[Roux]

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OUTRAGEOUS Success
Reno, NEVADA - Reno Events Center
28 MAY 2023 - Climax Control 362
OFF-Camera


The world looked like a blur around me. At first, the crowd had been near silent in shocked disbelief of what they had seen. The booing didn’t even start until my theme filled the air. I didn’t check on Roxi. She was already an afterthought before I even got to my feet in the middle of the ring, and everything else fell away the moment that the Bombshell Championship touched my fingertips. Having the official drop it into my hands was surreal. It was finally mine, and nobody was going to be able to invalidate that. All of the hard work, despite all of the setbacks, had finally paid off. I don’t know how long I sat there staring at it in my arms. It felt like an eternity, and I never wanted it to end. If I never won another match in my career, it wouldn’t matter. I had finally claimed the prize that eluded me for more than five years. The whole experience was a dream come true, and I was hoping that I wouldn’t wake up. I was finally snapped back to reality when Justin’s voice boomed through the PA system announcing my big win to everyone in attendance.

He lifted my hand into the air, and I could hear the booing cut through the music in the arena. Hearing that reaction was better than any cheering I had ever heard. The ferocity of the hatred in the air let me know that nearly everyone in attendance had been pulling for Roxi. They had blown their hard earned money on coming to see this show, and I was sending them all home disappointed. The Icon had fallen. The One had risen to the top. I could have stood their soaking up their disdain all night, but fortunately for them, there was one person that I wanted to share that moment with more than anyone else in the entire world. She hadn’t come down to the ring for the match, because she didn’t want to be a distraction, but I knew as soon as I went back behind the curtain at the top of the ramp, she would be there waiting.

I didn’t wait for Roxi to scrape herself up off of the mat. I didn’t have the time for her to “walk of shame” herself back to the locker room. I knew that the cameras in the arena weren’t recording anymore, so I dove out of the ring, shouldered my new Bombshell Championship, and sprinted up the ramp towards the back. I didn’t even get through it before the curtain was thrown aside, and Prudence Pierce came through it, and she was absolutely beaming with pride. She threw her arms around me, and pulled me close, even as the championship belt hung over my shoulder separating us.

RUBY: OH MY GOD! THAT WAS OUTRAGEOUS!

That word had a way of rubbing everyone else the wrong way, but it was the exact thing that I wanted to hear. I wrapped my arms around her, and refused to let her go. The shock of the moment was fading, and I was finally starting to realize exactly what had happened out in the ring.

COURT: That happened, right? This isn’t a dream? This is real life?

She finally let go of me and took a single step back; just enough for the Bombshell Championship to slide off my shoulder and fall into my hands between the two of us. She dropped her hand to the centerplate of the belt and looked at me with a smile.

RUBY: Doesn’t it look and feel real to you?

Even if I was still having a hard time believing it, it was. After spending the last five years chasing it, I almost didn’t know what I was going to do with myself now that it was actually in my hands. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.

COURT: Yeah, I just can--

Ruby stepped further away from me and threw her arms out to her sides. The commotion was able to break whatever trance I was in, and caused me to look up. Heading towards the two of us were Scott Oliver and Ms. Rocky Mountains, likely wanting to blindside me about the big win for an SCWrestling.net exclusive. Ruby absolutely wasn’t having any of that though. As far as she was concerned this was our moment, not theirs. I wasn’t to be bothered.

RUBY: Absolutely not! Back off!

I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder to tell her that she didn’t have to be like that. I mean, the two interviewers were just trying to do their job, even if the show was already over.

COURT: It’s really okay if they wa--

But Ruby cut me off with a shake of her head. She wasn’t going to budge on this one. After all of the long nights that we had spent talking about what we would do if one of us ever became the Bombshell Champion, she definitely wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it.

RUBY: It’s really not! They can’t even let you enjoy this for thirty seconds before getting all up in your face! THAT’S NOT RIGHT!

The two interviewers stopped in their tracks, and immediately turned around to head the other direction. I almost felt bad for them.

COURT: You’re right, but you don’t have to put it like that. Just give us a few minutes….

