Falling on the Cross
Genre: Sports/Drama
Director: Stephen Merchant
Writer: Jacob Jones
Cast: Jodie Comer, Leo Woodall, Calam Lynch, Daniel Sharman, Rebecca Romijn, Milo Gibson, Oba Femi, Joaquin Wilde, Asuka, Thea Trinidad, Anaïs Demoustier, Jacob Jones (cameo)
Plot:
The Year: 2021
“I have to say, it’s always good having the chance to interview you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Casey, thank you.”
These are the words that start yet another interview in the Wrestling Observer as Casey Sparks (Jacob Jones) interviews Abigail across (Jodie Comer), a widely renowned indie wrestler currently on the hottest streak of her career. Their interview is cordial and pleasant as ever, Abigail answering each question with an earnest, yet respectful nature, before reaching the most important question of all, what’s next?
Abigail isn’t sure, but she assures Casey and her fans that no matter what happens, she’ll continue to do what she can to deliver the best quality wrestling she can for her fans, and for herself.
The Year: 2014
A young woman sits by her peers, taking notes as two trainees grapple inside the ring. Once she gets in the squared circle, she takes a leadership role, helping her opponent out with spots and moves. By the end of the match, the two trainees receive a standing ovation.
Later that day, as she packs up, the young woman comes across her tutor who praises her for a job well done. She remains humble while thanking him before coming across her opponent, who excitedly thanks her for the match but admits that she doesn’t know her name.
“My name? It’s Abigail Cross.”.
The Year: 2022
Abigail finds herself once again in the wrestling ring, this time in an independent promotion in her native England and facing off against one of the greatest joshis of all time, Mirai Tanahashi (Asuka). It’s an exciting struggle that sees Mirai’s technical skills and Abigail’s high-flying abilities collide, but in the end, Abigail claims the victory with a crucifix pin.
As the referee raises an exhausted Abigail’s hand, she soaks in the applause before embracing Mirai. Once Mirai leaves the ring, Abigail is handed a microphone and proceeds to give a heartfelt speech about her career and how her experiences over the years have shaped her, even shouting out Mirai and her husband Kendall, who is in the audience (Milo Gibson).
However, all good things must come to an end and even she realizes this. That is why the time has come to say goodbye to Britain. She vows to find further success and promising to continue her battles in the ring by any means necessary. The lights may change and so will the circumstances, but the Bounty Hunter is never hard to find. Just give the target and name the price.
After Kendall and Abigail share a kiss in the ring, the two head backstage to bid her fellow wrestlers a fond farewell. Mirai congratulates the two on their success and wishes them well in whatever promotion they choose to join. Kendall thanks her only to be whisked away by a few of his countrymen. Abigail and Mirai sit together, reminiscing about their past battles before Abigsil delves in on a secret. It’s not final yet, but Dynamite Wrestling already sent them a strong offer.
Mirai is intrigued, having worked for them in the past, but reminds Abigail that no matter what, she must remain true to herself, for that is who matters most. Abigail promises, thanking Mirai for all she’s done. The two share one final embrace before Abigail goes searching for her husband.
That evening, Abigail is sitting in bed, going through her phone, seeing all the warm compliments when Kendall steps in. Abigail finds that this is the beginning of a great new era. Soon, they’ll be off to California to join Dynamite Wrestling, a workrate based promotion that has steadily risen up the ranks, but Abigail wants to sleep on it before making a final decision.
The next day, Abigail is awakened to the sound of her phone’s ringtone and a mysterious caller. The person introduces herself as Bebe (Rebecca Romijm), a former supermodel turned businesswoman and owner of Bright Lights Wrestling, she’s heard a lot about Abigail and is willing to make an offer. While the official offer isn’t known, it’s enough to get her to pause. She’ll need a minute to process things.
Upon hanging up, Abigail tells a still groggy Kendall about the big news. This wakes him up, only for them to realize that Kendall didn’t receive a contract from BLW. Despite Abigail’s disappointment, Kendall assures her that no matter what, he’ll always support her.
