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+---- Thread: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal (/showthread.php?tid=3327)
SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - supremecw - 05-02-2023
The 40 Person Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal
Winner faces the SCW World Champion at Rise to Greatness XX
Entrant list to be added closer to the event.
2 RP Limit
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, June 3, 2023
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - TheOne - 05-19-2023
OOC message to all: The next two RPs are the "year in the making" RPs I've been leading to, and those who know me know I am TERRIBLE at CD, so these are exciting for me to write. Also I'm writing them early because I'm heading on a cruise next week, my first honest to go vacation in almost 20 years, and while I can finalize the second RP on the boat, I'd rather just get it done. These are two, where, I would love feedback how they work in a setup/final chapter RP mentality, for those of you who are AMAZING at CD, if you have time to read and just send me a message. This first one was fun writing, and initially was part of the massive CD one I have coming which I am giving myself a week to actually make lol. It's outlined, but it's going to be probably the longest CD-wise RP I've ever written, and it may prove I need to stick to shorter ones, or maybe if I think things out, I can actually tell a good story! So like I said, any feedback would be appreciated, good or bad, because I won't get mad or anything. Life is too short for that. I just want to write better for everyone's enjoyment. Thanks everyone! Good luck to all.
The One RP 1 of 2
----------------------------------
{NUMBERS: The Final Chapter, Verse One}
There have been many twists and turns around my journey, finally leading to this moment. I had everything figured out, I had The Oracle saved, I had The Oracle protected, and then next thing I knew she was re-captured, and I was forced to go the route that I had never considered before, and that was working with the authorities to do something I thought I was strong enough to do on my own.
And then, on top of it all, we have the wild card of the situation... We have the piece I never considered ever falling into place... We have Hailey...
She's become the sinple point of the failures and the slip-ups of all of our plans. It was her parents who gave The Oracle away. It was Hailey who couldn't take out my predecessor when she felt she was ready. It was Hailey who began acting suspcious when Agent McConnell showed his face and approached her with whatever he approached her with.
And yet, now we have to put all of that behind us, to begin focusing on what is ahead...
But what is ahead?
What happens next?
That is where we stand.
The framework has been put in place, for us, while Agent McConnell has handled many of the finite details for us to simply follow. He has acted as our liaison to those others who may be involved. We haven't had contact, that I have been made aware, and our job has to be to continue to be the smaller cogs in the bigger wheel. And now it's time to make sure everything turns as one.
My mind is littered with concerns because what has been relayed to us has been a plan of military-like, almost cinematic-like, play by play. It is something you expect to see in a movie and not something you expect to truly be part of in real life, or potentially see play out before your eyes. It's why this all seems surreal to me, now that it is coming up on the eleventh hour. All of this time, all of this planning, all of this desire to finally do what is right, is coming to a head in a superhero like situation that they are a part of?
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Outside the county where The Compound still, effectively, "holds jurisdiction," the trio, and Agent McConnell have arranged points where they can meet safely.
Unlike before, this time they aren't in a backwoodsy area, where people think serial killers take their victims to die. This time the agent has arranged for them to meet at another rural town's local diner, in their parking lot, so they can discuss things without anyone who would know any better overhearing.
The trio of The One, Hailey, and the brother of The Oracle opt to use this meeting location as a place to also grab a final bite to eat before they go into full lockdown and "ready" mode, for their ultimate mission. They arrive earlier than they are expected to, and The One and Hailey use their keen senses of remembering faces and knowing who may be watching them to know they are alone in their desire for one final bite to eat.
They then walk in and are greeted by the Midwestern woman, who obviously has been working at this diner for some time. She quickly seats the three, and gets their drink order, and passes them each a laminated menu, and walks away. Upon her departure, they quickly begin to talk.
Unlike before, this time they aren't in a backwoodsy area, where people think serial killers take their victims to die. This time the agent has arranged for them to meet at another rural town's local diner, in their parking lot, so they can discuss things without anyone who would know any better overhearing.
The trio of The One, Hailey, and the brother of The Oracle opt to use this meeting location as a place to also grab a final bite to eat before they go into full lockdown and "ready" mode, for their ultimate mission. They arrive earlier than they are expected to, and The One and Hailey use their keen senses of remembering faces and knowing who may be watching them to know they are alone in their desire for one final bite to eat.
They then walk in and are greeted by the Midwestern woman, who obviously has been working at this diner for some time. She quickly seats the three, and gets their drink order, and passes them each a laminated menu, and walks away. Upon her departure, they quickly begin to talk.
The Brother: I don't know how in the hell we are supposed to eat...
The One: It's called carb loading...
The Brother: Yeah and right now anything makes me feel like I'm about to blow chunks...
The One: Well answer me this, would you rather be blowing chunks now, or blowing chunks when we need you to actually ACT? Carbs give energy. Carbs are what you eat before you do something where you need a lot of fucking adrenaline...
The Brother: And you think we're going to need a lot of adrenaline?
Hailey laughs.
Hailey: You don't think you're going to have your adrenaline pumping when you get ready to fuck with your parents?
The Brother: I...
The Oracle's brother pauses and stops to think. He realizes there is a reallity to what Hailey says.
The Brother: ... Ok I didn't think about that...
Hailey shakes her head, and chuckles.
Hailey: Dude... You have no idea what you're in for, fo you?
The Brother: Should I? Nobody has told me much of anything.
Hailey: And there's a reason for that...
The Brother: What is that supposed to mean?
The One isn't wanting any confrontation, and decides to de-escalate the situation.
The One: Listen, man... We each ONLY know what we are supposed to know. Our job isn't to know everything. Our job isn't to know the whole plan. Our job is to trust the process, and trust each other... Am I right?
The One looks directly at Hailey, who feels the pressure of The One indrectly calling her out over all of her actions of late. She takes a breath and nods.
Hailey: Exactly... Look at the three of us, right now. We are amateurs in major operations like this, so why should we know all of the damn details? Think about how risky that would be for the rest of the PROFESSIONAL members of this operation. They would look at us like the weak link if we knew everything...
The One: Hailey is right. As much as I want to know the ins and outs of everything, I don't get to... And does it drive me nuts, of course, but like I said, we have to trust the process, right now...
The Brother: It just all still just doesn't sit right, with me...
The One: Honestly, has anything sat right with you? You didn't trust in me saving you and your sister from the get-go...
The brother nods.
The Brother: Ok, that's a fair point...
The One tries to calm his nerves to the best of her ability.
The One: Listen... I get it... This is something that, I'll be real, is terrifying us all. We aren't experts in this. We don't save the world on a daily basis. So the fact is, none of us are feeling just perfect. But we have to calm our nerves are much as possible because once this all starts, our lives will become the most hellacious that they have ever been in their lives.
This really could be that last relaxing moment we have for a long time...
The brother lets out a sarcastic laugh.
The Brother: Like we have had ANY relaxing moments since you set us free? We had to walk in the damn alleys until we found you. Then we we were in a fucking hotel room. Then she gets captured at HER house again...
The One quickly stymies him.
The One: Stop... Stop right there... I get it. I wasn't being literal. I was being very simplistic based on this situation. We aren't relaxed. We are all nervous. But if we don't take care of ourselves, if we aren't doing what is right for YOUR SISTER by preparing to the BEST of OUR abilities, then how are we doing what we promised to do for HER?
We aren't here to joke around.
We aren't here to have a good time.
We are to get our sustenance so we are charged and ready for a fight. I don't know if we will have to fight. I don't know if we will have to do much more than show up. But I know we will need to have our energy. We will need to be ready for ANYTHING. Food gives energy, food gives sustenance, food gives health. So you better fucking eat...
The Brother: Ugh... Really? I seriously feel like if I try and eat right now I'm going to wretch...
The One: Seriously... If you want your sister safe again, we have to be ready...
The One's encouragement begins to wane as the waitress approaches them, and she does not want to garner a scene. She quickly glances at the menu again, assuring the waitress that the others can order first, and she'll be ready. Hailey is quick to order a fuller breakfast for dinner, than one would have expected, while the Brother goes more along the style of a-la carte. When it comes to The One, she is already annoyed at The Brother for his minimalist order and has to compose herself to not seem more inconspicuous than the three of them already do. She finds a "brunch" meal that suffices for her, and puts her order in as well, collecting the menus and handing them to the waitress, who, the whole time, is super friendly to the trio.
It's at this point the chatter of the "why" that they are there begins to die down. Each begin to slowly try and take some personal time just browsing on their phone and playing trivial games to get their minds off of things while they await their meals. And as with any Midwestern diner, it takes nearly no time to bring out the trios respective meals, and get them moving forward in regard to giving their body the sustenance they are going to need, for whatever is looming over their head.
It's at this point the chatter of the "why" that they are there begins to die down. Each begin to slowly try and take some personal time just browsing on their phone and playing trivial games to get their minds off of things while they await their meals. And as with any Midwestern diner, it takes nearly no time to bring out the trios respective meals, and get them moving forward in regard to giving their body the sustenance they are going to need, for whatever is looming over their head.
----------------------------------
{PROMO}
There is nothing but darkness, but obviously in the woods somewhere remote. The One can be barely seen, with the foliage crunching under her feet. She looks around, looking up at the moon, the stars, and the silhouettes of the trees, feeling the gentle breeze on her skin, and just taking it all in. She is at "one" with her surroundings, and after hearing the sounds of nature, her voice breaks the sounds of the wild.
It's been one year... ONE year, since the debut of The One in Supreme Championship Wrestling. It has been ONE YEAR since I made a statement in this organization, by making it all the way to the final grouping of individuals who vied for the ultimate opportunity, and a main event slot at the biggest show in the world, Rise to Greatness...
And it was in that moment, ONE YEAR ago, that I walked into this place and declared that change was coming, and while I could say that I may have not, personally, created that change, I look around, and I am beginning to see that very thing becoming a reality. New names... New faces... New CHAMPIONS... I am seeing things change from the life and times of the days that brought me here, and I begin to wonder, did I succeed? Is that mission, technically, over? Is it something that I can consider "Mission Accomplished," or is it still "ongoing," or even "failed?"
To be honest, I don't know.
I just... Don't... Know...
You see, when I came to SCW, I thought that the successes of my mission would be directly correlated to the successes I had as well. And if that was the case, the amount of stagnation that the mission would be engulfed in would be palpable. It would be so mediocre that everyone would taste it, feel it, and sense it. Nobody would believe in it or want it to even be mentioned because if it was directed BY ME and BY MY ACTIONS, it would have ended up right where it started ONE YEAR ago.
But like I said... The scenery is changing... The TALENT is not the same four people, playing dress-up, but rather, the new crop of what defines the BEST of the BEST in this business, and as it relates to me, if that makes me "mid" ONE YEAR into this, I would say that is a win for me...
Why?
Why would mediocrity be a win?
What was one of the things that I said when I first came to SCW? I said titles, wins, losses, NONE of it mattered, as long as the mission was accomplished. And around me, I am seeing the changes that I wanted to feel like I may have been, or flat out HAVE been, the catalyst to create. I wanted to be that ignition switch. I didn't have to be the blaze that raged during that year, but if I was the one who lit the fire, that I did my job. I did what I wanted to do when I made the splash ONE YEAR ago. I brought the fire back to the rest of the SCW roster to realize that THEY were the ones who made this place what it has always been. THEY were the ones who brought the organization to it's ultimate greatness and resilience, while other organizations have come come and gone by the wayside. SCW has always been there and it's been because of the depth, the talent, the NUMBERS of individuals who could emerge as the best on any given day.
And we are, in my opinion, at that point, and at the time where, no longer, do we have to sit and just accept a few people getting ALL of the showtime and limelight, but it being those who have EARNED IT and DESERVE IT each week...
So... Maybe... Just MAYBE... I can say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
And it was in that moment, ONE YEAR ago, that I walked into this place and declared that change was coming, and while I could say that I may have not, personally, created that change, I look around, and I am beginning to see that very thing becoming a reality. New names... New faces... New CHAMPIONS... I am seeing things change from the life and times of the days that brought me here, and I begin to wonder, did I succeed? Is that mission, technically, over? Is it something that I can consider "Mission Accomplished," or is it still "ongoing," or even "failed?"
To be honest, I don't know.
I just... Don't... Know...
You see, when I came to SCW, I thought that the successes of my mission would be directly correlated to the successes I had as well. And if that was the case, the amount of stagnation that the mission would be engulfed in would be palpable. It would be so mediocre that everyone would taste it, feel it, and sense it. Nobody would believe in it or want it to even be mentioned because if it was directed BY ME and BY MY ACTIONS, it would have ended up right where it started ONE YEAR ago.
But like I said... The scenery is changing... The TALENT is not the same four people, playing dress-up, but rather, the new crop of what defines the BEST of the BEST in this business, and as it relates to me, if that makes me "mid" ONE YEAR into this, I would say that is a win for me...
Why?
Why would mediocrity be a win?
What was one of the things that I said when I first came to SCW? I said titles, wins, losses, NONE of it mattered, as long as the mission was accomplished. And around me, I am seeing the changes that I wanted to feel like I may have been, or flat out HAVE been, the catalyst to create. I wanted to be that ignition switch. I didn't have to be the blaze that raged during that year, but if I was the one who lit the fire, that I did my job. I did what I wanted to do when I made the splash ONE YEAR ago. I brought the fire back to the rest of the SCW roster to realize that THEY were the ones who made this place what it has always been. THEY were the ones who brought the organization to it's ultimate greatness and resilience, while other organizations have come come and gone by the wayside. SCW has always been there and it's been because of the depth, the talent, the NUMBERS of individuals who could emerge as the best on any given day.
And we are, in my opinion, at that point, and at the time where, no longer, do we have to sit and just accept a few people getting ALL of the showtime and limelight, but it being those who have EARNED IT and DESERVE IT each week...
So... Maybe... Just MAYBE... I can say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
The moonlight illuminates The One smirking.
So now that we are moving forward from that mission, what's next? Where is all of this talk about "the end" of The One coming from? Is The One retiring already?
Heh... Hardly...
You see, The One has been a moniker I have dawned because it was a stain on my life. It was something I had to atone for. I had to earn the right to not have to wear it as my "Scarlett Letter," and I am on my path, finally, to that conclusion. It's always felt as if it was a pipe dream, after everything I had done in my past. It had always felt like it was never truly lifted from me. But now... Now... I see the moment before me and I see the opportunity to crash through the ceiling that has held me down for this long period of time in my life, and I see the day of that shattering as the magical ONE YEAR mark of my time in Supreme Championship Wrestling...
TAKING HOLD OF THE FLAME!
Why?
Because in ONE YEAR I have learned a lot about this business including what you DO and DON'T have to do to get ahead. I have learned that I could say, fuck the battle royal, and put myself in the main event, RIGHT NOW. RIGHT THIS FUCKING MOMENT. I have that ability. The One could circumvent everything that everyone vies for and make a match that, even after the "main event" is the "new main event" where the winner faces The One. Then I would have done just like many others have done before. Then I would have taken that easy road. Then I would have gone against EVERYTHING that I said I was about, and that was proving you didn't need a name, or a caveat, to get you to where you want to be because this is SCW and in SCW you fucking EARN YOUR WAY to the top.
It's also why I haven't cashed this contract in... I'm not "looking for the right moment," or trying to cash it in when it's "most beneficial." I want to make this memorable. I want to make it right. So I'm not, and you can quote me on this, NOT cashing this in at Rise to Greatness for the main event. Win or lose at Taking Hold of the Flame, this contract isn't impacting the main event.
But what is impacting the main event is me inside the battle royal. What is impacting the main event is the fact that ONE YEAR ago, I was a challenger in this thing, and I made it to the bitter end of the 40 person clusterfuck, and now I'm a year older, and a year wiser. I'm someone who has tasted defeat and lost some matches that have TAUGHT ME what it takes to do things in SCW, and emerge victorious. I've faced adversity, and I'm sill here, and that should say a lot...
Am I wrong?
Where's the lie?
How many new people come here, don't immediately succeed, and then fall off the fucking planet? Or run somewhere where the talent pool isn't as difficult? How many people run AWAY from the challenges that SCW poses, instead of embracing them? I can say a far larger number than those who have held ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS in this organization have failed because they're not willing to fight it out, stick it out, and FIGURE it out.
