12-24-2020, 10:14 AM
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December 24th, 2020
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,
You really are a heel!”
The joyous, melodic voice is that of “The British Bombshell” and reigning SCW Adrenaline Champion Glory Braddock and it comes from the luxurious Braddock living room in Miami, Florida. The opulent living room of “The British Bombshell” is a gorgeous, sleek modern design. It is also clean; almost to perfection with barely a spot and even if one exists, it isn’t noticeable. The cream colored sofa is soft, comfortable, and plush. It is situated in front of a large flat screen television mounted on the wall above a fireplace. The fireplace does seem slightly out of place as it is the only piece in this living room that looks relatively traditional. The difference from today than any other day is that it is decorated from top to bottom in Christmas decorations. There is a tall Christmas tree covered in ornaments near the fireplace. Resting on the fireplace mantle is a Nativity Scene complete with a raggedy looking stable, farm animals, a few shepherds, wise men, a Mary, a Joseph, and of course baby Jesus. Did it actually look like this? Doubtful. But no one here today particularly cares. It’s the tradition that matters.
Among the traditions is the yearly family gathering. Previous years have been tense between the Braddock family, and while this is no different at least this year the remaining family managed to come together for their annual celebration of Christmas. Previous years saw one or more family members missing due to harsh feelings and burnt bridges. This year there was a concern that those same harsh feelings and burnt bridges may ruin the Christmas tradition. Kurt Logan found out about how Glory cheated on him and both Glory and Julia were still feuding. But whether you call it a coincidence or a Christmas miracle, everything seemed to work out. Ironically enough, it started with the shooting of Mary Ford months ago.
Mary Ford, the mother Glory and Julia Braddock, sits on the sofa. On one side sits Glory’s husband Kurt Logan and to the left sits Mary’s youngest child, Julia Braddock. Sitting in the recliner is Glory’s daughter Melinda Braddock. A few months ago Mary was gunned down by shooters tied to Matthew Alan and his family. Mary was lucky to survive it and her survival forced Julia and Glory reevaluate their own relationship. Did they want their mother to leave this earth without knowing that peace had been reached? For the sake of their mother, Julia and Glory agreed to put their past behind them. And as for Kurt? Well, it was Mary’s words of encouragement that convinced Glory Braddock to go after her husband and explain herself, explain her actions, and beg for forgiveness. It was Mary’s encouragement that convinced Glory to try and save the marriage. Otherwise none of this would be possible. And for Mary, knowing that she played a role in rescuing this family and bringing it together, that makes all the difference for her. This moment, this time of togetherness with her children, her son in law, and her grandchild, this is the only Christmas gift she wants.
Glory Braddock is standing in front of them all, staring at a monitor set up on a tripod stand. This is part of her karaoke setup. The Adrenaline Champion and her family are here singing karaoke and Glory is currently singing Mr. Grinch…
“You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel
Mr. Grinch, you're a bad banana
Mr. Grinch, with the greasy black peel”
Everyone applauds, Melinda stifles laughter, and Julia Braddock, the youngest sibling, just sits back and watches on at her older sister as she performs. Musical talent is something that seemingly runs in this family; Glory and Julia’s cousin, Angelica Jones, is a full time country music performer now that her wrestling career has all but ended. Glory may not have a recording contract to sing but she does enjoy singing karaoke and does it quite well. For a long time Glory would go out with their mutual friend Matthew Taylor and other wrestlers for nights of karaoke after shows. That would slowly come to an end as Glory Braddock’s popularity grew and grew.
Julia, on the other hand, was never a karaoke singer. She was always content to let her sister have the spotlight. Then again, that’s how it seemingly always has been. Even when their father, Glenn Braddock, spoke to Julia about beginning her wrestling career, it was all to follow in Glory’s footsteps. Glory Braddock had been such a huge success that Glenn wanted Julia to repeat it. Julia had interpreted this as he wanted her to be just like Glory. Not only did it hurt her emotionally but it also put tremendous pressure on her. Pressure on someone who never had been blessed with natural self-confidence was challenging enough. Seeing everyone laud and praise her older sister just rubbed salt in the wound. This is what created the rivalry between the sisters. Sometimes the rivalry would become public, other times it remained quiet and private. But the rivalry had always been there.
“You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!”
It’s funny, Julia thinks as she sits here surrounded by her family, watching her older sister once again take the spotlight as easily as she always does. People always thought Julia was eccentric when for a few years she had allowed herself to be adopted by one of Glory’s rivals, Aphrodite Noel, and then shortly thereafter changed her name to Chastity Noel, recognizing Aphrodite as her true mother. It was done to spite Glory but the more Julia thinks about it, the more it made perfect sense. Glenn Braddock and Glory never gave Julia any self-confidence. Being compared to them and expected to their lofty expectations is why she never had much self-confidence. Aphrodite taught her self-confidence. Aphrodite also gave her something else, something that Julia believes she has more of than Glory Braddock ever will and that is aggression. Julia is far more aggressive when it comes to going after a goal. Sometimes it is to her own detriment, sometimes it leads to rash decisions, but she is far more aggressive than her older sister. That aggression and that confidence from Aphrodite, combined with the skills she learned from Glenn and Glory, gave Julia everything she needed to finally become a success in her own right in professional wrestling. Over time she would not only win the GCW World Championship but she would also do the one thing that she recognizes as her crowning achievement: she defeated Glory Braddock by submission, a feat that only three competitors can lay claim to achieving.
