Triple Threat Motor City Title

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Off Camera

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We open in the waiting room of a hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The floor has light carpeting , colored a thin brown mocha color.  In the center of the waiting area are several red cushioned chairs sitting back to back.  Against a wall is one single sofa, also colored that same red as the chairs.  A picture of a beach was sprawled on each wall, each depicting beautiful scenery: rolling waves on idyllic sand. Across from the receptionist desk was a tiny black wooden coffee table holding health magazines. Underneath it was a dull grey carpet that covered the whole room. A television hung in one corner displaying boring commercials.

The young lady dressed mostly in black, which includes black denim jeans, black boots, and a lacy black top complete with a black leather jacket, ignores anyone and everyone around here, including that dull television.  She focuses her attention on the reception desk straight ahead of her.  Jones gets to the desk and gets the attention of the young brown haired female working the desk by clearing her throat.

“Ahem…”

“Oh, yes?”  The receptionist turns and smiles at Jessica. “May I help you?”

“Oh you most certainly can.” Jessica answers in a sweet tone. “I believe my friend was recently admitted.  Her name is Summer.  Summer Newman.”

“Let me check…” the receptionist keys in a few things on her computer and a few short moments later she nods her head “…yes, she is here.  Only close friends and family are allowed to see her right now, though.”

“Oh I’m sure that I’m still on her list.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jessica Jones.”

The receptionist keys in a few more things to her computer and again nods her head. “Yes, there you are.  I’ll take you back there.”

The receptionist steps away from her desk and motions for Jessica to follow her down a hall.  The hall is gray and plain.  The pair pass a few nurses along the way but eventually they reach a door.  It is brown and dull like all the others.  The receptionist smiles kindly and opens the door wider.  Jessica steps through into the room and spots Summer in the bed, her eyes closed, apparently asleep.

The hospital room is as devoid of beauty.  Its walls are simply cream, not peeling or dirty, just cream. There is no decoration at all save the limp curtain that can separate my bed from the three others in here. It was perhaps once the kind of green that reminds people of spring-time and hope, but it's faded so much that the hue is insipid. The room as an undertone of bleach and the floor is simply grey. At the far end are windows in brown metal frames, only able to be opened at the top.  At the door are dispensers for rubber gloves, hand sanitizer and soap.

Jessica turns to face the nurse who is playing the role of receptionist this evening and smiles warmly.  “Thank you.  I think I can take it from here.”

The receptionist nods and then makes her exit.  Jessica heads over to the bedside of Summer Newman and stares down deep into her eyes.  Jessica reaches out with her right hand and snaps her fingers right into Summer’s face.  This is meant to awaken her and, sure enough, Summer starts to stir…

“Huh?” She blinks her eyes a few times. “Wha…?”

“Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead.” Jessica remarks with a sinister grin on her face.  Summer’s eyes grow wide with shock as she realizes just who it is that is here visiting her.  She shakes her head vehemently.

“No, no, no!  Not you!” Summer reaches out for the remote that can call the nurse but before she can do anything Jessica, quick as a cat, snatches the remote out of her hand.

“Not right now…Ms. Newman…” Jessica chuckles as she said that, somewhat tongue in cheek “…we need to have a chat, you and I.”

Jessica walks over to the other side of the room and finds a chair.  She pulls the chair up to Summer’s bedside and places it by Summer’s head.  Jessica sits down and grins wickedly as she stares at Summer.  Summer, for her part, is frightened. She has no idea what Jessica has planned.

“You…you put me in here!  You injured my leg!”

“Yes, and I could do oh so much worse to you right now couldn’t I?  I mean, look at you.  You’re so weak and vulnerable right now.  There’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me from doing anything I want to do.” Jessica shrugs her shoulders.  “So why struggle?  Why fight?  I could do anything I want anyway and you couldn’t stop me, so why not just sit back and listen to what I have to say?”

“I know you’re angry, I know you’re pissed off, but listen to me Jessica, I…”

“Shut up!” Jessica growls angrily and threateningly at Summer. “Shut up and listen because Jessica is not here right now.  You’re speaking with The Archangel.”

“But I…” Summer shakes her head “…I don’t understand…”

“Jessica needs protection.  She is confused right now and severely disappointed.  She put her entire trust in you; she didn’t believe me when I said that you were lying to her, using her, and that you would betray her.  Jessica is still trying to deal with that.  That’s why, for now, she needs me.  She needs The Archangel.”

Jessica reaches out and touches Summer on the nose. “And you only have yourself to blame.  She bought into justice and truth, right and wrong, all along, but when she hit a rough patch and started losing, she began to feel like a failure.  She felt she needed your assistance.  And that was your way in.  You convinced her that she needed your brand of purity and you purified her.  You filled her head with your filth, your garbage, your lies, but it was all a ruse.  It was all so you could use her for your own personal gain.”

Jessica chuckles.  “You had to know that the truth would eventually catch up to you.  You had to know that your sins would come back to haunt you.  If you thought you could get away with it then you really are stupid.”

Jessica stands up and pushes the chair away. “So now your sins have caught up with you, Summer.  I have made you pay for your sins against Jessica Jones.  Now anyone else who gets in my way will also pay just as you have paid.  They will suffer just as you have suffered.”

