Post by Valora on Feb 25, 2024 16:40:59 GMT -6
Chapter 1: The Battle inside the Mind:
Valora lays on the mat, having locked an arm bar in on Matt Slater. Slater, the supposed expert on technical wrestling, as most Brits become well versed in, would normally know how to deal with this. But he is hot. He is tired. He is battered and beaten and he finally makes one mistake. Valora is also hot. She and Matt Slater have battled on the beach, surrounded by untold numbers of fans on a hot Cancun night. Valora is frustrated. She alters slightly where she applies the pressure. Instead of breaking the arm.. A pop is heard.
Matt Slater screams in agony as his shoulder is dislocated…
He puts the shoulder back into place by ramming his shoulder into the ring post.
His revenge comes swift as he hits Valora with the Shockwave and Valora is able to save herself only by getting her foot on the ring rope…
Jill Matthews: “Well it’s not quite over, but sadly I don’t know what Valora has left in the tank after that brutal shockwave.”
A little later in the match…
Matt Slater uses the Irish whip and sends Valora into the corner but Valora leaps to the top turnbuckle and leaps off, twisting her body in mid air for a cross body attempt but Slater catches her and transitions with a powerslam, planting Valora on the mat.. Slater takes a knee and wipes the blood from his mouth, signaling potential internal injuries.. He looks at the blood on his hand and glares at Valora, catching her as she struggles to her feet hitting a series of 3 German suplexes in a row, never breaking the hold until he tries for number 3 when Valora break out of the hold with a series of back elbow smashes to his face..
Valora brings Slater to the mat with a reverse DDT and leaps to the top turnbuckle and flies off, hitting a picture perfect shooting star press..
Vince Walters: I personally think if Valora wants to win she needs to get violent she needs to be that hardcore Icon.
Jill Mathews: I do not think she has any plans to do that in Mexico on this night.
The memory pauses as Val walks out, sipping her wine as she rolls her eyes, looking at the cordoned off Valora. “Like, see that, you lying bish. You were never World Champion Material. You needed Azteca to give you your first title and like, you totes are gonna need me to give you, your second.”
Valora: “Come over here and say, that, puta. Jesse Styles didn’t sign you. He signed me. And it was me on that night in Cancun. I won’t let you fuckin’ take credit for something you didn’t do. I am world title material!”
Val sips her wine and giggles. “Ohh sweetie. You really should stop lying to yourself. This match in Mexico was your last chance wasn’t it? Cause Mister Styles was tired of giving you World Title shots only for you to..” Val doesn’t finish the comment verbally but lifts a hand to her neck making a choking motion. “You’re just like the Rylee bish.. If there isn’t a weapon involved you can’t hack it. Kronin was like soo right about you. Slater was soo right. You’re like.. Just a garbage wrestler.. A freak show attraction. And I don’t need you anymore.”
Resuming the memory of Annihilation…
Valora tries for a roaring elbow, Slater ducks under it and hits an exploder suplex. Matt Slater crawls to the ropes and pulls himself up, breathing hard as he is exhausted. Valora lies on the mat breathing just as hard. The night, the Mexican atmosphere and the war these two legends of NEW have waged taking its toll..
Valora crawls to the opposite side of the ring, also using the ropes to pull herself up. Slater walks towards her but is surprised when she hits a spinning heel kick, Valora pulls Slater to his feet and uses the Irish whip, sending him into the corner hard and charging in right after him hitting him with a jumping knee and then bringing him out of the corner with a bulldog… Both get to their feet. Valora tries a running and flying crossbody but Matt Slater has scouted his opponent well and ducks, Valora crashing and burning hitting nothing but mat. Matt Slater brings her up to her feet and down with a fisherman suplex…
Matt Slater hooks Valora in his version of the Pedigree, the Dawn of Redemption. Valora falls flat on her face and escapes the move. Slater pulls her to her feet and tries a kick to the gut, but Valora dodges it, locking him in a side headlock and jumps onto the ropes, hitting a slingshot bulldog. Slater is on the mat. Valora makes her way to the top turnbuckle and leaps off, hitting her Aztec Moonsault
Vince Walters: Did he get his shoulder up in time?!
Jill Mathews: It would appear not!!!
Vince Walters: Wait you mean she did it?
Jill Mathews: YES SHE DID!
Vince Walters: Wow!
Jill Mathews: I am yelling ladies and gentlemen because the fans are going bonkers Valora there home country girl has finally done it she has become the NEW CHAMPION!
Vince Walters: My hat is off to both of them what a damned match what a main event!
Jill Mathews: They both showed why they are New Edge main eventers and on this night Valora reigns victorious!
Tom Davis: Here is your winner and NOW THE REIGNING NEW EDGE CHAMPION VALORA SALINAS!!!!!
Val comes back out doing a little hair toss as she drinks her wine. “So like. What did you do to make that happen? For once in your life, bish be honest with yourself. You knew you couldn’t lose that match. You also knew that you. ‘Valora’ couldn’t get the job done, because you never had. You relied on a curveball. Matt Slater was ready for you. The barbarian basic bish whose response to brute force not working is more of the same. So you went to the well, you dug out the mask and you had Azteca win the belt for you. Then you discarded the bish and took all the credit yourself.”
Val walks over to the area holding Valora back and smirks. “I beat Johnny Stylez. Right in the middle of the ring. Pfft. You really think you can beat him? That he isn’t ready for a basic bish, like you? Heh, As if!”
Valora leans back against the wall and rolls her eyes. “Sure that was all you, puta? Cause I seem to recall tables and ladders being involved. Almost seems like it was my area of expertise. What makes you think you’re better than me?”
Val tilts her head to the side as if considering Valora’s side of things. “Well, like… when Roger fucked off to work on being the next David Koresh or whatever. Shoot! That’ll be swear jar. Oh well, improvement is a process. Anyways, when Roger left us. You would have like, totally lost your shit. I took advantage.”
Valora reaches out for the tag. She makes eye contact with Roger Wright, those cold dead eyes looking at her but seemingly not seeing anything as he drops down from the ring apron and walks off. This is the memory Val referred to. The moment where Valora would have lost her shit. Her anger and rage causing her to waste time and energy throwing a barrage of insults, pounding the mat in frustration. Distracting herself. Jesse Styles, positioned behind Valora, is clearly expecting that…
But Valora was not in the ring. Val was. Val, with the eerie calm of the true psychopath, watches this new development and her cold, ruthless brain makes the calculations. 2 to 1 now. Need to even the odds. Jesse is closest to her so he will be the one who gets crossed off. He’s a brawler. He never guards his legs…
Jesse Styles is surprised for a couple of seconds when instead of losing her shit, Val turns Jesse is forced to do his Hype kick sooner than planned, which is likely why the move fails to put Val away. Then he makes the mistake of making the match no DQ…
Valora claps. “Very impressive the way he nailed your ass with the Hype kick. No wonder he likes you, you’ll put him over and make him look like superman.” Val gives Val the talk to the hand gesture and sticks her tongue out. “Umm you blind bish? How many people has Jesse Styles knocked the f..knocked out with that kick? You see how he had to speed up the move. He like, was totes expecting someone to lose their cool and waste precious time and energy. I turned and yeah, I took one on the mouth. Speaking of taking one in the mouth…” Val leans forward. “I’m in control of your body. Be careful bish you maybe you’ll get to watch while some cute guy gets lucky.”
Valora makes the vomit gesture and again gets the ‘talk to the hand’ gesture. “Oh bish please.. You got a daughter somehow. The one smart and good thing you did.. You realized you were too much of a mess to be responsible for another human life.” Valora gets angry here and Val holds up a finger. “Chill. I’m like super serial here. You gave her a better life. It was totes the right call. Maybe I’ll tell her who she is. It would like, totes explain why you’re training her.”
Val struggles to get to her feet, Johnny plants her on the mat with a spinebuster. He and Jesse stand with chairs at the ready. Val, out of the corner of her eye sees Abbigail enter the ring and tackle Johnny, the chair hitting Johnny in the face. Jesse kicks Abbigail in back of the head and goes to fight Hunter at Ringside while Abbigail rolls out of the ring to recover…
Val sees her chance as she looks at Johnny trying to pull himself to the his feet. Val picks up the chair and looks at it. Johnny looks just in time to see Val jump into the air and dropkick the chair into his face. Johnny hits the ground like a ton of bricks and she calmly drops the chair onto the mat, positioning it with her foot. She then takes a knee and sets up the table in the middle of the ring. She pulls Johnny up to his feet, he throws a few punches which miss because of Val’s skill at dodging them and because the dazed World Champ is aiming at the wrong Val. Val plants Johnny Stylez onto the chair with a double arm DDT and Johnny lays there, not moving. Val nods as she picks up the 15ft ladder and sets it up before making her way over and pulling Johnny Stylez to a fireman’s carry position, moving over to the table before laying him on the table. She climbs the ladder and leaps off, hitting the Aztec moonsault, driving herself and Johnny through the table but is just able to get an arm over Johnny…
Valora leans back against the confines of the space she’s in. “So tell me, did you even hear the three count? I’d bet you didn’t.” Val rolls her eyes. “Like, whatever. Hey, when was the last time you won a handicap match against two A-list competitors? Cause I’m pretty sure I just did that.”
Chapter 2: Meanwhile, in the Real World:
Val took another drink of wine. She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but she was nervous. She made a good show of confidence on twitter. Indeed, her, Blair and Hunter all seemed to be living rent free inside Johnny’s head, as some would say. Val could blame Valora all she wanted. But the record was there. 1 World Title reign. A lot of World Title matches where she failed. There was a lot on the line. NEW wrestlers. NEW fans, other wrestlers familiar with Johnny Stylez. All were rooting for and hoping for Val to end his reign as World Champ.
And to win the World Title, Val needed to win a Texas Death Match.
On one hand, this was a sign that Val’s PR campaign had worked. The Texas Death match was her specialty match. She had never, in her career, lost one. On the other hand, such a match was also a perfect opportunity for Jesse to get involved and hand Johnny Stylez the title one more time. She had a contingency if that happened, but depending on how the 5 way match went earlier that night Abbigail may or may not be to really make an impact.
Still, the point was, Val had a plan. She also had one hella busy schedule ahead of her. Taking a drink of her wine she looked at the schedule before her. She had wrestled at Ignite. She had a bachelorette party and a wedding to attend before then. While planning her schedule and how best to allot her time, she got the invite from Jesse. Valora would have blown this off, but Val. Val was a lot more savvy than that. She saw this as an opportunity. Best case scenario? She convinces Jesse to help her. Her goal? Convince Jesse to remain neutral. Him simply withdrawing support would be enough to severely hamper Johnny Stylez. Worst Case? She’s where she is right now. In other words, this was low risk, potential high payoff so she responded she’d be there.
