Polly Playtime vs. Glory Braddock

[supremecw]

Polly Playtime vs. Glory Braddock
Polly Playtime's Wheel to determine the stipulation


2 RP Limit
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, April 22, 2023

[Braddock]

1 of 2
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April 16th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
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Breakdown answered a few questions for Glory Braddock heading into Playing the Wildcard. First of all, her match against Polly Playtime would not be for the SCW Television Championship. In a hotly contested, back and forth, match, The British Bombshell came up just short against Bree Lancaster. Despite that disappointment, Braddock still had one bright spot from the night; due to the spin of Polly’s ridiculous wheel, her match against Polly at Playing the Wildcard will be a Strap Match. This means that there will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide for the woman who has been a nuisance, a thorn in Braddock’s side for months now. Being tied together at the wrist means The British Bombshell will be able to put an end to this rivalry once and for all so that she can move on to an even bigger, an even more important goal in her career; winning the SCW World Tag Team Championship in order to achieve Supreme Championship status in SCW. Achieving Supreme Status has been the goal of Glory Braddock ever since she lost the United States Title to Josh Hudson at Under Attack. She knew she was two championships shy of that elite class and for Braddock, achieving that status, would mean so much to her due in large part to the doubt and criticism so many within her own inner circle had been trying to spread since signing with SCW years ago. They told The British Bombshell that she could not hang, that she could not survive in SCW, but now she is one title shy of Supreme Status. It would be the ultimate “told you so” in the mind of Glory Braddock. Still, her quest has been constantly delayed time and again by Polly Playtime, who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with The British Bombshell. Glory knows that if she wants to achieve her own career goals, then she must put an end to this rivalry with Polly one way or another. Playing the Wildcard will end this and Braddock hopes to end it on a high note with a victory in this strap match.

Dealing with her wrestling career isn’t the only thing on the mind of The British Bombshell. Glory Braddock has made her return to her native home in London, England in order to deal with her own family legacy, a legacy that has left her with mental and emotional scars that would continue to haunt her throughout her adult life. Those mental and emotional scars would drive her to the brink of madness, would cause her to burn bridges and nearly destroy so many of the relationships she had built up with her friends and family. The British Bombshell would recover to some degree but she recognizes the inherent need to deal with these scars and painful memories. She has to deal with her painful past in order to ensure that nothing like this creeps up again. Already she has dealt with the legacy of her famous father, Glenn Braddock. He may not have been a perfect father, he may not have been completely prepared to raise two daughters on his own, and he may have made his own fair share of mistakes along the way, but he did the best he could and he did love Glory and her sister Julia in his own unique way. Knowing this was enough for Glory and she was prepared to return home to Miami, Florida but her sister insisted that she stay. Julia Braddock thinks that Glory still has one other issue she needs to deal with; namely, the issue surrounding their mother, Maria Kurinsky.

Maria and her husband Glenn had a nice enough married life that ended rather abruptly with the back injury that ended Glenn Braddock’s in ring wrestling career. All of her life, Glory had been led to believe that Maria was furious that Glenn refused to leave wrestling for good, that she was upset with him for starting the Braddock Wrestling School just so that he could continue to be involved with wrestling in some way. Glory had also been led to believe that her mother Maria had just left her and Julia in full custody of Glenn Braddock without even putting up a fight. In Glory’s mind it was almost as if Maria did not want to be a mother to her two daughters and that hurt Glory. It stayed with her for so long and she held a grudge against her up until the last year of her life. This is a painful memory that Glory does not wish to revisit. She has successfully managed to move on from the grief of her mother’s death. She is worried that digging up the past will just bring back the pain and heartache that she had thought was gone. Yet Julia Braddock, Glory’s younger sister, insists that this is something that needs to be done.

Against her better judgment Glory Braddock decided to stay in England for a little while longer to help Julia dig up into their mother’s past and hopefully find some insight into why Maria Kurinsky left them, seemingly abandoning them without putting up a fight for custody. Currently they stand just outside the front door that leads into Blake O’Malley’s private gym where he trains future generations of professional wrestlers, much like their own father did once upon a time. Glory is wearing tight form fitting denim jeans, a royal purple crop top, and black high heeled boots. Her sister Julia is wearing a sky blue knee length flowing skirt, a white silk blouse, and a matching sky blue jacket. She is perched atop blue high heeled pumps.

Glory Braddock has her reservations about this; not only does she really not want to look into their mother’s death, but she isn’t sure Blake would know much anyway. Julia, on the other hand, is convinced that Blake will have some answers. Blake O’Malley was once a very close friend of Glenn Braddock. They were as close as two friends could be; they were like brothers. In fact, to this day Glory and Julia think of him as “Uncle Blake” even though they are not blood related. If anyone might have some answers, or at least a direction of where they might start looking, it would be Blake O’Malley.

“I’m not sure he’ll know anything at all.” The skepticism in the voice of Glory Braddock is not subtle at all whatsoever. In fact, she has been quite frank about her doubts regarding her sister Julia’s idea about visiting their father’s longtime friend Blake O’Malley this afternoon in hopes of getting answers. The younger Braddock sibling just shakes her head.

