(Gabriel was used with Mark’s permission, Mark Cross was used with his permission, Carter was used with Chris’s permission)
Krystal may have lost her match against Ruby at Inception IV, but she was looking ahead to this year’s Blast from the Past Tournament where she was teaming with the reigning champion Mark Cross which to say that she was happy with that draw was an understatement as Krystal would later admit that Mark was on a short list of ideal partners for Blast from the Past, however her luck would run out as soon as her first round match was announced.
Why? Krystal and Mark had been drawn against Despayre, a man who had helped train Krystal, and Amber Ryan, a bombshell who was quickly gaining a reputation for being one of the most ruthless on the SCW roster! This was the one team that Krystal, or any other Bombshell on the roster really didn’t want to draw against in the first round but the young Australian Bombshell just happened to get the (bad) luck of the draw, can Krystal and Mark pull off the win?
Backstage at Climax Control 291, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday the 14th of February 2021, 11:00pm
Tonight can’t get any worse, right?
Not only did I run into Carrison earlier (even though I did want to drop off my Valentine’s gift to him) but both Carrison and Ruby are through to the next round! But at least my first round match was next week!
Me and Mark were still at the desk and were watching the matches via my phone, aside from going off to make sure that my gift was secure and going to get drink refills we hadn’t really budged much from that spot.
“Damn it, Carrison’s through to round two!” I grumbled as I watched the result and Mark leaned over to see what I was up too. “Saying that, neither member of Team Hero was pinned so there’s that.”
“So much for Keira going after Christina, huh?” Mark asked and I nodded just before a stage hand ran up to us. “Next week’s card?”
“Yeah, and the bosses apologize in advance.” The stage hand responded before handing me and Mark the card. I looked at it and started going through the matches as the stage hand ran off.
“Milo vs. Jack’D the Ripper, that guy’s still around?” I wondered once I saw the opener before going down the card. “Josh and Sam vs. Bill and Maki and……...” I trailed off as I saw our match and my eyes widened. “Fuck my life!”
“We got Amber Ryan and Despayre in the first round, wasn’t that the team you singled out earlier?” Mark asked and I nodded without hesitation before quickly going through the rest of the card. “I see your boyfriend’s challenging for the Roulette title!”
“I hope you were kidding, otherwise I might throw up.” I responded with an annoyed glare before running a hand through hair. “Just my luck that I get one of the most ruthless Bombshells around in my first ever Blast from the Past Match!”
“That is some rotten luck, might be worth it to see if you can get some training sessions at the Go Gym.” Mark suggested and I quickly nodded in agreement. “So, we’re still down for tomorrow?”
“That was the plan regardless of who our opponents were.” I nodded in response before letting out a deep breath. “And Despayre helped train me so there’s that as well! I think I’ll be spending the night screaming into my pillow.”
“Try not to wake up your neighbour’s dog.” Mark responded with a grin and that did alleviate things for me since I had told him about the incident when I found out about our partnership. “See you tomorrow then?”
“See you tomorrow.” I nodded before I finished my drink and walked off. “I felt like I won the lottery when I got Mark as a partner.” I muttered to myself as I glanced over at him. “Now it feels more like the monkey’s paw!” I added before I left the Saxon Hotel.
Krystal and Makayla’s home, Adelaide, Australia
Wednesday the 23rd of September 2015, 18:00pm
Going back a bit now but not as far back as, well, you know.
Since the night we had sex on the Cruise Ship at Summer XXXTreme III me and Makayla had been going steady, as far as our families were concerned, we were two straight young women who happened to be living together and whilst Makayla was sure that she was a lesbian and had been for a few years by that point, I on the other hand was still unsure if I was bi or a lesbian as well, either way we loved each other, even as we argued over Goldeneye on the N64.
“Oh, come on Charlotte, you had to use Oddjob to beat me that time!” Makayla protested as our latest round of Goldeneye Multiplayer ended. “You know you can’t beat me otherwise!”
“Err, hello, you’re the one using the fucking Golden Gun!” I reminded her with a grin on my face as we were taken back to the menu. “Just admit that I’m the better gamer already!”
“I will once you stop using Oddjob!” Makayla responded as she rolled her eyes but before we could get another game going, I heard a Skype call on my laptop and ran over to it, once I saw it who it was, I quickly accepted the call.
