[SCW Staff]

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

[Mercedes Vargas]

[At Blaze of Glory XIV, two legends meet not for titles, not for accolades — but for legacy.

Crystal Zdunich and Mercedes Vargas have walked the same roads, shared the same spotlight, the same hunger and even carved their names into the same era.

But time and pride have turned respect into resentment — and rivalry into warfare.

Crystal Zdunich — the artist, the showwoman, the eternal reinvention. Every era of her career has told a new story: the dreamer, the fighter, the champion, the survivor. She’s adapted when others broke, rebuilt herself when the world doubted, and stood tall in moments meant to break her spirit. Her legacy isn’t defined by championships — it’s defined by defiance, passion, and the refusal to ever fade quietly. She fights for validation, for family, and for her right to be remembered on her own terms.

Mercedes Vargas — the standard-bearer, the iron will, the unparalleled constant of dominance. She’s the measuring stick by which every other competitor has been judged. Year after year, reign after reign, she’s been the storm that others endure — if they’re lucky enough to survive at all. Her name commands respect through results, through pain, through legacy.

But Crystal has always been the one name she’s never conquered without scars, the one opponent who won’t bend, who won’t yield — who refuses to be conquered without leaving a mark.

And now, that mark becomes permanent.

At Blaze of Glory XIV, they meet with nothing left to lose and everything to define. Their feud has outgrown titles, accolades, and even reason. It is no longer about proving who is the best — it is about proving who will last.

Now, their war reaches its crescendo under the merciless rules of a Japanese Death Match - a battleground where skill meets brutality, and endurance becomes agony’s twin.

No disqualifications.
No limits.
No mercy.
No escape.

Just two women, one ring, and a thousand broken memories.

For Crystal, this is redemption — a chance to silence a decade of doubt and prove not only that she belongs among legends, but that she is one. For her, pain is temporary… legacy is eternal.

For Mercedes, it’s the reaffirmation of dominance — the final stroke in a masterpiece of destruction that’s stretched across generations. For her, the match isn’t about winning; it’s about erasing every question ever asked of her greatness.

At Blaze of Glory XIV, this isn’t just another match.

This isn’t rivalry anymore.
It’s finality.
It’s fury.

What happens when legacy meets hatred under unrelenting light? When two icons stare into eternity, knowing only one will remain standing? When survival becomes the only prize worth claiming?

This is their story’s final chapter… the defining moment that will echo far beyond the bruises, the glass, and the scars.

When the dust clears, and the mat runs red with the cost of greatness, only one name will endure, only one name will be etched in history.

The fallen will fade. The survivor will be immortal.

Crystal Zdunich. Mercedes Vargas.

Blaze of Glory XIV.

When the fire burns out — only legends remain.

~~~

Almighty Fire
semana del 22 de febrero al marzo de 1 de 2026

You know, experience teaches you things that flash and fame never will. The longer you survive in this business, the easier it is to see the line between confidence and desperation. And when someone’s desperate? You can tell. They start calling family for backup. They start pretending it’s about pride when really, it’s about fear.

Crystal Zdunich? She’s desperate. Every time she reinvents herself, she’s chasing something she already lost — relevance, credibility, maybe even a little dignity. She keeps moving because standing still would mean facing the truth: she peaked a long time ago.

I’ve seen her type. Stars that flash bright, burn fast, and vanish before they realize it’s over. But me? I’m not a flame that fades. Soy el fuego que permanece. I’m the fire that stays. I’ve outlasted eras, champions, and “next big things” so many times that people stopped counting. I’ve watched names rise on hype alone, and I’ve watched them crumble when they realize hype doesn’t keep you standing after the third decade. Hype rises, hype falls, but I’m still here.

Most people don’t get it. Survival isn’t about who shines the brightest — it’s about who keeps standing when the lights go out.

Crystal Zdunich is scared — of losing, of being forgotten, of facing me one-on-one with nowhere to hide.

So this past Sunday, she brought her family. Zenna. Seleana. Strength in numbers, right? That only works when the people you’re standing across from don’t bite harder. And the Metal Maniacs? Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister? They live for that fight. They don’t care about fame, they care about pain. Perfect partners, really.

Zenna, Seleana... I respect loyalty. But loyalty didn’t save you on Sunday. The Metal Maniacs didn't flinch. They didn't hesitate. And neither did I. Once the bell rang, emotion didn't matter. This was about control. Momentum. Message. El mensaje fue claro — no se juega conmigo.

Blaze of Glory XIV — a Japanese Death Match. I’ve fought in almost every kind of match you can name, but that one? That’s mine. When the ropes turn to barbed wire and the mat turns to glass, there’s no pretending anymore. That’s when truth shows up — when the pain strips everything else away. And the truth is, Crystal can’t endure what I can.

You can dress it up however you want, but the battlefield doesn’t lie. Every cut, every scar, every scream — they’ll speak louder than either of us ever could. Crystal wants to play the martyr? Then she’ll bleed for the part. Because when the truth and the punishment meet in that ring, everyone will see what I already know — she’s never been on my level, and she never will be.

I’ll make sure everyone remembers Blaze of Glory as the night her career ended — en dos idiomas, just to make sure her wife and sister‑in‑law get the message.

At Blaze of Glory XIV, in that Japanese Death Match, it won’t be lights, camera, action — it’ll be lights out for Crystal. When the smoke clears, Mercedes Vargas will be standing tall — just like always. Some people spend their whole careers trying to build a moment that defines them. Me? I build moments that end others. That’s the difference between history... and hype.

Sunday reminded her why I’m still the measuring stick in this company. At Blaze of Glory, I finish the story she keeps trying to rewrite. For months, she’s been chasing redemption like it’s a trophy, but redemption doesn’t come from hashtags or family photos. La redención se gana con sangre, no con filtros. It comes from surviving the kind of pain that makes you question everything you are — and she’s never been built for that level of truth.

Crystal, you should’ve stayed in your fairytale world — all glitz, glamour, and Instagram filters. But you dragged your wife and your sister-in-law into the fire because you wanted to “prove a point.” The only thing you’re proving is that you never learn. And when this is over, they’ll look at you not as a warrior, but as a warning.

I don’t need chaos to win — but I enjoy it. And this past Sunday at Climax Control, I savored every second of watching the Zdunich name crumble. That wasn’t a tag match — it was la antesala del infierno. The slow burn before the inferno.

Sunday was the preview. Blaze of Glory is the masterpiece. And when it’s over, the only star left shining will be me.

Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

~~~

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – MORNING

[The old boat‑restaurant sways gently on the tide. Sunlight cuts across scuffed decks, mismatched tables, and framed jerseys that double as décor. Sea salt glitters on the windows.

Behind the counter, Mercedes tapes her wrist, a veteran of rings and dinner rushes. Steam curls from the espresso machine — another relic clinging to service. She studies her reflection in the chrome surface, jaw set.

The door slams open. Hugo barrels in wearing a referee shirt and boundless enthusiasm.]

HUGO
Alright, team! Today’s the day. Brunch Bowl Finals. Our Super Sunday. Big crowd, big tips!

[Mercedes doesn’t look up.]

MERCEDES
You said that last week. And the week before. You really think mimosas count as a sport?

HUGO
Only when you serve them under pressure.

[He grins]

Hugo
Come on, Mercedes — meet me halfway. Spirits up, sleeves rolled, teamwork alive.

[She keeps wiping the counter, unimpressed.]

[Ricardo strides in, over‑dressed, lugging grocery bags like stage props.]

RICARDO
If brunch is a sport, we already lost the season. And why is there no champagne?

HUGO
Budget cuts. Orange juice and ambition only.

RICARDO
Barbaric.

[He drops the bags. Notices Mercedes taping her wrist.]

RICARDO
Tell me that’s not from the industrial mixer again.

MERCEDES
It’s nothing. Just old damage acting up.

HUGO
You sure you’re good for the shift? We’re gonna get slammed.

MERCEDES
I’ve wrestled worse than brunch.

[A beat — she starts retying the tape tighter.]

HUGO
Mercedes, you can’t skip out today. It’s the Brunch Bowl Finals!

MERCEDES
Finals of what, Hugo?

HUGO
Brunch — you know that.

MERCEDES
Good. Then you’ll survive overtime.
Got a call last night. Tampa needs a stand‑in. One night only.

HUGO
Wait — you’re bailing now? Brunch Bowl’s our busiest day.

[She softens slightly, but doesn’t look at him.]

MERCEDES
Yeah. Bills don’t wait, Hugo.

HUGO
Neither do customers.

[A tense, awkward silence hangs. Irma appears from the pantry, a streak of blue paint on her cheek and a half‑finished portrait in hand — Mercedes, heroic, wielding a frying pan like a championship belt.]

IRMA
You’re wrestling again?! That’s amazing! You’re still healing legends through piledrivers.

MERCEDES
It’s not amazing, Irma. It’s a favor. To a friend. And rent’s due.

RICARDO
Touché. Every great comeback starts with unpaid bills.

[Tomás trudges in, half‑awake, clutching yesterday’s coffee.]

