London Is Lovely
SCW London Brawling 2
SCW Roulette Championship
Travis Levitt © versus Griffin Hawkins
The scene opens up on a shot of the Union Jack flag, flying high above Buckingham Palace. Slowly the scene pulls back, until we see a shot of a pair of Queen's Guards standing tall at the Palace entry. These two men are standing as still as possible, and as the camera pulls back some more we see Travis Levitt standing there and staring sat them. The SCW Roulette Champion has his title over his shoulder, but he can't seem to take his eyes off the guards for a long few moments, before turning to look into the camera.
"Can you imagine being paid to just stand still all day? Thats your entire job. Get dressed up in some old relic of a uniform, come stand near a wall, and don't move at all for hours. No matter what distractions or sights appear, you aren't allowed to move. It has to be one of the toughest jobs in the world to be /that/ dedicated to standing still. I'd give them a tip of my cap, but they can't acknowledge it."
Travis turns to look back at the guards and then turns around fully, adjusting the title on his shoulder with a big smile stretching his lips.
"Now, speaking of old relics, lets talk about Griffin Hawkins. How's that for a segue? Griff, you know I like you. I've spent so many years watching as a man I call a friend, a good friend in fact, raves over you. Talks about how amazing you are, and how you're a legend of this business. And I admit, I feel that too. I know how good you've been. But the saddest part of this business, is not realising when your time is done at the plate. So many people miss their chance to truly take that step. To claim their spot at the top of the business. And yet, they still keep coming back again and again looking for their shot, without realising it already passed them by."
"Griff, you were the last and undefeated Internet Champion. Thats an accomplishment that no-one can take away from you. But instead of doing something with that, instead of seizing your chance and climbing to the next level....you just slipped away. Let that brass ring go and fell short. And now here it is in 2019, and you've come back looking for another crack at the brass ring. And there's a part of me, that wants to will you on. Wants to cheer for you. Wants to be out in those stands and watching you, and believing in you. Believing this is your time. This is your chance. You've still got that hunger in your eyes, I saw that last week. I know you can still go. And so, there's part of me that is pushing for you Hawkins. Part of me that wants to believe the old Rockstar has enough energy in his legs, and in his heart, to make that jump. But..."
Travis pauses and adjusts the title on his shoulder, holding onto it more tightly as he glances at it, and then back at the camera.
"The reality of the moment, is that your path to the top can't go around me. Can't go over me. And can't go under me. If you're going to make it to the top, its going to be because you put me down. And I just can't let that happen. See Griff, you and I have both fought to reach this point. We're both old school wrestling boys, with the business so deep in our blood that we just can't quit. We've both seen rock bottom, we've both seen the dazzling lights. And we've both spent most of our careers fighting to try and get higher. But thats not all we have in common. Is it Griff? See, we've both had our own addiction problems. Haven't we, Hawkins?"
"Now for you, it was younger. When you were stupider and more prone to mistakes. And you recovered, and you became the ROCKSTAR Griffin Hawkins. You won title after title and climbed as high as you could. Fought away from your silver spoon upbringing to try and be a man on your own feet. And you did it. You can stand in that ring today, and take pride in the reality that no-one got you there. YOU did that. YOU beat your demons, and YOU earned every last thing you've gotten. But some of us are still shaking off our demons, Griffin. Some of us still have that chip on our shoulder. Still have that albatross around our neck."
Levitt pauses now, reaching into his pocket and bringing out his sobriety chip. Holding it in his palm for a moment, and then clenching his hand around it and slipping it back into his pocket.
"Thats why I can't let you win, Hawkins. Its why I can't let this be the end of my story. Why I can't let you climb over me on your way up. Your path has to go through me, and I can't let it happen. This title.....it defines me now. It defines my career, my life, my everything. I'm not just some guy trying to make amends. Not just some former addict battling his demons. No, now I am defined as a CHAMPION! This title MAKES me. This title is MINE. And with every last bit of my strength in my body, I will fight to keep it. I will fight to stay champion. This is my time. My chance. My moment. I've fought for so long to get here. Fought through opponent after opponent, battle after battle, and never let myself yield. And that won't change now."
Travis lets out a breath and turns to point at the guards again even as he speaks.
"I'm like them, Griff. Just like them. I stand tall, NO! MATTER! WHAT! Whatever you throw at me, I won't yield. Whatever tricks you have, whatever plans you're hatching, they will.....they can NOT work. Because I AM the SCW Roulette Champion! I AM the Phoenix! And THIS is the Age of the Phoenix! So bring you best, Rockstar. Because at London Brawling, I want there to be no doubt about who is the SCW Roulette Champion."
Travis starts to walk off now, but he only gets a few steps away when his phone rings. Stopping and sighing, he pulls it out of his pocket and raises it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Twavie!"
A smile crosses his face as he recognizes the voice of Pandora Barrett and chuckles gently.
"Hey Panda Bear. Whats going on, Sweetie?"
"Well, I just opened up this letter from a certain SCW champion and it contained a round-trip plane ticket to London. Do you know anything about this?"
"You know, it does sound awfully familiar. Of course, a certain SCW Champion also upgraded his room to a suite, in the hopes a certain Malicious Mademoiselle might be flying over to join him for a few days."
There's a loud laugh on the other end and Travis can't help but smile at that sweet sound before Pandora is speaking again.
"Well, I think I might be able to push back the all sorts of nothing I had planned this week and come show you around London. I'll be there tomorrow."
"Great. Send me your arrival time and I'll be there. Love you, Panda."
"Love you too. I'll see you soon."
Travis hangs up the phone, slipping it into his pocket, and then reaching over to pat his other pocket. Holding it on that pocket for a moment and then nodding softly.
"This is going to be a big week."
And with that, Levitt walks away and the scene fades to black.
