4x08 Gimme Shelter (Taped on Jan. 26th, 2024)

4x08 Gimme Shelter (Taped on Jan. 26th, 2024) May 21, 2024 9:05:41 GMT -6

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Post by gvb on May 21, 2024 9:05:41 GMT -6

4x08 GIMME SHELTER

Footage courtesy of DoJang Gym in Colorado Springs, CO
The Parking Lot
Saturday, January 20th, 2024
6:17 PM

The CCTV cameras in the gym parking lot pick up Deyanira Connolly as she leaves the dojo after an intense training session. She looks tired, the instructors are really pushing her to her limit to prepare her for the Olympic qualifier tournament, claiming that they have to make up for the time she wasted in the Academy. But it’s not just the fatigue marking her face. The eyes don’t lie, there’s a deep sadness afflicting the young woman as she reluctantly pulls out her phone to call her mother and tell her to come pick her up.

Before she can start the call, a familiar voice she hasn’t heard in a while gets her attention.

Marissa Kanensson:
Hey stranger.

The former Olympian calls out, one foot crossed over the other as she leans against her rental car. She has her arms folded, studying Deyanira for a moment before speaking again.

Marissa Kanensson:
Did you think you could get away that easy?

She laughed, speaking with clear jest in her tone. A light chuckle escaped the student’s lips, but that smile quickly faded as a concerned expression appeared on her face. Her eyes began darting in every direction, looking for something or someone that, luckily, wasn’t there.

Deyanira Connolly:
Marissa… What are you doing here?

Her nerves were definitely showing. Afraid that she came out too rude to her trainer, she immediately apologized.

Deyanira Connolly:
I’m sorry, I’m happy to see you but… My mom could be here any moment, and based on your last conversation.. I don’t think she’ll be as happy as I am.

Marissa Kanensson:
You might be afraid of her, Deyanira, but I’m certainly not.

She paused for a beat, attempting to navigate the issue with as much tact as a former mixed martial arts fighter could.

Marissa Kanensson:
I’m just here to talk, just to see if there’s any possibility, however slim, that you’d consider coming back. You’ve got a few minutes to talk to your trainer, right?

Still with that cautious, almost fearful look in her eyes, Deyanira nodded her head.

Deyanira Connolly:
Of course. And I’ll be honest with you… These weeks have been so fucking weird. Going back to taekwondo… I mean, I still do great, I haven’t really lost a step… But I don’t know, it doesn’t feel the same way anymore. I loved this, I really did.. Now it kinda feels like a chore.

She sighed heavily, that same sad look reappearing on her face.

Deyanira Connolly:
I miss the Academy, I miss the guys there. And I would love to come back. Shit, I never wanted to leave in the first place. But you heard mom…

Marissa Kanensson:
Yeah, I heard her.

Marissa snapped back, almost a little too much noticeable disdain in her voice for her student’s parent. She took another second, shaking her head.

Marissa Kanensson:
You know, I’m standing here, thirty-three years of age, retired from competition. I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do, but it goes by so fast, it goes by in a flash. I have no regrets, and you know why, Deyanira? Because I chased MY dreams - relentlessly. You’re at a crossroads, right now, and you have to decide whether you want to follow your dreams, or your mom’s.

You could tell that her words hit the spot. Deyanira didn’t know how to reply to that, not that she didn’t try but the words didn’t come out from her mouth, at least none that were intelligible. Her phone ringing snapped her back from the awkwardness of that moment.

Deyanira Connolly:
Yes mom? Yeah, I just got out… No, I wasn’t wasting time chatting with the guys, I was with Les.. Yeah, I think I pulled a muscle or something, nothing serious tho.. A massage and I’m as good as new…

She glanced at Marissa, noticing her rolling her eyes at the over-controlling mother.

Deyanira Connolly:
Yeah, you can come pick me up now. See you soon.

As she put down the phone, she immediately lunged forward and wrapped her arms around a surprised Marissa.

Deyanira Connolly:
Thank you for coming all the way here and for your words. I really appreciate them.

When she finally pulled back, she had watery eyes.

Deyanira Connolly:
And thank you for everything you taught me. I will forever treasure your words. Unfortunately, not all dreams are meant to come true… Goodbye, coach Rissa.

Not wanting to be seen crying in front of the woman she idolizes, Deyanira quickly turned around and walked toward the exit of the parking lot, just as her mother’s car appeared on the street.

