09-17-2018, 01:45 PM
The Following is an excerpt from WrestlePress
published September 17, 2016
Brianna Fennet
The proving grounds of Supreme Championship Wrestling are rarely for the faint of heart. Many a supposedly accomplished wrestler, the equivalent of a brave adventurer, has wandered into the House that D. built, the equivalent of a modern day lion’s den, expecting to garner acclaim, treasure, and a name on the hearts of the masses, only to instead find themselves leaving with their tail tucked soundly between their knees after one too many nasty apron bumps.
The proverbial Xanadu of wrestling federations, the elite have come to play here. Chad Evans, Katie Steward, Xander Valentine, and more still in the midst of writing their legacy onto the hallowed halls of wrestling’s greatest kingdom have all called SCW home. The list is long enough to make you cringe if you have to face them, and pity those who have to climb the same ladder they did against some of the stiffest competition the industry has ever seen under one roof.
The wrestling industry has trounced out its fair share of pretenders, shown the door to many a talented competitor, and crushed the hopes and dreams of a countless few who found themselves on the darker receiving ends the business has to offer. Which is why a case like Slayter McKinney might draw a few eyeballs.
Two matches into her SCW career in which she’s admittedly looked fresh, exuberant and exciting, you’d be forgiven if you thought she’d signed her first contract, fresh out of developmental territory and was sitting on the cusp of being just all right, to possibly becoming a roster member with potential for greater things. A dig deeper discovers a woman who found her way out of the business eight years ago and found herself forgotten until choosing to rejoin the fray a few months ago, plunging headlong into the deep end, and has so far learned to swim.
I caught up with Slayter shortly after a match against Kordelia Amida, a match she won, and the announcement that she’d be facing Konrad Raab at the next Breakdown, to ask her just how she managed to find herself walking back into an industry that had shown her the door years prior, and how she intends on keeping the door open this time.
Slayter McKinney
Hey there!
WP
Congratulations on the win!
SM
Thank you, thank you! They don’t come much tougher than Kordy!
WP
One could argue that they do, and you’re in a direct line to face each of them if you keep up this momentum.
SM
I know! SCW is the deep end. The big bad monster of a roster they warn you about in training drills.
WP
Speaking of, you signed with SCW a few months ago, how’s the big time treating you?
SM
It’s been an absolute blast. I am so unbelievably grateful for this opportunity. It’s still something I’m coming to grips with little by little every day. I’ve gotten to see the spectacle of Rise to Greatness, the pressure cooker of Apocalypse, and the grind of weekly Breakdowns. I’ve met some of the greats I was watching on television months ago wishing I could be them. There’s nobody in the business putting on the shows this company is putting on, and I’m grateful to be even a sliver of a part of it!
WP
It must be bittersweet, having gone from being on the crest of making it to this big show years ago, and then now getting that opportunity once again?
SM
A little. But I’m getting the opportunity now, so I didn’t really miss it, just delayed it a little. I’m making the most of this. Pouring my sweat into something I live for, and would die for. So, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly bittersweet. Absence made the heart grow fonder in this case.
WP
You were away from the sport for so long. What kept you away.
SM
Oh. Oh you know. It’s just… I think John Lennon said that life is that thing that gets in the way of you making other plans. I got sidelined, and found my way back. That’s what matters now. I know what it means to watch rather than do the thing I love and live for. It felt painful to see a sport I’m so passionate about passing me by, but I’m here now. I’m set, and ready to take this business along for my ride.
WP
Konrad Raab isn’t going to be an easy challenge by any means. Do you feel prepared to face the challenge he represents?
SM
Him and twenty other challenges at a time, if I could. I’m training every day. Improving every millisecond that I can. I have been working my butt off to be twice the competitor I was when I left, so maybe Konrad Raab should be wondering if he’s prepared to face me!
WP
Do you have dream matches? Career aspirations?
SM
All of the above! I come from a place where there were no matches for years. That was like a drought for me\. So I’m making hay while the sun shines, now that it’s raining in my field, you know? Of course I want to lift a title above my head. Obviously any chance I get to lock up with anyone on this roster is going to be something special, and an opportunity to improve my skill set. For now, though, I’m just taking it one match at a time. I know what it means to lose something you love, and how quickly that can happen. I could slip and fall on the way to the ring and it all ends there, you know? Not to be melodramatic, but it’s just that simple. This business moves from one big thing to the next quick as lightning, I just want to be caught up in each and every strike of lightning.
