Glory Braddock vs. Selena Frost

[Braddock]

==========
February 12th, 2022
London, England
Off Camera
==========

For “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock, challenging for the SCW World Championship in her hometown of London, England would have been a dream come true. It just about came true just over two weeks ago on Breakdown when Selena Frost was set to defend that championship against Braddock in London on Breakdown. But then all hell broke loose with the interference of Twin Magic, Holly Adams and her trademarked cronies, and The Connection. The World Championship picture seems to be more crowded than ever with Kimberly Williams, Kandis, Autumn Valentine, Holly Adams, and Brittany Lohan all wanting a piece of the reigning world champion Selena Frost. But The British Bombshell still wants her one on one opportunity. She still wants her title shot. And thanks to the current SCW commissioner Shaun Cruze, she will get that opportunity in Tampa, Florida. It may not be her birthplace, but it is just a five hour drive from her current residence in Miami. Glory still feels as if she has homefield advantage and she still feels as if all of the momentum in the world is behind her as she heads into this opportunity, an opportunity that does not come around very often.

The announcement of the title match was made in Nashville. Immediately following that Breakdown Glory Braddock made travel arrangements to go back to London, England. During big matches like this, she always returns to her old stomping grounds in order to get mentally prepared. London, specifically at her father’s wrestling school, is where she would also get mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared for all of the big matches of her career. Every world championship match she has had, she would always make it a point to visit the place that groomed her and helped make her into who she is today. Traveling to the Glenn Braddock Wrestling School also serves a dual purpose for The British Bombshell; not only does she get to prepare for her own big championship match against Selena Frost, but she also can take care of another matter almost as important; namely, Fiona Osbourne.

Fiona Osbourne was originally a model working for her cousin Kayla Jones’s modeling agency. But when she learned that Fiona looked up to Glory and wanted to follow in her footsteps and become a wrestler herself, Glory pulled some strings and helped her get in to her wrestling school. But now Kayla wants her cousin to take things a step further. She wants Braddock to let Fiona move in with her, she wants Braddock to personally mentor Fiona. But Glory isn’t certain that Fiona would want this; Glory isn’t even sure that she is ready to take on such a responsibility herself. She recently stepped away from her duties as the Chief Executive Officer in her company so she could focus on her original passion, her love of wrestling. Thus far it has proven fruitful. She defeated Syren at Body, Heart, and Soul to put herself into the SCW World Title picture. But would this just be a distraction? Or, as her cousin and others close to her seem to indicate, could this be just what Glory Braddock needs?

Currently Glory Braddock is approaching the front doors of her father’s wrestling school in London, England. The British Bombshell is dressed in a royal purple silk blouse, a black knee length skirt, sheer panyhose, and black patent leather high heel pumps. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. Braddock is carrying a gym bag with her which contains her workout gear. The beautiful blonde pushes the doors open and steps inside. Immediately she is met with the familiar sounds and noises of her students training. Fists and feet hitting heavy bags, people slamming hard against the wrestling mats, and even the loud overbearing booming voice of Mark O’Brian shouting at the younger students. She has so many wonderful memories of this place. Just being here makes her feel comfortable and at peace.

Braddock spots her good friend, Sophie O’Brian, standing several feet away talking to a student. Upon closer inspection Braddock can see that this student is none other than Fiona Osbourne, the young girl Glory came here to speak with. Glory whistles loudly to get their attention. Sophie turns and locks eyes with her long time friend. “Sophie, come see me in my office for a bit…”

Sophie nods her head. Braddock turns and walks towards her office. The British Bombshell throws open her office door and steps inside. She drops the gym bag down near her desk. Then she sits down at her desk. Shortly thereafter Sophie enters the office. O’Brian is typically stoic, usually has a great poker face, but even she cannot hold back her grin upon seeing her best friend. “It’s great to see you, mate.” Sophie remarks as she sits down. “What brings you here? I thought you would be busy chasing the SCW World Championship?”

