Saturday, October 25, 2014

My Motivation



Hero?

Villain?

There are many villains in this world, and there are just as many people who claim to be heroes but are just plain villainous.  Then there are some who just want to do what is right and fair.  There are some who want to restore order in a world of chaos and anarchy.

Jessica Lasiewicz falls into that latter category.

She’s not the villainous type who wants domination of IWC.  She’s not a hero, either, at least she doesn’t consider herself to be one.  And she isn’t the type of athlete who seeks after fancy trinkets and gold belts.  If she happens upon one during her career, fine, but she isn’t trying to obtain them.  She only wants to do her job as a competitor and give the best match she can to her opponents and to the fans.

More importantly, she wants to do what’s right by the industry.

Jessica Lasiewicz IS motivated for her match on RIOT against Amanda Blayze, but it isn’t for reasons you may think.  She isn’t motivated by a desire for revenge against Tina, knowing that she would get a match against her if she could defeat Blayze.  She isn’t motivated by a desire to win the Queen of the Ring Championship, for it is but a mere trinket, and she doesn’t need gold to prove she’s great.

Her motives are her own but she certainly looks forward to facing Amanda Blayze on RIOT.  She looks forward to defeating Amanda Blayze on RIOT.

Stay tuned and found out why…

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Off Camera
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She may have lost to Vanilla Skyy in the I Quit Match but there are some silver linings for Marie Annabelle Jones at Upping The Ante.  First of all, she took every ounce of physical abuse Vanilla could dish out and still she never said I Quit…not to anything physical Vanilla did to Marie.  It took a threat to her agent, Samantha Hodgson, that caused her to utter those words, becoming the first and so far only Jones to lose an I Quit Match.  Nevertheless, the show must go on and so does Marie.  The young Jones would find happiness and bliss in beating the holy hell out of Abigail Lindsey with a steel chair.  It was quite a brutal beating, leaving Lindsey lying in a battered heap in the ring.  It was a beating that Silas Mason was sure happy about, because otherwise he would have been victim of a beating himself courtesy of Abigail Lindsey.  She also got rid of some dead weight…

…namely, Samantha Hodgson.

Proud of herself and happy that she at least can move forward from this disappointing night, Marie walks with a confident stride back up the ramp after devastating Abigail with the steel chair assault.  She enters through the curtain to the backstage area and walks down the hall towards her dressing room area.

At least, she was until a voice startles her…

“You’re not as smart as you think.”

Marie stops and blinks several times.  “Huh?”

“You heard me.”

“Yeah but…where are you?”

Just then a hand grabs her and forces her against the wall. “Right here!”

Marie looks up to see that her sister, Jessica Lasiewicz, has arrived on the scene.  Jessica was not booked for tonight and the two sisters never even saw each other, but Jessica has been here the entire time, watching the proceedings from afar in an unknown location at the arena, with her agenda square and solely in her mind, an agenda that has a great deal to do with Marie.

“You know, you really should stop scaring the hell out of me.”

“Perhaps someone should scare the hell out of you more often.”

The eyes of Jessica Lasiewicz bear down into her soul like flaming daggers.  It’s enough to scare and intimidate anyone, even her own sister Marie who expects no harm to come to her from her own sister…

And yet those cold eyes that stare emotionlessly at Marie, that raven black hair that cascades down her shoulders, it all adds up to an intimidating look presented by Jessica Lasiewicz.  The young Polish woman is also wearing blue jeans, black boots, and a black hoodie.  Not exactly a fashionista, but then again, Jessica and her father never were known for caring much for fashion; just comfort.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Marie forces a grin onto her face.  She reaches out with one hand and takes her sister’s hand. “Come on, Marie, let’s go and get out of here!  Let’s grab some drinks!”

Lasiewicz jerks her hand away and growls under her breath. “I don’t think you see the seriousness of the situation.”

The Morning Star once again backs her up against the wall, this time putting her arm to her throat to keep her there.

“Maybe I need to explain myself further!”

“That would…” Marie gulps “…help!”

This is her sister she is physically having her way with and yet still Jessica enjoys this and it is evident by the smirk on her face as she releases Marie and backs up slightly, giving the redhead room to breath.  The cold eyes remain fixed on the ginger, not letting her go anywhere.

“There’s a war going on, Marie.  A war that makes your rivalry with Vanilla Skyy look like a petty squabble.  This is a war that you had been involved in for a moment until your issue with Skyy distracted you from it.”

Marie’s face contorts into a look of pure confusion. “Huh?”

“Don’t play games with me, Marie.” Jessica remarks, growing more frustrated. “You know what I am referring to.”

“Um…” she shakes her head “…no, I don’t.”

Jessica reaches out and grabs Marie by the neck this time. “SIN…IWC…RING ANY BELLS?!”

Normally the ginger would have replied, and Jessica did expect one, but unfortunately she cannot talk right now as Jessica has a strong grip around her throat.  Eventually Lasiewicz does figure this out…

“Nod if you happen to remember now…” Marie nods her head, thus Jessica releases her grip “…good.  We can continue talking like adults.”

“Do you promise not to hurt me anymore?!” Marie asks, rubbing her neck in pain.

“Only if you promise not to play games.”

“Right…”

Jessica frowns. “Now then, this is war, and you had chosen your side…the side of SIN.”

“No I was not!” Marie states. “I was a member of The GOOD Movement.”

Lasiewicz stares blankly at Marie for a moment before a grin forms on her face and she begins cackling nastily.

“Yeah, right, The GOOD Movement…also known as SIN’s Bitches.”

“No, I was not!  I was…”

Marie stares down at her feet, at the floor, not wanting to look back up at her sister, knowing that she was indeed accurate in her appraisal of the situation, that The GOOD Movement and it’s members truly were associates of SIN.

