Post by Caroline O'Hara Burchill on Apr 23, 2017 17:08:48 GMT -5
"FORTY DAYS..."
“Forty days.”
From the darkness those words would ring out, commencing the opening of the scene. Inside a dimly lighted room, Caroline O’Hara Burchill can be seen up ahead seated on a golden throne. She looked elegant, donning a crisp, white attire consisting of matching trousers and a blazer. Her rosy-mauve lips curved upward into a curt little smirk as she chuckled lightly, tapping her nails along the armrest of the throne as she sat there. Within her lap was the New Gen championship - a belt that she greatly cherished since winning it a little over a month ago.
“For forty days, I have been the New Gen champion,” The self-proclaimed Killer Queen stated, running her hand along the title belt as she spoke, “but it took me three years to get here. Three long, tedious and uneventful years that were absolutely merciless. I was stuck in the vicious cycle of being tormented, often falling short of garnering a single monumental win. It plagued my mind for a long time, and the more I failed, the more frustrated I became. I thought my pursuit of championship gold was futile. I had the main events and the marquee matches, but… they never mattered to me. I just felt hollow. Without gold, I couldn’t feel anything.”
The smirk that was on her face faded away as she began to recall the difficult times in her life. As she did so, the scene would fade off and transition to a still frame of what appeared to be a piece of paper. Soon, there was a drawing of Caroline in a kneeling position, seemingly upset about something as her hands covered her face.
“There was hardly anything I could do, and then I got that same dreadful feeling I had all those years ago when I called it quits. The desire to become a champion consumed me entirely. I was obsessed and so caught up in it all that it drove me mad. It was too much for me to bear, so I left. Went on to recuperate and try to ease my mind after everything I’ve been through.”
Matching her words, the image would switch to one of Caroline by a desk, creating sketches of clothes. “I got involved in some other projects,” She would explain, having a hint of anguish in her tone of voice. “I tried to distract myself from wrestling entirely, but of course that vice of mine never escaped from me. Seeing all the posters for my former federation and hearing about the success that the wrestlers there were experiencing etched a burning sensation within me.”
On cue, a new drawing would be displayed which saw Burchill appearing small while she was surrounded by various ads and posters that were wrestling related.
“I was jealous. I loathed them all. Rivals that I’ve beaten would go on to enjoy a period of prosperity for themselves, and yet again I was constantly reminded of the one thing I failed to do at that time.”
Transitioning out of the drawing and fading back to where Caroline physically was, the frame was somewhat zoomed in onto her face. She briefly paused and sighed, looking down as she remembered the bitter feeling that was within her. As she gathered her bearings, she continued on by saying, “...It was tough, and I was hellbent on just ignoring everything, but… it was hard. I couldn’t escape from it. Wrestling was everywhere. It seemed to beckon to me, tempting me to come back. For a while, I suppressed the urge that would be budding vehemently inside me, but eventually, I caved in.”
Leaving Caroline once more, we return to the animated drawings taking over the frame. In this particular one, a sketch of Caroline laying down in bed can be seen. She was looking aimlessly up, seemingly lost in thought about something. Of course, Caroline speaking would help to clarify what this particularly sketch was supposed to mean.
“I distinctly remember one night when I was all alone in my bed, just laying down and drifting off into a world of my own. I don’t know why, but all of a sudden, I began to think about the wrestlers that would just show up one minute and then disappear the next. They would fade off into obscurity, never to be seen ever again. Some of them even had actual potential to make it big here. They could’ve been stars; they could’ve been champions. However, the bright, effervescent light that they’ve emitted eventually became dim, and as I was laying there, I realized that I was becoming just like them.”
“That grave realization sunk into me, and I never liked it. Not one bit. I had walked away, sullying my own good name. I wasn’t going to leave behind a grand legacy that people would remember me by… I was making people forget who I was. All the hard work I’ve done? I simply threw all of that away, and in that moment, I realized that I couldn’t do that to myself. I couldn’t step away and allow myself to deteriorate from memory. I wasn’t going to give up, and I decided that I would come back and claim the one thing that was elusive to me.”
