SCENE BEGINS
(Surprisingly, we're not at the poolside of a fancy mansion. Fade from black to the interior of a well-furnished Seattle gymnasium, lit only by the early morning sun from the glass doors at the front of the building. A figure can be seen outside, coming in, dressed in gym shorts, a black t-shirt, and carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder. The camera tracks in as he exits the lobby, coming through the second glass door into the actual gym. It is none other than Rocko Daymon.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
Every time I step into that ring, I strive to improve myself.
(Daymon, looking fit, looking determined, looking ready, and looking otherwise very, uh... "un-band-boy-ish", for lack of a better term, flips a set of lights, revealing the interior of gymnasium, including exercise equipment, mats, medicine balls, and of course, a full-sized ring.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
This is the way it's been since my very first show. No matter who my opponent is, no matter what the odds are, and no matter who wins and who loses, it is always my goal to take something from that match and learn from it.
(We cut to Daymon sitting on the floor, legs spread far apart. He leans over one leg reaching for his toes and does the next, stretching his muscles as a warm-up.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
Ever since my coming to WFW, there have been so many new things I've learned. From Psycho, I learned that you're only as good as your next match. From Jean Rabesque, I learned that sometimes it's more effective to DO what you want as opposed to say it.
(Cut to Daymon, now in the ring, doing a series of warm-up reps to get his blood flowing. He runs from one end of the ring to the next, tapping the middle rope, and rebounding to the other side, doing a roll through every trip to test his agility.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
And now this week, faced with two opponents, I'm given another opportunity to learn. From Adam Benjamin, there's always something new to learn, provided he takes the time to say something. I don't know where my old rival's been in the past few weeks, but I'm hoping he doesn't disappoint me at Great Expectations. The man is an athlete whose talent is beyond words.
(Cut to Daymon, now doing arm curls with a bar and a heavy set of weights. He paces himself, taking in a breath with every rep.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
With the Silencer, on the other hand... it's a different story. You see, the Silencer doesn't seem to have much wisdom to share around. Lately, I've been trying to take an interest in some of his hobbies. Fortune-telling, obviously, didn't catch my fancy...
(Cut to a close-up of Daymon's strained face, which suddenly goes down and out of frame momentarily and returns. The camera pulls back, and we see that it's actually positioned upside down. It reverts to a standard position, and we see Daymon doing verticle crunches along a bar normally used for pull-ups.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
But then in his last promo, I felt a little inspired by his instructional monologue on the usage of a television remote. I took it upon myself to do a little studying up on the subject, on guys like Farnsworth, and Sarnoff, and RCA, and that stuff. I learned many great things... but something that fascinated me even more was the history of visual recording.
(Cut to Daymon back in the ring, now with his sparring partner, also his brother-in-law. The two work through a few technical holds, practicing armbar and hammerlock reversals through martial arts and Judo techniques.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
The first VCR for home use was invented in 1972, in England. Since then, people across the world have been able to do a variety of functions in video recording. If you missed your favorite show, you could always tape it. If you missed something that someone said, you could always rewind...
(The footage sudden pauses and goes in reverse. Daymon rebounds from the mat, over his partner's shoulder, and back onto his feet where their interlocked arms unweave from each other.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
If you wanted to skip the boring stuff, you could always fast forward...
(The footage speeds up. We see Daymon go back over his partners shoulder. We cut to another scene of Daymon doing a set of quick push-ups until it returns to regular speed.)
Rocko Daymon (V/O)
Or, if you wanted to quit watching altogether, you could stop...
(Blue screen, with "STOP" in the corner of the screen in bright white letters.)
(The camera pulls back, revealing the wall screen and Rocko Daymon sitting nearby, now finished with his work-out and sitting on a folding chair. He has the remote to the video in his hand. He holds it up for the camera to see.)
Rocko Daymon
Here's a remote YOU should try studying up on, Silencer. Believe me, I think it would help you tremendously.
Maybe if you started watching tapes of my promos... maybe if you used this nifty "Rewind" button here, rather than simply assuming everything I'll say next, you'll actually KNOW what I'm talking about as opposed to THINKING that you know.
First and foremost, I think we should go into this whole uh, "astral vision" or "seeing the future" bit I've touched upon. It seemed to me that the whole John Edwards reference got under my opponent's skin a little. But yet again, due to the fact that he never cares enough to actually sit down and WATCH my promos, he's missed the point entirely.