Braddock chuckles. “I don’t need to chase it, Sophie. I have my one on one opportunity next week on Breakdown from Tampa. It will be me and Selena, one on one, just as we wanted from the start. And you should know better than anyone when I have a world title match, whether I am challenging or defending, I will make damn sure to stop by this place first.”

“Yes, that is true.” Sophie remarks, nodding her head. “Whenever it comes to championships, when the pressure is on, you always come back to your old stomping grounds. You always remember where you came from.”

“Right…” Braddock sighs and shakes her head. That is the problem. She isn’t entirely sure that she does remember who she is. A part of her believes that she has forgotten what it means to be a Braddock. That is one of the motivations behind taking in Fiona. That was the motivation behind leaving behind the corporate life. She wants to rediscover herself, she wants to find the old Glory Braddock. Glory’s Northern Irish friend notices the concern on her face and furrows her brow out of confusion.

“What’s wrong, Gloria?”

“It’s nothing, mate. Nothing at all.”

Sophie stares daggers through Glory’s heart. “You know you can’t lie to me. I know you better than your know yourself. So tell me, what’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Sophie.”

“I understand more than you think.”

“No, you really don’t.” Glory responds with a sense of frustration in her voice. “You are always certain of yourself. You never once have had doubts about yourself. You have never once had an identity crisis.”

“An identity crisis?” Sophie repeats. Glory nods her head. Sophie chuckles. “I had an identity crisis once. It seems like an eternity but I did once have an identity crisis of my own. It was when I ran away from home to rid myself of the constant physical abuse I endured at the hands of my drunkard father.”

“I know the story…” Glory says, her voice trailing off.

“I don’t think you know the full story. You see, my mother was very traditional. She experienced the same abuse but she just took it. She viewed herself and her role as just an object, the homemaker. Being around that your entire life is enough to make you believe it. When I ran away, a part of me wanted to go back.” Sophie points at Glory. “But your father taught me that I could be anything I wanted. He taught me to be a fighter. Your father made who I am today. So yes, I know all about having an identity crisis because your father helped me through it.”

“Good for you, mate, but the thing is the great Glenn Braddock is dead and gone. He’s not here to help me.”

“He is here.” She touches Glory’s chest. Glory swats her hand away.

“Since when did you get deep and emotional?”

“When it comes to your father, I cannot help it. He did save my life.”

“I know…” Braddock sighs “...look, as fun as it is to debate you, I just don’t have time nor do I have the patience. I have a lot to do before I can begin my own training regimen. So would you mind retrieving Fiona for me?”

“Fiona?” Sophie is surprised by the request. She arches her brow. “What for?”

“None of your business, mate.”

Sophie stares a hole through her best friend. Glory is rarely this secretive with her. Something is up, she just doesn’t know what. Sophie decides to pursue it and instead just nods her head. She rises to her feet.

“I’ll go tell her you want to see her.”

Braddock leans back in her chair as she watches Sophie turns and exit her office. Glory waits and contemplates what is about to happen. Was she wrong to hide the truth from Sophie? Sophie is the prime example of what is about to happen. Glenn Braddock, Glory’s father, once took in two people who desperately needed help; namely, Sophie and Mark O’Brian. That is how Glory came to be good friends with them. Glenn taught them the wrestling trade. He did this to help them. His charity work always went unnoticed by the public. To be honest, his charity work even went unnoticed by his own family. For the longest time Glory thought that the legacy of Glenn Braddock was about being the best wrestler ever. The obsessive drive to be the best often led her to making crucial mistakes in her life. But is there something deeper to being a Braddock than just being the best wrestler she can be?

These thoughts are rushing through the mind of Glory Braddock as she sits and waits for Fiona to arrive. A few moments later and she hears the door opening. She watches as Fiona Osbourne stepping into the room. Her brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, she is wearing a white tanktop and gray shorts. Sweat is rolling down on her face, indicating that the young girl has been through a rigorous workout today. Fiona grins from ear to ear upon seeing Glory.

“Oh, uh, hi Glory! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!”

“Come off it, mate. Sophie told you I was here.” Glory says with a smirk. Fiona nods her head.

