Monday 9th June
The scene opens to show the hallway of the home of Simon Jones, in Las Vegas. It is a day and a half since Simon returned to Vegas for the first time since early April - having based himself in the UK for the duration of the tour of Africa - and barely twelve hours since he appeared at Climax Control. Simon - who is wearing a grey t-shirt and navy blue shorts - can be seen slowly pacing around the hallway, from side to side; this continues for a few more seconds, until the sound of a doorbell is heard, bringing Simon to a halt.
Simon: 'Finally.'
The camera pans to the left, as Simon walks towards the front door of the house; just away from the door, on the floor, by one of the walls, a black gym bag can be seen. Simon opens the door, and stood outside - wearing a green t-shirt and black tracksuit bottoms - is Jason O'Neil.
Simon: 'What took you so long?'
Simon gestures to Jason, to step inside.
Jason: 'Nice to see you, too.'
Jason enters the house; Simon shuts the door behind Jason, and then turns to face him.
Jason: 'And what do you mean, what took me so long? I didn't even let you know that I would be paying you a visit.'
Simon: 'True. But with you being aware that I was back in Vegas, I knew that it would only be a matter of time until you showed up here - in fact, I was surprised not to see you yesterday, before I left for Climax Control.'
Jason: 'Well, I assumed that you and Jacqui would be tired, after all of the travelling that you did on Saturday, so I thought that I would leave you alone yesterday, and let you rest.'
Simon replies in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Simon: 'How considerate of you.'
Simon then smirks.
Simon: 'I knew that you would show your face this morning though, for certain.'
Jason: 'Why were you so sure?'
Simon: 'Because I have a match in six days' time, which I need to get ready for. And not just any match, but a defence of my title - I knew that you wouldn't want to let me prepare for that match on my own.'
Jason: 'I don't know - I'm not sure that you need my help any more.'
Simon raises his eyebrows.
Simon: 'Oh yeah? And why's that?'
Jason: 'Well, you didn't too badly on your own, the past couple of months. While you were away from Vegas, you had four matches - three in SCW, one elsewhere - each of which you won; you showed that you don't need my help, for you to be successful at the top of SCW.'
Simon: 'Yeah, but the fact that you chose to remain in Vegas - rather than go back to the UK, with Jacqui and I - prevented me from being able to utilise your help, whether I wanted to or not.'
Jason: 'As I said, Simon - four matches, four wins; you're fully capable of being successful, preparing for matches on your own.'
Simon: 'Maybe - but given the option, I would still prefer to have your assistance. And besides, I didn't train entirely on my own, while I was in Cardiff; I didn't go looking for a training partner - but I ended up with one.'
Jason: 'Are you referring to that girl from the gym I've heard about - the one that Jacqui thought you were having an affair with? Natalie, I believe her name is.'
Simon nods his head.
Simon: 'Yes, that's her.'
Simon puts his hands on his hips, and shakes his head in disbelief.
Simon: 'Nothing gets past you, does it? For the past two months, I've been several thousands of miles away, and yet you still know what I've been getting up to.'
Jason gives a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
Jason: 'What can I say - I keep my ear to the ground.'
Jason glances around the hallway, before looking back to Simon.
Jason: 'What's the story with you and this Natalie?'
Simon: 'What is there to say?'
Now it is Simon's turn to shrug his shoulders.
Simon: 'It's like I told Erik Staggs last night: she's an aspiring wrestler, and I vowed that I would try to help her find an opening with a promotion, somewhere - and where better than SCW?'
Jason: 'But there must be more to it than that; how did you go from befriending her at the gym, to being in Erik Staggs' office, acting on her behalf?'
Simon: 'That's another story, for another day. For now, can we try to focus on the match that I have this Sunday, against Gene Banton Junior, please?'
Jason: 'If you insist.'
Jason holds his hands up in surrender.
Jason: 'There is something else I need to ask you about: is it true that you've been wrestling hurt?'
Simon: 'You're referring to the rumour that Kenny Chisholm gave life to, aren't you?'
Jason nods his head.
Simon: 'No, it's not true; the last time that I had to compete whilst injured, was when I was recovering from the injury to my knee, that I sustained at the hands of Casey Williams.'
Simon reaches down, to pat his left knee.
Simon: 'I'll show you exactly how injury-free I am, once we get to the gym.'
Simon rubs his chin.
Simon: 'Kenny did get at least one thing right, though.'
Jason: 'What's that?'
