Part 1 - The Draw
It's the morning after Climax Control. An assortment of ring techs, stage hands and road crews can be seen milling around, completing the pack down and the general process of making the arena look less like a hurricane passed through it the day before.
Along with a gaggle of wrestlers, waiting for their tournament matchups.
Approaching from down the corridor comes Mark "The Dragon" Cross, his protege, Faith Simpson, and his accountant/manager/occasional matchmaker, Andy, who does the honours and heads for the board.
Andy: Fenris.
Faith: Hell no! / The Dragon: HELL YEAH!
The teenager puts her head in her hands, while the Brit in his 30s punches the air.
Faith/The Dragon: What?
Faith: Why hell yeah? You could have had a way easier draw!
Mark points in the direction of the notice.
The Dragon: Andy - What does it say on the top of that sheet?
Andy: Umm...World Heavyweight qualifying matches?
The Dragon: That's why.
Mark smacks the back of his hand against his other palm to emphasise the point.
Faith: ...huh?
The Dragon: World Heavyweight title. The pinnacle. The belt held by in theory, the top competitor in the company at the time. Do you think I'm going to prepare for a match like that scoring a third win against Bill Barnhart, no disrespect to him of course...or Caleb "Anyone but Fenris" Storms? I become champion by beating championship quality wrestlers with championship quality performances.
Faith: Are you trying to win the title? Or just sell it to us…
The Dragon: I'm SO glad you chose to tag along Faith. By the way...why are you both still here in Tucson anyway?
They exchange sideways glances
Faith: Meeting a friend.
Andy: Yeah me too.
The Dragon: Same friend or different friend
Faith: Same fri… / Andy: Differ…
Faith/Andy: The same friend.
The Dragon: You both have the same mutual friend. In Tucson. Who I don't know well enough to get invited in on this.
Faith: Yeah.
The Dragon: You're up to something.
Andy: Nope.
The Dragon: Whatever - Look, I'm going back to spend a few days in Miami, I have a flight to catch, just don't go causing any trouble with this friend OK?
Faith: Yeah, sure.
Andy: We can do that.
The Dragon: Riiiiiight…
Mark slings his holdall over his shoulder, turns on his heel, and heads to leave. Faith and Andy breathe a sigh of relief as the interrogation ends there.
Part 2 - Old Footage
“Reykjavik - Iceland” appears on the bottom left of the screen as an extract from a grainy (by today’s 4K Ultra-HD standards) documentary begins to roll. Probably still available to watch on some far-flung corner of YouTube, and titled “Outside the ‘Iron” it sought to shed light on the personal lives of NFL players away from the field.
Narrator: After a successful first season since his promotion from NFL Europe, Raiders running back Mark Cross and his girlfriend chose Iceland to get away from it all.
We are taken to a much younger Mark can be seen seated on a coach, alongside a pretty blonde girl with shoulder-length hair. Long-standing fans may recognise her as his (now ex) wife Amanda, who played a big part in his appearances during the early years of his wrestling career. They are both wrapped up in large coats and scarves. The voice of the tour guide can be heard in the background.
The scene switches to an interview. The words "Mark Cross - Oakland Raiders" appears in the bottom left.
Cross: I earned the starting job during pre-season, and since then it's been a whirlwind that Amanda's just had to sort of...tag along for the ride. Given where I’d come from, I figured I’d be grinding it out in the practice squad, not even travelling to games in my first year. It was the total opposite - We needed a vacation that was a total change of pace.
The perspective changes. "Amanda Robinson - Mark's girlfriend" appears on the screen next.
Amanda: It has been hard at times, sure. It was still a new relationship really, but sometimes we can go weeks where we barely get to see each other...but it's OK. We've just gotten really good at making the most of the time we do get together.
We are taken back to the coach, which has now pulled up to its destination. The passengers are seen piling out onto a large slope looking out onto the water, Mark and Amanda among them. The slope housed a small cafe and bar, and the owner could be seen milling through the crowd, offering out shots of Brenivin to warm the cockles. We see Mark and Amanda call “skol!” to each other as they chink the shot glasses and drink them in one.
Cross: We went four times to try and see the Northern lights before it finally happened.
Anticipation grows in the crowd as a flash of green begins to show itself in the sky above the water. There are cheers, the flashes of cameras...and we see Mark drift a little away from Amanda, reach into his coat pocket, take out a small box, fold it open, and drop to one knee.
His hand reaches out, tapping his fiancee on the arm. She wheels around in surprise, screaming with such excitement that a large contingent of the crowd diverted their attention from Aurora Borealis to witness the proposal. We are taken back to the interview stage.
