Post by Sam Kidsgrove on Mar 7, 2021 17:57:32 GMT -5
Suplex of the day
By: S Kidsgrove
Written by: S Kidsgrove
FADE IN
INT - SAM KIDSGROVE’S PERSONAL GYM - DAY
ZOOEY DESCHANEL, A-list life partner of SAM KIDSGROVE, A-List philanthropist and a hero to all people is being put through her paces in the wrestling ring they have. HECTOR VILLANUEVA, legendary trainer with demons to hide, is overseeing the training. Kidsgrove is watching at ringside, making notes.
Zooey is currently sparring with an unknown woman, she dodges a clothesline and hits her with a german suplex.
HECTOR
AGAIN!
Zooey swings back up to her feet, still holding on to the woman and hits another.
HECTOR
AGAIN!
And another
HECTOR
AGAIN!
And another! Zooey is getting tired now.
HECTOR
AGAIN!
Zooey tries again, but her body fails on her and the woman lands on top of her in a heap. There’s a low groan as Zooey doesn’t get up straight away, Hector looks at her with eyes of hatred as he stands over her prone body after shoving the woman aside.
HECTOR
What’s the point in training you if you cannot hit a German suplex woman?
DESCHANEL
Too many, right?
HECTOR
You do as many as I tell you!
He points at Kidsgrove
HECTOR
You talk to this creature, if she can’t do another suplex by the time I come back, I’m out of here!
KIDSGROVE
I told you I wasn’t getting involved.
HECTOR
Talk to her, or I am out!
Hector storms out of the ring, then out of the gym in the direction of the kitchens. Kidsgrove watches him leave, shakes his head and rolls into the ring to check on Zooey. Who’s lying on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, trying to get her breathing under control. He holds out a hand.
KIDSGROVE
C’mon, it’s best if you stand, you can catch your breath quicker then.
She takes his hand and he pulls her up, giving her a bottle of water as she gets to her feet.
DESCHANEL
He’s such a hardass.
KIDSGROVE
Yeah, he is, it’s worth it though, the discipline you learn is so valuable. I mean you’re learning how to go the extra yard right now, you’re learning how to dig into that extra, to survive. It’s what you need in this business. That extra 1% where you can stay alive while the other guy gives up.
DESCHANEL
I feel like I’m the other guy right now. I tell ya those suplexes man, they hurt.
KIDSGROVE
Yeah and you’re the one throwing them, makes sense right?
DESCHANEL
Not really. I gotta hurt myself to hurt the other guy?
KIDSGROVE
Sometimes, I guess. It’s part of the job. But again that’s up to you, some people prefer to just hurt the other guy, some will take everything out of themselves just to hurt the other guy. There’s levels to it.
DESCHANEL
So people who like suplexes?
KIDSGROVE
They’re firmly in the second camp, I think they might actually be sadists. I mean I put my body on the line all the time and I’ve done some crazy shit, but even I can’t put myself through that much punishment voluntarily. I’ve used my body as a weapon, thrown myself off all sorts of nonsense, but to voluntarily keep hitting suplexes on people? Man that’s crazy.
DESCHANEL
I dunno, I’m finding it quite therapeutic, makes me feel strong, y’know? I can throw people around, yeah it’s hard, but who was it who said that sometimes the best things to do are the hardest? Taking the easy way is a sure way of hitting the middle of the road.
KIDSGROVE
I dunno, sounds familiar.
He laughs, as both of them know that he said this. Zooey pushes him in the shoulder in mock annoyance.
DESCHANEL
Dufus.
KIDSGROVE
You recovered yet?
DESCHANEL
I think so.
KIDSGROVE
OK, show me.
DESCHANEL
Show you?
KIDSGROVE
Yeah, suplex me, any suplex you want. I’ll try to avoid, like a proper combat situation.
DESCHANEL
You’re way too big!
KIDSGROVE
No bigger than who’ you’ve been sparring with, come on, let’s see, mind over matter right?
DESCHANEL
OK, if you insist.