WP
Eloquently put.
SM
I’m a worker. I’ve told the company that house shows, promotional tours, whatever they need I’m there. I’m hungry, and I’m chomping at this bit to see where it takes me.
WP
Do you ever compare yourself now to the woman you were when you first started?
SM
All the time! Obviously I have to train harder to keep the body me from eight years ago had with half the work. Haha! But I’m smarter than she was. I know how to be patient now, in the ring. Before I was like a spitfire, and I likely took a few too many bad bumps because I wasn’t willing to pick my spots more strategically. But I’ve learned you can burn up too fast if you don’t take your time. It’s a metaphor for life, and each and every single match I wrestle. I know how to calculate a little better, I’m not as foolhardy as I was. So, in that regard, yeah, Slayter McKinney of ten years ago couldn’t hold a candle to me now. She’d get exhausted before I hit her with even one of my signatures.
WP
You’re a testament to hard work, Slayter. I think I speak for all the fans of SCW when I say I’m looking forward to many more matches to come!
SM
We live in hope!
WP
Good luck against Raab!
SM
Thanks!
![[Image: fist.png]](http://www.fightwriting.net/Dogged/fist.png)
“Oh my gosh, Shannon I’m so sorry!” Sleater McKinney rushed up to meet her where they’d agreed to meet, a park bench where Shannon and Dylan had been sitting for hours past their originally scheduled meeting. Dylan looked bored and half-asleep, and Shannon looked positively smouldering. Sleater, oddly enough, looked all done up and fashionable. Shannon noticed but bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood.
“It’s okay.” Shannon responded. It wasn’t okay, but in front of Dylan Shannon had no desire to quarrel with Sleater.
“It was just-- they wanted a photo shoot along with the webzine article they were running about me. I guess I got so caught up I lost track of time, but I’m really excited about how it turned out.”
“I’m happy for you,” Shannon stated icily. And she was happy for Sleater. Shannon had been there through the longsuffering years, watching her friend struggle to keep the bills paid and provide for her growing son. She’d done all she could to help, but watched the inner strength of her friend flourish under the weight of a world that seemed to want to stick her in a corner and keep her there. Shannon of all people could attest to the leaps and bounds Sleater had made since then. All of what Sleater now had had been earned and then some. This dream of hers, Shannon reasoned, would be a crime to hold her back from.
Still, there was a chafing going on that didn’t sit well with her; a festering growth of resentment threatening the peace. Dylan had asked repeatedly why his mother didn’t seem to want to spend time with him since they’d been waiting. Shannon had, thus far, chosen to keep these moments of Dylan’s uncertainty from Sleater. But how long could that last with her temper resentment gradually building?
“Oh, Shannon thank you so much for watching, Dylan,” Sleater continued as if just remembering Shannon’s efforts, looking antsy and eager. “It’s happening. It’s really happening. I’m getting some attention. Things are building, I can feel it.”
Shannon hadn’t risen from her seat to greet her friend after yet another moment of her best friend’s attention focused on that which, it seemed at least, to be her sole interest or goal. Shannon patted Dylan’s shoulder.
“Your son ran a personal best at the hotel track today.” Shannon smiled, Dylan looking up at his mother with the unfettered appreciation of a son who approved of his mother without failing.
“Really?” Sleater looked to him, “that’s great!”
Dylan looked proud. She admired him a second, till she recognized his father in his facial features and glanced away. Quickly, she cut through the awkward sensation that glimpse into regret had given her, “But you should see what I did,” Sleater smirked, ready to brag. Dylan’s expression softened into mild disappointment. Sleater didn’t notice, but Shannon did.
“I’ve got a huge match coming up, so, I’ve been working at beating my personal best doing laps in the pool. Can you watch Dylan for another couple of--” Dylan drowned it out as he glanced back down into Shannon’s cell phone and kept playing Minecraft. Sleater didn’t seem to notice. Her career was on the up.
Back into the darkened locker room, hammer-lit on a determined Slayter McKinney rolling her neck and pacing anxiously.
“It has been 12 days, 3 hours and 36 minutes since my last match, not that I’ve been counting,” Slayter winked coyly into the camera frame. "It feels like an eternity since I entered the ring and did exactly what I needed to do against Kordelia to secure a victory. Was it easy? Hell no.
