Cold War: Part 2

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November 7^th, 2017

Off Camera

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While The Sisterhood did recently snap their long-suffering losing streak back in late October on an edition of Breakdown, it was just against a pair of local talents.  Angelica and Kayla Jones haven’t had a significant win in quite awhile and they are looking to prove to the SCW universe that this win was not a fluke, that The Sisterhood is indeed back and better than ever.  And the perfect opportunity to do just that, to make a huge statement before the wrestling world at large, would be to win three matches in one night and thus earn a shot at the SCW World Tag Team Championship.

Luckily for Angelica and Kayla, they get the opportunity to do just that on Breakdown when SCW returns to the states in New Orleans, Louisiana.  For now SCW finds itself on the European tour where the company and its superstars, including The Sisterhood, will be traveling all over the continent, competing for fans in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and wrapping it all up in Italy before heading back home.

Normally the Jones siblings would stick together on this or any other tour with SCW, but when it comes to Europe, Angelica is a much bigger fan of the continent than Kayla.  The younger of the two Sisterhood members would just assume spend her day in her hotel room with her husband, Trenton Snow.  That’s where Kayla is right this very moment.

As for Angelica, the older sister?  Well, Angelica is back at her hotel room, primping and preening in front of a full length mirror.  She is pleased with what she sees; a tight strapless black dress that hugs every curve of her lovely figure, extending to just below her knees.  Her feet are encased in black high heeled patent leather pumps.  Her long red hair is pulled up nicely and styled in the back.  Her nails, both finger and toes, are painted a bright red, which matches the red on her lips.  This is her favorite outfit.  She knows it brings out her inner-beauty.  This is the perfect fashion for an outing in Berlin, Germany the night before SCW Breakdown.

She knows that in a little more than a week’s time, this beauty and fashion will have to be set aside and she will have to once again become the warrior, the fighter.  Some call her a Dragon, others a Golden Goddess, but she will have to tap into every aspect of her character and wrestling ability if she is to work with her sister to compete three times in one night and walk away with a tag team title shot in their future.

“What the hell are you doing, Angelica?”

That’s the voice of Kayla, Angelica’s younger sister.  No, she isn’t here in the hotel room with her.  The voice is coming from Angelica’s iPhone, which is currently turned to speaker mode so that Angelica can hear and speak to Kayla hands-free.

“Nothing…I’m fine…”

“You haven’t said a word in awhile, sis.” There’s a pause. “Are you staring all googly-eyed at yourself in that damn mirror?”

Angelica rolls her eyes, partially out of frustration for her sister being judgmental but also frustrated at her sister for being right on the money.  She knows her all too well.

“Shut up, Kay.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?” There is a snickering heard from the phone. “Look, sis, we’re going to meet tonight…you, me, and Trenton.  It’s just a casual thing.  You don’t need to look like a million freaking bucks.”

“You don’t understand, Kay.” Angelica answers back. “This is Europe.  The Europeans are sophisticated, they are refined, they are classy, they are…”

“Bullshit.” Kayla snaps back, interrupting her. “Europeans aren’t anymore sophisticated and refined than Americans.  And drop the whole classy crap; that’s Bree’s thing, not yours.”

“Whatever.  I’m ready to go, so if you and Trenton are ready…”

“We’ve been ready.” Kayla remarks. “We’ve been waiting on you.”

“Right, then in that case…” before Angelica can finish her statement there is a knocking heard at the door to her hotel room.  Angelica sighs and shakes her head. “…sorry, Kay, someone is here.  I’ll call you back.”

She picks up her cell phone, disconnects the call, and then places the phone down.  The knocking is heard again, louder this time, and Angelica sighs out of frustration.

“I’m coming!”  Angelica approaches the door and opens it.  She takes a step back and opens her eyes wide, for she is stunned at who she sees standing there, a face from her past, a face she didn’t expect to see anytime soon…

…her aunt, Mary Ford.

“Mary, what…” Angelica regains her composure rather quickly and glares angrily at her aunt “…what are you doing here?!”

“I’ll explain if you let me in.” She remarks. “But please, call me Maria Kurensky.  That is my real name, after all.”

Maria Kurensky was the birth name of Mary.  Mary’s sister, Kelly, was Angelica and Kayla’s mother and her birth name was Klementina Kurensky.  Both women were from Soviet Russia and daughters of an ex-KGB agent who defected from the Soviet Union to America when he became overcome with a rush of conscience and guilt.  He changed the names and identities of his family in order to protect them.  Only recently has Mary decided to return to the family name.

Angelica pauses to stare intensely into her aunt’s eyes.  Finally she sighs and steps aside, allowing Maria to enter.  She enters the room and Angelica shuts the door behind her.  Once inside Maria turns and looks plainly at her niece.

“Thank you for letting me speak my piece.”

“Yeah, I’ll let you speak, but I want to know where the hell you have been?” Venom is dripping from Angelica’s voice. “I thought we had made peace with one another?  I thought you wanted me back in your life and I know I wanted you back in my life.  But then you disappeared.  I haven’t heard from you, I tried calling you, you never stopped in for a visit…just…”

She shakes her head “…just nothing.”

“I know and I’m sorry.  I should have told you but I moved back to London recently.  I decided that, for the sake of my own children, I’m going to try and work things out with Glenn.” Maria sighs and shakes her head. “You have no idea what I’ve gone through, Angelica.  I mean, at least your children do still recognize YOU as their mother.  My own children refuse to recognize me as their mother.  It may be futile, it may not work, but I want to at least try to work things out with them and my husband Glenn.”

Angelica was angry but this startling admission immediately disarms her.  Angelica knows all too well of the pain it causes a mother when her own children seem to hate her.  Angelica has done her best to repair her relationships with her children and maintain those relationships.  She can definitely understand the pain that her aunt Maria is going through.

“It’s ok, Aunt Mary…uh, Maria.  I’m sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Maria chuckles “I can imagine the name will take some getting used to.  Glenn hates it but he’s growing accustomed.”

