(Miles and Carter were used with their handlers’ permission)
Ariana retained the Bombshell Roulette Title over Seleana Zdunich in an Ultimate X/Spider Web Match that opened up High Stakes XII making Ariana the first Bombshell in over a year to make it past the third defence of her Bombshell Roulette Title reign, a feet that was last achieved by her friend Krystal Wolfe in the Aussie’s career making year long reign! However Ariana already knew who her fourth challenger was, after all, she was set to challenge Ariana at High Stakes XII but instead opted to focus on resolving her issues with Melissa inside the Chamber of Extreme.
That’s right, Jessie Salco may have been one of the most recent names to enter SCW’s Hall of Fame but as far as the wrestling veteran was concerned? She had a lot left to give to the wrestling business and was after her fifth title reign as Bombshell Roulette Champion! Ariana’s faced some stiff competition since her title reign began but Jessie has wins over both Seleana and Melissa, can Ariana retain the title?
Gordon Ramsey Steak, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 31st of October 2022, 17:00pm
You ever get the feeling that you hit the jackpot? Because that’s how I’m feeling about my relationship with Francisco.
He told me during the week before High Stakes XII that he had something special planned for my birthday meal and it wasn’t until Saturday night that he revealed what that special something was: a meal out at Gordon Ramsey Steak here in Vegas! Part of me was glad that it wasn’t Hell’s Kitchen because we’d be waiting until my twenty third birthday to get served otherwise but yeah, apparently Francisco had not only been saving up like crazy to get the reservation but had managed to grab one of the last available seats when he made it.
Like I said, I hit the jackpot with Francisco, and no I’m not going to make any comparisons with Carter and Laz! After Carter was forced to skip High Stakes XII thanks to a broken finger that was literally the last thing I wanted to think about!
“Ahh, good evening monsieur and madame.” The matre d greeted us with a warm smile as we entered the restaurant. “Do you have a reservation?”
”Yeah it should be under Francisco Oliveira.” I informed him as I glanced up at my much taller boyfriend. ”I’m celebrating my twenty second birthday today and my boyfriend wanted to make it special!”
“Oh congratulations! And I must say you look stunning young lady!” The matre d responded with a warm grin before he confirmed the reservation and took us to a table in the middle of the restaurant and sat us down.
”This is going to be the best birthday ever!” I commented excitedly once he had left us alone and Francisco grinned in response, right now my impending title defence against Jessie or heck, wrestling in general was the furthest thing from my mind, only thing that mattered was my time spent with Francisco. ”I’ve been wanting to come to one of Gordon’s restaurants since I moved to Vegas!”
”Trust me Ari, the night is still young.” Francisco responded before we had a look at the menu, it was around the point that we had decided on our appetizers that the matre d returned with a glass of champaign.
“I mentioned to the head chef that it was your birthday and they insisted that I give this to on the house.” I wasn’t about to say no to that and me and Francisco held our glasses up so he could pour it. “Just to confirm, the birthday girl’s name is Ariana, correct?”
”Correct.” Francisco nodded with a knowing grin before we shared a toast. ”We are ready to order our appetizers, Ari do you want to go first?”
”Such a gentlemen!” I commented with a grin before I looked at the menu to make sure I got my order right. ”I’ll have the Diver Scallops and Summer Corn Risotto please!”
“An excellent choice madame.” The matre d responded before he turned to Francisco. “And for you sir?”
”I’ll have the Pork Belly for my starter thank you.” Francisco responded and the Matre D nodded before he went to give our order to the head chef. ”I take it you’re going for a steak as the main?”
”Yeah, just trying to decide if I want the Triple Seared Japanese A5 Wagyu or a Beef Wellington! We’re at a steak restaurant so as far as I’m concerned? It’d be rude to try one of their steaks.” I responded as I glanced down at the menu, or more specifically the two choices I was juggling, the appetizer was easy enough for me to decide because I love scallops and risotto but the main was proving to be tricky. ”And I know it’s my birthday and all but I don’t want to break your bank that hard!”
