Opportunities

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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The cafe lies ahead, its royal blue paint glistening in the first golden rays of the day.  Outside the sidewalk is surprisingly quiet despite the bustling and moving to and fro of the various pedestrians out and about on this day in Boston, Massachusetts.  The cafe itself looks inviting to Marie Annabelle Jones; on the other side of those café doors is warmth and soft jazz music playing inside.  A good cup of coffee is just what she needs to start the day off right.  It can help get her mind off of her personal matters as well as get her body ready for the training regimen that she faces in advance of Under Attack and the Elimination Chamber Match for the SCW Adrenaline Championship.

Jones has a lot on her mind right now.  She’s hit the skids in Supreme Championship Wrestling ever since failing to capture the Adrenaline Championship from Andrew Raynes several months ago.  She’s tried calling her shots, she’s tried to get big matches, and while she succeeded in getting opportunities she’s seemingly failed at all of them.  Her losses include a loss in a triple threat against Christy Matthews and Josh Hudson at Rise To Greatness and a loss to Blake Mason at Apocalypse.  She failed to capture the SCW Television Championship from Alexis Quinne.  Most recently she failed to defeat Alistaire Allocco in singles competition.

This downhill spiral has led her to making some questionable judgment calls.  She’s been very vocal in protesting what she calls “unfair treatment” and bad booking.  She was also rather rude recently to her mother, who had stopped by her hotel after a Breakdown event only to provide advice on how to pull things back together.

What has happened to her?  This is not the person Marie Jones wants to be.  She does not want to be known as someone who whines and complains until she gets her way.  She wants to be known as a warrior, a fighter, as someone who earns her way in this business.  She definitely doesn’t want to be considered an ungrateful bitch.  Shunning those who only tried to help her will not help her cause.

Yet now here she is, not only with the Adrenaline Championship Match she felt she deserved, but it’s in the main event spotlight of a pay per view.  It’s in an elimination chamber match to boot, her first chamber match ever.

Jones approaches the front doors and pushes them open.  She steps inside and immediately beholds the square tables with glass tops, chairs with a slight rustic design, a terracotta rustic tiled floor, large windows, and small vases of yellow carnation flowers on each table.  She turns to face the cashier, and to her delight there is no one in line to order at this point.  With a warm grin on her face, Marie walks up to the cashier…a brown haired woman who looks to either still be in high school or just started college…

“Good morning, Annabelle!”

Very few people get by with referring to Marie by her middle name.  Marie hates it and that’s why she’s gone by Marie most of her life.  Her family can barely swing it and only a select few good friends can swing it.  This worker is clearly a very good friend.

“Good morning, Beverly.”

“French Vanilla Mocha Latte?”

“You know me all too well.” Marie remarks, nodding her head with a pleasant smile across her face.

“That’ll be five dollars and eighty-five cents, please.” The cashier informs Marie after punching the order in.  Marie quickly passes her a five dollar bill with a one dollar bill.

“Keep the change.”

“Thanks, Annabelle!  You’re the best!”

The cashier passes her a receipt.  Marie nods her head and goes to find a seat.  It is rather full and very few tables are empty.  She scans the area and apparently something catches her eyes.  Over in the back corner she spots her husband, Arthur Pond.  She immediately makes a beeline towards that back table and takes a seat next to him.

“Thanks for coming early to get a table.”

“Don’t mention it.” He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.  After breaking the kiss Marie looks over to the cup of straight black coffee in front of Arthur.  She smirks as she looks up at him.

“Didn’t bother waiting on me, did you?”

“You were running a little late, babe.”

“Blame it on the traffic.  It was a bitch.”

“When isn’t it?” Arthur asks jokingly.

“And when did you start drinking your coffee black?” Marie asks, pointing to the cup in Arthur’s hand.

“Blame your mother.  She practically dared me to try it and, turns out, I kind of like it black.  Besides,” he takes a sip and then sets the coffee back down on the table “there are days that you need it as strong as possible.”

“I understand completely.”

It’s at this time that Beverly comes over to the table.  She sets Marie’s cup of French Vanilla Mocha Latte on the table.

“There’s your order, Annabelle.”

“Annabelle?” Arthur says with a chuckle, winking at Marie.

“Shut up, Arthur.” Marie states quickly before looking up at Beverly. “Thanks, Beverly.”

“No prob!  Enjoy!”

Beverly turns and walks away, leaving Arthur and Marie alone at the table. Arthur smirks.

“I’m surprised you let her live.  Annabelle…”

“Yeah, well, it is my name.  Just not the one I like.”

“So, what’s on the agenda for today after coffee?”

