==========
On Camera
==========
The scene opens inside of what appears to be an
empty arena. It could be arena anywhere in the world. Who knows?
Our camera scans the area for signs of life but there is no one. A
wrestling is set up; clearly some wrestling event is to be held here. SCW?
Perhaps. Still, no noises. No one to be seen. But that doesn’t
last too long as a spotlight suddenly lights up and shines down on a seat near
the very back. Suddenly we cut to that
seat and we find The British Bombshell, the woman who some believe to be The
Best in the World, Glory Braddock seated comfortably in one of the seats.
She is dressed in her royal purple colored two piece wrestling gear. Her long blonde hair hangs unrestrained to
shoulder length. A confident smirk is
etched across her lovely features.
“Don’t you just hate it when someone pokes their
nose into your business? Don’t you hate it when you’re trying to have a
dance only to have some outside cut in?” A low
chuckle escapes her lips. “Oh I’m sure you must think I’m talking about
myself. Your bloody nuisance of a father I know thinks all that about
me. But lets get a few things straight here, Alistaire.”
“Number one,” she
holds up one finger “this main event at Rise To Greatness is about more than
just the SCW World Championship. This is about much more than the fame
and glory that goes with winning the biggest match on the biggest stage in
Supreme Championship Wrestling. This is about the very soul of SCW. Hell, you could argue that this is about the
very soul of professional wrestling itself.
Are we going to stand by and let a bloody twat like Syren get by with
breaking every sacred rule of the sport just to stay on top?”
“I’ll talk about you later, Syren.”
Braddock winks at the camera.
“You agree with me that this sport and its
integrity should be valued and defended against tyrants like Syren and her
thugs. I get that, mate, and I am glad that you do, but let’s get one
thing perfectly clear; you didn’t jump on board with this until after you won
Taking Hold of the Flame. Convenient, isn’t it? Well here’s a reality check for you,
Alistaire. I’ve been fighting and
clawing my way towards this very moment, this night at Rise To Greatness, since
February. Don’t believe me? Just
look back to the lead up to the Trios Tournament. I proclaimed it loud and clear that what
Regan, Kellen, and myself wanted to accomplish was more than just a selfish
victory for ourselves, but a game changer to shake the landscape of the
entirety of Supreme Championship Wrestling. And from the night of the
Trios Tournament, hell before it even began, I knew what the goal was…”
The British Bombshell pauses dramatically, glaring
intensely into the camera “...end the tyranny, defend the traditions of this
great sport, and tear the world championship out of the hands of Syren.
Ideally I would have preferred it to be one on one, but while lasting nearly
forty minutes in Taking Hold of the Flame is quite an accomplishment and very
impressive, it wasn’t good enough. You won, and for that I do applaud
you. You earned your spot in this main
event.”
Braddock claps, seemingly a genuine applause, for
Allocco. “So yeah, congratulations. But understand I have declared war
long before you won Taking Hold of the Flame. I have made my intentions
known for quite some time now. But that
does bring me to point number two.”
The British Bombshell holds up two fingers. “You’re
good, I’ll grant you that. I know how good you are because we have a
history. We have done battle more than once. So you should also know that I am good.
Alistaire, I would even wager that in a fair fight you could dethrone
Syren. But therein lies the rub, it
won’t be a fair fight and you know it. Hell, your own father knows
it. Syren will not fight fair. She openly admits to being willing to do
anything it takes and take any shortcuts in order to leave as champion.
That brasser doesn’t even give a damn about winning anymore. She would be just as happy losing so long as
it meant losing by disqualification or countout, because that means she retains
the title.”
“But she doesn’t even have to do that, does she?” Braddock
shakes her head. “She has a bloody arm of nitwits willing to help her
out! And yet you refused to have them banned from ringside. You wanted it to be a standard match, nothing
to help ensure a fair fight; all because you wanted to prove that you could
beat her at her own game.”
“Some might call that noble. I just call it
naive. That’s why I used Trios,
mate. Trios is my insurance policy.
You would have been easy pickings for her and I am not going to let her
work her magic and worm her way out of Rise To Greatness with the
championship. You see, Alistaire, as good as you are inside the ring in a
fair fight, to truly be one of the best ever you need to be able to adapt to
any situation. You need to be able to
strategize and plan for scum like her. You need to be able to come up
with ways to counter whatever crap her and her pals will throw in order to
survive with the championship.”
Braddock pats herself on the chest. “I can and I
will be ready for anything that she has prepared to use against me at Rise To
Greatness. I have stared down people like her before and I have won. You?
Sorry, mate, but I do not have as much confidence that you could do the
same.”
“So did I cut in? Did I get involved in your
business?” The British Bombshell shakes her head.
“No, it’s the other way around. You should be the one who stays out of
my way, Alistaire, and let me handle business.”
A low laugh escapes her voice. “Oh but who am I
kidding? This is Rise To Greatness and it is the main event. The
world championship is on the line. No
one in their right mind with an opportunity this big would stand aside and I
know you won’t. I wouldn’t expect any true competitor to step aside from
a challenge like this.”
Glory Braddock stands up out of the chair. No
more smiles, no more laughter; she is all serious as she gazes deep into the
camera as if she is staring directly at Alistaire Allocco himself.