“You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you'd take the seasick crocodile!”
Julia Braddock is a success. She has finally made a name for herself beyond just being Glory’s sister. Still she can’t feel a tinge of jealousy. Her sister has it made. She’s living a lavish lifestyle here in Miami, she is the owner of her own company, she is a reigning champion, and as for Julia? She’s got nowhere to go right now. She lost almost everything by trusting the sleazy con man known as Mason Van Stanton. But trusting him was her mistake and her mistake alone. She must live with those consequences. Part of her wonders would this reunion with her sister and the family even be happening had she not run afoul with Van Stanton? Unlikely. When she was with Mason she had everything. When he decided to dump her she lost everything. Had she still been with him she wouldn’t have had a reason to at least consider giving the family and her sister in particular another chance, she would not have had a reason to bury the hatchet and attempt peace. This attempt at peace is so that Julia can at least rebuild some of the bridges that were burned and maybe have some assistance in repairing her own life and career.
“You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!”
Speaking of career, Julia is already planning out her next move. She has always been the aggressive one and for Julia that means not sitting idly by and waiting for opportunities to come. She already competes for Global Championship Wrestling but she wants more. She is going to put herself out there so that other promotions know about her. Who knows? Maybe seeing her in action will prompt them to give her a stage, an opportunity. One such opportunity is already being offered in the form of the SCW End of the Year Battle Royal. Just like the Braddock family has its traditions, SCW has traditions of its own and this battle royal is a tradition. In recent years it has at times been used by a Trios Contract cash in to add even more incentives, such as an Adrenaline title shot one year and the world title itself another year. This year, however, its back to the traditional cash prize and a car. But for Julia she sees this as her opportunity to show the world what she is made of. And what better way to do that than in the same company where her sister reigns as Adrenaline Champion?
“You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!”
“You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
"Stink, stank, stunk"! “
Kurt, Mary, Melinda, and lastly Julia all stand up and give Glory a round of applause after she finishes her singing. In typical Glory Braddock fashion, her showmanship comes out as she takes a few bows. A smirk forms upon her face. Julia hates that smirk but hides her disdain well. “Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!”
“You were always a great singer, Gloria.” Mary remarks.
“Can’t disagree, you were great babe.” Kurt chimes in. Julia sighs upon hearing the praise heaped upon her older sister. Glory didn’t ask for it, Julia knows this, but still she doesn’t like it.
“So, does anyone else want to sing?”
“I do!” Melinda quickly jumps to her feet and rushes to the front. Everyone gets a laugh out of her enthusiasm, especially Julia. Melinda’s youthful exuberance and enthusiasm reminds her of herself when she was young, before she began her training to become a wrestler. Melinda Braddock at this moment is in the process of training to become a wrestler. Julia only hopes that the training doesn’t break Melinda the same way it broke Julia.
Mary and Kurt sit back down. Julia, however, walks away from the sofa and towards the exit. Drawing a curious gaze from Glory. “Where are you going, mate?”
“Just to get some fresh air. I’ll be back.”
Glory furrows her brow curiously. She senses something is amiss and immediately follows her sister out of the living room. Julia exits the front door and steps outside underneath the light of the Christmas Eve moon. She looks and smiles at its radiant beauty. It is peaceful. That peace ends when Julia hears the door opening and then shutting. She sighs as she realizes Glory has joined her.
“How’d I know you were going to follow me?”
“Because you know I’m a nosey big sister?” Glory says with a grin of mischief. Julia snickers.
“Yeah, there’s that.”
“Seriously, Julia, what’s wrong? Why’d you leave everyone?”
“I just need to be by myself for a moment. That’s all. I’m fine.”
“You’re not acting fine.”
“Well I am. Thank you.” Julia is growing more noticeably frustrated.
“You could have at least pretended to be fine. You weren’t even making a good excuse. Wanting fresh air? Come on, Julia, that’s bloody lame. At least tell us you wanted a drink and then go hang out in the kitchen for a few minutes or hours or…”
“Hours?” Julia laughs. “So getting fresh air is worse than getting drunk?”
“I see your point. Still, you were fairly obvious in there that something is up with you. Everyone can sense it. So do you want to talk about it?”
“Do we have to?”
The Adrenaline Champion shrugs her shoulders. “I suppose we don’t have to. I could go back in there and just tell everyone you’re getting drunk.”
Despite herself Julia still cannot stifle the laughter. She smiles and nods her head. “Fine, I suppose we can address the elephant in the room.” She looks up in the sky at the brilliant moon again and sighs. “Or the elephant outside as it were.”
“Fair enough.” Glory folds her arms over her chest. “What do you want to discuss?”
“I want us to be honest with ourselves. For the first time in our lives I think we need to be completely, one hundred percent honest with ourselves because it’s no secret that there’s some tension between you and I. We may be on speaking terms, we may be friendly right now, but there’s still tension right underneath the surface. Would you agree?”