TOMÁS
Miracle’s not that she’s wrestling again. It’s that this place still runs. That espresso machine’s living on prayer and duct tape.

[The espresso machine groans like an injured beast, metal stretching, wiring sizzling. Everyone turns.]

HUGO
Don’t you dare—

[Too late. The machine sputters, spits a jet of steam, and dies with one last hiss. Silence.]

RICARDO
Guess the miracle’s over.

HUGO
We can’t run brunch finals without caffeine!

MERCEDES
Perfect timing. I’m gone one day — maybe you’ll all figure out survival without me.

[She unclips her apron, tosses it onto a chair, and strides out with her old gym bag. The boat rocks harder as the door slams behind her.]

EXT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – CONTINUOUS

[The weather‑beaten sign hangs above the gangway, its salvaged letters uneven, one bulb stubbornly flickering.

Mercedes pauses halfway down, glances back through the porthole where her crew argues over a mop. She allows a tired smile, then heads for the parking lot where the road meets her past.]

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – LATER

[A motivational huddle circles the dead espresso machine like a doomed pep rally.]

IRMA
Okay, we can fix this. Bob Ross says there are no mistakes — only happy little accidents.

RICARDO
This one feels criminal. He never ran brunch in a sinking restaurant.

[Hugo paces with a clipboard in hand.]

HUGO
Mercedes abandoned us mid‑season. We adapt. We rebuild. Tomás, you’re interim barista.

[Tomás points to himself, incredulous.]

TOMÁS
I barely pour cereal. My résumé says “part‑time taste‑tester.”

HUGO
You’re promoted. Effective immediately.

RICARDO
So the blind leads the lazy. Excellent.

[Irma pokes at some wiring. The machine  wheezes, spits water, and sprays a jet of brown foam across Hugo’s shirt.]

IRMA
Look! It’s breathing!

HUGO
It’s hemorrhaging!

INT. SMALL WRESTLING VENUE – AFTERNOON

[Old gym lights hum. A faded banner reads FLORIDA SLAM FEST. Mercedes peers through the curtain at the crowd — smaller than she remembers, loyal as ever, just families and die‑hards. Faded posters of her glory days line the gym walls. The ring’s canvas looks roughly as patched as the restaurant’s deck. Her old entrance theme plays low over static speakers.

A promoter, mid‑50s, claps her on the shoulder.]

PROMOTER
Knew you’d come through. Folks still remember the Hammer Slam Queen.

[Mercedes forces a grin.]

MERCEDES
Yeah, well, the Hammer needs caffeine. My crew’s got that covered.

[He laughs, walks off. She looks down at her taped wrist, flexes. The sound of the crowd swells faintly. Her eyes flicker — pride mixed with hesitation.]

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – SAME TIME

[The restaurant dissolves into chaos‑with‑heart. Ricardo quotes Shakespeare while Irma paints a hand‑made sign: OUT OF ORDER (BUT LIKE, IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY). Tomás balances on a stool, wrench in hand, clearly winging it.]

RICARDO
“All the world’s a stage,” and apparently ours leaks espresso.

[Hugo rallies everyone with a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder like a coach’s cape.]

HUGO
We adapt! We overcome! Today, we serve iced coffee only — it’s strategic hydration.

[Tomás slips; boiling water splashes dangerously. Irma catches the cup before it hits the floor.]

IRMA
Teamwork!

[Hugo points to her dramatically.]

HUGO
That’s what the captain would say.

[They all share a proud, chaotic beat — then the generator flickers off. Silence. Only the water lapping against the hull.]

TOMÁS
So... brunch is cancelled.

INT. WRESTLING VENUE – LATER

[The match is over. Mercedes breathes hard, sweat and glitter mixed. She raises the rookie opponent’s hand for the crowd. Applause — small but sincere. She catches her face reflected in a trophy case backstage: older, softer around the eyes. She exhales, smiles faintly.

The promoter pats her shoulder.]

PROMOTER
You still got it, Hammer.

MERCEDES
Maybe. Or maybe I just trained someone else to hit harder.

[Her phone buzzes — a selfie from the crew, exhausted, smiling. All covered in espresso splatter and holding a sign that says, “WE WON (KINDA).”

Mercedes laughs quietly, thumb hovering over “Reply.”]

MERCEDES
Missed the finals, huh?

[She starts typing back.]

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – NIGHT

[The espresso machine hums again, faint but alive. Mercedes steps in, duffel slung over one shoulder. The crew freezes mid‑cleanup like kids caught past curfew.]

MERCEDES
No fires?

[Silence.]

HUGO
Technically, steam counts as vapor, not smoke.

[She smirks, moves behind the counter, adjusts the steam knob.]

MERCEDES
You held the line. Proud of you.

[Hugo perks up.]

HUGO
Does that make me your tag‑team partner?

MERCEDES
Don’t push it.

[Irma hangs her finished portrait — Mercedes with one hand in the air, one on the espresso handle. Warrior in service apron. The whole crew stands back, admiring it under flickering light.

The boat rocks gently. The espresso machine hisses back to life, triumphant.]

RICARDO
For the record, that’s the best performance espresso’s ever given.

Mercedes
Or divine intervention.

IRMA
Nah. Just teamwork.

