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Scene 1
Off Camera
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The past few months have been a whirlwind ride
for Summer Collins. It’s been quite similar to a roller coaster ride with
the ups and downs that have made up her life as of late. The excitement
of starting a new journey in the professional wrestling organization known as
Emerge, and not just that but tag teaming with her husband Neil Newman as they
attempt to claim their tag team championship gold. The shock and major
letdown upon hearing the news of the death of her parents followed by an even
bigger shock when the will was read and it was announced that she was given
full ownership of the family business; Collins Incorporated.
While her parents dying is definitely an
unwanted event, it was also expected and thus Summer had already braced herself
for that inevitability. What she did not expect was for her parents to
give her the keys to the kingdom, so to speak.
Collins Incorporated grew from a small family business to a major international
powerhouse. During the time when their parents were too sick to run the
company, it was Summer’s older brother Michael Collins who took charge of the
company and made all of the major decisions.
It stood to reason that Michael would be given the ownership of Collins
Incorporated upon their death. Yet it seems that their parents had other
plans in mind.
It baffles Summer to no end and she still isn’t
even sure herself if she wants to own Collins Incorporated. Running this
major international corporation brings with it a great deal of
responsibility. Many employees are
relying upon her decisions to keep the company moving in an upward motion.
“Quit the primping, babe.” That’s the voice of Jessica Lasiewicz, daughter of Angelica Jones
and Summer’s best friend. Jessica sits in the living room of Summer’s
luxurious estate, watching her friend stare at herself in a full length mirror.
“You look fine. But then again, don’t we always look absolutely
Fabulous?”
Summer chuckles. “Of course, not that you
needed to use our catchphrase to remind me of that, Jess.”
“I need to get you away from the mirror some
way.” Jessica insists. “Besides, do you really
need to look good for a training session with your husband?”
“Point taken.”
Upon hearing those words from Jessica, Summer turns and sits down on the sofa
next to her. She sighs. “Maybe my mind is just not all there right
now, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh there are places I could go with that, but I
won’t.” Jessica remarks with a wry grin.
“Wise decision.” Summer says with a noticeable frown.
“What is bothering you, babe?” Jessica asks quizzically. “Is it your mom and dad still?”
“No, not that.” Collins shakes her head. “They were sick for quite some
time. Their deaths were expected. It’s what I found out after the fact, at the
reading of their will, that’s been troubling me.”
Jessica’s eyes grow wide with a look of
realization upon her face. “Oh yeah, you inherited the entirety of Collins
Incorporated.”
“Yep…” Summer’s voice trails
off. Jessica stares at her best friend for awhile, studying the look on
her face, before answering.
“You’re not happy about it, are you?”
“No.” Summer shakes her head.
“Why not, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Michael deserves it, Jess.” Summer begins with a deep sigh. “He has been running that
company for a very long time now. Ever since mom and dad got sick to the
point that they couldn’t handle the company any longer, it was Michael who took
the reins. He did it because he was the business savvy one. Me?”
Summer shakes her head. “I am far from
business savvy. I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to keep that
company running. Maybe I should just give it to Michael and wash my hands
of this…”
“Seriously?”
Jessica asks with a puzzled look on her face.
“Yeah, seriously.”
“Summer, you may doubt yourself right now but
your mom and dad clearly had faith enough in you to give you the company and
not your brother. Collins Incorporated is already a powerhouse. It’s going strong. You just need to keep it going. How hard can it be?”
“You have no idea.” Summer remarks.
“But I believe in you, and so did your
parents. So consider it.”
“I’ll give it some thought.”
“That’s all I ask.”
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Scene 2
Off Camera
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While Summer was off with Jessica, Neil was
waiting for his wife inside of the state of the art gym he is more grateful
than ever she insisted to set up. He wouldn’t start without her. He didn’t mind
waiting, there lives have been more than busy. Between Emerge and the huge
responsibility laid on the lap of his wife, Neil’s main responsibility has been
making sure the weight of the world didn’t crash down on Summer. Tough enough
to deal with a parents death and a company with hundreds of employees to worry
about, being a wrestler as well? Enough “excitement” to unsettle anyone. Neil
is happy, not once thinking about how recent events affect him.
Summer eventually showed up, looking as fabulous
as ever. Summer stepped into the ring Neil was waiting for her in. He can
tell she was trying to get into training mode. He wouldn’t blame her at all if
her mind was elsewhere. Exactly what he anticipated. She closes the distance
between them.
“How about we start with this...?”
Neil doesn’t lock her up. He doesn’t try to take
her down. He... poses like he is a praying mantis.
Summer looks at him strangely. “Babe...”
“Work with me here.” Neil insist.
