Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 8 al 15 de diciembre de 2019
Pressure.
Some people do well under it.
Others, not so much.
The stakes are high, the pressure higher. All it takes is one play. One mistake. One match. It's a fine line between those who crumble under pressure; and those who thrive under it.
For me, pressure situations is nothing new in my career. Ten years is a lot of time to practice. Sometimes I've succeeded, sometimes not so much. That didn't stop me. I wouldn't have won the numerous championships in my career if it did. Because I knew I was good, I didn't know I would be that damn good.
Sin City Wrestling would be the acid test. And for the most part, I did okay. I could have easily left the promotion during the rough times a couple of years ago. If SCW didn't reopen last year, I probably would have. Some say it was because of loyalty. I stayed because I believe in finishing what I started.
I was told that I would never last in SCW in my first few months here by many people who have since moved on. Nevertheless, I persisted.
I was part of the greatest stable ever assembled and was told that by joining them my career would be ruined. As it turns out, my success flourished even more, during and after they disbanded. That group is no longer around. Nevertheless, I persisted.
I'm not quite sure why Jessie mentioning our ages has anything to do with how screwed she's about to be this weekend in Vegas but if being age-shamed by The Woman With 100 Losses is supposed to shake me, she couldn't be more wrong. That should tell the rest of the roster to try and keep up. They say life isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, but if there's one thing I know, if life isn't a sprint, it's definitely not a marathon. And there's no one who can keep up with me.
If anything, Jessie has proven that she literally can't win a match to save her life no matter the incentive or opportunity Mark or Christian gives her, though her cockroach-like ability to always appear when you least want her should be commended. What's more, she's been on a two-year title drought while I've held a championship since I've been on the roster - for seven years straight.
Let's get one thing straight: this isn't about who is the finest Bombshell to ever set foot in the ring or the most proven between Jessie and I or even in SCW, that's long been decided. I've taken that mantle by force, and no one has the ovaries to take that from me, whether they think I'm entitled or whether they're holding the top championship in the company.
Sunday sure as hell won't be a "must win" for two Bombshells as they race for the top rung of the championship contenders ladder, this is about me being at the top of that ladder and bashing Jessie's head on every rung of that ladder on the way down.
Competition brings pressure, it brings out the best in people. Jessie Salco will get my best. I'm battle-tested, forged in fire, deadly persistent, unbowed, unbent, unbroken. That I've gone this far and survived for this long is only a testament to one universal truth. Pressure burst pipes or they can make diamonds.
2019 is almost over but there's one last hurdle I have to get through. One last obstacle in my way that prevents me from ending the year on a high note and make history while I'm at it. All it takes is to put down Jessie Salco for three or make her tap and I'll wave back at the her as she's in my rearview.
Maybe the name Mercedes Vargas isn’t what it used to be, but it's still Mercedes Vargas, and Jessie Salco is still Jessie Salco.
Nothing else needs to be said.
~~~
Q U E E N S, N E W Y O R K
A street level view of THE BARCELONA APARTMENTS, a post-war low-rise apartment complex in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. Parked cars lined the city block, though one would be hard press to find them under the cavalcade of snow, which has blanketed the area for weeks now, with seemingly no end in sight.
“I have an announcement to make.”
Mercedes Vargas stands in the living room of the Mattsons, Harry and his wife Ruth. A few of the neighbors looked at each other with confusion as to what Mercedes' news was all about. There was Phil Balkens from Apartment 2G. Mrs. Chen and her son Kyoung, who lived in apartment across the hall. And there was Mr. Gerwazy, though most people around the apartment complex known him as Mr. Parker Brothers. It didn't matter what the game was, he knew how to beat you. Whether it was Clue, Monopoly. Or...
Mr. Gerwazy: Yahtzee!
Mercedes gives him a stern look.
Mercedes: Not now, Mr. Gerwazy.
Mr. Gerwazy: Sorry!
Ruth Mattson takes over the meeting.
Ruth Mattson: Now what is this all about, Mercedes? Scandal is on tonight and I don't want to miss it.
