Drake and Jones touch each other at night

A BEAR & JAG COLLABORATION

(Our scene begins as Teddy Mac walks through the automatic doors of a local Wrestleworld grocery store with Jungle Jaguar trailing behind. He enters the market, reaching down and grabbing one of the baskets stacked near the front. As he swings the red container in his hand, he takes a good look at his surroundings. Aisles and aisles of shelving await him, with colorful end displays of popular products, sales signs, banners with store mottos, and directions hung up from the ceiling among the bright fluorescent lighting. Teddy smiles as a worker goes by and lets out a relieved sigh followed by a nod of satisfaction. There is a simple, cheery vibe felt throughout this typical grocer; a contrasting sense of normalcy compared to everything else Teddy has been through in Wrestleworld.)

Jungle Jaguar: I haven’t seen you this at peace in quite a while, Teddy.

Teddy Mac: There’s something calming about doing your daily shopping. Maybe I’m alone in that type of thought, but THIS. This, Jag, is a highlight of my day.

(Teddy looks up at the directions and his eyes light up as he starts to speed walk across the tiled floors, humming along to the background music playing on the speakers - “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Jaguar follows along as Teddy leads the way, snapping his fingers and pointing at the aisle he was looking for. Teddy goes down his first stop: the candy aisle.)

Jungle Jaguar: Do you really want to indulge in sweets before a big title defense? We need to be in tip top shape; keep up the discipline.

Teddy Mac: It’s not for me, Jag….maybe the leftovers. It’s Halloween season! This is for the kids. I promised the girls that when I got home after By The Sword I’d bring them all the candy they could ask for, something to make up for the fact I’ll be flying out before they can go trick-or-treating with me.

Jungle Jaguar: Understandable then. You’ll get the full “Halloween” experience anyway. We’ve got two children in Tiberius Jones and Drake Jaeger, knocking on our doorstep with their hands out.

Teddy Mac: They’ve got the goofy costumes on too. Only they won’t be walking away with anything except disappointment.

(Teddy Mac lets out a chuckle before trailing off, zoning out as he looks at a bag of candies.)

Teddy Mac:....You know, it’s weird even thinking about this. All that I’ve sacrificed. Halloween, Birthdays, dance practices, who knows, maybe I’ll miss Christmas this year! I’ve changed my life so drastically that simply going out and getting my own groceries feels almost brand new. I’m so far removed from what I used to be, and it’s good in a lot of ways. I’m not a regular guy anymore, I’m a superstar. And because of that I can provide for my family, I can feel accomplished, I’m with you right now as the Campeonatos de Parejas doing things most people would dream of. But on the flipside, I still find myself missing simpler times. The times that were safer. Where I didn’t have worry about there being a disconnect with my loved ones, or didn’t have to worry about my schedule being so packed I couldn’t take a second to relax and be human.

(Teddy Mac finally puts the bag of candy into the basket before turning his head to the side and seeing a father with his young child, scooting the shopping cart down the aisle with her inside as she laughs.)

Teddy Mac: These average folks pushing their shopping carts, going home every night to their family, living in stability...they aren’t like you or I. We’re Wrestleworld Clients. There’s an expectation that comes with it, a heavy price to pay, especially if you want to become champion. I dedicated hours in the gym with you, watched tapes, trained my ass off…..I’ve put so much into this craft that I know damn well I burned my bridge to go back to this being my day to day. I traded in warm nights with my daughters for staring down cold, sociopathic maniacs ready to tear me apart in the hopes of them sleeping a bit more comfortable. I left my comfort zone and lessened my presence at home to make things better for them. You, Jag, I’m sure you’ve put plenty behind you to get to this point as well. You fight for something, you have a purpose for being here in the Neutral Territory! We’re putting aside a lot to handle the obligations of heading up a division; we practically killed ourselves to get even the opportunity at the role….and yet Drake and Jones want to say we’re not to be taken seriously? That we’re just some seasonal comedy act?

Jungle Jaguar: A bold claim, coming from the comedians. Men who laughed and partied and danced their ways into a loss against RZD to begin with. Two powerful men who deserved to be champions, two men who we overcame on the zero hour. Trying to downplay their accomplishments now that they’re gone from this company is a true testament to the lack of dignity and decency found in these two ‘architects’.

(Jaguar crosses his arms and looks off to the side, as if lost in thought while his friend continues his shopping trip.)

