The scene opens outside a terraced house in Maidstone, Kent, early in the evening of Tuesday 29th September. Walking towards the front door of the house, pulling a black trolley case behind him, is Simon Jones; he is wearing a pair of navy blue jeans, and a royal blue Birmingham City F.C. jersey.
Simon takes his hand off the handle of the case, and reaches out to press the doorbell; he then waits, as several seconds pass before the door is opened. The person that opens the door is Sylvia Jones - Simon's [younger] sister; upon seeing her brother, the expression on the face of Sylvia - who is wearing a pair of black trousers, and a black and white hooped t-shirt - is a mixture of surprise and happiness.
Sylvia: 'Simon? What are you doing here?'
Sylvia holds out her arms towards Simon, and the two siblings hug.
Simon: 'Hi, Syl.'
After breaking the hug, Simon smiles warmly at his sister, who smiles back at him.
Sylvia: 'Come in, come in.'
Simon picks up his trolley case, and steps inside his sister's home.
Sylvia: 'You can leave your case there.'
Simon does as instructed. He then shuts the door behind him, before following Sylvia, who leads the way, into the living room.
Sylvia: Would you like a drink?'
Simon: 'A cup of tea would be great, thanks.'
As Sylvia makes her way to the kitchen, disappearing from view, Simon takes a seat on an armchair. A couple of moments later, the sound of a kettle being boiled can be heard. Sylvia then calls out to her brother.
Sylvia: 'So, what are you doing here, Simon?'
Simon: 'What - can't I pay my sister a surprise visit?'
Sylvia: 'It's good to see you - it is a nice surprise - I just wasn't expecting it, is all.'
Simon: 'Well, if you had been expecting me, then it wouldn't have been a surprise, would it?'
Sylvia chuckles at her brother's retort.
Sylvia: 'You know what I meant.'
Simon: 'Yeah, I know.'
Simon gazes around the room.
Simon: 'Seriously though, Syl, it's been a while since we saw one another, so I thought that I would stop off to see you, on my way home from Paraguay.'
Sylvia: 'This is a bit of a diversion for you though, isn't it? Maidstone isn't exactly on the way to Cardiff from London - I assume you flew to one of the London airports.'
Simon: 'Heathrow.'
There is a brief moment of silence, before Simon speaks again.
Simon: 'Like I said, Syl, I thought it was about time that I paid you a visit - especially after the bombshell that was dropped on me last week. And by "bombshell," I don't mean a female member of the SCW roster.'
A few seconds later, Sylvia reappears, carrying two mugs; she walks towards Simon, and hands one of them to him.
Simon: 'Thanks, Syl.'
Sylvia: 'You're welcome.'
As Simon takes a drink from the mug, Sylvia sits down on an adjacent sofa.
Sylvia: 'How did you take the news about Mum, then?'
Simon: 'I think I'm still in shock. I...'
Simon's voice trails off; Sylvia takes a sip from her mug, while she waits for Simon to continue his thought.
Simon: 'I had seen Mum - and Dad - a week and a half before, when I went to watch Blues play Bristol City, and I didn't say anything at the time, but Mum looked pale then...'
Sylvia interrupts Simon, to chip in with an observation.
Sylvia: 'That'll have been the anaemia.'
Simon: 'Yeah, I realise that now. But still - cancer? I didn't see that coming.'
Simon lowers his gaze, looking down at the floor.
Sylvia: 'Mum called me last Saturday to tell me the news; I was just as shocked as you. She said that she and Dad wanted to wait until they saw you on the Tuesday, to tell you face-to-face, rather than over the phone.'
Simon looks back up at Sylvia, as he responds to her.
Simon: 'Dad sent me a text last weekend, saying the same thing - that there was something important they needed to tell me, but that they would wait until the Tuesday; I didn't think it was going to be anything good, but I never would've guessed that the news would be as bad as it was.'
Sylvia takes another sip from her mug.
Simon: 'It was sixteen years ago that Mum had to have a breast lump removed.'
Simon then drinks some more of his tea.
Sylvia: 'I remember going to visit Mum, after she'd had the surgery; I hated seeing her there, lying in a hospital bed, with surgical drains in her.'
Simon: 'I know what you mean - I felt the same way.'
Simon sighs.
Simon: 'And now she's got another form of cancer.'
Sylvia: 'Mum was undergoing more tests yesterday, wasn't she - to see if she can have surgery?'
Simon: 'That's right; I received a text from Dad earlier, to say that Mum had received a letter from the hospital this morning, asking her to attend an appointment next Monday - Dad assumes that's when the doctor will share their plans.'
Sylvia: 'Hopefully it will be good news.'
Simon: 'Dad seems to think it will be good news - well, as good as can be hoped for, in the circumstances; when I spoke to him last week, he was confident that Mum's heart and lungs will be strong enough for her to have the surgery.'
Sylvia: 'Fingers crossed.'
Simon nods his head in agreement, before he and his sister both take a drink from their respective mugs. Attempting to lighten the mood, Sylvia then changes the subject.
Sylvia: 'So, you're going after the tag team titles.'