Amanda: I was sooooo surprised when he did it! Everyone was cheering...and it was like we’d all shared a special moment up there already, seeing the lights all together...and especially after the good news we got before we left things are really looking up for us!
Narrator: After a successful first season, Mark was rewarded with a three year contract extension in Oakland.
We are taken back to the hilltop. Mark has lifted himself up from the frozen ground, and there is whooping and applause as Amanda marvels at the ring that is now firmly on her ring finger. Brennivin is flowing to celebrate the happy couple, and the sight of one of the most beautiful natural phenomena known to man.
Cross: I probably would have carried the ring back to Oakland if we hadn’t seen them then. It was this perfect proposal I’d cooked up in my mind. By that point I had to have it.
Amanda: When Mark got his new contract, and with us getting engaged shortly after, it was finally a chance for us to concentrate on being a couple. We could buy a house and make it our own finally, not being scared to have to move somewhere new.
Cross: I knew how important putting down roots to Amanda. Being on the road isn’t for everyone, and while she travels with me as much as she can, I know she’s way more comfortable having a place to call home than she is in any hotel.
We are taken back to Iceland one last time (for this extract) as the tourists, merry from the alcohol and high on their experience together, began to pile back onto the coach. The documentary moves onto the next player and their story, and that is where we cut.
Part 3 - Prepared for Anything
The scene opens to the Miami home of Mark “The Dragon” Cross. He has a large mug of coffee in his hand, and can be seen sitting in the living room of his home, upright on the couch and ready to address the camera. He clears his throat, taking a sip from the mug as he prepares to begin.
The Dragon: To quote the famous REM song, everybody hurts...sometimes. Didn’t think I’d start here now did you? Well surprise surprise, because I know what you’re used to seeing from me. Positive, upbeat, focussed, determined, willing to poke fun at myself on more than one occasion...and quite frankly, why wouldn’t I be given how things have been going for me in the ring lately. What right do I have to complain? Well, you’d have a point. I think I eluded to this last week, getting inside the head of my opponent is an important part of the work I do to prepare for anything I do in a wrestling ring. This isn’t about getting under their skin as such...more about understanding what makes them tick, and how they’re going to react to these things.
Mark takes another sip from the mug.
The Dragon: Now I want to talk a little about loss, and about heartache. Anyone can get their heart broken. Ask Fenris about it. Hell - Why don’t you ask ME about it. We've both seen it happen in our recent pasts. That's life unfortunately, and yes, life does suck sometimes. It sets out to test us, and if we’re not careful it can swallow us up, destroy us, and spit us out the other side, probably when we least expect it to. I’ve learned to take it much like I do this sport that we both compete in. It isn’t what happens to us that makes the difference - It’s how we respond to it that is the real key to life, the universe, and everything.
Mark turns his head to the left, looking at something off in the distance. Seeing it, and taking it in for a few moments, he sighs heavily.
The Dragon: I can see why you went back to Iceland by the way - Beautiful country. It was the first real vacation I took with my now ex-wife. We floated around in geothermal lagoons listening to Sigur Ros on underwater speakers. We ate skyr for breakfast, drank Brennivin in the evenings, ate bread that was buried in the ground to cook it, even tried pickled shark once. Once, and never again. We bought jumpers made from Icelandic wool. We rode Icelandic horses...and she accepted my proposal as the Northern lights flashed overhead. It sounds so stereotypical, so cliche, so touristy, but from the moment the ink dried on my first NFL contract to present day, my life has been running a million miles a minute. For those 7 nights on that little island you call home, it was like time was moving in slow motion, and it became our safe haven whenever we needed that escape from the real world and just wanted to be alone in each other’s company. Honestly, I don’t know if I could go back there now. Too many memories. Too many reminders.
Mark points across the room. The camera focuses in on a framed picture hanging on the wall, moving closer to make it out. It is a star map, showing the exact alignment of the stars in the night sky, in a specific place, on a specific date. The night Mark proposed to Amanda. The caption reads:
“One of the most magical times of our lives, always holding a special place in our hearts. No matter what, we’ll always have Iceland.”
The camera returns to focus on Mark.
The Dragon: We’ll always have Iceland right? Fuck sake. My divorce...it was a total surprise. I didn’t see that coming, maybe I was blind, maybe I was in denial...but the more I think about it, the more I realise there was probably nothing I could have done. Not without a complete shift in my lifestyle anyway, and that would have driven me mad. That would have made it worse, I reckon. It came maybe a few weeks before my star student busted her leg, just my luck. I planned to pour my time into her for a while, keep busy, stay distracted, avoid dealing with the feelings that came along with the bombshell Amanda dropped on me from a great height. After all that seems like the easy option right? Give yourself time to process from a safe distance away and it'll all come good won't it? There's one fatal flaw with that plan.
