{The scene is at Hero Academy gym, Roxi sits in her office, going over the notes she took earlier in day. There is a knock at the door and one of the male students stands outside. Roxi finishes her note and motions for him to enter.} Roxi – What’s up Steve?
{Steve sits down looking pensive as he enters the door.} Steve – I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.
Roxi – Sure. Have a seat.
{Steve cautiously sits down and Roxi greets him with a smile and puts her notes to the side.} Roxi – What's on your mind?
Steve – Well, I was just thinking about the show we want to do.
Roxi – Yes. You can do the show. We already agreed to it.
Steve – I know that, but I was just wondering about the show itself and what we’re going to do.
Roxi – That's really up to you guys. You have to decide what you want to do. We’re giving you the chance to do whatever you need. This is your guy’s show.
Steve – That's kind the thing. I don’t know what I’m doing.
Roxi – You need some work, but that will come with time, yes.
Steve – No, I meant... I don’t have anything to really give. I feel like I’m... just some guy. I’m the same guy that walked in here a few months ago just... now I know how to fall on my back and not make it hurt so much. I just... feel like I need to be more.
Roxi – Oh, you mean, you want to be something more than just you?
Steve – Exactly! I mean, sure that works for some people, and I’m not against that. It just... it’s weird for me to just be... Steve Copeland, wrestler.
Roxi – You know, there’s nothing wrong with being yourself, even if it’s boring.
Steve – I know, but that works for a handful of people. I want to be something different.
Roxi – You know, that only works a handful of times as well.
Steve – Yeah, but... I don’t want to be boring. I want be... somebody.
Roxi – Well.. Who are you?
Steve – That's what I was trying to ask. Do you have any ideas?
Roxi – Well, here’s the thing, Steve, I could give you a hundred ideas, but while some of them may interest me, and may be goofy or silly or what have you, the important part is you. You have to be able to be comfortable with what you’re going to be doing.
Steve – I don’t know if I can be?
Roxi – That’s why I asked who you were. You have to tell people. You have to tell me. Really you have to tell yourself. You’re going to be half naked out there and playing pretend. So, the closer that you make yourself, to who you are, the better off you will be.
Steve – But I’m just... I’m plain. I’m boring. I don’t know what I can do.
Roxi – Well, how do you want to try and stand out?
Steve – I mean, a got these tattoos and the long hair that I’m working with.
Roxi – Long hair and tattoos is just about everybody these days. What is something you like to do? Other than wrestling?
Steve – I mean, I like watching TV, playing games, listening to music. Working out.
Roxi – You gotta give them something. I’ve been around you kids long enough to see you’re a nice guy and you try to help people. You can’t just expect that anywhere you go is going to have something for you. You do have a certain look, but that’s a lot of people. You have to give people something.
Steve – I just don’t know what all I can really do to stand out. What do you see? Honestly.
Roxi – Well... let’s have a look at you. Stand up.
{Roxi eyeballs Steve as he stands up, circling him. After a few cycles, Roxi sits back down.} Roxi – You have a good body, but your legs need a little work. upper body is nice though. So don’t go wearing some baggy t-shirt or whatever. You have a little something, that maybe you can work with, but again, you have to be comfortable with all this. If you aren’t comfortable, then I can suggest male model to you and it won’t work.
{Steve frowns at this.} Steve – Yeah, I don’t think I want that.
Roxi – See what I mean? Now, maybe sometimes you will have to go out of your comfort zone, but here’s the thing: If you try and fail, that’s okay.
{Roxi stops, and thinks for a moment.} Roxi – Are you just trying to do this for the show?
Steve – Well... yeah, I want to make a good impression.
Roxi – I see. Well, don’t you think that you should get the important stuff down before you think about things like this?
Steve – No, I get that, I do. I just want to get a head start I guess.
Roxi – Well, if anything, it’s a good attitude. You mentioned you like watching TV and music. Any type of music or TV you enjoy the most?
Steve – I love rock and roll, I love Breaking Bad, I love the Sopranos. I like a lot of the stuff on Netflix.
{Roxi ponders this information for a second.} Roxi – I see. Alright, I’ll give it some thought and then maybe we’ll see just how we can do something you’ll enjoy. Just, let me think about it and before you know it, we’ll have you out there just being yourself. But... you should also be thinking about what makes you, you in the meantime as well.
Steve – Thanks Roxi. I won’t let you down.
