A Gift

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Off Camera

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“Why do we have to do contract negotiations at your stupid high rise condominium?”

Julia Braddock has been agitated the entire time.  After Survival of the Fittest she wanted to make a triple back to London to see her father, Glenn Braddock, but she received a message from her agent, Mason Van Stanton, demanding that she come to Raleigh, NC.  Raleigh is his headquarters.  It makes it easier for him to operate, since Global Championship Wrestling is headquartered in Raleigh and that’s where he does most of his business.

“Because I want to.”

Mason’s voice has been stern throughout.  Julia has no idea why he insists on coming here.  He never has before.  But there’s little she can do about it.  She is the exclusive property of Mason Van Stanton and he has control over her wrestling career.  She has attempted to be a team player in recent weeks but she still knows that dealing with Mason is going to always be like walking on egg shells.   He still hates the Braddock family, despite his attempts to win her over.

“I just fail to see why we couldn’t do these contract negotiations somewhere else.  Hell, why even have them at all?  I thought the contract I signed after For Glory & Gold was iron clad.  I can’t get out of it even if I wanted to.”

“And I’m sure you want to.” Mason remarks under his breath.

“I heard that.”

“Anyway, we’re here.”

Mason Van Stanton pulls open the door and allows his client Julia to step inside to the high rise condominium.  He and Julia step inside and Julia’s eyes grow wide.  The room is uncomfortably large; like a perfect magazine cover.  It reminded her of a hotel foyer, not just in the space but in the artwork too.  Julia is almost afraid to sit in case she were to wrinkle the fabric.  The couch is cream but inlaid with a fine green silk; leaves embroidered so delicately that they might have landed there in spring and just sunk in, but she knew they took hundreds of hours to sew. The white curtains are linen, the kind of white that is untouched by hands and devoid of dust. A cursory look to the right shows her the almost hidden cords that are used to open and close them. There is no television, no bookshelf, no dining table, only the chairs arranged around the bespoke fireplace which leaps with a gas flame.  The floor is a high polished wood, dark and free of either dust or clutter; the walls white and the furniture, Julia is certain, from a high-end Scandinavian designer, but the name escapes her for the moment.  It is a perfect place, but cold in its tranquility.

“Nice place, Mason.” Julia says, looking rather impressed despite her feelings towards Mason.  “Very nice.  How much was it?”

“Nearly a million dollars.” Mason states matter of factly.

“A million for this?  Well, it is impressive, I’ll say that much.”

“Only the best for my clients.”

That last line catches Julia’s attention and she immediately arches her brow. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, I kinda lied.” Mason says with a smirk on his face. “We’re not here to discuss contract negotiations.  I only said that so that I could get you to Raleigh without spoiling the surprise.”

“You mean?” Julia’s voice is full of anxious anticipation as she can see where this is going.

“That’s right, this is yours.  I bought it for you.”

“You can’t be serious.” Julia shakes her head. “Hannah and Kendra, they are much easier to work with than I am.”

“Right, and they’re getting a yacht.”

“Destiny?”

Mason chuckles. “Destiny is the love of my life, Julia.  We didn’t hook up just to take you down.  We hooked up because we love one another.  I give Destiny my life.  But you…”

He runs a hand through Julia’s long blonde hair “…you have always been my favorite client.  I meant it when I told you that your betrayal, you turning on me hurt me.  All I ever wanted for you was to give you the world on a silver platter because you deserved it.  You ran to the Braddock family and became yet another sidekick, another Glory Braddock yes person, and it hurt me and pissed me off because I saw the potential for you.”

He pokes her in the chest. “YOU made Glory Braddock tap out for only the second time in her career at Resurrection VI.  That proves you are the best wrestler to come out of the Braddock Wrestling School.  And just look at you, you are clearly the better looking one between you and your sister.  Everything I have done up until now has never been about trying to ruin your reputation or twist you or corrupt you.  It’s been about me trying to give you the accolades and rewards that you so richly deserved and yet were so wrongly denied.  Julia, you deserve to be treated like a princess. You deserve to be treated like royalty.”

“So this place…”Julia’s voice trails off as she fights off the emotions welling up inside her “…it’s a gift?”

“That’s right.  It’s a gift because you deserve it just for being who you are.  Besides, it serves a very practical purpose.  GCW is headquartered here.  My offices are headquartered here.  If you lived here instead of living across the pond in Jolly Ole, then you would be closer to the action.”

“And JaMarcus…”

“Don’t ask me for permission.” Mason says with a chuckle. “It’s YOUR place now.  You own it.  Anyone can live here or stay here that you allow.”

“Wow, I just…I don’t know how to…”

“A thank you would be nice.” Mason suggests with a smirk.

“Thank you!” Julia embraces him in a tight hug and kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you, so much, Mason!”

“This is just a small token of what my favorite client deserves.”

After breaking the embrace Julia can’t help but continue to laugh and even cry a little bit, not truly comprehending what just happened.

“I was so wrong about you, Mason.  I’m glad we’re back together, working as a team.”

“You’re right, we are better when we work as a team.  And you are better when you do not hold back.  You held yourself back in the past because you were afraid to step on the Braddock Family’s toes.  Not only should you step on their toes but you should step on anyone else who is beneath you.  Because you are wrestling royalty.  Understand?”

