[Only seven years ago, Mercedes Vargas stood triumphantly inside a SCW ring at the inaugural Inception event. In front of a packed house at National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, the Argentine pulled off a hard fought victory to retain the Bombshell Roulette Championship. Facing an Amazon like Traci Patterson was a tough task all its own but Mercedes was up for the challenge. Against the overwhelming odds and strength of Traci, Mercedes has proven over the years that she was very, very difficult to keep down. She made that clear in prevailing in this Roulette Rules Last Bombshell Standing match, and still was fortunate enough that her hair and makeup stayed roughly in place.

Five years ago, Delia Darling, Angelica and Veronica Taylor all entered the ring to celebrate in victory with Mercedes Vargas following her win over Celeste North in a lumberjill match, ending a months-long feud between North and the Mean Girls. Whatever happens in Vegas this night would not stay there as Mercedes and the rest of the stable are presented with a loud chorus of boos.

Three years ago, Mercedes was close to making history. But close doesn’t win wrestling matches, especially ladder matches. The field for the Golden Briefcase ladder match was already tough as it is. Mercedes Lewis, Kate Steele, Apple Coren, Trinity Jones, and Pandora Barrett. Like Mercedes, all were driven and had the same goal in mind, but there could only be one. And just like in Vegas, sometimes a little luck can help you along the way. Lady Luck smiled on Kate Steele as she grabbed the briefcase, earning herself a shot at any championship of her choosing. For Mercedes, her undefeated streak at Inception was no more.

One year ago, Mercedes Vargas and Alicia Lukas battled in a match that had the makings of an instant classic. It helps that these two were longtime rivals even before they met in Sin City Wrestling and plan on settling things under the bright lights of Vegas. Another chapter was written in this memorable encounter. Mercedes put up a hard and valiant effort but history was not on her side as Alicia prevailed again just as in their first singles encounter in SCW. It also didn’t help that Mercedes lost in Vegas and at Inception for the second event consecutively.

The memories are still vivid in her mind. Each moment from Inception, good and bad, still serves as an inspiration for Mercedes to create one more, to add one more to her already impressive Hall of Fame resume.]

 

Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 9 al 15 de enero de 2022

I used to think that I was a loner, that I never even had fans. As it turns out, I was very wrong. See, you learn eventually that haters are literally your biggest fans. They go out of their way. Without even following you, to see everything you do. Talk about you. Obsess over you. It’s a win either way, no?

For those of you who didn't see my last match of 2021, you missed one hell of a show. And if you missed my match, which I hope is very few of you, you definitely need to see it on replay. Match of the Year, people. I was taken to my very limits, and my opponent pulled off one of the greatest upsets in history by pinning my shoulders to the mat uno, dos, tres. I mean, it was unbelievable.

You want to know what's really unbelievable? It's that I actually took Krystal Wolfe seriously.

Am I disappointed that I lost my last match of 2021 to Krystal?

Yes.

Am I rightfully peeved about Ariana Angelos and Amy Santino sticking their nose in my business?

Emphatic yes.

Am I going to have a pity party and consider myself a failure?

No.

It’s about big picture. At the end of the day, I accomplished quite a lot in 2021, and I plan to keep it rolling in the new year. That said, a new year means everyone in SCW is looking to get off to a hot start and get that next title opportunity. And what better way for SCW kicking off 2022 in style than with Inception V in Reno. I’m all for it. Goth and I defend the titles for the first time since we won them from Austin and Tempest, which wasn’t easy. How do you think their reign lasted for almost six months?

So, after a well deserved break and looking forward to what this year has in store, it seems as if we have a problem here, SCW. Why did it take so long for management to find Goth and I challengers when you have a talented roster?
Why were we kept in the dark on who would be stepping up to us in Reno in two weeks. Inquiring minds want to know. I get being a champion in SCW has its perks and all. But it means that you are also a marked wrestler. You can never let your guard down, and I’m sure there’s no shortage of challengers that would love to be us right now.

I get that Crystal and Brayden wanted a title opportunity, but there’s a reason why after Goth and I won these titles why we would take on any team as long as that team didn’t include Crystal. She’s the name-brand version of Jessie - only more manipulative. Those who know Crystal knows that she never does anything because it’s the right, decent, honest, generous, or unselfish thing to do. She does it because it will either get her in the news, it will build her brand, or it will curry favor with SCW in getting some title opportunity of some sort (I present to you Exhibit A: Inception IV). Usually, it's two or more of those, and often, it's all three. The saying goes that it’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. It sure didn’t take long for Crystal and Brayden opening their mouths to prove why that is.

Its no secret Crystal wants to achieve the Grand Slam and she’s been gunning for the World Mixed Tag Team Championship ever since. She must have amnesia because she got the opportunity to achieve her dream at Violent Conduct, but she couldn’t get it done. Also, Crystal got pinned. Not to mention, but I’ll mention, that she was in a championship match in almost every pay-per-view last year, including each of the last two.

So if her argument wanting to face me seems flimsy - I’m sitting here trying to see things from her point of view but I can’t get my head that far up my ass - her son, Brayden’s, is a real head-scratcher. It’s laughable that Brayden and his wife continue to push this narrative about the so-called "unfair treatment" that Brayden has been receiving at the hands of the SCW powers-that-be, and a distinct lack of respect that he believes he is owed because of his name when he’s won only two matches, hasn’t won since Summer XXXTreme back in mid-July, and spent the better part of the year losing matches since then. Apparently, Crystal and Brayden’s argument was enough to convince Christian and Mark to get a future title opportunity.

You know what, fine. If Mark and Christian wants to give one of the most polarizing wrestlers in the company and her loser son a title opportunity, that’s on them. Because regardless of who walks out of Inception with the World Mixed Tag Team Championship, I guarantee you that Crystal won’t be getting that Grand Slam so she might as well settle on that sixth world title she’s been on about and Brayden can continue to run his mouth to anyone who give him the time of day, which is no one.

As for me, I can’t rest on my laurels, because the undefeated team of Kristopher Ryans and Mikah are next in line. I’ve got a title defense with Goth to look forward to next Sunday against a team that does matter. So with the odds against us, what do you think we’ll do to keep the World Mixed Tag Team Championship at Inception? When it comes to title defenses, I answer the bell. Why do you think I've been in over 60 championship matches in SCW? I react well under pressure and that's when I'm at my best. When I go into survival mode, I'm a tough challenge to any Bombshell on the roster and they know better never than to count me out, but you don't have to take my word for it.

I'm going to find a way to win this match, not a way out, at Inception.

There's a lot riding on this match.

If The Black Sheep both want what we have?

Well, now it's up to them to take it.

 

Flashback - 23 January 2011

Un Sueño - Faded Glory.

There’s no better feeling then ushering in the New Year, especially when you’re halfway across the world. London weather in January was a lot like the weather in New York, cold enough for you to dress in woolen socks all day, or having that glass of wine on a cold evening sitting by the fire and listening to your favorite music. Sure there’s the usual sights and the museums and markets but the best part about visiting London in January? It’s a great way to avoid the crowds at all the city’s attractions.

It’s my third year in professional wrestling and only my second time in London. Two years ago, fortune smiled on me when I won my debut. Tonight, I had a rematch for a championship I held for just short of an entire year. Some people called it an upset, some people called it dumb luck. Whatever you want to call it, I vowed that I would not go gentle into that good night.

The weather was bad enough.

[Mercedes looks unsure of herself as she removes her glasses, shakes her hair loose, and tightens her overcoat. If she wasn’t sure before, she was sure that she was lost, which was the last situation no one wanted to face, especially in a big city like London.]

STRANGER: It looks like you're in trouble there, miss? Can I help?

And just when I this close losing my faith in mankind.

MERCEDES: It is cold like death out here. How do you people survive?

STRANGER: Were you expecting sleds and a rescue team then?

This is the way most of my misadventures usually ended, or even started. I was still new to this globetrotter thing, but years later, when I upped my frequent flier miles, I learned that good help is really hard to find. The kindness of strangers.

STRANGER: Sounds like your lost.

MERCEDES: Really? How could you tell?

STRANGER: Let’s start with you’re holding your map there the wrong way.

MERCEDES: Very observant. Ehm, can you tell me the way to the Waterloo Station?

STRANGER: You’re actually here right in the middle of Greenwich Park.

MERCEDES: OK?

STRANGER: All you need to do is continue straight on through St James’
Park…

MERCEDES: Yes…

STRANGER: And then, when you get to the Houses of Parliament, turn left.

MERCEDES: Uh...

STRANGER: Then go across the bridge…

MERCEDES: Ok…

STRANGER: And then it’s first right and you’re there, that’s Waterloo Station.

MERCEDES: Great, ok, so…ehm. Through Hyde Park, and then turn left at the Houses of Parliament…

STRANGER: No, no, no, right at the Houses of Parliament!

MERCEDES: Right! Right at the Houses of Parliament. Ehm… Cross the bridge…

STRANGER: That’s it!

MERCEDES: And then first to the right?

STRANGER: First on the right!

MERCEDES: First on the right!

STRANGER: And that’s Waterloo Station!

MERCEDES: Fantastic! Thank you very much.

STRANGER: No problem, you’re welcome!

MERCEDES: Bye! 

Probably wasn’t my greatest moment, but it could have ended much, much worse. Whoever said getting there is half the fun probably didn’t have to walk in freezing temperatures in the middle of January.

Sometimes, all you need is a point in the direction.

 

Present Day ♦ L O S A N G E L E S, C A L I F O R N I A

[REC•]

"Some things are better left unsaid, but you can bet I'm going to say it anyway. I can't help being who I am."

[Mercedes Vargas smirks at the camera as the scene fades in on the Hall of Famer and one-half of the current World Mixed Tag Team Champions at home in her residence. It’s been over a month since the last Climax Control and SCW event of 2021, two months since the last pay-per-view, back at High Stakes. Mercedes leisurely sits in an arm chair.]

“After a one year hiatus, yours truly is champion in Sin City Wrestling once again. Were you surprised that I’m holding gold again in Sin City Wrestling? I wasn’t. When you’re as successful as I am, these things tend to be par for the course.

“To anyone that’s ever been told you can’t do it or won’t make it, well I’ve been told that my whole life and today I woke up a fucking CHAMPION. I’m entering the new year as a champion.”

[Mercedes briefly looks at the World Mixed Tag Team Championship displayed on her coffee table then back at the camera as she begins thinking.]

“How many titles is it now?”

[Mercedes begin counting on her fingers.]

“Eleven, thirteen, fourteen, twenty-five? Who gives a shit, right? It’s been said my title reigns have been inflated just for the sake of inflating my own ego. And while this couldn’t be further from the truth and because I love to tear down flimsy arguments like this, I can’t help but rub in the fact that while I had a rough couple of months to start the year, I was still able to have gold around my waist by the end of it - just like I said I would at the start of 2021 - and, of course, rewriting the history books as I wont to do. Yes, I love hearing the sound of my own voice and just as much love to relish of my achievements.”

[Mercedes pats herself on the back, which follows a self high-five.]

