Blog: Almighty Fire
semana del 19 al 26 de julio de 2 0 2 0
No.
For one word, this carries a lot of weight, especially when you don't get what you want. Let's face it, no one likes rejection or being told they can't get what they want all the time. And yet the world is a crazy enough place to reward a lot of people who don't deserve it.
Anyone who has followed Crystal/Christina's career would seem to think that no one can ever say that one magical word to her, but just imagine, just imagine for one moment if that actually happened:
Had Melody Grace said no to Crystal, would she have won her first and only World Bombshell Championship at Inception two years ago? Granted that was a four-way and Crystal wasn't pinned, but she did call out Melody for weeks while she was champ.
If Evie Jordan had said no to Brittany Williams, would Evie not have embarrassed Crystal's daughter the way she did to win her first Bombshell Roulette Championship at Summer XXXtreme two years ago? All Evie wanted was to live a quiet life in retirement, but Brittany kept pushing and pushing and like a little Chihuahua that wouldn't shut up until you get in their face and they piss themselves, Brittany paid for her hubris, took a few weeks off, then came back and demanded her rematch like nothing happened. You can imagine how that went with the SCW owners and Evie. Pretty sure EVERYONE knew Brittany was attending her own funeral. Funny that she hasn't been seen in SCW since much less in SCU though to the surprise of no one she practically worn out her welcome there too. She's been wanting to making a comeback in either place, but I think 2020 has punished us enough if she was brought back.
And nothing of value was lost.
What if Mark Ward and Christian Underwood, the owners of the company, had said no to Crystal after she turned on her wife for the sake of a title shot last year and was instead punished for her actions? Would the main event of Blaze Glory have been better off with someone else in the match? Granted, Mark and Christian will do anything to pop a rating, but when you have a selfish, arrogant leach muddy up what was a standout world title match, it says a lot.
Because when Crystal's not calling out people to face her or manipulating the owners to get something, she's attacking random champions to try to force her way into the title picture.
But what if I had said no? What if I had stuck to my guns and refused that match with Crystal for Summer XXXtreme like I had last year just like Vixen did to her for High Stakes? One reason readily comes to mind: orgullo.
Pride.
Depending on what side of the fence you're on, pride is seen as a virtue or a vice, one of the seven deadly sins, they say. But, see, pride can also be seen in a good light. For me, I take pride in myself that I'm not like other girls who see this business as just a stepping stone to greener pastures. I take pride in what I've done in my career, both inside and outside the ring. I take pride in my wrestling career, the championships I've won, the accolades I've received, the places I've been around the world. Just shows you where you are in this business.
And something else I take pride in? I've been called many things in my career, but being soft-spoken isn't one of them, being a shrinking violet isn't one of them. For more than a decade in this business, for seven years since I set foot in Sin City Wrestling, it's no secret that I loooove to talk. It's also no secret that I can back it up, but I'm mostly known for talking. I'm sure by now everyone know this. So maybe I wasn't myself the night I accepted Crystal's challenge, maybe I should have thought this one through like Vixen did knowing full well the kind of character Crystal is. Vixen was wise to her act, knew what was coming from the jump. I never said Vixen wasn't smart, she's smarter than most people give her credit for. But that won't matter in the slightest now that Crystal somehow convinced the owners to talk with SCU about keeping the match alive.
Kind of like my rivalry with Crystal.
And then you have Crystal Hilton... Crystal Williams....Christina Rose...Christina Zdunich or is it Millar...Lopez? It's hard to keep track of the many names nowadays. I mean, she's got so many aliases, either she collects marriage certificates like postage stamps or she's trying to hide from paying alimony or something.
But we have history, boy do we have history. We have history together. Crystal and I? I have known her for 11 years. I've stood with and across from her many times in many promotions. Some of you might know this, some of you won't, but Crystal is mainly responsible for me coming to a few of the companies I used to work for and, yes, even here in Sin City Wrestling.