“I get you, Mason.  Still, there is one thing that puzzles me and it just hit me right now while I was taking all of this in.”

“What is it?”

“I got this expensive place, Hannah and Kendra got a yacht, who knows what you’re getting Destiny.  How the bloody hell are you affording all of this?”

“That’s my little secret, Julia.” Mason says with a knowing grin.

“I don’t like secrets.”Julia states firmly. “What are you not telling me?”

“You said you’re a team player now, right? You said that you like it when we work as a team?”

“Yes.”

“Well in order for this team to work, I have to keep some secrets from you.  All of you.  Including Hannah and Kendra.”

“So Destiny is in on the secret to your newfound fortune?”

Mason says nothing but just stands there, staring at Julia, smirking.  Finally he nods his head.

“Tell me, Mason.  What’s this secret?”

“Do you like this place, Julia?”

“What?” Julia is taken aback by this question.

“Answer the question, my dear.  Do you like this place?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t love this gorgeous place.”

“Then don’t ask any questions and just accept it.  Hannah and Kendra didn’t seem to give a damn how I got the money to afford to buy them a yacht.  They just accepted it.  Why can’t you?  That old Glory Braddock corruption isn’t seeping back in, is it?”

There is a long pause as Julia ponders what Mason just said.

“So?  Do you really want me to tell you the secret?”

“What secret?” Julia asks with a smirk.

“That’s my girl.”

Team Player

FLASH!

Lights are flashing repeatedly; these are the bright flashing of camera lights as they snap pictures of their current model.  The current young lady modeling a classy, elegant little number is none other than Julia Braddock.  She is wearing a bright, chipper smile, but it is forced.  Anyone who knows her knows it is forced.  She feels fake.  She feels like this whole thing is just a charade, as if she’s just being used by her manager Mason Van Stanton.  And it’s no surprise that she feels this way.  She never wanted to be back with Mason in the first place.  She’s agreed to the terms of a new contract with Mason simply to ensure he would never get his hands on the Braddock Wrestling School.

Julia never should have agreed to put the school on the line in her match against Mason’s wife Destiny Van Stanton.  But her emotions, specifically her anger, got the best of her and she agreed just to get Destiny in the ring.  Just to get revenge.  She should’ve known to expect anything. She should’ve been better prepared.  But she wasn’t.  She fell right into their trap.  Now she’s stuck.  But she resolves never to let herself become the person Mason Van Stanton claims she truly is.  She resolves to be better than that.

“Ok, stop!  Stop right there!”

Julia knows she should keep her pose but she can’t help but roll her eyes as she hears the voice of her agent, Mason Van Stanton, shouting out at the photographers to cease and desist.  He rushes up into the camera shot and waves his arms like a madman.

“The photo shoot is over!”

“But Mr. Van Stanton, we need to get a few more shots and…”

“No, you don’t!” He continues flailing his arms. “You’re done.”

“You’re embarrassing yourself, Mason.” Julia complains, placing her hands on her hips. “Hell, you’re embarrassing me!”

“Don’t care.” He shakes his head before spinning around to face Julia.  He points back to the dressing room. “Leave, we’re done here.”

“Why?”

“Just go!”

Julia doesn’t like this arrangement one bit, and this is why.  It’s almost like he owns her.  But he doesn’t own her.  He is just a manager, an agent, and it’s time he remembers that.  Julia marches up to him and slaps him across the face.

“You’re my agent, Mason. You do not own me.  Remember that.”

With that said, and satisfied that she has thoroughly made her point, she spins and marches away from Mason who continues to berate the photographers.  Julia heads towards the dressing room.  She opens it up and steps inside.  Immediately she sighs with frustration as she finds Destiny Van Stanton sitting there, almost as if she is waiting on her.

Destiny is the last person she wants to see right now.  Between Mason and Destiny, it was Destiny who has been taking advantage of this one-sided arrangement the most.  Julia didn’t realize it until just a few months ago, but Destiny had always felt unappreciated by The Braddock family.  Thus she was easily convinced by Mason’s charm.  Mason and Destiny hatched their plan to trick Julia and now Destiny has the opportunity to turn the tables on Julia.

“Great, you’re here…” Julia’s voice trails off as she walks over and has a seat on a nearby bench.

“Nice seeing you too, Braddock.” Destiny quips.

“What are you doing here anyway?  You don’t like me.  Is your husband making you keep an eye on me?”

“That’s funny, Julia.” Destiny chuckles. “To think any man, even Mason, could tell me what to do.  You want to know why mine and Mason’s relationship works so well?  He treats me as an equal.  Men in the past wanted to either put me on a pedestal or treat me as a sex object.  All I ever wanted is equality.  Isn’t that the goal of feminism?”

“Supposedly.” Julia answers, rolling her eyes.

“Mason listens to me and gives me the respect I deserve.  In turn I listen to him and give him the respect he deserves.  We have a great relationship as a result.” Destiny smirks as she reaches out and touches Julia on the nose. “You know, you’d do well to do the same.  This whole experience wouldn’t be so miserable for you.”

“What are you suggesting, Destiny?  Are you suggesting I respect him?  He’s trying to ruin me and my reputation.  You’re trying to do the same thing and don’t deny it.”

