Jessie would kick off the High Stakes Cycle on a high note, earning the win over La Rosa Ardiente and getting Melissa to agree to a rubber match between the two women at High Stakes XI in the infamous Chamber of Extreme Match! Only condition? Neither Jessie nor Melissa could touch each other until then! Jessie would go on to explain her actions the following week as well as explaining why she chose a quote from Napoleon Bonaparte to close out that segment.
But Jessie had more issues than which historical figure she was going to quote next this week as the veteran was one of three women competing for a chance to challenge Ariana Angelos for the Bombshell Roulette Championship at High Stakes XI taking on fellow veterans Bea Barnhart and Mercedes Vargas! Ariana had successfully retained the Bombshell Roulette Championship in her first defence over Seleana Zdunich in a Submission Match and whilst the young Bombshell had another defence lined up in the coming weeks her first challenger on PPV was yet to be determined! Can Jessie win? And what would it mean for the proposed Chamber of Extreme Match?
Arena Cafeteria, Reno, Nevada
Sunday the 25th of September 2022, 18:45pm
What else is a girl supposed to do when she isn’t booked?
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the week off following my win over La Rosa Ardiente AKA Christina Rose in a Scooby Doo villain costume at the start of the cycle but thanks to my non-aggression pact with Melissa last week I had to admit, things were getting boring quickly and if I wasn’t booked for next week’s show I’d probably die of boredom, or at least that was what I would say if I didn’t have my debut match for UPRISING coming up.
But even after joining a new company to spread my wings, SCW was still my home, it was this fed that gave me my first real shot at the mainstream over ten years ago and despite all the things I’ve put up with over those past ten years, I was pretty much an SCW lifer by this point! So, whilst I waited for my next opportunity to kick some ass in the ring, I took the time to watch my co-workers in the Bombshell division, including a certain champion who was a month away from her twenty second birthday defend her title for the first time.
Why yes, watching Ariana wrestle does make me feel old, why do you ask?
”Ooof, Seleana’s submission looks painful, wonder if Ari can fight out of it?” I wondered to myself as I watched Ariana’s title defence against Seleana Zdunich on the monitor in the cafeteria, admittedly a Submission Match was far from the nastiest match type that the Roulette Wheel could dish out, but it did in fact force two high flying wrestlers out of their comfort zones, then again Ariana was proving that she had picked up some tricks from hanging out with Fenris because she was able to match the more experienced Seleana hold for hold.
I was so enthralled by the on screen action that I had failed to notice a familiar pair of Australian women enter the cafeteria and sit down at the table next to me, which was surprising since A: Krystal was the only Australian Bombshell on the roster and B: I had helped Cassie with her training when she was still a student at the PTA Gym but that didn’t last long as they cheered when Ariana retained the title. ”Yes! I’m so glad that Ari managed to get past the first defence!” Krystal cheered at which point I glanced over at the pair, something seemed off about Cassie, not in the “I took the wrong bag of weed” way that you’d likely expect from a stoner like her but more like “I’m pissed off about something” way, trust me I’ve been there. ”And no post-match bullshit to ruin Ari’s moment!”
”Still sore over Bea Barnhart stealing your title after the first defence Krystal?” I asked the Aussie Bombshell at which point Krystal and Cassie glanced over at me. ”I’ll remind you that it could always be worse, it could’ve ended like my first ever reign did!”
”Exaggerated details and all?” Krystal teased me, and I rolled my eyes, I probably wasn’t going to live that incident down for the rest of the year. ”Will be interesting to see who they put her up against next in any case.”
”There will be some serious contenders lined up, Bea will probably get a look thanks to her win over Candy at least.” I commented with a shrug as we continued to watch the show, it was then that I noticed that Cassie’s mood hadn’t improved even after Ariana retained the title. ”So, what’s up with Cass?”
”I had an argument with Carter because I dared to tell his friends that he’s being abused by his boyfriend.” Cass responded with an annoyed sigh as she brushed some hair over her shoulder. ”I was just minding my own business when he started yelling at me out of the blue! And then Krystal took his side!”
