(Carter and Miles were used with their handlers’ permission, Keira was used with her character’s permission)
Ariana has been down on her luck since she failed to capture the World Bombshell Title from Roxi at Into the Void, not only did the Greek American Bombshell fail to get a single win during the Summer XXXTreme Cycle that followed but any momentum she gained from Team Go’s win over The Barnharts at the start of the cycle was quickly quashed when she failed to defeat the Bombshell Internet Champion Kayla Richards in a Title Eliminator Match two weeks later.
Over the next two weeks Ariana would use the remaining Climax Controls as an avenue to vent her frustrations and it seemed likely that the twenty two year old would miss an SCW PPV for the first time in her SCW Career! But fate had other plans for Ariana as she would be selected at random as Courtney Pierce’s next challenger for the World Bombshell Title at Violent Conduct! Ariana won her first singles title at the previous year’s Violent Conduct dethroning Melissa in the latter’s second defence against her and Georgie Robertson but can Ariana repeat history with the top prize in the Bombshell Division?
Backstage at Climax Control 370, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sunday the 13th of August 2023, 23:00pm
There’s no way around it, this year has sucked for me.
It started off well, Carter was out of his abusive relationship with Laz and was dating Miles who, frankly, was not only a much better boyfriend but a better fit for Carter in general, I was entering the New Year with the Bombshell Roulette Title though if we’re being honest? That was only because my match against Amber Ryan was non-title, so, when did it start going downhill? Honestly, it was that match against Amber.
Yeah, I know, that match happened at the tail end of 2022 but it was the shock that the bosses were throwing their youngest champion (at least I think I was the youngest, was Masque’s age ever confirmed?) in against a competitor as vicious as Amber combined with my defeat at her hands that started to put doubt in my mind, Amber said that I was stagnating as a competitor, something I had tried to avoid in SCU by making the jump to SCW after SCU announced its closure, and whilst that wasn’t my first loss as a champion (that went to Team Hero during Keira’s temporary retirement tour and even then Krystal took the pin in that tag match), it was something that made me doubt my abilities as the Bombshell Roulette Champion.
Throw in the fact that my last match of 2022 was against Masque and Avalon Blackthorn and was it any surprise that the first show of 2023 would see the end of my reign as Roulette Champion? I had lasted the longest out of all the champions to come after Krystal’s legendary reign ended in 2022 but those losses planted enough doubt in my mind that, as much as I tried to hide it, I just couldn’t recover my momentum, with Roxi’s comments about me during the lead up to the World Bombshell Title Match at Into the Void being the nail in my self confidence’s coffin.
As for the Summer XXXTreme Cycle? Those losses just drove more nails into my coffin, and my loss to Kayla two weeks ago didn’t help,, which is why I’m shocked I’m being thrown into this title match!
”WAIT, WHAT?!” I yelled out upon hearing Courtney announce me as her next challenger, I hadn’t really been paying attention to Courtney’s promo, I knew she had namedropped me but with my low self confidence combined with the names listed alongside me (Julia DiMaria, Luna Vanity, Seleana Zdunich, Bea Barnhart, Eiley and Georgie Robertson) I figured there was no chance that I’d get picked, hell, Bea would be a better choice than me at this point but sure enough? ”No, no, this has to be a mistake, I’m not worthy of a title shot at this point!”
”BESTIE!” I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Carter’s voice and I barely had enough time to look up to see Carter running hug me, Miles wasn’t far behind and whilst he wasn’t as affectionate as Carter, the Brit was clearly happy for me. ”Have you heard the news? Your Courtney’s next challenger!”
”Err, yeah, I was literally just listening to her promo.” I responded with an uncertain laugh before Carter freed me from his hug. ”But I’m not a worthy challenger for Courtney’s title, I’m going to ask the bosses to see if they can convince her to change her mind, err, once Christian is finished picking out splinters of broken wood from his body at least.” I added and Carter and Miles shared a look, and it wasn’t a happy one. ”I’m being truthful! Hell, Bea would be………..”
