(Carter was used with permission from Chris)
Ariana’s dreams of winning her first title in SCW would have to wait for another day as the young Greek-American Bombshell was the second one eliminated from the Battle Royal after Bea Barnhart, both Bombshells getting eliminated by Tempest! The match was ultimately won by Kayla Richards and a title match between the final two (Keira and Kayla) was set for Violent Conduct VIII, but where did that leave Ari?
That question would be answered in due time but first, she was back in action as Ari was taking on Alicia Lukas in a rematch from the Greece Lightning Tour! Alicia won their first encounter after a tough match and Ari was out to not only bounce back from her disappointing Battle Royal performance but get the win back over Alicia! Can Ariana pull off the upset this time? Or will she go two for naught against Alicia?
Backstage at Climax Control 337, Jaipur, India
Sunday the 31st of July 2022, 23:20pm
One freaking mistake,
I had high hopes going into tonight’s Battle Royal, after just missing out on qualifying for the Ultimate X Over the Pool Match to Melissa (who went on to win the match and the title to boot) this was my second shot at winning a title, only this time it wasn’t in a qualifying match but rather I was one of the six women competing for the vacated Bombshell Internet Title, I thought I had a good chance of winning the match and my first singles title.
Then I made the mistake that cost me that opportunity, I had seen Tempest train at the Go Gym, I know how strong she is and I know that she makes even me at 5ft 6 look like a small child! What I should’ve done was coordinate with the other Bombshells and try to eliminate Tempest as soon as possible, instead Keira and Kayla were too busy trying to get Seleana out and she was eliminated right after me and Tempest threw me out of the ring like a sack of potatoes.
Don’t know who I’m more ticked off at, the other Bombshells for not realizing that Tempest was the biggest threat in the match and should be a priority target for elimination or me for trying to eliminate Tempest on my own.
I had just chatted with Jessie after running into her backstage following the Main Event, in a way I was glad that Diamond had failed to win the World Bombshell Championship after the crap she pulled with Krystal earlier this year but I had my own problems because in the middle of my chat with Jessie, I learned that I was set to take on Alicia Lukas again! Alicia was the one who handed me my first SCW loss during the Greece Lightning Tour and I knew from that match that she was a dangerous opponent to say the least! I’m not sure if I can do any better this time because, well, it’s only been a little under three months since that match.
As I walked down the hallway I spotted two of my best friends chatting nearby, HB Carter and Krystal Wolfe, and judging from the excited tone in Carter’s voice I could tell that he already knew about his next match.
”My second match in SCW and I’m going one on one with Mr. Beefcake himself Miles Kasey?!” Carter exclaimed excitedly as I neared my fellow Go Gym Graduates, me and Carter had been close since our days as Go Gym Trainees, the fact that we debuted on the same night was a coincidence off course but it was almost like our careers being so connected was meant to be. ”Pinch me Charlotte because I must be dreaming!”
”If it is a dream then we’re sharing it, speaking of Wolfslair, do you think Ari knows that she’s facing Alicia again?” Krystal asked as she leaned against the wall at which point I cleared my throat to get their attention. ”Oh hey Ari! Carter’s just excited that he’s facing Miles again!” The Australian Bombshell greeted me as she motioned towards Carter with her head and I nodded.
”I know, I saw the card text during a brief chat with Jessie.” I responded with a nod as I walked up to the other two wrestlers. ”And yeah, I saw the match I’ve got this week, just what I need, another tough match!”
”Diamonds are made under pressure Ari! We both know that.” Carter assured me as I turned to him. ”Just look at Krystal’s first six months on the SCW Roster and she had it worse than you.”
”No offence Carter, but I don’t think a run of luck can get any worse than “failing to win my first match for the first six months of my career”, I get what you’re saying but at least Ari has wins under her belt!” Krystal pointed out and we had to admit that she had a point. ”Besides that, Carter’s right on the money, wrestlers like Melissa are usually the exception rather than the rule, you’ll find your footing eventually, trust me, it will get better for you! You have too much talent for this rotten luck to continue for much longer!” Krystal added and I grinned in response. ”Speaking of Melissa, Jessie knows that she’s challenging Melissa for the title in next week’s Main Event right?”
