Post by Mercedes Vargas on Sept 28, 2015 1:57:58 GMT
__________________________
SAITAMA SUPER ARENA
SAITAMA, JAPAN
♦ ♦ ♦
MONDAY
21 SEPTEMBER 2015
11:25 PM JST
[In the midst of her sixth straight demoralizing, heartwrenching and soul crushing defeat, Mercedes Vargas stands in the losers lockerroom trying to make sense of it all.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Sometimes I don't think I can get any worse, than I go ahead and prove myself wrong. Story of my life, I guess.
[She sat silent, staring at her hands, which she moves to covering her face. Mercedes is distraught, the loss still deadpands her. She holds this despondent look for a moment before looking up, as if seeking some sign from above, then her gaze returns at her hands. After a breath, she met the camera's gaze, her deep brown eyes steady, her expression resolute.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Yeah, I came up short against Kayla, but at the end of the day, who got pinned? Yeah, Emma Danielson got that honor. So, as far as I'm concerned, Kayla can tell everyone that will listen about her victory tonight, but she never beat me, and that won't change on Sunday, even if it comes down to me and her in the Shieldmaiden of Steel match.
[Her losing streak will have to end sometime. And she's confident that it will happen at the pay-per-view.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I have five opponents to get through Sunday, and I'm making sure I'm the last Diamond standing, whatever it takes.
Everyone thinks they're the favorite to win, and I'm no different. I don't care who I'm going through, but I'm coming out of that match the first-ever Shieldmaiden Champion. People counted me out in the triple threat to win my first IWF title, they counted me out to beat Christine Rochette, they even counted me out in beating Eternity in our very first meeting, and each time I proved them wrong. I know that I can do so again Sunday.
[Easier said than done. When it comes to talking the talk, there's no one better.
Now it's time to walk the walk.]
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
Conventional wisdom says that half of the participants in the Maiden of Steel match this Sunday at Extreme Endurance has absopositively no chance of walking out of Tokyo as the first-ever Shieldmaiden Champion. Conventional wisdom says that Kayla Richards should win this match based on name value alone. Conventional wisdom says that Emma Danielson hasn't been the same since returning from a year-long injury this past April. Conventional wisdom says that the last time Crystal Hilton won a match, we had just filed away our taxes. Conventional wisdom says that Paige and Sara Garcia have been so on fire lately that they need to wear flame-retardant suits when they enter the ring, especially after their huge win against a former three-time Diamonds Champion. (OK, so Ana Jones got herself counted out on purpose, sprouted some BS about being “unfit to compete” and handed them the “W.”, but let's not ruin this feel good moment for the twins. Every little bit helps!) Because conventional wisdom also says they have defeated every person in this match, including me, whether in singles or tag team competition.
Conventional wisdom also says whatever you do, do not pick Mercedes Vargas in a multi-person match. When your record is 2-12 all time, that's more than enough reason to follow that advice. Last Sacrifice, I lost in a triple threat match, but, again, I wasn't pinned. That honor went to you, Emma.
Oops, I guess that's my fault for not breaking up that pinfall in time, but then when you laid me out with that Brooklyn Hangover – which should be borderline illegal in all 50 states and Japan - it was Lights Out City. What else could I really do?
Or, rather, what else could you really do? You've proven that you're capable of falling flat on your face, even without help.
Don't think I haven't read the details for this match, it's all there.You bring a power and strength advantage into this match, but that's about it. Because you have everything working against you. You're vastly outnumbered, you don't have an submission move in your arsenal, and, most of all, you've got me as one of your opponents. And history, at least in IWF, says that I've had your number on more than one occasion. My advice? If you hope to make it to the final four, you best stay as far away from me as possible. Again, the strength advantage may be in your favor, but strength comes in many forms.
And I'm a lot stronger than the five of you in this match combined.
Not everyone is strong enough to roll with the punches.
Some are fragile.
Ask Firenze Everette.
Her one-percent?
That's what left when you're made up of 50 percent hype and 49 percent bullshit.
I know that won't be me. I'm built to last. How do you think I survived this long in IWF? Despite the losses and the putdowns and all these people leaving the company at a clip, that's just leaving more room for me to climb that ladder and succeed.
I've continued to survive and thrive, I'm too legit to quit, and I refuse to lose, and why?
Because I haven't accepted the conventional wisdom that my competition is better than me.
_______≈₪≈______
________________________
SETAGAYA, TOKYO, JAPAN
MERCEDES VARGAS' APARTMENT
♦ ♦ ♦
WEDNESDAY
23 SEPTEMBER 2015
9:43 AM JST
4 DAYS UNTIL EXTREME ENDURANCE
[Mercedes opens the door to her Japanese apartment here in Satagaya, one of the 23 special wards found here in Tokyo, Japan. Even sans makeup, the Argentine doesn't look too bad for someone who is just in their mid-thirties. She speaks in a tired voice, a subtle hint that she may have slept late again for the third night in a row.
Mercedes tells us she's about to make coffee. It was a 2DK in apartment lingo, an apartment furnished with two rooms, a dining room and a kitchenette. If you've ever played the PC game the Sims, this is exactly what a Japanese apartment looks like. Unlike most kitchen settings back in the States, the stove came with only two burners. For now, a tea kettle settles under a low blue flame. To her right, she opens a kitchen pantry which could be very well be mistaken for a closet, as it was very large. She takes out a package of Blendy Stick – the instant coffee brand – and shows it to the camera before she rips open a sachet from the package and pours the contents into a ceramic cup, adds the hot water from the kettle, then stirs until well done.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
The best part of waking up.
[She raises her cup in a mock toast.
She savors the aroma of latte as she continues the grand tour. Next to the kitchen unit sits a mini-fridge. She opens it to reveal bottles of water and a few other perishable items – butter, yogurt, milk. Japanese sweets as well, bought at a candy shop a few days ago.