”Don’t even THINK about finishing that sentence!” Carter cut me off and I stopped dead in my tracks, I hadn’t seen Carter this angry in almost a year, not since me and Krystal tried to get his family’s contact info from Gabriel. ”Bea Barnhart? Were you seriously about to say that BEA BARNHART would be a better challenger than you?! Bestie, you’re a Go Gym Graduate, a former champion in SCU and SCW, you were Roxi’s last challenger before she dropped the title to Courtney, Bea didn’t even hold the Mixed Tag Team Titles for five minutes!”
“To be fair. Alicia did book the Barnharts against Mercer and Tempest during her Queen for a Day Episode! She may as well have stripped the titles from The Barnharts and just given them to Mercer and Tempest.” Miles responded as he shook his head and we couldn’t really argue with that, especially looking at the teams Mercer and Tempest would go on to defeat during their Mixed Tag Title Reign. “But Ari? Have you seen the card for Violent Conduct?”
”They put it out already?” I asked with a confused look on my face and Miles showed me the card on his phone, there were some glaring omissions, the Bombshell Roulette Title Match was listed as “winner of Jessie vs. Georgie vs. Alexandra Callaway” for obvious reasons and some matches weren’t finalized yet, but the more I looked at it, the more I realized that there was one name missing that stood out to me. ”You’re not on the card Carter?”
”Yeah and I checked with Mark, there’s no male Superstars willing to give up their slot on the card to let me wrestle like Jessie did for Krystal last year.” Carter nodded in response and I winced as it dawned on me before I passed the phone back to Miles. ”And here you are complaining about being picked for Courtney’s World Bombshell Title Match?!”
”It’s not that!” I insisted as I ran a hand through my hair but the guys weren’t convinced. ”I haven’t won a match on my own since I beat Zoey in Romania, our win over the Barnharts did break my losing streak but I wasn’t the one who got the win for Team Go, that was you Carter!” I added before sighing as I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed. ”I want to be the World Bombshell Champion someday but……..”
”BUT NOTHING!” Carter interrupted me and I stopped dead in my tracks, even Miles was caught off guard by that and he was on Carter’s side! ”Ari, to be honest? I’ve had it up to here with your woe is me attitude, this is just the first time that I’ve had a chance to talk to you about it! You are one of the best wrestlers on the roster, you proved that when you held your own against Roxi and Keira, hell you held your own against Amber last year!”
”The same match that caused me to start doubting myself?” I asked in reference to the last match Carter just shook his head. ”Between that and the match against Masque and Blackthorn was it any real surprise that my reign ended on the first show of the New Year?”
“True as that might be, you got promoted to the Bombshell Internet/World Bombshell Title divisions almost as soon as it ended, mostly thanks to Eaven and Jessie getting a contender’s match on the first Climax Control of the year but still.” Miles chimed in and I glanced up at the Brit. “You haven’t even had a whiff of a Roulette Title Shot since then, even with Jessie’s open challenges.”
”The same open challenges that I refused to take up because I didn’t think I’d be a worthy challenger for Jess?” I asked bluntly as I let out a deep breath. ”I was a different woman when I defended the Bombshell Roulette Title against Jessie last year, I had a lot more confidence in myself for one thing, but with Jessie’s retirement tour she’d go all out to make sure she got her win back and extend her career a bit more.”
“And Jessie’s done a lot for the division over the years, but sometimes? You just have to believe in yourself Ari.” Miles responded as he stepped up to me and I glanced up at him. “And whilst I do feel for you Ari? I’m with Carter, you can’t keep the pity party up forever.”
”What do you expect me to do about it?” I asked as I let out a deep breath and the guys shared a look. ”I thought we’d be in the same boat after Kayla beat me Carter, you know, left off the card?”
”I was just as surprised as you were when Courtney picked you but think of it this way.” Carter stated and I waited for his answer. ”Would Courtney even be in this position if literally anyone else was picked as her partner in the 2018 Blast from the Past? Look at what Fenris has accomplished since his win and compare it to Courtney, do I even need to say anything else?”
