Saturday October 18, 2014
2:41 PM Greenwich Mean Time
Victoria Park- Riverfront Trail
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Well on the bright side, it didn’t take too much for Wendy to convince the police that she had nothing to do with the exhumation of her father’s corpse and the fact that it was lying in front of the altar of a cathedral with a bunch of wires attached to him. Apparently INTERPOL actually has a file on Jessika already. Hunh, whoda thunk.
Anyways, after Pollaski’s nose stopped bleeding, the two had an earnest conversation over what the hell they’d just witnessed. Pollaski’s slightly convinced that it was an attempt at a peace offering, while Wendy pointed out that no sane person would ever think that would amend any sort of a schism. Pollaski pointed out that this is Yuri Ganiyeva and Jessika Hexstar that they’re dealing with, a point that even the stubborn Wendy had to concede.
Either way, no more time to worry about that now, as its MATCH DAY!!!!!! Which means appearances and autograph signings and interviews and promos and figuring out how to watch the Notre Dame Florida State game in case the show runs long. We’re at the promo part here, obviously.
Scene: Victoria Park, on the Connswater river about a half-mile east of the Odyssey. It’s not a huge park, with a couple soccer (FOOTBALL YOU STUPID FUCKING YANKEE) fields and a walking trail that goes along the waterfront. It’s here that Wendy’s elected to stand, dressed in a nice simple black dress with a shamrock pin adorned above her left breast, her hair tied back in a ponytail, swaying slightly in a gentle breeze. The river is to her back, where a couple of late-staying ducks paddle idly in the background.
“You know, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”
The emotion and jitters are evident in Wendy’s voice, although she does well to keep calm.
“Actually, it goes back to when I was a child, long before I’d even heard of professional wrestling. I grew up dreaming of one day singing and dancing on a Belfast stage, just like my parents had. And then, yes, when I began wrestling and realizing that it was an international sport, the idea of going to Ireland and competing was always a dream, but until today, one that’s been somehow unfulfilled, given that I’ve been in matches all over the world.”
“I’ll confess, there’s a part of me that dreaded this. I’m an emotional person, this is an emotional sport, and when… what happened two years ago was… terrible. And part of me has been dreading coming back here, and… there’s bad memories that I didn’t want rekindled, but.. it’s too late for that, really…”
“But even with all the apprehension… the dreams still there. And tonight, my desire to fulfill that dream overcomes my desire to hide from the past. And you know what? I owe almost all of that to you, the people of Belfast, who have been nothing but supportive of me over the past two years. I’ve read your messages and emails, and I’ve listened to you the last couple times we were here. You guys have been great, and without your support and kindness and hospitality, I wouldn’t be here.”
Wendy’s voice wavers, and she takes a couple seconds to pause and wipe her eyes.
“So tonight, the GRAND PREMIERE of Wendy Briese performing in Belfast! I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting this ever since the show’s linup was announced a few weeks ago, and, well, I’ve been waiting for something like this pretty much all my life. So let’s end the waiting, fire up the show, and I promise you that NONE of us are going to be going home disappointed!”
“And for an extra treat, you guys get a rivalry rekindled. Wendy Briese against Crystal Hilton, for the fourth time in FFW, albeit the first time in over two years. We both entered FFW at roughly the same time. She was my first real rival here in FFW, and we engaged in some tremendous matches during our first year and a half in this company. And we’re both coming in on an uptick. I just once again confirmed myself another chance to regain the FFW Championship. And Crystal, she seems to have finally gotten over whatever was blocking her when it came to the Femme For All. She’s into the second round, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she manages to make the finals, or even wins it all. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me in the least if you get a Wendy vs. Crystal PART FIVE sometime in 2015… only this time, it’s for the FFW Championship.”
Wendy chuckles, almost as if she herself can’t believe that possibility.
“Does that surprise you to hear me say that, Crystal? After all, the last time we faced, I said in no uncertain terms that I didn’t want anything to do with you. I’ve pretty much kept my end up on that front, haven’t I? Heck, even on that offhand occasion I had to tag with you, I was certainly aloof and not all that enthusiastic about that.”
“For good reason, of course. You were an incoherent, babbling drunken mess at the time, who couldn’t even remember who you were or who you were supposed to be liking that particular week. You’d pretty much stabbed all your colleagues in the back, and the few you hadn’t you were either irritating the heck out of or condescending to. You were a miserable person, Crystal Hilton.”
“So congratulations on turning it around, Crystal, over the past couple of years. Your personal life seems much more in order. You finally have found people you can actually work with. You’ve found yourself another relationship- one that’s not soul-cripplingly destructive. You’re infinitely better and more consistent in the ring, you’re not nearly as unbearable outside of it. You’ve made progress, Crystal. Strong progress, and you should be proud of that.”