“Now, Goth and I get to face The Black Sheep, Kristopher Ryans and Mikah, at the supercard. The previews for this match couldn’t have said it better. Four Hall of Fame battling it out for the gold could very well mark this as one of the biggest matches in the history of the mixed tag team division. Kris and Mikah have been very successful as a team and in their solo careers, Goth and I have been just as successful in ours so it should come as no surprise why the four of us will fight from bell to bell for the World Mixed Tag Team Championship. It’s just too bad somebody has to lose. But is it really a loss when you’ve practically done it all?”

[Mercedes shrugs. She’s been in many dream matches in her career, and next Sunday was just anotherto add to the list.  Whether you cheered or booed The Black Sheep, there was no denying that Kris and Mikah were coming back to claim their spot in the tag ranks, something Mikah was disinterested in even the World Bombshell Tag Team Championship were still active. Despite the World Mixed Tag Team Championship being four years old, it only took that one partner for Mikah to reconsider. Kris Ryan was that partner. Singles or tag, the Black Sheep would always have a legitimate claim as a threat to any title holder.]

“That being said, facing The Black Sheep will be a challenge, and that’s exactly what we want. When someone faces Kris or Mikah, they usually go at their relationship status, but I’m not going to do that because that’s low-hanging fruit and I’m better than that. Because that’s Kris and Mikah right, that’s Kris and Mikah, top of the mountain, the hood ornaments of SCW. Kris is SCW, SCW is Kris! I’m not surprised that people will be overlooking and underestimating us simply because of our history, more specifically my history with Mikah as I have never defeated her in all the time we’ve been in SCW. I’m sure that Kris and Mikah will be able to say that to all of you confidently that they will be walking out new champions, but time and again people end up paying the price for overlooking me. Kris and Mikah won’t be the first, they won’t be the last, but they will be wrong.

As far as Mikah goes, I’m glad this match is happening because I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we, Mikah?

Hola, Mikah. ¿Cómo esta? Feliz año nuevo, a propósito. ¿Oí que usted, um, murió? Si sólo yo hubiera estado allí en su entierro para presentar mi últimos respetos. La cosa es, usted milagrosamente volvió a la vida ... tres días más tarde. Wow. Tengo que decir, esto es un acto resistente para seguir. ¿Qué es siguiente, andando por el echar agua?"

"Hello, Mikah. How are you? Happy New Year, by the way. I heard you, um, died? If only I would have been there at your funeral to pay my last respects. The thing is, you miraculously came back to life...three days later. Wow. I have to say, that's a tough act to follow. What's next? You're gonna start walking on water?"

Sigues ahi?

Are you still here?

[Mercedes offers a dismissive at the camera as she slips back into English.]

“You know, Mikah’s not as bad as people say. She’s a whole lot worse. Most people see her as a drama queen for good reason. The people who tolerate her on a daily basis are the real heroes. Myself for example. Because I have to promote this match, I’ll be nice and at least pretend to care.

I’m honestly surprised Mikah even accepted this match in the first place as I thought after she lost at High Stakes that she would be crawling back into retirement and living her best life in Hawaii drinking Pina Coladas through a straw with a little umbrella. If it wasn’t for Dani Weston calling her out for a match at the last supercard, I seriously doubt we’d be seeing Mikah in SCW again. Maybe she doesn’t have the willpower like Simon Jones, who has actually kept his word.

Then again, retirements are usually short-lived in wrestling and a comeback match evolves into a part or full-time return. Look what it did for Roxi.

I could retire right now and go down in history as the most decorated talent ever. I have nothing left to prove. In just nine years, I’ve already put together a career that is unrivaled of any woman, or man, in this company- past, present, or future. Not only was I part of one of the greatest stables of all time as part of The Mean Girls, but I’ve also enjoyed tremendous singles and tag team success. And nothing that happened last year suggests that I’m slowing down and I’m going to last a decent while longer. 

Goth has proven his doubters wrong since his return last year, and you’ve seen it for yourselves. Given his status in the company, he easily could have entered the World Heavyweight Championship picture and probably would be a three-time champion right now. He still could this year.

It didn’t take long for Goth to prove why he is that damn good, and now he’s carrying one-half of the World Mixed Tag Team Championship and he couldn’t have found a better tag partner in yours truly. Usually these Lethal Lottery teams are hit-or-miss and there are many people who wondered how we would gel as a team. Despite our personalities, our desire to win and being successful is what make drives our team. We both have a proven track record of success in this company and there’s no doubt in my mind that we can achieve great things, no matter how many people want to see us fail - well, me in particular.

“There is no denying that Mikah will make this match personal. I know she’s going to beat me over the head that I’ve never beat her, she’s going to tell the world how she’s Mark Ward’s favorite Bombshell and no one holds a candle to her, she’s going to come at me with her best disses and put downs, but when you’ve been successful for a very long time, you’ve become immune to all that. I don’t get rattled, I don’t panic, I’m not stressed. Jealousy, resentment? There’s nothing Mikah has done that I have to be jealous about. Blondes may have more fun, but we brunettes handle business, and from who’s holding gold, business has been looking pretty good right now. Mikah will bring her best at the supercard, she’s going to bring her best next Sunday because I won’t expect anything less and just as well she knows that I will bring my best because I’m not leaving this match, this city, or this pay-per-view without that title. Most of all, this mamita she will respect and know who I am and what I’ve done.

“There’s only a seven year age difference between Mikah and I. For someone who has been out of the ring for two years, Mikah didn’t seem to miss a beat and she went undefeated last year and I won’t take that away from her. But I’m realistic and I’m prepared as I’ll ever be. In this new era in SCW, I’ve been hearing that I’m arguably past my prime, but I continue to defy those expectations, both through actions and words. I live rent-free in a lot of heads in the women’s division, like Team Hero, for instance, and, yes, even Mikah.”

[This is what Mercedes believed anyway. She may even be wrong, but not from it.]

“All this time, I haven’t even made my New Year’s resolution yet. And no, they don't involve a scale or cutting carbs, trying to be a better person, or saving or spending less money.

[Mercedes grabs her championship, placed it over her shoulder, offers a defiant glance.]

“It’s keeping these titles away from The Black Sheep.”

***Fade***

“I didn’t rest on my laurels following my win over Char Kwan. I went to Colorado and I got some extra training from Kim Pain, an associate of Kat Jones, Mac Bane among others… all for ONE LAST CHANCE at a world championship in 2021…”

Festivus In Florida 2

12/29/2021

I began to reflect on the tables match I had on night one of Victoria Salinas’s supercard event against my ex-boyfriend Jayson Schneider, remembering this match and the crap I heard from him going in through my internal thoughts…

“I’m going to end your career. You are worthless. SCW should not employ you on their roster. You will never be a world champion again. You will always be the so close yet so far bitch…”

“Throughout the match, he tried to fill my head with these lies over and over again. Did I waver? No. I wasn’t going to let him beat me or be a part of my life any longer! My trainer, Scott Lockley, always reminded me that I should always stay strong in the face of adversity.”

I reflected on the moment where I dove off the top rope and gave Jayson a somersault cutter from the top rope right through a flaming table.

“Suddenly, I found myself ONE WIN AWAY from a world championship! Now, I had to go through 14 other women in both a battle royal and a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match should I survive to the final two in order to get the world championship I had starved for, for so long.”

12/30/2021

I remembered the end of the battle royal phase where Ryleigh Ruin eliminated someone else, leaving her and I as the final two in the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

“I can do this…” I thought to myself. “I KNOW I can do this! Remember what Amber Ryan kept telling you this past summer… remember how she told you that you will never be enough, remember all those horrible, nasty things she said about you that nearly drove you out of this business… take out all of that bitterness, that anger, that frustration out on this BITCH and show her what being a world champion is ALL ABOUT!”

I was hurting badly during that match. Ryleigh targeted my ankle constantly. There were moments during the match where it seemed like I was about to lose. But never for even a nanosecond did I feel like I was in danger of losing. Ryleigh was a therapeutic opponent for me considering how similar she was to Amber: loved to talk a bunch of shit, loved to bring people down to feel better about herself, and willing to be as violent as possible to win. For me, beating her and winning this world title wasn’t just about getting that world title I fell short of winning in SCW, but it was a therapeutic healing I needed. Mr. Lockley taught me so much about silencing the critics.

The joy poured through me when I grabbed the FESTIVUS World Championship from the rafters and dropped down to the mat. But my journey wasn’t over yet…

“YOU DON’T DESERVE IT!” Victoria Salinas would tell me repeatedly as she assaulted me after the match and abused her power on her own show to force me to defend the world title I won against her right then and there, after I had gone through hell. “Fuck you, I DO deserve it” was my thought process as a few wrestlers rebelled against her and I recovered, also remembering what my trainer had told me about how I define me…


“Nobody else writes your story but you…” he’d say.

And when I recovered thanks to help from the uprising against Victoria, I would nail her with the Rebel Bomb, get the three count and keep the world championship I had just won. I closed the two night event in Orlando, and 2021, as a world champion.

I will NEVER forget the joy that flowed through me when I came to terms with what I had accomplished. I had endured two nights and four different matches each with a varying degree of hell attached to it to become a world champion! Backstage, the joy was amazing!

“I love you so much…” Adrianna said to me when we exchanged a huge embrace. I wasn’t crying, but she was. She, more than most, knew the pain that I had to endure for years to achieve this moment. “I never doubted you for a second. What you did out there wasn’t just the Rebellious Vixen doing what she’d done for years, it was an EVOLUTION!”

“This is just the beginning…” I was quick to remind my sister! Our conversation didn’t last too long without more familiar faces jumping in.

“You’re damn right it’s just the beginning…” I heard my best friend Jazmyn Rain say as we exchanged a hug and she told me ‘congratulations’.

“That was so INSPIRING!” Chelsea LeClair, my former protege, said to me as we exchanged a hug as well. “I’m so lucky and so blessed to have been mentored by someone like you. If anyone deserves this, it’s YOU!”

The joy within me really got me to smile the widest that I had in years. Years of pain, mostly psychological, some of it self-inflicted, began to melt off of me.

It was an overjoyed feeling to FINALLY get over the hump and NOT be that “so close, yet so far” wrestler I had been dating back to my awful experiences in UWA. Yet, there was this pull in my heart that was also telling me that this was just a preview of my destiny to come in SCW…

“Now that I know I can win a world championship the right way, it’s time to do the same in 2022! There’s not a woman on that roster that is going to stop me! It’s time for the Rebellious Vixen to shine the brightest she ever has in her career…”

New Year’s Day

Just a couple of days removed from my world championship victory at Festivus in Florida, I took a trip to the one place where it all began for me: the Lockley Wrestling Institute… or what was left anyway. The gym and the ring were still in good shape but my old wrestling school was largely in disrepair otherwise. I was inside of the training ring kneeling down in the center of it. Memories of my training and my beginnings were flooding my thoughts. I had the Festivus World Championship laid out in front of me and as I looked at my reflection in the newly won title, I saw myself at the young age of 18 busting my ass and training as hard as I could to break into the mainstream. I saw Lockley coach me, mentor me, teach me and encourage me to be great. I reflected on the day that I left his school for good and the best advice he ever gave me…

“The best way to be successful in this business is to be you…” I said out loud, remembering those words loud and clear. I looked up at the ceiling and the sky at this point. “I will never forget that you taught me that.”

I took a deep breath before I began to talk to my late trainer in spirit.

