Moving On

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April 26^th, 2019

Off Camera

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Breakdown was certainly eventful for The Phoenix and reigning SCW Television Champion Marie Annabelle Jones.  The redhead fire cracker successfully defended her championship against Scarlet Grey, just as she predicted she would, but it didn’t end the way she had hoped.

Scarlet got herself disqualified.

Once again it was Kimberly who saved Marie from disaster.  Kimberly saw that Scarlet was trying to use a weapon and managed to get the referee to see it.  Marie would have much rather beaten Scarlet by pin or submission; but still, the very fact that Scarlet had to resort to cheap tricks and cheating to even have a chance shows Marie and, truly the world, that The Red Empire really don’t stand up to Twin Magic in any way shape or form.

Kimberly has beaten Scarlet.  Marie has beaten Ruby to win the Television Title and then beat Scarlet to retain it.  That’s three wins and no losses against The Red Empire.  All because Katya seems obsessed with making Marie pay for her crime of costing Katya at Retribution.

Marie has no idea what Katya expects to get out of this, but she is certainly ready to move on from Katya and move away from the past.  The Phoenix is looking forward into the future, into her future as SCW Television Champion and, specifically, her next title defense against a very game Kellen Jeffries.

Before she can start dealing with Jeffries, she has other duties she must attend to…

“Welcome back to Weekend Edition Saturday on National Public Radio.  I am your host, Scott Simon, and I have a great show for you today.  Very informative, very educational.”

That is the voice of Scott Simon, host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday, a program that wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories.

His guest today is none other than Marie herself.  The Phoenix is dressed in a knee length black loose skirt, black high heeled pumps, and a long sleeve crimson sweater.  Her long red hair hangs flowing and unrestrained to shoulder length.  Jones has her title belt sitting in her lap.  You may think that she is the topic of today’s discussion simply because she is the new SCW Television Champion.  That would be a good guess but if you thought that then you would be mistaken.  Other reasons bring her here today to NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday as the special guest.

“Today’s guest is someone who is very well known the world over but especially in the New England area.  She is the reigning Television Champion for Supreme Championship Wrestling.  She is The Phoenix Marie Jones.”

Jones chuckles lightly. “Please, Scott, just Marie will do!”

“Ok then, Marie.” Scott Simon says with a nod. “I am glad you joined me this morning.”

“You’re lucky I managed to wake up this early.” Jones says with a smirk.

“Yeah, well, we’re grateful you made it in.  But before I get to the topic of the morning and why you are here today, I do have a question.”

“Yes?” Marie asks curiously with an arched brow as she flicks some of her hair out of her face.

“Where did you get that nickname from?”

“The Phoenix?”

“Yes, explain its origin; if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Marie shakes her head. “My mother was the first to use the name; during a brief period of her career when she wrestled under a mask she called herself Phoenix.”

“So she was a luchadore?”

“I never thought of it that way but I guess technically she was.  While she can mimic just about any style except for powerhouse, her speed and talent for taking to the sky made her seem more like a masked luchadore than the other styles.  Not to mention her height, being physically smaller than most everyone on any roster, it made sense.”

“So how did you end up with the name?” Scott asks.

“I told you that she wrestled under a mask for a brief period.  Well, that brief period was when she was being managed by a guy who was manipulating her.  Practically had her brainwashed.  When she realized what he was up to, she left him and abandoned any and all association with The Phoenix identity.  I took on the nickname but I did not take on the mask.  I wanted the nickname because I felt it accurately described who I was.”

“Why The Phoenix though?” The radio host insists. “What was so special about the bird?”

“Think about it, Scott; the myth of The Phoenix is that she dies only to be reborn again.  That’s me.  You can knock me down but I’ll get back up.  I can sink to the bottom of the abyss but I’ll fight right back to the top of the heavens.  Take SCW for instance, I threw my reputation, my friendships, and relationships all away for a shot at the World Championship.  When the scheme didn’t work out, and I realized I was just being manipulated, I swore I’d turn things around.  People were skeptical at first and I don’t blame them.  But I’m still fighting the good fight to rebuild those bridges I burned.  And as for my career?”

