Deanna Frost vs. Marie Jones

[The Matt]

2 of 2
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February 19th, 2024
Worcester, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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Redemption is never easy. Redemption is never a simple and easy uphill climb back to where you want to go. Redemption is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, and plenty of bumps in the road before receiving the full redemption that one seeks. Marie Jones, having gone down this path of redemption before, knows it all too well. She knew that this latest attempt to redeem herself in the eyes of not only her wrestling fans and peers but also in the eyes of her family would be quite difficult and would not go without the occasional misstep. The Phoenix already expects her first major misstep in her SCW redemption story to come up this week on Breakdown when she faces the United States Champion Deanna Frost. She knew facing Deanna was something she had to do. After all, she was scheduled to face Deanna in tag action the night Marie chose to walk out on her SCW contract. It only makes sense that eventually she would have to come face to face with Deanna Frost. Facing Deanna in any normal circumstance would be a challenge. She has come into her own as a wrestler from the last time Marie saw her. Deanna went from being simply Selena Frost’s devoted wife and biggest cheerleader to being a former Television Champion, Tag Team Champion, Underground Champion, and current United States Champion. Can Marie even defeat Deanna Frost? She thinks she can. She knows she has the ability to get the job done. Marie herself is a former Television, Tag Team, and United States Champion. She knows she can defeat Deanna Frost. But does a victory really equal redemption? Or does Marie need to achieve something far greater and far deeper than a mere victory in order to achieve the redemption she seeks? Is it the respect of her fans, her peers, and more importantly the respect of Deanna Frost that she needs to earn on Breakdown? And if respect is what she needs to earn, will it be possible?

Her personal family redemption isn’t going any easier for The Phoenix. Marie has been separated from her home and her son. Marie has nowhere to go and is forced to live once again with her mother, Angelica Jones. She knows that she alone is to blame for all of this. She is solely responsible for getting herself into this mess and she has to earn the trust of her family in order to restore normalcy back to her life. Yet Marie continues to make mistakes and missteps along the way. She continues to stumble and fall off the wagon. Just like with alcoholics or drug addicts, the temptation is too great. She knows what she is doing is wrong…or at least she thinks that it is wrong…but she just doesn’t care. What exactly is she doing that makes her think she is tempting fate? She has continued her romantic relationship with Julianne Buchanan, the woman who twice before convinced Marie to join the Inner Peace cult.The sheets rustled and the mattress dipped as the two women, one named Marie Jones and the other Julianne Buchanan, shifted positions in the bed. Their bodies were entwined, the soft curves of their stomachs pressing together, the warmth of their skin intermingling. They were both wearing silk negligees, the material flowing over their bodies like liquid gold, accentuating their feminine curves. The room was dimly lit, casting a warm glow across their naked flesh, and the air was thick with anticipation and desire. The sheets rustled and the mattress dipped as the two women shifted positions in the bed. Their bodies were entwined, the soft curves of their stomachs pressing together, the warmth of their skin intermingling. They were both wearing silk negligees, Marie’s a bright red and Julianne’s pink; the material flowing over their bodies. The only light in the room came from the sun that was shining in through the window.

Marie can feel Julianne’s breath upon her. She doesn’t dare move in fear of disturbing her lover. She is also feeling pangs of guilt. But why should she feel guilty? This is love and love is normal. At least, if this is truly love. Marie has been a victim of heartbreak far too many times in her life. Her first boyfriend was Damian Daniel Toole, a drunk with an awful temper who often took his frustration out on Marie. Then there was Arthur Pond, whom she had given her entire heart to and thought everything was perfect; until Arthur committed suicide. Then there was Tommy, who seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. After so many failures with love, it is easy to understand why Marie might second guess herself with Julianne. Is this romantic relationship with Marie truly love or is it just lust? But the real reason for the guilt at this time is the fact that Marie has kept this relationship a secret from Kim and their mother Angelica. Marie knows that they would not approve of Marie continuing this relationship. Not because they disapprove of Marie seeing another woman; but because Julianne led her astray twice before.

Her thoughts are broken with a gentle kiss on her cheek. “You awake yet, Annabelle?”

“Yeah…” Marie answers with a bit of a yawn “...I’ve been awake for a bit, actually.”

“I hope I didn’t disturb you with my tossing and turning.” Julianne kisses her again. “If I did, I know just how to make it up to you.” She grins with a bit of mischief written across her face. Marie knows all too well what Julianne means. The blonde’s sexual appetite is nearly insatiable.

“You already know I can’t.”

“Was I too much for you last night?” Julianne asks playfully.

