End of the Year

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Off Camera

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SCW’s Hell Hath No Fury pay per view has come to a close and Marie Annabelle Jones picked up a much needed win over Darrin Miles.  She had to take a few shortcuts, she had to cheat a few times, but in the end she got the job done.  And she needed to get this win, especially after losing the momentum she had coming into Supreme Championship Wrestling.  Jones came in with wins over Hannah Warr and Kara Abheri.  Unfortunately she would go on to lose a triple threat to Kara in a match that also included Hannah Warr.  She would get a TV Title Eliminator Match against Brett Sinclaire but she would lose to him as well, due to outside interference from Jake Starr.

Marie Jones came to Supreme Championship Wrestling with just one purpose: she wanted a singles career.  Jones truly believed that she would not get a fair opportunity at a singles career in the Uprising Wrestling Alliance where she had once reigned as World Champion; the fact that she had not been booked for four months seemed to indicate that.

So Marie pulled the old switcheroo, which she likes to call the #GingerHoax.  Her identical twin sister Kimberly Williams took her place in UWA while she managed to negotiate herself a deal to compete in SCW.  Marie’s long term plan was to focus on SCW and let Kimberly worry about all things UWA.  It seemed to work well initially after the victories over Hannah and Kara.  Jones seemed to be on the fast track to singles gold in SCW.  But the back to back losses stopped Jones dead in her tracks and forced her to either work harder or reevaluate her plan altogether.

Marie may be The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling but she’s also human.  She realizes that she can make mistakes.  When she saw she got a match at Hell Hath No Fury against Darrin Miles, she knew she would have to work harder than before in order to make sure she regained that momentum she once had…or, in this case, she took a few shortcuts.

Regardless of how you look at it, Marie did get her win and now she looks forward into the future; specifically, the Boston native is looking forward to the SCW End of the Year Special and the open invitational battle royal.

The winner of the open invitational will have earned three different things: two hundred fifty thousand dollars in cash, a new car, and a shot at the SCW Television Championship.

It’s the SCW Television Championship Match that intrigues Marie most of all.  She already got back to her winning ways at Hell Hath No Fury, a victory in this open invitational battle royal will fast track her back to where she ideally wants to be: in the championship hunt.

The match will definitely be a challenge.  It is an open invitational, anyone can enter, and that makes it hard to prepare for.  There is no way of knowing who Marie will be facing and thus no way of preparing.  Marie feels her best bet is to recruit her identical twin Kimberly Williams to lend a helping hand.

Jones already called Kimberly and pitched the idea; Kimberly would enter the open invitational and would work with Marie, working to make sure one of the two siblings won.  Kimberly would try to make sure Marie won and if it came down to just the two of them, Kim would let Marie eliminate her to win the match.  But if Marie happens to get eliminated, Kimberly will then try to win and give the prizes, championship opportunity included, to Marie Annabelle Jones.

Yes, it is odd that Kimberly doesn’t want to win the prize money, the car, or the championship opportunity, but that’s just how Kimberly is.  She never has been normal.  And in this case, Marie is grateful for having a twin sister like that.  Marie can use her to her advantage.

Marie feels having someone in the match actively working to help her win is a great asset and she feels this makes her a favorite to potentially win.  And yet, as great as that feeling is, Marie also understands that not everything is sunshine and happiness in her life.

Perpetrating the #GingerHoax and her subsequent declaration of war against UWA has isolated her from the UWA loyalists and burned several bridges.  Marie Annabelle Jones also has aligned herself with her sociopathic twin sister Kimberly Williams and that, too, has brought some problems upon Marie from the rest of her family.  Their mother, Angelica Jones, is reluctantly happy that the siblings are working together now instead of fighting with one another, but Marie’s aunt Kayla Jones and Marie’s half-sister Corey Jones are both very skeptical of Kimberly and her motives.

Currently we find Marie standing outside of a dance hall.  She is on the phone with her twin Kimberly.  Due to the fact that no one is around to listen in on them, she has her turned on FaceTime.  And Marie appears to be rather frustrated with her twin at this moment.

“I don’t need your advice, Kim!”

“It’s not as much advice as it is a command.  Loosen up!”

Marie rolls her eyes.

“I don’t need to loosen up.  This is important and I need to focus.  I need to prepare.  You and I BOTH need to prepare for this.”

“Uh, Marie, may I ask a question?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t this SCW Open Invitational thingy just a fancy term for a clusterfuck?”

Marie nods her head.

“Pretty much.”

“Then tell me, dear sister, how do you prepare for a clusterfuck?”

“You don’t.  But that’s not the point.”

Kimberly sighs.