That's why I am more than ready for this battle royal...
Because I've been in title matches...
I've been in Chamber Matches...
I've been in most falls at the end of the night matches...
And I've been in this battle royal and when I did so that first time, I damn near shocked the world!
So what's stopping me from doing that in 2023? What is stopping The One from being THE LAST ONE standing, when the dust settles? Yeah you have every major competitor for the World Championship in this match. You probably have someone from SCW's past, desperate for attention again, making a surprise return, but who the fuck cares, all they have to do is go over a rope. I don't have to make them do a Mariachi dance at a young girl's Quincé in order to win. I don't have to make everyone else make sure they have not shit their pants, by removing their gear and bearing their asses to the world. No, all I have to do is ensure they go over the top rope, and hit the fucking floor.
It's tale as old as time...
A song as old as rhyme...
It's your damn feet hitting the floor!
Heh... Hardly...
You see, The One has been a moniker I have dawned because it was a stain on my life. It was something I had to atone for. I had to earn the right to not have to wear it as my "Scarlett Letter," and I am on my path, finally, to that conclusion. It's always felt as if it was a pipe dream, after everything I had done in my past. It had always felt like it was never truly lifted from me. But now... Now... I see the moment before me and I see the opportunity to crash through the ceiling that has held me down for this long period of time in my life, and I see the day of that shattering as the magical ONE YEAR mark of my time in Supreme Championship Wrestling...
TAKING HOLD OF THE FLAME!
Why?
Because in ONE YEAR I have learned a lot about this business including what you DO and DON'T have to do to get ahead. I have learned that I could say, fuck the battle royal, and put myself in the main event, RIGHT NOW. RIGHT THIS FUCKING MOMENT. I have that ability. The One could circumvent everything that everyone vies for and make a match that, even after the "main event" is the "new main event" where the winner faces The One. Then I would have done just like many others have done before. Then I would have taken that easy road. Then I would have gone against EVERYTHING that I said I was about, and that was proving you didn't need a name, or a caveat, to get you to where you want to be because this is SCW and in SCW you fucking EARN YOUR WAY to the top.
It's also why I haven't cashed this contract in... I'm not "looking for the right moment," or trying to cash it in when it's "most beneficial." I want to make this memorable. I want to make it right. So I'm not, and you can quote me on this, NOT cashing this in at Rise to Greatness for the main event. Win or lose at Taking Hold of the Flame, this contract isn't impacting the main event.
But what is impacting the main event is me inside the battle royal. What is impacting the main event is the fact that ONE YEAR ago, I was a challenger in this thing, and I made it to the bitter end of the 40 person clusterfuck, and now I'm a year older, and a year wiser. I'm someone who has tasted defeat and lost some matches that have TAUGHT ME what it takes to do things in SCW, and emerge victorious. I've faced adversity, and I'm sill here, and that should say a lot...
Am I wrong?
Where's the lie?
How many new people come here, don't immediately succeed, and then fall off the fucking planet? Or run somewhere where the talent pool isn't as difficult? How many people run AWAY from the challenges that SCW poses, instead of embracing them? I can say a far larger number than those who have held ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS in this organization have failed because they're not willing to fight it out, stick it out, and FIGURE it out.
That's why I am more than ready for this battle royal...
Because I've been in title matches...
I've been in Chamber Matches...
I've been in most falls at the end of the night matches...
And I've been in this battle royal and when I did so that first time, I damn near shocked the world!
So what's stopping me from doing that in 2023? What is stopping The One from being THE LAST ONE standing, when the dust settles? Yeah you have every major competitor for the World Championship in this match. You probably have someone from SCW's past, desperate for attention again, making a surprise return, but who the fuck cares, all they have to do is go over a rope. I don't have to make them do a Mariachi dance at a young girl's Quincé in order to win. I don't have to make everyone else make sure they have not shit their pants, by removing their gear and bearing their asses to the world. No, all I have to do is ensure they go over the top rope, and hit the fucking floor.
It's tale as old as time...
A song as old as rhyme...
It's your damn feet hitting the floor!
The One chuckles, and faintly sings the final lyric, "Beauty and the Beast," to herself, before continuing.
This match isn't a hard concept to figure out, but it IS hard to traverse because you always have to watch your back, and that is something I have gotten VERY used to doing in my ONE YEAR in SCW. I have been expecting people to come after me. I have expected people to want to take me out, but the thing is, in this match you know you can be eliminated just as easy as anyone else. You could eliminate the former World Champion or be eliminated number one, and there is really no difference is odds whatsoever.
That's why it takes strategy...
That's why it takes smarts...
That's why it takes the ups and downs of a year to understand what it really takes to go out there and put together a game plan in order to ACTUALLY WIN... Because it's not a normal match. It's not your typical one on one, tag team, or whatever match. It's 40, count them 40, people who are all trying to do the same BASIC thing, and you have to be the one to outsmart them, PLUS whatever ideas they have to put into a strategy of their own.
And I know what the doubters, the trivializers, honestly, the BITCHES, of SCW will say, "oh wow someone's been here a year and magically knows how to win Taking Hold of the Flame. People have been here for decades and have never done so." And guess what, BITCHES, you're right. There are SCW Hall of Famers who have never done what I am about to do this year, and they will have been trying for THEIR ENTIRE CAREERS. But I'll be different. It won't be about talent. It won't be about anything but the fact I approached the match like it should have been done, and they didn't. They made it about something that would motivate them, and I need no motivation.
Why?
BECAUSE I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOAL!
SCW IS NOT PACKED WITH THE DEGENERATE SCUM IT WAS MARRED BY FOR YEARS!
Instead, I was able to help light a fire under people's asses to get them to rise to their potential. I did my job, and now, I can be me. I can be the person I was BORN as, and begin to ascend past the visual mediocrity you have seen, and do something that NOBODY would have expected, and that's simple... WIN!
Seriously, who would say, right now, The One has any shot at winning? Who would put her in the echelon of those who were given a stake in the World Championship Tournament, which let me add has former winners in it? Who would put The One there?
Nobody!
Fucking NOBODY!
And that's fine because I don't need support from doubters anymore because whether they were believers or doubters on the outside, what has transpired in the past year has shown that they were HOPEFULLS in what I was preaching. They WANTED a new SCW with a NEW LOOK and NEW CHAMPIONS, and they have it. Kimberly Williams ENSURED the calamity of champions that we have now would begin the spiral that I envisioned long ago, and now going into the penultimate MAJOR event in professional wrestling, I have the chance to do as she did, but instead of making calamity by way of contract, I do it by action.
Nobody expects it, like I said!
Nobody WANTS it...
Nobody WANTS The One to win this match, and I am fine with that because that night will be the night where The One is engulfed in flames in a way that signifies her demise. It will be the moment where not only does the world watch as the infamous "dust settles," but the ashes will as well because the new Phoenix of SCW will have done what the prophecy always professed she would do...
She would be the final ash on the pile...
She would be the ember that smolders...
She would be the CATALYST, once again, to REIGNITE the new heartbeat of Supreme Championship Wrestling...
And then she would emerge, in all of her glory, from the ashes, from the rubble, from the DESTRUCTION that is Taking Hold of the Flame, and she would turn her eyes to the Heavens, looking at the sign that marks her new destiny. This Phoenix, unlike those of past who may have used the metaphor as a rallying cry, will emerge anew. She will be flanked by those she calls friends and family, and she will be the one who proves that words have not been shallow, and all along, there has been three final truths of SCW, before her resurrection...
Death... Taxes... And THE ONE!!!
That's why it takes strategy...
That's why it takes smarts...
That's why it takes the ups and downs of a year to understand what it really takes to go out there and put together a game plan in order to ACTUALLY WIN... Because it's not a normal match. It's not your typical one on one, tag team, or whatever match. It's 40, count them 40, people who are all trying to do the same BASIC thing, and you have to be the one to outsmart them, PLUS whatever ideas they have to put into a strategy of their own.
And I know what the doubters, the trivializers, honestly, the BITCHES, of SCW will say, "oh wow someone's been here a year and magically knows how to win Taking Hold of the Flame. People have been here for decades and have never done so." And guess what, BITCHES, you're right. There are SCW Hall of Famers who have never done what I am about to do this year, and they will have been trying for THEIR ENTIRE CAREERS. But I'll be different. It won't be about talent. It won't be about anything but the fact I approached the match like it should have been done, and they didn't. They made it about something that would motivate them, and I need no motivation.
Why?
BECAUSE I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOAL!
SCW IS NOT PACKED WITH THE DEGENERATE SCUM IT WAS MARRED BY FOR YEARS!
Instead, I was able to help light a fire under people's asses to get them to rise to their potential. I did my job, and now, I can be me. I can be the person I was BORN as, and begin to ascend past the visual mediocrity you have seen, and do something that NOBODY would have expected, and that's simple... WIN!
Seriously, who would say, right now, The One has any shot at winning? Who would put her in the echelon of those who were given a stake in the World Championship Tournament, which let me add has former winners in it? Who would put The One there?
Nobody!
Fucking NOBODY!
And that's fine because I don't need support from doubters anymore because whether they were believers or doubters on the outside, what has transpired in the past year has shown that they were HOPEFULLS in what I was preaching. They WANTED a new SCW with a NEW LOOK and NEW CHAMPIONS, and they have it. Kimberly Williams ENSURED the calamity of champions that we have now would begin the spiral that I envisioned long ago, and now going into the penultimate MAJOR event in professional wrestling, I have the chance to do as she did, but instead of making calamity by way of contract, I do it by action.
Nobody expects it, like I said!
Nobody WANTS it...
Nobody WANTS The One to win this match, and I am fine with that because that night will be the night where The One is engulfed in flames in a way that signifies her demise. It will be the moment where not only does the world watch as the infamous "dust settles," but the ashes will as well because the new Phoenix of SCW will have done what the prophecy always professed she would do...
She would be the final ash on the pile...
She would be the ember that smolders...
She would be the CATALYST, once again, to REIGNITE the new heartbeat of Supreme Championship Wrestling...
And then she would emerge, in all of her glory, from the ashes, from the rubble, from the DESTRUCTION that is Taking Hold of the Flame, and she would turn her eyes to the Heavens, looking at the sign that marks her new destiny. This Phoenix, unlike those of past who may have used the metaphor as a rallying cry, will emerge anew. She will be flanked by those she calls friends and family, and she will be the one who proves that words have not been shallow, and all along, there has been three final truths of SCW, before her resurrection...
Death... Taxes... And THE ONE!!!
----------------------------------
{NUMBERS: The Final Chapter, Verse Two}
If there was ever a "most awkward meal" of my life, this was it. And that includes all of the ones with my parents, after I knew what they were engaging in. Hailey, The Oracle's Brother, and myself, would struggle, bite by bite, to put food down. You could tell that our minds and our stomachs were not in rhythm here, fighting the notion that food was not a good thing, versus food was the NEEDED thing. Regardless, it was a meal that saw us all make it through it, and not have to run to the bathroom our outside to vomit, and for that, I call it a win.
It was at that point I hoped our bodies would begin to do what they were created to do, and effectively go into autopilot and digest the food, and induce a relaxation feeling among us all. And honestly, it could have been the case.
But I had forgotten a key point of us being where we were...
Agent McConnell...
The way we were seated left me facing the door and all of the windows of the cafe. I could see out, and I could see who was coming in. To this day I don't allow myself to sit with my back to the door. I want to be able to adapt and attack if necessary to any situation. I choose to let the fearful find the exits and let them create the crowded escape, while I would much rather handle the situation and go back to what I was doing.
In this case, however, I didn't get that option...
When he arrived my heart sank, I won't lie. I knew that everyout would become tense again, and the questions, the fear, the doubt, everything would begin to creep back into the minds of everyone, myself included. This whole idea was becoming more and more unrealistic to me. It was becoming a dream, and something that if I had failed this much until now, there was an inevitability I would fail at something far greater than anything I had faced in the past.
All I could do was watch him approach the table, grab a chair, spin it around, and straddle it, smiling as he looks at the three of us without any reservations or caring of our personal feelings. He can see our uneasiness to his presence, and without care, just begins talking to us all as if this was just an every day, run of the mill, discussion.
Agent McConnell: Guys! Glad we could all meet! Y'all enjoying the food? Let me tell ya, if you haven't tried it, try the chicken fried steak... One of the best ever... We have it regularly when we meet here...
The One looks at him with a concerned look in her eye.
The One: I can't say any of us ordered that tonight...
Agent McConnell: Aww... Shame... It's the number one thing here, next to the pies!
The One: I guess we will file that away for next time, huh?
Agent McConnell: Well that next time would be on you. This is the last time we are all talking before we make HISTORY! Everyone ready and excited?!
Hailey just throws her fork on her plate.
Hailey: Can the fucking niceties, McConnell... Let's get this whole "talk" over with. None of us WANT to be here, or quite frankly are as excited about this thing, like you apparently are. So stop with the fun and games, and let's get down to business...
Agent McConnell smirks.
Agent McConnell: You know, in several years these monthly mood swings will really begin to start to minimize themselves...
Hailey becomes instantly furious, and tries to jump up.
Hailey: Alright, fuckface, you're little agreement is about...
The Oracle's Brother instinctively jumps up and sits her down, not realizing he also stopped her from revealing anything about their previous meeting. The One, assuming the comment came from the agreement of their respective cooperation in the situation tries to diffuse the hostility.
The One: HEY! Hey... Listen... None of that condescending language is going to make us any more "ready" than we already are. We aren't "trained agents" in these types of operations and I'm sorry if we are on edge. But the reality is, we are, and you need to give us a lot of reason to know that everything is in place and ready to be executed properly...
Agent McConnell: Your fearless leader is right. You guys are on the greatest mission of your lives and have the chance to do something quite noble, and also make me look good in the process. And it's as long as you follow the plan, things will hopefully go without major incident.
Hailey: Hopefully?
Agent McConnell: Nothing is a guarantee in this business. There could always be flaws in the system. But from the recon that The One has given us, and the access we have to the surveillance to The Compound, we are almost completely certain this is going to be one of the safer raids we have ever conducted.
The One: So... What do we do?
Agent McConnell: For starters, The Brother is heading in alone...
The Brother's eyes widen and he tries to say something but it immediately shushed by The One, who instructs him to let the agent finish.
Agent McConnell: ... The Brother is going in alone because he'll be the safest asset to send in first. He'll trip the alarms, and have the eyes on him, plus be able to lure everyone out a lot easier than any of the rest of us. The One will be positioned in the woods where she can then appear to surprise the group, once they are out. With what she gave us we have been able to compromise some of the security devices and camera, so we have a path for her in. Hailey has her way in as well. Once everyone is accounted for, and we know there is no threat, BOOM, the rest of us jump in and surprise them all, cudding them here, there, and EVERYWHERE!
Everyone got it?
EVeryone looks at one another, confused.
The One: That's it?
Hailey: No maps or diagrams?
Agent McConnell: C'mon... Nobody knows that terrain better than your walking warrior here. Besides, they don't have a clue how in position we already are, so it should be a cakewalk. So, how does it go? Everyone puts their hands in?
The Agent sarcastically puts his hand in the middle, hoping others will follow suit.
The One: I think not... I just don't think so on the whole hands thing...
He slowly retracts his hand embarrassed.
Agent McConnell: Well.... Ok... Anyway, everyone get some sleep, and get ready for something they will never, EVER forget!
Agent McConnell jumps up and leaves the table leaving the trio behind. They all simply stare one anoher down, wondering what to expect out of the others, and how this is actually going to play out. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Only tie will tell.