“Maybe.” Marie snickers. “But honestly, you were lucky to get me for an overnight stay to begin with.”

“Oh I know.” Julianne yawns as she swings her legs off the side of the bed and then stretches, getting her bearings before standing up. “Its been way too long since we had a night like last night. Y’know? It was…”

“It was wonderful.”

“Yeah, it was.” Julianne agrees with a nod of her head. “I was half-expecting your meddlesome family to still be keeping you on a tight leash. Y’know?”

“I know.”

“Your sister and your mom have had you locked down tight lately. How did you convince them that this was ok?”

“That’s the thing.” Marie smiles sheepishly. “They don’t exactly know I’m here.”

“Oh really now?” Julianne smirks. “So you lied to them?”

“They think I went early to Vancouver to do promotional stuff for SCW.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I mean, what else was I gonna do? There was no way in hell they would have let me come here and spend the night with you. They don’t even know I’m still dating you, let alone sleeping with you.”

“You got that right.” Julianne says, sounding a bit annoyed. “Especially that brat sister of yours.”

“Kim means well.”

“She trapped me in a freaking net!” Julianne exclaims angrily. Marie can’t help but laugh a little bit, which only further angers Julianne. “What’s so funny about that?!”

“Nothing, sorry! But seriously, my sister does mean well. She cares about me and only wants what’s best for me.”

“You’re fooling yourself, Annabelle.” Julianne says as she approaches Marie and sits back down on the bed next to her. “You know damn well Kim would never approve of our relationship. Neither would your mother.”

“I know what you’re thinking and it’s not that.” Marie shakes her head. “It’s the nature of our relationship…I mean, face it, you did introduce me to Inner Peace, and after I left you convinced me to rejoin. Now I left again. I imagine they would be worried about you getting me caught up in another scandalous cult.”

“Say what you want but they are hateful towards me and they do NOT want what’s best for you.” Julianne reaches over and runs her hand through Marie’s long red hair. “Let’s just go back to the way things were. Just the two of us. How about it?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Julianne asks, taken aback by Marie’s refusal.

“Things cannot be the way they once were. You should know that, Julianne. We were both conned, manipulated, and taken advantage of by Raul and his Inner Peace cult. We do share that common experiential bond. And yes, I do care about you, I do want to make this work out between us, but it has to be the RIGHT way. I want my family to approve of this.”

“They never will.” Julianne insists, shaking her head.

“Can you blame them for having doubts? We’ve both screwed each other up, TWICE, we both have a lot to prove to them, to a lot of people.”

“You’re wrong.” Julianne stands up. “We do not have to prove a damn thing to anyone. Hopefully you will understand that one day.”

Marie Jones watches as Julianne walks away. A twinge of guilt washes over Marie. She feels guilty for lying to her family about this, but now Julianne is making her feel guilty for not fully embracing their relationship. Is Julianne yet another person on the long list of people she has wronged and who now she has to redeem herself? So many questions, very few answers for The Phoenix.

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February 21st, 2024
Vancouver, BC, Canada
On Camera
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Right out of the frying pan and into the fire. Thomas More has one of the earliest recorded uses of this now common phrase. I thought returning to Supreme Championship Wrestling would be difficult enough as it was, considering the fact that myself and the company did not part ways on a positive note, AND considering my interference in a match at Body Heart & Soul got me kicked out of the arena that night. But I walked into Breakdown my first night back, I soaked in the reaction from the SCW fans…there were those who accepted me back with open arms, willing to forgive and forget. There were others who showered me with the boos that I probably deserved. Fair enough. I had it coming. But I took that reaction, I accepted it, but then I put it out of my mind as I took on Aisling. I have to give credit where credit is due, Aisling is one tough cookie to crack. I worked over that back as much as I could but she wouldn’t tap out, not even to the Angel’s Arch. And she returned fire, dishing out just as much punishment as she was receiving. But in the end I managed to drop her on her head with a good old fashioned Ave Maria and I pinned her shoulders to the mat for the one, two, three. That return to SCW was very difficult for me but I met that challenge head on, I faced it and I didn’t back down. Most importantly, I took my first giant step forward in my journey towards redemption.