”I took no one’s side! I was trying to break up that argument before it escalated into a fist fight!” Krystal asserted as she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and I just shook my head, Krystal was in the right here because whilst Cassie was a trained wrestler, she wasn’t employed by SCW (well, the one with Sin in it’s name at least) and that could have serious repercussions for Krystal as the teenager was Krystal’s guest, at the same time though? I couldn’t blame her for standing up for herself like that. ”And if you’re going to continue arguing with SCW talent then you’re going to get banned from SCW events like I said, and yes I do mean the SCW that employs me, Jessie and Ariana!”
That was one consequence I hadn’t taken into account, Cassie was fairly popular among the SCW roster members, not just for her ties with Team Hero, myself, Krystal, and Ari but being a joy to be around in general, but that wouldn’t stop the bosses from barring her from attending SCW events if she continued to be a problem! Luckily, it was first offence and I doubted that Cass would get any serious repercussions from it aside from a stern talking too when she inevitably Tweeted about it. ”Look, what’s done is done and maybe Cass should try to focus on her upcoming debut for the other SCW like I’m doing for UPRISING but until then? Try to stay out of trouble, and that goes for both of you! We both know how much of a hothead you can be, Krystal.”
”I’ll keep that in mind, and I’m just glad that I broke up the argument before security had to step in.” Krystal admitted before taking a sip from her drink. ”And as for UPRISING? I caught their show last night because I heard that you had signed with the promotion, seems like you’d fit in well with their roster.”
”Why do you think I followed Amy there?” I asked rhetorically before we watched the rest of the show, well, aside from us occasionally leaving to do interview spots at least.
Jessie’s home gym, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 26th of September 2022, 16:00pm
Well, things have gotten interesting.
Off the three wrestlers who had entered last night’s Climax Control as champions, the only one who had failed to retain the title was Keira as Kayla ended up becoming a two time champion, I wasn’t sure what Keira was going to do now or even what the Bombshell Internet Title scene was going to look like heading into High Stakes XI but I at least knew what I was doing this week on Climax Control and it was a match that had the potential to throw a spanner in the works.
I was right on one front, Bea’s win over Candy last night meant that she was getting a look at for a Bombshell Roulette Title Shot because whilst Candy had yet to recapture the magic that was her Roulette Title Reign, she was still a former champion and getting a win over her was still a big deal! So why do I bring her up? Simple, I was getting a look as well, as was Mercedes Vargas! The three of us were set to go at it in a Triple Threat Match where the winner would go on to challenge Ariana for the title at High Stakes XI.
Wish I had known about this match before issuing that challenge to Melissa two weeks ago!
Does that mean I’m not going to give it my all? Off course not! It’s been two years since I last held, well, any title really but my last Bombshell Roulette Title Reign was during the High Stakes IX cycle back in 2020 and you want to know the funny thing about this whole situation? My UPRISING debut match was announced overnight and it’s against someone with a similar name to my best buddy in SCW who, if you remember, was one of my only allies during that period, but last I checked Keira didn’t have any German relatives and my opponent is called Zelda Fischer, not Fisher.
Does that mean this is going to get confusing as fuck? Probably, does that also mean I’m likely going to make one or two video game jokes? Probably!
Anyway, back to SCW and the title situation I’m currently in, and it just so happens that the current champion was dropping by for a workout.
”So, if you win the Triple Threat on Sunday, you know I’ll have to stop coming here for the remainder of the cycle, right?” Ariana asked as she walked down the steps to the basement where I was making sure that the ring was in working condition. ”To avoid any conflicts of interest I mean! And that’s off course assuming that my reign survives the second defence.”
”I had a feeling that you’d say that after you told me that you were popping around.” I admitted as I tested the ring ropes and Ari, who was proudly displaying her title over her shoulder even in her street clothes, nodded as she got the idea. ”What surprised me was the fact that you opted to come here instead of the Go Gym, I was under the impression that spending so much time with Fenris was a key reason why you retained the title over Seleana last night!”
”And it was! Heck I’m tempted to add that submission I used to my signature moves, just trying to think of a good name for it!” Ariana admitted with a shrug as she set her title aside. ”But I take it you saw Miles’s comment thread on Twitter over the weekend?”
