say six-SIX-six.)

(CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham delivering the SlackKnife Quick-Snap Rude Awakening on Hornet. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham delivering the SlackKnife on Mike Randalls. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham delivering the SlackKnife on Mark Vizzach. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham delivering the SlackKnife on Shane Souther. CUT TO: A shot of Troy Windham delivering the SlackKnife on Joey Melton. CUT TO: A series of about 35 more shots of Troy Windham hitting The SlackKnife on a variety of foes through the years.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: You see, what makes me so damn special in the ring is that no one combines the talents I have. I have unsurpassed versatility. I can out-match any foe. And I can also out-think ANY of my opponents, being the smartest person to ever step in the squared circle. Combining this makes me UNMATCHED in the wrestling ring. And what makes me INVINCIBLE? Heh -- my secret weapon, The SlackKnife. THE GREATEST FINISHING MOVE IN THE HISTORY OF THIS SPORT. From any angle. From any position. From anywhere in the ring, I can hit my move and SNAP YOUR NECK. Which means I can win my match at any time. And no one else competing for The Big Gold... NO ONE IN THIS INDUSTRY... has The Ultimate Weapon at their disposal.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, sitting on a pier, casting a fishing rod into the Mediterranean as peasants from whatever island he's on walk past in rowboats. The three women now say five-FIVE-five.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham doing the Fargo Strut with "Hurricane" Eddy Love. CUT TO: Troy Windham and Eddy Love brawling with Hornet and Eli Flair in their famed 60 Minutes in Mobile match. CUT TO: Troy Windham with a pinfall on Hornet. CUT TO: Eddie Love and Troy Windham hugging each other as the ref holds their hands up high, fans jubilant throughout the arena. CUT TO: An edition of the CSWA Tribune which has a picture of the two with the headline "MATCH OF THE YEAR.")

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: Mobile, Alabama. For 60 minutes, the four arguably GREATEST stars in this sport wrestled each other in an Ironman tag match. Four men, giving it their all, doing whatever it took to say they were the best. Playboys versus the Claimstakers. For the battle of the CSWA's legacy. A match that not only was the match of the year, a match that was the greatest match wrestling has had this entire MILLENNIUM. And guess who had his hand raised that match? The man sitting in front of you right now. Showing the world, once again, that he not only can walk down the red carpet, that he can not only host the new Gong Show on Game Show Network, but that he can also do it in the ring against the best there is to offer. And do you know why that is? Because I'm BETTER then the best. I'm the EPITOME.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, wearing a tuxedo, posing for a series of pictures in front of a sign reading AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION. The females then say four-FOUR-four.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham tearing up a picture of the GWE Superstar known as The Steel City Son. CUT TO: Troy Windham attacking "The Hero" Marcus Johnson with a steel chair. CUT TO: Troy Windham wrapping the steel chair around Marcus Johnson's neck, then delivering The SlackKnife with the chair wrapped around his neck. CUT TO: Troy Windham turning towards the crowd and spraying them with mace. CUT TO: A sign on an arena reading GWE CANCELLED.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: A personal favorite moment of mine. Time and time again, many a wrestler has staged an "invasion." Many a wrestler has entered another promotion in an attempt to soil its name. Heh, from what I've been told, one of my competitors at A-17 is using that as his mantra for our match. Well, guess who the only man who actually SHUT DOWN A PROMOTION is? That man is me. Troy Windham invaded the GWE. Attacked anyone in his path. Destroyed their returning world champion. Sprayed mace in the eyes of the fans. Started a riot causing 64 separate injuries. Got arrested, made bail... only to watch the promotion disband and crumble the next week. Think the insurance premiums I increased had something to do with it? Think the lawsuits had something to do with it? You bet your ass it did. I singlehandedly CLOSED a promotion two years ago -- and there's not one other person in this industry who can make that boast. Just as I've made leagues... I can also BREAK them.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham ringing the NYSE bell at a morning session. The female voices now say three-THREE-three.)

(CUT TO: A young Troy Windham moonsaulting off the top rope onto a table with Poison Ivy on it, as early Windham flunkies Junior Hornet and Bandit hold Eli Flair. CUT TO: Troy Windham and Eli Flair in one of their countless bloddy backstage brawls. CUT TO: Troy Windham and Eli Flair throwing wild haymakers in front of a steel cage. CUT TO: Troy and Eli now wiping each others bloodied faces on the arena concourse tile. CUT TO: Troy Windham, standing on top of the mezzanine, arms extended, LEAPING off onto Eli Flair 18-feet below as the crowd EXPLODES. CUT TO: Troy and Eli, slugging it out on top of a steel cage 35 feet in the air. CUT TO: Troy SlackKnifing Eli, the cage collapsing and both men falling through the ring. CUT TO: Troy getting up first, his hand raised in victory. CUT TO: Eli Flair throwing Troy's head repeatedly into ANOTHER cage. CUT TO: Eli taking Troy's fingers... one by one... snapping each one. CUT TO: Eli with a microphone...

