The FFW logo appears on the screen before “Focus” by Ariana Grande begins to play. Then we see the studio being set up, the glass table sat in the center being cleaned, two cups sat on opposite sides of the table. Next we see Zack Hudson tying his shoes and checking himself in the mirror before he heads out to the set as a producer puts a microphone on his shirt before sitting down. When he looks across, we next see the various women who make up FFW and Future Shock flash by in images from their career until it finally stops on Mara Werth.
Then the show goes inside the studio as we see Zack sitting down at the glass table across from FFW’s Phoenix Champion with her title sat to her right. He shakes hands with her as he opens his water bottle and greets the viewers.
Zack: Hello, fans. And welcome to the latest edition of Focus here on FFW All Access. This is the show where you get to know more about your favorite stars from FFW and Future Shock away from the ring. You know what they think about each of their matches and opponents, but I like to focus on other things. I’ve been fortunate enough to have one champion after another join me recently, today is no different. I’d like to welcome Mara Werth to the hot seat today, the reigning Phoenix Champion in FFW A record setting champion with that title, no less.
Mara: Hi Zack. It’s a pleasure to be here and talk about my past and see what I can tell you that you maybe don’t already know.
Zack: Well I like to do these as though we got a brand new fan watching for the first time. A new viewer who is looking to learn more about you, so we may cover what you have covered and what you haven’t. After all, you never know when someone new is tuned in for the first time, right?
Mara: That’s very true and welcome to any new fans who are watching this and seeing me for the first time. Like Zack said, I’m Mara Werth and originally I’m from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It’s been a wild ride getting from there to here and claiming the Phoenix Championship. Though, I’m sure you’re about to hear all about that. So, where would you like to start, Zack?
Zack: The best place to start is always the beginning. Let’s start with your family. Tell me about your parents and any siblings you may have in the Werth clan.
Mara: Well, my parents were pretty normal folks. My dad was a construction worker who picked up jobs pretty regularly doing a whole range of different things. Sort of a jack of all trades master of none deal, who would help out anyone who needed a hand for a day’s pay. My mother worked as a secretary…or I guess you call her more of an administrator these days for a cement company. That’s how they met actually - Dad got a job delivering for them for a while and chased after my mother who rejected him a couple of times before he finally wore her down. As for siblings, I have one sister. Younger, but only by eighteen months and she was a real pain in the ass and always the favourite. I…I don’t really talk to them anymore and haven’t for a long while to be honest.
Zack: Sounds like the story of your parents is proof positive that persistence pays off. That could be a tip for a lot of viewers out there who might be single. I have a feeling I know, but tell everyone what prompted the estrangement you mentioned.
Mara: It pretty much started when I was sixteen. I was dating an older guy - only a couple of years, it wasn’t like a May to December thing or some sugar daddy kinda thing. But they actually quite liked him. Even when I did the whole sixteen and pregnant thing. That was mistake number one but I loved the guy in a Romeo & Juliet, meant-to-be, soul mates sort of situation. Anyway, because of that I dropped out of high school without officially graduating and went off with him to college when he was on a football scholarship. He went to school and I started working as a waitress to help pay some bills and raise our daughter. So far, so good right?
She paused for a couple of moments.
Mara: Which leads to what some people might call mistake number 2. It was his birthday, I managed to get out of work early and headed home to surprise him. I let myself and found him in bed under another woman. So…I left and came back when I was supposed to, when I was expected. He got a umm… family audience right? He got a treat for his birthday. Then when he fell asleep I slipped out of bed, got a hammer from the toolbox and smashed into his ankle. Then into his other ankle. He screamed. Loudly. Both times. I was about to bring the hammer down on another part of his body, one that he valued an awful lot more when the off duty cop who lived in the apartment next door burst in with his gun drawn and stopped me there. My parents thought I could have handled it better and while he was recovering they looked after their granddaughter and that’s pretty much when I stopped talking to them.
Zack: And thus began your stint behind bars. I think a lot of women can empathize with your situation. Finding out something like that is never going to be an easy thing to take. What happened with your daughter? I don’t think you said her name, did you?
Mara: Well, first of all I will say I got lucky. I got an understanding judge and I got assigned a lawyer who cared and mounted a strong defence for me, otherwise my stint in jail could’ve been a lot longer. As for my daughter, her father has full custody…and I’d rather not name her. I don’t know how unique these circumstances might be, but as she grows up kids can cruel and I’d rather she doesn’t get tarred with my sins and that she has the choice as to whether or not she steps into the spotlight.
Zack nods in full agreement as he takes a sip of his water.
Zack: That makes all the sense in the world, and I won’t prod further with that. Let’s switch gears and tell me how you were introduced to wrestling. Was it something you watched growing up? Something that you got interested in while you were incarcerated? How and when did it get your attention?
