Post by Kathleen Conway on Aug 27, 2011 15:24:35 GMT -6
The scene opens with Kathleen Conway and her husband, Jake, sat next to each other, delighting in not only the simple pleasure of being in each other's company, but also watching their two daughters play on the floor.
I sighed, utterly content with where she was right now and it had nothing to do with being a 'Starlet' or a 'Tag Team Champion'. though those were nice accolades too - just not as bright, nor as joyful as the priviledge and the extraordinary luck of being blessed with two happy, healthy little girls.
Call me a naive little girl if you want, but this is all I've ever really wanted in life. As a little girl growing up in Kansas, all I ever dreamed about was one day having a big white wedding with some dashing rogue as my Prince Charming. These were the dreams of a simple, modest girl.
I never wanted a legacy, or fame, or fortune, I didn't want to command fear or respect, I didn't want recognition. I just wanted to be comfortable enough to be able to live a rich and full life in a little house somehere with my family, crossing no one, hurting no one and just enjoying life for the gift that it is.
Some might say I was just a young girl who lacked ambition, that wasn't neccessarily true, I mean I can look back now and realise that hey I've done pretty darn well for myself. I went to University, my sister didn't. I got my degree, and a Masters Degree, my sister didn't. I took advantage of every opportunity to better my life, every open door and my sister didn't.
Did she resent me for it? For a time, yes, but I guess that was just sibling rivalry. I'd like to think Tiffany has grown up and moved beyond all that, but for all I know, my sister could still resent me for my successes in life. If deep down, she's anything like half the competitive bitches in the nCw locker-room, she might still hold a grudge. I'd like to think I know my sister better than that....
Jake: This is nice, we should do this more often...
With that, my train of thought was delayed, maybe for the better. I didn't want to particularly overthink the fact that my sister may be jealous of me.
Instead I turned to my husband and looked at him with the same wonder I always did. Those big beautiful brown eyes which held my soul in their loving embrace, that warm smile that melted my heart.
Kathy: Yes, yes we should...
And we would too, if my nCw commitments were lighter, but being a Champion these last few months had really monopolised my time, time I would have loved to spend with Jake, with Soli and with Min. The thing most people don't realise and the rest just gloss over is that there's more to being a Champion than simple title defenses, it doesn't matter if you're considered a wrestler, a Superstar, a Starlet or just somebody hired to the company with the express purpose of being eye candy and being paid for it, once you have gold around your waist, you have the same responsibilities as every other Champion in the company, regardless of gender, skill, ability, popularity or win/loss record.
It doesn't matter if the fans and your peers recognise you as the most credible Champion ever or the worst transitional paper waste Champion there has ever been, they all still expect something from you. They all still want to take something away from you. They all want you to give them something...
For the fans, its autographs, signed pictures and public appearances several times a week sometimes because the brand that gave you the ball now expects you to run with it.
For your peers, its something much more primal, much more savage. In this cut-throat industry, once you strip away the bright lights and the stardom, all you're left with are wolves and bloodhounds chasing you, hungry for the spotlight and recognition that gold has unwittingly afforded you.
So this week, the Wild Kat is being chased by the rabid dogs of war. A couple of bitches - with attitude!
Fight or Flight.
Fight or Flight.
Guess this week, the world will finally see if cat-like quickness is quick enough to evade the Rayne and return home and dry. I hope my ever evolving cat-like grace and reflexes in that ring pay off, or these few months of preparation for this match will go unnoticed, unrewarded and just the way everybody is expecting...
With B-W-A getting the W-I-N.
And then never shutting up about it.
Jake: So, Opportunity, huh?
My train of thought makes another unscheduled stop for my husband.
Kathy: Yeah...
Jake: Interesting name, I wonder what inspired you?
Kathy: Not what, but who...
The couple share a knowing smile, knowing in that instant exactly who was the real inspiration for such a simple name, a name that on the surface didn't seem all that significant.
But it was, and always would be.
Even if people didn't realise it yet....
The scene transitions to Kathy with her pet cat Casino in her lap and one half of the Starlets Tag Team Championship over her shoulder as the noise from the TV infront of her lets us know she was watching some wrestling tapes, presumably from the extensive nCw video library in preparation for her first big title defense ever.
It was now or never.
Make or break.
Kat or kitten.
Oh Rayne, how you disappoint me. You really do. And not for the first time either, I might add. Maybe I was just giving you too much credit as a competitor, or maybe I actually believed you had some real respect for me, or maybe I even bought into your twenty year veteran deal, even though up until Reborn, when you attacked me I honestly had no idea who you were...
Kathy shakes her head, and sighs in genuine disappointment.