Next sketch has Caroline packing her bags, heading into a car, and driving off to the state of Louisiana, where Caroline would be signed to her first promotion in over a year at that time:
Pure Amusement Wrestling.
“In June, I signed with a promotion called Pure Amusement Wrestling. I left New York City - a place renowned for its grand, lavish feeling - and moved to a small town known as Purity, Louisiana. It was a far cry from the Xtreme Wrestling Federation, which was an international juggernaut. PAW was simply a humble promotion; nothing spectacular or insane. However, the wrestlers there were some of the best in the world. And the one thing that amazed me there was the level of passion that each wrestler had, regardless of their otherwise ubiquitous motives. They all wanted to be the one that carried the promotion, and the competition was stiff.”
Now sketches of Burchill and her various matches with the promotion were shown as they accompanied her words.
“At first, I was faced with some difficulties. I lost a couple times before I found my groove. I’ve beaten the best in the likes of Anastasia Hayden and Cross Recoba, but for some reason, it took me a while before I even got a single chance of getting a title shot. In fact, I’m sure a good few of you know the story by now. I beat Annabel Lee to advance to what was supposed to be a ladders match for the PAW Heavyweight Championship. However, the promotion suddenly folded, and once more I was faced with uncertainty in regards to my career.”
“Honestly, I was pissed the fuck off. It took me nearly four months for me to earn my rightful championship match, and all of a sudden it was taken away from me. My future looked bleak, and I was unsure of what to do back then. But then… word got around about Redemption Wrestling, and I decided that this was it.”
“This is where I will finally ascend to the throne known as Glory.”
The sketches faded off entirely now, and Caroline was completely back in the frame. The smirk from before returned and she had the championship on her shoulder as if she were proudly displaying it for all to see. After all that she’s been through, she was the champion and a prideful one at that.
“And here I am,” Burchill gleefully said, bringing one of her arms out to her said as if she were bringing the attention all to herself. “I have achieved the one thing I’ve always wanted, and I can now proudly say that I am a champion. Of course, while I am happy about that achievement, I can’t necessarily kick up my feet and relax.”
Caroline shrugged her shoulders as she went on to further elaborate her point, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s hard to win a championship, but it’s harder to keep it. You are no longer the hunter once you’ve claim your trophy. You have to maintain it; you have to ruthlessly defend it and, along the way, you need to do something with it. You can’t let your prize possession collect dust. You have to make sure people remember who you are and what you’ve done to elevate the belt.”
Getting up from her throne, Caroline stood up with the belt.
“I’ve had one successful defense so far, though that seems to be tainted now since everyone and their mother is claiming that I needed help by the former champion himself, Martin Karloff,” Caroline said, annoyed. She then rolled her eyes and sighed. “Hell, he even admitted it himself, and as you can imagine that does not put me in a good light. It just makes me look weak. It makes people want to say that I am nothing more than a joke champion, and I definitely don’t want that description attached to my name or this title.”
She then held the championship with both of her hands and brought it down to waist level, looking down at it. She seemed to be marveling at it as she spoke. “The New Gen Championship is the second prestigious belt in Redemption Wrestling. This belt is meant to push its holder to go above and beyond everyone else, and some even view it as an indicator for those who carry it to see if they have what it takes to become, eventually, the Heavyweight champion,” Her gaze was then broken off as Caroline redirected her eyes to the camera, now holding the championship high above her with one hand. “So, when I say that this belt is very important to me, I mean it. It is the physical embodiment of the hardships I’ve faced in order to win it, and I want to do a lot for it. I want this belt to transcend the Heavyweight belt and become something that everyone will care about.”