[FADE OUT.]

~~~

Present Day ♦ S A N T A M O N I C A • C A L I F O R N I A

[REC•]

Scene Location: Santa Monica Pier - West End

[The lens opens on a view of the Santa Monica Pier at golden hour, the late sun casting a warm glow over the Ferris wheel's slow spin and the endless Pacific waves crashing below. The camera glides across the pier's wooden planks, past colorful carnival lights flickering to life, slow drips of condensation sliding down untouched cocktails arranged in perfect symmetry on a seaside table. Mercedes Vargas sits alone at an edge-table overlooking the ocean horizon — immaculate, unapologetically calm. She wears white silk that catches the hour’s last flare, one knee crossed over the other. Her phone rests on the table, face down. She doesn’t look at it.

Only then does she glance into the camera.]

“You ever notice how people love to believe they made you?” her voice is steady, words shaped by poise. “They see your success, your calm, and they start whispering—She’s only here because of me."

[Her mouth curves—not quite a smile, closer to memory.]

"Crystal, that was your favorite song, wasn’t it? That you pulled my strings. That you knew the secret language to control me."

[The expression hardens, humor erased.]

“I let you believe that. Because letting you believe you mattered… was the most efficient way to keep you predictable. That’s the thing, Crystal—I don’t get angry. I don’t lose control. And I don’t need anyone’s permission to be the villain in their story.”

[Mercedes leans back in her chair, voice unhurried, every beat measured, the distant call of seagulls and roller coaster laughter underscoring her words.]

"People forget I've been in SCW 13 years straight—you're closing in on 12. Difference? I've watched flashes—even decorated ones—burn bright, fast, loud… then choke on their smoke."

[She raises the glass from the table, turning it slowly in her hand — white wine catching the light like liquid gold.]

“‘Japanese Death Match.’ They say it like it’s supposed to scare me. Like glass, barbed wire, or blood ever made me hesitate.”

[Her tone lowers.]

 “You hear death—I hear legacy.

“The difference between us is that you fight to prove you’re still relevant… and I fight because I already know I am.”

[The camera tightens on her face; the skyline balance fades behind.]

“You think I turned on your family out of spite? No, Crystal. I turned on you because you got comfortable. Because you started measuring yourself in pity—‘poor Crystal,’ the misunderstood starlet, the eternal victim of her own heart.

"What kind of champion cries in her own mirror? What kind of woman tells the world she’s strong, but still needs saving every time she falls apart?"

[Her eyes narrow slightly, voice softening only to twist with precision, a salty ocean breeze ruffling her hair.]

“You said I poisoned you against your wife, your sister-in-law. Cute. But I didn’t poison you—I just showed you what was always there. The cracks were in your reflection, not my voice.”

[She taps the rim of the glass gently — a single clear note.]

“I watched you crumble under your own performance, because that’s what you do. You perform. You bleed pretty, cry on cue, and call it growth. But growth is what happens after the breaking. You? You never heal. You recycle the same heartbreak, season after season.”

Her gaze drops to the wine for a moment, then back to the lens.

“And now—you want to turn this into war? Mamita, you couldn’t survive peace with me. What makes you think you’ll survive war?”

[Mercedes lowers the glass, leaning slightly forward. Her eyes sharpen without raising her voice.]

“The Japanese Death Match isn’t about weapons. It’s about will. About how much of yourself you can burn away and still rise with purpose.”

[Her tone cools, each word deliberate.]

“I’ve done that for years. Every time this company tried to bury me, I turned the dirt into armor. Every time someone wrote ‘Mercedes Vargas is done,’ I reminded them—I define done."

[Silence lingers, controlled and deliberate.]

“Meanwhile, Crystal Zdunich needs an audience,” Mercedes continues. “You need the drama—the hashtags, the tragedy filters, the crying selfies when the story stops going your way. Your whole career is built on the illusion that weakness equals empathy.”

[Mercedes gives a light, almost amused scoff.]

“You ever wonder why people stopped defending you? Because they’ve seen it too many times. Every partner becomes a villain. Every feud becomes personal. Every loss becomes a ‘lesson.’

“Except this one won’t.

“When this is over, there won’t be a redemption arc waiting for you. There won’t be a speech about fighting for your family. There’ll just be silence.”

[She sits back, eyes glinting against the reflection of the skyline lights beginning to flicker on.]

“You used to say I reminded you of who you wanted to be one day,”

[Mercedes says quietly.]

“Congratulations—you’ve arrived. You’re about to find out what it’s like to stand across from someone who doesn’t need to hate you to destroy you.

“I don’t hate you, Crystal. You’re not worth hate. Hate’s exhausting—it takes energy. And you don’t drain me, you bore me.”

[She exhales softly, tilting her head.]

“Perdóname,” but the moment you put your hands on what’s mine, you stopped being complicated and started being a liability. And the thing about liabilities? You cut them off. Cleanly. Efficiently.”

[Mercedes reaches for the phone. The screen brightens, revealing a photo of her and Crystal—smiling, victorious, championship gold draped across their shoulders. She studies it for a beat, then clicks it dark again and sets it down.]

“Do you remember this night? Of course you do. Every fake friend remembers their victories—it’s the losses they rewrite. You told me that night that we’d be ‘untouchable.’”

[She meets the camera squarely.]

“You were half-right. I am.”

[Mercedes’ tone lowers, Spanish threading through like a blade slid between ribs.]

“No todos los fantasmas son invisibles, Crystal. Algunos caminan contigo hasta que te cansas.”

“That means not every ghost is invisible. Some walk beside you until you’re tired. And when you finally try to let go… they drag you down with them.”

[Mercedes’ gaze fixes, unblinking.]

“You’ve been haunting me for too long, vieja amiga. And honestly—I’m bored of pretending your ghost still has teeth.”

[She inhales through her nose, setting the glass aside, movement deliberate and precise.]

“When that bell rings, I’ll give you something real to feel again. No theatrics. No tears. No ‘rebuilding story.’ Just consequence.

“Because someone has to remind you that there’s a difference between surviving the spotlight… and surviving me.”

[She straightens in her chair, gaze never leaving the camera.]

“When I walk out of Blaze of Glory, I won’t be Bloody Mercedes. I won’t be Scorned Mercedes. I’ll just be what I’ve always been—the woman who finishes what everyone else starts.”

[A quiet beat.]

“The glass breaks, the light fades, and still—I’m here. You? You vanish the moment the applause stops.”

[Finally, a sliver of a smirk finds her mouth, not warm, not kind, just amused.]

“See you at the end, Crystal. Bring your ghosts. I’ll bring absolution. Because in a Japanese Death Match, there’s no heaven left—only what I decide survives the fire.”

[Mercedes leans in close to the lens. The city lights reflect like small explosions across her pupils as she whispers—]

“No mercy, no fear… sólo destino.”

[The recording light blinks once, then cuts to black.]

[Crystal Zdunich]

Los Angeles, California
Zdunich Home

A few weeks had gone by since Crystal Zdunich had lost her World Bombshell Championship to Kayla Richards. The former World Champion just sat at home on her couch as she held a remote controller in her hand and she kept cycling through her match from a couple of weeks ago. She kept playing through the last moments of her match with Kayla as Richards locked her submission on her and Crystal clawed and fought her way to the ropes but to no avail. There it was on the screen in front of her. The referee checking her arm on three different occasions and her arm going limp for all three of them, Crystal quickly turned the television off but it wasn’t without her fifteen year old daughter Aurora walking into the living room with her pajamas on. The teenage Mexican girl sits down next to her mother as she gazes over into her eyes and overs a grin.

“Mommy, I just want you to know that I am so proud of you…”

Crystal slowly turns her attention over to the girl as she looks down into her joyful little eyes.

“Proud of me, why are you so proud. I honestly feel like a loser. I wasn’t able to beat Kayla and now she is walking around with the World Championship. On top of that I had the biggest chance to really set the tone of how things are going to be with Seleana and I, and I feel like I let both her and Zenna down in our trios match. I proved to be among the biggest fraud in all of SCW, and it won’t be that long until Mercedes exposes me and she takes me down in our Japanese Death Match…”

Crystal just sighs as she lets out a long deep breath and she tries her best to look away but Aurora quickly shakes her head as she continues to smile. She looks deeply into her mother’s eyes as she places a hand on her leg.

“I don’t see you as a fraud at all. I know you may not be the champion anymore but in my eyes you are the biggest winner in the entire world…”

Crystal rolls her eyes as she slowly gazes back into Aurora’s eyes.

“I am a winner?! In what way do you see me as a winner…”

The girl can only keep her huge smile going as she looks back at her mother.

“I know you didn’t leave with the title and that does suck but I find more important than that is the fact that you were able to bring our family back together. Mama Seleana has been happier since we all moved back in. Our family just wasn’t complete without you. Elijah is happier and this is how I feel that life should be. I know there are going to be bad days but I think the good far outweighs the bad. As long as we have each other we will be able to do anything…”

Aurora points at the television before glancing back at her mother.

“That also includes your wrestling career. So what if you lost the title, this should just give you even more motivation to go out to that ring and win the title back. If there is anybody in this company that possesses the ability to rise back to the top of the fray I know it’s you…”

Crystal raises her eyes in return as she lets just sighs in return.

“Do you really mean that?!”

Aurora smiles passionately.

“Of course I mean that!!!”

Before Aurora could say anything else that is when we the tall and slender Swedish Blonde Seleana walk into the room. Seleana looks down at her wife as she smiles at her.

“Yes, Aurora would not like Chickie. Christina when you put your mind to something you always have a way of getting what you want. You are a woman who works hard and are one of the toughest in the entire world. With your family supporting you there’s nothing to stop you from accomplishing all of your dreams…”

Just hearing her wife talk to her meant she truly was home. It had been a while since Crystal had heard a motivational speech from her wife, but the thick accent was enough to get Crystal to stand up and look at her wife in the eyes.

“You don’t think I am a failure?!”

Seleana quickly shakes her head as she looks back at Crystal.

“Why would I ever think that, Christina you might be a lot of things. I would use words such as passionate, determine, headstrong, and confident to define you… Failure is certainly not one of them. If you losing your title but making sure that your family is intact defines you as a failure than I would wish to be labeled as a failure as well. I know you are going to hold this lost over you for a lifetime but remember that the comeback story is always greater than your initial journey to get to where you wanted to be. You are by no means a failure or even a letdown for that matter…”

