(Gabriel was used with permission from Mark)
Despite the Go Sisters’ best efforts, Team Hero got to end their run having not suffered a defeat in years though the match itself proved to be a strong contender for the 2023 Match of the Year! For Ari though, this was one match the Greek American Bombshell didn’t mind losing as she was happy to just share a ring with her heroes before Keira called it a career especially since Keira was one of the five names entering this year’s Hall of Fame class alongside Jessie Salco, Alex Jones, Erick Staggs, and Griffin Hawkins.
But that was far from the only thing going on with Jessie as, to the shock of literally anyone who had followed Jessie’s SCW career, the veteran Bombshell and newly minted Hall of Famer had opted to put off her title match against Ari to instead focus on settling her beef with Melissa once and for all! This left Ariana without a challenger for High Stakes XII and the bosses weren’t about to let one of their champions miss out on the biggest show of the year, their solution? Ariana’s new defence was a rematch against Seleana Zdunich! Seleana had picked up the win over Bea Barnhart in last week’s opener and left scrambling to find a new challenger at the last minute, Christian had chosen his old nemesis! Can Ariana repeat history and be the first Bombshell since Krystal to retain the title on the third defence? Or will Seleana finally win the gold again!
Ariana’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 17th of October 2022, 11:00am
Last night’s Climax Control was certainly an event.
Heading into it, I was treating it like any other Go Home Show even with the fact that it was the Go Home Show for the last and biggest PPV of the calendar year! That meant getting in some last-minute hype segs for our planned matches, hoping to win and gain some momentum heading into the PPV and (exclusively to High Stakes) see who was going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
The fact that my #1 Contender was among the men and women named as this year’s Hall of Fame Class (also including Alex Jokes, Keira Fisher-Johnson and yes the Team Hero fangirl in me had a fangasm when I realized that both members of Team Hero were finally in the Hall of Fame, Erick Staggs and Griffin Hawkins) wasn’t the biggest surprise of the night, as happy as I was for Jessie and the other inductees, the biggest surprise was that Jessie was willing to wait until the Climax Control after High Stakes XII to challenge me for the title and focus on settling her beef with Melissa first.
Trust me, I was just as shocked as you were! Admittedly I hadn’t paid much attention to the show aside from looking up recipes for my YouTube show and warming up for the Main Event so I wouldn’t find out who my new challenger was until I got the new card text on the way back to the hotel even though Christian had made it official before Jessie told me! Who was the new challenger you ask? Name a Bombshell who won last night and didn’t already have a match announced for High Stakes XII.
If you said Seleana then you got it! Seleana had got the win over Bea Barnhart in the opening match and whilst you could argue that that was a weaker justification than beating Char at Violent Conduct VIII, I couldn’t complain! Me and Seleana had put on a great match the first time around in spite of being handicapped by a stipulation that forced us out of our comfort zones but this timed? High Stakes XII was taking place the day before my 22nd birthday which falls on Halloween, make all the jokes you want about my recipes, that was just a coincidence! But it did mean that the bosses were probably bringing out the Halloween stips for this year’s show!
Combine all that with the fact that my bestie wrestled his Roulette Title Match with a broken finger AND kept it hidden until tapping out to a Hammerlock (I wish I was kidding) and yeah, last night’s show was truly a mixed bag and thanks to his broken finger Carter had been pulled from High Stakes XII’s planned intergenerational match between him and Chris Page, Goth was taking his place after everything that went down between them in the men’s #1 Contender’s Match that also lead to Mercer vs. Raven? I’m surprised Goth vs. Page wasn’t their first choice but that was the farthest thing from my mind.
ESPECIALLY NOW!
”JENNY TUCK WANTS TO BUY OUT THE GO GYM!” I exclaimed loudly managing to not only make my boyfriend Francisco jump out of his skin and nearly spit out his drink when it set in, my kitten Athena wasn’t so lucky, the kitty had been laying on my lap asleep when I saw the comment thread between Keira, Jessie and Krystal and she got so spooked by my exclamation that she leapt from my lap and darted across the room, either that or she has the zoomies. ”And she thinks Carter’s a Bombshell? What the heck?!”