I did my best to signal to them that we would just need a few minutes before we would be able to comment on the win. Plus, there was no way that I was going to get in front of a camera for an interview looking like I had just been through hell in the ring. However, before anyone else could swarm around us, Ruby was already leading me through the backstage area.

RUBY: I knew that you could do it. This is why I wanted to come back with you. There was no way that you weren’t going to be the Bombshell Champion sooner rather than later. I wanted to be the first one at your side when it finally happened. It is soooooo OUTRAGEOUSLY overdue.

I could feel how excited she was for me from the frantic pace of her talking. There was no daylight between any of the words, and she wasn’t even pausing between thoughts. It was all a stream of consciousness as we raced through the hallways, and into our shared locker room backstage. She slammed the door closed behind us, and put her back to the door so that there was no chance anyone was going to walk by and push it open.

COURT: I still don’t believe it. It is all kind of a blur. It all happened so fast. One second I was walking down the aisle towards the ring, and then next time I had time to think about it, my hand was being raised by the referee. It was all just… instinct.

I wasn’t sweating about not being able to remember the details. I knew that I would be watching that match over and over again for the foreseeable future. Eventually I would be able to picture every second of this win with my eyes closed.

RUBY: I told you that it was your night, and you wouldn’t believe me. You’re the only one of the two of us that is actually surprised. Roxi’s time is just about over and done with. I bet she is going to retire soon. She’s just going to ride off into the sunset, and hopefully take her wife with her.

Before the match was booked I wouldn’t have wished that on Roxi. I had respect for her position in this company. The things she said about me a few days ago changed all of that though. I would happily embrace being the one that sent her packing, especially after how Keira had been all over me and Ruby on social media since the moment the match was announced.

COURT: It really got under my skin that she didn’t think I could do it. I mean, I thought that it would be different. Back when it was supposed to be me against Mikah for the Bombshell Championship, I would have expected to hear something like that though. I didn’t think I would get it from Roxi. She can see how bad I have wanted this for years. She has been on the shows where I have gotten injured. Yet, she still wanted to throw all of that in my face as a way of telling me that I wasn’t ready. Maybe I believed her a little bit.

That didn’t appear to come as a surprise to my wife, which shouldn’t have surprised me. Even when I think I am doing a good job of hiding the way that I feel, she always sees through it.

RUBY: Good. You believed her just enough to go out there and prove her wrong. Maybe that was the point. Plus, now she guilted you about having to make sure you hang onto it for a while. The whole reason she didn’t want it to be you was because you would just throw it away.

Maybe there was a point to that. I have been in and out of Sin City more times than most of the other bombshells, but it is not like any of that was planned. Most of it was out of my control. I never meant to get injured, and I never meant to be promoted at Jet City. Those weren’t things that I planned for, and yet Roxi was still willing to hold it all against me. And if that was what they thought about my past, I had a feeling I knew what they were going to be saying about my future.

COURT: Is that why you’re keeping close to me? So that you can pick it up when I get bored with it?

It sounded like something that Keira, or Krystal would have said. It was their words coming out of my mouth, but that didn’t matter to Ruby. I could see that hearing them in my voice wounded her.

RUBY: You asked that a little too seriously for it to not hurt my feelings.

I didn’t want to let that negativity hang in the air. I moved the championship into one hand, and held it out to her for her to take it. If she really wanted it that bad, I wouldn’t stop her, and she knew that. This relationship was worth more than any accolade

COURT: Stop. I know better. So do you.

She pushed my hand away, and the championship with it. As much as she wanted to one day be the Bombshell Champion, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice what we had for it. Neither of us were, and that is the way that it should be. The offer did bring a smile to her face though, especially after how rough the last couple of weeks had been.

RUBY: You better!

She finally stepped away from the door, but only long enough to grab a chair and jam it under the handle, securing it from any possible intruders.

COURT: Of course I know better. I wasn’t even competing when we started getting serious. You were nervous about me getting back into the ring. It’s not like you’ve been manipulating me into this position. You aren’t Kr--

I stopped short of saying his name. If he wasn’t going to support me, or let the people that I trained by here to support me, he didn’t deserve to be name dropped on the biggest night of my career.