Jessica turns and walks off. “Happy New Year, Summer.”

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On Camera

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You know, I had originally prepared for a four way.  Now I understand that injuries happen and it is truly a shame that Tommy Cook and Clay Colton were injured and unable to compete at Shattered Dreams.  What I don’t understand is how does a newcomer to MCW, Cody Knight, automatically get one of those spots?  I mean, I hate to sound like a complainer, but I worked for this spot.  I busted my ass beating anyone and everyone who got in my way.  I have proven myself each and every time I set foot in between those ropes.  Cody, though, hasn’t had any experience with this company at all and he’s being granted a title shot in his first day here?

Don’t get me wrong, Cody is a talented athlete.  We know each other from our days in GCW.  I know how good he is.  I know he is capable.  But is worthy of stepping foot into a title match on the first day out?

To be perfectly frank, you are not in an enviable situation, Knight.  As a matter of fact, I’d hate to be you right now, because the pressure is on.  Apparently management felt you were impressive enough and worthy enough of entering this match.  So now here you are, on the precipice of greatness, but you have to work for it. You have to earn it.  You have to walk through the hell that I prepare to rain down upon you and Chantelle Chambers in order to walk out with that Motor City gold in a triple threat match, a match where you don’t even have to be pinned or made to submit in order to lose the match.

And that brings up another thing I don’t quite understand.  It was a fatal four way until two had to bow out due to injury.  One of them was replaced but Clay Colton?

No replacement.

All I hear from Monarchy nowadays is whining and moaning about how management is unfair to Monarchy.  I really want them to pull their heads out of their self-entitled asses and explain to me how placing two Monarchy members against one non-Monarchy member is actually hurting Monarchy or unfair to Monarchy. Mathematically speaking there is a 66% chance that Monarchy leaves with that championship.

Oh but you know, maybe I shouldn’t criticize Monarchy too much.  Maybe the poor babies have a point?  I mean, yes, it is two Monarchy members against one for the Motor City Championship, but that one person is The Archangel.

So this is the reality that you face, Chantelle Chambers.  It’s the same reality that Cody Knight, making his debut here with this company, will also be facing.  The reality that you two face is the fact that your dreams will be shattered thanks to my unforgiving scythe of judgment.

Triple threat, fatal four way, five, six, seven, one on one, it doesn’t matter what the odds, how many people, it really doesn’t matter because I bring wrath everywhere I go, I bring the pain everywhere I go.  And win, lose, or draw, I always leave bodies in my wake and blood soaking the ground.

I am your judge, jury, and executioner and I have judged both of you to be overconfident and ultimately weak.

All Eyes On You?  All eyes will be on you and me both when I turn back your challenge and Cody’s challenge, when I turn back the seemingly insurmountable challenge of two of Monarchy’s finest; because two on one is how I like it, it’s how I want it, because that way there will be no excuses, none whatsoever, for when I humble the both of you on MCW’s final night of existence. 

4 Way Motor City Title

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Off Camera

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Thunder came like the prelude to a great song, impetuous rumbling permeating the air every bit as much as the sudden rain. At first it was a crack, violent to the ears, but after came a rolling sound that dissipated into the surrounding hills.  Jessica Jones, who sits inside of her Boston, Massachusetts home, jumps ever so slightly at the sound, thankful that, at least, she is inside and not outside in this mess.

The large, grandiose living room is uncomfortably large and is like a perfect magazine cover.  Inside Jessica sits on a couch that is cream but inlaid with a fine green silk; leaves embroidered so delicately that they might have landed there in spring and just sunk in, but we know they took hundreds of hours to sew.  The white curtains over the windows are linen, the kind of white that is untouched by hands and devoid of dust. A cursory look to the right shows me the almost hidden cords that are used to open and close them.  There is no television, no bookshelf, no dining table, only the chairs arranged around the bespoke fireplace which leaps with a gas flame.

Over the mantle are pictures of her loving and caring husband, Kyle Butler, who is not at home as of right now.  He has gone out on business.  When he will return is unknown and that’s what leaves Jessica even more concerned beyond just this storm.  Everything else is of her mother, no father here. Every decoration is feminine, there are those ubiquitous statements of love and friendship engraved into plaques on the wall. She idolizes love but cannot replicate what she has lost.

Another noise causes the redhead to nearly jump up out of the couch itself, but this time the noise is most definitely not from the thunder and lightning of the coming storm.  What she hears is thudding from upstairs.

Jones rises up off of the sofa and slowly makes her way over cautiously and silently to the fireplace.  She reaches up, pushes the pictures aside, and then produces a pistol.  She has an idea of what might be causing this noise, and if she is right then she is safe, but it is better to be safe than sorry.  Thus, with gun in hand, she quietly makes her way out of the room and out into the hallway.  There she heads towards the staircase.  She is at the bottom of the stairs and looks upward.  She gasps, startled at first at what she sees, but then she settles down.

“Oh…it’s you again…”

Looking up at the top of the stairs is what appears to be a life size clone, exact copy of Jessica herself.  Despite this highly unusual turn of events Jessica doesn’t seem phased, nor does she seem nervous in the least as her clone begins to make her way down the stairs and towards Jessica.  Once she is at the bottom of the stairs the doppelganger smirks.

