04-30-2022, 11:14 AM
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April 23rd, 2022
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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A few days earlier on Breakdown Glory Braddock suffered a tag team defeat when her partner Gavin Taylor was pinned, causing them to lose to Alexis Quinne and Owen Lee. Just a few months earlier, a loss like this, a loss just a little over a week before a one night single elimination tournament to crown a new SCW United States Champion, would have devastated Braddock’s confidence and her psyche. A few months earlier, a loss like this would have Glory Braddock panicking and questioning herself, doubting whether or not she actually could make it through this tournament and walk away with championship gold. After all, just a few months earlier she was still proudly calling herself The Best in the World. A few months earlier she was still a queen sitting upon her throne.
Surprisingly enough, the Glory Braddock that sits in this waiting room in Miami, Florida has a big smile on her face. This Glory Braddock is not the least bit concerned about that tag match or any tournament implications at Holly-Wood of the South. This Glory Braddock remains confident in herself, regardless of the defeat on Breakdown. And this Glory Braddock is no longer an overbearing queen referring to herself as The Best in the World. This is a Glory Braddock who has rediscovered her true path and her true purpose in professional wrestling. She has rediscovered what it is about professional wrestling, and life in general, that makes her so happy. The joy of entertaining the fans, the thrill of competition, and the fun she has while getting under the skin of her enemies, this is why she does this job, this is why she was meant to be a wrestler.
The British Bombshell was not sure that this would work. She was not sure she would ever be this happy about wrestling again. It had become a job, a tedious chore that she had to do, not something she did because she enjoyed it. It took a herculean effort to get her started on this journey of rediscovery, because Glory knew that she would have to give up so many of her symbolic “crutches” and step out of many of her “comfort zones” in order to remind herself of what she enjoyed most about this sport. The crutches are gone, she is out of her comfort zone, and she has once again found the original and arguably best version of herself, the version that debuted in 2008 and shocked the world by winning a one night single elimination tournament for a championship in her debut. Life is not without ironies, because now she is part of another one night single elimination tournament to crown a new champion; the United States Champion of SCW. Glory Braddock hoped to claim that coveted piece of gold at Holly-Wood of the South.
Before she can begin focusing on the tournament and her wrestling career, The British Bombshell still has a promise to keep; a promise she made several months ago at the very beginning of her journey towards rediscovery. This is what brings her to this waiting room in Miami, Florida. This waiting room is at the offices of psychiatrist Dr. Frederick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a psychiatrist and Glory had been seeing him regularly for two years at the request of her company’s Board of Directors. Corporate life had turned Glory into a power hungry tyrant willing to do whatever it took to maintain power. Her Board of Directors recognized this and threatened her status within the company, forcing her to see this psychiatrist or to face the consequences. Braddock never took the sessions seriously because she did not feel as if she needed any help. So she constantly manipulated Fitzgerald and lied to the Board of Directors about these sessions.
Corporate Glory was an egomaniacal monster. Corporate Glory was the one who proudly boasted about being The Best in the World. And while she managed to see the error of her ways and “fix herself” on her own, Glory Braddock still recognizes that she needs to make this right. She made mistakes, now she must pay the consequences. And the original Glory Braddock that has returned will make certain that the final loose ends of the Corporate Glory’s reign of terror are fully and completely tied up and locked away for good.
The British Bombshell is seated in a chair, dressed in tight denim jeans, white sneakers, and a plain royal purple t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. This is a far cry from the luxurious fashionista that last visited Dr. Frederick Fitzgerald. Original Glory Braddock was very much a tomboy and The British Bombshell once again is a tomboy. This fact does not go unnoticed by the good doctor, who immediately stops and stares with wide-eyed surprise as he sees who he believes to be his former patient.
“Uh, Ms. Braddock?”
“That’s me.” Glory stands up out of her chair and approaches the psychiatrist. She notices him staring and she chuckles softly. “Take a picture, mate. It will last longer. You know?”
“Huh?” He quickly snaps out of his trance. “Sorry, apologies, Ms. Braddock.” He turns and motions for The British Bombshell to follow him. “Come, we have much to discuss.”
This much is definitely true, Glory thinks as she follows Fitzgerald out of the waiting room and down a hall. This meeting between the two was a long time coming. She promised her corporate Board of Directors that she would have this meeting with him but she kept putting it off. In fairness to Glory, much had come up that distracted her. She had to help Fiona Osbourne with her training and to deal with her abusive foster father, she had to deal with a new student by the name of Amelia Stone, and now she has an opportunity to become the SCW United States Champion at Holly-Wood of the South. Still, even with all of that on her plate, Braddock knows that she cannot continue to put this off.