“…I was their bitch.”

“Good,” Jessica guides her sister’s chin upwards so that they are again looking eye to eye at one another “acceptance is the first step to recovery.”

“What’s the next step?”

“Making changes in your life and career.” Jessica remarks definitively.

“Already done!” Marie says as a smile forms on her face once more. “In fact, I’m going to fire Samantha Hodgson tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?  Fired?”

Marie nods her head. “Yeah, she failed me tonight, proving that she is just a liability.  It is clear that I need better representation, stronger representation, and I know just the person.”

Jessica narrows her brow, glaring intensely at her sister. “And who might that be?”

“Does it matter?”

Jessica approaches Marie, getting close up in her face, so close that Marie can feel her breathing on her.  The intimidation factor is once again working its magic.

“Yes, it DOES matter, because there are few people left in this industry that are actually pure and uncorrupted.  I need to know who is going to try and corrupt my sister this time.”

Marie laughs uneasily, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “No one is trying to corrupt me, Jess!  You worry too much!  Besides, isn’t it my job as the older sister to be worrying about you my little sister, not the other way around?”

Jessica smirks. “Maybe so, but in this case I am worried…however…”

“However…?”

“…I’ll trust your judgment, I won’t press you any further, but if this new person, your new representation, turns out to be even worse than Hodgson, then I will destroy them personally, I won’t wait for you to figure it out for yourself.”

Marie gulps and then nods her head. “Got it…”

“So…” Jessica’s voice trails off as she takes a step back and motions to the hallway “…are you still interested in having a few drinks?”

Marie smiles and nods her head quickly before embracing her sister Jessica. “Yeah…definitely.”


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Marie Jones
On Camera
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I don’t always understand Jessie.  I never will.  That’s because her father has always been a mystery and she inherited a lot of his character traits.  One thing I do know pretty damn well about my sister makes me almost take pity on Amanda Blayze.

Almost.

Hi there, Amanda, remember me?  I’m the woman you COULDN’T DEFEAT without outside interference from Vanilla Skyy on YOUR BEHALF!  I’m the woman who was going to send your ass packing until Vanilla stuck her nose into my business!

That’s fine, what happened in the past is the past and while one day I will get my chance at payback, this one right here isn’t about me, it’s about my sister Jessica.  She is the one you are fighting on RIOT and some would say she’s even better than me.

I’m not sure I’d go that far…I am, after all, The Greatest Jones Ever, but nevertheless, I think it can be said that Jessica is the most dangerous of the family, because she not inherited her father’s dangerous character traits, but our mother’s as well.

She’s two times as deadly, two times as fierce, and will not stop until you are completely done for.  Unlike me, Jessica has a dark side, one that she has lately been embracing, one that usually leaves her opponents lying a bloody heap.

I don’t envy your position, Amanda, but then again, it’s appropriate for a lying, cheating, drug addicted whore like yourself to get annihilated by The Morning Star.


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Angelica Jones
On Camera
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You should remember me…I am Angelica Jones, current GCW Global Heavyweight Champion, owner of Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER, and a proud member of Silas World.  I am also the matriarch of the Jones Wrestling Family.

I have three daughters, two of them are involved in the wrestling industry while one is still too young to even consider it.  The two that are involved are in IWC right now and you should know them quite well as they have made quite the impact and turned a few heads.

Marie Annabelle Jones and Jessica Lasiewicz.

While I do love my daughters I have to admit that they do not always get along with one another.  They do not always see eye to eye and do not always agree with how the other handles business.  Marie tends to see this industry in a similar light as I do, as a business and she wants to succeed in it, whereas Jessica pulls a lot from her father, and yes a little from me, and wants to fight for what’s right and just.

I consider myself a realist, Amanda, but Jessica is an idealist.  And the thing is, idealists are usually the most dangerous because they truly believe they can accomplish their goals no matter what obstacle is set up in front of them.

And Jessica is not just an idealist.  She is also The Morning Star.

That name has meant many things to me throughout the years but for you, for RIOT, it will mean the end of any hopes of you becoming Queen of the Ring and yet another loss added to a rather mediocre career.


 
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Jessica Lasiewicz
On Camera
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I love how people think they can understand me, I love how people think they know what’s going on inside of my head.  Those people are all deluded by their won self-worth and arrogant notion that they know better than anyone else how this business is supposed to be run.

You self-righteous assholes with your head so far up your ass that you don’t even see the light of day, you people who think you are so damn intelligent that you know every god damn thing, you people try to run the lives of professional wrestlers, you try to mold this industry after your own sick and twisted image.

The ones who are worse of all are the ones who pretend.

People like Ba’al, Desmond Drake, and Sinistry, they make no bones about who they are.  They are bloodthirsty monsters who need to be eradicated off the face of this fucking earth but at least they admit it.  People like Kloe Masters and Karen McBride…I’m not even sure we can fully and whole heartedly trust them with this ship we call IWC.

Karen McBride has already shown signs of being willing to use her power for her own benefit, even if she has claimed repentance after the fact.  Kloe has tried to be the glorious leader but she has already insulted and argued with Taylor Cruze, the rightful number one contender to the world title…hell, rightful world champion…I have to wonder, once this war is over, if Kloe does win it for the IWC Team, will she turn her back on the roster and the fans and become no better than Desmond Drake and Karen McBride?

Those three individuals…Desmond Drake, Kloe Masters, Karen McBride…they are what’s wrong with professional wrestling today.  They write the script.  They try to tell the roster what to do, they try to tell the fans who to cheer for and who to boo and jeer.

That is NOT what this is about.

This is about competition, first and foremost, and secondly it is about the fans who pay damn good money to be entertained and to cheer who they want to hate whoever the hell they want.

And that’s partially why I’m here…to restore that balance to the Independent Wrestling Cartel.  There is another reason I’m here but we can talk about that another time.

