==========
May 24th, 2021
London, England
Off Camera
==========
Be Careful What You Wish For? Truer words were never spoken and a more apt title for a pay per view could not be found if you asked “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock. She went toe to toe with Katie Steward, a self-proclaimed goddess whose sense of entitlement had gotten to her head. She wanted to make a statement at the expense of Glory Braddock. But The British Bombshell brought The Goddess down to size and made her tap out. As they say, Be Careful What You Wish For, because you just might get it.
Where Katie goes from here is anyone’s guess but Glory doesn’t care. The British Bombshell is focused on new goals and new challenges ahead. At one point she found herself much like Steward herself; an entitled egomaniac who only sought out fame, fortune, and glory (no pun intended). But now she seeks out new challenges, not for her own selfish desires but for the benefit of professional wrestling itself. It has been her number one priority for quite some time now. It is why she has kept the Braddock Wrestling School, the school started by her late father Glenn Braddock, open; so that she could ensure that the future generation of professional wrestlers were trained to respect the business as she was taught to respect it. But as a full time wrestler herself Glory recognizes that she cannot focus her entire time and energy on running the school. She has entrusted that responsibility to her best friends Sophie and Mark O’Brian as well as her friend and ex-husband Randall Williams.
That doesn’t mean The British Bombshell does not take an interest in a special case every now and then. One special case has brought her up to London on this overcast, dreary day. The beautiful blonde bombshell is dressed in black workout shorts, white tennis shoes, and a purple t-shirt as she approaches the front of the Braddock Wrestling School. Next to her is Fiona Osbourne, a brunette who was once a model for the modeling agency Kayla Jones-Snow operates. Glory met Fiona when she decided to invest in Kayla’s agency in order to help her cousin keep it from going bankrupt. After several meetings and discussions with Fiona, Braddock would learn that her secret desire was to become a wrestler.
Many use wrestling as a stepping stone to greater things, like acting in Hollywood, or to simply make money. Fiona seems to be different. Even though she doesn’t have the wrestling business in her blood, she seems to have the same passion that Glory herself has for the business. And that passion alone is enough to pull at the heartstrings of The British Bombshell, enough to make her want to give Fiona an assist in her quest to become a wrestler. This is how Glory Braddock wants to be remembered. Not as “The Best in the World” or even a fifteen time former champion of the world. She wants to be remembered as someone who made a difference in professional wrestling and those within the business. That is what she wants her legacy to be.
“So this is it?” Fiona says, gazing up at the wrestling school with an expression of wide-eyed wonder and awe upon her face. Braddock cannot help but grin a little herself. She has this kind of expression on the faces of many other students who have seen this school. And yet, the school itself is not that impressive looking. It isn’t a massive temple of grandeur dedicated to the great Glenn Braddock because that just wasn’t who he was. Glenn was a simple man and so is this school. It looks run down and rather shoddy on the outside. It doesn’t look that much better on the inside, if we’re perfectly honest, but what happens here is magical. It is the legacy of Glenn Braddock.
“Yeah, this is it. It may not look like much but my dad called it home…” she turns and winks at Fiona “...and while I say that tongue in cheek, it can almost be taken literally. There were times he spent all night here training and working out. He wouldn’t come home.”
“I bet your mom hated it.” Fiona says. Braddock nods her head.
“She did. That’s why she divorced him, he took this business so bloody seriously that he would at times look at it as more important than his own family.”
“But…” Fiona stops herself and shakes her head “...nevermind.”
The two women stop at the front door of the school. Glory turns and looks at her young protege curiously. “What is it?”
“It’s just...I mean, I don’t want to pry or anything, but didn’t you live with your dad? Didn’t he raise you?”
“He did.”
“If the reason for the divorce was he cared more about wrestling than his family, why would he get custody of you? Why would he even want you?”
“That’s a load question, Fiona.”
“I know. I’m sorry…” Fiona’s voice trails off. Braddock pats her on the back.
