Post by Gunner Hughes on Jan 7, 2013 20:54:21 GMT -5
The scene opens up backstage during the last edition of WBSW Live! A few fans with backstage passes are seen lingering around the water cooler talking to some WBSW superstars, and just then we see the WBSW Champion Gunner Hughes walking around the corner with a cellphone pressed to his ear. He's not in action tonight, so he’s dressed in his street clothes which consist of a pair of faded jeans, his black & orange signature T, a black and orange skull cap, and he also has the WBSW Championship draped over his shoulder. After a few moments of listening to the other party on the phone, he responds.
Gunner: “Yeah I heard, good choice too. He and I kind of have some old unfinished business to settle anyway. So two birds….one stone.”
Some muffled talking is heard coming from the phone.
Gunner: “Alright well gimme like five minutes and I’ll meet you in your office.”
Gunner hits a button to end the call, then places the phone in his inside jacket pocket before walking up to the water cooler. He reaches out to grab a cup from the dispenser, and just then a group of fans approach him and ask for an autograph. He smiles and obliges them, also letting them take a few pictures before they head off. He then turns back to the water cooler and finally gets himself a cup of water, and after he takes a drink and lowers the cup a smile slowly forms across his face.
Gunner: “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”
A man’s voice is then heard coming from behind Gunner.
Man: “I didn’t figure you would be.”
Gunner downs the rest of his water and tosses the empty cup into a nearby trashcan, then he turns around and the camera moves around behind him to reveal an older looking man with a newspaper in his hand relaxing in a chair in the lounge area near the water cooler. He folds up the paper and Gunner walks up and takes a seat next to him.
Man: “So how you been?”
Gunner smile and motions to the WBSW Championship that he has hanging over his shoulder.
Gunner: “How does it look like I’ve been?”
The man laughs.
Man: “Yeah, I heard you been busy.”
Gunner also laughs, but his being a sarcastic one.
Gunner: “You heard? Don’t act like you guys haven’t been watching me.”
The man pauses for a moment as he turns and looks at Gunner, then he turns back to look forward again and slowly nods his head.
Man: “Well it’s not like you’ve been exactly trying to fly under the radar. We heard about the yacht job you did in Cuba….putting videos on YouTube for the entire world to see. And then we heard a rumor that you went out and spend a chunk of money to buy your own night club? All the while parading around as the champion of a professional wrestling organization? You start making moves like that Gunner, and we get a little concerned. You were supposed to stay low profile from now on.”
Gunner nods his head and laughs.
Gunner: “Is that why your buddies wanted to interrogate me about the yacht? Here I thought my last opponent Steven Yellow was just trying to play some mind games with me and made an anonymous phone call or something, and instead this whole time it was you pulling some strings.”
Man: “We had nothing to do with that. You have to understand….not everybody in the bureau was up to speed on the arrangements that we had with you in the past. So when you go and do business with questionable characters like the ones whom you were spotted with in that video, well Gunner you have to expect that it would raise some questions.”
Gunner appears to get a little annoyed.
Gunner: “Questionable characters? I think you guys should all take a nice long look at yourselves in the mirror because the only thing that separates you guys from the men you seen in that video is a badge. Besides, I’m no fool….I knew what I was doing. No laws were broken in that video, and the ratings in the WBSW spiked that week from all of the hits that it got on YouTube. Even people who had never seen or heard a WBSW event started to tune into see what all the fuss was about. And if that little video got your panties in a twist, then you guys better brace yourselves because there’s plenty more where that came from! And as far as me spending chucks of money…..I pay my damned taxes, so what I spend my money on is no concern of yours!”
The man puts his hands up and starts to go on the defensive.
Man: “Look Gunner that’s not why I’m here. I’m only here to pass along some advice.”
Gunner looks amusingly at his old associate, unconvinced that any advice he has for him could be beneficial.
Gunner: “Advice huh? And what’s that?”
Man: “Examine all of your options.”
Gunner stares at the man for a moment, a bit of confusion beginning to wash over his face.
Gunner: “What do you mean?