“I get it, Marie, I really do.  You want to win this thing and prove yourself to the SCW world.  You were on a roll when you first came to SCW and then you hit a brick wall.  You just beat Darrin Miles and now you want to prove to SCW that this wasn’t a fluke, that you are still a legitimate threat in SCW.  And if you can win the whole thing you can get that SCW Television Title Match.  Am I right?”

Marie nods her head.

“Yeah…”

“See?  I get it.  But this isn’t one of those dumbass traditional matches.  This is going to be a glorified bar room brawl without the beer.  There’s nothing you can really do to prepare.  What you can do is gain a slight edge and you’ve done that…you got me!”

“I know that, Kimberly, but just humor me, please?”

“Fine, just for you I’ll take time out of my busy schedule to help you prepare for this clusterfuck.”

Marie frowns, gazing skeptically at the phone.

“Your busy schedule?  Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“What do you have to do that keeps you busy?”

“Oh I just have someone chained up in my basement.  I try to torture them at least one a day.”

Marie rolls her eyes.

“Right…whatever…quit the joking Kim and just meet me at mom’s gym tomorrow, ok?”

Kimberly playfully salutes.

“Right-O!”

“Take care, Kim.”

“And you loosen up.  Relax.  Have fun!”

Marie sighs.

“I wish I could.  I’m not exactly the most popular person right now.”

“Who cares about a popularity contest?  It’s about being the best, who the hell cares what other people think about you!”

“I can agree with that to a degree. I don’t care about what other people think about my methods.  But then there’s our family…”

“Ah, I see.  Mommy and Aunt Kayla don’t approve of your actions as of late.  And our half-sissy Corey doesn’t approve of me at all, does she?”

Marie frowns.

“How did you know?”

“It’s not hard to figure out.  She always hated me, she always will hate me despite the fact that we are sisters.”

Kim chuckles.

“But it’s ok, I’ve learned to accept it.”

“You shouldn’t have to accept anything.  She should accept you.  You’re family.”

“Yeah, but I’m not normal.”

“Neither is she.  She lets few people call her anything but Archangel.  And her father is a nutcase with anger management issues.  Now I don’t claim to be mentally stable.  In fact, I’d dare say I’m nuts too!  But Corey is just as crazy as I am, just as sociopathic as I am, the only difference is that I’m honest about it.  Corey won’t admit it.”

Suddenly Marie feels a pair of hands on her shoulders.  She turns her head to find her husband Arthur standing there.

“Oh…hi, sweetie…”

“Hi Arthur!”

Arthur chuckles.

“Hi, babe.”

He kisses Marie on the cheek and then waves down at the camera.

“Hi, Kim!  I hope you don’t mind me borrowing your sister, we have a dance coming up.”

“Not at all.  I already told her that she needs to loosen up.  This would be perfect.”

Marie sighs.

“I can see when I’ve been beaten.”

“Great, now go out there and cut a rug.  Love ya, sis!”

“Love you, Kim.”

They hang up their phones.  Marie puts it away and then turns to Arthur.  He runs a hand through Marie’s long red hair.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

Arthur smiles wryly.

“You’re lying.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“I know you too well, babe.  So tell me, what’s wrong?”

Marie sighs and shrugs her shoulders.

“It’s my family.  I thought we had a chance, a legitimate chance, at finally having a united family.  I thought mom and Aunt Kayla and all of them would accept Kimberly…”

She bows her head.

“…I guess I was wrong.”

Arthur chuckles.

“You have to admit, Kimberly IS rather unique.”

Marie looks up at Arthur with a fire in her eyes.

“Like Corey isn’t?  I’m her sister and she wants ME to call her Archangel instead of Corey?  Or Jessica?  Kimberly is right.  Corey is just as unstable as Kimberly is.”

Arthur chuckles.

“Yeah, I can agree with that.”

He takes Marie by her hands.

“But now is not the time to be worrying about that.  Hell, you don’t even need to worry about the SCW Open Invitational until next week.  What you need to do right now is to relax and enjoy yourself.  We’re here to have fun, to dance in this couples dancing competition.  We’re up next.  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and the day after that…”

“Christmas.”

Arthur nods his head.

“That’s right.  Now I know Christmas can be hard if you’re having family issues, so I know Saturday and Sunday will be difficult for you, but tonight, just for tonight, try to forget about all of it.  Just have fun.”

Marie sighs and nods her head.

“I guess I can try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Arthur and Marie walk hand in hand from the hall and back through a pair of double doors that lead to the dance floor.  Immediately a spotlight shines down upon them.  A voice booms from the loudspeakers…

“Up next we have “Mr. Arthur Pond and his wife Marie Pond!”

The people gathered here in this dance hall applaud and cheer loudly.  Arthur and Marie step out onto the dance floor, waving politely at the crowd of people.