I can read the script and I know what this is supposed to be about.  This is the part where I’m supposed to talk about getting revenge on Tina Valentine, becoming Queen of The Ring Champion, and achieving both goals by first going through Amanda Blayze.

Am I right?

Too bad, you’re not going to get that.  “Lady Gambit” may have been one to do as she was told but “The Morning Star” does whatever the hell she wants.  “The Morning Star” writes her own damn script and IWC had better start getting used to it.

Tina Valentine is a minor player in this great big game of chess, a game of chess for the very survival of IWC.  In fact, in this game of chess, mini-hood Tina is just a pawn.  I don’t give a damn about a pawn.  I want to take out the fucking king and queen.

As for the Queen of the Ring Title, right now there are more important things on my mind than winning a championship.  Oh there will come a time when I will seek out championship gold, but for right now I’m busy with other, more pressing matters, and a quest for gold cannot get in my way.  Having to defend gold would distract me from my real goals.

Oh if given an opportunity against Tina you had better believe I would kick her ass from pillar to post and take her championship.  But I’m not interested in her championship.  What happened between us, as far as I’m concerned, is done…

…for now…

…Amanda Blayze can have that title shot win, lose, or draw.  Or hell, if I win you can just give the title shot to the IWC Dalek for all I care.  But I won’t accept the title shot if I win.  So whoever the rule maker is around here, since that seems to change from day to day, make sure you listen and listen well…I will NOT accept a Queen of the Ring title shot if I win.

That being said, I can now focus the rest of my attention to Amanda Blayze…

I have to be honest and say that I am glad to be facing you.  You, Amanda, are a prime example of exactly what I have just been talking about.  And I don’t mean that in a negative light, either…

You see, Amanda, whether you are having to deal with the wild accusations of sleeping with Orlando Cruze, or more recently the insane notion that you are a drug addict, or whether you’re getting beat down by Silas World, or Sinistry, or both at once, you are a prime example of someone who has been abused by this flawed and corrupt system we find ourselves in, the system run by the three headed dragon.

I don’t believe any of the garbage spewed about you, Amanda.  Despite my young age, I have been around the block a time or two.  I grew up a family where not just one but both of my parents were wrestling legends.  I grew up watching people screw around with them and stab them in the back…

….and yes, I watched them screw around with others and stab others in the back.  I learned every dirty trick in the book, Amanda, because I have seen it all happen from cults to glorified gangs, and megalomaniacal managers, the shit that morons like Sinistry, Silas World, and others are doing to you , the games they are playing with you, are not new.  They’re copies.

Hell, they’re not even copies.  They’re rejects.

But they are rejects ruining the sport I love, a sport I assume you love as well.  Now maybe I’m wrong and maybe deep down inside somewhere you are just as bad as them.  So far I never got that idea from you, but nevertheless, if I am wrong in my judgment of you and if you are just as bad as them, then consider your personal death warrant signed because I am The Morning Star and I will restore this industry to what it once was, and if I have to start with you, then so be it, I will rain down my hell fire upon you first.

I hope that’s not the case, because I believe you to be a respectable woman and a respectable athlete who cares about this industry as much as I do.  It would make me so happy to start my own  personal crusade in IWC by showing the braintrust,  the puppet masters who try to pull our strings, what REAL wrestling is all about!

The fans have been subject week in and week out to gang warfare, gang beat downs, crucifixions, and so on and so forth that they have been numbed to the carnage.  It would make me happy to step into the ring with you and remind the fans what a real wrestling match looks like and to put on a hell of a show for them in the process, because they paid money for WRESTLING, not gang war that they can see every day of the damn week on the streets of Chicago.

That’s what I want our match on RIOT to be, Amanda.  A fight…yes, a fight, but a good, clean fight between two warriors.  That’s what I want.

Another reason I look forward to our match is because I know you can take everything that I intend to dish out.  All of the submissions, all of the strikes, if it goes hardcore you can still handle that.  You are tough as nails and you can handle anything life throws at you, inside or outside of the ring…

…except two things…

…if I drop you on your head with Our Lady of Sorrows, you won’t feel any sorrow because you will be unconscious for the next ten minutes.  In some companies, it’s a wonder that this move isn’t outlawed, but in IWC, a company where crucifixions are part of the norm, nearly breaking someone’s damn neck by dropping them on their head is fucking child’s play and you will NOT get up from it.

Mark my words.

Then there’s the other thing you are not prepared for and that is the Four Card Trick.  My father made that move famous and he taught it to me.  Few have survived the Four Card Trick and you, Amanda, will not be one of them if and when I get it locked in.  Once the Four Card Trick is applied you may as well tap because your luck will have officially run out.

Regardless of how this goes down, Amanda, I do hope that the hyenas and jackals will stay in the back and let us settle this, one on one, as professionals, as competitors.  If we can, then this will be a hell of a fight, a fight to remember.

And IWC, I promise you that this will only be the beginning…

Dobranoc…

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Sin City




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Scene 1
Off Camera
==========

The beautiful yet stubborn and sometimes annoying ginger known by all and loved by few as “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones stands at the front door of her home in Boston, Massachusetts.  Her boyfriend, Michael Bauer, is holding her in his strong arms.  He gazes down at her and she looks up into his eyes with a loving gaze of her own that indicates just how she feels about him on this night.

“I hope you had a good night tonight, babe.”

“It was wonderful.”

I don’t care what anyone thinks about him.  I don’t care what anyone has to say about this man, this man that I love so dearly.  He cares for me and is willing to do anything for me.  I haven’t met any man willing to go to the lengths this man is willing to go.  Not even that schmuck in GCW, Drake Dillon.  He won’t go to the distances Mike Bauer is willing to go.  It doesn’t matter to me if he has a past.  All I care about is the present and right now, in the present, he makes me feel good about myself.  He gives me a self-confidence that I haven’t had in quite a long time.

