Thursday, September 1, 2016

Beginning of an Era



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Off Camera
Scene 1
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It’s funny how things work out sometimes.   Back at Olympus, Julia Braddock Noel was gifted with a shot at a new championship, the UWA Hybrid Championship.  She had done little to nothing to earn the title shot and she still felt guilty about possessing it even after she defeated Abigail Lindsey at Olympus to become its first title holder.  But as time went on and she defended the championship against the likes of Danny Darko and fought side by side with Victoria Salinas against the UWA World Tag Team Champions Ginger Nation, Julia has come to not just believe in herself again, she has not only regained her own self-confidence, but she is proud of her reign as UWA Hybrid Champion.

Now Sectioned is just on the horizon and Julia’s Hybrid Championship has earned her a place in the Elimination Chamber Match that features each and every singles title holder defending their gold.  Based on how the eliminations occur, you could leave with the Hybrid Championship, the Queen of the Ring Championship, or the X-Class Championship…

…but Julia has her eyes set on the top prize.  If you win the chamber match, you leave as the UWA World Champion and for Julia, who has a rich wrestling background and history, and has yet never held a world championship herself, this would be the single biggest win of her career.

There is a downside, though.  Julia cannot afford to be among the first two eliminated from the match.  The first two eliminated will leave with nothing.  Thus Julia could walk in as Hybrid Champion and walk out as World Champion, or she could walk in as Hybrid Champion and walk out with nothing.

It truly is a big gamble for The Kensington Knockout but, at the same time, she knows she has the ability to get the job done, even against such great talents as X-Class Champion Alana Starr, Queen of the Ring Champion Myra Lynwood, former Queen of the Ring Champion Selena Frost, even the newcomer Ricky Octavius.

And of course you cannot forget the world champion herself, Vanilla Skyy.  Julia would like nothing more than to be the one who dethrones her to become UWA World Champion.

It’s the goal of any professional wrestler worth their salt.  Julia now sees that dream ahead of her, just over the horizon, inside the elimination chamber.  And despite the potential risk involved, despite the possibility of leaving with nothing at all, the fact that she is Hybrid Champion, the fact that she has a shot at the world championship, the fact that she is in the main event of Sectioned, all of this makes Julia absolutely thrilled to be alive.

And it adds to her overly optimistic attitude about the future.

Julia has other reasons to be optimistic as well.  She recently made a career move in hiring a new manager to deal with her career.  On this lovely morning in Miami, Florida, Julia Alexis Braddock-Noel stands in front of a mirror, primping and preening, admiring herself as she prepares to go about her day.  She has a meeting with her new manager this morning and she wants to look her best.

She is wearing a floral print midi dress with a sweetheart neckline; the hemline stops just below the knee.  Her feet are encased in five inch peep toe ankle strap black high heel shoes.  Her long beautiful blonde hair hangs unrestrained to below her shoulders.  A confident, almost smug, grin is on her face as she gazes into her own eyes through the mirror.

“This is going to be a great day.”

Julia makes a kissing motion with her lips.  Just then she hears a knocking at the door.  Braddock-Noel sighs but that smile still remains on her face as she turns to face the door.

“I wonder who that could be?”

She approaches the door confidently.

“Glenn!  Uncle Glenn, is that you?”

She reaches out with her hand and turns the knob.  She pulls the door open and frowns upon seeing mother standing there in the doorway.  No, not Aphrodite Noel; it’s Julia’s birthmother, Mary Ford.  That frown Julia had on her face immediately turns into a sneer.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Julia.”

Braddock-Noel attempts to shut the door on her but Mary sticks her foot out to block it.

“Please, Julia, can I come in and talk?”

“We have nothing to talk about!”

“You’re wrong.  There’s plenty we need to talk about.”

Julia keeps pushing at the door but to no avail.  Mary is going nowhere and, as Julia finally realizes this herself, she sighs and opens the door back up and steps aside, allowing Mary to step inside.  Mary cautiously steps inside the hotel room and smiles warmly at her daughter.

“Thank you, Julia.”

“Whatever.  Just find a place to sit down.”

Mary looks around the room.  She nods, looking impressed at the nice suite she has purchased for her stay in Miami.

“Nice place you have here, sweetie.”

“Can the small talk and find a seat.”

Mary sighs and walks over to a sliding glass door that leads to the balcony.  She slides it open and steps outside.  Two chairs are out there on the balcony.  Mary sits down in one.  Julia follows Mary outside and then gazes down at her mother.

“Comfy?”

“Quite.”

“Good, now let’s get this over with.”

Julia sits down in the chair next to Mary.  This entire time her eyes never leave Mary.  She continues to glare angrily at her.

“Back to my original question.  What is it that you want?”

“Julia, I just…”

Mary shakes her head.

“…I don’t understand you at all.  There is a reason I came here to see you, but why can’t we just sit here and catch up before we get to that?”

“There is no catching up…Mary.”

Using her first name as opposed to ‘mom’, ‘mother’, or any other maternal title is stinging for Mary.

“You remind me so much of your uncle.”

Mary chuckles.

“You have a great deal of that Braddock nature in you, Julia.”

“Quit calling me that!”

“Calling you what?  A Braddock?  That’s what you are, my dear.”

“No!  I’m…”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“Look, you came here to talk.  So just talk.  What do you want?”

Mary’s eyes are full of tears but she is successfully fighting them back as she collects her thoughts.

“Julia, I know I have done wrong to you…to your father…to your uncle. 

“Is that what this is about?  Stating the obvious?  I know you’ve done wrong, Mary.  You don’t need to remind me.”

“Let me finish.”

Julia folds her arms over her chest.

“Fine.  Finish.”

“Julia, I did love your uncle Glenn.  And I also loved your father.”

“Then why did you cheat on both of them with the other?!”

“Please, let me finish.”

Julia rolls her eyes as Mary continues.

“I did love them both.  No one understood that, especially not Glenn and Peter.  And I can’t blame them.  They shouldn’t have to share me.  It was unfair of me to try to hide the affair.”

Mary reaches up with her hand wipes a tear from her eye.

“And it was wrong of me to let you live your entire life thinking you were someone else’s child.  I just…”

Mary shakes her head.

“…I just want another chance.  I want to try and make it up to you.  I want to earn your trust again and earn the trust of the Braddock family again.”

“You want to earn my trust?”

Julia chuckles.  Mary nods her head.

“Yes.”

“You want to earn the trust of the Braddock family?”

“Yes.”

With a wave of her arm she motions to the crowd of people on the beach off in the distance.

“Do you see those people out there?”

“Yes, I see them.  What about them?”

“Those people have no idea about the Braddock family other than what they see on television.  They’ve seen my sister Glory win world championships galore and earn her way into Halls of Fame.  They’ve seen me only recently begin to make my mark by becoming UWA Hybrid Champion at Olympus and now at Sectioned in the Elimination Chamber I could win my first world championship.  But that’s all those people know about the Braddock family and perhaps that’s why they cheer so much, because if they knew the truth…”

Julia sneers as she stands up out of her chair.  She walks over to the railing and stares out at the Miami skyline.