In any case, I just expected so much more from a supposed veteran, I expected so much more from a woman who has supposedly accomplished so much in her career, had so many accolades and garners so much respect from all the women, and even some of the men in the back. Rayne, you want so badly to put a post Zelda paper champion asterisk next to my reign as one half of the Tag Team Champions, that's fine, it's your right, even your prerogative, but if you really want to play that game with me, allow me to be the first and possibly the only 'Starlet' brave enough on the roster to put an even bigger asterisk on not only your whole mission to 'kill' us, but your entire damn nCw career.
When this all began, months ago I really didn't understand what your problem was, honestly I thought you were just some disgruntled hasbeen looking to reclaim whatever former glory you had here, by doing the same old 'attack the champs to make a return' statement - you know, bog standard, textbook wrestling cliche #234 and all in the handbook of how to make a 'shocking' return and all. But then after you attacked Mercy V and myself, every woman backstage got talking. Honestly, I mean it got so bad that I couldn't even go to the rest room without Roxxxie or Trish Newborn standing there powdering their noses and telling me, 'You got beat down by BWA, you're so dead...'
It was then I started thinking, hey maybe there's something to this mystique around BWA, obviously they must be really good if they're getting everybody so worked up that I can't even answer the call of nature without hearing the names Rayne and Ayla St James.
Truth be told I haven't had much time to really think about it until now, out of pure curiousity, I requested some videos from the nCw vault to be brought up to me with the simple request of anything that has Rayne or Ayla in it prior to their return, so I could study up and really find out what you two were all about prior to this match, and gage for myself whether you and Ayla were really deserving of my fear or respect...
Know what I discovered, ladies? I discovered that the old saying really does have some merit after all, curiousity really did kill the cat - it killed me to realise that all the respect and fear I had for you was unwarranted. It killed me to learn that Rayne and Ayla weren't as hard done by Leonard Fox's male chauvenistic views as they had lead us all to believe.
Rayne, let's start with you as you seem to be the leader of your little crusade, let's examine for a moment, why you are doing all this, and I don't mean why you think you're doing it, or why you want the fans and the women in the back to believe you are doing it, I mean the real reason.
Give me the real reason as to why I should give a damn about you or your pet cause anymore? All this, we're doing it to better the women's division, we're doing it to be respected, we're doing it to be considered just as equal as the men, it all sounds nice and noble and a reason for the oppressed little girls with aspirations watching at home to shout 'Yeah, Right On Sister! Fight The Power! Stick It To The Man!' but I know, and deep down you and Ayla know, that none of that is really driving your crusade, no matter how many times you say it is.
Shall I go ahead and tell them Rayne? Shall I tell all your little aspiring Raynedrops watching at home and the entire Starlets' Division the secret you've so craftily obscured for months behind talk of liberating and revolutionising the women's division? Shall I tell them exactly why I've lost all the fear and respect I had for you? We all know you're doing this because you're angry, but what most people have never questioned because of your supposed credentials and the strength of your convictions is why you're angry. Sure, everybody thinks they know why...you're just making more footsteps for female liberation in the industry right? To be seen as equals and not just a nice set of tits, right?
I mean that's what all the BWA pamphlets say, that's what you've been preaching for months, but as fun as fiction can be, it isn't nowhere near as interesting as the truth. The truth, ladies, gentlemen and Rayne drops is...
Rayne is angry because she has achieved nowhere near the success of Zelda in this company. I know, hardly very shocking or very original as a motivation when you know the truth for the simple elegant beauty that it is, rather than the convoluted tripe BWA would have you believe, is it? I know what you're thinking...
"But Kathy, it doesn't make any sense. Surely that's the contrived ambition of every woman on the nCw roster - to hope against to eclipse Zelda's legacy one day?"
To that I say, hold on my little kittens, and you will soon see that it makes perfect sense, especially when you think about it for a second and put yourself in Rayne's position for a moment. Imagine you are Rayne, a veteran coming in to nCw looking to make an impact, but then you realise that nobody cares, nobody's paying any attention and you're just getting lost in the shuffle, all thanks to one name, the name on everybody's lips, the true innovator and inspiration to so many Starlets here...
Zelda Knite.
Here she is, a young fresh faced woman with a cult following and a dream match record, hardly ever defeated, and above all the real kicker to your fragile ego is the fact that she's accomplished more than you in months than you ever have in all the years you've been a veteran, a veteran I might add anywhere else but in nCw. That's just too bitter a pill for you to swallow if you're Rayne and you're languishing in obscurity, not even good enough to be Crystal Hilton and at least take some pride in knowing that whilst you're living in someone's shadow, at least it's the shadow of someone great.
