Monday January 10, 2011
CPW Zoo Enclosure- Four-Store War Area
Los Angeles, California
11:05 PM Local Time
I don’t know how long I lay on that floor.
It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. Almost immediately, the referee had come to my side, asking me if I was okay. I had assured him I was- I just needed a few to catch my breath, and he had moved on to attend to other participants. But when I sat up, I had been shocked to discover that I was the only one remaining in the Four-Store area. Even Tough Eagle, the man I had just pinned, was gone, as was Haley Dark, although smears of her blood covered the walls and the floors- the poor girl was in for an a long night after having shards of glass rammed into her back.
I staggered to my feet. The four-stores were eerily quiet. Before they had been a cacophony of tumbling boxes, breaking glass, heavy bodies hitting the floor, and the occasional scream of pain. It was almost like those first few minutes after a tornado just ripped through your neighborhood- the howling madness was gone, but the sounds of everyday life hadn’t dared to return yet.
I staggered to my feet, looking around at the destruction the eight of us had just wreaked. Shelves were overturned, boxes and boxes of food were everywhere, many of the packages destroyed, their contents spilling out. I shook my head at the sight, then began to shuffle towards the door. However, my foot snagged on something, and I looked down to see what I had hit.
Two shiny, silver leather belts. I bent down, and picked one of the belts up. The front plating was leaf-shaped, and around the edge, the words ‘Teaming Panda’s Championship’ was etched into the faceplate. The referees must have left them at my side after the match had ended. I smiled, rubbing my hand across the nameplate on the stem. It was empty right now, but soon, my name would be etched into it. The first name to ever be etched into the belt.
I bent down again, and grabbed the other belt, but something caught my eye, off to the side. I tilted my head just to the side, and gasped as I saw the small round object.
The orange I had slipped on during the match.
Draping both belts over my right arm, I grabbed the orange with my left, and held it up. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony- like any match, I had refused to use foreign objects, but it was this orange that had won me the match. Had I not slipped on it, the chain of events that led to me pinning Tough Eagle would likely have never happened.
Still holding the orange and both title belts, I took one last look around the four-store area, and began to leave. Even as I walked towards the nearest door, it opened, and half-a-dozen CPW stagehands came in, their faces falling when they saw the mess they were about to clean up. I smiled sympathetically at one of them- I sure didn’t envy the task that awaited them!
But another task awaited me as well- I needed to find Terrence.
The hallway was completely empty, everyone either watching the main event, or back in the four-store area trying to clean up. Without any leads or clues as to where my husband might have gone, I decided to just head back to the locker room.
For once, I was right on the first try, as the moment I opened the door, I was greeted with the worried visage of my husband. He swept upon me, relief etching into his features. “Wendy! Thank God! What took you so long to come back from the-” he paused as he saw the two title belts draped over my arm, and his concern for my safety melted away immediately at the realization. “No... fuckin’ way... we won?”
I grinned. “We won. I pinned Tough Eagle after a Vortexinator. They didn’t tell you?”
Terrence snorted. “Didn’t tell me shit. One thing, I’m in a room with three other people, taking turns whacking each other over the head with shit, and the next thing I know, the referees are between us, yelling at us that the match is over. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, and they wouldn’t let me go look for you. So I just came back here.” he finished with a shrug.
I looked around the locker room, surprised to find that we were the only occupants. Pollaski and Cassie must have taken Theresa to watch the main event.
“Where WERE you, anyways?” Terrence suddenly asked.
“I just needed a moment,” I replied. “I took some really hard hits from Silent Dragon earlier, and I was pretty drained. I’m okay now, though.”
I held one of the belts out to Terrence, and he took it, inspecting it the same way I had just a few minutes earlier. He was smiling, but the barest flicker of... something... crossed his face for just a second.
“You okay?” I asked.
Terrence nodded, but then he burst out into a laugh. “Fat lot of help I was in winning these”
“It was a team victory,” I protested. “You did your part, and I did mine...”
But Terrence shook his head. “Hon, I never even SAW you after the match started- we both just kinda got split up. And the next thing I know, the match is over. Hell, I didn’t even know we won until just a few seconds ago.”
