Post by Jonny Fly on Apr 28, 2013 10:22:58 GMT -5
@timdevine
Have you watched WCF lately and wondered what is going on in the mind of @wcfceo? I’ll be sitting down with the man himself tonight to ask those questions. #tunein #wrestlingweekly #jonnyfly
[Scene Begins]
Our scene switches to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly with Tim Devine.’ This is just the third time since his return to the wrestling industry that Jonny Fly has been a scheduled guest of the show. ‘Wrestling Weekly’ is a studio-based show that recaps the events of the last week in the wrestling industry and provides interviews and commentary from the industry’s top stars. The last time Fly was on the show he was on the verge of Ultimate Showdown, where he would become the fastest WCF wrestler to accumulate three World Titles in its history. The time before that before that was all the way back when he signed his WCF contract, returning to the wrestling ring after a four year absence.
Before those appearances, Fly had been a long-time friend and regular of the show in his former companies. During his stay in WCF he’s used the show only as a forum for important interviews. Today’s appearance is no different. With a host of individuals questioning his leadership, his relationship with friend and stable-mate Corey Black having completely eroded, and on the brink of his first opportunity at a WCF title in over six months, Fly has a lot to discuss. He sits on a well-lit stage next to Tim Devine. Fly and Devine are slumped back in large black leather love seats, angled slightly toward one another. Devine has just reached over and shaken Fly’s hand. He pats him on the back, smiles, and points toward the camera. It appears the interview is about to begin. A small round of applause precludes Devine’s opening statement.
Devine: Jonny Fly, always a pleasure. Thank you for coming on the show.
Fly: I don’t do a lot of formal interviews, but I’ve always enjoyed these visits. I’m glad to be here.
Devine: A lot, and I do mean a lot, has changed since the last time we’ve spoken. For a bit of recap, you were arrested at War last year and forced to vacate your World Title.
Fly: Yep, that’s correct.
Devine: We would come to find out that former WCF Owner Seth Lerch had drugged you forcing a series of erratic behavior that culminated in your arrest. Never to be outdone, you came back a few months later shocking the world by revealing that you had bought the company out from under Seth.
Fly: Perhaps the greatest ploy of my career, yes.
Devine: That brings us to today. You are the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation, and despite that, you’ve continued your career in the ring. You took the company public a few months back and installed your own Pantheon stablemates as board members to secure the group’s collective leadership over the WCF.
Fly: Just to clarify, the goal of taking the company public was to infuse capital into the product. We gave 15% raises to all wrestlers, and completely overhauled the pension plans for veteran wrestlers to ensure that they’re taken care of after they retire. These guys put their bodies on the line for the company and for the entertainment of the fans. They deserve that protection when the inevitable medical bills start to pile up. Furthermore, you may have noticed the addition of a second bi-weekly show. That costs money. The guy I have running that show, he’s good, and good people don’t come cheap. Taking over the company wasn’t a Pantheon thing. It wasn’t to secure our own significance, influence, or glory. It was truthfully the right thing to do for the good of everyone.
Devine: Despite that work load, you continue to wrestle.
Fly: My mom always said when you’re good at something…do it, forever, and make sure you get paid a lot of money for it.
Fly smiles after the remark.
Fly: I’m just kidding. I’ve never met my mom.
Fly’s comment infuses an air of sadness into the conversation. Here sits a man with no mother, father, or family of any sort. He’s spent his entire career ruining relationships and burying rivals at any and all costs. One would have to thing that’s a lonely world to live in. Even now, Fly appears to be pushing against Pantheon after a year of committing himself to the group’s values.
The scene cuts.
[Begin Flashback]
The date is November 1st, 2011. Jonny Fly is sitting across the desk of Seth Lerch, in the very same office that he occupies now at WCF’s headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. Lerch has his feet propped up on his desk and is inspecting a couple documents on his lap. He nods his head approvingly and moves his feet off the desk, sitting up in his chair.
Lerch: So, Jonny Fly. You want to wrestle for me?
Fly: That’s why I’m here.
Lerch: I have a few problems. First, I notice that your application here doesn’t have the requisite letters of recommendation. Do you have anything from a former employer that you can provide?
Fly: Oh, I do have one.
Lerch: May I see it?
Fly: I employed myself in my last stint in the industry. I fully recommend myself for employment.
Fly reaches for a post-it note pad on Seth’s desk.
Fly: Would you like me to put that in writing?
Seth: I’m sorry Mr. Fly, but that won’t suffice. You’ll need to come up with something. I just don’t take anyone off the street. Someone needs to vouch for you.
Fly: Nobody will vouch for me. That doesn’t make me any less of a wrestler.
Seth: Then why won’t anyone vouch for you?
Fly: I tend to not be very well liked amongst my colleagues. Mainly because, fuck them, that’s why. I don’t wrestle to slap asses with my buddies. I wrestle to punish people, and I’m very good at it.
Seth looks across the desk at Fly and scratches his chin.
Seth: So, you don’t play nice with others?
Fly: I’ll put it this way; my last tag-team partner…he’s dead. It’s something inside me. I hate people, all of them, every last person in this entire fuckin’ world. I hide it well, when I want to, when I need to, but…that’s who I am. That will never change.
A small, almost evil, smile curls onto Seth’s lips.
Seth: Tell me, did you kill your last partner?
Fly knows better to respond to that question. He sits silently, staring across the desk as Seth Lerch. We can see the wheels in motion in Seth’s mind.
Seth: Perhaps you would do well to shake things up around here. Standard protocol stipulates you will need to pass a psychiatric evaluation and physical. Then we can talk terms. How does that sound?
Jonny Fly gets up onto his feet. He extends his hand across the desk.
Fly: That sounds like the best decision you’ve ever made.
Lerch shakes Fly hand and watches his newest employee turn and leave his office.
[End Flashback]
We return to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly.’
Devine: Your history is well documented on this show. I’d only ask the question of why you’re wrestling because it appears since you’ve become CEO you’re performance have been…uneven.
Fly nods his head slightly at the comment, understanding why Devine would make that statement.
Fly: Well, I lost to Steve Orbit. With Pantheon, I’ve also lost a couple of cluster fuck matches, the latest being to Rebellion last week. I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s uneven, but to each their own.
Devine: There was a time, not that long ago, when you actually looked unbeatable. Considering that no wrestler is unbeatable, you earned a reputation for being as close to it as we’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. With some of these recent losses, are you worried that reputation has begun to fade?
Fly: Perhaps, to some. The only people who are going to believe that are those who’ve never acknowledged my skill in the first place. That’s their prerogative. People still bring up that loss to Jay Price a year ago as if that makes them better than me, or somehow puts me in my place. When you lose as little as I do, people have to grasp at straws to make their points. What else do they have against me? My resume speaks for itself.
