Post by Samantha Tolson on Feb 24, 2018 22:50:29 GMT -5
ON-CAMERA
Samantha Tolson sat outside an arena in New York City, about to watch her fiancee, Katie Anderson, vie for a set of tag titles with the woman she was trying to chase down for a singles belt. The irony wasn't lost on her, as Samantha herself had sometimes had to put personal feelings aside to get the job done in a particular situation.
But it wasn't often.
She was in a sharp knee-length white jacket over a nice black blouse and skirt combo, wearing black hose and black stilettos. The air in the city was cool, but not cold, despite it being the end of February. Her hair was down, and she smiled into the camera. Noticeable, as well, were the fading circles under her eyes, the visible
"So...it would appear Gabby thinks I'm not taking her, or this match, seriously. That I'm trying to knock her off her game, trying to get into her head."
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't trying to do that, but it certainly appears that yours truly has, indeed, taken up residence inside the noggin of the LAW Champion now, doesn't it?"
"A cute ploy, really, telling the world I was trying to deflect your words back at you, but let's call a spade a spade here, shall we? What points did you try to make? Were they about what I can do in the ring, or what I've done outside of it?"
"Like most everyone else, Gabby, you've chosen the low road. You've chosen to attack your impression of my mindset going into this match, my life outside the ring, and in general, everything about me aside from the fact that we've met twice in the last month, and you've failed....let me repeat that...FAILED...to put me down for even one fall."
"I'm not angry about what you perceive as truth, Gabby. But I'm extremely disappointed that in the midst of all of this, you've glossed over the fact that, at the end of the day, you get dealt with in a certain order, in a certain pattern of happenings."
"You see, Gabby, unlike you, I have the courage to step outside the company that protects you and ply our shared trade elsewhere. For example, this past Sunday I was in a match where, yes, I lost, and my nose was shattered. A match for a title I held, and will hold again. But because that match took place before this one, the proper emphasis at the time was put on that match."
"I mean, honestly, I don't expect you to understand that, really. You don't try your luck anywhere but LAW. You don't go outside the company to see what you may or may not be truly made of, do you? No, you're quite content to take your every other show bookings, remain in the picture for the top title in the company without doing jack shit to truly deserve the placement, and in general throw all your eggs into the nice, soft, comfortable basket that's been woven for you."
"So no, you weren't my focus. You weren't center stage on my to do list. And that GALLS you. That BURNS you so badly, the scent of roasted skin is palpable even here in New York."
"You virtually DEMAND to be the ABSOLUTE center of EVERYONE'S attention, and it completely throws you when you aren't."
"So sunshine, let me tell you something that's going to absolutely rock your world."
"Outside the walls of Ladies All-Star Wrestling? You're no one. Nobody. The unknown champion of a company filled with stars far larger than you, protected and coddled by that same company for reasons no one can explain."
"You wanted a haymaker?"
"I bet you think that was it, don't you?"
"Sweetheart, that was just a jab."
--------------------------
OFF-CAMERA
Samantha Tolson sat in the office of her psychiatrist, fuming from the broken nose she'd just suffered. The portly, balding man in the chair off her right side adjusted his glasses, and couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes.
"Are you alright? I notice your eyes have been blackened."
Samantha bristled. "Broken nose from the match last night."
"I would imagine that is quite painful."
"It's damn painful, and to be honest, I don't want to be here. I have a title match to prepare for, a mask, now, to buy, and this is the last place I want to be."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I made the appointment, which to me is a promise. I promised you I'd be here, and so I'm here."
The psychiatrist noted that on his notepad, then asked a question. "So. You have a big title match with Miss Camacho soon, yes?"
"Sunday night, yes."
"Care to talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about?"
"Well, our work has been about boundaries, yet, if I'm watching television correctly, Miss Camacho is quite adept at crossing whatever boundary she feels necessary to make a point. At risk of asking a stereotypical question...how does that make you feel?"
Samantha grinned, then chuckled. "It doesn't make me feel anything, honestly."
The psychiatrist considered her carefully. "Nothing?"
"No. Nothing."
"Why is that?"
"Because that's what we do in our business. We look for any chinks in the armor we can find, and then we try and exploit them. Whether it's in a video, or in the ring, that's part and parcel of our sport."
