Syren & Selena Frost vs. Amelia Nevado & Gavin Taylor

[Wisteria Waltz]

Disappointment.

It was something Amelia, unfortunately, had way too much experience with, and it had left a permanent scar on her psyche.

Disappointing her parents had been one thing. It was easy to disappoint Aleister and Ophelia Blythe... after all, they were always moving the goalposts and her best was never good enough for them, so disappointment became the default she had to endure for so many years.

Disappointing Luz, though... that was something Amelia never thought she would feel.

And yet, that's where she felt things stood right now.

To say that Amelia was surprised to see Luz actually show up at Madison Square Garden had been an understatement. It was clear to everyone who saw her for the brief camera time she shared with her wife that Luz was still less than 100%, and yet, she had made it clear she wasn't going to simply rest and recover in their hotel room after seeing Amelia officially confirm she had tied herself to someone who hadn't exactly endeared himself to much of the locker room with his views on the business.

Amelia had tried to make her case to Luz, especially since she, of all people, had been a firsthand witness to Amelia's struggles and frustrations as of late. She had hoped Luz would understand, but the familiar tone of disappointment coming from the woman she loved... it cut deeper than Amelia had anticipated.

“She'll understand...” Amelia tried to tell herself. “They'll all understand... I just need all of this to work out, and the future will be brighter than ever.”

'You sound like you're getting cold feet already,' Other Amelia unhelpfully chimed in from her thoughts. 'Having second thoughts?'

“No,” she spat at herself. “I've chosen this path, and it's going to work. It has to...”

She sighed, trying desperately to make herself believe that. She knew she was about to sacrifice a lot, but if the end result would be worth it, then she could live with the consequences of her actions. If the fans hated her decision... well, then maybe Selena had a point all along, and she should be happier to see Amelia following in her footsteps. Once she became a World Champion, it would all be moot and this conjecture of her being the weak link in a couple that never had and never will have weak links will finally die.

As for her other decision... that was going to be much harder to defend, but that's why she was going the route she was in regards to all of this.

Tonight's Breakdown in Nashville was only in a few hours, and Amelia was already getting her bag packed up to head over to the Bridgestone Arena to prepare for her match. Never did she think she would find herself teaming with Gavin again outside of having to put up with him for Trios, and against Syren and Selena of all duos, but she knew she was going to have to endure if she was finally going to be able to put this to bed once and for all and earn the respect that was long overdue to her.

She had packed far more than just her wrestling bag, though... because she had no plan to return to this hotel once the show went off the air tonight.

After her bold call to Caleb and the deal she had struck, it hadn't taken long for Paul to concoct an excuse to slip away from the group. Despite Luz's insistence that he stick around for his own protection, which had Amelia's heart aching with the urge to just come clean about what she knew, Paul had insisted that he'd gotten a call from some family he'd been neglecting while in their care and had to get going. Even if Luz had been adamant about wanting to stop him regardless, Paul was long gone by the time they'd gotten back to their New York City hotel room anyway.

As much as Amelia was hopeful that was the quiet end of this issue, there was still the matter of what awaited her as she prepared to do something so insane that it was more in Luz's wheelhouse, but she was forging ahead despite that.

It's exactly why she was tucking a letter into Darius's bag without anybody noticing, so that if the bombshell dropped, then he, Avery and Evie would all be in the loop and would hopefully understand why she felt she needed to make this move. After all, Darius and Evie had infiltrated the group once upon a time, so surely they would understand... right?

“You OK, Amelia?”

Amelia jumped a bit at the sudden voice, but quickly regained her composure as she turned around and saw Ivy giving her a look that was equal parts knowing and concerned.

“Oh, Ivy!” Amelia nervously chuckled before clearing her throat. “I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” Ivy raised an eyebrow, and Amelia immediately cursed herself out mentally. If there was anybody on this planet who knew her mannerisms better than Luz, it was her oldest friend. “You kind of look like you're walking a dangerous path right now with this whole 'side with the CEO' thing.”

'If only she knew...' Other Amelia teased from her mind.

“Don't tell me you're worried I don't know what I'm doing too,” Amelia groaned. “Luz hasn't left me alone about it...”

“I know, and that's exactly why I'm asking,” Ivy sighed. “She's been venting to me about how you were hiding this from her and how worried she is...”

“I know she's worried, but... I just... I need to do this,” Amelia's voice grew more stern. While Luz would've flinched at it, Ivy held her ground. “I'm so tired of people thinking I just don't measure up to Luz when we've always been equals, always pushing one another. I don't know why SCW seemed to break that mold, or why she's thriving while I'm failing, but I'm finally getting the chance to prove myself and I need to take it! I just need her to understand that I'm doing this for a reason and it's all going to pay off! Surely you can understand, Ivy.”

“Oh, I understand, Amelia,” Ivy replied, though her voice sounded far more bitter than Amelia had anticipated. “I understand better than you think I do.”

