[Old Stuff Day] Last Rites

[A blank white room fills with sound. The wall shows random flickering images while we hear a moody, melodic song – “I Walk Alone” by Oleander.]

I can’t take this anymore

[We hear a metal bell being struck.]

and I’m almost pretty sure

[We see Devon shaking hands with Chad]

I’ve been here before

[We see Chad Black vacating the World Title.]

I can’t take this any longer

[We see Randy West's hand being raised]

I won’t heal until I’m stronger

[We see Chad limping out of the arena]

strong enough to not be afraid

[We hear Chad screaming 'I'm not afraid of you!']

of what anybody thinks

[We see Sanction looking smug and the Runaway whispering 'fuck you, I hate you']

of what anybody says

[We hear the crowd chanting 'asshole']

about the way

[We see Shawn page pointing.]

about the way I am

[We see the Exemplar standing in front of an absolutely immaculate closet.]

so I’ll wait until the day

[We see a sunrise washing over the cliffs.]

when those feelings fade away

[We see Chad holding Anita during her night tremors and promising never to hurt her]

then I’ll make my break

[We see Chad cleaning out his locker.]



I can’t take this anymore

[We see Chavez leaving the Escher house.]

and I’m almost pretty sure

[We see Chavez looking for his chess piece]

I’ve been here before

[We see a black and white checkered room]

I can’t take this any longer

[We see Chad being beaten by a variety of ARMAGEDDON wrestlers and we hear a metal bell being struck]

I won’t heal until I’m stronger

[We see Chad in the hospital]

strong enough to not be afraid

[We see Chad facing RTV alone]

so I leave it up to you

[We see Anita stepping out of the car in Pennsylvania]

yeah I leave it in your hands

[We see Anita holding her stomach]

respect your wishes and your demands

[We see Chad listening to Anita]

but if it was up to me

[We see Chad's desire for redemption]

honey we’d already be back at home

[We see Chad carrying Anita over the threshold]

and living out our dreams

[We see Devon and Romona in the honeymoon car]

living out

[We see a long string of faceless hotel rooms]

everbody and everything I’ve known

[We see Chad and Arun J, Chad and Brev fighting, Professionals, Inc, Trinity, AOD, the Curse, Justice]

never taught me how to stand up on my own

[We see Sanction holding Chad up after a match]

had to learn it from the one who let me go

[We see Chad standing up after his loss to Chavez]

now I walk alone, yeah I walk alone, yeah

[We see the Exemplar, Chad Black, walk out of the cage alone.]

living blissfully

[We see Chad meeting Anita's family in Italy]

I guess you had to step away

[We see Anita in Chavez' arms]

to make me want to be

[We see Chad's face in a rage]

a bigger man, a bigger man than that

[We see Chad refuse to cheat again and again]

I need you by my side

[We see the Chad on the cot next to Anita's bed in April]

as I take it all in stride

[We see Chad walk down the runway]

I put away, I put away my pride

[We see Chad decide not to wrestle anymore]

oh I leave it up to you

[Chad steps aside for Zach, Logan, Arun, Flavio ]

yeah I leave it in your hands

[We see Chad handing Arun J a chair]

respect your wishes and your demands

[We see Chad listening to Flavio on ATV]

but if it was up to me

[We see Chad wishing it would all go away]

honey we’d already be back at home

[We see the Black home in Ireland]

and living out….

[We see Chad vowing to absolutely live]


everbody and everything I’ve known

[We see the Exemplar standing in the vault surrounded by his music and his painting]

never taught me how to stand up on my own

[We see Chad falling from the roof of the cage]

had to learn it from the one who let me go

[We see Chad overcoming his fear of water]

now I walk alone

[We see Chad walking out of the clouds of confusion]

yeah I walk alone, yeah

[We see reality hitting Chad like a brick]

I walk alone

[We see Chad smiling on his last day as a wrestler]

[The white room dissipates away and we see Chad Black sitting on a stool, facing us with a satisfied look. He is dressed in a pair of loose khakis and a blue long sleeved polo. His hazel eyes seem very focused today.]

Chad: ARMAGEDDON has been my home for a long time now. It’s not anymore, and that’s ok with me. It’s time for me to make my own home, and live my own life.

Many of you haven’t heard me speak for a long time. We’ve seen a lot of montages, we’ve had the history lessons. Some of you may wonder, what is it that made Chad Black so great?

