Loaded RP2 {WHY YOU FIGHT}

5/8/12 – SAN FRANCISCO INT’L AIRPORT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA


Real funny, Aiden.

{Raider looks to see a big portly man, probably 6’6” or 6’7”, with resemblances to pop artist Cee-Lo Green, standing near baggage claim holding up a sign that reads, “BRAD REILLY.” He is dressed in a yellow velour tracksuit with a black bowler hat, a professional rubber ducky. He also has red Monster Headphones over his ears and he sways back and forth as if he were at an R&B club. He is anything but a smooth operator. Raider grabs his bags from the conveyor belt and heads towards the guy. As he gets closer, the guy picks up his pace and wildly throws his arms around, feeling the groove. The sign he holds is fiercely shaking all over the place. Raider busts out in laughter as he approaches the guy.}

RAIDER
Nice moves... I’m Brad.

{The guy hastily stops dancing and tries to make himself look as professional as possible. He removes his headphones from his ears and shakes Raider’s hand.}

B-GREEN
Hey baby, I’m Bubba Green, but you can call me B-Green.

RAIDER
Nice to meet you, B-Green. Are you my driver?

B-GREEN
No brotha, I’m the man to take you to ya car. And to make sure you get from one place to the otha with ease; it’s all about the smooth sailing, baby.

RAIDER
I hope it’s smoother than your dance moves. So you’re a bodyguard?

B-GREEN
I’m your bodyguard, boss. And don’t be hatin’ on the dance moves. Whatchu got, white boy?

{B-Green wildly spins around and lands in a Michael Jackson pose with one hand up, still holding the sign, and the other on his junk. Raider laughs to himself. The guy is burly, but he seems like he would be more likely to win a dance-off than a fight, and that’s saying a lot. This guy gives off more of a teddy bear vibe than that of a man that would cause harm to someone else.}

RAIDER
No offense, my agent told me someone would be meeting me here but I was expecting a driver, not a bodyguard. He’s full of surprises.

B-GREEN
Yeah, ya boy told me you ran into some problems a few days ago, so I am here to make sure none of that happens again. Now you got all ya stuff?

RAIDER
Yeah. By chance, has anyone ever told you that you look like…

B-GREEN
…Cee-Lo? He my cousin. He got the short end of the stick though; I got the good genes in the family… The looks… The moves… Can’t you tell?

{B-Green crosses his arm and strikes another pose. The sign is on the ground at this point. Both men break out into laughter.}

B-GREEN
I used to be his bodyguard but my mama told me she was tired of me workin under him and I needed to branch out. She tired of hearin all this talk of Cee-Lo and not enough of her baby boy. So you ready to roll, boss?

RAIDER
Ha, sure. Let’s go.

{The two walk out of the airport and to the limo that is waiting curbside. B-Green helps Raider put his bags in the trunk and then the two get into the vehicle. The driver pulls away from the airport.}

B-GREEN
So if you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like to be a professional wrestler?

RAIDER
Well, you stick with me long enough and you’ll get to see it first hand. The good, the bad, the ugly; it’s one big circus. I’m sure you’ve had your fare share of crazy working with a pop artist and being on the road, but this game is a little different.

B-GREEN
I feel you. I can’t wait to find out! I always wanted to get in a ring and throw some guy around and be like BLAM! And sit on his ass. That’d be my finisher, the Sit-Down! You don’t want this tub of love comin’ down on you! Nah, I’m just kiddin’ witchu. But you think there is a chance you can show me some moves one day?

RAIDER
Maybe one day, you just worry about watching my back outside of the arena and let me see your value first. Then we can talk about what your worth inside the ring.

{B-Green cracks a large smile.}

B-GREEN
Cool cool, my brotha. I think this thing gon’ be great for the boths of us. You smoke?

{B-Green pulls out a joint from under his black bowler hat.}

RAIDER
Not any more.

B-GREEN
Oh… sh*t. Well, you see, I got this medical marijuana card, and the doctor told me I have to smoke because of my anxiety and…

RAIDER
It’s all good, just not my thing.

B-GREEN
…Care if I do?

RAIDER
Go for it.

