LITD/Twisted & Sadstic vs. Cowgirls/Dangerous Minds

[Braddock]

2 of 2
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May 21st, 2024
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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Taking Hold of the Flame is fast approaching. In fact, there is only one Breakdown to go before one of the biggest, most important events of the SCW calendar year. And for The British Bombshell and her tag team partner Brittany Lohan, this will be a very busy night. Twisted & Sadistic specifically will have to try and coexist with their on again off again enemies turned allies Light in the Darkness to take on the combined force of Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell in an eight person tag. Lohan, for her part, finds it frustrating that this is even taking place, that they have to coexist with Amelia and Luz, the pair that have the SCW World Tag Team Titles that Twisted & Sadistic want so badly. Braddock, on the other hand, gets it. She understands that they are, at least, partially responsible for this chaos that has been created in the tag team division and now, hopefully with the help of the tag champions, they can put an end to the chaos so that they can move on to finally challenging for the tag team titles. It would be busy enough if that were the only bit of business Glory Braddock had to take care of at Taking Hold of the Flame. But The British Bombshell has other business to take care of that night, because it is on that night that the forty person Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal will take place to determine a number one contender for the SCW World Championship. Her critics and detractors may call it greed or selfishness, but Glory just calls it her competitive drive, and her competitive drive makes her want to shoot for the stars and there is no star higher, no prize bigger, and no competition greater than Taking Hold of the Flame or the SCW World Championship. Glory would be crazy to ignore such an opportunity and it would go against her very nature to reject such an alluring competition, such an alluring challenge. She knows this means pulling double duty, she knows it means competing twice in one night, but this is what she lives for, this is the kind of competition she thrives upon. And she will do everything within her power to turn Taking Hold of the Flame into the single most successful night of her career.

Braddock is plagued by only one tiny mental issue; doubt. The past few days The British Bombshell has found herself in doubt of her own commitment. It all started over the weekend when she flew herself, her husband Kurt, their daughter Dawn, and Kurt’s sister Katherine to Houston, Texas. The plan was simple; reunite Kurt and Katherine with their mother whom they had not heard from in decades, a woman they thought might have been dead. Glory wanted to repair a broken family relationship. And things seemed to go so well, Kurt and Katherine seemed to enjoy their mother’s company and, likewise, Jean Logan seemed to enjoy seeing her children again. Unfortunately things broke down when Glory Braddock was alone with her mother-in-law. Jean Logan questioned Glory’s commitment to Kurt. She questioned whether or not Glory took her marriage seriously. At first Braddock was enraged and offended; Jean was bringing up tiny, minor, nit picky issues such as Glory not wearing her wedding band and Glory not taking Kurt’s last name of Logan. But as time went on Glory realized that Jean might have a point about her commitment issues. Glory did cheat on Kurt once. Yes, it was a time when Glory was suffering from a nervous breakdown and yes, she and Kurt did make peace, but still the affair happened. Plus one can look at other issues to question her commitments. Just look at Taking Hold of the Flame. Glory and Brittany want to become SCW World Tag Team Champions, they are already number one contenders and are trying to deal with two angry teams who want their heads on a platter. Yet at the same time Glory also wants to compete in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself. Glory still has her eyes set on potentially earning a shot at the SCW World Title. Is Glory truly committed to anything? Is Jean Logan right about her?

It is late in the evening at the Braddock-Logan household in Miami, Florida. It is near pitch black dark outside with the exception of a few street lights and the moon hanging overhead. It looks lovely as Glory Braddock, sitting on a plush cream colored sofa in her luxurious living room area, stares out at the window. She is wearing purple shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Sitting next to her is her husband, Kurt Logan. He is wearing denim jeans and a black t-shirt. Sitting across from them is Brittany Lohan. Yes, Glory’s friend and tag team partner is staying with them this evening. It makes perfect sense, after all, since Glory and Brittany are tag team partners and traveling to SCW events together. Tomorrow they will catch a flight to Quebec, Canada for Breakdown. In the meantime they have spent all day today working out and preparing for the eventual showdown at Taking Hold of the Flame against Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls and, potentially, the chaos that might ensue on Breakdown; a point that Lohan is quick to point out.

