Sunday August 22, 2010
The Little Al’E’Inn- Parking Lot
Rachel, Nevada
8:37 AM Local time
“That’s not real, right?” Terrence Thompson asked, pointing at the flying saucer hanging of the back of the tow truck.
“Of course its not.” Wendy Briese-Thompson, his wife, replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “There’s no such thing as aliens, and even if there were, I doubt they’re frequently making crash landings in the Nevada Desert. It’s just a setup they use to attract gullible tourists.”
Rachel, Nevada was a small ranching town of perhaps 80 residents, the majority of which lived in mobile homes along Nevada’s famed Route 375- The Extraterrestrial Highway. Rachel’s claim to fame was being the closest settlement to the infamous Area 51, and as such, it had managed to garner a reasonable amount of attention by adapting an alien motif. Most notably was the Little Al’e’Inn, a three room motel and restaurant located right on 375.
It was essentially the perfect place for the WhirlyBirdz to stop for breakfast as they made the long trip back to Indiana after Wendy’s CWC debut. Now that they’re bellies were filled, and ready for a long day of travelling, Wendy and Terrence stood outside the restaurant, staring at the strange display, while Pollaski, Theresa, and Cassie perused the Little Al’e’Inn’s gift shop.
“You know,” Terrence pointed out, “Since we’re here, we’re among those ‘gullible tourists,”
“I know,” Wendy said. “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing- whatever brings money in, right? Besides, part of the fun of getting to travel like this is the opportunity to see strange and wonderful things.”
Terrence snorted in amusement as the door to the restaurant opened, and three people emerged. “By ‘strange’, I sure hope you weren’t talking about our daughter and manager.”
Wendy turned to follow her husband’s gaze, and rolled her eyes. Pollaski had just spoilt Theresa rotten with all sorts of alien merchandising, from the Alien T-shirt, to the glow-in-the-dark saucer in her hand, to the antennae ball hairband now resting on her head. Pollaski had also gotten himself a shirt and antennae balls, and was carrying a life-size inflatable alien as well. Cassie, the most sensible one of this trio, had a coffee cup.
“Mommy! Look what Danoo bot me!” Theresa proclaimed, waving her UFO around.
Wendy smiled patiently at her daughter. “Did you say thank you?” Theresa vigorously nodded, and Pollaski smiled in confirmation. Wendy turned back to her husband. “We should get moving,” she said.
Terrence nodded. “Alright, guys, back in the RV,” he announced. “Hurry Theresa, before a government agent thinks you’re a real alien and kidnaps you.”
“Terrence!” Wendy scolded, smacking her husband on the arm, as the five of them walked back to the Newman King Aire sitting on the side of the road, quickly getting into the vehicle, and finding their seats.
“By the way,” Terrence said to his wife, as he started the engine. “I never got to tell you- you were awesome out there last night against Black and Pooler.”
“Thanks,” Wendy said, buckling her seatbelt, the elation of her win having more or less overshadowed her anger at her husband and manager over the incident in the parking lot earlier in the night. “They were both tough... I was lucky I managed to catch Pooler with that kick, and swing momentum in my favor.”
Terrence quickly turned the RV back onto 375, leaving Rachel behind. After accelerating up to about 85, Terrence turned towards his wife. “You gonna be okay Monday? I mean, Jenna got you hard last week, and then this match, and all this travelling-”
“I’m fine, Terry,” Wendy insisted. The soreness from her match with Himmler had worn off around Thursday, and the three-way match actually hadn’t taken too much out of her. She would just be glad to get back to Indiana, and get a few days to rest after Adrenaline.
“Big match though,” Terrence grunted. “Never faced Poole before.”
Wendy nodded silently. “He’s power and technical, so I just need to make sure I don’t get caught. He’s got a lot of nasty moves, so if he catches me, I could be in trouble.”
Terrence shrugged. “You’ve faced guys like him before though. Just do what you normally do, and you’ll be fine.”
Wendy smiled, “I hope so. Are you upset about not getting a match this week?”
“Nah,” Terrence said, stretching a tad, and yawning. “My last week off was the first week of June, and that was for Summer Games, so I really haven’t had a break since May. It’ll be nice to rest up for a few days, before I make another run at the championship.”
Wendy smiled softly. “Good luck with that.”
Terrence turned and grinned at his wife. “Yeah, well-”
“What ith dat?” Theresa yelped from the back, cutting Terrence off. Concerned, Wendy turned behind her to see Theresa, perched on the hide-a-bed in the back of the main cabin, pointing out the portside window. Pollaski, sitting next to her, turned too, looking out the window.
