[Mercedes Vargas]

 Ask Me No Questions: Alternative Facts and Fake News
Present Day ♦ L O S A N G E L E S, C A L I F O R N I A

[REC•]

[With SCW returning to its usual stomping grounds of the Southwest and California following the six-week tour of the Midwest and East Coast concluding at Into the Void, three weeks have gone by and, for the most part, recent events have made headlines on the road to the next supercard. Here in Los Angeles, the scene opens in a familiar area. A figure emerges walking out of a fast food restaurant, what we make it out to be a burger place.

The person is dressed casual and comfy for the summer season, sporting cargo pants paired with a blouse and stiletto open toe sandals and adorning simple jewelry. Keeping her aviator sunglasses firmly on, she walks up to the camera as we see passerbys walk in the foreground behind her in the shot. The woman moves closer and slows her pace, but by now we can easily identify her. Mercedes Vargas looks a little annoyed, yet the desire to talk never wavered. The Argentine at first breaks eye contact from the camera and looks around her for a moment, nodding her head. Then she sighs, looks at the camera and speaks.]

“You may have noticed recently that I’ve been a little chirpy lately on social media, but that shouldn’t be much of a surprise because those who have followed me in my career pretty much know that I was never known to be a wallflower. And it’s not like it’s a bad thing like most people will have you believe.

"It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not. Of course, that depends whether you’re being hated for all the right reasons."

[Mercedes shrugs.]

"I didn’t ask for this, but if people want to take what I’ve said on Twitter the last few weeks out of context and want to make it about themselves, that’s fine with me. If I’m controversial, so be it. At least I’m genuine. That’s something you can’t say about a few Bombshells on the roster and it really says something when they want to take issue with it. Unlike some people, I don't need to present this rosy picture of myself to try to impress people. There's no charades here, I'm not like a certain so-called z-list movie scream queen who desperately try to keep up appearance just to be liked.

"At least with me, you know what you're getting, for better or worse, instead of having someone claiming to be "the reflection of perfection." Someone needs to look in the mirror again, because she's been lied to.

“So, I like to talk about a couple of things.”

[Mercedes begins counting on her hands.]

“One is this seemingly little rut the Mean Girls have been on in recent weeks. Two is my reaction to what took place at Climax Control last show. And three, a couple of other things that really caught my attention lately.”

[She throws her hair back off her shoulders.

“So, first and foremost, the last Climax Control show. Another loss for the Mean Girls. Veronica Taylor, not a winner. Not a winner.”

[Mercedes slightly looks down with a pained expression. As much as she hated to admit it – and she really hated to admit it – the Mean Girls most recent defeat was equal parts frustrating and maddening. It’s been practically a month now since their last win – and Mercedes was all the more responsible for that at Into the Void.]

“Veronica came close to getting her first win in months but I’ll give credit where it’s due to the new girl, Otaku…”

[Blinking, Mercedes shakes her head, knowing she messed the name up.]

“Sudoku…”

[Nope, try again. Mercedes snaps her fingers repeatedly, the name at the tip of her tongue.

“Kymiku…”

[Same actions as the first time knowing she screwed up again—but this time she just throws her free hand out as if brushing Otaki’s name all together with extreme disrespect.]

“Whatever the hell her name is. The point is, wins have been hard to come by lately, not that we can’t win for losing so much as our opponents have been getting lucky but I have a feeling our luck is about to change this weekend.

“So, the Sweete Twins lost their first match since their debut last show, leaving this week for the female members of the Black Sheep to step up. Crystal has her match with Samantha Marlowe, the main event has Chelsea defending the Bombshell Roulette Title a little early than expected and I have Mikah. But if you’re expecting a clean sweep for the Sheep, I wouldn’t hold my breath. If I was Jessie Salco right now, I really would step my game up against Chelsea at Climax Control, because as God as my witness, whether it’s her, Amy and Damona or Kate Steele subbing for Jessie, if the MPC show up to Summer XXXtreme, it will be the last thing they'll ever do.

"To be honest with you, no matter how this match ends, I can’t say things are going to end will for Jessie. But I'm more concerned with Chelsea Payne, and I’ll get to that right now. You may remember Little Miss #Crybaby downplaying my accomplishments while holding the championship she now owns. For her to say that nobody cares about my accomplishments isn’t just an insult to me. Oh no, it’s an insult to every Bombshell who ever held that title she now has around her waist, or over her shoulder…wherever she decides to place it that day. My point is, she’s been talking about this buzzword. What was it again? Oh, that’s right…”

[Mercedes makes air quotes.]

“Quality over quantity….”

[Mercedes slowly shakes her head.]