”This is the same Keira you wrestled last night right? She had to have seen Carter’s ill-fated title match against Miles, right?” Francisco asked once it set in and I shook my head, I knew my bestie better than anyone on the roster, I knew he had a rather feminine appearance (heck I was he was trans when we first met in the Go Gym) but anyone who heard Carter’s voice couldn’t mistake him for a flat chested woman, right? ”Wait, are these comments coming from Keira or this Jenny Tuck?”
”I’m not sure but they might be coming from Tuck herself, I know Jenny wrestled for SCW a few years ago before retiring but aside from giving Krystal and Cass a bunch of money in the fallout of the Matthew Kennedy fiasco? I don’t know that much about her! I can’t even remember any notable matches of hers and I had an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things SCW back then!” I admitted as I shook my head before I saw a notification from my banking app that nearly made me fall of my chair. ”Okay, this has got to be a mistake!”
”What’s a mistake?” Francisco asked with a curious look on his face before he walked over to see what I was looking at after I switched to my banking app, I’m not giving you exact numbers, but my bank balance had just skyrocketed thanks to a donation from Jenny. ”What the actual hell?!”
”I know right? Who gives away money like that to people they barely know? Never mind huge sums like this?!” I exclaimed as it set on me, I remembered Krystal and Cassie getting a similar payment around the time of Krystal’s wedding to Makayla in March but I thought that was part of the buyout of the PTA Gym, I didn’t realize that Jenny was basically a walking, talking piggy bank! ”What do we do with this much money aside from pay off a few bills? I could basically retire and live off this money! I don’t want too but I could!”
”I don’t know, but maybe training for your match with Seleana will clear your mind?” Francisco offered and he might have been on to something so I went down to the Go Gym to train for most of the day.
This was going to be an interesting time for sure.
Go Gym, Las Vegas Nevada
Tuesday the 18th of October 2022, 14:00pm
Remember how (relatively) normal the final build up for Violent Conduct VIII was? I realize that High Stakes is the biggest show of the year and all but, well, this year has been a crazy one in general, let’s be honest!
But considering that the final build for this year’s High Stakes started with a rich former wrestler turned millionaire stockbroker trying to buy the Go Gym (key word being trying), thinking that the gym was run by me, Carter and Krystal and that Carter was a woman? Yeah, it’s almost enough to make me dread the final few Climax Controls of the year! But I still had a job to do, both at High Stakes and the first Climax Control after High Stakes XII, both situations are why I’m here at the Go Gym for a chat with Gabriel.
”I have to say Ariana, I thought I had seen it all in this business.” Gabriel greeted me as I entered his office and I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, once I adjusted the Bombshell Roulette Championship that was hanging over my shoulder Gabriel continued. ”But then someone tried to buy the Go Gym from three of my students whilst being under the impression that the sole male member of the trio was a woman, I trust you know that even if the gym was for sale you would’ve had no right to authorize such a sale, correct?”
”Look, of the graduates who are still based in Vegas? Me and Carter were the last ones to find out about that whole mess, and by the time we did find out Krystal had talked her down to just giving us a bunch of money.” I admitted as I brushed some hair over my shoulder and Gabriel nodded as he got the idea. ”Carter’s already donated the money he got from her to Ben and Jamie’s charity for homeless LGTBQ youths and Krystal and Cassie put a portion of their money into the trust funds for Rachel and herself respectively, but I’m still unsure about what I’m going to do with the money as is Jessie, I did debate using it to better my YouTube show but that’s a lot of money to spend on a Cooking Channel.”
”You could use the money to buy expensive kitchen equipment that you wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise such as an ice cream machine or a smoker or even travel the world and experience different cuisines.” Gabriel pointed out and I had to admit, his suggestions were a good idea, I had been meaning to buy an ice cream machine for a while anyway, both for my personal use and the cooking channel. ”I can’t speak for Jessie, as happy as I am for her joining the Hall of Fame off course, but have you heard from the two graduates who live outside of Las Vegas?”