“I dunno...” the portly manager said something. It’s high up in the sky... and like metallic...”
“Probably a weather balloon, Terr-Bear,” Wendy said. Sitting passenger side, she was the only one in the RV who couldn’t look out the window. “Or just the way the sun’s reflecting off a cloud.”
“I dunno...” Cassie said, now also looking out the window as well. “I don’t know what it is.”
“So we can’t identify it...” Terrence began slowly.
“And it’s flying...” Cassie added.
Pollaski squinted out the window again. “Definitely an object.”
Silence reigned over the RV for a while, as Dan and Cassie exchanged bewildered glances. Terrence spoke the loudest for them all, as he ever so slightly pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal.
“Oh brother,” Wendy finally said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, we’re on the Extraterrestrial Highway,” Terrence said, grinning at her. “It never hurts to be safe.”
===============================================================
Sunday August 22, 2010
The RV- Main Cabin
Thompson Springs, Utah
4:41 PM Local Time
[Well, needless to say, the Birdz were NOT abducted by aliens, and they managed to get a sizeable chunk of their journey out of the way, making it all the way into eastern Utah by mid-afternoon. Getting low on gas, the Birdz peeled off and stopped at one of the most appropriate town names they have ever encountered in their travels]
[Thompson Springs. Cuz, that’s their last name.]
[Well, Thompson. Not Springs.]
[So we open once again in the cabin of the RV, where Wendy is sitting on the hide-a-bed sofa, sitting in her usual fairly rigid position.. She’s wearing a pair of capris, and a pale yellow short sleeved camisole. She smiles gently at the camera, before talking.]
Wendy: “Well, if anything, Jenna Himmler certainly earned my respect as an in ring competitor last week.”
[Wendy grimaces just a tad, as she involuntarily rubs the side of her abdomen, as if the memory of the beating Jenna Himmler tried to give her was sparked by that one simple statement.]
Wendy: “I think I’ve felt less sore after some losses than I did after my victory over her last Monday. Jenna came straight at me with everything she had, and she displayed a remarkable fighting spirit. There were several moments during that match where I knew I was in trouble, and I think it was only due to my greater experience as a wrestler that I was able to come away the victor. If anyone is looking for a rising star in wrestling- she’s someone to keep an eye on.”
[Wendy sighs, looking none-to-happy about what she’s about to say. But she feels its necessary to say it.]
Wendy: “Which means the real tragedy is that, no matter how good she does, her polarizing viewpoints will always haunt her wherever she goes. In this industry, we are often judged for what we say and do outside the ring as well as what we do inside it. And no matter what she does, the moniker she has attached to herself, and the incindiary comments she makes will always define her more than her talent.”
[Wendy shakes her head, dismayed that such talent was put in such a hateful person.]
Wendy: “But, sadly, it seems the bigger news surrounding me coming out of Adrenaline isn’t the match I had with Jenna, but rather my decision to align myself with ‘The Resistance’.”
[Shrug]
Wendy: “To simply put it, I was asked. I think Danny was grateful to me for getting his sister out of that tight spot with John and Lillith, and he felt that since we shared the same goal, I would be valuable ally. I’m not a fan of stables- and I sure didn’t want PWX turning into a faction war, but I’m sick of having to look over my shoulder every single moment wondering if the Cartel is going to make an attempt on my career. What happened at Respect is Earned still troubles me- what would have happened had my daughter been in that room when Tyler Graves so recklessly charged in and attacked me?”
[Wendy’s emerald eye’s flash, a surefire indication that she’s angry. She does, however, manage to keep her voice calm.]
Wendy: “When I found out what the Resistance had planned- to run in against the Cartel during the Apuestas match, I reluctantly agreed. Everyone knows my opinions on outside interference- but I couldn’t just let the Cartel sweep in and take away something my husband had been working so hard for, especially when three other men were so willing to come in alongside me. I begged the three of them to hold off until the Cartel actually got involved, and thankfully, they did. It’s a shame the match ended the way it did, because Terry had every right to earn that title shot on his own terms, but Brian forced everyone’s hand by having his own cronies get involved.”
[Another shrug. It’s obvious Wendy’s not overjoyed about what happened, but at the same time, she feels that what could be done to stop it was.]
Wendy: “But onto this week, where I face Devon Poole, in what will surely be another difficult match. Devon is perhaps one of the most underrated competitors in this company. He managed to take Victor Mandrake, one of the most dominating wrestlers I’ve ever seen, to a draw. He has pulled off impressive wins over people such as Josh Graves, Brian Hollywood, Danny Szatkowski, and the Belmonts. He also twice now has taken CWC World Champion Tyler Graves to the limit, once when that very title was on the line, and then once again last week at No Limits. My manager may talk a lot of trash- but when it comes to the Power-X, he’s as honest as he can be. Devon Poole is eighth in those rankings for a reason.”