The applause of the audience died down as both Marie and Arthur ignored the stares they received.  Marie and her husband took their placed and waited for the soft flow of music to begin.  Once it started they took a step forward and bowed.  They circled one another, their gazes remaining locked upon one another.  Arthur Pond placed his hand on Marie's back, her hand on his shoulder, and their free hands finally met.  Together they danced to the music, their feet in perfect sync to the beating of their hearts as the song progressed both seemed to relax more and more.  Jones allowed a small smile to form on her lips.  Arthur is her husband and he is perfect.  He wore a white spotless suit, which matched her mini lace dress featuring boat neckline Lace sleeves and blouse over detail.

Arthur turned elegantly, his body in tune with the slow music.  He was harsh, aggressive, as if he shouldn't be messed with, and yet at the same time, in a strange contrast, he was loving and caring to the Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.  The warmth between husband and wife grew more powerful by the second.  Her heartbeat was growing steadily along with it.  The dance was perfect; everything  from their breathing to how their feet moved, staying in sync.  Arthur guided Marie across the dance floor as if they were in a dream.  She has no idea how Arthur feels at this moment but right now Marie cannot even tell if the audience is there.  He keeps his eyes on Marie, yet still he knew exactly where to take her.  Every moment, every angle seemed to be planned in advance.  Nothing was force; Marie literally felt as if she were floating on the air.

It was at that moment that Marie Annabelle Jones decided to just let go.  She let her worries and concerns over Supreme Championship Wrestling, her problems with Uprising Wrestling Alliance and its owned David Helms and Drew Bryant, and any potential problems with her own family, she decided to let it all go.  Right here, right now was all that mattered.  Nothing else.  Marie allowed him to take her anywhere he pleased on the dance floor.  He went right, so did she.  Arthur sped up, Marie sped up.  Marie and Arthur became o ne with t he song, with the dance, and with each other.  They continued like that until they had to separate when the song came to a close and the crowd applauded loudly.  She hated that the moment had to end but she couldn't help but smile up at him.

“Thanks, Arthur.”

“I’m glad I could be of service.”

He kisses her on the lips, which draws more loud cheers and applause from those in attendance.

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On Camera

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The screen opens with an image of Marie Annabelle Jones and Sophie James, holding the UWA World Tag Team Championship belts over their heads.  It isn’t long until Marie Annabelle Jones herself, The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, steps out onto the scene from stage right.

“The year 2016 is nearly over.  It’s drawing to a close and as I consider the year that was,  I cannot help but start with the UWA World Tag Team Championships.  Sophie and I actually won them back in 2015 and we have held them into the New Year.  We were the #GingerNation and we were more than a brand, more than just a team.  We were a freaking movement.  We were a force of nature that could not be stopped.  Cassius DeLight and Chris Davids tried to stop us, The Sinistry tried to stop us, The Dogs of War tried to stop us, Flawless Goodness tried to stop us, and most recently The Heartbreakers and The Sisterhood tried to stop us.”

The confident if not outright arrogant Jones woman shakes her head.

“None of them could stop the force of nature that is the #GingerNation.”

The image in the background changes to an image of Marie Jones and Willow Wilkes.

“Drew Bryant and “Douchebag” David Helms decided to set up a tournament, a tag team style tournament to determine two of the three challengers for the UWA World Championship at the signature event, Olympus.  Willow Wilkes was my partner and together we marched through Benjamin Flynn and Gavin Taylor, Sophie James and Serenity, and finally Alana Starr and Myra Lynwood on our way to earning our spots in the world championship at Olympus.”

The image of Willow and Marie fades away and in its place is an image of the infamous Pyramid structure that debuted at Olympus.

“But this would not be any normal match.  The brain trust at UWA had the brilliant idea UWA World Championship should be defended in the most hellacious structure ever devised…a Pyramid.  So that’s what happened, and had it been anyone else in that match, the Pyramid would have no doubt been a flop.  But I’m the Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and anything turns to gold.  I made that Pyramid a success, I made Olympus a success becoming the first winner of the first Olympus main event, and I won the UWA World Championship on that night.  And I was world champion until August 1^st.  For eight months of 2016 I busted my ass for UWA.  For eight months of 2016 I sacrificed and I bled for UWA.  And then what does UWA choose to do?”

“They pigeonhole me.  After I lose the championship to Vanilla Skyy, Helms and Bryant chose to pigeonhole me, sticking me forever in their pathetic tag team division.  This was done no doubt to protect Vanilla Skyy, because I am The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and that victory over me was a fluke.  I am her superior, I have proven it twice now.  2016 could have and should have been my year, but Bryant and Helms screwed me over.  I would have won back that championship and gone on to become the greatest champion in UWA history had it not been for them.”

The image of the Pyramid at Olympus fades away and in its place is an image of the SCW logo.