There is history between us and even before setting foot in an SCW ring, we've had a lot of success in our careers, championships and accomplishments aside. And I don't need to go on a laundry list of our achievements; those who follow her career know what she's done, and they know what I've done.
We've been up and down the road together. We've been friends, we've been enemies, we've been frienemies. That's why facing her next Sunday doesn't get any easier,
I wish I could tell Crystal that when she and I step into that six-sided ring we'll see who the better woman between us truly is. I wish I could tell her that when the dust clears, win, lose or draw, I'll still shake her hand no matter what happens out there. I wish I could tell her may the best Latina win. But then we'd both be lying. And who has time for that? Honesty, after all, is the best policy, and I'm never one to hide behind pretenses, or mince words.
Because let's face it, let's not kid ourselves, Crystal needs to win next week because God knows her ego needs it. Unlike her, I don’t feed into useless opinions, no matter who they come from. I don't have nothing to prove to anyone.
When I go out into that ring one week from next Sunday, when I give it my all, when I lay it out on the line, I am representing my country but I am also doing this out of respect.
At Summer XXXtreme, I hope Crystal knows what she's in for. I'm planning on walking out of that cruise ship with nothing less than my hand raised because just like Melody at Inception, and just like Evie, Mikah, and Keira the past three years at Summer XXXtreme, they all said yes to Crystal and they all walked out winners.
I want to join them, sure, but I'm also going to accomplish something none of them ever has, and that's embarrassing Christina Crystal Rose Hilton Lopez Millar Zdunich twice in one night.
~~~
Mercedes is with her group of friends relaxing on motorboat. Mercedes is deep in thought with a pen at the ready filling in a crossword, Tomas, his face covered in drying sunscreen, is watching sports on an ipad, Hugo is bobbing his head listening to music on an iPod, Irma and Ricardo are just watching the sea.
Mercedes: But I thought things were going great.
Irma: Yeah, I did too.
Mercedes: So what happened? Did he say why?
Irma: No.
Irma shakes her head, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Irma: One minute he was smiling at me, and the thing you know, he tried to give me the "It's not you, it's me" routine.
Mercedes: Everyone has a little George Constanza inside them.
Ricardo: You slept with George?!
Mercedes lightly whacks Ricardo upside the head with the roll-up newspaper.
Irma: I’ve been single so long, an entanglement doesn’t sound half bad. I can't believe I was zumped.
Hugo: Zumped? What the hell is that?
Mercedes: It's when you break up with someone over video conferencing, like Zoom.
Mercedes looks up from her crossword to find everyone staring at her.
Mercedes: What? I just heard that one last week. At least he didn't just text. You deserve better, Irma.
Mercedes gives Irma a pat on the back. In her mind she's reassuring her. In reality she's probably making Irma even more miserable. Mercedes returns to her crossword.
[olor=teal]Mercedes:[/color] Anyone know a five-letter word for humor?
Ricardo: Covid.
Irma: Really, Richie? Not funny.
Ricardo: Yeah, I don’t know about you, but homeschooling my kids during la rona ends up in a lot of Frozen 2. I know all the musical numbers by heart.
Mercedes: Any chance to get away from our phones and computers, checking on when this shit will finally be over is a good thing. I swear I was up to 2 a.m. last night scrolling about coronavirus news in my state. I'm tired of all the binge-watching and baking.
Tomas: Speak for yourself.
Tomas takes out a time-worn deck of playing cards. He shuffles them once before placing them on the table.
Tomas: Who's up for a game of Rummy 500? Winner each game gets to pick the movie.
Ricardo readily agrees, Irma gives a half-shrug. Mercedes jots down something in her crossword.
Ricardo: Great weather, great friends. Enjoying the open sea on this motorboat.
Tomas: It was easy. I thought about hitting the beach today, but it's super crowded. That won't stop the covidiots from coming out in droves though.
Mercedes: Can this get any better than this?
All of a sudden they see an armada of sushi boats approaching them. Unusual, yes. Expected, not exactly.
Irma: Is that what I think it is?
Mercedes: It's an armada of tiny sushi boats!