Carter was right, in the five years since Fenris and Courtney won the 2018 Blast from the Past Tournament Fenris had pretty much solidified his future spot in the SCW Hall of Fame, Courtney? She got injured before she could challenge for the title, came back, didn’t do much, got married to Ruby and has now come from out of nowhere to win the World Bombshell Title after finally cashing in her shot defeating both members of Team Hero and Devona along the way, I couldn’t really describe what happened next but after a few minutes of keeping my eyes low to the ground I finally looked up with a fire in my eyes. ”To prepare me for the next time.” I whispered to myself earning confused looks from Carter and Miles. ”You guys remember what Roxi told me when I challenged her at Into the Void right?”
“That you weren’t ready and that she was giving you the tough love treatment by saying just that.” Miles responded with a nod as he scratched his chin. “Why?”
”Well, for starters, I don’t think Roxi thought that “next time” would literally be at SCW’s next International PPV but here we are.” I responded simply and the guys shared a look before nodding in agreement. ”And I got super defensive when Roxi said that because it was like my childhood dream was being destroyed right in front of my eyes.”
“Yeah, I remember you saying as much on Twitter.” Miles nodded as he folded his arms. “But how does Courtney fit into all this? She’s only a few years older than you and Carter.”
”Because I’ll be defending my heroes’ honour by taking Courtney on.” I responded simply as I started to walk off. ”She called Roxi a disappointment after she dethroned her, same went with Keira! Hell, she defeated Devona at Summer XXXTreme, so in a way I’m defending thee o Gym’s honour as well!”
”And that’s EXACTLY what I wanted to see from you!” Carter responded proudly and I grinned a little bit. ”No more of this self-pity crap, the Greek Angel is back!”
”No, the Greek Angel isn’t back.” I responded as I turned to Carter and Miles and Carter was taken aback when he saw the look in my eyes. ”The Greek Goddess is back!”
I left the guys alone with those words but the look on their faces said it all, the Greek Goddess was something I invented when I was still in SCU, after I got the crap beat out of me by Char Kwan and then had to deal with SCU’s management/GRIME at the time, not only did it take me changing my theme song from “Fortune Favours the Bold” by Alter the Sky to “In The Middle of the Night” by Within Temptation and whilst I downplayed it after coming to SCW? I planned to bring it back when the time came.
Guess what Courtney? The time has come.
Wondering through a village in Yucatan, Mexico
Tuesday the 15th of August 2023, 16:00pm
I’ve had a lot to think about since Climax Control.
Carter’s tough love flavoured pep talk did finally get me out of the rut I’ve been in since Summer XXXTreme but I had a lot of work to do as I headed into my second World Bombshell Title Match of the year, I had to build my confidence up fast and I couldn’t really fly back to Vegas for a chat with Gabriel either.
But as I was walking through the streets? I spotted someone who helped me (in her own way) during the previous year’s Violent Conduct, off course this time around she was the Bombshell Roulette Champion and I was the one without a title.
Well, okay, I wasn’t a champion until after last year’s Violent Conduct but my point still stands.
”Fancy running into you here Jess.” I greeted the veteran Bombshell as I walked up to Jessie, her title was sitting on the chair next to her at the café and Jessie grinned before sharing a fist bump with me. ”Only this time around? The shoes’ on the other foot, isn’t it?”
”It is, isn’t it? And before you ask? I’m not going to go through my title match rules with you again.” Jessie responded before inviting me to join her at her table and I did just that. ”It worked the first time in Chandigarh, it worked when I challenged you for the title in that Black Friday Brawl, I don’t think it’ll work the third time around somehow.” Jessie added and I wasn’t about to deny that because one can only get sucker punched by the same individual so many times before they get wise to it. ”That said? I know your confidence hasn’t been the same since the match against Roxi.”
”That’s an understatement.” I sighed as I brushed some of my black hair over my shoulder. ”Total transparency? I’ve had confidence issues since my mid-teens, my parents were under the impression that part of raising a child was to emotionally abuse them, and occasionally physically abuse them, and they used their only daughter as a Guinee Pig for that theory.” I stopped mid-sentence to look at the look on Jessie’s face, it was hardly a secret that Jessie was a child abuse survivor at this point and whilst she kept a calm exterior? There was an undeniable anger in her eyes. ”What sucks is that it took me enrolling at the Go Gym for me to realize just how fucked up that whole idea is.”
