SMP vs. Aisling vs. Marie Jones

[The Matt]

2 of 2
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May 7th, 2024
Sydney, Australia
Off Camera
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Nestled along the bustling streets of Sydney, Australia, the city that shall play host to SCW Breakdown in a couple of days, we find a small, quaint café that exudes a vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere. Its exterior is adorned with lush greenery, with hanging baskets overflowing with colorful blooms, adding a touch of natural beauty to the urban landscape. A wooden sign, weathered by the sun and sea breeze, proudly displays the café's name in elegant, fanciful script. This particular café provides the luxury of outdoor seating, which for a bright and sunny day like today is a wonderful opportunity for tourists and citizens alike. The outdoor seating area is a tranquil oasis amidst the city hustle, with comfortable cushions and throw blankets draped over the chairs, inviting guests to linger and enjoy their drinks. Potted plants line the perimeter, providing privacy and a sense of intimacy, while fairy lights strung overhead twinkle softly as dusk descends, casting a warm glow over the scene. As patrons sip on their expertly crafted lattes or indulge in a decadent slice of cake, they are serenaded by the gentle hum of conversation and the occasional chirping of nearby birds. The café buzzes with life, yet there's an undeniable sense of calm that envelops the space, making it the perfect retreat from the chaos of the city. But there is one particular patron who definitely needs this calm, who needs this escape from the chaos and especially the anxious nerves that overwhelm her mind and that individual is the reigning SCW Television Champion; she is “The Phoenix” Marie Jones.

Some might argue that Marie is lucky to even be the SCW Television Champion today and that she is lucky to still have the opportunity to defend it this week on Breakdown in Sydney, Australia against Sean Michael Prime and Aisling. Jones would disagree with that assessment. She is confident that had Konrad and his pals not gotten involved, she eventually would have defeated The Enigma clean in the center of the ring. Nevertheless what’s done is done and that is now marked as a disqualification victory whether she likes it or not. She cannot change the past but what Marie can do is control her present and control her future. This triple threat match on Breakdown against both SMP and Aisling will prove to be extremely difficult and very challenging, mainly because Marie does not have to be beaten in order to lose her championship. But this is the kind of challenge she wants, this is the kind of challenge she came back to SCW for; she wants matches like this to prove to any and all of her doubters that she has indeed turned over a new leaf. She will not take any shortcuts and she will not take the easy road. Marie intends to face this challenge head on and prove that she is still worthy to carry the SCW Television Championship and that she is still the workhorse champion in SCW.

The challenge that SMP and Aisling bring to the table isn’t the only thing weighing heavily on the mind of Marie Jones as she sits at this table in the café. She also has the lingering questions in her mind about what to do with her newest love interest Percy Matthews. Percy is an ex-con who doesn’t particularly like going by his real name. He prefers his nickname; Death’s Head. His status as an ex-con, his intimidating presence, the fact that he he has a record, all of that raises red flags but the one time Marie did spend with him, he seemed to be a genuinely friendly and polite man. Marie’s childhood friend, Melinda Jade, insists that Marie give Percy a chance and Marie’s heart wants to give him a chance. But Marie’s mind tells her she should learn more about him first. What kind of record does he have? She has an idea but the details are vague. Everyone she has spoken to insists that she give him a chance, even her cousin, Glory Braddock. Still, there remains one lingering issue that Marie should address very soon; her family does not know about him, at least not yet. That will all change soon enough. Marie is not going to let secrets like this remain unspoken. She recalls what happened the last time that happened. It did not turn out well for her.

“Did you miss me?” The voice is that of Marie’s mother, the matriarch of the Jones family, Angelica Jones. The eldest Jones is carrying two cups of coffee, one that appears to be doctored up with lots of sugar and cream whereas the other is pure and simple black. She sets the doctored one in front of her daughter and keeps the other for herself.

“It’s not like you were gone very long.” Marie points out. “Thanks for getting the coffee, though.”

“Don’t mention it.” Angelica sits down. She glances at her daughter’s cup and smirks. “I will never understand how you can drink it like that.”

“That’s fair because I don’t understand how you can drink it straight like that.” Marie feigns a shudder. Angelica laughs lightly as she sips on her coffee.

“You should try it sometime. You might find you like it.”

“No thanks. I will take my cream and sugar any day.”

“Enjoy it and enjoy this beautiful view of the city.” Angelica says in a warm, sweet voice. “Because tomorrow you and I are going to get to work.”

“Work?” Marie asks curiously.

“Yes, work.” Angelica grins. “You didn’t forget about that championship match of yours, did you?”

“How could I?” Marie sighs. The weight of being Television Champion weighs heavily upon her shoulders but it is a weight she proudly carries. She is happy to be the workhorse champion of SCW and does not want to lose that status anytime soon. “What bugs me is The Enigma.”

“Try and forget about that.” Angelica tells her daughter but, as with most stubborn children, Marie won’t listen.

“I had him beat. I know I could have beaten him clean. Instead I had to settle for a disqualification victory.”

