12 September, AD 2011
I did it!
The Evolution Championship is mine, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. It wasn’t the best, most complete match I ever wrestled, but I hung in there, and in the end, I was able to hold out, withstand an onslaught by Tara Thunder, and obtain the belt for myself.
Part of me is overjoyed, and relieved. I had a goal, and while I failed at it the first time, I managed to keep at it, and I finally succeeded. It’s like they say- preserverence pays off in the end. Saturday Night, it certainly did.
But there is the annoying controversy surrounding the match as well- Colleens abrupt departure and de facto abdication of the title. I’ve heard so many theories on what happened, it’s maddening. Tara apparently thinks the two of us were in league together, a laughable notion if I ever heard one. Some thought it was an attempt to slight her former manager, an effort to tell Wolf that she wasn’t going to play his game. Others thought that it was her bold statement that she was ready to move on, and try for the top belt. And still others think that it was done because Colleen simply thought it would server her interests better if she stepped aside, but left her opponent with the hollow victory.
I don’t know what the motives were, but at the end of the day, I’m the one with the belt, and the controversy. It’s disheartening, to some extent. Obviously, when you accomplish something, you certainly don’t want to have it diminished by anything- especially circumstances beyond your control.
But I keep thinking back to the controversy surrounding Scarlett’s win over Isabella Pazzini at Full Frontal- just before I joined FFW myself. No matter how hard she tried, Scarlett could never live the controversy of that match down, especially when the rematch ended in even stronger controversy. It haunted her for her entire reign, to the point where when she was subjected to the Elimination Chamber, she went out of her way to make retaining the belt in that match as difficult as possible. And she tried winning with the mother of all exclamation points. It backfired horrendously.
I’m sitting in a similar position- a champion holding a belt that many people don’t believe I deserve. And, while I’m not staring down five opponents, I am staring down one- in an all-or-nothing two out of three falls match with Crystal Hilton.
Like Scarlett in that Chamber, a win here equals what every controversial champion in wrestling craves- validation. The assurance that not only do you deserve to continue on as champion, but that you deserved to be the champion in the first place. An chance to put it all behind you, and focus on moving forwards.
And like Scarlett in the Chamber a loss equals just that- a crash and burn.
Pollaski was right- the amount on the line here is baffling, and somewhat crippling. Stepping into that ring puts everything I’ve done in FFW thus far at risk. But what choice do I have? I can’t run. I certainly can’t hide. I have to do what any living creature who’s been backed into a corner has to do- bare the fangs, sharpen the claws, and fight your way out.
Whatever happens, at the end of Sin & Sacrifice, my standing in FFW is going to have changed dramatically, for better or for worse. The thought of that is both exhilarating and terrifying.
So why am I more terrified than exhilarated?
-WCBT
Thursday September 15, 2011
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
7:10 PM Local Time
[Scene opens in what should be a very familiar location to us by now- the living room of the nest. Now normally, you would expect to see Wendy Briese sitting on the couch, considering that this is her promo, after all. But she’s not there. Wendy’s manager, the encouraging and incorrigable Daniel Pollaski, is, however. He’s managed to get his hands on the Evolution Championship, and he’s dangling it over the front of the couch, where a rather fat orange tabby cat sits, gazing at the strap hanging just a few inches above its head.]
[Ladies and gentlemen, Chanticleer, the Thompson family cat!]
[Chant watches the belt gently swaying back and forth, before finally lunging at it, batting it with his paw, causing the belt to sway back and forth even more. He then leaps up pawing at the title again, but Pollaski deftly lifts it out of reach, then lowers it back to its original, tantalizing position]
Wendy: “I spent four months trying to get that, and you turn it into a cat toy before the week is out.”
[Pollaski looks up, grinning as a half-amused Wendy walks into the scene, wearing a pair of jeans and a sky-blue embrodered sweater. Chant uses Pollaski’s distraction as an advantage, and manages to bat the belt a few more times, before Pollaski finally remembers him and again jerks the trophy out of reach.]
Pollaski: “Yeah, well, you can say its allegorical, about how you came so close once, just for it to be jerked out of your grasp, only for you to come back and grab it again. Also, it’d be freaking awesome if they did this in ladder matches.”