“You don’t appear to be frightened.”

“I’ve seen and dealt with far worse.” Jessica remarks.

“This is true and I should know, considering the fact that I am you, after all.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Seeing is believing, Jessica.  Look at me.” She twirls around three hundred sixty degrees. “I am you in nearly every way.  In fact, I am more YOU than even you.”

“How do you figure that?” Jessica snaps, getting somewhat offended. “I know who the hell I am!”

“No, you don’t.” The doppelganger shakes her head. “At least not yet, but you are getting there.  Soon you’ll know who you are.”

“More cryptic talk.” Jessica sighs and shakes her head. “I don’t get it…”

“Maybe I can clear something up, Jessica.  Tell me, what do you notice that’s different about me since the last time you saw me?”

“Uh, well,” Jessica stares at her doppelganger up and down very closely for several seconds and not noticing anything she finally shrugs her shoulders “nothing.  I don’t see anything different.  You look the same as me and…well…” her voice trails off.

“You are quite correct, I do still look the same as I always do.  But the big difference…” she chuckles “…pardon the pun…is that the last time I saw you I was very small in stature and I was locked inside of a cage.”

Jessica stares deep into this doppelganger’s eyes for several moments.  What she beholds is a familiar fire, a fire that she once had in her eyes.

“Who are you?”

“I’m you.” The doppelganger reaches out and touches Jessica on her nose. “Your real personality, your true self, the one Summer Newman has managed to keep under lock and key.  But as you can see I’ve grown, quite literally, in strength.  I’ve even escaped from my cage, as evidenced from the few times I did manage to regain control of our mental faculty…if even for a brief moment…and I’m almost there, Jessica.  But I still do not have enough strength to stay in control.  But there is something you can do to help yourself and me.”

She reaches out and places a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “You are by yourself in Motor City Wrestling.  Summer doesn’t even attend the damn events.  She just stays in the lap of luxury and tries to command you from afar and tries to take credit for everything you do but really it is YOU who does all the work.  You earned this opportunity at the Motor City Championship.  It is you who should win that championship and take full credit for yourself for achieving it.  Understand?”

“I, uh…” Jessica pauses momentarily, hesitating to answer.

“Do you understand?!”

“Maybe, I….”

“JESSICA!”

Suddenly Jessica shoots straight up.  She blinks a few times and looks around to try and regain her bearings.  She notices she is no longer in her home but is inside of a long black limousine.  Next to her is Summer Newman.  Clearly Jessica had been sleeping.

“Jessica, are you ok?”

“Oh…uh, yes, yes I’m fine, Ms. Newman.”

“Good.  So do you understand what you have to do at Shattered Dreams?”

“Yes,” Jessica smirks knowingly “I understand what I have to do.”

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On Camera

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I want Chantelle and Tommy to listen to this very closely.  I want the entirety of Monarchy to listen to this very closely because I want each and every one of you to understand this.  Hell, I want everyone in Motor City Wrestling to understand this.  I will start by addressing The Monarchy,  Tommy Cook and Chantelle Chambers.

Some may be trying to drive a wedge between you two but I am not one of them.  I do not need to drive a wedge between you two in order to defeat you.  I can beat you both at one time.  I can maim and murder you both at one time.  Get your own damn special referee if you’re concerned about management trying to split you up, I’ll STILL beat you both within an inch of your lives.  This pathetic divide and conquer strategy is completely unnecessary.  I’d rather face the challenge head on. And that’s what you’re getting from me.  You get to face your nightmare head on and your nightmare comes in the form of The Archangel.

I am The Archangel and I am NOBODY’S sacrifice.  I cannot and will not speak for Clay Colton, but I will speak for myself when I say that I am not in here just to make this Motor City Championship look “legitimate” or to make it look “competitive” or to protects its “integrity” what with two Monarchy members in the match.  I roll over for no one and I always come to win and here’s a spoiler alert for Monarchy; Tommy and Chantelle combined do not have what it takes to stop me or to keep me down.

The notion of MCW or anyone else trying to split you apart is fake news, as they say. It’s a fake scandal.  But if you want to know the real scandal it’s the fact that you’ve been protected.  Monarchy and that Motor City Championship has been protected from me.

Just take a look back at what I’ve done since my arrival in this company.  I have quite literally been on a tear and came just this short of becoming Motor City Champion back at Purgatory and ever since then, ever since Monarchy has arrived on the scene, I was kept silently away from the title scene.  All the while I continued my winning ways.  The entire time I continued to run through this company.  Then they kept me off television for awhile.  Why?

For your protection.

That protection ends at Shattered Dreams because judgment day, YOUR JUDGMENT DAY, has arrived in the form of The Archangel.  I am your judge, your jury, and your executioner and I will be the one who decides your fate.

Clay Colton, do not think I have forgotten you.  I hope you don’t fall into the trap of Monarchy.  I hope you aren’t buying this bullshit they’re selling.  You are not a sacrifice and neither am I.  And this match isn’t about them, despite how much Chambers may want to make it out to be.

This is about the Motor City Championship.

My warning to you is the same one I give to Chambers and Cook; I will go through anyone and everyone to get that Motor City Championship, just as I have run roughshod through this company to date.  That title will belong to the Archangel and there is no one who can stop me.

