Wrestling is one big family…

Wrestling is one big family! That’s what you hear, we’re all a big happy family. On the outside it looks like fun, it looks like the place you’d want to be and the people you idolize and look up to. Then you get into it and you’re happy to be a part of this family and don’t question things. You’re just happy to be included in this family. But as a woman…. You know this family favors the men. “Brother, brother, brother!” You hear that all the time over and over again so you’re grateful to just be there because you’re one of the few that made it this far! It’s a badge of honor to get your foot in the door. But at what cost? What did you choke down, what did you stay quiet about?

 

“Are you sure that is what really happened?”; “Perhaps you’re remembering it wrong.”; “It be a shame for your career to be sidelined over a scandal like this.”; “If you never said no is it really rape?”; “You’re taking someone’s joke too seriously. Is it that time of the month?” “Don’t get your panties in a twist they were just kidding!”; Or my personal favorite “calm your tits.”

 

Those weponized words that force females into silence. Those statements where the victim is blamed, and all of a sudden she knows she has no power. Those passive aggressive ways of thinly veiled threats; just enough to keep silent but not enough to actually be able to prove in court that you were threatened. Then it comes down to the “he said, she said” and in wrestling they will always have “his” back. Yeah wrestling is one big family. One big incestuously family where the females are treated like lesser beings and cast out for even whispering their concerns.

 

There isn’t one woman in wrestling that can’t say she wasn’t sexually harassed or assaulted by a male in wrestling. Not one single woman can say that! If they do then they are lying because they know what happens to those who speak. 

 

Worse than the mob could do. They ruin you, drag your name through the mudd. They assassinate your reputation. You’re black listed and no other wrestling promotion will hire you because You’re a problem. You were the one who was hurt but enough mouths spread the story to spin the tale and you’re the villain attempting to destroy a good man because you’re bitter.

 

So what is the alternative? Silence… Silence gives you a career, silence gives you payoffs to go elsewhere. It’s funny no one ever questioned my money, my riches, the fact that a young woman in her 20s was able to run a wrestling promotion successfully! No one asked about my capital, or my fundings. No one questioned how I had new clothes from Saks, was able to afford a limo and the house I had. 

 

Because of my silence… My silence bought it all. Sure the question of allowing my morals to be corrupt was a thought… Did my silence allow other victims? Did my silence allow other innocent girls who dreamed of being me to become entrapped in the idea of what I portrayed that they were so desperate to get to my level they never thought about how? But it’s too late now right? I can’t change the past. Would I even if I had the opportunity? My silence…

 

My voice remained silent but the memories, the nightmares, easily washed away with a bottle of wine and some shopping. If I wasn’t silent I wouldn’t be able to do either of those things. If I wasn’t silent would I have ever gotten the chance to be in HOW? No, I’d be some weekend warrior in bfe wishing I could be me. I would be regretting ever speaking up because it would have cost me everything and that isn’t worth it…nowhere near worth it. Because HOW is where I proved myself. I wasn’t fucking the boss to get ahead. I wasn’t fucking anyone here in HOW and I made a name for myself outside of where I started. I was able to stand on my own and become the first woman in the hall of fame, the only black woman to become champion and hold the big belt not once but twice. All for my silence. Sometimes I feel like Judas, betraying my gender for a few pieces of silver.

 

And why shouldn’t I? What did “sisterhood” do for me? What has any other woman given me in wrestling? Not a damn thing and no other woman has come close to being able to even fill out my shadow. So fuck em if they want to be me so bad they should have to go through the shit I went through. If they can’t handle it then they don’t have the stuff. It’s not my fucking fault! I’m not the one to blame.

 

—–

 

Parma Ohio 

September 20th

 

” Hey mom, it’s been a while…” Bobbinette’s face goes pale as she looks at the woman. It was like looking back in time to her only lighter skinned and blonde hair. The woman was the spitting image of Bobbinette and she was shook. The woman seemed more stoic and removed from the emotions her mother was experiencing.

 

“Majandra?” She spoke feeling the word get caught in her throat. The girl scoffs and nods her head. Bobbinette looks stunned. Bobbinette looks around quickly as if she’s looking for someone else.

 

“Duncan’s not here. You’re dead to him.” Bobbinette slowly nods, taking in the words she is saying to her. Her hand touched her heart as she stood there unsure of the next move.

