Chapter 53: Relationships
There has been so much talk about the relationship that I currently have. You people see it week and week out with how Finn and I look at each other. The fact that while people know that he and I are in a relationship we are not like the other couples that you will see constantly floating around the wrestling Zeitgeist. We aren’t like Carter and Miles, constantly flaunting their private moments all over the place. Nor are we like Alexandra and LJ who seem to think that they need to put every little interaction all over social media just because if they didn’t, no one would know that they were together.
Finn and I are so subtle in what we do that many people don’t know that we are a couple unless they know us personally. Occasionally I will put something on social media, a little quip or a comment to make people laugh. I will gosh over the fact that my boyfriend is a very good-looking man as well as being someone who, to be quite frank, is amazing at sexually pleasing me. These aren’t things that I put out into the ether willingly. In fact, it is taking so much of my energy on a daily basis to push people away from our relationship relationship so they don’t get the wrong idea.
But why? Why do Finn and I keep everything so insular? Well, we both have our reasons and I can only speak on mine. His are his own and that is something that most people don’t realise. They don’t seem to be able to separate myself and Finn from each other constantly lumping us together. And yes we have been a tag team, yes we are in a relationship, but he and I are two separate people with two separate opinions on many different things.
But what were my previous relationships like? With the life that I’ve been living and the problems we’ve been having, we all know that The Romani are constantly watching us, and you all know that Jace and I were in a relationship. But what was that relationship like?
Well, for that, we need to go back to the beginning.
I sat in the back of the cab, looking over my sister Amber. It was about six years ago, maybe seven. The truth is time seems to blend together. She had been dating Jason‘s older brother Renée for a few months. I had met René a few times and he seemed to be someone who you didn’t want to mess with but cared enough for my sister that it was never really an issue. As the cab rumbled along the road, I couldn’t help but shake my head and look over my sister angry that she wanted to drag me along to some weird meeting with Renée and his family. ”I don’t get why I’m coming with you…”
Amber slowly smiled and shook her head ”Well, maybe it’s time Brenna’s family met my family. In fact will be meeting his brother Jase. I think you’re like him.” Her voice changed so she said the last few words my heart raced as I slowly turned to my sister with my eyebrows raised
”Hold on…” I shook my head trying to resent my thoughts as the reality slowly hit me that this was something different. This wasn’t just a meeting. Amber had something in mind. ”Are you trying to set me up with your boyfriend's brother? Amber, I’m not interested.”
She smiled and shrugged slightly ”He’s 6’8, long dark blonde hair, handsome, muscular….”
My eyes fluttered and I cleared my throat ”Ok…m-maybe I’m a little interested.”
At this point in my life, I can blame my use. My immature age in looking at someone’s physical attributes instead of seeing all the warning signs. At that point, I wasn’t sure what to make of the Romani, all of the gypsies who I had met previously. Amber seemed happy and Renée treated her like gold so at the time I didn’t see the warning signs. I didn’t see if there was anything wrong with what they were doing or their lifestyle so I was more open-minded to joining them.
The cab rumbled down the road and stopped right in front of a large gate, a compound filled with small shacks and houses as well as a few larger buildings that The more powerful members of the family were able to live in. Amber and I got out, moving to the gate she put the security code into the keypad before hearing a click and opening the door. We both walked in and, I raised an eyebrow seeing a bunch of aging men sitting with cigarettes in their hands glaring at us. Amber gave a small to them before moving through the gateway and out into the larger courtyard.
It was different for me. Amber seemed to be so comfortable around all these people, these older men who laid at us with a mixture of curiosity, anger, and lust. My heart sank, I felt an uneasy feeling in my stomach but Amber seemed fine. She was confident moving us through to the back of the compound to the largest building in the entire area. I swallowed hard. I was nervous. We walked through the front door and Amber giggled running and leaping into Renée‘s arms wrapping her legs around his hips and kissing him passionately. I rolled my eyes unsure of how to feel about her sudden public display of affection with this large Long long-haired and bearded man who I had spent limited time with.