“This world championship that I won is because of you and I will never stop appreciating what you did for me. I won this world title the other night because I was ME! I didn’t pretend to be anything else. I didn’t feel the need to fake anything. What the fans saw at Festivus in Florida was me at my absolute best and in my purest form… what YOU helped me find when you were training me. Gosh, 2021 had its ups and downs. I had my 350 day title reign in SCW. But when Adrianna’s accident happened, the year really turned upside down. It was set up perfectly for me to win the world title on my BIRTHDAY, for HER… and I didn’t. It crushed me… and Violent Conduct was worse. I remember when I wanted to quit after that, but the piece of you that’s in my heart wouldn’t let me do that and I am so grateful that you didn’t let me quit. I’m grateful as hell that you pushed me to keep going after that frustrating loss to Roxi. I’m so thankful that you helped me find the Rebellious Vixen again…”

I took a pause and a deep breath, going through my sentimental feelings toward my trainer and father figure as I looked down at the world title. My heart was filling up with pure emotion at this point.

“Your teachings pulled me through the absolute worst. I would’ve never been able to get over Amber Ryan if it wasn’t for you. I’m going to tell you something Scott…”

I paused and picked the Festivus world title off the mat, placing it on my lap.

“...when I touched this championship for the first time and when I realized it was going to be mine, after my mother, you were the first person that I thought about. You were the person that I wanted to make proud…”

The emotions in my heart were starting to pour through me. When I remembered that this was the first world title I had won after he had passed on and that he died while I was being the most evil bitch in the business and cheating my way toward my previous world title, my eyes started to glisten. I was still happy, but guilt was beginning to enter my heart as well.

“This is what you wanted for me…” I said as tears started to stream down my face. “...to shine at my brightest one more time before you died… and you never got to see that because I was too busy being such a horrible person in GCW and winning their Global title by dirty tricks and cheating my way to it. You even DIED on the day I won THAT title and ever since I found out you had died, I’ve felt so HORRIBLE and GUILTY about it. You died being SO disappointed in me…”

I was starting to lose it a little bit more at this point as the tears started to flow faster. I was starting to feel my heart break knowing that he couldn’t be alive to see what I had accomplished at Festivus in Florida 2.

“I’m HAPPY that I managed to win a world title the right way, but I’m so heartbroken that you couldn’t live to see it. I wish you were there, Scott. You were like my dad to me! I wish that you would be here right now and we’d be having a celebration, having a drink or two, and talking about how far I’ve come and how proud of me you are. I wish we could laugh and smile and talk about how the best is coming for me. I wish you could be here for me to encourage me to keep being at my best and to tell me how much you believe in me. God, I’m going into a big year in SCW right now and I’ve got so much I want to do. I want that World title there SO BAD after that double heartbreak with Amber. I SO wish you could be here on this journey I’m about to embark on because while I’m confident, I’m also scared of failing and letting you down again. This journey I’m about to begin called 2022 would’ve been a GREAT time for you to be here. What if I come up empty in 2022? What if I go into Inception and some unexpected setback happens? NO… HELL NO! You would NEVER want me to think like that… especially after I just won this world title. 2022 will be different for ONE BIG REASON: because I go into it having the ONE thing that I NEVER had any year before: the knowledge of what it means to be a champion through everything you ever taught me…”

“My father would’ve been happy to see you come around just now…” I heard the voice of his son, Scott Lockley Jr., say. I quickly dried my eyes to see him standing by the ring apron while a part of me was feeling embarrassed.

“How much of that did you hear, Scotty?”

“Pretty much everything,” he said with a soft sigh. “I know that my father and you meant the world to each other and it’s quite satisfying to see that you want to honor him after you won that world title through all the adversity you had to deal with not just at the event, but the whole year. Mind if I join you there?”

I shook my head and Scotty entered the ring with me.

“Miranda…” he began, causing me to stand up and pick up my title to look at him more directly while knowing that the usage of my full first name meant something serious was about to be said. “... don’t you dare regret that he’s not here physically. You and I both know that if he were still alive, he would be incredibly proud of you. In fact, with how far you have come in the last few months, it concerns me that you still regret the fact that my father died while you were going through a hard time in GCW so to speak, especially now that you won your fifth world title.”

‘I was… having a moment…” I said with a sigh. “I miss him so much and it’s because of that, that I still regret that I was such a horrible person when he had died. I STILL feel horrible that I even WON a world title doing the opposite of everything he taught me and being everything he never would’ve wanted me to be. It’s one of the few regrets I am still carrying with me knowing that I was letting him down as he passed…”

“Don’t be so ridiculous…” Scotty responded to me, surprising me. Inside, I was starting to feel a little bit awful that I still carried regrets that Scotty and I likely both knew that I shouldn’t be carrying anymore. “Miranda, what you were at the time that my father died and all of the awful things you were doing is a burden that you have to let go of now. You proved to the world that you are light years better than that and most importantly, when you won that championship that you are holding right now, you proved it to yourself too. You not only found the Rebellious Vixen again, you have grown her into something spectacular.”

“I know I have and I appreciate you telling me that. But that’s not going to change the fact that he was so disappointed in me when he died…” I said, as I began to tear up again.

“Can I let you in on a little secret, just for your own sake?” he asked me.

“Shoot.”

“My father and I had so many conversations while he was on his deathbed. As it turns out, there was one that was about you…”

Hearing this caused me to widen my eyes in surprise.

“He talked about me?”

Scotty nodded and continued.

“When we talked about you, my father predicted that you and I would reconnect again at some point. He expressed faith that the darkness that you were going through at the time was something that you were going to overcome to be stronger and better than before.”

The tears that were going down my face turned from sorrow to joy the moment I heard that. The guilt that I was feeling over him was starting to fade.

“REALLY?” I said in a surprised, slightly shrill voice. “He said that about me? Your father, on his deathbed, had THAT much faith in me at my worst that I was going to turn things around and be better than ever?”

Scotty nodded with a bit of a smirk on his face. I gasped, feeling a bit shocked, but definitely happy.

“Oh my god…” I said as I wiped away a tear. “Scotty, that means so much to me, more than you could ever know. He believed in me during a period where it was impossible for me to believe in myself!”

“Yes, he sure did. He had nothing but good things to say about you. He was never upset with you for the way you were carrying yourself in GCW. In fact, he was never disappointed in you at all…”

“I can’t right now…” I said joyfully as I clutched the world title to my chest. “If you’re making this up, I’ll kill you!”

“Trust me, I’m not. I’d never lie about my father. He never felt like you let him down. Sure, he wasn’t happy that you were acting the way you were in GCW, but he never held a grudge. Heck, he never got angry with you at all. My father understood that at the time, you were going through so much pain that was making you act that way. He knew that there were issues that were holding you down that had turned you into the monster that you were at the time. He understood that you had so many issues within yourself that you had to work out. He never wanted to cut you off or distance himself from you. He had the door open for you the entire time knowing that there would be a day where you would come down and seek him out. Sadly, yes, he died before that day ever came. But when you came to my father’s house a few years ago and we reconnected, I was stunned… not just because I was seeing you for the first time in years, but because my father was right. My father’s prayers were answered the day you came to that door.”

“...he prayed for me?”

“Once he realized he wasn’t going to make it, yes. He prayed for internal peace and strength for you. Those prayers were answered even further when you won your world title.”

“I need a moment…” I said through my happy tears. I looked up at the sky, directing my emotion and the conversation toward my trainer in the sky. “I love you so much! Thank you for having so much faith in me from day one. As if I wasn’t inspired enough already, the first person that ever had faith in me had faith in me until his dying breath. Scotty, do you realize how much that inspires me? He gave me EVERYTHING I needed to be successful. He stood up for me. He gave me so much, even faith that I probably didn’t deserve. I love that man so much, Scotty. If only he was my actual father and not the asshole that raised me…”

I stopped talking for a moment, continuing to let out my happy tears. I was surprised when I felt Scotty’s arm come around me. He pulled me into a warm, soft, brief embrace, both touched that I praised his father so much and happy for me that I was able to come around and begin to move past the guilt that I had carried for years.

“For what it’s worth, Myra… he really did see you as the daughter he never had.”

I chuckled for a bit while I soaked in the warmth that was going through my heart again. Looking at my Festivus world title again, my soul began to drown in inspiration. At this point, I was beginning to feel loved more than I ever had in any moment since before my mother had passed away. The sadness and the guilt was long gone. Inside, I was feeling so amazing about myself. For the first time in my career, hell the first time in my life, I was beginning to feel like a champion. For the first time ever as a professional wrestler, the purpose of me being in this business was starting to be realized.

“Scotty, I think for the first time in my life, I can look in the mirror and tell myself ‘I love you’. I was born to be a champion and your father’s destiny was bringing out the champion that was always in me. He gave me the greatest gift a wrestler can ever have and now? I don’t want to make up for my wrongs to him. I want to repay him! I want to give back! I want to find the BEST way to ever thank him for EVERYTHING he’s ever done for me! Scotty…”

I looked around the gym and the ring, noting the disrepair the Lockley Wrestling Institute was in. There was a slight moment of sadness seeing it in the shape it was in, but the inspiration in my soul gave me an amazing idea.

“...I want to bring this school back… and run it… for him!”

Scotty found himself stunned by this, but in a happy way.

“Miranda, I appreciate that. You do realize that it’s going to cost…”

“I don’t care about the cost! I want to bring back the school… for HIM! It’s my big gift to him for all the amazing things he’s done for me.”

“It’s a hell of a gift and you have my support on that. The greatest gift of all you can give him? Be you!”

“Of course! The best way to be a champion is to be me, just like he taught me!”

“Your world title there is a testament to that. However, it’s only the beginning. You know that you’re capable in SCW now… to win the world title there too. The proof is literally in your hands. What you accomplished in Orlando is a preview of a destiny that awaits you in SCW.”

Without even thinking about it, I walked up to Scotty and happily gave him the biggest hug that I could.

“You’re so right… on all of that! Thank you!”

“The best is yet to come…” he said as he returned my hug.

Now?

I was feeling like I was ready to kick off 2022 and the journeys I was about to embark on: giving back to my beloved trainer and becoming the SCW Bombshells World Champion I believe in my heart now more than ever I am destined to become.

January 8th, 2022

Back home in Miami, I had the Festivus world title on my lap.

“The best part of my career is just getting started…” I thought to myself.

“Mommy…” Kimberly, my daughter, said to me in surprise. “When are you gonna play Mario Kart with me?”

“In a few minutes, sweetheart!” I said with a smile. “Just give me five, okay?”

“Okay…” Kimberly says, then gasps when she sees my world title. “It’s so pretty!!! Well DUH it is when you’re the one that has it!”

I laughed at this. “Thank you.”

“Can I hold it?”

“Of course!” I said, as I handed Kimberly the title. “HEY! Take it upstairs and keep it for a little bit! It’s your title too, sweetheart! I won it for you too! Run along! I’ll see you in a little bit!”

“OKAY!” Kimberly says with excitement as she runs up the stairs with the title. I took a deep breath soaking in all the happy vibes I was going through. Suddenly, I felt this cold, near-freezing sensation sweep my neck and shoulders as if someone was embracing me. I looked around and obviously didn’t see anyone.

