The Dirt

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February 16th, 2020

Dallas, Texas

Off Camera

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In business when one speaks of “opportunity” one general is referring to a big sale or a lease that leads to a brand new business venture.  In socioeconomic theory, equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which job applicants are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers or prejudices or preferences.  Political opportunity argues that success or failure of social movements is primarily affected by political opportunities.  In the world of professional wrestling, the idea of “opportunity” is similar to these theories.  Every once in a while there comes a time when everyone is given the same opportunity, the same chance, as everyone else.  Every competitor is on the same level playing field.  And your success in future opportunities depends on what you do with the opportunity given to you.

Growing up in the wrestling industry has allowed Glory Braddock to truly observe this notion of “opportunity” in action.  It was just last year at the 2019 Trios Tournament that Glory Braddock made the most of her opportunity and earned a Trios Contract, allowing her the power to book any match she wanted and she used it to put herself in the main event of that year’s Rise To Greatness to compete for the SCW World Championship.  Unfortunately she failed to complete the task, she failed to win the championship from Syren.

In all aspects of life, whether it is business, wrestling, or personal, opportunities such as this one rarely come by.  Life isn’t fair, life is tough.  To be blunt, life is a bitch.  It isn’t often that you are given a second chance after failing.  Yet now Glory Braddock feels an emotion that she hasn’t felt in a long time…

...humility.

The British Bombshell may not show it publicly (she does have an image to maintain) but she feels truly humbled because on this night, the 2020 Trios Tournament, she has earned a second chance.  She has earned a second straight Trios Tournament win and now for a second straight year has a Trios contract.  The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” again has the power to book any match she wants.

Braddock finds herself in her dressing room in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.  The blonde haired beauty can hear the sounds of people talking and walking around the backstage area just outside of her dressing room.  They are all irrelevant to her right now.  As far as she is concerned the only two things in existence are her and this lovely contract she possesses.

Glory can still hardly believe what she sees as she stares at the Trios contract she holds in her hands.  The British Bombshell is still dressed in her ring attire of purple spandex tights and matching purple boots.  Her long blonde hair flows freely and unrestrained to shoulder length.  A satisfied grin is upon her face.  She will crow about this later; she will proudly use this second straight Trios victory as further evidence that she is truly The Best in the World, but for now she will remain silent.  For now she will just stare in humble admiration at what she just won, because while she won’t say so publicly, she still has to admit that it was not easy.

The British Bombshell is still entranced, staring at the Trios contract that she now owns.  She is so entranced that she doesn’t even notice the knocking at the door.  It goes completely unnoticed.  Moments later brings more knocking but still Glory doesn’t hear.  A few moments later…

“Mom!”

“Huh?” The sound of her daughter Melinda immediately snaps Glory Braddock back to reality.  “Oh, uh, come in…”

No further invitation was needed.  The door swings open wildly and Melinda Braddock comes storming in with a happy ear to ear grin on her face.  The blonde offspring of The British Bombshell is wearing a pink knee length skirt, matching boots, and a long sleeve white sweater.  She rushes up to her mother who rises from her seat to greet her daughter with a tight hug.  The British Bombshell loves her daughter but even she cannot believe that she is receiving this kind of reaction from Melinda.  The two have been at odds lately over Glory’s change of attitude.  Melinda still wants her mother to do things the right way, to “play nice” so to speak, but Glory refuses to play nice any longer.  As far as Glory Braddock is concerned, the ends justify the means.  This will be an argument the two will continue to have for a long time to come.  For now, though, it appears as if they are celebrating.

“You did it, mom!  You did it!” Melinda exclaims excitedly.  “You won Trios for a second straight year!”

Melinda’s mother nods her head.  It took a great deal of effort and the competition was fierce.  The Jackass & Big Ass Connection together with Katie Steward were worthy first round opponents and put up a much bigger fight than what Glory anticipated.  Things only got more difficult from there as Glory had to face a team that consisted of her Trios partner from last year Regan Street, along with Selena Frost and Christy Matthews, all former multi-time champions.  Finally in the finals she faced the biggest task of them all; Jordan Majors, Bree Lancater, and Datura.  But The British Bombshell succeeded.  She won a second straight Trios.

Oh and Ace Marshall and David Helms may have helped some too!

“It is hard to believe but yes, I did it.” Glory says as she stares absently back down at the Trios contract. “I won…”

“Well, you did it with Ace and Helms.” Melinda points out with a smirk. “Team effort, mom.  There is no ‘I’ in team.”

