The camera turns on to show us Leon Kensworth standing in front of an average looking apartment on the outskirts of Little Italy in New York City. He looks down at his notebook as he takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.
Leon (to himself): Why do they have me interview all these people that don't like me? How does management know I won't end up dead in a ditch somewhere? I need to ask for hazard pay the next time my contract is negotiated.
All of a sudden the door is yanked open and Leon is suddenly looking at an angry Gino Rizzoli holding an ice pack to his neck after taking that Critical Hit from Blackjack Theron after the main event of the last Meltdown. He looks at Leon with a look in his eyes that says he is not in a good mood.
Gino: What the hell are you doing here?
Leon: I have a scheduled Interview with Anthony before the Lethal Lottery.
Gino: The fuck you talkin' about? We didn't schedule any interview with you.
Leon: It's in Anthony's contract that he has to do at least 2 interviews a year so Mr. Bateman set this up for today.
Before Gino can get on Leon's case even more Tony yells at him from the back of the apartment.
Tony: Let him in Gino, if he wants an interview then he'll get one, we'll just have to take him with us.
Hearing that Gino scowls at Leon as he mutters under his breath about how this is bullshit but he still escorts back to Tony's room where he's getting dressed up in a suit and tie and as he's putting his shirt on he talks to Leon
Tony: Sorry about that Leon. My parent's funeral is today so Gino is a bit on edge. He was very close to my father.
Leon: I'm so sorry to intrude on a personal day. We can reschedule if you have a lot going on.
Tony: That's ok Leon, you can come with us. I could use a friendly face today while I' m up there giving the eulogy. I do have one condition though.
Before Leon can ask what that condition is Tony reaches over snatches his notebook and throws it across the room then goes back to putting his shirt and tie on.
Tony: Leave this here. A lot of my father's business associates will be there and if they see you writing in a notepad they will try to take it away and start shit with you. Today of all days I just want things to go smoothly.
Tony finally finishes getting dressed and puts his arms around Leon's shoulders as he marches him to the front of the house. Parked out front is a H2 Stretch Limo with Gino scowling behind the wheel. As Leon is maneuvered in front of Tony they walk down the stairs and both get in the back. Leon looks a bit uncomfortable going to the funeral of people he has never met but Tony tries to put him at ease.
Tony: You said you were here to do an interview so you must have at least a couple questions. We have a bit of a ride in front of us so why don't we start now.
Leon: Ummm okay let's see if I can remember any. I've never done this without my notepad before. Ah yes here's one, Since coming to WZCW you've been on what most have called a big losing streak but now you're going into the second biggest event on the WZCW calendar as one of three contenders for what some are calling the top title in the company after only winning a single match. What are your thoughts on your rise up the ranks?
Tony (smiling): I was wondering when someone would be asking me that. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit surprised. All those months losing match after match I was starting to doubt myself, believing what my father was telling me every time we talked on the phone.
Leon: What was he telling you?
Tony: He kept telling me that I wasn't good enough, that I was bringing disgrace to the Mancini name and making him look bad in front of his friends. He demanded that I come home and leave this foolish dream behind me and learn the family business so I can take over after he dies.
Leon: Something must have helped you make up your mind. Your father passed away and you're still here.
At that Tony laughs a bit and pours himself a drink from the wet-bar the limo has in it and takes a sip.
Tony: I wish it was that simple Leon. The truth is since everything has gone down my decision got that much harder. On one hand I love what I do. My career has reached heights I never thought possible just a few months ago and I'm enjoying every second of it. On the other hand I have my families legacy to think about. My grandfather built his business from the ground up and left it to my father in his will. My entire childhood my father told me that he wants to leave it to me like it was left to him. I can either do what I want to do with my life or continue my father's legacy like he always wanted me to. That's never an easy choice for a son to make.
Looking a bit shell shocked Leon leans back in his seat as Tony pours another drink and offers it to Leon who turns it down saying he's not allowed to drink while he's working. Tony shrugs and sets it down as Leon finally finds his voice and starts talking
Leon: When you put it that way I can see how it wouldn't be an easy choice.
