Colleen vs. Glory Braddock

[Braddock]

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February 27th, 2023
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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It’s Monday afternoon and Glory Braddock is in the basement area of her upscale Miami home. The basement, which was large to begin with, was converted into a workout area. Braddock knows that as an active wrestler she would need to remain at the top of her game and now, as the SCW Television Champion, remaining in top condition is even more important. As champion it is her duty and obligation to defend the championship each and every edition of Breakdown. It was a fact she pointed out in the build up to challenging Amelia Blythe. She questioned whether or not Blythe would be able to hold up under the pressure of defending the title each and every week. Braddock proved her claims true as she defeated Blythe for the title. Now comes the hard part; defending the title. She must work hard to prove that she can keep up this workload, that she does have the endurance to defend the title week in and week out. And her first challenge comes in the form of a familiar foe; Colleen, one of Polly Playtime’s Playgirls. Losing the championship on her first defense against one of the Playgirls would be humiliating. Glory Braddock does not intend to let that happen. The championship defense will take place in just a few days, in Glendale, Arizona on Breakdown.

Right now, Glory does not find herself in the thick of the action. She sits on a bench watching her husband, retired wrestler and full time trainer Kurt Logan, working with their adopted daughter Fiona Logan. The pair are standing in a small wrestling ring set up in the center of the workout area. They are engaged in a sparring session. Glory knows she should probably be the one in there right now; she has a championship defense coming up. But Fiona’s career is still very young. She needs the training more than her. Besides, Glory enjoys watching Kurt work with young talent.

“You need to be careful, Fiona.” Kurt says as he and Fiona eye each other up. “You never know when your opponent will strike.”

“Like this…” Fiona lunges forward but Kurt easily side steps her and she goes right into the corner. She turns around and frowns. Kurt is smirking. He winks at her.

“I guess this old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Fiona remarks sarcastically.

“Don’t let him get to you, Fiona. It’s all mind games.” Glory remarks. “That’s also part of the game. Your opponent will try to get into your head not just before the match but during the match. Some people will trash talk you while they’re beating you up. Just ignore them. It’s all talk. It boils down to what you can do in the ring.”

Fiona nods her head in agreement as she and Kurt prepare to go at it again. It was a little over a week ago that Fiona returned to Miami after touring the independent wrestling scene alongside Glory’s oldest daughter, Melinda Braddock. Watching Fiona work under the tutelage of Kurt brings a warm smile to her face. It also reminds her of the pleasant times, the good moments and memories of her own youth when she was working and training under her father, the legendary British wrestler Glenn Braddock. But the late Glenn Braddock was much harsher on her than Kurt is on Fiona. Glenn expected perfection; nothing more, nothing less. He reminded Glory of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket. It wasn’t until late in his life, near his death, that Glory discovered the real emotional human being behind the rocky exterior. And to this day Glory regrets not getting to know that man more.

The British Bombshell is snapped out of her deep thoughts when she hears footsteps approaching. She turns her head in time to spot her oldest daughter, Melinda Braddock, entering the workout area. Glory smiles warmly as she rises up off of the bench and walks over towards Melinda. Mother and daughter meet halfway and embrace in a hug.

“I figured I would find you down here.” Melinda says. “I hope it’s ok that I join in the fun.”

“You’re always welcome here. You know that, Mel.” Glory answers after breaking the embrace. Melinda then motions to the ring where Kurt has Fiona trapped in another wrestling hold.

“I see my stepdad is putting Fiona through the wringer. It kinda reminds me of grandad.”

“I was thinking the same thing, love. Though if Kurt was even half as hard on her as your grandfather was on me, Fiona probably wouldn’t be able to walk the next day.”

“This is true.” Melinda says with a soft chuckle. “But uh, how is Fiona doing?”

“She’s incredible. Ever since she arrived a little over a week ago she has wanted to work out with Kurt. Each and every day they’ve been in this gym working out. I try to take some time out of my day to watch her, and I see her improve with each session.”

“Well I know she’s in good hands.” Melinda answers. “You and Kurt both have great minds for the business.”

“Thanks for the vote confidence, Mel.” Glory sighs and shakes her head. “But I have to admit, I’m not so certain of myself any longer.”

“You don’t say?” Melinda arches a brow out of curiosity. “I wasn’t going to bring it up, but since you mentioned it, I have to admit that it does surprise me that you’re just sitting on the sidelines right now and watching instead of being an active participant.”

“Kurt works so well with her.”

“But Kurt is retired.” Melinda points out. “You are still active. You are the SCW Television Champion. And you have your first title defense against Colleen.”

“Yeah.” Glory rolls her eyes. “I can’t seem to shake Polly’s little halfwits.”

“No, it doesn’t seem like you can. Now you’re facing Colleen and the title is on the line. Now Fiona is still green but working with her and sparring with her could at least somewhat help you prepare for that title defense. So why aren’t you in there working with Fiona instead of Kurt?”