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Braddock - 05-24-2023
1 of 2
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May 18th, 2023
Las Vegas, NV
Off Camera
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It is an odd circumstance for someone as competitive as Glory Braddock to be completely left off of a wrestling card, to be left with absolutely nothing to do on Breakdown. In this case, when SCW Breakdown rolled into Las Vegas, Nevada, The British Bombshell found herself in that very rare scenario of having absolutely nothing to do. It was a problem of her own creation. Glory lost her first round match in the United States Title Tournament to Deanna Frost, which meant Deanna advanced tonight to face Amelia Blythe, not Braddock. It is also rare for most wrestlers in these situations to still travel with the promotion when they are left off of the card. While this may be unusual for most, this is not unusual for The British Bombshell. Glory Braddock prides herself on being committed to the business, especially committed to Supreme Championship Wrestling. She may not get the chance to compete tonight but she does get the opportunity to scout her future competition. After all, Rise To Greatness season is coming up and that means Taking Hold of the Flame is on the horizon. Taking Hold of the Flame is one of the most challenging rumble matches in the sport. Braddock herself has attempted to win it on more than one occasion but has thus far failed to win it. Glory is seeking competition and new challenges for herself in SCW. Among those new challenges is to win the SCW World Tag Team Championship and thus become Supreme Champion. But she forgot that Taking Hold of the Flame is still there. This one singular event that comes around once a year is still a feather in the cap that she has yet to obtain. And when you talk about challenges, for someone who enjoys a good challenge, you would be hard pressed to find a greater challenge than Taking Hold of the Flame.
Braddock currently finds herself sitting backstage in the locker room area watching the proceedings of Breakdown on a monitor. The British Bombshell is wearing tight form fitting jeans, black high heeled boots, and a royal purple blouse. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Standing up next to her is her cousin, Angelica Jones. Angelica is dressed in a knee length black pencil skirt, black open toed high heel pumps, and a long sleeve black sweater. Her long red hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulder. Jones, like Glory, is not competing tonight. But Jones isn’t an active wrestler on the SCW roster. She is here as an advisor and advocate for her daughter and Glory’s cousin, the SCW Underground Champion Kimberly Williams.
“So who do you want to see face Selena in the world title finals?” Angelica asks, smiling wryly at her cousin. Braddock looks up with a smirk of her own.
“Who do I WANT or who do I THINK will face Selena in the finals?”
“It’s a toss up, either way.” Angelica says with a chuckle. “It’s not like Kandis or Allocco are very popular right now.”
“Exactly. So maybe I’ll go with Adam? He may not be the most ethical or moral person but bloody hell, that main event from last year’s Rise To Greatness was a banger. I’d love to see that one again.”
“Well just to be different from you, I’ll go with Kandis.” Angelica shrugs her shoulders. “It might be fun to see something different for a change.”
“Of course you would go with Kandis.” Glory smirks. “Just to be different?”
“Just to be different.”
“Well now we need your daughter to break the tie.” Glory states. “Where is Kim anyway?”
“She’s somewhere petitioning for something to do at Taking Hold of the Flame.” Angelica sighs. “I pray she’s behaving herself.”
“Does Kim ever behave herself?”
“No. But don’t complain. She’s going to bring us some coffee back.”
“Great.” Glory leans back in her chair and relaxes as she watches the monitor. Angelica walks over and finds a chair. She pulls it up next to Glory and sits down in it.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m kind of surprise to see you here tonight.”
“Oh?” Glory turns and looks over at her cousin. Angelica nods her head.
“I mean, Kim I understand. She wants to entertain the fans. So if she can’t wrestle then she’s going to go out there and do something wild and insane to get the crowd all going nuts. But you, Glory, you’ve always been about competition. And you’re not competing at all tonight. Yet here you are. I just find that odd.”
“There’s more to competition than just the ten to twenty or thirty minutes that goes on between the ringing of the bells. You know? It also comes down to scouting. Studying each and every potential all…or enemy…” Glory’s voice trails off. Angelica smirks knowingly.
“Scouting, eh? So are you still thinking about going after the tag team championship?”
“Oh definitely.” Glory nods her head. “But that’s not what’s on my mind right now. After I lost to Deanna last week, I had a lot to think about. Why did I lose? A lot of that fault is on me.”
“You?” Angelica asks curiously. Glory nods her head.
“Yes. Now that’s not to take anything away from Deanna. That night she was better than she had ever been. She needed to be perfect and she was as close to perfect as one could come. But I also made a critical mistake.” She taps her head. “My focus wasn’t entirely on that tournament. Let’s face it, I’ve had a divided focus as of late. Some of that was personal crap that I let get into my head and distract me. But last week, I was still divided between trying to win that tournament and becoming Supreme Champion.”
“But isn’t Supreme Champion your goal?”
“It is. But I have to realize that it won’t come instantly. And I cannot expect it to just drop into my lap. One day those tag titles will come, but until then I just have to play the hand that is dealt me and when an opportunity arises, I cannot just turn away from it. How do you Americans say it? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I had an opportunity last week and I blew it.” Braddock shakes her head. “But I’m not going to make that mistake again, especially not with this opportunity coming up.”
“I take it you mean The Flame?” Angelica says with a grin. Glory nods her head.
“Damn right. Ultimately what I want is a challenge. You don’t get a bigger challenge than Taking Hold of the Flame. You don’t get a bigger challenge than having to overcome thirty nine other wrestlers just for a shot…a shot at becoming SCW World Champion at Rise To Greatness.”
“Does that mean the tag titles and thus Supreme Champion is on the back burner?” Angelica asks.
“For now, temporarily. Right now I am one hundred percent focused entirely on Taking Hold of the Flame. To win that event I will have to be focused and ready. I cannot be distracted by…”
“TA-DA!” Glory and Angelica are both distracted by the sudden arrival of Kimberly Williams into the scene. She is wearing her strange, obnoxious looking suit and she has the SCW Underground Championship title belt wrapped around her waist. The Woman Scorned has two cups of coffee, one in each hand.
“...by anything…” Glory says, finishing her sentence. Kim smirks as she passes one cup of coffee to Glory and then the other to Angelica.
“You’re welcome!” Kim sticks her tongue out at Glory.
“Thank you, Kim.” Glory says as she takes a sip of her coffee.
“Thank you? That’s all you can say! After everything I’ve done today! After interrupting your little speech, after terrorizing the commentary team…”
“Terrorizing the commentary team?” Angelica asks with an arched brow of curiosity. Kim ignores her mother and continues to focus on Glory.
“...after ALL that, all you can say to me is…thank you?”
“Yep.” Glory nods her head.
“You were more fun when you had a stick up your ass.” Kim pouts as she folds her arms over her chest. Glory starts laughing.
“Sorry to disappoint you, mate. But trust me, I don’t think anyone really wants that obnoxious bitch back, least of all me. That’s just not who I am. Not anymore, anyway.” Braddock sighs as she takes another sip of her coffee. “Hopefully I can continue to find out who I am.”
“You don’t know who you are?” Kim taps Glory on the head. “You got amnesia or something?” Glory chuckles softly.
“No, I mean that in a figurative sense. I mean, I forgot what it meant to be a Braddock. I forgot what my father stood for and what he taught me. But at least I had the information, I had the knowledge, I just had to relearn it. But my mom…” Glory shrugs her shoulders “...I genuinely don’t know much about her.” Glory points a finger at Kim. “I mean, surely you can appreciate this. You went and did some research into your family’s past, didn’t you?”
“Yup!” Kim nods her head happily. “I learned I’m the daughter of a serial killer!”
“Huh?” Glory looks on shockingly. “Uh…sorry…I didn’t…”
“It’s all good in the hood yo!” Kim remarks. “I’ve made peace with my tormented past. Besides, doing the research was a blast. I wish I could keep digging and digging and seeing what kind of bodies I uncover…”
“I hope you mean figurative bodies?” Glory asks. Angelica nods her head reassuringly.
“She does, trust me. But hey, you mention your mom…Maria Kurinsky, my aunt and Kim, your great aunt.”
“How great was she?” Kim asks curiously. Glory rolls her eyes.
“She also happens to be the sister of your grandmother, Kelly Kurinsky; my mother. So this really involves you too.” Angelica points out.
“What are you getting at?” Kim asks.
“Oh I see.” Glory grins as she sets her coffee down. “Kim, you enjoyed doing your own ancestry research so much? Why don’t you help me and your mom out by looking into the Kurinsky family?”
“Kurinsky? The Russians?” Kim pauses for a moment before nodding her head.
“Yes.” Angelica says, nodding her head. “It is your family too. So what do you say? You think you could help Glory and myself out and dig into this for us? Since, you know, you do enjoy doing ancestry research like this.” Angelica winks at her daughter. Kim pauses for a moment, just a brief moment, to think it over.
“Y’know what? What the hell? It might be fun!”
“Are you sure?” Glory asks. Kim immediately nods her head.
“Of course! Like mom said, it is my family too. Besides, I’m bored. I need something to do.” Kim shrugs her shoulders. Glory embraces Kim in a hug, which surprises The Woman Scorned.
“Thanks, Kim. I really do appreciate it.” They break the embrace. Glory is smiling from ear to ear. “And if you need anything, I can…”
Before The British Bombshell can finish her sentence the door swings open wildly. Braddock, Kim, and Angelica turn to see the newcomer, the unexpected and unwanted visitor into their area; all three recognize him immediately and Glory is taken aback the most upon seeing the arrival of her childhood best friend Matthew Taylor. He is wearing torn denim shorts, sneakers, and a black t-shirt. A cocky, smug grin is etched across his face.
“Ladies! Ladies! I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“You kinda were.” Angelica says with an eye roll. Glory holds up her hand, indicating that her cousin should back off. Matthew takes a small bow.
“Apologies! I didn’t mean anything by it! I just happened to be in the area and figured I’d stop in and speak to Glory…” he looks at Angelica and then at Kim “...alone.”
“Seriously?” Angelica is surprised at this. She doesn’t believe for one second that Matthew just happened to be in the area. Up until recently he had been living in Charlotte, but she had heard he had moved back to Birmingham, England. Either way he wouldn’t just be in the area. Kim also looks on at Matthew with a skeptical look. However both are taken by surprise by Glory’s response to this unexpected turn of events.
“It’s ok…” she says.
“Are you sure?” Angelica asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Ok…” Angelica reluctantly nods her head “...Kim and I will be just outside.”
“Awwww!” Kim feigns disappointment “...does this mean I can’t maim him?”
“Come with me, Kim!” Angelica exclaims. Kim nods her head and follows her mother out the door. Matthew eyes them cautiously and nervously as he watches them exit. Then he turns to look back at Glory.
“Uh, she was just kidding about maiming me, right?”
“With Kim you never know.”
“Oh….” Matthew gulps “...well…”
“Just get on with it, mate.” Glory asks, sounding rather frustrated by everything, especially by Matthew’s arrival. “I know you. I know for a fact you left your sister’s house in Charlotte and have moved back to Birmingham. I know there is no way you ‘just so happened’ to be in the United States let alone be anywhere near Vegas for Breakdown. So what’s your game? What are you doing here?”
“Alright, alright, cool down, Glory.” Matthew says, nodding his head. “You’re right, I didn’t just happen to be in the area. I did make it a point to travel here.”
“Why?” Glory demands as she puts her hands on her hips. Matthew smirks and points a finger at her.
“Because I want to talk to you.”
“Oh Matty…” Glory groans out loud, for she immediately realizes what he is here about, what he wants to talk to her about “...no, no, no…”
“Yes!” Matthew exclaims. “Listen, you and I were meant to be!”
“No, we’re not.” Glory flashes him her wedding ring. “I’m married. Remember?”
“Ok, right, I’m sorry.” He shakes his head vehemently. “That came out wrong. I meant this tag team, you and me, WE WERE MEANT TO BE!”
“How the hell did you get that silly notion in your head?”
“Think about it. I want to wrestle again. You want a partner that you can trust, someone who can lead you to the tag team titles. We’re a perfect fit!”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Matthew nods his head. Glory sighs deeply and shakes her head.
“No…I mean, you’re right, I do need a tag team partner that I can trust, but honestly? I’m not sure that I can trust you. It’s obvious that your heart is still not accepting the fact that you and I cannot and will not ever be an item. Your heart just will not accept that I am married to Kurt. That in and of itself would create too many problems for us.”
“You’re wrong, Glory!” He insists. “I know to stay in my lane. I know to respect your relationship with Kurt. I just want a chance and you are my ticket. Just give me the chance!”
“I can’t.” Glory shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but even if I did ignore all of that, there’s still the fact that my husband does not approve of this. Kurt is not comfortable with this idea.”
“Who the hell cares what Kurt thinks?!” He exclaims loudly. Glory glares daggers right through him. Matthew gasps as he realizes what he just did. “Uh, I mean, I’m sorry. It came out wrong. I just…”
“Stop it.” Glory sighs deeply. “See, that’s why this can never happen. That’s why you and I will never happen.”
“So that’s your final answer then?” Matthew asks, seemingly resigned. “No?”
“That’s right.” She nods her head. “No.”
“I busted my ass to get back into ring shape. I made this trip from Birmingham all the way to Vegas. All of this just to be rejected?”
“Don’t make this harder than it already is, Matty.”
Oh no, it’s ok, I get it.” Matthew glares angrily at Glory. “I get where I rank. I get it.” Matthew turns and swings the door open violently. He exits and slams it shut behind him. Glory sighs and shakes her head. She hates that it came down to this, she hates that it ended this way, but she knows that she had no other choice. Unfortunately she had no idea that Matthew still had such strong feelings for her. He had insisted and swore that he just wanted to be her tag team partner, but after hearing him this evening, and seeing this reaction, Glory is beginning to believe that he may still love her. And she just crushed his dreams. Even if it was necessary, it still hurts her. And it makes things all the more difficult. She still has an upcoming business meeting with his sister, Francis Taylor, in Charlotte. And all of that baggage now being back in her life, back in her head, will again distract her. And distractions are the last things she needs heading into Taking Hold of the Flame.
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May 23rd, 2023
Charlotte, NC
Off Camera
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It has been nearly five days since Breakdown in Las Vegas, Nevada where Glory Braddock had the tense encounter with Matthew Taylor. Braddock had hoped that by now every single bit of her personal problems and professional issues would be behind her so that she could put her entire focus into competing in Taking Hold of the Flame. This one yearly rumble match is easily one of the most challenging competitions in the sport of wrestling and for Glory Braddock, who is seeking new challenges, would love to take on this challenge. She would love nothing more than to win Taking Hold of the Flame and be able to say that she overcame one of the most difficult challenges in the business today. Unfortunately it seems as if yet again more distractions have risen up to make things difficult for her to focus. Matthew had once again pitched the idea of teaming with Glory Braddock. When she flat out rejected his idea, she could tell that he did not take it very well. She could tell that he was hurt and angry. It would be easy enough for The British Bombshell to just ignore it, to just forget about it and let him be hurt. But Matthew has been her friend for many years. They were friends since school. Matthew has always been there for her and vice versa. The fact that their friendship may be over due to this partnership that just cannot happen drives Glory crazy. It also makes things very difficult for her own business affairs, for the president of her company, the woman who she entrusted to run Glorious Golden Enterprises for her, is none other than Francis Taylor, Matthew’s sister.
Nevertheless, this meeting between the corporate owner and corporate president has been planned weeks in advance, long before the explosion five days ago between Braddock and Matthew occurred in Vegas. It may be an awkward meeting but it is a meeting Glory must go through with, because she has to meet her obligations to the company. Besides, this does serve as an opportunity for The British Bombshell to get some insight into what Matthew is thinking right now. If anyone may know something about Matthew Taylor, it would have to be his sister. And currently, while the two women sit in Braddock’s office in Charlotte, North Carolina, doing their business, the thoughts of Matthew and what happened a few days ago is still an underlying and unspoken topic. Braddock sits behind her desk. She is dressed in a royal purple maxi skirt, sandals, and a white lace blouse with quarter length sleeves that shows off just a little midriff. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. Sitting across from her is Francis Taylor. She is wearing navy blue dress pants, matching flats, a white silk blouse, and matching navy blue jacket.
“So do we start with our earnings over each of our three branches?” Francis asks. Glory shakes her head.
“Not necessary. I know our wrestling promotion is bringing in a ton of income, especially this time of year. And I was just recently overseas in England where I got to talk to Randall and Mark about my late father’s wrestling school. The only thing I need to know is our modeling business. I haven’t yet touched base with Kayla on that one.”