Devine: Well, that…
Fly: Hold on one second. I’m going to make this well-known right now. I can beat anyone in this company. Anyone. I’ve proved that. Nobody else has done that, not even Eric Price. That’s why the aura of Jonny Fly still permeates in every locker room backstage.
Devine: Well with that said, your leadership has come under fire lately from those very same people. Has it not?
Fly’s eyes grow cold. He drops his head to the ground before responding.
Fly: You can’t please everyone, Tim. I stopped trying a long time ago. I didn’t get where I am today by listening to the white noise.
Devine: As the leader of the company, isn’t it your responsibility to listen?
Fly immediately lifts his head in response to the comment. His eyes flicker with rage.
Fly: No. It isn’t.
Our scene immediately cuts away one again.
[Begin Flashback]
The date is November 2nd, 2011. We see Jonny Fly sitting alone in a solitary confinement-type room. Fly isn’t restrained, not at all. He’s merely sitting at a metal table staring at the wall. The door to the room opens and two doctors in white coats enter. One of them is carrying a folder and drops it off in front of Fly.
Doctor #1: As you know Mr. Fly, this test was mandatory for employment in the WCF.
Fly: Yeah, a waste of my time is what I’d call it.
One of the Doctors swings around the table and takes a seat across from Fly at the table. He speaks.
Doctor #2: Jonny, we’ve encountered some issues in your neurological exam. I’m not sure we can recommend you for employment.
Fly smirks at the comment.
Fly: There is absolutely nothing wrong with me.
The first doctor reaches down and opens the folder. Fly glances at the documents as the doctor reads them off.
Doctor #1: Narcissistic personality disorder. Even worse, you show signs of two different forms, unprincipled narcissist, the most serious form, and amorous narcissist.
Fly: Oh, amorous, that sounds like fun.
Doctor #2: It means you have no ability for real intimacy. Instead, you lie and swindle people for your own desires and needs. It doesn’t just affect your relationships with women, but friends as well.
Fly: I’m not seeing the problem.
Doctor #2: Furthermore, you show character traits of being dishonest, disloyal, excessively arrogant, exploitive, conning, and vindictive. These are not the traits of an individual we can safely put into a wrestling ring. I’m sorry.
Fly: You’re kidding, right?
Doctor #1: Jonny, it’s important to know that your condition will get worse with time. You could be a danger not only to others, but to yourself. This won’t get better unless you resign yourself to treatment. One day this could completely consume you. Look, I know a guy…
Fly rises from his seat, causing the doctor to pause. Fly scans the room from one doctor to the other. He takes a deep breath.
Fly: A danger to others, you say. Yet, you’re both in this room…alone…with a man who possesses the physical ability to KILL both of you in seconds.
Fly’s chilling words send panic through the doctors. The first doctor slowly begins to backpedal toward the door. With a sudden burst Fly reaches out and grabs his arm and with all of his strength slams him headfirst into the wall. The doctor drops motionless to the ground, blood spilling out of his nose. Fly quickly moves his eyes toward the other doctor in the room, who is frozen in terror. Fly reaches into his pocket and tosses him a pen.
Fly: Sign my clearance, or this gets a lot messier.
The doctor catches the pen and stares blankly at his colleague on the ground. Reluctantly, he grabs the folder and signs Fly’s clearance form.
Fly smiles and walks forward to grab the folder off of the table. He goes through and takes out every piece of paper that describes his illness and proceeds to rip them into shreds.
Fly: If you say a word about this, I will come back…and I will kill both of you. Considering the results of your evaluation, surely you realize I’m more than capable of that. Do we understand one another?
Doctor #2: Y…Yes. I understand.
Fly smiles again.
Fly: Good. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.
Fly drops the folder onto the ground, taking the shredded documents with him, and exits the room through the door. Our flashback dissolves to black.
[End Flashback]
We return to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly with Tim Devine’ and pick back up right where we left off.
Devine: Would you care to expand on that comment? Why is that not your responsibility?
The uncontrollable narcissist in Jonny Fly begins to come out.
Fly: Since I’ve become Owner and now CEO of the WCF, I’ve learned one very important thing. Simply put, I’m better than all of these people. I’ve done good things for them, and yet, they try to dictate to me what I can and cannot do. Everyone has a stick up their fuckin’ ass about the Steve Orbit situation. These people are just petty little bitches crying because their dad didn’t let them have their way. I can’t be bothered with that bullshit. I have a company to run, my company. What I do to Steve Orbit, or anyone else, that’s my decision and mine ALONE.
Devine: Okay, uh….
Devine is clearly flustered. Even knowing Fly for years, and interviewing him on situations as uncomprehendable as murder, malice, assault, arson, and weapons charges, he’s never seen Fly in this light. Usually Fly narcissism is more…charming.
Devine: Well, what about Pantheon? Corey Black, in particular, hasn’t agreed with the things you’ve been doing.
Fly takes in a deep sigh. His demeanor from the previous question softens.
Fly: I love Pantheon. Well, sort of. Jeff Purse, Jay Price, Skyler Striker, they’re all good people. I just think I really need to sit down with those guys privately and explain to them my vision, and why I’m doing the things I’m doing. They’ll understand, they have to, they have no choice. Corey Black on the other hand, he’s just not seeing the whole picture. He’s close-minded. Fuck it. I can’t let him stop what I’m doing. I won’t let him stop what I’m doing. I’m the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation. I’m his boss.
Devine: Pantheon’s leadership in the WCF was supposed to be a joint venture. It’s the group’s mission statement, after all, to save this company. Outside of the founding members of the group, Corey Black was the first man to buy into that. He was a veteran, a legend, who saw how bad things were in the WCF and wanted to help the newer group of wrestlers rise up and take power. Now that the group has power, why are you so easily discounting his opinion?
Fly: Easiest question of the night, Tim. Because he’s wrong. Dead wrong.
Devine: Can you expand on that? What is he wrong about?
Fly: Black and I are at odds because I forced Steve Orbit to put his career on the line. Black thinks that was overstepping my bounds. He thinks it was ‘Seth-like,’ and that’s the type of thing we took over the company to prevent from happening.
Devine: That’s a fair point, Jonny. You don’t see that?
Fly: Of course I see it, Tim. I just know it’s wrong. What I see, is a new Steve Orbit. Gone is the lazy and unmotivated wrestler who strived only for mediocrity before I stepped in. I’m proud to say that I am 100% responsible for the new Steve Orbit. Orbit is now a wrestler who has now matched his superior mat skills and athleticism with a motivation to be the best wrestler in this company.
Devine: You have to excuse me here. I’m a bit taken aback by all of this. I’ve known you a long time, and your confidence, what some would call arrogance, is a thing of legend. This, though, this might take the cake. You are responsible for Steve Orbit?