She points across the kitchen and the camera pans over to her “room”, which also served as a living room also. A small, rectangular table – called a kotatsu table - is in the center of the room where positioned neatly one next to the other are a pair of Japanese-style futons. A large mat rests on the wall. No bedroom furnishings here.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
So, not exactly a Motel 6 or Holiday Inn. Apparently, you sleep on the floor, it's good for your back, they say. I think I would argue with that.
[Mercedes is still is a little peeved over losing her match last Sacrifice. For this hard luck woman, she is looking forward to changing her fortunes at Extreme Endurance, her debut at this pay-per-view for the first time in her career. Since her in-ring debut at Diamonds are Forever 2013, she has competed at every IWF pay-per-view save for four. She can check off Extreme Endurance off the list.
What's the one thing that she has that none of her opponents has in this match?]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Conviction.
I'm coming into this match with fury and pent-up emotion, and I'm not usually this overzealous before a match. I know I have to keep my cool. The card says I'm facing Emma and Crystal and Kayla and the Garcia Twins, but all I see is a Firenze Everett in every single one of them. They get their hands on that title, it's going to be the second coming of Firenze Everett and I can't allow that to happen.
Like Crystal and Emma, I have the experience advantage in this match, but unlike me, they haven't been here as long as I have and they sure as hell don't have what it takes to go the distance. Paige and Sara should be thankful to IWF for their first pay-per-view since they got here back in January and March. They are not ready for prime time, they don't know what it's like to be under the bright lights and on the biggest stage. This is a whole lot different than the catwalks and red carpets that they're used to. And Kayla? She better hope her sister gave her every bit of advice, because what happened at Sacrifice?
I'm going to remember how I felt that night and then whip her ass so she remembers it too.
The anti-christ of the Diamonds is going to get crucified on Sunday.
[There's a thin line between conviction and stubbornness, and the latter have been associated with Mercedes, more often than not. She next heads out to the balcony where we find laundry hanging above a courtyard. Unlike many western countries, very few Japanese have western style dryers.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I've said my piece about what I thought about the Brothers Black ten-month tag title reign and their one title defense, and the Olympians sure didn't make that title any better, but as far as the Shieldmaiden Championship goes, you can put as much lipstick on this pig all you want, it's still a pig. Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.
Let's call it for what it is: The Shieldmaiden Championship is the Ruby Championship 2.0, a title whose legacy was ruined, trampled and spat on by a do-nothing bitch who won a stupid mini-tournament, had a co-title reign because of the asinine decision from management, then gets injured, and that's before she started whining and bitching about everything just because she didn't win the Iron Maiden at Convergence.
And what did the biggest crybaby in IWF history do? She stayed home throughout the duration of her injury following her last defense at the Anniversary Show. She never gave an update on her recovery, whether she was coming back, if she was going to vacate the title...NOTHING. And her reign CONTINUED without incident. Her picture was still up on the champions page on the main website! Really?
And the fans and the girls in the division are supposed to buy into someone who was injured for the duration of TWO MONTHS as the final Ruby Champion? I don't care where you stand on her title defenses, her breaking my over ten-month hold on the longest reign in history, or her 255 days. That's pure bullshit. It's things like that that are the reason the Tag Team Championship was a waste of time. It's why the Ruby Championship had zero prestige and would have served better as a coaster on the desk of the COO for his next cup of coffee. It's absolute garbage like that why no one takes the Diamonds division seriously or why I can't buy the Ruby Championship leaving a lasting legacy like they'd want you to believe.
No, what it did leave was a black mark that will stay with this company, and that title, for as long as it remains in existence.
[And not even lipstick will be able to conceal it, either.
People may not like Vargas, but you can't deny that she is as candid as it gets, almost to a fault.]
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
You can look at this match in several kind of ways, and you would be right each time.
You can see this match as a battle of youth versus experience. The stars of tomorrow versus the proven veterans of the ring.
You could see this match as a battle between the past and the future. Between myself, Crystal and Emma, we have won many championships and accolades in our time and you might say that we've practically done it all.
But we're not done just yet.
Also, the future of IWF was very much rooted in the past. How do you think names like Alex Jones, Andrew Jacobsen, The Ace, Tara Fenix, Jennifer Famularo, Mike Laszlo, Rob Diamond and others past and present got a second chance to revive their careers?
It was all thanks to, well, Roberto Verona, a name some of you may remember from New Championship Wrestling.
Believe it or not, the future of IWF is all about the past.
You could certainly make an argument for as much that this six-way match as a battle of ultimate supremacy, the remnants of an era gone by.
NCW versus IWF.
Starlets versus Diamonds.
The last of a dying breed versus the first of, well, a new breed.
All great storylines, all great ways to look at this match on a card full of great matches all around. But for me, how do I see it?
It's just me versus five people in my way to win gold.
I've been in a lot of “firsts” here in IWF: First-ever Woman of Steel match. First one, and the only one, to beat that near-seven foot charisma vaccuum and Amber's bodyguard, Christine Rochette, twice, before sending her ass back to the Great White North where she belongs. I was a participant in the first-ever Iron Maiden match and one of two to appear in both editions. Oh, and I was the first Ruby Champion to surpass 100 days during a single reign, something not even the great Amber Richards or Ana Jones accomplished. But, all of these firsts isn't quite as important than being in my first pay-per-view, which also doubled as my in-ring debut, when I beat Rayne at Diamonds are Forever.
Oh, and being the first person to beat the same opponent at that pay-per-view back-to-back. Priceless.
Anyway, my first pay-per-view match is something I'll never forget. I guess I should mention something about the Garcia Twins being in their first pay-per-view this Sunday. Hey, the Garcia Twins are making their first pay-per-view this Sunday!
There, I said it.
If there is anyone who doesn't stand a chance in this match, it's the Garcia Twins.
