Off-Camera
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Common Room
Shieldmaidens Clubhouse
New Orleans, Louisiana
11:45 AM CDT
Working in multiple places sometimes means awkward travel arrangements have to be made. For Seleana Zdunich, this has meant some lengthy trips over the years between Rome, Georgia, Las Vegas, Nevada and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania regularly along with spot trips to everywhere else because of various companies as a manager for her wife at times. This weekend would be a prime example as Seleana had a tag team match in Georgia on Friday and a World Bombshell Main Event Match against Roxi Johnson in Rhodes, Greece.
Ironic, in that the boss in Rome, Georgia was also named Rhodes.
For this trip, her daughter-in-law, Haylie Jo “Halo” Annis had suggested she come to New Orleans with Halo’s fellow Shieldmaidens because there were several with familial connections. Five of the Shieldmaidens were set to wrestle on the sme Friday show as Seleana with Halo also on the show in the main event. In addition to this connection, several of them were also the cousins of Selean’s other daughter-in-law, Sofia Rojas-Hilton, whom Halo had also suggested they bring along so she could get some work in the ring with everybody. Given that Seleana’s sister and tag team partner, Zenna Zdunich, also lived in New Orleans simply made the idea one of complete convenience so they could all train and be close to the show they had to be on Friday. As Seleana, Sofia and Halo watch on grinning, Sofia’s sister, Ravenna, holds Sofia’s baby daughter, Isabella, allowing the other Shieldmaidens to coo over the child.
Sofia: Es hermosa…
Seleana and Halo both smile in response.
Halo: Y’all ain’t wrong…
Seleana nods her agreement.
Seleana: Ja, she is.
The three continue grinning as they watch all of the tattooed bikers spending all of their time looking over the baby.
Halo: What time is Aunt Z sposed to get here?
Seleana glances at her watch.
Seleana: Fifteen minutes.
Halo nods.
Halo: We both got us world title matches this weekend, we gotta be on our best for it.
Seleana nods again.
Seleana: Ja. Tiggy and Roxi are not things to be taken lightly. I am keen for this though I did not expect to receive it.
Sofia frowns.
Sofia: Mamá Christina did not tell you before the announcement?
Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana: She tweeted it but did not say if she was just messing with Christian again.
Now it’s Halo’s turn to frown.
Halo: You didn’t ask her?
Seleana shakes her head ever so slightly.
Seleana: I did not. I was on the phone with Chavy and her sister that day so by the time I was talking to Christina, it had been several hours’ time passed the twitter exchange and I was more interested in Christina, Alex and Aurora.
As Halo and Sofia both nod, Ravenna hands Isabella to Shieldmaidens New Orleans Charter President and the Rojas Sisters’ cousin, Alex “Bullet” Carbajal. As Ravenna walks away, her phone chimes at her and she looks at the screen to check what the notification is. The second she sees, her eyes go wide in both shock and terror. Her jaw starts trembling and she starts shaking her head.
Ravenna: I….I…. I….
Sofia looks at her sister, worry building up inside he young Colombian woman.
Sofia: ¿Cuervo? ¿Qué es??
Still shaking, Ravenna looks up but finds herself unable to speak. Halo and Seleana both stand up, frowning with concern.
Seleana: What is wrong?
At these words, the other Shieldmaidens turn to face Ravenna as well, everyone in the room now eyeballing the visibly distressed eighteen-year-old.
Halo: Spit it out, Raven, what’s eatin’ ya?
Ravenna: I…
Ravenna tries to force the words out but she can’t seem to find them. Seleana and Bullet both walk over to her and look at her phone’s screen.
Bullet: ¿Es la verdad?
Selena nods slowly.
Seleana: Zion announced a tag team championship match for their Destiny supercard.
She pauses before looking up at Sofia and Halo.
Seleana: You and Ravenna versus the Bisque Dolls.
Sofia stares back, clearly shocked by what her mother-in-law has just said.
Halo: Have y’all been teamin’?
Sofia shakes her head.
Sofia: No.
Bullet nods and hands baby Isabella to Sofia before turning her focus on Ravenna.
Seleana: Ravenna has never been in the ring.
Bullet nods and raises her hands.
Bullet: Calmate… calmate…
She nods to Ravenna as she places her hands on her young cousin’s shoulders.
Bullet: Esta bien. Te ayudaremos.
Ravenna barely manages a nod in response.
Seleana: Zenna and I can help as well, ja?
Ravenna swallows hard and nods slowly. Just then, aforementioned Zenna walks into the room. She takes in the sight of everyone looking stunned and stops in her tracks.
Zenna: Something happen?
Seleana turns to her sister and shakes her head.
Seleana: We have added another to the workout list. Zion booked Ravenna.
Zenna nods, looking just as shocked as everyone else.