Fly: I created Steve Orbit, Tim. It’s pretty clear. I recognized that the biggest void in my company was upper echelon stars. I have all the mid-carders in the world. I can fill out any card with seven or eight second-tier matches that will entertain even the most insufferable of fans. We tried Sarah Twilight as our big star, and she just doesn’t have the mental capacity to lead this roster. She’s not tough or strong enough. At least Eric Price knows how to entertain people. Twilight’s whole angsty girl routine is a complete turn off. I liked her better when she was a witch and I could imagine her riding around on…broomsticks. Anyway, we needed someone to step forward. I give you Steve Orbit. You’re welcome.
Devine: This doesn’t make sense. Why not use someone from Pantheon if that was your only goal?
Fly: You know, I could have. I wanted Striker and Price to provide a foil for Eric Price, but those guys have other professional goals. I could have used Corey Black. That would have actually made a lot of sense, use Black to get the belt off of Eric Price, the man who ran over his friend with a car. Black wasn’t fully committed to wrestling full-time in WCF, so fuck him. I went a different route. He doesn’t agree with it, whatever, that’s on him.
Devine: All of this has led up to what I imagine will be an interesting match at Aftermath. On one hand, you have Waylon Cash and Steve Orbit, the tag-team champions who don’t get along. The challengers, Corey Black and you, don’t get along either. What is your position on this match?
Fly: First, let me say that I really feel for Waylon Cash. Here we have a former World Champion who has spent the last six odd months in a stable full of wrestlers who are less decorated than him. Waylon has been the steady hand behind The Homegrown Players success, but yet, does anyone talk about him? When are people going to recognize how great Waylon Cash is? Not only is he great, he’s smart, and he has another smart man in his corner in Steve Savage. Those two are the total package. Ditching Steve Orbit and Genesis was a great career move. You don’t surround yourself with failure. Waylon has realized that.
Devine: How can you call Steve Orbit a failure after your match with him?
Fly: Let’s not even act like that’s the only time I’ve been in the ring with Steve Orbit. He’s a different wrestler now, sure, but I’m Jonny Fly. Everyone is a failure in comparison to me.
Devine: Well, you have to face Orbit again, in a sense. I want to get into this tag-team titles match. Waylon Cash wants to protect his title, so chances are that Orbit and him will work together for as long as it takes to hold you and Corey Black off. Do you have any comment on that?
Fly: The honest answer, right now, is that I don’t where I stand. I’m happy to get back into the ring with Steve Orbit. I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to him, but certainly throwing him around is going to be fun. This time, I will leave my mark. I guarantee it. Even with the ability to win a belt I haven’t won, I’m not sure what to say. Waylon Cash is a deserving tag-team champion. He’s brought those belts a level of respect that they’ve been missing for a long, long time. It would be a shame for someone like Corey Black to get their hands on them. We all know what happened last time he was tag-team champion.
Devine: Are you referring to the time he held the belts on his own?
Fly: Look, I understand Corey Black is a great wrestler. My problem wasn’t with him being the sole holder of the tag-team titles. If I had my way I would strip Steve Orbit of his and give them both to Waylon Cash. The problem was that Black gave them away. He just…handed them over. To Odin Balfore of all people! Black’s days of being a champion in this company is long over. He gave up the tag team titles, and let’s call it what it was, he gave up against me in our World Title match.
Devine: That’s quite the accusation. What makes you say that?
Fly: I know Black a lot better today than I did back then. Did you even watch that match? It was a train wreck. Absolute, unequivocal destruction. I haven’t seen Black have his ass handed to him so thoroughly since then, in two different companies, mind you. What am I supposed to believe? He wouldn’t be in Pantheon if I thought he was that wrestler from that match. He wouldn’t be good enough to wave our flag.
Devine: So from all of this, am I to assume that you don’t know which side you’re on in this match?
Fly: Pretty much. I don’t want Steve Orbit to be a tag-team champion. I don’t want Corey Black to be a tag-team champion.
Devine: There’s no chance that you and Black get along in this match?
Fly: Corey Black will be lucky if I even tag him in.
Devine: I hate to state the obvious, but wouldn’t that mean that you would then be fighting Cash and Orbit by yourself? Do you really think that’s the best approach?
Fly pauses before answering.
Fly: I suppose I have the rest of the week to think about it.
Devine: Alright, let’s switch subjects here. You indicated before the show that you didn’t want to talk about Brad Kane, Cheetah Fighter, Odin Balfore, or Oblivion. I feel that this show is a forum for you to clear the air with all of these individuals. Would you like to comment?
Fly: I won’t pander to those individuals, Tim. They don’t like me. So what? This isn’t a popularity contest.
Devine: Do you worry that if these individuals, or others, organize against you that you could begin to lose your control? After all, Pantheon as a whole does seem to be fractured, and those are the guys you would rely on to aid in a fight for control of the company. This would be the time for a collection of wrestlers to strike.
Fly: That’s not my style, Tim. It never has been. I don’t worry, period. Some of those guys don’t even mind Pantheon. They just want a piece of me. This is foolish, because that’s a foursome of individuals who I would absolutely roll in a one-on-one fight. Hell, I’d probably hold my own in a one-on-four fight with them. I’m not worried about my control over the Wrestling Championship Federation. I am invincible, infallible, and beyond reproach. The WCF is my company, and I will do with it what I please. Let that message be loud and clear to anyone watching this show right now.
Devine: Well, there you have it folks. That’s all the time we have here today. If you tune into Aftermath you can see Jonny Fly and Corey Black take on Steve Orbit and Waylon Cash for the tag-team titles. Until then, this has been Tim Devine. Goodnight!
The crowd applauses as the show comes to a close. Devine’s microphone is turned off as he leans over and chats privately with Fly as the screen dissolves to black.
[Scene Ends]
[Scene Begins]
We’re introduced once again to Jonny Fly’s mansion in New York City. A still shot of the residence is seen momentarily on camera before our view takes us inside the home of the WCF CEO. We find Fly in his living room sprawled out on his couch. He has two empty bags of hot fries strategically placed on his stomach and cradles his television’s remote control under his arm. On the television his latest interview with Tim Devine is being shown, and Fly looks on almost…upset…about what he’s seeing.
“Fly: Corey Black on the other hand, he’s just not seeing the whole picture. He’s close-minded. Fuck it. I can’t let him stop what I’m doing. I won’t let him stop what I’m doing. I’m the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation. I’m his boss.”
Fly winces at the words, and promptly turns the television off.
Fly: It’s getting worse.
Fly says the words out loud, and the camera scans out to catch sight of Alicia Morales standing behind the couch. She too, was watching the interview. She nods her head slowly in agreement and swings around to the front of the couch, sitting next to Fly’s shoulder.
Morales: I suppose it’s a good thing you’re dating a psychologist then.
The comment forces a smile to curl onto Fly’s lips. He laughs quietly before continuing.
Fly: I don’t think that’s going to matter. Some things, you just can’t control.
Morales: You’ll be fine.