Several hours later: The news becomes official. Abigail Cross is going to BLW.
The response is polarizing as some fans are excited to see her finally jump into a bigger promotion, though others are concerned with their more looks-based approach to wrestling, something that catches Abigail’s eye as she enters the locker room for the first time. Hourglass figures, muscular bodies, phones all about, it is very clearly a hangout for models, bodybuilders and influencers.
Upon stepping into Bebe’s office for the first time, Abigail finds that she tries to be the “cool” owner, telling Abigail to call her by her first name and jokingly stating that she got “dressed to the nines” for the occasion. After a brief introductory chat, Bebe gets serious. She’s already figured out a storyline for Abigail and it deals with a recent signing of hers, former TWF World champion James Arthur (Daniel Shaman). She has plans to turn his character, “The Patriarch”, into a massive faction and sees Abigail as one of its members.
Abigail is starstruck by the idea of working with James, only to be met with a surprise roadblock. Despite her clear hesitancy to bring it up, Bebe reveals that Abigail cannot be “The Bounty Hunter”, citing how different BLW’s audience is compared to the indies. Despite this, Abigail accepts the offer, and is told that she’ll start next month, in the meantime, she’ll be working dark matches as “The Question”, a gimmick used for local and debuting talents.
Abigail exits the office, pondering her new normal when she bumps into another figure, a handsome man named Preston (Calam Lynch), another member of The House. Preston cannot talk for long, but hopes he gets to know Abigail better. Abigail finds herself bemused but intrigued over her future.
That evening, as Abigail prepares for bed, she watches old footage of her matches in Japan as a sort of “goodbye” to the Bounty Hunter character. A character who often fought the best and served them should she ever lose. Kendall steps in to check on Abigail, intrigued to find her watching her old matches. Abigail admits that it’s going to be a bit different but just like the Bounty Hunter, she’s up to the challenge.
During the next few weeks, Abigail gets initiated with her new peers, including Preston and some of the younger wrestlers. One day, however, Abigail hears something of a clatter coming from the private locker room of “The House”. Sure enough, Preston has been tied up in a clothing knot by the nasally weasel, Vance (Leo Woodall). Abigail steps in to help, only for Vance to make his introduction, claiming to be the “best tag team specialist” ever. He assures her that all is well with Preston, and that he’s just having a little fun.
The two jostle toward Preston before finally, another, more glamorous figure enters. She chides Vance, telling him to untie Preston. Disappointed, Vance does so, muttering that if this was on camera, James would’ve let it happen. As Abigail and the figure watch, she introduces herself as Angelique (Anaïs Demoustier), James’s kayfabe wife, assuring Abigail that Vance just needs a kick in the rear. She asks Abigail if she’s excited to join The House, to which she is.
“I would hope so, James is a good man. You will like working with him!” Angelique says with a smile.
March 2022:
Finally, the big day arrives. At the semi-main event of BLW’s Valentine’s Slay, James Arthur is having a difficult time with his opponent, even being powerbombed down to the mat. It seems as though James is about to lose, only for Vance to distract the referee and open the floor for Abigail to strike, hitting James’s opponent with a bat before taking them down with a picture-perfect moonsault. With all the chaos complete, James struggles toward his opponent, stealing the win with a pin. Upon seeing what’s happened, James gives Abigail a warm embrace, inviting Vance to join in.
Backstage, Abigail is congratulated by Angelique and Preston on a job well done before James steps in, complimenting Abigail on her efforts, expressing exciting in working with her before taking his leave. Abigail cannot help but smile, in belief things will work out just fine.
The Next Week
The wrestling world is abuzz with the latest BLW news, most notably the mixed reception regarding the new character of Abigail Cross, that of James’s eldest daughter, the bratty Abby Arthur. Critics (especially Casey) deride it for being an absolute waste for a talented performer, while supporters cite how much fun Abigail is having as this new character.