Zooey quickly tries to grab Kidsgrove, he manages to dodge, she makes her way behind to go for a german, he quickly steps out of the way. No matter what she tries over the next few moments he seems to have a lightning fast counter for it all. Eventually they stop as Zooey realises she isn’t gonna get him. Instead she slides in for an intimate hug. She looks up at him and smiles as she gives him a tender kiss.
DESCHANEL
I love you.
KIDSGROVE
You too, you know you weren’t doing so ba…
He’s interrupted by Zooey suddenly smirking, then quick as lightning, she delivers a belly to belly suplex, landing on top of him and pinning him down.
DESCHANEL
Got ya.
KIDSGROVE
Totally not fair!
DESCHANEL
How many times did you get told by Hector to never let your guard down? I, for example, was told at least 30 times this morning! You have no excuse.
Kidsgrove is winded, he tries to laugh at the same time as being totally surprised, so ends up laugh coughing.
KIDSGROVE
Yeah, more times than that. Clearly I need to relearn.
Zooey kisses him again before looking at him with concern in her eyes. Completely changing the atmosphere.
DESCHANEL
Are you sure everything’s OK?
KIDSGROVE
Why shouldn’t it be?
DESCHANEL
You just seem a bit….Off lately.
KIDSGROVE
What with us?
DESCHANEL
No, you know what I mean. At work.
KIDSGROVE
Work? What?
Kidsgrove pushes Zooey off of him in annoyance and gets up, he leans against the top rope as Zooey gets up, puzzled.
DESCHANEL
What was that about?
KIDSGROVE
Sorry.
He doesn’t look at her.
DESCHANEL
I can see something’s bothering you, what is it?
Kidsgrove sighs as he looks down to the floor below while in the ring.
DESCHANEL
Come on, spit it out, you’ve never kept anything from me before, what’s wrong?
KIDSGROVE
Nothin’ don’t worry about it.
DESCHANEL
Don’t worry about it? How can..
She collects her thoughts for a second, stopping herself from saying something.
KIDSGROVE
How can what?
DESCHANEL
Sorry
KIDSGROVE
How can what? You were gonna say something, go ahead and say it.
DESCHANEL
How can you stand there and lie to me? I know you’re bothered by something. You’ve lost your rhythm in the ring, you’ve dropped amendments to votes in Parliament, you’ve not even attended debates as far as I’m aware. You’ve not done a Make a Wish or any charity work since Thaddy died and worst of all, you’ve lost your smile. Now you stand there and tell me nothing is wrong?
KIDSGROVE
Sorry.
DESCHANEL
Is that all you can say? Sorry? After all we’ve been through together, after Harrison almost destroyed both of us? After he disfigured Matt and Ben? After we changed the world together? All you got for me now is sorry?
Kidsgrove turns to Zooey now, fear and pain in his eyes, he’s clearly extremely upset.
KIDSGROVE
I don’t know who I am. That’s it. I don’t know who I am any more. I used to have it all figured out, I was a hero to so many people who need me, I was a hero to the down and outs, the people who need a chance in life, or who’ve just had a bad draw. A hero to the likes of Thaddy and millions of others who needed hope and inspiration.
DESCHANEL
And you still are…
KIDSGROVE
How can I be? How can I be the hero that I want to be, how can I be the hero people need when I can’t even get it together myself? Heroes are supposed to be strong, they’re supposed to be brave in the face of danger, to inspire others who are going through pain. How can I be a hero when I’m broken both physically and mentally? How can I do it if my body can’t even stand up to competition?
DESCHANEL
You’re not broken, how….
KIDSGROVE
I have an incurable illness, I try my best to give everything I can to fight people but fuck if I have a hypo in the middle of a match, like happened at battlefield. One minute I was there ready to take some people out and the next I was in the back needing a fistful of glucose tablets before I fainted.