So it would seem that if you're Rayne, your options are limited. How do you crawl out of the pit of irrelevance? Why, you consult your big book of wrestling cliches of course, and make another return, this time however you up the ante and return as a mystery opponent for Zelda. You've got to win now right? I mean the title is on the line, you are in a cage so practically anything goes and hell you even have a veteran as a partner in the legendary 'I used to be a slut but now I only bang retired people' Tara Fenix.
All the cards are in Rayne's favour, the deck is well and truly stacked against the most dominant female in nCw, there's no way Rayne can lose....except she does. Zeldaberg triumphs again!
And that Sandy, right there, is the real reason you hate Mercy and myself.
This entire crusade is nothing more than a poor excuse to heal a bruised ego and wounded pride, a desperate attempt to salvage whatever is left of your reputation. At Reborn, you saw Mercy and I do the one thing you failed to do last year...seize your opportunity. Make your impact. Establish yourself as the big bad bitch you want so desperately to be. In our impromptu handicap match with Mercedes Lewis - a match she agreed to - we managed to do the one thing you never could...
Make our one shot count.
In our match, we took the titles, and you resent us for that because we're the reminder of your failures, you were put into the same situation as us and you failed, you had the numbers game just as Mercy and I did...except we actually capitalised on it.
And don't even bother giving me that, in your situation we would have done the right thing, we would have walked away or demanded a rematch. Bull****!
Then Kathy directs us to the TV where an excerpt of a Rayne promo is playing...
~This match is anything but fair for the champion... And I don't care. Zelda doesn't deserve fair anymore. She doesn't deserve a helping hand. All she deserves is what she gets.
And Tara? Well she just better stay the hell out of my way. I have no interest in being your friend, your ally, or your accomplice.
I love wrestling and as far as I'm concerned the two of you are a threat to my future in wrestling. This match, this opportunity, it's my one shot, gift wrapped to me by the powers that be, and I'm not about to waste it.
This is one fight I cannot afford to lose...~
Kathy pauses and the camera takes a moment to let the beautifully simple face of a liar sink in, before the camera returns its focus to Kathy as she claps.
My sentiments exactly. Kudos to you Rayne, for being possibly the best liar and overall fraud this company has ever contracted, and you almost got away with it too, because very few Starlets would have had the curiousity to dig that deep, against any other opponent on any other week, you would have coasted by on that bitch attitude of yours, but I'm Kat Conway, so naturally I'm the curious type. I always have been, I've always been fascinated by people's motivations, particularly those who seek to justify their unprovoked attacks.
I have a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, and was at one point in my life a law enforcement officer so I guess this sort of thing just comes naturally to me. Bottom line is, you were pissed that you wasted your opportunity against Zelda even with help so what did you do next?
Why, go straight back to the drawing board after a few more times of being embarrassed by Zelda of course, and make yet another grand return - only this time with a partner. Only this time Zelda was on her way out and you realised you couldn't take another shot at her, so you did the next best thing...
You found an ally, somebody who was equally as pissed as you were about Zelda's monopoly on the Division and you went on to attack the very thing she coined, the very thing she built off nobody's back but her own - the Starlet. I guess you figured if you couldn't beat the innovator, you might as well try to beat the innovation right?
The scene now transitions back to Kathy and The Ace sitting on the couch, Kathy has her youngest daughter Domino cradled in her arms and she smiles as Domino giggles at her father pulling faces and tickling her with Mr Stinky, the makeshift homemade sock puppet - because that's what you do when you take on a part time contract to spend more time with your kids.
I loved to see Domino Opportunity Conway smile at me, it lit up my heart and made me feel invincible. My kids were special to me, not just a crutch to lean on, and I would do anything for them. After the world title fiasco in that other place, Jake decided to take a reduced contract, and unfortunately that meant reduced pay, but Leonard also offered me a more full time contract, and I took it to provide more for my family.
At the time I had no idea that I would get a title opportunity so soon, I didn't really expect it, but neither could I deny it. I knew having a title around my waist would be an instant pay rise and honestly what hard working mother who wants nothing but to provide for her young children could say no to that?
I saw the opportunity and I took it, was it unfair? Was it wrong? Maybe, but knowing what I know now about both members of BWA, I refuse to let either of them make me feel guilty about it, especially when in my position they would have done the exact same thing. There was no moral high ground for Rayne or Ayla to stand on here - Rayne didn't care that her opponent was at a disadvantage, so where does she get off trying to make me feel bad for doing the same thing to Mercedes Lewis?
It was a common joke in the back that Lewis was the less talented bigger breasted version of Zelda, and maybe seeing me triumph over her was just another stark reminder to Rayne of her failed comeback.
The thing Rayne and Ayla will never understand is that I didn't take the title for glory or fame, maybe Vargas did and if she did that's her choice, I took the title for a guaranteed pay rise and an even better life for my family, if BWA want to resent me for being a paper champion because of that, they can. If it means providing more for my family, I'd rather be a paper champion than a couple of bitter women out for any kind of glory at all.
