Post by D on Mar 5, 2016 4:14:26 GMT -5
As we cut to a commercial break, the all-too-familiar title card of Rated X appears on the screen.
Just as before, the Bullseye voice-over is heard.
Bullseye: Yo this message ya'll are about to receive is from Rated X and 'dem mark-ass fools in the XWA ain't got nuttin' ta' do with 'dis shit.
The voice-over concludes and the title card cuts away leaving only black. It is at this moment that music kicks in and a second title card appears.
A Day in the Life of Rated X by Matthew Werner
Chapter II: The Journey
After a few moments the title card disappears and we abruptly cut to the traditional, rough, monochrome tape finding ourselves within the confines of a moving van. The handheld camera pans around showing an unidentifiable man driving the vehicle with Alex Sean sitting in the front passenger seat staring at the world zooming past him. We pan to our left revealing our specific location within the vehicle to be in the row of seats directly behind the front; DGX on the far left and Matthew Werner in the middle. The shot continues to move finding a third row of seats with EBR situated on the far-left window seat and Bullseye on the far right.
Matthew Werner: So I've been kind of wondering about something.
We hear his voice from out of frame, however as his sentence concludes the shot pans back toward him.
Matthew Werner: ... If you don't mind me asking.
The shot pans around quickly, catching as much of the members of Rated X's inquisitive gazes that can be seen from behind sunglasses.
Alex Sean: Go on.
We pan back toward Werner directly to our left with DGX slightly out-of-focus behind him.
Matthew Werner: Well, I've been around you guys for a long time, seen you do a lot of things that... I'll be honest, probably weren't the kindest of actions.
DGX: Gotta get your hands dirty sometimes Wern, gotta get your hands dirty.
Matthew Werner: I understand that. I always understood your motivations whether it was... Pointing to Sean toward his front-right ... You and E in 2006 or all three of you in 2009, so on and so forth.
EBR: Good times I thought.
DGX: Yeah, minus the whole falling apart and subsequent blood feud and all that.
Alex Sean: And my heroin overdose.
EBR: Yeah those seats were never the same after that.
While out of frame, you can pretty much feel the look Alex Sean is giving EBR.
EBR: ... I'm just saying we all took a hit on that... No pun intended.
Matthew Werner: Can I go on?
DGX: Sure if you could actually get to the point.
Bullseye: I know right? Dis muh'fugga be like tryin' to win an emmy and shit talkin' like a senator or whatever.
Matthew Werner: Fair enough. What I'm getting at is, every time you guys came in and... Did what you did, there was always some greater purpose behind it; A cause, if you will.
Out of frame we hear Sean harshly chuckle sounding almost like a snort.
Matthew Werner: ... I guess my question is, this time, this situation... I'm trying to wrap my head around it and I'm having a hard time. You guys don't have any history with Perez, most of the roster are guys you've never encountered, I just can't seem to grasp your big picture this time.
We pan around momentarily, catching the members of Rated X each with their own "do you want to take this?" body language. Alex Sean takes the lead, turning back to face Werner which the camera operator uses as a chance to widen the shot to catch Sean in the upper right-hand corner of the frame, Werner centered, and DGX out of focus on the far left.
Alex Sean: The reality is Matthew... There is no big picture here. There is no greater purpose or cause, this isn't some overly grandiose plot to change the face of the XWA or enact revenge or whatever melodramatic kind of justification we mighta run with in the past.
Matthew Werner: I see... So this is just...
EBR: Green and gold man.
Alex Sean: Yeah... Sean nods approvingly. ... That's about the long and short of it.
Matthew Werner: And you have no qualms with this? It seems kind of like... Beneath you. Morally speaking I guess.
Alex Sean: Heh... Look man, lemme give you some words from the wise cos I been in'it for... What? Eleven, almost twelve years now? All these causes, as you put it, purposes, fighting the powers that be and all that greater good B-S is just that; B-S, nonsense. It's all Animal Farm man, it's fuckin' George Lucas.
Matthew Werner: ... George Lucas?
Alex Sean: Yeah man, fuckin' George Lucas. Dude came out, made "American Grafitti" and what was that other one? THX-whatever-the-fuck?