“Very well.” Francis shuffles some papers until she finds the one she is looking for. “Earnings have increased by twenty percent. We are also signing more and more models to our agency. Getting into the modeling field was indeed a very profitable move, Glory.”
“And are we still able to cover everyone’s medical insurance?” Glory asks. Francis smiles and nods her head.
“Indeed we are. Your ex lover certainly has been a Godsend regarding that.”
“Bloody hell…” Glory shakes her head “...don’t call him that!”
“I’m just teasing.” Francis says. “But he is your daughter’s father, isn’t he?”
“Biological father, yes.” Glory says, nodding her head. “And you’re right, Thomas has been a wonderful partner in providing all of our employees with health care.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Francis asks. “You do seem on edge.”
“I suppose I am on edge just a little bit.” Glory sighs deeply and nods her head. “I apologize. It’s just that I’m a little distracted right now. Maybe doing business today wasn’t such a good idea?”
“If you’re distracted right now we can take a break. Put the meeting off until tomorrow if you plan to stick around at least one more day?”
“That might be a good idea.” Glory agrees. “Maybe I can get my head clear by then.”
“That sounds fine to me.” Francis states. “But what is bothering you…if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m glad you asked. It actually has to do with your brother.”
“I see.” Francis nods her head as she leans back in her chair. “I had heard that you two got into a bit of an argument a few days ago.”
“He’s been hell bent on trying to force himself on me as my new tag team partner. He knows that I want to one day become tag team champion in SCW, which is the only title that I lack, the one title that is keeping me from becoming Supreme Champion. And he was using that to try and get close to me.”
“I take it you rejected his proposal?” Francis asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes. I mean, I had to; Matthew and I had an affair and I regret it. I regret cheating on my husband and losing his trust. We barely salvaged our marriage but our marriage would not survive if me and Matty went through on this ridiculous tag team idea of his. Besides, this is Rise To Greatness season. Taking Hold of the Flame is coming up and if there is ONE challenge bigger than the Supreme Championship it is that one battle royal. I need to be focused on that. I cannot be bothered with your brother.” She sighs deeply. “Yet it seems he put me into a lose-lose situation. Either I agree to let him partner with me to keep him happy and end up pissing off my husband, or I reject Matty in order to save my marriage and end up ruining the friendship I had with Matty in the process.”
“So you either lose Kurt or you lose my brother.” Francis shakes her head. “Definitely a no win scenario.”
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Francis states with a nod of her head.
“Does your brother still have feelings for me?”
“My brother is a complex individual. He may seem to be a laid back, chill person who just wants to have fun, but deep down inside he is very complex, far more complex than anyone would know. One thing I can tell you for certain is that he always seemed to have a thing for you.” She points a finger at Glory. This revelation seems to take The British Bombshell by surprise. “In fact, he was being primed to take over the family business until he met you in school. Meeting you, the Braddocks, it changed the trajectory of his life forever. He decided his dream was to be a wrestler and he chased after that dream, leaving me to take over the family business in his stead. And he never quit chasing that dream, even after pissing off your father enough to make him kick Matthew out of the wrestling school, he still managed to find someone else to train him.”
“Blake O’Malley.” Glory says. Francis nods her head.
“Yes, that’s the one. O’Malley stepped in and completed my brother’s training, allowing him to fulfill his dream of being a wrestler. Do you remember the time you two did team together?”
“Yes, of course.” Glory nods her head. “It was in the Millennium Wrestling Alliance. We called ourselves The British Parliament. Bloody stupid name but it was Matty’s idea.”
“Of course.” Francis chuckles. “He never was good at names. In any event, that time teaming with you in MWA was the time of his life. Then when you quit teaming with him, when that partnership ended, he was devastated. He dropped into a deep depression. He no longer cared about wrestling. In fact, he came crawling back to me, willing to return to the family business.” Francis shrugs her shoulders. “I suppose you broke his spirit.”
“I had no idea that working with me meant so much to him.” Glory says in disbelief.
“Oh but then you had that affair.” Francis smirks. “That depression he had been in for years almost immediately lifted. That old happy go-lucky Matthew was back. Does he love you, Glory? I think I can safely say that yes, he does in fact love you. And it killed him to break off the affair. It killed him to give you up. But he did it because he loved you too much to be the reason that your marriage to Kurt came to an end.” She sighs. “He could tell that you love Kurt more than you love him. That hurt him too.”
“I had no idea.” Glory shakes her head in disbelief. “I thought it was just a brief fling, a mistake both of us made, but he took it very seriously. He really did love me…he still has feelings for me…”
“Yes, he does.” Francis says, nodding her head.
“Now I’ve rejected him for a third time.” Glory says slowly. “I probably sent him into a third depression. Is he going to be ok? Have you spoken to him since Thursday?”
“All I can tell you is that he is not himself.” Francis says quietly. “And it bothers me.”
“I feel as if I am responsible. I did push him over the edge.”
“No.” Francis shakes her head. “You are not responsible. My brother should have known better than to ask a married woman he had an affair with to be his tag team partner. He should have known would have rejected the idea. But he’s too blind to see it. You are not responsible. You did nothing wrong.”
“Maybe you’re right…” Glory’s voice trails off “...still, I wish I could do something to help.”
“Do you want my advice, Glory? As your friend, not as your employee?”
“Yes.”
“My advice is to stay out of it.” She says flatly. “Stay out of it and stay away from my brother. Let him deal with it in his own way. Trust me, it’s for your own good.”
==========
May 27th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
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It has been several days since Glory Braddock’s meeting with Francis Taylor, sister of Matthew Taylor. The meeting with certainly disturbing in the sense that her fears were confirmed, Matthew does indeed still have feelings for The British Bombshell. But despite all of that, she must find a way to put it all in the back of her mind; because she is one week away from SCW Taking Hold of the Flame. This is the most challenging competition one could ask for and at the end of the day competition is all Braddock wants. Competing against thirty nine other wrestlers in the ultimate test of endurance for the chance to main event Rise To Greatness and challenge for the SCW World Championship is something everyone looks forward to, but especially Glory Braddock this year. She wants to face new challenges and more importantly she would love to get another crack at the SCW World Title, she would love to win it back and actually have a legitimate run with the title, not the cup of coffee reign she had over a year ago. The first step towards achieving that goal is Taking Hold of the Flame and Braddock will have to put everything else out of her mind and focus only on the battle royal. She will also have to be at the top of her game. Getting to the top of her game, especially for a challenge as great as this, isn’t an easy task. In previous years she would look to her famous father, Glenn Braddock, to help her prepare for such a test. Glenn Braddock never failed to prepare her for any challenge that she met in her career and she is certain that her father would have been able to prepare her for this challenge as well.
Unfortunately her father is no longer on this earth. Her father, Glenn Braddock, has passed away. But if she learned anything from her time in England rediscovering herself, she learned to never forget who she is at her core. She may not be able to draw from the wisdom of Glenn Braddock himself, but she does have the next best thing; her father’s best friend, another veteran retired wrestler turned trainer Blake O’Malley. In fact, Blake has even reopened his wrestling gym for prospective wrestlers and current wrestlers who just want to improve their game. Glory is certain that Blake would have no issues helping her prepare for Taking Hold of the Flame. He was there for her when she needed help preparing for Kimberly Williams’s chaotic Trios Cash In. He would no doubt help her again. That’s not the problem. The problem is the fact that Blake is also currently training Matthew Taylor for a potential in ring return. Francis Taylor, Matthew’s sister, had urged Glory to stay away from him. Requesting Blake’s help in preparing for Taking Hold of the Flame could end up causing Glory to once again run into Matthew, leading to further problems between the two.
This is a risk she is willing to take in order to get the proper training and preparation time in for this insane battle royal that is just over a week away. Therefore Glory Braddock finds herself in a pub in Birmingham, England; the pub that Blake O’Malley frequents several times during the week. She is making her way through the pub, wearing denim jeans, sandals, and a purple t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. The pub is currently quiet, which is rather odd considering the number of people here is quite large. Still, she easily spots her father’s old friend friend Blake sitting in his usual seat at the bar. Braddock smiles warmly as she slowly approaches and sits down in an empty seat next to Blake.
“Fancy seeing you here, Uncle Blake.”
“Fancy seeing me here?” Blake says gruffly. “You should talk. I thought you lived in Miami?”
“Who says you can’t come home?”
“So England is your home?”
“Always will be my home away from home, Blake. You know that.” Glory says. Blake finally smiles before embracing her in a tight hug.
“Of course. It’s great to see you again, love.” The bartender approaches as Glory and Blake break the embrace.
“I’d like a Guiness, mate.” Glory requests. The bartender nods and walks off to fill the order. Glory then turns back to face Blake.
“So to what do I owe the pleasure? You got more questions about your old man?” Blake asks. Glory chuckles and shakes her head.
“Not this time. I need your help for more practical reasons this time. I have a match coming up, a very special match, and I’d like you to help me train for it.”
“Oh yeah?” Blake takes a big sip of his beer. “Is it something normal this time or is it some kinda clusterfuck like the last thing you had me help you with?”
“Sorry, Uncle Blake, but this is far from normal. It’s SCW Taking Hold of the Flame. It’s a battle royal.”
“Bloody hell,” he shakes his head “I always hated battle royals. It’s impossible to watch your back in those damned things. How many are in it?”
“Forty.” Glory answers. Blake sighs.
“Well that makes it even better, now doesn’t it? You DO remember the last multi-person clusterfuck I helped you prepare for, right?”
“I do.”
“And if I recall you ended up getting shoved in a damn crate.”
“I did.”
“And you STILL want me to help you? To train you?” Blake asks with arched brows. “Aren’t ya worried I’ll get ya stuck in another crate?”
“Look, Blake, that wasn’t your fault. That was a trio of brassers jealous of yours truly.” Glory smirks. “Besides, this is just your traditional rumble battle royal type match. Not a no holds barred hardcore match. Nothing unusual about this.”
“And you want me to train you?” Blake asks. Glory nods he head. The bartender returns with the bottle of Guinness for Glory. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, yes I do.” she takes a sip of her drink.
“There’s something different about you.” Blake points out. “First you wanted me to train ya for that hardcore clusterfuck. Now ya want me to train ya for this. What’s with ya, lately, huh?”
“Nothing, honest.” Glory remarks. “Like I said, I needed to rediscover myself and while I was here in England I did just that. I learned who I was at my core. It wasn’t that long ago that I was lost, and I was losing, I was losing because I let my own ego and conceited arrogant self get out of control. I needed to be humbled. And being here, reminding myself of my own beginnings, that humbled me. I needed to be reminded that even I need help once in awhile.” She sighs. “Look, one thing that the Braddock name means more than anything else is competition. This battle royal, Taking Hold of the Flame, there is no bigger competition than this. Sure, if I win I get a shot at the SCW World Championship. That’s certainly in the back of my mind. Ultimately, though, I want to test myself against thirty nine other wrestlers and see if I can prove that I really am among the very best to do it in SCW. And I need your help, Blake.”
“Layin’ it on thick, aren’t ya?” Blake chuckles softly. “Tell ya what, you got yourself a trainer.”
“You’re the best, Uncle Blake!” Glory embraces Blake again in a hug. After breaking the embrace Blake takes another sip of his beer.
“Well, I suppose first we’ll work on the obvious problem of battle royals and that’s expecting the unexpected. You never know how many of these damn fools you’ll have to deal with at one time. Like I said, last time you were in a chaotic situation like that you ended up in a damn crate.”
“Don’t remind me.” Glory rolls her eyes.
“You better remember so you can be better prepared.” Blake points out. “I’ll try to round up as many of my current students, any who want extra credit at least, and see if they’ll volunteer as sparring partners. See how many you can spar with at one time. That could be a good start.”
Glory Braddock is pleased that she recruited Blake O’Malley to assist her in preparing for the upcoming Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal. If anyone can prepare her for such a challenge, it is Blake. She is about to thank him again when she feels hands on her back and neck. Then the hands quickly reach around to try and get a feel of her breasts.
“Bloody hell!” She exclaims as she quickly hops up off of the stool and turns to face the assailant. She is shocked to see it’s Matthew Taylor…a very drunk Matthew Taylor. “Matty?”
“I kne…kne…I knew you couldn’t resist me babe!” He walks forward, closer to her, but she shoves him away.
“Bloody hell, Matt! How many drinks have you had?!”
“Too damn many, that’s for sure.” Blake responds.
“You and I were….meant to…beeee…” Matthew tries to force a kiss on Glory but she elbows him in the gut and pushes him back.
“I told you that this cannot happen!” Glory sighs out of frustration as Matthew lunges forward again and she barely avoids him. “What the hell? You’re too drunk to understand anything!”
“Precisely.” Comes the voice of Blake O’Malley, who takes his empty beer bottle and smashes it over Matthew’s head. Matthew was already nearly ready to pass out from alcohol, this shot to the head made it happen faster as he falls over unconscious at Glory’s feet. Glory gasps as she looks up at Blake.
“Was that necessary?”
“Yeah, it was.” He nods his head. “You said it yourself, he was too bloody drunk to understand or comprehend anything you were saying to him.”
“Oh Matty…” Glory’s voice trails off as she looks down at her fallen friend. Then she looks up at Blake. “...has he been acting like this a lot lately?”
“Come to think of it, yeah,” he nods his head “he has spent a lot more time getting drunk here lately.”
“I think I’m to blame.” Glory says quietly.
“Oh?”
“Matty has feelings for me. I suspected as much but I thought he was over me. But then he recently tried to form that tag team with me.”
“He did mention that.” Blake states. “So that was just a ploy to get back with you?”
“I think so.” Glory nods her head. “I rejected him and the tag team idea. A week and a half ago. He hasn’t been the same since.” Tears form in her eyes. She still feels guilt over what has happened to her friend Matthew. Blake O’Malley can tell that Glory feels upset. He wraps an arm around her shoulder.
“Don’t feel bad, Glory. He did it to himself. He only has himself to blame.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Look at me.” Blake says sternly. Glory looks up at him. “Focus on the task at hand. Focus on Taking Hold of the Flame. What’s wrong with Matthew is not your fault. Understand?”
“Yeah.” She nods her head. “I hear you.”
“Now come on.” He motions for Glory to follow him. “We have a lot of work to do.”
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Xander Valentine - 05-24-2023
1 of 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1APgnr-O5oP68lS5sso2JRg0Fj3Jr6tMFiyqChcpS-PY/edit?usp=sharing
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Braddock - 05-25-2023
1 of 2 for Religious Wright? Maybe?
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We open inside of The Grand Auditorium of the LAWD Dedicated by his righteousness Reverend Most Holy Archbishop John Wright. We see a stage (but we can barely make it out due to the disco ball like atmosphere and the flashy multi-colored lights going off all over the damn place. Brother Douglas is on stage playing his guitar.
“FUCK YEAH! JESUS! FUCK YEAH! THE LAWD IS GONNA LEAD OUR PASTOR TO VICTORY! FUCK YEAH! TAKING HOLD OF THE LAWD! FUCK YEAH! WE GONNA WIN THIS SHIT! FUCK YEAH! WIN IT FOR THE LAWD! FUCK YEAH!”
And then we see a figure in a dark hooded cloak dancing down the aisle. It happens to be none other than Religious Wright.
“FUCK YEAH! SATANIC CAULIFLOWER WRESTLING GONNA PAY! FUCK YEAH! SINFUL BASTARDS! FUCK YEAH! JESUS! FUCK YEAH! GONNA WIN THE BATTLE ROYAL! FUCK YEAH! GOING TO RISE TO GREATNESS! FUCK YEAH!
Religious Wright stops in front of the stage and does a quick Macarena. Why? He’s insane, so why the hell not? The nutty pastor then leaps onto the stage and heads towards the pulpit. He holds up his hand to silence Brother Dogulas.
“Be silenced my brotha! Be silenced!”
“I’LL BE SILENCED! FUCK YEAH! GONNA SHUT UP SO PASTOR WRIGHT CAN PREACH! FUCK YEAH! JESUS! FUCK YEAH!”