RUBY: Wow….

Unfortunately, my wife didn’t feel as strongly about it as I did.

RUBY: Now you’re so mad at him that you aren’t even saying his name anymore?

She didn’t sound angry, but her voice was tonally equivalent to being shamed by a parent.

COURT: If I could stop myself from even thinking his name I would. Did you see what he did tonight? He pulled everyone from Je---his gym--- off of the show. He wanted to make sure that even though I was Bombshell Champion, we were alone. None of the newbies were backstage, and nobody was even allowed to sit in the crowd.

It sucked, but it was the truth, and if he was going to be petty, I was just going to have to be better than him at that as well. I knew that nobody other than Ruby would be taking my side. I was just one person standing up to a well-known gym, and two Sin City Hall of Famers.

COURT: It’s bullshit. It was just his way of making sure that nobody would be here to congratulate me. He’s just doing his best to be a distraction like he has always been. I wasn’t falling for it this time.

At least I could say that I had gotten a little wiser over the five years of my career.

RUBY: Then it’s probably a good thing that Roxi pissed you off so that you didn’t have time to even think about him.

However, like always, Ruby had a way of making me look at the silver lining.

RUBY: It’s about time you finally got what was yours. Now go get cleaned up so that we can go celebrate.

Almost as if on cue, the pounding on the outside of the door began. At once, Ruby pointed towards the small bathroom inside the locker room. It wasn’t much when compared to our setup at home, but there was a single shower stall, and it was enough so that we never walked out into the arena looking less than our best.

COURT: Stall for me… Or maybe just tell them to fuck off.



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>COURTside: At Long Last

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The scene fades in, as highlights from the main event of Climax Control 362 flash on the screen. The battle between Roxi and Court rages on for a few moments before cutting to Roxi’s face in agony as she taps out, making Courtney Pierce the new Bombshell World Champion.

”At long last….”

We zoom out from the screen to see Court standing next to the monitor, watching the biggest win of her career for what had to be the thousandth time. She was wearing a solid black hoodie with the word “Unaffiliated” across the front, a jab at the fact that she was no longer repping Jet City. The Bombshell Championship was draped over her shoulder closest to the camera. The nameplate on the bottom had been fixed to display her name instead of Roxi’s and the whole thing sparkled in the lights.

”I have been waiting years to be able to stand her with this championship on my shoulder.”

”...and yeah, that is the kind of thing that everyone thinks about when they first start out in this business. It is not anything special that this was my goal all along. Honestly, if there is a bombshell on the roster that doesn’t have their sights set on my championship, they are in the wrong line of business.”

”...but that is not how I meant it. The Bombshell Championship has never been a goal that has ever seemed far off for me. It was never some unreachable future goal. From the first time that I stepped foot in the Sin City Wrestling ring, it has been within my grasp. My first match ever happened during Blast from the Past. Right out of the gate, this was the championship that I was chasing. And it wasn’t the way that Jessie Salco has been chasing it for a decade or whatever.”

”I won Blast from the Past five long years ago, and was always supposed to get the opportunity that I seized two weeks ago. As a rookie, I took care of business and catapulted myself to the very front of the line. Do any of you know how painful it has been to be so close to this championship for all of those years? I never went to the back of the line. I never blew my shot. I deserved it. I earned it. Yet, everytime I reached out for it something else went terribly wrong. The universe itself conspired to keep the Bombshell Championship away from me, and for five years, it won every battle. Two weeks ago, I won the war.”

”...and it wasn’t some fluke. I didn’t have to steal this championship. I didn’t get lucky. I didn’t have help. Going into that match, I said that I only needed to be better than Roxi Johnson for three seconds. However, after seeing everything that Roxi had to say about me, I knew that three seconds wouldn’t be enough. That wasn’t going to be definitive enough after she had the audacity to tell me that she didn’t think I was ready for this because after five long years, I couldn’t have been more fucking ready. I walked out to the main event of Climax Control, and made SCW’s most beloved Hall of Famer tap out. I caused her such pain that she was forced to relent and submit the championship to me.”

