[Christian Underwood]

Please post all roleplays here! Have fun and good luck!

[Julianna DiMaria]

Last Fall

I was in the middle of an outing with Ally, one of my best friends, when I was suddenly interrupted by a phone call from the higher ups in SCW. Things seemed normal… until I found out the shocking news…

“WHAT? But I’ve only had four matches…”

Ally grew as confused as I was.

“I’m not saying that I’m not grateful for the opportunity or anything but I’m definitely being thrown into the fire here…”

I paused to listen as I was told that the division needed a spark and how they felt like I could be the woman to provide that.

“...alright. Well… thanks…”

The conversation ended right there and Ally grew concerned for me.

“What was that about?”

“They’re going to have me face Courtney for the title at High Stakes…” I said, feeling immediately numb.

“That’s AMAZING!” Ally exclaimed. “You’ve clearly left one hell of an impression…”

“Yeeeeah… maybe I did…” I said, still unsure of myself. “But I’ve only had like four matches. Do I even deserve that spot on that stage?”

“Of course! You’ve proven yourself over the years before you even got to SCW at all…”

“True…” I said with reluctance. Thinking back to it all, that part of my gut that felt like I was being thrown into the fire was absolutely right. The further and longer I’ve gone away from being the SCW Bombshells World Champion, the more I thought back to this moment and regretted that I was ever in that picture so soon at all…

July 16

“Christy…” I said to my other best friend who had joined me for the weekly dinner that I have with my mother. “...I hate to admit this, but I’m not so sure it was a great idea for me to be thrown into the fire that quickly.”

Christy was taken aback by me saying such a thing.

“Hey, I understand you’re still feeling guilty about the reign, how it went, all the mental pressure you went through and all of that, but I wouldn’t say that at all.”

“I’m going to let you in on a secret that doesn’t leave this room, alright?”

Christy nodded with understanding.

“I went into that match with this feeling in my stomach that I didn’t deserve to be there. Courtney didn’t have to say what she said because deep down I was feeling it. I was overwhelmed by the moment at times in the days and weeks going into that match and to be real? Had I not been so inspired by my mother and the kidney cancer situation that she was going through with having the damn thing removed, I’m not so sure I would’ve won the title in the first place.”

“But you won, and that’s all that matters in the end.”

My mother was in the area eavesdropping on our conversation, but I wasn’t aware of this yet.

“True. It was definitely a fucking great feeling to win that title for my mother and then silence Courtney for all of her bullshit. But then she tried to cut me off at two weeks and make it look like it never happened and that fueled me to beat her again… which I did…”

I narrowed my eyes with anger remembering that Ariana Angelos interfered.

“...with an asterisk. I remember having a moment to myself, looking at the championship I just retained for the first time, and feeling like I didn’t deserve it.”

I sighed as I reflected on that.

“It’s crazy because a piece of me felt like I didn’t deserve to even be in that spot at all, and now there I was, feeling like I didn’t deserve it all because that idiot Ariana decided to interfere and get involved. Hell, I HATE to admit this…”

I looked down on the floor as I thought back through my reign. All of the heated tensions that were keeping me going throughout that reign for as long as I had the championship were a distraction for the entire time. Ever since the feud with Kayla ended, and with the downtime I’ve had for the most part since then, I’ve looked at that reign with much more perspective, and much more regret.

“...that reign wasn’t what it should’ve been.”

“Jules, don’t say that…”

Christy came around to my side of the table and wrapped an arm around me being as supportive as she could be.

“I was a complete mess, Christy. The pressure got to me at times, sure. But I was a completely different person than what you were used to. I was distant from you, from Ally, from my mother. I got so wrapped up in being the best world champion I can be so I could silence people. Here I am, having two straight losses to Kayla, Luna shitting all over me, having to deal with that, having to put up with asterisks on my title reign when even fucking Mercedes Vargas of all people had me at one point, and then when I take that initiative to validate my title reign, it not only goes up in smoke, but… I never validate that I deserved to be there at all…”

I shook my head, still unaware that my mother was listening in.

“It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, Christy. I mean if anything epitomizes that title reign, it was that night that useless cunt Georgie ruined that match with Tempest, Bobbie and I. I felt like I didn’t deserve it in the first place and that this was too much too soon and sure enough, that reign played off like that.”

“It’s not true, Jules…”

“Can you please be realistic?” I asked, sounding almost angry in tone and catching Christy off guard. “I’m not going to say it was a terrible world title reign or anything, but it should’ve been better and I have nobody to blame for that but myself. I hate that I turned into the person that I turned into while I had that title and I can only apologize enough for being so distant. If you feel that my title reign sucked, just say it.”

“I don’t think it sucked, but I do think you should’ve handled it better.” Christy admitted.

“THANK YOU…” I said with a sigh of relief. “...now do you understand why I was flipping out so fucking much when things weren’t going my way and why I was so fucking miserable even though I was an undefeated champion?”

“It’s a hell of a good thing you’re currently not in the world title picture right now, though you do have another title match coming up.”

“I agree, that’s a good thing…” I admitted. “But the regret has been so much and seeing THOSE TWO women in that title match acting as ‘this is what it should’ve been all along’ just makes me hate my reign and regret everything that much more. One day, I’m proud of the reign, then the next day, I fucking hate it.”

“Listen to me Jules, don’t beat yourself up over that, alright? You’ve still got a great thing going in SCW and a title reign you felt should’ve been better shouldn’t change that. You made the absolute most out of a disadvantageous situation as you’ve said many times…”

“Yeah, that was me trying to convince myself of that…” I said angrily.

“But it was the truth. Look, this is good for you to finally vent this. The Julianna of even two years ago wouldn’t have. Perhaps the Internet title might be more your speed right now…”

“Oh you have NO FUCKING IDEA how badly I want that match… that title…” I told Christy.

“Julianna…” my mother said, finally interrupting us and informing us of her presence. “...I know the feeling.”

I was taken aback and surprised to see her standing there. I didn’t even bother asking how much of that she heard because in the pit of my stomach, I knew she had heard everything that was going on.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world to put your heart and soul into something, feeling that along the way you’re doing the absolute best that you can only to look back on it weeks after the fact and realizing that you DIDN’T. I’ve been there. But let me tell you something, Julianna. You’re a god damn Schroder…”

My eyes widened upon hearing my mother’s maiden last name.

“...and I understand that moping around and wishing for this and lamenting that is a ‘DiMaria’ thing that your father instilled into you, but Schroders don’t act like that. So, what I need you to do right now is to quit feeling sorry for yourself and you need to start asking yourself ‘what the fuck do I need to do to move forward’ because this? It’s not going to cut it!”

Christy and I were both taken aback by my mother’s seemingly uncharacteristic straightforwardness.

“Mother…” I said with a surprised scoff. “Where the hell did this come from?”

“You’ve never seen this side of me before because I didn’t feel like it would be good for you but you need it now. You said you wanted to know who you really are and where you really come from, right?”

I nodded.

“Come with me, I have something to show you.”

“I’ll be back…” I said to Christy. Christy nodded with understanding as I followed my mother to a part of her home that I rarely saw. I was surprised to see that she had redecorated the room and suddenly had pictures of herself as a wrestler and memories of her own career plastering the walls. Front and center of the room was a vintage looking championship. Knowing German myself, I could see that the plate said “World Women’s Champion” on it.

“That’s not a replica, that’s the real thing…” my mother said. “When I got pregnant with you and left wrestling, the company back home I was working for allowed me to keep it. I was a very big deal back home, honey. That’s a title I won four times.”

“Wow…” I said, clearly starting to feel inspired at this point. “...I have to admit that finally knowing even the slightest bit of your own career is eye opening.”

“The first time I won that championship? I only had it for one day…”

My heart sank hearing that.

“Oh gosh… I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be. The other three reigns were better. In fact, the second one was the best one. Sit with me for a second…”

My mother sat on a sofa and I was quick to join her. We both were looking right at the championship that she had won four times.

“...you wouldn’t believe all the abuse that I took back in the locker room after I lost the title right back to the woman I won it from.”

While I was feeling sad about what she just said, I noticed that my mother was just laughing through it.

“I was derided as a fluke. I was told that I was never going to win that title again. I was called an embarrassment. I was mocked for getting to realize a dream only to choke it away in 24 hours and I was ridiculed by every other woman in the company for being the shortest reigning champion that the company ever had at that point. I want to show you how I reacted to that…”

My mother pulled out a tablet and showed me a video dated “10-24-1990” on it. It was a bit jarring seeing her look so young but before she even pressed “play” on the video, I saw the expression on her face: angry, but a look of determination in her eyes with no sense at all of looking or even feeling defeated.

“This is how I handled it… that same night… after I dealt with everything that I just described to you…”

My mother pressed play on the video and I heard my mother go into a passionate, German-language rant in response to what she dealt with in that very moment in 1990….

“You know, I love how when I fall, all these bitches want to start talking shit…” my mother said from the clip. I was immediately shocked to see that we weren’t all that different attitude wise. “I’ve been hearing it from those bitches about how I’m the worst champion ever, that I’m a joke, that I won the title on a fluke, and all of these other stupid things and I have something to say to every single one of those bitches, including that cheating scoundrel that had to cheat to regain the belt from me: I’m NOT done! You bitches don’t define me and I’m not going to allow you to do that. Have your pathetic little laughs if that’s what makes you feel like bigger people than what you actually are. I’m beaten, but I’m not defeated and not only will I win that title back, I’m going to dominate with that title and I WILL be stronger, I WILL be better. You bitches don’t know me and what I’ve had to struggle through and overcome just to even be a champion in the first place and mark my words: Elisa Schroder isn’t done yet, not even close. So relish in my struggle for now… and go fuck yourselves!”

The shock I was feeling was unreal when I saw her flip off the camera before the feed cut.

“Mom…” I said, still in shock. “...and I thought I got my attitude from my father the whole time…”

“Three months later, I won that title back from that same wretched woman and I held that title for 8 months and was dominant in the title scene over there until I had to give it all up. Retiring was hard, but raising you and seeing what you’ve become has made it so much more worth it.”