“I can see why…” Angelica’s voice trails off “…but Maria, why did you come to see me?  Did you just come here to tell me you were living in Europe now?”

“Would I have made the trip from London to Berlin to tell you that when I could have called you and told you?”

“Point taken.” Angelica remarks. “So why are you here?”

“I think it’s best that you sit down first, dear.”

Angelica nods her head and walks over to her bed.  She sits down on the edge of the bed and Mary follows her.  Mary stands over her and stares down at her with concerned eyes, concerned over how her niece will take the news.

“I have been in London a year now but I didn’t just stay there.  Before I finally settled down I traveled around Europe with Glenn in an attempt to reconnect and spark that flame we used to have.  During my travels I learned some things, things that I knew I needed to tell you and with you and your sister both in Europe now, I felt now was as good a time as any to tell you…”

“Tell me what?” Angelica demands.

“Your mother…she’s alive.  I’ve seen her.”

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Later That Night

Off Camera

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Plans don’t always work out the way we want them to.  Angelica would have loved to have gone out with her sister and her sister’s husband tonight and enjoyed one night out before the SCW Breakdown show in Berlin, but that just isn’t going to happen.  After all, news like the one she just received from her aunt certainly railroaded any plans Angelica had for the rest of the night.  Now instead of her going with her sister and her sister’s husband to a nice place, she is just settling to meet Kayla at a bar in Berlin.  The nice fancy dress has been abandoned as she sits at a table by herself alone in the bar.  Instead Angelica Jones is wearing a floral print maxi skirt and a black long sleeved sweater.  She checks her watch as it is clear that she is impatiently waiting on the arrival of her sister…

…that wait isn’t much longer.

“Angelica!”

Angelica looks up and spots Kayla.  Her sister Kayla is wearing a long sleeved black dress with black leggings.  Kayla walks over to the table and sits down across from Angelica.  Neither sibling looks too pleased.  But Kayla is only perturbed because of the fact that the plans had been changed.  She doesn’t like it when Angelica changes plans on a whim like this.  It usually doesn’t mean anything good.

“I’m glad you came.” Angelica says quietly with some trepidation in her voice.

“Why wouldn’t I have come?” Kayla asks. “We were planning on going out on the town anyway, it was just going to be a slightly nicer establishment than this and Trenton was going to be with us...which, by the way, he is disappointed about missing out on this, by the way…”

“Tell him I send my apologies.”

“The cryptic shit is my ex-husband’s thing.  It doesn’t suit you.” Kayla remarks while rolling her eyes. “So cut the crap and tell me what’s wrong?  Why couldn’t Trenton tag along?”

“This is something you need to hear for yourself first…Trenton doesn’t need to know…”

“There’s that cryptic shit again,” Kayla says, shaking her head “it doesn’t suit you.”

“Not taking things seriously doesn’t suit you, and this is serious.”

A server comes to the table and places a drink in front Angelica. It is clearly alcoholic.  The server places one in front of Kayla as well before walking off.  Kayla looks at the drink and then back up at her sister with curiosity in her eyes.

“What is this?”

“Moscow Mule.”

“Moscow Mule?  You ordered both of us a Moscow Mule?”

“Trust me, you’ll need it…” Kayla says, taking a sip of her drink “…I’m already on my second.”

“Oh for the love of God…” Kayla’s voice trails off as she gently shoves her own drink to the side “…one of us needs to be sober here.”

“You’ll change your mind after I tell you what I know.”

“Oh geez,” Kayla rolls her eyes again, sighing out of frustration, “stop with the damned cryptic nonsense and just tell me what’s wrong?!”

“Are you really ready for this?”

“Yes, damn it!  I mean, you drug me down here for this, ruined our night out for this, so why not?!  Tell me!”

Angelica takes another sip of her Moscow Mule and then sets it down.

“Maria stopped by for a visit today.”

“Maria?  Like your little nun friend?  Why is she in Germany?”

“Not Sister Maria,” Angelica says, shaking her head “our Aunt Mary, she now wants to be called Maria Kurensky, the old family name.”

“Oh, ok, well that’s strange.  The question remains the same, though…why the hell is she in Germany?”

“She lives here now.  Well, not in Germany but in Europe; London specifically.  She wants to repair the relationship between her and her ex-husband Glenn Braddock.”

“Ok, well that’s nice, but how does that affect us?”

“I told you, Kay, that she stopped by to visit me.”

“Right,” Kayla nods her head “so what did she tell you?”

“There’s no easy way of putting it, so I’ll just lay it all out there.  She says that…that…our mother is still alive…”

“She said…” Kayla pauses to take it all in “…she said what?”

“Yeah, you heard right.  She claims our mother is still alive.”

Kayla reaches over and takes the Moscow Mule that the server had brought and takes a sip.  A knowing grin forms on Angelica’s face.

“I told you that you’d need the drink.”

“How does she know?  How could she possibly know?  And why would she say such a thing?!”

“She claims to have seen her and spoken to her.  But she wouldn’t say much else.”

“This is fucking ridiculous!” Kayla exclaims loudly, not exactly bothering to care if anyone else hears her. “Why would she tell us this and not even provide any kind of evidence or anything?”

“She doesn’t want us to pursue it any further.  She says it is too dangerous.”

“Then why the hell us to start with?!”

“She felt we had the right to know.” Angelica says quietly. “She said she’s kept too many secrets about our family’s past from us and she’s no longer to keep any.  She told us as soon as she found out that she was, in fact, still alive.”

“Too dangerous…” Kayla’s voice trails off “…so, are you going to listen to her?”

“I’ve been thinking about it the entire way here.  I thought about it as I downed that first Moscow Mule.  I’m still thinking and the logical part of my brain says that Mary…Maria, whatever…is right.  Her and our mom’s father, our grandfather, was an ex-KGB agent under the Soviet regime in Russia.  Not to mention mom’s involvement with a member of the Russian mafia that led to her death.”

“Faked death, according to Mary.”

“Right, well either way, whether you’re talking the KGB or the Russian mafia, either way you’re talking some pretty dangerous shit.  But…”

“I knew there was a but coming…” Kayla says with a smirk.