Chapter 3, Spring Break, Bish!
Valora found herself, sipping her wine or perhaps other drink from her Stanley cup as she sat across from Jesse Styles. Jesse decides to try and get to the bottom of this himself. “Oh, Val. I’m sorry. You thought I meant you can come as a guest? No, no. I meant you can mow my lawn, maybe clean my house. Even had a maid uniform sized for you.” This would work, surely. If there was one sure way to piss Val off. Racism was it. Jesse was prepared for any number of reactions. Except the one he got. Val wrapped her lips around her straw, took a drink and smirked. “Aww, you’re like.. Totes adorable! Now, I could return an insult, but I’m trying to get a goal accomplished so I’ll be nice and wait until you’re ready to talk.” Jesse was not deterred and shrugged. “Well shit, if I knew one Hype kick would be enough to bring you in line, I’d kicked you first time we met! Gotta tell you it was so much fun to finally get to knock you the fuck out.” There was no way she wouldn’t take this bait.
Val calmly sat there and nodded. “Except. You.. like didn’t knock me the F out. You knocked me down. Then you went after that like.. Total mongoloid Hunter and I beat your cousin into the middle of next week.”
Jesse was shocked, and a bit worried. “I will pay you $15,000 to say ‘Fuck’ Just once. I won’t tell anyone.” Val nodded. “Well like.. I’d know. But like, the better question is why offer so much for one little word?”
Jesse leaned forward. “Because I’ve spent a shit ton of money building up the main event of Tension in Texas. This is our first pay per view since coming back. The Main event is one of the most important in company history. Johnny Stylez vs. Valora Salinas in a Texas Death Match. Your specialty match. Now, we’re closing in on showtime and I have a World Champ more concerned with Hunter fuckin’ Valentyne than the pay per view and I’ve got a challenger who spent a weekend with Blair and now seems like she’s trying out for real house wives of beverly hills or some shit!”
Val sat there calmly, listening to his outburst. Valora would have missed the chance here. Would have gotten emotional and responded back. Val, on the other hand, leaned forward and smiled. “Well, I can’t make that show. Not married. Anywho, let’s talk about your dilemma. I’ve been a good girl so far. Got on social media. Pushed the match. Even pushed you. I’ve been all over working for you. Now, with respect, Mr. Styles, I think you’re slightly wrong in what you’re looking at. Let me, if I might, paint you a picture about the opportunity you have.”
Jesse leaned back in his chair with a sigh and waved his hand. Val nodded. “Now, Starting with the paper champ who is only a champ because of you, and that was the right call. I dunno what Roger Wright’s damage is, but it’s clear he’s like.. Not willing to do what a champ has to do. I, like, totes woulda made sure Johnny came out champ too. But now, now you have a totally different choice.”
Jesse nods, happy with how Val began this. “Glad someone sees that. So, what is this different choice now? Bear in mind, this is my cousin we’re talking about.” “Right. I totes get that. First, you and me. New Edge Wrestling was the very first global fed to give me a contract. I made my name here. I was an up and comer to be sure, but it was my tenure here that made me a talent that every fed wants on their roster. Unlike some of these peeps in the fed. I haven’t tried running my own fed. I haven’t run off and left New Edge to play in someone else’s sandbox. Everytime I have left for another fed, it was either because New Edge had closed down, or I stayed at New Edge and wrestled here too. Every time you asked me to come back here, I came back here. You keep asking me back here for a reason. You agreed to pay me LeBron James money for a reason. That reason is you know I’m loyal. You know you can, like totes count on me to deliver a good show. Put fans in the stands and now, you can like, totes feel good about me as a face of the franchise type. I’m like definitely a much more marketable asset than Johnny.”
Val took a breath here. Jesse seemed to be listening and also seemed to appreciate the truth of the fact that Val recognized NEW’s role in her career and he was, at times, even nodding, being forced to agree that she was a loyal and dependable talent. “Mr. Styles. I’ve spent most of my time in this company fighting you. Trying to one up you. Fun as that is, it’s not what’s best for the company right now. Johnny drugged you. Forced you to endure a very bad parody of the Hangover, and made you look a fool. Now, if I learned anything both from fighting against your influence and watching you fight others in this company it’s that you’re not a fool. I’m ready to work with you. I’m also not asking you to screw over your cousin. If you decide to help me, I wouldn’t argue.. But all I’m asking is to let your cousin stand on his own.”
Jesse kept his face and thus clues on what he might be thinking fairly neutral but it seemed clear he was thinking, perhaps considering Val’s words. For her part Val nodded. “Look. We’ve tried hating each other. That was fun. Had some laughs. Made some money. But. We could work together and make like All the money. And I won’t drug you. Ask youself this, Mr. Styles. Have you like, ever once regretted having me on your roster?”
Jesse sighed. “...No. I suppose I haven’t, But you just asked me to team up with you and right after saying you don’t need me to help you win the belt.” Val nods. “Well, obviously, I’m not going to be stupid enough to refuse or get angry at your help. But that is not what I’m asking for either. I’m asking for you to ensure it’s Johnny Stylez vs. me. I mean if you want him to stay champ, you don’t need to interfere. The odds are I’ll find a way to lose on my own anyways. You remember in Cancun. Annihilation? You threatened to make sure I didn’t get another World Title shot for at least 6 months if not longer if I didn’t beat Slater for the title.”
Jesse smiled and nodded, enjoying the trip back. “I needed to motivate you. It worked.” Val nods, sipping from her cup. “You’re totes right on the nail, it worked. That is the best moment of my life, Jesse Styles. You gave that to me. Would Johnny honestly say that and like, could you really believe him if he did? I love New Edge Wrestling, Jesse. I know what’s on the line at Tension in Texas. Not just titles. Not just matches deciding who gets next in line. This is our first pay per view since coming back. We need to get this right. I’m confident I can do my part.”
Jesse nods and shrugs. “You sound nervous.” “Well, duh, silly. Anyone who isn’t nervous before a big match like this is a fool. But you booked my signature match. All I’m saying is let me fight it. It’s really just that simple. More than that, it’s good for business.”
Jesse nodded. “You keep saying that. I don’t disagree with you. But let’s say that, hypothetically, I planned to pick a preferred champion, maybe even was willing to ensure my pick won the match. Not only is Johnny family, but he is also a known quantity. I know what I’m getting with him. Same can’t be said with you. I never would have thought, for instance, that you and Blair would be on the same side again, or that you’d sign up for her hippy bullshit. So how do you make a better champion? Or more to the point, how do I know you as champ helps New Edge and not.. Whatever fuckin’ group you’re with.”
Val nodded. “Well, I’d remind you, that if one takes a trip through New Edge History, Blair and I turned into rivals because we were like, totes being scheduled against each other constantly. Then when that alone wasn’t enough to get the desired result, the Trans-Atlantic title was thrown into the mix. Think you and Kronin.. By the time your final match came, you two were ready to kill each other because you two had been fighting each other in and out of the ring for quite some time. As for who is helped by me as champ. ‘Porque no los dos?’ why not both? It can be a good thing for both New Edge and the Collective. I’m not even trying to sell you on anything other than letting Johnny and I settle it in the ring. Now.. is there anything outside of the match you would like to talk about Mr. Styles?”
Jesse leaned back in his chair. There were a few options here, but he decided to start small. “Alright, fuck it, I’ll bite. Why’d you really come back? You could have had the satisfaction of telling me to fuck off. It was clear when I came to you that the roles were reversed. So… why?”
Val giggled and shook her head. “Like, haven’t you been listening? When I outgrew the indies, I wanted to step up to the big leagues. Know what I heard? ‘You’re not PC enough, Valora. You’re too violent. You’re too racist. You’re not family friendly. You’re a psycho. You’re a garbage wrestler. Then New Edge came along. You gave me a shot. For once, I wasn’t stuck in a fed where I was better than at least 75% of the roster. I was surrounded by talent that pushed me to be at my best. I have never once forgotten that everything I have today, was built on the foundation of lessons I learned right here. Plus, I’m a Hall of Famer. You asked me for help. You said New Edge needed me. I won’t beat a dead horse because I know I’ve done a bit of that already.. You can say I’m making up for the years where I didn’t say it. But you and I have the same problem, Jesse. We’re both addicted to this place.. This sport. I always said I would die in that ring one of these days. As soon as you asked, I was going to come back.”
Jesse nods and lets out a laugh. “Almost sounds like I could screw you over and not pay a penalty for it. Tell you what, I want a sign of trust from you, Ms. Don’t Trust Anyone.”
Val shrugs, sipping from her cup. “Maybe. Maybe not. Probably best we don’t find out. As for a secret? A sign of Trust? Want me to be vulnerable with you, boss?” Val sighs and takes the leap letting out a heavy breath. “If you were to ask me to rank the top 3 titles I’ve ever held. Number 1 would be the New Edge World title. Number 2 would be a tie between the New Edge Trans-Atlantic Title and the CWF Elite Championship. Number 3 would be the loser of number 2. Either way you cut it, 2 out of 3 of my fave champs of all time, the belts that mean the most to me in my trophy cases come from here.” Val paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts here for a moment before she continued. “I don’t know how much time I have left in my career, boss. I’m not the young upstart anymore and while Blair and the Collective are doing wonders at getting my body ready to compete I…was not kind to my body for a long time. For all I know, this is my last shot at the belt and.. I need it. I know I shouldn’t but I need that belt one more time. To prove to myself and the fans that it wasn’t a fluke the first time around. I know he’s your family but if I have to put Johnny in the hospital. If I have to cripple him, if I have to beat him to death. I absolutely will, kay?”
Jesse didn’t show it, but there was something a lot more scary and intimidating about the calm, almost giddy way Val spoke about the level of violence she was prepared to unleash. He almost missed Valora’s usual style. “Thank you. Believe it or not, that means a lot to me. Now, obviously, I’m not going to give you an answer other than. I don’t need you, or Blair, or her husband or Johnny or anyone else to tell me what’s good for business. I’ll make that determination myself and when the match comes around, we’ll just see what happens.”
Val nods. “Oh fair enough, Mr. Bossman. Just saying. I find it odd that before the World Title match, the paper champ is focused on someone other than lil ol’ me. Now, I might almost take that as an insult. I-” Val winced again, putting a hand to her head, gritting her teeth and nods, letting out a breath. “Whoo. Damn headache. Maybe we should both get back to relaxing and worry about business later.”
