Owen Lee & Alexis Quinne vs. Gavin Taylor & Glory Braddock

[Braddock]

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April 16th, 2022
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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The large, exquisite kitchen in the Miami home of Glory Braddock is filled with a strange and unusual sight. The British Bombshell has been involved with other relationships being married to her current husband Kurt Logan. And all of those other significant others will tell you that the lovely lady known to the world as Glory Braddock is not a cook at all. Braddock would just assume pick up fast food or use DoorDash or GrubHub as opposed to making anything herself. Thus anytime this kitchen was actually used for its designated purpose, it was always Kurt who did the cooking. Yet on this Saturday morning we find the beautiful blonde dressed in purple jogging shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She stands in front of the stove; a pan is on the stove and an almost fully complete pancake is on the pan. A wide ear to ear grin is on her face, indicating the happiness she is feeling at this moment.

Glory’s attitude has been unusual as of late, but unusual in a very good way. The past few years, her entire focus, some would say obsession, has been upon being the absolute best in professional wrestling; the best in ring performer, the best trainer, the best promoter, the best everything when it comes to professional wrestling. If there was ever a flaw, she would obsess endlessly over correcting that flaw. Lately her personality and attitude has changed and the evidence of that is this very moment in time, this Saturday morning in Miami. Glory Braddock has just recently suffered a one on one loss to Ace Marshall, which definitely handed her a setback in her goal to one day regain the SCW World Championship. Ordinarily she would be obsessing over the loss, trying to figure out what she did wrong, and endlessly training in the gym to improve herself. Instead she is still at home, she has a joyful grin on her face, and she is doing something that she has never done before; she is cooking. And she is enjoying it.

She takes a spatula and flips the pancake on the pan. Glory whistles happily as she does so. This is definitely a different Glory Braddock than what the world is used to. But then again, if you would ask Glory herself, this is Glory proper, this is the old and original Glory Braddock. This is who she was before wrestling became her obsession, her entire life. She is happy and enjoying herself, refusing to let any of her problems bother her or get to her. And she has two people to thank for this change in attitude…

…Fiona Osbourne and Amelia Stone.

These are two young women who are interested in pursuing their own professional wrestling dreams, both of whom idolize and adore Glory Braddock, and both are now being mentored by The British Bombshell herself. Typically the student is meant to learn from the teacher but in this case, Glory Braddock learned a great deal from her newest student, Amelia Stone. Amelia’s eccentric antics, her enthusiasm, and her heart reminded Braddock of who and what she used to be when she first got started in the wrestling business. Amelia’s refusal to give in and stay away from Glory, her desire to do anything to get her idol’s attention, even cheating to win a match at Retribution, reminded Glory of her own passion for wrestling.

Passion is what Glory Braddock had lost. She was once as passionate for wrestling as Amelia and Fiona both currently are. And like them, Glory had her own idol that she looked up to; her father, the late Glenn Braddock. And for years her passion motivated and inspired her. In the last few years her passion for the business was replaced by obsession; an obsession to win championships and snatch any and every brass ring available to her. Amelia at first was a nuisance to The British Bombshell. She was an annoying distraction that Glory wanted to get rid of; but now she realizes that meeting Amelia was the best thing that could have happened to her. Amelia reminded Glory of the passion that she had lost. Amelia reminded Glory of what she really needed to rediscover; a passion for the business, not just some materialistic obsession over championships.

Braddock walks over to the counter and takes a plate, a paper plate to be precise, and then uses the spatula to take the pancake off of the pan and places it onto the plate. Glory then sets the plate onto the table. Glory returns to the bottle of pancake batter and pours some back on the pan so that she can prepare another pancake. Meanwhile her husband Kurt Logan quietly enters the kitchen. He is wearing red boxer shorts and a white wife beater. He stares at his wife cooking and his are wide in surprise. Glory senses his presence and begins to chuckle.

“You know, Kurt, you could take a picture. It would last longer.”

“Uh, sorry, it’s just that…” he points to the stove “...you’re cooking.”

Glory nods her head. “Yeah, I’m cooking.”

“Why? You hate cooking.”

“Yes, yes I do.” She points to the table where the recently finished pancake is placed. “There’s your pancake if you want it.”

