Sisterly Advice

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Off Camera

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Apocalypse did not go as Marie had planned.  She had hoped to pick up a win over Blake Mason and continue her momentum but, unfortunately, that was not to be.  Yet the match was extremely competitive.  It was a hard fought classic from start to finish.  It was what Marie had hoped would be an eye opener to the rest of the wrestling world; something that would make everyone in SCW sit up and take notice.  She had hoped to effect real change with this one show of what this industry should be about: competition.

Yet she was left off the following Breakdown card…

Now most employees, wrestlers included, would love to have a break every now and then. Marie is no different. She would love to have some time off to spend with her husband Arthur and her son Sean.  But for one, Marie is a competitor.  She wants to be challenged, not to rest on her laurels.  Plus she feels that being given the night off, she is somehow being punished for losing to Blake; despite the fact that she knows she gave her absolute best effort.

Plus there was the added insult as to what she saw on Breakdown that took her place; Derek Adonis, Cookie, and their ridiculous KABLAM garbage.  Marie felt insulted that she busts her ass every week, Breakdown events and House Shows included, never missing an event if she can avoid it, and yet she can’t even get on the card for Breakdown.  But this over-sexualized silliness gets free air time?  And why is that?

Jones is afraid to even consider the answer to that question.  It might anger her even more to consider the possibility that this kind of trash sells and that it is the fans who are making this happen.  The fans want it and thus SCW delivers.

Marie is holding out hope that this isn’t the case.  She went out tonight in the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska for Breakdown to end the ridiculous proceedings hosted by Derek Adonis.  It was her attempt to protest the proceedings and protest not being allowed on air.  Instead she, too, was interrupted.  Marie was interrupted by Alistair Alloco.  But she made him pay with an Ave Maria.

No one will make a joke out of the sport she loves and no one speaks for The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.

The redheaded Boston native is in her dressing room at this moment.  Jones was not scheduled for competition tonight so she didn’t have to change into her wrestling gear, thus she is still wearing the same thing she wore earlier tonight; a simple attire of denim jeans, black shoes, and a black t-shirt which reads “Crown Jewel” on the front in fancy lettering.  This also means that packing is rather quick.  Jones picks up the strap of her black gym bag and hoists the bag up over her shoulder.  She is about to approach the door to make her exit when she stops…a knocking at the door stops her…Marie rolls her eyes.

“Not now.” Marie says quietly, under her breath. “I just want to leave.”

Marie pauses for a few seconds and waits, hoping the person on the other side will just give up and go away.  No such luck.  The person knocks again, more persistently this time.   This time, however, Marie does answer.

“Who is it?!” Jones asks in a rather annoyed tone of voice.

“It’s me.” Marie immediately recognizes the voice of her identical twin sister Kimberly Williams. “May I come in?”

Marie sighs as she sets her gym bag back down on the floor.  She approaches the door and opens it, immediately granting access to her sister Kim.  The normally unbalanced of the sibling pair is wearing torn denim jeans, flip flops, and a black t-shirt which reads “I Groped Mr. D” in hot pink lettering.  Kimberly walks in and immediately embraces Marie in a tight hug.

“Oh sweetie, are you ok?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.  I guess…”

Marie is somewhat taken off guard by this show of compassion from Kimberly.  Her sister is a self-described sociopath and not one known for showing compassion or any sort of emotions all that often.  Thus being hugged by Kimberly is quite the unusual event.  After breaking the embrace, Kimberly sets her hands on her hips and studies her sister Marie carefully.

“What’s wrong?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“What do you mean?” Kimberly asks inquisitively.

“Well to start with you knocked and asked permission to come in.”

“I thought that’s what normal people do.”

“That’s right,” Marie nods her head “except you are not normal.  You just barge on in; hell, you rarely use the door anyway.  You like to sneak in through a window.”

“Windows are fun…” Kimberly remarks with a slight snicker.

“See?  Also you are not a hugger...unless you have a knife ready to stab someone in the back.”

“Stabby! Stabby! Stabby!” Kimberly starts chanting.  Marie immediately responds with another eye roll.

“My point exactly.” Marie answers back, followed by a sigh. “So Kim, are you here for any particular reason other than to just be weird?”

“My, my, my, aren’t we a little bitchy this evening?” Kim says with a playful smirk on her face.

“Bitchy?!” Marie gives her sister Kimberly a hard shove, causing her to stumble backward but not fall over. “You have no clue how I’m feeling right now and, quite honestly, I don’t think you care!  But you come here to call me bitchy?!”

Kim’s eyes grow cold and stoic as she stares long and hard at her identical twin sister.  Marie doesn’t back down either but it is Kimberly who finally breaks the silence after several moments.

“You’re lucky I’m a changed woman, sis.  Another time, that would have set me off.” Kimberly places a hand on Marie’s shoulder. “You’re also wrong…”

“Wrong about what?”

“I do care about you.  That’s why I stopped by.  I saw what you did out there to those weirdo freaks and Alistair Allocco.  I heard what you had to say.  And I just wanted to check up on you and see if you were ok.”

“Yeah…” Marie’s voice trails off before she shakes her head, sighing deeply “…I may have lost my temper.”

“Maybe just a little.” Kimberly says with a jovial grin. “Though I gotta admit, it was awesome watching you drop Allocco on his pointy little head.”

“To be perfectly honest with you, I agreed with a lot of what Alistair had to say.”

“Oh?” Kimberly arches her brow.

“I agree…Derek Adonis and that filth he spews, is an insult to every single member of the SCW roster and whoever decided to give that sex-obsessed water buffalo any air time on Breakdown should be fired and run out of this business.”

Marie’s eyes narrow and a look if intensity enters her face.

“I have worked too damn hard to let something like that take my spot.  This proves my point, you know that?  I should have had support from more than just that boy scout Alistair, but instead everyone in the back is too complacent and happy to just let the sport be ridiculed and made a mockery of by clowns like Adonis.  People watching Breakdown tonight will see that segment and think that is what wrestling is all about.  They’ll think it is all about sex.”