 

” I… I understand. I… what… why… would you like to come in?” Bobbinette says opening the door allowing the young woman to come in. The woman walks in the house and is met by Duke who jumps up on her immediately and starts kissing.

 

“Wow … great protector dog here mom… princess at least would bite.” Bobbinette quickly grabs the mastiff by the collar pulling him down. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Bobbinette appears to be taken out of her element. The woman looks around the living room before sitting on the arm of the couch.

 

“This place is way smaller than home.” The girl mocked.

 

“Yeah, I bought smaller to make sure you guys had the big house.” She said, sounding generous. Bobbinette shooed the big dog away and looked back at her daughter. “What are you doing out here?”

 

“I came out here to visit Grammy’s grave. You know it’s only ten minutes away from here right?” Bobbinette nods her head as she looks taken back at the mention of her mother. “Surprised you know that, given you didn’t even come to the funeral. Nah Bobbinette Carey always puts work first. Always…” The girl sounds resentful, each word stinging Bobbinette like venom. Bobbinette stood there knowing she deserved this and worse.

 

” You’re right…” Bobbinette’s voice said softly.

 

“She was a great mom, an even better Grandma. I wished for years you died and not her.” Her daughter scolded. Bobbinette looks down, nodding her head.

 

“Me too. More than you’ll ever understand.” Bobinette admitted to her daughter’s shock.

 

 

“I’m surprised you even recognized me.” Majandra said looking at her mother with a scowl.

 

“You’re my daughter of course I-“

 

“You don’t get to call me that!” She snapped at her mother. Bobbinette looked down with a large sigh.

 

“I suppose I deserve that.” Bobbinette admits shrugging her shoulders.

 

“You deserve worse than that!” Majandra said, raising her voice as she balled her fist, looking at her mother with disgust across her face. Bobbinette’s eyes water, though she holds back the tears this is her penance and she was going to take it.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this day since you and your brother turned 18.. august 8 four years ago.” Bobbinette confessed as she walked into her kitchen. Majandra follows her mother as Bobbinette’s face is one of sorrow.

 

“Oh, you remembered our birthday. Mother of the century.” Majandra says, rolling her eyes and holding her arms tightly pressed against her body. Bobbinette nods and goes to the cupboard and pulls out a coffee mug that says “EPIC” in big words across it

 

“I did what I thought was best for you and your brother.” Bobbinette said believing her own words. She went to a fridge under the counter and grabbed out a bottle of peach crown. She pours some into her epic mug, almost putting a quarter of the bottle into it.

 

“bullshit!” She says defensively.

 

“Your grandparents had money and lawyers… they said it was dangerous to be in your lives. They weren’t wrong. I was 19. I had been a wrestler since I was 16… it was all I knew.” Bobbinette takes a gulp of the cup and then makes a face as it goes down.

 

“I agreed to pay for your life and to stay out of it. I figured your dad would remarry and you’d have a mom who would be good at it. I was only good at wrestling. I wasn’t cut out to be your mom.” Bobbinette admits as her face looks filled with shame and guilt. “Go on, get it all out so you can go.” Bobbinette encouraged Majandra.

 

“Dad remarry? Eww…no one wanted him. and as much as I want to tell you why you’re a horrible human, I’m here for a different reason.” Bobbinette looks up squinting through the watery eyes as her face seems to be confused.

 

“What are you here for?” Bobbinette takes another big sip out of her mug.

 

“Well, I want to wrestle.” Her daughter declares as Bobbinette almost chokes on the whiskey.

 

“Absolutely not! No way! No. I’m paying for college…. which is where you should be right now….” Bobbinette realizes as she looks at her.

 

“So… I kinda…I dropped out and have been staying up here…” She says as her entire demeanor changes. Now the young woman knows she’s in trouble as she sounds like she’s trying to make excuses. Bobbinette feels her eye starting to twitch. “Look, wrestling is in my blood!!” She says, sounding like she’s pleading.

 

“I know what this business is, what it does and I’m not letting my kid in it. No, wait… your dad doesn’t know does he?” Bobbinette asks as she studies her daughter’s face. Majandra’s eyes widen as she shakes her head quickly.

 

“He would never understand!!!” She says begging as Bobbinette goes to pick up her phone. “I’ve already been training!” She says quickly trying to stop Bobbinette from making a call to Majandra’s father.

