First Step

[Mike Adams]

Mike Adams is sitting in the locker room of the monster truck building, trying to get a feel for the new surroundings. In less than 24 hours, this locker room will be filled with men who personally and professionally despise each other as the first show with the combined rosters of WPW and PCW will really be forced to interact. Adams has a local TV on with WWE's Monday Night Raw on, and he has his head in his hands and is shaking his head.

Adams: Rosie O'Donnell? Khali against Cena? Jesus no wonder people are coming to indy feds after shit like this.

Adams throws his boot at the tv as it goes right through the screen.

Adams: Well I have to face facts, I couldn't save my home company. I let all of PCW down, I let myself down. I'm now a WPW Superstar, and here I'm not a top dog, I'm a marked man. There are a lot of people here who really don't like me. And there are some people who who downright hate me and don't want me to succeed at all.

First and foremost on that list is the man I'm facing tomorrow night. The so-called Three Second Sensation....Scorch. Legend has it that he earned the nickname the Three Second Sensation because that's how long the fans actually cared about him. I've also heard that it was because it was only three seconds before he abuses any small instance of power he thinks he has.

You see you fans at WPW may not know this about your beloved Scorch, but he is actually quite the asshole. I'm not trying to be a cocky arrogant heel, I'm being quite sincere. From the first tiem I saw Scorch set foot in a PCW ring the only vibe I got off of him was "asshole." Truth be told, if you want my opinion, Scorch never cared about PCW. You see Scorch only cares about one thing...himself. As soon as Scorch set foot in a PCW ring I had a feeling it was done as a favor to some folks in the creative team at PCW, because of his legendary status in various other indy feds. Honestly, I never really saw that much in Scorch...I mean the guy is very talented in the ring, that point is obvious. However, he only seems to be concerned with putting himself over.

You see the legendary Scorch never really seemed to live up to his calling in PCW. He was brought in as a mere sidehsow attraction for some people who longed for the good old days. Backstage, he did nothing but complain about everything he could in PCW...to anyone who would listen. Scorch had chances to win singles gold in PCW, and when he failed. He complained. He bitched that there were people in the back that were holding him down, you know for a lot of people complaining about the state that PCW was in, you didn't really hear any complaints from the people who earned there spots. Sure there were some legitimate screwjobs, I'll admit to that, but by in large the men on top of PCW when it ended deserved to be there.

Now Scorch decided to literally kick PCW, the company that gave him another chance, in the nuts in the form of myself, the last bastion of hope for PCW at When World's Collide. So, Dream, I guess tomorrow night you will have to wait, as there is another who seemingly demands my attention. Scorch, tomorrow night, in my first main event in WPW, I will show you exactly what PCW stood for. Hard work, determination, and making sure the weak fall by the wayside. Scorch, you will be the first on a very long list of WPW Superstars who will be shown why I was the longest reigning PCW Champion, and why Mike Adams is unstoppable.

[Scorch]

We cannot control much in life. One of the only things we can control are our own actions. Some of us chose to act in a manner that will please others. Some choose to act in manner that will please them. Many of the people who chose to act in the latter fashion, still do their best to act in a responsible manner. But then there are a select view who do not care about the full consequences of their actions because they believe that they will never have to answer to for their actions. These are the people who end up begging for mercy when they get what they deserve.

Darkness fills the screen as only a familiar voice can be heard.

This moment was supposed to feel a lot different. It was supposed to feel so much better than it does. Now, do not get me wrong, it feels good. It feels really good, but nothing like I imagined it would. PCW, a company that made a mockery of the business I love, is no more. I was even able to score one of the victories that ensured PCW’s demise. Yet, something is still not right, something is still missing. The task is not yet complete, nowhere near finished. You know what, I would not have it any other way.

The darkness is replaced with the image of Scorch in a long black coat over a maroon Brian Fahey Chicago Wolves sweater, with some black pants and his black Reeboks sitting on top of a light brown wooden fence. Behind him is an open field, with nothing but grass, lightly frosted with a layer of fresh snow. Scorch looks down to his right as he listens to the sounds of the win whipping across the landscape. He looks up at the camera and jumps down off the fence. Scorch takes a few steps forward and begins to speak again.

You see Mike Adams, even after all that I have done, that hunger, the drive, it is still there. You did everything you could to try and destroy me. You tried to tear me down psychologically, and you failed. You tried to have me taken out physically, and you failed. When PCW was struggling to get shows up, even after all you had tried to do to me, I stepped up to the plate. I did it knowing full well I would never get a fair shake as long as you where in charge. But I was not the only one with this feeling. No, I watched wrestler after wrestler, men with talent you could only dream of, walk out of PCW rather than be stuck working for a man like you. Many of them now reside here in WPW, others, well you just may have succeeded in destroying their love of this business. You tried to destroy my love of this business, you tried to run me out of PCW and all you did was kill the Tag Team division in PCW.

