In the Locker Room

[Ameronth]

*The camera cuts in outside of a locker room backstage at the PWA Arena, just after Assault. A large commotion is heard: various bangs, thumps and occasional loud swearing. As the camera approaches the door, Spencer Watts, half-dressed in his street clothes, grabs one of his wrestling boots and hurls it across the room. He grabs his tights and jams them into his gym bag as hard as he can. He tries to use the same force on the bag’s zipper, which promptly get caught. Spencer uses even more force to muscle the zipper closed, and tears his gym bag. Spencer utters a loud cry of frustration, and the gym bag sails across the room after his wrestling boot. Spencer grabs a nearby chair, pulls it back over his head and slams it into the floor again and again, until he snaps the back off the steel chair. Spencer drops onto a bench behind him and holds his head in his hands, breathing heavily, exhausted but still fuming.*

VOICE: “Helluva match tonight.”

*Spencer bolts upright, surprised that he is not alone. He looks across the room and in the doorway is Damion Black. Spencer sits up as quickly as his tired body will allow and tries to stand.*

BLACK: “No no, sit. You’ve earned a rest. I wanted to come by and say-“

WATTS : "Look, I know what you're going to say but it don't matter. I'm a failure in that ring and I'm not about to go back on my word and be a failure as a man."

BLACK: “Hey. Sit down. So you lost tonight. You’ve lost a few nights. So what? You continuously put on solid performances and you are making an impact. Tonight, you took on the Light Heavyweight Champion and gave him everything he wanted. Spencer, you almost had him beat. Any one of those two-and-a-half counts could have easily been three. And I’ll tell you a couple of other things. Snow stopped me at the curtain during the show. He said your match tonight was one of the best he’s had in a long time. That you pushed him hard, and he wants to face you again down the line, possibly for a title shot. Here’s another thing: Spencer Watts t-shirts made up 15% of tonight’s merch sales, and that’s alongside names that have been at this a lot longer than you have, like the Wylds, the Union, Snow, Brian Fury, and Richard Pennyworth. You know what that means?”

WATTS: “"All of that means nothing if you don't have the wins to earn that title shot or those merch sales. It means fans are content with less than my best and I'm not here for less than my best! If they wanna buy a silver medal shirt, fine! They'll be in the discount bin soon enough..."

BLACK: “Spencer, it means people give a damn about you. It means you are winning over fans. It means they are going to push you to success, but not if you quit. You have to be in the ring competing for the fans to help you. Look, I get your frustration, but there is no such thing as a failure who keeps trying.”

WATTS: "No disrespect to the fans, God knows I appreciate them, but I'm not gonna be another champion of the people. I'm not gonna be at the top by being popular with the right people. I won’t accept it. I worked this hard on my own to get here and it looks like this is just as far as I was meant to go."

BLACK: “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” *Black turns to leave.* “Oh, just one more thing. The championship committee has also been watching you. The general thought towards you is that you’re not there yet, but you’re close. Damn close. They cited your work ethic, your tenacity, and your charisma, among other things. You know what they didn’t mention to me?”

WATTS: “What?”

BLACK: “Your win/loss record. *pause* Spencer, at the end of the day, this is your decision to make. I’m telling you, if you give up now, you’ll never know what could have been. Can you live with that?”

*Damion turns to leave. Spencer stops and lets the words of the committee roll around in his head. After a minute he has a look of a clarity and a smile replaces the rage. He yells to Damion as he walks down the hall.*

WATTS: "Mr. Black! If I'm as damn good as everyone thinks I am, I can only think of one way to prove it! I want a shot at the Outlaw!"