“…I was there, Kay.  I was there and I was tied down and forced to watch her get raped and murdered by that asshole!” Tears well up in Angelica’s eyes as she remembers that painful day as a child.

“At least you think that’s what you saw.”

“I know what I saw!” Angelica growls angrily at Kayla.

“You were a child, Angel.  Just thirteen years old and that was a long time ago.  Are you sure your memory of that event is good?”

“It has to be!  You don’t forget things like that, do you?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Kayla says, shaking her head. “Stranger things have happened.”

“Right, well point is that event shaped my entire adult life.  Everything that I am today, everything that I became, everything that I accomplished, both good and bad, all because of that one singular event.  I believe I have a right to know for certain if that one event that shaped my entire life was nothing but a lie.” She shakes her head. “And there is no way I am relying solely on the word of our Aunt.”

Kayla reaches out and takes her by the hands. “Then I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.”

The moment is interrupted when loud gunshots ring out in the bar.  Everyone starts screaming, including Angelica and Kayla, as they all duck and cover on the floor underneath their tables.  The shots continue for a little bit until the screeching of car tires is heard, indicating that the shooters have fled.  Angelica and Kayla stare at each other from underneath the table with fear in their eyes.

“Angelica…I think Aunt Mary was right…pursuing this would be dangerous…”

“Yeah, it will be.” Angelica steels herself and attempts to look resolute. “But I’m not going to let that stop me.”

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On Camera

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I’ve been in this industry for fourteen years.  My sister Kayla has been wrestling longer than that, if you can imagine.  If you want to talk experience, we have every bit of experience necessary to accomplish anything and everything that we desire in this sport.  That experience is important because it teaches us so many valuable lessons, and one of those lessons that we have taken to heart is the lesson that greatness cannot be achieved overnight in just one match.  You can’t expect to set a goal, win just one mere match, and then shout to the world or anyone who will listen that you’ve achieved that goal.  No one will take you seriously.

Kayla and I don’t have to prove that we have the potential.  We are two time SCW World Tag Team Champions.  On any given night we can beat anyone and everyone who steps inside that ring against us.  I don’t care if you are an established team like Adrenaline Rush or Resurgence, a team that is just beginning to gel like Kennedy and Amy or Chad and Lexi or The Network, or if you’re a team that just threw itself together for this tournament…

…that’s right, I’m talking about Blake and Taylor, Bree and Sienna…

…it doesn’t matter because on any given night we can beat them all.  No, we haven’t been at the top of our game lately, and we have even lost to some of these teams during that long and nasty losing streak we were on.  Adrenaline Rush, Resurgence, Kennedy and Amy, if my sister and I haven’t said it already, let me say it one other time, congratulations on beating our asses.  You were the better teams when we fought.

But that was then, this is now.  We’ve turned a corner.  We have rebounded and we are ready to bounce back to prove once again that we are one of the best tag teams in this division.  But we’ve just had one match…and like I said, greatness isn’t proven with one match on one night…

…right, Kayla?

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On Camera

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Breakdown from New Orleans, Louisiana…a city that is known for making comebacks.  The city of New Orleans was creamed by Hurricane Katrina but they fought back, they rebuilt, and they persevered.  They made a comeback.

Motivational speaker Willie Jolley says that a setback is a setup for a comeback.  The Sisterhood has had plenty of damn setbacks over the past few months with loss after loss accumulating with seemingly no end in sight.  We finally broke that ugly streak against a pair of losers and while that feeling of victory was great, it was far from what we ultimately want; because we understand, as the rest of the world understands, one match on one night means nothing.

Oh but three matches in one night?  Oh that speaks volumes.  Wrestling and winning three times in one night; that’s not a fluke, that’s damn talent right there.  Doing that means you are worthy of being named the best and if Angelica and I can just wrestle and win three times in one night in the city of legendary comebacks, we will earn a shot at the SCW World Tag Team Championships, a shot to once again be the best tag team in the world.

So yes, I’ll chime in with my older sister and congratulate Adrenaline Rush, Amy and Kennedy, and even The Resurgence on kicking our asses awhile back.  You earned it.  You were better.  But that was then, this is now, and we are a different Sisterhood now than we were back then.  We are not the pair of whiny bitches, griping and moaning about everything and anything.   The complaining, pissing, and moaning is all over.  We’re coming after you with one job to do, and that job is a job we do pretty damn well…

…wrestle.  Wrestle and win.

To the teams that probably feel entitled to this, teams like Blake and Taylor, Sienna and Bree, and Chad and Lexi, understand that you are not entitled to a damn thing.  That was mine and Angelica’s mistake.  But if you think you are entitled to this, then you are going to learn the hard way that the very top of the tag team mountain is a privileged spot that is earned, not inherited, and you will have to earn it by going through some of the best teams in Supreme Championship Wrestling…

…teams like The Sisterhood.

Oh and as for The Network, don’t think that ideas of revenge and payback will cloud my mind or Angelica’s mind.  We know what we must do and yes, we will beat the hell out of you in round one, we will exact our revenge, but we are too smart to let you get under our skin.  The ultimate revenge is the knowledge that we were the ones who made sure you wouldn’t become number one contenders to the SCW World Tag Team Championship and we are going to do that by eliminating your asses right out of the gate in round one!

Then, The Sisterhood will continue to march through the other teams, all the way to the final.  We will face anyone and everyone that we have to in order to accomplish this goal.  And we will kick their teeth right down their throat!

Cold War: Part 1

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October 25^th, 2017

Off Camera

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Breakdown from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was a turning point for Angelica and Kayla Jones.  After a long string of losses, losses that included one at the Under Attack pay per view event, the former two time SCW World Tag Team Champions finally broke the streak.  They finally picked up a win and got themselves back on track.  No, the team was far from being on their talent level.  They were just local talent, no more and no less, but a win is a win and getting that win felt good to the Jones siblings and it was just what the doctor ordered.  It made them believe that maybe, just maybe, their luck had changed.