The doctor paused, taking a deep breath. "Well then. I don't suppose there's much to talk about here then this week, is there?"
"If I'm honest, no...at least not this week. Next week, maybe. But this week, I'm focused on taking down a loudmouth. I'm focused on beating someone twice who thinks she's better than anyone else, both in and out of the ring. I'm going to walk in here next time with a new championship to show you..."
Samantha stands up and begins to walk out of the office, but stops short of the door and turns back around.
"...and I'm going to break every single barrier I need to break to do it. If that means busting down some boundaries...so be it."
Samantha walked out the door, head held high despite the throbbing coming from the middle of her face. The doctor, meanwhile, scribbled a few notes on his notepad, then stood and walked behind his desk, sitting down in his desk chair with a heavy sigh.
-------------------------------
ON-CAMERA
"See, Gabby, over the course of these last few weeks, I've discovered who you really are, both inside and outside of the ring."
"You portray yourself as this big Army hero, this big hero to the fans, a woman worthy of praise and adulation from the fans."
"You think you're unbeatable. You think you're the best thing that's walked into LAW since the company opened its doors."
"You think that because you've walked a path so many before you have walked, and done it better, if I'm frank about it, you're scoring those precious points you think you need to beat me."
"One week ago, my focus was on retaining a title that, due to circumstances, I did not. And that's OK, because I know that I'm owed a rematch by the new champion. There are nights where you're outnumbered, and in a four-way match, the person who gets the last big move in usually wins. That's what happened."
"But don't think for one hot second, Gabby, that I don't take this match seriously, or that I'm about to let opportunity slip by. No, see, what I'm going to do is expose you for the FRAUD that you are as a champion."
"I'm going to walk into that Nashville arena, and I'm coming in there despite this broken nose and I'm coming with both guns blazing. I'm going to give you the fight you don't want, the fight you can't handle."
"See, Gabby, while you allowed LAW to coddle you, to let you believe you were one of the very best things going today, I've been out around the world PROVING that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I AM."
"Let me say this clearly, so it's not misunderstood or misconstrued in any way....I AM BETTER THAN YOU EVER WILL BE."
"You waltzed into the show a month ago, thinking you'd beat me fairly easily then move on. Then two weeks ago, you laid out an ultimatum, spewing hot words that again, you couldn't back up."
"So now we're here. Two out of three falls for the LAW Championship."
"And LAW is going to again have a champion it can be proud of. One that won't take the low road and insult everyone's intelligence by questioning their heart and passion. One that doesn't believe the way to a win is to ridicule and degrade their opponents, giving them just a sliver of credit for what they are able to do, then doing her dead-level best to verbally shred that person to pieces for her own gain."
"No, this company will have a champion that will take the LAW Championship and increase its value and its worth by being just as successful everywhere else in the world as well. See, Gabs, you're a big deal in LAW, but that's just one, small, tiny corner of the wrestling world. Me?"
"Like it or not, I'm a big deal EVERYWHERE I GO. And that's the difference between us...because I didn't need a Board of Directors. I didn't need Lucas Dupree, or Megan Helms-King. I didn't need protected. I didn't need coddled. And I sure as HELL didn't need anyone but myself to make myself a worldwide commodity."
"You? You are absolutely none of those things. You are the biggest fish in a small, small pond, hoping beyond hope that someone doesn't let a shark into the waters. But someone did, Gabby, and now you're going to have to find a way to swim around me twice....something you haven't gotten done in over a calendar year."
"I don't think for a hot second that this is going to be easy. That I'm just going to waltz to the ring, beat you twice, and walk out the new champion. No, I know this is going to be a war. I know this is going to be the kind of match that's going to be talked about for ages. I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid."
"You do, after all, have some skill and some heart, and I know how badly you cling to that championship."
"But you VASTLY underestimate how very badly I want it. You completely undersell my heart and desire. I've worked WAY TOO HARD to get to this moment to let it slip by, yet you wonder aloud whether or not I'm satisfied with just making it to a title match."
"You said you weren't full yet?"
"Bitch, I have yet to find anything that quells MY hunger. And that hunger is going to absolutely consume you tomorrow night."
"I just hope you're ready for it. Because I can guarantee you that I am."
"Get ready, Gabby."
"Release The Panic."
"Because I WILL BE the NEXT LAW CHAMPION!!!!"