“Fine,” she nods her head “I admit, at first this was all about ruining you, destroying you, and ruining your entire family.  That’s why I was pissed off with Mason when he suggested the whole notion of giving you an out of your little agreement.  After I beat your ass I wanted to close up that damn school and legally make the Braddock name penniless.  I was furious when Mason gave you an out but then it hit me….”

“You realized you could treat me like crap and get away with it?”

“No.  I realized that Mason was right.  I have no need to hate you because you’re a victim of the same poison that twisted my mind.  That same poison that made me weak and corrupted had also made you weak and corrupted.  This was a chance for the two of us to, you know…” Destiny shakes her head “…oh just forget it.”

“No, what is it?  What were you going to say?”

“I just thought that maybe we could be friends again.”

“Friends?” Julia opens her eyes with wide-eyed shock.

“I knew you wouldn’t get it.”

“Excuse me for not buying into your little sob story about wanting to be friends, not when you and Mason tried to destroy my family only to settle on just ruining me in particular.”

“Listen to me, Braddock!” Destiny exclaims, standing up suddenly. “You think your family is so great?  You still drink that Braddock kool-aid?  Well let me ask you this; where was Glory when you were fighting for the entire family?  She was busy chasing Chantelle Chambers and the world title, leaving you all on your own.  Where was Glory when you lost that match?  No where to be found.  Yet you made the sacrifice and why?  To save her?”

Julia bows her head in shame.  She doesn’t want to admit it but Destiny raises some very valid points.

“Mason can be a jerk at times.  I can be a bitch at times.  But Mason busted his ass to get you this Heritage Championship Match at Survival of the Fittest.  He busted his ass to get you these promotional deals with all of these major companies.  Do you want to know why?”

“Why?”

“Because whether you realize it or not he believes in you.  He sees you as the GODDESS and ROYALTY that you truly are.  That is the REAL Julia Braddock; not the humble WELCOME MAT who lets her sister Glory walk all over her.  A member of wrestling’s royal family.  He’s not asking you to do anything outside of your morals or ethics.  If you want to be little miss goodie goodie in the ring and play by the rules, fine.  That’s your business.  He just wants you to carry yourself like the STAR that you are and not like Glory’s sidekick.  I was Glory’s sidekick for a long damn time before I saw the truth.” Destiny shrugs her shoulders. “But what do I know, right?  I’m just trying to destroy you and ruin you.”

Destiny starts to walk way but then Julia stands up and places a hand on her shoulder. “Destiny, wait…”

Destiny turns around and is met by a hug from Julia Braddock. “Now Destiny, this doesn’t mean we’re friends.  You and Mason were very deceptive and manipulative with me.  You brutalized my father just to provoke me.”

“Sooooo…” Destiny looks on with a confused look on her face “….what’s this about then?”

“It means that maybe it’s time I tried to be a team player.” Julia smirks.  Destiny in turns smiles devilishly.

“Excellent.”

New Opportunities

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Off Camera

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The Braddock Wrestling School is an amazing sight in the daylight.  Students who attend the school are struck by the near run-down appearance of the legendary establishment, an establishment that still pumps out some of the best wrestlers in the world today.  In the moonlight of night time in London, England it is almost a fearful sight.  It looks like a place you want to avoid for fear of being mugged.  But for Julia Braddock this place is neither an awe-inspiring sight nor is it a fearful sight.  Whether it is daytime or nighttime, this place for Julia Braddock is simply home.  This building contains wonderful memories of her, Glory, and Matthew training together, learning the tools of the trade together under the infamous Glenn Braddock.  It also contains bad memories, memories of Julia becoming weak and resorting to drugs in order to deal with the pressure of living up to the Braddock name.  This place reminds her of the time she came crawling back to Glenn Braddock and begged him for his forgiveness and asked to be allowed back to the Braddock family.  For Julia Braddock, whether memories are good or bad, this place will always be like a second home to her.  This is why she is not afraid of it nor is she intimidated by it as the fancy black Lexus pulls up in the parking lot in the dead of night.

Julia Braddock exits the fancy vehicle and walks towards the school.  She walks with a purpose and a clear determination in her stride until she gets to the front door.   She stops and pushes it open.  She finds the lights are dimly lit and no one is anywhere in sight.  Equipment is strewn about.  It looks like a warzone.

But that’s normal for the Braddock Wrestling School.

She was summoned here tonight by her father, Glenn Braddock.  Yes, the same Glenn Braddock who is also the father of MCW General Manager Glory Braddock.  The Braddock family has many connections and for the longest time Julia’s father had been training her during her time with UWA.  Unfortunately UWA has now come to an end and she suspects that Glenn is about to inform her that this means their training sessions will also be ending as well.

“Glenn?  Dad, where are you?”

There is no sight of him and no answer back to her demand.  Julia notices the office light is turned on.  She turns and walks towards the office.  The only sound that is heard is the sound of her high heels clicking across the hard concrete floor.  Julia makes it to the office door and shoves it open just as she did the front door.  Immediately she finds Glenn Braddock sitting there at his desk with one arm folded across the other.  Glenn is staring blankly ahead.  Julia stares back at him.  She has never seen him like this and is growing more and more concerned by the second.

“Dad?  Are you ok?”

“You’re late.”

He says with a low growl in his voice.  Despite this, it brings a slight smile to her face.  This is the Glenn Braddock she knows.  This is her father.  Glenn Braddock is the type of guy who would send Godzilla running for the relative safety of the nearest active volcano.  The fact that he isn’t shaken up too much is enough for Julia.

