==========
Breakdown
August 30th,
2017
On Camera
==========
Tina gets to the top rope and Marie slowly
turns and gets up. Tina dives off going for a knee strike, but Marie moves out
of the way. Tina lands on her feet and Marie jumps up and hits a neckbreaker.
She turns and hooks the leg.
1!
2!
Tina kicks out. She turns and starts to get
up and Marie grabs her and hits a European uppercut and then another one. She
whips Tina into the corner. Tina hits hard and Marie runs after and grabs her
and then goes for a roll-up. She gets Tina over, but Tina pushes back and rolls
through further.
1!
2!
3!
The crowd roars as Marie kicks out just
after three and looks up stunned. Tina falls back to the ropes. The bell
sounds.
“Here is your winner, via pinfall, Tina
Valentine!’
Marie looks
around stunned as Tina has her arm raised.
Marie sighs and shakes her head with a sense of disappointment as she
realizes that this may be her last chance to get back into championship
contention. She could have delivered
decisively in this Adrenaline Championship tournament but she failed to give it
her best and she lost to Tina Valentine.
Now she’s out of luck and possibly out of opportunities.
Jones rolls
out of the ring and turns to head back up the ramp, walking away from the ring
to leave Tina 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…
==========
Breakdown
August 30th,
2017
Off Camera
==========
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…
…it is a
difficult question to consider. Marie
had two opportunities to regain the SCW United States Championship since losing
it to Jinn in Puerto Rico on Supreme Saturday.
Now tonight, despite failing twice to regain the United States Championship,
she was chosen to be a part of this tournament to crown a new SCW Adrenaline
Champion but once again she failed to deliver on her opportunity.
Not to take
away from Tina Valentine. She is a great
competitor and even if Marie had been at the top of her game, Tina may still
have won, but Marie realizes she was not at her best. She was not competing as good as she could
have. She only put on a half-assed
performance and she got the result she deserved…
….a big fat
loss.
Jones
figures that it’ll be a long time before she gets another opportunity like the
one she had tonight. Oh well. No use worrying about that right now. That’s a concern for another day. 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!”
“Only if you ask nicely!”
“Fine,” Marie sighs “PLEASE get your damn hands off me!”
Kimberly
snickers as she removes her hands. Marie
turns around to face her identical twin sister Kimberly Williams. It is almost like looking into a mirror,
except for the fact that Kimberly is NOT in wrestling gear. Instead she is wearing torn jeans, flip
flops, and a t-shirt which reads ‘I Groped Mr. D’.
“See?” Kimberly begins. “It wasn’t that hard to ask nicely.”
“Kimberly, I…” Marie pauses as she gets
a look at her sister’s shirt “…where in
the name of sanity did you get that shirt?”
“Trade secret.” Kimberly places a finger
over her mouth as if to hush Marie. “But
I am going to share. I have one for you
AND for my bestie Imogen.”
“Not a good idea, sis.” Marie says,
shaking her head.
“What do you mean?” Kimberly asks
incredulously. “These bad boys will sell
like hot cakes!”
“Look, Kim, just listen,” Marie says,
clearly exasperated “I know you and
Imogen are friends and all, but I think that you…well, both of you are bad
influences on the other.”
“Yeah, aint it great?” Kimberly smirks. “Tonight I let Imo’s pet Iguana sample some
beer.”
Marie
frowns. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Maybe I am…maybe I’m not…”
“You’d better be kidding, Kim.” Marie
retorts, sighing and shaking her head. “Look, you may not ‘work’ here officially, but
you are my twin sister and what you do reflects upon me…”
She points
at the shirt “…and you wearing THAT will
not endear yourself to my boss, so please take it off.”
“Sure,” Kimberly shrugs her shoulders “whatever you say.”
She starts
to take the shirt off and a devilish grin spreads across her face. “But I warn you, I don’t have a bra on
underneath…”
“WHAT?!” Marie quickly reaches over and
stops Kim from taking the shirt off. “NO!”
“Huh?” Kimberly says snickering. “But I thought you said to take it off?”
“Going around topless is worse than wearing
THAT…” Marie sighs with frustration.
“You really are indecisive today.”
Kimberly says mockingly. “Maybe if you
were more decisive you would’ve beaten old hood rat Tina today?”