A pair of petty, self-centered, disingenuous, obnoxious, gutter sluts think they have a shot of escaping this match with the title. Let's face it, unless you were lucky enough to be an only child, you're going to be in a sibling rivalry at some point in your lives, and this match is going to test that bond. We're going to find out if you're sisters doing it for themselves or in it for yourselves. Maybe Kat adding the pair of you to this match was supposed to be an element of surprise, but no one will be surprised when you're both gone from this match. Hopefully, early, so we no longer have to stand looking at those punchable faces.
Only one of you can win this match. If it comes down to the two of you, one of you will be the failure. That's why I'm going to save the two of you from having to go through that scenario when I win Sunday because Lord knows I hate to come between such a strong sense of bonding.
Go ahead and make your arguments that you've defeated me on more than one occasion, but all of that is going to be thrown out the window at Extreme Endurance. We know you can win on Monday nights, but all the unanswered questions about how good you are on pay-per-view will be answered Sunday, and for your sake, you best bring your A-game, but even then it won't be enough.
It's a foregone conclusion that none of you will be surviving this match at night's end, and if I'm the person to put you two back in your place, than so be it.
Keep running your mouths about my age, I've proven that age is merely a number. Go ahead and look past me, unlike the rest of the competition, they know that my experience and strategy are strengths that shouldn't be underestimated. Call me a loser, washed up, a waste of space or whatever you can come up with, but after Sunday the next you will be calling me your inaugural Shieldmaiden Champion.
It's meant to be, it's going to be, and, in fact, it will be.
We all make mistakes in life,I know I've had my share. Though I don't think Kat realizes she made a big mistake placing you both in this match and my heart goes out to you because you deserve better than this. A higher place on the card, separate matches, maybe. I can assure the two of you that your first pay-per-view win won't be coming at Extreme Endurance.
So cancel the streamers and the big banner, let the air out of the balloons, and hold off on the bubbly, or don't.
After Sunday, you'll need it to drown your sorrows in when you lose.
Sunday is the start of a new week, and this Sunday will be the start of a new era.
You're not my competition.
_______≈₪≈______
________________________
SETAGAYA, TOKYO, JAPAN
MERCEDES' APARTMENT
♦ ♦ ♦
SUNDAY
27 SEPTEMBER 2015
9:25 AM JST
12 HOURS BEFORE EXTREME ENDURANCE
[On this mostly sunny day on the eve of the pay-per-view, Mercedes is typing away on her laptop with Marta, the no-nonsense hairdresser from Brooklyn.]
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing to "Skiergal849")
I am so depressed.
(adds a sad face emoticon)
.::MARTA::..
[writing to "MercyMercyV"]
What, why? What's wrong?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Didn't you hear? Leo is injured!
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
Lionel Messi? No! How did it happen?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
I don't know. It's a knee injury. He won't be able to play for two months! Oh, the agony!
.::MARTA::..
[writing]
It's only eight weeks. He'll be fine. What about you? How's Japan?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
It's just how I remembered it last time I came here. Well, today is the day, and I've never been more ready.
.::MARTA::..
[writing]
Did you win your last match?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Is the Pope Catholic?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
I didn't hear anything lately from the Vatican. Hey, speaking of, did you watch?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Sadly, no. What was it like?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
It was a madhouse. You would think it was the second coming of Elvis or something. You should have been there, Pope Francis would have loved you.
(stops and thinks)
How are you feeling?
.::MERCEDES::..
[writing]
Excited...
(hesitates)
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
and afraid. And it's not even noon yet.
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
Hey, didn't you say you had to get to the arena?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Yeah, why?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
It's 11 pm here. 13 hour difference between Philly and Japan...
.::MERCEDES::..
(out loud)
11pm? So that means.. Crap... Gotta go.
(slams laptop shut)
~ ~ ~
________________________
BUNKYO, TOKYO, JAPAN
TOKYO DOME
♦ ♦ ♦
SUNDAY
27 SEPTEMBER 2015
5:15 PM JST
3 HOURS BEFORE EXTREME ENDURANCE
[Mercedes Vargas takes a brief stroll across the parking lot to the Tokyo Dome in a Yomiuri Giants uniform and baseball cap with the cap insignia. Earlier today, the Giants lost to the visiting Yakult Swallows, 5-2, ending their five-match winning streak.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
No matter where you go, I think baseball has a universal language. So there's one more month left of baseball here in Japan. Their season runs from March to October, and then there's the playoffs. This is actually my third visit to a Giants game. The first time was back in June 2009 and then I came back last year in August. Good times. Today, no so much.
[She laughs.
Mercedes hopes to have a much better outcome than the Giants today when the Tokyo Dome plays hosts to tonight's Extreme Endurance pay-per-view. Fans at the game was also told of the event prior and during the baseball game. Of course, Mercedes did her part to spread the word.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I did a lot of interviews during the week, and the hosts aren't always knowledgeable about IWF. The fans, though, knew what they were talking about. I don't know if I was left surprised or impressed. Should be fun to see the turnout for tonight.
[Mercedes continues tossing up and catching a baseball while smiling. As Extreme Endurance looms, her attention turns to her match. While this is her second official time wrestling at the Tokyo Dome and first in over six years, she is hoping that she leaves this time making history.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I've been in cage matches before, but this is the first time in a match with this many people, it's going to be very crowded in that one ring. I've got a chance to make history, and I know that with this revolution going on, it's going to be a defining moment. Kayla and Amber and Eliza, and the Garcia Twins, they can take credit for starting the revolution, that's fine by me.
I'm going to be the one who is going to lead it.
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
She asked for this.
This slippery slope Amber is on? The one where she mockingly asked for my help on to get her out of?
She asked for this.
Despite saving you from the COE, despite her claims of saving this division, she asked for this. She has no one to blame but herself. She pointed fingers at the rest of the division that we're the cause of why it's in a state of flux right now, when she was very much to blame from the very day her manicured hands touched that title for the first time. When she sat at her throne pointing down at the little ones and saying no one was good enough to beat her. When she berated the division almost on a weekly basis with no regards for human life, all of what she's going through right now, in this moment, these last few months, are the consequences for her being so downright and blatantly arrogant.