Roxi – Steve, you’re not wrestling for me, you’re wrestling because you want to be a wrestler. I’m just trying to help you be the best wrestler you can be.
Steve – I know. I really appreciate the advice. I’ll really give it a lot of thought.
Roxi - I know you will. You will have your moment.
{Steve then gets up and departs, but there is yet another knock on the door as soon as Steve is out of sight, and it’s Tia, the girl who suggested the show in the first place.} Roxi – Tia?
Tia – Hi.
Roxi – Is there something you need?
Tia – I just wanted to ask if you and Keira are okay?
Roxi – Yes, we’re fine, why?
Tia – Keira's been... kind of absent the past couple of weeks.
Roxi – Because she’s in training.
Tia – Oh. Okay. Um, just one last thing?
Roxi – Yes?
Tia – How... how do we get started on this whole show?
Roxi – That's up to you guys.
Tia – No, I mean... logistically?
Roxi – You've got to promote the show, set up the matches, find out who works with who. Trust me, we’ll help you on that end, but the promotion of the show is up to you. Do it how you want.
Tia – Oh, okay!
{Tia turns to leave and Roxi clears her throat to get Tia’s attention.} Roxi – Within reason.
Tia – No worries, thanks!
{Tia disappears from sight and Roxi starts to get back to her notes.
The school closes and as she is finishing, she hears a loud banging coming from behind her. She stand up, wondering what the noise was and goes off in search of the source. She enters the rear gym and it’s none other than Keira, literally throwing a practice dummy around, slamming it to the ground as hard as possible. Roxi looks at Keira and again clears her throat to get Keira’s attention. Keira looks up and seems surprised to see Roxi there.} Keira – Oh. Hi.
Roxi – What are you trying to do, bring the building down?
Keira – I’m in training.
Roxi – I can see that, captain comeback.
Keira – Har har. I didn’t come back because I wanted to.
Roxi – Really?
Keira – No. I came back because Krystal is out of line. And if nobody else is going to do anything about it, I will.
Roxi – That’s all well and good, but I don’t know who you think you’re trying to fool here.
Keira – What are you talking about? I told you why I was coming back last week.
Roxi – I know you did. But let’s also be honest and say that you didn’t ONLY come back for Krystal.
Keira – That’s all this is going to be, as far as I’m concerned. Krystal was out there hurting those kids! It’s not right, Roxi, and you know it. I’m not going to let anybody do that to my students.
Roxi – So if they were someone else’s students, you’d be okay with it?
Keira – NO! Of course not. Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, but dammit it made me mad.
Roxi – Keira, I know it made you mad. I saw you at the house shaking your head every time you saw Krystal since she made her decision.
Keira – And to think I considered her a friend. Never making that mistake again.
Roxi – Or maybe in time you’ll forgive her.
Keira – That is not happening. I’m not you, Roxi. I wasn’t raised to turn the other cheek. I was raised to fight. I’ve been fighting my whole life. And the moment I tried to sit down and not fight, I get drawn back into another fight.
Roxi – I know. I never said you were me, we went through that last year. A lot. I’m just saying time has a way of healing wounds. It may take a while, but it happens. But the point I was trying to make was you didn’t come back because Krystal made you. You also missed this.
{Keira stands, hands on hips, trying to find a way to not admit it, but she shrugs.} Keira – A little, yeah.
Roxi – A little my butt, Keira. You know you missed fighting.
Keira – Okay fine! I missed fighting, but... I guess old habits are hard to break. But this... this is it. Probably.
Roxi – Nobody forced you to retire Keira. You made that decision on your own. If you wanted to stay retired, you could have.
Keira – I know that. It just felt like when I was in full-time, and I was doing everything, I had no time and no place to get all this energy out except SCW. WWR came and went, and I just kind of accepted that I just was gonna be able to let it go naturally. It was the right time. I did everything I wanted to do. All I wanted was one time to stand at the top, and win all the titles, and that was it. I won’t lie to you and say that I didn’t miss it, I did, and I still do. But I was content to stay at home, send in the next generation. The school is my life, you know that.
Roxi – I do.
Keira – But when you have somebody who is trying to ruin the next generation, that pisses me off. My kids, the kids I trained, getting hurt because Krystal is being a cunt. So, I needed to take matters into my own hands.
Roxi – And that’s why you showed up last week. So... why are you training now?
Keira – … Like I said, I’m going to take matters into my own hands.