Jones pats the Television title belt that sits on her lap. “I think this Television Championship is evidence that I have had at least some success.”

“I see that; congratulations by the way.”

“Thank you, Scott.”

“How has that Television Title scene been looking so far?”

“Well I defeated Ruby Amarant to become champion. I defeated her tag team partner Scarlet in my first title defense.  My next title defense is coming up next week against Kellen Jeffries.”

“You defend your title every week?”

“Basically, yes.” Marie nods her head. “It’s the rules.”

“Well good luck with that,” Scott states “but I think it’s time to move onto the topic of the day.  And I know it will be a difficult one for you, Ms. Jones; are you sure you’re ok with this?”

Without a second thought The Phoenix nods her head. “Absolutely, Scott.  This is a topic that desperately needs to be addressed and if I can help in any way, then I will gladly do so.”

“Very well.” Scott sighs and pauses to collect his thoughts, preparing himself for his line of questioning. “The topic of the day is suicide…”

Marie nods her head.  She knew in advance what this was all about.  She knew ahead of time that this wasn’t going to be sports related or anything related to her career in SCW.  Scott Simon wanted her on NPR to discuss the problem of suicide and Marie is a good guest to have on the show about this due to the fact that her late husband Arthur himself committed suicide.

“So Marie, it may be public record but you haven’t been very open and public about it until now.  And I think everyone listening is glad that you are because this is an opportunity, as you said, to help those who may need it.  That being said, do you want to tell our listeners your story?”

Jones nods her head. “Yes.  There’s actually two stories I can tell, the first one is about my mother.  She doesn’t talk about it often but she has given me permission to tell your listeners that she once attempted suicide.”

“When was this?” The radio host inquires.

“It was a long time ago when she was still a teenager.  Luckily EMTs got her to a local hospital in time to save her life.  But that was before my memory so even still, up until recently, I really had no idea how suicide could affect others.  And I think that’s part of the problem.  People who are depressed think suicide is the easy way to end their pain but they don’t realize that they are causing other people pain.  I didn’t realize this until recently.”

“When did you first realize that truth about suicide?”

Marie takes in a deep breath and lets it out.  She steels herself for the next story, the story of her late husband.

“It was recently.  My husband Arthur and I had been having our fair share of disagreements; but then again, what couple doesn’t have disagreements?  Ironic thing is, I don’t even remember what we were arguing about that night.  Whatever it was it made me angry enough to kick him out of the house.  And then…” tears start to form in the eyes of the Television Champion.  Scott hands her a tissue. She nods in appreciation as she uses the tissue to wipe her eyes. “…the next time I heard anything about Arthur was when authorities notified me that he took his own life.”

“I am sorry to hear that, Ms. Jones.”

“Thank you, Scott.” Marie says. “But if I could say anything at all to your listeners, especially those who may depressed and considering suicide as an out, call a suicide prevention hotline. Talk to a family member or a friend.  There’s always someone willing to listen and there is always a better way.  Also remember that others are being hurt when you commit suicide.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Arthur and wonder if I could’ve helped in some way.”

Scott Simon nods his head. “Thank you for being here, Marie, and thank you for sharing your story.  Coming up, experts in the psychiatric field will be here to discuss depression and how to combat it.”

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April 27^th, 2019

Tucson, Arizona

Off Camera

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The interview from yesterday was therapeutic for The Phoenix.  She was being completely honest with the NPR listeners yesterday when she said there wasn’t a day that she didn’t think about Arthur.  What she didn’t tell them was that she still blamed herself for his death.  She recalls this like it was yesterday…

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Flashback

February 1^st, 2019

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“Arthur, don’t start that…” Marie’s voice trails off.