[Wendy sits down on the couch, but stares blankly at Pollaski]
Wendy: “You think ladder matches should add an element where just as a competitor is reaching for the belt, the wire jerks up, and the belt flies out of their reach.”
[Pollaski nods grinning. The expression on Wendy’s face indicates that might just be the dumbest idea she’s ever heard in her life.]
Wendy: “That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard in my life. You’d never be able to finish the match. It’s hard enough getting up there and grabbing the title as it is.”
Pollaski: “Ah, but you were able to do it, weren’t you, champ!”
[Wendy grins, blushing slightly]
Wendy: “I did, and thank you. I almost couldn’t believe it when I pulled this belt off the wire. After the disappointments, and the misunderstandings, and two tough matches, I’m just happy I was able to bring it home.”
Pollaski: “I don’t think there was any doubt, really. Especially after Co-”
[Wendy quickly interrupts him, clearly unwilling to take the discussion down that road.]
Wendy: “Well, you certainly had more faith in the outcome than I did, that’s for sure. To be honest, I was holding on for dear life at the end there. I honestly don’t know how I did it, or how I managed to shake off Tara so that she lost her balance, but I’ve heard somepeople liken my grip to that of a limpet. And while I certainly appreciate being compared to shellfish, I think it goes to show that if you never give up, and hang on, even though things might be rough, those who can perservere will triumph in... the...”
[Wendy trails off from her After School Special Rant as Pollaski suddenly swings the belt at her, lobbing it into the air. Seemingly completely on reflexes, she reaches out, grabbing the belt from the air, although she rocks forward slightly from the weight and inertia of the flying trophy. Still she manages to hang on, and neatly folds the belt up, placing it on her lap, with the faceplate facing towards the camera. Pollaski, for his part, grins.]
Pollaski: “It’s true then. You really are good at catching that thing when someone else decides to toss it aside.”
[Wendy turns beet red in about a second, obviously less than pleased with Pollaski’s offhand remark. Pollaski shrugs, a slight smirk on his face.]
Pollaski: “Well, at least that’s what some of your critics are saying.”
[Wendy pauses slightly , then holds the belt back out to Pollaski. Pollaski looks puzzled.]
Wendy: “Look at it, Dan. Look at it good, because your client just spent four months of her career trying to obtain this. What do you think? Did I put out all that effort for a lump of fool’s gold? A piece of scrap metal? A tin can tied onto a leather string? Is that what I’ve won? Refuse?”
[Pollaski’s a bit shaken by the quiet menace in Wendy’s voice as she glares at him. Her normally pale face is slightly flushed, and her jaw is set- a clear indication that she’s furious.]
Pollaski: “N-no. Of course not. But, considering the way you won it, when Colleen tossed the belt-”
[Pollaski stops as Wendy interrupts, her voice calm, although there is a definite tremor in it.]
Wendy: “To hell with Colleen. I don’t care what her motives were, or what people make of her actions. How I won that title was exactly how I was supposed to, I outlasted my opponents, I climbed that ladder, I grabbed the belt, and I became the sixth Evolution Champion in FFW history, and there isn’t ANYTHING that’s going to take that away from me.”
[Wendy juts out her chin defiantly, as if daring Pollaski to defy her. Pollaski doesn’t exactly, but he still can’t help playing Devil’s Advocate]
Pollaski: “Of course not. But there’s still that stigma of a champion who didn’t properly dethrone her predecessor. That’s never an easy position to be in.”
[A small smile from Wendy.]
Wendy: “Maybe you’re right. But there isn’t really anything I can do about that. I can’t control Colleen’s actions. Apparently only a ten-digit bank account balance is capable of doing that. If Colleen doesn’t want the Evolution Championship anymore, that’s her choice. She can forever be known as the woman who fled from her challenges, and I’ll be known as the woman who took her challenges head on. Because it doesn’t matter if I grabbed it from a golden pedestal, or picked it out of the mud, it’s my ball, and I plan on running with it.”
