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+----- Thread: Light in the Darkness vs. European Fiery Nation (/showthread.php?tid=3952)
Light in the Darkness vs. European Fiery Nation - Konrad Raab - 07-06-2024
4 RP Limit for tag
3500 Word Limit Per RP
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Wednesday, July 10, 2024
RE: Light in the Darkness vs. European Fiery Nation - Wisteria Waltz - 07-09-2024
The abyss of self-doubt...
Amelia and Luz were no strangers to it. They'd both found themselves trapped in that spiral numerous times throughout their lives, from before they ever became wrestlers to after they'd become part of the SCW roster. Heck, there had been plenty of times even when everything seemed to be going their way where doubt had crept in and made them question if they truly belonged here, at the highest level of competition.
This might be the lowest they'd ever felt, and that was honestly saying something after how long they'd both been at this.
It had been painful enough to lose the World Tag Team Titles the first time, becoming victims of history in the process. To go through that a second time, to once again become victims of history... any upsides to the thought and appreciation of Katie joining the Supreme Champion club at long last were drowned in the acknowledgment of their shortcomings, that their vow to prevent this from happening to them again rang hollow. All the hard work they'd put in, all the effort to get through this defense and finally be able to move on to proving they could finally beat Twisted & Sadistic... gone, just like that. In the blink of an eye, they had gone from fighting tooth and nail to defend and elevate tag team wrestling in SCW to being considered an afterthought, like none of the past year or so had mattered at all.
Maybe that wasn't exactly the truth of the matter, but that was the prevailing thought that had taken hold of their minds and wouldn't let go.
Their friends and loved ones more or less had a pretty good idea at this point of how hard they could be on themselves, given they were in the loop of the kinds of childhoods both ladies had and the pressures and burdens they faced when they were just starting out, but even this was beyond anything they had known. Luz and Amelia had left Breakdown relatively quickly after their match, and for the first day or two afterward had virtually refused to leave their hotel room in Miami, the only communication they'd been willing to indulge in being a text from Amelia to Ivy begging them to move on with wherever their little road trip would take them next and the couple would catch up once they were ready to do so. She and Gage had reluctantly agreed but put the call out to everyone else, especially Luz's mom and Amelia's siblings, about what was going on. When any of them finally saw the tandem again, they were surprised to find them already in Houston, and despite not being booked for that Breakdown they were training with a ferocity that had them all rightfully worried. Ivy especially, given that her powerlifting experience meant she knew the difference between trying to push yourself to break through another limit and trying to brute force an immense amount of progress, and her best friends were so deep in the latter she was terrified they would physically break themselves beyond repair if they weren't stopped.
Trying to get them to step away from pushing themselves and actually talk to them, however, was akin to trying to convince a beaver to never build another dam for the rest of its life. Both women were borderline unresponsive to anything that wasn't each other, and even attempts to physically drag them away from a gym only worked for brief periods of time before they were right back at it. It was honestly disturbing to see The Light In The Darkness this determined to try and rebuild themselves after a loss, especially as they repeatedly muttered to themselves that they had to prove they belonged.
After Luz and Amelia had left for the Toyota Center for tonight's Breakdown, Camila had almost broken down in tears at seeing her daughter in this state, revealing to everyone that while they knew of Luz's struggles both with bullying growing up and trying to live up to her father's lofty legacy very early in her career, they didn't know exactly how hard she could be on herself to try and prove that she could measure up, that she did truly belong. She recalled instances of having to patch her up when she'd nearly broken something during her initial training because she forced herself to go too far, something that even her father had tried to help her overcome while he'd still been alive. Edward and Emily had simply reaffirmed what everyone already knew in addition to that about how hard their parents had pushed all of the Blythe children to fit into the neat little molds that had already been picked out for them, but they'd also revealed some private moments only they'd known about after making amends with Amelia about how hard she was on herself in the face of truly significant defeats, to the point where she would act as though Aleister and Ophelia were still dictating her actions as she fell back into the old Blythe mindset of ignoring any and all pain, even self-inflicted, because it was a sign of weaknesses that needed to be overcome.
June 27th would go down in infamy as the day where everyone in their little found family would fully realize for the very first time that while Luz and Amelia were easily the most positive influence to one another that had effectively led to them saving each other's lives in a sense, their absolute worst thoughts and feelings about themselves, when in sync, also made for a perfect storm that would very easily destroy them if something didn't snap them out of it.
That was almost the case when it came to Breakdown itself. After basically hiding in a locker room they didn't even need for the night, using Katie's “acceptance speech” as a reminder to try and justify what they were about to do, the couple had met CHBK in his office and pitched their plan to well and truly earn the right to claim, especially to themselves, that they were good enough to hang with the most elite athletes in the wrestling business today. Mentally lost in that abyss that had convinced them that they just weren't good enough, they had been so sure of their decision that it had actually been a shock to the system when CHBK had not only denied the sanction to defeat the entire roster before they could be championship-eligible once again, but warned them that if they were insistent on doing this then their contracts—which they had completely forgotten weren't too far off from needing to be renewed—maybe just weren't worth that consideration.
