Statera vs. Twisted & Sadistic vs. Light in the Darkness

[Wisteria Waltz]

'Be careful what you wish for,' as the old saying goes.

The Light In The Darkness had walked into Breakdown the night of September 14th with one simple request: they wanted to be one of the starting teams for the night's tag team turmoil. They wanted to try and run the entire gauntlet as their means of proving that they were ready to be the ones leading the tag team division in this new era of SCW with CHBK at the helm. Even if they failed in this task, they were hoping to make enough of an impact with their bold request that even the team who would knock them out would know to expect the couple to be hot on their heels as soon as they bounced back.

While they would never know if it was the draw deciding to work in their favor or CHBK honoring their request, they were ultimately the very first team to hit the ring, a fire in their eyes and a determination to push themselves as far as their bodies would allow. In that respect, they would turn in yet another lengthy performance that was quickly proving how tenacious they could be even if things got into the proverbial deep waters. After two tough battles and over half an hour of combat, though, their run would ultimately come to an end at the hands of Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan, though not without Luz and Amelia pushing through any exhaustion they had to make sure the winning tandem truly earned it. When the dust would settle, however, it would not be Glory and Brittany having an even more impressive run that would earn them number one contendership, nor would it be the run of Statera once they had eliminated Twisted & Sadistic. The father and son duo of Adam and Alistaire Allocco would ultimately be the ones to stand tall in the end, earning the right to challenge for the Tag Team Titles at Apocalypse in not only their first match actually teaming together but also Alistaire's first match back since being run down by his own father.

On one hand, Luz and Amelia felt a little disgusted at seeing Adam once again get an opportunity at the prize they'd been chasing for so long now, even if they couldn't hold it against him or Alistaire that they'd made the most of what was essentially the final proper entry spot in the match. On the other, they could certainly respect Alistaire as a competitor who was cut from the same cloth they were in terms of not only being a second generation talent but also wanting to do this the right way and properly earn his accomplishments in that ring. Sure, maybe it stung a bit that Alistaire seemed to have a habit of finding success in short amounts of time where they were still fighting for theirs after so long, but instead of being jealous they saw it as motivation.

After all, they were one of the only few teams to not only score any wins in this gauntlet but also make a run out of it. That was a positive to build from, and The Light In The Darkness would be more than happy to get back to the drawing board and tackle the mistakes that kept them from their goal.

After they'd been eliminated, the exhausted duo had helped one another back to their locker room to ice down their aching bodies while watching and studying the remainder of the gauntlet, trying to figure out where to go from here so they could keep themselves in the hunt and continue fighting their way up the mountain going into Apocalypse. Once the show as a whole was over and the two showered and cleaned up, they considered the likelihood of both Statera and Twisted & Sadistic trying to use their runs to stake claims to being next in line after the Alloccos, something they could technically do as well if they so wished. That was never their style, though, and there were doubts that either of the other teams would be fully on board with letting them into the discussion of proving in the ring, on completely equal footing, who truly deserved to be next.

That would be something to address next week in Austin, Texas though. Right now, the couple just wanted to meet up with their friends outside the Amalie Arena and return to their hotel to rest up after the long night they'd had.

As they were getting their things packed up, Luz took a moment to send out a couple of texts. One was to Ivy so she knew that they were about ready to go and she and the others could get ready to meet up, and another was to Marilyn to see if she'd followed through on her word to catch the show on TV so she could pass along some critique they could incorporate into their training to bounce back after tonight. The reply from Ivy saying they'd be waiting outside was instantaneous, while Marilyn's message sat on simply being sent until the two were about ready to start heading out.

“'I saw, you kiddos did good all things considered. Will get in touch tomorrow, currently dealing with something important,'” Luz read the text out loud before putting her phone away as she and Amelia closed their locker room door and began heading through the halls out to the parking lot with their bags in hand. “What do you think she's dealing with?”