Harry Mattson: Isn't that why we got DVR? We'll catch it later.
Mercedes: Meanwhile, back at the ranch...I'm moving to Miami.
Phil Balkens: What? What do you mean you're moving?
Mercedes: There’s just something about LA. I hate the traffic, there's barely public transportation. Everyone is vain and the only jobs they can get are acting or directing. I hate the pollution. There's no neighborhoods. LA just rubs me the wrong way, and this coming from someone who's lived there for ten years. Look, I think it's about time. I need to find new adventures, explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations.
Mrs. Chen: You're only going to be thousands of miles away, not on Star Trek. I wonder if you really hate L.A. or just think you do?
Ruth Balkens: What's not to like? It's near the beach, the weather is warm all year, there’s a lot to do, it’s got good sushi. Plus, you get to spot celebrities all the time. At least, that’s just something I would enjoy!
Mr. Gerwazy: That's tiddlywinks compared to what she's about to do. Shouldn't you think about this? You're taking a big risk here, and I don't think you know the first clue about moving to another state or country.
Mercedes: I moved from New York, didn't I? Since I made it there, I can make it anywhere. My mind is made up. I'm moving in the New Year.
A small commotion starts up, but Mercedes quells this by with a raise of her hand.
Phil Balkens: We're gonna miss you, Mercedes. Hey, remember that time when you dressed up as Woman Woman?
Mrs. Chen: Yeah, and she was on the top of the building.
Kyoung: Or remember that time when got stuck in the elevator?
Harry Mattson: Or that time when the Cortez's dogs chased after her?
Mr. Gerwazy: Or that time when she sang her dating profile at karaoke night to Total Eclipse of the Heart?
The neighbors turned to Mr. Gerwazy. Ruth spoke up with a matter-of-fact tone.
Ruth Mattson: No, Mr. Gerwazy, you were drunk that night, you just thought she was singing her dating profile. So, when you're coming back to visit, Merce?
Mercedes: I'm not sure yet. But trust me, you'll be the first to know.
The neighbors hug Mercedes in turn and we fade to black.
~~~
It's Not Whether You Win or Lose: Gatekeeper the Third
Present Day • L O S A N G E L E S, C AL I F O R N I A
[REC•]
"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."
The cameras are warming up. Across from the El Rey Theatre is the Ace Gallery on Wilshire Boulevard. Mercedes stands in front of a wall of neon pink circles, the work of artist John M. Armleder.
"There's just something about conventional wisdom. Even the name sounds wholly appropriate. You don't question it. You don't even think about it.
"Conventional wisdom says that Jessie Salco's has had my number in PPV matches so Sunday at December 2 Dismember IV is just a formality. Conventional wisdom says Jessie is younger than me, and thinks she's faster than me and probably smarter too so there's no way I'm going to keep up with her in our match, and I'm not even gonna try. Conventional wisdom says that Jessie's got herself an easy win under her belt to compensate for the god-awful year she's had in 2019 because according to her, and I'm paraphrasing here, I can't keep up with the younger girls on the roster.
"But just because millions of people believe a foolish thing, doesn't make it any less foolish."
Clicking her tongue partly out of dismay and partly out of the sheer wonder of it all, Mercedes' smile faded as she briefly places her arms akimbo, a look of wishful thought in her gaze.
"December 2 Dismember is just around the corner and, to the surprise of no one, yours truly has now competed on every PPV this year - something I've accomplished six straight years and counting. How awesome is that?Consistency is key, kids. Now, granted, because I love tooting my own horn..."
Mercedes slightly turns to the left as she forms a trumpet with her hands.
"Toot, toot!"
Then promptly drops the gesture, returning her arms at her waist.
"I can't leave out the fact that I won the first-ever Queen for a Day match at the last December 2 Dismember show four years ago. Making history is what I do, and come Sunday in Vegas, yours truly will add a few more records to what has already been a historic 2019. What else would you expect from a bonafide legend like myself?"
Mercedes offers an casual shrug.