Roxi – Keira, you don’t need to do anything crazy. I’m sure if you really just want to fight Krystal, SCW can arrange that.
Keira – I’m not asking for a match.
Roxi – Then we go back to why you’re training.
Keira – Because this isn’t going to be a match.
Roxi – Keira...
Keira – No, don’t. You worry about Ariana. You have that title match and you can’t slip up because you feel like you need to protect me or something. No, we’re not doing that anymore.
Roxi – I didn’t say we were.
Keira – Good. So, you focus on not losing to Ariana and then we’ll talk about this stuff with Krystal.
Roxi – If you’re going to be like that about it.
Keira – It means a lot to me.
Roxi – I understand. Just remember to think clearly about this.
Keira – You are not responsible for what I do. I’m retired. I’m only handling some business. You are the champion. You need to ready. If you wanted to train with me or something we can do that.
Roxi – Is... that a challenge?
Keira – If you wanted to spar, we can spar.
Roxi – I don’t think this is the correct place for that sparring session.
Keira – Oh...yeah, that’s probably not the best idea I guess.
Roxi – Exactly.
Keira – Well, then, let’s go home and have some food and then, I’ll make sure you are fully ready.
Roxi – Kinky.
Keira – Rawr.
{The tension now broken, Roxi and Keira head off as the scene fades.}
“You're not in it like I am, Barbara. It's still a game for you, it's still a thrill. You haven't been taken to the edge yet. The abyss, the place where you don't care anymore. Where all hope dies.”
- Batman (The Killing Joke)
Hello SCW.
I have been sitting and viewing the Blast from the Past tournament with great interest and I am looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I come to you once again as your champion, and as I said before, my appearances will become less and less frequent as time goes on, but rest assured, I will be here, when it counts. I should make more of an effort to be around more, and I will do my best to do that in the future. You deserve that. I haven’t really felt like the Bombshell’s champion since I won the title to be honest with you. The last time it felt earned and like it was taken from me too soon. And now, I feel like I’m just holding this title, and I shouldn’t feel that way.
I am of course honored and privileged to be holding this title for the fifth time and as I said before, it has never been easy to just go out here and win this title. It’s just that this one just feels different. I almost feel like I am on another level, and I have hit this point and now, I have nowhere left to go. Sure, I am always striving for perfection, and I know I’m not there, but this feels just a bit different now.
Maybe it’s the maturity finally kicking in and me being an adult for reals this time. I’ve been a mom for going on 7 years and a wife for almost a decade, but I’ve always felt like I could still be that girl that came in at 27 and now hit 37. And those days have to go away at some point.
Man, how time flies.
Although, I will always say that I will grow old, I will never fully grow up. I’m still amused by the silliest things and my mind will always travel back to the best days. But, I understand the assignment now. Having seen a few things in my time now.
So, after defeating Mercedes Vargas, I waited with bated breath to see just who would be challenging for this Bombshell’s title, and the competition has been fierce to say the least. Veiwing the Blast from the Past matches and seeing the talent on display is nothing short of incredible, and while the winner is yet to be decided, there is another talented woman is getting her chance. And so, out of respect, I will talk to her, because she deserves that.
Hello, Ariana.
I am pleased to see you in this spot, so early in your career, and I know you as well as I, am excited about this upcoming match. It means a lot to me to testing my talents against the future. Because there’s always questions about how I can and will do.
But, I guess I need to do this now, because I know how you will take what I’m going to say, and it will bring up that age old saying of “Never meet your heroes”.
I know as I stand here right now, I’m going to say things to you that may make you think that I’m not the person you grew up watching. I’m not the friend or ally that you thought I was. While that’s not true, what I’m about to say to you may make you think I’ve been lying this whole time and pretending to be your friend, or just used you to gain the fame I have today.
None of that is the truth.
I’m coming to you because we are competitors, and we are both after the same prize. I am just looking at this through a lens that you just don’t have yet. The one from experience. Yes, you have many wonderful people at your disposal to pass down knowledge to you, and I am one of those people. But as a person who literally teaches people the ins and outs of the ring we wrestle in, I have developed an eye for these situations and so the words I’m going to use here are exactly what I see and what I feel.
So please, don’t take this the wrong way, even though you might, and even though those words usually precede something that sounds awful and terrible. But, as you, and anyone else who I’ve trained or spent time giving pointers or hints or straight up coaching know, I’m the “bad guy” teacher at Hero Academy, I tell people the truth, and I demand a lot more than Keira does. So, given all that, what I’m going to say is coming from a place of experience.