Unfortunately they were attacked by Dante McCaffery and his new gang of thugs, Ms. Buddhe and Jack Parker.  The three on two mugging after Angelica and Kayla had already wrestled was too much for them to overcome and Dante’s group, The Network, easily overwhelmed them.  So even in victory, they were still left lying face down as if they had been defeated.

We find Kayla Jones backstage in the trainer’s room.  She’s still in her wrestling gear and has an ice pack pressed up against her neck.  The trainer is there with her when the door swings wildly open and her older sister, Angelica Jones, also in her wrestling gear, storms into the room, confronting the trainer.

“How is she?!”

“Easy, Angel.”

Kayla speaks in a vain attempt to calm her raging, angry sister down.  But Angelica isn’t having any of it as she storms up to get face to face with the trainer.

“How is my sister?!”

Kayla Jones has had a history of neck injuries and the assault tonight has perhaps reinjured it or, at least, aggravated it.  That much is clear due to the ice pack pressed up against Kayla’s neck.  Angelica Jones, meanwhile, is irreconcilable as a result.

“Ms. Jones, please,” the trainer begins “let me explain.”

“My sister and I were decimated out there.” Angelica says in a flash of anger, grabbing the trainer by his shirt collar. “She has a history of neck injuries!  I need to know that she’s ok!”

“Angelica!” Kayla exclaims as she gingerly hops up out of the chair she was sitting in and pushes her sister away from the trainer. Angelica looks into the eyes of her sister intensely. “Angel, please, just listen to the man.”

Angelica slowly softens as she stares into her sister’s eyes.  She then turns away from her sister and looks at the trailer.

“Your sister is fine.” The trainer begins. “A few bumps and bruises but overall she is fine.  Not even a minor injury to the neck.”

“See, Angel?” Kayla says, briefly removing the ice pack. “I’m fine.  I’m a little bruised but I am fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” Angelica turns to face the trainer “look, I’m sorry, but can Kayla and I have a moment alone?”

“Sure,” the trainer responds “I’ll just be right outside if you need me.”

With that said, the trainer walks past Angelica and Kayla and opens the door.  He exits out of the training room and shuts it behind him, leaving Angelica and Kayla alone in the trainer’s room.  Kayla places the ice pack back on her neck and then sits down.

“Geez, Angel,” Kayla remarks, shaking her head “what the hell has gotten into you?”

“I’m sorry for overreacting, ok?  But I couldn’t live with myself knowing I let something happen to you.”

“Oh please, I’m a grown woman.  I can take care of myself.” Kayla snickers. “But I appreciate your concern.  It is touching.”

Angelica pulls up a chair and places it next to Kayla.  She sits down in the chair and sighs, shaking her head with a look of frustration etched across her face.

“It’s also frustrating, you know?  Just when it appears as if we’re turning the corner, just when it seems as if momentum is back on our side, we get smacked right back down by a bunch of cry babies who can’t take the fact that they lost at Under Attack.”

This is a reference to Dante McCaffery and his allies.  They lost at Under Attack and, worse yet, his own partners in the five on five match abandoned him.  This is why Dante, along with Parker and Buddhe, had attacked The Sisterhood on Breakdown tonight.

“And where the hell was everyone else, huh?!” Angelica demands, still very frustrated. “We were left high and dry!  We were left all alone out there!  We…”

“We brought a lot of it on ourselves, Angel, and you know it.”

“Huh?” Angelica blinks her eyes curiously, clearly confused. “What are you saying?”

“We haven’t exactly been endearing ourselves to the tag team division or to SCW in general lately.”  Kayla remarks.  “No one likes us right now.”

“Still, someone could’ve come out and made the save.  Someone who doesn’t like Dante or believes in justice or whatever…”

“Why would they do that?” Kayla asks.  “Our favorability rating is probably about as low as Dante’s right now if not lower, in the Donald Trump range.  Do you expect anyone to come to our rescue?  If we ever do get our hands on Dante and his crew…”

“When.” Angelica snaps back furiously, definitively.

“Fine…WHEN we get our hands on Dante and his crew, the entire SCW universe will be thrilled to get to see all of us beat the holy hell out of each other.  The SCW universe won’t care about whoever comes out of it the worse of the wear.  They don’t like either of us.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Angelica shakes her head furiously. “Not right now, all that matters right now is that we get payback.”

She stands up and Kayla follows suit.  The sisters stare into each other’s eyes before Kayla speaks up.

“Then what?”

“Then…we refocus on those tag team titles.  We’ve finally regained some momentum and there is no way in hell I am going to get Dante or his crew of idiots stop that momentum.”

With that Angelica turns and exits the trainer’s room.  Kayla sighs as she rubs her neck in pain.

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November 4^th, 2017

Off Camera

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It’s been over a week and one Breakdown and several more House Shows have come and gone in that time period, lending plenty of time for Angelica and Kayla to lick their wounds from the October 25^th beat down at the hands of Dante McCaffery’s new gang, apparently called The Network.  The Sisterhood has been itching to get their hands on The Network , an opportunity at revenge for what happened on Breakdown from Edmonton.  Now it appears as if it will happen, but with a little icing on the cake.

The Sisterhood will be facing Dante McCaffery and Max Kane of The Network in a tag team match, a first round tag team match in an 8 team tag team tournament to crown new number one contenders to the SCW World Tag Team Championship.  For Angelica and Kayla, this opportunity is a golden one, pardon the pun, to get their hands back on the gold they so desire.  And it is also an opportunity at redemption.

For the past several months The Sisterhood has declared war on the SCW tag team division, declaring that it belonged to them and that they were the best team in SCW.  In the process they alienated themselves from every other friend and ally they once had.  It’s no wonder, then, that no one bothered to come out and assist them on Breakdown when they were attacked by The Network.  It was a fact that Angelica’s daughter, Marie Annabelle Jones, had to drill into her own mother’s head the hard way: The Sisterhood had dug their own grave and now they had to fight their own way out of it.