“Well…” Kurt pauses for a moment and shakes his head “...I think I’ll pass.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Kurt, I am capable of cooking. I just don’t LIKE to.”

“That’s what worries me.”

“Why?” Glory asks, gazing at her husband quizzically. “Wait a sec, you don’t think I spiked these pancakes with laxatives do you?”

“Babe, I love you, but the only time I have ever seen you cook was when you were making poison food…like laxative brownies, laxative muffins, hell, even the time you took peanuts and shoved them into the face of an opponent who had peanut allergies.”

“That brasser had it coming.” Glory says with a smirk on her face. “But as for these pancakes, I assure you that they are clean. No laxatives in this batch.”

“This batch?”

“Well, I may make another batch with laxatives included. Just in case we get a visitor today.”

“Who are you expecting?” Kurt asks as he sits down at the table. Braddock hands him a fork, so he can begin eating the pancake.

“Fiona’s foster father, that nasty bloke Todd Osbourne.” Glory goes back to the stove and continues to work on the next pancake. “Remember I told you about my encounter with that muppet?”

“I do. You embarrassed him pretty good, if I recall. Yellow paint, right?”

“The brightest of yellows, all over his clothes and his face!” Glory says triumphantly. “It was simple but bloody brilliant! You should have seen the look on his face, Kurt! He was fuming!”

“Yeah, I remember the old days when you would prank people on the regular. They weren’t very happy, either. Many of them attempted to retaliate and from what Fiona has already told us about her foster father, he probably won’t take this lying down.”

“And that’s why I am going to prepare a batch of special pancakes just for him, just in case he stops by today.” She grins knowingly, thinking about her plan. “I will tell him it is a peace offering. A male chauvinist like him will readily buy into it.”

Kurt swallows his first bite of the pancake. “I’m not going to pretend that Todd Osbourne doesn’t deserve any and all of what you have planned for him. If even half of what Fiona told us about him and what he did to her is true, he deserved that paint to his face, he deserves to be poisoned with laxative laced pancakes, he deserves all of the humiliation you can heap upon him.”

“I sense there is a ‘but’ coming.” Glory says with an arched brow as she flips the pancake on the stove.

“But we have encountered people like Todd before. The type who will use the law to their advantage. He may retaliate by filing a lawsuit against you.”

“For what? Illegal use of paint?”

“Assault for one.” Kurt points out.

“The burden of proof would be upon him. And if the truth came out about what he’s done to Fiona, I doubt any judge or jury would side with that piece of garbage.”

“A potential lawsuit could hurt your reputation. It could hurt your company.”

“First of all, I am no longer the CEO of Glorious Global Enterprises. Aurora Alan is the CEO. So anything Todd may try to do to me will not hurt the company. And as for my reputation, well hell, my reputation be damned. The most important thing, my top priority is helping Fiona…and Amelia.” Glory takes the second pancake, places it upon a paper plate, and then sets it on the table next to Kurt. “Nothing else matters.”

Kurt watches his wife as she takes the pancake mix and pours some more onto the pan on the stove, preparing a third pancake. This is not the same woman he has been married to for the past few years. It reminds him of the woman he dated for a year before marrying her. The same determination and stubborn refusal to quit is still there in her voice, but it is slightly different. She is happier now, more light-hearted, and more positive.

“Something is different about you, Glory.”

“You’re nuts, love.”

“Seriously, something is different. For starters, you are cooking, and you’re doing so out of the goodness of your heart and not to make an enemy shit their pants.”

“Hey now, I am going to prepare such a batch in case Todd decides to drop in.”

“Point is this is different. And your attitude is different. I have noticed it ever since you began mentoring Fiona, and then when you began mentoring Amelia. I never said anything because I wasn’t sure but you have definitely changed.”

The British Bombshell bites her lower lip nervously. “The funny thing about a student and mentor relationship is that the mentor holds a great deal of influence over the student. The student tends to adopt many of the mentor’s character traits. I never realized it until recently, but I never did become my father. As obsessive as my father was about wrestling, I did not become like him until much later. I had other influences to keep me grounded, people like my friend Matty and my sister Julia.” Braddock flips the pancake. “Then Aphrodite Noel took me under her wing. She became my new mentor. She rubbed off on me. Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything she taught me. I would not have been able to become a successful businesswoman without her teachings, I would not have been able to help my cousin Kayla save her floundering modeling agency without Aphrodite’s teachings. But she was my mentor and she rubbed off on me, and the traits she passed on to me made me become my father. I lost my passion for this sport, instead I became obsessed with being the best.”