“I knew something had to be done.  I knew a change had to be made.  Now you may not like what I did, you may not like the choices and decisions I made, but ask yourself this question: what would you have done had you been in my position?  Would you not have also tried to change your situation?  Would you not have also tried to look out for your own best interests?  Drew Bryant and David Helms clearly weren’t.  They tried t o keep me away from my destiny.  They tried to keep me out of the singles division.”

Jones shakes her head.

“That wasn’t going to happen.  I wasn’t going to let it happen.  So I negotiated a new contract, one with Supreme Championship Wrestling.  But why did I choose SCW?  It wasn’t just because of the obvious fact that SCW is the number one game in town, there was another reason too.”

The SCW logo changes to an image of Marie Jones participating in last year’s End of the Year Battle Royal.

“I already had a history with Supreme Championship Wrestling.  I competed in last year’s End of the Year Open Invitational Battle Royal and I did quite well if I say so myself.  I threw myself into the heart of the fire against some of the toughest competition SCW could muster and I survived.  I may not have won but I survived. My performance in last year’s battle royal not only gave me the necessary preparation and fighting skill going forward into UWA in my quest to become UWA World Champion, but it also proved to me that I could hang with the stars of SCW.  When Tabitha Silverstone and I negotiated this deal for me in SCW, many were questioning me.  Many of my own supporters doubted that I could get the job done.  I knew I could be successful in SCW because I had already been there and I had survived!”

“I went on to defeat Hannah Warr, I defeated Kara Abheri, and I defeated Darrin Miles.  Yes, there have been bumps in the road here and there since coming to SCW.  But I believe I can safely say that I have arrived and that I am a success in SCW.  I am Marie Annabelle Jones, I am The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, and more importantly than that, I AM AN SCW SUPERSTAR!”

She snarls and shakes her head.

“Yet there are still those who doubt me.  That’s fine and I’m going to tell you why.  Last year was about me proving to Drew Bryant that I was ready to compete, proving to him that I was ready to go.  Last year, Drew Bryant wouldn’t clear me to compete because his worthless know-nothing doctors thought I was injured.  I entered the SCW End of the Battle Royal to prove that I was more than ready to compete regardless of what his stupid half-witted doctors thought.  And despite what they said, despite what they thought about my injuries, I kicked ASS in last year’s battle royal!  This year will be no different.  This year’s End of the Year Battle Royal is all about me silencing my critics once and for all.  This isn’t about the cash or the car, because I don’t need either.  My performance this year is about making the SCW universe sit up and take notice of who the hell I am!  And when I win…”

She chuckles lightly.

“…notice what I said there, because I’m not going to settle for just performing well.  I’m not going to settle for just kicking ass.”

She shakes her head.

“This year is my time.  No one will stand in my way, no one will stop me.  This year I will be victorious and I will claim the one prize of the three that I really and truly want and that is the opportunity to compete for the SCW Television Championship.”

“2016 wasn’t completely friendly to me.  It started out great and then the political machine in UWA tried to keep me down, they tried to hold me back. SCW has given me an opportunity to rise up out of the ashes, just like The Phoenix…”

Marie grins knowingly.

“…The Phoenix, an old ring name I used to go by; how ironic.  I may have been beat down by the UWA machine but like The Phoenix I am going to rise back up here in SCW and claim gold, gold that I deserve, and claim the spot that I deserve in professional wrestling.  The top spot.  Main event status!”

“Now I know main event status won’t be given instantaneously.  The top spot and main event status in any company is earned.  I am prepared to earn that status here in SCW.  This battle royal is my opportunity to fast track my way from the lower card to the spot I deserve, because WHEN I win, SCW will be unable to keep me down the way UWA did.”

“And I will win, I will win by any means necessary.  Isn’t that right…Kim?”

Kimberly Williams walks into the scene from stage left.  She stands next to her identical twin sister with a wicked grin etched across her face.

“Damn right, sis!  Did ya give them low down?”

Marie nods her head.

“I’m getting there.”

Marie’s own vapid sneer nearly matches Kimberly’s.

“Kimberly already told you, but in case you weren’t paying attention to her, then maybe you’ll pay attention to me.  Kimberly Williams is the greatest weapon anyone could possess and, to put it bluntly, I have no qualms utilizing that weapon against anyone and everyone who gets in my way at the End of the Year Special.  Kimberly’s job in the battle royal is simple.  She is going to make damn sure that I win.”

“In other words, ladies and gentlemen, I am coming into this match with an advantage over everyone else, a perfectly LEGAL advantage that none of you, not even SCW, can do a damn thing about.  I will use that advantage, that weapon, and everything else at my disposal to win, because I AM The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and I am The Phoenix that will rise up from the ashes claim victory at the End of the Year Special.”