“We need to be ready. Dumont, Striker, and the Straders will probably come after us again.” Brittany says, directing her words at Glory. But The British Bombshell doesn’t seem to notice. She seems rather distant. “Glory? Did you hear me?”

“Uh-huh…” Glory says unconvincingly. Brittany furrows her brow and nods her head.

“Ok. Then how is this for a plan? You lure them outside and I will run all four of them over with a car.” Kurt even looks astounded at this suggestion but Braddock doesn’t even flinch. She just nods her head.

“Uh-huh…”

“Glory?!” Kurt shouts, which finally gets his wife’s attention. It startles her enough to turn and look at Kurt and Britttany.

“Huh?”

“Were you listening to anything Brittany just said?”

“Yeah, of course.” Glory says lying.

“So you are ok with Brittany running over your Taking Hold of the Flame opponents?”

“What?” Glory shakes her head. “No! Of course not!”

“Forgive her, Kurt.” Brittany smirks. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time vehicular homicide was attempted live on an SCW Breakdown.”

“Well we do NOT need to take things that far!” Glory exclaims. “We already pushed this too far as it is.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Brittany asks. “Angelica bought you a week. I doubt Dumont and Striker will be kind enough just to give you another week. Not that I care.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll fight them whenever and wherever.”

“Unfortunately you’re right.” Glory remarks with a sigh. “Those four seem to be just like you, Britt. Dangerous Minds, The Cowgirls, they want to fight first and ask questions later. I’m surprised Angelica was able to buy me a week. I don’t think we’ll be lucky this time. They’ll probably attack and we need to be ready.”

“Good.” Brittany smirks. “I’ve been waiting to clobber them.”

“Clobber away, mate.” Glory remarks. “But between this week’s Breakdown and the chaos that brings and then Taking Hold of the Flame, we’ll be busy, and it is late. You should probably go get some rest, huh?”

“Busy?” Lohan scoffs. “Not as busy as you. You’re pulling double duty by entering the battle royal too.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But you’re right, it’s getting late. I should turn in.” She stands up and stretches.

“You remember where the guest room is, right?” Kurt asks. Brittany nods her head.

“Sure do.” Lohan turns and walks off, making her exit. Glory goes back to staring out the window. Kurt meanwhile listens for the footsteps going upstairs. Once he is certain Brittany is out of sight and out of earshot he once again turns his attention back to his wife, who still seems fairly distracted.

“Glory?”

“Huh?” She is again startled and turns back to face Kurt. “What?”

“Are you ok?”

“Of course I’m ok.” She tries to force a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be ok?”

“It’s just that you have seemed a little distant lately.”

“I’m fine, love. Trust me.” Glory says unconvincingly. But Kurt is skeptical and shakes his head.

“I don’t buy it, babe. You have seemed a little off. In fact, you haven’t really been the same since…” he pauses and it looks almost as if a lightbulb went off over his head “...ever since Houston.”

“Houston?” Glory repeats. “What are you talking about, mate?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Kurt says. “Did something between you and my mom in Houston?”

“Kurt…” she sighs “...I’d rather not discuss it.”

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Kurt, please I…” Glory stares into his eyes for several tense moments before finally she sighs and nods her head “...oh ok, fine! I admit, I have been a little upset lately. It’s because your mom, she…” she sighs and shakes her head “...she doesn’t think I’m committed to you, to us, to this marriage.”

“She…” Kurt is almost in disbelief “...she said that?”

“Yes, but…” Glory tries to explain it in greater detail but it is too late, the cat is out of the bag and Kurt Logan is now angry. He is seeing red and shaking his head angrily.

“How DARE she?! Where does she get the nerve to question you when her own marriage to my asshole of a father was a train wreck from day one?! She has no right to question you or to judge you!” He growls angrily. “I’m gonna…”

“You are not going to do anything!” Glory says sharply. “At least not until you have calmed yourself down and had time to think this through.”