“Yeah, you’re right. I just…”

“It’s ok.” Glory motions to the empty chair that Sophie had just been sitting in a few minutes earlier. “Go ahead and have a seat. I want to talk to you for a moment.”

“Uh, ok…” Fiona nervously sits down. She looks up to Glory. Now Glory wants to talk to her. Of course she would be nervous.

“So, Fiona, I have to admit that I had my doubts when you said your true calling in life was to be a wrestler. I mean, you were a good model with my cousin’s agency. You were making good money and a good living for yourself. Going from modeling to wrestling isn’t exactly an easy transition.”

“I know, but it is what I always wanted to do.”

“Right and it isn’t like the transition from model to wrestler has never been made. My cousin Kayla did it. A former associate of mine, Sienna Swann, did it. Both former world champions. But they had the determination and will to accomplish their goal.”

“I have that same determination, Ms. Bra…I mean Glory…” Fiona says, catching herself as she remembers that Glory doesn’t want her to be so formal.

“Well then convince me. Tell me how things have been going with you at the school.”

“Well I’ve been sparring a lot lately…”

“With the other students?”

“No…” Fiona’s voice trails off. Glory grins knowingly.

“With Sophie?”

“Yup!” Fiona says excitedly as she nods her head. “And Mark, and Randall!”

“Excellent! All three are former champions in their own right and Sophie is a former World Champion. The mere fact that you have worked your way up to their level is impressive.”

“And I’m keeping up with them. I mean, they’re far more experienced than me so I lose…often…but I keep up.”

“Losing is fine, Fiona. It’s just so long as you are learning and specifically you learn why you lost. Are you learning?”

“Every day.”

“Great.” Glory remarks. There is a pause, an awkward pause as Glory senses that she needs to be honest with Fiona about why she is really here. A few moments later and Braddock finally decides to tell the truth. “Ok, I’m going to be honest with you here, Fiona…”

“I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“Nothing of the sort, love.” Glory says, shaking her head. “It’s something else…”

“What is it?”

“Uh, it’s about my cousin. She told me about the situation with you and your foster father.”

Immediately Fiona’s mood changes. She had been very bright, bubbly, and excited to see Glory. Now that her foster father, Todd Osbourne, has been brought up the mood of Fiona changes to a much more somber one. Fiona sighs deeply and shakes her head. “I really wish she hadn’t mentioned him.”

“Kayla was just worried about you.”

“Yeah, well that was supposed to remain a secret between me and her.” Fiona rises up to her feet and turns to walk out the door. “I’m sorry, but…”

“Fiona, wait!” Glory calls out after her. Fiona was about to open the door but stops. “Please, sit back down and let’s talk about this.”

Fiona stands there and thinks about this for a moment. She isn’t sure if she should return. But she turns and looks back at Glory. She can tell by Braddock’s eyes that The British Bombshell just wants to help. Fiona nods her head and then goes and sits back down. Glory leans forward. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

“Todd is not my father. He never will be. He doesn’t know how to be a father. He just knows how to make money off the government by fostering a child and he knows how to use and abuse that father to make money off of her. Did Kayla tell you everything he did?”

“She told me you lost your parents and that you were placed into Todd’s care. She told me that Todd forced you to become a model so he could live a nice life off of your success.”

Fiona nods her head. “That’s right and I had to endure hell for many years.” Tears form in the young girl’s eyes. Glory hands her a tissue. Fiona takes it and wipes her eyes. “As soon as I turned eighteen I decided I would never again go back to Todd. I told Kayla about my situation and I was surprised that she was willing to keep me hidden from him.”

Braddock doesn’t tell Fiona, but there is a good reason Kayla chose to help Fiona. It is the same reason why Kayla was so insistent upon Glory helping Fiona. Kayla wants to help Fiona because Kayla herself endured a similar situation. Kayla was forced to be a model by her foster father. Kayla’s foster father abused her and then when Kayla ran away from him at the age of eighteen he stalked her. The two situations are damn near identical. Wrestling saved Kayla’s life. She learned how to be a wrestler and she was able to protect herself and make a living for herself. Hearing that Fiona wants to be a wrestler, not a model, was enough to motivate Kayla into helping her. The situation is also similar to Sophie and Mark’s family situation. They had a parental figure that was abusive. They ran away from home and they were lucky to have Glenn Braddock take care of them and give them the help they needed to get away and stay away from their abusive family situation. Is Glory now prepared to follow in her father’s footsteps by helping someone in an abusive situation?

