After Summer XXXtreme
I was overwhelmed with emotion in the hour following the end of the show. Back in my cabin, I held my newly won SCW Bombshells Internet Championship and I was definitely feeling a bunch of joy that was very much equivalent to when I won the world title. I thought back to the rough waters of my world title reign and how tough it was to get through that and even further, I was thinking back to some of my pre-SCW struggles and how Mainstream Wrestling didn’t care about me at all. I thought back to the heartbreaks of those two losses to Kayla and how they could’ve broken me completely but I didn’t allow it to happen. My boyfriend Liam approached me and he saw that there were tears rolling down my face. He wrapped an arm around me and only had one word to say…
“Congratulations…”
“Thank you…” I said with a smile through my tears. “That was one of the toughest matches I’ve fought yet. Tempest was by no means a joke. To be the one that ends her dominance with this championship is one thing, but to do so in the backdrop that I’ve had to be dealing with really just adds to it…”
“I’ve had a front row seat for plenty of it…” he reminds me with a laugh. “I know at first you were stubborn as you still had some of your father’s poison in your conscience, but I knew that with time and the more you began to fight back against his parental tyranny that he brainwashed you with over the years, that this was the eventual outcome.”
“You saw it before I did, I admit…” I said, sighing as I looked back at the championship that I just won. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to take it all in considering that it was by no means a guarantee that I was going to win this, but to bounce back so quickly to win this when it seemed like people were going to start writing me off is a testament to how strong of a champion I’ve always been. It was almost like I was going through High Stakes all over again… just better…”
“Don’t discredit that High Stakes moment though…” my boyfriend reminded me.
“I’m not. But, the truth is? I was far more prepared for a challenge like Tempest and I am far more prepared to be a champion this time around even if this isn’t the world title. I was thrown into the fire out of the woodwork that time. This time? I was thrown back in coming off of that double heartbreak and I thrived. I need to be honest with you about something Liam… and this is something that you are not to tell to ANYONE…”
“Of course…”
“After Into the Void?” I said with a sigh, briefly recalling that heartbreaking second loss to Kayla. “That same night? After it was over? Heck, even when I woke up the next morning. There was a part of me that wanted to leave…”
Liam doesn’t know whether to act surprised or not.
“I had won the world title in six matches, I had my six month reign, my window for that title had closed…” I reflected as the pain of that defeat caused a few more teardrops. “...I was feeling like a joke, like everything that was said about my reign was true and before you mention it, I know you and my mother did everything you could to prevent that mindset and that train of thought, but I couldn’t help it, you know? Not when that’s the habit I’m used to. At least this time I can say that the train of thought wasn’t as long as before…”
I sighed again as I continued.
“I didn’t know what to do with myself nor did I know if there was any further goals left to achieve. I mean, when you’ve won it all and done it all so soon and then you’re knocked off the perch with a closed window, what’s left? You know….”
Liam nods in understanding.
“It was literally the emptiest that I felt in a good while and it hurt because HERE is where I want to make it work the best for my career. Sin City Wrestling is where I WANT to create THE ultimate legacy for my career when it’s all said and done. I don’t want it to be fucking Mainstream Wrestling. I don’t give a fuck if I’m a Hall of Fame member there. I’d rather be remembered for a company that actually does appreciate me a little bit than a company that never did. But as the next day wore on and I realized I wasn’t beating myself up so badly, that’s when I realized everything was going to be fine. I didn’t know how, but I just knew…”
Liam grabs my hand and gives me a kiss on the forehead.
“So everything your mother and I tried to do for you did work out after all…”
I nodded at this.
“Into the Void was my rock bottom and I realized that fighting through the darkness I was drowning in and getting back into the light was better than running away and being yet another flash in the pan that got hot and then dipped when the going got tough. I realized that pieces were still missing, and the puzzle that is me isn’t quite complete yet. But at the same time, I’ve gained so much more perspective especially learning more about my German heritage and all… knowing my mother’s been through it like I have… knowing that had my grandparents never risked their lives, I wouldn’t be here. This title doesn’t solve the puzzle… but knowing that I’m getting there means the world to me and I can’t want to bring this title back to my family…”
I wasn’t crying, even in the slightest. Winning the Bombshells Championship last year absolutely brought a pure joy to my heart, especially considering that I did it for my mother. I knew that I was experiencing that feeling again, even if it was different. Liam wrapped an arm around me and that mental peace that I had lost when Ariana fucked up my first title defense against Courtney Pierce was absolutely back.