Jesse nodded and the two went back about their activities at the spring break. Val had to admit that, while definitely not planned, that headache attack had worked wonders for her. If he was intending to help Johnny, there was approximately zero chance he would not mention to Johnny that Val was less than 100%. That meeting might also give Jesse the impression she was desperate. To an extent, she was. She was concerned that her 1 World Title reign was a fluke and desperately wanted to get her hands on the belt at least one more time before her career ended. She maybe was not as desperate as she might have come across, but Johnny Stylez was also distracted. He built ten times the effort and time into picking a fight with Hunter than with driving and building hype for this match.
Valora sat in the office with her therapist and one of her handlers. Who looked at her and nodded. “How often are you having these headaches and how severe?” Val sighs. “They’re, like, super severe. Like brain freeze times 100.” The doctor nodded. “I think this is due mostly to the changes. I mean you’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. It’s natural to feel some..anxiety and stress. Some doubt and confusion. This sounds like a stress headache. I’ll get you another round in the meditation chamber.. Stripping away all the noise of the outside world.. Some private time with just you and the affirmations and meditations..” Val smiled and nodded. “Thanks! I’m sure that’ll totes help.” She says before pausing. “I think you’re totally right about the anxiety and stress.. I can’t stop thinking about the World Title match.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, it’s a big match.” Val nodded. “World Title. Only managed to get that belt once in my career. And now, the current champ is just.. “ She waves her hand and rolls her eyes as she drinks her wine. “A disgrace. No professionalism. No class. Just an overgrown manchild. But.. while I’ve never lost a Texas Death Match, I’ve also struggled in World Title matches and Johnny does have the advantage of having Jesse Styles on his side, at least at the moment.”
The doctor nodded. “Your previous failures don’t define you. You’ve gotten rid of that negative energy. That wasted energy. Now, I’m not really familiar with the Texas Death Match.”
Val sighed and smiled a bit. “Technically, it’s just a ‘death match’ The location of the match can be added to the match. Japanese Death Match, Chicago Death Match, etc. The Texas one sticks because it was like, the first one held in the U.S. I think. Fight had to be called a draw because it went too long, curfew set in. Basically, it’s falls count anywhere. Anything goes, you have to pin your opponent and then make sure he or she stays down for a 10 count.”
The doctor made a tsk sound as she nodded. “Sounds positively barbaric. All the more reason it will be a good thing when you win. You can help fight to make New Edge a better promotion where the health and safety of the wrestlers is respected.”
To her credit, the doctor seemed to be right. Another round of some deep meditation had her feeling better. Better enough that she decided to do her first on camera promo. After all, Johnny might be busy with Hunter, but she wasn’t going to be distracted.
The camera comes on to show Val is shown laying near the front of the boat, sunbathing, she wears her bikini. Val lays there, eyes closed as if tuning the world out before she holds up her iphone. “So like, Johnny Stylez wants to belittle the intellect of others while at the same time proving what a complete and utter doofus he is.”
She sits up into a seated position leaning back and resting on her hands after setting the iphone down. Finally, she gives the camera smile, a wink and a blown kiss. “Like, wrap your brain around this. Johnny Stylez, has taken to calling me a Girl Scout.” She stares into the camera, blinks, and mouths ‘ wow.’ before rolling her eyes. “Like, look you freaking moron, I like, dunno how to tell you this, but the actual Girl Scouts are nothing like their male counterparts. See the Boy scouts might have..troubles that I’m not going to get into here because I’m like, not cutting a promo on the Boy Scouts, I’m cutting one on you. The Girl Scouts actually do good. They raise money, help the poor, give to other charitable causes and learn about how to think about someone other than themselves..”
Val nods. “And that’s the problem with you, isn’t Johnny boy? You’ve like never once.. In your entire worthless life ever thought about anyone else except Johnny. Maybe that might be why Jesse might be literally the only person in this fed hoping you win. Maybe this is why you are only saved from being the least popular member of the fed by the fact that Hunter Valentyne is also on the roster.” Val smirks. “And sure, you’ll play mr. tough and pretend like it doesn’t bother you. But it’s a lie. The worst kind of lie, in fact. The lie to yourself. I know you’re, like, totally full of crap when you claim you don’t mind being alone. Now, you like, wanna lie to yourself. Fine. Go ahead.. But here’s a dose of truth you can’t run from. Can’t hide from.”
Val shrugs. “Jesse Styles and his assistant haven’t exactly been quiet about the fact that you roofied him. I hope for your sake that Hunter and his lawyer pulling one over on Jesse didn’t happen to have happened while he was drugged because then you might have, in a very real way, assisted Hunter Valentyne.”
Val looks at the camera. “But you’re an honorable man so.. Oh wait, you’re not. A lying little degenerate that can’t be trusted. Now. More truth? Sure, let’s go. Now, like, I’ll admit I don’t watch every single tweet everyone sends, but of the tweets I’ve seen from you, it seems like you’re pushing events, or matches, or feds. 2 other feds for every 1 NEW tweet you send. Again, I, like, might be wrong… but from what I’ve seen, Mr. NEW you ain’t. Meanwhile you won’t find a single tweet from me mentioning any fed other than NEW. Am I wrestling for other feds? Like, possibly, but they aren’t affiliated with NEW so I give Mr. Styles the respect of not using his fed to push some other place.”
Val shugs, “Now. Why did you drug Jesse? Because you wanted to. Because you’re too much of a child to come to him, put your hand on his shoulder and say.” Val clears her throat and does her best Johnny Stylez impression. “Hey cuZ I tHinK yOu nEeD tO rElAx A bIt and taKe LoAd ofF!” She shrugs. “No, You couldn’t be an actual friend. An actual ally, an actual family member. You decided it would be funny to drug him and see what happened? I wonder, did you like, even have the integrity to apologize to him? Or did you laugh it off and get upset that he didn’t see the joke?”
Val sighs. “You push yourself to be a legit World Champ. Someone who cares about NEW. But do you really? I’m serious, Johnny, do you actually care about this place? Or does your concern about this place extend only so far as to what it can do for you? I told Jesse Styles this during NEW’s unofficial Spring Break and I’ll tell the fed, the fans and you right now.”
Val takes a deep breath. “I… love this place. I got my start as a pro wrestler in the Indies. We’ve all been there, cutting our teeth. Some of us started at like, the bottom of the freakin’ barrel. Gym halls. My first ever pro wrestling match? Some high school gym in the middle of nowhere Ohio. That led to me getting some work which got me into the first big indie fed I was in. A regional fed based in the Midwest. But we all hit that point, right? Where we’re too good for the minor leagues but the major leagues aren’t always willing to take the risk and sign us.”
Val shrugs. “I got every kind of rejection you can get. ‘You’re a Mexican, strike 1. You’re a GIRL, strike 2. You have no big league exp. Strike 3, get lost.’ ‘You’re too violent.’ ‘You’re a garbage wrestler.’ ‘We dun do that nacho libre bullshit..’ ‘you’re not PC. You swear too much. You’re not family friendly” Val shrugs. “One fed. One fed gave me a chance. New. Edge. Wrestling. Jesse Styles took a chance on me when like, no one else would. Signed me to a global fed and ended up laughing all the way to the bank when his bet paid off and I blew up. I have ambition sure. But I came back to this fed, because Jesse Styles came to me and asked me.”
Val nods. “Now, first Pay per view since NEW rose from the dead.. Again. NEW is a lot like me it seems, no matter how hard people try, it just refuses to die. But I digress. Our match. Texas Death Match. I don’t lose these, Johnny. Never have. Don’t plan on starting now. Once more, the World Title is within my grasp. When I came back into NEW HQ, I made a promise to myself to prove to myself that beating Matt Slater wasn’t a fluke. I want that belt. Partially for me. Partially because I believe I’d be a better champ than you would be. A more marketable one, for sure. My merch is selling with all fans from all demographics. I’m actually….” Val gasps. “A role model! Someone that like, people can look up to. And I’ve not lost a step ever since I grew up and left the tasmanian devil act behind. That’s it for now. I’m coming for my belt, ‘Champ’ and well…” The camera moves in and Val looks straight into the camera. “I’m like.. Totes going to beat you until you can’t stand. I’ll break your leg if I need to, K?” She asks, giving a disturbingly happy smile despite the threat to health and body she verbalizes. The promo ends.
Val stands, leaning against the building she’s outside of, blowing a bubble as she reviews her checklist. Valora would have inwardly been nervous about coming to Texas, given certain political realities happening at the moment. And given her inability to keep her mouth shut, Valora would likely have ended up in legal trouble.
That was not a problem for Val, however. Looking at her checklist, she nods. Party bus? Check. Wouldn’t be as cool as LA or Vegas, but Austin was closer to where Blair needed to be for her big day. Party bus? Check. Val had original planned on the Hustler shop in LA or Vegas, but that was easily substituted. It was shocking the number of porn shops in the South. Bible Belt indeed. So sexy Lingerie shop and entertainment? Checkity check. Bar crawl? Pfft. Bars were totes not a problem in Texas. Liquor was definitely a check. Hotel at the end, misc. Entertainment there. Also a check. Val had some options ready. Was she really done? Yes! Yes, it looked like she was!
Val pushed off from the wall and did a little dance in celebration. She had everything ready to go and fired off a text to Blair and the rest of the bridal party giving the itinerary and meet up info. She made her way along the sidewalk and ducked into a grocery store. She needed a few things.
She bought a few packs of gum, A water bottle, and a few other items. After making her purchase, she headed to her car and put them inside, securing them and then deciding to break for lunch. Walking into a taco bell for some tacos, she does so, buying a few and a drink to go along with it. After filing the drink with pepsi, she turns and is surprised when she sees…
Dixie blinked. “Well I’ll be.. Valora Salinas!” Val smiles and nods. “Dixie. I’m like, surprised you’re not back in NEW!” Dixie smiles and nods. “Oh, Jesse did send out feelers. But I’m a bit busy at the school at the moment. Trainin’ wrestlers is a full time job! Maybe that will change at some point, but we’ll see. I see y’all takin’ on Johnny Stylez for the World Title!” Val nods. “Oh, I know. I only have the one student and that takes a lot of time. Also, yes. I’m totes fightin’ Johnny Stylez.” Val nods in as she talks. Dixie nods. “Well, I hope y’all tan his hide and whoop that sum’bitch’s ass from one side of Fort Worth to the other.” Val giggles. “That’s like, totes the plan!”
Val and Dixie had lunch together and then went their separate ways. Val made her way to her next stop. It’s that time again for her to give another promo.
The camera comes on to showcase Layla Davis and Val sitting on a soundstage where the New Edge Wrestling logo sign has been put up for this session. Layla opens.