”Yeah, I told her to scroll down to the Main Event whilst we were going over the card together.” I explained with a nod before letting out a deep breath. ”Jessie had a fire in her eyes that I hadn’t seen since I watched her early matches for the first time, I think she’s got a real shot at dethroning Melissa on Sunday.”
”Wouldn’t surprise me, she’s been a lot more fired up since her problems with Melissa started.” Carter nodded in agreement before changing the subject. ”Do you ladies have any plans for when we arrive in Bangalore tomorrow?”
”Could’ve sworn I heard that city got it’s named changed from Bangalore to Bengaluru at some point, surprised the bosses are going with the old name if that is the case.” Krystal admitted before shaking her head. ”Regardless of what it’s called, me and Makayla will probably have a chill day tomorrow, she’s been badly affected by jet lag since the tour started.”
”You do what you need to do Krystal, I’ll be up for some street food hunting with you and Francisco if you’re up for it.” I offered Carter and it didn’t take him long to accept because the street food has been some of the best food I’ve even eaten since arriving in India, even better than traditional Greek Food even (not that I’d ever let my full-blooded Greek relatives hear me say that off course, us Greeks can be a fiery lot and I don’t think I’d be allowed at family reunions if I had said that). ”Off course, that depends on what time we arrive in Bangalore, or Bengaluru, let’s hope we don’t encounter this problem if SCW ever goes to Turkey.”
”Yeah, the “It’s Istanbul, not Constantinople” jokes would get old quickly, even before Climax Control went on the air.” Krystal commented with a laugh before shaking her head. ”I should be good to join you guys from Tuesday onwards, Makayla will just need a chance to rest once we’re checked in and given her family’s history of heart issues, I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in our hotel room in a strange city.”
”That’s fair enough and we’ll try to bring you guys some of the best street food we can find.” Carter nodded in understanding before he checked the time on his watch. ”We should get back soon it’s getting late as it is.”
”I was just thinking that, plus Francisco’s waiting for me in the parking lot.” I responded before we went our separate ways, ready to reunite tomorrow at the airport on route to a city with two names.
At least there’s no city in the world with as many names as Crystal Hilton, right?
Ariana and Francisco’s hotel room, Bangalore, India
Wednesday the 3rd of August 2022, 16:15pm
This city has two different names, but whatever it’s called, it’s proven to be one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been too since signing with SCU three years ago (and yes, I’m including the Greek cities SCW visited during the Greece Lightning tour).
Me and Francisco have been spending most of the week sampling the local street food and so far it’s held up well to the street food I had in Mumbai and Jaipur. We had just returned from our latest street food field trip and we would’ve gone to the botanical gardens to check them out after a recommendation from a local, so what stopped us?
The kind of problem that can only happen in a wrestling promotion!
”Typical that Jessie had rented out the botanical gardens for her promo against Melissa.” I grumbled to myself as I checked the status of my YouTube channel, after the copyright issue that had impacted the monetization of one of my videos had been resolved I was being just a little bit paranoid about that happening again. ”Who uses botanical freaking gardens as the setting for a wrestling promo?! HONESTLY!” I exclaimed in frustration and Francisco shook his head.
”I don’t know, I think it makes for a neat juxtaposition myself!” Francisco responded with a shrug and I gave him a playful glare from over my shoulder. ”Unless someone else gets the idea, we can always try again tomorrow! Speaking off, who’s joining us on the Street Food walk tomorrow?”
”Makayla thinks that Krystal is having too much street food so they are going out to a restaurant tomorrow to even things out, Carter will probably jump at the chance to hang out with us even if it is just an excuse to check out your rear end.” I responded with a grin before glancing over at my boyfriend’s nicest asset, yes, that was a pun! ”And to be fair you do have a great butt!”
”Nice to know that my ass not only has the seal of approval from a flamboyant gay man but my girlfriend as well!” Francisco responded with a chuckle and I had a good laugh when he said that. ”Though honestly? I’m just glad you’re feeling better after the Battle Royal on Sunday.”
”The pep talks I got from Jessie, Krystal and Carter helped, that’s all I’m saying.” I responded with a grin before I turned my attention back to my computer, I was finally satisfied that there were no other issues, copyright or otherwise with my YouTube channel so I headed back to the home page to see what the channels I followed have updated. ”No sign of the new video from SortedFood yet.”