“It’s ok. Both my mum and dad had their own respective faults but for whatever reason my dad still wanted to keep his children. And as popular as he was in England he was able to retain custody. But the important thing is that he did grow, he matured, and he changed. We all make mistakes, Fiona, but the important thing is that we learn from those mistakes and we change. In the end, my dad turned out to be a great father. It took him damn near to the end of his life to finally get to that point but eventually he did get there and that’s all that matters.”
Fiona realizes that Braddock does not particularly want to delve any further into this conversation so she just accepts Glory’s answer with a nod of the head. The truth is, this has been a problem for Glory Braddock nearly all of her life. Her parents split up when Glory was sixteen. And yes, Glenn did want custody of Glory and her sister Julia, and part of the reason was because he loved them, but the biggest reason was because Glenn knew his active wrestling career was over and he wanted Glory and Julia to follow in his footsteps, to continue his legacy. Their mother was opposed to it. So he made certain that he got custody of Glory and Julia to ensure that he could point them in whatever direction he wanted their future to go.
She did love her father but she cannot deny that there were nights that she resented him for not returning home. There were mornings she woke up and he was still at the school. Glory and Julia would have to fend for themselves, they would have to make sure they got themselves to school and feed themselves and keep themselves going. The only time they got attention from their father was when they began training for their career in wrestling. Then they got his undivided attention. She resented her father for that but she also resented her mother for not fighting hard enough to maintain custody or even keeping in contact. Her mother didn’t even stay in London after the breakup. She moved to Boston, Massachusetts to be with her sister and their family.
The British Bombshell remembers how her father died still with regrets, still wishing he had done things differently. She doesn’t want her own life to end that way and she doesn’t want her legacy to be like that of her father’s, focused only on the business. She also doesn’t want to end up like her mother where she just walks away from any and every problem she encounters. She wants to learn from their mistakes and do things differently.
Braddock hopes that this small action she is taking to help Fiona will be a part of her legacy. She opens the door to the school and allows Fiona entrance. Fiona steps inside first followed by The British Bombshell. Once inside they can see that indeed the inside of the school is not much better than the outside. The floors are gray and dirty, the paint is an off white and peeling, but the most important thing is what this school is full of; people, all focused on doing something for the business.
“Come here.” Glory says as she motions for Fiona to follow her over to the wrestling ring set up near the center of the room. Braddock’s childhood best friend Sophie O’Brian is on the outside looking in at her older brother Mark O’Brian work with a tall, lanky male student.
“Don’t take it easy on him, Mark!” Sophie exclaims. “He thinks he is tough. Show him he isn’t as tough as he may believe himself to be.”
Glory and Fiona step up to Sophie. The three watch as the student hits the ropes and goes for a hard shoulder block on Mark. Unfortunately running into Mark is like running into a brick wall. The student hits Mark and the student immediately ends up falling flat on his back. Fiona’s eyes grow wide and Glory herself cannot help but get a little chuckle out of this sight. Sophie shakes her head in disgust.
“That’ll teach you to act like a tough guy. Learn your lessons before stepping up.”
“Putting them through the ringer, eh Sophie?” Glory says. Sophie turns to her friend and nods her head.
“Of course. That’s how your father would have wanted it.”
Braddock turns to Sophie and then motions to Fiona. “This is Sophie, my best friend. And in the ring is her brother, another good friend of mine, Mark. They’re two trainers here at the school. Sophie, this is Fiona.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you Ms. Sophie.”
“Nice to finally meet you, my dear.” Sophie says with a nasty grin. “Gloria has told me a great deal about you.”
“She has?”
Braddock chuckles and shakes her head. “Don’t let Sophie scare you, mate. I haven’t told her much of anything. Just that you were potentially going to begin training here. Assuming you still want to chase the dream of being a wrestler.”
“Of course I do!”
“Good. In that case these are two of the fine individuals you will be working with in the future.”
“I aint fine!” Mark exclaims angrily as he storms his way over. Sophie rolls her eyes.