Before he can ask another question the limo stops in a church parking lot and after a few seconds Gino comes and opens the door. Tony gets out first with Leon right behind him but as Leon gets out of the limo Gino scowls at him and bucks up on him before walking behind Tony as they go into the St. Vincent's Catholic church in Yonkers, NY. As Leon walks up behind them people are huddled around Tony and offering their condolences for his loss. While people are talking to him some of the older gentlemen glance up at Leon and scowl at him. As he's standing there he hears one of the men whispering to Tony.
Old Mobster: The other families are muscling in on our territory. With all of us in the same place we need to sit down and have to sit down and officially make you Don before there's nothing left.
Tony: Let me bury my parents first Leo, we can take care of all of this after the reception at the Social Club. The Family will still be whole in a few hours.
The man nods his head and leans in close to whisper something else to Tony that Leon couldn't hear. All Tony does is nod his head as he motions for Leon to follow him. They walk up to the front of the church and sit right up front as the priest walks behind the pulpit and looks down at his notes and rips them to pieces before tossing them on the floor.
Father Dante: I had a long sermon planned but walking up here and looking at you all I figured that wasn't what was needed today. All I'm going to say is don't be sad, July 4th, 2016 is a day that will never be the same for any of us but we will see Angelo and Priscilla again when Christ returns.
With that said he motions for Tony to come up to the pulpit who gets up with a slight grimace on his face. When he gets up behind the pulpit he stares out at the pews full of people and takes a deep breath before he starts.
Tony: My entire life my parents were the cornerstones of my life, of who I was. Like any good son I believed my mother when she told me I could be whatever I wanted to. Growing up I wanted to be the usual things a child wanted to be, a cop, a firefighter even an astronaut. Hell I even wanted to be an archaeologist for a little bit. And you know what, my mother never said I couldn't do it. Whenever I felt like I couldn't do it or I started to doubt myself she played me her favorite Christian song that I would like to play for everyone.
With a nod to the audio guy in the balcony the song is played throughout the church.
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As the song ends Tony raises his head and wipes the tears from his eyes. He tries to talk a few times but nothing comes out of his mouth causing him to look like a fish out of water. After he takes a few deep breaths and wipes more tears away he is able to talk again.
Tony: And then there's my father. He grew up the son of two Sicilian immigrants who came to this country hoping to find what everyone wants, the American Dream. Unlike most in this country however they actually found it. My grandfather started Mancini Waste Management and made it the best in New York City. He provided for his family and made it so they didn't have to want for anything. When he passed on my father took over for him and gave me everything I wanted. I grew up thinking I would do the exact same thing he did and take over for him but something happened.
Tony pauses and tilts his head as he smiles at the memory he's about share.
Tony: That something happened on August 8th, 2008 on that day I saw a WZCW PPV called Kingdom Come. I convinced my parents to buy the PPV and let me stay up late that Friday night so I could watch it. I loved everything about it from the violence of Milenko vs Alex Bowen to the Hall of Famer Steamboat Ricky making history by becoming the very first King for a Day. Those were great moments that will stick with me forever but there is one moment that made me want to do what they do. Watching Big Will defeat Joseph Rios to realize his dream of becoming WZCW World Heavyweight Champion made me realize that becoming a WZCW superstar was my dream.
With that declaration Tony's smile falters a little bit but is quickly put back in place fast enough so hopefully people never see that it isn't plastered on his face.
Tony: Earlier this year I did exactly that, I became a WZCW superstar. If you follow WZCW at all you know that for the longest time it didn't go as I, or my father, thought it should or how we wanted it to. My father did nothing to hide that fact either. He kept telling me I was wasting my time and that he wanted me home to start learning what I need to learn to take over the family business.
At that point he let's the smile fall from his face as he bows his head and talks in choked whispers
Tony: When he would say that I would tell him he was wrong but as time went on he got more insistent. It got so bad that right before he died we got in a huge argument. He never got to see me become #1 contender to the Eurasian Championship. He won't see his son go into WZCW's 2nd biggest event of the year and fight not only a Hall of Famer who has had a chokehold on that title for almost a year but a former World Champion and a man on track to become the Rookie of the Year. People say I'm the underdog in this match, that I don't have a chance at winning this match against 3 of the best superstars that this company has.
Tony raises his head to show everyone the fire now in his eyes and when he starts talking there is a quiet determination in his voice that make people lean forward in their pew so they can hear him.