ELI: SAY I QUIT, TROY!
TROY: NEVER!

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: My famed feud with Eli Flair. Two men who brought out the best in each other. Two men who broke more bones, spilled more blood and crushed more egoes then anyone else on this planet. Two men who went to war with each other... but one man who proved himself the better. In the first match fans called the greatest single brawl in CSWA history, guess what happened? We fought all over the arena. We fought all over a cage. And after 45 of the most intense minutes of my life... I walked out with my hand raised. And in the rematch? In the match wrestling fans EVERYWHERE call the most brutal match in the history of this sport? An I Quit match people STILL talk about to this day? I walked in with slipped disks in my neck. Bruises all over my body. And Eli Flair, my greatest rival, could not make me say I Quit, forever cementing himself as just another footnote in my chapter of history.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham signing autographs to an enormously long line at an amusement park. The female voices now say two-TWO-two.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, in the AlamoDome, in the ring with GUNS, both men slugging it out. CUT TO: Troy on top of GUNS, Hornet in the ring wearing a ref's shirt, counting the pinfall. CUT TO: The crowd exploding. CUT TO: Troy, holding the title, limping back to the locker room as tears fall from his eyes -- one of the lasting images in CSWA history.)

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, backwards hat, shades, sitting down in a backwards chair.)

TROY: I'll never get sick of replaying that in my mind. The time Troy Windham pinned the man everyone said was unbeatable. The time I pinned GUNS in his own hometown... and had Hornet, the so-called Greatest American Hero, his arch-nemesis, count the pinfall and raise my hand in triumph. THE TIME THE TORCH WAS PASSED. One era ended... and another one began. That was the first time I was the unsurpassed GREATEST WRESTLER ALIVE. That was the moment the CEMENTED my enshrinement in wrestling's hall of fame. That was the moment that was the greatest in my life.

(CUE UP: The females saying one. Dozens of different voices, all repeating ONE one ONE one one ONE ONE ONE one one one.)

(CUE UP: The voice of David McCullugh.)

V/O: One man wants to leave his legacy. A man they call an icon. A hero. A legend. A man they will call KING.

(CUT TO: Troy Windham, hat on backwards, shades, sitting on a backwards chair. The echoing sound of someone turning on a lightswitch goes off in the distance, showing the empty CSWA Auditorium with an empty wrestling ring behind Troy.)

TROY: What will be the night that DEFINES my legacy forever? The night that EVERY fan will remember for the rest of their lives? The number one moment in my career? IN MY LIFE? Well, it will be at Anniversary 17. Rebirth. That is the night where I will defeat Vacant. Where I will defeat Steven Jacobs. Where I will defeat Dan Ryan. WHERE I WILL DEFEAT ALL MY CHALLENGERS... where I will lay to rest all my previous critics... where I will outshine all the previous men who have held that title... where I will show my superiority over every man who has ever called themselves a wrestler. Anniversary 17 is the night where I will not just be crowned the new CSWA Unified Champion... but it is the night where I will be cemented forever as the greatest wrestler who has ever lived. It is the night where there will be a coronation... of a king!

(CUE UP: The triumphant horns of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." CUT TO: A black and white photograph of Troy Windham as a toddler, sliding down a sliding board. CUT TO: A black and white photograph of Troy Windham at his high school graduation, cap on sideways as he makes the "Ozzy" hand gesture. CUT TO: Troy Windham, wearing a U Texas orange varsity jacket.)

(CUE UP: The beating drums after the initial horn interlude in Copland's piece.)

(CUT TO: In time with the beating bass timpani comes a shot of Troy in his first CSWA match, followed by a shot of Troy Windham walking down the aisle as fireworks are frozen in eternity behind him.)

(CUE UP: Silence. CUT TO: The camera fades from the last image of Troy and into a close-up shot of the menagerie of gold and jewels that is the CSWA Unified Title. The camera holds still for 10 seconds. Then it finally Fades To Black.)

 

[DBrunkGXW]

FADE IN....

A large color photo fills the screen....

Fifteen to twenty Japanese youngsters decked in wrestling gear, some kneeled in the front and some standing behind. In the middle of the back row is Dan Ryan, much younger but unmistakable - the height difference and musculature made him stand out even then.

Ryan smiles - not a smirk - a smile. Ryan has one arm draped around the man next to him, an older gentlemen with a softness around the eyes but a rugged chin.

V/O: "1996, Troy...."

"Back then, a lot of things were different."

"Back then, I had just graduated from wrestling school. In Japan a man like me stood out even at so young an age."

"Back then, I had a girl - and a child on the way."

"Back then, I started on the path that leads me to today."

