The scene opens to show Simon Jones strolling into the hallway of his new rented house. Simon is carrying a black gym bag, the shoulder strap of which is over his right shoulder; he is wearing navy blue tracksuit bottoms, and a grey t-shirt that is damp with sweat - his hair is also evidently damp. As Simon wanders towards the living room of the house, into view comes his wife, Jacqueline, who is wearing yellow jeans and a pink tunic.
Simon: 'Alright, love?'
Simon pauses, as Jacqueline approaches him, and the two then share a kiss; after their lips part, Jacqueline answers her husband's question.
Jacqueline: 'I'm alright; how are you?'
Simon: 'I'm cream crackered.'
Jacqueline: 'Exhausted yourself with your work out, then?'
Simon: 'Yeah, but I feel better for it - and I'll feel even better if it helps me to defeat Damien Kingston on Sunday.'
Simon turns away from Jacqueline, who follows him; the camera follows the pair of them, as they enter the living room. Simon places his bag on the floor, by the nearest wall, and then walks over to one of two brown leather sofas, to the right-hand side of the shot, which he slumps onto; Jacqueline takes a seat on the other sofa, opposite the camera and adjacent to Simon, and the two look at one another.
Simon: 'How's Matty?'
Jacqueline: 'You're insisting on calling her that, then?'
Simon grins.
Simon: 'Yup; hey, you chose her name - the least I can do is give her a nickname.'
Jacqueline smiles slightly.
Jacqueline: 'She's sleeping.'
Simon raises to his right hand to his mouth, as he attempts to stifle a yawn.
Simon: 'I envy her, getting to sleep each day for sixteen hours - or however much it is.'
Jacqueline: 'You seem like you could do with a nap.'
Simon again raises his hand, to cover his mouth as he yawns.
Simon: 'I'd like to, but it will have to wait until later - my work in the gym may be completed for today, but there is still other work for me to do, to prepare for my match next Sunday: I need to spend some time studying Damien Kingston.'
Jacqueline: 'I know the drill by now: watch clips of your opponent's previous matches, try to pick up on their tendencies, try to spot their weaknesses, and look for things that you'll be able to try to use to your advantage, which will hopefully then help you to get the win.'
Simon: 'Spoken like a true wrestler's wife.'
Jacqueline smiles again - a broader, more genuine smile this time.
Jacqueline: 'How are you finding it, not having Jason with you in the gym, barking instructions at you?'
Simon: 'I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, to say that he barks instructions at me: Jason doesn't use that aggressive a tone of voice - but I know what you mean. I've gotten used to having Jason around to assist me with the preparations for my matches, so it does feel unusual, to not have him here at present - I'll be glad once he has tied up his loose ends in Halifax, and can join us here in Vegas. Still, it's worth remembering that a dozen years ago, during the first phase of my wrestling career, I traveled around the US on my own - and I had more success than I did disappointments; so even without Jason's assistance, I'm confident that it's within my capabilities for me to be able to be victorious come Sunday.'
Jacqueline: 'When was the last time that you had to prepare for a match without the aid of Jason?'
Simon: 'Last March, for my match in ACW against Magni.'
Jacqueline: 'Didn't you lose that match?'
Simon lowers his head.
Simon: 'Yes, I did - thanks for reminding me.'
Jacqueline: 'Sorry; I'm sure things will be different this time, against Damien Kingston.'
Simon: 'All being well.'
Jacqueline springs out of her seat.
Jacqueline: 'Oh, I just remembered: while you were out, something was delivered here, for you.'
Simon raises his head, making eye contact with Jacqueline again.
Simon: 'What is it?'
Jacqueline: 'A package, of some sort - wait here, and I'll go and fetch it for you.'
Jacqueline exits the room, momentarily disappearing from view; when she reappears, Jacqueline is holding the package - a cardboard envelope - in her right hand. Jacqueline walks over to Simon, and hands the envelope to him. Simon grips the envelope with both hands, and as Jacqueline retakes her seat, he raises the envelope to eye level, to examine it; Simon then lowers the envelope, and looks towards Jacqueline, a look of confusion on his face.
Simon: 'Who could possibly have sent this? Who even knows our address? We've only been here a matter of days.'
Jacqueline: 'I don't know, but are you going to open it, or not?'
Simon: 'Sure.'
Grasping the envelope with his left hand, Simon turns it over, and with his right hand, he lifts up the flat; Simon reaches inside the envelope, from which he pulls out some paper, and then places the envelope next to him, on the sofa.
Jacqueline: 'What is it?'
Simon: 'I'm not sure, exactly; it kind of looks like a manuscript.'
Jacqueline: 'A manuscript?'
Simon: 'Yep.'
The room briefly falls silent, as Simon begins to read what is on the paper.
Simon: 'It appears to have been written by Kain, prior to the match that he and I had last month; let's see what he had to say about me.'
Simon continues to read the contents of the paper.