“Quit being a pessimist, mate. Trust me, at the very least this will put us on the right path.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Our dad and Blake were the best of friends.” Julia points out. “If anyone would have the answers to our questions, it would be him.”

“Bloody hell…” Glory sighs out of frustration “...I’m still not even sure WHAT we need to ask him.”

“We need to know why our mother abandoned us, why she left this country for the United States after the divorce from our father without even putting up a fight for custody.” Julia says as they stop right at the front door to the gym. “Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Yes.” Glory nods her head in agreement. “I just always assumed that she didn’t care about the responsibilities of being a parent.”

“There you go being negative again.” Julia says with a smirk. “After getting to know her a little better, do you really think she would have just abandoned her responsibilities as a mother?”

“No…”

“Right. So something must be off. There is something we don’t know and maybe dad’s old friend has the answer?”

“I don’t know, Julia.” Glory shrugs her shoulders. Doubt is creeping in. “Maybe some things are best left unanswered. You know?”

“Sometimes. But in this case.” Julia shakes her head. “I think it is best not only for you but for me as well to find some answers. Now are you ready?” The answer is no, Glory isn’t ready. But The British Bombshell realizes that she isn’t getting out of this one so easily. She sighs and nods her head.

“Very well. Let’s go.”

“Great.”

Julia wastes no time in opening the door and stepping across the threshold into Blake’s gym. There is a hesitance on Glory’s part, as she isn’t quite certain she really wants to pursue this. This is her sister’s brilliant idea, Glory is more along for the ride. Nevertheless, despite her hesitation, Glory does make her way across the threshold, following her sister into the gym. The gym is not as active as it once was and thus it is practically empty; the only sign that anyone is there is the voices coming from another room. Julia makes her way towards the direction of the voices and her sister Glory follows her. Julia and The British Bombshell cross the gym floor and into another room where they find a standardized regulation wrestling ring set up. Blake O’Malley is standing in the center of the ring talking to a younger male dressed in workout clothes; presumably a student.

“You’re doin’ better and better, kid. But you still got a lot to work on.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Main thing about you that I doubt is your heart.” He pokes the student in the chest. Glory smirks. This reminds her of her own father. “You need to be passionate about this business, whether you’re passionate about competition, passionate about entertaining the fans, but passionate about something other than just collecting a damn paycheck. Because consderin’ the amount of hospital and medical bills you’ll be paying from getting your ass kicked week in and week out, it aint gonna be worth it to you and…” Blake notices Glory and Julia out of the corner of his eyes “...tell ya what, kid, you think about what I said. Run a few miles around the building and then come back.”

“But I…”

“I SAID GO!”

“Yes, sir!” The young students shouts. He turns and quickly bolts out of the ring and then out of the room. Glory and Julia start laughing and applauding Blake, who just stands there with his arms folded over his chest, staring judgmentally down at the two siblings.

“Did I do something funny?”

“That was a great impression of our father.” Glory states with a wink.

“Very funny.” Blake exits the ring and then sits down on the ring apron. “I was just giving the kid a reality check. That’s all.”

“Yeah, but coming from the man who trained Matthew Taylor…the daredevil who never gave a damn about money, fame, or competition or any of the like…that was surprising coming from you.” Glory points out.

“Your friend Matthew would surprise you.” Blake states. “He may have been a daredevil who took a lot of risks but he never once said he didn’t respect this business. He had a deep respect for it. He just didn’t hold to the same ideals as your father. You can respect this business without having a stick shoved up your ass.” He smirks knowingly at The British Bombshell. “I do hope you’ve remembered that.”

“I have, thanks to you.”

“Good.” Blake sighs. “But I doubt you came here to talk wrestling philosophy. So what can I do for you ladies?”

“We just have a question about our father.” Julia states. Blake huffs in annoyance.

“I thought Glory here already found out whatever the hell she needed to know about her old man.”

“She did, but this is a little more complicated.”

“I don’t complicated.” Blake shakes his head. “Go talk to someone else.”

“There really isn’t anyone else.” Julia insists. “I mean, we could have asked our Uncle Peter Braddock but he passed away years ago. Me and Gloria are the oldest remaining lineage of the Braddock generation. There is no one else to ask except for you.”

“You really aren’t going to quit bugging me until I answer your damn question, are ya?” Blake asks. Julia smirks and shakes her head.

“Nope.”

“Figures.” He sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “Very well. What do ya wanna know, but I’m warning you, I doubt I’ll be able to help.”

“Thanks, Uncle Blake!” Julia turns to look at her sister. “Glory, ask him.”

“What?!” Glory is surprised that her sister threw her under the bus. “Why me?”

“Just ask him.” Julia insists. Glory sighs out of frustration.

“Fine. It’s just that…Julia and I find it odd that not only did dad get full custody of us after his divorce from mom, but also that mom never really even fight for custody. From everything we’ve been told, she did not try at all to get custody of us, even partial custody. Typically the mother has the edge in child custody cases. She probably would have got custody had she tried but she didn’t. She didn’t try. She just packed up and left England for the United States and really didn’t visit us at all until we were already grown.” Glory shakes her head as she tries to keep her composure. Reliving these memories and painful emotions is difficult for The British Bombshell. “It just doesn’t make sense. Was our dad really so damn popular that she felt getting custody of us would have been impossible so she just gave up?...” her voice starts to crack “...that she just gave up on us?”