“I need some alone time.” Marie says, taking a sip of her latte. “So you’re going to have look after Sean again all day.”

“All day?” Arthur asks with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, all day.” Marie says, nodding her head. “I am going to be busting my ass in the gym as much as I can as long as I can leading up to this chamber match at Under Attack.”

“Look, Marie, I know this is important to you, but you don’t have to do it alone.”

“Yes, I do.” She nods her head. “You can’t help me out with this one, Arthur.  I know you want to, and I appreciate it, but you can’t help me.  Kimberly can’t help me.  Mom can’t help me.  I have to do this one on my own.”

“Why?  What’s wrong with moral support?”

“Moral support hasn’t gotten me anywhere lately.” Marie says coldly. “I’ve tried and tried for months now.  I lost at Rise To Greatness.  I lost to Blake at Apocalypse.  I lost to Alexis Quinne, failing to become Television Champion. I lost to Alistaire Allocco.”

“But you’re in the main event of Under Attack.  You have a shot at the Adrenaline Championship!  That has to count for something?”

“That’s my problem.  I AM in the main event…and I’m not entirely sure I deserve it.”

“You’re crazy.” Arthur shakes his head.

“Am I?  What have I done lately to prove that I belong among the elites?  I haven’t proven that I’m elite.  I’ve proven that I’m a cry-baby. Mom said it herself, so did Kim, and they’re both right.  But this chamber match is my opportunity to prove that I belong.  This is my chance to prove that I DID earn this pay per view spotlight and that it wasn’t just handed to me.  But I have to win…” she shakes her head with a sigh in her voice “…I have no other choice.  I have to win or else everything people have said about me since my losing streak, all of it, will be true.”

There is a tense moment as Arthur stares into the eyes of his beloved wife Marie.  He hates seeing her like this.  He can tell that she’s fighting back the tears, that she’s trying to remain strong in this public setting.  She is an emotional person.

“Alright, that’s fine,” Arthur says reluctantly “I get it, this match is important to you.  I’ll watch Sean while you take the day to yourself.”

“Thank you.” Marie sips her coffee again.

“Still, I hated not going with you to Breakdown.” Arthur remarks, sipping his coffee. “You know I love traveling with you.”

“I know you do and I did miss you, but with the frame of mind I’ve been in lately…” Marie’s voice trails off as she shakes her head “...I just didn’t want you or Sean seeing me this shaken up.”

“It’s ok, babe.” Arthur answers back, placing a comforting hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You are upset and you have every reason to be upset.”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” She shrugs her shoulders. “The point is that I haven’t been in the right frame of mind, that’s all.  I haven’t been handling things properly.  And that’s another reason why this chamber match at Under Attack is important to me.  It’s my chance at redemption.”

“You don’t need to redeem yourself or anyone else.” Arthur says with a warm grin. “You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone in SCW or any of the fans or anyone else for that matter.  I know who you are…who you really are…and I know deep down inside you are doing what you think is right.  And I love you for it and support you no matter what.  That’s all that matters.”

“You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing that…” a tear starts to roll down her cheek.

“Your mom tries to be supportive of you as well, in her own way.”

“I know…” Marie’s voice trails off as she thinks back to her recent encounter with her mother, she figuratively threw her out without any word of gratitude for at least trying to help.

“You were a bit harsh on your mother.  You know that right?”

“I do.” Marie nods her head. “She didn’t deserve that treatment I gave her.”

“Then you know what you should do before the day is over, right?”

“Yeah.  I think so.”

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Scene 2

Off Camera

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The sounds of a female grunting as well the echoes of feet against a heavy bag are heard throughout an empty gymnasium.  This is a place Marie frequents often whenever she’s in her hometown of Boston.  It is all but abandoned, thus she has privacy.  She will sacrifice the looks of the place for privacy.

The concrete floor is gray and the walls are painted an off-white color, at least the walls that still have paint on them, as most of the paint on the walls have begun to peel.  There is a standard wrestling set up in the center, weights scattered all over the floor.  At one of the far ends of the room is a red heavy bag.  The lovely Marie Jones is standing there at the heavy bag dressed in a pair of workout shorts, black tanktop, and her long red hair pulled into a ponytail in the back, as she viciously attacks the heavy bag with her well-educated feet.

With each kick, from roundhouse kicks to jumping spin kicks, Marie grunts loudly and the bag heaves back and forth.  The force of these kicks would be enough to take the head off of any competitor; they will serve her well inside the chamber.  At least she hopes they will.   The kicks continue, increasing in ferocity and intensity, until Marie finally decides to take a break.

