DIVISION OF LABOR
(feat. Scotty Adams & Tyler Debonair)
PAST
We find ourselves in the living room of a modest apartment. The room is ambiently lit by warm purple light peeking in from behind the window curtains. The front door is pushed open and in walks an 8 year old MAX STONE. He moves towards a big wooden box-style TV and flicks it on. As the screen comes to life, his eyes light up with excitement. The picture slowly starts to form from the darkness and it becomes what looks to be a first-person view. The screen shows someone walking up to a mirror and it is revealed that the real-world Max Stone is in control here. He looks up into the mirror.
Max (into mirror): I’ll see you after school.
The Max we’re seeing in the room lays back on the couch, kicks his feet up on the armrest, and watches as his real-world counterpart embarks in his daily kid life. As he falls asleep, the TV starts to crackle as a flood of images of Max’s childhood life play out on the screen with each progressively showing him grow older.
Max jolts awake but this time he looks just like the teenager that’s been living his life on the living room TV. He feels disoriented and a bit confused. He rubs his eyes trying to pinpoint what exactly off is about this moment and then realizes that it’s the TV set.
This Max: Weird.
Noticing that the TV is nothing but chaotic static he rises from the couch and begins to fiddle with the TV knobs. His efforts are in vain. Realizing that there isn’t anything he can do in this moment with the TV, he then refocuses his attention to the front door to which he marches with a determined stride. Max places his hand on the door knob and attempts to turn it.This Max: What the hell is happening?
Anger appears on his face as he tries once more to shake the door open. He heads back over to the TV and turns it on. The picture takes a moment to fill the screen but it’s still static. This Max hits the TV with the palm of his hand and adjusts the antenna on top. The picture becomes clearer and we are now once again presented with a first person view. Another 16 year old version of Max appears in a mirror on the TV screen and begins to speak.
Max (on TV): I’m sorry… I have to do it.The Max in the room can’t believe it. He feels completely betrayed and while he had a feeling that this was bound to happen, the day is finally here and he feels powerless.Max (on TV): I told you that I would have to lock you up if you kept acting like a maniac.
Maniac: Everything I’ve done is to HELP you! How are you so blind?Max (on TV): Yeah and I’m the one who has to clean up after the messes you make! We can’t do this anymore! I don’t TRUST YOU.Maniac: You’re making a huge mistake. You need me.Static snow once again fills the screen as the TV emits a hissing sound. This “Maniac” is now cut off from the other side. The excitement and joy he once got from watching his counterpart through the screen is now being corrupted by the feelings of anger, sadness, and rage.Maniac (yelling): COME ON! You can’t be serious right now!Maniac KICKS the TV. He walks over to the front door and tries to open the door again. Nothing.
Maniac: Open the door!
He hits the door with the palm of his hand.
Maniac: C’mon! Let me out, man!Maniac starts full on PUNCHING the front door."C'mon! Open the door!"
MONDAY NIGHT MAYHEM 4/10/2023
“OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!”
We now find ourselves in the IIW Locker Room and an enraged MAX STONE is shaking the door trying to get it open after Bam Miller and Goliath barricaded it shut. Max CHARGES at the door with his shoulder but no success. Going by the look in his eyes, this is the MANIAC in control now. Sitting a few feet away are IIW Hall of Famer SCOTTY ADAMS and “The ZENsational” TYLER DEBONAIR. They’re talking amongst each other and then Scott shifts his focus over at Max.
Scott Adams: Hey how about we cool off now? We lost this one tonight and now we need to figure out how we’re going to bounce back.Maniac stops in his tracks and intensely stares at Scott. He then smiles and starts to aggressively clap his hands.
Maniac: Alright, then! Let’s just cool off and listen to Captain Intensity over here. What’s your grand plan? Hide behind a mask and a voice changer and let the Mecca take even more power? Oh wait, you already did that…Scott shakes his head dismissively and turns back to Tyler to continue their conversation. Maniac approaches him and crouches down to get to his eye level. Scott shifts his focus back to Maniac and he cocks his fists ready to defend himself.
Maniac: Or are you just going to play dead too like our fearless leader Osh while I do all the heavy lifting in this war?Scott jumps to his feet and gets right back in Maniac’s face.
Scott: I think it’s time you stopped talking now.Maniac: Go ahead and stop me. Hit me if you have to. It would be one more hit than you’ve given to the Mecca. Tyler: YO!Tyler gets upright and separates Scott and the Maniac.