“…if they knew the truth about the Braddock family, then I would be detested.”

“Now that’s not true.”

Mary stands up as well.  She places a hand on Julia’s shoulder.

“You are a proud member of the Braddock family.  You are honorable.  Far more honorable than your sister Glory.”

“I am NOT a Braddock!”

Julia spins around, swatting Mary’s hand away.  The look in Julia’s eyes is one of anger and rage.  Mary’s face is one of sheer fear as Julia starts towards her.  Mary slowly backs away, back into the hotel room through the sliding glass doors.  Julia follows her inside.

“I told you, do NOT call me a Braddock!”

“Julia, please, just calm down!”

“I am not a Braddock!”

She reaches out and grabs Mary by the throat.

“I only go by that name in a wrestling ring because the sheep respect that name.  I cannot look myself in the mirror knowing that I share a bloodline with people like Glenn, Peter, and you, who enjoyed that disgusting love affair.  I cannot look myself in the mirror knowing that I share a bloodline with a woman like Glory Braddock who currently has a massive power trip.”

Julia roughly throws Mary onto the floor.  She angrily points an accusatory finger at her.

“I am not a Braddock and you are not my mother!  My mother is Aphrodite Noel and I am a NOEL!  Get it?!”

Mary is clearly cowering, praying that Julia’s attack is over.

“Please, Julia…please…”

Julia watches her birthmother beg for mercy as she sees this, her own anger slowly dissipates.  She realizes what she has done and she backs away towards the king sized bed.  She sits down on the bed and buries her face in her hands.

“Leave…”

“Julia, I just…”

“LEAVE!”

Mary doesn’t ask a second time.  She just gets up to her feet and walks towards the door.  She opens the door and makes her exit while there is still time.  Julia then looks up and sighs.

“What is wrong with me?  I…could have…I almost made a huge mistake…”

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Off Camera
Scene 2
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It’s a bright sunny day in Miami, Florida.  The UWA has come here to put on its latest pay per view offering Sectioned, featuring the massive elimination chamber match in which all four singles championships will be up for grabs…

…the Queen of the Ring Championship held by Myra Lynwood…

…the X-Class Championship held by Alana Starr…

…the World Championship held by Vanilla Skyy…

…and the Hybrid Championship held by Julia Braddock.  Julia may not hold the most prestigious of the championships in this match, that honor goes to Vanilla Skyy, but Julia, like everyone else in this match, sees this as an opportunity to cement herself in UWA history by becoming UWA World Champion.

For Julia, though, this match takes on an extra added significance due to her own background.  Her sister, Glory Braddock, has held multiple world championships in multiple companies.  Her uncle and trainer, Glenn Braddock, was a famous British amateur wrestling champion and Olympian.  But what accolades and achievements does Julia have?

The UWA Hybrid Championship.  That’s it, so far.

The fact that she has never held a world championship before in her life, despite coming from a rich wrestling background, does eat away at her.  It gnaws away at her.  She wants to be world champion worse than anything anyone can ever imagine.  And yet the dichotomy in all of this is Julia’s recent issues that she has had with her Braddock heritage.

On camera Julia puts up a good front that she is a proud member of the Braddock family but in reality she questions the Braddock family morals.  She isn’t sure whether or not she wants to be a Braddock any longer.  She only uses the name on screen because it is respected.  Her true legal name is Julia Alexis Noel.

It’s a strange issue to have to deal with, one that goes back to Mary Ford, Julia’s birthmother who had an affair with Peter Braddock while still married to Glenn Braddock.  There is one individual who can, perhaps, understand Julia’s dilemma…

…Julia’s new manager, who happens to also be Mary’s niece, Kayla Jones.

Julia finds herself sitting at a small white table in a coffee shop in Miami, Florida.  There is a cup of coffee sitting in front of her and another cup of coffee sitting in front of an empty chair.  That spot will not be empty very long.  Julia waits patiently but her eyes light up as she sees her new manager, also by chance her cousin, Kayla Jones, walking towards her.

“Kayla!”

“Julia!”

Julia gets up out of her chair as Kayla approaches, wearing a white blazer, black blouse, and black skirt.  Her feet are encased in black high heeled pumps and her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  The two women meet at the table and embrace in a tight hug.

“It’s great to see you, Julia!  I’m glad you made up so early!”

Julia chuckles lightly.

“I have nothing better to do.”

“Except train for a certain world title match, right?”

Julia grins knowingly.

“Yeah, exactly.  Hopefully I’ll win.”

Kayla sits down in the chair, Julia follows suit as she sits back down.

“I have the utmost confidence in you, my newest client.”

Kayla grins knowingly as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“Thanks for the coffee, by the way.”

“No problem.  I’m just glad you’re willing to represent me.”

“Julia, you are a tremendous talent and a great athlete.  Not to mention your background as a Braddock.  You are also the reigning UWA Hybrid Champion.  What agent wouldn’t want to represent you?  Besides…”

Jones smirks.

“We are cousins, after all.”

“True enough.  But that does bring up something that’s bothering me…”

Kayla arches her brow.

“Oh?”

Julia shakes her head.

“It’s nothing.”

“Julia, as your agent you need to have your head clear before going into that chamber match with your title and all of the other titles on the line.  As your family and friend I want to help you, so if something is bothering let’s get it out in the open and deal with it now.  Keeping things bottled up is bad in the long run, trust me.”

Julia sighs and nods her head.

“Well, it…it has to do with Mary.”

“Mary?  As in Mary Ford?  My aunt?”

“Yeah, that Mary.”

Kayla sighs.  She takes another sip of coffee.  She knows all too well about the history of the promiscuity of Mary Ford.  She also knows about how Mary and her children, Julia and Glory, have been seemingly torn apart.  Their relationship is seemingly irreparable due to Mary’s actions.  Nothing Julia can tell her about Mary can surprise her.

“What has she done now?”

“She…um…well she stopped by my hotel room this morning.”

“This morning?”

Julia nods her head.

“Yeah, right before I left to come here…she came in for a visit.”

“What did she want?”

“She wanted…”

Julia, clearly in emotional pain, shuts her eyes tightly.

“…she wanted to make things right between us.”

“So what happened?”

Julia opens her eyes, now with tears filling them.  Kayla hands her a napkin which she uses to wipe the tears from her eyes before she continues.

“Mary wanted to talk, I truly believe it, but I was having none of it.  I just would not listen to her.”

“I take it things didn’t end well then?”

Julia shakes her head.

“No, they didn’t.”

She holds up her hands.

“I took these hands and wrapped them around her throat.”

Kayla gasps.  She was preparing herself for anything but even she did not expect this.  But Julia is not done yet…

“Then I threw her onto the ground!”

Julia starts weeping.

“I don’t…I just don’t know Kayla…”

“You don’t know what?”

“I don’t know who I am!  But I do know that’s not me.  That’s not like me.  I do not do that.  And yet…”

Kayla sighs.