”Ari, I’ve been saving up for this for months, if I was that concerned with my bank balance after the meal I’d have taken you some place a lot cheaper.” Francisco assured me and I grinned in response, that did help me chose the wagyu though, one because I’ve never had wagyu beef before and two I wanted to see if he was going to regret saying that in the morning. ”As for me, I’m going with the Beef Wellington! It’s Gordon Ramsey Steak, I may as well!”
”I can’t really argue with that logic.” I responded with a grin before I took a sip of my champaign, a few minutes later and we were eating our appetizers and once they were done we ordered our main meals which were delicious off course, the desert was an easy choice as well because the desert section was small and really only the Sticky Toffee Pudding had caught out eyes, by the end of the meal I didn’t think tonight was going to get any better.
“Francisco, Ariana, I hope you had a fantastic evening.” The matre d said as he walked up to our table and we could only nod to confirm that yes, it had lived up to expectations. “But Francisco has one last surprise for you Ariana.”
”Oh really?” I asked with an excited grin and before I knew it a small selection of the wait staff were singing “Happy Birthday” as one of the young cooks brought out a chocolate birthday cake from the kitchen, I did feel a bit embarrassed to be honest but I took it with a grin before I blew out the big “22” candle on the cake and the matre d cut us a slice each, honestly? I thought the excitement was going to end there.
It was at that point that Francisco stood up and walked over to my side. ”Ariana, I’ve been holding onto this for months now but in the short time we’ve been together I knew you were the one.” Francisco stated and before I could even process it, my boyfriend had dropped to one knee and had a ring box in his hand and I covered my mouth with both hands in a mixture of shock and excitement. ”Ariana, will you marry me?”
”YES!” There was no way my answer was going to be anything else and once I gave my answer I gave Francisco a tight hug as the rest of the restaurant cheered.
Ariana and Francisco’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Friday the 4th of November 2022, 18:56pm
How could a week that started off so well end so badly?
It hadn’t taken me long to tweet about my engagement to Francisco but in hindsight there was one person I should’ve told first and that was Carter, Christian tried to get Carter to attend High Stakes but he still no showed the event and outside of his twitter spats with Cassie I haven’t heard much from him.
It’s the thing that started his latest spat with Krystal’s teenage cousin that concerned me though, after I tweeted about my engagement Carter put out a tweet that said that Laz had done the same, only difference was that he had left his answer ambiguous but me, Krystal and Cassie had all assumed that Carter had said yes! A day later, Carter dropped another bombshell on Twitter and by that I mean he didn’t get into an argument with another women’s wrestler.
There was no engagement, Carter had tweeted that to get a response, that wasn’t the Carter I knew, that wasn’t the man who let me stay at his apartment after my parents disowned me, needless to say? I was pissed! But if there was anyone angrier than me, it was Cass because we thought the same thing, that he was being hypocritical be spreading such a lie when he had gotten Cassie banned from SCW events for supposedly lying.
That didn’t stop me from telling my friends to call a truce until the next Climax Control though, I love them both but their argument was giving me a headache and this was the last thing I needed heading into a title defence against someone like Jessie!
I thought that was going to be the end of it but today proved that wrong too! It started when Carter’s Twitter account was deactivated out of the blue! I texted Cassie to see if she knew anything about it (she has an IT degree, she would know how to hack into someone’s Twitter) but when Cassie was just as surprised as me, well, that made me realize that another red flag had been staring me right in the face all day.
Even before we graduated from the Go Gym me and Carter texted each other three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening, with topics ranging from us just chatting/exchanging rude jokes to gossip, wrestling or otherwise! We had been doing it so long that it was practically part of our daily routine.
Except for today because I had heard nothing from Carter via text all day, I messaged him a few times to see if he was around but got no answer, it was then that I got a call from his mom and grams.
“Hi Ariana, it’s been a while.” Joanna, Carter’s mom, and the only person on earth who he texted more than me greeted me with a warm smile. “How are things with your boyfriend?”