Simon: 'You watched Climax Control, then.'
Sylvia: 'It's part of my job to watch Climax Control - not just as your sister, but as a wrestling journalist.'
Simon leans forward, to place his mug on the floor, by the side of the chair; he then looks back at Sylvia.
Simon: 'Like I've said a couple of times now, the one glaring hole on my list of accomplishments, is a Tag Team Championship - this match that's coming up on the horizon, at High Stakes V, will give me the chance to rectify that.'
Sylvia: 'Some people will probably think that you're just going after the tag titles because you failed to win the heavyweight title at Summer XXXTreme - that you couldn't win the big one, so now you're settling for what many people will see as a lesser prize.'
Simon: 'I expect you're right about that - but you know what? I don't care what other people think about me turning my focus from the heavyweight title to the tag titles - they can think whatever they want to think; the reason I've stated for wanting to win the tag team titles is genuine.'
Sylvia: 'Do you have any idea what kind of match it's going to be at High Stakes?'
Simon shakes his head.
Simon: 'Not a clue. I don't know if it's going to be some form of a tag team match, or whether it's going to be something along the lines of the match that took place back at December 2 Dismember II.'
Sylvia: 'That was a double ladder match, when the titles were also vacant, right?'
Now Simon nods his head.
Simon: 'Correct.'
He then rubs his chin, thinking about what may be in store at High Stakes V.
Simon: 'Perhaps a match such as that could be more favourable towards me - although if I'm going to win the tag team titles, I would probably prefer to do so in an actual tag team match, rather than a singles match; the question then would be whether I would get to pick my partner, or whether my partner would be chosen for me by the lethal lottery.'
Sylvia: 'If you could choose anyone in SCW to be your tag team partner, who would you choose?'
Simon replies almost immediately.
Simon: 'Despayre.'
Sylvia: 'Wow - you didn't need any time to think about that one.'
Simon shrugs his shoulders.
Simon: 'What's there to think about? Despayre has won the SCW Tag Team Championships three times, with a different partner each time - not to mention what else he has achieved. He won't be competing for the tag titles at High Stakes, of course, as he's the Internet Champion now - but he's my answer to your question.'
Sylvia: 'What about Ben Jordan?'
Simon: 'He's a mate - and a talented wrestler; I would gladly team with him at any time. But again, as far as High Stakes is concerned, he's already occupied.'
As Sylvia takes another drink from her mug, Simon picks up his own mug, to drink some more of his tea; he then places the mug back down on the floor, before continuing.
Simon: 'If the match at High Stakes is to be a tag team match, and if my partner will be chosen for me by the lethal lottery, then I won't complain, no matter who I get paired with.'
Sylvia: 'What if it's J2H?'
Simon gives another shrug.
Simon: 'His attitude might rub some people the wrong way, but he's held the tag team titles, and the roulette title - he could be a good tag team partner.'
Sylvia: 'What about Brother Grimm?'
Simon: 'He's a mysterious individual, but like J2H, he's a former Tag Team Champion, and a former Roulette Champion - again, he could be a good partner to have.'
Sylvia: 'How about...'
Simon interrupts his sister.
Simon: 'How about you stop trying to guess who could be a potential tag team partner for me? It could be anyone - it could even be Joshua Acquin; we could go from being opponents next Sunday, to being tag team partners two weeks later.'
Sylvia: 'Well, it couldn't be anyone - it won't be, say, Sean Jackson.'
Simon: 'No, you're right about that - although he wouldn't be the worst partner for me to have.'
Sylvia looks shocked at this comment from Simon.
Sylvia: 'Are you serious? After everything that he has said about you - about Matilda?'
Simon: 'Sean Jackson and I may not particularly like one another, but I think he likes losing even less. Besides, we've teamed successfully once in the past, in SCW.'
Sylvia fidgets anxiously, before asking another question.
Sylvia: 'The things that Sean Jackson has said in regards to Matilda - have those things bothered you at all?'
Simon: 'No.'
Simon shakes his head, for emphasis.
Simon: 'And I told Jacqui not to let his statements bother her, either; I told her that it's just Sean Jackson being Sean Jackson - it's just him playing the role of "The Mental Rapist."'
Simon lets out a sigh.
Simon: 'The only thing Sean Jackson said that really struck home with me, was when he said that he was going to end my wrestling career.'
Sylvia: 'Why did that claim in particular affect you?'
Simon: 'Because it got me wondering about how and when my career will end. I mean, I'm thirty-six now - how many more years do I have left in me? This could well be my last run. But will my career come to an end because I decide that enough is enough, or will my career come to an end because I suffer an injury that leaves me unable to wrestle any more?'
Simon silently ponders his question for a moment; he then shrugs his shoulders, before speaking again.
Simon: 'Sean Jackson isn't the first person in SCW to say that he's going to end my career, you know.'
Sylvia: 'Who else has?'
Simon: 'Kain; he didn't say it ahead of the match we were involved in at Summer XXXTreme - it was eighteen months ago or more, when there was a bit more animosity between the two of us.'
Sylvia sips some more of her drink, while Simon continues his train of thought.
