Support

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Off Camera

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Breakdown from Boise, Idaho concluded and James Evans along with Angelica Jones continued to roll in the tag team division.  They were met with a much stronger test this time; The Network.  Dante and Xander.  But the relatively new tag team of Jones and Evans managed to pick up the win and pick up much needed momentum heading into the biggest challenge of their young tag team career…

...The Chamber.

The Truelove Twins, Sam Raine & Crissy Gardner, Har Megiddo, Team Desire, & The Red Empire will all be the obstacles that Redemption will have to overcome at Under Attack on Sunday if they hope to become the number one contenders to the SCW World Tag Team Championship.

It’s quite a tall task but Angelica is confident in their chances to get the job done.  It’s not their tag team ability that has her concerned enough to go visit her good friend Sister Maria, a nun from Our Lady of the Annunciation near Boston, on this day to sound off on her troubles.

“Thank you for letting me come by, Sister Maria.  I mean, I know it’s unusual for an outsider to just stop by like this.”

“Don’t mention it, Sister Angelica.  Besides,” she winks at her good friend “you did call ahead of time.”

“This is true, but seriously, just call me Angelica.  I’m not a sister anymore.”

Angelica Jones and Sister Maria have been close friends for over two decades.  Angelica was a nun in this very convent, Our Lady of the Annunciation, when Maria arrived.  Technically it may have been on her own free will but the reality of the situation was similar to Angelica’s when she had first started her path; it was chosen for her by circumstance.  The separation from her parents did not make things any easier for young Maria.  Angelica, though, served as more than just a mentor.  She was almost like a parental figure to the young child.  Angelica helped Maria through the tough times, times when she felt she wouldn’t be able to survive.  She helped her cope with life in the convent.  This was just a few years after Angelica endured the death of her beloved mother.  Jones was beginning to question her own mental stability.  She began to question God.  But this sign of compassion from Jones, this opportunity to assist this child who had been dropped off at the convent, it proved to Angelica that she still had hope.   It proved to her that goodness still existed deep down within her.

It was that hope that would get her through the difficult times that would face her later on in life.  That hope would help her through the darkest part of her life and allow her to forgive herself when she was spending time in a mental institution for murdering the father of her eldest daughter Marie Annabelle Jones.  Even when Angelica is feeling at her most down and out, even when she is the most depressed, it is this hope that keeps her going.  It keeps her moving forward.  It is this hope that makes her think that, even now, she can stop herself from going over the edge yet again.

James Evans has proven to be another rock in her life.  She doesn’t want to lose control of her sanity and she knows that James Evans, a friend she met in group psychiatric therapy and fellow SCW superstar, can assist her with her problems.  Between people like James and Sister Maria, Angelica is certainly confident that she can overcome the recent bout of demons that seek to control her life.

“You have a calling, Angelica.  We all have a calling.  A calling to be kind and compassionate.  You have proven time and again that your compassion is limitless.  That is what we Sisters are for.”

I’m glad someone thinks I’m compassionate.” Angelica sighs. “Honestly, I’m not so sure these days.”

The two women are walking across the courtyard area.  Many of the other nuns of ages, shapes, and sizes, from many walks of life, are all over this beautiful courtyard but you wouldn’t know their differences from appearance.  They all look the same and it eliminates any shred of jealousy.  In a way, Angelica regrets leaving this life.  It was much simpler.  And perhaps had she stayed at this life, at this convent, she wouldn’t have the mental issues she’s having today.

Enormous trees and gorgeous, colorful flowers decorate the yard.  Simple wooden benches are also scattered here and there.  A few nuns can be found sitting under trees and some on the benches.  Angelica and Sister Maria find an empty bench underneath the shade of one of the taller trees and sit down.

“You are right about one thing, though.  I was at my best when I was here, among the sisters.”

“The presence of our Lord tends to bring out the best in people.”

“I wish I could say that about everyone.  Some use religion for hatred.  Planes into the trade towers...violence against gay men and women in the name of Christianity…” she shakes her head with disappointment “...the minority gives the majority of us a bad name.”