Zenna: Has she ever been in a match before?
Seleana shakes her head.
Zenna: För fan i helvete!
The gears in her head turn as she quickly does the math.
Zenna: So, now we have to train for our match on Friday, Bullet and Bandit versus Bruiser and Psycho, Halo for her world title defense against Risa Jackson, whatever Halo and Li have to do for SCU, you challenging Roxi for the world title AND get Ravenna ready to make ehr in-ring debut….?
Seleana nods.
Seleana: Ja.
Zenna shakes her head.
Zenna: Skit också!
She pauses and then shrugs.
Zenna: We have little time to waste then, ja? World Championships will not win themselves.
Bullet and the other Maidens all nod and escort Ravenna downstairs to the warehouse gym next door, Zenna and Halo following them down leaving Seleana alone with Sofia and the baby.
Seleana: We should take Isabella up the hall to Aurora and Banshee, ja?
Sofia nods and they take the baby up to the playroom set up for the respective children of the Shieldmaidens and Chrome Dragons to play in, currently occupied by Aoife “Banshee” Maguire and Leonie “Queenie” Laveau acting as chaperones. The children, Aurora Zdunich, three-year-old Robbie John Maguire, his cousins, six-year-old twins, Seán and Siobhan Maguire, five-year-old Missy Devereaux, sixteen-month-old Rose Kenyon, two-year-old twin Alicia and Ciaran Kenyon and their nineteen-month-old little brother Caiden Kenyon, are all playing variously with age-appropriate toys as Isabella is added to the menagerie. Banshee, already happily looking after her nieces and nephews, is only too happen to accept one more to the group, Queenie adding that her own adult daughter, twenty-one-year-old Ameerah, will be arriving soon to add to the help. As Seleana and Sofia thank Banshee and Queenie, the two women take their leave and start up the hallway.
Sofia: Is it always like this?
Seleana looks down at the young Colombian woman and nods slowly to herself.
Seleana: Sometimes it can be a surprise and a struggle, ja.
Sofia: How did you deal with the surprises for this week?
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana: Zenna and I knew of our match for three weeks. The only difficulty is that it is our first announced appearance as a team since she was injured many months ago. We did not expect such an opportunity but it was presented and so we accept it.
She pauses.
Seleana: The World Championship match is more in line with that of which you speak, ja?
Sofia nods.
Sofia: We did not see this coming. The Bisque Dolls are a regular tag team. Ravenna and I are not.
Seleana smiles.
Seleana: Calmate, Coneja…
Sofia can’t help but smile back at her mother-in-law.
Sofia: Ale and Taza say that as well.
Seleana: This will not be an easy task for either of us. Roxi Johnson is a superhero. She has been champion many times. She has been World Champion in SCW four times now. She has been Roulette Champion and has been Internet Champion twice as well. She even got to be a tag team champion when they had Bombshell tag team championships.
Sofia nods, taking the information in.
Sofia: Have you not been two of those as well?
Seleana nods.
Seleana: I have. I have been World Champion and I have been Roulette Champion.
Sofia: I have not been in the ring that long. I only started in the autumn…
She pauses, hanging her head in shame.
Sofia: Probably too quickly.
She shakes her head, still looking down in shame.
Sofia: ¡Qué pelota que soy!
Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana: No, you are not. You take water over your head sometimes but you are not an idiot. You are doing well in school, you are doing better than I did when I was at your stage in wrestling and now you have the chance for a championship with your sister. I speak from experience, it is a wonderful feeling winning alongside a sister. I love teaming with Zenna. We have been tag team champions together in SRW and we were Trios Champions together in WWA. I treasure every opportunity to team with her.
Sofia nods knowingly.
Sofia: I have wanted to team with someone since I met all of you. Taza, Bray, B-Brat…
She pauses and shakes her head again.
Sofia: I did not think it would be Cuervo. She was just visiting the night we first saw the Bisque Dolls. They scared us both. Cuervo ran to the dressing room where Taza was waiting to team with other family members. I waited for her to be safe and then ran as well.
Seleana nods understandingly.
Seleana: Entiendo. If I did not know Roxi, I would find the prospect of getting into the ring with her daunting, ja?
She pauses as the two come to the door in the common room that leads to the stairs, the two of them stopping there.
Seleana: I found it daunting getting into the ring for other world championship matches I have had as well. I admit seeing my name opposite Alicia Lukas and then seeing it opposite Amber Ryan gave me pause. They were both dominant champions and while Alicia respected me, she and I were not friends and she represented a step up in competition. Amber Ryan was a dominant champion at the time as well.
Sofia nods slowly, not really sure what to say.
Sofia: But you stepped into the ring anyway?
Seleana nods.
Seleana: Ja. No matter what, I needed to know for me more than anyone else did. I needed to step into the ring and take my shot.