”Isn’t that channel based in the UK? My math might be off but I believe India’s about four hours ahead of the UK? The new vid probably won’t be up until eight o’clock.” Francisco pointed out and now that he mentioned it, he was probably right, off course since the US is six hours behind the UK I’ve gotten used to catching their vids early on Wednesday and Sunday mornings so that’s probably part of it. ”What video are they uploading today?”
”They’ve brought in a South African chef to show them some ingredients from his home country, I’m pretty sure it won’t be as disastrous as the Five Ingredient Pass It On Challenge from this past Sunday.” I explained and Francisco nodded as he got the idea, it was at that point that I had an epiphany. ”Do you think I can rope Krystal, Makayla, and Carter into joining us for a similar video once we’re back in the US? Makayla was the chef at the Ring Rust Café before that shit down so she has the culinary expertise to act as the chef.”
”So basically a blonde, Greek-Australian version of Ebbers who could pass for a fashion model and happens to be a lesbian?” Francisco summarised and whilst his choice of words did make me chuckle, he was right. ”What about our normal? I’m guessing your counting yourself as a chef because you spent some time working in the Gold Coast’s Kitchen as a pastry chef/prep cook?”
”Yeah, hell I’d probably still be doing that if it wasn’t for the pandemic, but during that initial period I told Daniel that I wanted to focus on my wrestling career until things got back to normal and I didn’t want to risk catching Covid by working two jobs.” I explained as I shook my head, my time as a cook in the Gold Coast was short lived but I at least learned a lot about cooking in that time. ”Krystal’s a decent home cook but by her own admission, she leaves most of the cooking to Makayla due to her culinary training, I’m not sure if Carter is any good at cooking because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him try to cook anything.”
”I’m sure he’s on the same level as Krystal, aside from the whole “having a partner with culinary training” thing off course, he’s lasted this long and managed to keep his figure.” Francisco pointed out and I had to admit that he had a point there. ”Do you think Cassie would be interested in being the taste tester?”
”Doubt it, Krystal told me that Cassie has been focussed on getting her wrestling career off the ground since she graduated from Hero Academy and not even her munchies made one of my wilder creations tolerably for her.” I admitted sheepishly and Francisco nodded in understanding. ”I hope she does well, Cassie’s a sweet girl whose naiveté let Matthew and Marty take advantage of her and if she even has a fraction of her older cousin’s talent then she’ll be taking the wrestling world by storm before we know it.”
”You and me both.” Francisco nodded before checking the time on his watch. ”Restaurant should be opening for dinner in a few minutes, do you want to head down or are you still full from our adventures in street food?”
”On one hand, I’ve been working out hard since we arrived in India to make sure I don’t put too much weight on, on the other hand, I’m starving!” I responded with a grin and it didn’t take us long to decide on that, we were soon on our way out and heading downstairs for dinner.
Ulsoor Lake, Bangalore, India
Friday the 5th of August 2022, 18:00pm
*promo time*
If Jessie can cut her promo from a landmark, so can I!
”India is a country full of ancient history which is fitting since according to certain members of the Bombshell Roster, something that happened three months ago is ancient history! For example, someone out there thinks that this Sunday’s rematch between me and Alicia Lukas is the first ever meeting between us! Err, hello, did the roster forget that it toured my family’s home country already?! Regardless, this Sunday sees Alicia’s first match since her loss to Diamond Steele at Summer XXXTReme X and you guessed it, she’s facing little old me!” I stated as I ran a hand through my hair. ”I’ll admit, having two back to back tough as hell matches? It definitely feels like I’m being tested by the bosses as I enter my third month as an SCW Bombshell but if this is a test, then I’m out to pass it with flying colours!”
But can I?
”Quick disclaimer here, I am well aware that Alicia has said her peace about this rematch but I haven’t watched her promo, if I mention any points that she brought up, it is merely a coincidence.” I stated plainly as I walked around the lake. ”That said, you don’t need to watch anyone’s promo to know that lately, there’s been a pattern forming with Bombshells who get the win over Alicia, namely that they go on to get title matches on the back of that win and they fall that hurdle, I don’t want to be another victim of that so called curse.” I added as I folded my arms. ”Because I don’t want to earn anything but bragging rights if I do beat Alicia on Sunday.”