Glory pauses for a moment as she considers her sister’s question. Then she nods her head. Julia then continues. “And you agreed that you wanted to fix this, you said you wanted to do what was necessary to heal this relationship between you and I. The problem is that this relationship has been broken for a damn long time. And it boils down to a lack of honesty between the two of us. We’ve both been afraid of the truth. Today is Christmas Eve, and for the first time in a long time the entire family is back together for our yearly celebration. This would be perfect if it weren’t for the fact that it’s all for show. This is a charade because we’re both hiding the tension that still exists between you and me. So come on, Glory, let’s be honest with ourselves and maybe a Christmas miracle will take place, maybe we will finally have that relationship we’ve never truly had before.”
“I can be honest, sure. Go ahead.” Glory says confidently, nodding her head.
“Good because you have always had this air of invincibility about you. I mean bloody hell, Gloria, you go around calling yourself The Best in the World. And you have backed it up in each and every endeavor you take on. As a competitor you are a fourteen time world champion, as a business woman you run a successful company, as a trainer you’re constantly graduating the next generation of wrestlers. Be honest with me, Glory...what do you fear the most?”
“That one is easy; failure.”
Julia nods her head in agreement. “See, I knew that about you. It’s one thing we have in common. We both feared failure. It was worse for me though because you rarely failed. You were almost always a success, as was dad. And when I made my debut I was expected to follow in your footsteps. Even dad kept comparing me to you. He wanted me to be you.”
“And dad was wrong for that. He saw that in his final days but it was too late for him to remedy it. Now then, it’s my turn.” Glory says as she points at Julia. “Why did you feel the need to turn to drugs as the solution to your problems? Why couldn’t you come to the family?”
“Is that a serious question?”
“Yeah, it is. And be honest, Julia. These are your rules, remember.”
Julia nods her head. “I did complain to dad about his constant comparison of you and me. I kept telling that I’d never be like you but he wouldn’t listen. And mom was living in Boston while we were over in England, it isn’t like I could talk to her.”
“But I was there!”
“Yeah, you were there...a world champion at the time, you were also in the process of negotiating a deal to purchase GCW. You had no time for me. At least I didn’t believe you did. So yeah, I turned to drugs. And who was the only one to help me break that habit and get clean again?”
“Julia…” Glory says in a low growl. She can sense where this is going and doesn’t like it. Julia insists.
“Honesty Glory; the person who got me clean was our ‘Mother’, Aphrodite Noel.”
“Maybe your mother but not mine.” Glory says, shaking her head.
“I’m not ashamed to admit it. She helped me kick the habit and get clean. She proceeded to give me the self-confidence I lacked, she gave me much needed aggression. I owed a great deal to her; I still feel I owe her. That’s why she will always be a Mother to me. Now be honest, Glory...how much do you owe our Mother?”
“Our mother is inside you bloody nutcase!”
“Back to name calling? Fine, I was hoping we could be honest with each other and make some progress but if you don’t want to then I can just go back inside and continue to pretend to be family, because that’s all it will be; a charades.” Julia starts to walk back towards the door but Glory puts a hand on her arm and stops her.
“Wait…”
“Yes?”
“You got me wrapped up with Aphrodite. And she became a mentor to me as well. I learned a lot from her. I was a great wrestler but knew next to nothing about the corporate politics that goes on behind the scenes that all too often influences this business. She revealed to me that I could have even more of a positive impact upon this sport if I had a deeper knowledge of the business aspect of it. So she taught me business. And thanks to her teachings I was able to purchase GCW.” Glory points at Julia.
“Do you see where I’m coming from now?”
The Adrenaline Champion sighs deeply, clearly troubled by the direction of this conversation. Finally she nods her head. “I understand. Believe me, I understand. And if we’re really being honest here, then part of why I had you locked up in a mental asylum over this Aphrodite business is because I had been having difficulty dealing with it myself. I had been trying to get that mess out of my head but you running around calling yourself Chastity Noel only made things worse. I thought forcing you to stop it would help me. Turns out it only worsened our relationship. You want to embrace it, that’s your prerogative and you know what? I should respect your decision.”
“Do you mean it?” Julia asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes. You clearly have had it harder than I have. Things have always been made easier for me whereas you have always been handed the more difficult path. So if occasionally embracing a few of your...quirks...will help you then I will gladly do that.”
“Do you really mean that?” Julia asks with a mix of skepticism and hope in her eyes. Glory nods her head.
“Yeah, I do. And I know from this past year that actions speak much louder than words. So why don’t we start a new tradition?”
“What kind of tradition?”
“You and me...Aphrodite.”
“Seriously?”
“Dinner, karaoke, whatever the hell you want we can make it happen.”
“But your PTSD…”
Glory sighs and nods her head. “I know but there’s something else, my fear of failure. The PTSD represents my greatest failure and I’ve been running from it for a very long time now. Maybe it’s time I just confronted my fears head on? If I’m lucky it’ll help me out. I do know it’ll help our relationship.”
Julia grins from ear to ear. She is finding it hard to believe the words that are coming out of the mouth of her older sister. Julia embraces Glory in a tight hug. “Thanks for the honesty, Glory.”