Inside a bathroom, Abigail is trying on her new outfit, designer clothing complete with a scarf, when she gets the idea to cut a promo under this new character, amusing herself in the process. Angelique steps in, finding that she’s having a blast before letting her know they have five minutes before the house show promo. The promo is about what you’d expect, Abby running down everyone and bragging about her exploits in a nasally voice, all while throwing a hissy fit when fans boo her.
After the promo, Abigail is made aware that Bebe wants to see her. Inside Bebe’s office, the owner is all smiles as she compliments what Abigail has done with the character. Abigail now looks forward to her debut match where she’ll show everyone what she’s about.
Bebe’s face soon turns to a hesitant frown: “…well, about that sweetie…”
One week later, Abigail has her first match on BLW TV, her moveset completely neutered, only maintaining her moonsault. Upon heading backstage, Vance scoffs at the performance. “Anyone can do a moonsault.” He mutters. Abigail stops to check her phone, seeing the lackluster feedback for her debut match, the feeling of dismay briefly evaded when Preston and Angelique compliment her efforts.
Several weeks pass by and Abigail finds herself watching matches of BLW on the TV, finding it bittersweet, to see several wrestlers, some of whom younger than her are doing the moves she once did with precision, all the while cringing over Vance’s attempts.
“Aye, you think he sucks eggs too?” An unfamiliar voice calls out. Abigail turns to find Inessa (Thea Trinidad), another wrestler in BLW. The two briefly joke about Vance’s efforts before two more figures enter the fray, the current BLW Ensemble champions, Enrique (Joaquim Wilde) and DJ (Oba Femi). The three engage in a roast-off regarding Vance, only for Abigail to chime in by stating “he’s not me.” The room goes silent as a curious Enrique asks Abigail what she does. For once, she has no answer.
Abigail still doesn’t have an answer as she watches the latest edition of Dynamite Wrestling, seeing Kendall wow the crowd with his moves. All she can do is smile sadly as she realizes her old life is well and truly gone.
One day, while entering their private locker room, Abigail catches Vance again making a fool out of Preston, sending him on a hunt for his luggage, luggage he hid in his locker. After pulling the tights trick again, Abigail chides Vance, telling him to show some decency before helping Preston out.
As Vance exits, claiming that he needs to check on some things, Abigail and Preston discuss what to do with Vance, before discussing their respective careers, Abigail even mentioning her being the best female wrestler on Casey’s list two years running, although she fears those days of making it on lists are over, claiming that “they” liked the Bounty Hunter more. It’s there Preston asks a sincere question:
“Do you think you’re a good wrestler?”
Abigail thinks for a moment, hesitantly saying that if others think she’s good, then—
“Well, that’s the problem now, isn’t it?” Preston interjects. The opinions of keyboard warriors matters not. The only person that determines if they are good is themselves. Abigail thanks Preston for the advice, vowing to remind herself of it. Out in the background, however, Vance has been standing by the locker room, a devilish smirk on his face.
An hour later, Vance puts his plan into action, confronting Abigail about the conversation. He’s already aware the internet wrestling community isn’t a fan of his. His concern lies more with Abigail and what she thinks. He wants to know, who here actually cares about her body of work? Abigail details some of her best matches, finding Vance has no leg to stand on.
Vance remains undeterred, asking Abigail if she knows what people are saying now that she’s not their “precious Bounty Hunter” anymore. He’s done research, those people are upset at what’s happened, even accusing Bebe of sabotaging her career. Seeing that Abigail is taken aback, Vance predicts that at some point, people will realize that the Bounty Hunter is gone and then, they’ll forget all about her. She’s an indie darling’s indie darling…
“And we all know what happens when indie darlings sell their souls.” Vance states as he saunters off, leaving a shaken Abigail to pick up the pieces.
