(FADEIN: The parking lot where two police cruisers sit with their lights flashing. From the front of the Pacific Coliseum three police officers emerge with Caitlyn Daymon, who is in handcuffs. Juliet Marceau is not far behind them.)
MARCEAU: "Isn’t there anything I can do to delay this until after the show?"
POLICEMAN1: " Karla Starr wants her to be taken into custody."
MARCEAU: "But she has a match here tonight!"
POLICEMAN2: "It doesn’t matter, Ms. Marceau. We can’t do anything about it if she wants to press charges."
MARCEAU: "What am I going to tell people?! They’re expecting her in that match!"
POLICEMAN1: "Well she won’t be there tonight. She’s going to be spending the night in jail and can’t be released until tomorrow on bail."
MARCEAU: "God dammit, just for another hour or so!"
POLICEMAN1: "There’s nothing we can do, ma’am."
(The officers get to the first cruiser and open the door. They put Caitlyn Daymon in the back of the cruiser and shut it. Daymon looks out at Marceau with a look that could kill.)
POLICEMAN2: "If I were you, I’d be down first thing in the morning and get her out… but make sure that this doesn’t happen again or else she could be in for a LOT longer next time."
MARCEAU: "Don’t you DARE tell me how to run my company."
POLICEMAN3: "The safety of your employees should be first on your list."
(The officers head to their respective cruisers and put their sirens on as they leave the parking lot. As this happens, the camera zooms around and focuses on Marceau, who is watching them leave, her bottom lip trembling with contempt. In the background, you can see a bunch of fans who are standing at the windows of the Pacific Coliseum watching the action going on outside.)
MARCEAU: "This is great … just great."
(CUTTO: Ringside.)
GHEORGHE: "CAITLYN DAYMON HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY THE POLICE!"
JIVE: "And it’s all Karla Starr’s fault!"
GHEORGHE: " Caitlyn Daymon attacked Karla Starr in the greenroom earlier and New ERA security caught her in the act … and Karla Starr demanded that she be taken into police custody … and now it seems that Caitlyn Daymon will NOT be in the fatal fourway match here in the main event to determine a #1 contender to the Women’s title!"
JIVE: "If you ask me, that’s a brilliant move by Starr. Starr knows that she is on Caitlyn Daymon’s hitlist … and if she can delay the inevitable as long as she can, then she doesn’t have to worry about feeling Daymon’s wrath!"
GHEORGHE: "Well, the show has got to keep moving, and up next we have the second of the first round matches to determine a new #1 contender to the Television title."
JIVE: "Cameron Cruise will face the winner of this match to determine the contender … and it’ll either be Jay or Jason Payne."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne came out during Cameron Cruise’s match and made sure that DREDD did not interfere … and Cameron Cruise ended up winning that match, but Jason Payne paid the price here tonight as DREDD totally destroyed his rental car."
JIVE: "They set it on fire, Tom!"
GHEORGHE: "Let’s head to the ring."
(CUTTO: Carl Jacobs standing in the ring. He clears his throat as the lineup for the next match comes on screen.)
JACOBS: "The following match is scheduled for one fall, has a thirty minute time limit … and is a first round match to in the tournament to determine a NEW #1 contender to the New ERA of Wrestling TELEVISION TITLE! (crowd pops) Introducing first…"
(CUEUP: ‘Huck It’ by the Offspring. The lights in the arena dim, and as soon as the guitars hit, a blue strobe lights flashes from above the curtain all the way down the ramp. Jay steps out and immediately tries to get the fans on their feet.)
JACOBS: "He stands six foot three and weighs 231 pounds …. Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky …… JAY!!!"
GHEORGHE: " Jay has had an up and down career so far in New ERA. Some weeks he looks like a talented technical wrestler, and other weeks it just seems like lady luck is not on his side."
JIVE: "He’s got some consistency issues, but maybe being in the Television title contender tournament will tighten him up."
JACOBS: "And his opponent…"
(CUEUP: ‘Dog of War’ by Pink Floyd. In the middle of the ramp, a few shots of pyrotechnics shoot up into the air, sounding like gunfire. They hit high in the arena and explode in a bright display. Jason Payne walks out after this and heads down to the ring.)
JACOBS: "He stands six foot six and weighs 275 pounds … from PAYNEVILLE, Kentucky …… he is ‘The DOG of WAR’ JASON PAYNE!"
(SFX: Bell rings.)
JIVE: "You know why they call it Payneville, right?"
GHEORGHE: "I don’t know."
JIVE: "Because the town is only populated by Jason Payne’s family."
GHEORGHE: "I don’t think that’s true.."
JIVE: "It is, I swear! They even have the highest marriage rate in the state of Kentucky!"
GHEORGHE: "OH NICK, STOP."