Mark takes another sip of coffee, again his eyes wandering around the home that had been his for a number of years already. He knew it like the back of his hand. Maybe that was the problem.
The Dragon: Faith's injury gave me more time, here, at home. Sitting on this very couch. I love this house. The vast kitchen where I’d cook up meals for our friends, or just for us, my fancy coffee machine, the hot tub, the pool. By Miami standards this is small fry, but it's still pretty big for one guy rattling around in it anyway. When Amanda and I were here there'd always be some kind of activity. Even if we were in different rooms there'd be music, or a TV, Amanda on piano or me on guitar. Pans being clattered ready for lunch or yet another espresso being brewed. The fact is running away doesn't save you. Coming back just envelops you in it. It feels like you've got yourself all pieced back together and then BAM you hear a song that reminds you of them on the radio. POW you open a wardrobe and see that old t-shirt of yours she always used to borrow. CRACK as you realise how much space that piano takes up when it's only going to collect dust and that bitter taste in your mouth as you try to learn to play it and you suck, and you know you suck because she tried to teach you once and DAMMIT this breakup stuff is overwhelming how could she DO this to me!?!
Mark takes a long pause, staring down into his mug.
The Dragon: But I got through it. Instead of moping around here I invested in...well...me. I got back in the gym and restarted my old training regime. I accepted more matches. I signed a contract, here with Sin City Underground and you saw what I did right? I just kept winning. I captured tag titles, and I won some more matches while I was at it. I built a winning streak that if it keeps on going at this pace will be coming on par with what you’ve achieved. One defeat on Climax Control huh? Well that’s a challenge, but we’ll come back to that shortly.
Mark takes another sip of coffee, this time shruging at the camera.
The Dragon: I guess for someone whose heart got broken into a lot of tiny pieces, you can say I've been pretty high-functioning? I mean - I still get the reminders of course, and I think I’ll continue to for a while longer...but they don't screw up my whole day. I can even smile and laugh at some of the fonder memories too these days. Walking back into my empty house and realising just how quiet it can be here doesn't derail me like it did for me a few months ago...and like it probably will for you...a few days before you get a chance to qualify for a World title shot.
Mark cracks a smile.
The Dragon: You know what I’ve learned out of this whole experience? I actually enjoy my own company, and that’s been pretty valuable. I mean, I’ve travelled alone a lot in the past, so I don’t know why it surprised me - It came up a few weeks back, I have a little team of people who move in the same circles as I do, and basically that’s just how we’ve worked. Sometimes the circle grows a little to mix someone else in, and I realised that none of them really NEED me to be a part of it. It’s a nice addition to have me, but the war machine would roll on whether I’m on board or not. I didn’t really know how to feel about that for a while. All these people, who I thought gave me a purpose? They were all actually fine on their own. The worst part is - I think they all knew it too. They had this contingency plan if I ever did decide to hang up my boots and leave the world of wrestling behind. Everyone had a backup but me.
The Dragon: It’s a whole lot more of a rollercoaster ride to just throw all of your eggs in one basket and hope for the best, right? I’m not like them. I don’t do things by half measures. There was maybe some concern from those closest to me that maybe I didn’t have the drive or the determination to do...this...anymore. When I signed to work some Sin City Wrestling shows - We all knew what that was supposed to be. Opening matches, fill in here and there, an experienced head to help keep things ticking over during roster refreshes, that kind of thing. The sort of thing a guy that’d been there and done that could probably do in their sleep. That would have been right up my alley. I could have hung out in Miami all week, ate good food, drank, trained lightly, if at all, flown into Vegas or wherever on match night, do enough to pick up my paycheck, probably still maintain a decent record against the rookies, the end. Easy life. Easy money.
The Dragon dusts his palm towards the camera as if he’s “making it rain”.
