Cold War: Act 1

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Apocalyptic Change

On Camera

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Our pay per view was appropriately named, because for the longest time the Future Wrestling Alliance had been shrouded in darkness.  A man, a false prophet who claimed to bring enlightenment, brought nothing but blackness and ignorance to FWA.  His desire was to cover this great company, encompass it in his own wretched image, shroud it in the darkness of his championship reign.

Darkness covered our great company from the Rumble Bash through End of Worlds and finally came to an end at, appropriately enough, Darkness Within, because a force more powerful than anything Isis Derrida could assemble, a faction that is legendary in this industry, rose back up to battle not just for FWA but for the respectability of this industry against a man who was willing to spit upon the very image of professional wrestling.

I told Isis, and I told each and every one of the FWA superstars who got the funny idea to follow in his footsteps, that Apocalypse was coming.  Actually, that was meant as more of a warning.  The signs of the coming Apocalypse were there and some heeded my warning while others just laughed it off, whistling in the graveyard as if there was nothing to fear.

Oh but there was plenty to fear.  At least, those who took the side of Isis Derrida and those who, like him, treated this industry as if it was their own personal playground, those disrespected it, those were the ones who had something to fear from Apocalypse.  Those were the ones we planned on targeting.

There were those who tried to stop us; Isis Derrida…The Lone Star Outlaws…Willow Wilkes…they tried to stop the inevitable.  They tried to stop fate.  But that’s the thing about fate.  You can’t stop it.  You can’t change it.  Despite all of their efforts, by the time Darkness Within came to a close Apocalypse had restored order to the Future Wrestling Alliance.

An Xtreme Division had been run by a coward who never stood up to anyone, who never fought back.  He just ran away.  Jessica Lasiewicz restored order to that division by becoming the FWA Xtreme Champion.  Then it was Redemption to took out The Lone Star Outlaws, the jokes of the tag team division who had been brought in just simply to be Isis Derrida’s lapdogs.

All that was left was restoring honor and dignity to the world heavyweight championship by taking it away from Isis Derrida.  That task fell to me and this time there would be no mistakes.  This time I knew what he was willing to do in order to retain the championship and I came prepared.  Apocalypse had my back and with them having my back to make certain I had a level playing field, well the outcome was academic.  What do you think happens when a cowardly champion faces The Best in the World?

Things have changed in FWA ever since Apocalypse arrived but if you think that change has ended now that Isis Derrida’s reign as champion is over then think again.  The change has only just begun because I know there are others like Derrida out there.  There are others who wish to follow in his feeble footsteps and those others will have to be executed in the same way.

Priest is nothing like Isis but the fact that he is facing me on Mayhem make him a threat, a threat that I as the world champion have to take seriously.  He is the Intercontinental Champion and that alone speaks of how well he has done for himself since arriving in FWA.  If you took our losses since arriving in FWA and combined them you could count them all on one hand.

You will try to topple me, Priest.  You will try to prove yourself worthy but you will fail.  As good as you are right now, the fact that is that I am still The Best in the World and no one can topple me.

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Cold War

Act 1

Off Camera

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The Cold War evokes images of the strenuous relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the twentieth century following world war two.  But that was just one example of a cold war.  A cold war has existed between Greece and Turkey ever since the downfall of the ottoman empire.  There has also been an ongoing cold war between North Korea and South Korea ever since the Korean War.

A cold war is a conflict between parties that does not involve actual physical fighting or the lobbing of missiles or firing of guns or any other form of actual offense.  It is a war pursued primarily through political actions, propaganda, or proxy wars waged by surrogates.

Cold Wars can be bitterly frustrating in the sense that you know who your enemy is, you know you want to bust them in the mouth, and yet you cannot due to the political environment, due to the situation, you find yourself in.  As a professional wrestler I can definitely understand that frustration.  I have been through wars, physical bloody wars with Brittany Lohan and Dante, and I came out victorious; battered, bloody, and bruised but victorious.  I can also recall some cold wars I have been through, namely the recent one involving me and my cousins Angelica and Kayla.

Thankfully that war has concluded and we have reconciled.  Unfortunately a new cold war has arisen, one that I had fought before and thought was over but has come back up as a problem for me.  I am referring to my other cousin, Julia Braddock.

Julia is a girl who fell onto some hard times.  She let the pressure of living up to the Braddock wrestling name get to her and she resorted to using drugs as an escape, a means of forgetting her problems.

Oh the drugs helped her forget her problems alright but the thing with drugs is there has to be a supplier and that supplier expects to be paid.  Julia racked up quite a hefty debt to that supplier, one she could not pay off without assistance.