“I’m proud of you…” I heard from someone that wasn’t even there. “...I will always be proud. Keep creating your destiny...”

“...Scott?!?!?!”

My eyes widened with surprise and that near-freezing sensation disappeared.

“...was that you? Did I actually hear you or did I imagine it in my head?”

I wasn’t freaked out for long, taking another breath and smiling when I remembered the words I just heard.

“I believe in the destiny I am about to create in 2022… now more than EVER!” I said with confidence.

At this point, I went upstairs to play Mario Kart with Kimberly feeling nothing but the brightest joy I’ve experienced in years!

January 15th, 2022

FROM MY NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The cameras came on and I was beaming with all the joy in my heart as I held a microphone in my hand and had my Festivus World Championship wrapped around my waist. I was standing on the sands of a beach that was in front of the Fort Lauderdale Grand Hotel located in its namesake city not far from Miami. It was a chill, yet calming evening and my bright mood was shining through as I began to speak.

“Happy new year! Let me tell you something, I am EXCITED for Inception because for me, I’m about to start the most challenging journey of my career! However, coming into 2022, I know in my heart NOW more than EVER that I AM going to tackle the journey, overcome anything in my way and have the most rewarding year of my career, EVER! Anyone and anyone may want to bring me down and that’s fine but I know that I AM one of the best wrestlers in this company and that I am destined to win the Bombshells World Championship and I am going to give it the best that I’ve ever had to make that dream come true and it ALL starts with Adrienne Beaufort. I’ll get to her in a bit, but I want to acknowledge that I’m here at the Fort Lauderdale Grand Hotel, the site of where I had my FIRST EVER Independent wrestling match on my 19th birthday back in 2003. I was nervous as hell, but also excited because I knew that it was the start of a special journey for me and it’s only fitting, going into my first match of 2022, to come back here and… I’ve got some guests with me…

The shot pans to show a woman, a young man and an older man standing behind me.

“It’s great to see you again, Myra!” The older man stated.

“It’s great seeing you again too, Joe! Joe here was the promoter of the Indy company I wrestled for! The man next to him is Zay, who wanted my autograph after my first match…”

“Sup y’all! This is Myra’s first ever FAN here!”

“And the lady is Melanie, who happened to be my opponent that night. Wasn’t I a natural when I won, Melanie?”

“Yeah yeah, rub it in…” she says with a playful eye roll.

“I wanted to talk to you all for a brief minute to share with the fans my start in the business and to REALLY connect with them on a level that I haven’t connected with before. So, a couple of questions. When you first met me, what was your first impression of a young, naive, and stubborn Miranda Lynette Rivers when she walked into that building to have her first real wrestling match ever?”

“Myra… damn…” Joe begins with a laugh. “You were a pain in the ass, let me tell you. It was youth and inexperience, I get that. But when you walked in telling me that you were destined for greatness and that wrestling the opening match was an insult, I thought you had an obnoxious attitude because you really acted like you didn't want to pay your dues. You wanted to go straight to the top right away. I’m glad you grew out of that, but please teach your opponent a lesson in paying your dues. She reminds me of the parts of you that I don’t like. Adrienne Beaufort had no business cutting the line the way she did then spitting in the faces of those that tried to help her. It’s sickening!”

“Now, let me keep it real right here…” Zay begins. "You looked like one of those stereotypical Barbie bitches that didn't seem like anything special. I thought you were never going to make it because you seemed generic to me. Now, your girl Adrienne over there in Sin City Wrestling, I see nothing special about her. Like, for real. Who the fuck does she think she is? She’s just another metal chick like Jessie and Krystal, but the big difference with her is she’s some martial artist and that’s supposed to make her special? Yeah… no… you at her age were WAY above her level!"

"I wanted to beat the shit out of you because you thought you were too good to be here all because of who your mother was.” Melanie reminds me to my slight regret. “You thought coming out of Lockley's gym made you better than us. But you outgrew that. That girl you’re facing? UGH! The way I see it, she walks around with the attitude that coming from GO Gym makes her something but I don’t see it. I think going straight to SCW is going to ruin her career."

“Interesting thoughts. And… yeah, I admit that I definitely was quite a bit like Adrienne when I was her age. Compared to then, what’s your impression of me now considering how I’ve grown out of being, for lack of a better term, an obnoxious, self-absorbed brat?”

"You turned out to be one of the greatest talents I've ever had working for me and I was not surprised that you've made it as far as you have” Joe said, causing me to smile. " Over time, you developed some wisdom about our business. Wisdom to know what wrestling is all about made you who you are and someone like Adrienne lacks that which is why she says and does stupid things that get her in trouble."

"You're one of my favorite wrestlers ever and you've got the best spirit in a wrestler I've ever seen.” Zay adds. "Adrienne doesn't have that spirit that you do with how she tries to cut the line and tweet about nonsense like who she kissed under the mistletoe and all of that irrelevant bullshit!”

"You're one of the best wrestlers of my generation, honestly. You humbled yourself to learn and grow.” Melanie adds. "Adrienne doesn't have that humility to shut up and pay her dues. But, when you’re done with her, perhaps she’ll start to develop that. Here’s hoping! You on the other hand, haven’t even peaked yet"

“Thank you so much for your kind words and your thoughts guys! It was great seeing you again!”

There was a quick hug with each of them before they departed. From there, I spoke directly to Adrienne.

“Adrienne, you seem like a good girl and you seem like someone that REALLY wants to be part of this business. Yeah, what you just heard may have been true, but the point I wanted to make is two-fold. I wanted to get the perspective of a fan, promoter and a wrestler about what they think of you, and I wanted to put things into perspective for you on how this business really works. I WAS very similar to you when I was your age. I wanted to rush into big time glory and championships. I wanted everything to happen for me so fast. I wanted to take on the biggest and the baddest right out of the gate. I didn’t understand the value and the meaning of working your way up the business. Adrienne, compared to ME, you’ve had it LUCKY! Whereas YOU came to Sin City Wrestling straight out of GO Gym with the training that you have and no Indy experience, I had to wait ONE YEAR before I even had an INDEPENDENT WRESTLING MATCH and then I had to pay my dues and bust my ass in the Indies for FOUR AND A HALF YEARS before I FINALLY hit the damn mainstream with NSWA. Advantage ME right out of the gate. You didn’t have to go through the grind that I did and therefore, you don’t have the ability to appreciate what it takes to be a champion in the business nearly as much as I do. Yeah, I called you out for a reason a few weeks ago when you made that stupid mistake of trying to call out Amber and it wasn’t just for what I said. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t mention that yeah, I made the mistake of wanting to rush up the ladder too when I got started myself, but I didn’t go right after the fucking world champion like you did. You haven’t even EARNED a match against the world champion and you’re already alienating your bosses one match in? Not smart!”

“I was HOPING that getting booked against Andrea and being all but thrown into the fire was going to teach you something. I really do! I mean that. Perhaps going through the Andrea experience was going to give you a stronger work ethic and make you appreciate everything that the business about. But sadly, I don’t think it did. Let me ask you something, Adrienne. Aside from training at Go Gym most likely, what did you do to prepare yourself for our match? What did you do to get ready for 2022? What work did you put in during the holiday break to be a better wrestler? What I did? I got the FUCK out of my comfort zone and trained HARDER than before training with someone that I would’ve never imagined to train with in Kim Pain and LEARNED how to be mentally tough and to address the ONE weakness that had been holding me back for years! I went to Orlando, for a massive supercard that one of my former peers put together and I beat the SHIT out of my ex-boyfriend in a tables match, setting him on fire. I busted my ass through a battle royal and endured so much shit in a TLC match not just to win THIS world title you see around my waist, but to KEEP IT! I sure as fuck put in WORK for 2022. What did YOU do, Adrienne? Tell me something that you did to grow. Don’t tell me about Go Gym. Everyone in their right mind would train during the holidays. Did you go above and beyond?

I don’t see it. I don’t see tweets of you training. I don’t see you talking about what you are planning on doing to be a better wrestler. No, I see you do nothing but tweet about mainly dumb things and tweeting about this relationship with Emerald. Last Climax Control, did you talk about Andrea and the lessons you learned from facing her? You didn’t. Hell, you didn’t even mention Andrea by name. You were talking about how nervous you are about our match and how you were HOPING that you would have something easier for your third match. Are you fucking kidding me, Adrienne? I don’t take it as an insult to ME personally, but if you REALLY want to be someone in this business, you don’t SAY things like that. Sure, it’s OKAY to FEEL like you want an easier match, but when you go out and say that you wish you had something easier for match three, it comes off as you don’t want the challenge. It really comes off as if you don’t WANT to bust your ass to make it up the ladder. You know who MY third SCW match was when I first came here? AMBER RYAN… and I was facing her coming off of a LOSS in my second match. Not ONE TIME did I sit there and say “well, I wish I had it easier”. FUCK THAT! You know what I did, Adrienne? I EMBRACED that challenge, took it head on and I BEAT AMBER RYAN! THAT is what the FUCK you do when you face a challenge that the powers that be here throw at you. You don’t lament and wish you had it easier. Compared to just about everyone on the roster, you’ve had it EASY! It took ME almost 18 YEARS to go from training to SCW while YOU came here at JUST 18! Don’t WISH about EASIER since you have a golden opportunity being on this roster so damn young.

Last Climax Control, would it have HURT YOU to at least SHOW like you give enough of a crap? If you’re not openly wishing for an easier match at Inception, you’re kissing Emerald, someone who is aligned with Kate Steele, under the damn mistletoe and creating a fucking predictable soap opera. Yeah, THAT is going to go over real well with Kate! That’s the thing with you Adrienne, you don’t have your priorities straight. Not that there's anything wrong with dating or anything, but how do you expect to move up the ladder when you don’t have your priorities straight and when you don’t seem to have the proper mentality for the business? The only people that go straight from wrestling school to the big leagues at such a young age are prodigies and you and I both know that you wouldn’t consider yourself a prodigy. You create your own destiny in this business Adrienne, and I hate to say it, but if you continue to go down the path that you are going on… so unfocused and stirring up trouble with the wrong people like Kate and Amber, you are going to end up with a shorter career not just in Sin City Wrestling, but in our business entirely. The way you’re going, you’re putting yourself at risk of being out of the business by the age of 22… not because you’re not good enough. You HAVE to be talented to be on THIS roster at YOUR age I’m sure… but because you’re showing signs of not being smart enough yet. I’m not calling YOU stupid, but you have made some stupid decisions already that have drawn the ire of our bosses. You carry around this attitude, and I understand it may not be intentional and you may not realize this, that you are taking the business that I love and that I have cried, bled and suffered for, for granted and that’s something that doesn’t sit well with me.

Are you going to tell me to fuck off too just like you did with Jessie a couple of CC’s back when you threw her less than stellar record in her face when she was trying to help you?

For your sake, I hope you don’t. You said that you heard my message loud and clear, but did you?

