Voyage of the Damned: Epilogue

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Morning Again

On Camera

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Since October of 2013 the FWA had been willing to settle for a lackluster, second rate excuse of a world heavyweight champion, a man who fluked his way into the world heavyweight title after eliminating Dante.  People cried foul.  The fans demanded a legitimate champion, a champion that could proudly stand as the FWA standard bearer.

And that was where I came in.  I made my return to the FWA ring, not intending to be a conquering hero but simply to give the fans of FWA what they wanted; a legitimate, worthy champion, because I knew I was the only person who could bring that individual out of then champion Isis Derrida.

Unfortunately it was proven that there are things that even The British Bombshell can’t do.  I was unable to bring that worthy champion out of Isis.   He threw the fans out the window, the company out the window, the chance to be a legend in FWA out the window, all just to retain the title on one night.  All just so he could say he beat me in a sixty minute Iron Man Match.  And he did it in the sickest of ways, the most cowardly of ways; by attacking my father.

But Jackson Adams was right there with me every step of the way afterwards.  He reminded me that I was not alone in this battle, that I did have friends.  Those friends, those allies known as Apocalypse, would reunite and serve as my backup to make sure Isis could never again run away from a fight.  Apocalypse made certain that Isis would have to stare me down and face me like a man.

After all, it had to end that way, didn’t it?  It had to end up with just him and me, face to face, one on one, because the only way FWA was going to get a legitimate champion, a worthy champion, was if someone took that title away from him.  And with Nick Harris doing everything in his power to keep Dante away from a title match, that left me as the only person to get the job done.

And so, now that Darkness Within has come and gone, I can happily announce that it is morning again in FWA because the dark days of Isis Derrida making a mockery of the world heavyweight championship is over.  The days of Isis Derrida running and hiding behind his goons, thugs, and even Nick Harris are over.

You knew it would end like this, didn’t you Isis?  At End of Worlds you saw your professional career flash before your eyes as, with time running out, I kept getting win after win after win over you in that Iron Man Match.  You knew that if I could do that, in that short amount of time, imagine what I could do if given a fair shot…

…that’s why you attacked my father.  You weren’t sure of yourself.  The only thing you were sure of that night was that I was exactly what I said I was.  Don’t deny it, I could see it in your eyes, mate.  At that moment you believed that I truly was The Best in the World.

All that remained was showing it to you once and for all at Darkness Within.  And I did that.  I beat you, I humiliated you, I humbled you in front of my hometown crowd.  You stepped into my world, in my country, and I destroyed you.  I brought you back down to earth and then I sent your ass packing back to that fictional city of yours.

As for me?  I am going to do my best to be the exact opposite of what you were, Isis.  I am going to be a champion that the fans can be proud of.  I am going to be the kind of champion that this company can proudly put out there as its representative.  I am going to be a fighting champion, someone who does not run from any challenges from anyone at all whatsoever.

That anyone includes Dante.

The fans want to see it.  The wrestling world wants to see it.  Dante wants it and I’m willing to give it to him because he’s earned it.  After the hell he’s gone through against Priest in hell in a cell, handicap matches galore, and then against Nick Harris in a war at Darkness Within, Dante has more than earned his world heavyweight title shot.

It’s the two best competitors in the company.  The Dark Assassin against The Best in the World.  It makes perfect sense to book the match.  So book it, Nick.   Give the world what they want.

Don’t worry, Priest…I’m not overlooking you.  How could I possibly overlook the new Intercontinental Champion?  How could I possibly overlook the man with whom I have had many classic battles with in both MCW and FWA in the past?

This, too, will be classic.  I can guarantee everyone that.  I can also guarantee that Priest will get the absolute best out of The Best in the World come Mayhem when we clash in the champion against champion match.

Prepare for a classic, ladies and gentlemen.

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Voyage of the Damned

Epilogue

Off Camera

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It is difficult to celebrate when so much has gone wrong in your life.  Over the past few months I had control of wrestling operations in my company GCW stolen from me by Samantha Hodgson, my cousins declared war on me, and my father had been assaulted at ringside by a coward who used him as a human shield in order to retain his world heavyweight championship.  Murphy’s Law, in its simplest form, states that if something can go wrong it will go wrong and it seemed, to me at least, as if everything that could wrong had been going wrong for me all at the same damn time.

