(Downward Spiral is shown warming up in a boxing ring, doing a few jumps before performing some painful stretches. He slips on some boxing gloves, before beginning to use them on a punching bag. The scene moves around the room, showing equipment not being used. Spiral appears to be alone in the dark, musty room, which is just the way he likes it. Suddenly, the door is opened, and a man holding a towel over his shoulder walks in, with a baseball cap on his head. He looks around 40 or 45. He doesn't look up towards the ring as he places his gear down onto a chair. Spiral stops punching, and stares down at the man, until he slowly turns around. Spiral and the man have a long stare at each other, before Spiral begins boxing again. The man slowly walks up and stops at the top of the apron, studying Spiral as he continues his punching.)
Man: Michael
I never thought Id see you back here.
(Spiral stops his workout, and turns around to look at the man.)
Spiral: And I never thought Id want to see you again, and I dont.
(Spiral turns around and begins boxing again, before the man steps into the ring and sits on a turnbuckle. Spiral sighs before turning around again.)
Spiral: What are you doing here Mark? I specifically told the owner that I have this place to myself today.
Mark: I was aware that this gym was for the entire population of Brisbane to use. Well, at least that was what the Steve told me after he let you in. But Im sure you can make an exception for your first wrestling coach.
(Spiral takes his gloves off and wipes his brow, before taking a swig of a water bottle and turning back around to the man with a glare.)
Spiral: Listen Mark, I dont want to tal-
Mark: I saw you on that Meltdown show in America youre on now. Its come to my attention that getting on your bad side is not a great idea. Why Michael? You were never like that as a child. When I taught you, you were always ready for competition, hungry for it, but now
you like it better to take out your competition.
Spiral: And so what if I do? This is the real wrestling business, its not some pathetic company you ran in some barn back in the day.
Mark: Yeah, well back in the day, we didnt do the kind of shit you are doing. I mean, breaking peoples arms and driving them around chained to the back of the car, beating up your own tag team partner? What the hell man?
Spiral: And so what if I did? They all had it coming to them. And what is this? Youve come to give me some advice is it? Youve come to set me straight again? Ive had it with people trying to do this.
(Mark steps down from the turnbuckle and begins pacing around the ring as Spiral puts on the gloves again and starts hitting the bag, harder and harder each time, releasing built up frustration on it.)
Mark: Rebecca called just after Meltdown.
(Spiral stops punching the bag and stares at the ground a little while.)
Mark: She was crying Michael. Crying. Everyone was, weve suddenly seen just what youve become. We always knew it was going to happen, we could tell, but not this much. Your own wife
Spiral: Do you think I dont know what people have been saying? I go down the street: Look, theres Michael, remember him, Hey, thats that Spiral guy I saw break those guys arms, Whatever happened to him? Im sick of it! I know damn sure well what my wife thinks of it, and quite frankly, I dont give a damn. Its hard enough to go into this business, without having people pass judgment on everything I do!
Mark: Well what are they meant to do? Sit back and accept that youve turned yourself into some maniacal asshole, that seems hell-bent on just going out to cause pain on these people?! What are they meant to think? Your own wife is fearful for her own life Michael, and you are turning a blind eye, just like you always did!
Spiral: Stop bringing up my wife! She has nothing to do with this! You just came here to try and prove a point, to be the man that people can look up to by having the guts to try and talk some sense into this wayward soul! Bringing people in my life up is not going to hurt m-
Mark: Well think about them! How do you think it was like for your own parents to have to sit back and see what you did to those two people?! Im sure it hurt them inside more than you will ever know. Youve made a disgrace of yourself Michael, and you know it!
(Spiral turns away from Mark and breathes heavily, lifting his eyes up to the ceiling, where the faintest welling of tears creeps into his eye.)
Spiral: I know
(Mark looks taken aback, before he moves closer to Spiral, who turns around to him.)
Spiral: My whole life, Ive had to deal with people being assholes to me. For years, I sat back and watched these other kids out there, that I had no business with, walk up to me and just think they could say whatever the hell they wanted. If turning myself into one maniacal disgrace to get back what people did to me, then I damn sure am going to do it, no matter what!
(Mark shakes his head at Spiral, who takes a towel and begins wiping down his face. He rips off the gloves in frustration, and throws them to the mat. Mark begins talking in a quieter voice.)
Mark: You still dont get it though Michael. What happened to you all those years ago, is irrelevant today. You are as successful as anyone else could ever hope to be. You have a beautiful wife, a huge house, but you wont find the most important thing of all, by doing what youre doing: happiness.
Spiral: I never wanted to be happy. I-
Mark: Then why bother with all this crap? If you dont want to be happy, what are you getting all worked up about!? Youre obviously more suited to being a miserable piece of crap on your wrestling show, so just stick to doing that!
(Mark exits the ring, with Spiral still staring off into the distance. Mark lifts up his things, before stopping. He unzips a duffel bag that he was carrying around, and pulls out something, seemingly a photograph. He stares at it for a while, before bringing it up to Spiral.)
Mark: You see this Michael? This is the first day of your wrestling training with me. Youre with your parents there, but you know what else is different to today? You are actually smiling. You were happy, because you werent going out and breaking peoples bones. You were happy, because you had people that loved you. And somewhere down the line, you threw them all away, didnt you? For some reason, you threw away everything you had, to be the person you wanted to be; the person no one wanted you to turn out like. What I saw on Meltdown, was my opinion of rock bottom for you. Maybe its time you stepped back, and just stopped, and looked around you. Take a long hard look in the mirror Michael. I know that there is something inside you that is sickened by what youve become, and that something shares the sentiments of everyone you grew up with.
(Spiral takes the photo out of Marks hands and studies it for a long time, with Mark watching intently. Spiral folds the photo up, and hands it back to Mark.)
Spiral: Ive come too far, to stop now. Whats waiting for me is the WZCW Championship. I told myself I wouldnt let anything get in that road. To take out the competition is rule number one in professional wrestling. Im doing just that. Im sorry Mark, but I am a changed man, and nothing is bringing me back. It was people like Everest, who could just coast along, with that smug look on their faces, who thought they could get away with anything. Im sick of people trying to get involved in my business, and he did just that this past Meltdown. I now have him in a street fight at Unscripted. You have to understand that when I hurt Everest, Im not just out there to go and cause pain. Im going to go out there, to prove to everyone, just what Ive become. Im going to remove the black spots of my history, and shut the mouths of anyone who has ever tried to bring me down. Everest is just like you Mark. He tries to stick up for whats right, and Im sick of it. Everest has deserved exactly whats coming to him, and no one is going to stop me from doing that. Everest typifies exactly what those kids in my childhood were like, and I've had to relive those days for as long as I can remember. It's people like Everest, who think they can walk all over me. If I get my way, I'm going to stick it up the asses of everyone who's mistreated me, and make sure that Everest can never walk again!
Mark: At least have some compassion with this guy Michael! I obviously cant talk sense into you, but theres a limit. Youve gone beyond that limit, and there isnt anything that anyone can do to stop you. I can only imagine what youre going to do with this street fight, and I beg you to control yourself!
Spiral: You cant tell me what to do in my business. Everest got himself involved, and he made the stipulation. Its his grave to lie in now, so hes brought this on himself. He dug his grave, and Im going to bury him in it. Its a street fight Mark, and in this business, it means anything goes. Pain is irrelevant for Everest now, its survival that matters.
(Spiral whips the towel over his shoulder, and moves out of the ring. Mark stares on after him, shaking his head in disbelief, as Spiral exits the building. Mark takes one more look at the photo, before tucking it back into his pocket.)