“Fine is a compliment you overgrown baboon!” Immediately Sophie hops up onto the ring apron and starts shouting angrily at her brother. Fiona seems somewhat bothered by this but Glory is taking in good stride, laughing even. Fiona looks over at Braddock curiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all. Sophie and Mark are always like that. It’s part of their charm.” Glory winks. The British Bombshell begins to walk away from the ring, with Fiona in tow, making her way towards her office. But just before she can reach her office door she hears another familiar voice shouting. But this shouting is not due to anger.
“Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!”
It certainly sounds like her daughter but the accent is notably English and Melinda lived her entire life in the United States. She turns around and sure enough spots her oldest daughter, Melinda Braddock, sprinting towards her. Glory extends her arms and embraces her twenty year old child in a tight embrace. Braddock breaks the embrace and looks lovingly into her daughter’s eyes.
“Melinda! How are you?”
“I’m great, mum! I never expected to see you here though!”
Glory rolls her eyes. “Alright, drop the act.”
“What act?”
“You lived your entire life in the United States. There’s no way in hell you suddenly developed an English accent. So just drop it.”
Melinda shrugs her shoulders and does drop the accent. “Fine, you win! But you gotta admit I was good!”
“For a transplant you were amazing.” Braddock says with a wink. “But shouldn’t you be focused on school? Today is a big day, isn’t it?”
“Yup!” Melinda says, nodding enthusiastically. “Me and the others are waiting. For a moment we thought Sophie or Randall were going to have to give The Speech.”
“No one gives The Speech unless they have Braddock blood flowing through their veins. You know that, love.” Braddock kisses Melinda on her head. “And since I was coming here to give the final speech to the next graduating class, I felt this was as good a time as any to show a new student around.” She motions to Fiona. “Melinda, this is Fiona Osbourne. She is going to start training here soon. Fiona, this is my daughter, Melinda.”
“Nice to meet ya!” Melinda hugs Fiona tightly. Upon breaking Melinda winks. “Sorry, I’m a hugger!”
“No worries.” Fiona says.
“I’m glad you’re here, mom. Maybe we can spend some together later?”
“Absolutely, but first there’s a speech that needs to be given.” Glory points towards the ring where Sophie and Mark are still arguing with themselves and the tall lanky student. “Fiona, go hang out with Sophie and Mark for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going, Glory?”
“I have to give a speech. It’s a special my father gave to me and then proceeded to give to every one of the students he trained. It’s his personal philosophy of professional wrestling. It’s a tradition that you don’t hear this speech until your last day and since you are at least considering starting your own journey in this school, it should be best that you go over there and wait so you don’t accidentally overhear any of this.”
“Sure thing.” Fiona goes and walks towards the ring area. Once she is gone, Glory and Melinda make their way towards a group of students gathered together in the far corner on the other side of the gym. Melinda joins her fellow students in the crowd as Glory Braddock stands at the front.
“Ok, gather together and try and keep silent. Listen closely. I don’t want to have to shout and others accidentally hear this. Understand?” Melinda and the students nod their heads. “Good. Now this is your last day of school. That doesn’t mean you can’t come back for extra sessions or a special training or whatever. Hell, even I still come here every now and then to prepare for a big match. So if I can, you can. This is always your home because you learned the skills you need to survive inside of a wrestling ring from here. But there is still one final lesson I need to teach you about those skills. That lesson is short. In fact, that lesson is really just two sentences long.”
The students can be heard chuckling. Braddock herself smirks. “Yeah, it isn’t much, but then again, this lesson comes from my father and he was always the kind of guy who kept things short, sweet, and to the point. Two sentences for a lesson this important may be too short for some, but I am a fan of tradition so I am going to keep my father’s tradition alive and tell it to you the same way he told me.”
The British Bombshell pauses as she stares at the crowd of students, soon to be graduated. She takes an extra long look at her own daughter standing among them. She hides it well but pride is seeping from her pores. “A wrestler, him or herself, is the deadliest of weapons. Use what you have learned here wisely.”