“Kayla told me that you’re afraid your foster father is trying to stalk you.” Glory states. Fiona nods her head.

“Yeah, I’m worried about that.” Fiona admits nervously. “I think I’m safe here in England but…” she shrugs her shoulders “...I just don’t know. He always seems to find me.”

“What if I told you that I know how to keep you safe from your foster father?”

“How could you do that?”

“You want to be a wrestler. You want to stay safe and hidden away from Todd. Then why don’t you kill two birds with one stone and move in with me.”

“You mean in Miami?” Fion asks. Glory nods her head.

“Yes, that’s right. I even have a plane ticket for you if you decide to leave with me on my trip back to Florida on Monday.”

“Wow, well that’d be…” Fiona is stunned by the request, so much so that she cannot seem to find the appropriate words, but then after thinking about it for a few moments Fiona shakes her head “...but I can’t. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You wouldn’t be a burden.”

“You have a daughter you’re raising, you run a company, you are a wrestler and soon to be challenging for a World Championship in Tampa.” Fiona shakes her head all the more vehemently. “No, I’d just be a distraction.”

Glory sighs as she reaches out and takes Fiona’s hands, hands that are trembling with fear. “You would not be a distraction. Look, let me tell you about my own father. His name was Glenn Braddock and he started this wrestling school. Like you he had dreams. His dream was to be an Olympic champion.”

“Did he ever compete at the Olympics?” Fiona asks. Glory shakes her head.

“No, he suffered a back injury during a match that ended his career. He was lost for awhile, not sure what to do with his life. But then he shifted his focus from achieving selfish goals for himself to helping others achieve their goals. That’s why he built this place, so he could train future wrestlers. Sophie and Mark out there, they were two of his first three students.”

“Who was the third?”

“You’re looking at her.” Glory says with a wink. “Anyway, my dad had already been supporting Sophie and Mark financially when they ran away from home. Their father was a drunk and beat them regularly. They needed to get away and my dad paid for them to have a place to stay. Then when he opened this place he began training them as wrestlers so that they would have the skills to support themselves. So you see, Fiona? I am just doing what my own father would have done.”

“So my training…”

“It will continue.” Glory says, nodding her head. “But I will be personally training you in Miami.”

There is a pause as Fiona thinks it over. She pulls her hands away from Glory and shakes her head. “I just…I’m not sure…I mean, I get what you’re saying, and it sounds good but, I am safe here in England. My father isn’t likely to find me here.”

“Didn’t you just say he always manages to find you?”

“True…”

“I can’t guarantee that he will never find you, mate, but I CAN guarantee your safety. You are your own woman now, he is not your guardian anymore. You can make your own decisions and you do not have to listen to him. Just like you do not have to listen to me. I do think coming with me is the best idea for you but I can’t make that decision for you.”

“Traveling with you and training with you would be a great educational experience.” Fiona admits.

“You don’t have to make a decision right now.” Glory says. She reaches into her desk and produces an envelope. She hands it across the desk to Fiona. “Take it. Inside is a plane ticket and a ticket to Breakdown in Tampa.”

“You mean?”

“Right. Even if you don’t decide to take me up on my offer you’re still invited to come to Tampa and watch me fight for the SCW World Championship.”

“That…” Fiona’s eyes grow wide and her grin grows all that much larger “...that’d be an honor!”

“Just think about it, ok? You don’t have to make a decision right away but I promise you that I will keep you safe.”

“Thank you, Glory!”

“Don’t mention it, mate. Now go on, Sophie is probably worried about you.”