 

“Who?” Bobbinette demand with a booming parental sounding voice. The young woman wrinkles her nose quite like her mother does. She bites the side of her lip, hesitant to answer the angry woman. “Who majjy? I want a name or I’m calling your father.” She asks again this time with more boom in her voice.

 

“Aunt Ely ..” She says quickly. Bobbinette’s eyes squint with rage at the mention of her younger sister. “But you’re the better wrestler! That’s why I came to you! So I can be like you. Cause it’s all I wanted to be. Just like my mom.” Her face is a large smile of confidence.

 

“The mom who you hate…who you said is a horrible human…”

 

“Who I wanted to be like,.. though she hurt me. It’s complex…. Complicated.”

 

“I can’t let you do that… you don’t understand. You’re so innocent.. I can’t put my own kid in that type of world.”

 

“I’ll ask Mr. Best!” She says with a nod like she could go around her mother.

 

“The fuck you will! And it’s Lee, don’t kiss ass.” Bobinette said, making a face and shuddering.

 

“Or Mike best. He would surely sympathize with my desire to wrestle and surpass my parents legacy.” Bobbinette squints looking at her. Bobbinette takes another big gulp of her cup, her face annoyed. “You know he’s going to beat you, his partner could be a wet paper bag and you and Scott Woodson would still lose” She says in a matter of fact tone…

 

“Ok first it’s scooter maybe uncle scooter, secondly that’s where you’re wrong he’s an arrogant punk.”

 

“Or maybe you should just train me and let me wrestle cause you’re past your prime?” The young woman says not letting go of the idea of wanting to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

 

“I’m only 41!” She says quickly. Her daughter looks at Bobbinette rolling her eyes exactly like her mother does.

 

“And that’s like what 65 in wrestler years?” Majandra laughs and claps her hand at her own joke.

 

“Watch it kid.” Bobbinette points to her in a threatening manner. “Ok, if I agree to this you have to follow my rules. You have to listen to what I say and don’t run off half coc-“

 

“mama…vivo ended.” Mimi declares running down the steps of the home. The little girl comes down and sees a woman there and rushes to her mom’s side. She looks cautiously at her sister while holding her mom’s leg.

 

“So you had more kids. So that whole bad mom thing was just bullshit.” Her older daughter says with rage on her face.

 

“Hey! That was true. I retired and it was safe for me to be a mom.”

 

“Just not to me or Duncan! Great. You know what? Forget I asked. Be careful kid, you’ll be living with your dad somewhere far away.” She warns her little sister. The young girl starts crying.

 

” I don’t have a daddy!” The little girl says with tears as she looks afraid at her mom. Bobbinette picks up the young girl, rubbing her back and swaying.

 

“Couldn’t get him to stick around huh?” She mocks. Bobbinette sighs loudly still trying to calm down the young child.

 

“It was IVF.” Bobbinette says quickly as she tries to calm down her upset youngest child.

 

“Someone gave you their sperm?” She rolls her eyes. “Again being a selfish bitch! Good luck your match mom. Hope Mike kicks your head off!” She looks at her mother with disgust before walking out of the house slamming the door behind her. Bobbinette kisses her younger daughter’s head as tears fall from her eyes as if her heart had been broken.

 

——–

 

Columbus Ohio

October 11th

 

 

Columbus, the capitol of the state. We see Bobbinette Carey in a pair of purple leggings with a tangled inspired dress. The dress is purple with gold stars, short cap sleeves and knee length. Her hair is pulled back into a sloppy bun with loose curls at the side or her face. She has the HOW tag title over her shoulder as she stands in a park not far from a Statue. 

 

“Once again, white male fragility is alive and well in HOW. No one cared about the tag titles. We aren’t even the official champs. But it chaps silver spoons ass, So much he wanted a shot.” Snaps Carey as she rolls her eyes, sighing heavily.

 

“And it makes sense too. Because white people always take what isn’t theirs. Today being “Christopher Columbus” day and all…” She says as she stands in front of the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Ohio.

 

“This bastard didn’t discover America. He gets credit for it though. In the history books even today! His own damn day for taking credit from someone else. He was a tyrant, a rapist, a murderer. But history is white washed with rose colored glasses and praises this man as a hero. Kids have the day off of school, it is a national fucking Holiday!” She continues as she rolls her eyes in disgust and spits on the foot of the statue.

