[Nash]

The scene opens up in New York City, rush hour to be more precise, as people are seen littering the streets trying to make their way back towards their homes after a very long day. Standing very close to the Empire State Building is Southern Blood who is dressed professionally for the occasion. They are lost in the shuffle quickly with the passing cars and pedestrians, the noise being able to drown most people’s train of thought. Most being the keyword, because all three members grew up in two of the largest cities in all of the United States.

It took a lot of adjusting to get used to their new nearly ranch life but they adjusted surprisingly. After having endured so many years of being in small towns, you have to wonder what brings them to New York City of all places. More importantly, who stayed behind to take care of their training school while they were away? So many questions yet so little time, for now we have to settle for the camera zooming in close to where they are standing, doing its best to drown out the noise surrounding it.

Lance: Are you sure this is a good idea, boss? It seems like such a drastic flight to take considering we aren’t booked anywhere at the moment.

Eric nods his head in approval and stands admiring the Empire State Building while he still can. Even though mostly everyone knows this man who’s been a journeyman his entire wrestling career has a hidden reason for picking New York City as the place to make his presence felt.

Eric: It will all be revealed soon. For now, just enjoy the view.

They do exactly that for a while taking a look at the surrounding streets they grew up around as little kids. A cab coming to a stop right in front of them breaks the sudden pause and opens its door as an older looking woman steps out of the cab and walks away towards her destination. The cab quickly rushes away leaving Southern Blood still in their position looking at their surroundings. Eric motions for them to walk away behind him towards the Hotel Metro.

Once they arrive there, Eric is seen showing the receptionist his ID and receiving a key in return. He checks into their room and signals for them to sit on the bed while he sits a couple of feet away from them on a wooden chair that’s already sitting in the room. They lean forward while Eric sits in the middle being able to watch each student with each eye.

Eric: Alright, remember when I taught you about honor at the last show? Well, we’re going to take it a step forward and reconstruct what this company thinks of the name Southern Blood starting with British Empire. Any objections?

A slight silence follows as both Jay and Lance are stuck in deep thought at Eric’s question. They shrug their shoulders in response while Eric smiles in return.

Eric: Alright, then let’s get to working on a strategy for our match. Part of growing up is learning to embrace where you came from. All you’ve done since facing British Empire is be defensive instead of accepting who you are. Mexicans are the most insulted race in all of the United States yet you don’t see me hiding in fear. No, I step forward and stand my ground, even if it means giving that bastard a black eye in the process. You get things done with your actions, not with your mouth. That is why you guys lost with Lilith as your partner, regardless of whether your goals matched or not. If your mind isn’t on the right thing you will fail, regardless of whether you have Rayne Young in your corner.

They nod in agreement as Eric looks on with a stern look on his face.

Eric: Now, what’s our first step for the most crucial match of your respective careers? Accept who you are, embrace your heritage. If they see you embrace it and accept you are proud of it, there will be nothing left to attack. Understand?

They nod as Eric slowly rises from his seat. He motions for them to follow him out the door again. He leads them out of the hotel and back out to the streets. He leaves a note on the receptionist’s desk saying he will be back later today. He walks out to a cab that’s already awaiting them right in front of it and hands the driver some cash.

Eric: To the Battery Park – Liberty Island Ferry please.

The driver looks at him weird as Jay and Lance whisper something into Eric’s ear. He laughs and looks a bit embarrassed at the driver.

Eric: I’m new to this area, so if it’s not possible at least the closest to there.

The driver nods and smiles, turning his attention back towards the front.

------------------------

The scene opens in Liberty Island where Southern Blood is seen standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. They are all dressed professionally wearing slacks, loafers, and button up shirts of assorted colors. They are also each wearing sunglasses, considering that in the summer the sun stays up a whole lot longer. A slight breeze blows their way as their hair blows in that direction, but their focus never leaves the camera. Their looks can be described as filled with intensity, especially with the amount of ground they have to cover.

Eric: It all comes down to this. Six superstars fighting for supremacy, but this company only has room for one on the top. Insults have been tossed from California all the way to New York, yet where has all that gotten us? Absolutely nowhere, because we are still left with plenty to prove. Even with Jay’s recent victory against Phillip Fromley, all it did was add gasoline to the fire. The fire has reached so high that I’ve been forced from the sidelines to defend my students.

He pauses as an amused grin slips from his lips. He rubs his hands together savoring the chance to compete in a new environment and then takes some time to inspect the statue of liberty behind him. His right hand is moved up slowly to rub his chin as he stares intently into the statue’s face, or at least tries to.

Eric: You know what this statue represents to this nation? It represents freedom, hope for a better tomorrow; this statue greets millions of immigrants hoping to enter this nation to start over. In a country that’s facing an economic decline we are in need of a savior. Someone the citizens can look up to as the statue of liberty figure; thus the original intention of Southern Blood. Sure, my protégés went out of control without their leader at the helm, but that is in essence why I was signed to be in MCW. It wasn’t to gain anything for myself, but to start the next generation of wrestling. We are the light at the end of the tunnel; we are the restoration of honor and tradition to a broken sport.

He walks towards Jay and looks at him like a father would to his son. He then looks down at the ground with the smile intact and sighs contently.