Fly: Somehow, I doubt that. It’s as if…I’m going back in time, becoming the man I once was. People don’t know that person. They’re not ready for that.
Alicia stands back on her feet and looks down at Fly.
Morales: Something for you to think about; if you’re in fact the world’s greatest wrestler, the world’s greatest fighter, then why can’t you win a measly internal struggle?
Fly: …maybe, because…
Fly pauses momentarily.
Fly: I don’t really want to.
Alicia shakes her head, disappointed at the answer.
Morales: I suppose is as good of a time as ever to tell you that I invited Corey Black over tonight.
Fly sits up with an aghast expression on his face.
Fly: You did WHAT?
Morales: It’ll be good for you. For both of you. I’ve been very successful with ‘couples counseling,’ and like it or not, you two are a couple…in a sense…and you certainly need counseling.
Fly: No, no. I’m not…
Fly is cut off.
Morales: This is non-negotiable, Jonny. I insist. I know you want to win the tag-titles. I know you want to get along with Corey. I don’t care what you’re telling me, that’s my professional opinion. Corey should be here any minute now, and you WILL play nice.
Fly: Or what?
Morales: Or, I could tell the WCF Board of Directors about your condition.
Fly: Ohh. Shit.
Morales: This doesn’t have to be confrontational. Just let me do all the talking and we’ll see if we can figure things out between the two of you.
Fly: *Sigh* I better get a drink for this.
Fly gets up from the coach and heads to his wet bar. The scene dissolves away.
10 Minutes Later
We’re still at Fly’s mansion, but we’re now in the kitchen. Jonny Fly and Corey Black sit on opposite ends of Fly’s six-person rectangular kitchen table. Sitting in the middle of the two men on the right hand side of the table is Alicia Morales.
Morales: Okay, so do you both know why we are doing this?
Fly: Because Corey Black is a….uh, I mean, yes.
Black: Yes.
Morales: You two used to be friends. Clearly there are things you liked about one another. The purpose of this is to help you both remember those things, and smooth over your recent differences. The first thing that I want you both to do are tell one another exactly what you feel the problem is between the two of you. Let’s put it all out in the open. Jonny, you can start.
Fly scowls and looks down, instead of making eye contact with Corey Black.
Fly: I just don’t know who you think you are. We’re supposed to be Pantheon, and yet, you can’t even trust my opinion on Steve Orbit. You didn’t have my back. That’s what all of this is about.
Black nods slowly as he listens to Fly speak. He responds.
Black: My problem with you is, simply, you have a problem with me. Why do I have to agree with everything you do? Am I not allowed to think for myself?
Fly: It’s not that you don’t agree with it, it’s that you openly supported…
Fly is cut off.
Morales: No, no, we’re not going down this road. You’ve both said what you need to say, so let’s move on. That was a good start. The next thing that I want you both to do are tell each other one thing that you like about one another.
Sighs all the way around. Clearly, Fly and Black aren’t very happy with this idea.
Morales: Jonny, you start again.
Fly: I mean it’s pretty cool that you kill jobbers.
Black: Yeah, I was going to say the same thing to you. I’m a sucker for a jobber killer.
Morales: Good. That’s progress. You both respect each other’s wrestling ability, something that is essential for tag-team partners to have trust in one another. We covered what you like about one another, now let’s go the other way and say one thing that you don’t like about one another. Black, we’ll start with you.
Black: Sometimes, man, you’re unstable. You’re drama. Everyone else in Pantheon is usually chill, except you. That’s not the traits of a leader.
Fly bites as his bottom lip as he’s delivered the cold hard truth. He responds, not with what he dislikes about Black, but what he dislikes about how he’s acted.
Fly: Again, you don’t have my back. I brought you into Pantheon. It wasn’t Phantasm, or Purse, it was me. You know that. Now, look where we’re at. If anyone should have my back, it’s you.
Black: I would, but…
Now it’s Black that’s cut off.
Morales: Not now, Corey. Again, we’re not here to argue. We’re here to openly voice our minds so that we can begin repairing the relationship between the two of you.
Black: This is by far the lamest thing I have ever done.
Morales: I don’t care. Now, let’s just get down to it. What would it take for the two of you to forgive one another, and move on?
Fly: An apology, to start with.
Black: No.
Morales: Hold on Corey. Jonny, why would an apology make you forget about the things you believe Corey has done to you?
Fly: It would tell me he knows he was wrong. That would make me feel better.
Morales: You two have a tag-team match on Sunday, for the tag-team titles. You’re telling me that you would be willing to work with Corey Black, like old times, he would just need to apologize first.
Fly: Yes. I just want him to have my back.
Morales: Corey, how do you feel about that?
Black: Fly was caught on film making that exact match, with the purpose of appeasing Waylon Cash. I believe there was some discussion about teaming up against me. Now, I’m supposed to believe he would be willing to work with me to beat Cash and Orbit? That doesn’t sound legit.
Fly: It’s not a trick.
Black glares across the table at Fly, unsure of what to say next.
Morales: You have to trust one another. Look, guys, arguments and disagreements aren’t unusual in any relationship of any kind.
Fly: Could you please stop using the word ‘relationship?’ That would make this entire thing much more bearable.
Black: Agreed.
Morales: What I’m saying is, this stuff is healthy. It’s also good to get these things off your chest, clear the air, and move on. You two are just at the point now collectively where you need to choose to move on.
Black: I don’t know. Fly, you’re all over the place. You need to tighten up. Cut out the cowboy act, forget your personal vendettas and problems, and just be person you’ve been for the last year. I’d like to win the tag-team titles, and when the two of us have teamed up, we’ve killed shit. You know we can win those belts off Orbit and Cash. If you really feel so strongly about Orbit, stop with the corporate bad guy routine and trying to force him out, and fight him. Take his title away from him. Get revenge from Explosion.
Morales: Jonny?
Fly takes in Black’s words and thinks about them for a few seconds before responding.
Fly: Black, I don’t doubt we could win….IF…things were the way they used to be. I don’t know if I can forgive you. I went through hell to get this company in Pantheon’s hands, and the first time we have a disagreement on something that I want to do, you start playing the fence.
Black: No, I didn’t. I stood up for what I believed in. The same as you.
Fly shakes his head, obviously disagreeing.
Fly: It was my call.
Black: I didn’t agree with it. I’m allowed to feel that way. That’s it, man. It’s as simple as that.
Morales: Being sensitive to one other’s feelings and beliefs are key to a healthy rela….
Fly: For the love of god, don’t say it.
Morales: Let’s cut to the chase, guys. Corey, will you have Fly’s back during the tag-team titles match?
Black: I will. I promise.
Morales: Jonny? Do you forgive Corey, and are you willing to work with him on Sunday?
Fly takes in a deep sigh and stands up. He looks at Morales and then to Black, running his fingers through his hair and thinking about an answer to that question.
Fly: Maybe.
That’s it. Fly walks away from the table and the scene comes to a close.
