Blog: Almighty Fire: Redefined the Twelfth
semana del 24 al 31 de marzo de 2019
Blaze of Glory.
It is my blessing, it is my curse.
It is...another pay-per-view I can now cross off my checklist.
Let's be real here, Ella Singleton had absolutely no business stepping to me, calling me out, throwing down the gauntlet, but I was all too willing to give her what she wanted. Ask and you shall receive, right?
She just received another loss on her record. She received another loss she'll have to live with for the rest of her miserable life. She received the Black Rose Overdrive that had her name on it. I've beaten some forty some-odd girls in my time in SCW, but adding Ella Singleton's name to my checklist was satisfying. She fought hard, she escaped the Black Overdrive once,but there wouldn't be a twice and I made damn sure of that.
I'm not taking away from Ella, but there is a thing as pushing above your weight. She knew exactly what she was getting into and the result speaks for itself. If I was one of those fans who bought a ticket or was seriously expecting an upset, sorry to burst that bubble. Ella should be embarrassed to show her face and I'd be surprised if she actually shows up this weekend. Whether she shows up or slinks away back to being irrelevant, chances are she's never going to live this down. So now, I won't ever have to hear her mealy mouth again and I couldn't care what excuse she'll probably read off some index card. She's better off going into hiding because I made the Duchess of Florida the clown jester.
I said that I would make history at Blaze of Glory and I did. I said nothing and no one would stop me from ending the curse once and for all and I got my breakthrough. I said that Ella Singleton would be on my checklist and that's exactly what happened and now it's time to move on to bigger and better things.
That being my next opponent. Seleana Zdunich, a woman who has seemingly caught lightning in a bottle and is riding a wave of momentum lately to the point where she might be the second coming of Dani Weston.
Seleana has been impressive, she's proven that she belongs in SCW. And not only has she proven that but she has survived and thrived which is more than I can say for most women who are only good enough to scribble their name to a contract and not much else
Nearly a year and she's had over twenty matches, good for her. I'm not stupid though. Sunday is where I'm facing someone who just lost her title without even being pinned. You don't think she's going to what to redeem herself by beating me? It's not so much that I beat her in our first match than it is that she probably haven't forgotten how I made her very upset on Twitter.
If she was expecting an apology and maybe a Hallmark card to go with a nice fruit basket, I think she's facing the wrong opponent because I don't apologise to anyone and I'm not about to start to now.
I'm already having the moment of 2019 but I'm not done yet, and after Climax Control me making history won't be either.
~~~
L O S A N G E L E S • C A L I F O R N I A
A quiet evening overlooking the Los Angeles skyline from her hotel room. Mercedes sits cross-legged Indian style. A Spotify mix plays lightly in the background, covering mostly Billie Holiday. A finished meal of room service Thai sits on a table next to a small stand mounted to hold her iPad. A cool breeze comes from an opened window.
Halfway through "God Bless the Child", her iPad chimes, but she doesn't open her eyes. After commanding Siri to open Facetime, Ricardo appears on the screen. He's sat in his house making some kind of concoction as there's a dozen different bottles, some decent ice, and glassware.
Ricardo: Billie Holiday, huh? Oriental too good for you now?
Mercedes: Was that a challenge? Nobody complains when you're rocking out to Metallica. Besides, you know I'm a sucker for the classics.
Ricardo: If you say so.
His shrug was non-committal. He changes the subject.
Ricardo: So how did it go?
Mercedes: There was a lot of things I liked about Anaheim, winning my match pretty much tops the list. Well, that and going to Disneyland. All in all, a pretty good week, if I do say so myself.
Ricardo answers dryly.
Ricardo: I think you just did.
Mercedes: Last I checked, my chances went from slim to 'haha, are you kidding me?' At least, that's what the sportsbooks were saying. Let me live.
Ricardo: I got Vodka at my place. The best Vodka. Expensive Vodka.
Mercedes gives him a mortified look.
Mercedes: Of all the things you could have said you mention alcohol? Seriously? How can you be thinking about alcohol at a time like this? Besides, aren't you a teetotaler?
Ricardo points at himself.
Ricardo: My reputation is on the line here. So what's a few shots? Joking, joking. There's a mixer coming up and I'm trying to come up with the perfect drink.