”...and now it finally rests exactly where it has always belonged.”

”...but I can’t help but see history repeating itself. This isn’t the first time that the Bombshell Championship has changed hands between Blast from the Past and Summer XXXtreme. The year that I was named the number one contender, Crystal hopped the line and stole my date with destiny against Mikah. I was supposed to have the opportunity to take down the most dominating bombshell ever, only to have someone slide in and take my place.”

”....so if Devona was feeling the same type of way, I couldn’t really blame her. I know how frustrating it can be to watch someone step up and do the thing that you told yourself you were going to do. Fortunately for you, it looks like you still get to compete at Summer XXXtreme. You still have your opportunity. You won’t have to wait years, letting that frustration build to the point of being heartbreaking. There won’t be a dozen setbacks between your big tournament win and your shot at my championship; just one. You don’t get to be the one to end Roxi Johnson’s final Bombshell Championship reign.”

”You won’t get to end mine either, but that is another story entirely. I don’t get the luxury of getting to dwell on it until Summer XXXtreme either. I have a much less exciting date at Climax Control that requires my full focus.”

It was the first time that we heard Court’s voice seem less than enthused. Clearly she was still riding the high of finally winning the championship, but just the mention of her upcoming match put a damper on that. Kimberly Pain might have a notable sibling, but a she was not a superstar in Sin City Wrestling, regardless of what she may have done elsewhere.

”On the bright side, it’ll give me an opportunity to showcase what I can do against an opponent that isn’t anywhere close to being on my level. I mean, I just dissected a hall of famer that has beaten every big name in the history of this company. What do you people think will happen when I step into the ring against the entirely average Kim Pain?”

Maybe it was harsh, but she definitely didn’t care. She was the champion. It wasn’t the time to start holding back.


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Jet City Cold War
Tucson, ARIZONA - Tucson Convention Center
4 JUNE 2023 - Climax Control 363
OFF-Camera


I wasn’t booked, but that wasn’t going to stop me from showing up and speaking my mind on Climax Control. I mean, technically, I needed to be at all the shows for all of the fan events and signings even if I wasn’t competing. That was just the cost of doing business when you are the Bombshell Champion. I was still getting ready when I heard the door to the dressing room open. Ruby had disappeared after I had gotten changed. Who knew what she had gotten into in the meantime. I am sure that there would be a story. I poked my head out of the tiniest bathroom in the world, but was surprised by the person actually standing in front of me.

OZ: Got a second to talk?

Oliver wasn’t my favorite student, and I didn’t really care for him as a person. I never got the feeling that he could be trusted, and that totally made sense now, given his role in what happened at the gym last year.

COURT: Sure the fuck don’t. What are you doing in my room, Oz? I thought that you newbies were supposed to pretend that I don’t exist.

I didn’t have time for him. I couldn’t walk out in front of a crowd the way that I looked. And if it wasn’t my wife, I really wasn’t in the talking mood.

OZ: You’re right. We are, and you know, I usually try to be a team player and all that good stuff but---

That wasn’t a lie that I was going to sit and listen to, and if I let him keep going, he was just going to keep trying to butter me up. I didn’t have the time or patience for that.

COURT: You have never tried to be a team player for even one second of your entire life. That is why you let your partner down during the Blast from the Past tournament.

Although, he was just as quick-witted as always.

OZ: Correct me if I am wrong, but the same thing happened to you right?

Instead of poking my head back out of the bathroom door, I simply pointed across the room to where the Bombshell Championship was hanging inside my open locker.

COURT: ...and how did that end up working out for me? The person that won the tournament is still waiting on their Bombshell Championship shot.

Honestly, when I was in Devona’s position, it annoyed me that people jumped the line in front of me. I could imagine how Devona felt about me being the Bombshell Champion, but that was her problem, not mine.

OZ: I am just saying. You were the one that actually did the legwork training me. Technically I fell victim to the same team my teacher did. Sounds like a training error as opposed to something that you can hang on me.