“You didn’t feel sad… regret…”

“No…” my mother said instantly. “That’s what we Schroders are all about, honey: we get back up from being knocked down and we raise the bar to prove that we’re better than the pitfalls we’ve dealt with. You’ve done that enough times in your career, more than you’ve realized… and with things far more difficult than a world title reign you felt didn’t meet your expectations. So tell me why you can’t win the Internet title and prove to yourself more than anyone what kind of champion you can be, and deserve to be, in Sin City Wrestling?”

“That’s exactly why I want to beat Tempest, mother. I feel it in my heart. I feel like I can be and will be better than what my title reign proved and I feel like the best part of my career hasn’t even started yet. I just didn’t know how to put all the pieces together in my head just yet. I feel like I do now.”

“Get used to this, Julianna. I’m going to start being a little harder on you progressively, but no worries. I’ll be nothing like your father. It’ll be for your own good in the long run.”

I stood up, obviously feeling a lot more relieved and confident.

“More surprises are on the way…”

“Thank you mother…” I said as I began to walk away. However, I turned around and looked back at her. “...and I never thought I’d say this, but I’m so happy with how we’ve bonded and grown close over the last year.”

“The last year has been the best year of my life, young lady… and it’s all because of you. Don’t forget that!”

I felt touched as I walked back down the hallway and met Christy back at the dinner table. That was the moment I stopped feeling sorry for myself over that world title reign…

July 27, 2024

It was a beautiful afternoon in San Diego as I sat on an edge of Crystal Pier overlooking the ocean. I was taking in a small, gentle breeze that definitely made me more relaxed than I already was. I thought about some of the stuff that I had learned about my heritage through my mother and even what I had learned about my mother herself and I was definitely feeling like I knew myself a little better. I was definitely in a calm state of mind when I began to speak.

“I’m going to start off by addressing an elephant in the room and by being as honest as I can. Yes, I did have a bit of a self-celebration at the 400th episode of what I had accomplished in SCW so far but to be honest? It wasn’t to make a spectacle of anything. It really wasn’t to brag. It was my way of saying “thank you for the memories, but we’re opening a new chapter”. The real elephant though, is the title reign that I had with the SCW Bombshells World Championship. I made the most that I could out of it, given the circumstances. That’s something that I am proud of, yes. But at the same time, the longer I’ve been away from that championship and the longer I’ve been out of the picture, I’ve not only realized how much of a blessing in disguise that has been for my career here at this point in time, but I’ve also realized that I could’ve done better. I’m not disputing that fact. We can debate the “how” it could’ve been better all we want. But, I do acknowledge that fact. Maybe I should’ve pushed the envelope a bit more. Sure, maybe going after Kayla might have been the wrong  move. We’re really debating semantics at this point. But, I’m done regretting that reign. I had my time and my moment where I felt sorry for myself over it, but I’m past it now. It was a lesson learned on the fly and I did the most that I could considering I was thrown into the fire as soon as I was.

At the same time though…”

I took a pause and looked down at the water below me for a second before I continued on.

“...it fuels me. I know in my heart I can and I will do better than that reign. The way to make that happen of course, isn’t to go back in time and fix everything. I mean, it’s not like I can stop the idiot bitches like Ariana and Cassie from interfering in my matches or anything. Of course, the “easiest” way to do it is simply to regain that world title and prove I’ve learned from my mistakes. However, that’s not an option at the moment and for now, it’s best that it’s not. The best thing to do is what I am seeking out to do at Summer XXXtreme and that’s to win another championship and prove what I can and will be as a champion. It’s easier said and done considering Tempest has been SO DOMINANT and all, but now you know my motivation for this. As a matter of fact, we have so much in common. We’ve had strings of dominance. We won our respective singles championships from the same woman. We’ve both had our challengers and challenges that we wish weren’t so subpar. To me, this is a battle of who is going to want this challenge more and after the world title reign that I had? I DEFINITELY want this one more. Don’t get me wrong, Tempest… you’ve been a dominant Internet Champion. But how much of that title reign is truly because of your dominance and how much of it was because of the lack of competitive quality?

Hell, look at my world championship win.

Courtney? All the talk was about how ‘dominant’ she had been for months even though she did nothing for the title, didn’t elevate it for shit and was the reason why the men kept main eventing supercards until I changed that. When she FINALLY got real competition, I was the one that beat her! You? Let’s be honest here with the championship that you have and the circumstances of which you won the thing:

You had it easier than it appeared on the surface. Courtney didn’t give a shit anymore and in my book, is one of the worst title holders that title has ever had, though honestly, you probably beat her anyway even if she did give a shit because she might be the most overrated Bombshell that’s been on this roster in the last year. Krystal Wolfe? Yeah right! That girl has become a parody of herself and the running joke of this division not far above Bea Barnhart. Yeah, that’s a real winner there. Luna? Let’s be real. She’s only in the spot she’s in now because she had a partner that carried her there. Everything’s a game to her. She doesn’t take this seriously enough in my book. I’ve beaten two of the three one on one, so you tell me if they were worthy opponents for you when you won that championship.

Your defenses? Even you have to admit that it’s not all that impressive. Mercedes and Seleana?”

I scoffed at this.

“Crystal Hilton? YEAH RIGHT! Then Mercedes again… after she beat you. You’re talked up like you’re this huge deal and yes, you are a big deal don’t get me wrong with that but I’m not intimidated by you. If fucking Mercedes Vargas can beat you as she did in non-title action recently, then what does that say about your dominance? In fact, prior to winning that Internet Championship, in spite of your size and your presence, what is it that you actually managed to accomplish here? A mixed tag team title reign, true. But besides that you were just an upgraded version of Bobbie Dahl before she finally broke through and won a championship. For such an imposing presence, what the fuck took you so long to finally step up and do something in singles competition? WHY did it take you so long? How do you not have at least one Bombshells World Championship to your name? I get that injuries and wear and tear might be a factor, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t think you wanted it bad enough before recently and why WOULD you want it bad enough?

You’ve mentioned having a fallback outside of this business. You’ve even mentioned how lucky you are that you’re still here throughout all of the injuries. You’re more of a big softie than you’d like to admit and by no means that makes you less dangerous but the truth of the matter is that you’ve gotten by with the championship as long as you have because you haven’t faced the one woman that actually WANTS that championship that you have bad enough. Sure, you have your Mercedes and your Crystals that say “I want it”, but they don’t actually mean it. Crystal only wanted it to redeem her name and Mercedes only wanted it to pad her stats, but that’s NOT ME, Tempest!  This isn’t about redemption because I don’t need to seek it right now. I don’t need this to pad my stats. I need this so I can prove to myself that I can be better than what my world championship reign indicated. I need this so that I can make that championship mean just as much as ‘the big one’ and you’ve done a hell of a job with that title, don’t get me wrong. You’ve up there among the best to have held the championship such as Kayla, Andrea, Diamond when she actually gave a fuck, and Myra…

But you’re more of a Diamond Steele Internet Champion than a Kayla or a Myra…

The thing with someone like you is that you’re that type of wrestler that comes and goes in waves: a streak of dominance, followed by a streak of being “meh”, followed by another streak of dominance, then another streak of “meh” and so on and so forth. I look at someone like you that has lacked consistency throughout her career, not as bad as say… a Crystal or a Diamond or anything like that, and you just get the sense that once you lose that championship, you’re going to fade more into the background the way Diamond did after Myra beat her to end her reign four years ago and I think the locker room knows that more than they’re willing to admit because seriously… of all the chatter about the main event division, when has anyone even MENTIONED YOU as a possibility to move up to the main event? You don’t hear anyone talk about how you could be a future world champion. You hear people rightfully talk about your dominance as Internet Champion, but despite your dominance and despite your imposing size, you’re not hearing “Tempest World Champion” talk at ALL! I can’t blame anyone for NOT putting you in that hat considering a lack of consistency that you, yourself, probably would admit to. Kayla has at least moved up in the world and won the World Championship…

As begrudgingly as I hate to admit that…

Myra Rivers had world championship chatter around her at least, while she had that 350 day reign. You’re going to tell me that you’re going to go and break her record? Nah, that’s not going to happen. You’re just barely halfway home on that but I know that someone like you is more “smoke and mirrors” than on the surface even if you’re not necessarily that. You’re taking on someone that STRIVES to be better, that is NEVER satisfied. For fuck’s sake, I was an undefeated world champion for MONTHS and I STILL wasn’t happy, I was STILL vocal when things weren’t going the way I wanted them to, or when most of the Bombshells in this division lacked the initiative to face me, or when people were just dismissing me because “Kayla and Luna is the real match” or whatever the fuck. I want your championship because I don’t feel like I got the best out of that World Championship reign and I own that shit until kingdom come! I want to IMPROVE upon that. I want to be in that echelon of some of the best Internet Champions ever and hell, I’m going to be BRUTALLY fucking honest with you, Tempest… I want to win that championship not just to elevate that title to a standard it’s never been to before, but I’m going to take that championship and I’m going to strive to BREAK that fucking 350 day record that Myra Rivers has and THEN we’ll see who wants to talk shit and who wants to try to bring me down to their fucking level…

I was a hell of a punching bag to many of the same two-faced bitches that were bold enough to talk shit, but aside from Kayla weren’t bold enough to step up and do something about it and I have HAD it with that. My career in this company isn’t even close to realizing its full potential and considering that I did what I did in this company up to this point in spite of the obstacles in place, in spite of a Bombshells locker room that lacked ambition, in spite of myself and getting in my own head and trying so fucking hard to compensate for my own demons, in spite of things out of my control weighing down my reign… I KNOW in my heart that the best is yet to come for me.

I’m not an early peaking bitch like the revolving doors like Electra what’s her face or Andrea Hernandez in her first run here, or even the woman you just beat recently in Eiley. I mean thank GOD you beat her because that bitch doesn’t even deserve to have a fucking roster spot here. I’m someone that’s still finding her feet, that’s proving that she’s one of the best in this company, that WILL be your toughest challenge yet and you’re absolutely going to be one of mine and if I haven’t illustrated enough how much I fucking want that championship and how badly I want to beat you, then so be it but when it counts in that ring, I WILL fucking do that when I get the job done. I’m the type of wrestler that has been knocked down and beaten up over and over again and even while I was world champion and undefeated, I was still taking a bunch of shit and getting knocked down when bitches like Ariana and Cassie were fucking up my title reign with their asterisks they kept putting on it with their needless interference.