What happens if I face the likes of Harrison again? Another insulin shot to my neck and you’re not there to rescue me this time? Let’s face it, I can’t be the hero people need. I’m not strong enough physically. Let’s face the facts, I’m not strong enough mentally, either as I’m standing here right now in front of you just wishing that we could just end this whole mad dream of ours, quit and go live on a farm in New Zealand together. A hero doesn’t think of those things, right? They don’t think of just quitting on the spot and moving on.
Zooey’s face is also full of sadness, she looks at Kidsgrove with the utmost compassion and sympathy, as the only person who truly gets him and how he’s thinking.
DESCHANEL
Oh sweetness. I’m sorry.
She gently wraps him in an embrace and holds him tightly, he begins to sob as she reassures him.
After a while, they calm down and the embrace stops, she squares up and looks at him in the eyes.
DESCHANEL
You realise, that you’re full of shit, right?
This immediately draws a confused reaction from Kidsgrove, who wipes away the tears, shakes his head and stares back at her incredulously.
KIDSGROVE
What? Wh...
DESCHANEL
I love you, I really do, but I’m not going to pander to you on this one. You need to hear something and you need to hear it from me, OK.
Kidsgrove nods, noncommittally.
DESCHANEL
If you think being a hero is always be brave, be a big strong sturdy man, face everything down and never flinch, overcoming all obstacles through the power of force and will alone, then you really need to stop taking on action roles. We’re not in the 90s any more, the person you’re trying to be just doesn’t exist. Heroes now are the everyday man, they have their flaws, they have their quirks, they have their hangups and their neuroses. But what makes them a hero isn’t going out there and forcing their will on people. It’s going out there and showing the world your faults, your ambitions, your thoughts and dreams and sharing with them your journey. You might get there, you might not, but just trying is enough to be a hero Sam. If you show people your true self, if they knew fully about your condition, if they knew about your mental health and all of that, then see you every single day putting in the hustle to just be better? Guess what, you’re a hero. You don’t have to do all the sweeping grand gestures, you don’t have to take on the world for the benefit of everyone, you don’t have to send fucking food hampers to families that have been neglected by your opponents. None of that is relevant in today’s society. You just have to be you. Warts and all.
KIDSGROVE
But that is me, I want to help everyone have a better life.
DESCHANEL
Fine, that’s you. But you’re Sam Kidsgrove, you’re not God. You can only do so much. You say you wanna help everyone, great, noble as all hell. When are you gonna start helping yourself though Sam? I mean you can’t exactly help the world if you’re not able to function as an adult and, although I am here with you and I love you deeply, I can’t fix your personal demons, only you can. I can only be there for you, I can only guide you and support you. You need to find your own way. Remember?
Hector returns at this point, he sees the two of them in the ring, he points at Kidsgrove again, as he likes to do.
HECTOR
You! Are you joining this or are you being a bitch again?
Kidsgrove smirks a little, knowing this was his cue to leave, it’s a familiar taunt, he looks at Zooey who simply shrugs and mouths the words “we’ll talk later, I love you”.
FADE TO
EXT - PARK IN LA - DAY
Kidsgrove is walking through the park, alone, he has just left Zooey to train and he is in the mood for self reflection. He walks past a family, one of the kids is sickly, and on a portable oxygen ventilator, but he’s smiling and full of happiness, he clearly cherishes his family. Kidsgrove fights the instinct to immediately go to the family and offer his help or whatever he can. He reluctantly moves on.
KIDSGROVE
Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m putting way too much on myself. I mean that kid looks happy enough right? He just wants to spend the time he has left with his family, why would I need to get involved unless I’m asked. Or, well, do they know they need to ask. Maybe I should let them know…
No, that’s a stupid idea, exactly what she said, stupid stupid dumb nonsense. Why would you think such a thing is a good idea Sam?
A voice interrupts his talking. It’s a female voice.
WOMAN
Are you OK?
Kidsgrove is taken out of his stride by this, he didn’t realise he was talking aloud. He seems embarrassed when he turns to the woman.
KIDSGROVE
Oh, yeah, erm, sorry I must have been talking to myself.
WOMAN
Right! Did you win?
KIDSGROVE
Win?
WOMAN
The argument, against yourself? You were getting very angry. I just wanted to come over and make sure you were OK.