Have you watched WCF lately and wondered what is going on in the mind of @wcfceo? I’ll be sitting down with the man himself tonight to ask those questions. #tunein #wrestlingweekly #jonnyfly
[Scene Begins]
Our scene switches to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly with Tim Devine.’ This is just the third time since his return to the wrestling industry that Jonny Fly has been a scheduled guest of the show. ‘Wrestling Weekly’ is a studio-based show that recaps the events of the last week in the wrestling industry and provides interviews and commentary from the industry’s top stars. The last time Fly was on the show he was on the verge of Ultimate Showdown, where he would become the fastest WCF wrestler to accumulate three World Titles in its history. The time before that before that was all the way back when he signed his WCF contract, returning to the wrestling ring after a four year absence.
Before those appearances, Fly had been a long-time friend and regular of the show in his former companies. During his stay in WCF he’s used the show only as a forum for important interviews. Today’s appearance is no different. With a host of individuals questioning his leadership, his relationship with friend and stable-mate Corey Black having completely eroded, and on the brink of his first opportunity at a WCF title in over six months, Fly has a lot to discuss. He sits on a well-lit stage next to Tim Devine. Fly and Devine are slumped back in large black leather love seats, angled slightly toward one another. Devine has just reached over and shaken Fly’s hand. He pats him on the back, smiles, and points toward the camera. It appears the interview is about to begin. A small round of applause precludes Devine’s opening statement.
Devine: Jonny Fly, always a pleasure. Thank you for coming on the show.
Fly: I don’t do a lot of formal interviews, but I’ve always enjoyed these visits. I’m glad to be here.
Devine: A lot, and I do mean a lot, has changed since the last time we’ve spoken. For a bit of recap, you were arrested at War last year and forced to vacate your World Title.
Fly: Yep, that’s correct.
Devine: We would come to find out that former WCF Owner Seth Lerch had drugged you forcing a series of erratic behavior that culminated in your arrest. Never to be outdone, you came back a few months later shocking the world by revealing that you had bought the company out from under Seth.
Fly: Perhaps the greatest ploy of my career, yes.
Devine: That brings us to today. You are the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation, and despite that, you’ve continued your career in the ring. You took the company public a few months back and installed your own Pantheon stablemates as board members to secure the group’s collective leadership over the WCF.
Fly: Just to clarify, the goal of taking the company public was to infuse capital into the product. We gave 15% raises to all wrestlers, and completely overhauled the pension plans for veteran wrestlers to ensure that they’re taken care of after they retire. These guys put their bodies on the line for the company and for the entertainment of the fans. They deserve that protection when the inevitable medical bills start to pile up. Furthermore, you may have noticed the addition of a second bi-weekly show. That costs money. The guy I have running that show, he’s good, and good people don’t come cheap. Taking over the company wasn’t a Pantheon thing. It wasn’t to secure our own significance, influence, or glory. It was truthfully the right thing to do for the good of everyone.
Devine: Despite that work load, you continue to wrestle.
Fly: My mom always said when you’re good at something…do it, forever, and make sure you get paid a lot of money for it.
Fly smiles after the remark.
Fly: I’m just kidding. I’ve never met my mom.
Fly’s comment infuses an air of sadness into the conversation. Here sits a man with no mother, father, or family of any sort. He’s spent his entire career ruining relationships and burying rivals at any and all costs. One would have to thing that’s a lonely world to live in. Even now, Fly appears to be pushing against Pantheon after a year of committing himself to the group’s values.
The scene cuts.
[Begin Flashback]
The date is November 1st, 2011. Jonny Fly is sitting across the desk of Seth Lerch, in the very same office that he occupies now at WCF’s headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. Lerch has his feet propped up on his desk and is inspecting a couple documents on his lap. He nods his head approvingly and moves his feet off the desk, sitting up in his chair.
Lerch: So, Jonny Fly. You want to wrestle for me?
Fly: That’s why I’m here.
Lerch: I have a few problems. First, I notice that your application here doesn’t have the requisite letters of recommendation. Do you have anything from a former employer that you can provide?
Fly: Oh, I do have one.
Lerch: May I see it?
Fly: I employed myself in my last stint in the industry. I fully recommend myself for employment.
Fly reaches for a post-it note pad on Seth’s desk.
Fly: Would you like me to put that in writing?
Seth: I’m sorry Mr. Fly, but that won’t suffice. You’ll need to come up with something. I just don’t take anyone off the street. Someone needs to vouch for you.
Fly: Nobody will vouch for me. That doesn’t make me any less of a wrestler.
Seth: Then why won’t anyone vouch for you?
Fly: I tend to not be very well liked amongst my colleagues. Mainly because, fuck them, that’s why. I don’t wrestle to slap asses with my buddies. I wrestle to punish people, and I’m very good at it.
Seth looks across the desk at Fly and scratches his chin.
Seth: So, you don’t play nice with others?
Fly: I’ll put it this way; my last tag-team partner…he’s dead. It’s something inside me. I hate people, all of them, every last person in this entire fuckin’ world. I hide it well, when I want to, when I need to, but…that’s who I am. That will never change.
A small, almost evil, smile curls onto Seth’s lips.
Seth: Tell me, did you kill your last partner?
Fly knows better to respond to that question. He sits silently, staring across the desk as Seth Lerch. We can see the wheels in motion in Seth’s mind.
Seth: Perhaps you would do well to shake things up around here. Standard protocol stipulates you will need to pass a psychiatric evaluation and physical. Then we can talk terms. How does that sound?
Jonny Fly gets up onto his feet. He extends his hand across the desk.
Fly: That sounds like the best decision you’ve ever made.
Lerch shakes Fly hand and watches his newest employee turn and leave his office.
[End Flashback]
We return to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly.’
Devine: Your history is well documented on this show. I’d only ask the question of why you’re wrestling because it appears since you’ve become CEO you’re performance have been…uneven.
Fly nods his head slightly at the comment, understanding why Devine would make that statement.
Fly: Well, I lost to Steve Orbit. With Pantheon, I’ve also lost a couple of cluster fuck matches, the latest being to Rebellion last week. I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s uneven, but to each their own.
Devine: There was a time, not that long ago, when you actually looked unbeatable. Considering that no wrestler is unbeatable, you earned a reputation for being as close to it as we’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. With some of these recent losses, are you worried that reputation has begun to fade?
Fly: Perhaps, to some. The only people who are going to believe that are those who’ve never acknowledged my skill in the first place. That’s their prerogative. People still bring up that loss to Jay Price a year ago as if that makes them better than me, or somehow puts me in my place. When you lose as little as I do, people have to grasp at straws to make their points. What else do they have against me? My resume speaks for itself.
Devine: Well, that…
Fly: Hold on one second. I’m going to make this well-known right now. I can beat anyone in this company. Anyone. I’ve proved that. Nobody else has done that, not even Eric Price. That’s why the aura of Jonny Fly still permeates in every locker room backstage.