“You’ve got a second chance, Julianna…” Liam reminded me. “You and I both know that when you had the world title, for all the good you managed to make out of it in spite of all the obstacles in front of you, that this is your chance to clear that bar that you set when you were shackled with those obstacles. This isn’t a redemption title reign. You don’t have anything to prove to anyone but yourself and you’re going into this new journey having a far clearer head than last time.”
“Well, I’m just going to say that as long as Ariana Angelos isn’t feuding with whoever the hell my first title defense is, I should be alright…” I say with a bit of a laugh. Finally, the mood lightened in the room quite a bit when I got a phone call from my mother. I was absolutely looking forward to this all things considered and I was excited to answer the phone.
“MOM!” I said with an excited shriek in my voice. “I did it AGAIN!”
My mother let out a deep breath which suddenly brought down the joy I just expressed. Something felt wrong.
“Congratulations honey…” she said in a soft tone of voice that confirmed that something was wrong. “...I’m happy for you, you know that. You’ve built your way back up and I’m proud of you.”
“What’s going on?” I asked my mother.
“Julianna…” she said with a sigh. “...it’s your grandfather…”
“....no…” I said, assuming the absolute worst. “NO! No… no…”
“He’s alive…” my mother said. “He’s in the hospital. They had to rush him in for a collapsed lung. Thank god there wasn’t a surgery needed otherwise his prognosis could’ve been so much worse. But, your grandparents definitely won’t be flying back to Germany anytime soon.”
I exhaled, clearly relieved that the worst hadn’t come to pass.
“The cruise is docking very soon…” I told my mother. “I’ll be there as soon as I can get there. Just text me the location details, okay?”
“Of course. Congratulations again. We’ll celebrate soon, all four of us. Love you honey, be safe.”
“I’d love that! Love you too!”
The phone call ended at that point.
“Is everything okay?”
“My grandfather had a scare, but he’s thankfully as fine as he can be at this point.”
“Good. I’m glad…”
Liam tried to push the conversation further, but at this point, the celebratory tone of my title victory had died down quite a bit and all I could think about was getting back to San Diego as soon as I could.
July 30
The hospital is a place I’ve become familiar with for the wrong reasons especially since this particular hospital in San Diego is the same one where my mother got her cancerous kidney removed last year. Perhaps that’s why I was feeling extra nervous, even in the slightest bit, as I walked through the hallway and approached the room that my grandfather was staying in. I didn’t know how to feel, but as I was just outside the door, I could hear a conversation going on and the vibe definitely felt a little more joyful than anything. I walked inside to see both my mother and her parents.
“There she is! Our champion!” my mother exclaimed as I sheepishly walked in and hugged her.
“Was that really you in there?” my grandmother asked me as we exchanged our hug. “It was like watching your mother all over again.”
“You’ve seen me wrestle before…” I reminded my grandmother.
“But not like that…” my grandfather said from his hospital bed. I looked at him and I didn’t waste any time at all being by his bed and we exchanged a hug.
“Not too strong, Julianna…” he reminded me
“Sorry…” I said with a nervous laugh. “Thank you all for your kindness but… right now, I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine…” my grandfather insisted with as strong of a voice as he can muster. He paused to breathe on an oxygen mask that was provided to him. “...that’s what happens when you get old. Hopefully you won’t have to find out for another 50 years if you ever do at all.”
“I’m glad you’re okay dear, but we weren’t planning on staying here much longer…” my grandmother reminded him. “...but the doctors recommended no flying for sixty days at least…”
“That’s just sixty more days with my favorite granddaughter right?” my grandfather asked me, causing me to laugh for a bit.
“Well, I don’t know if I’m your FAVORITE favorite…” I said with a playful eye roll.
“Julianna, like I said, I am going to be fine…”
“You say that but I feel like… you know, if there’s anything that I can do to help. I know it’s going to difficult for both of you having to stay longer.”
“My father has always been quite the hard rock to crack…” my mother tells me. “...but honestly?”
My mother smiles for a bit as she looks at my grandfather.
“I can tell her, right?”
“Go ahead.”
“When your grandfather woke up, the first thing he did when he saw us was ask if you won…”
“Really?” I asked, feeling touched.
