"...out the gate running..."

[Cordy]

-------

It feels like I have lost this fight

They think that I am staying down

But I'm not giving up tonight

Tonight the wall is coming down

I am stronger than my fears

This is the mountain that I climb

Got 100 steps to go

Tonight I'll make it 99

-------

“You know, I’ve never really been one to shy away from a challenge.” Cordelia proclaimed, that familiar smile lining her face as she glanced down at the crutch — or as she liked to refer to it as, the walk-aid paraphernalia — lying across her lap. It was of a stylish purple and grey design and one that she’d had customly made, because of course, no matter what it was, Cordelia Stevenson just had to do it with her own sense of style and flare.

She sat on the plush carpeting of her Brooklyn home’s game room, her back resting comfortably against the wall, her legs stretched out before her. She was rocking a Purple “When Doves Cry” shirt, complete with the Love Symbol in memoriam of the recently passed away musician, Prince. Her fingers, slowly traced the engraved CS initials of the crutch, before she let out a deep sigh, and brushed the bang from in front her face and raised those pretty brown eyes up towards the camera for the first time. “But then again, if you know me, or if you’re relatively familar with me, then that is probably something you already know; and if you weren’t amongst those in the know before, well now, consider yourself acquainted and a tad bit more informed than you were a minute ago. If you knew nothing about me before then I beg you to learn at least this one thing, if nothing else today. There will never be a challenge that Cordelia Stevenson will deem as too great.” she said, her tone even and serious.

“Maybe it’s the optimist in me, you know?” She relents with a shrug and a playful smile. “Maybe it’s the little girl in me that was always taught by her daddy that anything is possible as long as you’ve got the wherewithal to see it through. ‘Persistence is a tool often abandoned by those afraid to push boundaries, and perseverance is a quality often absent in those who are afraid of seeing the extent of their potential.” She recited, hearing her father’s words in her head as she did so. Her smile wavered, if only for a fraction of a second, something that she figured would hardly translate on camera because it was so brief… even with things still strained between them the way that it was, Cordelia could not deny the instrumental role that her father played in helping mold her into the woman that she was, and it still pained her that things had come so touchy between them once again. Although that tension had been relatively eased as of late with the birth of her nephew.

Her father had instilled in her many core values and beliefs, mantras of success and overcoming adversity that she often reflected upon in her day to day life. No matter how distant they became, he was still much a part of everything she did.

“My father used to say that all the time, and I may not have always listened to him when he went on one of his little parental rants…” She couldn’t help but to smirk at that, recalling the rants she’d endured; the ones she figured most children and teenagers had to sit through when they’d wished their parents would just hurry up and be done with it so they could continue doing whatever it was that seemed like a better option at the time. “I may not have always followed his advice or done things the way he’d liked, but those words?” She affirmed, holding up a finger. “They were always the ones that stuck with me; the ones that I would hear in my head whenever I was confronted with a new obstacle. You see, sometimes it’s easy to grow complacent in this life. To be satisfied with where we are, what we’ve done… who we’ve become. But the key to not only greatness, but discovering the extent of our true capabilities lies not in that complacency -- but in our willingness and ability to overcome it.”

“Complacency is comfort, but true greatness will never be achieved in a comfort zone. You’ve got to push past that mental block, and that’s something I understood from a very young age. I guess that’s why I constantly look for ways to push the boundaries. That’s why I’ve always held myself to such a high standard and given myself such lofty goals. Because even in failure, I realized that something valuable could be learned; something that could make you better in the long run and hell, you’re better off for it. But that’s always been the difference between me and most people.”

“A lot of people don’t think like that. A lot of people don’t know how to find that silver lining and spin it into something golden. A lot of people are so afraid of failure that it serves as a paralytic, hindering them, holding them in place and got them scared as hell to shoot their shot.” She scoffed and shook her head, lulling it back to rest against the wall. “That could never be me maaannnn. Life is about taking risks. Some pan out and some don’t — but you never know anything if you never try. I’m too curious of a person to leave so much on the table unresolved, and this crutch reminds me of that every single day.”

“It could have been so easy to walk away…” she admitted, her eyes lowering. “With everything the doctors were telling me and knowing the road that to recovery that awaited me… with so many things going on in my personal life… it would have been so easy to just throw my hands in the air and say fuck it all. I could have walked away with my head held high, because the truth is, I have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to my career nor do I really have anything to prove. Some will say, ‘but Cordy, you never won a World Championship… which is true. No World Championship to my name yet still held in much higher regard than most. Go ahead and ask Zero about that.” She snidely remarked, unable to restrain her mocking grin.

“I don’t have to clamor and cry for respect like Mr. ‘Two Time’ does... because I’ve already earned it -- and if you’ve followed my plight, then you know that’s all I ever wanted; to show that I could compete in this business, and to show that I belonged. To show that I was more than just the pretty face that they pegged me as, and I’ve done that tenfold. People hear the name Cordelia Stevenson and some actually link the term legend to it…” her eyes widened in disbelief, recalling the tweet she’d received from the Team Nox twitter days before. “That’s craaazzzyyyy to me. In no way, shape or form would I dare classify myself as such, but you know what? It’s humbling as hell to know that some people see me in that light. To know that my name is so respected… complacency would have made that enough for me. But that’s not the type of person that I am, and every time I look at this crutch, I think of all the time I’ve lost in my career due to injuries. I think of all the things I could have done, and I realize that there’s still so many things that I want to try and do in this business, still so many personal goals that I would like to try and achieve, and this is definitely one of them.”

