L O S A N G E L E S, C A L I F O R N I A
The countdown to a new year is almost here. But there were no confetti crackers and noisemakers to be found here. Only the sound of an acoustic guitar in the stillness of night. Then, all of a sudden a harmony of voices come together singing everything from Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" to "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
On a rooftop sitting around a breakfast table and bundled up from the cold as a full moon rises, Mercedes sat amongst her castmates, munching on French toast and strawberries. Ricardo is strumming along on the guitar, Hugo is drinking from a thermos cup while talking with Irma, who is holding a tablet. Tomas is munching on Pringles.
After another medley, Ricardo leans his guitar next to him.
Ricardo: Ten minutes to midnight. Last chance to close out the decade on a good note."
Hugo: I wanted to see the ball drop.
Tomas: Times Square is overrated, my friend. The key to a perfect New Year's Eve party relies on three things: Strong drinks, great friends, fun music...
Mercedes: And breakfast.
Irma: Speaking of, I can't believe this is the last moonlight breakfast we're going to have with you, Merce. It's going to be sad seeing you go.
She nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders, adding a smile.
Mercedes: I know, it's crazy. Last year, I was running the slots table in Vegas, now here I am downing sparkler cider on a full moon. I don't remember who met who first. I just remembered all of us being friends. This year might have been filled with ups and downs, but I'm looking forward to regret the next 365 days.
Mercedes pauses, then amended her statement.
Mercedes: Or the next ten years, whichever comes first.
Hugo: Some more than others.
Mercedes pours hot coffee with milk in a cup from a thermos.
Mercedes: I just to say how happy I am to close out 2019 with the people I love.
Hugo: And 2020 is going to be even better.
Irma: Alright, it's almost time for the countdown. Ready?
Mercedes: Ten...
Ricardo: Nine...
Irma: Eight...
Hugo: Seven...
Tomas: Six...
Now every counts along.
All: FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO... ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Mercedes throws up confetti from a salad bowl nearby.
Ricardo: It is the beginning of a decade, so it seems like the perfect time to party like it's 1999, bay-bay!
Irma: Because 2019 just does not have the same ring to it.
Ricardo picks up his guitar and our scene fades to everyone singing Auld Lang Syne.
***Fade***
A T L A N T A, G E O R G I A
BACKSTAGE AT THE MCCAMISH PAVILION
The walk was slow, anguishing, and each step more painful than the last. Through the chilly, winding halls of Mccamish Pavilion, the home floor of Georgia Tech's men and women basketball teams, Mercedes Vargas heads to the trainer's room after her match with Bobbie Dahl flanked by Drew Patton and head referee Jasmine St. John. The long-tenured referees provide moral support as best they could to the Hall of Famer following the heinous actions by Bobbie Dahl this night.
Drew Patton: Mercedes, it's going to be okay. We got you, just hang in there.
It's quarter 'til 9, the audience fends off exhaustion and cold. The men and women (mostly men) and children (two of them) are enjoying Climax Control, still ongoing. The venue is set up to house 8,600 people, but in the end, just over 7,00 fans have shown, not exactly a sellout crowd but an electric crowd nonetheless.
Not far from on their destination, Mercedes passes the makeup alley, a makeshift encampment lit by several industrial lights. Pop music plays from a portable speaker. Long tables are lined with hundreds of brushes, piles of eye shadow, concealer, glitter, boxes upon boxes of fake eyelashes, super-strength glue. Before her match, she was sitting tall in a director's chair while Janet the makeup artist caked her face with powder. Now she was a mangled mess.
Further down the hall, idle bystanders glance Mercedes' way as she passed them. Drew and Jasmine warn them to get out of the way.
Mercedes could feel those eyes scourging her while she kept her head down. She's reached her destination. She knew this because the referees' barged through the door, shouting for the doctor.
Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 1 al 8 de febrero de 2 0 2 0
So there it was. The stars were bright on Sunday night. It's the final SCW show of 2019, my final match of the year. Las Vegas, Nevada. A city I've been to way too many times to count. The Gold Coast Casino, a venue I've competed at many times over in my career in SCW. Won a fatal four-way contendership once for the Bombshell Roulette Championship. That turned into me beating Amy Santino for my second and third reigns not to mention, but I'll mention, the first of four championships I won in 2014, a record no one has been able to touch since. Ruined Seleana Zdunich's pay-per-view debut at Into the Void in the same building. I beat Celeste North at Inception three years ago in a lumberjill match. I could go on, but my point is I was hoping to end 2019 on a high note and, to the surprise of no one, I did just that. So maybe beating someone the likes of Jessie Salco at December 2 Dismember was the best SCW could do for a bonafide legend like myself, but a win is a win, and I'm not complaining. Anytime is a good time to #BeatUpJessieSalco.
I wonder how that ego is now. Mine is fine. Wouldn't be too surprised if Miss-100-Career- Losses pretended her loss never happened, except hundreds of fans saw it, the record books has it written down as a loss for her and a win for me, and there's nothing she can do about it.
I knew I was going to beat Jessie Salco, the thousands of fans in the arena and the millions watching at home knew I was going to beat Jessie Salco. I'm sure all of SCW knew I was going to beat Jessie Salco. So, why come out here and state the obvious? I mean, most people don't like me stating the obvious these days. I could state the obvious that I'm the first and only ten-time champion in company history. That I am hardworking, that I am consistent and, yes, that I am arguably one of the greatest of all time. You have your Roxi Johnsons, your Crystal Zdunichs, your Mikahs, your Misty and Vixens. They have their accomplishments and accolades, but the difference between them and me is while they eventually dropped off, I kept going. In those classic barbershop argument of who the greatest was in SCW, my name is above all of them. But you don't need me to tell you this. You know this. They know this. We all know this.
Like it or not, believe it or not, hate me all you want, but you can't deny that I am one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace the six-sided ring.
After the year I had in 2019, I had A LOT to be smiling about walking into 2020. That is, until the first show of the new year. Why did it all turn out like this for me? I had so much promise. I was personable, I was smart…oh, maybe not academically speaking, but I was perceptive. I had a lot of things going for me.
Sometimes it's about the little things in life. Like becoming the winningest female wrestler in SCW history. Like being the winningest singles wrestler of all-time. Like having the most wins ever on pay-per-view and keeping my appearance streak in tact. Like the fact that I've won the most championships than anyone during the last decade in SCW history. Like the fact that just as Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all come once a year, you can bet you're going to see me raise a championship at some point. Like becoming the most decorated women’s champion after just six years on the main roster. Proud of it. Not ashamed to say it. Most say I'm arrogant like it's a bad thing. You know why I can toot my own horn? Because I can, because I've earned the right, because nobody said I couldn't, and because there's not a single woman on the roster who can stop me. So there's really all but two things they can do about it - nothing and like it.
Multiple championships. Fought my way back from a concussion. Most wins all-time by a female wrestler and on pay-per-view.
So what do I have left to prove?
The answer is simple: everything.
Because my favorite win is always the next one. My favorite championship is the one I'm in the hunt for at this moment. Let's face it, it's not like I need any more motivation than what I have right now. My legacy is already assured. The record books is my autobiography. And if my name isn't feared, than it's damn sure respected by every woman in SCW and SCU, past, present or future.
I could pull an Apple Coren and not win a single match this year, I could go on a two-year title drought like Jessie or Amy. Take away the championships, the accolades, the awards, and history making moments, and I am still head and shoulders above the rest. Entitled, hanging on to past glories? Don't blame me for being that damn good.
Blame yourselves for not being good enough.
But, yeah, I'm getting a little tired of talking about being that damn good. I know everyone in the Bombshells locker room is tired of hearing me talk about it. So in eight days, a little less than a week, in Tampa for SCW's first pay-per-view of the new year, I'm going to show every woman in the Bombshell Internet Championship ladder match why I am that damn good.