“Like I said, try and forget about it.” Angelica states yet again. “Being the Television Champion means that you cannot afford to dwell on what happened in the past. You have to constantly live in the present and right now your two clear and present dangers come in the form of SMP and Aisling.”

“I already beat Aisling.” Marie points out. “And SMP can’t seem to buy a win.”

“True, and in a one on one scenario I’d say you would be safe to have that much confidence. But this is a triple threat match. Aisling could pin SMP and become champion…or vice versa…” Angelica pats Marie on the shoulder “...you have to win it, Marie. You have to win it by pin or submission.”

“That’s exactly how I want it.” Marie says with confidence brimming from her voice. “I don’t want what happened last week to happen again. No more settling for a disqualification, no more settling for the cheap and easy way out. I didn’t come back to SCW to settle for the cheap and easy way out. I came back to bust my ass and work my way back up through the ranks. I came back to prove that I am the best. That’s why I am entering the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal.”

“Oh yeah?” Angelica asks. Marie nods her head in confirmation. “That’s a whole new ball game right there. I haven’t won that before. But your sister came close last year. Kimberly started the match and made it to the final three. I might not be the right person to ask advice for when it comes to the Flame, but Kim would be.”

“Good point. I will definitely talk to Kim when I get the chance.” She sips on her coffee. “Do you know if Kim will be here for Breakdown?”

“With Kim you never know where she will show up!” Angelica grins from ear to ear.

“Another good point!”

“So where do you want to visit first on your last day of sight seeing before your last rigorous training session in my dungeon?” The Dragon says with a knowing smirk. Marie chuckles lightly.

“There are so many great places to visit. Maybe the Sydney Opera House?”

“Been there, done that.”

“You don’t have to brag about it.” Marie winks.

“Sorry. But yeah, we can visit it. Anywhere else?”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a beach or two.” Marie states.

“Always a popular choice. Anything else?”

“That’s probably more than enough. I doubt we’ll be able to hit all of that. Besides,” Marie sets her coffee cup down and looks at her mother “we should probably have a long talk.”

“Long talks are never good.” Angelica follows suit and sets her coffee cup down as well. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, a couple of weeks ago, in fact it was a few days before my flight to Japan.”

“You didn’t get drunk and pregnant did you?” Angelica asks with a wry grin.

“What? No!”

“Just checking, because that is a bad idea, especially when you do it at a convent.” Angelica remarks. Marie shudders.

“Anyway…” she sighs to collect her thoughts “...I just went out with my friend Melinda. She wanted to celebrate how I overcame my issues surrounding Inner Peace and Julianne and all that. It turns out she had ulterior motives.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah…” Marie nods her head “...she introduced me to this guy. His name is Percy Matthews but he prefers his nickname; Death’s Head.”

“Death’s Head? Sounds like a real winner.”

“Come on, mom! I’m being serious because I really need help here! He seems like a real nice guy, he is originally from the south and you can tell from his sweet southern charm. You say he’s a real winner? I mean it. He really could be a winner.”

“Ok, it sounds like you have things figured out.” The Dragon shrugs her shoulders. “What do you need me for?”

“Unfortunately Percy has a past.” Marie shakes her head. “It isn’t a good one, either. Melinda met him because, well, you know how Melinda spent time in prison? Percy did too. Both had difficulty transitioning to life outside of prison.”

“I see.” Angelica’s jovial mood suddenly goes away. She is now in full on serious maternal mode.

“He claims he has put his past behind him and that he is a changed man. Melinda is vouching for him. I want to give him a chance, I really do, because he is a nice guy and all, but I don’t know much about his past. But I’m also afraid of being hurt again. Between Damian, Arthur, and Julianne now…” she pauses to collect herself “...I’m just not sure I can take more disappointment, more heartache.”

“I get it, I really do.” Angelica nods her head. She wraps a comforting arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “Sadly, we Jones women haven’t had much luck with relationships. I have been married three times and I have had two other failed relationships since then. My sister, your aunt Kayla, is on her third marriage now. Your sister Jessica is on her second relationship, but that one does seem to be lasting much longer than her other.” Angelica chuckles. “Funny thing, Kim has only had one boyfriend and only the one. Maybe you should also take relationship advice from Kim too? Whatever she’s doing is working!”

“Great. That’s helpful.” Marie remarks sarcastically.

“Sorry I can’t help you much. Although I will say this, follow your heart.”

“How many times have I heard that?” Marie asks with more sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“If you’ve heard it before then maybe it’s the right advice?” Angelica winks. “But if you’re looking for approval from me, I will give you the green light to see it through. I mean, I spent time in a mental asylum. Who am I to judge your new boyfriend?”