Dr. Fitzgerald enters a room and Glory Braddock follows him inside. There it is, Glory thinks as she spies the ever familiar red sofa that she would lie down during her sessions with the psychiatrist. She would lay down partially because she never took any of it seriously. When Frederick motions for her to sit on the sofa, Glory decides to lay down like usual, but instead to sit, and to sit up straight. She crosses her legs and gazes at Fitzgerald who sits down at his desk which is perpendicular to the sofa.
“Feel free to make yourself at home, Ms. Braddock. Typically you do.”
“Yeah, I know.” Glory says with a knowing grin. “But some things have changed.”
“So your people have told me.”
“If you think the Board of Directors are ‘my people’ then maybe you need a psychiatrist, mate?” Braddock says with a light bit of laughter. “But yeah, things have changed.”
“I have noticed.” He motions to Braddock. “Excuse my being up front, but your attire doesn’t exactly resemble what you used to wear. You really did dress down this afternoon, Ms. Braddock. Any particular reason?”
“Is this part of the psychiatric evaluation or are we making small talk, doc?” Glory asks with a grin and a wink.
“Everything said within these four walls is part of my evaluation of you, Ms. Braddock.”
“Well in that case the reason I dressed like this is because the five voices in my head kept getting into an argument about what outfit I should wear. I broke the tie by overulling the lot of them. Filthy buggers.”
He knows he should be more professional than this but even Dr. Fitzgerald cannot help but laugh a little bit at Glory’s current attitude and personality. “You may have had some problems the last time I saw you, Ms. Braddock, but even I know you were not hearing voices.”
“It was worth a shot!”
“True. Now would you mind answering my question? Why the change in attire, Ms. Braddock?”
“42.”
“Please be serious, Ms. Braddock. Answer the question.”
“What WAS the question?”
Now the psychiatrist is beginning to show signs of frustration. “Why the change in attire? The last time I saw you, fashion was very important to you. But now you look so dressed down. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is a far cry from the person I spoke to last time.”
“What can I say? That person just wasn’t me, not the real me anyway.” Glory says with a shrug of her shoulders. This answer causes Dr. Fitzgerald to furrow his brow in curiosity.
“It wasn’t the real you? That is the only ‘you’ I have ever known, Ms. Braddock.” The psychiatrist reaches over to his desk and produces a pen and a notepad. He begins writing down on the notepad. “Forgive me for saying this, but I can see why your people are worried about you.”
“Yeah well don’t go diagnosing me with anything yet, doc, at least not until you let me have my say.”
“Ms. Braddock, I have given you ample opportunity over the years to tell me your side of the story. And every time you opened your mouth to speak you would lie to me or you would try to manipulate me. You never wanted to tell me your story. I always knew that there was something else there, something you did not want to tell me, but you were always so protective of yourself. So why should I believe that you are ready to be honest now?”
“You’re right, I did lie and I did try to manipulate you. Actually, no, I didn’t try to manipulate you, I DID manipulate you. So do not think for one second, doc, that you can manipulate the manipulator. I know ‘my people’, as you like to put it, told you that I specifically requested this meeting. My Board of Directors did not require me to come to this session, I am coming of my own free will. That alone should tell you I am ready to talk.”
Dr. Fitzgerald studies Glory Braddock’s face. He is trained to know when someone is lying, which is why he knows Glory Braddock was lying to him in the past. But this time he detects a hint of truth in her voice. He nods his head. “Yes, you are correct, your people did tell me that this was all your idea.”
“Thank you.”
“It still doesn’t prove you are ready to be honest.”
“Bloody hell!” Glory exclaims, as she too begins to feel frustrated. “Look, do you want to hear what I say or should I just leave? If you aren’t ready to take me seriously then I’m wasting my time!”
There is a tense pause as Glory stares intensely at the psychiatrist. Dr. Fitzgerald then smirks knowingly. “Now you know how frustrating it is when someone isn’t taking this seriously.”
Braddock sighs and nods her head. She realizes that this is partially punishment for her not taking the sessions seriously in the past. “You’re right, doc. I’m sorry. But will you please hear me out?”
“Of course.” He answers, nodding his head.
“Thank you.” Braddock sighs with a sense of relief. “First to answer your original question, this really IS the real me. The original me, as I like to put it. I remember growing up as a child idolizing my father.”
“That was to be expected, your mother was out of the picture, correct?” He asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, they had divorced and dad got custody of me and my sister, which put me even more into his focus. But even when they were together I was latched onto him 24/7. I was the son he never had. I was a tomboy growing up, I was still a tomboy when I made my debut in 2008. I didn’t become the queen bitch you are used to seeing until around late 2014.”
