Post by Jazmyn Rain on Jul 16, 2017 3:25:58 GMT -5
Reunion
Opening Thoughts
Jazmyn: As much as I have a tendency to open up about much of the struggles I’ve gotten through in my wrestling career, I don’t nearly open up as much about the struggles that I’ve been through in my personal life. Redemption for me isn’t just a wrestling thing. It cuts much deeper than a championship and it cuts deeper than fighting for the right cause. Redemption for me is atoning for the mistakes I’ve made. Those mistakes brought me to my rock bottom but I’ve since learned and grown from them. Many years ago, long before I had ever even met anyone in GCW, I was making a decent career for myself. I was on the way to perhaps being one of the brightest stars in the business and while six years ago, I was obviously nowhere near the wrestler I am now, I was growing and getting better with time. I was living a dream. When it comes to doing great with Intercontinental or, in Redemption’s case, New Generation, Championships, I had no problems with that. But it was taking that next level to main event stardom that would just rattle me. When I first tried to make that transition, I just couldn’t manage it. The pressure was too much. I buckled under it. When I lost my first ever world championship challenge with so many people counting on me, it was the biggest letdown of my career up to that point. Coping was a struggle…
...and then the drugs hit….
So began the downward spiral. My fans started to slowly dwindle. My family grew concerned. My peers wanted nothing to do with me because I was such a mess. One by one, it seemed like my friends were distancing themselves from me. There was one in particular that hit me the hardest . I had known her since my college days. The last time I saw her was around Christmas 2012. She told me she wanted nothing to do with me because she couldn’t stand seeing me in the shape I was in. So, she turned her back toward me, stepped into her car, drove off and I never saw her again. Whatever her intentions were, it just drove me further into the ground. Five months later, I crashed and burned. No career, no friends, no fans, no hair… yes, I was so bad around that time I did my very best Britney Spears impression…
They really aren’t kidding when they say cocaine is a hell of a drug.
But obviously, I’ve pulled myself out of those depths I was in. It took so many years and so much hard work, but I’m grateful that I’m in a better place now. I got my fans back. I got my career back and obviously, I grew my hair back. And as for my friends? I’ve made some new ones the last couple of years and regained those that had left me behind...except for one…
My old friend from college…
My journey has been full of twists and turns, but I was unaware that I was in for a swerve…
Date: July 9, 2017
Jazmyn Rain had just arrived at her local gym in Charlotte anticipating her debut in Redemption Wrestling considering it was only a week away at the time. On this early Sunday morning, she’s definitely in some high spirits as she thinks about the workout that she has ahead. Jazmyn’s hair is tied back in a ponytail. Sporting a pair of black gym shorts with a pink tank top to go with it, Jazmyn opens her locker and pulls out a pair of boxing gloves. She sets them aside and stretches out her arms a bit to be a little more limber for the boxing session she has coming up shortly. This brief preparation is interrupted by the sudden appearance of one of the staff members of the gym.
Receptionist: Jazmyn?
Jazmyn, caught off guard slightly, stops her light stretching and gives the receptionist that just walked in a look of curiosity.
Jazmyn: Yes?
Receptionist: I hate to interrupt you, but I’ve just gotten word that you have a visitor.
Jazmyn: Oh?
Receptionist: Yeah. She said that she’s been wanting to see you for a good while now.
Jazmyn raises an eyebrow, understandably confused as there’s nobody, with the exception of her own mother, that she could think of that could possibly drop in as a surprise and even then, Jazmyn knows that her mother wouldn’t care enough for her to do such a thing.
Jazmyn: I see…
Receptionist: Mind coming to the lobby just to make sure it’s not one of those crazy, stalker fans pretending to know you?
Jazmyn: Sure, I suppose.
The receptionist walks out of the room and Jazmyn follows her out. Jazmyn is somewhat nervous about whatever surprise may be in store for her but she’s not letting it overwhelm her. They reach the lobby and Jazmyn looks around trying to find the visitor that she was told about.
Receptionist: Jazmyn, do you know this person?
Jazmyn turns toward the direction of the voice of the receptionist and her eyes widen in total shock at the sight of a young woman, around the same age range as she, staring right back at her with the same stunned look on her face. Jazmyn’s reaction all but gives away the answer as well as the fact that she never expected to see this person again.
Jazmyn: Cammie?
“Cammie”: Jaz?!?!?!
Reception: I guess I’ll take that as a yes.
