La Pequena Luz vs. Ryan LeCavalier

[Wisteria Waltz]

Even as we're slowly fading in, we can already hear the sounds of wrestling going on: bodies hitting the mat, cries and groans of two people pushing themselves. Once we get our visual, however, we realize there's no cheering crowd, and we're not in an arena watching an actual match play out. Instead, we find ourselves of one of the gyms in Rochester, New York, and one of its boxing rings has been temporarily repurposed for wrestling purposes as we watch two ladies hard at work in a bit of a sparring match with one another. One of the women is Amelia Nevado, who looks surprisingly calm and composed despite the loss she suffered last week on Breakdown, but there's no denying that she's pushing herself even harder, walking through familiar spots from that match with Glory Braddock and ironing out the flaws in her technique. The other woman is one SCW fans will remember as Amelia's friend, Ivy Plume, who is helping Amelia with her training despite noticeably favoring her left arm, her shoulder having a very big and hard-to-miss bandage on it as she seems to be trying to work through whatever injury she seems to have sustained. Still, the two women are going at a pace that's benefiting them both for the reasons why they're training.

Any confusion that's probably set in by this point once you think about the schedule that SCW has laid out starts to fade as we pull back from the ring to find La Pequeña Luz standing out on the floor, her back to us as she watches her wife and best friend hard at work. Make no mistake, though, because the gym clothes she's wearing and the sweat trailing down her skin are signs that she's been training just as hard, and she seems to be taking a small break to catch her breath and not overexert herself. After a moment, she turns around and takes a few steps towards us and away from the ring, allowing us to better focus on her and let her loved ones focus on their training. The smile that we saw on her lips at first slowly fades as well, and it's clear that something's on her mind.

“Last week was a heck of a start to the road to Rise to Greatness, wasn't it? I mean, I got to watch the return of Deanna Frost as my wife and I helped her try to settle back in by talking with CHBK, I watched my wife push Glory to her limits once again... yeah, maybe Glory got the nod this time, but if the scene behind me is any indication, Ames is only going to come back stronger than ever the next time you two dance. I know there's a lot more I could talk about that might seem more important to people, like the latest change to the Rise to Greatness main event or any further developments with certain people The Light In The Darkness has taken issue with, but where our focus needs to be is on the matters that directly affect us right now, and one in particular actually has a lot to do with what awaits me on Breakdown right here in Rochester this Thursday night.

I've been in this business for long enough to see how different people approach it, and at the end of the day, the biggest motivator for most of us is the sense of accomplishment, the feeling of proving ourselves by winning matches and earning championships, hoping to build that legacy that will inspire others to follow in our footsteps as this port continues to grow and evolve. Now, there are certain individuals in SCW in particular that might believe such desires to be greedy... in the case of Amelia and myself, that's far from the case. All we want is just to be able to prove ourselves, and adding accolades through hard work and determination is proof of just how far we've come, how hard we've fought to make our own names in this sport, not just build on the legacies that we both originate from. At the end of the day, though, any setbacks we face aren't worth getting too upset over, because we know we still have plenty of time ahead of us to earn another chance and keep building ourselves up into the kind of wrestlers who will hopefully inspire future generations.

Now, there are several others in SCW who follow that same path... at least, at first glance. They're willing to prove themselves, they want to work hard and add to their accomplishments with nothing more than their bare hands. But there's a certain point where our paths diverge, and sometimes it's harder to notice. That sense of accomplishment? Sometimes, if you're too hard on yourself to the point of obsession, you become consumed by the desire to be the best by any means necessary. At that point, it isn't just about proving yourself, it's about feeling entitled to whatever you're after, spitting in the face of all that work you did to get to this point while burning any bridges built on respect that you worked so hard to create. But what does it matter as long as you get what you believe you deserve, right? Heck, maybe you don't even realize you've already lost yourself, but if you can take a look in the mirror and tell me you don't see a problem with the person you're becoming, then I can only pity you for how desperate you've become for respect when you don't even return it in kind.

Now, I respect everyone that I share that ring with because I know we all earned the right to be here in SCW, and I'd be a fool not to acknowledge the skills of someone looking to use them to score a win over me. But last week, I watched as a woman who I truly thought better of in Glory Braddock not only resort to a few shady tactics just to defeat my wife, but also completely disregard the respect that she claimed to have for Amelia the second she smelled a conspiracy she knows full well doesn't exist. CHBK didn't give Amelia any advice for facing you, Glory, and if you were that skeptical you could've asked either Deanna or myself to put your mind at ease. But no, apparently respect isn't a two-way street so long as you prove you deserve to be World Champion again by any means necessary.