Man: “A tiger can’t shed his stripes Gunner. Look at yourself…..a professional wrestler? You can try to play nice with these people here in this company all you want, but we both know who you really are and we both know that your real talents are being wasted in this company. Forget all of this wrestling nonsense and that championship belt, and just come back to doing what you’re good at. You remember how deep our pockets are…..how much money are you really making as a professional wrestler?”
Gunner thinks for a moment, remembering the fat paychecks that he used to cash while doing jobs for these people. But along with those paychecks always came a lot of risk, much more risk than he was willing to take outside the ring now that he’s a WBSW superstar. Gunner looks back at the man with an annoyed stare.
Gunner: “I’ve never been one to live frivolously. These days the money isn’t really that important to me anymore.”
The man laughs.
Man: “Don’t fool yourself Gunner, money is important to everybody.”
Gunner: “You know, this might be hard for a man like you to understand, but there are some things more valuable in this world than money. Walk away from this place? The WBSW is just now starting to blow up, we’re in the process of expanding into a completely new company with the North Atlantic Wrestling promotion, and you see this title belt? This says I’m the best wrestler here right now. Why in the hell would I would I walk away from that?”
Man: “So that’s your plan? To just spend the rest of your days pandering to the masses in the WBSW? All the while chasing down bail jumpers and repossessing sailboats in your spare time? That’s not really how I pictured a man with your skills spending his retirement.”
Gunner laughs.
Gunner: “Who’s retiring? My days of heavy contract work may be over, but nobody’s retiring. No…this is more of a rebirth….a new chapter in my life. I have a responsibility in the WBSW now, and a responsibility that I take pleasure in. I have enjoyed challenging myself inside the wrestling ring, and as you can see by this title belt I’m pretty damned good at it. And now I just found out that the next number one contender has been named, so here comes the next challenge, and the beginning of my plans to overcome it.”
The man pauses for a moment with a curious look on his face.
Man: “And what plans are those?”
Gunner smiles at the man, amused that this guy thinks he would actually reveal his gameplan for a title defense, even to somebody in his position and with nothing to do with the WBSW.
Gunner: “You don’t become the WBSW Champion by telling everybody your game plan. If you’re curious about that, I guess you’ll just have to stop at the ticket office on your way out and buy yourself a ticket for the next couple of shows.”
The man smiles.
Man: “Fair enough. I really wish you would reconsider our offer Gunner, but if this is what you want....then I actually wish you luck here in your new endeavor. But just remember….even though you’re trying to start a new chapter in your life, the old ones don’t always like to stay closed.”
Gunner thinks back on the assault by Steven Yellow, Billy Sandow, and Ricky Moses; the man who falsely claimed Gunner broke his arm during his days working as a bouncer in Portland. He rubs the back of his head, which is still slightly bruised.
Gunner: “Yeah, tell me about it. Even ones that were miswritten.”
Just then, a voice is heard coming from off camera.
Voice: “Hey Gunner…I thought you said five minutes?”
The camera view pans over to reveal WBSW reporter Barry Lincoln standing in the hallway with a microphone in his hand and another cameraman behind him. Gunner turns and stands up, and so does the man sitting next to him.
Gunner: “Yeah, I was on my way I was just…”
The man interrupts him.
Man: “Thanks again for the autograph champ…my son’s a huge fan.”
Gunner turns back around and the man grasps Gunner’s hand and shakes it, and Gunner looks down to see that the man placed his business card in his hand. He nods to Gunner and leans forward as he speaks in a low voice.
Man: “Just in case you ever want to revisit an old chapter or two.”
The man picks up his newspaper, then smiles at Barry as he turns and walks off. Gunner watches the man leave, just as Barry walks up.
Barry: “Quite a dad huh? Getting an autograph for his son. Nice of you to give it to him too.”
Gunner just smiles and nods
Gunner: “Yeah we’re both saints aren’t we?”
Barry: “Alright well are you ready to do this?”
Gunner: “Sure.”
Barry: “Ok, we’re over here in camera two over there.”
Barry walks over and takes his position in front of the other camera, and Gunner looks at the business card in his hand for a moment and appears to be in thought before he places it in his jacket pocket next to his cellphone and turns around to walk up to Barry. The cameraman behind camera two gives Barry the thumbs up and Barry then begins to speak.