As the weeks pass by, Abigail finds herself becoming paranoid over what people think of her, treating the gimmick as something of a nuisance and distancing herself from The House. This coincides with her becoming a punchline on TV, rarely ever winning, all the while Vance receives a strong push as James’s golden boy.
Abigail also becomes snippier to anyone who give her criticism while subtly projecting her own frustrations. It even affects her relationship with a Kendall as, during one dinner night, Kendall happily touts how things are going with DW, all while Abigail is hesitant to talk about BLW. Kendall tries to reach out, but Abigail insists things are fine. Eventually, she storms off to her room, leaving Kendall confused.
June 2022:
Abigail arrives to the venue, a miserable expression in her face briefly lightened when she sees Kendall wishing her a happy birthday, but outside of Preston, Angelique and James, no one else does the same. When Abigail arrives at Bebe’s office, shr excitedly rambles about how she has the perfect scene for Abigail..
The ring is decorated to the nines as Angelique, Vance and Preston announce the arrival of the birthday girl, Abby Arthur! Abby brags about how she’ll have the best birthday ever, bossing Vance and Preston around before Enrique and DJ’s conga line arrives. Enrique, DJ and Inessa take turns roasting the group and poking fun at the party before Abby starts throwing a tantrum, causing a full-on brawl to emerge, ending with Inessa smashing Abby’s face on the cake, covering her face with frosting.
Abigail makes her way backstage, cleaning off the frosting with a rag before entering The House’s locker room, reading through the Twitter comments, finding that Casey has panned the segment and is now at a point where he wishes for her to leave BLW. She winces, reading through the comments all decrying her a sell-out and overrated before coming across one especially demeaning compliment about how her husband, Kendall, would be ashamed of her.
Abigail engages with the troll, scolding him for talking about her husband. Once the troll responds back, Abigail unleashes a verbal tirade, letting every bit of paranoia and resentment regarding the fans out while also unknowingly revealing her frustrations with the character.
Vance checks to see what Abigail is doing only to be told to leave. Realizing what this may be about, Vance smugly claims that he was right. The “fans” have turned on her. Abigail screams at Vance, exclaiming that she knows. No one but her cares and she’s the one they go after.
A hint of terror enters Vance’s eyes as he sees what Abigail’s become, only to find the phone now on the table. He tries to grab onto the phone, leading to a grappling match. Vance claims he’s going to finish the job for her, but Abigail wants the phone. She even lunges towards him, demanding he give back her phone. Despite the horror in his eyes, Vance nearly escalates…
“That’s quite enough, Vance!”
…only for an angered Preston to make the save. For once, Vance acquesies.
After Abigail gets her phone, Preston goes to check on her, complimenting her on the scene. Abigail stares at him with disbelief before declaring that she’s done and storming off, leaving Preston and Vance in a state of shock.
Abigail marches out the arena, determined to finish her argument with the troll, only to find that Casey has already deleted the comments and chastised everyone for getting personal and that he left a DM. Feeling a sense of dread, Abigail pulls it up and reads on.
In the DM, Casey expresses sympathy over what happened but admits that he’s worried about her. He’s seen the transformation Abigail has taken, not just in the ring but on social media. It’s led to so many people giving up on her. They loved her and respected the ground she’s walked on and what she’s been doing feels like a betrayal.
Casey doesn’t believe she’s sold out or anything, but he fears one thing:
“…I think you’ve forgotten who you are as a wrestler, and a person”.
Abigail checks her profile and its posts and responses, the abrasive nature she had taken apparent, breaking into horror when she finds Mirai expresses her disappointment regarding what she’s become.
Abigail calls Kendall, trying to keep vague as she asks him to see if Dynamite Wrestling is hiring, only to hear a concerned voice call out to her. It’s James. He heard about what happened from Preston and asks Abigail if everything is alright.
Abigail hesitates before going on a tearful rant about how she felt like a fool for trusting Bebe with her career, even as she paired up with him. Now she realizes that none of this is her. She’s not a punchline, she’s Abigail, the woman who wanted to make this work…but now thinks James would be better off without her.