“Some things never change, do they dad?” Julia pipes in cheerfully.

“They better if you expect me to continue training you.”

That was meant as a threat but, once again, it doesn’t have the desired effect.  Julia wants to continue training with her father.  Glenn Braddock is a legend all over Europe, but especially England, for his Greco-Roman abilities.  He adapted quickly to the professionals and has trained some world champions, including MCW World Champions Glory Braddock and Sophie O’Brian.  She was worried that the shutdown of UWA would mean the end of their teacher-student relationship but knowing that he intends to continue training her is a sign of good things.  It shows by the wide ear to ear grin on her face, which Glenn Braddock takes immediate note of.

“What’s with that grin on your face?”

“Sorry, dad, but I’m just so happy to hear that you still intend to train me.  I mean, I thought for sure that you were calling me in here to tell me you were done teaching me.”

“You still have a lot to learn about me, then.” He motions to a chair in front of his desk. “Sit down.”

“Sure.” Julia sits down at the chair. Meanwhile Glenn leans back and sighs.

“I’m getting old, perhaps I’m getting too old for this shit…”

“No way, dad.  You’re still the best.  You’re Britain’s Best, remember?”

“Yeah, they used to call me that, some still do, but you and your sister, you are The Best in the World.  Your sister has done a pretty good job slowly taking over the running of this place, training the new students.  I don’t as much work for this school as I used to.  One day, maybe in the near future, you and your sister will have full control of this place and you’ll have to decide what to do with it.”

“Don’t talk like that, dad.” Julia answers, shaking her head. “You still have several good years left in you.  You trained me to a world championship.  Don’t forget that.”

“I remember.” Glenn answers, nodding his head. “But I’m still getting old, and I can’t do this much longer.  Hell, if it were any other of my students whose wrestling federation shut down, I’d just tell them to fuck off.”

Glenn Braddock is definitely not an emotional human being.  It’s rare that he ever shows emotions but in this one rare occasion, he betrays himself by showing a warm grin on his face.

“But I can’t do that to you.”

“What are you saying?”

“I spoke with your sister.  She agrees with me.”

“Agrees with you about what?”

“I’m still going to train you, and together we’ve even negotiated you a deal to compete in a new place.” He winks. “You’ll get to work with your sister again.”

“Motor City Wrestling?” Julia asks.  Glenn just nods his head in respond. “I’d love that, I really would, but I…” she shakes her head “…I can’t.  I don’t want receive any help.  I don’t want anyone to think I’m getting ahead because of friends in high places or…”

“Oh cut that shit out now!” Glenn exclaims, his normal gruff tone returning. “MCW has new ownership, Rayne Young and Constance Black.  Do you really think that they’d let Glory help you take a shortcut in any way?  Not that you would.  I raised you better than that.”

Glenn stands up out of his chair and Julia follows suit.

“This is another chance, Julia.  What do you think?”

“Honestly, I think…” she grins “…I think this is brilliant!”

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On Camera

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Surprise!

I bet few would expect to see me here.  And honestly, I never thought I’d find myself here either.  But fate is a funny thing.  You never know what will happen and while my former home, UWA, closed up its doors, another set of doors opened up wide for “The Kensington Knockout” and those doors lead to Detroit; those doors lead to Motor City Wrestling.

The ink just dried on my new MCW contract and I am definitely excited about competing here for the fans of MCW, fans that my sister loved so much when she competed here.  She told me all about how passionate the MCW fans are and so they should be.  From what I’ve observed MCW has always given the fans top quality action from some of the best performers all over the world.  Now I get to be a part of a proud tradition, a tradition started over a decade ago, a tradition that my sister, Glory Braddock, helped build.

Now I will my own touch of Best in the World Braddock Excellence to that tradition.  I will add the unique style of The Kensington Knockout to the great tradition of Motor City Wrestling.  And I think the fans will love to see what I can bring to the table.

But they won’t have to wait long.  The Shattered Dreams card may already be booked up but I did hear about this open invitational battle royal.  Well I’m hereby accepting the invitation to the invitational.

Open Invitationals tend to bring out anyone and everyone as it is, but add to that the fact that a championship match is on the line and you can imagine the number of people who will throw their names into the hat for this one.  I imagine it’ll be bloody chaos and anarchy reigning supreme.  But if there’s anything about Julia Braddock that you can take to the bank it’s that I am ready for anything and I am ready for anyone.

And what better way to make an instant impact at the new place than by winning this battle royal on my very first night and thus earning a shot at any title I see fit.

Even the main championship itself, be it world or elite, whatever you want to call it.  Think about that as an impact; win a battle royal in match one, win the world title in match two.

You don’t get much better than that and you don’t get much better than me.  Now I understand battle royals are crazy, out of control, and unpredictable.  So I won’t be that bold and go ahead and declare myself winner before the bell even rings.  But I’ll say this much, each and every fan in that arena will witness the performance of a lifetime from yours truly in my MCW debut and any of my opponents, anyone who dares enter that match with me, will realize just why the Braddocks really are The Best in the World, because if I’m going down in defeat, I guarantee I will take a few of those bloody tarts with me.