JIVE: "It’s not MY fault he’s a hick!"
GHEORGHE: "He’s a hick with an extensive military background, Nick … one that means actually being in war, not just simulating it on your desktop."
JIVE: "Get over it, Tom."
GHEORGHE: "Payne circles around Jay .. AND LOOK AT THAT!"
JIVE: "His head is shaved in the back… he’s got staples in there!"
GHEORGHE: "Payne was involved in a serious car accident just weeks ago .. and you can see the lacerations he’s got on the back of his head and on the top…"
JIVE: "He was cleared to wrestle tonight .. but that CAN’T feel good."
GHEORGHE: "Payne goes in for the leg … Jay tries to get out of the way, but Jason Payne takes him down to the mat and starts pounding him in the sides of the torso! Jason Payne now with some tough looking shots to the side of the body with his knees … and Jason Payne is off to a vicious start here tonight."
JIVE: "Well I’m assuming that he’s none too thrilled with DREDD’s actions earlier … so he’s taking it out on Jay."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne picks up Jay … and he drives another knee into the body of Jay! Jason Payne with an irish whip … BUT JAY REVERSES! Jason Payne goes into the ropes …. Comes back, DUCKS UNDER A JAY LARIAT ….. AND CATCHES HIM WITH A NECKBREAKER! Jason Payne with the cover …. ONE …. TWO—No! Jay kicks out!"
JIVE: " Jason Payne looks to be pretty sharp considering there’s a lot on his mind."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne moving quickly now … he turns Jay over … AND LOCKS ON THE CAMEL CLUTCH!"
JIVE: " Jason Payne is moving fast to try to make Jay immobile. I’m sure that he’s not in the best of shape, physically, that he’s been in the past."
GHEORGHE: "Well he’s also coming back from a terrible neck injury … and you can see all the work’s he’s done on his back and neck area to try to protect it from future damage. Jason Payne really working over the neck of Jay … he stands up a bit …. AND THEN JUMPS DOWN ON THE BACK OF JAY!"
JIVE: "The force of doing that helped Jay slip out of the camel clutch!"
GHEORGHE: " Jay is on the mat as Jason Payne picks up his legs …. AND JASON PAYNE CATAPULTS JAY RIGHT INTO THE CORNER! Jay hits the corner and stumbles backwards …. AND PAYNE CATCHES HIM WITH A SIDEWALK SLAM! ONE ……. TWO ….. KICKOUT!"
JIVE: "And even after the early punishment Jay still manages to kick out.. that tells you something about how much he wants this title shot."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne grabs ahold of the tights of Jay and drags him into the corner … he stands him up in the corner … AND NOW DRIVES FISTS INTO THE TORSO OF JAY!! He is using him like he’s a punching bag!"
JIVE: " Jay is trying to cover himself up … but I don’t think he can withstand those body blows much longer!! Jason Payne is a man on a mission, Tom."
GHEORGHE: "The referee finally telling Payne to open his fists … AND PAYNE NOW DRIVING HIS SHOULDER INTO THE MIDSECTION OF JAY! ‘The Dog of War’ continuing to drive his shoulder into the midsection … he finally lets up …"
(SFX: Crowd ‘whoooooos’)
GHEORGHE: "And now he’s nailing him in the chest with some knife edge chops!"
JIVE: "And Jay’s chest looks like someone burnt it with a cast iron … he’s got a red streak across his chest."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne is totally in control of this match … he hoists Jay onto his shoulder in the corner ….. AND RUNS INTO THE CENTER OF THE RING AND PLANTS HIM WITH A RUNNING POWERSLAM! Jay’s head bounced off the mat and he looks out! ONE ……… TWO …………. THR—NO! Jay kicks out at the last moment!"
JIVE: "Right now Jay is just looking to survive … I think any plans of attack he may have thought up before the match have totally left him as he’s being tossed around the ring like Kimo against Ken Shamrock."
GHEORGHE: "No one watches UFC anymore, Nick.."
JIVE: "Whaaaaaat?!"
GHEORGHE: "That was soooo mid-90s."
JIVE: "You’ve GOT to be kidding me…"
GHEORGHE: "Nope. Jason Payne now hooks one leg of Jay … and he turns him over in a one legged Boston Crab!! Jay is in pain … but I think Jason Payne might have him too close to the ring ropes, Nick!"
JIVE: " Jay is reaching for those ropes, but ‘the Dog of War’ has him just far enough away where we can’t even graze the ropes with his finger tips."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne leaning back … and now he’s using his free hand to grab ahold of one of Jay’s arms!! He is trying to restrict him even further from having a chance to get to the ropes!"
JIVE: " Jay is trying to muster up his strength to move even a bit forward."
