Backstage, after her match, Jasmin stumbles through halls with an ice pack pressed to the back of her head. Tears stream down her face, smearing her heavy eyeliner, and she holds the title with a trembling hand, looking at it as if she can’t believe she has it.
In this rare moment of vulnerability, she’s approached by Stacy Clark, who seems happy to see the Pro Wrestling Powerhouse successful.
Stacy: Jasmin, congratulations. You went out there and went to war in one of the most competitive matches in recent OCW history, and you did what many considered impossible, especially after your loss at the Queen of OCW tournament.
Stacy: I have a couple of questions for you, but the first, and most important one… how do you feel?
Jasmin starts to giggle, her voice choked with emotion, before looking up at Stacy with a bright, ear to ear smile.
Jasmin: I can’t believe it! I-I just… A few months ago I was considering i-if I even belonged here at all, if i was just too soft, or too nice, or not good enough, a-and now, on short notice, I won the OCW Women’s Championship! I-I - oh my God, I’m gonna cry-!
Stacy, for her part, can’t help but laugh a little sympathetically along with her, placing a hand on the embattled new champ’s shoulder.
Stacy: I think I speak for everyone when I say that we’re excited to see what’s next for you, Jasmin, but for now, I think it’ll be best if we let you enjoy your moment.
Jasmin: T-thank you Stacy, I love you!
Stacy: Love you too, haha~!
With that, Stacy leaves with her own little smile, but Jasmin isn’t alone for long… she’s joined by yet another familiar face! The Silent Queen Dragana Cesar immediately jumps and gives her a BIG HUG.
After a moment, she lets go and does an excited little jump. Jasmin’s face might look like a mess from the smeared eyeliner, but her happiness is undeniable.
Jasmin: Oh my God!
Glaring down at the championship, she offers it to Dragana.
Jasmin: I-It’s pretty cool isn’t it?
Regina Tacet carefully takes it and stares at it for a moment. She looks at her own reflection, then closes her eyes. She walks behind Jasmin and wraps the championship around her waist.
She comes back around to face her and grabs her by the shoulders. Jasmin, for her part, looks like she’s about to start crying again.
Jasmin: I-I couldnt’ have done this without your help, you know.
Dragana sniffs and tears start dropping from her big blue eyes. Her face turns red, looking down at the floor with a laugh. That won’t do! Jasmin decides to try and ease her sorrows with a big WRASSLIN HUG!
Jasmin: C’mere, you!
Coming back from commercial break we see Bobbi Baddie and Chance Williams sitting down in a GOAT Academy training room. The room has a projector on where Bobbi’s match from RIOT 599 is paused. The camera shifts to Bobbi as she turns to Chance with a frustrated look on her face.
Bobbi: I just don’t get it! I was so close… I felt like I had her! I could’ve sworn the win was right there but… it slipped through my fingers.
Bobbi: Where did I go wrong? What should I have done differently? I just don’t get it.
Chance: Have you never done a tape review before?
Bobbi has a confused facial expression as she shrugs at Chance clearly not understanding the terminology he just used.
Chance chuckles and looks back at the projector, points at it, and starts explaining to Bobbi.
Chance: Okay first let’s go over how you started the match. I don’t think I’d ever recommend running toward the bigger opponent, ever. As you learned from what happened, your momentum plus theirs? Almost never usually works out.
Chance: Now let’s fast forward a little bit to a moment when I thought you were really doing well.
The match fast forwards a bit to where Bobbi forearm smashes Jasmin in the chest and she collapses to the ground.
Chance: See this? This is what you really want to do. You want to smother her, when Jasmin gets her hands on people she tends to inflict mass amounts of damage. But with your speed and wit, you can keep this unrelenting pressure that realistically Jasmin can’t keep up with.
The camera shifts back to Bobbi where she's comedically writing down everything Chance is saying with a furious speed. Where the paper and pen came from? That’s to be discovered on a different episode.
Chance continues on as he smirks at the eagerness of Bobbi wanting to improve.
Chance: Honestly Bobbi you really have it all if I’m being forward with you. Speed, wit, technicality, and heart. You don’t struggle to put it together as we kept seeing time and time again in this match plus your other matches.
Bobbi stops writing as she looks up at Chance and smiles at him.
Bobbi: Wow, you really mean that?
Chance: Of course! You don’t just become a world-class athlete, fighter, wrestler, or anything overnight. It takes time, repetitions, it’s all just a massive grind on who wants to be the best most.
Bobbi: That- that is seriously so kind. I feel like most of my time in OCW people haven’t really taken me seriously… so hearing that from you? It means a lot.
Chance chuckles as he places a hand on her shoulder.