“It’s hard not to start into that.” Arthur says as he takes another sip of wine. “That was the one thing Katya did that I actually liked.  She fired Blake Mason and that meant he wouldn’t be anywhere near you to tempt you.”

His voice is dripping with venom as the bad memories of Marie’s affair with him all come back to light.

“I don’t like Katya, I think her and Dark Fantasy are using you.  But I was glad she fired Blake because at least that temptation would be gone.  I don’t trust him, Marie.  I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust him.  Now he’s back in the company touring with you and yet you still won’t let me come on the tours with you.”

“If you’re that damn insecure, then buy a damn ticket.” Marie snaps back at her husband angrily with vitriol of her own seeping through. “I can’t stop you from buying a fucking ticket but I can stop you from coming with me and apparently keeping you away from me during my SCW business was a good idea.”

“Why the hell would you want to stay away from me?  Your husband!”

“Because of this!  I just got over a self-confidence problem!  I just regained confidence I had lost from months of being a walking mat!  I finally got my legitimate shot at the world championship and now I get another, against Syren on Breakdown!  I get to face one of the greatest wrestlers in the world today!  This is huge for my career and I do not need your insecurity poisoning my professional life right now!”

“Insecurity?” Arthur is fuming now.  He tips the glass and chugs down the rest of his wine in one gulp.  He slams the glass back down on the table. “I think I have a right to be insecure.  You did have an affair with Blake Mason!”

“I thought we had gotten past that!” Marie exclaims.

“How do I get past that?  That’s like your mother asking you to just get over the fact that she put a bullet through your dad’s head!”

That was a mistake.  Marie immediately slaps the taste out of Arthur’s mouth.  He rubs his cheek as Marie stares at him with hatred in his eyes.

“Don’t you DARE bring up my father!”

“Why not?  You hate him.  You’ve said so yourself.  And you hate your mother.  Those are just a few of the questionable judgment calls you’ve been making; and that’s not to mention the questionable judgment call you made in siding with people like Katya and Syren and Ravyn.”

“You don’t even know them!”

“You know what?  You’re right.” Arthur nods his head. “I don’t know them, but then again how the hell could I get to know them when you won’t let me come to any damn shows?!”

“And this is precisely why I cannot let you come to shows with me!” Marie snaps back, poking a finger into his chest. “Because YOU act like a damn child!”

“And you are acting with a highly questionable judgment.  How can I trust you to stay away from someone like Blake Mason when you’re attracted to scum like Katya and Dark Fantasy?  How can I trust you stay away from Blake when your oh so perfect judgment tells you that mocking the memory of your dead father and disrespecting your own mother are acceptable actions?”

Marie strikes Arthur again, this time it is with a closed fist and the force of it causes Arthur to go tumbling off of the sofa.  He crashing onto the coffee table, causing to break under his weight.  The Phoenix stands up, shocked at first at what she does but then she steels herself.  She convinces herself that she was in the right with every second that Arthur uses to push himself back up to his feet.  Arthur gets nose to nose with Marie.

“Get out, Arthur!”

“Are you kicking me out?!”

“That’s what I saidI” Marie shouts. “I’ve had enough of you questioning me!  You’ve questioned and doubted me ever since we got together!  You never once believed in me, you never once supported me, you treated me like a fucking child and I have had it!”

“So is this…” Arthur’s voice trails off as he is trying to comprehend what she has just said “...are we through?”

“I don’t…” Marie has to ponder this for a moment before sighing “...I don’t know.  I just know that I don’t want to see you right now.”

She points towards the front door. “Leave.”

Arthur just stands for a few moments.  He isn’t quite sure what he wants to do and, for that matter, Marie isn’t sure what he’ll do either.  Marie notices Arthur balling up his fist, as if he is preparing to strike her.  Arthur then sighs as he relaxes.  A tear can be seen forming in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Marie.  This was supposed to be me making things right between us.  I guess I screwed it up.”

Arthur turns and starts to walk off.  Marie considers stopping him.  She only considers it for a brief moment and then thinks better of it.  She watches him exit the front door, potentially leaving him forever.