“Not that, Kim. Not now.” Marie rolls
her eyes. She points to the dressing
room. “Let’s just go. I need to get changed out of this and
leave. I’m tired, exhausted, and I just
want to go to the hotel.”
Kimberly
again shrugs her shoulders as she watches her sister storm past her towards the
dressing room. Kimberly follows
suit. The sibling pair enters the
dressing room and shut the door behind them.
Kimberly watches Marie lift up her gym bag and empty its contents onto
the floor. A maxi skirt, a pair of
simple sandals, and a simple white blouse fall out onto the floor. Kimberly watches as Marie pulls up a chair
next to the pile of clothing and she sits down in the chair. Marie then slumps over and buries her face in
her hands. Kim can sense something is
off with her sister. She approaches
cautiously and places a gentle, comforting hand on her back.
“What’s wrong, Marie?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me, babe.” Kim answers back. Marie sighs and looks up at Kimberly with
tears forming in her eyes.
“I busted my ass to try to win back the SCW
United States Championship, Kim, only for my one on one rematch to end in a
double count out?” Marie shakes her head. “That was bullshit. Then I
failed yet again at Rise To Greatness. I
shouldn’t have had this opportunity here tonight to become Adrenaline Champion
but I was given the chance anyway and what did I do?”
Marie shakes
her head. “I put forward a half-assed
performance and got my ass beat. How
many more opportunities do you think I’ll have now? I fucked up, Kim. Now I have to pay the consequences.”
Kimberly
ponders this for a moment before nodding her head. “That may be true, you do have to pay the consequences for your
actions, but I do think you’re looking at this entirely wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“I remember someone once said…and I’m
paraphrasing here…that as great as it is to hold a championship, ultimately
that isn’t what this business boils down to.
It’s about putting on a hell of a show for the great idiots…”
“Fans…” Marie says, correcting Kim with
a nasty scowl.
“Right, idiots…fans…whatever.” Kimberly
smirks. “First and foremost, this is
about putting on a hell of a show for the fans.
Championships are great but are secondary. You know who told me that?”
Kimberly
taps Marie on her nose. “You did,
sweetie.”
“Kimberly, you…” Marie’s voice trails
off as she shakes her head and wipes some of the tears from her face “…you’re right, I know. But it’s so hard to accept.”
“I get it, babe. I really do.” Kimberly says, nodding her
head. “But just think about how tonight,
even if though you lost, you got to perform for your fans. Even though you lost at Rise To Greatness,
you got to perform on the big stage and you put on a hell of a performance even
in defeat. Those idiots…”
“Fans…” Marie says, again correcting
Kimberly.
“Right, fans; they appreciate you,
babe. Win or lose, they appreciate
you. That’s gotta count for something,
right?”
“You know what, Kim?” Marie stands up. “You are absolutely right. It does count for a great deal. My fans have followed me throughout my
career, through the ups and the downs, when I’ve had my highest of highs and the
lowest of lows. Never once did they
falter or leave me. And that does mean a
lot.”
Marie leans
in and embraces Kimberly in a tight hug.
“Thanks, Kim. I needed that.”
“Don’t mention it.” Kim says, grinning
from ear to ear. “Seriously, don’t
mention it. I don’t want people to think
I’m a softie or any shit like that.”
“Don’t worry,” Marie says chuckling “your secret is safe with me.”
“Now I know you’re feeling kinda icky right
now, and I know you said you wanted to
go back to the hotel, but why not let yours truly take you out for some late
night fun to pick your spirits up?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Marie says
hesitantly “I mean, Author is expecting
me…”
“Oh come on, babe,” Kim insists “your boy toy will be there when you get
back.”
Kim grins
knowingly. “I think we both could use
some sisterly bonding.”
“I, uh,” Marie thinks about her sister’s
offer for a little longer before finally nodding her head “alright, yeah, I probably could use some downtime to just relax.”
“Exactly!” Kimberly declares
victoriously. “There will plenty of time
to prepare for whatever SCW has planned for you next; you need this right now.”