Devine: Well with that said, your leadership has come under fire lately from those very same people. Has it not?
Fly’s eyes grow cold. He drops his head to the ground before responding.
Fly: You can’t please everyone, Tim. I stopped trying a long time ago. I didn’t get where I am today by listening to the white noise.
Devine: As the leader of the company, isn’t it your responsibility to listen?
Fly immediately lifts his head in response to the comment. His eyes flicker with rage.
Fly: No. It isn’t.
Our scene immediately cuts away one again.
[Begin Flashback]
The date is November 2nd, 2011. We see Jonny Fly sitting alone in a solitary confinement-type room. Fly isn’t restrained, not at all. He’s merely sitting at a metal table staring at the wall. The door to the room opens and two doctors in white coats enter. One of them is carrying a folder and drops it off in front of Fly.
Doctor #1: As you know Mr. Fly, this test was mandatory for employment in the WCF.
Fly: Yeah, a waste of my time is what I’d call it.
One of the Doctors swings around the table and takes a seat across from Fly at the table. He speaks.
Doctor #2: Jonny, we’ve encountered some issues in your neurological exam. I’m not sure we can recommend you for employment.
Fly smirks at the comment.
Fly: There is absolutely nothing wrong with me.
The first doctor reaches down and opens the folder. Fly glances at the documents as the doctor reads them off.
Doctor #1: Narcissistic personality disorder. Even worse, you show signs of two different forms, unprincipled narcissist, the most serious form, and amorous narcissist.
Fly: Oh, amorous, that sounds like fun.
Doctor #2: It means you have no ability for real intimacy. Instead, you lie and swindle people for your own desires and needs. It doesn’t just affect your relationships with women, but friends as well.
Fly: I’m not seeing the problem.
Doctor #2: Furthermore, you show character traits of being dishonest, disloyal, excessively arrogant, exploitive, conning, and vindictive. These are not the traits of an individual we can safely put into a wrestling ring. I’m sorry.
Fly: You’re kidding, right?
Doctor #1: Jonny, it’s important to know that your condition will get worse with time. You could be a danger not only to others, but to yourself. This won’t get better unless you resign yourself to treatment. One day this could completely consume you. Look, I know a guy…
Fly rises from his seat, causing the doctor to pause. Fly scans the room from one doctor to the other. He takes a deep breath.
Fly: A danger to others, you say. Yet, you’re both in this room…alone…with a man who possesses the physical ability to KILL both of you in seconds.
Fly’s chilling words send panic through the doctors. The first doctor slowly begins to backpedal toward the door. With a sudden burst Fly reaches out and grabs his arm and with all of his strength slams him headfirst into the wall. The doctor drops motionless to the ground, blood spilling out of his nose. Fly quickly moves his eyes toward the other doctor in the room, who is frozen in terror. Fly reaches into his pocket and tosses him a pen.
Fly: Sign my clearance, or this gets a lot messier.
The doctor catches the pen and stares blankly at his colleague on the ground. Reluctantly, he grabs the folder and signs Fly’s clearance form.
Fly smiles and walks forward to grab the folder off of the table. He goes through and takes out every piece of paper that describes his illness and proceeds to rip them into shreds.
Fly: If you say a word about this, I will come back…and I will kill both of you. Considering the results of your evaluation, surely you realize I’m more than capable of that. Do we understand one another?
Doctor #2: Y…Yes. I understand.
Fly smiles again.
Fly: Good. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.
Fly drops the folder onto the ground, taking the shredded documents with him, and exits the room through the door. Our flashback dissolves to black.
[End Flashback]
We return to the set of ‘Wrestling Weekly with Tim Devine’ and pick back up right where we left off.
Devine: Would you care to expand on that comment? Why is that not your responsibility?
The uncontrollable narcissist in Jonny Fly begins to come out.
Fly: Since I’ve become Owner and now CEO of the WCF, I’ve learned one very important thing. Simply put, I’m better than all of these people. I’ve done good things for them, and yet, they try to dictate to me what I can and cannot do. Everyone has a stick up their fuckin’ ass about the Steve Orbit situation. These people are just petty little bitches crying because their dad didn’t let them have their way. I can’t be bothered with that bullshit. I have a company to run, my company. What I do to Steve Orbit, or anyone else, that’s my decision and mine ALONE.
Devine: Okay, uh….
Devine is clearly flustered. Even knowing Fly for years, and interviewing him on situations as uncomprehendable as murder, malice, assault, arson, and weapons charges, he’s never seen Fly in this light. Usually Fly narcissism is more…charming.
Devine: Well, what about Pantheon? Corey Black, in particular, hasn’t agreed with the things you’ve been doing.
Fly takes in a deep sigh. His demeanor from the previous question softens.
Fly: I love Pantheon. Well, sort of. Jeff Purse, Jay Price, Skyler Striker, they’re all good people. I just think I really need to sit down with those guys privately and explain to them my vision, and why I’m doing the things I’m doing. They’ll understand, they have to, they have no choice. Corey Black on the other hand, he’s just not seeing the whole picture. He’s close-minded. Fuck it. I can’t let him stop what I’m doing. I won’t let him stop what I’m doing. I’m the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation. I’m his boss.
Devine: Pantheon’s leadership in the WCF was supposed to be a joint venture. It’s the group’s mission statement, after all, to save this company. Outside of the founding members of the group, Corey Black was the first man to buy into that. He was a veteran, a legend, who saw how bad things were in the WCF and wanted to help the newer group of wrestlers rise up and take power. Now that the group has power, why are you so easily discounting his opinion?
Fly: Easiest question of the night, Tim. Because he’s wrong. Dead wrong.
Devine: Can you expand on that? What is he wrong about?
Fly: Black and I are at odds because I forced Steve Orbit to put his career on the line. Black thinks that was overstepping my bounds. He thinks it was ‘Seth-like,’ and that’s the type of thing we took over the company to prevent from happening.
Devine: That’s a fair point, Jonny. You don’t see that?
Fly: Of course I see it, Tim. I just know it’s wrong. What I see, is a new Steve Orbit. Gone is the lazy and unmotivated wrestler who strived only for mediocrity before I stepped in. I’m proud to say that I am 100% responsible for the new Steve Orbit. Orbit is now a wrestler who has now matched his superior mat skills and athleticism with a motivation to be the best wrestler in this company.
Devine: You have to excuse me here. I’m a bit taken aback by all of this. I’ve known you a long time, and your confidence, what some would call arrogance, is a thing of legend. This, though, this might take the cake. You are responsible for Steve Orbit?
