The scene comes to life in the middle of a deep green forest, tall pine trees lining both sides of what appears to be an unpaved road that follows a steep incline. As the camera follows the incline, between the branches you can see that there isn't a cloud in the sky, and knowing anything about North Carolina, you know that the heat will make the humidity that much worse...
A distinct advantage to anyone from the deep south. Like say, Texas for instance.
As the camera spins around, Sean Jackson comes into view, walking up the unpaved road towards the steep incline. As he is walking, there is a look of concern on his face. Wearing a short sleeved, white in color t-shirt with the Hot Stuff International logo and cargo shorts, he begins to address the camera.
Jackson: "Welcome to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. The home of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the location where someone from Sin City Wrestling will see their career come to an end.
Sean wipes the sweat from his brow as he begins the slow trek up the trail, which coincidentally is discovered to be a trail used by the Airborne Advanced School.
Jackson: Now, I know that some of you are wondering who that person will be and well, that depends on the intelligence level of a couple of people I know. There are two people in the main event that literally have no dog in my hunt, and if they keep their noses out of my business, then they won't have to worry. But if they persist in sticking their noses where it doesn't belong then....
Halfway up the hill, Sean can feel the muscles in his legs begin to burn. He has no choice but to lean into the hill, forcing him to work harder in the climb, but as he does, he shifts the conversation slightly even as his breathing becoming slightly labored. Maybe this is legit, maybe it's a game. But Sean appears to be putting a lot of time and effort into a message.
Jackson: You know, even when it's late in the evening, and the temperature is on the downward swing from the typical 80 degree temperatures.....
Sean manages a smile. Everyone knows how heat and humidity plays in the south, especially close to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Which is the reason he decided to plant the seed, that seed of doubt in the minds of Drake Green, Equinox, and Giani Di Luca. The seed of wondering what nature has in store for Sunday, October the 22nd.
Jackson: It's still a lot more uncomfortable here than it ever would be for Equinox in St. Louis, Missouri. Or for Giani Di Luca in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Or even Drake Green who lives in Chicago, Illinois.
The smile gets larger.
Jackson: Yes, I bet it gets really humid in Chicago and in New Jersey.
As Sean gets to the top of the unpaved road, he turns and looks back down the steep hill. Heavy beads of sweat begins to run down his face as it's obvious he's been on this trail for quite some time, dealing with the heat and the humidity.
Jackson: Answer me this Drake, exactly what are you going to do this Sunday when you have to step out into Hedrick Stadium, into that unforgiving climate and face a man who's completely at home in the south?
Being from Texas, Sean Jackson knew what he was talking about. He new what happened when you added humidity to normal temperatures in the south. But he also knows that if it isn't hot and humid on Sunday, he's doing nothing more than blowing hot air...pardon the pun.
Jackson: What are you going to do when you're gasping for air? your lungs are screaming at you, your muscles are cramping up, and you look over across the ring at a man who calls himself the Mental Rapist, and he's standing there, completely unfazed?
Sean reaches off screen and is handed a bottle of water. After swallowing a couple of gulps, he hands the bottle back. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing like sending a message, all the while, using visual aids to drive the point home.
Jackson: Then you look at your own team mates. Equinox from St. Louis and Giani from New Jersey, and you've got to ask yourself. As Giani too, withers under the North Carolina climate, exactly how far will Equinox be able to go with Sean Jackson, J2H, and J.N. Ringo beating him to within an inch of his life?
As Sean turns from the steep hill, he once again begins walking on the unpaved trail, between the trees, with the sun driving it's heat between the branches and towards the ground, where the heat would most assuredly make the ground temperature hotter. The scene would then fade momentarily....
Only to come back to life with the sound of water crashing up against land. As the camera pans back, Sean is standing on dry land, mere feet from the water. With the thick North Carolina forest behind him, Sean continues with the message.
Jackson: Do you know what this is Drake?
Sean bends down, cupping some water into his hands. He watches as it runs between his fingers and from between the palms of his hands, until none remains.
Jackson: You're correct, it's water. The source of life for every living thing on this planet. When you get thirsty, it quenches your thirst. When you get hot, it cools you off. But do you know what else it does Drake?
Sean shrugs.
Jackson: You don't know? Well then, let me enlighten you. Water in Chicago is nothing extraordinary, just as it isn't in New Jersey. But when you add large bodies of water in the deep south, well it creates something that can kill you Drake. Do you ever wonder why hurricanes are more dangerous in the Gulf of Mexico, or in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean?
Sean raises his index finger.