Call it karma. Call it the universe checking itself or whatever, but you'll be surprised to know how many people are enjoying Amber's struggles and dancing on her grave. And just because it's Sunday, I'm not expecting a resurrection in her first match in five weeks since that loss in the HT3 finals or the Richards going 2-0 either.
Because we all know better. At least, I do.
No one fears the Richards' name anymore. Not Eternity, not Jessica Reed, not Ana Jones, and certainly not anyone in this match. Your fair game, Kayla. No one is second guessing themselves when your name appears on a given Sacrifice or pay-per-view card. Given my penchant for losing to newcomers, at least I can say I never lost to Jungle Jane, someone who got destroyed this past Sacrifice, and by your sister-in-law, of all people.
Now, how come you couldn't do that in your first match against her?
Case in point, Joanna was just another one of a long list of Diamonds who somehow got signed to a contract. The problem with the Diamonds division is the company had let in women who had no passion for the wrestling business become professional wrestlers, or for those that did, wasn't in it for the long haul. Amber's problem seems to be against people who took different paths to a wrestling career – who, yeah, like the Garcias, I also came from a modelling/acting background, but so what? As long as you have the heart and the desire and take this business seriously, it shouldn't matter if you came from an acting background or a modelling background or a singing background. Jessica Reed, Ana Jones? I''m sure wrestler isn't the first word to describe them, and yet they have established themselves, much like your sister has, as bonafied legends in this company. Eternity and Alexis won't be gracing the cover of fashion magazines anytime soon, but because they don't have the look of the typical runway model, they've more than made up for it by being extremely talented in the ring.
For six years, over 300-plus matches, traveling over some thirty countries and 160-plus cities on six continents, having gone through concussions and minor and major injuries, I have busted my ass, laid my life on the line and loved and lost because I take my career that seriously, and I'm not about to let some insolent child walk out of Tokyo, Japan as the first-ever champion!
This six-way match is no different than the Iron Maiden match, which, by the way. I'm the only one in this match to have been in both editions. None of you can say that. I've also been in the past two Heiress to the Thrones and the only one to make it in back-to-back years. None of you in this match can say that.
Who better to be the first-ever Shieldmaiden than yours truly? Who better than the last credible Ruby Champion in history? It's only fitting that the first champion to surpass 100 days lead this company into the future. I surpassed Ana's reign and held the record as longest-reigning Ruby Champion for ten until Firenze Everett came along. Six months into her reign, she gets injured and she practically ruined the title, a black mark on a title that showed promise. Now, IWF gets to start over.
I tried my luck on match.com, then came to find out all my matches are cancelled because there were no match for me. This six-way Maiden of Steel is kind of the same thing. The competitors are no match for Mercedes Vargas.
What does The Garcia Twins know about winning matches when it matters? This is their first pay-per-view match since they got here – in January and March respectively. And despite the personal rivalries I have with Crystal and Emma, if anyone think they have a shot of winning this match, they should seriously seek therapy. Crystal was a lot better than this before she got soft and now no one really cares about her anymore, but then again, who did? She has a lot to be thankful for in this company, even though we're no where near Thanksgiving: A co-Ruby Championship reign and a joke of a title reign that left everyone shaking their head, a spot in the Iron Maiden match that left everyone scratching their head. Oh, and let's not forget a spot in the Heiress to the Throne when she lost her qualifier. So tell me why someone who was given all of these things and failed in everything is suddenly given another chance to prove that she just isn't going to succeed this time, especially since unlike everyone in this match, she didn't compete for two weeks?
And Emma, what exactly has she done that's relevant, except losing and leave people wondering if she even works in IWF anymore? She hasn't won a match since she returned back in April. And while it's almost impossible to tell the Garcia Twins apart, it's almost too easy with you and your sister, Kay.
Obviously, one of you get a lot less UV rays than the rest of us.
I think I've already made my feelings known about Amber and why I don't respect her and there's nothing that you can say, think or do that will ever get me to respect the Richards name, or the Jones name, for that matter. But just because I don't respect you doesn't mean I hate you, Kay. I'm just disappointed in what you'd turn into something you said you would never become.
But don't worry, sweetheart, I have so much more for you to hate me for. Just be patient. The Shieldmaiden Championship is coming home with me. And after I win this six-way match, maybe I'll get a front row seat later on so I can watch your sister get seven shades of shit beat out of her by none other than your girlfriend's aunt. How's that for a double feature?
Your words don't hurt me like you think you do, because I don't know if they are genuine, or you were fed these lines by your sister. Regardless, calling me a cancer, that's cute, pumpkin. In fact, I actually find that funny you would say that when you called Ana the exact same thing...you know, when you helped saved the division from her reign of terror? And I think you have me confused with the socialite bitch you just ran down...I never said Ana “killed the division.” Though, FYI, it really doesn't help that she wants to burn down the division, her words.
But at least you're in the right place, Kay. You finally came to your senses and realized who the biggest threat in this match is, and it sure as hell isn't the Kardashians.
It's the old guard of NCW. Specifically, me.
You're not special, you're not unique, and you're definitely not a threat. Through these eyes, you'll always be the pathetic loser living off of her sister's name.
You need to think about it this way, Kayla - it's not where would IWF be without Amber Richards, it's where would Amber Richards be without IWF.
...with you hanging on her coattails along for the ride
You're not my competition either.
_______≈₪≈______
[Smash cut later in the evening as Mercedes is back at her apartment, ready to head out for the arena, which is less than half an hour away by car. She looks back at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. Her mind in a state of clarity.]
.::MERCEDES::..
I've finally found my competition.
Who knew it was staring back at me all along?
