Autumn Valentine vs. Marie Jones

[The Matt]

2 of 2
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June 8th, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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In one week Marie Jones will return to action following her double duty performance at Taking Hold of the Flame that saw her put on an incredible showing for herself in an Adrenaline Title Match and then the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself. Despite her incredible showing, she came up short in both contests. Now The Phoenix must reset and refocus herself because now she is on the road to Rise To Greatness and the first stop is a match against Autumn Valentine. There are still opportunities to be had, there are tickets to be punched, Jones just has to step up and make them happen. Defeating someone the caliber of Autumn would go a long way to punching her ticket to Rise To Greatness. Marie also must keep her emotions in check. There are bad memories and bad feelings from her past involvement with anyone remotely associated with Infamous and Syren. Autumn, being as close as she is to them, makes it easy for Marie to lose control. She must keep this strictly professional. She must do her best to keep those bad memories in check if she is to defeat Autumn at Breakdown. Everything seems to be going right for Marie in her return to SCW. Since her return she won a third Television Championship, she won back the trust and love of her fans, and she earned the respect of the locker room. One might even go as far as to say that her redemption story has come to its conclusion and it ended in a very successful manner. Capping it off with a great showing at Rise To Greatness would be icing on that cake.

Marie has also seen great success in her private life. After winning back the trust of her family, she found romance again in the strangest of places; an ex-convict named Percy Matthews. Percy, who prefers the nickname Death’s Head, was once a member of a biker gang. Marie had her doubts about him after being set up by their mutual friend Melinda Jade, but she must admit that Percy has been nothing but a complete gentleman. Everything she has seen from him indicates that he genuinely has turned his life around, that he genuinely wants to better himself. But he hasn’t just been a good fit Marie alone, even her teenage son, Sean Connor Jones, seems to adore Percy. Any chance Sean gets to be around Marie’s new boyfriend, he takes it. Sean has already expressed interest in following in his mother’s footsteps and becoming a wrestler, to which Percy already volunteered to impart his knowledge of mixed martial arts onto Sean. It seems all too perfect and there are times Jones wants to pinch herself just to make certain that this isn’t a dream. She had always wanted to find a lover who could also serve as a father figure to Sean. Perhaps Percy Matthews is that individual?

Marie Jones currently sits comfortably on the plush oversized sofa in her opulent living room. Her long red hair hangs down straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. She was dressed in a sleek, form-fitting black skirt that reached just above her knees, accentuating her slender figure. The skirt contrasted sharply with her vibrant red blouse, made of a silky material that shimmered slightly in the light. The blouse had a modest V-neck, revealing a hint of a silver necklace resting against her collarbone, adding a touch of elegance to her ensemble. On her feet, Jones wore a pair of classic black pumps polished to perfection. Her legs were crossed elegantly at the ankles, showcasing her poise and grace. Seated next to her is her son Sean, wearing a simple pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a pair of simple white sneakers. Sean appears to be a little impatient, maybe even worried. And why is that? Well, their guest for the evening, none other than Marie’s new boyfriend Percy Matthews, has yet to arrive. He is significantly late.

“Where is Death’s Head?” Sean asks, using Percy’s nickname. Marie puts on a brave face and smiles at her son before shrugging her shoulders.

“I don’t know, Sean. But he’ll be here.” She winks. “Trust me.”

“Ok…” Sean’s voice trails off.

Marie hates lying to her son. She has done enough of that throughout his life and she has tried to stop the deception and manipulation ever since her time in Inner Peace came to an end. She saw how her deception back then led to her downfall. But this time she feels deceiving Sean might be in his own best interest. Marie knows full well why Percy isn’t here right now. Percy already sent her a text message to let her know he would be very late and why; because he has been asked to stop by the police station for questioning. Even Marie herself is concerned about this because, after all, he is an ex-convict. Did he get into trouble with law enforcement? Did he fall back into his old ways? She wouldn’t want to upset Sean. He adores Percy. All Marie can do is hope and pray that everything will be ok for her boyfriend.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Sean?”

“I just wanted you to know that I think Death’s Head is cool. And, uh, I know you’ve had problems in the past but,” Sean smiles “I think he’ll work out.”

“I think so too.” Marie cannot help but grin ear to ear. Despite her concern for Percy right this present moment, the fact that Sean does like him does make her feel good. It provides even more motivation to do her best to make sure this relationship works out. At that moment the ringing of the front doorbell echoes throughout the house. She has a good idea of who that might be. Sean does too as his eyes light up brightly.

