Yesterday, 12:14 AM
The first thing we notice is the presence of mirrors all around us. Maybe that causes some confusion, considering we're certain this isn't something pertaining to a match where mirrors are actually going to be involved. The more we think about it, the more we perhaps begin to understand that the idea behind that match could apply elsewhere as well, and Shattered Reality certainly marks a pivotal night for the career of one wrestler in particular. The sound of footsteps echo all around us, and for a moment, we see things reflected in the mirrors surrounding us: a British flag, the SCW World Championship... a little girl, battered and bruised. A familiar young woman with an expression so cold you'd expect the glass to freeze over on the spot. An older version of that same woman happily embracing an equally familiar luchadora whole they hold championship gold high. All of these images have one common denominator, and she finally steps into view in the middle of this maze of mirrors.
Amelia Nevado takes a moment to glance at all the mirrors surrounding her, the memories we can still see reflected in them. Some bring a smile to her face, others feel like the mirror has broken and its shards are embedded into her body, but each one of them evokes some sort of reaction from her. We're used to seeing Amelia get passionate when it comes to the wrestling business and the things that matter to her, but what we're seeing now almost feel more akin to her wife, La Pequeña Luz. Eventually, her gaze finds it's way to us, a solemn expression finally taking prominence on her face.
“Shattered Reality... in a way, it almost feels a little too on the nose for me to think about. I know everyone will be talking about the World Title match, the steel cage lined with mirrors where Cid Turner will attempt to keep his reign alive against a man I know firsthand is more dangerous and twisted than he cares to admit half the time. And yet, mirrors can operate like windows to the soul, allowing you to come face to face with memories of the past with a little imagination. I know there are many out there who aren't fond of looking at themselves in the mirror, and often the reason is because they can't handle the person they see staring back at me.
Once upon a time, I used to be one of those people.
I've told you all, time and time again, about my upbringing. About the heavy expectations hanging over my head because I was meant to be the prodigy of one of the most elite and prestigious wrestling families in not just England or all of Europe, but in the entire world. Some, like Glory Braddock, were likely given the option to decide whether or not they wanted to follow in the footsteps of the legends that brought them into this world... I was never afforded that luxury. The decision was made for me from the moment I was born, and as soon as my parents were certain I was old enough, big enough, to withstand the path they would make me walk to get here, they began torturing me. You probably thought I was say it was 'training' and I won't deny that it was, but for every hold that I learned, I had to be broken and reforged over and over again until I didn't just get it right, but I had it perfected. If my father, a man so much older and bigger than I was, could break free of it, then it wasn't good enough yet.
For as often as I've told you all about my upbringing, no one ever seems to look beyond my words and fully understand the psychological damage hidden within. I was just a little girl, not even allowed to decide if I really wanted to be a pro wrestler just like my parents or not, and I wasn't just told I had to be a great wrestler... for the Blythe name, I had to be perfect. If there was someone out there who could outwrestle me, I was a failure. If I wasn't draped in championship gold, I was worthless. You will find no scars adorning my body, because I always had to look as pristine and immaculate as I had to wrestle... I have been on this Earth for 28 years, and for 19 of them, I had to be more than perfect because that's what was expected out of me for the sake of my family.
Answer me honestly... if you were in my position, endured everything that I did growing up, had parents like mine who set obscene goals to earn their praise and affection only to move the goalposts for every step you took towards it... wouldn't you still be plagued by this overwhelming need to prove to everyone else that you're good enough?”
Amelia lets that question hang in the air for a moment, her shaky breaths the only sound we're afforded in this space. She slowly glances over towards one of the mirrors, seeing a reflection of an Amelia Blythe that was maybe about 10 years old, covering her own wounds with makeup so no one would ever suspect that she was anything less than perfect. An image of perfection mattered above all else when you were a Blythe, after all. Amelia can't help but reach out and stroke her fingers against the glass, as if trying to comfort her younger self and reassure her that everything will get better.
