Rise of "Le Matriarche" (Part 1)

The city: Calgary. The largest city in the province of Alberta. A city placed in North America's Rocky Mountain region. Calgary has a rich sports history. The CFL's Stampeders have won the Grey Cup eight times. The NHL's Flames have had their share of legends such as Joe Nieuwendyk, Jarome Iginla, and of course, Lanny McDonald, the sage veteran of their 1989 Stanley Cup. But among other things, Calgary is known as a huge wrestling city, serving as the home of the famous Dungeon.

And wrestling is the focus of this tale. Actually, women's wrestling. The Women's Wrestling Brigade was in Calgary entertaining fans, and their top star was Janine Brock, who had been reigning as their World Champion for two months. Janine had been wrestling for five years, and this reign was her first, defeating Hannah Bender, the self-professed "Miss Maple Leaf" for the title. The fans were treated to an amazing rematch between the two foes. Janine remained popular as WWB's most popular babyface, while "Miss Maple Leaf" played the arrogant heel to perfection.

The match was ever bit as gripping as their first title bout two months prior, and despite all of her foe's dirty tricks, Janine managed to win by delivering her finisher, The AM34, a modified DDT, with the Toronto native naming the move after her favorite player, Auston Matthews. Janine was about to celebrate her victory, and began to speak to the crowd, only for the lights to dim, and suddenly Janine heard the sound of sinister laughter echoing the arena.

"Janine, Janine, Janine."

Janine knew that French-accented voice very well, and her suspicions were confirmed.

"Le Matriarche...," Janine muttered to herself. Le Matriarche (French for "The Matriarch") was the most feared villainess in the Canadian wrestling scene. She was known for many things: her cunning, her quick moves, her dirtiest of tricks, and most of all, her immensely vocal boast about Quebec. Her attire was also intimidating, dressed completely in royal blue: bodysuit, gloves, and a full face mask, as well as a golden crown with a jeweled Fleur-de-lis.

"They call you Canada's best?" Le Matriache teased, "just because you're champion? Everyone knows the best in Canada comes from Quebec. We're better wrestlers, we speak more than one language, and unlike this pathetic town, we've won way more than one Stanley Cup." The last statement was met with loud boos from the crowd in Calgary, and as for Janine, she merely rolled her eyes over the villainous wrestler's boast.

"See, that's the difference between you and me," said Janine. "You have to boast and boast and boast to make yourself think you're the best. I don't say it about myself. I don't have to. My abilities say it for me." Janine picked up her title belt and raised it in the air.

"This says it for me!"

Janine later pointed to the entire crowd in attendance.

"But most importantly, these great fans say it for me!"

The crowd erupted with cheers for the champion, but all that did was draw Le Matriarche's ire.

"Silence!" the sinister wrestler snarled. "You'll pay for this, Janine... with your title! See you soon." Le Matriarche's disappeared, with a big blue Fleur-de-lis appearing on the video screen. Janine was fired up after this encounter, it was all she thought about for the rest of the night, and then for about three days. Even her dreams saw Le Matriarche laughing at Janine and taunting her.

"Justine Verdoux."

Janine was with her trainer and mentor, Collette Shannon, a retired wrestling legend, and she was venting about Le Matriarche.

"I'm sorry?" asked Collette.

"That's who Le Matriarche is, right?" asked Janine.

"Janine," said Collette, "you've been obsessing over Le Matriarche for days now."

"I can't help it, Collette," said Janine. "I can feel her taunting at me... laughing at me... with that fake French-Canadian accent."

"Ummm, she's from Montreal," said Collette.

"No, she's billed from Montreal," said Janine. "She's actually from Gastineau, which is on the Ontario-Quebec border, but she acts like she's all Quebecoise. I'm telling you, Coll, when I get my hands on Justine..."

"Wait a minute," said Collette. "What makes you think it's Justine?"

"You're kidding, right?" asked Janine. "You, of all people, are going to ask that? Le Matriarche was your biggest rival back in the day."

"Back in the day?" Collette said with a stern look and her eyebrow raised at Janine.

"You know what I mean," said Janine, whose frustration was noticed by Collette.