==========
May 24th, 2021
London, England
Off Camera
==========
Immediately following the big speech, Glory went to her office. Melinda wanted to say some final words to her friends and classmates and as for Fiona? Well, Fiona is being shown around by Sophie O’Brian. A part of her feels guilty that she left Fiona with Sophie but then again, Fiona will have to get used to the overwhelming attitude and personality that is Sophie O’Brian. As one of the head trainers at the school, Sophie will be heavily involved in Fiona’s training assuming Fiona continues on this path of training to become a wrestler. And Glory has no reason to doubt that she will abandon her dream now. It is what she has wanted for so long. Fiona enjoyed being a model but she never wanted that as her life. She wanted to be a wrestler. She wanted to be like Glory Braddock. And it is an honor for Glory Braddock to be able to play a role in helping Fiona achieve her dream. This is Glory Braddock’s legacy.
Melinda Braddock is also following in the path of her famous mother. Melinda has trained and worked hard at the school named for her grandfather, the great Glenn Braddock. And Melinda was not given any special treatment or preferential training under her mother’s tutelage. Melinda wanted to do this on her own and Glory has honored that request. There were weeks and even months when The British Bombshell was not with her daughter, due to the fact that Melinda was training in London. Lucky for Glory, she knew her daughter would always have a place to stay, either with Glory’s sister Chastity Noel or Glory’s best friend Sophie O’Brian.
Still, being away from your parents, being away from the one place you called home for most of your life, just to chase a dream is a tough task for anyone. Even Glory Braddock did not have to go to those lengths to become a wrestler. But Melinda did and the fact that she made this kind of progress and in such record time makes The British Bombshell feel an upwelling of pride.
Braddock is at her desk drinking a bottle of water when her door opens wildly. Melinda Braddock comes barging in unexpectedly. Glory smirks as she gazes across the room at her daughter. “Did you forget how to knock, love?”
“I’m your daughter. Does it matter?”
Braddock snickers and shakes her head. “No, of course not. You know I’m just teasing you, love. Now come on over and have a seat.”
Melinda approaches her mother’s desk and sits down in a chair. “What do you think about Fiona?”
“She seems a little overwhelmed but I think she’ll be fine. She seems strong enough to make it.”
“You have to be strong to make it and I don’t just mean here in particular. To go from living in one place and then transplant yourself right into somewhere completely foreign to you and know you have to live there and survive indefinitely, that takes guts and only someone strong can achieve that. But that’s why I knew you could do it, Mel. I knew you were strong enough to make it.”
“Thanks, mom. But uh...don’t get me wrong, ‘cause I’m glad you’re supportive now...but you were not exactly supportive when I first announced my intentions to follow in your footsteps.”
Braddock nods her head. “I know and I was wrong. You have every right to decide your own destiny. But you were rather stubborn and bull headed in your initial approach if I recall. You snuck out of the house and secretly got lessons from other people.”
Melinda chuckles. “We both made some mistakes, huh?”
“That’s right but we both learned from our mistakes and that’s what’s important. I learned that I shouldn’t try and control you the way my dad tried to control me. And you learned to be honest with me. I think our relationship has become much stronger as a result. I love you, sweetie. You have more than earned this moment.” She reaches out and clasps her daughter’s hands. “And I will use whatever connections I have to make sure you get a fair shot in this business now that your training complete. I can probably talk to Mr. D and get you signed with SCW if you want. I can even negotiate with Elsa or Vincent and get you started right away in MWE and skip the whole Academy mess. Or if you want you can start with GCW.” The British Bombshell winks knowingly. “I kinda know the owner of the company.”
Melinda rolls her eyes. “Real funny, mom, but I don’t want that extra help. I don’t want to get any preferential treatment just because of who I am. So please, don’t help me. Besides, I think I’d prefer to do things the way grandpa Glenn did.”
“You mean the European circuits?” Glory says, arching her brow out of curiosity. Melinda nods her head.
“Yeah! I think it’d be a great way to start my career!”
“Well if that’s what you want then I will respect your wishes. You are a grown woman now and can make your own decisions. But where do you plan to stay during this time? Your Aunt Chastity? Sophie?”
“Uh...maybe one of them but…” her voice trails off. Glory can tell that Melinda is holding something back.
“What is it?”
“Uh...I think maybe I can travel with Archie.”
“Archie?” Glory’s eyes narrow in anger. “As in Archie Van Stanton?”