Jazmyn: Cameryn, I don’t know what to say…
Cameryn Rourke was Jazmyn’s best friend from her time as a student at Florida State University and following their graduation, they would keep in touch on the regular until Jazmyn made the decision to become a professional wrestler. They still kept in touch, but not as frequent. They’d be on good terms until Jazmyn fell on her drug use and hard times that would lead to her downward spiral and eventually being gone from the wrestling business for two years. Jazmyn at the moment is frozen solid remembering the last encounter they had four and a half years ago.
Cameryn: Jaz… it’s been a long time…
Jazmyn: What are you… doing here….
The receptionist, upon realizing that this was an awkwardly sensitive situation, walks out of the scene.
Cameryn: I came to see you.
Jazmyn: You do remember the last time we saw each other, right? You told me you wanted nothing to do with me and you broke all contact with me. Ugh… just remembering that brought up some old pains I had forgotten about.
Cameryn: You were in bad shape at the time and I couldn’t stand seeing you this way anymore. I didn’t want to feel like I was enabling the behavior you were undertaking at the time. It felt like the wrestling business changed one of the best friends that I ever knew.
Jazmyn: So now you… wanted to see me?
Cameryn: Jaz, I’ve been trying to get in contact with you for years. When I first heard you were in rehab, I wanted to get in touch with you but your phone got disconnected and we lost touch after that. You still had my number somewhere. You could have called me.
Jazmyn looks down and shakes her head.
Jazmyn: At the time, having a social life was the last thing on my mind. All I was worrying about was getting better. Plus, you had said before you wanted nothing to do with me. Why make the effort? Well, that was my logic at the time but still. Do you realize how awkward this is for me right now?
Cameryn: Can we sit down?
Jazmyn nods as Cameryn takes a seat in the lobby. Jazmyn sits next to her with a clouded mind as she tries to sort through her thoughts.
Cameryn: I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you and I never meant for things to come across as if I never wanted to talk to you again. I just couldn’t stand you being in such a downward spiral anymore. I swear, if I saw you inject yourself with coke one more time… I don’t know what I would have done but seeing you in that kind of shape… it hurt. You weren’t happy, Jaz. You hated everything. Your wrestling career made you like that.
Jazmyn: No, wrestling didn’t make me like that. If it did, do you think I’d be involved with it now? On top of that, do you think I’d be at the peak of my career and only getting better? As a professional wrestler, I know I’m on the cusp of entering my prime. I’m far more ready to take on the burden now that I wasn’t ready to take on five, six years ago. I fell into drugs because of a culmination of things. My career at the time was just the proverbial camel back breaking straw. It wasn’t the catalyst that you thought it was. In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying that the business has saved my life. I’m sorry too, for causing you so much pain back then. There’s no excuse for it. I was going through so much. I don’t think I ever hated myself more than I did during that time and with the way my career was going, I felt like… like… I don’t know… it’s complicated…
Jazmyn pauses and sighs, trying to come up with the right thoughts.
Jazmyn: We had great times in college, but once we graduated, once “real life” started to be a real thing, I struggled adjusting. Going to college, getting a degree and starting a career with that degree… it just didn’t fulfill me like I was hoping it would. I was captivated by wrestling and became part of the business because I felt like it gave me a purpose. When things were going awesome, I felt like I was on cloud nine. But when things started to go bad… it hit me very hard. Honestly, being the perennial choker in main event matches again and again at the time and all the pressure of taking that next step… it caused me to feel meaningless. And then that’s when I fell on hard times…
Cameryn looked at Jazmyn in a bit of a concerned, though somewhat guilty fashion as she detailed her thought process during the time. She soaked in Jazmyn’s words and looked down on the floor, trying to make sense of what she just heard.
Cameryn: I get it. It dates back to your mother when she never made the effort to bond with you when you were growing up.
Jazmyn nods, but doesn’t appear to be fazed by what was just mentioned.
Cameryn: But gosh, you’ve really come a long way since you crash landed at rock bottom. I’ve shamelessly been keeping an eye on you for the past two years… you know, since you made it back into wrestling? You’ve had your ups and downs. I’ve watched you transform from someone that I once walked away from to someone that’s been an inspiration to many.
Jazmyn has a warm smile on her face, hearing such encouraging words.
Cameryn: You went from being essentially unwanted in this business to working for two companies. I’m amazed. How did you do it?
