April 15, 2024

The morning after…

This is the third time I’ve been through this. The previous two times that I lost a world championship, I didn’t handle it well. The night before was filled with numbness that carried over to this day. I kept to myself through the night and through this day so far. It was a long, three hour charter bus back to Phoenix before jumping on a plane and going back to San Diego.

Sadly, for all I’ve learned during my time in SCW, old habits were hard to break.

Like I did the previous two times I lost a world championship, I was scrolling through social media wondering if anyone was celebrating a new champion or celebrating my “downfall”. I was surprised to see that aside from Kayla’s boasting, social media was mostly calm about the night before.

Then came part two of the “old habit…”

Sitting in a space… alone… imagining what my father would say and even wondering if he was laughing at me from hell.

I would be shocked to discover that I couldn’t even give my father the time of day.

Something felt different about this time and as I laid my phone on my lap on the back of the bus, it was hitting me.

“What if this time is different?” I asked myself. “What if nobody is laughing at me or celebrating my failure? That’s the way it always is, right? Where’s my dad to tell me how much of a miserable failure I am?”

I was in self-defense mode, almost expecting it. I felt a buzz from my phone and I was quick to glance at it. It was a message, from Myra Rivers of all people, telling me “you had a hell of a title reign, still one more than I did in SCW.”

I was taken aback by the praise. Myra and I are nowhere near friends and we’ve never worked for the same company. One of her proteges, Chelsea LeClair, was someone I was close to and I was surprised to see she messaged me not feeling sorry for me, but telling me that the best was yet to come. I dug through my messages… and my heart seemed frozen with shock seeing nothing but positivity…

“You have nothing to be ashamed of…” Christy sent me.

“Nobody in SCW will ever pull off what you just did ever again…” Ally reminded me.

“I know it hurts, but I know you are incredibly strong and you will push through this…” Liam reassured me.

“I’ve never been more proud to call you my daughter…” my mother wrote me. “You are not going to beat yourself up over this. You are amazing. You are strong. You will push through this better than ever because that’s what you’re made of. I am not ashamed of you at all and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future knowing you’ve finally beaten those demons your father planted in you…”

That’s the message that did it.

That’s when I knew that things were different this time. Reading the outpouring of love from my mother all the way to people I barely knew like Myra certainly felt like freedom. Going through a few wrestling sites and seeing that I wasn’t being trashed at all for losing the title, or mocked for my reign, or any of the negativity that I was used to warmed my heart so much that I couldn’t help it anymore.

I couldn’t stop crying for at least 20 minutes after that.

I wasn’t crying because I lost the world title, but because for the first time in forever, if not the first time in my life, I finally knew what it was like for people to be there for me in a moment where I was at my most vulnerable.

“It hurts…” I admitted through my own tears, still feeling the sting in my soul of finally having that “1” in the SCW loss column. In this moment, I knew that how things were going to go were going to be determined by my next sentence. I could give up and quit… as I had done the last two times I lost a world title…

Or I could really prove to myself more than anyone that things were going to be different…

“...but I am not defeated…” I said as I wiped away my own tears.

I knew that it was going to take some time for that fire to come back. But as the bus sped on to Phoenix, I knew that I was going to be okay.

And in this vulnerable moment, dwelling in the sting of defeat?

That’s all I needed.

April 17

I was at dinner with my mother, but up until now, we didn’t talk about Blaze of Glory. I didn’t want to talk about it. I felt like it was too soon. In fact, I didn’t pay much attention to the conversations we were having because I was digging through social media still expecting someone to attack me. I was expecting my ex to dance on the grave of my reign. I was expecting Kayla to run up the score, or Seleana to celebrate, or Krystal to go “LOL NEW CHAMPION”, or even Courtney to come out of the woodwork and say “She was always a nobody LOL”.

But none of that was happening.

Two hours in, my mother sat next to me and suddenly snatched my phone away. She’d been down this road with me twice.

She knew exactly why I was into my phone so much.

I just scoffed with surprise at what she just did.

“They’re not going to trash you, honey…” my mother said.

“Surprisingly…”

“It’s not healthy to worry about what people are saying about you. All it’s been is Kayla being a boisterous bitch and Minka trying to pour salt in the wound. Other than that…”

“Mom…” I said with a sigh. “...it still fucking hurts…”

“We’re finally going to talk about it?” my mother said, almost with amusement.

“I wanted it so badly…” I said, as I sullenly looked down on the table. “I wanted to put the icing on the cake of that title reign. I had it, mother. Everything that I could’ve ever wanted was right there. I had the supercard main event I was striving for. All I had to do was win and the puzzle would be complete. I’m not going to lie to you… and I’m NEVER going to say this on camera… that missing piece of the puzzle is haunting me right now.”

My mother moved a little closer to me.

“This one hits different…” I continued. “This was ‘our’ title remember? I can only remember the joy I felt in my heart when I won it for you right when you had your kidney removal and all. I know that it’s because of what my father drilled into me, but I really feel like a piece of shit of a daughter right now… because I lost OUR title…”

My mother wrapped an arm around me at this point.

