Glory Braddock vs. Shaun Cruze vs. Kemal Yilmaz vs. Amelia Nevado

[Wisteria Waltz]

The very first sight we're greeted with is a painting of a family, proudly framed and mounted above an elegant fireplace. Maybe the members of this family look familiar to you, maybe they don't, but there is at least one figure in this painting that everyone should recognize even if she looks a lot younger than she does now, and that's the young lady sitting right in the middle of the couch. It's none other than Amelia Nevado, or Blythe as she still was back then, positioned between her twin siblings Edward and Emily on the couch while their parents, Aleister and Ophelia, loomed over them. Notably, not a single person in this Blythe family portrait is smiling, not even Aleister and Ophelia as their hands proudly rest on each of Amelia's shoulders. Instead, a look of fierce determination bores into our souls from all five figures, giving the impression that the Blythes are a family that is always ready to put their best foot forward and show the world why they are arguably the most elite wrestling family to ever grace the sport. And Amelia, in particular? She's presented quite clearly as their pride and joy, their crown jewel, their heir apparent.

And yet, if you look harder at Amelia's face, you can see features that look painted over, as if the artist was forced to hide something that wasn't supposed to be there. Flaws, imperfections, exhaustion, frustration, wounds, scars... exactly what's been hidden is as much your guess as it is ours, but it's clear this portrait is meant to paint the Blythes in a very different light than they actually were.

“Funny, isn't it?”

We pull ourselves away from the painting, our shifting giving us a better look at where we are. Despite being caked in dust and cobwebs that tell the tale of a place that hasn't been touched in at least several months, the sitting room you could only find in an opulent mansion still looks incredible. It's hard to know for sure if the same can be said about Amelia as we see her looking at the portrait right along with us before her gaze shifts in our direction. In a twisted sort of way, it's almost like she's mirroring the old family portrait: physically, she looks composed, elegant, focused. And yet, there's almost this feeling lingering in the air that something's not quite right, but it's hard to tell for sure how many of the proverbial cracks are actually being hidden by her facade and how much has actually been healed.

“I haven't set foot in this place for years... you can probably tell by the lack of upkeep that no one else has been here in a while, either. I remember sitting for hours for that painting, something my mother insisted upon because whenever we would host company, she wanted to make it abundantly clear what kind of wrestling royalty the Blythe family was supposed to be, as if anyone who ever walked through this room was an idiot who needed a constant reminder that we were perfect... that couldn't be further from the truth. The painter my mother hired for this? The first go, he painted exactly what he saw: the bags under my eyes, the wounds peeking out from under my dress where my collarbone and wrists were exposed, even the busted lip I had that my mom couldn't fully hide beneath makeup. All a result of the training my father put me through literally an hour beforehand, wanting to make absolutely sure that when I sat down for this, I'd be in the same mindset I was supposed to carry throughout my entire wrestling career:

I am perfect, I am a wrestling machine, and it is physically impossible for another human being to exist that could ever hope to be on my level.

I think it's long since become clear that life doesn't always work out the way you think it will. My parents are finally in jail for everything they ever did to my siblings, my closest friends, and especially to me. I'm finally free to be who I truly want to be, and I found someone who inspired me to figure out who Amelia Blythe really was... that's the woman who stands before you now. And yet... to many of you, something still feels like it's missing. In the eyes of so many, even those who claim to respect me, they think I lack that certain something that will push me to where I truly want to be while believing that the woman I now call my wife possesses it... I would disagree, but no one seems too interested in me lately. Why should they when Luz has been on the roll of a lifetime, proving herself to be an incredible United States Champion and even securing herself a high profile match for Retribution taking place about an hour away from this old home of mine in Oxford?

While she prepared to step into Wembley Stadium, a place that's been almost like a second home to me for as long as I can remember, I found myself with nothing... no match in front of my fellow countrymen, no opportunity to prove myself, no hope of earning anything even though I have been the one trying to carry this company on my shoulders as if I was the World Champion, fighting with everything I have and putting on the kind of matches that the likes of Cid Turner, Syren, and even Glory Braddock can't deny have been arguably the best matches they've ever wrestled in their entire careers.

Thankfully... someone finally recognized my efforts and corrected this mistake.”