With that Samantha turns and walks toward the front door of the arena, opening it and walking in.
Samantha Tolson sat outside an arena in New York City, about to watch her fiancee, Katie Anderson, vie for a set of tag titles with the woman she was trying to chase down for a singles belt. The irony wasn't lost on her, as Samantha herself had sometimes had to put personal feelings aside to get the job done in a particular situation.
But it wasn't often.
She was in a sharp knee-length white jacket over a nice black blouse and skirt combo, wearing black hose and black stilettos. The air in the city was cool, but not cold, despite it being the end of February. Her hair was down, and she smiled into the camera. Noticeable, as well, were the fading circles under her eyes, the visible
"So...it would appear Gabby thinks I'm not taking her, or this match, seriously. That I'm trying to knock her off her game, trying to get into her head."
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't trying to do that, but it certainly appears that yours truly has, indeed, taken up residence inside the noggin of the LAW Champion now, doesn't it?"
"A cute ploy, really, telling the world I was trying to deflect your words back at you, but let's call a spade a spade here, shall we? What points did you try to make? Were they about what I can do in the ring, or what I've done outside of it?"
"Like most everyone else, Gabby, you've chosen the low road. You've chosen to attack your impression of my mindset going into this match, my life outside the ring, and in general, everything about me aside from the fact that we've met twice in the last month, and you've failed....let me repeat that...FAILED...to put me down for even one fall."
"I'm not angry about what you perceive as truth, Gabby. But I'm extremely disappointed that in the midst of all of this, you've glossed over the fact that, at the end of the day, you get dealt with in a certain order, in a certain pattern of happenings."
"You see, Gabby, unlike you, I have the courage to step outside the company that protects you and ply our shared trade elsewhere. For example, this past Sunday I was in a match where, yes, I lost, and my nose was shattered. A match for a title I held, and will hold again. But because that match took place before this one, the proper emphasis at the time was put on that match."
"I mean, honestly, I don't expect you to understand that, really. You don't try your luck anywhere but LAW. You don't go outside the company to see what you may or may not be truly made of, do you? No, you're quite content to take your every other show bookings, remain in the picture for the top title in the company without doing jack shit to truly deserve the placement, and in general throw all your eggs into the nice, soft, comfortable basket that's been woven for you."
"So no, you weren't my focus. You weren't center stage on my to do list. And that GALLS you. That BURNS you so badly, the scent of roasted skin is palpable even here in New York."
"You virtually DEMAND to be the ABSOLUTE center of EVERYONE'S attention, and it completely throws you when you aren't."
"So sunshine, let me tell you something that's going to absolutely rock your world."
"Outside the walls of Ladies All-Star Wrestling? You're no one. Nobody. The unknown champion of a company filled with stars far larger than you, protected and coddled by that same company for reasons no one can explain."
"You wanted a haymaker?"
"I bet you think that was it, don't you?"
"Sweetheart, that was just a jab."
--------------------------
OFF-CAMERA
Samantha Tolson sat in the office of her psychiatrist, fuming from the broken nose she'd just suffered. The portly, balding man in the chair off her right side adjusted his glasses, and couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes.
"Are you alright? I notice your eyes have been blackened."
Samantha bristled. "Broken nose from the match last night."
"I would imagine that is quite painful."
"It's damn painful, and to be honest, I don't want to be here. I have a title match to prepare for, a mask, now, to buy, and this is the last place I want to be."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I made the appointment, which to me is a promise. I promised you I'd be here, and so I'm here."
The psychiatrist noted that on his notepad, then asked a question. "So. You have a big title match with Miss Camacho soon, yes?"
"Sunday night, yes."
"Care to talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about?"
"Well, our work has been about boundaries, yet, if I'm watching television correctly, Miss Camacho is quite adept at crossing whatever boundary she feels necessary to make a point. At risk of asking a stereotypical question...how does that make you feel?"
Samantha grinned, then chuckled. "It doesn't make me feel anything, honestly."
The psychiatrist considered her carefully. "Nothing?"
"No. Nothing."
"Why is that?"
"Because that's what we do in our business. We look for any chinks in the armor we can find, and then we try and exploit them. Whether it's in a video, or in the ring, that's part and parcel of our sport."
The doctor paused, taking a deep breath. "Well then. I don't suppose there's much to talk about here then this week, is there?"
