Post by Tatiana on Mar 24, 2024 8:51:39 GMT -5
PROMO | Call of the North
(On Camera)
Before I address Odin Balfore, please give me a moment to discuss the attack on Jody Madrox by Sicko the Clown.
For starters… I cannot possibly express just how much I dislike clowns. They’re creepy, they’re weird, and they’re honestly not funny at all. Especially the ones that seem to stalk the hallways of Action Wrestling. I had NOTHING to do with the vile ambush of Jody Madrox nor was I privy in advance of the event. It didn’t happen until I was backstage - and as such, I didn’t even know about it until AFTER it was over.
Yes, I set out to defeat Jody to advance to the finals of Match Madness.
I had some strong words to say about the man before the match.
And I was prepared to go to any lengths to get MY World Title shot.
But I assure you that I would never take part in some vile ambush of a man who had just fought a brutally hard match moments ago. ALL of our ‘heat’ existed only between the bells - and as he fought with valor and integrity, I have NOTHING but respect for him.
The attack on him was reprehensible, violent, and just plain ugly. I hope that Jody is okay… But I also hope he’s pissed off. I hope he uses that bile to fuel his righteous vengeance in the face of this indignity that befell him at the end of our match last week.
For whatever it’s worth | And at this point, it’s probably not much.
But for what it’s worth, Jody Madrox has my support.
He’s a good man and a dignified professional.
And he DESERVES retribution after that ugly ambush last week.
Moving On
- - - - -
|deep breath - exhale…|
It’s probably been a year by now since my previous match against the biggest man in the land of giants. A match that I lost - if only barely - to an opponent that I’ve battled more than any other here in Action Wrestling. At first, our rivalry was over the Television Title, something which we elevated into near main event status with our 2022 feud. It evolved to be something more personal with battles that were waged over simple pride alone.
Battles that were as hotly contested as any fought over the Television Title.
And now, I find myself once again at the foot of Mount Olympus with the daunting task of slaying a giant with the moniker of a GOD so that I might ascend back into the pantheon of greatness.
The tale of the tape couldn’t begin to explain the differences in our foundations. Physically, we couldn’t be more different. Psychologically, we’re not even on the same plane of existence. And in a technical sense, there’s such a divide between our philosophies that we might as well be competing in different sports.
And yet here we are.
(Again) here we are | Face to face in the apex of Match Madness.
He stands at a towering seven feet tall with a HULKING 400lb frame. His wingspan is like a 747 with all the power of a supercharged diesel-powered locomotive going downhill with the momentum of several hundred tons behind it. Odin is a legitimate monster with two decades of experience to back his cause and is capable of unleashing untold damage upon his opposition - something we ALL saw in the semi-final victory against Gerard Angelo.
When you’re facing Odin Balfore… There is no easy victory.
And then we find our contrast | while he is a god-like physical specimen. I’m a humble 5’2 at a very mortal 113lbs. My talent lies in the surgical ability to target and destroy opposition at their very base with a move set unrivaled by anyone else in the business. While he acts like a battering piston - I operate with the panache of a Chess Master with a mix of logic, tactics, and quick thinking.
His best offense is a strong offense | while my best offense is a tactical defense.
Odin’s strategy is based on brutalizing power and demoralizing size while I rely on counterattacking and taking away my opponent's strengths with tactical precision.
And this is why Balfore vs Jolee is always must-see TV.
His strengths are my weaknesses | and my tactics are his weakness.
At stake is the FUTURE of Action Wrestling. A shot at the AW World Championship at April Fools Gold and the opportunity for one of two former champions to ascend back to the top of that mountain with the most coveted prize in the industry on the line.
One day they will write grandiose epitaphs about our numerous battles at the precipice of greatness. They’ll tell stories about the David vs Goliath-like struggle between the great huntsman and the unstoppable giant battling for the most coveted prize in our world.
And while ONE battle can hardly define our feud - this will certainly be discussed as one of the most important in our shared lore.
It’s a battle between two legends from very different backgrounds. On one side, a GOD with inhuman attributes | and on the other, a mortal with immortal abilities.
The immovable object vs the irresistible force.
Only one of us has a date with destiny… And while we BOTH understand what is at stake, the question is whether or not you’ll be willing to put all on the line to in order touch the face of immortality…
Only time will tell.