Because your actions since then don’t seem to indicate that. Your choice to date Emerald knowing it wasn’t going to sit well with Kate is a lack of WISDOM on your part. It’s a move that is going to have Kate wanting to beat the shit out of you and considering how badly you alienated the Bombshells locker room by going straight for Amber right away, there are going to be very few women back there willing to help you. The lack of SPIRIT within you is obvious. It’s one thing to WANT this like you do, but it’s a completely different thing to SAY that you want this and ACT like you want this and considering how you lamented the fact that your third match here isn’t an “easier match”, that REALLY concerns me because that’s NOT acting like you want this. That’s acting like you want everything to be easy! You think it was easy for ME when NSWA was throwing me into the fire against some of their best up and comers right way? NO! And even THEN, while I admittedly was very immature as a rookie, I STILL didn’t act like that or whine about not having an easy third match. Your expressed desire to have it easy and your actions toward Amber and how you recently treated Jessie is proof of a lack of HUMILITY on your part too. I get it, that was me too at first. But when I struggled in the early going in NSWA, I shut my mouth, worked on what needed to be worked on and paid my fucking dues.

Paying your dues is EMBRACING the challenge I bring to you at Inception… not wishing you had an easier opponent because let me tell you something sweetheart, this is the toughest women’s division in wrestling and you’ve got to be so much tougher than that to make it and be a champion here. Inception for me is showing this company that I’m about to start the best year of my career here and that THIS title around my waist WILL, one day, be the SCW Bombshells World Championship. I’ve had to endure SO MUCH this past year to be as strong and as smart as I’ve become since my misadventures with Amber and I had to go through HELL to be the Rebellious Vixen again and I KNOW, starting with you, I WILL have to go through HELL to get the ONE championship I am MORE motivated than EVER to have! That’s how you pay your dues in this business young lady, and come Inception?

I’m going to teach you that lesson, and many more lessons, about how this business, especially the Sin City Wrestling Bombshells division, really is! My destiny starts with YOU… and I already know you don’t want this match nearly as bad as I do…

With the blazing inferno tearing through my heart and soul and with my motivations being as bright as ever, I shut off the YouTube feed knowing that I am far from done.

Off-Camera

Saturday, January15, 2022
Driveway
Annis Residence
San Clemente, California
10:17 AM  PST



The drive to San Clemente, usually only an hour, had taken twice as long today owing to a bit of road construction that had apparently gone horribly wrong. All the while, Seleana Zdunich had been sitting in her new ride thanking the gas tank for being full before she started the drive south from the Hollywood Hills. As she pulls into the driveway, the owner, her daughter-in-law, fellow wrestler Haylie Jo “Halo” Annis is standing there to greet her.

Halo: Heya, Mama Sel! Porsche, huh?

Seleana steps out of the car and nods to her daughter-in-law.

Seleana Zdunich: Christina wanted to buy me another…

She trails off, her hand almost dancing a she tries to describe the intention of her wife.

Seleana Zdunich: Well, you are aware.

Halo can’t help but laugh.

Halo: Yeah, I do. B-Brat’s the same way when it comes to certain things. Though, cars ain’t really her bag. Like I have the truck and the bike and…

Seleana raises her hand to stop the younger woman.

Seleana Zdunich: Bike?

Halo nods.

Halo: Yup, bought me a Harley cause i figured, fuck it, why not, right? People have tended to lump me in with bikers in SRW so I figured I’d give one a spin. Cheech got her one too, so did Jane.

Halo stops herself and starts to snicker.

Halo: Well, Chi Chi got her a Can-Am Spyder. I got me a 2016 Night Rod Special. Found one that was technically used but never actually ridden. Had a mechanic look over it and bought it up quick.

She nods to the car parked in front of her.

Halo: It don’t really compare to the price tag sittin’ here in front of me, I’m sure.

Seleana shrugs.

Seleana Zdunich: You know Christia does not like to do things small. She likes big, grandiose gestures. I did some research into it before she even brought it up. She started talking about things and was keen to get us things. You should have seen how much she and Alex brightened up when I said I wanted something…

The Swedish woman pauses to perform air quotes with her fingers.

Seleana Zdunich: “Big” for myself.

Halo almost started laughing heartily.

Halo: I can understand that. I don’t know what B-Brat would do if I suddenly wanted a car like that but I think she’d wanna party for a minute before she started askin’ who was I and what have I done with her wife?

Seleana nods as she laughs along.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, Christina had been pushing for something like this since we marry. She always ask me why I didn’t wish to buy “the good life.“

Halo can only offer a wry smile.

Halo: And all y’all can say is you already have “the good life” cause y’all got married and found Alex and got Aurora, right?

Seleana nods in agreement.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, this is the truth. She is getting better about such things. She has not tried to use big things to cover for things anymore.  She has not tried to buy off Aurora or Alex or me.

Halo’s smile becomes warmer.

Halo: That’s good! She ain’t tried to buy off B-Brat lately either. I don’t think she’s tried to buy off Bray or Sofia either but they could actually use the help most what with the kid and all.

Seleana nods.

Seleana Zdunich: She was definitely happy that I went and looked over several models.

Halo nods as she takes in the Porsche 911 Turbo.

HKHA: So, what’s with you and black cars?  The Maerati was black and so is this one. Metallic Black I think they call this?

Seleana nods, turning to face her car.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, metallic black. I like it and they stand out.

Halo frowns.

Halo: They do?

Seleana nods.

Seleana Zdunich: When everything else in garage is pink or purple? You see black, you know it mine.

Halo nods knowingly.

Halo: I spose that’s true. What’s Alex drive?

Seleana Zdunich: A blue Mazda Vx 5.

Halo nods.

Halo: So if y’all see black…

Seleana nods.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, you know it is mine. Chavy and her sister were who I gifted new vehicles to. Chavy’s car was falling apart. She was always having to ask others for rides.  So I got her a Lexus GX. Melissa was more like you, she wanted a motorcycle and so I helped her find one to her liking.

Halo grins.

Halo: What’d she get?

Seleana grins back.

Seleana Zdunich: The same as you.

Halo nods approvingly.

Halo: Nice, maybe I get her to ride with us.

Seleana shrugs.

Seleana Zdunich: She might be keen. Do you enjoy?

Halo nods.

Halo: I like my Raptor, but I do love the bike too. Chi Chi just likes to make it go vroom vroom, but, she did that with the car Miss Doku gave her too. Jane’s been takin’ to it as well.

She pauses, once again trying not to laugh.

Halo: I’m sure there’s a few who would say it’s appropriate that she rides bitch.

Seleana gives Halo a slightly disapproving look and Halo nods back both knowingly and apologetically.

Halo: I know, I know, but that’s what you call ridin’ on the back behind someone else and we both know B-Brat ain’t exactly the most popular woman on the planet when it comes to our work colleagues.   

Seleana sighs.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, have Jane and Chi Chi become less hostile with her?

Halo shrugs.

Halo: Ongoin’ process. Spose we’ll see how shit goes movin’ forward now that she’s apologized and all. I don’t think they really bought it…

Seleana nods again.

Seleana Zdunich: I can understand their skepticism. Brittany has a track record for this.

Halo nods.

Halo: We can pick ‘em, can’t we, Mama Sel?

Seleana nods.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja…

The two snicker to each other as they walk into the house, both excited for the future.




On-Camera

Saturday, January 17, 2022
Driveway
Zdunich Residence
Hollywood Hills
Los Angeles, California
5:01 PM  PST



The camera opens upon Seleana Zdunich standing in the driveway of the home she shares with her wife, Christina Zdunich, their girlfriend, Alexandra Caldwell and their eleven-year-old daughter, Aurora. Dressed in jeans and a Gutter Ballet t-shirt, Seleana stands next to her brand-new metallic black Porsche 911 Turbo.

Seleana Zdunich: That new car smell, ja?

She sniffs the air and smiles.

Seleana Zdunich: It does not last long but it is awesome when it is there.

Inhaling again, Seleana’s smile only grows.

Seleana Zdunich: That is how I feel with another new year in SCW. New matches, new things, new opportunities!

She pats the car ever so gently.

Seleana Zdunich: Now we come to Inception after a break. There will be no excuses given for conditions. We have all had the chance to allow lingering issues to heal. We have all been allowed the time to clear our heads and focus on things proper, ja?

She nods, looking away from the car to the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: We come to the show where I will face Dani Weston and Bea Barnhart for the right to challenge the SCW Bombshell Internet Champion at Blaze of Glory, be it Andrea Hernanez or Jessie Salco or even someone else by then.

Her smile shines even brighter into the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: This is a beautiful opportunity for all of us, is it not?

Seleana nods yet again.

Seleana Zdunich: Dani Weston has been out of the top spot for years now. She was the one to dethrone Mikah in 2018 when Mikah was on a roll that many expected to be like the one Amber Ryan and Andrea Hernandez have been on recently. No one saw that coming but Dani was able to do it and has seemingly been lost since then. She lost the championship to Alicia Lukas when she was on that roll coming in, who then lost it to me. I lost it right back to Alicia. I kept surging while Dani did not. 

Looking down, Seleana sighs heavily.

Seleana Zdunich: This is your chance, Dani. Your opportunity to put yourself back in the conversation that you should have always been in. The conversation you earned your way into when you accomplished what you did in 2018.

She looks back up into the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: You should always be in the conversation for who is the best and now you can find your way back there if you just defeat me and Bea and go to that championship match at Blaze of Glory.

Trailing off, Seleana looks away for a second.

Seleana Zdunich: This is also an opportunity for Bea Barnhart…

She nods and then looks back to the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: You will be standing in the ring with two former World Champions, Bea, and if you win, you are suddenly thrust into that spot where you can prove yourself like you have never been allowed to before, ja?

The smile fades away.

Seleana Zdunich: You have never climbed that mountain to achieve championship standing by yourself. You have managed alongside Bill, but not on your own. This is your chance, Bea…

She clasps her hands together and points with both index fingers extended almost like they're the barrel of a gun.

Seleana Zdunich: You have heard this before, ja?

Seleana nods, the “gun” still pointing into the camera.

Seleana Zdunich: I have as well and I had to actually get there before it started to slow down. This is true for you as well. You need this, Bea. You need to perform better in this match than you have ever performed before. You need to step up and show the world that Bea Barnhart CAN do this, that Bea Barnhart CAN compete with anyone!

Her hands finally separate.

Seleana Zdunich: Opportunities like this do not come along that often, Bea, you need to grab it like you have never grabbed anything before.

Her expression hardens.

Seleana Zdunich: Like Dani and Bea, this is also an opportunity for me as well. I know I need this just as they do if I wish to put myself back into a conversation. I was the SCW Bombshell Champion in 2019, ja?

She nods pointedly.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, three years ago. I have gotten multiple shots at regaining it and failed and I have also achieved championships again with the Roulette Championship.

Seleana exhales hard.

Seleana Zdunich: That was 2020…

Her expression again hardens.

Seleana Zdunich: Two years ago, ja?

She nods pointedly again.

Seleana Zdunich: This is my opportunity to step up for a championship that I’ve never won before! This is my opportunity to step in and possibly get the chance to fight for that championship against someone I have history with in either Andrea Hernandez or Jessie Salco. Before i can think about either of them though, I must step into the ring with another former World Champion in you Dani and with another woman who works so hard and works so much to get there in you, Bea, ja?

Seleana nods pointedly one more time.

Seleana Zdunich: At Inception, we three step into that ring, each with something to prove with this opportunity. Dani, Bea, I know I will come at you with everything I have, will you?

The camera zooms in slightly.