“Now mom, don’t get upset!”
That request falls upon deaf ears. The Van Stanton family and the Braddock family have been like the Hatfields and the McCoys, they have been at war ever since Henry and Mason Van Stanton’s father Thomas Van Stanton accidentally injured Glenn Braddock and permanently ended his in ring career. While Henry’s relationship with the Braddock family has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, positives and negatives, his brother Mason Van stanton has been nothing but a plague upon the Braddock family. Mason has made it his goal to try to ruin the Braddock family. As a result of this bad blood, Glory just cannot bring herself to trust any Van Stanton and that includes Archie, Henry Van Stanton’s son.
“Why should I get upset? I mean, Archie’s father slandered my good name before the Board of Directors so that they would hand control of my company to him. He became a power hungry lunatic and refused to give my company back to me and I had to fight him for it. Why would I be upset about this? Besides, I thought you and Archie quit dating?”
“Well we did slow down a lot after I moved here and began training. The first few months I spent staying with Aunt Chastity. But then later on Henry, his wife, and Archie moved here because of some special project Henry is working on. So we reconnected. And if I’m being totally honest…”
“Please be totally honest with me.” Glory says coldly, angrily.
“...there are some nights I stay with Henry and Archie.”
“Bloody hell!” Glory sighs and shakes her head out of frustration. “Did you miss the part where I said Henry tried to steal my company away from me?!”
“And did you miss the part where at the time he had a damn good reason to?!”
“You have to be joking?”
“I’m not joking. You wanted to be honest? Well let’s be honest. You and Aunt Chastity were both brainwashed by Aphrodite Noel, to the extent that you were doing her bidding. The Board of Directors couldn’t trust you to make a good decision. So of course they had to act and Henry was willing to step up and run the company until you got better.”
“And I did get better but he never returned the company to me. Like I said, I had to fight him for it.”
“So he made a mistake? It is a mistake he is ashamed of and wishes he could take back. He’s told me so himself that he wasn’t sure if you were capable of running the company but he is happy that you proved him wrong since getting the company back. So don’t sit there in that chair of yours and be so damned judgmental as if you are some perfect angel.”
A wave of guilt rushes across Glory’s face. She lowers her head in shame. Immediately upon seeing this Melinda herself feels guilty over snapping at her mother like that. Young Melinda sighs and shakes her head.
“I’m sorry, mom. I shouldn’t have snapped. It’s just…”
“No, it isn’t your fault. This should be a happy occasion but I can’t…” she shakes her head “...I just can’t move on from the past. It’s too difficult. It’s too painful.”
“Well there is one way you could try and move on.”
“What’s that?”
“Give him a chance. Archie isn’t his father and he sure as hell isn’t his uncle. Archie has treated me like a princess. He is so good to me, mom. Just because he is a Van Stanton doesn’t make him exactly like the rest of his family. So just give him a chance.”
After a long pause to think about the proposition, The British Bombshell looks up at her daughter and nods her head. “Alright, I’ll give him a chance. But I can’t promise anything. You know as well as I do how deep this feud runs.”
“I know but all I’m asking for is a chance.”
==========
May 26th, 2021
Indianapolis, Indiana
On Camera
==========
The camera begins to roll and the first images we see are images of Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is day time and the sun is shining down brightly and the brilliant blue sky hangs overhead. A few moments later “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock emerges onto the scene from stage left. The beautiful blonde is wearing denim jeans, black boots, and a royal purple blouse. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. She has a confident smile etched across her lovely face.
“Does history repeat itself? I can’t honestly say but I do know it certainly does in professional wrestling. You often see matches and rematches of the same people fighting again and again all because of the same unsettled score, the same squabbles, the same bloody rivalries. Oftentimes you end up seeing the same people in the championship pictures. Why is that? Because they’re good or, in some cases, they are well connected.”
Braddock motions to herself. “I will be the first to admit that I am well connected but I do not use my connections as an advantage because I do not need it. I am good enough to win on my own. On any given night I can defeat anyone that Supreme Championship Wrestling sets in front of me. That’s not ego, that’s not arrogance, that is a proven fact. I continue to prove it each and every time I set foot inside of a wrestling ring. Katie Steward wanted to see how good I was? As they say, Be Careful What You Wish For, Katie, because at the pay per view of the same name I made you tap out.”
