For an SCW World Tag Team Championship opportunity

[Braddock]

Randy and me, joint piece
First of ?
=======

==========
April 4th, 2024
Cleveland, Ohio
Off Camera
==========

Losing a championship bothers anyone and everyone in a competitive sport such as professional wrestling, and of course it bothers a second generation wrestler like Glory Braddock, someone who grew up in and around the business. Yet The British Bombshell had always known that championship reigns were never permanent, they would always come to their inevitable end at some point. What makes the loss of her tag team championship with Brittany Lohan so bitter and painful was due to several factors. For starters, this was supposed to be the culmination, the end of her journey towards achieving Supreme Championship status, but she never got a proper celebration thanks to Dark Fantasy. Ravyn and Syren interrupted their celebration by attacking Glory, Brittany, and Luz and Blythe. But instead of Dark Fantasy being punished, Ravyn and Syren were rewarded by being granted yet another tag team title shot. Furthermore, the newly crowned champions at the time, who were robbed of a proper celebration, had been punished by being forced to defend the tag titles at Retribution in a triple threat match without a rematch clause being included, all in the name of getting fresh talent and fresh competition in the tag team picture.

Now, conveniently enough, Light in the Darkness are once again champions and, thanks to the no rematch clause, Glory and Brittany find themselves on the outside looking in. Conveniently enough, Luz and Blythe no longer have to defend against the one team that they cannot beat. They only have to defend against a team that they KNOW they can beat, The Seekers. Very convenient, all because of a supposed agreement that Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan had made. Braddock is a sixteen year veteran of professional wrestling on top of being a second generation wrestler, she knows that nothing is as ever simple or as black and white as an agreement like that. The British Bombshell was always opposed to the no rematch clause. She was always opposed to this nice, neat little deal Light in the Darkness had worked out for themselves in this scenario to “wipe the slate clean” as it were. But everyone from Dark Fantasy, to Light in the Darkness, and CHBK were all on board with the agreement. Glory herself felt bullied and intimidated into agreeing to terms she never felt comfortable with. Now she is being punished for doing what is right and the cowards are being protected thanks to their convenient no rematch clause.

Is it any wonder to anyone why Twisted & Sadistic have been on a rampage tonight on Breakdown, dismantling anyone and everyone in their path, all to make a statement, the clearest of statements that was done to them was unfair, unjust, and that they will not sit idly by while Luz and Blythe take advantage of the protection that the no rematch clause provides them; protection of having to defend against Twisted & Sadistic. Yet CHBK and SCW seems determined to protect their newly crowned champions. The Seekers will get the first crack at the champions, while Glory and Brittany will have to go through multiple teams to earn another opportunity at a team they’ve beaten on numerous occasions. Taking a Leap will certainly be a chaotic night for the tag team division and The British Bombshell and The War Machine are determined to make sure it is a successful one for them.

“God damn it!” This is the angry voice of none other than The British Bombshell herself as she and Brittany make their way out of the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The look on the blonde’s face tells the story of frustration and angst. She feels she should be getting the rematch she rightfully deserves, not having to fight through a herd of cattle to earn another title shot.

“Yo, Glory, calm down.” Brittany says as she rushes to catch up with Braddock. “I can’t believe I’m the one telling you to calm down, to be honest.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a first time for everything. Unfortunately me being screwed over by management isn’t the first time. The supposedly upright and moral people beloved by the fans being cowards and hiding behind contracts and loopholes, protecting themselves from me, that isn’t anything new, either. All of it is just making me sick!” Braddock exclaims as she kicks over a small trash can. SCW banners and signs hang over the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The night sky is illuminated by vibrant lights that appear to dance and flicker in the darkness. There are few people outside right now to witness the tantrum currently being thrown by The British Bombshell. At this point she couldn’t care less who saw her. She is pissed off and, in her mind, rightfully so.

Glory Braddock approaches another small trash can and kicks it over. Her anger is boiling over. This is a side of Glory Braddock few have ever witnessed before. Many in the tag team division have already felt her wrath on this evening. Many more at Taking the Leap will fear her wrath as she and The War Machine attempt to earn a shot at the SCW World Tag Team Championship. Lohan watches on with a hint of pride, she had no idea Braddock had this kind of fury buried deep down inside of her. The War Machine then looks back up at Glory and smirks knowingly.

“I have an idea.”