Every woman in this match has something to prove, every woman in this match wants to make history. You've got Seleana Zdunich and Sierra Williams competing at My Bloody Valentine for the first time. Seleana hoping to win a championship on her own merits unlike how she won her first and only world title reign, Sierra still chasing that white whale trying to win her first singles title. There's the former and the longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time, Samantha Marlowe, the closest thing to Joan of Arc, who is looking to accomplish the one thing she's yet to achieve, becoming Grand Slam Champion. Been there, done that. The closest Kate Steele and Jessie Salco will ever get to another title is buying a replica from SCW Shop because neither one of them are good enough to end their long title drought.
But in order for me to make history one more time, for me to achieve my dreams, I have to crush theirs. So Seleana and Sierra will lose their My Bloody Valentine debut, Sierra will have to wait a little bit longer for that elusive singles title win; Samantha's recent slide will continue in the new year; and Kate and Jessie will have to wait another three or four years to win a title.
I've beaten Samantha multiple times. I've beaten her for titles. I've ended her winning streaks that lasted months at a time. Add to it that she's on a bit of a losing streak lately and you can already sense that her chances of winning isn't looking good right now. But never let it be said that Samantha won't give it her all because if anything she's resilient. She's been typecast as an underdog for so long, matches like these are tailor-made for her. She was the last woman standing in the Ultimate X Over the Pool at Summer XXXtreme and tied my record for most Bombshell Roulette reigns, she beat Evie to become a three-time Bombshell Roulette Champion, she survived to the bitter end in the first-ever main event in Summer XXXtreme history before falling short in the Chamber of Fate match, she even shocked the world and ended Mikah's first title reign at the last My Bloody Valentine event four years ago. Samantha has a knack for overcoming obstacles, but I've got 20/20 vision, and I can see clearly that she won't be walking out with a shiny new title.
Kate and Jessie are two of my notable victims over the years and honestly it doesn't get old dashing their hopes and dreams. At least, not for me. I think it's safe to say that their careers has gone off the rails and there's just no coming back from this, there just isn't.
Let's be honest: those two are never going to stop promising to win a championship despite that they can't seem to get out of their own way. Kate had an opportunity to become world champion, and she got embarrassed in her hometown. She was the one Samantha eliminated last to win her fourth Bombshell Roulette Championship in the Ultimate X Match, and London Underground wiped the floor with her and her idiot husband and used their face to wipe their tears off the canvas. Jessie had opportunities at the Bombshell Roulette Championship twice last year, was embarrassed by Alicia when she challenged for the world title, and her and Caleb failed to win the Mixed Tag Titles against a team that was easy to beat. How do you think this is going to end next Sunday?
We all know Jessie has been a controversial figure in recent years, but when has any of that resulted in winning matches when it counts? Since Christian Underwood felt pity on her and finally lifted the title ban Mark Ward slapped on her for being an insufferable piece of shit, she's won only two matches, though beating Christina Rose and Twisted Sister isn't saying much. Listen, I get Jessie's been loyal to SCW and that somehow gives her a pass to get unlimited title matches, but this is almost painful to watch. Almost as painful as Kate's career, which has pretty much reached an all-time low at this point, and there's no light at the end of the tunnel. You need only to go back and watch the charade she put on with her husband last year and how that turned out. No, scratch that. No one should be punished having to sit through that mess.
If Seleana wrestled a tenth as good as her entrance theme, she wouldn't be known as a fluke world champion and an also-ran. I said she was going to fall flat on her face in the six-pack challenge world title match at the last pay-per-view, and instead of proving me wrong, she proved me right. I didn't think she would be the first person gone from the match, though. Nobody outside of her circle believed she stood a snowball's chance in hell in beating Roxi at the go-home show either, even if Christina would be dumb enough to interfere. Seleana's record in title matches isn't so hot. Could she possibly win next Sunday? Sure. Will she? Definite no.
And then there's poor Sierra. Is there anything she isn't angry about or in a bad mood. It's no secret Sierra doesn't like me very much. For the better part of two years now, she's has this fixation about wanting me to retire, that I'm past my prime and can’t hang with the younger stars, the same argument Jessie made, and yet even past my prime, I still best her last pay-per-view, and I still was able to beat Sierra the last time we crossed paths. And that night was special. It was the night where I became the all-time winningest female wrestler in company history.