“I'm not going to stand here and try to convince anyone that I'm not a flawed human being. I have my ups and downs just like anybody else, and I can't help that my brain has been hardwired by this point to take those downs even harder than most. My life has gotten so much better since that point... I met the woman who showed me that it's alright to be imperfect, I learned how to smile and actually enjoy myself, how to take pride and feel passion towards things I loved and wanted for myself. I've made new friends, rebuild old bridges, earned the respect of names that I know would have never cared for me as the woman I used to be. Wrestling used to be a chore, an expectation, something I had to do just because... now? Now there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the ring, making my career my own and earning everything with my bare hands not for the Blythe name, but for me.
For all the similarities between us Glory, that is probably the biggest difference between us... and I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy you a little bit for it.
Maybe that's not fair of me to say. After all, you've been in SCW, wrestling in general, for so much longer than I have. I still have plenty of time to reach the heights you've spent so long establishing yourself at... but unlike me, you had the luxury of wearing this passion, this love for the wrestling business since day one. You honed your craft on your terms, with guidance from someone who supported you and wanted to see you succeed, where I was never seen as good enough and had to constantly be remolded further and further away from whoever I may have wanted to be until I was the spitting image of whatever my parents decided I needed to be.
If all those years of suffering, fighting to keep from losing sight of who Amelia truly is, struggling to make my own way in this world, have taught me anything Glory, it's that for all the cracks I see whenever I look in the mirror, I'm so much stronger than I truly am... I don't always believe it. Every now and then I hear that nagging voice in the back of my head, the criticisms of my parents, telling me that I should have beaten you every single time we've danced up to this point because as far as they're concerned, that's just the way things were meant to be. But if Luz, that lovable light of my life, proved anything to me in my first year of being a wrestler, it's that sometimes... the best thing for your career is a rival who can push you to heights that you never thought you could reach before, someone who isn't afraid to test you and make you understand that there are better wrestlers out there, that you're not perfect and you still have room to grow and improve.
That is how I see you, Glory, and that is why I felt now was the perfect time to step up to the plate and challenge you once again.”
As Amelia turns her full attention back to us, we see a flash of light in the mirrors before various other reflections greet us, each one of them painfully clear. Each and every one depicts a moment in time where Glory Braddock defeated Amelia Nevado in the middle of an SCW ring, and even the one moment that is clearly from when The Light In The Darkness finally prevailed over Twisted & Sadistic at Rise to Greatness last year is instead focused on the moment where Amelia was driven into the mat by the Hell on Earth, a moment that would have probably spelled the end had Amelia been the legal competitor at that moment.
“That experience of yours, Glory... that has been the difference maker. That is why you can take a loss and still call yourself one of the best to ever do this, even when so many others are happy to cast doubt on that claim. You've been there before, you know what it takes to get there again. Me? Yeah, I've been a champion all over the world, I've reached the very top of the highest mountains and earned the right to call myself a World Champion, but to do that in a company like SCW, where only the very best show their craft? You know as well as I do that's an entirely different feeling, especially for someone who's never had any idea how to truly feel about being considered the best because it was never meant to be an honor for me... it was the bare minimum expected of me if I was to even call myself a wrestler.
I want to make something clear Glory, something that I haven't said up until now but something I probably should have said a long time ago. I respect you, Glory Braddock... I respect the heck out of you, I thrive on the fact that every setback I have suffered at your hands has only pushed me harder to reach that level you always see yourself on. But for as much as you say you respect me in return... I'm sorry, but it doesn't feel like it sometimes. If anything, I feel like I'm talking to the Glory Braddock I had to call out last year for the lengths you went to just to get a Tag Title rematch from me and Luz only to show it was more about the titles than actually facing us as soon as we were upset for them by someone else.
Don't believe me? What happened the last time we faced off, aside from the fact that you beat me? That night, Luz and I were showing support for a friend who had just come back, standing by her side as she talked with CHBK... and you accused the man of giving me tips just to beat you, all because you had this vendetta of trying to prove to him that you didn't need to jump through the same hoops the rest of us did to earn our opportunities. When the bell actually rang, I gave you a clean match armed with nothing but the best I had to offer at that point in time, and you had to resort to a few extra tricks just to get that win by the very end. When I failed to win the World Title from Cid Turner, what was the very first thing you said when you knew he would be the one you would challenge for that belt? You said you would succeed where I failed because you had the killer instinct I lacked... if you truly respected me, then why feel the need to put me down like that just to bolster your own morale?