{B-Green puts his fist out, Raider gives him a pound, and B-Green blows it up. B-Green pulls his headphones over his ears and starts doing a little jig in his seat as he lights the joint. Raider turns his head, closes his eyes and fades out.}


<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>


WHAT’S IN A NAME
{RAIDER 1:3}


I thought long and hard about whom I wanted to be and what name would define me. What words people would associate with my name. I didn’t want a real gimmicky character like I had before; I wanted something that was closer to my real personality outside of the squared circle. I had a few days before I had to go back to management with my ideas. If I didn’t figure something out, they would for me. I had to come up with something.

During those days, I went home to see my family. My granda was visiting from the retirement center. Quick back-story: He was born in the early 1900’s in one of the worst slums of a poverty driven Ireland, in a small village outside of Dublin. He lived most of his life in Ireland; fighting for their independence from England, fighting with the Catholic Church, and fighting with each other. One day he got tired of all the fighting and decided to make the journey across the pond to the land of freedom, America. It was right after WWII when most of Europe was left in shambles. It was then he met my granma and started his family. He struggled most of his life but he fought, tooth and nail, to get everything he earned in life. He always had great advice and even better stories because of it. I knew he could help me.

Not even ten minutes into the conversation, he was rattling on about different terms for people from Ireland. Initially all from roman sources, he spouted off terms like the attacotti, the scoti and the gael. The last word, derived from the welsh gwyddel (meaning raiders) was eventually adopted by the Irish. He talked about how soldiers would ride on their horses down the roads with hostile intentions, planning to take over and conquer whatever they stumbled upon. He explained the act of raiding and how these soldiers seized opportunity and turned it into their own fortune. He told a story of the time he was a soldier and how he had to take what he wanted to make it in this world. If he didn’t, he would have never made it to America and been able to live the life he has led. He said I should go in and take whatever I can and go through whatever is necessary to make it to the top. He then defined the actual meaning of a raid, the point he was getting at. A predatory operation mounted against a competitor, especially an attempt to lure away the personnel or membership of a competing organization. He said to me that I should be a raider, just like he was as a soldier in his youth.

He even made a joke about how I was born a month after his favorite film, Raiders of the Losk Ark, was released in cinemas, and that was my calling. I told him I’d think about it and I’d let him know what I decided on over the next couple of days. He told me to stop acting like a donkeys’ arse; the decision was already made. Man, do I miss him. When he was right, he was right.

So, I took the idea to the AFRWF management and they approved. The foundation of the company was crumbling though, so before I even got to make an impact they shut their doors.

A few weeks later, some of the veterans in AFRWF and key investors collaborated together and opened up this new promotion, the WFWF. I was brought in right away. They gave me a nice contract and promised me a fair shot at success since I was snubbed in AFRWF. After signing all of the paperwork and getting cleared, I thought of what my granda said to me that day about being a raider. ”A predatory operation mounted against a competitor, especially an attempt to lure away the personnel of a competing organization.” I was lured into the WFWF from a shattered AFRWF, and I was going to plan my operation to become the biggest superstar of all time. It was decided.

And now, after all of those years, what was decided on that day still rings true.
The operation is still mounted against a competitor, but with the passing of time we all adapt and evolve. Adapted and evolved, now I look to define the word by an alternate meaning, “(i) A light, fast warship. (ii) A person who seizes control of a company. (iii) A person who works within an organization for the purpose of gathering evidence of wrongdoing.”

The raid of The New Epoch begins with David Brennan. And it ends with me.

I am Raider.


------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------


4/27/12 – RESEARCH


Aiden informed me the other day that we were getting together today to “do some research.” We’re just outside of New York City and headed west, but other than that, I have no idea what I’m in for. As much as I hate surprises, Aiden loves to spring stuff on me all the time. You’d think he’d learn after all of these years. I do give him credit though, he rarely disappoints.

AIDEN
Here.

{Aiden hands Raider a manila folder packed with papers crammed inside.}

AIDEN
While I get us to where we’re going, I want you to look through this folder. I’ve complied this information over the past few days and tried to stick with the important material. I think this will help you mentally prepare for what you are about to embark on.