“So let me tell you exactly what you can expect
from me, mate. You can expect me to treat you no different than I would
treat that brasser holding the championship right now. I will treat you
as an obstacle standing between me and ending this tyranny that exists in
Supreme Championship Wrestling. And I will go right through you, just I
will go right through Syren. And I will
tap you out just as quickly as I tap out Syren if I have to. Or you can
get choked out. The choice is all
yours.”
==========
July 16th, 2019
Houston, TX
Off Camera
==========
It’s Tuesday evening, one night prior to the final
Breakdown before Rise To Greatness weekend. The anxiety and nerves, the
excitement, is beginning to ramp up amongst those gathering in the Lone Star
State for the biggest event of SCW’s calendar year. For Glory Braddock,
however, nerves and anxiety are not an issue.
The British Bombshell is focused on the task at hand in dethroning Syren
to become the new SCW World Champion. The English beauty has even managed
to push the events of the last week out her mind so that she can focus only on
her main event match.
Thus the silence from Glory Braddock in the rental
car speeding down the road isn’t due to nerves about her big opportunity at
Rise To Greatness or concern about her daughter’s safety and well being when it
comes to one Clyde Sutter. No, she is silent merely because she is trying
to keep her mind off of what must be done in less than a week’s time in Dallas,
Texas. She is trying to keep her mind
off of the personal family problems that have been plaguing her recently.
Those issues will resurface soon enough; but for now, in Houston, Texas, the
city that hosts the final Breakdown, Glory Braddock rides with her husband Kurt
as he drives them towards their dinner destination.
Night hasn’t quite dawned on the city of Houston
but the sun is beginning to set, creating a beautiful image in the Texas
sky. Braddock smiles warmly as she soaks it all in, the setting, the
view, everything she sees as the car goes down the road. As focused as she has been on her match these
past few days tonight is just as good a night as any to distract herself from
anything and everything and just enjoy herself.
If only for this one night. Then it’s back to
serious business.
“Glory…” Braddock
is zoned out right now as her attention is entirely on the sights of the
outside. Thus she doesn’t really hear her husband’s voice. Kurt waits few seconds and decides to try
again. “Gloria…”
“Huh?” This
time The British Bombshell is startled. It was the use of her birth name,
Gloria, which hardly anyone uses nowadays, which snaps her out of her
concentration. She turns her head to see her husband. “Yes?
Something wrong?”
“You were very quiet over there.” Kurt
Logan says with a low chuckle. “Wanted to make sure you hadn’t passed out or
anything.”
“No, no such luck love.”
She winks playfully. “The only one passing out will be Syren, or maybe
Alistaire if he gets in my way…”
“Now I thought you didn’t want to talk about them
tonight?” Kurt asks inquisitively.
“True enough, you’re right.” Braddock
sighs and nods her head. “I’m not going to talk about either of those two
clowns; not tonight at least. Tonight you and I are going to just enjoy
ourselves at this place...”
The British Bombshell furrows her brow in confusion
“...what is this place called, anyway?”
“The Taste of Texas.”
Kurt says grinning. “It is a steakhouse and should be quite a good
one. From what I read it has an on-site butcher shop and that’s where
their steaks come from.”
“Very nice!”
Braddock exclaims. She doesn’t get steak that often as she is picky about
her steaks. Very few places can please her when it comes to steak. But from what her husband just said about
this particular steakhouse, she is looking forward to seeing what The Taste of
Texas has to offer.
“They have a nice salad bar too, if you’d rather
eat healthy.” Her husband says with a playful
wink. Braddock shakes her head in response.
“Not on your life, mate.” Glory
remarks. “If tonight is about you and me enjoying ourselves, then I’m having
a steak.”
“Fair enough.” Kurt
says with a nod of his head. It isn’t long after that until Kurt’s open
wide. He spots a sign up ahead.
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he takes the other and points. “We’re
here.”
Braddock looks ahead and spots the sign for The
Taste of Texas. A smile crosses her face.
She is looking forward to this; it isn’t often she and Kurt get to have
date nights anymore. Kurt may be retired from active competition but
Glory Braddock is still very busy as she actively competes in Supreme
Championship Wrestling, not to mention her own business ventures consisting of
Global Championship Wrestling and the Braddock Wrestling School. She
truly loves her husband but her busy schedule keeps getting in the way of their
time together. But not tonight. Tonight is just about them and nothing will
get in their way.
Nothing.
The car pulls into the parking lot. It is a
packed parking lot and Glory can already tell that there is a line waiting to
be seated. Is it this popular all of the time or is this just due to the
fact that there is a wrestling event in town tomorrow? Braddock isn’t
sure but Kurt can already sense her nerves and speaks out to calm them.
“Don’t worry, I called ahead and got reservations.”
Braddock breathes a sigh of relief. “Good.”
The rental car slowly makes its way through the
parking lot. It takes quite some time but Kurt finally does get lucky and
finds an open spot. Without slowing down, Kurt turns with a jerk into the
parking spot. After the car is turned
off he notices his wife staring at him with a knowing gaze. He shrugs his
shoulders.
“What?”
“Don’t wreck the rental car, love.”
Braddock says with a wink.
“I won’t.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
She says with a playful laugh. Kurt laughs back.
“Well did you really want to risk someone else
getting the spot?”
“Better safe than sorry.”