Courtney would’ve bailed after losing to Kayla twice…

But not me…

I’m still here!

I’m ready to slay the dragon.

I’m ready to become the Bombshells Internet Champion… and the best one this company has ever seen.

I’m ready to rise from the ashes I’ve had to endure the last couple of months and rise up to be stronger and better than ever and I KNOW that’s what I am capable of because that kind of perseverance and persistence is in my blood and flows through my family bloodline…

You’re going to get the best of me you’ve ever seen in this company, Tempest…

And I know that’s what you want more than anything…

But come Summer XXXtreme, you’re going to wish you were more careful for what you wished for!"

With that, I took a calming breath and shut off my camera. Afterward, I decided to take in the fresh, San Diego breeze and the air that came with it to get myself back to a zen place within myself.

[Tempest]

There was a reason why Hawaii remained at the top of the list of the world’s most desired of travel destinations. It didn’t matter whether people came here for honeymoons or a dream vacation to be shared amidst their families, it was a place that was right at the top of the travel bucket lists of thousands. The stunningly beautiful beaches and hiking trails with the most breathtaking views. Whale watching. The culture and yes – the exotic foods. All reasons why a near record ten million visitors come to this paradise each and every year, spending upwards of twenty billion. Yet here is a fact that many who come to the islands are not aware of - or they are but simply don’t care;

Many native Hawaiians are sick and tired of common tourists treating their homes like something akin to an amusement park.

Hawaii has seen its economy grow by leaps and bounds over the years, and it was mostly thanks to tourism. Call it one of those “taking the bad with the good” things we always hear so much about. In years past, large corporations fell in love with the white sand beaches of Hawaii - or rather, they fell in love with the profits that could be benefited from “modernizing” these places and taking away the simple surfing, diving and canoes of the locals and turn it into high-rise resorts along the shores to bring in the tourists and rake in the big bucks. They did it in Oahu and other major capital islands along the Hawaiian coasts, failing only in the more relatively obscure island of Molokai but the locals had fought back against it and surprisingly won. Reason being they saw something that many others in Honolulu and other islands did not - until the fact was too late.

The simple fact that the high cost of tourism would eventually displace the native people. Many who had grew up in Hawaii or had lived in it for generations would seemingly become displaced from their own homelands because greedy corporations had made it too expensive for anyone to actually call home unless they were some of the lucky ones. There was too much money to be made to bring people in only a handful of times a year and spend millions, rather than live here and bring in steady incomes of thousands.

Now while the locals watch as people from around not only the United States but the world come to their homelands, they do so more with a faux sense of annoyance at how entitled these visitors have become over the years, acting as if the locals should be grateful for their very existence. There have been stories of tourists trespassing on locals’ properties for photo opportunities and growing offended when told to leave. Emergency responders are being put at risk when tourists trespass in dangerous places, and all for that thrill. And of course, the fact that Hawaii does not have the means to dispose of garbage as other states do and thus much ends up polluting the waters that these very tourists seem to thrive off of.

Gabriel: I admit I never knew the local people felt this way about people visiting Hawaii.

Gabriel Stevens, the patriarch of his family - husband to Odette and father to Hazel and Lucas - said as he could not help but find himself relaxing on those very same luxurious white sand beaches that he had always heard about and only a handful of times during his career - enjoyed up close and personal. Dressed only in a pair of colorful swim shorts, Gabriel sat back in the lounge on the sands, enjoying the full power of the sun but with none of those rising temperatures he had come to know in Las Vegas. In Nevada and many other parts of the country, they were seeing triple digits rise. Here in Hawaii during even the summer months, the average temperature was eighty-five degrees. It was perfect.

But Gabriel - like Odette - was so much more than just the family man and woman that they were in the here and now while they enjoyed their family vacation here in Honolulu by invitation. To the men and women of whom they trained for a life inside of the wrestling ring, they were both friends and family. People whom they could talk to and freely give advice - and not just on matters of the industry. Becoming as close as a relatively dysfunctional family could get, they could - and have - listened to the  personal problems their students were going through and often gave heartfelt advice for the betterment of their lives. Names such as Evie Baang to Carter McKinney and even Fenris have benefited at confiding in their trainers. Because to the Stevens, those men and women were not just investments. They were practically their kids in a sense.
Save for one person in particular.

Tempest: I’ll be honest; I’m a little surprised that you accepted my invitation.

Tempest had really never allowed herself to grow as close to the Stevens as many of the other students, nor had she allowed herself to benefit from their personal wisdom. Not that she didn’t want to and at times she had often come close, it was just that since she was a kid, Tempest had always been a very private person. Even amongst her brothers and her parents, she did not feel the need to come to them and brother them with her personal troubles. And that was just what she felt she would be doing if she went to anyone to, in her own words, “bitch and complain”. She would be bothering them. And it wasn’t until she had developed the close bonds of friendship with Austin James Mercer that she did not truly understand the value of having a friend to confide in and relieve some of the burdens of that proverbial weight from the shoulders.

And as far as being “one of the kids”? As much as Tempest appreciated the sentimental feel, she found it somewhat difficult to wrap her head around considering she was closer in age to the Stevens than any of their other “kids”.

Of course this wasn’t to say that Gabriel himself hadn’t managed to crack those self-imposed walls of isolation she had erected around herself. The simple fact she didn’t have much choice but to let one or two from the Gym inside of her personal shell; Gabriel being the chief amongst them as he was her personal advisor in all things business, but business could often stray to more personal topics and Gabriel had this expertise way about him in working his way inside when he thought someone close to him might need a shoulder to cry on. And of course, it didn’t hurt things any that Despayre often had the means to find things out when nobody else was able.

Gabriel: Well, there was really no reason not to. There was a break in between classes and everyone who graduated had either their own thing going for a while and didn’t need access or they were busy on the road themselves … like you…

Tempest nodded as she listened, her eyes remaining hidden behind the amber colored shades as she looked out over the vast sands of the beach and more specifically, as Anela gleefully played alongside her best friend Lucas and his little sister Hazel.

Gabriel: Plus, we did agree that we couldn’t keep those two away from each other for long. And the kids have never been to Hawaii so… win/win?

Tempest just silently nodded along with the observation, but saying nothing had something of an adverse effect because it drew Gabriel’s attention closer to her than she might have preferred. He turned his attention away from the kids, a safe gamble as right beside him was Odette who was soaking in the rays but knowing his wife, never taking her eyes off of her “little ones”.

Gabriel: Something on your mind?

Tempest: Hm?

She finally noticed that Gabriel’s eyes were on her just as fast and hardened as his attention. She turned to her trainer and shook her head.

Tempest: No? Why do you ask?

Gabriel chuckled, tilting his head ever so to the left with that charismatic smile on his face.

Gabriel: Come on, Alleyne.

Using her given name and not her ring name was often a sign that things were about to get uncomfortably personal. She shifted in her lounge chair, her one piece swimsuit once comfortable, now seemingly tighter than it should be and restricting.

Gabriel: I thought you and I were done with these little song and dance numbers between us. Now it’s pretty evident that something is on your mind so how about we skip the part where I have to successfully - and expertly mind you - pry it out of you and we just get to the part where you say what it is that you have to say…

But Tempest proved to be about as stubborn as anyone the Stevens had ever set foot inside of the GO Gym, including themselves and perhaps even more so than the infamous Fenris who would often take anyone down a peg or two who thought it within their rights to get up in his business.

Tempest: I don’t have anything to say, Gabriel. I just have some things running through this thick skull of mine and it’s been hard to settle them down.

Gabriel continued to watch her for some response - any response - but a squeal of laughter from the kids diverted their attention momentarily and they watched for a few seconds as a laughing Lucas was being held down in the sand by Anela and Hazel was hurrying as fast as she could to fill up her neon green pail with sand to do the traditional burying of someone in the sands. Lucas was just a willing victim, er, participants, for the girls. But the distraction didn’t prove to be long enough for Tempest’s liking as Gabriel turned back to her and inquired.

Gabriel: So…? Is it about your next defense against Julianna?

Tempest frowned. Yes, even from behind the shades that covered her eyes and served an even better purpose in hiding any betrayal of emotions, Gabriel could still read his student like a book. It most had to do with body language as her posture shifted, but Gabriel was just good when it came to people. Tempest scoffed, but that only served as a catalyst for Gabriel who felt genuine concern when one of “his kids” had something troubling them and he almost took it personally when he felt that they couldn’t confide in him. And knowing this, Tempest could only sigh with resignation as she knew Gabriel well too.

She knew that he would not ease up in his probing until she either blew her stack or he got what he wanted out of her. And she knew damn well as volatile a temper as she had, she didn’t have it within herself to lose her cool where this one man was concerned. And he knew it too.

She set her book down - yes she brought a book to the beach. While this was a tropical paradise to millions, it was a comfortable home to her. In fact, her actual home where she, Anela and the Stevens were staying was not actually that far away from where they were soaking up the sun and playing in the water. She resigned herself to the inevitable and she turned at the waist, her arm propped on the lounge chair’s armrest.

Tempest: Look, I might have some … concerns, about this defense against Julianna, but that’s really not what’s been going through my head. I’ll get past it…

Gabriel: What are the concerns?

His question and the obvious skipping past where she basically blew the concerns off was not at all lost upon her. She slowly reached up and removed her shades. It was obvious she was about to speak but Gabriel was an expert in battles of both wills as well as wits. A testament to his years-long bond with Despayre who had this way of keeping anyone around him on their proverbial toes. And Gabriel was second only to Synn himself when it came to being able to keep up with “his Despy”.

Gabriel: Look Alleyne, I know you don’t like to confide in people too much because it feels like you’re putting your burdens on someone else’s shoulders but I have news for you…

She raised her brow questioningly and Gabriel gave as good as he got in equal measure as he too leaned over to look her right in the eye.

Gabriel: That’s what friends are for. To help each other shoulder their burdens. Same with family.