Sometimes, Silencer, it's better to just watch yourself rather than be told what I said by someone else.
So instead of "Fast Forwarding" to the future once again, let's use that nifty "Rewind" button right now, and go back a few days. Let's go back to your second promo.
(He hits a button on the remote and the screen begins to play of the Silencer arriving at a small bar on his bike, sans audio.)
Rocko Daymon
We've already seen this, so let's just run through it.
You arrive at this place...
You hustle half a grand in cash from a couple of rednecks by making a tough shot...
They ask YOU if you've heard what I've said, and you respond, saying, I quote, "I am sure it's the same thing I hear everyday."
Now in this promo, as I see it, is quite a remarkable demonstration of your prophetic power. And no, I'm not talking about what I said. I'm sure that's easily predictable.
I mean, professional wrestling has been around for YEARS. When you look at everything now, it's pretty obvious that anything you hear in any promo is, in some way, shape, or form, ripped off from another guy's promo. Originality in dialogue has ceased to be. I never claimed that I was, I don't know... some sort of GOD of the English Language whose words could never be recreated. The thing is, Silencer, that there's not a whole lot of what YOU say that hasn't already been said many times before, by the same guys carrying the same tough, quiet, dark-guy gimmick.
(Fingers come to his lips as though he suddenly regrets the last thing he said.)
Rocko Daymon
Oh, my bad. I forget that every time you hear that word, you become upset and deliver a five minute rant in which you explain your identity.
Back to my point. I'm not calling you out for using some sort of telepathic power to cognitively know every word I said in my previous promo. Rather, Silencer, instead of predicting my words, you predicted my character, my reputation, my habits, and--worst of all--my TALENT.
Let's not forget that when we use that "Rewind" button and go back to your FIRST promo, we all see that at one point you actually admitted that you knew absolutely nothing about me or Adam Benjamin.
And then, all of a sudden, you come forward with this impression that I'm some guy strutting around with a dip in his hip because he thinks he outwrestled Jean Rabesque. Your definition of a... "cocky punk ass *****".
(Daymon shrugs in his seat.)
Rocko Daymon
Your first mistake was basing a false assumption on me. Even in that first promo, you were making this mistake, assuming that myself and Benjamin were probably like your previous opponent, Akira's Ghost. Is that wise? Is it wise in any case to assume that your next opponent will probably be the same as the last?
Not in my experience, it isn't. In fact, that's a sure way to dig your own grave. I didn't survive seven years of professional wrestling by assuming my next opponent wouldn't be any different from the last. Like I said earlier, since Day One, I've ALWAYS strived to improve myself, to overcome every challenge and expect another to follow, each one greater than the last.
Silencer, use that "Rewind" key... go back over each and every one of my promos and see for yourself. I never claimed to be the greatest wrestler ever. I never coined myself as a Professional Wrestling Superman. I never referred to my opponents as "annoying bugs" that I would inevitably "kill in the ring". I sure as hell never bragged about being better than or possibly "beating" Jean Rabesque.
You claim I've been talking about of my ass this entire week... well, I ask, what have I said that would indicate anything as such? I never said I was great. I never said I was special. Simply put, I stated that I was happy to earn a hard-fought victory, and I declared that I would be determined more than anything to earn another, no matter what the odds. Whether that means going through another wrestling legend or some new guy with a clichéd gimmick and a tendency to judge people without actually ever making an attempt to watch their promos, I intend to prevail.
But I'm sure you would have already known that if only you had sat down with one of those endlessly useful contraptions known as VCRs and heard my words with your own ears.
Technology is great these days, eh, Silencer?
(Eyebrows perk at this.)
Rocko Daymon
My point, Silencer, is that while I've done actually NO **** talking over the week, you seem to have been doing quite a bit so yourself. Even before knowing your opponents, you've been carrying this air of superiority, as though you could overcome ANYTHIING without ever having to know what it was before the time came to fight it.
I don't see what makes YOU so special, Silencer. While you've gone on and on about how everything I've done means absolutely nothing to you, and you're only in this for yourself (a line, I might add, is coined by 75% of today's wrestlers every given week), I look over on your end and see the exact same thing. There isn't a damn thing you've done to make yourself look like all you think you're cracked up to be. You might have done well against a relative nobody like Akira's Ghost, but that's peanuts in today's world.