With that said Kurt Logan exits the driver’s
said. Glory waits as her husband walks around to the passenger’s side and
opens the door, allowing Braddock to get out. This is part of what makes
this night special. Kurt always is the
gentleman and being treated like the lady she is makes Glory’s day. He
takes her hand and kisses it, causing The British Bombshell to blush. Kurt and his lovely wife lock arms and then
proceed to walk towards the entrance of the Taste of Texas restaurant
The walk across the parking lot isn’t a long
one. Kurt and Glory are both immediately impressed as they approach the
restaurant, for there is a worker there to greet them, holding the door open to
allow them easy access.
“Welcome to The Taste of Texas!” The
worker, a young lady with black hair says. Kurt nods his head
quietly. Glory responds more vocally.
“Thanks, mate.”
The restaurant was full. Braddock and her husband
looked around at the busy tables; an old couple eating side by side, one glass
of wine each, studiously bent over their meals. A group of young women in their
thirties collapsing with helpless giggles as a stern woman dining alone nearby
looked on and frowned. Businessmen in their grey suits lighting up cigars.
A family and their teenage children. The noise level was high. But it didn’t seem to bother Kurt; not at
all. He turns and looks at his wife.
“Remember, I have reservations.”
Kurt and Glory stand there for a few moments until
they are approached by the maitre d. This is a young man, late twenties,
with blonde hair. He smiles pleasantly
at the couple as he breaks what he thinks will be some bad news to them.
“The wait will be about thirty minutes unless you
have reservations.”
“We do have reservations.”
Kurt says with a nod of his head. “Under the name Kurt, Kurt Logan.”
“Ah yes, your table is ready.” He
turns and motions for them to follow. “Right this way, please.”
Kurt and Glory follow the maitre d past rows of
tables with other patrons. A few moments later they arrive at a table by
the wall. There is a window so that
Braddock and her husband Kurt can look outside while they enjoy their
meal. Kurt, who continues to pour on the charm offensive, holds out the
chair for his wife. Glory nods in
gratitude as she sits down. Kurt then
sits down next. The host places menus in
front of them.
“Your server will be with you momentarily.”
The host walks away. As soon as he is gone, Kurt turns his attention
entirely on his wife.
“So are we enjoying ourselves yet?”
He asks with a wry grin.
“You already know the answer to that question,
love.” She says with a light laugh. “Though with all
of this charm and love and stuff you’re pulling this evening I have to ask, is
there something you did wrong that I don’t know about?”
“Nothing, I swear. At least not yet.”
He chuckles. “I mean, since I’m apparently building up good credit, could I
use some of it up right now by standing up on this table and singing Back in
Black by AC/DC in front of everyone in this place?”
“You do that and I will take the keys to the rental
car from you and then leave your ass here.” Braddock
says threateningly and yet still with a smile on her face.
“Am I that bad of a singer?”
“No, you’re just stealing my shtick, that’s all.” Glory
answers. “Remember, being the prankster or troublemaker is my deal.”
Before they can say anything else, the waitress
arrives with two margaritas. She places one in front of Kurt and one in
front of Glory. Braddock and Kurt
definitely did not order this and are surprised to see it. They look up
at their red headed waitress with puzzled faces.
“My name is Chelsea and I will be your server
tonight. What can I start you out with?”
“Well we really haven’t had time to look at the
menu.” Kurt says, looking down at the margarita with a
confused face.
“And also we didn’t order these.”
Glory chimes in. “You probably brought these to the wrong table.”
“No, those drinks are yours.” The
waitress says politely. “That guy over there bought them for you.”
She motions to a table not too far away from where
they are sitting. Glory turns and looks and is immediately in shock as
she sees none other than Clyde Sutter sitting there. The bald headed
menace waves at her with a smug look on his face.
“Is he a friend of yours?” The
waitress asks.
“Uh, not quite.” Glory
says unsure of herself.
“Tell you what,” Kurt
begins as he looks at the waitress “just give us time to look at the menu
and then come back to us. Ok?”
“Sure.” The
waitress turns and walks off. As soon as she is out of sight, Clyde
Sutter stands up and approaches their table. Kurt stands up as well and
stands between him and his wife Glory.
Clyde snickers nastily upon arrival.
“Now Kurt, do you really want to create a scene
right here in front of all of these blokes?”
“If it means knocking you damn head off, sure.”
“I’d like to see you try. Really, I
would. I wonder how that would go over
with that cute little whore running SCW? Sasha is her name right? Yeah, I wonder how it would look to Sasha if
Glory Braddock and her husband Kurt were charged with assaulting a poor
defenseless guy eating a meal?”
“I just might take the chance.” Kurt
growls.
“Go ahead, do it. The public may be
sympathetic, hell maybe even Sasha would be sympathetic. But you’d also
miss what I have to say. And trust me,
you want to hear what I have to say.”
Kurt tenses up and balls up his fists as if
preparing for a fight. Glory grabs him by his wrist to get his attention.
“Don’t do it, Kurt.”
Kurt looks down at Glory who shakes her head. “Don’t
do it. Just let him sit down. We’ll hear him out and then we’ll
call the authorities if we have to.”
Kurt doesn’t like this idea. He doesn’t trust
Clyde at all. Neither does Glory but she feels that hearing him out is
the best idea for now. Kurt does trust his wife so he’ll let her have her
way.