Michael Bauer decides to go in for a kiss.  Marie is more than happy to oblige, accepting him with open arms…or lips as it were.  His gentle but firm hands caress her body as his lips passionately lock onto hers in the kiss.  Finally they break off, Marie smiles up at him lovingly.

“Thanks again for such a wonderful night…”

“My pleasure, babe.”

With a wink and one returned to her, the ginger turns and after opening her door steps inside and then shuts it behind her.  Once inside her extravagant three story home, she takes off her coat and places it on a nearby coat hanger.  As The Phoenix walks down the hall she spots a small table and places her purse on it before entering the living room where she sits down on the sofa.

Jones reaches for the remote and turns on the television monitor.  It happens to be a rerun of Gotham so she changes the channel.  She finds instead an episode of Shark Tank.  Again that doesn’t suit her so she changes the channel one more time and finds some garbage on the SyFy channel…

After vomiting a little bit in her mouth at the thought of people watching that crap on the SyFy Channel on a Friday night, she finally gives up and just turns the television off and sets the remote back on the coffee table.  Jones leans back and sighs.

“Mom?”

Immediately this woman who is both wrestler and lover turns a switch into her other mode: mother.  Her head turns in time to see her child, Sean Connor Jones, running into the room, arms open ready for a hug.  The mother doesn’t disappoint as she not only hugs Sean but scoops him up into her arms and sets him down next to her on the sofa.

“That’s exactly the kind of response I like to see!” Jones gives him a kiss on the forehead. “So how are you, kiddo?”

“Great now that you’re back!”

She ruffles his hair. “Did you have fun with your great grandpa?”

Sean furrows his brow. “Is he really that great?”

Marie giggles.

Kids his age don’t exactly grasp the concept of ‘great’ grandfathers…but then again, do I really have a concept of any father figure of any sort?  I rarely got to see my grandfather, Sean’s great grand-father, Bart Jones, due to my own mother trying to keep him out of my life.  My own father died when I was very young.  My relationships haven’t been all that great.  Sean himself is a child who was born as a result of a tragedy.  He was born as a result of me getting pregnant after I was raped.  Everyone told me I should’ve had an abortion but I couldn’t bear the thought.  It wasn’t Sean’s fault that Oliver Hardy sexually assaulted me, raped me.  Why should he pay the consequences by getting killed in my womb?

Nevertheless, I want to make sure I give Sean every opportunity I was denied and I want to make sure he grows up knowing what is right and wrong.  Most importantly I want to make sure this young child gets to lead a wonderful life and that he does not have to be judged based on his past, based on who his father is.  I will make this tragedy into a triumph.  I will make what some may have considered a curse and turn it into a great blessing.

Sean has already been a blessing to me in more ways than one.  Sean Connor Jones, this young child has worshipped me as if I were a hero, an idol even, and he never questions it.  He never worries.  He always is certain that I will do the right thing by him.  I wish I had more of that love to go around nowadays but lately people seem to hate me.  In IWC they hate me for my association with The Good Movement and, therein, with Sinistry.  But I want what’s best for my son and what’s best for my son is that he has a good life.  I can provide him a good life if I am on the winning side in this war for control of IWC and I am convinced, at least right now, that Sinistry and The Good Movement will win that war.

And yet now doubts are beginning to creep in, doubts about the decision I have made to throw my lot in with The Good Movement.  They haven’t exactly come through for me lately.  I couldn’t hang onto the GCW Global Heavyweight Championship.  I had taken possession of the IWC Pure Championship belt and I lost that as well.  The Good Movement, namely my manager Samantha Hodgson, was nowhere to be seen.  It’s making me ask the question; should I stay the course and see this journey to its end or should I rewrite the book?

Looking at the smile on my son’s face reminds me of how important that decision will be.

She ruffles his hair.

“Yeah, your great-grandfather IS that great, honey.”

“He’s real smart.  Taught me lots of cool stuff today.  It was great.”

“Oh yeah?” Jones leans back, her interest peaked as this young child is truly the most important person in her world right now. “Tell me all about it.”

“Well, the BEST part of the day was when my Aunt Jessie came over.”

“That’s grea…” Marie frowns as the reality of what Sean just said hits her “…your Aunt Jessie?”

“Uh-huh…” his innocence is lost upon Marie as he points up towards the stairs “…she’s upstairs.”

Jessica Lasiewicz is my half-sister.  We share the same mother in Angelica Jones but have different fathers.  We had our differences in the past.  We even fought one another in wrestling matches.  But we had made up.  We had made peace with one another and had been determined to redeem our family name united as sisters.  We were Redemption.  We even were both managed by Samantha Hodgson for awhile, until Jessica dumped Samantha, revealing that it was a ploy to get information about Samantha…

….and about me.

I don’t know what Jessica’s end game is but it does involve me and I don’t like it one bit, I especially don’t like it because she has returned to IWC, where I still am.  I already have Vanilla Skyy to deal with at Upping The Ante.  The last thing I need is her as well.

“Stay right there, Sean.” she says to him quietly and calmly so as to not upset him. “I’m going to go see your Aunt Jessie.”

“Ok, mom.”

With that Marie gets up from the sofa, pats Sean on his head one last time and walks out of the living room, heading towards the staircase.  With a quiet but guarded determination the ginger makes her way upstairs.  She isn’t too concerned about what awaits her.  She doubts Jessica would do anything physical to her anyway, let alone anything physical in her own home.  But still, there is that possibility…

“Ok, Jessica, where are you?”

