New beginnings...RP #1

(The scene fades into an empty arena, where the janitors are still picking up after an apparent show. The arena lights are up, showing the vast size of the arena in comparison with the ring that sits in the center. In the distance, the camera catches a glimpse of a man in a black suit. It changes into the perspective of sitting behind his shoulder. As he shifts in his sit, he leans forward and watches the janitors as one passes in front of him.)

Sir, we are cleaning up, in case you are blind. So you need to get out.

(The man stands up, noticeably larger than the janitor. Judging by the look on the janitor’s face. The janitor, startled, steps back a bit. )

Or you can stay as long as you’d like.

(The man nods, sitting right back down assuming his previous position. He watches the man leave and slowly breathes in, as if taking in the essence of the arena. The camera pans towards the side of his face revealing his profile. Wearing black sunglasses, his face reads…nothing. He sits expressionless. He isn’t an overly large individual but is definitely a presence as he sits in a dark suit. He slowly takes off his sunglasses and lowers his head.)

Allow me to introduce myself. You see, in a perfect world, I shouldn’t have to do that. I have done more in this business than most will ever dream about doing. You see, my name is Caleb Hart. I am a man who has nothing to prove to the world. I am a man who has much to prove to himself. I am the paragon of excellence in this fickle industry. Yet, many of you have no clue who I am. In fact, you hear my name and wonder who I am, and what makes me different than all of the other posers that walk in and make grand threats. The reality is…I wonder the same thing.

(Caleb pauses, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought.)

When a man has been where I’ve been, it’s easy to call to question this thing that we call reality. I’ve seen heroes fall and villains rise. I’ve seen champions reign supreme and then self-destruct spectacularly. I’ve seen families torn asunder, relationships made and destroyed. I’ve seen death and life.

(Caleb smiles subtly, his visage coming into view as he steps fully into the screen. He’s changed a bit from the past. His once black hair is now blonde, yet his face still maintains his good lucks. His piercing blue eyes maintain their strength and fierceness.)

I’ve seen all of these things because I’ve lived them all. I am the epitome of how the mighty have fallen. I was once the best.

(He points towards the screen.)

Not arguably. There was no debate – I was the best. In the history of this business it was said that there were few like me, if any. I had hit highs that were thought unimaginable. I was the first 3 time CMW champion, the company that for many years was the standard bearer of excellence in this business. In the very best company, I was the very best performer.

(Caleb shakes his head, smirking.)

My, how the mighty have fallen.

(He begins to slowly pace the arena.)

At my peak, I was on every magazine cover, in movies and TV shows. I was about to transcend the business until…

(He freezes, regret building in his body language. Caleb smiles as he looks to the camera.)

Until I walked away. I had had enough. I had figured that I had done everything in my life that I could ever do. I had raised kids, I had made money. I had done everything. What else did I have to prove?...

Apparently everything.

I had chosen to walk away when I was at my peak, and unlike Barry Sanders of football fame, I shouldn’t have. Not one month after I had walked away, I had found myself in the gutter looking up. It’s amazing what riches can do. They can give you the life you’ve always wanted, and take it all away without giving you a reason why. So the question became this…

What’s left?

(Caleb smiles and walks towards the fan barrier. He hops over it and quickly slides into the ring. As he stands he grabs the ropes, remembering the feeling of the thousands of times he had hit them. )

What’s left is my future. They say that you never know pain until you know success. If that’s the case, then I must have been immensely successful. I have no more. I am a forgotten legend in this business…which goes to show that I am in fact no longer a legend but a lesson. A lesson to those who decide to walk away. Fame is fleeting, even the best can fall into the void. But I…

(Caleb approaches the camera.)

I have decided that I no longer am willing to fall into the void. I refuse to become just another person that speaks of their former glory. I will not be one of those legends that wants you to believe that what he says he has done is true. I plan on showing you. You will see me, and you will see another person who is coming in to lay claim to past glory. But I promise you this. My former glory has nothing to do with the future glory that I plan on having here in NLWF. I am not boasting that I am going to revolutionize this company. Instead, I will show you. Starting in my first week. If I am forced to start from the bottom and work my way up to the top, I am telling you that I will prove that every word that I speak is true. Every action I take is not one of chance, but a planned course of action. When it’s all said and done, and you’re finding yourself looking up at the lights and trying to understand what happened you will realize that you’ve just had a Hart Attack. And there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.

(Caleb stands in the center of the ring, surveying the arena, memories flooding his head. He holds out his hands as if welcoming someone.)

I am the past, present and future of this business, and starting this week, I am the present and future of this company. When it all comes down to it, you have only one option. You will fall. I am Caleb Hart. I am excellence personified. I am everything you wish you could be. And I’m everything you can’t and never will be.

(He holds his hands to his mouth, deliberating. His pocket vibrates loudly, interrupting the silence. He reaches to his pocket opening up his phone and reading it. He chuckles softly, approvingly.)

So it appears that I have my first match - A debut against two others who will be debuting as well, apparently. Now I’ll admit that when it comes down to it, it’s all about put up or shut up. But you see as I feel this once removed emotion coming back, I can’t help but find myself unable to shut up, and you can bank on me putting up.

Sun Tzu said that all warfare is based on deception. Your inability to truly know your opponent is one of those deceptions. I stand before my opponents as an open book. You can see me as I am where I stand. But the fact of the matter is this. There is no deception my part. When you are who I am, deception is impossible. I have no need to deceive anyone, much less my opponents. This week is going to be the first example of everything I have said I would be doing. And for my first example, I plan on destroying two newcomers as well.

You see, I’m used to being in these debut matches. The ones in which the owners put us in them to see if we will even show up. If we don’t show up then, sure, we are just a blip on the radar that is in this case NLWF.

(Caleb forcefully walks towards the camera as it zooms tight to his face.)

I am no blip. I am not a phase, nor a fad. I am everything owners hate – the newcomer who will talk the talk and walk the walk. When I get done with my two opponents this week, I will be coming for the Undisputed Championship. This isn’t a boast, this isn’t a threat, this is a promise. I will become Undisputed Champion. After what I saw this past week on Revolution, I don’t think I’ll have any problem backing up what I say this week.

(The camera fades back out.)

You know, it’s appropriate that this PPV is called 7 Sins. Sinning used to be one of my favorite things to do. My personal favorite? Lust.
No other sin can exist without lust. To kill, one must lust for blood. To have greed, one must lust for MORE. I'm sure you can figure out the rest. But lust can drive a man insane. Lust can drive a man to do things he never thought he could have done before. Or in my case, lust can drive a man to prove that he is not a fading memory, but is an ever growing phenomenon that has yet to hit its peak. And I can assure both of my opponents this week that despite the age; despite the wrinkles; I have yet to hit my peak. For the sake of both of my opponents this week…I hope I don’t peak this week. When it’s all said and done, the outcome of this match has already been decided. And when I’m standing over you, you’ll be wondering what happened. You’ll be wondering how it all came to this. You’ll be wondering what went wrong. But I can assure you that when I walk out the winner…nothing will have gone wrong.

In fact, it will have been…perfect.

(Caleb smirks into the camera as it focuses on his face, zooming in to his eyes, displaying the original fierce confidence, as the camera fades to black.)