“Ok, you win.” Kurt
sits back down. Clyde laughs as he pulls up a seat at the table and sits
down next to Kurt.
“You got him whipped, Glory! Good job!”
“I would ask how you found us but it’s clear that
you’ve been stalking us.” Braddock states. Sutter nods his
head.
“You’re right. There’s no use denying
it. I have been following you since Breakdown in Nashville. It’s
easy to keep up with where you’ll be when you wrestle for SCW and their
schedule is available to the public.”
“And since you said that, since you have basically
admitted to stalking my husband and I, and based upon your past, I could
probably get a restraining order on your ass.”
“You could.” Clyde
nods his head. “But again, you wouldn’t get to hear what I have to say.”
“You keep saying that and thus far I’ve heard not a
damn thing from your pathetic trap!” Glory
exclaims. “I am giving you a chance to say your peace you son of a
bitch and after that I am going to get a restraining order put out on
you. You will be out of our lives for good. But if you keep it up, I might just let Kurt
have his way with you first.”
“No you won’t.” He
shakes his head and looks oh so cocky and smug.
“Do you want to try me, mate?”
“I don’t need to try you. And your cunt
whipped boy toy won’t do anything to me. And we are far from being done
with each other. You won’t be done with
me and I won’t be out of your life until I say this is over.” He
taps the side of his head. “See, I know things. And you know what they
say, knowledge is power.”
“What the bloody hell are you rambling on about?!” She
exclaims, The British Bombshell is losing her patience with Clyde Sutter who
continues to talk cryptically.
“Fucking your daughter on a weekly basis for months
on end was bloody fantastic not only for the pleasure and the thrill but also
because of what I learned. The secrets she entrusted me with. So yeah, go ahead and tell your boy Kurt to
kick my ass. Do it. Sasha may forgive that. The people would forgive it. But what if they found out about your teenage
alcohol and drug use? Or what if they found out about how you were at one
point declared mentally unstable and that’s why you lost control of your own
damn company?”
Braddock is taken off guard by hearing about these
dark and dirty secrets of her past; a past she wished would just go away.
These secrets keep coming back to haunt her and they have here again come back
to bite her in the ass. The British
Bombshell steels herself and tries to respond as confidently as she can.
“Those were my faults. That was my past. I will deal with it.”
“That’s quite noble of you. But what about
your daughter?”
“Don’t you dare bring Melinda into this!”
Glory growls.
“Why not? She’s a thief and she’s done
drugs.”
“You encouraged her to steal. You provided
the drugs!” Glory exclaims.
“But you can’t prove it. And imagine if the
world found out about this. Just think about your daughter’s future. Hell, she may not have one. She wants
to follow in your footsteps but with the secrets I know, I could get her
blackballed.”
Braddock wants to keep standing firm and
resolute. She doesn’t want to give in to Clyde but unfortunately she sees
no other recourse. Glory isn’t concerned so much for her future as she is
about her daughter’s. Melinda wants to
follow in her mother’s footsteps but these secrets could potentially ruin
her. Kurt is already fuming and wants to knock Clyde on his ass but he is
holding back. Even he realizes that
there may be no other way.
“What do you want, Sutter?” Glory
asks.
“You are an elitist, you know that?” He
says, his voice growing angrier. “People like you don’t know what it’s like
to have to fight and claw to become successful in life. Every God damn
thing you have right now you have had it handed to you on a silver fucking
platter and why? Did you do anything to earn it or deserve it?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, you got it because
your last name is Braddock. People like me rarely make it be cause we
don’t have the advantages you have. And I tried to go about things the
right way. I tried to make it in wrestling
by going through your fucking school but you kicked me out. So this is
what we’re going to do. You have
connections, Braddock, and you are going to use those connections to get me an
iron clad contract with Supreme Championship Wrestling. Or hell, if you
don’t want me wrestling with the same company as you, then I can settle for
EMERGE. I’m sure you can suck Drew
Bryant’s dick enough to convince him. Or
toss Sasha’s salad up one end and down the other. Or if all else fails, I
know for a fucking fact you can get me the kind of iron clad contract I want
with GCW.”
“You want to wrestle?” Glory
asks.
“Yeah, that’s what I want. You told me I
didn’t belong in this sport, so you’re going to be the one to guarantee I not
only get in but that I get a damn good contract. You do that, and then
I’ll forget all about those naughty little secrets of yours.”
Clyde Sutter stands up. He looks at Kurt and
then at Glory. “You think about that and get back to me. Enjoy the
drinks.”
Glory and Kurt watch as Clyde Sutter walks
away. Once he is out of sight Kurt turns to his wife and asks the
inevitable question. “So what do we do?”
“The only thing we can do Kurt.”
She sighs. “We give him what he wants.”
==========
July 17th, 2019
Houston, TX
Off Camera
==========
A somber mood has fallen over the hotel room in
Houston, Texas where Glory Braddock is preparing to leave for the Toyota Center
for SCW Breakdown. The British Bombshell woke up almost two hours ago
from a nap and has changed into denim jeans, white sneakers, and a black “SCW”
t-shirt. Her long blonde hair hangs
unrestrained to shoulder length. Truthfully, it may be a little early for
most of the wrestlers to arrive, but Glory Braddock has never been like most
wrestlers. She always preferred to
arrive at the arena early so that she could meditate on what is expected of her
that evening. The British Bombshell knows what is expected of her; in a
few days she will be challenging Syren and Alistaire Allocco for the SCW World
Championship in the main event of Rise To Greatness.