You think I was given a spot on the PCW roster because some of those in charge at the time wanted to be nostalgic. Newsflash, I tried out and I earned my spot. I had never before worked with the man who gave me my job with PCW. Facts sure do suck for revisionist historians like you.

You want to label me as a complainer, but what I am is a man who is not afraid to speak up and speak out. You talk about how you never heard complaints from the people in PCW who earned their spots. If you put them all in a room together, not one complaint would be uttered. That is not surprising, you rarely hear complaints from an empty room.

You want to label me as selfish; no I fought to be sure everyone had a fair chance. You stand there and you accuse me of only caring about myself. Yet who was the one who booked the shows, you did. And who pushed himself to the moon, you did. Who was the one to give himself the championship, you were. The only reason you were unstoppable, is because you ran the show. There was nobody to check your power, Mike. Then when you feared the worst, when you knew that a loss in the main event at When Worlds Collide, could mean the death of PCW. When you knew that you could be a part of the losing team, you gave up the belt. You tried to make sure that if PCW went down all the blame would fall on The Dream. Who, yes I know, he was not a complainer and he earned his spot. But I still stand by what I said about an empty room. You know as well as I do the odds of him being sober enough to open the door are mathematically insignificant. You tried to throw The Dream to the wolves. You wanted to save your reputation.

As I neared the end of my tenure in PCW, people kept asking me why I bothered. They let me in on all you said about me, all the things you never had the guts to say to my face. Yes, I heard them all, you started this game Mike, unfortunately for you, I am just better than you. I helped to destroy the company you held so dear, and now I have a chance to destroy you. But I am not going to do that. No, you will not be getting the easy way out. Your destruction will be slow and methodical. Tuesday Night Turmoil marks the beginning of the wrestling world’s retribution against you.

It is time for you to pay for all of your sins. It is time for you to learn what is like to be helpless in that ring. It is time you learn what it feels like to know that even your very best will never good enough. Mike, you wronged so many on your way to the top. But you never cared, because you knew you would never have to answer for your actions. You foolish man, you dug your own grave. And now you will be forced to watch helplessly as you feel each grain of dirt fall down as you are buried by your own misdeeds. As you lay there helplessly, you will know that you brought all of it on yourself. You will know that everything is your own doing.

You know, I have no intentions to allow you the pleasure of a quick and relatively painless end, but I cannot speak for the others you have wronged. I would highly recommend that you savor every waking moment you have, even those you spend asleep, for you never know which one may be your last. It really is only a matter of time now. Mike Adams, welcome to your end. My name is Scorch and I will be the one leading your annihilation. Do not be mistaken, this is not because of some hatred for you. No, this is about my love of wrestling, something you fought so hard to destroy. When I am done with you, you will wish, you will beg for time to be turned back so you can once again beg, not for forgiveness, but for a quick end and if by some chance your wish for time to be turned back could ever be granted, I would make sure that you relived the suffering.

As quick as it had left, the darkness returns and this time it is accompanied by silence.

[Mike Adams]

Mike Adams is sitting at his computer late at night doing some research on WPW main eventers as they will likely be his future opponents. Geoffrey walks down in his bedrobe and yawns very loudly.

Geoff: Sir, as you expected...there is a message from Scorch. I didn't listen to it, but I thought I should let you know.

Adams: Thanks Geoff, you can hit the sack.

Geoff: Please sir, don't say hit.

Geoffrey walks back upstairs as Adams sits for a moment and takes in Scorch's latest promo. Adams begins to sip his glass of vodka remaining motionless. Scorch's promo ends as Adams turns around in his chair.

Adams: Ignorance is bliss isn't it Scorch? I know that seems to be an old and tired cliches but since you seem to be using old and tired arguments it seems fitting.

Scorch you like to make yourself out to be some sort of purist. Some sort of savior towards PCW. You like to think of yourself as better than everyone else that was busting their hump in PCW when you have no earthly idea what you are talkign about.

I'll come clean right here, yes I had a hand in booking PCW, it seems to be common knowledge now, but if someone's taking aim at me...I will fire back. You see Scorch the man who ran PCW before me, is a man I greatly respect and admire. I'm not sucking up, I'm speaking truth. He took a federation that was all but abondoned by its founders and tried to resurrect it from the ashes, and he did an admirable job with the crew that surrounded him. However, PCW was in a downward spiral even back then. See what you don't know is that the problems I experienced during my time behind the reins of PCW were there even during his time. In fact he became so disallusioned with the people bitching and whining and complaing, that he packed up his bags and left. Now I'm not trying to speak for him, because I know there were other factors...but it was people like you Scorch, people who would complain at every turn that made him lose his passion for this business. It was people like you that made this business not fun for him anymore and made it not worth his time to even try anymore.