Believe it or not, Glory... I'm not mad. I'm frustrated that it doesn't seem like you truly see me as the potential equal you claim I can be, but I'm not mad over it. That's why I challenged you to this match at Shattered Reality... because we both have something to gain. If you win, you're back on your way towards the World Title, like I know you want more than anything else. As for me? I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I can beat you in Montreal. I know because I've proven that it's possible once before, and if you want to get technical about it being a tag team match or that it was Luz who pinned you, then that just gives me a reason to step into that ring and truly earn your respect the only way I know I can... by beating you, by proving that Amelia Nevado is finally a step ahead of Glory Braddock, by reversing those roles so that you're the one chasing me. Why wait until the inevitable happens when I can finally look myself in the mirror and say with confidence that I may be flawed, I may not be perfect... but I am one of the best damn wrestlers walking this Earth today, and I earned that right by giving every last inch of myself to this business and meaning it every single time.
I've taken that good long look in the mirror Glory... and I see the woman I can be, the woman who will defeat you at Shattered Reality, the woman who will go on to become a World Champion someday. The question is... when you meet that Amelia Nevado this Sunday in Montreal, will you be able to shake her hand and truly acknowledge her as an equal?
I guess we'll find out on Sunday, because no matter what you feel you have to do to get the win this time, Glory... I will defeat you.”
The raw passion and confidence that Amelia speaks those words with not only echo throughout this hall of mirrors, but we can feel them resonate within our very souls. Perhaps Amelia truly has looked in the mirror and finally found whatever she was missing all along, or maybe knowing that a woman she considers her rival will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of her has finally ignited a fire we've only seen sparks of up to this point. Either way, we watch as the mirrors all now reflect Amelia Nevado, as she is now, with the kind of smile and determination that she deserves to wear, and as we start to fade away, we can only hope Glory is ready for the fight that Amelia plans to bring to her come Sunday night.
Amelia Nevado takes a moment to glance at all the mirrors surrounding her, the memories we can still see reflected in them. Some bring a smile to her face, others feel like the mirror has broken and its shards are embedded into her body, but each one of them evokes some sort of reaction from her. We're used to seeing Amelia get passionate when it comes to the wrestling business and the things that matter to her, but what we're seeing now almost feel more akin to her wife, La Pequeña Luz. Eventually, her gaze finds it's way to us, a solemn expression finally taking prominence on her face.
“Shattered Reality... in a way, it almost feels a little too on the nose for me to think about. I know everyone will be talking about the World Title match, the steel cage lined with mirrors where Cid Turner will attempt to keep his reign alive against a man I know firsthand is more dangerous and twisted than he cares to admit half the time. And yet, mirrors can operate like windows to the soul, allowing you to come face to face with memories of the past with a little imagination. I know there are many out there who aren't fond of looking at themselves in the mirror, and often the reason is because they can't handle the person they see staring back at me.
Once upon a time, I used to be one of those people.
I've told you all, time and time again, about my upbringing. About the heavy expectations hanging over my head because I was meant to be the prodigy of one of the most elite and prestigious wrestling families in not just England or all of Europe, but in the entire world. Some, like Glory Braddock, were likely given the option to decide whether or not they wanted to follow in the footsteps of the legends that brought them into this world... I was never afforded that luxury. The decision was made for me from the moment I was born, and as soon as my parents were certain I was old enough, big enough, to withstand the path they would make me walk to get here, they began torturing me. You probably thought I was say it was 'training' and I won't deny that it was, but for every hold that I learned, I had to be broken and reforged over and over again until I didn't just get it right, but I had it perfected. If my father, a man so much older and bigger than I was, could break free of it, then it wasn't good enough yet.