And now, I’m counting the seconds till I square off once more on Breakdown. This time against Konrad Raab. A man who’s seen the inside of more wrestling rings than I’ve thrown punches. Konrad...--“
Slayter lowered her vision to the tiled floor a moment thinking carefully about all she knew of the man.
“--You’re a consummate performer,” she began, “you’ve taken beatings, and dished out beatings. You’ve climbed ladders, and fallen hard., You’ve bled. You’ve sweat. And you’ve drank from the cup of success. You’re better than half the competitors currently lacing up their boots in this business, and it will be my absolute honour to face you in the ring at Breakdown.
I respect you, Konrad. Facing you won’t change that. There’s so many who would drop it at the ropes, enter the ring and prepare to fight a war, because the traditional thinking states you can’t respect someone you’re about to beat from pillar to post.
But there’s no room for traditional thinking where I’m concerned. I’m older than half the people on this roster, and practically ancient when compared to the top tier of talent in this federation. But I’m here, and I’m going to excel past whatever limitations traditional thinking would place on me.
I will shake your hand before and after our match, Konrad, win or lose, bloodied or having not even broken a sweat. It doesn’t matter. Where I’m concerned, you and I will fight an unequivocal war for supremacy at Breakdown, but I will never lose the respect you have already earned just for doing all you’ve already done for this business. At Breakdown, I’m taking part in that history of yours.
This match is special.
They’re all special.
I don’t believe in the bible, and I’m not one to preach, but I do know enough to know that Moses entered into the presence of the burning bush and took his shoes off because he thought he’d entered hallowed ground. The truth was, the voice in the bush told him, everywhere he’d walked was holy, not just one spot, there, in the presence of a God.
Whether it’s for the championship, or for a notch in the win column Konrad, this match is sacred. They’ve all been sacred. This sport is my religion, Konrad, that ring is my church, and SCW my temple. And you… you’re a more than worthy opponent to face as I go once more to do battle for a legacy I’ve set out to build for myself.
In this industry, I will be a part of all that I face. Each match, each competitor whether I defeat them or fall to them will serve to make me better than I was before. That will never change.
Tonight, or at Fatal Fortunes, these aren’t just steps one takes to cement themselves atop a mountain. Each match is a journey unto itself, and I will revel in each test, and each struggle. I faced Kordelia Amida and won, and I will never forget what that match, and that opponent taught me. You Konrad?
You’re going to teach me even more.
And I will cherish every second of this opportunity.”
She winks to the camera, and we fade.
published September 17, 2016
Brianna Fennet
The proving grounds of Supreme Championship Wrestling are rarely for the faint of heart. Many a supposedly accomplished wrestler, the equivalent of a brave adventurer, has wandered into the House that D. built, the equivalent of a modern day lion’s den, expecting to garner acclaim, treasure, and a name on the hearts of the masses, only to instead find themselves leaving with their tail tucked soundly between their knees after one too many nasty apron bumps.
The proverbial Xanadu of wrestling federations, the elite have come to play here. Chad Evans, Katie Steward, Xander Valentine, and more still in the midst of writing their legacy onto the hallowed halls of wrestling’s greatest kingdom have all called SCW home. The list is long enough to make you cringe if you have to face them, and pity those who have to climb the same ladder they did against some of the stiffest competition the industry has ever seen under one roof.
The wrestling industry has trounced out its fair share of pretenders, shown the door to many a talented competitor, and crushed the hopes and dreams of a countless few who found themselves on the darker receiving ends the business has to offer. Which is why a case like Slayter McKinney might draw a few eyeballs.
Two matches into her SCW career in which she’s admittedly looked fresh, exuberant and exciting, you’d be forgiven if you thought she’d signed her first contract, fresh out of developmental territory and was sitting on the cusp of being just all right, to possibly becoming a roster member with potential for greater things. A dig deeper discovers a woman who found her way out of the business eight years ago and found herself forgotten until choosing to rejoin the fray a few months ago, plunging headlong into the deep end, and has so far learned to swim.
I caught up with Slayter shortly after a match against Kordelia Amida, a match she won, and the announcement that she’d be facing Konrad Raab at the next Breakdown, to ask her just how she managed to find herself walking back into an industry that had shown her the door years prior, and how she intends on keeping the door open this time.
WP
Hello! Slayter McKinney
Hey there!
WP
Congratulations on the win!
SM
Thank you, thank you! They don’t come much tougher than Kordy!