“What’s that?” Glory asks, sounding rather frustrated but looking for anything at all, anything to help out her current situation. A sinister grin forms on the face of The War Machine.

“What’s stopping us from finishing the job?”

“What do you mean?”

“Light in the Darkness. The Seekers. Those clowns are all in that building behind us. Let’s go in there, put them in traction, make sure none of them are medically cleared and ruin SCW’s tag team title match at Taking the Leap.” Lohan shrugs. “Hell, while we’re at it, let’s wreck the rest of the meaningless field in our tag team contender’s match. I’m pretty sure most of them are still inside. Cowgirls from Hell? They’re new. They debuted tonight. Let’s make sure they don’t make it to their second match. Konrad’s pals like violence, let’s give it to them. Chris Dumont…” Lohan shrugs “...does he even do tag wrestling?”

“I don’t think so.” Glory shakes her head. “But Marie is my cousin, she needs a partner.”

“She’s got her sister.”

“Kim is a bit preoccupied.”

“Fine. We can leave him alone. Not like two strangers stand a chance against us anyway. We can still go back in there and wreck the rest of the opposition. Make them regret what CHBK and his pals did to us.”

“That does sound very tempting.” Glory sighs and then shakes her head. “But I think we’ve done enough damage for tonight.”

“Seriously?” Lohan asks with a bit of surprise on her face. “You and I wrecked the place but now you’re willing to stop?”

“CHBK is a prick and it is obvious he is playing favorites. It is obvious he is doing everything in his power to protect Luz and Blythe. We at least have a chance to force his hand by winning that contender’s match and earning another shot at the tag team titles.” Braddock shakes her head. “But we do not want to risk giving that bastard an excuse to remove us from the contender’s match at Taking the Leap.”

“That’s a good point.” Brittany smirks. “I guess we’ll have to wait and wreck everyone later. But that’s fine, all the more time to build up that anger and frustration.” Brittany balls up her right hand into a fist and smacks the palm of her left hand. Then she notices a slight change in her friend’s demeanor. Glory Braddock, at first full of rage and anger, now seems dejected and upset. “What’s wrong, Glory?”

“I just…” she sighs “...I just can’t help but feel that this is all my fault.” Lohan watches as Glory walks over to a nearby rod iron bench. Braddock sits down. The War Machine walks over and joins her friend on the bench.

“Don’t start with that bullshit now. You said it yourself, this is CHBK protecting Light in the Darkness. This is Light in the Darkness ducking and avoiding the one team that they know they cannot beat. If anything, this whole crap about the two of us having to jump through these damn hoops, it’s all their fault. You and I, we are justified in our actions.”

“Not arguing with you there.” Glory shakes her head. “And when we get our hands on those unfortunate saps at Taking the Leap, we’re going to tear them all to shreds. From old timers like European Fiery Nation to those kids the Cowgirls from Hell, we’ll beat them all down and earn that title shot. I have no doubt about it. But come on, Britt, we shouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place. We are in this situation right now, having to earn another title shot, because of me.”

“I honestly don’t follow.” Brittany shakes her head, looking on with a confused gaze. Glory sighs out of frustration.

“Retribution…we were defending against Light in the Darkness and Dark Fantasy. But those damn fools, Ravyn and Syren, shouldn’t have even been in the match to begin with.” She pats Brittany on the chest. “It was YOUR idea to take them out. It was YOUR idea to put Ravyn and Syren on the shelf, put them out of action, but I was reluctant to follow through. I hesitated. But looking back, Ravyn and Syren did not belong in that match. Two tyrants like them do not belong in this business anymore. We would have done SCW a favor by permanently eliminating them. But I was reluctant. I didn’t follow through. And who got beat in that triple threat? Who did Luz and Blythe actually pin to become champions? They didn’t pin you or me.”

“Dark Fantasy.” Brittany states. Glory nods her head.

“Right, they beat those clowns. Luz and Blythe couldn’t beat us to earn their first tag title shot, they beat Datura in a triple threat. They couldn’t beat us to win their second tag title shot, they beat Dark Fantasy. The only time Light in the Darkness ever gets one up over us is in a multi team scenario. It was your idea to eliminate one of those teams and I did not follow through. So yes, it is my fault we lost the tag team titles. It is my fault we are in this situation we are in right now.”

“Look, I can’t believe this is me AGAIN trying to be the voice of reason,” Brittany sighs “but this isn't your fault. We win as a team and we lose as a team.”

