==========
June 19th, 2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
==========
One week after defeating Jason Helms one on one at
SCW Breakdown, “The British Bombshell” learned that another championship
opportunity has presented itself to her; Glory Braddock will be participating
in a tournament to crown a new SCW United States Champion. While Glory
may be allies with former champion, Bree Lancaster, she is still grateful that
Bree vacated the championship. This has given Braddock the opportunity to
claim the gold as her own. Not only that, but the self-proclaimed “Best
in the World” can rub it in the face of Selena Frost in the process.
Braddock’s first round opponent will be none other than Frost herself.
The Snow Queen and The British Bombshell have been trading snide remarks, as
well the occasional sneak attack from Braddock, for months now.
Despite the constant verbal and physical attacks it
seemed as if a one on one match between the two would never take place.
Yet now here it is, set for Breakdown as part of the first round matches in the
SCW United States Championship Tournament. As much as Braddock will try
to hide it, even she has to admit to herself that the pressure is on. The
British Bombshell wants to win championship gold, in the process she wants to
bring the United States title to the Beauty Factory camp, and finally the
pressure is on to back up her claims to be The Best in the World. She
wants to put down Selena Frost and end her once and for all.
Why does Selena seem to rub Glory the wrong
way? Simply put, Selena seems to be in this sport just to spread the
“Selena Frost Brand” all over the world. Glory truly believes that Selena
could care less about the thrill of competition and passion towards
professional wrestling and is more concerned with marketing herself. This
is one of the cardinal sins in Glory Braddock’s mind and makes Selena Frost one
of the worst kind of tyrants. And those who know Glory well know what she
does to tyrants…
...Sic Semper Tyrannis. The infamous words
quoted by John Wilkes Booth as he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
Though unlike Booth, Glory’s mission is honest, good, and righteous.
Well, at least she believes it is. And Glory will do anything to make
sure that she is the one standing tall on Breakdown over Selena Frost’s fallen
body.
Glory has only battled Selena two other times; once
at Cold Blooded in a triple threat match that saw Frost win after pinning Asher
Hayes. Then on the April 29th edition of Breakdown Glory would team with
Sienna Swann, and Chris Cannon to defeat Selena Frost, Asher Hayes, and Ace
Marshall. Though Braddock pinned Ace to win the match for her team.
Still the two very accomplished and very talented women have yet to pin or make
the other submit. It appears as if this time a clear cut winner will be
unavoidable as this is their first one on one match ever. The British
Bombshell fully intends to be on the winning side of this encounter.
Defeating someone like Frost will take a great deal
of effort on her part. She will need to be at the top of her game and
Braddock knows this. She hates being in debt to anyone but she knows she
will need help and not the kind of help her allies Sienna and Bree can
provide. She needs the kind of help only family can provide.
She needs her cousin, Angelica Jones.
Why Angelica? The former multi-time SCW World
Tag Team Champion was once involved in a very brutal and very bitter rivalry
with Selena Frost. Angelica Jones hated and detested Selena Frost at the
time, far more than Glory ever could. Angelica pushed Selena to her
physical limits but yet never earned a decisive victory over her. Still,
if anyone can help provide some much needed advice on how to approach a one on
one confrontation against The Snow Queen, it would be Glory’s legendary cousin.
The sounds of a female grunting as well the echoes
of feet against a heavy bag are heard throughout an empty gymnasium on the
outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts. The concrete floor is gray and the
walls are painted an off-white color, at least the walls that still have paint
on them, as most of the paint on the walls have begun to peel. There is a
standard wrestling set up in the center, weights scattered all over the
floor. At one of the far ends of the room is a red heavy bag. The
lovely Angelica Jones is standing there at the heavy bag dressed in a pair of
workout shorts, black tanktop, and her long red hair pulled into a ponytail in
the back, as she viciously attacks the heavy bag with her well-educated feet.
Angelica finds herself in her personal gym.
She uses this place to train and workout in preparation for all of her
matches. When she heard from her cousin that she was interested in
training with her for the match against Selena Frost she insisted on meeting
her here instead of traveling to Glory’s home in Miami or to the Braddock
Wrestling School in London, England. Unbeknownst to The British
Bombshell, Angelica Jones has her own agenda. Angelica Jones is none too
pleased with Braddock’s recent actions and plans to confront her and she wants
this confrontation to be on her turf and her terms.
Braddock has grown more and more paranoid in recent
months as she has delved deeper and deeper into criminal activity in order to
maintain her firm grip on the power within her company. She has
blackmailed people into helping her, bribed members of the Board of Directors,
and ultimately had her own sister Julia Braddock locked up in a menta
institution for one month, all to eliminate any potential threat. So yes,
Braddock is most certainly paranoid even about Angelica Jones and her
insistence on meeting in Boston for the training. But Glory’s desire to
learn how to beat Selena Frost is greater than her paranoia, so she is willing
to make this one exception and take this one risk.