Maybe that's where all that pent up anger came from. Since her reign with Lachlan ended, Sierra's never been the same. She claims she blamed herself for losing the Mixed Tag Titles, but then turns around and blames the tag division. For over five months her and Lachlan were living the charmed life, they had it too good. Maybe it's the fact that for a split second, one split second, Sierra and Lachlan took their eyes off the ball and now everything that they had came crumbling down. Lachlan is now a shadow of himself and Sierra has been fading fast. If losing to Kate Steele forced me to work minimum wage at a fast food place, I'd do it too. But then again, Kate has never beaten me in a decisive match in SCW and I'd much rather be working at Daniel J Morgan's casino instead of Taco Bell. Was being a barista at Starbucks too good for her?
Success is pretty much in my DNA. For some people, blood runs through their veins. I have gold running through mine. Sunday at My Bloody Valentine, I'm walking in 12-time champ and walking out 13 and still undefeated at this supercard.
And if you don't believe me, just watch.
~~~
It's Not Whether You Win or Lose: Gatekeeper the Fourth
Present Day • M I A M I, F L O R I D A
REC•]
The camera warms up and once it comes to life, the scene opens on a set of empty swings swaying at a playground. The camera pans around other sights here. A sandbox, jungle gym, even a see-saw. Finally, it settles on a merry-go-round, which has seen better days, judging by the lines of cracked paint on metal and rust spots. And then a voice off-camera can be heard.
"Some things are better left unsaid, but you can bet I'm going to say it anyway. I can't help being who I am."
Mercedes Vargas enters the shot, at first looking forlorn at the merry-go-round then at the camera.
"Oh, and you probably didn't know this, but I beat Samantha Marlowe twice in 2019."
She holds up two fingers.
"What a year it's been. A year where more often than not you've probably seen my name mentioned a lot in the history books. I said that 2019 would be my year, I kept my word. I also said I would make history. Promise made, promise kept. So as a decade seemingly came to a close, it should be no secret or come as no surprise to anyone which woman has continually dominated the women's division in Sin City Wrestling."
Mercedes smiles, running her fingers through her hair.
"That being said, look, we've survived the holiday season and most of you are mentally checked out anyway, at least I am. I thought about throwing on the Christmas jammies, making some cocoa and roasting chestnuts on an open fire but somewhere between tearing up watching It's a Wonderful Life for the hundredth time and nearly ruining Christmas dinner, I decided against it." Anyway, yeah."
Mercedes waves off the camera.
"You know, it's funny. Year after year, SCW signs all these new talent and only a few has managed to stick around. Last year, some 14 girls debuted or at least competed in the Blast From the Past Tournament. Just four is on the roster in 2020. SCW has a roster that's capable of leading the company into the future and many new faces will eventually find their way to the company. Whether you support me, cheer me, boo me, like me or hated me, the fact remains that I will leave my mark and the future will be thankful for my accomplishments in due time.
"I've had to work for everything I’ve gotten. There were days where I wondered if there was a light at the end. There were days where I wondered if it was worth it. Here we are about to enter a new decade and I’m leaving last decade having the most title reigns of any SCW wrestler. Add it to the long list of other achievements I've stockpiled over my storied career."
Mercedes holds up a finger to add another thought.
"And now a new decade begins. A new year starts anew and what happened the first Climax Control of 2020, I shared the ring with the one and only Bobbie Dahl. Bobbie righted a wrong she felt never should have happened. She did beat me last year, and now she's in front. I won one, she's won two. She also ended my Bombshell Roulette Championship reign at Summer XXXtreme, but that's neither here or there since she failed twice to win it.