Fly: I created Steve Orbit, Tim. It’s pretty clear. I recognized that the biggest void in my company was upper echelon stars. I have all the mid-carders in the world. I can fill out any card with seven or eight second-tier matches that will entertain even the most insufferable of fans. We tried Sarah Twilight as our big star, and she just doesn’t have the mental capacity to lead this roster. She’s not tough or strong enough. At least Eric Price knows how to entertain people. Twilight’s whole angsty girl routine is a complete turn off. I liked her better when she was a witch and I could imagine her riding around on…broomsticks. Anyway, we needed someone to step forward. I give you Steve Orbit. You’re welcome.
Devine: This doesn’t make sense. Why not use someone from Pantheon if that was your only goal?
Fly: You know, I could have. I wanted Striker and Price to provide a foil for Eric Price, but those guys have other professional goals. I could have used Corey Black. That would have actually made a lot of sense, use Black to get the belt off of Eric Price, the man who ran over his friend with a car. Black wasn’t fully committed to wrestling full-time in WCF, so fuck him. I went a different route. He doesn’t agree with it, whatever, that’s on him.
Devine: All of this has led up to what I imagine will be an interesting match at Aftermath. On one hand, you have Waylon Cash and Steve Orbit, the tag-team champions who don’t get along. The challengers, Corey Black and you, don’t get along either. What is your position on this match?
Fly: First, let me say that I really feel for Waylon Cash. Here we have a former World Champion who has spent the last six odd months in a stable full of wrestlers who are less decorated than him. Waylon has been the steady hand behind The Homegrown Players success, but yet, does anyone talk about him? When are people going to recognize how great Waylon Cash is? Not only is he great, he’s smart, and he has another smart man in his corner in Steve Savage. Those two are the total package. Ditching Steve Orbit and Genesis was a great career move. You don’t surround yourself with failure. Waylon has realized that.
Devine: How can you call Steve Orbit a failure after your match with him?
Fly: Let’s not even act like that’s the only time I’ve been in the ring with Steve Orbit. He’s a different wrestler now, sure, but I’m Jonny Fly. Everyone is a failure in comparison to me.
Devine: Well, you have to face Orbit again, in a sense. I want to get into this tag-team titles match. Waylon Cash wants to protect his title, so chances are that Orbit and him will work together for as long as it takes to hold you and Corey Black off. Do you have any comment on that?
Fly: The honest answer, right now, is that I don’t where I stand. I’m happy to get back into the ring with Steve Orbit. I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to him, but certainly throwing him around is going to be fun. This time, I will leave my mark. I guarantee it. Even with the ability to win a belt I haven’t won, I’m not sure what to say. Waylon Cash is a deserving tag-team champion. He’s brought those belts a level of respect that they’ve been missing for a long, long time. It would be a shame for someone like Corey Black to get their hands on them. We all know what happened last time he was tag-team champion.
Devine: Are you referring to the time he held the belts on his own?
Fly: Look, I understand Corey Black is a great wrestler. My problem wasn’t with him being the sole holder of the tag-team titles. If I had my way I would strip Steve Orbit of his and give them both to Waylon Cash. The problem was that Black gave them away. He just…handed them over. To Odin Balfore of all people! Black’s days of being a champion in this company is long over. He gave up the tag team titles, and let’s call it what it was, he gave up against me in our World Title match.
Devine: That’s quite the accusation. What makes you say that?
Fly: I know Black a lot better today than I did back then. Did you even watch that match? It was a train wreck. Absolute, unequivocal destruction. I haven’t seen Black have his ass handed to him so thoroughly since then, in two different companies, mind you. What am I supposed to believe? He wouldn’t be in Pantheon if I thought he was that wrestler from that match. He wouldn’t be good enough to wave our flag.
Devine: So from all of this, am I to assume that you don’t know which side you’re on in this match?
Fly: Pretty much. I don’t want Steve Orbit to be a tag-team champion. I don’t want Corey Black to be a tag-team champion.
Devine: There’s no chance that you and Black get along in this match?
Fly: Corey Black will be lucky if I even tag him in.
Devine: I hate to state the obvious, but wouldn’t that mean that you would then be fighting Cash and Orbit by yourself? Do you really think that’s the best approach?
Fly pauses before answering.
Fly: I suppose I have the rest of the week to think about it.
Devine: Alright, let’s switch subjects here. You indicated before the show that you didn’t want to talk about Brad Kane, Cheetah Fighter, Odin Balfore, or Oblivion. I feel that this show is a forum for you to clear the air with all of these individuals. Would you like to comment?
Fly: I won’t pander to those individuals, Tim. They don’t like me. So what? This isn’t a popularity contest.
Devine: Do you worry that if these individuals, or others, organize against you that you could begin to lose your control? After all, Pantheon as a whole does seem to be fractured, and those are the guys you would rely on to aid in a fight for control of the company. This would be the time for a collection of wrestlers to strike.
Fly: That’s not my style, Tim. It never has been. I don’t worry, period. Some of those guys don’t even mind Pantheon. They just want a piece of me. This is foolish, because that’s a foursome of individuals who I would absolutely roll in a one-on-one fight. Hell, I’d probably hold my own in a one-on-four fight with them. I’m not worried about my control over the Wrestling Championship Federation. I am invincible, infallible, and beyond reproach. The WCF is my company, and I will do with it what I please. Let that message be loud and clear to anyone watching this show right now.
Devine: Well, there you have it folks. That’s all the time we have here today. If you tune into Aftermath you can see Jonny Fly and Corey Black take on Steve Orbit and Waylon Cash for the tag-team titles. Until then, this has been Tim Devine. Goodnight!
The crowd applauses as the show comes to a close. Devine’s microphone is turned off as he leans over and chats privately with Fly as the screen dissolves to black.
[Scene Ends]
[Scene Begins]
We’re introduced once again to Jonny Fly’s mansion in New York City. A still shot of the residence is seen momentarily on camera before our view takes us inside the home of the WCF CEO. We find Fly in his living room sprawled out on his couch. He has two empty bags of hot fries strategically placed on his stomach and cradles his television’s remote control under his arm. On the television his latest interview with Tim Devine is being shown, and Fly looks on almost…upset…about what he’s seeing.
“Fly: Corey Black on the other hand, he’s just not seeing the whole picture. He’s close-minded. Fuck it. I can’t let him stop what I’m doing. I won’t let him stop what I’m doing. I’m the CEO of the Wrestling Championship Federation. I’m his boss.”
Fly winces at the words, and promptly turns the television off.
Fly: It’s getting worse.
Fly says the words out loud, and the camera scans out to catch sight of Alicia Morales standing behind the couch. She too, was watching the interview. She nods her head slowly in agreement and swings around to the front of the couch, sitting next to Fly’s shoulder.
Morales: I suppose it’s a good thing you’re dating a psychologist then.
The comment forces a smile to curl onto Fly’s lips. He laughs quietly before continuing.
Fly: I don’t think that’s going to matter. Some things, you just can’t control.
Morales: You’ll be fine.
Fly: Somehow, I doubt that. It’s as if…I’m going back in time, becoming the man I once was. People don’t know that person. They’re not ready for that.
