Dawn Lohan vs. Deanna Frost

[QueensGuardSCW]

The camera opens up to an interesting setting. Before the viewers’ eyes is a gorgeous lawn and patio, with several large, hulking gargoyle statues - each one in a powerful, animated pose. The afternoon sun hangs low in the sky, casting long shadows across the yard and across the gargoyles’ features while also alighting parts of them in various orange/red tinted-glows.

This is back deck of the Frost family home in Manhattan. No better proof of that is needed than the redhead nestled at the feet of one of the taller, towering gargoyles. A cup of tea rests untouched beside her, while the SCW Adrenaline championship is seen on the other side, settled on the gargoyle’s talon foot, the gold of the championship also catching some of the sun’s burning colors.

For a long moment, Deanna Frost simply watches the wind move through the trees, saying nothing, the back of her head resting against the cold stone.

Eventually, she smiles. So... she breathes. Where do we start?

She lets the question settle for a moment before turning her attention towards the camera. I mean, it’s still an appropriate question after all this time. Because here’s a couple of things I never would have imagined I’d have as an option for topics to begin a promo. She takes a measured breath. From still being the SCW Adrenaline champion – almost seven months into this reign... to discussing my ex-wife Selena and options with Frank Delatosso... to Selena, herself... she stops, biting her lower lip. To winning the Taking Hold of the Flame royale...

Her emerald eyes seem to glow a little with that last one. I’ll say this before anyone can twist it... whatever happens with the RtG main-event, I am proud of being the 2026 Taking Hold of the Flame Royale winner. That is not something that is going to change no matter what is said of me. No matter what is done to me. I will carry that accolade as proudly as I do this title! her hand glides over the SCW Adrenaline championship. I don’t necessarily need to be in the main-event of Rise to Greatness to do that!

But... Her voice grows a little quieter – more measured.

Because of all those topics, I've heard the same thing over and over again these past few days. She looks toward the camera. ’Deanna isn't focused. Deanna has too much going on. Deanna isn't thinking about Dawn Lohan...’ there is a slight edge to her tone at the mention of her opponent’s name, but the redhead drops it immediately as she nods her head. And do you know what?

They're right.

There is no hesitation in her voice as she continues.

They're absolutely right. My family needs me. My children need me. My best friend needed me... and whether she'd ever admit it or not... My ex-wife needs me.

She exhales gently. So if people look at everything that's happened over the last few months:

Everything that's happened since Retribution.
Everything that happened since Hubris.
Everything that happened since Taking Hold of the Flame.
And especially everything that happened last Breakdown...

I understand why they'd think my attention has been somewhere else. She smiles to herself. They'd be correct.

But here's where everyone keeps making the same mistake... her emerald eyes narrow a little, settling firmly on the camera. They assume because my heart has been somewhere else... that my hands stop working.

A faint shake of her head. They don't. If anything, they work better!

When life becomes complicated. When everything outside the ring feels uncertain. When the people you love are hurting... Her eyes gaze out to something unseen by the viewers The wrestling ring becomes the simplest place in the world.

There are no hidden meanings.
No unanswered questions.
No wondering where somebody disappeared to.
No trying to figure out whether someone meant what they said...

When that bell rings, I know exactly what I'm supposed to do... A small smile crosses her face.
And in case you’ve missed my recent activity... That's dangerous for someone like me.

The statement is not said arrogantly – simply matter-of-fact.

So since it will be so simple... Dawn. there is a slight growl – a fire – to that name again.

For months now you've been trying to convince everyone that you've been hunting me... which suddenly changes into a quiet chuckle. I suppose, technically, that's true. You've certainly followed me around enough. You've inserted yourself into my business. You've involved yourself in Kimberly Williams' business. You've aligned yourself with Frank Delatosso. You've attacked me numerous times. You've blindsided me. You've done everything you possibly could to force me to acknowledge you!

She tilts her head slightly. Everything except the one thing that actually mattered. A pause. You never earned me.

Don’t get me wrong – that isn’t saying anything about your talent. Unlike me, you’re a former world champion. You’ve been to the top of the mountain and held that title up high. I was there when you did it and you looked – I’ll say it – ‘Wonderful’ doing it. You don’t get to do that without the ability and skill and smarts needed. And if anything has proven anything to me since you came back – you’re still as lethal as ever and your desperation to win this championship couldn’t be proven louder than your actions and blindside attacks...

But, I've spent weeks listening to you talk about this championship. Listening to you tell everyone that you came back to Supreme Championship Wrestling for one reason: The Adrenaline Championship. Supreme Champion status! Demanding up and down to get a title shot. To be handed the chance at this title...

She shrugs. It's a wonderful goal, Dawn. It really is. Look what I did to get the same championship. I won a damn tournament – going from underdog to undefeated to get it! So, I get the line of reason behind your goals...