"Look, Janine," said Collette, "I'd back off this if I were you. Le Matriarche is lethal, trust me, I know. I don't want anything to happen to you." Janine kept Collette's words in her mind, but still focused on her task: a main event match against another popular babyface in the form of Regina Grier. Janine waited for her opponent, and expected her when Regina's music hit. However, Regina didn't appear in the entrance way. Instead, Janine saw Regina on the video screen, as she was in a bad way, down on the ground having been attacked, and that was followed by a pair of familiar royal blue boots suddenly appearing.

"Bonjour, Janine," the villainous Le Matriarche greeted. "I'm only sorry that it's not you that I laid out, but I just had to send you a violent message. Actually, that's not all I'm sorry for. I'm also sorry that I had to do this in... Edmonton--the home a fake dynasty and fans who are full of delusions." The crowd in Edmonton already had enough of the masked villainess' words, but even they weren't as fired up as Janine was.

"That's enough!" shouted Janine. "Look, I know who you really are! You think you're so big and bad? Why don't you come down here and prove it?! And hell, I'll put this bad boy on the line right now!" The crowd exploded with cheers at the thought of a possible championship encounter, but amid the loud cheers, a venomous cackle came from Le Matriarche.

"Oh, how glorious!" the sinister villainess exclaimed. "The almighty Janine Brock wants to fight and put her precious belt on the line. Do you know who I am?! I am Le Matriarche! I answer to no one, especially a little girl like you! But trust me, the time will come when I want to come after you and your gold, but I will name the time and the place! Until then."

Janine was absolutely fuming, but she rushed to the back to check on Regina. The nightmares got worse for Janine after that. Similar to before, Le Matriarche was taunting her, but unlike the past dreams, she was also attacking her, right before she removes her mask to Janine, revealing herself as Justine Verdoux, who cackles at Janine right before the nightmare ends, and Janine wakes up in a cold sweat.

"This has to end."

Four days pass, and the Women's Wrestling Brigade was in Hamilton, and Janine was on a mission.

"Don't do this, Janine," Collette pleaded.

"I'm done messing around, Coll," Janine said, while holding a steel chair. "I'm calling out Le Matriarche and settling this thing once and for all." Janine's music later hit, and out came the World Champion, chair in hand, full of determination. Le Matriarche had been taunting and threatening Janine too many times in for her liking, and she was looking to put a stop to it, once and for all.

"Le Matriarche!" shouted Janine. "I'm tired of your bullshit! You and I are going to settle this right now!" The crowd in Hamilton chanted loudly for Janine, who remained impatient while waiting for her foe.

"Come on, Justine! I can do this all night!"

All of a sudden, Collette, wearing a wave of concern, rushed to the ring. The crowd erupted for Collette, not only because she is a legend in women's wrestling, but also because she's an Ontarian--born and raised. Upon entering, Collette grabbed a mic and spoke to her friend and protege.

"Janine," said Collette. "I am out here as a friend. Not a mentor, but as a friend. You seriously need to know something..."

"Look, Collette," said Janine, "I know what you're doing, and I understand. I know you're concerned, but I'm fine. Or at least I will be once I handle my business with Justine."

"See, Janine, that's just it," Collette began to say before accidentally dropping what appeared to be a handkerchief. Janine bent over to pick it up, but noticed something about the object: mainly its color.

"Coll... what's this?"

Collette's expression suddenly shifted to a seemingly ominous tone, and it was followed by something no one, especially Janine saw coming: Collette striking Janine's head with the microphone. As Janine laid down in the ring in pain, Collette flashed a devious smirk, but she was not done yet. She later picked up the chair, and started delivering a plethora of chairshots to her longtime protege--five of them, to be exact. A number of referees entered to stop Collette's rampage, with Collette appearing to back off, only to deliver a vicious facebuster to Janine on the chair.

Collette was hit with a loud chorus of boos from the crowd in Hamilton, and afterwards, the mentor turned villainess picked up the mic and delivered a parting line to the hurt and battered Janine:

"As I said to you, dear Janine, you seriously needed to know something. What just happened to you, was courtesy of yours truly, the true Le Matriarche. Au revoir pour l'instant."

Collette's French-Canadian accented words, as well as picking up the "hanky," which was actually her mask, cemented the shocking revelation. Janine was not only hurt physically, she was hurt mentally as well. How would Janine rebound from this diabolical act of betrayal? And what is Collette's motivation for her villainous actions as Le Matriarche?

Check out Part 2 below!