A new face and a triple threat, oh my! (Abbigail RP)
Dec 23, 2023 1:51:55 GMT -6
Omar Azure (Blue Dragon), Blair Buchannan-Vanderbilt, and 2 more like this
Post by Valora on Dec 23, 2023 1:51:55 GMT -6
Abbigail stealthily opened the door and charged into the room, leaping onto the bed. It wasn’t until she was airborne that she realized she had miscalculated and instead of landing near Val, she was going land…
All of Abbigail’s weight landed right on the small of Valora’s back, causing the woman to scream and grunt in pain at the force of the impact. Abbigail tries to apologize, even though she’s laughing while she does so. “Oh shit, Val.. I’m sorry…I couldn’t help it”
Valora, who writhes on the bed, listening to this as she mutters “Ahhh fuck! Pinche cabrona pendeja mmm.” She glares at her pupil, switching back to English. “Couldn’t help it, huh? I can’t help it Imma suplex you, puta…” Val then grabs Abbigail and promptly vertical suplexes her out of the bed and to the hard wooden floor, both women landing and grunting in pain. Valora writhes on the floor. “This… this right here is why I never had kids..ohhh fuck me.” Abbigail groans. “Think I’m underage in this country,.. You Americans are such prudes.. Valora gives Abbigail the finger. “Says the woman from a country where most people can’t even say the word sex in public. A woman showing a bit of leg would have people fanning themselves.. A tit would have people fainting.”
Abbigail nods. “Fair enough.” Valora groans as she gets to her feet. “Now what the fuck is so important, you imitate fuckin’ mario bros on my ass?” Abbigail shows the card. “Roger Wright and the navy SEAL. I might have the shortest career in NEW history.” Valora rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so melodramatic, hermana. It’s a triple threat match. You ain’t gotta beat both of them. You just gotta beat one.”
Abbigail does the shifty eyes look. “Whatcha mean?” Valora smirks. “First pinfall or submission wins, hermana.” Abbigail nods. “So I go for..” Valora cuts her off. “The SEAL.” Abbigail blinks. “She’s a bloody SEAL!” Valora nods. “She’s also a rookie in terms of wrestling, just like you are. There’s also a reason she ain’t still a seal. Roger Wright on the other hand. Gringo’s been wrestlin’ longer than you’ve been alive. I am fairly sure he has more NEW World titles than any other fighter. Even I, who am afraid of no one on the planet, gives Roger Wright the respect he has fuckin’ earned, hermana. Yes, he’s boring. Yes, I will pick on him and Kronin for that. But those two men have something in common. They show up, get in the ring, kick your ass, and then move along to what’s next.” Valora looks Abbigail in the eye. “Don’t fuck with Roger Wright if you don’t have to, Hermana. You ain’t anywhere near his level yet. Work with the SEAL. Take Wright out of the picture, then you and Rose settle shit between yourselves.. Pin the SEAL move on to the next fight. That’s how you win.”
Abbigail nods. “And if I don’t win?” Valora smiles a bit. “Then we look at the film, figure out what went wrong, fix it and move on. You’re a 16 yr old rookie, Hermana. The SEAL… soldiers are arrogant by nature. Think their training makes them better. If this was war? Then be afraid of her. It ain’t so don’t sweat her more than you would any other skilled fighter. Fighting her is just like fighting a martial artist. 16 years old, Hermana. She’s gonna look at you and see a kid. Use that against her.. And if you lose then it wasn’t your night. You’ve gained experience and can move along having gained experience and being better prepared for the next match.”
Abbigail pushes herself up to a sitting position and then looks at Valora. “So we going to get some in ring training in?” Valora shakes her head. “No. I mean yes, but not just yet. You’re pretty solid on the fighting ability front. We need to begin working on the rest of the issue.” Abbigail blinks in confusion and Valora pinches the bridge of her nose. “Your gimmick, Hermana. Music. Clothing you’re going to wear. We need to decide what ‘you’ to present to NEW fanbase.”
Abbigail tilts her head. “Okay, well, if I get to pick, let’s start with theme music? What do I look for in theme music?” Valora thinks for a moment. “Well, one more time. We have to decide on whether you’re a face or a heel.” Abbigail frowns. “I don’t think I can be mean though.” Valora smirks. “You’d be surprised, Hermana. But there’s more than one style of heel. You could be focused on yourself. You could be the bully, sure. You could be willing to cheat to ensure you win. You could be the politician, who makes deals with management or other power figures to give themselves an edge. There’s lots of ways to do it if that’s where you want to go. As for face. Well you can be the cheap pop face. It’s cute. It’s fun, but there’s a limit to the crowd reaction that will get you. You can be a face like me.” Abbigail puts on a mock grumpy face and lowers her voice. “I’m the dark brooding anti-hero. I beat up baddies and brood.” Valora gives Abbigail the finger. “Don’t knock it, chica. You’d be surprised how popular that face type is done properly.” She says before continuing. “There’s the super hero/ knight type.” Valora puts some valley girl in her voice as she talks in a higher tone. “Golly gee willkers mr. Styles. I would never do anything wrong. I live on a diet of friendship, rainbows, and milk and vitamins! OH! And sunshine and sparkles! I’m like soo stoked to be here in New Edge it’s so cool!” She stops talking and gives Abbigail a deadpan look. Abbigail gives Val the finger and Val clutches her heart. “Oh no! The goody two-shoes made an obscene gesture! I feel so let down by my heroine!”