Surprisingly, things started taking an opposite turn.  The opposite of Murphy’s Law, if one exists, seemed to happen as things began to slowly reverse themselves.  I now have a chance to regain control of wrestling operations from Hodgson.  My cousins and I have reconciled.  And I gained revenge for my father and, at the same, became a thirteen time World Heavyweight Champion.

Oh but the best part was to get my redemption in front of my hometown crowd, my home country of Great Britain.  I was born and raised in London.  The wrestling fans in London, and even the non-wrestling fans, admired and adored my father for his wrestling skill and ability and followed him throughout his career.  Then when he retired and I took over the mantle they followed me.  The Braddock family in England was known was Britain’s Best but I had taken it to the next level.  Thanks to me, we were The Best in the World.

As champion I always strive to give back to the fans and wrestling community that made it possible for me to do what I do.  People like Isis Derrida, though, are a dime a dozen.  They are villains, self-absorbed villains who think the world revolves around them.  They think they are entitled to handouts from the wrestling industry.  They refuse to try and give back to the business or to the fans that helped make him who he is.

It shouldn’t have come as any surprise that he would stoop to the low that he stooped to in order to retain the championship at End of Worlds.  I made the mistake of thinking he was different.  But it was a mistake I would not make again.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  I would not be fooled again.  At Darkness Within I became FWA World Heavyweight Champion.

So yes, now that the nightmare is over, now that we have passed through our voyage of darkness, we can once again celebrate knowing that the worst is beyond us, that things are now getting better for the Braddock family.

“Bloody fancy restaurants!”

My father, the esteemed Glenn Braddock, never met a fancy restaurant that he liked.  He hates the glitz and glamour that is associated with celebrity status.  He always taught his students, me included, to avoid the camera, avoid the celebrity status, and just do your job; which is to win.  But what Glenn doesn’t realize is that being the face of the company is part of your job when you are world heavyweight champion, and that entails some celebrity and, unfortunately, some fancy dinners.

This dinner has nothing to do with celebrity status or championship responsibility, though.  This was actually my request.  And it came much to the shock of daddy and my boyfriend Kurt Logan.  They know me all too well and they know that I am a tomboy at heart.  But tonight I felt something different.  Tonight, after the hell I’ve been through, after the hardships I’ve fought through, I feel as if tonight, just for tonight, I am entitled to a little pampering.

A supportive corset bodice of the purple dress as well as its fitted waist make this lovely piece a beautifully feminine design.  The dress is strapless and shows off all of my shoulders and some of my chest, but little cleavage.  It hugs my every curves and the dress is long enough that it drags the floor, making for an elegant look.

My boyfriend is dressed equally as elegant but in a more handsome manner, wearing a navy blue blazer and white button up silk shirt, matching navy blue pants and black shoes.  My father, on the other hand, refused to dress nice.  In protest to us going out to a nice fancy restaurant he wore blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt with the words “Fuck You, Wanker” on the front.

“Oh hush, daddy!” I say, stifling my laughter. “It wasn’t that bad!”

Truthfully, it was quite bad.  What started out as a very nice dinner turned disastrous as the patriarch of my family started being intentionally rude just to show how much he disliked this whole situation.  Kurt thought it was funny as hell.  I was embarrassed for a moment but even I had to admit, daddy made it quite entertaining for us.

“That’s right, Glenn,” Kurt chimes in “and besides, it’s all over.”

The night has come to a close and we have just stepped out of the restaurant.  Waiting for us, just where we left it, is the long black limousine that brought us here in the first place.  That was another problem.  Glenn hated riding in the limousine.  He would’ve preferred driving himself or taking a taxi.  And he made a complete ass of himself on the way over, threatening bodily harm on the driver.

“Yeah, well, as good as it is knowing that it’s over, there is no way in hell I’m getting back in that stupid bloody thing!”

Really?” I frown, staring at him curiously.  “What are you going to do about transportation then?”

“I’ll call a taxi!”

“Now don’t be that way, daddy!” I begin, trying to discourage him. “You know, at least we’re paying this guy.  Who knows what bloke you might find by calling a taxi?”

“True but at least if someone gave me trouble I’d get some action.”

“Daddy!”

He chuckles.  Finally, a positive response out of him. “I’m kidding.  But I am calling a taxi for myself.”

He embraces me in a hug. “This is your night.  Enjoy it with the American.”

“The name’s Kurt…” Kurt says with a wink.

“Yeah, him…”

I still am not comfortable with the idea of my father out alone.  But then again, he is tough as nuclear nails, a true badass.  No one would are try him.  I would dare say he is safe.  And him gone would leave me and Kurt by ourselves.  That’s not to mention the fact that we wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of the limousine driver anymore.