He waves his hand over the bottles.
Ricardo: As you can see, no dice. If you any suggestions, now would be the time to tell me. I've two days to come up with something.
Mercedes: Like I would know? I seemingly understand your plight, but shame on you. What will your wife think?
Ricardo: I guess people like Cassie?
Mercedes: That was a rhetorical question.
~~~
Smile Because it Happened The Fifteenth: Look What You've Made Me Do The Fourteenth: Outliers, Part X
Present Day • B E L F A S T • N O R TH E R N I R E L A N D
[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."
Walking around and seeing the street art that covers the walls is one of the unique visits Mercedes wanted to cross off her bucket list. Down near St Anne's Cathedral at Exchange Street, Mercedes admires one of the more elegant pieces located in the parking lot, namely the The Dream mural. The painting was equal parts haunting and captivating, the geisha emerging from the darkness with one solitary spotlight evoked a sense of stillness, beauty, calm and dreaming. Mercedes turns from the mural to the camera.
"Welcome to Northern Ireland. Have to say, I never thought I'd get a chance to visit here again. This is my second visit in Belfast and first in six years, go figure. But getting here was half the fun. The other half happens on Sunday."
Bringing her two hands together, Mercedes taps her fingertips against one another as a small mischievous smile plays on her lips..
"It's not very often that yours truly get to witness history than to make history but that's exactly what happened at Blaze of Glory. Alicia walked out of Anaheim, California a two-time world champion, Dani was left heartbroken, Crystal's master plan blew up in her face and Seleana is a two-week wonder.
"At least Dani has a Plan B, she's in the Blast From the Past. So is Alicia, if only to stroke her own ego and add another accomplishment on her mantle. Crystal? At this point, there's no redemption for what she did and if that means no longer having to see her in the title picture, so be it.
"So where does that leave Seleana? Oh, that's right, she has a rematch in her back pocket anytime she wants to use it so it's not so bad. Still, I have to give credit where it's due, Seleana, and offer my congrats for your first-ever pay-per-view main event. You were the golden girl for a hot minute but like all things in life, did you seriously think there wasn't a little nugget of truth, that there wouldn't be a moral to this story?"
Mercedes shakes her head while wagging her finger.
"Cheaters never win, sweetheart. They just come in second."
Mercedes puts a finger up and amends her statement.
"Or, in your case, they just walk out empty-handed. Kinda sucks, doesn't it?"
Mercedes had made a name for herself. She had proven she was an easy win for nobody and she has accomplished a lot in so little time. And with success comes resentment by peers, something that's precedent in any profession, not only wrestling. Maybe people were writing Mercedes off this round, maybe Christian made the match in hopes of raising Seleana's self esteem, she didn't know let alone care. She wasn't going to let people's opinion of her get in the way of her saying what needs to be said.
"I'm not really blaming Seleana for coming up short, I'm not blaming Crystal for failing to take advantage of the situation and yeah, sure, maybe Alicia was the better woman that night but let's not forget who was really responsible. Karma.
"I believe in karma, I really do. What you give is what you get returned. It sometimes takes a while for people to get what's coming, but karma will catch up to them in one way or another and when it does it will totally be worth it. Everything happens for a reason."
"I like think this match is happening for a reason, Seleana. You know, in the weeks leading up to Into the Void last year, I couldn't help but remember the words you said about our match and, to a lesser extent, me. To the point, Seleana, you said that you felt insulted that you had to share the ring with me, that you felt the only reason why Christian put you on the card was because you claimed that I saw you as just a waste of my time.
"Ahora me toca a mí."
"Now it's my turn."
Mercedes lifts her sunglasses up from her eyes and carefully places them on top of her head. She shook her head in disgust and scoffed.
"Now it's my turn to be insulted, because what you and Crystal did at the go-home show was nothing more than insulting. Whether your wife did it on her own accord or, like that actress who played Aunt Becky in Full House got in trouble for, maybe she did it just so she has something to brag about because she knew she didn't have a prayer of taking the belt off Alicia herself really makes no difference. There's an asterisk next to your name, Seleana. Does that make you feel good?"