“Dynamic Duos.” She finally uttered after a moment's hesitation. “For someone that came into this business as a part of a tag team, I kind of view it as the ultimate challenge in a sense. I say time and time again that tag team wrestling is an underappreciated art form. Most people are too self oriented to understand and grasp the concept of working with someone else as a part of a team, or too… ‘self sufficient” she mocked, using air quotes, “...thinking that all they need is themselves. They can do everything on their own and don’t need the help of anyone.” She can’t help but to laugh at the preposterous notion. “People often go out of their way to slander the art of tag team wrestling, not even realizing that most of the reasons they stay away are what make being a part of a team so damn difficult.”

“It’s easy to rely on yourself.” She said, her eyes locking in on the camera. She couldn’t recall how many times she and Cindy had heard it, before they eventually went down their own separate paths and made names for themselves outside of Sex Sells… that they couldn’t stand on their own two feet. Everyone tried to make it seem that each one was incapable of being anything without the other, and that they were insufficient on their own. Boy were those people wrong.

“It’s easy going out there and doing it all on your own. Do you want to know what is hard though? Trusting someone else. Especially in this business, one that indiscriminately breeds an abundance of snakes. Looking into your corner and trusting that the person standing there will have your back and isn’t just waiting for the first opportunity to jab a knife into it. Having accountability. Not only to yourself, but to your partner as well. Having a certain degree of selflessness to know that at the end of the day it isn’t just ...about... you.” She ran her hands through her hair, before resting them on the back of her head. “But unfortunately a lot of people in this business aren’t willing to step outside of their comfort zones, and it’s sad. Because when a team works, and I mean, like, it really clicks? It’s damn near magical.”

“I was lucky enough to be apart of something special like that once.” Her face lit up as the fond memories of she and Cyn’s time as a team flooded her mind. “And now, I’m ready to see if lightning can strike twice.”

““And we’ll see, won’t we?: She questioned with a raised eyebrow. “April 30th, 2016.” She whispered, lowering her gaze to her hands which were folded on her lap. “The debut of Status Quo. Dan Herrera. Cordelia Stevenson. Two of FGA’s most storied names coming together to be apart of what some would consider a dream team…” her voice trailed off a bit as she grew quiet, pondering her next words. “Will we rise to the occasion? Will we live up to the lofty expectations that the fans have already set or will we fall flat on our faces? Right off the bat, there’s a million and one questions surrounding us. Needless to say we’ve turned heads and peaked interest, if you will. Everyone is eager to see just how well we’ll mesh as a team, or if we’ll even mesh at all.”

“It’s kind of nerve racking to be honest.” She admitted with a smile. “I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the butterflies aren’t fluttering, because you know what? They are. In full force, and rightfully so. This is my first match back after being away from the ring for more than seven months. This is Dan’s first match in probably the same amount of time. And knowing our opponents, and seeing what they are capable of in that ring over the course of the past month or however long they’ve been with the company, I know that Dan and I definitely have our work cut out for us. But you want to know something? This is a challenge that I’m up for. And I know that Dan would say the same damn thing. I’m not heading into this all delusional… if Dan and I want this thing? We’re gonna have to work for it. We’re gonna have to work damn hard for it. But see, the thing is?” She smirked. “We’re willing to. And that is what makes us who we are. That tenacity, that relentless, that unwillingness to be denied is the foundation on which we’ve built our names in this company, and believe me when I say that it will be on full display at Vertigo.”

“Team Nox will be looking at this match as the opportunity of a lifetime, and rightfully so. They’ve been impressive during their tenure in the company thus far and a win over names such as mine and Dan Herrera’s? Well that just screams legitimacy, doesn’t it? I just hope they realize that it won’t come easy. We’re far from the relics you may think we are.” She laughed. “For some strange reason, people like to talk about Dan and I as if we’re some artifacts from the distant past; as if we weren’t just here months ago. But I get it. This business moves fast. All you have to do is look at the landscape of FGA, and you can notice the difference. But I’m not a thing of the past. And people are so defensive of this alleged ‘new era’ that is supposedly being ushered in, that they act as if I’m opposed to it, or a threat to it. . I love that FGA has grown the way it has. I love seeing new talent flourish, and most importantly I love to see the company thriving the way it is. Status Quo isn’t a resistance. It’s the maintaining of a standard. And at Vertigo, Team Nox will see why we are that standard.”

“They say that every journey begins with but a single step, and for the good part of the past seven months? It hurt to even attempt it.” Slowly she got to her feet, holding the crutch in her hand still before letting it fall back to the floor with a clatter. “So forgive me if I come out the gate running at Vertigo.” And with that said she flipped her hair back and blew a kiss towards the camera. "Get familiar."