SCW Boards
Roleplay Boards => Archived Roleplays => Climax Control Archives => Topic started by: Natalie McKinley on April 27, 2016, 05:00:06 PM
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The scene opens inside the main concourse of Cardiff Central railway station, on the afternoon of Tuesday 12th April. Sat at a table by a branch of Upper Crust, looking at something on his mobile phone while awaiting the arrival of someone, is the recently retired Simon Jones; he is wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black coat.
As Simon swipes the screen of the phone with his thumb, scrolling through whatever it is that he is reading, the person that he is waiting for arrives: wearing a pair of pale blue jeans and a red jacket, and pulling a purple trolley case behind her, is Natalie McKinley. Having been alerted to Natalie's presence by the sound of the plastic wheels of her case rolling on the concourse's tiled floor, Simon puts his phone away.
Simon: 'Alright, Natalie?'
Natalie places her case next to Simon's table, and then sits down opposite him.
Natalie: 'Yeah, I'm alright. How are you?'
Simon: 'I'm good, thanks.'
Natalie: 'You look like retirement is treating you well.'
Simon laughs off talk of him being retired.
Simon: 'I'm only retired from wrestling, Natalie; I'm not well off enough that I won't ever have to work again - I'll soon have to get another job doing something else.'
Natalie: 'Well, until then, you should make the most of your free time.'
Simon: 'I am, trust me. I've been spending plenty of time with my family, plus I've been going to watch the Blues play, as well as watching SCW and other wrestling promotions; well done on your win on Sunday, by the way.'
There is an appreciative smile from Natalie.
Natalie: 'Thanks.'
Simon: 'I watched the show live, online.'
Natalie raises an eyebrow.
Natalie: 'I wasn't aware that the show would be streamed online.'
Simon: 'Well, it was. And it was good to see you inside a ring again - it would be even better to see you inside the six-sided ring again.'
Natalie: 'Yeah, well, whether or not that will happen is out of my hands, isn't it?'
Simon: 'That may be so, but if you do still hold out hope of wrestling in SCW again, then failing to attend their biggest show of the year might not have been your wisest decision.'
Natalie replies curtly.
Natalie: 'I doubt that anyone missed me.'
She then sighs.
Natalie: 'I was offered the chance to appear on that show in London by the promoter, and yes, it meant be not being present at Blaze Of Glory, but having gone four months without a match, I just wanted to be back inside a ring - any ring.'
Simon: 'I understand that, but I just think that you might have been better served by being at Blaze Of Glory, and displaying your commitment to SCW.'
Natalie shrugs, unconvinced. A brief lull in the conversation then follows, until Natalie speaks.
Natalie: 'I watched Blaze Of Glory yesterday afternoon, and you know, I heard the message that you had for Melody. So go on, then - try to talk me round.'
Simon smiles wryly.
Simon: 'By asking you to be her tag team partner, Melody is trying to help you find a way to get to set foot inside an SCW ring again.'
Natalie: 'I know that, but...'
Before Natalie can say any more, Simon interrupts her.
Simon: 'Then why are you reluctant to agree to be her partner?'
Natalie: 'Because Melody has a bright future ahead of her, and her being associated with me could jeopardise that - she could end up beside me, in the SCW wilderness.'
Simon scoffs at that notion.
Simon: 'I find it hard to believe that is what would happen. I mean, Melody said it herself that Mark Ward likes to punish her with matches.'
Natalie frowns.
Natalie: 'That's something that Melody tweeted - how did you see that? I thought you deactivated your Twitter account.'
Simon: 'I did - but that doesn't stop me from looking at what certain people have been tweeting about.'
Natalie: 'Have you been stalking me on Twitter?'
Simon gives a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
Simon: 'I prefer to think of it as keeping a watchful eye on you.'
Natalie: 'Snooping, more like.'
Simon holds up both of his hands, protesting his innocence.
Natalie: 'If you saw that tweet from Melody, I'm guessing then that you must have seen all the ones she has bombarded me with, trying to persuade me to be her tag team partner.'
Simon nods his head.
Natalie: 'She's nothing if not persistent.'
Simon: 'Is her persistence wearing you down though - are you going to give in to her?'
Natalie sighs again.
Natalie: 'I don't know, Simon - I'm not sure that Melody and me forming a tag team would be a good move for either of us.'
Simon: 'Why not? And don't repeat that line about the pair of you ending up in the SCW wilderness.'
Natalie stares at Simon, saying nothing.
Simon: 'I think that the two of you would make a very good tag team. Plus, Team Hero need new opponents - who better than you and Melody?'
Simon grins mischievously.
Simon: 'In fact, I think that - given the opportunity - you and Melody could be the ones to end Team Hero's record breaking reign as the Bombshell Tag Team Champions.'
Natalie: 'It almost sounds as though you're challenging me to set my sights on the tag team titles.'
Simon: 'I don't know; maybe I am.'
Simon shrugs again.