“I want people the remember the Burchill name and associate me with greatness. I am an immaculate enigma that is above everyone else here in Redemption Wrestling. I know my worth and I can say that confidently because it’s the truth. No matter who is in front of me, I will bring them to their limit, and since I am the champion, it is important for me to show to everyone that I am the best for a reason.”
Her pompous and brash attitude showed through as she grinned.
“I may have a lot cut out for me, but at Strange Bedfellows, everyone will see for themselves that I am not a weak, paper champion. I am divine, I am the living personification of perfection, and this Sunday night, Anton Chase will be one of many competitors that will experience first-hand what it is like going up against the Queen.”
Caroline chuckled for a bit as she returned the belt to her shoulder.
“Oh, Anton. I’d hate to do this to you. I really do. However, I cannot show mercy of any kind towards you, even if what you’re doing will have anyone want to side with you. In fact, this match is actually huge for the both of us,” She pointed out, somewhat intrigued as she began to pace back and forth. “You’re looking to become the first wrestler in Redemption Wrestling to hold two titles while I will tie Dick Devereaux and Martin Karloff for most New Gen title defenses with a win here. The stakes are stacked rather high for the both of us. We have the chance of etching each of our names into the record books, but of course, only one of us will be walking out of Strange Bedfellows with the New Gen Championship in their possession.”
“I’m still in the midst of building foundations, both for myself and this championship. I want to be the sole reason why this title will be elevated, and I want for everyone that steps into the ring with me to recognize how much their worth as a competitor can change. I am a judge; the one that will decide the fate of everyone. I am a Queen; a royal being that will dictate how things go, for this is my kingdom and I rule it. I am a soldier, and it is my sworn duty to go inside the ring and defend said kingdom from enemies that threaten to tear it all down. I am all of these things, and I will do everything with the power that is invested in me to help prolong this reign of mine.”
Suddenly, she stopped. Her face became a bit more serious and her eyes seem to come off as being icy daggers that pierced through the souls of those watching as she looked directly at the camera. This time, Caroline spoke with some intensity, wanting to make sure that Anton Chase - if he ever watched this - that she meant business.
“I will valiantly defend and protect this illustrious gold belt that I possess. I will not allow for someone like you to come in, invade my territory and have the gall to take away what has been rightfully mine from the beginning. You might have earned this opportunity, Anton, and you’ll feel as though you have what it takes to beat me, but trust me. My voice is the gospel that you and everyone else will follow along to.”
She then pointed at the championship as she continued on. “It took me three fucking years for me to get here, so if you really think that I’m going to give up this championship when it’s been mine for only forty days? Then you’re absolutely fucking stupid.”
She scoffed and laughed as that last sentence came out. Truly, she wanted to be the best, and she was more than determined to keep what was hers.
“I don’t give a shit about how many years you’ve been wrestling. I could care less about the championships that you’ve won. I was made to break people like you down. Your legacy will serve to bolster mine. I still have a lot left to do and trust me, I will see to it that my reign is forever remembered by the people of Redemption Wrestling.”
“When all people can say about me is that Martin Karloff helped me retain the title, then yes, I have a lot to prove,” She spat out venomously as she shook her head and scowled. “I’m the one that has the chip on their shoulder. You? You’ve had your fucking time. As long as I'm the champ, you are never getting this title. I will break every single part of you. I can promise that.”
"I am the New Gen champion, and I will be one to usher in a new, unprecedented generation of dominance here in Redemption Wrestling. The gold is mine, and it always will be. You will not stop me. Not for forty days, or forty months, or even forty fucking years."
"I define this generation, I define this division, and I define Redemption Wrestling. I am the Killer Queen for a reason, and everyone will bow the fuck down to me...," She said, grinning from ear to ear as she got a little closer to the camera. "Oh, and Anton?"
"That."
"Means.
"You."
With one final laugh, Caroline goes back to sit down on the throne, all while holding on to the championship. The camera zoomed in to get a closer look at the gold in all its glory before everything eventually faded off into black, ending the scene.
♛