Simon: 'That I haven't lost a match since before the turn of the year. And that is a statistic that, with your help, I intend to keep intact beyond next Sunday - beyond my match with Gene Banton Junior.'
Jason: 'I'm confident that you chalk up another victory in the win column.'
Simon: 'I'm glad to hear it.'
Jason: 'So what about the other rumour I've heard, which relates to you?'
Simon frowns.
Simon: 'What other rumour?'
Jason: 'The rumour that you're going to be leaving SCW, to return to the UK on a permanent basis.'
Simon: 'Don't believe everything that you hear, Jase - I would have thought you had learned that by now.'
Simon looks down at the floor for a brief moment, before looking back at Jason.
Simon: 'As you already know, when Jacqui and I moved to Vegas from Halifax, in January, we signed a lease to rent this house for an initial six months - my guess is, someone has gotten wind of the fact that we haven't yet extended the lease, and has started a rumour based on that. However, I can assure you that my sights are firmly set on retaining the title against Gene Banton Junior on Sunday, walking into Into The Void III next month, as the Heavyweight Champion, and then walking out of Into The Void, still the SCW Heavyweight Champion.'
Jason: 'Okay, if that's your plan, well, I can get on board with that.'
Simon: 'Good. Because last year at Into The Void, I was the challenger for the Heavyweight Championship, who won the title - this year, I want to be the defending champion, who retains his title.'
Simon walks past Jason, to his gym bag, and bends down, to pick it up off the floor.
Simon: 'But for that to happen, I first need to overcome the challenge of Gene Banton Junior. So let's get down the gym, and start preparing for that match in earnest.'
Simon puts the shoulder strap of the bag over his right shoulder; he reaches for the door handle, but then turns back to look at Jason.
Simon: 'How have you occupied yourself for the past two months, without being able to put me through my paces?'
Jason: 'I found other ways to keep myself busy - my world doesn't revolve around you, just because you're the SCW Heavyweight Champion, you know.'
Simon: 'I know - I just hope that you kept your nose clean.'
Jason: 'I promise you that I did.'
Simon pulls open the door, but rather than stepping outside, he turns back to Jason again.
Simon: 'Did you see what Max Burke had to say a few weeks ago, about you and I?'
Jason: 'You mean, when he said that he was a fan of the pair of us?'
Simon nods his head.
Jason: 'I'll admit, after all of these years, it's nice to know that my name still means something to some people in wrestling.'
Jason takes a step forward, towards Simon.
Jason: 'You know, for what it's worth, I believe that you made the right decision, when you chose Sean Jackson to be your opponent at Chaos In Cape Town, rather than Burke, or anyone else; in my eyes, by beating Sean Jackson, you showed that you are the number one man in SCW at present - I'm not sure you would have gotten that from defeating any other opponent.'
Simon: 'And in the process, I got to win - and immediately retire - the ACW title; I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do that if I had selected Max Burke to be my opponent.'
Jason: 'If Burke was so eager to be given a match against you, he should have taken the opportunity to earn one, when he had it. But instead, he lost, and so Gene Banton Junior will be your opponent next Sunday, not Max Burke.'
Simon: 'Yeah, well, speaking of my match with Junior, I think we've stalled long enough - if we dilly-dally much longer, it will be to the detriment of my prospects of retaining the title. So come on, let's get going.'
With his head, Simon motions towards the open door.
Jason: 'Alright, champ; let's get to work.'
As Simon holds the door open, Jason steps outside the house; Simon then follows after Jason, and as he closes the door behind him, the scene fades to black.
Friday 13th June
The scene again opens to show part of Simon's home in Las Vegas - this time it is the living room, with a brown leather sofa visible opposite the camera. At first, the room is unoccupied - however, from the left-hand side, Simon soon walks into view, and takes up a position standing opposite the camera; he is wearing a long sleeve, red England football jersey - circa 1966 - and pale blue jeans.
Simon: 'Right, this will be probably be shorter than usual, as there's football to be watched.'
Simon takes a seat, on the sofa.
Simon: 'It may have escaped the attention of some of you, but yesterday in Sao Paulo, Brazil kicked off the World Cup against Croatia. Tomorrow, England get their campaign underway, against Italy, and so, with the match that I have scheduled for this Sunday, against Gene Banton Junior, I am hoping that this Friday the thirteenth will not be the prelude to an unlucky weekend for this Englishman.'
Simon gazes at the floor for a moment, before looking back to the camera.
Simon: 'Speaking of yesterday's match, just as it was about to kick off, my wife decided to test me, by standing next to the television, while wearing some particularly sexy lingerie; there was only ever going to be one winner in that scenario - and it wasn't Brazil.'
