Post by Donovan Basch on Apr 21, 2018 2:17:49 GMT -5
Executive Terminal
San Diego International Airport
San Diego, California
Danielle and Donovan Basch are seated on an exquisite leather sofa, waiting for Nathaniel Basch to bring Donovan's Maserati around so that they can depart.
Danielle: I wish your dad would hurry up…. I can't wait to get home.
Donovan: Well, we did wind up coming home with a bit more than we left with.
Danielle: You can't visit Hawaii without bringing back some souvenirs, Donny…
Donovan: Bringing back a few souvenirs and bringing back an entire souvenir SHOP are two different things, Nixy…
Danielle: They all looked so nice…. I couldn't decide...
Donovan chuckles.
Donovan: I'm not criticizing you, dear. I'm certain quite a few items were for people wanting you to bring them something.
Danielle: I knew you'd understand….
Danielle turns her attention to her phone.
Danielle: Since we're waiting, I may as well catch up on a few things…. Ooh, this is interesting….
Donovan: What's interesting?
Danielle: Alicia texted me with the results from NGW’s event in New Zealand… Looks like Tasmin Richards was part of the winning team…
Donovan: Good for her. Nice to hear that West Coast Genesis was well represented…
Danielle: So now she has a guaranteed title shot…
Donovan: Hmm… Is there any indication as to whom she'll be challenging?
Danielle: Nothing yet.
Donovan: Well, when she does decide, if it's either of us, we'll deal with it.
Danielle: Besides, we already have opponents that we have to face at Escalation.
Donovan: “No Rest For The Wicked”....
A voice rings out from off in the distance.
Nathaniel: Are you two ready to go?
Danielle perks up at the sound of his voice.
Danielle: Damn straight I am!
Donovan: (chuckling) I think she’s ready, Dad...
With that, Danielle and Donovan stand up and depart the terminal, following Nathaniel out to the car. Scene fades out.
Scene fades in with a shot of the center plate of the WCG West Coach Championship title belt. The camera pulls back to show it sitting on a pedestal with Donovan standing behind it.
Donovan: The West Coast Championship.
A title that some would say is tainted. Tainted by those who have held it, but did nothing to elevate it. It was either ignored or treated as a prop. Needless to say, it was a major annoyance to see such individuals representing the company I chose to associate myself with… but at the same time, I won't lie and say that my reasons for pursuing this championship were completely altruistic.
Long story short, after a few setbacks, I now call myself the West Coast Champion, and let me tell you, it's everything I imagined it to be and so much more.
Donovan comes out from behind the pedestal to stand beside the belt, placing his right hand on it.
Donovan: But for every person that comes up to me wanting a photo or an autograph, there's someone that reminds me that there's more to being a champion than simply winning a championship match.
Once you've won a championship, you actually need to defend it. This is what my mentor refers to as “the fun part” of holding a title. Considering that this is my first championship, I have yet to tell if he's being truthful.
At Escalation, my very first challenger is a woman who is no stranger to me. We’ve been partners, we’ve been opponents, and with every interaction, the point that was driven home is the fact that Melina Garrison is a very credible threat to my tenure as West Coast Champion.
Yes, Melina, I have no problem acknowledging the fact that facing you is not going to be a cakewalk. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I WANT to face the very best competition that this company can offer me. In the past, previous holders of this belt have been content to defend it as seldom as possible, against handpicked “challengers” that they knew they could score any easy victory over….
That’s not how I operate, Melina. That is not how I want to build my legacy as a champion.
Bus, alas, as much as I can rail against the system, I cannot make my own matches. Thus, it has taken this long to sanction my very first title defense. If I had my way, I would have defended my championship before now, but the nature of WCG’s scheduling has prevented it.
Better late than never, though, right?
So we find ourselves in a quandary, Melina. You want what I possess, and I am NOT inclined to simply hand it over to you. I didn't spend nearly a year of my life chasing this championship just to lose it in my first defense.
Donovan lifts the title belt off of the pedestal and places it over his right shoulder.
Donovan: Losing the title isn't in my mind right now. When I carry this belt with me and I gaze upon it, any such thoughts fly straight out the window. Losing is not an option, and I'm not going to waste a single second thinking about it.
What that means for you is that I have that extra bit of motivation to spur me on. My mentor described how this would feel like, in his own eloquent fashion. He said that, to him, it was like having a high performance race car… the championship belt was like unlocking a reserve tank filled with rocket fuel.
Donovan pats the center plate.
Donovan: I choose to see things just a tad different. I poured myself into earning this championship, But as hard as I fought to gain it, I need to fight even harder to keep it. Even with assurances from friends and family that I have this “in the bag”, I'm not going to be complacent. To do so is a veritable invitation to take this from me, and I'm nowhere near ready for something like that to happen.
Donovan stares straight into the camera.
Donovan: So, Melina, I'm not going to stand here and tell you that you have no chance of wresting my title from me…. At Escalation, you can step into the ring and I can SHOW you how much more determination I possess now that I'm the West Coast Champion.
February's Hype may have been where I won the title, but Escalation is where my legacy TRULY begins…
The camera pulls in on the West Coast Championship as the scene fades to black.