Alicia stands back on her feet and looks down at Fly.
Morales: Something for you to think about; if you’re in fact the world’s greatest wrestler, the world’s greatest fighter, then why can’t you win a measly internal struggle?
Fly: …maybe, because…
Fly pauses momentarily.
Fly: I don’t really want to.
Alicia shakes her head, disappointed at the answer.
Morales: I suppose is as good of a time as ever to tell you that I invited Corey Black over tonight.
Fly sits up with an aghast expression on his face.
Fly: You did WHAT?
Morales: It’ll be good for you. For both of you. I’ve been very successful with ‘couples counseling,’ and like it or not, you two are a couple…in a sense…and you certainly need counseling.
Fly: No, no. I’m not…
Fly is cut off.
Morales: This is non-negotiable, Jonny. I insist. I know you want to win the tag-titles. I know you want to get along with Corey. I don’t care what you’re telling me, that’s my professional opinion. Corey should be here any minute now, and you WILL play nice.
Fly: Or what?
Morales: Or, I could tell the WCF Board of Directors about your condition.
Fly: Ohh. Shit.
Morales: This doesn’t have to be confrontational. Just let me do all the talking and we’ll see if we can figure things out between the two of you.
Fly: *Sigh* I better get a drink for this.
Fly gets up from the coach and heads to his wet bar. The scene dissolves away.
10 Minutes Later
We’re still at Fly’s mansion, but we’re now in the kitchen. Jonny Fly and Corey Black sit on opposite ends of Fly’s six-person rectangular kitchen table. Sitting in the middle of the two men on the right hand side of the table is Alicia Morales.
Morales: Okay, so do you both know why we are doing this?
Fly: Because Corey Black is a….uh, I mean, yes.
Black: Yes.
Morales: You two used to be friends. Clearly there are things you liked about one another. The purpose of this is to help you both remember those things, and smooth over your recent differences. The first thing that I want you both to do are tell one another exactly what you feel the problem is between the two of you. Let’s put it all out in the open. Jonny, you can start.
Fly scowls and looks down, instead of making eye contact with Corey Black.
Fly: I just don’t know who you think you are. We’re supposed to be Pantheon, and yet, you can’t even trust my opinion on Steve Orbit. You didn’t have my back. That’s what all of this is about.
Black nods slowly as he listens to Fly speak. He responds.
Black: My problem with you is, simply, you have a problem with me. Why do I have to agree with everything you do? Am I not allowed to think for myself?
Fly: It’s not that you don’t agree with it, it’s that you openly supported…
Fly is cut off.
Morales: No, no, we’re not going down this road. You’ve both said what you need to say, so let’s move on. That was a good start. The next thing that I want you both to do are tell each other one thing that you like about one another.
Sighs all the way around. Clearly, Fly and Black aren’t very happy with this idea.
Morales: Jonny, you start again.
Fly: I mean it’s pretty cool that you kill jobbers.
Black: Yeah, I was going to say the same thing to you. I’m a sucker for a jobber killer.
Morales: Good. That’s progress. You both respect each other’s wrestling ability, something that is essential for tag-team partners to have trust in one another. We covered what you like about one another, now let’s go the other way and say one thing that you don’t like about one another. Black, we’ll start with you.
Black: Sometimes, man, you’re unstable. You’re drama. Everyone else in Pantheon is usually chill, except you. That’s not the traits of a leader.
Fly bites as his bottom lip as he’s delivered the cold hard truth. He responds, not with what he dislikes about Black, but what he dislikes about how he’s acted.
Fly: Again, you don’t have my back. I brought you into Pantheon. It wasn’t Phantasm, or Purse, it was me. You know that. Now, look where we’re at. If anyone should have my back, it’s you.
Black: I would, but…
Now it’s Black that’s cut off.
Morales: Not now, Corey. Again, we’re not here to argue. We’re here to openly voice our minds so that we can begin repairing the relationship between the two of you.
Black: This is by far the lamest thing I have ever done.
Morales: I don’t care. Now, let’s just get down to it. What would it take for the two of you to forgive one another, and move on?
Fly: An apology, to start with.
Black: No.
Morales: Hold on Corey. Jonny, why would an apology make you forget about the things you believe Corey has done to you?
Fly: It would tell me he knows he was wrong. That would make me feel better.
Morales: You two have a tag-team match on Sunday, for the tag-team titles. You’re telling me that you would be willing to work with Corey Black, like old times, he would just need to apologize first.
Fly: Yes. I just want him to have my back.
Morales: Corey, how do you feel about that?
Black: Fly was caught on film making that exact match, with the purpose of appeasing Waylon Cash. I believe there was some discussion about teaming up against me. Now, I’m supposed to believe he would be willing to work with me to beat Cash and Orbit? That doesn’t sound legit.
Fly: It’s not a trick.
Black glares across the table at Fly, unsure of what to say next.
Morales: You have to trust one another. Look, guys, arguments and disagreements aren’t unusual in any relationship of any kind.
Fly: Could you please stop using the word ‘relationship?’ That would make this entire thing much more bearable.
Black: Agreed.
Morales: What I’m saying is, this stuff is healthy. It’s also good to get these things off your chest, clear the air, and move on. You two are just at the point now collectively where you need to choose to move on.
Black: I don’t know. Fly, you’re all over the place. You need to tighten up. Cut out the cowboy act, forget your personal vendettas and problems, and just be person you’ve been for the last year. I’d like to win the tag-team titles, and when the two of us have teamed up, we’ve killed shit. You know we can win those belts off Orbit and Cash. If you really feel so strongly about Orbit, stop with the corporate bad guy routine and trying to force him out, and fight him. Take his title away from him. Get revenge from Explosion.
Morales: Jonny?
Fly takes in Black’s words and thinks about them for a few seconds before responding.
Fly: Black, I don’t doubt we could win….IF…things were the way they used to be. I don’t know if I can forgive you. I went through hell to get this company in Pantheon’s hands, and the first time we have a disagreement on something that I want to do, you start playing the fence.
Black: No, I didn’t. I stood up for what I believed in. The same as you.
Fly shakes his head, obviously disagreeing.
Fly: It was my call.
Black: I didn’t agree with it. I’m allowed to feel that way. That’s it, man. It’s as simple as that.
Morales: Being sensitive to one other’s feelings and beliefs are key to a healthy rela….
Fly: For the love of god, don’t say it.
Morales: Let’s cut to the chase, guys. Corey, will you have Fly’s back during the tag-team titles match?
Black: I will. I promise.
Morales: Jonny? Do you forgive Corey, and are you willing to work with him on Sunday?
Fly takes in a deep sigh and stands up. He looks at Morales and then to Black, running his fingers through his hair and thinking about an answer to that question.
Fly: Maybe.
That’s it. Fly walks away from the table and the scene comes to a close.