“Don’t mention it. Truth is, I needed this just as badly as you did.” Glory starts to walk back towards the door but this time it’s Julia who pulls her back.
“Before you leave, I should be honest with you about one other thing.”
“Yes?”
“I was serious a few days ago on social media. I am going to enter the End of the Year Battle Royal. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not doing this to try and overshadow you or steal your spotlight or any of that crap. I’m doing this because it is high time I start creating my own opportunities. Every new year is an opportunity to create new things for yourself. This battle royal could lead to bigger and better things.”
“In SCW?”
“Maybe…” Julia sighs and shakes her head “...but I doubt it. I need to focus on GCW. But I do want the world to recognize me for who I am.”
Glory grins. “And who are you?”
“I am Julia Braddock, the winner of the end of the year battle royal.”
==========
December 30th, 2020
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
On Camera
==========
We open outside on a park bench. It’s empty and the lights are dim as we are nearing the evening hours. A few moments later the clicking of heels signals the approach of someone into our scene. It isn’t long until a gorgeous blonde haired beauty steps into view from stage left. This is none other than “The Kensington Knockout” Julia Braddock. Julia is wearing a white silk blouse underneath a pink blazer, a matching pink pencil skirt with a straight hem at the knee, perched atop silver peep toe high heel pumps. Braddock turns to face the camera and waves politely.
“Good evening, everyone! Braddock here…” she winks playfully “...Julia, that is!”
She chuckles lightly. “Some of you may recognize me, some of you may even know who I am, but you damn sure know my name. Because the Braddock name makes history wherever it goes and that goes for SCW as well. My sister came to SCW and she won the Trios Tournament back to back years and she is currently your reigning SCW Adrenaline Champion.” She nods her head solemnly.
“Yeah, Glory Braddock is my sister. Big deal. What you need to worry about is who the hell I am. Like I said, some of you may recognize me; I mean, I have been wrestling since 2012. But allow me to fill in the blanks for the knuckleheads who don’t know who I am. I am Julia Braddock, and I made my debut on the regional independent scene, competing for the Southeastern Wrestling Conference where I was a three time tag team champion. The first global company to give me a chance was Global Championship Wrestling when it was reborn a year later and I took that company on my shoulders, I bled for that company. I shed tears for that company. I lost time from my family and my life for that company and I helped make it into the powerhouse it is today. During that time I won the GCW Heritage Championship, X Division Championship, Television Championship, World Tag Team Championship, and the biggest prize, my greatest career accomplishment, the GCW World Championship.”
“But while GCW is where I’m known best, I have achieved greatness wherever I’ve been. Just ask the now defunct UWA where I reigned as Hybrid Champion and Queen of the Ring Champion. And this isn’t meaning to brag, I’m not even going to stand here and tell you to Worship Me…” she winks again “...but you are more than welcome to!”
Julia smirks. “I’m just here to educate you. I am here to let my future opponents and eventual victims know what to expect on New Year’s Eve when I come back here to Toronto and climb into the ring to compete in the SCW End of the Year Battle Royal.”
“What brings The Kensington Knockout to SCW? It isn’t Glory, that’s for sure. This is me seizing an opportunity. A New Year represents a new opportunity. It can be an opportunity for good things or bad things. Some would argue that this past year hasn’t exactly been the best year in human history. And while some may complain about the past, I am one to focus on the future. I was taught that you learn from the past but never keep your eyes off of your future goals. And I have lofty goals set for myself. I have visions of creating Julia Braddock Brand, a brand that I create for myself, separate for anything and everything else Braddock.”
She shakes her head. “Now that’s not a knock on Glory. My sister has more than earned her place in the history of professional wrestling and one could even argue that she has a legitimate right to the moniker of Best in the World. But you won’t catch me making that kind of claim until I have earned it and that is what this Kensington Knockout Brand is all about. It is about earning my own claim as among the best of the best to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. This is about me facing the best of the best to ever enter a wrestling ring and coming out on top. And that means me entering unknown territory and seizing opportunities whenever I see them.”
“Supreme Championship Wrestling is that unknown territory. For a long time now it has been Glory’s home but now Sasha has open the door wide open for anyone and everyone to try their hand against SCW talent. Whoever wins that battle royal will have to be viewed as one talented son of a bitch…” she smirks “...or in my case, one talented bitch. Whoever wins that battle royal doesn’t just win the cash prize and the car, but they also win the respect of their peers. And for an outside to come into SCW’s house and beat them all?”
She chuckles. “Well, that’s just the best ever. You couldn’t deny the boldness of an outsider to step into someone else’s home turf and take them on, but then to come in and beat them at their own game in their home turf? Now that’s greatness. And that’s exactly what I intend to do at the SCW End of the Year Special. I will march down to that ring, survey the competition, and make anyone and everyone who stands in my way WORSHIP ME!”
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, will be the beginning of what will be known as The Kensington Knockout Brand, the era of Julia Braddock, and you get to bear witness to it tomorrow night.” She blows a kiss into the camera. “See you there!”
December 24th, 2020
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,
You really are a heel!”