{Raider looks down to the folder. He opens it to find on the left side a black and white photo of his upcoming opponent and member of The New Epoch, David Brennan. On the other side, there is a rather large stack of papers. The first document is the WFWF Biography of David Brennan. “Skinhead at heart. Violent by nature. Alcoholic by design.” Raider turns the page to the next document, a newspaper clipping. A lesser known history of Brennan. The headline reads, “Suspect still at large, local firefighters battle through the night to save club.” Below the headline is a picture of a group of firefighters on the hoses trying to contain a part of the fire. Below the photo is a list of names and one name in particular sticks out… David Brennan.}

RAIDER
He used to be a firefighter?

AIDEN
Indeed. Read the article. Goes on to talk about how him and his buddy, McShea, went all night looking for survivors and trying to contain the fire. He was a real hero that evening, or at least they make him out to be.

RAIDER
Just goes to show you, you can never judge a book by its cover. I mean I know I’ve had my far share of ups and downs, but I would have never placed a bet that this guy used to stand for something good. I mean even his biography headline reads, “Skinhead at heart. Violent by nature. Alocholic by design.” I wonder where it all went wrong?

AIDEN
Keep reading.

{Raider looks to the next document. Another news article. Nothing headline worthy, but it detailed Brennan’s departure from fire fighting and his aspirations into a new career, professional wrestling. Beside the article there was an advertisement that reads, “2nd Annual Leif Erikson Day Celebration, presented by Keystone United.” The next page detailed this event and the Keystone United, also known as the Keystone State Skinheads. The document explained that the KSS is a PA organization with chapters throughout the state in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Reading, and Allentown to name a few. The organization was founded in Harrisburg, PA in late 2001. Chapters began to spread throughout the state over the next few years. They grew in prominence by conducting a series of concerts in various venues all across the state. By the beginning of 2004, the KSS had become the largest group in the northeastern US. Publicly, they hold events to protest, inform through pamphlets, and sometimes even have picnics with other members and their families, but they’re not a group to mess with. Members are marked by tattoos of pit bulls or bulldogs within a chain or a keystone symbol. Their key values are blood and honor.}

RAIDER
Is this a gang Brennan is affiliated with?

AIDEN
I don’t have any ties to link the two. From what I have read though, the KSS is the biggest organization of skinheads in the northeast so I’d assume he has either dealt with members of this group or he is in fact affiliated with them. I just put that in there to give you an idea of their mentality, maybe Brennan holds true some of their values.

Blood and honor.

RAIDER
Yeah, they just left out the part about being an alcoholic.

AIDEN
Well, I don’t think they influenced that, but the guy has had a rough upbringing. His dad, Jack Brennan, is very well known over the northeast. He has guys that work for him behind the shadows from what I’ve heard. Any time Brennan stepped out of line, old daddy Jack was there to put him in his place. I think his dad played a big roll in getting Brennan signed to the WFWF, but the question I find myself pondering is when did his relationship with his father go sour? The guy came into the WFWF as an unknown and quickly became a hot prospect. Some even thought he would have already been WFWF Champion by now. But somewhere along the way, whether it be his father or the booze, Jack got a hold of him.

RAIDER
Or Kyzer.

AIDEN
Or Drakz.

RAIDER
I just can’t wrap my head around it. This guy, even with all of the skinhead stuff, which I am not particularly for, seemed like someone that would fight for the people and what’s right. I mean when I saw some of his first matches, he was one of the guys, along with Ace, I was going to try and recruit to go up against Kyzer and Drakz. I have to figure out what went wrong and why he changed.

{Raider goes back to the folder and continues to flip through the documents. He remains silent the rest of the trip. It has been a little over an hour and a half when Aiden exits off of the highway. The sign reads, “Welcome to Allentown.”}

RAIDER
Allentown?

AIDEN
Brennan’s hometown. I figured we could wonder around this place and see if we can find any answers.

{The two drive slowly through the town, looking at different places along the way. Buildings and factories are destroyed, abandoned, and decrepit. There is little sign of life. Houses have wooden windows, graffiti on the walls. They pass a few gas stations, ones that still have the old manual listing of the gas prices and barred windows to boot.}

AIDEN
It’s crazy to think this place used to be a true American town. You had your middle class blue-collar employees working for Bethlehem Steel, an industry that provided thousands of jobs in steel, shipbuilding and mining for the people that lived around this area. They made their living in an honest, hard-manual-labor work environment. They prided themselves on the living they made for their families, as they should have.

