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January 15th, 2021
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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Everyone has a dream; everyone has a vision of what they want to achieve in their lifetime. Few can actually say that they have achieved their dream. Few can say that they have successfully reached their goal in life. Even amongst the most who were born into the most blessed of environments, the rich and powerful, if they are honest with themselves even they cannot truly say that they have achieved their goals for their lives. Achieving one’s life goals, living a lifelong dream, that is a rarity for anyone in the human race. As a matter of fact, there are many who don’t even know what their dream truly is; they do not even know what they truly want to accomplish in their lifetime.
It may come as a surprise to all but those closest to her that Glory Braddock herself is one of those who grew up never truly knowing what she wanted to do with her life. She was one who grew up without a real dream. She may have her arms into all aspects of professional wrestling now, as a promoter, a wrestler, and as a trainer of the next generation of wrestlers. But professional wrestling was never on her mind until after her father, Glenn Braddock, suffered a career ending back injury that forced him into early retirement and thus ended his dreams.
Glenn Braddock, the now deceased patriarch of the Braddock line, did have a dream and his dream was to one day compete in the Olympic Games as a wrestler. But those dreams were dashed when he suffered the now infamous back injury. His daughter Glory then chose to take up his mantle and pursued wrestling as a career, not out of a desire to one day become Best in the World. Wrestling was never Glory’s dream. Glory did so out of a feeling of obligation towards her father. She felt she needed to continue his legacy. Her father’s injury gave future British Bombshell purpose. It gave her a goal to strive towards, even if it wasn’t truly her dream.
The Olympics may have been out of Glenn Braddock’s reach but his daughter would take his dream of being a great wrestler and send it like a rocket to the moon. Glory as a professional wrestler would win fourteen world championships before opening a promotion of her own and then inheriting her father’s wrestling school upon his death, so that she could pass on her father’s knowledge of wrestling to the next generation. Now The British Bombshell gives back to the wrestling world that her late father loved so much. And that, she realizes, is her dream. She wants to give back to professional wrestling.
Remembering how hard it was on her father when his dreams were taken from him, his daughter now wants to do everything she can to prevent others from feeling that pain of loss. Therefore she wants to use her position of influence to help others achieve their dreams, unlike Glenn Braddock who failed to achieve his own. This is Glory’s purpose as a businesswoman and as the head of the Braddock Wrestling School. As an active wrestler herself she wants to continue to live out the Braddock legacy as one of the best to lace up a pair of boots. In doing so she has already become SCW Adrenaline Champion, a championship she has held since Rise To Greatness. Now The British Bombshell is facing her toughest title defense in the form of a triple threat match at Last Grasp of Reality against Shilo Valiant and the always unpredictable Dylan Howell.
Against either one of them individually Glory knows that she can beat them. But this is a triple threat match and that means she doesn’t even have to be involved in the decision to lose her championship. But that’s precisely why she wants this match; she wants to shut up the critics and most importantly eliminate both challengers in one swift stroke. Glory Braddock is confident in herself. She knows she is the Best in the World and that she can beat them both at once.
The opulent living room of “The British Bombshell” is a gorgeous, sleek modern design. 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. It isn’t used often; this is Miami, after all. Sitting in a comfortable recliner with her feet propped up is none other than “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock. Sitting on the arm of the comfortable reclining chair is the remote control and in Braddock’s right is a glass of red wine. The blonde haired beauty’s stone faced gaze is glaring across at a television set which currently has archive footage of an old Dylan Howell match playing.
Doing one’s homework, strategizing, and learning your opponent’s weaknesses were all lessons hammered home by her late father Glenn Braddock. When Glenn himself was an active competitor he would often be too busy to spend time with his daughter because he would be watching tape. Then when Glory became the wrestler of the family he taught her those same habits. Glory tries to make time for her family but she does maintain the habit of watching tape on her opponents so that she can learn and hopefully discover a weakness she can exploit.
Wine is one of Braddock’s alcoholic beverages of choice and she has a glass in her right hand. Braddock lifts her glass of wine to her lips and takes a sip. A sound from the hall startles The British Bombshell. She immediately lowers her glass and listens. “Melinda?”
The first thought is that this is her daughter. Melinda has a nasty habit of trying to sneak out and while she hasn’t been in any danger recently, not since taking care of the personal and professional rivalry that had developed between Glory and the Jennifer Alan Family which had nearly become a full blown gang war, still a mother’s instincts wants her daughter to be safe. “Mel, you know I don’t want you going out right now.”