KIDSGROVE
Er, OK, yeah I think I got it out of my system. Thanks, I guess.
WOMAN
You guess? Jeez, that’s all the thanks I get for being a concerned citizen?
The woman smiles it’s a fake smile, Sam can spot them a mile away, there was genuine annoyance in her tone that she tried to diffuse with a smile. She then squints her eyes a little, looking at Sam over her glasses.
WOMAN
I thought it was you!
Kidsgrove, despite the disguise is used to this by now, he smiles faintly.
KIDSGROVE
Yeah, hi.
WOMAN
You’re Sam Kidsgrove!
KIDSGROVE
I know!
WOMAN
Wow! Never thought I’d be here, helping Sam Kidsgrove! I am a huge fan of yours.
KIDSGROVE
From wrestling or acting?
Sam asks this question because, depending on how they answer, he acts completely differently. Wrestling fans are, well, problematic. 95% of the time.
WOMAN
Neither. I’m a part of an organisation, you really inspired us.
She gives him a pamphlet, the organisation is called Beacon, it’s a very in your face do-gooders whether you want it or not organisation. The strapline for them in fact is “Whether you need us or not, we’ll be there.” Sam cringes a little at this, it’s not noticed by the woman though.
KIDSGROVE
Wow! That’s some real good work you got going on, thanks!
WOMAN
I was wondering, could you come to one of our meetings and be a special guest? It’d mean a lot to the organisation, we’re at like 250 people right now and I’m sure a talk by the great Sam Kidsgrove will help us grow even further.
KIDSGROVE
Er, yeah, sure, you got a business card? I’ll get my assistant to set something up.
The woman is ecstatic at this, Sam, to his credit hasn’t used the “get my assistant to call” trick in a long time. He’s very conflicted at this point. She gives him a card and her name “Penelope Von Stein”. He thanks her and is thankful when someone nearby trips and she goes to help.
When he’s out of earshot of everyone, he starts to talk to himself again.
KIDSGROVE
What the hell was that? Have I really inspired a bunch of people who just stick their noses into places? How rude was that woman? Am I like that? Damnit.
It’s OK Sam, get your head in the game, stop worrying about it. Just concentrate on what you can control, why not get serious about thinking of the match on Monday. Trey isn’t exactly easy, you know.
Kidsgrove thinks on this for a while, then after finding a nice secluded spot where absolutely no one is around, brings out his note book.
KIDSGROVE
I like Trey, he’s a good guy, I don’t know exactly what his deal is with suplexes though. It’s just an unnatural obsession to have, why do you want to be really excited mastering a bunch of moves that no matter how you do them also hurt yourself? I suppose if the idea is to hurt the other guy more, then, well, it works. That being said though, doing all those suplexes? That’s gotta be a death by a thousand cuts to yourself right? If the other guy has more stamina and fortitude than you do and they can survive, then what are you gonna do when you’re hurting yourself every time you perform a move? It’s worked for him so far, mind. He set himself a goal to get to the Elimination Chamber match, so then I guess he’s hoping to go on and win it afterwards. Dealing with a guy with a single plan, a guy who we already know is obsessive enough to master every single suplex there is to know? It’s, well it’s gonna be tricky. The guy is going to leave it all out there for sure. It’s his reason, it’s his one purpose. I know from experience when you have one purpose and one reason you fight that extra 10%. You go that extra 100 yards, you fight until you die and then fight some more. This isn’t exactly going to be a picnic, but then again. It’s AW, nothing is ever a picnic now.
Think Sam, how are you gonna get back in the game? Ever since you lost the US title you’ve been on a downward spiral. Ever since you heard the news about Thaddy you’ve been in freefall. Is that it? Is this gonna be your life now, curtain jerking for the likes of Harrison and Dandy who you helped catapult to stardom? Are you gonna be the guy who’s a stepping stone for others to become stars because they stood in your spotlight on Clash and took it? Is this what you want?