[Chad smiles briefly, his face lighting up at some memory.]

I don’t know anymore. I know I’m not who I was then. I know things have changed. I feel confident that I’ve purged myself of the past. I’m ready to move into the future and all it holds.

Some of you may ask me, how can you leave this behind? How can you ignore the history you have here? I answer them by pointing to my life now.

When I started here, I was a confused, overfocused kid bent on proving that I wasn’t a mistake. I was fresh from the seminary, having failed to attain priesthood. There was opportunity galore to exemplify, and I did so. Not long after coming here, I stood at my friend Shawn Page’s side and helped him exemplify professionalism to the rest of ARMAGEDDON. At Shawn’s side, I got closer to breaking through my rigid shell
and becoming a man. I won the US title as his strongest defender, and the man the Professionals counted on to protect them from interferences.

A lot has changed since then. I’ve had more than a few moments that made quite a few people question my sanity. [Chad laughs for a moment.] Even ARMAGEDDON’s
resident nutcase, Brev Jazed, saw me for a lunatic. I can’t say that isn’t true.

I’ve had some heated rivalries- starting with none other than Brev. I was so obsessed with trying to find redemption for my loss to him that I asked Father Pain for help. At the time, Pain and I were not at odds, and he had beaten Phoenix, a man that had defeated Brev. Pain offered me more than simple revenge- he taught me a great deal more. I never did get to face Brev again, and I was forced to move on.

Eddie came to live with me. He destroyed my house and hit on my girlfriend. He drank himself into a stupor every day, and left me to clean him up. Somehow, he
and I became friends. Somehow, I saw what he had and desired it- I wanted the freedom to live. Somehow, I saw that I wasn’t having fun.

Then, I started arguing with myself. I tried to bury myself alive. I for lack of an easier way to say it, went psychotic. I helped Eddie decimate the man that had been my best friend and then took his belt from him.

No matter what he might say, Anita was never part of that situation. The three of us had an understanding- mostly, I let her do what she wanted because I trusted
she would come back to me. Maybe I am naïve, and maybe I am pathetic, but I loved her, and that was enough for me.

After Eddie and I joined up with Willie and shook ARMAGEDDON, I had a lot of enemies. That was fine with me, I was the world champion and no one could take me
down. It all changed when Anita told me she was pregnant. In one startling moment,  all my hate vanished into a desire to be with her and to care for her.

I fought Rick Thomas, who was right about me and who I was at that time, and I defeated him. After the match, I gave the referee the belt and I was prepared to walk
out of ARMAGEDDON forever. And that’s when I met the Curse.

You probably know the rest of the history by now, but there was an event recently that a lot of you missed, mostly because it was hidden. When Pain came back and Mercy slammed Grace through a table, I couldn’t just watch. I ran from the Runaway and from God and I got brutalized. Lucius and I battled for a long time after, and it was never less than intense. When ARMAGEDDON traveled to his homeland for our European tour, he faced the man that was the Runaway. Both of them discussed their families and their lives away from ARMAGEDDON.

Anita and I had the shock of our lives when we heard the nephews ask why sisters would fight. We were already in Italy to meet her parents when we heard this. Anita met her sister, Mercy, not much later. I should note that Italian women have very short tempers, and let it be at that. Just a very short while later I was forced to fight along side the man that is in technicality my brother in law. His saving grace was that I was opposing Eddie, the man that attacked my wife.

My history here is long and twisted, but it is over. There are other people here that aspire to so much greatness, and have more promise. I’ve given you almost everything I have.

I only have one more thing to offer ARMAGEDDON. A man that I honestly and truly hated has tried to make amends for his evilness. He is acting in grace now, and trying to share light and hope. He and men with similar goals, those of defending what is right, may or may not form a coalition. Regardless, they have asked to use the name Justice.

To them and to ARMAGEDDON, I say that no permission is needed. If she needs a defender, take up her mantle and wear it. If there is still Pain and evil, crush them with the light of her power. Take the only legacy I can leave you and use it to bring hope.

I cannot help you any more than that, friends. I have my own Hope to deliver, when she feels ready to arrive. I have Destiny to attend to.

If I see you again, then I will meet it gladly. If not, then I hope you enjoyed my grace and eloquence.

[Chad stands from the stool and walks off the screen.]