Marie drops back down onto the sofa and begins to cry.

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April 27^th, 2019

Tucson, Arizona

Off Camera

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She kicked him out of the house and from there he went on to kill himself.  He committed suicide shortly after being kicked out of the house by his own wife.  Thoughts still linger, thoughts about if she had just been more willing to talk, had she been more open and more willing to listen, maybe they could have worked things out.  Ultimately, had she just not kicked him out, maybe he would not have felt that strong rejection?  Maybe he would not have killed himself?

It’s a hypothetical question that will never be truly answered.  Marie, on the other hand, is convinced that the answer is as clear as day.  She could have saved him.  She could have stopped this from happening.  She could have her beloved Arthur with her today had she just not kicked him out of the house.

“Yo, Marie?  Earth to Marie?”  It’s the voice of her identical twin sister, Kimberly. “Yoo hoooooo…are you in there?!”

The twins are backstage at an SCW House Show in Tucson Arizona. Their participation is done for the night and normally Marie stays for the duration.  Though tonight is different.  Yesterday’s interview with Scott Simon and the discussion about suicide has dealt a heavy blow to her psyche.  Those memories are rushing right back to her and she’s having a difficult time maintaining her composure.  Most cannot tell, as she does a good job of disguising it. Kimberly, however, knows her identical twin better than that and Marie knows better than to even try to lie to her.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Are you sure?” Kim inquires. “You sure don’t look it.”

Kimberly gets up close to Marie’s head and puts her eyeball up against Marie’s ear, as if she is trying to look inside.  Marie shoves her away.  Kimberly smirks.

“Well, I think I see a brain in there.  So you’re good on that front.”

“Fine,” Marie sighs and shrugs her shoulders “I may be here physically but I’m not entirely here mentally.”

“What gives?” Kim asks.

“It’s nothing.  It’s just…” Marie shakes her head “…the interview yesterday…”

“Oh yeah, I remember.  Was it that bad?”

“I don’t know how bad it was, Kim. Let’s just say it took a real toll on me mentally and emotionally.  It really wore me out.”

“I had a feeling that doing that interview was a bad idea, babe.”

“I know you warned me about it, but I feel obligated to say something.  I don’t want anyone else to have to suffer the way he did, the way I am.  You know?”

“You can’t fix that problem, Marie.” Kim says stoically. “If people want to do that to themselves, there’s nothing you can do to stop them.”

“I can at least try.” Marie states. “It’s better than doing nothing.”

“You’re a better person than me, but then again that’s no surprise.” Kimberly smirks knowingly. “Hey, I got a good way to cheer you up!  Let’s go throw things at old people?  Or maybe we could go to the concession stand, get a chicken bone, carve it into a shank, and get all stabby stabby with Katya and the Red Empire bimbos?”

Marie chuckles lightly and shakes her head. “No thanks, Kim.  I think I’d rather just go back to the hotel.”

“Awww,” Kimberly pouts “do we have to?”

“No, WE don’t have to.” Marie points to herself. “I’m going back.  You’re welcome to do whatever you want.”

“But…”

“Kim, listen,” Marie places a hand on her sister’s shoulder “I’ve been treating you like a child for far too long.  And why?  Just because you have a history of mental illness?  Kim, you are a normal adult.  You are a grown woman.  You can make your decisions.  Don’t do something just because I do it.”

Kimberly embraces her sister in a tight hug. “I appreciate you saying that, sis, and I use my free will to decide to accompany you back to the hotel.”

“Suit yourself.” Marie shrugs her shoulders.

“You go on,” Kimberly says as she starts to skip away “I’m gonna go get a doughnut from concession before I leave!”

Marie watches her sister skip off.  Marie chuckles as she shakes her head and starts to walk in the opposite direction.  She knows she is lucky to have someone like Kimberly in her life.  Her identical twin sister has remained loyal to her through all of the trials and tribulations of recent months.  When others refused to give her a second chance after she walked away from Katya at Retribution, Kimberly stayed by her side.  Marie is slowly regaining her reputation.  The SCW fans have forgiven her already. But one person who will remain with her throughout the rest of the ordeal is Kimberly.