Abbigail clears her throat. “I don’t sound that bad, do I?” Valora shrugs. “The archetype is pretty much in that category and you get a bit closer to that than I would like but it’s your career, Hermana. If you think you can make that work, then you have to find a way to make it work.” Abbigail nods. “Well, I’m not sure what type of face I’ll be, but I wanna be a face.” Valora nods. “Okay. Then I got some bad news for you.” Valora pauses for a moment and sighs. “None of us are the good guys here, Hermana. We’re all being paid to beat another human being bloody, for no other reason than to entertain and amuse the fans. Think about it. You have any particular issue with Rose or Wright? Course not. You don’t even know them, but you’re going to beat them bloody and try to avoid getting beaten bloody by them, and you’re doing it for cash money and to amuse bloodthirsty fans, most of whom don’t even fully grasp what we’re risking for their entertainment.”
Abbigail thinks about that for a moment. “So umm I see the point on that front, but then..” Valora nods. “ What separates the face from the heel?” Valora thinks for a moment and sighs. “You like Babylon 5. I’ll try this in those terms. My career.. Was a lot like the path G’Kar took. When I came into fighting, my focus was to make sure everyone knew and feared the name Valora Fuckin’ Salinas. I was young and stupid and thought fear and respect was the same thing. And I was… successful. I crippled people, Hermana. People who weren’t evil.. Just tryin’ to make a living. I bled buckets. I nearly died in that ring 3 fuckin’ times. But I got what I wanted. People were scared when they saw themselves lined up against me. I got my sexy ass to New Edge Wrestling. I proved I wasn’t like most indy talents that couldn’t hang with the big boys. I showed I could.”
Abbigail listens and nods. “Yeah. So umm.. I’m assuming a Vorlon didn’t kick you on the path of the good guy. What did?” Valora sighs. “Winning the World Title. I knew it would change everything. If I could just get that belt..” I wanted.. No needed it. I needed that fuckin’ belt like a junkie needs a fix. Matt Slater held it. The pay per view was in Mexico City. Hermana.. It was like the Gods themselves were lining this up for me. Matt Slater wouldn’t shut up. Typical for him. Loves the sound of his own voice and loves to throw out big words so you think he’s smart.” Valora rolls her eyes. “Despite his annoying personality, the man had talent. He could have been great if only the man could think for himself. Anyhow. He ran his mouth. He was going to deny me my destiny. He was going to defy everything. He was going to ensure that I failed in front of my countrymen.”
Valora laughs a bit. “You know Hermana, I hadn’t really, truly thought of myself as Mexican until that point. Yes I was latina and such but I was born in America. It wasn’t until that moment that I started thinking of myself as a Mexican. I forced myself to go back out and walk around. I had never forgiven this country for her death. But as I walked, people came up to me. I got free food. Free drinks. Pats on the back. Encouragement to win. Scarlet called me. Said there was some bullshit fan thing. I rolled my eyes and went.”
Valora sighs. “The ‘bullshit’ was a children’s hospital. There was a girl there. Cancer. Scarlet said she had been asking for me all day.” Valora gets tears in her eyes. “Little girl with a Mexican flag.. Telling me. Me.. the selfish psychopath that I am.. I was her fuckin’ hero.” I spent a few hours with her.. When we left, I looked at Scarlet, burst into tears and asked her why the fuck would anyone consider me their hero?”
Valora nods. “Needless to say, I came in fully ready to cripple me a mouthy, arrogant gringo. But I didn’t pin him, Hermana. I made him tap. I forced him, in front of my countrymen to give up his title. Hermana.. You woulda thought Mexico won the world cup. The crowd noise..registered as a small earthquake. I suppose that was my Vorlon moment. The moment the world forced me to look at things. I could have turned away from it. But once I looked, I couldn’t It’s why I don’t mock you too much for wanting to be the heroine. I just decided that beating the bad guys is more important than how you do it.”
Abbigail nods. “What about your luchadora persona?” Valora snickers a bit. “Also a heroine but under the control of a villianess so..” Seeing the look Abbigail gives her, Valora shrugs. “Lucha Libre can be like comic book stuff.” Abbigail nodded as she listened. “Huh. Sounds fun.” Valora laughs a bit. “Well before you run off and get involved, you would have to earn your mask. But let’s get back on track.”
Valora clears her throat. “To come back to theme music, you want music that people will take notice of. Your theme music should get you pumped for the coming match, but not too pumped. I’ll be honest, Hermama. I’ve seen you dance to Ready to Go. I’m kinda worried you might use too much energy just gettin’ to the damn ring. For me, I want music that is going to create an ‘oh shit’ moment. I want the heel to get that look in their eyes. The ‘I fucked up and now I’m fucked’ look.”
Abbigail nods. “So.. how does it work? Say I have a song. But it’s like a song someone you know.. Made?” Valora shrugs. “I could be wrong, but if I remember, you get one song per x amount of time period. If you change too much, you get to pay for some or all of the royalty costs. Why? Do you have an idea?”