Wait, what?!
”I bet you weren’t expecting to hear that from me, especially after my disappointing performance in last Sunday’s Battle Royal.” I admitted with a grin as I looked over the lake. ”I don’t know, maybe I just want to earn opportunities like that in an actual contender’s match rather than getting the win over a former World Bombshell Champion? I know that’ll be a big achievement for me, especially this early into my SCW career and I’ll happily take the kudos if I do get the win, but it’s like I said, I’d rather earn it officially rather than fall into the curse like Mercedes and Diamond.” I added before I turned to the camera. ”But that begs the question, can I get the win over Alicia?”
Confession time.
”I’m not really a religious person but I feel like I need to confess my sins all the same, Alicia, I made a mistake when we faced off the first time around.” I admitted as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”I’m not referring to the match itself, it was a great match and you got the win after countering one of my finishers, I honestly can’t think of a single mistake I made in that match, the mistake I’m referring too happened during that week’s promo, I feel like I focussed too much on who you were in the past, that’s not to say that you’ve accomplished nothing in SCW off course, if anything my promo proved why you are such a tough opponent Alicia, but by focussing on who you were all those years ago, I feel like, in hindsight I was doing a major disservice because now, I realize how wrong I was too say that the fire you had when you first arrived in SCW as part of the Honour Wrestling Merger because if anything, I probably motivated you to prove me wrong!” I admitted as let out a sigh. ”And you did, you dealt me my first loss as an SCW Bombshell, we all make mistakes, but honestly? That’s something that’s been at the back of my mind since that show in Rhodes!”
But now?
”Now I am all too aware of the truth, now I see you as a passionate, determined woman who has her own vision for the future of the Bombshell Division, is it a future I agree with? Who’s to say? If you ask me diversity in the Bombshell division is important but I don’t know if that aligns with your vision for the division that got me into wrestling.” I admitted with a sigh as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”What you need to realize Alicia, is that I’m just as, if not more passionate than you! My parents disowned me because I wanted to pursue my dream and become the wrestler I am today do I wish that things could’ve been different and that my parents could still be part of my life? Absolutely! I spent the first few nights after that incident crying myself to sleep because my family didn’t want to support my dream! Do I regret it? If I regretted it for even a second I wouldn’t be here today talking about our match.” I added before letting out a sad sigh. ”We all make sacrifices to get ahead in his business, I’m sure you’ve made more than your fair share over your long career Alicia, but there comes a point where those sacrifices become worth it, right?!”
Right?
”The obvious answer to that is simple, winning the World Bombshell Championship, getting in the Hall of Fame, achieving your dreams as a wrestler in general, the thing is, you’ve been at the top Alicia, you’ve held the World Bombshell Championship three times since your arrival in 2018, that is no small feat by any means! Me? I’m still finding my feet as an SCW Bombshell!” I commented as I let out a deep breath. ”No wonder you had my number the first time around, o was like an ant trying to stand up to the elephant that’s about to step on them! But since that match, I’ve slowly been gaining my confidence as a Bombshell, whether it was in that Ultimate X Qualifier Match against Melissa or that Battle Royal, sure I made a huge mistake in that Battle Royal and it got me eliminated from the match but someday, I’ll enter the history books as a champion of the Bombshell division.” I let out a deep breath before I continued. ”It all starts with the smallest step, even if I have to step over someone as accomplished as you Alicia.”
Can I do it?
”I know I’m Greek-American but this saying is still apt, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and to me that means one thing, I have to keep trying rather than let one setback get in the way of my wrestling dreams! Whether that setback is my bad luck in the title scene or losses to Bombshells like you or Kayla, I have to keep coming back stronger if I want to succeed in the Bombshell Division and that will be my mindset heading into the match on Sunday.” I added as I ran a hand through my hair. ”Diamonds are made under pressure after all! I’m not talking about Diamond Steele either because it’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever compare myself to her! It takes pressure to turn a coal into a diamond and if that’s what the bosses are trying to do with me by putting me in back to back tough matches? I guess I’ll end up being a diamond in the rough.” I added before letting out a deep breath. ”But pressure is one thing, getting the win over you is another! But the real question is Alicia, can I do it?”