“You don’t understand, Kayla beat me in the middle of the ring. Everything that she said about me, I can’t help but maybe accept the fact that she was telling the truth. Perhaps I was making the title a mockery of what it was meant to be by having it be involved in our family feud. It was no longer about being the best but it was about…”

Seleana holds Crystal’s hand as she looks at her in the eyes.

“It was about trying to win me over and fight hard so we could have this…It was about proving that you aren’t that same woman that is addicted to drugs but a woman who is on the mend and is looking to do better for herself…I know I can tell you over and over again but at the end of the day the only one who needs to believe in any of this is you…What do you think my shining Star?! Was all of this worth it?!”

Seleana looks over at Aurora who is looking at them from the couch. She looks at all of the family photos on the wall and looks over in the direction of Elijah’s bedroom, before wrapping her arms around her wife’s neck and gazing down into her eyes.

“Was I worth fighting for?!”

Crystal thinks about it for a few moments as she takes a long deep breath. Her eyes never leave Seleana’s. She follows up by wrapping her arms around her waist in return as she begins to speak back to her.

“It was worth every single moment. Some things, the most important things are what are truly worth fighting for. Truth be told when I won the World Championship from Frankie I felt a certain emptiness about the entire ordeal. I felt like something was missing. Normally when I win a World Championship and I get to the top of the world you know as well as anyone that I would love to gloat about the entire ordeal, but this title win just felt different…”

Seleana raises her eyes in return.

“How different?!”

Crystal nods her head as she speaks some more.

“It just felt different. Even though I shattered the record and did what no person has ever done by winning a sixth title it just felt weird not being able to celebrate with you. On top of that as much as I enjoyed being a champion I just felt it was a tainted victory. I only won the title because of Mercedes and Zenna fighting at ringside. It was the distraction that gave me the win in the first place, and had there been no distractions I don’t even know if I would have even won the title. The reign was bad from the get go and if I could do things differently I definitely would have…”

Seleana just shakes her head as she smiles back at her wife.

“Like I said before, just let it go Christina, you aren’t in a position where you can undo the past, and you shouldn’t be at a place where you should want to hold onto it either. Instead why don’t we focus on the future and on what’s happening right in front of us. As it currently stands you have me which is what you didn’t have before. You also have the children and we just want to support you to the best of our abilities. I also want you to be at a place where you are focused to the task at hand. You will get your World Championship back and I have no doubt in my mind you will go on to win it for a seventh time…”

Seleana smirks.

“But as of right now your main concern should be what’s in front of you and that’s this big match with Mercedes Vargas. Mercedes has always been a snake from the beginning and if there is anybody to blame for what happened you should place the blame solely on her. She is the reason why we were at war with one another. She is the one who almost ruined our marriage and she did all of this because she wanted to be in the spotlight. She is a selfish individual and the moment that she wasn’t the focal point of your team is the moment that she was quick to stab you in the back so that she could be in the limelight. We have had our share of problems but we were able to work it out… Now you need to point all of your frustrations at her…”

Seleana begins to swear in Swedish but Christina nods her head as she looks at her wife.

“Listen, I hear you Seleana… She may have gotten the better of me in our match but come Blaze of Glory I will be prepared for her. I won’t let her be my downfall and I certainly won’t let her get the best of me again. Whatever happens I am going to come at her with everything I got. This long story between us will be finished one way or the other. Mark my words on that…”

Seleana just slowly nods her head.

“Of course it will be because I have reinforcements to help you get ready for your big match. I know you may not like it but I think it is in your best interest if you listen to my sister…”

“You really want me and Zenna to talk to one another, especially after the way she pretty much was against us getting back together…I doubt that…”

Before Crystal could finish her statement that was when the redhead walks into the room. Crystal’s sister in-law just walks over to Crystal and shakes her head at her.

“You doubt what exactly, that I wouldn’t be here to check on you… Listen Christina I know that the two of us don’t really get along with one another and there is still a piece of me that doesn’t truly know if you are good enough for my sister or not. One thing I do know is as your sponsor it’s my job to make sure you stay on the right track in all aspects of your life. I know that any slip might be a chance to relapse and lose all the progress that you made. So if I have to be here to make sure that you keep up on your training so be it… You ready to finally take this match seriously?!”

Crystal laughs as she glances back at Zenna.

‘Only if you are ready to get your ass kicked. Even though we had that tag team match with one another I believe we both got arrested in New Orleans for fighting one another. Why don’t we take this to a wrestling ring and get all of these issues out of our system…”

Zenna can only look back at Crystal with a nodding of the head as they are going to train with one another, and it’s on this image that we slowly fade out on.

It won’t be long until Blaze of Glory is upon us and honestly there are so many thoughts going through my head right now. First and foremost I believe I should address everybody that might be watching this right now. It was about a few weeks ago when I lost the World Bombshell Championship to Kayla Richards. To be honest I could sit here and make up all the excuses on why I lost but truth be told Kayla got the better of me. I wasn’t prepared to be in the ring with a woman such as her and she made sure to pick me a part and she ended up taking the World Championship from me.

I fought as hard as I could. I gave Kayla the fight of a lifetime and I poured everything out into the confines of that ring. I thought I was going to pull it out but once Kayla put on that Ghost Lock my body just gave out on me. Even though I didn’t quit and I fought to the very end, I just didn’t have it in me to win at the end of the night, and the better woman was able to get her hand raised.

Kayla you deserve to be the World Champion and I will give you, but before you continuously stand on your high horse and act like you are the best damn thing in the world. Even though you have that title which basically gives you the right to feel that way, I am going to make something very clear to you.

I will rise back up, the rose will indeed blossom, and by the end of all of this I will make my way back to you and I will take back what you took from me. That’s not a threat, but that’s a promise and I live to make sure that it will come to pass.

Now I could sit here and cry over the spilled milk that was losing my championship but to be honest even though I sulked over losing the belt, I feel like when I beat Frankie for that title I had emptiness from the very start. I would have been gloating and would have been feeling larger than life but I just felt incomplete. My title win was tainted and the only reason why I won the championship is because Mercedes and Zenna caused a distraction.

It’s not like I flat out beat the champion. I only won because I saw an opening and I made the most of a moment. I broke the record for winning the most World Championships ever in this company and it was built on a lie. A lie that wasn’t fought through will and determination, but something built on the concept of a lie.

For far too long people have called me a fraud and a fake, and I don’t want that to be the case anymore. If I am going to do something I want people to acknowledge me for how determined I am in that wrestling ring. I don’t want to get by skating by or being handed something but I want to earn it…

That is why I have issues with this entire ordeal and I am placing the blame solely on that of Mercedes Vargas. This story between Mercedes and I goes back to years well beyond that of SCW. Our journey starts back to a company named Divas Unleashed back in 2008 or so, and continues onward to a company named 3WL shortly after that.

Vargas and I have always been in the ring with one another. We have been enemies and we also stood tall as tag team champions together. Our careers have run parallel to one another and I wouldn’t even be in SCW if I didn’t follow her to this company. As much as we have constantly fought one another I always thought there was a certain level of respect that the two of us had shared for one another.

Last year I felt like I was down on my luck and I will admit that I was grateful that Mercedes was there for me. She wanted the best for me and she helped revitalize my career. I didn’t have much and I know that everybody saw me as the same old flake from the last few years.

Yet Vargas didn’t see that, instead she saw a woman in need and she was willing to take my by her side, or at least that is what I thought. I mean when I look at things now maybe she only saw me as an insurance policy to help her keep the Internet Championship.

However as I started to become more active I started to find my place in the ring again. I started to find my passion in that ring and I started to become consistent. I had shown shades of the old Crystal Hilton and I was well on my way to striving to get back to the top. As soon as the rush for the gold tournament was upon us that is when the script started to flip. I had positioned myself for a World Championship match and Mercedes had basically lost her Internet Championship and lost all of her relevancy.

Harper Mason tried to point it out to me that Mercedes would never let me have the spotlight. She would never be in a position where she would be able to share it but I didn’t listen to that. Mercedes was also in my ear and I let her negative influence cost me my marriage.

I thought that Seleana was overacting when she questioned if I was on drugs and I even got more upset when somebody questioned if I was sleeping around with Mercedes. Why couldn’t people just accept that I was happy to have a woman who I considered a best friend at my side?

Little did I know that everything that everybody was telling me would turn up to be truth, Mercedes was simply plotting for a chance to stab me in the back! When I won the World Championship that is when things started to change. Without the Internet Championship to her name Vargas just wasn’t relevant anymore. People started to talk about me. I was on top of the world and the focus was solely on me.

I thought that she was happy for me but deep down that wasn’t the case. She was biding her time and looking for the perfect opportunity to stab me in the back. She escalated things with my wife and I slowly started to see how things really were. I could see the writing on the wall but I tried my best to ignore it. At the last Super Card she tried to end my wife and I just couldn’t let Seleana go through any of that.

As much as Seleana and I might have been at odds and were separated from one another, it still doesn’t change the fact that Seleana is the mother of my children. She is my wife and is the best thing to have happened in my life. When Vargas was going to end her I made the save and that is when Vargas showed her true colors and she attacked me instead. She gave me a concussion and I was forced to sit on the sidelines for a few weeks.