Though, I won't lie, it does amuse me when I think of Rayne chastising me for being a false champion. If Mercy and I are false champions and have no claim to this title because we didn't beat the real Champions for it, what will it make BWA if they beat us on Sunday?
The A3 size paper champions? The fake team that beat the fake team that didn't beat the real team in the first place? What would it take for our reign to be recognised as legitimate? I mean really, what?
Last week we beat one half of EMF, and the woman everybody has already crowned the next Zelda Knite owing to her impressive win/loss record, in the absence of Zelda is that not really the best we could have done?
The scene once again transitions to a still image that I'm sure still delights many of Ayla's fans. Kathy narrates over the image.
Ayla, I'm sure you know they say a picture is woth a thousand words, and I think your fans would agree that this picture says more than enough about exactly why you have bought all of Rayne's propaganda for so long. I'm sure you believed her, every word of it when she said she was going to wage a war on the Starlets and liberate a division for the good of this company. Hell, the entire division bought it, even me. I honestly thought this was all about raising the competition and bringing Zelda back, but really it isn't.
Think about it, really think about it for a moment. Imagine if the whole BWA mission statement came without the Zelda name thrown in there for good measure. Who would care about BWA then? I'll tell you who. The same people who cared about Ayla and Rayne when Zelda was here...nobody, that's who. The fact of the matter is you two have exploitedthe Zelda name for your own ends, in your own little partnership of convenience.
You two need Zelda to be the martyr, the symbol and the justification for your cause because without her supporting you by proxy, your entire little crusade lacks the punch and the credibility it needs to thrive. I can't say I blame you Ayla, if I had been handpicked as Zelda Knite's replacement simply because I was so desperate for attention that I'd agree to wear nothing but bunny ears, and still didn't get half the attention that Zelda got, I'd be pissed off too.
So what Ayla, you were hand picked by a dirty old man to be the new pinnacle of the division simply because you agreed to give the man something he probably hasn't experienced in twenty years - a boner. Congratulations, what a real wrestler you are.
Leonard exploited you so now you exploit his greatest success - Zelda. Leonard rewarded your wholly naked ambition by handing you the Millenia title - and you seriously want to go there on Mercedes and myself? At least Mercedes and I had a match and we won our title within the rules of a match Lewis agreed to participate in by the way. We weren't handed any of the prestige you were, so before you ride that horse again and criticise us for not being quite the measuring stick, look in the mirror and ask yourself, what kind of measuring stick were you for the Millenia title?
When it finally came time to put up or shut up, and actually defend the belt your boobs got you, you blew it. You had two shots at Zelda and you blew them both, so where exactly do you get off calling me a paper champion? Zelda embarrassed both you and Rayne, more than once, she made you tap out and made it look ridiculously easy - that's the real reason you want her back.
You and Rayne both want one more shot at her, because this time you know, you just know you can finally beat her and get that old monkey off your back, and you know if she ever came back and owned you like she was playing Mario Kart again, you'd at least be able to say, hey Zee, you should be thanking us because we got you your job back. You see that's exactly why so many Starlets hated Zelda, she made wrestling look as easy as playing video games whilst some of you were veterans who had been at this game for years, others were just so full of so much naked ambition and still never managed to achieve half of what she did.
In her absence though, in the post Zombie Apocalypse world of nCw, you've prospered, without her here you've managed to assert some dominance and you've actually managed to scare S.E.X. into going P.O.P. and you've actually turned Roxxxie the triple X-rated porn star into just plain old Amy 'Don't Call Me Newborne' Marshall. Great job there guys, kudos on such a worthwhile revolution of the industry...
Tell me, was it worth burning your bra over?
Is this what you wanted?
The fact is Ayla, neither you nor Rayne have any reason to chastise either Mercy or myself for the opportunities we've taken in Zelda's absence. You've reaped the same benefits and been handed the spotlight, given the ball and told to run with it. You've been able to rise up and assert your dominance over an entire division, so please don't act like you haven't taken the same advantages we have without Zelda here, and like us you've done it all without offering her your gratitude. If Zelda were here, would Mercy and I be tag team champions? Doubtful...
But by the same token would Ayla St James and Rayne be the alpha bitches around here? Hell no, Rayne would still be cutting promos about her grandpa's dog and you would still be contemplating your next nCw Playboy magazine spread, so don't think you can read us the riot act about not having earned anything because you're still mad that being a runner up in the Riot didn't get you the title shot against Alysson you wanted...
Once again, Alya St James has to settle for the consolation prize.
It's the Millenia title situation all over again, only this time there are three key differences. First, it isn't Leonard pulling your strings, it's Rayne, second we won't be handing you anything outside of an ass whooping, and third and most important of all...
