Glory Braddock vs. Bree Lancaster

[Braddock]

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April 10th, 2023
Southampton, England
Off Camera
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Kimberly Williams promised to rain down chaos upon the entirety of Supreme Championship Wrestling with her Trios Cash In. Chaos is what she promised and she certainly delivered. Insanity ruled the day in what was an iron person match that lasted the entire duration of Breakdown, most of the SCW roster going to war in Underground Rules trying to secure as many falls as possible, all with championship gold on their mind. Most saw it as the forbidden fruit; the opportunity to let greed take over and embrace their worst possible nature in order to obtain championship glory. Others refused to take part out of principle. Then there was The British Bombshell who looked at this not as a selfish opportunity to obtain another championship, nor did she view as this as garbage to be avoided at all cost. Glory viewed this as a challenge, a way to test herself in what was most definitely the most difficult test of her wrestling career. She went into the match as the defending Television Champion, and with every title on the line she would have to place in the top seven in order to walk out with a championship, and that would be incredibly difficult with the amount of talent in this match. This wasn’t a selfish, materialistic quest. This was an opportunity to challenge herself. It is the same view she has for going after the Supreme Championship. It isn’t merely an opportunity to add another notch on her belt, it is an opportunity to test herself, to see if she measures up to the elites who have come before her in Supreme Championship Wrestling. And in that one night of chaos, Glory Braddock had built momentum and she was feeling very good about her chances to at least defend her Television Title successfully, or maybe even upgrade, maybe even become one half of the tag team champions and secure the long sought after Supreme Championship status.

The thing about chaos is that it is truly unpredictable. Perhaps The British Bombshell would have secured the necessary number of falls to place in the top seven, to walk away with a championship around her waist, and maybe even to achieve Supreme Championship Status. Unfortunately it did not happen, and it was not entirely due to lack of trying on Glory Braddock’s part. Sure, she will accept partial responsibility. Yet the fact that remains that for a good portion of the match she was locked up in a ridiculous looking crate thanks to Polly Playtime and her Playgirls. Glory has certainly had her issues with The Playgirls for quite some time now, so she expected to have to confront them in the match at some point. She even expected them to try and cost her a championship in this match. What she didn’t expect was for them to try and perpetrate something that is damn near criminal. All in the name of pettiness and revenge. All in the name of stopping Glory Braddock from getting any more falls. Needless to say, Braddock ended up not only losing the Television Title but also walking away empty handed. Lucky for her, per the stipulations in the Trios Cash In, the champions will get rematches. Thus Glory Braddock will get her SCW Television Championship rematch on Breakdown from Seattle, Washington. Braddock is no championship hog. Still, she wanted to defend the Television Title to the best of her ability and losing it the way she did hurt, it stung, and she wants another crack at the title, another opportunity to end her TV Title run the way she wants and not the way dictated by someone else.

Regaining her coveted Television Title will not be easy. It is currently held by Bree Lancaster, the sixth place finisher in Kimberly’s chaotic Trios Cash In Match. Glory has history with Bree, from their brief time working alongside Sienna Swann to Glory Braddock capturing the SCW World Championship from Bree as a result of Ace Marshall’s Trios Cash In. This, however, will truly be a fair fight. This will be for the Television Title. And Braddock knows she will have to be at the top of her game in order to outwrestle Lancaster.

It is a good thing that she is still on her temporary stay in London, England, her childhood home. For it is here at her father’s wrestling school where she finds the energy and determination, the will to keep pressing forward against any and all challenges and challengers. The Braddock Wrestling School is her inspirational and motivational focal point. Whenever she needs a reason to keep pressing on, she finds her way back here. The British Bombshell currently finds herself walking back and forth in front of a group of students, all of whom have that same dream she once had; to be a wrestler. While they are all dressed in their workout gear, Braddock is not here to train, and thus is dressed in a flowing pink midi skirt, an ivory v-neck top, a cream button down cardigan, and low heeled sandals. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. The school’s trainer, Mark O’Brian and Randall Williams, are standing nearby watching on as Glory teaches the students a very important lesson.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles….do you know who said that?”

“Sun Tzu.” One female student says. “Ms. O’Brian quotes him a lot.” The group starts to laugh. Even Mark and Randall crack a smile. Glory Braddock nods her head in agreement. She knows her good friend Sophie all too well.

“Yes, my good friend Sophie does seem to have Sun Tzu memorized like a bloody book. But his teachings are applicable to just about everything, not just military, but also this sport that you lot wish to become a part of. So you’d do well to listen, alright?” She pauses and stares at the female student who just nods her head meekly. Glory grins. “Very good. Well, Sun Tzu went on to say that if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. Worse case scenario is if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, because then you will succumb in every battle.” A male student raises his hand. Glory acknowledges him. “Yes, you in the back.”

“Uh, yes, Ms. Braddock, is that why you lost the SCW Television Title?” He asks with a smirk. Mark O’Brian, Glory’s friend and trainer, begins to walk threateningly towards the youngster but Glory holds him back.

