Redemption: Big Dave vs. Hunter Kravinoff

[Phoenix]

Ever since winning the King For A Day, Big Dave has had a target on his back coming in the form of Hunter Kravinoff and Barbosa who seek to take the title opportunity that he earned at Kingdom Come. Big Dave's had enough and issued the challenge to Kravinoff to face him one on one at Redemption without the briefcase at stake and got a little payback by destroying the picture of Freud, wounding Kravinoff in the final moments of Ascension. Will Dave finally get Kravinoff off his back or has he only enraged him further?

Deadline is Tuesday 7th June 23:59 EST

 

[Phoenix]

The scene opens on the two in a psychiatrist’s office, one is lying on a sofa the ever sitting in a chair holding a notepad and pen. The individual lying on the sofa is Big Dave and the other looks sort of similar to Freud, they seem to be in the middle of a therapy session.

Tell me, what is it all about Hunter Kravinoff that gains your interest?

Hunter is not an individual who gains my interest but rather obtained it. He wanted attention all along, he wanted to make himself bigger than he thought he could ever be, yet he seems to be a man possessed, chasing an opportunity that is not available.

Let’s not get too complicated with that, he is a powerful man, he’s caused pain, he’s caused you to suffer.

That’s his speciality, that why they call him Hunter. He’s never felt what it’s like to be hunted, his method is to make an impact and to walk away, I mean look at the situation with him and Toyota, he left Toyota hanging and has never faced the retribution of that. Hunter Kravinoff is a man who will cause problems but doesn’t yet think of the consequences, and this is possibly the first time he’s ever been backed into a corner, and he will realise that Redemption isn’t just the name of a pay per view, but it’s going to be him facing the backlash of all he’s ever done.

The Freud-a-like is making some notes before resuming.

You seem to making this more personal than it ought to be.

That’s because he made it personal, because he simply wanted to make sure that he could get into any situation with a means of an escape clause. He aligns himself with different people when the odds are against him. For once, he is out of his comfort zone, something he’s never felt before and I have been waiting for that time to show up. During those matches where I was against Barbosa, or even the King For A Day, he’s been waiting to make an impact and the only way he seems to find it is by aligning himself with people he thinks are inferior to him. And Freud, you, have been his scapegoat, his way of saying that he was under influence, that he always had a way out of things, nothing has ever been his responsibility, only the victory.

And that is why you won’t put up your King For A Day title shot?

Maybe, but it’s not just that, he had the same opportunity, he endured the same hell that I went through, five other men in that chamber, he went in and never came out. He wanted a shot at my opportunity because he ran out of excuses because that’s all he knows, excuses. And unless he learns to man up soon enough, he will learn the hard way that things are not handed to him on a platter; it’s about opportunities and about taking them. I have had to endure this the long, hard and gruelling way, yes, I have had opportunities given but I have taken them, this company is about having the moments and taking them, nothing is ever handed to you.

The sad thing is for a time, I believed that it was the way to go; I believed I was entitled to having a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity, that I should be able to relinquish a championship at any given time just to get it. And I learned the hard way that the ways I have done to win and obtain the championships in the past are how it is all about, because I have risen up through them and have never looked back and I will continue to push myself to reach the top and I began to understand that at the Lethal Lottery. I defeated Everest to give myself the better chance of winning, but when that moment came, it was right there for me and I didn’t take it. That was what woke me up, the fact that the opportunity was right there, I rose as best of my abilities but it was not enough, I did not make the opportunity mine and I let the moment slip. I vowed at Kingdom Come that I would not let that opportunity slip from me once again and I damn sure did not give up. Kravinoff has not experienced this, he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose something important, and that is what I did on Ascension when I destroyed that portrait, that representation of you, because this is now the time he needs to be a man.

Dave sits up right and turns off the edge of the sofa, leaning his elbows on his knees.

I have been in this company for a long time and I have endured some real big trials, now it is the time for Kravinoff to have one of his own to show that excuses cannot be fallen back on because you cannot get the job done in the first place. We may have faced off once before, but I was going through the same phase you are now, making excuses, this time it’s different because I will not back down, I believe in myself, I refuse to stand aside and let you believe that this is the only way you shall and will abide to.

You’re very motivated by this. There is one thing that is getting overlooked though…

Suddenly Big Dave disappears from the sofa. Freud turns towards the camera and begins to stand up, pulling the beard and taking the glasses off to reveal it is Big Dave in disguise.