“It is my fault.” Glory says insistently, nodding her head. “You’re right, we win as a team and we lose as a team, but I haven’t been much of a team player lately. I haven’t done my part.” Glory grins knowingly. “But believe me, Britt, going forward I promise you…” she shakes her head “...no, I swear to you, that I will start carrying my weight. Going forward I will be a team player. Going forward, nothing will stop Twisted & Sadistic.”

Brittany Lohan has traveled the roads with The British Bombshell for years, both as a tag team partner and as an opponent, both as a friend and as an enemy. She knows Glory Braddock better than almost anyone else in the company. She knows when her friend has something on her mind, something she is holding back. Brittany can tell that Glory Braddock has a plan. The twinkle in her eye tells her that Braddock has a plan. But what is it? What does Glory have in mind that she thinks will help Twisted & Sadistic? Lohan can already tell that Glory has grown more aggressive than ever. Does that have something to do with any of this?

“Uh, Glory…” Brittany begins slowly “...what exactly do you have in mind?”

“Let’s call it a sacrifice.”

“A sacrifice, huh?” Brittany furrows her brow as she studies Glory for a few moments, trying to get a read on her. “You know I don’t like vague and cryptic. What exactly do you mean by a sacrifice?”

“It’s a sacrifice for the good of the team.”

“More cryptic bullshit.” Lohan shakes her head.

“Sorry, but that is the best you’re getting.” Glory smirks. “You will just have to trust me on this.”

“Give me more than just a sacrifice, ok?” Brittany asks sounding somewhat exasperated. “I mean, come on, you are Glory Braddock. You have given so much already to this business, to me even, you do not need to sacrifice anything else.”

“You say that and yet think of what I have taken from this business? Think of what this business has given me?” She pats Lohan on the shoulders. “Think of what you gave me. You returning helped me become Supreme Champion, you helped me achieve the goal I had, the dream I had been chasing was fulfilled thanks to you. I think I owe you something and I will make the sacrifice to give back to you. It is time, once and for all, that you and I, Twisted & Sadistic, we even the playing field. We settle all accounts.”

“The cryptic shit isn’t your style, Glory.” Brittany chuckles.

“Sorry, but just deal with it.” Braddock winks. “You will like this so-called ‘cryptic shit’, trust me.”

“You know I trust you. And I came back, I returned to SCW, just for you to help you become Supreme Champion, because those tag team titles were the only titles you had left to win. So I came back just for you.” Brittany places a hand on Braddock’s shoulder. “I do not know what you have in mind but whatever it is you don’t need to do it. You do not need to sacrifice anything for me, for us. I’m happy with what we have.”

“Now I’m going to be the one calling bullshit on that.” Braddock stands up. Brittany stands up as well. “You cannot tell me that you are happy with the current situation we are in? You cannot tell me that you are ok with a team that is NOT READY, like Chance and Kelsai, getting OUR tag title shot? You cannot tell me that you are ok with us playing with the second string tag teams and one randomly thrown together team, can you? It really should be the other way around. The Seekers should be in this damn tag contender’s match, we should have received the first shot at Light in the Darkness.”

“You’re right.” Brittany shakes her head. “And no, I’m not happy with any of it.”

“That’s why I’m making this sacrifice…” she says, her own voice fading off “...for the good of our team. And trust me, it will work out in the end. We will be SCW World Tag Team Champions again.”

The British Bombshell turns and walks back towards the arena. Brittany Lohan stays behind for a moment and watches. She senses that something is not right with her longtime friend. She just cannot put her finger on it. Part of it is obvious; she is far more aggressive than she used to be in the past. Much of what they did tonight in laying waste to anyone and everyone who got in their path, that was definitely a Brittany Lohan move. It is almost as if The War Machine herself is now leading this team. Glory Braddock and her level head used to keep Twisted & Sadistic steady and guided. Not anymore. These two are now a completely chaotic wrecking crew hell bent on regaining the SCW World Tag Team Championship. But there is more to it than just that. There is more to it than just Braddock’s newfound aggressive nature or her angst and frustration over being passed over for a rematch at the tag titles. Lohan just wishes she knew what it was, because she did return here to SCW for Glory Braddock. She came back to help her friend and she believes that her friend might need some serious help. That help might have to wait. Taking the Leap is fast approaching and there is no time to change strategy this late in the game. Brittany and Glory will just have to hope this newfound aggression and ruthlessness will help propel them to victory and earn them a shot at the gold.