Jazmyn: How? Because along the way, I learned how strong I’ve always been and that’s when I started to realize my full potential as a person and as a wrestler. GCW has been great obviously. Redemption? I’m walking into a whole new world there. I don’t know anyone on a personal level. I’ve never wrestled against any of them. I don’t know them, they don’t know me. I make my debut this weekend here at home and I’m excited and yet I’m nervous too…
Cameryn: Nervous? Don’t be! What you’ve overcome has been amazing and I’m saying that knowing only what I’ve seen you do in GCW over the last year. You’re going to do great.
Jazmyn nods, acknowledging the positivity she’s hearing.
Jazmyn: Yeah, I’ll find my way there. But I believe in myself now, more than I ever have in my life. I know I’m strong enough never to fall down that dark path again!
Cameryn: Consider me part of the bandwagon… that is… if it’s okay with you?
Cameryn seems a bit nervous considering the way she and Jazmyn broke things off years ago. Jazmyn, however, smirks with confidence and with no hard feelings.
Jazmyn: Whatever happened before, I’ve long forgiven you for. I never held any harsh feelings against you and if the roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing. I’m the one who should be sorry. It was my bad choices that caused the severance of our friendship to begin with.
Cameryn: Jaz, water under the bridge. I know that the person that I saw at the time wasn’t the person I knew in college. It’s okay! We’re great!
The two former college friends exchange a long hug which all but rekindles their friendship from before.
Cameryn: The sky’s the limit for you!
The two let each other go, each of them in brighter spirits.
Jazmyn: I’m going to have my moments of struggle, I know that. But I know that in Redemption, there’s nothing or nobody that’s going to stop me from achieving the goals I’ve set out to accomplish there!
Jazmyn and Cameryn stand up and say their goodbyes, though not before exchanging phone numbers to further rekindle their wayward friendship. After they parted ways for the time being, Jazmyn would begin her training for the day, further preparing for the challenges that lie ahead for her in Redemption Wrestling.
Closing Thoughts
Jazmyn: My hometown debut draws closer by the hour and my emotions are running high. It’s an exciting time knowing that I’m really going to be sinking my teeth into a wrestling company with so much to offer and yet, I’m naturally nervous going in because I’m definitely stepping into unfamiliar territory. But at the end of the day, despite that nervousness, I am confident that this journey I’m about to embark on is going to be a fruitful venture in the end. But I know that if I can overcome the hardest of obstacles my life and career has ever thrown at me to achieve that redemption I’ve sought for the last year and then some, I am very much capable of becoming a champion Redemption can be proud of someday!
Opening Thoughts
Jazmyn: As much as I have a tendency to open up about much of the struggles I’ve gotten through in my wrestling career, I don’t nearly open up as much about the struggles that I’ve been through in my personal life. Redemption for me isn’t just a wrestling thing. It cuts much deeper than a championship and it cuts deeper than fighting for the right cause. Redemption for me is atoning for the mistakes I’ve made. Those mistakes brought me to my rock bottom but I’ve since learned and grown from them. Many years ago, long before I had ever even met anyone in GCW, I was making a decent career for myself. I was on the way to perhaps being one of the brightest stars in the business and while six years ago, I was obviously nowhere near the wrestler I am now, I was growing and getting better with time. I was living a dream. When it comes to doing great with Intercontinental or, in Redemption’s case, New Generation, Championships, I had no problems with that. But it was taking that next level to main event stardom that would just rattle me. When I first tried to make that transition, I just couldn’t manage it. The pressure was too much. I buckled under it. When I lost my first ever world championship challenge with so many people counting on me, it was the biggest letdown of my career up to that point. Coping was a struggle…
...and then the drugs hit….
So began the downward spiral. My fans started to slowly dwindle. My family grew concerned. My peers wanted nothing to do with me because I was such a mess. One by one, it seemed like my friends were distancing themselves from me. There was one in particular that hit me the hardest . I had known her since my college days. The last time I saw her was around Christmas 2012. She told me she wanted nothing to do with me because she couldn’t stand seeing me in the shape I was in. So, she turned her back toward me, stepped into her car, drove off and I never saw her again. Whatever her intentions were, it just drove me further into the ground. Five months later, I crashed and burned. No career, no friends, no fans, no hair… yes, I was so bad around that time I did my very best Britney Spears impression…
They really aren’t kidding when they say cocaine is a hell of a drug.