Teddy Mac: Heh, “Architects”. I’ve realized at this point that Drake and Jones have broken away from their role a long time ago. The point of The Architects was to INSPIRE competition! To welcome in wrestlers that could grow and carry the program, cultivating a division that would go beyond the need for the old guard that was overseeing it! When Claudia, Jaydane, Babyaka, Drake and Jones, when ALL of them were announced as Architects, the intention was made clear that they would be gatekeepers to the division. Once a team was worthy of surpassing them, they would step away and take their place behind the scenes. The gate got busted wide open with Red Zone District, and every team that comes after them has already passed the test. Drake and Jones don’t want other people in the “house” that they have built, though. Drake and Jones don’t WANT to step down! When they agreed to have a position of authority in the tag team division, they never intended on letting it go or allowing the scene to move on past them. Being Architects was meant to be a guarantee that they would always have a spotlight to stroke their egos and showcase their shtick. The Campeonatos de Parejas weren’t a torch to be passed on, but a neverending vehicle for the antics of The Drake and Jones show. And once that vehicle got hijacked, they didn’t know what to do with themselves.

(Teddy Mac looks around, eyeing the shelves up and down until he happens upon a bag of Starbursts. He continues to speak as he loads up the basket.)

Teddy Mac: They fear the idea of being in the background because they’ll just DIE without getting media mentions or validation. Obscurity is their greatest fear. The idea of being on the sidelines eats away at their insecurities, the insecurities that they hide through their boisterous attitudes and constant put downs on anyone that is a threat to them. The pattern is hard to not see. Go online, check out Tiberius Jones having a breakdown in the last company he was in once he started to fall down the card. I still cringe remembering the days when Drake Jaeger got put on the shelf, and he wormed his way into a spot on the commentary desk, talking over everyone else to big himself up while making “roasts” on wrestlers who won more belts and more popularity than him. They can’t exist in a company without overbearing on everything! They’re small men in actuality so they’re in your face constantly to feel big. And they just get worse and worse in the hopes that something gives and things work out on their end.

(Teddy Mac notices someone taking a peek at the large amount of sweets he’s buying. Realizing that he might be getting a bit much, he laughs in acknowledgement and puts away a bag before looking back to Jag.)

Teddy Mac: They’re no different than the D students who’d pick on me in school out of spite, or the dudes in the office who neg the secretary to bring her to their level. The tag scene has evolved past Drake and Jones, they’ve been bested in the ring and their act has gotten tired; people already talk about their gimmicks less and less. So what do they do? They throw their weight around, use their voice as architects to launch a smear campaign against us, and are doing everything they can to literally force the belts off of us. The excuse making to keep themselves plugged into relevancy can outdo any child’s imagination on Halloween Night. Us beating the men who beat them doesn’t matter. Us beating multiple teams at once doesn’t matter. We should feel bad about our reign because we didn’t face April and Hana or The Wildcards - TWO TEAMS THAT WEREN’T EVEN IN THE TAG DIVISION WHEN WE WON THE BELTS! They’re here now, so if they wanted us to prove ourselves, if that was really what this was all about, why not do ANOTHER four way. Is it because then it wouldn’t favor them all too well? Would they not be able to handle that many competitors in the way that we did? Why are The Wildcards and Sweet Melody in a number one contender’s match while Drake and Jones - the dudes who have the book - get a second crack at a belt that’s not even meant for them? Claudia Michaels didn’t get a rematch. Babyaka isn’t even NEAR the European Championship, and Jaydayne Pendragon is gladly pushing the names in the division to do better than he is. The only Architect who is holding up their division with another match, is Drake and Jones. And out of all of the Architects, they’re the ones with the least reason to do so. To be blunt, they weren’t even worthy champions in the first place.

(Jungle Jaguar nods in agreeance of what Teddy Mac said. Teddy pauses for a beat to catch his breath as he looks to continue his rant, deciding upon himself to get those candies he put away.)

Teddy Mac: They’ve sat on the belts since the company’s inception and defended it ONE TIME. One time against The Wild Cards and they retained that by the skin of their teeth! Then they faced Red Zone District and…..heh….they got “sonned” as those two boys would say. Jag, we defeated more teams in a single match to WIN the title than they did in over six months. The belts were props. Toys that they barely played with but wanna cry now that they’re taken away. Leslie and Lana do that all of the time, I don’t expect that from grown men. They have no leg to stand on. The tag division isn’t theirs anymore. It was never theirs. They just acted like they had a claim to it to feel important. Now they’re going to find out things aren’t going to go back to the way they were. That they, the gatekeepers, are now on the wrong end of the gate. Locked out. It’s like you said, they’re knocking on our doors, decked out in their little costumes and feeling entitled to what we have. But we’re going to turn them away. We’re not even going to answer the door and give them the attention they crave. We’re going to let them tire out, stamp their feet, egg our house, what have you. But when it’s all said and done….they still won’t get their way and they will leave...dejected.