“Honey, you’re not a ‘piece of shit daughter’, okay? It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Yeah, but to HER of all people? Someone that I met at that TERRIBLE first company I wrestled for? THAT… you know what… that’s not even important…”

“There you go…” my mother reassured me. “See? You can’t allow yourself to be defined by your setbacks or whatever it is you went through. I know you may not believe it just yet, but you have grown so much stronger since you started wrestling in SCW. The best is yet to come for you, sweetheart. This really is the best time for you to take a step back and to find yourself further especially since you’re about to go on a tour. Learn to remember that Julianna the person is not defined by what happens to Julianna the wrestler. You’re starting to get it, and I’m proud of you. Now, go experience the world will you?”

“Sure mother…” I said with a sigh as she gave me my phone back.

I knew in my heart she was right.

But I still had so much hurt and bitterness to sift through as a result of that loss…

April 23

Nine days after the gut punch of the title loss…

I was starting to feel normal again as I was coming out of the gym. By then, I wasn’t obsessing over my phone seeing if anyone else was talking trash about me. That familiar fire was coming back and as I walked toward my car, I heard a sarcastic clap from nearby.

“BRAVO…” I heard coming from the distance as I immediately felt anger pour through me. “...what a fucking CHOKEJOB you pulled 9 days ago…”

Minka Valeria, my ex-girlfriend, was literally the last person I wanted to see. But there she was, right in front of me.

“What a joke of a title reign you just finished up. All of that bravado and all of that begging and whining for a supercard main event and you fucking choke? It just goes to show you that you lost your edge when you decided to dump me. Sorry Jules, but I’m basking in the glow of all of it! I LOVE seeing you fail! It’s KARMA for dumping me! You deserve EVERY ounce of pain you’ve dealt with since you lost that title.”

“Are you done?” I said to her defiantly.

“You are one of the WORST World Champions SCW has ever had. You built up a reign beating joke after joke when the joke all along was you. You finally stepped up and you BLEW IT! You know, maybe if… you just… continued to ignore Kayla, you’d still be champion? I mean… that was SO RICH! You got tired of her talking shit about you so you decided to call her out and….”

Minka was cackling at this point and not since my own father did I want to punch someone so hard.

“...you fell for her stupid little game and it cost you the title! MAN, I bet you feel REALLY STUPID now! I bet you haven’t felt this stupid since…”

“When I dated you?” I said, having had enough of her shit. Minka rolled her eyes with amusement.

“I was the best you ever had, Jules. We could’ve taken over the wrestling world many times over. You and I should’ve been THE power couple of SCW. We both had that contract offer and I was ready to do it until YOU decided to go back to MAINSTREAM instead. Then YOU had to dump me because YOU couldn’t handle a real woman…”

“Sexually harassing and objectifying your girlfriend on Twitter isn’t what a real woman does, Minka.”

“You’re NOTHING without me, Jules! Just admit that.”

NOW I was pissed off.

“This whole SCW thing was a fluke and Kayla exposed you and oh my GOD, the sex I had with my new girlfriend while your title loss was playing in the background…”

“What’s it like being her cuck, Minka?”

“Excuse me?”

“I want you to listen to this part VERY closely! I don’t give two fucks about what you think because what you think is nothing but a bunch of shit! When we were together, you were POISON! My career was in the mud! I didn’t accomplish SHIT being with you and suddenly, I find myself and reach the pinnacle of my game so far AFTER I dumped you? That’s not a coincidence! You never gave a shit about me. I was just your sex toy. Well I’m NOT your sex toy and I am especially not someone you can use and play around with anymore! FUCK that and FUCK you! Now do yourself a favor and get the FUCK out of my face! I’m NOT tolerating bullshit from people like YOU anymore! So get the FUCK away from me!”

Minka wanted to say something else, but ultimately, with the anger on her face, she flipped me off and decided to turn and walk away.

Suddenly, I was feeling a hell of a lot better knowing I was able to push away someone that was reveling in my defeat without so much a thought.

April 25

I was still going through my ‘processing’ phase, but after I told off my ex, I knew that I was going to be alright. I was standing in the water on a bright, beautiful day at Point Loma beach, taking in nature and just keeping myself calm. Nature, at this moment, was my therapy. I could see my reflection in the water clear as day and I was beginning to enjoy the feeling of experiencing something other than shame whenever I saw it.

“I’ve learned so much about myself since the first match that I had in SCW…” I thought to myself. “In a way, I always figured that I was a ‘good wrestler’, but I never would’ve imagined that I would pull off what I did. Others in the company or the business might say differently, but I’m not that same woman that I was prior to coming to SCW that allowed their criticisms of me to get to me so much. Although… it sickens me to admit that Minka was right about one thing…”

Cue a brief moment of bitterness on my part…

“...I fell right into Kayla’s trap when I wanted to silence her…”

Even with this realization, I wasn’t so much burdened by it.

“But sooner or later, we were going to cross paths anyway. I have no regrets getting after it and doing what I had to do to get the supercard main event that I wanted. In fact, I don’t even regret the outcome even though it sucked as much as it did. I know what I am as a professional wrestler now. I’ve gained so many perspectives since I came to the company. I’ve finally learned how to quit being ‘daddy’s victim’ and to be my own woman at last. It’s a hell of a feeling. To overcome the adversity that I did throughout my upbringing, through the abuse my father put me through in training, and the horrible roller coaster that was my pre-SCW career to go 14 matches undefeated, winning the world title at High Stakes and holding the damn thing for 6 months? Even if there were things that could’ve gone better for me, like my first two defenses for instance, I can’t be ashamed of that.