“Charlotte, I hope your well.” Gabriel greeted me and Makayla glanced up upon hearing his voice. “Or is it Krystal?”
“Still in the process of getting my name legally changed.” I responded as I shook my head and Gabriel nodded, the process would take another two months, but it was one last thing my dad had over me. “What’s up? It’s gotta be pretty late over in the US, right?”
“It’s early Thursday morning, yes.” Gabriel nodded as I made myself comfortable. “But there is a reason for the call, everything’s ago with your VISA, once you have saved up enough money you should be able to move to the US and start training.”
“Fuck yes!” I responded with a massive grin before checking the account balance via my phone app, I still had a decent bit of money in the account, but I knew I’d need more. “I should have enough to move in April, by then I’ll have turned twenty one.”
“Keep me posted and if you need any financial assistance, give me a call.” Gabriel nodded before I was hugged from the side by Makayla. “That was my other question, will Makayla be moving with you?”
“It’s kind off touch and go at the moment.” Makayla admitted as she stood up. “The company I work for is having some serious financial difficulties, turns out one of the execs has been embezzling for decades and has managed to drive the company to near bankruptcy.”
“That is a shame.” Gabriel nodded sympathetically and in hindsight, yeah this should’ve been the first sign that Makayla wasn’t coming to the US with me, but I still held out hope. “Do you have any savings?”
“Yeah, but not much, I’m a low level employee, hell I work in the cafeteria, the minute they start letting people go is the minute I’m probably on the chopping block.” Makayla nodded bitterly as she let out a deep breath. “My parents have offered to help me get back on my feet if and when that happens, but I’ll be forced to shift my focus towards finding a new job and depending on when it happens, it might severely impact my ability to move with Charlotte.”
“I’m sure you will find a way to make it work.” Gabriel nodded before checking the time. “I will call you back later Charlotte, need to get some sleep, but by then I should have the details ironed out.”
“Sure, it’s not like I work or anything.” I nodded before Gabriel ended the Skype call, looking back on that memory is a lot like getting Mark Cross as my partner and facing Despayre and Amber Ryan in the first round, on one hand it was great that I was going to get to live my dream of being a wrestler and was being trained by two of the best wrestlers to ever grace an SCW ring, unfortunately Makayla wouldn’t be making the move with me.
And she still hasn’t moved to the US six years later.
Krystal’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 15th of February 2021, 09:00am
I had been awake for about twenty minutes by this point and had a few things on my mind, one, I was silently wishing that getting Despayre and Amber Ryan as my first round opponents was a nightmare, two, I had a Recipe 4 Disaster video to shoot with Team Go later, three, I was scheduled for some training at the Go Gym but before all that was the fourth thing, my weekly Skype call with Makayla.
So yeah, I had a busy day today and that was BEFORE I started streaming on Twitch!
“I just saw your tweet about your opponents.” Makayla commented after she had greeted me, and I nodded as I knew where this was going. “Out of all the people you could’ve drawn for your first Blast from the Past Match, you get Despayre and Amber Ryan?”
“Tell me about it!” I grumbled as I started brushing my hair. “Despayre isn’t the one I’m worried about, he may be goofy and a hell of a wrestler but SCW doesn’t do intergender violence, otherwise I think Amy would’ve low blowed Mac the moment he tagged himself in.”
“Which sucks because I was hoping to see more of Amy.” Makayla nodded in agreement as I continued to brush my hair. “But back to your match, do I even need to ask why Amber has you worried?”
“Let’s see, ruthless bitch who just so happens to be one of the best newcomers SCW has had in recent years? Why wouldn’t I be worried about facing her!” I exclaimed after I finished brushing my hair. “Even if Jessie Salco provided some of the best unintentional comedy with her promo against her.”
“I was almost tempted to start a drinking game for each swear word, then I realized that my liver would not survive said drinking game.” Makayla nodded in agreement getting a laugh out of me. “All because she was compared to Vanilla Ice?”
“No, Vanilla Ice Cream, though to be fair most metalheads would flip out over being compared to the whitest rapper in American Pop Culture!” I pointed which a chuckle before shaking my head. “It was more to do with Amber trivialising everything Jessie had accomplished in SCW from what I remember, at least I won’t have to worry about similar comparisons since I started my SCW career in November!”