“I know that match meant the world to you, Julianna…” my grandfather said. “...we were all watching the event and we were waiting for your match to come on and then the rest is history and I ended up here. It meant the world to us because we’ve been kept away from you by that wretched father of yours for so long and we’ve always wanted to be close to you.”
“You’ve talked enough dear…” my grandmother told him as he took a breath out of his oxygen mask. “...we felt that we could grow closer to you watching you win and we didn’t get to see it happen live because of the unfortunate circumstances but it felt great to know that we played some kind of role in your victory.”
“Thank you again for that story…” I told my grandparents. “...this reign is going to be dedicated to you both, I promise that.”
“No… don’t do that…” my grandfather said, surprising me.
“I did the same the last time I was a champion in SCW for my mother when she was going through her cancer scare…”
“We’re aware of that…” my grandmother added. “But we don’t want you to worry about us. We’re happy that we can finally be a part of your life for whatever time your grandfather and I have left on this earth, but this isn’t the DiMaria family, Julianna. Schroders focus on doing their own thing. We know that family will always be there to support us, but at the same time we pave our own way and we don’t burden ourselves with the risk of letting our own blood down. I understand your father brainwashed you into pleasing him at every turn and making HIM happy, but we want you to do your thing… for you!”
“I think your grandmother makes an excellent point, honey…” my mother told me. “It was so sweet of you to dedicate your world title win to me and it was amazing that we called it ‘our’ world title and that you were defending that in my honor. It’s so thoughtful of you to want to do the same for your grandparents with your new title. But this time? Focus on what you need to do, for you. Not for us, you!”
“I’m sorry, I just thought… oh who am I kidding? I have nothing to be sorry for. I just felt like hearing your story connected me so strongly. But, thank you for that. I appreciate all of your support and don’t worry, I’m just getting started. I was definitely motivated back on that cruise and no matter what happened in the past or what I was facing in that ring or how bad things got when I wasn’t looking very good, I fought through it and I wouldn’t have done it without both of you so again, thank you for inspiring me and for pushing through to get that win that I really had to have, more than I can put into words really.”
Relief gave way to happiness at this point as my mother came up to me and told me she was definitely the proudest she’s ever been of me in the moment. I stayed behind at the hospital for a couple of more hours to further connect with my grandparents and to just take my mind off of my wrestling career for a moment to appreciate everything that was happening around me at the moment.
Of course…
For all of the happiness, joy and the good vibes that I was experiencing at the moment, I knew that very soon? I had to get back at it and I had to prove that I had learned so much between the two title reigns that I’ve picked up in Sin City Wrestling so far…
August 23
After all of it, I was on my own again and once again, I was traveling around the world with SCW having yet another tour. It was absolutely hard to say goodbye to my family back in San Diego, but I knew that business needed to be had. Once the camera came on me and I was thinking about the task at hand, I started to get angry again. The Julianna that had a soft spot in her heart for her loved ones that cared about her and cherished her just as much in the inverse was about to unleash some hell.
There was just no way I could show mercy to any opponent now… especially someone that was closely connected to one of the biggest pieces of shit I’ve ever met in my wrestling career…
“I had it rough with my SCW Bombshells World Championship reign. I am not going to lie about that. The fact of the matter is, I was put into a situation that most of you wouldn’t have been able to handle as well as I did and that goes for everything that happened after Into the Void. People that have been world champion as recently as I have would’ve taken the opportunity to win this championship that I have now over my shoulder and they would’ve flushed it down the toilet because the title meant nothing to them. I never treated this championship that way. The way I looked at it was that this championship was my bounce back as well as the symbolism of the fact that I wasn’t going to just fade away as a flash in the pan the way other people that have won a world championship have. There was no fucking way in hell I was going to “Ruby Steele” my journey here. Oops, I name dropped my opponent’s other alias! Granted, it’s not even a secret but the fact of the matter is that as the SCW Bombshells Internet Champion, I know in my heart that there is nothing that I can’t accomplish in this company and I especially know that everything that I have done up to this point in my career is no fucking fluke at all. How fitting, I suppose, that my first match as the Internet Champion happens to be against someone that is closely connected to the same piece of shit I beat for the World title back at High Stakes….
And Prudence… you know I am talking about you.