Maybe it was foolish for me to come back after getting a concussion. Maybe it was even more foolish to step in the ring with Kayla but despite what people might think about me, I am not going to let Vargas tarnish my career. She tried to ruin my marriage, she tried to ruin my career, and it’s all because she was jealous of what I had around my waist?!

Vargas you are truly pathetic, and at Blaze of Glory I am going to end you. In your head you really thought you had the greatest idea didn’t you?! I thought you and I truly had something together. I thought we had a friendship and we would help elevate one another to new heights but that was never the case with you. The only thing you ever wanted to do was fuel your own ego so that you could be elevated. It’s a disgrace and honestly it didn’t even have to come down to this.

Last year was by far one of the greatest years that you have ever had in a very long time. I have watched you reinvent yourself and emerge as a dominant internet Champion. You are continuously showcasing that you have what it takes to stand up to the test of time. You are the oldest Bombshell on the roster but that has never stopped you. With time you are getting wiser and are still finding out ways to be the center of attention.

However you made one big mistake and that was when you decided to put your hands on me, but that’s nothing compared to the way you tried to deconstruct my wife, and I am going to make you pay for all of it. As you can see I didn’t hesitate to put my rematch clause on the line in this match because that doesn’t mean anything to me. I believe in my own abilities and know that I am GOING to be the champion again. I will FIND my way back to the food chain and I don’t need a cheap easy way to get there.

I am the real fucking deal and the old Crystal Hilton is back. I don’t have doubts in ability to get to where I want with my hard work ethic but I have a feeling that isn’t the case when it comes to you. Had you truly believed in yourself you wouldn’t have taken the easy way out just to get here. At Blaze of Glory we are going to fight one another in a Japanese Death Match and now I can do all I want to you and its well within the rules of the match.

I am going to maim you and I am going to make you out to be my personal Bitch. You could never replace me, and you could never be on my level. You had a run as an Internet Champion which is a good thing but I made it back to the top of the food chain again. I won an unprecedented sixth World Championship and I did so by beating the current Blast From The Past winner.

I beat the best that this company had to offer and if that wasn’t enough I won a tournament including the very best of SCW. I proved that I still had it. I know you might have felt happy when you were in control and our partnership showed you at the forefront of things but over time I changed that narrative.

A focused Crystal is definitely one that is not like none other. You just couldn’t take it anymore and you just had to get rid of me.

You haven’t accomplished as I have even though you constantly love to tell yourself stupid statistics that don’t mean a thing such as you have won this amount of matches, and you have done this and done that. Nobody gives a shit to be honest.

It’s like trying to compare Lebron James with that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Sure on paper everyone is going to try to ride Lebron like he is the greatest ever because he broke Kareem’s all-time scoring record and holding onto that like it makes him the most important person in the world, but LeBron is also known as a choke arts and not always winning in the finals and doing what’s needed when it really matters. He also played more seasons than Kareem so yeah of course he would have the scoring record.

Kareem on the other hand has six world championships, six MVPS, and in his twenty seasons of being a professional player he made it to 19 All Star games. That’s just being dominant when it matters.

I may not have been here as long as Vargas has but I made more of my opportunities and I know I am so much better than you. Come Blaze of Glory I am going to show you just how much better than you I am.

Time is ticking and nothing will stop me from proving why I am the best woman to have ever stepped foot in this company. You bring your best because I will put you on the shelf. Mark my words on that…

[Mercedes Vargas]

Almighty Fire
semana del 2 al 9 de marzo de 2026

Blaze of Glory looms. Crystal's words echo—family pep talks, promises of roses blooming, vows to reclaim her throne. Cute. Predictable. Same script, different day.

So now every promo’s another sob story, Crystal? Every loss someone else’s fault, every mistake a sermon about redemption? Sorry, mi reina de las excusas, but tears don't tape up wounds. You lost the World Bombshell Championship fair and square to Kayla Richards. And now you're spinning it as "tainted" because you were distracted? Nah. You lost because you're not built to hold it.

You know, there are moments in this business that stick with you forever — the ones that define who you are and remind everyone why you belong at the top. Story time. Kobe, Japan. May 2016. Climax Control 148. Capacity crowd, lights bright, big fight feel. Main event.

That night, Samantha Marlowe had me dead to rights in the Sammi Wrap. I was seconds from tapping, but the referee never saw it — because a couple of ‘fans’ decided to play hero. One got on the apron, one went after Sam with her own title belt. It turned the match upside down. I took the opening, hit the Black Rose Overdrive, and just like that… history was made. New World Bombshell Champion. Grand Slam Champion. But that wasn’t the wild part. Oh no. That came when those ‘fans’ pulled their hoods down.

And when the masks came off? Guess who those ‘fans’ were… Crystal Millar and Jonathan. Yeah, you and your ex, Crystal. You engineered that distraction. Cost Sam the gold. Called it entertainment. Because it worked for you - until Blaze of Glory, when Sam ended your dreams and took my reign with her instead."

So spare me your sob story about losing to Kayla Richards and blaming me. The same Crystal crying over a ‘little distraction’? That’s rich. You claim you lost because of me? Nah. You wrote the playbook in Kobe. You taught everyone in that arena what happens when you stick your nose in someone else’s business. Kobe, 2016—you made the rules. Now you're losing by them. Karma cashed that check nine years later.

I remember Kobe, Japan because it taught me a lesson — you don’t get distracted, you stay focused, and you take advantage of opportunity when it comes. Maybe you should’ve remembered that before you blamed me for your own mess.

Seleana calls you "passionate, determined." Zenna plays sponsor with tough-love. Adorable family reunion—right after you dragged them into your war. Remember Climax Control? Metal Maniacs versus your Zdunich circus? You needed numbers then. You'll need a miracle now.

You haunt mirrors with "what ifs." I build legacies on broken ones. But the mirror doesn't lie — it only reflects what's already conquered. Zenna trains you now? Cute sparring. I'll train the world to forget "Crystal Zdunich" after one night.

You know something, Crystal, every time you open your mouth, I swear the world becomes a little more dramatic. It's like watching one of those telenovelas you love so much. Always center stage. Always crying for the cameras. Every lie another act, every tear another way to stay the victim.

Mija, let me tell you a little truth: tú no eres una víctima. You’re a narrator who keeps changing the story every time you lose control of it.

You said I ruined your life. That I got between you and your family, that I broke what was already cracked. Newsflash, mija—I didn’t ruin you. You did that all by yourself. Friendship? Loyalty? Those are props to you. You used me when you were broken—when fans turned on you and mirrors lied. So you fed me that Kobe distraction in 2016, helped me steal Sam's gold, knowing you'd claim it off my lifeless body next. So you plotted my win as your stepping stone. Nine years ago, you set the trap. Now you cry I used you?"

You decided to “help” me win the World Bombshell Championship against Samantha Marlowe back in the day. So maybe my little distraction when Kayla Richards took that title off you was just evening the score.

Seleana thought we were sleeping together. Cute rumor—I've heard worse. So now tell me, Crystal… who’s really screwing who?

I watched you spiral. I gave you my time, my name, my experience — and you repay that by making it a headline and a sob story for the cameras.

You paint yourself as the rose that never dies. But I’ve been around long enough to know—petals fall. And when they do, all that’s left is the thorn.

Do you want to talk about titles? About championships? About who’s relevant? I don’t need a shiny belt to prove who I am. I’ve built legacies while you were busy breaking promises. I’ve lasted longer than fads, longer than your hair colors, and longer than every excuse you’ve made for why you can’t keep what you win.

You call me jealous — celosa. Of you? I’ve been the woman people measure themselves against for over a decade. You only ever caught up because I let you run beside me.

But now, you want war? Crystal, you couldn’t even win the battle. You couldn’t beat me when you had backup. Sure, once upon a time you had the edge — eleven wins in nineteen meetings, right? You’ve dominated our rivalry, I won’t pretend otherwise. But lately? Five matches since 2023 — five tries, five failures — and you still can’t break me. Singles, tags, trios — it doesn’t matter. I’ve beaten you every way there is, including the last two times we went one‑on‑one.

Since Inception in January, when you successfully defended the World Bombshell Championship against Seleana and Zenna — with me as your tag partner — your luck’s been all downhill. Two losses back-to-back last month. First, you dropped the title to Kayla Richards at Climax Control 448. Then came the trios match with Seleana and Zenna against me and Heavy Metal Mania, and you fell again. Meanwhile? I’ve pinned Seleana three times this year already: at Inception, at Climax Control 448 in that Tables Match the same night you lost the title in the main event, and again two weeks later in the trios match. That’s momentum. That’s dominance, something you wouldn’t recognize anymore.

And now you’re putting your World Bombshell Championship rematch clause on the line like it still means something? Bold move, considering I’m unbeaten this year — four and oh — while you’re one and two. You’re gambling the last thing you have left against someone who’s already taken everything from you.

You want a Japanese Death Match? Be careful what you ask for, porque te lo voy a dar en dosis pequeñas y muy dolorosas. You want pain? I’ll deliver it like poetry — line by line, golpe por golpe — until every ounce of that ego bleeds out.

And as for Seleana... don’t drag her into this to make yourself look honorable. You only remember “family” when it’s convenient. You talk about loyalty, but you wouldn’t know loyalty if it stared back at you from the mirror.

Blaze of Glory? Oh sí, vas a brillar — but not the way you think. You’ll shine under the lights, dripping in sweat and regret, when I stand over you and remind the entire world that Mercedes Vargas doesn’t just survive — she reigns.

So keep talking, Crystal. Keep painting me as the villain in your tragic saga. Because when the bell rings — when the lights stop pretending to love you — I’ll remind you why legends don’t fade. They endure.

Kayla exposed you. I end you.

Nos vemos pronto, mi ex‑amiga. Que Dios te ayude… porque yo no.