“Don’t worry, because it isn’t Melinda.” The British Bombshell instantaneously recognizes the voice as that of her husband, Kurt Logan. Glory watches the entrance to the living room and she spots Kurt limping into the room. Kurt still isn’t fully healed from his own run-ins with Jennifer Alan’s thugs. Once he was gunned down but luckily survived. A second time he and Glory were involved in a bad car accident after Jennifer’s hired men ran them off the road. Kurt still walks gingerly to this day and maybe he’ll heal up one hundred percent someday. But his current limp is a stark reminder of a nightmare Glory would like to forget.
“Did you get it for me?” Glory asks curiously. Kurt nods his head as he gingerly approaches the sofa. Kurt sits down and Glory moves from the recliner to join her husband on the sofa. Kurt places a usb flash drive into her hand.
“Yes. Some archival footage of Shilo Valiant matches to with the Dylan Howell matches.” Kurt sighs with noticeable frustration. “I understand the need for studying up on your opponents, but I always felt you and your dad took this a bit to an extreme.”
“Sun Tzu says ‘if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’” Braddock says with a sly grin. Kurt responds with an eyeroll.
“Now you sound like your friend Sophie [O’Brian].”
“I know, she does love to quote Sun Tzu all the time, but this time the quote does fit. And studying his opponents was my dad’s best weapon. He went into every match knowing his opponents better than they knew themselves. And it almost always worked out to dad’s favor. In fact, I can only think of one time he didn’t really do much of any studying up on his opponent.”
Kurt raises an eyebrow out of curiosity. “When was that?”
“Do you have to ask?” Glory sighs deeply. “It was against Thomas Van Stanton, Mason and Henry’s father.”
“Oh…” Kurt’s voice trails off. He knows this match well, despite the fact that Glory does not talk about it much. It was Glenn’s last match as it was the match where he suffered the career ending back injury.
“There was very little out there about Van Stanton. No one knew anything about the bloke. So dad couldn’t really prepare for him.”
“Of course not.”
“But for every other opponent he prepared, he studied, and he did his homework. And every other time he was successful. So why mess with a successful formula, am I right?”
Kurt shrugs his shoulders. “I suppose so.”
“Good. Then after this tape on Howell is finished I’m going to binge watch the Shilo stuff. You think you can handle yourself while I’m busy?”
“Sure. But don’t forget about tomorrow.”
The British Bombshell furrows her brow out of curiosity. “Tomorrow?”
“Tell me you didn’t forget meeting Francis [Taylor] tomorrow.”
Francis Taylor is the President of Global Wrestling Enterprise, the company that owns Glory’s promotion GCW and the Braddock Wrestling School. Glory Braddock knows that running a company and being an active wrestler is a difficult task, if not impossible. In order to keep herself from being spread too thin she hired Francis Taylor to handle the company’s day to day operations. A few days ago The British Bombshell received word that Francis wanted to meet Glory at the new headquarters in Miami. Obviously Glory had forgotten.
“I forgot but it’s ok, love, I was going to spar tomorrow but I can reschedule that for Sunday or Monday.”
“Good, I would hate for you to miss what could be an important meeting.”
Braddock chuckles. “Bloody hell, Kurt, what makes you think this is going to be important? I mean, for all I know she just wants to share the latest facts and figures with me about profits, payments, finances, and the like.”
“Maybe but it could be something more.”
“Like what?”
Something is clearly bothering her husband and he doesn’t want to talk about it. Kurt sighs and shakes his head. “I didn’t want to bring it up but have you thought about the Board of Directors recently?”
“No, not really. I mean, why should I? What’s wrong?”
“Right now nothing…at least I don’t think anything’s wrong. But you are beginning to step into some dangerous waters, Gloria.”
“What do you mean?” Glory is frowning as she doesn’t like where this is going. She has a suspicion about what her husband is talking about but hopes she is wrong. Her suspicions are confirmed with the next words out of his mouth.
“Your sister.”
Braddock sighs. “Kurt, we’ve been over this.”
“Yes, we have, and I still don’t agree with what you’re doing. You’re playing into Julia’s mother-daughter fantasy with Aphrodite Noel and it’s dangerous.”
“It may be a fantasy to you but to her it’s very much a reality. And besides, it’s just her being public and vocal about it, not me.”
“But she’s your sister and everyone knows it, including the Board of Directors. What she does will reflect upon you.”
“What do you want me to do, huh?” Glory is getting frustrated with her husband. “Do you want me to have her institutionalized again because I can do that but if I did I’d never again be able to repair this relationship with my sister. I am so close to repairing this broken relationship.”
“I know and I can appreciate what you want to do. I am glad that you are finally putting your family first. But I also worry about you. Are you sure this is the right way to go about this? Are you sure playing into her fantasies is the right way to go about this?”
