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Steve_Justice · (07-18-2019)

The Electric Ballroom. Camden, England 2001..

A young rookie Steve Justice sits in the backstage area in his ring gear. He is about to be granted his first opportunity to hold a title. You can see the nervousness in his eyes, his stomach in knots at the prospect of blowing it in front of an audience. His opponent was much bigger and more experienced than he was. But he had the exuberance of youth and a small fan following thanks to his performances to date. Maybe the fans would cheer on the young, inexperienced rookie over his imposing wall of an opponent. The door opens and an older gentleman in a tweed coat and fedora enters. Jack Anthony was an old-school promoter who had brought Steve along from the earliest days of his career. He saw a lot of potential in the kid and thought he could be a star.

“You’re not nervous are you, lad?”

Justice shook his head which drew a bark of laughter from the old man.

“If you’re not nervous, then you’re either mad or thick. Twister is 6’8 and a good 20 stone. You’d better have your working boots on or you’re in for a long night.”

The old man sat down on the leather sofa and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Here now, you didn’t get to this point because of my charity. The fans are behind you and you have a real talent as a shooter. I think you have the talent to be a real commodity in this business. Someone who can sell some tickets if your name is on the marquee. You just need to reach out and take advantage of the opportunity in front of you! Understand?

Steve nodded in agreement. Life hadn’t been an easy path for him up until this point. A fractured family life; living in poverty and sometimes homelessness. He’d risked it all to come to the UK to learn the pro wrestling business. There was no turning back, the only way forward for him was through.

Present Day…

Steve sat looking at a framed poster on the wall of his apartment. There was a knock at the door. He rose and unlocked the deadbolt, letting in a remote camera crew from the XWF. He instructed them to set up their equipment so that the poster was in the shot. He stood beside the poster clad in green camouflage cargo shorts and a Leap of Faith t-shirt.

“Well, I proved to be a man of my word so far in the XWF. I set out to make a strong statement to announce that I was back and that’s just what I did. And it looks like my little performance was noticed by management. My second match in this company, and they’ve given me a crack at the Xtreme Title.”

He motions to the poster behind him.

“This poster? I keep this poster as a reminder to not take anything for granted in this business. On this particular night, I’d like to tell you I won but the truth is I lost. I went down for the three count that night. Now you might wonder why I would keep a record of a big match where I screwed the pooch and came up short. Well there’s critics out there that will tell you that Steve Justice has trouble winning the big one. That I’m some kind of choke artist who can’t get the job done.”

He scoffs, shaking his head at the idea.

“Well that just isn’t true. To be honest most people wouldn’t be standing here talking to you if they had to go through what I’ve been through. I’ve suffered my share of personal demons; I’ve faced injuries that took me out for a time but I just keep coming back. This Pay Per View is a big opportunity for me on a card that’s absolutely stacked with greatness. Personally, I’m going to be watching it very closely. Now some people would be a wreck in my shoes with so much riding on the line and in Buckingham freaking Palace of all places. But I’m not nervous. You see, I keep this poster to remind me that I’ve been in big pressure situations before. I keep this poster to remind me to take opportunities like these and grab them by the throat.”

He reaches out and clenches his fist for emphasis.

“Tommy Wish? You’ve had a nice little run with the Xtreme Title but your time’s coming to an end. You’ve managed to put together some decent wins but I’m on a different level than anyone you’ve faced to date. The simple facts are that I’m younger than you; stronger than you and more importantly I’m smarter than you. Hell, I’m even better looking than you! It’s called soap by the way. You might want to try it some time. On July 28th Tommy, it’s going to be me and you. It’s Falls Count Anywhere which means anything can happen. We could end up in the Tower of London. We could end up fighting on Big Ben! But no matter where we end up Tommy, the fact is that I’m going to be kicking your ass until I’m declared the winner.”

Steve grabs a bottle of water off his table and unscrews the top. He takes a long swig before continuing.

“I’ve seen your tape Tommy and to quote GSP, I’m not impressed with your performance. Sure you’re tough and you can swing a chair but everyone in this company can do that. The truth is, nothing makes you special from some backyard wrestler. You could literally be replaced by any backyard guy in a pair of denim shorts. Voila! Instant Tommy Wish starter pack. On the other hand, you have me. I am a trained shooter; I destroy people’s limbs and I hand out suplexes like free candy on Halloween.
You on the other hand don’t look like you know a guy named Jim let alone see the inside of a gym. Your skills don’t compare to mine and when we meet at Leap of Faith, you’re going to feel like you’re in a slow motion car accident. I am going to throw your carcass around in an ass kicking so legendary, that it’ll be on my highlight reel for years to come. I am an Anarchist; I am a punk rock warlord and if you have something I want, then you best believe I will come and take it from you. And there’s nothing you can do about it! Tommy Wish you’re a dead man walking and you’re going to find out wherever this match takes you, Justice...will...prevail!”]

Steve slowly drags his thumb across his throat as the promo fades to black.

Steve thanks the camera crew and they pack up to leave. As the sun sets on another day, he orders an Uber to take him to his favorite night spot. A short ride later, he’s in his favourite cozy bar where the furniture is worn with use and so are the pool tables. It’s your typical local dive bar. Steve is holding a pool cue in his hand and there is a pint of beer resting on a nearby table. He surveys the pool table and lines up a shot which misses. The game is eight ball but he doesn’t seem to have his head in the game.

“Doubt. Doubt is the most poisonous, corrosive thing to success. It’s a slow poison that eats at you slowly over time. You hear it from the mouths of a thousand doubters who can’t accept that you’re the best at what you do and that you prove as much every single time you’re on the mic or inside a ring or just handling all the other bullshit that comes with this job. It doesn’t matter though. Because once you let doubt in, it starts to destroy the foundation of everything you try to build. And there’s the trick. Only you can let doubt in. Only you can give it the power to take things away from you, to let it stop you short of greatness once again.”

Steve took a drink of his beer and eyed another possible shot. He chalked his cue and blew the excess chalk off.

“This pay per view is called Leap of Faith. It seems Atticus Black is taking a leap of faith putting me in this situation. I guess it’s no big deal; just the biggest match of my XWF career. Seen by millions on pay per view. And live from an actual palace. No pressure there or anything. I need to clear my head. I need to focus my intent onto one purpose and that’s to do whatever it takes to beat Tommy Wish. That’s what extreme is all about after all. Being able to push yourself to a place where other people won’t go. And that’s exactly what it’s going to take for me to become Xtreme Champion. I’m going to have to push myself to the absolute limit to beat Tommy Wish. If that means hunting him all over London then that’s exactly what I’ll do. All that I need to do is focus. Forget all the critics, doubters and naysayers that have dogged me my whole career and focus. Line up my shot. And take it.

Fade to black.

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