GO Gym - Las Vegas, Nevada
June 2024 So these are your finalized plans?
Gabriel Stevens, who - along with his wife Odette - was the proprietor of one of the world’s premiere training facilities for the sport of professional wrestling. People from all over the world, from Europe to Japan and beyond, have found their way within these walls in order to be taught by the best and hopefully get their ‘big break’ into the business that had captured hopes and dreams for so many. And this time, Gabriel was walking across the main threshold of the Gym itself, alongside one of his and Odette’s many success stories in the form of the 6’3” tempest who currently reigned over the SCW Bombshell division as the Internet Champion.
Tempest had just finished one of her rather infamous workouts that had garnered her a reputation, even amongst the hardcore graduates such as Fenris who referred to her as “one crazy bitch”. And now she was freshly showered and in her street clothes, just talking to her trainer about plans for the summer months outside of wrestling.Tempest: I know this might make training difficult outside of touring dates, but I think it’s the responsible thing that I need to do where Anela is concerned.
Gabriel: Well it’s not like I can say that I disagree with that mindset. I told you and every other student who came through those doors that real life always came first. Especially when it comes to family.
Tempest paused in their walk as she set her gym bag down on the nearest surface, which where they stood just so happened to be the ring apron of one of the gym’s two wrestling rings.Tempest: And Anela hasn’t had much time with my side of the family since I got custody. Hell…! She hasn’t even seen her father’s sisters much either. Knowing them, they probably think I’m keeping her away intentionally.
Gabriel chuckled at the idea.Gabriel: But you’re not.
He then wrinkled a brow and gave her a curious yet knowing side-eye.Gabriel: Are you?
Earning him a hard but understanding look from the amazon, her hand rested squarely on her hip in a pose that screamed “pure attitude”.Tempest: I can be an extremely petty bitch Gabriel, but I draw the line at keeping my daughter away from her aunts. I may see them as vipers but I can’t deny that they love Anela… and she loves them.
Tempest sighed in resignation.Tempest: So… spending the summer home in Hawaii seems like the best option. I miss my own family anyhow and this kills two birds with one stone. I just have one issue I have to work out. Which also, I dare say, involves you and your own.
Gabriel: Lucas?
Tempest sighed and sat back against the ring apron and crossed her arms over her breast.Tempest: How the hell am I going to break it to Anela that she’s not going to see her buddy for a couple of months at most? Because if SCW brings me back here during the summer, it’s going to be just me. I’m going to want Anela to stay in Hawaii to visit her family.
Gabriel sighed and nodded. He turned to stand next to his charge and he too sat against the ring.Gabriel: That is a thorny one. That son of mine is a little charmer but even I was surprised how fast those two kids took to each other. Now I overheard them talking on the phone about plans for the summer and we’re going to have to break the news to them.
Tempest closed her eyes and muttered…Tempest: Dammit…
She too was surprised at the close bond that had been formed between their mutual children. Where family was concerned, Anela still felt like a stranger even though the young girl would be hard pressed to admit it. Oh she had cousins a plenty that she could play with and she was more familiar with her Dad’s side than her own, but there was a difference when friendships were concerned. Where she and Lucas were concerned, it was a bond that she herself had never got to enjoy while in school, but she could not have asked for a more loyal friend for her daughter than Gabriel’s son. When Anela faced the horrors of being the ‘new kid’ in school, Lucas was right there to offer her a comforting smile. Someone to sit with at lunch and introduce her to his friend circle which was impressive for such a young man. He also offered her someone to play with during recess rather than relegate to sitting on the swings and simply watching the other kids chase each other around the playground. It was thanks to that young man that Anela blossomed in school and the walls around her started to come down.
Separating kids who hold that close of a friendship could backfire horribly unless…
Tempest opened her eyes and turned to look at Gabriel with an inquisitive expression. Gabriel could sense the piercing gaze and he turned and did a double take.Gabriel: What is it? What’s going through that head of yours?
Tempest: Has your family ever been to Hawaii?
There was little to no fanfare. No grand entrance nor special setup for this particular occurrence. While some wrestlers, both male and female alike, would take this opportunity to outshine their opponent simply because they could do so, not here and not now. In Tempest’s own words, “it simply wasn’t worth it” and “let's just get this over with”. The only thing she conceded to was that it took place properly, inside of the six-sided ring which had already been set up in the center floor of the Toyota Arena where in just two days, near ten thousand plus fans would crowd within to watch an exciting evening of SCW action.