Abbigail shows a couple of youtube videos to Valora who pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head. “You’re such a nerd. But okay. Let’s go to the studio and get started.”
In the car en route to New Edge HQ:
Abbigail looks out the window as the car drives along through the city. Valora is watching a video of Rylee Ruin’s last match. Samantha sits in the passenger seat, looking over information. Abbigail continues to be impressed by Chicago. Valora peeks up. “I’ve been to Swansea. You have tall buildings.” Abbigail nods. “Yes. But not so many. Some of these are taller too.” Valora smirks. Abbigail nods and then turns to look at Valora. “So after theme music, what’s next?”
Valora looks up from her video. “Intro to the media. I know you like your streaming and such, but you have to do things the traditional way too. Then.. lunch, I think. After that, strategy and then in ring work and after that can probably end the training day and let you relax a bit. They arrive at the New Edge HQ and make for the studio. A couple hours later, Abbigail has her first ever theme music and entrance set. Samantha looks over at Valora. “New Edge signed Nathan.” Valora raises an eyebrow. “Padre Nate?!” Samantha shrugs. “Likely not a priest anymore. Has a wife and daughter.” Valora nods. “Good for him. Tell Rome to fuck off.” Samantha nods and glances over at Abbigail. “Perhaps we should handle most of the training here. Cut down on travel time.” Valora nods. “We’ll need to start building our own complex somewhere nearby but for now, yeah, it’ll do.”
New Edge HQ: War Room 1:
Abbigail sits at the table playing a mobile game until Valora walks by and snatches the phone and Gibbs smacks Abbigail. “Pay attention!” She says as she walks away. “God damn kids.. Gonna be the death of me.” Abbigail sticks her tongue out at Valora. “Alright how does classroom stuff fit into fighting?” Valora crosses her arms across her chest. “You think fighting on a professional level is just climbing into a ring and throwing hands? You think it’s like those nerds online who just shit talk and some self appointed judge decides who wins fights? You think we’re in a video game or some shit? No hermana. You gotta do your homework. Learn about who you’re fighting, come up with a plan of attack.”
Abbigail nods. “Alright.. But like what is there to learn?” Valora points to Samantha. “ Start with River Rose.” Samantha nods. “River Rose is clearly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I believe this is why she is no longer in the Navy.” Abbigail shrugs. “How can you know that? Steal her medical records or something?” Samantha smirked. “I don’t have to steal, I could get hold of them if I wished, but no. People with PTSD have certain ticks. When Rose comes into a building she immediately locates every exit. She always sits with her back to a wall, ideally in a corner where she can see as much of the whole room as possible. She has the stare. Her trip to Disney also fits.” Abbigail blinks confused and Valora steps forward. “She’s seen some shit, Hermana. She’s trying to make it the nightmares stop. She’s hoping joy and happiness will bury it.” Valora raises her bottle of tequila. “I use alcohol to make them go away. The military isn’t nice to people like Rose, hermana. I’ve done some time visiting VA hospitals and talking to veterans.. They all get some variation of the ‘you’re a broken weapon and we don’t need you anymore.’ They then get dumped into the civilian world and told to turn all of their training off and be normal. But they can’t. It’s not a switch. I imagine Rose is here because she’s hoping fighting will allow her to make a life for herself.”
Abbigail considers this and frowns. “I..feel sorry for her.” Valora nods. “Word of advice, don’t tell her that. They don’t want pity. They want.. Meaning. Something to make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. I hope she’s found that with her man and her job here.” Abbigail clears her throat. “Isn’t she dangerous though.. I mean she’s trained to kill people without thinking and stuff, right?”
Samantha steps forward. “It’s hard to explain. She’s trained to fight, but discipline and control are key parts of it. She can knock you out as easily as she can kill you.” Valora adds in. “What you need to do is not be intimidated by the spectre of special forces training. In a wrestling ring, she’s no different than me with my training, or a boxer, or a martial artist, or a technical wrestler. She’s just got trained in a special style and ideally, you and her will work together to take Wright out of the picture.”
Samantha nods. “And speaking of Mr. Wright, we are lucky to have someone who has experience with him.” Valora steps forward. “Roger Wright. Hmm.. if I had to rank my top technical wrestlers in the entire world. Roger Wright would definitely be in my top 3. He’s that fuckin’ good. When you’re forced to fight him. Force him to put his weight on his left leg. Use ankle locks on the left ankle.” Samantha looks at Valora and Valora sighs. “ His left ankle has been surgically repaired.” Abbigail gasps. “I can’t do that!” Valora turns to her. “Fuck you can’t. Chica.. You attack a fighter’s weak point. My right arm has been broken twice. I’ve had a number of concussions. I was nearly eviscerated on my abdomen. I’ve had my right shoulder dislocated. You think my opponents won’t use that knowledge against me? It’s not cheating. It’s pressing an advantage.”
Abbigail frowns and nods. “Okay. So anything else I need to know?” Samantha nods. “He went completely off the grid for 3 years. Impressive feat in today’s world. He and his 9 year old daughter were declared first missing then it seems were in the process of being declared dead.”