Amelia's eyes widened as she finally realized the mistake she had made. Of course Ivy would be bitter in her response... she had been where Amelia felt she was stuck at right now, and it had been all her fault that Ivy's self-confidence had been a scrambled mess for years, to the point that she wanted to prove to a point against an Amelia that no longer existed. Amelia wasn't the only one to be in this position... but part of her sure was acting like it.

“No... damn it, no, I'm sorry Ivy,” Amelia quickly pleaded. “I swear I didn't mean it like that. I just...”

Amelia trailed off as Ivy grabbed her shoulder. It wasn't the comforting, grounding grip of a friend trying to keep her from falling into any sort of panic attack... no, it was the firm grip of someone who wanted to make something absolutely clear.

“I'm not going to stop you,” Ivy sternly said, to Amelia's shock. “Whatever you think will fix this... I have no right to argue against it. We both know I've been in that hole, and I didn't make the best decisions either trying to pull myself out of it after our friendship died. But know this: if you take this too far and start hurting any of us, if you start willingly becoming that person your parents tried to mold you into, because you think it's the answer? I will not think twice about turning you into mulch. Understood?”

“Loud and clear, Ivy,” Amelia slowly said. As Ivy let go and backed away, Amelia found herself absentmindedly adding, “I just need to do this... for Luz... for us...”

Before Ivy could question those last few words, Amelia was already turning and walking away. Ivy started to follow after her, wanting answers, but she stopped when her eyes caught the letter she had slipped into Darius's bag. As much as she knew it was probably not meant for her eyes, she felt it necessary to invade her best friend's privacy as she retrieved the letter and opened it up.

Her eyes went wide behind her glasses and her jaw dropped at what she saw. “Amelia... what are you getting yourself into?”

Written on the paper in Amelia's beautiful looping cursive was a short and cryptic statement:

I'm about to do something I know you wouldn't approve of. I need you to trust me, no matter what... and please, don't tell Luz I'm pulling a page out of her playbook. I'm doing this to protect her.

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We open up in a dimly lit gym, which feels oddly appropriate in a twisted sort of way. The place looks abandoned, not in the sense that it's been condemned or closed for years, but more like someone has seemingly rented it out entirely for their personal use for the day and they're the only soul you'll find here. That lone soul happens to be Amelia Nevado, who is currently sitting in the middle of the training ring that's here, stretching out for what could be the last training session she'll be able to get in before Breakdown tonight. The fact that she seems to be all alone is not an unfamiliar sight as of late, but something about it just feels even heavier now given recent revelations. As Amelia catches sight of us, her expression remains neutral before she finally sighs.

“I guess there's no hiding it anymore, huh?

When I spoke leading up to Retribution, I mentioned that someone felt that I deserved the opportunity to be a part of the fight to determine the number one contender for the World Title and added me to the match. Maybe you figured it out before last week's Breakdown, maybe you didn't... but yes, that phone call I got back during the Spring Break episode of Breakdown was, in fact, from Frank Delatosso, SCW's CEO.

I know you're all getting your torches and pitchforks ready, but look at this from my perspective. Back near the end of 2020, Luz and I first showed up in SCW with a lot of hype. We were second-generation talents, we had proven ourselves to be far more than our respective family legacies, we had effectively accomplished everything we could do across the globe. Yeah, maybe things didn't quite go so well for us at first, and we stepped away to reevaluate... but we came back, better than ever, and looks at everything we accomplished. We pushed ourselves harder than anybody else on the roster, showed that we are two of the most passionate women you will ever find when it comes to this great sport. We proved ourselves by carrying the tag team division on our backs and redefining it, igniting the spark that made it more competitive than it had maybe been in a long time. Heck, to this day, people are still calling us arguably SCW's greatest modern day tag team!

But then we get to singles action... and suddenly, somehow, it all falls apart.

Luz and I are no strangers to proving ourselves solo like we always have as a team. And yet, in SCW... something always seemed different, and it's been frustrating. I was the first of The Light In The Darkness to hold singles gold, or even gold of any kind... a TV Title reign that barely lasted a month. I made the finals of a tournament when the U.S. Title was vacant, only to fall short. I hated the setbacks, but I pushed myself to get better, as I've always done. Luz didn't have the hottest start to her solo efforts either, let's not forget. But when she figured it out, she took off like a rocket... and now, I'm finding myself struggling to catch up.

I think I'm allowed to be upset that something just isn't clicking here. People have been saying for way too long that Luz is just destined to be the breakout star of our little tandem, as if my hard work has meant nothing. They're acting like she's already prepared to lead the way as World Champion... tell me, how is it fair to assume she's ready and I'm not when I've barely been given the chance to prove anything in the first place? I had to use a Trios contract just to finally give myself a chance, I have thrown myself at every challenge to prove that I deserve this, that I'm ready... but nobody cares about my perspective when you're all content that your opinions are the only truth, huh?”

Amelia scoffs at this, slowly rising to her feet before she moves to lean on the top rope while looking down at us, and it's hard to miss the bitterness etched into her facial features. To those who have followed her career since the beginning, it's a familiar look, but for those who have only known her through SCW, it's a look that you probably thought you would never see upon her face.