All the bunny ears and boobage in the world won't get you these belts.
I sighed, utterly content with where she was right now and it had nothing to do with being a 'Starlet' or a 'Tag Team Champion'. though those were nice accolades too - just not as bright, nor as joyful as the priviledge and the extraordinary luck of being blessed with two happy, healthy little girls.
Call me a naive little girl if you want, but this is all I've ever really wanted in life. As a little girl growing up in Kansas, all I ever dreamed about was one day having a big white wedding with some dashing rogue as my Prince Charming. These were the dreams of a simple, modest girl.
I never wanted a legacy, or fame, or fortune, I didn't want to command fear or respect, I didn't want recognition. I just wanted to be comfortable enough to be able to live a rich and full life in a little house somehere with my family, crossing no one, hurting no one and just enjoying life for the gift that it is.
Some might say I was just a young girl who lacked ambition, that wasn't neccessarily true, I mean I can look back now and realise that hey I've done pretty darn well for myself. I went to University, my sister didn't. I got my degree, and a Masters Degree, my sister didn't. I took advantage of every opportunity to better my life, every open door and my sister didn't.
Did she resent me for it? For a time, yes, but I guess that was just sibling rivalry. I'd like to think Tiffany has grown up and moved beyond all that, but for all I know, my sister could still resent me for my successes in life. If deep down, she's anything like half the competitive bitches in the nCw locker-room, she might still hold a grudge. I'd like to think I know my sister better than that....
Jake: This is nice, we should do this more often...
With that, my train of thought was delayed, maybe for the better. I didn't want to particularly overthink the fact that my sister may be jealous of me.
Instead I turned to my husband and looked at him with the same wonder I always did. Those big beautiful brown eyes which held my soul in their loving embrace, that warm smile that melted my heart.
Kathy: Yes, yes we should...
And we would too, if my nCw commitments were lighter, but being a Champion these last few months had really monopolised my time, time I would have loved to spend with Jake, with Soli and with Min. The thing most people don't realise and the rest just gloss over is that there's more to being a Champion than simple title defenses, it doesn't matter if you're considered a wrestler, a Superstar, a Starlet or just somebody hired to the company with the express purpose of being eye candy and being paid for it, once you have gold around your waist, you have the same responsibilities as every other Champion in the company, regardless of gender, skill, ability, popularity or win/loss record.
It doesn't matter if the fans and your peers recognise you as the most credible Champion ever or the worst transitional paper waste Champion there has ever been, they all still expect something from you. They all still want to take something away from you. They all want you to give them something...
For the fans, its autographs, signed pictures and public appearances several times a week sometimes because the brand that gave you the ball now expects you to run with it.
For your peers, its something much more primal, much more savage. In this cut-throat industry, once you strip away the bright lights and the stardom, all you're left with are wolves and bloodhounds chasing you, hungry for the spotlight and recognition that gold has unwittingly afforded you.
So this week, the Wild Kat is being chased by the rabid dogs of war. A couple of bitches - with attitude!
Fight or Flight.
Fight or Flight.
Guess this week, the world will finally see if cat-like quickness is quick enough to evade the Rayne and return home and dry. I hope my ever evolving cat-like grace and reflexes in that ring pay off, or these few months of preparation for this match will go unnoticed, unrewarded and just the way everybody is expecting...
With B-W-A getting the W-I-N.
And then never shutting up about it.
Jake: So, Opportunity, huh?
My train of thought makes another unscheduled stop for my husband.
Kathy: Yeah...
Jake: Interesting name, I wonder what inspired you?
Kathy: Not what, but who...
The couple share a knowing smile, knowing in that instant exactly who was the real inspiration for such a simple name, a name that on the surface didn't seem all that significant.
But it was, and always would be.
Even if people didn't realise it yet....
The scene transitions to Kathy with her pet cat Casino in her lap and one half of the Starlets Tag Team Championship over her shoulder as the noise from the TV infront of her lets us know she was watching some wrestling tapes, presumably from the extensive nCw video library in preparation for her first big title defense ever.
It was now or never.
Make or break.
Kat or kitten.
Oh Rayne, how you disappoint me. You really do. And not for the first time either, I might add. Maybe I was just giving you too much credit as a competitor, or maybe I actually believed you had some real respect for me, or maybe I even bought into your twenty year veteran deal, even though up until Reborn, when you attacked me I honestly had no idea who you were...
Kathy shakes her head, and sighs in genuine disappointment.