But goals... her eyes narrow. Don't entitle you to results.

She folds her hands in her lap. When I first walked through the doors of SCW, I wasn't handed anything. I wasn't given opportunities because people knew my last name. I wasn't placed at the front of the line because somebody thought I deserved it or because of who I slept with.

I earned every opportunity I received. I won matches. I failed. I got back up. I won more. I failed again. I was broken mentally and put on the shelf... and I pulled myself together and came back last year... And eventually... her hand finds its way back to the championship. I became worthy of carrying this.

It wasn't simply because I wanted it. It wasn't because I demanded it. It wasn't because I attacked the champion until someone gave me what I wanted...

It was because I proved over and over again that I belonged! She looks back toward the camera. That’s where we are different, Dawn. Because you skipped that part.

You came back after years away – attacking me from behind. You announced exactly what you wanted. And then instead of earning it, you decided to manufacture it!

Deanna shakes her head. You took the shortest path to the finish line with Frank Delatosso holding your hand... and I've been trying to understand that. I really have. I've asked myself why someone with your talent would choose that path. Because like, I said, I know how talented you are. I know exactly what you've accomplished. I know exactly why people were excited to see Dawn Lohan return.

And if you had come back with a shred of integrity, I would have been one of them!  I would say that this division just got stronger! I’d say the Adrenaline Championship picture just became more interesting. I’d say that, with your history with my family - I hope we get to wrestle someday!

Because that's what champions should want: The best challengers.
The toughest competition.
The opportunity to prove they deserve to remain champion.

She pauses, biting her lower lip. But instead, we got this version of Dawn Lohan: the one hiding behind attacks, the one believing headlines are more important than victories, the one standing beside Frank Delatosso because apparently making a statement became easier than making a climb! She shakes her head. That's the part I don't understand...

Because you didn't need shortcuts. You didn't need ambushes. You didn't need to make Kimberly Williams collateral damage. Again, that burn in her voice returns at the mention of her friend. Especially that... all you needed was to just step up! Show us why you’re a former world champion! Like CHBK said it when he made that match at Hubris – EARN IT! But you couldn’t, could you?

Another breath, slow to calm whatever tension she feels. You know... I've learned something over the last few months. It isn't a lesson I wanted, nor is it a lesson I'd recommend. But life has a funny way of teaching us exactly what we need...

When someone is desperate, they stop believing in themselves.

They begin looking for someone else. Someone to hide behind. Someone to validate every bad decision they make. Someone who'll tell them they're justified. Someone who'll convince them that the ends always justify the means. She looks back at the camera. I don't know if Frank found you... or if you found Frank. But I know exactly what the two of you have become.

A pair of people convincing each other that earning something is optional. But do you know the irony?

You've spent all this time trying to convince people you're worthy of being champion. And every single shortcut you've taken has convinced me of the opposite. She lets that thought linger. Because being champion isn't just about what happens when the bell rings...

It's every decision before it. Every choice, every opportunity to prove who you really are, and every time you've had that opportunity... you've chosen the easier road. The faster road. The louder road. She shakes her head. But never the better road.

Deanna reaches over and finally picks up the Adrenaline Championship, resting it across her knees.

I've carried this championship through some of the hardest months of my life. I can admit that. There were nights I probably shouldn't have been standing. Some mornings where getting out of bed was harder than stepping into a wrestling ring. Some moments where I questioned almost everything. She smiles gently as her thumbs trace over the metal. But never this.

I never questioned whether I deserved to fight for this. Whether the people standing across the ring deserved their opportunity. From Dexter Grant to Polly Playtime, I never questioned it... Because they earned it.

She looks directly into the camera once more. And now... So have you.

She gives a pause before shaking her head. But let me be clear, Dawn. You didn’t earn this shot because of rank or skill or victory – the way you should have. And it’s not because you attacked me or demanded it or made enough noise that SCW couldn't ignore you...

Slowly, Deanna pushes herself off the gargoyle, championship in hand. You earned it because eventually... there was nowhere else for this story to go!

You backed yourself into a corner. You made this inevitable. And now... A faint smile graces Deanna’s lips. You finally have exactly what you've been asking for... my full attention.

Deanna adjusts the Adrenaline Championship on her shoulder. You wanted my attention. You've got it.

For the first time since you came back, I'm not thinking about what comes after Breakdown.
I'm not thinking about the next contender
I'm not thinking about rankings.
I’m not thinking about Rise to Greatness.
I’m not thinking about the world title.
I’m not even thinking about Selena.
I'm thinking about you.

She smiles politely. And after spending these last few months watching you, I've reached a conclusion. One you're not going to like...

You don't actually want to be the Adrenaline Champion.

There’s a moment of silence as the words settle. You think you do, but you don't...