“You know what they say?  Sex sells.” Kimberly chimes in with a devilish smile.

“Exactly and that’s why I’m pissed off!  These people are more worried about making money than with giving this competitive sport the respect that it deserves!”

“Ok, ok, easy sis,” Kimberly says with a chuckle “but if you are in such agreement with Alistair Allocco, why drop him on his head?”

“Because he got in my way.” Marie says with a snarl. “I didn’t need him speaking for me.  I am perfectly capable of doing that myself.”

“Ok, I’m a bit confused.” Kimberly furrows her brow. “You were just complaining about how everyone back here was too complacent to back you up in this, everyone except Alistair, and yet now you’re complaining about him coming out to back you up.”

“You don’t get it, Kim.  You really don’t…” Marie sighs and shakes her head “…you don’t get how hard it is to bust your ass, to work hard to earn your keep, and after shedding blood, sweat, and tears in match after match for the fans, you think you’ve made a difference, only to find out no one in this company gave a damn.  And I know that no one gave a damn because I couldn’t even get the time of day, yet Derek Adonis and his filth gets air time.  A perennial loser who does nothing to improve his wrestling ability gets air time simply because, as you put it, sex sells…but someone like me, who tries so hard to improve after every match, gets ignored.”

“So you beat up poor Alistair because…?” Kim cocks her head to one side.

“I guess I got frustrated.” Marie hangs her head.

“It’s ok, sis.  But I do get it, I really do.”

“No, you don’t.” Marie shakes her head.

“Of course, I don’t know anything about your problem.  I busted my ass to prove I deserved a shot at the Emerge Championship against Peyton Rice.  Then I had to go above and beyond the call of duty just to prove that I am a changed woman and I wouldn’t go psychotic on the little princess.  And I didn’t lose my cool, I had the match of my career, and yet I still have received no recognition for my hard work.  I haven’t been acknowledged by Peyton, despite the fact I already congratulated her.  So you’re right, Marie, I know nothing about being under appreciated.”

Marie’s stoic gaze slowly but surely turns into a grin.  Then she embraces Kimberly in a hug.

“I’m sorry, Kim.  I guess I have been a bit of a bitch lately.”

“Yeah, just a little bit of a bitch.” Kim says chuckling. “But I still love ya.”

“It IS frustrating, though, to see people like Adonis, Cookie, and other jokes running around SCW getting air time when people who work hard and WANT to compete can’t get anything.  I have been a United States Champion and Television Champion and I have goals to achieve much more than that in the future.”

“Don’t let it get you down, ok babe?  Just keep yourself ready because you never know when you’ll get your next big opportunity.”

“Thanks, Kim…I guess one of us needs to be an optimist.  But seriously, with the recent booking pattern of Mr. D, I seriously doubt I’ll get anything worthwhile.”

“Not necessarily true.” Kimberly shakes her head. “Don’t forget what comes up next week…”

“Fatal Fortunes…” Marie’s eyes grow wide.  Kimberly nods her head.

“That’s right, you could get VERY lucky on Breakdown.  And I mean VERY lucky.”

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On Camera

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There is a double standard in America. When men complain they are simply brave for speaking out for what they believe in.  Yet when a woman complains she isn’t speaking out for what she believes in, she’s just being too bitchy.

Now I’ll grant that maybe I have been a little too bitchy in recent weeks, but I will stand firm in my belief that I have every right to be a little bitchy.  I have been the voice for tradition in a world of nonsensical mayhem.  I have been the one pointing out how people get rewarded with championship opportunities for breaking the rules.  This past Breakdown a fat-assed sexual scumbag worse than Weinstein and Trump put together gets rewarded for his sexual harassment by being granted Breakdown air time to peddle his pornography.

Where was I on the card?  No where to be found.  Why wasn’t I on the card?  Because I follow the rules.  I wasn’t on the card because I’m deranged and eccentric like a Giovanni Aries or a Dylan Howell.  I wasn’t on the card because I’m a modestly dressed classy girl, not a slutty whore like Cassidy Carter or Cookie.

Those are the people who get rewarded based on the current system.  My goal now is to try and change the system.  Make it better.  Return it to its traditional state where those who play by the rules get the rewards and the jokes, the clowns, and the perverts are blackballed from the industry.  It’ll be hard to change the current system, but I’m not going to stop.

While the current system is far from fair and just, a new system is on the horizon, and while it may only last two weeks, it is a system I welcome for it will be a shock to the SCW universe.

Fatal Fortunes.

Random drawings for random matches, because random is one way to be truly fair, isn’t it?  If you can’t have a true meritocracy, then randomness is the next best thing.  The losers, the perverts, and the crazies will be treated the same as those who work hard, because it will all be done by luck of the draw.

Under normal circumstances I do not have any faith that the system would grant me what I deserve.  Hell, under the normal system I might even get left off yet another Breakdown.  But under Fatal Fortunes I’m guaranteed a match and under Fatal Fortunes I may even get a championship match.

This will not be an opportunity I will take lightly.

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Off Camera

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Marie was still feeling frustrated and upset, despite the talk with her sister Kimberly Williams.  The unbalanced twin seemed to have some well thought out advice: focus on Fatal Fortunes and ignore the negatives.  The luck of the draw truly will be the equalizer that Marie desires.

Still, there is a nagging part of her mind that keeps telling Marie about the problems within the culture of Supreme Championship Wrestling, and that it is a problem that she cannot just simply ignore.  Perhaps Kimberly alone cannot provide the advice Marie wants and needs?  She does have other family and another sister, after all.  One who would be much more inclined to her opinions about the traditional way of things…

We’re back in Massachusetts, specifically a park on the outskirts of Boston.  Entering the park, a slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one.  The park, once resplendent in the town's heyday was a scrub of moss and weeds.  Used needles lay amidst the shabby greenery, invisible and able to pierce the common light-weight shoes the children wear.  They had benches, ornamental trees, flowers year round and water fountains in clear lakes.  The air was warm, the beams of sunlight glowing on Marie’s skin as she makes her way through the grass.