Faced with the reality check of almost making themselves into a self-fulfilling prophecy of their deepest insecurities, the couple not only retreated from their boss's office, but the arena as a whole, knowing their crisis of confidence had just been broadcast to the entire world. As they were driving back to their hotel, the fog they felt like they'd been mentally treading ever since that loss finally seemed to lift, and it began to sink in exactly how far they'd allowed themselves to fall.
“We really almost did that... didn't we?” Luz finally broke the silence, glancing over to meet Amelia's gaze briefly before turning her focus back to the road.
“If you hadn't stopped me at the end there, I probably would've sealed our fate,” Amelia groaned. “Thanks, Lulu...”
“I don't think we need to thank each other tonight, Ames,” Luz choked out. “How... how did we let ourselves fall apart this badly? CHBK's right, we've already long since proven we do belong in SCW and we were willing to argue with him about it and screw ourselves over that easily?”
“I... I just...” Amelia stammered out before taking a shaky breath. “I don't know if there's really an excuse here. We both knew we weren't going to be champions forever, but the extra stakes, the thought of everything we've put ourselves through amounting to nothing, the déjà vu of history being made at our expense...”
“I couldn't go back to feeling like I wasn't worthy... that I was just some weird nobody pretending I deserved to be recognized for something other than being la hija de mi papa,” Luz half-whispered.
“I couldn't go back to not being good enough, to being shunned and punished because I repeated the same mistakes all over again,” Amelia quietly cried.
As Luz pulled their rental car into the hotel parking lot, the two finally turned to give each other a good, long look. They hadn't even set foot in the ring tonight, but both of them looked like death warmed over. Their eyes were red and puffy, with fresh tears threatening to spill over at any moment, their faces were red for a reason that had nothing to do with their feelings for one another for a change, they could actually feel their muscles begging for them to lay down and actually rest which they had somehow felt numb to for... probably way too long at this point, and that realization horrified them.
“You think they'd be willing to talk with us?” Amelia asked as she vaguely jabbed her thumb in the direction of the hotel, and Luz knew exactly who she was referring to.
“Hopefully,” was all she could offer in return along with a half-hearted shrug. “This past week was such a blur, I'm almost afraid to know exactly what all they saw of whatever hell we put ourselves through... or what they'll think of the stunt we just tried to pull.”
“Maybe they actually skipped watching this Breakdown?” Amelia vaguely wished.
Whatever response Luz might have ended up dying on her tongue as both women heard the sound of someone knocking on their window. Turning to the driver's side of the car, they both saw Marilyn staring down at them with the most unamused look she could give that didn't fully cross over into 'murderous glare' territory.
“You two,” she said, pointing at both of them. “Get your butts out of that car right now. We need to talk.”
“Yeeeeeaaaaaah, they... definitely saw what we did,” Luz groaned as she and Amelia slowly undid their seatbelts and carefully stepped out of the car, with Marilyn stepping back to allow them to do so. Amelia slowly walked around the front of the car to stand by Luz's side, arriving just in time to hear the older woman let out an aggravated sigh.
“Do you two have any idea what you were about to do tonight?” Marilyn scolded them.
“We do now...” Luz whined.
“Look, Marilyn, before you rightfully tear us a new one, please hear-” Amelia started, but Marilyn held up a hand to silence her.
“I'm not going to tear either of you a new one,” Marilyn sternly told them, which earned her a pair of surprised looks in return. “I got the full story from your blood relatives, even stuff you may not even realize happened because you got so lost in your own heads that you probably couldn't have told reality apart from one of those fantasy shows you both like. I'm not Aleister or Ophelia, thank the gods for that... besides, sounded to us like your boss already beat me to the punch on the 'tough love' approach anyway, so anything I'd have to say to you would just be regurgitating the facts he already stated.”
“But... but then why...” Luz stumbled over her words, her brain desperately trying to grasp onto anything reasonable about this situation.
“Because I'm disappointed,” Marilyn lamented. “I've got no reason to criticize you for falling into a pit of despair I know all too well. You think I haven't been insanely hard on myself after a big loss or a missed opportunity? I get it. That said... you two are easily the brightest young stars I can honestly say I've ever come to know in this lifetime. Yeah, you both come from incredible legacies, but look at everything you've done and tell me that any of it was handed to you because of that alone. I know you two take a lot of pride in how far you've come and what you want to mean to this business. Hell, I can't remember the last time I saw someone actually stand up for their number one contenders and try to fight their battles just because you didn't want them to have any excuses.”
“...do you think we're too nice for this business?” Luz carefully asked, and Marilyn could see in both of their eyes that they wanted the truth, even if they may not be in the best emotional state right now to hear it.