“I have thought it through.” Kurt remarks. “She had no right to judge you. My mother has always been super traditional about everything, and I mean everything. That’s why she never left my dad. She viewed him as the head of the household even though he was a complete dick. She has no right to say anything to you with her own delusional, twisted beliefs!” Kurt places comforting hands on Glory’s shoulders. “But you and I, what we have is different. I look at us as equals. You are my equal and I treat you as such.”

“I agree with you on that.” Glory says, forcing a smile. “I do think that is part of why we have succeeded so well.”

“Good.” He kisses Glory on the lips. “So quit listening to my mom’s nonsense, ok?”

“It isn’t that simple.” Glory shakes her head. “She questioned my commitment to this marriage but it got me to thinking about my commitment in general. Am I really committed to our children? I nearly lost Melinda. She hated me for awhile. Sure, we’re growing closer again, but I had to throw money at her to do it. And then there’s her boyfriend, Clyde Sutter, who I still do not trust yet I am just letting that go, I am just ignoring it because I want my daughter to like me.”

“I don’t trust Sutter, either.” Kurt remarks.

“But it isn’t just that. I grew close to a woman who was close to me, who still is near and dear to me…”

“Aphrodite?” Kurt asks. Glory nods her head.

“Yes. I grew so close that I agreed to become her adopted daughter when she asked. I do not even acknowledge her publicly as my mother. I did not take her last name, just as I did not take your last name when I married you. Does that mean that I am not as serious or as committed to either of you as I would like to think?”

“That’s more of my mom’s delusional thinking.” Kurt states sternly. “You are free to do whatever you want. If you want to take my last name, fine. If you want to take Aphrodite’s last name, fine. If you want to keep your Braddock name because it is respected and revered, then fine. All that matters is what’s in your heart. All that matters is the love that exists between you and me.”

“I do love you, Kurt.” Glory answers quietly. “I love you with all of my heart.”

“Then that’s all that really matters.” He insists. “It doesn’t matter what my mom says. As long as you and I love one another, everything else is just secondary.”

Tears form in the eyes of The British Bombshell as she lets the words of her husband soak in. He is right, of course. Wearing a wedding band isn’t the end all be all determiner of love. Changing your name isn’t the ultimate sign of love. Love is far deeper than that and so is commitment. Glory Braddock is committed to Kurt and the love she shows him is evidence of that. Just like she is committed to Brittany Lohan and their team of Twisted & Sadistic. Brittany stepped up to the plate to help her become a Supreme Champion and Glory is committed to helping Brittany become a tag team champion again and being in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal to try and earn a shot at the SCW World Title does not change that commitment in any way. Glory Braddock’s commitment is second to none and she will be ready to test herself, to challenge herself in the greatest way possible, at Taking Hold of the Flame.

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London, England
On Camera
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We open inside of an old wrestling school that has certainly seen its better days. The first thing that we encounter is the pervasive smell of sweat, mold, and the faint tang of old blood. The air is thick and musty, contributing to the oppressive atmosphere. Flickering fluorescent lights hang from the high ceiling, casting a dim, uneven glow across the room. There is a standard regulation size professional wrestling ring located in the center of the main area. It’s an old, sagging square ring with frayed ropes and faded turnbuckles, its once-vibrant colors now dulled to a drab gray. The mat is stained with years of sweat and effort, patched in several places with duct tape where the fabric has torn. The wooden boards beneath the mat creak and groan with every step, a constant reminder of the wear and tear they’ve endured.

Just then we hear the clicking of heels from off in the distance. It isn’t long before we see the lovely Glory Braddock entering the scene from the right. Her long, golden hair cascades down her back in soft, loose waves. Braddock is wearing a royal purple silky blouse that is a vibrant contrast to her fair complexion and golden locks. The neckline is modest yet flattering. The blouse is tucked neatly into a pair of high-waisted black jeans, their slim fit highlighting her tall, athletic build. Over the blouse, she wears a black leather jacket that adds an element of toughness to her ensemble. The jacket is fitted, hugging her shoulders and arms just right, with silver zippers gleaming against the dark leather. She is perched atop black ankle boots with a slight high heel.

