Y O R K, E N G L A N D, U N I TE D K I N G D O M
The Day of Climax Control 262
Living in a historic city has its challenges. Yes, even a city
as quaint as York, England, some 25 miles north-east of Leeds.
Once you get off the station, the first thing you see are the old castle walls. After you walk over the river, you notice the York Minister, old buildings mixed in with the new, the Theatre Royal.
And then about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the station, there is Bootham Crescent, where York City Football Club calls home.
Today, the cameras open up to an exterior shot of the stadium. It's almost fitting that the venue will be hosting Climax Control for the first time. It will also likely be the last as the team will be moving to a stadium soon.
We find Mercedes Vargas lounging around on the historic grounds ahead of her match tonight.
MERCEDES: So this is it. We are at Bootham Crescent here in York, England and I'm about to have my first match back on Climax Control in, what, two months? I'm not sure what to expect. Still trying to get back to normal, or as close to what normal is supposed to be. This is my second match since my concussion at Climax Control 261, the first SCW show of the new year. Apple Coren has had quite a tough couple of months and the fact I'm going to face her in her hometown tonight...
PRODUCER: No pressure?
Mercedes makes light of this, a short laugh followed by a dismissive wave at the camera.
MERCEDES: No stress. No big deal, right? I've beaten Apple one-on-one before. I have a feeling lightning is about to strike twice. Apple's first loss in SCW was because of me. Might as well spoil her homecoming too, right?
PRODUCER: Obviously, concussions are serious business. Was it difficult coming back from injury a few months back?
MERCEDES: The rehab and tests were a long process, but coming back from a concussion is never easy. You can't just move on from it because the next one is always at the back of your mind. I'm coming off a match against five other women in a ladder match, and we know how crazy those matches are. You have people dangling above the ring atop ladders, some of those people do these crazy stunts, just chaos everywhere.
You all saw what happened near the end of the match. I was fingertips away from unhooking the Bombshell Internet Championship, then Kate Steele comes in like a women possessed and she shoves me off the ladder. I don't know how I broke my fall on the way down, but I could have been looking at another concussion right then and there.
People say that I can't back up my words or whatever. I think it's time to remind everyone why nobody does it better.
~~~
Inside, as the music picks up, Mercedes Vargas waits her cue as the lyrics kicks in then emerges. She ignores the abuse her way by the fans as she makes her way down the ramp. She looks back at Apple Coren, who enjoys being royalty, especially tonight in front of her adoring public.
Vargas climbs the turnbuckle and spreads her arms wide, her red ring gear glinting in the spotlight. And when she finally gets going against Coren - who brought her snobbish attitude with her - the hometown fans aren't quite sure who should shoulder their displeasure. Vargas doesn't seem all that interested in locking up with her opponent, so she embarrasses Coren early and often - tripping her up, clutching her in a headlock and decisively talking trash at her, shoving her in the back of the head, enjoying the boos against her.
The mind games seem to be working according to plan as Coren is clearly frustrated. The hometown girl lunges at Vargas and grabs her, but she retreats for the safety of the ropes as the referee slides in and starts counting reminding her of the rules. Coren backs off, inciting Vargas. The veteran circles the ring, keeping her distance. She attempts to trip Coren up again, but Vargas got a bit too ambitious as Coren puts an end to the cat-and-mouse game when she sidestepped her attempt and mounts a flurry of offense by driving a forearm across Vargas' back, hits a knee to her stomach and follows through with a snap suplex floating over for a pin, the first of the night.
Moments later, the action spills to the outside of the ring. Vargas is driven into the steel steps by Coren, then Coren hits her with a few hard rights before she throws Vargas by her hair sideways into the side of the ring, landing on the floor and immediately clutching her back due to the impact. The fans hear the thud before they see it.
For the duration of the match, the women grapple and slam each other onto the canvas, trade kicks and punches, and expel grunts. Vargas returns to her antics but Coren, by now finally reached a breaking point, took back control of the match, the fans are unmistakably in her corner now.
Further on, both women are spent and are looking to end the match. Coren kicks out for the second time after Vargas hit her with the Two to Tango, where Vargas twist Corren's arm and then hits a hook kick, and a snapmare/dropkick combo earlier in the match. No matter what Vargas did, Coren was resilient, and the crowd urging her on didn't help the situation.