She was too ashamed to come to me, my father, or her father, so she instead she went to someone she knew was loaded down with cash, someone who she hoped would keep her secret.  A woman by the name of Aphrodite Noel.

Noel paid of the debt Julia owed and she even paid to send her to rehabilitation.  But that wasn’t all.  Noel held the secret over Julia’s head, knowing she would not want our family to find out.  She forced Julia not just to admit that she was the best women's wrestler but also to serve her as well.

Julia would try to resist, making things difficult for Noel. Eventually Julia grew to accept her new role as a mere servant but Noel, wanting to make sure there would be no more resistance, had Julia sign a legal document making her, for all intents and purposes, a legal slave to Aphrodite Noel.

Aphrodite did eventually change her ways and allowed Julia to leave. They even became friends.  Together they won the GCW World Tag Team Championships.  I was proud of Julia and Noel, for that matter.  I was proud that they both seemed to change so much since that time when they operated as Queen and Servant.

Suddenly, at GCW’s latest pay per view, I noticed Julia had resumed her former status.  She got down to her knees before Noel and bowed, she kissed her ring, she called her a queen.  And Julia refused to talk to me.  She refused to answer my calls.  She refused to meet me to talk about this.  She had cut me off completely from her life.  It was as if the nightmare was beginning all over again.

A cold war is exactly what I do not need right now, not when I have real wars to focus on, wars with monsters like Priest.

Priest is a real threat.  He has never defeated me but each time he and I have fought he has come close to getting the job done.  He is also riding a wave of momentum after becoming FWA Intercontinental Champion.  Defeating him should be my primary focus right now and yet I cannot seem to get my mind off of Julia.

After ringing the doorbell I wait patiently at the front door of the residence where Julia’s father, my Uncle Peter Braddock, lives.  It’s a casual outing so I am dressed in jeans, simple flip flops, and a black top.  My long auburn hair hangs down to shoulder length.

I am not kept waiting long as I hear the lock on the door unlatch.  A grin is slowly formed upon my face as the door creaks open.  I watch as I see Peter Braddock emerge, grinning from ear to ear upon seeing me.

“Gloria?”

“Uncle Pete!” I step in and embrace him with a big hug. “How the hell are you, mate?”

“I am doing as well as can be expected, Gloria.”

I nod my head, understanding clearly what he is talking about.  I would be upset too if my daughter seemingly cut off the family, disowned the family, to once again be a servant to Aphrodite Noel.  None of it made sense.  There were legal ways to fight Noel, fight her in court.  She did not have to lower herself the way she did and she definitely did not have to cut us all off.

“I can only imagine, Uncle Pete.  May I come in?”

He nods his head and steps aside, allowing me entrance to the home. “Sure.”

After stepping into the home I hear Pete shut the door behind us.  He then leads me into the living room where he motions for me to sit down on the plush black leather sofa.  He sits down next to me, smiling warmly.

“So, what’s on your mind?”

“A few things, actually.  Have you heard that I am engaged?”

I flash my engagement ring and Peter looks at it in amazement.  I haven’t spread the word that far and wide yet.  I have kept it primarily to myself.  But Kurt Logan just asked me to marry him and I did say yes.  I will be a wife.

This will be the second time I have been married.  The first marriage was to Randall Williams and that ended in divorce when Randall demanded that I choose between him or wrestling.  Wrestling is a part of who I am.  It always will be part of who I am and there is nothing anyone can do about that.  Randal could not accept it and so we had to break up.

Kurt Logan has been there for  me as a close friend and as a boyfriend for a long time, through thick and thin he has supported me.  Kurt supports me in everything I do, just as a real man ought to do.  I love him and look forward to marrying him and, more importantly, I want to make sure all of those I care about are there to witness my wonderful moment of wedded bliss.

My Uncle Peter Braddock looks back up at me with those same eyes, eyes that appear almost sad but yet there is a smile upon his loving face.

“I am so happy for you, Gloria.”

“Thanks Uncle Pete.”

“Have you thought about your brides maids, maids of honor, or the like?”

“Yes, actually.  That is partially why I am here.  Is Julia around?”

Uncle Pete sighs and shakes his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”

“I could’ve guessed…”

“Now don’t be so hard on her, Gloria.” He says fatherly tone. “She has had it rough.”

“Rough?  Uncle Pete, I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention but she is one half of the GCW World Tag Team Champions.  She defeated her drug addiction.  Her situation is far from rough.”

“All that may be true but that woman still holds a price over her head.”

I roll my eyes.  “I know she’s your daughter, Pete, but you’re making excuses for her.”