The Big Apple

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Off Camera

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Winning a world championship doesn’t just happen in one day.  You have to work for it.  You have to bust your ass for years, paying your dues, working your way tirelessly up that figurative ladder, up the metaphorical mountain, until you reach the summit and claim its prize; the World Championship.  And now, after over a year in Supreme Championship Wrestling, Marie is getting very close to her first opportunity at the top prize in wrestling.

This wouldn’t be her first taste of world championship gold.  The Phoenix first tasted world championship gold back in Global Championship Wrestling and most recently in the now closed down UWA.  But Marie left UWA after she was not granted an opportunity a world title rematch after losing it to Vanilla Skyy.  She went to SCW and in that time she became SCW United States Champion. But that is all in the past as Marie now focuses on potentially making the next step to reclaiming that top spot and becoming a world champion again.

It all started at the Future Is Now where Marie came in fourth place in a battle royal of top world title contenders.  The top five would continue the journey and that journey’s next stop is Breakdown where she will face Alistaire Allocco.

Allocco was the most recent champion before losing it to Jake Starr.  Marie knows that this could very well be a proving ground for her.  A chance to prove that she belongs in the world title discussion.

“The Big Apple!”

But before we get to Breakdown, a show being held in Syracuse, she and her twin sister Kimberly are visiting another city in New York; New York City.  They are walking the streets of what Kimberly loudly proclaimed as “The Big Apple” and they certainly are a contrast in styles.  Marie, the more conservative of the two, wearing an ankle length maxi skirt and a long sleeve red sweater.  Her long gorgeous red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  Kimberly Williams, on the other hand, wears a much simpler attire of torn denim jeans, tennis shoes, and her own signature t-shirt which reads “STABBY! STABBY! STABBY!” on the front.

“That’s right, Kim.  We’re in New York City.” Marie takes in a deep breath, sighs, and lets it out.  She smiles as she looks from left to right at the sights in front of her and Kim as they continue their walk down the streets. “Even though we travel all over the world and get to see so many great places, I still find New York City to be somewhere special.”

“But why do they call it The Big Apple?”

“Kim…”

“I mean, think about it, this city doesn’t resemble an apple at all!”

“Kim…”

“I haven’t even seen an apple!  Most of these New Yorkers have been chowing down on hot dogs or cheese burgers.”

“Kim!”

“Huh?” Kimberly turns her head to face Marie, grinning innocently. “What’s up, sis?”

“Just calm down, sis.” Marie says with a slight chuckle in her voice. “Why they call it the Big Apple isn’t important.  Just enjoy the scenery.”

Marie stops walking momentarily, as does Kim.  Marie then places a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“That’s what today is about, Kim.  You and I enjoying ourselves and more specifically you getting out to see the sights.”

“I know, sis,” Kimberly nods her head “you don’t have to try to soften the blow to protect my feelings.  I’m ok with it.  Really.”

“Huh?” Marie asks, slightly confused.

“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, Marie, I really do.  But don’t think I haven’t noticed it.  Heck, you and mom both have been doing this a lot more lately…”

“Doing what, exactly?”

“Spending more quality time with me.” Kimberly answers. “At least that’s how mom referenced it.”

“Kim, listen…” Marie sighs but before she can continue she is interrupted by Kimberly.

“No, it’s ok.” Kimberly grins warmly from ear to ear. “I spent my entire life up until adulthood as a recluse, off the radar, being raised by a sociopath.  It’s no wonder I turned out the way I did, eh?  I did eventually get to know you but I never got to know mom.  So spending more time getting to know her is great.  And this right here….”

She waves her arms at the sights and surroundings. “This is awesome, Marie.  I spent most of my life away from my real family, living off the radar, and thus I never got to see any of this, the sights and sounds of the real world.”

Kimberly leans in and embraces her sister in a tight hug. “Thanks, Marie!”

“Don’t mention it, Kim…” the embrace is broken and Marie grins warmly “…it’s the right thing to do.”

“The right thing?” A look of mischief crosses across Kimberly’s face. “I want to concern myself with the fun thing!”

With that, Kimberly turns and bolts away from Marie, who in turn rolls her eyes. “For the love of God…Kim, wait up!”

Marie takes off after her sister, wishing now that she had worn a pair of sneakers like Kimberly did, it would make the rush to keep up with Kimberly a lot easier.  Granted, Marie is wearing a simple pair of black flats.  At least she’s not trying to run in heels.  But Marie knows she needs to catch up with her sister Kimberly.  Taking her to New York City was her idea to introduce her to the real world.  As Kimberly accurately pointed out, she was never raised in a normal environment and given proper social training.  She does not know how to act properly in society.  And that fact scares Marie.

“Kimberly, hold on!  Wait a second!”

Marie finally catches up to Kimberly just as she stops in front of what appears to be a homeless man wearing raggedy clothes.  He does have a guitar to his name and is strumming on that guitar, playing some music.  The guitar case is open in front of him, obviously expecting some sort of payment.

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…nobody knows my sorrow…nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…Glory, Hallelujah!”

“GLORY!” Kimberly exclaims.