”Chelsea and Adrienne? Not really.” I responded as I shook my head. ”Haven’t spoken to Chelsea since she was in Vegas for her fiancé’s graduation from Hero Academy, I think she’s busy organizing her wedding, recording her band’s new album and organizing her “film projects” and that’s when she isn’t trying to get her EWC career off the ground, Adrienne seems to have found her footing since her SCW career flopped but I don’t know if she’s up to date with the Go Gym’s happenings, even before she moved to New York with Katie and Caleb she had stopped coming here following her release from SCW.”
”Might be best if we keep them in the dark then, Chelsea’s hobbies are unusual to say the least but she is an intelligent young woman and one of the best young talents in wrestling today, Adrienne’s mental health took a battering during her time in SCW but I am glad to hear that she is doing well in CULT.” Gabriel nodded in response before he motioned to my title. ”But you have your own concerns, Seleana has replaced Jessie as your challenger for High Stakes XII and no matter who wins the match, Jessie will be waiting for them at the next Climax Control, never thought I’d see that woman put off a title match but her beef with Melissa has turned rather violent.”
”In a way? I can see where Jessie was coming from.” I admitted as I shifted my weight. ”If I got added to the Chamber of Extreme Match and I retained by pinning either Melissa or Jessie then their issues would remain unresolved and Jessie would’ve had to stretch out the rivalry into the New Year, and if I lost the title in the Chamber then the match would’ve been remembered more as just another title match on PPV rather than a match that’s been months in the making.”
”And even then, there’s no guarantee that the feud would’ve been resolved, all it would take is for you to be pinned by either Melissa or Jessie for the third party in the match to say that they weren’t pinned and suddenly, the feud that was never about titles becomes a title feud.” Gabriel nodded in agreement and he was right, my addition to the match would’ve had the potential to muddy the waters ten ways from Sunday. ”But that’s left you with your rematch against Seleana, you were able to adapt your style to the submission match and win your first encounter but as the event is taking place one day before Halloween, I suspect that the bosses will make up for the lack of a Halloween show by using the Halloween stips for the matches.”
”Not to mention this rematch is happening the day before I turn twenty-two, Seleana’s a hell of a wrestler and she gave Krystal her toughest challenge before the first match against Keira, but depending on the stip we get? We may as well throw the rulebook out the window.” I admitted with a nod as I leaned back in my chair. ”I can’t even chastise Christian for using a win over Bea Barnhart as an excuse to give Seleana another shot at me, unlike the situation with Char Kwan I can at least understand that Seleana was a last-minute decision.”
”Take into account the fact that Seleana has been persistent in her title hunt for two years and who knows? It might by Jessie vs. Seleana in a few weeks’ time if you’re not careful.” Gabriel pointed out as I stood up to head back out and train. ”Ariana, I know this is your first High Stakes as a member of the Bombshell Roster but myself and Odette trained you for days such as this, you know what you need to do to retain that title.”
”Yeah, just follow Charlotte’s in ring example and ignore everything that happened to her outside the ring.” I responded with a grin getting a chuckle out of Gabriel. ”One last thing, any idea when Carter’s suspension will be up? Or when he broke his finger for that matter?”
”If Carter had broken his finger when he was last at the Go Gym, I suspect I would’ve noticed when I was breaking up the commotion between Despayre and Lazarus, as for the suspension? It’s indefinite, as Krystal said, Carter had plenty of opportunities to tell Lazarus that the only ones allowed in the gym are former students, current students and potential students, and the last group has to call ahead of time to arrange everything.” Gabriel explained and I nodded with a sad sigh as it sunk in. ”I gave you leeway when your parents burst in during a training session because you had tried to keep your enrolment a secret from them, if only they knew the fine young woman their rebellious daughter would grow up to be.”
”I appreciate the complement but I don’t appreciate being reminded of that day, there are still nights where I wish I could’ve followed me wrestling dreams while keeping them as part of my life.” I sighed as I thought back to that fateful day before shaking my head. ”Last I heard from them was when they moved back to Pittsburgh after I chose my dreams over my family, they didn’t even reach out to me when Char Kwan attacked me during last year’s High Stakes build up and that attack took place in Pennsylvania!”