“Maybe a little,” she finally admitted. “But that's who the both of you are, and you've still made it work. Your SCW accomplishments, your accolades all over the world, and all without losing sight of who you truly are? You took a business that eats people like that for breakfast and shits them out as either insufferable assholes or people just broken beyond all belief, and you've been defiant every step of the way in proving that, yeah, you're probably too nice to do this, but you're also two of the best damn wrestlers in the world today, bar none.”
Amelia and Luz exchanged looks, still incredibly stunned by everything that had been said to them tonight, before the former opened her mouth again. “But... we lost the titles to the Stewards.”
“And both of them have been doing this for a while,” Marilyn pointed out. “Pretty sure Katie's been doing this since you both were still worrying about school. Yeah, they got one over on you both last week, but how many times have you beaten them before that? Maybe they learned from those past encounters like you've been trying to do for Glory and Brittany, maybe they really did just want it more... maybe your kindness got taken advantage of because the Stewards capitalized on you both running yourselves ragged trying to bail out Twisted & Sadistic. You think either one of those teams would've returned the favor if the roles were reversed for some reason? Or would they take advantage without a care in the world because they don't care if you're not at your best, they only care about the gold?”
The couple's eyes widened as the full force of that statement hit them like a freight train, a statement that CHBK had also brought up but never to this degree because he'd been focused on covering every other base. Luz and Amelia truly had no reason at all to interject themselves in Twisted & Sadistic's overdue karma, but they had on a basis of personal respect and pride that had its roots dug firmly into the comments Glory made all those months ago, questioning that very aspect of who they were because they lost the titles without actually being pinned. They got maybe about two and a half weeks' worth of rest before that title match with Team Desire... meanwhile, Glory and Brittany had yet to wrestle a match since Taking Hold of the Flame and they had a feeling that wasn't going to change next week, and outside of some disappointment they'd expressed, they clearly hadn't cared as much about not getting that pure 2v2 match with The Light In The Darkness as long as they could become champions once again, regardless of who they had to take the belts from.
Even if Glory didn't fully realize it or would ever admit to it, she and Brittany had used them, taken advantage of their kindness. Given how this whole mess had started in the first place, even CHBK's idea if they reassessed the situation and agreed to take their rematch had some unfortunate flaws given the “one fall to a finish” format. The whole thing left them frustrated and fuming, something Marilyn actually grinned at.
“I don't care if it wasn't their 'intention' to do so, stuff like that happens so often in this business that you two may be the only ones I can say for sure actively go out of your way to try and avoid doing it even subconsciously,” she pointed out. “But that does leave the question... what are you going to do about it? And if you want to follow me inside, I think I know a few people who might have some ideas if you're open to hearing them out.”
“Absolutely!” Luz eagerly exclaimed.
“We definitely owe them all an apology and then some,” Amelia admitted.
Marilyn simply nodded before letting the couple retrieve what few things they'd taken to the arena with them before leading the way into the hotel. They'd only managed to take a few steps, however, before Amelia's phone had started going off, and she released a defeated sigh at the caller ID.
“I recognize this number,” she groaned. “I thought I blocked it along with my parents', but I guess I should've seen Adrian calling after what Darius told us.”
Deep in the grip of the spiral of self-deprecation after their title loss last week, it was easy to forget that, according to Darius, the scumbag lawyer for Amelia's parents had tried to buy himself some time for one last hail mary to keep them out of prison for their part in The Empire's operations, that being her and Luz testifying on their behalf. Darius had been certain the mere idea was a stall tactic, but the fact that he was calling now, just after both women had been on national television at their absolute lowest, was definitely a calculated move on his part, especially given how early in the morning it had to be over in England right now.
Her thumb moved to answer the call, but Marilyn continued to surprise her and Luz by swiping the phone out of her hand and declining it before powering it down.
“I think you two have suffered enough by your own hands this last week,” she said, her tone still stern but a lot more gentle than it had been earlier. “No need to make yourselves suffer any more than that. This is your time to heal, and if he wants to get upset about that then maybe he picked the wrong people to fight a losing case for.”
Marilyn's grin at such a statement was infectious, and soon Luz and Amelia could feel their lips curling into the first honest smiles that either of them had worn in quite some time. Those smiles only got bigger when they finally entered the lobby and were almost immediately swarmed by all their friends and family, with apologies being exchanged and support being given that made absolutely sure to remind the two women that they were never alone in this fight, even if they were the only ones fighting in SCW. It was enough to have them crying tears of joy as they made amends for the spiral they'd allowed themselves to be sucked into and got a couple of ideas for how they could truly bounce back and prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt and without some needless and excessive gauntlet, that they weren't going to be forgotten about that easily.
After all... within every darkness, no matter how deep it may be, there will always be a light to guide you through.
And their light wasn't going to be swallowed that easily, not so long as they had the strength to keep fighting.