Team Title Match
Team Kanensson © (Hannah Rae Callum & Megan Smith) VS Team Noir (Bennett Chance & Mackenzie)

In a week, Bennett and Mackenzie will fight for the Gold Star but tonight they teamed up in an attempt to win the Team Gold from Hannah and Megan. They argued a bit about who should start, a discussion that ended when Bennett "pulled rank" and said that, as the Godl Star, he should be the one starting off. Mackenzie scoffed but headed back into her corner from where she watched Queen Cringe blindsiding Chance with a clothesline to the back. The impact caused Bennett to stumble forward toward Little Mac who slapped him on the back and tagged herself in. "Good job, champ" she added with a smirk.
Callum held her ground against Mac, the two young ladies trading kicks and arm drags in an intense back and forth. Mac attempted a head scissors takedown but Hannah came out on her feet with a cartwheel and quickly hit the second generation wrestler with a dropkick.
Even though she wasn't teaming with her usual partner Dane, Megan's versatility and ability to adapt allowed her to work with Hannah just as smoothly. The two of them isolated Mackenzie in their half of the ring and hit her with some simple yet effective team maneuvers. Their version of the Doomsday Device with Hannah doing the lifting and Megan delivering the diving clothesline would have likely ended the match, if it wasn't for Bennett diving in and making the last minute save.
Mac was finally able to make the tag and the Gold Star was finally back into the mix. He leaped over the top rope and immediately took Megan down with a slingblade. Getting to his feet with a kip up, Chance then returned the cheaapshot at Callum, knocking her off the apron wiht a dropkick. Smith was back on the attack but her clothesline didn't find its target as Bennett ducked under it and ran to the ropes, coming back at full speed and pinning the blonde opponent with a running crossbody for a two count.
Bennett was really on fire, delivering another solid performance and confirming himself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in the industry. The 450 splash on Hannah was a thing of beauty, but it wasn't enough to get the best of Queen Cringe.
Once again the defending team champions managed to turn the tide, with an impressive display of strength from Hannah who caught Chance mid-air and dropped him on the canvas with a thunderous powerslam. Once again Mackenzie was there to make the save.
Hannah seemed in full control but then inexplicably lost focus and allowed Bennett to sneak away and tag his partner. Lil Mac attacked the opponent with a flurry of kicks, ending her sequence with a massive roundhouse that knocked Hannah down. Mackenzie rushed to make the cover but Hannah Rae got her shoulder up at the very last second.
In this rollercoaster of a match, Team Kanensson once again was on top, thanks to a spectacular rolling kick from Megan. The blonde was now on the top rope, ready to put the word end to this contest with a tribute to her sister Luna with the sparkle splash. But before she could jump, Aliyah Marshall walked out to the ring. In her hands, she had a magazine Megan had modeled for. She showed some bikini pictures to the camera and taunted Megan saying that this should be what she focused on, since she's more likely to be successful in that department than in a wrestling ring. Just as she finished spitting her venom, Mackenzie reached Megan on the top rope and took her all the way down with a superplex. Bennett immediately went to stop Hannah, allowing his partner to pick up the win and the team titles.
The two of them celebrated the win, raising their titles in the air. Both of them, in Bennett's case. Mac noticed it and focused her gaze on the Gold Star. When Bennett realized it, he gave her a nod and said "See you next week".

WINNER: Team Noir (NEW TEAM CHAMPIONS)
BY: Pinfall (Superplex), 11:06

Tag Team Match

Team Kanensson (Dane Mitchell & Jaime Idol) VS Team Strike (Lucas Donaldson & Diego Hernandez)

