Present Day ♦ G R E E C E
[REC•]
[When you think of Greece, images of sandy shores, blue ocean, mountains, whitewashed buildings and blue domes come to mind. And when it comes to beaches, perhaps no city boasts more beautiful beaches than Crete, where we find Mercedes Vargas no doubt enjoying a relaxing day lounging around and lapping up waves as part of her to-do list.]
“The dawn of a new year means a new beginning. And new possibilities and opportunities. More importantly, a new year means a fresh start. A quarter of the way into 2022, and I should be further along than I should be. I’m not, and that is something I’m ashamed to admit to.
“I’ve been in this business for quite a long time and I’ve experience my share of highs and lows. And after every loss, I just remind myself I’m always better than my last match. Maybe I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks of me. I don’t give a damn what my win-loss record is. I go back into my hotel room, look myself in the mirror and tell myself that I am that damn good.”
[Nothing wrong with a little self affirmation now and again.]
“They say sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. I mean, maybe that’s true, probably not but it could be — if you just want to be merely good, not much better than average. My last match didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. There is nothing as more unpredictable than a triple threat match. You have all these unseen elements; you have to look out for the unexpected, eyes in the back of your head. After what happened last week in the triple threat, Seleana Zdunich has been very lucky because she isn’t very good. I had that match won, but Ms. Jon just had to mess that up. I’ll have a few choice words about that and her at Climax Control.
“So I’m willing to bet Seleana is quite pleased with herself ahead of her future title match, probably at the Bombshell Roulette or Internet Championship. But let’s face it. Anyone with two brain cells knows that Seleana doesn’t stand a chance against either Kate Steele or Masque de Lune so they can rest easy knowing they have an easy title defense. I guess when when you really look at it, The Cat is the biggest loser.
“But let’s get this back where this should be. Sunday I get Samantha Marlowe, Myra Rivers, and Krystal Wolfe in a four-way with the winner getting the next opportunity at the World Bombshell Championship. You know, usually, usually, I don’t, you know, stroke my own ego or I don’t give myself a pat on the back, but in a women's locker room that often sees competitors come and go within a couple years, if that, I've been one of the longest active here. I've been such a constant presence for the past nine years now that it's almost easy to forget about my successes. I get no respect. I'm practically the Roger Dangerfield of the women's division, maybe even the entire company. So if there’s anyone who is more deserving of this opportunity, if there is anyone who is bona fide, certified, and qualified to be in this match, it’s me. I check all the boxes.”
[Mercedes starts counting on her fingers to illustrate.]
“Most decorated champion in the women’s division and all of SCW: Check. Two-time Hall of Famer: double check. The only woman to win every championship available in the women’s division: Check, check, check. These are just facts. Look it up if you want to, it’s all there.”
[Mercedes holds up her hands innocently.]
“Granted, Sam, Myra, and Krystal all have legitimate reasons why they’re in this match, I’m not blind to that. Sam is on the cusp of her comeback tour while Myra and Krystal are coming off months-long title reigns. Oh, and there’s plenty of history between the four of us, though Krystal and I are both facing Myra for the first time. The point is being in this match with me makes Sam, Myra, and Krystal instantly better. Now they all won their most recent matches, but that doesn’t give them the edge ahead of Sunday, oh no, they needed those wins. They needed those wins to feel confident heading into Sunday because I’m not in that ring with them, they’re in that ring with me.
“Then again, maybe my opponents know something I don’t. They must know that I don’t have a realistic chance to win this weekend, which would insinuate that I’m there just to make up the numbers than trying to win a match. That's to be celebrated, of course, because a match with Mercedes Vargas on the card is always better than one in which I’m not...
Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop Krystal from talking all that smack about me. The way I see it, she shouldn't be hating on me 'cause I’ve been world champ in SCW as have Sam. She should be hating that she'll never be one.”
[Mercedes raises her index finger in a wait-a-minute gesture.]
“Four women enter, one woman leaves the next contender. Am I saying I’m going to walk out of this match with my hand raised? No. I’m going to be in the pursuit. I’ve got nothing to lose and nothing to prove. That, chickadees, makes me the dangerous one.”
[Mercedes points at herself.]
"Estar preparado para lo peor, esperar lo mejor."
"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."
[Mercedes fluffs and straightens out her hair and then slowly cross her arms. She pauses for effect, lowering her voice just above a whisper.]
"Y que la suerte está siempre en su favor.”
“And may the odds be ever in your favor."
***Fade***