“I see…”
“Now like I said, today’s session I came on my own free will. But you know as well as I do that the last several sessions, when I was seeing you on a regular basis, I was only going because GGE’s Board of Directors forced me to go. They knew something was wrong, they just could not put their fingers on it. They just knew something was wrong and they didn’t trust my judgment, so they forced me to attend these sessions and if I didn’t they would take control of GGE from me.”
“Then why didn’t you just continue with the sessions?” Dr. Fitzgerald asks. “That seems like the easiest answer. You could have continued to see me, you would have kept power over your company, and that would have been that.”
“Part of it was I didn’t think I had a problem…” Glory sighs “...and part of it was the fear I had of what I might learn about myself.”
“Now that is intriguing, Ms. Braddock. You claim to be The Best in the World yet right now you admit you are afraid. What is there to fear?”
“That’s just it, doc…” Glory sighs deeply “...I am NOT the best in the world. It has taken me a long time to publicly admit it but I am not the best in the world. Yet for so long I have grown accustomed to this new role I was thrust into. I was a very popular and successful wrestler, a powerful corporate businesswoman, a successful trainer and mentor to many students of wrestling. I had accumulated so much power that it went to my head. And then I wanted to look the part, I wanted to look a million bucks because I knew I was a million bucks. I took the role like a fish in water. It felt so natural and I enjoyed it, doc. All that power was like drugs, and just like a drug addict you begin to justify your crimes.”
“How did you justify your crimes, Ms. Braddock?”
“My father was a wrestler and he raised me to have a deep respect for wrestling. In the beginning I gave back to wrestling, I helped wrestling, by competing in the ring with honor and dignity. But then when I accumulated that wealth, when I got my own company, when I came into so much power, I decided I could use all of that power to help wrestling.”
The psychiatrist sees where his patient is going. He nods his head as he writes some notes on his notepad. “I see. Many tyrants, no matter how cruel or abusive, believe that the cruel acts they are perpetrating are justified.”
“Exactly. And it took me about six years to figure out that I had lost my way, that I had actually become a completely different person.”
“When did you realize you had lost your way?”
“It was around September of 2020. I had used something I had won in SCW called a Trios Contract. If you win one, you can use it to give yourself any match you want. I booked myself in a World Title Match against David Helms. And it wasn’t long after that when David had to step away from the ring, to relinquish the world title.”
“Are you suggesting that you injured him?” The psychiatrist asks with an arched brow. Braddock shrugs her shoulders.
“Honestly I have no idea. There were many incidents of him being physical that could have injured him. But knowing that it could have been me, in my obsession with power and obsession with control, my craving to get the SCW World Title, realizing that I potentially put a fellow competitor on the shelf…” a tear forms in her eyes and she wipes it away “...well it shocked me back to reality. That’s not the philosophy of my father. That is not how my father trained me. When that happened, I knew I had gone too far. And for the first time in a long time I looked into the mirror and I did not like what I saw.”
“It wasn’t you.” The doctor suggests. Glory nods her head in agreement.
“Right, it wasn’t me.”
“That was a year and a half ago, Ms. Braddock.” Dr. Fitzgerald asks curiously. “Did it really take you this long to figure out what was wrong?”
“I was afraid!” Glory shouts as she stands up and begins to pace the floor like a caged lion. This session is beginning to get to her and she remembers why she hated these psychiatric sessions. Dr. Fitzgerald gets up and approaches a mini fridge on the other side of the room. He opens it up and produces a small bottle of water. He offers it to Glory.
“Do you need something to drink?”
“Sure, thanks.” Glory graciously takes the bottle of water and begins to drink.
“I understand that this is painful but please sit and continue.”
Braddock takes another sip of her water before walking back to the sofa and sitting down. Dr. Fitzgerald returns to his seat as well and waits for Glory to continue her story.
“Look, doc, I knew who I had become was not the real me. I knew I had become a monster. At the same time I was afraid because I still viewed the original version of me as weak. I viewed her as too naive, too immature, and not tough enough to do what was right and what was best for this sport that I love. So for over a year I tried to continue living as that monster, but I tried to utilize that monster for good. Until I finally realized that at the end of the day a monster is still a monster.”
“When did you come to that realization?”
“The last SCW pay per view, Retribution, I fought a young girl who wanted me to mentor her; her name is Amelia Stone. She was annoying, a prankster, and she tricked her way into beating me that night. I was so annoyed with her that I had planned to teach her a lesson by breaking her neck.”
“Just like with Mr. Helms?”
“Right, only what happened to David, if I was at fault for his injury, was simply an accident. I was going to intentionally end Amelia’s career. When I realized what I was thinking, I knew that I couldn’t delay any longer. I had to have the courage to become the original Glory Braddock once again. I had to take a leap of faith and see what happens.”