"I'll say this much, for weeks Bobbie has been telling anyone who would listen that she's going to be world champion someday, but you know what's more laughable than seeing Bobbie Dahl as the next World Bombshell Champion? That Delia Darling is grooming her as her next pet project. And I have to ask why. I mean, why would a former World Bombshell Champion, a former World Bombshell Tag Team Champion, a future Hall of Famer and someone who was undefeated for over a year would want to waste her time on a girl who just isn't worth the time? Don't get me wrong, Delia still has the Midas touch because if not for her, Mean Girls would be remembered as only that failed tag team by Veronica Taylor and Angelica instead of the greatest stable ever assembled, and Delia is already viewed as a threat - in the ring, on the runway, on the football field and on stage and screen and is more of an actress than Christina Rose will ever hope to be. It's just that Delia can do better. It sounds strange to say this, but that doesn't make it any less true: there's plenty of girls down in SCU that would sell their own parents just for the chance to be managed by Delia Darling. Bobbie? I don't see it, sorry."
Mercedes nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders.
"She's not like most girls and she might intimidate some of the other women in the locker room, but I'm not one of them, nor will I ever be. I may be the oldest woman on the roster, but I'm living proof that age is nothing but a number. Even on my worst day I'm better than Bobbie and even past my prime, I'm still better than I ever was.
So Climax Control 256 wasn't my night, but there's only so much you can prove in one match. I held my own, but that wasn't enough for Bobbie. She gave me a concussion. I'm told I'm under concussion protocol and physically unable to compete. I had to sit on my hands and watch as opportunities were given to other girls that I should have had.
"Well, I'm back 125%, I'm back in fighting form, I am ready for My Bloody Valentine and ready to make history one more time.
"So I didn't walk out of SCU Underground 45 as the Underground Champion and Bobbie got the best of me again, but those losses hasn't put a crack in my resolve because I'm still on track on getting my 2020 goals early. I'm going to be the first wrestler ever to get to 50 wins on Climax Control, break Despayre's record for most wins ever on Sunday nights, snd then - and this is the fun part, at least for me, anyway - yours truly will be champion once again, a 13-time champion. I just didn't know how I would do it. Making Samantha lose her smile never gets old for me, so becoming the first-ever five-time Bombshell Roulette Champion was in my future until Samantha couldn't hold on to the title. I could have teamed up with someone from the male roster and answer Daniel J. Morgan's open challenge and become la primera vez tres veces Campeones en Parejas Mixtas SCW...the first-ever three-time SCW World Mixed Tag Team Champion just for kicks. But then again, I don't think Danny-boy or the rest of his motley crew would want to have lightning strike twice afrer the last time I beat them for the titles. I thought about ending Roxi Johnson's fairytale reign and become a record-tying three-time world champion. At this point, nothing is impossible and everything is achievable."
Mercedes walks over to the swings and takes a seat.
"There's a reason why I've gone on to have the career that I have. There's a reason why I am the most decorated wrestler in SCW history. I've set the bar, now I AM the bar, and none of you will ever surpass it."
Mercedes brushes away a few strands of her hair from her eyes with her free hand then places her championship over her shoulder.
"So to my opponents at My Bloody Valentine III, get ready to see me know make the impossible possible and where I make another moment you all will remember. And you will remember it when you get to step in the ring with the #ChampionofChampions, Mercedes Vargas, the winningest female wrestler in this company, bar none. I don't have to outfight you in that ladder match, I won't need to. I'll just outsmart you. And while it's great to set goals and new year's resolutions, you won't make a statement with me as an example."
Mercedes speaks in a tangent of Spanish.
"Yo soy mejor de todos los tiempos, la mejor sin dudas en el división femenina, y ninguno de vosotros puede decir otra cosa. Soy el récord-rompe, rompe-suelos, historia-hacer, sendero-candente, toma de nombre, derrota de leyenda, Y fuerza más dominante en SCW."
"I am the greatest of all time, the greatest in the women's division without a doubt, and none of you can say any different. I'm the record-breaking, ground-breaking, history-making, trail-blazing, name-taking, legend-beating, and THE most dominant force in SCW!"
Mercedes brushes away a few strands of her hair from her eyes.
"The gloves are off, the war paint is on, and the checklist is always at hand. Like it or not, believe it or not, I'm walking out of the first SCW pay-per-view of the new year with my hand raised and making history one more time.
"So the question isn't who's going to let me..."
For a moment the smile returns to her face while running her fingers through her hair.
"it's who's going to stop me?"
Mercedes stops to open her arms wide in challenge.
***Fade***