I shrugged. “It was chaotic. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Besides, I’m going to need help defending them,” I finished with a grin.
Terrence laughed again, and shook his head. “Not if you keep wrestling the way you’ve been.” He suddenly turned serious, although there was still a small smile on his face. “And I’m serious about that, hon. You’ve really come into yourself this time around.”
“You’re just as good as you were during our first run, too,” I said, but Terrence only shook his head.
“Maybe, I’m just as good. But you’re better than you were five years ago. You’re more disciplined, if that’s possible. But most importantly, you’re more confident. You’re not falling apart out of anxiety, you’re not overanalyzing every single thing you do. That confidence has made you so much better, its almost scary.”
“Thanks,” I said, blushing crimson at the compliment.
“So yeah, I’m serious when I say, tonight’s your win. I’ll gladly be champion next to you, and you can bet we’re gonna hold these belts for a long damn time. But tonight, hon, my hat’s off to you.”
I set my belt down on the locker room table, and held up the orange in my hand. “Well, it wasn’t just me. This little guy helped just a bit.”
Terrence looked at me skeptically. “An orange? What, you throw it at someone?”
I laughed, and shook my head. “I can’t even begin to describe what happened- you’ll have to see the replay.” I quickly dug my nail into the rind, and began to peel it.
“And now you’re gonna eat it?” Terrence shook his head. “There’s gratitude for ya...”
“No, we’re going to eat it.” I said, grabbing the juicy fruit, and ripping it in half. I offered one of the halves to Terrence, who took it. “After all, the victory is both of ours.” And I tore off a piece of my half, and popped it in my mouth. It was, by far, the best tasting orange I ever had. Terrence ate some of his too, then leaned forward, and grabbed me, pressing his lips into mine. For a second, I was rigid in shock, and a little bit of disgust, before finally giving in, and returning the gesture. For a long time, we stood embracing. Finally, I broke away, and stepped back for just a second, unsure of whether I should be smiling or retching.
I had to say it. “Oh, and Terrence?”
“Yeah?”
I shot him a severe look. “If you EVER kiss me with a mouth full of half-chewed food again, I’ll kill you.”
Terrence broke into a grin, then popped another piece of the orange in his mouth. “Sorry, hon!”
==========================================
Friday January 21, 2011
McGillity’s Rattlesnake Petting Zoo & RV Park
Van Horn, Texas
6:10 PM Local Time
[So as yet another massive blizzard begins to form over the Eastern United States, the WhirlyBirdz head west to sunny California for their second Zoo taping]
[Nice timing, eh?]
[Anyways, the Birdz have stopped for the evening in the not-so-Texan-sounding town of Van Horn, a small hamlet of about 2500 120 miles east of El Paso. Luckily, they’ve found a fairly nice campground with all the accommodations, and prepare to spend a quiet evening before the final nine-hundred mile push to Los Angeles.]
[Taking advantage of the mild Texas weather, Wendy has set up camp outside this evening, sitting in a lawn chair, the camera about a dozen feet away. It’s not THAT warm outside, so she’s still wearing a black windbreaker, and a pair of jeans, but after spending most of January in a veritable feezer, she’s pretty much willing to take any excuse to be outside right now.]
[As we fade in, Wendy can’t help but give a short little grin, and holds her half of the CPW Tag Titles up for just a second, then quickly folds the belt and places it in her lap.]
“Well, we did it!”
[There’s no bragging in Wendy’s voice (okay, maybe there’s a LITTLE), but the expression on her face is one of elation, with just a little relief thrown in.]
“Terrence and I were hoping that we could pick up in CPW right where we left off in PWX, and we managed to do just that. In our very first match, we captured the Teaming Panda Titles, and look to continue the run that begin seven months ago in Kansas City.”
[A small shrug]
“But I think both of us know that we’re incredibly fortunate to have won the Four-Store War. Given how chaotic that contest was, it was virtually anyone’s game, and I just happened to be fortunate enough that no one else saw me making the cover on Tough Eagle. It’s hardly the most dominating way to end a match like this, but for what that match was, and the opponents we had involved, I’ll more than take what the fates gave me.”