“And yet you did do that.”

Julia nods her head.

“Yeah…”

“Julia, we are all capable of terrible things.  Your mother, your birthmother that is, she cheated on your uncle Glenn Braddock with Peter Braddock.  You need to accept that you come from an affair, but that doesn’t mean you have to be defined by it.”

Kayla reaches out and takes Julia’s hands, squeezing them tightly.

“You are a strong, powerful, independent young woman who is capable of great things.  That’s who you are.”

A weak smile crosses Julia’s lips.

“Thanks, Kayla.  I appreciate that.”

“I meant every word.”

Julia takes a sip of her coffee and sighs.

“It’s just so refreshing, you know?”

“What is?”

“Not having someone else push you to do a certain thing, not having someone try to make your decisions for you.  That’s what I love about as my agent, Kayla.  You promised to let me make my own decisions.  Unlike Henry…”

Kayla nods her head.  The “Henry” Julia is referring to is none other than Dr. Henry Van Stanton, Julia’s former agent whom she fired a couple of months ago.

“You told me something about that.  What exactly did he do?”

“He tried to tell me who I had to be.  He wanted me to deny my Noel family.”

Kayla nods her head.

“I see, he wanted you to just be a Braddock period.  Not a Braddock on television but a Noel everywhere else?”

“Exactly.  He has no right to make my decisions for me.”

“I agree whole-heartedly, but Julia, this goes right back to what I was telling you earlier.  You have to accept who you are and where you come from.  Aphrodite Noel can adopt you.  She make it perfectly legal and everything.  But Braddock blood still flows through your veins and it may very well be Braddock blood that gets you through that elimination chamber…but that’s just my professional opinion.”

Julia nods her head.

“Understood, but regardless of how I do it, I will get through the chamber and win the title and I’m going to do it MY way…not Henry’s, not Glenn’s, not Mary’s, and I’m sorry Kayla, but not even your way.”

Kayla smirks.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

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Off Camera
Scene 3
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The lights in the arena in Miami, Florida are all on.  It’s even brighter in the squared circle, the wrestling ring set up in the center, surrounding by thousands upon thousands of chairs.  A long steel ramp leads up to a curtain and a video screen above the curtain.  But what’s odd about this arena?

It’s completely abandoned.  All of these seats are empty.  Not a soul is here.

Well, except for one Julia Alexis Braddock-Noel, who finds herself sitting in a blue steel folding chair at ringside, just next to the steel steps that lead up to the ring apron.  Most might find it curious as to how they got here.  For some reason, Julia does not think much of it.  It’s almost as if it’s just accepted fact for her that she is here in this empty arena and that is good enough for her.

Even if she is all alone.

Julia isn’t alone for very long.  Suddenly with a bright flashing light two people appear inside of the wrestling ring.  Both are of the same height.  Both are wearing the same wrestling gear.  Both have the same face…

…Julia’s face.

In fact, the only real difference between these two women happen to be the hair.  One woman is pure blonde while the other is blonde at the top with rainbow colored tips.  Julia herself, sitting on the outside of the ring, had no cause for concern at first, but now she is worried.  Now she is nervous.  Who wouldn’t be nervous upon seeing two women who appear to be her identical twins standing inside of a wrestling ring about to face off against one another?

The two women meet in the center of the ring and trade right hands.  The blonde gets the upper hand, backing the multi-colored woman up against the ropes.  She goes for an Irish Whip but the multi-colored one reverses.  The multi-colored woman lowers her head for a back drop but the blonde kicks her square in the face and follows it up with a short arm clothesline.

The kick echoes throughout the empty arena and sends shivers down the spine of Julia Noel.  She continues to watch with awe as the fight progresses.

The multi-colored woman scrambles back to her feet only to get met with a dropkick, a superkick, and then a spear into mounted punches.  The blonde continues her mounted punches on the multi-colored female until blood begins to come from her forehead.  The blonde then gets up and looks at the blood on her hands.  She smirks as she licks the blood off with her tongue.

Julia, meanwhile, shivers with disgust.

The blonde female waits as the multi-colored female gets to her feet.  The blonde drives the woman’s face into her knees with Julia InExcelsisDeo, Julia’s own version of the codebreaker.  The blonde female pulls her adversary up to her feet and sets her up and drops her square on her head with the Glorification, a version of the unprettier.

Julia shoots up out of her chair.

“Just finish her, already!  It’s over!”

Julia’s blonde clone heard her but shakes her head.  She climbs up to the second rope on a nearby corner.  She waits as the other female tries to get back to her feet.

“No!  Don’t!”

Eventually the multi-colored female does get up.  She turns around and then the blonde leaps off and connects with a flip-over neck breaker, a move Julia calls the Queen’s Ransom.

“Ok!  Now end it!  Please!”

Still the blonde shakes her head and mutters the word “no” under her breath.  The blonde clone then takes the multi-colored clone and locks her up in a guillotine choke, the submission Julia likes to call The Guillotine.  She keeps it locked in long enough that eventually it becomes clear her adversary has passed out.  Finally she releases the hold and stands back up, facing down Julia who gazes up at her from the outside of the ring.

“Ok, you won…it’s over.”

The blonde snickers nastily.  She picks up her adversary by the head and then, in one swift, inhuman like move, she snaps the neck of the adversary.

“NOOOOOO!”

Julia slides into the ring and rushes to the side of the woman whose neck has just been snapped.  She gazes deep into her lifeless eyes.  It’s clear she is dead.  Julia stands back up and glares deep into the eyes of her blonde clone who has perpetrated this heinous act.

“What did you do?!  Why did you do this?!”

“I merely put her out of her misery.”

This is the first time the victorious Julia clone has spoken during this fight.  At least the first time Julia heard her.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

She points down at her fallen adversary.

“That is…or rather WAS…a weak, pathetic excuse of a human being.  That used to be the weak, pathetic incarnation of yourself…”

She pokes Julia in the chest.

“…Julia Braddock.”

“I am NOT weak!”

The clone chuckles, as if amused by Julia’s bravado.

“You are not as weak as her, but you are weak because you will not embrace the truth.  I could take you down almost as easily as I took her down.”

“Oh yeah?”

The clone nods her head.

“Yes.”

“Try me!”

The clone rushes in.  Julia catches her in a deep arm drag into an arm bar.  That small success does not last long before the clone counters into an arm bar of her own.  She then lifts her up onto her feet in a hammerlock and then slams her back down onto the mat with a hammerlock suplex.  The clone gets up, grinning from ear to ear.  Julia pushes herself up.

“At least you put up more of a fight than she did.”

Julia shakes her head.

“Who are you?  And what do you want?”

“Who I am is not important.  What I want to do for you is important.”

“For me?”

The clone nods her head.

“Yes, I wish to help you.”

Julia sneers.

“How can you help me?!”

“I can answer all of your questions my dear.”

Julia frowns.

“Questions?”