RE: Light in the Darkness vs. European Fiery Nation - The European Fiery Nation - 07-10-2024
Atlanta, Georgia. Tuesday 9th July. (Offline)
Dakon, Ludvig, Ginny and Kemal were in the living room of Dakon's, Ludvig's and Kemal's home, waiting for Konrad's arrival as they were due a visit from him. Of course, Konrad was going to be running late because he wanted to do a dirt race in Pennsylvania due to him not doing one for a long time and aims to do the race on Friday as well. Still they did what they had to do last week which did involve Kemal who wanted to make a start of being a team with Dakon and Ludvig in the near future, as a way to show who the leader was as Kemal was going to lead the team when Konrad retires end of next year.
As it was getting quite late, they agreed to meet Konrad in their home and he finally does appear at four in the evening as he rang the doorbell as Dakon got up to answer it and allowed Konrad in as they embraced in a hug before walking into the living room with each person having Rockstar Energy drinks provided, although Konrad's is with no sugar due to his strict diet. He smiles at the lads and Ginny made sure she wasn't getting close to Dakon as they've still not told Konrad about them two dating yet.
Konrad Raab: “Nice job boys.”
Dakon Theron: “Oh yeah, Kemal was a good leader with the whole destroying the Impact Media with vandalism. We decided to bring him to prove his worth as a future leader.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “Of course, they didn't show Kemal, but they showed me and Dakon on camera. We're proud of our handy work of fucking shit up.”
Konrad Raab: “Oh, I am too. The fact I didn't tell you three to do this and went by your own accord was great. It teaches Shaun to shut the fuck up and not get between me and us next time.”
Kemal Yilmaz: “Yeah, was about time I get involved with wrestling business and why not see my face now.”
Konrad nods at Kemal, although not many people knew it was Kemal leading the boys in the whole vandalising mess, but it was good he wasn't shown because it kept the mystery of who the other guy was and Kemal would take the blame if it came to protecting the team.
Dakon Theron: “I think you can solely trust Kemal to take over the team when you retire Konrad. He won't let you down.”
Konrad Raab: “I was thinking for your debut Kemal, to appear at End Of The Year Invitational Rumble. Although it's usually for bragging rights and win car and money, this would be a major benefit for you to show SCW who you are and where you came from and then get solos matches in SCW along with teaming with Dakon and Ludvig afterwards.”
Kemal Yilmaz: “I got to work on my personality still and develop my character, but other than that, I think I got everything else down. Regarding my debut, that would be great to make my debut at the rumble show. I got another title match in two weeks in Atlanta Wrestling Association.”
Konrad Raab: “I'm really proud of you Kemal. What a way to start your wrestling career of fucking shit up at Impact Media as the leader. I think these boys however need to talk about the team they are going to face this week. If you don't mind Kemal.”
Kemal Yilmaz: “Not at all. I get it, I'm not involved in SCW yet. I got some paperwork to sort out for the opening of my Turkish restaurant anyway.”
Konrad nods as he was impressed how Kemal wanted to make his own business within the Atlanta, Georgia area already as he goes to his bedroom and goes on the computer to do his paperwork business of sorting out an abandoned restaurant to get a small business running. On the other hand, the rest of the boys were downstairs, discussing business they needed to have.
Konrad Raab: “About time you boys were booked into a match.”
Dakon Theron: “That's partly another reason why we fucked shit up too. We were sick of being fucking ignored. Luckily we wrestle on the Atlanta Wrestling Alliance shows, but imagine if we weren't?”
Ginny Raab: “I wouldn't worry. You boys are booked this week.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “I don't get the Light In The Darkness name. Like I began to see why you said what you said last week, proving us right, there's absolutely no personalities or characters in wrestling anymore.”
Konrad nods because it was something he began to notice and it made him ill thinking he had to be like everyone else, likewise Dakon and Ludvig which wasn't something they were going to do at any point. Of course, Konrad doesn't really want to get involved in the discussions, but he was mainly there to praise the team for their efforts, but he did have to listen what they had to say.
Dakon Theron: “I love how people say every tag team has had tag title opportunities. We've never had a tag title match. Tag title contention match, but that's just a load of bullshit.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “All about competition and see what team is the best. No wonder why the tag division has gone boring and personalities and characters are gone. It just makes every single team stale and they don't stand out like at all. Those current tag champions, they are a laughing joke.”
Dakon Theron: “Like these Light In The Darkness girls actually admitted they want to earn title shots. More than others screaming their lungs out because they can't fucking wait. We want the tag titles more than any other teams, but we've not been getting them.”
Ludvig even shook his head and they both grit their teeth with frustration because the other teams weren't interested in the tag titles unlike them. But it was clear because they hadn't had any wins and Ludvig smirks before saying this.
Ludvig Eriksson: “We're the ones who changed the tag division. I mean that cage match between Selena and Polly, we would love to make tag matches being in cage matches one of these days. That clearly is lacking with these teams that we stand out being different creating different matches than the same basic wrestling crap of following the rules to win. Boring.”
Ginny Raab: “Nobody should be telling you both that you should change at all. Because honestly, they need a bunch of assholes and if you were like other teams, you'd be the same and wouldn't stand out.”