“I see.” The psychiatrist puts his pen and notepad down. “So tell me, how have things been since your…rediscovery, so to speak?”
“It has been amazing.” Glory says with a grin on her face. “For the first time in a long time, wrestling is enjoyable again. It isn’t a chore, it isn’t some solemn duty. It’s just something I enjoy doing. I’m closer to my daughters, my husband, and all of my friends and my family. I’ve even given total control of GGE to a good friend and minority shareholder Aurora Alan.”
“So you no longer run the company?” He asks. Glory shakes her head.
“No, because I do not want to be tempted or lured back into the corporate life. That corporate life, the addictive power, it is what corrupted me. I do not want any part of it.”
“So why don’t you just sell the company to her? Remove yourself from the company entirely?”
“I have thought about that.” Glory admits. “And I may do that in time, but that will come later. This journey is not over. There are still many twists and turns on this journey, there are many bumps in the road and I still have a lot to learn about myself and who I need to be.”
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April 24th, 2022
Miami, Florida
On Camera
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We open outside in front of a swimming pool. It is bright and sunny outside and little noise except for a few birds chirping in the background. Then we see a beautiful blonde stepping into the scene from stage right. We can see only few of the facial features because she is cosplaying as Mileena from Mortal Kombat. The royal purple color of the costume would indicate that this is perhaps Glory Braddock, because purple is The British Bombshell’s favorite color. When she speaks her voice confirms that it is indeed her.
“I’ve said it before but damn it, it bears repeating; I really do love a good tournament! If you really want to see who is worthy of being champion, if you really want to see who is the best, schedule a one night single elimination tournament. Those kind of tournaments separate the good from the great, because you do not have to just be good once, or twice, but three times. That takes endurance, grit, heart, and determination. All of which I have in excess. Tournaments are my forte, tournaments are my wheelhouse.”
“Owen, Alexis, you two won on Breakdown and fair play to you both. But this isn’t a tag team match and I’m not handicapped with Gavin Taylor as a partner. The only person I have to worry about is me and I believe that I can make it through anyone and everyone in this tournament. I believe in myself and in my ability to defeat everyone else in this tournament to walk away as the new SCW United States Champion. That’s another thing I have that one needs in order to win a tournament; confidence. I am confident in myself but beyond that I have the support of my fans, who I will never ever give up on.”
A light chuckle can be heard under her purple mask. “But y’know what? I am getting a little ahead of myself. Because let’s face it, every tournament has its beginnings. NCAA March Madness has its First Four, the NFL Playoffs has its Wildcard Weekend, so right this moment I want to focus on my first obstacle, the first meathead standing in my path towards the United States Title. And that obstacle’s name is Tsunami.”
“Or is it Tsunami Howe III?” Braddock shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t really know, don’t really care. Though I have to say, Tsunami is a funny name, mate. How did your old man manage to give you that handle for the ring? Is he a big Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat fan at heart? Because honestly, Tsunami sounds like something straight out of Mortal Kombat. So to make you and your old man feel comfortable while I run you down and trash you right here in this video, I figured I would cosplay as Mileena. I mean, she and I do share a love of the color purple. You know what else we love?”
“Winning. I thrive upon tournaments because more than any other event in professional wrestling, a tournament…especially a one night tournament…challenges you more than any other event. I have wrestled one night tournaments many times in my career, Tsunami Howe III. But you, still being new and green to this game, how many times have you done this?” Glory pauses as if waiting on an answer. Receiving none she nods her head.
“That’s what I thought. Now you may give off this impression of being a mindless rage monster like Goro…did you like that extra little Mortal Kombat reference there…but I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt, that you are not just all brawn and no brains. So listen up tall dark and gruesome, you are stepping into the ring with The British Bombshell. Your chances at becoming SCW United States Champion just went down the toilet when your drew my name as your first round opponent. That’s all you need to know.” Braddock points a finger at the camera.
“Now allow me to address your daddy Marty Howe. You have the utmost faith in Tsunami’s power and why not? He is seven feet tall and he is very powerful. But allow me to remind you of something, smart ass. I have been beating men bigger and stronger than him since my professional debut. I don’t give a damn how big he is, how strong he is, or how much pain and punishment he can dish out, because the fact is I can take every bit of it and then some. I have a will to survive that is unmatched by anyone else on this entire roster let alone in this tournament. So do you honestly believe your hulking rage monster can keep me down for the count? Do you think Tsunami can actually beat me?” Braddock shakes her head. “No chance in hell, Howe. In fact, this is a spoiler for you; I am going to chop his ass down to size. And Howe, mate, he may be your son, but at Holly-Wood of the South, I’m going to make him my bitch.”