She says this as she gets to the top of the stairs, arriving at the second floor.  She walks a little ways down the hall towards her son’s bedroom.  Marie feels a breeze as she walks past her son’s bedroom.  She goes back and peaks inside…the window is open.  She would never have left her son’s window open…

Jones walks inside and shuts the door behind her.  There, sitting on her son’s bed, is Jessica Lasiewicz.

“Long time no see.”

“You have some nerve.” Marie fumes.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asks, smirking. “Am I not allowed to see my nephew?”

“There’s nothing wrong with seeing your nephew,” Marie grumbles “so long as you are invited.”

“Our grandfather did let me in.”

The ginger rolls her eyes. “I should really have a talk with him…”

“About what?” Jessica hops up off of the bed and approaches her sister. “About your wonderful career decisions?  I bet he just loves how you work hand-in-hand with a male chauvinist pervert like Ethan Von Aaron and how you are a weapon on behalf of those cultish bastards Sinistry.”

“He understands, Jess…”

“He understands what?  Does he understand that you have provoked a dangerous woman in the form of Vanilla Skyy and now have to face her in one of the most dangerous matches in our industry…all because of your ego?”

“Enough of that!” Marie is now getting frustrated and Jessica can sense it as a sly grin forms on the young Polish woman’s face. “Don’t be like everyone else, Jess.”

“What do you mean by that, sweetie?”

“You KNOW me, Jess.” Marie begins. “You know what I am capable of.  You know that I can defeat Vanilla Skyy in an I Quit Match.  I will take her out at Upping The Ante, just as I took out her stupid husband and ended his pathetic career.”

“THAT is what I’m talking about!” Jessica’s voice grows a little angrier despite the smirk on her face. “How can you be proud of ENDING a man’s career?!”

Now it’s Marie’s turn to smirk. “Just ask  our mother…or your father…”

“I never claimed our parents were saints.” Jessica remarks quietly. “But we were supposed to be better.  We were supposed to be Redemption, remember?  We were going to REDEEM our family.  What happened to that?”

“I found other career opportunities.”

“Yeah, and how did those turn out for you?”

“Pretty damn good.”

“You’re lying.”

Marie turns her back to Jessica.

As much as I hate to admit it, my sister is right…at least when it comes to IWC.  In IWC my move to take on Samantha Hodgson and Ethan Von Aaron as my managers has not been a great move.  I have not been in any championship opportunities.  Instead I have found myself locked in a bitter war with Danny Darko and Vanilla Skyy.  I have been distracted from my championship opportunities.  Instead of wrestling for gold I’m having to fight for what could be my survival against a woman who wants my head on a pike and could very well take it in an I Quit Match where everything is legal so long as you make the other person utter those infamous words…

….I Quit.

“I’m not blind, Marie.” Jessica begins. “And I’m not stupid.  I pay close attention and I have paid close attention to you ever since I left IWC.”

Jessica spins Marie around. “Why do you think I took on Samantha Hodgson as a manager?  For you.  I even left IWC and went to that hell hole in San Diego so I can watch you from afar and not bother you.  And what I found out, what I learned, I did not like.”

“Oh really?” Marie scoffs. “And what exactly did you learn?”

“I learned that Samantha Hodgson does not care about you.” Jessica implores. “She only cares about her bottom line and how you can increase her bottom line.  She doesn’t care if you are a champion or not.”

“That’s not true.”

“If you’re so confident in her, then how come Abigail Lindsey has the GCW Global Heavyweight title right now?  That’s right…Samantha FAILED you…”

Jessica taps Marie’s shoulders, first the left and then the right. “You lost your titles…both of them…even the one you stole.  You’re locked in a war with Vanilla Skyy and…”

“Don’t you be that way too!” Marie interrupts with a rage in her voice and an intensity unlike any other. “You know what I’m capable of!”

“Oh I know you’re capable of beating her but you’ll have to walk through hell to do it.  My point is you’re walking through hell for no damn reason.  What do you get out of this if you win?  People still hate you, Marie, and do you think Hodgson, Von Aaron, or even Kloe Masters will grant you a title shot?”

Lasiewicz shakes her head. “Not likely.  Oh but Vanilla gets a lot out of this.  She gets the chance to potentially destroy the woman who ended her husband’s wrestling career.  So tell me, sister, who is in the driver’s seat?  And tell me, are you really in a good situation thanks to Samantha Hodgson’s managerial skill?”

The ginger remains silent, not wanting to answer Jessica’s question.  The silence irritates the younger sister who demands an answer…

“ANSWER ME!”

“Hush…you’ll upset Sean.”

Jessica laughs. “In other words you know that I’m right.”

“Even if you ARE right,” Jones throws her arms up into the air out of frustration with her sister “what am I supposed to do oh wise one?”

“Quit being sarcastic and listen to me for starters.”

Jessica takes Marie by her arm and guides her over to the bed where the two sit down.  Jessica gets the whole mystery, smoke and mirror stuff from her father but, unlike him, Jessica is real good at switching it off and becoming a really caring person when necessary.  She probably gets that from her mother but she’ll deny it.

“You need to leave Samantha Hodgson and Ethan Von Aaron.”

“Leaving Von Aaron is easy.” Jones says plainly. “He would rather try to get into Rachel Frost’s pants than to do his job and help me out.  Samantha on the other hand…”

“Yeah, what has she done for you lately?”

“Nothing…but what’s the alternative?”

“Oh I don’t know, you could do something that is seemingly lost in the world of wrestling today and actually try it ON YOUR OWN!”

Marie grins knowingly. “Now who is being sarcastic?”

“Ok, maybe I am guilty of being just a little sarcastic, but the fact remains that you would be better off on your own, sis, and you know it.”