You want the moment.
You want the celebration.
You want everyone talking about Dawn Lohan again.
You want everyone saying, ‘She's back. She did it. She took the championship from Deanna Frost.’

Her smile fades. But being champion starts the morning after. When the cameras aren't rolling. When your body hurts. When you've defended this championship against someone who wanted it just as badly as you did. When another challenger is already waiting after that one. When people stop congratulating you and start expecting you to keep proving you deserve it.

That's the part you haven't thought about. Because you've been so focused on taking that you forgot to ask yourself whether you're prepared to carry.

Another breath comes from Deanna as she hold the title against her shoulder. You've spent months trying to convince everyone that I'm vulnerable. Again, you're right. I am. I'm vulnerable every single day: I've cried. I've doubted myself. I've questioned decisions. I've lost sleep. I've wondered whether I could have done things differently. I've wondered whether I could have saved someone I love from becoming someone she never wanted to be...

There’s a long silence before Deanna shifts back to the camera. I don't hide that. I never will. Because vulnerability isn't weakness. It's honesty. And honesty takes far more courage than pretending you're invincible. Pretending you’re unstoppable as you lose match after match... She tilts her head. You know what weakness actually looks like?

It looks like attacking people from behind. It looks like hurting Kimberly Williams to hurt me. It looks like surrounding yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear. It looks like convincing yourself that respect can be stolen...

It can't. Like CHBK said, it has to be earned!

Her emerald eyes are like sharp daggers at the viewers – one particular viewer. I've watched Kimberly get back up. I've watched myself get back up. I've watched people in this company get back up after things far worse than what you and Frank have done!

She smiles. That's what SCW has always been! People getting back up.
People refusing to stay down.
People earning every inch they gain.
And that's why you aren’t getting that moment you crave, Dawn Lohan!

Because you’ve forgotten how to get back up!
You’ve forgotten how to keep fighting!
You’ve forgotten how to earn every inch! Every opportunity!
Instead, you took everything that was ‘wonderful’ about you and you burned it down!

Deanna gives a quiet shake of her head. I don't hate you, Dawn. I don't even dislike you. I think you're making a terrible mistake. I think somewhere along the way, you started believing that becoming feared was the same thing as becoming great.

It isn't.

You know who people fear? Bullies. Tyrants. People who make life miserable for everyone around them. You know who people remember?

The people who inspired them.
The people who earned their admiration.
The people who represented something bigger than themselves.

She gently lifts the championship from her shoulder, holding it in both hands. You've spent months trying to catch me at my weakest. And now I stand before you as not only one of the longest reigning Adrenaline champions in SCW history, but the winner of the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament and the 2026 Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royale winner...

So, I wonder if you or Frank have stopped to consider something... she tilts her head. What if...

This is my strongest?

She lets the question breathe. What if everything that's happened: Selena, Kimberly, everything you've thrown at me...

What if none of it broke me? What if it reminded me who I am?

What if people have been asking the wrong question? What if it isn't whether I'm ready for Dawn Lohan... but is Dawn Lohan ready for me?

Not ready for the grieving woman.
Not ready for the wife.
Not ready for the mother.
Not ready for the friend.
Ready for the champion.

The woman who's defended this championship against everyone placed in front of her. The woman who refuses to let the circumstances outside the ring dictate who she is inside it. The woman – the wildfire - who has learned that hope and strength aren't opposites... They're partners!

She steadies her stance. Compassion doesn't make me easier to beat, Dawn. It makes me harder. Because I don't fight out of anger or ego or accolades. I fight because I love this! She looks down at the championship one final time. And I love representing everyone who's ever been told they weren't enough. Everyone who's ever had to earn every opportunity. Everyone who's ever gotten back up!

She looks into the camera again. Dawn... You've spent months trying to convince everyone you belong where I stand. Now you finally get the chance to prove it.

I told everyone earlier that they were right. My family still needs me. My friends still need me. The people I love still need me. Those things don't disappear because a championship is on the line. They're part of who I am... She smiles warmly. And that's exactly why you're in trouble.

Because every one of those people reminds me what I'm fighting to protect!

They remind me why getting back up matters.
They remind me why earning something matters.
They remind me why I'll never take shortcuts.
They remind me why this championship deserves better than entitlement!

One last pause from the champion. You wanted this match. You wanted this championship shot. You wanted my full attention. You've finally earned all three.

But understand something before that bell rings. You aren't facing a distracted champion. You're facing a woman who's never been more certain of herself. A woman who has lost enough to know exactly what she's unwilling to lose. A woman who doesn't need this championship to know who she is but intends to make sure it leaves Breakdown with the same person who brought it there!

And when it's over... I hope you'll finally understand the difference between wanting to be champion...and earning the right to remain one.

Checkmate, bitches!

The camera lingers for a moment as Deanna turns and walks back toward the house, the back door closing softly behind her before the screen fades to black.[/color]