One stool. That was it, and there seated on it was the Internet Champion herself, Tempest. She had not even designed to dress in her ring attire, considering it a waste of her time. She remained dressed in the very same street clothes, taking care to remain cool in the summer heat by wearing a vintage floral print tank top and denim shorts. She was staring just off-camera and shrugged her shoulders as she began to speak.“Let's face facts. Life has its ups and downs where both our personal and professional lives are concerned. I mean, not to brag but I can honestly say that I know about as well as anyone just how hard fate can knock you on your ass when you least expect it, only to turn around and kick you in the teeth so long as you're down and out. I mean, why not get one more shot in while we’re at it? I’ve lost family members to Big Daddy Reaper. I’ve had loved ones taken from me not by death but by circumstance although I thank God every day when one has been returned to me. I’ve come close to losing my father and brothers simply because of the high risk careers they have taken. And I came damn close to losing the business I built from the ground up because of someone else’s fool choices. But… hard as life can kick you when you’re down, it’s not a matter of curling up into a ball and waiting for the abuse to stop. It’s all a point of fighting back. Getting up off the ground, dusting yourself off and doing the one thing that life expects you to do - live!”
“Career-wise? I'd have to admit that I've been pretty damn lucky up until now. This isn't including the handful of injuries that I've had over the years that put everything into pause, but I was a lot luckier than most. Some in this business have had injuries that required surgery and ended careers before they ever really had a chance to get off the ground. Most of my injuries have been superficial at best, or forced time off for a month or two to recoup at worst. I’ve been lucky enough not to have a doctor tell me that my in-ring livelihood was over, but unlike many I am always preparing myself. Just in case.”
“And what makes that even sadder is that many who have had their careers cut short have nothing to fall back on. I do. I have a successful business in Hawaii that could easily support my lifestyle which, granted, is modest by comparison to some of these divas who strut around million dollar mansions and wiping their asses with diamonds. A business and people I trust alongside it that I don’t even need to be in Hawaii for it to run successfully. So if the worst should ever happen, I take comfort to know I have a backup plan. Not everyone who has called it quits by choice or circumstance can say the same. I’ve heard too many horror stories of kids who got hurt in or outside of the ring, forced to work some menial, dead end job just to barely scrape by. A job they hated that practically sucks the life out of them as opposed to that dream they were fulfilling. Snuffed out.”She snapped her fingers.“Just like that.”
“Now, what's to come? That's a question that is always running through the mind of someone in this sport. ‘What’s next?’ ‘Where do I go from here?’ Well as it so happens, I know exactly what's next. Or rather, what's next that actually matters. And that would be when I get on that god forsaken cruise to put this title of mine up for grabs against a former World Champion and I have to say; this is going to be EPIC! I've defended against some top women who gave me the best fight that they could manage and for that? Respect. But this… this one is going to go above and beyond anything that I've done in the past and that is what has me so damn excited! But.. “She frowned and shook her head, almost in either disbelief or derision.“Like I said, that is what's next that actually matters. But what I have coming up this weekend in California? Not so much. I know I'm in the minority in this but I have never understood what the point is with non-title matches. I've always been of the mindset that if a champion is scheduled to compete, then his or her championship should be at stake. Otherwise, what the hell is the point? I'm hazarding a guess that in some cases it's a matter of protecting the champion against a lesser competitor in case of an upset which isn't unheard of. Now, granted this time it's only Eiley and I am not a woman that needs protection but my point remains the same. To make a long story short…”“Too late!”The voice of Austin James Mercer emanated from off camera, interrupting Tempest. She stared straight ahead at the camera, and then held up a single finger to pause the promo. She calmly stepped off camera and there was a loud *THUMP!* followed by a..“OW! Son of a…!”And Tempest stepped back onto the scene and took a seat to resume her promo.“Which brings us to the point of this whole charade - Eiley. Or as I’ve always preferred to call her - Mikah 2.0.”She held up her hand and nodded, eyes closed.