“Ok daddy, you win.”

“Don’t I always?”

“Quit joking.” I lean in and kiss him on his cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Gloria.”

With that I watch as my father starts hailing a taxi.  I am lost in thought but Kurt clearing his throat snaps me back to reality.  I turn and see him holding the back door of the limousine open for me.  God he is such a gentleman…

“After you, Glory…”

I smile warmly as I walk over to the limousine.  Carefully I step into the backseat and scoot over to allow room for Kurt.  Kurt steps in next and shuts the door.  The driver then starts the car and we take off, a moment I wish could last forever.  And while I cannot make it last forever I can make it last longer.

“Driver…”

“Yes?”

“Take a longer route back to my place.”

“As you wish, Ms. Braddock.”

I turn and stare into my boyfriend’s loving eyes.  Apparently he liked the idea as well, for he is grinning from ear to ear.  I lean over and kiss him on his lips passionately.  We maintain the kiss for several seconds before breaking.  Kurt has a hard time finding words after that kiss.  I usually have that effect on him.

“Not…not that I’m complaining but…but what was that for?”

“Because I love you.”

I turn away from him and sigh. “I lost control of wrestling operations in GCW and you were there for me…my cousins turned on me and you were there for me…my father was assaulted by Isis Derrida and you were there for me…as all hell broke loose, when most would have just abandoned the fight, you stayed with me.  And you are ready to stand by me as I now have a chance to regain control of wrestling operations in GCW, you listened to me and help convince me to talk to my cousins and reconcile with them, and you were there, cheering me on as I defeated Isis Derrida for the World Heavyweight title at Darkness Within.”

“That’s what a boyfriend is for, Glory.”

I nod my head, fighting back the tears. “But I realize I am so selfish.”

“Selfish?  Not at all!”

“Yes, yes I am.  It’s why Randall wanted a divorce.  I could not give him the one thing he wanted…”

“What he wanted was you to be a stay at home housewife.  That’s not who you are.  You are a wrestler at your core, Glory, and no one can make you be anything else.”

“And that’s also why I can’t give you what you want…” more tears well up inside “…a child.  I’m the new FWA World Heavyweight Champion.  I can’t have children and wrestle.  I have to do one or the other and right now I’m world champion.  I have duties and obligations.”

I chuckle slightly despite the situation. “I’m facing Priest for goodness sake on Mayhem!  Priest has been among my toughest opponents.  I’ve beaten him every single time we have fought but that doesn’t change the fact that he is tough as hell.  Glory Braddock ‘The Best in the World’ can defeat him.  Glory Braddock ‘mother’ cannot.”

“Listen to me Glory,” he takes my hands tightly and squeezes them “you already are a wonderful mother to a wonderful child, Melinda Alexis Braddock.  She is eleven years old and you raised her with no help from her asshole father.  Now THAT’s tough.  You can be a mother.  You can beat Priest too, because like you said, you are The Best in the World.”

He kisses me on my lips. “Yes, I do want some things out of you.  Primarily I want you to be happy and if you are happy being a wrestler then by all means, be a wrestler.  I will never try to make you be someone you are not.”

“Thank you, Kurt.  I love you.”

“But wait, there is one other thing I want…”

“Yes?” I ask apprehensively.

“I just want to know one thing…” he reaches into the pocket of his blazer and produces a small box which he opens up and I notice it’s an engagement ring “…Gloria Marie Braddock, will you marry me?”

The nightmarish voyage of the damned that I have been on has ended, and now a new journey, perhaps a wonderful journey, is about to begin.  There is only one way to find out for certain.

“Yes!  Yes, yes I will marry you!”

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The Constant

On Camera

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We are inside of an empty arena.  It’s quiet, almost too quiet.  It’s also very dark, but we can vaguely make out the seats, seats set up as if for a wrestling event, for they are all surrounding a metal stage and ramp that leads down to a wrestling ring set up in the center of all of the seats.   Suddenly a spotlight flashes on, shining into the wrestling ring itself.  Sitting in a blue steel folding chair in the center of the ring is yours truly, “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock.  I am decked out in a sleek traditional styling executive black pinstripe pantsuit.  A pair of black high heel pumps complete the look.  My FWA World Heavyweight Championship title belt is draped over my right shoulder and I am wearing a pair of sunglasses over my eyes.  My long auburn hair hangs down unrestrained to shoulder length.