You think you suddenly want to become an Internet Championship contender just because what? You beat Krystal Wolfe at Summer XXXtreme? Yeah, AND? Krystal Wolfe’s decline in the Sin City Wrestling Bombshells division started long before I ever signed on the dotted line in this company and you think that’s supposed to impress me? Really, all you did was just get revenge for her breaking your arm last year and honey, I’ve got to be honest with you, if you’re that fucking pathetic to where you allow someone like THAT to break your arm then maybe you should’ve considered wrestling for another company because there’s no way that even a Hall of Fame Bombshell would’ve ever lived down that embarrassment. Really, you beat Krystal. AND? That doesn’t make you an Internet title contender. Hell, it doesn’t even make you a Roulette title contender. You know what DOES make you a title contender in Sin City Wrestling? Consistency, that’s what. You want to know what makes you a contender? Beating the best that you can beat on any given night and honey, your track record suggests that you have done ANYTHING but that.
‘But I won the Blast from the Past tournament three years ago…’
Yeah, only to be probably the WORST Bombshells Blast from the Past tournament winner… EVER! Or at the very least within the last five years… yes even worse than the moronic coward that won the tournament the year after you did and that’s saying something. You want to come back here and act like you’re a threat to any championship, but tell me how you can be a threat when Krystal breaks your arm and when you took that Blast from the Past tournament victory and completely flushed it down the drain? You did NOTHING with that win! You got your title shot, you got your ass handed to you and then after that… you literally just fell off the map. Once you had your first loss in this company after you won that tournament, you were exposed as a fluke and honey, don’t think I don’t know the circumstances regarding how you won that tournament. I’m well aware that your original partner bailed from that year’s tournament for whatever reason and you were fortunate enough to be paired with the reigning male winner after his team was already bounced from the tournament.
Honey, you don’t even sniff the finals of that fucking tournament if you didn’t have that fortunate partner change. You’ve always been one of those flash in the pan bitches that gets her lucky break and completely wastes it. And now… NOW… you’re leeching off your fucking other half trying so hard to be relevant… not relevant AGAIN because honey, benefiting off of a lucky break in one tournament as far as your partner goes doesn’t make you relevant at all… no, you’ve NEVER been THAT relevant in this company. So yeah, go ahead and leech off of Courtney. That’s your only claim to fame, that’s your only claim to fame these days and even THAT is more of a SHAME than anything. I’m not going to recap the history that I have with Courtney all that much, but you know the story and damn right I was throwing shade left and right because she fucking deserved it for being, in my honest opinion, one of the worst SCW Bombshells World Champion in recent memory. You want to cast your lot with that? Fine! But that hasn’t done much for you. In fact, while we can debate whether she was the worst world champion or not… it’s a PROVEN FACT that she was, BY FAR in recent memory, the WORST holder of THIS very championship…
She didn’t even want this title. She just saw it as a cheap consolation prize. She did nothing but bury this title into the ground, all but saying this is meaningless to her and I may be who I am, but something that I am NOT is an ungrateful bitch that decides to just fuck off and run away when the going gets tough and that’s exactly what your significant other did. When it comes to the two women that I have won a championship from, Prudence, I can say with a confident FACT that Tempest was the SUPERIOR of the two. Now, I know that’s Courtney and not you, but in my book? You and her are literally the same book written twice considering that you both have a flash of brilliance here and a flash of brilliance there, but ultimately, you both have a history of inconsistency. You both just come and go whenever the fuck you feel like it and then poof, you just disappear either because the going gets tough or you lose your passion and decide that this isn’t worth it. Tell me Prudence, how long before you just fuck off and disappear, huh? Can we start taking bets on that? It sickens me that I even have to wrestle you and believe it or not, it’s NOT because of who you’re associated with… at least not primarily. It’s because in my eyes, you don’t deserve to be in contention for this championship because throughout your spotty, inconsistent, bust of a career that you’ve had in this company, you haven’t done a fucking thing to even EARN the chance to be the number one contender. You got all these bitches chomping at the bit and trying to secure their title shot, many of whom have far more passion for this than you do, and yet it’s YOU with the possible chance to get a shot at my title?
FUCK THAT!
I do NOT abide by that!