“You’re right, I should be in there.” Glory shakes her head. “But I just don’t know…” her voice trails off.”

“What don’t you know? You’re Glory Braddock. You said it yourself on social media…forty times you have been a champion. Kurt is good, but YOU? Fiona could learn so much from you. Why aren’t you in there? Why isn’t Glory Braddock in there not only helping Fiona but working to improve herself?”

“It’s easy to say, Mel. Yes, I am Glory Braddock, but what does that mean? After the past several months, ever since Rise To Greatness last year, I have lost track of who I am supposed to be.”

“I see.” Melinda and Glory lock eyes. They are at each other in silence for a long period of time before eventually Melinda breaks the silence. “I hate to say it, mom, but you only have yourself to blame.”

“Huh?” Glory is admittedly stunned to hear her daughter say this. “What’d you say?”

“You heard me.” Melinda points out. “Since Rise To Greatness you descended into madness. I mean, I get it, grandma died and that was tough. It was tough on me, too. But your way of coping was not normal. You ran into the arms of Aphrodite Noel.”

“Look, I know you don’t approve of my relationship with her, but she did help me move on. She helped me get over the death of my mother.”

“That’s fine. Moving on and coping, by any means, is normally ok. But you went overboard. You blocked out and numbed the pain by shunning every aspect of your identity. You rejected that once made you…well…YOU! You rejected everything that grandad stood for.”

“Mel, I know that Glenn Braddock was your hero. But I knew him a hell of a lot better than you and trust me when I say that he was NOT a perfect man.” Glory remarks coldly. “He pressured me and pushed me to follow in his footsteps so that I could uphold his legacy and achieve the dreams he couldn’t. He didn’t want to raise a daughter, he just wanted to train a wrestler.”

“I know he wasn’t perfect. I know he didn’t treat you or Aunt Julia the way your typical dad would. But you act as if he was a monster and he was not. He did the best he could. He provided for you. Why don’t you ever focus on his positive qualities? You only focus on the negative. Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, if you tried to remember what made him a good man that you might get over this problem you have up here?” She taps her mother on the forehead, indicating she thinks Glory may have a psychiatric problem. The British Bombshell sighs and nods her head.

“You’re right. I did forget. And believe it or not, I want to try and remember. I want to remind myself what it means to be a Braddock.”

“Then maybe you should stop being so damn negative all the time?” Melinda suggests. “Quit focusing on what makes people bad. Focus on what makes people good.”

Glory Braddock looks back at Fiona and Kurt sparring in the ring. Kurt has her down on the mat in the hold and Fiona is struggling to find an escape. Glory then turns back to look at Melinda. The British Bombshell realizes that Melinda is right. For nearly a year, ever since Rise To Greatness, Glory Braddock has seemingly been focused on the negative and not on the positives of other people. But when it comes to her own father, to the late Glenn Braddock, it seems as if her negative feelings and emotions towards him and his memory has lasted much longer. Glory has been having difficulty thinking about the positives of her late father. Perhaps that is why she has lost touch with her Braddock identity? Perhaps that is why she lost touch with what it means to be a Braddock?

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March 1st, 2023
Glendale, Arizona
On Camera
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The camera begins to roll. We open outside on the balcony of a hotel room that overlooks the skyline of beautiful Glendale, Arizona. This city will be playing host to Breakdown in a couple days and the excitement is already building for this event. In fact, off in the distance one can spot the Jobing Arena, the actual site of SCW Breakdown. The current reverie is interrupted with the sound of a familiar voice off the scene…

“Gorgeous setting, isn’t it?”

Who might that be? That question is answered in mere moments as Glory Braddock steps into view from the right. The British Bombshell is wearing denim jeans and a button up silk royal purple blouse that is subtle in its elegance. Her long blonde hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. Braddock has her SCW Television Championship title belt draped over her right shoulder.

“This city is beautiful and I am thrilled to begin my marathon run as Television Champion right here in Glendale.” Braddock nods her head. Then she pats the title belt that rests over her shoulder. “That’s right, I may have won this title last week but winning this; winning a championship, that’s the easy part. Defending a championship is always the most difficult part of any title reign because everyone is out to get you. You have the prize that everyone wants and that makes you a target for any and every athlete worth their salt on this great roster. That fact alone makes defending a championship tough as hell to pull off but this Television Title, it comes with an extra dimension of difficulty. Look at some of the other champions in this company…the World Champion, United States Champion, Adrenaline Champion, the Tag Champions…they get breaks. One title defense and then it could be two, three weeks or even a month before the next defense.” She pats the Television Title that rests over her shoulder. “But this, you have to be on your toes and ready to defend each and every week. It is the marathon run that very few in this company have been able to pull off.”