This way at least they have an opportunity to do just that, and in the process earn a shot at the tag team titles and maybe get some payback against The Network.  It will be challenging to say the very least.  They will have to win three matches in one night and they competition is very competitive with teams such as Adrenaline Rush, BAE, Bree and Sienna, Blake and Taylor, The Resurgence, and Chad and Lexi.

For now the siblings find themselves in Boston, Massachusetts at Angelica’s home, the large estate she playfully calls “Purgatory”.  It has been quite a literal “Purgatory” for her lately, what with the disappearance of Lindsey Carter and all of her children except her youngest, Kelly, moving out and doing their own thing.  Kayla has Trenton Snow and they are living together and yes, Angelica does have Aphrodite Noel, but they haven’t moved in together.  At least not yet.  Angelica is still alone in this large home.  She just has her youngest daughter, Kelly.  She wishes she had Marie, Jessica, or even Kimberly to talk to, but she realizes, with some regret, that they are no longer her little girls, but grown women who make their own decisions.

That look of regret, regret over a lost childhood, is seen on her face as she sits in a chair in her study, staring off into the distance, completely oblivious to what her sister is doing.  Kayla is sitting in a chair at a desk in the study.  A laptop computer is setup and Kayla has YouTube pulled up, searching for Dante McCaffery matches to study.

“I can’t find much on Max Kane.” She remarks clicking a video with the mouse. “But there’s plenty of Dante here.”

“Right…” Angelica’s voice trails off but it is clear that she is completely uninterested in what her younger sister has to say.  In fact, she probably didn’t hear it at all.  Lucky for her, Kayla doesn’t notice that she didn’t hear it.

“But then again, we’ve been in the ring with him before, so we may not need to study much tape on this creep.  We know enough to figure out some strategy against him and Kane.”

“Uh-huh…” Angelica is still very distant.

“Besides, we are The Sisterhood, two time SCW Tag Team Champions, one of the best teams in professional wrestling.  We have natural chemistry.  We should be fine.”

“Yeah…”

“Come to think of it, we should probably limit this time we’re studying tape and focus more on preparing for endurance.  We have to wrestle three times in one night to get that tag title shot.  Beating Kane and McCaffery alone won’t be enough.”

“Sure…”

“Three times, Angelica!” Kayla spins around and flashes three fingers at her older sister. “We have to compete three times against three top tag teams and…”

Kayla suddenly stops speaking as she notices the distant look in her sister’s eyes.  It becomes quite clear and evident to Kayla that her older sibling has not been paying a bit of attention to anything she has said for the past few moments.  Kayla folds her arms over her chest.

“I think we should quit SCW and join a traveling circus.”

“Uh-huh…” Angelica blinks a few times and looks incredulously at Kayla, apparently snapped out of her daze, “…wait, what?!”

“I thought that would snap you out of your trance.” Kayla says with an unimpressed frown on her face.  Angelica just sighs and shakes her head, looking very disappointed, disappointed in herself.

“I’m sorry, Kay, I really am, I was listening…well, at least halfway listening…and I do care about the tournament, it’s just that…”

“What is it, Angel?” Kayla asks incredulously. “What is wrong?  What has to be dealt with that is more important than this tournament and the SCW World Tag Team Championship?  Because let’s be honest here, we did pick up a win finally, but it was a win against a pair of losers.  We need to get a serious win to prove it wasn’t a fluke.  We have the chance to do that and to do so much more.  We can punch our ticket to a tag team title shot.”

Kayla reaches out and grabs her sister by the hand, squeezing it tightly. “But we aren’t going to get out of the first round if you’re in a funk like this.  So tell me, sis, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s stupid.” Angelica shakes her head. “It isn’t important.”

“Well you’re right,” Kayla says with a smirk “it probably IS stupid, but it IS important, especially if it is going to be distracting you from our goal of winning that tournament.  So tell me what the problem is, dummy.”

Angelica sticks her tongue out at Kayla and the two share a laugh.  Angelica then nods her head.

“Alright, fine, you win.  It’s just that I feel that I keep screwing up…that we keep screwing up…”

“How so?” Kayla asks, tilting her head to one side.

“We reform The Sisterhood in SCW, we win the tag titles, we lose the tag titles, we don’t handle the loss very well, and we ruin what good PR that we have…we work to earn back our reputation, we win back the tag titles, we lose them again, and again we don’t handle the loss very well, and now we’re again stuck trying to regain our reputation.”

“Good point,” Kayla says, nodding her head “but in fairness, who wouldn’t have been as frustrated as we were after losing like we did?  Besides, since when did you care about public relations?  Aren’t you the one who used to say that this business was all about winning and that you did whatever it took to win?”

“Yes, I said that.” Angelica remarks, nodding her head. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean I was right, and as I think about it, I’m beginning to think that I may not have been right.  And besides, when I say I screwed up, I don’t just mean regarding SCW…”

Kayla pauses for a moment to stare into her sister’s eyes, eyes that are, even now, beginning to form tears.  After a moment to think about it she finally speaks up.

“Angel, does this have anything to do with what Marie said to you the other day?”

“Yeah…and she is right…she is a grown woman and I cannot expect her to be there at my beck and call anymore.  She can make her own decisions.  She does not need my approval for her relationship with Arthur.  But more than anything else…” Angelica reaches up and wipes some tears out of her eyes “…it made me realize just how much professional wrestling and other aspects of my crazy life has caused me to miss.”

Angelica stands up out of her chair and twirls around in a three-sixty. “I have all of this, this grand estate, because of my country music singing and because of my professional wrestling, but in that same time period I have had five different significant others, I am on number six now with Aphrodite…Jessica is probably lost to me because of my own mistakes, primarily the mistake of focusing so much attention on Marie at Jessica’s expense…and I focused so much attention on Marie because I so wanted her to love me, maybe because I know I’m the reason she doesn’t have a father, and yet despite my best efforts I still sense that Marie doesn’t fully trust me nor will she ever fully trust me…then there’s Kimberly, who I willingly gave away just to protect myself, it’s no surprise she has mental issues, and they’re all my fault…”

“Angel, please,” Kayla stands up and tries to embrace her older sibling with a hug, “calm down.”