A door on the far side of the gym slowly creaks
open and Glory Braddock walks in, shutting the door behind her. Glory
Braddock, wearing a pair of purple sweatpants, white tennis shoes, and a white
t-shirt with her long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail in the back, begins to
walk towards the heavy bag where she has already spotted Angelica. A
smirk forms upon Braddock’s face as she believes she has snuck up on her
cousin, who is intensely focused on her attack upon the heavy bag. Her
hopes are dashed when Angelica speaks out in mid kick…
“You’re late.” Glory
stops dead in her tracks and stares across at Angelica. The redheaded
former tag champion turns and faces Glory and taps her wrist. “Timing is
everything, Glory. You can’t miss a beat against someone like Selena
Frost.”
“Nice to see you too, Angelica.”
Glory responds rolling her eyes.
“You are late.” Angelica
repeats herself in a cold monotone voice. “You want to win. You want
to become SCW United States Champion. But right now you’re off to a
terrible start. I’m just being honest with you and if you want my help
then you’re going to have to deal with it.”
The Dragon approaches The British Bombshell and
stares coldly into her eyes. There is a tension there and both women can
feel it. There is a tense pause until Angelica speaks, breaking the
silence. “I get that you think your shit doesn’t take, Glory, but if you
want to beat Selena Frost then you need to learn some humility real
quick. You need to learn that you are not perfect. And I think
somewhere in the back of your mind you know that you’re flawed because
otherwise you wouldn’t be seeking my help.”
The British Bombshell stares intensely into her
cousin’s eyes, contemplating her next move. Glory then smirks and finally
starts laughing a few moments later. Angelica follows suit, almost as if
the laughter was contagious. Glory and Angelica embrace in a tight hug as
if they were more than just cousins, as if they were sisters. Upon
breaking the embrace Glory sighs and shakes her head.
“Sorry about being late, Angel. I had to take
a call from my attorney. On top of all that traffic was a bitch.”
“It’s ok, Glory.” Angelica
says in a sincere friendly tone. “I apologize for my harsh start to this
lesson…”
“No, don’t apologize. You’re right, I want
you to be harsh and blunt about this. I need you to be tough with
me. And these first couple of lessons, they’re right on the money.
I was late because I lost focus. And if I was perfect I wouldn’t lose
focus. I can’t afford to lose focus against Frost.”
“At least you’re willing to admit it, because that
was my first and most fatal mistake. I never would admit to myself that I
was flawed. I thought I was the end all be all and I didn’t need to fix
anything about my game. I thought I was perfect and that’s what
ultimately led to me losing to Selena. If you can incorporate some
humility and accept that you need help, you’ll be fine.”
“I think I’m off to a good start in that regard.”
Glory answers back. Angelica nods her head in response.
“I think I can agree with that.”
“So this is your gym?” Glory
asks as she scans the rather empty looking gym. She can’t say much, her
school doesn’t look much better, but neither the Braddocks nor the Jones were
very interested in aesthetics when it came to wrestling. Glenn Braddock
had always said that his school was a place of learning to fight and survive
not a place meant to look pleasing to the eyes. Glory has expanded upon
her father’s school a little since she has become in charge of it but she
hasn’t taken too much away from his original vision. This place in Boston
where Angelica trains reminds Glory of her father’s original vision for the
school. This impresses Braddock.
“You like it?”
“I do.” Glory
states, nodding her head. “Though I still wish we could have done this in
Miami at my personal gym or in London. I could have had Randall close the
school for a day to allow you and me private time to work.”
“Glory…”
“Or we could have let the students stay!”
Glory’s grin grows wider. “I mean, imagine the growth they could have
received from watching two legends work inside the ring! Wouldn’t that
have been great?”
“Glory!”
Angelica speaks louder, this time succeeding in getting her cousin to shut up.
“What?”
“Your ego is becoming a problem here. It is
distracting you from the task at hand and that’s precisely why I wanted you here
in Massachusetts on my turf rather than on your turf so you can look good in
front of a crowd.”
“My ego?” Glory
scoffs, again rolling her eyes. “I don’t have an ego.”
“Oh yes you do and you want to know how I know
that? Because while you may be The Best in the World, I am the ultimate
student of the game. I can find all of the weaknesses of my enemies and I
know your biggest weakness as of late has been your ego. It has eaten away at
your defenses and made your susceptible to the easiest of attacks. If you lose
to Selena on Breakdown it will be because of your ego.”
The British Bombshell stares in stunned silence at
her cousin as she tries to take in and comprehend what was just told to
her. Glory Braddock refuses to believe that she has an ego problem.
She shakes her head vehemently.
“You’re wrong, love.”
“Then get in the ring. I’ll prove it to you.”
Angelica points into the wrestling ring set up near the center of the
room. Braddock looks at the ring and immediately a wave of confidence
washes over her. She has always been one step ahead of Angelica Jones
inside the ring. Her cousin has never been able to beat her. If
Angelica is looking to prove some point by humbling her in the ring then it
won’t work. Glory smirks confidently and nods her head.
“Fine, let’s do this.”