”Things are going well but he’s not my boyfriend anymore, Francisco asked me to marry him at the end of my birthday meal.” I explained and an excited gasp was all that came from the other end. ”We’re still sorting out the details but Carter was one of the first names that came to mind as far as the wedding invites go.”
“I am so happy for you Ari! You’ve gotten yourself quite the catch there!” Joanna responded and I let out a blissful sigh as I leaned back in my office chair. “But I did call you about Carter now that you mention it, has he contacted you today?”
”No and he’s deactivated his Twitter account.” I responded as I shook my head and whilst this wasn’t a FaceTime call, I still had a feeling that Joanna was worried. ”Joanna, please tell me he’s tried to contact you? You’re practically the only person on earth he texts more than me!”
“I’m afraid not, and I’ve I checked with Joan, err, Grams as Carter calls her, she hasn’t heard from him either.” Joanna responded and as much as I wanted to deny it, a feeling of dread washed over me as it sunk in. “Ari, what’s going on? Is everything alright?”
”Joanna, trust me when I say that I wish everything were alright.” I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, Athena had been perched on the desk next to me but even my kitten got the sense that was getting stressed and sauntered up to me. ”Carter’s been in a terrible situation since we got back from India in September, how soon can you and Joan get down to Vegas?”
“It’ll have to be in the morning now but we’ll grab the next flight out.” Joanna responded with a concerned tone to her voice and my brain kinda went into overdrive as I checked out how much a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas would cost. “Why am I just learning about this?!”
”Me and Krystal wanted to contact you earlier but that went over like a fart in church, as for the flight? Tell me what airline you’re using and I’ll pay for it myself.” I instructed that older woman and I could tell that she wanted to insist that she’d pay for it herself. ”It’s a long story but I got a large windfall from an ex-wrestler turned millionaire stockbroker two weeks ago, based on the results I’m looking at the cost wouldn’t even be a dip in my bank account!”
“I’ve clearly made the wrong friends in life if that is true.” Joanna chuckled and despite the messed-up situation I still managed to chuckle at the older woman’s joke, “We’ll fly United Airlines.”
”Perfect, I’ll get the tickets over to you as soon as possible.” I responded with a nod as I went onto United’s website and checked the airtimes for flights to Las Vegas from Seattle. ”Great! The earliest I can book is a mid-afternoon flight and I want to book you and Joan in first class! Right now the only available flight with first class is a late evening flight.”
“You don’t have to do that Ari! Carter’s safety is what’s important.” Joanna insisted and I shook my head without hesitation.
”Joanna, you’ve had me over for Christmas after my parents disowned me, it’s the least I can do.” I pointed out and Joanna realized that I was right. ”Earliest I can book is a 19:15pm flight, might want to sort out a hotel for you guys whilst I’m at it.”
“We’ll worry about that later, just make sure the tickets are sent to me.” Joanna insisted and I nodded before buying the tickets and forwarding Joanna the e-mail. “I got them, thank you Ariana.”
”I’ll meet you two at the airport with Krystal, Cassie and Francisco, see you then!” I responded before the call ended and I looked up at the ceiling in disbelief, luckily Athena was there to help me set aside a few of my worries as she rubbed her body against my shirt.
Knowing Krystal’s own history with domestic violence? I had the feeling that my Aussie friend was going to know what was happening.
Carter’s loft, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday the 6th of October 2022, 20:00pm
I hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten.
The fact that Carter had gone silent on not just Social Media but the three women in this life that he loves the most (me, his mom and grams) had set off enough red flags to cover the Las Vegas Strip ten times over alone but when me, Miles, Krystal and Carter’s family members found the door to the lost opened when one of his phobias was his house getting broken into (trust me, I learned that the hard way when Carter let me stay with him after I got disowned), well, you may as well double the number of red flags.