“No!” Angelica shakes her head as she gently pushes Kayla away. “It IS my fault!  And that’s not all…think of what all we lost out on, think of what we both missed out on, Kay, things that were not our fault…we never got to be normal teenagers.  We had to grow up real fast because our mother was killed and our father abandoned us.”

“Yeah…” Kayla’s voice trails off as tears now form in her eyes “…I never could forgive daddy, even when he returned from Russia back to the states and tracked us down.  You eventually did but I never could.  At least not until the very end and by then it was too late…”

Angelica and Kayla embrace in a tight hug.  Eventually they break the embrace and Kayla wipes some of the tears from her eyes.

“But Angel, as much as it pains me to say it, we have to try to let the past stay in the past.  We need to focus on the future and we have a shot at the tag team titles in our future if we can just win this damn tournament.” She places a hand on Angelica’s shoulder. “Mom and dad would be damn proud of us right now.  In fact, they are probably looking down at us right now from heaven with big smiles on their faces, proud of what we’ve accomplished.  Anyone else in our situation with the hand that life dealt us would have been dead right now but look at us, two time world tag team champions in SCW, former world champions in other companies, you a successful country music singer…we have made something of ourselves.  There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You know, Kay, you are absolutely right.” Angelica says with a big smile on her face and a tear rolling down her cheek. “We have a lot to be proud of and I’m sure mom and dad are smiling down upon us from heaven above.  And maybe, if they are still smiling down upon us, then we’ll win that tag team tournament and get the tag title shot.”

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On Camera

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By any means necessary…it isn’t just a catchy phrase but a way of life for many in the sport of professional wrestling.  It was first coined by French intellectual Jean-Paul Sartre in his 1963 play Dirty Hands.  Malcolm X used it as a rallying cry during the civil rights movement in 1964.  But it seems as if “by any means necessary” has become more than just a catchy phrase in professional wrestling today, it has become an art form that many in our industry has mastered throughout the years.

Dante McCaffery may have learned the tricks of the trade, he may have learned the art of “by any means necessary” under the learning tree of PUNK HAZARD, and to a degree I can appreciate what he is doing.  Look at who is on top right now in Supreme Championship Wrestling and notice that all of them have something in common…

…they have backup.  Sienna Swann and Bree Lancaster, Blake Mason and Taylor Chase, even that idiot Lexi Von Aaron has backup in the form of Chad Evans.  They may not be the most beloved of individuals in SCW right now but they have backup.

I can appreciate the concept of having backup and even more than that of getting things done by any means necessary.  I have built a career on doing things my way.  Most of my career was spent stepping on other people and, if necessary, ending their careers if it meant advancing my own.

In other words, I don’t just know your type, it isn’t even as simple as to say that I’ve dealt with your type before.  I am that type of person, Dante.  Or at least, I have the potential to become that person, that dangerous Dragon, the bitch who will destroy and decimate anyone who gets in her way.

You and your Network, you dug your own grave at Under Attack. That fight was not ours and that’s why we left your sorry ass high and dry.  Is that why you decided to assault us on Breakdown?  Or was it just because you wanted to give Mr. D a show of force in order to intimidate him; show him what you could do with your new gang of buddies, your PUNK HAZARD Wannabes?

Here’s the problem that you face, Dante.  All you’ve done is manage to put together a group of PUNK HAZARD Wannabes and it’ll take more than what you and any of them can bring to the table to stop The Sisterhood because you’ve managed to wake up a sleeping Dragon.

That’s right, you pissed us off and now on Breakdown we have the chance to tear you apart and make you pay, make you wish you had just left well enough alone.  And if beating the living hell out of you and Max Kane wasn’t incentive enough, why don’t we add the fact that this is all part of a tournament to crown new number one contenders to the SCW World Tag Team Championship?

So we can beat your sorry asses from pillar to post AND at the same time earn a tag title shot…I like that prospect…I like it a lot.

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On Camera

==========

I like it a lot too.  I’m itching to kick their damn heads off on Breakdown.  But you know something, Angelica mentions allies and having backup.  Right now The Sisterhood has no backup.  We have no allies outside of maybe her daughter.  That’s it.  And it’s all our fault that we are in this situation right now.  We declared war on the entire tag team division, thus isolating ourselves from everyone.  And that’s on us, we fucked up.  And we accept that we’ll have to earn the respect of the division again.

That goal is within reach, just like the goal of earning another shot at the SCW World Tag Team Championship is within reach, even if it is a monumental mountain of wrestling and winning three matches in one night in order to accomplish that goal…but you, you and The Network…you’re heading in the opposite direction.

You are isolating yourselves from anyone and everyone who might have taken pity on you.  Why else do you think EVERYONE abandoned your pathetic ass at Under Attack, Dante?  It’s simple and let me spell it out for you…

..NO ONE LIKES YOU!

PUNK HAZARD Wannabes is an appropriate description for The Network because just like PUNK HAZARD isolated itself from everyone else, your Network is isolating itself from everyone else, and just like PUNK HAZARD eventually came crashing down in a blaze, so will The Network.

The only difference is that if Angelica and I have anything to say about it, The Network will be destroyed a hell of a lot quicker than PUNK HAZARD.  If we have anything to say about it, then it’ll be The Sisterhood who burns your little vision to the ground before you can even have a chance to get it off the ground.

So forget about the tag titles, Dante, worry more about survival.  Don’t focus on wrestling three times in one night, focus on trying to survive the destruction that The Sisterhood is bringing your way.  We will kick your asses at Breakdown.  We will kick your teeth down your throat.

And yes, we will win that tournament and earn a shot at the tag team championship.

The Sisterhood IN ACTION!

You know, you may expect Kayla and I to still be bitchy.  You may expect us to piss and moan some more about how we lost yet again…

…ok, Kayla may still do some of that, but she is admittedly a bitch, and I can’t control that.