Jones picks up a towel on the floor and begins to wipe the seat from her face.  During that time she hears the front door opening and then shutting.  A sigh escapes her lips as she drapes the towel across her shoulder and turns to face her visitor…

“You’re late.”

It’s her mother, Angelica Jones.  The matriarch of the Jones family is wearing an ankle length plain black skirt, sandals, and a floral print red silk blouse.  She is wearing her signature black leather jacket and her long red hair hangs unrestrained to below the shoulders.  She shrugs her shoulders and begins to approach her daughter.

“What can I say?  Bad habits are just hard to break.”

“I think I picked up on some of your bad habits.” Marie says with a light chuckle. “I was late meeting Arthur for coffee.”

“Naughty girl.” Angelica teases. “Never keep your man waiting.”

“That’s me.  Always naughty.”

“Not sure if that’s true.  Kimberly goes around threatening to maim people and Jessica thinks she’s a god.  Of the three children you’re tops.”

“Now that’s not nice, mom.” Marie shakes her head, teasingly. “Not nice to judge your children.”

“That’s what Kimberly says!” Angelica remarks. “But that’s beside the point.  I got your text.  What did you want to see me about?”

Just as she says this, Marie reaches out and embraces her mother in a tight hug.  Needless to say, Angelica is certainly taken aback and surprised by this move.  But not entirely upset by it.

“Ok…I wasn’t expecting this…” the hug is broken and Angelica laughs lightly “….uh, I’m not complaining, but what was this about, Marie?  I mean, we weren’t exactly on good terms the last time we spoke.”

“I remember.” Marie nods her head. “You tried to help me.  You offered advice.  And I was rude, I was ungrateful, and I threw you out.  So first I wanted to say I am sorry…”

“Ok,” Angelica nods her head “apology accepted.”

“…and that’s not all.” Marie sighs. “I also want to say that you were right about me.”

“I was right?” Angelica arches a brow out of sheer curiosity.

“Yes, you were right.  I mean, I’m not going to say that I think I was treated right by SCW and its management.  I still think I was treated rather poorly and I will stand by my words.  But the more I think about it, the more think about what I said in the lead up to this chamber match, and the more I think about what you tried to tell me…”

The Phoenix’s voice trails off.  Angelica sees that she’s having a tough time with this, so she places a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“…all of this made me realize that talking a good game means nothing if you can’t back up your words with actions.  Instead of complaining and griping, I should have been busting my ass to get better.  This chamber match is a blank slate for me.  I’m starting fresh.  No more complaining, no more griping.  Just me playing the hand that I’m dealt.”

“You’ve been full of idioms lately.” Angelica says with a knowing grin.

“Yeah, I just realized that after I said it.”

“I am glad to hear you say that, though.  Because getting things done is how you get respect.  You can get noticed by complaining but you won’t get the right kind of attention.  You can raise your voice but if you back it up with action, then you’ll have support from the wrestling world.  It took me many years in this business to learn that lesson.”

“I just hope all of this action will get me that SCW Adrenaline Championship.”

“Even if it doesn’t, be proud that you gave it your all.  Be proud that you are in this spot right now.”

“Oh I’m happy to be here, but I’m not going to settle for second best or runner up.  I want that championship, mom.  You know that.”

“I know.” She nods her head. “But tell me, are you still upset that it’s a chamber match and not one on one against Raynes?”

“Not at all.” Marie shakes her head. “Fact is that a lot of people doubt me right now.  I brought a lot of that doubt upon myself through my actions and my losses.  But if I can win this championship by beating five of the best in SCW today, then I will silence the critics once and for all. This is my chance, mom.  And I need to win…”

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On Camera

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The Elimination Chamber means different things to different people.  To some it may be intimidating, to others of a more violent nature it may be just another walk in the park.  To those who have never ventured inside the chamber, it is the great unknown.

What does the chamber mean to me?

The chamber, to me, is about opportunity.  It is an opportunity at the Adrenaline Championship.  Ever since I failed to capture the title several months ago, it’s been eating away at me like a disease or a cancer.  It’s been eating me alive that I did not have the title when I felt deep down in my heart and soul that I had Raynes beaten.

Now I’m not going to repeat myself like I’ve done in the past.  Regardless of the circumstances behind the outcome, I failed.  And I’ve been pissed off ever since, partially at Raynes, partially at Dylan Howell, but mostly at myself because I didn’t get the job done.

This chamber match is a second chance for me.  It is my opportunity to get the job done this time.  There was an air of doubt in the ring that night but this time, inside of a locked elimination chamber, there will be no doubt.  Either I win or I lose.  And that, my friends, is fair.  That’s what I’ve been wanting from day one.  A fair shot at the Adrenaline Championship.