In any case, I just expected so much more from a supposed veteran, I expected so much more from a woman who has supposedly accomplished so much in her career, had so many accolades and garners so much respect from all the women, and even some of the men in the back. Rayne, you want so badly to put a post Zelda paper champion asterisk next to my reign as one half of the Tag Team Champions, that's fine, it's your right, even your prerogative, but if you really want to play that game with me, allow me to be the first and possibly the only 'Starlet' brave enough on the roster to put an even bigger asterisk on not only your whole mission to 'kill' us, but your entire damn nCw career.
When this all began, months ago I really didn't understand what your problem was, honestly I thought you were just some disgruntled hasbeen looking to reclaim whatever former glory you had here, by doing the same old 'attack the champs to make a return' statement - you know, bog standard, textbook wrestling cliche #234 and all in the handbook of how to make a 'shocking' return and all. But then after you attacked Mercy V and myself, every woman backstage got talking. Honestly, I mean it got so bad that I couldn't even go to the rest room without Roxxxie or Trish Newborn standing there powdering their noses and telling me, 'You got beat down by BWA, you're so dead...'
It was then I started thinking, hey maybe there's something to this mystique around BWA, obviously they must be really good if they're getting everybody so worked up that I can't even answer the call of nature without hearing the names Rayne and Ayla St James.
Truth be told I haven't had much time to really think about it until now, out of pure curiousity, I requested some videos from the nCw vault to be brought up to me with the simple request of anything that has Rayne or Ayla in it prior to their return, so I could study up and really find out what you two were all about prior to this match, and gage for myself whether you and Ayla were really deserving of my fear or respect...
Know what I discovered, ladies? I discovered that the old saying really does have some merit after all, curiousity really did kill the cat - it killed me to realise that all the respect and fear I had for you was unwarranted. It killed me to learn that Rayne and Ayla weren't as hard done by Leonard Fox's male chauvenistic views as they had lead us all to believe.
Rayne, let's start with you as you seem to be the leader of your little crusade, let's examine for a moment, why you are doing all this, and I don't mean why you think you're doing it, or why you want the fans and the women in the back to believe you are doing it, I mean the real reason.
Give me the real reason as to why I should give a damn about you or your pet cause anymore? All this, we're doing it to better the women's division, we're doing it to be respected, we're doing it to be considered just as equal as the men, it all sounds nice and noble and a reason for the oppressed little girls with aspirations watching at home to shout 'Yeah, Right On Sister! Fight The Power! Stick It To The Man!' but I know, and deep down you and Ayla know, that none of that is really driving your crusade, no matter how many times you say it is.
Shall I go ahead and tell them Rayne? Shall I tell all your little aspiring Raynedrops watching at home and the entire Starlets' Division the secret you've so craftily obscured for months behind talk of liberating and revolutionising the women's division? Shall I tell them exactly why I've lost all the fear and respect I had for you? We all know you're doing this because you're angry, but what most people have never questioned because of your supposed credentials and the strength of your convictions is why you're angry. Sure, everybody thinks they know why...you're just making more footsteps for female liberation in the industry right? To be seen as equals and not just a nice set of tits, right?
I mean that's what all the BWA pamphlets say, that's what you've been preaching for months, but as fun as fiction can be, it isn't nowhere near as interesting as the truth. The truth, ladies, gentlemen and Rayne drops is...
Rayne is angry because she has achieved nowhere near the success of Zelda in this company. I know, hardly very shocking or very original as a motivation when you know the truth for the simple elegant beauty that it is, rather than the convoluted tripe BWA would have you believe, is it? I know what you're thinking...
"But Kathy, it doesn't make any sense. Surely that's the contrived ambition of every woman on the nCw roster - to hope against to eclipse Zelda's legacy one day?"
To that I say, hold on my little kittens, and you will soon see that it makes perfect sense, especially when you think about it for a second and put yourself in Rayne's position for a moment. Imagine you are Rayne, a veteran coming in to nCw looking to make an impact, but then you realise that nobody cares, nobody's paying any attention and you're just getting lost in the shuffle, all thanks to one name, the name on everybody's lips, the true innovator and inspiration to so many Starlets here...
Zelda Knite.
Here she is, a young fresh faced woman with a cult following and a dream match record, hardly ever defeated, and above all the real kicker to your fragile ego is the fact that she's accomplished more than you in months than you ever have in all the years you've been a veteran, a veteran I might add anywhere else but in nCw. That's just too bitter a pill for you to swallow if you're Rayne and you're languishing in obscurity, not even good enough to be Crystal Hilton and at least take some pride in knowing that whilst you're living in someone's shadow, at least it's the shadow of someone great.
So it would seem that if you're Rayne, your options are limited. How do you crawl out of the pit of irrelevance? Why, you consult your big book of wrestling cliches of course, and make another return, this time however you up the ante and return as a mystery opponent for Zelda. You've got to win now right? I mean the title is on the line, you are in a cage so practically anything goes and hell you even have a veteran as a partner in the legendary 'I used to be a slut but now I only bang retired people' Tara Fenix.