“Is that Death’s Head?”

“Maybe.” Marie stands up. “I’ll go see.”

The Phoenix exits the living room and into the hallway. She walks towards the front door and opens it. Sure enough she sees her boyfriend, Percy Matthews, standing there. He is wearing his typical biker attire of torn denim jeans, black biker boots, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Marie smirks.

“Is that really the best look for going to an interview with police?”

“Nah, but it’s what I feel most comfortable in.” He leans in and kisses her on the lips. “I hope I didn’t get you worried too much.”

“I was worried but we can talk about that later. There’s a kiddo in there who is dying to see you.”

Percy grins as he follows Marie into her home. The door is shut and they make their way down the hall and into the living room. Immediately upon entering Sean shoots up off of the living room sofa and rushes over to greet him.

“Death’s Head!”

“How’s it going, kid?”

“Great!” Sean exclaims. “I cannot wait to start working with you on how to wrestle!”

“Hold on there, Sean.” Percy states. “Your mother is gonna do most of the actual wrestling part. Me? I’m just gonna work on some of the basics of self-defense first. After that maybe I’ll teach you some strikes I learned from mixed martial arts and boxing.”

“Alright!”

“By the time I turn you over to your mom for your formal ‘wrestling’ training, you’ll already be quite the striker.” Percy chuckles.

“That sounds like a great plan to me.” Marie says as she pats Sean on the back. “Now why don’t you go upstairs and get changed? I’ll send Percy after you when he’s ready.”

“Ok, mom!” Sean quickly runs out of the living room. Percy and Marie both cannot help but laugh a little at the excitement he exudes.

“That kid has a lot of energy.”

“He sure does.” Marie states. “He’ll need it if he really does want to become a third generation wrestler from the Jones family.” Marie walks over to the sofa and sits back down. She motions for Percy to sit down next to her and he does. Marie takes his hands and clasps them tightly. “Now that Sean isn’t here, why don’t we talk about why you were so late?”

“Right, that…” he sighs deeply, it is clear that this is a difficult subject for him “...you already know some of it. Police wanted me to come by and talk to them.”

“Yes but why?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong if that’s what you’re asking.” Percy states, almost defensively. “You remember Hank and Bruno?”

“You mean your ‘delightful’ friends from the bar?” Sarcasm drips from Marie’s voice, especially when saying the word ‘delightful.’ She does not have very fond memories of Percy’s former gang running buddies Hank and Bruno. She remembers how they wanted him to help them with a robbery. Marie can tell based on the look on his face that Percy doesn’t have particularly fond memories of them, either.

“Yeah, them.” Percy nods his head. “Well like I said that night, they were planning a robbery. They wanted me to get involved and help them.”

“You didn’t, did you?” Marie asks. Percy shakes his head.

“No, but they did get someone to help. And those three clowns got caught.” He sighs. “Well, Hank and Bruno got caught anyway. The third got away. I guess my old ‘pals’ were frustrated that I turned ‘em down so they threw me under the bus and said that I was the third guy in their plot.”

“So that’s why you were brought in for questioning.”

“Yeah…but they didn’t have to bring me in, I went voluntarily, and my cooperation helped me. The fact that I damn good alibi also helped me and the police let me go.”

“Who was your alibi?” Marie asks curiously.

“Mels.” Percy says, referring to their mutual friend Melinda Jade, the woman who set them up in the first place. “I was hanging out with her in Albany the time the robbery went down. But that’s why I was so late. The police wanted to question my involvement.” He shakes his head. “Police all too often suspect any ex-con no matter how hard we turn our lives around.”

Marie immediately feels bad for her own concerns about Percy, about her own suspicions that he might have been involved. She knows how he feels. She was under a shroud of suspicion after she left Inner Peace. Her own family wasn’t sure they could trust her and she had to work hard to earn their trust back. The Phoenix leans in and kisses Percy on the lips. He is somewhat startled by this.

“So you…you believe me?”

“Yes, I believe you.” She shakes her head. “I hate it that you had to go through that.”

“Eh, I’m used to it by now.” He shrugs his shoulders. “It is a mark of shame I will have to live with forever since I got a record.”

Suddenly Marie and Percy hear footsteps coming bounding down the steps. They turn around in time to see Sean come running into the living room. He has changed out of his street clothes and into flimsy black workout shorts and a white t-shirt.