There it was. I couldn’t let him know it , but he managed to stumble onto the reason that I had been so livid with the reaction from Jet City last week. Kris wasn’t pulling his people off of the card. He was pulling the people that I put my own time, blood and sweat into training. Eiley and Oz were more a product of me and Kate running the gym than Kris or Coby. They might have the big jobs, but the two of us had been doing the work. Even Ruby had more of a hand in their development than Kris. It was nice to hear someone finally admit it, even if he was only doing so to insult me.

COURT: That might make sense if you ever listened to a damn thing that any of us tried to teach you.

It worked to keep him at a distance. If he was going to undercut any compliment that he was giving me, I wasn’t going to bite my tongue.

OZ: It is hard to listen to people that never really lived up to their potential, ya know?

A couple weeks ago something like that may have sent me into a shame spiral once I was back home. It was easy to let the words just bounce off of me now though. I never wasted my potential. It was just unrealized until recently.

COURT: ...and I assume that you’re only here now because that changed?

To my surprise, throwing the hostility back in his face seemed to work. Even with a closed over door between us, I could hear him soften a little bit.

OZ: No. I just wanted to stop by to say congratulations. Obviously I would be asking for trouble if I put it on social media, and sending a text felt a little impersonal. Felt more like a face-to-face interaction.

Finishing up, I walked out of the bathroom and crossed the room in front of him. If he wanted to say something complimentary to my face, who was I to deprive him of the opportunity.

COURT: ...which is only because nobody can ever actually prove that you were here.

That fact didn’t bother me as much as I made it sound. I understood that he was still green enough that he needed to hedge his bets. He wasn’t the type to put all of his eggs into one basket, because he could find a use for anyone willing to give him the time of day. That was probably the reason he was trying to stay on my good side while everyone else fell in line with Kris.

OZ: Exactly. Why create a papertrail?

The fact that he could be honest about it made me laugh.

COURT: I would say that you were just being paranoid, but I know who you are dealing with. Just make sure not to get sucked into the same trap that I did. Those people stole five years of my career with their bullshit. I never amounted to anything until I finally left.

Over the last few years I had been more concerned with saving their brand than I was making sure my name didn’t get dragged through the mud. It wasn’t until I flipped that script that I finally found the momentum needed to rise to the top. In reality, it wasn’t their fault. Both of those things had been my decision. However, the way that everyone at Jet City reacted to me leaving earned them the flak I was giving them.

OZ: You would have never gotten that shot without winning Blast from the Past all those years ago. You have to still give them some credit for that.

Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn’t. Sure, I learned things from both Kris and Mikah, but it always seemed like when I was around them I was learning what not to do. I was learning how much I didn’t want to be like them. I was determined not to make the mistakes that they did. They didn’t add anything to my game. They just gave me a roadmap full of pitfalls to avoid.

COURT: Not as much credit as I give to the GO Gym, and the fact that Fenris and I were one of the best randomly drawn teams of all time. The people that trained me didn’t create that chemistry, and they didn’t compete in those matches. They don’t deserve a damn thing as far as I am concerned.

Even if that was a lie, I was going to keep repeating it until I believed it.

OZ: I still think that is a little harsh.

Maybe it was, but given who I was talking to, I didn’t think that it mattered. Oz was abrasive under the best circumstances. Who was he to judge me?

COURT: Is it? Well they got five years of my life. Is that enough of a price to have paid for all of their guidance?

In a way, we were even. I managed to make Mikah seem like someone worth being trained by. I kept Kris’ gym afloat in his absence. That sounded like a fair trade to me.

OZ: I am not sure that I am going to make it through five years of the games to be honest. Kris took it upon himself to make sure that my big first impression was him leveling me in front of a sold out crowd. It’s going to be a minute before I can erase that image of me from everyone’s mind. That’s just who I am now, all because he wanted to prove a point.