”The one where he called out Carter for back talking to Tempest after he interrupted her sparring match?” I asked to clarify which one Ari meant and the Greek American woman nodded. ”I was going to comment on it myself, but I couldn’t decide on which variation of “you fucking idiot” to use! What about it?”
”As you can imagine, things have been tense between me, Krystal and Carter since that incident, and Cassie’s argument with Carter didn’t help.” Ari explained as she sat on the apron and turned to face me. ”I owe a lot of my skills as a wrestler to the time I spent at the Go Gym but until things settle sown, me and Krystal are opting to stay away from there for the time being, less we cause another incident like the one that occurred last week! Krystal’s making up for it by training at Hero Academy, but I haven’t decided where I want to get my reps in it.”
”If that argument was anything to go by, you’ve made the right decision! Cassie looked ready to throw the first punch at Carter before Krystal stepped in.” I responded with a nod of understanding ass Ariana entered the ring. ”But at the same time, you said that you’re going to stop coming here if I win on Sunday, what are you going to do then?”
”That I haven’t figured out yet, Francisco has a training matt for when he’s practicing Martial Arts but it’s hardly a ring! And, well, any sparring session between me and him has the potential to turn intimate so yeah, there’s that too!” Ariana added with a sheepish grin, and I shook my head with a dry chuckle as I got the idea, oh to be young and in love again! ”I guess Hero Academy’s an option but I’m worried that Carter will try to say that I’m being disloyal to the Go Gym just because I’m using a different gym! I know he said something similar when Krystal brought Matthew and Marty into the fold last year and started hanging out at their gym.”
”And I’m sure the fact that the building that houses Hero Academy used to be known as the PTA Gym isn’t lost on him.” I summarised as I folded my arms and Ariana nodded reluctantly, it was clear that the situation with Carter was killing her and I guess my motherly instincts kicked in. ”Look, I know I’ve had to slowly rebuild my reputation with the Go Gym students because of certain actions I’ve taken over the years, things weren’t exactly peachy between us when you made your debut, but if anyone can find a way to make Carter see the light, it’s you and Krystal! And no, I don’t mean the Greek Angel’s light either.”
”You always have the right advice when it comes to situations like this.” Ariana sighed as she started to warm up and I had to admit, her words were having a positive effect on my ego. ”I know this is personal and rather sudden, but you ever thought about having kids of your own?”
”Honestly? More times than I care to count.” I sighed as I leaned against the ring ropes. ”But here’s the thing, you can start a relationship with a guy, even get married to him, no problem, but the minute you realize that you’ve missed a period and you need to take a pregnancy test? You have to put your career on hold for nearly a year, no wrestling promotion in their right mind will let a pregnant woman work s show in anything other than a backstage role and don’t even get me started on the time it’ll take for the body to heal, I’m not saying there’s a direct correlation between that and why this business tends to attract so many gay women but take it from me, you’re better off either waiting until your either in the later stages of your wrestling career to try or doing something similar to Krystal and adopting a kid if you want to be a mother that badly.”
”Never even thought about it that way but I guess it makes sense.” Ariana nodded as she got the idea. ”So what’s the plan with you?”
”Originally I was going to start trying after I achieved the Grand Slam, that’s part of the reason why I got so desperate to achieve that goal in my younger years.” I admitted with a shrug as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”But as I’ve gotten older? Well, my time for both of those goals is running out fast, right now me and Shane aren’t sure what we’re going to do when I do finally hang up the boots for good but when that time does come? We’ll figure something out.”
”And I guess me and Francisco will do the same, off course we’re still in our early twenties so it’s not like we don’t have our whole lives ahead of us.” Ariana commented with a nod unintentionally making me feel old and reminding me of my own mortality in the process, oh who am I kidding? Ari was a pre-teen when I made my debut, she makes me feel old whenever she gets into the ring! ”So, are we going to spar or are we just going to talk about family stuff all day?”
”I think you know the answer to that question already Ari.” I responded with a nod before we started sparring.
Jessie’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 26th of September 2022, 21:00pm
It was getting late by the time me and Ari finished our sparring session and aside from a quick break for dinner and breaks in between in general we were going at it pretty hard over those few hours, if anything else the fact that I could keep up with a woman nearly ten years younger than me did give me some hope for the fact that I still had a few years left in the tank.