Without any hesitation and without even bothering
to look back towards her cousin, Glory Braddock turns and with a headstrong
stride makes her way to the ring. The British Bombshell slides into the
ring and turns to wait on the arrival of Angelica, who is making her way over
much slower than Glory. A few moments later Angelica arrives, stepping up
onto the ring apron and then stepping through the ropes and into the
ring. The British Bombshell motions for Angelica to meet her in the
center.
“Come on, mate. Let’s tie up. I’ll show
you why I am The Best in the World.”
“And I’ll show you why you’re not as good as you
think.” Angelica says with a confident smirk. She
walks in and ties up with a collar and elbow tie up. Glory quickly goes
to a side headlock. Angelica pushes Glory off into the ropes, drops down,
and Glory runs across her. Angelica leaps to her feet and throws a
dropkick, taking Glory down. Braddock pops back up and charges into a
deep arm drag into an arm bar.
“You were saying?”
Angelica says, whispering into Glory’s ear. Braddock struggles in the
hold but shakes her head.
“It isn’t over yet.”
Glory Braddock is the superior technical wrestler. She manages to fight
back up to her feet and then counters into a hammerlock on Angelica
Jones. Glory with a hammerlock suplex. Glory locks in a rear chin
lock. “I told you, Angel, I am The Best in the World.”
Angelica fights back up to her knees and then
eventually to her feet. Glory switches back to a side headlock.
Braddock still oozes confidence from every pore but Angelica manages a chuckle
despite having her head locked tight in Glory’s vice like grip. “You’re not
the best. You’re just full of yourself.”
“What are you talking about?! I have you
beat! I…” and before Glory can finish her
sentence Angelica counters in a belly to back suplex. Angelica pops back
up quickly, just in time to catch Glory charging in with a superkick.
Glory falls flat on the mat. Angelica goes to a neutral corner and
props herself up. She stares with an almost smug smirk on her face at her
English cousin, who rolls over towards the ropes. Braddock uses the ropes
to pull herself back up. She stares angrily at Angelica, rubbing her jaw
in pain.
“What the hell was that?!”
“It was a superkick.”
Angelica answers nonchalantly. “I can teach it to you if you like.”
“Bloody hell! I know what a fucking superkick
is!” Glory exclaims angrily, shaking her head vehemently.
“You want my help, right Glory?”
“Yes, but…”
“Just shut up and answer my questions.”
Angelica states sternly. “You said you wanted me to be stern, blunt, and
tough with you. You still want that? Because that’s how it’s gonna
be. Otherwise you can leave now and get someone else to help. I
have some serious truth to drop on you, Glory and I want to make sure you’re
receptive to it.”
Braddock pauses for a moment considering her
options. Her pride has been hurt and she doesn’t really want to continue
this session but then again, she also knows she needs some help. Angelica
knows Selena Frost rather well. Glory decides to suck it up and nods her
head. “Fine, what do you want to say?”
“Your ego is a problem, Glory, and I proved
it. Everyone has an ego, even the best of us have egos, but the true
greats can keep their egos in check. That’s what made you The Best in the
World. You were able to keep your ego in check. You never claimed
to be The Best in the World. Your fans gave you that title. You never
believed that you were The Best in the World, so you kept working, training,
and busting your ass to improve. That’s how you always won. What
I’ve noticed is that recently you’ve begun to believe in your own hype.
You’ve begun to believe that you really are the best and if you are the best
then you don’t need to improve, and if you believe that you don’t need to
improve then you’ve plateaued and you will eventually run into someone who will
smack you in the face with reality. That person may very well be Selena
Frost.” Angelica points a slender finger at her cousin who
stares menacingly at her.
“You’ve changed, Glory. And it isn’t just the
words I hear you say on TV or how you wrestle in the ring that tells me that
you’ve changed. Your actions outside of the ring tell me that you’ve
changed, they tell me that your personality has changed.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?!”
Glory exclaims angrily, shoving Angelica roughly. “I haven’t changed!”
“Julia says otherwise.”
“Julia…” Glory’s
face goes pale for a brief moment as it dawns on her that Angelica has spoken
to her sister about the recent events that led to Glory having Julia locked up
in a mental ward. Glory’s face then grows red with rage as she charges
Angelica in the corner and starts choking her.
“Don’t you fucking dare speak about my
sister! You have no idea about me and my business! You have no idea
what I have been through! None! So don’t even try to involve my
sister in any of this or I’ll...or I’ll…”
“...or you’ll have me locked up too?!”
Glory shouts back at Glory, shoving her off after breaking the choke hold. “Do
it, Glory! Do it! I’ve been locked up before and I’m not afraid of
a mental institution!”
Glory is still steaming angry but that anger slowly
but surely dies down as she thinks about what Angelica just said. Glory
tries to regain composure, as does Angelica. Both women steel themselves
and brace themselves for whatever may come next. “So what is it gonna be,
Glory? Are we going to talk or do you want to fight for real this time?”
The British Bombshell thinks better of the second
option. She nods her head and sighs deeply. “You spoke with Julia
then?”