Then I saw him, just as Amber said. 6’8, with long hair that was tied back in a bun, his large and muscular frame was hidden somewhat under a tight-fitting black shirt and jeans, his face was handsome with piercing blue eyes, a strong jawline, and cheekbones that could cut glass. I felt nervous, something that wasn’t normal for me now but back then when I was younger and less hardened to the world it was easier to see and believe.
He walked toward me and it wasn’t love at first sight, it was lust. Pure young lust. His eyes moved up and down my body, I knew what he wanted, I knew what I wanted. I was just too young and blind to see the dark path this was going to lead me down. ”Aye, you must be Ambers sister…Kayla was it?” I smiled and nodded slowly, I felt my cheeks flush a bright shade of red. I look back on those days now with embarrassment and trepidation at how stupidly immature I was. But I wanted him and was open to being with him.
”You know my sister set us up right?”
The night had gone on and I had spent time with him, getting to know him, not seeing the warning signs and red flags ”I’m aware…but to be honest it was my idea”
I raised an eyebrow, I was surprised that he was responsible. I was naive in the ways of the world and I let his attention make me feel special. I was stupid and young in my youth and all of this led me to who I was today. But this was the beginning and as I said you all need to understand it.
You see, everything I am today. The woman that I’ve become, it is all a byproduct of my history. You look at the relationship that I forged with Finn and you look at where we’ve gone in our lives and it all comes from whatever happened to us in our past. Everything that happened with him and his ex-wife, everything that happened with Me and Jace as well as my other relationships. It all pushed me to be who I am today and who he is today. And it’s why we are the way we are when we look at this current problem that we have.
All of this, the problems with the Romani, the fact it ties into Finn and his past with the Yakuza, we are being punished for the sins of our past. And for the first time, I have come to admit to myself as well as the rest of the world that we aren’t innocent in this. We are responsible for everything that our friends and family are going through. The decisions that we have both collectively made before even meeting each other are leading everyone down a path of discovery that they didn’t think they could deal with. a path of pain, anger, frustration, and danger.
And the irony is not lost on me. The irony is that all I’ve ever wanted was happiness. And now I have that happiness within reach, happiness with a man who never thought he deserved it, and all of it can be torn down because of mistakes that we both made in our younger years. But that is how life is. You never know where you are going until you look at where you’ve been. And that’s all. Finn and I being in a relationship and being deeply in love cannot fully embrace the love that we have all because of the Love that we used to have with people who never deserved it. And that is perhaps the saddest tragedy of all.
A new challenge
”Do you all smell that? It’s the smell of a real challenger approaching. The smell of rivalry and competition.”
Kayla Richards, our reigning and defending SCW world bombshells champion. Her long black hair was tied back in a high ponytail, showing off her burning green emerald eyes as she stared head and for the first time in a long time, she seemed excited. Excited about the future and excited about a match. The championship title, one that was fought over by the entire female roster was slung over her right shoulder, her right arm curling around the bottom half of the strap holding onto it for dear life. Her body language betrayed the fact that she was clearly afraid of losing it.
”You know, there was a small part of me over the last couple of weeks that started to believe some of the rhetoric that others were saying about me. Being at the top of the division is hard work. You have some people who respect you and others who are coming for you and gunning for everything that you have, ready to try and take it away from you at a moment's notice and they will do everything in their power to do it. Trying to get in your head with ridiculous statements. Now, I consider myself to be a mentally strong human being. I’ve been through a lot in my life and each time life throws one of those curveballs at me. I tend to hit it out of the park and keep going.”
“It is something that I’m rather proud of. Having that mental fortitude to look everyone in the eye and say that I know that I’m right and they are wrong. But in the last few weeks, I’ve heard those voices slowly echoing in my mind sewing seeds of doubt. Because everyone tries to tear you down when you are at the top of the hill. When you’re standing up there and looking down at everyone else trying to scratch and claw their way toward you, they will say things that will get into your head. Now, I am not innocent in this because I did it myself as I was climbing my way to this championship”
“However, when I talk, when I look someone in the eye and say something to them everything I have ever said has been based on fact. I don’t go wildly making things up to try and tear people down because in the end that can backfire on you.”