“All I’m saying is that if she compares you to Bugsy, then call me for your rendition of the Jessie Salco f-bomb festival.” Makayla joked getting a good laugh out of me. “Seriously though, what are you doing to prepare?”
“I asked Gabriel if I can train alongside the current class this week because let’s face it, against Amber I need every bit of help I can get and more!” I pointed out and Makayla nodded. “I’m almost tempted to have Fenris train me personally honestly!”
“After what he did to Josh? Are you mad, woman?!” Makayla exclaimed loud enough for a bit of her Greek accent to poke through her Australian accent. “At least tell me Evie’s around or is she still moping over her loss?”
“What do you think?” I asked and Makayla nodded as she got the idea. “I have to get going, filming Ari’s YouTube show today.”
“Because if Amber doesn’t kill you, then Ari’s cooking will.” Makayla joked and I shook my head in response. “You will confirm that Team Go are good for our next D&D session, right?”
“Already confirmed, asked them before we did that Carter News Segment.” I nodded in response and Makayla grinned. “Granted that was before GRIME ruined the Main Event but I asked them again once things had settled down and they are still up for it.”
“Good, and I’m guessing everyone else confirmed at CC?” Makayla asked and I nodded. “Surprised you didn’t ask Mark Cross if he was interested in joining?”
“I would say that it doesn’t seem like his thing but hell, I got Osbourne to make a character for the Dungeons and Dragons campaign so miracles can happen.” I pointed out with a laugh before shaking my head. “The party’s big as it is, we have Team Go, you, Os, Aron and me as the DM, DMing five people is hard enough but six?!”
“It’s been done, and we do have a good group.” Makayla pointed out and I nodded before I got ready to leave. “And if we can walk Os, Aron and Ari through making characters then we can walk Mark through it.”
“I’ll see what he says, talk to you later babe.” I nodded before I hung up. “This is going to be a long week; I just know it!” I muttered to myself as I left the gaming room.
Recipe 4 Disaster Set, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 15th of February 2021, 11:00am
I was trying to put my worries about my first Blast from the Past Tournament match behind me as I helped Ariana with this week’s Recipe 4 Disaster batch of shows.
So just to tell you about this YouTube series, obviously it focusses on Ariana’s misadventures in the kitchen but on average the videos are a little under fifteen minutes in length with the shortest being the pilot episode at five minutes which was a no bake cookie recipe, we generally get through a lot of them in a day and we were already done with five episodes.
“Okay, what’s next on the schedule?” Ariana wondered and I passed her the schedule, she looked through it and grinned. “Okay, next up is the Hot Dog Ratatouille Cake, and this one is being sponsored by Raid: Shadow Legends.”
The first part of that sentence had me dying inside, the second part had me tempted to ram my head through the wall. “Again? Didn’t we go over this the last time you accepted a Sponsorship from them?” I asked as I ran a hand down my face.
“Yeah, I know it’s a bad game and yeah, I know it’s riddled with Microtransactions, but they pay so much money!” Ariana nodded as me and Carter watched on. “Which is why you’re doing the plug!”
“Ari, I’m a gaming YouTuber with about a million subscribers and a Twitch Partner Account.” I responded as I messaged my forehead with both hands. “If I do a straight up plug for Raid: Shadow Legends, my credibility goes out the window and into molten lava!”
“Huh, that’s one thing we haven’t done, a Molten Lava Cake!” Ariana realised and me and Carter shared a look when we heard that. “What were we talking about?”
“Raid: Shadow Legends, and why Krystal won’t be caught dead doing a promo for them!” Carter responded before he got an idea. “But we can do it together!” Yeah, that was a much better idea.
“Okay let’s do it!” Ariana responded before Carter hopped behind the kitchen top and I got the camera ready. “But before we get to today’s Recipe 4 Delight, me and my bestie HB Carter are here to talk to you about today’s sponsor, Raid: Shadow Legends!”
“Are you tired of generic mobile games? Then the immersive RPG known as Raid: Shadow Legends will blow you away with its epic story, champions and……...” Carter quickly checked the script. “And hours of gameplay, join today and get lots of goodies when you use the code Recipe 4 Disaster, join our guild!” Carter paused before turning to Ari. “We have a guild?”