SAITAMA SUPER ARENA
SAITAMA, JAPAN
♦ ♦ ♦
MONDAY
21 SEPTEMBER 2015
11:25 PM JST
[In the midst of her sixth straight demoralizing, heartwrenching and soul crushing defeat, Mercedes Vargas stands in the losers lockerroom trying to make sense of it all.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Sometimes I don't think I can get any worse, than I go ahead and prove myself wrong. Story of my life, I guess.
[She sat silent, staring at her hands, which she moves to covering her face. Mercedes is distraught, the loss still deadpands her. She holds this despondent look for a moment before looking up, as if seeking some sign from above, then her gaze returns at her hands. After a breath, she met the camera's gaze, her deep brown eyes steady, her expression resolute.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Yeah, I came up short against Kayla, but at the end of the day, who got pinned? Yeah, Emma Danielson got that honor. So, as far as I'm concerned, Kayla can tell everyone that will listen about her victory tonight, but she never beat me, and that won't change on Sunday, even if it comes down to me and her in the Shieldmaiden of Steel match.
[Her losing streak will have to end sometime. And she's confident that it will happen at the pay-per-view.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I have five opponents to get through Sunday, and I'm making sure I'm the last Diamond standing, whatever it takes.
Everyone thinks they're the favorite to win, and I'm no different. I don't care who I'm going through, but I'm coming out of that match the first-ever Shieldmaiden Champion. People counted me out in the triple threat to win my first IWF title, they counted me out to beat Christine Rochette, they even counted me out in beating Eternity in our very first meeting, and each time I proved them wrong. I know that I can do so again Sunday.
[Easier said than done. When it comes to talking the talk, there's no one better.
Now it's time to walk the walk.]
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
Conventional wisdom says that half of the participants in the Maiden of Steel match this Sunday at Extreme Endurance has absopositively no chance of walking out of Tokyo as the first-ever Shieldmaiden Champion. Conventional wisdom says that Kayla Richards should win this match based on name value alone. Conventional wisdom says that Emma Danielson hasn't been the same since returning from a year-long injury this past April. Conventional wisdom says that the last time Crystal Hilton won a match, we had just filed away our taxes. Conventional wisdom says that Paige and Sara Garcia have been so on fire lately that they need to wear flame-retardant suits when they enter the ring, especially after their huge win against a former three-time Diamonds Champion. (OK, so Ana Jones got herself counted out on purpose, sprouted some BS about being “unfit to compete” and handed them the “W.”, but let's not ruin this feel good moment for the twins. Every little bit helps!) Because conventional wisdom also says they have defeated every person in this match, including me, whether in singles or tag team competition.
Conventional wisdom also says whatever you do, do not pick Mercedes Vargas in a multi-person match. When your record is 2-12 all time, that's more than enough reason to follow that advice. Last Sacrifice, I lost in a triple threat match, but, again, I wasn't pinned. That honor went to you, Emma.
Oops, I guess that's my fault for not breaking up that pinfall in time, but then when you laid me out with that Brooklyn Hangover – which should be borderline illegal in all 50 states and Japan - it was Lights Out City. What else could I really do?
Or, rather, what else could you really do? You've proven that you're capable of falling flat on your face, even without help.
Don't think I haven't read the details for this match, it's all there.You bring a power and strength advantage into this match, but that's about it. Because you have everything working against you. You're vastly outnumbered, you don't have an submission move in your arsenal, and, most of all, you've got me as one of your opponents. And history, at least in IWF, says that I've had your number on more than one occasion. My advice? If you hope to make it to the final four, you best stay as far away from me as possible. Again, the strength advantage may be in your favor, but strength comes in many forms.
And I'm a lot stronger than the five of you in this match combined.
Not everyone is strong enough to roll with the punches.
Some are fragile.
Ask Firenze Everette.
Her one-percent?
That's what left when you're made up of 50 percent hype and 49 percent bullshit.
I know that won't be me. I'm built to last. How do you think I survived this long in IWF? Despite the losses and the putdowns and all these people leaving the company at a clip, that's just leaving more room for me to climb that ladder and succeed.
I've continued to survive and thrive, I'm too legit to quit, and I refuse to lose, and why?
Because I haven't accepted the conventional wisdom that my competition is better than me.
_______≈₪≈______
________________________
SETAGAYA, TOKYO, JAPAN
MERCEDES VARGAS' APARTMENT
♦ ♦ ♦
WEDNESDAY
23 SEPTEMBER 2015
9:43 AM JST
4 DAYS UNTIL EXTREME ENDURANCE
[Mercedes opens the door to her Japanese apartment here in Satagaya, one of the 23 special wards found here in Tokyo, Japan. Even sans makeup, the Argentine doesn't look too bad for someone who is just in their mid-thirties. She speaks in a tired voice, a subtle hint that she may have slept late again for the third night in a row.
Mercedes tells us she's about to make coffee. It was a 2DK in apartment lingo, an apartment furnished with two rooms, a dining room and a kitchenette. If you've ever played the PC game the Sims, this is exactly what a Japanese apartment looks like. Unlike most kitchen settings back in the States, the stove came with only two burners. For now, a tea kettle settles under a low blue flame. To her right, she opens a kitchen pantry which could be very well be mistaken for a closet, as it was very large. She takes out a package of Blendy Stick – the instant coffee brand – and shows it to the camera before she rips open a sachet from the package and pours the contents into a ceramic cup, adds the hot water from the kettle, then stirs until well done.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
The best part of waking up.
[She raises her cup in a mock toast.
She savors the aroma of latte as she continues the grand tour. Next to the kitchen unit sits a mini-fridge. She opens it to reveal bottles of water and a few other perishable items – butter, yogurt, milk. Japanese sweets as well, bought at a candy shop a few days ago.