Eric: Despite the early stumbling we have encountered, I hold no ill will towards my own protégés. We all make mistakes in our youth; Jay is definitely no exception to that. It is how we deal with those mistakes that make us better. It’s time to bring in the new era and it starts with the British Empire. This isn’t about world domination; it’s about wrestling’s original intention. Save your political speeches for someone who honestly cares; this is where Southern Blood’s true intentions will be shown. I would like to extend an apology to Jacob Laymon for my students’ early acts of immaturity. I assure you things will be straightened out now that the proper teachers have stepped up to steer them correctly.

He signals for Lance to step forward, he does so with a smile on his face. He crosses his arms on his chest and smirks at the camera.

Lance: Part of that chapter will be embracing who we are completely. What, you think I would forget about your failed attempts at insulting our heritage? All you did was point out the obvious, as if all you did was look up a generic description of us. For what’s supposed to be an empire, you sure acted like a group of peasants. Yeah, we are southern and proud of it, just like you are proud of drinking all of that tea and needing help in every single war against us. We, on the other hand, are used to “Deadly Conflict” surroundings, considering a Virginia native won us the damn war. But there lies the difference in our strategies; you try to hang on to old events thinking that’s going to get you an automatic win. We, on the other hand, are used to being the underdog in every single situation. We have already experienced the worst there is to live, so nothing else really intimidates us anymore.

He paces a couple of steps gathering his thoughts, while letting it sink in to the audience at home. He abruptly stops and looks at the camera rather amused while rubbing his chin.

Lance: Speaking of which, your series of promos against us and Lilith made it seem like we are doomed to failure due to our background. If that’s the case, how did Jay manage to whoop your ass two Mayhems ago, Phillip? I’m sure you will make up excuses saying it was just luck, we all know denial is usually the first stage. The thing is, MCW has yet to see us reach our fullest potential as a unit. Sure we were in a match for the tag team titles, but look at how we lost. The Sisterhood had to practically steal it in order to eliminate us from contention. Even our own tag team champions understand how big of a threat we really are. It’s about time the British Empire sees us completely focused on the proper thing and that’s reaching our destiny since the first day.

He grins at the camera while his hands drop to his side. Eric is seen nodding in agreement along with Jay a couple of feet away from Lance.

Lance: You could stay here all day rambling on about what Britain used to be until the rooster crows, but we all know the honest to God truth. Britain is in the same economic struggle we are enduring in the United States to this date. You try to make yourself look all high and mighty, when it was your own actions that caused not only the United States but Scotland and countless others independent nations. I don’t care whether you won or lost those battles, because the ends justified the means. You had them defeated yet you chose to out of the mercy in your hearts allow their independence. It’s like giving a child a present for Christmas or their Birthday then asking for it back six months later. Makes you look dumb in the end because it came out of your own free will. No one forced you into doing it, as is the case today. So, maybe instead of wasting our time with pointless world domination speeches and childish stereotypes you should focus more time on what matters the most wrestling. Yes, such a lost concept in a sea of soap opera and puppets that choose to fill our television sets with advertising instead of making our money be worth something. No one wants to hear you ranting about your country when we could be enjoying this sport for its original intention.

Jay steps forward leaving Lance to walk back towards Eric. All three of them stare into the camera with stern looks on their faces.

Jay: Yet we’re supposed to sit here and call it acceptable? Please, all you’re going is putting us to sleep with each of those so called history lessons. Speaking of lessons, this reminds me of a story many know fondly as David and Goliath. Yeah, we all remember when that small kid defeated the giant with a small sized rock, the biggest upset in the history of mankind. By most people’s standards Goliath would have squashed the little runt with ease, seeing as he had the size and strength advantage. But on that day, all it took was one well aimed rock and he fell to the ground, shaking the earth to its very core. Just like David, we don’t have a god awesome resume walking into this match. We all are outcasts of society that found solace in a training school located in the desert. We are used to having nothing but the clothes on our body. Even our own master came from nowhere to win three world heavyweight championships.

He extends a hand out to Eric who smiles at the camera in return. Jay nods and smirks at the camera, keeping his hand extended.

Jay: Here’s a man that if we were playing by odds would have done absolutely nothing. Mexicans are the most discriminated race in all of the United States, yet he managed to get inducted into two of fames, three world titles, and win one grand slam. Pretty impressive for someone that by most standards would be garbage, right? That teaches you that you never judge a book by its cover. Every time I look at my sensei, I am reminded of my original purpose in wrestling. It wasn’t to achieve world domination; it was to show the people the error of their ways. Each time I say the south will rise again, you best believe I’m ready to back every single word up with my fists. After four years of earning my stripes waiting for my chance to shine, it’s time to take the reins and lead this company into a new era. It’s time to show everyone in this country what really gets you noticed your work ethic.

He lets his hand drop as Eric nods in agreement. Jay turns to face the camera fully and walks a couple of steps forward looking sternly into the camera.

Jay: Take a look at the new face of MCW; you will be the sacrificial lamb fulfilling our mission. For months I chose to place the blame on Jacob Laymon when I simply needed to embrace who I really am. It all started with picking Lilith as my tag team partner due to sharing our same mission of getting noticed for our talent. The key word meaning equal opportunity employer; it doesn’t matter if I’m a redneck as you call it or a rich boy, we all get an equal chance to go for the brass ring. The same man that pinned Phillip Fromley two Mayhems ago will prove that lightning can strike twice when we finally prove to the rest of the world what Southern Blood is really about. Second chances are so refreshing; you bet your ass we’re gonna make the best of our chance to shine at your expense. Till then, it’s time to let our fists do the talking...see you at Deadly Conflicts, boys.

Fin.