Mara: It was something I discovered while I was inside. It was one of the things that got put on the TV every week. And I figured I might be good at it. When I first went inside I followed the advice that you hear on TV and in movies; about trying to assert yourself and show that you’re not one to be pushed around by taking on the biggest bitch in the yard. She messed me up pretty good - but if I can take that, why not see how I stack up against people who fight for a living? So I got a GED while inside and did a couple of courses - like a simple video editing one for example and when my release date was coming up, I started researching how to get into it and putting together an application. I guess someone saw something in me and somehow the tape got into Adam’s hands and here I am today, able to cross state lines and travel internationally thanks to FFW.
Zack: We’ll get to that. I’m curious who some of your favorite wrestlers were when you started watching wrestling. Were there any who stood out to you that really inspired you?
Mara: I liked watching Mallory Bennett - I’m not sure how much she inspired me necessarily, but yeah she was certainly a good watch. And I like Samara Steele’s fighting style - being able to see someone throw hands like that. Nevaeh Summers and Rebecka Hate too…they sorta proved that you couldn’t rely on just one way to win matches. And then I guess some of the more technical wrestlers like Jo McFarlane and Savannah Star inspired me a little bit too because I’d like to learn some of those more technical skills - but that is very definitely a work in progress and probably will be throughout my career.
Zack: When you feel like you don’t need to learn anything anymore, that’s when it’s time to call it a career, in my view. I’ve called all your matches, and one name that I always associated with you in the ring isn’t one you mentioned there. But I feel like there were some parallels. I always saw glimpses of Gillie Barnes in your matches. Maybe not the minute historical detail she had for everything, but I think you and she have things in common too.
Mara: Yeah, I can see where you might see common ground between us. I guess, though, that she was always more of a student of the game than I am. She loves the history of it all and picking up things that maybe haven’t been seen before because they’ve fallen out of use. I think she was maybe more methodical while I kinda throw it all against a wall in training and sees what sticks and what works for me.
Zack: So you got your tape put together, your paperwork all filled out. Tell me about that first meeting you had with Adam that would ultimately lead you to the Future Shock roster. Did you specifically want to go to Future Shock or was it a case of that’s where you were invited to?
Mara: That’s where I was invited to. I don’t know if Adam got hold of the tape and decided to keep it to himself or if there was a discussion that took place. But honestly, Future Shock at that time was probably the best place for me to be. I’ll hold my hands up and I’ll admit that I was very rough around the edges and was a project for the Centers to take on…and I’m probably still a little rough around the edges but much improved with the time I had to develop. I think it was for the best for me professionally and personally cause it meant that I got to meet some really good people like Lilly and Harley and Jake.
Zack: I think our fans would recognize that you and Harley were friends, because you are often seen together both at the arenas and away from them. As far as Lilly goes, I guess opposites do attract even in friendships because you and Lilly don’t really have that much in common. And I didn’t know about Jake being a good friend, only that he usually had good sources when he came to your locker room to tell you things he heard.
Mara: Well, I’ll not lie to you Zack. Lilly does need to take the stick out of her ass and lighten up a little bit and Harley…Harley sometimes goes from being a best friend-older sister type to acting like she’s my mother and I really wish she wouldn’t. Who knows? Maybe she just really needs to get laid.
She shrugged her shoulders.
Mara: As for Jake…he’s helped me out of a couple of scrapes, given me some good advice and for someone who doesn’t have all that many friends, I’d certainly consider him amongst one of the best of them. And I always appreciate him leveraging his sources and leaning on his snitches to find out what he’s heard about my upcoming matches.
Zack: He does tend to get very reliable information. So you got signed, you start working on your skills at the Future Shock Centers in both Los Angeles and Boston, in particular for a match against Valerie Lamb. What was the biggest shellshock for you from watching it all on TV to actually getting in there to do it yourself?
Mara: It hurts a lot less watching it on TV.
She let out a little laugh.
Mara: Seriously, I don’t think watching it on TV you get any idea about the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes or the cardio that you need when you step into the ring for a match. At the beginning I put in almost as many hours improving my fitness and stamina as I did learning the basics and picking up new skills and techniques. I always thought I was pretty fit, but training in LA took it up several levels and it’s no lie to say that I’m in the best shape of my life right now.
Zack: I wouldn’t argue that in the slightest. You arrived in Future Shock, and had a great deal of success and got your name in the history books. But for me and I’m sure many fans, the opponent who is most tied to you while you were there was Gemma Pierce. I’d say she was your biggest rival. What do you think?