[Talking about your booking swings- going from facing a high-flying, brawling, neo-Nazi white supremacist to facing a technical powerhouse African-American? Wendy probably completely misses the irony in that.]
Wendy: “But Devon, you come across to me as an extremely angry and bitter person. In a way, I can empathize with your frustrations. I’ll confess- there’s times where I feel frustrated too. I know I carry one of the tag team titles, but on an individual basis, I feel I’m often treading water. Since I’ve arrived in PWX, the only loss I have suffered was to my own husband, and yet, I’ve never once received a singles title shot. Sometimes I wonder if anyone really notices the effort I put into each and every one of my matches, or if they’d care even if they did.”
[Another sigh from Wendy, and for the first time in a while, she looks discouraged. She manages to push her own thoughts away though, and keeps going.]
Wendy: “You haven’t received a singles title shot yourself since late February- nearly six months ago, so we’re kind of in the same boat. It must have been painful to watch Josh Graves, a man you beat at Full Throttle, be practically handed the Evolution Championship, while you were completely ignored.”
[Wendy nods with genuine sympathy]
Wendy: “But you’re going about things the wrong way, Devon. Constantly bragging about how much better you are than everyone else isn’t going to change anyone’s opinion about you- you’ll only look like a loudmouth braggart. Doing something like breaking Scott Styles’ ankle won’t do it either- you only look like a bully.”
[Wendy bites her lip, and shakes her head grimly.]
Wendy: “Respect can be a tough- and in some cases even impossible- thing to earn. Like I said a couple weeks ago- you cannot FORCE someone to respect you. The only thing we can do is to keep going out, and doing the best we can, every week. Perhaps this week is designed as a challenge- maybe this match is meant to set something up for the winner?”
[A hopeful shrug]
Wendy: “Devon, I actually do respect you. I think under that boastful exterior lies an extremely talented wrestler, a man who’s capable of beating anyone on any given day. But what I cannot respect- or even understand- is your support of the Cartel.
[Wendy closes her eyes for just a second, gathering her thoughts.]
Wendy: “Last week, you talked about how you’ve always seen Tyler Graves for what he was- a selfish viper. Before Graves rammed my head into the wall, I had never met him before in my life, so honestly I have no idea what he was like before then.”
[Remember- she wasn’t around when Graves was b’donka’donkin’ Pariah’s wife! She would NOT have approved.]
Wendy: “You refused to support Graves because you think he only joined the Cartel for himself- what makes him so different from the other members? Do you honestly think that John Ojeda cares about anyone but himself? Do you honestly think that Brian Hollywood will look beyond his own ego and do what’s best for this company? The only member of that organization t hat may even be remotely geniuine is John Pariah. But like I said two weeks ago- John Pariah has a tendency to go about things in the most ineffective ways possible.”
[Wendy shifts in her seat, trying to get more comfortable, folding her hands in her lap in front of her.]
Wendy: “Face it, Devon. The Cartel is just the latest incarnation of the ‘good ol’ boys’ cliques that have ruined countless wrestling promotions throughout the years. They only care about themselves, which is a bad mentality for the owner of our company to have. You have just as much a right to support them as I have to oppose them, but if you listen to nothing else I say, please listen to this.”
[Wendy leans forward just a tad, focusing her emerald eyes into the camera lens. She doesn’t blink, just stares directly into the camera.]
Wendy: “You will gain absolutely nothing if the Cartel takes over. You might like them, or support them, but you are not them. All you are is supporting the ruin of PWX, and possibly your own career.”
[Wendy shakes her head sadly, knowing that Poole will likely ignore her.]
Wendy: “I wish you the best of luck, Devon. Let’s go out and have ourselves a great match, one that truly demonstrates the talents you and I both have. I said it earlier, but this match is our opportunity to get people to sit up and take notice, and I truly think big things may await one, or even the both of us, on the other side of this contest.”
[A respectful nod]
Wendy: “But Devon... win or lose, I think you need to do some thinking. I think you’re a good person, and a good competitor, but the path you have chosen is the wrong one, and I think its going to only lead to more frustration on your part. You always talk about being Mr. Reality, and giving ‘Reality Checks.’”
[Small shrug, and a half-smile]
Wendy: “The most important Reality Check might just be the one you give yourself.”
[Fade]
No comments:
Post a Comment