Now a lot of people had been wondering how I took power. It's a story that's never really been told, only a lot of assumptions have been made. When I was approached about the idea, I really didn't want to do it. I truly, honestly didn't. Do you want to know why Scorch? Because of you and people of your ilk, people who will bitch for the sake of bitching. Countless times instead of highlighting the positives you would promounce the negatives. You see Scorch no one person or company is as perfect as you. I didn't want the job because I was having too much fun with the company at that point with my current role, and I felt that increasing my role with the addition of people's complaints might lessen the experience. I was assured, however, that it would not be jsut me alone at the top of the totem pole...I would have help. So with that assurance...I agreed.

However, it didn't take long for me to realize that the help I was promised...wasn't going to stick around for long. And when that help completely vanished, I was on my own. A complete fish out of water in a world I wasn't too psyched to be in. But do you know what I did Scorch? I picked up my bootstraps, got my own fucking help and we put together some damn fine broadcasting. Was it my idea to be in the main event scene? No it wasn't because wether you liek to think so or not, I would have been there regardless of who was running the show. Was it my idea for you to have a completely pointless gimmick of you having inane conversations with your fellow Originators and never really talk about your opponents or storylines you were in? No, I believe that was all your doing. You see Scorch, you are very good at monologuing and dialoguing...speaking of which how long have you had that little speech thought out? Two maybe three weeks now? You see Scorch, that's where you and I differ...I go from my gut, I say what I'm feeling when I'm feeling it, I don't wait until the absolute last moment to get out my feelings about my opponent so you leave him with such a little amount of time that he can't get a word in edgewise. In fact, that's why I was staying up late, because I knew you would be a little chicken shit and not say anything all wekk and when you finally delivered your "shoot" I wouldn't be able to respond until we were in the ring.

Anyways, I'm getting off point here. Scorch no one held you down, but you. By constantly bitching and complaining and not really taking any of your matches seriously, you made yourself a mockery of what you were supposed to be...a wrestling legend. You know Scorch, if you ask anyone involved with the real work of PCW around the time of Sudden Impact, they will let you know that while I thought it would have been nice to become the champion...I really didn't want it. I truly honestly didn't because of what people like you would say. "Oh look, the head booker crowned himself the champion...let's call him Mike Levesque instead." But like it or not Scorch, I earned that title...Dream simply didn't show up for the match, and I capitalized on that and I took the title. I also went on to be not only the longest reigning champion in PCW history, but also the champion that ahd the most title defenses of any PCW Champion before me. Are you going to dare say that I didn't deserve to regain my title once I had it? If you are then you are no wrestling purist, you are simply jealous. Hence your reason for lashing out at PCW the way that you have. Trying to undermine the authority of the PCW higher-ups because of your ability to manipulate the media and because "you thought it was funny."

Scorch, let me ask you something, could you have done what I did? Have an entire company basically thrust upon your shoulders at a pivotal point in your life and have it thrive and survive for as long as it did? You know Scorch for all the complaining, let's take a look at the things that probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stepped up when no one else would. James Moriarty Cassius might still be the bootlackey of Jason and Phill Bennett. Martin Cameron wouldn't have been able to elevate his game from a man who simply played with puppets of 90s TV stars to one of the premiere names in PCW. The names Gerard Carson and Andrew Xavier wouldn't even nearly resonate on the minds of wrestling fans the way they do now. And more importantly the PCW legacy would have neded with one man just "losing his smile." Instead, PCW has left the world of wrestling in name only because the spirit of PCW lives on in the wrestlers that embodied what PCW was about. Maybe that's why you're so bitter Scorch? You never really got it...when you stepped into the locker room, you heard all the whispers behind your back. You knew that deep down most of the roster couldn't stand you. You were given a spot in the first Tournament of Champions on name recognition only without earning it yourself in a PCW ring. You were given title opportuinities and wasted them because you decided to let your powers get to your head and try and have a little bit of fun poking at the creative team of PCW. And when they bit back, you didn't like it and you picked up your ball and went to WPW. And that's where you've been ever since silently taking your shots at PCW because you felt safe here under the umbrella of mediocrity that you so long for.

Well tonight Scorch, you will see what happens when PCW fires back.

Adams smirks and finishes his drink as he makes a gun with his thumb and forefinger and points it at the camera.

Adams: Bang. Bang.