“I see.” Blake nods his head. “I admit, your mom didn’t try very hard to win custody of you but I can tell ya this, it wasn’t her choice to give up so damn easily.”

“What do you mean?” Glory asks curiously.

“I really don’t think I should…” Blake hops up off the ring apron and starts to walk away. Julia quickly rushes over and cuts him off.

“No, not yet.” Julia insists. “What were you going to say?”

“Too damn much.” Blake remarks. “Especially when all I know is just nothing but damn assumptions.”

“Well tell us what you assume.” Glory says, joining her sister in front of Blake.

“Look, it’s just some weird shit, that’s all. But…” he sighs and shakes his head “...shortly after the divorce, your mom was talking to attorneys, she was seeking legal advice on how to proceed, but she suddenly stopped.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” Blake shrugs his shoulders. “Honestly, I don’t know. Like I said, all I have are assumptions based on some strange shit that went down.”

“What kind of strange shit?” Glory asks.

“There was this guy, some stranger who started hanging around the pub. Didn’t think much of it at first but then he started hanging around my gym…and your dad’s gym…pretty much any place associated with the Braddock name, any place your dad frequented, this guy would show up.”

“What did he want with dad?”

“He wasn’t after your old man.” Blake points out. “He was stalking your mom for some bloody reason. I ran him off whenever I could. Hell, I even told your mom to get a restraining order. But she was too frightened. She didn’t think it would stop him. I don’t know much more than that, all I know is that I think she left England in order to protect the two of you.” Blake states. “She figured if this guy was obsessed with her, if he was stalking her, then maybe he’d follow her to Massachusetts. While you two would remain safe here with your father.”

“Soooo…he disappeared after mom left?” Glory asks. Blake nods his head.

“Yeah. I never saw the bloke again anywhere after your mom left. So I suppose she was right, he was after her. She just didn’t want the two of you caught in the crossfire of whatever plans he had cooked up.”

Glory starts to feel very emotional again upon hearing this news from Blake O’Malley. She reaches up and wipes some tears from her eyes. Her sister Julia notices this, so she reaches over and pats Glory on the back. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” She nods her head. “Uh, is there a bathroom?”

“In the other room.” Blake points towards the door. Glory nods her head and turns and walks away, leaving Julia to continue speaking with Blake. The British Bombshell doesn’t really need the bathroom. She just needs to be alone for a moment in order to compose herself, to take in all of this information she just heard from Blake. Is it possible that her mother, whom she had long hated for abandoning her and Julia, had only done so in order to protect them from what she perceived as a great threat? Furthermore, what possibly could have scared their mother away from them? What kind of threat or danger possibly could have made her abandon her children like that? There are still so many unanswered questions yet even she knows that Blake does not have all of the answers. More digging will need to be done. More research will have to be…

“Glory?” The familiar voice startles The British Bombshell out of her deep trance. She looks up to see the familiar figure of her childhood best friend Matthew Taylor approaching. It has been a long time since she last saw him. In fact, the last time she saw him was when her husband Kurt Logan caught her cheating on him with Matthew. Lucky for their marriage, Kurt and Glory were able to reconcile. Braddock, for her part, wasn’t sure how her friendship with Matthew would survive. In fact, she has been trying to avoid this awkward confrontation for quite some time. But she had to know that she would run into her old friend eventually.

Now here he is standing just a few feet away from her. And he looks a lot different from the last time they met. Matthew’s typical long, shaggy hair has been cut very short and his usual clean cut face is now sporting some facial hair. Matthew is wearing gear appropriate for a hard day’s workout, which is unusual as she had thought Matthew was stepping away from the wrestling ring. The British Bombshell forces a friendly smile upon her face and waves.

“Hi, Matty. You certainly do look…”

“Incredible? Amazing? Gorgeous?”

“...different.” Glory says with a bit of a laugh. She forgot how funny her friend can be. Matthew laughs a bit himself. He rubs his facial hair.

“Yeah, I grew the beard out just a little. What do ya think? Will I have to beat the ladies off with a stick?”

“I think you look fine, Matty.”

“Fine, eh?” Matthew sighs. “I guess that’ll do. But ‘fine’ won’t get me any dates. Not that I’m after any dates. This look is for something else.”

“Oh really?” Glory asks, her curiosity is peaked. “And what pray tell is on your mind?”

“Oh nothing much. I’m just thinking about making my grand return to the ring!” Matthew strikes a pose. “The world of wrestling has grown stale without The Show Stealer to spice things up a bit!”

“So you’re gonna give the people the gift of yourself?”

“I am such a giver, aren’t I?” Matthew asks. Glory shakes her head.

“You’re full of shit, Matty. You just miss the thrill of it all.” Glory points out. Matthew nods his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. You always knew me better than anyone else. Shit, you know me better than my own damn family knows me. I do miss the thrill of getting in the ring and risking my body, my physical well being, my own damn life. The rush of throwing down with dangerous people, the thrill of leaping off the top, the roar of the fans, I miss it all. And quite frankly, I hated how my run as a wrestler came to an end. I admit that my own style doesn’t exactly equate to a long term career, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go out on my own terms.”