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On Camera

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I hope you were paying close attention and I hope you heard every word she said.  That is who you’re going to have to contend with if you get it in your head that you actually have a chance at winning that battle royal.  If you think for one bloody minute that you stand a chance then think again.  She isn’t just The Kensington Knockout and she isn’t just one of the Best in the World.  She is my daughter, she is a Braddock, and the spirit of competition runs through her blood.  She will do what it takes to win and run through anyone and everyone who gets in her way.  It’s how I trained her.  I train her to be ruthless, aggressive, and to do what it takes to get that win.

Julia tends to hold back a little when it comes to these sons of bitches, but I don’t.  So let tell you fruitcakes how it really is; if you enter this battle royal, Julia Braddock is going to tear you apart.

Slaying Old Demons: Part 3

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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Fear; it is the mind killer.  It forever psyches us out and makes us doubt and cringe.

It could even be said that society itself is founded on fear.  That's what philosopher Thomas Hobbes seemed to think.  He claimed that in the state of nature, human life is solitary, nasty, brutish, and short because everyone is at war with everyone else.

Julia Braddock finds herself at war with two enemies; one in the form of an unstoppable monster, the other in the form of her very past itself.

The monster Julia Braddock has to deal with is known as Blitzkrieg.  His very name and presence invokes fear for those who have to confront him.  But not for Julia; Julia is from the proud Braddock line and she fears nothing.  She fears no one.  She has faced down and fought against tougher obstacles and more difficult challenges than the one Blitzkrieg presents and come out victorious.  She’s watched her sister, the famous Glory Braddock, defeat opponents larger and more powerful than Blitzkrieg and she came out victorious.  Julia knows she can pull off a similar feat against Blitzkrieg in the first round of UWA’s End of Year Tournament.

Now this particular tournament is not without its own unique motivation.  This isn’t just about being able to puff out your chest and declare yourself to be the best because you won a tournament.  It will be a tournament with the UWA World Championship on the line.  It is Julia’s second opportunity to potentially become UWA World Champion since she joined the company.  This won’t be an easy task for The Kensington Knockout.  If she wants to be UWA World Champion, she’ll have to win four matches in one night, and one of those matches will be against the monster Blitzkrieg.

The notion that she should be afraid of him or intimidated, however, is offensive to Julia.  She is a warrior, tried and true.  She has fought against worse odds than this.  For Julia, this is just another day in the office.  And she definitely does not fear him or any of the other competitors that she may have to go up against in this tournament.

What she does fear, however, is the one opponent she will do anything and everything within her power to avoid having to deal with: her own past.

That past reared its ugly head in the form of her drug dealing ex-boyfriend Jacob Samson.  Julia and Jacob used to engage in wild nights of drug use, abuse, and partying.  Those nights of drug abuse nearly ruined Julia’s professional career and personal life.  In fact, were it not for a unique intervention from Aphrodite Noel, Julia may have ended up without a career, in jail, or dead.

Aphrodite went to a great deal of trouble to not only help Julia get clean but to also craft for her a new public image and a new life, a life that would not include drugs in any way shape or form.  Julia thought that her past was behind her.

She was wrong.

Now Jacob is back and he wants Julia back in his life.  He claims he has information on Julia, information that would ruin her newly crafted public image and he is using this information to try to blackmail her into rejoining him in the life of drug dealing and partying.  But the question remains…what is this dirt that Jacob Samson has on Julia Braddock?  What information could he possibly have that would make her consider throwing everything she has away?

Julia Braddock finds herself pacing around the parking lot area of the arena shortly after UWA Outbreak has come to its conclusion.  She beautiful British lady is nervously checking her watch every so often as she impatiently awaits on someone’s arrival.  Who that someone is could be anyone’s guess.  But what is definitely true is the fear that is etched across her face.  Fear of what may come as a result of this meeting she will have.

She is afraid because this is all too familiar territory for her.  It is reminiscent of what got her involved in drugs in the first place.  She hooked up with Jacob Samson and got involved in drugs and partying because she was afraid; afraid of not living up to the standards of being a Braddock.  The pressure of being so great became too much, she was afraid of letting her family down, so she caved in and started doing drugs as a crutch to get her mind off of her troubles.  She didn’t realize until it was far too late that they would just merely create many different new troubles for her.

Now Julia finds herself in a similar predicament, where she will have to make a decision on how she will deal with her fears, this time her fear of her past.  She hopes she has made the right decision…

Headlights catch Julia’s attention.  The headlights start to head in her direction.  These headlights belong to a vehicle that drives slowly up to Julia’s position, coming to a stop in a nearby parking spot.  Julia Braddock takes in a deep breath and makes the sign of the cross over her forehead and chest before approaching the vehicle and speaking under her breath.

“It’s now or never…”

Julia watches the driver’s side door open and it isn’t Jacob Samson who exits the car; instead it is Julia’s sister, Glory Braddock, who exits the vehicle.  The Kensington Knockout immediately makes her way over to Glory, and Glory as well makes her way to Julia.  The sisters meet somewhere in the middle and embrace in a tight hug.

“Great to see you, Julia!”

“I’m just glad you came, Glory!”

The siblings break the embrace.  Glory grins as she looks her sister over, nodding approvingly.

“You look good, mate.  Real good.”

“Thanks.”