Tempest: I don’t share that much with my family.

Gabriel: Bullshit.

The father of two quickly checked himself and glanced off to where the kids were, and was relieved that neither was near enough to overhear his proverbial slip of the tongue. He and Odette had an agreement to limit cursing in front of the kids as much as possible lest they inadvertently pick up the same habits. Gabriel turned back to her and shook his head.

Gabriel: I happen to know that you and your Mom are very close, and you told me once you were a ‘Daddy’s Girl’.

Tempest shrugged those wide shoulders of hers and cocked her head, acknowledging the fact.

Gabriel: And don’t even get me started on those brothers of yours… I know your family unit is a tight knit one. You’re seriously telling me that you don’t confide in them?

Tempest: Not as much as you might expect me to. My Dad is the only one who really sees me as the adult woman that I am. But my Mom and brothers? I’m still Mom’s baby girl and my brothers are still over protective even if I am bigger than two out of the three of them.

Gabriel snorts back a laugh as he nods, self-satisfied.

Tempest: But that’s personal. I never talk to them about my career. Either one of them.

Gabriel: Why not?

Tempest: Because despite my father and brothers being all military men, they still think being a bounty hunter is too dangerous a career – especially for a grown ass woman like myself. Misogynistic, but that’s family for you. And don’t even get me started on my Mom’s views… Her little girl carrying sand chasing down bail jumpers? She about cried a river when I first started and she still hasn’t gotten over it.

Gabriel: And the whole wrestling thing…?

Tempest scoffed back her own laugh and shook her head, turning back to rest back against the lounge chair.

Tempest: My nieces and nephews are more into the idea that their aunt is some bad ass wrestling star, but my Mom thinks it’s unladylike and she’s worried I’ll get hurt.

Gabriel had to concede on her mother’s behalf because Tempest had been plagued by a handful of minor injuries that caused her momentum to come to a screeching halt more than once. But the thing about his charge that Gabriel most admired is the fact as hard as it hit her personally to be taken out of action - albeit briefly - in a sport that took its stars vastly for granted, that she always managed to find a way back and to pick up right where she had left off.

Gabriel: And your brothers and Dad?

She casually shrugged, indifferent.

Tempest: They watch and support me, but I don’t think it’s their cup of tea. They’re more into the MMA scene. They were disappointed when Fenris retired.

Gabriel: So… changing the subject aside… nice segway by the way – Julianna? What’s the problem there?

Tempest: You mean besides the fact I’m starting more and more not to really trust her?


Gabriel: What brought that on? I thought the two of you had an understanding going into this match?

Tempest shook her head, finding it hard to put into words.

Tempest: Call it a gut instinct. I can’t really pinpoint any one thing but just going by some of the random things she’s posted on twitter makes me think she’s blowing smoke up my ass with this whole respect thing and just waiting to catch me off guard.

Gabriel: Funny that … Isn’t that one of the things that Odette and I drilled into you from Day One? Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see?

Odette: And always be on your guard and trust your instincts.

Both Gabriel and Odette turned to Odette who took her attention briefly away from the playing kids and looked between the pair.

Odette: Sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear since I was listening in but I thought it worth mentioning.

Gabriel chuckled as he turned back to Tempest with a smirk on his face.

Gabriel: She speaks the truth, that wife of mine. If something is telling you to be cautious about Julianna, then you probably should be. But it still doesn’t explain why you’re feeling apprehensive about…

Tempest: Gabriel…! How many times do I need to explain that I am not feeling apprehensive about the match – or about Julianna for that matter! The concerns that I have are more about me than they are about her. I don’t have any doubt that I can take her but it’s this nagging feeling that it’s going to take more than just my usual ‘ground and pound’ method.

Gabriel: Well, it’s worked out well for you against everyone else that you’ve been in the ring against. Win or lose, you send a message.

Tempest: Save for chicks like Zoey and Bobbie. Then I just have to get creative because it’s not easy to overwhelm a woman that’s basically you’re equal in size or strength.

Gabriel: Neither of which, Julianna happens to be.

Tempest shook her head, finding it hard to relay her point.

Tempest: No, but there’s just this nagging doubt I should not get too comfortable with her. Whether or not I can beat her into paste isn’t the issue here. I don’t want to just ‘send a message’ to her or anyone else watching and waiting to pick the bones clean. I want to beat her and leave no question about the fact.

Gabriel nodded, satisfied that he got this much out of her thus far.

Gabriel: I can appreciate that. I have to admit that I’d be disappointed if you were glossing over a former World Champion like her, like she was someone on the bottom tier of the roster. I would have thought I’d have taught you better.

Tempest: You have.

She found herself admitting with the slightest of nods, yielding to his train of logic.

Termpest: Which is why I think I need to expand things in the ol’ arsenal a bit. Just enough to throw her off.

Gabriel turned and looked out onto the watershed that surrounded the ocean and nodded.

Gabriel: I think that can be arranged.

Before he turned back to address one more concern. Crossing one more bridge that he knew she had yet to fully open up about.

Gabriel: Can I assume that you’re also not looking forward to the cruise itself?

Tempest: What makes you think so?

Gabriel: You told me. … The first time you were ever scheduled to compete on a Summer XXXTreme cruise. You said the cruise brought back bad memories.

Tempest sighed, feeling a fresh burden growing heavier on her shoulders. One that she doubted that she would ever be free from.

Tempest: They always do.

There was a brief moment of lingering silence that separated the pair until Gabriel finally broke it, asking the one question that he had been secretly confided in by someone else other than her.

Gabriel: Is it because of your husband?

And that certainly got a reaction as Tempest whipped her head around to stare at Gabriel, more so in surprise that he knew than by any harsh response she might have been wanting to bring up.

Tempest: How did you… Ugh! Despy!

She shook her head in faux annoyance at the little guy’s bad habit of simply knowing things about virtually anyone. And he was not shy in the methods in which he was able to do so!

Tempest: Has he been looking up my history again?

To which Gabriel chuckled, finding it strangely satisfying that rather than drawing her anger… Despayre’s habits seemed more to confound the amazon. Especially considering the fact that it was well known in the GO Gym that Despayre was deathly afraid of her.

Gabriel: Give my Despy a Cherry Coke and a pretzel covered in cheese and he can find out anything about anyone…

She gave him a look but he held up a hand to forestall any further protests.

Gabriel: And no I didn’t! Despy just grew curious when he noticed your wedding band but never spoke of your husband. And when something gets the little nutter curious, he tends to find things out.

Tempest: Christ….

He watched as she fidgeted, an effort in itself given her vast amounts of pride and confidence.

Gabriel: Alleyne? If you can share with Mercer, then I’ll be damned insulted if you can’t give me that same courtesy. … Talk to me.

Tempest exhaled, her breath as shaky as it had ever been as she removed the shades from her eyes and watched Anela for what felt like forever before she turned to Gabriel…

To Be Continued ….


“I make no promises in telling anyone out there that I am an easy person to get along with. Because I know for a fact that I am not. I am not a people person. I am not like my mother who my entire family would label as a social butterfly. That woman could walk into a building filled with strangers and she would just start striking up conversations with whomever was nearest to her and leave that building with a half dozen brand new friends. Me on the other hand? Not so much. I’m more like the one person that is seated in the corner, trying to avoid that very person so that they won’t bother me and I don’t have to talk to them. And aside from a few very random exceptions to the rule, such as Mercer or Gabriel, I have no problems at all keeping to myself and relying on myself and my own. I mean, it’s worked so far for me in this life of mine. So why bother to fix what isn’t broken?”

“And for the record, I might have even included Crystal Zdunich in the names listed before if she hadn’t just up and walked without so much as a goodbye or a reason why. So … to hell with the self serving witch.”

“But this isn’t really about her, or even me for that matter. It’s more about the one other person I am pretty confident is watching this as we speak and that’s the chick I’m getting on that godforsaken cruise for the sole purpose of putting my Internet Championship on the line against. You know I’m talking about you, Julianna. So do us both a favor; draw up a chair. Pour yourself a glass of wine or whatever else it is that you drink. Put a pillow behind your head and just get comfortable because I have a thing or two that I’d like to discuss with you.”

“First and foremost, I admit that I came into this first promo between us, somewhat at a loss. I know chicks such as yourself are never really at much of a loss for words. You’re great on the mic and always have something to say to draw attention to yourself and make the whole world think it’s all about Julianna. Me? Not so much. I think it’s been painfully clear to everyone - yourself included, that I have never been much on words. Why bother wasting time on talking when you can expend your energy just going to work inside of that ring and doing what needs to be done? Namely beating the holy hell out of the person standing across the ring from you? But… unfortunately, I understand that these damn promos are something of a necessary evil so just bear with me for a moment.”

“Its not even as if I don't have things that I could easily say to you, it's just a matter of whether or not I want to bother saying them. You see, I have a handful of pet peeves in this industry that you and I share between us. One of them being what I call repeat offenders. And I'm not talking about people who are consistently stabbing each other in the back backstage, either for the benefit of getting a better spot on the card or a championship opportunity. Or even speak attacking someone to give them an upper hand and a better advantage of the match that they've already been signed to. I'm talking about those people that step in front of a microphone and say the exact same thing, over and over again.”

“And that is where I'm finding myself right now, if that makes sense. Because whether or not it was in a promo or some spot backstage, you and I have talked. Maybe not personally between us but about one another. And I find it tiresome to say the same thing about the same person, over and over. Which makes being booked against the same person more than once difficult when people watching are expecting you to say something fresh and new. How granted you and I have never met inside the ring. This chance encounter on the cruise ship for the Internet Championship is going to be our first encounter. But that doesn't make things any easier when I've already told the world exactly how I feel about you.”

“Yeah, if I'm going to be brutally honest Julianna, I do somewhat fit you into the same mold of the average Barbie doll that I step inside of the ring with. You know the type; the sort of woman who makes sure her hair and makeup are just right and her boobs are perky for the camera. Not that is anything wrong with that I imagine. One of the main goals of being inside of that ring is to make sure the attention is on you, whether good or bad. But the difference between you and those other Barbie dolls? It's the simple fact that you don't make your appearance your entire personality. You want to look good. You want all eyes on you. But what it all comes down to is the simple fact that you can back up everything that your fake mouth talks about, week in and week out! And THAT is what I actually like about you! Not to draw a comparison to mainstream media but you look like Meghan but you fight like Chucky!”