That’s Sunday in Dallas, Texas. Right now
Glory Braddock her support system, which includes her husband Kurt Logan and
daughter Melinda Braddock, are all distracted by the elephant in the
room. An elephant that they thought they had rid themselves of but who
has made it perfectly clear he isn’t going away quietly.
His name is Clyde Sutter.
Braddock stands completely still in front of a
mirror hanging on a wall in the hotel room. She has been staring at
herself for a few minutes now. No, she
isn’t still trying to decide if she looks ok or not. She’s just lost in
thought. Her own mind is adrift.
“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”
The voice is that of Kurt Logan and it only
startles Glory just a little bit. She spots him in the mirror
approaching, having just exited the bathroom.
He wraps his arms around her and kisses her gently on the cheek.
“What’s wrong, Glory?”
“You know what’s wrong, Kurt.”
Braddock states quietly.
“Sutter.” Braddock nods her head. “I normally
trust your judgment but this time I have to question your call.”
“I don’t want to go through this again…” Glory’s
voice trails off as she pulls away from her husband and approaches the king
sized bed. Glory sits down on the edge of the bed. Kurt approaches her and sits down next to
her. Her wraps a comforting arm around
her shoulders.
“I think we should.”
Kurt states. “You’re letting him blackmail you. You’re letting him
have his way.”
“What other choice do I have?”
“Fight back.” Kurt
insists. Braddock shakes her head.
“No. You heard what he said; he could ruin
things for Melinda. I refuse to let mistakes from my past ruin her
future. It’s not her fault and so she
shouldn’t have to pay for it.”
“Don’t you think Melinda should have a say in this
matter?” Kurt asks. Braddock arches her brow
inquisitively. “Have you even told Melinda?”
“No.” Braddock
sighs. “Did you?”
“You told me you were going to tell her so I never
said anything. But seriously, Glory, you should tell Melinda about this
and get her input.”
“Do you really think she needs to hear this?”
Braddock asks. “She may still be traumatized over what Sutter tried to do to
her and now to hear that he’s back in our lives…”
“Yeah, I know.” Kurt
says with a sigh. “But she would find out about it eventually anyway.
Besides, our daughter is just like her mother; she is tough as hell and she can
take it.”
“You think so?” Glory
asks, smiling for the first time in a long time.
“I know so.” Kurt
kisses her on the lips before standing up. “I’m going to go downstairs and
pull the car around. Melinda should be back up here shortly. She went downstairs to get a drink.”
“Sounds good.”
Braddock nods her head. “I’ll tell her when she gets back.”
Kurt nods his head and then turns and walks off
towards the door. He opens the door and shuts it behind him. This leaves Glory Braddock alone in the hotel
room to contemplate; to think. She really does hate having to give in to
Clyde Sutter like this but at the same time she cares deeply about her
daughter’s future. She doesn’t want to see her daughter Melinda ruined
and she would do anything and sacrifice anything to help her. Family is the most important thing to Glory
Braddock. It is far more important than any of the championships she has
won in her professional wrestling career.
The British Bombshell sits there on the bed, thinking about things to
come when she hears the door open.
“Mom!” It’s
Melinda. Glory looks up in time to see her eighteen year old daughter
approaching her with a can of pepsi in her hand. “Dad said you needed to
talk to me. What’s up?”
“Sit down, Melinda.” Braddock
says, patting the side of the bed next to her. Melinda has seen her
mother like this; when something has gone wrong. She can only guess at
what is wrong now. Melinda sits down
next to her mother and stares into her eyes.
“What’s wrong, mom?”
Braddock takes in a deep breath and then lets it
out, all to calm her nerves. It’s now or never. “You remember last
night Kurt and I went out.”
“Uh-huh,”
Melinda nods her head.
“We saw Clyde Sutter there.”
Melinda’s eyes immediately grow wide. A sense
of fear passes through her as memories of when she was assaulted back in
Nashville come flooding back.
“Oh God…” are
the only words the younger Braddock can muster. Glory just simply nods
her head.
“There was no physical altercation. He wanted
to talk; and what we wanted to talk about wasn’t good.”
“What did he want?”
Melinda asks.
“He wanted me to get him a wrestling contract;
somewhere, anywhere, it didn’t matter to him. He just wanted a wrestling
contract and if he didn’t get a wrestling contract he threatened to reveal all
of our secrets. From my own past sins to yours…”
“Oh no, oh no, oh no!”
Melinda repeats, shaking her head. “This can’t be happening!
Blackmail?!”
“Yes. Blackmail.” Glory
answers with a sigh as she nods her head.
Melinda buries her face in her hands as she tries
to regain composure. Glory wraps a comforting arm around her daughter’s
shoulders and pats her on the back. Melinda looks back up at her mother.
“What are you going to do?”
“The only thing I can do.”
Glory shrugs her shoulders. “I’m going to get him what he wants.”
“You’re giving up?!”
Melinda exclaims with a hint of surprise. It takes Glory aback but she
just shrugs and gives her daughter the same response she gave Kurt.
“What choice do I have?”
“What can he do to us? Really?!”
“He can do plenty.” Glory
says sadly. “He threatened to use this information to keep you from ever
getting a foothold in the wrestling business.”