“And from what I can tell you look pretty good in the ring.” Glory adds. “I mean, you may have gotten off to a bit o f a slow start in UWA but every match has been competitive and then there’s this tournament coming up.  You have to be anxious about that?”

“You could say that.” Julia admits with a nod of her head. “But I’m not worried.  Everyone thinks I should be worried, considering I’m facing Blitzkrieg in the first round, but I am not worried.  I know damn well what I am capable of and I know I can defeat him.”

“And more importantly,” Glory places a hand on her shoulder “you can become world champion.  You have it in you.”

“Of course I have it in me,” Julia says with a smirk “I am a Braddock, aren’t I?”

The two sisters chuckle light-heartedly.

“You know, Julia, you really have come a long way, not just in your talent but in your confidence.  You believe in yourself, you are strong, and you do not seem to be afraid of anything.  You have made tremendous progress since you first started in this business in late 2012.  I’m proud of you.”

Julia hates hearing that because it isn’t really true.  Julia did make her professional debut in September of 2012 and it was shortly after her debut that she got caught up in drugs.  She got her start in drugs because she was overwhelmed with the fear that she would not be able to live up to the mightily high standards of the Braddock Wrestling Family.  Yes, Julia did manage to get herself clean.  But has she really and truly erased that fear?  Has she really and truly become a stronger person?

It’s just like Jacob Samson pointed out; Julia has never told anyone of her drug problem outside of close family and friends.  She fears how the public, including her fans, would react to this knowledge if they knew the truth.  And there is still one piece of information that no one knows about except for Julia and Jacob; something that she has kept close to herself.  It is that piece of information that Jacob is blackmailing her with.  She realizes if she just came out with everything, came out with the truth, then Jacob would have nothing to threaten her with.

But Julia isn’t certain that she is strong enough to do that.  The look of uncertainly, the look of nervousness on Julia’s face seems to tell the story of someone who is upset about something and potentially hiding something.  Glory Braddock immediately takes notice of this.

“Julia, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Julia insists, shaking her head. “Nothing at all.  I’m fine.”

“No, something is wrong.  I can tell.”

“Glory, I…” Julia’s voice trails off as she considers how to handle this.  She does want to talk to her older sister Glory about this, but she isn’t sure how to approach her. “…I mean, I do want to talk to you about something, just not out here.”

“Fine, then let’s go inside the arena.” Glory remarks, motioning to the entrance. “It is rather chilly out here anyway.”

“No, not inside the arena.” Julia shakes her head vehemently. “Definitely not there.”

“Then where?” Glory asks, shrugging her shoulders.

“Uh…” Julia looks around for a good, safe place.  She finally lays eyes on Glory’s vehicle and nods her head. “…there, your car.”

“My car?” Glory asks again with some confusion.  Julia nods her head.  “Alright…fine by me.”

With that, Glory and Julia approach the vehicle again.  Glory enters the driver’s side and Julia steps in through the passengers’ side.  Once the two are inside and the doors are shut, Glory turns her curious gaze back to Julia.

“So tell me, Julia…what’s wrong?”

“My ex-boyfriend is back.”

“Ex-boyfriend?” Glory’s face curls up into one of confusion.  This is a name she never heard before and Julia can tell that Glory is lost.

“My ex-boyfriend’s name is Jacob Samson.  He and I were dating when I still had my drug problem.”

“Ah, I get it.  Jacob, I imagine, did drugs too?”

“Yes, and he still does.” Julia remarks.

“Tell him to get lost.  You don’t need that shit in your life, mate.”

“It isn’t that easy, Glory.” Julia says, sounding somewhat frustrated. “Damn it, you always make it sound easier than it actually is.  You just have no idea what I’m up against here!”

“Then explain it to me.” Glory snaps back. “It wasn’t that long ago that you finally got yourself clean.  You don’t need any of that shit back in your life.  So tell me, why can’t you make him go away?”

“Because he has information against me!” Julia exclaims. “He says he has evidence that proves I was a drug abuser and that he plans to release it to the world.  I can’t take the risk…I…”

“Whoa, let me stop you right there.” Glory interrupts. “This is one druggie, one little druggie, and you honestly think that he can prove you were one too?  He has nothing on you, Julia.  There’s no way he has anything on you.”

“Glory…”

“Just tell him to bugger off!” Glory remarks, continuing to ignore Julia.

“Glory, it isn’t that simple…”

“Yes it is!” Glory snaps back. “You don’t need him back in your life!  Get a restraining order!  Get…”

“I WAS HIS PROSTITUTE!”

Glory immediately silences herself after hearing Julia shout this out loud.  She is stunned upon hearing this revelation.  Julia is in tears now as she nods her head.

“We bought most of our drugs with cash but there were times that we were short on money and it was then that Jacob pimped me out to other dealers he knew.  In exchange for sex those other dealers would give us drugs.  We split them evenly.”

Julia reaches up and wipes some tears out of her eyes.  Glory can do nothing but stare and listen at this incredible story.

“See?  I’m sure he has something that he could use against me, some piece of evidence.  Considering everything that we did together…the drugs, the prostitution…and he has threatened to tell everyone about my past.  My family and close friends know about the drugs, so while others may turn on me for the drug revelation, you all wouldn’t.  But…but none of you knew about the prostitution…will you…how will you respond?” She shakes her head. “I can’t take the risk.  If the world were to know, I’d have very few friends left, if any at all. Jacob could destroy my life!”