==========
Early
Morning The Next Day
Off Camera
==========
It’s two
o’clock in the morning and this hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina is quiet and
lifeless, due to the fact that everyone spending time here are already asleep
in their rooms. The lobby of this hotel
is quite exquisite. The floor was tiled
in fine marble, which made every step echo. A chandelier made rainbow colors
dance across the luxurious lobby. Embroidered silk sofas surrounded a large,
flat-screen television. The twin doors that led into the lobby were a pristine
white with golden handles. The desk was made of amber-colored wood and a green
granite top. Exquisite paintings hung from the rich, red walls. Even the door
hinges were engraved with swirls and elegant designs. Music played in the
background, even though the only person around to hear it is the attendant at
the desk. The music is soft, the colors
gentle to the eye and the large dining room, while it may be empty, is ready
for the morning breakfast.
The silence
of this early morning is broken when the two giggling siblings Marie Jones and
Kimberly Williams come walking into the hotel lobby…
“I am so glad you talked me into going out,
sis!” Marie exclaims happily, carrying her gym bag which no doubt contains
her wrestling gear. “This was awesome!”
“Told you it would be.” Kimberly winks. “I know how to have a good time.”
“I have to admit, I was nervous about what
you had in mind.” Marie admits with a sigh of relief.
“Did you think we were going to go to some
seedy dive, get into a brawl, get arrested, spend the night in jail, some shit
like that?”
“In a word…” Marie’s voice trails off as
a grin forms on her face “…yes!”
Kim
snickers. “Yeah, that was the old
Kim. And hell, if it were just me, I
might still do some of that. But I’m
trying to be a better person and I am definitely not going to get you into any
trouble.”
“Trying to be a better person?” Marie
places a hand on her sister’s shoulder.
“You ARE a better person. You really
helped me back there at the arena after Breakdown. And tonight you really showed me a great time
and picked up my spirits.”
“I guess we can have a good time in slightly
higher-class establishments than where I typically go.” Kimberly responds
with a grin.
Marie Jones
and her twin sister turn and head away and over towards the elevators. As soon as they get to the elevator doors
Marie presses the button calling for the elevator and the door opens. Marie and Kimberly enter the elevator and
then Marie presses the button for the elevator to go up. The door closes and the elevator begins to
rise. Kim and Marie are giggling the
entire way as the elevator rises up. As
soon as it reaches the second floor it comes to a slow stop. The doors open and the sisters exit the
elevator. They turn and begin to head
down the hall.
“Do you even know your next match, sis?”
“No,” Marie says, shaking her head “I’m trying not to think about it, to be
honest. Apocalypse is next, a pay per
view, and my recent string of disappointing performances may end up leaving me
off the card.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but remember what I
said,” Kimberly says with a warm smile “it
isn’t about any of that shit. It’s about
your idiot fans.”
“Fans, Kim.” Marie says scoldingly. “Just fans, not idiots.”
“Whatever you say, babe.”
They come to
two hotel room doors, side by side, and they stop. Presumably this must be their respective
rooms. Kim motions to hers.
“I guess I’ll be going inside…” a knowing
grin forms across her face “…unless you
want to switch for the night?”
“Not a chance, Kim.” Marie says, shaking
her head. “You are NOT getting anywhere
near my husband.”
“Darn, well it was worth a try.”
Marie leans
in and embraces her twin sister one more time. “Thanks again, Kim. I mean
it. You helped out a great deal.”
“Anytime.”
With that,
Kimberly places her keycard into the slot of her door, it unlocks, and she
enters her room, shutting the door behind her.
Seeing Kim gone, Marie then takes her keycard and does the same,
entering it into the door slot and then once she hears it unlock she pushes the
door open. She steps inside and is
surprised to find the lights on. As late
as it is she expected Author to be asleep already but she finds him sitting up
in the chair by the window. He is
dressed in denim jeans and a plain black shirt.
“Author?” Marie asks inquisitively as
she sets her gym bag down. “I thought you
would’ve been asleep already.”
“I thought you would’ve been home a long time
ago.” Author remarks coldly, stoically.
“Yeah, sorry for not calling, sweetheart,
but I was in a real bad place after Breakdown.
You were watching, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, I watched.” Author remarks,
nodding his head.
“I didn’t deserve that spot in the
Adrenaline Championship Tournament but I got the opportunity anyway, then to
squander it the way I did and lose to Tina Valentine, I felt as if I was right
back in the bottom of the barrel. But
thankfully Kimberly, she…”
Marie is cut
off when Author immediately stands up. The mere mentioning of Kimberly’s name
seems to set him off.
“Kimberly!
Again?!” His voice is raised ever so slightly. “What did she do this time?!”