“This is the wrestling school where I learned under the sometimes harsh tutelage of my late father, Glenn Braddock. He taught me everything he knew about this business and every single one of his lessons I took to heart. He molded me into the wrestler that I am today. I adopted most of his philosophies and approach to this business, and one of those philosophies, one such approach that I have adopted is his approach to competition. You may love me or hate me, you may cheer me or boo me, but I have never once changed my approach to competition. It is a lesson my father taught me and one I have kept near and dear to my heart. Competition is about challenging yourself. Since even before I signed with SCW so many years ago, I have always had this same competitive drive to find a challenge and meet it head on. The first challenge was quite a big and heavy one; I was told that I didn’t have what it took to hang with the elite of Supreme Championship Wrestling. So I set out to prove them all wrong. I did just that, I took on all comers and I beat them all. I became a champion. Then I set my sights on my next goal, becoming SCW World Champion. Yes, that was a short lived reign but damn it I did it. I achieved that goal and my name is forever in the record books as a former World Champion of one of the most elite promotions in the world today. We will revisit that goal momentarily.” She winks.

“I had achieved that goal so I needed to set my sights on a new goal. I looked back on when I first started in this promotion, how people I couldn’t make it in SCW, and I decided my next goal would be to shove it in their face by achieving the ultimate prize of Supreme Champion. I only needed two championships to achieve it. I won the Television Title in short order but the Tag Titles proved elusive. I needed someone to step up, someone willing to work with me and help me achieve my goal. I have Brittany Lohan to thank for stepping up to the plate. She had nothing to gain. She had no reason to do it except for her loyalty to me. But she stepped up and we reunited as Twisted & Sadistic. We dominated every tag team SCW had to offer and despite a few setbacks here and there I just knew that my goal was on the verge of being reached.” She closes her eyes. It is almost as if she were reliving a joyous memory from the past. “It feels like yesterday, me and Britt defeated Light in the Darkness to become SCW World Tag Team Champions. It was supposed to be my crowning achievement…until Ravyn and Syren ruined it, and thanks to their interference, thanks to their involvement, my moment was ruined and then OUR championship reign was cut short at Retribution.”

“I have no problem apologizing for how Twisted & Sadistic handled business after the fact but I will not apologize for my fierce competitive spirit, I will not apologize for refusing to just accept the fact that me and Britt were being thrust to the back of the line because of the actions of Dark Fantasy. And newsflash to Ravyn and Syren, if I meet you in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal, I will do everything in my power to make sure Syren is eliminated so that she never again gets anywhere the SCW World Title. I will not apologize for the righteous indignation both Britt and I felt for being screwed over. But we did create chaos, we created a problem, and now we have to deal with that problem and that problem comes in the form of Dangerous Minds and The Cowgirls from Hell.”

“Striker and Dumont, Straders, obviously you lot love to fight and obviously you lot love to fight Twisted & Sadistic. You want our heads on a pike and that’s fine. Britt and I will gladly give you the fight you wanted. All you had to do was ask and we would have given you this fight. You didn’t have to keep getting involved in our business. You didn’t have to keep jumping us during our matches or jumping us backstage. Don’t get me wrong. I get it, we started this shit and you all want revenge. But even you have to understand and accept that this cannot keep going on forever. Eventually this has to come to an end. Competition is one thing but this, this isn’t competition. This hatred. You hate us and we…well, at least Britt may hate you. I don’t want to speak for her. Me? I honestly do not hate you. Hell, I respect you. Veronica, you beat me one on one and that right there earned my respect. Cara pushed Luz to the limit and as someone who tangled with that fierce warrior before, I know how tough she is, so that earned my respect. Dumont, Striker, both of you have fought my cousins, Marie and Kim. Dumont nearly had Marie beat for the Television Title. That match was a bloody beautiful banger to watch. And Striker, anyone who can take on Kim not just once, not just twice, but three times in the Underground, one of which was the Long Road out of Hell, is definitely someone worthy of respect.” She nods her head.

