The scene opens with a swimming pool filling much of the view. In the pool, wearing a pair of black shorts, is a lone, dark-haired male, who is swimming from right to left, doing breaststroke; as he swims, there is noticeably less movement in his left leg than in his right leg. The face of the man in the pool is obscured, but an indication as to his identity is given by the presence - stood on the edge of the far side of the pool - of Jason O'Neil, who is wearing a pair of dark blue flip-flops, red shorts, and a green t-shirt, printed on which - in white - are the words "Gettin' Lucky In Kentucky;" Jason is walking from right to left, matching the pace of the swimmer. Behind Jason is a row of benches, and visible on top of the far right bench, is a blue towel.
As the swimmer nears the end of the pool that is on the left-hand side of the shot, Jason claps his hands and shouts some encouragement.
Jason: 'Come on Simon, one more length of the pool after this one, and then you can call it a day.'
As he reaches the wall, the swimmer turns to go back in the opposite direction - pushing off the wall with his right foot - and it can now be seen that the man in the pool is indeed Simon Jones; Simon changes from doing breaststroke to doing front crawl, and as he swims from left to right, Jason walks in that same direction, again matching the pace at which Simon is swimming.
Jason: 'Come on, finish with a flourish.'
Once Simon reaches the end of the pool on the right-hand side of the shot, he touches the wall and then swims towards the far side of the pool, by where Jason is now standing. Simon places both hands on a pool ladder, which he then climbs slowly, hindered by only being able to use his right leg. When Simon gets to the top of the ladder, Jason extends his right hand towards him, which Simon grabs hold of, and then hops from the ladder, onto the poolside. Releasing Jason's hand from his grasp, Simon then hops towards the benches and takes a seat, gingerly; as he puts his left foot completely down on the floor, Simon can be heard to wince. Jason walks over to the benches and picks up the towel - which he hands to Simon - and then sits down to the right of Simon; the camera zooms in on the two men, who both gaze in the direction of the pool, whilst Simon begins to dry himself with the towel.
Jason: 'That was a good session, I think it was a slight improvement on yesterday. Unfortunately for you though, the match this Sunday in Tortola is going to be taking place inside a ring, on Cane Garden Bay, not out in the Atlantic Ocean, next to the bay. So it would help if, come Sunday, you were actually able to walk down to the ring. But at present, you still can't kick with your left leg when you're swimming, and unlike walking, that doesn't even require you to put any weight on the leg.'
Jason turns his head to look at Simon.
Jason: 'Are you sure about this Simon? About going ahead with the match, I mean.'
Simon stops drying himself and puts the towel over his left shoulder, before turning to look at Jason.
Simon: 'Yes, I'm sure: the swelling is reducing with each passing day, so by Sunday, I'm hopeful that I'll have recovered enough to be able to walk to the ring - or at least limp to the ring, rather than having to hop.'
Jason: 'Yeah, that would be an embarrassing sight, if you were reduced to hopping about at ringside - it certainly wouldn't be one for the highlight reel.'
The pair share a laugh.
Jason: 'But seriously, I'm not really concerned about whether or not you're going to be able to walk to the match - I'm concerned about how you're going to cope during the match, and about what could potentially happen to you.'
Simon looks Jason up and down.
Simon: 'Worrying doesn't suit you Jason - you should leave that to my wife.'
Jason: 'Simon, I'm serious. I know the swelling has gone down since last Sunday, but by the time you step into that ring, there is no chance whatsoever that your knee will have fully healed - by competing in this match, you're only going to worsen the injury. You should be glad that Casey Williams didn't do greater damage to your knee, and that the ligaments are only strained. But one wrong move against Goth, and you could end up with a torn ligament - and if that happens, you can forget about being the SCW Heavyweight Champion again any time soon.'
Simon: 'It's because of that very championship that I
have to compete in this match.'
Jason: 'What?'
Simon: 'Cast your mind back seven and a half weeks, to the previous occasion when I was in a mixed tag team match, a match in which Roxi Johnson was my partner - as she will be this Sunday - and Gabriel and Odette Ryder were our opponents. I'm sure you remember what happened in that match: Gabriel pinned me, and after having been out of the title hunt for a prolonged period, he was suddenly propelled into being one of my five opponents in the main event at Summer XXXTreme. On Sunday, it'll be a role reversal from two months ago, as this time I'll be the man without the title, and if I can defeat Goth - just like Gabriel defeated me - I'll push myself right towards the front of the queue, with another shot at the SCW Heavyweight Championship likely to then be not too far away.'
Simon turns his head to look towards the pool.
Simon: 'Besides, in any match that I participate in, I'm only ever one wrong move away from suffering a serious injury.'
Jason: 'True, but given the current state of your left knee, you're more susceptible now to such an injury than you would normally be.'