”That’s the one thing about abuse in general, not just child abuse, that no one likes to talk about, eventually the victim starts seeing it as normal.” Jessie sighed as she shook her head and I nodded in agreement. ”I was relatively lucky, being a foster kid Child Services were vigilant about any home they put me with, they got me out of there in a damn hurry once the abuse was uncovered but by then? I had already turned to drugs and metal to escape.”
”Yeah, the last I heard from my parents they moved back to Pittsburgh after disowning me, there was a threat of them coming back into my life last year but they never followed through with it.” I responded with a frown as I shook my head. ”Thank god for that, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to hold Francisco back.”
”It’s like I said before, you managed to snag yourself a tall, dark and handsome husband who isn’t afraid to defend his wife’s honour, that alone is more valuable than any championship in wrestling.” Jessie assured me as she shook her head. ”Shane’s put on a bit of weight since I married him but we’ve been married for eight years now, that’s got to count for something, even if he found out at the same time as everyone else about my retirement plans.”
Ahh yeah, the elephant in the room, Jessie’s plans to retire after her Roulette Title Reign ended was the latest in a long line of shocking moments from this year with Christian getting Chokeslammed through a table by Zoey and Tempest being the latest incident. ”I wasn’t going to bring that up honestly but is this really the end? Are you going to call it a career after this reign?” I asked and Jessie nodded.
”Even though it’s been on my mind for a long time, it wasn’t a decision that came easy, I needed to make sure that I would go through with it before I made the announcement and then make sure that it didn’t get leaked.” Jessie responded with a nod before taking a sip of her drink. ”That meant leaving Harper and the rest of my family in the dark as well, but given her close friendship with Cassie? I couldn’t risk word reaching that blabbermouth.”
”Ahh yeah, that’s true, but you still managed to upset other people in the business.” I pointed out as I shifted my weight. ”Kat, Keira, Amy, even Christian.”
”Oh please, during my title shot campaign heyday upsetting Christian was like an average Tuesday for me! As for the others? I have some leeway thanks to the fact that I said that I’ll retire once I am no longer champion.” Jessie responded as she shook her head. ”Either I lose it to Alexandra in two weeks or I lose it down the road, either way, retiring on my own terms is a lot better than being forced to retire due to injury.”
”I guess I can’t argue with that.” I responded with a shrug before I felt my stomach rumble. ”Man, I knew I should’ve grabbed something to eat at the hotel!” I sighed at which point Jessie got an idea.
”Tell you what Ari, stick around and share a meal and I’ll pay for it.” Jessie suggested and I gave the veteran Bombshell a surprised look. ”I was getting hungry as well and besides, you are joining me at my table.”
”You know what? I’m not saying no to that.” I responded with a grin before Jessie called a waitress over to order some food, I will say this, Mexican food is what it’s cracked up to be but I felt the need to try something more extravagant than café food at some point on this trip.
Who knows? Maybe one of the last things I’ll do on this trip will be to prepare a Mexican feast much like I did in India last year? Hopefully with a much better aftermath.
Down a dark alley in a village in Yucatan, Mexico
Tuesday the 15th of August 2023, 21:00pm
Yeah, I know, don’t go down Mexican alleys, there’s a chance you’ll stumble upon a drug deal or something, well for starters? Yucatan is actually one of the safer states in Mexico, having low crime rates and tourist attractions like Chitzen Iza! And besides, I’m pretty sure the person I’m meeting would save me from any criminals if that happened!
”Keira?” I called out to the alley as I walked down it, it was pretty late at night so I wasn’t expecting to be able to find the Team Hero member that easy, but low and behold Keira stepped out of the shadows to greet me. ”Glad that didn’t take long, you wanted to talk?”
“What I wanted was to reiterate the pep talk I gave you at Hero Academy the other week but I see Carter’s worked his magic.” Keira admitted with a nod as she looked me over. “I don’t need mind reading abilities to know that your confidence is a lot higher than it was at the past few Climax Controls.”