She points across the kitchen and the camera pans over to her “room”, which also served as a living room also. A small, rectangular table – called a kotatsu table - is in the center of the room where positioned neatly one next to the other are a pair of Japanese-style futons. A large mat rests on the wall. No bedroom furnishings here.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
So, not exactly a Motel 6 or Holiday Inn. Apparently, you sleep on the floor, it's good for your back, they say. I think I would argue with that.
[Mercedes is still is a little peeved over losing her match last Sacrifice. For this hard luck woman, she is looking forward to changing her fortunes at Extreme Endurance, her debut at this pay-per-view for the first time in her career. Since her in-ring debut at Diamonds are Forever 2013, she has competed at every IWF pay-per-view save for four. She can check off Extreme Endurance off the list.
What's the one thing that she has that none of her opponents has in this match?]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
Conviction.
I'm coming into this match with fury and pent-up emotion, and I'm not usually this overzealous before a match. I know I have to keep my cool. The card says I'm facing Emma and Crystal and Kayla and the Garcia Twins, but all I see is a Firenze Everett in every single one of them. They get their hands on that title, it's going to be the second coming of Firenze Everett and I can't allow that to happen.
Like Crystal and Emma, I have the experience advantage in this match, but unlike me, they haven't been here as long as I have and they sure as hell don't have what it takes to go the distance. Paige and Sara should be thankful to IWF for their first pay-per-view since they got here back in January and March. They are not ready for prime time, they don't know what it's like to be under the bright lights and on the biggest stage. This is a whole lot different than the catwalks and red carpets that they're used to. And Kayla? She better hope her sister gave her every bit of advice, because what happened at Sacrifice?
I'm going to remember how I felt that night and then whip her ass so she remembers it too.
The anti-christ of the Diamonds is going to get crucified on Sunday.
[There's a thin line between conviction and stubbornness, and the latter have been associated with Mercedes, more often than not. She next heads out to the balcony where we find laundry hanging above a courtyard. Unlike many western countries, very few Japanese have western style dryers.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I've said my piece about what I thought about the Brothers Black ten-month tag title reign and their one title defense, and the Olympians sure didn't make that title any better, but as far as the Shieldmaiden Championship goes, you can put as much lipstick on this pig all you want, it's still a pig. Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.
Let's call it for what it is: The Shieldmaiden Championship is the Ruby Championship 2.0, a title whose legacy was ruined, trampled and spat on by a do-nothing bitch who won a stupid mini-tournament, had a co-title reign because of the asinine decision from management, then gets injured, and that's before she started whining and bitching about everything just because she didn't win the Iron Maiden at Convergence.
And what did the biggest crybaby in IWF history do? She stayed home throughout the duration of her injury following her last defense at the Anniversary Show. She never gave an update on her recovery, whether she was coming back, if she was going to vacate the title...NOTHING. And her reign CONTINUED without incident. Her picture was still up on the champions page on the main website! Really?
And the fans and the girls in the division are supposed to buy into someone who was injured for the duration of TWO MONTHS as the final Ruby Champion? I don't care where you stand on her title defenses, her breaking my over ten-month hold on the longest reign in history, or her 255 days. That's pure bullshit. It's things like that that are the reason the Tag Team Championship was a waste of time. It's why the Ruby Championship had zero prestige and would have served better as a coaster on the desk of the COO for his next cup of coffee. It's absolute garbage like that why no one takes the Diamonds division seriously or why I can't buy the Ruby Championship leaving a lasting legacy like they'd want you to believe.
No, what it did leave was a black mark that will stay with this company, and that title, for as long as it remains in existence.
[And not even lipstick will be able to conceal it, either.
People may not like Vargas, but you can't deny that she is as candid as it gets, almost to a fault.]
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
You can look at this match in several kind of ways, and you would be right each time.
You can see this match as a battle of youth versus experience. The stars of tomorrow versus the proven veterans of the ring.
You could see this match as a battle between the past and the future. Between myself, Crystal and Emma, we have won many championships and accolades in our time and you might say that we've practically done it all.
But we're not done just yet.
Also, the future of IWF was very much rooted in the past. How do you think names like Alex Jones, Andrew Jacobsen, The Ace, Tara Fenix, Jennifer Famularo, Mike Laszlo, Rob Diamond and others past and present got a second chance to revive their careers?
It was all thanks to, well, Roberto Verona, a name some of you may remember from New Championship Wrestling.
Believe it or not, the future of IWF is all about the past.
You could certainly make an argument for as much that this six-way match as a battle of ultimate supremacy, the remnants of an era gone by.
NCW versus IWF.
Starlets versus Diamonds.
The last of a dying breed versus the first of, well, a new breed.
All great storylines, all great ways to look at this match on a card full of great matches all around. But for me, how do I see it?
It's just me versus five people in my way to win gold.
I've been in a lot of “firsts” here in IWF: First-ever Woman of Steel match. First one, and the only one, to beat that near-seven foot charisma vaccuum and Amber's bodyguard, Christine Rochette, twice, before sending her ass back to the Great White North where she belongs. I was a participant in the first-ever Iron Maiden match and one of two to appear in both editions. Oh, and I was the first Ruby Champion to surpass 100 days during a single reign, something not even the great Amber Richards or Ana Jones accomplished. But, all of these firsts isn't quite as important than being in my first pay-per-view, which also doubled as my in-ring debut, when I beat Rayne at Diamonds are Forever.
Oh, and being the first person to beat the same opponent at that pay-per-view back-to-back. Priceless.
Anyway, my first pay-per-view match is something I'll never forget. I guess I should mention something about the Garcia Twins being in their first pay-per-view this Sunday. Hey, the Garcia Twins are making their first pay-per-view this Sunday!
There, I said it.
If there is anyone who doesn't stand a chance in this match, it's the Garcia Twins.