~~~

INT. “THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX” – MORNING

[Golden light spills through porthole windows. A banner—half-hanging, half-taped—reads “FAIR PLAY FRIDAY!” Hugo stands center stage by the coffee bar, referee whistle dangling from his neck, shirt stretched tight across his gut. He scans his crew like a coach before the big game.]

HUGO
Alright, team! Today’s the day we separate
the amateurs from the pros. Welcome... to
Fair Play Friday!

[He yanks the whistle and blows hard. Plates rattle on shelves. Coffee sloshes. Mercedes jerks upright from dozing in a corner booth, mug of lukewarm coffee in hand, muttering like she’s about to cut a wrestling promo.]

MERCEDES
If that whistle blows one more time, Hugo,
you’re getting body-slammed into the biscotti jar.

[Hugo forces a laugh, tugging at his collar, but his eyes dart nervously.]

HUGO
That’s the spirit, champ! See—competitive fire! Exactly what we need!

[He gestures grandly to a cardboard scoreboard mounted behind him. Headings: COFFEES SOLD, SPECIALS PUSHED, TIPS EARNED.

Behind the counter, Ricardo polishes glasses with gravitas, one eyebrow arched.]

RICARDO
What do we win at the end?

HUGO
The honor of being crowned MVP of the Week!

[Awkward silence. Tomás, barely awake, flips a pancake with lazy precision.]

TOMÁS
So… no money?

HUGO
No, but— glory, my friend. Eternal café glory.

[Irma claps her paint-splattered hands, eyes lighting up as she bounces on her toes.]

IRMA
Can we make little medals? Ooh—and maybe a victory dance playlist? Bob Ross says celebration is part of the creative process!

[Mercedes smirks, sipping her coffee.]

MERCEDES
Bob Ross never had to sell espresso to
tourists wearing floaties.