”Ariana, I understand that this is difficult for you, but if an attack as brutal as that didn’t get them to try to re-enter your life, then perhaps it is time you accepted that any relationship you had with your parents is dead and buried.” Gabriel commented with a sigh and I glanced over to the side whilst rubbing my arm uncomfortably. ”You know you have a support group that is always willing to lend you an ear here at the Go Gym, but if you and Francisco do produce a child of your own then I advise that you tell them that they can’t see their grandchild.”
”It’s so much easier to say that than actually do it though.” I sighed as I glanced at my trainer and mentor figure. ”I hate them for the emotional abuse they put me through after I discovered wrestling, but they are still my parents and I’m not sure if I can tell them something like that, assuming they’ll even give me a chance too off course!”
”If they do, then you know what to do.” Gabriel responded and after thinking about it for a minute, I left without another word.
Was it really that easy? Just deny my parents all contact with their potential grandchildren? I’m about to turn twenty-two, it’s not like I don’t have the rest of my life ahead of me, who knows? Maybe I can make peace with them later in life?
If not, then my parents just cost themselves an intelligent and hard-working daughter, just because she pursued a dream that they didn’t approve off! And considering that I’m their only child? What does that say about them? Being willing to cut their daughter off completely because she pursued wrestling as a career.
Should the unthinkable happen? All I can really say is good riddance!
I would spend the rest of my day at the Go Gym trying to concentrate on my training and setting aside everything to do with Carter or my parents, Seleana was one of the nicest women on the Bombshell roster but as a former champion herself, she wasn’t going to take pity on me because I’m entering a title match with a lot on my mind!
Especially not on a stage as big as High Stakes!
Krystal’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tuesday the 18th of October 2022, 19:30pm
I needed to unwind after my meeting with Gabriel and everything that happened yesterday, as luck would have it? Krystal was in the same boat, so she invited me and Francisco over to her house for a night of gaming and food.
And since the food was being made by Makayla? I couldn’t really say no.
”Seriously Cassie? I totally had that last lap!” I protested to Krystal’s younger cousin as we played Mario Kart 8 on the Switch, it was the final lap and Cassie had not only just used a blue shell to steal the lead from me but was cackling like a madwoman all the way. ”Are you going to act like this after your next match for the other SCW?” I asked the teenager who quickly shook her head.
”Nah! For one thing I knew who you were beforehand!” Cassie asserted before she won the race, as for me? That blue shell had put me so far behind Cass that I couldn’t recover to even finish third and I was trying to save face by at least finishing fourth. ”Besides, I’ve trained enough for that match with the other students at Hero Academy!”
”I heard about that from Keira now you mention it.” Krystal chimed in as she watched us play the racing game and I tried to pay attention to the older Australian woman whilst concentrating on the race. ”She said that you had a three-way with Zoey and Mei?” Krystal added before she took a sip from her drink.
”I don’t know what she’s talking about, I’ve only kissed Zoey once or twice since I met her and watched her kiss Becky as well but we’ve yet to……….you were talking about a three-way match, weren’t you?” Cassie realized that she had spoken too much but it was too late for her to backtrack. ”Err, anyway how was your day……..”
”HOLD IT!” Makayla’s voice rang out from the kitchen and before we knew it Krystal’s wife had stopped preparing her food and come into the living room. ”What exactly is going on with you, Becky, and this Zoey girl?! And don’t say nothing because that didn’t sound like nothing!”
”Zoey was my main source of info regarding the incident with Taylor Parker last week.” Cassie stated as I managed to finish the race in a respectable but not ideal sixth place, as for the incident Cassie was talking about? I only knew bits and pieces thanks to Keira calling Gabriel and Odette to warn them about Taylor after she was expelled. ”When we met up for training last week I ended up having a three-way match with her and a Chinese student called Mei, once the day was over I admitted that I was dating another woman and wasn’t sure if I was bi or a lesbian so…….”
”Cass, I like you, but I have food in the oven.” Makayla interrupted Cass and she quickly nodded in understanding. ”Can you please get to the point before Charlotte has to order takeout because I left the food in the oven too long?”
”Right, sorry! Long story short, Zoey’s in the closet as well and she’s had a crush on me since we met, which she announced by kissing me.” Cassie explained and Krystal nearly spat out her drink in response. ”Said kiss got interrupted by Becky but rather than yell at us like I thought she would, she said that she was okay with having an open relationship.”