The beautiful redhead is wearing an ankle length flowing floral print skirt, a black sleeveless top, and flip flops. Her  long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling scans the area, looking for her temperamental half-sister, and it isn’t long until she hits pay dirt…

…just over the hill she spots an old bench.  Sitting hunched over on the bench is her half-sister, Jessica Lasiewicz.

Jessica has changed a great deal and Marie knows it.  Jessica is much darker, scarier, and yet at the same time she preaches an almost cult-like lifestyle of purity, similar to the one followed by Drake Hemmingway and Loretta Inglewood of Emerge.  Jessica has even garnered her own group of followers who worship her every movement.

Still, this is her sister and if anyone could understand what Marie is upset about, it would be Jessica.

Marie, being a devout Catholic, feels that the best way to prepare for this is to invoke the man upstairs, so she makes the sign of the cross over her chest before making her way up the hill and towards the bench.

“Jessica!” Marie calls out, but Jessica doesn’t acknowledge it.  “Jess!”

This time Jessica does look up just as Marie stops right at the bench.  Jessica smiles and nods her head.

“Hi there, Marie.”  Jessica scoots over a little and pats the bench, motioning for Marie to sit down next to her. “Come on, Marie. Sit down.  I promise not to bite.”

Marie sighs and then sits down on the bench next to her half-sister Jessica.  Jessica’s hair was at one time red, like Marie’s, but Jessica has since returned to her natural black hair color.  Today, Jessica is attired in all black.  Marie smiles uneasily.

“Well I’m glad you made time to speak to me, Jess.  I’m sure you’re real busy with your, uh…” Marie pauses as she isn’t quite sure how to describe her half-sibling’s recent activities.  Jessica, though, responds with a low chuckle.

“My movement?”

“Yeah, we’ll go with that.”

“Purity is more than just a movement, it is a lifestyle.”

“I thought you’ve been calling it a revolution?” Marie asks with an arched brow.

“This is true, but it shouldn’t have to be.  This society has become so depraved that only a revolution can return purity to its proper place.  That is why my followers and I are willing to go whatever lengths necessary to purge GCW of its filth.”

Jessica Lasiewicz currently competes for Global Championship Wrestling and it is there where she spreads her own version of purity, again, much like how Drake Hemmingway attempts to spread his version of purity in Emerge.  Marie tolerates her sister’s quirks and forcibly smiles.

“Yeah, well, there is a lot of filth in the world, Jess.  Are you sure you and your groupies can take care of it all?”

“My groupies?  They are more than mere groupies.  They are my followers.  And we’ll take as long as we have to.  I wouldn’t be judging my movement if I were you.  You were on your crusade against impurity not too long ago.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Marie nods her head.

“Derek Adonis is a filthy animal who should be euthanized for the sake of everyone else.  Put the walrus out of his misery.  You were right to interrupt his dastardly proceedings, sister.” Jessica grins knowingly. “And yet I take it you still harbor some doubts?”

“No need in doubting right now.” Marie says, shrugging her shoulders. “What’s done is done.”

“You definitely have the right attitude. There is no need to worry about the past.  Focus on the future, a future without filth, a future without perversion…”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up Jess,” Marie shakes her head “I think you and I have slightly different goals.”

“How so?” Jessica asks with an arched brow. “What is so different about my purity and your goal?”

“Your purity is a little extreme.  Like you said, it’s a lifestyle.  But me?  All I want is a return of tradition to professional wrestling.”

“And that is what I want as well.” She wraps an arm around Marie’s shoulder. “Traditional wrestling is PURE and yet what Supreme Championship Wrestling dared to put on their television screen was far from traditional.  It was impure, it was filth, it was…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it…” Marie sighs and shakes her head “…it’s just frustrating because I think I should get air time as a competitor, I should get a match or at least a damn interview, but that clown gets air time to peddle his smut?”

Jessica embraces Marie in a hug. “We are more alike than you care to admit, dear sister.  The impurity of this sport is what holds back true athletes like you.  Purifying the industry is what will bring about the justice you seek.”

“Sorry, Jess, but I’m not interested in purifying the industry.” Marie shakes her head. “I just want to get what I deserve for the hard work I put in.”

“You think short term.  You need to think long term.”

“Well I’ll settle for short term glorification.” Marie rolls her eyes.

“In that case focus on the next event.  I hear it is Fatal Fortunes.”

“That’s right.” Marie nods her head. “Random drawings for random matches.”

“Luck is fair, sister.  The impure sleazebags will be unable to avoid what luck has to dish out.  It could be good for them it could be bad.  You could get something good…you could get something bad…”

“No, I won’t get anything bad.” Marie shakes her head. “I was left off the last Breakdown card.  ANY kind of match is a positive in my case.  A championship match would just be icing on the cake.”

“There you go.” Jessica remarks, nodding her head. “Impress the vermin running SCW.  Make them notice you.  Make them remember you.  Fatal Fortunes is your chance.”

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On Camera

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“Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!” --- Heath Ledger

Fatal Fortunes is all about the luck of the draw.  But then again, luck can also be described as chaos.  With luck, you never know what might happen and that is chaos described to a “T”…

Heath Ledger as The Joker once said that chaos is fair and it really is if you think about it.  It doesn’t matter whether you are at the top of the mountain or the bottom of the totem pole curtain jerking every night, it doesn’t matter if you are a main event star or a side show freak making a fool of yourself for the entertainment of the masses…

…I’m looking at you, Adonis…

…it doesn’t matter who you are, with luck, or chaos, you are all treated to the same random hand of fate.  And fate could be nice to you or it could be bad to you.  You could get everything you want or you could end up falling off your lofty perch into the depths of a nasty sewer.

And no one knows what will happen.  Fortune itself doesn’t even know what will happen.