However, I do want to set the facts straight here about one thing; Kayla and I are proud athletes.  We have had our own individual successes in this business on top of our successes as a tag team.  We’re damn proud of what we’ve accomplished.  Now I know it sounds like a broken record by now, but we have been on a bit of a losing streak, and it has become frustrating.  That much is obvious.

Another fact is that every great team, every great athlete, everyone goes through these slumps.  You’re never on top forever.  You never ride high at the top of the mountain.  You do, on occasion, have to endure the trials and tribulation of the abyss…

…unless you are The New England Patriots, who consistently are better than everyone else!

Every once in awhile everyone has to fight from the bottom up.  That’s what we’ve been doing, that’s what The Sisterhood  has been doing and despite our loss at Under Attack, I truly believe that we have turned a corner.

I could bitch and I’d be quite good at it because I am a bitch.  One thing I could bitch about is the fact that it was practically a five on two affair out there at Under Attack.  It was The Sisterhood against the world out there at Under Attack.  It was insurmountable odds but are we going to use that as a crutch?

Hell no.

Besides, we were pretty damn impressive at Under Attack even though we lost.  We were impressive against all odds.  We damn near pulled off that win on our own without the three stooges providing backup.  It was at that point that I realized it…

…we had turned the corner.  We were at the top of our game at Under Attack and, in any other normal circumstances on any other night against any tag team on the roster, we would’ve won, because on that night we were at our very best.

Talk is cheap.  It’s time to provide evidence.  And we’re ready to prove it to you and whoever SCW has to throw in our way.  It doesn’t matter that we don’t know our opponents.  Pick anyone from the crowd, anyone from the indies, anyone from the roster, the ending will be the same…

…we’ll kick their teeth right down their throat!

What's Wrong?

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Off Camera

==========

The Sisterhood has hit a major league slump in recent weeks, suffering losses to The Brotherhood, Adrenaline Rush, The B&B Experience, and a loss in Scaffold Scramble at Rise To Greatness.  For most athletes, a slump is a slump; simple as that. You fight through it and you persevere.  You eventually hit your stride again and you get back to your winning ways.

The Jones women, however, are not like most athletes.

Angelica and Kayla are used to being on the winning side of most encounters.  They are used to standing victorious when that final bell rings.  They are, after all, two time SCW World Tag Team Champions.  But in their mind, they certainly don’t look like former tag team champions.  In the mind of Angelica and Kayla, they look more like rank amateurs trying to scrape up their first victory.  In their minds they are making dumb mistakes that veterans of their caliber should not be making.

It could be a case of their ego making them think that they should be doing better than what they are currently doing, or maybe the Jones women have a legitimate point that they are making a bunch of mistakes that they shouldn’t be making; either way, Angelica and Kayla definitely want to get back to their winning ways and in the process remind the SCW universe that The Sisterhood is still a force to be reckoned with.

Apocalypse will be their opportunity to do just that; for Angelica and Kayla are set to face off against two former world champions in the form of Amy Chastaine and Kennedy Street.

A veteran such as Angelica Jones knows what a match of this magnitude means.  It isn’t for any championships or a contender’s spot, it is just about pride and, for Angelica and Kayla specifically, it is about showing that they haven’t lost a step.  It is about steering the Sisterhood ship back onto the right path towards yet another tag team championship in SCW.

Perhaps that’s what frustrates her the most on this day in Oklahoma City.  This is the site of SCW Apocalypse, where she and Kayla will attempt to get back to their winning ways against Amy and Kennedy, and she knows of dozens of things she could be doing right now to prepare…

…watching tape…

…talking strategy with Kayla…

…working out in a gym…

…but Angelica is doing none of that.  Instead she finds herself seated in the lobby of a hotel, the hotel she is staying while in Oklahoma City.  She is waiting on the arrival of her sister Kayla’s foster brother Oliver Hardy Jr.

Angelica doesn’t much trust Hardy anyway.  It was under the care of Oliver’s father, Oliver Hardy Sr., that Kayla was physically and sexually abused.  Angelica knows that her sister hasn’t told her every story of the horror that was living under the Hardy Household.  She can only imagine the terror and pain of it all.  While Kayla may trust Oliver Hardy Jr. and while he may swear he is nothing like his father, Angelica will never trust him fully.

Chalk that one up to Angelica being an overprotective older sister.

Initially she told Oliver Hardy to shove it up his ass when he asked to meet her here today, but he insisted this was important and it had to do with Kayla’s well-being.  Reluctantly Angelica finally gave in and agreed to meet with him here today.

Angelica is tapping her foot impatiently.  She casts a quick look at the watch on her wrist.  Where is he?  Almost as if on cue she turns towards the front revolving doors and spots Oliver Hardy Jr. walking through, looking refined in a button down silk Carolina blue shirt and black dress pants.  He scans the lobby and eventually spots Angelica, seated on a comfy leather sofa.  He smiles and waves politely as he approaches Jones.

“Hi Angelica!” He says extending a hand, expecting a shake. “Thanks for agreeing to see me.”

Angelica looks up at his hand with a rather annoyed look on her face and then looks up at Oliver and rolls her eyes.

“You told me my sister’s well-being was at stake.” She responds. “It isn’t like I have much of a choice.”

“Right, I guess not…” Oliver’s voice trails off as he awkwardly pulls back his hand, realizing that Angelica is refusing to accept the handshake “…uh, may I sit down?”

“Sure.” Angelica scoots over some, allowing Oliver room on the sofa, it is the least she can do. “It is a free country.”

Oliver nods his head and then sits down next to Angelica. “Thanks again for agreeing to meet me, Angelica.  I know you don’t trust me, but you can believe me when I say that I do care about Kayla and that I am worried about her.”

“You’re right, I don’t trust you,” Angelica snarls “because as a teenager she was under your family’s care.  She was supposed to be taken care of; yet she suffered severely for years at the hands of your father.  You say you’re not like him, you say you’re different.  Maybe you are, maybe you’re not…”

She shakes her head “…but I don’t believe you, Oliver, not yet.  You will have to earn my trust.”

“And I truly hope to earn that trust,” he remarks “but that’s not important right now.  What is important is Kayla’s well-being.”