“The fact that Frank Delatosso saw the effort I was putting in where CHBK has been more focused on my wife and forgetting about me... that's no accident. That's proof that someone around here acknowledges my fight and feels I deserve a chance. The fact that CHBK has stood firm in giving Luz and I advice when we needed the reality check, the fact that he stood by us when we fought the Fall of Man with everything we had... and somehow I slip through the cracks while Luz gets every opportunity possible to shine? It hurts... it hurts more than some of you may understand. It's funny, in a way... this exact scenario is something Ravyn Taylor warned me about years ago, it's something she went through herself with Syren... but I guess we can just sweep history under the rug when it doesn't fit the narrative anymore, can't we?

As much as you hate being reminded of your past, Syren, you should know exactly why I took this opportunity, because you walked this same path once upon a time. When CHBK held power in the past and used it to influence Infamous, he guided you into being the star you are today. People hated you for it, they called you a fraud, but he believed you deserved to be in that position and gave you a chance, and you took that ball and ran all the way into the history books with it. So why can't I be given that same opportunity? Why can't I finally get the chance to run with this opportunity and prove, just like you did, that I've been ready for this moment and needed somebody to acknowledge it?

Deep down, you know that I'm ready... you just won't admit to it.

Let's not forget that I have beaten you in the past Syren, even if you may feel tempted to discount it because those were tag team matches. Even then, you can't deny that the fight I gave you back at Under Attack was one that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'm ready to take that step up. I pushed you harder than anybody else has in a very long time, I could see it in your eyes that you knew full well I could have beaten you on that night... and I've only gotten better since then. You may think I'm getting in over my head, that I don't understand what I'm getting involved with... I know better than you think I do, Syren. For as good as they were in the ring, my parents were even better politicians when it came to the wrestling business, and I may hate the knowledge that was imparted onto me by them, but I'm not just throwing myself into the deep end blindly here.

Unless all your warnings are simply because you're 'totally jealous' of the position I'm in... a position I rightfully earned through blood, sweat, and tears, and a position you hate seeing just because you know this path I walk and you know it will ultimately lead to me finally establishing that I do deserve to be here at the top. You hate it, not because it reminds you of who you used to be, but because what I fought for is coming at the expense of you trying to add more World Titles to your name when you've already built your legacy but just can't stop adding to it, even if it means shoving everyone else aside until only you stand in the spotlight.

In that regard... maybe you and Selena have more in common than you realize.”

Amelia lets those words hang in the air, knowing they're not something either woman wants to hear, but it's become painfully clear that any restraint Amelia may have once had out of respect for her opponents, regardless of the situation nine times out of ten, has been eroded by her frustrations and her determination to finally close a gap that she feels never should have existed in the first place.

“You know something, Selena? It hurts to see that after all these years, I still haven't seemed to prove myself ready in your eyes. Luz and I left that decision up to you in regards to the tag division after you and Deanna won our very first encounter, and it feels like the only reason you deemed us ready was because you were desperate to see the Tag Titles end up in the hands of two people you at least trusted to carry on your vision, even as you unraveled more and more. When my team beat yours in Trios, you made it clear you didn't consider me as having earned anything because of interference... that's why I waited until the last possible moment I had before using it, so I could prove that I was ready. Even then, you insisted I practically let my contract lapse because you needed to have priority on a World Title match.

You know what you really did, Selena?

In your efforts to try and 'help' me, all you've done is made it clear that maybe, just maybe, you were right all along.

And now, here we are. We stand across the ring from one another once more, in a situation that maybe doesn't seem ideal yet again, except I'm not the same Amelia Nevado you can push around while pretending that somewhere deep in that ice cold heart of yours that you still have any respect for me. You've made it clear you don't respect anyone Selena... not the two women who were gracious enough to invite you to our wedding even despite your change of attitude, even when we've always given you the benefit of the doubt, not management, and not even your own beloved. At least I didn't need to treat Luz like some sort of tool to get my way... I earned this, just like you say you've earned this for months, and now you're going to try and take it away from me again because just like Syren, you haven't been World Champion enough times. You, and you alone, have to hold that title...

Maybe this is necessary, Selena... maybe what you really need is to look at yourself in the mirror and realize just how far you've fallen... and why I'm more than happy to step up and take your place while finally proving, once and for all, that when you take away the games, I've always been ready to step up to the very top. I let myself be led astray for far too long, but I believe that truth clearly now.

And come Breakdown tonight, right here in Nashville? You'll both finally believe it too.

And as for my partner? Gavin, I'm only going to say this once... just like when we last had to work together back during Trios, I'll have your back as long as you have mine and take this seriously. But make no mistake... you have what I want, what I know I deserve, and I want you to keep that in mind during this match. Because come Hubris? I'm going to make you a believer as well.”

Amelia lets out a long, pained sigh as she turns away from us, throwing herself into running off the ropes and generally beginning what looks like a light but fierce final workout before she heads over to the Bridgestone Arena to take care of business and prove her doubters wrong... just as she's been doing for far too long already, and just as she finally knows she truly deserves this.

No more doubts.

No more questions.

No more games.