THADDEUS DUKE vs. QUINN REED [Dark Match]

The scene opens to a dimly lit car interior with a white nerdy type man with curly hair staring into a handheld camera and wiping down the lens. The man speaks briefly. “Ladies and gentlemen, wrestling fans of all ages. My name is Sam Roberts and tonight, I document the long awaited return of Thaddeus Duke to Duke Nation,” Sam states before pausing and looking toward his right side. “For those that are unaware,” he says, turning his face back toward the camera. “In another place and another time, Thaddeus Duke was a big deal. Big time matches on free television that made audiences white hot. Championships wins and defenses. Pay per view main events. But that was, in the world of professional wrestling, a long time ago. It has been well over a year since Thaddeus Duke has been on camera for anything at all, let alone a wrestling show.”



Sam Roberts places the camera upon his shoulder as the car continues down what seems to be a highway. Sam points the camera to the “man of the hour,” Thaddeus Duke. The young man stares out the rain soaked window. He has the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head. “Thaddeus Duke,” Sam states. “Are you ready, for the first time in well over a year to reunite with Duke Nation?” he asks. ‘Duke Nation’ is a term coined by a friend and opponent of yesteryear that refers obviously, to Thaddeus’ legion of fans.



“Wrestling fans move on quickly, Sam,” the young man states, not taking his attention away from the window. “I’m a little nervous that maybe they’ve forgotten. Maybe I show up and they don’t care about me anymore.”



“Does it bother you?” Sam asks.



A moment of silence ensues as Thaddeus considers the question. “No, not exactly,” Thaddeus replies. “If I were them I’d have moved on to the next hot commodity too. But for a random twitter post every four or five months I have been entirely disengaged with the Nation. Too focused on my personal life and the [expletive deleted] with my father.”



“How do you win them back?” Sam asks, referring to the fans.



Thaddeus turns his head toward the camera with a genuine smile on his face. “By being myself,” Duke replies. “Like I have always been. I am me and nothing else. What you see is what you get. They see it. They respect it. I wear my heart on my sleeve and those that loved me before will love me again in time. Those fans that pay their hard earned money to come watch a wrestling show for a couple hours, when they watch me compete, they know they’re getting the very best effort I can give them.



“Those that have doubts and those that may have forgot,” he pauses. “I’ll win them over again. They loved me and they’ll remember just how much I genuinely love them. How much a genuinely love performing for them,” he finally concludes as the car rolls to a stop.



The car had three occupants. Thaddeus Duke and Sam Roberts obviously, and James Heinrich, Thaddeus’ best friend and closest adviser, the driver on this trip to Toronto. Outside the Sanctum Warehouse, Elysium fans are waiting to enter the building, completely unaware that one of the competitors they’ll see tonight is using the fan entrance rather than the entrance used by most everyone else on the roster. The crowd is quite thick so its actually kind of difficult for Thaddeus to work his way through them toward the front of the line. James acts as a buffer for Sam Roberts so that he can make his way through the crowd as well. Those things pertaining to the fans and Duke Nation forgetting their hero seem to be unfounded as many fans realize who the man is even with the hood up over his face. A relatively small chant of “Welcome Back!” builds steam slowly, before what appears to be the entire crowd getting behind the chant.



Thaddeus stops somewhere near the front of the crowd and turns around, slowly scanning the crowd. “Duke Nation!” he yells out, as the fans cheer loudly. “Welcome to Elysium Pro Wrestling!” The young man can’t hide his feelings as a tear falls down his cheek. Thaddeus starts to sign a bunch of autographs on programs and other items.



“Hey Thad!” shouts a teenage boy. “How long are you here for?”



“I don’t really know. Maybe just tonight, maybe longer. There is no contract yet,” he replies to the fan. “It’s by appearance right now. We don’t know yet if we’re a match but we’ll figure it out soon.” After completing his answer he stops to take selfies with many fans.



A lot of professional athletes become jaded over the years, shunning their fans and shy away from fan interaction. While it has been quite some time since Thaddeus Duke has been in a competitive environment, he never once refused a picture or an autograph from an adoring follower. He loves it. He lives for it. He relishes in it.



“Thad, we’re nearly out of time,” Sam informs.



“Duke Nation,” Thaddeus begins, addressing the people. “I apologize but I have to go inside now. I’ll come out this entrance after the show and I’ll spend all the time you want. I’ll sign whatever you want. I sincerely love you all and you have no idea how much your support means to me.



“Tonight! We’re going to show the world of Elysium Pro Wrestling what Duke Nation is all about! Tonight, we show the world that there is a such thing as strength in numbers! Get loud tonight during my match! It fuels me more than you realize! Tonight, Duke Nation lands at Elysium Pro Wrestling right here in Toronto! Tonight, Duke Nation will be the light in the darkness of Nightfall! Tonight, Duke Nation returns and I promise you all, I will never, ever leave you again!”



Static. Fade.