 

“Mike Best is a lot like Christopher Columbus here. HOW existed long before he decided to wrestle in it. It was already a land with people who had made something out of it. Taking credit for the hard work of others… he got here on the backs of those who came before but would never acknowledge that he has colonized HOW.  He raped it’s land for his own benefit  Turning himself into a demi god and taking from others simply because he wants to.” She pushes her hair behind her ear as she walks away from the statue.

 

“The tag team Division existed before, it was prosperous before too… and this old relic of the past… Is so desired. Why? It isn’t even official! Yet he wants it more than the one ring and golem.” She giggled a little. “Of course he does. So he can take it and retire it again. He can proudly say he took the tag titles to retire them and look like the hero of HOW. For thwarting myself and Scottywood. All we were doing was having some fun. But of course can’t let the minorities in HOW do anything without getting in our business.”

 

Scottywood walks up hearing this statement.

 

“Carey, you know I’m white…right?” He says, with a slight chuckle that he’s making such an obvious comment. 

 

“So where’s the dynamite?” Scotty asks as Bobbinette looks at him confused by this question. 

 

“The what?” She asks, as she shakes her head.

 

“You’re not going to blow this up? We came all the way to Ohio for you to just spit on a fucking statue? For fuck sake Carey we have to go to California, you couldn’t have found a closer Columbus statue?” 

 

“I had to check on my daughters..and make sure they-” Scottywood steps Infront of her putting his hand up to pause her chaotic talking.

 

“Wait, daughters? Plural? Did you have another kid and I missed it?” He looks so lost by her ramblings.

 

“No, my older daughter… “She says, acting as if it isn’t a big bombshell she just dropped.

 

“Older? Carey, what else have you been hiding?” Scottywood looks over at her, suspiciously, starting to question the one person he has called an ally for years. She shakes her head and waves her hands as if it’s dismissing the whole worry that Scotty has.

 

“I was just keeping her and her brother safe. We should focus on this match… What is a Farthington? Like who is he?” She says switching to more important subjects in her eyes

 

“Brother…? God damn how many kids do you have? You have multiple hidden kids. What the fuck Carey?!” He says clearly even more annoyed at the landslide of truth that is being dropped on him.

 

“Biologically? Three, from previous marriages two… so like all together five ish. That isn’t even the point Scooter!” She shakes her head again. 

 

“Okay, look, I had to keep them safe and that was the only way no one knew about them.” She says as she looks down with a sad look. “I missed out on their life for keeping them safe. So now you know ” she doesn’t shed any tears but you can see the grief on her face.

 

“Well… OKAY… I don’t really give a shit. Just don’t fucking lie to me as to why you dragged my ass halfway across the country when I could have stayed on the west coast. You get you’re shit sorted out with your kid… kids… fucking entire basketball lineup.” He says knowing he’s exaggerating but jokes ease tension and causes her to look at him with her usual annoyed expression. He laughed at the comment to himself before clearing his throat and becoming serious

 

“We need to fucking focus on Mike and Farthington. You may not have any idea who Farthington is… but I do… everyone else in HOW does… and to put it bluntly… we’re fucked.” States Scotty as he looks the statue up and down and shakes his head, imagining how much fun it would be to blow that fucker up.

 

“Well, aren’t you Mr. optimism.” Says Bobbinette as she wonders how hard it just might be to find some explosives on short notice without being flagged.

 

“Why should I? My only goal was to hurt Mike Best at Refueled… and the little bitch weaseled out with a cheap roll up win.”

 

“Scooter, you brought me back for a reason.” She says looking at him with a serious look.

 

“Cause no one else answered the phone?” He said in a matter of fact tone.

 

“No, because you know that I can hold my own. That a true leader can follow when needed. Okay, I don’t think we are fucked. Because we know how to be team players and Mike Best is a selfish dick who looks out for him and him alone. You and me, we are actually a team. So let’s get in my jet and head to Cali.” She said with a positive tone.

 

“How the fuck do you still own a jet by the way? You ran some shit fed how many years ago? No… the hush money?” Question Scotty as Carey goes to answer, but he cuts her off.  

 

“Ugh… I don’t wanna know. Let’s just get back to Cali so I can focus on finding some fucking miracle to just hurt… let alone beating Mike and Farthington…” Finishes Scotty as he just shakes his head and walk off from the Columbus statue. Bobbinette rolls her eyes shaking her head as she looks back at the statue flipping it the bird before walking away after Scottywood.