She shakes her head, mocking disappointment at what went down at Climax Control 230. Even after Blaze of Glory was already in the books, Mercedes was sure that no one was simply going to forget about the shocking outcome that night in Long Beach, California. She was almost sure no one would also forget how Seleana's rise to stardom seemingly led to her revival as of late..
"And to think, it all started with the punch heard 'round the world. You know how lucky you are to still be employed? If someone like Mark Ward didn't come to your rescue, 2018 would have been the last time we would have heard from you. Christian tried his best to find somebody, anybody, to put you in your place, they couldn't do it. Of course, had he called me, rest assured I would have ended your career the first chance I got."
A weary shake of her head was her only response to what she just couldn't wrap her head around. She knew Seleana had talent and was capable of winning a title. It's not the if or the when but the how that got to her.
"Who did you ever beat anyway? Trinity, Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden in a handicap, Jessie, Delia, Crystal in tag? Hold on while I pretend to be impressed. No wait, don’t. Because I don’t want to waste my fucking time. Outside of Delia, I wouldn't even be proud to mention those names. And we all know that had it not been for your wife, you beating Alicia would purely be a fantasy and Seleana Zdunich and World Bombshell Champion wouldn't even be spoken in the same breath.
"See, it's one thing to be hot for four months, I've been hot for six years. That is why I am the gold standard in the women's division and the entire company."
"They say you often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it. There was no way to avoid your fate at Climax Control except to meet it head on. This match is nine months in the making, but what happened in Vegas will be the same thing that happens in Belfast this Sunday and that's me putting you down and standing over you with my arm raised and I can give two shits whether you're insulted by my presence. You have no choice in the matter and your size won't help because despite that in your wheelhouse, I still shut you down and ruined your pay-per-view debut. I have cemented my name among the all-time greats and have beaten the best that SCW has to offer. If it means putting you back in your place then so be it...I'll bury you along the way.
"See, I was going to focus on you. Since that seems to be your complaint lately. You don't want to be known as Crystal's wife. I was going to focus on you, Seleana. That is, until Crystal had to work her fingers and tweeted that she was going to be in your corner. You know what that tells me? Well, let me tell you what that is. It tells me that Crystal, your wife, don't believe you can get the job done. She doesn't believe you can beat me. She doesn't believe you're good enough to beat me. She doesn't think you're good enough to win a world title either, that's why she did what she did. What, does she think I'll need to cheat to beat you? I may be the wily veteran between us here, but I'm too good a wrestler to resort to cheating. And even if I did, someone like you isn't worth it.
"Honestly, I don't care if it's Crystal or Christina at ringside. Doesn't matter what twenty different personalities she wants to go by as she watches the match, I have a feeling that history will be made this Sunday.
"I do legitimately feel for you. What I’m going to have to do, it’s not going to be pretty, sweetheart. It’s not, and I get it, you want this to be the big comeback, where you get up from a very tough three weeks. It’s cute, it is.
"The blurb written about our match had it just about right. You were on cloud 9, finally living the dream. You holding up that title was the big middle finger sent to those of us who thought you were simply Crystal's wife. Except it was your wife who played an important role why you became champion in the first place. It was your wife, let's not forget, who stabbed you in the back in order to secure for herself that championship opportunity. It was only because of Mark Ward that kept your wife from getting Alicia all to herself for the title shot.
"But the clock struck midnight and now you're back to being the clueless idiot you always has been. The same blurb says that beating you would more than likely put me in the conversation for a title opportunity. Wouldn't that be something?"
Mercedes nonchalantly brushes her hair back.
"I believe in karma. It's a bigger bitch then I choose to be. And while you may be five feet eleven, it's been known to cut people down to size. But, Seleana, please, I welcome you to prove me wrong. So do your worst, bring your worst. Hell, bring your best too. Bring everything that you have. Come Sunday, Seleana, I'm crossing your name off my checklist because beating you twice will be just as nice."
There’s a cocky half-grin on her face as she now speaks in Spanish.
"Estar preparado para lo peor, esperar lo mejor."
"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."
She pauses for effect, lowering her voice just above a whisper.
"Y que la suerte está siempre en su favor.”
"And may the odds be ever in your favor."
***Fade***