Simon turns back to face Jason.
Simon: 'Two weeks ago, you were doing everything that you could to try to persuade me to go to Aruba for Climax Control: you told me that I shouldn't feel sorry for myself - much like Spike Staggs did this past Sunday; you told me that I should go to Aruba to take on Gabriel, that a win against him would do wonders for my confidence, and that it would put me right back on the path towards heavyweight title. But now, when I actually do want to attend Climax Control - when I do want to compete - you're trying to convince me not to.'
Jason: 'Yeah, well, two weeks ago you had a full range of motion in your left knee; how do you expect to be able to survive once you're in the ring with Goth, when at present, you can't even manage to do something as simple as walking from your living room to your kitchen? You know the idiom about "a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest" - if you set foot in the ring on Sunday, you'll be living that phrase.'
Simon: 'I won't be going to Climax Control with the aim of merely surviving - I'll be going there with every intention of winning, bad knee or not. I know you're right that my knee won't have fully healed by Sunday, so I accept that there's going to be limitations with regards to what manoeuvres I'll be capable of executing, but that's just something that I'll have to work around, and try to make the best of an unfortunate situation - I'm not going to be the first wrestler to participate in a match whilst hurt, and I definitely won't be the last. So, instead of spending the next few days continuing to question whether or not I've made the correct choice, what I need from you, Jason, is to aid me in preparing for the mixed tag team match, and to help me formulate a strategy for the match, just like you did for the world cruiserweight title match against Vixen and the SCW heavyweight title match against Jordan Williams, so that this Sunday I can emerge victorious - just like I did in each of those two matches.'
Jason sighs.
Jason: 'I'm not going to be able to talk you out of going to Tortola, am I?'
Simon shakes his head.
Simon: 'Nope.'
Jason: 'Fine, if you've got your mind set on appearing at Climax Control, then I'll provide you with all of the assistance that I can, to try to give you the best chance of being successful. But I have to ask, where has this new-found confidence come from? Two weeks ago I struggled to get you to leave the garden, whereas this week it seems like no-one is going to be able to stop you from boarding a plane to the Virgin Islands - what has changed?'
Simon: 'After being at the show last Sunday, after being around the other wrestlers again and soaking up the atmosphere, I'm keen to get back in the ring - I'm keen to go up against Goth and to begin to show everyone that, although I may no longer be the SCW Heavyweight Champion, it was no fluke that I held that title. As for the improvement in my morale, I probably have you and Jacqui to thank for that, following all of the words of reassurance that you have been giving me. Plus, the conversation that I had with Spike Staggs didn't do any harm.'
Jason raises his eyebrows.
Jason: 'Does that mean that you're going to accept his offer to join the New X-Tremes, then?'
Simon shrugs his shoulders.
Simon: 'I don't know, I haven't decided yet - Spike was certainly assertive in his efforts to try to emphasise what a benefit it would be to me if I did join NXT, but I still need more time to think about whether it would be the right thing for my career.'
Jason glances at the pool, before looking back to Simon; he then rises from the bench.
Jason: 'Well, if we're going to devise a plan for how you're going to beat Goth - and Gothika - we're not going to do it here.'
Jason stretches out his right arm to Simon.
Jason: 'Come on, let's make our way back to your home then, so that we can get to work.'
Simon reaches across to take hold of Jason's hand, and as Jason assists in helping lift Simon up off the bench, the scene fades to black.
The scene opens to show a three seater sofa in a well-lit room. Behind the sofa is a wall, which is painted pale blue, and hanging on the wall, centred above the sofa, is a framed collection of football cigarette cards from the 1930's; the floor of the room is covered by a light brown carpet. Sat in the middle of the sofa is Simon Jones, who is wearing royal blue shirts and a white t-shirt, which has a Gap logo printed on it in black. Simon's left foot is off the floor, on a footstool, and he is leaning forward slightly, staring at his injured knee, against which - with his left hand - he is holding a bag of ice; Simon raises his head to look at the camera, and starts to speak.
Simon: 'What you're witnessing is a procedure that I've become accustomed to since last weekend's Climax Control. I guess that for plenty of people, getting to spend most of the day sat in front of the television would be excellent, but for me it's been a source of frustration - especially with the US Open now having reached its conclusion. However, it's a necessary action, as I try to do everything that I can to improve the condition of my left knee, and hence improve the prospects of myself and Roxi Johnson being successful in our forthcoming mixed tag team match against Goth and Gothika.'
Simon sighs.
Simon: 'I expect that some people think it's foolish of me to draw attention to the fact that I'm not one hundred percent fit at present, but given that what Casey Williams did to me last Sunday was captured on camera, surely it's something that everyone is already aware of, anyway. Besides, although the combination of ice and rest is working, with both the swelling and the pain having lessened, it's still highly likely that come Sunday, I'll be required to wear extra support for my knee - in addition to the knee pad that I usually wear - so why attempt to hide something that'll be there for all to see in a few days time?'