Matthew Werner: Something like that.
Alex Sean: Yeah and the studios, these big corporate executives looked at them and said they need this and that and chopped his movies up, edited them how they liked cos they at the end of the day they owned it. So Lucas was all, these studios ain't gonna mess with me again, I'ma own my next film and I'ma put it to them. So the muh'fucker made Star Wars which is like, at it's core, an allegory about fighting the power and all that.
EBR: I never really got that part of it, Chewbacca was great though.
DGX: For sure.
Alex Sean: What I'm saying is, dude went against the power, fought the establishment, and he made this milestone in cinema as a symbol of all of that. And now what is Star Wars? What is George Lucas? Fuckin' Coke, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, it's corporate America. And you know why that is, Matthew?
Matthew Werner: Why's that?
Alex Sean: Because anything powerful enough to change the status quo becomes the status quo. It's inevitable. That's why rap records are sold in Wal-Mart and why politicians use rock and roll as campaign music. For anything to truly change the world it becomes part of that world and a victim to the beaurocracy and corruption that made the people wanna change things in the first place. And that's what we are man, Rated X, that shit's a brand man. We've got t-shirts, hats, thongs, fuckin' teddy bears with our outfits on. It's the way of the world and there ain't no use in deluding yourself with grandiose visions of a world that ain't ever gonna exist.
Matthew Werner: Well... Be that as it may, and I guess I see your point, but don't you think there's something to be said for... A value in how your perceived? What kind of legacy you leave behind?
From his seat, DGX leans forward and toward Werner popping further into focus.
DGX: If I could interject...
Alex Sean: Yeah man, take it.
DGX: Wern, I've been in this game pretty much just as long as Alex has. I won the title just two months into my career, won a few of them by that point in fact. I'm one of the most accomplished guys there's ever been in this business and you know how I did it?
Matthew Werner: I do but go on.
DGX: I lied, I cheated, I stole everything that wasn't nailed down and I did it with a smile on my face. I've always done what it's taken to not just have an opportunity to be at the top but a guarantee... DGX knocks on the window directly to his left. ... As solid as this glass right here. I basically cut Alex's throat right in the middle of that ring, I ruined J. Furry Fenlon's life, let alone his career, I screwed over countless guys and you know what I got for it?
As if to punctuate his coming point, DGX raises his right hand revealing his XWA Hall of Fame ring.
DGX: I got this. In fact I think I got one of those from the WFWF back in Anaheim... Or maybe in storage somewhere, I'm not sure. I've got countless trophies and awards for my accolades and if you ask any of those fans that are gonna be there in Green Bay, in Detroit, you find any city in the world and you ask them about DGX and they'll tell you that I'm the most accomplished wrestler to ever step foot in an XWA ring. You ask guys like Tempest, MadDog, Angelus, Rose, you name them; They'll tell you the same thing because at the end of the day, when all is said is done, people don't remember whether you held this guy's tights or had your manager pull that guy out of the ring and cheap shot him when the ref wasn't looking. Hell I'll say it right here and now; People are dumb, Wern, really, really dumb. Simple-minded, pathetic, worthless fools and I can say that 'till my face turns blue cos nobody's gonna remember it. They'll remember the wins, the losses, the accolades, the milestones... People remember brushstrokes. But the finer details? Might as well be sand on a beach washed away with the waves.
Matthew Werner: So what you're saying is...
DGX: What I'm saying is this whole sanctity in preserving one's legacy is for marks. It's for guys like Tempest who snuggle up at night patting themselves on the back because they did it the right way or whatever nonsense he tells himself. Gives him this sort of complex where he has to be locked up in a ward where people sit and listen to his problems and delusions until people like us show up then he has to pick his strait jackets lock so he can go find his Superman cape to come and fight evil because “it’s the right thing to do.” It's for guys like Rose who've gotta claw their way back into the XWA from the indies so he can end up as a color commentator after showing once again at our biggest dance that he can’t hack it. Now he just sits at a desk every week running his mouth and ducking guys like E because under all that big talk he’s scared. That's what happens to guys who care so much about their scruples that they can't do what it takes to win; They become irrelevant, they get passed by.