RAIDER
So what happened to this place? I feel like we’re in the slums.

AIDEN
We are. Allentown is one of hardest hit towns from the recession and is still largely at risk. Bethlehem Steel claimed bankruptcy in 2001 and what was left of the company was claimed by the International Steel Group in 2003. It left thousands of people without jobs and the middle class here quickly disappeared. As reports have shown in the past few years, the gap between the rich and the poor in America is at an all time record high. This place is an example of it. You look around; the rich that worked at the top tier of the industry left this place in the dust. The moved elsewhere, changed their professions, and found other means to stay atop. The struggling middle class had nowhere to go, with no new businesses coming in, and hung on the unemployment line until their last paycheck. Many thought things wound turn around, but this place is only getting worse.

RAIDER
So why are we here again? I know we’re doing research, and I get that Brennan is from here, but how does this help me prepare?

AIDEN
You wanted to know what changed with him. The change lies here, in his hometown. Brennan was a man of middle class. His father might have been a bit successful but it doesn’t seem like Brennan got any hand-me-outs. He worked here, as a firefighter, and provided for his community. He made an honest living. But it seems, whether someone else influenced him or he woke up one day wanting more, that he had to get out of this place.

RAIDER
I don’t blame him.

AIDEN
And that is the separation of people. Some are completely okay with just getting by and making enough for ends meat. Others want more out of life, people like myself, people like you, and people like Brennan. But with Brennan, I think he has this place in the back of his head and how he tried doing things the honest way. And I think the honest way just wasn’t cut out for him.

RAIDER
So you think this town’s fall from grace, a place that is a former shell of itself… Is the reason Brennan joined up with Kyzer and Drakz?

AIDEN
Let’s cut the sh*t and get to the point. Kyzer and Drakz are the end all, be all of the WFWF right now. The separation of class, from the rich to the poor, like this town, is only growing larger in the WFWF. Brennan saw that, and afraid to succumb to the lower class, much like he refused to do here, he barred arms with the strong. He is a fighter, Brad. But so are you. And that is why you fight. For the betterment of yourself, your friends, your family, and anything else you want or care about in this life. You have been fighting all of your life, through the good and the bad, and you have always risen to the top.

{Aiden takes a turn into a place where the sign reads, “The Liberty Barbarian Tavern.” It is a small, shoddy dive bar with a few cars in the parking lot.}

AIDEN
Let’s grab a beer and see if we can get anything out of the locals here.

RAIDER
This doesn’t look like that great of a place to mix it up with the locals. Are you sure this is the best idea?

AIDEN
Let’s see.

{They park the car and head in. There are a handful of guys in the back shooting pool and three other patrons scattered around the bar area. The bartender is an older man, he grunts at the sight of them.}

AIDEN
Two beers, please.

{The bartender grabs the beers and slides them their way.}

AIDEN
You see, Brad, in this world you have your mules, your horses, and your stallions. This place is full of mules. Where I work, at Warren Fortunes for example, we have a lot horses, but only a few stallions; they are a rarity. They are the ones that carry companies to greater heights and reach success levels that previously haven’t been set. They are the innovators, the creators, and the minds behind all operations. They are known for their agility, speed, and spirit, whether it is mental or physical.

RAIDER
I know you’re excited for the Kentucky Dirby next weekend, but are we really going to compare my situation to a bunch of horses?

AIDEN
Just stay with me. You see, these people…

{Aiden points to the three patrons at the bar and the guys playing pool in the back.}

AIDEN
…Will never make anything of themselves. They probably frequent this place after a days work and then go home to their families and are okay with that. The life of a lazy mule.