But there’s this burning, nagging feeling in my heart that knows I can do even BETTER than that…

And that’s what I am going to strive to do.

I look at my reflection in the water, and I’m finally realizing how special of a young lady the person looking back at me is…”

I took a sigh and breathed in the sea air for a bit before I came out of the water and onto the sand where Liam, who came with me, was waiting for me. We embraced, but I was definitely feeling some regret.

“Traveling the world is going to be great… but doing so alone? Not so much…”

Liam just laughed at this.

“Don’t worry about that. I will say that what I’ve seen from you since you lost the title, how you’ve pushed through and stayed strong… I’m loving every second of it and I’m seeing what you can truly be capable of and I will be part of your journey any way I can.”

“That’s SO sweet…” I said with a laugh and an eye roll. “You’ll continue to see it, I promise.”

“Do me a favor while you’re on the tour?”

“Yeah?”

“Win that title back….”

“You’re damn right I’m going to win it back….”

The kiss we exchanged might as well have sealed the ‘healing process’ from what would normally be an ultra devastating, confidence shattering loss. But things WERE different now. I’ve become much too strong to be a victim like I was the previous two times I lost a world title.

The way I was able to fight through the pain and the heartbreak showed me that my mother is right…

The best IS yet to come…

May 10, 2024

Here I was in France, largely carrying some anger toward Kayla Richards but with the camera on me, I knew I had to be composed and calm at this point. I remembered the last time I faced Seleana Zdunich and how angry I was that I even had to deal with her and more importantly, defend the SCW Bombshells World Championship against her. I wasn’t ashamed of the mindset I was in then, but at the same time, I knew that I was going to approach things differently. That angry fire that slowly came back to me in recent weeks after Blaze of Glory was back… and it was about to make Seleana its first victim.

“It feels like de ja vu all over again, huh Seleana?

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way. I’m not the world champion anymore like I was when I defended the title against you and on that subject? Sure, there may be a couple of things about my title reign that I wish were different or better or whatever, but I have no shame in it. I’m not going to go around carrying regrets because regrets are for LOSERS! The kind of wrestler that I’ve become recently is the one that learns from her mistakes and do whatever she needs to do to be better and to get back the throne that she just lost! You think you’re going to come into this match hoping to catch me off guard because I got Kayla in my sights? Yeah, forget that. Oh wait, but you think you get to catch me in an off night because I’m SO DOWNTRODDEN over losing the title at Blaze of Glory.

Yeah, fuck that too. Enough time has passed between then and now to the point where I’ve licked my wounds, learned what I needed to learn and move forward and I have no regret at all in saying that you’re going to be an EXAMPLE! Your purpose in this match for me is for me to show the world what separates a winner like me from someone like you. You see, Seleana… you probably thought that I would’ve been on this downward spiral over losing the title. I get it. It happens. People that go on the streaks that I was on, once they suffer their first loss in this company, generally go down the drain real fast. Some recover, but others? Not so much.

You SHOULD understand that, right?

I mean… you ARE a former SCW Bombshells World Champion…

For all of like… 14 days…

We both know what it’s like to lose that title… but don’t mistake that for me having empathy for you because I don’t. The fact of the matter is, ever since you lost that championship, you have failed to demonstrate any capability of being able to bounce back and be stronger and better than ever.

‘But Julianna… I won the Roulette Championship and held it for a few months after all that…’ you’ll say… probably in Swedish, hiding behind your language as you always do.

And? You want to use that as an example of resiliency from the heartbreak that you suffered from only being a world champion for 14 days? There’s a reason why that championship is generally considered to be the third tier championship, Seleana. The Roulette Championship is more or less the ‘rookie’ championship, the ‘newcomer’ championship, the title that you win when you’re not good enough to win or contend fo the world or the Internet Championship if you don’t qualify as a newcomer. Now Seleana, when I first got here, I was more than willing to win that title but now that I’ve been on a higher mountain than that I can proudly say that it’s not a title that I need to be winning at this point. Otherwise? I’d be doing what YOU did: run away from the main event picture and stoop low enough to competition that you could actually beat. I mean, who’d you beat for the title? Candy? PLEASE! You went for that title because you did what I’d NEVER do and that’s SURRENDER…

You bent the knee…

You gave up…

You quit chasing the title that you had for fourteen days because you knew that you weren’t good enough to be at that level and you never were. What you have shown in this company ever since that brief moment on top of the world, especially since you lost the Roulette Championship, is further proof of that. You did what a lot of the ‘dominant champions’ did and that’s give up without ever so much saying it. You backed off and decided to stay in a different lane knowing it was safe there… just like Andrea Hernandez did… TWICE… when she lost the world championship and eventually settled for the Internet title… and when she packed her bags and quit after she lost that title and her 18 match winning streak or however long it was.