The joyous, melodic voice is that of “The British Bombshell” and reigning SCW Adrenaline Champion Glory Braddock and it comes from the luxurious Braddock living room in Miami, Florida. The opulent living room of “The British Bombshell” is a gorgeous, sleek modern design. It is also clean; almost to perfection with barely a spot and even if one exists, it isn’t noticeable. The cream colored sofa is soft, comfortable, and plush. It is situated in front of a large flat screen television mounted on the wall above a fireplace. The fireplace does seem slightly out of place as it is the only piece in this living room that looks relatively traditional. The difference from today than any other day is that it is decorated from top to bottom in Christmas decorations. There is a tall Christmas tree covered in ornaments near the fireplace. Resting on the fireplace mantle is a Nativity Scene complete with a raggedy looking stable, farm animals, a few shepherds, wise men, a Mary, a Joseph, and of course baby Jesus. Did it actually look like this? Doubtful. But no one here today particularly cares. It’s the tradition that matters.
Among the traditions is the yearly family gathering. Previous years have been tense between the Braddock family, and while this is no different at least this year the remaining family managed to come together for their annual celebration of Christmas. Previous years saw one or more family members missing due to harsh feelings and burnt bridges. This year there was a concern that those same harsh feelings and burnt bridges may ruin the Christmas tradition. Kurt Logan found out about how Glory cheated on him and both Glory and Julia were still feuding. But whether you call it a coincidence or a Christmas miracle, everything seemed to work out. Ironically enough, it started with the shooting of Mary Ford months ago.
Mary Ford, the mother Glory and Julia Braddock, sits on the sofa. On one side sits Glory’s husband Kurt Logan and to the left sits Mary’s youngest child, Julia Braddock. Sitting in the recliner is Glory’s daughter Melinda Braddock. A few months ago Mary was gunned down by shooters tied to Matthew Alan and his family. Mary was lucky to survive it and her survival forced Julia and Glory reevaluate their own relationship. Did they want their mother to leave this earth without knowing that peace had been reached? For the sake of their mother, Julia and Glory agreed to put their past behind them. And as for Kurt? Well, it was Mary’s words of encouragement that convinced Glory Braddock to go after her husband and explain herself, explain her actions, and beg for forgiveness. It was Mary’s encouragement that convinced Glory to try and save the marriage. Otherwise none of this would be possible. And for Mary, knowing that she played a role in rescuing this family and bringing it together, that makes all the difference for her. This moment, this time of togetherness with her children, her son in law, and her grandchild, this is the only Christmas gift she wants.
Glory Braddock is standing in front of them all, staring at a monitor set up on a tripod stand. This is part of her karaoke setup. The Adrenaline Champion and her family are here singing karaoke and Glory is currently singing Mr. Grinch…
“You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel
Mr. Grinch, you're a bad banana
Mr. Grinch, with the greasy black peel”
Everyone applauds, Melinda stifles laughter, and Julia Braddock, the youngest sibling, just sits back and watches on at her older sister as she performs. Musical talent is something that seemingly runs in this family; Glory and Julia’s cousin, Angelica Jones, is a full time country music performer now that her wrestling career has all but ended. Glory may not have a recording contract to sing but she does enjoy singing karaoke and does it quite well. For a long time Glory would go out with their mutual friend Matthew Taylor and other wrestlers for nights of karaoke after shows. That would slowly come to an end as Glory Braddock’s popularity grew and grew.
Julia, on the other hand, was never a karaoke singer. She was always content to let her sister have the spotlight. Then again, that’s how it seemingly always has been. Even when their father, Glenn Braddock, spoke to Julia about beginning her wrestling career, it was all to follow in Glory’s footsteps. Glory Braddock had been such a huge success that Glenn wanted Julia to repeat it. Julia had interpreted this as he wanted her to be just like Glory. Not only did it hurt her emotionally but it also put tremendous pressure on her. Pressure on someone who never had been blessed with natural self-confidence was challenging enough. Seeing everyone laud and praise her older sister just rubbed salt in the wound. This is what created the rivalry between the sisters. Sometimes the rivalry would become public, other times it remained quiet and private. But the rivalry had always been there.
“You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!”
It’s funny, Julia thinks as she sits here surrounded by her family, watching her older sister once again take the spotlight as easily as she always does. People always thought Julia was eccentric when for a few years she had allowed herself to be adopted by one of Glory’s rivals, Aphrodite Noel, and then shortly thereafter changed her name to Chastity Noel, recognizing Aphrodite as her true mother. It was done to spite Glory but the more Julia thinks about it, the more it made perfect sense. Glenn Braddock and Glory never gave Julia any self-confidence. Being compared to them and expected to their lofty expectations is why she never had much self-confidence. Aphrodite taught her self-confidence. Aphrodite also gave her something else, something that Julia believes she has more of than Glory Braddock ever will and that is aggression. Julia is far more aggressive when it comes to going after a goal. Sometimes it is to her own detriment, sometimes it leads to rash decisions, but she is far more aggressive than her older sister. That aggression and that confidence from Aphrodite, combined with the skills she learned from Glenn and Glory, gave Julia everything she needed to finally become a success in her own right in professional wrestling. Over time she would not only win the GCW World Championship but she would also do the one thing that she recognizes as her crowning achievement: she defeated Glory Braddock by submission, a feat that only three competitors can lay claim to achieving.