“You did end your career on a bit of a whimper rather than a roar.” Glory says. Matthew nods his head.

“Exactly and there’s no way in hell I’m gonna go out like that. So I’m here training with my former drill sergeant Blake. He’s gonna help me get back into ring shape.”

“Knowing Blake he will whip you back into shape, that’s for sure.” Glory points a finger at her old friend. “But the real question is are you going to be taking this seriously from now on?”

“Of course.”

“Really?” Glory says this with skepticism dripping from her voice and with her arms folded over her chest. Matthew sighs and nods his head.

“Look, I admit that in the past I didn’t care about much of anything. Hell, your father was right about me. I really was a smartass piece of crap who didn’t care about this sport. But I have changed. I still want to have fun, I still want to entertain and thrill, but I am taking this seriously and I am all in for the right reasons this time.”

“Oh yeah? Pardon me for doubting you, mate, but why did you suddenly have this change of heart?”

“You.” Matthew says suddenly. This answer surprises Glory who is taken aback.

“Me?!”

“Look, I know that I caused you a lot of problems. You and Kurt, I nearly destroyed your marriage. There’s nothing I can do to make up for that. But I do know that you are looking to become Supreme Champion in SCW. And I know that you only need the SCW World Tag Team Championship in order to achieve that goal.”

“You want to…” Glory begins to realize what he is proposing and she immediately shakes her head “...no way, Matty. No chance in hell.”

“Come on! You have made it clear that you want to challenge for the tag titles. What if SCW decides to pair you up with some random twat? Look at the last person they randomly threw you in with. Do you really wanna team with another loser the caliber of Danny Darko?”

“No…” she shakes her head “...but I can’t team with you.”

“Why not? I am a sure thing. And we have legit tag team chemistry because we have teamed before. Remember us working together as a tag team in MWA?”

“I do remember that. And we were quite successful. But I think you know damn well why I cannot team with you; his name is Kurt.”

“Bloody hell…” Matthew exclaims, shaking his head “...look, Glory, I…”

“No, no way!” She shakes her head. “We are NOT having this discussion! Kurt would be furious if we started teaming together after what happened. Besides, you’re not even in ring shape.” She shakes her head. “It just isn’t happening.”

Before Matthew or Glory can say anything else, Julia Braddock and Blake O’Malley emerge. Blake motions to the other room, the room with the ring.

“Matthew. Get your ass in the ring.”

“Yeah…” Matthew sighs as he makes his way past Glory and towards the room. Bake turns to Glory and Julia.

“Thanks for dropping by, ladies. I hope I was helpful.”

“You definitely were.” Julia says. “Thanks, Blake.”

Glory just nods her head as she turns and walks away with Julia following closely behind. The British Bombshell realizes that her life just got a lot more complicated, more complicated than it needed to be. Matthew would be the ideal tag team partner. They have incredible in ring chemistry. But this partnership would stir up a hornet’s nest between herself and her husband Kurt. She knows that this cannot happen. She is visibly shaken by this and Julia happens to notice as they make their way across the gym floor.

“Are you ok, sis?”

“Huh?”

“You look shaken. What’s wrong?”

“Oh…” Glory shakes her head “...nothing.”

“I saw you speaking with Matt.” Julia states. She says nothing else but nothing else needs to be said. Julia is one of three individuals who know about the affair Glory had with Matthew, the other two being Matthew himself and Glory’s husband Kurt Logan. Braddock shakes her head.

“Matty was just telling me about his planned in-ring return.”

“Really?” Julia seems somewhat surprised by the news. “That’s good to hear, actually. I always thought Matt was unique. He brought something special to the table that very few others had. It’s a shame he ended his career as early as he did. What is his plan?”

“He wants to be my tag team partner.”

“Your tag team partner?” Julia is confused at first. But then after thinking on it for a moment it is as if a lightbulb went off over her head. “Oh right, you need a tag team partner to become SCW World Tag Team Champions and achieve Supreme Championship status.”

“Yeah. And he wants to fill that void.”

“Well it is a good idea, come to think of it.” Julia says, nodding her head. “You two had great chemistry as a tag team once upon a time.”

“But he’s out of shape.” Glory points out. “That’s not to mention the other great big elephant in the room.”

“I know. Still, you should at least consider it. I would offer to work with you but I’m so busy with GCW that I just don’t have the time. Besides, Matt needs this more than me.”

“Kurt would go ballistic.” Glory remarks shaking his head. “Even if Matty got into shape there is no way in hell Kurt would approve.”

“Talk to him first.” Julia answers. “You should tell him about this anyway. You can’t keep secrets like this from him, not after that last time. Just tell him about what Matthew suggested and see what he says. Go from there.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Glory says as she pushes the front door open and exits the gym, Julia follows closely behind. “Now what about Blake and that information he shared. What do we do with it?”

“Nice way of changing the subject, Gloria.” Julia rolls her eyes. “You didn’t even want to do this, to talk about mom, but now suddenly when we talk about an even more difficult and painful subject you are more than happy to talk about mom.”