As these words soak in, we pan out of our right-side window, watching the world pass in our travels. After several moments, we fade to black in preparation of our return from break.
Just as before, the Bullseye voice-over is heard.
Bullseye: Yo this message ya'll are about to receive is from Rated X and 'dem mark-ass fools in the XWA ain't got nuttin' ta' do with 'dis shit.
The voice-over concludes and the title card cuts away leaving only black. It is at this moment that music kicks in and a second title card appears.
A Day in the Life of Rated X by Matthew Werner
Chapter II: The Journey
After a few moments the title card disappears and we abruptly cut to the traditional, rough, monochrome tape finding ourselves within the confines of a moving van. The handheld camera pans around showing an unidentifiable man driving the vehicle with Alex Sean sitting in the front passenger seat staring at the world zooming past him. We pan to our left revealing our specific location within the vehicle to be in the row of seats directly behind the front; DGX on the far left and Matthew Werner in the middle. The shot continues to move finding a third row of seats with EBR situated on the far-left window seat and Bullseye on the far right.
Matthew Werner: So I've been kind of wondering about something.
We hear his voice from out of frame, however as his sentence concludes the shot pans back toward him.
Matthew Werner: ... If you don't mind me asking.
The shot pans around quickly, catching as much of the members of Rated X's inquisitive gazes that can be seen from behind sunglasses.
Alex Sean: Go on.
We pan back toward Werner directly to our left with DGX slightly out-of-focus behind him.
Matthew Werner: Well, I've been around you guys for a long time, seen you do a lot of things that... I'll be honest, probably weren't the kindest of actions.
DGX: Gotta get your hands dirty sometimes Wern, gotta get your hands dirty.
Matthew Werner: I understand that. I always understood your motivations whether it was... Pointing to Sean toward his front-right ... You and E in 2006 or all three of you in 2009, so on and so forth.
EBR: Good times I thought.
DGX: Yeah, minus the whole falling apart and subsequent blood feud and all that.
Alex Sean: And my heroin overdose.
EBR: Yeah those seats were never the same after that.
While out of frame, you can pretty much feel the look Alex Sean is giving EBR.
EBR: ... I'm just saying we all took a hit on that... No pun intended.
Matthew Werner: Can I go on?
DGX: Sure if you could actually get to the point.
Bullseye: I know right? Dis muh'fugga be like tryin' to win an emmy and shit talkin' like a senator or whatever.
Matthew Werner: Fair enough. What I'm getting at is, every time you guys came in and... Did what you did, there was always some greater purpose behind it; A cause, if you will.
Out of frame we hear Sean harshly chuckle sounding almost like a snort.
Matthew Werner: ... I guess my question is, this time, this situation... I'm trying to wrap my head around it and I'm having a hard time. You guys don't have any history with Perez, most of the roster are guys you've never encountered, I just can't seem to grasp your big picture this time.
We pan around momentarily, catching the members of Rated X each with their own "do you want to take this?" body language. Alex Sean takes the lead, turning back to face Werner which the camera operator uses as a chance to widen the shot to catch Sean in the upper right-hand corner of the frame, Werner centered, and DGX out of focus on the far left.
Alex Sean: The reality is Matthew... There is no big picture here. There is no greater purpose or cause, this isn't some overly grandiose plot to change the face of the XWA or enact revenge or whatever melodramatic kind of justification we mighta run with in the past.
Matthew Werner: I see... So this is just...
EBR: Green and gold man.
Alex Sean: Yeah... Sean nods approvingly. ... That's about the long and short of it.
Matthew Werner: And you have no qualms with this? It seems kind of like... Beneath you. Morally speaking I guess.
Alex Sean: Heh... Look man, lemme give you some words from the wise cos I been in'it for... What? Eleven, almost twelve years now? All these causes, as you put it, purposes, fighting the powers that be and all that greater good B-S is just that; B-S, nonsense. It's all Animal Farm man, it's fuckin' George Lucas.
Matthew Werner: ... George Lucas?
Alex Sean: Yeah man, fuckin' George Lucas. Dude came out, made "American Grafitti" and what was that other one? THX-whatever-the-fuck?
Matthew Werner: Something like that.