“Amelia Blythe, I hope you don’t take what I said last week personally. You and I went toe to toe and you proved that you were worthy of this championship. And maybe on any other day against any other opponent you could have survived. But I warned you that divided loyalties, divided between defending this and trying to become tag team champions with Light in the Darkness, would cost you. The fact that you were facing me, one of the best technical wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots, didn’t work in your favor. Now I am the SCW Television Champion. Now I am one step closer to Supreme Status.” Glory shakes her head. “That quest for Supreme Status, it is important to me, but so is being Television Champion. I will NOT ignore my duties and obligations as champion. The idea of running the marathon, trying to see how much durability The British Bombshell still has, that intrigues me. I am genuinely curious to see if I am a one and done like my cousins Marie and Kim or Amelia Blythe, or if I can make a historic run like a Kennedy Street or an Autumn Valentine.” She points a finger at the camera.

“It begins with Colleen.” Braddock chuckles softly. “Of course it does! It seems as if I can’t get away from you lot, now can I? I am a mite, curious, mate. And I hope you’ll be honest. Did you get the lucky draw this week from SCW management or are you being sent by Polly herself to do her dirty work? I know Polly must have been throwing a hissy fit of epic proportions after Amelia beat her ass and ended that joke of a title reign.” The British Bombshell nods her head. “That’s right, Colleen. Your boss’s run was a joke and it was a joke of her own making. Spin the wheel to determine what type of match she defends the title? ‘Boring old singles match’? And Polly lost the bloody title in a freaking ball pit?!” Braddock shakes her head.

“I will not let that kind of nonsense return. I will not allow for that kind of ridiculousness to degrade the Television Title.” She pats the title belt. “You know, as surprising as it may seem, I have quite the sense of humor. Under any other circumstance, I might find some of the Playgirl antics to be entertaining. But what you lot did to represent the Television Title was an insult to this title and everyone who carried it before me. And you, Colleen, you won’t be any different than Polly if you were to somehow manage to get one over on me. Let’s face facts, mate, you are not here to advance your own career. You are here to be Polly’s stooge. You are here to assist Polly.” She shakes her head with disgust etched across her face.

“And it’s a shame. It’s a shame because you are capable of so much more. I watched you challenge Josh Hudson for the SCW United States Championship and I was impressed. I fought Hudson three times in the span of one year, all three times for the United States Title. So trust me, I know how damn good he is when he is on his game. And you, Colleen, you took him to his limit. That was impressive. The potential for you to do big things in this company is right there. It is right there for the taking. Instead of reaching out and taking hold of your own future, you choose to stay on the side of the nonsensical antics of the Playgirls. You are content with being Polly Playtime’s stooge, her henchwoman. And THAT is ultimately why you cannot and will not defeat me for the Television championship on Breakdown.” She pats herself on the chest.

“You do not have it where it counts, right here in the heart. You do not have the heart or the desire. You do not have the same kind of passion I do. You and your pals, all you do is play your games and try to humiliate yourselves, everyone else, and this entire bloody sport just for your own shits and giggles. Now I am all for having fun, but I have my fun outside of the ring. When that bell rings I am all business. When the bell rings and I am staring across the ring into your eyes, this is no longer a game to me. It is a serious mission for me; and for me, this is about running that marathon. This is about me not just testing myself against you alone, but testing MYSELF AGAINST MYSELF! Can I go the distance? How long can I hang in there against all comers? How long can I go until finally someone puts me down and takes the championship away from me? Can I achieve the heights of some of the legendary TV Title reigns in this company’s history? That’s what I want to know! That’s the challenge I want! I want to challenge history itself!” She points at the camera, as if pointing at Colleen herself.

“But you…you just want to play games. You want to turn this whole thing into your great big playground…or at least Polly’s great big playground, because you have yet to convince me that you are anything but her henchwoman. Well this is NOT a game to me, sweetheart, and I am not about to lose this championship to a glorified stooge who will squander this prestigious title in another bloody ball pit. So you can bring your best, you can bring your fellow stooge and even your boss Polly, all three of you won’t be enough on Breakdown. I will put you down, Colleen, and you won’t get back up.” She shuts her eyes tightly. “Sic Semper Tyrannis. I used to say that line all the time. It means ‘thus always to tyrants.’ But I stopped saying it when I became the tyrant myself. When I think back to the time that the Television Title was in the Playgirl camp, when I think back to how that title was treated by you lot, I am reminded of a tyranny; the tyranny of treating this championship like one of your many games. Well I am not going to let that sort of tyranny return again under your rule, Colleen” Braddock opens her eyes.

“Breakdown…Glendale, Arizona…Colleen challenging Glory Braddock for the SCW Television Title. My marathon runs begins and I can guarantee each and every person watching this, especially you Colleen, that my marathon run will not be a one and done. This is just the beginning and it will begin with me pinning your shoulders to the mat or making your ass tap out to the Shekhinah Glory.”