You did what Krystal Wolfe did after HER Roulette title reign ended and that’s be stuck in a never ending loop of mediocrity and complacency that makes you one of the most historical losers of this division at the moment. You have shown NONE of the resiliency that makes a true world champion that I am about to show when I bounce back and beat you on Sunday because believe me… I’m PISSED… I’m on a fucking mission. I don’t give a fuck about who I have to run through between now and Into the Void, Seleana, and if I put someone on the shelf or end someone’s career, TOO BAD! I’m doing what I need to do in order to make it clear as fucking day that I am NOT going to be another Krystal, another Andrea, another fly by night bitch like Ruby Steele who was carried to a Blast from the Past win and did nothing with it or like Georgie Robertson who got ONE win, which happened to be that stupid Golden Briefcase, and has done virtually nothing ever since.

And I’m STILL bitter about that shit that she pulled when I faced the other two champions in the triple threat not that long ago. It’s been a little too long since my last win for my liking, Seleana. But that’s fine. I’m about to make sure that elusive 14th win happens. I am NOT someone like you: having a moment of glory in the sun and then just giving up and dogging it once that moment in the sun fades away. Ironically, as much as I hate to admit it, I USED to be before I came here. I USED to have a horrible attitude regarding losing a world title…

I lost my first one to a piece of shit that retired and I took it as my whole reign meaning nothing but serving to be someone else’s ‘last moment of glory’... and my career took a hit for a while… I even QUIT the company I was that world champion in…

I lost my second one and everyone in that particular company treated me like I was “over” and “done” and all the fans moved on to the new champion like my contributions meant nothing… and my career was more or less in the dumps until I basically came here.

So trust me, I KNOW what it’s like to be YOU after a World Championship loss: someone that’s a quitter in spirit, someone that settles for less, someone that has no initiative to strive to be better than before and just goes around in circles hoping to catch ONE lucky break…

But NOT ANYMORE…

I am NOT that same old Julianna…

I am especially NOT YOU!

I COULD’VE BEEN, but the fact that I came here and accomplished what I have PROVES that I can overcome even the most heartbreaking of losses and the worst of the adversity one can ever wish or manifest upon me and KNOWING my potential now means I can NEVER look back and even better, NEVER regress to being SOMEONE LIKE YOU all over again! Blaze of Glory is NOT going to define me and it’s NOT going to be the final chapter of the book that is very much still in progress, Seleana! I have the fight that you have lacked for years. It’s fucking shocking that you’re not French considering how EASILY you gave up once your pathetic 14 day title reign ended.

I’m NOT going to fall back on old patterns like I did before.

You’re NOT going to catch lightning in a bottle the way you did with Krystal Wolfe last week. I mean for real… if you think that win is going to light a spark in you then… no…

Absolutely not…

The thing is, Krystal completely dogged it when she wrestled you. I’m sure you heard her promo where all she did was whine and bitch about facing you again after she had beaten you every time you faced each other previously. She had no heart or desire to even wrestle that match against you and that’s literally the only reason why you won last week.  It just goes to show you that the only women you can beat in this division anymore are those that gave up just as hard, if not harder, on themselves as you did. You’re not going to catch me sleeping or catch me dogging it like she did. FUCK NO! I’m not falling for the trap. I’m not going to be on the wrong end of an embarrassing upset. The only way you even stand a CHANCE at beating me when I’m in the mindset that I am in right now is if by some miracle, you pull the old Seleana out of your ass, the one that main evented High Stakes against Alicia Lukas and was a world title contender a long, LONG time ago…

And considering we haven’t seen that Seleana in so long, I don’t have a reason to even FEAR that possibility even if I DO have to treat you like that wrestler because I’m not going to be caught off guard against the likes of you.

Hell, even if you DO pull that Seleana out of your ass, it STILL won’t be good enough to beat me. I’m sure people in the back have been talking over the last few weeks and I’m sure the word around the back is that what happened at Blaze of Glory was ‘the end’ for me…”

I paused and completely scoffed at the idea.

“But like I’ve been saying for weeks, Blaze of Glory wasn’t ‘the end’, it was the beginning. I may have lost the championship, Seleana. But the fact of the matter is, there is a HUGE difference between losing and being defeated and when I beat you again, that’s exactly what I am going to prove. I am the epitome of someone that lost, but is still a champion in the making… someone who isn’t defeated because they refuse to stay down and they refuse to allow adversity to define their legacy in such a negative fashion. YOU, of course, are the epitome of being defeated. You’ve been defeated for years, Seleana. I think I’ve elaborated enough on that by now. If you were to retire on Sunday, you might be remembered as a ‘former world champion’, but we all know that your legacy is being someone else’s wife and a flash in the pan.

But I’m still in the early stages of my legacy here, Seleana…

I’ve got a hell of a long way to go.

I said that Blaze of Glory was the beginning, and that’s exactly what it is. Truth be told, Sin City Wrestling hasn’t even seen the absolute BEST of Julianna DiMaria yet. What I accomplished between my debut and Blaze of Glory was a mere appetizer for what’s to come in the long term. It’s the sign of someone that is one of the best prodigies this division is going to see for a long time… not of someone that is a flash in the pan and goes ‘poof’ once they get exposed or once they get bored. Fitting that it starts with you…

Because even though I’ve taken my shots at Kayla these last two weeks…

Even though I’ve unleashed some anger…

Even though I’ve begun to climb back up the hill….

This division hasn’t seen the growth that I am about to display when I make that example out of you.

When I do that, Seleana?