The million dollar question.
”Can I get that win back? Can I use what I learned from our first match and get the win over you Alicia?” I asked as I walked around the lake’s edge. ”I came up short the first time around, and I’ve already gone over where I think I went wrong in our first encounter, this isn’t just about winning for me Alicia, this is about proving to you, the bosses and the SCW Universe that I’ve learned from my mistakes in our last match! To prove that I’m not a wasted investment, that I am one of the best young women’s wrestlers in the world today! And I can’t think of a better opponent to test that against than you Alicia, your accolades in SCW speak volumes after all even without our first match to look back on!” I added before adjusting a strap of my tank top that had slid down my shoulder mid promo. ”If this is a school then I guess it’s the School of Hard Knocks and you Alicia are the final test examiner.”
Can I pass?
”Even if I lose against you again, I’ll still learn so much from the match against you Alicia, after all, I’m only three years into my wrestling career, I still have so much to learn and a long career ahead of me! And I can’t think of a tougher teacher than you Alicia!” I stated before looking down at the ground. ”But learning from this match is one thing, winning the match is another, if nothing else Alicia our first match showed me that I still have a lot to learn as a wrestler maybe even develop a finisher that doesn’t rely on my ability to climb to the top rope but that’s something I can think off once I’m back in the US and at the Go Gym, a rematch against you is hardly the time to be testing out now finisher techniques even if my two finishers didn’t work out the first time around!” I let out I sigh as I glanced towards the sky. ”Who knows? Maybe the second time will be the charm?”
Time to prove that I have learned.
”I went back and watched our first match in preparation for our rematch Alicia, seems like an obvious thing now that I think about it and say it out loud but it is what it is!” I admitted as I started pacing around. ”I know where it all started to go wrong, I hit you with the Angel’s Descent and you kicked out, I’m not even sure if I want to use the “Grace of the Angel’s Descent” line against you Alicia because you not only bore witness to it but you withstood the impact of the move and kicked out! Combine that with the fact that I wasted too much time in trying to go for the Angel’s Wrath and it’s easy to see where I went wrong in our first encounter.” I let out a deep breath before continuing. ”Will lightning strike twice? Will you get the win again? Not if I have anything to say about it!”
Who knows?
”Like I said, I’m not just hear to get back my win over you Alicia, I’m here to prove that I can and will learn from my mistakes, whether it’s mistakes that cost me a massive upset win over a veteran like Alicia or a mistake that sees me unceremoniously thrown out of a Battle Royal I refuse to be complacent and bury my head in the sand!” I added as I let out several deep breaths in a row. ”I know what I need to do to get the win this time, I know the areas I need to improve on to beat you Alicia and I know I can do this! If I weren’t so confident in my abilities as a wrestler, I wouldn’t be here today, simple as that! And this time, I will score the win!” I said before walking up to the camera. ”And I’ll do whatever it takes!”
It’s that simple.
”Our first match was the first blemish on my SCW Career, there’s no getting around that fact really but it’s going to take a lot for this rematch to be a case of “second verse, same as the first”!” I added as I folded my arms and stood directly in front of the lake. ”I know it’s only been three months since our first match Alicia but I am a quick learner and you’re about to find that out for a fact! So, when we enter the ring for our rematch Alicia, don’t try the same tactics you tried on me in our first match because it’s not going to work and this match will end in my favour!” I stated before grinning as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”And if you get the win again Alicia, it’ll be because you took things to a whole new level against a twenty one year old Greek American woman with three years of wrestling experience.”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”Thing is, if you try to raise the bar until I can no longer get over it, I’ll just keep soaring higher and higher!” I added before looking at my fingernails playfully. ”What I’m trying to say is, you try to make it harder for me to win the match, I’ll keep rising to the occasion until you can no longer keep up with me in the ring! Like I said earlier, the last time we faced off you kicked out of the Angel’s Descent so I’m not going to use the Grace of the Angel’s Descent line on you, instead, you will bask in the light of the “Greek Angel” Ariana Angelos! I’ll say you in the ring!”
I walked off as the scene fades.