Simon shrugs his shoulders.
Simon: 'Those of you watching this might expect me to have something that I wish to say to Casey Williams, in response to what he did to me - and you'd be correct, but I'm going to wait until Sunday to address that; at this time, as far as the events of last Sunday are concerned, the subject that I'd like to discuss is the announcement that opened the show: the news that ACW has been acquired by Hot Stuff Mark Ward, and that the ACW roster has been absorbed into SCW. Now, if you follow me on Twitter - and if not, why not? - earlier this week you'll have seen me tweet that it was no surprise ACW went out of business, just two weeks after JJ Dixon opted to fire Drake Green. Joking aside, I think the demise of ACW is a shame, and I regret that my final match in ACW wasn't a particularly remarkable one, ending in a no-contest mere moments after it had begun, following an attack on both myself and my opponent by Casey Williams.'
Simon places his right elbow on his right thigh, and then leans further forward, resting his chin on that hand.
Simon: 'Can anyone else spot a trend? Admittedly on that occasion, I wasn't the target of Casey's onslaught, it was Angelo Vialetti that he had his sights set on, having been sent out to the ring by JJ Dixon - I was simply collateral damage. That incident - having a hired gun ruin a main event before it had even had chance to get going - is a perfect example of the type of person that JJ Dixon has recently become. Despite that though, I do have at least two things to be thankful to him for: firstly, around ten months ago it was JJ Dixon that managed to lure me in to making a return to wrestling, nine years on from my last match - if it wasn't for him, I may well still be stuck in an office in Cardiff, having the life sucked out of me by a dead-end job; and secondly, it was joining his promotion - ACW - that would later open the door for me to join SCW. And I'll have more to say about that shortly, as I plan to revisit the circumstances that led to me joining SCW.'
Simon looks to his right momentarily, before looking back at the camera.
Simon: 'Another effect that JJ Dixon had on my life is that, having agreed to join ACW, I then had to relocate to Canada; although I will no longer be working in Canada - with ACW now being defunct - there's still a couple of months remaining on my tenancy agreement for this property, so I will continue to live in Canada until at least the turn of the year. In the new year, it's likely that I will then move south, to be nearer to the headquarters of SCW, but I haven't yet given too much consideration as to where I would like to call home - currently, if I was forced to pick somewhere, I'd be minded to move to San Diego, a city that I've not spent a huge amount of time in, but have already developed an affinity for, with it of course having played host to Into The Void II back in June, the event at which I won the SCW Heavyweight Championship. That match at Into The Void was the second of three matches that I've had in San Diego during my time in SCW, all of which I've been successful in, and this Sunday I'll be aiming to repeat what happened in my last match in San Diego, something that for me is a rare occurrence - I'll be aiming to win a tag team match. And by doing so - and by defeating Goth - that should aid my ascent up the mountain, back towards the heavyweight title. Or so I hope.'
Simon raises his head, away from his right hand, and then drops his right arm to being back by the side of his body.
Simon: 'The forthcoming match against the pairing of Goth and Gothika won't be the first time that Roxi Johnson and I have been partners: two months ago we teamed up to take on the duo of Gabriel and Odette Ryder, in what turned out to be a losing effort. Following that match, Roxi said that she thought "we did okay," and pointed out that our opponents were a couple that had been together for some time. I'm hopeful that the experience that we now have of having been partners previously will stand us in good stead, but there's one thing that I can say for certain: if we're going to defeat Goth and Gothika, then Roxi and I will need to be better than "okay" this Sunday. And I believe that the two of us have it within ourselves to do exactly that, and that we can improve upon the result of our match against Gabriel and Odette.'
Simon lifts up the bag of what is now partially-melted ice and turns his head to inspect his left knee; he then puts the ice back against his knee, and turns to face the camera again.
Simon: 'My preparations for the match haven't quite been ideal, having been hindered by the injury to my knee - as I prepare to again team with someone who thinks that she's a superhero, oh how I could have done with possessing a healing factor like, say, Wolverine. But whilst the injury has put limitations on what training I've been able to do, I've worked around it, so that I've still been able to do some cardio exercise and some weight training, and so that come Sunday, when Goth is opposite me in the ring, whilst he will be facing a wounded animal, he won't be facing a wounded animal that has spent the past week sat on his arse, gaining weight - he'll be facing a wounded animal that has done everything he can to give himself the best chance of winning, in spite of his condition.'
Simon raises his right arm and puts his index finger to his lips; after a few seconds, he takes his hand away from his mouth, and starts to speak again.