Tomas: Awesome! I forgot to pack lunch.
Irma: You had one job.
Irma looks back at Tomas, annoyed.
~~~
CHRISTINA ROSE. MERCEDES VARGAS. Two women with very different paths, two different journeys, one common goal, with less than two weeks before the biggest supercard of the summer, Summer XXXtreme VIII in a two out of three falls match that is so much more.
Bragging rights.
Sin City Wrestling follows SCW Grand Slam Champion and Hall of Famer Mercedes Vargas in the coming days on the journey to what may be the most grueling match of her career if not her life against one of her fiercest rivals.
S A N T A M O N I C A • C A L I F O R N I A
Mercedes walks from the fairgrounds here at Santa Monica Pier and the camera tracks her now walking along the pier. There's a low tide on the beach west of here as we see several tourist spending a lazy afternoon.
MERCEDES: When I first came to Sin City Wrestling, I already had an impressive resume behind me, but never did I think that I was too good for the roster. I was told that I wasn't going to amount to much and I was past my prime. When I look back at my career and everything I've accomplished in my seven years, it really makes me wonder. I'm the only 12-time champion in SCW history. The funny thing about that is, I won every one of my titles after the age of 30. Isn't that crazy?
At first glance, it's justified this five-feet-seven, one hundred twenty-five pound Latina was more fit for those runways then for mixing it up inside a twenty-by-twenty ring.
Seems she's done pretty well for herself these past seven years.
MERCEDES: If age is nothing but a number, than I'm living proof that I can beat the odds. Believe me, I've had to overcome some tough odds to get to where I am today and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Next Sunday I have a match that I personally asked for with Crystal. There's no love lost between us and we always seem to take our rivalry to new heights. I'm willing to do anything and everything to earn my first win over Crystal in SCW.
"I'm in a slump, there's no hiding that. And it doesn't help that she's beaten me in every one-on-one match we've had. Can I catch a break?"
Mercedes continues.
"This cycle had to be the worse six weeks of my life, and Jack Washington didn't make it better. Anyone noticed how fast he went Zero Dark 30 after his world title match with Ben Jordan went for naught?
Speaking of breaks, after hailing a beach path biker who had dropped a wallet, Mercedes was all to welcoming in sharing her thoughts on getting the all-clear from SCW management to leave the Saxon.
MERCEDES: Don't get me wrong, the Saxon is great and all and I'm willing to bet anyone would love to spend a few months in a five-star hotel, but there's only so much you can take, you know.
I feel like an inmate who finally got parole."
Mercedes' mask was fixed to her wrist. Even though she was on borrowed time, she hasn't forgotten that the threat of Covid-19 was still around. While she wears her masks indoors, she just as soon takes it off when outdoors especially on breezy days like today. Mercedes goes back to the subject at hand. Despite a long-standing rivalry, Mercedes can at least agree on one thing.
MERCEDES: Yeah, there's respect there between Crystal and I, maybe a little bit, about the size of an atom. SCW has it right that Crystal and I are icons in this company. Legends. Maybe the greatest of all time. We have to at least be top 10. Talking about me alone, I should be in the top 10. Just saying."
Standing by a beach path as cyclists and in-line skaters zoomed by, Mercedes offered more on her hot take.
MERCEDES: Some people talk endlessly about being Mark Ward's favorite Bombshell or being voted number one on some stupid list, but there's just no argument, no debate, and you can put to bed any doubt that Crystal and I have etched our names in history."
And now next Sunday, two legends collide aboard the Sun Princess. Mercedes recent struggles this year may leave fans doubting that a win was not in her favor, especially given her history at this supercard.
"Look, I'm talented enough to still contend for singles or tag titles, we both know it, SCW knows it, the fans know it. Sunday, though, isn't about titles. This isn't a world title match, this isn't the main event. Just me, Crystal, and the canvas between us.