“I believe so, yes.” Glory says, nodding her head.
“And what of the board of directors?”
“They won’t take action. Like I said, it’s my sister...not me.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“I love you, Glory, but be honest with me here. You go to spend time with your sister and you never tell me where. I do know once was Christmas and you spent it at Aphrodite’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were at Aphrodite’s place the other times too.”
Glory sighs. “She’s not a bad person, Kurt.”
“What about your PTSD?”
“Sometimes you have to confront your issues face to face in order to be fully healed from them.”
“Your experience with Aphrodite is what you claim caused your PTSD. So is that what you’re doing? You are facing the cause of your PTSD head on? You and Julia are visiting Aphrodite again, am I right?”
“Julia is visiting regularly, yes. I only go when Julia invites me.”
Kurt sighs and nods his head as he takes this information in. “Just be careful. You have your company back, you have your wrestling career back on track, your father’s wrestling school is successful, everything you’ve ever wanted and it all rests upon your shoulders. Do you understand the weight of that responsibility? Because if you lose focus, or worse if you let your PTSD get the better of you again, then all of that becomes at risk.”
“I know, Kurt. And I knew it was a risky move but it is a risk I feel needs to be taken. I need healing, Kurt. I need healing mentally, emotionally, and also I need to heal this broken relationship with my sister. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
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January 16th, 2021
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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One of the lessons Glory Braddock learned from her father is to have a great poker face when it comes to doubt. Never show your opponent that you have any doubts or concerns. Never let your opponent see any signs of weaknesses. Any signs of weaknesses such as doubt just gives your opponent an opening to strike. Thus The British Bombshell learned at a very young age to hide any and all doubt that may be hiding inside of her beautiful head. And right now doubt certainly lives within the head of Glory Braddock.
Glory Braddock learned from her father’s mistakes long ago not to put anything ahead of her family. So when she realized the damage that had been done between her and her sister, Julia Braddock, and how their own relationship was nearly damaged beyond repair, Glory vowed to take whatever steps necessary in order to repair the relationship. Family must come first, even if it means taking a risk.
For the longest time Glory thought she was doing right by her sister when she tried to pry her away from Aphrodite Noel. But it only seemed to drive her and Glory farther and farther apart. Glory even went as far as to institutionalize Julia and that nearly ended their relationship permanently. Now Glory is no longer going to stand in the way. She is no longer to stand in judgment of her sister. In fact, she is playing into what she views as her sister’s fantasies. And that is quite a risk.
Kurt Logan, Glory’s husband only further emphasized the risk yesterday and that added the doubt into Glory’s mind. Is she doing the right thing? And will this come with consequences? The Board of Directors has made it known in the past what their views are of Julia’s quirks. If this were to come to light, would the Board take action against Glory Braddock again? Worse yet, there is a chance that the Board already knows what Julia and Glory have been doing. Perhaps this is why Francis Taylor, the president of Glory’s company, wants to meet with her today?
All of those questions are on the mind of The British Bombshell who finds herself in her corporate offices at Miami, Florida. The office was painted grey, and it had only one floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the main road. On the grey desk sat a desktop computer, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a turtle-shaped paperweight. In a corner, the air conditioner was blasting at medium, and there was a swivel chair in the middle of the office. A bookshelf, bursting with books was in a corner, with yet another stack of papers under a paperweight that was shaped to look like a tuft of grass. A few pens were lying on the papers, but some had fallen onto the top of the bookshelf.
She is sitting in her office, behind her desk, that is right by a large window that overlooks the Miami skyline. The beautiful blonde is wearing a black pencil skirt that flatters her curves, a matching black suit coat over a white silky blouse. Her feet are encased in black peep-toe high heeled pumps. Her long gorgeous golden blonde locks of hair hang to just below the shoulders.
BUZZ! The buzzing from her desk phone indicates that her secretary is calling her. Glory presses a button on the phone to turn it on speaker…
“Yes?”
“Ms. Braddock, Ms. Francis Taylor is here to see you.”
“Send her in.”
She watches as the door to her office slowly opens. The company president herself steps in the door and shuts it behind her. Francis Taylor is wearing a dark floral print blouse, a nice pair of dress pants, black patent leather high heel pumps, and her long blonde hair, typically straight, today has a few curls to it but is otherwise left to hang straight and unrestrained to shoulder length. Braddock smiles warmly as she stands up and then walks over to greet Francis in a tight hug.
“Hi, Francis!”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Braddock,” Francis smiles uneasily “you seem rather cheerful today. Any particular reason?”
“No, not really. Why?”
“Not used to being hugged at a business meeting.”