Alex Sean: Yeah and the studios, these big corporate executives looked at them and said they need this and that and chopped his movies up, edited them how they liked cos they at the end of the day they owned it. So Lucas was all, these studios ain't gonna mess with me again, I'ma own my next film and I'ma put it to them. So the muh'fucker made Star Wars which is like, at it's core, an allegory about fighting the power and all that.
EBR: I never really got that part of it, Chewbacca was great though.
DGX: For sure.
Alex Sean: What I'm saying is, dude went against the power, fought the establishment, and he made this milestone in cinema as a symbol of all of that. And now what is Star Wars? What is George Lucas? Fuckin' Coke, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, it's corporate America. And you know why that is, Matthew?
Matthew Werner: Why's that?
Alex Sean: Because anything powerful enough to change the status quo becomes the status quo. It's inevitable. That's why rap records are sold in Wal-Mart and why politicians use rock and roll as campaign music. For anything to truly change the world it becomes part of that world and a victim to the beaurocracy and corruption that made the people wanna change things in the first place. And that's what we are man, Rated X, that shit's a brand man. We've got t-shirts, hats, thongs, fuckin' teddy bears with our outfits on. It's the way of the world and there ain't no use in deluding yourself with grandiose visions of a world that ain't ever gonna exist.
Matthew Werner: Well... Be that as it may, and I guess I see your point, but don't you think there's something to be said for... A value in how your perceived? What kind of legacy you leave behind?
From his seat, DGX leans forward and toward Werner popping further into focus.
DGX: If I could interject...
Alex Sean: Yeah man, take it.
DGX: Wern, I've been in this game pretty much just as long as Alex has. I won the title just two months into my career, won a few of them by that point in fact. I'm one of the most accomplished guys there's ever been in this business and you know how I did it?
Matthew Werner: I do but go on.
DGX: I lied, I cheated, I stole everything that wasn't nailed down and I did it with a smile on my face. I've always done what it's taken to not just have an opportunity to be at the top but a guarantee... DGX knocks on the window directly to his left. ... As solid as this glass right here. I basically cut Alex's throat right in the middle of that ring, I ruined J. Furry Fenlon's life, let alone his career, I screwed over countless guys and you know what I got for it?
As if to punctuate his coming point, DGX raises his right hand revealing his XWA Hall of Fame ring.
DGX: I got this. In fact I think I got one of those from the WFWF back in Anaheim... Or maybe in storage somewhere, I'm not sure. I've got countless trophies and awards for my accolades and if you ask any of those fans that are gonna be there in Green Bay, in Detroit, you find any city in the world and you ask them about DGX and they'll tell you that I'm the most accomplished wrestler to ever step foot in an XWA ring. You ask guys like Tempest, MadDog, Angelus, Rose, you name them; They'll tell you the same thing because at the end of the day, when all is said is done, people don't remember whether you held this guy's tights or had your manager pull that guy out of the ring and cheap shot him when the ref wasn't looking. Hell I'll say it right here and now; People are dumb, Wern, really, really dumb. Simple-minded, pathetic, worthless fools and I can say that 'till my face turns blue cos nobody's gonna remember it. They'll remember the wins, the losses, the accolades, the milestones... People remember brushstrokes. But the finer details? Might as well be sand on a beach washed away with the waves.
Matthew Werner: So what you're saying is...
DGX: What I'm saying is this whole sanctity in preserving one's legacy is for marks. It's for guys like Tempest who snuggle up at night patting themselves on the back because they did it the right way or whatever nonsense he tells himself. Gives him this sort of complex where he has to be locked up in a ward where people sit and listen to his problems and delusions until people like us show up then he has to pick his strait jackets lock so he can go find his Superman cape to come and fight evil because “it’s the right thing to do.” It's for guys like Rose who've gotta claw their way back into the XWA from the indies so he can end up as a color commentator after showing once again at our biggest dance that he can’t hack it. Now he just sits at a desk every week running his mouth and ducking guys like E because under all that big talk he’s scared. That's what happens to guys who care so much about their scruples that they can't do what it takes to win; They become irrelevant, they get passed by.
As these words soak in, we pan out of our right-side window, watching the world pass in our travels. After several moments, we fade to black in preparation of our return from break.