Simon: 'Goth and I are linked together by the man that he defeated to win the SCW Heavyweight Championship: Kevin Carter. And not just because Carter was the one that ended my own reign as champion, at Summer XXXTreme, but even more so because of something that happened four months ago. You see, back in May, Kevin Carter was looking forward to challenging Jordan Williams for the heavyweight title, at what was then the next supercard, Into The Void. But then he went and got himself suspended, which created a vacancy in the title match at Into The Void - a vacancy that would be filled by the winner of an open invitational gauntlet battle royal. From there, the rest is history: I won the battle royal, and then went on to supplant Jordan Williams as the SCW Heavyweight Champion - which I remained until Summer XXXTreme.'
Simon rubs his chin with his right hand.
Simon: 'The reason for me mentioning this is that, with Kevin Carter's time in SCW apparently drawing to a close, I want to give thanks where it's due. Because even if I hadn't chosen to enter myself into that battle royal, with what has since happened to ACW, I would be bound to be a member of the SCW roster by now, but thanks to Kevin Carter being suspended, that match saw me make my debut in SCW four months earlier than the likes of Mickey Carroll and Steve Ramone. More importantly though, thanks to Kevin Carter's suspension, the opportunity opened up for me to become the SCW Heavyweight Champion - and for that I have to be thankful to him. And had none of that taken place, it's highly unlikely that I would be in the main event of Climax Control this weekend. But enough about the former Heavyweight Champion, let's concentrate on the man that is now in possession of the title: Goth.'
Simon leans back slightly.
Simon: 'As Roxi Johnson aims to ward off the threat that Gothika poses to her as the Bombshell Champion, this Sunday I'm aiming to put myself well and truly back in the heavyweight title picture, and a win over the current champion should go some way to achieving that. Two weeks ago, Goth stated that he had a dream, and having won the heavyweight title, I can only assume that he's now living that dream. I, on the other hand, don't have a dream, at least, not in the world of wrestling - a dream is something imagined, something make-believe; I'm never going to get to walk up the steps at Wembley to lift the FA Cup, while wearing the colours of Birmingham City - that's a dream. What I have in my wrestling career is a goal - a target that I can realistically aspire to accomplish. And the reason why I can say that it's realistic, with absolute certainty, is that I've already accomplished this goal once; I want to again be the SCW Heavyweight Champion.'
Simon quickly glances to his left, before looking back at the camera.
Simon: 'By winning the heavyweight title, Goth became the first triple crown winner in SCW history - since I first arrived in SCW, I'd heard several members of the roster, both male and female, declare their intention to be the first triple crown winner, but of course, that honour could only ever go to one person, and in the end, that person turned out to be Goth. How many people would've expected Goth to write his name into the annals of SCW history in such a way? Probably none, but then those people probably made the cardinal error of underestimating what Goth is capable of. However, I won't fall into the same trap - I won't make the same mistake; I never underestimate any of my opponents, regardless of what they have or haven't done in their careers, so on Sunday I'll come fully prepared for Goth, and I'll give him the respect that he deserves - and I'll also be confident of exiting the ring as the winner.'
Simon leans forward again.
Simon: 'Goth is getting to experience what it feels like to be the SCW Heavyweight Champion; I know how it feels, and I want that feeling back - I
need that feeling back. The fact that Goth is the first triple crown winner in SCW history, is something that I can't take away from him - but I can take the heavyweight title away from him, if given the opportunity. I'm aware that after my loss at Summer XXXTreme, and after my failure to appear for my match at Climax Control two weeks later, I need to show that I deserve to again be given a shot at the heavyweight title - picking up a win over Goth on Sunday would be a step in the right direction.'
Simon turns to look at the bag of ice in his left hand, the contents of which has now mostly melted; he moves the bag away from his knee and drops it on the carpet. Simon then looks back to the camera.
Simon: 'Goth, I don't care about your ongoing argument with Kain. Right now, your focus should be solely on me, not on some petty squabble over a silly nickname, because believe me, my focus is solely on
you. I've heard you refer to that nickname as a title, but there's only one title that matters - there's only one title that I'm interested in: the SCW heavyweight title. Maybe once you're no longer the Heavyweight Champion, and the title again belongs to me - and that day will come - maybe then you and Kain can settle your dispute. But until then, you need to savour every moment that you have with the SCW Heavyweight Championship, because on Sunday, when we're opposite one another inside the six-sided ring, my journey back to the the heavyweight title will begin.'
Simon lifts his left foot up off the footstool and slowly places it down flat on the carpet.
Simon: 'And if anyone has any doubts that I will actually show up for my match this time, I promise you that, like the Cardiff City fans sing,
I'll be there - although I won't have a little pick and shovel with me; see you all on Sunday.'
As Simon sits staring at the camera, the scene fades to black.