Seleana Zdunich: Will you come like you did against Mikah, Dani? Will you come like the woman possessed that has nothing left to lose, Bea?

She nods and points to herself.

Seleana Zdunich: I come to show the world that the jungle… still remembers!  At Inception that new car smell opportunity says…

The camera zooms in to frame Seleanss’ face.

Seleana Zdunich: Välkommen till djungeln!

CC318

On the night of CC318, Chelsea LeClair and I were sitting on the couch of a skybox in the arena. We are watching the four way match between Jessie, Alicia, Dani and Seleana take place with the winner going on to face me at Inception for my Internet Championship.

“That’s the thing about SCW, I’ve noticed…” Chelsea states. “...you never know what is going to happen.”

I was already feeling a sense of surprise in me when I saw how close the match was.

“I’m just… surprised. If this match took place two years ago, Alicia would mop the floor with all of them as is. Yet… it’s a close match. If you were me, Chelsea, who would you rather face?”

“Personally? Alicia.”

“Really?” I ask with surprise.

“Yeah, so I could shut her up once and for all considering she wasn’t pinned at High Stakes.”

However, as Chelsea and I were about to see, it WASN’T Alicia that won the match. My eyes widened in shock when I saw that JESSIE SALCO got the pin.

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting THAT…” Chelsea remarks as my jaw dropped to the floor.

“...that is the absolute WORST thing that could’ve happened!!!” I said as I stood up.

“What the hell are you talking about, Andrea? It’s JESSIE SALCO! You’ve beaten her multiple times.”

“She just beat three former world champions. Of ALL the opponents that would’ve resulted in the WORST pressure on me, SHE was the one.”

“I don’t understand the big deal…” Chelsea says with concern.

“...it’s happening again…”

“What?”

“The ‘someone pulls a magical run out of their ass’ to get a title shot against me bullshit that happened with Evie and the world title. This is not good. She’s going to be inspired by this. This could be the start of her pulling a magical, Cinderella fluke run out of her ass just like Krystal Wolfe has the whole time! It’s the perfect narrative: the veteran that has never amounted to anything pulling one out of her ass to dethrone the one with the undefeated streak: ME! I’m going to be under SO much pressure…”

“It’s STILL Jessie…” Chelsea says as she stands up.

“If I lose this title to her, I’ll be RUINED!”

“It’s ONE match, Andrea! ONE match! That doesn’t mean it’s going to be the start of a ‘magical run’ or anything.”

“I just need to be left alone right now…” I said to Chelsea, who sighs and reluctantly leaves.

My nerves were definitely triggered. The burden began to weigh on my shoulders and I could feel myself sweat. Losing my title to someone like Alicia or Seleana is one thing. But JESSIE? The thought was UNTHINKABLE to me. I was 500% confident that Jessie was going to be the fodder like always, but she wasn’t.

“I’m not losing this title to Jessie…” I told myself, closing my eyes, even if I wasn’t really believing it.

“I’m not losing this title to her… I’m not losing this title to her… I’m not losing this title to her…”

I repeated the mantra in my head repeatedly while I kept my eyes closed to try to calm my nerves. However, this was not working in the slightest. The burden on my shoulders kept growing rapidly. I thought about those I had beaten during the streak: Roxi, Seleana, Krystal, Sam, Alicia, Keira, Dani, Mercedes… all of whom on paper are better wrestlers. To defeat ALL of them yet lose the title to JESSIE? That’s a dominant wrestler’s worst nightmare…

I opened my eyes…

I found myself staring at a laptop screen in stunned silence as I saw the headline “#ANDREAISOVERPARTY”

I was staring at one of those Internet wrestling troll fan threads. One fan had typed “LOLOLOLOL ANDREA LOST THE TITLE TO JESSIE!!!!!!! HOW EMBARRASSING!”

I noted the timestamp: January 24, 2022 6:39 AM.

The morning AFTER Inception.

“UNDEFEATED FOR FOURTEEN MONTHS! LOSES TITLE TO JESSIE SALCO TROLOLOLOLOL!”

“This is worse than when she lost the title to Evie… SO much worse! She will NEVER be taken seriously again! #AndreaIsOVER”

“Andrea will never recover from this ROFL! Way to make a mockery out of your family you dumb whore!”

“Her daddy should’ve spanked her harder when she grew up. Maybe it would’ve kept her from wrestling at all!”

Brutal. Hater. Comments.

I scrolled to find a LIVE wrestling podcast and clicked “Play”

“So… Andrea…” the host said as he and the entire studio laughed. “HOW DO YOU GO SO LONG UNDEFEATED AND THEN LOSE TO HER?”

“I’ll be honest with you, Andrea was just never that good…” the co-host concurred. “...She was only undefeated last year because she wrestled what? 14 matches in SCW? That’s once a month. If you DOUBLE that figure, she has at LEAST five to seven losses. She NEVER wrestled the likes of Myra and Amber. The whole streak was a fluke because she was lucky enough not to be booked that often and she completely avoided Myra and Amber all year. Period.”

“Is this the end of Andrea’s relevancy in SCW?”

“Yep…”

I closed my eyes again in embarrassment feeling that hurt pride coarse through me.

“This is a career killing loss for her…”

I shuddered for a bit, and opened my eyes…

THANKFULLY… the nightmare was over…

December 29, 2021

I sprung up on my bed in my Orlando hotel room and I was sweating bullets and breathing heavily. I was at first shocked that I would even DREAM such a nightmare scenario, then shocked that I was way more worried about Inception than I thought or had led on.

“I’m Andrea Hernandez damn it, I don’t LOSE to people like HER!”

Despite this bravado, a sullen depressing feeling swept through me.

“What if I really DO lose this title to her?” I thought to myself. “Would I have no credibility anymore?”

My sullen thoughts were interrupted by my phone going off. I looked at it and saw Chelsea text me “Ready for the big reunion?” in reference to the Sedona Sky reunion we were going to have against SCU’s Clark sisters at Festivus In Florida.

Unfortunately, experiencing that nightmare left me cold, empty and caring very little about teaming up with Chelsea. As the day wore on, that emptiness in my heart just grew… almost as if my title reign was destined to be on the wrong side of a bullshit Cinderella story…

Again…

Later that night…

Chelsea and I returned to my hotel room following our successful Sedona Sky reunion with a victory over Morgan and Cordelia Clark. Once the door was shut behind us, I turned to see Chelsea smiling and incredibly happy. We both walked over to the coffee table and she set down a bag she was carrying. Despite her happy demeanor, I was still feeling that emptiness. There was no spark or joy whatsoever in my heart regarding the match we won. Chelsea pulled out some glasses and a bottle of non-alcoholic apple cider. Pouring the cider in the glass, she took one.

“I propose a toast… to our successful Sedona Sky reunion!” Chelsea said with a beaming tone in her voice.

“Yes… indeed…” I said as I reluctantly picked up my glass. We tipped our glasses and Chelsea drank hers quickly all while I took a couple of sips. My brain was still stuck on that nightmare from the night before.

“It was honestly one of the happiest moments of my 2021 you know…” Chelsea began. “...teaming up with you again. It meant the world to me to finally be teaming with someone that I’ve always loved and always considered a friend. It was a natural feeling teaming up again.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it was.” I said, without injecting any emotion into the reunion. “I suppose it was cool…”

“Suppose?” Chelsea said, catching onto the fact that I wasn’t as into the reunion as she was. “Andrea, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not feeling great about the event…”

“Are you mad about Victoria banning you from the battle royal tomorrow and robbing you of a world title shot? Come on! Don’t let her get you down about that. That’s petty nonsense on her part. It’s not your fault that she hates tag team wrestling or that she couldn’t handle you mocking her for that fact.”

“No, it’s not Victoria…” I said with a sigh, further catching Chelsea off guard. “I’ve got to be very honest with you…”

“Sure…” Chelsea said as I began to gather my thoughts and soak my conscience into that nightmare.

“That Sedona Sky reunion didn’t mean anything to me…” I said, causing Chelsea to widen her eyes in shock before shaking her head and suddenly feeling sad.

“So that’s how you feel about me? I’m an inconvenience to you? Why didn’t you just drop out of the event or request that we didn’t team up? Victoria would’ve gone for it considering that’s one less tag team match she would’ve had to worry about.”

“Chelsea, it’s not you…” I explained.

“What is it then? Is there something else going on? You’ve got everything going right for you. You’re the Bombshells Internet Champion. You went the entire 2021 calendar year undefeated. You haven’t lost a match in SCW since High Stakes 2020 for fuck’s sake. What the hell would you be so miserable about? You had a career year and everything. I mean… really… 14 months undefeated…”

“I would like you to NOT mention that Chelsea…” I said with increased anger in my voice. “I don’t want to talk about that. So I extended my undefeated streak teaming with you tonight. Big WHOOP! It was just another match for me…”

“Andrea, why are you acting like this? That undefeated streak is something to celebrate and you’ve gone out and tweeted about it and mentioned it on camera over and over again…”

“Yeah… PUBLICLY! It’s a front, Chelsea. To be honest with you, this streak is a burden to me…”

“A burden?!?!?!”

“Did I stutter?”

“You don’t have to be so rude…”

“Oh sure, when the camera is on I act like I’m the baddest bitch in the world. But privately? I feel burdened. I feel stressed. I feel like with every win the pressure on me grows and grows. I feel like all the fucking haters out there are circling around me like vultures just waiting for me to fuck up. They’ve been hiding in the weeds being quiet because I’ve given them nothing to criticize me for. But the moment I lose a match, Chels, and you know this because it happened when I lost the world title to Evie, they are going to come back at me and they are going to run me down, bury me, act as if the streak meant nothing, act as if it was all a fluke… and it’s going to be even WORSE if I lose to Jessie. I CAN’T lose to Jessie. If I do… the haters are NEVER going to let me live it down and that’s my biggest worry and my biggest burden of all and I swear to god Chelsea, if you tell ANYONE about ANY of this, I will hunt you down and bust your face through a car window…”

“Andrea. I still don’t understand…”

“...I’m not satisfied with being undefeated and being the Internet Champion. To be honest with you, it feels like a consolation prize at best… as if I only have this title because I’m not good enough to be world champion anymore…”

“UNDEFEATED Internet Champion…”

“It’s not like ANYONE even NOTICES that I exist in Sin City Wrestling since everyone in the company is so far up Amber Ryan’s ass acting like she’s a fucking unbeatable GOD when she’s not the one with the streak, I AM! As long as that overrated, self-loathing CUNT is around, I’m NEVER going to get the respect I fucking deserve in SCW and it’s NOT fair at ALL! NOBODY talks about the streak because of her and it PISSES ME OFF! But the moment it ends, OH EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT IT, won’t they?”

“This isn’t like you, Andrea…” Chelsea says with a soft sigh. “I don’t understand why you feel like beating her is going to be so difficult.”

“I’m not worried about Jessie, I’m worried about what the fuck is going to happen and how the vultures are going to attack me IF I lose to Jessie…”

“Then DON’T lose to her… simple.”

“Easier said than done…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Andrea.”