Dakon Theron: “I'm not into competition and being the best tag team bollocks. Because nobody is the best tag team, maybe the top tag team, but the best is a myth. If people were the best, they'd have undefeated streaks and still be champions. That's why I don't believe any team or wrestler should ever claim they are the best wrestlers. Not even Konrad and Kemal so far have claimed it.”
Konrad was just listening in as he didn't need to say anything, mostly because although he was the leader of the team, he still had to be there to listen to the discussions and what Dakon and Ludvig would do. He was proud of them regardless of their tag efforts and certainly raised a smile on his face on the news of vandalism that Dakon, Ludvig and Kemal caused.
Ginny Raab: “No because the best term is just lies through people's mouths. The point is competition is good, but the other teams are just boring at doing that. They want to play by the rules and take zero risks to win the tag titles.”
Dakon Theron: “Exactly. We love the hardcore and cage matches aspects a lot fucking more because it's way more fun than boring ass competition wrestling. In fact, I mostly fell asleep watching these tag teams go for competition and see who the top tag team is. It's painfully dull to watch, more so these idiots want solos titles as well.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “How many times do we have to tell the world we don't want stupid ass TV, Underground, US, Adrenaline and World Title? Because focusing on all these titles would be another way of us not standing out. While our focus is to be the tag champions, but we would make them hardcore tag belts.”
Dakon Theron: “Getting to the point, these girls are just pathetic. They asked a question to us and we're thankful to get our hands on them and beat the living piss out of them with brute and violence. Maybe we'll teach these girls something of them standing out and using anger as revenge on the teams they are facing for the tag titles at Rise To Greatness instead of being whiny bitches.”
Ginny Raab: “If you guys do win, maybe you'll be entered in the tag title match too.”
Konrad nods and applauds on Ginny being smart with her knowledge. Konrad know if David Striker could get an Underground title shot after beating Kim, they could as well, but he stays silent but agreeing with what the lads were saying. Dakon snaps his fingers.
Dakon Theron: “Shit, you're right. This is mine and Ludvig's chance to prove that we belong in the tag division and in our speciality. I do feel that's the reason why people don't want to put the tag titles on the line against us, because we do hardcore matches. We would love to see cage and hell in a cell matches being done too.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “For sure and you don't see other tag teams being like us. We refuse to change because others have and they are stupid and boring for it. I still fail to see what's darkness about this light team?”
Dakon Theron: “Because if they were dark, why hasn't their behaviour matched their tag name? Seems to be in the light all the time. They need some darkness to it to make sense to the team. We can teach them to be angry and be the team that can stand out from the rest because Stewards and the other team sure won't with their stale selves.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “For sure.”
Dakon immediately looked at Konrad and he was wearing somewhat gear they haven't seen him wear before. Konrad saw Dakon and Ludvig looking at him.
Dakon Theron: “What an earth you wearing there, Konrad?”
Konrad Raab: “These are my dirt car racing overalls. I think you boys seem to forget I'm more than just a NASCAR driver just like everyone else in SCW. I do tarmac oval racing, endurance and next year, Indycar racing.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “I did forget you did those side hobbies as well as NASCAR. Anyway, we best get going to start cutting this video to two boring ass wrestlers who are just like everybody else on the tag roster, all about following the rules and competition wrestling.”
Dakon, Ginny and Konrad nodded as everyone went their separate ways and Konrad knew he had to head to his holiday home to wash his dirt car racing overalls since they were so dirty from the dirt car race he had to do yesterday. Dakon and Ludvig on the other hand with Ginny staying at home, relaxing, got their keys and left their apartment to go to the abandoned warehouse to do their video on Light In The Darkness.
-------------------------------------------
Time to show you bitches how to be aggressive and stand out to be in the darkness youtube.com shoot (Online)
Dakon Theron: “Oh I'm sorry, are you stupid bitches calling us out for our what so called lack of dedication to the tag titles? You stupid bitches, honestly. What an earth makes you want to say that? Oh yeah, we haven't forgotten your stupid ass statements last time. We are dedicated to the tag division, the difference is we aren't playing to stupid ass play by the book shit you and your stupid tag division have resorted to.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “Bravo, you were tag champions, whoopie, give you a fucking medal for doing so. The reason we don't ask for title shots is because that's a lazy method to go by and we aren't gonna be screaming for title shots.”
Dakon Theron: “Instead, we prefer to send a message by attacking the champions. That's what wrestling should be about and it's also about having a variety of tag matches as well. None of you tag bitches actually want to evolve wrestling. There's nothing competitive about doing regular stick to the rules matches. That's what makes me and Ludvig different to everyone else is we refuse to do that boring bullshit. We want Underground matches, we want cage matches.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “If we want to play by the rules, we'd go and do amateur wrestling. None of you bitches stand the fuck out by this oh, we play by the rules, we want to be champions so bad instead of actually developing characters and personalities. Tell me what stands you bitches out from all the other tag teams?”