This entire company, this entire division, is going to begin to see it…

They’re going to recognize real quick that I’m not going away…

My war with Kayla is far from over, Seleana…

And I’m damn sure not sorry that I’m about to make you a casualty of it…

With that vigor burning in me, I shut off the camera and really start to focus on not just the battle that’s ahead of me on Sunday, but the journey over the long term that’s about to begin.

It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than losing the SCW Bombshells World Championship to break me to pieces…

OFF CAMERA
Location: Vimy, France.
Date: May 9, 2024
 

Eiley sighs as she walks through another tourist spot in Vimy, France and was not finding what she wanted. She was trying to find a spot that she wanted to film her promo for Sunday’s episode of Climax Control. But everything had been a little too touristy and she wasn’t sure if that’s what she wanted. She had done the private tour of Vimy Ridge and Arras battlefields the day before but it wasn’t what she was looking for. She had looked at the many different museums that the place had to offer but they hadn’t worked either. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was she was looking for but she knew it wasn’t any of those. She stops just outside of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and looks at it. She knew that there was going to be people around but she could see the potential for a promo spot.

••eiley•• “This could be it…”

She turns to look around her before frowning as she sees Kaleb walking up to her. She just gives him a half smile as he stops alongside her.

ΘKALEBΘ “Is this it?”

He gestures at the buildings in front of them and she moves her body back so that it was facing the buildings. Her eyes scan over them before she looks over at him, a slightly worried look in her own eyes.

••eiley•• “What…are you doing here? I didn’t…think that you were supposed to be..you know…here.”

Her voice was hushed as if she didn’t want her words to be heard but it wasn’t like anybody around them was paying them any attention. But the worry in her eyes showed him that she was worried about somebody noticing them and hearing her words as well.

ΘKALEBΘ “Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

He places a hand on the small of her back as a way to reassure her that things were fine. However, the look on her face screams that it did nothing to comfort her or reassure her worries. She carefully brushes his hand off of the small of her back and she steps just two steps closer to him, trying to ensure that they were the only two that would be able to hear one another.

••eiley•• “You don’t know that. People could see you, see me, see us together.”

There was a sense of urgency to her voice and it was not lost on Kaleb. He tries to give her a look to tell her to calm down without actually saying the words. But she didn’t seem to calm down at all as her eyes darted around, trying to see if she recognized anybody that was around them. Kaleb rolls his eyes, annoyed with the blonde’s actions and behavior and only wanted her to calm down and not freak out in front of everybody that was at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as he knew it would only draw attention to them if she were to act out. He gently pulls her into him and hugs her, the gesture looking sweet to those who would look at them but the feeling was different for her as it was tight and his lips are close to her ear as he whispers.

ΘKALEBΘ “You need to calm the fuck down. Nothing is wrong and nobody is going to see us together. Nothing is going to happen, just fucking calm down. Got it?”

His whisper had been harsh and she just simply nods her head in response to what he was saying. She didn’t want to rock the boat and she didn’t want to upset him anymore than he seemingly already was because of the anxiety that was eating at her.

••eiley•• “Okay, I’m sorry. I just wanted to be sure, I want everything to be perfect.”

He lets go of her, releasing her from the hug and she takes a deep breath in through her nose and slowly lets it out through her mouth. She adjusts the shirt she is wearing to smooth out any wrinkles that his hug had caused.

ΘKALEBΘ “So you think this is the perfect location? Something that you’d pick?”

He looks at her and she could tell that he was putting her to the test. She looks at the memorial buildings in front of them and studies them for a moment, trying to decide if this was it. If this was the place where she wanted to film her promo against Diamond Steele and Jayden Harris. She slowly turns her head to look at him before slowly nodding her head to confirm that it was.

••eiley•• “I think so…it is important to this city, and I know that it would hold some sort of importance in the background of the promo piece. I think the importance of the buildings will be enough without explaining why.”

She looks back at the buildings as she contemplates the ideas that move easily through her head.

ΘKALEBΘ “You have to be sure. We can’t afford to be wrong; we cannot ever afford to be wrong, Eiley. Things always have to be spot on.”

The firmness to his voice was not lost on her, either. The tone of his voice matches the look in his eyes as well. She knew what was at stake and she knew exactly what he was talking about and she nods her head at him.

••eiley•• “It’s not wrong, it’s the right choice for what I want and what I want to do. I don’t need anything flashy for my vision. I don’t want the focus of the promo to be on the memorial but instead on me. I want myself to be the focal point of the promo this time and I want to direct it at what is important, and I don’t think the past is important.”

She was trying her best to put emphasis that the past was not important and that it was all about the future. She tried to hold the conviction in her voice as she confirmed the choice she made by looking over at him.

ΘKALEBΘ “Good. What else?”

He presses her for more and she frowns for a moment, looking at him as she tries to think about what he could possibly mean. But in her mind, she was drawing blanks. She couldn’t think about what else there could be or if there even was anything else that could be added. She was sure that he was testing her, but she wasn’t entirely sure, either. His moods were often hard to navigate and she was doing her best not to upset him again.

••eiley•• “What…else? I … um…”

She stumbles over what else there could be or what he was trying to get at. She couldn’t find anything else that he might be talking about and her eyes meet his, the anxiety written in her own. She knew he was trying to get her to think about what else there could be.

ΘKALEBΘ “Think, Eiley. What else could you need?”