Valora chimes in. “Walked out on his wife. Seems like his life was always shit. That’s Roger though. He’s at his most comfortable when his back is up against the wall. He like to be one man against the whole world. What you need to do is use the rules of the match in your favor. Don’t get sucked into this idea that you have to beat both him and River Rose. You need to beat one. Again, if I were you two, I would team up, throttle Wright and then settle the matter between you two. Hopefully Rose is smart enough to come to the same conclusion.” Abbigail nods. “Cool. Are we done now?” Valora smirks. “One more thing. Time for you to meet the press.”
New Edge HQ: Press Room!
Abbigail peeks her head in the room, watching reporters file in. Valora looks at her. “Whatcha thinkin’ Hermana?” Abbigail smiles. “Like I’d rather stream from somewhere in Chicago.” Valora nods. “Maybe for another match. Right now, we play professionally and do the requested intro press conference. Now listen hermana. A press conference can go off the rails real quickly. Try to single out a friendly or neutral reporter and let them get the first question. There’s Layla. Brandy is over there. Either one of them is likely to give you a good first question.” Abbigail nods and heads out as Samantha steps forward. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Abbigail Dresden, Rookie signing.”
Abbigail sits down and gulps visibly. “Umm.. hi…. Umm Brandy.” Brandy stands up. “Brandy Boss, New Edge Wrestling. You’re the youngest signing in New Edge history and will break Aiyln Ruin’s record as the youngest wrestler to step foot in a New Edge Wrestling ring. First off, congratulations. Jesse Styles is not an easy man to impress so congrats and welcome to New Edge. Do you feel any pressure because of the match you’re in?”
Abbigail nods. “Yeah! I mean Mr. Wright is a legend. 6 time World Champion, Valora says he’s one of the best technical wrestlers in the world.. I mean whew! I’m in the ring with a living legend. And I’m also in the ring with a former Navy SEAL! I mean these two have a list of accomplishments already! I’m just a footballer from Wales. You look at my CV and it’s like. ‘ Potential to be Special.’ But uh any sports fan can name at least 3 athletes for their team that had potential and never panned out, right?!”
The reporters all share a laugh and nod. Abbigail continues. “Valora Salinas swore she’d never train anyone and now she’s training me. I can’t put into words how amazing this all is! I wanna repay her faith in me. I wanna reach my potential and prove I belong here.” Layla stands up. “Layla Davis, NEW. How do you plan to overcome the rather sizable gulf in skill between you and your opponents? As you said, Roger Wright is a 6 time World Champ and one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. River Rose is a former Navy SEAL and thus an expert at hand to hand combat. Meanwhile, you’re a…soccer player. Do you even have any skill at fighting?”
Abbigail nods. “Yes. I mean, Valora trained me and so.” Valora steps up. “If you wanna see what the kid can do, you’ll have to come to Memphis or tune into Ignite. We don’t talk tactics before a match. But I will say this you’re forgetting that I’m pretty sure neither Roger Wright nor River Rose can claim to have seen Abbigail fight. They literally have no idea what she can do and thus they literally can not accurately plan for her. They can make a educated guess and hope they’re right or trust their ability to adapt once the fight starts. This fight is anything but a foregone conclusion.”
Valora backs up and a reporter stands up. “Michael Compton, Tribune. Now that you’ve been in the U.S. for a bit, what do you think about American sports?” Abbigail leans forward a bit. “Umm yeah.. W..why do you need body armor to play rugby?” This gets a bit of a laugh from the reporters, the reporter follows up. “Fair enough, are there American sports you do enjoy?” Abbigail nods. “Baseball! I mean I think Cricket is still fun too, but Baseball is lots of fun and Valora took me to see a basketball game. That’s really fun to watch.” The reporter sits down and another one stands up. “Victor Franklin, Chicago Sun Times. You are one of a few fighters signed to New Edge Wrestling that is under the age of 21. As a matter of fact, as I look at the roster, it looks like Styles has signed two types of fighters. Fighters that are old and past their prime and fighters that are so young they can’t even acquire alcohol in the States.”
Abbigail shrugs and leans forward, cutting the reporter off. “Should look at that roster again. Valora won the battle royal. Pretty impressive for someone you implied was old and past her prime. Meg Coleman won a triple threat match under XCore rules to get a shot at that belt. Roger Wright and Johnny Styles still put together a great fight. Blair Buchannan. This talent is loaded with talent all over. When I look at this roster I don’t see anything that counts as an easy fight.” Layla stands back up. “You’re currently under a developmental contract. That means Mr. Styles can cut you for any reason. Do you see this fight as a chance to convince him to give you a full contract?”
Abbigail nods. “ Absolutely! Valora says we’re always being evaluated and so I’m going to take the honor of getting to fight a NEW legend in Roger Wright very seriously. And I am sure that he, River Rose and I will put on one hell of a show for the people in Memphis.” Valora steps forward. “We’re done now. Kid’s gotta train.”
The press conference ends as they make their way to the training are and as they walk, Abbigail looks to Valora. “So umm.. Real talk… what are my chances of winning?” Valora shrugs. “Well. I’d bet on you. No one is taking you seriously. That’s a hell of an advantage. And you’re in the ring with two fighters that have a lot of mental and emotional baggage. Now, let’s get you ready.”