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On Camera
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Sydney, Australia! The Phoenix has taken flight and is about to land right in your great Australian Outback! Ok, well, Sydney may not exactly be the Outback, but you get the drift, right? I hope you get the drift and I hope to see each and every one of you right there live and in person shouting and cheering for your favorite SCW wrestlers…or booing them, whatever your preference may be! And I am very much looking forward to competing in front of each and every one of you! I look forward to once again defending this SCW Television Championship, a title that I am proud to carry with me from city to city, and now from nation to nation! Everywhere I go I swear to you that you will get the very best of The Phoenix and right here in Sydney, Australia is no different! The only difference is that I have to put down not just one but TWO opponents in order to walk out of Sidney with my championship gold still around my waist! Is it a tough mountain to climb? Of course it is. But nothing worth achieving was ever easy.

First, before I talk about my next title defense, I want to discuss what happened in Japan. The Enigma may say that his sneak attack on my sister had nothing to do with her, or nothing to do with me, but let me spell it out for you, you big giant freak; you may not have been targeting Kim, you may not have been playing mind games with me, but anytime you target a member of the Jones family you immediately have made an enemy out of all of us. What was I supposed to do, huh? Just say nothing? Just pretend as if you didn’t just attack my sister? I said what I said and I stand by my words. I meant everything I said to you in the build up to last week. Why? Because it doesn’t matter what your INTENTIONS were, Enigma, the fact is that you attacked my twin sister and that meant that I owed you an ass kicking. And whether your big dumb ass is willing to admit it or not, you did get your ass kicked in Japan. You know I had you on the ropes and if I hit you with one more Vindicator or one more Ave Maria, I would have beaten you clean in the center of the ring. I would have exposed you. Think about that next time you decide to play your stupid ass games at the expense of the Jones family. If you want you maintain this aura, this mystique of yours, then you’d better leave us the hell alone, or the next time you come around I will finish the job.

I did retain my Television Championship last week. The record books do show that I defeated The Enigma. Unfortunately it was not the way I would have liked. I returned to SCW so that I could redeem myself, so that I could make my way back to the top without resorting to the cheap and easy path I used to take. Alas, thanks to The European Fiery Goons involving themselves in my business, I had to settle for a disqualification victory. That kind of victory does not set well with me because that is the cheap way out. That is the easiest way of retaining a title. Well. Ok, the easiest way of retaining would have been to crack Enigma’s skull open with a chair and get MYSELF disqualified. But this…this wasn’t much better. I swore to all of my fans, I swore to ALL of the SCW fans, that I would be a fighting champion, that I would be the workhorse champion SCW deserved. But that’s not what a workhorse champion does and that is not the kind of victory I came back to earn week in and week out.

Now SCW moves on from Japan to Australia and instead of defending against a cheap magician I am defending against Sean Michael Prime and Aisling. I am defending my championship in a triple threat match, the type of match where I do not have to be involved in the outcome in order to lose my title. Funny how things work out, don’t they?

SMP, you haven’t been able to BUY a victory lately. Lady luck seems to hate your damn guts. Anything that can go wrong has gone wrong for you. But here you are in a triple threat championship match. Out of fear of sounding arrogant or condescending, I think I would stand a pretty damn good chance of beating you one on one, SMP, especially with your track record lately. Ever since I’ve returned, I only lost ONCE in singles competition. Ever since you came to SCW awhile back, you have won…well…I don’t think you HAVE won. But here, in this scenario, you could make the greatest turnaround in history. You could take my title without having to beat me.

Same applies to you, Aisling. Remember me? We tore the house down in my return match back in SCW. And I know you and Colleen were a little miffed that I forgot to say your names in my promo for Taking the Leap…cardinal sin in professional wrestling, I suppose…but I do respect the hell out of both you and Colleen. I fought both of you and you both pushed me to my limit. I respect what you two have done for yourselves, going from merely being seen as Polly’s sidekicks to being a true threat in your own right. But again, not meaning to sound arrogant, but one on one, straight up without any fancy stipulations or gimmicks, I think I could beat you again, Aisling. But this isn’t one on one straight up. This is a triple threat match. You could beat SMP and this title becomes yours.

Ordinarily most champions would be pissed off about being in this scenario. Just look at my cousin Glory! She went on a rampage that lasted several weeks for losing her gold in a triple threat! But me? I love this! I love the fact that I am defending the SCW Television Title in a triple threat against BOTH SMP and Aisling on Breakdown. You heard me right. I love it and you want to know why?

If there is anything else I want more than just to redeem myself, if there is anything else I want more than to be the workhorse of Supreme Championship Wrestling, that one thing I want more is to face bigger challenges, greater threats, and you can’t find a threat much bigger or more dangerous than having to defend against multiple opponents in a match where you do not have to be pinned or made to submit to lose your gold. These are the challenges I have been craving ever since my return to SCW. I crave them because I want to challenge myself and I want to prove myself to the entire world.

SMP, your run of bad luck is going to continue. Aisling, one day you will find that success you crave but it won’t be at MY expense. This Phoenix has risen and no one will bring her down! One person couldn’t do it and live from Sydney, Australia, everyone will find out that TWO people can’t bring The Phoenix down! I will keep flying higher and higher! Just keep bringing on new challenges, SCW. Line them up, I will take them all on. SMP and Aisling, triple threat? I can handle this because I am The Phoenix and The Phoenix is rising!