“I set it up for the last sponsorship!” Ari muttered back and before returning to in character mode. “And Team Go Will Go the Distance to see you there!”
“And cut!” I called out as I finished recording the plug, god that was painful to watch in person. “Any other sponsored vids today or was it just the one?” I asked and Ariana checked the list.
“Nope, just the one Raid: Shadow Legends plug.” Ariana responded and I breathed a sigh of relief. “So, how are you feeling?” Ariana asked me and I gave her a confused look. “About your tag team match on Sunday?”
“How do you think?!” I asked before folding my arms. “Competing in the Blast from the Past Tournament has been on my bucket list since I finished training.” I added before letting out a deep breath. “On one hand, I have one of the best partners I could ask for in Mark Cross, on the other hand, I have one of the most ruthless Bombshells to come around in a long time to deal with and Mark has to worry about Despayre, as goofy as Despy is, and that’s saying a lot, he is a hell of a wrestler.”
“Not to sound insensitive but someone was bound to get them in round one.” Carter pointed out and I nodded reluctantly. “And I’m still unconvinced off the fact that Carrison had nothing to do with it.”
“Carter, let’s be honest if Carrison had booking control over SCW, the first thing he’d do is book all the “hot” Bombshells in a “first one to bring Carrison to orgasm wins” match, at least it would be short.” I responded with a scoff and Team Go nearly fell over laughing when I said that. “Let’s hope he doesn’t find himself in the King for a Day Match if/when they book another one of those matches.”
“I’m pretty sure the bosses will put their foot down if he even jokingly suggests that match.” Ariana pointed out and I had to admit that she had a point. “And it might mean the death of the King/Queen for a Day Matches, provided Christina’s episode didn’t kill off the concept.”
“Let’s just get back to filming before we give him any more ideas?” I suggested and Team Go nodded before we resumed filming.
Go Gym, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 15th of February 2021, 18:00pm
I did say that it was going to be a long day, and one part of it was almost over.
As I said earlier, I was scheduled for some training at the Go Gym today and it was something I had scheduled before I knew about my Blast from the Past Match because I knew that no matter who I got put up against, I’d need all the help I could get.
It’s just the fact that Despayre is one of my opponents that has forced us to change the plans slightly.
“Okay, because Despayre is one of your opponents, he is sitting this training session out.” Gabriel informed us as the four of us entered the ring. “In his place will be Kaiden, meaning that Krystal and Kaiden will team up to take on Team Go in a practice Tag Team Match!”
“That’s fine, I can handle Ari either way.” I responded with a grin as Team Go warmed up. “Are we talking a full length match or a quick one?”
“Well, considering that time is almost up, it’ll be a short one.” Gabriel informed me and I nodded in response. “Kaiden, Carter, you two will start out, after five minutes, tag in Krystal and Ari, ladies, you’ll get another five minutes before you go for the finish, understood?”
“Perfectly.” Ariana nodded as me and her got onto the ring apron. “Who’s winning the mock match?”
“Well, this is ideally going to help Krystal beat Amber on Sunday.” Gabriel responded and we nodded in response. “I’ll leave the sequence up to you ladies, but Krystal must get the win for her team.”
“Got it.” We responded simultaneously before Kaiden and Carter started their practice match, Kaiden was a big guy, especially compared to Carter, but he was still a raw rookie which meant that Carter was taking the lead for most of the match, after five minutes we were tagged in after Carter went for a moonsault and Kaiden rolled out of the way giving me and Ari the chance t tag in and start our practice match.
Given that we’re both graduates, it should go without saying that our practice match was a lot more even.
Still after the five minutes were almost up, we had come up with the finish and in Ari’s own words: “I go for a Hurricanrana, you reverse into the Down Under Thunderbomb for the pin” and after another couple of seconds of action we pulled off the finish perfectly and Ari allowed herself to be pinned. “Are you feeling any better about facing Amber?” Ari asked after I pulled her up.
“No offense Ari but you’re no Amber.” I responded as I wiped the sweat from my brow. “I think I need someone a bit more experienced to really prepare for her.”
“Good thing we’re continuing your training tomorrow.” Gabriel chimed in with a nod as the boys joined us in the ring. “Evie hasn’t been seen since she lost to Jessie, but I’ll talk to the female members of London Underground, see if they are available tomorrow.”