“You are confused, are you not?  And that is perfectly understandable.  You have your uncle Glenn Braddock telling you one thing about how to behave, you have your sister Glory telling you something else about how to behave, then you have your birthmother returning from out of the blue and she tells you how to behave, your legal mother tells you how to behave…”

Julia shakes her head.

“Mother does not tell me how to behave.  She…”

“Oh yes she does.  Aphrodite tells you how to behave.  She told you not to get involved with Glory Braddock, am I correct?”

Julia sighs and nods her head, admitting that the clone is right.

“Yeah…”

“And you went along with her, like a good girl should.”

She smirks.

“And how can we forget your new agent Kayla Jones…”

“But Kayla wants what’s best for me.”

“So says you.  But how do you know?  How do you know any of them want what’s truly best for you?  Or perhaps they all want to control you?”

Again Julia shakes her head.

“No, you’re wrong.”

The clone smirks.

“You don’t sound very convincing.”

Julia looks angrily towards her clone.

“And what say you?”

“I say that YOU are a Noel and that YOU are royalty.”

Julia rolls her eyes.

“Now you sound like my sister.”

“Your sister cares nothing for the Noel family, nor does she know anything about being royalty.  She just wants power and nothing more.  This is about more than just power, Julia, this is about respect, and right now no one respects Glory.  And no one respects Aphrodite.”

She points a finger at Julia.

“But they will respect you, if you accept who you are.”

“And who am I?”

“You are Julia Alexis Noel, first-chosen of Queen Aphrodite, and the rightful heir to the Camelot throne.”

Julia shakes her head vehemently.

“Nooooooo!!!!!”

Julia sits up in bed screaming in fear.  Sweat rolls off of her face as she tries to regain her bearings.  She looks around and sees that she is in her hotel room.  It’s in the middle of the afternoon.  She’s had her meeting with her agent and cousin Kayla Jones.  She came home and must have dozed off.  She’s still wearing the same sundress from earlier.

She gets up off of the bed she had been lying on and walks over to the mirror.  She gazes at herself in the mirror and then, as she looks at herself, a grin forms across her face.

“…Worship Me…”



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On Camera
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We open in front of a UWA logo backdrop.  Trumpets are heard playing a regal sounding music, music fit for a queen.  It isn’t long before the UWA Hybrid Champion Julia Braddock steps into view from stage left.  Julia is wearing a red shimmering crew neck short sleeve sheath cocktail dress that features allover sequins.  Her feet are encased in strappy black high heeled sandals.  Her long gorgeous blonde hair is pulled up into a gorgeous hair styling.  Braddock proudly displays her UWA Hybrid Championship title belt by draping it over her right shoulder.  She stops as soon as she reaches the center of the scene.  Julia turns to face the camera.  We see the cool, confident look that is etched across her face.

“You can fault David Helms and Drew Bryant for many things, but one thing you cannot fault them for is for the opportunities they give people here in UWA.  Case in point, the main event of Olympus saw Victoria Salinas given the opportunity of a lifetime to walk right into UWA and in just under a few weeks main event the number one event of the year.”

“Sectioned is now coming up and once again opportunities abound thanks to the infinite wisdom of Helms and Bryant.  What we have is an elimination chamber match where every single championship is on the line.  The World Championship, defended by Vanilla Skyy…the X-Class championship, defended by Alana Starr…the Queen of the Ring championship, defended by Myra Lynwood…”

Julia pats the championship belt over her own right shoulder.

“…and the Hybrid Championship, defended by yours truly, The Kensington Knockout.”

Julia sighs.

“And yet heading into Olympus, I wasn’t even certain that I belonged in this industry.  As I began my journey here in UWA, a journey that began when the Independent Wrestling Cartel was still in existence, a journey that continued when we became our own organization, a journey for me that perhaps could culminate at Sectioned in the elimination chamber, but as I began that journey I was not even certain that I deserved to be in the sport of pro-wrestling at all let alone in the UWA.  I questioned myself, I doubted my abilities, and I just wasn’t sure if I was good enough.”

“Bryant and Helms basically gifting me a shot at the Hybrid Championship at Olympus without me having to earn it made things worse.  In my mind I didn’t deserve to be there at Olympus competing for a championship.  I truly believed that the UWA should just give this championship, my Hybrid Championship, to Abigail Lindsey and just get it over with.”

A smirk forms across Julia’s face.

“But then something amazing happened.  I defeated Abigail Lindsey.  Abigail Lindsey, Serenity, whatever you want to call her, she is a former world champion and I defeated her to become the UWA Hybrid Champion.  And that was the moment that things began to turn around for me.  I hadn’t yet realized it fully, but at that moment when my hand was raised and I was announced as the first ever UWA Hybrid Champion, I began to get a little bit of my self-confidence back.”

“My first title defense was against Danny Darko.  Yeah, THE Danny Darko.  I beat him too.  And while we didn’t earn it the way we wanted to, myself and Vicky Salinas earned a non-title victory over the world tag team champions.”

“In short, I went on a major league roll ever since winning this championship.  And with each victory, more and more of my confidence returned.  But the peak really hit when I sat at home, staring at my title belt, thinking to myself that I could enter the elimination chamber with that belt, my first title since joining Uprising, and I could leave with nothing.  I again had doubts, as I asked myself if I really belonged in the chamber with the five other competitors in the match.”

Julia nods her head.

“The answer, I realized, is that yes, I do belong in that chamber with all five of them.  Do I belong in the ring with Ricky Octavius?  You bet I do.  He’s a rookie fresh from the ante-up academy.  He’s still green and too new to this sport.  I won’t insult his ability by saying he lucked up in winning a four way to get into the chamber…”

She shakes her head.

“Luck had nothing to do with it.  Ricky is good, damn good, and he deserves all of the props he can get.  But he was lucky for getting INCLUDED in the match.  There were many others who could have got that spot.  Rachel Lee…Marie Jones…Vicky Salinas…I could go on and on…”

“…but you were lucky enough to get included in the match.  While your ability won you the match, your luck got you in the match.  Just remember that.   I was never gifted with an opportunity to earn my way into the chamber.  I earned it through the hard work and dedication of becoming UWA Hybrid Champion and proudly defending it.  In other words…”

“…you’re just plain out of your league.”

“Now someone who isn’t necessarily out of her league is Selena Frost.  She is a very accomplished athlete, she’s won the Best of the Best Tournament in SCW and has been SCW Adrenaline Champion as well as SCW World Tag Team Champion.  She is a former UWA Queen of the Ring Champion.  Point is, she knows how to win on the grand stage.  You even beat me in IWC.  It’ll be an honor to share that ring…errr chamber…with you yet again.”

Her grin turns into frown.

“But Selena, you’re another one who got here on sheer luck.  You were ready to quit when David Helms practically handed you a spot in the chamber on a silver platter.  Ricky, you see, belongs in the chamber.  I do think he is out of his league, but he belongs in the chamber because he earned his way here.  But you…”

She points at the camera as if pointing directly at Selena Frost herself.

