-=-Raquel Diaz-=-
Since the moment that referee’s hand fell to the mat I’ve found myself in a state of silent contemplation. I’ve been seeking the proper way to move forward in a division built around my strength, passion and pride that now rests on the shoulders of Alexa Bliss. I’ve been debating the way to present my case to the EBWF Universe. I’ve been trying to understand where it all went wrong. Was it my pride that led me to this place, or is it just a cruel fate that I am laid low. Sure, blaming Trish is easy. We all know the role she played in all of this. Alexa for her part seemed clueless to the machinations of her benefactor. I have decided that I will shoulder the blame. I should have seen through Trish. I should have planned for her intervention in my match. I should have known that she would sink to any depth to ensure her record remains intact. I should have been prepared but I wasn’t and that all falls on me. That is my fault and my fault alone. My father had a saying for times like this. He would say, “Cada reves es una oportunidad para crecer mas fuerte”.
Raquel looked on as if waiting for some canned response, a question of translation like she received in countless interviews with small radio stations, newspapers and magazines while she was the one carrying the Women’s title. Nothing came from the empty room.
-=-Raquel Diaz-=-
Learn from the mistakes you’ve made and become more than you were when you made them. Grow from the past so that you can build a better future. That is how I have to look at the events of Warfare. They are an opportunity for me to rethink where I am in my career. They are a chance for me to reexamine who I want to be. To consider the type of woman I am and the type of champion I was. Maybe I didn’t do enough to drag the rest of the roster to new heights. Perhaps I was more worried about showing my dominance than building the division. A champion shouldn’t be selfish, they should be selfless. Only by growing those around her can the EBWF Women’s Champion become the strongest version of herself. So, allow me to extend an honest and open congratulations to Alexa Bliss. The weight of the division is on you now. There is an expectation that you will expand us into new territory, lead us to new heights and leave the division in a better place than you found it. For all my faults, I think I did just that. I think having our division headline the two episodes of Warfare leading up to Last Survivor is a testament to the good I have done. If you don’t hold yourself to the same standard, I promise that my mission in life will become making you regret that you ever touched that belt.
Raquel moved the microphone to the side and stepped from behind the podium. She held onto it with her right hand, as she closed her eyes. She calmed herself with several shallow breaths before continuing.
-=-Raquel Diaz-=-
Now, I need to turn my focus away from recent losses and toward the future. Toward something that means the world to me. Means as much as my title did. I need to focus on the nine other women that I’m going to have to face at Last Survivor. I need to enfocar on becoming the first Survivor in EBWF history! Something that can never be taken, never be lost, never be stolen by anyone. And it all starts with the woman who stole my championship in the name of another. Call it destino, fate, that Trish and I find ourselves as the first two competitors in the match. Now she has to come face to face with the woman she wronged. She has to deal with the fact that her only escape from her past is to eliminate herself and save me the trouble of throwing her out like the trash she is. Trish, you and I are going to war with one another. There is no changing that. You and I are going to destroy one another. Si te niegas a pelear conmigo, solo yo traere la destruccion. This has already been decided by your actions and the actions of Alexa Bliss. But when I’m done with you. When I’ve cast you aside like so many others before me. Then I have more history to contend with. More women that I’ve gone to hell and back fighting. Women like Becky Lynch. Who spent the better part of last year dragging my name through the mud. Who made it her mission to rob me of the title the way you did. Who did everything in her power to see me unseated from my throne. Who couldn’t get the job done. El propio fracaso. Sure, the two of us did what we needed to do to settle a long running score. We pulverized one another. And then, someone else stepped in and stole my thunder. Someone threw in the towel for you. And Becky, I bet you can’t wait to wrap your hands around Winter’s neck but first you have me to deal with. And, I haven’t forgotten anything you’ve ever said about me. Sure, we’ve done the bit. We shook hands. I know that your body will give out before you stop fighting. I know that you will push yourself to the breaking point to keep fighting. I know that you don’t have an ounce of quit in you. I know that it’s going to take everything in me to eliminate you. But I want to be the one to do it. I want to prove once again that I deserved my title. That I earned everything that I had. I want to prove that I am the best woman in this industry! It’s not just you that’s going to be standing in my way. I’ve got two other women in mind that are going to be a pain in my neck. Best friends. An ally of convenience and someone that I haven’t had much interaction with. Leva Bates. You and I have battled on a scale unheard of in this company. Together we made this division a spectacle. We elevated women’s wrestling, revolutionized not just our division but the entire format of the company. Royal Pain is a legacy that can never be taken from us. We made that happen by sheer force of will. So, I look forward to locking up with you again. I look forward to the challenge you present in this match as much as any other match. I look forward to being pushed to become strong and faster. I look forward to the opportunity to advance myself and my career. If anyone was going to be the woman to eliminate me, I would want it to be you. Your friend is someone else that I know I need to be weary of. Los Medica. For some people the roles they play on television are just that. Brutus wasn’t a barber. Vincent wasn’t a man servant. Winter isn’t a demon. But, Britt Baker is a dentist. Someone who pulls teeth for a living and competes as a wrestler for pleasure. Someone who doesn’t need this career to be successful in life. There’s nothing worse than someone who hurts others sheerly for the fun of doing it. There is nothing more dangerous than someone who wants nothing more than to watch the world burn. So I will not let my guard down.