“That’s all well and good.” Carter responded as he turned to Gabriel. “But how did me and Kaiden do?”
“You were excellent as always Carter, Kaiden? You still have a lot of room to grow but there is potential there.” Gabriel responded and the boys nodded before they exchanged a fist bump. “That’ll be all for today, I know you want to get home and get your promo done Krystal.”
“Not like I have four days to kill between now and the promo deadline.” I responded with a nod before we left the ring.
Krystal’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 15th of February 2021, 21:00pm
*promo time*
I didn’t think I’d be doing my first Blast from the Past Promo over Skype but here we go, the pandemic kinda forced out hands there as I set the Skype call to record and turned on the camera that I used to upload Super Mario Maker 2 footage to Twitch.
“Are you ready Krystal?” Mark asked once he appeared on screen and I nodded in response. “Do you want to start, or should I?”
“You start, gives me time to plan what I’m going to say about Amber, but I’ll do the lead in.” I informed him and Mark nodded in understanding. “Our Blast from the Past Match is finally here, and I just had to jinx it! I said that Despayre and Amber Ryan was the one team that I did not want to be drawn against in round one and low and behold, we are the first round opponents for Despayre and Amber.”
“It was a rough first round drawing, but I know from experience that this tournament isn’t easy.” Mark nodded in response before he cleared his throat. “Whilst my Aussie friend is busy dealing with Amber Ryan, I am facing a man who helped train her in Despayre! Despayre might be a goofball but he has earned his reputation as an excellent wrestler tenfold, but you know what he has that I don’t have Krystal?”
“Long hair?” I asked jokingly and Mark laughed.
“My hair isn’t that short! No what Despy has is ring rust, he hasn’t wrestled in a while and if it comes down to me and him, then that will be the deciding factor! I entered this tournament as the defending champion, and I will be the first two time male Blast from the Past Winner whilst Krystal will be the second Australian Go Gym Graduate to win the tournament! Everything that comes after the finals is up to her but before then, she must get past Amber Ryan! And everyone else we face in the tournament.”
Easier said than done.
“And that’s a lot easier said than done! Not only is Amber a lot more experienced than me but in the short time that she’s been with the company, Amber has proven to be one of the most ruthless bitches in company history and that’s saying a lot! But as has often been said, anything can happen in that ring and I did say that I wanted to face the best when I signed up with SCW and after a cooling off period were, I faced Tempest and Ruby Steele in successive matches I’m right back into the fire!”
Oh boy!
“I might be giving up a lot in terms of in ring experience when it comes to Amber but I more than make up for it in determination, you said that you and Despayre were going to try to make this quick, but you’ll quickly find that task a lot easier said than done Amber! I was trained by Gabriel and Odette Stevens, two of the best wrestlers to ever grace an SCW ring and this Sunday I’ll be putting that training to good use as I go toe to toe with the Distorted Angel Amber Ryan and whilst pretty much everyone’s expecting me to get my ass kicked, I won’t go down without a fight!”
“Wrap up time?” Mark asked and I quickly nodded in response.
“Again, you start.” I responded and Mark cleared his throat.
“Team Dragon and Wolfe were certainly thrown into the fire when we got this tag team match, but we won’t back down from our first round opponents Despayre and Amber Ryan! If it comes down to me and Despayre then it’ll be a case of whether experience trumps determination or if ring rust becomes too great an obstacle for Despayre to overcome and I see our team through to the second round!”
“And if it comes down to me and Amber, it’ll be a completely different story! Not only is Amber a lot more experienced than me but she is one of the most ruthless Bombshells on the roster AND a force to be reckoned with in the ring! Anyone else in my position would be a nervous wreck heading into a match against such an opponent but not me! I welcome the challenge; this is just the one team that I DIDN’T want to face in round one of the Blast from the Past Tournament, but I guess we can call this my trial by fire! But at the end of the night, Team Dragon and Wolfe will shock the world by beating the favourites to win the tournament and, if some miracle happens, I will bring Amber down with the Down Under Thunderbomb courtesy of Krystal Wolfe!”
“And failing that, I’ll be the one to finish off Despayre!” Mark finished off the promo and we talked for a little bit longer as the scene fades.