“Shut up and answer my question.” Glory answers abruptly and bluntly.

“Fine.” Julia sighs deeply. They stop just outside the gym. Julia turns to face her sister with her arms folded over her chest. “A lot of what he said does make sense considering what we know already from Angelica.”

Angelica Jones is the first cousin of Glory and Julia Braddock. Angelica’s mother, Kelly Kurinsky, and Glory and Julia’s mother, Maria Kurinsky, were sisters. Maria and Kelly’s parents fled the Soviet Union in fear of political persecution. After growing up their children, Maria and Kelly, went their separate ways. While Maria found herself to England and met and married Glenn Braddock, Kelly would remain in Massachusetts and make a life for herself. Kelly had two daughters of her own; Angelica and Kayla Jones. Unfortunately the bliss and happiness would not last long. Kelly would be murdered by someone they would eventually learn was from Russia, someone who had tracked the Kurinsky family to Massachusetts.

“My God…” Glory’s eyes grow wide “...you’re right. It all makes sense. Mom didn’t abandon us. She was protecting us. She left England and left us in order to protect us because that man, that guy who killed our aunt Kelly, Angelica’s mom, that man was after her too.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions.” Julia shakes her head. “You can’t possibly know that.”

“It makes sense though.” Glory insists.

“I still think you’re jumping to conclusions. Still, I do agree that talking to our cousins might be the next logical step. Blake said someone was stalking our mom. Who knows? Maybe it was the same guy who targeted our aunt Kelly? It is a leap but it is worth looking into. We should tell Angelica.”

“I agree.” Glory nods her head.

There are still many questions that remain unanswered regarding her own troubled past with her mother. Still, at least a couple of questions are close to being answered. She knows that at least she has a candidate for a potential tag team partner in Matthew Taylor. She also knows that her mother may not have just abandoned them without any rhyme or reason. And on top of it all, Glory knows for certain that at Playing the Wildcard, this rivalry with Polly Playtime will come to an end once and for all.

[Jay Gold]

Season 3 / Episode 45 / It Feels Like He Is Against Me

[Braddock]

2 of 2
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April 18th, 2023
Birmingham, England
Off Camera
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Two days ago Glory Braddock along with her sister Julia Braddock visited with Blake O’Malley, their late father’s long time friend, in hopes of answering long sought after questions regarding their own past. The sisters had been scarred over the fact that their own mother, Maria Kurinsky, just ran off and left them after divorcing their father. She did not put up any sort of fight to gain custody of her daughters, not even partial custody. She just left England for the United States and stayed there, without even visiting her children for several years. Most of her adult life Glory Braddock had thought her mother either didn’t truly love her or was too lazy to be a parent for her. Now, after a meeting with longtime family friend Blake O’Malley, Glory has learned that her mother had been stalked by a mysterious stranger. This stalked had made her mother fear for her life and the lives of her family. Now Glory has come to the conclusion that there is a very real possibility that Maria Kurinsky left England and left her daughters in order to lure the stalker away from them, in order to protect her family from them. This new revelation is indeed a game changer if true. This is what brings The British Bombshell back to Blake O’Malley’s gym this afternoon. Yesterday she received a call from her “Uncle Blake” asking her to stop by this afternoon for another visit. He wouldn’t say why he wanted to speak with her, or why he only wanted to speak with Glory and not Julia, but she does trust Blake and assumes that this must have something to do with her mother. Regardless of the unusual circumstances of this request, Glory Braddock has arrived at the gym ready to meet with Blake hoping to shed more light on her mother’s background and possibly the mystery as to why she ran off the way she did.

Glory Braddock is currently walking across an empty parking lot in front of her “uncle Blake’s” gym. Braddock is wearing purple workout shorts, tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. She is dressed for action because she hopes that maybe, after hearing what Blake has to say, maybe she can talk him into working with her. She knows Blake is still working with up and coming talent, as she saw him work with a young student two days ago. She also knows that he works with veterans as well, seeing as she heard straight from her old friend Matthew Taylor that Blake is working with Matthew to help him get back into ring shape in order to make a return to professional wrestling. In Matthew’s ideal world he would get to be Glory Braddock’s tag team partner in SCW to challenge for the tag team championship but Glory had to crush that dream. There is no way those two will be tag team partners. It just cannot happen. Still, Blake O’Malley is actively working with wrestlers again. Perhaps he could work with Glory Braddock as she trains for a Strap Match against Polly Playtime at SCW’s Playing the Wildcard?

The British Bombshell continues to make her way across the parking lot but finds it odd. The fact that this parking lot is empty is rather unusual to The British Bombshell. Blake is rather old now and lives quite a distance away from his gym, too far to walk. She knows for a fact that he typically drives but he finds no vehicle here. It is possible that he took public transportation. Still, wouldn’t there be some other vehicles here? Blake is an active wrestling trainer again. Wouldn’t some students be here today? Some red flags should be raising, alarm bells should be going off in her head, but Braddock is so laser focused on the task at hand that she ignores the signs all around her. She approaches the front door and immediately pushes it open and steps inside…

…only to have a large, heavy net fall on top of her, trapping her as soon as she crosses the threshold.