The Dragon: Now there are a lot of people that know me better than that, and the reasons we’ll come to in a minute, but I wonder how many of them were doubting whether I could still do this anymore - Challenge for a top championship, I mean. They all know I can do it. They’ve seen it first-hand, after all, but I made a choice a while back. I chose to put the career of a girl ahead of mine because the sky was the limit as far as her ability was concerned, and it felt like my duty to make sure I did everything I could to help her reach it. Maybe that came across as giving up in the eyes of some, but make no mistake - I didn’t take that decision lightly, and I didn’t plan on it being the end. I don’t have the same kind of backup plan as my friends. My backup plan is me. My emotional support when my separation hit me hardest? It cost me 80 bucks an hour, and in my head that is absolutely not sustainable. Not because the finances can’t handle that, but because I can’t be seen to rely on hired help. I need to be capable of digging myself out of holes. I need to be able to kick myself up the arse when I feel like I need it, and guess what - Those guys that don’t NEED me to be around? I don’t need them either.
Mark finishes the last of his coffee, lowering the mug to the table in front of him.
The Dragon: In the NFL, I didn’t really belong. I played for a franchise where historically, and especially now, there was a lot of head-scratching going on as far as their recruitment process went. The fact they brought a Brit over to play running ack? The only more questionable thing there was how they’d failed so miserably to find players for my position that I even got the chance to earn the starting job in the first place! Besides, I was the wrong kind of hybrid. Too big to have the lightning speed that’s more common in the game today, not big enough that I’d keep running downhill with 4 guys hanging off trying to bring me down. Besides, I had really good hands for a back at the time. We were used less as receivers compared to now. It was tough to know what to do with me. I still got my numbers, but it never really was the right fit from minute one. And then wrestling came along. The usual happened - I got good practice then for what I still deal with now - He’s just a failed football player. There was a time some ten plus years ago when that was most definitely true as well. I was awful. The wins came from being able to soak up a beating for long enough, doing damage by any means necessary, and more often than not find my opponents getting tired before I did. That was tough, physically draining in the early days, but it worked. I’d get dragged into all-out BRAWLS with opponents. It was like a bar fight only it was 20 plus minutes long, and there was a referee at the end to hold your hands up in victory. If you were lucky you could even smack someone with a pool cue and avoid getting disqualified too. It was the start of a long road, and an eventful one, but it all came good in the end, kick-started nicely by my first trip to Japan.
Mark picks up the mug, remembers he’d drank all the coffee within, and lowers it back to the table, a little disappointed.
The Dragon: Here’s the thing Fenris - I don’t fear you. I haven’t checked my insurance policies in case I walk out with a little injury. Don’t take this as cockiness on my part, I know calling you a dangerous prospect is an understatement, but when the sport is punching, kicking and throwing an opponent around, who isn’t dangerous at the end of the day? I mean, all it takes is one lucky punch and it’s lights out for someone, right? What if he’s angry and takes it out on you? Well hey that’s possible, but it’s probably far less likely than the risk of you even turning up at all. That’s why I have to prepare myself for anything. Flight times to get myself a few days back home and be ready to train for my second round match in my own gym...or the Fenris with an eye-watering record that’s going to take some beating...or a slopp...sorry...angry Fenris who’ll throw the kitchen sink at me as soon as the bell rings, over-extending and leaving me opportunities left, right and centre? I don’t have a particular preference, honestly...but the biggest shame is if you pass up the opportunity to have this match.
Mark's arms outstretch at his sides
The Dragon: If you bring your A-game, this is a real acid test moment for me. Do I have what it takes to push into the upper echelons of the wrestling world once more, or is it going to be back to the drawing board for me. Having what it takes doesn’t mean hanging in there. It isn’t putting on a great show, getting close - It means victory. It means upsetting the applecart, overcoming the odds. Nobody expects ME to be the guy to break your winning streak. It’s not a complete no-contest, but the budget brand guy who’s already occupied with defending a title elsewhere making that happen? Don’t get me wrong, they’ll see what I’ve been doing lately and they’ll be thinking what if...but it’d definitely be a contender for upset of the year.
Mark scratches the back of his head.
The Dragon: How’s this for a scary thought - If I don’t advance in this tournament, I’ll be walking out of the arena KNOWING I need to get better. That's a scary thought for the guys already hoping to avoid me after my record so far.
Mark leans forward, lowering his voice.
The Dragon: Don’t think I won’t be coming back for a second shot when I’ve done that improving.
He drops back into the couch again.
The Dragon: The fans were deprived of the chance to see you take on Ben Jordan. That could have been an absolute CLASSIC. Both of you dropped the ball on that. That match is going to take some replacing - So how about you, putting together a run that any professional wrestler would be envious of and me, showing the early signs of something similar, make this something to remember.. That’d be a pretty decent consolation prize right? I’ll be ready to hold up my end of the bargain out there, and I sincerely hope that you will be in the ring prepared to do the exact same at Climax Control this week.
The scene fades to black.