“You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you'd take the seasick crocodile!”
Julia Braddock is a success. She has finally made a name for herself beyond just being Glory’s sister. Still she can’t feel a tinge of jealousy. Her sister has it made. She’s living a lavish lifestyle here in Miami, she is the owner of her own company, she is a reigning champion, and as for Julia? She’s got nowhere to go right now. She lost almost everything by trusting the sleazy con man known as Mason Van Stanton. But trusting him was her mistake and her mistake alone. She must live with those consequences. Part of her wonders would this reunion with her sister and the family even be happening had she not run afoul with Van Stanton? Unlikely. When she was with Mason she had everything. When he decided to dump her she lost everything. Had she still been with him she wouldn’t have had a reason to at least consider giving the family and her sister in particular another chance, she would not have had a reason to bury the hatchet and attempt peace. This attempt at peace is so that Julia can at least rebuild some of the bridges that were burned and maybe have some assistance in repairing her own life and career.
“You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!”
Speaking of career, Julia is already planning out her next move. She has always been the aggressive one and for Julia that means not sitting idly by and waiting for opportunities to come. She already competes for Global Championship Wrestling but she wants more. She is going to put herself out there so that other promotions know about her. Who knows? Maybe seeing her in action will prompt them to give her a stage, an opportunity. One such opportunity is already being offered in the form of the SCW End of the Year Battle Royal. Just like the Braddock family has its traditions, SCW has traditions of its own and this battle royal is a tradition. In recent years it has at times been used by a Trios Contract cash in to add even more incentives, such as an Adrenaline title shot one year and the world title itself another year. This year, however, its back to the traditional cash prize and a car. But for Julia she sees this as her opportunity to show the world what she is made of. And what better way to do that than in the same company where her sister reigns as Adrenaline Champion?
“You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!”
“You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
"Stink, stank, stunk"! “
Kurt, Mary, Melinda, and lastly Julia all stand up and give Glory a round of applause after she finishes her singing. In typical Glory Braddock fashion, her showmanship comes out as she takes a few bows. A smirk forms upon her face. Julia hates that smirk but hides her disdain well. “Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!”
“You were always a great singer, Gloria.” Mary remarks.
“Can’t disagree, you were great babe.” Kurt chimes in. Julia sighs upon hearing the praise heaped upon her older sister. Glory didn’t ask for it, Julia knows this, but still she doesn’t like it.
“So, does anyone else want to sing?”
“I do!” Melinda quickly jumps to her feet and rushes to the front. Everyone gets a laugh out of her enthusiasm, especially Julia. Melinda’s youthful exuberance and enthusiasm reminds her of herself when she was young, before she began her training to become a wrestler. Melinda Braddock at this moment is in the process of training to become a wrestler. Julia only hopes that the training doesn’t break Melinda the same way it broke Julia.
Mary and Kurt sit back down. Julia, however, walks away from the sofa and towards the exit. Drawing a curious gaze from Glory. “Where are you going, mate?”
“Just to get some fresh air. I’ll be back.”
Glory furrows her brow curiously. She senses something is amiss and immediately follows her sister out of the living room. Julia exits the front door and steps outside underneath the light of the Christmas Eve moon. She looks and smiles at its radiant beauty. It is peaceful. That peace ends when Julia hears the door opening and then shutting. She sighs as she realizes Glory has joined her.
“How’d I know you were going to follow me?”
“Because you know I’m a nosey big sister?” Glory says with a grin of mischief. Julia snickers.
“Yeah, there’s that.”
“Seriously, Julia, what’s wrong? Why’d you leave everyone?”
“I just need to be by myself for a moment. That’s all. I’m fine.”
“You’re not acting fine.”
“Well I am. Thank you.” Julia is growing more noticeably frustrated.
“You could have at least pretended to be fine. You weren’t even making a good excuse. Wanting fresh air? Come on, Julia, that’s bloody lame. At least tell us you wanted a drink and then go hang out in the kitchen for a few minutes or hours or…”
“Hours?” Julia laughs. “So getting fresh air is worse than getting drunk?”
“I see your point. Still, you were fairly obvious in there that something is up with you. Everyone can sense it. So do you want to talk about it?”
“Do we have to?”
The Adrenaline Champion shrugs her shoulders. “I suppose we don’t have to. I could go back in there and just tell everyone you’re getting drunk.”
Despite herself Julia still cannot stifle the laughter. She smiles and nods her head. “Fine, I suppose we can address the elephant in the room.” She looks up in the sky at the brilliant moon again and sighs. “Or the elephant outside as it were.”
“Fair enough.” Glory folds her arms over her chest. “What do you want to discuss?”
“I want us to be honest with ourselves. For the first time in our lives I think we need to be completely, one hundred percent honest with ourselves because it’s no secret that there’s some tension between you and I. We may be on speaking terms, we may be friendly right now, but there’s still tension right underneath the surface. Would you agree?”