“Right, you mentioned that already.” Angelica says, sounding frustrated. “What is wrong with her that she has mentioned to me but apparently she’s shared with you?”

“Not so loud,” Oliver chides in a hushed tone “I’d rather the world not know about the Hardy family’s dirty laundry.”

“Too late for that!” Angelica says, chuckling.

“In any event,” Oliver continues “did Kayla tell you that members of the Hardy family are seeking my dad’s ashes?”

“No, she didn’t.” Angelica answers, shaking her head. “But what’s the big deal about that? Can’t you just give them the ashes?”

“Well that’s the problem.” Oliver says, shaking his head. “It isn’t that simple. Apparently dad had a last minute change into his will making Kayla one of the heirs and executors of his estate.”

“One of them?” Angelica says with an arched brow.

“That’s right,” Oliver says, nodding his head and motioning to himself “I’m the other heir and executor. What this means is that I alone cannot grant them permission to take dad’s ashes.  I have to have Kayla’s permission as well.”

“I still don’t see the problem, Oliver.” Angelica says with an exasperated, impatient look on her face. “If you and Kayla are getting along as nicely as you two claim you are, it shouldn’t be difficult to agree to hand over the ashes and get this issue settled.”

“Once again you think it’s simple but it’s not that simple,” Oliver sighs “and this is where Kayla’s well-being comes into play…”

“What do you mean?” Angelica demands.

“Look, Angelica, I’m sure Kayla told you many stories about what happened to her when she lived with me and dad. And they were all true. But she didn’t tell you everything and she didn’t tell you how truly damaged she was and still is as a result of the trauma.  The truth is, she doesn’t realize how damaged she is…”

“You’re scaring me, Oliver.” Angelica says, an angry look forming on her face “so just get on with it.  What’s wrong with my sister?”

“Maybe it was the Hardy family coming back into her life brought back those traumatic memories and something snapped.” He taps his head. “Something snapped in her head.”

Angelica Jones leans back and tries to take it all in.  It is difficult for her to accept what Oliver just told her.  Quickly she shakes her head.

“No, impossible.” Angelica says, trying to deny what Oliver just told her. “This can’t be true.  Kayla has always been the most mentally strong of the two of us.”

“I may be wrong about this, Angelica, and I truly do hope I’m wrong, but from what I’ve observed recently I think I’m right.  That’s why I wanted to tell you; because I think I am right, that something is wrong.”

“Then why don’t you talk some sense into her?” Angelica says with vitriol dripping from her voice. “You’re the one who knows the Hardy history.”

“Yes, that is true, but unfortunately she isn’t listening to me.” He says, shaking his head. “I think you may have better luck getting through to her.  You have been where she is, you beat your mental problems and became a better person for it.  Plus, as you’ve said before, you’re her sister…I’m not really her brother…”

His voice trails off as a look of sadness spreads across his face.  That last look seems to convict Angelica.  She suddenly starts to feel bad for how she’s treated Oliver recently.  Maybe he’s right?  Maybe Kayla does need help.  If she does, and if Oliver is right, then Angelica needs to hurry.  But first…

“I still don’t trust you, but Oliver,” the scowl on Angelica’s face turns into a warm smile as a tear forms in her eye “Kayla is damn lucky to have a brother like you.”

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On Camera

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Times have changed in this industry.  And not necessarily for the better.  When I got my start it was all about the spirit of competition.  I mean, yeah, there were the grudge matches from time to time, and there were also people who stooped to any low in order to win…and I won’t deny the fact that I was among those who did whatever it took to win…but that wasn’t the norm.  It was mostly about two proud competitors getting into the squared circle to find out who was the best.

These days it seems that you have to hate one another for anyone to be interested in what you’re doing.  These days it seems that you have to be a controversial, backstabbing little bitch in order to have a top spot on a wrestling card.

But perhaps we can change that?  Perhaps together with my sister, Kayla Jones, we can have a good old fashioned tag team match against two people I have the utmost respect for in the form of Amy Chastaine and Kennedy Street; a match not about ego or grudges, but a competitive tag team match to see who is the best.

Kayla and I, we’ve always prided ourselves on being among the absolute best in tag team wrestling.  We would like to think that when we hang up our wrestling boots in Supreme Championship Wrestling that the name Sisterhood will always be remembered and spoken with awe and reverence.  More than anything, we want to know we’ve had a positive impact upon the tag team division.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that The Sisterhood has had that positive impact upon the tag team division.  At least, not the impact I would like to have.  We haven’t been competing at the level we know we can compete at, we haven’t been wrestling like the two time SCW World Tag Team Champions.  And perhaps, we haven’t been behaving like former two time SCW World Tag Team Champions either.

That’s what makes Apocalypse special for me.  This is a chance for The Sisterhood to turn things around, not just in terms of getting back to our winning ways but in terms of our actions outside of the ring.  And you know, win or lose, we’ll put on a hell of a show, we will show the wrestling world outside of SCW what tag team wrestling is all about.  And I couldn’t think of anyone better to put on a show with than Amy and Kennedy, two athletes I have tremendous respect for.

Amy, Kennedy, I do respect you for what you both have done, overcoming your demons, and in the case of Kennedy, changing your ways.  I have had my own struggles with both myself throughout my life, but I have come out on top.  And while I do respect both of you, I will also guarantee you that I will fight tooth and nail to make sure I come out on top in this battle at Apocalypse.

Slumps happen in this business, we get that, and right now The Sisterhood is in a major slump.  You two happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time because we need this win, we need it more than you can possibly imagine.  And I can most definitely speak for my sister when I say that we are prepared to sacrifice our bodies, our everything, in order to pick up this win and get back on track.

Will it end like we want?  I can’t predict the future and I won’t make any promises.  What I will promise is that you will get the absolute best of The Sisterhood at Apocalypse, I can promise that we will tear down the house at Apocalypse, I promise we’ll steal the show.  And I promise that we’ll kick your…

…actually, no, that’s my sister’s line…

…see you at Apocalypse.