“I don’t get the point of this.”
“Good.” Neil goofy smiles. “We need to prepare
for anything. Moustache Ride will throw anything at us.”
Summer chuckles. “Don’t think they know the
praying mantis style.”
“I don’t either. They could. They are
unpredictable. I was thinking what is the most unpredictable thing I can throw
at you.”
Summer raises her eyebrow. “Well...” Summer
breaks out laughing. “Stop. You look like a goof.”
“I kinda do.” Neil stops acting like a praying
Mantis. “Would you like to see what else I had in mind?”
Summer shakes her head. “That’s ok. Thanks, I
needed that.”
Summer sighs deeply. “Neil, can I ask you
a question?”
“Anything.”
“I spoke with Jessica earlier. I got her
opinion; now I want yours. Collins Incorporated has always been my
parents’s business, or Michael’s, but never mine.” She shakes her head. “Never
ever was it my baby. Michael has been running it for years for mom and
dad. That’s why them willing it to me is
so shocking. I’m seriously considering
just selling it to him. But Jessica doesn’t think I should.”
“My business expertise is next to zero, but; the
question you need to ask yourself before you come to a final decision is, are
you going to be able to give Collins Incorporated the time needed to ensure the
family business continues to prosper? Take wrestling for instance, both of us
dedicated our lives to become the best we can be. We train religiously. We
travel, you more than me, we do live our lives on the road. We have to stay on
top of the opponents we’re facing. There is a lot of time and energy that goes
into what we do. I imagine it would be the same for running a business. Long
hours. Being briefed on the inner workings. Whatever else you need to do to
ensure the business doesn’t fall apart. In todays age you can work from home or
on the road, modern technology does make things easier. In my eyes, not a
matter of if you can, I believe, so did your father. With everything going on,
are you certain you can continue to keep the pace you have between Emerge, GCW
and running Collins Inc? Answer that, we’ll move forward. Whatever you decide,
I’m all in.”
Summer pauses to take time to consider the words
uttered by her husband. He makes good points and she does truly want to
fulfill her father’s wishes. “My dad wanted me to have this company, I
don’t know why but he did. Clearly he
believed in me. And if he believed in me, then so should I. And if it was his dying wish for me to
continue the family business, then who am I to turn that down?”
Summer grins from ear to ear. “It may be challenging,
but it is a challenge that I’m up for. I will do whatever it takes to
keep things going.”
Neil smiles. “I knew you would. Remember, you’re
not alone.”
Summer hugs her husband. “I know. Thanks for all
your support.”
Neil and Summer continues to embrace knowing
there would be challenging times ahead.
==========
On Camera
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Since day one of the arrival of myself and my
husband upon the scene in Emerge, we have had one singular stated goal and that
was to become the tag team champions and use that platform to reinvigorate tag
team wrestling in the sport today. And let’s face it, anything we touch
becomes golden and it becomes absolutely Fabulous.
What have we done since our arrival? What
have we done since declaring our intentions of one day becoming Emerge Tag Team
Champions? Win. We’ve been winning
again and again and no one has been able to stop us. Quite honestly, I am beginning to wonder if
anyone really can stop us. The answer is simply no, no one can stop
us. Reinvigorating tag team wrestling,
making it golden again, and making it Fabulous, that is the destiny of myself
and my husband Neil. It’s what we were born and bred to do. It is what we WILL do here in Emerge. And you don’t have to thank us for saving
your tag team division, Drew. Believe
me, it is our duty and responsibility to make tag team wrestling great, under
the Newman banner.
“There was a huge announcement a few weeks ago.
Emerge is officially its own company. That’s great. A step in the right
direction. As great as that accomplishment was, lets not lose sight of one
simple fact, Emerge isn’t perfect. It will be soon because of me and my wife,
lets not allow the positive publicity to hide behind the fact that tag team
wrestling in Emerge has been on a slippery slope for a very long time. The
first champions abandoned this company. Jason and Willow imploded on each
other. ToXXin are no longer around, neither are those twins whose names I can’t
recall. And Tombstone? Pfft. Hardly the wrestlers me and my wife are. Picking
off the carcass of a division that has always been broken. No more need to
worry. Unlike Serotonin, ToXXin, Jason-Willow, the twins and Tombstone, we are
the embodiment of tag team wrestling, me and my wife won’t just make the tag
division great again. We’ll make it great, period. It is an insult to us Drew
you handed Mustache Ride a championship match at Invasion: Miami? This is what
we’re talking about, the division is so broken you handed a title match to
those two. That’s ok, at Emerge #27, we’ll prove how wrong you are
placing your faith behind a bunch of hairy clowns.