The trio make their way into the training are to finish preparations for the match before heading to Memphis.
All of Abbigail’s weight landed right on the small of Valora’s back, causing the woman to scream and grunt in pain at the force of the impact. Abbigail tries to apologize, even though she’s laughing while she does so. “Oh shit, Val.. I’m sorry…I couldn’t help it”
Valora, who writhes on the bed, listening to this as she mutters “Ahhh fuck! Pinche cabrona pendeja mmm.” She glares at her pupil, switching back to English. “Couldn’t help it, huh? I can’t help it Imma suplex you, puta…” Val then grabs Abbigail and promptly vertical suplexes her out of the bed and to the hard wooden floor, both women landing and grunting in pain. Valora writhes on the floor. “This… this right here is why I never had kids..ohhh fuck me.” Abbigail groans. “Think I’m underage in this country,.. You Americans are such prudes.. Valora gives Abbigail the finger. “Says the woman from a country where most people can’t even say the word sex in public. A woman showing a bit of leg would have people fanning themselves.. A tit would have people fainting.”
Abbigail nods. “Fair enough.” Valora groans as she gets to her feet. “Now what the fuck is so important, you imitate fuckin’ mario bros on my ass?” Abbigail shows the card. “Roger Wright and the navy SEAL. I might have the shortest career in NEW history.” Valora rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so melodramatic, hermana. It’s a triple threat match. You ain’t gotta beat both of them. You just gotta beat one.”
Abbigail does the shifty eyes look. “Whatcha mean?” Valora smirks. “First pinfall or submission wins, hermana.” Abbigail nods. “So I go for..” Valora cuts her off. “The SEAL.” Abbigail blinks. “She’s a bloody SEAL!” Valora nods. “She’s also a rookie in terms of wrestling, just like you are. There’s also a reason she ain’t still a seal. Roger Wright on the other hand. Gringo’s been wrestlin’ longer than you’ve been alive. I am fairly sure he has more NEW World titles than any other fighter. Even I, who am afraid of no one on the planet, gives Roger Wright the respect he has fuckin’ earned, hermana. Yes, he’s boring. Yes, I will pick on him and Kronin for that. But those two men have something in common. They show up, get in the ring, kick your ass, and then move along to what’s next.” Valora looks Abbigail in the eye. “Don’t fuck with Roger Wright if you don’t have to, Hermana. You ain’t anywhere near his level yet. Work with the SEAL. Take Wright out of the picture, then you and Rose settle shit between yourselves.. Pin the SEAL move on to the next fight. That’s how you win.”
Abbigail nods. “And if I don’t win?” Valora smiles a bit. “Then we look at the film, figure out what went wrong, fix it and move on. You’re a 16 yr old rookie, Hermana. The SEAL… soldiers are arrogant by nature. Think their training makes them better. If this was war? Then be afraid of her. It ain’t so don’t sweat her more than you would any other skilled fighter. Fighting her is just like fighting a martial artist. 16 years old, Hermana. She’s gonna look at you and see a kid. Use that against her.. And if you lose then it wasn’t your night. You’ve gained experience and can move along having gained experience and being better prepared for the next match.”
Abbigail pushes herself up to a sitting position and then looks at Valora. “So we going to get some in ring training in?” Valora shakes her head. “No. I mean yes, but not just yet. You’re pretty solid on the fighting ability front. We need to begin working on the rest of the issue.” Abbigail blinks in confusion and Valora pinches the bridge of her nose. “Your gimmick, Hermana. Music. Clothing you’re going to wear. We need to decide what ‘you’ to present to NEW fanbase.”
Abbigail tilts her head. “Okay, well, if I get to pick, let’s start with theme music? What do I look for in theme music?” Valora thinks for a moment. “Well, one more time. We have to decide on whether you’re a face or a heel.” Abbigail frowns. “I don’t think I can be mean though.” Valora smirks. “You’d be surprised, Hermana. But there’s more than one style of heel. You could be focused on yourself. You could be the bully, sure. You could be willing to cheat to ensure you win. You could be the politician, who makes deals with management or other power figures to give themselves an edge. There’s lots of ways to do it if that’s where you want to go. As for face. Well you can be the cheap pop face. It’s cute. It’s fun, but there’s a limit to the crowd reaction that will get you. You can be a face like me.” Abbigail puts on a mock grumpy face and lowers her voice. “I’m the dark brooding anti-hero. I beat up baddies and brood.” Valora gives Abbigail the finger. “Don’t knock it, chica. You’d be surprised how popular that face type is done properly.” She says before continuing. “There’s the super hero/ knight type.” Valora puts some valley girl in her voice as she talks in a higher tone. “Golly gee willkers mr. Styles. I would never do anything wrong. I live on a diet of friendship, rainbows, and milk and vitamins! OH! And sunshine and sparkles! I’m like soo stoked to be here in New Edge it’s so cool!” She stops talking and gives Abbigail a deadpan look. Abbigail gives Val the finger and Val clutches her heart. “Oh no! The goody two-shoes made an obscene gesture! I feel so let down by my heroine!”
