Off-Camera
Monday, November 11, 2019
LAX
Los Angeles, California
9:18 PM PST
Seleana Zdunich climbs into her maserati, her fellow wrestler and mentor, Stacy Jones, climbing into the passenger seat with Stacy’s nine-year-old son, Nick, in the backseat. Behind them is Haylie Jo “Halo” Annis’ red pickup, Halo at the wheel and Stacy’s wife, Jen Lawson in the passenger seat, their other two children, seven-year-old Chelsea and three-year-old Elena, in the back seats. Seleana grins back at the truck and then nods to Stacy as they prepare to make the trip from LAX to some friends’ home in Malibu.
Seleana Zdunich: Are you keen to give this a go then?
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Fire her up, Cat!
The car starts and Seleana can’t help but smile at the look on the young boy’s face.
Seleana Zdunich: Nick looks like he’s keen as well.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: He certainly does like his cars…
Stacy turns to her son.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: ...don’t you, Nick?
Nick Jones: I do! Your car is so cool, Aunt Cat!
Seleana smiles.
Seleana Zdunich: It is Italian and was a gift. Just like the zoo and Sarabi.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: How is Sarabi doing?
Seleana beams as they put the car into gear and start the drive to Malibu.
Seleana Zdunich: She forgets she is a big cat now. Every time I see her, she tries to play like she did when she was a small cub.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Awww. That’s so adorable. I can’t wait to see her again, and I know the kids would love to see her again too.
Nick Jones: Aunt Cat? Did you name her Sarabi because of Mommy?
Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: No, we named her Sarabi in Christchurch.
She pauses and smiles nostalgically.
Seleana Zdunich: My best friend heard my sister call me that and that became our new cub’s name. Sarabi’s Sarabi, though, your mum did love the name when it was first mentioned I believe.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Of course I was going to love the name! You know how much the Lion King means to me.
Nick Jones: Mommy said she used to watch the Lion King wiv Grandpa all the time when she was little like me. I don’t really remember him very well though… he’s wiv Mufasa now.
Seleana nods knowingly.
Seleana Zdunich: My sisters and I used to watch it a lot too. It was always Kattunge’s favorite.
Nick Jones: That’s Aunt Nala, isn’t it? I’ve heard you call her that before. Isn’t it, Mommy?
At first there’s no response.
Nick Jones: Mommy?
Seleana glances over to Stacy and notices the mention of her father being with Mufasa struck her before Stacy finally breaks out of her trance.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Oh, yes, honey… Kattunge is Aunt Nala.
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Kattunge means Kitten in Swedish. We called her that because she is the youngest sister, Shenzi and I that is.
Nick giggles.
Nick Jones: Aunt Shenzi is funny! She and Mommy always make me laugh when Mommy says Mufasa and Aunt Shenzi laughs.
Laughing as she nods her agreement, Seleana’s smile manages to increase in brightness.
Seleana Zdunich: We have always enjoyed that as well. It was the first thing Kattunge learned to do in English.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: You enjoying the ride back there, buddy?
Nick Jones: Yes, Mommy. I can’t wait to see Aunt Zoey and Aunt Katalina!
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Me too.
Stacy then turns to Seleana.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: So… how are things going for you in the wrestling scene?
Seleana Zdunich: I have two jobs. I team with Shenzi in one, I wrestle singles in the other. I just main evented for the World Bombshell Championship with Alicia Lukas on the biggest SCW show of the year.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Awesome! Did you win?
Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: Not this time, no. This was our third one on one championship match. I won the first one, she has won the last two.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Bummer. Never mind though… you’ll get the title back eventually. How about your team with Shenzi? You guys got gold in your sights?
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: We have been having matches with Halo and Brittany a lot. Others hold the gold. We may get a shot eventually.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Well I believe in you, Cat, you’ll get there.
Nick Jones: I believe in you too, Aunt Cat!
Seleana nods to the back seat.
Seleana Zdunich: Tack, Nick!
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Thanks for picking us up, by the way, Cat… it’s certainly appreciated.
Seleana nods knowingly to Stacy.
Seleana Zdunich: Of course, Chickie! How long are you in town for?
Stacy Lawson-Jones: A few days. I’m going to the People’s Choice Awards tomorrow as I’ve been nominated for the Social Celebrity of the Year.
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Well, if you have time one of these days, Sarabi and Simba are always up to be visited.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Sure! We’d love to visit them! Wouldn’t we, Nick?
Nick Jones: Yeah! Thank you, Aunt Cat!
Seleana smirks playfully.
Seleana Zdunich: Maybe you’ll see me play with Sarabi this time.
Nick Jones: That would be so cool! Can I play with her too?
Stacy Lawson-Jones: No, honey, it’s too dangerous. Even though Aunt Cat has done a great job raising her, she’s still a wild animal and anything can happen. Sorry.
Nick Jones: Aww… okay…
Seleana nods firmly.