{The patrons start chiming in and the words they hear are not pleasant to their ears.}

AIDEN
The horses, or the middle class, breaks down into several different groups. You have your quarterbreds, your standardbreds, your anglo-arabians, just to name a few. They all have different positives and negatives, like the quarterbred is great at short distances, for example. They all benefit their owner in different ways to help them win. Brennan is like a quarterbred to Kyzer and Drakz… Two stallions. They are the cream of the crop and they use their intelligence to lour a horse like Brennan in to help them around the bend. Here is a guy, with this whole Survival of the Fittest Tournament coming up, that has a lot of pull. He has the opportunity to not only win it, but position himself for a World Title match and ultimately win the Championship. If he wins and Kyzer isn’t Champion, Kyzer and Drakz will find a way to help him win just so Brennan can hand the title back over to Kyzer. Hypothetically, if Kyzer gets past you and does regain the Championship and Brennan walks out the number one contender, we are in for one of the biggest shakedowns in the WFWF. Could you imagine… Main event time comes, Brennan versus Kyzer. Kyzer goes out and Brennan lays down for him?

RAIDER
I don’t think Brennan would…

AIDEN
Well, that’s were this whole thing gets interesting. Kyzer and Drakz could be using him to get what they want and dispose of him when he completes the mission. They knew, the second this tournament was announced, that neither of them could control who won because they can’t participate in it. Enter David Brennan. A young, brash guy that is a potential threat to them. Instead of doing business as usual, they pulled a fast one on this kid… I imagine the second something went wrong with his dad, when he was weak and needed a friend, they aided him. He’s a skinhead so I am sure he’s used to associating with different groups and gangs. They made him believe that they are there for him. The whole façade of ‘We are equal and if Kyzer doesn’t take the power back then Brennan will’ is a joke. No one buys that sh*t expect Brennan. And when he realizes, when that moment comes where Kyzer asks Brennan to lay down for him, either Brennan will wake the f**k up and return to the man he was in this ratty town…

{Aiden waves his hand around, toward the patrons again. One of the guys from the back is at the bar getting another drink.}

GUY
What’d you say, boy?

AIDEN
I wasn’t talking to you, don’t worry about it.

GUY
You ain’t coming into my bar and being disrespectful, boy, now what did you just say about my town?

{Aiden sighs and turns to Raider, trying to continue. Some of the other guys come from the back and head toward Aiden and Raider with the guy. They all have tattoos up and down their arms and in other places. The guy they are talking to has one specific tattoo on his throat; it is a pit-bull with a chain around it. They are all skinheads. Possible KSS members. They walk behind Aiden and the guy puts his arm on Aiden’s shoulder.}

GUY
Now, you better get out of here before something bad happens. This isn’t a place that is welcome to out of town yuppie f**ks like yourself and your friend.

RAIDER
Look, guys, my friend can be somewhat outspoken at times and he wasn’t meaning any harm. Let me just get a round of drinks for everybody and everyone can go back to what they were doing before. We don’t mean any harm.

{The guy walks over to Raider and gets in his face.}

GUY
I don’t want your money and I don’t want a drink from you, fagg*t. I only want you to leave, whether it is on your own or with our assistance.

{The guy turns and points to his friends. Raider puts his hands up like he doesn’t want a fight. Before anything else can happen, Aiden has grabbed his beer and blasted the bottle over the guys’ head! All of the guys then jump on Aiden and start kicking him. Raider takes his beer and then smashes it over another guys’ head. The two are outmatched, as it is five against two. The skinheads get in a few punches and there is some blood spilt until Raider starts fighting back long enough to get Aiden and get out of the front door. They run to the car and jump in as the guys make their way outside hootin’ and hollerin’ at them as they drive away.}

RAIDER
What the f**k, Aiden?

AIDEN
I didn’t expect that. Sorry. At least we’re alive.

RAIDER
Yeah, that’s the last thing I need right now. Getting into a fight before a big fight.

AIDEN
Well, like I was saying, whether it’s at a bar or in the ring, you know why you fight and you know why you have to win. You can’t have any group of guys come at you and censor you or tell you that you can’t say or do something. This is America, even in this crappy town, and you can go and do whatever you want wherever you want. Those skinheads didn’t own that bar and they had no right telling us what we could or couldn’t do. And The New Epoch doesn’t own WFWF and they don’t have that right, either. You have to be their reminder, Brad. And remember, Brennan is nothing but a horse. He might be smarter than those mules in the bar to get out of this town and want a better life for himself, but somewhere along the lines of the bottle, his family issues, Kyzer, or Drakz… David Brennan has forgotten why he fights. He lives in the shadows of the stallions…

RAIDER
…And at Loaded, the lights will be on me. Another loss for David Brennan.