And here it begins; another argument and Glory can sense it.  She sighs, rolling her eyes as she sits back down on the bench.  Melinda frowns as she watches her mother rubbing her forehead as if she has a headache.

“What’s wrong, mom?”

“This.” Glory remarks. “We’re going to have another argument, aren’t we?”

“We don’t have to.” Melinda answers innocently. “We can just, y’know, talk?  Like we used to do.”

The British Bombshell pauses to consider her daughter’s words and they are wise indeed.  The two of them used to communicate quite well but for over a year now their communication skills have not been very well.  The mother forces a polite smile on her face as she nods her head.

“You’re right, Mel.  We should try and talk.” She pats the bench. “Sit down next to me.”

Melinda nods her head and sits down next to her mother. “Let’s be perfectly honest with each other, Mel.  You don’t agree with what I’m doing.  You do not like what I’m doing.  So tell me, why not?  What is wrong with my approach?”

“Seriously?” Melinda asks, sounding somewhat astonished by this question.  Glory, however, is serious and lets her know with a nod of her head.

“Yes.  Seriously.”

“You’ve thrown any sense of right and wrong, any sense of morality and nobility, out of the window, and all for what?  To become World Champion?” Melinda shakes her head. “No.  That’s not right.”

“You’re right about part of that but part of that you are dead wrong.  You’re right, I have thrown the rules out the window.  It is proper strategy and tactics in the art of war to leave any and every option on the table.  I am only handicapping myself if I refuse to use certain tools and resources that I have at my disposal.  But you are wrong to say that I am doing this just to win another world championship.”

“But Rise To Greatness…” Melinda begins, but she is quickly cut off by her mother.

“Yes, I cashed in last year’s Trios to challenge for the SCW World Championship at Rise To Greatness and I lost.  I was devastated.  And I would give anything to turn back the clock and redo that match, knowing now what I did wrong.  But I also see now that I am being very short-sighted and selfish if my only goal is to win a fifteenth world championship.  My goal is to do what needs to be done in order to correct the corrupt culture of professional wrestling.”

“Who determines what is corrupt?” Melinda counters.  “You?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what is corrupt, Mel.  Just look at one of my tag team partners from tonight…”

“Ace Marshall?” Melinda guesses.  Glory nods her head.

“Yes.  People as perverse and disgusting as him are what is wrong with this business.  He pushes the envelop way too far.  After what he did as part of this ridiculous ‘team building exercise’ in the lead up to Trios, I have half a mind to have him arrested.” Braddock shakes her head. “But I won’t.  I will just put him and tonight in the review mirror.  I am looking into the future.  But what I can tell you is that people like him are what’s wrong with this business.”

“And Sienna Swann is what is right for this business?”

The British Bombshell is immediately silenced.  The Best in the World knows that many disapprove of her newfound alliance with Sienna Swann and the biggest critic of them all is her daughter, Melinda Braddock.  It is another sore subject that Glory anticipated coming up.  Glory shakes her head.

“I never said she was what was right for this business.”

“So why do you condone what she does?  How can you condone how she used that Trios contract tonight to stack the deck against James Evans?!” Melinda exclaims.

“Those are the rules of Trios, Mel.  Like it or not, like her or not, that is the kind of power Trios allows you to have.  Kellen Jeffries stacked the deck against Sienna at the end of last year and no one complained.  You know why no one complained?  Because Sienna is unpopular with the fans.  People are complaining about this because James is popular.  I call the fans fickle.”

“You have a point, but you still can’t deny that this match she booked is hardly a fair fight.  It’s hardly pure wrestling as you espouse.” Melinda points out, narrowing her gaze in an intense glare at her mother.  Glory cannot help but smile a little.  She is proud of her daughter for standing up for her beliefs.

“You’re right, it isn’t pure wrestling.  And I never said I condoned it, either.  Sienna is just a friend, but not one that I trust.  I doubt she trusts me.  But we are allies, we share a common goal.  And that, Mel, is also part of strategy.  It is also part of the art of warfare.  Sometimes you need to form alliances with people you dislike or downright hate in order to achieve a greater goal.  You know this, for surely Sophie taught you that at the school.”

Melinda nods her head.  She recalls quite well the lessons of tactics and strategy her former coach and family friend Sophie O’Brian taught her.  Still, she doesn’t have to like it.  Melinda nods her head. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Now do you understand why I am doing this?  It is all for the greater good.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Melinda says, shrugging her shoulders “I don’t think you’re right but maybe you are.  I’d like to think you can achieve all of these lofty goals of yours by doing things the right way.  That’s the way grandad would have wanted.”