“I'm sure she'd tell us if she wanted us to know, Luz,” Amelia gently told her fiancée, who pouted a bit in response. “I know it's in your nature to want to help people—that's one of the reasons I fell in love with you, after all—but you know Marilyn kind of prefers keeping things close to the chest unless she absolutely needs to spill it. Maybe she'll tell us tomorrow, maybe she won't if it's something personal or family-related or if she feels it's best if we stay out of it.”

“Maybe it's got something to do with Lily?” Luz pondered out loud, not letting her brain be deterred from coming up with answers until she got an actual one. “You know Marilyn spent most of our time training with her trying to reach her sister. The Empire could finally be making another move.”

“I would think if that was it then Ed and Em would've tipped me off by now,” Amelia countered before pausing to check her phone as a precaution. The last message she'd received from the group chat she had with her siblings was the both of them wishing her and Luz luck right before the start of the tag team turmoil, and there had been no word before or after then about anything new regarding The Empire or even their parents.

“I hate waiting to see what their next move is,” Luz admitted. “I know they really aren't doing much of anything right now so trying to take the offensive could easily backfire on us, but I hate knowing that this is far from over and we're just sitting around until something happens.”

“I truly wouldn't put it past Caleb to be hoping to lure us into a false sense of security with a lengthy period of silence,” Amelia sighed. “It's the kind of head game that's definitely in his wheelhouse, especially if he knows that we know he's far from finished.”

Luz groaned at the headache this proverbial chess match was causing the both of them. Part of her longed for the days at the start of her career when her biggest concern was simply trying to forge her own name from under her father's huge shadow, especially after his passing. Sure, there were the arguments with her mother that were now thankfully a distant memory and the challenges that came with both fighting and then befriending the woman who she was now engaged to, but all of that seemed so simple compared to whatever war they found themselves at the center of all because of an enemy who had still-unknown ties to both girls and their families. The fact that they'd been able to maintain their focus in SCW well enough to even be doing as well as they had been overall was impressive in and of itself, but they couldn't allow their grip on that to slip just because of the tense peace they'd found themselves in at the moment.

It wasn't too much longer before the girls stepped outside of the arena, though the thought of going back inside and seeing if they could just sleep here tonight certainly crossed their minds as the Florida heat refused to let up even late into the night. Thankfully, they ignored how hot and humid it was as soon as they saw Ivy and Gage happily run up to them with Valentina trailing behind. Her wanting to join in on these excursions as Luz and Amelia wrestled for SCW while Ivy did her independent bookings and Gage had finally managed to lock down a job as a commentator for a new promotion that had opened its doors had been a surprise at first, especially since she was still trying to adjust to having a proper caring parental figure in Camila, but she was also working on bonding with her new sister and the friends she'd made who all had their own hand in saving her. It also worked that she was considering continuing on with her wrestling career, just with her own identity and on her own terms this time instead of the chains Caleb had forced around her. Luz made absolutely sure she knew that the decision was entirely hers and she didn't have to keep doing it if she didn't want to... she would love her new sibling all the same no matter what she did, and Valentina certainly needed to know that given how long she went without any real support or care in her life.

“You guys were amazing out there!” Gage happily yelled as he slipped behind the couple and threw his arms around both of their shoulders, causing them all to laugh a bit as the motion nearly caused their tired bodies to fall over from his extra weight.

“Seriously,” Ivy added. “I know I've seen you two pull off some wild performances these past few months, but damn... Amelia, I don't think I could've ever comprehended the idea of you wrestling for that long against a challenge like this when we were still kids.”

“You know that if I ever did have one similar to tag team turmoil and forced myself to go as far as I could, it would be because I had to be 'perfect' to fit mom and dad's expectations,” Amelia replied, the irritation that was directed at her parents and what they tried to make her into loud and clear in her tone.

“I'm sorry...” Valentina nervously cut in, drawing all eyes to her. “Luz and Amelia didn't go all the way and win, and yet you guys are proud of them regardless?”