“Ms. Jones?”

Immediately the SCW Television Champion stops dead in her tracks.  She turns to find an official walking towards her with flowers and a card.  Marie looks on curiously as the official holds them out to her, as if they belong to her. But she wasn’t expecting this.

“Uh, yes?” She asks curiously.

“These are for you.”

Jones takes the flowers and the card.  “Thank you.”

The official walks off and Marie looks at the flowers.  They smell quite nice. Then she carefully opens up the card and reads it…

“To my favourite Ginger in the entire world. Hugs and kisses, Tommy xx”

Marie furrows her brow.  “Tommy?”

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On Camera

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As the SCW Television Champion, one thing I want to do is make damn sure that the championship is given the proper respect and dignity that it deserves.  As champion, Konrad Raab did his best to give the title dignity and respect.  He did his best to represent that championship with honor and pride.  Unfortunately Ruby Amarant came along and stopped all of that.

Ruby never cared about the championship.  She and Scarlet just wanted a trinket to bring home to their precious puppet master Katya.  Ruby wanted the approval of Katya by bringing home a gold trophy.  That’s all it was to her.  A means to an end.

When I defeated her for the championship, I restored dignity to the championship, because I take pride in being a champion.  Yet at the same time I am humbled with the great task of having to represent that championship and, dare I say, SCW itself.  It is truly an honor to be a champion here in SCW and if you think for one second I was going to let Scarlet Grey rip that away from me and then tarnish this championship by laying it back at the feet of Katya you are sorely mistaken.

I will fight until my dying breath for this championship, because that’s what champions do.

Now I can be grateful that finally I have a challenger who understands the pride and honor, as well as the heavy obligations that go with being a champion in SCW.

Kellen Jeffries.

Your story hasn’t gone unnoticed by me, Kellen.  You seem to be trying real hard to turn both your professional life as well as your personal life around.  I can understand that journey, Kellen, and I know how tough of a journey that is.  I’ve had t o go on that journey before and it isn’t easy.  I’m on my own journey of redemption right now.  I wish you luck in your journey as I’m sure you wish me luck in mine.

Your personal life is your business and I know nothing of it, but I can speak of your professional life and I can honestly say you are turning that around.  You won a Trios Contract and for that I applaud you.  But I’ve been turning my professional life around as well.  I am now the SCW Television Champion.

Now this sounds like a trope I’m sure plenty of people have seen before.  Two people on similar, almost parallel journeys, and they meet up.  Sounds nice doesn’t it?

Problem is, when we meet up, we’re going to be like two on coming trains heading for a collision course with one another.  The problem with this nice and neat scenario is that both of us cannot continue our smooth journey back into the good graces of society.  One of us is going to suffer a bump in the road.

Hell, both of us could suffer a bump in the road.  Both of us could get derailed.

I’ll say this to you, Kellen; I am willing to give you a chance.  God knows I’ve needed second chances before and God knows I need one now from the SCW locker room.  For me not to believe that you’ve changed and that you are a different person would be rather hypocritical of me.  But as much as I do believe that you have changed, I still cannot and I will not take it easy on you.

I don’t think you want me to take it easy on you.

This Television Championship requires that I fight whoever Sasha puts in front of me, and it requires that I fight them not half-ass but with my full force of intensity and ability.  So that means what happened to Scarlet last Breakdown and what happened to Ruby the Breakdown before that is going to happen to you.

Simply put, I’m going to kick your ass.

It’s not out of hate or malice.  It’s just because I’m the champion and it’s my duty, my obligation, to defend this title to the best of my ability.  And that means throwing my ever loving best at you, doing my damndest to put you down, and making damn sure that I walk out of Breakdown STILL the SCW Television Champion.