Glory pauses for a moment as she considers her sister’s question. Then she nods her head. Julia then continues. “And you agreed that you wanted to fix this, you said you wanted to do what was necessary to heal this relationship between you and I. The problem is that this relationship has been broken for a damn long time. And it boils down to a lack of honesty between the two of us. We’ve both been afraid of the truth. Today is Christmas Eve, and for the first time in a long time the entire family is back together for our yearly celebration. This would be perfect if it weren’t for the fact that it’s all for show. This is a charade because we’re both hiding the tension that still exists between you and me. So come on, Glory, let’s be honest with ourselves and maybe a Christmas miracle will take place, maybe we will finally have that relationship we’ve never truly had before.”
“I can be honest, sure. Go ahead.” Glory says confidently, nodding her head.
“Good because you have always had this air of invincibility about you. I mean bloody hell, Gloria, you go around calling yourself The Best in the World. And you have backed it up in each and every endeavor you take on. As a competitor you are a fourteen time world champion, as a business woman you run a successful company, as a trainer you’re constantly graduating the next generation of wrestlers. Be honest with me, Glory...what do you fear the most?”
“That one is easy; failure.”
Julia nods her head in agreement. “See, I knew that about you. It’s one thing we have in common. We both feared failure. It was worse for me though because you rarely failed. You were almost always a success, as was dad. And when I made my debut I was expected to follow in your footsteps. Even dad kept comparing me to you. He wanted me to be you.”
“And dad was wrong for that. He saw that in his final days but it was too late for him to remedy it. Now then, it’s my turn.” Glory says as she points at Julia. “Why did you feel the need to turn to drugs as the solution to your problems? Why couldn’t you come to the family?”
“Is that a serious question?”
“Yeah, it is. And be honest, Julia. These are your rules, remember.”
Julia nods her head. “I did complain to dad about his constant comparison of you and me. I kept telling that I’d never be like you but he wouldn’t listen. And mom was living in Boston while we were over in England, it isn’t like I could talk to her.”
“But I was there!”
“Yeah, you were there...a world champion at the time, you were also in the process of negotiating a deal to purchase GCW. You had no time for me. At least I didn’t believe you did. So yeah, I turned to drugs. And who was the only one to help me break that habit and get clean again?”
“Julia…” Glory says in a low growl. She can sense where this is going and doesn’t like it. Julia insists.
“Honesty Glory; the person who got me clean was our ‘Mother’, Aphrodite Noel.”
“Maybe your mother but not mine.” Glory says, shaking her head.
“I’m not ashamed to admit it. She helped me kick the habit and get clean. She proceeded to give me the self-confidence I lacked, she gave me much needed aggression. I owed a great deal to her; I still feel I owe her. That’s why she will always be a Mother to me. Now be honest, Glory...how much do you owe our Mother?”
“Our mother is inside you bloody nutcase!”
“Back to name calling? Fine, I was hoping we could be honest with each other and make some progress but if you don’t want to then I can just go back inside and continue to pretend to be family, because that’s all it will be; a charades.” Julia starts to walk back towards the door but Glory puts a hand on her arm and stops her.
“Wait…”
“Yes?”
“You got me wrapped up with Aphrodite. And she became a mentor to me as well. I learned a lot from her. I was a great wrestler but knew next to nothing about the corporate politics that goes on behind the scenes that all too often influences this business. She revealed to me that I could have even more of a positive impact upon this sport if I had a deeper knowledge of the business aspect of it. So she taught me business. And thanks to her teachings I was able to purchase GCW.” Glory points at Julia.
“Do you see where I’m coming from now?”
The Adrenaline Champion sighs deeply, clearly troubled by the direction of this conversation. Finally she nods her head. “I understand. Believe me, I understand. And if we’re really being honest here, then part of why I had you locked up in a mental asylum over this Aphrodite business is because I had been having difficulty dealing with it myself. I had been trying to get that mess out of my head but you running around calling yourself Chastity Noel only made things worse. I thought forcing you to stop it would help me. Turns out it only worsened our relationship. You want to embrace it, that’s your prerogative and you know what? I should respect your decision.”
“Do you mean it?” Julia asks. Glory nods her head.
“Yes. You clearly have had it harder than I have. Things have always been made easier for me whereas you have always been handed the more difficult path. So if occasionally embracing a few of your...quirks...will help you then I will gladly do that.”
“Do you really mean that?” Julia asks with a mix of skepticism and hope in her eyes. Glory nods her head.
“Yeah, I do. And I know from this past year that actions speak much louder than words. So why don’t we start a new tradition?”
“What kind of tradition?”
“You and me...Aphrodite.”
“Seriously?”
“Dinner, karaoke, whatever the hell you want we can make it happen.”
“But your PTSD…”
Glory sighs and nods her head. “I know but there’s something else, my fear of failure. The PTSD represents my greatest failure and I’ve been running from it for a very long time now. Maybe it’s time I just confronted my fears head on? If I’m lucky it’ll help me out. I do know it’ll help our relationship.”
Julia grins from ear to ear. She is finding it hard to believe the words that are coming out of the mouth of her older sister. Julia embraces Glory in a tight hug. “Thanks for the honesty, Glory.”
“Don’t mention it. Truth is, I needed this just as badly as you did.” Glory starts to walk back towards the door but this time it’s Julia who pulls her back.
“Before you leave, I should be honest with you about one other thing.”
“Yes?”