Simon: 'He said it was cowardly, that I had Jason speak on my behalf, rather than appear on camera myself - I wonder if Kain also thought that me striking him with a chair was cowardly? Damien Kingston creeping up on Kain, to attack him with a kendo stick, now that was cowardly - what I did was purely as a result of my rage at Casey Williams boiling over.'
Simon lowers the paper, to look at Jacqueline.
Simon: 'Kain commented that Jason looks and sounds intelligent; looks certainly can be deceiving - you can tell that Kain has never met Jason.'
Jacqueline chuckles, as she feigns scolding her husband.
Jacqueline: 'Simon!'
Simon laughs; he then lifts the paper back up.
Simon: 'He says he could care less about my rivalry with Casey Williams...'
Jacqueline interrupts Simon.
Jacqueline: 'Just like in the past, when you told Goth that you couldn't care less about his rivalry with Kain.'
Simon: 'Spot on; someone has being paying attention - perhaps next time I should have you speak on my behalf, instead of Jason.'
Jacqueline smiles, as Simon continues.
Simon: 'I think I've found the nearest thing to a compliment that I've ever seen Kain give to anyone: he says he has no doubt that I'll succeed in getting revenge against Casey - although that probably has more to do with how low an opinion he has of Casey, rather that what he thinks of me.'
Simon continues to read what is on the paper; once he has finished, Simon also places the paper alongside him on the sofa, on top of the discarded envelope. Simon then looks to Jacqueline again, who raises her eyebrows.
Simon: 'Don't worry, normal service was resumed - Kain soon returned to calling me names, rather than giving me backhanded compliments. He even had the temerity to say that he is "no longer Mr Nice Guy;" when was Kain ever Mr Nice Guy? He has such a high opinion of himself, that he never praises anyone else, unless it's unintentional. I mean, take Damien Kingston, for example: whilst I may not like Kingston, I have no problem admitting how talented a wrestler he is. However, you'll never hear Kain utter such words, about Kingston, me, or anyone other than himself - which is fine, that's just the way Kain is. But for Kain to refer to himself as having been "Mr Nice Guy," that's...'
Simon's voice trails off; he sighs, before continuing.
Simon: 'Perhaps he's delusional, as well as arrogant.'
Jacqueline: 'Was there anything else of interest?'
Simon: 'Kain did at least get one thing right: he said that I wouldn't defeat him - well, he didn't phrase it in quite those words, but either way, I doubt Kain expected he would win the match in the manner that he did.'
Simon gets up from the sofa, rising to his feet.
Simon: 'Given what has happened between the two of them recently, I expect that Kain will be watching my match with Damien Kingston. And if Kain is indeed watching on Sunday, then hopefully he will witness me beat Kingston, and succeed where he failed.'
Simon walks towards Jacqueline; he then crouches down, and looks her in the eye.
Simon: 'But if I am going to defeat Damien Kingston, then my focus needs to be solely on him for the next few days; not on Kain, not on Casey Williams - even though he will be sat at ringside - strictly on Kingston.'
Simon leans forward, to kiss Jacqueline; he then stands up again.
Simon: 'So a nap can wait - I've got a match to prepare for, and an opponent to study.'
Simon and Jacqueline gaze at one another; it is Simon that breaks the stare, turning away from his wife, to walk out of the living room - as he does so, with Jacqueline watching him, the scene fades to black.
The scene opens to show Simon Jones, staring at the camera; he is by the back yard of his house, sat on a green patio chair, with his right foot resting on a matching footstool. Simon is wearing a pair of black trainers, dark blue jeans, and a black t-shirt, which has the word "ALCOHOLICA" printed on it in white.
Keeping his focus on the camera, Simon takes his foot off the footstool, sits up straight, and begins to speak.
Simon: 'Having emerged victorious from my first match of the new year, last weekend, there's no rest for the wicked, as this weekend, I am in action once more. And the opposition does not get easier for me, as I move from Goth, onto Damien Kingston.'
With his right hand, Simon rubs his chin.
Simon: 'Since I debuted in SCW, this is only the second time when I have had to compete twice in eight days. On that occasion, back in September, I also won the first of the two matches - just as I did this past Sunday - but I then followed up that win with a defeat. So my aim for this Sunday, is to not repeat that what happened four months ago, and to instead chalk up a second win in eight days - but against an opponent such as Damien Kingston, that definitely will be easier said than done; just as an aside, the man that I pinned in the first part of my doubleheader in September, was, coincidentally, the same man that I pinned last weekend: Goth - more on coincidences later.'
Simon leans back, against the chair.
Simon: 'My match this Sunday sees the return to the six-sided ring - after four weeks away - of Damien Kingston. Some people had inferred that Kingston was on the verge of departing SCW for a second time, but much to the relief of Kenny Chisholm, it appears that he is going to be sticking around for a little while longer, at least. I assume that not everyone will be as glad as Kenny is, that Kingston is still on the roster of SCW - as far as I'm concerned, I'm somewhat indifferent about the situation. Based on some of his recent comments, I had gotten the impression that Kingston's future lay elsewhere, with him seemingly wanting to concentrate his efforts on a new chapter of his career, in Japan. But, with him still here, apparently, and now scheduled to be my next opponent, I'm simply looking forward to the challenge that he will present - a challenge that I hope I'll be able to rise to.'