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April 23rd, 2022
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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A few days earlier on Breakdown Glory Braddock suffered a tag team defeat when her partner Gavin Taylor was pinned, causing them to lose to Alexis Quinne and Owen Lee. Just a few months earlier, a loss like this, a loss just a little over a week before a one night single elimination tournament to crown a new SCW United States Champion, would have devastated Braddock’s confidence and her psyche. A few months earlier, a loss like this would have Glory Braddock panicking and questioning herself, doubting whether or not she actually could make it through this tournament and walk away with championship gold. After all, just a few months earlier she was still proudly calling herself The Best in the World. A few months earlier she was still a queen sitting upon her throne.
Surprisingly enough, the Glory Braddock that sits in this waiting room in Miami, Florida has a big smile on her face. This Glory Braddock is not the least bit concerned about that tag match or any tournament implications at Holly-Wood of the South. This Glory Braddock remains confident in herself, regardless of the defeat on Breakdown. And this Glory Braddock is no longer an overbearing queen referring to herself as The Best in the World. This is a Glory Braddock who has rediscovered her true path and her true purpose in professional wrestling. She has rediscovered what it is about professional wrestling, and life in general, that makes her so happy. The joy of entertaining the fans, the thrill of competition, and the fun she has while getting under the skin of her enemies, this is why she does this job, this is why she was meant to be a wrestler.
The British Bombshell was not sure that this would work. She was not sure she would ever be this happy about wrestling again. It had become a job, a tedious chore that she had to do, not something she did because she enjoyed it. It took a herculean effort to get her started on this journey of rediscovery, because Glory knew that she would have to give up so many of her symbolic “crutches” and step out of many of her “comfort zones” in order to remind herself of what she enjoyed most about this sport. The crutches are gone, she is out of her comfort zone, and she has once again found the original and arguably best version of herself, the version that debuted in 2008 and shocked the world by winning a one night single elimination tournament for a championship in her debut. Life is not without ironies, because now she is part of another one night single elimination tournament to crown a new champion; the United States Champion of SCW. Glory Braddock hoped to claim that coveted piece of gold at Holly-Wood of the South.
Before she can begin focusing on the tournament and her wrestling career, The British Bombshell still has a promise to keep; a promise she made several months ago at the very beginning of her journey towards rediscovery. This is what brings her to this waiting room in Miami, Florida. This waiting room is at the offices of psychiatrist Dr. Frederick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a psychiatrist and Glory had been seeing him regularly for two years at the request of her company’s Board of Directors. Corporate life had turned Glory into a power hungry tyrant willing to do whatever it took to maintain power. Her Board of Directors recognized this and threatened her status within the company, forcing her to see this psychiatrist or to face the consequences. Braddock never took the sessions seriously because she did not feel as if she needed any help. So she constantly manipulated Fitzgerald and lied to the Board of Directors about these sessions.
Corporate Glory was an egomaniacal monster. Corporate Glory was the one who proudly boasted about being The Best in the World. And while she managed to see the error of her ways and “fix herself” on her own, Glory Braddock still recognizes that she needs to make this right. She made mistakes, now she must pay the consequences. And the original Glory Braddock that has returned will make certain that the final loose ends of the Corporate Glory’s reign of terror are fully and completely tied up and locked away for good.
The British Bombshell is seated in a chair, dressed in tight denim jeans, white sneakers, and a plain royal purple t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. This is a far cry from the luxurious fashionista that last visited Dr. Frederick Fitzgerald. Original Glory Braddock was very much a tomboy and The British Bombshell once again is a tomboy. This fact does not go unnoticed by the good doctor, who immediately stops and stares with wide-eyed surprise as he sees who he believes to be his former patient.
“Uh, Ms. Braddock?”
“That’s me.” Glory stands up out of her chair and approaches the psychiatrist. She notices him staring and she chuckles softly. “Take a picture, mate. It will last longer. You know?”
“Huh?” He quickly snaps out of his trance. “Sorry, apologies, Ms. Braddock.” He turns and motions for The British Bombshell to follow him. “Come, we have much to discuss.”
This much is definitely true, Glory thinks as she follows Fitzgerald out of the waiting room and down a hall. This meeting between the two was a long time coming. She promised her corporate Board of Directors that she would have this meeting with him but she kept putting it off. In fairness to Glory, much had come up that distracted her. She had to help Fiona Osbourne with her training and to deal with her abusive foster father, she had to deal with a new student by the name of Amelia Stone, and now she has an opportunity to become the SCW United States Champion at Holly-Wood of the South. Still, even with all of that on her plate, Braddock knows that she cannot continue to put this off.