“Do not let a few evil people out there get to you, Sister Angelica.” Maria says, placing a comforting hand upon Angelica’s knees.

“Easier said than done.” Angelica remarks with a sarcastic laugh. “Sad thing is, we’re all surrounded by a little bit of evil every day.  Especially me.  Both of my daughters are going down a bad path.  I have returned to SCW where gang violence still seems to be the rule of the day.  And then there’s me…”

“You are not evil.” Maria remarks sternly.

“I felt pretty damn evil when I was trying to cripple that self absorbed little…” Angelica stops herself as she feels the anger rising back up within her “...point is, I did terrible things.”

“And you are repentant of them.  You’ve sought out help. You’re trying to change.  Did you not speak with James Evans?”

“I did.” Angelica responds, nodding her head. “And things are going great so far.  He’s been a real solid support figure for me.  Not to mention the fact that we make quite the tag team inside the ring.  We’ve been unbeaten since coming together.  We recently beat The Network.  Now we’re looking to enter a chamber match at Under Attack to earn a shot at the SCW World Tag Team Championship.”

“See?  Things are beginning to look up for both you and James!”

“Yes, but for how long?” Angelica sighs and a look of nervous concern spreads across her face. “I’m still surrounded by bad influences right and left.  Hell, the whole business is a bad influence if you want to get right down to it.  The longer I stay in professional wrestling, the more unhinged I get.  I lost control a few months ago and nearly crippled an opponent simply because I couldn’t beat her.  So tell me that this business isn’t a bad influence upon me, Maria.”

“The business is NOT a bad influence upon you.” Maria says with a playful wink.

“Quit playing around.”

“I’m not playing around, Sister Angelica.  You really are not influenced by the sport itself.  The problem is your competitive drive.”

“Impossible.” She shakes her head.

“It’s true.  That competitive nature just comes natural to you, Angelica.  Even here at the convent I saw it come out in you.  You tried to be better than the others among us.  It’s not a fault or a sin, but if not controlled it can lead you to sinfulness.”

“So we’re back at square one.  I’m losing control.”

“You said it, not me.” Maria replies with a grin.

“Well if I AM losing control then I need help.  I cannot control this demon inside of me on my own.  I’m just not strong enough.”

“You have James Evans.  Aphrodite Noel.”

“I love Aphrodite but she encouraged my last outburst.  James is a great support figure but I’m not sure even he can keep the dragon contained.  But here…” Angelica waves with her arms to the surroundings “...here, at the convent, here I was able to keep the demons under control.”

“Angelica…” Maria’s voice trails off.

“I want to rejoin the convent.  If you think they’ll let me.”

“Angelica…” Maria sighs as her voice once again trails off before she shakes her head “...no.”

“No?” Angelica blinks with a mix of surprise and confusion. “But I thought you said I would be welcomed back?  You said I was still a sister, that my ministry wasn’t over!”

“You’re right, your ministry isn’t over.  But that doesn’t mean you need to be in the convent.  In fact, there isn’t much more good you can do from within the confines of this group.  Your ministry is out in the world.”

“But I need to be here!  It’s the only way I can be certain to control my dark urges!”

“You’re exaggerating.  You are a strong woman, Angelica.  You helped me when I needed it the most and I know you can definitely help yourself right now in these difficult times.  You have me, you have James, you have Aphrodite, you have a strong support system with you every step of the way.  You can be an inspiration to the world.”

Angelica pauses to gaze deep into Sister Maria’s eyes.  A slight laugh escapes her lips.

“Funny, that’s kind of how James and I envisioned Redemption being like.”

“Really?” Maria smiles warmly.  She props her arm up on her leg and then lets her head rest in the palm of her hand. “Do tell.”

“Honestly?” Angelica chuckles. “You really care?”

“The wrestling didn’t used to be my cup of tea, but I’ve always cared about you.”