“No I’m not.  She signed that document that gave Aphrodite Noel full control of her assets if she did not serve her.  She has no choice, otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?  She’ll lose everything?” I shrug my shoulders. “Everyone has a choice, Pete.  She could choose to tell Noel to shove it.  Instead she chooses to just give up and give in to her.  Instead she chooses to disown her family.”

My uncle shakes his head. “It isn’t that simple.”

“Isn’t it?  That’s your daughter and she hasn’t spoken to you since she got back with Noel, has she?”

The silence coming from my Uncle Peter speaks volumes.  A frown forms on my face. “Just as I thought.”

“Can I tell you something, Gloria?”

“If it’s an attempt to defend Julia then don’t bother.”  I shake my head. “Nothing will justify in my mind what she is doing to us.”

He chuckles quietly. “Ah yes, your father’s pride…”

“Huh?”

“You sound like your father.  But then again, your father isn’t the only one prideful like that.  You are…I am…so is Julia.  The Braddock family is a bit of a prideful bunch.  Not prideful to a flaw but prideful in the sense that we want to earn our success.”

He runs his hand through my long auburn hair. “I remember End of Worlds when Isis Derrida attacked my brother and I remember his reaction to it.”

“Yeah, me too.” I chuckle lightly. “He wanted to get up out of that hospital bed and fight Isis himself.”

“Yes and he would have had you given him the chance but you wanted to take care of Isis yourself.  Which also would have been a mistake.  Look at who he brought with him to protect himself…The Lone Star Outlaws and Willow Wilkes…”

I nod my head. “True…”

“Your friend, Jackson Adams, had to convince you to bring back Apocalypse.  That was his idea, not yours.”

“Ok, and…”

“…AND tell me this, would Darkness Within have ended the same way had Apocalypse not been there to ensure that you had a level playing field?”

“Well…” my voice trails off as I ponder the question “…Marie and Jessica did take care of The Lone Star Outlaws and Jackson Adams did take care of Willow Wilkes…”

“Right, and without them all three of those individuals would have been ringside to ensure Derrida’s victory.”

He grabs my hands and squeezes tightly. “My point is that you both have that Braddock pride running through your veins.  You both want to earn it by yourselves and yet you fail realize that sometimes you need to ask for help.  Julia’s only fault is that she decided to work for Noel in order to protect me.  She thinks asking you or her Uncle Glenn for help would be a sign of weakness.”

“But that’s silliness!” I exclaim. “We are her family, we help each other!”

“Yes but wouldn’t you rather earn something on your own even though you know having help might make it just a little easier on you?  You’re facing Priest on Mayhem.  You love to tell him about how he’s never beaten you.  Wouldn’t it make him proud to defeat you, fair and square, without any assistance at all?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I guess so but that’s not gonna happen.  I’m not going to let Priest defeat me, Uncle Pete.”

“Be that as it may, it could very well happen.  That is Priest’s goal and he is going to do whatever he can to achieve it.  We all have that same kind of pride running through our systems.  It’s a flaw every human has.  Only at the end of your life do you begin to lose that pride.”

“Yes, well, I’m not at the end of my life, Priest isn’t at the end of his life, and Julia isn’t at the end of her life, so there’s no excuses.”

“No, but I am at the end of mine.”

I blink a few times out of curiosity.  “Huh?”

“Gloria…I have cancer…the doctors have only given me a few months to live.”

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Can’t Keep Me Down

On Camera

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There is no character more iconic and is a better metaphor for an underdog or an everyman rising to a challenge than Rocky Balboa.  It’s first movie poster, a black and white one with the simple word “Rocky” written on the front with Sylvester Stallone’s silhouette on the front, is on our front screen.  Just then yours truly steps into view, in front of this poster.  I am wearing a polished, sleek white silky sleeveless ruffled blouse underneath a black two-button blazer that tells the story that this world champion means business.  A matching black pleated pencil skirt that extends to my knees and black high heel pumps complete the attire and gives off the impression of my femininity.  Sunglasses cover my eyes which shows just how cool and collected I am about this upcoming challenge that awaits me.  The FWA World Heavyweight Championship belt is draped over my right shoulder, which I display with great pride.

“Rocky Balboa is the story of everyone’s favorite underdog.  If you were the common man, the everyday guy or girl who everyone said couldn’t win the big one, then Rocky was your guy.  Rocky was your inspiration and leader.  Many athletes, not just in the boxing world but in every industry, have looked to Rocky for inspiration and motivation to continue to fight through any and every obstacle that is placed before them.”