The British Bombshell reaches out and runs a hand
through her daughter’s long blonde hair. “This isn’t about me,
sweetie. This is about you. Your
future is at stake here and I do not want to let him ruin it. I will not
let my past come back to hurt you.”
“But it’s not just your past, it’s my past too!” Melinda
exclaims. “I was the one who stole, I did the drugs, all of that was
me! He may have encouraged it, he may have influenced me and manipulated
me, but ultimately I made the decision to do it and I need to take
responsibility for my actions!”
Melinda stands up and stares down at her mother. “Can’t
you see? Everything that has happened to us, both of us, lately is
largely because we both have been trying to run away from our past. We
may be able to get away from it this one time with Clyde but what happens the
next time? It will come back to haunt us
again and you know it. It’s time we faced our past, dealt with our
demons, and maybe then we can truly move on.”
Tears flow down the eyes of The British Bombshell
as she stares at her daughter. Braddock stands up and embraces Melinda in
a tight hug. “As a parent I’m supposed to teach you, yet here you are
teaching me a thing or two.”
They break the embrace and Glory pats her on the
head. “I’m so proud of you, Mel. You have matured so much.”
“So you’re not giving in to Clyde?”
“No way.”
Braddock shakes her head. “No chance in hell.”
==========
July 17th, 2019
Houston, TX
Off Camera
==========
SCW Breakdown in the Toyota Center has just
concluded. The rushed movement of fans pouring out of the arena is most
definitely hectic but it is equally as hectic backstage as officials and
wrestlers alike are packing things up to move on to the next scheduled calendar
appearance. There is also a hint of excitement in the air amongst the SCW
employees, because the next scheduled calendar appearance is none other than
SCW Rise To Greatness weekend.
A Hall of Fame ceremony Friday, a pre-show
Saturday, and finally the big finale on Sunday, all in Dallas, Texas. The
biggest night of SCW’s calendar year is also the night where one can make a
major impact and instantly make a name for themselves. It is the night
when the spotlight shines down the brightest upon everyone. The British Bombshell Glory Braddock is used to
the spotlight but this seems to carry even more weight as she realizes what is
at stake; for her it is the SCW World Championship, for SCW honor and pride are
on the line as Braddock fights for the honor and pride of what wrestling, she
feels, should be all about.
Glory Braddock walks with a confident air about her
through the backstage area of the Toyota Center, her daughter Melinda to her
right and her husband Kurt to her left. She knows the challenge ahead of
her will be great but she is ready to take it on.
“Are you ready, mom?”
“Of course I’m ready.”
Braddock says with a smirk. “You know who your mother is, right? Best
in the World! I can take Syren and
Allocco!”
Melinda rolls her eyes at her mother’s
boasting. Kurt chuckles and Glory looks over at him. “What’s so
funny?”
“I don’t think Melinda was referring to your Rise
To Greatness match, babe.”
“Oh…”
Glory’s voice trails off as it starts to sink in as
to what her daughter was truly referring to. Clyde Sutter. Braddock knew that he was in the area. He had openly admitted last night that he had
been following them, stalking them, just so he could play even more mind games
with them and then spring his blackmail upon them. He threatened to
reveal dirty secrets about Glory and Melinda and ruin their reputation, and potentially
ruin Melinda’s chances at gaining a wrestling contract, unless Glory herself
helped Clyde Sutter obtain what he called an ‘iron clad’ contract to wrestle.
The British Bombshell looks down at her daughter as
a reminder of yet another reason she fights; she fights not for herself but for
people like Melinda, for the next generation of wrestlers. It is for
people like Melinda that Glory fights at Rise To Greatness, to preserve
professional wrestling for people like her.
And if she needed to give in to Clyde Sutter in order to preserve
Melinda’s future, she was willing to do so.
But not anymore.
“Melinda, I am ready.”
“Are you sure he’ll be here?”
Kurt asks inquisitively.
“Honestly, I have no bloody clue.” Braddock
sighs. “I hope so.”
“He will.”
Melinda says nervously.
Glory Braddock had arranged to meet Clyde Sutter
after Breakdown tonight. Melinda still had his phone number and thus it
was easy to reach him. Braddock is
almost certain he will show up, despite the doubts she expressed, but she isn’t
quite sure of what will happen when she gives him the bad news.
“Well if he does show up,”
Glory stops and turns to face Melinda “I want to handle this. By
myself.”
“But mom!” Melinda
protests.
“No, I do not want to put you in any danger.”
Glory shakes her head.
“Are you sure you don’t want someone out there with
you as backup?” Kurt asks. “You know, in case
it gets ugly?”
Braddock smirks. “I think I can handle anything
that bloke has to throw at me, Kurt. Besides, you need to protect
Melinda.”
“I don’t need protecting!”
Melinda continues her protest. “I can handle myself! I…”
“NO!” Glory
exclaims. “I am putting my foot down on this one. And I think you know
that this is for the best.”
Glory walks on with Kurt and Melinda following, the
rest of the walk through the backstage area is in complete silence. All
three can feel the tension grow as they near the parking lot area, for it is
there that they know Glory is to meet up with Clyde Sutter. Eventually
they do reach the exit and make their way outside into the parking lot. Kurt spots the rental car where they last
left it. No Clyde.
“Didn’t he tell you he would wait by the car?” Kurt
asks.