But obviously, I’ve pulled myself out of those depths I was in. It took so many years and so much hard work, but I’m grateful that I’m in a better place now. I got my fans back. I got my career back and obviously, I grew my hair back. And as for my friends? I’ve made some new ones the last couple of years and regained those that had left me behind...except for one…
My old friend from college…
My journey has been full of twists and turns, but I was unaware that I was in for a swerve…
Date: July 9, 2017
Jazmyn Rain had just arrived at her local gym in Charlotte anticipating her debut in Redemption Wrestling considering it was only a week away at the time. On this early Sunday morning, she’s definitely in some high spirits as she thinks about the workout that she has ahead. Jazmyn’s hair is tied back in a ponytail. Sporting a pair of black gym shorts with a pink tank top to go with it, Jazmyn opens her locker and pulls out a pair of boxing gloves. She sets them aside and stretches out her arms a bit to be a little more limber for the boxing session she has coming up shortly. This brief preparation is interrupted by the sudden appearance of one of the staff members of the gym.
Receptionist: Jazmyn?
Jazmyn, caught off guard slightly, stops her light stretching and gives the receptionist that just walked in a look of curiosity.
Jazmyn: Yes?
Receptionist: I hate to interrupt you, but I’ve just gotten word that you have a visitor.
Jazmyn: Oh?
Receptionist: Yeah. She said that she’s been wanting to see you for a good while now.
Jazmyn raises an eyebrow, understandably confused as there’s nobody, with the exception of her own mother, that she could think of that could possibly drop in as a surprise and even then, Jazmyn knows that her mother wouldn’t care enough for her to do such a thing.
Jazmyn: I see…
Receptionist: Mind coming to the lobby just to make sure it’s not one of those crazy, stalker fans pretending to know you?
Jazmyn: Sure, I suppose.
The receptionist walks out of the room and Jazmyn follows her out. Jazmyn is somewhat nervous about whatever surprise may be in store for her but she’s not letting it overwhelm her. They reach the lobby and Jazmyn looks around trying to find the visitor that she was told about.
Receptionist: Jazmyn, do you know this person?
Jazmyn turns toward the direction of the voice of the receptionist and her eyes widen in total shock at the sight of a young woman, around the same age range as she, staring right back at her with the same stunned look on her face. Jazmyn’s reaction all but gives away the answer as well as the fact that she never expected to see this person again.
Jazmyn: Cammie?
“Cammie”: Jaz?!?!?!
Reception: I guess I’ll take that as a yes.
Jazmyn: Cameryn, I don’t know what to say…
Cameryn Rourke was Jazmyn’s best friend from her time as a student at Florida State University and following their graduation, they would keep in touch on the regular until Jazmyn made the decision to become a professional wrestler. They still kept in touch, but not as frequent. They’d be on good terms until Jazmyn fell on her drug use and hard times that would lead to her downward spiral and eventually being gone from the wrestling business for two years. Jazmyn at the moment is frozen solid remembering the last encounter they had four and a half years ago.
Cameryn: Jaz… it’s been a long time…
Jazmyn: What are you… doing here….
The receptionist, upon realizing that this was an awkwardly sensitive situation, walks out of the scene.
Cameryn: I came to see you.
Jazmyn: You do remember the last time we saw each other, right? You told me you wanted nothing to do with me and you broke all contact with me. Ugh… just remembering that brought up some old pains I had forgotten about.
Cameryn: You were in bad shape at the time and I couldn’t stand seeing you this way anymore. I didn’t want to feel like I was enabling the behavior you were undertaking at the time. It felt like the wrestling business changed one of the best friends that I ever knew.
Jazmyn: So now you… wanted to see me?
Cameryn: Jaz, I’ve been trying to get in contact with you for years. When I first heard you were in rehab, I wanted to get in touch with you but your phone got disconnected and we lost touch after that. You still had my number somewhere. You could have called me.
Jazmyn looks down and shakes her head.
Jazmyn: At the time, having a social life was the last thing on my mind. All I was worrying about was getting better. Plus, you had said before you wanted nothing to do with me. Why make the effort? Well, that was my logic at the time but still. Do you realize how awkward this is for me right now?
Cameryn: Can we sit down?
Jazmyn nods as Cameryn takes a seat in the lobby. Jazmyn sits next to her with a clouded mind as she tries to sort through her thoughts.
Cameryn: I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you and I never meant for things to come across as if I never wanted to talk to you again. I just couldn’t stand you being in such a downward spiral anymore. I swear, if I saw you inject yourself with coke one more time… I don’t know what I would have done but seeing you in that kind of shape… it hurt. You weren’t happy, Jaz. You hated everything. Your wrestling career made you like that.