All the cards are in Rayne's favour, the deck is well and truly stacked against the most dominant female in nCw, there's no way Rayne can lose....except she does. Zeldaberg triumphs again!
And that Sandy, right there, is the real reason you hate Mercy and myself.
This entire crusade is nothing more than a poor excuse to heal a bruised ego and wounded pride, a desperate attempt to salvage whatever is left of your reputation. At Reborn, you saw Mercy and I do the one thing you failed to do last year...seize your opportunity. Make your impact. Establish yourself as the big bad bitch you want so desperately to be. In our impromptu handicap match with Mercedes Lewis - a match she agreed to - we managed to do the one thing you never could...
Make our one shot count.
In our match, we took the titles, and you resent us for that because we're the reminder of your failures, you were put into the same situation as us and you failed, you had the numbers game just as Mercy and I did...except we actually capitalised on it.
And don't even bother giving me that, in your situation we would have done the right thing, we would have walked away or demanded a rematch. Bull****!
Then Kathy directs us to the TV where an excerpt of a Rayne promo is playing...
~This match is anything but fair for the champion... And I don't care. Zelda doesn't deserve fair anymore. She doesn't deserve a helping hand. All she deserves is what she gets.
And Tara? Well she just better stay the hell out of my way. I have no interest in being your friend, your ally, or your accomplice.
I love wrestling and as far as I'm concerned the two of you are a threat to my future in wrestling. This match, this opportunity, it's my one shot, gift wrapped to me by the powers that be, and I'm not about to waste it.
This is one fight I cannot afford to lose...~
Kathy pauses and the camera takes a moment to let the beautifully simple face of a liar sink in, before the camera returns its focus to Kathy as she claps.
My sentiments exactly. Kudos to you Rayne, for being possibly the best liar and overall fraud this company has ever contracted, and you almost got away with it too, because very few Starlets would have had the curiousity to dig that deep, against any other opponent on any other week, you would have coasted by on that bitch attitude of yours, but I'm Kat Conway, so naturally I'm the curious type. I always have been, I've always been fascinated by people's motivations, particularly those who seek to justify their unprovoked attacks.
I have a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, and was at one point in my life a law enforcement officer so I guess this sort of thing just comes naturally to me. Bottom line is, you were pissed that you wasted your opportunity against Zelda even with help so what did you do next?
Why, go straight back to the drawing board after a few more times of being embarrassed by Zelda of course, and make yet another grand return - only this time with a partner. Only this time Zelda was on her way out and you realised you couldn't take another shot at her, so you did the next best thing...
You found an ally, somebody who was equally as pissed as you were about Zelda's monopoly on the Division and you went on to attack the very thing she coined, the very thing she built off nobody's back but her own - the Starlet. I guess you figured if you couldn't beat the innovator, you might as well try to beat the innovation right?
The scene now transitions back to Kathy and The Ace sitting on the couch, Kathy has her youngest daughter Domino cradled in her arms and she smiles as Domino giggles at her father pulling faces and tickling her with Mr Stinky, the makeshift homemade sock puppet - because that's what you do when you take on a part time contract to spend more time with your kids.
I loved to see Domino Opportunity Conway smile at me, it lit up my heart and made me feel invincible. My kids were special to me, not just a crutch to lean on, and I would do anything for them. After the world title fiasco in that other place, Jake decided to take a reduced contract, and unfortunately that meant reduced pay, but Leonard also offered me a more full time contract, and I took it to provide more for my family.
At the time I had no idea that I would get a title opportunity so soon, I didn't really expect it, but neither could I deny it. I knew having a title around my waist would be an instant pay rise and honestly what hard working mother who wants nothing but to provide for her young children could say no to that?
I saw the opportunity and I took it, was it unfair? Was it wrong? Maybe, but knowing what I know now about both members of BWA, I refuse to let either of them make me feel guilty about it, especially when in my position they would have done the exact same thing. There was no moral high ground for Rayne or Ayla to stand on here - Rayne didn't care that her opponent was at a disadvantage, so where does she get off trying to make me feel bad for doing the same thing to Mercedes Lewis?
It was a common joke in the back that Lewis was the less talented bigger breasted version of Zelda, and maybe seeing me triumph over her was just another stark reminder to Rayne of her failed comeback.
The thing Rayne and Ayla will never understand is that I didn't take the title for glory or fame, maybe Vargas did and if she did that's her choice, I took the title for a guaranteed pay rise and an even better life for my family, if BWA want to resent me for being a paper champion because of that, they can. If it means providing more for my family, I'd rather be a paper champion than a couple of bitter women out for any kind of glory at all.