Dr. Fitzgerald enters a room and Glory Braddock follows him inside. There it is, Glory thinks as she spies the ever familiar red sofa that she would lie down during her sessions with the psychiatrist. She would lay down partially because she never took any of it seriously. When Frederick motions for her to sit on the sofa, Glory decides to lay down like usual, but instead to sit, and to sit up straight. She crosses her legs and gazes at Fitzgerald who sits down at his desk which is perpendicular to the sofa.
“Feel free to make yourself at home, Ms. Braddock. Typically you do.”
“Yeah, I know.” Glory says with a knowing grin. “But some things have changed.”
“So your people have told me.”
“If you think the Board of Directors are ‘my people’ then maybe you need a psychiatrist, mate?” Braddock says with a light bit of laughter. “But yeah, things have changed.”
“I have noticed.” He motions to Braddock. “Excuse my being up front, but your attire doesn’t exactly resemble what you used to wear. You really did dress down this afternoon, Ms. Braddock. Any particular reason?”
“Is this part of the psychiatric evaluation or are we making small talk, doc?” Glory asks with a grin and a wink.
“Everything said within these four walls is part of my evaluation of you, Ms. Braddock.”
“Well in that case the reason I dressed like this is because the five voices in my head kept getting into an argument about what outfit I should wear. I broke the tie by overulling the lot of them. Filthy buggers.”
He knows he should be more professional than this but even Dr. Fitzgerald cannot help but laugh a little bit at Glory’s current attitude and personality. “You may have had some problems the last time I saw you, Ms. Braddock, but even I know you were not hearing voices.”
“It was worth a shot!”
“True. Now would you mind answering my question? Why the change in attire, Ms. Braddock?”
“42.”
“Please be serious, Ms. Braddock. Answer the question.”
“What WAS the question?”
Now the psychiatrist is beginning to show signs of frustration. “Why the change in attire? The last time I saw you, fashion was very important to you. But now you look so dressed down. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is a far cry from the person I spoke to last time.”
“What can I say? That person just wasn’t me, not the real me anyway.” Glory says with a shrug of her shoulders. This answer causes Dr. Fitzgerald to furrow his brow in curiosity.
“It wasn’t the real you? That is the only ‘you’ I have ever known, Ms. Braddock.” The psychiatrist reaches over to his desk and produces a pen and a notepad. He begins writing down on the notepad. “Forgive me for saying this, but I can see why your people are worried about you.”
“Yeah well don’t go diagnosing me with anything yet, doc, at least not until you let me have my say.”
“Ms. Braddock, I have given you ample opportunity over the years to tell me your side of the story. And every time you opened your mouth to speak you would lie to me or you would try to manipulate me. You never wanted to tell me your story. I always knew that there was something else there, something you did not want to tell me, but you were always so protective of yourself. So why should I believe that you are ready to be honest now?”
“You’re right, I did lie and I did try to manipulate you. Actually, no, I didn’t try to manipulate you, I DID manipulate you. So do not think for one second, doc, that you can manipulate the manipulator. I know ‘my people’, as you like to put it, told you that I specifically requested this meeting. My Board of Directors did not require me to come to this session, I am coming of my own free will. That alone should tell you I am ready to talk.”
Dr. Fitzgerald studies Glory Braddock’s face. He is trained to know when someone is lying, which is why he knows Glory Braddock was lying to him in the past. But this time he detects a hint of truth in her voice. He nods his head. “Yes, you are correct, your people did tell me that this was all your idea.”
“Thank you.”
“It still doesn’t prove you are ready to be honest.”
“Bloody hell!” Glory exclaims, as she too begins to feel frustrated. “Look, do you want to hear what I say or should I just leave? If you aren’t ready to take me seriously then I’m wasting my time!”
There is a tense pause as Glory stares intensely at the psychiatrist. Dr. Fitzgerald then smirks knowingly. “Now you know how frustrating it is when someone isn’t taking this seriously.”
Braddock sighs and nods her head. She realizes that this is partially punishment for her not taking the sessions seriously in the past. “You’re right, doc. I’m sorry. But will you please hear me out?”
“Of course.” He answers, nodding his head.
“Thank you.” Braddock sighs with a sense of relief. “First to answer your original question, this really IS the real me. The original me, as I like to put it. I remember growing up as a child idolizing my father.”
“That was to be expected, your mother was out of the picture, correct?” He asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes, they had divorced and dad got custody of me and my sister, which put me even more into his focus. But even when they were together I was latched onto him 24/7. I was the son he never had. I was a tomboy growing up, I was still a tomboy when I made my debut in 2008. I didn’t become the queen bitch you are used to seeing until around late 2014.”
“I see…”
“Now like I said, today’s session I came on my own free will. But you know as well as I do that the last several sessions, when I was seeing you on a regular basis, I was only going because GGE’s Board of Directors forced me to go. They knew something was wrong, they just could not put their fingers on it. They just knew something was wrong and they didn’t trust my judgment, so they forced me to attend these sessions and if I didn’t they would take control of GGE from me.”