“I was serious a few days ago on social media. I am going to enter the End of the Year Battle Royal. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not doing this to try and overshadow you or steal your spotlight or any of that crap. I’m doing this because it is high time I start creating my own opportunities. Every new year is an opportunity to create new things for yourself. This battle royal could lead to bigger and better things.”
“In SCW?”
“Maybe…” Julia sighs and shakes her head “...but I doubt it. I need to focus on GCW. But I do want the world to recognize me for who I am.”
Glory grins. “And who are you?”
“I am Julia Braddock, the winner of the end of the year battle royal.”
==========
December 30th, 2020
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
On Camera
==========
We open outside on a park bench. It’s empty and the lights are dim as we are nearing the evening hours. A few moments later the clicking of heels signals the approach of someone into our scene. It isn’t long until a gorgeous blonde haired beauty steps into view from stage left. This is none other than “The Kensington Knockout” Julia Braddock. Julia is wearing a white silk blouse underneath a pink blazer, a matching pink pencil skirt with a straight hem at the knee, perched atop silver peep toe high heel pumps. Braddock turns to face the camera and waves politely.
“Good evening, everyone! Braddock here…” she winks playfully “...Julia, that is!”
She chuckles lightly. “Some of you may recognize me, some of you may even know who I am, but you damn sure know my name. Because the Braddock name makes history wherever it goes and that goes for SCW as well. My sister came to SCW and she won the Trios Tournament back to back years and she is currently your reigning SCW Adrenaline Champion.” She nods her head solemnly.
“Yeah, Glory Braddock is my sister. Big deal. What you need to worry about is who the hell I am. Like I said, some of you may recognize me; I mean, I have been wrestling since 2012. But allow me to fill in the blanks for the knuckleheads who don’t know who I am. I am Julia Braddock, and I made my debut on the regional independent scene, competing for the Southeastern Wrestling Conference where I was a three time tag team champion. The first global company to give me a chance was Global Championship Wrestling when it was reborn a year later and I took that company on my shoulders, I bled for that company. I shed tears for that company. I lost time from my family and my life for that company and I helped make it into the powerhouse it is today. During that time I won the GCW Heritage Championship, X Division Championship, Television Championship, World Tag Team Championship, and the biggest prize, my greatest career accomplishment, the GCW World Championship.”
“But while GCW is where I’m known best, I have achieved greatness wherever I’ve been. Just ask the now defunct UWA where I reigned as Hybrid Champion and Queen of the Ring Champion. And this isn’t meaning to brag, I’m not even going to stand here and tell you to Worship Me…” she winks again “...but you are more than welcome to!”
Julia smirks. “I’m just here to educate you. I am here to let my future opponents and eventual victims know what to expect on New Year’s Eve when I come back here to Toronto and climb into the ring to compete in the SCW End of the Year Battle Royal.”
“What brings The Kensington Knockout to SCW? It isn’t Glory, that’s for sure. This is me seizing an opportunity. A New Year represents a new opportunity. It can be an opportunity for good things or bad things. Some would argue that this past year hasn’t exactly been the best year in human history. And while some may complain about the past, I am one to focus on the future. I was taught that you learn from the past but never keep your eyes off of your future goals. And I have lofty goals set for myself. I have visions of creating Julia Braddock Brand, a brand that I create for myself, separate for anything and everything else Braddock.”
She shakes her head. “Now that’s not a knock on Glory. My sister has more than earned her place in the history of professional wrestling and one could even argue that she has a legitimate right to the moniker of Best in the World. But you won’t catch me making that kind of claim until I have earned it and that is what this Kensington Knockout Brand is all about. It is about earning my own claim as among the best of the best to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. This is about me facing the best of the best to ever enter a wrestling ring and coming out on top. And that means me entering unknown territory and seizing opportunities whenever I see them.”
“Supreme Championship Wrestling is that unknown territory. For a long time now it has been Glory’s home but now Sasha has open the door wide open for anyone and everyone to try their hand against SCW talent. Whoever wins that battle royal will have to be viewed as one talented son of a bitch…” she smirks “...or in my case, one talented bitch. Whoever wins that battle royal doesn’t just win the cash prize and the car, but they also win the respect of their peers. And for an outside to come into SCW’s house and beat them all?”
She chuckles. “Well, that’s just the best ever. You couldn’t deny the boldness of an outsider to step into someone else’s home turf and take them on, but then to come in and beat them at their own game in their home turf? Now that’s greatness. And that’s exactly what I intend to do at the SCW End of the Year Special. I will march down to that ring, survey the competition, and make anyone and everyone who stands in my way WORSHIP ME!”
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, will be the beginning of what will be known as The Kensington Knockout Brand, the era of Julia Braddock, and you get to bear witness to it tomorrow night.” She blows a kiss into the camera. “See you there!”
![[Image: qyA5u6K.png]](https://i.imgur.com/qyA5u6K.png)
SCW World Champion 1x
SCW United States Champion 1x
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)
SCW Adrenaline Champion 1x
SCW Television Champion 1x
SCW World Tag Team Champion 1x (w/Brittany Lohan)
Supreme Champion
2019 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Regan Street & Kellen Jeffries)
2020 Trios Tournament Winner (w/ Ace Marshall & David Helms)