“Hey, we tried our best,” Luz responded with a shrug of her shoulders. “Unfortunately, our best wasn't enough to literally beat every team in SCW right now, but we know where our benchmark is at and the work we have to do to move past it so we can get to where we want to be.”

“As far as we're concerned, we still proved a lot tonight,” Amelia added. “After all, in a field of ten teams—because I'm not counting that last 'leg' of the gauntlet after what Ace and Ravyn pulled—only four of them secured any wins and we were one of them. Maybe now isn't our time, but we proved we belong in the discussion of who should be next after Adam and Alistaire and we've got plenty of time to make sure we're ready for whatever challenge awaits us next.”

“I just... I don't... how...?” Valentina mumbled as she seemed to struggle with comprehending how Luz and Amelia were holding their heads high, even with all the valid points they made, despite not going bell-to-bell like they wanted.

“Hey,” Luz gently said after breaking away from the rest of the group to put a comforting hand on Valentina's shoulder. “I get it V, Caleb was the kind of jerk who would see failure in any form as unacceptable and insist that you be punished for it. That was wrong, and that's not the kind of thing you're ever going to face with us around. Between all the pressure that was put on me to live up to papá's legend and everything Ames had to endure from her parents and their own obsession with a family legacy, we agreed a long time ago that we would never treat each other or anybody else like that.”

“It takes some getting used to,” Amelia admitted as she moved in as well, with Ivy and Gage also giving her looks of support. “Even now, Luz and I are both prone to losing ourselves in our setbacks and pushing ourselves way too hard to make up for them. It's not something that just goes away, but time and a good support system go a long way in making sure it doesn't destroy us like it used to. We're here for each other, we have our friends here with us now too, and we're all here for you Valentina.”

Valentina couldn't help but be in awe for a moment before she finally let a grateful smile grace her lips, her mind still getting used to all the support and affection she now had in her life.

“Thanks, you guys...” she said before wiping away a tear that started to form in her eye. “I'm sorry if I dragged the mood down... this is all still so new to me, especially since you're right on The Empire not tolerating failure sis. If we lost in that ring, then... Caleb would...”

“Hey, no tienes que hablar de eso si no estás lista,” Luz gently told her upon seeing the fear and hesitation that was starting to show through. She knew Valentina was still coping with everything she'd gone through, and now she had a sister who would make sure she was well and ready before she needed to worry about sharing all the details. It would be a difficult discussion regardless, but she would make sure Valentina would never suffer at the hands of that lunatic ever again.

No one would... not if La Pequeña Luz and Amelia Blythe had anything to say about it.

“So, Valentina,” Gage carefully began asking. “Would it help if you joined us in going out to celebrate how well Amelia and Luz did tonight even if they didn't win the whole thing?”

“Maybe...” Valentina pondered.

“I know it's supposed to be for us, but I think Luz and I will pass Gage,” Amelia cut in. “No offense, but we did wrestle for well over a half-hour with very little time in between for breaks. We may have been able to rest after we got eliminated, but we're still sore and exhausted.”

“I was actually about to suggest that,” Ivy threw out, a look of understanding on her face. While she had never wrestled for that long in one sitting, she knew from lengthy powerlifting sessions that pushing your body too hard for too long was going to take its toll for quite a while after you finished.

“We can always go out and do something tomorrow before we leave Tampa,” Luz offered when she saw Gage begin to pout a bit. “Next week's Breakdown is in Austin and the show you're calling and Ivy's wrestling on in New Orleans isn't until Monday, so we've got some time before we need to set out.”

“...as long as I get to pretend to be a Bucs fan for a little bit just so I can get some pirate stuff,” Gage responded, which got them all laughing and rolling their eyes before they all piled into their rental car and drove back to the hotel they'd been staying in.