I do want to upset the establishment because I think the establishment really sucks.  I think an establishment that gives air time to degenerates and eccentric maniacs is unjust and wrong.  More importantly, I think it’s unfair.  Sometimes, to upset the establishment, you do have to introduce a little anarchy.

That’s why I’m looking forward to Fatal Fortunes.  Fortune decides my fate and I trust fortune over those idiots who decided to give Derek Adonis air time.  All I need is an opportunity, all I need is a match, and I can prove that I am a hot commodity, that I am more than just The Phoenix, that I am The Crown Jewel of Supreme Championship Wrestling.  Because I am guaranteed to get a match of some sort.  I am guaranteed to get a match and unlike last Breakdown, I won’t be overlooked, unappreciated, and left off the card in favor of a smut peddler.

I will get my match, and whatever match it is will be fine by me.  I will go in and burn it all to the ground.  I will put on a show that no one will soon forget.  I will use this beautiful anarchy to make a statement and force Mr. D and SCW to appreciate me, to sit up and notice me and to recognize my talent.

Yet, the thing with fortune is that you never know what you might get.  Maybe I’ll just something…normal.  That’s fine with me.  Anything is better than the great big ball of nothing I got last Breakdown.  But if lady luck is on my side, then maybe, just maybe, I might get gold back around my waist.

Whatever lady luck has in mind for me is fine, I welcome it.  I will not let lady luck down.

If you're not advancing you're retreating

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Off Camera

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Marie then nails Quinne again and starts to climb up to the top rope. She grabs at Quinne’s head before climbing up to the top rope. She looks around and goes for a top rope frankensteiner, but Quinne holds on and Marie slips off and hits the mat, chest first, she rolls to her back in pain and Quinne steps up and hits the Quinnessential Dream. The crowd ohs and cheers. Quinne hooks the leg.

 1!

 2!

 3!

 The crowd roars and Quinne rolls off. She takes a deep breath as the referee hands her the title.

 Phillips: “Here is your winner, via pinfall, and still SCW Television Champion, Alexis Quinne!”

Sharper: “Quinne, even she’s relieved. Marie Jones had this match in her control. One moment at the end, Quinne countered and did not hesitate. Marie Jones looking as good as ever and she should not be disappointed about this one.”

 Knots: “Outside of the result, but if she does that again, and this Sunday against Blake, Blakes’ going to have his hands full.”

 Sharper: “Quinne still the TV Champion. She will face Josh Hudson in two weeks. Some history there.”

Quinne gets up and celebrates a bit as Marie rolls over, holding her ribs in pain. She looks around as Quinne continues to hold the title over her head and the scene cuts away.

Jones rolls out of the ring and turns to head back up the ramp, walking away from the ring to leave Quinne to celebrate by herself.  Some fans want to speak with her, to get a handshake or a high five.  At this point many wrestlers would not want anything to do with the public; not so with Marie.  The beautiful Boston native doesn’t ignore the fans.  They are the reason she is able to do this job that she loves so much.  She stops along the way up the ramp to slap a few hands and thank a few of them for their support…for what it’s worth…

Marie finally steps back through the curtain and walks through the ready area that leads to the backstage area as she walks the hall, searching for her dressing room.  She needs to be alone right now and think about where she goes from here.  She had her opportunity at the Television Championship but blew it.  She failed in her bid to defeat Alexis Quinne and it has left her more frustrated than ever before.

Now she has to transition to focus on her match at Apocalypse against Blake Mason.

Marie is convinced that she is not being given the opportunities she deserves.  She believes the atmosphere in SCW is an unfair one to say the very least.  She wants to change things but she can’t do that unless she manages to win a big match.  This was her opportunity to do that and she couldn’t get the job done.

She has another chance at Apocalypse against Blake Mason but will she drop the ball again?  Another issue is her husband Arthur.  She’s not entirely convinced he is ok with this match.  He ran out on her after they had an argument over it in their hotel room.

Jones figures she can cross that bridge when she gets there.  No need to deal with that now.  Now she just wants to go back to the hotel room and be with Arthur, even if is an unsteady relationship right now.  So she continues walking down the halls.  She finally spots her dressing room up ahead.  Time to get changed out of her wrestling gear and leave.  There’s no need for her stick around anyway…

…but then her entire world goes black.

“Guess who!”

Someone just blinded her by covering up her eyes.  Even if it wasn’t for the voice that she clearly recognizes, it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out that this individual who is playing games with her tonight is none other than…

“Kimberly!” Marie snaps back angrily. “Get your hands off me!”

“Who is Kimberly?” Comes a jovial male voice.  Marie recognizes it immediately and spins around to face her husband, Arthur Pond.

“Arthur?!” Marie is shocked at first but her shocked look turns into one of pure delight as she soaks it all in. “What are you doing here?!”

“Am I not allowed to come watch my beautiful wife compete for a championship?” He asks playfully.

“Of course you are but for one I lost…”

“Yeah, I saw that.” He sighs. “Sorry, Marie.  I know you wanted that one real bad.”

“It’s ok, there’ll be other opportunities.  But…”

“But what?” He arches his brow.

“You haven’t been coming with me to Breakdown lately.”

“I know.” He sighs and nods his head. “Things have been kind of tense lately and maybe we’re both to blame.”

“Some more than others.” Marie says with guilt over her face.

“Doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head. “Point is we’ve both had it rough lately and God knows you don’t need any other stress or pressure on you right now as you head into this match against Blake Mason.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m just saying that…” his voice trails off as a grin forms on his face “…kick Blake’s ass for me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.  Kick the crap out of him for me, babe.  He’s earned a good ass kicking.”

“So you’re really ok with this?  You’re really ok with me facing Blake at Apocalypse?”

“Of course I am.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because of what I did…what Blake and I…”

“Hush.” He holds up his hand. “That’s in the past.  No need to focus on that because I’ve forgiven you, just as I hope you’ve forgiven me for putting my hands on you.”

