A Logic to the Violence?

[Anthony Jordan]

INT. O2 ARENA – LONDON

The ring for Dominion has been set up. A ladder stands in the middle of the ring. KALMIN WATTS sits at the top of the ladder. For a bigger man, he is well-balanced. The shot zooms in on the upper half of his body.

WATTS

I’ve been a little quiet lately. I haven’t had to prepare for a British TV Title defense. I had my big match against Wesley Crane, then it was all about sitting around and waiting. He ran and hid from me in War Games in Hardkore World. The only way I can get back in the ring with him is to climb a ladder and grab…whatever’s gonna be hanging. I could make everyone else in the match tap out, and it wouldn’t mean anything. Facing five others in an obstacle course for a World Heavyweight Title match is different for a guy like me. A ring, one opponent, and clearly identified rules are what I’m used to. A ladder match feels like British Ninja Warrior to me.

Watts shrugs and stares off into the empty arena. He misses amateur wrestling and being one of the big men on campus at the University of Oklahoma. Globetrotting for a professional wrestling company is different. There’s no community. Everything’s different all the time. Sitting alone at the top of the ladder really isn’t any different than any other day. It’s a tough life. Money and glory only go so far. Couple all of these issues with the inherent nihilism of professional wrestling, and anyone, with any sanity, at least, would be questioning their life decisions.

WATTS

This match is gonna have people from all over the world and from different companies all trying to get a World Heavyweight Title shot. Me? I just want to win to get another shot at Wesley Crane. If I could get a West Coast Championship match against him in Hardkore World, I’d do that. That’s the difference between Crane and me. He’d only care about the bigger belt, the bigger trophy. Anything to feed his ego and show off how great he thinks he is. I don’t care about what other people think. I’d be happy to kick his ass in a Wal-Mart parking lot with no crowd. This isn’t a game to me. It’s not some money-making venture. Crane made this personal. He doesn’t respect me as a competitor or as a man, and that’s the whole problem. I can take an honest loss. I understand that there’s someone out in the world who’s going to be better than me. What I refuse to accept is that Wesley Crane is that man!

Watts shakes his head. What he’s not saying directly is how much Wesley Crane disgusts him. A smooth-talking New Yorker with soft, rich boy hands is not the archetype of manliness to someone from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Crane’s poor sportsmanship makes matters worse. Watts had a good chance to win at Legacy, but Crane took the easy way out. He cheated. If Crane had taken the loss with honor, Watts probably would have forgiven a lot of Crane’s asshole-ish behavior.

WATTS

But to have that chance to prove it, I got to compete against five others who I don’t even know. I don’t hate them or wish them ill-will. I take their insults the same way I deal with insults from people online: I don’t care. I doubt we’ll see much of each other after Dominion. I don’t want to hurt them, and I certainly don’t want to give them any serious injuries. There’s nothing personal with any of them. Hell, Sheik and I were on the same team against Crane and his boys in Hardkore World. We’re not friends, but we were able to co-exist. If Sheik or the rest of them have something against me, fine, but it’s one-sided. I just want to climb the ladder faster than them and win. I’ll then start getting ready to face Crane in July.

Watts stops and thinks about what he just said.

WATTS

Don’t take that personally, Ronnie Long. I think you’re a better man than Crane. I think you’re a better wrestler, too. I also think Crane has some under-handed tactic ready to make sure he escapes with the belt. Crane might talk out of his ass a lot, but he’s being honest when he says he always has a plan. I don’t know if it’s another wrench or one of his henchmen, but he’s got something ready for you. Given his track record, it’ll probably work. I don’t like it, but it’s how it is. The snake will slither away.

Watts was a little angry as he spoke. He does believe that Crane is a snake in every sense. This isn’t UFC or boxing where the competitors pretend to hate each other to sell buys of the PPVs. Watts genuinely dislikes Crane.

WATTS

And I’m in an obstacle course. (chuckles) This isn’t like Big 12 amateur wrestling at all. I always knew who I was wrestling and when I would wrestle them. Things change so much here, and I don’t always understand it. They call it “business”. Only one WUK title is being defended at Dominion. I’m still willing to hang the British TV Title from this hook behind me. Let the British TV Champion be the default Number One Contender. I love defending my title. I love competition. If they change their minds and go with it, that’s fine with me. I don’t know my opponents personally, but I know many of them have been champions in different companies. You could argue that the Sheik is the uncrowned HKW World Champion. He’s more than worthy of fighting for the WUK World Heavyweight Title. He’s tough, violent, and has never given up. You have to almost kill him to beat him. The Sheik isn’t afraid to die and go to Hell as long as he drags the rest of us with him. Yeah, it’s an obstacle course, but it’s a dangerous obstacle course.

Watts downplays it most of the time, but he understands that he could get mangled in this match at Dominion. Losing some blood and teeth while breaking some bones feels like the best-case scenario. Why would any reasonable person want to do this? The other five competitors seem to enjoy. They crave carnage and blood. Violence is part of who they are. From that point of view, everything is personal to them. They’re dialed up to 11 all the time. That’s something Watts doesn’t understand. He views competition having some kind of fraternal order serve as the backbone. There was some regional dislike, especially the University of Texas and Oklahoma State University, but his opponents weren’t barbarians. His opponents at Dominion? They’re barbarians. There’s an important fact when it comes to barbarians: you don’t have to hate them back for them to destroy you. They don’t care about the animosity you may or may not have.

WATTS

It doesn’t make any sense to go through this, but I have to go through this. I have to do this, if I want to get Crane back for what he did at Legacy…really, for his whole attitude for the last seven months. I also want to show the people that doing things the right way pays off. I don’t want kids thinking the only way to get ahead is to cheat or be a bloodthirsty animal. There’s a better way. I live it; I believe it; and I believe in it. You can be honorable, fair, and just. Those ideas belong in the world. If I don’t support them, who will? WUK doesn’t care about your moral character when they offer you a contract. Mr. Blood seems to prefer people who aren’t kind or just. He likes bastards…when he can control them. I’m better than that. We’re better than that! At Dominion, I’m gonna start proving it!

The camera zooms out as Watts looks around the empty arena, then fades to black.