Tommy Valentine vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Royal Letter

The camera opens up to reveal the interior of an office space. A shelf full of books stands at the back of the shot, while a throne chair sits in the middle of the shot. And sitting there, dressed in black jeans, and a light blue t-shirt with her hair pulled back sits the SCW World Champion, Selena Frost. The SCW World championship sits on a shelf just behind her. With one leg crossed over the other, the Snow Queen seems to be in thought for a moment, taking a few seconds before she speaks.

You know… for a long time now, I’ve heard superstar after superstar – man and woman – declare up and down that they were the ones that could beat me and take the world title off me. That they were the ones that ‘had my number’…

A slow smile forming across her features, the platinum-blonde chuckles a little. My number. I mean, Holly Adams? Cid Turner? Glory Braddock? The list is a long one of so many superstars declaring that they knew me so well – that they were so ready for me. That they would beat me and be the one.

And now? My number is over 140. As in over 140 days as the SCW World Champion.

Chewing her lower lip a little, Selena seems to contemplate that fact for a moment. And when you think about it, you can throw shade at it as much as you want. I won’t be the one to tell you it’s been perfect. I won’t be the one to tell you there hasn’t been some hiccups along the way. But when I started fighting for the world title, I made a promise that I would do all I can to fight for the integrity of it. That I would do all I could to lift the belt up from the standard it’s been lowered to and place it back on a pedestal that everyone in SCW could be proud of!

She shrugs a little. Because I didn’t want to be like ‘every other champion’ that had recently come before me, hiding behind friends – ‘sharing’ the world title - or making excuses like fake injuries or whatever – no! I wanted to inspire SCW! I wanted to inspire everyone that worked here, from the roster to the crew and the staff! I wanted everyone to believe that things could be better! That they could believe in something better! A better SCW!

Tilting her head a little this way and that, the young woman shrugs again. And it hasn’t been easy. I’ve had doubters and I’ve had my own doubts, that is for sure. But the reason I am still here as SCW World Champion is because not only did I have to overcome those doubts and change to become better – become a standard that challenged people to be better – but because SCW changed too! 

It has! You look at Aaron Demitria standing for good form and integrity because he wanted a match that he officiated to be fair! To represent the company he’s dedicated years of his life too proudly! Standing up to cheaters like The Brand and Kim Williams! You look at Glory Braddock overcoming a legend like Syren just for a shot against me! You look at people coming in droves on Twitter and Breakdown, all wanting a chance to compete against me – to be the one that can match my standard and beat it.

A bright smile comes across Selena’s face. You think that bothers me? It’s what I’ve wanted! That’s what I’ve believed in! It’s change! Good, true, worthy change! SCW is slowly changing - And for the better! Change so that someone like Autumn Valentine can be honored with a title shot she deserves after so many months of proving it as Television Champion! Change that makes people like Ace Marshall WANT to fight for the world title rather than coast through the months year after year! Change that inspires my wife, Deanna, to try and train harder than anyone else to become as good a wrestler as those she has seen. Change so that those that want to be here and compete, like Glory and even Kandis, can get their shot while others that don’t care to put in the effort – like Kimberly Williams – are weeded out and MADE to earn their shots!

Elated, Selena looks around a bit, as if she can see the world of SCW before her. This is what I believed in! Supreme Championship Wrestling! The best of the best in all the world wrestling for all of you! Where words like ‘skill’ and ‘ability’ mean something! Where integrity means something! Where being the World Champion means something! Where S-C-W means something! It’s happening, you’ve seen it! You’ve heard it! You all know it! It’s already begun! And most important of all, you believe in it!

Selena gestures to the camera, to her audience, before sitting back in her chair, becoming a bit more reflective.  And I believe it. I believe it with all my heart. I believe that this change – starting off small – will only continue to grow. Grow bigger and bigger until it eclipses the stigma the world title has been trapped in for so many years. That SCW has been trapped in for so many years. I believe that this change is long overdue and will not be stopped. So, when there are trips in the road – when someone wants to try and screw the rules and cheat their way past me, when I come up short because of such acts… I know that such things – remarks to such things? They are just bumps in the road. They might slow us down, but they will not stop us. They will not stop our path to integrity being at the helm of S-C-W!

Taking a slow breath, inhaling and exhaling, Selena looks away from the camera for a moment. Which leads me to Tommy Valentine… her gaze returns to the camera.