But when the clock hit eight o’clock we both realized that we had spent way too much time in the home gym and called it a day, when we went back upstairs we found Ari’s boyfriend Francisco eating a snack in the kitchen whilst Shane did the washing up.
”I had heard that you were a good cook Shane, but I had no idea that you were this good.” Francisco complemented my husband and I spotted him grinning as he did the dishes, though neither of the two men noticed us as we entered the kitchen. ”You’re going to have to teach me how to cook one of these days so I can keep up with Ari.”
“Ari’s a lovely girl, but I think your setting the bar just a little low.” Shane commented as he shook his head and me and Ari shared a knowing look. “Sure, she’s a trained chef who’s spent time in the Gold Cost’s kitchen, but I’ve tested some of her recipes and of the five that I tested, three were inedible, one tasted decent if not a bit bland and the last was actually really good!”
”She’s also standing right over here.” Ari commented with a grin and the two men finally looked up to see me standing next to the taller but younger woman, Ari was using her free hand (as she was using her other hand to support the Roulette Title’s weight over her shoulder) to look at her fingernails playfully and it didn’t take them long to figure out why we were here. ”We finally finished off our training about an hour ago boys, we just needed to clean up Jessie’s ring after ourselves.”
”If you wanted our help, you could’ve just asked.” Francisco pointed out with a grin before Ari sat down opposite her boyfriend and rested the Roulette Title on the table. ”Besides, I’m sure Shane meant no ill will with his comments, right?”
“Right, right, I was just busting her balls, metaphorically speaking off course.” Shame quickly corrected himself as he shook his head. “So, what if I created a cooking YouTube channel as a rival to hers!”
”One of these days you’re going to do a crossover episode with Recipe 4 Disaster and your fandoms are going to implode!” I commented half-jokingly and Shane could only shake his head with an amused chuckle. ”Besides, are you sure it’s a good idea to bust the metaphorical balls of the current Bombshell Roulette Champion?”
“Maybe not but if all goes to plan on Sunday you’re going to be taking that title off her at High Stakes.” Shane responded as he shook his head with a chuckle and Ari gave him a playful glare. “But seriously, I am happy for you Ari, you know for winning your first singles title? I still remember Jessie’s first time!”
”I hope you’re talking about my first title win and not the first time we had sex!” I responded with a deadpan expression on my face and whilst the younger couple had a good laugh at our expense Shane just shook his head. ”Even so, it sucks that winning the Triple Threat on Sunday will mean that I potentially have to face you at High Stakes XI, much as I want that title again, having to face your friends with a title at stake can drive a wedge between friends.”
”Guessing you mean the Best of Three Series you had with Amy over the title?” Ari asked with a curious look on her face and I nodded in response. ”This is in response to my comment about potentially facing Krystal for the title, isn’t it?”
”I know you meant well but knowing how competitive Charlotte is? That could be a recipe for disaster, no pun intended.” I responded with a frown and Ari grinned in response. ”But if it does come down to us at High Stakes XI? May the best Bombshell win!”
”Wouldn’t have it any other way!” Ari responded with a nod and before long the young couple were off home.
If the year end awards had a category for “biggest sweetheart” Ariana would probably be in the running alongside Candy but that didn’t take away from how fierce a competitor Ariana was in the ting, and if it did come between us at the Supercard? I had to avoid treating her as a younger Bombshell to mentor and a friend, I had to treat her as my competition in a title match! Ari had been a tag team champion in SCU and had challenged for titles several times during her time down there, she knew what it took to win a title and hold onto it as she had demonstrated against Seleana the previous night and had demonstrated that she was a lot more adaptable in the ring than her three years of wrestling experience would tell you.
There was just one problem, Ariana was a lot like me when I first emerged on the scene in SCW, young dark-haired high-flying bombshell with a love for metal music? If Ariana had been born earlier in the year the parallels would be perfect but I had fourteen years of experience to Ari’s three and she would have to fight if she wanted to retain the title.
And I just had to fight off two other veteran Bombshells to earn that opportunity.
Jessie’s home gym, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tuesday the 27th of September 2022, 11:30am
*promo time*
What an interesting situation I find myself in.