“…you earned nothing.  Your last match was a loss to Myra Lynwood.  Remember?  That was when you LOST the Queen of the Ring Championship to her.  And don’t bring up how you deserve a rematch because Marie Jones never got her rematch after losing the world title to Vanilla, yet Marie wasn’t given a spot in the chamber.  Only one person was given a spot in the chamber that she didn’t earn and that’s you.”

“All of the outrage over the fact that you got this spot in the chamber is justified.  Even your friends are forced to acknowledge that you do not belong in the chamber.  Dawn Lohan even admitted it.  That should tell you something, Selena.  So if you want something to believe in, believe in the fact that you do not belong here, believe that I DO belong here, and believe that you will not walk away with the world championship if I have anything to say about it.”

“Now there’s Myra Lynwood, the woman who beat Selena for the Queen of the Ring Championship.  Congratulations, Myra…”

Julia slowly golf claps for Myra.

“…congratulations on defeating Selena, I’m sure there are a great many people out there who are thrilled with what you did.  Congratulations also on your new alliance with Silas Mason and Rachel Lee.  Congratulations on setting yourself up for failure.”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“It’s sad, really.  For someone who prides herself on being so smart, so brilliant, so cunning, you are so stupid.  Let me tell you a brief story about World War 2.  Adolf Hitler told Josef Stalin that they would be equal partners.  Hitler promised never to invade the Soviet Union.  What happened?  Do you know your history, Myra?  Well let me tell you what happened…gullible little Stalin was invaded by Hitler’s Germany a few years later.”

“Now I’m not necessarily saying Silas is like Hitler and you’re like Stalin…”

Julia pauses for a moment and scratches her chin.  Then she shrugs her shoulders.

“…actually, yeah, Silas is pretty much Hitler and you pretty much are Stalin.  If you think Silas can be trusted you are just as much a gullible fool as Stalin was.  And just like Stalin, you will get screwed over by Silas Mason.  Then there’s Rachel.  You both want the same thing.  You both want the world championship.  And both of you can’t hold the title.  If it ever comes down to the day where you two are competing against one another for the world title, aren’t you the least little bit concerned over who he will side with?  Will he side with you or the woman he originally made a deal with?  Or maybe, just maybe, he’ll go with the winner and if Rachel becomes world champion, you’ll be cast aside like yesterday’s garbage.”

“So in a way, you have the most lose here in this match.  Ricky just got his start with UWA.  He’s lucky to be here.  He has nothing to lose.  It’s already been established that Selena was ready to quit.  She has nothing to lose.  But you…”

She chuckles.

“…heh, you NEED to leave the chamber with a championship.  If you don’t, Silas may no longer see you as worthwhile to keep around.  He’ll then betray you, just like Hitler betrayed Stalin.  That’s who you are, Myra. You’re just a paranoid tin pot dictator trying to throw her weight around.  But you can’t throw your weight around in that chamber.  We’re all on equal footing, we’re all on the same level, and there will be two people…”

She holds up two fingers.

“…two unlucky souls who will leave with nothing.  And based upon how gullible you are, based upon your bad judgment, I would not be surprised if you ended up as one of those who leave empty handed.”

“Next champion up is Alana Starr.  She is our wonderful X-Class Champion.  How long have you held that belt, Little Miss GOODie GOOD?  One year?  Two years?”

She laughs lightly and shakes her head.

“My, time sure does fly when you’re busy not defending your championship.  Granted you did defend it here recently against Austin Blaze, and against Kalinda before that.  And I commend you for that.  Especially on Kalinda.  Dragons give me the creeps.  But seriously, outside of those two title defenses, how much time passed between all of your other title defenses?  And those rare times you were made to defend the belt, how many of those opponents actually took time to show up and put forth any effort against you?”

“From what I recall, ever since winning that championship you’ve been too busy chasing the world championship or chasing the world tag team championships, blatantly ignoring your own title.  You’ve also been spending a great deal of time letting Keenie or Ethan throw butt ass naked pictures of yourself on social media for that perv Dexter.”

“What you lack, biscuit, is focus.  Good old fashioned mother fudging focus.  You lost focus on y our X-Class title because dreams of being world champion distracted you.  Then you lost focus on that by trying to become tag champions with Kennedy Street.  You just have zero focus and it is absolute bull sugar that the prestigious X-Class title should be ignored like that.”

She smirks.

“Oh but Sectioned is your lucky day!  Every championship is on the line in that elimination chamber!  There’s no possible way to lose focus here, right?  Well that’s not the question that should be asked.  What I want to know is will you focus on whatever title you leave with…if you leave with a title…after the chamber match is over, after you place second, third, or fourth?  Fact is, Alana, you will NOT win the chamber.  It’s just not going to happen.  Get used to being an undercard title holder, bass-turd.“

She winks at the camera.

“Now that brings me to the woman of the hour, the reigning UWA World Champion Vanilla Skyy.  I have to give you major props.  You have been a hell of a champion.  You went almost a year as world champion before you were dethroned by Marie Jones at Olympus.  But you managed to win it back, didn’t you?  You fought back and reclaimed your spot at the top of the mountain.  People were singing your praises right and left.  And rightfully so.  That rematch between you and Marie was hard fought, it was an instant classic, and I’d dare say it’s a match of the year candidate.  You definitely earned that title, no doubt about it.”

“But let’s go back to me for just a brief moment, because it was your impressive first title reign, and then you winning it back, that contributed to me doubting whether or not I belonged in the chamber.  I wondered if I truly belonged in that chamber with our world champion Vanilla Skyy…”

Julia’s confidence seems to reemerge, just as her confident grin returns to her face.

“…but then I re-watched Olympus.  I watched how you lost the UWA World Championship.  Some could argue it was a fluke but let’s be honest with ourselves, it was no fluke.  Willow could claim fluke.  At least she made it to the final stage and came within a fingertip of the world championship.  But you didn’t make it to that final level.”

She shakes her head.

“We may not have known yet who the new champion would be but by God by the time you were defeated at Olympus we all knew that we were going to have a new world champion.  When that happens, that is no fluke.  That’s just a failure on your part.  A failure to perform at your best.  And what we saw that night was that Vanilla Skyy was not the best wrestler in the world, because if she was, she at least could have made it to that final stage.”

“And you knew it too, didn’t you?  The whole world saw your vulnerability at Olympus and the world got to see your vulnerability yet again on social media as rumors began to float around that you were contemplating retirement.  Is that true?  Were you thinking of calling it quits just because TWO people…Marie and Willow…both proved themselves better than you at Olympus?”

Julia laughs.

“I don’t expect an answer.  But wouldn’t that have been something?  The great Vanilla Skyy, forced into retirement by The Pyramid.  Forced into retirement by Marie and Willow.  Merely considering  retirement was powerful enough to show just how vulnerable you truly are.”

“Let me spell it out for you, Vanilla.  You did NOT survive The Pyramid.  Your backdoor way back into the title was because Marie was an upstanding, honest woman and wanted to give you the rematch you deserved, a rematch you so far have not given her in return.  If you cannot survive the Pyramid, against three other competitors, what makes you think you can survive the chamber against five other competitors?”