“Yes and I heard her side of the story. To be
fair I want yours as well. You’re both family, Glory, and I hate to see
you two like this. I want to help. So what the hell happened?
What would motivate you to have her institutionalized?”
Glory Braddock turns and walks through the ropes
and sits down on the ring apron. Angelica walks over and joins her on the
side of the ring apron. Angelica looks at Glory, who stares blankly
ahead. “You don’t know about my business life. I mean, you know I own
Global Championship Wrestling. You know I own a wrestling school.
But you don’t know the finer details of my business life. It’s well
documented that the Board of Directors had at one time held a vote of no
confidence and I lost control over of my own company. I lost all decision
making power within my company. What isn’t as well documented is the
reason why.”
“They questioned your sanity.”
Angelica suggested pointedly. Glory nods her head in confirmation.
“I can understand why. I mean, Aphrodite Noel
tried a hostile takeover of the company once. Then she used my sister to
get to me. And she got to me...in a big way...long story short, she had
warped my mind into believing she was my mother. So the Board of
Directors, seeing me as a threat, took power away from me.”
“But you sought out help? You saw a
psychiatrist?” Angelica asks curiously. Glory
nods her head.
“I did...for a very brief time...I got frustrated
as I saw other people running my company and while the psychiatric sessions
were working, they weren’t working fast enough. I wanted my company
back. So I quit attending the sessions. I made up my mind to just
pretend the sessions worked. I no longer acknowledged Aphrodite at
all. But it was all an act to trick the Board of Directors into letting
me have control again. It was a very close vote but I won just enough
support on the Board to get my power back.”
“It was all an act to deceive the Board of
Directors?” Angelica asks. Glory nods her
head. Angelica then taps Glory on her head. “So whatever was done to
you by Aphrodite...it’s still up there...in your head…”
“Yes, and while I did succeed in getting power back
there was still a substantial enough presence on the Board who didn’t buy the
act or who just didn’t trust me to keep giving me problems. It would be
like moving mountains to get them to back anything I wanted to do. So I
needed to figure out what I needed to do to make them become a rubber stamp for
whatever the hell I wanted!” A
sinister sneer forms across Glory’s face as she recounts her recent string of
near criminal activities.
“I knew that they didn’t trust me because of my
connection to Aphrodite Noel and I knew that there was also a large presence on
the Board still loyal to the former owner, Matthew Alan. I hired a
private investigator to do some digging into Matthew Alan.”
“I bet he found nothing.”
Angelica says with a smirk. Glory nods her head.
“How’d you know?”
“That bastard is good at covering his tracks.”
“Yes, well he didn’t get anything on Matthew Alan
but he did get some information on an old friend of yours; Meagan
Collins. I used the information to blackmail Meagan into helping me turn
the Board of Directors from an enemy into an ally of mine. Meagan used
her own knowledge of Matthew’s secrets to blackmail members of the Board.
We bribed others. I had more leverage and more power. But Meagan
insisted I still didn’t have absolute power. She accurately pointed out
that Matthew Alan loyalists who we were unable to bribe or blackmail were still
on the Board.”
“And you listened to her, I take it.”
Angelica sighs and rolls her. “Listening to Meagan is always a mistake.”
“Meagan said that to win over the support and
loyalty of the remaining Board members I had to ensure that my remaining ties
to Aphrodite Noel were severed. The glaring tie to Aphrodite Noel was my
sister who still acknowledged her as mother, who even had her name changed to
Chastity Noel. The details are complicated but the short version is that
I had my sister locked up in a mental ward. I had donated a large sum of
money to the mental hospital in question, so did Meagan, so we were able to pay
them off. My sister could get out of the mental ward any time she wanted
but to do so she had to sign a legal document that changed her name back to her
birth name of Julia Braddock.”
Angelica had already spoken to Julia about all of
this so she had some inkling about what had happened. Still, to hear
Glory Braddock admit it is shocking. Angelica shakes her head in disgust.
“So you in essence admitted that Aphrodite was a stain upon your family and
that you would never allow her name to stain you again?”
“That’s what the Board wanted to hear. That’s
what they wanted from the very beginning. They wanted all ties to
Aphrodite severed. So I gave it to them. Now I have full loyalty
from the Board of Directors. They are nothing but a rubber stamp.
They support whatever proposition I place before them.”
“Power corrupts and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.” Angelica remarks quietly. She points a
finger at her cousin. “You have always fought tyrants but now you have
become a tyrant yourself.”
“You are going to sit there and judge me?”
Glory scoffs. “You are a hypocrite! You murdered your own daughter’s
father! You have no right to judge me!”
“I’m not judging you.”
Angelica shakes her head. “And I will still train you today if you want me
to, but I am going give you some advice whether you want it or not, and this
advice will help you not just with your match against Selena Frost on Breakdown
but with all aspects of your life. Get some help.”
“I don’t need help.” Glory
insists.