Chance: I’m not nearly as pretty as you are, but I get what you’re saying. I feel sorta the same way you do but in my own kind of way. I feel like Harris gave me the opportunity of a lifetime by putting a word in for me… but then, I kinda sorta blew it.
Chance’s chuckle tones down as he now looks bummed out over his recent remark, Bobbi noticing slides his hand off her shoulder and holds his hand with both of hers.
Bobbi: Hey, come on now. Look at you! YOU were chosen by Stephen McCallum, Aries! The GOAT! To continue on his legacy of training the next generation of upcoming professional wrestlers!
Chance: Thank you Bobbi.. That does mean a lot to me. I’m sure the tides will change for both of us if perhaps we keep this newly founded relationship. I sure could use more faces around here and I could always help you as well!
A knock on the class door is heard as Chance excuses himself from Bobbi and goes to open the door. As he opens it, he notices none other than Derek Smith, the hand-picked student of Stephen McCallum and former OCW International Champion.
Derek: Ay my fault if I interrupted something, I can come back later Chance if you still around.
Chance looks a bit surprised to see Derek, who hasn’t been around the GOAT Academy for some time. He turns around to Bobbi and smiles.
Chance: Bobbi, I hate to end this prematurely but do you mind? It’s… not often we get blessed with the rare Derek Smith sighting. But I promise we can pick back up soon.
Bobbi nods at Chance and smiles as she gets up to leave the room. She brushes past Chance and blushes as she scoots by him and Derek. Chance has Derek step into the room as he shuts the door.
Chance: Man. Derek Smith, the Golden GOAT medal winner, former International Champion, the chosen one! What can we do for you?
Derek: Man Chance it’s good to see you, but this is a place of business so i’m not gonna beat around the bush. I want back in the academy.
Chance crosses his arms and looks bemused with Derek. He takes a few steps back before responding to Derek.
Chance: Well Derek I’m glad to hear that but also saddened to hear that as well. You “want back in” as if you know that you left the academy behind. Bit of a guilty conscience on ya pal?
Chance: Listen, I get it. Everyone goes through hard times, burn out, lack of motivation, personal issues, injury sabbatical, I get it. But the real thing that scratched me the wrong way with this Derek is… do you deserve to be in the academy?
Chance: Do you deserve a second chance after all that Stephen and this academy has already done for you? I don’t know if I think you are my friend.
Derek: Alright listen I know letting me back would be questionable because where did I go in the first place? To be honest, pressure got to me and I couldn’t handle the weight of being champion, so I did the worst possible thing and left.
Derek: But hear me out, I got so much love for this place than anybody who was here from the start. If it wasn’t for you and Stephen I wouldn't have become International champion.
Chance uncrosses his arms and can tell by Derek’s facial expression he regrets his mistakes from the past. Chance walks up to Derek and looks him up and down.
Chance: You’re an extremely talented man Derek. You stepped in the ring with Stephen McCallum and won. You stepped in the ring with me and won. You stepped in the ring and won the OCW International Championship.
Chance: Pressure got to you? That’s fair. I respect it and I admire you for recognizing your faults. That doesn’t erase what you did. So here’s what we’ll do and you tell me how you feel about this.
Chance: This off season? I want you here everyday. Working with the juniors.
Derek's jaw drops as he shakes his head aggressively and rubs his eyes like what he heard was from a dream.
Derek: Ok I get you’re disappointed in me right now, BUT THE JUNIORS?? I’m the only original, other than you, still here. You still got the picture on your desk look how many heads are gone.
Chance pulls out his wallet from his back pocket and pulls out a picture and hands it to Derek. Derek takes the photo and looks down at it as Chance starts to go on.
Chance: Christian Garcia, John Carter, Marcus McMichaels, Jasmin Kaffee, Jordan Trance, Derek Smith, Alyssa Marceaux, Chance Williams, and Harris Turner. I remember everyone and guess what Derek?
Chance: You. All. Left! One way or another whether flat out abandoning GOAT Academy and turning your back on us or just disappearing for a while and coming back. You all left.
Chance: You wanna show me you’re serious about coming back? Then I’ll see you every day working with the juniors. After that? Then me and you can start talking about one on one training. Before that though my man?
Chance: I have students and other priorities. Remember KC? Ya. I thought he almost ended my career, and where were you at big dawg? I’m happy you’re back Derek. But you gotta earn my trust if you want me to take you seriously.
Chance pats Derek on the shoulder as he walks out of the room leaving Derek by himself.
Derek: Chance is right, but if he compares me to those walkouts again i’m filing a complaint.
The cameras back away as somehow a studio crowd is heard chuckling. Derek looks around and sprints out the room as he definitely doesn’t mess with that energy. The cameras cut back to the announcer's desk as the show move on.
PUGHS HISTORIC CHALLENGE! PAUL PUGH vs. ???????????