She turns to face Kurt, smiling warmly. “That’s why I am grateful for Amelia entering my life. She reminded me of what I was missing in my career; the passion for wrestling. That’s what is different, Kurt. I have rediscovered that passion, and for the first time in a very long time I am happy. I am doing this because I enjoy it, not because I need to be the best. Kurt, I have been a world champion fifteen times in multiple promotions. I have been SCW Adrenaline Champion, SCW World Champion, and a two time back to back Trios Tournament winner. I could become SCW United States Champion if I win this tournament at Hollywood of the South. But even if I don’t win, I can still happily say that I have left my mark, I have left a lasting legacy. And now my legacy will be in people like Fiona and Amelia who carry on the torch after me. That’s my legacy, Kurt, and I am going to do whatever I can to help them, consequences be damned.”

Braddock takes another paper plate and guides it over to the stove. She uses the spatula to place the third finished pancake on it. Glory walks the plate with pancake over to the table and sets it down. Just as she does this Fiona walks into the kitchen. The young student of Glory Braddock is still dressed in her pink pajamas. The British Bombshell smiles warmly. “Good morning, Fiona. I hope you like pancakes because one of those is yours, the other is Dawn’s.”

Fiona looks at the pancakes suspiciously and then back up at Glory. “No laxatives, right?”

“Bloody hell!” Glory exclaims. “Does everyone think I’m going to spike their food?”

“You do have a reputation, babe.” Glory says with a wink. Glory kisses him while Fiona sits down at the table. Fiona sighs and shakes her head.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”

“You haven’t caused any trouble, Fiona.” Glory states, walking over to her student and patting her on the back.

“Haven’t I? My foster father is back and he’s probably going to keep coming after me.”

“You don’t worry about him.” Glory states defiantly. “Let me worry about him. You are safe here.”

“Maybe, but even still I’m a distraction. You have a tag match on Breakdown, you and Gavin against Owen and Alexis. You should be preparing for that, not worrying about me. You could become United States Champion if you win this tournament coming up, but I am distracting you from that too. I’m just a problem.” Fiona takes a fork and digs into her pancake. Glory and Kurt watch on but it is clear that Fiona is upset. Braddock sighs as she walks over towards Fiona and kneels down.

“Fiona, look into my eyes…” Glory guides Fiona’s face so that she is looking directly into her face “...there are things more important than wins and championships. Teaching you and Amelia, protecting you and mentoring you, that’s more of a priority than simply winning some match or a trinket.”

“I thought you once said wrestling was about being the best?”

“Part of it is, but not entirely. There are more important things in this business and in life itself. It is important to prioritize and make sure you keep yourself grounded. I once believed in right and wrong, I once had such a strong moral compass, but then I became all about winning and losing. I needed to remember who I really was and what being Glory Braddock was all about.” She pats Fiona on her head. “And being Glory Braddock means helping people…people like you. Besides, it is the least that I can do after you helped me.”

“How did I help you?”

“Remember back in Sacramento when I embarrassed Todd?”

“Yeah…” Fiona chuckles as she thinks back to the moment when Glory threw paint onto her foster father’s face.

“I told you how defending you, and in the process humiliating and embarrassing Todd, how that felt right. How I felt at peace doing that. You told me that if I felt good about it, if it felt right, then I should just roll with it.” Glory grins. “Well that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m just rolling with it, mate. You and Amelia have helped me remember who I needed to me. So helping you two is the least I can do.” Braddock embraces Fiona in a tight hug.

“Thanks, Glory.”

“No problem, love.” Glory stands back up and then reaches over to the pancake batter. She pours another pancake onto the pan on the stove. But then she reaches over to get a different bottle. Kurt immediately recognizes it.

“Is that the laxative?”

“Uh-huh…” Glory grins knowingly “...this is for Todd’s if she shows up. And maybe Amelia’s if she’s foolish enough to fall for it.” Braddock snickers.