“Yeah, I know. I get it. I’ve been told this nickname has all but fallen on deaf ears because Eiley takes a lot of pride in being compared to Mikah. But if she would clean out her ears and open her eyes, that isn’t exactly what I’ve been doing all this time she and I have faced one another. I am not - nor have I ever - compared her to Mikah. Reason being, there is no comparison between the two of them. One chick is a veritable living legend in the Bombshell division. Whether I like her or not, I’m not going to tell the world a lie and say she’s not something that she is! To this day since her retirement, Mikah’s name continues to be brought up when discussing the best women to ever set foot in an SCW ring! Two-time World Champion and she even held this very same championship that I’ve had a hold of!”Tempest gripped the gold belt on her lap and showcased it for the camera.“Mikah has won several Year End awards and even got inducted into the Hall of Fame. And Eiley seriously thinks that I’ve been comparing her to that success story…?”Tempest used her fingertips to massage at her temples as she shook her head and her eyes cast heavenward.“God help that delusional little girl!”She slapped her hands onto her lap and leaned in closely toward the camera.“Eiley? Let me make this divinely simple for you! The only way I’ve been comparing you is by your actions, not your accomplishments! Because you have done nothing even remotely close to what she has inside of this very ring! I call you Mikah 2.0 because of how you seem to copycat her appearance and her lifestyle outside of the ring! Then we have the fact that Mikah dates and later marries Kris Ryans. You - her graduate - take up dating Oliver Zahn, conveniently trained by Ryans’s facility. I’m honestly shocked you didn’t try to baby trap Oliver the same way that Mikah did Kris. All I can say is thank the good Lord that Oliver opened his eyes and that ended before it could go any further! Has anyone here seen the films ‘Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ or ‘Single White Female’? I ask because in those films, some crazy bitches are trying to force their way into another woman’s life and basically become that woman! You know, now that I think about it…”Tempest turned and looked off camera in all directions.“Has anyone actually seen anything of Mikah lately? No?”She shrugged and resumed her stance.“So Eiley, that is what I’ve been talking about when I call you that. Because it sure as hell isn’t because I've been comparing your track record to Mikah’s own! Okay, yes. You’ve had success in the mixed tag team division and yes, your team got a win or two over Austin and myself in the process, but honey? You never got that win over myself. And if I can be brutally honest? Once Oliver Zahn’s contract ran out and he left SCW, you might as well have never even existed because he was the reason behind your success. You were little more than an appendix to his overall story. In other words…”She pinched her fingers together and leaned in.“You were riding Ollie’s coattails from the moment you first formed that team between you because alone, you just can’t cut it. Or, am I wrong? Because we see you out there. We see you trying to get past that first hurdle and work your way into bigger and better things but when the chips are down, Eiley chokes. This is why I am upset over this match, Eiley! This is why I just want to put you away as quickly as possible and move on to an actual threat! Because between the two of you, at Summer XXXTreme XII I am against a woman I would rank up here…”Tempest held her hand up at the level of her head.“And I am being prepared for her by putting me against some Barbie doll that ranks about so…”She dropped her hand down near the mat surface.“So I have to ask you something, one woman to another. When we meet inside of the ring this Sunday, and I leave no doubt to anyone out there that I am ready for Julianna and Summer XXXTreme XII, are you also going to copy Mikah in how she handles defeat? Because I seem to recall when Mikah dropped this very same championship to Devona back in `17, what were her words again? Oh yes! ‘I never wanted the Internet title.’ and ‘I wanted to lose.’ yadda yadda yadda! When she did that, when she made excuses, some of that respect I held for her dropped. I mean, what is this? High school? Some blonde cheerleader falls flat on her face, she gets up and dusts herself off and prances off with her nose in the air, telling anyone who’ll listen that she meant to do that?”
“Is that what you’re going to do this weekend, Eiley? Are you going to tell everyone post-beat down that the match meant nothing to you and that you took a nosedive against me on purpose?”Tempest scoffed.“Because I can honestly say that it won’t really matter if you do. Because my respect toward you can’t possibly fall any lower than it already is. I mean, a win over me could get you a title shot. Who knows? It could even work you into the match at Summer XXXTreme XII if the higher ups were so inclined. But… it won’t, because you can't.”Tempest stood up and gave the camera a sympathetic shrug of her shoulders before she simply walked off, ending the shoot.