Abbigail clears her throat. “I don’t sound that bad, do I?” Valora shrugs. “The archetype is pretty much in that category and you get a bit closer to that than I would like but it’s your career, Hermana. If you think you can make that work, then you have to find a way to make it work.” Abbigail nods. “Well, I’m not sure what type of face I’ll be, but I wanna be a face.” Valora nods. “Okay. Then I got some bad news for you.” Valora pauses for a moment and sighs. “None of us are the good guys here, Hermana. We’re all being paid to beat another human being bloody, for no other reason than to entertain and amuse the fans. Think about it. You have any particular issue with Rose or Wright? Course not. You don’t even know them, but you’re going to beat them bloody and try to avoid getting beaten bloody by them, and you’re doing it for cash money and to amuse bloodthirsty fans, most of whom don’t even fully grasp what we’re risking for their entertainment.”
Abbigail thinks about that for a moment. “So umm I see the point on that front, but then..” Valora nods. “ What separates the face from the heel?” Valora thinks for a moment and sighs. “You like Babylon 5. I’ll try this in those terms. My career.. Was a lot like the path G’Kar took. When I came into fighting, my focus was to make sure everyone knew and feared the name Valora Fuckin’ Salinas. I was young and stupid and thought fear and respect was the same thing. And I was… successful. I crippled people, Hermana. People who weren’t evil.. Just tryin’ to make a living. I bled buckets. I nearly died in that ring 3 fuckin’ times. But I got what I wanted. People were scared when they saw themselves lined up against me. I got my sexy ass to New Edge Wrestling. I proved I wasn’t like most indy talents that couldn’t hang with the big boys. I showed I could.”
Abbigail listens and nods. “Yeah. So umm.. I’m assuming a Vorlon didn’t kick you on the path of the good guy. What did?” Valora sighs. “Winning the World Title. I knew it would change everything. If I could just get that belt..” I wanted.. No needed it. I needed that fuckin’ belt like a junkie needs a fix. Matt Slater held it. The pay per view was in Mexico City. Hermana.. It was like the Gods themselves were lining this up for me. Matt Slater wouldn’t shut up. Typical for him. Loves the sound of his own voice and loves to throw out big words so you think he’s smart.” Valora rolls her eyes. “Despite his annoying personality, the man had talent. He could have been great if only the man could think for himself. Anyhow. He ran his mouth. He was going to deny me my destiny. He was going to defy everything. He was going to ensure that I failed in front of my countrymen.”
Valora laughs a bit. “You know Hermana, I hadn’t really, truly thought of myself as Mexican until that point. Yes I was latina and such but I was born in America. It wasn’t until that moment that I started thinking of myself as a Mexican. I forced myself to go back out and walk around. I had never forgiven this country for her death. But as I walked, people came up to me. I got free food. Free drinks. Pats on the back. Encouragement to win. Scarlet called me. Said there was some bullshit fan thing. I rolled my eyes and went.”
Valora sighs. “The ‘bullshit’ was a children’s hospital. There was a girl there. Cancer. Scarlet said she had been asking for me all day.” Valora gets tears in her eyes. “Little girl with a Mexican flag.. Telling me. Me.. the selfish psychopath that I am.. I was her fuckin’ hero.” I spent a few hours with her.. When we left, I looked at Scarlet, burst into tears and asked her why the fuck would anyone consider me their hero?”
Valora nods. “Needless to say, I came in fully ready to cripple me a mouthy, arrogant gringo. But I didn’t pin him, Hermana. I made him tap. I forced him, in front of my countrymen to give up his title. Hermana.. You woulda thought Mexico won the world cup. The crowd noise..registered as a small earthquake. I suppose that was my Vorlon moment. The moment the world forced me to look at things. I could have turned away from it. But once I looked, I couldn’t It’s why I don’t mock you too much for wanting to be the heroine. I just decided that beating the bad guys is more important than how you do it.”
Abbigail nods. “What about your luchadora persona?” Valora snickers a bit. “Also a heroine but under the control of a villianess so..” Seeing the look Abbigail gives her, Valora shrugs. “Lucha Libre can be like comic book stuff.” Abbigail nodded as she listened. “Huh. Sounds fun.” Valora laughs a bit. “Well before you run off and get involved, you would have to earn your mask. But let’s get back on track.”
Valora clears her throat. “To come back to theme music, you want music that people will take notice of. Your theme music should get you pumped for the coming match, but not too pumped. I’ll be honest, Hermama. I’ve seen you dance to Ready to Go. I’m kinda worried you might use too much energy just gettin’ to the damn ring. For me, I want music that is going to create an ‘oh shit’ moment. I want the heel to get that look in their eyes. The ‘I fucked up and now I’m fucked’ look.”
Abbigail nods. “So.. how does it work? Say I have a song. But it’s like a song someone you know.. Made?” Valora shrugs. “I could be wrong, but if I remember, you get one song per x amount of time period. If you change too much, you get to pay for some or all of the royalty costs. Why? Do you have an idea?”
Abbigail shows a couple of youtube videos to Valora who pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head. “You’re such a nerd. But okay. Let’s go to the studio and get started.”