“Yes you do. You said the Board of Directors
took power away from you because they questioned your sanity. And you
admitted that they had every right to question your sanity. You sought
out help from a psychiatrist but you quit attending the sessions. So
you’re still not right in the head. You tell the world that the old Glory
Braddock is back but you’re lying to them and you’re lying to yourself.
The old Glory Braddock would never have been so easily taken down by me inside
that ring. The old Glory Braddock always put family ahead of everything
else. I remember when you challenged Isis Derrida for the FWA World
Championship. You took a count out loss because Derrida’s allies had
attacked your father and you left the match to make sure he was ok. You
put family ahead off a world championship. Now? Now you lock up
your own sister so you can maintain power in your company. I shudder to
think at what you would do to win a world championship.”
Glory stares with an icy cold stare at Angelica. “Yeah?
And I shudder to think about what I might do to Selena Frost on
Breakdown. Now are we going to prepare for that match or not?”
“We will. But promise me you will seek help?”
“I don’t want to go back to that psychiatrist,
Angelica.” Glory remarks.
“You should but if you’re willing to do that then
at least talk to your family. Obviously there has to be some underlying
problems there in order for Aphrodite to convince you to abandon your Braddock
name many years ago.”
“Again you’re right; my mother, your aunt Mary
Ford, was barely around. She and my dad split up and he raised me,
meanwhile she left. She never visited me. She never played a part in my
childhood. She was never there when I needed her growing up. So you
can understand why I am a little upset with her.”
“That’s one thing we have in common…” Angelica
says a sad smile “...we have troubled families.”
“So what do you want me to do about it?”
“For a start try talking to her. So what if
she was never there for you? Maybe you should be the one to initiate
contact?”
“I tried.” Glory
says with a sigh. “And we had a promising start, but then after dad died
Mary...mom...she grew distant again...I haven’t heard from her since dad died.”
“Don’t give up on her, Glory.” Angelica
places an arm around Glory’s shoulder. “You’re lucky that she is still alive
and able to see you. I would give anything to have my mom with me but she
was murdered before my very eyes when I was just thirteen. Don’t waste
any of the moments you have with your mom, because you have no idea when those
moments will be gone.”
“Fine...I’ll try to visit her, if I can even reach
her that is…”
“You can reach her. With all of these
wonderful new contacts you’ve made and this power you have, hell, you’re almost
like a mafia boss. Surely you can muster up the resources to find your
mom. But I’ll make it very easy for you. She’s in Boston today
visiting me. I’ll make sure she’s at the house so you can stop in and see
her.”
“You would do that for me?”
Glory asks.
“Of course. We’re family. And unlike
you, I always help my family.”
==========
June 19th, 2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
==========
Paranoia can eat away at a person like a
cancer. In Glory’s case, she has two cancers eating away at her; paranoia
and guilt She is paranoid because things now are spiraling out of
control. She had only wanted this to be a simple trip to visit her cousin
Angelica in Boston, Massachusetts to help prepare for her match against Selena
Frost. That was all this was supposed to be. Yet now, thanks to
Angelica’s words, Glory finds herself approaching the front door of her
cousin’s home, a home Angelica mockingly calls “Purgatory”. Where does
the guilt come in? Glory won’t admit it, but her cousin made very good
points. Angelica really hit home by stating that Glory isn’t the same as
she used to be, that she has changed and not for the better. What hit
home the most was Angelica’s accusation that Glory no longer cares about
family.
Glory does care about family; or at least she used
to. Recently she had her sister locked up in a sanitarium. In doing
so The British Bombshell has also coerced Julia into doing what Glory herself
had done little over a year ago; disavowing and rejecting any and all
connection to Aphrodite, a woman whom both were so close to that they had
considered her a mother figure. Would Glory do that to someone she
considered family? Glory is facing the real possibility that she has changed.
Even if this is not true she must at least consider the possibility. She
must do something to put her mind at ease.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re doing this.”
Angelica says to her cousin as she and Glory approach the front door.
Both women have already showered and changed out of their exercise gear and
into different attire. Angelica is dressed more casually in a maxi-skirt,
flip flops, a white t-shirt, and her signature black leather jacket. By
contrast Glory Braddock is wearing a sleeveless pink midi-dress and pink patent
leather high heel pumps. The British Bombshell rolls her eyes and turns
to face Angelica as they stop at the front door of Angelica’s Boston home.
“Right, just do me a favor. I want to speak
to her alone.” Glory is stern and defiant. She
means business and she will dig in her heels on this if she has to. “Let me
do this on my own and deal with this on my own. Can you handle that?”
“I’m not sure I should…”
“Oh don’t worry about me. I can handle
it. But can she handle me?”
“I’m not worried about that.” Angelica
says with a smirk on her lovely face. “Aunt Mary grew up in one of the worst
environments imaginable. I think she can handle someone like you.”