“Bloody hell, he’d destroy you by reintroducing the drugs back into your life!” Glory pauses as she narrows her eyes, glaring at Julia. “That’s what he wants, isn’t it? He wants you back in his life.  He wants the ‘good old days’ of you and him running wild with the drugs?”

“Yeah…” Julia says simply through tears, confirming with a nod of her head.

“Julia, I want you to look at me when I say this.” Glory begins as she takes her sister by her chin and guides her tear filled eyes so that they meet her own eyes. “Drugs will definitely destroy you.  But what Jacob is threatening to reveal may or may not destroy you.”

“Of course it’ll destroy me!” Julia exclaims. “My family and friends, my fans, everyone who has supported me, they’ll…”

“They’ll continue to support you.” Glory remarks, interrupting Julia’s rant. “If your fans, friends, and family, if your support is worth anything, then they will continue to support you no matter what.  Jacob may tell the world that you are a drug addicted prostitute, but that is who you USED TO BE.  That isn’t who you are NOW.”

“That’s all well and good, Glory, and once again you make it sound very easy, but how the bloody hell do I make the world believe that I am NOT that person anymore, especially if Jacob does reveal it to the world?”

“Simple…” Glory smirks “…you need to beat him to the punch.”

“What?!”

“You need to tell the world the truth and have faith that your family, your friends, and everyone else who has supported you will continue to support you through thick and thin.”

“No, I can’t do it.” Julia shakes her head. “They won’t support me…they won’t believe me…”

“Yes they will support you, they will believe you.”

“How do you know?!”

“Because, Julia…” Glory places a hand on her shoulder “…I still support you.  I still love you and I am still proud of you.”

==========

Scene 2

Off Camera

==========

Glory Braddock left her younger sister with a lot to think about.  Julia knows that the choice is clear.  She can either give in to Jacob Samson in hopes that he will continue to keep her secret or reveal to the world herself what she did, and in turn reject Jacob. Those are her only two viable options and she must make up her mind which direction she wants to go.  Despite the advice from her sister, despite the encouragement, Julia remains fearful.  This is a decision that has racked her body with nervousness and fear, fear of what the consequences of her decision will be.

The consequence of one option would be to fall back into the world of drugs and prostitution and, perhaps, to never be able to pull herself back out of it again.  The consequence of the other option would be to risk losing her entire support system, losing her fans and her friends because they grow disappointed in her and disgusted of her when they learn the truth.

Julia has made her decision and is ready to face the consequences.  She just needs to inform the man of the hour, her ex-boyfriend Jacob Samson.

A small rental car comes to a stop in an old parking lot that definitely looks the worse for the wear.  Braddock exits the driver’s side, shutting the door and locking it behind her.  Most would be wary of this place; it definitely would raise red flags for most.  For Julia, she’s not frightened or nervous about this place.  She is used to this area as she has been here before.  It is familiar territory for her.

This is where she would meet Jacob Samson when they were doing drugs.

Braddock begins walking away from the car and towards an alleyway.   In the dim light that oozes through a narrow gap lies the alleyway. It's the underworld of any town: gloomy and unpleasant. The vines that crawl up window sills and the crumbling plaster that envelopes the old stone bricks appear romantic at first but become daunting as the sun sets behind the skyline of chimneys. Darkness is lurking in every corner inside the labyrinth of narrow passages and dead ends. Litter is dumped on the street and birds nest amongst the sprawling rot.

“Jacob!” Julia shouts at the top of her lungs as she stops in the middle of the alleyway. “Where the hell are you?!”

There is a pause as Julia waits impatiently for a few moments that seems like an eternity.  But then…

“Hush now, babe.” That masculine voice belongs to Jacob Samson, Julia knows it.  Sure enough, the scrawny man in his torn jeans and gray hoodie emerges from the darkness. “You don’t want to draw to much attention, now do you?”

“Shut up, asshole.” Julia sneers.

“Oh I like that.” Jacob says with a leery grin. “Spunk.”

Jacob slowly approaches Julia but the British beauty doesn’t back down.  He reaches out and strokes her cheek but she swats his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“You do realize that too much spunk can become annoying, right babe?”

“Then don’t provoke me, Jacob.”

“I don’t think you’re in the position to demand anything.” Jacob sneers. “Remember that I know things about you and I have evidence to prove it.  I can prove to the world exactly who you really are.”

He points a finger at Julia. “You are nothing more than a dirty little whore and a drug abuser.”

“No, you are wrong about that.” Julia shakes her head. “I am not a prostitute.  I am not a druggie.  I am Julia Braddock, sister of Glory Braddock, daughter of Glenn Braddock, former three time SWC Tag Team Champion, former UWA Hybrid Champion, former UWA Queen of the Ring Champion, former GCW Television and X Division Champion, former GCW Tag Team Champion, and former GCW World Champion.  And there’s a tournament coming up, one I intend to win, because when I win that tournament I will walk out as the new UWA World Champion.”

Jacob chuckles lightly. “Nice speech, babe, but that’s all it is; a speech.  The truth will be revealed if I ever decide to tell the world what I know and then we’ll see if your fans and friends continue to support you, because then they’ll know the truth.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Jacob, at first I was afraid of what might happen, and I was on the brink of giving you what you wanted just to guarantee your silence.  I even thought about just calling your bluff, as I wondered if you actually had any evidence in the first place.  But I realized that had I called your bluff and I lucked up and it turned out that you didn’t have anything on me, then this issue would come up again.”