Wright turns and glares angrily at Brother Douglas. “I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP YA FILTHY ANIMAL!” And with that, Brother Douglas immediately stops playing. Religious Wright then turns to face the audience.
“Behold my brothas and my sistas! Behold I preach the truth to you about the future! The future as predicted to be in THA WORD OF THA LAWD!” Religious Wright pounds his fists on the pulpit. “In tha end times…there shall be ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR THOUSAND…”
“One hundred forty four thousand prophets?” Brother Douglas asks. “One hundred forty four thousand believers?”
“No!” Religious Wright shakes his head vehemently. “ONE HUNDRED FORTY FOUR THOUSAND HEATHENISTIC VIOLENT BARBARIANS WHO REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THE WORD OF THE LAWD! THE WORD BROUGHT TO US BY BROTHER JAMES EVANS!”
“Oh…” Brother Douglas says, sounding rather disappointed “...I thought SCW was having a roster shortage, but one hundred and forty four thousand wrestlers? That’s quite a roster!”
“And I, the PROPHET OF THE LAWD, will have to eliminate all of them in the ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR THOUSAND person Taking Hold of the LAWD Battle Royal!”
“I’m pretty sure it’s just a 40 person battle royal.”
“Silence, Brother Douglas!” Wright exclaims. “But there will be TWO witnesses to stand against them! Revelation chapter eleven verses one through twelve speaks of the coming of SISTA DATURA AND BROTHA JAMES EVANS to stand against the violence of SATANIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING! This battle shall take place on the battle field of Megido…”
“Wait, Megiddo is in Milwaukee?” Brother Douglas asks.
“Of course it is! The war shall be fought on the battle field of Megiddo for three and a half years…”
“That sounds like it’ll be quite the battle royal.” Brother Douglas says. “I’m gonna get me and my sister tickets!”
“While this war for the flame is ongoing, the BEAST SHALL EMERGE FROM THE SEA! Revelation chapter thirteen verses one through eight names this beast, this Anti-James, as AMELIA BLYTHE!” He declares loudly. “The Great Whore of Bablyon, predicted in Revelation chapter seventeen, is Light in the Darkness and it must be put to an end for the glory of JAMES EVANS!” He shakes his head. “But they will fail! FOR COMING IN GLORY SHALL BE OUR REDEEMER! BROTHA JAMES EVANS SHALL RETURN TO LEAD US TO THE GLORY OF THE LAWD!”
Religious Wright hops down off of the stage. He approaches a woman standing nearby. “Sister Bernice…is everything ready?”
“Yes, sir. I have arranged for you and Brother Douglas’s sister to have a secret sexy getaway on the church yacht paid for by offeratory money meant to go towards James Evans’s recovery efforts.”
“Good…” he shakes his head “...I mean, no! That was supposed to be a secret! What about the OTHER thing?”
“Oh, you mean tonight where you and I will meet under the cover of darkness to engage in a wild affair beneath my husband’s notice?”
“Yes…I mean NO!” He shakes his head again. “The OTHER OTHER THING!”
“Oh that…” she nods her head “...yes, all hymnals will be replaced by next week. All twenty eight versions of ‘Jesus Fuck Yeah’ will be included as well as forty new songs dedicated to James Evans. Also the stained glass window of James Evans will be installed tomorrow.”
“Stained glass window?” He rolls his eyes. “Too Catholic. I want a giant James Evans Monster Truck in the center of the church auditorium!” He points at the woman. “Make it happen!”
“Yes, sir!” She pauses. “Uh, how will we pay for a monster truck?”
“Use the money we collected to help wildlife preservation. Not like they need it, am I right?” He smirks.
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - The Matt - 05-26-2023
1 of 2
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May 27th, 2023
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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It’s Saturday, just over one week away from Taking Hold of the Flame, the event that marks the beginning of Rise To Greatness season. It is the one event that can change a wrestler’s career because winning that battle royal, winning Taking Hold of the Flame, would immediately catapult you into the main event of Rise To Greatness to challenge for the SCW World Championship. Now why is this important to Kimberly Williams? She has had only two other opportunities at the SCW World Title. Once in the chaotic double jeopardy match last year. Then again in February of this year against Owen Cruze. Both instances Kim came up short in claiming her first ever world championship. The first time didn’t sting as much because, at the time, Kim never really cared about being World Champion. It was a match forced upon her by SCW management, specifically commissioner Shaun Cruze. The second time stung a great deal, mostly because she also lost her SCW Underground Title in the winner take all match. But it also stung because she realized just then how close she came to finally achieving the same level of greatness the rest of her family had achieved. And ever since that loss, that defeat, Kimberly felt as if her career was stalled. She felt as if it just went nowhere. Now with Rise To Greatness season about to begin, Kimberly finds herself back in a situation where she can once again make history, where she can once again try to make her family proud of her. This isn’t about legacy for The Woman Scorned. She has already established her legacy by reenergizing the Underground Division, by literally becoming the new Underground Queen. This is about making sure everyone remembers her name. Winning Taking Hold of the Flame and thus punching her ticket to the main event of Rise To Greatness, possibly forcing the Underground Championship that she now holds into the Rise To Greatness main event with her, that would be historic. Winning the SCW World Championship and finally adding her name among the Jones family greats would be icing on the cake.
Making her family proud is just one of many things on the mind of everyone’s loveable yet eccentric ginger. After all, Kimberly hasn’t really had a true family for that long; at least, not when compared to most normal family situations. When one looks at the reigning SCW Underground Champion, no one truly thinks of anything about her as being normal, and that includes her family situation. She was torn from her family at birth and reunited with them at the age of eighteen. But the reunion wasn’t a pleasant one; Kimberly was criminally insane and wanted to hurt them. This landed the demented ginger in a mental institution for a couple years before the love and kindness of her family broke through to her and helped ease some of the calamity in her mind, helped bring some light into her dark soul. Kimberly doesn’t like showing weakness, and emotion, in her mind, is a form of weakness. Therefore she won’t advertise it that often, but she truly does care for her family. The emotional bond she feels for them is strong. She would do anything for them. This is why she has been so obsessed with the state of affairs involving her nephew.
Sean Connor Jones is the son of Kimberly’s identical twin sister Marie Jones. The Woman Scorned has been very concerned with her nephew’s behavior lately. His grades started to suffer, and she learned later that it was because he was skipping school, she learned that after he manipulated her into lying to his mother. The most recent behavioral issue involving Sean was a fight he got into at school. Marie seems to think that she can settle the problem on her own. Perhaps she can. But Kim is deeply disturbed; with each behavioral issue Sean displays, the more he reminds her of herself. His actions seem to be getting worse and worse. And it bothers Kim to no end. It bothers her not just because she recalls her own ill-fated childhood fraught with violence and crime, but also because it reminds her of her father and uncle Sean Williams and Douglas Williams. Douglas was a convicted serial killer and many suspect that Sean was involved with it. It seems as if the entire Williams family is cursed to go down a dark path. Kimberly does not want that same fate for her nephew.
This is what brings Kimberly Williams to “the rough part of town”...ok, that’s a lie. It isn’t a rough part of town. It’s actually the upscale neighborhood where her identical twin sister Marie Jones lives. But don’t tell that to The Woman Scorned. The demented ginger wants to think this is the “rough part of town” because it fits her crazy narrative for this evening. The Queen of the Death Match is walking around outside under a moonlit night dressed in a brown overcoat, a brown hat, and wearing a pair of jeans, black boots, and a “Queens of Chaos” t-shirt underneath. A solemn, almost grave look is etched across her face as she slowly walks the neighborhood, talking to herself.
“I aint no rat, ya see…I aint no stool pigeon…” she shakes her head vehemently “...I gonna squeal to the feds, see? Not gonna happen. “Kimmy ‘The Big Tuna’ Williams don’t squeal to no feds!” Williams stops in front of a rather luxurious looking home. The walkway leads to the front door. She stares at its ominous presence and shakes her head. “But there it is. Lucky Luciano survived the feds. Albert ‘Tick Tock’ Tannenbaum survived the big house. But I aint sure I can make it. They’re gonna try ta make a deal, they’re gonna put some pressure on me to break the code, to break omerta.” Kimberly shakes her head again. “I am loyal to la cosa nostra! I am a loyal soldier! I am a made man…woman…it don’t matter, I can identify as whatever I want! The feds can’t make me talk!”
Kimberly may be talking to herself but that doesn’t mean she’s been talking quietly. In fact, she has been speaking rather loudly and she has gotten the attention of someone from within that home. Lights that were previously off suddenly turn on. Kim is startled as she sees curtains opening and then the face of her identical twin sister, Marie Jones, is looking outside. Kim curses to herself.
“Damn! They’re spying on me!” She points an accusatory finger. “I hope ya got a warrant for that wiretap or my attorney’ll have yer job!” Marie can be seen shaking her head from inside the house. Then she disappears for a brief moment. Not too long after that and we see the door opening and Marie emerging on the front doorstep. Her hands are folded across her chest. Marie is wearing pink pajama pants, a pink top, and a plaid coat. She shakes her head in disbelief.
“Kim?! What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Ya can’t interrogate me without first reading me my rights, copper!”
“Seriously?”
“Read me my writes or I’ll sue!”
“Ugh…” Marie rolls her eyes “...you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Happy now?”
“Perfect!” Kim says cheerfully.
“Now what the hell are you doing here this time of night?”
“I PLEAD THE FIFTH!”
“Really? Again?” Marie rolls her eyes. “What are you…”
“I will NOT break the code! I will not cooperate! Omerta!”
“Omerta?” Marie shakes her head. “You’ve been watching Mafia’s Greatest Hits again haven’t you?”
“Yup!” Kim nods her head excitedly. “I’m watching the one about Albert Anastasia next!”
“That explains the weird getup and your even weirder…” she pauses momentarily “...behavior.”
“Oh c’mon, it isn’t much more weird than usual.”
“True.” Marie sighs and motions for Kim to come inside. “Obviously you want to talk about something. So come on in.”
Williams nods her head before quickly making her way up the walkway and towards the front door. Kim rushes through the front door and Marie shuts it behind them. Kim doesn’t wait for Marie. She knows this home almost as well as her own. She immediately goes straight for the living room where she leaps onto the sofa as if she owned the place. Marie emerges into the living room shortly thereafter. Marie sits down in a recliner located perpendicular to the sofa.
“So, would I be getting ahead of myself in congratulating you?”
“Congratulating me for what?” Kim asks, arching her brow.
“Winning Taking Hold of the Flame.” Marie smirks. “I know what time of year this is, and I already heard you were entering.”
“You’re definitely getting ahead of yourself. “There’s thirty nine other people I gotta maim, or beat, or whatever in order to win that thing.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. If I recall the last battle royal SCW had, last traditional battle royal that is, was won by you.” Marie says. Kim nods her head.
“It was Ducky’s cash in. Although technically my penguin won, not me.”
“You know what I mean. You won that night and it earned you a world title match. Here’s another battle royal, Taking Hold of the Flame. You win this, you get another title match.”
“Who cares?” Kim asks. “I already have the championship I want.”
“Yes, you are the SCW Underground Champion. But you must care at least somewhat, otherwise why would you enter?”
Kim sighs. She had been lying down but she swings her legs over the side so that she is now sitting up. She shrugs her shoulders. “I dunno, it’s just…”
“What?”
“Look, being a world champion isn’t the end all be all for me. But I look at what you and Jessie have done, I look at what our mom has done, and compare it to what I have done.” She sighs. “Quite honestly, I’m not sure I measure up.”
“What do you mean?” Marie asks. “Of course you measure up. Look at how much you’ve achieved in SCW. You are two titles away from Supreme Champion. You resurrected and revitalized an entire division, the Underground Division. Me, Jessie, mom, we’ve all been a part of SCW at one point or another and we haven’t come close to that kind of success. And you did elevate the Underground Title. You got into a main event status against the world champion at Body, Heart, and Soul.”
“Yeah…” Kim sighs “...and I screwed it all up. I couldn’t lose graciously. Maybe had I dealt with that loss to Owen things would be different.” Kim looks up into Marie’s eyes. “I don’t necessarily NEED the world title. But to main event Rise To Greatness? That would make up for it. To take everything that happened at Body, Heart, and Soul and run it back, only this time on an even grander stage, that would give me a second chance, a second chance to either win the world title or if I lose, to actually lose graciously and hold my head high even in defeat.” She shakes her head. “But I NEED to win Taking Hold of the Flame first in order to get there. I need to win to prove that I belong in this family.”
“You don’t need to do anything to prove that you belong.” Marie smiles warmly. “You are a Jones whether you like it or not. But take my word for it, everyone believes in you, everyone is cheering you on, especially your nephew who is asleep upstairs.”
Now comes the hard part. Kimberly came here to talk about that nephew who is asleep in bed. That same nephew who plans to cheer her on to victory at Taking Hold of the Flame has also been in some deep trouble as of late. Kimberly has a lot to discuss with Marie about young Sean Jones.
“Yeah, speaking of the kiddo, did he tell you about visit to Burger King last Sunday?” Kim asks curiously. Marie shakes her head.
“No, not really. He just told me you and him had a great time and left it at that.” Marie pauses momentarily, staring a hole through her twin. “Did you find out something else that he’s done?”
“No, not this time. At least not that I’m aware of. But I did manage to find out a little more about what might be causing his recent string of bad behavior.”
“Oh really? I definitely want to hear about this.”
“Do you remember how I told you he had these new friends who put him up to that fight?” Kim asks. Marie nods her head. “I think they’re probably the root of everything.”
“What are their names?”
“There’s three of them.” She holds up three fingers. “Kyle, Jackson, and Max. I’m not sure who the real leader is but Sean is definitely just a follower. Those three have apparently been the school bullies for as long as Sean can remember. And now for whatever reason they’ve decided to make friends with Sean.”
“So they’re a bad influence on my son? They’re corrupting him?” Marie asks. “It’s that simple?”
“That simple.” Kim says, nodding her head in confirmation. “And my gut tells me that those three are really bad news.”
“Well, if it really is that simple then I will end this once and for all.”
“How?” Kim asks.
“Like you said, Kim. Simple. I’m just going to tell him he can’t be friends with them anymore.” Kim starts laughing immediately after Marie says this. Marie frowns. “What’s so funny?”
“You.”
“Why am I funny?”
“You think forbidding him from talking to those three clowns will stop him? Yeah, that’s hilarious.”
“I’m his mother.” Marie points out. “He will listen to me.”
“No he won’t.” Kim argues, shaking her head. “First, you can’t be there at school with him, you can’t be around him 24/7. So you can’t enforce who he befriends. Secondly, he’s a kid. Almost a teenager. He’s at that age where he doesn’t listen to anyone, especially not to parents.”
“Then I’ll ground him.” Marie states. “Keep him in the house at all times unless…”
“He’ll find a way around whatever enforcement mechanisms you come up with.” Kim says, interrupting her twin. “And the more you push him, the more you tell him not to, the more he will want to, the harder you come down on him, the more rebellious he will become because he is at that age where he will become more and more rebellious. Sorry, sis, but you’re just gonna have to accept that this is one problem that doesn’t have an easy solution.”
“I know.” Marie shakes her head and sighs. “I just want it to be easy, y’know? Because I worry about him.”
“You and me both.” Kim states. “I know our history, not just my history but OUR history.” She motions to herself and Marie. “Our dad, our uncle, Sean’s grandfather and great uncle, they went down a terrible path. I don’t want that kid to turn out like them. Or like me.”
“He won’t.” Marie leans over and embraces her sister in a tight hug. “We won’t let it happen. Sean may not have a father, but he has a great mother and an awesome aunt who will make sure he turns out ok.”
Kimberly nods her head. She hopes that Marie is right, she hopes that all it takes is some tender loving care from herself and Marie to keep Sean on the right path. She hopes that they can steer him back into the right direction. She knows very well of her family’s dark history, their curse if you will. She does not want Sean to fall into that same curse.