Layla Davis - “Welcome New Edge Fans! Layla Davis here. As you all know, New Edge is heading towards its first pay per view since returning, Tension in Texas. Last week on Ignite, we saw a number of moments from past iterations of this show and joining me now for the big pre-fight interview is New Edge Hall of Famer from the class of 2014, Former New Edge World Champion, Former 2 time New Edge Wrestling Trans-Atlantic Champion, former New Edge Wrestling Tag Team Champion. Val Salinas!”
Val lets out the smallest of sighs at the name but lets the minor mistake go for now as she smiles and nods.
Val S. - “Thanks Layla, happy to be here.”
Layla smiles and nods
Layla Davis - “Alright, well before we get to the main event of both the pay per view and this interview, I wanted to get your thoughts about New Edge in general and the other matches on the card. First of all, New Edge is back. For the most part, it seems that NEW has picked up where it left off, and with a great mix of NEW vets like you, Hunter Valentyne, Roger Wright, Blair Buchannan and Johnny Stylez and Father Nathan and mixing that with an influx of new and young talent. What are your thoughts about the State of NEW as it stands right now?”
Val thinks for a moment and shrugs, nodding.
Val - “Well obviously, we’ve got a pretty solid roster. Jesse Styles, like totes deserves the credit for this too. He convinced us vets to come back and went out and found new talent. He’s always had a pretty good eye for talent and that’s definitely continued in this latest incarnation of New Edge Wrestling.”
Layla Davis - “Okay, I have to say.. Last Ignite NEW fans finally got what we have wanted for ages. Val vs. Jesse Styles. Unfortunately, you were on the receiving end of the Hype Kick. Thoughts? Jesse has been mocked for using a ‘basic’ move as his finisher and those fans might point to it failing to put you down for the count as proof of this. Thoughts?”
Val rolls her eyes and sighs
Val - “Well, like.. I dun wanna insult our fans, but moves they consider basic are still dangerous. The DDT is considered ‘basic’ yet if I can easily mess up someone’s neck or give them a concussion. Oh and add a steel chair and it’s not so basic, as Johnny Stylez could tell you.”
Val winks at the camera here and continues.
Val - “Nathan gets stick for his Heart punch. As someone who has been on the receiving end of that, it’s like no joke when your heart skips a beat. Now, Jesse and the Hype kick. Jesse has a long list of people he’s knocked out cold with that damn kick. I lucked out because I moved faster than he expected and thus he had to speed up the kick. The Hype Kick or Super Kick relies on timing. Measuring your opponent and hitting them just right. If I had moved the way he expected he woulda likely turned my lights out.”
Layla Davis - Tension in Texas. 5 fighters fighting for a shot of a title of their choice. This potentially impacts you given your match. And your student Abbigail is in it.”
Val - “Oh yeah, that match is going to be great! I think Father Nathan and Abbigail are my faves to win. But just about anyone in that match can win. When you have multi-competitor matches, it becomes chaotic real quick and a smart person who times things just right can steal a win.”
Layla Davis - Your Best friend, Blair Buchannan faces Bianca Davis for the Trans Atlantic Title. How do you see this playing out?
Val - “Like, I’ve looked at Bianca Davis and like, so far the thing she does best is make excuses for why she loses matches. As someone who has fought Blair Buchannan for the Trans-Atlantic, I can tell you, she loves that title. She wants that belt, she is definitely talented enough to take that belt and if Bianca wants to make her mark as a champion here in New Edge, she had better like, totes bring her A game or else my bestie is going to add another Trans-Atlantic Title reign to her resume.”
Layla Davis - Now your match. Johnny Stylez, the World Champ. You. Texas Death Match. Now, I’m a wrestling nerd, so I know you have never, in any fed, lost a Texas Death Match. But in New Edge Wrestling, you’ve had a history with the belt. You have had more than a few World Title matches and have only held the belt once. There is also the age factor. You’re about Tom Brady aged but you’re also not as healthy in given your past injuries, your career and diet and such. Basically, this might be the last ever chance you get to be World Champ”
Val is silent for long moments, wrapping her lips around the straw and sips her drink as she finally answers.
Val - “Yeah. I’ve been in some big matches, some of those for the world title and shock, sometimes In lost. It happens. But I wouldn’t say only 1 reign as world champ. Most fighters will never even get one reign as World Champ. Now, obviously, I feel I can and will win this time, but I don’t feel like I have to win this match. If I somehow lose this match, I feel confident I can earn another shot at the belt before I reach the end of my in-ring career.”
Val pauses here to think before continuing.
Val - And yeah, the Texas Death Match would like, totes have to be considered my signature match. It’s been a few years since I’ve fought in one, but I’m ready to go and feel up to the task.”
Layla Davis - And your opponent? At Ignite, you knocked him out cold and put him through a table. You seem confident you can win here at the Pay per view too Your thoughts on things with the Champ?”
Val - Heh, Johnny Stylez. To be fair, I kinda knocked both him and me out. I just happened to pin him before I passed out. I am totes confident I can beat him. Johnny Stylez is distracted. He uses the belt for himself, not to do his job as the face of the franchise. He couldn’t tell you a thing about most of the fighters on the roster which means he has no idea about the fed he represents at the moment. He’s busy picking a fight with Hunter Valentyne. And he never earned the title in the first place. I’ve been calling him a paper champion because he’s only the champ on paper. Jesse handed him the title. Now, between him and the current person who calls himself Roger Wright but doesn’t act or fight like him? It was the lesser of two evils. At least we know Johnny Stylez is a live and has a pulse and isn’t a zombie masquerading as a professional wrestler. But now, Johnny boy has to actually beat me. And beat me enough to keep me down for the pinfall and a 10 count after. Maybe he can do that. But like, I don’t think he can.”
Layla Davis - Well it’s definitely going to be a big time match and you make some interesting points. Now. I’m just curious. Does Johnny Stylez have any good points?”
Val - Of course. He is a skilled fighter. That’s what makes his propensity for cheating so infuriating. He could be a great fighter just on his talent. I have no illusions. This isn’t going to be easy. I don’t expect to just waltz in and take the belt. I know I’m going to go through hell. Johnny Stylez doesn’t seem to think the same. He seems to think he will just walk in, have the belt handed to him and walk out. He’d better be ready for hell because he’s going to have to cripple or kill me to keep that belt.
Layla Davis - And that’s all we have time for. Good luck, Val! I am eager to see this pay per view!
The camera fades to black.
Val and Blair and the other members of the Bridal party are on the party bus. Music is playing and the DJ on the bus has decided to play random songs from various decades. While the others are dancing and singing along, Val notices Blair not having so much fun and plops down next to her. “Like, what’s up?” Blair looks up and smiles. “Just nervous. We talked about this before. I don’t have the best record in marriages.”
Val smiles and nods. “Well, yeah but David is a great guy. He is not insane. He is not just out for himself or using you or anything. I’d say you learned from the past mistakes and got yourself a quality partner!”
Blair smiles and nods. “I know you’re right but it’s still there gnawing at me.” Val nods. “That’s the negative energy. The tangled mess tell us we don’t deserve good things, that we’re not good enough, that something bad must be going on. Come on. Let’s do this step by step. Ignore it for a couple of hours and we’ll build from there.”
The party bus finally reached its end and the girls dismounted. Blair still in her head about the upcoming wedding, and even modeling lingerie and enjoying that portion of the party wasn’t seeming to help much, though Blair did get into it when Val came out in sexy, silk lingerie that clung to her body showing the woman’s natural beauty. Blair whistled and threw out a few cat calls. Val winked and took an extra sexy pose in reply and was happy to see this seemed to be helping Blair loosen up and have some fun.
Things picked up during the bar crawl. Sexy women on a bachelorette party, alcohol. One of the stops included a lesbian nightclub, this chosen to make sure guys who had too much to drink interrupted the party. Val and Naomi, encouraged by Blair, hit the dance floor first and dancing while ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna played. Naomi then during the dance, leaned in and whispered something in Val’s ear. In a crowded nightclub, no one saw the subtle reaction Val had to whatever was said. Naomi then put in a couple requests and then walked over to Blair, giving Val a playful smack on the ass as she went by. Sensing the opening another woman jumped in and Val and the stranger danced as ‘Can’t Get you out of my head’ by Kylie Minogue played, though Val snuck glimpses over towards Blair and the bridal party. Naomi smirked looking at Blair. “Better go save Val before she gets carted off.” Blair let out a laugh and made her way over to the pair, cutting in as the song ended.
Blair and Val then decided to do some dancing before moving on to the next bar/nightclub on the list and, noticing they were attracting stares and attention the two decided to have some fun and the two did some really hot and heavy dancing, including the ever popular dance as close to the person as possible without actually touching them, dance, this dance being done to ‘Love Game’ by Lady Gaga.
After the bar crawl, they made their way back to the hotel. This led to a very high room service tab, some noise complaints as a bunch of drunk, partying women sang karaoke, badly, much to the annoyance of.. Let’s say most of the guests on the floor.
Inside the hotel room, Val was both euphoric at how well the party was going and also dealing with a number of things building up inside of her. Alcohol doing what it does best, removing inhibitions. Things were coming to a head as Val sat down, her and Blair cheering on Naomi who was singing with Blair and Val cheering her on. Val then turning to Blair and smiling. “Feeling better?” Blair laughs and nods, taking a big drink. “Oh, definitely. I think this was just what I needed.”
As the two talked, Naomi sang and Val didn’t consciously hear what she sang or the note used, she was too lost in the flood of emotions pent up. She wasn’t sure if these emotions had always been there just repressed, if they were the result of hormones and alcohol or something else. What she was aware of, is that before she even knew what was happening, she had leaned across and kissed Blair, deeply and passionately. Val couldn’t stop and was preparing herself for a hard slap and an angry Blair. She was not prepared for Blair to return the kiss, and definitely not prepared for Blair’s tongue in her mouth…everything faded to black and from her memory from there…
Val blinked and groaned. She was half on and half off the bed. This was not an unusual wake up position for Val. She was naked. This was slightly more unusual since Val had gotten used to nightwear with Abbigail around.
Val stretched and yawned before turning to her head and she saw a sight that shocked her awake. Blair Buchannan, also naked, was right next to her. Val’s eyes widened. “Holy Shit!!!!”
Blair held up a hand. “Mmm Swear jar.” Was all she said at first.
~~Fallout continued by Blair~~
~~NEW Presents Annihilation~~
~~June 13th, 2013~~
~~Cancun, Mexico~~
Valora lays on the mat, having locked an arm bar in on Matt Slater. Slater, the supposed expert on technical wrestling, as most Brits become well versed in, would normally know how to deal with this. But he is hot. He is tired. He is battered and beaten and he finally makes one mistake. Valora is also hot. She and Matt Slater have battled on the beach, surrounded by untold numbers of fans on a hot Cancun night. Valora is frustrated. She alters slightly where she applies the pressure. Instead of breaking the arm.. A pop is heard.