Fiona nods and quickly rises up out of her chair and makes her exit. Glory is once again left alone to her own thoughts. She was pressured into making this offer to Fiona. Glory still isn’t sure that this is the best thing to do. But a part of her feels good about this. Now that the offer is out there, she feels at peace. For the first time in a long time, Glory Braddock feels good about something other than winning a championship. Maybe she has lost her way? But if she has, then perhaps she is close to getting back on track?

==========
February 12th, 2022
London, England
Off Camera
==========

Several hours have passed since Glory Braddock’s meeting with her young student Fiona Osbourne. It is Fiona’s desire to be a wrestler and Glory has made the offer to personally take her under her wing, let her move in with her in her home at Miami, and travel with her as she learns the trade personally with Glory Braddock herself. Everyone from her cousin Kayla, mother Mary Ford, and even her mother’s priest in Massachusetts seemed convinced that Glory should do something like this, something to help someone in need. Fiona definitely is in need; she is in need of finding a way to make a living for herself and thus escape the grips of her foster father Todd Osbourne. Glory has offered to take in Fiona and help personally help her out and despite her initial reluctance, Glory now feels at peace about this move.

Now that Fiona, the other students, and the trainers have all left Glory is free to use this school and its equipment to prepare for her championship match against Selena Frost. Seeing Fiona may have been the primary reason she came back here to London but training for a big world championship match in Tampa, Florida is almost as important in the mind of The British Bombshell. She has been SCW World Champion once before, for only a few minutes after dethroning Bree Lancaster in the gauntlet match. But she immediately lost to Chris Cannon. Some doubt the validity of her title reign. Braddock has proven herself since by defeating the likes of Syren at Body, Heart, and Soul. Now she can fully and permanently eliminate any and all doubts by defeating the reigning champion Selena Frost for the gold. Doing so won’t be easy, but taking on tough challenges and overcoming those tough challenges is another thing that defines the Braddock legacy. And that is what Glory is here to do, to remind herself what it means to be a Braddock.

Currently The British Bombshell is in the ring dressed in her workout attire of purple short and a white t-shirt. Braddock is running the ropes as part of her exercise routine. There is no one to spar with right now so she decides to work on her speed and agility. She leaps off her feet and does a back flip off the second rope and lands on her feet. She charges towards a corner, leaps to the very top, and does a back flip off the top and again lands on her feet. The way Braddock lands she ends up facing a picture of her father. Glenn Braddock and his grizzled features, the always present sneer on his face, it brings a smile to the face of Glory Braddock. She leans up against the ropes and chuckles.

“Sorry about that, dad. I know you absolutely detest all the jumping around and flipping about that you see in wrestling nowadays. Hell, you kicked my friend Matty out of your school because he preferred that style to what you taught.” Braddock says winking at the portrait. “But don’t worry, when it comes to the SCW World Title and Selena Frost, I’ll probably dance with what brought me. I’ll out-wrestle her, I’ll use submissions, and God willing, I will win.”

Braddock bows her head. “I mean, that’s what wrestling is all about, right? Winning. Being the best. That’s what you taught me, right dad? Or did I lose my way? Have I forgotten one of your lessons?” Braddock chuckles. “Look at me, I’m talking to a bloody picture hanging on a wall! No wonder I am having a bloody identity crisis. How can I figure out who I am supposed to be when I have already lost my damn mind?!”

“Do you always talk to yourself when you’re training?” The voice is familiar. Glory recognizes it immediately. She turns around and finds her younger sister, Julia Braddock, approaching. She is dressed in denim jeans, black boots, and a white silk blouse. She has just walked into the facility and is approaching the ring. Glory grins knowingly.

“Not always…” She sighs deeply “...just whenever I’m alone, or when I start to miss dad. Both of which seem to happen more frequently lately.”

Julia nods her head. She steps up onto the ring apron and then steps through the ropes into the ring. “Why are you here so late?”

“I have a World Title Match coming up next week, Jules. And there’s no better place to get some hard work in than right here at dad’s school.”

“Yeah, I heard about your title match. I also heard what you were saying about an identity crisis. And I heard that you wanted Fiona to move in with you.”