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May 28th, 2023
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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A little less than twenty four hours has passed since Kimberly Williams was at her sister’s house touching base on the status of Sean Connor Jones, Kimberly’s troublesome nephew. The Woman Scorned is still nervous about what the future might hold for Sean, she still worries about whether or not she can help him get back on track. Unfortunately there’s not much that the eccentric ginger can do right now. Quite honestly, her ability to do much of anything in this situation is rather limited. She isn’t the mother, she is just the aunt. Ultimately its up to Marie to figure this out. Kimberly’s role is a supportive figure. Yet Kim wants to do more. Kim feels as if she should do more to help, because she sees Sean potentially going down the same dangerous path she went down and she would do anything to keep that from happening. These distressing thoughts are going through her head as she walks through her dilapidated run down home just within the Boston city limits. The Woman Scorned has a bottle of pellets in hand, pellets intended for her foul mouthed hamster Caligula. Kim is whistling cheerfully as she walks through the home, dressed in torn denim jeans, barefoot, and a plain black t-shirt.
“Caligula!” She calls out as she enters the dusty, dirty living room. “Sweetie! Are you ready for your dinner?”
“It better be a fuckin’ steak, bitch!” Comes the voice of ‘Caligula the hamster’, although its actually just Kimberly herself providing the voice of the hamster.
“Now is that a nice thing to say after I prepared a fine meal for you?” Kim asks as she approaches the hamster cage and drops the pellets inside.
“After the long day at work I’ve had, you call this shit a meal? You really are a fucking lunatic.” Kim sticks her tongue out at Caligula. She sets the bottle of pellets down on a nearby coffee table and then sits down on the sofa.
“Try to be nice, ok?” Kim asks. “You know I have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Yeah, that ignorant ass kid.”
“Hey!” Kim exclaims angrily. “Don’t say such nasty things about my nephew!”
“I’m not saying anything you don’t already know is true. If that idiot is stupid enough to just blindly follow those jackasses around, he deserves what he gets. So why bother when you have other, more important shit to take care of?”
“What’s more important than family?” Kim demands angrily.
“Taking Hold of the Flame.”
“Oh right…” Kim sighs and shakes her head “...I do want to win. I want to win it badly. But who am I kidding? I can’t win.”
“You got that right, bitch.”
“Huh?!” Kim exclaims. “I was being sarcastic!”
“I wasn’t. My money is on that sexy piece of ass Kandis. And trust me, she knows a thing or two about asses. I know a thing or two about asses. I’m an ass connoisseur.”
“Kandis?” Kim rolls her eyes. “You’re seriously picking her? Over people like Syren. The Onesie. Glory Braddock. Hell, even me!”
“Yup. Kandis is my pick. Got a problem with it?”
“As a matter of fact, I do!” Kim stands up quickly. She snatches the cage and holds it up. “I may not seem like a threat to some, I may appear like a joke to others, but damn it, I take this business and what I do very seriously! I am going to prove to them and especially to you, you stupid hamster, that I am one of the best to lace up a pair of boots! I am going to win Taking Hold of the Flame! I am going to Rise To Greatness! I am going to win the SCW World Championship!”
“And you’re gonna argue with a fuckin’ hamster, right?”
“DAMN IT! YES! YES I WILL!” Kim shouts loudly.
“Right on. Now put me down before ya drop me and accidentally break, ya stupid bitch.”
“Sure…” Kim gently places the hamster and his cage back on the table. Kim sits back down on the sofa. “...thank you for motivating me, Caligula.”
“Motivation?”
“Yes, motivation. You only pretended to pick Kandis to win just to motivate me, right?”
“Fuck no. I’m not bullshitting ya. Kandis is my pick to win.”
“Well fuck you, Caligula!” Kim exclaims. She folds her arms over her chest and leans back on the sofa and begins to pout. She knows she’s really just arguing with herself, not a hamster, but still, the feelings of doubt are there and they are real. She did enter Taking Hold of the Flame. There is no walking that back. Can she make it with her while? She can win it all and bring the Underground Championship into the main event of Rise To Greatness? Can she get a chance to redo the catastrophe that was Body, Heart, and Soul?
Body, Heart, and Soul and its aftermath still haunts Kimberly Williams. She had already elevated the Underground Title to being on par with the World Championship by earning the title for title match at Body, Heart, and Soul against Owen Cruze. But she failed to defeat Cruze and on top of that, she failed to lose graciously. She didn’t live up to what she felt were her standards. She had been a poor representative of herself and her family, the Jones wrestling family. Kim Williams recognizes that Taking Hold of the Flame represents a second chance. She could earn another world title match, and thus earn another opportunity to make that moment happen. She could “run it back” as they say, redo Body, Heart, and Soul, this time with the end game of making her family and fans proud. Winning Taking Hold of the Flame is a must. Winning this battle royal has to happen first.
Suddenly Kimberly is startled out of her deep thoughts when she hears loud knocking at the door. The Woman Scorned may live on a bad part of town but she isn’t exactly afraid of much of anything. She sighs as she turns to face the loud knocking.
“Come in!” She shouts. “If you plan to rob me, at least make it fun!”
It isn’t long afterwards when the door opens. Kim spots her sister, Marie Jones, rushing quickly into the home. Kim tilts her head to one side, watching her curiously as she enters the living room. “Didn’t we just do this yesterday? Did I somehow get sucked into that stupid Groundhog Day movie?”
“No, Kim, this is serious.” Marie quickly sits down on the sofa next to her twin sister. Marie seems deeply troubled. There is a mixed look of anger and disappointment on her face. Kim can only wonder what is going on, but it doesn’t take long before she finds out. “It’s Sean…”
This quickly alerts Kim. Hearing that her nephew may have gotten into more trouble rings alarm bells for The Woman Scorned. The grin that Kim had been sporting quickly disappears. She stares at Marie with a stoic gaze.
“Sean was caught and arrested.”
“What?!” Kim exclaims. Marie nods her head.
“He and his new pals were caught breaking into their school.”
“Crap…” Kim shakes her head “...did you let him go see them?”
“No!” Marie insists. “I already told you that I’d rather him not see them ever again! But apparently he snuck out…” tears form in her eyes “...I’m a failure.”
“No, you’re not.” Marie says, patting Marie on the back in order to comfort her. “It could have happened to any parent. Especially to a single parent.”
“Don’t make excuses for me, Kim. I shouldn’t have let that happen. I should have known…I…”
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda,” Kim shakes her head “that doesn’t matter right now. Right now we need to focus on what’s next.”
“Right.” Marie says. “I want you to come with me. We’re going to get him out of there and…”
“No.”
“What?” Marie cocks her brow out of curiosity. “Uh, maybe you didn’t hear me correctly. Sean was ARRESTED! He is in CUSTODY! We need to bail him out!”
“No, no we don’t.” Kim shakes her head.
“So, wait a sec…” Marie rubs her forehead, she still doesn’t believe the words coming out of her sister’s mouth “...you want me to leave my son there in custody overnight?!”
“Yes. Exactly.” Kim nods her head. “Look, Sean is going down a bad path. I wanted to protect him from all of this but now I realize that he needs to learn a lesson.”
“We’re in agreement then. I’ll go pick him up and I’ll ground him for fucking life.” Marie says. Kim shakes her head.
“No…” Kim pauses momentarily “...Sean needs to be scared straight. Being arrested was part of that process, but once he realizes that we’re not coming for him, and that he is going to spend a night in jail, maybe he’ll see that this is his future. This is where the road he is going down leads. And maybe he’ll change.”
“That sounds ok in theory.” Marie says in protest. “But what if you’re wrong? What if he just gets angry with us for not bailing him out? What if it makes him all the more rebellious?”
“I suppose that is a possibility.” Kim admits.
“And you’re still willing to take that risk?”
“Yes.” Kim nods her head. “I think this will work.”
“Damn it, Kim.” Marie nods her head. “Fine. We’ll leave him.”
Kimberly keeps up a good, strong front. She doesn’t let on to Marie that she, too, questions this plan. But she and Marie have helped him all of his life and it has thus far led to this. Perhaps a change of strategy is necessary? Perhaps Sean can be scared straight? Kim can only hope and pray that she is right, that this will indeed work. If it doesn’t work, Kimberly will never forgive herself.
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Team Desire - 05-29-2023
Giovanna Steward | "Finding Katie"
Los Angeles, California at the home of Katie Steward. Gigi's car pulls up to the front gate. Gigi rolls down her window as she drives up to a speaker. She reaches out the window to ring the button to let her inside. Nothing happens. No one comes on the speaker. The gates don't open for her. Gigi is just stuck sitting in her car outside the gates. She opens the car door and steps out. She walks to the gates and tries peeking through an opening to look inside. She doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. It doesn't look like anyone has been there for a few months.
Gigi takes a step back and looks around. She's confused. Not sure where Katie could be. She takes out her phone and makes a call to her sister.
"Hey Ash, it didn't look like she's here. I'll try and get a closer look. If you don't hear back from me. I'll probably be in jail." Gigi ends her message and hangs up her phone. She locks up her car before turning back and hopping the gate to get into the property. Gigi walks up the driveway to the front steps of the house. She looks through a window and the place doesn't look to be empty. Katie's things are still inside.
"Phew, she didn't completely abandon us." Gigi says to herself. Gigi turns around and looks at the ground. She finds a few rocks scattered around a bush. She picks one up and finds a key there to get her inside the house.
Inside the house, Gigi walks around going from room to room trying to figure out where Katie ran off too. Gigi walks into Katie's office and looks through her desk. Maybe she could find a note she left or something. She doesn't find anything. Gigi is frustrated she's come up empty. She can't believe Katie would just leave like this. She falls back into Katie's desk chair. It spins her around the room.
She hears a knock on the office door. She turns the door to Gina Pierce walking inside.
"Hi Gigi, I saw your car outside and thought I found you in here looking for her." Gina greets Gigi as she walks up to the desk.
"So you have no clue where she is either? She didn't give you a letter or anything for me?" Gigi questions Gina hoping maybe Katie thought of her before her decision making.
"I'm sorry, she just stopped coming home." Gina apologizes to Gigi for having no news to give her.
Gigi just leans back in the chair and spins herself around in it. She randomly looks around the room for maybe anything. She pulls her foot down, stopping the chair. Something did catch her eye. Gigi stands up and reaches over on Katie's desk and grabs one of her Beauty magazines. Gigi smiles as she knows she's on the right track.
"What? Do you think Katie gave herself a makeover and she's gone into hiding?" Gina asks Gigi, noticing she's very interested in the magazine.
"No. Well maybe, but Katie is gone and the mail isn't piling up outside. She's changed her address and I just went to find where she's sending her magazines too now." Gigi smiles as she's figured out where Katie has been for the last few months.
Downtown LA at a really nice hotel. Gigi walks into the lobby being underdressed for the occasion. She didn't expect her trail would lead her to such a high class venture. Maybe that is just on her for not being completely in sync with Katie's choices. She doesn't let that deter her though. She moves through the lobby checking things out. Guests come and go around her. She looks over to the clerk behind the counter who makes eye contact with her. They pick up a phone and look to be making a call. Gigi knows that she's been made. She isn't dressed up for being in such a place. She quickly moves towards the stairwell and ducks inside. A bit of a pickle she's in now since she doesn't know what floor or room Katie is in. Gigi shakes her head, not letting it stop her. She pushes forward if she has to knock on every door she will. Gigi sprints up the stairs climbing up the floor. She makes it up a few floors before she is caught by security coming down.
"We got her. She's in the stairwell on the 4h Floor." One of the security people talks into his walkie.
Security approaches her and Gigi takes a step back. She can't have them take her and throw her out of the building. Not when she's this close. Guess she's got to show them what's been keeping her busy the last few months.
"Come on, guys. I really don't want to do this to you now." Gigi is very concerned for the guys.
The security doesn't take Gigi's words seriously. One reaches out to apprehend her. She brushes them away and pushes past the guy. She elbows them in the back knocking the guard to the floor. The other one sees his buddy go down and takes defense. He throws a punch, but Gigi moves out of the way. She likes a knee up hitting them in the gut. She spins around the guy climbing onto him and sitting on his shoulders. She pulls off a nice head scissors on the guy. Gigi stands in the stairwell as more security run in. She sprints up to the next floor and opens the door running on the floor. She runs around the floor trying to find a place to hide. Before she can she's cut off by a couple security in her way.
"I don't suppose we can talk this out, can we? I was very sincere to your buddies in the stairwell." Gigi tries to reason with them, but they aren't having it.
Gigi turns to a maid's cart nearby and grabs a mop from it as a weapon. Gigi wields the mop as she readies for one of them to attack. One of the security guys reaches out towards her. Gigi swings the blunt end around, but the other guy catches it and stops it. They then palm strike the mop breaking it half. Gigi is a little intimidated by the strength. She takes the mop end and chucks it at one of them. The dirty wet mop end wraps around their head. They stumble backwards. Gigi sweeps the other guy's legs knocking him to the ground and follows it with a knee strike to the head knocking them out. The other guy was mopped, they threw the mop to the ground in anger. Wiping the dirty water off their head and suit. Now he's anger with her. They aren't playing around. They approach her ready to forcibly remove her from the building. Gigi chucks the other end of the broken mop at them. It ended up connecting a little low on them. The guy doubles over. Gigi runs and hits a shiny wizard on them.
Gigi picks herself up and looks around at the bodies on the floor. She's made it this far without being caught. How much further does she have to go? She knows she has to find a place to hide. She hears a door open nearby. She hurries over and ducks into the hotel to get out of sight from security. Closing the door behind her she leans up against it and catches her breath.
"I didn't think you would find me." A familiar voice is heard behind Gigi. She turns around to see Katie standing in the hotel room.
"Katie!" Gigi runs to her and hugs her tight. After a few seconds she releases her and follows up with a punch to the arm.
"Ow! Ok, you're a little upset with me, but I had good intentions." Katie rubs her arm where Gigi let her have it. She looks at Gigi who is a ball of emotion right now.
"Good intentions? What does that even mean? You just disappeared on us. We were worried about you. We didn't know where you were. You could've been hanging out with Ace Marshall for all we know." Gigi doesn't believe Katie's intentions. She walks by her and over to the bed and sits down on it.
"Gigi, you know what happened. You know the things that I did. I was trying to express my creativity. Sticking my feet in the creative water of storytelling. Taking a seat in the director's chair. Then some unexplained things happened. Robin Brooks' murder mystery affected me deeply. Even more so that everyone saw me as the prime suspect." Katie walks over and sits down next to Gigi on the bed. Trying to explain herself to her.
"Yeah, I guess that would screw someone up a little." Gigi kind of understands a bit.
"Then I got the Queensblade and it's power just consumed me. That's where things really got out of hand. It helped me save Robin and in return enslaved my Brats to serve the blade. I hurt them. They'll never forgive me for what I've done." Katie lowers her head in shame. Hurting those closer to her.
"Wow, I can't believe what I'm hearing. I've never thought I'd see this side of you. You saved Robin's life. Maybe talking to her and she could try to smooth things out with the rest of them. Maybe give Autumn Daniels a little bit more time. She might still be wanting to kill you. Making her serve another again kind of pushed her over the edge. Kind of surprising she hadn't hunted you down first." Gigi laughs over her comments and Katie cracks a smile as well. Maybe things are looking up and she'll get Katie to come back with her.
While the Steward girls share a laugh. They're interrupted by a knock on the hotel door. They both jump up off the bed.
"Oh my God(dess), it's Security/Autumn. They found me!" They both shout out simultaneously. Katie and Gigi look at each other and see the ordeal the other is in. They turn and stand side by side. The Stewards back together, teaming up again.
The hotel room door opens up and Katie and Gigi stand ready to fight whoever is on the other side. A good looking, sharply dressed man stands in the doorway.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company. Do we still have plans?" The man says to Katie as Gigi looks at her a bit confused.
"You know him? Oh my God, you're dating!" Gigi stares at Katie reverting back to being upset with her.
"Ok, yes I am seeing someone. This is Eli. It's been a couple of months and I was trying to start over." Katie tries to explain herself to Gigi, but she is now way too upset with her.
"Hello. Who might you be?" Eli smiles at Gigi interested in meeting a friend of Katie's.
"Gigi. Her daughter." Gigi tells him who she is.
"A daughter?" Eli is surprised to hear this news.