Jackson: It's because the water temperature there is hotter. When water temperature is around 80 degrees and higher, it acts as the fuel needed to make tropical waves into storms. It's why thunderstorms in the south are more severe than they are in the north. It's also the reason why the humidity can make the outside temperature feel 10 to 15 degrees hotter, causing muscles to cramp....
Sean motions with his hand which prompts Vanessa to step into the shot. Wearing a light short and shorts, she has her hair in a pony tail as she brings a bottle of water to him. As he takes another sip or two of water, he makes it a point to look at the camera, sending the message to his opponents.
Jackson: Causing heat exhaustion or even a heat stroke. But who could ever imagine, that something so giving of life, could also be so dangerous?
Again, the scene begins to fade....
Only to come back to life with special forces soldiers going through an obstacle course. Soldiers dressed in long sleeve uniform tops and pants find themselves trying to survive the course while also surviving the elements. After making their way across wooden logs and concrete blocks, they run towards an obstacle that they have to climb approximately 100 feet, step over to the other side, then climb back down. As Sean observes, he begins to see some beginning to wilter under the conditions.
Jackson: No one wants to be the first Drake. No one wants to be the first to fall out, to fail, but they'll be out there until someone does. You see Drake, there is a sense of pride amoung these young men and women. They want to be elite, they want to prove their metal, and although they will never be on the same level as I am, they want to be number one. They want to be the best of their peers....
As he watches, it's almost as if he can hear Senior Drill Instructor R Lee Ermy screaming at Private Gomer Pyle to get off that particular obstacle, the one he was too afraid to climb. Then it dawns on him, he didn't want to think about Ermy at all, especially after what Ermy and Drake did during this past Climax Control.
Jackson: But yet, someone is going to falter, it never fails. Someone won't be able to handle the heat, the humidity, and once the first one goes, more will follow. You see Drake, most of these soldiers have been stationed here for quite some time, and have even grown accustomed to the climate. But when the pressure is on, and someone has to be the first to falter....
Sure enough, some are beginning to fall behind as their pace begins to slow. You can feel them beginning to crumble behind the pace set by the alpha soldiers who simply want it more.
Jackson: They fall victim to something called muscle failure. You know what that is don't you? it's when the muscles aren't getting enough oxygen shipped through the blood stream, and carbon dioxide is taking it's place. Something called elatic acid forms and you hit what runners call the wall. Speaking of which....
As he stops talking, the camera focuses on soldiers attempting to scale the wall. As several make it easily, one finds it difficult, unable to pull himself up. The wall is positioned at an angle, which makes it hard to use the feet to climb up. No, the angle forces the soldier to use his or her upper body to get up and over. As the soldier continues the struggle, the camera shows exactly what Sean was explaining by muscle failure.
Jackson: Look at him Drake, watch as his arms begin to straighten, watch as he begins to slump further and further....
Sure enough, the strength is leaving his arms and his head starts to slip below the wall's horizon.
Jackson: All he's doing now is holding on for dear life. He's hoping for some kind of miracle, that by some grace of God, a second wind will come from out of nowhere, that he'll be able to get over that wall. But unfortunately, for him, the dream is over. Just like it will be over for you, for Giani, and for Equinox.
Not able to hold on any longer, the soldier falls to the ground, unable to complete the obstacle. At that moment, an instructor comes into the picture and the message is clear.
Instructor: Get over the obstacle soldier, or go ring the bell.
To ring the bell would signal that the soldier has given up and would be washed out of the program. Only the best of the best gets to be special forces, and that's the reason why they're all here. Besides, no one wants to be the first to leave.
Soldier: I won't ring that bell.
Dusting himself off, once again the soldier jumps up and is barely able to catch the top of the wall with his hands. Once again, he attempts to pull himself up. In the meantime, other soldiers are passing him up by being able to pull themselves up and over.
Jackson: By the way Drake, did you know that Ringo is from Miami, Florida? Or that J2H is from California? We'll have three people who will be able to tag in and out at will, while your team will be on the apron sucking wind, trying to survive. Oh and while you're out there dying on Sunday Drake....
The camera switches to soldiers low crawling under barbed wire, their faces barely off the ground. A tactic that teaches the soldiers to keep their heads down so it doesn't get blown off.
Jackson: Struggling to keep up under those brutal conditions, looking out to see where your team mates are. Just understand that at any moment, I can be lurking, with the high knee cocked and ready to go. All it takes is for you to lose sight of me for one second, one second, that's all the time I'll need. Don't you understand how easily I can hide in that ring, with all the chaos that will be going on. You're going to be tired, you're going to be hurting, and you're going to be begging for water. All I need to do is wait for that moment to arrive, and then paint that bullseye on the back of your skull with blood, your blood.
