Cleansing Fire

[Roberto Verona]

{ Candles flicker softly in the large study of the IWF COO, Roberto Verona, as a large fire burns in the corner and a warm orange glow washes of the lacquered woodwork which adorns the walls. Verona stand in one corner, he eyes affixed to a row of replica champion ship belts. Slowly he treads along the length of his collection, passing the NCW X and National Championship’s which elicit a smile before his expression become much more sombre as he reaches the NCW World Championship. Roberto stares at the replica, his mind running over the events of the last broadcast of New Championship Wrestling. As he strokes his hand across the plate he hears the sound of the bell tolling, bringing an end to his lengthy reign as champion. He squints a little as light reflects from the name plate which bears his name, his memory flashing back to the sight of the spotlights shining down on him in his darkest moment. As he stares into the abyss, his nightmares beckoning him before a floorboard creaks behind him and we can see the figure of Hannah Reed standing in the door way. }

Hannah Reed: Hey…

{ Verona suddenly looks up, snapped out of his day dream. }

Roberto Verona: Sorry, I didn’t see you there.

Hannah Reed: It’s not like you to let somebody sneak up on you…

{ Hannah smiles. }

Hannah Reed: What were you doing?

Roberto Verona: Just… reminiscing.

Hannah Reed: You really miss it… don’t you?

{ Verona looks at her in confusion. }

Roberto Verona: Miss what?

Hannah Reed: Been inside the ring, chasing your dreams. It was such a big part of your life for so long, sometimes I forget you weren’t always wrestling with deadlines and contract negotiations.

Roberto Verona: Oh, I don’t know, I’m pretty sure in both respects I was stuck in a small space with people who wanted to beat the crap out of me.

{ Hannah laughs as Verona allows a small smile to creep over his lips. }

Roberto Verona: You’re right though… I spent so long fighting to build this place that I lost sight of the fact that, deep down, I enjoyed every minute I had between those ropes.

Hannah Reed: And now you’re tired of spending every minute signing papers…

Roberto Verona: Something like that…

{ Verona turns and walks towards Hannah. }

Roberto Verona: About before… I didn’t mean…

Hannah Reed: It’s ok, I should never have said anything.

Roberto Verona: That’s where you’re wrong, you were right.

Hannah Reed: I’m sorry, come again? Did you just admit somebody else was right?

{ Hannah grins wryly as Verona rolls his eyes. }

Roberto Verona: Don’t enjoy yourself too much.

Hannah Reed: Oh no, please continue telling me how right I am.

Roberto Verona: You were right, I can’t run this company by myself. Not if I want to become an active participant again at least. I understand that if I don’t we’ll never get a moment’s peace together, save for you stitching up my wounds again…

Hannah Reed: I’m sensing a but coming along here…

Roberto Verona: But…

Hannah Reed: There it is.

Roberto Verona: But I can’t just hand it back over to men I can’t trust. I’ve allowed them to act in my stead before, and look where it got us. Simon turned the entire Diamond’s roster against your sister and Angel Blake turned the company into his own personal playground. If somebody is going to help me run this place, it needs to be somebody I can trust, somebody who won’t use their position to undermine my authority.

Hannah Reed: Who exactly do you trust? Kat is already the Commissioner and Jake needs to focus on Gaither…

Roberto Verona: As much as I appreciate the Conway’s efforts, I seriously doubt they’d be willing to trade a near total lack of personal time for a little more power. You can hardly separate them at the best of times.

{ Verona pauses. }

Roberto Verona: No, it’s my responsibility to ensure this business is in the hands of somebody I can trust to keep people’s best interests at heart.

Hannah Reed: That’s all well and good, but I’m not hearing any names.

{ Roberto smiles. }

Roberto Verona: I have just the man in mind. And I’ll introduce you both at Sacrifice.

So, here we are, Alex. 

A story almost two years in the making. 

Deep down, I knew, you knew, that this would come full circle and what is more fitting for us to finally share the same ring once again, one on one, for the biggest prize in your business. There is no stage that is otherwise befitting for the return leg of this rivalry we have going and if the stakes were any lower, it’d not be worthy of either of us. 

Whatever I may think of you as a man, and believe me it isn’t complimentary, I know full well the ability you possess inside a squared circle. 

Granted, many people have questioned you over the years, the constant near misses, the choke jobs and hell, even the screw jobs. Yet, you proved them all wrong, didn’t you? Finally Alex Jones stood up, with the Joker in the Pack contract, and proved his quality to the world by removing that belt from the grasp of Mike Laszlo. 