“So, as I said, the last few weeks have been hard because I did slowly start to doubt myself. I’ve heard the comments by all the different women coming after me and so many of them have been based on real facts. I did lose the mixed tag team championships. I did suffer my first loss in a year, these are facts and these are true things that happened to me and I can sit there and deny them but the truth is that it’s just going to make me look like an idiot. Denying your losses and denying your failures is a fast path to being looked at as a joke. If you accept them, then it takes away the power that others hold over you.”
Kayla pauses closing her eyes as she grips the championship title. When her eyes open, the passion and power is still there shining away.
”So, yes, my reign as half of the mixed tag team champions did come to an end. But that doesn’t stop anything. That doesn’t make what I accomplished mean anything less. I still defended two championships at the same time and held them currently which is something that no one else in this company can say they have done except for Finn, sure, Victoria Lyons can walk around saying she did it too and is currently doing it, but we did it on a level that she could never imagine. And I think I proved that by walking into a match with the woman who would be my equal and I put her in her place. Victoria Lyons believed herself to be a queen and I did whatever everyone wanted to do and I took her head off and left her laying in in the middle of the ring broken and beaten.”
“I did that. Me! And everyone who sat there saying that I was starting to go on a downward spiral had to eat their words. Finn and I lost those mixed tag-team championships but at the end of the day, it doesn’t stop us from being the best of the best. We can no longer call ourselves the best team in this company but we can still call ourselves world champions and that is exactly what I am a fucking world champion.”
“Something that Victoria lions will not soon forget.”
“It’s something that no one should forget, for the better part of three years since I came to this company I have done nothing but prove that. I’ve proved that by facing women who are in the Hall of Fame or who are going to be in the Hall of Fame. I have done that by avenging most of the losses that I have on my record which by the way are very few. When someone beats me as I have told each and every one of you, I come back with a vengeance and I come back better to right those wrongs and make sure everyone knows that I was the better woman.”
“Who else can make such a claim?”
Kayla lost to herself taking the championship from her shoulder and looking at it smiling as she admires the engraving as well as her name on the nameplate that sits at the bottom of the front-facing plate of the Bombshells championship.
” The truth is that I’ve always been someone who wants to get revenge and be better than I was previously. When I first won this championship, I criticized the woman that I took it from. I did. I’m not going to deny it. You see my next defense is against Andrea Hernandez, yet, the woman I took this from is someone who Andrea knows quite well Julianna DiMaria. And when I beat her I had done so by showing her a certain level of respect while also talking about how she only defended the championship against people who she knew she could beat. I honestly felt like she had been ducking Me.”
“And I called her out. I called her out because I wanted to be noticed. I was sick of sitting in the shadows and thinking that I was the best this company had to offer but I wasn’t getting the opportunity to prove it. And when I was given that opportunity I knocked it out of the park and I became the bombshells champion and I’ve held this championship for over 200 days. And in that time the championship defenses I’ve had also defending those mixed tag team championships have also been a little bit on the mixed side”
“See, I defended this championship against Ariana Angelos and Seleana Zdunich. And while those wins padded out my résumé the truth is I wish they weren’t on there because those two should never have had a sniff at a championship like this…”
“Admittedly, I also defended the championship in a rematch against Julianna as well as beating the blast from the past winner Luna Palsino and Tempest. Those three women right there consist of a former champion, a woman who won one of the hardest tournaments to win as well as one of the most physically imposing bombshells on the roster. So anyone who wants to talk shit about my championship rain can suck it because I clearly have beaten some of the best this company has to offer and now I’m faced with perhaps my biggest challenger Andrea Hernandez.”
She breathes in her nostrils flaring as she closes her eyes trying to calm herself down and lightly letting go of the air in her lungs, it calms her down, slowing down her heartbeat as she throws the championship back over her shoulder. She wears a Finn Whelan “Seattle Saint” t-shirt as a way to show her support for her boyfriend and the love of her life.