Amelia begins to walk as we follow her, turning away from the ominous portrait entirely as she moves to sit on the very couch we saw in the painting. Unlike for that, however, right now she's alone, and as she takes a moment to light a candle and give us a little more warmth to this otherwise cold and gloomy scene that seems to define the Blythe name altogether, we see Amelia's phone laying face down nearby on this table. Poking out from under her phone looks like a business card, though it's hard to tell exactly what's on it when we only see a blank corner. Our focus returns to Amelia once the candle is lit and she sits like a proper young lady, hands folded in her lap and back straight.

“I'm sure you all did a double-take when the final card for Retribution was advertised and you noticed that the old saying of 'card subject to change' had already gone into effect. I watched the last Breakdown back to prepare for this Sunday, and I saw the triple threat that was announced. Number one contender for the SCW World Championship. Glory Braddock. Shaun Cruze. Kemal Yilmaz. My name was nowhere to be found, not just for this match, but anywhere in regards to the final plans coming together for this show. I'm sure somebody thought they were doing me a favor... historically, Retribution has always been the worst pay-per-view for The Light In The Darkness. But that, and the fact that this particular show is taking place in my birth country, was all the more reason why I don't think it's unreasonable to simply want an opportunity. One can't ever remove the albatross from around their neck and fight to overcome a stigma if they aren't given the chance to do so, right?

And now... here we are. Whether or not you disagree with the fact that I'm in this match now, take a good look at the other names in this match and tell me they deserve this opportunity any more than I do. Shaun Cruze has already expressed that he doubts he should be in talks for World Title contention this soon after coming back, especially considering some of his own setbacks as of late, and fears he's only in this because of his name. Maybe you could make a case for Glory just because she beat me back at Shattered Reality, but what did she do with that win? Between then and now, she's barely competed, almost painting this picture that she's just expecting to do the bare minimum and be rewarded for it. Yeah, maybe I've been on the losing end far more often that I'd like lately, but I'm still going out to that ring, week in and week out, and busting my butt to actually do something about it! And Kemal? It's hard to tell half the time if he actually cares about championship gold or if he just wants wanton destruction to claim superiority because what he wants has nothing to do with the titles that would give him the respect he craves so badly.

True, he does technically hold a win over the reigning World Champion, something that no one else in this match can claim lately, but when you really look at what he achieved on that night... can you honestly say he's good enough to actually pin Syren as opposed to winning by countout?”

Amelia leans back into the couch a bit more, an uneasy feeling beginning to choke the air. While there are hints of that familiar warmth in her eyes that we've come to know over the years, her tone conflicts with it. Her focus can't be disputed, but she almost sounds... cold, almost like a machine, nothing like the Amelia we've watched up until this point.

“Glory, I want to start with you because, despite what I just said, despite how rocky it's seemed at times, I do respect you. Like it or not, you've had my number almost every time we've crossed paths in that ring... almost, and that brings up a very important question I need to ask you. Let's say I win this match on Sunday night, that you look up and find my arm being raised in victory as I'm named the number one contender for the World Title you say you need so badly, but you are not the one I beat to get there. Whenever this has happened in the past, when Luz and I consistently got our wins back over Twisted & Sadistic, albeit in matches like this where you weren't the one pinned to decide it, you would act more like a child than you would someone who's supposed to be the veteran pushing me until I finally reach the point where I can truly surpass you. You would claim it doesn't count because I didn't directly defeat you, no matter how it was printed in the results, and at one point in time, you let that frustration consume you to the point where you and Brittany attempted to just eliminate the entire tag division altogether and leave us with no choice but to face you again.

Funny how you're piling on about my own doubts when just a few short years ago, our roles were reversed.

Make no mistake Glory... I don't doubt that I can beat you. Even if the whole world convinces itself that you will always be my superior, that's just motivation to work harder and keep building until I can prove otherwise. That's how The Light In The Darkness finally beat Twisted & Sadistic once and for all, and that's how Amelia Nevado will do the same to Glory Braddock and leave no doubt on the table any longer. That's why I've been ready and willing to step into that ring week after week, hungry to prove myself, eager to bounce back. That's why in the short time I was Underground Champion, I didn't run just to try and preserve that reign... I fought, with everything I had, like a true champion ready to show the world what I can do. Maybe you think you need this win Glory... but I can tell you, for a fact, that you do not need this more than I do.”

Amelia's eyes narrow, her focus burning even brighter than the flame of the candle as she leans forward.