“Nobody knows the trouble I've seen…Nobody knows but Jesus…Nobody knows the trouble I've seen…Glory, Hallelujah!”

“Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!”

Kimberly has a big wide grin on her face as she takes in his singing.  Marie, though, doesn’t appear to be sharing in her sentiments as she looks on in disgust.

“He seems to be a bit of a downer, isn’t he?”

“Well he is homeless, Marie.” Kim remarks before turning to face her sister. “May I keep him?”

“Huh?!”

“I promise I’ll love him and care for him and take him out for walks and poop him every day!”

“Kim, I really don’t think…”

“I’ll love him and hug him and name him George!”

“Uh, actually, ma’am,” the man with the guitar, now realizing that he is the topic of discussion, stops playing “my name is Percy!”

“NO!” Kim snaps and glares angrily at him. “YOUR NAME IS GEORGE!”

“Uh, right…” the man backs away slowly “…George it is…”

“See?” Kim looks on proudly at Marie. “George!”

“Kimberly, we really need to go elsewhere.  Ok?”

“But can I keep him?” She motions to the man and his guitar.

“No!”

“Fine, party pooper.  But we should at least give him something for his great musical ability.” Before Marie can react, Kimberly reaches into Marie’s purse and produces a wad of cash and throws it into the guitar case. “Merry Christmas, George!”

“It’s Percy, ma’am!  Merry Christmas!”

Kimberly skips away with Marie dumbfounded, staring back at Percy.  Marie finally regains her composure a few moments later and rushes to catch back up with Kimberly and when she does catch up she has a shocked look on her face as she stares at her seemingly carefree sister.

“That was ALL of the cash money I had on my person, Kim!”

“Oh really?  How much was that, then?”

“TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!” Marie exclaims.

“You really shouldn’t be keeping that much on you, sis.” Kimberly remarks playfully. “No one uses cash money anyway. It’s all debit card or credit card…or was that bitcoin?”

“Oh Lord, Kim…” Marie sighs deeply with a hint of frustration.

“What’s wrong, Ma…” Kim’s eyes grow wide as she kneels down and picks up an empty water bottle that was cast aside “…I know what we can do…”

“Find the litter bug and make a citizen’s arrest?” Marie suggests half-jokingly.

“No…” Kimberly throws the empty water bottle at Marie “…we can throw things at old people!”

“WHAT?!” Marie barely ducks out of the way in time to avoid being hit by the empty bottle.  Marie looks back up at Kimberly with a dumbfounded look on her face. “What was THAT for?!”

“I’m throwing things at old people.”

“You threw it at me!”

“Yup!” Kimberly says, nodding her head enthusiastically.

“I’m not old!”

“Sure you are!” Kimberly picks up another piece of litter, this time a wadded up McDonald’s cheese burger wrapper, and throws it at Marie.  This time it hits her square on the forehead.

“Two things, Kim.” Marie begins. “First, we look ridiculous out here with you throwing things at me!  Second, I’m not old!”

“You are old, sis.”

“No older than you.” Marie says, rolling her eyes. “We’re twins, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot!” Kimberly giggles uncontrollably.

“Kim, I do want to spend more quality time with you, and I do want to show you the sights and sounds of the world that you missed when you were growing up, but…”

“…but I can’t be taken out in public, can I?” Kimberly answers back, seemingly to finish Marie’s own thought.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to.” Kim remarks. “It’s the truth.  Like I said, I accept the fact that I don’t have any real social training of any sort due to being raised by a sociopath.”

“You can’t help it, I get that, but Kim…” Marie embraces her sister in a tight hug “…it doesn’t mean you have to like it.”

“So you’re not kicking me out?” Kimberly asks as they break the embrace. “You’re not giving up on me?”

“I would never give up on you, Kim.” Marie says with a knowing grin. “You are family and I’m here to help every step of the way.”

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On Camera

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The Christmas season is when we look back on the past year while, at the same time, look forward to what the New Year might bring.  The Christmas season is unique in the sense that we look at the past and future simultaneously.

Now I could go on and continue to dwell on what brought me here to SCW in the first place, how I want a legitimate shot at being a world champion again, but this isn’t a time for whining, complaining, or dwelling on a past that I cannot change.  I haven’t been dwelling on that past and instead I have focused on doing everything I can to earn that world championship match that I still feel should’ve been mine over a year ago.

I could’ve had that title shot at the End of the Year Special but I didn’t quite get enough votes, did I?  But I don’t care.  I honestly prefer it this way, because I want to bust my ass and earn the title shot.  As much as I love our SCW fans, I don’t want a title shot handed to me because of a fan vote.  I want the world to know that I’ve earned it and that my subsequent reign as SCW World Champion is legitimate because of my hard work, my dedication, my sacrifice.

Allistaire Allocco, you claim to want to earn that title shot as well.  You claim to want to work your way back to that spot rather than just be handed an automatic rematch.  I can respect that.  I respect that you aren’t dwelling on the past but looking forward into what the future might bring.

We both have been to the top of the mountain, Allocco.  Granted, you have been to the top of the highest mountain, the SCW mountain, but we’ve both tasted world championship gold.  So we both know the feeling of what it is like to have had that top spot and then to have lost it.  What makes us different, Allocco, is that this is the very reason why I even came to Supreme Championship Wrestling in the first place.  I want to return to that top spot but I’m not just settling for anywhere.  I want to be the very best wrestler in the world and the very best wrestler in the world is whoever holds the SCW World Championship.