Q”When I say that my biggest challenger is Andrea Hernandez I say this with a certain amount of trepidation. See, Andrew went away from this company for a while and has come back and exploded on the scene and she seems to have picked up right where she left off. There seems to be a strange narrative where people seem to think I don’t show the proper respect to women who are good enough in this company. It’s something that a lot of people like Alexandra Calawhatwcerhernameis and Ariana Angelos seem to push out there.”
“All because I verbally berate them on a regular basis. But nothing could be further from the truth. When I look at women who can add something to this business and to this division I walk on them with open arms and I am more than ready to give them the respect that they’ve earned. Shit, I look at Alexandra Hernandez and I tell you all that she’s the biggest challenger that I’ve had and I fully mean it. She’s a woman whose career paralleled mine.”
“A huge chip on her shoulder, arrogance that many people believe she didn’t earn as well as starting off in the Internet division before becoming the world champion. It sounds very familiar doesn’t it Andrea? And I could sit here and deny that you and I have had a very similar path toward glory but the truth is that I would just be made to look like an idiot if I denied it. You are a real competitor and a real challenger for this championship. And I would be remiss if I looked into the camera and told the world that I was going to beat you easily because the truth is that I don’t know if I can come out of this match still the champion”
“Shocking, I know.”
“But, matches like this where I go up against someone who is as good as they believe themselves to be who are a real threat to my championship get me excited. I didn’t get excited facing some of the names that have fallen into me, because I knew I was going to beat them. Women like Adriana Angelo who I had beaten so many times before did not excite me when I got into the ring with her again to defend this championship. But you? Knowing that I’m going to be defending this title against you one of the biggest shows of the year gets my blood pumping and makes me want to be here. It makes me want to put on my best performance and it makes me want to beat you in Waze that many people just can’t understand. Because not everyone is like you and Me Andrea, not everyone lives in breathes for this shit.”
Kayla laughs to herself and takes a deep breath before shuffling sideways and tilting her head.
”I’m glad that you won that triple threat match. If I had been forced to face Alexandra I probably would’ve come out here and just stared at the camera, unwilling to say anything not showing any passion just being bored generally because someone like her shouldn’t be facing me for the bombshell championship because she doesn’t deserve it. If Alicia had one I would’ve just rolled my eyes and shrugged because she has a fading violet who should’ve stayed where she was.”
“But you? You are someone who left this company at the height of her powers. Someone who could’ve regained the world bombshells championship and stayed at the top of the mountain but instead you chose to take some time away and rediscover yourself. And now that you’ve come back, I think we can all agree that you are a welcome shot in the arm for this division. In fact, when I look at the history of the Internet championship, there really are only two names that matter for that title and that is you and Me. Andrea Hernandez and Kayla Richards. The two best Internet champions of all time.”
“But when we look at the history of the world bombshell championship your world title rain didn’t go as you wanted it to did it?”
“You reached the top of the mountain and you were able to defend the title against a few big names but in the end, you lost it to Evie Jordan. You lost it to someone who should’ve never have held it. So now here you are on your redemption tour trying to regain that glory. Also, you can prove to everyone that you always belonged here. I think you did but you need to prove it to yourself. So, our careers have a certain amount of parallel meaning to it. I have been the one to go on to world championship glory and show the world that I always deserve to belong here while you are still scraping and chlorine trying to make sure that you get that relevance you clearly want.”
She pauses taking a deep breath and shaking her head. Her facial expression changes, she knows that Andrea is good enough to beat her but Kayla also knows that she has something that Andrea can never have.
”You probably think that what you want is so far and above what I do that you can beat me. You want to prove that you were always world championship material and you can become the bombshell champion again, as some kind of unfinished business. You want to get people behind you to make sure they realize that the fight that you have inside is one of righteous need and want. And I get it, you have unfinished business. The problem is so do I.”
“Winning this championship and holding it for 200 days isn’t my endgame. It isn’t my goal. You see Andrea what I want is for people to look at this championship and have my name tied to it forever. I mentioned the Internet championship, when people look at that they see my name and your name. They see what we did with that championship and they want to emulate that. They want their name to be tied to that championship forever.”