Sofia sighs.
Sofia: I am happy for the opportunity. I am happy to team with Cuervo. I just do not know if she will happy to step into the ring.
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana: We can help her but you are correct. She will have to decide for herself to step into th ring.
Sofia sighs.
Sofia: We can do this?
Seleana nods.
Seleana: Ja, and so can she.
Sofia smiles and the two head down the stairs to the gym.
Off-Camera
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Warehouse Gym
Shieldmaidens Clubhouse
New Orleans, Louisiana
9:11 AM CDT
With the third session of training starting for everyone, Seleana steps outside of a ring and looks at the eighteen-year-old Ravenna Rojas. Visibly shaking at the thought of stepping back into the ring again even after just one day, the young Colombian woman simply stares into the empty rings before her.
Seleana: ¿Quiubo, Parce?
Caught off-guard by the Swedish woman’s usage of the Colombian Spanish phrase, Ravenna is pulled out of her momentary trance.
Ravenna: I…
Seleana smiles in a sweet motherly fashion.
Seleana: It is a formidable thing, ja?
Ravenna nods and Seleana sits down on the edge of the ring.
Seleana: I remember it like that as well.
Ravenna looks at her in shock.
Ravenna: You do?
Seleana nods.
Seleana: Ja, I did not start until I come to America. I was not keen to start when I arrived. Stepping inside here was not something I ever thought I would do. My cousin had been a tag team wrestler many years ago. My sister had been one as well. I enjoyed watching their exploits but I never thought of myself being able to do it myself.
She pauses to glance across the room at the still-stretching Zenna.
Seleana: Zenna had been injured and was just making a comeback. She had missed time because of choices she made. She was to team with her partner and our cousin as the Fallen Angels again. She did not need me.
Pausing to turn back to face Ravenna again, Seleana nods in acknowledgement.
Seleana: She did not ask me either. I was a zookeeper. Animals were my life and I was dating someone else at the time.
The words almost start to get stuck in her throat.
Seleana: I spent several months mourning his sudden death…
She trails off at the memory of her late love. Ravenna frowns in confusion.
Ravenna: Then… how?
Seleana almost laughs to herself at the memory.
Seleana: Stacy Jones.
She looks back up at the still befuddled Ravenna.
Seleana: She looked at me and said I had moped about enough and it was time I showed I was keen to keep on living. She introduced me to Christina…
The smile gets even bigger now.
Seleana: She has apologized many times for doing such a thing but she does not understand the favor she did for me with that. I will never forget and never be able to thank her enough for doing it. Stacy was right, I did need to be keen for it again. Christina made me feel alive again. Then Christina asked me into the sport. First she wanted me to be her manager and she wanted me to become her tag team partner.
She pauses, almost laughing again.
Seleana: The tag team partner part did not last after the initial company was done and dusted but I was keen to continue after. Now I have been a champion several times over and it’s all because Stacy gave me that kick in the arse.
Ravenna nods slowly.
Ravenna: Did you have to do on short notice?
Seleana pats Ravenna on the top of the head.
Seleana: No, but we all started the sme basic way. Everyone who steps inside the ring had to overcome their own fear of something to get there. That is what it is about. I am fighting for the World Championship on Sunday in Greece. When I sat where you are, that was unthinkable to me. Who was I to even think I should step in the ring at all? Now I am fighting for my second World Championship reign against a top Champion and it is because I manage to overcome my fear. I was afraid I would not rate. I was afraid I would get hurt. I was afraid I would let Christina down. I was afraid I would let my sister and my cousin down and tarnish the name they had built.
Ravenna’ head titles to the right.
Ravenna: ¿Es la verdad?
Seleana nods and Ravenna considers this.
Ravenna: How you do?
The bright smile returns to Seleana’s face.
Seleana: I realized I was not alone. I had Alexi, I had Zenna, I had Christina, I had Brittany, I had Stacy, I had Eavan, I had Robbie, I had Li. I could go to any of them plus several others and I could get all the help I could want. Then I realized I needed to do it for me and no one else. If I did it for them, I would fail. It would remain a self-fulfilling prophecy where I took water over my head. Have you ever played any sports?
Ravenna nods.
Ravenna: Fútbol.
Seleana: Do you remember what it took to be successful on the pitch?
Ravenna nods.
Seleana: It is the same here. Think of it like football. Once you learn the rules, you just play the game and do what you do. The only question is, do you want to play?
Ravenna stares at Seleana for what seems like years before finally nodding.
Ravenna: Sí. Quiero jugar.
Selenaa smiles and nods into the ring.
Seleana: Then let us get to work, ja?
Ravenna nods and the two step back into the ring to continue training.
