The scene opens to a dark, cold residential street in England. The camera moves along the street until it finds a commercial property with a singular light on.
The next shot uncovers the location as “The Snake Pit” with its logo emblazoned on the glass door. Moments later, the camera quick cuts up the stairs to a floor with a gym, and a wrestling ring inside.
The first shot inside the gym we see is of the timer with twelve seconds left before the beeper is expected to go off. Next to it resides the digital clock informing us that it is 6:30 am. Sound from the gym starts to become louder as we can recognise the voice of OWEN barking out numbers.
The camera comes in further and reveals OWEN in a tracksuit and wrestling shoes in front of sweaty, young men who are in the course of an exercise routine.
The trainees set to the task of completing the routine while OWEN watches on.
OWEN: You want to be professional wrestlers? That’s why I’ve been asked to train you today, because your coach thinks you have what it takes.
OWEN: I don’t think so. From what I’ve seen, none of you have what it takes.
The trainees continue with attempting to complete the squats, sounding out the number of each completed squad loudly to an onlooking OWEN.
OWEN: You’re going to have to show me you want it. Show me that you want to learn wrestling the right way.
The camera cuts to further on in the session with trainees attempting to complete their pushups and OWEN placing a heavy bag on their back to test their determination.
OWEN: You think you are tired now, you think you are struggling now, this is nothing…
OWEN: Louder! I can’t hear you…
The trainees as a collective become louder as OWEN insists they shout out their completed repetition.
OWEN: You must treat the ring with respect… The sport with respect… You want to be professional wrestlers, you must hold your self to a higher standard.
The camera cuts to the trainees sweating as they complete their burpees. OWEN focuses in one trainee who is not quite giving it one hundred percent. He watches him for a few repetitions.
OWEN: Is that your best effort? Are you giving me one hundred percent?
The trainee improves his effort, as the rest of the trainees continue on with their burpees. As he comes up to stand on his feet, OWEN grabs the trainee by the collar of his sweat riddled t-shirt and with one hand rips and rags it off his body in a singular motion before lighting him up with a knife edge chop which sends the trainee to his knees.
OWEN: NOT GOOD ENOUGH! GET ON YOUR FEET AND DO THEM AGAIN!
The camera cuts to the trainees scattered around the ring, while one does bumping drills and then after a certain number of bumps, a new trainee takes his place and the rest adjust their positioning on the apron to make way.
OWEN watches on barking orders at them to improve their bumps, giving them the benefit of his experience.
Next, it cuts to an interview style shot with OWEN as the noise of the trainees exercising, bumping and honing their craft continues.
OWEN: El Parca should be scared. He should be doubting himself.
OWEN: El Parca achieved one of the quickest grand slams in OCW history. He turned on his best friend, Mark Reese, to chase singular success. He broke the arm of Harvey Hamilton Ocean and kicked his mother’s face for validation.
OWEN:
He pursued his old confidante Christian Garcia’s championship because he couldn’t stand the thought of ol’ CG having something that he’d just lost. He did all of that for validation. He did all of that because he knew deep down inside there was something telling him he wasn’t good enough.
OWEN: I’m not a professional wrestler because I need someone else’s validation. I don’t pursue championships because I want someone’s validation, approval or for anyone to like me.
OWEN:
I am a professional wrestler because this is a sport I have loved since I was a boy. Every day I get inside the ring, my sanctum, to show how wrestling should be done. To compete to the best of my abilities. To win.
OWEN: In sport, wins and losses matter. Reputation matters. Anyone who says otherwise is naive or a fool.
OWEN: El Parca knows this about me. That is why he is scared. He isn’t scared because he thinks I could hurt him inside the ring, he’s scared because he knows that I will do anything to represent, protect and defend my sanctum.
OWEN:
Defend this sport. He has made a mockery out of it for the last year, running around treating it like he is above this sport, above his friends and above consequences.
OWEN: You are a decorated competitor, Miguel. Gold fellows you wherever you go. But now…
OWEN: I will break you.
The camera cuts to OWEN inside the ring, at the center, with trainees lined up awaiting their fate. OWEN then sets about powerbombing each one, one after the other, as the scene and the sounds fade to black.
SECRET WARZ PAUL PUGH vs. RUST COHLE
Rust music hits, he comes out clapping on the ramp, all the way to the ring, Pugh takes some steps back.
Rust: Don’t worry I am not gonna hurt you.
He steps through the ropes and looks at Fake Rust laying on the outside, then looks back at Pugh.
Rust: Now calm down, I am actually here to congratulate you, not beat up some washed up HOFer, what would that make me ?
Rust strolls around a bit.
Rust: It is true what they say.. Old Yeller becomes more and more noisy as time passes, but since it’s been weeks you have been rumbling about your career, the past and comparing yourself to yours truly.. It is my turn now.