”Just when I thought my goals for High Stakes XI were set in stone, the bosses threw in a curveball with my next match.” I commented as I walked around the ring with my arms crossed. ”Just imagine yourself in my shoes for a second, I issued a challenge for one final match between me and Melissa at High Stakes XI, brought back the infamous Chamber of Extreme match just to sweeten the deal, for fuck’s sake I googled a Napoleon Bonaparte quote before the show in case I got the answer I wanted!” I added before taking a deep breath. ”So, what’s changed?”
Take a guess.
”My next match has the potential to throw a spanner in the works of my plans for High Stakes XI! On the surface it’s a Triple Threat match between me and two Bombshells who have arguably been doing this just as long as I have! Namely Mercedes Vargas and Bea Barnhart! But it’s what’s at stake that makes things interesting for me, a title shot at the Bombshell Roulette Championship at High Stakes XI!” I let out a deep breath as I contemplated what that meant. ”Anyone who’s followed my career knows how passionate I am about winning titles. Just look at all the stunts I pulled in my quest to win the World Bombshell Championship, but my beef with Melissa has been doing on for months and if you ask me? It's high time that it came to an end!”
What’s a girl to do?
”Is this an offer I can’t refuse? If I didn’t have any plans for High Stakes? Absolutely! But the events of the cycle so far have left me with two huge questions hanging over my head, what do I want more? A chance to put my beef with Melissa to rest once and for all? Or a shot at the Bombshell Roulette Championship?” I used my hands to illustrate the two choices, the left representing my beef with Melissa finally being resolved and the right representing the shot at whoever the Bombshell Roulette Champion was come High Stakes XI. ”Quite the balancing act, isn’t it?” I asked as I moved my hands like a balancing scale to further illustrate my point. ”Let me make one thing clear, just because I want to end my beef with Melissa doesn’t mean that I’m not going to give this match everything I’ve got, not just to prevent Bea or Mercedes from getting their millionth title shot but because I’m a professional like that, so, let’s talk about my opposition!”
Starting with Mercedes.
”Off the three of us, Mercedes is the one who was most recently in title contention, unfortunately for her she was facing Masque and there wasn’t going to be a draw this time around.” I stated as I folded my arms. ”I caught your little promo at Climax Control Mercedes and whilst I don’t speak a word of Spanish I still understood the rest of it, whilst it is true that you didn’t tap our or get pinned by Masque, the fact remains that you still lost and you can try to dress it up s taking the new World Champion to the limit as much as you want but the fact remains that every time you’ve stepped into the ring with a champion this year, you’ve faltered!”
And that’s being generous.
”Blast from the Past Opening Round, you, and Shane Hawthorne vs. Hitamashi and Amber Ryan, World Bombshell Title on the line, how did it end? Shane took the pin but Amber still hit you with your finisher to deliver a statement! Summer XXXTreme, the Ultimate X Over the Pool Match, you, Kayla Richards, Kat Jones and Melissa, Bombshell Roulette Championship on the line, how did it end? Melissa was the one who departed the Cruise Ship as the champion but you were eliminated second,, I’m not even counting the times you were in contender matches like this one but it doesn’t paint a pretty picture, does it?” I asked bluntly as I leaned forward on the ring ropes. ”You briefly brought back the fire you had when you first arrived in SCW for that one match you won against Alicia Lukas but when push came to shove? You failed to reignite it again, and I don’t see this qualifier match being any different Mercedes!”
Prove me wrong.
”The fact is Mercedes is that you’ve been coasting on your past success for too long! You claim that you can lose without losing any credibility whilst bringing up accomplishments that you achieved years ago, the truth is Mercedes is that you don’t have any credibility left to lose!” I stated bluntly as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”Time has not been kind to your abilities as a wrestler Mercedes whilst me? I’m like a fine wine, I’ve only gotten better with age and my win over La Rosa Ardiente or whatever name Christina is using this month was just the beginning, a fact that I’ll prove when I kick your tired old ass all over that ring!”
Next up is Bea.
