1. Introduction [Debut RP]

The scene fades in and we find ourselves in a well-furnished office. Inside the room is expensive antique furniture, ranging from 17th century restoration pieces, to a pair of Ming Dynasty vases, to the Edwardian mahogany Carlton house desk that dominates the floor space in front of the window. Sat behind the desk reading the Wall Street Journal is a well-manicured man with a shaven head. It is not clear whether or not he has noticed our presence in the room because he continues to read his newspaper and not acknowledge us. A few silent minutes pass before he slowly closes the newspaper, folds it neatly in half, and places it gently and precisely on the desk in front of him. For now he doesn’t speak. Nor does he smile. He merely stares intently at the camera, and the first thing we notice is a pair of striking blue eyes. Warm, welcoming eyes. Finally the man smiles, and with that, addresses us for the first time.

“Welcome to my humble home,” the man says in a classic British accent. “My name is Mike Harrison, and I am the latest wrestler to join the MSW roster. Now some of you may recognise me, and some of you may not. For those of you that do not know my name, you will come to know it well. Though whether that is a good or bad thing depends on your disposition. As you see, I am not here to make up the numbers, or gain more valuable in ring experience. Oh no. I am here to make a significant contribution to this company. I am here to write the next, and perhaps final, chapter in my long successful career.”

He pauses briefly as he leans back into a plush black leather executive’s chair – the only modern piece of furniture in the room.

“Now I realise that many men and women come into promotions around the world and utter the very cliché I have just used. So what makes me different? What makes my words any better than any of the other newcomers that have sat in front of a camera in the past couple of weeks?”

Another pause is followed by a slick, half smile.

“The difference is my reputation as a successful wrestler. A wrestler that has competed around the world and enjoyed success on the grandest stages, with some of the biggest wrestling promotions on the planet. I have won championships galore. I have made my name in this business by being the type of man that gets the job done. Does making my debut in the near future make me nervous? No. Does coming in through those doors and promising to make an impact make me sweat and worry? No. Why? Because I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt!”

Harrison flashes a perfect white smile. He is brimming with confidence, and why wouldn’t he be?

“Now MSW is not what I have been used to in quite some time. I have been used to wrestling on the grandest stages, in front of tens of thousands of fans. I am used to seven figure contracts, with first class air travel and five star hotel reservations to boot. So why come here, to the independent scene, and not return to the mainstream that has given me both fame and fortune?”

He looks questioningly at the camera.

“It is a good question, because typically when most wrestlers make it to the mainstream promotions and have success there, they tend not to give the independent scene another look. They forget about it. They forget about their roots. It is sad when you see people like that. But that is not me,” he says as he pushes himself up from his chair, steps to one side, and carefully pushes the chair under the table. “I have not forgotten my days on the independent scene in Britain, on the continent in Europe, out in Japan, or over here in Canada and America. I am proud of my roots. I am proud of the promotions I have wrestled for, and the matches that I have competed in. Those days, in my formative years, helped create a foundation that helped me become successful in the mainstream wrestling promotions on the global stage. My experience from my independent days helped me become the man I am today, and for that I am eternally grateful. And that is the reason I have come back to where I began my career, to get back to my roots, and to do what I do best – wrestle!”

Harrison steps from behind the desk. Every movement Harrison makes is done with precision and care, with fluidity that comes so natural to him that he makes everything look easy. This has helped him be a successful wrestler, because unlike many wrestlers that have to spend years perfecting moves, these same moves [and many more] came natural to him through his God given talent. His ring work is like fine art work, and speaking of art work, he is now stood in front of a pair of unique Ming Dynasty vases.

“You see, despite my mainstream career helping me earn and make more money than I could ever spend, it did not make me happy towards the end. I got bored of the pretentious rubbish. I got bored of the politics and the soap opera. In the end what I wanted to do was wrestle, and to put on a show for the fans. I wanted to go down to that ring and put on five star matches. But instead of facing likeminded people, I had to put up with guys that would not know how to put together a five star match if it came up to them and bit them on the arse!”

Harrison shakes his head.

“What those guys wanted to do was take shortcuts. They didn’t care about wrestling. They didn’t care about the tradition. All they cared about was going out there, doing as little as possible, and getting back to the makeup up to powder their nose. It got me to a point where I had to constantly battle the urge to punt them in the skull. It got me to a point where it started to make me do things that I did not want to do. It made me into a man that I did not recognise anymore,” he sighs. “And that is why I had to get away from that scene and come back to my roots. To compete with likeminded people. To compete with people that CARE about WRESTLING. To compete with people that CARE about the TRADITION. To compete with people that want to go out to that ring and put on five star matches every time they grace the ring. That is WHY I have come back to the independent scene. That is WHY I have chosen to come to Missouri State Wrestling. Because I have seen likeminded people gather to showcase what wrestling is really about and that excites me. It motivates me. And it makes me want to get back in the ring again and do what I do best – WRESTLE!”

Harrison smiles confidently as he bangs his chest.

“MSW – I am Mike Harrison, your newest wrestler, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. See you soon folks.”

Fade to black.