“It’s ok, Mark.” Braddock says. Mark reluctantly backs off. Glory approaches the student. “I suppose you’re right, I did not know my opponents and therefore I suffered defeat. Then again, as chaotic as that match was, is there any way I could have known my enemy? It was open invitation. Anyone and everyone who wanted to participate could if they wanted to, so long as they were signed to an SCW contract. Yes, I lost the SCW Television Title, but I lost it in a match that was damn near impossible to prepare for. I’m not making excuses by any means, I’m just stating a fact. But I’m glad you brought that up…uh…what’s your name, kid?”

“Rocky.”

“Yeah, Rocky. I’m glad you brought that up because that is another fine lesson you lot should learn. Always be prepared for anything. There are some things you cannot predict and you cannot expect so always be ready for anything. I had no way of predicting that Kim Williams would use her Trios Cash In that way against every reigning champion in SCW. And even though I had a couple of weeks to prepare, I still had no way of predicting that I would be ambushed the way I was.”

“You were locked in a crate!” Rocky says with a laugh. The rest of the students laugh as well. Glory laughs too and nods her head.

“So I was. Like I said, I wasn’t prepared and it bit me in the ass. You can’t predict everything so you just have to be prepared for anything, you have to expect the unexpected.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna be prepared just in case you get locked in a crate again?” Rocky says. The rest of the students do not laugh this time. They recognize that he is walking on thin ice. Despite the grin on Glory’s face, everyone can tell that deep down inside she is fuming. Inside, she has some mean plans. The British Bombshell notices out of the corner of her eye that her younger sister, Julia Braddock, has just entered the school.

Like Glory, Julia is also not prepared for any training this afternoon. She had already set aside time today to meet with her sister and talk. Julia is dressed in a sky blue mini lace dress with an applique corset bodice, a strapless sweetheart neckline, and a matching sky blue blazer, perched atop strappy sandals. Glory winks at Julia before turning her attention back to the upstart student Rocky. It is now time to drop the hammer on Rocky.

“Of yes, Rocky. I will be prepared for that next time. Just like you lot should be prepared for the run you just bought yourself and the rest of the students here today.”

“Huh?” Rocky asks. Glory nods her head.

“That’s right. You get to run.”

“How many miles? Errr, how many laps?”

“Well that depends.”

“Depends on what?” Rocky asks. Glory shrugs and motions to Mark O’Brian.

“You run until Mark decides you’ve run enough.” Glory states. Mark grins devilishly. Rocky gulps and the rest of the students glare at him with death daggers in their eyes.

“But Mark doesn’t know when to make us quit!”

“How unexpected, eh Rocky?” Glory smirks. She turns to face Mark. “Mark, they’re all yours.”

“My pleasure. On your feet, you rotten pieces of crap!” The students groan as they stand up and follow Mark towards the track to begin their run. Glory Braddock folds her arms over her chest and smirks knowingly as she watches the torture begin. It has been far too long since has participate in any lessons with the students of this wrestling school. She was part of the original class of students at the Braddock Wrestling School and now she owns it. She used to be a trainer herself but her active wrestling career and active business career has taken up so much of her time that she cannot devote to this school. She has relied so heavily on her friends, on Mark and Randall, to keep the training up. Even Mark’s sister, Sophie, will occasionally contribute. There is still one other person who contributes once in awhile, but not as often as she would like because she, like Glory, is very busy with an active wrestling career; her sister, Julia Braddock.

The British Bombshell turns and then makes her way over towards her office door where she finds her younger sister, Julia Braddock, waiting on her arrival. As Glory approaches Julia opens up her arms and the sisters embrace in a tight hug.

“You enjoyed that.” Julia says, motioning towards the students who are now in a full on sprint, and are being shouted at and yelled at by an enraged Mark O’Brian. Glory smirks and nods her head.

“Damn right I did.” Glory pushes her office door open. “Come on inside, let’s talk.” Julia nods her head and follows her older sister inside the office. Glory walks over to her desk, a rarely used desk that has begun to collect dust. In fact, much of this office has begun to collect dust ever since Glory moved from London to Miami full time. Glory sits down at her desk and Julia sits down nearby.

“I gotta admit, Glory,” she wipes her finger across the desk to collect some dust and display it for her sister to see “this office is beginning to look the way it did when dad was still alive.”

“You’re right.” Glory says with a light bit of laughter. “Dad never did like using this office. Hell, he barely set foot inside this office. He preferred to be in the thick of the action. He preferred to be inside the ring.”

“Of course he did. Remember why he opened this school in the first place.”

“Yes, he couldn’t stand being told that his back injury would make it too dangerous for him to wrestle ever again, he did not want to be told that he could never wrestle again. If he had to retire from active competition then at least he would be an active trainer. So he never hired anyone else for this school. He did all of the training by himself. Which was why it never grew very much. That’s why it remained very small in comparison to some of the other wrestling schools.”