Barry: “Hello everybody, Barry Lincoln here, and I’m backstage standing next to the WBSW Champion, Gunner Hughes, who has just learned who he will be defending his WBSW Championship against next…..”
The scene then slowly fades to black as Barry’s voice is heard continuing on with his Live 1 interview.
Gunner: “Yeah I heard, good choice too. He and I kind of have some old unfinished business to settle anyway. So two birds….one stone.”
Some muffled talking is heard coming from the phone.
Gunner: “Alright well gimme like five minutes and I’ll meet you in your office.”
Gunner hits a button to end the call, then places the phone in his inside jacket pocket before walking up to the water cooler. He reaches out to grab a cup from the dispenser, and just then a group of fans approach him and ask for an autograph. He smiles and obliges them, also letting them take a few pictures before they head off. He then turns back to the water cooler and finally gets himself a cup of water, and after he takes a drink and lowers the cup a smile slowly forms across his face.
Gunner: “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”
A man’s voice is then heard coming from behind Gunner.
Man: “I didn’t figure you would be.”
Gunner downs the rest of his water and tosses the empty cup into a nearby trashcan, then he turns around and the camera moves around behind him to reveal an older looking man with a newspaper in his hand relaxing in a chair in the lounge area near the water cooler. He folds up the paper and Gunner walks up and takes a seat next to him.
Man: “So how you been?”
Gunner smile and motions to the WBSW Championship that he has hanging over his shoulder.
Gunner: “How does it look like I’ve been?”
The man laughs.
Man: “Yeah, I heard you been busy.”
Gunner also laughs, but his being a sarcastic one.
Gunner: “You heard? Don’t act like you guys haven’t been watching me.”
The man pauses for a moment as he turns and looks at Gunner, then he turns back to look forward again and slowly nods his head.
Man: “Well it’s not like you’ve been exactly trying to fly under the radar. We heard about the yacht job you did in Cuba….putting videos on YouTube for the entire world to see. And then we heard a rumor that you went out and spend a chunk of money to buy your own night club? All the while parading around as the champion of a professional wrestling organization? You start making moves like that Gunner, and we get a little concerned. You were supposed to stay low profile from now on.”
Gunner nods his head and laughs.
Gunner: “Is that why your buddies wanted to interrogate me about the yacht? Here I thought my last opponent Steven Yellow was just trying to play some mind games with me and made an anonymous phone call or something, and instead this whole time it was you pulling some strings.”
Man: “We had nothing to do with that. You have to understand….not everybody in the bureau was up to speed on the arrangements that we had with you in the past. So when you go and do business with questionable characters like the ones whom you were spotted with in that video, well Gunner you have to expect that it would raise some questions.”
Gunner appears to get a little annoyed.
Gunner: “Questionable characters? I think you guys should all take a nice long look at yourselves in the mirror because the only thing that separates you guys from the men you seen in that video is a badge. Besides, I’m no fool….I knew what I was doing. No laws were broken in that video, and the ratings in the WBSW spiked that week from all of the hits that it got on YouTube. Even people who had never seen or heard a WBSW event started to tune into see what all the fuss was about. And if that little video got your panties in a twist, then you guys better brace yourselves because there’s plenty more where that came from! And as far as me spending chucks of money…..I pay my damned taxes, so what I spend my money on is no concern of yours!”
The man puts his hands up and starts to go on the defensive.
Man: “Look Gunner that’s not why I’m here. I’m only here to pass along some advice.”
Gunner looks amusingly at his old associate, unconvinced that any advice he has for him could be beneficial.
Gunner: “Advice huh? And what’s that?”
Man: “Examine all of your options.”
Gunner stares at the man for a moment, a bit of confusion beginning to wash over his face.
Gunner: “What do you mean?
Man: “A tiger can’t shed his stripes Gunner. Look at yourself…..a professional wrestler? You can try to play nice with these people here in this company all you want, but we both know who you really are and we both know that your real talents are being wasted in this company. Forget all of this wrestling nonsense and that championship belt, and just come back to doing what you’re good at. You remember how deep our pockets are…..how much money are you really making as a professional wrestler?”