“Fine…” Angelica stares off into space dreamily “...well, James and I both have had our share of issues in the past.  We’ve both needed our own form of redemption due to our spotty past.  Yes, he is part of my support system now, but together we both want to be role models for everyone.  We want to send a message to anyone suffering from the the kinds of issues we once suffered from, or any issues for that matter, that you can overcome.”

“But what of the name?  Why Redemption?”

“Well, I guess…” Angelica shrugs her shoulders as she pauses to consider it “...I guess it’s because we want to show that redemption is possible for anyone.”

“Anyone?” Maria asks with an arched brow.

“Anyone.”

“You got that belief from the Church.”

“I agree, and that’s why I should come back to the convent and…”

“No…” Maria speaks out, interrupting Angelica while shaking her head “ ...you do not need to be in a convent for that.  We know it.  You already know it and now you need to spread that message.  That’s what you and James are doing.”

“You’re not going to bend on this, are you?”

“I didn’t used to be this stubborn.  I learned how to be stubborn from the best.” Maria smirks as she reaches out and taps Angelica on the cheek.

“I could probably join without your consent.” Angelica shakes her head. “But I won’t do that.”

“Good.  Your message needs to be heard by a greater audience than the people we can reach.  You and James can reach a very wide audience with your team of Redemption in SCW.  That’s what the people need.  They need a message of redemption.”

“We can only do so much.”

“Actions speak louder than words.  You know?”

“Preach the gospel and when necessary use words.” Angelica remarks with a warm grin of her own finally forming upon her face. “It was one of my favorite quotes from St. Francis of Assissi.”

“Your actions, both yours and James’s, should speak loudest of them all, Sister Angelica.” Sister Maria says, nodding her head.

“I still want to return to the Catholic Church.”

“Excuse me?” Maria raises her brows wide with some shock in her voice.

“The Church isn’t perfect, neither am I for that matter, but there were things about it that kept me honest.  Confession, for instance; whenever I would have one of those dark urges, whenever I lost control or snapped, instead of continuing to let it get further out of control I would go to my priest, go to confession, and his words would help me keep things sorted out in my mind.  The sacrifice of the Mass, it’s beauty and elegance, it was an escape from the darkness.”

“But you’re Episcopalian now, or so I thought?”

“I am, but it’s different, despite what people say.  It isn’t really Catholic-Lite.” The two women share a laugh at this joke. “Besides, if I can’t have the entire convent as a support system, then I do want the support of Mother Church.”

Angelica stares at Sister Maria for several moments, first with a smile on her face as she expected Maria to be thrilled with this news.  Maria, however, remains stoic and emotionless upon this revelation from her longtime friend.  Angelica then frowns.

“Well?   What do you think?”

“You realize this may prove difficult for you.”

“Uh, no?  I mean, former Catholics return all the time.  What makes me different?”

“You’re quite well known.  You’re also in a known relationship with Aphrodite Noel.  Depending upon the parish, you may or may not be welcomed back with open arms.”

“The Church makes a big deal about abortion and yet I don’t see them denying communion to politicians who happen to be pro-choice.”

“Point taken, but I’m not one to opine on the judgment calls made by priests and bishops.”

“What about Pope Francis?” Angelica asks.  “Pope Francis has been very open and welcoming towards the LGBT community, Maria.  You know this.  It’s ruffled the feathers of the conservatives in the Church.”

“This is true, but you know not everyone shares the Holy Father’s opinion.”

“Is that so?  Ok then...”  Angelica folds her arms over her chest.  “What do you think of my relationship with Aphrodite?”

“You know me better than that, Angelica.  God loves us all, regardless of sexual preference.”

“But what about you?”

“Honestly?” She sighs. “I care about YOU and I’m not going to let something as insignificant as your sexual preference change that.  Besides, it’s none of my business what you do in the privacy of your bedroom.”

“Good.” Angelica nods her head. “I appreciate that, Maria.”

“I’m just warning you, Angelica, the pope may have changed but the Church itself has not changed much.”

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On Camera

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The chamber can be an intimidating structure, even for the most seasoned of veterans.  But for me, hell, it feels sorta like coming back home to an old friend.