Simon: 'It took me fourteen and a half years to become a champion in the tag team ranks - and that included me having a long wait to find a suitable partner. You, on the other hand, already have someone that wants to be your tag team partner - and Melody would be a very good partner for you - and so you could potentially win a Tag Team Championship in a fraction of the time that it took me.'
There is a pause in the conversation, as Natalie considers what Simon has just said.
Natalie: 'Supposing I was to get a shot at the tag team titles, how would you feel about me being in a match against your friend Roxi Johnson? I know that Melody wouldn't want to have to do battle with one of her best friends.'
Simon: 'I'll deal with that dilemma if and when it arises.'
Natalie: 'There you go, dodging the question yet again.'
Simon rubs his chin.
Simon: 'Alright, fine; you want an answer?'
Natalie nods.
Natalie: 'Yes - I do.'
Simon: 'Okay, I'll admit that, if you and Roxi were opponents, I would be torn. But, if I had to choose, I would want you to win.'
Natalie: 'There, that wasn't so difficult now, was it?'
Natalie smiles, satisfied with Simon's answer.
Simon: 'How long are you going to be here in Cardiff for?'
Natalie: 'Only for a couple of days, and then I'll be off to New York.'
Simon raises an eyebrow.
Simon: 'What are you going to be doing in New York?'
Natalie: 'Annie Zellor's birthday party is on Saturday evening, in Queens.'
Simon: 'I assume that Melody will be going to the party, as well.'
Natalie: 'Yes, of course - and I believe that she is going to be dragging J2H there with her.'
Simon laughs at the SCW World Heavyweight Champion's predicament.
Natalie: 'So before you ask, yes, if I see Melody at the party, I will talk to her about her wanting me to be her tag team partner.'
Simon: 'You read my mind.'
Simon smiles.
Simon: 'Even if you don't agree to be Melody's partner, will you still be making the trip to Japan, for SCW's tour there?'
Natalie: 'Absolutely - regardless of whether or not I actually get to set foot inside the ring, I will be there, at each of the shows; Christian Underwood and Amy Marshall aren't the only people connected with SCW that have an affinity for Japan.'
Natalie quickly glances around the station concourse, before looking back at Simon.
Natalie: 'Well, I can't stay here all day.'
Natalie gets up from her chair.
Simon: 'Are you going to visit your parents at some point, before you leave for New York?'
Simon then stands up as well.
Natalie: 'That's what I was planning to do next; I want to go and see my Dad.'
Natalie puts her hand on the handle of her trolley case.
Simon: 'What about your Mum?'
Natalie: 'She'll be there also, and I'm sure that there will be some tension in the air, but hopefully things won't be too awkward.'
Simon: 'You ought to make an effort to try to smooth things out with your Mum.'
Natalie looks away from Simon, and gazes down at the floor for a brief moment; she then looks back up at him.
Natalie: 'Simon, after what you've been through recently - losing your own Mam - I can understand why you would suggest that, but I think that me trying to build a positive relationship with my Mam is a lost cause.'
Natalie smiles meekly at Simon.
Simon: 'Maybe you're right.'
Simon gestures towards the exit, and as he and Natalie make their way out of the station, we fast forward to Wednesday 27th April, to now see Natalie in the kitchen of the apartment in Tokyo that she has rented for the duration of SCW's tour of Japan. Wearing a pair of dark grey shorts and a cyan crop top, Natalie is stood at the sink, pouring a glass of water.
After turning off the tap, Natalie turns to face the camera, and speaks.
Natalie: 'I had begun to think that I would never do something like this again - that I would never again record a video to talk about an upcoming match of mine in SCW. I had accepted that I was unlikely to ever set foot in the six-sided ring again, and while that disappointed me, I was okay with it - there are plenty of other wrestling promotions out there where I could ply my trade. But then all of that changed, and now, I'm just a matter of days away from what will be my first match in SCW since the end of May last year - and at this moment in time, I'm not sure that I could be any happier.'
Natalie smiles; she takes a sip of water, and then continues.
Natalie: 'Before I go any further, there is something that I want to get straight: unlike my opponent for this Sunday - Amy Marshall - my appearance on Climax Control this past weekend wasn't me making my return to SCW.'
Natalie shakes her head.
Natalie: 'While you may not have seen me at all in an SCW ring in the past few months, I have still been under contract. Since my suspension was lifted in mid-January, I have been in attendance at every show - with the exception of Blaze Of Glory - waiting to be given an opportunity to get back in the ring to compete. And now, having waited patiently for more than three months, I'll finally get that chance this Sunday, as I look to avenge Melody Grace, when I do battle with Amy Marshall; if I had known that what I needed to do to be granted a match was to come to the aid of someone in need, perhaps I would have done it much sooner.'
Natalie takes another sip from her glass of water; she then walks over to a nearby table.