WP
One could argue that they do, and you’re in a direct line to face each of them if you keep up this momentum.
SM
I know! SCW is the deep end. The big bad monster of a roster they warn you about in training drills.
WP
Speaking of, you signed with SCW a few months ago, how’s the big time treating you?
SM
It’s been an absolute blast. I am so unbelievably grateful for this opportunity. It’s still something I’m coming to grips with little by little every day. I’ve gotten to see the spectacle of Rise to Greatness, the pressure cooker of Apocalypse, and the grind of weekly Breakdowns. I’ve met some of the greats I was watching on television months ago wishing I could be them. There’s nobody in the business putting on the shows this company is putting on, and I’m grateful to be even a sliver of a part of it!
WP
It must be bittersweet, having gone from being on the crest of making it to this big show years ago, and then now getting that opportunity once again?
SM
A little. But I’m getting the opportunity now, so I didn’t really miss it, just delayed it a little. I’m making the most of this. Pouring my sweat into something I live for, and would die for. So, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly bittersweet. Absence made the heart grow fonder in this case.
WP
You were away from the sport for so long. What kept you away.
SM
Oh. Oh you know. It’s just… I think John Lennon said that life is that thing that gets in the way of you making other plans. I got sidelined, and found my way back. That’s what matters now. I know what it means to watch rather than do the thing I love and live for. It felt painful to see a sport I’m so passionate about passing me by, but I’m here now. I’m set, and ready to take this business along for my ride.
WP
Konrad Raab isn’t going to be an easy challenge by any means. Do you feel prepared to face the challenge he represents?
SM
Him and twenty other challenges at a time, if I could. I’m training every day. Improving every millisecond that I can. I have been working my butt off to be twice the competitor I was when I left, so maybe Konrad Raab should be wondering if he’s prepared to face me!
WP
Do you have dream matches? Career aspirations?
SM
All of the above! I come from a place where there were no matches for years. That was like a drought for me\. So I’m making hay while the sun shines, now that it’s raining in my field, you know? Of course I want to lift a title above my head. Obviously any chance I get to lock up with anyone on this roster is going to be something special, and an opportunity to improve my skill set. For now, though, I’m just taking it one match at a time. I know what it means to lose something you love, and how quickly that can happen. I could slip and fall on the way to the ring and it all ends there, you know? Not to be melodramatic, but it’s just that simple. This business moves from one big thing to the next quick as lightning, I just want to be caught up in each and every strike of lightning.
WP
Eloquently put.
SM
I’m a worker. I’ve told the company that house shows, promotional tours, whatever they need I’m there. I’m hungry, and I’m chomping at this bit to see where it takes me.
WP
Do you ever compare yourself now to the woman you were when you first started?
SM
All the time! Obviously I have to train harder to keep the body me from eight years ago had with half the work. Haha! But I’m smarter than she was. I know how to be patient now, in the ring. Before I was like a spitfire, and I likely took a few too many bad bumps because I wasn’t willing to pick my spots more strategically. But I’ve learned you can burn up too fast if you don’t take your time. It’s a metaphor for life, and each and every single match I wrestle. I know how to calculate a little better, I’m not as foolhardy as I was. So, in that regard, yeah, Slayter McKinney of ten years ago couldn’t hold a candle to me now. She’d get exhausted before I hit her with even one of my signatures.
WP
You’re a testament to hard work, Slayter. I think I speak for all the fans of SCW when I say I’m looking forward to many more matches to come!
SM
We live in hope!
WP
Good luck against Raab!
SM
Thanks!
“It’s okay.” Shannon responded. It wasn’t okay, but in front of Dylan Shannon had no desire to quarrel with Sleater.
“It was just-- they wanted a photo shoot along with the webzine article they were running about me. I guess I got so caught up I lost track of time, but I’m really excited about how it turned out.”
“I’m happy for you,” Shannon stated icily. And she was happy for Sleater. Shannon had been there through the longsuffering years, watching her friend struggle to keep the bills paid and provide for her growing son. She’d done all she could to help, but watched the inner strength of her friend flourish under the weight of a world that seemed to want to stick her in a corner and keep her there. Shannon of all people could attest to the leaps and bounds Sleater had made since then. All of what Sleater now had had been earned and then some. This dream of hers, Shannon reasoned, would be a crime to hold her back from.