“I no longer see a great champion and a great warrior when I look at you, Vanilla.  I see a warrior whose time has come and gone.  I see a champion who will lose her championship at Sectioned.  And when you lose, what then?  If you manage to get your paws on at least one of the undercard titles, are you going to run around with it pretending you are content with it?  You may as well just be honest with yourself and the rest of us because we all know the truth.  The world title is all you want.  You’d end up like Alana, ignoring it until someone gave you another title shot.”

“Or maybe you’ll suffer a humiliation even worse than the one you suffered at Olympus.  Maybe this time you will place fifth or sixth place and you know what means?”

Julia holds out her hands, as if to show that they are empty.

“You leave empty handed.  You leave with nothing.”

“People already know that you can be beaten, Vanilla.  It’s been proven that you are vulnerable and the time is right for someone to step up and take that world championship away from you so that you can go to where you rightfully belong…”

“…in the retirement home.”

Julia smiles confidently.

“I’m the one who is going to dethrone Skyy and take the UWA World Championship.  I’m going to do it because it’s my destiny.  It’s my time, ladies and gentlemen.  I’ve watched my sister win world titles in other companies, I watched my uncle dominate the British amateur wrestling scene, and only recently did I get some moniker of success.”

She holds up her UWA Hybrid Championship title belt.

“The UWA Hybrid Championship.”

She places it back upon her right shoulder.

“And the revelation I’ve had is that I no longer have to wait.  I come from wrestling royalty and it is my time to take my rightful spot amongst the greats in this sport.  It is my time to enter the elimination chamber as the Hybrid Champion and leave with a title that my sister Glory used to use all of the time…”

“…THE BEST IN THE WORLD!”

“Because that’s what I will be once I win the chamber, once I have vanquished all five of you, and I am declared the new UWA World Champion.  The reign of The Kensington Knockout is coming, and no one can stop it.  All you can do is bow…”

She smirks.

“…bow down and worship me!”

Monday, July 4, 2016

End of an Era: Part 2



==========
End of an Era
Part 2 ; Scene 1
Off Camera
==========

Olympus was a momentous occasion for Julia Alexis Noel, better known as “The Kensington Knockout” Julia Braddock.  It had been half a year or more since Julia Braddock was drafted to the Uprising Brand of Independent Wrestling Cartel and shortly thereafter Uprising branched off and became its own wrestling force.  They became UWA, Uprising Wrestling Alliance, and Julia went with them.  But from her time in Uprising in IWC to her time in Uprising in UWA, Julia never could seem to get off on the right footing.

It was shameful for Julia.  She felt humiliated.  She proudly used the Braddock name in the ring, a name that was synonymous with victory, and yet victory was something she herself could not seem to achieve.  Every match she had been in was either a loss or a draw.

Granted, no one would call Julia Braddock a failure, but Julia herself felt that she had failed the Braddock family name.  Even in the UWA Queen of the Ring League, she only managed to win one match the entire round robin style tournament.

It had been a disaster for Julia.  She felt as if she deserved no opportunities heading into Olympus and yet Drew Bryant and David Helms felt that she was worthy of one more opportunity, a chance to compete against Abigail Lindsey to determine who would be the first ever UWA Hybrid Champion.

Julia knew that she had to make the most of this opportunity, because if she did not claim this championship, then she may never get another championship opportunity for a long time.  This was her opportunity to show that she still was a force to be reckoned with.

A force to be reckoned with?  She was all of that and more.  Julia Braddock defeated Abigail Lindsey to become the first ever UWA Hybrid Champion.

It was just the kick start she needed for her career and it was just the confidence booster she needed.  Now Julia is ready to take on the world, starting with Danny Darko.

Danny Darko had once been Julia’s tag team partner during the lethal lottery tag tournament to crown new number one contenders for the UWA World Title.  Ever since then Darko had been seemingly trying to forge an alliance with Julia, and at the same time tear apart the bond she had with Glenn Braddock, her trainer and uncle.

Now Darko gets the first shot at the UWA Hybrid Championship, and Julia must deal with him again, but not before dealing with another force that threatens the bond between her and her uncle Glenn.

This is what brings her to a place she is very familiar with; the home of Aphrodite Noel.  It is more like an estate than a home.  Julia remembers this exquisite mansion quite well from her time when she called this place home.

In the past when she first met Aphrodite, she was blackmailed into working for Noel as her servant.  Later on that relationship changed.  Over the years, the two bonded.  It was a bond that few truly understand but does it really matter?  Aphrodite Noel is the mother Julia never had and thus Julia has no problem calling herself a daughter of Aphrodite Noel.  Julia may have been born a Braddock but now she considers herself a Noel.  She only uses the Braddock name in the ring because of the respect and fear that comes with it.

This home before her with the lovely, expensive oak front door, is her new familial home.  She will always feel comfortable at her mother’s residence.

She doesn’t knock on the door, as large as that house is it is doubtful anyone would hear.  Instead she rings the doorbell.  It isn’t long before an old friend of hers, Bret, answers the door.  Julia smiles warmly.

“Bret!  How are you?”

She greets him with a warm hug.  He sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

“Fine I guess, Ms. Noel...”

Julia frowns and wags her finger at him.

“No, no, no!”

“Huh?”

“We worked closely together once upon a time, Bret.  We are friends.  You can call me Julia, ok?”

He grins.

“Ok, Julia…but what brings you out here, though?”

“Do you have to ask?”

He chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, I guess not.”

He leads her inside and then shuts the door behind her.

“Your mother is in her room.  I will go let her know you are here.”

He starts to walk off but Julia stops him by placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Oh no, don’t bother.  I remember where her room is, I will go find her myself.”

Julia makes her way through the hall, a hall she knows quite well from the time she spent living here as servant and later daughter of Aphrodite Noel.  At the end of the hall she turns and walks through a door.  The room, Aphrodite’s room, is large as well as extremely elegant and luxurious.  She sees Aphrodite standing by the window with her back turned.  Julia lightly knocks to get her attention.

“Mother?”

Aphrodite turns around to see her loving daughter and current UWA Hybrid Champion standing there. She beckons for Julia to join her at the window. She does. Aphrodite greets Julia with a loving hug.

“Always great to see you.”

“I had to stop in and see you and…”

She stops as she looks out the window at the view.  Julia sighs.

“...such a beautiful view.  I forgot how beautiful it was.”

“I’m hoping Chris will move in with me when we get married. We haven’t discussed living arrangements yet. I can’t give this up.”

“Of course not, our family home should remain in the family.”

Julia smiles warmly as she takes Aphrodite by her hand and kisses it.

“How have you been, mother?”

“Trying my best to stay strong publicly. Privately...”

Aphrodite frowns.

 “... not well. Hope you understand beating Abigail at Olympus had very little to do with her going off on Victoria Salinas. Abi made a bad decision joining New Eden. I blame them. Cindy and Willow screwing with her mind was wrong. Neither of them regret a damn thing. Feel powerless. I want to defend my cousin but she won’t let me. And then there’s your sister.”