For as often as I've told you all about my upbringing, no one ever seems to look beyond my words and fully understand the psychological damage hidden within. I was just a little girl, not even allowed to decide if I really wanted to be a pro wrestler just like my parents or not, and I wasn't just told I had to be a great wrestler... for the Blythe name, I had to be perfect. If there was someone out there who could outwrestle me, I was a failure. If I wasn't draped in championship gold, I was worthless. You will find no scars adorning my body, because I always had to look as pristine and immaculate as I had to wrestle... I have been on this Earth for 28 years, and for 19 of them, I had to be more than perfect because that's what was expected out of me for the sake of my family.
Answer me honestly... if you were in my position, endured everything that I did growing up, had parents like mine who set obscene goals to earn their praise and affection only to move the goalposts for every step you took towards it... wouldn't you still be plagued by this overwhelming need to prove to everyone else that you're good enough?”
Amelia lets that question hang in the air for a moment, her shaky breaths the only sound we're afforded in this space. She slowly glances over towards one of the mirrors, seeing a reflection of an Amelia Blythe that was maybe about 10 years old, covering her own wounds with makeup so no one would ever suspect that she was anything less than perfect. An image of perfection mattered above all else when you were a Blythe, after all. Amelia can't help but reach out and stroke her fingers against the glass, as if trying to comfort her younger self and reassure her that everything will get better.
“I'm not going to stand here and try to convince anyone that I'm not a flawed human being. I have my ups and downs just like anybody else, and I can't help that my brain has been hardwired by this point to take those downs even harder than most. My life has gotten so much better since that point... I met the woman who showed me that it's alright to be imperfect, I learned how to smile and actually enjoy myself, how to take pride and feel passion towards things I loved and wanted for myself. I've made new friends, rebuild old bridges, earned the respect of names that I know would have never cared for me as the woman I used to be. Wrestling used to be a chore, an expectation, something I had to do just because... now? Now there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the ring, making my career my own and earning everything with my bare hands not for the Blythe name, but for me.
For all the similarities between us Glory, that is probably the biggest difference between us... and I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy you a little bit for it.
Maybe that's not fair of me to say. After all, you've been in SCW, wrestling in general, for so much longer than I have. I still have plenty of time to reach the heights you've spent so long establishing yourself at... but unlike me, you had the luxury of wearing this passion, this love for the wrestling business since day one. You honed your craft on your terms, with guidance from someone who supported you and wanted to see you succeed, where I was never seen as good enough and had to constantly be remolded further and further away from whoever I may have wanted to be until I was the spitting image of whatever my parents decided I needed to be.
If all those years of suffering, fighting to keep from losing sight of who Amelia truly is, struggling to make my own way in this world, have taught me anything Glory, it's that for all the cracks I see whenever I look in the mirror, I'm so much stronger than I truly am... I don't always believe it. Every now and then I hear that nagging voice in the back of my head, the criticisms of my parents, telling me that I should have beaten you every single time we've danced up to this point because as far as they're concerned, that's just the way things were meant to be. But if Luz, that lovable light of my life, proved anything to me in my first year of being a wrestler, it's that sometimes... the best thing for your career is a rival who can push you to heights that you never thought you could reach before, someone who isn't afraid to test you and make you understand that there are better wrestlers out there, that you're not perfect and you still have room to grow and improve.
That is how I see you, Glory, and that is why I felt now was the perfect time to step up to the plate and challenge you once again.”
As Amelia turns her full attention back to us, we see a flash of light in the mirrors before various other reflections greet us, each one of them painfully clear. Each and every one depicts a moment in time where Glory Braddock defeated Amelia Nevado in the middle of an SCW ring, and even the one moment that is clearly from when The Light In The Darkness finally prevailed over Twisted & Sadistic at Rise to Greatness last year is instead focused on the moment where Amelia was driven into the mat by the Hell on Earth, a moment that would have probably spelled the end had Amelia been the legal competitor at that moment.