“I’m ready!” He exclaims.

“Sean!” Marie scolds. “I told you Percy would come get you when he was ready!”

“Oh it’s ok, Marie.” Percy chuckles as he stands up. “There’s no better time than now for me and the kid to go and get ready. How’s that sound, Sean?”

“Sounds great!”

Marie watches as Percy walks off with Sean following in tow. A smile creeps across her face. Any other time she would have been worried, nervous about letting her son be with anyone else but family. But she feels at peace. She seems to know that Percy will not let anything happen to Sean. And she knows that Sean will learn a great deal from Percy.

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On Camera
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You know, part of me wanted to ride in a fighter plane, land on an aircraft carrier, and stand in front of a great big ass banner that reads “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” behind me. That was my ideal setting for this right here and right now as I speak to all of you. Unfortunately that just isn’t a good idea for several reasons.

For starters, we know what happened to the LAST GUY that tried that…

But for practical purposes, you might think that I really didn’t accomplish a damn thing, at least not at Taking Hold of the Flame. I had hoped to do the impossible. I had hoped to compete twice in one night and leave with both the SCW Adrenaline Championship and a shot at the SCW World Championship in tow. That’s what I wanted but as the Rolling Stones like to say, you can’t always get what you want, and I didn’t get anything that I wanted at Taking Hold of the Flame…

…or did I? Did I really leave Taking Hold of the Flame empty handed? I don’t think so. I began this redemption story earlier this year when I made my return to SCW. I could have taken the easy way and the shortcuts all throughout this journey but I never did. I took on the toughest of challenges. It would have been easier to refuse to defend the Television Title in a triple threat but I did not turn away from the challenge. It would have been easier to keep my nose out of Gavin Taylor’s business but I would not and could not sit by and watch an injustice unfold. It would been easier to either back out of the Adrenaline Title Match or back out of the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself, but I back out of nothing, I always shoot for the stars. And yes, sometimes I fall short, but I always pull myself back up and I keep moving forward but, more importantly, I move forward knowing that I continue to put on the absolute best performance I possible can week in and week out without once taking any shortcuts, without once making it easy on myself.

So was a mission accomplished? In a sense, yes. I did accomplish the mission of redemption, a mission I continue to participate in every single time I set foot inside of the squared circle. And now the next time I set foot inside the squared circle will be right in the middle of Rise To Greatness season where opportunities can be earned, names can be made, and impacts can be long lasting. I know if I want to aim for the stars and have a bright spotlight, a great opportunity at Rise To Greatness, then I have to make an immediate impact at Breakdown, and that impact will be made at your expense, Autumn Valentine.

Or will that be Fall St. Patrick?

Winter St. James?

Summer St. Gemma Galgani?

There’s only four seasons but the number of Catholic Saints are practically limitless and as a practicing Catholic I know ‘em all. If Lexy is ashamed of you and wants to rebrand you for the umpteenth time, just tell her to come to me and I’ll give her the list. All I want is ten percent of whatever profit you make off of that crap.

Whether it’s Infamous, Lexy Chapel Presents, an extra on the Happy Farmstead Friends, or a member of the Syren Support Group, you’ve almost been permanently relegated to the role of sidekick as of late. I don’t know what the hell happened to you. You used to be something special. But now you’re just part of the Lexy Chapel Comic Relief that gets put out in front of the cameras to break the tension and drama of Breakdown. But this week will be different. You won’t be some kind of comic relief, a sidekick, or someone’s support group. You’re just going to be my stepping stone, you are going to be the first rung on the ladder that I climb as I ascend closer and closer towards Rise To Greatness.

Now don’t get any of this wrong. I may not like you but I am fully aware of what you are capable of, I am fully aware of your potential for greatness. I will not take you lightly and I will not look past you. Knowing what a victory over you would mean for me going forward, knowing how important it is to get off on the right foot on this road to Rise To Greatness, knowing all of that means that I have to win on Breakdown. I have to defeat you. So here’s what will happen, Autumn St. Patrick or whatever the hell name Lexy chooses to come up with this week…

I am going to spike you on your head with an Ave Maria. I will pin you.

OR

I will wrap you up in the Angel’s Arch. You will tap out.

The referee will raise my hand in victory.

Then I will utter those oh so INFAMOUS words…

…Mission Accomplished.