“Well, the world championship has that too. Amber Ryan, Alicia Lukas, Roxi Johnson, hell even Mikah. All of those names are tied to this championship. When people talk about the best who have held it, they mention those women. That’s what I want. I want to be able to hold this championship and beat the best of the best so that when all is set and done people see me when they look at this title. They mentioned me when they mentioned the best you have held it and the best who have been associated with it. And to reach that goal I have to keep beating everyone who comes for me. Including you. Because I’m not at that level yet, I’m not at that height of my powers to be able to call myself synonymous with the world bombshells championship and you are standing in my way.”
“So, as much as I respect you and as much as I’m looking forward to this match you need to realize that I will do whatever it takes to keep this championship. I will drop to any lance to keep it and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You are good enough to beat me for this title, I’m not stupid. I know that. But you are facing someone who will do anything to keep it. I am the best you will ever get in the ring with, and considering the names that you’ve already faced I’m sure you’re thinking that is some kind of arrogant statement, and it can’t be true. But trust me Andrea when you and I meet at high stakes it is going to be a clash of two of the best this company has ever seen. But you’re facing someone who will do whatever it takes to leave the winner. And this war has only just begun.
Chapter 54: Revenge
It’s funny how one simple act can change things. How it can skew the point of view that you’ve had in your mind for the longest time. One act and one moment can completely flip your world upside down. This is what Kayla has been going through the last week or so. And yes, this is from a third-person point of view because there are going to be things that happen that she doesn’t know. But, Kayla thought she knew what her relationship was like. She thought she understood where they were going with it.
Two people, two people who had families but preferred to have the company of just themselves. And then, Finn took her to meet his parents. It was something that was unexpected, she found herself being nervous. Not just the regular kind of nerves, her heart was beating in her chest so hard she thought she was going to feel it erupt from her rib cage. Her hands were shaking when she arrived. But at the end of the day, this meeting where she got to know Finn's family helped them both.
It helped Kayla understand Finn even more seeing where he came from and what he grew up with. Understanding everything about where his resentment had spawned from and why he was the way he was. The realization hit Kayla in the face. Finn was never going to know her, truly know her, until she let him in the same way that he had with her.
Even if she knew it was not going to go the same way.
Finn‘s mother had been lovely. She had given Kayla a hug and was sweet and kind. And she seemed to enjoy the fact that her son had found someone who understood him. Their relationship had taken a turn that not even Kayla herself could have predicted. They were in this for the long haul.
She knew that he wasn’t going to run away. No matter what Kayla said or did no matter how much she pushed him Finn was not going to walk away from her. He was not going to drop her like a bad habit or think that she was a horrible person. He loved her, deeply and truly more than anyone else ever had. And that’s why they found themselves in the situation they were now in.
”We didn’t have to do this. I didn’t bring you to meet my family to push you into taking me to meet yours.” Finn sat in the driver's seat of his car. One hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear stick. His eyes were on the road as Kayla sat in the passenger seat. Her legs crossed over as she looked out the window as they drove toward her mother's house.
A small smile came across her lips, she knew damn well why she said that. And it had nothing to do with Kayla feeling forced to do anything. ”Oh I know. But the truth is that the whole situation made me realize this was a long time coming. You’ve met my sisters, you probably won’t meet my brother this time because fuck knows where he is. But it’s about time I introduced you to my mother….”
”Nervous?” Finn asked with a small smirk on his lips. That boyish grin that he knew drove Kayla wild.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes shifting slightly in her seat, showing that no matter what she was about to say. There was a small part of her that wasn’t nervous. So of course, she was about to deny it. ”No. Why? Are you?” She flipped it back onto him. Finn shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter. He was never someone who would show being nervous or scared. The truth is that Finn was someone who pushed his emotions down. Kayla would show anger, frustration, and apathy. But showing happiness and Love was foreign to her as foreign as every basic emotion seemed to be for Finn.
He took a deep breath, behind his eyes Kayla could see it. He was nervous. So many people thought that Finn was cold and distant but the truth is if you really knew him, you would see his emotions through all the little moments. The little twitches in his face, the way he would move his hands, how he would stand when he was nervous or apprehensive or if he had anxiety. All of these things Kayla had started to pick up on and she knew him better than anyone and that includes his ex-wife ”I have handled you in my life for awhile, and having to put up with your sisters. I think I can handle your mother.”