“And I haven't had a whole lot of women that jumped out and made that kind of a connection for me. I've been excited in the past at getting into the ring with one person or another. Usually it's because they did something that really stuck in my craw and it made me just want to obliterate them, and bury them literally beneath the ring. Others? Women like Bobbie Dahl and Zoey Lukas were more than a match for me to get inside of the ring with..  THOSE are the type of opponents that I legit look forward to stepping inside the ring with. And women like you.”

“Mainly women who I know damn well are going to give me the type of match that I want. Women who are going to make me better than I see myself. Women who are going to bring the fight to me and are going to force me to fight even harder than I have previously! Because what in hell is the point of even being in this business in the first place, if the only ones you're comfortable getting inside of the ring with are people that you know you can put down easily within a matter of minutes?”

“I rank it right up there with Champions who either don't defend their titles on a regular basis or only do so against challengers who really have no business being inside of the ring with a champion! How can you call yourself a champion if you don't defend that championship? How can you call yourself the best if you only face the worst or if you avoid going against people that might give you an actual challenge?”

“Because that's what it's all about for me! The challenge! The thrill of finding myself in the ring against a woman that I know is going to give me a fight to be remembered! A woman that I know is going to make me the champion that I know I already am! That is why I'm looking forward to this title defense! And that is why I'm looking forward to defending against you, a former World Bombshell Champion!”

“Because I know what you're capable of inside of that ring. And I know what it's going to mean for me to be able to exit that ring with my head high, and the Internet Championship still in my possession! I'll let your expensive course, but in this business? Sometimes the ends justify the meetings.”

[Tempest]

Previously in the Life of Tempest…

Honolulu, Hawaii

Gabriel: I understand.

Tempest had finally found herself to the point where she could divulge some of her past to the man who had taken her in under his proverbial wing and helped her to become the woman that she was right now in the sport of pro wrestling. For the longest of time, she had preferred to keep her private life just that … private. And she was not about to share such personal woes with what, at the time, amounted to more than just colleagues.

But slowly over time, the seemingly unthinkable had happened. Tempest had taken many of those within the gym close to her heart and bonded with them, whether she wanted to admit it openly or not. And the man that she was currently seated beside in the White sands of the Hawaiian beach, he had been right about what he had said earlier. If she could confide with a man such as Austin James Mercer, and she could confide in him.

And so she did. She confided everything. Or as close to everything as she was willing to expose herself with at this point. Doing such things was still somewhat alien to her, but it still was a weight lifted from her shoulders when she was able let someone in past those walls she had erected so many years ago.

Gabriel: I have to admit that if I had suffered a loss like that, I don't think I'd want to revisit the source. Whether it's the same ship or not.

Tempest: And obviously it's not, but the memories still linger.

Gabriel nodded in understanding.

Gabriel: Of course they do, and chances are likely they always will. I'm grateful to say that I've not suffered a loss like you have, I can't imagine that sort of pain. I can only say that you are a formidable woman. It will get easier.

Tempest sighed, watching as Hazel and her own stepdaughter had just about finished burying Gabriel and Odette's son in the sand.

Tempest: I wish I could believe that. I really do.

Gabriel: Well, at the very least you have a related memory that can help you heal.

He nodded his head forward, indicating the young girl that had befriended his own son.

Gabriel: Similar wounds cause similar scars Alleyne. But heals one set of wounds…

Tempest: … Heals the other.

Gabriel could only smile at her understanding of his logic. They remained silent, comfortable in one another's company as they watched the children at play until finally, the head trainer and patriarch of the GO Gym addressed her once more, but this time without taking his eyes off of his children or her own.

Gabriel: Are you taking her on the cruise?

But Tempest shook her head in the negative, whether he saw it or not she was unsure.

Tempest: I'm not sure it's the best idea, if I'm going to be honest. Not just because she'd end up seeing me in a match, but she's never been on a cruise before. And I worked hard to keep her from being exposed to the business.

Gabriel: She got exposed to the business the first time she met Austin. She got exposed to the business the first time you brought her to the gym and she and Lucas played together inside of the ring.

Gabriel turned his head to look at her with a smile on his face, knowing what buttons to push in the most light-hearted of manners.

Gabriel: Face facts. That there is a future Bombshell in the making!

Tempest: Over. My. Dead. Body!

Her reaction was enough to cause Odette to bark out in laughter and Gabriel to throw his head back and uproarious laughter. Tempest would give neither the satisfaction of reacting herself, but after a moment and when Gabriel had calmed himself enough, he spoke to her. Not in a jesting manner, but one of genuine concern and seriousness.

Gabriel: Take her on the cruise, Alleyne. It can be arranged. It just might end up being the best thing for the both of you.

She gave him a quick look from behind her own sunglasses, before turning back to her stepdaughter and the other two children.

Sun Princess Cruise -
Pacific Coast

Anela: Mom! Mom! Can we go swimming!? Please!

The 9-year-old stepdaughter to the reigning Bombshell Internet Champion Tempest, hold on her mother's wrist and pointed from the deck, directing the adult woman's attention toward the huge pool that was surprisingly not as full as would be expected.

It was an unfortunate thing that Anela had become attracted to the swimming pool because anyone who knew Tempest, knew she was anything but a fan of the idea of swimming in a public pool. In her own words, “I might as well have somebody just pee directly on me!”

This Outlook was a source of amusement from one of her few friends in the sport, her closest friend in life as a matter of fact - Austin James Mercer. He was successful once or twice in getting her into this very pool in previous years, but she made no bones about how much she disliked it. It had sparked at one point in time, a most amusing debate in which Austin rallied for the win.

***

Austin: Let me get this straight! You're willing to swim in the ocean but you hate the idea of a swimming pool?

Tempest: Give me one good reason why swimming in the ocean is worse than swimming in a pool!

Austin: Easy! Fish fuck in the ocean!

Tempest just stared at the man who had started off as just a tag team partner but had quickly evolved to being the closest friend she had ever had in life. The first man or person entirely whom she had divulged her past with. The smile on Austin's face spoke volumes at just how pleased he was to have rendered this volatile woman speechless.

***

Tempest cringed at the thought of jumping into that water but her stepdaughter's enthusiasm was unmistakable. Still, there was a proverbial light at the end of The tunnel, shining brighter than the sun off the water surface. Synn, a mainstay of the GO Gym and father to Despayre, was standing less than 15 ft away, leaning against the rails with his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark, wine colored shades.

A quick glance in the direction he was staring and she could see what had captured his interest. Despayre had taken the plunge in the swimming pool already and was splashing about, laughing in a childlike glee and just generally having the best time. A time that her own step daughter wanted to indulge in.

Tempest placed her hand on the Small of Anela's back and gently ushered her in the direction of the swimming pool.

Tempest: You go get started without me. I'll be right over here talking to that man.

Tempest could not have seen the flash of disappointed hurt that crossed Anela's face but the little girl did as she was told and made a beeline for the water, gently jumping off of the side of the pool and into the water with a loud splash. Keeping a close eye on her, and watching as Despayre swam over and her direction, only then did Tempest turn and approach Synn.

Tempest: I really appreciate you managing to pull these strings for me so I could bring Anela on the cruise with me.

Synn cast a sidelong glance toward the woman who only stood six inches shorter than his own impressive stature of 6’8” before he resumed watching his son. It was never a good idea to take his eyes off of Despayre for any length of time because history has indicated that anything can happen where that one was concerned. Hell! There was the time during a tour of Buckingham Palace when the Seven Deadly Sins went one way, and Despayre got lost and went another.

And he and Angel ended up having tea with the Queen of England. Seriously!

Synn: You’re giving me too much credit for that, Alleyne. Everyone on the roster was always welcome to bring guests along so long as the cabins were reserved. Up until now, you just never happened to bring anyone with you.

Tempest stood at the man’s side and mimicked him, resting her forearms on the rail and tried to watch Anela as inconspicuous as Synn did his own child.

Tempest: I never had a reason to. Hell … I never had anyone that I even wanted to bring on this godforsaken cruise.

Synn acknowledged her words with a slight nod. You never would have even noticed he did so unless you had been paying close enough attention.

Synn: I understand more than you realize.

Tempest: Yeah?

Synn: Mm. At least you knew your daughter from her earliest childhood. I  didn’t even know Joshua existed until the lad was just over fifteen.

Synn felt Tempest staring at him, her hard gaze not one of ill feelings but an intense interest behind what he was revealing to her.

Synn: By that point in time, he was a patient in a hospital for his mental issues. He had been trapped in those walls for years until I had managed to get him out and get protective custody.

Tempest turned her head just enough to lay eyes on the young man that she had met time and again inside of the GO Gym, mainly in the lobby as he spent hours playing on the computer – oh, excuse me. I mean, working as Gabriel and Odette’s administrative assistant. Or Angel did. Truth be told, there were times when Tempest couldn’t tell where Despayre began and the teddy bear ended. Or vice versa.

I said it was confusing!

Tempest: … Him? In a psychiatric hospital?

Synn sighed and stood upright from the rails that overlooked the Pacific Ocean churning in waves deep beneath them.

Synn: I don’t know if I would ever go so far as to classify Broodmoore as such. It was more like a Canadian torture chamber under the guise of a hospital but … yes. Believe me when I say that Joshua was not always as you see him now. He was worse.

Synn turned and looked straight into her eyes and as hardcore as she believed herself to be, she could understand why many within the Gym and the sport found it difficult to hold this man’s gaze for long.

Synn: Much worse. But a lot of time has passed, and a lot of work. It took so much work from so many people to help create an environment to allow Joshua to heal. And I am grateful for everyone.

Tempest could not help but joke - badly.

Tempest: Even Angel?

Synn: Especially Angel. Joke if you will but I dare say that my son would never have gotten as far as he has if it hadn’t been for that little friend of his. My point is … make the most of the time you have with your daughter. My son is thirty, and I still feel as if I’m catching up.