“Perhaps…”

I look away from Jessica.  She wants me to go back to being on my own, managing my own career, wrestling without the aid of back-up or managers or any of the ilk that has pervaded the IWC here in recent months.  Unfortunately I tried that, I tried that when I first joined IWC back at Last Stand.  I ended up having to go through hell with Frankie Paradise, enduring beatings at the hands of Sinistry, and I was even kidnapped by my other half-sister from my father’s side of the family Kimberly Williams.  The last part, when I was kidnapped and no one seemed to care or offer up any condolences, was the last straw.  I knew change needed to be made and that’s why I went to Samantha Hodgson.

Am I giving up on Hodgson too soon?  She did guide me to championship gold in GCW but unfortunately our partnership has been a major league failure in IWC.  Maybe I should give it a little longer and see what happens?  I do have a match against Vanilla Skyy, an I Quit Match at that, coming up at Upping The Ante.  Is it wise to make such a drastic change so soon, as such a big match approaches so quickly?

A decision has to be made soon and perhaps the events at Upping The Ante involving me and Vanilla Skyy will help me make that decision.  I have heard from my mother about this and I have now heard from Jessica.  They both are telling me similar stories…giving me similar advice…but a part of me is hesitant to leave what I am used to, to go away from what I know.


==========
Marie Jones
On Camera
==========

While the rest of you in the wrestling world are busy happily reading from the script the IWC and its legions of leeches known as fans have given you, while the rest of you are busy bowing to their whims and desires of what they think we the wrestlers should be, yours truly, “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones, is once again breaking the mold!

I WAS given a script just like everyone else, and that script told me that I needed to be afraid of Vanilla Skyy.  But what you didn’t count on is the fact that I am a Jones.  We do not follow a script.  We write the damn whole damn play ourselves!

And I refused to be intimidated or be afraid of Vanilla Skyy.  She is, after all, just one person.  A good athlete, yes,  a tough as hell wrestler yes, but still she is just ONE athlete, ONE wrestler, just as I too am just ONE athlete, ONE wrestler, and on any given day anyone can beat anybody in that squared circle.

At Reawakening Day I DEFEATED Vanilla Skyy!  No one thought I could but I did and yet instead of being able to tell the world that I told them so, instead of making IWC eat crow, Jackson Adams screwed it up for me by getting involved.  He gave Vanilla an excuse.

That’s fine.  I know the truth.  I know I won and at the very least, win or loss being irrelevant, I proved that I really had NOTHING to fear from Vanilla Skyy.  But if there was any doubt, I decided to take things a little bit further…

…I ended the wrestling career of Danny Darko.

Yes, IWC, you can thank me later.

I beat him relentlessly, ruthlessly, and left him lifeless in the center of the ring.  I put him out of commission.  I did that to Danny Darko, so now to IWC I ask…especially to those who wrote that script insinuating that I needed to be afraid of Vanilla Skyy…ask yourself, who should really be feared in IWC?

Is it Vanilla Skyy?

I don’t think so.  I am the one who has ended careers.  I am the one who has been putting in the hospital.  I am the one people should fear.  And at Upping The Ante I am going to prove it once more by putting away the other member of that power couple…

Don’t worry, Vanilla, you’ll see Danny soon enough as you’ll be sharing a hospital bed with him, nursing your own concussion.

==========
Scene 2
Off Camera
==========

This tall office building in Worcester, Massachusetts is the headquarters for Samantha Hodgson’s managerial firm.  Hodgson has her fingers in many businesses and industries but most recently she’s been quite active in professional wrestling.  In Global Championship Wrestling she manages the careers of Alan Shields and Nico Larsson, better known as Wrestling Royalty.  At the developmental leagues of SWC and IWC:NextGen she manages the career of Sierra Michaels.  But perhaps her most famous client is none other than “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones, the young heir to the Jones wrestling empire who is at this very moment stepping onto the elevator in this office building, preparing to ride it to the very top…

This is a meeting that is a long time coming.  I took on Samantha Hodgson as a manager at a time in my career when I was feeling very insecure and felt that I needed some guidance and assistance with my professional wrestling career.  Since joining up with Hodgson I have sided with The Good Movement, which did get me in the good graces of Sinistry, one of IWC’s deadliest forces.  But still one important factor evades me…something far more important than alliances or friendships…

…I do not have IWC championship gold.

Samantha needs to be put in her place and furthermore she needs to be reminded as to what her job is, because quite honestly I do not believe she has been doing her job when it comes to my career in IWC.  I’m through being a sidekick.  Alana Starr has gold in The Good Movement, where is mine?  I’m just as important if not more-so.  I am, after all, a Jones and Hodgson needs to remember that.

Thus, I am steeling myself for a verbal war with Samantha Hodgson as I ride the elevator to the top level where Samantha’s office itself is.  As Hodgson’s prized client I have the privilege of getting to walk in unannounced whenever I damn well please.  I’m going to exercise that privilege here today in order to give Samantha a piece of my mind…

…and at the same time, maybe get some answers as to what I should do about my future.

The ding signifies that the elevator has reached the top.  The doors slowly slide open and Marie immediately exits out the doors and begins to march her way down the hall.  A few people who recognize her call out to her but she ignores them.  This woman is on a mission and it is does not involve social calls.

She pushes her way into the waiting room where she spots Hodgson’s loyal secretary.  The brown haired secretary smiles up at Marie.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Jones!”

“Shut it…”

The secretary frowns, looking away from Marie as she does not want to draw her wrath further.  Jones, meanwhile, walks right on past the secretary and pushes her way through the next set of doors and into the office of Samantha Hodgson herself.  Marie finds her manager sitting at her large oak desk, staring intensely at some paperwork.  As usual, Hodgson is buried in this work of hers.  Jones clears her throat, hoping to get her attention but it doesn’t work…

“Samantha!”

“Huh?”

Hodgson puts the paperwork down and looks up to see who it is that invaded the privacy of her office.  She puts on a big smile, though, when she sees that it is actually her own client Marie Jones.