And Tommy, I wanted to include you in that build. I really did! I wanted to talk about how you’ve changed! I wanted to talk about how someone like you is more than worthy to challenge for the world title. I still believe that! Did you see me complain at you being picked by Shaun last Breakdown? Of course not! I mean, I’m set to fight a Hall of Famer now! I’m set to fight one of the longest veterans still active in SCW! And in terms of accolades? You’ve done it all, Tommy! Won practically every title there is to win! Headlined Rise to Greatness! Multiple End of the Year awards. Hell! You manage to wrestle full-time, run a club and… how many gyms and training facilities you’ve got now? Two? Three? All while preparing for your wedding!

We don’t have enough time in the day to talk about all your accolades inside and outside the ring, Tommy! We don’t! she shakes her head.

I wanted to talk about how you changed, Tommy. How being in this new standard has brought something out of you. And honestly? I thought you being chosen to replace Kandis would have been the opportunity for that. Would have been the opportunity to SEE that.

The Snow Queen’s expression grows more serious, as does her tone. And let me be clear, Thomas, I have never ducked a challenge put before me. I’ve never run away or hid behind someone or tried to weaken them backstage. And where Kandis was concerned, I WANTED to fight her. Because what she said was true. Out of everyone that was in Double Jeopardy that’s still in SCW, she was the only one that I didn’t have a hand in beating and eliminating from the match. She and I? We never fought one and one and I was excited for that to finally change. 

More than that, I saw passion in her eyes. I saw fire there, Tommy! The kind of fire I was talking about a moment ago! The kind you probably see all the time, I bet. I saw a desire from your fiancée to not just face me, but beat me at my own standard. To beat me clean and show the world that she was the best. It’s something I don’t always see, Tommy. Didn’t see it in Holly’s eyes. Didn’t see it Kim’s eyes. Saw it in Glory’s. Saw it in Autumn’s. 

And I saw it in Kandis’.

Leaning a bit forward, Selena’s sapphire eyes narrow. I say this to you, Tommy, with all my heart. The fact that I can’t fight Kandis this Sunday is something I regret. It is something that, until she comes back, I will always regret. And if she does come back, you don’t have to worry about her getting a shot at my title – because I’ll march over to management and make sure she gets one. Of that you can believe!

Slowly, remaining quiet, Selena sits back in her chair, resting her hands over her lap. But, as Shaun Cruze said, SCW needs to move on. And when he announced you, Tommy, like I said, I was excited because I was hoping to see that change in you, Tommy. I thought fighting for your fiancée’s missed opportunity would put some of that fire in your eyes! Would put a bit of her fighting spirit in your soul! I was excited for that! Because if you had even a little bit of what she had? Then we’d get one hell of a Hall of Famer coming for me! We’d get one hell of a world title match!

Stopping mid-motion, Selena seems to freeze for a split second, as if a cold thought came to her. But then…Shaun Cruze inadvertently fooled me.

Or, to be more accurate, Shaun was fooled too because he believed what I believed! We believed that we’d get something new from Tommy Valentine! Something special from Tommy Valentine! Something that could reach the new standard that’s been put on the world title – urged on by his ‘fighting for Kandis’, urged on by the opportunity of a lifetime that’s LITERALLY fallen into his lap! But what did we get last Breakdown? 

The Snow Queen gives a shrug at the question. What happened? she waits a second before answer.

Tommy came down to the ring, opened his mouth and proceeded to give us a rerun! He came down to the ring and it was the same thing as last time we fought!

‘I hate Selena Frost!
I hate Selena Frost’s clothes!
I hate Selena Frost’s catchphrase!
I hate Selena Frost’s beliefs!
I hate! I hate! I hate! I hate!’

Over and over and over again! The same insults he’s thrown at me every single time he’s mentioned me! Every single time we’ve fought! It’s like it was 2020 all over again! 

Slightly in disbelief and slightly irritated, Selena looks around the room, taking a quick breath. I mean, Tommy, if I wanted to see you and I back in 2020, I’d have gone on YouTube and watched a clip of when Regan and I beat you and Kandis at Rise to Greatness to take the tag titles off you, or when we beat you in the Tag League and effectively knocked you out of it.

Selena slowly shakes her head. But doing reruns and ‘same old insults’…that’s not what I want to do here. I’m not interested in repeating the old standard, Tommy. That may be your thing, but it isn’t mine. I’m not going to give SCW crap and say ‘it’s gold’. That’s your thing, Tommy. That’s you making promises like becoming Adrenaline champion and failing twice over. That’s you promising over and over again to break the record of “number of tag-title wins” and failing over and over again. That’s what you’ve done the last several months, and I’m… I’m not like that, Tommy. I’m not into giving SCW something old and saying it’s a ‘new standard’. No, Tommy, I want to raise the bar here. I want to raise the bar with you helping me to do it!

