Jessie’s first match of 2023 didn’t go as planned, as Melissa won the Iron Woman Match 3-2, however because Jessie had gotten sick of the long feud by this point, the two women agreed to call a truce officially ending the feud and letting them enter the New Year with a clean slate! For Jessie that meant jumping back into the title scene as the Bombshell Roulette Title had changed hands in the Open Invitational Match as Crystal Caldwell was now the new champion!
Only problem is that Jessie had to earn the shot in a Roulette Rules Match! And on top of that, her opponent was someone who hated Crystal almost as much as she did, the new champion’s sister-in-law “The Warmonger”. Eaven Maloney! Eaven had made her SCW debut during the Open Invitational Match meaning that if Eaven won the match, she would get a second shot at the title! Can Jessie win?
Local metal show, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday the 22nd of January 2022, 18:00pm
I’m getting too old for this shit.
I’m not talking about wrestling before anyone asks or Alicia Lukas starts celebrating, but I’m talking about metal gigs like this! The show was being headlined by two out of town bands from Illinois, the Death/Thrash Band Crimson Rage and the Deathcore Band Red Sun Wasteland with local support and in my younger years I would’ve been right at the front of the crowd headbanging along with the band and even running into a circle pit or two. Now, I’m 33 and my younger years are way behind me so I’m just content to watch the band from the back of the crowd with a beer in my hand these days.
That same principle does not apply to my younger cousin Harper, because the kid has been at the front of the crowd since the opening act’s set began! Well, I guess I can’t fault her enthusiasm if nothing else!
But this was far from the only thing on my mind this week, because I’ve had a bit of an exchange with a new Bombshell on the block over the past week, she’s technically had her debut match already because she was among the many Bombshells who took part in the last Bombshell Roulette Title Match at Inception VI and had a bone to pick with the woman who not only won the match but walked away with the title by the skin of her teeth.
I’m off course talking about Eaven Maloney and her sister-in-law Crystal Caldwell! Now, I happen to like Eaven based on my Twitter interactions with her and the fact that she is hated by Ms. Toxicity herself Alicia Lukas only adds to that fact! But there was an argument to be made that she was crossing a line by going after a title before she’s even had her singles debut yet. One that Christian had brought up no less! I had a feeling that I was going to end up facing one of the new girls at some point over the next few weeks but if Twitter was any indication? Eaven was going to be the first in line and there might be a championship opportunity tied too it!
Considering how close I got to dethroning Ariana back in November? Yeah, I’m eager for another shot! But Eaven’s an unknown quantity because whilst I knew her by name and reputation, I had never actually seen her wrestle.
And with the potential match likely being Roulette Rules? Who knows if this will be a straight up wrestling match! Last year saw matches held at pet stores, karaoke bars and pools just to name a few!
I do wonder how the bosses come up with half these stipulations sometimes!
”I was thinking the other day how much that kid reminded me of myself when I was her age.” I commented to Jake and Shane as we watched Harper enjoying the show and I made a mental note to get her painkillers for the following morning. ”I thought that just applied to her passion for wrestling, but now I see that she shares my love and passion for metal music as well!”
“Yeah well, she is your cousin.” Shane responded with a shrug as he returned with drinks for all of us, beers for me, him and Shane and a soda for Harper since she was still underaged and all. “Only makes sense that you share some things in common with her.”
“Considering we didn’t even know she existed until the last week of October? The resemblance is pretty uncanny.” Jake nodded in agreement as the frontman for the opening act (Savage Death) closed out the set as they headed to the back to out their equipment back and then return to hang out in the crowd, in the meantime Harper returned to us with a massive grin on her face. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say that this was an energy release after Melissa’s attack.”
”I wasn’t allowed to train for the rest of the year, do you really think mom would let me go to a gig?” Harper asked as she brushed some hair over her shoulder and we had to admit, she had a point. ”Besides, I’ve been following Savage Death since I found their debut EP on Bandcamp the other week! When I learned their they were playing in Vegas I had to attend!”
”Just do me a favour and send me a link to their Bandcamp page later.” I responded with a grin earning a surprised look from Harper. ”What? They actually sounded really good! I can get behind their brand of Death/Thrash!”
”Right when I was about to double check that you hadn’t been replaced by an imposter to boot!” Harper joked and I shook my head with a chuckle before I got my phone out, intending to look them up on Bandcamp, but that was derailed when I realized that the loud music had made me miss the new card text. ”And judging from the look on your face, you either just got the new card text or missed it due to the set.”
”The latter, though to be fair I only missed it by a couple of minutes.” I responded with a nod before I read the text, aside from Michael “I Will Beat The Shit Out Of An Interviewer If He Doesn’t know My Name” Harris every new person who had joined over the Inception VI build-up was in action at the first Climax Control of the year but it was Eaven Maloney’s match that caught my attention, after all, I was her opponent! ”Quick question Harp, has Team Hero had a chat with you yet about title shots and earning them?”