You know the funny thing about the future?  No one knows what it will bring.  You and I just endured a battle royal at The Future Is Now and that’s how we earned our spots of number two and number four.  We know that we’ll do battle this coming Breakdown but other than that, no one knows.  Ace could even decide to get involved and it would be perfectly legal if he invokes his right as number three contender to choose.

So because dwelling on the past cannot help and we cannot know the future, I am just going to focus on the here and now.  I am going to focus on the one thing I can control and that is my own performance on Breakdown from Syracuse, New York as I go head to head against you, Allocco.  My very best against your very best…and quite possibly, Ace’s too…

…I’m not under any illusions or delusions that this will be easy or even fair.  In my time here in SCW I’ve learned the hard way that nothing is ever fair, that this place can be and usually is cutthroat.  So will I be prepared for anything?

You damn right I will be prepared for anything because I want this more than you.  You have been SCW World Champion, Allocco.  I commend you for that achievement.  But you’ve already proven to the world that you can do it once and therefore you can do it again.  Anyone who says otherwise, or says that it was a fluke, is wrong.

But what about me?  I am a former SCW United States Champion, that much is true, but can I win the big one?  Do I even belong in this title picture?  Some don’t think I do.  I want this opportunity and this victory because I want to prove each and every single doubter and critic wrong.  I want to make them all realize that I belong here and that I am no fluke.  I want to show the world that I am exactly what I say I am…

…The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.

Trouble In Paradise: Part 7

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Monologue

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You learn a great deal about yourself when you face adversity.  When trials and tribulation stare you in the eye, when you are backed into a corner, are you going to crouch down into a fetal position and whimper or are you going to fight like never before?

It’s easy to step out onto the stage with a microphone and claim to be the best, but you have to back it up with actions and having nice big championship belt helps the argument as well.  It has been well over a year since I could claim to be the best wrestler of any promotion and, to be perfectly frank, my actions inside of the wrestling ring haven’t lived up to my standards either.

Now you may say to yourself “Marie, since that time you were UWA X Class Champion and SCW United States Champion”…but damn it I am a Jones and I hold myself to greater standards.  I have to be the best and lately I haven’t been performing like the best.  Now I could have been the type to slink away and just give up but that’s just not me, that isn’t who I am.  I never give up and I never quit.  I will one day be the best and that starts with my performance.

I still have it in me to perform not just at my best but to raise my game, to perform better than I have ever performed in my career.  That talent and that ability, that potential, is still there, I just have to tap into that potential energy and turn it into kinetic energy…energy that will lead me back to the promised land, energy that will lead me to the single most prestigious championship in professional wrestling, greater, even than the championship I lost over a year ago.

Yes, I have faced a great deal of adversity recently, but I am not going to let it stop me, I am not going to let it hinder me.  I am going to learn from it and I am going to use it as motivation as I claim what I want, what I need….

…the SCW World Championship.

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Off Camera

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Marie Annabelle Jones feels deep down in her heart and soul that she must settle certain issues, deal with unresolved problems between herself and her mother, before she can move on to bigger and better things; namely her upcoming battle royal match at Future Is Now in what could very well earn her a world championship opportunity if she can be victorious.  Jones cannot afford any distractions, none whatsoever.  Anything that gets her mind off of the task at hand could topple her, could upend her chances at getting the title shot.  She already felt the consequences of what a mental distraction could cost her; she lost her match on Breakdown to Torsten Voigt, losing a great deal of momentum in the process.

Now more than ever she knows that this is a meeting that must take place.  It doesn’t make it any easier, though…

We find Marie in the passengers’ seat of a red Ford Taurus. Her mother, the matriarch of the Jones Family, Angelica Jones, is driving.  With the exception of the occasional glance to the left to get a look at her mother, Marie has had her face forward nearly the entire trip since they departed from the hotel just about ten minutes ago.  Marie has tried to get her mother to open up, to talk about something, anything, but to no avail.  Angelica has remained stoically quiet.  It is an eerie calm and somewhat troubles Marie, for she has not seen her mother like this before.  She has never been this quiet, this calm.

“Are we almost there?”

“Almost.”

Marie is stunned that she actually got her mother to answer with “almost”, and she is thankful to get that answer.  Truth is, she doesn’t know where her mother is going.  Her mother insisted on driving to a particular location, a location she did not reveal about to Marie ahead of time, and she has been silent ever since.  Marie tried to get answers out of her but without success.  She is just along for the ride, not knowing where that ride will take her.

Still, the younger Jones tries to get her mother to open up…

“Funny, you know?  I wouldn’t have to ask if we were almost there if I knew where ‘there’ was, right?”

Marie laughs uneasily but she hears no such laughter from her mother.  Angelica remains silent, stoic, and quiet.  Marie, for her part, is doing a good job of maintaining her own composure.  She does not like the current attitude of her mother, Angelica Jones.  She just wishes she could get some answers from her.  But everyone has their breaking points, including Marie.

“Mom, will you please say something!”

“We’re here.”

