Post by Samantha Tolson on Jun 5, 2016 2:15:40 GMT
(Off-Camera)
Samantha Tolson stood in front of a heavy bag, kicking it with authority, striking it with forearms aimed with deadly intent.
She had been disrespected by Ana Valentine, and she knew it.
What, was poor little Ana sore that she couldn’t beat her when Samantha put the Chaos Championship on the line in LAW?
Was she still suffering from brain damage done by the DDT Samantha used to put Ana through a table?
A secondary championship, decided by a tournament, no less, all made up of people that Ana deemed unworthy to be the one to lift the big belt off Crystal Hilton’s undeserving waist.
Samantha continued to kick as she thought, each kick punctuated with the “KIAI!” echoing in the empty gym she called her second home in downtown Los Angeles.
She knew. The bitch knew that if she gave Samantha that shot at Crystal then she’d have to acknowledge someone she couldn’t beat in a fair fight as the champion of her company. And Ana couldn’t have that.
Hell, she’d even pitted her against her own tag team partner in the first round.
So Ana knew that Samantha was a threat to everything Ana Valentine held dear when it came to her precious little company.
That made her pause and smile just for a moment. But only a moment, as she went back to her striking exercises.
Samantha knew that in many ways in the world of wrestling, the odds were stacked against her. She was still, after all the matches all around the world, less experienced, on the whole, than the women she faced off against in the ring. She knew that she wasn’t the most popular woman backstage, because instead of playing up to the fan favorites and calling down those the crowd didn’t like, she decided to forge her own path, which meant forging her own friendships with who she chose, not who the fans supported.
She could count as friends both those the fans despised and who they loved. And the women backstage, the ones who had chosen one side or another, for the most part, derided her choice.
She chose to walk the line. Yes, the fans cheered for her in every match, and yes, she appreciated their support.
But she knew it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t what drove her into this place, to work on her skills. It wasn’t what made her continue to travel to Japan, to Mexico, to learn more techniques, to adapt and become even more deadly inside a wrestling ring.
No, it wasn’t anything less than a desire to be the absolute best at what she did. She didn’t need that fan support to continue to strive for that goal. It helped, but it wasn’t the penultimate factor that kept her going.
It was the want for perfection.
That, and the chance to once again look Ana Valentine in the eye, smile, and let her know that once again Samantha Tolson had gotten one over on her.
With that grin on her face, Samantha continued to launch herself into her training even harder, a spinning back round kick dislodging the bag from its moorings on the ceiling.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(On-Camera)
“Amber, I’m not gonna lie either, you’re dead right...we’ve been pushed toward a consolation prize, indeed. Shunted to the side like a broken rail car by a hype train that should never have even left the station.”
“I get along with your sister, you know that, but there’s no way she’s more qualified than either of us to take that strap off Crystal Hilton. And let’s be clear, I fully expect her to do just that. I fully expect your sister to win that championship.”
“But that doesn’t make it right now, does it? On that, I’m fairly certain we agree.”
“In fact, the only time your sister and I ever locked horns inside a ring, I beat her from pillar to post and put her down in the middle of the ring for the win.”
“So I’m really confused as to why she’s getting that opportunity, one she didn’t even come close to winning.”
“But I’m getting off-track, aren’t I?”
“See, Amber, the way I figure it….we can do one of two things.”
“We can remain bitter about the fact that a lesser wrestler is about to win a championship the two of us are destined to clash over...or we can take Ana’s lemons and make lemonade from them.”
“But you know how I can tell Ana isn’t protecting you at all? How she’s treating you like just another pawn in her little game?”
“She put the two of us into this match, right from the outset of the tournament.”
“Think about it, Amber. Who are the two biggest threats to her in VWS right now?”
“Lillith? No. Too busy fucking teddy bears and attacking backstage personnel.”
“Sarah Twilight? No. Too busy sucking from the corporate teat, all the while denying it.”
“Eliza Valentine? No. Too caught up in Kayla’s hype to be effective.”
“So she knows, Amber. She knows where the real power lies in this division.”
“Squarely in your hands, and in mine.”
“That’s why you and I are facing off in the first round. Because she’s hoping that in putting us together, she’s going to rid herself of one of us. Does she care which? Probably not. But she’s hoping that one of us beats the other badly enough to eliminate a threat.”
“She knows that when it’s all said and done, one of us will be holding up that new title.”
“But don’t get it twisted, Amber. Not for a second. You talk about my recruitment, but it didn’t come from Ana herself, but Nikki more so than Ana. And for the record, I wasn’t berated into signing a contract with VWS.”