”Err, yeah, literally the first week I started at Hero Academy, apparently they wanted to get that talk done early because of your reputation.” Harper responded with a shrug and whilst I did raise an eyebrow at that I set it aside as Shane handed Harper her drink. ”Why do you ask?”
”Because my little Twitter convo with Eaven about the new Bombshell Roulette Champ has led to a #1 Contenders Match being booked.” I responded and it was my turn to get surprised looks, not just from Harper but Jake and Shane as well. ”And not only is it Roulette Rules but Crystal Caldwell is on commentary for the match!”
”Well, at least that probably means the wheel won’t produce anything too crazy.” Harper responded with a chuckle but I shook my head, knowing the Roulette Wheel and it’s unpredictability? Anything was possible. ”So, is it the Main Event or semi?”
”It’s not even the semi-main event! That honour’s going to Calvin Harris and Austin James Mercer! And the Main Event us a grudge match between HB Carter and Bill Barnhart over comments Bill made about Carter’s broken finger.” I responded as I shook my head and Harper nodded as I got the idea. ”As for why I asked about Team Hero? Sometimes, the squeaky wheel approach works!”
”And other times it can backfire horribly.” Harper nodded as she got the idea before the second band of the night took the stage and Harper grinned before setting her drink down. ”And that’s my cue to try to get back to my original spot! See you after the set!” Harper added before she ran back to her original spot.
Got to love being that youthful sometimes!
Jessie’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 23rd of January 2022, 18:00pm
Spoiler alert: I ended up being right on the money as far as Harper needing painkillers after last night’s show was concerned, but at least she had fun.
But for me? This week was all business, after I lost the Iron Woman Match to Melissa at inception VI I knew I needed to get back on the winning track ASAP least the first cycle of the year becomes a carbon copy of last year’s! Albeit without the Blast from the Past Tournament because the bosses have decided to break tradition this year by not announcing it before Inception VI! Not that I planned to compete because I was too old for that by this point.
Plus Krystal’s put her name down for the third year in a row, give the Aussie points for persistence I guess but at least she doesn’t have a washed-up ex-wrestler and his equally washed-up manager pulling her strings this time!
As for what my focus is on? Well, you should know that already! And speaking of the Bombshell Roulette Division the now former champion was getting is some extra reps at my home gym.
”Look, I know you’ve been frustrated with how your reign ended.” I said as I hopped onto the apron to address Ari who was standing across the ring from Harper and the kid was here for pretty much the same thing as Ari. ”But part of being a champion is how you pick yourself back up after you lose the belt! You may not be in action next week as you were hoping but that doesn’t mean you get to go easy on your training!”
”I don’t know if I should laugh or feel insulted at the insulation that I was going to go easy on my training in the first place! With or without the title!” Ariana responded with a chuckle before she turned to Harper. ”And Harper? I know you started at Hero Academy in October and that your training was derailed by Melissa’s attack, but how far along are you?”
”Well, I don’t mean to brag but Keira does consider me to be one of the best students of the current crop!” Harper admitted with a grin as she continued to warm up for the sparring match. ”I’m not saying that I’m at your level yet Ari but I have managed to keep up with Keira in the ring.”
”Good, that means I can have some fun here!” Ari responded with a grin as I hopped off the apron. ”And don’t feel too bad about the whole ”not on my level” thing, this is my fourth full year as a wrester and I am a former champion!”
”Yeah, you held the title that Jessie’s competing for a chance at this Sunday.” Harper responded and Ariana frowned, she was a sweetheart but it was clear that the end of her reign was eating away at Ariana. ”Ready when you are!”
”Let’s rock and roll!” Ariana responded with a grin before the two women started sparring, Harper was clearly coming a long way in her training and I was wondering if Melissa’s attack had lit a fire under her much like Char Kwan’s attack on Ari did back in 2021 but in any case she had little issue keeping up with the four-year veteran. ”Are you sure you’ve only been training since October?” Ariana asked as the two women called for a break and Harper backed off. ”Because if that’s true then you’re coming along ridiculously fast.”
”In my defence? I was the best amateur wrestler on my high school’s team and I’m a black belt in Taekwondo.” Harper admitted as she brushed some hair away from her eyes and Ariana nodded as she got the idea. ”My Taekwondo classes were stopped by the pandemic but I started incorporating my kicks into my training at Amy’s suggestion.”
”Given Amy’s own Martial Arts background? I’m not surprised, wouldn’t mind seeing those kicks in action though.” Ariana nodded as she got the idea at which point I walked over and grabbed the kick pads. ”I see you’ve come prepared Jessie!”