In MY division, for MY championship, I want challengers that actually fucking want it and Prudence, I donm’t think, at any point in your career, you have ever truly shown that you want “it” and your fall from grace from being a fluke Blast from the Past winner being carried by a guy that was already eliminated and yet was gifted a second chance PROVES that! You have the same fucking lack of passion and desire that Courtney does and yes bitch, I AM throwing shade. I DESERVE my fucking pound of shade after the way that piece of shit tried to undercut me and discredit me along the way only to FLOP harder than her fucking title reign did so DEAL with it instead of sliding into my fucking mentions on Twitter like you did weeks ago asking me why I’m throwing shade, acting as if that delusional bitch has any fucking right to be a victim. If you weren’t so hellbent on revenge on Krystal for breaking your arm, then I bet you would care about Summer XXXtreme so much less than you actually did and I’m even willing to bet that under those circumstances, she probably would’ve beaten you. Hell, do you want this match to actually BE a champion? Or do you want to beat me just because I’ve been throwing shade at someone who deserved it?
Probably the latter because HOLY HELL, every BAD FUCKING THING that happens to either of you means you’re the victim. God knows going into that match against Krystal, you wouldn’t stop fucking crying about how she broke your arm and how the company rightfully fired your ass when you STILL somehow managed to burrow your way back into this company and reducing yourself to being a pest at ringside and screwing Ariana Angelos out of matches. You don’t have the mental strength for this considering what you said going into Summer XXXtreme, when you’re openly whining about how you fell off after Blast from the Past and how you were questioning yourself as to if you really wanted to do this. Trust me, I’ve been there. I came pretty close to that point after Into the Void, I will be bloody honest with you on that. But I stuck around. Sure, things sucked for me immensely after that event and I didn’t know what was going to come next for me but through it all, I got the fuck back up, pushed through and when the cameras were rolling, you didn’t hear me whining about losing to Kayla twice and you damn sure didn’t hear me complain about the opportunity to end Tempest’s reign being a demotion because I NEVER saw it as a demotion. I’d never do that. Meanwhile, you’re over there bitching about how when you’re on a tear, nobody cares and I hear you whine about that prior to Summer XXXtreme and I’m wondering when you were ever on a tear in this company at all.
‘BUT BLAST FROM THE…’
SHUT UP, PRUDENCE!
I’ve already gone into why that doesn’t fucking count.
Even Twisted Sister would’ve won Blast from the Past that year if she had Mark Cross as a partner… so SAVE IT!
Quit acting like a god damn victim every time something doesn’t go your way or you suffer through something that happened to you especially when it was something that was earned in retaliation.
Quit thinking like the world fucking owes you anything just because of ONE fluke tournament win that you have done absolutely nothing with.
Quit thinking that you’re a title contender… though I don’t know… maybe that should be directed more toward the powers that be that decided to give you this chance only because you had “impressive wins” over Harper Mason and Krystal Wolfe. I mean, people talked shit about me and whether or not I deserved to be the SCW Bombshells World Champion or even deserved the shot at all, but at least in my third match here, I actually beat a Hall of Fame member and I had THAT to hang my hat on.
Sunday is going to be your reckoning day, Prudence. If you can’t already tell, I can’t STAND people like you that whine, bitch, moan and play the victim when they barely lift a fucking finger to change a dire situation that they are in that they created themselves. Take some damn responsibility for your actions, grow up and if you really do have the ability to be a champion in this company, step the hell up and prove that. Spoiler alert though…
You’ll have to wait until your next match in Sin City Wrestling to start doing what I suggested with the stepping up and proving that you’re talented enough to be a champion here…
Because you’re NOT going to do it against me…
Not at Violent Conduct because I’m about to make sure you don’t even get your opportunity against me there.
Not on Sunday…
Because I’m not going to allow it, Prudence.
I’ve had to REALLY fight my own battles and grow and learn along the way during my time here and as a result, I KNOW this reign with the Internet title will be BETTER than my world title reign…
Because I KNOW who the fuck I am… as a person… in this business… in this company… and who the fuck I want to grow to be in the future as a wrestler and as a woman…
Do YOU, Prudence?
Doubt it!
You might want to start looking in the mirror and finally realizing YOU’RE the fucking problem after I take your faint hopes and desires to beat me for this championship and send them drowning down the Mekong River…
Sunday?
The one that TRULY has the passion for her craft will HUMBLE the one that has WAY more growing up to do than she could ever realize…”
I took a deep breath, calming down from being so heated. As I shut off the camera, I was feeling quite angry. But I knew Prudence was going to feel the brunt of that anger on Sunday and it was going to feel fucking great to unleash it all on her.