Gunner thinks for a moment, remembering the fat paychecks that he used to cash while doing jobs for these people. But along with those paychecks always came a lot of risk, much more risk than he was willing to take outside the ring now that he’s a WBSW superstar. Gunner looks back at the man with an annoyed stare.
Gunner: “I’ve never been one to live frivolously. These days the money isn’t really that important to me anymore.”
The man laughs.
Man: “Don’t fool yourself Gunner, money is important to everybody.”
Gunner: “You know, this might be hard for a man like you to understand, but there are some things more valuable in this world than money. Walk away from this place? The WBSW is just now starting to blow up, we’re in the process of expanding into a completely new company with the North Atlantic Wrestling promotion, and you see this title belt? This says I’m the best wrestler here right now. Why in the hell would I would I walk away from that?”
Man: “So that’s your plan? To just spend the rest of your days pandering to the masses in the WBSW? All the while chasing down bail jumpers and repossessing sailboats in your spare time? That’s not really how I pictured a man with your skills spending his retirement.”
Gunner laughs.
Gunner: “Who’s retiring? My days of heavy contract work may be over, but nobody’s retiring. No…this is more of a rebirth….a new chapter in my life. I have a responsibility in the WBSW now, and a responsibility that I take pleasure in. I have enjoyed challenging myself inside the wrestling ring, and as you can see by this title belt I’m pretty damned good at it. And now I just found out that the next number one contender has been named, so here comes the next challenge, and the beginning of my plans to overcome it.”
The man pauses for a moment with a curious look on his face.
Man: “And what plans are those?”
Gunner smiles at the man, amused that this guy thinks he would actually reveal his gameplan for a title defense, even to somebody in his position and with nothing to do with the WBSW.
Gunner: “You don’t become the WBSW Champion by telling everybody your game plan. If you’re curious about that, I guess you’ll just have to stop at the ticket office on your way out and buy yourself a ticket for the next couple of shows.”
The man smiles.
Man: “Fair enough. I really wish you would reconsider our offer Gunner, but if this is what you want....then I actually wish you luck here in your new endeavor. But just remember….even though you’re trying to start a new chapter in your life, the old ones don’t always like to stay closed.”
Gunner thinks back on the assault by Steven Yellow, Billy Sandow, and Ricky Moses; the man who falsely claimed Gunner broke his arm during his days working as a bouncer in Portland. He rubs the back of his head, which is still slightly bruised.
Gunner: “Yeah, tell me about it. Even ones that were miswritten.”
Just then, a voice is heard coming from off camera.
Voice: “Hey Gunner…I thought you said five minutes?”
The camera view pans over to reveal WBSW reporter Barry Lincoln standing in the hallway with a microphone in his hand and another cameraman behind him. Gunner turns and stands up, and so does the man sitting next to him.
Gunner: “Yeah, I was on my way I was just…”
The man interrupts him.
Man: “Thanks again for the autograph champ…my son’s a huge fan.”
Gunner turns back around and the man grasps Gunner’s hand and shakes it, and Gunner looks down to see that the man placed his business card in his hand. He nods to Gunner and leans forward as he speaks in a low voice.
Man: “Just in case you ever want to revisit an old chapter or two.”
The man picks up his newspaper, then smiles at Barry as he turns and walks off. Gunner watches the man leave, just as Barry walks up.
Barry: “Quite a dad huh? Getting an autograph for his son. Nice of you to give it to him too.”
Gunner just smiles and nods
Gunner: “Yeah we’re both saints aren’t we?”
Barry: “Alright well are you ready to do this?”
Gunner: “Sure.”
Barry: “Ok, we’re over here in camera two over there.”
Barry walks over and takes his position in front of the other camera, and Gunner looks at the business card in his hand for a moment and appears to be in thought before he places it in his jacket pocket next to his cellphone and turns around to walk up to Barry. The cameraman behind camera two gives Barry the thumbs up and Barry then begins to speak.
Barry: “Hello everybody, Barry Lincoln here, and I’m backstage standing next to the WBSW Champion, Gunner Hughes, who has just learned who he will be defending his WBSW Championship against next…..”
The scene then slowly fades to black as Barry’s voice is heard continuing on with his Live 1 interview.