The scene opens up with a sepia-colored screen. It’s hazy, almost fuzzy. The camera pans across a small boxed-in room and we see Matt Miller. He’s wearing a black ensemble jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket. Matt is sat atop a steel chair, his legs are spread a little apart and his elbows rest on his thighs.
“Maniac, we can argue about semantics all day long, fella. Who challenged who, who said what. In case your memory’s not what it used to be, lad, d’ya not remember giving me a f***in’ concussion on Monday night?!”
Matt lowers his head, revealing the stapled wound running from his forehead up to his cranium.
“Y’know fella, I’m actually quite glad you gave me this crackin’ shiner, so I am. Because it’s a permanent reminder of just what I need to rectify this major inequity hangin’ over my head. Like I said before, I can take a loss, had them before, Lord knows I’ll ‘em again. But the one thing I pride me-self on, the one thing I judge a man… is his character. You…”
Matt looks up and points his finger accusatorially at the camera, as if it were Maniac himself.
“You… Maniac… are a gutless…. Spineless… f***ing coward…. Who’d rather use pathetic parlor tricks to get an advantage.”
Matt laughs lightly to himself, looking up at the ceiling before back at the camera.
“Y’know lad, I used to respect you, even up until Havoc, I respected you. Multi-time World Champion and Extreme Champion, you’ve beaten ‘em all…”
The footage cuts to images of numerous HWA legends and Matt’s voice can be heard naming each time a new one appears on screen.
“Buff Bridges…. Butch Parker…. Michael Dredge…. Bryan Deas…. Renegade…. Ronnie McNeil….Will Scott… Nightmare….Derrick Hall….”
The camera cuts back Matt once more.
“Hell, you should be in the Hall of Fame with a resumé like that, fella. But you sullied all that when you decided to blindside me. That respect I had?”
Matt mimics an explosion with hands.
“Gone…”
Matt meshes his fingers together, holding his hands and rests his chin on the mock platform his fingers have created.
“And now we’ve got ourselves entangled in a beautiful little web, don’t we, lad? Eh? And now the question begs…. Who’s gonna lead the line in HWA in this glorious new era? The young upstart, or the hardcore veteran.”
The footage changes to a highlight reel, of which Matt’s voice can be heard over the top, of Maniac’s most hardcore moments in HWA from years past, including the post-match beatdown inflicted upon Matt himself at Havoc.
“Maniac, you are the Human Horror Reel, there’s no questioning that. You’re a hardcore icon of this industry. Forget Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Necro Butcher, Nick Gage. When it comes to hardcore, there’s no question…. you are undisputed.”
The footage cuts back to Matt. He looks up from his seated position, staring at the camera.
“But there’s only man in this company who is high-flying…”
The footage cuts to Matt performing a shooting star press.
“Death-defying….”
Another clip shows Matt standing on top of the Havoctron during the HWA’s YouTube days and he leaps off, performing a 630 senton splash onto an opponent.
“Utterly f***ing electrifying…”
The footage cuts back to Matt. He smirks derisively.
“But the questions keep comin’… has Matt Miller got what it takes to be the face of this company? Does this plucky, young Irish kid who’s held this company up for the last seven years….”
More brief footage shows various snippets of Matt competing in HWA over the last few years, wrestling against the likes of Sean, Jeremy as well as many other former talent who have come and gone.
“…. Got what it takes to step up to the plate when it really matters? How is this new era of HWA gonna be different to the last one? Is Matt gonna go from being the great white in the pond to a little fish in a big ocean? The last time, it was all…public appearances, spread the word of mouth, bring in subscribers… build the brand… be the brand! But the future is a lot different, Maniac. I made this brand. See all this now we’ve got. This CBS deal… competing in front of 20,000 people again, Madison Square Garden, the Chase Center. That’s because of guys like me, like Sean, like Jeremy Branson, like Michelle, Sarah, all of us who sacrificed our careers just to build a brand, carry the brand…
Matt goes right up to the camera, shouting directly into it.
“….OUR BRAND!”
He backs off, taking a breath and he sits back down on his chair before continuing.
“See, You may have been part of the show that revolutionised a different brand of professional wrestling 20 years ago, Maniac. But like WCW and ECW, like TNA, like Ring of Honor, nature took its course and wrestling evolved. It envolved into guys like me. This is our world now, you just live in it and be grateful you’ve got a seat at the f***in’ table!”
Matt seethes, his chest heaving, his nostrils flare.
“You know what? I have to thank you, Maniac. You’ve woken up something inside of me… an energy, an anger and drive I’ve not had in me for a good few years… if this is what you wanted, then fair play, lad. But be careful what you wish for… you want to invite me into the Asylum? A place you spent years battling your own demons… well, I accept but just be mindful, Maniac…You’re not the only one in this company with demons…”
The footage reverts to normal color and zooms in on Matt’s face.
The scene fades to black.