“I had this horrible nightmare last night… it felt REAL, Chels. I read all the online comments mocking me for losing to Jessie and heard these idiots on a podcast writing me off as if I was old news. It’s like I was going through the Evie thing all over again. I can’t bear even the THOUGHT of losing to her because if I do, it is going to feel like everything I did in 2021 means nothing. I understand why you’re so confused, but what I don’t understand is how can I have the year that I had in 2021 and NOT be proud of it? I used to be proud of all of my accomplishments and it’s like… after Evie… I don’t feel like I have a right to be anymore…”

I buried my head in my hands reliving that old shame again. I was by no means crying, but closing my eyes, I could feel the burden on my shoulders weighing me down. The worries of the consequences of losing to Jessie Salco were so much so that if I felt that losing at Inception meant that I would lose EVERYTHING. I could hear Chelsea sigh for a bit. She was saying something, but I was not listening at this point. I was too busy being in my own head worrying about the mockery and the ridicule I was going to get in the event of a loss.

“Look at me, Andrea…” Chelsea said to me. I did not listen to her.

“I can’t lose to Jessie… I can’t fucking lose to HER! I HAVE to win. I HAVE to keep winning. I HAVE to keep showing these idiots that I should be the one that should be revered, admired, respected, worshiped… not AMBER… ME! I’m the GODDESS here… not HER… ME!

“ANDREA! Will get get a FUCKING HOLD OF YOURSELF!” Chelsea said with a slight scream. “LOOK AT ME!”

This shook me a bit, not being used to the nature that Chelsea can have when she has something that she really needs to say to me. I took a deep breath and reluctantly looked at her all while trying to figure out how to get the burden of my streak off of my shoulders.

“When we were growing up, you wanted nothing more than to be a professional wrestler and live the dream. You were willing to do anything and everything to get there. You put up with awful companies like UWA and OCW. You dealt with Myra and her abuse because you always had that spark in you to fight. Tonight, our reunion was supposed to be about FUN. It was supposed to be about US, but instead you made it about yourself… all because some undefeated streak is making this a burden for you more than anything, for no reason at all. I am going to ask you a serious question and I want you to be HONEST with me…”

Chelsea glared at me.

“Do you NOT have that spark anymore?”

Suddenly, my soul became engulfed with rage. I wanted nothing more than to jump off the couch and completely assault Chelsea right then and there.

“You BITCH!”

“I’m only asking a question, Andrea. It’s been a year and a half and you’re STILL treating this business like a burden. It’s not about having the desire and the spark to fight and to be your very best anymore. It’s all about YOU and making yourself the biggest name possible.”

“You question whether I have a spark for this? Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?”

I showed off my anger even more by standing up and flipping the coffee table, breaking our cider glasses and the bottle of cider itself.

“I have wanted to be a professional wrestler since I was a little girl. I have done NOTHING but put my heart and soul into my career every fucking week. Yet, you want to question me for losing my spark?”

“Jessie has a bigger spark than you do at the moment. Maybe you SHOULD be worried.”

“What the FUCK are you getting at, Chelsea?”

“What I’m getting at is that you’re letting your father’s poison mess with your head again!”

“Don’t you bring up my father like that!”

I grabbed Chelsea from behind and tried to throw her off the couch, but she managed to defend herself with a side headlock. I let go of her and she returned the favor in kind.

“I’m leaving, Andrea.”

Chelsea stood up and began to leave. If this was on camera, I would put up some bravado and just let her leave. But, since I was in a vulnerable frame of mind, I knew I couldn’t let her leave.

“Chelsea, I’m sorry. I got carried away. Don’t leave me.”

“You can never be happy with anything…” she said as she headed for the door.

“Chelsea, I need you right now…” I said, feeling disgusted in my stomach that I even said such a thing. My eyes were watering, but I wasn’t crying. Chelsea turned toward me and saw my eyes. She narrowed hers expressing the internal feeling that she had to help me in the subtlest of ways. Taking a deep breath, she sits next to me.

“Promise me that you’ll listen to me.”

“I promise…”

“Your father trained you to be chasing titles and making it all about the glory and the success that you could attain. That’s the poison he instilled in you. When you first broke in, you just wanted to live your dream and prove you can be one of the best. Internet title or no Internet title, you have proven that you are. You’re going to let JESSIE FUCKING SALCO of all people take that from you all because you’re too concerned and too worried about meaningless hater comments?”

“When you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?”

“It IS ridiculous, Andrea. But how you’re going about this match is an unfortunate indicator that maybe you’re losing your love for this sport. You’re so bitter all the freaking time that you forget why you ever wanted to be part of this at all and it scares the hell out of me. I want you to be successful. I know we’ve had difficult times ever since Sedona Sky broke up in GCW and everything, but I have always still cared about you. I STILL want you to be as successful as you are and even BETTER! You’re the Internet Champion right now and that’s great, but at some point you need to quit being afraid of failure fucking go for the World title again! For all we know, it could be YOU that ends Amber’s reign and finally shatters her unwarranted, undeserved mystique and aura.”

I merely chuckled at the notion.

“Sure it can… and my father is going to rise out of the grave any fucking minute now…”

“Stop selling yourself short. It can happen for one reason and one reason only… because you’re ANDREA FUCKING HERNANDEZ DAMN IT!”

Largely to wake me up more than anything, Chelsea smacked me hard across the face. I held onto my cheek, largely stunned by Chelsea’s attitude at the moment.

“It’s about time you stop worrying about the worst and giving a damn about what other people say about you. If the worst comes to pass with Jessie, you’re going to have your peers and critics trolling you and reminding you of this every step of the way for a while, but YOU’LL GET THROUGH IT! It’s a THEM problem, not a YOU problem! I mean for fuck’s sake, High Stakes against Crystal was fucking embarrassing for you and you’ve done FAR too well since then that everyone has forgotten about it. You HAVE silenced the haters before and you’ll do it again… if necessary. I PROMISE YOU it WON’T be necessary because you ARE going to beat Jessie and you ARE going to continue your streak and your reign. Filter that nonsense out of your head RIGHT NOW!”

“I can’t say you’re wrong about anything you just said.”

“Do you need me to go back further and point out other SCW shortcomings where your peers were mocking you and writing you off only for you to silence and prove them all wrong in the end?”


“No. I get your point. I should not be acting like this. I don’t understand why I let a nightmare bother me so damn much.”

“Your nightmare was a reflection of a fear within you, Andrea. You need to expunge that fear from your heart and you need to remember the spark that got you to this point to begin with. I know you hate to hear this: but your entire wrestling journey from day one has always been about proving people wrong and silencing the critics. The undefeated streak isn’t the real burden Andrea… it’s THAT! Remember that spark Andrea, and why you wanted to do this to begin with. THAT will get you through EVERYTHING… good or bad, win or lose… THAT is what has gotten you through the worst of times in your career from GCW to SCW.”

Chelsea stands up and begins to leave my hotel room.

“Where are you going?” I asked her.

“I’m leaving you alone to think about what I said. I know you won’t admit it… even to me… but somewhere down in your heart, you know I am right about your spark and you may even realize that you’re possibly losing your love for this business. I’ll see you tomorrow, Andrea…”

Chelsea takes a sigh before she leaves my hotel room. At this very point, everything that Chelsea said to me started pouring through my head. My lifelong best friend really left me with so much to think about…

“What if Chelsea is right?” I thought to myself. “What if I am really losing the spark for this business? When I first arrived in SCW, I just wanted to be at my best. I wanted to be a world champion and realize a dream, yes. I remember when I won the Bombshells world title how motivated and into it I was. But then, after I lost it, it just hasn’t felt the same. What used to drive me hasn’t driven me in a long time now. Ever since that day, I’ve been driven by bitterness about losing the title, hatred for just about everyone else on the Bombshells roster and keeping this winning streak alive with the feeling that the streak and my title are all I seem to have anymore. My father would be turning over in his grave if he knew I was motivating myself with such shallow things. Yet, these motivations? They have been FAR more effective than what my old motivations used to be even if they’re not the deepest convictions. I don’t know if Chelsea is right about ‘losing my spark’, but she’s right about one thing. I am NOT losing my streak OR my title to fucking JESSIE of all people! It’s time to remind that bitch and everyone else why I was Most Hated 2021…”

Suddenly, I WAS feeling a spark inside. It was definitely the wrong type of spark considering it was based on ego and narcissism, but I didn’t care. I knew that it was all I needed to retain against Jessie Salco nevertheless…

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY YOUR SCW BOMBSHELLS INTERNET CHAMPION: ANDREA HERNANDEZ

[STATIC]

The opening chords of “Failure” by Breaking Benjamin start to play as the big words of “JESSIE SALCO: FAILURE” emerge on the screen.

“Jessie was a champion not THAT long ago…” I said in a voiceover accompanying a video clip from a Climax Control episode last year when she defeated Johanna Krieger to become the new SCW Bombshells Roulette Champion. “...of course, it turned out to be a fluke…”

The next special clip shows a still image of Jessie Salco laid out on the mat after Johanna had won the championship back from her a mere three weeks later.

“She has tried to recapture that old magic, but with the exception of ONE moment, ONE match, she has been nothing but a consistent FAILURE when it has mattered the most…”

More media of Jessie’s huge failures since losing the Roulette Championship flash in succession on the screen while the breaking Benjamin Song continues. The vignette shows a picture of Amber Ryan standing over her with the Bombshells World Championship, two of them in fact, followed by a video clip of me pinning her in the first round of the Internet Championship tournament, an image of Jessie getting pinned by Dani Weston prior to High Stakes and a video clip of Myra Rivers ending her Chamber of Extreme streak at High Stakes.

“And yet… recently… she pulled ONE win out of her ass…”

A still image of Jessie’s recent victory to become the number one contender to my championship is shown.

“I guess Jessie had to have her once a year glimmer of hope, huh? My opponent is going to try to convince the masses that she has everything that it takes to beat me, but even the idiot fans know the score by now: she provides ONE glimmer of hope and she wastes it…

She already has…”

Two more still images are shown: one of both Jessie and Keira Fisher being outside of the ring, beaten down following their draw against each other, and another of Team Hero celebrating a victory over Jessie and Krystal Wolfe.

Suddenly, I appear on the couch of my Paradise Valley home.

“And she has the nerve to tell my MENTOR to BE BETTER? The masses already know that if Jessie Salco isn’t being a failure, she’s being a fluke. FLUKE is what I am going to expose that ONE win against three former World Champions! She wants to start this big Cinderella run at MY expense? NO! It’s NOT going to happen! It will NEVER happen! Jessie Salco is the biggest disappointment in the history of the SCW Bombshells Division. Heck, if you don’t believe me, just hear it from the woman herself…

Roll the footage…

I snap my fingers, ending the pre-recorded vignette

January 15, 2022

The scene is a huge convention taking place. A big banner of “Rock-A-Thon With Jessie Salco” hangs from the rafters while two empty chairs grace the stage. The convention is completely empty and devoid of fans. Angelica Romero, my personal interviewer, walks through the curtains with a microphone as she sits down on the chair on the right.

“ROCK-A-THON! WHAT’S UP!!!!”

A sound of crickets chirping is played through the speakers.

“We are about to have a SPECIAL INTERVIEW with none other than someone who has become one of the most tenured Bombshells in SCW history. She is definitely riding a wave of momentum as she recently defeated three… yes… THREE former SCW Bombshells Internet Champions and now she is set to take on none other than the best Bombshell in the world in Andrea Hernandez for the SCW Bombshells Internet Championship. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… Jessie Salco!!!!”