Jazmyn: No, wrestling didn’t make me like that. If it did, do you think I’d be involved with it now? On top of that, do you think I’d be at the peak of my career and only getting better? As a professional wrestler, I know I’m on the cusp of entering my prime. I’m far more ready to take on the burden now that I wasn’t ready to take on five, six years ago. I fell into drugs because of a culmination of things. My career at the time was just the proverbial camel back breaking straw. It wasn’t the catalyst that you thought it was. In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying that the business has saved my life. I’m sorry too, for causing you so much pain back then. There’s no excuse for it. I was going through so much. I don’t think I ever hated myself more than I did during that time and with the way my career was going, I felt like… like… I don’t know… it’s complicated…
Jazmyn pauses and sighs, trying to come up with the right thoughts.
Jazmyn: We had great times in college, but once we graduated, once “real life” started to be a real thing, I struggled adjusting. Going to college, getting a degree and starting a career with that degree… it just didn’t fulfill me like I was hoping it would. I was captivated by wrestling and became part of the business because I felt like it gave me a purpose. When things were going awesome, I felt like I was on cloud nine. But when things started to go bad… it hit me very hard. Honestly, being the perennial choker in main event matches again and again at the time and all the pressure of taking that next step… it caused me to feel meaningless. And then that’s when I fell on hard times…
Cameryn looked at Jazmyn in a bit of a concerned, though somewhat guilty fashion as she detailed her thought process during the time. She soaked in Jazmyn’s words and looked down on the floor, trying to make sense of what she just heard.
Cameryn: I get it. It dates back to your mother when she never made the effort to bond with you when you were growing up.
Jazmyn nods, but doesn’t appear to be fazed by what was just mentioned.
Cameryn: But gosh, you’ve really come a long way since you crash landed at rock bottom. I’ve shamelessly been keeping an eye on you for the past two years… you know, since you made it back into wrestling? You’ve had your ups and downs. I’ve watched you transform from someone that I once walked away from to someone that’s been an inspiration to many.
Jazmyn has a warm smile on her face, hearing such encouraging words.
Cameryn: You went from being essentially unwanted in this business to working for two companies. I’m amazed. How did you do it?
Jazmyn: How? Because along the way, I learned how strong I’ve always been and that’s when I started to realize my full potential as a person and as a wrestler. GCW has been great obviously. Redemption? I’m walking into a whole new world there. I don’t know anyone on a personal level. I’ve never wrestled against any of them. I don’t know them, they don’t know me. I make my debut this weekend here at home and I’m excited and yet I’m nervous too…
Cameryn: Nervous? Don’t be! What you’ve overcome has been amazing and I’m saying that knowing only what I’ve seen you do in GCW over the last year. You’re going to do great.
Jazmyn nods, acknowledging the positivity she’s hearing.
Jazmyn: Yeah, I’ll find my way there. But I believe in myself now, more than I ever have in my life. I know I’m strong enough never to fall down that dark path again!
Cameryn: Consider me part of the bandwagon… that is… if it’s okay with you?
Cameryn seems a bit nervous considering the way she and Jazmyn broke things off years ago. Jazmyn, however, smirks with confidence and with no hard feelings.
Jazmyn: Whatever happened before, I’ve long forgiven you for. I never held any harsh feelings against you and if the roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing. I’m the one who should be sorry. It was my bad choices that caused the severance of our friendship to begin with.
Cameryn: Jaz, water under the bridge. I know that the person that I saw at the time wasn’t the person I knew in college. It’s okay! We’re great!
The two former college friends exchange a long hug which all but rekindles their friendship from before.
Cameryn: The sky’s the limit for you!
The two let each other go, each of them in brighter spirits.
Jazmyn: I’m going to have my moments of struggle, I know that. But I know that in Redemption, there’s nothing or nobody that’s going to stop me from achieving the goals I’ve set out to accomplish there!
Jazmyn and Cameryn stand up and say their goodbyes, though not before exchanging phone numbers to further rekindle their wayward friendship. After they parted ways for the time being, Jazmyn would begin her training for the day, further preparing for the challenges that lie ahead for her in Redemption Wrestling.
Closing Thoughts
Jazmyn: My hometown debut draws closer by the hour and my emotions are running high. It’s an exciting time knowing that I’m really going to be sinking my teeth into a wrestling company with so much to offer and yet, I’m naturally nervous going in because I’m definitely stepping into unfamiliar territory. But at the end of the day, despite that nervousness, I am confident that this journey I’m about to embark on is going to be a fruitful venture in the end. But I know that if I can overcome the hardest of obstacles my life and career has ever thrown at me to achieve that redemption I’ve sought for the last year and then some, I am very much capable of becoming a champion Redemption can be proud of someday!