A pair of petty, self-centered, disingenuous, obnoxious, gutter sluts think they have a shot of escaping this match with the title. Let's face it, unless you were lucky enough to be an only child, you're going to be in a sibling rivalry at some point in your lives, and this match is going to test that bond. We're going to find out if you're sisters doing it for themselves or in it for yourselves. Maybe Kat adding the pair of you to this match was supposed to be an element of surprise, but no one will be surprised when you're both gone from this match. Hopefully, early, so we no longer have to stand looking at those punchable faces.
Only one of you can win this match. If it comes down to the two of you, one of you will be the failure. That's why I'm going to save the two of you from having to go through that scenario when I win Sunday because Lord knows I hate to come between such a strong sense of bonding.
Go ahead and make your arguments that you've defeated me on more than one occasion, but all of that is going to be thrown out the window at Extreme Endurance. We know you can win on Monday nights, but all the unanswered questions about how good you are on pay-per-view will be answered Sunday, and for your sake, you best bring your A-game, but even then it won't be enough.
It's a foregone conclusion that none of you will be surviving this match at night's end, and if I'm the person to put you two back in your place, than so be it.
Keep running your mouths about my age, I've proven that age is merely a number. Go ahead and look past me, unlike the rest of the competition, they know that my experience and strategy are strengths that shouldn't be underestimated. Call me a loser, washed up, a waste of space or whatever you can come up with, but after Sunday the next you will be calling me your inaugural Shieldmaiden Champion.
It's meant to be, it's going to be, and, in fact, it will be.
We all make mistakes in life,I know I've had my share. Though I don't think Kat realizes she made a big mistake placing you both in this match and my heart goes out to you because you deserve better than this. A higher place on the card, separate matches, maybe. I can assure the two of you that your first pay-per-view win won't be coming at Extreme Endurance.
So cancel the streamers and the big banner, let the air out of the balloons, and hold off on the bubbly, or don't.
After Sunday, you'll need it to drown your sorrows in when you lose.
Sunday is the start of a new week, and this Sunday will be the start of a new era.
You're not my competition.
_______≈₪≈______
________________________
SETAGAYA, TOKYO, JAPAN
MERCEDES' APARTMENT
♦ ♦ ♦
SUNDAY
27 SEPTEMBER 2015
9:25 AM JST
12 HOURS BEFORE EXTREME ENDURANCE
[On this mostly sunny day on the eve of the pay-per-view, Mercedes is typing away on her laptop with Marta, the no-nonsense hairdresser from Brooklyn.]
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing to "Skiergal849")
I am so depressed.
(adds a sad face emoticon)
.::MARTA::..
[writing to "MercyMercyV"]
What, why? What's wrong?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Didn't you hear? Leo is injured!
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
Lionel Messi? No! How did it happen?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
I don't know. It's a knee injury. He won't be able to play for two months! Oh, the agony!
.::MARTA::..
[writing]
It's only eight weeks. He'll be fine. What about you? How's Japan?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
It's just how I remembered it last time I came here. Well, today is the day, and I've never been more ready.
.::MARTA::..
[writing]
Did you win your last match?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Is the Pope Catholic?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
I didn't hear anything lately from the Vatican. Hey, speaking of, did you watch?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Sadly, no. What was it like?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
It was a madhouse. You would think it was the second coming of Elvis or something. You should have been there, Pope Francis would have loved you.
(stops and thinks)
How are you feeling?
.::MERCEDES::..
[writing]
Excited...
(hesitates)
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
and afraid. And it's not even noon yet.
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
Hey, didn't you say you had to get to the arena?
.::MERCEDES::..
(writing)
Yeah, why?
.::MARTA::..
(writing)
It's 11 pm here. 13 hour difference between Philly and Japan...
.::MERCEDES::..
(out loud)
11pm? So that means.. Crap... Gotta go.
(slams laptop shut)
~ ~ ~
________________________
BUNKYO, TOKYO, JAPAN
TOKYO DOME
♦ ♦ ♦
SUNDAY
27 SEPTEMBER 2015
5:15 PM JST
3 HOURS BEFORE EXTREME ENDURANCE
[Mercedes Vargas takes a brief stroll across the parking lot to the Tokyo Dome in a Yomiuri Giants uniform and baseball cap with the cap insignia. Earlier today, the Giants lost to the visiting Yakult Swallows, 5-2, ending their five-match winning streak.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
No matter where you go, I think baseball has a universal language. So there's one more month left of baseball here in Japan. Their season runs from March to October, and then there's the playoffs. This is actually my third visit to a Giants game. The first time was back in June 2009 and then I came back last year in August. Good times. Today, no so much.
[She laughs.
Mercedes hopes to have a much better outcome than the Giants today when the Tokyo Dome plays hosts to tonight's Extreme Endurance pay-per-view. Fans at the game was also told of the event prior and during the baseball game. Of course, Mercedes did her part to spread the word.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I did a lot of interviews during the week, and the hosts aren't always knowledgeable about IWF. The fans, though, knew what they were talking about. I don't know if I was left surprised or impressed. Should be fun to see the turnout for tonight.
[Mercedes continues tossing up and catching a baseball while smiling. As Extreme Endurance looms, her attention turns to her match. While this is her second official time wrestling at the Tokyo Dome and first in over six years, she is hoping that she leaves this time making history.]
M E R C E D E S ♦ V A R G A S
IWF DIAMOND
I've been in cage matches before, but this is the first time in a match with this many people, it's going to be very crowded in that one ring. I've got a chance to make history, and I know that with this revolution going on, it's going to be a defining moment. Kayla and Amber and Eliza, and the Garcia Twins, they can take credit for starting the revolution, that's fine by me.
I'm going to be the one who is going to lead it.
[Fade.]
_______≈₪≈______
She asked for this.
This slippery slope Amber is on? The one where she mockingly asked for my help on to get her out of?
She asked for this.
Despite saving you from the COE, despite her claims of saving this division, she asked for this. She has no one to blame but herself. She pointed fingers at the rest of the division that we're the cause of why it's in a state of flux right now, when she was very much to blame from the very day her manicured hands touched that title for the first time. When she sat at her throne pointing down at the little ones and saying no one was good enough to beat her. When she berated the division almost on a weekly basis with no regards for human life, all of what she's going through right now, in this moment, these last few months, are the consequences for her being so downright and blatantly arrogant.