A little background, because this isn’t my first experience with the chamber match.  I’ve been in three chamber matches with three different companies.  I successfully defended a world championship in a chamber match in GDW.  I won a world championship in a chamber match in GCW.  And I came within an eyelash of WINNING the United States Championship here in SCW in a chamber match.  So close…

...but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, or so they say.  Nevertheless, my record in chamber matches is quite respectable.  Two victories and one runner up; and one of those victories came when I started the whole damn thing and went bell to bell to beat everyone.

I’m not going to stand here and be arrogant and say that chamber matches are my specialty. I’m not even going to stand here and proudly declare myself and James Evans the winners in advance.  Fact is, anything can happen in a chamber match.  There is the unpredictability factor, there are other wild cards you cannot account for.  You have to be ready for anything.

This particular chamber itself is history, as its the first tag team version of its kind; at least in SCW’s history.  Everyone here is in uncharted territory, whether or not you’ve had chamber experience.  How will the tag team aspect come into play in a chamber match?  What kind of effect will having backup have on you in a match that is normally everyone for themselves?

So many question and yet so few answers.  You’d think that would humble a few people and yet there are those who still hold their heads high into the clouds, thinking they own the place.  They think that they run this show and that they are entitled to tag team glory.

Truelove Twins, you are a prime example of what I’m talking about.  Your mouths wrote a check your ass now is forced to cash because you will be starting the whole damn match.  The chamber is a tough match to win anyway, but add starting first to the mix and it becomes hell…

...trust me, I know.

And you only have yourselves to blame for that.  You have the opinion that you are entitled to tag team glory.  Well the reality check that you’re going to be faced with at Under Attack is that you are not entitled to shit.  You have to earn everything you get here in SCW.  And you, especially, will have to EARN this tag team championship opportunity by going through all five of your opponents.

All I can say is good luck, because you’ll need it.  But you’re not alone in your thought process.  You’re not alone in this entitled feeling.  The Stewards, Team Desire, or whatever the hell they call themselves nowadays, they have that same thought process. That same feeling of entitlement.

I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done in the past. It’s irrelevant to today.  That goes for me, as well.  I may have a sparkling record in these types of matches but what I did then has no bearings to what James and I’ll do at Under Attack.  This is a whole new ball game.  The Stewards are no more entitled to this than I am or than the twins are.  They, too will have to earn this through blood, sweat, and tears inside the chamber.

Har Megiddo doesn’t want tag team glory, they just want chaos and destruction. Violence.  If anyone may be a perfect fit for the chamber, it may be them.  But the bigger you are, the harder you fall.  Sorry for the cheesy phrase, but it’s true. And it doesn’t matter how bad they are, it doesn’t matter how violent they can get, because I can match violence for violence.  As bad as they can get, I can get worse.

That’s not arrogance talking, either. That’s pure fact.  Talk to anyone who knows me, anyone who has faced off against me, anyone who has history with me; they’ll tell you what I am capable of in this kind of environment.

Samantha Raine and Crissy Gardner, you have a history with me.  You know all too well what I am capable of in this kind of environment.  You know what to prepare for when you are facing Angelica Jones inside this chamber structure.  So why don’t you tell them why Redemption, and maybe Angelica Jones in particular, is the biggest threat in the chamber and should be the favorites to win it all?

What makes me dangerous is that I’ve learned to channel the rage.  Whereas some people, some monsters like Har Megiddo, are just unchained beasts, I can channel my rage and use it at the right moments; I can unleash it at the opportune times when it is necessary.  Because the fact is, there is a time and a place for everything.  The time and the place for rage, for destruction, for violence...that’s the chamber...and I’m fully prepared to channel it and use it as my ultimate weapon, to fight alongside James Evans as Redemption marches on to victory.

Now I won’t stand here and say that we’re going to win it all.  Not at all.  As I said earlier, too many wild cards and x-factors in play to make such a bold statement.  What I will say, however, is that the team of Redemption stands ready for the chamber and no one is going to stop us.