“I do respect you…but you are also annoying the hell out of me. This whole thing between us is annoying me because it not only punishes me and Britt, but it punishes Light in the Darkness and the entire tag team division, because the more you involve yourselves in our business, the more revenge you try to exact on us, the longer this feud gets drawn out, the more another rivalry is delayed…namely the rivalry between Twisted & Sadistic and Light in the Darkness. I mean, hell, look at how long the tag team division has been held up now! It has been held up on delay since Taking the Leap. I speak only for myself, not for Britt, when I accept the blame I have for causing this delay…” she points a finger at the camera “...but you four share some blame because you refuse to let go. So you lot want your revenge? You want to kick our asses? Here is your ONE and FINAL chance and it happens at Taking Hold of the Flame. Make the best of it. Good luck.”

“This sport is built not upon revenge but upon the spirit of competition, it is built upon the ideal of setting goals for yourself and reaching out, striving to achieve those goals. Me and Britt certainly ruffled some feathers in our goal of trying to win back the SCW Tag Team Titles. But certain people, namely Xander Valentine, thinks that I have decided to rest on my laurels, that I have been content with being in the tag team division.” Braddock smirks knowingly and shakes her head. “That shows you just how LITTLE that big oaf knows about me. I may be a lot of things but one of those things that I am NOT is content. I am always looking out for the next big challenge. My last big challenge was to become Supreme Champion. I achieved that. Did you honestly believe that after becoming Supreme Champion I would NOT seek out a new challenge for me to face? Did you really think that I would not seek out a new way to test myself, to challenge myself? Once I saw that Taking Hold of the Flame would be coming to my native home of London, England I knew exactly what my next big challenge would be.”

“See, unless you have been living under a rock for the past two decades then you know that Taking Hold of the Flame is the official kickoff to Rise To Greatness season. Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal is the one single event where you can catapult yourself to superstardom in one single night. Now you look at someone like me and you see someone who has taken every single brass ring SCW has to offer. Supreme Champion? Done it. Trios Tournament? Won it twice. Main event of Rise To Greatness? Done it. But the one thing that I have never done, the one brass ring I have yet to claim, is to win Taking Hold of the Flame.” Braddock winks at the camera.

“Now how is THAT for a challenge? And this would not just be any ordinary challenge, this would be the ultimate challenge, the ultimate test for any SCW wrestler. I am competing twice in one night; first I go out and handle business with Britt and Light in the Darkness against Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell. Then I come right back out and compete in the greatest rumble match in the history of our sport. You cannot create a bigger test for a wrestler like that. And if…” she pauses to reconsider her wording “...no, no, WHEN I win Taking Hold of the Flame, I will punch my ticket to the main event of Rise To Greatness. I will return to the main event of Rise To Greatness to challenge for the SCW World Championship.” She shuts her eyes and lets out a satisfied sigh, almost as if she already won the match.

“Oh and how sweet a victory would that be? My first Rise To Greatness main event came about because I used my Trios Tournament to insert myself into the main event. I wanted to make the match a triple threat to increase Syren’s odds of losing the SCW World Championship. But this time will be different. This time I EARN my way in the right way, I earn my way in by winning Taking Hold of the Flame. And then I can either smack some reality back into the power mad Selena Frost…or get one third and final shot at Xander Valentine…either way, Selena or Xander, it will be my time, not theirs. It will by time to step up and reclaim the SCW World Championship and finally have a proper run as champion! I can wipe away the stain of the short lived reign I had from 2021.”

“Taking Hold of the Flame, Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell who want to maim me…and then thirty nine other competitors in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself, all of whom want the same thing I want, all of whom who are standing in my way and want to stop me from achieving my goal…there is no bigger, no greater challenge than that. And that is what competition is all about, that is what this business is all about, and believe me when I say that I will fight to my last breath right here in my hometown, in front of my friends, my fans, my family, my loved ones, to win the big one for them! To win it for each and every one of them!” She shakes her head. “And there is nothing anyone can do to stop me.”

Glory Braddock turns and walks off. The camera fades to black.