Mary Ford is Angelica’s aunt but Glory’s
mother. May Ford wasn’t always her name, though. Maria Kurensky was
the birth name of Mary. Mary’s sister, Kelly, was Angelica and Kayla’s
mother and her birth name was Klementina Kurensky. Both women were from
Soviet Russia and daughters of an ex-KGB agent who defected from the Soviet
Union to America when he became overcome with a rush of conscience and
guilt. He changed the names and identities of his family in order to
protect them. Mary’s father had always been concerned that Stalin’s
agents would try and track them down. They lived in constant fear of
reprisal due to their defection. Needless to say, Angelica isn’t
concerned about whether Mary can handle this.
The British Bombshell rolls her eyes.
Angelica opens the door and steps inside. She motions to the living room,
indicating that Mary is there waiting. Angelica turns and walks down the
hall towards the kitchen while Glory makes her way into the living room.
It is also clean; almost to perfection with barely a spot and even if one exists,
it isn’t noticeable. The cream colored sofa is soft, comfortable, and
plush. It is situated in front of a large flat screen television mounted
on the wall above a fireplace. The fireplace does seem slightly out of
place as it is the only piece in this living room that looks relatively
traditional. Glory notices her aunt Mary sitting in a recliner in the
corner of the room.
“Mom…”
“Gloria?” Mary
looks up at her daughter and a warm, loving smile that only a mother can
produce forms upon her face. “I didn’t believe it when Angelica told me you
were coming. But you’re here. You’re really here.”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Glory
says as Mary gets up off of the recliner. The two meet in the middle and
embrace in a tight hug. Mary laughs lightly as she motions to the sofa,
seeming to suggest that this may be a better place for the two of them to
sit. Glory nods and follows her mother to the sofa. Mary sits down
first and Glory sits down next to her. Tears are evident in Mary’s eyes,
despite a low laugh that escapes her lips.
“It’s been far too long, Gloria.”
“I know. I don’t think we’ve spoken since dad
died.”
“We haven’t.” Mary
admits with a sigh and a nod of her head. “I admit that I took your father’s
death exceptionally hard but, still, that’s no excuse.”
“It’s ok, mom. I haven’t exactly gotten over
his death either.”
“He’s still with us, Gloria...in our hearts…”
“I wish he was here physically, you know? I
wish he was here to talk to. There have been so many things I have
endured lately, so many difficult decisions I have had to make, and I wish I
could have asked him for some advice.”
“Don’t you have new friends you can talk to?”
Mary suggests. “I do still follow your career. Aren’t you friends with
Sienna and Bree now?”
“Yes but I’m not sure they would understand some of
the decisions I have had to make. To be honest, I’m not sure anyone could
understand the decisions that I have had to make.”
Glory Braddock seems to long for her mother’s warm
embrace but she still emotionally keeps her at arm’s length. A part of
her is still unsure whether she is ready to fully accept her back into her
life. Since Glory is unwilling to reach out, Mary decides to reach out
instead.
“Gloria, I do not pretend to understand everything
that you go through. Your father was an amazing man, he was a great
wrestler and his wisdom and teachings helped create a movement in British
wrestling. But you have far surpassed anything he could have ever
imagined.”
“I’m not better than dad…”
“Yes you are. He won European wrestling
tournaments and European championships. You are a fourteen time world
champion. He started a wrestling school and now you are running that
school but you went and topped that by purchasing your own wrestling promotion
and building both up into its own power house corporation. So no, i do
not pretend to understand what you have to deal with from day to day, but there
is one question I do have for you…”
“What’s that?”
“Why did you have your sister institutionalized?”
Glory’s starting to lose control again. Her
anger and PTSD is boiling over. “You’re right, Mary, you have NO IDEA what I
go through in my day to day life! That’s been your family’s M.O. since
day one! When the going gets tough you run away, right? Things got
bad in Stalinist Russia and did you stay and fight the good fight? Did
you fight the tyrants? No, you ran away. When life with dad became
difficult did you even try to work things out with him? No, you left him
to raise me on his own. And I tried to put all of that aside and work
things out with you, I tried to make peace with you, and we made significant
progress but then dad died. And what happened? You left me.”
Tears are now flowing down Glory’s cheeks. She points an accusatory
finger at Mary.
“You haven’t been in contact with me since dad died
so don’t pretend that you have any moral high ground here, Mary!” Glory’s
voice is dripping with venom. Things go silent immediately after Mary rears
back and slaps her daughter across the cheek. For her part, Glory is
shocked that Mary did that. Braddock rubs her cheek.
“I’m sorry, Gloria, but you were being out of
line. I don’t pretend to have any moral high ground. I just want to
know why you had your sister locked up. That’s all.”
“You want to know why I had Julia
institutionalized? It was for this family’s own good. It was for
the good of the Braddock family. I already had this discussion with
Angelica but I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. We were traumatized
and mentally twisted into becoming the children of Aphrodite Noel, we were
tricked into joining her “family”. And we have you to blame for that
because we never had a true mother figure to speak of, since you left when we
were young. I got the help I needed and then I got her the help she
needed.”
“What kind of help did you get her?”
“All you need to know is that she is once again a
Braddock. I saved our family. Our family is once again whole, no
thanks to you.”