(Up until this point, Jungle Jaguar has been quiet, mostly letting Teddy talk but now in the silence, the masked man adjusts his form-fitting polo shirt and adjusts the jaguar mask hiding his identity before speaking.)

Jungle Jaguar: We’ve got plenty of reason to see cowards like them as enemies, as hurdles to overcome on our path to greatness. For me, it’s starting to run a little deeper than wanting to beat them in a wrestling match. Have you heard Tiberius’ comments? In his attempt to brag and play himself up, he talks of breaking necks. He talks of injuring the man he’s in there with, and he talks about it as if it’s something to brag about. As if it isn’t the reason he refuses to look in the mirror ever again. As if he…

(Jaguar looks off to the side again, starting to pace around that supermarket until suddenly, with a lash of anger, he strikes. In front of them, a whole metal row of chocolates and other treats spills out across the floor with a deafening

CRASH!

If that helped Jaguar’s temper, it doesn’t show from his body language, the man still breathing heavily and curling his hands into fists before releasing them and starting again. When next he speaks, the voice is lower, the words chosen carefully.)

Jungle Jaguar: The business we’re in, this fight industry? It’s ugly, and it’s not for the timid. Blood spilled by men and women keep the machine turning, but I pride myself on not injuring my opponents. I take them to the limit, if that’s necessary to keep them down on the mat, but I make sure that they have a life and a career to return to. For someone to openly gloat about their recklessness...their stupidity and their incompetence. For Jones to stand tall after his crime, to stand there without shame washing over him like a baptism?

(The Jaguar doesn’t finish the thought. Instead he lets the question linger, but he is still clenching and unclenching his fist in front of him, staring down at the broken shelf now in front of them. He’s still breathing heavier than he was at the start of this trip. As if it’s hard for him to suck in oxygen through that mask. The first time he’s ever had any difficulty with it.)

Teddy Mac: That’s the lengths some men will go for their selfish gain. TJ doesn’t care about anyone else in the locker room; the men he was assigned to help foster their capabilities. Drake and Jones don’t care about the art, the credibility of the sport or the business in general. They care about their business. Their stock. Their branding. Their ability to trend. And they’ll do whatever it takes to protect that. TJ is speaking from the perspective of a desperate man. A man who is throwing out his last set of cards when everyone can tell it’s a bluff that won’t save him. Don’t be upset, Jag. Smile. Drake and Jones are going out sad. And when we defeat them, they won’t be leaving behind the legacy of the great tag team they were, or the standard they should have set as architects. They’ll leave behind an example of what NOT to do. A cautionary tale for the two of us, the UNDISPUTED Campeonatos de Parejas and the true overseers that will keep this division growing. The division that doesn’t just revolve around us, but all of our peers who will be motivated from our efforts. We’re better Architects than our Architects.

(Teddy Mac looks over the mess of chocolates Jag left on the floor, picking up a bar for himself.)

Teddy Mac: Thinking about it, Drake and Jones have been playing pretend long before October. They’ve been dressing themselves up as a competent duo, a valid team, an UNSTOPPABLE challenge for months. They’ve presented themselves as more legitimate than they ever were. And now we get to tear off that mask. Exposing their pathetic faces to the world.

Jungle Jaguar: Exposing the dragons to the world, before we slay them? I take comfort in the thought of that.

(Jaguar continues walking forward, perhaps wanting to put this destroyed shelf behind him, perhaps no longer wanting to look at the consequence of his anger.)

Jungle Jaguar: Uhh...sorry about that…

Teddy Mac: It’s all good. Actually...THIS WORKS OUT!

(Teddy Mac takes an empty cart in the aisle, dumping his basket into it and then taking all of the chocolates from the fallen row.)

Teddy Mac: Gotta pay for the damaged product. Dad is definitely gonna have some leftover candies now! Come on!

(Teddy Mac pushes the cart toward the register with glee as Jungle Jaguar looks on in amusement, shaking his head and then following him in line as the scene fades.)