Vargas gets to her feet, pulls Coren up and over her shoulders, setting up for her finisher, though Coren countered a "Black Rose Overdrive" into a bulldog, driving Vargas into the canvas. The fans pop as both women lay on the mat now. After some time, the women are back on their feet. Vargas makes the first move, catching Coren with the "Red Curtain", a STO in unison with a reverse STO, but Coren countered it mid-move by slamming her fist into her head. Once free, Coren goes for the "Cyanide Drop" but Vargas counters the cradle DDT with a hard shot to Coren's ribs followed by Vargas picking up Coren and racking her over her shoulder before spiking her to the ground.
Their match concludes after, Vargas' arm is raised, then gets booed for her efforts.
A victorious Vargas grandstands around the mat, blows an air kiss to the viscous boos, then ducks beneath the ropes to leave the ring.
All in all, a hard-fought match but a victory that was a long-time coming after her last one three months ago, and her last victory on Climax Control back in November.
She hobbles along the path to the exit, revels in her victory some before, before turning back to step through the black curtain.
Y O R K, E N G L A N D, U N I TE D K I N G D O M
Backstage at Bootham Crescent
After a tough match, Mercedes, still in her ring gear and a short towel in hand, is seen in the dressing room used by the York City Football Club. In here, we see the York City signage on the wall. If she was trying to keep a straight face after tonight's outcome, she failed to show it.
MERCEDES: So tonight I finally won a match on Climax Control for the first time in a while.
PRODUCER: What does this mean for you going forward?
MERCEDES: This is just the beginning, this was just a small moment, and the first of many in 2020.
~~~
M I A M I • F L O R I D A
Mercedes writing into a journal. We see her thoughts transcribed in ink.
Quarantine Diary:
Day 14: I have stockpiled up on enough non-perishable food and supplies to last me for months, maybe years, so that I can remain in isolation for as long as it takes to ride out this pandemic.
Day 14+ 45 minutes: I am in the supermarket because I wanted Wheat Thins. Oh, and a Snickers. And that Coke energy (to see if it's good or not)...
Mercedes looks up from her latest journal entry as we see her wandering Trader Joe's. Shelves were stripped bare, the frozen food aisle was apocalypse empty. Same goes for toilet tissue and paper towels. Some aisles had items of food scattered across the floor while others like the snack section looked bleaked. It was the stuff of nightmares.
If things were bad now, she couldn't imagine how it was going to look in a few months.
Then, near the checkout counter, a woman was belting out Christmas carols, or what she thought was Christmas carols over the PA system.
WOMAN: ....
On the fourteenth day of quarantine my true love gave to me -
fourteen rolls of tissue paper
thirteen face masks
twelve bottles of Clorox
eleven books for reading.
ten puppies whining
nine TV dinners
eight month of bills
seven checks to pay 'em
six feet of separation
five test kits
four thousand dollars
three little death notes
two muddy boots
AND A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF PURELL!
It was at that moment that Mercedes knew she had stared into the eyes of death.
Deep into that darkness peering, long she stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
~~~
"Things are so crazy right now, I don't know what to do..."
Friday, 9 a.m. On days like these, Mercedes Vargas would already be packed and out the door to head to the airport to where ever far out adventure she would get herself into. The last few days however has put a hold on those plans.
"I booked my flight Tuesday, not thinking this was a big deal and then within 48 hours I realized just how huge this thing was and how much it was affecting everybody. So I just found out on social media that SCW has a major announcement on the Going Home Tour. I heard that Blaze of Glory is going to happen elsewhere. I don't even know about the tour - if we're going to have fans there, if we're having a show in front of no fans. We’re learning everyday new information about this whole thing. And it’s pretty scary, it’s crazy.
My one-way flight to Berkshire was $300. Ten minutes later, it's over $1,000. I heard that a one-way from Paris to New York is anywhere from $2,000 - $7,000.
Mercedes shakes her head disillusioned at how thinhs have been in the days and weeks since the pandemic happened.