A low chuckle escapes my lips.  “It’s funny, I never used to like the Rocky films; not until Brittany Lohan started comparing me to Rocky.  She would frustratingly call me ‘The Female Rocky Balboa’ and out of curiosity I just decided to watch them again and I realized, in a few ways, she was right.”

“For starters, Rocky Balboa was just too damn tough to keep down.  Whether it was Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, or Ivan Drago beating on him and knocking him down, Rocky would just keep getting right back up and keep coming back for more and more until he got the job done until he achieved his goal.”

“Brittany Lohan beat on me and beat on me and beat on me and yet she never could defeat me.  She never could keep me down.  She got so frustrated she decided to just give up and be my tag team partner instead of opponent.”

I wink at the camera. “Nice move, Britt.”

“Dante beat on me in a street fight at Deadly Conflicts in a match where everyone expected him to just walk all over me and become the new champion of the world but I kept taking his abuse.  I took everything he had and kept coming back.   Dante, as powerful as he is, could not keep me down.  I defeated him for my first MCW World Championship.”

I point at the camera. “Then there’s you, Priest.  You have beaten on me in Hell on Earth Matches.  You made me bleed in glass chamber and weapons lair matches.  We fought, we bled, we paid the price.  I suffered a lot from you in those matches.”

“And you suffered a lot too.  You learned, just as everyone else quickly learned, that I can dish out just as much as I can take.  And you also learned that no matter what you do to me, no matter how much pain you inflict upon me, that you cannot keep me down.”

“And that’s what really eats you up inside.  You said it yourself that the fact that you never beat me bothers you but the truth of the matter is that even if you did manage to defeat me at Mayhem you know that I’ll come right back later on and avenge that loss with yet another victory over you.  That’s what I do.  That’s what The Female Rocky Balboa does, right?  If at first you don’t succeed against Apollo Creed, try again and defeat him in the sequel.  If you lose to Clubber Lang in the third movie, beat him later on in the second to win your title back.”

“So no, losing to you won’t bother me.  It won’t bother me in the slightest.  I tapped out once,” I hold up one finger “in my entire career, to a legend by the name of Andreas Lasiewicz, Jessica’s father.  I didn’t let it get to me.  I fought through it, I regained my title.  I moved on.”

“But you losing to me, for the umpteenth time, will drive you closer and closer to the edge of insanity.  There is no amount of pain, no amount of punishment, that I cannot endure, that I cannot sustain, that I cannot fight back from.  You will just have to accept that, at the end of the day, even if you win a battle, you will never ever win the war against Glory Braddock.”

I hold up a second finger. “The second reason Rocky and I are a lot alike is due to our heart and our will to win.  Rocky’s desire to keep fighting, his motivation, that fire was unmatched by anyone else.  He had that x-factor that few athletes had or ever will have, an x-factor that determines if you actually give a damn about this industry and want to win or if you’re just collecting a paycheck.”

“There are people in this industry, even in FWA, who are just here to collect paychecks.” I shake my head. “That’s not us, Priest.  We’ve battled one another too often, we’ve peered into each other’s souls and I know you are not just here to collect a paycheck and you know I am not here just to collect a paycheck.  We do this job because we love this business.  Hell, out of everyone on this roster, I would dare say you might be the one person who loves this business as much as I do.”

“My love for this business is what fuels me to continue, it is what drives me to keep going, to keep fighting.  My love for this sport is why I never say die and that is why I never stay down, no matter how much punishment is inflicted upon me.  I do not stay down because I cannot stay down, I cannot stay down otherwise I would be letting this business down and I cannot let the business down, Priest.  I love it too damn much to just quit on it.”

“That is the goal of Apocalypse, to ensure that this business is respected and that those who would disrespect it or try to make a joke out of it pay dearly.  Having that in mind, you would make an excellent member of Apocalypse, Priest.  You might even consider this an invitation.  A try out of sorts.  And for someone like you, the FWA Intercontinental Champion and a legend, for your try out you should get no better than The Best in the World.”

I hold up the FWA world heavyweight championship title belt. “This right here is why I am The Best in the World and until I lose it no one has any right to dispute my claim.  Until someone can defeat me for this in the center of the ring, clean, no one can dispute my claim.  I am The Best in the World and the fact that I have beaten you, a legend like you, each and every time we have stepped into the ring against one another just further evidence of that.”

“You might be thinking that, hey, you are the Rocky Balboa of this story and I am the Apollo Creed or the Clubber Lang or the Ivan Drago.” I shake my head. “I’m sorry, mate, but I am the writer and director of this movie and I decide how this will end.  This movie ends with you flat on your back and my hand raised in victory.”

“Cut, print, that’s a wrap.”