The more we looked around the apartment and saw the state that it had been left in by Laz (who was out at the time) the more my heart started to sink into my stomach, something had happened since I last spoke to Carter, that much was obvious, but I didn’t think it could get any worse, then Miles found Carter in the shower, and I need to be honest with you for a second.
If Laz had shown up at that exact moment, it would’ve taken an army to stop me from beating him to death!
The states that Carter had shown up at SCW shows since the New Delhi incident were hard enough for me to swallow on their own, but this was on a completely different level! The bruising, the swollen cheekbone, his right eye blackened and swollen to the point that it couldn’t even open, his broken nose and the blood all over his face! In that moment I just forgot everyone else in the room and rushed over to my bestie’s side.
”OH MY GOD! CARTER!!” I practically sobbed at the sorry state that my best friend had been left in, he had been left in a shell of his former self and my first instinct was to go into mom mode and hug him (even after Miles had beaten me to it), yes I realize the irony of that when his literal mom is behind me. ”Who did this to you?” I whispered in a shaky voice though I think we all knew what Carter’s answer was.
”……………La………..” Carter blurted out his answer but it was incomplete, almost like he couldn’t form the word. ”Laz……….”
The next few moments were a blur as Krystal and Miles stormed out of the room, I barely had time to comprehend what was happening before we heard a loud crash from the apartment. ”THAT SON OF A BITCH!” There was no mistaking Krystal’s Aussie accent off course, being the only Australian Bombshell on the roster just made it stand out more, but I had never heard Krystal this angry and given how notoriously hot tempered she was? That was saying something.
I left Carter in the care of his mom and grams for the moment to investigate the crash, Laz had a PS5 hooked up to a large TV, I say had because Miles had just sent it flying out the closed window in a fit of rage whilst Krystal watched on whilst rubbing her fist, apparently having just punched the wall in anger. “Ladies, we need to get him out of here.” Miles stated as he took several deep breaths as did Krystal, there were several vanity pictures of Laz on the walls, likely taken from his modelling career. “We can’t let him stay here another day!”
”Trust me Miles, I’m in complete agreement!” Krystal growled as she spun around to face Miles. ”But where? Laz knows where my house is, same goes for Ari’s place! Jessie’s home is too far from here to be feasible and Cassie is out of state for her PPV debut, if you’ve got any other ideas, I’d love to hear them!”
”Charlotte, I know you’re upset and I understand why but this isn’t the time to be snippy with Miles.” I referred to Krystal by her birthname hoping to get through to her and bring her back to reality much as Cassie had done back in New Delhi, it seemed to work as Krystal slowly turned to me. ”Right now the one thing Carter needs more than anything else is a trip to the hospital, we can’t call an ambulance for him knowing that Laz could be back at any minute.”
“Ari’s right, but that doesn’t answer Krystal’s question of where to take him.” Miles responded with a nod as he turned to me, it then clicked in his brain as he turned to face me and Krystal. “Have you ever been to Fenris’s condo? I know you guys have played D&D with Aron.”
”Yes, we have played D&D with Aron but no, we’ve never been to the condo.” I responded as I shook my head and Miles nodded as he got the idea. ”Whenever we’ve played D&D with Krystal it was either at Krystal’s home or over the internet if things like the pandemic or other circumstances made it so we couldn’t be there in person and as far as I know Carter’s never been there himself.”
”Then it’s perfect, and whilst Fenris and Carter get along like oil and water I doubt K will take kindly to Laz if he does show up.” Krystal nodded in agreement before Miles started marching towards the bathroom. ”Miles?”
“I’m going to help get him dressed and clean him up, me and his family will meet you girls outside.” Miles informed us and we nodded before I led Krystal outside the apartment.
”Great, that’s another person I need to explain my fucked-up childhood too at some point.” Krystal sighed as she leaned against the wall and I frowned, I had a feeling that Krystal was going to say that because at this rate it was becoming the worst kept secret in SCW. ”At least I can understand that you did what you had too Ari, but right now Carter needs to be our priority.”