“You didn’t know him as well as I do.” Glory says quietly.  Glory leans over and embraces her daughter in a tight hug. “Look, we can talk about this more later.  Will you go tell Kurt to bring the car around?”

“Sure.” Melinda nods her head.  After breaking the hug Melinda sighs deeply. “Mom, I don’t mean to sound like I’m disrespecting you.  I’m just worried about you.  I hope you understand.”

“I understand, love.  And Mel, I am proud of you for standing up to me.  It shows you are willing to fight for what you believe in and that’s a trait that I am glad you inherited from me.”

“Thanks, mom.” With that, Melinda turns and bolts out of the dressing room.  Once Melinda is out of the room, Glory decides it is time to get changed back into her normal street clothes before leaving for the hotel.  The British Bombshell stands up but just as she does she hears the sound of her cell phone ringing.  Braddock quickly turns towards her gym bag, approaches it, and opens it up to dig through.  A few moments later she pulls out her cell phone, and puts it to her ear.

“Hello, Mr. Odom.”

…

“You didn’t see it?  Well shame on you.  Spoilers, I won another Trios contract.”

…

“Oh, you have news for me?  Well tell me.”

…

“Seth wants to meet?  Excellent.  Set up a time and place where I can meet him.  I want to know what he found out.”

Braddock puts the phone away and a smirk forms upon her face.  She has had Seth Rogers investigate the backgrounds of both Matthew Alan and Meagan Collins, two powerful and influential people in the wrestling business who could pose a serious threat to her corporate power.  But if Seth got the goods on one (hopefully both) of them then she will have everything she needs to maintain power.

“Checkmate.”

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February 22nd, 2020

Raleigh, NC

Off Camera

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The British Bombshell finds herself in her corporate offices at Raleigh, North Carolina.  Honestly, Glory Braddock would rather not be here right now.  She would prefer to take care of business at her Miami residence, or even her birthplace of London, England where she still maintains a presence.  Quite frankly, Braddock does not particularly care for the state of North Carolina but her company originated here.  It was founded here.  Eventually she could very well get the headquarters moved to either Miami or London but that is impossible right now.  Glory already is unpopular with the Board of Directors and any attempt to move the headquarters of her company would make her even more unpopular.  Thus she needs to maintain a presence here in North Carolina whether she wants to or not.

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 Raleigh 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.  The look of disdain on her lovely face illustrates just how much she hates having to take time to be here right now.  Unfortunately she has a very important meeting with a less than savory individual known as Seth Rogers.

Seth Rogers is a private investigator who seems to specialize in scummy, sleazier investigations.  He is willing to do things others will not and chase down people others will not.  He is the guy who will take cases most private investigators would not dare touch.  It is for this reason that Glory Braddock chose him.  She wants him to investigate Matthew Alan and Meagan Collins, two individuals whom she knows are very dangerous and very powerful people in the corporate world.  They are the only two people who could threaten her grip over the corporate empire she has built, an empire that consists of her own wrestling promotion and her own wrestling school.  Glory knows that Matthew and Meagan have had some corrupt, even criminal, dealings in the past.  She could use such knowledge to keep them from becoming a threat in the future.  But she does not have the evidence to prove it.  Hopefully Seth will have that evidence with him.  The trick is, he won’t give away his information to Glory anywhere.  He wants to give her this information here at her Raleigh offices.

To say that The British Bombshell is frustrated would be an understatement.  Not only does she detest her Raleigh offices but she would rather not have this meeting be in an official environment.  She doesn’t want this meeting between her and Seth to officially happen on the record anywhere.  She knows she is getting into some potentially crooked business dealings and yet, as crooked as it may be to have a private investigator dig up dirt that she intends to use for blackmail purposes, Glory justifies it in her own mind by reminding herself of the horrible things Matthew and Meagan have both done.

Removing them from power and removing any influence they once had would be for the best.

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?”

“A Mr. Seth Rogers is here to see you, Ms. Braddock.” There is a pause on the other end. “Uh...he wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, Ms. Braddock, and I told him you were busy but he insisted you were expecting him.”

A smile crosses her face for the first time since she arrived in her Raleigh offices. Finally, he is here and she can get this over with.  Hopefully he will deliver the goods she has been expecting.

“Send him in.”