Seleana Zdunich: Your mum is right, besides, we have some smaller, less dangerous animals you can actually interact with if you like. Sarabi would not mean to do you harm, but it is possible she would because she is so big and she does not know you the way she knows me. It would not be safe for either of you.
Nick Jones: I understand, Aunt Cat. What other animals do you have that I can meet? And can Chelsea meet them as well? She’s younger than me but if she can’t meet them because of her age, I don’t want to be mean by meeting them without her.
Seleana Zdunich: We have two lemurs, three juvenile sheep that are just starting to get their wool, a couple of goats, three rabbits and a python who gets to have his own room. We named him Kaa.
Nick Jones: Kaa? Like from Jungle Book?!
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: He did not look like a Sir Hiss to anybody so we decided on Kaa.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Would have been interesting to see Dean’s reaction had you actually named him Sir Hiss, haha.
Seleana shrugs.
Seleana Zdunich: Shay calls his sister Kaa, so, still?
Stacy shifts in her chair a little and folds her arms, looking out of the window at the scenery flashing by.
Stacy Lawson-Jones: I suppose that works.
Nick Jones: Aunt Cat? Are we nearly there?
Seleana nods.
Seleana Zdunich: Ja, we have one more turn and we are…
She makes the turn and pulls into their destination, the Malibu home of Katalina Star and Zoey Madigan-Star.
Seleana Zdunich: We arrive at our destination. Please keep all hands and feet inside your seat until the vehicle comes to a complete stop.
Nick giggles again as Stacy chuckles.
Nick Jones: You’re funny, Aunt Cat!
Stacy Lawson-Jones: Alright, Nick… you stay put until I let you out, okay?
Seleana can’t help but smile to herself as she watches Stacy gets out of the car to tend to her son. As the Swedish woman looks into the rearview, she sees Halo’s pickup truck pull in behind them and nods to herself.
On-Camera
Friday, November 15, 2019
Home of Christina and Seleana Zdunich
Hollywood Hills
Los Angeles, California
5:09 PM PST
The camera opens on Seleana Zdunich standing in the driveway of the home wearing fades almost gray jeans, a gray top and black heels that wind their ways around her ankles.
Seleana Zdunich: Mercedes Vargas…
She shakes her head and then waves her opponent on.
Seleana Zdunich: You go on and tell the world, I have never beaten you. Talk as if we have wrestled each other many, many times in the past when we have not. Talk as if you have defeated me time and time again and that you are my answer for that question that was making the rounds earlier about having a white whale to shoot for when that has not happened and never will. Ignore the fact that the last time we wrestled each other, you did not beat me either. We knocked each other out and forced the officials to just wave it off.
Looking down to the ground, Seleana shakes her head again as she takes a deep breath and then looks back to the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: I have spent the last year doing what you would say should have been you, wrestling for the chance to face Alicia Lukas for the World Bombshell Championship and I have won those opportunities several times and even managed to get my hand raised against Alicia once as well. Complain that It should not be me if you wish, I would suggest it should not be you either because of how you have refused to engage with Alicia as if you believe she is the kryptonite you can never get over on.
Seleana looks off into the distance to the right.
Seleana Zdunich: People will say I have had my chance this year and they would not be wrong but I would also say to them…
She pauses to glare into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: If you do not think I should have the opportunity again, then one of you step up and stop me for once!
She nods and points accusingly into the lens.
Seleana Zdunich: How many of you have been given the chance to prove that hypothesis correct in the last year?
Nodding again, she points emphatically to the concrete beneath her feet.
Seleana Zdunich: How many were told that all you had to do was beat the foreign blonde Zookeeper Barbie trophy wife of Crystal Hilton and your championship dreams were yours?
She waves both arms around into the expanse around her.
Seleana Zdunich: How many were given reason after reason to have proper motivation to take me down and when it came time, you were the one lying on the mat staring up at the lights asking how did that blonde nothing beat me?
She angrily points to herself.
Seleana Zdunich: I am the one who has time and again proven I wanted to face Alicia more than any of you have. Every time the opportunity was placed in front of me, no matter who stood across from me, no matter what enticement was dangled in front of them, it was my hand that was raised and the grumbling started all over again despite the fact that none of you who did it had the…
She trails off for a second and nods to herself.
Seleana Zdunich: How you say… gumption?
Again, Seleana glares angrily into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: None of you had what it took to beat me to keep me out of that match or even step up and challenge to take it away from me after I had it.
Looking to the ground again, Seleana looks like she can’t decide if she wants to scream or laugh.
Seleana Zdunich: And now it is Mercedes Vargas, who has never spoken of me without a certain level of disgust in her voice and I say to you, Mercedes...
She looks uop, glaring even more hatefully than before.
Seleana Zdunich: ¡Chingate y chinga su madre! ¡Chúpa mi culo, cabrón! ¡También te odio, puta! ¡Te voy a dar una zapatería y te quitaré el respeto!
She steps forward, the anger radiating from her eyes.
Seleana Zdunich: Start whining now, it’s what you are good at!