”And all this horrible stuff is happening to Carter whilst I’m thriving as the Bombshell Roulette Champion, I guess you’re right, fate has a twisted sense of humour.” I sighed as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”Were you that badly beaten up when you escaped your dad Charl?”
”If I had woken him up whilst in the process of escaping I would’ve been, and that’s assuming I survive that alternate history scenario, but no, I was just dangerously skinny to the point where I was borderline anorexic.” Krystal explained as she shook her head and I could only give her a sympathetic look. ”But things are escalating between them, if we don’t save Carter from Laz soon then he’ll be just another domestic abuse victim turned murder victim, I hate saying that Ari but remember, my mom was killed trying to escape with me on Christmas Day of 2012!”
”There mere thought of that makes me sick to my stomach.” I responded before my heart skipped a beat when we heard the cage elevator come up, we looked up half expecting Laz to be in it but breathed a sigh of relief when it was a family going up to a higher floor. ”Are you going to tell Makayla? She was at the meeting and helped you escape your dad.”
”I’m not sure yet, especially since Cassie is out of state for her first ever PPV as a wrestler and, well, she was an integral part of the whole thing.” Krystal shook her head before she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. ”Things will work out for the better, I promise!”
”They’d better, or I won’t be held accountable for what I do to Laz!” I responded in a low voice and it didn’t take Krystal long to figure out what I meant, seconds later we were joined by Carter (who was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans combo), Miles, Joanna, and Joan and without another word we took Carter to the elevator.
May Athena have mercy on Laz if I ever get my hands on that bastard!
Fenris’s condo, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday the 6th of November 2022, 22:15pm
*promo time*
Fenris was kind enough to let me use his condo for my promo against Jessie, how I was going to keep a straight head after everything that happened tonight was beyond me but I was going to try to make the most of this.
”Seleana Zdunich, first match was a Submission Match, rematch was a Spider Web Match, defeated her both times, Melissa, her attempt at taking the title from me ended up being a Falls Count Anywhere Match, a match name that I took very literally to retain the gold! So far in my Bombshell Roulette Title Reign I’ve shown that I can adapt to and thrive in whatever match the wheel throws my way.” I said as I looked at my title before looking at the camera. ”But my rematch with Seleana wasn’t my original High Stakes XII match, it was Jessie Salco who was meant to be my third challenger!” I said as I rested the title over my shoulder. ”And I think we all know the story there by now!”
The wait is over.
”But now that the dust has settled and the matches between myself and Seleana and Jessie and Melissa have taken place, we literally can’t put this match off for much longer!” I stated as I started to walk around the room Fenris was letting me use. ”My fourth title defence against Jessie Salco is set for Climax Control 346 and will be taking place in Long Beach, California next week as I take on one of the newest members of the SCW Hall of Fame Jessie Salco for the gold! Jessie, for months on end you were swearing up and down that 2022 was going to be your final year as a wrestler due to nagging injuries, and with a career like yours, you would’ve retired on a high note for sure!” I let out a deep breath as I thought about the other interested party in this match. ”There’s just one problem, the same woman who you credit for reinvigorating your career wants a rematch with you and has her eyes set on this belt! After all, we’ve both lost to and won against Melissa in equal measure! And she will be waiting to pick up the craps no matter who wins!”
Like a vulture.
”Personally speaking? I don’t have a problem with Melissa, as an opponent she’s treated me with respect but the way I understand it is that to get a title shot, she’ll need to start winning matches and she’s been on a downward spiral since I took this title from her.” I stated plainly as I folded my arms. ”Obviously I don’t get the final say in that, the bosses book the matches and unless someone requests a change to be made we, the wrestlers, have to roll with it! Am I saying that I wouldn’t welcome another match with Melissa? No, she’s a tough opponent and she gave me the fight of my life when she challenged me.” I let out a sigh as I thought about the next part. ”But I need to get past Jessie first.”
My toughest challenge?