“Then why didn’t you just continue with the sessions?” Dr. Fitzgerald asks. “That seems like the easiest answer. You could have continued to see me, you would have kept power over your company, and that would have been that.”
“Part of it was I didn’t think I had a problem…” Glory sighs “...and part of it was the fear I had of what I might learn about myself.”
“Now that is intriguing, Ms. Braddock. You claim to be The Best in the World yet right now you admit you are afraid. What is there to fear?”
“That’s just it, doc…” Glory sighs deeply “...I am NOT the best in the world. It has taken me a long time to publicly admit it but I am not the best in the world. Yet for so long I have grown accustomed to this new role I was thrust into. I was a very popular and successful wrestler, a powerful corporate businesswoman, a successful trainer and mentor to many students of wrestling. I had accumulated so much power that it went to my head. And then I wanted to look the part, I wanted to look a million bucks because I knew I was a million bucks. I took the role like a fish in water. It felt so natural and I enjoyed it, doc. All that power was like drugs, and just like a drug addict you begin to justify your crimes.”
“How did you justify your crimes, Ms. Braddock?”
“My father was a wrestler and he raised me to have a deep respect for wrestling. In the beginning I gave back to wrestling, I helped wrestling, by competing in the ring with honor and dignity. But then when I accumulated that wealth, when I got my own company, when I came into so much power, I decided I could use all of that power to help wrestling.”
The psychiatrist sees where his patient is going. He nods his head as he writes some notes on his notepad. “I see. Many tyrants, no matter how cruel or abusive, believe that the cruel acts they are perpetrating are justified.”
“Exactly. And it took me about six years to figure out that I had lost my way, that I had actually become a completely different person.”
“When did you realize you had lost your way?”
“It was around September of 2020. I had used something I had won in SCW called a Trios Contract. If you win one, you can use it to give yourself any match you want. I booked myself in a World Title Match against David Helms. And it wasn’t long after that when David had to step away from the ring, to relinquish the world title.”
“Are you suggesting that you injured him?” The psychiatrist asks with an arched brow. Braddock shrugs her shoulders.
“Honestly I have no idea. There were many incidents of him being physical that could have injured him. But knowing that it could have been me, in my obsession with power and obsession with control, my craving to get the SCW World Title, realizing that I potentially put a fellow competitor on the shelf…” a tear forms in her eyes and she wipes it away “...well it shocked me back to reality. That’s not the philosophy of my father. That is not how my father trained me. When that happened, I knew I had gone too far. And for the first time in a long time I looked into the mirror and I did not like what I saw.”
“It wasn’t you.” The doctor suggests. Glory nods her head in agreement.
“Right, it wasn’t me.”
“That was a year and a half ago, Ms. Braddock.” Dr. Fitzgerald asks curiously. “Did it really take you this long to figure out what was wrong?”
“I was afraid!” Glory shouts as she stands up and begins to pace the floor like a caged lion. This session is beginning to get to her and she remembers why she hated these psychiatric sessions. Dr. Fitzgerald gets up and approaches a mini fridge on the other side of the room. He opens it up and produces a small bottle of water. He offers it to Glory.
“Do you need something to drink?”
“Sure, thanks.” Glory graciously takes the bottle of water and begins to drink.
“I understand that this is painful but please sit and continue.”
Braddock takes another sip of her water before walking back to the sofa and sitting down. Dr. Fitzgerald returns to his seat as well and waits for Glory to continue her story.
“Look, doc, I knew who I had become was not the real me. I knew I had become a monster. At the same time I was afraid because I still viewed the original version of me as weak. I viewed her as too naive, too immature, and not tough enough to do what was right and what was best for this sport that I love. So for over a year I tried to continue living as that monster, but I tried to utilize that monster for good. Until I finally realized that at the end of the day a monster is still a monster.”
“When did you come to that realization?”
“The last SCW pay per view, Retribution, I fought a young girl who wanted me to mentor her; her name is Amelia Stone. She was annoying, a prankster, and she tricked her way into beating me that night. I was so annoyed with her that I had planned to teach her a lesson by breaking her neck.”
“Just like with Mr. Helms?”
“Right, only what happened to David, if I was at fault for his injury, was simply an accident. I was going to intentionally end Amelia’s career. When I realized what I was thinking, I knew that I couldn’t delay any longer. I had to have the courage to become the original Glory Braddock once again. I had to take a leap of faith and see what happens.”
“I see.” The psychiatrist puts his pen and notepad down. “So tell me, how have things been since your…rediscovery, so to speak?”