Dakon Theron: “I know that answer, nothing. Just a bunch of names that mean nothing. We weren't tag wrestlers when we entered the business either, in fact, we hated each other's guts for a long time, but it was the best route for me and Ludvig because we know each other in and out. We wanted to change the stale tag division because it was just that, stale and boring with the competition and seeing who the best tag team crap was.
Ludvig Eriksson: “That's stupid boring ass shit and also, there's no such thing as best tag team, nobody is the best. If that was the case, we'd all have undefeated streaks and still be champions, wouldn't we?”
Dakon Theron: “Fact is we will attack champions to their face to show that we're a threat to them, but you girls are in a lot of trouble right now, losing faith in yourselves and get handed tag title shots anyway. We've had zero tag title matches, so I don't see any competition in the tag division and the tag champions are a joke. How did Stewards even become tag champions? Oh right, because they wanted to be like everyone else, boring with no personalities or character whatsoever.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “If only there was a tag team that actually cared about competition and also having an personality attached to them? But nobody wants to do that. Nobody else seems to want to do other matches and that's not being adaptive or evolving.”
Dakon Theron: “That's just pathetic way of doing so. We refuse to do the same methods as other teams. We aren't changing because we don't need to and we aren't going to fall into peer pressure. I don't see you girls or anyone in the tag division being truly dedicated to tag division if solos titles is all you want to achieve because for whatever reason.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “We are the only team in wrestling that's solely focused on the tag titles and we will attack, not ask like lazy wrestlers would to get the tag titles because that's our way of doing things and we'll forever do things that way if it's what we want to get.”
Dakon Theron: “Heck, maybe we'll teach you two a thing or two how to unleash the darkness out because you lack aggression and viciousness. You lack to stand out. Sure you were tag champions and gave every team a hard time, but you've barely done any other tag matches to prove this. Sticking to solely rules only matches isn't entertaining or adaptive. We also want cage matches as a team as well.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “Even an inferno or a deathmatch tag rules style like the Underground rules here because me and Dakon, we actually the ones who changed the tag division, not you pretend bitches who think that because of competition which means nothing if you can't embrace the darkness in your tag name.
Dakon Theron: “At least what we do what our name says and we refuse to let anyone in our team that's not from Europe or from UK and Ireland because Konrad built something no other team has done, encouraging European wrestlers to come in the business and because of us, we trained a ton of Europeans and all said because of us, we're inspiration for them to be wrestlers.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “Both Konrad and especially his twin brother all were inspired by doing hardcore wrestling, all inspired doing violence and revenge and along with Konrad's twin brother and his husband, they did both, have personalities to match their tag name and actually gave competition to the point they won tag titles to boot and they were hardcore tag champions too. They are our inspiration to do the same as what they did with both at.”
Dakon Theron: “The fact is we're the team that have changed the tag division and we make it spicy because we are what we are, brutal and violent fucks that you both need a lesson in. Might help you to embrace darkness or we can help you to beat the shit out of us. Use every bit of anger because we will and we won't hesitate to leave you room to breathe. Be nasty, be vicious and we prepare you to be the most vicious tag team in history.”
Ludvig Eriksson: “The business is sadly forgetting about the characters and personalities wrestling has grown for and just because it got you lot wins, doesn't mean it'll be the same for us. Because I'm not interested in following the rules to win matches because it's no fun whatsoever.”
Dakon Theron: “Same for me. The point is we'll show you how bad we want the tag titles because we do and we'll do anything for them, even taking short cuts, even taking cowardly methods because that's what a real desperate team does, none of this follow the rules and asking for title matches lazy bullshit. We are going to make you girls wish that you would be violent and if we win, we'll be in the tag title match. If David could beat Kim to get an Underground title match, we can do the same to a so called great team that defended every team, but refuse to vary their matches to have the same predictable stick to rules matches every time. Our way is the correct way and we're going to win because we simply just can with weapons and violence we have plenty of experience of.”
RE: Light in the Darkness vs. European Fiery Nation - Wisteria Waltz - 07-10-2024
We find ourselves in the heart of Olympic Park in Toronto, our eyes immediately drawn to the incredible view of the city skyline all around us. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre stands proudly not too far away, with the iconic CN Tower looming just off to the side of that. Down the road in one direction we'll find the Scotiabank Arena, which will play host to Breakdown this week, while in the other direction stands the Rogers Centre, which played host to Rise to Greatness last year. In a way, being somewhere exactly in the middle of these two venues in particular feels appropriate considering who we're here to see, and it's not long before we spot Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz, The Light In The Darkness. We watch for a moment as each of them raises a purple-colored baseball bat that looks like it's had a bunch of magical symbols painted in white along the wood, getting into the proper stance before swinging like they were actually playing for the Blue Jays over in the Rogers Centre right now. The fact that it's starting to rain doesn't seem to deter them as they take a few more swings, not caring that they're getting soaked seeing as they've donned jackets in case of this possibility, but it's a bit unnerving at this point how fixated they seem on this endeavor. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, they relax their stance and nod to one another, the focus seemingly giving way to smiles as they turn and walk towards us, stopping once they realize our presence. To their credit, they actually looked a little embarrassed and apologetic for taking so long to get to this point, but after a silent-but-brief conversation, it's Amelia who addresses us first.