“It was his passion.” Julia answers. “And as passionate as he was, I have to admit that I am glad you changed things when you took over. You hired Randall, Mark, and Sophie to assist with the training. The more trainers the more students you can enroll, the more students you can train, the more this place can grow and has grown since you took over.” Julia smile warmly. “You’ve done a hell of a job, Gloria. And I am glad to see you taking a more hands on approach with the school.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Glory shakes her head. “I won’t be around much longer.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“I have to.” Glory insists. “I need to get back stateside. This constant running back and forth from England to the United States for SCW appearances is becoming a real pain in the ass. Besides, I already accomplished what I came here to do. I made peace with the legacy and memory of our father.”

“Have you?” Julia asks skeptically. Glory nods her head.

“Yeah. I mean, dad’s best mate Uncle Blake said it best; dad was at his worst only when he started taking things too seriously. I need to take the business seriously but I cannot allow myself to become toxic. I have to remember why I wrestle; I do it because I love it, because I am passionate about it. Our dad was a great man. He was one of the best amateur wrestlers in the world. But no one is perfect, not even him, and not even me. I need to try and remember that myself.”

“I’m glad to hear that you’ve had such a grand epiphany.” Julia says with a smirk on her face. “You always used to attempt to be little miss perfect, even now. But I’m curious if you’re beginning to celebrate just a little too early.”

“Oh come off it, mate.” Glory scoffs.

“I’m being serious, Gloria. I don’t say this to be mean or to try and keep you here longer, although I admit I do enjoy your company. Bonding with you has been great.”

“Then what are you getting at, Julia?”

“I got a glimpse at your notes. You know, the notes for your lesson to the students today? You taught them Sun Tzu. Just like Sophie. What was that quote again? If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know it.” Glory rolls her eyes. “I literally just said it. What of it, mate?”

“I don’t think you chose that particular quote by accident. Face it, this past year you have been confused, you haven’t been sure of yourself, of your own identity. Let’s rewind the clock to 2008, when you made your professional debut in GDW. You proudly upheld the Braddock name. You constantly bragged about being a Braddock. Lately you haven’t been so proud of your family heritage.”

“Right, but like I said I came here and dealt with our father’s memory.” Glory shrugs her shoulders. “I’m good now.”

“Are you?” Julia asks, still skeptical despite Glory’s insistence. “You may be ok with our father’s legacy, you may have made peace with the Braddock legacy, but about the Kurinsky family name? When dad passed away you dealt with it normally. There was grief, sure, but you handled it ok. When our mom passed away, you couldn’t handle it. You took everything…our father’s legacy, our mother’s legacy…you threw it all away and ran into the arms of our other ‘mother’ Aphrodite Noel.”

“Julia, don’t…” Glory shakes her head furiously. She does not want to hear this right now, it is bringing back bad memories that she was trying to forget about. Unfortunately her sister is having none of it.

“You just wanted to numb the pain, Glory. Instead of dealing with our biological mother’s death, you went and allowed accepted Aprodite’s offer to adopt you just to numb the pain rather than actually deal with the pain.”

“A bit hypocritical aren’t we?” Glory asks, pointing an accusatory finger at Julia. “Aphrodite adopted YOU first and you were oh so willing to rush to her arms, yet you accuse me of of doing the same bloody thing you did? Hypocritical.”

“You’re right, Aphrodite adopted me first, and I went to her just as willingly as you did, but I did so because I genuinely love her as if she were my mother, and she loves me as a daughter. She loves you as a daughter, Glory, but I have to ask, did you rush into her open arms because you love her or because you just needed something…or someone…to fill the void left behind by our mother? Did you go to her because you wanted her to numb the pain?”

“How dare you ask that!” Glory exclaims.

“I’m sorry to be so blunt.” Julia sighs. “I mean, I want to believe you’re sincere. Yet, at the same time I want you healthy, I want you to be mentally and emotionally healthy. So it’s important to know if you’re doing this out of love or if you’re just using her to avoid problems you’d rather not deal with.”

“So you don’t think I’ve dealt with the passing of our mom? That it?” Glory asks. Julia shakes her head.

“No, that’s not it, it’s just that…”

“Look, Julia, I know you mean well, I really do, but I cannot deal with this right now.” Braddock rises up out of her chair and slowly walks towards her office door. She places her hand on the doorknob and stops, she sighs. “This week I get my Television Title rematch. And it’s against one of the best to do it in SCW. It’s against Bree Lancaster who, just so happens to be the newest Supreme Champion, which is the same goal I am looking to reach. This match is very important for me to prove that I belong in that elite class.”

“Don’t use her as an excuse for avoiding a difficult subject.” Julia remarks. “You’ve beaten her once before. That proves you belong. Hell, you’ve won every major title in SCW except the tag. That proves you belong.”

“Says you.” Glory shakes her head. “But not me. I still to prove something to myself and I can’t do that here listening to you fill my head with nonsense.” Glory opens the door and exits before Julia can even respond. She shuts the door behind her. Julia watches and sighs with disappointment. Has she pressured her older sister too much? Perhaps. But she only wants to make sure that Glory is healthy, both mentally and emotionally healthy. Glory insists that she is perfectly fine but Julia isn’t certain.

Has she pushed Glory too much? Time will tell.