[Hugo grips his clipboard tighter, veins bulging in his neck.]

HUGO
Laugh all you want, but competition builds
character. Look at sports—look at history!

RICARDO
Yes, and look at the downfall of Rome.
Also built on competition.

[Hugo ignores him, slapping the clipboard
against his palm and strides forward, planting his feet wide.]

HUGO
Now, let’s play fair, keep stats honest,
and may the best teammate win!

[He blows the whistle again. Mercedes flinches. Ricardo winces theatrically. Irma covers her ears.]

LATER – LUNCH RUSH

[The boat rocks gently. Seagulls squawk outside as tourists in flip-flops crowd the entrance.

Irma hunches over posterboard at a side table, paintbrush in teeth, daubing “MVP WALL OF FAME” in looping letters. Ricardo spins a wine glass like a baton behind the bar. Mercedes prowls the floor, rag in hand, shooting glares at the scoreboard. She mutters to herself.]

MERCEDES
You want competition? You got it.

[Mercedes pauses by Table 3, mutters under her breath, then pivots sharply toward a couple (50s, sunburned) peering at menus.]

MERCEDES
Hey, hi, hello. May I tempt you with our signature “Floating Latte?” It’s steamed to perfection and comes with motivational judgment from our bartender.

[Customer #1 perks up.]

CUSTOMER #1
Motivational judgment?

[Ricardo glides over, glass in hand, draping an arm over the booth like a leading man.]

RICARDO
Only for those deserving of greatness—
or oat milk.

[They laugh and order two. Mercedes shoots Ricardo a sly grin.]

MERCEDES
Put two on my tab, scoreboard hero.

[Ricardo’s smile freezes. He straightens, eyes narrowing to slits—game on.]

Hugo lurks by the porthole, binoculars pressed to his face, scribbling furiously on his clipboard. He mutters to himself:

HUGO
Leadership through healthy rivalry.
Oh, this is working beautifully.

[Behind him, Irma accidentally paints over
her own name on the leaderboard.]

IRMA
Oh no! That’s okay, happy little accident.
I’ll just start fresh. Tomás is lazily flipping hash browns.

TOMÁS
You say that about the power going out
last week.

[Irma beams.]

IRMA
And didn’t it turn into candlelit karaoke
night? That’s called resilience.

[Tomás smirks, unimpressed but charmed.]

MIDDAY – THE ‘FAIR PLAY’ DESCENDS

[A tense calm before chaos. Scoreboard updated in marker: Mercedes – 8 / Ricardo – 8 / Irma – 4 / Tomás – 0.

Hugo beams—until Tomás drifts to the counter, rubbing sleep from his eyes.]

TOMÁS
Can I get a coffee for myself? Does that
count as a sale?

[Hugo spins around, jabbing the board.]

HUGO
No. And why are you still at zero?

[Tomás shrugs, grabs a sandwich from the warmer.]

TOMÁS
Because I’m focused on team spirit.
It’s invisible. Like air.

HUGO
Air doesn’t pay the bills, man. You need
to engage.

[Tomás takes a big bite, chewing thoughtfully.]

TOMÁS
Engaging right now. With this sandwich. Emotional labor’s hard work.

MONTAGE – “THE GAME” GETS RIGGED

[Mercedes gives “motivational pep talks” that guilt customers into ordering dessert.

Ricardo charms tourists in multiple accents, switching mid-sentence like theater warm-ups. A family of four double their wine tab.

Irma froths lattes with foam art: “VOTE IRMA” in curlicues. Customers snap photos.

Hugo shouts play-by-play commentary into a megaphone nobody asked for.

Tomás leans on the counter, sipping OJ, sneakily adding tally marks to every column with a stubby pencil.

Scoreboard dissolves into smears, coffee rings, angry doodles of referees.

END MONTAGE]

INT. BACK ROOM – MID-AFTERNOON

[Mercedes bursts through the swinging door. Ricardo follows close, nostrils flared.]

MERCEDES
I saw you transfer a sale from my column
to yours.

RICARDO
Correction: I restored balance to an
unjust scoreboard.

MERCEDES
You can’t restore balance when you
are the problem.

[They lock eyes. Irma rushes in like a peacekeeper, waving a spatula, paint on her apron.]

IRMA
Friends, friends—let’s remember, it’s not
about beating one another. It’s about
expressing excellence! Like Bob Ross
painting a forest of opportunity.

RICARDO
Tell that to her! She’s turning this place
into WrestleMania 2.0.

[Mercedes glares.]

MERCEDES
Only if you keep monologuing through
drink refills.

[Hugo bursts in, clipboard raised like a gavel.]

HUGO
Enough! This competition is supposed to
unite us!

[The crew freezes. A drip from the espresso machine in the next room.]

TOMÁS
So, are we united yet?

[They turn. Tomás leans in the doorway wiping paint splotches from his arm. He gestures toward the dining area.]

TOMÁS
Not to ruin the moment, but the espresso
machine just exploded.

INT. “THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX” – SAME

[Steam clouds the room. Coffee froth everywhere— on the walls, on customers, on Irma’s easel. A tourist licks foam off her arm, puzzled.

Hugo stumbles forward, slipping in a puddle.]

HUGO
Who… who touched the pressure valve?!

[Irma wrings her hands, foam in her hair.]

IRMA
It hissed at me. I thought it needed
affection.

[Hugo claws his hair, sloshing through calf-deep froth.]

HUGO
Great. Now we look like a failed latte.

[Mercedes wipes foam from her face.]

MERCEDES
Could be worse. Could be decaf.

[Ricardo wipes glasses on his apron.]

RICARDO
Or interpretive dance brunch. I’ve seen
that happen.

[They glance toward Tomás, calm with spatula in hand.]

TOMÁS
Guys, take a breath. Machine’s down,
scoreboard’s trashed, customers are giggling. Maybe that’s the universe’s way of saying—chill.

HUGO
Chill? I can’t chill—we’re hemorrhaging
tips and team spirit.

TOMÁS
Team spirit’s not measured in mugs, dude.
It’s when everyone’s still here, even after
literal combustion.

[He shrugs, almost wise. Everyone stares. Irma nods slowly.]

IRMA
That’s... actually beautiful, Tomás.

RICARDO
Disturbingly poetic coming from a man
holding a burnt spatula.

LATE AFTERNOON – CLEANUP

[Sun dips low through portholes. Crew mops froth, passing buckets. Espresso machine corpse looms center-floor.

Hugo squeezes out a rag, deflated.]

HUGO
Guess competition can go too far.

[Mercedes nods, wringing her mop.]

MERCEDES
Yeah, especially when no one’s watching the ref.

[Hugo manages a weak grin. Irma sets her bucket down.]

IRMA
Let's call it a practice game. The next round can just be—being nice?

RICARDO
An impossible ask. But fine, I’ll participate…for art.

[Tomás sprawls on a stool, feet up.]

TOMÁS
See? Everyone wins when nobody’s keeping score. That’s progress. Or laziness—I always confuse
the two.

[They laugh—for the first time all day, it feels real. Hugo snags a marker, scrawls TEAM FLOATING PENALTY BOX over the wreckage.]

HUGO
No MVP this week. We’re all benchwarmers together.

[Mercedes tosses him a towel.]

MERCEDES
Finally, a fair game.

[Irma’s mural of smiling coffee cups
now includes five tiny caricatures—each crew member, dripping but happy.]

RICARDO
The true victory was surviving Friday.

INT. “THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX” – NIGHT

[Quiet now. The boat rocks gently under silver moonlight. Everyone shares fries at the counter, tired and smudged
with coffee stains.]

TOMÁS
You think we’ll ever get that machine fixed?

HUGO
Eventually. After payroll. Or divine intervention.

MERCEDES
You could ask your contest budget.

HUGO
Touché. No MVP funds left—spent it on duct tape.

[Irma hums softly, sketching their reflection in a window—a cluster of mismatched dreamers framed against neon harbor lights.]

IRMA
You know, I think we’re all kind of masterpieces in progress. Messy... but still worth hanging up.

[Mercedes raises her mug, mock-toasting. Others follow.]

MERCEDES
To messy masterpieces.

RICARDO
And artistic delusion.

HUGO
And fair play—even when it blows up in your face.

TOMÁS
Amen. Now someone else clean the grill.

[They laugh again, the sound dissolving into music—gentle, offbeat, like a theme carried by seagulls overhead.]