- - - - -
ACT I | Viva Las Annulment
(OFF CAMERA)
It had all the shitty tropes… A romp in Las Vegas. Way too much alcohol, Elvis, and a roadside chapel with an apparent lack of professionalism. How the hell do you wed two people who were so intoxicated that they could barely function?
-sigh-
“Okay, so good news. It turns out that there’s an off-ramp for you in this whole marriage mess.”
My attention shifted to my friend and legal advisor. Ruby Goldhirsch wasn’t just my agent/manager - she was also an astute legal mind with a law degree from a prestigious Ivy League college. Most only see her as a fashionista, forgetting that she’s just as intellectually astute as she is beautiful.
Lucky for me, huh?
“You never applied for a K-1 Fiancee Visa.”
“A what?”
I wondered aloud with what must’ve been a rather quirky expression. My previous Marriage was also with an American woman, but we were only legally married in Canada. So, this whole K-1 whatever the fuck it was - was news to me.
“It’s a specialized visa that you need to have before you can get married to a U.S. Citizen. Otherwise, the marriage is null and void and you wouldn’t be able to get a Green Card.”
“I didn’t get anything of that nature… I have a work visa, that's it.”
Ruby nodded gleefully.
“This is a different thing from your work visa. You would have had to file a petition for a K-1 Visa and then go through all of the processes. Medical clearance, background check, and an interview with Immigration. Only after all of this would you be able to file a request for an I-130 Form.”
An I-130 form? Background check? Interview with USCIS?
I have no idea what she’s talking about.
Was it really this hard to legally immigrate to the U.S.?
I’m so glad I’m Canadian…
Ruby smiled as she sipped her coffee and sat back on the sofa beside me. I have to give her credit, I asked - hell, I begged her to help me get out of this mess. I thought for sure Madison’s family would bury me in a divorce and get me for everything I’ve got despite her and I not quarreling over the annulment.
Neither of us ever intended to be married in the first place. It was a drunken decision made on the fly - we were only ever meant to have a little fun in Vegas and go our separate ways afterward.
“It means that you aren’t legally married and thus there’s no need for an annulment. The ceremony you had was just as legally binding as a pinky swear.”
I exhaled and sat back… It felt like a thousand pounds just lifted off my chest. Was it really that simple? All of this stressing out over the past few weeks was for nothing?
I could kiss her…
Ha… Relax, TJ. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.
“You have no idea how much stress just flew away from me there. I’m kind of annoyed that I paid that law firm to draw up an annulment agreement… But the fact that it’s moot, no matter what her father tries, is a weight off my back.”
I was out $3,000 - And only because I was working in haste as Ruby did her due diligence over the matter. Had I just sat put and waited, I’d still have the money wasted… But honestly, I didn’t care at this point. The fact that it would ONLY be three grand thrown away was better than the prospect of facing Jack Maddox’s elite team of corporate lawyers in a needless divorce case.
“I told you that I’d figure something out. Accessing the necessary records from the state of Nevada is what took the longest. After notifying them of the lapse in procedure, I’m sure they’re going to revoke the license of that chapel to perform weddings.”
“For good reason… I can’t imagine if we had been bound by this thing. Her family is pretty pissed off, and her father didn’t seem like he was going to let me walk away without retribution.”
Ruby rolled her eyes and let out a little scoff.
“Madison is an adult, not a child. All of her dad’s blustering was just scare tactics. He could have tried to have his lawyers bilk you for all you’re worth - but at the end of the day, she would have to go along with it. And judging from what you’ve told me about her, she wouldn’t have gone along with a financial assassination like that.”
“No… You’re right. She’s a sweetheart.”
I admitted with a light smile… Did I mention how much pressure was off my back? How much easier it would be for me to focus on beating Odin Balfore in the finals of Match Madness?
It was like all the distractions were GONE.
Ka-poof… No more stressing about my private life.
It was like getting amnesty from a death sentence hours before execution.
“Strange question.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve said nothing but glowing things about her. If her folks were cool with everything, and the marriage was legitimate. Would you have stuck it out with her?”