“It has been amazing.” Glory says with a grin on her face. “For the first time in a long time, wrestling is enjoyable again. It isn’t a chore, it isn’t some solemn duty. It’s just something I enjoy doing. I’m closer to my daughters, my husband, and all of my friends and my family. I’ve even given total control of GGE to a good friend and minority shareholder Aurora Alan.”
“So you no longer run the company?” He asks. Glory shakes her head.
“No, because I do not want to be tempted or lured back into the corporate life. That corporate life, the addictive power, it is what corrupted me. I do not want any part of it.”
“So why don’t you just sell the company to her? Remove yourself from the company entirely?”
“I have thought about that.” Glory admits. “And I may do that in time, but that will come later. This journey is not over. There are still many twists and turns on this journey, there are many bumps in the road and I still have a lot to learn about myself and who I need to be.”
==========
April 24th, 2022
Miami, Florida
On Camera
==========
We open outside in front of a swimming pool. It is bright and sunny outside and little noise except for a few birds chirping in the background. Then we see a beautiful blonde stepping into the scene from stage right. We can see only few of the facial features because she is cosplaying as Mileena from Mortal Kombat. The royal purple color of the costume would indicate that this is perhaps Glory Braddock, because purple is The British Bombshell’s favorite color. When she speaks her voice confirms that it is indeed her.
“I’ve said it before but damn it, it bears repeating; I really do love a good tournament! If you really want to see who is worthy of being champion, if you really want to see who is the best, schedule a one night single elimination tournament. Those kind of tournaments separate the good from the great, because you do not have to just be good once, or twice, but three times. That takes endurance, grit, heart, and determination. All of which I have in excess. Tournaments are my forte, tournaments are my wheelhouse.”
“Owen, Alexis, you two won on Breakdown and fair play to you both. But this isn’t a tag team match and I’m not handicapped with Gavin Taylor as a partner. The only person I have to worry about is me and I believe that I can make it through anyone and everyone in this tournament. I believe in myself and in my ability to defeat everyone else in this tournament to walk away as the new SCW United States Champion. That’s another thing I have that one needs in order to win a tournament; confidence. I am confident in myself but beyond that I have the support of my fans, who I will never ever give up on.”
A light chuckle can be heard under her purple mask. “But y’know what? I am getting a little ahead of myself. Because let’s face it, every tournament has its beginnings. NCAA March Madness has its First Four, the NFL Playoffs has its Wildcard Weekend, so right this moment I want to focus on my first obstacle, the first meathead standing in my path towards the United States Title. And that obstacle’s name is Tsunami.”
“Or is it Tsunami Howe III?” Braddock shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t really know, don’t really care. Though I have to say, Tsunami is a funny name, mate. How did your old man manage to give you that handle for the ring? Is he a big Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat fan at heart? Because honestly, Tsunami sounds like something straight out of Mortal Kombat. So to make you and your old man feel comfortable while I run you down and trash you right here in this video, I figured I would cosplay as Mileena. I mean, she and I do share a love of the color purple. You know what else we love?”
“Winning. I thrive upon tournaments because more than any other event in professional wrestling, a tournament…especially a one night tournament…challenges you more than any other event. I have wrestled one night tournaments many times in my career, Tsunami Howe III. But you, still being new and green to this game, how many times have you done this?” Glory pauses as if waiting on an answer. Receiving none she nods her head.
“That’s what I thought. Now you may give off this impression of being a mindless rage monster like Goro…did you like that extra little Mortal Kombat reference there…but I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt, that you are not just all brawn and no brains. So listen up tall dark and gruesome, you are stepping into the ring with The British Bombshell. Your chances at becoming SCW United States Champion just went down the toilet when your drew my name as your first round opponent. That’s all you need to know.” Braddock points a finger at the camera.
“Now allow me to address your daddy Marty Howe. You have the utmost faith in Tsunami’s power and why not? He is seven feet tall and he is very powerful. But allow me to remind you of something, smart ass. I have been beating men bigger and stronger than him since my professional debut. I don’t give a damn how big he is, how strong he is, or how much pain and punishment he can dish out, because the fact is I can take every bit of it and then some. I have a will to survive that is unmatched by anyone else on this entire roster let alone in this tournament. So do you honestly believe your hulking rage monster can keep me down for the count? Do you think Tsunami can actually beat me?” Braddock shakes her head. “No chance in hell, Howe. In fact, this is a spoiler for you; I am going to chop his ass down to size. And Howe, mate, he may be your son, but at Holly-Wood of the South, I’m going to make him my bitch.”
![[Image: qyA5u6K.png]](https://i.imgur.com/qyA5u6K.png)
SCW World Champion 1x
SCW United States Champion 1x
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)