“Luz and I owe all of you an apology. Over the past few weeks... you saw us at what was easily the lowest point we've ever been at in our entire careers, and in hindsight, maybe we really didn't have that good of a reason to be beating ourselves up as much as we were.”
“We haven't been shy about how much being World Tag Team Champions meant to us, how proud we were of everything we were doing to try and help elevate the division. The fact of the matter is, we got what we asked for several weeks ago: Team Desire stepped up and proved they wanted it more than we did, gave us a heck of a fight, and our second reign ends not too long after we'd crossed the 100 day threshold this time. Congratulations to Katie for reaching Supreme Champion status... you truly do deserve it, and you know we're sincere when we say that.”
“You also know we're sincere when we admit that we're only human, and despite how hard we work... Luz and I, at our very core, are two very flawed individuals trying to help one another fill in those cracks because we deserve a chance to figure out who we want to be and what kind of lives we want to live. Wrestling may be in our blood, but we take a great deal of pride in the legacies we've been trying to build for ourselves, hoping that when the day finally comes for us to hang up our boots once and for all that everyone all around the world will remember us for what we accomplished, not just recognize us as the next link in our family legacies.”
“I may love mi papá with all my heart and be proud of following in his footsteps, unlike Amelia who has every reason to want to prove she's more than just another Blythe, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that having such big boots to fill... it takes its toll on you. The burden of those expectations truly had me wondering for the longest time if that's all I was to the fans: the daughter of a lucha libre legend gone too soon. Amelia's felt that pressure, being expected by her parents to be the perfect wrestler just to prove that their family is at a level that no one else is ever meant to reach. We've come a long way in trying to redefine exactly who we are what what we want to accomplish as ourselves, but those kinds of mindsets... they don't go away just because things are going in your favor and you're accomplishing everything that is the antithesis of all those doubts and insecurities.”
“That's why Luz and I fell apart as much as we did in the aftermath of that particular defeat. It wasn't because we lost the titles, because we'll be the first to admit that we've done this long enough to know that no title reign will ever last forever. Heck, we actively encouraged the tag team division week after week to give us a fight, to show us just how badly they wanted to dethrone us, and that's exactly what the Stewards gave us. No... it's because in both instances where our Tag Title reign came to an end, it allowed someone else to achieve arguably the highest status you can have in your SCW career, a feat that only a select few have been able to achieve in all the years this company has been active. Congrats again to Katie for joining that club, just as Glory did earlier this year... but twice at our expense after how hard we've pushed ourselves to get to this point was more than our pride could honestly take.”
“In that brief moment, we truly felt as though we had failed in everything we were trying to do, that we weren't good enough to truly define ourselves as something more than just the lineages we came from, not against the very best on the planet. In our heads, we could see this stigma being weaponized against us, that we were only fodder for the history of others. I think it's clear now that we got really deep into our own heads, convinced ourselves that we weren't good enough and that the only solution was to properly prove otherwise. That said... we owe a huge thank you to CHBK for giving us the wake-up call that we needed, because he wasn't wrong. We're both former Television Champions, we're held those Tag Titles twice now and considering we've been in that spot for most of this year, we'd like to think we've proven by now that we earned that honor of being called Tag Team of the Year by all of you guys last year.”
Both ladies exchange looks again before lifting their bats to rest over their shoulders, not caring about the wet wood making contact with their hair or jackets because they're already soaked, yet they continue to stand defiantly in the rain.
“By now I think it's clear that we can sometimes be our own worst enemies. We push ourselves too hard, we're too hard on ourselves when we falter, we even involve ourselves in matters that honestly shouldn't concern us, all because we want to create a level playing field. It's been said time and time again that maybe we're too nice for this business... to that, I have to ask: if being too nice is supposed to be to our detriment in a business where fighting is how problems are resolved, then how have Luz and I achieved what we have so far in our SCW careers? Yeah, maybe it is a weakness in the eyes of many out there, but we've been upfront time and time again about how we don't want to approach this business as anything other than who we are, who we truly want to be. We've both fought long and hard just to figure that out, so why should we abandon any of those struggles like they meant nothing at all? We've proven that we don't need to live a lie just for the sake of success when we've already found it by being honest with ourselves.”
“If we've survived that fight for our entire careers and continue to prove to everyone that who we truly are is not to our detriment, then why should we stop fighting for where we know we deserve to be? Yeah, it sucks that history's been made at our expense twice this year alone... but what's stopping us from trying to make our own history somehow, some way, to continue that fight and prove to ourselves, and to everyone on this roster, that we not only belong here, but we may even be the best tag team in SCW today, maybe even of all time if we keep learning from our failures and evolving to reach that level. That evolution is actually why we're not afraid to march into the Scotiabank Arena just down the road from here come Thursday night, about ten minutes away from the same stadium where we made a Rise to Greatness moment all our own last year despite the setback we faced on that night, and prove that just because we're kind and honorable doesn't mean we can't adapt to a fight that, on paper, probably raises several questions this close to Rise to Greatness XXI.”