Tyler: This is what they want. Divided we fall…Maniac picks up the chair that Tyler was sitting in and lifts it into the air prompting Scott to quickly grab his and raise it to defend himself. Maniac looks past Scott and charges at the door once more. Scott and Tyler both watch perplexed as Maniac wails away at the door with the steel chair to absolutely no result. He yells some more and then vigorously walks across the room and picks up a TV monitor. The show has gone off the air but cameras are still rolling and the monitor is showing medical staff tending to Osh and Jay Vaughn after they had been attacked with a sledgehammer.
Maniac: I heard those assholes laughing out there. I’ve got those laughs burned into my brain and I know that it’s Bam Miller and Goliath! I’ve beat both of their asses already and if they want a second helping that’s…
FINE
BY
ME!
In a final act of rage, Maniac grabs the TV and HURLS it across the room into a set of lockers. Then, something catches his eye: the list of names crossed out on the wall that we saw earlier in the show. He focuses on that for a moment as he calms down and then he closes his eyes. He stands in silence for a few moments with his back turned towards the others. Tyler breaks the silence.
Tyler: You good now, man?Max turns around looking a lot calmer than he was just a minute ago. The energy in the room has completely changed.
Tyler: How long have you been dealing with that guy?Max scoffs and shakes his head.
Max: Nope.
Tyler: What?
Max: We ain't traveling down that road. Tyler: Sorry. I thought maybe I could help…Max: Last time I thought a Debonair had any sincerity I got the living shit beat out of me with a barbed wire baseball bat. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Scott: What are we talking about here? Tyler laughs at both Max and Scott.
Tyler: Max, it seems like you don't know a whole lot about me, my guy. I can see my asshole dad has got you worked up pretty good. But you can believe me when I say that he and I are absolutely nothing alike…Max looks over at Scott. Max doesn't say anything but Scott picks up on the non verbal question he's being asked. Scott senses this Max is different than he was moments ago.
Scott: Yeah, it's true. Tyler's on our side and he's just as invested in this as you and I. Tyler: However it looks like you and I ain't too terribly far apart. You aint the only one dealing with a…. "Maniac."Tyler now has Max's full attention.
Tyler: Hell, if my pops knew even half the shit I've been dealing with it would be all bad. I bet he would have no issue selling me to the US Government to become some kind of a lab rat in exchange for a stack of greenbacks to put in his pocket. So, yeah… you aren't the only one around here carrying some extra baggage. Max nods and looks over at Scott.
Scott: I'm just Scott. Only one guy here.
They all laugh and break the tension in the room.
Max: So…
Max points to Tyler.
Max: You’re back because you’re finally free and I’m guessing you’re probably the only one that dislikes your dad more than me at the moment.Max points to Scott.
Max: And you were enjoying retirement until you got the call. What I can’t figure out is why you would give up the good life to lace up a pair of boots again and join this fight.Scott begins to speak but is interrupted by the locker room door opening and in walks IIW Cleaning and Disposal Manager, Charlie Schmidt.
Charlie: What the hell is going on here?Charlie notices the broken TV, the dented locker, and the spray painted wall. He throws his hands in the air in an exasperated disgust.
Charlie: Oh for fuck’s sake! Which one of you idiots did this?
Tyler: The guy who did this left a few minutes ago.Scott: Yep, he took off.Charlie pulls out his spray bottle and applies a liberal dose of cleanser to the spray painted wall and gets to scrubbing. Tyler looks over at Max and notices he’s rapidly heading towards the exit with his gym bag in hand.
Tyler: The other guy?Maniac: I’ve got shit to do.Maniac storms out of the room leaving Scott and Tyler behind in the locker room.
LATER
We now find ourselves in a hotel room bathed in the daylight pouring in through the window as Max Stone sleeps soundly. The empty water bottles and food containers suggest that he’s been here for an extended stay. The TV plays in the background at a low volume, offering a soft background noise for one to wake up to. And that, Max does. He rolls out of the bed and stretches his arms and it’s then that familiar feeling kicks in. That feeling that something is off. His eyes dash towards the TV where he sees the time of “3:38 PM” displayed on the BBC News Clock.
Max: Son of a bitch.Max purposefully walks towards the corner of the room where Maniac is sitting in a chair staring out the window.
Max: You did it again, didn’t you? I told you not to take over without my permission!Maniac: There was work to do.
Max: What work?
Maniac: Check the phone.Max’s eyebrows furrow as the worry crops up in anticipation for what he’s about to discover. He grabs his phone off of the nightstand and unlocks it. He's greeted with the IIW Website where a video is there ready for playing. He clicks the play button…
IIW ARENA
The video starts with an establishing shot of the IIW Arena and then changes to a nice office with a desk. The name tag on the desk reads “OSH VAUGHAN IIW OWNER.” A pair of wrestling boots kick up on the desk and the camera tilts up to see the Maniac is kicking back in Osh’s chair.