Arthur places his hands on her shoulders. “Marie, I meant it when I said blank slate.  We start over.  I trust you fully and there is no need for you to doubt that or the love I have for you.”

Marie embraces Arthur and then plants a passionate, romantic kiss on his lips.  After breaking the embrace it is clear that the two are crying.

“You have no idea how much this helps, Arthur.”

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On Camera

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UWA…

Funny, those are three initials I never thought I’d hear spoken again.  Well, to be more accurate, I never thought I would be speaking those three initials ever again.  I never had any intention of bringing up UWA again.  You know why?

UWA was the past.  I focus only on two aspects of time; present and future.  I want to focus on the here and the now and I focus on my goals and aspirations for the future.  It’s great to live in the past and be nostalgic for those good old days, but for me I didn’t care much for that.  The past is done.  It’s never about what you’ve done but instead it’s about what you have done lately and what you can do right now.

What I’ve done lately, what I’ve done since arriving here in Supreme Championship Wrestling, includes a reign as SCW United States Champion and SCW Television Champion.  Have I been a World Champion here in SCW?  No, but I have beaten world champions.  I hold victories over former world champions that include the likes of Ace Marshall, Christy Matthews, and even Regan Helms.  Am I main event talent?  Yes.  Am I main event caliber?  Yes.   Am I a main event star?

You damn right I am.  It isn’t my fault management is too stupid to put me where I belong.  Oh, but there I am sounding entitled.  There I am sounding bitchy.  Or at least, that’s how you put it Blake.  Maybe I am a little entitled and bitchy, but you know what else I’m doing?  I’m speaking the God’s truth.  No one in their right damn mind can make a case that the idiots I have been mentioning in recent weeks who have been granted these opportunities actually deserve those opportunities.

I’ll even grant you one other thing, Blake.  I did come to SCW because I didn’t like how UWA treated me.  UWA management was crap.  But in recent months I’m beginning to think that SCW management is worse.  Act like a circus freak and you get a title shot.  Act like a drugged up lunatic and you get to main event Rise To Greatness.  Or kiss the boss’s ass and you get praised and lauded by one and all.

I didn’t want to dig up the past, Blake.  But if you want to go there then by all means, we’ll go there.  So let’s talk about UWA for a moment.  I was the longest reigning UWA World Tag Team Champion in that company’s history.  And you’re right, I beat the best that company had to offer in order to become it’s World Champion.  That was before I got disgruntled and left for greener pastures.  But what you failed to realize is that I didn’t leave UWA just because I disagreed their direction…

…hell, if that was how I made my decisions, I would’ve quit this hell hole I’m in right now immediately after the ridiculous fucking decision to REWARD Dylan Howell with an Adrenaline Title shot after he cost me the match.  But no, I stayed in SCW.  I’m still in SCW.  You know why?

It’s the same reason I left UWA.  It’s the same reason I asked to challenge you at Apocalypse.

I wanted a bigger challenge.

I had already done everything that there was to do by that point.  You mention that you would kill to be a world champion like I was?  Let me correct you first, Blake.  You would kill to be a world champion like I was seven times over.

Five time World Champion in Global Championship Wrestling.  Glory Braddock may have bought that place and brought it back in 2012, but I was the one who single handedly made that place relevant again.

One time World Champion in Intercontinental Championship Wrestling.  Just like GCW, I single handedly made this place relevant.  I put it on the map.  I dominated.

One time World Champion in UWA.  The problem here was they didn’t know the jewel that they had in their possession when they had me under contract.  They dropped the ball but I had already achieved everything there was to achieve in UWA.

I left UWA because not only because I disagreed with how they did business but because I wanted to challenge myself against the best roster professional wrestling has to offer.  I had heard of the reputation SCW had for its elite superstars and that’s why I went there.  I believed SCW could provide the best competition and I still believe to this day that SCW has the best competition.

That’s why I want to face you at Apocalypse.  You’re absolutely right about your time here, Blake.  Out of everyone on this roster, I would dare say you are truly one of the ones who has been through the worst of the grinds.  I may catch flack for that one but it’s true.  You have been through this grind damn near a decade despite an inability to break through that glass ceiling and win a world championship.  You have that one quality that so many on this roster lacks…

…you refuse to be complacent.  You keep trying, with every failure you still pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep coming back for more.  That’s admirable.  Have you made mistakes in the past?  Yes.  Have you hurt people before?  Yes.  You don’t give up, though.  You keep trying, you keep fighting.  And that’s admirable.  That shows that you want to keep advancing.

If you’re not advancing, you’re retreating.  You’ve never accepting a retreat.  And that’s one area where we definitely are one and the same.  We refuse to retreat.  Am I going to retreat?  Am I going to give up and quit in the face of the adversity I face right now?

Hell no!  No matter how ridiculous or pathetic management gets in their asinine booking decisions, I will never give up because I still believe within every fiber of my being that SCW is the place where you find the absolute best competition.  And you are a major part of that roster of the very best.  I want to face you because you are one of the best SCW has to offer and I want to test myself.  I always want to challenge myself.

Why be complacent and just settle for an easy opponent and an easy win?  Why quit and go to a company where I could easily dominate with my superior skill level?  It wouldn’t be an advancement.  It would be a retreat.

I am facing you, Blake, because I want to prove that I don’t just have the potential to be The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, but damn it I AM The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling!

This isn’t about entitlement, Blake.  This isn’t me being bitchy.  This is me looking for a challenge.  This is me looking to better myself by challenging the best.  This is me being sick and tired of the undeserving clowns getting all of the opportunities while those who have been busting their asses get largely ignored.  It’s my fault because I’ve been silent and allowed it to happen.  I’ve been too complacent with being the beloved Phoenix who just wants to work hard and please everyone.

Phoenix is gone.  You’re left with a bitch.  You’re left with The Crown Jewel who will continue to bust her ass and earn her opportunities even if it means busting the skulls of people I consider friends.

Blake, I’m going to bust your skull.  I’m going to drop you on your head with an Ave Maria and end your wave of success.  I’m walking out of here with a win, Blake, and you can’t stop me.