“Bloody hell!” Glory exclaims loudly as she flails manically to try and get out of this. As she tries to find an escape she begins to think about the ‘red flags’ earlier; no vehicles, no one in sight. And on top of that, this isn’t something Blake would have done. Braddock glares with anger straight ahead, and that anger is directed in two place; one is at herself, for stepping into what was an obvious trap. The other is at the person who has just stepped into view and is laughing his ass off at Glory’s current predicament…

…her old friend, Matthew Taylor.

“Matthew.”

“Follow me and I shall make you fishers of women!” Matthew takes a bow as if he is a magician doing his tricks. “And for my next trick I shall reel this lovely fish of the sea into my boat!”

“For your next trick you will get me out of this mess or I will squeeze every last breath out of your damn body.”

“Oh what’s wrong, Glory?” Matthew asks with a smirk on his face as he prances over to his friend’s position by the door. He peers at her, helplessly covered in the net. She tries to get at him but she cannot quite do anything while covered in the net.

“I think being stuck in a net is enough.”

“Maybe, but I think maybe your pride is hurt.” Matthew suggests. “The ultimate prankster just got pranked. Face it, Glory, you lost your touch.”

“A prank? That’s what this is all about?” Glory asks furiously. “You set this whole bloody thing up just to play a prank on me?! Was Blake involved in this mess?!”

“Now don’t go blaming Blake. I just told him I needed to borrow the place in order to talk to you in private. He had no problems letting me borrow it. He had no idea that I was gonna drop a net on ya.” He winks knowingly.

“This is very childish of you, mate.” Glory says, shaking her head. “If you wanted to talk you could have just asked.”

“And you would have said no.” Matthew points out. “You know what I want. I want to team with you, I want to help you get over the finish line and become SCW World Tag Team Champion, and thus become Supreme Champion. You would have said no so I had to be a little creative in order to get you here.”

“Translation, you had to kidnap me.”

“Oh quit being so high and mighty.” Matthew retorts as he rolls his eyes. “You aren’t so innocent. The way I remember it, you and I pulled off pranks much more complicated than this one when we were younger.”

“Yes, young…young and immature.”

“You call it being immature. I just look at it as you enjoying yourself. Look, I’ll help you get out of that net but afterwards let me speak my peace. Ok? Deal?” Matthew asks. Glory almost pities him, almost feels bad. He looks like a sad puppy dog. Glory sighs and nods her head in agreement.

“Fine. It’s a deal. Just get me out of this mess.”

Matthew nods his head. He steps forward and then helps Glory to take the heavy net off and tosses it aside. Braddock feels much more comfortable now that she is free from this net. Her pride still feels hurt, though she won’t admit that to Matthew. The fact that he got one over on her is bad enough. She doesn’t want to tell him that he’s right. Braddock folds her arms over her chest and sighs, staring judgmentally at Matthew.

“Now talk.”

“Look, Glory, I’m just trying to help you.” He smiles sheepishly. “Ok, maybe I have unorthodox means of helping you, but I was only trying to help you remember who you once were. When you first broke into the wrestling business in 2008 sure, you wanted to be successful and win titles, but you also wanted to enjoy yourself. Enjoying yourself was just as important to you back then as winning a title. But now I look at you as you prepare for Playing the Wildcard, fighting that Polly Playtime chick, and I have to admit, she has a point…”

“Say that again.” Glory demands angrily. Matthew feigns innocence.

“I don’t mean everything she says is accurate but c’mon, you have been acting like a bit of a stick in the mud lately. You can respect the integrity of the championship, you can respect the spirit of competition, you can respect the sport of wrestling, you can do all of that while still having a good time and enjoying yourself. That’s the kind of person you used to be, Glory, and you need to become that person again. Blake knows it, that’s why he tried to talk some sense into you a few weeks ago.”

“He told you about that?!” Glory asks incredulously.

“Yes, and he also happens to think you and I teaming together would be great, not just for my sake and my career but for you as well.” Matthew insists. Glory shakes her head.

“Blake only says that because he doesn’t know about the relationship you and I had. He doesn’t know that I cheated on my husband with you.” She points a finger at Matthew. “You are lucky, damn lucky, that Kurt forgave all of this…forgave us…but he damn sure hasn’t forgotten. Yet now you want us to team up, which would put us close together week in and week out for a very long period of time, which would put us alone together at times. And you think my husband would be ok with that?”

“I know. And I know this is a longshot, but I have been busting my ass, Glory. I am so close to being ring ready. Hell, my whole philosophy has changed. I’m still a thrill seeker and daredevil but I’m not the same immature child who didn’t care about wins and losses. When I return to the ring…which I will, with or without you…I am going to do so taking this second chance, this second opportunity, very seriously. And if you let me be your tag team partner, then believe me when I say that I will do my level best to make sure you become Supreme Champion in SCW.”

“Bloody hell…” Glory sighs and shakes her head “...tell me this, Matty. Are you using me? Am I just your meal ticket back into professional wrestling?”