A small, respectful smile.
“So for once, yes, Crystal, I’m actually looking forward to facing you. Not dreading it and hoping to get it over with without being disgusted and embarrassed too much, but actually, honest to God looking forward to a good match from you. That there is RESPECT, Crystal. Something you’ve craved for a long time, and had no idea how to get. Over the last couple of years, you’ve finally managed to figure it out.”
“But Crystal, you still fall into that trap that you so often do, where you still value fashion far too highly over function. You still view the concept of style points in too high regard. In fact, just last week… do you have any idea how hard it was to get any sort of airtime on Velocity? The production schedule was jam-packed… I couldn’t even get airtime. And you LUCKED into some, because you just happened to be around when Jenny’s interview came up. And you ran off because, you weren’t dressed right? There you were, coming off the biggest wins of your career, with a free chance to say something on it thanks to serendipity, and you ran away?”
Wendy sighs in mild exasperation, and shakes her head.
“Some people would think that’s nitpicking, and maybe it is, but I think it’s a fine example of what I’m talking about. Here’s another one- one that’s a LOT more irritating and obnoxious, and needs to be cleared up REALLY quick. Over the past few months, you’ve been going on and on about CGE- Cartwheel Galaxy Enterprises. Even this week, on Twitter… CGE explodes! So let me get something cleared up real quick, Crystal, and Jenny, and ScarFair, and… Radioactive… Love… would do well to listen very closely here.”
For some reason, she says “Radioactive Love” with her teeth gritted.
“You know what CGE is? What it truly is? It’s a DBA that Daniel Pollaski prints on his business cards so he has something to put on there. It’s something he sticks on his tax forms next to his ID number when he makes his files with the IRS. It’s a cute name, a clever name. And the namesake is a very pretty astronomical object, but in the end, that’s all it is, a NAME. And all it means is that we have the exact same guy negotiating our contracts and sponsorship deals and what not, and that’s it. It doesn’t’ make us a club, or a stable, or a clique. It doesn’t make us Team Kyle, thank the Lord. And it doesn’t make us friends.”
“No, Crystal, even though I do respect you far more now than I used to, we’re still not friends, and I doubt we’ll ever be. I know it sounds harsh, but I REALLY want to make sure there’s no misconceptions here. There’s too much history still between us, and we’re too incompatible. I suppose that’s what makes us great natural rivals. You’re a high flyer, I’m a technician. You’re flamboyant, I’m conservative. You’re theatrical, I’m practical. You came from poverty and enjoy the finer things, I grew up with a silver spoon and am happy to be middle class. You’re Pistons, I’m Pacers. You’re Red Wings, I’m Blackhawks. The list goes on. ”
“And just like your Michigan State and my Notre Dame fight for the Megaphone Trophy, tonight, you and I fight for bragging rights. In fact, that’s one thing I’m looking forward to the most about this- that the pressure of career advancement is off, and there’s absolutely nothing on the line tonight other than pride. Regardless of what happens, you still go on to the semifinals of the Femme For All. I’ll still go on to face Mika at Anarchy, and compete for the FFW Championship sometime after that. There’s no professional advancement here for either of us. Tonight… it’s simply personal.
A small, eager smile from Wendy.
“And not the kind of personal that ends up in an electrified steel cage that ends with someone nearly being killed. No, the kind that involves two true wrestlers who want nothing more than to beat the other, because they know how hard that is to do. They both know they have to bring their A games, and give everything they have to walk out the winner, and so they do. That’s my favorite kind of a match, and the fact that there’s no shiny gold belt involved doesn’t diminish the fun in the least. In fact, after a series of high-stress do or die matches, I welcome it.”
“But, Crystal? Tonight is not going to be your night. You remember that feeling you had in Mexico, and how badly you wanted to beat Mileena Savage there? That’s how I feel about this. It may not be my hometown, I may have never lived here in my life, but it’s still important to me. Important enough to where I’m not about to let you, or anyone else take it from me.”
Another small smile, as Wendy straightens up, stretching just a bit as she does.
“So I’ll see you out there tonight, Crystal. First time in a long while. In a way, it’s the first time ever, because I know I’ll tangle with a different Crystal Hilton, and I’m reasonably certain you’ll have to account for my own changes as well. But that won’t make the intensity any less. Because in the end, I’m going to be walking out with the most important aspect of this business, the driving force behind it all, and make us do what we do.”
“Pride.”
And with that, Wendy turns to look out over the river, and the scene fades.
No comments:
Post a Comment