“That experience of yours, Glory... that has been the difference maker. That is why you can take a loss and still call yourself one of the best to ever do this, even when so many others are happy to cast doubt on that claim. You've been there before, you know what it takes to get there again. Me? Yeah, I've been a champion all over the world, I've reached the very top of the highest mountains and earned the right to call myself a World Champion, but to do that in a company like SCW, where only the very best show their craft? You know as well as I do that's an entirely different feeling, especially for someone who's never had any idea how to truly feel about being considered the best because it was never meant to be an honor for me... it was the bare minimum expected of me if I was to even call myself a wrestler.
I want to make something clear Glory, something that I haven't said up until now but something I probably should have said a long time ago. I respect you, Glory Braddock... I respect the heck out of you, I thrive on the fact that every setback I have suffered at your hands has only pushed me harder to reach that level you always see yourself on. But for as much as you say you respect me in return... I'm sorry, but it doesn't feel like it sometimes. If anything, I feel like I'm talking to the Glory Braddock I had to call out last year for the lengths you went to just to get a Tag Title rematch from me and Luz only to show it was more about the titles than actually facing us as soon as we were upset for them by someone else.
Don't believe me? What happened the last time we faced off, aside from the fact that you beat me? That night, Luz and I were showing support for a friend who had just come back, standing by her side as she talked with CHBK... and you accused the man of giving me tips just to beat you, all because you had this vendetta of trying to prove to him that you didn't need to jump through the same hoops the rest of us did to earn our opportunities. When the bell actually rang, I gave you a clean match armed with nothing but the best I had to offer at that point in time, and you had to resort to a few extra tricks just to get that win by the very end. When I failed to win the World Title from Cid Turner, what was the very first thing you said when you knew he would be the one you would challenge for that belt? You said you would succeed where I failed because you had the killer instinct I lacked... if you truly respected me, then why feel the need to put me down like that just to bolster your own morale?
Believe it or not, Glory... I'm not mad. I'm frustrated that it doesn't seem like you truly see me as the potential equal you claim I can be, but I'm not mad over it. That's why I challenged you to this match at Shattered Reality... because we both have something to gain. If you win, you're back on your way towards the World Title, like I know you want more than anything else. As for me? I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I can beat you in Montreal. I know because I've proven that it's possible once before, and if you want to get technical about it being a tag team match or that it was Luz who pinned you, then that just gives me a reason to step into that ring and truly earn your respect the only way I know I can... by beating you, by proving that Amelia Nevado is finally a step ahead of Glory Braddock, by reversing those roles so that you're the one chasing me. Why wait until the inevitable happens when I can finally look myself in the mirror and say with confidence that I may be flawed, I may not be perfect... but I am one of the best damn wrestlers walking this Earth today, and I earned that right by giving every last inch of myself to this business and meaning it every single time.
I've taken that good long look in the mirror Glory... and I see the woman I can be, the woman who will defeat you at Shattered Reality, the woman who will go on to become a World Champion someday. The question is... when you meet that Amelia Nevado this Sunday in Montreal, will you be able to shake her hand and truly acknowledge her as an equal?
I guess we'll find out on Sunday, because no matter what you feel you have to do to get the win this time, Glory... I will defeat you.”
The raw passion and confidence that Amelia speaks those words with not only echo throughout this hall of mirrors, but we can feel them resonate within our very souls. Perhaps Amelia truly has looked in the mirror and finally found whatever she was missing all along, or maybe knowing that a woman she considers her rival will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of her has finally ignited a fire we've only seen sparks of up to this point. Either way, we watch as the mirrors all now reflect Amelia Nevado, as she is now, with the kind of smile and determination that she deserves to wear, and as we start to fade away, we can only hope Glory is ready for the fight that Amelia plans to bring to her come Sunday night.
![[Image: uKMzpho.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uKMzpho.png)
Tag Team Record: 29-11-1*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 21-12
Amelia Blythe Nevado Solo Record: 15-12-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe Nevado: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe Nevado - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [3] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days) (3 - 231 Days)
SCW United States Championship (La Pequeña Luz) [2] (1/Interim Reign - 94 Days) (2 - 98 Days)
2024 Trios Tournament Winner (Amelia Blythe Nevado, w/ Xander Valentine and Billy Heaven Jr.)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)
2024 Tag Team of the Year