“Over here, loser!” Clyde
snickers, waving mockingly at the trio. Clyde is standing not too far
away from where they are now. He begins to approach. Glory looks over at Melinda and Kurt.
“Go to the car.”
“But mom…”
“NOW!”
Kurt takes Melinda by the arm. He nearly has
to drag her but he does manage to get her away from the pending scene.
Clyde Sutter approaches Glory. He looks
over at Kurt and Melinda walking away and then looks back at Glory with a sly
grin on his face.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want the ball and
chain or your mini whore to see you show how weak you truly are? Because
I just think that’s disappointing. I
think they should watch you fail.”
“I won’t fail them, Sutter. I will never fail
them.”
“Is that so?” He
nearly spits those words out with venom. He holds up one finger. “There is
only one way you do not fail them and that is to give me what I want.
That being said, let’s get down to business shall we?”
He laughs nastily. “So what’s it gonna be?
I want to know when and where I make my professional wrestling debut.
Will it be at this dump you’re competing in right now, SCW? The dump’s little bitch EMERGE? Or will
it be your glorious little shit stain GCW?
Where do I make my debut? Because
if I don’t get what I want, I will ruin you. I will ruin that little
whore of yours over there. Everything
you know and love will be ruined.”
He taps Braddock on the nose. “And that’s all
you elitist pieces of crap care about, right? Your image. That’s what you love. And I’ll ruin it for you.”
“Funny you should say all that, Clyde.”
Braddock begins with a confident grin of her own. “I’ve done some thinking
and maybe you’re right, maybe I have been a little elitist in the past.
Only an elitist would care so much about their public image that they would be
afraid of it being tarnished. An elitist would also be afraid to face up to the
consequences of their own past. But me?”
She shakes her head. “I am through being
elitist. I am going to own my past, Sutter. So go ahead, tell the
world everything you know. See if I care.”
Clyde’s face contorts as his anger grows. He
is beginning to realize that Glory isn’t here to negotiate. He points
over at Kurt and Melinda. “What about the whore?! Huh?! You gonna let the whore suffer for your
mistakes?!”
“I own my mistakes, just as Melinda is prepared to
own her mistakes. We’re not letting our fear own us any longer. So go ahead Clyde, do your worst.”
Sutter quickly grabs Braddock by her throat. “With
pleasure!”
“Mom!” Melinda
sees her mother being squeezed by the throat, the vice like grip Clyde has on
her mother. She gets away from Kurt and manages to get to Clyde and
Glory. Unfortunately Sutter is too quick
and he shoves Glory away, causing her to stagger backward. Clyde thrusts
a knee into Melinda’s gut, dropping her to her knees.
“Melinda!” Glory
runs over to check on her daughter. Kurt chases after Clyde but Sutter has
already gotten a head start and is quicker than Kurt.
“This isn’t over Braddock!”
Kurt continues to give chase while The British Bombshell and thoroughly worried
mother kneels down to make sure Melinda is ok.
“Are you ok?”
“He just knocked the wind outta me.” Melinda
coughs. “I’ll live.”
“Damn it, Mel!”
Braddock exclaims. “I told you to stay back!”
“I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
Glory embraces her daughter in a tight hug.
The embrace seems to last a long time as the two do not want to break.
Eventually they hear footsteps approaching.
They break the embrace and look up to see Kurt Logan approaching.
“He was too fast. The bastard got away.” Kurt
remarks angrily.
“It’s fine, just leave it be.”
Glory says quietly. “Forget about him. He holds no power over us any
longer.”
“We could easily press charges now.”
Kurt suggests. Glory though shakes her head. “No…”
“Why not?” Kurt
asks curiously. “From stalking to blackmail and tonight assault.
There’s enough to at least get a restraining order.”
“And maybe we’ll do that. Maybe. But I don’t want to press charges.”
“But Glory…” Kurt is
interrupted when Melinda speaks up.
“No! Mom is right!”
Melinda exclaims as she and Glory rise back to their feet. “Let’s just
forget about that jackass!”
“Yes, let’s forget about him.”
Glory kisses her daughter on the forehead. “Let’s move on and focus on the
future; the next generation depends upon it.”
Kurt does disagree with his wife on this one but he
knows better than to argue with her when her mind is made up. Besides,
he’s outnumbered. Melinda agrees with
her. Maybe they have a point? Maybe it is time to move on past this
horrible event and just focus on their own future? And for Glory Braddock
and her family, the future appears to be very bright.
==========
On Camera
==========
The camera feed begins to roll and immediately we
notice that we are in the same arena from earlier. Still empty, still
dark with barely enough light to make out that this is an arena set up for a
professional wrestling event. After a few moments of wait the spotlight
turns on and shines down upon the wrestling ring. Glory Braddock is standing in the center of
the ring, still dressed to compete, and still looking confident.
“Professional wrestling means different things to
different people. For some it is all about the fame and the glory. Others are in it for the rush and the thrill
or the loud cheers they hear from the fans that fill these seats every
week. Still others look at this just as a job, a career; a way to make
money and nothing more. But me? For me professional wrestling is about so
much more than any of that.”