During the drive, Luz found her thoughts going back to the text she'd gotten from Marilyn, particularly the 'something important' she was currently dealing with. She knew that Amelia had a point about it probably being none of their business and that they should give her space, especially after she'd gone out of her way to explain how she and Lily had gotten involved in this ordeal with Caleb in the first place. She was a woman who clearly had a lot of things she preferred to keep to herself, so to open up even that much to her and Amelia was significant. Still, something about that response gave Luz a bad feeling, and it was hard to ignore considering her bad feelings have almost always ended up being justified.

When the group returned to the hotel, Luz and Amelia parted ways with them so they could head straight to their room to get ready for bed. Gage, Ivy and Valentina were fine with this as they wanted to grab a bite to eat before they turned in for the night. The couple made it to their hotel room and quickly changed into their pajamas before collapsing onto their bed, snuggling up as the toll from their impressive run to start the gauntlet hit them full force. Before they started nodding off, though, Amelia could feel some extra tension in Luz's back and shoulders and knew something was weighing heavy on her mind.

“Alright, mi amor,” she said, pausing to slowly help Luz pull her mask off before kissing the bridge of her nose. “I know something's on your mind... care to share?”

Luz sighed in defeat at having been discovered before trying to relax herself. “I'm sorry Ames, it's just... I know you said to leave whatever might be going on with Marilyn be, but I can't help but have a bad feeling about all of this.”

Amelia could only frown, knowing from firsthand experience from at least being Luz's friend for so long that there was almost always merit to her beloved's bad feelings about something.

“Well... she said she'd give us some critique tomorrow about what she saw from our turmoil run,” she reasoned. “Maybe we could at least ask if it's something she'd be willing to share? If she doesn't want to, though, then we don't push the issue.”

“That's fair...” Luz sighed again. “I know I can't always interject myself into problems and magically have a solution, I just... Marilyn's been good to us even when she had no reason to, regardless of whether or not we have a common enemy. I just hate the thought of anything happening to people I care about...”

Amelia pulled Luz closed, letting her hand softly stroke her hair as Luz took some deep breaths to calm herself down. Being in the arms of the one person she cared for above almost everyone else went a long way in helping her ground her thoughts before they started spiraling. At the very least, she had Amelia right here with her, not going anywhere and not in any sort of danger. That led to her rationalizing that her friends were alright wherever they'd gone to get something to eat because they were together in a group and no one would be stupid enough to try anything in public. Perhaps Marilyn was alright too and she was just overthinking this whole thing because of stress.

“Lulu, listen to me,” Amelia told her in a tone that was both gentle and firm. “You are the kindest, most caring soul I have ever met in my entire life. You've been through so much in your life and lost so much, so it's natural to worry about the people that mean something to you. But you're not alone... I care just as much for them, and they all care just as much about each other and us. I'm... also scared that maybe something did happen, but I know that somehow, someway, we'll figure this all out, and we'll do it together. Don't forget that no matter how strong we all are on our own, together we can overcome anything that stands in our way.”

Luz breathed another sigh, though this one was of relief as she completely relaxed in Amelia's arms.

“Thank you Amelia,” she tells her fiancée. “And I'm sorry... it's so hard not to get worked up over everything that's going on, especially when we're just trying to focus on proving ourselves in SCW. It kind of makes me wish things were a little simpler-”

Luz is cut off as both girls hear someone knocking on their door. They exchange confused looks before they slowly pull apart and Amelia gets up to go answer it while Luz grabs her mask, wanting to be prepared because she's not going to let someone catch her without her mask on and violating lucha libre's most sacred tradition. As Amelia opens the door, however, she finds no one on the other side. Poking her head out, a quick glance in both directions shows no signs of anyone in the hallway and no sound of anyone having quickly retreated. She's about to shrug it off and close the door when she notices something sitting on the floor right in front of the doorway: a white box tied shut with a gold ribbon. Seeing the familiar crest of The Empire on the note that's been tucked under the ribbon, she cautiously grabs it before closing the door and bringing it over to set it on the bed, with Luz just as baffled as she looks at it.

“A present...?” she mumbles as Amelia grabs the note and reads it out loud.