"You didn't tell him about me? You are unbelievable." Gigi tries to leave, but Katie grabs her by the hand.
"I understand that you're mad at me and you don't understand why I did the things that I did. If I went back and they forgave me. It wouldn't matter. I would do something else that'll screw everything up again. My Brats, you, everyone would always think of me as the Villian. I can't do that to them." Katie tries to get Gigi to understand. Gigi is just too mad at her. Gigi pulls her hand away and walks out of the hotel room.
Gigi walks down the hallway and turns a corner. She stops and leans up against the wall. She starts to feel like an idiot thinking that she could've talked Katie into coming home. Someone turns the corner and stands near her.
"I don't want to talk to you." Gigi tells them thinking it's Katie. Gigi stands up off the wall and turns looking at half a dozen security guards. Gigi peacefully raises her hands and goes along with them willingly and walks out of the building.
Gigi returns home to her apartment. She sits in a chair in the living room leaning back. She is still lost, not knowing what to think about the Katie relevantion.
"So Katie isn't coming home? She just ran off and started a new life?" Ash walks into the room from the kitchen and joins Gigi in the living room.
"She said she doesn't want to be seen as the villain. Although running away from us might be just as damaging." Gigi says still fuming with her emotions about Katie.
"The Queensblade did do a lot to her mentally. It affected everyone around her and us. Maddy is still not back from her mom's either. I think we all just need a little time to do some soul searching. Maybe find our inner Goddesses again." Ash tries to help Gigi understand Katie's side of things. Try to cool her off and calm her down. "G, you went out looking for her. I know she means a lot to you and you love her. At least you found her and know where she is. Why do you need her back home so badly?" Ash reaches out and pats Gigi on her shoulder. She tries to be there for her support, but she's done what she can. Ash gets up and goes to Maddy's room for the night as she's staying at the apartment while she is away.
Gigi just sits in her chair. Ash's words ring in her ear and she thinks. Why is Katie so important?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Why do I need Katie? Sure it's a little weird being Rise to Greatness season and she isn't around. I am a grown woman. Have been for quite awhile. I shouldn’t need her around me for everything. I’m not going to stop being mad that she completely tried to leave and start over somewhere else, but maybe these few months should’ve been breaking out more on my own. Signing up for the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal is a good way of doing that. I need to just change my mindset. I need to make an impact. Fight everyone and prove that my 15 years in SCW wasn’t just Katie's girl. Even though it pretty much was and none of them would ever see me as a threat. Why would they? Why would any of them give me a second look? Katie said she went away for the things she’s done. The people she’s hurt. The impact that she’s left in their minds. It’s always Katie. No wonder it’s so hard to let her go. She just sticks in your mind and you can’t let her go.
But is it worth it? Katie regrets it. She tried running from it. It’s why I’m now in this position not having her with me. To be the villain for so long. It’s all anyone sees of you. She did so much and made a name for herself. Became the biggest star of the company. To think in the end didn't care what they thought of her. She still doesn’t care what people think. She cared about what I thought of her.
So what do I do? Make an impact the only way a Steward can in Taking Hold of the Flame. By rubbing every single person in this battle royal the wrong way. To show them how badly I want it. It is kind of weird because I never saw myself winning the battle royal, Main Eventing Rise to Greatness or winning the SCW Championship. Though I have never been on my own either. No Katie or Maddy with me. So I have to push myself to the very best that I can be. While they’ll never see me as the biggest threat in the match. They’re going to know that Gigi Steward is the biggest underdog story of this year’s Taking Hold of the Flame and after I win it. The underdog story will become a Cinderella story for Rise to Greatness. If there is anything a Steward can do better than anyone. It’s making you care about their story.
So everyone get yourselves ready because I, Giovanna Steward, are going to give you something that you probably never thought you wanted, ever. Because this Steward’s name will be on the Rise to Greatness marquee.
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Asher_Hayes - 05-29-2023
Bush and Kush, Chapter Eight
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Kandis. - 05-29-2023
OOC: Explicit content ahoy~! Guest appearance with approval.
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Taking Hold of the Flame 2023 #1
RE: SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal - Braddock - 05-30-2023
2 of 2
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May 29th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
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Taking Hold of the Flame is less than a week away and Glory Braddock aims to try and punch her ticket to the biggest show of the year, Rise To Greatness, by winning the signature battle royal and thus earning herself a shot at the SCW World Championship. Yes, The British Bombshell still wants to be a tag team champion. Supreme Championship status is still in her sights, but this is Taking Hold of the Flame. How could anyone turn down this opportunity, the one night of the year where one individual could turn their entire careers around in an instant? If you are good enough, and lucky enough, you could find yourself in a prime position to take home the top prize in professional wrestling. Glory Braddock has held SCW’s top prize before but only for a few brief minutes. Having the world championship and then losing it is bad enough but to have it and lose it as quickly as she did was heartbreaking. Braddock still has not forgotten that night and she would love to have herself another opportunity, a chance to make things right. Besides, why not enter Taking Hold of the Flame? Why not go after the same prize everyone is after, the SCW World Championship? After all, her aspirations to be a tag team champion seem to be going nowhere. In order to be a successful tag team you have to have a partner you can trust. There hasn’t been anyone Glory felt she could really trust in a long time. Yet there is one person, one individual who has tried to convince her that he is her best option; Matthew Taylor. Glory and Matthew are best friends, they have been best friends since childhood. They went to school together in England, grew up together, trained together at her father’s wrestling school. They even have a history of teaming together. For a moment, Glory thought that Matthew’s overtures towards becoming her tag team partner in SCW were sincere. It made sense, he would have been a logical choice, but this is one partnership that could never work. The simple fact is that the trust they once had no longer exists.
Glory Braddock and Matthew Taylor had a brief affair a couple years ago, and Glory’s husband Kurt Logan found out about it. Needless to say he was incensed, he was furious, and he wanted to kill Matthew. Glory was lucky to salvage her marriage with Kurt. She was lucky that Kurt was able to forgive her for what she did. So obviously placing herself in a position such as this, where she would be so close to Matthew for such a long period of time, this would create tension between herself and Kurt. Braddock would not team with Matthew again without Kurt’s approval. Obviously, Kurt was less than thrilled with this proposition and Glory was faced with a choice; chase her tag team championship dream with the most logical option for a partner, or sacrifice her dream for the sake of her marriage? The British Bombshell knew that her marriage was more important than her goal of becoming Supreme Champion. So she broke the bad news to Matthew Taylor, letting him know that the renewal of their partnership would not work out this time. She had hoped that Matthew would be mature enough to accept the bad news and move on. Unfortunately it had become apparent that he had not taken it well at all.
Braddock had traveled to Birmingham, England to meet up with Blake O’Malley, her father’s old friend and another wrestling trainer. She had hoped Blake would help her prepare for Taking Hold of the Flame. While meeting with Blake in a pub in Birmingham, Matthew approached and he was obviously drunk. He hit on her, tried to force himself on her, and it took Blake smashing a beer bottle over his head to stop him. It turns out that Matthew still has feelings for Glory Braddock. Matthew still loves her, and was hoping against hope that he could win her back. Now this could be the end of their friendship. If Matthew is unwilling to accept the reality of the situation, that Glory is loyal to her husband and their marriage, then perhaps their friendship will have to end? But Glory Braddock does not want to give up on Matthew. She does not want to let go of the friendship that they once had. She wants to reach out and make an attempt to mend the fences with her friend; or at the very least, check up on him and see how he is doing.
The British Bombshell has been in Birmingham the past few days training with Blake O’Malley for Taking Hold of the Flame. Currently she is on break and she is using this time to pay a visit to her old friend Matthew. She got Matthew’s address, his residence where he stays in Birmingham, from Blake. Now Blake does not approve of this move from The British Bombshell. He thinks Glory should just leave well enough alone and focus on the upcoming battle royal. Defeating thirty nine other wrestlers will be difficult enough, but doing so with your head not in the game will be damn near impossible. Glory Braddock does value her wrestling career, she does have so much she still wants to accomplish in SCW and Taking Hold of the Flame is just the first phase of those accomplishments. But she also recognizes that some things are more important than material gain, such as championships. One such thing that is more important to her is the friendship she has had with Matthew for so long. She would feel so guilty and disappointed if she didn’t do everything she could to salvage it. This is what brings her to this small home in Birmingham. It isn’t exactly the nicest looking of residences. In fact, it is one of the poorer looking homes in Birmingham. This doesn’t surprise Braddock. Matthew, even though he does come from money, has always preferred to live a more humble lifestyle. Glory is dressed in denim jeans, white sneakers, and a royal purple t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She approaches the front door of this modest home and finds that there is no doorbell, so she knocks. After a momentary wait she hears the door unlocking. She watches as the door slowly opens. She spots Matthew poking his head out. He is wearing workout shorts, a plain white t-shirt, and sneakers. Immediately upon seeing that it is Glory Braddock standing on his front doorstep he tries to shut the door on her, but she quickly sticks her foot out to stop it from shutting all the way.
“I don’t want to talk.” Matthew says. “Go away.”
“I’m sorry, mate, but we REALLY need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” Matthew insists. “I think enough has been said and done in the past few weeks.” He tries to shut the door but Glory won’t budge. Matthew sighs out of frustration. “Bloody hell! Why are you making this difficult?!”
“You only have yourself to blame for that, Matty.” Glory answers back sharply.
“How do you say that?!” Matthew is taken aback by the accusation. It is enough of a surprise that it causes him to step back away from the door, allowing Glory Braddock room to force her way into the home.
“I would be happy to explain, if you’re willing to just sit down and talk.” Braddock says. Matthew pauses to consider it. He would much rather Glory not be here but she’s already here and inside. So he finally nods his head and relents.
“Alright, alright, you’re already inside anyway.” He motions for her to follow him. “Come on…” Glory nods as she follows him into a small living room area that looks just as modest and humble as the exterior of the home. Glory sits down in the only comfortable looking chair in the room while Matthew opts to remain standing. He sighs. “So, what makes you think this whole mess is my fault, huh?!”
“Well, you didn’t get smashed over the head with a beer bottle for no reason, mate.”
“Oh, yeah…” Matthew is quickly reminded of the pub incident “...yeah, I’m sorry. I just had a few too many drinks. Y’know?”
“Thank you Captain Obvious.” Glory says with a smirk. “Unfortunately for you, alcohol lowers inhibitions. Any defense mechanisms you may have are lowered thanks to alcohol. Alcohol makes you a little more honest than you ordinarily would have been.”
“No, no, no,” Matthew shakes his head vehemently “I get where you’re going with this and you’re wrong. I was drunk, I wasn’t thinking, whatever I said to you, I didn’t mean it.”
“So you didn’t mean it when you said that you and I were meant to be?” She asks with a skeptical gaze.
“That’s right. I didn’t mean any of it!”
“Not according to your sister.” Glory answers back pointedly. “I spoke to Francis and she says you still have feelings for me.” A low growl comes out of Matthew’s throat upon hearing this. He shakes his head in disgust.
“My sister has a big mouth and shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I’m glad she did. Quite honestly, Matty, this is a problem that needs to be dealt with.”
“There is no problem, not anymore.” Matthew shakes his head. “You made it clear that we cannot be tag team partners, that we cannot work together. So its over. Don’t worry. No problems.”
“No problems? Are you listening to yourself? First you wouldn’t even let me in your house and now this? You sound like a petulant child, mate, all because you had this lofty expectation and didn’t get what you wanted. If there was no problem then why are you acting out? Why are we arguing?”
“What do you want from me, Glory?” Matthew asks as he begins pacing the floor back and forth like a caged lion.
“I want you to be honest with me. What is it exactly that you want?”
“You want honesty?” Matthew asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes.”
“Fine.” He points a finger at Glory. “I want you. I have wanted you ever since we met. I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, Gloria.”
“Why didn’t you say anything back then?” She asks.
“You were a part of the clique. The preppy mean girls, you were one of them. But unlike the typical preppy mean girls at our school you were nice. While the others treated me like trash, you were always pleasant to me. You actually took the time to get to know me. I desperately wanted to date you but I knew that as long as you were with those girls you would never give me the time of day.”
“Bullshit.” Glory shakes her head. “You said it yourself, I was different. I may have been friends with some of them but I wasn’t like them.”
“Yeah? Maybe. But I never got the courage to ask. And eventually you grew close to Thomas.”
Thomas Gage was Glory Braddock’s first real boyfriend. They were indeed very close, so close that they ended up having sexual relations. But when Glory Braddock ended up pregnant as a teenager, Thomas ran away, afraid of the repercussions. Glory was pregnant and the mean girls Matthew referred to turned on her.
“Thomas and I had something special.” Glory admits. “But he ran away…”
“He ran away from you when you needed him the most. He ran away from his responsibilities. I hated him for that.” Matthew points out. “And I admit, I wanted to take advantage of the situation. I wanted to move in and fill that void, to be the father figure for your child.” She sighs. “But I knew your father would never allow it.”
“Did you even think to try?”
“There was no use.” Matthew shakes his head. “Your father hated me. You remember when I started training to be a wrestler? He hated me from that moment because he thought I was turning his beloved sport into a joke. He ended up kicking me out of his wrestling school, refusing to finish my training, which is why I had to turn to Blake. You think he would have let me date you?”
“I had no idea.” Glory says with a deep sigh. “I had no idea you felt that way. And if I had known, maybe things would have been different. Why didn’t you tell me any of this back then?”
“I was too afraid to say anything.” Matthew says, shrugging his shoulders. “But you know now. Does that change anything?”
“No, it doesn’t.” Glory shakes her head. “It doesn’t change anything because I’m married now. I am married to Kurt and yes, I do love him.” She stands up and approaches Matthew. “But I care about you too. I love you, Matty…but I love you as a friend. You are my best friend. And I really do want us to keep that friendship strong. I would hate to lose that.”
“Yeah…” his voice trails off. Glory takes Matthew’s hands and holds them tightly.
“I still want to be friends, Matty. But you have to accept that that’s ALL we can be. Are you ok with that?”
“Friends?” He asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, friends.”
“I’d like that.” Matthew says smiling warmly. “I’m sorry for acting like a love sick jackass. And I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you.”
“It’s ok, mate. We all make mistakes. But everything is good now between us. I promise.”
Glory Braddock and Matthew Taylor embrace in a tight hug. This talk, and now this hug, it all has the effect of lifting a heavy weight off of the back of The British Bombshell. No longer does she have to worry about her best friend, no longer does she have to worry about the tension that this could create between herself and Matthew, or herself and her husband Kurt. Everything is settled and Braddock can focus on the one thing that matters; Taking Hold of the Flame.
==========
May 29th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
==========
A few hours have passed since The British Bombshell had her ‘come to Jesus’ meeting with Matthew Taylor. This was a meeting that she felt was necessary in order to get her mind completely focused on Taking Hold of the Flame. Previously she had been distracted by her friend Matthew’s behavior, she had been distracted based on the fact that he still held strong romantic feelings for her. Braddock wanted to make certain that Matthew understood and was ok with their friendship remaining just that, a friendship; a friendship and nothing more. She wanted to also make check on his mental and emotional well being. The last time she had saw him he was drowning his sorrow away in alcohol. Considering the fact that she was already in Birmingham to train with Blake O’Malley, Glory felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to meet with Matthew and clear the air. Unfortunately this was not an idea that Blake approved of; the grizzled veteran, retired wrestler, and current trainer would have preferred that Glory Braddock put Matthew Taylor and everything else out of her mind as she heads into Taking Hold of the Flame. But now that she did go against his will, and she did manage to make things right between herself and Matthew, Glory feels a certain sense of vindication. Now she can focus on the upcoming Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal without Matthew constantly being in the back of her mind.
Braddock has already returned to Blake’s private gym where he still trains students and works with currently active wrestlers such as Glory herself. She emerges from the locker room and back into the main training area dressed in purple workout shorts, white sneakers, and her royal purple t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She spots Blake standing near a regulation size wrestling ring sit up near the center of the room. Braddock smirks as she proudly approaches her trainer, a man she considers an uncle. She approaches from behind and then taps him on the shoulder. He turns around to see her grinning ear to ear but Blake, for his part, does not appear to be all that pleased.