Maniac (on screen): Y’know, when Osh Vaughan came back from faking his death I assumed that there was a grand plan in place. Surly this plan had to be so complicated and complex and planned down to each intricate detail that we would be fool to think otherwise, right? Well I don’t think Osh and his poor little nephew Jay getting beat down with a sledgehammer was a part of that plan. All that planning and plotting and all it took was a simple barricaded door to take a loss against Mecca. Where were the masked saviors who are too good to show their faces? Is money too tight around here that these guys weren’t in the budget for the show? In the hotel room, the Maniac stares out the window while Max watches his counterpart on the screen in disbelief.
Maniac (on screen): But you can throw your masked strangers out to fight. Hell, you can even throw out the masked singers! The point is that anyone you have a part of your grand plan is just going to be sacrificial pawns on the field of battle while I make my way around and mow down the rooks, bishops and knights. Then I will make my way right over to the queen and king and with a swift swing of the sword, I will end the war against Mecca. This is MY war and that was something Mecca decided when they started this entire thing with me. It’s MY job to put an end to it so Scott Adams, Tyler Debonair, and whoever the ambiguously masked duo turns out to be better stay the hell out of my way and let me work as I continue my revenge tour.Max (in hotel room): Dude…Max’s eyes narrow in disbelief as he shoots Maniac a withering glare. The wheels in his head begin to spin as he contemplates the repercussions of the Maniac’s words. Maniac remains fixated on the world outside the hotel room window.
Maniac (on screen): But it’s beginning to look like the revenge tour cannot continue until we revisit a few of the towns we already passed through. You see, Fred Debonair bought a ticket to a show on the tour and he’s already chomping at the bit for an encore performance. He strutted out there playing the victim card because for the first time in a long time, his tried and true plan of cheating and breaking the rules failed him. Fred even went as far as to saying that I took the “coward’s way out” to win this UK Championship but I didn’t do anything that he hadn’t already done himself moments earlier Maniac smiles a cocky grin and holds the UK Championship belt up to the camera.
Maniac: Fred started that party by kicking me in the nuts and then feeds everyone a line of bullshit about me being the coward. Fred Debonair will say anything and everything he can to justify the gutless crap that he does but at the end of the day he’s just another Shaun Hart stooge falling further down the totem pole. Just another henchman like Bam Miller and Goliath, more on them in a minute, whose purpose is to carry out menial tasks and fluff the egos of Shaun Hart and the biggest fraud champion that’s ever stepped foot in a wrestling ring. Because that’s what it’s all about, right Fred? You live to serve Joe Montouri and will do anything for a crumb of praise for him.So much so that you wanted nothing more than to win that tournament that he slapped his name on and you fell just EVER SO SHORT in that opening round.Maniac grins from ear to ear, taking pride in the act he pulled on Mayhem.
Maniac: Fred, I wasn’t planning on interfering in your match against DeAndre Williams. In fact, I was in the back watching as a fan because I thought that this was going to be the match that would steal the show. I thought that maybe losing this beautiful UK Championship belt would light a fire under you and motivate you in ways we haven’t seen in a long time. But I was wrong and in typical Fred Debonair fashion, you had to resort to dirty tricks once more. But Fred, the truth of the matter is that I wouldn’t have gotten involved if you had just kept your mouth shut. Instead you sealed your fate when you told each and every one of those people that I took the coward’s way out and it was then and there that I selfishly wanted to take the pleasure of watching you sink down into the mud and fail once again. These wounds sliced into your skin are all self-inflicted and I must admit it’s sad watching a guy I had thought was the cream of the crop in this company fall so far. Maniac places the championship belt face up on the desk and points down at it. The overhead light makes the belt sparkle every time the camera moves slightly.
Maniac: Now when I took this title from you I made it my mission to wash all the Mecca stink off of it and take it to heights it’s never been before. I just defended this title against a big, nasty monster who I’ll admit gave me more of a fight than I bargained for. I barely got through that one by the skin of my teeth but I prevailed because I’m a goddamn FIGHTING champion and I’m good enough to get it done in that ring. The United Kingdom Championship is the title of fighters and it’s for those who can take care of their shit on their own in the ring. Blindsiding me with a chairshot and proceeding to beat me down alongside the guy I just defeated doesn't exactly put you in that category of someone who can take care of their own shit. Now I’m not ever one to back down from a challenge but based on your recent actions… are you even a challenge, Fred? Maniac opens up a drawer on Osh’s desk and rummages through it. He removes what looks to be a rubber stamp.
Maniac: At this point, YOU need to face ME in a rematch and it’s not the other way around. When it comes to your rematch, unfortunately until you can prove otherwise, your request is…Maniac SLAMS the rubber stamp down on Osh’s desk
In the hotel room, Maniac quietly laughs to himself after that part of the video plays. We go back to the video..