“Nothing.” Marie says, shaking her head.
“In fact, she did me a world of good by
talking me out of that dark place. And
she took me out afterwards to show me a good time, to lift my spirits. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Author asks skeptically.
“That’s all.”
“Yeah, right…” Author’s voice trails off
as he shakes his head “…look, Marie, I
know she’s your blood, she’s your sister, and because of that I’ve tried to
remain supportive of you, but I have been silent for too damn long.”
Marie
frowns. “What do you mean?”
“You made a great deal over nature versus
nurture regarding your sister. And who
knows? Maybe if she had been raised like
a normal human being she wouldn’t be the way she is, but the fact is that she
was raised in complete isolation for eighteen years by a sociopath. I don’t care how much therapy she receives
from the best psychiatric doctors in the world, nothing will fix her brain.”
“But she sought out treatment herself!”
Marie exclaims, defending her sister. “She
checked herself into a mental institution to get herself help!”
“It doesn’t matter.” Author remarks,
shaking his head. “Deep down inside she
is still a monster and you brought that monster into our household by agreeing
to be her legal guardian.”
“So that’s what you’re pissed off about?!”
Marie asks incredulously. “You’re angry
that I want to help my family? Damn it,
Author, you should know by now that I care deeply about my family!”
“You say that, but am I not your family
also?”
Marie blinks
curiously. “What are you saying,
Author? What are you implying?!”
“What I’m saying is that this isn’t the
first time you’ve pulled crap like this, Marie.
Again, just like with your sister I’ve remained silent, but I can’t keep
silent any longer. You come back to the hotel at late hours, long after
Breakdown has ended. And I can’t have
meaningful conversations about this or any other issue that concerns me because
YOU are so damn focused on wrestling.”
“Wrestling is my life!” Marie snaps back
with tears forming in her eyes. “It’s
what I do!”
“That’s the problem, because you can’t have
both me and wrestling as your life.”
Marie’s eyes
grow wide with shock. “Are you
suggesting…”
“I have played second fiddle to wrestling
and to your crazy sister for too damn long.
The fans get The Phoenix, The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, and
they get her all of the time, but I just want my wife. I want Marie Pond. I would even like children of my own. But do you think I’m going to get that while
you’re competing?” He shakes his head. “Not
a chance in hell, you wouldn’t want pregnancy to get in the way of your
precious career.”
Author
starts to walk past Marie. She reaches
out and grabs him by the arm. “Wait! Where are you going?!”
“Leaving.” He responds stoically. “It is clear you’re married to wrestling,
not me, so I’ll leave you two alone.”
He pulls
away from her and again starts to walk away. “Author, wait! Don’t go!”
He stops and
turns to face her one last time. “Look,
I’m tired of this wrestling nonsense getting in the way of our marriage. I want my wife. And I’m genuinely fearful for my safety so
long as your crazy sister is in our lives.
Are you prepared to be the wife I want and ditch Kimberly?”
“I…Author, I just…” Marie looks to her
left, at the wall, a wall which separates their hotel room from Kimberly’s,
then she looks back at Author “…I can’t.”
“Then goodbye.” He turns and starts to
walk away. “Call me when you’re ready to
be the wife I want.”
With that
Author opens the door and steps out, slamming it shut behind him. Marie drops to her knees and starts crying
uncontrollably. Her crying is so loud she
doesn’t even notice the door that connects her room to Kimberly’s opening. Kimberly enters the room and kneels down next
to her twin sister. Marie looks up with
some surprise seeing her sister there.
“Kim, where…” she looks over at the open
door and then back at Kim “…how much of
that did you hear?”
“You guys were pretty loud.” Kimberly
remarks. “I heard all of it.”
Kimberly and
Marie embrace in a tight sisterly hug as they try to comfort one another, even
Kimberly needs comforting, as tears roll down her cheek. “Yeah, I heard all of it.”
==========
On Camera
==========
It hasn’t
been too long since I lost to Tina Valentine in the opening round of the SCW
Adrenaline Championship Tournament, but I have still had plenty of time to
reminisce, to think about what has been going on lately with The Phoenix.
Ever since
Puerto Rico, ever since I lost the United States Championship, I have been
granted many opportunities. I have been
granted two opportunities to regain the SCW United States Championship, one
that ended in a double count out and another that ended up in my elimination
from the four way match at Rise To Greatness.