In a fair fight, always bet on The Phoenix to rise to the occasion.

The chamber is also an opportunity to finally break through here in SCW.  This is my chance to finally cement myself once and for all silence each and every one of my critics.

The critics and doubters exist because of me.  I brought it upon myself because I called my shots and couldn’t get the job done.  But now here before me is a golden opportunity that comes along once a year.  You beat one top star and some may call it a fluke, but if you beat FIVE top stars in one of the most violent and unpredictable matches there is, then no one can call it a fluke.  No one can doubt you.

Love me or hate me, everyone will have to respect me and acknowledge me after I win the elimination chamber match at Under Attack.

Opportunity is knocking at my door and I plan on swinging that son of a bitch wide open!

Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk

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Off Camera

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It’s been a slow but steady downward spiral for Marie Annabelle Jones ever since failing to capture the SCW Adrenaline Championship many months ago.  What stings the most is that she knows in her heart and soul that she had the match won.  She had Andrew Raynes beaten and would have beaten him had it not been for involvement from Dylan Howell.  Since then it has been bad break after bad break for Jones.  Loss in a triple threat match against Josh Hudson and Christy Matthews at Rise To Greatness.  Loss to Blake Mason at Apocalypse.  Failure to capture the SCW Television Championship.  

The failures just continued to mount.  And Marie continued to voice her concerns and continued to protest what she considered to be unfair treatment in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  Despite her protesting and complaining nothing seemed to change.  She knew she couldn’t affect any real change unless she managed to start winning.

And yet the wins never came.  She was a former Television and United States Champion in SCW alone, not to mention a former World Champion in UWA and GCW.  Marie is an accomplished athlete and yet she couldn’t seem to figure out the right formula to get back into the winning column.  She could blame it on being distracted or not focused enough but she couldn’t blame it on Dylan Howell.  She couldn’t even blame it on Derek Adonis, who she accosted for his Kablam silliness.

She could only blame herself.

Fortune is a strange player and it smiled brightly upon Marie Jones recently.  Despite her crying and complaining she was granted another opportunity at the SCW Adrenaline Championship.  There’s just one catch.

She’ll have to beat not just Andrew Raynes himself but four other superstars as well in a chamber match.

Knowledge of this has Marie’s mind back into turmoil.  Sure, she has the opportunity at the Adrenaline Championship that she’s been clamoring for, but this is a chamber match.  She‘s never been in the chamber before.  On top of all of that, this is put up or shut up time for Jones.  After all of her complaining and gripes, after all of her whining and bitching, she now has her opportunity.  If she fails again, that’s definitely it for her.

These thoughts and the pressures that go along with them are floating through Marie’s head as she steps out of the bathroom of her hotel room in Boise, Idaho.  Breakdown has ended and Marie just wants to get some sleep.  She’s had her bath, changed into a modest sleeping outfit of pink pants and a pink camisole top.  Her long gorgeous red locks of hair hang unrestrained to just below the shoulder.  She is alone tonight, for this time she chose to travel without her husband Arthur.  With all of the pressure on her mind as of late, all of the pressure weighing heavily upon her shoulders, she felt being alone was best.

She feels frustrated; she feels as if the weight of the world is upon her shoulders.  She only has herself to blame and she knows this as she walks over and sits down on the edge of the bed.  Jones could stay up all night fretting and worrying about the upcoming chamber match and how so much is on the line.  But what good would it do other than to just further distract her?  No, there isn’t any point in worrying.   Not right now.

Maybe tomorrow.

Jones pulls her legs up onto the bed and reaches over to the switch to turn the lamps off but that is when she hears it…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Jones immediately shoots up in bed.  Why would someone come knocking at this door?  And who would come bothering her at this hour?  It’s doubtful that it’s from the hotel.  She placed the “do not disturb” marker out front.  This is someone who clearly knows she’s here and doesn’t really care about whether they disturb her or not.

She could ignore the incessant knocking but what good would it do?  Jones figures she can go, see who it is, and then run them off as quickly as she can.  Marie swings her legs over the edge of the bed and stands up.  She approaches the door and pulls it open.  She frowns upon seeing her mother Angelica Jones standing there.

“Great…”

“Nice seeing you too, sweetheart.” Angelica says with a wry grin.

Angelica Jones, normally dressed classy, is dressed down on this evening in denim jeans, plain white tennis shoes, and a red blouse.  Her signature black leather jacket completes the look.  Her long red hair seems to match her daughter Marie’s in color shade and style.

Needless to say, Marie isn’t too pleased to see her mother.