Braddock smirks. “Sorry about that, mate, but I suppose I’m not in my business mode quite yet, even if I am dressed the part. To be perfectly honest, I try not to bring out that business perso n in me.”
“Why not? Obviously you have been successful as a businesswoman.”
“Perhaps but I don’t like what the business mindset does to me. I don’t like what it turns me into.” Braddock points a finger at Francis. “That’s why I have you to handle the day to day operations, remember?”
“Of course. And I am glad that you put such faith in my, Ms. Braddock.”
“Glory.” The British Bombshell quickly says to correct her. “Call me, Glory.”
“Fair enough, Glory. Shall we sit down and begin?”
Braddock nods her head in agreement. She sits down back at her desk and Francis pulls up a chair across from her. “So tell me, Francis, how are things going with the company?”
“Honestly, Glory, things could not be better. GCW is pulling in great profit, probably our best moneymaker of the whole company.”
“That’s great but money, as you well know, isn’t my main concern...at least not anymore. The school was my father’s legacy. His dream was to compete in the Olympics but when he couldn’t do that he wanted to at least pass down what he had learned to others, he wanted to use his knowledge to help others. That’s why the school is so important to me, Francis. I want to fulfill my dad’s dream of helping others through that wrestling school. So tell me, how is the school doing?”
“The school is pulling in a profit as well, not as much as GCW but it is pulling in a profit nonetheless. In fact, from what I’m being told by head trainer Randall Williams popularity of the school has picked up ever since your run with the SCW Adrenaline Championship began. In fact, any time you do something big, interest in the school picks up. You do understand what that means, right? You are still beloved in your home country. So do us a favor, beat Dylan Howell and Shilo Valiant, retain that Adrenaline Title at Last Grasp of Reality, and maybe we’ll see another membership spike.”
Braddock chuckles lightly. “That’d be nice but you know that’s not why I wrestle. I compete for the thrill of competition and to prove I am among the best in the world. It isn’t about collecting a paycheck for me or expanding my brand.”
“Funny you should mention expanding your brand because that is exactly what I wanted to really discuss with you today.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this is somewhat of a relief for Glory Braddock. This means that it is highly unlikely that the board of directors are after her for anything involving her sister or Aphrodite. This means her standing within the company is still safe, for now. But what does Francis Taylor mean by expanding the brand?
“With both GCW and the Braddock Wrestling School pulling in such great profit I think it is time to expand into a new field...or industry, if you will.”
“What industry?”
“Modeling.”
Glory frowns. This does not bring back good memories, especially with her experience working with Sienna Swann and the beauty factory. Braddock shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Francis.”
“Why not?”
“My dream, my vision for this company is to use it as a tool to help wrestling. Not modeling.”
“But look at those who made the jump from one to the other. Your cousin Kayla [Jones], your old friend Sienna [Swann].”
“Sienna and I aren’t exactly on good terms, mate.”
“I’m just using her as an example.”
Braddock is still against the idea as she shakes her head. “Sorry, Francis. The answer is still no. I just want to help people, not…”
“And you can help people through the modeling industry just as much as you can help them through wrestling.”
Glory pauses to consider Francis Taylor’s words. They are true, she could help. “Yeah, you’re right. But let’s be honest with ourselves, mate, you just see modeling as a cash cow for the company.”
“Yes, I do. I admit I just want to make money, I want make you money and I want to make our Board of Directors money and trust me, they will be overjoyed at the prospects of getting into modeling.”
The mere mention of the Board of Directors causes Glory to stop and think for a moment. Kurt is right when he says that they will always be a threat. Glory has to be logical, she can want to help people achieve their dreams but in order to do so she also has to ensure this company is making money. Perhaps Francis is onto something?
“Look, Francis, I’ve never had any experience with the modeling industry and I’m pretty sure you haven’t either. I’ll consider it but I cannot guarantee I’ll agree to this little scheme of yours. I mean, do you even know how to get started?”
An ear to ear grin forms on Francis Taylor’s face. “That’s the brilliant part! There is a modeling agency I know of that’s currently having some major issues. I may not know much about modeling but I do know business and I guarantee I can convince them to let us take over their operation. So we wouldn’t have to get anything started. All we would have to do is step in and right their ship, so to speak.”
“You act like it is so easy. How are you so sure we can right their ship as you put it?”
“Because their problem isn’t with their operation itself, it is with finances. They need money. With the extra profit we’re bringing in we can provide that profit. In exchange we become the owners of that modeling agency.”
“Again it sounds too easy. How are you so certain that we can convince them to roll over for us?”
Francis smirks devilishly. “Because the modeling agency I want to take over is the one owned by your cousin, Kayla Jones.”
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