FADE OUT.

~~~

Present Day ♦ F O R T H W O R T H • T E X A S

[REC•]

Scene Location: Abandoned rail yard, near the Fort Worth Stockyards.

[It’s just before dawn in an abandoned rail yard near the Fort Worth Stockyards. The sound of a distant cattle bell blends with the hum of a passing freight train. A single floodlight flickers over a rusted sign that reads "Fort Worth Stockyards — Livestock Exchange", the letters nearly lost in dust and shadow. Rows of faded train cars stretch into the distance, the air sharp with oil and iron. Mercedes Vargas leans against an old boxcar, jacket zipped halfway, wind teasing her hair as the dirt at her boots glitters with shards of broken glass.

She doesn’t speak right away. A slow smile, then a breath. Her voice comes smooth, sure, deliberate, then — softly, calmly.]

"You done? Got that out of your system, Crystal? Need a tissue? All the self-reflection, the tears, the speeches about how you’ve changed. You say you’re not afraid anymore, but fear doesn’t disappear just because you film another heartfelt apology.

"It’s still in your voice — in every word, in every forced smile. Same fear I’ve seen in your eyes every single time we’ve met in that ring; that quick little breath right before the bell. That’s fear, cariño — the part of you that still remembers me. That’s you knowing exactly what’s coming."

[She pushes off the rail car, the gravel crunching beneath her boots as the freight horn wails again. Her tone cuts coldly through the dark morning air.]

"You want to make this personal? Oh, I can do personal. Because what’s waiting for you at Blaze of Glory isn’t cute little metaphors about pain and healing, mamita. It’s metal, it’s wire, it bites, and it bleeds. It ends careers."

[She pauses, a faint whistle of wind passing through the freight yard.]

"When that barbed wire slices your skin, when the glass actually makes you stop smiling, remember you asked for this. You always do. You think you’re getting a moment; what you’re really getting is a wake‑up call."

[Mercedes moves through the rows of freight cars as the horizon begins to glow behind her. Steam hisses somewhere off to the side, catching the growing light.]

"You talk like you’re ready for the wire, Crystal. Be careful what you wish for, because once that bell rings… I’m not pulling you out. I’m leaving you there — that’s the only honest way this story ends."

[Her half-smile is cold — not joy, only certainty. She walks beneath an old bridge as dawn burns gold across the Trinity River.]

"Funny thing about pain — everyone thinks they understand it until they meet the real thing. You can rehearse toughness. You can pretend to be fearless. But when you’re staring at barbed wire an inch from your skin… when every breath burns because you’ve already bled too much… that’s when you learn who you really are."

[She stops at the bridge railing overlooking the city. Her breath fogs in the cool air.]

"Crystal, you’ve built your whole career on illusions — the spotlight, the applause, the image. You hide behind it because the truth scares you — the truth that when everything fades, you’re left alone with the one thing you can’t escape. Me. The woman you can’t outrun, the one who’s been everything you’re pretending to grow into. And no amount of hashtags or comebacks will save you from what’s coming."

[She looks out across the quiet streets, where the faint sound of traffic begins to stir.]

"I was built for endurance. I don’t break, I adapt. Every scar I carry, I earned. Every scar you have, you tried to hide. That’s our difference. You see pain as something to overcome; I see it as something to master. I don’t run from it — I learn from it."

[She begins to pace slowly along the bridge, voice low, measured, with a razor’s edge underneath each word.]

“That’s why a match like this doesn’t terrify me. It excites me. Blaze of Glory isn’t your redemption story, Crystal... it’s my masterclass. My proof that no matter how loud you cry about being a new you, the old one still bleeds the same when she’s cut. You’ll give everything you have, and I’ll still be standing. Because I’ve already lived through everything that could’ve broken me."

[She pauses, leaning against the fence as the wind picks up around her, strands of her hair catching the light. She doesn’t move them aside — she just smiles faintly.]

"You said you’d bleed for respect? I already did — for over a decade. SCW was built on women like me, willing to bleed without asking for applause. You’re chasing a story; I’m chasing legacy. We are not the same."

[She lifts the collar of her jacket, her smirk returning, sharper than before.]

"Blaze of Glory isn’t about pride. It’s about legacy. And one of ours ends there. Every drop of blood, every shard of glass — that’s my ink. That’s my canvas. I don’t just feel pain... I become it. You’re just next in line."

[She steps close to the camera, her voice barely more than a whisper now — steady, final.]

"So keep talking, keep posting, keep pretending you’re ready — but the second that bell rings, all that noise stops. When the wire bites, when the glass cuts, you’ll understand. This was never your redemption arc… it was your reckoning. I’m not coming to end your career, Crystal — I’m coming to remind you what fear feels like."

[There’s a long, still pause — her eyes locked on the camera, the morning quiet creeping back in.]

"See you at Blaze of Glory. Good luck. You’re gonna need it."

[She turns her back to the camera, walking away as the horn blares one last time. The metallic hum of tightening barbed wire echoes — slow, low, and final — before silence swallows the frame.]

[Crystal Zdunich]

Fort Worth, Texas

Blaze of Glory was slowly approaching and it would only be a matter of time before Crystal Zdunich would get into the ring with Mercedes Vargas. Crystal had arrived in Fort Worth early so that she could get some last minute training done before her big match. She was set to train with her sister in-law Zenna. Crystal showed up to the address that Zenna had given her to do their training but the location seemed to be a bit different from what she was accustomed to. All she was treated to was an abandoned warehouse of some sorts. Crystal exited the car carrying only her duffle bag. She slowly walked up to the door of the abandoned property and pushed on it. The door creaked open. It was like something out of a horror flick but Crystal didn’t mind as she threw her bag to the side and pulled out her flash light.

“Zenna, are you here… This is the right location right?!”

The only thing Crystal heard in return was the sound of a door shutting behind her. It was enough to spook her but that is when she finally saw the tattooed redhead standing in front of her. Zenna cracked a wicked grin as she looked into the eyes of her younger sister in-law.

“Okay Christina, I promised Seleana that I would train you for your big match with Mercedes. I told you back in Los Angeles that I had something special involved for you, and I really didn’t want to involve my sister in any of this…”

Crystal could only raise her eyes in return as she looked back at Zenna.

“What exactly are we going to do today Zenna? This seems like a weird place for us to spar with one another…”

Zenna begins to laugh as she looks back at Crystal.

“Sparring, who said anything about this being a simple sparring. Christina the two of us are going to fight. This match with Mercedes is going to be something that you have never experienced before. The two of you are going to fight in a Japanese Death Match. I know you aren’t thinking much of it but Seleana is really worried about you. She is fearful that Vargas is going to do something to you. She’s going to try to end your career…”

Crystal just shrugs it off as she glances back at her in-law.

“End my career?! Zenna not for anything but I doubt that you have anything to really worry about. You of all people should know that I am a twenty plus time World Champion. I am in multiple Hall of Fames. I am a true legend in this sport and nobody could ever take me down. If Vargas wants the two of us to fight by all means I am going to outwrestle her just like I have done to so many other people. I am going to prove that I am better than her and call it a day…”

Zenna quickly shakes her head.

“That’s the thing that you really aren’t comprehending though. This isn’t going to be a normal fight. If this was any other type of match I would say that you would have the advantage but in a match where you have to wrestle under these circumstances I really am not in a place where I would say you have the edge. Vargas isn’t out there to prove that she’s better than you. Deep down I personally think that she doesn’t really care about any of that. The only thing that she wants is to put you on the shelf for good. She wants to maim you, she wants to say that she is the woman that ended your career. She is allowed to do whatever she wishes to you in this match and it’s all within the rules. Are you sure you are ready for that?!”

Crystal just crosses her arms.

“I don’t know why you are trying to stress yourself out so much. I know what’s at stake. I signed up for this and I am ready to fight that woman with everything that I have…”

Zenna walks over to Christina and looks out into her eyes as she places her hands on her shoulders.

“I still don’t think you know the true extent of what’s about to happen. At Inception Mercedes gave you a massive concussion. She put you on the shelf and she tried to end your livelihood. It may not mean anything to you but my sister is very worried about you. She is afraid that the next time you end up in the hospital you won’t be coming home. You won’t be able to be there for Elijah and Aurora. Seleana has been through enough and she doesn’t deserve to be alone. I know that the two of us haven’t had the best of relationships…”

Crystal just glares daggers back at Zenna as she turns her nose up at her.

“I would definitely agree with that statement. To be honest even though you are my sister in-law and my sponsor that doesn’t necessarily mean we have been all that friendly with one another. We got into that huge fight back in New Orleans. It was really bad and we both ended up getting arrested…”

“Yes and that was me trying to look out for you. We have been through some rough stuff together but everything has been tough love. I have been doing everything in my power to make sure that you are fit for Seleana. At the end of the day I know the only thing that we both want is to make sure that she is the happiest woman in the entire world and we would do whatever it takes to protect that fact. Sometimes it would put us at odds to accomplish that goal, but Mercedes doesn’t see things in that same way. When we fought it was never out of hatred but Mercedes doesn’t give a damn about you. She just wants to break you. She wants to destroy what you and Seleana have put together. She wants to send you to the hospital and you need to understand that fighting fair won’t win you this battle…”

Zenna looks around at the warehouse as she begins to walk around.

“If she wanted to she could take a lead pipe and bash you against your skull and it’s all good. She could even go as far as using whatever she wants. I know you see yourself as this top notch wrestler but to be honest your honor and your virtue, and even compassion won’t be able to bring you the result that you need… Seleana would never say this but she’s afraid of what Mercedes might do to you, and do you want my honesty?!”

Crystal raises her eyes in return as she looks back at Zenna.

“And what exactly do you have to say that is honest… What do you need to tell me Zenna?!”

“As your sponsor I have always been truthful with you but as it currently stands I don’t think you have what it takes to beat Vargas. Mercedes is just too power hungry. She won’t pull any punches and she is willing to get the job done.”

Crystal looks away as she begins to head towards the exit of the building.

“You brought me all the way out to this abandoned building to tell me that much?! I am not afraid of getting concussed again. I am not afraid of being put down for medical reasons. If this is to mark the ending of my wrestling career so be it but rest assured I am going to give Mercedes the fight of a lifetime…”

Zenna quickly grabs Crystal by the arm as she yanks her back into the building.

“No, I don’t want you to leave Christina. The reason why I brought you here is because in order to beat Mercedes you need to fight her at her level. I know I said Crystal Zdunich wasn’t good enough, and I doubt Christina Rose would be good enough either, but perhaps maybe you should give Mercedes everything that she had been asking for from the very beginning. Since the two of you formed Fire & Fury she has been asking for you to get back to your best form. She wanted the nastiest version of you to emerge to the surface. The version that was ready to do whatever it took to defend the title and make sure that everybody else was beneath her…”

Crystal looks befuddled.

“You can’t be serious, I spent months trying to get Seleana back. I did everything in my power to prove to Seleana that I love her with my entire heart and you want me to go back on everything I said just to try to beat Mercedes?!”

Zenna shakes her head with a grin.

“You see that’s the thing. That’s my reason for bringing you here in the first place. I don’t want your children or even Seleana to see what you need to become. Christina if you want to beat Mercedes you need to bring out Crystal Hilton and let her go to that Japanese Death Match. You know as well as I do that Crystal Hilton is your most ruthless side. It’s the version of you that would stab your closest friends and relatives in the back to get what you want. I really despise that woman and Seleana hates her as well considering the countless times that you unleashed Crystal Hilton on the family.”

Crystal just shrugs her shoulders in return.

“Are you sure this is the right idea? Vargas wanted me to bring her out on various opponents and I kept her at bay. Do you think it’s the right thing to do in this type of situation? I would hate that I brought this version of myself out for one match and as soon as things were over that I would come home to Seleana and she would have to deal with the remnants of that evil version of myself…”

Zenna smirks.

“If THAT does end up being the case then I promise that I would be the one to put her out. I want that stuck up Mexican girl from inner city Detroit that doesn’t care about anybody. The woman who would stomp out anybody for getting on her bad side. It’s about time to finally give Mercedes what she has been asking for. This is the proper time to do it and channel it. Who cares about what happens next. The only thing that we need to be worried about is what is currently in front of you, and right now it’s all about survival… Are you willing to do whatever is needed to bring her back out?!”

Crystal nods her head with a sigh.

“Of course… Let’s go for it. At this point I have nothing to lose right?! I hope you know what you are doing because once she gets unleashed there’s no turning back, and I won’t be able to control what Crystal Hilton might do…”

Zenna smiles in return.

“Good, Mercedes isn’t going to know what hit her. It’s time to defend your family and to bring the biggest possible fight to Mercedes…Let’s start training… This is what it’s all about…”

Crystal slowly offers a wicked grin as the two of them begin to train for what’s to come. Things slowly fade out as we go elsewhere.

 

 




Mercedes Vargas, honestly I have a lot of different thoughts about what’s going to go down at Blaze of Glory. I will admit that I was hurt when you decided to leave your mark on me at Inception. You stated from the beginning that you would not get caught up in the middle of a love triangle with the World Bombshell Championship held captive in the center of it all.  As much as you were talking there was a big piece of me that really wasn’t paying attention. I wasn’t listening even though I probably should have been. Everybody told me since day one that you were going to eventually turn on me but I just ignored all of the warnings.
 
I gave you the benefit of the doubt…
 
In my mind I thought the two of us had something that couldn’t be broken. I thought our friendship would carry us through the thick and the thin. As I stated before that you were the very reason why I decided to come to SCW in the first place. If you weren’t in this company I wouldn’t have made my way through the front door.
 
I know the two of us had a bitter rivalry that had carried on from previous companies that the two of us had been in, but when I came to this company I saw a woman that had ran through the entire SCW roster and at the same time she had burned every single bridge in the Bombshells locker room. Nobody wanted anything to do with you because all they saw was the stuck up woman who had ran with the Mean Girls and had dominated the company.
 
When nobody else wanted to do with you, I decided to extend the olive branch to you because I didn’t see the same woman that everybody else had saw, I saw a woman that I respected, a woman that I considered to be a friend, and I knew that the two of us could make magic together.
 
I clearly remember it was you, Natalie McKinley and I running as a trio who had each other’s backs and after a while we had allowed Celeste North to be part of that circle, I remember also being the very reason why you were able to win your first World Championship in this company.
 
If you didn’t have me you wouldn’t have been in the position to have beaten Sam Marlowe and permanently stomp your way into the history books.   I have always been there for you Mercedes, and even though I might have went through spouses, relationships, surnames, and significant others as much as a baby needs their diaper change you were the one constant that I could depend on, and I loved having that bit of stability in my life.
 
Looking at things now it seems like none of that even mattered. As much as I poured into this relationship it seems like you were never really about being my friend from the get go. It has always been about you and trying to further define your own legacy. It’s been about you being a workaholic who has competed year after year in hopes of proving yourself just to show off that you can stand the test of time.
 
I have witnessed so many different women come and go when it comes to the SCW Bombshell roster. I have seen legends and icons like Keira Fisher, Roxi Johnson, Melody Grace, Evie Baang, and even Mikah walk out that door. Sure there may have been the occasional return but it’s nothing compared to the level of consistency that you have put into SCW.
 
You have stayed and been the star that the company has needed and I applaud you for that. I will never question your drive or the sheer amount of determination that you have to try to stay relevant in the company.
 
However my biggest issue is the fact that you as a friend you are one F$%$%^$ up friend.
 
At least with Kayla she kept it honest with me and made her intentions known from the jump telling me that we might have had a certain friendship at one point but when it came to competing inside of that ring. All of that goes out of the window when it comes to being the best.
 
I could have at least appreciated that type of honesty from you. Instead you tried to break my wife. You also tried to get me to side with you against my wife and you wanted me to join you in your endeavors to try to embarrass her and her sister Zenna.
 
It’s bullshit because I never wanted to hurt Seleana. I have done enough of that in my marriage and I would self-destruct if I lost the most important thing in my life. I appreciate you in helping me get back on my feet. I am even grateful that you helped bring me back to the Promised Land, and how I was at the top of an entire division as the World Champion.
 
As much as you poured into me and tried to keep on feeding my ego that is when I realized that the World Championship just didn’t hold the same weight for me as it once did. I am not saying by any means that the title isn’t important because in this world of wrestling everybody wants to be on the top.
 
For me however it just didn’t feel the same because I have matured as a woman. I have gotten better and I feel that I was developing in my feelings and in my emotions. That is when it hit me that the only important thing in my life is my wife.
 
Yes MY WIFE…
 
Not A TITLE that can come and go…
 
Not MY EGO…
 
BUT the woman who said I do when we got married on our wedding day…
 
Ten years ago I could never bring myself to say that because I was too selfish, and self-absorbed. As long as my ego was fueled that’s all that mattered and it didn’t matter on who I was in a relationship with.
 
Seleana deserved better because she’s been my biggest support since day one…
 
When Christian was giving me hell she decked him in the face… When people constantly tell her she should leave me she stays by my side. It’s not because she’s weak or she suffers from Stockholm syndrome like everybody thinks she might…
 
It’s because she loves me and she only wants the best for me and the very least that I can do is show her the same appreciation and that I love that woman with my whole heart.
 
If the choice came down to having to decide between my wife and having a championship, this version of me would always choose to be with my wife because that is my true championship and I am going to defend her until I can’t do so anymore.
 
At Inception you tried to take her away from me and I wasn’t having it.
 
You showed your true colors and now we are brought to this very moment. Fire and Fury had so much potential together. We truly could have taken over the entire wrestling world but you had to be a greedy Bitch who couldn’t be happy for me. Deep down you wanted what I had. It’s because you want to be me. You wish you could have the status that I have.
 
You can preach and bring up all the stats in the world but nothing can ever compared to me being able to say that I have been the best of the very best on six different occasions. Hell you can grab any superstar or any bombshell, and ask them if they can say that.
 
Not one person can say what I just said because I AM THE ONLY ONE in the history of this company to have the status that I have. I earned my right to say that and that’s because I am the absolute best of the best and I am not going to let anybody come into my domain and try to tell me differently.
 
You aren’t on my level and you never will be. What makes all of this even sadder is the simple fact that for months upon months you were trying to awaken something within me. Your biggest goal was to try to bring Crystal Hilton back. You wanted the old me to emerge and you knew that once she did Fire and Fury would become even stronger.
 
Guess what though. You were begging for Crystal Hilton for the longest time, and come Blaze of Glory you are going to get what you were asking for. However it won’t be at your side but it’s going to be against you.
 
I will not hold anything back. I am going to unleash her all over you. Once that bell rings I am going to finish you once and for all, and you will have no one but yourself to blame.