The photo is crumpled up from behind and the shot is replaced by Dan Ryan, standing in front of a CSWA backdrop - the logo for Anniversary 17 in the corner.

"Back then Troy....you were starting your legacy a few steps ahead of me. You were entertaining millions, wrestling in classics....filling the seats....'

"Back then."

"It's so sad to me Troy. It's so sad that you've lost all voice of reason inside of you to the point that you have to spare no expense to trump up your past, just so you can still appear credible in the here and now."

"Yeah, I know.....those past ninety days. Whoo boy, how they've impressed us all. You can't stop talking about it, so I'd say you're more impressed than anyone."

"I'd also say that your highlight reel of victims seemed to missing someone..."

"Someone who plans on being at the UNIFIED Title Final...."

"I would never match myself up against you as an entertainer. It's a point I happily concede because while I'm perfectly capable of drawing a crowd - no one makes 'em laugh, makes 'em cry, makes 'em cheer like the Epitome."

"You've built your career on making people cheer on your antics. You were always so entertaining....."

"And what of the here and now, Troy? Hmm?"

"What of your prospects right here?"

"You still entertain the common man with your antics, but your claims have gone from ridiculous to borderline slanderous."

"You shut down GWE?"

"I dunno, man. I seem to think that had a little more to do with the death of the owner than Troy Windham macing some fans. Cut the bull***t, man. I mean really, just cut the s**t."

"You were HIRED by GWE. You didn't invade anything. YOU.WERE.ON.THE.PAYROLL."

"I was hired by Chad Merritt immediately following putting his World Champion through a table on GWE Television. There are no true shoots in this business anymore, Troy. You pitched an idea, and somebody liked it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"A few months later, Chad Dupree has passed away and Troy Windham takes the opportunity to use it as an angle plot point."

"Nice try, Troy....really nice try. But you insult the integrity of the sport to even suggest such a thing."

"I know, you don't care. But some people do."

"I thought a long time about what I'd say to you in the final moments before Anniversary."

"I watched your documentary with David McCullough on voice over. Although it could've been David Alan Grier for all anyone cared, I guess to you it carried an emotional punch."

"You could've put together a synthesized version of the late John Facenda for all it mattered and talked about how you wrestled Coco the Wrestling Bear on the frozen tundra of Lambeau field."

"I listened to you talk, watched the insecurity of hired models everywhere you go. And yeah Troy - I get it - girls flock to you..."

Ryan rolls his eyes...

"Of course they do. The Cable Ace Awards, the places of honor on my Netflix queue...why wouldn't they?"

"If you're the epitome of anything, you're the epitome of all fluff and no substance."

"If you had mattered at all within the last two years, it wouldn't take your self-proclaimed Ninety Days of Greatness to bring your name back to everyone's mind."

"And that's all you've done, Troy. That's ALL you've done."

"You've managed to make people remember that you exist. You come in here running your mouth because of what you did and who you beat in the late nineties and you just don't f***ing get it."

"I've been running with and beating the hell out of the best this industry has to offer for the last four years, Troy."

"You've been all smoke and mirrors since 1999 because somewhere along the way, you eroded the skills away behind the drugs, the alcohol and the same high-end hookers that grace your promos to the point that your skills just aren't what they used to be."

"The Epitome......"

"Yeah, you're the epitome Troy. You can keep that title. You can call yourself a star all day long, but there's not a damn thing you can point to that tells anybody that you stand ONE SINGLE CHANCE IN HELL in a fight with me."

"And that's what it's gonna be, Troy. That's what it's gonna be."

"When I defeat Vince Jacobs, Vacant....whichever it turns out to be - it will just be down to you and I."

"You like close up shots of gold belts? Does it make ya all...tingly? Does it make everyone go ooh and ahh and shine up their Troy Windham paraphenilia just in case the price suddenly goes up after the show?"

"Get it AAAALLLLL out of your system, Troy. Get it all the f**k out."

"When the bell rings, it's no interference - no one but you and me."

"You cannot win this match fair and square, Troy. You got some more things to say?"

Ryan steps forward, eyes blazing just inches from the camera and voice still calm...

"There is nothing you could ever say.....do.....cue up on the Epitome-Tron or cut out of a ten year old newspaper that will change the fact that I can fold you up like an accordion.....pick your scrawny body up and spike you on the back of your head....or wrap your legs up and snap your f**king knee....AT WILL."

"NOTHING."

"You think you have something to cement, Troy? My legacy is just getting underway. I've already dispatched your brother twice..... Shane Southern twice...Craig Miles....Tom Adler....GUNS...."

"One day, I might even make a nice Ken Burns documentary about all of this and how one night in July....I made the wrestling world stand up and take notice....I made the Epitome eat his words....and I took my place among the very best in the entire world by winning the UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP....back then."

"I really hope the money holds out, Troy....cuz if you think you're getting a free copy..."

"You can go f**k yourself."

FADE OUT...