Aphrodite runs her hands through her thick blonde hair. “I blame myself for what is happening in GCW. I love her for not denouncing our family name. It’s because of my actions the Board over their views her as unfit to use her power. And now the entire company is going to suffer because of it. Our family is not in a good place. I am powerless to do anything about it.”

Julia nods her head.

“I understand, and as far as my cousin is concerned, I agree, New Eden ruined her.  And I will always support Abigail.  She is my family now and I want to help in any way I can.  As for Glory…”

She sighs and shakes her head.

“...I’m not sure.  You’re right, she chose not to denounce our family name, knowing that had she done so she would have gotten  her power back.  I think that shows she does truly love you and this family, but at the same time I can’t help but worry if this quest for power isn’t going to her head.  You know what they say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“A reality I know too well. I came close to losing you because my ambition made me forget there are things in the world more important than power.”

Aphrodite smiles.

“Family. I don’t need to rule the world. As long as I have you. Glory. And the rest of our extended family, it’s enough. I do fear Glory is going to get lost on the same dark path. She loves us. I don’t question that. Hate watching her allow the thirst for power corrupt the beautiful person she is. Hate people calling her a monster and a psychopath. That’s not who she is.”

Julia shakes her head.

“No, no she isn’t, but at the same time…”

She balls up a fist and smacks it in the center of her other palm.

“...if push comes to shove, if my hand is forced, I will stop her.  She can’t be allowed to destroy professional wrestling like this.”

“I don’t want a war, Julia. It's hard. This is tough for me too, but, there has to be another way.”

Julia sighs and bows her head.

“I’m sorry, mother.  It is difficult but...I will try not to wage war with my sister.”

Aphrodite wraps her arms around her daughter.

“We’ll get through this, ok. I found my way back, so will your sister.”

“I do not doubt that, but there is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about.  I need your opinion, mother.”

“What can I assist you with?”

Julia laughs lightly.

“I’m here...I really should be preparing to defend my Hybrid Championship against Danny Darko...but I can’t.  My agent Henry Van Stanton and my trainer, my dear uncle Glenn Graddock, both refuse to work with me.  They’ve given me an ultimatum, mother.”

Tears form in Julia’s eyes which she quickly wipes away.

“Neither one of them approve of our relationship.  In their ideal world, I would denounce the family name, just like the GCW Board of Directors want my sister to denounce our family name.  The difference is that uncle Glenn, my trainer, has accepted that he cannot change my mind.  And he will allow it, against his best wishes, because he fears that voicing his concerns will drive me away from him.  Henry is a different story…”

Julia shakes her head.

“...the Doctor distrusts you so much that he will never let me forget your past.  He will never quit voicing his concern.  He will constantly bring it up and he is threatening to leave if I don’t denounce.  Now Henry and Glenn are angry with each other, because they do not like the other’s approach in dealing with me.  They refuse to work with me and are making me choose between them.”

She sighs.

“I don’t know if I CAN choose, mother.  Glenn is my blood but Henry has helped through so much.”

Aphrodite scoffs. She has no love for Henry Van Stanton. Changing her devious ways hasn’t erased the ill will she holds towards that man. Glenn, she had her tit for tat with him, the one thing she has in common with him is their love for family.

“Julia, no one gives a Noel an ultimatum. We are strong, independent. Driven by a passion to do what WE feel is right, no one will box us into a corner and make us feel guilty.”

Aphrodite places a hand on Julia’s shoulder.

“Both men have helped you. I will never be a fan of Von Staton, professionally he has been of great service. Henry should know his place. It is not his place to dictate who you associate with. As far as Glenn is concerned, he should have more faith in you. Assure him he can speak his mind without consequence. A line in the sand must be drawn. Don’t let them dictate terms. They can’t accept your choices, they know what to do. Being a Noel means standing by your guns. Both men want to back you into a corner? Don’t let them. Call there bluff. See what happens.”

A knowing grin forms on Julia’s face.

“Well, there may be a third option that Glenn and Henry do not yet know about…”

Julia produces a small card.  She passes it over to her mother.

“...what do you think?”

Aphrodite furrows her brow. “Interesting. Going Option C wouldn’t be a bad idea. It's worth looking into.”

Julia curtsies.

“Thank you, mother.  I think I know what I must do now.” 

==========
End of an Era
Part 2 ; Scene 2
Off Camera
==========

“Where the hell is she?!”

To say that Glenn Braddock is an impatient man would be an understatement.  Glenn Braddock never has been one for patience.  He wants what he wants and he wants it yesterday as opposed to right now.  Glenn Braddock truly does hate to be kept waiting, especially when it comes to the sport he loves; professional wrestling.

Glenn Braddock finds himself pacing the floor, about to create a moat if he keeps it up, in his gym on the outskirts of London, England.  He has been asked to wait here for the arrival of Julia Braddock…

…and he is not here alone.  With him is Henry Van Stanton, but instead of pacing the floors like a caged lion, Henry seems patient and calm.  He appears cool and collected as he awaits the arrival of Julia Braddock, the same woman who asked both of them to meet her here.

“Give her time, Glenn.”

Henry looks at his watch.

“She still has five minutes.”

“I always told her to arrive ten minutes early!  What the hell is wrong her?!”

Henry smirks.

“Now look who is trying to force their will upon her.”

Glenn sneers as he turns and points a finger at Henry.

“Don’t you get smart with me, you pencil neck geek!  You’re the one trying to impose your will on her!  You’re telling her she can’t be a Noel!”

“And if she wants to continue our working relationship then she cannot.  Don’t pretend you like the idea of her being Aphrodite’s daughter.”

Glenn growls angrily.

“No, I don’t like it, but I love my niece enough to give her the freedom of choice.  If that’s what she wants, let her do it.”

“Wrong.  What you have is a fear of losing her masked under the auspices of freedom of choice.  You wouldn’t even bring it up.”

“But at least I’d keep her!  Which is better than you can say!  She’s going to dump you, I know it!”

“She knows my ultimatum.  Me or Aphrodite.  It’s her choice.”

The two bickering men are interrupted when the front door swings open.  Glenn stops his pacing immediately.  They turn to the front entrance of the gym and they watch with interest as Julia Braddock enters.  She makes her way over towards Glenn and Henry.  She smiles, but it is clear that the smile is forced.

“Hi, guys.”

She checks her watch.

“Three minutes early! Heh…”

Glenn grunts angrily.  Henry chuckles.

“We’re just glad to see you, Julia.  Why did you ask us to meet you here?”

Julia sighs.  She pulls up a chair and sets it down across from Henry.  Glenn stands over them and watches on intensely.  It is clear that Julia has made her decision and the decision she made is a tough one.

“Several weeks ago you gave me an ultimatum.  You told me that you could no longer work together and that I had to choose…”

She points at Henry.

“…you…”

She then points at Glenn.

“…or him.”

Julia lowers her finger and then sighs.

“And all of this is because you two don’t like the fact that Aphrodite Noel is my mother.”