He pushes her toward something but she still couldn’t put it together in her own brain. She looks around, her eyes scanning the people that were also visiting the memorial before she sighs.

••eiley•• “I don’t think I need anything else, Kaleb. I just need me and those buildings to be in the background. I know you think I need something flashy, but flashy sometimes doesn’t always work. I tried to change it up last week and I feel like I failed and that Mark and I just barely got by with the win against Aiden Reynolds and Melissa. I can’t afford for that to happen this time. The focus has to be on me this time, nothing else.”

He looks into her eyes, holding them for the moment before smirking and nodding his head. She relaxes, seeing that she had gotten his approval. She looks at the memorial once again as she lets her body and her brain relax. She wanted the anxiety to disappear as she thinks about the upcoming promo that she would have to record for Sunday’s match against Diamond Steele and Jayden Harris.

ΘKALEBΘ “Good, because that’s what the focus needs to be from here on out. You, nobody else.”

A frown falls on her face as she processes his words and she slowly turns to look at him. A slight confused look in her eyes as she contemplates on how to respond to his statement.

••eiley•• “And Mark Cross, he’s my tag team partner for this tournament. I just can’t disregard him and cast him aside like he doesn’t mean anything. He’s important for this match and for my own success.”

This time, it was Kaleb’s turn to frown.

ΘKALEBΘ “He might be your tag team partner, Eiley, but he’s not what is important. You are what is important and proving yourself is what is important. It is why you came back, right? To prove yourself?”

She slowly nods her head, looking at him. It was something that they had discussed as it was something that she wanted more than anything.

••eiley•• “Yes…I want to prove myself to everybody. To prove I have what it takes to be the best.”

Kaleb grins at her.

ΘKALEBΘ “Good then Mark will only be something that will only be helpful to you in advancing in the tournament to get you what you want. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She seems conflicted for a moment, trying to decide how she felt about what Kaleb was saying. She didn’t necessarily agree with him about her tag team partner but she wasn’t going to upset him by openly disagreeing with him, either. She was learning how to navigate his moods and she didn’t want to set him off.

••eiley•• “O-okay. But there’s no need to not let the focus be on him, too. It’s not going to hurt me if the attention is on him too. It will only benefit the both of us if we are in the focus and in the spotlight. It doesn’t mean anything else.”

Kaleb just smirks a little bit.

ΘKALEBΘ “If that’s what will help you propel yourself into the main event, then that’s what you need to believe. I am not saying that you shouldn’t trust your partner, I’m just saying that in your promo, you need to be the focus. Because what you have to say is important.”

Eiley nods her head as if she understands where he was coming from. She takes a deep breath again and then slowly lets it out once more. She was trying not to get on his bad side as she didn’t like to see the angry side of him, the side of him that he rarely let out unless he couldn’t control it.

••eiley•• “Right. I’m just planning on sitting on the sidewalk with the buildings in the background. I don’t think I am even going to mention them, just let them be in the background. I know it’s not usually something that they would like and I’m almost sure that mentioning them might be good, but I think making my focus me is more important.”

Kaleb nods his head, agreeing with what she was saying. Kaleb watches her, taking in her body language as she seems to become a little more comfortable in his presence.

ΘKALEBΘ “I agree. Now let’s go find something that you can wear for the promo that will make you stand out.”

She shakes her head no, this time openly disagreeing with him. This movement makes him raise an eyebrow in curiosity but he doesn’t really react yet, letting her speak.

••eiley•• “Nothing flashy. Just a pair of jeans and a cropped tee. Nothing flashy, nothing special. I don’t want them to take anything away from my words.”

He grins at her, seemingly proud of the idea that she had in her own mind for her promo piece. She smiles back at him, seemingly happy that she has gotten his approval for the idea she was talking about.

ΘKALEBΘ “Perfect.”

The two of them turn to walk away from the memorial, leaving their thoughts there. The two of them walk towards the parking lot where the vehicle that Eiley had been driving was parked. Kaleb pulls her into him in front of the car and hugs her gently this time and she relaxes into him just a little, hugging him back as the anxiety melts away.



ON CAMERA
Location: Vimy, France..
Date: May 10, 2024.
 


“Last week was my first match back from an extended absence from competing. And I’ll be honest, it probably wasn’t the best that I’ve ever been in the ring. But that doesn’t matter because Mark Cross and I still walked away with the win and we eliminated Aiden Reynolds and Melissa. But while it doesn’t matter, it is important to look back at the match and see what I can do better to improve myself. Because that’s what it’s about, right? Proving that you’re the better wrestler. And in this case, proving that you’re the better team when it comes to advancing in this tournament.

This is my second time being in this tournament and last year, my partner and I only advanced to the second round. But to be fair, we were going up against J2H and his partner.  And going up against one of SCW’s legends is no easy task. Some would say that facing Devona is no easy task, either but if you ask me, she is not to legend status just yet.  The second round, last year, was the round that bounced me and my last year’s partner out. And maybe this year will be the same but I’m hoping that this year, this second round proves to be vastly different from last year.