Marissa's decision to split the, so far, winning team of Megan and Dane didn't seem to pay off, as it costed them the titles. The Chef wasa now paired with Jaime Idol in the second tag match of the night, taking on team noir's duo of Lucas Donaldson and Diego Hernandez. Tension immediately rose as Idol and Hernandez exchanged a few words and almost got physical. The ref was quick to separate them and ordered them to leave the ring, letting Lucas and Dane kick things off.
Donaldson confirmed the good things and the progress he showed last week when he skillfully escaped a wrist lock, and swiftly took Mitchell off his feet with a shoulder block. The two then angaged in a series of pinfalls before reaching a stalemate. They gave each other a challenging look and hit the ropes, colliding in the middle of the ring with a double clothesline that took them both out.
As the two fought in the ring, Diego and Jaime continued thier verbal battle. Hard to tell what triggered this, but they definitely had no love lost for each other. And when they both received the tag at the same time, they finally had the chance to express these feelings in a physical form.
It wasn't pretty, it wasn't a display of athleticism or technical prowess. Raw, down to earth. An old school brawl with stiff punches flying back and forth. Diego came out on top of this first exchange but Jaime instantly turned the tide with an eye rake that left Hernandez momentarily blind and unable to defend himself from the leaping knee.
Diego dropped Jaime with a European uppercut, followed by a springboard crossbody from the second rope that once again brought Idol to the mat. He then continuously drove his knees into the opponent’s midsection and applied an abdominal stretch briefly, but Idol countered with a hip toss.
A violent volley of kicks and stomps in the corner earned Jaime a warning from the referee. This brief interruption bought Diego some time and when the Brit came back to attack him, he was ready to grab him by the trunks and pull him into the turnbuckle.
The tag was made, bringing Lucas and Mitchell back in the ring.The chef was cooking tonight (pun intended), coming close to the win with a running DDT. The two bulls in the pen kept exhcanging courtesy out of the ring, and it wasn't long before they got physical once again.
As Jaime and Diego traded blows on the outside, not caring about the referee and the trainers telling them to stop and focus on the match, Donaldson scored another near fall with a discus clothesline that rocked Dane. Mitchell tried to tag out, but his partner was otherwise busy. Lucas grabebd him from behind and connected a nice bridging German suplex for the three count.

WINNER: Team Strike
BY: Pinfall (Bridging German Suplex), 10:22

The Gate
Friday, January 26th, 2024
9:52 PM

With another show in the books, the students either chilling in the common room or already in their rooms and all the paperwork done, the Principal Gianluigi Vaccaro can finally call it a nigth and head back home to enjoy the rest of the weekend. It's snowing outside, the low temperature only made even more bitter by the cold wind blowing. It's the kind of night you'd rather stay warm at home, and in fact there's nobody walking the white streets.

Except for a person standing right outside the Academy Gate, shaking from the cold.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
I had lost any hope to see you again.

He spoke softly to the figure. Under the hoodie covering her face was none other than Deyanira Connolly wearing clothes far too light for the rigid Chicago weather.

Deyanira Connolly:
Good evening, Gian. I hope it's not too late...

He opened the gate and extended his arm to take the young student under his umbrella.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Come on, let's get you inside before you turn into a popsicle.

The various cameras caught their movements back inside the building and into the dining room. After inviting Deyanira to take a seat at one of the table, Gian headed toward the kitchen. The light coming from inside and the clanging of pots indicated that someone was still insiide.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Laura? It's me, Gian. I know it's late, but I was wondering if you could...

Before he could finish the sentence, the door swung open. It wasn't the Academy legendary Lunch Lady Laura sticking out her head but one of the newest acquisitions, the kitchen assistant Taylor.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
I'm sorry Taylor. I didn't realize you were still here. Would it be asking too much to prepare something warm for Deyanira here?

Taylor Landry:
Not at all, bossman.

Understanding the exceptional circumstances, Taylor didn't even protest and immediately went back inside the kitchen. Gian, instead, took a seat at Deyanira's table.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
So, I'm guessing Marissa was pretty convincing. I wasn't sure she could bring you back but here you are. How did your mother take it?

Curled up in the chair and still shaking despite the upgrade in temperature, Connolly shrugged her shoulder.

Deyanira Connolly:
She's probably filling a missing persons report right now.

Gian was visibly shocked and taken aback by those words and the tone of her voice as she spoke them.

Deyanira Connolly:
She left me at the gym for training, I went to the airport and took the first flight to Chicago. Hence why all I have is these drenched clothes and my ring gear. Also why I got here so late.

There was a pause in her speech.

Deyanira Connolly:
I'm done doing what she says. If she doesn't want to pay my tuition here, then fuck it. I'll find a job in some diner and cover the costs. Marissa is right, I have to live MY dream. And this is the right place to start.

Gian didn't reply. You could see how conflicted he was about the situation and the possible implications Deyanira's return would bring.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Don't worry about any of that now. Eat something, get some rest. We'll sort it out tomorrow morning ok?

Taylor came out with a steaming soup to warm up the returning student. And that was Gian's cue to leave, not before he thanked Taylor once more.

Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Glad to have you back, Deyanira.

4x08 Gimme Shelter (Taped on Jan. 26th, 2024)

Post by gvb on May 21, 2024 9:05:41 GMT -6

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