On-Camera
Friday, April 22, 2022
Dressing Room
Rebel Star Arena
Rome, Georgia
7:39 PM EDT
The camera opens upon Seleana Zdunich sitting on a chair in her wrestling gear, clearly ready to compete.
Seleana: So here I am, ja? .
She looks around the room and then back into the camera.
Seleana: Tonight, I am in Georgia for a tag team match and then I get on a plane and fly to Greece so that on Sunday I can face Roxi Johnson for the World Bombshell Championship.
A smile comes over her face as she looks down to the floor.
Seleana: It is funny, I just spent two days talking to young wrestlers in my family. They helped me remember what it was like when I first stepped into the ring.
The memories flood over her and she nods to herself before exhaling heavily.
Seleana: 28th January, 2018, LAW #76 at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Alicia Lukas was on the same card. So was Christina, Maki and my friend Stacy Jones.
She looks up to the camera again and nods firmly, the smile still in place.
Seleana: When I think of what I felt and how I was at the time…
The smile fades as she shakes her head.
Seleana: This match would have been unthinkable. I was not a wrestler, much less a championship level competitor.
She shakes her head again and then points to her chest.
Seleana: I was just a zookeeper without a job taking care of animals. I did not belong in the ring with a champion and yet, by the second show, I was thrust into the ring with champions in the Boardwalk Angels. They were not just champions, they were undefeated champions and there I was, standing next to my soon-to-be wife facing champions I knew because one was a great family friend and the other was very nearly my mother-in-law.
Looking back down to the floor, Seleana almost laughs at herself.
Seleana: My second match and I take water over my head…
She nods to herself, a wry smile on her face again.
Seleana: I needed to tell myself something many times then and I found myself delivering the same message over the last few days to my daughter-in-law and her sister. It is the same message I have to tell myself whenever I step into the ring again and especially at times like this weekend when I will be competing for the top prize against someone as accomplished as Roxi.
Looking up to the camera again, she nods pointedly.
Seleana: Kia kaha.
She nods to herself and then stands up.
Seleana: They are just starting out and do not know what strength they have inside. They have not yet been tested and so have to find the strength just to get started.
She points to her own chest again.
Seleana: I have been tested. I know what strength I have.
Her hand falls away to her side.
Seleana: Kia kaha.
She points back at the door.
Seleana: For them, it is to remember to stay strong and overcome their fear. For me, it is not fear I must overcome. I did that long ago.
She nods, her hand moving back to her side.
Seleana: For me, I have to overcome other things. Fear struck out against me when I started taking care of lion cubs and other animals. Doubt stood against me, both from within and without…
Her face becomes hardened.
Seleana: Doubt is why people still try to tell me I do not belong any more now than I did in 2018. Doubt is what holds some of us back but pushes me on.
She points to herself again.
Seleana: I have made a career out of battling and overcoming doubt. I did it when I stepped into the ring the first time. I did when I stayed in the ring and came to this company. I did it when I faced down everything Christian Underwood mustered. I did it when I took the World Bombshell Championship off of Alicia Lukas and I did it when I climbed back up to face her again after she took it back.
The point becomes a fist but remains in front of her chest.
Seleana: Kia kaha.
She bounces the fist off her chest.
Seleana: I battled doubt when I was able to win the Roulette Championship. I battled doubt when I defended it. I battled doubt when I kept it for months. I battled doubt every time I step into the ring and every time I win, doubt loses ground.
Her eyes flash as she nods firmly, the fist still against her chest.
Seleana: Just as it is the motto for the city I used to call home, kia kaha takes on special meaning for me. I stand before Roxi Johnson now, ready to face her for the World Bombshell Championship in the same way I always have everything else. When I faced down the idea of working with animals, when I faced down the idea of moving halfway around the world to New Zealand for them, when I faced down the idea coming to America and when I faced down the idea of stepping into the ring, I overcame. Roxi Johnson is a superhero, she has overcome much and is now a four-time Champion! He is everything everyone should aspire to be, both as a competitor and a mother. She has been a friend and supporter of me since I came to SCW and for that, I thank her.
She nods, swinging her fist away to brush away all other thoughts.
Seleana: But now I step into the ring ready to overcome again!
She nods harshly.
Seleana: This is what I do. I overcome. I welcome the test and wait to see if I pass or get knocked down and have to fight my way back to the test again. There is no failure!
She leans into the camera for a momentary close-up
Seleana: Do you hear me?
She nods, looking around, her hands moving up to encompass all that is around her.
Seleana: Everyone tends to ask me why I do this?
She glares back into the camera.
Seleana: Kia kaha.
She nods hard, pointing at herself.
Seleana: I do this for me. I do this because I have to know I can pass the test! Roxi will be a great test and I am keen to find out one more time!
Her eyes flash again as she smirks.
Seleana: Välkommen till djungeln. Kia kaha.