“Huh?”

Marie feels the car slowing down to a stop as Angelica pulls the Ford Taurus over to the side of the road.  Angelica turns the vehicle off and takes the keys out of the ignition.  Marie watches with some bewilderment and confusion as her mother steps out of the vehicle.  She sighs as she realizes she must follow suit.  Marie takes off her seatbelt and then exits the vehicle as well.

Once outside Marie notices that her mother is staring off into the distance, staring blankly, standing in front of the vehicle that brought them here.  Marie walks over to join her in front of the Ford Taurus and watches her closely for a reaction but gets nothing.  Marie waves a hand in front of her mother’s face but Angelica remains unblinking.  It is chilling.  It is creepy.  It makes Marie nervous.

“Mom, what’s wrong?  Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Marie retorts, shaking her head. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Trust me, Marie.  I am fine.”

“Bullshit!” Marie exclaims. “You’ve been acting like a damn zombie ever since we left the hotel!  And then you brought us here, to the middle of nowhere!”

“You wanted to talk.  So talk.”

“Sure but first why did you bring me out here?”

“Because we need to be here so we can talk.”

“Damn it, mom!” Now Marie’s anger begins to come to the forefront. “Where the hell is here?!”

“Look…”

Angelica motions with her right hand up towards the skyline.  Marie looks forward and finally she spots it; the towering vision that is the Salk Lake Temple off in the distance.  The three large towers touching the heavens themselves, with the one in the center looming the highest, with the infamous “All Seeing Eye” as its centerpiece.  It truly is an awesome sight, awesome enough to squelch Marie’s anger.

“Wow…” Marie’s voice trails off as she seemingly forgets about anything and everything else, watching this sight from just outside downtown Salt Lake City.

“Talk.”

“Huh?” Startled back to attention after several moments of staring at the impressive Mormon Temple, Marie turns to look back at her mother. “What?”

“You wanted to talk.  So talk.”

“Oh, right…” Marie shakes her head, regaining her composure as she tries to collect her thoughts, recalling exactly why she set up this meeting in the first place “…well, mom, there’s just a lot of things we need to talk about, some problems that I think exist between you and I, and maybe something you need to share with me.”

“You’ve spoke with Kayla, haven’t you?” Angelica says, still frowning.

“Yes, I have, but she didn’t tell me everything.”

“See that temple?” Angelica points again to the temple. “It is majestic, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I agree, it is beautiful, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“A great deal.”

Angelica sits on the hood of the car.  Marie shrugs her shoulders and follows suit, sitting down next to her as she continues to listen to her mother.

“So much symbolism in one building…” Angelica muses out loud “…take the centerpiece, for instance.  The All Seeing Eye is there, reminding us that God sees into all of our hearts, souls, and knows all truth.”

Angelica looks over at her daughter. “Marie, no matter what may happen to me, know that God is always watching over you.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Marie answers back, shaking her head. “You’re scaring me.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of, I’m just speaking the truth.”

“And that’s what I want to know.” Marie demands, getting a little loud, her anger rising ever so slightly. “Kayla told me that my grandmother might be alive.  Is that true?”

There is a pause as Angelica turns to look away from Marie.  She notices this pause, this hesitation, and immediately shakes her head vehemently.

“No, you’re not getting out of this one, mom.  I noticed your reluctance to answer the question, your hesitation, but you’re not getting out of it.  Tell me…is my grandmother alive?”

After another brief pause Angelica finally turns to face Marie again and shakes her head.

“No…my mother, Kelly Jones, is not alive. She is, in fact, dead…”

“Mom, I…” she shakes her head with a note of disappointment on her face “…why are you lying to me?”

“I’m not lying.  Your grandmother is dead.”

“Your reluctance to answer direct questions says otherwise.” Marie remarks back. “Something happened in Europe that changed you, mom.  What is it?  What happened?”

Angelica pauses again, this time that stoic gaze breaks as she finally smiles warmly at her daughter.  Angelica reaches out and runs a hand through Marie’s long red hair.

“I just realized that you’ve been right about a great many things, Marie.”

“Huh?” Marie says, looking back at her mother curiously.

“Look back at the temple…” Angelica points to the Salk Lake Temple again “…there is another image there, an image of a beehive.  It is not only Mormon imagery but it is also imagery used by the Freemasons.  The beehive represents industry and perseverance.”

She lets a hand rest on Marie’s shoulder. “Marie, you are the very definition of perseverance.  You persevered despite losing your father at a very young age, you persevered without me for a couple of years when I was locked up in a mental institution, you persevered when your sister Kimberly went insane and kidnapped you, you persevered through tumultuous times in your wrestling career including the troubled times in UWA that led to your debut in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  You have persevered through a rough spot here in SCW to the point where you now could find yourself in the top spot, next in line for a shot at the SCW World Championship.”

“Mom, if this is about what I said a month or so ago, I…”

“Hush…” Angelica shakes her head “…listen, you were right, you are the first ever Marie Annabelle Jones and I am proud of you, but if it means anything, I am also proud to say that you have surpassed me.”