GHEORGHE: " Jay is visibly straining himself as he tries to move forward … AND NOW HE IS TRYING TO USE HIS FREE LEG TO KICK JASON PAYNE!"
JIVE: "But Payne caught it!"
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne catches the free leg of Jay … and now he has the one-armed Boston Crab on Jay! BUT JAY USES THE SLIGHT DISTRACTION TO LURCH FORWARD AND HE HAS THE ROPES!"
JIVE: "That was pretty cheap by Jay… using a distraction like that to his advantage!"
GHEORGHE: "Aren’t you the one who’s always preaching that you gotta do what you gotta do?"
JIVE: "No."
GHEORGHE: "Hmm. Jason Payne back to his feet and he looks down at Jay with amusement in his eyes as Jay struggles to get to his feet using the ropes. Jay finally on his feet … Jason Payne comes in … BUT JAY FIRES A SHOT TO THE GUT! Jason Payne is doubled over … AND JAY WITH A SCHOOLBOY ROLLUP!! ONE ……… TWO ……… THR—NOOOOO! Jason Payne kicks out …. AND HE HOPS BACK TO HIS FEET AND DRIVES A BACK ELBOW SMASH INTO THE HEAD OF JAY!"
JIVE: " Jay almost turned this entire thing around in three quick seconds, Tom… Jason Payne was lucky that he has been in control of this match for so long and hasn’t suffered exhaustion .. or else he might not have been able to kick out in time."
GHEORGHE: "Payne is VERY alert, though .. and he hooks the arms of Jay …. AND DRIVES HIM INTO THE MAT WITH A DOUBLE UNDERHOOK DDT! Jason Payne with the pin ….. ONE ………. TWO …………… THR—NO! AGAIN JAY KICKS OUT! Payne grabs the head of Jay … AND HE LOCKS ON THE SLEEPER."
JIVE: "The kid hasn’t been on the offensive all match long, you’d think he’d realize this and just give in already."
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne is continuing to show his worth to New ERA … he came in for his first event at Battle BRAWL, and he almost walked out with the Television title."
JIVE: "If it weren’t for MWG wearing the cup and then tossing both him AND Cameron Cruise over the top rope, Jason Payne could have been the Television champion … but now he’s in this tournament … and having an easy time it seems with Jay."
GHEORGHE: "And should he win here tonight, he will face the man who he was eliminated with, Cameron Cruise, in the finals to see who would become the #1 contender to the Television title. Jason Payne now telling the referee to raise Jay’s arms … the referee picks up Jay’s arm ….. and it falls!"
REF: "ONE!"
GHEORGHE: "The referee picks up Jay’s arm again …. AND IT FALLS! One more time and Jason Payne will move on to the finals!"
REF: "TWO!"
GHEORGHE: "The referee picks up Jay’s arm a third time …… AND JASON PAYNE RELEASES THE HOLD AND JAY FALLS TO THE MAT!"
JIVE: "He’s not done yet! Jason Payne has so much aggression to release that he wants to beat on Jay some more!"
GHEORGHE: " Jason Payne … Payne now signaling that he’s going to put him down for good! Payne has Jay …. Payne with an irish whip to the ropes …. Jay on the return ………… AND JASON PAYNE CATCHES HIM FROM BEHIND ……… AND NAILS THE PAYNE KILLER!!! JASON PAYNE WITH THE FULL NELSON SLAM AS JAY CAME OFF THE ROPES…………. ONE ……………… TWO …………….. THREEE!!! Jason Payne is going to move on to face Cameron Cruise!"
(SFX: Bell rings.)
JIVE: " Jay never had a chance. Even with lacerations on his head, and a wrecked car in the parking lot, Jason Payne managed to outman Jay in the ring tonight."
JACOBS: "The winner of the match …. And moving on to face Cameron Cruise in the finals of the tournament to crown a new #1 Contender for the Television title ………. ‘the DOG OF WAR’ JASON PAYNE!"
(CUEUP: ‘Dog of War’ by Pink Floyd. Jason Payne throws his hands in the air and then gets out of the ring. As he begins walking up the rampway, a voice booms over the PA system.)
VOICE: "CUT THE MUSIC!"
(CUTTO: Jive and Gheorghe, along with all the fans, looking around.)
JIVE: "Who is that yelling, Tom?"
GHEORGHE: "I don’t know .. but I have a feeling we’re going to find out."
(Jason Payne stops short on the rampway as the voice once again booms over the loudspeakers.)
VOICE: "I SAID stop the music NOW!"