Maniac: But the encores don’t stop there! While we’re on the subject of people who claim to be great wrestlers, we have a guy who at this point should be fighting in 7-11 parking lots for a chance at some two day old taquitos and that’s our favorite local idiot Bam Miller! I’ve just learned that at the next Monday Night Mayhem, right here in this very arena, I’ll be up against Bam Miller once again! And Goliath, once again! Granted this time I’ll have a tag team partner to help even out the odds a bit but it’s no surprise to me that we find ourselves once again in a hardcore match. God forbid Bam Miller gets a match that doesn’t require him to raid his local Home Depot so he can find something to try to win with. But Bam, we’ve been through this song and dance before. It wasn’t that long ago that you decided to be the first one up to bat to take a crack at ol’ Max Stone and ended up on the arena floor a broken mess as I declared victory. Maybe all those shots to the head with light tubes, golf clubs, bricks, microwave ovens, and whatever other household objects you like to play with have affected your memory because after what happened last time, why would you volunteer to put yourself through this AGAIN? Maybe this time you feel a bit more secure now that you have a big ol’ teddy bear in your corner.In the video, the sound of something rolling down the hallway can be heard. Maniac doesn’t notice.
Maniac: Big bastard teddy bear Goliath. If I’m going to ever give one compliment to Goliath, it’s that he didn’t have to grab a weapon to try to get that job done. He didn’t have to get Shaun to send out any of the Mecca cronies to help him win the title like we saw at Keys 2 Success. That’s where the compliments end because thirty seconds after that bell rang and I was once again blindsided by you pieces of shit but hey at least you waited! The rolling sound grows louder.
Maniac: Goliath, I told you what I was going to do when I stepped into that ring and I did it. Your championship aspirations ended after I got that 1-2-3 and you soon found yourself right there next to Bam on door duty because it’s really all Tweedledee and Tweedledumb can be trusted to handle. Anything requiring more brain power would simply be too much for Goliath and Bam Miller to process. They may have had a small victory party as they congratulated themselves for figuring out how to block a door but that feeling of a job well done will come to an end when we face off once again. Next time you want to lock me away, you better throw me in a coffin and nail it shut because The door to Osh’s office busts open and the camera pans over to Charlie Schmidt and his custodial cart.
Charlie: What is this shit?! Hey, aren’t you the one who spray painted my wall?Maniac: Naw, that was Rhett Dawson. He’s been really pissed off lately.
Charlie: Are you filming in the owner’s office?!Charlie sticks his face into the camera and points it straight to the ceiling before cutting out completely.
Back to the hotel room…
Max tosses the cellphone down on the bed and shoots a stare to Maniac that could cut the window glass he’s staring out of.
Max: I think it’s time we discussed division of labor.Maniac turns around and looks Max dead in the eye.
Maniac: Division of labor? And how do you want to “divide the labor?”
Max: For starters, you can’t be going around me and saying this kind of shit.Maniac: What kind of shit? We both hate the Mecca and we had to respond to the crap that Fred Debonair is slinging.Max sighs. He doesn’t feel like playing this game right now.
Max: You know what I’m talking about, smart ass. The stuff about Osh. The stuff about Scott and Tyler. How about we don’t shit where we eat? Maniac: But you agree with me there…Max: No! I don’t! This war isn’t one that we can win on our own despite how much you think we can. Together we stand, divided we fall…Maniac: If uniting with those guys is what you feel we need to do then I guess it’s pointless to try to convince you otherwise.Max: I’m talking about me and you.Maniac: Me and you, eh? So you think…Maniac is interrupted by the hotel phone ringing on the nightstand. They look at each other as if they’re asking who the hell could be calling. Max walks over to the phone, lifts it off the receiver, and puts it up to his ear.
Max: Hello?
Scott Adams: Can you be trusted?
Max: Pardon me?
Scott: We have a common enemy in Mecca and we both want to see them taken down but in order to do that we need to be on the same page here.
Max: I agree.
Scott: Good. So I don't have to worry about you being a problem? If push comes to shove, I will shove back.
Max looks at Maniac as if he's on the hook for this answer. Maniac nods "yes."
Max: Nothing to worry about. I assure you that there will be no issues… Hey, I told you before that I was trying to figure out why you decided to give up the good life and lace the boots back up. I think I figured it out.
Scott: Let's see if you've got it right then.
Max: You came back out of loyalty. Loyalty to Osh. Loyalty to IIW. You’re a hall of famer and you believe in this all as much as I do. I admire your loyalty and this team can expect as much from me.
Scott: Good. Then let’s go out there and get some payback.