Matt Slater screams in agony as his shoulder is dislocated…
He puts the shoulder back into place by ramming his shoulder into the ring post.
His revenge comes swift as he hits Valora with the Shockwave and Valora is able to save herself only by getting her foot on the ring rope…
Jill Matthews: “Well it’s not quite over, but sadly I don’t know what Valora has left in the tank after that brutal shockwave.”
A little later in the match…
Matt Slater uses the Irish whip and sends Valora into the corner but Valora leaps to the top turnbuckle and leaps off, twisting her body in mid air for a cross body attempt but Slater catches her and transitions with a powerslam, planting Valora on the mat.. Slater takes a knee and wipes the blood from his mouth, signaling potential internal injuries.. He looks at the blood on his hand and glares at Valora, catching her as she struggles to her feet hitting a series of 3 German suplexes in a row, never breaking the hold until he tries for number 3 when Valora break out of the hold with a series of back elbow smashes to his face..
Valora brings Slater to the mat with a reverse DDT and leaps to the top turnbuckle and flies off, hitting a picture perfect shooting star press..
Vince Walters: I personally think if Valora wants to win she needs to get violent she needs to be that hardcore Icon.
Jill Mathews: I do not think she has any plans to do that in Mexico on this night.
The memory pauses as Val walks out, sipping her wine as she rolls her eyes, looking at the cordoned off Valora. “Like, see that, you lying bish. You were never World Champion Material. You needed Azteca to give you your first title and like, you totes are gonna need me to give you, your second.”
Valora: “Come over here and say, that, puta. Jesse Styles didn’t sign you. He signed me. And it was me on that night in Cancun. I won’t let you fuckin’ take credit for something you didn’t do. I am world title material!”
Val sips her wine and giggles. “Ohh sweetie. You really should stop lying to yourself. This match in Mexico was your last chance wasn’t it? Cause Mister Styles was tired of giving you World Title shots only for you to..” Val doesn’t finish the comment verbally but lifts a hand to her neck making a choking motion. “You’re just like the Rylee bish.. If there isn’t a weapon involved you can’t hack it. Kronin was like soo right about you. Slater was soo right. You’re like.. Just a garbage wrestler.. A freak show attraction. And I don’t need you anymore.”
Resuming the memory of Annihilation…
Valora tries for a roaring elbow, Slater ducks under it and hits an exploder suplex. Matt Slater crawls to the ropes and pulls himself up, breathing hard as he is exhausted. Valora lies on the mat breathing just as hard. The night, the Mexican atmosphere and the war these two legends of NEW have waged taking its toll..
Valora crawls to the opposite side of the ring, also using the ropes to pull herself up. Slater walks towards her but is surprised when she hits a spinning heel kick, Valora pulls Slater to his feet and uses the Irish whip, sending him into the corner hard and charging in right after him hitting him with a jumping knee and then bringing him out of the corner with a bulldog… Both get to their feet. Valora tries a running and flying crossbody but Matt Slater has scouted his opponent well and ducks, Valora crashing and burning hitting nothing but mat. Matt Slater brings her up to her feet and down with a fisherman suplex…
Matt Slater hooks Valora in his version of the Pedigree, the Dawn of Redemption. Valora falls flat on her face and escapes the move. Slater pulls her to her feet and tries a kick to the gut, but Valora dodges it, locking him in a side headlock and jumps onto the ropes, hitting a slingshot bulldog. Slater is on the mat. Valora makes her way to the top turnbuckle and leaps off, hitting her Aztec Moonsault
Vince Walters: Did he get his shoulder up in time?!
Jill Mathews: It would appear not!!!
Vince Walters: Wait you mean she did it?
Jill Mathews: YES SHE DID!
Vince Walters: Wow!
Jill Mathews: I am yelling ladies and gentlemen because the fans are going bonkers Valora there home country girl has finally done it she has become the NEW CHAMPION!
Vince Walters: My hat is off to both of them what a damned match what a main event!
Jill Mathews: They both showed why they are New Edge main eventers and on this night Valora reigns victorious!
Tom Davis: Here is your winner and NOW THE REIGNING NEW EDGE CHAMPION VALORA SALINAS!!!!!
Val comes back out doing a little hair toss as she drinks her wine. “So like. What did you do to make that happen? For once in your life, bish be honest with yourself. You knew you couldn’t lose that match. You also knew that you. ‘Valora’ couldn’t get the job done, because you never had. You relied on a curveball. Matt Slater was ready for you. The barbarian basic bish whose response to brute force not working is more of the same. So you went to the well, you dug out the mask and you had Azteca win the belt for you. Then you discarded the bish and took all the credit yourself.”
Val walks over to the area holding Valora back and smirks. “I beat Johnny Stylez. Right in the middle of the ring. Pfft. You really think you can beat him? That he isn’t ready for a basic bish, like you? Heh, As if!”
Valora leans back against the wall and rolls her eyes. “Sure that was all you, puta? Cause I seem to recall tables and ladders being involved. Almost seems like it was my area of expertise. What makes you think you’re better than me?”
Val tilts her head to the side as if considering Valora’s side of things. “Well, like… when Roger fucked off to work on being the next David Koresh or whatever. Shoot! That’ll be swear jar. Oh well, improvement is a process. Anyways, when Roger left us. You would have like, totally lost your shit. I took advantage.”
~~4th Ignite since the return of NEW~~
~~2/7/2024~~
~~Smoothie King Arena~~
~~New Orleans, Louisiana, USA~~
Valora reaches out for the tag. She makes eye contact with Roger Wright, those cold dead eyes looking at her but seemingly not seeing anything as he drops down from the ring apron and walks off. This is the memory Val referred to. The moment where Valora would have lost her shit. Her anger and rage causing her to waste time and energy throwing a barrage of insults, pounding the mat in frustration. Distracting herself. Jesse Styles, positioned behind Valora, is clearly expecting that…
But Valora was not in the ring. Val was. Val, with the eerie calm of the true psychopath, watches this new development and her cold, ruthless brain makes the calculations. 2 to 1 now. Need to even the odds. Jesse is closest to her so he will be the one who gets crossed off. He’s a brawler. He never guards his legs…
Jesse Styles is surprised for a couple of seconds when instead of losing her shit, Val turns Jesse is forced to do his Hype kick sooner than planned, which is likely why the move fails to put Val away. Then he makes the mistake of making the match no DQ…
Valora claps. “Very impressive the way he nailed your ass with the Hype kick. No wonder he likes you, you’ll put him over and make him look like superman.” Val gives Val the talk to the hand gesture and sticks her tongue out. “Umm you blind bish? How many people has Jesse Styles knocked the f..knocked out with that kick? You see how he had to speed up the move. He like, was totes expecting someone to lose their cool and waste precious time and energy. I turned and yeah, I took one on the mouth. Speaking of taking one in the mouth…” Val leans forward. “I’m in control of your body. Be careful bish you maybe you’ll get to watch while some cute guy gets lucky.”
Valora makes the vomit gesture and again gets the ‘talk to the hand’ gesture. “Oh bish please.. You got a daughter somehow. The one smart and good thing you did.. You realized you were too much of a mess to be responsible for another human life.” Valora gets angry here and Val holds up a finger. “Chill. I’m like super serial here. You gave her a better life. It was totes the right call. Maybe I’ll tell her who she is. It would like, totes explain why you’re training her.”
Val struggles to get to her feet, Johnny plants her on the mat with a spinebuster. He and Jesse stand with chairs at the ready. Val, out of the corner of her eye sees Abbigail enter the ring and tackle Johnny, the chair hitting Johnny in the face. Jesse kicks Abbigail in back of the head and goes to fight Hunter at Ringside while Abbigail rolls out of the ring to recover…
Val sees her chance as she looks at Johnny trying to pull himself to the his feet. Val picks up the chair and looks at it. Johnny looks just in time to see Val jump into the air and dropkick the chair into his face. Johnny hits the ground like a ton of bricks and she calmly drops the chair onto the mat, positioning it with her foot. She then takes a knee and sets up the table in the middle of the ring. She pulls Johnny up to his feet, he throws a few punches which miss because of Val’s skill at dodging them and because the dazed World Champ is aiming at the wrong Val. Val plants Johnny Stylez onto the chair with a double arm DDT and Johnny lays there, not moving. Val nods as she picks up the 15ft ladder and sets it up before making her way over and pulling Johnny Stylez to a fireman’s carry position, moving over to the table before laying him on the table. She climbs the ladder and leaps off, hitting the Aztec moonsault, driving herself and Johnny through the table but is just able to get an arm over Johnny…
Valora leans back against the confines of the space she’s in. “So tell me, did you even hear the three count? I’d bet you didn’t.” Val rolls her eyes. “Like, whatever. Hey, when was the last time you won a handicap match against two A-list competitors? Cause I’m pretty sure I just did that.”
Chapter 2: Meanwhile, in the Real World:
Val took another drink of wine. She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but she was nervous. She made a good show of confidence on twitter. Indeed, her, Blair and Hunter all seemed to be living rent free inside Johnny’s head, as some would say. Val could blame Valora all she wanted. But the record was there. 1 World Title reign. A lot of World Title matches where she failed. There was a lot on the line. NEW wrestlers. NEW fans, other wrestlers familiar with Johnny Stylez. All were rooting for and hoping for Val to end his reign as World Champ.
And to win the World Title, Val needed to win a Texas Death Match.
On one hand, this was a sign that Val’s PR campaign had worked. The Texas Death match was her specialty match. She had never, in her career, lost one. On the other hand, such a match was also a perfect opportunity for Jesse to get involved and hand Johnny Stylez the title one more time. She had a contingency if that happened, but depending on how the 5 way match went earlier that night Abbigail may or may not be to really make an impact.
Still, the point was, Val had a plan. She also had one hella busy schedule ahead of her. Taking a drink of her wine she looked at the schedule before her. She had wrestled at Ignite. She had a bachelorette party and a wedding to attend before then. While planning her schedule and how best to allot her time, she got the invite from Jesse. Valora would have blown this off, but Val. Val was a lot more savvy than that. She saw this as an opportunity. Best case scenario? She convinces Jesse to help her. Her goal? Convince Jesse to remain neutral. Him simply withdrawing support would be enough to severely hamper Johnny Stylez. Worst Case? She’s where she is right now. In other words, this was low risk, potential high payoff so she responded she’d be there.
Chapter 3, Spring Break, Bish!