“No, absolutely not, I would never use you like that, I love you too…” he sighs and shakes his head, realizing what he almost just said “...sorry, I mean I respect you too much to do that to you. I just want to do one thing in my wrestling career before I retire for good. I want one last opportunity to tag team with my very best friend in the entire world.”

“You mean that?” Glory asks curiously with an arched brow. Matthew nods his head.

“I mean it. Cross my heart! Think about it, Glory; we have tag team experience together already, we teamed together in the Millennium Wrestling Alliance. I truly did enjoy that time.”

“It was just a few matches…” her voice trails off.

“Even so, those few matches were incredible. And I was disappointed when those matches led to nothing for us, because I thought the two of us had such great potential as a tag team. We brought out the best of each other. You reigned me in and kept me grounded and serious, while I reminded you what it meant to have fun and enjoy yourself in this sport. We were the best of both worlds. Against Polly Playtime at Playing the Wildcard, you need that kind of mindset. Beat the crazy bitch at her own game, y’know? Be THAT Glory Braddock. And after you’re done with her, when you go after the Tag Titles and Supreme Championship Status, do so as THAT Glory Braddock, and silence any and all critics saying that you’re doing this just for championships.”

“I’m not doing this just for titles.” Glory remarks angrily. “I want to do this to challenge myself.”

“I hear you but so many other people out there are buying the bullshit Polly is spewing. You need to become that Glory Braddock who knows how to enjoy herself and have a good time while still competing at the very top of her game. And if I can be of any help to you back to that point…” he sighs “...well, it would be my honor and privilege.”

Glory Braddock looks into her old friend’s eyes. Matthew is clearly pleading, begging for Glory to give him a chance. She has to admit that he is right; Glory has changed. She is no longer a fun loving individual. She takes everything about wrestling so serious. She has become just like her father, and that is exactly what Blake O’Malley warned her about. Blake, like Matthew apparently, believes Glory is at her best when she is not only wrestling at her very best but also enjoying herself as well. Matthew is also right about the chemistry the two of them have; whenever she works closely together with the flamboyant Matthew Taylor, her own mischievous and playful nature comes back to the forefront. If anyone could help her become that person again, if anyone could help her become Supreme Champion, it is Matthew Taylor.

Yet still there remains the one glaring elephant in the room; namely, Glory’s husband Kurt Logan. Kurt is well aware of the affair they once had. Kurt has forgiven them both but has not forgotten. Glory is not convinced that her husband would just quietly and willingly let this sort of alliance happen. Is it worth it? Should she give it a chance?

“Matty…” she shakes her head “...I just don’t know. I admit, you make valid points, but Kurt is…”

“I know.” He nods his head. “I messed up big time.”

“No…” Glory shakes her head “...we both messed up. It takes two to tango, mate. That’s why Kurt would never trust this alliance, I’m afraid. But I am willing to ask.”

“Seriously?” Matthew asks, beaming with happiness and joy. Glory nods her head.

“Yes, I’m willing to try. But Matty, I will not press this issue with him. If Kurt doesn’t like it, then that’s it. I’m not going to keep asking him just for your sake. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Matthew says, nodding his head. “That’s all I want, I just want a chance.”

“That’s what you’ll get then, you will get this one chance.” Glory states. “Do not screw it up.”

==========
April 22nd, 2023
Kansas City, MO
On Camera
==========

The camera begins to roll. We open in what appears to be an empty room; well, empty except for a round table with a deck of cards and poker chips laid out. Three of those cards have already been dealt out, two of which are face up and we can see they are an Ace of Spades and a 2 of Diamonds. The other card is face down, we do not know what it is. Shortly after the feed begins, we see “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock emerging from stage right. The beautiful blonde is wearing black dress pants, black high heeled patent leather pumps, a white silk blouse, and a black women’s blazer. She has a black fedora style hat on her head and sunglasses are covering her eyes. Braddock approaches the center of the table and begins to speak.

“When I think of the name of this upcoming event, Playing the Wildcard, I can’t help but think of poker. In poker, when a wildcard is in play, that card can become anything you want. Anything at all that you need to help you out.” Braddock takes the card that is face down and holds it up to the camera, revealing that it is a Joker. “When playing with Jokers, those are almost always the wildcard in the deck. If you’ve heard the term ‘Joker’s Wild’, and I’m sure you have, well that’s where it comes from.” Braddock places the card back down on the table. She points a finger at the camera.

“Polly Playtime and her Playgirls, you lot have been nothing but a nuisance to me for the past several months. You have been nothing but a thorn in my side for the past several months and the fact that at Playing the Wildcard we get to end this once and for all is so bloody appealing to me. Whether I’m getting attacked by Aisling and Colleen, or whether I’m fighting you Polly, it seems that everywhere I turn you lot are there. Josh Hudson and I fight over the United States Title and somehow you manage to worm your way into that situation. I become Television Champion and Colleen comes after me. When I decide that I want to go after the tag titles, when I decide I want to try and achieve Supreme Championship status, you and your bitches decide to ruin that opportunity and ruin my chances to retain my Television Title by shoving me in a damn crate during Kim’s chaotic Trios Cash In to keep from me scoring falls. No matter what I do, you have to find a way to get involved in my affairs. And for the life of me I do not get it. I do not understand your bloody obsession with me. You would think that you would have better things to do than screw around with me because God knows I have better things to do with my career than to spend it in a never ending war with you and your ridiculous goons. The good news, at least for me, is that one way or another this war WILL end at Playing the Wildcard. And I will do everything within my power to end it on a high note, with a victory over you to finally shut your damn mouth once and for all. Still, I can’t help but ask myself how it got this far? How did this thing between you and I get to the point that it takes a certain type of brutal match to end it?” Glory reaches underneath the table and then produces a leather strap. She drops it on the table with the cards and chips.