I paused for a moment to consider the question… Would I have stayed with her if this was legal, and her dad wasn’t eager to behead me? It was a complicated question with a complicated answer. Sure, we got married on the fly with the assistance of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol. The sex was fucking AMAZING - I can’t discount that as a possibility.
But at the end of the day, neither of us intended to get married. Not only that, but she was uncomfortable with our 19-year age gap - which I understand. It would be easy to scoff at that notion as the older woman, but she was in the prime of her life… It would be foolish for her to throw it away on a shotgun wedding with a woman she didn’t know all that well.
It’s not like we had been dating for a year before she committed to me like Hope did. I took that bet with my ex and she ended up cheating on me - so why put Madison in that position?
“No… She never wanted a relationship with me. Our hook-up was about sex, not love. Both of us endured ugly breakups and were looking for a distraction. The intention was never to get married, or even date.”
“Well… I guess the trope is real then, huh?”
“What trope?”
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
Heh… Touche…
- - - - -
ACT II | Homecoming
(On Camera)
It was like she was featherlight without a burden in the world.
And for once, that was almost the case.
She had been freed from the anxiety of a messy divorce due to a legal loophole discovered by her friend Ruby. And now, she could focus on this monumental Match Madness final against a man she was more than a little familiar with.
“Hello, Calgary!”
She spoke to the camera, which was trailing backward in front of her to film her as she made her way through the arena. This was an off-day and no fans were here, but these pre-taped vignettes were usually done on the day before an event to allow for editing and proper slotting into the right time slot for the hectic live event.
“You know, the Saddledome is a very special place to me, and I first visited it in 1990 as a little girl attending her very first Calgary Flames game.”
She was wearing a Flames jersey, which was rather large on her small figure. And being here, backstage in the arena that hosts her favorite sports team in the world gave her goosebumps. The smell of the place, the Calgary Flames artwork and logos painted on the walls, the trophy cases - and the fact that she’d be in the player's locker room was almost as thrilling as being in the FINALS of Match Madness itself.
“Since then, I’ve been here dozens of times. Except I’ve always been out there in the seats with you. I’m sure I’ve sat right next to many of you out there and have gotten to know you as a fellow Flames fan. So, to be here in my birthplace - at the stadium of my childhood dreams is something really special for me.”
Special was an understatement… It was surreal.
“I’ll never dawn a Flames sweater and compete in the playoffs for Lord Stanley’s Cup. But this… The FINALS of Match Madness is as close as I’ll ever come to hoisting the trophy in the heart of the Scotiabank Saddledome. And make no mistake, no matter the challenge that stands before us all here in the finals. I will fight, claw, scratch, and if necessary - bleed - for the cup. But it’s not going to be an easy victory for us, Calgary.”
Odin was hardly a foregone conclusion. He defeated the former World Champion to get into the finals - some say that he is the favorite to win on merit alone. But he’s also taken a beating on his way to the finals - his win over Angelo had come at a mighty cost, and now was the time to pay up.
“Balfore isn’t going to lay down out there. He isn’t interested in the Cinderella story and couldn't care less about our aspirations of hoisting the Match Madness Cup. He’s here to win a battle and get a shot at the AW World Championship. And he knows just as well as I do, that he’s got a better winning percentage against me than I, him.”
True, and true… However, battles aren’t won on paper - they’re won in the ring. And this battle wasn’t going to be like any other they’ve had against each other before.
“You, the people of Canada. My friends, my kinsmen, my comrades - ALL of you have carried me through the darkest moments of this grueling tournament. You’ve stood behind me with the love and affection of one of your own, and that love has helped get me to this point.”
“I can’t thank you all enough… I see you; I hear you, and I feel you out there in the ring. You’re the reason I’m still here, you’re the driving force that has helped to propel me into this most crucial of moments.”
She stops in her place, that smile morphing into a confident little smirk as she fixes her gaze on the camera.
“And if you stand by me here tonight… Together, we can accomplish ANYTHING. Including defeating a seven-foot-tall giant on the way to that Cinderella Story.”
She was no shrinking violet | She was no damsel in distress.
Tatiana Jolee was a finalist - a proud Canadian in the finals of this grueling tournament with only one more battle to go. This was her homeland; these were her people - her friends and family were all here.
It was time to do or die.