Though, I won't lie, it does amuse me when I think of Rayne chastising me for being a false champion. If Mercy and I are false champions and have no claim to this title because we didn't beat the real Champions for it, what will it make BWA if they beat us on Sunday?
The A3 size paper champions? The fake team that beat the fake team that didn't beat the real team in the first place? What would it take for our reign to be recognised as legitimate? I mean really, what?
Last week we beat one half of EMF, and the woman everybody has already crowned the next Zelda Knite owing to her impressive win/loss record, in the absence of Zelda is that not really the best we could have done?
The scene once again transitions to a still image that I'm sure still delights many of Ayla's fans. Kathy narrates over the image.
Ayla, I'm sure you know they say a picture is woth a thousand words, and I think your fans would agree that this picture says more than enough about exactly why you have bought all of Rayne's propaganda for so long. I'm sure you believed her, every word of it when she said she was going to wage a war on the Starlets and liberate a division for the good of this company. Hell, the entire division bought it, even me. I honestly thought this was all about raising the competition and bringing Zelda back, but really it isn't.
Think about it, really think about it for a moment. Imagine if the whole BWA mission statement came without the Zelda name thrown in there for good measure. Who would care about BWA then? I'll tell you who. The same people who cared about Ayla and Rayne when Zelda was here...nobody, that's who. The fact of the matter is you two have exploitedthe Zelda name for your own ends, in your own little partnership of convenience.
You two need Zelda to be the martyr, the symbol and the justification for your cause because without her supporting you by proxy, your entire little crusade lacks the punch and the credibility it needs to thrive. I can't say I blame you Ayla, if I had been handpicked as Zelda Knite's replacement simply because I was so desperate for attention that I'd agree to wear nothing but bunny ears, and still didn't get half the attention that Zelda got, I'd be pissed off too.
So what Ayla, you were hand picked by a dirty old man to be the new pinnacle of the division simply because you agreed to give the man something he probably hasn't experienced in twenty years - a boner. Congratulations, what a real wrestler you are.
Leonard exploited you so now you exploit his greatest success - Zelda. Leonard rewarded your wholly naked ambition by handing you the Millenia title - and you seriously want to go there on Mercedes and myself? At least Mercedes and I had a match and we won our title within the rules of a match Lewis agreed to participate in by the way. We weren't handed any of the prestige you were, so before you ride that horse again and criticise us for not being quite the measuring stick, look in the mirror and ask yourself, what kind of measuring stick were you for the Millenia title?
When it finally came time to put up or shut up, and actually defend the belt your boobs got you, you blew it. You had two shots at Zelda and you blew them both, so where exactly do you get off calling me a paper champion? Zelda embarrassed both you and Rayne, more than once, she made you tap out and made it look ridiculously easy - that's the real reason you want her back.
You and Rayne both want one more shot at her, because this time you know, you just know you can finally beat her and get that old monkey off your back, and you know if she ever came back and owned you like she was playing Mario Kart again, you'd at least be able to say, hey Zee, you should be thanking us because we got you your job back. You see that's exactly why so many Starlets hated Zelda, she made wrestling look as easy as playing video games whilst some of you were veterans who had been at this game for years, others were just so full of so much naked ambition and still never managed to achieve half of what she did.
In her absence though, in the post Zombie Apocalypse world of nCw, you've prospered, without her here you've managed to assert some dominance and you've actually managed to scare S.E.X. into going P.O.P. and you've actually turned Roxxxie the triple X-rated porn star into just plain old Amy 'Don't Call Me Newborne' Marshall. Great job there guys, kudos on such a worthwhile revolution of the industry...
Tell me, was it worth burning your bra over?
Is this what you wanted?
The fact is Ayla, neither you nor Rayne have any reason to chastise either Mercy or myself for the opportunities we've taken in Zelda's absence. You've reaped the same benefits and been handed the spotlight, given the ball and told to run with it. You've been able to rise up and assert your dominance over an entire division, so please don't act like you haven't taken the same advantages we have without Zelda here, and like us you've done it all without offering her your gratitude. If Zelda were here, would Mercy and I be tag team champions? Doubtful...
But by the same token would Ayla St James and Rayne be the alpha bitches around here? Hell no, Rayne would still be cutting promos about her grandpa's dog and you would still be contemplating your next nCw Playboy magazine spread, so don't think you can read us the riot act about not having earned anything because you're still mad that being a runner up in the Riot didn't get you the title shot against Alysson you wanted...
Once again, Alya St James has to settle for the consolation prize.
It's the Millenia title situation all over again, only this time there are three key differences. First, it isn't Leonard pulling your strings, it's Rayne, second we won't be handing you anything outside of an ass whooping, and third and most important of all...
All the bunny ears and boobage in the world won't get you these belts.