Call it karma. Call it the universe checking itself or whatever, but you'll be surprised to know how many people are enjoying Amber's struggles and dancing on her grave. And just because it's Sunday, I'm not expecting a resurrection in her first match in five weeks since that loss in the HT3 finals or the Richards going 2-0 either.
Because we all know better. At least, I do.
No one fears the Richards' name anymore. Not Eternity, not Jessica Reed, not Ana Jones, and certainly not anyone in this match. Your fair game, Kayla. No one is second guessing themselves when your name appears on a given Sacrifice or pay-per-view card. Given my penchant for losing to newcomers, at least I can say I never lost to Jungle Jane, someone who got destroyed this past Sacrifice, and by your sister-in-law, of all people.
Now, how come you couldn't do that in your first match against her?
Case in point, Joanna was just another one of a long list of Diamonds who somehow got signed to a contract. The problem with the Diamonds division is the company had let in women who had no passion for the wrestling business become professional wrestlers, or for those that did, wasn't in it for the long haul. Amber's problem seems to be against people who took different paths to a wrestling career – who, yeah, like the Garcias, I also came from a modelling/acting background, but so what? As long as you have the heart and the desire and take this business seriously, it shouldn't matter if you came from an acting background or a modelling background or a singing background. Jessica Reed, Ana Jones? I''m sure wrestler isn't the first word to describe them, and yet they have established themselves, much like your sister has, as bonafied legends in this company. Eternity and Alexis won't be gracing the cover of fashion magazines anytime soon, but because they don't have the look of the typical runway model, they've more than made up for it by being extremely talented in the ring.
For six years, over 300-plus matches, traveling over some thirty countries and 160-plus cities on six continents, having gone through concussions and minor and major injuries, I have busted my ass, laid my life on the line and loved and lost because I take my career that seriously, and I'm not about to let some insolent child walk out of Tokyo, Japan as the first-ever champion!
This six-way match is no different than the Iron Maiden match, which, by the way. I'm the only one in this match to have been in both editions. None of you can say that. I've also been in the past two Heiress to the Thrones and the only one to make it in back-to-back years. None of you in this match can say that.
Who better to be the first-ever Shieldmaiden than yours truly? Who better than the last credible Ruby Champion in history? It's only fitting that the first champion to surpass 100 days lead this company into the future. I surpassed Ana's reign and held the record as longest-reigning Ruby Champion for ten until Firenze Everett came along. Six months into her reign, she gets injured and she practically ruined the title, a black mark on a title that showed promise. Now, IWF gets to start over.
I tried my luck on match.com, then came to find out all my matches are cancelled because there were no match for me. This six-way Maiden of Steel is kind of the same thing. The competitors are no match for Mercedes Vargas.
What does The Garcia Twins know about winning matches when it matters? This is their first pay-per-view match since they got here – in January and March respectively. And despite the personal rivalries I have with Crystal and Emma, if anyone think they have a shot of winning this match, they should seriously seek therapy. Crystal was a lot better than this before she got soft and now no one really cares about her anymore, but then again, who did? She has a lot to be thankful for in this company, even though we're no where near Thanksgiving: A co-Ruby Championship reign and a joke of a title reign that left everyone shaking their head, a spot in the Iron Maiden match that left everyone scratching their head. Oh, and let's not forget a spot in the Heiress to the Throne when she lost her qualifier. So tell me why someone who was given all of these things and failed in everything is suddenly given another chance to prove that she just isn't going to succeed this time, especially since unlike everyone in this match, she didn't compete for two weeks?
And Emma, what exactly has she done that's relevant, except losing and leave people wondering if she even works in IWF anymore? She hasn't won a match since she returned back in April. And while it's almost impossible to tell the Garcia Twins apart, it's almost too easy with you and your sister, Kay.
Obviously, one of you get a lot less UV rays than the rest of us.
I think I've already made my feelings known about Amber and why I don't respect her and there's nothing that you can say, think or do that will ever get me to respect the Richards name, or the Jones name, for that matter. But just because I don't respect you doesn't mean I hate you, Kay. I'm just disappointed in what you'd turn into something you said you would never become.
But don't worry, sweetheart, I have so much more for you to hate me for. Just be patient. The Shieldmaiden Championship is coming home with me. And after I win this six-way match, maybe I'll get a front row seat later on so I can watch your sister get seven shades of shit beat out of her by none other than your girlfriend's aunt. How's that for a double feature?
Your words don't hurt me like you think you do, because I don't know if they are genuine, or you were fed these lines by your sister. Regardless, calling me a cancer, that's cute, pumpkin. In fact, I actually find that funny you would say that when you called Ana the exact same thing...you know, when you helped saved the division from her reign of terror? And I think you have me confused with the socialite bitch you just ran down...I never said Ana “killed the division.” Though, FYI, it really doesn't help that she wants to burn down the division, her words.
But at least you're in the right place, Kay. You finally came to your senses and realized who the biggest threat in this match is, and it sure as hell isn't the Kardashians.
It's the old guard of NCW. Specifically, me.
You're not special, you're not unique, and you're definitely not a threat. Through these eyes, you'll always be the pathetic loser living off of her sister's name.
You need to think about it this way, Kayla - it's not where would IWF be without Amber Richards, it's where would Amber Richards be without IWF.
...with you hanging on her coattails along for the ride
You're not my competition either.
_______≈₪≈______
[Smash cut later in the evening as Mercedes is back at her apartment, ready to head out for the arena, which is less than half an hour away by car. She looks back at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. Her mind in a state of clarity.]
.::MERCEDES::..
I've finally found my competition.
Who knew it was staring back at me all along?
Well howdy there pardner.