Everyone loves a good rivalry, and this rivalry has lasted longer than SCW has been as a company, this is a rivalry that's spanned multiple promotions actually. A rivalry that's still going strong over a decade. Like I said before and I'll say it again, I'm ending this rivalry the same way it started more than a decade ago. And that's me crushing her under my boot. If it was any other opponent, if it was an easy opponent, Crystal would have it made. But she sought me out, maybe because she thinks I'm going to be just another easy opponent.
You know that saying "familiarity breeds contempt"? That's true. Familiarity isn't the emotion I'm going to be feeling next week though.
A small smile crosses her face as Mercedes rubs her hands expectantly.
"Without sugar, you don't have a cake. Without me, there wouldn't be “spice” in Ebony & Spice 2.0. I did all the work while she got all the glory. When Delia and I left the Mean Girls, she didn't befriend us just because she felt sorry for us, she did it to leech off our popularity. When Celeste and Natalie started a revolt against Mikah in SCW, Crystal road their coattails just to get the spotlight."
~~~
Present Day • L O S A N G E L E S • C A L I F O R N I A
It's Not Whether You Win or Lose: Gatekeeper the Fifteenth: Mockingbirds the Fourth: El ruido y la furia (The Sound and the Fury, Part III)
[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."
The camera tilts upward, showing Mercedes Vargas standing in front an image of a pair of angel wings with a halo above her. The words "City of Angels" is written slightly above the halo.
This is the aptly named City of Angels illusion at the Museum of Illusions art museum.
"You know, with everything that's been happening in the world lately, you sometimes forget that the next supershow is almost here. Sure, Summer XXXtreme is returning and there is a lot of must-see matches to look forward to, but it kinda takes a backseat to the craziness this year has been. The inescapable feeling that this hell year will never end and with every passing moment things keep getting worse makes me surprised as anyone that this year hasn't been cancelled.
"Sorry, lost myself for a second."
Mercedes brushes away a few strands of her hair from her eyes. At the end of day, there was still a show to run and the Bombshells occupied a lot of the matches at the supercard, including the main event. And when the Bombshells have the spotlight, they delivered. This year was no different.
"Summer is almost over, but I'm already looking forward to turning the page and I'm ready to bounce back from my loss a few weeks ago. This year has gone to hell, but my confidence isn't shot, my confidence hasn't wavered, my resolve hasn't cracked although it very well should be after the last couple of months. There is that little issue with Crystal that comes to mind. In fact, it's the one thing that I've been focused on all week. Though Crystal sure didn't seem to mind – as long as she gets to grace another Summer XXXtreme card, who cares who she faced in the ring, right? Fine with me, because that just motivates me even more to beat her ass.
"Crystal is the personification of narcissism, pride, arrogance, hypocrisy, and callousness amongst other negative qualities. Someone who openly cancels other people for things she herself practices, then plays victim, which is pretty fucking pathetic. There's a word for people like her. Hypocrite."
[j]Mercedes turns away from the camera before looking back again.[/i]
"And so it's me and Crystal, again. And, yeah, last time out she beat me and five other women to be Queen for a Day, but she probably wants to forget about that night, she probably would want to forget about the week leading up to what should have been a special moment in her career. The thing is she can't. Because as much as she likes to deflect from responsibility, as much as nothing is ever her fault, nine times out of ten, it usually is."
She made eye contact with the camera. She kept her tone even, controlled.
"You want to make this personal because I attacked you, Crystal? Sweetheart, you're going to have to do a lot better than that in trying to paint me as the bad guy when you practically embrace the trope.
"When I said I'm going to end this rivalry, I didn't stutter and there's no hidden meaning behind it. When I end you, it's not just about beating you in two falls, it's not just about whatever preconceived notion you have that this is going to be just another night for you , it's everything you hope to ever accomplish in becoming SOMEBODY in this company again.
"Make no mistake, I'm not Roxi, someone you've known even longer than me. I'm not that naive or gullible to think that you're going to change and I'm not dumb enough like your complicit wife or your idiot daughter to think that you're going to. Watching Crystal trying to be a compassionate person is like playing a song but never trying to sing. Dealing with someone like you, Crystal, is kind of like fighting an addict. No matter how many times they promise to turn their life around, they never do.