“A Strap Match. How is it that we got to this point, Polly? You know the obvious answer is just how damn different we are. You love your stupid little games like that damn wheel and of course you have your ridiculous henchwomen called The Playgirls backing you up. The way you lot prance around I question whether you take this business seriously whatsoever. When you have a Ball Pit Match as a legitimate option for a possible match type, I question how serious you are as a wrestler. When you decide to handle your business with your opponents by putting them in a damn crate, I question how seriously you take professional wrestling. So when I see people like you playing your damn games, it makes me think you’re disparaging this business, it makes me think you are disrespecting this business, and that makes me want to kick your ass all over the damn planet. It makes me want to choke you unconscious each and every week.” Glory shakes her head. “But I have held back. I have not targeted you or chased you the way I would have liked. And that’s not just talk, Polly. If I had really wanted to give in to the anger I felt towards you for how you disrespected this business and me in particular, then you would have already been on the damn shelf months ago. You would still be at home recovering from an injury and not competing at Playing the Wildcard. So believe me when I say to you that I have held back. I have not been the aggressor. You have been the aggressor here, Polly. Like I said, everywhere I go, you keep turning up. I try to focus on one thing, you show up to stick your nose in my business. I turn my attention to something else, hoping you’ll go away, and there you are again, to annoy me. You have been the one targeting me and you don’t even use straightforward tactics. You use the hit and run tactics of a coward. You use the numbers game to your advantage. You hit, you run, you hide. Wash, rinse, repeat. It is a vicious cycle that has been going on and on for too damn long.” The British Bombshell pats herself on the chest.

“It is a vicious cycle that I plan to put to an end at Playing the Wildcard. When this strap is attached, when we are tied up at the wrist to one another, no hit and run tactics will save you, there will be nowhere to run and hide for you, Polly. And your Playgirls, they won’t be able to save you either. I will have you right where I want you and I will be able to end you and this war for good.” Braddock picks up the Joker card again and looks at it. She chuckles softly. “Still, you have to think about the Wildcard. When a Wildcard is in play you never know just what you might get. Now I think you and I have been fighting each other long enough to know what to expect from one another. I look at you and I know I am dealing with a conniving bitch who has all the talent in the world to make it big in this business but instead of actually using her God given natural talents and abilities, she chooses to try and get ahead through mind games and making a joke out of everything she does. Surprised to hear me say that, Polly? Well let me say it again. You have all of the talent in the world to be a star here in SCW. Hell, you could be world champion here someday. You have that kind of talent. You can spread your bullshit propaganda about how I disrespected you, looked down upon you, and all that nonsense but that’s a lie and you know it. I have always respected your talent. What offends me is that you waste it with ridiculous games and deception. That’s who you are, Polly.” She flashes the Joker card at the camera.

“But what about me? Who do you think that I am? I know who you THINK that I am. You think that I am some title chasing, glory hound…pardon the pun. You think I have a stick shoved up my ass. You probably think we couldn’t be any more different. Total opposites, right?” Braddock shakes her head. “If you think that then you’re wrong. You and I are not that different, Polly. There was a time early on in my career when I enjoyed annoying people with silly games just like you do now. That is a side of me that can play those games with the best of them, including you. The only difference between you and me is that when the bell rings, the games are over and I am all business. When the bell rings I am all business and I will do everything I can to make sure that bell does not ring again until I have beaten you once and for all. You have only encountered that one Glory Braddock. The Glory Braddock who is no-nonsense take no prisoners 24/7. You haven’t encountered the Glory Braddock who can play mind games and can be just as annoying as you. Therein lies the nature of the beast, the whole purpose behind this event Playing the Wildcard…” she points a finger at the camera “...YOUR Wildcard, Polly, is the fact that you don’t know which version of The British Bombshell you will meet at Playing the Wildcard. The one you are used to fighting or…the wildcard you have never seen before?” Braddock shrugs her shoulders.

“I suppose you’ll find out tomorrow night. I already know what’s going to happen because that side of me has always been there. I could have channeled that at any time anywhere but I chose not to; or maybe I just forgot it was there? But thanks to you, Polly, I have been reminded just who in the hell I am and what I am truly capable of.” Braddock takes the sunglasses off and puts them on the table. She stares fiercely into the camera. “Polly…this thing between you and I will end tomorrow night. And I guarantee you that it will end with me beating your ass in the center of the ring and maybe, if I’m feeling really nasty, I might just beat you at your own damn game just to rub it in.” She smirks. “Time to play, bitch.”

Braddock turns and starts to walk away. The camera fades to black.

[Jay Gold]

Season 3 / Episode 46 / And That's Not Good For You