“What are you suggesting?” Jacob demands.

“I’m not suggesting a damn thing.  I’m telling you what I did.  And what I did is record a promo, a promo that will be airing shortly; and in that promo I put my faith in my family and in my friends who love and care about me.  More importantly…” she points a finger at Jacob “…I am taking away any and all power you hold over me.”

“You didn’t…”

“I did,” Julia nods her head “I’m going to tell everything.  And as for you…”

She sighs and shakes her head with disgust “…you are done, Jacob.  Absolutely done.”

“No!” Jacob shakes his head vehemently and drops to his knees. “You can’t do this to me!  We had a great connection, we…”

“Just accept it, Jacob!” Julia snaps back at him. “The past is just that…THE PAST!  It is over and I have moved on.”

Julia turns and starts to walk away. “You should move on too.”

“NO!”

“Goodbye, Jacob.”

==========

On Camera

==========

Mark Twain once said that “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

There’s been a great deal of noise made about fear lately, especially when it comes to my first round tournament match against Blitzkrieg and how I should fear the man.  But I’ll get back to that overgrown duck dynasty reject in just a moment.

First I want to talk about fear, because I think Mr. Twain has it right on the money.  Fear will always be a part of our lives.  There is no such thing as absence of fear.  You can resist fear, you can master it, but there will always be fear in some shape or form in our lives.  It is simply a part of being human.  We do, after all, fear a variety of different things.  Some people have unhealthy phobias, fears of spiders or small spaces, arachnophobia and claustrophobia respectively.

While I will state that I am not at all afraid of Blitzkrieg, I will also admit that I am not immune to fear.  There was a time I was afraid of not being able to live up to the Braddock name.  That was back in 2012 when I got my start in this wrestling industry.  My sister Glory had already been a multiple time world champion.  My father, Glenn Braddock, was legendary in his own right as an amateur in England.  The entire world, especially my home country, looked at me and expected great things from me.

The expectation from them to perform paralyzed me with fear.  I was afraid that I would let my family down and they would be disappointed in me.  I dealt with that fear in the worst possible manner; I allowed myself to get caught up in drugs.

Yes, I admit my fault.  I admit what I did wrong.  But with a strong support system that included my family and someone very special to me, Aphrodite Noel, I was able to overcome my drug problem and I became a stronger, better person because of it.  But fear was still there.  Recently I was afraid of how people might react if they ever learned the truth of my past.

But I am going to spit fear right in the face and I am going to put my trust in those who support me and care about me.  I will not let fear destroy me.

That is ultimately what Mark Twain was talking about when he spoke of mastering your fear.

Now that brings me to Blitzkrieg.

He’s big, he’s bad, and he’s powerful.  Those are three pretty damn good reasons right there why anyone in their right mind should be afraid of what Blitzkrieg can do.  And I admit, that thought has gone through my head.  I pondered what might happen when Blitzkrieg gets his hands on me.

I’m not blind, after all.  I’ve seen what he’s done to the likes of Sophie James, Rachel and Daisy Lee, and Mr. UWA…it was complete and utter destruction.  But as impressive and monstrous as he is, there is another old saying that each and every one of you should remember…

…the bigger they are, the harder they fall.  I don’t give a damn how big or powerful Blitzkrieg is, I am a Braddock and we have been beating the odds our entire career.  Hell, beating the odds is why we are a legendary wrestling family.  Beating the supposedly unbeatable is why the Braddock family truly is THE BEST IN THE WORLD!

Thanks to my sister Glory for use of her catchphrase.

So here is a little spoiler alert for anyone planning on tuning in to the end of the year tournament: Blitzkrieg is going down.

As for the rest of the tournament field?  I can tell you this, I do not fear any of them.  How could I possibly fear something I love and I absolutely love competition.  You don’t get much more competitive than a one night, single elimination tournament featuring sixteen of the very best ever to set foot inside of the UWA.

After I beat Blitzkrieg, it doesn’t matter who I end up facing from match to match.  Mya Denton or Alex London, doesn’t make a damn to me.  Either of the Lee sisters or Gwen or Lilith still doesn’t matter.  And who knows?  Maybe in the finals I’ll get the world champion herself, Sophie James, one on one?

I won’t be intimidated if it does come to me and Sophie.  I won’t be intimidated if I have to stare across the ring at either of the Lee sisters, just as I won’t be intimidated by Blitzkrieg.  The respect is there but I have mastered the fear and turned it into fuel to drive me forward throughout this tournament, motivation to allow me to push myself further than I’ve ever been pushed.

Doing some introspection, I realize that I have made mistakes in my past, in my personal life and my professional life.  I let opportunities here in UWA pass me by, slip through my fingers.  This is only the second opportunity I’ve had to leave with the UWA World Championship since Sectioned 2016.  And there have been many ups and downs since then.  I have learned a great deal since Sectioned 2016 and I am now ready to The Kensington Knockout is still a top star here in UWA, and that brings me to the next spoiler alert for anyone who is going to watch the end of the year tournament…

…I am going to be your next UWA World Champion.