You see, so many people have written this match off as “Selena Frost vs a replacement”. The rumors ran wild over who would be picked and now that it’s you – yes, it makes perfect sense to me – but you and I… We have some work to do, don’t we?

You and I, we have a lot of people that we need to disprove. You and I? The world knows how good we are individually. They know how great we can be and how great we have been in the past. That’s just knowing the history. But if you said two or three weeks ago that Tommy Valentine would be chosen to face Selena Frost for the world championship – a lot of people would have scoffed at the idea, Tommy. A lot of people would have done a lot of crying about it on Twitter. And you know that. I’ll bet even you would have scoffed at the idea. Selena tilts her head, daring a rebuttal from her opponent.

They would have not only questioned your place in that match, they would have questioned my mission of integrity. They would have questioned everything that’s been said about me from the likes of Ace Marshall, you, Kandis, Holly – basically everyone that’s got a stick up their ass about me being world champion just because they don’t like me. Things like ‘I’m protected’ or that I need management to keep me as the champion…

Licking lips, Selena shakes her head. We – we need to disprove that, Tommy. We need to show the SCW Universe why this isn’t just some ‘quick fix’ to Kandis being removed due to an injury. We need to show the SCW Universe that not only do you belong here with me in the main-event, but this main-event has all the makings of one of the greatest matches of the year! Maybe even a ‘Match of the Year’ award-winner!

Leaning forward a little, the buzz in Selena’s voice can be heard – her excitement clear. The bitter lover, the – what was it you called yourself a few weeks ago after you lost to Cid? Selena snaps her fingers, trying to recall before suddenly remembering. ’The King of Straight Up Wrestling’! I WANT to see that, Tommy! Like really see it! Not just you promising it and coming up short again or promising it and then throwing a tantrum and disqualifying yourself – but actually see it! I want the fans and True Believers to see that! I want to see this ‘king’ fight for this title like he’s never fought before!

Silent for a moment, Selena settles back down into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. What I don’t want – what the SCW Universe doesn’t want – is 2020 Tommy Valentine whining and crying the same old thing. Talking about being my ‘kryptonite’ or my ‘Dream Killer’ while I stand here not only a former Tag-Team Champion, but the current SCW World champion!

She shakes her head. Nobody wants to see that again, Tommy! We want to see something new! Something unexpected! Something that challenges the standard that’s changing SCW as we know it! Because this is, easily, the biggest opportunity of the year for you! Maybe even your entire career! Doesn’t it deserve more? Doesn’t Kandis deserve more?

Smiling, still excited, Selena placed a hand over her heart. It’s certainly one of the biggest opportunities for me. 140 plus days in this reign and I FINALLY get a chance to defend the world title against an SCW Hall of Famer. A chance to take on a legend. An icon! 

This could very easily be the most important title defence I’ve ever had, Tommy, maybe the most important title defence I’ll ever have in this reign… simply because it’s you that I am facing…That’s how good you are and how great you can be!

Lowering her hand, Selena exhales slowly, returning to her serious tone. But if you’re just going to give me 2020 Tommy Valentine? If you’re just going to give me the same insults and BS you gave me every other time we’ve fought? ‘Hate’, ‘Dream Killer’, ‘Kryptonite’ – that same old schtick… If you’re just going to pick up a timekeeper’s bell and swing at me when you’ve ‘had enough’, then it’s going to be a long night for you and for Kandis. 

Because if you won’t rise to the occasion, rise to my standard – the standard of SCW and the World title - then the only thing that our match will have in common with Rise to Greatness 2020 will be me knocking your ass out and beating you.

Selena gestures her hand up, to the ether. I’ve put the eyes of the SCW Universe and the True Believers on you now, Tommy Valentine. Waiting on you, waiting for what you will say and what you will do for the chance to become the world champion for the first time in 12 long years… 

So hit me with your best shot. For you, for Kandis – give me all you’ve got! Dig deep! Rise to the occasion! 

Make. Us. Believe…

A slow smile creeps across Selena’s features. It’s all on you now, Tommy. I’ll be waiting…

The world champion sits back in her seat, her smile never diminishing as the camera slowly fades to black.