“'Do not let the sins of the Clauson family be yours to share. Your friend, Caleb.' Ugh... those last three words alone make me feel sick.”

“What the heck does he mean by 'the sins of the Clauson family'?” Luz questions as Amelia carefully starts to open the present, almost dreading how curious she knew they both were about whatever was inside.

“I don't know,” Amelia pondered. “We know he's had beef with them for years, but I wouldn't think-”

Amelia cuts herself off as she opens the box and a shriek of pure horror rips from her throat. Luz echoes her scream as she falls off the bed in a desperate attempt to get away from its contents, the two girls quickly backing up against the wall and clinging to one another tightly. It takes a few moments for the screams to subside, but they both feel sick as they find themselves inching closer to confirm that what they're seeing is, unfortunately, the real deal.

Resting inside the box is an eyeball, the bright shade of brown on the iris that stares back at them immediately bringing to mind the eyes of Marilyn Clauson. The smell of the dried blood coating the inside of the box confirms their fears and makes them gag. When they finally pull their gaze away from the eye, they see another note tucked beneath it, the message on it written in a familiar elegant script that clashes with the grizzly contents it accompanied but makes it clear exactly who wrote it, the earning loud and clear.

“AN EYE FOR AN EYE”

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As we fade in, we find ourselves panning around a room that is covered from wall to wall in masks, each one a replica of a famous luchador. Just by looking at them, you get the feeling that each one has its own story to tell, and the various designs feel like they're calling out to you, wanting you to know more about the wrestler who wore them and what they contributed to a rich and illustrious culture that has carved its own place in the history of the wrestling business. As we continue looking at all of these masks, we can hear what sounds like salsa music playing in the background, and soon enough, we shift just enough to catch sight of a familiar couple dancing in the middle of this room of lucha libre history. The rhythm may be fast, but Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz are able to dance along without missing a beat. As we watch, the song suddenly shifts from a salsa tune to a traditional country song befitting of the Music City itself, and the couple somehow seamlessly shifts with it into a dance that better matches the new rhythm. After a moment, the two nod to one another mid-dance before stomping in stereo, which seems to be the signal for the music to cut entirely. The couple can't resist exchanging grins before they turn to face us, with Amelia reaching into her pocket for a hair tie while Luz takes a moment to adjust her mask to make sure it's still good, running her fingers along it as though she's trying to gauge whether or not it may one day be worthy to end up on one of the surrounding walls in recognition of her career as a luchadora. Amelia, despite her hands working to tie back her hair, opts to take the lead.

“I'm sure there are some of you out there who have been curious... why do Luz and I always prefer to dance our way down to the ring before a match? The obvious answer would be to show how in sync we always are with one another, but the truth goes so much deeper than that. You see, music is often called the rhythm of the soul. It is a link between our memories, our experiences, our emotions... when Luz and I dance before a tag team match, it's just as much an exercise to warm us up and make sure that we are, well and truly, as in sync with each other as you all see and believe. We go out there and share who we truly are with all of you in that waltz, just as any musician who has made their name right here in the Music City itself performs with every last ounce of their heart and soul to share who they truly are with all who come to watch them. It isn't always easy... no musician ever became a household name without practicing and improving until each and every note became that extension of themselves, and our waltz down to the ring is the result of countless hours of practicing it, using it as a workout to improve ourselves physically and mentally while coming to understand one another on every possible level as tag team partners, best friends and even lovers.”

“The thing about music, whether you're performing it or dancing to it, is that you also have to be willing to constantly adapt to be able to keep up, whether it be shifting trends in the music business or a difference of tempo or genre when you move your body to that rhythm of your soul. As humans, we're so much more complex than some people probably want you to believe, which makes being able to grow and adapt a necessity. That's why, especially when it comes to wrestling, Amelia and I are always learning and pushing ourselves, fine tuning our gameplan and doing everything we can to always come into the next match even better than our last one because we know full well that if we don't put in that work, then the wrestling business will leave us behind. That, however, is what makes lucha libre so unique in this world and why I am so honored to have been forged and battle tested by its rules. Lucha libre, by its very nature, heavily encourages both creativity and adaptability because the action is always fast and fluid, the characters these larger than life figures who transcend the very concept of mere wrestlers, the action creating a story all its own that doesn't stop for anybody. You always have to be prepared for anything, and that holds especially true for tag team matches.”