James sits by Abigail, gently telling her that she’s not a burden. When creating The House, he kept his eye on those who had to prove themselves on the indies and someone who could be the centerpiece of The House.
That centerpiece was Abigail.
James has seen Abigail’s work and knows she is a spirited, incredible wrestler who can do extraordinary things regardless of who she is. She is Abigail Cross, a diamond to the business and The House.
Abigail asks James how she can be that person if she can’t do the things that make her herself? James, unaware of this bit of news, makes a cryptic note before telling her that he’ll always be there for his stablemates no matter what. While he can’t guarantee a full return, he will do everything he can to bring a piece back, cause she deserves success. Abigail hugs James, bursting into sobs as James accepts the embrace.
Preston and Vance try to pick up the pieces of what happened when James steps in, asking Preston to leave the room. He then approaches Vance, a stern yet calm tone taken as he asks him what his plans were with Abigail. Vance tries to explain himself, only to become mortified when James reveals that Abigail nearly quit BLW because of this stunt. It’s at this point a panicked Vance begs James for forgiveness, accidentally blurting that he made Abigail think no one supported her.
Preston listens on, in disbelief over all that has transpired, but hopeful that this teaches Vance a valuable lesson.
One Week Later:
Abigail takes several deep breaths before gently knocking at Bebe’s office door. Bebe ushes her in, gushing over how lovely she looks tonight. She does break into a serious nature however when they start talking, making sure Abigail is alright, having gotten her text stating that she’d be taking the next few house shows off.
Abigail says that she’s fine, she needed a mental break, but now that she’s here, she’d like to talk about her booking. She starts by admitting that she’s flattered that Bebe has given her this opportunity but she’s come to find that this just isn’t for her. She’s not some sort of comedic character meant to be laughed at, she truly is a good worker and while she’s happy to have gotten to know Preston and James…
She wants to go back to being the Bounty Hunter.
Bebe nods, telling Abigail that she expected her to say something like that, revealing her booking chart. On it, one of the matches is:
Abby Arthur vs. Inessa Lopez
The note itself telling Abigail to go all-out. Bebe explains that James and her talked after the show and in doing so, she realized that she hadn’t been treating her right. If Abigail really thinks she can go in the ring, then what right does Bebe have to judge. She can’t make her what she was, but she can at least give her that core back.
Backstage:
Abigail makes her way down the backstage corridor, a big smile on her face as she is swarmed by a group of wrestlers, all of whom complimented her performance, including Enrique and DJ. At the end of the session, Preston brings in a clearly humbled Vance, claiming that he has something he wants to say.
Vance begrudgingly apologizes to Abigail for what he did, saying that James reminded him of what was important. Each other. Vance asks if there’s any way for him to make it up to Abigail. To his surprise, Abigail thanks Vance for helping her realize her self-worth, before letting him in on her idea…
July 2022:
In the ring, Abigail and Vance are in the midst of a hot tag match for the Ensemble titles, having put DJ and Enrique on the ropes, the action is hit and fierce, but for a moment, it looks as though Vance is going to lose thanks to DJ, only for Abigail to make the blind tag…
Later, inside their private locker room, Abigail and Vance celebrate being the new Ensemble champions with Preston, bantering for a bit before James arrives with his newly won Hollywood championship and Angelique in tow. Angelique reveals that she’s made reservations for the Chez Bentot, one of the finest restaurants in Hollywood. They’ll be heading over tomorrow at six o’clock!
As the group dissipates, Abigail sits down with her title, James sits by her, checking to see how she’s feeling. Abigail considers this a wonderful feeling, thanking James for all he did. The two share a final embrace before going their seperate ways.
Two Years Later:
Abigail stands inside The House’s locker room, looking through pictures of memories they’ve made over the last two years, a soft smile on her face as she reminisces on the time that was before being called into the office by someone.
She doesn’t know what the future holds, but whatever it may be, she knows it will be hers to take.
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