In this second round of the Blast From the Past tournament, Mark and I go up against Jayden Harris and Diamond Steele. And while I do not have to worry about the semantics of facing Jayden Harris, because that job in itself lies in Mark’s hands, I am sure it is not something that Mark is going to take lightly. Jayden Harris is the offspring of former SCW World Heavyweight Champion, Michael Harris. I don’t know a lot about Jayden or really Michael, other than Jayden’s father was … controversial to put it nicely. And maybe Jayden isn’t the same, but he’s got a long ways to go to prove that he isn’t just like his father. But there’s a saying that goes that fathers and sons resemble each other, and sons tend to do what their fathers did before them. It’s going to be hard for Jayden to prove that he’s not the same as father. But hey, I’m all for believing that people can prove somebody wrong but Jayden has pretty big shoes to fill. And a lot of people to prove that he’s not the same as his father and only time will tell.”

Eiley just shrugs her shoulders.

“I understand about having big shoes to fill, even if I am not related to Mikah. She’s a SCW legend herself and you’ll be hard pressed to find somebody who doesn’t agree. There are a lot of people out there that want to argue that I haven’t even began to fill her shoes, and realistically, they’re right. The most I have done is hold a tag team championship belt with Oz for a few months, nothing more. I haven’t had the opportunity to go for the World Bombshell Championship and I have yet to go for any singles belts, either. But you know what? I don’t even fucking care anymore. I am tired of being compared to her and I am not her, so people can stop assuming that I’m going to be just like her in the ring. And while she did train me, it’s not like we’re the same person in and out of the ring. And I’m done trying to prove myself to her…especially after she kicked me out of her gym. So I’ve had to find open gyms that allow people to walk-in to train and that is not something that has been easy for me. And it’s even harder trying to find somebody that will work with me in the ring but I’m used to having things not be easy for me and I’ll persevere through it and I’ll come out the better person. And I am going to make my mark in SCW and do whatever it fucking takes to be better than she was in the ring.

This tournament is going to be the thing that launches me into that superstardom…something that sets me in that direction that I deserve to be going. I know a lot of people look at this tournament and have a jaded view on it. But the way that I look at it, it lets the winners of the tournament shoot themselves into the main event and into the spotlight. And that is something that I am personally wanting for myself. I want to be in the spotlight and to be in the center of attention. This is something that I have never had in my entire life and I am going to prove that I can handle being in the spotlight.”

Eiley smirks a little at the camera, the arrogance reaching her eyes as she sits in front of Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

“Many of you will call this kind of behavior childish and that I am acting as if I am entitled to something when in fact, many of you believe that I am entitled to absolutely nothing. And for a little bit, you’re right. I understand that there are other Bombshells in this tournament that have put in the work to get where they are and I am just coming off of a four month hiatus and I don’t deserve to be in this tournament. And most of that belief comes from the fact that if Mark and I were to win this tournament, the two of us would be reward with championship opportunities. And I know that there are idiots that believe that I don’t deserve a reward of that status. But this tournament is something that absolutely anybody can enter to receive that reward. And if those whiners want to change the playing field, they could have entered this tournament just like I did and everybody else.

Moving on to Diamond Steele…”

Eiley makes a face as she looks at the camera.

“It took me a moment to realize that Diamond Steele is the same person as Kate Steele. Because for some reason, I thought that they were somehow two different people but I was corrected when I looked it up. I am not sure why it is so hard to keep track of the names of the Steele family, but sometimes I forget who is who. But at the same fucking time, I don’t fucking care either.

Diamond Steele might have something to say about the fact that her and I have both trained at Jet City or that we have some of the same connections. Or something of that nature but the fact is, I was mostly trained by Mikah. My affiliation with Jet City is due to Mikah being happily married to Kris Ryans. She might also mention something about Mikah and the training, but I am not a mind reader. I have absolutely no clue what goes on in the mind of Diamond Steele and I’m not going to pretend that I do. All I know is that she’s going to be on the opposite side of the ring of me and my job is to face her in the ring and do whatever I can to get the win for our team. Or at least, make it so that she doesn’t get the win.

Last week, Diamond claimed that this tournament was the right time for her to return to SCW and that it was the perfect place for her to assume her rightful place at the top of the card and at the forefront of the Bombshell division.”

Eiley just shakes her head a little bit with a slightly amused look on her face.

“While that is quite funny, it is not too bold of her to say. She does have history in this company and has been around here much, much longer than I have. It is not too bold of her to say but she has to remember that there are a lot of Bombshells in this division fighting for that same exact thing. Every bombshell that is signed with Sin City Wrestling wants to prove to the bosses that they have what it takes to be the face fo the division and to shoulder everything that comes with being said face of the division. But I don’t think Diamond Steele has what it takes to carry a division like the Bombshell Roster on her shoulders. How many times has she crumbled before? How many times has she walked away as if this company was nothing? Granted, I don’t know her exact record with doing that but it seems like it’s a revolving door for her. But it’s nice to see that there is something inside her head that is making her aim for more than being just a bottom feeder. At least there’s that.

I will give her props and agree with what she said about Jet City being the gym to bring out the best for SCW’s Bombshell division. It is not something that can be argued if you look at statistics or how many success stories has come out of Jet City. But I’m going to expand on that because I don’t think that Jet City’s success is only limited to the Bombshell division. People like Oz, Jaycee, and Kris Ryans came from Jet City and so did Kris Ryans’ brother, Jason Halich and Coby Quik. It’s not just the Bombshell roster that reaps the benefits from Jet City’s gym, it’s SCW in its entirety. However…

Diamond seemed to get one thing wrong or perhaps, mistaken…”

Eiley smirks a little to herself as she leans back on the sidewalk leading up to the memorial.