Simon then leans forward.
Simon: 'While Kingston's last match in SCW may have ended in defeat, his first match in SH!TAKi Pro - the Japanese based promotion, whose roster Kingston is now a member of - saw him pick up a win, in the main event of a show last Friday; see, when I say that I study my opponents as part of my match preparations, it's no lie - I do what I can, to try to give myself the best possible chance of being victorious, and this week, that means working towards doing in Las Vegas, what Mark Bowen and Kellen Grayson could not do in Osaka, i.e. defeat Damien Kingston. And with both of us heading into the match this Sunday on the back of wins in our respective previous outings, we're both looking to maintain our current momentum, but of course, only one of us can leave with the win - needless to say, once the match is over, I hope to be the one that has their momentum intact, and avoid an inconsistent start to the year.'
Simon gets up from the chair.
Simon: 'This match will not be the first time that Damien Kingston have been opponents, as were also on opposing sides back in October, in a tag team match at High Stakes III. I had my hand raised in victory that night - together with Ben Jordan - and come Sunday, I'll be looking for a repeat scenario. However, the fact that Kingston spent the majority of that previous match anywhere other than inside the ring, means that match can't be used as any sort of a guide as to what might happen on Sunday. In fact, Kingston and I were never in the ring at the same time during that match, so I don't really have any past experience of locking horns with him to be able to call upon; the best I can say is that I was a spectator, on the ring apron, while Kingston grappled in the ring with Ben - although that is at least something that I can attempt to use to my benefit, having gotten to observe Kingston at close quarters.'
Simon folds his arms, as he continues to stand, looking towards the camera.
Simon: 'Prior to that match in October, Damien Kingston said, since I had lost the SCW Heavyweight Championship - two months beforehand, at Summer XXXTreme II - that I had been forgotten about, an opinion that he reiterated as recently as a few weeks ago. Three months ago, my response - for all intents and purposes - was that I promised I would be successful at High Stakes III, one of the very rare occasions on which I have forecast a win, but a prediction that was proven to be accurate; Kingston did at least get one thing right, ahead of that match: he said that he wouldn't be the one to get pinned - that ignominy was left to Casey Williams. This Sunday though, Casey won't be there to take the fall for you, Damien - perhaps you could just walk away, instead, like you did when you were up against my namesake, Nick.'
Simon unfolds his arms; he then glances to his right for a moment, before looking back to the camera.
Simon: 'If, like me, you've been paying attention, you'll be aware that Damien Kingston has stated his goal for this year is to win a heavyweight title - a goal that I can empathise with. At present, the difference between Kingston and I - or rather, one of them - is that I have held a heavyweight title in the past, while he has not; Kingston attempted to change, when he entered the open battle royal - a match that he would go on to win - on the post December 2 Dismember edition of Climax Control. Now, six days before the battle royal was set to take place, I announced that - despite the wishes of Drake Green - I would not be a participant in the match, but at least one person did not believe me: Damien Kingston essentially told everyone that I was lying - but all that did, was show everyone how little he knows about me. You see, Damien, I like to think that I'm a man of my word - if nothing else; that's part of the reason why I rarely make predictions about my matches - no-one wins all of their matches, so that's one promise that I wouldn't always be able to keep. And if the "man of many truths" doesn't know something about me as simple as the fact that I keep my word, then how ill-prepared will he be for our match on Sunday?'
Simon shrugs his shoulders.
Simon: 'Like the match last weekend against Goth, I see this match against Damien Kingston as also being vitally important for me, to keep myself in contention for the title currently held by Giani Di Luca. On the topic of Di Luca, his last two matches - both of which he won - were, coincidentally, also a match against Goth, followed by a match against Damien Kingston. And now, like some sort of Giani Di Luca tribute act, I find myself trying to follow up a win over Goth, with a win over Damien Kingston - hopefully that's one achievement of Di Luca's that I'll be able to repeat; the aim then will be to eventually go on to repeat another achievement of his, and win the SCW Heavyweight Championship - although to do that, I'll have to tangle with the man himself.'
Simon sits back down on the chair.
Simon: 'So, which coincidence will come into play on Sunday? Having pinned Goth in my last match, will I then lose my next match, a week later, as I did in September? Or will I beat Goth and Damien Kingston in consecutive matches, as Giani Di Luca did last month? The thing is, if you look hard enough, you can find coincidences, or omens, anywhere, but the reality - certainly as far as the match on Sunday is concerned - is that what happened last year, last month, or even last week, is irrelevant. The aim for me, then, is to keep myself relevant, by defeating Damien Kingston on Sunday; we'll find out soon enough, whether or not I can achieve that aim - see you at Climax Control.'
Simon lifts both his feet off the floor, and rests them on the footstool; as he again sits staring at the camera, the scene fades to black.