Mara: I’d agree with that assessment. I don’t want to speak for Gemma but from my side of the ring, she pushed me harder and harder. I knew every time I stepped into the ring with her that I had to be better than I was; that I had to be fitter and that I had to bring something new to the table in an effort to try and keep her off balance. As a result, I’ve had probably some of the best matches of my career against her - for any new fans who want to see me in action following this and can’t wait until my next match, I encourage them to go and seek out those matches against Gemma Pierce on FFW All Access. You’ll see why she deserves her spot in the Future Shock Hall of Fame and why I’ve been able to build the reputation that I have done.
Zack: Was it hard to leave Future Shock to go to FFW? I don’t know if you’ve watched the other shows, particularly the ones with the Shaolin Belles. But both of them talk about how they are pretty much happy to remain in Future Shock forever, Arabella, in particular, has turned down multiple offers to switch to the FFW roster. Was it difficult for you to make the jump?
Mara: It was and it wasn’t difficult to make the jump. I mean…for starters it was a different point in Future Shock history when I got offered the chance to step up; talent like Missy and Shaw weren’t necessarily coming back to Future Shock the way they are now for example. I’d won the Aspire Championship and the Future Shock Championship. I’d made history as the first match from an ‘ordinary, weekly’ edition of Future Shock being voted as Match of the Year. So moving up, at the time, to FFW was a natural progression; the next step in my evolution. That and….I’ve said this before, Zack, ex-cons don’t get much in the way of second chances, you know? They find it harder to get work for example. Getting this opportunity and not stepping up to FFW, not making the most of it, not seeing just how far I could go…yeah, I couldn’t do that. So in that regard, it wasn’t at all difficult to make the move.
Zack: It was clearly the right call because here you sit now as the record breaking Phoenix Champion. Before we wrap up here, I want to play a little word association with you. I’m gonna mention a few names and you give me your thoughts on them.
Mara: Go ahead. Let’s hear who you got for me.
Zack: Kelly Kincaid.
Mara: At the moment, she’s the best - she has the title to prove it and hopefully one day I’ll get to be where she is and win the title that she currently holds. Hopefully I’ll get to do it in the main event of Unstoppable too.
Zack: Cait Flanagan.
Mara: Spoilt. Entitled. Bitch. I’m pretty sure that’s not breaking any new ground and she’ll happily wear all three of those as badges of honour.
Zack: You might feel the same way about the next name I have here: Lacey.
Mara: Definitely a bitch. Definitely entitled. And I’m sure that’ll be water off a duck’s back for her. I’ll also say that like Cait, she’s very good at what she does and is one of the biggest threats in the company when she’s firing on all cylinders.
Zack: A woman you have defended that title against: Diamond Steele.
Mara: I wish she’d pick a name and an identity and stick with it for more than a week at a time. I know that she’s talented in the ring, but everything else that goes along with her….it’s kind of a circus.
Zack: A fellow champion like yourself but in Future Shock: Aviva Miller.
Mara: She’s one of the most talented prospects in Future Shock right now. A lot of heart. A lot of talent and you can see that she’s getting a lot stronger as she gains more and more experience in the ring. I wouldn’t be shocked if she wins Global Wars next year.
Zack: Three names left, might as well bring up some of the men while we’re here: Adam Grant.
Mara: I’ll always be indebted to Adam. He gave me a big chance when he could have passed and has been one of my biggest supporters for a long time now.
Zack: Someone who doesn’t fall under any of those criteria: Kyle Kilmeade.
Mara: He’s a good manager. He seems to do a good job preparing his clients. I just wouldn’t like him as my manager - I don’t think he and I would mesh well in the slightest.
Zack: You actually mentioned this one earlier a bit, and you’ve been in the ring with her before as well. I’m referring to Rebecka Hate.
Mara: Rebecka is a tough cookie in every respect. She has power to burn. Is incredibly resilient, a lot of experience and knows a lot of different ways to attack you in the ring, forcing you to change things up on the fly and adapt. I think she’s shown that she can beat anyone on her day.
Zack: Mara, I want to thank you for joining me today. I think fans, both new and old, have learned a lot about you today. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.
Mara: It’s been a lot of fun, Zack. I’ve been looking forward to this and I hope the fans enjoy watching it as much as I’ve enjoyed answering these questions.
Zack: Fans, I’ve got some exciting guests still to come on upcoming editions of Focus. One of them you’ll see in December is none other than Lilly Arthur, whom Mara mentioned earlier. I’ll also be having Jamie Winters and Gwen Margolis and Ruby Tyler in future episodes.
He grinned as he looked back to Mara.
Zack: You think Lilly will lighten up by then?
Mara: Not a chance. She’ll still have a stick up her ass and you’ll probably have to work real hard to get anything out of her. Plus, I bet she’s got a really boring life - even with a movie star brother.
Zack: Thank you all for watching and supporting Focus, and I’ll see you right back here next time.
Zack reached across to shake hands with the Phoenix Champion as Focus faded to black on FFW All Access.