By this point, Amelia has finished tying back her hair as she moves her hand to take Luz's, their fingers threading together without either one taking their eyes off of us. Amelia almost looks a little nervous about speaking again, whatever she wants to say clearly not sitting right with her. Luz almost immediately picks up on this and whispers something in her ear, which causes her to nod in response and take a deep breath as Luz opts to keep going for the moment.

“Out of any wrestling culture in the world, I can confidently say that lucha libre holds the strongest values when it comes to tag team wrestling. That incredible synergy you see from the two of us every time we team together in that ring? That was honed down in my home country of Mexico, in matches like the one we'll compete in at Apocalypse. In lucha libre tag matches, there is no need to tag your partner in and out of the ring. The moment they leave the ring, no matter how it happens, you can immediately jump in and will be considered the legal competitor. You always need to know where your partner is, and more importantly, where your opponent's partner is, because the action never slows down and encourages teams to move in tandem far more than you'll find in any other kind of tag team ruleset. Rarely will you ever find a situation where the end result of a match can be questioned because of confusion over who was or wasn't legal, making this arguably the fairest way to pit teams against one another to truly find out, in that moment, who the better one is.”

“I'll be honest... when I first crossed paths with Luz in the ring, the way she moved and the strategies she used were like nothing I had ever seen before. I took an excursion down to Mexico because I needed to understand firsthand how different it was to everything I had grown up knowing about this sport, and it became apparent immediately how quickly I would need to adjust and adapt in order to just keep up. When Luz and I began working as a team, it became a learning process for the both of us because teaming together under lucha libre rules and having to keep in mind that tagging in and out is unnecessary because it slows down the flow of the match. You always have to be ready to jump in at a moment's notice because even if you just stepped out of the ring to try and catch your breath, the moment your partner leaves the ring you could end up right back in, regardless of whether them leaving is of their own volition or not. It's because we've pushed ourselves in these kinds of matches that we have that level of synergy in the ring and operate as though we always know where the other is at all times, even when we have to tag in and out to make the legal competitor official.

Before anyone goes and says that our experience under these rules means we have any sort of advantage, Luz and I will be the first to admit that we still have a lot of work to do, no matter how perfectly we seem to work together when we're sharing that ring.”

Amelia's words feel like they carry a lot of weight to them, and as she and Luz take a moment to gaze around the room at all the masks surrounding them, part of the reason why slowly starts to become apparent. As great as they may seem in the eyes of the fans, in the presence of legends they still feel so small and out of place, struggling to prove that they deserve to stand here among them.

“A lot can be said about how things went down during tag team turmoil a few weeks ago. Amelia and I asked to start that match and we did... it wasn't because we were confident enough to think we could run the entire gauntlet, but because we wanted to put ourselves to the test to see how far we could push ourselves and if it would be enough to go bell to bell. We don't know if CHBK willingly granted our wish or if the draw was in our favor in that regard, but we were looking to make a statement and as far as we're concerned, we did just that. True, we didn't win, but we were the only team who dared to stand up and say we want to try running that entire marathon, and I'd like to think that goes a long way in proving just how far we will push ourselves and what tag team wrestling means to us. We will also be the first to admit that we simply didn't have enough in us to be able to go all the way, but we still walked away knowing exactly what to work on so that we can push ourselves even father come Apocalypse, especially against the two other teams aside from the Alloccos who strung together runs through the match.”