Sean switches his attention. One thing that he knows, when people get tired, frustration sets in. He knows that if those brutal conditions exist on October 26, 2014 inside of Hendrick Stadium, there will be mass confusion for those who won't be able to adapt. Which makes driving a wedge that much more important, and the seed of doubt definitely early enough to take root.
Jackson: Equinox, why do this? Instead of getting into a match with nothing to win and everything to lose, why don't you just stay home in St. Louis. I mean, you've had a nice little run as the Roulette Champion and it would be a shame if you lost it because of an injury.
Yes, Mr. Jackson is showing faked concern. Outside of HSI, he could honestly care less about the health of Equinox. But a three on two matchup would increase his chances of leaving Drake in a pool of his own blood.
Jackson: While Drake is wilting, while Giani is still recovering from the beating I gave him this past Sunday, you will be there all by yourself, trying to defend yourself against three people.
Once again the scene fades momentarily....
Then comes back up inside of Hendrick Stadium. Since it's only tuesday, October 21st, the ring hasn't been put up yet. But Sean is standing in a part of the stadium where the temperature is shown....
64 degrees
Jackson: It's 64 degrees Equinox, and look how the soldiers were wilting. Can you imagine if the temperature is in the upper 70's or low 80's and it's raining on Friday and Saturday? Do you know how dangerous those conditions can be? When the sun is out, and it most certainly will be on Sunday, the humidity will be up....
As the camera pans back, showing the entire inside of the stadium, Sean smiles.
Jackson: Even professional football players wilt here Equinox. Just ask any member of the Carolina Panthers, the Miami Dolphins, or the Tampa Bay Bucs as to how teams from the north fair here. Players who aren't accustomed have cramps, they tend to make mistakes, they show their weaknesses. So you have to ask yourself Equinox, or shall I say Mr. Hardy....
For the first time in a very long time, Sean Jackson calls him out by his name, his real name.
Jackson: Is it REALLY worth losing everything that you've worked so hard to obtain, simply because Sin City wants to protect it's heavyweight champion? So J2H and J.N. Ringo attacked you almost two weeks ago, causing you to come out and save Giani Di Luca this past Sunday....
He gets that confused look on his face.
Jackson: Who cares? What took place back then between you, Giani, J2H and Ringo is for another time and another place. Right now, this is my fight with Drake Green and you two aren't invited. You can have your pity party some other time, but right now, you need to look in my eyes and see that I'm no longer playing around. I put down Justin Halliwell and Jamie Dean, I tried to plant Giani thru the mat and believe me, to drill my knee thru Drake Green's skull this Sunday, I will mow down every little old lady and child in this stadium.
The look of confusion changes to a look of pure contempt.
Jackson: That's right, I said it. It wouldn't come as a surprise to Mark Ward, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone else. For anyone who thinks that serving Drake Green up with two others in a six man tag, is in any way doing me a favor, has lost their damn minds. As far as I'm concerned, anything short of burying him in the middle of this stadium is a failure on my part. Giani Di Luca, you felt the Hook em Horns driver this past sunday and believe me, you only got up because I allowed it. I could have easily Justin Halliwell'd you and put you out to pasture where you belonged. I could have crushed your skull and had you blabbering like Catherine Hepburn from the grave, but decided to spare you instead. I did so because your beef was with J2H and J.N. Ringo, but if you as much as stick your nose into the ring this Sunday, then I'll forget that notion and make damn sure to make their jobs ever so much easier....
The camera pans in tight as his eyes begin to squint.
Jackson: Because unlike you Giani, I've shown the tendency to hurt people. I've shown the tendency to attack at will, with no remorse whatsoever for whomever gets hurt. Matter of fact, I think that Jamie Dean is still sharing a hospital room with his bff Justin Halliwell and they're looking for someone to have a three way with. Soooooo.....
Inhale.exhale
Jackson: Step into the ring this Sunday Giani, and I won't be responsible for my actions. That goes for you too Equinox. Up until now, I've forgotten all about the fact that HSI had you in the cross hairs this past year, and was looking to put you out. Mark Ward wanted the SCW heavyweight title and that is where my attention was, but when Sunday rolls around and I'm standing in that ring, expecting to see Drake Green standing there on his own....
The look on his face is unmistakable. It's the same look he portrays everytime he's looking to target someone with the high knee.
Jackson: And I see you or Giani standing there with him. Then you had better ask yourself one simple question? Was Drake Green really worth my career?
Fade To Black