'I know it isn't easy being able to deal with me in your company...'
'I know I get a little carried away sometimes but...'
'I will admit that perhaps last week I did get a little carried away with my booking.'
Lip-service."
Mercedes wasn't done as she was sure her honest words would lead to hurt feelings but she couldn't care less.
"I get that you and even Kate hate it when the past is thrown back in your face. It must really sting when someone tells the truth about you living a lie. It doesn't matter if you hide behind a luchadore mask, what your married name is, how many times you change your hair color or your entrance music, you'll always be the same Crystal I've known for over a decade. The woman who will befriend anyone and step on toes to get things done. The woman who is nothing more but a bitch in sheep's clothing. I know this because I've seen it and I've had to put up with it. The betrayal, the mind games, being taken for granted. It's hard to call this a friendship when you keep twisting that same knife over and over. Maybe after our match you might want to take this knife out of my back. You'll need it for next time."
Mercedes goes quiet for a moment as she lowers her head. She lets out a sigh before raising her head again.
"If anything, you’re a cautionary tale for me, Crystal - a reminder that not everyone who smiles is after your best interest. You wanted to step up to me, wanting to bring up our history. Yeah, I know the score between us. I know that I have yet to beat you, period. But all that, at least for one night, will be thrown out the window because this won't be about pinfalls or submissions in this one. It's about who will be the last woman standing at the end. And please, go ahead and run your mouth about my age. Call me a loser, washed up, a waste of space or whatever you come up with. After next Sunday, in eight days from now, the new name you will be calling me is la reina. It's meant to be, it's going to be, and, in fact, it will be."
A pause is met as Mercedes shakes her head and breathes a small sigh before looking back at the camera.
"When it comes to Crystal, I have been broken, betrayed, and belittled. And yet I have fought a thousand battles, and yet I am still standing. But I want you to know something. When we're standing across from each other in that ring, when Justin Decent makes the proper introductions for our match, when the timekeeper rings that first bell, it's over for you. This is best two out of three falls. And in the event you kick me when I'm down, you better hope and pray I don't get up.
Don't think I'm getting to you? ¿Oh si? ¿Es la verdad? I know my words are still whirling in your head because I practically live rent-free there. Even now as you stare at the leftover pastrami sandwich in the fridge.
"Do you know what it's like to work and work and work 11 years of my life trying to be second best to someone who had it easy just because they're a third-generation superstar? 14 World Championships, four Hall of Fame inductions, I can match only half of those accomplishments. You're a household name in this industry, no one knows me from Eve.
"You always talk about your upbringing and while heartwarming, we seem to have a different definition when it comes to grit. You seem to think that because of your humble beginnings, raising a kid while in your teens, resting on the laurels of your family name, coasting on that name whenever you feel like it and complaining just because you weren't booked for three weeks.
"Don't get me wrong, we all had to start somewhere in life and for you that journey ended with 16 world championships and a Hall of Fame career many times over. From Rose Girl to Rose Goddess to Silver Screen Queen. My, they grow up so fast. But to me, true grit is having to work three-times harder than somebody to even get half the treatment I damn well deserve in this industry, going above and beyond to even be CONSIDERED for the opportunities they probably don't deserve while all you had to do was whisper your name.
"I've been told I'm too stubborn for my own good. I think that's a good trait to have and its never lead me wrong before, but for all my hard work and passion, it just seems like it's never enough. But normally, a lot of times, the nice guy don’t finish first. That’s just not the way it works sometimes. The guy that works the hardest sometimes don’t get the most reward.
"So, are you ready for your closeup? The lights will be on, the cameras will be rolling, and there is sure to be plenty of action.
"For the fans, they're going to be in for a good match, you know I'm always up for a challenge, and, well, for you, Crystal, you will get your fifteen seconds to soak in the adulation from your adoring public before it's cut, wrap, and print."
***Fade***