“Oh, hello Marie!” She gets up and steps away from the desk and approaches Marie with open arms as if wanting a hug from the Boston native. “How are you?”

Jones wants nothing of the hug and backs away from Hodgson. “We need to talk, Sam.”

Surprisingly, Samantha Hodgson does not think much of Marie’s evasiveness or her refusal of the embrace.  She just automatically assumes that the redhead is here to talk standard business and nothing more.  And while Jones is here on a business trip, this is far from standard…

“Of course.”

She motions to a seat near the desk.  Samantha herself goes back to the desk and sits back down.  Jones sighs and sits down across from Samantha.

“I was going to call you because I had some things to tell you as well but since you are here we can discuss them in person.”

“Gladly…” Marie’s voice trails off.

“I spoke to my lawyers, who spoke to your lawyers, and everything is settled.  The assets of Kimberly Williams are entirely yours.”

“Wait…” Jones blinks, shocked at this news which takes her aback “…what?”

“That’s right, not only are you her legal guardian and can make legal decisions for her, but by virtue of her mental instability, all of her assets have been turned over to you.”

“In other words, she owns nothing?”

Hodgson nods her head. “Precisely.  You own it all, Marie.”

Jones grins from ear to ear. “Good…about time someone got what they deserved and she damn sure deserves that for what she had done to my family over the years.”

“Now all that’s left is taking care of Abigail Lindsey.” Samantha begins with a confident grin of her own. “And from speaking to the lawyers, it appears as if we have a rock solid case against her.”

Abigail Lindsey has been a thorn in my side for quite some time now.  She played me, she pretended to care for me and pretended to be my friend.  But when push came to shove she showed her true colors.  Kimberly Williams had kidnapped me and taken my place, fooling the world into thinking she was me.  Kimberly, an old friend Abigail’s, told her the truth and Abigail did nothing.  This woman who claimed to be my friend allowed me to remain in captivity.

Ever since then I have wanted revenge against Abigail Lindsey.  Part of that revenge is in the form of a lawsuit I have filed in court against her.  But a monetary victory in court won’t be enough to satisfy me.  I want to beat her within an inch of her life.  And yet that brings back to mind the reason I am here…

Abigail Lindsey recently defeated me for the GCW Global Heavyweight Title.  Samantha Hodgson could’ve stopped it but she failed.  Hodgson failed to live up to her end of the bargain and now I am without gold and Lindsey has the upper hand.

“That’s all well and good, Sam, but there’s still one big problem.”

“What’s that?”

Jones points a carefully manicured finger at Hodgson. “You.”

“Me?”  Samantha laughs uneasily.  “You are joking, right my dear?  Because seriously, now is not the time for jokes.  We have business to tend to.”

“I agree, now is NOT the time for jokes…” Marie stands up “…and I am NOT joking.”

Samantha frowns, trying to roll away in her black leather rolling chair.  But she doesn’t get far as Marie corners her.

“Now, let’s be reasonable…”

“I am being very reasonable, Sam.  Abigail Lindsey earned a victory over me AND took a championship from me under your watch.  I am angry enough right now to leave The House of Hodgson but…”

Samantha’s eyes widen with a glimmer of hope at that last word. “…but?”

“…but you just failed once.  I am forgiving and I don’t want to make any rash decisions.”

“Oh good…” Samantha sounds  very relieved as she wipes some sweat from her forehead “…you had me scared for a moment, Marie.   But I should have known better.  You don’t act rashly and make unwise decisions without thinking things through…unlike your mother…”

Hodgson shakes her head. “I still can’t believe she would leave me.”

“Oh I can,” Marie begins “but I’m willing to give you a chance, to reassess my situation at Upping The Ante, because I find myself at that pay per view not fighting for any titles but instead fighting a bloodthirsty maniac in an I Quit Match.”

Jones shoots Hodgson a nasty glare. “Tell me, Samantha, how exactly does this match benefit me?”

“Well…” Hodgson ponders this question for a moment “…um…”

Her silence in between stutters speaks volumes. “Just as I thought.  Me against Skyy in an I Quit Match benefits someone, just not me.  Well that changes starting now.  From now on whatever I do is to benefit me.  At Upping The Ante I will reassess my situation and determine whether or not staying with you is in my best interest.”

With that Jones turns and storms out of the office, leaving Hodgson dumbfounded and bewildered.


==========
Samantha Hodgson
On Camera
==========

Time and time again I have tried to be the voice of reason.  Time and time again I have tried to tell you people the truth about my client, Marie Annabelle Jones.  While you people look upon her as an arrogant coward, the truth is that she is among the elite in the Independent Wrestling Cartel.  The truth is that she comes from a famous lineage of warriors, all of whom have overcome significant odds to become legends in their own right.

My client is already a legend.  She is already a hall of famer and a former world champion.  And when it comes to Upping The Ante, she has already beaten Vanilla Skyy.

Marie Annabelle Jones is truly the real deal in IWC and it appalls me at how she has been treated by management.  At best she is overlooked by the likes of Kloe Masters and at worst passed over by her in favor of others, others willing to kiss the ass of the IWC establishment.  My client does not brown nose.  She is not a yes person.  She is an independent, strong woman who has proven herself time and time again to be among the best in the company.

She defeated Vanilla Skyy.

She ended the career of Danny Darko.

What else do you want from her?  I ask because the more you push her, the more dangerous she becomes.  Eventually people will begin to get hurt if she doesn’t get what she rightfully deserves.

Kloe Masters, I blame you for the mistreatment of my client and what happens at Upping The Ante is on your head.  The blood of Vanilla Skyy will be on your hands.  My client will hold nothing back as she systematically picks her apart, piece by piece, until she is forced to utter those words…words my client has never uttered in her career…

…I Quit.