No Longer Content

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Off Camera

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This past Breakdown was certainly a pivotal event for Marie Annabelle Jones.  Most notable is the fact that she defeated Cassidy Carter to become the next challenger to the SCW Television Championship.  This will be Marie’s chance to become a two time SCW Television Champion and to once again get gold around her waist.  To do so, she will have quite the challenge in the form of yet another former World Champion Alexis Quinne to conquer.   Marie is certainly up to the challenge.   She has battled and beaten former world champions in the past.  She has built up enough self-confidence that this is a challenge she can overcome.

Earning her Television Title opportunity isn’t the only thing that occurred on Breakdown.  If it were, perhaps Breakdown wouldn’t have been so “pivotal” after all for The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.  Something else happened that made Breakdown even more pivotal for Jones.

His name was Blake Mason.

Marie challenged Blake to a match at Apocalypse.  For her, it’s just about career advancement and showing the SCW universe what this sport should be all about.  Both Marie and Blake have been on quite the roll lately, both are arguably deserving of title opportunities, and a match between the two is just the kind of match that needs to happen to see who will get to be elevated to the next level.  For far too long she has observed people who, in her mind, do not deserve opportunities get all of the opportunities while she’s had to bust her ass, fight and claw, all for seemingly nothing.  But this match is the type of match no one can ignore. Two top level, top caliber athletes on the top of their game.  One will earn the win and thus earn the next step up.  It’s what Marie feels is fair and what should happen in SCW.

Yet there is an awkwardness to it all.  Marie and Blake had a brief affair not too long ago.  For Jones it was just about living on the edge.  It was about doing something she knew was wrong just for the hell of it.  It was her way of privately protesting the way SCW and, in a way, society as a whole rewarded bad behavior.  If those who acted like wild animals and degenerates got all the praise and spotlight, then she would act out as well.

What she did not take time to consider was how it would impact her husband, Arthur Pond.  When he found out what had happened he was horrified and immediately confronted Blake.  He convinced him not to leave Marie and perhaps that was the miracle of the whole affair; that Arthur chose not to leave Marie.  The marriage is intact but it is on rock ground as Marie realizes that she must now fight to earn his trust once again.

Thus it would stand to question, why would she intentionally put herself into a situation where she must face Blake Mason at Apocalypse, knowing her husband Arthur will be none too pleased that she issued the challenge?

Blake had that same question cross his mind and had already approached Marie to interrogate her.  Now Jones has returned to her hotel room and is ready to confront the man who will have the most questions…

…her husband, Arthur Pond.

The bed was king-sized with pure white, Egyptian cotton sheets.  There was a solid oak desk for writing or other work purposes, a thirty-six-inch TV with video and DVD, a sprawling leather sofa, and, on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling windows was his own private terrace.   The bathroom included a shower and a bath, big enough for a football team and a Jacuzzi.  Everything in marble and handcrafted tiles.

It’s a suite, a luxury suite, and Marie isn’t used to living this kind of lifestyle but it’s all part of her husband’s lifestyle change.  Marie had intentionally chosen not to flaunt the wealth that her family has built up.  But now Arthur has decided to use that wealth.  Marie believes he is trying to give her the kind of life that Blake could have given her.

“Arthur?”

Marie steps from the doorway into the living area of the suite.  She finds no one there except her son, Sean Connor Jones, on the floor reading a comic book.  She sets her gym bag down and then approaches Sean and kneels down next to him.

“Hi, buddy.  Isn’t it past your bed time?”

“Yeah.  I just want to finish this…” He motions to the comic.  Marie nods her head in agreement.

“Fine, but get to right to bed after. Now where’s Arthur?”

“He went to bed.”

“Thanks sweetie.”

She doesn’t believe he is actually asleep.  Arthur may not have traveled with her to Breakdown tonight but she is almost certain that he watched the proceedings.  He probably knows already about the match set between Blake and Marie.  And he’s probably fuming.  This is something she’ll have to deal with.

Marie kisses Sean on the head.  She stands up and walks into the bedroom area where she finds her husband exactly where Sean had said she’d find him; in bed.  The thing is, he is not asleep at all.  He is sitting up in bed, wide awake, with his arms folded over his chest staring a hole through Marie.

“Welcome back, Marie.” He says rather coldly. “I take it Breakdown was enjoyable for you.”

“It was, you should’ve been there.  I dropped that degenerate bimbo Cassidy Carter on her head and earned a Television Title shot in the process.  Now if I can just do that one more time, only this time to Alexis Quinne, then I will be a two time SCW Television Champion.”

“Sounds good,” Arthur nods his head “and maybe I should start going with you to Breakdown more often.”

“You know you’re always invited.” Marie walks over to the king sized bed and sits down. “It isn’t my fault you never attend.”

“I never attended because I trusted that you could handle your own business, so I stayed out of it.” He snaps his fingers. “Oh but there’s that word again!  Trust…”

He points a finger at Marie “…and just when I think you’re getting closer to earning my trust back, you go and pull some stupid shit like this.”

Marie takes in a deep breath and then lets it out in the form of a big sigh. “I take it you heard about the match between Blake and I at Apocalypse.”

“You damn right I heard about it!” He exclaims, his voice getting louder. Marie waves her hands to shush him, pointing out the door towards the living area of the suite.

“Hush, Arthur!  Sean is just outside!”

“Whatever…” he shakes his head “…I just want to know who put you up to it?  Was it Mr. D?  I can imagine that jerk, seeking nothing but pure ratings, would put you against him!”

“Now you’re being silly.  If he knew about the affair you might have a good argument but Mr. D has no idea that I had an affair with Blake.”

“So you mean this was all your idea?”

“It was all my idea, Arthur.” She nods her head.

“Well then answer this question….why the hell would you put yourself in a situation where you are around him?!”

“Calm down, Arthur…let me explain…”

“There are no explanations necessary!” He shouts angrily. “You have betrayed my trust once by having an affair with that jackass and now you’re openly flaunting it by asking for this match!”