”It took my bestie applying some tough love but here I am, with my confidence where I need it to be for this match against Courtney.” I responded with a nod as I brushed some hair behind my ear. ”Even so? She dethroned Roxi, survived Devona, attacked your leg until you had no choice but to tap, what am I supposed to do against someone who’s beaten not one, not two but three women who have defeated me?”
“That is a good question, but shocks can happen in this business, if they didn’t than Courtney wouldn’t be champion right now.” Keira responded with a nod before she leaned against the wall. “You are a much better wrestler than you realize Ariana, you just need to start believing in yourself again.”
”Why do I feel like I’ve been transported to a Saturday Morning Cartoon Show?” I joked getting a laugh out of Keira. ”Almost feel like I should include a PSA about doing drugs or bullying at the end of my promo.”
“If you want anyone to do the “knowing is half the battle” line at the end, let me know!” Keira responded with a laugh before shaking her head. “But seriously, I won’t be around as much as I’d like over the next two weeks, I need to make my final preparations against Sin and this was the only time we had available to talk.”
”I understand that, and I appreciate you giving up your time during such a tumultuous event..” I nodded in understanding as I folded my arms. ”Me and Cass were two of Krystal’s first victims, it almost feels poetic for me to get another World Bombshell Title Shot whilst your gearing up for your last fight against her.”
“Universe can be funny like that, can’t it?” Keira responded with a grin before I leaned against the wall. “Don’t worry about me, just worry about Courtney, frankly I have enough on my plate with Young Justice flying in for the match.”
”That’s Cassie and Harper’s new team isn’t it?” I asked and Keira nodded. ”But why? They know how dangerous Sin is!”
“In Cassie’s case? You’ve already brought it up, she feels that she has to be there because Krystal victimised her first, Harper just wants to be there to fight for what’s right.” Keira responded as she shook her head. “They are good kids but I’m worried Sin will target them, unfortunately Cassie is scheduled to wrestle for the EWC in Mexico on Rampage in a few weeks so she has a legitimate reason for being here, and I doubt I could’ve stopped them anyway!”
”Stubbornness definitely runs in their families, if me and Francisco ever have kids remind me to dissuade them from going into wrestling.” I responded as I shook my head and Keira nodded in understanding. ”Speaking of wrestling families, how Sophie doing?”
“She’s doing well, keeping up with the older girls in the class without many problems but she won’t get her graduation match until she turns eighteen.” Keira responded with a frown and I nodded in agreement. “I’m not unleashing a high school aged girl on the wrestling business, eighteen is as young as I’m willing to train, anyone younger is a major liability.”
”As someone who entered training at eighteen? I completely agree.” I nodded in agreement before I started to walk off. ”Good luck against Sin.”
“Thanks, I’ll need it.” Keira thanked me with a nod before I walked off.
Ariana’s hotel room, a town in Yucatan, Mexico
Wednesday the 16th of August 2023, 11:00am
Will the second time be the charm.
”Okay, look, I’m not about to deny that my initial reaction to this World Bombshell Title Match made me look ungrateful. I can’t help the fact that my self-confidence was at rock bottom I’m afraid!” I admitted after I started my webcam. ”But it took some tough love from my own bestie to get me out of that stupor and here I am, ready to take you on Courtney!”
This will be good.
”Frankly Courtney? I don’t even know where to start with you!” I commented as I folded my arms. ”You came back for the Blast from the Past Tournament and came this close to pulling a repeat of your 2018 performance, only to be stopped by a woman you would later retain your title against, and then you finally cashed in your win from the 2018 tournament in what many thought would be an easy defence for Roxi, instead? You did what I couldn’t, you ended Roxi’s title reign! But you want to know what sets us apart Courtney? I earned my shot at Roxi!”
There I said it.
”I mean hell, Roxi wasn’t even in the company when you won the title opportunity, Mikah was the champion you had your eyes set on! But then again, your match against Devona proved that the only thing set in stone about winning Blast from the Past is who will serve as the challenger!” I commented as I shook my head. ”Even so, you waited five years to cash it in, I was still a wrestling trainee when you earned your title shot, you mean to tell me there’s no statute of limitations on this thing? Or was Carter right when he called your shot against Roxi wrestling’s biggest pity fuck?”