~~Jesse Styles’ Florida Getaway~~
~~Sometime during NEW’s Spring Break~~
~~[Redacted by Order of Jesse Styles], Florida~~
Valora found herself, sipping her wine or perhaps other drink from her Stanley cup as she sat across from Jesse Styles. Jesse decides to try and get to the bottom of this himself. “Oh, Val. I’m sorry. You thought I meant you can come as a guest? No, no. I meant you can mow my lawn, maybe clean my house. Even had a maid uniform sized for you.” This would work, surely. If there was one sure way to piss Val off. Racism was it. Jesse was prepared for any number of reactions. Except the one he got. Val wrapped her lips around her straw, took a drink and smirked. “Aww, you’re like.. Totes adorable! Now, I could return an insult, but I’m trying to get a goal accomplished so I’ll be nice and wait until you’re ready to talk.” Jesse was not deterred and shrugged. “Well shit, if I knew one Hype kick would be enough to bring you in line, I’d kicked you first time we met! Gotta tell you it was so much fun to finally get to knock you the fuck out.” There was no way she wouldn’t take this bait.
Val calmly sat there and nodded. “Except. You.. like didn’t knock me the F out. You knocked me down. Then you went after that like.. Total mongoloid Hunter and I beat your cousin into the middle of next week.”
Jesse was shocked, and a bit worried. “I will pay you $15,000 to say ‘Fuck’ Just once. I won’t tell anyone.” Val nodded. “Well like.. I’d know. But like, the better question is why offer so much for one little word?”
Jesse leaned forward. “Because I’ve spent a shit ton of money building up the main event of Tension in Texas. This is our first pay per view since coming back. The Main event is one of the most important in company history. Johnny Stylez vs. Valora Salinas in a Texas Death Match. Your specialty match. Now, we’re closing in on showtime and I have a World Champ more concerned with Hunter fuckin’ Valentyne than the pay per view and I’ve got a challenger who spent a weekend with Blair and now seems like she’s trying out for real house wives of beverly hills or some shit!”
Val sat there calmly, listening to his outburst. Valora would have missed the chance here. Would have gotten emotional and responded back. Val, on the other hand, leaned forward and smiled. “Well, I can’t make that show. Not married. Anywho, let’s talk about your dilemma. I’ve been a good girl so far. Got on social media. Pushed the match. Even pushed you. I’ve been all over working for you. Now, with respect, Mr. Styles, I think you’re slightly wrong in what you’re looking at. Let me, if I might, paint you a picture about the opportunity you have.”
Jesse leaned back in his chair with a sigh and waved his hand. Val nodded. “Now, Starting with the paper champ who is only a champ because of you, and that was the right call. I dunno what Roger Wright’s damage is, but it’s clear he’s like.. Not willing to do what a champ has to do. I, like, totes woulda made sure Johnny came out champ too. But now, now you have a totally different choice.”
Jesse nods, happy with how Val began this. “Glad someone sees that. So, what is this different choice now? Bear in mind, this is my cousin we’re talking about.” “Right. I totes get that. First, you and me. New Edge Wrestling was the very first global fed to give me a contract. I made my name here. I was an up and comer to be sure, but it was my tenure here that made me a talent that every fed wants on their roster. Unlike some of these peeps in the fed. I haven’t tried running my own fed. I haven’t run off and left New Edge to play in someone else’s sandbox. Everytime I have left for another fed, it was either because New Edge had closed down, or I stayed at New Edge and wrestled here too. Every time you asked me to come back here, I came back here. You keep asking me back here for a reason. You agreed to pay me LeBron James money for a reason. That reason is you know I’m loyal. You know you can, like totes count on me to deliver a good show. Put fans in the stands and now, you can like, totes feel good about me as a face of the franchise type. I’m like definitely a much more marketable asset than Johnny.”
Val took a breath here. Jesse seemed to be listening and also seemed to appreciate the truth of the fact that Val recognized NEW’s role in her career and he was, at times, even nodding, being forced to agree that she was a loyal and dependable talent. “Mr. Styles. I’ve spent most of my time in this company fighting you. Trying to one up you. Fun as that is, it’s not what’s best for the company right now. Johnny drugged you. Forced you to endure a very bad parody of the Hangover, and made you look a fool. Now, if I learned anything both from fighting against your influence and watching you fight others in this company it’s that you’re not a fool. I’m ready to work with you. I’m also not asking you to screw over your cousin. If you decide to help me, I wouldn’t argue.. But all I’m asking is to let your cousin stand on his own.”
Jesse kept his face and thus clues on what he might be thinking fairly neutral but it seemed clear he was thinking, perhaps considering Val’s words. For her part Val nodded. “Look. We’ve tried hating each other. That was fun. Had some laughs. Made some money. But. We could work together and make like All the money. And I won’t drug you. Ask youself this, Mr. Styles. Have you like, ever once regretted having me on your roster?”
Jesse sighed. “...No. I suppose I haven’t, But you just asked me to team up with you and right after saying you don’t need me to help you win the belt.” Val nods. “Well, obviously, I’m not going to be stupid enough to refuse or get angry at your help. But that is not what I’m asking for either. I’m asking for you to ensure it’s Johnny Stylez vs. me. I mean if you want him to stay champ, you don’t need to interfere. The odds are I’ll find a way to lose on my own anyways. You remember in Cancun. Annihilation? You threatened to make sure I didn’t get another World Title shot for at least 6 months if not longer if I didn’t beat Slater for the title.”
Jesse smiled and nodded, enjoying the trip back. “I needed to motivate you. It worked.” Val nods, sipping from her cup. “You’re totes right on the nail, it worked. That is the best moment of my life, Jesse Styles. You gave that to me. Would Johnny honestly say that and like, could you really believe him if he did? I love New Edge Wrestling, Jesse. I know what’s on the line at Tension in Texas. Not just titles. Not just matches deciding who gets next in line. This is our first pay per view since coming back. We need to get this right. I’m confident I can do my part.”
Jesse nods and shrugs. “You sound nervous.” “Well, duh, silly. Anyone who isn’t nervous before a big match like this is a fool. But you booked my signature match. All I’m saying is let me fight it. It’s really just that simple. More than that, it’s good for business.”
Jesse nodded. “You keep saying that. I don’t disagree with you. But let’s say that, hypothetically, I planned to pick a preferred champion, maybe even was willing to ensure my pick won the match. Not only is Johnny family, but he is also a known quantity. I know what I’m getting with him. Same can’t be said with you. I never would have thought, for instance, that you and Blair would be on the same side again, or that you’d sign up for her hippy bullshit. So how do you make a better champion? Or more to the point, how do I know you as champ helps New Edge and not.. Whatever fuckin’ group you’re with.”
Val nodded. “Well, I’d remind you, that if one takes a trip through New Edge History, Blair and I turned into rivals because we were like, totes being scheduled against each other constantly. Then when that alone wasn’t enough to get the desired result, the Trans-Atlantic title was thrown into the mix. Think you and Kronin.. By the time your final match came, you two were ready to kill each other because you two had been fighting each other in and out of the ring for quite some time. As for who is helped by me as champ. ‘Porque no los dos?’ why not both? It can be a good thing for both New Edge and the Collective. I’m not even trying to sell you on anything other than letting Johnny and I settle it in the ring. Now.. is there anything outside of the match you would like to talk about Mr. Styles?”
Jesse leaned back in his chair. There were a few options here, but he decided to start small. “Alright, fuck it, I’ll bite. Why’d you really come back? You could have had the satisfaction of telling me to fuck off. It was clear when I came to you that the roles were reversed. So… why?”
Val giggled and shook her head. “Like, haven’t you been listening? When I outgrew the indies, I wanted to step up to the big leagues. Know what I heard? ‘You’re not PC enough, Valora. You’re too violent. You’re too racist. You’re not family friendly. You’re a psycho. You’re a garbage wrestler. Then New Edge came along. You gave me a shot. For once, I wasn’t stuck in a fed where I was better than at least 75% of the roster. I was surrounded by talent that pushed me to be at my best. I have never once forgotten that everything I have today, was built on the foundation of lessons I learned right here. Plus, I’m a Hall of Famer. You asked me for help. You said New Edge needed me. I won’t beat a dead horse because I know I’ve done a bit of that already.. You can say I’m making up for the years where I didn’t say it. But you and I have the same problem, Jesse. We’re both addicted to this place.. This sport. I always said I would die in that ring one of these days. As soon as you asked, I was going to come back.”
Jesse nods and lets out a laugh. “Almost sounds like I could screw you over and not pay a penalty for it. Tell you what, I want a sign of trust from you, Ms. Don’t Trust Anyone.”
Val shrugs, sipping from her cup. “Maybe. Maybe not. Probably best we don’t find out. As for a secret? A sign of Trust? Want me to be vulnerable with you, boss?” Val sighs and takes the leap letting out a heavy breath. “If you were to ask me to rank the top 3 titles I’ve ever held. Number 1 would be the New Edge World title. Number 2 would be a tie between the New Edge Trans-Atlantic Title and the CWF Elite Championship. Number 3 would be the loser of number 2. Either way you cut it, 2 out of 3 of my fave champs of all time, the belts that mean the most to me in my trophy cases come from here.” Val paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts here for a moment before she continued. “I don’t know how much time I have left in my career, boss. I’m not the young upstart anymore and while Blair and the Collective are doing wonders at getting my body ready to compete I…was not kind to my body for a long time. For all I know, this is my last shot at the belt and.. I need it. I know I shouldn’t but I need that belt one more time. To prove to myself and the fans that it wasn’t a fluke the first time around. I know he’s your family but if I have to put Johnny in the hospital. If I have to cripple him, if I have to beat him to death. I absolutely will, kay?”
Jesse didn’t show it, but there was something a lot more scary and intimidating about the calm, almost giddy way Val spoke about the level of violence she was prepared to unleash. He almost missed Valora’s usual style. “Thank you. Believe it or not, that means a lot to me. Now, obviously, I’m not going to give you an answer other than. I don’t need you, or Blair, or her husband or Johnny or anyone else to tell me what’s good for business. I’ll make that determination myself and when the match comes around, we’ll just see what happens.”
Val nods. “Oh fair enough, Mr. Bossman. Just saying. I find it odd that before the World Title match, the paper champ is focused on someone other than lil ol’ me. Now, I might almost take that as an insult. I-” Val winced again, putting a hand to her head, gritting her teeth and nods, letting out a breath. “Whoo. Damn headache. Maybe we should both get back to relaxing and worry about business later.”
Jesse nodded and the two went back about their activities at the spring break. Val had to admit that, while definitely not planned, that headache attack had worked wonders for her. If he was intending to help Johnny, there was approximately zero chance he would not mention to Johnny that Val was less than 100%. That meeting might also give Jesse the impression she was desperate. To an extent, she was. She was concerned that her 1 World Title reign was a fluke and desperately wanted to get her hands on the belt at least one more time before her career ended. She maybe was not as desperate as she might have come across, but Johnny Stylez was also distracted. He built ten times the effort and time into picking a fight with Hunter than with driving and building hype for this match.