”We’ll see”
Finn shook his head as the car came to a stop. The two of them got out moving up the small pathway toward the door, before Kayla could knock the door swung open, and standing in the doorway was her mother. A woman who looked very much like Kayla, her long black hair tied back in a high ponytail with a few grey strands of hair throughout, her green emerald eyes fixated on her daughter with a smile before leaning forward and giving Kayla a hug. ”Hello my girl”
Kayla, just a small one as she squeezed her mother before drawing back and swallowing hard ”Hi mum…”
Her mother stepped back, looking over her shoulder with a smile as she tilted her head, noticing Finn standing behind her ”Ahhh you must be Finn…. The man that my lovely daughter has been dating for the better part of a year and has yet to tell too much about or introduce us.”
Kayla let out a heavy sigh as her shoulders dropped. Finn raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, putting on his voice charm as he held out his hand. ”It’s lovely to finally meet you, Amanda.”
Amanda took Finn‘s hand and shook it before looking over at Kayla with a cheeky grin ”Well, courteous and good-looking, much better than the last one you brought back to me. That boy was sweet but my god there was nothing between the ears. He pumped all of that information that he was taking into his muscles. And don’t even get me started on that Matthew Shields idiot.”
”Mum….”
”Right…please come in” Amanda turned sideways allowing Finn and Kayla to come into her home. They moved through the lounge room into the kitchen where Finn took off his leather jacket and sat down. Kayla walked over and right away started making a coffee for herself and Finn and a cup of tea for her mother. ”As I understand it you are a very successful professional wrestler much like Kayla. In fact, from what I’ve seen you’re both the champions in the company that you work for correct?”
Finn nodded slowly and took the cup of coffee that Kayla had put in front of him taking a sip. Kayla sat down and shook her head looking over her mother. ”Why are you acting like you don’t know? You follow my career and you watch more wrestling than I do. You know damn well who Finn is you knew who he was before we started dating.”
Fin raised an eyebrow surprised at this revelation as Amanda simply tutted and shook her head ”Ruining my fun? Really?”
”Yeah…. and stop it with the kindly older lady act. You swear like a sailor you’re only in your early 50s and I only made you a cup of tea because I knew you were going to ask. I know what you really want to do is break out the beer”
Amanda sighed and stood up taking her bright pink cardigan off revealing that she was wearing a very similar top to Kayla. A black midwife showing a crop top and skinny black jeans. Her arms covered in tattoos with black nail polish on her fingertips as she sat down and looked over at Finn. ”Is she a buzzkill with you too? By the way, you’re welcome, being able to look at what you’re going to deal with within the next 20 years.”
”Mum!…..fuck…” Kayla got to her feet as her phone starts ringing. It was Amber. ”I have to take this…” she grumbled and got to her feet stepping outside to talk to her older sister. Finn blinked a few times taking another sip of his coffee before chucking to himself and sitting back.
Amanda sept her tea and looked over at Finn studying him, looking him up and down before tilting her head ”You break her heart I’ll fucking kill you”
”Excuse me?” Finn’s eyes widened as he noticed the subtle change in Amanda‘s body language. Going from open and honest to closed off as she narrowed her eyes at Finn. ”I definitely wasn’t planning on it but at the same time Kayla is unbelievably strong-willed and I don’t think she breaks easily” There is real conviction in Finn‘s voice. Only a small pain of insecurity as he says the words.
Amanda slowly smiles and shakes her head sitting back ”I believe you. I believe that you don’t plan on hurting my girl. But I also know that you’re not stupid enough to believe some of the words that are coming out of your mouth right now. You know damn well that she’s a lot more fragile than she lets on. There is a small pause as Amanda sits forward, tilting her head as she looks thin right in the eyes. ”She loves you… I can see it. The way she looks at you the way she acts around you everything that her sisters have told me. She loves you. That gives you real power. I have faith that you’ll be good to her.”