Raquel moved in front of the podium, she crossed her hands in front of her. Her smile might have been the first genuine smile she had delivered in a year.
-=-Raquel Diaz-=-
I have designs on reclaiming the EBWF Women’s Championship and they all start here. They all begin at Last Survivor when I prove that I am deserving of another shot. When I prove that I am everything I’ve made myself out to be. The journey to a new beginning is in these first few fateful steps. Destino con final. Terminus. That eventual ending is me proving that I can be the best champion for the EBWF women’s division. That I can earn the respect I feel I am owed. That I can represent the division, the company and the industry with grace and intelligence.
Raquel bowed ever slightly and the camera started a slow fade to black. A vignette pulled tight around her stomach before there was nothing.
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Shaul Guerrero was walking backstage at Last Survivor with her bags in tow. She maneuvered through the halls avoiding crew, crates and catering in kind. Catering most of all because she was worried about how she was going to look in her ring gear. A constant fear that always felt a little more intense around these big tentpole events. Fanniversary would be the worst, sometimes she didn’t eat for days before showing up to that one. She had managed to put away breakfast this morning. If you could consider the green shake she drank breakfast in anything other than name. The boys in her life seemed to be unaffected by the strange phenomenon that plagued her in moments of stress. She was certain that they would all be heads down in a plate of pancakes and pork portions by now. There was nothing that could keep Matt from consuming her day’s worth of calories before she had her second cup of coffee. She pulled out her phone and considered dialing to find out when they would arrive but a familiar face approached her. Nicole Ikeda-Orton stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. Shaul jumped reflexively bringing the two to a fit of laughter.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
Holy smokes you just scared the life out of me! What are you doing wandering around the halls this close to a show? Shouldn’t you be helping someone get prepared for a big night?
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
Who, Randy? As if. That locker room is a boy’s club if you’ve ever seen one. I probably couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
I see what you did there.
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
Completely unintentional I promise. No, my time is better spent checking on everyone else in the arena than listening to them joke around with one another. I’m sure with your time on the road with husband and cousin you understand completely.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
Are you kidding? We could probably write a book if we put our heads together.
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
I don’t think I have enough money to pay the therapist I’d need after committing those experiences to writing.
The pair laughed some more.
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
Can I tell you, I was surprised when they told me how well you handled the whole title situation. I’m impressed but I should expect nothing less. You and your husband have done a lot of work behind the scenes that no one will ever see.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
I think it was the right choice. It raises the stakes tonight and puts me in a position to encounter some people who I’ve had long standing feuds with. Lexi benefits from the shine of the title even if the win was tainted. Now they have the opportunity to tell a multitude of stories with her. I for one am interested in how that will play out. And, it doesn't hurt that it maintained a record held by one of the women I admire most in this industry. That would have been reason enough.
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
You’re the picture of poise. You do a great service to your family name in the way you carry yourself both inside and outside the ring.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
That means a lot coming from you.
-=-Nicole Ikeda-Orton-=-
I’ve got to run but you know that if you ever need anything, I’m here for you! Just have to CALL ME once in a while.
-=-Shaul Guerrero-=-
Don’t be surprised when I take you up on that.
Nicole departed and Shaul continued to walk down the hall. Little had changed about her fears but at least she got to speak to a friend before she had to put herself on full display for the EBWF Universe. At the very least she was in a slightly better mode thanks to the glowing review from Nicole. Shaul had even forgotten that she was about to call her husband. She tucked her phone into her pocket.