“Twisted & Sadistic is the team that ended our run, and Statera is the team that ended theirs... it almost seems fitting that pitting our three teams against one another will once again ask me to lock up with the likes of Glory Braddock and Bree Lancaster, two women who have started title reigns at my expense because on those nights I simply wasn't good enough to defeat either one of them. In that regard, you could consider our team at a disadvantage just because of the records, but I've always been someone who has viewed my defeats as learning experiences to go back and study from, because expecting the same result every time our paths cross is a dangerous mindset that often breeds doubt in the loser and overconfidence in the winner. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have watched back my singles matches with the two of them in addition to our tag team clash in the turmoil, nor can I properly express how excited I am to tackle this challenge once more against the both of you to see just how much I've adapted and will continue to evolve as we write the music of this match for all in Nashville to enjoy.”

“Of course, to forget about their partners under these rules would be a death sentence. I know firsthand the raw power that Brittany Lohan brings to this match and I've seen just how committed Datura is to proving herself in that ring in her own way. The two of them are more than willing to fight with all they have to support their partners, and I'd be stupid to ignore the synergy that does exist with both teams we're facing. After all, Bree and Datura have been friends for a very long time and have proven how capable they are as a team even if they haven't had much experience actually teaming together, and Brit and Glory have made it no secret that they have a long history of teaming together. The only question I have for you ladies, though, is this... what does winning this match and potentially becoming Tag Team Champions mean to the both of you? I know how hard you, Datura, will fight to support Bree, and Brittany has made it no secret that her primary reason for being here is to hold those titles with Glory so she can finally achieve Supreme Champion status. Amelia and I, though? We're in this together, no matter what form that takes. That's why we almost always second one another if we're competing solo, to support one another and have each other's backs if anyone thinks they can try anything. That's why we have committed ourselves so thoroughly to being a tag team and proving ourselves the hard way, from willingly holding ourselves back from going for those titles again until we well and truly earned it to being willing to start an entire gauntlet and try to run it all the way through.”

“When Luz and I leave this sport somewhere down the road, we want future generations to be able to look back on us and acknowledge just how hard we fought to prove ourselves our way, no matter what obstacles stood in our way. We want to be able to see our names among the greats like the masks of all these lucha libre legends that surround us right now, knowing that we truly earned that right. In our minds, we're entering this match as the team with the most to prove. We're the team that, collectively, hasn't accomplished as much as either Twisted & Sadistic or Statera. We're the team that's fighting to hold those Tag Titles and bust our behinds to raise the bar because this means that much to us, not because we're tunnel visioned about using this to achieve a very specific accolade or determined to get another crack at a very specific set of champions. No offense, because Luz and I wouldn't doubt that either set of you would make for amazing Tag Team Champions and we'd be honored to throw down in that ring with those titles on the line anytime, anywhere... but this moment, this opportunity, is something we have devoted ourselves to entirely.”

“We still have long careers ahead of us and plenty of time to build our SCW resumes with singles accolades, but being able to succeed together and prove that we can be the tag team at the top of the mountain in arguably the greatest wrestling companies in the world today... that is the foundation that The Light In The Darkness will build its legacy on, and being able to share that moment together is what will always drive us to keep fighting and evolving until we seize that moment.”

“We wish both teams luck, but we warn you now: do not write us off because of how the tag team turmoil went or because you think you want it that much more than us. As Luz said, this is the path we have dedicated ourselves to from the moment we set foot in SCW for the very first time, and we will gladly welcome you into our world to let our actions show you just how important this whole endeavor is to us. We hope you're ready, because I can promise you that this dance we're all about to perform is unlike anything that any of you have ever experienced before. To all the Nashville fans... we sincerely hope you enjoy the experience you'll soon bear witness to.”

At that, Amelia and Luz take deep breaths in stereo, refocusing their efforts as their determination shines through and sticks with us even as we leave them to continue preparing for this challenge their way. They know the fight they're going to have to put up at Apocalypse in order to finally return to the gates at the very top to challenge for the gold once again, but they've come a long way since that match with the House of Frost so many months ago, and they're hellbent on showing the world just how far they've truly come.