Henry shakes his head.

“She is NOT your mother, Julia…”

“SHUT UP!”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“I’m sorry…but yes, she IS my mother.  That is why you tried to back me into this corner and tried to force me to make a decision.  And unfortunately, that makes my decision very easy.”

Julia stands up.  Henry follows suit and now the two are face to face.

“Henry…I apologize for this but you left me no choice.  You are fired.”

Henry Van Stanton remains stoic as he stares at her for a few moments.  It’s hard to tell what is going through his mind right now.  Finally he just simply nods his head.

“Ok then, it is clear to me that you have made your choice.  You did not choose Glenn Braddock over me, you chose Aphrodite Noel over me.  And that is fine.  You may have that witch if you wish to have her.  But know this...”

He points a finger at her.

“…when she betrays you, again, I may or may not be there to help you.”

With that, Henry turns and walks away.  Julia tries to remain strong.  She forces back her tears as she watches Henry leave her presence and leave the gym, possibly for the last time.  Once Henry is gone, Julia immediately turns her attention towards Glenn.

“As for you…”

“Me?!”

“Yes, you.  You are not just my trainer but my uncle.  I value your opinion and you need to share your opinion with me.”

She takes his hands and squeezes them tightly.

“We are a team, you and I.  But this team cannot work if we do not communicate and that means communicating the bad along with the good.  If there is something that concerns you, tell me and we can discuss it.  I was disappointed when I learned that you had been hiding concerns from me, just because those concerns had to do with mother.”

“I was afraid of losing you, damnit!”

“Don’t be stupid!  I wouldn’t leave you!  You are my uncle!  I love you, but you need to play your part and train me, work with me, and help me through this business.  And I’ll play my role by getting the job done in the ring.  You play your role, I play my role, and we’ll go places.”

Glenn nods his head.

“Fine, I understand, but I don’t have to like her…I don’t have to like Aphrodite.”

“No, you don’t  have to, but you have to respect that she is my mother.”

“Look, let’s forget her for a moment…”

He points to the door that Henry just walked out of.

“What are you going to do about representation?  I’m a damn fine trainer if I say so myself but I’m not an agent.”

“I know this, and I already have a replacement in mind.”

She hands him the same card she handed Aphrodite earlier.  He grins from ear to ear.

“I like this idea.  I like it a lot.”

“So did mother.  The fact that you both agreed on something tells me that this must be a good idea.  I’ll set up a meeting with my potential new agent as soon as possible.”

“Excellent.  And Julia?”

“Yes?”

Glenn frowns.

“You sound a lot like your mother.”

 “You mean Mary?”

“No…I mean Aphrodite.”



==========
On Camera
==========

It’s been a long time since Julia has had reason to smile, but she is smiling, grinning from ear to ear, and one reason could be the UWA Hybrid Championship that is setting on the brown stool next to her.  Julia herself is wearing a royal blue allover sequined mini-dress with a deep v-back three-fourth sleeves.  Her long blonde hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.

“Yes, I’m smiling.  Yes, I’m happy.  I’m happy because finally I have made my mark in UWA!  Finally I have done my family proud!”

Julia picks up her UWA Hybrid Championship belt and slings it over her right shoulder.  She pats the centerpiece.

“This has been a long time coming!  Ever since I came to the Uprising Brand back when we were all part of IWC I have been trying to make my mark and prove that I was worthy of the Braddock name.  And my career was in a slump.  I clearly did not deserve anything, because I had been losing match after match.  My career in UWA had been, for lack of a better term, a complete and utter failure.  But Drew Bryant and David Helms gave me a chance.”

She holds up a finger.

“They gave me one final opportunity against my cousin Abigail Lindsey for the UWA Hybrid Championship.  It was an opportunity that I did not let slip through my fingers.  I took full advantage and became the new UWA Hybrid Champion…hell, the FIRST ever UWA Hybrid Champion!  I made history and now not only have I made an impact but I have put my name forever in the history books as UWA’s first ever Hybrid Champion.  That is an honor that can never be taken from me.”

Julia grins knowingly.

“And I find it very appropriate that my first title defense is against Danny Darko.”

Julia laughs lightly.

“Heh, I guess I should go ahead with the typical attack, right? Well, the most logical line of attack, at least.  The most logical line of attack would be to point that you don’t deserve a shot at the UWA Hybrid Championship.  At Olympus you lost toKalinda…and before that you lost the last chance battle royal…you lost to Myra Lynwood…and I could go on, and on, and on…”

She shakes her head.

“…but that’s unfair of me.  The fact is that you and I were in the same boat once upon a time.  The fact is that I did not deserve to be in the Hybrid Championship match at Olympus because I hadn’t done much of anything to earn my way either.  All it took was one opportunity…”

She holds up one finger.

“…I just needed one shot and I took that shot and now here I am standing before you as the Hybrid Champion.”

She points at the camera.

“Now you have a shot to revitalize your career just as I revitalized mine.  But there is a distinct difference between us, Danny. You have seemingly given up on the sport.  Don’t think it went unnoticed by me about how you’re ready to end it all in a match against Trinity Street.  Your last match ever, supposedly, is going to be at Sectioned.  But me?”

She shakes her head.

“I am not ready to end it.  But I do know how you feel.  I was damn near insane with the direction my career had taken.  The losses and constant failures hurt my spirit and I was to the brink of giving up but I told myself that I would not give up.  I refused to give up.  And now I stand here as a champion because I fought through the trials and tribulations in order to get to the promised land.”

“But what about you?  Are you ready to fight through the trials and tribulations that you will have to fight through in order to get this championship away from me?  Being Hybrid Champion means I get to choose how I defend this title and I chose to defend it in a submission match.”

A smirk forms across her face.

“Submissions, technical wrestling, that happens to be my specialty, Danny.  You should know that just from watching Olympus and how I defeated Abigail Lindsey in a submission match to become champion.  But you should also know due to the fact that we have worked together before.  We have been tag team partners before.  You should know what I’m capable of.”

“And that is your only advantage, the one and only advantage that you have.  You were my tag team partner and you had a real good chance to scout me.  But that was just the one time and besides, even with whatever information you were able to scout from that one time we were tag team partners, all it does is it lets you know that you are doomed.”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“You have no hope, Danny.  Your spirit is all but broken and you are competing against a submissions master in a submission match.  I’m going to give you the same chance Bryant and Helms gave me, but unlike me, you won’t be able to take advantage of it.  You will lose.  Again.  And maybe then you will quit trying to put crazy thoughts and ideas in my head.”

“Time and time again you’ve tried to tell me I’ve been doing things all wrong.  The way I see it, I am a champion and you are not.  And I got here by doing things my way, with my trainer, my wonderful uncle Glenn Braddock, and with all of my support.  I don’t know what kind of support you have, Danny.  I don’t really care, either.  But you’ve been trying to pull me away from my support system.  You’ve been filling my head with bullshit.  Now?”

She chuckles.

“Now you learn not to mess around with The Kensington Knockout.”

Fade to black.