[Wendy gives a lopsided smile]
“And yet, I know that our journey to become the top Tag Team in CPW has only just begun. I’m certain that Steely Vengeance, Double Dragon, and the Cherrybombs are all very much in the running to get another shot at us, as well as CPW’s newest aquires, the Syn City Syndicate. Whichever team emerges with the first-chance to dethrone us, I look forward to the challenge they will bring to Terrence and I.”
[Short pause, while Wendy gathers her thoughts]
“But, alas, that’s a challenge that will have to be settled at another time. This week, I make my CPW singles debut, and after last week, I’m going to have one heck of a tough act to follow.”
[Another small smile]
“One of my resolutions for this new year was that I was going to do everything in my power to become a better, more highly valued singles competitor. Someone who won’t be merely viewed as an afterthought. In a way, I’ve already made steps- I’m in the finals of fellow CWC member X3W’s tournament, one match from becoming their first ever champion.”
[Wendy’s positively beaming as she says this, although she quickly manages to sober.]
“But the climb to the top in CPW is going to be noticeably harder. X3W was a blank slate- a simple tournament decides the champion, and there was no heirarchy, no rankings you had to move up. But here in CPW, that tournament is a thing of a long ago past, won by Joey Flash. A rankings, a heirarchy has been established, and, like everyone else, I’m starting at the bottom.”
[Obviously SOMEONE didn’t see the power rankings put out last week...]
“I’ve got a long way to go to prove that I belong on the level of superstars such as Belladonna, Joey Flash, Aoraki, and Michelle Taylor. I have to work my way up, and I start this week, against Silent Dragon.”
[It should be noticed that she says ‘superstar’ and ‘Michelle Taylor’ in the same sentence without even so much as a hint of irony.]
“And Dragon, that’s not an insult to you- far from it! I know all too well what you’re capable of, because I have to admit that you did a pretty good number on me during that four-store war, and had the two of us not gotten separated, things might have ended a lit more unfortunate for me. And I daresay, of all the teams in Catholic Panda Wrestling that will be making an attempt at our titles, Double Dragon has the best shot of knocking Terry and I from our perch.”
[Wendy tilts her head slightly, a nod of respect for her opponent for the week.]
“I have nothing but respect for you, Dragon, and I think that in a lot of ways, you and I are very similar. We’re the same height, and we both wear the emerald as our birthstone. Both of us are high-flying wrestlers, and can launch an explosive move from out of the blue. I daresay I’m probably a bit quicker, and more flexible, while you are likely stronger, but I think we’re both very evenly matched. And I think both of us carry the honor of being the quieter, more sensible members of our respective tag teams.”
[Wendy smiles a bit at this, over the irony of pointing out that someone named ‘Silent Dragon’ is a bit on the quiet side.]
“But unfortunately, I think both you and I have been saddled with the perception that we are also the weaker members of our tag teams as well. Obviously, it’s a bunch of hogwash, but I’ve said it a thousand times- perception means EVERYTHING in this business, and sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
[Short pause]
“But that doesn’t mean we sure as heck can’t try!”
[Wendy breaks into a self-deprecating grin]
“The way I see it, neither Terrence nor Draco are wrestling on Episode 13, which means that Monday Night is all about the so-called ‘Second Bananas’ of the WhirlyBirdz and Double Dragon. A chance to prove what we can do when the opportunity presents itself. I’ve resolved to make the most of my opportunities, and I hope you’re prepared to do the same.”
[The grin fades just a little, until its a just small smile, although the smile’s practically belying the fires of determination now in Wendy’s eyes]
“We’re the fourth match on this show, the exact midpoint of the card. So let’s go out there, and let’s show Val and Cammy that they stuck us a couple of slots too early. But know that I’m going to be fighting to win, Dragon. I’m going to give you the toughest fight of your career, and when all is said and done, I fully plan to be walking out of this match the victor. Because I’ve said a lot of big things today. I’ve made my plans known, and they’re ambitious ones, to say the least. Now comes the hard part, the part where I have to back it up.”
[Wendy takes a deep breath, and again, the smile fades just a little bit more.]
“Because you of all people know that actions speak louder than words.”
[Fade]
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