[Scorch]

You never know how somebody will act when they are backed into a corner. There are those who will simply give up. There are some who will try and befriend whoever it is that has them cornered. Then there are those who will fight back with everything they had to escape and get out of that corner. Sometimes these attempts to turn the tables are of great success. Once the tables have been turned there is another choice to be made. Some choose to simply escape, others choose to give their former captors exactly what they deserve.

An eerie calm consumes the landscape. Scorch, still dress in the same coat, shoes, pants, and Wolves attire, is now longer outside the field however. He still sits, but this time he is atop a gray stone. As it comes into focus more, it is clear it is not just an ordinary stone, but a gravestone. Scorch stands up off the stone, and looks at the front of it, which looks to be completely blank and it is. But Scorch can see what belongs there and smiles as he reads the invisible words. He then turns around and looks down at the hole in front of the stone, as he looks up with a twisted smile, he begins to speak in a voice far too calm.

Bravo, Michael, that was quite the dirty trick you tried to pull. You stand there and talk about how you know what I would do. You knew I would wait until the last minute to address your sorry excuse for an existence. Yet you fail to realize you had all week with which to build yourself up and to tear me down. You had the chance to make the gap so wide there would be no way for me to bridge it. But for some reason you think that you had out smarted me with this little plan of yours. Anyone can see through your charade. If they just listened to what you had to say then they know you were doing the very things you accused me of doing.

Please though, the next time you fire shots, turn on the lights and put some glasses on so that you can aim them. This man you speak of who ran PCW before you, this man who earned your respect and admiration, who do you think gave me my job there? Who do you think it was that helped bring me to WPW when he saw what you were doing? It was the very same man you speak so highly of. Who do you think let me in on the booking meetings, who do you think it was that helped to encourage The Originators? Our actions had nothing to do with a lack of respect, no we were all about respect for this business. We did not stand for the way you and your little buddies tried to use this business as your own personal clubhouse, your own private playground and we were not about to sit back and watch you spit on everything wrestling stands for.

All that crap about going from your gut, spare us please. You tried to pull the same stunt on Spaz, a man who has been one of my closest friends, a man I still respect. You planned out some big speech, and you waited and waited, then sprung it on him, pretending as if though you wanted to beat him at his own game. But once again you failed to realize that you had all that time with which to tear him apart. You waited all week in each case, and yet you seem to think that makes you some kind of a brilliant strategist. No, it makes you a hypocrite.
If I was the selfish man you say I am, I would have played your game. I would have done the sucking up necessary to get my push to the top. But it was not about me, it was about this business and respecting all that it stands for. Now that PCW is no more, now that the very entity that embodied everything that is wrong in wrestling has been vanquished, that leaves only one thing left, you. I told you before and I will tell you again, I am bringing your end, it will be slow, and you will suffer.

I know I seem like I am repeating myself. But I just do not think you get it yet Mike, it never was about me. It still is not about me, this is about the way you tried to destroy wrestling. This is and always has been about not be willing to watch you turn this business into a joke. This is about not being content with mediocrity. It was always about making sure everyone had a fair chance, not just those who sucked up best or those who pitched the most entertaining storyline that would get them over. This was about making sure any time a wrestler stepped through those ropes, they had an opportunity to walk out the winner. This was about making sure talent in the ring won out over friendships backstage.

Now your clubhouse is no more, it was burned to the ground by the people it was built to keep out. It must be a lonely and frightening feeling to be trapped in all that rubble, hoping that there might be even the slimmest chance you can escape the misery or if there is no way out, praying the end will come at once. I am here Mike, to pick up the rubble, piece by piece. And as you feel the fresh air return to your lungs, I will be there to greet you, with a smile on my face. Then when your hope is at its peak, when you are more joyful then you have ever been, then you ever thought possible, I will be there, to pile each piece of the rubble right back onto you, and I will do it all with a smile on my face. Who knows, I may even sing you a little song as I do it. Hell when the pile is back as it was, I may add more. Then as you lay there taking your last breathes, I will happily dance atop the pile.

Mike, you seem to believe your actions are those of a man who has nothing to lose. You think your actions are those of a clever, vindictive man out to prove himself to the world. The truth is, yours are the actions of a man who is hopeless, helpless, and he knows it. When you look into my eyes in that ring, you will understand why it is you feel the way that you do. You will wonder if there is a feeling worse then fear, and you will know that you brought it all on yourself. You dug your own grave Mike, all I am doing is throwing you in and burying you, right where you belong.

Scorch looks down at the large empty hole in the ground. He takes his trusty shovel and pats it against the inside of the hole. He then turns and swings the shovel over his shoulder. The camera pans out as more and more grave stones can be seen. Most look well kept, some even have fresh flowers placed in front of them. A couple of the gravesites look like they have been neglected, as if nobody cared about them. As Scorch walks away, he whistles a tune that to some seems strangely familiar.