AIDEN
I’m sure he’ll just drink his sorrows away anyway, after all he is an ‘alcoholic by design.’

{The two snicker at the headline of David Brennan. They get in the car and head back toward the City after an eventful day. Day has turned to night. Raider falls asleep during the ride and is woken by Aiden once they are back in the City and at Raider’s place.}

AIDEN
All right bro, I hope I was somewhat helpful today, other than the bar fight.

RAIDER
Yes, you were, bunghole. Thanks.

AIDEN
No problem. So I’ll be in contact with you in a few weeks, keep me updated on everything.

RAIDER
Sure, good luck going back to the office and working with Dirk. Don’t kill him. Or Gary. No, strike that; you can kill the kid.

AIDEN
I’ll try not to for my own sake… Later, bro.

RAIDER
Later.

{Raider heads inside the building and up to his apartment. He goes inside and sits on the couch, turns on the TV and flips to footage of David Brennan v. Ace Bennett from Loaded a few months ago. He didn’t get a chance to finish studying the footage before he went on his adventure to Allentown. All of a sudden his phone rings. It’s strange that it rings because it is probably 11 o’clock at night and nobody usually calls this hour, and not even Aiden. He shuffles around in his pocket before finally seeing that it is an unknown number from Nevada.}

Nevada?

{He puts the phone back in his pocket, ignoring the call. However as soon as it stops ringing, no less than five seconds later it rings once again. Agitated, Raider pulls his phone out once again and sees that it is the same number. This time, from fear of being called over 9,000 times in a row, he answers.}

RAIDER
Uhh… Hello?


Hello? Is this Raider?

Oh great, a fan. Looks like I’m going to have to change my number again.

RAIDER
Uh… Yeah… How did you get this number?


We need to talk; this is about my brother.

RAIDER
Who’s your brother? How did you get this number?


It’s not important. It’s about Ace. My name is Alicia; I’m his older sister.

That was a jolt. Must be really important if his family is calling me.

RAIDER
Is he hurt?

ALICIA
Not exactly.

RAIDER
Car accident?

ALICIA
No…

RAIDER
…Then what?

ALICIA
You didn’t even give me a chance to speak, now give me a second to explain myself. I know it’s weird getting phone calls from random numbers, but you have to see that this must be important if I’m calling you. You’re, like, his only friend right now.

RAIDER
Alright, shoot. Lay it on me.

ALICIA
Well, when Ace was a very young child, he began acting… Strange.

RAIDER
…It’s called puberty.

ALICIA
Would you listen to me? Can you go twenty seconds without making a joke?

RAIDER
After the day I’ve had, not really, but go ahead.

ALICIA
Anyways, it turns out that he has a form of split personality disorder. He turns into another person, I’m telling you. But this person is really bad, violent, uncontrollable... We had to send him to the mental hospital for evaluations. They put him on medicine to put this personality down.

RAIDER
I don’t understand what this has to do with anything. Ace is a grown man; he can take care of himself.

ALICIA
Has Ace been acting out of the normal lately? Violent?

RAIDER
Have you been watching the WFWF at all lately?

{And then it hit him. It all makes sense now.}

ALICIA
…Exactly. He stopped taking his medicine. And if we want to get the Ace that we are all familiar with back then we need to act. And quickly. Or else he’ll turn on everyone, including you.

RAIDER
Where do I come in with all of this?

ALICIA
You’re the only person he trusts right now. I need your help in getting me close to him. It’s my understanding that the WFWF is coming to Las Vegas for Survival of the Fittest. I live in Las Vegas. I don’t have this all hammered out yet, but I just am going to need you to bring him to me. I need to get him back to himself, or else more people are going to get maimed. And you could be one of those people.

RAIDER
He’s one of my only allies, so whatever I can do to help let me know.

ALICIA
Thank you so much Raider, I won’t keep you any longer.

RAIDER
Call me Brad, it just sounds odd when you refer to me in character. And keep me posted, I’ll try to keep an eye on Ace for the time being.

ALICIA
Thanks again, Brad. I’ll be in contact.