“Do you doubt me now? If so, feel free to come at me and I will put you down again. But personally, I am looking for new challenges. I won The Trios Tournament twice, I have been the Adrenaline Champion, and I have been the World Champion. I want new challenges and that is what I am after right now in SCW. Does that mean I will turn down a World Title shot if Mr. D were to grant it? I’d be crazy to turn it down. But as I said, I am seeking new challenges to continue to prove to the world, and to myself, just how good I am. Because if you do not seek out new challenges then you are in danger of becoming complacent and those who become complacent in this sport are in danger of becoming irrelevant.”
Braddock points a finger at the camera. “That brings me to you, Gavin. Now don’t get me wrong, I would be the last person to ever call you irrelevant. I am also the last person to ever doubt your ability inside of a wrestling ring. I already felt what you can do at Under Attack last year when you challenged me for the Adrenaline Championship. Do you remember that night, All Star? If you don’t, let me refresh your memory because I remember it as if it were yesterday. That match ended when I locked you in The Shekhinah Glory. And when I locked that hold in I knew you would tap out. I just knew you were going to give up.”
“Only you didn’t give up. You did not tap out. Katie Steward tapped out. Others have tapped out. But you didn’t tap out. You passed out to Shekhinah Glory. And for that, I applaud you. I applaud you for not giving up so easily.” Braddock lightly claps her hands, although it is unclear if she is sincere or not.
“Thing is, that is what really boggles my mind about you, Gavin. You are good. I have seen and experienced first hand how good you can be in that ring. You don’t need the games, the theatrics, and you sure as hell don’t need the overbearing, arrogant, entitled attitude that you walk around backstage with. You go around telling anyone who will listen to you that you are The All Star and you are everyone’s bloody hero but what does that get you? It gets you that losing streak that you were recently on. And then people quit taking you seriously. People look at you as a joke instead of the competitor you can be.”
“But then last week you went out there and beat David Helms. You beat a Trios Tournament winner, a Taking Hold of the Flame winner, and a former World Champion. Maybe some of those critics of yours began to think that maybe there is more to you than that ego the size of Australia you have. Maybe they would begin to take you seriously?” The British Bombshell sighs and shakes her head. “But then you go ahead and pull that stunt with Cannon’s world title contract? You thought you could get yourself a world title match by just scratching his name off and putting your name on there, is that it? Was that your brilliant plan?”
Braddock rolls her eyes. “I have seen better plans from Saturday morning cartoon super villains. But other than the completely ridiculous plan of yours, the worse part of it all is the fact that you actually thought you needed to do that to get a world title match. You didn’t need to try and pull a lame stunt like that, mate. And yet you tried it anyway.”
“This is WRESTLING, Gavin! And damn it, if you want a shot at being the best you have to EARN it by beating the very best and working your way up that ladder! You took Bree Lancaster to her very limits, you beat David Helms, and now on Breakdown you get to go against The British Bombshell one more time!” She snickers.
“Now I know I wanted new challenges but hey, it has been a long time since you and I locked up, and apparently you still haven’t learned any lessons from the last time I choked you out, so if I need to teach you another lesson, if I need to choke you out again, then I will gladly do just that. So on Breakdown, in that building behind me, you and I will face off one more time, and if you want to be taken seriously, if you want to be considered for a title shot and legitimately EARN IT, then go ahead and give me your very best. Throw everything you have at me because you don’t get anywhere near a championship of that caliber, or any championship for that matter, until you go through me. But listen and listen good, All Star, because currently your ‘best’ is nowhere near enough to beat me. Your best is still equivalent to that of an egomaniac too focused on his image and reputation than he is on actually defeating the opponent he has in front of him. And if that truly is your ‘best’ then I guarantee I will choke you out again on Breakdown. But go ahead, prove me wrong.”
She shuts her eyes. “Sic Semper Tyrannis.”