Natalie: 'If it wasn't for Melody Grace, I probably would have asked to be released from my contract with SCW by now. As I just mentioned, ever since my suspension was lifted back in January, I had been waiting to get to set foot inside the six-sided ring again. There's only so long though that even the most patient of people can wait for before they get fed up, and I had reached the point where I had started to explore options elsewhere; the reason why I didn't attend Blaze Of Glory, is because I was over five thousand miles away from Phoenix that night, in London, making a guest appearance on a show staged by a fledgling promotion, competing in a match against former SCW Bombshell Katherine Kensington - a match that I'm pleased to say I won.'
Natalie puts her glass down, on the table.
Natalie: 'I had also been in discussions with another promotion, based on the opposite coast of the US from SCW, about joining their roster; I was set to appear in a gauntlet battle royal eleven days ago, which, had I won, I would have earned a shot at their top title - just like a certain Brummie did three years ago, on his debut in SCW.'
Natalie winks at the camera.
Natalie: 'But then Melody intervened.'
Natalie then takes a seat at the table; she drinks some more of her water, before continuing.
Natalie: 'About a month and a half ago, I saw Melody tweet that she was looking for a tag team partner; then, two weeks later, Melody indicated that she had a specific person in mind, when she said that, maybe I would stop playing hard to get and become her partner. I was surprised to hear Melody say that, but at the time, I didn't think anything more of it - I thought it was simply a throwaway comment; oh, how wrong I was.'
Natalie laughs to herself.
Natalie: 'If you follow both Melody and me on Twitter, you are likely to have seen that for a number of weeks, she sent me tweets on pretty much a daily basis, imploring me to become her tag team partner. At first, I dismissed the idea, but as the tweets continued, and after talking to Melody about it, as well as some mutual friends, I eventually decided to agree to be her partner - although I didn't reveal my decision to Melody until last Sunday evening, when I prevented Jessie Salco and Amy Marshall from doing any further harm to her.'
Natalie takes another drink from her glass.
Natalie: 'And so that brings me onto my match this weekend against the aforementioned Amy Marshall. This isn't quite the most high profile match I've had in SCW, but it is certainly one of the most important: around eleven months on from my last match in the six-sided ring, I'm finally going to make my return to competition in SCW, and after having had such a long wait - and especially after having been so vocal about wanting to be back inside an SCW ring - it's crucial for me that my return match doesn't end up being a damp squib; I'm determined that won't be the case, and that on Sunday night, I will be the one to get my hand raised in victory.'
Natalie nods her head.
Natalie: 'One thing that I think is for sure, is that my match against Amy Marshall will be the biggest challenge of my time in SCW - never before have I had a Grand Slam Champion for an opponent, or a Hall of Famer. But there is no challenge that I can't overcome when I put my mind to it, and this Sunday, I will get the better of Amy Marshall - my return to the six-sided ring will be a triumphant one.'
Natalie consumes some more of her water.
Natalie: 'Under any other circumstances, I would've been glad to see Amy Marshall make her return to SCW; I've previously said that I respect Amy for what she has achieved in SCW - and I still do. However, after what she did last Sunday, attacking Melody, not only do I want to beat her in our match, I also want to hurt her; Melody has told me to smash Amy "right in the face," and I've promised her that I will - and that is a promise that I aim to keep.'
Natalie nods once more.
Natalie: 'In the past twenty-four hours, I have seen Amy tweet that she was aching from having hit the gym too hard. Well, Amy, if you think you were in pain after going to the gym, just wait until you get to the arena on Sunday - once our match is over, then your body really will be aching, because I'm going to hit you harder than any workout ever could.'
Natalie smirks.
Natalie: 'I've seen it suggested that Amy and I will both be affected by ring rust, but as I mentioned a few minutes ago, while it may have the better part of a year since my last match in SCW, I was involved in a match elsewhere as recently as two and a half weeks ago, so if anyone is going to be affected by ring rust on Sunday, it won't be me - it will be Amy Marshall; that's merely another thing that is going to play into my hands - I just hope that Amy doesn't use it as an excuse, after I defeat her.'
Natalie finishes off the contents of her glass. She then gets up from her chair, and walks around the table, to stand closer to the camera.
Natalie: 'There's just four days to go until Climax Control - four days until Amy Marshall versus Natalie McKinley: The Punk Princess versus...'
Natalie's sentence trails off, as she pauses to think; a few seconds pass before she shrugs slightly, and continues.
Natalie: 'Well, I don't need a nickname - I just need these.'
Natalie flexes both of her biceps.
Natalie: 'Amy, when you look across the ring on Sunday evening, staring back at you will be the most powerful specimen in the Bombshell division. I'm going to make you regret attacking Melody; maybe I will even make you regret returning to SCW. Because, Amy, I am going to tear you apart.'
Natalie cracks her knuckles.
Natalie: 'See you at Climax Control, Amy.'
As Natalie stares towards the camera, with what can best be described as a look of confidence mixed with a glare, the scene fades to black.