Kravinoff, for all this time, you’ve been hunting and running, you take your shots and run away. You don’t look back; you feel that all this is the way it’s going to go for you with no consequences like before, but not this time. You continue to wait for the moment, even when it’s passed, you continue to wait more and more without realising there is nothing more you can do, not on the night was face off at Redemption. I refuse to see these ways be carried out by you; I destroyed Freud because I grew tired of the excuses and the cries you give that I must do the things you demand because you want them. No Kravinoff. You wanted them? You should have taken up the chance when you needed to.

This title opportunity is not one for anyone to take when it is available for one night only; it has been and gone now. You are not getting another opportunity at this because simply put, you don’t deserve it, you had the same opportunity as I did in that Chamber, the same circumstances, we were on a level playing field and you fell short of the last hurdle. And now, you wish to get the opportunity because you want this on your terms, not this time Kravinoff. You got my attention, you wanted to back me up into a corner, but when you back someone like me there, I fight back. I refuse to be put in this situation because you feel you can do this and walk away without suffering the consequences.

He makes some paces back and forth in deep thought.

Redemption is coming for you, this is the time where you face me at my fullest attention, I am not going to hold back on you because you represent all the bad things about this company, the whiners, the moaners, the missed opportunities, the hit and run methods of trying to get things handed to them and to get away with what they wish to do. Now is the time where everything you’ve done, everyone you’ve wronged, comes back to haunt you. I have seen the likes of Wasabi Toyota backstage, I have seen him watch your matches, I can see that fires in his eyes, knowing that he wants to get his hands on you and has yet to do because you keep running. But now, here comes the first wave that will take you down; the hunter becomes the hunted and will be stopped.

It’s funny isn’t it Kravinoff? You’ve been here all this time and you’ve had nothing to show for it, yet, you felt that didn’t you? When I destroyed that picture of Freud, you felt that loss, the pain in your eyes. You’ve never lost a championship through the traditional means; you’ve never had a loss that struck you deep, I have experienced them before and know what it feels like for the first, the last and every other time. But I wanted you to feel that for the first time, what it’s like to feel someone fight back to the point that you lose something precious that you swore your life to protect it and keep hold of it, that to lose it is almost unbearable. This will now be a time where you get desperate, and I want you to be ready because I’m going to Redemption and going to give the beating that has been waiting for you all this time. The anger and pain that you’ve caused already comes full circle and there isn’t anything you can do to avoid it because I refuse to back down much like every time I’ve won and defended a championship to every single victory that I have earned in this company. Time is up for you Hunter, because I have my sights locked on you and Redemption has arrived!

Big Dave stares intently into the camera as the scene fades out to black.

 

[Coco]

A dark, drafty late 1800’s style dining room is lit only by a fireplace and few candles in the middle of a rectangular dining table. At one end of the table sits a professionally dressed Leon Kensworth, clearly unnerved by the haunting setting. Across the table and in front of the roaring fireplace sits a brooding Hunter Kravinoff dressed in only grey sweatpants and a bloodstained wife beater. Behind him on the mantel sits an urn above which hangs a portrait of smiling Kravinoff and his prized Freud portrait. Full of trepidation, Kensworth clears his throat and attempts to get a reaction out of the visibly shaken Kravinoff.

Kensworth: It seems that what Big Dave did to your… “manager” hit you pretty hard.

Kravinoff blinks through the haze of tears in his eyes before looking up at Kensworth.

Kravinoff: You have no idea, my friend. I’d never understood the way civilized men send off their dead because I’d never formed such a close human bond before. But Freud and I shared many a cold night together, exchanged deep secrets, and finished one another’s sentences. We were closed than I’m assuming many siblings are.

Kensworth glares skeptically at the man across the table as Kravinoff turns around and gestures towards the urn.

Kravinoff: And now those ashes and my memories of the good times are all I have left.

The Ugandan begins sniveling and slouches over the back of his chair, staring into the fire as Leon looks on, clearly not comfortable with this sad scene.

Kravinoff: Big Dave cut me deep on Ascension. But he also showed me a part of the human experience I’d never been party to before which has given me a greater understanding of my civilized prey than at any point in the past.

While his host’s back is still turned, Kensworth shakes his head in clear disagreement with Kravinoff’s alleged ability to relate to people. As Kravinoff turns around, his grief is replaced by a stoic determination. The Classical Freudian Crusader looks into the eyes of Leon and inhales deeply.