Pugh’s eyes bulge out of his head
Pugh: Who do you…
Rust: You shut the fuck up.
The crowd cheers as the intensity levels up.
Rust: You keep complaining about how people compare us and our careers. But I know you, I have known you since I stepped in this company, in fact.
Rust: Let’s have a stroll down memory lane, shall we ?
Rust: 2019 begins, CQC is still a part of TTT.. Yeah I know guys, some dark timeline. Paul Pugh comes back and starts his ascension to the top of relevancy, again. Accompanied by the rest of FAME, he battles Kassidy Hayes, the leader of my faction, and Harvey Ocean, the leader of Inception, over the highest prize in our sport, the OCW World Championship.
Rust: And congrats, on top of the mountain you go, you already know the ride. Paul Pugh is Champion once again. Rejoice people. But during that time, something happens, and you all know exactly where this is going.
Rust: Pugh complains about not having a competitor stepping forward to challenge him, there are names flying around, of course. But most were doing something else than engaging in long charades with one Paul Pugh. Understandable. But in that crowd of uncertainty, there is one name that keeps coming, and I know it makes its way to your ears more times than you’ll ever admit.
Rust: Rust Cohle is the matchup to make. Disregarded, of course. Thankfully I went on to bigger and better things and Doc “Don’t call him Green” took full advantage of that situation and I couldn’t be more happy.
Rust: And I know what is bothering you. It’s not the colors, it’s not the hairstyle, it’s not the slick tongue and my very familiar way of telling people like it is..
Rust: You are afraid.
Rust: Afraid for your legacy.. What if ? What if Rust Cohle, the guy you disregarded early on and did not even care about, what if his legacy eclipses yours ?
Rust: Look at the facts.. A Euro guy, a name everybody knows in this business, especially for his caliber matches, countless title reigns, matches of the year, Wrestlution and Summercide Main Events. An all time showdown with Dominion’s own Nate Ortiz, the same GTGOAT that retired you. And the only superstar that made Drago Cesar lace up his sneakers once again..
Rust: You can fool them by telling the universe that you don’t know what makes me special and why we are being compared. The truth is, you already know who I am and what is at stake for you. You are afraid of being out of sight. That is why you can’t quit.
Rust: You keep coming back, and as history shows us, you always come back for the highest prize. The World Title, Nate Ortiz, and now.. Me.
Rust: And you think you are going to have one up on me by attacking me. Twice.. You were always very clever with your abilities, on the mic, in the ring, even with tactics to get inside your opponents head. Successfully more times than not.
Rust: That time passed and I am now the staple of wrestling, but I am not alone. I have all these people with me, and some of the greatest superstars in history with me. You have nothing left but your legacy.. All alone.
He stops and looks at Pugh for a moment, who is now visibly angry.
Rust: I am not going to beat you up.. Tonight. I know a perfect way to end your madness.
Rust: Funny enough, I want to do this for the greater good.. And there is a perfect place for it.
Rust: Tomorrow Night, Animol House ! Rust Cohle vs Paul Pugh. One on One. First and Last time EVER.
Rust: Accept my challenge, and I’ll do everybody a service. Put you down, for good. Will you grow a pair and actually boot up to face something you never faced before ? Because you have never been in the ring with someone like the Franchize, French Five Star Factory, FrenchBlade Rust Cohle.
Rust: Ball is in your corner.
Rust drops the mic and smirks at Pugh as he goes through the ropes and goes up the stage in a chorus of cheers from the crowd. Pugh raises an eyebrow and a rye grin as we cut to the next thing.
Colin Locke is walking through the backstage area, a thousand thoughts a minute going through his mind having seen Maxx's outburst following their match. He seems to be mouthing to himself, doing vague hand gestures, as if trying to put things into place mentally before he comes across Stacy Clark.
Stacy: Colin! I had to catch you after that match, you can't be happy about what we just saw out there?
Colin straightens himself out, rolls his shoulders, and gets himself back into 'performance mode', so he can properly address OCW.
Colin: Look, personally, I am not overly fussed. Like, look at me and Maxx out there. Elliot is a legitimate title contender, Jared is a promising youngster, and we were carving them apart. I've gotta fight arguably the most powerful active wrestler on our roster at The Clash, I'm at the top of my game, and Maxx, he's about to go toe to toe with one of the best champions I've seen in my time here...
He sighs, and looks down slightly, obviously troubled by how Maxx acted.
Colin: We just had it today. No slight on the other guys, it wasn't their day, and everyone saw it. I will say that Jared disappointed me by accepting that win the way he did, but you live and learn, right? When someone tells you who they are, believe them and all that.
