Post by Danielle Basch on Aug 1, 2017 20:55:24 GMT -5
Mississippi River, Memphis Riverfront
Memphis, TN
Saturday, July 29, 2017
As the camera fades in, we come to a wide shot of the Mississippi River, lingering for a moment before panning around toward a walkway that stretches as far as the camera can show. Every few seconds, passersby make their way down the walkway, some of them pausing for a second to make faces into the camera. Soon, a figure appears in the distance, approaching the camera at a fairly brisk pace, and soon a bouncing brunette ponytail can be made out, swinging back and forth with every step. As the figure gets closer, we can see that it is none other than WCG wrestler Danni LeBlanc, clad in black leggings and a turquoise tank top bearing the words “Mermaids don’t lose sleep over the opinions of shrimp,” one of her birthday gifts from fellow wrestler and current South Bay Champion Ruby Lance.
As Danni approaches the camera, she slows down, coming to a stop a few feet away. Her skin is glistening from a dewy layer of sweat as she pulls the Beats headphones from over her ears. Through the headphones, we can just barely hear “Kickstart my Heart” by Mötley Crüe as Danni takes a seat at a nearby bench, pulling a water bottle from a holster strapped to her thigh. After a long, refreshing drink, she sets the water bottle aside and looks into the camera.
Danni: From the moment this match was first announced to the world, I could already hear the lamenting screams of those that think I shouldn’t be the one to face you. That I’m just another worthless scrub not fit to breathe the same air as the so-called “Elite” of this business. That I’m too unfocused on the task at hand to make anything of myself in this business. And yeah, I like to take time once in a while to let loose and have a little fun, but that doesn’t mean that it’s all I do. After all, to paraphrase the line typed over and over again by Jack Torrance after he’d already lost his mind from fixating on the same thing constantly...
The characteristically warm, friendly smile we are accustomed to seeing fades into an almost demonic, icy stare straight out of The Shining.
Danni: All work and no play makes Danni a dull girl.
The stare fades almost as quickly as it appeared, as Danni shakes her head.
Danni: And yet, here I am, being granted a golden opportunity... literally! I’m not even on the Redemption Roster, and yet I’ve been granted a title shot against one of the fiercest competitors they’ve got: Coda. I’m not going to question why I was chosen out of so many other worthy contenders, and I’m sure they’re all grinding their teeth in frustration over the fact that they weren’t chosen while I was.
I remember the first championship match I ever took part in, and the hell I had to go through to earn that title shot. I was just a couple weeks into my contract, and most of the people I was up against took one look at me and said “meh... I can take her.” In the week before that title shot, I faced a man that swore up and down that he was going to break my body and destroy my spirit. That was over a year ago. The champion himself was an acquaintance of mine, and he also made the mistake of taking me lightly. Even though I didn’t lose that fight, the fact that the champion still left the arena that night with his championship intact still kind of eats away at me. You see, I didn’t come into this business with the goal of coming OH SO CLOSE to grabbing that brass ring, only to have it yanked out from under me every. Single. Time. It’s enough to drive anyone to their breaking point.
Danni’s teeth clench as her lips draw back into a mild sneer. She tightly shuts her eyes and shakes her head in an effort to compose herself. Once she’s calmed down, the sneer is replaced with a half-smile.
Danni: But not me. Because even though I’ve been within a literal fingertip’s distance away from championship gold on more than one occasion, I haven’t let disappointment equate to failure. If I had, I would have quit this business a long time ago. And now that I have a chance to prove what I can do in that ring on an even grander scale than before, you’d better believe I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.
I know there are some people out there that think that not only do I not deserve this chance, but will say that the only reason I’ve been put into this match is because the man you were supposed to face, Jeremy Starling, shit the bed and left.
She pauses, tapping her finger against her chin as she contemplates her choice of words, then cringes.
Danni: Well, not literally shit the bed... EWWW!
She pretends to gag, then takes another drink of water, as if to wash the nasty taste out of her mouth caused by that mental image.
Danni: I guess Starling couldn’t handle losing to so-called “lesser wrestlers,” so Mr. “Born Better” decided he didn’t want to play anymore. Whatever. I never liked that pretentious jerk anyway. Ironic when you look at my fiancé. He comes from a similar background... rich, and not afraid to let people know that he was born with the sorts of privileges that most “working class” people can only dream about, but the difference is that at least Donovan actually has some redeeming qualities. For one, he could toss Starling like a lawn dart without breaking a sweat. For another thing, he can actually be gracious in defeat, even if the opponent that beat him was someone “beneath” him on the social ladder.
But enough about him; because now you’ll be facing someone that views every person I step in the ring with as an equal threat. Because you never know... the happy little party girl with the big ass may just surprise the hell out of everyone, especially everyone that’s ever doubted me, and give the Young Lions Champion a run for her money. And maybe... just MAYBE... I might do what so many people seem to think I won’t be able to do, and that’s walk out of the FedEx Forum with a new piece of hardware wrapped around my waist.
Coda, I don’t know you well enough to like you or dislike you, though the company that you keep is questionable at best. That said, I can respect what you do in the ring. But don’t make the mistake of looking at me like I’m some sort of pushover just because I’m part of the “developmental” brand. I may be in West Coast Genesis now, but I’m no rookie. I’ve been honing my skills since I was 18, and a match like this seems like the perfect opportunity to push myself harder than I ever have before. See you in the ring, Coda... I look forward to seeing what you can do first-hand.
Danni hops up off of the bench, slipping the bottle back into the holster on her thigh. She props her foot up on the bench and tightens the laces on her shoe before turning back to the camera.
Danni: Oh, and Zane... don’t think I haven’t forgotten about that shit you pulled during that ladder match at Hype. Once One Night Only is in the books, I’m gonna clip your wings once and for all....
She sneers into the camera before slipping the headphones back over her ears and resuming her run. The camera follows her until she vanishes into the distance.
END
