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.