”I’ve had these things since Adrienne was a member of the SCW roster.” I explained as I passed them to Ariana and she put them on. ”After her release I didn’t really have that much use for them because he had stopped coming here even before she moved to New York, at least until Harper started showing off her kicks at Hero Academy.”
”Those things have come in handy to be fair.” Harper admitted as she got ready to start throwing kicks. ”Ready when you are Ari!”
”Just watch where you aim those kicks, I think Carter and Francisco will have words for you if my head ends up in the next state over!” Ariana joked and Harper grinned before they started sparring again.
Jessie’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday the 23rd of January 2022, 19:30pm
The sparring matches were over but neither Ariana nor Harper were ready to go home just yet so they were sticking around for a bit.
Harper was off helping Shane prepare dinner as late as it was leaving me and Ariana waiting in the lounge and since Jake was up stairs on his Gaming PC playing some games that left me and my fellow former Bombshell Roulette Champion Ariana to chat.
”I was so close to getting out of Inception VI as the Bombshell Roulette Champ.” Ariana sighed in annoyance as she lay down on the couch. ”Only to lose it to a game of Tug of War! After the things I did to retain my title against you, Seleana and Melissa that is just one huge anti-climax!”
”Trust me, as someone who’s first reign was ended by me being jumped by two other women and dumped into a dumpster, it can get a lot worse!” I pointed out and Ariana nodded in understanding. ”Besides it’s like I said during your sparring sessions with Harper, part of being a champion is how you get back up after losing the belt! Off course, now I’m facing a newcomer for the belt you just lost!”
”I didn’t think I was going to get a rematch with Crystal right off the bat, but I am wondering what the bosses have in store for me now that the reign’s over! If anything!” Ariana responded with a shrug as she let out a deep breath. ”As for your match with Eaven? I’m rooting for you for two reasons, one: your long overdue for a title reign and two: I at least know a lot more about you than I do Eaven! The most I know about Eaven is that she’s Crystal Caldwell’s sister-in-law!”
”And if their Twitter exchanges were any indication? I almost wish the Jerry Springer show was still a thing so we could get them on it!” I responded with a chuckle and Ariana laughed in response. ”But I’ve heard of Eaven’s reputation and the fact that she wrestled Adrienne in CU:LT, she’s a brutal and talented wrestler and I’m going to have to go all out to get that shot at Crystal.” I added as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”And then there’s the elephant in the room, Crystal’s on commentary for the match!”
”Yeah, I’m wondering if you guys will be able to keep your cool or will you and Eaven drop all pretences and beat the crap out of Crystal.” Ariana responded and I had a good chuckle at that idea. ”Have you given any thought to the Blast from the Past Tournament?”
”My only thoughts regarding the tournament is that I’m too old to even think about signing up.” I responded with a shrug earning a surprised look from Ariana. ”And from what I heard Krystal’s already put her name forward for the tournament.”
”Yeah, she said as much on Twitter.” Ariana responded with a nod before she sat up on the couch. ”I was thinking about signing myself up but I don’t want to wrestle her twice in a row, as crazy as the scramble match got off course.”
”And people wondered why I never signed myself up! Especially after it was revealed that the Iron Woman Match against Melissa was the match immediately preceding it.” I responded with a slight laugh as I ran a hand through my hair. ”Even if I won the match I wouldn’t have been in any shape to take part! If this is going to be an annual thing as Christian promised then maybe I’ll sign myself up for next year’s invitational but until then? I’m wondering what 2023 will have in store for me!”
”You and me both!” Ariana responded before Harper came into the room with a big grin on her face.
”Dinner is served!” Harper told us and we shared a grin before we stood up and followed her out of the lounge.
Ariana may have been the sweetest Bombshell in SCW but I wasn’t sure if she was being a hundred percent honest about her feelings regarding the end of her title reign! Don’t forget that I was a lot like her when I first joined SCW but the way my first reign ended set me on the course to being the cynical veteran I am today, I was hoping to help Ariana avoid that fate because as much as I taunted her about being too innocent for this business, I didn’t want her to lose that innocence.
After all, in a business as fucked up as this, we need the occasional ray of sunshine.
Jessie’s home gym, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tuesday the 24th of January 2023, 11:00am
*promo time*
Happy New Year I guess.
”To say that Inception VI didn’t go as planned for most of the roster would be accurate, wouldn’t it? Not only did I lose the Iron Woman Match to Melissa but the only person no one wanted to see as champion again ended up as champion.” I stated as I walked around the ring. ”No Amber, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about Crystal Caldwell, the woman who won that gigantic clusterfuck of a Bombshell Roulette Title Match and dethroned Ariana but now an opportunity presents itself, not just for me but for another woman who competed in the Open Invitational Match, a woman who just so happens to be Crystal’s sister-in-law!”