Stacy: But Maxx clearly saw it a different way out there-
Colin: -Maxx has been through hell. Look, I don't know what I can see sometimes in the back of his eyes, he'll never tell you what he went through against Kasstianity, but I get it. I do. I just hope Maxx can see the bigger picture, and push past this so he's on form for the go home show.
Colin's eyes widen for a second.
Colin: What's happened to me, I sound like Quartz?
Stacy: Well, Team OCW vs Kasstianity, it's the thing everyone's talking about, clearly it's running through your mind, and maybe weighing heavy on Maxx's mind, too!
Colin: Right.
Stacy seems to change tact, loosening up a little before going down another line of questioning.
Stacy: But, like you said, at The Clash, it's gonna come down to who wins between you and Harvey? How do you feel about that, competing for the top prize in OCW against someone like him?
There's a moment of pause while Colin tries to get his thoughts together.
Colin: Sounds awful, but... I don't know? I always thought that coming into a match this big I'd feel like Hercules or something, swaggering into the place, achieving the dreams of everyone in the crowd and everyone in the back... But I dunno, I can't get there. It's gonna be the hardest match of my career, and if I do this, everyone, whether they're Kasstianity, Team OCW, or whatever, everyone is gonna have their eyes on me.
Stacy: There is, of course, a very real chance that Kasstianity will walk out of The Clash without any of the titles, if Quartz retains, and if certain people show up in a men's title match, or in a women's title match...
Colin: Well, exactly. And what do you do when you burn a church down? You start from nothing. If I do what I think I can to Harvey in that ring, Colin Locke with the OCW title is gonna be a new beginning for me, not an endgame 'dream achieved' kind of thing. I think I'm starting to realise what it really means to be here. Thanks, Stacy, I'll see you around.
Colin gives her an appreciative nod before walking off, the segment slowly fading into the next as he does so.
REVENGE MATCH JOHN CARTER vs. RYU MATUSMOTO
In the ring, we find Jasmin Kaffee, wearing plain clothes and now sporting much darker hair, sitting in the center of the ring. There are some cheers, but the crowd is noticeably more muted than usual.
Jasmin: It’s been a rough few weeks. Really, more than weeks.
Jasmin: I’ve only been in OCW for a few months, now… but I’ve learned a lot about professional wrestling. And let me tell you, I knew this wasn’t ballet, but MAN…
Jasmin: It’s been tough. I went from undefeated MMA champion to a losing streak. From baddest woman on the planet to beaten into the ground.
Jasmin shrugs, looking around the crowd for a moment. Notably, there is a rather large contingent of people wearing TWC merchandise.
Jasmin: Deborah Soto.
The crowd suddenly explodes in boos, and Jasmin seems taken aback. After taking a moment to compose herself, she continues.
Jasmin: I remember when we first met, when you kicked my behind around the ring for a good seven or eight minutes.
Jasmin: But you were a good sport. A good person. You tried to be kind. You were the first person outside the Academy to try and do right by me, and it seems like I didn’t do right by you. So… I’m sorry. I truly am.
Jasmin: You’re wrong about one thing, though- I’m not like you girls. You all busted your humps to get to OCW, when I just got handed the position because some creep took a liking to me.
Jasmin: I’ve always felt guilty about that. Look at all that girls like you and Flojo and Ashley have done, and then look at me.
The crowd breaks out into loud chants of ‘You deserve it!’ If Jasmin was surprised before, she’s outright shocked now. Undeterred by her reaction, the crowd continues for a solid moment, leading Jasmin to cover her face for a brief moment, before speaking again. She speaks loudly, her voice thick with emotion.
Jasmin: But you’re DAMN right I work hard!
Jasmin: I came in here week after week and worked my butt off! I earned my way into the Future Investment match, and sure, I had that opportunity taken from me.
Jasmin is fired up now, leaning over the ropes and pointing at the hard cam as she continues her rant.
Jasmin: But you know what happened after Wrestlelution? I got back up again!
Jasmin: I came back and got back to work! And sure, I made some mistakes! You have every right to be angry, after everything we went through, but I’ll tell you right now you ain’t got NO DAMN RIGHT to look past me!
Jasmin steps off the ropes, running her free hand through her now jet-black hair. The crowd seems genuinely behind her, and she clearly wasn’t prepared for this reaction. This time, she doesn’t wait to compose herself or present a front.
Jasmin: I never wanted your pity! I wanted to be your friend, Deborah, but we’re past that now.
Jasmin: All I want now is to get back in a cage for the first time in almost a year, and FIGHT! So go ahead and bring your lil’ walkin’ boots and your selfie stick and your fake Gucci handbag, because you’re about to get what you paid for.
Jasmin: You want the real Jasmin Kaffee? You’re gonna get her, and then some!