“As for you, Kemal? Let's go ahead and get it all out of the way now: you think I'm boring, you think I play this all too safe, you have a million reasons why you're going to destroy me and not a single one of them holds any actual weight. It's the same song and dance that's been thrown our way any time I've found myself facing anybody from the European Fiery Nation, and I know whatever you have to say to me won't be too different from what you had to say to Luz just a few months ago when you, her, and several others were fighting over the U.S. Title.

Now that we've got all that out of the way, maybe you can answer something for me, Kemal: why do you act as though Glory is the end all, be all when it comes to technical wrestling?

Sure, you can walk the same route as her and point out how many times she's beaten me, but that doesn't explain why she seems to be the exception to this rule you love to throw around about how British wrestlers are worthless just because we're the first thing anyone thinks of when the topic of European wrestling greats comes to mind. Every time Glory has beaten you, it hasn't counted because it's not the match you feel entitled to, but every time I'm brought up by your little group as a whole, I'm reviled and disrespected because how dare I be a wrestling prodigy from a country that highly regards and respects the art of wrestling and built its own culture around it from the ground up that's helped shape and influence all the rest? It's one thing to want to bring more attention to other European countries trying to make their mark in the wrestling world, and I actually respect that purpose for the European Fiery Nation, but if you're going to make it a point to display prejudice towards us Brits to try and get your message across, then at least be consistent with it. Maybe, just maybe, if I'm the one who pins you or makes you tap out at Retribution, I'll find myself in this exclusive club of top tier technicians you want to humble you so badly in an Ultimate Submission Match... I guess we'll have to wait and see.”

A small flicker of a smile graces Amelia's lips, but in the glow of the candlelight, it looks perhaps more unsettling than intended.

“And last, but certainly not least, is Shaun Cruze. Now Shaun... despite my frustrations as of late, I'm not going to sit here and accuse you of any sort of fast-track favoritism. Maybe, if you had shown yourself more willing to lean into that when people wanted to accuse you of it, I'd have every right to make such a claim. But these past few weeks, you've rejected any notions of being 'buddy-buddy' with our CEO despite everything he was trying to hand you, and if you truly were just supposed to be a charity case because of your name and status alone, you wouldn't have found yourself being dogpiled by so many people a couple of weeks ago until several of us ran down to even the odds. All you want is just to get in that ring and prove you've still got it, and if anything, I'd say the fact that you went toe-to-toe with both the current champion and her challenger come Retribution is all the proof anyone needs that you belong in this position.

Even if I've not only done the same against Syren but also pinned Gavin before and almost got overlooked for this chance all the same...

That said, Shaun, I'd like to hope that I'm on that list of names you were hoping to throw down with upon your return to SCW, and Retribution is going to be just a taste of what I bring to the table. But I'm going to warn you now... I want this win more than you could ever comprehend. You, like Glory, have already had a long and storied career, even including your own time at the top of the mountain. As your theme song says... I know your name. Everybody knows your name. But right now? Nobody knows my name, and the few that do are content with trying to act like I'm better off just being forgotten about and pretending I don't exist, that I don't deserve anything no matter how hard I fight to put on matches that are World Title caliber even without that title in the picture at all.

If you've ever been at that point yourself Shaun... then you know how badly I will fight to make sure that by the end of this night, you and everybody else know exactly who Amelia Nevado is.

All I've ever wanted is a chance to truly earn an opportunity, and if you ignore Trios, this match presents me with an opportunity I haven't had in almost three years... the chance to stand tall all on my own and prove to the world that Amelia Nevado is worthy. I refuse to wait another three years to get a chance like this, I have to make the most of this while the opportunity is right in front of me. So Glory, Kemal, Shaun? Bring your best to Wembley on Sunday night... but be ready to accept that this moment, this opportunity, only rightfully belongs to one person who's been working harder than all of you combined to get here.

Your next number one contender for the SCW World Championship... Amelia. Nevado.”

The way Amelia punctuates her final words is firm, erasing any doubt about where her head is at and showing us a confidence we haven't truly seen in quite some time. There's still an uneasy feeling hanging in the air, and the fierce look in Amelia's eyes still looks unsettling in the glow of the flickering candlelight, but in this moment? Amelia looked like someone who belonged in the discussion for the World Title, and she'd be damned if she had to wait to earn this chance again.