“Mikah wasn’t trained by Jet City. And while I am desperately trying to distance myself from her shadow, it is important to point that out. I’ve heard the story about where she came from so many times, that I could practically tell it myself. But no, Diamond got that wrong because Mikah was trained by a woman named Ally Johnson and she was trained in New York City. And maybe Diamond wasn’t lumping Mikah in with Jet City but it sounded like she had. But Mikah does work with Jet City now, doing coops with them for her own gym but her success in SCW cannot be  directly linked to the success of Jet City. By association? Yes, but not directly. Her success came before she was even friendly with her now husband.

And you would think that Diamond would be able to get things right because she sure likes to list her own accolades that she’s achieved in SCW. You would think that she would be able to get a little history down right so that she wouldn’t sound like a complete baboon when talking about Jet City and other gyms to push talent into SCW to see how their training worked and if they were good at their jobs. Diamond wants to talk about how certain Bombshells that were trained by SCW legends should emulate their trainers’ attitudes. But a good trainer shouldn’t want their student to be exactly like them but to exceed their expectations from them and become their own person inside the ring. And I’ll be as clear as I can be, I am not saying that Mikah is a perfect trainer and while she’s not perfect, she is one of the best. But her own narcissism prevents her from being able to be the perfect trainer because she wants everything to be perfect and expects perfection from her students. It is why she is so hard on them and why she is-was so hard on me before she kicked me out of her gym. She wants her students to be perfect in the ring and she expects them to be perfect because she believes that it reflects back on her and she doesn’t want her name dragged through the mud. But I disagree with Diamond saying that students should emulate their trainers’ behavior and attitudes….

And it might be a little ironic for me to be saying because the first year of my career, I was so focused on trying to be like Mikah that I was missing the fact that I wasn’t her. It made my mind go crazy with anxiety because I was always so worried about what she would think and if I was doing right by her. It got to me more than I ever thought it would. I had to take a break and step away to see that I couldn’t be her but I could try to be as good as she was in the ring and that’s what I am going to try to do from here on out. Even if she did kick me out of her gym.”

Eiley smiles at the camera and shrugs her shoulders.

“But this match against Diamond Steele and Jayden Harris has absolutely nothing to do with Mikah or any of those trainers who have achieved legend status here in SCW. It is about us and what we’re going to do in that ring to get the win. How far each of us are willing to go to get the win. I know that I will do anything I can to get the win because it means something more to me. I want to prove myself to everybody and that I wasn’t…I’m not some flash in the skillet and just a competitor who’s only around when things go her way. I want to prove to everybody that I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with when I step foot in the ring.

I know that Diamond has a history here in SCW and a long list of accolades and accomplishments for this company. However, there isn’t  going to be any red carpet that’s going to be rolled out for her on Sunday. This match isn’t a movie premiere or a rock concert for her. It’s not something that is going to just be given to her and she’s going to have to do whatever it takes to help her partner come out with the wind. But she’s not going to be given anything and nothing is just going to be fucking handed to her. I’m going to treat Diamond on Sunday as if she’s fresh to this company. Because I don’t give a FUCK about what she has accomplished before in this company. She could have fucking kissed Jesus’ feet and I still wouldn’t give a fuck about that because it’s not important. Those accolades and accomplishments aren’t going to be something that steps in the ring. Those things that she proudly listed off last week in her promo against Harper Mason mean jack fucking shit to me. Just like my previous mixed tag team championship reign isn’t going to get me any fucking leverage on Sunday because that’s not what’s on the line. Those things? They’re only important when you’re listing them on a resume for a job but you already have a job here, Diamond. I don’t need to fucking hear about what championships you’ve previously won or who you’ve beat to retain them or win them. Because you’re not the champion of those championships now, which means that you also lost those championships. It is easy to talk about your success in this company or in life but it’s a lot harder to talk about your failures in this company and I am sure that you have a lot. Just like my failure is not being able to re-capture the mixed tag team championships with Oz back in December or being able to beat Boring Kayla Richards in January. Those are my failures. Or at least, the most recent failures. I know there’s more but those are the two that seem to reign supreme in my life. And I’m sure it will be mentioned by either Diamond or the Boresome Bombshell Champion about how I have been MIA for four months and I’m sure both of them will credit that to the Boresome Bombshell Champion and how I was scared. Blah, blah blah.

But I wasn’t scared. I was just done. I needed space and time, something I couldn’t get while being booked in matches and I know that the quality of my in-ring work would have suffered. So I took the time that I personally needed to get my head right. And I did just that and came back to compete in this tournament to prove that I am going to be one of the best Bombshells that this company has seen.

Diamond, you’ve had your time to shine in previous years and it’s time for you to step aside to let somebody else have their time. I don’t give a fuck about what you’re going to say about me or what you’ve said about me, I have everything to prove and you’re just in my way. And I’m going to do whatever I can to ensure that Mark and I walk out of Climax Control on Sunday as the winners so that we can move on in this tournament. You’re nothing more than a roadblock on my itinerary. And I’m going to destroy that roadblock on Sunday.

Hope you’re ready for it.”