All you've done is a little backstage scheming over some guy, another relative nobody, named Pitt, like the guy was the holy grail of all professional wrestlers.
That doesn't scare me, Silencer. That means about as much to me as my seven years of experience obviously mean to you. At the end of every one of your promos, I sit there scratching my head, wondering what the POINT is of sending me a tape about PITT when your OPPONENT is ME and BENJAMIN!
Perhaps I should attach a clip of the mating habits of African elephants, seeing as that's just about as relevant.
(Scoffs slightly.)
Rocko Daymon
But in all seriousness, Silencer... why waste my time? Why force me to use the "Fast Forward" button on this remote to pass over the meaningless stuff that has nothing to do with me? Why bother cutting a promo at all if you're not going to focus your attention on me directly? Why not just send it to Pitt, since it seems that he's all you ever dream about?
That also leads me to question, why even OPENLY TALK ABOUT PITT over the air? I mean, if you were planning something against this guy, don't you think it would be WISE to keep it under wraps? I mean, in my experience, usually things work a little better of you act covert with your plans. I can only guess as to why you'd meet with your mystery pal and openly discuss your "plans" for Great Expectations. Don't you'd think you'd make a better impact if you kept it a secret?
If you're so damn confident that you can beat me, why even bother TALKING about me? If everything you assume is correct, then you're doing little more than wasting your breath. What's the point?
But ah, I guess it's not my role to question your motives, Silencer. Do whatever the hell you feel like doing. Like you said, I'm not God (never said I was). After this match, win or lose, I intend to move on from you and Pitt, going on to greater challenges, further improving my skill. I'm sure you'll continue following your own path, remaining stuck in the bitter lowcard matches and dabbling with that object of your obsession, Pitt, for many more months to come.
And I, happily, will be using my "Fast Forward" button to skip over those parts in future shows.
(Smiles as he holds up the remote again.)
Rocko Daymon
I, for one, appreciate the advent of the VCR and all of it's functions. Without it, I'd never have an idea of what to expect from my opponent. The VCR gives me the ability to make an early judgment of what stands in my way. I see the man, and his personality. I predict how far he's willing to go, and sense what he might have on the line. With that knowledge, I step into the ring to see if these presumptions were true, and keep an open mind, preparing myself for anything to come.
That's the way it's always been for me. In the ring, I watch, I learn, I adapt, and I prevail. If I make a few mistakes and blow any chance for victory, I leave my opponent with the knowledge that he was forced to overcome a TREMENDOUS challenge. After seven years, I've learned enough skills to equally compete with any challenge, regardless of how great it is.
And at Great Expectations, all this talking aside, I'll do the same damn thing I've always been doing. I'll watch, I'll learn, I'll adapt, and hopefully, I'll prevail. I already know everything there is to know about Adam Benjamin, and if my heart wills it, I will triumph over him. You, Silencer... you're a stranger, which always presents its own problems. But like I did with Rabesque, I'll go into that ring with an open mind. I'll study your style and think of a way to counter it.
From your promos, I can already tell that you don't have your heart set into this. You only care about yourself, and Pitt, and the paycheck waiting for you after the closing bell sounds and the decision has been made. I know of the lengths to which you'll go in this match, and they don't look very far, which gives me the opportunity to focus more on your physical prowess instead of your emotional drive.
I could care less as to whether any of this scares you or not. It's not my intent to "give you fear". I'm only going to tell you how it is, and let you take it however you want. If you want to blow me off, then fine. I'll show you everything I'm about in the ring. If you want to talk more trash about "seeled" fates and whatnot, you can do that too.
I'll give you the courteosy of seeing if anything you've said this entire week has any value when it's go time in the ring.
The sad thing is, about technology, about the VCR, is that with our handy-dandy "Rewind" button, anybody can go back at any time after the match and look at everything you've said over this week, prior to what will REALLY happen. People will look at what you said and look at what really happened, and draw their own conclusions. People will know then whether or not you're the real deal, or just another bull**** artist with an overplayed gimmick...
Ironically, you call yourself the Silencer... but there's no way to silence the past. That speaks on for all time.
(With a wink, Rocko raises the remote and points it at the camera. He presses a button...)
SCENE ENDS