At least the kid was learning. In the eyes of Kris and Mikah, there were no better superstars, and no more impressive bombshell than Reckless Elite. Everything was framed around the two of them, and nobody was going to be allowed to overshadow them from within. Kris taught that lesson to Oz on his first day back in the spotlight, and I knew that it would likely only get worse from here. Kris had set a precedent.

COURT: It’s worse than that, kid. Cause and effect. He made sure that everyone knew it was open season on you, and then Austin James Mercer beat you senseless with a chair. Did you think that kind of thing was just a coincidence?

The reason that people didn’t mess with the newbies out of any of the prominent gyms was because there was always someone bigger and angrier coming for revenge. Kris made it a point to show the world that Oz was on his own. The kid’s future was looking pretty painful.

OZ: I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that.

Somehow, I had walked out the Jet City kids, but I was still having to teach them the basics.

COURT: Well, get used to it. Don’t worry, the longer you stay the easier it will be for you to see it coming. The lessons never get any less rough though, trust me. 

I picked up the Bombshell Championship and put it over my shoulder before taking one last look in the mirror to make sure that I was presentable.

OZ: You make it sound like none of it was worth it.

I gave him a smile and a shrug on my way past him and out the door.

COURT: I’m not sure that it was. Look at what I’ve accomplished in the short time without them. You’re probably going to want to wait a few minutes before leaving. Wouldn’t want people to see you anywhere near me.



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>COURTside: Sorry, not sorry

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The scene catches back up to Court, still wearing the same “Unaffiliated” hoodie from before. The camera zooms out from her to show that she is standing inside the GCU arena, at the top of the entrance ramp. The camera catches a view of the ring crew working to set up the rest of the ramp, and several others working to actually construct the ring in the center of the open space. In just two short days, this place would be finished, and filled with screaming fans. On Sunday, Court will be stepping into the ring for the main event in front of all of those fans, hoping to send them home disappointed. The whispers on the dirt sheets were all about how Kim Pain was going to humble her. The online wrestling community wanted to see Court fall on her face for distancing herself from Jet City. Others just wanted to see Court get beaten as badly as Roxi had been a couple of weeks ago. No doubt there would be #JusticeForRoxi signs scattered throughout the arena on Sunday. People that usually didn’t give a fuck about Court were going to be actively rooting for her to make a mistake and get beaten. They wanted her to make a joke out of herself on her first night competing as champion. Realistically, Christian and Mark probably knew that too, and that is why they were making such an effort to make sure that disappointment didn’t come at Summer XXXtreme where it could do real damage to the brand.

”Being the Bombshell Champion has already come with its unexpected highs and lows.”

She didn’t sound like she was celebrating anymore. Back when she spoke about beating Roxi, it was just to gloat. She wanted to rub her big win in the faces of anyone watching. However, it seemed like that time was over now. Court was back to being all about the business end of things, and her focus never left the ring in front of her.

”I mean, I went from the very top of the mountain against Roxi Johnson with the Bombshell Championship on the line…”

A slight smile tried to curl up at the corners of her lips.

”...to nearly the lowest of valleys against an unproven Kimberly Pain.”

...and in an instant, the smile was gone and replaced by a look of disgust.

”I mean, the person standing across from me isn’t always going to be exciting. I shouldn’t expect to be pushed the way that Roxi pushed me two weeks ago every time I step into the ring. There isn’t enough star power on the roster to blow me away with a new impressive opponent each time out. Some are going to hit; others are going to miss. On the off weeks, it is nice to be the Bombshell Champion. Having this championship has perks, and they are paying off immediately. Need proof? If I didn’t have this title, where do any of you think this match would have been placed on the card?”

”I guess any main event is better than some forgotten piss break match in the middle of the card though, right?”

”...and that is where someone like Kim Pain belongs as far as I am concerned.If you take away the multiple wins over Seleana, what has she accomplished in Sin City? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Aside from beating up on Crystal’s least talented spouse, all Kim has done is fall short. A few weeks ago she blamed that on holding back in her first few matches, but I am not buying it. She’s not some new kid on the block. In fact, back when she was breaking into this business, I had no idea I would even end up competing. In my defense, I was seven. There was a whole lot that I still hadn’t made up my mind about.”