“She can talk about quality over quantity all she wants to, but the bar has been set high. Just so happens this Saturday marks the fifth-year anniversary since Kittie was crowned the first-ever Bombshell Roulette Champion. But you want to know something? In all that time, in all that time only four previous champions have held that title over 100 days, and two of them just happen to be on this roster: the person who beat my record – and who I just embarrassed at Into the Void – and the person talking about her right now.

“See, there’s a reason why she downplays my accomplishments, and it’s not because it was a pathetic attempt to piss me off. The truth is I don't think she's up for the challenge. Maybe she'll prove me wrong, maybe she'll prove me right.

"Because when it comes right down to it, chickadee, I was the first Bombshell to bring quality AND quantity to that title. So until you beat my records, you got a lot of catching up to do."

[If first defenses were the hardest, then Chelsea caught a lucky break this weekend. Nonetheless, Chelsea was the one chasing history. Well before she can run, Chelsea would have to learn to walk the walk. Winning a title and defending it are two completely different things. Mercedes keeps her even tone, but is no hurry to change her mood even as a she quickly places her sunglasses up to the top of her head.]

"Speaking of, I suppose I have a lot of catching up to do with my next opponent, but you wouldn't know it if you've followed along our little spat on social media in recent weeks, and for that people have grabbed their popcorn and sipped their iced teas and were probably watching and waiting and wondering if and when we would actually be in the same ring again. Somehow, the good folks of SCDub thought it was a good idea too.

"It's clearly obvious my opponent and I don't go out of our way to like or respect each other, but this is more on her than it is on me. When you call people on the carpet, when you call them out on their BS, there's a pretty good chance you won't be on many people's Christmas list, and I'm perfectly fine with that. That she wants to call me a pathological liar is a little interesting when you consider everyone on the damn roster have seen the things she's done in SCW in the past and up to this point that it isn't something you can make up. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.

"And while you can call me a pathological liar and you may even hold that championship over my head, at the end of the day, Micah Mikenzie Mikacek, I have the higher ground. You’ll never catch me sacrificing my integrity for cheap, hollow, tainted victories that would leave me empty inside. It’s okay for Evie and you though because you have no soul. Cheaters never win, but I guess that doesn’t always hold true. I know this much: Anyone congratulating you on your tainted title win is just as deluded as you are. You’ll never own up to it, and I don’t expect you to. That you had to cheat kinda diminishes your claim of being the best Bombshell around. But hey, if you can interfere in matches, why should I be surprised you had to use brass knuckles to win a match? That’s truly pathetic."

[Mercedes pauses. While is there no thing as moral victories, is cheating to win a title any better? Mercedes seems more than irritated thinking back on that moment in time. Crossing her arms and looking slightly disgusted, Mercedes continues.]

"They say truth is stranger than fiction, but there’s nothing strange when it comes to what I’ve seen in SCW lately.

"I’ve told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but it seems certain people would stick with alternative fact, fake news and brand me a pathological liar. That’s funny. Wouldn’t a pathological liar know the difference between truths and lies? To be a pathological liar would mean that I would know that I’m lying, but the claims against me doesn’t hold much weight when there’s evidence to support my stance. Say, for instance, that the Sweete Twins lost last week. That can’t be argued because the whole world saw it and you can go back to the archives to prove it. Or that the World Bombshell Tag Titles haven’t been defended in three months. I wish I was making this up, but seriously, it’s been three months. Yes, I get that Evie was involved in the Blast From the Past, but what was stopping her and Odette from defending the titles between Evie’s tournament matches? Hey, Odette wanted to show the Bombshells Division that’s she hasn’t lost it and further her legacy. Is that why she’s been in only four matches this year? Inquiring minds want to know. But hey, now that Odette won them back – and has a new partner – I guess that means we can start all over again. Yay!"

[Mercedes over-exaggerates by flailing her arms around in mock excitement.]

"Am I going to start walking on eggshells because of the things I’ve said on social media, particularly on Twitter, in recent weeks? No. It’s not so much about the who or the how but the what. As in what can I expect to hear coming from our Bombshell Internet Champion this weekend aside from touting the months she's held the World Bombshell Title or that she's defeated me in the past. Honestly, you don't need to be a mind reader to know this, but I'm bringing it out there so there's no surprises. Like the many times she's interfered in my matches that had absolutely nothing to do with her.

"Win or lose, Mikah, you know full well that you won't have to anything to worry about with little ole me. La vida es buena. Llevas una vida encantadora, vivir la vida al máximo. Being the irrelevant person that I am, there's no way you should be intimidated by me.

"Just accept it. Embrace it. Make it a reality.

"La verdad os hará. The truth shall set you free.

"You shouldn’t worry about me or that you aren’t defending your title this weekend. No, because the only two things you should be worried about…"

[Dramatic pause.]

“Is booze and regret.”

[Fade.]