Tony: What people don't know is I have to win. My mother died thinking I was going to eventually have success doing what I love while my father never thought I would amount to anything in this business. I have to prove her right and him wrong and the only way I can do that is by beating three of the best to ever step foot into a wrestling ring.
Tony closes his eyes and takes a few more deep breaths and talks in a regular voice.
Tony: Enough about me though, this is about my parents. In that light I would like to invite all of you to my father's favorite Social Club down in the city for a celebration of their life instead of moping around being depressed because they're no long with us, it's what they would have wanted. One last thing I wanted to share with you before I was done though. My mother shared a Psalm with me a few years ago and since she died I've found myself repeating it over and over. It's really helped me over the last few months and hopefully it helps anyone else going through a tough spot in life.
Pslam 23:4 said:
Though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Closing Father Dante's bible Tony walks back to the front pew while the priest walks back behind the pulpit to say one last thing.
Father Dante: right after this we're going to lay the deceased to rest at the Mancini family plot at St. Vincent's Cemetery and then as Tony stated there will be a Celebration of Life down in the City. God bless you all and have a great day.
As Father Dante walks to the back of the church the eight pallbearers walk up and take the coffins and slowly follow Tony out the door as they walk behind the church to the Mancini family plot. When everyone arrives Father Dante says a few more words and lets everyone say goodbye before the cemetery workers. Tony watches the men fill in the dirt over his parents with Leon standing next to him. As the men pour the last of the dirt Gino honks the limo horn from the road causing Tony to turn around and walk away from his parents grave with Leon right behind him.
Leon: Thank you for letting me be a part of such a personal time Tony. I wish I had known your parents before they passed away.
Tony: My mother would have like you but my father probably wouldn't have, he would have seen you as weak and not worth his time.
Leon pushes his glasses up on his face so they don't fall of as Tony opens the limo door and gets in leaving Leon to keep the door from closing on him as he scrambles into the seat next to Tony who is already drinking the liqour from the in-limo bar.
Leon: I have some more questions to ask you if you don't mind Tony. I figured with the almost hour ride back to the city I could get a few more of them out of the way.
Tony silently nods his head as he pours Leon a drink and by the look on his face Leon reaches for it and takes a sip as he nurses it, not wanting to drink to much.
Leon: You mentioned your match at the Lethal Lottery in Phoenix but I was hoping you could go into your opponents a bit more than you have.
Tony: What more can I say Leon? Titus Avison is the only active Hall of Famer in WZCW and has elevated the Eurasian Championship so much it's on par with the World Championship. Some say it's surpassed it due to the quality of matches he's put on over the last year while defending it. He is the longest reigning champion in this company and wants nothing more than to go a full calendar year as Eurasian Champion. People have heard the legends? I say the legends don't do the man justice.
Tony down the rest of his glass of rum and pours himself another glass as he stares out the window at the passing New York countryside. It goes on to the point where Leon is about to wake him up when he continues talking.
Tony: They call him The Worlds Greatest Mind and I would be hard pressed to disagree with them. Since he cam back to WZCW Xander LeBelle has been on a roll. He seems to know what people are thinking before they do and he's able to capitalize in ways that make him come out looking like gold.
As he thinks about his last opponent he scowls and grips the glass he is holding to the point where cracks start to appear on the sides.
Tony: And last we have the man who is out of touch with reality. He has somehow won the World Championship at the Lethal Lottery event last year and has held the Eurasian Championship once before. I don't know how he's been able to accomplish everything he has without even knowing the names of his opponents but he has.
Leon: You mentioned this a little bit but what do you say to the people calling you the underdog going into this match?
Tony: I would tell them that they're full of shit. I may have won only a single match to get the chance to win the most prestigious title in WZCW. But sometimes that's all it takes. I may not have done much compared to 2 former world Champions and a former tag champion. But like I said earlier that's why I have to win this. Unlike the other three men I have something to prove and I intend to do just that.
Leon nods his head as he takes another small sip out of the glass he's been holding. He stares out the window and the city scape coming into focus as he thinks of another question to ask before they get to the Social Club.
Leon: Last week on Meltdown to teamed up with both Theron & Xander to take on Titus Avison but instead of actually being a team the three of you were hell bent on taking each other out instead. You even beat on Theron the entire match. Why on earth would you do something like that?