Amanda reached over squeezing Finn‘s hand as Kayla stepped back in looking at her phone ”I swear to God I am the only sane one left in the family” she looked up at Finn a small smile coming on her lips as she saw him, Finn smiled back and then looked at Amanda lightly nodding his head in recognition of what she was saying. It was something that Finn already understood and it was something that he had been wary of since their relationship started. But this moment was a significant step for both of them. Kayla trusted him, and Finn trusted her. And somehow, someway these two broken individuals have become the most wholesome couple you could ever possibly imagine.
I know, we’re shocked too….
Goals
”The greatest thing about this business is also the worst. There’s always a carrot to chase. There’s always something just out of reach that you want to have that forces you to keep going. It’s the main reason why we watch people leave and come back. It’s why older wrestlers have so much trouble retiring and walking away.”
Kayla lobster herself, shaking her head as she sits back and folds her arms over her chest. Her mind drifts to her sister someone who left the business well before her time. Someone who is still old enough to come back and be a force in the business. But someone who lost a spark, a fire.
”Those carrots, those goals always keep us moving forward. Before I get into Andrea and what she decided to say let me just be very clear on this. Winning the bombshell championship was never the end goal for what I wanted to accomplish in this company. When I came in, I wanted to find my footing, I just wanted to see people realize what this company had. I was well known in other places, I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that I was a nobody or the people didn’t know who I was because the fact is that when I first walked out on SCW television people knew I was special. They knew what I had done in the past.”
“I came in and started chasing carrots. And I told everyone that I was going to become the Bombshells champion. And I did. Everything that I have ever said I was going to do in this company I’ve done. I told everyone I was going to be the Internet champion, and when I was beaten I told them I was coming back for the championship and to get my win back and I did. I told everyone that Finn and I were going to be the mixed tag team champions. I told everyone we were going to be double champions every single time. I open my mouth and I say something I accomplish it. Because I always achieve my goals. That is the difference between myself and so many of the other women who have walked through this company.”
“There is a certain level that most of the bombshells will never get to but they will always aspire to. It’s a level that Amber Ryan reached. It’s something that so many will want to reach but will fail miserably. That is the level that I want to get to. I don’t just want to be known as a three-time Internet champion, I don’t want to be known as one-half of the most dominant mixed tag team champs of all time and the first bombshell to defend two championships simultaneously. I don’t want to be known as that. I want to be the best.”
“The best not one of the best.”
“That is a goal that so many others have. But the difference between myself and them is that I have the skills and ability as well as the drive to accomplish it. I know that I’m good enough to reach that level. There is no questioning it. There is no doubt in my mind. And that makes me dangerous. When you face someone who doubts their abilities then there’s a weakness. Something that you can exploit. But when you’re facing someone like Me who believes in themselves to such a high degree, finding a break in that armor is almost impossible”
“A fact that so many of the bombshells have already found out”
Kayla can’t help with chocolate as she shakes her head, getting to her feet she paces back and forth. In her mind she’s going over the match, thinking about her weaknesses, thinking about Andrew‘s weaknesses, and thinking about how she can exploit them. She’s constantly thinking, and constantly learning. A true student of the game
”Andrea, I want you to think back to when I got my opportunity against your “friend” Julianna. She told the world that she was going to beat me. She seems so sure of it but when you look in her eyes when she was cutting her promos against me, you could see doubt. She automatically knew that she was full of shit. But so many people believed her. so I wasn’t meant to beat her and become the champion according to most people”
“Including so-called “legends”. Then the inevitable rematch. I was told that I was a flash in the pan, that she was going to take that championship back from Me. And in the end, I walked away with it. I defended my championship while also defending the mixed tag team titles which has taken a lot out of me. But at the end of the day, I know who I am. I went into my match against Luna Palsino and everyone told me I was going to lose because she had just won the blast from the past which is one of the most grueling tournaments in professional wrestling.”
“I won.”
“Then, well then came my biggest test in size. Tempest. Do you know what she did Andrea? She made a cardinal sin and looked into the camera and told the world that my championship brain meant nothing. That I was not fulfilling my duties as a champion. That I wasn’t good enough. Do you know what that’s like? To have someone who has failed in every attempt to capture the Bombshells championship tell you that you’re doing it wrong? I suppose you do don’t you?”