“Good evening, Priest.  Do you recognize this place?  I mean, other than as a place that will host a wrestling event, do you recognize this place?  Well, this is the Memorial Arena in Los Angeles, California.  This is where you and I will be writing yet another chapter into the Glory Braddock versus Priest rivalry.  This very ring where all of the other chapters were written...ok, so maybe not this exact ring, but rings similar to it…is where we will continue a rivalry that dates back to the days of Motor City Wrestling.”

“You do remember MCW and the early days of the original FWA, don’t you Priest?  Because I do.  We had quite a few one on one matches on free tv, but the ones I remember best are our two pay per view encounters.  They were not one on one but they were not any less spectacular.  The hell on earth match pitting you, Jackson Adams, Rain, and me for the world title and then the triple threat ladder match pitting you against me and Jacob Laymon.”

“There is one thing that all of those one on one matches and those pay per view encounters have in common, my friend, and it isn’t the fact that you and I were in all of them.  Do you know what one common factor is?”

“Me, and the fact that each and every time I walked out of the ring with my arm raised high in victory, still the World Heavyweight Champion.” I pat my world heavyweight title belt proudly. “I am the one thing that always remains constant.  I am the one thing that never ever changes Priest.  When it comes to Glory Braddock versus Priest the one that has always remained the same throughout each match we have had is that I have never ever lost.”

I nod my head.  “In this industry I always have been consistent.  When you step foot inside of this ring, MY ring, you know you are going to be facing The Best in the World.  And when you get locked into the Shekhinah Glory you know you are going to either tap out or pass out.”

“The rings will change, the arenas will change, the referees and owners and ring announcers and commentators will all change, the cities and countries we compete in will all change, but I remain the same.  I will always be The Best in the World until I decide to step down.”

I point a finger at the camera. “And you are consistent as well, Priest.  You do not change.  You are a legend.  You are a great fighter, a great wrestler, and you consistently push me to my limits.  You consistently give me some of the best matches I have.  You consistently come close grabbing that brass ring and earning a victory over me…”

“…close…” I mutter the word again, quieter this time as I shake my head “…close means nothing in this industry and you and I both know that.  You’ve come close to defeating me, Priest.  You’ve come close to defeating me on many occasions but you have never ever once been able to pull it off.”

“No disrespect meant, but what makes you think that this time will be any different?” I shrug my shoulders. “Is it because you have momentum?  Great, you won the Intercontinental Championship!”

I clap my hands, applauding his accomplishment. “That truly is a great accomplishment and I am happy for you, but guess what?”

Again I pat my own championship belt. “I won a championship too.  Oh and, for the record, the last time I lost was at End of Worlds and that was via count out and the last time I lost via pin or submission was almost a full year ago.  I have been on a roll, I have had momentum going for a year now, Priest.  Do you really think you can stop it now?”

“Do not take this as an arrogant bitch talking down to you, because I do respect you.  We have had many legendary battles, Priest, and I know that this one will be another legendary battle.  You can’t get much bigger than the two top title holders in the company duking it out, now can you?  So don’t misconstrue what I am saying as disrespect…”

“…please, take it for what it is.  Take it as me motivating you.  That’s what you’ve been missing each and every time you’ve faced me, Priest.  As legendary as you are, you have always been willing to settle for second best against me.”

I nod my head. “It’s true, don’t deny it.  You have always been willing to walk away with your head held high knowing that at least you gave me a good fight.”

“Nate Lawson gave me a good fight but he still lost.

“Rain gave me a good fight but he still lost.”

“Scott Wilson gave me a good fight but…” I pause momentarily and then start chuckling “…bad example!  He didn’t give me a good fight!  I just choked his ass out!”

“Oh and Isis Derrida gave me a good fight at End of Worlds.  For sixty minutes we fought to a damn near stalemate and he realized he couldn’t beat me so he had to cheat.  Then at Darkness Within he again gave me a good fight but I still kicked his ass and took the FWA World Heavyweight Championship away from him.”

“You will give me a good fight on Mayhem, there is no doubt in my mind about that.  There is also no doubt in my mind that once again history will repeat itself and I will be the winner and once again you will leave with your head held high, content with the knowledge that you at least gave me a good fight.”

“As long as you are content with being second best then you will always be the SECOND Best in the World but the VERY Best in the World is right here, in this ring, your reigning FWA World Heavyweight Champion, and until you change that mindset of yours then that will never ever change.”

“It’s a constant.  It’s consistent.  Get used to it.”