 
 
==========
Jessica Lasiewicz
On Camera
==========

All of you think you know my sister.  The truth is that none of you really know her.  Not even the people who supposedly “care” about her wrestling career, her agents Samantha Hodgson and Ethan Von Aaron, they don’t even truly know my sister.  I know Marie Annabelle Jones in a way that no one else does.  We share a bond as siblings, one that cannot be broken.  We share secrets that no one else could possibly understand.

Love or hate her is all irrelevant.  Her attitude, be she humble or arrogant, conceited or otherwise, sadistic bitch or coward, there is one thing that Marie Annabelle Jones is not and never will be…

…a quitter.

My sister has said it and her agent has said it, and it’ll said again I’m sure, that Marie Annabelle Jones has never said “I Quit”.  But let’s take it one step further here and tell you a fact that hasn’t been mentioned a whole lot…

Only once in the entire history of the Jones wrestling family has a Jones ever lost by submission and, going even deeper than that, no member of the Jones wrestling family has ever lost an I Quit Match.

Don’t get me wrong and don’t misinterpret me.  I’m not implying that Marie will win at Upping The Ante, I’m not implying that Vanilla Skyy will be forced to say I Quit.  What I AM saying, though, is that any implication that this is just going to be some walk in the park for either competitor is an outright lie.

Vanilla Skyy IS feared by many and rightfully so.  She has a history of being one of the deadliest women in this sport.  But my sister is just as deadly.  And neither woman is one to give up too easily.

Did my sister get herself into this mess?  Yes.  Does she deserve it?  Yes.  But at the same time I believe she is fully capable of getting the job done and I look forward to what I think will be the match of the night between two of IWC’s best and perhaps unsung talents.


==========
Marie Jones
On Camera
==========

The red-headed Marie Annabelle Jones steps into the scene.  The beautiful Boston native is wearing a sleeveless zebra black dress with a scoop neckline, square back, ruched empire waist, and an A-line skirt.  Over the dress, though, is a three-fourths sleeve jacket with a fold over collar, ruched cuffs, and an open front.  Her feet are encased in four inch silver dress sandals with a crisscross strap and an open toe.  Sunglasses are covering her eyes.

“Las Vegas is known as Sin City and you know what they say about Vegas, right?  What happens in Vegas STAYS in Vegas.”

Jones chuckles. “Well part of that is true.”

“Vegas IS truly Sin City and to survive the kind of war Vanilla Skyy and I will be engaged in at Upping The Ante, to survive an I Quit Match, we will have to reach down into the darkest, most sadistic inner workings of our soul and become monsters; unrelenting monsters willing to go to any lengths and willing to push the envelope as far as possible, not giving a damn about any consequences, so long as the end game is on our mind, so long as one thing is in our sight…”

“…victory.”

“I am prepared to enter Sin City and do whatever is necessary to get the job done, just as I was prepared to do whatever was necessary to put your husband Danny Dorko away once and for all.” Jones laughs sadistically. “I did enjoy that, by the way.  Knowing the creep who annoying the piss out of us all on social media, knowing that he is going to be watching it all from the sidelines from now on puts a big smile on my face, Vanilla.”

She points a finger into the camera. “And you, Vanilla, you came to help him.  Oh how sweet!  You came to help your husband out…”

Jones sighs, shaking her head. “Sad, isn’t it?  The reason you even returned to wrestling, came to IWC, that man is gone and you’re alone against me, that’s sad isn’t it?  You have no purpose now because I took that purpose away from you.  Why bother, Vanilla?  Why?  Do you even have a reason to continue?  I mean, other than your hatred for me…because I know you hate me and want to hurt me, but a lot of people have hated me and wanted to do me harm in the past but I always seem to overcome them and I will overcome you at Upping The Ante.”

“Overcoming the odds goes back to Las Vegas, because in order to be successful in Vegas you have to take risks.  You have to be willing to gamble.  My step-father, Andreas Lasiewicz, taught me that to be successful in professional wrestling, just like playing any kind of card game in Vegas, you have to be willing to take a risk…”

The red head removes her sunglasses, revealing the intensity in her eyes. “I am willing to risk it all in order to put you down and out, Vanilla.  I am prepared to take every risk in the damn book in order to either force you to quit or beat you until you just simply cannot continue any longer and they have to haul your sorry ass off to the hospital with your damnable husband!  Even if it means putting myself in the hospital too, it doesn’t matter, I’ll risk it if it means taking you down!”

“The final aspect of our fight in Vegas that I want to address is an old Vegas saying…what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…” she shakes her head “…simply not true.”

“You see, Vanilla, too often have I had to sit and hear the cries and shouts from the legions of idiots out there, the so-called fans of IWC, all of whom are telling me I should fear you, telling me that I’m the underdog, telling me that I’m going to get destroyed.”

Jones shakes her head. “Wrong.  Wrong on all damn counts!”

“Why should I fear you when I have proven that I am just as capable an athlete as you are?  Why should I fear you when I have already proven that I am just as dangerous as you are?  Why am I the underdog when I have already beaten you once and you still have absolutely nothing on me?!”

“Don’t get me wrong, you are a very capable athlete and my matches against you have been the toughest of my career and this one at Upping The Ante no doubt will be the toughest yet.  I’ll even go as far as to say that of everyone I have ever fought, you are the ONLY one who has the potential to inflict enough punishment to make me want to give it up…”

“…but you had damn sure better be prepared for the hell I am going to put you through, because I will do everything within my power to make you give up.  I will do everything I can to make you utter those infamous words…and trust me when I say that my imagination is limitless and the possibilities are limitless since this match only ends when one of us says those words, those words a professional never ever wants to have to utter…”

“…all that pain and violence, it will continue until one of us says…”

She lowers the sunglasses back over her eyes “…I Quit…”