You heard me.
”And yeah, I’m not censoring myself against you Court, you disrespected my friends, you disrespected my heroes and you disrespected the Go Gym, how? You said that me and my friends all suck as wrestlers when me and Carter have done far more collectively than you’ve done on your own, you called Roxi a disappointment and blamed Keira for what happened to your wife and worst of all? You dismissed Devona like she was nothing after you beat her.” I stated as I listed off the reasons with my fingers. ”And it’s fucking hilarious that you disrespected the Go Gym when you were carried by one of the best wrestlers to emerge from that school to get where you are!”
Here we go.
”Seriously, Fenris is a future Hall of Famer, I don’t think anyone’s denying that at this point, but then we look at you and realize that it took you a long time to get your mojo back after you forfeited your title shot in 2018, what has it been? Five years?” I asked with a grin on my face. ”The same thing happened when you teamed with Ken Davison this year and it’s funny because if fate had gone a different way? We would’ve met in the Semi-Finals instead of you meeting J2H and Devona, but not even a multi time champion like Ken could carry you to a second Blast from the Past Final, face it Courtney, when you’ve got no one to rely on but yourself? Nine times out of ten, you fall, and you fall hard!”
Your downfall.
”And that’s the story of how your reign as World Bombshell Champion will end, you’ll meet a younger, hungrier Bombshell who’s eager to win her first World Bombshell Title, someone you literally picked from random because, in your own words, everyone else was busy and you needed to pick someone.” I commented as I brushed my long black hair over my shoulder. ”And that was when you made your biggest mistake Cort, you dismissed me thinking I’d be an easy defence, something The Troll agrees with you on but who listens to that idiot outside of The Saviours? I’ve seen toilet roll with more value than his so called title belt! What you don’t realize Courtney is that by being so dismissive, you’ve awakened a sleeping giant!”
Yep!
”The Greek Goddess was a persona I invented during my final months with SCU, I was tired of taking everyone’s crap and became a lot more dangerous as a result, thing is Court? When I made the jump to SCW I made the decision to keep it contained, to just focus on being myself! To date only a few have forced me to bring the Greek Goddess back out, congrats Court, you’ve joined an elite club.” I stated bluntly as I leaned back in my chair. ”Because I’m bringing that persona out from the word go for this match Court, because if that’s what it takes to end the title reign of an arrogant bitch? Then so be it!”
But can I do it?
”The match happened three months ago but the words of Roxi Johnson still ring true in my ear, I wasn’t ready at Into the Void, that match was Roxi preparing me for the next time, what I didn’t realize was that that next time would be at the next International Tour.” I commented before chuckling. ”Hell, it seems fortune smiles at me during these tours, Greece Lightning? Made my debut for SCW, ended it by getting revenge on Char Kwan, last year’s tour of India for Violent Conduct? Won the Bombshell Roulette Title, my first ever singles title, The Unsolved Mysteries Tour? Blast from the Past Quarter Finalist and lived my childhood dream by challenging Roxi for the World Bombshell Title on PPV!” I said before pausing to think of this for a moment. ”Wonders of the World tour?”
It's that simple.
”Anything can happen in this business, ending two Violent Conduct Cycles in a row as a new champion? That is definitely on the cards for me.” I said with a confident grin. ”Court, you’ve been arrogant since you won that title and it’s high time someone fed you a piece of humble pie! But this is more than just about winning the tile for me, this is about me avenging my heroes!”
And with that I decided to wrap things up.
”I’m well aware that Team Hero are busy with their own stuff at Violent Conduct and I wish them luck in their respective matches, but I hope that they will be watching in two weeks’ time!” I added as I flipped some hair over my shoulder. ”Because Courtney? After I make you bask in the glory of the Greek Goddesses’ light? Maybe then you’ll realize that you shouldn’t have underestimated a girl from the Go Gym, because without another member of the Go Gym’s graduation class to back you up? You wouldn’t be in the position you are today! Because you’d just be remembered as another failure of Jet City!”
I turned off the webcam as the scene fades.
