Butch, clad in a simple get-up of jeans an old school HWA “One Man Tartan Army” t-shirt, enters the brightly-decorated lobby of the children's hospital with a big smile on his face.
As he walks towards the reception area, he notices the children looking at him in awe. He waves at them and greets them with a warm welcome.
(Butch): Hey, guys! How are you doing today?
Butch is led to a room where he meets a young boy named Tommy. He has been diagnosed with leukemia and is a big fan of HWA, telling the Make-A-Wish directors that his favourite wrestler was Butch. Butch sits down next to Tommy, who is lying in his bed, and begins to chat with him.
(Butch): So, Tommy, how are you feeling today, big guy?
(Tommy): I'm okay, Mr. Parker.
Tommy looks up at Butch with hopeful eyes.
(Butch): Hey, that’s enough of that, call me Butch, alright? Anyway, I have something for you, Tommy….
Butch reaches over and takes out a HWA championship belt from a leather duffel bag and holds it up.
(Butch): Do you know what this is?
Tommy’s eyes light up with excitement.
(Tommy): It's the HWA championship belt! But I thought there were no belts in HWA right now?
(Butch): Very astute, Tommy. This….
Butch taps the face plate of the belt.
(Butch): …. is was the last HWA World Championship belt to be defended in an HWA ring. This was my belt and I carried for over a year before I vacated all the HWA Championships. You know, this belt is very special to me, and I want you to have it.
Tommy’s eyes widen, and he looks as if he can’t believe what he had just heard.
(Tommy): Really? You're giving me your championship belt
Butch smiles widely, placing the belt in Tommy’s lap.
(Butch): Absolutely. It's yours.
Tears well up in Tommy’s eyes as he hugs the belt tightly.
(Tommy): Thank you so much, Butch. This is the best day of my life!
Butch smiles, feeling a sense of satisfaction knowing that he has made a difference in young Tommy’s life.
(Butch): You're welcome, Tommy. Keep fighting, and I'll be watching you become a real champion one day. Tell ya what, when you’re better, I’ll get you down to the HWA Training Academy. Give you the whole tour, meet everyone, you can even get in the ring. How does that sound?
(Tommy): Oh my god, that would be awesome! Will Wisdom be there? I like her, she’s really pretty.
Butch can’t help but laugh.
(Butch): You are absolutely right, she is really pretty and I tell her that every day. Tell you what, I’ll make sure Wisdom clears her schedule and I’ll let her know she has a special fan she needs to meet. I’ll even put in a good word for you.
With that, Butch says his goodbyes to Tommy leaving him with a lifetime worth of memories to hold on to. As Butch is leaving Tommy’s room, he notices a young girl sitting by herself in the hallway. She looks sad and lonely, and it breaks Butch's heart to see her that way. He walks over to her and sits down next to her.
(Butch): Hey there, what's your name?
The girl looks up at him and mumbles.
(Little Girl): My name is Emily.
(Butch): Well, hi, Emily. I'm Butch. What are you doing here?
(Emily): I'm waiting for my mom. She went to get my medicine.
(Butch): Ah, I see. Tell me something Emily, do you like wrestling?
Emily nods her head.
(Emily): Yeah, I watch it on TV sometimes.
Butch smiles.
(Butch): Well, I'm a wrestler, and I own my co-own wrestling company called HWA with my wife. Would you like to see a picture of me in the ring? Now this was eight years ago so you have to promise not to make fun of me, ok?
Emily's eyes widen with excitement, and she nods her head eagerly. Butch takes out his phone and shows her a picture of him in his wrestling gear, posing with the HWA World Championship belt back in 2015.
(Emily): Wow, that's so cool!
Emily giggles with excitement. Butch smiles.
(Butch): You know what's even cooler? You're a fighter, Emily. You're fighting whatever it is that's making you sick, and that takes a lot of strength and courage. I believe in you. You know, I have a daughter and she’s about your age and I know if she were sick, I’d do anything to make her better and I’m sure your mom and all the doctors here are doing the same.
Emily smiles, feeling a sense of hope and encouragement.
(Emily): Thank you, Butch. That means a lot to me.
Butch gives her a high five and stands up.
(Butch): You're welcome, Emily. Keep fighting, and I'll see you soon, okay?
As Butch walks away, he felt a sense of fulfillment knowing that he had made a difference in Emily's life, even if it was just for a few moments. He knew that every interaction he had with these children was meaningful and could bring a little bit of happiness and positivity into their lives. He thinks about his own kids and feels himself welling up a bit as he walks out of the hospital, giving himself a shake. As Butch makes his way back to his car, his pocket suddenly vibrates. He pulls out his phone, seeing a message from Wisdom and smiles when he sees her name pop up on his front screen. He messages her back and puts his phone into selfie mode and hits the record button.
(Butch): Good afternoon, HWA fans, superstars, everyone! Butch Parker and, as you can see, I’m not where I’d normally be sending you all a message like this. Not sure I’ve recorded many addresses from my car so this is a first for me!Where am I exactly? Well, I’m currently outside the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital here in LA. This is an amazing facility where all the medical personnel are doing extraordinary work helping sick and terminally ill children. I’ve not long finished a little visit I made trying to bring a bit of cheer to some of those young faces which was so rewarding. Hearing some of their stories really puts what a lot of have going on into perspective, it really does.
Butch clears his throat before speaking again.
(Butch): On to the matter at hand, I’m so excited for Havoc coming to Nebraska next week in the great city of Omaha! It’s great that we’re staying in the Midwest as well, so many great States with a vibrant and passionate wrestling culture and fanbase. With that in mind….Fallen. I understand you’ve made a formal request for your match with Kain Blaze to be contested within the confines of a steel cage. Given what transpired between you, Legion and the World Powers at Havoc as well as the escalating levels of violence between Matt Miller and Maniac, ordinarily I’d be hesitant about adding such a stipulation. However…. the fact that you two would be locked inside, meaning you actually have a chance to for some catharsis to beat the shit out of each other without it needlessly spilling out all the over arena does give make sense. And after all, the steel cage match has been a staple in professional wrestling all the way back to the very first one back in 1937 between Jack Bloomfield and Count Petro Rossi. I think about some of the greatest steel cage matches contested throughout pro wrestling through the years… Bret and Owen at SummerSlam, Ric Flair and Kerry Von Erich back in 1982 at WCCW Star Wars, Savage and DiBiase back in 1988 inside Madison Square Garden….I myself have been competed in numerous cage matches and every one of them was memorable. Therefore, Fallen, I approve your request. At Havoc, in Omaha, Nebraska, Fallen, of the Darqsiders, will face off against Kain Blaze of the World Powers inside a steel cage. I just hope you two can make the match memorable for the fight reasons, gentlemen! See you all in Omaha, folks! This is Butch Parker, signing off!
Butch ends the recording as the scene fades to black.
Message Thread
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