Tempest spent the next several moments taking in everything the man beside her had spoken. She herself had spent so many years, bitter and alone from the loss of her husband and - until recently - the loss of her stepdaughter. And while she found it quite difficult at times to be anything else other than Tempest, she was slowly coming to the realization that she was now something more.

She was a mom. She watched as Synn casually walked over to the pool side and effortlessly dropped into the water, his height allowing the deep water to come up only just above his waistline. His father joining him was reason enough for Despayre to whoop get up in the light, and that was the only catalyst Tempest needed. 9 years old or 30 years old, she could easily see the love of a child for their parent.

Tempest: … Oh what the hell…

And she too walked over to the pool, near her stepdaughter, Synn and Despy. Then, without warning, she jumped into the pool with a perfect cannonball splash! Water went everywhere, fans watching were amazed at seeing this ordinarily stoic and reserved Amazon figure just cut loose in such a simple way.

Tempest burst up from the water, and the sight of Anela cackling with childlike laughter so freely and openly at her mom's actions, it spoke volumes. Tempest then turned briefly to Synn whom Despayre had jumped onto his wide back, and he winked at her.

A mutual understanding.


It was well past when the sun had descended into the ocean waters, the bright, sunny sky replaced by the moon and countless stars overhead. And while there was still much partying to be done amongst many passengers and SCW stars alike, much of the fanfare had slowly dwindled down for the day, only set to resume when the next day would arise.

For the time being, Tempest stood at the patio door of the suite she had been lucky enough to be assigned, one of the many perks of being a champion for Sin City Wrestling. She turned her head and watched briefly the small form of her stepdaughter Anela sleeping beneath the comforter, her plush Stitch doll curled up against her for comfort and security. A gift from Build-A-Bear, courtesy of Despayre when she had first arrived in Las Vegas to live with her mom.

Tempest then slowly and as quietly as possible, slid the patio door open and set foot outside. It was amazing just how cool the night air was as it drifted across the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It often reminded her of the weather of her own native Hawaii.

She stood up against the rail, her hands wrapped tightly around the top rail, and her eyes looking out into the vastness of the star-filled night sky.

“Okay, Julianna. I get it. I think I understand where you’re coming from. You are openly frustrated because the women that you’ve been inside of the ring with don’t understand you - or they just don’t even try to. And this isn’t even necessarily about the women that you’ve already faced and in the vast majority of cases - defeated. Some of the women that have been standing on the sidelines watching you have been saying some pretty gnarly shit about you, about the things that you’ve accomplished. Really to the point that you could be forgiven for thinking you were back in high school or in the cast of Mean Girls as opposed to the locker room of professional wrestlers. Adult - professional wrestlers. So I can understand why at times Mark Ward or Christian Underwood might say that at times they feel like they’re running a daycare center as opposed to Sin City Wrestling. Because too damn many of us are acting like grade school children who are crying because the kid next to us took our favorite crayon!”

“And Julia… you and I? We ourselves are supposed to play the role of two adult women but there are two common misconceptions where not just us but all women are concerned. Number one? That women mature faster than men. Granted, I’ve seen my share of men around these parts acting like spoiled little brats - especially when there’s a woman involved, but women are really no different and sure as hell no better! We just manage to hide it a little better than the guys do. But everything we do and say indicates otherwise - especially when some chick is walking around with something that we want to have for ourselves. I don’t give a damn if it’s a man or a championship or just a higher spot on the show. If some bitch has it and we don’t, we let the world know just how unhappy we are. Even to the point of making up lies and talking trash just to justify our actions.”

“Which really, brings me to misconception number two. And that's how all women are expected to bring each other up rather than drag one another down along with us, straight into our own misery. I mean, why should anyone else have the right to be happy or successful if we think that we’re missing out? In the Bombshell division, there are plenty of championships to go around for everyone to have an equal chance at the spotlight, but that’s not nearly enough for us. Is it? That’s probably where men get the idea that women are never satisfied because we could be handed the most attractive and sweetest of all men on the face of the planet, win the Lottery and still we would find a reason why we deserve to have more.”
 
“Now Julianna, you said that you had people calling you into question, saying that you didn’t deserve to get the title shot that crowned you a champion. You even had people talk down about your reign itself, right up until the point you dropped it to Kayla. Well, sweetheart - welcome to the club!”

“Since I first showed up, I had people accusing me of being a one hit wonder. I was told by more than one opponent that the Mixed Tag Team titles would be the most that I could ever achieve and that was only because of Mercer! They said I used him, that I was riding Austin’s coattails and feeding off of his success and his reputation.”

Tempest turned at the waist and pointed a finger back inside of the suite, the nightlight reflecting off of the gold plate of the Internet Championship belt that rested up on her nightstand.

“Well…! Just look at me now.”

“But see, that is where you stepped in it, Julianna. Everything you said to me about everything I accomplished … you played your hand just a little too soon. You should have waited until Sunday before we are supposed to lock it up for the gold. When it would be too late to back out or look for that crack in your strategy that could be exploited until the proverbial walls might come crumbling down. This entire time, I was watching – waiting. I was left wondering whether or not you were the exception to the rules above being so flagrantly violated, or if you were being genuinely sincere in some of the things you’ve said both to me and about me. I man, up until now you seemed proud to be facing me as both a champion as well as a challenge to overcome. You were telling the world you didn't want me to lose to anyone lesser because you wanted to face me at my best. You wanted me to have no other blemishes on my record until I faced you because if I had lost to someone like - say, Eiley? That would have been as much a blemish against you as it would have been against me.”

Tempest smirked and shook her head.

“And I am ashamed to admit that I fell for it. Not just those things, but every line of crap that you’ve been feeding me and everyone else since our match was first announced and made official. Because since that point in time - and in your last chat up to the world especially - you’ve unraveled all of those pretty little words and showed me just what you really seem to think of me as both a competitor and as a champion. You … showed that you were really no different than those same women you were bitching about before. You went on and on about how the other women in the locker room call you names and disrespect you… But what the hell do you call what you were doing to me just this past week? I’ve had legit enemies inside of this ring who had better things to say to me than what you just did!”

“You want to talk shit to me because of the women that I’ve been up against until this point? Buttercup, talk to the people in charge of booking! Before I was a champion, after I was a champion, I didn’t give a DAMN about who they put me against just so long as they booked me! I was happy to fight anyone and everyone, and twice I even left it up to social media to decide who would get a shot at this championship, and both times I was given credible challengers and I won. Both times! If you think a defense against Crystal Zdunich is something easy to accomplish, well then let’s talk about your own debut inside of the ring against Dawn Warren! I mean, seriously!? Bea Barnhart? Who the hell HASN’T beaten the Bulldog’s better half!? So don’t come bitching to me about the level of competition that I’ve been matched up against because I’ve faced just as many top level women as you have, and I’ve scraped as low to the bottom of the barrel as you have. So… stones and glass houses, Julianna. Do you want to be the pot or the kettle?”

“Women like Mercedes Vargas you seem to enjoy taking a shot at my overcoming but let’s be honest between ourselves here, Julianna. Mercedes has accomplished more on her own than the both of us have put together.

“And yes, you’ve been to the very top of the mountain. You’ve been the World Champion and you held that gold for a respectable length of time – right up until you met Kayla Richards and lost back to back Supercard opportunities. Then you were like a lost little lamb, wandering the open field and wondering what would come next? Where would you go? The answer is right in front of you - literally! But the funny fact about your title reign is the fact that the woman you beat for the title, is the exact same woman I beat for mine. You know – the same woman that you implied was no big deal to beat inside of the ring. Funny how that works out, isn’t it? Funny how you beating Courtney Pierce is an accomplishment that is something to be heralded and proud of! But my beating the exact same woman…?”

Tempest shrugged her wide shoulders and scrunched up her face in as close to a comical way as she could manage.

“Meh. No big deal really. Quite the opposite, according to you. You beat the Courtney Pierce who up until that moment was a dominant Worlds Champion, whereas I was only able to defeat a woman who was tired and lost all interest in remaining the champion. Well…! Why don’t you just come out and say it, Julianna? Why don’t you just say she may as well have just laid down and taken a dive against me because that sure as hell seems to be what you’re implying! That my reign as Internet Champion has been worthless, and just because I hold some regard for women that you deem to be less than worthless!”

“Well, let me make one thing crystal clear to you! I know that my own career has had its ups and downs due to inactivity and injury! Hell, I’ve openly admitted to that very fact myself! Trust me when I tell you that you are not the first person to say those things to me! I beat Zoey Lukas in one of the best matches of my career and after that…? Nothing. I was given nothing. No title shots. No pushes against higher caliber opponents. I was just shuffled off to the sidelines to recover from one thing or another and Zoey herself asked what the fuck I was on about, beating her in a match like we had and just not riding out that momentum to a championship. But to flat out insult me to the point that you actually called me soft…”

She scoffed, shaking her head and the agitation was evident on her face, even beneath the starlight.

“That was the point where you crossed a line with me. Your last taste of championship gold was October of last year. And now you think that you’re just going to use me as a stepping stone to wash away that dry spell you’ve been experiencing?”

She scoffed, shaking her head in the negative.

“I am a lot of things, Julianna. I am a raging bitch! I am a loving mother! I am a best friend to those that have earned that right! I am loyal until you give me any reason not to be. I am a loving mother. But I am not a stepping stone for any woman inside of that ring! I am not someone that will be used as an example to anyone else! I am the Internet Champion! I am Tempest!”

Tempest stood straight up, knocking the chair over and sending it scattering over the waxed hardwood floor. She held up the Internet title belt and leaned over at the waist so she could gaze hard into the camera with one brow raised.

“And this, Julianna – is the calm before the freaking storm!”

[Julianna DiMaria]

July 27

I had returned to my mother’s home shortly after I had wrapped my first promo against Tempest back at Crystal Pier in San Diego. I knocked on the door, but my mother didn’t answer. I wasn’t too bothered by this until I knocked on the door and again, no answer. I was worried a bit but I knew that my mother gave me the authorization to enter if she wasn’t home on time.

“Typical mother…” I said with an annoyed sigh. “You tell me to stop by a certain time, I do, and you’re not even home.”