Awkward!
”That’s right, my first Climax Control match of the year pits me against Eaven Maloney in a Roulette Rules #1 Contenders Match with the champion herself doing guest commentary, way I see it? No matter who wins this match, Crystal’s reign won’t be long for this world but I’ll save that for after I beat Eaven.” I added as I leaned on the ring ropes with a grin on my face. ”I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not that familiar with your work Eaven but your reputation and accolades speak for themselves, multiple time champion in several different feds? You’ve done that, a Hall of Famer? You’ve done that, a ten-year veteran of the sport? Well, that’s something we have in common!”
A mirror match you say?
”Off course someone with a reputation for winning belts in other feds is going to come into SCW with a lot of expectations, but to say that you rubbed people the wrong way by calling out Crystal right off the bat when your debut match was the Open Invitational is putting it mildly because even Christian had to call you out on that and he isn’t exactly a saint!” I added as I brushed some hair over my shoulder. ”Trust me Eaven, I’ve worked with that man for the past ten years of his life, Mark’s the nice one but Christian is the sassy asshole boss and to be frank? I can count the number of times that I’ve seen eye to eye with him on one hand!”
Such is life!
”Pretty sure the only reason he keeps me around is the fact that I’m one of the few remaining original Bombshells left on the roster but you get the idea Eaven, Christian may be a pain to deal with but he’s always been someone who rewards loyalty, well, him and Mark at least!” I added before adjusting a bra strap. ”But there is one thing I’m curious about Eaven, are you familiar with how the Roulette Divisions work? Because you may have competed for the Roulette Title in your debut but that scramble match was hardly a traditional Roulette Rules Match because if it was then you’d know just how random the wheel can be! To summarise: no two Roulette Rules Matches will ever be the same, before each match the stipulation will be decided by a spin of the wheel and we’ll be stuck with whatever the wheel throws at us!”
Unpredictability at its finest.
”It could be a straight up Submission Match, it could be a Lumberjill Match, hell it could even be something extreme! Or we’ll end up wrestling twelve mini matches in one night and yes, that has happened before! Ask one of our interviewers Ms. Rocky Mountains about that match because she’s also the official wheel spinner and her arms were killing her by the end of that match!” I added before grinning to myself. ”And as a four-time Bombshell Roulette Champion? I’ve seen practically every stipulation under the sun, in fact this year marks the tenth-year anniversary of my first ever title reign, does that make me feel old? Hell yes! But it also means that there’s nothing that could surprise me about the wheel at this point!”
Hopefully I won’t eat my words.
”That’s the opposition you face on Sunday Eaven, someone who has not only held the Bombshell Roulette gold before but has seen her fair share of matches over the years! But then again, you’ve apparently been an outside observer of SCW for years and you’ve been following my career in that time, you should know all of this Eaven.” I added as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”But it’s one thing to have the knowledge, it’s another thing entirely to use it effectively! Can you do that Eaven?”
Good question.
”And trust me, I’m well aware of the fact that the same question can be thrown back at my face considering how long I’ve been a part of this division but I have the proven track record in SCW to back up my knowledge and this is unfamiliar territory to you Eaven.” I added before chuckling to myself. ”I guess there’s only one way we’re going to find out for sure Eaven, go out to the ring, embrace whatever the wheel throws at us, put on one hell of a match and maybe even throw the illustrious champ herself into the wheel face first, anything can happen, right?”
It's that simple.
”Well, almost anything! Because as much as I respect you Eaven this match comes with two goals for me, bounce back from the loss at Inception VI and set my targets on Crystal and the end of her title reign, I know you’ll have the same goals as me and I’m well aware of the fact that you have your own problems with Crystal Eaven and it appears that they go beyond the typical in law bullshit, but it’s going to take more than a family feud to keep me from achieving my goals!” I added as I left the ring and walked up to the camera. ”So Eaven? Before you go all Hatfield and McCoys on Crystal just remember one thing, you shouldn’t look past your opponent no matter who’s on the outside making noise!”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”Because otherwise you’ll find yourself in a rocky situation where you let your anger at the current champion prevent you from earning the right to face her! Sorry to inform you of this Eaven but unless you can keep your head on straight throughout the match then it’ll be me challenging Crystal and not you!” I added with a grin on my face. ”Well, sorry for you that is because I do like you a lot Eaven and part of that is the fact that any enemy of Alicia “Queen of Toxicity” Lukas is a friend of mine but that’s not going to stop me from getting back in the saddle by striking you with blood lightning on my way to my first title shot of 2023! See you in the ring Eaven!”
I left the home gym as the scene fades.