“What are you doing here?” Marie says with almost a growl in her voice.  She is still very tense and angry, despite receiving the good news of her impending Adrenaline Championship match at Under Attack.

“I think we need to have a talk.” Angelica Jones, the matriarch to the Jones family and Marie’s mother, responds cooly. “May I come in?”

“May as well,” Marie turns to allow her mother access and entrance to the room “I mean, you’re already here.”

“Gee, thanks.  I feel so welcome.” Angelica responds with a snarky tone.  With a wink towards her eldest child she enters the room.

“Can the sarcasm, mom.  I’m not exactly in the mood for it right now.”

Marie follows her mother into the room.  She watches as Angelica sits down on the comfy black leather sofa near the window.  Angelica motions for Marie to sit down next to her but The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling shakes her head, refusing the offer.

“No thanks, mom.  I’d rather stand.”

“Suit yourself, but I’m just telling you right now that your attitude isn’t going to get you anywhere.” Angelica smirks knowingly. “Not tonight.”

“Attitude?  You of all people accuse me of having an attitude?!”

“Yes,” Angelica responds, nodding her head “and that’s precisely why I’m here to talk to you tonight.”

The matriarch of the family points an accusatory finger at her daughter. “You’ve had this thing up your ass for months now, you’ve been acting like an entitled bitch for months now, and for the life of me I didn’t know what was wrong with you.  I didn’t know what had happened that made you act like some spoiled brat but I finally have it figured out.”

Marie Annabelle Jones is stunned at first to hear this from her mother.  Angelica has rarely, if ever, snapped at her children.  It’s something she just hasn’t done.  Marie is used to being the one who snaps at her, trying to correct her attitude instead.  Having the tables turned is certainly a strange experience, but one which she quickly recovers from as she scowls and folds her arms over her chest.

“Really?  You think you have all of this figured out?”

“Yes.”

“Well good for you, mom!” Marie responds, applauding sarcastically. “You figured out something that everyone else in SCW has already figured out way before you ever did.”

“No, they think they know what’s wrong with you.  I know what is really at the root of it all.”

Marie rolls her eyes. “You need a drink.”

“No, not really.” Angelica grins from ear to ear. “But I won’t turn down red wine if you have any.”

“Of course I have some.”

The younger Jones breathes out a sigh of frustration as she turns and heads to the mini-fridge against the wall.  She opens it up and pops out a bottle of red wine.  She sets the wine bottle on the table and then goes back to the mini-fridge where she retrieves two wine glasses.  She places the glasses on the table and pours the wine, some into each glass.  She keeps one for herself and hands the other glass to her mother.

“You really shouldn’t be drinking.” Marie points out as she watches her mother take the first sip.

“I’m staying at the same hotel as you, silly.” Angelica says with a chuckle.

“Whatever.  Just tell me what you think is at the root of my problems.  I’m dying to know, Dr. Phil.”

“Cute.  But I do know what’s wrong because I know you.” She shakes her head. “And it isn’t what everyone thinks.”

“You want to know what’s wrong, mom?  I’ll tell you.” Marie’s quickly downs a big gulp of the wine and then sets the glass down on the table.  She points at her mother. “It’s this whole system.  It’s corrupt and you know it!”

“Marie, stop…”

“No, you’re going to listen!” Marie exclaims. “This system allows people like Dylan Howell to get rewarded with title shots for screwing up my Adrenaline Championship match!  This system allows losers and sexual deviants like Derek Adonis to be heralded as heroes!  This system overlooked me...ME!...I am a former world champion, mom.  I should not have to protest night in and night out in order to the spotlight I deserve!”

“Are you done?” Angelica asks without even flinching.  Marie just sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Yes!”

“Good, because I want to know if you’ve ever stopped to listen to yourself.”

Marie arches her brow out of confusion. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.  I want to know if you’ve ever stopped to listen to yourself, because quite frankly you sound like a spoiled brat.”

“Spoiled brat?!” Marie exclaims angrily. “Is this your idea of helping me?  If it is, it sucks!”

“Why don’t you sit down and just listen, ok?” Angelica motions one more time to the black leather sofa.  Marie sighs and finally relents, taking a seat next to her mother. Angelica looks squarely into her daughter’s eyes. “It is my fault, Marie.  I’ve coddled you and spoiled you from day one.  I’ve tried to protect you and baby you because you were so special to me.”

“I was the glue that held you together.” Marie remarks, quoting that famous line her mother would often repeat to her as a child.

“That’s right.  I didn’t want to risk losing you because you were one of the few things in my life helping me to maintain my sanity.”