Now, I know I could've done something last week when you were attacked from behind right in front of me... but I didn't. Before you open you mouth to call me a hypocrite, answer me this Glory: why should I have stepped in to save you after you showed how much you truly 'respect' my wife even knowing full well by this point what she and I are all about? If anything, what Ryan LeCavalier did to you almost felt like karma being delivered at the hands of someone who might as well be a mirror image of yours at this point. Yeah, maybe I could've fended her off considering she and I are set to dance this week... but I know that if I wasn't there, her next target after you would have been Amelia, and the people closest to me will always be my top priority when it comes to stepping up and defending them.

It's funny though... when I said you and Glory are a lot alike, Ryan, I truly mean that, and not just in terms of your similar wrestling styles and credentials.”

Luz slowly shakes her head. She turns and glances back to see Amelia and Ivy still sparring, though it seems like more of the focus has gone towards Amelia helping Ivy in a way that doubles as rehab for whatever happened to her shoulder, any risk of pushing herself too hard because of her loss last week eliminated as proof that she's already bouncing back and preparing to forge ahead despite the setback. This brings the smile back to Luz's face, although it does fade into more of a sad smile as she turns back to us.

“You know something Ryan? When you and Amelia faced off before Taking Hold of the Flame, I think she hit the nail on the head when it came to describing you, right down to the fact that when she got the win on that night, you added her to your list of people you're holding a vendetta against because of how badly you want that win back. It took you all of a week to try and criticize her, and me by proxy, by trying to justify why we aren't World Tag Team Champions anymore when, if you'd actually looked back at our clashes with the Fall of Man, we've proven time and time again that we were good enough to get those wins if we'd pushed just that little bit harder, just as Amelia could've done against Glory last week, no matter how much Glory's pride won't allow her to admit to it. Pride... that's what it always comes down to, isn't it? Pride in the belief that you are the absolute best, bar none, and no one should be able to prove you wrong. Eventually, though, it does happen, because nobody's perfect and even the best laid plans will eventually hit a snag somewhere along the line. The real test comes when you taste that defeat and have to respond to it.

And I hate to say it, but you, Ryan, do not handle defeat well.

But what does it matter so long as you ultimately win and get everything you feel you deserve at the end of the day, right?

I can't help but wonder, though... are you truly seeing me as you prepare for this match, Ryan? You'll have to forgive me, but it's a valid question to ask. After all, I am the wife of the woman who handed you your latest defeat, and I can see it in your eyes... how badly you want to get this win over me to send a message to her, maybe even hope to kick her while you think she's down after last week. Or maybe you're looking to use me to send a message of your own to Glory, maybe try to prove that anything she can do, you can do better at the expense of The Light In The Darkness? Or maybe there's something else, too... believe it or not, Ryan, I've been paying attention to you. I've heard about your desire to pursue the United States Championship, I know I was in your crosshairs once upon a time while I reigned as interim champion. Truth be told, I don't think my road to Rise to Greatness or my place in the U.S. Title situation is quite so clear anymore... but that doesn't matter to you, does it? Not when you know a win over me could be your ticket to just brute force your way into the inevitable unification match between Deanna and Asher because you feel entitled to just take the title outright from both of them.

Well, if that's the case... then you should have no trouble defeating me come Breakdown this Thursday night.

I'm going to warn you now, Ryan: I'm not like Amelia is. I know, that should be obvious, but if you look at me and only see my wife because this is your chance at some sort of payback, then you're going to learn the hard way why I'm the speed and risk that compliments her technique and strategy, why the two of us are always pushing one another to keep getting better regardless of where our paths take us. To you, this win is a necessity to open so many doors you believe should've already been opened to you, but to me? This win is a step forward in figuring out what Rise to Greatness has in store for me this year, reestablishing my place in the bigger picture of SCW, and most importantly... being that shining beacon that will help the love of my life bounce back and move towards that same end goal, regardless of whether you, Glory, or anybody else tries to stand in her way.

That's what makes The Light In The Darkness so special, Ryan... because even in our darkest moments, we still find ways to inspire one another to keep rising until we become the kind of wrestlers we want to be, not what anybody else thinks we should be.

I do legitimately wish you the best of luck and look forward to facing you on Breakdown, Ryan... and if your obsession with being the best by any means necessary runs so deep that it leaves you blind to what I can do because you care too much about anything you feel likes beyond me, then I apologize in advance for adding my name to your list with yet another setback in trying to help you see where I'm coming from.”

Luz nods to us before she turns around, seeing that at some point, Amelia and Ivy have stopped their sparring and are watching her with understanding smiles. Luz quickly returns the smile before charging full sprint towards the ring, sliding under the bottom rope and rolling into a kip up as she and Amelia prepare to spar again, the two of them energized and ready to keep pushing one another to keep getting better and striving for the heights they both want to reach, and this is what we fade out on.