The British Bombshell gets up and walks over to a
window. She stares blankly outside, thinking about how she just reacted
towards her mother. A few moments later Mary speaks up, breaking the
silence. “You know, I was very hurt when I heard you and your sister had
joined Aphrodite’s ‘family’ and had become her daughters.”
“Good. You deserved to be hurt.”
Glory snaps back, spinning around and facing Mary with an angry glare etched
across her face.
“It hurt me even more when I learned that your
sister was not coerced into joining, that she did so willingly. I had run
from my problems, just as you said, and that meant I had failed as a
mother. I’ll admit that.”
“At least you’re willing to admit it.”
Glory says sarcastically.
“But are you willing to admit your part in
this? I mean, this is a two way street. You could have come to me
anytime, you know. And tell me this, Gloria; did you become Aphrodite’s
daughter voluntarily like your sister or were you coerced?”
There is another tense pause as mother and daughter
stare into one another’s eyes. The British Bombshell can tell that Mary
Ford is studying her intensely, looking for any sign. Braddock steadies
herself and quietly says…
“No…”
“No what?”
“Just...just no…”
Mary chuckles. “My dear child, you’re not the
only one who learned things from their father. Your grandfather was
KGB. I learned many things from him, one of the simpler things I learned
from him is how to tell when someone is lying.”
“I’m not lying.” Glory
says weakly as tears once again flow down her cheek. Mary approaches her
daughter lovingly.
“You aren’t lying...but only because you never
definitively answered my question.” Mary
reaches out and takes her daughter by the hands. “Your father isn’t here
anymore to help you and I have been absent most of your life but I would like
to make up for that. I would like to help you but I need to know what’s
wrong. I need you to be honest with me.”
Glory walks slowly back to the sofa where she sits
back down. Mary sits down next to her and wraps a comforting loving arm
around her daughter’s shoulder. “My mind isn’t…”
“It isn’t what?”
“...it isn’t right. What I mean is that I’ve
changed and I’m not sure if it’s a good change or a bad change. I’ve done
things, mom. I’ve done horrible things that I never would have even
conceived of doing, all in the name of the greater good.”
“Have you been to see a psychiatrist?”
“Yes and I was told it was a form of post traumatic
stress syndrome. And to answer your next question, no I am not seeing
that psychiatrist anymore.”
“Well you should.”
“But my reputation…”
“Suck it up and deal with it.” Mary
says scoldingly. “Your reputation can deal with it. If the public were
to find out they’ll forgive you. There’s nothing wrong with having a
problem so long as you are seeking help for that problem. So go see a
psychiatrist and I admit that I have played a role in this because I was never
there for you growing up. I want to help you now.”
“How are you planning to help me?”
“You were right earlier, Gloria. We were
making great progress just before your father died. I stopped calling and
stopped visiting because I knew seeing you would bring back memories of your
father would make me sad. Maybe it’s time we helped each other?
Maybe we need to try again?”
Glory Braddock nods her head. “Yeah, I like
that.”
“You help me move on from your father’s death and
I’ll help you become a better person.”
==========
June 24th, 2020
Little Rock, AR
On Camera
==========
The camera cuts outside of the Verizon Arena in
Little Rock, Arkansas. It is bright and sunny outside. Fans,
bystanders, and officials are walking around in the background, some of them
going in and out of the arena. It isn’t long until “The British
Bombshell” and self-proclaimed “Best in the World” steps into the scene from
stage left. The blonde haired Braddock beauty is wearing a little purple
dress that hugs her every curve and matching purple high heeled patent leather
pumps. A confident grin is etched across her lovely face as she stares
into the camera.
“Behind me isn’t just the Verizon Arena. It
isn’t just the host of SCW Breakdown. No, this fine venue behind me is
the beginning of a journey, a journey for me at least that has been long
overdue. It is the beginning of a journey that will end in me being
crowned the NEW SCW United States Champion.” It
isn’t certain whether or not any more arrogance can ooze from Glory’s
face. Nevertheless The British Bombshell looks quite confident.
“I am among the most talented pure wrestlers in
this company. I am indeed The Best in the World. Yet how many
championship opportunities have I had since Rise To Greatness? The answer
is one, my one and only television championship opportunity against Regan not
too long ago. Now why is that? Is it because of the company I
keep? Am I being held back because I am allies with Sienna Swann and Bree
Lancaster? Or maybe it’s because I speak the truth. The truth hurts
and SCW doesn’t like hearing the truth that it so desperately needs to
hear. The truth that the fans are fickle; fans that once hated Jason
Helms now cheer him, fans that once loved Giovanni Aries and his insanity now
boo him. The truth that SCW’s role models and hand picked heroes are all
frauds. Asher Hayes is little more than a perverted drug addict and
Selena Frost is a glory hound who doesn’t give a damn about this business but
instead only care about expanding her brand.” The
British Bombshell points a finger at the camera and winks.
