Present Day ♦ L O S A N G E L E S • C A L I F O R N I A
[REC•]
Across from the El Rey Theatre, the Ace Gallery on Wilshire Boulevard is one of the hidden gems of Mid-City L.A. It made for a good selfie spot too, not to mention it was free and open to the public.
Mercedes Vargas, in leopard prints and bootcut jeans, stands in front of her favorite piece, a wall of neon pink circles. The camera pans back to frame the SCW Hall of Famer, her brunette hair styled in curls and hiding behind cat eye sunglasses, and with a look of aplomb.
"Another Sunday, another Climax Control and where do I find myself this weekend? Moving on to the semifinals of the Bombshell Internet Championship Tournament. And you know, it just feels right, like where I'm supposed to be. Was Johanna Krieger going to be easy to beat? Of course not. Out of the first round matches, I had the toughest draw. She gave me everything I could handle and made me work to beat her. But as good as Johanna is, at the end of the night, Johanna was just a speed bump on my way to the next round and hopefully getting my ticket to the tournament final. Johanna, just like other opponent I've defeated this year, fell to the Black Rose Overdrive, and it was all academic from there. One, two, three."
She holds up three fingers, one at a time, to emphasize this.
"Sorry to rain on your parade, but I think I have a little more pride in myself than to just curl up into a ball and die because I'm not getting the spotlight I deserve. It took me months - months! - to get back into title contention and you think I'm going to apologize for stringing a couple of wins together and feeling like on top of the world? No how, no way. I'm getting ready for the fight of my life pretty soon and every win counts. So, as I head into my match Sunday, I'm going to keep my eyes on the prize. And as much as I would love to pat myself on the back some more..."
Mercedes actually does so just because she can.
"I really don't have time to celebrate because whatever small victory I had last week pales in comparison to what's ahead this week. My next opponent in the semifinals could either be Dani Weston, it could be Bobbie Dahl or even Andrea Hernandez. Looks like I got the short end of the stick again because Bobbie is the exact opponent I'm facing. This news makes me excited and afraid.
But mostly excited.
Or should I be mostly afraid?"
Mercedes shrugs. In truth, no matter who Mercedes was up against in the semifinals, it was always a tough out. That's just how life is when you're in one of the toughest women's divisions in the world as no night is ever the same twice.
"In a moment, everything can change, and in a moment, one person can change everything. One year ago, I had a match against Bobbie Dahl and I thought my career ended right then and there. Simply because Bobbie was so rightly afraid of me that she had to lower herself to use a biker chain behind the referee's back to beat me. She was so threatened by someone supposedly past her prime that she had to use a weapon. Here's someone who outweigh most by over 100 pounds and should be throwing those girls around like ragdolls and building herself up as a force not to be messed with having to cheat to beat me.
"That's just sad. That's just pathetic. That's just sad AND pathetic."
Mercedes holds up her index finger in a wait-a-minute gesture.
"And on top of that, I had to miss a month of shows due to the concussion. And I mean, I get it. Bobbie was upset, she was frustrated. She was tired of being a joke, laughed at, or generally underestimated. She was starting to become more aggressive to the point where she was outright injuring other Bombshells, like Alicia, like Candy. Bobbi didn't care. She was going to ride that gravy train straight to the top and either you stayed out of her way or you got ran over. And where did Bobbie's wanton of destruction lead her? Notoriety, racking up wins, finally capturing gold in the company? You would think that, but last year was anything but. A subpar win-loss record that year, failing to win the World Bombshell Championship, and earning the wrath of almost every female talent in the division is what really happened. The only thing notable about last year was that Alicia was able to get her revenge on Bobbie for putting her on the shelf for nearly half the year.
"Five months is all Bobbie could handle before she went on another hiatus then showed up for a few matches this year and then another break. Just when I thought she was out, they bring her back in. I didn't think Bobbie would take part in this tournament and while it's not my place to say whether she's deserving or not, I have some unfinished business with Bobbie and you can bet that it will be settled this Sunday.
"I have everything you want in a wrestler. In-ring, mic, charisma, unmatched star power, gives everyone their best match, mainstream attention. I deserve to be treated like the star I know I am and not only put people over.
If there's anyone who deserves to be the next Bombshell Internet Champion, there's no question who it should be. Words alone won't do it, sadly. So, proving it is the way to go. And nobody does it better than yours truly. Seriously. That's not hyperbole, that's not exaggeration, that's not an opinion, that is a straight facts."
A brow raises above her sunglasses as if to say, "anyone wants to debate me on this".
"After beating Keira last week, seems like Bobbie hasn’t lost a step. That was her return match from beating Tempest three months ago at Into the Void, and she moved as smooth as she always did. I don't know why Bobbie is already doubting herself ahead of our match. Still, you have to think given her success against me the last two times we met, she should be more confident. If she were facing Andrea or Dani, maybe she would be a little concerned, but facing little old Mercy is just a waste of time. My name doesn't strike fear in the hearts of opponents. It doesn't take much for people to look up at Bobbie and see someone who is just as intimidating as Tempest, if not more so it doesn't make sense to me why she's hiding in her shell now when she's got the easiest path to the finals she can ever get.
"It's great that Amber is giving you words of encouragement and maybe she knows something I don't, Bobbie, but I know what you're trying to do. You're thinking I'm going to overestimate you and make me pay for it on Sunday. Nice try, mírame. I think I've been around long enough to know what happens when you're a little too sure of yourself so consider our match Sunday as me taking a little precaution as what could happen.
"You’re willing to put your reputation on the line, Bobbie, that’s great. But now you’re gonna have to step through the ropes, step into my ring, and prove that you belong here and this tournament."
Mercedes takes off her sunglasses and lets them hang from her blouse before returning her gaze to the camera.
"In forty-eight hours, four women battle for the right to advance to the tournament final at Violent Conduct. For some, it will be about survival; for others, their fates have already been sealed.
"Are you ready Bobbie? Maybe physically you are, are you ready mentally? Are you ready to sacrifice your return all the way to stop me from getting what I want? If the answer to all of those things is yes, than I expect the fans to get a real treat. But as for me, I can’t wait for my path to redemption. And after Johanna, you’re the next step.
"Long before you knew, and long after you'll remember."
With that, the scene fades on Mercedes' confident smirk before she offers a heart gesture with her hands before breaking it in two.
***Fade***