Simon shakes his head.
Simon: 'England are one of only eight countries to have ever won the World Cup; I am one of only eleven men to have won the SCW Heavyweight Championship. Unlike England, though, I am not still waiting to become champion for a second time. Now, admittedly, I would have preferred not to have had my first reign as champion come to an end, but, having lost the title and then subsequently regained it, I showed that me winning the title was no fluke. My second reign as champion has surpassed my first, both in terms of length, and number of successful title defences; it's also the third longest reign as Heavyweight Champion in SCW history, behind only Nick Jones and Spike Staggs - and I'm not done yet: I plan to defeat Gene Banton Junior on Sunday, and hold onto the title for a while longer yet.'
Simon rolls the sleeves of his jersey up, to just above his elbows.
Simon: 'Before I discuss the match that I have ahead of me this weekend, I guess that I ought to say something in response to the comments that were made by Sean Jackson last Sunday.'
Simon sighs.
Simon: 'I don't want to say too much about Sean Jackson - not when I should be focusing on the man that will be my opponent in two days' time, rather than the man that was my opponent nineteen days ago. What I will say for now, though, is that with Sean Jackson being so concerned about his version of the truth, the only truth that matters, is that I am the SCW Heavyweight Champion - not him.'
Simon leans back against the sofa.
Simon: 'You know, all of this talk from Sean Jackson about the truth, makes him sound like someone else that tried to become the SCW Heavyweight Champion - and failed: Damien Kingston. And preaching about what they believe to be the truth is not the only thing that Jackson and Kingston have in common: they can both count themselves among the group of opponents that I have beaten this year - as can Gene Banton Junior.'
Simon grins.
Simon: 'Yes, as I mentioned five days ago, during Climax Control, Junior and I have been opponents on one previous occasion, in the quarter-finals of the Blast from the Past tournament. That match was, of course, a mixed tag team match - but on Sunday, arrivederci, it's one on one. And while the type of match may be a different one to the match from three months ago, the crucial thing as far I am concerned, is to ensure that the outcome on Sunday is the same as it was three months ago - i.e. that I emerge victorious.'
Simon nods his head this time.
Simon: 'Gene Banton Junior is always accompanied at ringside by his father, Gene Banton Senior, and so I suppose if ever there was a day for him to win a title of some description, Sunday would be an appropriate day for him to do so - what with it being Father's Day. My father, on the other hand, will be several thousands of miles away, when Junior and I step into the six-sided ring on Sunday evening - in fact, by then it will be the early hours of Monday morning in the UK, rather than Father's Day, so I suppose that I will have to settle for giving my old man a belated reason to be proud of me this weekend.'
Simon glances around the room; he then looks back at the camera, and continues.
Simon: 'My career in wrestling can be divided into distinctive parts: there's the first part of my career, from 2001 to 2003, and the second part, which began when I joined ACW in November 2012, and continues to the present day. And while I think it's safe to say that I'm a better wrestler now than I was a dozen or so years ago, I also think that Junior is probably a better wrestler now than he was when we were opponents in March - I mean, he has to be, surely? At that time, he had only been in two matches in his wrestling career, and while that number has not increased greatly, he at least gained more experience since then.'
Simon leans forward, towards the camera, and rubs his chin.
Simon: 'Having said that, I've had more matches this year alone than Junior has had in his career, so the experience advantage is still well and truly lies with me - when something's good, it's never gone. And having won every match that I've had so far this year, I'm keen to keep that run going - and keep hold of the SCW heavyweight title. Will experience be a deciding factor on Sunday? We'll see.'
Simon shrugs his shoulders.
Simon: 'At Climax Control, when I go out to that ring, I'll be looking to express myself, and entertain the fans, as I always attempt to do. I know what I can do - I know that I can win, and even though things may not go my way at times, I won't give up the chase, which is how it should be. I'll try not to get caught out; I'll try to dictate the tempo of the match - slow or fast, at the right time.'
Simon smirks.
Simon: 'Junior, I don't have a master plan, per se; I'll hit you and hurt you - but I've got more than one way to beat you. On Sunday, I aim to let everyone see why I am the SCW Heavyweight Champion - and I don't plan to give the title away.'
Simon gets up from the sofa, rising to his feet.
Simon: 'So catch me if you can - cos I'm an England man.'
Simon pats the three lions crest on his jersey; he then walks out of view, in the direction from which he entered, and soon afterwards, the scene fades to black.