Braddock presses a button on the phone, hanging up on her secretary and turning off the speaker.  Glory stares at the door and waits.  A few moments later the door opens and Seth Rogers walks in.  Seth would have been white if it weren't for all the freckles. There were so many his face was brown with small pale spaces here and there, like the tips of grass struggling to show through the golden-brown leaves of fall. His hair was a perfect mop of red, it would have been lion-like had he not been so skinny. His old maroon t-shirt was a small, but on him it was big, way too big; clinging where it shouldn't and hanging loose where it shouldn't.  Seth is carrying a briefcase with him.  He shuts the door behind him and casually crosses the floor towards Glory’s desk.

“So this is your office?” Seth has a smug look of arrogance etched across his face. “This is more like it.  Much better than hanging out in some damn forrest.”

The last time they met, which was indeed the first time, was in a forrest.  Glory wanted to avoid being in public with this man.  She wanted no witnesses just in case any of this came to light. This is why she did not want this meeting to happen in her office in Raleigh. Glory Braddock glares angrily at Seth, pointing at the chairs at her desk.

“Just sit down, Rogers.” Braddock says with an enraged tone in her voice.  Seth just sneers.

“You sound upset, Ms. Braddock?  I don’t know why.  Being in a place like this you should be happy all the damn time.”

“I think you know why I am not happy.” Glory says, narrowing her gaze at Seth. “I did not want to have this meeting here.”

“No, you wanted to have this meeting in some dark, piece of shit dump.  And normally I don’t mind, it’s all part of the job because I’m willing to do the shit other investigators won’t do. But you left out some important information that I wish I had known, Braddock.  And for that, I wanted to have this meeting somewhere a little nicer.  Also a bonus would be nice.”

“We’ll discuss your pay later.” Braddock again points to the seats. “Sit down.”

Seth shrugs his shoulders and then sits down.  He crosses his legs and folds his arms over his chest as he stares impatiently at Glory Braddock.  “So tell me, Seth, what did you find out about Matthew Alan?”

“You wanna start with him, eh?” The crooked slimy redhead chuckles. “Fair enough.  Found out a lot about him.  A lot of it you probably already know, like how he is the founder of this little company you now run.  You were right, he is in deep shit trouble with the feds over some white collar crap.  Not only did it to lead to his ouster from this company but it has finally led to him being put away by the feds.  Though the feds are just going after him for the white collar crimes because they can’t prove the other shit.”

“Other?” Glory is genuinely interested now.  Seth nods his head.

“Everyone I talked to says he has a link to organized crime.  Unfortunately there is no physical evidence of that because he was too damn good at covering his tracks and those people I spoke to are unwilling to come forward and testify.  The feds already tried.  So they’re gonna get them on the white collar crimes that they can prove and just throw the book at him.”

“Al Capone.”

“Exactly.” Both Seth and Glory understand the Al Capone reference.  The government got Capone on tax invasion as opposed to the other crimes such as murder.

“What about his sister Aurora or his daughter Geneva?”

“Geneva never committed a crime.  Aurora is also clean as a whistle too.  Their family may have a bad reputation but they did nothing wrong.”

The British Bombshell bangs her fist on the desk out of frustration.  Aurora Alan and the rest of the Alan family are the biggest threat.  As the founding family of this company they could potentially engage in a hostile takeover and convince the Board of Directors to hand power to them.  While Glory’s position of power is fairly safe right now, she still has enemies on the Board.  It would not take much for the Alan family to try and wriggle their way back into power if they wanted.  Glory wanted to stop them before they even became a threat and that is looking unlikely at this point.

“What about Meagan Collins?”

“Ah now that’s why ya owe me a bonus.” Seth says with a smirk.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, ya didn’t tell me the bitch was fucking deadly.  Ya see, Matthew Alan’s connections to organized crime was all indirect, so that his fingerprints weren’t even on any evidence.  Meagan?  Fuck, she actually committed some of the damn crimes herself.  And some of the things she did was downright horrific even by my standards and trust me, babe, I have FEW standards.”

Glory snickers knowingly.  A few these “horrific crimes” Glory knows about.  She just needs evidence so that she can properly blackmail her.  “So what all has she done?”

“I have a feeling you already know.” Seth sneers. “But just to play along, I can tell ya that she has committed murders.  She even hired a known sexual predator to kidnap and rape some chick you should know...Marie Jones?”

Braddock nods her head.  Marie is the daughter of Glory’s first cousin, Angelica Jones.  “So do you have evidence to prove any of this stuff you have on Meagan?”

Seth nods his head. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” He sets the briefcase on Glory’s desk. “It’s all in there.”

“This is perfect, Seth!  Absolutely perfect!”