“Yeah, I remember the lengths you’d go.  You murdered my father.” Marie says coldly.  The remark is like knives through her mother’s chest as she flinches.

“Yeah, I remember.”

Marie watches her mother with a cold, narrowed gaze for several moments.  Her features do not soften until she sees the tears begin to flow down her mother’s cheek.  Realizing that she really did hurt her mother, Marie sighs and shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, mom.  I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Marie.  I should be the one to apologize.  I’ve ruined you and not just in that way.  Anytime we would have a disagreement, you and I, it would end with me apologizing, me letting you think you were always in the right, me trying to reach out and change my ways to suit you.”

“That’s not true.” Marie shakes her head.

“It is true.  I was so paranoid over losing you that I didn’t even want to risk upsetting you in the least little way.  So I always let you have your way.” Angelica takes another, slightly bigger gulp this time, of wine. “I’ve let you down as a parent.  For that, I am sorry.”

Marie snickers. “There you go apologizing again.”

“True, but from here on out I’m doing things different.  I realize now that I have to be a parent and that means telling you how this business REALLY works, whether you like it or not.”

I take it this has something to do with me being a spoiled brat?” Marie asks, folding her arms over her chest.

“You’ve been acting that way for months.  Dylan Howell cost you the Adrenaline Championship; that sucked.  It was unfair.  But the wrestling business itself is unfair.  To be the best you have to overcome adversity and sometimes overcome injustice.  Did you really think Andrew Raynes would willingly just give you another title match?”

Marie pauses momentarily, seething as she stares at her mother, but knowing that she is right.   Marie shakes her head.

“No, he wouldn’t.  You would have to fight your way back and earn it.  You earn it through winning, not by whining, and yet here you are, in the main event of Under Attack, competing for the Adrenaline Championship, the rematch you wanted, and yet I’d be willing to bet you’re still not happy.  Are you?”

“Sure I am.” Marie answers, not sounding very convincing at all.

“The truth, Marie.”

“Fine…” Marie says with a frustrated sigh “...it should be one on one.”

“See?  Still pissed off.  Still entitled.”

“But why shouldn’t it be one on one?  I had Raynes dead to rights!  I…”

“And you’ve been on a losing streak ever since.” Angelica points out. “Raynes and others believe you whined your way into this title match.”

“They’re wrong!” Marie snaps back angrily.

“Then go out there and prove them wrong.  Win in the elimination chamber.  If you want to get people to really take you seriously you have to make an impact.  Whining won’t make an impact.  Beating five top notch athletes in a chamber match will make an impact.”

“I don’t need this…” Marie stands up and points towards the door “...get out.  Please?”

“Fine, but think about what I said.  Deep down inside you know I’m right.”

“Just leave.”

Mother and daughter lock eyes for a tense moment.  Both seem to want to say something, anything, to try to ease the tension but both are too stubborn.  It’s a Jones family trait.  Finally, Angelica turns her back and begins to walk.  Marie watches coldly as her mother walks to the door, opens it up, and makes her exit.

Once Angelica is out of the hotel room, Marie sighs as she sits back down on the sofa.  She buries her head in her hands and one would almost hear sobbing; almost.  Even now Marie is fighting back those emotions.  Secretly she has to admit that her mother raises some very valid points.  She just doesn’t want to admit it.

Marie takes her head out of her hands and looks over towards the closet.  She sighs…

“Ok, Kim...come on out…”

The sliding door slowly slides open and Kimberly Williams steps out.  Kimberly, the identical twin sister of Marie Annabelle Jones, steps out with a devilish grin on her face, skipping over to the sofa and flopping down next to her sister, right where Angelica had once sat.

“How long did you know I was there?”

“Since I got here after Breakdown.” Marie states pointedly. “You are becoming predictable, Kim.”

“Really?” Kim scratches her chin as if in deep thought. “Guess I’m losing my touch.  That probably comes with the whole being normal thing.”

“You’re far from normal, but whatever makes you feel good.”

“Awwww, you really know how to make a girl feel good!” Kimberly leans over and embraces Marie before also planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Ugh, get away!” Marie gives Kimberly a good hard shove to create distance and separation between the two. “I really don’t need any of your games right now!”

“Oh, well if you are so sour on my games then how about some Parker Brother games?”

“Huh?” Marie asks with a furrowed brow of confusion.

“Yeah, I mean we can swing by my place.  I got Monopoly, Clue, and even Candy Land.  I cheat in Candy Land so you may not want to play that one.”

“No, Kim, I just…” Marie shakes her head “...I don’t want these jokes right now.   I’m not in the mood.”