[Pollaski remains silent, so Wendy continues]
Wendy: “People make a big deal about winning titles, and rightfully so. To manage to beat a champion, to earn your place in the record books, is an accomplishment. But unlike the movies, when the story ends the moment that shiny gold trinket is snapped around the hero’s waist, that’s when the real work begins. Because keeping a championship, protecting your reign from every challenger who seeks to dethrone you, is even more challenging than obtaining the belt in the first place.”
[Wendy grins, looking excited]
Wendy: “And it’s a challenge I eagerly accept. I’ve said it before- I’m not just happy being the Evolution Champion. I want to be the best champion this belt has ever been wrapped around. I want to be the longest reigning, have the most defenses. Be the gold standard, so to speak. And I know I have a long way to go there. It’s been a series of amazing women who have come before me- Undine, Robbyn, Scarlett, and, yes, even Colleen. And maybe it’s vain that I could even hope to surpass all of them. But, I’m certainly going to try.”
Pollaski: “Well, before you can get that far, you kind of have to avoid becoming the SHORTEST reigning Evolution Champion in history. Hell, you lose at Sin & Sacrifice, and you tie Michelle Taylor and Sophia Black for the shortest reigning champion at any level in FFW history. Some good company right there.
[Wendy grimaces, but then shrugs]
Wendy: “If you want to look at it that way, you can. But every single champion at Sin & Sacrifice is defending her belt for the first time. I think we’re all in the same boat here, whether we’ve had the title for two weeks or two months. Don’t get me wrong, I know the stakes at Sin & Sacrifice. Two out of three falls, and the winner not only is the Evolution Champion, they advance into the second round of the Femme For All. There’s no consolation for the loser. There’s no second chance at the tournament. Heck, there might not even be a second chance at this title. Trust me, I know what’s riding on this.”
[Wendy takes a deep breath, and tries to force another smile, although its clear some element of nerves are showing]
Wendy: “But I didn’t come to FFW to play it safe. I came here to face the best, and challenge myself. And I’m not going to shy away, no matter who’s across the ring from me, or what the stakes are. And if the path to the top requires me to walk across a narrow ledge, where the slightest slip means a plummet to disaster, then I will step out, balance myself, and keep walking until I get to that other side.”
Pollaski: “Well, it can’t be any easier, knowing the woman standing across from you is who some consider your biggest rival.”
[Wendy nods]
Wendy: “Everyone knows that Crystal Hilton’s been waiting for the day whens she gets back into the ring with me. She wants redemption. But funny enough, so do I. You watch that match, and things were not going well for me towards the end. I barely managed to survive two submission attempts, and I had taken the mother of all missile dropkicks. I don’t even know how I managed to pull off that powerbomb, and get the win.
[Pollaski looks stunned]
Pollaski: “Wait... so you’re saying you got lucky the first time?”
[Wendy pauses, then shakes her head]
Wendy: “Not lucky, no. But I could have done better. I should have done better. And this time, I’m going to do better. It might take me two falls, it might even take me three, but in the end, when all is said and done and that final bell rings, I want there to be left no doubt that I beat Crystal, and that I’m the rightful Evolution Champion.”
[Another deep breath]
Wendy: “But no matter what, I’m going to keep fighting, until I can’t go on anymore. Because I’m happy with what I’ve done. You could even say I’m proud. But I’m not satisfied. Nor will I ever be. Not when there’s so much more for me to do.”
Pollaski: “Never satisfied, eh? I’m sure Terrence LOVES hearing that.”
Wendy: “Yeah, well, I...”
[Wendy trails off as the realization of what her manager just said hits her. She wheels at him, completely beet red in the face]
Wendy: “Th...that is not what I meant...”
Pollaski: “Although it explains a lot!”
[Another pause, as Pollaski has that Cheshire Cat grin on his face. Wendy, if possible, seems to be turning even redder]
Pollaski: “Want me to leave?”
[Slight nod]
Pollaski: “Alright, I’m going.”
[Pollaski stands up...]
*MEROWWWWWWWWWWR! HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*
[...although he doesn’t quite watch where he’s going]
*SCRATCH*
Pollaski: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
[Pollaski shrieks in agony, and stumbles towards the camera, knocking it over. Darkness hits, but the audio stays for just one more second]
Wendy: “That’s a good kitty.”
[Cut]
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