"If I'm honest, no...at least not this week. Next week, maybe. But this week, I'm focused on taking down a loudmouth. I'm focused on beating someone twice who thinks she's better than anyone else, both in and out of the ring. I'm going to walk in here next time with a new championship to show you..."
Samantha stands up and begins to walk out of the office, but stops short of the door and turns back around.
"...and I'm going to break every single barrier I need to break to do it. If that means busting down some boundaries...so be it."
Samantha walked out the door, head held high despite the throbbing coming from the middle of her face. The doctor, meanwhile, scribbled a few notes on his notepad, then stood and walked behind his desk, sitting down in his desk chair with a heavy sigh.
-------------------------------
ON-CAMERA
"See, Gabby, over the course of these last few weeks, I've discovered who you really are, both inside and outside of the ring."
"You portray yourself as this big Army hero, this big hero to the fans, a woman worthy of praise and adulation from the fans."
"You think you're unbeatable. You think you're the best thing that's walked into LAW since the company opened its doors."
"You think that because you've walked a path so many before you have walked, and done it better, if I'm frank about it, you're scoring those precious points you think you need to beat me."
"One week ago, my focus was on retaining a title that, due to circumstances, I did not. And that's OK, because I know that I'm owed a rematch by the new champion. There are nights where you're outnumbered, and in a four-way match, the person who gets the last big move in usually wins. That's what happened."
"But don't think for one hot second, Gabby, that I don't take this match seriously, or that I'm about to let opportunity slip by. No, see, what I'm going to do is expose you for the FRAUD that you are as a champion."
"I'm going to walk into that Nashville arena, and I'm coming in there despite this broken nose and I'm coming with both guns blazing. I'm going to give you the fight you don't want, the fight you can't handle."
"See, Gabby, while you allowed LAW to coddle you, to let you believe you were one of the very best things going today, I've been out around the world PROVING that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I AM."
"Let me say this clearly, so it's not misunderstood or misconstrued in any way....I AM BETTER THAN YOU EVER WILL BE."
"You waltzed into the show a month ago, thinking you'd beat me fairly easily then move on. Then two weeks ago, you laid out an ultimatum, spewing hot words that again, you couldn't back up."
"So now we're here. Two out of three falls for the LAW Championship."
"And LAW is going to again have a champion it can be proud of. One that won't take the low road and insult everyone's intelligence by questioning their heart and passion. One that doesn't believe the way to a win is to ridicule and degrade their opponents, giving them just a sliver of credit for what they are able to do, then doing her dead-level best to verbally shred that person to pieces for her own gain."
"No, this company will have a champion that will take the LAW Championship and increase its value and its worth by being just as successful everywhere else in the world as well. See, Gabs, you're a big deal in LAW, but that's just one, small, tiny corner of the wrestling world. Me?"
"Like it or not, I'm a big deal EVERYWHERE I GO. And that's the difference between us...because I didn't need a Board of Directors. I didn't need Lucas Dupree, or Megan Helms-King. I didn't need protected. I didn't need coddled. And I sure as HELL didn't need anyone but myself to make myself a worldwide commodity."
"You? You are absolutely none of those things. You are the biggest fish in a small, small pond, hoping beyond hope that someone doesn't let a shark into the waters. But someone did, Gabby, and now you're going to have to find a way to swim around me twice....something you haven't gotten done in over a calendar year."
"I don't think for a hot second that this is going to be easy. That I'm just going to waltz to the ring, beat you twice, and walk out the new champion. No, I know this is going to be a war. I know this is going to be the kind of match that's going to be talked about for ages. I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid."
"You do, after all, have some skill and some heart, and I know how badly you cling to that championship."
"But you VASTLY underestimate how very badly I want it. You completely undersell my heart and desire. I've worked WAY TOO HARD to get to this moment to let it slip by, yet you wonder aloud whether or not I'm satisfied with just making it to a title match."
"You said you weren't full yet?"
"Bitch, I have yet to find anything that quells MY hunger. And that hunger is going to absolutely consume you tomorrow night."
"I just hope you're ready for it. Because I can guarantee you that I am."
"Get ready, Gabby."
"Release The Panic."
"Because I WILL BE the NEXT LAW CHAMPION!!!!"
With that Samantha turns and walks toward the front door of the arena, opening it and walking in.