”But whilst Mercedes may have had credibility once upon a time, the same can’t be said for the third woman in this match! At least Mercedes can coast off her past achievements as a wrestler but Bea? All she can coast off of is her husband’s accomplishments because her one reign with the Mixed Tag Team Titles was so brief and forgettable that I had to go into the SCW Title History to remember “oh yeah, Bea Barnhart held a title for a cup of tea!”, sad, isn’t it?” Sad may not be the word as I shook my head. ”No! Not sad, fucking pathetic!”
You heard me.
”How does this woman keep getting opportunities like this? Her last win was over Candy, a woman who’s SCW Career peaked with a Roulette Title Reign and even then, more people remember her for that job as interim boss she had last year than anything else!” I said as I shook my head. ”But I’ll save any further roasting of Candy for the off chance that I end up in a match against her because this is about the woman who recently beat her in a match and Bea? I’d say I’d hate to tell you this but the lie would be so fucking blatant that my nose would grow until it spanned the length of my basement, your recent accomplishment is beating Candy, Krystal Wolfe’s dogs could beat Candy! Compared to who me and Mercedes have tangoed with recently? It just further solidifies you as the odd Bombshell out!”
Case in point.
”As much as I harped on Mercedes for losing to Masque, she still faced the current World Bombshell Champion! Me? I became the latest person to kick Christina……..oops! I mean La Rosa Ardiente’s ass, you beat Candy!” I started a mock applause as I said the last part to drive the point home. ”Great job Bea, really great job! Is it any wonder why, for all your skill as a wrestler, that you are considered the bottom rung of the Bombshell division You’re right there alongside Char Kwan whose return has been met with as much fanfare as Battlefield Earth’s performance at the Box Office! Only difference between you, Char Kwan, and Battlefield Earth, is that Battlefield Earth is actually entertaining! Albeit in a so bad, it’s good way! And when I win this match against you and Mercedes, Bea? It won’t be a close, it’ll be like every movie critic savaging Battlefield Earth!”
What does this mean for me?
”Here’s one thing that irks me heading into this contender’s match, both of these ladies have had more title opportunities over the past two years than I have! My last title match on PPV was against Andrea Hernandez in January and on TV? We need only go back one cycle and look at my Roulette Title Match against Melissa! Mercedes got the nod for at least one World Bombshell Title Contenders Match and challenged for the title twice! Bea keeps getting opportunity after opportunity out of pity rather an any actual fucking merit! NO MORE! This is me putting my fucking foot down! I refuse to be overlooked for much longer, I have been in this company since some roster members were in puberty! I have more than earned getting some random match against a newcomer and Christina Rose under a bad Halloween costume, it’s time I took charge of my own destiny!” I grunted as I got out of the ring and walked up to the camera. ”And it starts with me beating up two women who are so spent that they can only coast off what they did in the past! Fitting, no?”
It's that simple.
”I started this year contemplating retirement due to nagging injuries, now? I’m reinvigorated and ready to take the wrestling world by storm again! And the first names on my hit list are Mercedes Vargas and Bea Barnhart!” I said as I folded my arms and glared into the camera. ”One name that used to carry respect in the Bombshell Division and Bea Barnhart, says it all doesn’t it? I could write a novel the length of War and Peace on why my opponents suck but I don’t have all day so I’m going to keep this short and sweet! Mercedes USED to be on my level but those days are long gone and she’s a shell of her former self! Bea, your barely worth the time and effort I’ve put into this promo but I’m only giving you’re the curtsy of my attention out of a misplaced sense of professionalism, don’t get used to it because at this point Bea? The only one that takes you seriously is that ugly mutt that Bill drags around!”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”Mercedes, Bea, if you’re wondering who you have to blame for reinvigorating my drive and passion over the past few months, her name’s Melissa and up until Violent Conduct VIII she was the Roulette Champion, coincidentally the same title we are competing for a chance at!” I said as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”Make no mistake ladies, even if I don’t walk out of High Stakes XI the new Roulette Champion I’ll be entering 2023 with a new renewed focus and who knows what that year will bring for me? What I do now is what this focus will bring for the two of you! Pain and a lot of it and when I strike you like Blood Lightning, I’ll be booking my ticket to a title match against Ariana Angelos at High Stakes XI! See you in the ring!”
I left my home gym as the scene fades.