“In fairness, you’re never in the mood.” Kimberly quirps as she wraps an arm around Marie’s shoulder.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re grouchy and grumpy all the time.  You’re always in a foul mood.  You attacked that poor Derek Adonis for no reason when he was just out there on Breakdown entertaining the fans.”

“He gives this business a bad name.” Marie responds. “And I didn’t attack him.”

“Right, you attacked Alistaire Allocco, also for no reason, especially considering he was agreeing with your prudish point of view.”

“Prudish?” Marie asks pointedly and angrily, glaring a hole through her twin sister.

“Yeah, sis.  You’re a bit of a prude.”

“If by prude you mean that I want to be taken seriously and I want this business to be taken seriously then yes, maybe I am a prude.”

“At least you admit it.” Kim says with a look of mischief. “But that’s not exactly what I meant.  You used to care about entertaining the fans.  Now you just gripe and complain all the time.”

“Stop, right there Kim, because you’re sounding just like our mother.”

“Yeah, I heard that little conversation.” She winks playfully. “I was hiding in the closet, I remember?”

“Right, how could I possibly forget?” Marie asks, rolling her eyes.

“You may not have liked what mom said, and come to think of it, you probably won’t like hearing it from me either, but maybe I can make it a wee bit easier to understand.”

“I think I understood her pretty damn well.” Marie snaps back at Kimberly. “She said I was a whiny bitch.”

“And you kind of have been.” Kimberly says with wink. “And there’s nothing wrong with speaking out against shit you think is wrong.  Remember what you did in UWA?”

“Of course.” Marie nods her head and laughs lightly as the memories come flooding back to her. “Pulling the old switcheroo on them…”

“Yeah, and you had every right to do that.  After losing the UWA World Championship to Vanilla Skyy, not only did they not give you a rematch but you were practically ignored.  You were left unbooked.  When they finally DID get around to noticing you again they tried to pigeonhole you in the tag team division and you wanted to recapture the world title.”

“Yeah, those are not good memories for me.” Marie frowns. “So what’s your point?”

“My point is you didn’t just complain.  You acted out.  You and me and Sophie, as Ginger Nation, we actually did shit about it.”

Kimberly reaches out and places a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You’ve had some tough breaks, I get it.  Even Mr. Funny Name D admits you’ve caught some bad breaks and may have been treated unfairly…”

“May have been?!”

“Ok...you have been treated unfairly…” Kimberly rolls her eyes “...my point is from here on out you need to stop crying about it and take REAL action to make change.  You have your shot at the Adrenaline Championship.  Don’t start off by complaining about how it’s inside the chamber and not one on one.  Just go out there, beat the living daylights out of all of them, and win that championship.  Prove them all wrong.  Capiche?”

“Yeah, I get ya…” Marie’s voice trails off.

“And one other thing.” Kimberly says motioning to the door. “Sometime in the next few days or so, you may want to apologize to mom.  You were rather rough on her.”

“But she keeps getting in the way!” Marie whines. “She keeps getting involved in my business where it doesn’t belong!”

“Didn’t mom just talk to you about that?”

“What?!”

“Whining.” Kimberly says with a sly grin.

“Don’t you start!” Marie rolls her eyes. “Because I’m NOT whining!”

“Yes, you are. And you need to stop whining and start ACTING otherwise you won’t get that Adrenaline Championship and you won’t get back to your winning ways.”

Kimberly gets up and starts to walk out.  She stops at the door and turns to face Marie. “I’m serious, though.  Talk to mom.”

Kimberly pulls the door open and exits, leaving Marie alone  to contemplate the evening’s events.

==========

On Camera

==========

There’s a very old saying about talking the talk and walking the walk.  That phrase has been used so many times in our industry that isn’t even funny. But it is used appropriately almost every time in almost every instance it is used in our industry because that phrase, that idiot about walking the walk and talking the talk, it can be applied to just about everyone in this business today.

The earliest known usage of this phrase comes from a 1921 Ohio Newspaper publication.  It reads: “Although he has no gilded medals upon his bosom, Howard Herring of the North American Watch company, walks the walk, and talks the talk, of a hero today.”

This idiot itself implies that a person should back up their talking with action. For example, a person may gloat all day long about how great they are, or how they’re the longest reigning champion in SCW right now…

...looking at you, Raynes.

Or someone could talk about how change needs to be made.  Looking at Alistaire Allocco and hell, looking at myself as well. But not everyone buys your talk.  Someone who has their doubts will dare you to "walk the walk," which essentially means to prove it by doing it, not just by talking about it.

​I’ve been calling my shots for a long damn time now, ever since the lead up to Rise To Greatness.  I demanded the triple threat against Hudson and Matthews.  Then at Apocalypse I took it a step further and demanded a match against Blake Mason.