“Arthur!” Marie exclaims. “Quiet down!  Sean is outside!”

“I don’t care!”

He rears back and slaps Marie across the face.  Marie rubs the stinging out of her cheek and stares shockingly, wide-eyed at Arthur.  Arthur, for his part, seems even more shocked and frightened than Marie herself.  It shows as he immediately rolls out of bed and backs away.

“Marie, I…” he shakes his head “…I’m sorry…”

“It’s ok, Arthur.”

She gets up out of bed and approaches him but he backs away from her.  He stops to bend down to pick up a t-shirt on the floor on his way.  He quickly slips the  t-shirt on.

“Stay away…”

“Arthur, please…” tears are forming in her eyes.

Arthur shakes his head as he stops to pick up exercise shorts and puts them on next.

“Stay away!”

Arthur bolts out of the bedroom door.  Marie chases after him but she manages to get into the living area in time to see him walking out of the door.

“Mom?” Marie turns and looks down at her son Sean, who observed the whole thing. “Is everything ok?”

“I’m not sure, sweetie.  I’m honestly not sure.”

==========

30 Minutes Later

Off Camera

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Marie knows what it is like to be in an abusive relationship.  It wasn’t too long ago that her ex-boyfriend, Damian Daniel Toole, resurfaced in an attempt to woo her away from Arthur.  Marie and Toole once were an item but he was abusive, both physically and emotionally.  She worked up the courage and self-confidence to break away from that relationship and send him packing.  She never expected to get hit by her loving husband Arthur, though.

Arthur had always been seemingly an exact contrast of Toole.  Where Toole was mean, Arthur was loving.  When Toole would be emotionally hateful, Arthur would be caring and compassionate.  Arthur was everything Marie wanted in a husband.  What happened tonight when Arthur struck her, that was something she never expected.

Did the incident shake her up?  Certainly.  But Marie realizes that she cannot just leave it be. Her marriage is still on the line and she has to fight to keep it alive.  She gave Arthur some time before getting dressed and heading downstairs to the hotel lobby.

The dinging sound signals the arrival of the elevator.  The elevator doors slide open and Jones steps out of the elevator and walks over to the hotel lobby.  The floor of the lobby was tiled in fine marble, which made every step echo. A chandelier made rainbow colors dance across the luxurious lobby. Embroidered silk sofas surrounded a large, flat-screen television. The twin doors that led into the lobby were a pristine white with golden handles. The desk was made of amber-colored wood and a green granite top. Exquisite paintings hung from the rich, red walls. Even the door hinges were engraved with swirls and elegant designs. The domed ceiling rose at least 100 feet high.

Jones approaches the desk and gets the clerk’s attention.  The clerk, a young man with brown hair, smiles pleasantly.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m worried about my husband.  Did he come down here by chance in the last thirty minutes or so?  If so, where did he go?”

“Only one man has been down here this late in the evening.” He points to one of the sofas and sure enough, Marie spots Arthur sitting down with his head propped up in his hands. “He’s right there, ma’am.”

“Thank you, very much.”

Marie immediately makes a bee-line for the sofa where her husband Arthur sits.  She gently places a hand on his back.  This startles him ever so slightly, causing him to look up at her. The fear that was on his face has been replaced by guilt.

“Is it ok if I sit down?”

“Uh, sure…I think so…”

Arthur moves over a little to allow Marie room to sit down.  She sits down next to him.

“You scared me, Arthur.”

“Sorry about that, Marie.  I didn’t mean to hit you.  It just…”

“Well being hit is one thing, you running away and with that look on your face, I don’t see that look very often.  It scared me, babe, on a whole lot of levels.” Tears once more form in her eyes. “I thought I had lost you.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Marie, but I had to remove myself from the situation for a little while.” He puts his hand on top of hers and gazes deep into her eyes. “Have I told you much about my parents?”

“You told me they are divorced.”

“That’s not all.  My father was also abusive towards my mother and me.  When I struck you all of those memories came rushing back to me, the memories of how dad beat me, how he beat mom, and then of course I remembered Damian Toole…”

“Don’t bring his name into this.” She shakes her head.  “You are nothing like him.”

“Maybe not but don’t I have the capability of becoming like him?  I was raised in that environment, Marie.  The moment I struck you I saw myself becoming like him, or worse yet becoming like my father.”

He kisses her on her cheek. “I had to get out of there.  I don’t want to become like my father and I don’t want our marriage to end like my parents’ marriage did.”

“I get it, babe.  Our marriage is on rocky ground right now.  But we can salvage this.  We can get through this and we’ll be stronger than ever if we do.  But we have to talk through our issues.  That means no secrets, full transparency. And that starts with me.”

She sighs deeply. “Yes, I did ask for that match against Blake.  But it wasn’t for the reasons you think.”

“Then why?  Blake is the source of all of our problems right now, so why on earth would you put yourself in a situation where you would be around him?”

“We work for the same company, Arthur.” She chuckles.  “There is literally no way around it.  We were going to get booked against each other eventually, if I didn’t issue the challenge then sometime down the road Mr. D would have booked the match himself.  And you still wouldn’t have been happy, would you?”

“Doubtful.” He chuckles lightly and shakes his head.

“Is this an awkward situation?  Damn right it is. But it is a situation that Blake and I will have to deal with eventually seeing as we are wrestling for the same promotion.  So may as well get it out of the way now.  And there’s a professional reason to get it out of the way now rather than wait until later.”

“What’s that?”

“Blake is on a major roll right now.  So am I, in terms of winning big matches.  Hell, in a week’s time I could win my second SCW Television Championship.  Blake was just offered a shot at the US Title and he turned it down.  Blake and I are both at the top of our game right now and this is the perfect opportunity for two individuals who deserve an opportunity to earn it the right way.  You’ve heard me complain again and again about people like Dylan Howell and Cassidy Carter and so many other wastes of talent  getting opportunities that they do not deserve.  This is something our sport needs.  Two great athletes, two professionals, fighting to take the next step forward in their career.”