Kravinoff: But life goes on and as a true student of the jungle, I need to come to terms with the fact that Freud was simply not strong enough to complete with me my trek to the top of modern warfare. In a game where only the fit survive, I have to accept that Freud’s demise, while tragic, only cuts the fat from my posse and makes me stronger.

Leon seems a little shocked that Kravinoff changed his tune so quickly.

Kravinoff: And so it is that at Redemption, I head into battle once more against this unmanly snake in the grass that is Big Dave.

Sensing an opening in the conversation, Leon hastily jumps in.

Kensworth: How does the fact that Dave isn’t putting his King for a Day title shot on the line change your outlook on your match at Redemption? Does it in any way lessen the importance of the bout?

Kravinoff grins ever so slightly and shakes his head..

Kravinoff: Absolutely not. This match is going to be huge. In fact, I intend to make it the most important match Big Dave will ever compete in.

Kensworth: How’s that?

Kravinoff: Well, as I said last week, every day that Big Dave refuses to defend his title shot against me is another chance I get to prove how unfit for the world title he is. Putting himself in a match against me at Redemption is yet another chance for me to prove my superiority against him. He’s set himself up to be exposed. But Redemption will be so much more than me exposing Dave.

Kensworth seems appropriately concerned by this comment.

Kensworth: What do you mean?

Kravinoff: Before I answer that question, let me ask one of my own: Have you ever poked a bear?

Kensworth rolls his eyes before responding in the most patronizing tone he can muster.

Kensworth: No, I’ve never poked a bear.

Kravinoff: Well I have. I’ve poked bears. Bears have poked me. In retaliation, bears and I have engaged in epic mountaintop hand to paw warfare, sprawling forest chases, and even some light torture. Of course I came out on top every time, no doubt a result of my inherent superiority over all of nature’s creation.

As Kravinoff’s confidence begins to build, Leon cuts him off.

Kensworth: What’s your point?

Kravinoff: My point is that if that’s what I would do to a bear who simply poked me, what am I going to do to Big Dave? A valid question because that man did more than poke me on Ascension. He forced me to watch as he raped everything I’ve ever loved. This isn’t just man on beast competition. For the first time in my life, this is personal.

Kensworth: So what do you intend to do about it?

Kravinoff: I’m going to torture him. And it won’t be the same kind of light torture I performed on that polar bear. It won’t be anything like the wins I’ve racked up over the likes of Austin Reynolds or Everest to prove my superiority. No. I accumulated those wins with honor. But Redemption will be different because I seek something I’ve never been so hungry for in my life: Revenge.

A sick smile comes across Kravinoff’s face as Leon stares expressionless at the man in front of him.

Kravinoff: This torture will be slow and it won’t end at Redemption. No, instead I vow to make sure Dave’s defeat at Redemption makes me the de facto number one contender once he wins the world title. And I vow to win that belt from him and stay in the main event as long as Dave aspires the keep himself in that position on the card. I vow to humiliate him at every turn and insert myself into the core of his psyche. I want Dave to go to sleep thinking about how much better I am than him and awake with a start because of recurring nightmares about my Ugandan Death Knell. And as all of this occurs over the coming months and years, I want Big Dave to realize that it all started at Redemption 2011 because he was stupid enough to put his hands on something Hunter Kravinoff loved. I want his heart to fill with regret and I want my smile to be the last thing he sees when he finally decides gives his pistol a blowjob to escape my wrath.

Kensworth’s jaw is agape in shock and horror.

Kensworth: You’re sick! You’re going to ruin a man’s life over a painting?

Kravinoff: This is just an expression of my very human reaction to loss. I thought you’d be proud of normal I’m becoming?

Kensworth: You’re the farthest thing from normal there is.

Kravinoff’s smile fades into a look of anger.

Kravinoff: I have one more vow, Leon.

Kensworth: And what’s that, you freak?

Kravinoff: I vow to attend Big Dave’s funeral. I look forward to every eye in the room turning towards me as we all share a silent truth that I drove Dave to this. And in that moment, I will eye every man in that room, waiting for someone, anyone to stand up and avenge his death in the same way I avenged Freud’s. And it will be then that people will see that even in an ocean of emotion, Hunter Kravinoff is the best man there is. And who knows? Maybe from there, Dave’s sister will want to latch herself onto a real protector, an alpha male a lady can depend on. I certainly won’t hold the transgressions of her brother against. That’s the kind of man I am.

Kravinoff blows out the candles. Simultaneously, the fireplace dies. Kravinoff begins to chuckle in the dark and Leon’s voice cracks slightly under the pressure.

Kensworth: I’m never accepting another invitation to your house.