Glory sighs and nods her head. She had forgotten that Fiona has been staying with Julia recently during her trainings in London at the Braddock Wrestling School. Julia walks over to the side of the ring Glory is at and she leans up against them. She stares into her sister’s eyes. “Are you ok?”

“I’m ok…”

“Despite having an identity crisis?”

“Yes.” Glory rolls her eyes. “Look, I admit that there is a small part of me that thinks I lost my way. And maybe this right here, coming back here to this place, seeing that man…” she points to the picture on the wall of their father “...maybe that is just what I need to remember who I am and get back on the RIGHT path.”

“Does taking Fiona into your home has anything to do with it?”

“Maybe it does? Julia, you and me and Sophie, we were all trained by the same man. We were all trained by Glenn Braddock. Sophie graduated as a cold hearted emotionless sociopath focused only on achieving her goals at any cost. You and I were different. We started as idealists. We thought we could make positive changes for the business. But I look at what I have done over the past two years or so and I question whether I have lived up to those ideals. I look at some of the things I have done to stay on top in the corporate world and in the wrestling world, even the things I did to you…” tears begin to form in Glory’s eyes. Julia immediately shakes her head and embraces her sister in a tight hug.

“You don’t need to apologize, Glory. We’ve already made peace time and time again.”

“But the fact is that I was willing to hurt my own family, to hurt innocent people, all in some misguided notion of what I thought was the right thing to do. I realize now that I wasn’t trying to do the right thing, I was trying to maintain as much power as humanly possible.”

“And you think that taking in Fiona will suddenly make up for all of that?”

“This isn’t about making up for anything.” Glory says defiantly, shaking her head. “I cannot live in the past. I must learn from my mistakes and move on. But I can try to ensure that the monster I had become will never again return. So I need to become that idealist again. I need to find that old Glory Braddock again, the young girl who got into this business to make a positive difference and not just to be some tyrant. Our father, for all of his flaws one thing he did that was one hundred percent wholesome, one hundred percent good and selfless, was when he took Sophie and Mark and almost literally saved their lives. That’s all I want to do for Fiona.”

“That’s all well and good but…” Julia stares into her sister’s eyes “...what about Amelia?”

“Amelia?” Glory shrugs her shoulders. “She is very enthusiastic, maybe too enthusiastic, but still, she is a good wrestler. What about her?”

Julia sighs deeply. She places a hand on Glory’s shoulder. “Look, what you want to do for Fiona is great. It is a very noble thing to do, just like what our dad did for Sophie and Mark was a good and noble thing to do. But you were right, our dad had many flaws and faults, one of them was that he played favorites.”

“Julia…” Glory’s voice trails off. She knows where her sister is going with this and doesn’t want to hear it. Julia, though, is insistent.

“Our father favored you over me. You were his favorite because you took to wrestling quicker than me, more naturally than I did. He played favorites.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Glory. It wasn’t your fault. But please don’t play favorites with Amelia and Fiona. If Fiona takes you up on this offer that means she will be traveling the road with you, just like Amelia does. Do not play favorites between the two. Do not make the mistake our dad made.”

The British Bombshell realizes that her sister raises a good point. For all of the good their father did, his biggest mistake was playing favorites with his two children. It led to many years of bad feelings and feuding between the two of them before they finally made peace. She cannot afford to make that mistake here and now when she herself has people who look up to her, people like Amelia Stone and Fiona Osbourne. Braddock looks into her sister’s eyes and nods her head.

“I know…and I promise I won’t make that mistake.”

“Good.” Julia leans over and embraces her sister in a tight hug. “Because I agree, helping Fiona could be the best thing you’ve done in a long time. And I do want this to work out, not just for her sake but for yours.”

“Thanks, Jules.” Glory says as she smiles warmly. At the beginning of the day she wasn’t sure that taking Fiona in and mentoring her would be a good idea. But now she is beginning to view this as an opportunity to give back, to help a desperate young woman in need. This is an opportunity for Glory to rediscover herself and remind herself who and what she really is; but ultimately this decision is in the hands of Fiona Osbourne. She cannot make the decision for her.