“Once again, we find ourselves sharing the ring with Dakon Theron and Ludvig Eriksson of the European Fiery Nation. When we crossed paths with them in Japan some time back, they tried to throw the rules out the window and sought to break us with weapons, not caring if they were disqualified because they thought it would prove something. Unfortunately for them, we had a feeling they would pull that stunt and didn't falter in the face of their aggression, scoring the victory fair and square without stooping to their level. Here in Toronto, however, we find ourselves now having to play their game because this match is going to be contested with Underground Rules, meaning that anything goes and they're free to use anything their can get their hands on to try and cut our road to Rise to Greatness short. Maybe we should be concerned, considering how close we are the the biggest show of the year and the odds are pretty good that we ruined someone's grand vision last week by taking CHBK up on his offer, albeit with a little caveat to guarantee that mess is well and truly over this time.
If that's what Dakon and Ludvig were hoping for... then do Luz and I have some bad news for you.”
“We're far from concerned... if anything, we're excited. I know, that probably sounds confusing, but truth be told, this is exactly what we needed to bounce back and remind the SCW locker room of just what we're capable of after we opened the door for everyone to see us at our lowest two weeks ago. This is the kind of match that allows Amelia and I to prove that just because we're truly nice people doesn't mean we can't step outside of our comfort zone when the situation calls for it. After all, I was more than willing to face Kim Williams in this same kind of match with her Underground Title on the line, and even in defeat I proved I can get hardcore and earned her respect in the process. Yeah, maybe Dakon and Ludvig are salivating at the thought of everything they think they can do to us without any actual rules, as disgusting as that sounds, but don't forget that we're afforded that same luxury. Trust me when I say that Ames and I aren't afraid of matches like these, nor are we going to shy away from what we have to do to get ourselves back on track and regain some momentum with Rise to Greatness on the horizon.”
“Before you two try to claim otherwise in hopes of countering that claim, let me ask an honest question. If we were afraid of getting a little extreme if the situation called for it, then why would Luz and I have gone ahead with Kim's Trios cash-in last year, knowing full well the whole affair was done with Underground Rules, despite disagreeing with the idea for why it was happening when we weren't champions at that point and didn't have to participate? Why would Luz not back down from an Underground Title match with Kim when the opportunity arose? This is also hardly the first time we've walked into a match in our careers knowing that blood was going to be spilled because the rules not only allowed, but encouraged it, but we're willing to bet that doesn't matter to the two of you because, in your minds, you have a monopoly on being the team willing to get violent and nasty at the drop of a hat. Heck, I'd be willing to bet every penny my parents still have to their name that you already believe you've got this match won because how could these two women, called out time and time again for being too nice for this business, possibly beat you at your own game?”
“The real question you two should ask yourselves is this: what happens if the two of you lose this match? If you meet us in that ring over at the Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night, knowing that we're facing off on your terms, in an environment you both claim to thrive in because it's how wrestling should 'actually' be done, and we're the ones who walk away with our hands raised in victory... what does that say about the both of you? What is your response to that? Because I'm going to be blunt: Amelia and I know what we're getting into come Breakdown, we know that there's a very real possibility that you two could hurt us real bad and put our hopes of regaining the Tag Titles at Rise to Greatness in jeopardy... and we don't care. This match, this fight... this is the culmination of just how far we've both come since we started our wrestling journeys, how willing we are to tackle any fight put in front of us, and why nobody, not even the two of you, are going to break us that easily.”
Amelia then steps forward, shifting her bat so she can use it to tilt the camera up so that it's in nice and close on their faces, making sure we can see the fire in their eyes that not even the pouring rain is able to extinguish. That determination almost feels sturdier than we've ever seen from the couple up to this point, but they still allow their lips to curl into grins as Luz even begins sliding her bat back and forth along her shoulders.
“To the Stewards and Twisted & Sadistic, don't get your hopes that we won't be at 100% come Rise to Greatness, because it's going to take a lot more than one Underground Rules match to keep us from raising the bar even higher when the lights are brightest.”
“And to Dakon and Ludvig, bust out anything you think will satisfy your bloodlust on Thursday night, because Luz and I can promise you this: what doesn't kill us will only make us stronger. This is your chance to have your cake and eat it too... just don't choke on it when you find out just how hard it's going to be to stop us from proving just how much this all means to us and what we're willing to do to prove that when we say we're an ever-evolving force that will rise to any challenge and fight like hell to silence our critics...”
“...we absolutely mean it.”
At that, both ladies take a step back and cross their bats in front of them, almost as a warning to the European Fiery Nation about what might only be the beginning of what they can expect on Breakdown before they turn their heads in the direction of the Rogers Centre, almost as a reminder of what happened last year, before turning to face the opposite direction, towards the Scotiabank Arena and the war they're ready to go through to make a statement.