Hell, is this what it’s gonna be like with Trey? The guy only has one goal and that’s to get to the main event of Elimination Chamber, you’re standing in his way. This is how it goes right? You get a guy who’s young and hungry, they go through you on their rocket to the main event scene. It doesn’t matter Trey has already said he doesn’t belong to Clash, it doesn’t matter Trey literally said that what we do on Clash is actually a demotion for him. He’s gonna go through me to get to where he wants. Like Harrison, like Dandy, like many others. I mean can you believe the stones of the man? Moving over to a show where Sam Kidsgrove helped build with blood, sweat and tears. Where Howard Black and FPV work? Where some of the biggest self proclaimed talents from all over the world come and wither on the vine, only for him to say it’s a demotion? He genuinely thinks that, after coming from CruiserClash there’s a spot for him on the Clash main event scene? This is the same guy on CruiserClash who couldn’t hit that main event scene and lost in his own speciality match to Teo? That guy? Because if it is that guy, well, I feel sorry how delusional he is.
He’s right when he says the main event scene is wide open though, I’ll give him that. But for the likes of him? Nah. Bull can say that, someone like Kemp can say that, and, well, let’s face it, once upon a time, I could say that.
Kidsgrove sighs, he looks over his notepad. Zooey has written something in her perfectly sweet handwriting on a blank page. “Fail. Learn. Win. I heard that on an ad today, Might help you. Love you, always.” She signed it with a heart shape and some kisses.
He reads the words again.
KIDSGROVE
Fail. Learn. Win. Huh. Fail, learn, win. Where did it come from?
He googles the words and the result comes up with some ads from the British Army. He clicks on one of them
VIDEO V.O
What’s the first step toward victory? Failure. You fail, you learn so you can win. When it really matters.
Kidsgrove sits back, a look of incredulity on his face, as if a lightbulb just went off in his head.
KIDSGROVE
You fail, you learn so you can win when it really matters?
He smiles, this is exactly the sort of thing he needed to hear, it doesn’t matter it’s a nonsense recruitment ad, the message is the thing that hit home.
KIDSGROVE
Yeah, you fail, you learn so you can win when it really matters!
He stands up, pacing excitedly as if ideas and memories are flooding back to his head, he stands that little taller, his shoulders seem that little wider, his eyes seem that little sharper.
KIDSGROVE
Trey, I think it’s time we were introduced. I am Sam Kidsgrove. You might know me from ending the careers of the Savage Gods. Or you might recognise me for the guy who ended the unbeaten streaks of Dandy, Baker, Lissie and countless others who knock on my door at the show I helped build. Perhaps you’ll know me as the ONLY 3 time United States Champion, or a part of one of the most dominant tag team champions in AW history. Hell you might remember me as the guy who left such a mark on James Harrison and Howard Black that they can’t stop talking about me. I’ve been drifting lately, like some flotsam without a purpose, a guy who just seemed to have lost his edge, becoming the welcome wagon for all these guys who want to make a name for themselves. Some say I have hit a ceiling, some say I’ve just gone past my sell by date and I’m only relevant if hanging on to Bull’s coat-tails but you know what? I’m in the mood to remind people who I am.
This starts with you. I hold no grudges at all with you, you’re probably a nice guy, who knows? But that’s where the pleasantries will end my friend. You’ve said in the past that you gotta want it more, you are willing to go the extra distance to get into that main event scene, to get into that Elimination Chamber and shock the world. You want to be one of the big boys round here. I get that, we all wanna be the biggest dog in the yard, but I’m telling you now, this story ends for you right here. You’re coming up against Sam Kidsgrove. You’re coming up against one of the stalwarts in this company, a man who’s been through hell and back twice. You’re coming up against a man that has failed time and time again, but has finally learned just what he needs to do, just when it really matters. Myself and the people who follow me are going through you. Whether or not you wish to fight us all or stand aside is entirely up to you. If you choose to fight, be warned, you can’t suplex us all. I’m taking that place at the Elimination Chamber. It’s nothing personal but sorry, your dream? It's about to be cancelled.
FADE OUT
END