“No, not at all.” Marie remarks, shaking her head. “You are a thirteen time world champion in multiple companies, you…”

“…titles are a dime a dozen in this industry.” Angelica says, interrupting her daughter. “It’s about talent and, Marie, you are far and above more talented than I ever could hope to be.  You have surpassed me, Marie.  That’s what I wanted to tell you today.”

Angelica leans over and embraces her daughter in a tight hug.  For her part, Marie isn’t quite sure what to think of this.  After breaking the embrace Angelica is still smiling as she asks the next question.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Uh, nothing….” Marie answers in a deliberate lie.

“Seriously?” Angelica asks with a grin. “So we drove out here for nothing?”

“No, not for nothing.” Marie looks back at the temple. “I mean, this is a beautiful sight to behold.”

“Yeah…I guess it is…”

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On Camera

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The Future Is Now…last week it was just a cute catchphrase to use in front of the camera, but this week it is for real, this week the landscape changes when the future of Supreme Championship Wrestling will be decided where it should be decided: inside of a wrestling ring.  And damn it, I am going to make certain that I am among those who set the course for the future of this company.  I want it, more than anything else I want to be the future and I want it because of who I am and what I can do inside of a wrestling ring.  Maybe I haven’t shown it lately, but by God I know that I can do things in that ring better than anyone else on this roster.

I think it’s time that I proved to the world that I can.

Remember who I am; I am Marie Jones; that’s right, JONES.  Wrestling runs in my family and it is in my blood.  Jones women do not accept second place or third place or fourth place or even fifth place, yet we very well could see some of that at The Future Is Now in the battle royal I am participating in, a battle royal to determine a number one contender.  If there are places, it won’t matter to me.  Anything less than first place to me is a failure because of who I am and because of what I was born to do…

…I was born to win.  I was born to a family of winners who will accept nothing less than the best.  And just like those who came before me, the great Angelica Jones and Kayla Jones, former two time SCW World Tag Team Champions, and even my father, the less-known Sean Williams, himself a former title holder back in Global Division of Wrestling, the company where I made my pro-debut back in January of 2007.

Why am I doing this?  Why do I want to be the future and, more specifically, to get the world title shot?  Because I am paving the way for the future, not just of SCW, but for my own family.  It’s one thing to say that you are The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling…or at least The Crown Jewel of the Jones Family…but it is a different thing altogether to actually go out there and prove it to the world, to shut everyone and make it happen.

I’m ready to make it happen.  For far too long I’ve been letting my family down and I’ve been letting my fans down.  I have been letting them all down ever since losing the United States Championship just a few short weeks from Rise To Greatness.  I want to make it up to my fans and, more importantly, to my family name by proving to them all that I am still the future, that I am still the best, and that I deserve this world championship opportunity.  There’s no better way to do that than to go through nine other superstars in the battle royal and win it all.

And damn it, I will win it all.  I accept nothing less than complete and utter victory.

Why else do I want…no, NEED…why else do I NEED to win this battle royal and then go on to become SCW World Champion?  One word…or rather three initials…UWA.

Am I still a little bitter about that?  Yes, I admit that I am a little bitter about my time in UWA.  I was a former UWA World Champion and X-Class Champion and apparently the only champion not to get a rematch, whereas all the others did.  I took my talents here to SCW where I became a United States Champion but my journey towards proving myself to everyone else, that the spirit of The Phoenix still lives on and will not die, that journey and that Phoenix’s flight is not over.  There is still one final goal to accomplish…

…the SCW World Championship.  My family already knows how good I am, proving myself to them is for my own psyche, but I want to remind UWA what they once had and I want to remind them of that by becoming SCW World Champion.

To make it to the top of Supreme Championship Wrestling would not only be the ultimate achievement for me as a competitor, it would not only prove my critics wrong, but it would also prove to myself that I am exactly what I say that I am…that I am The Crown Jewel, The Phoenix, and the next leader, the next matriarch of The Jones Wrestling Family…it would be my hallmark achievement to become SCW World Heavyweight Champion…and I am not going to let anyone stop me.

I damn sure want this more than someone who has already been to the top; people like Ace Marshall, Syren, Ravyn, Alistaire Alloco, Christy Matthews, and Alexis Quinne.  They’ve been to the top of the mountain and tasted the gold and I’m sure they’d love to go back to the top, but this isn’t about them…this pay per view, this battle royal, it is not about them…it is about the Future.  They are part of the past and I do not want to sit idly by and watch as some of the same old, same old reaches up and grabs that brass ring.

That brass ring belongs to me and I am going to be the one to take it.

Donovan Kayl, Brittany Lohan, you are two of the athletes in this battle royal that I respect more than anyone else.  I wish you both luck and I truly mean that, but understand this; you’ve had your chances.  You’ve both been associated with SCW a lot longer than I have.  This is my time now and I am going to prove it, even if it is at your expense.

Bree Lancaster, we’ve danced before and yes, you got the better of me.  But I’m more focused now and I am more determined now and while you may think that you are the future, you may think that this battle royal is YOUR golden ticket…at the end of the day you are just plain wrong.  You do not want this more than I do.

No one in this battle royal wants it more than I do.  Each and every one of my nine opponents represent just nine obstacles that I must overcome and damn it, I will overcome them all, I will reach the finish line, and I will have my shot at the SCW World Championship…

…because the future is now and the future is me!