”Are you sure you didn’t daydream this after watching one too many pornos?” Makayla asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and Cassie shook her head. ”Look, if you, Zoey and Becky are okay with this and consenting, more power to you, but sooner or later this will end in heartbreak for one of the three and I get the feeling that the results are going to be so messy that it’s going to make Carter’s situation look like a minor dispute between an otherwise happy couple!”
”Can we please not use Carter as an example like that? After he was told that he was off the High Stakes XII card due to his broken finger I’ve been worrying that he’s going to end up being a statistic!” I interjected with an annoyed look on my face and Makayla quickly backed off when she realized that she was out of line. ”Aside from that, Zoey will have our support when she’s ready to come out of the closet, right guys?”
”Absolutely, and the same goes with you Cass.” Krystal responded and Cassie grinned in response. ”But just be careful about entering a relationship like this Cass, Becky’s a lovely girl and I remember getting on well with Zoey when me, Ari and Jessie looked Hero Academy for Team Hero after Roxi’s match against Masque……” Krystal trailed off as she realized that she wasn’t sure who she was talking about. ”Zoey’s the biracial girl who started at Hero Academy after the India tour, right? Long black hair, half white, half black?”
”That’s the one, she told me that her mom was born in America whilst her dad is originally from Ghana.” Cassie nodded in response and I had to admit, I was starting to remember the student she was talking about and even as a straight woman, I had to admit that Zoey was a good-looking girl. ”And yeah, we’ll be careful! And if we ever have a threesome we’ll make sure to use a big enough bed!”
”Well, that was certainly an interesting topic to come back in too.” Francisco commented with a bemused look on his face, my boyfriend had been out in the garden playing with Garrus and Tali whilst we were gaming and had chosen that exact moment to come back into the house. ”By the way Krystal, are you certain that Garrus and Tali have been fixed?” Francisco asked as the two dogs returned to the house with their tails wagging.
”We never got around to neutering Garrus and Tali is a rescue so she should be spayed.” Krystal responded as she shook her head and Francisco just gave her a confused look. ”Why?”
”Had to interrupt the two doggos from, well, guess, a couple of times and whilst out in the backyard, and I’m pretty sure Tali’s in heat.” Francisco explained and all colour drained from Krystal’s face before she raced out of the room to check the status of the back garden, when she returned the Aussie was clearly debating just how she was going to word this.
”Guys, I have an impromptu doggo biology lesson for you, turns out female dogs get periods too!” Krystal commented after taking a deep breath and we all shared a look. ”And I know this because Tali left a………mess in the back garden, any volunteers to help clean it up before I send my daughter out there to play?”
”I’ll go, it was my boyfriend that discovered it.” I volunteered and Francisco followed me out to clean up after.
Note to self, get Athena spayed as soon as possible!
Abandoned warehouse, Las Vegas, Nevada
Wednesday the 19th of October 2022, 11:00am
*promo time*
Not what I expected.
”Well, this is certainly a twist of fate, isn’t it?” I asked plainly as I stepped into view with the Roulette Title over my shoulder. ”Here I was, ready to face Jessie in my third defence after beating Melissa to retain the title in that Falls Count Anywhere Match, I even risked life and limb to show Jessie that any lengths that she was willing to go to so she could earn a shot at my title, I was willing and able to match! But as it turns out, Jessie wants to settle her rivalry with Melissa before she even thinks about setting her eyes on any titles and that left me without a challenger.” I added before flipping some hair over my shoulder. ”For about five minutes because if there’s one thing the bosses won’t do, it’s let a champion miss a PPV, especially High Stakes and as a result, I’ve gone from a new opponent to a rematch with Seleana!”
This will be good.
”Seleana when we first faced off for my title, it was the first defence of my reign and a lot of questions were hanging in the air, namely: will Ari get over the first hurdle? Will Seleana win gold for the first time in two years? The fact that I’m still champion shows that I was able to soar higher rather than be shot down in flames!” I added as I held my title up with a big grin on my face. ”And as I said on Climax Control, I’ve gotten past defence #2 as well but our first match comes with a little caveat doesn’t it Seleana? We were forced out of our comfort zones by the Roulette Wheel, all because it landed on a Submission Match! We adapted off course but how will we do when the wheel lands on something that plays to our strengths?”