(Complying with the voice, the music stops. Everyone in the arena quiets down. Walking out to meet the eager eyes of the crowd, a man appears, with no entrance theme or pyro. A man just standing tall, maybe about six foot three and in the middle two hundred pounds with hazel eyes that flicker with something wicked and almost can’t be made out by his dirty blond shoulder length hair. This gentleman is dressed like a normal person off the street, no three piece suit nor garments made of the finest threads. A set of faded blue jeans and black Vans shoes which are some what tattered, with a black shirt fitting snuggly around his rock chiseled body. One hand is balled up in a fist while the other taps a folder against his leg as he stands there.)
GHEORGHE: "Oh come on .. we don’t need any more lunatics out here. Call security and get this lowlife out of here!!"
MAN: "I can already hear him now … GHEORGHE. Shut your non-yielding mouth right now … or help me God."
JIVE: "I guess he knows you too well, eh?"
GHEORGHE: "Stop it with your Canadian speak."
JIVE: "I’M NOT CANADIAN."
(The man continues to tap the folder against his leg. He then brings it up to his waist, and we see the New ERA of Wrestling logo emblazoned on a seal. He opens it up and pulls out a piece of paper.)
MAN: "Do you know what this is? A contract. For whom you ask? Myself! Just signed buy Juliet Marceau, the lovely Vice President. So Gheorghie-boy, call your rent a cops .. I'll need them to escort me to my dressing room. Now if you don't mind, I shall continue..."
(The man then lets go of the contract, and it flutters in the air down the ramp and lands at the feet of Jason Payne, who looks inquisitively at the man..)
MAN: "The name is Sean Senn. I'm 29 years old and I'm a Libra. Now that we are done with the formalities I'll get to the important part. Many wonder why I am standing in front of you all. Some may wonder way I interrupted someone during their time to enjoy victory! I'll answer those questions in due time, either by words or actions.. But the real reason I came out here was just to interrupt someone..."
JIVE: "Well at least he’s a cut and dry guy!"
GHEORGHE: "Where is security when you need them most?"
JIVE: "Probably still at the vending machines."
SENN: " Jason Payne. Oh I'm sorry, ‘The Dog of War’ Jason Payne! How are you, son! Quite the resume you have built for yourself. Not only in wrestling, but also in life!"
(Payne shoots daggers at Senn, who dodges them with a smirk that forms on his stone lined face. Opening his folder, Senn removes what looks to be a government form. Along with other official looking types of documents.)
SENN: "DD Form 214b, Jason! You know that number don't you? No? It’s your discharge papers! And I must say Jason... tisk tisk. Dishonorable! You punched an Officer… out cold, I might add! Now how are little children going to look up to you? You couldn't even finish out the job of defending our great nation! And to note other things in here, Art. 15's in the UCMJs! You... are a piece of work Jason.."
(Senn pauses as the crowd begins to jeer.)
GHEORGHE: "How did he get those?!"
JIVE: "I don’t know .. aren’t they public information or something?"
GHEORGHE: "Uh .. I don’t … really … know.."
SENN: "I'll have you know that I completed seven years of HONORABLE service to the Army and our nation. Finishing out as an E7 in the greatest fighting force in the world, a part of the elite fighting force; the Green Berets. Afterwards I was employed by the government, as an "adviser" of sorts. I have served in both Iraqi conflicts, Bosnia, The Falkland's with the British and in the Afghan war. Where as you had been on a little ship in a vast sea working on airplanes. And you couldn't even finish your simple…… easy……... SHORT contract with the Navy."
(Jason Payne is noticeably fuming as he is breathing much heavier than before. His hands are rolled up into fists beside him.)
SENN: "You call yourself ‘The Dog of War!’ I spit at you…. you don't even know the meaning! Have you ever performed low day combat jumps? Or had to drag your partner one-fourth of a click under fire? Have you ever had a friend DIE in your arms as he whispers his last goodbyes to his wife and kids? You have never OR WILL EVER see the things that I have. These things simmer inside your head and burns..."
GHEORGHE: "It looks like Sean Senn has taken exception to Jason Payne and his army record, Nick."
JIVE: "Payne WAS dishonorably discharged for striking an officer … and now Sean Senn is out here and he’s berating Payne about it!"
SENN: "No longer Jason Payne will you be known as ‘The Dog of War.’ Be fair warned, if you continue to use this self proclaimed title.. I'll bring the war to you, Jason. Can you survive The Call to Arms?"
(For a few seconds Senn, with his hazel eyes, looks as if he is trying to burn a hole through Jason Payne. Then he simply smiles and throws his mic down near the contract. Coldly turning his back, Senn walks away leaving Jason Payne alone, still clenching his fists and ready to snap on the ramp. Panning away from Senn, as he exits through the curtains, the camera comes upon the mic and contract on the ground.. then slowly fades up Jason Payne’s torso as it focuses on his face, which is visibly pissed off.)
GHEORGHE: "My God … we .. gotta take a commercial break…. We’ll be right back."