"But let's get back to where this should be, and that's my match against Jessie Salco. I'll be honest, Jessie, I'm a little surprised you haven't cornered Mark and Christian into changing our match because after the many times we've faced each other over the years, you have to be sick of seeing our names across from each other, just as Amy and Mikah was in the past when I faced them and just as Samantha is now. And here I thought SCW was about giving the fans fresh matchups, but then, I don't book the matches, I just win them. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time.
"And it's that "not all the time" moments where my hand isn't raised at the end. It's those moments you love to bring up constantly, but let's be honest, as much as I love bringing up history, apparently you can't let go of it either. I get that you can't get out of your own way and losing is in your DNA. I get that you delude yourself by clinging to some distant past events to justify your existence, but really is that all there is? Tell me you're not that desperate."
Mercedes pauses, raising an eyebrow.
"Wait, you are.
"Sweetheart, you have a total of two wins this year - two! - and the only one who is worst than you is Apple Coren who couldn't even win one match, which is a surprise, even to her. You've never even had a winning record in all the time you've been here and you have an infamous record of choking in world title matches. The mere notion of you talking down to me is downright laughable when you consider that through all the success you've had, that still won't change the fact you're amongst the bottom feeders in the women's division, and no traveling through memory lane will change that."
Mercedes holds up a finger to add another thought.
"That Bombshell Internet Championship reign that you beat me for three years ago? You should be counting your lucky stars I never got my rematch and you should be kissing the ground Mark Ward walks on because had it not been for our esteemed co-owner, Melody Grace would have beat you for the title, which she did eventually, and you would have been one-and-done. We both know better than anyone that you can't seem to hold a championship past the first defense so let's not go there.
"Now, Jessie, I know Christmas is a little less than two weeks away but let it never be said that Mercedes Vargas is a Grinch. Oh no, I did manage to get you a gift. It's not the most glamorous, but it's the thought that counts. Hold on one second."
Mercedes produces her Christmas gift for Jessie, a scratch-off ticket.
"It's a lotto ticket! Yay! Jessie, it's a lotto ticket with the potential for you to walk away with a hell of a lot of money."
Mercedes observes the ticket.
"I mean, the chances of you winning is pretty good. Did you know the chances of winning the lottery is one in 175 million? Compared to our match Sunday, the odds would be in your favor because you seem to think you have a chance at beating me this Sunday in Las Vegas.
"They say sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. I think we both know you're not very good, but you've been lucky for most of your career. But who are we kidding? If it wasn't for good luck, you would have no luck at all. How appropriate that we'll be in Vegas this weekend for the supercard. Like it or not, believe it or not, Lady Luck won't be helping you this time around Jessie, so you might as well get ready for the disappointment headed your way."
Mercedes points to herself and moves her hand back and forth towards the camera and back to herself as she locks eyes with the lens.
"You and me are one of the few people to have been in SCW the longest, but there's no comparison as to who has done more since joining the roster. You want to talk about how you're close to reaching 10 years here? That's great and all, but while you're still struggling to win your first World Bombshell Championship in the next two years, I'll be well on my way to to winning more championships in the next five.
"Know what else? All these new girls coming in at a clip probably won't be around in five months, much less five years. That whole "can't hang with the younger talent" spiel doesn't hold up when I've been hearing the same thing now for the last seven years. It says more about my staying power than it does about wins and losses. Besides, I have twice as many wins than you do.
"And why are you concerned about me not going after Alicia when the closest you'll ever be to beating her is in the SCW video games Doesn't makes sense to me. Kind of like, well, conventional wisdom."
Mercedes smiles, running her fingers through her hair.
"Conventional wisdom says that Jessie Salco is walking out of December 2 Dismember with a win at my expense. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom is often wrong.
"SCW fans, you don't want to miss this. So get in your cars, hop on the bus, the train, your bike, whatever. Get to Las Vegas, get to 4000 W Flamingo Rd, get in the damn building, and watch yours truly, yet again, embarrass Jessie Salco."
A small mischievous smile plays on her lips as she whispers.
"Mucho antes de que ella supieras, y de que ella recordarás."
"Long before she knew, and long after she'll remember."
***Fade***