"Hello. The offices of Ascension's General Manager Rebecca Serra are currently unavailable. Please leave a mess-"
Eve Taylor angrily hangs up her cellphone, annoyed about reaching the answering machine yet again. She shoves the cellphone in her Wednesday's only handbag, beginning the pace the backstage corridors whilst muttering under her breath in her native tongue Italian, something very rare for the prominently English-speaking competitor to do. She couldn't contact any member of the WZCW Board of Directors despite the urgency of her concerns. The best they could do was send backstage interviewer
Johnny Klamor for an exclusive piece for the WZCW App so Eve could vent her frustrations and for the higher-up's to watch at a later time when they were free. Knowing this - or at least, theorising this in her own head and confirming her conspiracy to herself in Italian (as she continued to mutter) - made Eve even more livid... and also seemed a little crazy as Johnny Klamor approached the Eurasian champion. He took each step with caution as he got closer to Eve, trying to remain his old self in the process.
"Miss Taylor! So good to see you! Finally, we get to do a proper interview together! Throw Leon & Stacey to the curb, you've hit the jackpot with Big Johnny. Haha!"
Eve was unfazed by Klamor's attempts to get the ball rolling without appearing too hostile as she continued to pace around. Johnny took a second or two to let the moment pass before trying for a second time to get Eve to begin the interview.
"Well, listen. Becky Serra sent me here to talk to you with the camera's rolling. She's a little busy and I've got some free time on my hands to do this... since Aftershock's been on hiatus for a while and-"
"So they send someone else to deal with me in hopes this will all blow over, huh?"
Eve stops her pacing in her tracks, facing away from Klamor who looks intrigued by what she said.
"Becky isn't an interviewer any more, Eve, which is why they sent me."
She turns around, looking directly at Klamor.
"I'm not here for an interview, John. I wanted to sit down with any one who makes decisions around here and explain to me why this company seems to hate me all of a sudden."
"Hate you? Why on Earth would you possibly think a successful business would do something to annoy one of their champions? Please don't tell me you actually have the notion running through your head."
Eve shakes her head.
"I'd love to say that I don't but with everything that's happened, how can I not? First, they call a no-contest in a 6 man tag team match where Constantine decides to walk out mid-match and we take advantage... and he gets awarded a championship opportunity?"
"One he valiantly and rightfully earned."
"So did I. I beat the World champion twice in consecutive weeks! Not to mention, when that nerd Theron Daggershield comes out to save the day, they decide it's in their best interest to give him a championship opportunity as well as match against my colleague, another match whose decision was questionable... and after getting attacked by Daggershield multiple weeks in a row, they believe it is in everyones' best interests to split up Cerberus' championship defense at Gold Rush into two separate matches? It was suppose to be our crowning achievement and solidify us as the greatest collection of beautiful talents in WZCW but they took it away!"
Johnny lets out a little confused laugh, waving his hands about and shaking his head. He couldn't believe what Eve was saying.
"I'm sorry but even I can see you're being very delusional. As a singles champion, shouldn't you be proving your dominance by yourself instead of relying on your partners?"
Eve closed her eyes longer than usual before glaring at Klamor in disbelief, still trying to process what Johnny just said to her.
"Excuse me but I won this Eurasian championship without anybody's help. This was a solo effort and I intend on keeping this title for a very long time, starting off with my first defense against an unworthy challenger in Theron Daggershield... but I digress. I'm upset because the opportunity to share the ring with my Cerberus brethren was taken away from me due to, as it was put to me, 'unfairness' and 'putting the challengers at a disadvantage.' I mean, c'mon Johnny! In a competitive environment where everyone strives to be the best, people are complaining about advantages? How low can people truly go?"
Klamor exhales deeply, not sure how to answer.
"If you feel these decisions are unwarranted, you could always leave."
Eve rolls her eyes.
"I had the chance to drop everything I've worked for in WZCW and re-start my modelling career with a lucrative contract under an old friend who was willing to put me as the face of their company... but I refused."
"Why didn't you take it? What you've described to me sounds like we've broken the final straw for you. I'm no politician but you could've used this as leeway or something."
She smirked.
"I've begun to hit my stride here, making waves in the wrestling world and fashion industry with my success. I have more eyes on me inside the squared circle than I ever could on the catwalk to promote my message of the importance of beauty... especially mine!"
Eve flicks her hair to the side, striking a quick pose.
"I'm not running away from this or my challenges. Could things be better? Of course, there are many improvements to be made... but as a fighting Eurasian champion, I'm not going anywhere, especially against that Aubrey Sloan wannabe Kagura Ohzora. How she won that championship, I'll never know!"
"Do I sense a bit of jealousy in your voice?"
Taylor looked perplexed at that question.
"Jealous? I'm the first-ever female competitor to hold a singles championship in WZCW history! If anything, Kagura should be jealous of me for winning my title match at Revolution. Come to think about it, Kagura would be jealous of everyone with the amount of identity theft she's committing. Female champion? That's me. Awkward girl from another culture who doesn't know ours? That's Aubrey Sloan. Has a translator and cannot speak English? A touch of Victor Makarov there..."
"Victor came after Kagura."
"Point is, Johnny: whatever Kagura Ohzora likes to think of herself, it's only a flimsy copy of another great competitor like myself. Although my current challenger is unworthy, he is (at least) a semi-competent wrestler who's won a few matches. Kagura is the champion of scraps: whoever is available, she gets. She just cannot compare to the Fabulous One & champion of two continents, Eve Taylor..."
She pulls out a handheld mirror from her handbag, smiling into it as she fixes up her hair and face.
"... and unlucky for her, I'm still not in the greatest of moods and proving my superiority over her in our champion vs. "champion" match is going to be my way of venting. A girl with my good looks cannot suffer any stress lines on her face: need to keep the money-maker intact, Johnny... and Kagura looks like she needs a long overdue facial. All those years wearing Japanese-style face paint has covered her hideous cheekbones and jaw-line, so I guess I'm doing her a favour!"
Eve puts away the mirror Klamor a smile.
"As much as I'd love to stay here and chat, I've got to become beautiful for my match."
Taylor begins to leave with her signature runway walk, flaunting her stuff. She puts her hand in the air and flutters her fingers, waving goodbye.
"Ciao, darling."