Tony: He disrespected me for starters. I wasn't even in the ring yet when he took it upon himself to make his entrance and then he ignored me when I tried to talk to him about it and find out why he did it. I can deal with a lot of crap but being blatantly disrespected like that is not one of them. I told everyone I needed to get the pin in order to make people take me seriously but that was stolen from me by LeBelle so I had to do the next best thing. I took out a former WZCW World & Eurasian Champion and stood over not only his body but the body of the current Eurasian Champion as well. I stood tall over them to end the show while the front runner for Rookie of the Year ran away like a coward instead of facing me in the ring. It wasn't how I planned it but I think I proved my point.
All of a sudden the limo stops and Leon realizes they arrived at their destination. Tony stumbles a little bit as he gets out of the limo and almost falls face first onto the pavement. Leon gets out after him and sees a bunch of people already there and on the fast track to becoming completely drunk so he decides to ask Tony one last question before leaving.
Leon: I have one last question for you and then I'm gonna go. I have more people to interview and I'm sure you would like to spend time with your friends and family.
Tony puts his arms around Leon's shoulders and puts his full weight on him causing him to stumble a little bit himself. Tony doesn't say anything so Leon goes ahead and asks his question.
Leon: Not only do you have a chance to become Eurasian Champion you are also in the Lethal Lottery match itself and have a chance to go on to headline Kingdom Come VIII for the World Championship. Have you given that any thought?
Tony: Honestly Leon, no I haven't. People see me as the underdog in a match with only four people in it. I can only imagine what those people would say about my chances where I'm only one out of thirty superstars. I plan on doing my best but even I know the odds of me winning when people like Eve Taylor and Matt Tastic are in it are extremely small. No Leon my thoughts are on winning the Eurasian Championship and going into Kingdom Come as champion not winning a match to become a contender at Kingdom Come.
With that Tony pushes off of Leon and goes to stand over next to Gino who is talking to a group of men in suits. When he notices Tony he looks over at Leon who is already calling for a cab.
Gino: I never thought that peon would leave, now we can get down to some serious business. Ton we all need to go into the back room and get this succession over with and let the other Families know we're still a threat.
Tony nods his head and leads the group into the Social Club and past the large group of people celebrating his parents life. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket and sets it on the bar. Everyone behind him follows suit as they pass and go into the the back room. As the all crowd in Tony stares at the head of the table and the ornate chair his father always sat in. He take a deep breath hand walks over to the chair and sits down in it as everyone else sits down around the table with Gino standing at his right shoulder.
Tony: We need to make this quick so the people out there don't start wondering why we're all back here. You all want me to take my rightful spot as Don after my father. Well I've thought long and hard about this every day since he died and I have an answer.
Tony takes a deep breath before giving his answer he knows the other won't like.
Tony: I can't do it. You were all there when I said I love what I do and I don't need the distractions that have been running through my mind the last few months. Don't worry though, when I realized I couldn't take my father's place I thought of who could and I came up with one person. Vito will take over the Family and Leo will be his Consigliere. Leo has been around since my father was a boy and Vito is the kind of guy that no one will want to cross. Between them they will bring this Family to heights I never could.
As he gets done talking everyone starts shouting ever each other in protest but as Tony gets up everyone goes silent as he motions for Vito and Leo to get up as well. They walk up to him and he grabs each man in a huge bear hug and kisses them both on the cheek. He moves out of the way and lets Vito take his place at the head of the Family with Leo standing at his right shoulder. Tony quietly walks out of the room with Gino right behind him as Vito starts talking to everyone as the new Don. He smiles as he closes the door and walks out into the party. He grabs his phone from the bartender and asks for a rum and coke. He mingles with friends and family as they all shares stories when all of a sudden he gets a tap on his shoulder. He turns around and sees a complete stranger with an envelope in his hands.
Process Server: Are you Anthony Mancini?
When Tony says yes the man hands him the envelope.
Process Server: You've been served.
Saying that the man turns around and walks out the door leaving Tony staring at the envelope in his and. After a minute he notices the people he was talking to staring at him and talking to themselves. He puts it in his back pocket and turns back around as he rejoins the conversation the camera slowly fades out.