Good question.
”That, off course, is a big maybe, we both know that the wheel is as unpredictable as it is unforgiving, as a former Roulette Champion and someone who has challenged for the Roulette Title several times Seleana you should know that all too well.” I added as I looked at the Bombshell Roulette Title. ”Admittedly I’m not entering this match with the same high that I was on heading into our first encounter, our first match was my first after winning this title, it's only natural that I’d be a little excited about my first match as champion but this time? I’m coming off my first loss as champion!”
The bounce back.
”Don’t get me wrong, it was an honour to share the ring with my heroes in last Sunday’s Main Event and if that truly was the last time I’ll get a chance to wrestle Keira, well, at least I’ll get to tell the grandkids about it someday right?” I asked as I folded my arms. ”But that leaves me with one burning question, can I bounce back from that loss? The fact that I was able to bounce back from the Battle Royal for the vacated Bombshell Internet Championship at all shows that I can do it but it’s easy enough when your just a young wrestler trying to find her footing, it’s another thing entirely to do so as champion! At least with prior rematches, I was able to enter the match with the mindset that I was going to bounce back from the previous loss and learn from my past mistakes, but that doesn’t apply here because as I’ve already stated, I’ve already beaten you Seleana!”
What to do now?
”The best I can hope for is that the wheel stops on a stipulation that’s favourable to me but as we wrestle similar styles Seleana, anything that benefits me will also benefit you!” I commented as I shook my head. ”I knew the risks that come with competing in this division when I entered that Triple Threat Match Violent Conduct, same goes for our first match and my rematch against Melisa, in this division you need to be able to think on your toes and be ready for anything! For god’s sake, the men’s Roulette Division just had a match where the competitors had to sing random songs at random intervals and the week before that, four guys were fighting it out in a pet store! This division is where the wild and whacky ideas thrive and sometimes we just to accept that to thrive as well! I can only hope that whatever the wheel has in store for us, we can adapt to it too!”
The key word!
”Honestly, if I were giving a seminar on this division for whatever reason, adaptability would be one of the first things I’d teach!” I added as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”And I doubt there’s a former Bombshell Roulette Champion in the history of this division who’d disagree with me! Especially you Seleana and at High Stakes XII I will be ready for anything that the wheel throws at me, you’ve held this title before and you know that a champion of the division needs to thrive in in anything they get thrown into to survive! I’ve already proven that I can do that twice over and I’ll do that for as long as my reign lasts, all it comes down too Seleana is whether you can keep up with me especially if we end up with a stipulation that works against us again!”
And then what?
”But on the off chance that the wheel isn’t working in our favour at High Stakes XII, then what?” I asked as I held up the title. ”Adaptability is key as I said but fate can be a funny thing can’t it? If the wheel is feeling especially sadistic then we’ll end up in a bloodbath of epic proportions or we’ll get a match that ends up as harmless fun like the Karaoke Catastrophe Match, no matter what the wheel stops on I’ll be ready for it and willing to do anything to retain, but can you say the same for taking the title from me?”
It's that simple.
”You stumble through questions, that you can never answer, the barrel is loaded so go and paint your target Seleana!” I dared her as I held up the title. ”That quote is from a song called “Paint Your Target” by a British band called Fightstar, I’m not sure how it ended up in my YouTube recommendations but I liked the song enough to include that quote in my promo, obviously your name wasn’t in the original lyrics Seleana but here’s what I meant by that, if you think you can do what I did in the past and make up for your past mistakes then go ahead and take your shot, otherwise? I’m leaving my first High Stakes as champion!”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”After all, it’s been a while since a champion of this division made it past three defences, hasn’t it?” I asked as I looked at my title. ”In fact, I know her well, she’s my good friend Krystal Wolfe, someone you faced twice for the gold, and here we are a year later in our rematch, funny how that works! I intend to follow in Krystal’s footsteps with my reign and Seleana? Our first match was a year and a day after you challenged Krystal, you basked in my light the first time and you will bask in the Greek Angel’s light again! See you at High Stakes Seleana!”
I left the warehouse as the scene fades.