In the car en route to New Edge HQ:
Abbigail looks out the window as the car drives along through the city. Valora is watching a video of Rylee Ruin’s last match. Samantha sits in the passenger seat, looking over information. Abbigail continues to be impressed by Chicago. Valora peeks up. “I’ve been to Swansea. You have tall buildings.” Abbigail nods. “Yes. But not so many. Some of these are taller too.” Valora smirks. Abbigail nods and then turns to look at Valora. “So after theme music, what’s next?”
Valora looks up from her video. “Intro to the media. I know you like your streaming and such, but you have to do things the traditional way too. Then.. lunch, I think. After that, strategy and then in ring work and after that can probably end the training day and let you relax a bit. They arrive at the New Edge HQ and make for the studio. A couple hours later, Abbigail has her first ever theme music and entrance set. Samantha looks over at Valora. “New Edge signed Nathan.” Valora raises an eyebrow. “Padre Nate?!” Samantha shrugs. “Likely not a priest anymore. Has a wife and daughter.” Valora nods. “Good for him. Tell Rome to fuck off.” Samantha nods and glances over at Abbigail. “Perhaps we should handle most of the training here. Cut down on travel time.” Valora nods. “We’ll need to start building our own complex somewhere nearby but for now, yeah, it’ll do.”
New Edge HQ: War Room 1:
Abbigail sits at the table playing a mobile game until Valora walks by and snatches the phone and Gibbs smacks Abbigail. “Pay attention!” She says as she walks away. “God damn kids.. Gonna be the death of me.” Abbigail sticks her tongue out at Valora. “Alright how does classroom stuff fit into fighting?” Valora crosses her arms across her chest. “You think fighting on a professional level is just climbing into a ring and throwing hands? You think it’s like those nerds online who just shit talk and some self appointed judge decides who wins fights? You think we’re in a video game or some shit? No hermana. You gotta do your homework. Learn about who you’re fighting, come up with a plan of attack.”
Abbigail nods. “Alright.. But like what is there to learn?” Valora points to Samantha. “ Start with River Rose.” Samantha nods. “River Rose is clearly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I believe this is why she is no longer in the Navy.” Abbigail shrugs. “How can you know that? Steal her medical records or something?” Samantha smirked. “I don’t have to steal, I could get hold of them if I wished, but no. People with PTSD have certain ticks. When Rose comes into a building she immediately locates every exit. She always sits with her back to a wall, ideally in a corner where she can see as much of the whole room as possible. She has the stare. Her trip to Disney also fits.” Abbigail blinks confused and Valora steps forward. “She’s seen some shit, Hermana. She’s trying to make it the nightmares stop. She’s hoping joy and happiness will bury it.” Valora raises her bottle of tequila. “I use alcohol to make them go away. The military isn’t nice to people like Rose, hermana. I’ve done some time visiting VA hospitals and talking to veterans.. They all get some variation of the ‘you’re a broken weapon and we don’t need you anymore.’ They then get dumped into the civilian world and told to turn all of their training off and be normal. But they can’t. It’s not a switch. I imagine Rose is here because she’s hoping fighting will allow her to make a life for herself.”
Abbigail considers this and frowns. “I..feel sorry for her.” Valora nods. “Word of advice, don’t tell her that. They don’t want pity. They want.. Meaning. Something to make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. I hope she’s found that with her man and her job here.” Abbigail clears her throat. “Isn’t she dangerous though.. I mean she’s trained to kill people without thinking and stuff, right?”
Samantha steps forward. “It’s hard to explain. She’s trained to fight, but discipline and control are key parts of it. She can knock you out as easily as she can kill you.” Valora adds in. “What you need to do is not be intimidated by the spectre of special forces training. In a wrestling ring, she’s no different than me with my training, or a boxer, or a martial artist, or a technical wrestler. She’s just got trained in a special style and ideally, you and her will work together to take Wright out of the picture.”
Samantha nods. “And speaking of Mr. Wright, we are lucky to have someone who has experience with him.” Valora steps forward. “Roger Wright. Hmm.. if I had to rank my top technical wrestlers in the entire world. Roger Wright would definitely be in my top 3. He’s that fuckin’ good. When you’re forced to fight him. Force him to put his weight on his left leg. Use ankle locks on the left ankle.” Samantha looks at Valora and Valora sighs. “ His left ankle has been surgically repaired.” Abbigail gasps. “I can’t do that!” Valora turns to her. “Fuck you can’t. Chica.. You attack a fighter’s weak point. My right arm has been broken twice. I’ve had a number of concussions. I was nearly eviscerated on my abdomen. I’ve had my right shoulder dislocated. You think my opponents won’t use that knowledge against me? It’s not cheating. It’s pressing an advantage.”
Abbigail frowns and nods. “Okay. So anything else I need to know?” Samantha nods. “He went completely off the grid for 3 years. Impressive feat in today’s world. He and his 9 year old daughter were declared first missing then it seems were in the process of being declared dead.”