~~Behind the Scenes~~
~~Blair’s Estate~~
~~Post New Edge Spring Break, enroute to Texas~~
~~Baton Rouge, Louisiana~~
Valora sat in the office with her therapist and one of her handlers. Who looked at her and nodded. “How often are you having these headaches and how severe?” Val sighs. “They’re, like, super severe. Like brain freeze times 100.” The doctor nodded. “I think this is due mostly to the changes. I mean you’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. It’s natural to feel some..anxiety and stress. Some doubt and confusion. This sounds like a stress headache. I’ll get you another round in the meditation chamber.. Stripping away all the noise of the outside world.. Some private time with just you and the affirmations and meditations..” Val smiled and nodded. “Thanks! I’m sure that’ll totes help.” She says before pausing. “I think you’re totally right about the anxiety and stress.. I can’t stop thinking about the World Title match.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, it’s a big match.” Val nodded. “World Title. Only managed to get that belt once in my career. And now, the current champ is just.. “ She waves her hand and rolls her eyes as she drinks her wine. “A disgrace. No professionalism. No class. Just an overgrown manchild. But.. while I’ve never lost a Texas Death Match, I’ve also struggled in World Title matches and Johnny does have the advantage of having Jesse Styles on his side, at least at the moment.”
The doctor nodded. “Your previous failures don’t define you. You’ve gotten rid of that negative energy. That wasted energy. Now, I’m not really familiar with the Texas Death Match.”
Val sighed and smiled a bit. “Technically, it’s just a ‘death match’ The location of the match can be added to the match. Japanese Death Match, Chicago Death Match, etc. The Texas one sticks because it was like, the first one held in the U.S. I think. Fight had to be called a draw because it went too long, curfew set in. Basically, it’s falls count anywhere. Anything goes, you have to pin your opponent and then make sure he or she stays down for a 10 count.”
The doctor made a tsk sound as she nodded. “Sounds positively barbaric. All the more reason it will be a good thing when you win. You can help fight to make New Edge a better promotion where the health and safety of the wrestlers is respected.”
To her credit, the doctor seemed to be right. Another round of some deep meditation had her feeling better. Better enough that she decided to do her first on camera promo. After all, Johnny might be busy with Hunter, but she wasn’t going to be distracted.
~~On-Camera Promo pt 1~~
~~Rented Boat~~
~~Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico~~
The camera comes on to show Val is shown laying near the front of the boat, sunbathing, she wears her bikini. Val lays there, eyes closed as if tuning the world out before she holds up her iphone. “So like, Johnny Stylez wants to belittle the intellect of others while at the same time proving what a complete and utter doofus he is.”
She sits up into a seated position leaning back and resting on her hands after setting the iphone down. Finally, she gives the camera smile, a wink and a blown kiss. “Like, wrap your brain around this. Johnny Stylez, has taken to calling me a Girl Scout.” She stares into the camera, blinks, and mouths ‘ wow.’ before rolling her eyes. “Like, look you freaking moron, I like, dunno how to tell you this, but the actual Girl Scouts are nothing like their male counterparts. See the Boy scouts might have..troubles that I’m not going to get into here because I’m like, not cutting a promo on the Boy Scouts, I’m cutting one on you. The Girl Scouts actually do good. They raise money, help the poor, give to other charitable causes and learn about how to think about someone other than themselves..”
Val nods. “And that’s the problem with you, isn’t Johnny boy? You’ve like never once.. In your entire worthless life ever thought about anyone else except Johnny. Maybe that might be why Jesse might be literally the only person in this fed hoping you win. Maybe this is why you are only saved from being the least popular member of the fed by the fact that Hunter Valentyne is also on the roster.” Val smirks. “And sure, you’ll play mr. tough and pretend like it doesn’t bother you. But it’s a lie. The worst kind of lie, in fact. The lie to yourself. I know you’re, like, totally full of crap when you claim you don’t mind being alone. Now, you like, wanna lie to yourself. Fine. Go ahead.. But here’s a dose of truth you can’t run from. Can’t hide from.”
Val shrugs. “Jesse Styles and his assistant haven’t exactly been quiet about the fact that you roofied him. I hope for your sake that Hunter and his lawyer pulling one over on Jesse didn’t happen to have happened while he was drugged because then you might have, in a very real way, assisted Hunter Valentyne.”
Val looks at the camera. “But you’re an honorable man so.. Oh wait, you’re not. A lying little degenerate that can’t be trusted. Now. More truth? Sure, let’s go. Now, like, I’ll admit I don’t watch every single tweet everyone sends, but of the tweets I’ve seen from you, it seems like you’re pushing events, or matches, or feds. 2 other feds for every 1 NEW tweet you send. Again, I, like, might be wrong… but from what I’ve seen, Mr. NEW you ain’t. Meanwhile you won’t find a single tweet from me mentioning any fed other than NEW. Am I wrestling for other feds? Like, possibly, but they aren’t affiliated with NEW so I give Mr. Styles the respect of not using his fed to push some other place.”
Val shugs, “Now. Why did you drug Jesse? Because you wanted to. Because you’re too much of a child to come to him, put your hand on his shoulder and say.” Val clears her throat and does her best Johnny Stylez impression. “Hey cuZ I tHinK yOu nEeD tO rElAx A bIt and taKe LoAd ofF!” She shrugs. “No, You couldn’t be an actual friend. An actual ally, an actual family member. You decided it would be funny to drug him and see what happened? I wonder, did you like, even have the integrity to apologize to him? Or did you laugh it off and get upset that he didn’t see the joke?”
Val sighs. “You push yourself to be a legit World Champ. Someone who cares about NEW. But do you really? I’m serious, Johnny, do you actually care about this place? Or does your concern about this place extend only so far as to what it can do for you? I told Jesse Styles this during NEW’s unofficial Spring Break and I’ll tell the fed, the fans and you right now.”
Val takes a deep breath. “I… love this place. I got my start as a pro wrestler in the Indies. We’ve all been there, cutting our teeth. Some of us started at like, the bottom of the freakin’ barrel. Gym halls. My first ever pro wrestling match? Some high school gym in the middle of nowhere Ohio. That led to me getting some work which got me into the first big indie fed I was in. A regional fed based in the Midwest. But we all hit that point, right? Where we’re too good for the minor leagues but the major leagues aren’t always willing to take the risk and sign us.”
Val shrugs. “I got every kind of rejection you can get. ‘You’re a Mexican, strike 1. You’re a GIRL, strike 2. You have no big league exp. Strike 3, get lost.’ ‘You’re too violent.’ ‘You’re a garbage wrestler.’ ‘We dun do that nacho libre bullshit..’ ‘you’re not PC. You swear too much. You’re not family friendly” Val shrugs. “One fed. One fed gave me a chance. New. Edge. Wrestling. Jesse Styles took a chance on me when like, no one else would. Signed me to a global fed and ended up laughing all the way to the bank when his bet paid off and I blew up. I have ambition sure. But I came back to this fed, because Jesse Styles came to me and asked me.”
Val nods. “Now, first Pay per view since NEW rose from the dead.. Again. NEW is a lot like me it seems, no matter how hard people try, it just refuses to die. But I digress. Our match. Texas Death Match. I don’t lose these, Johnny. Never have. Don’t plan on starting now. Once more, the World Title is within my grasp. When I came back into NEW HQ, I made a promise to myself to prove to myself that beating Matt Slater wasn’t a fluke. I want that belt. Partially for me. Partially because I believe I’d be a better champ than you would be. A more marketable one, for sure. My merch is selling with all fans from all demographics. I’m actually….” Val gasps. “A role model! Someone that like, people can look up to. And I’ve not lost a step ever since I grew up and left the tasmanian devil act behind. That’s it for now. I’m coming for my belt, ‘Champ’ and well…” The camera moves in and Val looks straight into the camera. “I’m like.. Totes going to beat you until you can’t stand. I’ll break your leg if I need to, K?” She asks, giving a disturbingly happy smile despite the threat to health and body she verbalizes. The promo ends.
~~Behind the Scenes~~
~~Planning for a Party!~~
~~Various Locales~~
~~Austin, Texas~~
That was not a problem for Val, however. Looking at her checklist, she nods. Party bus? Check. Wouldn’t be as cool as LA or Vegas, but Austin was closer to where Blair needed to be for her big day. Party bus? Check. Val had original planned on the Hustler shop in LA or Vegas, but that was easily substituted. It was shocking the number of porn shops in the South. Bible Belt indeed. So sexy Lingerie shop and entertainment? Checkity check. Bar crawl? Pfft. Bars were totes not a problem in Texas. Liquor was definitely a check. Hotel at the end, misc. Entertainment there. Also a check. Val had some options ready. Was she really done? Yes! Yes, it looked like she was!
Val pushed off from the wall and did a little dance in celebration. She had everything ready to go and fired off a text to Blair and the rest of the bridal party giving the itinerary and meet up info. She made her way along the sidewalk and ducked into a grocery store. She needed a few things.
She bought a few packs of gum, A water bottle, and a few other items. After making her purchase, she headed to her car and put them inside, securing them and then deciding to break for lunch. Walking into a taco bell for some tacos, she does so, buying a few and a drink to go along with it. After filing the drink with pepsi, she turns and is surprised when she sees…
Tarnations! It’s Dixie Clement!!!
(Former NEW Youngblood and Trans-Atlantic Champ!
*Record for longest reign as Youngblood Champ*)
Dixie blinked. “Well I’ll be.. Valora Salinas!” Val smiles and nods. “Dixie. I’m like, surprised you’re not back in NEW!” Dixie smiles and nods. “Oh, Jesse did send out feelers. But I’m a bit busy at the school at the moment. Trainin’ wrestlers is a full time job! Maybe that will change at some point, but we’ll see. I see y’all takin’ on Johnny Stylez for the World Title!” Val nods. “Oh, I know. I only have the one student and that takes a lot of time. Also, yes. I’m totes fightin’ Johnny Stylez.” Val nods in as she talks. Dixie nods. “Well, I hope y’all tan his hide and whoop that sum’bitch’s ass from one side of Fort Worth to the other.” Val giggles. “That’s like, totes the plan!”
Val and Dixie had lunch together and then went their separate ways. Val made her way to her next stop. It’s that time again for her to give another promo.
~~On Camera Promo Pt 2:~~
~~The Interview~~
~~Temporary NEW soundstage~~
~~Fort Worth, Texas~~
The camera comes on to showcase Layla Davis and Val sitting on a soundstage where the New Edge Wrestling logo sign has been put up for this session. Layla opens.