Still, there was a chafing going on that didn’t sit well with her; a festering growth of resentment threatening the peace. Dylan had asked repeatedly why his mother didn’t seem to want to spend time with him since they’d been waiting. Shannon had, thus far, chosen to keep these moments of Dylan’s uncertainty from Sleater. But how long could that last with her temper resentment gradually building?
“Oh, Shannon thank you so much for watching, Dylan,” Sleater continued as if just remembering Shannon’s efforts, looking antsy and eager. “It’s happening. It’s really happening. I’m getting some attention. Things are building, I can feel it.”
Shannon hadn’t risen from her seat to greet her friend after yet another moment of her best friend’s attention focused on that which, it seemed at least, to be her sole interest or goal. Shannon patted Dylan’s shoulder.
“Your son ran a personal best at the hotel track today.” Shannon smiled, Dylan looking up at his mother with the unfettered appreciation of a son who approved of his mother without failing.
“Really?” Sleater looked to him, “that’s great!”
Dylan looked proud. She admired him a second, till she recognized his father in his facial features and glanced away. Quickly, she cut through the awkward sensation that glimpse into regret had given her, “But you should see what I did,” Sleater smirked, ready to brag. Dylan’s expression softened into mild disappointment. Sleater didn’t notice, but Shannon did.
“I’ve got a huge match coming up, so, I’ve been working at beating my personal best doing laps in the pool. Can you watch Dylan for another couple of--” Dylan drowned it out as he glanced back down into Shannon’s cell phone and kept playing Minecraft. Sleater didn’t seem to notice. Her career was on the up.
“It has been 12 days, 3 hours and 36 minutes since my last match, not that I’ve been counting,” Slayter winked coyly into the camera frame. "It feels like an eternity since I entered the ring and did exactly what I needed to do against Kordelia to secure a victory. Was it easy? Hell no.
And now, I’m counting the seconds till I square off once more on Breakdown. This time against Konrad Raab. A man who’s seen the inside of more wrestling rings than I’ve thrown punches. Konrad...--“
Slayter lowered her vision to the tiled floor a moment thinking carefully about all she knew of the man.
“--You’re a consummate performer,” she began, “you’ve taken beatings, and dished out beatings. You’ve climbed ladders, and fallen hard., You’ve bled. You’ve sweat. And you’ve drank from the cup of success. You’re better than half the competitors currently lacing up their boots in this business, and it will be my absolute honour to face you in the ring at Breakdown.
I respect you, Konrad. Facing you won’t change that. There’s so many who would drop it at the ropes, enter the ring and prepare to fight a war, because the traditional thinking states you can’t respect someone you’re about to beat from pillar to post.
But there’s no room for traditional thinking where I’m concerned. I’m older than half the people on this roster, and practically ancient when compared to the top tier of talent in this federation. But I’m here, and I’m going to excel past whatever limitations traditional thinking would place on me.
I will shake your hand before and after our match, Konrad, win or lose, bloodied or having not even broken a sweat. It doesn’t matter. Where I’m concerned, you and I will fight an unequivocal war for supremacy at Breakdown, but I will never lose the respect you have already earned just for doing all you’ve already done for this business. At Breakdown, I’m taking part in that history of yours.
This match is special.
They’re all special.
I don’t believe in the bible, and I’m not one to preach, but I do know enough to know that Moses entered into the presence of the burning bush and took his shoes off because he thought he’d entered hallowed ground. The truth was, the voice in the bush told him, everywhere he’d walked was holy, not just one spot, there, in the presence of a God.
Whether it’s for the championship, or for a notch in the win column Konrad, this match is sacred. They’ve all been sacred. This sport is my religion, Konrad, that ring is my church, and SCW my temple. And you… you’re a more than worthy opponent to face as I go once more to do battle for a legacy I’ve set out to build for myself.
In this industry, I will be a part of all that I face. Each match, each competitor whether I defeat them or fall to them will serve to make me better than I was before. That will never change.
Tonight, or at Fatal Fortunes, these aren’t just steps one takes to cement themselves atop a mountain. Each match is a journey unto itself, and I will revel in each test, and each struggle. I faced Kordelia Amida and won, and I will never forget what that match, and that opponent taught me. You Konrad?
You’re going to teach me even more.
And I will cherish every second of this opportunity.”
She winks to the camera, and we fade.
![[Image: gbrocLu.png]](https://i.imgur.com/gbrocLu.png)