“I’m back!” She proudly proclaims.
“Yeah, I can see that.” He says gruffly. “Was it a waste of time?”
“No, as a matter of fact it wasn’t.” She shakes her head. “I spoke with Matty. He’s fine now. He and I are clear about where our relationship stands.”
“I kinda doubt that.”
“Oh come off it, Uncle Blake.” Glory remarks. “Admit it, you were wrong. You told me that Matty wasn’t my problem. Leave Matty to his own devices. Ignore him. That’s what you wanted me to do.”
“That’s what you shoulda done.”
“But I ignore you…”
“I can see why you gave your old man gray hairs.”
“I get the stubborn streak from my mom’s side of the family.” Glory says with a wink. “But hey, I did ignore you and I’m glad I did because I spoke with Matty and I cleared the air.”
“You still wasted your time.” He shakes his head. “Matthew may have told you that things are ok but I don’t believe it, not for one second. That nut doesn’t let go so easily. He’s still gonna be a problem down the line. You would have done better just to ignore him, instead ya wasted precious time that you could have spent working with me. You do have a big ass chaotic battle royal coming up, don’t ya?”
“I do.” She nods her head. “But no disrespect, Uncle Blake, you may know wrestling but you don’t know ME as well as I know me. And I know that I could not just put something like that completely out of my mind. I still would have been thinking on it this entire week heading into The Flame. I needed to deal with this as soon as possible. Lucky for me, it worked out.”
“You THINK it worked out.” He says. Glory rolls her eyes. “I know that Matthew kid, I know he’s not as easy to read as you think. He’s complex. Very complex.”
“I know him too. Hell, I’ve known him longer than you, Uncle Blake. I think I know him better than you. And I happen to think he’s ok now.”
“I hope you’re right.” He sighs deeply.
“Whatever. Point is, I believe its taken care of, now I can focus entirely on you and this battle royal. Isn’t that good enough for you, Uncle Blake?”
“Yeah…” He sighs “...but look, if ya want my help ya need to trust me and do what I say. Your old man may have let you get by with some of this nonsense because you were his little girl, and yeah, I do care about ya as if you were one of my own, but I do things different from Glenn Braddock. I need your undivided attention from now on. I also need you to do whatever I say from now on. Trust the process and trust that what I say is the right thing to do. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” Glory says as she playfully stands at attention and salutes as if she were a soldier and Blake were her drill instructor. He rolls his eyes. “Thanks for doing this again, Blake. It means a lot.”
“No problem, Glory. Honestly, I’m surprised ya still want my help. I mean, look at the good my ‘help’ did ya for that last chaotic match I trained ya for.”
“I know.” Glory nods her head. “I ended up in a crate, but that won’t happen this time. This is just your average run of the mill Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal. I’ve been in them before, so I know what to expect. Still, I haven’t won one of them.” She points a finger at Blake. “I hope your expertise can change that.”
“Well, hopefully I can. Now, speaking of which, tell me about this Taking Hold of the Flame. How many opponents are we talking about?”
“Forty.”
“Forty?”
“No, sorry, I mean forty total counting myself. So actually I have thirty-nine opponents.
“Damn.” Blake shakes his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I only have thirty-seven.”
“Thirty seven what?”
“Students.” He states. Then he points to a crowd of young people on the other side of the room. “See those kids over there?”
Yeah.”
“Those are the group of students who volunteered to help you out today.”
“Help me out with training?” Glory seems a bit confused. Blake nods his head.
“Look, this is a battle royal. You have multiple opponents. I’m gonna simulate the real thing. I suppose I can be thirty eight and the janitor can be thirty nine.”
“I’m not gonna fight the bloody janitor!” Glory exclaims.
“You will if ya want my help. Remember what I said? Trust the process.” He points out. Glory nods her head reluctantly.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. Now is this a typical battle royal where all forty are in the ring at once or…”
“No.” Glory shakes her head. “This is different. Two will start and then every two minutes or so another person enters.”
“Oh I get it. So its more like a gauntlet match than a battle royal?” Blake frowns. “Why the bloody hell don’t they call it a gauntlet match then?”
“Are you really getting angry about semantics?” Glory asks curiously.
“I just wanna know what we’re working with here. How are you eliminated?”
“That’s where the battle royal part comes in.” Glory says. “Over the top rope and both feet hit the floor.”
“Sounds good to me. So right now we’re gonna do a little sparring.”
“You and me?” Glory asks. Blake shakes his head.
“No, you and me and the janitor and those thirty seven students who volunteered to kick your ass.” He smirks. “Your last name is famous around here, Glory. These students are dying for the chance to take on the daughter of the legendary Glenn Braddock. And you’re gonna take them all on, one at a time just like the rules of Taking Hold of the Flame prescribed. Only I’m gonna instruct them to specifically target you and not each other.”
“What?!” Glory exclaims. “That sounds like the kind of sadistic trials my dad would come up with.”
“Where do you think he learned it from?” Blake says with a sadistic grin. “Now get in the ring. Sparring begins now and YOU drew number one.”
==========
May 29th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
==========
About an hour later and Glory Braddock is the only one standing in the ring, she managed to outlast the other students, as most of them were young with little to no experience. Still, even sparring with young kids with no experience is exhausting and The British Bombshell is indeed very fatigued. This is probably one of the most challenging sparring sessions she has ever endured. And she isn’t even finished yet. She stands in the ring with a middle aged man in a blue jumpsuit. Glory looks across the ring at him with surprise. The man in the jumpsuit, the janitor that Blake referred to earlier, seems far from enthusiastic about the prospects of facing Glory.
“I, uh, wasn’t paid for this.” He says.
“You’re getting paid extra.” Blake’s voice rings out. “Don’t complain.”
“He doesn’t want to fight me, Uncle Blake, and quite honestly I don’t want to fight him.”
“Why not? Taking Hold of the Flame is a gauntlet battle royal from what you told me. Anything can happen. It can be just as chaotic as anything else you’ve experienced. You may have to deal with something like this.”
“I won’t have to fight a damn janitor, that’s for sure.”
“What about a veteran?” Blake asks. “Will you have to fight a veteran?”
“That’s more likely than a janitor.” Glory states.
“Then turn around.”
“Huh?” She turns around to find Blake standing in the ring with an open crate. Suddenly she feels herself being pushed from behind…the janitor! She feels herself tumbling over end and into the crate. Glory scrambles her way back to her knees. She has a sense of PTSD, from being put in a crate once before. She glares at the janitor who quickly turns and runs for the hills.
“He paid me to do it! Honest!” The janitor is out of sight. Glory then turns to face Blake.
“I told you, Glory, prepare for everything. Expect the unexpected.” Glory is angry at first at being fooled. But then her anger quickly disappears and she begins to laugh. She stands up and then steps out of the crate.
“Point taken, mate. Point taken.”
“This opportunity comes once a year, right?” Blake asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“So don’t let yourself get caught. Don’t let yourself lose this chance just because of a silly mistake. If you lose because you really weren’t the better wrestler that’s one thing but losing because of something stupid like this,” he motions to the crate “we don’t want that shit happening again. That time you lost the Television Title, you only lost it because of a ridiculous stunt, not because you weren’t the best. How many more falls could you have earned and thus what other championship could you have won had it not been for that stupid stunt? You need to expect the unexpected and prepare for shit like this.”
“How do you prepare for something you can’t see coming?”
“Its easier said than done, I know.” He nods his head. “All I can tell ya is trust no one and remember, its every man and woman for themselves in a battle royal like this. Understand?”
“Yeah, definitely.” Glory nods her head.
“Good.” He smirks. “Tomorrow. You want me to bring in some more students and run it back again?” Glory nods her head.
“Sounds great.”
==========
June 3rd, 2023
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
On Camera
==========
The bright sun overlooks a gorgeous morning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the camera pans out we see a sky view of the America Family Field, the place that will host SCW Taking Hold of the Flame. Then the camera cuts to the field itself. It’s empty, at least for now. That will change in short order. Then Glory Braddock steps out onto the America Family Field from stage left wearing a solid black blazer and matching black pleated mini skirt set with what appears to be a black top underneath the blazer. She is perched atop patent leather black high heeled pumps. Her long blonde hair is left to flow straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders.
“Welcome to the America Family Field…also known as the starting point for Rise To Greatness.” She nods her head. “That’s right, Taking Hold of the Flame is upon us. That magical time of the year where in one night you could change your career. In one night you can go from being just another name on the card to being a main event mega star. In one night you could go from being nothing to being the number one contender to the SCW World Championship. That’s why this one night in the year is so special. Because forty wrestlers will go to war, all with one goal in mind, with all their eyes on one prize; the main event of Rise To Greatness. And if it hasn’t become obvious yet, then let me make it abundantly clear…I am going to enter Taking Hold of the Flame and I am going to WIN Taking Hold of the Flame.” The British Bombshell nods her head as she gazes confidently into the camera.
“Now I get it, some people are going to look at me and ask the obvious question; why are you entering Taking Hold of the Flame? You all thought that I was narrow mindedly, single mindedly even, focused on becoming Supreme Champion and that since I only need the tag team championship to accomplish that goal, that I would still be focused on those tag team titles? That’s a fair question. It might even lead to some think that I just keep changing my mind all of the time. But those who think that or utter such nonsense just don’t know me. A leopard doesn’t change its spots, a zebra doesn’t change its stripes, and neither does The British Bombshell. So who the hell is Glory Braddock?” She narrows her brow in an intense stare at the camera.
“I am a competitor. Why do I want those tag team championships and that Supreme Championship status? I want that because it is a challenge. It is a challenge that a very elite few have been able to meet. I see Supreme Champion as a challenge that I want to try and overcome. Now even though Supreme Champion is still a challenge that I want to meet head on, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to just ignore the other challenges out there. Beating Amelia Blythe to become Television Champion, that was a challenge. The United States Championship Tournament? I viewed that as a challenge and I gave it my all. Yes, I came up short, but I gave it everything I had because it was a challenge worth facing. But when it comes to challenges, especially this time of year, there is no greater challenge than Taking Hold of the Flame. Forty competitors in the ultimate battle of will and, for some at least, endurance. And out of those forty wrestlers, the ONE who can outlast the other thirty nine will have earned a shot at the SCW World Championship in the main event of Rise To Greatness.”
“Rise To Greatness Main Event…and the SCW World Championship…” she chuckles softly “...those are two challenges I have faced head on and at least one of those challenged I succeeded in conquering it. I did become SCW World Champion. But it was as a result of one of Ace Marshall’s chaotic Trios Cash Ins, a gauntlet match to be precise, and after winning the title from a very tough Bree Lancaster I didn’t have enough energy left in me to successfully retain against Chris Cannon. So my title reign lasted all but a few minutes. Being the World Champion is THE reason why anyone should be in this sport. If you’re not here to be the best then why are you here? If you are not here to prove yourself as the very best in the world then you are wasting everyone’s time. For a few glorious minutes I held that championship…” she shakes her head “...but I am not satisfied with being able to say that yes, I was World Champion. I want to run it back. I want a title reign that I can be proud of and that means winning it back. That means becoming a two time SCW World Champion. And what better way to run it back than at Taking Hold of the Flame? Even better, if I do win Taking Hold of the Flame, then I get an opportunity to Main Event Rise To Greatness.” She nods her head.
“Now I have done that before. I was in the main event against Syren and Alistaire Allocco. But I didn’t get the job done. Am I satisfied with a participation trophy? Am I satisfied with being able to say that at least I was there in the main event?” Braddock shakes her head. “No, I’m not satisfied. I cannot and will not be satisfied because I am a competitor. When I see a challenge I have to meet it head on! I have to face it again and again until I conquer that challenge! So if you want motivation for me competing in Taking Hold of the Flame, then there you have it! I need vindication. I need redemption. I need to win back the SCW World Championship and I need to win it in the main event of Rise To Greatness! I need both of those things because they are challenges and as a competitor I cannot and will not leave challenges untried and incomplete. I cannot leave a mission unaccomplished. I have to keep trying…or I will just die trying…” her voice fades off as she pauses for a moment before continuing.
“Still, even if it weren’t for the promise of the SCW World Championship and the Rise To Greatness Main Event, the fact that Taking Hold of the Flame is one of the most difficult and most prestigious battle royals in this sport, that alone makes it a challenge worth taking on. And that is what I am at the end of the day. I have never once changed who I am; Glory Braddock is and always will be a competitor. Whether I am an obnoxious bitch who carries around the Union Jack decrying America, whether I am a fun loving prankster, whether I am just a stuck up prude with no sense of humor, whatever person you see when you look at me, at the end of the day there is ONE constant and that is my hunger for challenges and I desire for competition! And at the end of the day that is what wrestling is all about…competition, taking on a challenge, seeing if you can overcome the greatest of challenges…and that’s why I am entering Taking Hold of the Flame.” She points a finger at the camera.
“But why are you entering The Flame? People like my own family, like Kimberly Williams. Why is she entering the Flame? I thought she didn’t want the world title? Does she just want to create more chaos, as if her Trios Cash In wasn’t chaotic enough? Does she want to raise the prestige of her Underground Championship by winning The Flame? With someone like Kimberly, you just never know what is going on in her head. But there are others whose motives and agendas are very clear. Xander Valentine just wants to make sure that Adam Allocco is never World Champion. Xander knows how much Adam values that title and in the event Selena Frost cannot defeat Allocco at Taking Hold of the Flame, Xander wants to be the guy to dethrone him at Rise To Greatness.” Braddock smirks. “Is that your motive, Xander? Is this an insurance policy for you, in the event Selena can’t get the job done?”
“Then there’s my good friend Asher Hayes.” She waves at the camera. “Hi there, Asher. I hope to see you in the battle royal. The last time we fought you got one over on me finally and I would love to have another crack at you. But as for Taking Hold of the Flame, your motive is clear. You need the SCW World Championship because it is the one title you haven’t won, the one title keeping you from Supreme Championship status, and the fastest route to a title match is through Taking Hold of the Flame.” She nods her head. “I can understand that motivation because I have similar drive. I, too, need Supreme Championship status. I, too, see that as a challenge that must be overcome. But your path to a title shot goes through this battle royal that I am also a part of, and this is a challenge that I need to overcome as well, and I am not going to go down that easily.”
“Of course how could anyone forget Kandis? She believes she is owed a one on one world title match and apparently the only way she is going to get it is by winning this battle royal. Thirty nine other wrestlers have something to say about that, including me.” Braddock’s gaze turns stoic yet again. “I could go on and on…Lucas Knight, Religious Wright, The One…everyone in this battle royal has their own agenda, their own motivation, but the prize at the end of the day is the same. The finish line is still a main event spot where the winner will challenge either Selena Frost or Adam Allocco for the SCW World Championship.” She pats herself on the chest. “And I need this…yeah, yeah, I get it, everyone in this damn thing is going to say that they need it, but GOD DAMN IT I NEED THIS WIN!” She look if intensity increases as she shouts the camera. “My Rise To Greatness Main Event was a disappointment. My SCW World Championship reign, many would argue, was a disappointment. No matter what you think I am, no matter who you think I am, at the end of the day I AM A COMPETITOR! And damn it I REFUSE to live with disappointments like that tarnishing my legacy here in Supreme Championship Wrestling!”
“So for me, Taking Hold of the Flame is about me getting the chance to have a do-over, to get a second chance that very few people get…a second chance to have a more legitimate and a more successful Rise To Greatness Main Event… a second chance at finally having a memorable SCW World Championship reign…that is what that this means to me! Also let’s not forget that Taking Hold of the Flame, a challenge in and of itself, that is a challenge that I have faced before, a mountain I have attempted to climb before, but I have yet to reach its summit. I have yet to win Taking Hold of the Flame.” She nods her head. “Yes, I intend to change that. This year is going to be my year, no matter the cost! That is why I must win! I have to meet this challenge head on and overcome this challenge! Thirty nine other wrestlers won’t be enough to stop me because I will endure, I will overcome, and I will win Taking Hold of the Flame!” Glory Braddock turns her back to the camera and starts walking away. The camera slowly begins to fade to black.