Layla Davis - “Welcome New Edge Fans! Layla Davis here. As you all know, New Edge is heading towards its first pay per view since returning, Tension in Texas. Last week on Ignite, we saw a number of moments from past iterations of this show and joining me now for the big pre-fight interview is New Edge Hall of Famer from the class of 2014, Former New Edge World Champion, Former 2 time New Edge Wrestling Trans-Atlantic Champion, former New Edge Wrestling Tag Team Champion. Val Salinas!”
Val lets out the smallest of sighs at the name but lets the minor mistake go for now as she smiles and nods.
Val S. - “Thanks Layla, happy to be here.”
Layla smiles and nods
Layla Davis - “Alright, well before we get to the main event of both the pay per view and this interview, I wanted to get your thoughts about New Edge in general and the other matches on the card. First of all, New Edge is back. For the most part, it seems that NEW has picked up where it left off, and with a great mix of NEW vets like you, Hunter Valentyne, Roger Wright, Blair Buchannan and Johnny Stylez and Father Nathan and mixing that with an influx of new and young talent. What are your thoughts about the State of NEW as it stands right now?”
Val thinks for a moment and shrugs, nodding.
Val - “Well obviously, we’ve got a pretty solid roster. Jesse Styles, like totes deserves the credit for this too. He convinced us vets to come back and went out and found new talent. He’s always had a pretty good eye for talent and that’s definitely continued in this latest incarnation of New Edge Wrestling.”
Layla Davis - “Okay, I have to say.. Last Ignite NEW fans finally got what we have wanted for ages. Val vs. Jesse Styles. Unfortunately, you were on the receiving end of the Hype Kick. Thoughts? Jesse has been mocked for using a ‘basic’ move as his finisher and those fans might point to it failing to put you down for the count as proof of this. Thoughts?”
Val rolls her eyes and sighs
Val - “Well, like.. I dun wanna insult our fans, but moves they consider basic are still dangerous. The DDT is considered ‘basic’ yet if I can easily mess up someone’s neck or give them a concussion. Oh and add a steel chair and it’s not so basic, as Johnny Stylez could tell you.”
Val winks at the camera here and continues.
Val - “Nathan gets stick for his Heart punch. As someone who has been on the receiving end of that, it’s like no joke when your heart skips a beat. Now, Jesse and the Hype kick. Jesse has a long list of people he’s knocked out cold with that damn kick. I lucked out because I moved faster than he expected and thus he had to speed up the kick. The Hype Kick or Super Kick relies on timing. Measuring your opponent and hitting them just right. If I had moved the way he expected he woulda likely turned my lights out.”
Layla Davis - Tension in Texas. 5 fighters fighting for a shot of a title of their choice. This potentially impacts you given your match. And your student Abbigail is in it.”
Val - “Oh yeah, that match is going to be great! I think Father Nathan and Abbigail are my faves to win. But just about anyone in that match can win. When you have multi-competitor matches, it becomes chaotic real quick and a smart person who times things just right can steal a win.”
Layla Davis - Your Best friend, Blair Buchannan faces Bianca Davis for the Trans Atlantic Title. How do you see this playing out?
Val - “Like, I’ve looked at Bianca Davis and like, so far the thing she does best is make excuses for why she loses matches. As someone who has fought Blair Buchannan for the Trans-Atlantic, I can tell you, she loves that title. She wants that belt, she is definitely talented enough to take that belt and if Bianca wants to make her mark as a champion here in New Edge, she had better like, totes bring her A game or else my bestie is going to add another Trans-Atlantic Title reign to her resume.”
Layla Davis - Now your match. Johnny Stylez, the World Champ. You. Texas Death Match. Now, I’m a wrestling nerd, so I know you have never, in any fed, lost a Texas Death Match. But in New Edge Wrestling, you’ve had a history with the belt. You have had more than a few World Title matches and have only held the belt once. There is also the age factor. You’re about Tom Brady aged but you’re also not as healthy in given your past injuries, your career and diet and such. Basically, this might be the last ever chance you get to be World Champ”
Val is silent for long moments, wrapping her lips around the straw and sips her drink as she finally answers.
Val - “Yeah. I’ve been in some big matches, some of those for the world title and shock, sometimes In lost. It happens. But I wouldn’t say only 1 reign as world champ. Most fighters will never even get one reign as World Champ. Now, obviously, I feel I can and will win this time, but I don’t feel like I have to win this match. If I somehow lose this match, I feel confident I can earn another shot at the belt before I reach the end of my in-ring career.”
Val pauses here to think before continuing.
Val - And yeah, the Texas Death Match would like, totes have to be considered my signature match. It’s been a few years since I’ve fought in one, but I’m ready to go and feel up to the task.”
Layla Davis - And your opponent? At Ignite, you knocked him out cold and put him through a table. You seem confident you can win here at the Pay per view too Your thoughts on things with the Champ?”
Val - Heh, Johnny Stylez. To be fair, I kinda knocked both him and me out. I just happened to pin him before I passed out. I am totes confident I can beat him. Johnny Stylez is distracted. He uses the belt for himself, not to do his job as the face of the franchise. He couldn’t tell you a thing about most of the fighters on the roster which means he has no idea about the fed he represents at the moment. He’s busy picking a fight with Hunter Valentyne. And he never earned the title in the first place. I’ve been calling him a paper champion because he’s only the champ on paper. Jesse handed him the title. Now, between him and the current person who calls himself Roger Wright but doesn’t act or fight like him? It was the lesser of two evils. At least we know Johnny Stylez is a live and has a pulse and isn’t a zombie masquerading as a professional wrestler. But now, Johnny boy has to actually beat me. And beat me enough to keep me down for the pinfall and a 10 count after. Maybe he can do that. But like, I don’t think he can.”
Layla Davis - Well it’s definitely going to be a big time match and you make some interesting points. Now. I’m just curious. Does Johnny Stylez have any good points?”
Val - Of course. He is a skilled fighter. That’s what makes his propensity for cheating so infuriating. He could be a great fighter just on his talent. I have no illusions. This isn’t going to be easy. I don’t expect to just waltz in and take the belt. I know I’m going to go through hell. Johnny Stylez doesn’t seem to think the same. He seems to think he will just walk in, have the belt handed to him and walk out. He’d better be ready for hell because he’s going to have to cripple or kill me to keep that belt.
Layla Davis - And that’s all we have time for. Good luck, Val! I am eager to see this pay per view!
The camera fades to black.
~~Behind the Scenes~~
~~Bachlorette Party time Bish!~~
~~Austin, Texas~~
Val and Blair and the other members of the Bridal party are on the party bus. Music is playing and the DJ on the bus has decided to play random songs from various decades. While the others are dancing and singing along, Val notices Blair not having so much fun and plops down next to her. “Like, what’s up?” Blair looks up and smiles. “Just nervous. We talked about this before. I don’t have the best record in marriages.”
Val smiles and nods. “Well, yeah but David is a great guy. He is not insane. He is not just out for himself or using you or anything. I’d say you learned from the past mistakes and got yourself a quality partner!”
Blair smiles and nods. “I know you’re right but it’s still there gnawing at me.” Val nods. “That’s the negative energy. The tangled mess tell us we don’t deserve good things, that we’re not good enough, that something bad must be going on. Come on. Let’s do this step by step. Ignore it for a couple of hours and we’ll build from there.”
The party bus finally reached its end and the girls dismounted. Blair still in her head about the upcoming wedding, and even modeling lingerie and enjoying that portion of the party wasn’t seeming to help much, though Blair did get into it when Val came out in sexy, silk lingerie that clung to her body showing the woman’s natural beauty. Blair whistled and threw out a few cat calls. Val winked and took an extra sexy pose in reply and was happy to see this seemed to be helping Blair loosen up and have some fun.
Things picked up during the bar crawl. Sexy women on a bachelorette party, alcohol. One of the stops included a lesbian nightclub, this chosen to make sure guys who had too much to drink interrupted the party. Val and Naomi, encouraged by Blair, hit the dance floor first and dancing while ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna played. Naomi then during the dance, leaned in and whispered something in Val’s ear. In a crowded nightclub, no one saw the subtle reaction Val had to whatever was said. Naomi then put in a couple requests and then walked over to Blair, giving Val a playful smack on the ass as she went by. Sensing the opening another woman jumped in and Val and the stranger danced as ‘Can’t Get you out of my head’ by Kylie Minogue played, though Val snuck glimpses over towards Blair and the bridal party. Naomi smirked looking at Blair. “Better go save Val before she gets carted off.” Blair let out a laugh and made her way over to the pair, cutting in as the song ended.
Blair and Val then decided to do some dancing before moving on to the next bar/nightclub on the list and, noticing they were attracting stares and attention the two decided to have some fun and the two did some really hot and heavy dancing, including the ever popular dance as close to the person as possible without actually touching them, dance, this dance being done to ‘Love Game’ by Lady Gaga.
After the bar crawl, they made their way back to the hotel. This led to a very high room service tab, some noise complaints as a bunch of drunk, partying women sang karaoke, badly, much to the annoyance of.. Let’s say most of the guests on the floor.
Inside the hotel room, Val was both euphoric at how well the party was going and also dealing with a number of things building up inside of her. Alcohol doing what it does best, removing inhibitions. Things were coming to a head as Val sat down, her and Blair cheering on Naomi who was singing with Blair and Val cheering her on. Val then turning to Blair and smiling. “Feeling better?” Blair laughs and nods, taking a big drink. “Oh, definitely. I think this was just what I needed.”
As the two talked, Naomi sang and Val didn’t consciously hear what she sang or the note used, she was too lost in the flood of emotions pent up. She wasn’t sure if these emotions had always been there just repressed, if they were the result of hormones and alcohol or something else. What she was aware of, is that before she even knew what was happening, she had leaned across and kissed Blair, deeply and passionately. Val couldn’t stop and was preparing herself for a hard slap and an angry Blair. She was not prepared for Blair to return the kiss, and definitely not prepared for Blair’s tongue in her mouth…everything faded to black and from her memory from there…
~~Behind the Scenes~~
~~The Morning After!~~
~~Fallout~~
Val blinked and groaned. She was half on and half off the bed. This was not an unusual wake up position for Val. She was naked. This was slightly more unusual since Val had gotten used to nightwear with Abbigail around.
Val stretched and yawned before turning to her head and she saw a sight that shocked her awake. Blair Buchannan, also naked, was right next to her. Val’s eyes widened. “Holy Shit!!!!”
Blair held up a hand. “Mmm Swear jar.” Was all she said at first.
~~Fallout continued by Blair~~