Ariana, you are not ready for this moment.
You simply aren’t. It’s not meant to discourage you, or make you think I don’t take you as a serious challenge, because I do. I take you as seriously as any other opponent I step into the ring with. I said you aren’t ready because it’s the truth. I cannot tip-toe around the truth of the matter.
You did well in the tournament this year, and you earned this match by beating Zoey Lukas, which isn’t an easy task. By no means as I taking anything away from you as a talent and really, you have done the exact thing I asked people to do around here. You stepped up to the plate, and when the chance was there, you took it. You earned this match.
And you had a wonderful, lengthy, fantastic reign at the Roulette champion last year. I can applaud that for what it’s worth. I saw you beat challengers left and right for nearly 5 months. You never shied away from the challenges and you were met with so many different situations that you were able to adapt to. That is commendable and I respect that.
This is a different game, entirely.
Winning the Roulette title is something that is important, it’s a proving ground. The Internet title is where the contenders separate themselves.
This title? The Bombshell’s title? It is rarified air.
This title is where you don’t have any room for error, because it takes a long, long time to get back to the top if you aren’t a consistent wrestler. Anyone can get here, but there’s a long list of women who took a shot and were never able to stay here. A bunch of women who even held this championship, and then once it was gone, they couldn’t get it back. This is where the competition is at it’s highest level.
And I know right now, as I’ve watched you grow in a year’s time, that you are not prepared for the moment that’s coming.
Again this isn’t out of a place of contempt or bitterness. I’m not angry or annoyed that I have to face you, I’m concerned that I have to face you now. At this moment. Because this moment is a moment that could in fact, break you. I’m a coach, I see this stuff. The moment will come, and because you haven’t been here, because you haven’t been in these deep waters, it will become too much of the moment. And I’ve seen many people, men and women both, who get to this point, the same one you are in now, and once it finally hits, they crumble. And then, they become scared of that moment if it ever shows up again.
I know, right now as we stand here, that you are now thinking that I’m trying to play some kind of mind game with you or that you’re now thinking I’m talking down to you or belittling your accomplishments. I am not. I just know that feeling because I felt it.
It was almost a decade ago that I stood where you are right now, looking at Misty, the legend herself, and I knew I wasn’t ready for that moment. I tried, and I failed. And for a while there, I was thinking to myself that that was where I stopped. It took a little bit, but I realized that I had to get back on the horse and keep riding. Because I didn’t come that far, just to come that far. No, I wanted to be at the top, and I had to get better.
I wasn’t ready then, but the next time, I was.
And I see the exact same thing, from the opposite end, now.
So no, Ariana, you are not ready for this moment.
YET.
Because I’ve seen you and I know how good you CAN be, I say yet. This moment, isn’t about me trying to hold onto to something as my star fades and I just can’t let the spotlight go. It’s never been about that. This is about being the biggest learning experience you can have. Like I said, Roulette title is wonderful and all that. You deserve praise. But even that, has not put you where you need to be in order to carry THIS championship.
I know, you may hate me now and think I’m some terrible person and that’s all well and good. A lot of people think that I am and I was being like that for selfish reasons and I’m really just this awful person determined to bring everyone down so I can be at the top. But I think you know me well enough to understand that what you feel right now is going to be temporary.
At the end of the day, you will understand and maybe even appreciate what I’ve spoken to you about today. I know you will, you’re smart, you understand and pick up on these things. In time, you will be in this very spot I’m in, right now. Look at some new, fresh face looking at you and having idolized you. Maybe you will have a world title on your shoulder when you. Maybe multiple titles. Maybe you will be the best women’s wrestler, or heck, wrestler period at that point.
And hopefully, you will look back at this moment and know that this is where it started.
Ariana, you will not be taking this championship from me.
Not because you don’t have the talent, not because you don’t have the skill, or drive, or determination. You have all of those things in spades. You have all the things necessary to be where I am.
Just... not right now.
You just need to put it all together.
But at Into the Void, it’s not going to happen.
Trust me, I’m not telling you to not try, I’m not telling you to think you can’t win, or you won’t win and you shouldn’t bother. Not saying that at all. I’m telling you to give it everything you have. I want everything.
Because after I beat you here, we will have an ever better match next time. Because then, you will be even more prepared for the moment.
You just aren’t right now.
I hope you understand.