She takes a deep breath looking over at the championship. The is sitting on the table. The Arizona skyline looks gorgeous from her hotel room. Kayla swallows taking a deep breath before refocusing on the task at hand.
”You had so many people coming after you when you were the champion. Some of the best to ever step foot in a professional wrestling ring came after you. And you repelled them. You did everything you could to keep that championship around your waist. And all the while you heard the same bullshit arguments that I’ve had to put up with. Now, I have given you a certain amount of respect and I will continue to do that even though you in your infinite wisdom decided to paint me as a horrible person.”
“I’m not oblivious to the fact that I can be an absolute bitch. I’m arrogant, I think I’m better than everyone else. These are all true things that people throw in my face thinking that it’s some form of insult. But the truth is Andrea that I will give respect when it is earned and is due. You being a former world champion are owed a level of respect because you have been in the same place that I am. You know what it’s like to hold the championship and have everyone around you gunning for you and running their mouth not giving you the respect that you’ve earned. You know that, you’ve felt that.”
“Hell, most people probably think that I’m going to listen to your story about leaving professional wrestling and start giving you shit for it. I’m never going to give anyone shit for leaving for mental health reasons. You were a champion and you kept that title all while dealing with your own personal Demons. You fulfilled your obligations and your duties to this company and to yourself right to the very end, and then and only then did you walk away to get the help that you clearly needed.”
“Congratulations.”
“I applaud you for that. Really, I do. You went away and you did everything you could to fix yourself. And then even when you thought you were gone, you felt that fire inside you burning so you decided to come back. Now, it’s no secret that my siblings also are professional wrestlers. Out of the four of us, I’m the only one who is still in the ring. My youngest sister is busy being a mother my older sister is busy being a mother and our brother is, well it’s complicated. I’m the only one who is still doing this because I’m the only one who still has that fire. I’m the only one who still has that spark inside me the same spark that I see when I look at you.”
Kayla gets fired up pacing back and forth as she smiles and looks directly into the camera.
”You love this and you want to be the world champion for a second time. But you are standing there making promises that you simply cannot keep. You think that you can take my worst? Do you want to make all these promises that you pull through and enjoy and you’ll become the champion and all of this other bullshit. I have no doubt that that’s what you want to do. I have no doubt that you believe you can but look at me, Andrea. Everyone always talks about my nickname. The dreamkiller”
“They always think that that name has to do with killing your dreams. I’m not here to kill your dreams. I’m not here to kill Alexandra Calloway’s dreams, by the way, nice work basically ripping off everything that she said about Me good job. But the fact remains I’m not here to kill all of your dreams. That name is there as a reminder that the only person who can kill my dreams is me. The only person who can stop me from achieving my goals is Me and it is my job to fight against that. It’s my job not to have self-doubt. It’s my job to be the best of the fucking Best.”
“I want to be one of the longest reigning champions of all time, I want to rack up defenses and be a fighting champion. That’s what I want and that’s what I need and right now, you are the one who is standing in my way.”
“You can bring up your own story and show us all how you’ve triumphed in the face of adversity. You can show us all how you’ve come back up after almost walking away and have this inspiring story all that you want but just because you believe in your story and just because you are proud of your story doesn’t mean that the rest of us are going to sit here and let you do what you want to do. All the things that I’ve gone through in my life and everything I’ve ever wanted to be I am on the cusp of achieving greatness and I am not going to allow someone like you to walk in steal my phone and think that just because you have gone through a little bit of adversity in your life that you’re better than Me”
“I am the champion. Andrea, I am going into high stakes as the champion, on the biggest show of the year. Both of us are multitime champions and both of us are not women who should be messed with. But my goals and my dreams are right there. My fingertips are reaching out and I am so close to them and you are in my way…..my way… my way of greatness, of being a legend, of being one of the greatest champions this company has ever seen. You're standing in front of me and stopping me from achieving that. So when all is said and done the best woman is going to win. I just have to ask are you going to be good enough to beat me? Or when it gets tough and I drag you into deep Waters, are you just going to quit again?”