The Sheik Tugboat Story - EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
Two months later
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
The UPDATE
Transitions into
Mean Gene
Standing in the state-of-the-art
WWF Control Center
Back in peak form
Relaxed
Stoic
Preparing to speak
“Hello fans
This is UPDATE
I’m Mean Gene Okerlund
Almost two months ago
WrestleMania 7
The greatest pay-per-view extravaganza
OF ALL TIME
Took place
100,000 fans pack
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Rocked like never before
Hulk Hogan
Solidified his immortality
And regained for the third time
The World Wrestling Federation championship
Under DESERT STORM RULES
And as we know
The Fearsome Foursome
Regrouped now as a trifecta
The Triangle of Terror
Headed by Sgt. Slaughter
Has wreaked havoc
Like never before
Under a new set of rules
HOWEVER
One question has lurked
Around the WWF And has permeated
The entire landscape
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SHEIK TUGBOAT?
Rumors have circulated
On his whereabouts
On his latest exploits
On his physical and mental state
As we all know
The injuries and the toll
Were among some of the WORST
Any superstar has had
To deal with
To heal from
In World Wrestling Federation history
The burns
The stitches
The bruises
Needless to say
His whereabouts
Have been unclear and unknown
But thanks to the incredible journalists
At WWF Magazine
They have been able
To procure
AN UPDATE
On the latest of
The FORMER World Wrestling Federation champion
NOW
Against my better judgment
I have placed
My personal animosity aside
And have for you
For the FIRST time since WrestleMania 7
Exclusive words
From the Iraqi Warship
SHEIK TUGBOAT.”
The scene transitions
Into a dark room
Black walls
Two spotlights focused on
A desk
A huge chair behind it
In walks
The monstrous
Former champion
He sits down
Looking stoic in front of the lens
Fully healed
But a forehead scar
Very prominent
The mullet pristine
The beard freshly groomed
Nice black dress shirt
But no headdress
He begins to vocalize
“It’s funny
All the work I did
The impact I made
Never before seen
Never been done before
I was indestructible
I was the man
I was the World Wrestling Federation champion
On top of the world
I thought
I believed
I knew
I finally found my purpose
Something to believe in
MY PURPOSE
And then
WrestleMania 7
The war to end all wars
DESERT STORM RULES
I brought it all
I let out my anger
I let out my frustrations
I put it all on the line
And I was this close
THIS CLOSE
To finally ending Hulkamania
FOREVER
And in a few moments
I lost it ALL
I lost my momentum
I lost my championship
I lost the war
And I lost
MY FAMILY”
Wipes his nose
Slight sniffle
Eyes back to the lens
“The next day
THE NEXT DAY
I was excommunicated
Saddam Hussein
Cut me off
My army
Abandoned me
Iraq
Disowned me
My statue
Down and destroyed
A Sheik no more
I lost it ALL
NOW
I’m forgotten about
Yesterday’s news
By myself
An island to myself
I’M ALL ALONE…
Or so I thought”
He digs into his pocket
Out comes an envelope
Folder over
Torn upon
A smile
Forms
His face
Mere stone
His eyes
A little wider
“Somehow
Some way
A letter reached my location
OFF THE GRID
Don’t know how
But it did
I opened it
I read the content
And my heart opened
The cold darkness
Grew a little brighter
And after reading it
After seeing the kind words
After reading the plans
My vision has changed
My perception is clear
I have a new goal
New dreams
New ambition
All I can say for now
Is that after reading words
From a mouth from the south
You don’t know when
You don’t know how
But TRUST ME
A STORM…
IS BREWING.”
-fade to black-
THE END
Jon Harder