Valora chimes in. “Walked out on his wife. Seems like his life was always shit. That’s Roger though. He’s at his most comfortable when his back is up against the wall. He like to be one man against the whole world. What you need to do is use the rules of the match in your favor. Don’t get sucked into this idea that you have to beat both him and River Rose. You need to beat one. Again, if I were you two, I would team up, throttle Wright and then settle the matter between you two. Hopefully Rose is smart enough to come to the same conclusion.” Abbigail nods. “Cool. Are we done now?” Valora smirks. “One more thing. Time for you to meet the press.”
New Edge HQ: Press Room!
Abbigail peeks her head in the room, watching reporters file in. Valora looks at her. “Whatcha thinkin’ Hermana?” Abbigail smiles. “Like I’d rather stream from somewhere in Chicago.” Valora nods. “Maybe for another match. Right now, we play professionally and do the requested intro press conference. Now listen hermana. A press conference can go off the rails real quickly. Try to single out a friendly or neutral reporter and let them get the first question. There’s Layla. Brandy is over there. Either one of them is likely to give you a good first question.” Abbigail nods and heads out as Samantha steps forward. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Abbigail Dresden, Rookie signing.”
Abbigail sits down and gulps visibly. “Umm.. hi…. Umm Brandy.” Brandy stands up. “Brandy Boss, New Edge Wrestling. You’re the youngest signing in New Edge history and will break Aiyln Ruin’s record as the youngest wrestler to step foot in a New Edge Wrestling ring. First off, congratulations. Jesse Styles is not an easy man to impress so congrats and welcome to New Edge. Do you feel any pressure because of the match you’re in?”
Abbigail nods. “Yeah! I mean Mr. Wright is a legend. 6 time World Champion, Valora says he’s one of the best technical wrestlers in the world.. I mean whew! I’m in the ring with a living legend. And I’m also in the ring with a former Navy SEAL! I mean these two have a list of accomplishments already! I’m just a footballer from Wales. You look at my CV and it’s like. ‘ Potential to be Special.’ But uh any sports fan can name at least 3 athletes for their team that had potential and never panned out, right?!”
The reporters all share a laugh and nod. Abbigail continues. “Valora Salinas swore she’d never train anyone and now she’s training me. I can’t put into words how amazing this all is! I wanna repay her faith in me. I wanna reach my potential and prove I belong here.” Layla stands up. “Layla Davis, NEW. How do you plan to overcome the rather sizable gulf in skill between you and your opponents? As you said, Roger Wright is a 6 time World Champ and one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. River Rose is a former Navy SEAL and thus an expert at hand to hand combat. Meanwhile, you’re a…soccer player. Do you even have any skill at fighting?”
Abbigail nods. “Yes. I mean, Valora trained me and so.” Valora steps up. “If you wanna see what the kid can do, you’ll have to come to Memphis or tune into Ignite. We don’t talk tactics before a match. But I will say this you’re forgetting that I’m pretty sure neither Roger Wright nor River Rose can claim to have seen Abbigail fight. They literally have no idea what she can do and thus they literally can not accurately plan for her. They can make a educated guess and hope they’re right or trust their ability to adapt once the fight starts. This fight is anything but a foregone conclusion.”
Valora backs up and a reporter stands up. “Michael Compton, Tribune. Now that you’ve been in the U.S. for a bit, what do you think about American sports?” Abbigail leans forward a bit. “Umm yeah.. W..why do you need body armor to play rugby?” This gets a bit of a laugh from the reporters, the reporter follows up. “Fair enough, are there American sports you do enjoy?” Abbigail nods. “Baseball! I mean I think Cricket is still fun too, but Baseball is lots of fun and Valora took me to see a basketball game. That’s really fun to watch.” The reporter sits down and another one stands up. “Victor Franklin, Chicago Sun Times. You are one of a few fighters signed to New Edge Wrestling that is under the age of 21. As a matter of fact, as I look at the roster, it looks like Styles has signed two types of fighters. Fighters that are old and past their prime and fighters that are so young they can’t even acquire alcohol in the States.”
Abbigail shrugs and leans forward, cutting the reporter off. “Should look at that roster again. Valora won the battle royal. Pretty impressive for someone you implied was old and past her prime. Meg Coleman won a triple threat match under XCore rules to get a shot at that belt. Roger Wright and Johnny Styles still put together a great fight. Blair Buchannan. This talent is loaded with talent all over. When I look at this roster I don’t see anything that counts as an easy fight.” Layla stands back up. “You’re currently under a developmental contract. That means Mr. Styles can cut you for any reason. Do you see this fight as a chance to convince him to give you a full contract?”
Abbigail nods. “ Absolutely! Valora says we’re always being evaluated and so I’m going to take the honor of getting to fight a NEW legend in Roger Wright very seriously. And I am sure that he, River Rose and I will put on one hell of a show for the people in Memphis.” Valora steps forward. “We’re done now. Kid’s gotta train.”
The press conference ends as they make their way to the training are and as they walk, Abbigail looks to Valora. “So umm.. Real talk… what are my chances of winning?” Valora shrugs. “Well. I’d bet on you. No one is taking you seriously. That’s a hell of an advantage. And you’re in the ring with two fighters that have a lot of mental and emotional baggage. Now, let’s get you ready.”
The trio make their way into the training are to finish preparations for the match before heading to Memphis.