”Say what you will about Jessie’s actions over the past ten years but can anyone really say that she didn’t deserve that Hall of Fame induction at this point?” I asked honestly as I walked around. ”Because on paper? It’s a surprise that it took them this long to induct her! Four-time Bombshell Roulette Champion, three-time Bombshell Tag Team Champion, one time Bombshell Internet Champion, ten years of service to SCW, winner of two year-end awards!” I listed off her accomplishments before letting out a sigh. ”Those reigns? Each cut short before their time, those ten years? Spent with one of the worst win/loss records I’ve ever seen in wrestling, those awards? Most Hated and Feud of the Year, both won in 2018m a year that you’ve repeatedly described as the worst in your career as a wrestler Jessie.”
Time to give the devil her due.
”And I’ll be the first to admit that when I was coming up through the Go Gym, my perception of you was certainly shaped by the perception shared by my trainers: a talented wrestler who should be viewed as an all-time great but let’s her obsession with titles taint everything she does! I don’t know if you want to admit it Jessie, but for years? You were your own worst enemy.” I added as I leaned against the wall. ”It’s only after I’ve gotten to know you that I’ve seen the real you, you’re a prideful and passionate woman who’s seemingly had the world against her from the very start, that obsession with titles was because you wanted a Cinderella ending, to have your Happily Ever After moment! You even said as much during your Hall of Fame speech but most people would probably take that moment as just that! Yet, you continued.” I let out a deep breath as I looked right into the camera. ”Why?”
An honest question.
”I know the answer might seem obvious because as I said earlier, your feud with Melissa reignited the spark that had seemingly been put out long ago and the moment your Hall of Fame induction was announced, any cynicism that you had built up over the past ten years melted away in an instant, but does it go deeper than that Jessie?” I asked with a serious expression on my face as I looked at my title. ”Is this the only future you see for yourself? Wrestling well into your forties, maybe even your fifties? Or do you still want that one title you never earned? The one thing that had eluded you for the past ten years? Do you still want the World Bombshell Title?” I asked before a knowing grin crept onto my face. ”That’s it, isn’t it?”
The million-dollar question.
”You said in the past that that title had passed you by, but how true is it that now that you’ve found your lost spark?” I asked honestly before shaking my head. ”I guess we’ll have to wait until 2023 to find that out for certain but until then? Your focus shouldn’t be on Melissa, it shouldn’t be on the World Bombshell Title, heck! It shouldn’t be on how the rest of the Bombshell Roster has perceived you over the past ten years Jessica! Your focus should be on this match between the protégé and the mentor! Your focus should be on the Bombshell Roulette Title, your focus should be on me!”
It's that simple.
”I’ve only lost one match since I won this title and I wasn’t even pinned in that tag team match, I’m on a roll and it’s not going to take SCW’s original metalhead bombshell to stop me! I will thank you for one thing though Jessica, when you started to mentor me and Krystal you did what Spike Stags did for you at the start of your SCW career, took two young Bombshells with tons of upside and potential and took them under your wing, only you never wrestled Spike Staggs or any of the other members of NXT when that was still an active stable, you never had to fight your friends in NXT over a title!” I added as I held up my title. ”And when we meet next Sunday night? I will give you the fight that a legend like you deserves, don’t think I won’t do whatever’s necessary to retain this title Jessica!”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”You may have noticed that I started calling you Jessica instead of Jessie, I’m well aware that you hate your full first name Jessica but make no mistake, I’m doing this as a sign of respect to my elder, not to piss you off.” I said as I held up my title. ”When you signed with SCW ten years ago the Bombshell Division couldn’t be more different to its current form, through your efforts you have left it in a very different state to when you found it and as a result this is a clash between the old guard of the Bombshell Division and the New Blood that is currently leading the charge into SCW’s future! I hope that, regardless of the match’s outcome you will join me in making this division a brighter one for the Bombshells of tomorrow but before that? You will bask in the Greek Angel’s light as I retain the title! See you in the ring Jessica!”
I left the room as the scene fades.