Simon: 'I'm only ever one move away from suffering a serious injury, but I'm still waiting for Kain, or Sean Jackson, or whoever else, to inflict it upon me.'
Sylvia: 'It almost sounds as if you want someone to end your career.'
Simon chuckles.
Simon: 'Don't be daft - I've still got things left that I want to accomplish in my career.'
Sylvia: 'Like winning the SCW Tag Team Championships.'
Simon: 'Exactly.'
Simon gives his sister a thumbs up.
Simon: 'But before I can concentrate on that goal, first I need to defeat Joshua Acquin next Sunday.'
Simon then reaches down to pick his mug up off the floor.
Sylvia: 'Speaking not as your sister, but as an impartial journalist, I would be surprised if you didn't win that match.'
Simon: 'Thanks for the vote of confidence, Syl.'
Sylvia smiles at her brother.
Sylvia: 'You're welcome.'
Simons sips some of his tea, before speaking again.
Simon: 'I'm not going to deny it, though - I'm confident about my chances for Sunday; beat Steve Ramone, beat Joshua Acquin, and then hopefully go on to win the tag team titles - this could be a good few weeks for me.'
Sylvia nods her head in agreement, and as Simon drinks what remains of his mug of tea, the scene fades to black.
The scene opens inside a lounge in the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, in London, on the evening of Friday 2nd October. Stood facing the camera, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a sky blue long sleeve t-shirt.
Simon sits down on a chair directly opposite the camera, and begins to speak.
Simon: 'This may end up being shorter than usual, as I am currently waiting to board a flight to Madrid, so I apologise in advance if I have to end this abruptly.'
Simon quickly glances upwards, before looking back to the camera, ready to continue.
Simon: 'From Madrid, I will be flying to Colombia, as I make my way to Santa Marta, and Climax Control, where this Sunday, I will be competing in a match against Joshua Acquin. It's a match that I'm looking forward to - especially as I'm heading into it on the back of a win in my last match, last weekend - against an opponent that I have never wrestled before; given that Joshua Aquin and I have both been in SCW for a couple of years now, some people might it find hard to believe, but the match this Sunday will be the first time that he and I have been in the ring together - and I intend for it to be a successful first meeting, as far as I'm concerned.'
Simon smiles confidently.
Simon: 'When I stood in the ring in Buenos Aires two weeks ago, I mentioned that my first ever appearance in front of the SCW cameras had been on the previous occasion that Climax Control had been staged in Buenos Aires. Coincidentally, that particular episode of Climax Control, two and a half years ago, also saw the SCW debut of Joshua Acquin - and it was a very impressive debut, as he beat Casper Grey in less than two minutes. I can, however, assure Joshua that he certainly won't have such an easy time of it this Sunday - this one won't be over in the blink of an eye. And if the match goes according to plan for me, Acquin won't be the one getting his hand raised at the end of it, either.'
Simon shakes his head.
Simon: 'I'm confident about my prospects of beating Joshua Acquin, but although he has struggled at times in the ring recently, I won't be underestimating him; if anyone needed a reminder of what Joshua Acquin is capable of, they got it two weeks ago, when he defeated Andrew Watts - who, until a few months ago, was one of the fastest rising wrestlers in SCW. Andrew Watts may have followed in my footsteps earlier this year, by winning the Blast from the Past tournament, but this weekend won't be my turn to follow in his footsteps - I'm not about to fall victim to Acquin's Nightmare; instead, I plan on sending Acquin on a trip, Into Oblivion.'
Simon smirks.
Simon: 'Speaking of the Blast from the Past tournament, this is the first time since last year's edition of the tournament, that I have found myself having to compete in the six-sided ring on consecutive Sundays. Back then, I was a victim of my own success, progressing through the rounds, going on to win the tournament, and in the midst of all that, still finding the time to regain the SCW heavyweight title. But now? I guess that maybe, after some indifferent performances, the powers that be want me to prove that I still have what it takes, before they go ahead and grant me the request that I have made for High Stakes V; if that is indeed the case, then on Sunday evening, I intend to show that my ability in the ring hasn't deserted me completed, by being victorious for the second time in eight days.'
Simon looks at his left wrist, and in particular at his Breitling watch - a gift given to him last year for his birthday, by Ben Jordan and Emma Rose; he then looks back at the camera, and continues.
Simon: 'Provided that I do indeed get past Joshua Acquin unscathed, it appears as though at High Stakes V, having declared my desire to win the SCW Tag Team Championships, I will be able to look forward to being in the match for the vacant titles. And I believe that a win over Joshua Acquin would be a boost for me, ahead of a potential crack at the tag team titles; having beaten one former SCW Tag Team Champion in my last match - Steve Ramone - another win this Sunday, against the man that Ramone held the titles with, would be a good step for me, on my path to the gold.'
Simon stands up.
Simon: 'So that's my intention: defeat Joshua Acquin, before then turning my attention towards claiming one half of the SCW tag team titles. Part one of that takes place this Sunday; see you in Santa Marta.'
As Simon stands staring towards the camera, the scene fades to black.