”...and I am not bringing that up as a shot at the fact that she is old. Roxi is old, and she still put on one hell of a main event two weeks ago. Nobody thought that she was too old to be holding the Bombshell Championship. I am a firm believer that, at least up to a point, age doesn’t matter. There is not a firm time limit on how long people can stay at the top of their game. It’s not an exact science. Like me, she has been a head trainer at a prominent gym for years. She is in incredible shape, and has managed to maintain that for like sixteen years. There is no way I can honestly tell you that she is past her prime. She very well might be sharper, faster, stronger and wiser than she has ever been. For all I can tell, Kim Pain is still very much at her peak.”

”The problem is, her peak just ain’t shit compared to me.”

”See, it seems like we both had the same kind of setbacks. Some of them left physical scars; a whole lot more left ones not even the people closest to us can see. We have both bounced into, and then out of companies.We made big splashes right out the gates of our careers, only to kind of fizzle out. We both left our jobs on the road to settle down and teach the next generation of athletes the ins-and-outs of this business. There is so much in our histories that lines up like Kim could be my long lost, much older, sister.”

”...but while we have walked near identical paths, we have ended up in very different places. For instance, her path has been pretty uneventful for over a decade. People thought the five years it took me to finally get my shot at MY Bombshell Championship was a long time, but it’s less than half as long as we have all been waiting for Kim to rise back to prominence. She says that her time chasing titles is behind her, and that should be a problem. That should make her angry. That should have forced her to dig down deep and find the motivation to actually make something of herself in this business. Nobody, myself included, can predict when it’ll be too late for her to make it to the top, but that doesn’t mean that clock isn’t ticking. For all of us, each match is one step closer to our last. If Kim isn’t careful, she is going to get to that end before she ever did anything worth doing.”

”...but when I look at her I don’t see that fire, not really. Sure, she has had some amazingly violent matches in places that don’t matter the way that Sin City does, but she doesn’t strike me as someone that competes with a giant chip on her shoulder. When I listen to her talk, I have a hard time believing the words that I am hearing; it is almost too cliche. Then, when I see her compete in the ring, it doesn’t look like her heart is really in it. She doesn’t appear to have the single-minded focus that it takes to take an opponent apart. She goes out to the ring, and goes through the motions. That is more than enough to get the job done against someone like Seleana. It’s not going to take her much further than that though.”

”She may represent a gym that has created champions and legends, and she may have even had a hand in crafting some of those men and women, but that doesn’t mean she has the same talent. Everyone knows about the gym that I came out of, but I never actually did anything with my career until I put all of that bullshit in the rearview and started focusing on what was important. It isn’t about who you spar with during your down time. It doesn’t matter whose name is on the front of your shirt. I don’t care who Kim’s friends and family are, or what they have managed to do in this business. She might be surrounded by the best in this business, but that doesn’t make her one.”

”...and if she hasn’t gotten there yet, what makes anyone think that now is suddenly going to be the time? Has everyone seen the things I have done to Bombshells inside the Sin City ring lately? Didn’t everyone see me take down The Icon? I have torn through everyone that has been put in front of me. I have risen to heights that Kim Pain has only dreamt of, or heard stories about, and I am still only twenty-three. I have so much more time left ahead of me to make sure that my name is forever etched into the history of this industry. On the other hand, Kim probably has less days in front of her than she does behind her. Squaring off against me could actually be the last best hope for her career.”

”...or, far more likely, one of the last big let downs of a mediocre, albeit long, career. Nobody can really say for sure, but I think we all know which way the betting lines are going. That might be harsh, but I don’t really care. Unlike Roxi, I don’t have the patience to try and sugarcoat things when I think my opponent has squandered any potential they may have had.”

”If Mark and Christian were really trying to test me before Summer XXXtreme, there were so many better options. The only thing that makes sense is that they have set Kim up as some kind of sacrificial lamb. I have no choice but to graciously accept their offering as the reigning Bombshell Champion.”

”Sorry, not sorry.”