I rolled my eyes as I unlocked my mother’s front door and entered. I didn’t waste any time as I sat down on the couch and as a matter of fact, when I really observed the living room, I had noticed that my mother had done some redecorating. I was seeing pictures of her in the ring during her own wrestling career on the wall and I was even seeing pictures of her from her younger years before she immigrated to the United States herself. There were pictures of her with my grandparents and in fact, I even saw one of my grandmother holding me as she sat by my mother on the day I was born. There was another picture of me sitting with my grandparents on my 5th birthday and some old, happy memories came flooding back.

“My childhood was definitely not bad when my father was out of the picture…” I said with another sigh, lamenting the fact that he was ever in my life at all more than anything.

I suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside. I could year the sound of a key unlocking the door and sure enough, there was my mother, walking in and closing the door behind you.

“Sorry, I ran a little late…” my mother told me. “You weren’t waiting long, were you?”

“Maybe 5 minutes…”

“That’s not too bad…” my mother said to me. “By the way, do you like the redecorating I just did the other day?”

“It’s very colorful, I’ll say that. But what held you up?”

“Airport traffic is a bitch, honey. You know this.”

I was confused at this point.

“What in the world were you doing at the airport?”

“I was picking up a piece of who you are… two… in fact…”

I was remaining confused for a little longer but suddenly, the door opened and two people I recognized, obviously in their early 80’s at this point, walked in and I found myself shrieking with joy seeing my maternal grandparents for the first time as an adult.

“NO WAY!!!!!” I shouted, which caused my grandfather to slightly cringe.

“Not so loud dear…” my grandfather said in German.

“Sorry… um…. HI!!!!!!!”

I ran up and hugged both of them and they definitely had me in a vice grip more than an embrace though obviously I couldn’t blame them at all.

“I haven’t seen you both since I was sixteen…”

I tried so hard to hold back the tears at this point.

“We’re so glad to finally see you again…” my grandmother said.

“Help them to the couch if you don’t mind?” my mother told me.

“Of course…”

I grabbed both of their hands and gently led them to the couch and helped them sit down. I was sitting between them still in awe from this unreal surprise.

“I’m so glad you’re both still alive and… oh my god, you’re both looking great too!”

My grandparents laughed at this.

“Time’s been kind to us, Julianna…” my grandfather said.

“What brings you both here?” I asked, obviously curious as my mother came to sit with us.

“It’s been too long…” my grandmother mentioned. “But your mother tells me you wanted to know about our family…”

“Julianna is trying to learn about our heritage to help her wrestling career…” my mother added.

“She’s doing quite well in that…” my grandfather said. “...better than you did Elisa, I’ll say that.”

“Dad, wouldn’t you want your child to be more successful than you?”

There was a bit of laughter.

“What’s the best story you can tell Julianna about our family?”

“How about the fact that way back when, the three of us were in East Berlin, Cold War… rough life…”

I suddenly became more attentive.

“Julianna, prior to the birth of your mother, your grandmother and I were dirt poor. We were just barely getting by. As you know during that time, things were rough on Germany. The divide split our extended family apart. We were doing everything that we could to survive…”

“Yes… we were working so dirt poor that if one of us were unemployed, we’d be out on the street with no hope at all. But then… I got pregnant with your mother and that changed everything…”

“I can only imagine how hard that must have been… just trying to scrape by as is when you had a horrible economic environment and then suddenly, you have a child on the way…”

“And family on the other side of the Wall…” my grandfather added. “Once your mother was born, the struggle got harder. Everything we had, we obviously had to provide to her. It got to a point where I had to steal food from the markets just to survive… and I was even caught and arrested for it…”

“We were worried that he wasn’t going to survive being in jail because of how difficult it was to even feed ourselves. But he found a way and he escaped. He was a fugitive at that point and we decided we had to do the only thing that we could and that was escape over the Wall…”

I was mystified by what I was hearing and starting to gain a great sense for my heritage.

“So, our neighbors and I decided to work together and we managed to get in touch with extended family on the other side of the Wall. They were going to be waiting for us. One night, we decided to all escape together and to make a painful and graphic story short, the moment the guards saw us, they shot at us…”

“I had to shield your mother to the best of my ability…” my grandmother reflected. “She was only five months old at the time we decided to escape.”

“I was even hit in the leg…” my father reflected. “But the adrenaline kept us going. We made it to the wall, but our neighbors were shot down. They didn’t make it. We got to the wall, hungry and in so much pain. We should’ve been shot down ourselves, but we were very fortunate that others were trying to escape and that the guards were more focused on them, then on us. We put your mother over the wall first, then your grandmother went next and it took help on both sides of the wall with a gentlemen nice enough to help me get over even, before we were all safe on the other side.”

“You risked everything for my mother… and survived…”

“Exactly, honey…” my mother added. “Everything could’ve gone wrong. The odds were against them, and myself, when it came to survival, but we all made it. That’s how strong our family is. That’s why we’re as hard headed as we are. That’s why you’re as hard headed and stubborn as you are sometimes and why when things get rough and things look bleak, you always find a way to push and overcome no matter what. That’s why you’re a great professional wrestler that has overcome the worst you’ll ever experience in your career and why you’re an even stronger person that survived your father’s emotional abuse…”

I definitely felt that inspiration in my soul.

“Suddenly, my recent issues in my wrestling career feel like they don’t mean nearly as much…” I said with a laugh. “I had this skewed perspective on things thinking that every last setback was the end of the world and that every little thing going wrong was going to bring me down only to find out that… I’ve had it so much better than I thought I did at times. But when I hear what I just heard, it just tells me that… I can overcome ANYTHING… ANYBODY… if you three survived the Berlin Wall and all the famine you had to deal with, then I certainly come from such an amazing, strong family that never gives up and pushes forward no matter how hard things get…”

“That’s why I brought my parents here…” my mother told me. “...so that you can understand where you come from and exactly who you are and why complaining and acting like any little setback is the end of the world is not the healthiest thing.”

“Thank you for that, mother… and thank you both for telling me that story and for sacrificing everything to make sure that my mother had the best quality of life you could give her. You’re both heroes to me for doing what you did…”

I exchanged an embrace with both of my grandparents.

“You are a vibrant, strong young lady with a better future than even you can imagine…” my grandfather told me.

“Someone like you is a gift…” my grandmother added. “Those great things you’ve done in your career… you’ve had it in your blood the entire time… from us… from our ancestors. You’re doing our family proud, Julianna…”

“Don’t ever sell yourself short again, got it?” my mother asked me. “I don’t ever want to hear you put yourself down and wish a certain thing was better. You made the most out of that world title run, and you will have another someday. I believe in you… we all believe in you!”

“Thank you all so much… for everything…”

My grandparents continued the conversation with my mother in German at this point and my mother was already beginning to prepare dinner. I sat on the couch and looked at my mother’s decorating job again, the memories she chose to hang on the wall suddenly carrying far more meaning to me than I could imagine. I was definitely in an amazing mood with a greater self-esteem upon hearing the story of my grandparents and the Berlin Wall… and it was a mood that carried me over to the cruise…

July 30

“I had a feeling it ran in the family…” my boyfriend Liam told me as we were on the cruise together. I had just explained to him the story that my grandparents told me about how they managed to survive what they did. “I wish I could’ve been there to hear that.”

“You’ll get a chance to meet them, I hope. But, hearing their story has really caused me to think about things differently in SCW. I’ve had it so wrong, Liam…”

I sighed as I stood up from the chair I was sitting on and overlooking the ocean from the deck.

“I treated every little bad thing as if it was the end of the world all because of this stupid thought in the back of my mind that I didn’t deserve to be in the spot that I was in at that point. I was never supposed to be in the world title picture so soon, especially at High Stakes. But there I was…”

“No matter how you, or anyone feels about the circumstances, you certainly deserved to be there. You wouldn’t have held the world title as long as you did if you didn’t deserve to be there. You made the most out of a very difficult situation, Julianna and that’s what always drew me to you. You truly underestimate how strong and how powerful you really are. What you did with that reign and that undefeated run is unlike anything the company has ever seen before and unlike anything that will ever be seen again. Sure, at points things were flawed. But nobody would’ve made the most out of the situation any better than you did…”

I was smiling at this point as I was looking back at Liam who was approaching me.

“You really do mean that…” I said with a laugh.

“Of course I do. It hurt like hell hearing you pick apart your own accomplishments and taking the negative to heart so much. I always felt like you were better than that and I’m happy to see that you’ve learned much more about the family that your father kept you away from so much. So many of those women that tried to shade you and pour dirt on you over the silliest thing regarding your reign would have crumbled if they were in the same situation that you were in.”

“Oh you’re fucking right about that…” I said without hesitation. “Plus you and I both know that much of the shade and much of the bullshit was jealousy on their part anyway. I got to a spot they all wanted to be in so badly, faster than just about anyone in the company’s history and they didn’t like it. It’s crazy because for months, I was so down on my reign and I felt nothing but disappointment and regret because it didn’t have the outcome I wanted in the end, but after hearing the stories of where my family comes from and some of the obstacles they had to deal with, I don’t feel that way anymore…”

“THANK GOD… FINALLY!” Liam said with a laugh. “You’re in the right headspace for Sunday, and going forward in the company no matter what happens on Sunday…”

“UGH… LIAM…” I said with an annoyed scoff. “I don’t want to hear ‘no matter what happens on Sunday’. I get that the outcome of any wrestling match doesn’t define me, but I can’t leave the door open in my mind for doubt to creep in, especially not now, especially being as inspired as I am now that I know so much more about who I really am as a person and where I come from. I’m going to beat Tempest. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks and if there’s one weakness about my world title reign that I AM going to address going forward it’s that I gave too much of a shit about what unimportant people in the grand scheme of things thought. Whoever was mocking me, dismissing me and laughing at me after I lost to Kayla twice in a row won’t mean SHIT to me anymore and they’re going to be silenced for good after I beat Tempest, ‘do the impossible’, and become Internet Champion. There’s nothing or anyone that’s going to slow me down anymore… and I’m especially NOT going to be my own worst enemy now…

If my grandparents can survive the famine they lived through in East Berlin and escape through the wall…

If my mother can overcome years of my father’s controlling, emotional abuse and the embarrassment of a one night title reign that she had back in Germany…

Then I sure as hell can overcome all the shit I’ve been dealing with the last month. Liam, I think… finally… I’m learning who Julianna DiMaria fucking is…”

“Not to brag, but I’ve known… and it warms my heart to see that person coming out of you finally. Sorry about the ‘no matter what happens’ phrase. With that attitude you just showed me, you’re going to carve out a memorable career in SCW even after that unreal run you had at the start. I’m seeing the person I always knew you were… and I fucking love her more now that she’s in the flesh…”

“Thank you so much…”

Liam and I exchanged a kiss.