This is where that old phrase of Thomas More’s comes into play. Right out of the frying pan and into the fire. I go from facing Aisling…one of the Playgirls…to facing the current United States Champion. And oh if this were just a case of me facing a current champion then I wouldn’t be worried one iota. I mean, look at David Striker. He managed to pull off an upset in an absolute war with my sister Kimberly in an Underground Rules Match. Now THAT was impressive. Could I pull off that same feat? Could I upset the United States Champion? Damn right I could. And pulling off that kind of upset would definitely slingshot me right back into the thick of things. Imagine it, I pin the champion’s shoulders to the mat, or make her tap out, and immediately CHBK has to at least consider yours truly The Phoenix to be a potential top contender to that very same championship. And me, having JUST returned to SCW, I would have everything to gain and absolutely NOTHING to lose. Right? Am I right?

No, I’d be wrong. Dead wrong. You see, I AM facing the SCW United States Champion but the champion happens to be you, Deanna Frost, which is precisely WHY this is akin to me jumping from the frying pan and into the fire as part of my redemption journey.

Now the SCW hype machine wants to focus on two things in particular. First, YOU are about to defend that United States Title against Polly in a Last Woman Standing Match at Retribution. And apparently Polly’s in ring style is similar to my own. Could it be a nice way to test yourself and prepare yourself for that title defense? Sure. But honestly, Deanna, how much more preparation do you need? You’ve faced her down on a couple of occasions. At least one occasion ended in your victory, albeit in controversial fashion, but the fact remains you should know Polly by now. Do you really think fighting ME is going to give you a leg up against Polly? The other thing SCW wants us to talk about is your history with my sister Kimberly. And yes, it’s true, you definitely have a history with Kim. You are one of the few who entered into her world of the Underground and beat her at her own game at Rise To Greatness. Let me tell you something Deanna, Kim respects the hell out of you and so do I, quite frankly. And if you want my advice, if you REALLY want to prepare for a Last Woman Standing Match against Polly, its KIM you should be talking to, not me. But that’s beside the point. The point is that your history with my sister…well…it goes deeper than what happened between you two at Rise To Greatness in the Underground and you and I both know it.

So let’s address the elephant in the room, let’s address why, for me at least, this is truly going from the frying pan and right into the fire of my redemption journey. April 1st, 2022…April Fool’s Day, ironically enough…The House of Frost was supposed to face Twin Magic in a tag team match. But I walked out on my contract that night and I convinced Kimberly to come with me. To her credit, Kim returned to SCW. She returned and she flourished, she prospered without me by her side. Kim did the right thing and immediately faced the consequences of her actions. But me? I stayed away and my career suffered because of it. Now I don’t know if this event even crossed your mind when you saw you drew my name as your opponent tomorrow night. You may not care one iota about this. After all, you, like my sister, have flourished since that event. Television Champion, Tag Team Champion, Underground Champion, and now United States Champion. You’ve done very well for yourself.

But I do care…I care because that was the time I did wrong by you, by Selena, by the fans of SCW, and by SCW itself. I even did wrong by my own sister for tarnishing her reputation by convincing her to go along with me. I knew that sometime someday before this redemption story of mine concluded I would have to face you. For me to feel that this redemption was over, I knew that I would have to face you. Does it mean I have to defeat you on Breakdown? Not necessarily. Hell, at this point I’m not even sure I can beat you. Face it, you have been consistently active, fighting anyone and everyone SCW puts in front of you. But me? Ever since I walked out on our match I haven’t had nearly the amount of ring time as I used to get. Maybe the walk out earned me a bad reputation, one that promoters weren’t willing to take a chance on?

How do I finish my redemption journey? How do I turn that bad reputation around? I do it through respect. I need to give it where it is earned and I need to EARN it through hard work and busting my ass in the ring each and every time I lace up the boots against whoever I face. I do it by facing down any opponent and earning their respect by giving them the absolute fight of their lives. I knew you would be on that list of opponents whose respect I would have to earn. You just had to be. I walked out on our match, poetically speaking, it makes perfect sense that I end up facing you sometime during this journey. I just never expected it to happen this quickly, just my second match back and already I’m facing Deanna Frost, the woman who symbolically represents that moment in time that haunts me.

Right out of the frying pan and into the fire, am I right? But you know what? I am The Phoenix and as I have said time and again, this Phoenix WILL rise, but a Phoenix cannot rise without a little fire. And Deanna, I believe that you and I are going to light things up in a big way in Vancouver for Breakdown. And I will give you everything I have tomorrow night. Every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears in my body. You’re going to get hit with every bit of offense I have available to me. Because this match, even though it is oh so early in my comeback, it means everything to me. This is more than just a mere opportunity to prove myself against a reigning champion. This is my chance to keep my redemption story going, to earn the respect of my peers, of my fans, of each and every person who ever supported me.

I need this, Deanna. I need it more than anything. Ave Maria…This Phoenix will rise…