"When CC 261 happened, I was hoping everyone would get back home safe. Then it was my turn to go the next week. I had to self-quarentine last week and this week. I just hope everyone stays safe and stay healthy, everybody washes their hands, and I hope we beat this thing. The coming weeks are going to be pretty crazy."
PRODUCER: What do you think about some people not being comfortable wrestling with the Coronavirus going around?
MERCEDES: Just because how the situation has kind of flared up, and the little amount of time to it has flared up. People are coming from different states and countries and travel through airports and are in contact with everybody. So, yeah, I can see how some people might say that.
PRODUCER: Have you thought about how you plan on getting home from England with the travel advisory still ongoing?
MERCEDES: That's the million dollar question. I have no idea,. But maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones to actually get back stateside.
Bring it on!
~~~
It's Not Whether You Win or Lose: Gatekeeper the Sixth
Present Day • M I A M I, F L O R I D A
REC•]
Open on Mercedes Vargas sitting outside on the balcony of her Miami residence with her face void of emotion. Dressed in bootcut jeans, a pastel pink off the shoulder top and a matching jacket, the Argentine enjoys the little downtime she's given ahead of her next match this weekend.
As if on cue, the SCW Hall of Famer looks up at the camera.
"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."
"Oh, and you probably didn't know this, but I was the first ever Queen for a Day in SCW history."
She signals each number under with a gloved hand before she continues.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mercedes Vargas reporting live from..."
Mercedes briefly looks at her couch then back at the camera.[/i]
"...my living room, and I'm self-quarentining, social distancing, doing the right thing, during this, uh, stressful time, to say the least.
"Questions are made to be asked, right? Right. That said, I can't help but wonder about a few things. Like, why is Samantha Marlowe in a title match so soon when she has yet to win a match this year? Or how Christina Rose got a world title match when she was approaching Jessie Salco like-infamy when it comes to choking in title matches? Why did it take three months for someone other than Jessie or Roxi to finally win in their hometown? I don't know, I'm not sure. I guess good things happen to bad people. Or bad things happen to good people.
"Life is funny like that."
Mercedes gives a nonchalant shrug. Some things were just of her control and she would just have to realize that, no matter how much some things didn't make sense.
"So, I beat Apple Coren two weeks ago, but you didn't need to read tea leaves or gaze through a crystal ball in hopes of that happening. Not that it was easy, but I prevailed again to keep her winless. I almost feel bad for Little Miss English Rose, but she’ll get over this somehow. Maybe.
"This weekend, I'm in a good old fashion triple threat at Climax Control 264 in Berkshire, England. Wow, did not see that coming. On my left is a former Bombshell Roulette and World Bombshell Tag Team Champion. On my right is a former World Bombshell Champion. And then in the middle is little ole me, who has beaten both of them. What could go wrong?
Or is it, what could go right, because Keira and Sierra, besides the fact that neither one of them inspire world title dreams, should be a lot better than they are but never will be because they're overshadowed by who they're married to much less the fact they'll never be as great as them either. And that must kill them inside. They will try so hard, but they won't be able to do it. Failure. That's just in their DNA. That shouldn't even need to be said, doesn't make it any less true."
A short pause here as Mercedes removes her baseball cap as her wavy, brunette hair fell into her face. She places her baseball cap in her lap.
"Whenever I have a match against Seleana, I always take advantage of these opportunities because I might not have many more chances left to wrestle her. Hey, she's not that bad. Then again, she's not very good either. But I've never been better. I guess you can say she's a cure-all to anyone's doubts. But I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She did beat me last time, I won't deny that, but that was last time. Things will be different this time.
"You know, I was sidelined with a concussion that took me out for six weeks. Since I've been back I made it my mission to get to where I need to be, and that's back into title contention. Like I said, I don't mind, because it won't take me long to get there. Beating Apple was just the start. Seleana, Keira, you're up next."
She smiles at them, without much sincerity behind it.
"So go ahead and impress me. One thing is for sure, two things are for certain: One of us is walking out of this triple match with a win, and Seleana, Keira, you better not hope it's me.
"I'll see you two in Berkshire."
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst..."
Brushing away a few strands of hair that got in the way, Mercedes continues, her tone of voice lowers just above a whisper.
"And may the odds be ever in your favor."
***Fade***