“I’m not going to be my own anchor anymore….”

That inspiration was still flowing through me as we both sat back down in our chairs and continued to overlook the ocean from the deck. This epiphany and the love I was gaining for myself definitely made this a memorable night…

But come Sunday…

I know in my heart it’ll be another memorable night for me…

August 2, 2024

I was in my own private lounge on the cruise at this point, reflecting on how everything was suddenly coming up roses for me and a self-esteem that was suddenly beginning to grow. I remembered my mother and where she came from, how she had to overcome so much and sacrifice so much not just to be the world champion wrestler she was back in Germany, but also the mother that she was to me. I thought about my grandparents and what they had to survive that ultimately led to my own life. I reflected on what I’ve endured from my father to some of the companies that I wrestled in, to the idiots like Courtney Pierce, realizing all I’ve done is get stronger with time.

“The bigger the mountain, the better the conquest…” I said with confidence. “I’ve been learning a hell of a lot of that, especially since I came here. Some people would say I had it too easy in this company from the moment I got here, but I beg to differ on that. Not many face a Hall of Fame member in their third match and win. Not many get to be in a world championship match on the grandest stage of them all in just their sixth match, let alone win the fucking thing. I accomplished that in spite of myself at times, but I also accomplished that coming off the heels of a truly bad stretch of my career where there wasn’t much hope happening with me and you can even make the argument that SCW only signed me because I was a name they had on their list for a good year or two before I came on board. Anyone that was going through what I went through prior to SCW shouldn’t have even come close to doing what I did. We all have our challenges and our adversity, Tempest. You and I have both broke down some walls over our careers. But at the end of the day, this match isn’t going to come down to who is stronger or who is better…

This match is going to be a battle of willpower…

To win this match and to be the SCW Bombshells Internet Champion, in this particular match, you have to persevere… you have to believe in yourself… you have to get after it, hold nothing back and don’t come off intimidated for a second. Tempest, there’s reason to believe that you have hit some of these marks that I’ve just mentioned, but in listening to what you had to say? I really hate to say it, and I don’t want to say it. But, I was expecting more from you. Maybe it’s because I’m so jaded I’m used to the kind of talk that I’ve heard from so many other Bombshells over the last few months, but I was expecting you to be more aggressive. I was expecting you to really be blunt and to the point because I’ve HEARD you be that. I’ve HEARD you verbally eviscerate the likes of Courtney and Eiley before you subsequently wiped the floor with them in the ring. But what I heard when I heard you talk is someone that might be in her own head JUST a little more than she wants to let on.

After all, you were even quick to admit that you didn’t know how you wanted to address me or what you wanted to say to me when you meandered a little too much for my liking. I take that, Tempest, as a sign that you’re going to go into this match not having a CLEAR idea of who I am or who you’re dealing with and that to me, proves that you’re mentally vulnerable… more than vulnerable enough to pick you apart psychologically and take that championship from you. Even if you were recycling the same drivel I’ve heard before from other people or even if you came at me with the same old ‘intimidation talk’ that people your size like to go with, it’s still SOMETHING! To beat your opponent, Tempest, you have to KNOW your opponent and hearing what you had to say beyond all the meandering about the science of the promo and about how much of a necessary evil it is, I think it’s as clear as day that you either expended what you had to say about me going into this match or you truly don’t know me at all…

I mean for fuck’s sake, you even categorized me as the ‘same old Barbie doll”... to a lighter extent albeit… but are you fucking serious? That’s IT? That’s the fucking best that you have? Grouping me, wrongly at that, with other bitches? When have I ever mentioned my looks in a promo? When have I ever tried to get by on looks during a match here? Okay yeah, I’m a pretty face. What the fuck ever on that, Tempest, but you don’t see me posting bikini and lingerie pics on Twitter and hashtagging “Sexy Sunday” on them like the Twitter THOTS that infest our business in SCW and beyond. I have never, ever made what I am about in that ring all about my looks, or even about my looks at all and the fact that you’d even go there is damn insulting… to a lesser woman that is…

But me? That’s something that I can brush aside even though it irks the hell out of me that you would even go there at all. I get where you were TRYING to go with that, but if that’s the best you can say about me aside from all the showery praises and such, then it tells me that not only do you barely know me, but you might even be a little bit intimidated by me. You’re over there talking about how I am going to be the toughest defense of your reign and I am not going to argue that fact, but the true fact of the matter is Tempest, is that your opponent is only as good as you make them out to be in your own mind. Your meandering and your lack of any real argument as to why you’re going to beat me, why you’re better than me, and why you’re going to remain the Internet Champion tells me that you’re psyching yourself out over me.

You’re afraid that on this cruise, this is it for you. You didn’t express the doubt in your promo, but I could feel that. I felt as though you held back quite a bit trying to figure out what to say about me while I went for the jugular, saying how it is, expecting that you would do the same thing right back only to find out that the big monster that most other Bombshells would fear is somewhat of a big softie at heart. Are you going to be as tentative in the ring as you were when you said whatever the hell it is you wanted to say about me? Because if that tentativeness is a sign of things to come, then your Internet Championship reign is over. As much as I respect you, I’m not going into this match singing your flowery praises. I’m going in there and I am doing what the fuck I need to do. I am going in there determined and ready to be the Internet Champion and to take that title, launch it into the stratosphere and with that reign, surpass what I just accomplished as the SCW Bombshells World Champion.

Is the doubt that you can beat me?

Or is the doubt that I meant what I said before we started shooting barbs at each other… or I suppose the reality of the situation is, me shooting barbs at you while I’m getting Barbies in return…

Because I meant what I said. I want to face you. I want to beat you. I want to be the one that ends your reign. I want to make the most out of this opportunity. If you’re even focused for a split second over whether or not I meant what I said or whether or not you can trust what I said, then at this point, I’m just living in your head rent free and you’re not going to have nearly the amount of willpower it’s going to take to beat me because I’ve done so much reflecting and so much learning about myself and where I come from that has helped me push through my own obstacles that I’ve placed before me… and after hearing what you had to say, which really wasn’t anything of any real substance, sorry not sorry to say, I wonder if those same obstacles that I used to place in front of myself, you’re doing the same. Behind someone that is a physically imposing presence is someone that deep in her own mind is far more fragile than even she realizes and putting things into the context that I’ve been putting it, if you were about my size, people would be shocked that you’ve even had the title as long as you have because hearing what you have to say, if you don’t have the stomach to even TRY to break me down no matter how bullshit it is, then I have every reason to think that you won’t have the stomach to do what you need to do to keep that championship.

NOW it makes sense why you’ve been inconsistent…

NOW it makes sense why you’ve had spells of injuries or spells of being on the shelf for whatever reason…

NOW I get why it took you an eternity to even be a singles champion at all…

Because you’re not that capable of persevering when things are at their toughest… at least not as far as this company or your wrestling career is concerned. I don’t know about your personal life at all and I’m not going to dive into that. You’re the kind of wrestler that is capable of beating the wrestlers that anyone can beat on any given night… you know… your Arianas and your Krystals and your Seleanas and even your Calaways and Dahls and Prudence Pierces….

But when that pressure gets too tough for you… when that opponent is JUST too much for you…”

I paused and gave a quick finger snap.

“It’s over…

You come across an obstacle that just might be too much for you inside of your own mind, you collapse faster than a house of cards and even get to a point where you’re losing to people that you shouldn’t be losing to… like that non-title match against Mercedes for instance…

I’M that obstacle that is going to be too much for you, Tempest… and your lack of ability to REALLY know me and to make a convincing argument as to why I’m not good enough to beat you proves that. You don’t have the will that I do… to reach for that brass ring, to get what you deserve, to thrive in the situation I was in last year when I was basically thrown into the fire and the High Stakes main event out of nowhere only to bring that championship back to respectability after my predecessor allowed said championship to sink into the fucking ground. You would’ve never been able to pull off what I did, Tempest. You would’ve been meekly going after Courtney talking about how surprised you were to be there and questioning whether you truly deserved it.

Me?

I don’t question shit about myself anymore, not in front of the camera, not behind the scenes. I had to have so much more willpower to endure what I endured during my reign and to a degree what I am still enduring after the fact. I’ve survived and overcome my own father, blatant misogyny in other places I’ve wrestled in, other places treating me like a joke and more importantly, my own psyche at times. I know who I am… as a wrestler… as a woman… even if I’m JUST starting to learn this information. I KNOW where I come from, I know what I’m about. I have grown a high sense of self-esteem as of late and I am leaving no doubt in my mind I am going to win on Sunday and no doubt that I’ve got more will and confidence to win this than you do. You came at me meek and timid and clearly not knowing what to say about me while I came in confident, bold, pulling no fucking punches and breaking down your flaws… in your reign, and the difference between what you TRY to be and what you REALLY are…

You held back in that promo, Tempest. You made it too much about fighting the good fight.

I don’t want to just fight the fucking good fight, I want to fucking WIN!

I am going to WIN!

I KNOW I persevere BETTER than you do… I know I’ve got a stronger WILL than you do…

If you want to doubt me, just listen to how we’ve built up this match and tell me who TRULY believes they’re going to win on Sunday and who is bracing for the fucking worst…

I KNOW who I am and what I am about now, Tempest.

Do you?”

I narrowed my eyes with anger and annoyance before shutting off the camera and continuing to take pride in my own personal growth over my time in Sin City Wrestling… growth that I KNOW will make me a champion in the company again…