“More about you later, Selena. But back to
why I’ve been denied championship opportunities, because I do have another
theory. Maybe it’s because I do not fit the mold of who SCW wants as its
figureheads. See, I am already a fourteen time world champion and I am
the successful owner of my own company. I don’t do this because I need to
do it, I am involved with wrestling because I love this sport. I am
passionate about this sport. I have given my blood for this sport.
I would give my life for this sport. I am more passionate for this sport
than anyone else in this company and that is a fact. And that brings me
to my first round opponent, Selena Frost.”
A sinister grin forms across Glory’s lovely
features. “It makes me laugh every time I hear you speak. If I am ever
feeling down all I need to do is listen to one of your tired old promos to make
me laugh. Because it makes me laugh to think that you are SCW’s golden
goose. I laugh my ass off thinking about you as The Face of SCW.
You know why that makes me laugh? Because you don’t get it. You and
every other half whit who has come before you claiming to be The Face of SCW
just don’t get it. You never will get it because all you think of is
popularity and making sure that you are pleasing the fans that you are doing
and saying whatever they want so that you can continue to hear their
cheers. It’s like a drug for you. It’s like an addiction. You are
addicted to their adulation. You have to hear their cheers in order to feel
as if you are an accomplished competitor.”
“There are many things wrong with your outlook,
Snow Queen. First of all, you are horribly misguided and very weak if you
need the support of the fans in order for you to be mentally sure of
yourself. In my twelve plus year career I have been cheered and hated and
everything in between, but never have I changed. Never once did I change
my mission statement and never did I change my outlook. I do not need the
fan support in order to prove anything to anyone. I know I am The Best in
the World when it comes to professional wrestling and my fourteen world
championships, my wrestling promotion, and my wrestling school, say
otherwise. I have done more for this sport, inside AND outside the ring,
than anyone else. I do not need cheers to prove it to me. I know it
because I have the record to back it up. But you, Selena, you need the
cheers to justify yourself as The Face of SCW. You need the cheers to
justify yourself as The Snow Queen. Their cheers only justify you as their
hero. And you want to be their hero.” Braddock
nods her head.
“That’s fine if you want to be their hero.
I’m not judging you. But I do think you are missing the mark as far as
true heroism goes. A true hero does what is right and just whether the action
is popular or unpopular. A true hero will speak the truth whether it is
popular or unpopular. GK Chesterton once said that ‘fallacies do not
cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.’ I speak the truth
and I am unpopular for it. But I speak the truth, I do what is right, I
fight against those who are hurting the sport that I love. You think you
are the hero for the fans but you are just an enabler. You are giving
them what they want. A crack addict wants crack...would a hero just give
the crack to the crack addict? No, a true hero would put the crack addict
in a rehab program or in jail. One or the other.”
“I, on the other hand, am a true hero. I am
the only true hero in Supreme Championship Wrestling and I am a hero for the
sport of professional wrestling. I will do anything and everything
necessary in order to take good care of the sport I am passionate about.
And right now that includes an egomaniac like yourself gets nowhere near the
SCW United States Championship. Do you think you really deserve to be in
this tournament? Newsflash, Selena; you’re only in this tournament
because you’ve been kissing Sasha’s ass. You’re in this tournament because
you are the golden goose, The Face of SCW, and Sasha wants you to win.
And perhaps most importantly, you’re here to make sure I don’t win.”
Braddock chuckles lightly.
“Think about it for a moment, Snow Queen.
You’re not a complete idiot, surely you can figure this out. Sasha never
could find someone to take the US Championship away from Bree. It was
Bree herself who relinquished the championship. Do you really think Sasha
wants the title to back to the Beauty Factory camp? And do you really
think she wants the United States Championship to be around the waist of
someone who proudly and defiantly speaks out against the monstrosity she has
created? In this first round you are little more than Sasha’s hired
assassin and your job is to take me out. Problem for you is that you
cannot and will not stop me. I am driven by a passion to compete, a
passion that is unmatched by anyone else. I am not a gold digger seeking
championships for their glory. I am just a competitor seeking to prove
myself against the best. That’s why tournaments are my specialty. I
love tournaments. I thrive in the tournament atmosphere.
Tournaments separate the great from the good. Tournaments separate the
best ever from the mediocre. So that is one thing I am thoroughly happy
about, one thing I can honestly say was a good decision; that this United
States Title will be decided in a tournament.”
Braddock sneers angrily and nastily at the camera. “I
am also driven by the fact that I cannot allow someone like you to march
through this tournament and become United States Champion. Unlike me, you
ARE seeking this for glory and the accolades. You are seeking this for
selfish motives and not for the good of wrestling. You are seeking this to
add yet another accomplishment to your SCW trophy case. If you become
United States Champion you will just use that platform to further enable the
fans.” Braddock slowly shakes her head.
“I cannot allow that to happen. You see, Selena, as
much as you desire to be viewed as the hero, you are, in fact, just another
villain. You are just another tyrant that I need to stop. And you
know what happens to tyrants. Sic Semper Tyrannis…” Braddock
shuts her eyes “...thus always to tyrants…”