And you
know, I’m woman enough to admit when I’m beat and give credit where credit is
due. Take as many victory laps as you want,
Regan, congratulations. You earned it.
But then boy
was I surprised when I learned that I would be a part of the Adrenaline
Championship Tournament. And you know, a
great deal was made about opportunities being granted to undeserving people,
and you know, maybe I didn’t deserve it, but I never asked for the
opportunity. I was told I would be
competing against Tina Valentine and that’s what I did. I went to Breakdown in Charlotte, North
Carolina and I competed.
And I failed
again. Another opportunity that slipped
through my fingers.
I could have
moped in self-pity over another opportunity squandered, but as someone close to
me reminded me, there is more to this great business than just decorating
yourself with shiny gold belts. This is
about the great fans of SCW who pay good money to see wrestlers like me put on
a hell of a show, and my fans in particular have been devoted to me for quite
some time, standing by my side through the good times and the bad and those
fans deserve the best from The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.
This
business is also about the spirit of competition. I am a competitor and that has not
changed. Just as I said earlier, I was
told I’d face Tina Valentine so I went and performed. Now I’m told I’m competing against Brittany
Lohan, Torsten Voigt, and Autumn Valentine in a triple threat match at the
Apocalypse pay per view.
I don’t view
this as a stepping stone of any sort to getting back to where I was once was,
I’m not looking past this towards anything in the future because, let’s face
it, I have no idea what the future holds now do I? I am not getting handed anymore
opportunities, because I do not want to be handed anything. I will create my own opportunities by winning
big matches against great athletes on big stages like the Apocalypse pay per
view.
I am living
in the here and the now and my here and now includes facing three tough
competitors, three hungry athletes who all want the same thing…
…a win at
Apocalypse.
We may have
a different approach to the sport of combat, but Brittany, Autumn, Torsten and
I all want the same thing. We all want
that thrill of competition but, more importantly, to be the one individual who
wins in the end.
And
ladies…and you too, Torsten…you are going to be in store for a real fight, a
war, at Apocalypse, because I am bringing the Apocalypse, the hellfire, and the
brimstone with me; because what I do, what I always do regardless of win or
loss, I always bring my best, I always bring my A-Game, and just ask Brittany
herself what that A-Game is like, because she’s experienced it before.
Hi there,
Britt. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it,
since we’ve been in the ring? We were
allies and tag team champions as members of Hidden Desires in GDW, then we
fought over the GDW World Championship, and you beat me that night.
Congratulations
on that one, by the way.
We were IWC
World Tag Team Champions when that company was still around. That didn’t work out for us, because I got a
little bigheaded, a little arrogant, and I kicked you to the curb.
We’ve had
our ups and our downs, Britt, that’s for sure, and I have no clue what you
think of me right now. I’ve done my
damndest to make amends for my past but you know, even though you are best
friends with my mom, you may still hate my guts. Who knows?
But one
thing that I know for sure is that you respect me…and I respect you…because we
know what the other is capable of.
Nothing
against Torsten or Autumn, because any time I get to climb into a wrestling
ring and compete is an honor and a privilege, but getting to renew my odd
relationship with Brittany Lohan is definitely an honor and a privilege for me
and I am looking forward to this contest at Apocalypse if for no other reason
than that.
You
mentioned on social media that you wanted me to pay attention, to see how it’s
done? Don’t worry, Britt, I always pay
attention. I always do my homework. And despite how well we may know one another,
I know that nothing about you is ever certain, just as you should realize that
nothing about The Phoenix is ever certain.
Thus I issue
the same challenge to Torsten and Autumn; do your homework. Take notes.
Get ready because The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling is ready to
put on a show and she’s going to do her damndest to get back to the winning
side here in Supreme Championship Wrestling.
And while you do not know what I might bring to the table, you can be
damn sure that I will bring my very best to Apocalypse and that I will either
bring the very best out of each one of you…
…or you will
fall flat on your face.
Anything can
happen in our crazy sport, anything at any time, and in a four way, you never
know who is going to win, but I’m going to do my best to put on a show for my
fans and to create a new opportunity for myself by impressing the right people,
opening some eyes, and making damn sure that Mr. D and SCW know that the flight
of The Phoenix has not ended…
…it has just
begun.