I got what I wanted both times, I put up a good fight, but I didn’t win.  I kept complaining about the system.  I kept bringing up how the system was corrupt.  And you know, maybe it is corrupt?  Maybe it isn’t?  At the end of the day the time for the talking is over

It’s time for the walking.  It’s time to put up or shut up.  Point is, it’s not time to complain anymore.  Everyone has what they want and that’s a shot at the SCW Adrenaline Championship.

Well, everyone except Andrew Raynes.

Mr. I’m The Longest Reigning Champion There Is only has one and six chances of walking out as the champion.  Which means there is a five out of six chances he loses that title on Sunday. And yet even after he loses he’ll probably still continue to boast about that accomplishment, since he reminds everyone of that fact every five minutes.

Let me tell you something, Raynes.  You were LUCKY when we went one on one the first time.  I had you dead to rights until that idiot Dylan Howell got involved and drew the disqualification.  You know it, but you won’t admit it, that I was going to walk out of Breakdown that night as the new SCW Adrenaline Champion.

You also got LUCKY that SCW took pity on the aforementioned idiot and let Howell try to get revenge on you instead of granting someone else a shot at your championship at Rise To Greatness.  There are a great many worthy contenders out there to that title, to many titles actually, who have been overlooked.  And I don’t just mean me.

Ravyn Taylor.

Christy Matthews.

Alistair Allocco.

Tommy Valentine.

Marie Jones.

I could go on but I’ll stop there, because this happens to be the list of those getting inside that chamber with you at Under Attack.  One of these five will end your reign as champion, Raynes, because luck can no longer save you.  Time to stop gloating on social media, time to stop ripping off the Star Wars franchise, because once that chamber is locked shut, it will be time to walk the walk. You and the rest of us, we will have to prove ourselves worthy of walking out with that championship.

And you can be damn sure I will do everything in my power to make sure that person is me.

Allistaire, you do a damn fine job of complaining about how things are around you.  You do a damn fine job of voicing your…”concerns”...and maybe that’s why I dropped you on your head several weeks back?  I listened to you and I realized at that point in time that you were a mirror image of me.

Was I really sounding like you?  Did I sound like a holier than thou blowhard?  Yeah, maybe I did.  That’s why I dropped you on your head.  I realized it was time for me to change my ways.  It was time to take action instead of just talking all the time.

Now some may have you pegged as the favorite.  You became world champion in a chamber match.  But was it a sign of how good you are or was it a fluke?  Ever since then you failed win the world championship contender series.  Hell, you failed at every brass ring SCW dangled in front of you.

Granted, the same can be said of me. Difference is, I know I’m ready to make a difference.  I know that I’m going to be a completely different person in that chamber.  I know it’ll change me in some way because I’ve never been in a chamber match before.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first chamber match.  My mom has been in a few and she’s told me what they are like.  She told me what to expect.  So I know I can expect to be changed by the chamber.  But the chamber will not intimidate me.

Christy Matthews, here we go again.  Despite everything that seems to pull us apart we end up floating back into each other’s orbit.  We had our run-ins during the contender’s series.  We met again at Rise To Greatness. Now here we go again in the chamber.

You always bring it.  I know that from firsthand experience.  There is no question in my mind that your words will be backed up with action.  This time, though...this time the third time will be the charm when I beat you and the others in the chamber to claim the Adrenaline Championship.

Third time’s the charm...there’s another idiom for you!

Ravyn Taylor is another person who backs up her words with action.  Say what you want about her and her Dark Fantasy friends...hell, I don’t condone what they’ve done lately myself...but the fact is that they are very good and Ravyn is one of the best.

Odds on favorite by most to win it all?  Perhaps.  If I were Mr. Sith Lord I’d watch her carefully.  But to me, she’s just another odds on favorite to lose to me.

But at the end of the day all of this is just words.  It’s just talk.  I could talk all day about Tommy Valentine, his accomplishments, how we haven’t encountered each other much but how I look forward to eliminating him from the chamber!  Yeah, that sounds great!  That’s what people in these chamber matches say, right?

Or I could take the low road and say I’m just gonna kick Tommy’s ass like I’m gonna kick everyone else’s ass!  How unoriginal of me….

However I choose to wrap this up, at the end of the day it’s just speaking.  It’s just me running my mouth.  I’m sure I’ll hear from each and every one of you about this.  I bet Darth Raynes will probably tweet a time or two with a few dozen stupid GIF images.  But still it’s just talk.

And the time for talk has ended.  It’s time to walk the walk.