“So how much do I get paid?” Seth says in a much more demanding tone. “Ya did say we were discuss my payment.”

“Yes, and you will be paid quite well.  I want to go through all of this evidence you have first and as soon as I have gone through it, I will call my attorney Mr. Odom and I will authorize him pay you…”

“How much?” Seth snarls.  Glory smirks.

“You can name your own price.”

Seth grins once again.  He stands up and extends his hand to Glory. “That sounds great.  Nice doing business with ya, Braddock.”

Glory stands up and accepts the handshake. “Same, Mr. Rogers; have a nice day.”

With that Seth turns and makes his exit.  As soon as he is gone Glory sits back down and opens up the briefcase.  Inside are documents and photographs.  Glory may not have the goods on Matthew Alan and his family but she is convinced Meagan Collins may have the goods on his family.  Meagan worked very closely with his family near the end of her most recent wrestling run as a manager, managing Geneva Alan’s career.  Plus Meagan Collins has a ton of financial assets herself, being married to a wealthy businessman.  Can Glory Braddock make good use from a blackmail of Meagan Collins?

Yes, yes she can.

==========

On Camera

==========

Low classic music playing in the background as we open in a cream colored room with plush slightly darker carpeting.  Against one of the walls is a clear case.  This case is quite large, going up to the very top of the high ceiling of this room.  There are multiple layers of this case and this case contains many trophies, awards, and a few championship belts.  A few moments later The British Bombshell emerges into the scene from stage left.  The blonde haired beauty approaches the trophy case and stands next to it.  She turns to face the camera and smirks confidently, almost arrogantly, as the music slowly begins to fade away.

“This lovely piece of furniture should serve as a subtle reminder of who I am and what I am capable of.  Contained within this trophy case are just a few of my many accomplishments in my professional career, a career that began when I was competing in the amateurs just like my father.” Braddock points to a title belt near the top. “And right up there is the first championship I ever won.  I won it on my first night as a professional, because in my debut I was added to a tournament just because they needed space filler, little did they know this ‘space filler’ would win the whole damn thing.”

The blonde walks to the other side of the trophy case, motioning to various trophies and title belts along the way. “All fourteen of my world championship victories can be found here.  A copy of last year’s Trios contract is here, recognizing my victory alongside Regan and Kellen.  And soon I will add a copy of this year’s Trios contract, and this isn’t to feed my ego or to rub it in your faces, but to serve as a reminder to myself, to my daughter, to her children when and if she decides to have them, and all future generations of Braddock wrestlers what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.  My hard work and my dedication has now earned me a second straight Trios Tournament victory.  Hard work...and dedication…” the blonde’s voice trails off.  She sighs and shakes her head.

“...that’s a concept that is lost upon athletes today.  In the past it took hard work and dedication to earn these kinds of accolades and accomplishments.  In the past it took hard work and dedication to achieve the spotlight that so many crave but very few are able to achieve and why are they unable to achieve it?  Because they do not have the heart or the soul, the guts or the determination, to fight for that spotlight.  Now everyone has to have a gimmick.  Maybe you wave your ass or bare ass breasts in front of everyone’s face to get attention.  Or maybe you come up with a cute little catchphrase to market yourself, like KABLAM, and you get attention that way.  Point is, the so-called “competitors” of this generation are unwilling to actually wrestle and win matches in order to earn the spotlight, the accolades, and the glory.  Instead they come up with cheap gimmicks to take that spotlight from more deserving wrestlers like myself.  Very few times do you see in today’s wrestling society someone who actually deserves an opportunity at the world championship GET an opportunity at the world championship.”

“Case in point, do you think all of this bloody fools who entered the End of the Year Battle Royal deserved a shot at the SCW World Championship?  No, they didn’t.  But thanks to Kellen Jeffries and his ignorant use of the Trios contract, they all got a title shot they did not deserve.  But you can trust me when I say that I will use my Trios contract the right way.  I will use my Trios contract to do what is best for professional wrestling.  Something is clearly wrong with the culture of wrestling when the top prize in our sport is put on the line in the clusterfuck of all clusterfucks.”

Braddock points a long slender finger at the camera. “But you, Aaron Blackbourne, you’re a different animal altogether.  Unique?  Creative?  Most definitely.  But did you deserve the opportunity at the SCW World Championship?  You deserved it a hell of a lot more than most of the fools in that battle royal.  And you had your opportunity, an opportunity even I would say you deserved, and all you had to do was reach out and grab it, grab that brass ring…” Glory shakes her head slowly

“...but it wasn’t to be, was it?  Then again, it would have been a short lived title reign anyway.  Would you really have wanted to fight Sienna Swann and Chris Cannon in Thunderdome?  Hell, even I wouldn’t want that and I’m the Best in the World.  Instead, of facing those impossible odds you are facing me.  And I know what you’re thinking Blackbourne, another loud mouthed brasser who calls herself The Best Wrestler in the World.” Glory Braddock chuckles lightly.