I’m sure the relief when Jess’ music didn’t hit was palpable. 

I suppose, in that case, some congratulations are in order, albeit belated, though I regret to inform you that it comes will ill tidings. There is a debt to be repaid, and I fully intend to collect it. At A Night to Remember you took something of mine, something very precious and now… 

Now I’ve come to reclaim it. 

The good old fashioned way. 

You see, contrary to standard pro-wrestling protocol, this weekend couldn’t be any simpler Alex. No more bullshit, no more pointless side stories and no more melodrama. You have something I want and I’m going to take it. Whilst the petulant children who form the rank and file of men champing at the bit for a shot at this belt like to think I’m unfair, I’m going to become the Imperial champion in the most democratic way possible. 

By kicking your teeth down your throat and pinning what’s left you of the mat for a three counts. 

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring us the most pleasure. 

You said it yourself, Alex, you understand me. You know damn well that I could have made this match incredibly one-sided, I could have stacked the odds against you, fuck I’m not an imbecile I could have simply stripped you of the title and wrapped it around my waist and marched on to slap Renée around myself. Yet, I haven’t, despite my incontestable power. 

Because I have always believed in the purity of fair competition. 

All of the crap I’ve pulled to hold Pleasant down? It’s a party trick, a pantomime, all designed to fire the little degenerate up and get him right where I want him. If I truly wanted to oppress the oversized joke, I’d strip him over his title shot, have Hannah terminate his contract and kick him to the curb with a year-long no compete clause on his record. 

Everything I have done is all part of the pantomime of professional wrestling. 

Yet, when it comes to the integrity of my company’s premier belts? That isn’t something I plan to denigrate in the name of getting inside somebody’s head because I understand the importance of raising it onto the correct platform, better than any other. Two years ago you and I went to war for a belt that I spent over six months building into something that mattered, and all of my work was snatched from me in an instant. 

The moment that lime-light hogging bitch skipped down to the ring next to that grinning imbecile Xavier Cross. 

I’ve seen how much that moment haunts you, the mocking jeers ringing in your psyche every time you close your eyes, torturing you so much that it drove you to whore out your own lover to manoeuvre yourself into a position to clinch that belt to silence them. Yet, as much as that moment has been etched in your memory since the moment we left NCW, it has been burned into mine. I put my blood, sweat and tears into that belt to make it everything it was only to see that legacy pissed on to satisfy the whims of an ego-driven bitch intent on humiliating you one last time. 

Nobody appreciates and understand the importance of upholding the integrity of a title more than me. 

That’s why, this weekend, there won’t be any parlour tricks, there won’t be any showmanship and there won’t be any underhanded tactics. I am going to dust off my boots, strap on my gloves and beat you fair and square, in the middle of that ring. We are going to go out there and remind people why we are amongst the best in the world, and I am going to prove to everybody that I’m not some washed up has been who likes to run his mouth and abuse his position. 

Even if watching guys like Rob Diamond zip-tied in a pool of blood makes all the paperwork worthwhile. 

Personal feelings will go out of the window the moment that bell rings, it doesn’t matter whether we respect one another as competitors, it doesn’t matter what I think about your personal life and it sure as shit won’t matter what you think about my ability to run this company. I have always been able to separate my emotions from my single-minded focus inside that ring and this weekend won’t be any different. 

I will do everything it takes to walk out of Convergence as the legitimate Imperial champion and do that belt justice. 

I promise you that. 

What do you get in return? You get to face a man who you can truly call worthy, somebody that can call themselves an icon in this business and you can create a defining moment in your career, albeit a moment tinged in the ignominy of defeat. You see, underneath all that bravado, all that cock sure attitude, deep down I know you. You live to prove yourself, week in, week out, you crave the adoration of the fans and your colleagues, even at the expense of your respect. Why? 

So you can prove to the world that you’re the best. 

This weekend is your opportunity to prove how far you’ve come against one of the biggest names this business has ever produced, to show the world that you deserve to have your name whispered alongside men like me… to become an icon. It is within your grasp, Alex, the question is are you going to take it or will you be just another has been who traded it all for a chance to hold onto the gold desperately asking whether the expense was worth it? 

At Convergence, our pasts will collide. I fully intend to accomplish my aims. 

And I will vanquish my own demons of that summer’s eve. 

For good.