“You touched on something, that between yourself, myself, and Twilight, we’re three of the best in the world. So, let me tell you this much, in the spirit of honesty.”
“I had then, and still have now, offers coming in from around the world. A good ninety-nine percent of them go straight from my mailbox and into the trash can. Of those that might possibly intrigue me, another ninety-nine percent also fall into said trash can.”
“Bottom line, I didn’t have to come here. I didn’t have to sign on the dotted line, I didn’t have to extend my schedule even further than it already is. I could have been perfectly happy competing in FFW...in LAW...in The Pitt.”
“But there was one name that I saw on the contracted roster that made me raise an eyebrow.”
“Yours.”
“And now, I have a chance to step into the ring with you, woman to woman.”
“Don’t mistake this for me being a huge fan. I mean, I have respect for what you’ve done, don’t get me wrong, but of all the names I saw under contract, and all the names I saw being recruited...including Sarah Twilight’s....it was your name that got me excited.”
“Because I know what you’re capable of doing, and you, just as well, know what I’m capable of.”
“See, I don’t know which one of us is going to win when we face off. But then again, that’s the best part of this sport, is it not?”
“Testing yourself against the best in the world? Putting your skills against someone else’s, and seeing who is better on that night?”
“Amber, I called Kate Steele a good wrestler, because she is. But notice the adjective in front of the noun. Good. She’s not great.”
“She’s not us. Or, as the kids like to say, game recognize game.”
“What I can guarantee you is this, and only this. I’m going to chop you until your chest is ready to bleed. I’m going to kick you until drawing breath is painful. I’m going to drop you on the back of your head so many times you may forget your own name.”
“Being in the ring with me hurts, Amber.”
“But who’s going to win? Only time will tell.”
“These, though, are the matches I crave. These are the fights that get me out of bed at six in the morning, get me into that dark, dank, stinky gym and put in the work it’s taken to make me one of the absolute best.”
“Win or lose, Amber, I promise you only this much.”
“Whatever happens, you’re going to get my best. You deserve no less than me at the top of my game, and trust me when I tell you I will be.”
“But also...let me leave you with this thought. When I win that new title, I’ll make sure that hell or high water, you get the first crack at it.”
“Can you say the same?”
Samantha Tolson stood in front of a heavy bag, kicking it with authority, striking it with forearms aimed with deadly intent.
She had been disrespected by Ana Valentine, and she knew it.
What, was poor little Ana sore that she couldn’t beat her when Samantha put the Chaos Championship on the line in LAW?
Was she still suffering from brain damage done by the DDT Samantha used to put Ana through a table?
A secondary championship, decided by a tournament, no less, all made up of people that Ana deemed unworthy to be the one to lift the big belt off Crystal Hilton’s undeserving waist.
Samantha continued to kick as she thought, each kick punctuated with the “KIAI!” echoing in the empty gym she called her second home in downtown Los Angeles.
She knew. The bitch knew that if she gave Samantha that shot at Crystal then she’d have to acknowledge someone she couldn’t beat in a fair fight as the champion of her company. And Ana couldn’t have that.
Hell, she’d even pitted her against her own tag team partner in the first round.
So Ana knew that Samantha was a threat to everything Ana Valentine held dear when it came to her precious little company.
That made her pause and smile just for a moment. But only a moment, as she went back to her striking exercises.
Samantha knew that in many ways in the world of wrestling, the odds were stacked against her. She was still, after all the matches all around the world, less experienced, on the whole, than the women she faced off against in the ring. She knew that she wasn’t the most popular woman backstage, because instead of playing up to the fan favorites and calling down those the crowd didn’t like, she decided to forge her own path, which meant forging her own friendships with who she chose, not who the fans supported.
She could count as friends both those the fans despised and who they loved. And the women backstage, the ones who had chosen one side or another, for the most part, derided her choice.
She chose to walk the line. Yes, the fans cheered for her in every match, and yes, she appreciated their support.
But she knew it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t what drove her into this place, to work on her skills. It wasn’t what made her continue to travel to Japan, to Mexico, to learn more techniques, to adapt and become even more deadly inside a wrestling ring.
No, it wasn’t anything less than a desire to be the absolute best at what she did. She didn’t need that fan support to continue to strive for that goal. It helped, but it wasn’t the penultimate factor that kept her going.
It was the want for perfection.
That, and the chance to once again look Ana Valentine in the eye, smile, and let her know that once again Samantha Tolson had gotten one over on her.