There is a pause as Arthur takes in Marie’s words.  She isn’t quite certain how he’ll react but she steels herself, preparing for the worst.  Finally…

“Do you trust Blake to be a professional?”

“I do, but let me ask you this; do you trust me to beat the ever loving crap out of him if he doesn’t?”

Arthur can’t help himself as he laughs out loud. “You know I do, babe. You’ve been through hell in your life and come out like an angel.  If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

“So you’re ok with me facing Blake at Apocalypse?”

“I’m not going to lie, I will probably never be fully ok with you being around him.  But I absolutely trust you, Marie.”

“Do you…” she reaches up and wipes a tear from her eye “…do you mean that?”

“Yes, I mean that.” He leans over and the two share a passionate kiss. “Just don’t let me down.”

“I promise, Arthur.  I will never let you down again.”

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On Camera

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Desire and determination are two words that should define great athletes; a desire to be the best and the determination to achieve your goal.  Every great athlete in SCW has those two qualities.  Selena Frost and Kennedy Street both have those qualities. Whether you like them or not, athletes like Regan, Bree, and Sienna all have those qualities as well.  No matter what you may think of them, you cannot question their desire and you damn sure cannot question their determination to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal.  They are not complacent to just sit around and be another pretty face in the crowd.  They are not content with causing chaos or being some outlandish degenerate just to get attention and spotlight.

Complacency is a problem within this sport and especially within Supreme Championship Wrestling. Ace Marshall and Cassidy Carter are content with just being the proverbial party animals of SCW.  They are complacent and happy with their role, thus why they have done little more than annoy people in recent months rather than do anything of any worth.  Giovanni Aries is content with his role as the resident lunatic of SCW, with his ranting and raving about Lizard people.  His complacency cost him the World Championship at Rise To Greatness.

I was complacent once.  I was complacent and content with my role as the good girl, the hero, the person who would just wait patiently until their time came.  That’s what everyone kept telling me…

“Be patient, Marie.  Your time is coming.”

“Keep fighting, don’t give up, your time is coming.”

That’s when I realized that I was complacent.  I was content to wait until my time came.  Then I got tired of trying to sift through the bullshit.  I got tired of people like Dylan Howell being rewarded for bad behavior.  I got tired of Christy Matthews being rewarded for her amazing ability to complain about the stresses of being a single mother.  I was being complacent, meanwhile everyone else was passing me by and receiving the title opportunities I deserved.

So I spoke out.  I told the world how things ought to work around here.  But those were just words and while words are awesome and necessary, words are not enough to make real change.  People like Mr. D or other suits on the board of directors could easily ignore someone like me, complacent little Marie Jones.

So I had to quit being complacent.  I had to get up off of my ass and start kicking some ass.  Konrad Raab, another individual complacent and content with his current role, got his head planted into the mat with an Ave Maria.  Cassidy Carter was next; you remember her, right?  The degenerate who is complacent in her role as a trouble maker?  She got her head driven into the mat with an Ave Maria.

Now I have an opportunity to become a two time SCW Television Champion.

Alexis Quinne beat Aaorn Blackbourne.  You’d think that someone who just won the title, not just on any stage but the grandest stage, Rise To Greatness, would use that momentum, to ride the wave of success that he built up.

Yet it wasn’t long after Rise To Greatness when he dropped the belt to Quinne.  And that’s no insult to Aaron but more so praise for Quinne.  Alexis Quinne is a former SCW World Champion, after all.  She’s been to the top of the mountain.  She’s been the best.

That’s right, Quinne.  You’ve been to the promised land where so many current top level draws like Giovanni Aries, Kennedy Street, Alistaire Alloco, and others are fighting to reach.  You have been to the place where Sienna Swann currently stands.  You have been the best.

While most would see that as nothing but positive, nothing but praise, I see that as potentially deadly for one’s career.  What happened to you after your World Championship run, Alexis?  Did you stay right there in the thick of the hunt?

You fell right of the radar screen.  You’re no longer a blip.  You’re an afterthought in the title picture.  Granted you are now SCW Television Champion and while that is nothing to sneeze at, it does make me wonder if you have become complacent.

Are you content with your new role in SCW as a mid-card, or upper mid-card level athlete who will often challenge for the Television, United States, or Adrenaline titles but rarely, if ever, will you even get anywhere close to returning  to the top of the mountain?

I can’t answer that question.  Only you can answer that question whenever you look at yourself in the mirror. But I can tell you one thing right now and that’s the fact that I am not content, I am not complacent.  I am ready to break through.  I have beaten world champions Ace Marshall and Christy Matthews.  Adding another former world champion, namely you, to my list of former SCW World Champions I’ve beaten only further adds credence and legitimacy to my case that I deserve to be in the world title conversation.

Adding the SCW Television Championship belt back to my collection would be more than an added bonus.  Being SCW Television Champion is NOT for the complacent and content.  That’s why it seems as if each and every worthless and pathetic so-called “athlete” to win that title doesn’t even get a successful title defense in with the rare exception of a few…

Kennedy Street successfully defended it again and again and again…

Ravyn Taylor successfully defended it again and again and again…

Notice the difference between athletes like Kennedy or Ravyn and athletes like Aaron Blackbourne, Derek Adonis, and Torsten Voigt?

The difference is complacency.  Kennedy and Ravyn were not complacent champions.  I was a complacent champion when I held it the first time, which is why I lost it quickly to Beard.  But I have since corrected myself and I am no longer the complacent good girl I once was.  I am the cutthroat Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and I am ready to retake the championship that I never should have lost and then as Television Champion I will show the world what it means to be a REAL champion.

You tweet all the damn time about levitate, levitate, levitate, is that right?  Well get this and get this now, Quinne….when I beat your complacent ass and take the SCW Television Championship, I will ELEVATE, ELEVATE, ELEVATE the championship to an even greater status.