“This great sport is a family business. My father
is Glenn Braddock who was respected as one of Europe’s greatest warriors until
his retirement. My daughter wants to follow in my footsteps and become
the third generation of Braddock family members to compete within the squared
circle. My cousins are Angelica and
Kayla Jones, former two time SCW World Tag Team Champions known as The
Sisterhood. Then there’s me, The British Bombshell, a woman who has been
all over the world competing in this very ring for eleven plus years. In that time I have had the distinct honor
and privilege of competing against some of the best wrestling talents ever on
some of the grandest stages ever. Now I get to step onto quite possibly
THE grandest stage of them all and compete against one of the most decorated champions
in the history of Supreme Championship Wrestling. I should feel honored.”
The British Bombshell shakes her head. “Unfortunately
that feeling of honor has to take a backseat because there is a higher, greater
priority right now and that is restoring integrity and honor to the SCW World
Championship. Fighting for the very honor and integrity of the SCW World
Championship takes priority.”
“Tell me something, Syren; what does professional
wrestling mean to you? I mean, surely it must mean something to you. You march your happy ass out to the ring
every week and declare yourself to be the best professional wrestler in the
world. So surely this great sport of ours must mean something to you, am
I right?”
A sad sigh escapes Braddock’s lips. “I fear that
this sport no longer means a damn thing to you. Based on events that go
all the way back to you and your group of posers framed Kennedy Street in an
intricate plot to steal the world championship, manipulating and using Marie
Jones, and using every dirty trick in the damn playbook all to maintain power
and control within this company, based on all of that, I would dare say that
you no longer give a damn about anything else or anyone else except
yourself. You are selfish and self-absorbed. You’re damn sure not the best professional
wrestler in the world. And you admitted
as much yourself.”
A smirk spreads across her face as Braddock nods
her head. “That’s right, Syren. Your own words betrayed you. You
are not the best wrestler in the world and you admitted it. You admitted
it when you came out here with your other clowns and crowed about how you
always have a plan. You see, the best in the world can win the
championship and keep the championship without having to come up with any cute
backup plan or strategy or receive illegal assistance from those twats you call
friends. Yet there you were, standing out here like the buffoon you
bloody well are, and declared to all the world that you can’t remain SCW World
Champion without help.”
“Unlike you, you plastic ass brasser, I do not need
any help to win. I have never needed any outside help, legal or illegal;
everything I have earned in my eleven year career including fourteen previous
world championships from other companies, I have earned on my own. Thus I
think I can honestly say that I am one of it not The Best in the World.”
The British Bombshell points a finger at the
camera. “But you? No. There was
a time that I would’ve considered you an equal. There was a time when you
didn’t utilize tricks or chicanery to gain an unfair edge. There was a
time when you didn’t need your pals helping you out.. That Syren, the old Syren is one of the best
wrestlers in the world. But this sad pile of garbage I see in the ring on
a weekly basis is the most pathetic wrestler in the world.”
“What happened, mate? Feeling
disrespected? Felt like you weren’t
getting the opportunities you deserved so you decided to just take them by hook
or by crook? That’s the same old tired excuse everyone uses so don’t
throw that shit at me. You know what I
think it really is?”
Braddock grins knowingly as she pauses, as if to
give Syren time to think about it, before finally giving the answer…
“You were scared. You saw the writing on the
walls, you saw the changing landscape of SCW, and more importantly you saw
youthful new talents like Peyton Rice, Owen Cruze, and so many others come in
and you were scared about them taking your spot. You can tell me I’m full
of shit, I know you will, you and I both know that I am right. And therein lies yet another reason why you
can no longer lay claim to being the best in the world. Those who are truly among the best in the
world defend their throne. They defend their claim to that crown each and
every time they set foot inside of a wrestling ring. But you don’t give them a fair chance. You cheat.
You cheat because you are unsure of yourself.”
“Now you are no longer special, you are no longer
unique, and you are damn sure no longer the best. You are just like any
other tyrannical leader, cowering on her throne because she knows that her
citizens, her countrymen, are rising up against her. And that’s what
you’re fighting to protect. You are
fighting to protect something that no longer belongs to you because you are
unworthy. You are unworthy because you
do not respect the sport. You are unworthy because you do not respect
others in this sport, only yourself. You
are unworthy because you cannot keep the throne by yourself. You said so yourself.”
“Since you are unworthy someone needs to step up
and take that championship away from you. You escaped Sienna Swann
because hell, she isn’t much better than you.
You would have escaped Alistaire Allocco because, quite frankly, he is
too naive and wouldn’t be prepared for the crap you were going to pull.
But someone like me, who has been in this sport for eleven years, competing
against everyone from monsters, technical marvels, high flyers, and brilliant
strategists, and beaten them all, someone who has had to fight tyrants with
their own miniature armies backing them up, someone like me with that kind of
experience is the only person capable of tearing that SCW World Championship
away from your hands. You know why?”
A confident smirk spreads across her face. “Because
I am The Best in the World.”
“February, when Regan, Kellen, and myself won the
Trios Tournament, I warned your bloody ass that I was going to change the
game. I warned you that I would shake the foundations of SCW. And I also remember saying that it would be
morning again in SCW. Well morning is
coming oh so quickly which means the dark of night which has been your reign as
SCW World Champion is coming to an end. Rise To Greatness isn’t just the
premier event on SCW’s calendar and it isn’t going to be your night to
shine. Rise To Greatness is going to be
your judgment day. Sic Semper Tyrannis…”