“Oh but my good friend Aaron, comparing me to that half-witted whore would be severely offensive to me and you don’t want to offend me, you don’t want to piss me off otherwise things could get even worse for you, flower, so take a hint and think before you speak.  Just listen to what I have to say.  Yes, you did beat Syren one on one, and for that reason alone you deserved a one on one opportunity at the championship.  But you need to understand what makes me and that bitch different.  Syren is a fraud.  She isn’t the best because she needs an army of backup to accomplish her goals.  But me?  I do not need an army.  I have never needed anything except my God given talents and abilities.  If you don’t want to believe me, then believe Datura.  She said it herself...” The British Bombshell motions again to the trophy case.

“...if I can achieve all of this while playing nice, while playing by the rules, imagine what I can do when I decide to stop playing by the rules?  Imagine what I can do when I decide to be just as cutthroat and ruthless as some of the other tyrants out there?  People like you, Owen, Alistaire, I wish the entirety of wrestling was made up of people like you.  I really do wish it were true but the unfortunate reality is that this sport is built upon perverse, cutthroat, maniacs and tyrants willing to do anything and everything to get ahead.  Sometimes, Aaron, sometimes it takes one tyrant to stop another tyrant.  So if I have to become the tyrant in order to restore nobility and honor back to my beloved sport then so be it.  And until wrestling has been restored, then I will be just as ruthless and cutthroat as anyone else.” Glory Braddock smirks knowingly.

“That’s your problem, Aaron.  You have yet to learn that this sport isn’t for the weak at heart.  This sport isn’t for those with a weak stomach.  The strong survive and the weak perish by the wayside.  In this current culture if you aren’t willing to engage in a total war, then you will not be victorious.  Just ask your friend Alistaire.  Do you really think he would have beaten Syren for the championship had it not been for my Trios cash in?  My cash in, making it a triple threat, dropping her odds of victory from fifty percent to merely twenty five percent, is why the title changed hands.  Granted it should have been me at Rise To Greatness that won the title, not Alistaire, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  He was lucky.” Braddock points a finger at the camera.

“You won’t be so lucky, Blackbourne.  You were lucky that Sasha even granted you a title opportunity but now it appears as if your luck is beginning to fade away.  You couldn’t get the job done against James Evans, just as Alistaire couldn’t get the job done against me at Day of Infamy, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am exactly what I say I am; The Best in the World.  And that’s who you’re up against now, mate.  You’re facing The Best in the World and that’s not lucky for you, that’s just more bad luck coming your way because I’m going to beat you.  You are going to be handed a second straight loss.  Can you recover from two straight losses, mate?” The British Bombshell shrugs her shoulders.

“Maybe?  Maybe not?  But I don’t have to worry about you.  I do not have to sweat anything you bring to the table, because I have a Trios contract.  That Trios contract is an instant momentum boost.  It is instant power, power that I have earned by winning the tournament.  It means that I have the power to put myself in any match at anytime anywhere.  Don’t you think people were upset that I just inserted myself into the Rise To Greatness main event despite not having won Taking Hold of the Flame?” Braddock laughs nastily. “Let them cry, let them bitch, because I don’t really care what anyone thinks.  I had the power to do whatever the hell I wanted, just as I still have the power to do whatever the hell I want.  It is a power I have earned everywhere I have been in my wrestling career, even here in Supreme Championship Wrestling.”

“You do not have that kind of power, Blackbourne.  You never will have that kind of power because you are unwilling to do what is necessary to get the job done.  You will come close to that brass ring but you will never ever reach it; at least not in today’s climate.  Right now your way of doing things, Blackbourne, just won’t cut it.  I already proved that to Alistaire at Day of Infamy and I will prove it to you on Breakdown.  Now don’t worry, Aaron.  Losing to a legend such as myself is nothing to be ashamed of.  And remember why I am doing all of this.  I am doing this to restore wrestling’s culture to what it once was.  And maybe someday, someday in the future, thanks to me your way of doing things will be relevant again.  And when that day comes, you can feel free to thank me for making you relevant again.”

Braddock winks at the camera. “You’re welcome.”