With that grin on her face, Samantha continued to launch herself into her training even harder, a spinning back round kick dislodging the bag from its moorings on the ceiling.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(On-Camera)
“Amber, I’m not gonna lie either, you’re dead right...we’ve been pushed toward a consolation prize, indeed. Shunted to the side like a broken rail car by a hype train that should never have even left the station.”
“I get along with your sister, you know that, but there’s no way she’s more qualified than either of us to take that strap off Crystal Hilton. And let’s be clear, I fully expect her to do just that. I fully expect your sister to win that championship.”
“But that doesn’t make it right now, does it? On that, I’m fairly certain we agree.”
“In fact, the only time your sister and I ever locked horns inside a ring, I beat her from pillar to post and put her down in the middle of the ring for the win.”
“So I’m really confused as to why she’s getting that opportunity, one she didn’t even come close to winning.”
“But I’m getting off-track, aren’t I?”
“See, Amber, the way I figure it….we can do one of two things.”
“We can remain bitter about the fact that a lesser wrestler is about to win a championship the two of us are destined to clash over...or we can take Ana’s lemons and make lemonade from them.”
“But you know how I can tell Ana isn’t protecting you at all? How she’s treating you like just another pawn in her little game?”
“She put the two of us into this match, right from the outset of the tournament.”
“Think about it, Amber. Who are the two biggest threats to her in VWS right now?”
“Lillith? No. Too busy fucking teddy bears and attacking backstage personnel.”
“Sarah Twilight? No. Too busy sucking from the corporate teat, all the while denying it.”
“Eliza Valentine? No. Too caught up in Kayla’s hype to be effective.”
“So she knows, Amber. She knows where the real power lies in this division.”
“Squarely in your hands, and in mine.”
“That’s why you and I are facing off in the first round. Because she’s hoping that in putting us together, she’s going to rid herself of one of us. Does she care which? Probably not. But she’s hoping that one of us beats the other badly enough to eliminate a threat.”
“She knows that when it’s all said and done, one of us will be holding up that new title.”
“But don’t get it twisted, Amber. Not for a second. You talk about my recruitment, but it didn’t come from Ana herself, but Nikki more so than Ana. And for the record, I wasn’t berated into signing a contract with VWS.”
“You touched on something, that between yourself, myself, and Twilight, we’re three of the best in the world. So, let me tell you this much, in the spirit of honesty.”
“I had then, and still have now, offers coming in from around the world. A good ninety-nine percent of them go straight from my mailbox and into the trash can. Of those that might possibly intrigue me, another ninety-nine percent also fall into said trash can.”
“Bottom line, I didn’t have to come here. I didn’t have to sign on the dotted line, I didn’t have to extend my schedule even further than it already is. I could have been perfectly happy competing in FFW...in LAW...in The Pitt.”
“But there was one name that I saw on the contracted roster that made me raise an eyebrow.”
“Yours.”
“And now, I have a chance to step into the ring with you, woman to woman.”
“Don’t mistake this for me being a huge fan. I mean, I have respect for what you’ve done, don’t get me wrong, but of all the names I saw under contract, and all the names I saw being recruited...including Sarah Twilight’s....it was your name that got me excited.”
“Because I know what you’re capable of doing, and you, just as well, know what I’m capable of.”
“See, I don’t know which one of us is going to win when we face off. But then again, that’s the best part of this sport, is it not?”
“Testing yourself against the best in the world? Putting your skills against someone else’s, and seeing who is better on that night?”
“Amber, I called Kate Steele a good wrestler, because she is. But notice the adjective in front of the noun. Good. She’s not great.”
“She’s not us. Or, as the kids like to say, game recognize game.”
“What I can guarantee you is this, and only this. I’m going to chop you until your chest is ready to bleed. I’m going to kick you until drawing breath is painful. I’m going to drop you on the back of your head so many times you may forget your own name.”
“Being in the ring with me hurts, Amber.”
“But who’s going to win? Only time will tell.”
“These, though, are the matches I crave. These are the fights that get me out of bed at six in the morning, get me into that dark, dank, stinky gym and put in the work it’s taken to make me one of the absolute best.”
“Win or lose, Amber, I promise you only this much.”
“Whatever happens, you’re going to get my best. You deserve no less than me at the top of my game, and trust me when I tell you I will be.”
“But also...let me leave you with this thought. When I win that new title, I’ll make sure that hell or high water, you get the first crack at it.”
“Can you say the same?”