The sound of crickets playing through the speakers is heard in a loop as “Jessie Salco”... or rather, my intern Regina dressed as Jessie Salco with an exaggerated rock star getup, including a short, black wig, walks out on the stage. She gives the “rock on” sign to the empty audience before sitting on the chair.

“Dude, where’s my fans?” Regina asks in an exaggerated rockstar accent.

“...I have no idea…” Angelica states.

“I guess this is what I get for doing nothing but disappointing my fans ever since I’ve been in SCW. It’s damn obvious that I am the biggest disappointment of this company’s history. ZERO world championships? Come on man! How is that possible? I just plod along being increasingly irrelevant while all the other Bombshells pass me by! Hell, even my own friends in Krystal Wolfe have passed me by. It’s SO SAD!”

“Jessie, why do you think you have never won the big one?”

“Honestly? It’s because I’m just not good enough. If that wasn’t bad enough I like… give up on myself SO easily, chicky! Like, how many times have I said that I am going to stop chasing the world title? In many different ways, I’ve even said that I’ve given up on ever being a world champion. Shit, I’ve given up on myself so bad that I didn’t even bother signing up for Blast from the Past this year. I’ve never believed in myself enough. SURE, I pull a fluke win every now and then out of my ass, but I don’t do anything with it.”

“Is this why you have done NOTHING with your big four way win that got you a title shot against Andrea to begin with?”

“OF COURSE!”

“What do you think your odds are to beat Andrea?”

Regina pulls out a big bottle of Jack Daniels she had hidden inside of her leather jacket and takes a swig of it.

“I got no chance in HELL chicky… that Andrea chick is SO powerful DUDE! Like… every time we’ve been in the ring together, she’s kicked my ass and Inception will be no different, you know what I mean? In fact… Andrea makes me drunk…”

Regina takes another swig of Jack Daniels.

“But the real shit is that deep down in my heartless soul, I know I got no chance of beating her. I know I’m not good enough. I know I will NEVER be good enough. My win over those three world champion chickies was the biggest fluke since I beat Johanna for the Roulette title, you know what I mean? What’s gonna happen at Inception is that she’ll beat me and just like after Johanna won the title back from me, it’s back to obscurity for good ol’ Jessie Salco beeotch! ROCK ON!!!!”

“Why did you give up your ambitions on becoming world champion?”

“Cause like, I’m not good enough. I wasted my window of opportunity when I was in my prime by smoking too much REEF and drinking too much Jack! WOOOO!”

Regina finishes off the Jack Daniels. She stands up from her chair and begins ranting.

“I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH! That’ll be my next hit single CHICKY… I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I might as well drink myself to death before Inception because when I face Andrea I’m gonna DIE ANYWAY!!!!! WOOP WOOOOOOOP!”

“Are you DRUNK?”

Before Regina can answer the question, I come up from behind and smash a stunt guitar over her head. Regina dramatically falls to the floor and Angelica exits stage left.

“Oh Jessie… you HAVE to be drunk if you think you even stand a chance of beating me! You are NOT going to pull an EVIE JORDAN here! You don’t get to pull a Cinderella run out of your ass and take a title from me like she did. ‘BUT I BEAT THREE FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS’ you might say as evidence that you are getting better. NO, Jessie. You’re NOT getting better. You have ALREADY peaked. Even YOU know that you will never be the SCW Bombshells World Champion and that’s why you won’t even bother with Blast from the Past anymore. You see Jessie, your win over ‘three former world champions’, you think that’s supposed to fucking impress me? Don’t get me wrong, Jessie. Beating Dani, Seleana and Alicia in one match is impressive… IN 2018!!!!!! OH WOW! I’m supposed to be SO intimidated by the fact that you were able to beat three Bombshells that were relevant more than three years ago! WOW! You beat someone that JUST came back in Dani Weston who not only has done NOTHING since her big failure of a comeback, but who beat you one on one prior to High Stakes. WOW! I’m SO IMPRESSED that you beat Mrs. Crystal Hilton… or is it Mrs. Alexandra Caldwell now… when she is coming off the worst year of her career and when she won what? Like 5 matches throughout ALL of 2021? WOW! I’m SO taken aback that you beat Alicia Lukas who has faded SO hard and who has become SO irrelevant she’s crying and bitching on Twitter wondering if she even has it anymore and she has to settle for facing CANDY. You beat three people on the decline BIG WHOOP! If your opponents were Amber, Myra and Roxi, you’d be doing the ONE thing you’ve ALWAYS been good at throughout your career here and that’s getting PINNED because you’ll NEVER be good enough to beat ANY of them one on one.

What? You thought I was throwing “be better” back in your face just to mock you for that stupid comment you made about Myra?

I mean sheesh, you have GOT to be the most insecure woman this roster has ever had next to Amber ‘Crybaby’ Ryan herself. Before the four way, you even called EVERYONE, including yourself, a LOSER! THAT right there proves what I am saying, Jessie: that you only WON that match because you were going up against three people that are bigger losers than YOU. Way to bury your own victory and render it meaningless before it ever happens, you fucking idiot! Calling yourself a loser is a sign that you don’t even believe in yourself anymore and that, Jessie, is exactly why you can’t and you won’t beat me. You just don’t believe in yourself anymore. You don’t have the spark to rise up and be a consistent winner and you’ve never had it which is why back in the day you had the likes of Amy, Mercedes, Roxi and Sam Marlowe all surpass you with ease. Somewhere along the way, Jessie, you realized you were never going to be good enough to be the best in SCW and you just gave up on yourself and this was LONG before I ever came to this company myself. You are the wrestler that has done nothing but settle for mediocrity here. Hell, the fact that you have been in this company as long as you have is an example of the dumbest form of LOYALTY I’ve ever seen. You can easily branch out and try your hand somewhere else and win a world title, but NAH, you stay here and you ACCEPT mediocrity because you’re too chickenshit to expand your horizons elsewhere. You stay here and accept mediocrity because you know deep down that you don’t deserve better and SOMEONE LIKE YOU  who thinks THAT low of herself and has the worst self-esteem on the roster is SOMEHOW supposed to beat ME: the most dominant bombshell on the roster in 2021?

Get the FUCK out of here with that.

Get the fuck out of here with your basic bitch ‘picking up her own teeth’ line that you got out of level one of wrestling school and don’t even TALK about me picking up my own teeth when YOU have been picking up your shattered dignity your entire SCW career. Hell, you’re so fucking insecure that going into your match with Keira, you were SO WORRIED about me interfering in your matches. SORRY JESSIE, your matches are NOT worth me interfering in knowing that you have mastered the art of losing all on your own better than ANYONE else on the roster COMBINED!  Maybe that’s why you drew with Keira, huh? You could’ve beaten her and gained some serious momentum, but NO, you fucked up and you settled for a draw all because I was in your head going into that match worrying about me interfering. That’s YOUR fuck up Jessie, and it’s the EPITOME of what you are: AN ABSOLUTE FUCK UP! Cry about the fact that I used your own words against you with Denzel all you want, but YOU are the one that set yourself up to that. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONCE, JESSIE! That is ON YOU! ‘BE BETTER’ aren’t just two words that you stupidly said to Myra as an overreaction to her having a fucking off night, no those two words DEFINE YOUR CAREER! Those two words are what you SHOULD’VE BEEN all along but never were and never will be because you never had it in you to BE BETTER! BEING BETTER is FOCUSING ON WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU, which you clearly did NOT during that Denzel interview because instead of focusing all the way on Team Hero, you’re making comments like ‘I hope Andrea is watching’ as if that match meant anything to me. There you are worrying about me getting involved in a match again and there you are asking if I heard your ‘threat’. There you are going into another match letting me live rent free on your head when I have no motivation or reason to screw you over and when I have no reason to do the ‘send a message’ bullshit.

Fuck Jessie, you’re not even WORTH sending a message to! That’s how far you have allowed yourself to fall.

And SURE ENOUGH, in ANOTHER opportunity to prove that your win over those three wrestlers wasn’t a fluke against Team Hero, YOU FAILED! Sure, it was Krystal that ate the pinfall, but that is STILL a loss on your record. It took you TWO WEEKS, Jessie, TWO WEEKS to waste that victory. You had TWO weeks to gain momentum against me and you didn’t get it done. THAT is why I started off this presentation mocking you and painting you as THE failure of the SCW Bombshells Division because that’s the TRUTH and the WHOLE truth. The sad part about this whole thing Jessie, is that you ALLOWED YOURSELF to be that way. You want to go blame everyone else for your problems or you want to talk shit about someone else’s issues while avoiding your own and yet, you’re sitting there in the corner of your hotel room wondering why you’ve never made it past where you’ve been and doubting yourself and calling yourself a loser in promos and letting rivals get inside of your head, thus ending ALL chances of victory before the match even starts. And why wouldn’t you doubt yourself? Big wins for you come as often as a Jets Super Bowl victory! Prior to that four way, your last “big win” was your Roulette title win against “Do Nothing” Krieger which turned out to be a terrible fluke when you won the title and a horrendous loss that made YOU look worse when you lost the title to her considering she’s done NOTHING ever since. Prior to that, it was the Chamber of Extreme against Evie who in all honesty, is just an upgraded version of you that got lucky and caught me while I was down on myself and grieving the death of my father.

You don’t get to be the next Sin City Wrestling fairy tale at my expense, Jessie. If you REALLY look into my career since the streak began, I have truly been a CINDERELLA KILLER! I KILLED a Cinderella story when I beat Mercedes for my championship. I KILLED another one when I ENDED Dani Weston’s precious comeback story. I KILLED another one when I beat the WORST Blast from the Past winner EVER, male or female, in Ruby Steele right after she won the tournament due to Mark Cross carrying her ass the whole time. Ruby wasn’t the same after I beat her and I’m going to SHATTER your Cinderella story just like I shattered Ruby’s. Come Inception, you get to face REALITY again and that reality is simply the fact that Jessie Salco will once again fall short when it matters the most as once again, just like Team Hero, just like Myra, just like Amber… TWICE…

You can try to preach to all of your little buddies at Go Gym that you can beat me and you can sit in your corner trying to convince yourself that you will… but you CAN’T… you WON’T… just just because on many occasions I have proven myself to be FAR SUPERIOR to you… but because deep down inside, whether you want to admit it to yourself or to anyone else or not, whether you want to deny it or not, you KNOW you can’t beat me, you KNOW that you WON’T beat me. You are walking into yet another chapter of you failing where it counts the most and the bitch is, you’ve already done half of the work for me with how LITTLE you really believe in yourself. I’m in your head, Jessie… all it took was the words “BE BETTER” to get there.

THINK long and hard Jessie, and ask yourself: ‘Do I really believe I can beat Andrea?’

When you answer that question? The answer? It’s going to be NO!

And you KNOW THAT, don’t you?

I’m Andrea Hernandez, the CINDERELLA KILLER and I approve this message…

STILL the SCW Bombshells Internet Champion!”

I snap my fingers and head back through the curtains putting a quick and sudden end to the “Rock-A-Thon” I put together and causing the cameras to fade out.