Chris Lawler vs. La Pequena Luz

[Kemal Yilmaz]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 Word Per RP

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2026

[Wisteria Waltz]

As much as it was a bitter pill to swallow, losing at Retribution was nothing new to La Pequeña Luz.

She wished she had a clue as to why that particular pay-per-view was such an albatross around her neck, but she was trying not to let it get to her. She had given Meghan everything she had, despite the very environment they were fighting in favoring her opponent. She wanted to hope, if nothing else, that she left Meghan just as banged up as she clearly was... she didn't know for sure, as the last several minutes of that match she'd been running on pure adrenaline and nothing else.

At least Amelia had been able to win her match, and become number one contender to the World Title in the process. While it hurt Luz to think that she was the one falling short this time in trying to bring their dream scenario to life of holding SCW's top two singles titles together simultaneously, she believed she could bounce back from these recent setbacks and either earn her way back to another clash with Meghan where an improved Luz could hopefully reclaim the U.S. Title or fight her way towards another opportunity.

While Retribution continued to be a black mark on her wrestling record for some unknown reason, it usually didn't lead to such a bizarre turn of events that left her feeling more worried than ever before.

Amelia had asked her to stay at the hotel while they were in New York City, and as much as Luz wanted to refuse just for the chance to be in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden for a little bit, she had obliged after both Amelia and her own mother had insisted she deserved to rest and recover after the Thunderdome so she could hopefully get back in the ring sooner.

The moment she had seen Breakdown's opening segment, however, that plan had changed entirely, and she grabbed the first cab she could flag down over to the arena without any regard to her lingering injuries.

Truth be told, she had always assumed Amelia was part of that World Title contendership match at Retribution from the beginning. It had been officially announced while she was getting checked on after their loss to A/C Unit, and when she watched that show back, she just assumed it was some sort of weird error the broadcast team had made, thinking nothing of whatever phone call she saw her wife take. Now, though? Seeing that Amelia had walked down to the ring right beside CEO Frank Delatosso and hearing confirmation from Adam Sharper that she actually hadn't been part of that match until that very phone call, which was certainly the CEO on the other end now... it had Luz's brain running repeatedly into a brick wall trying to make sense of it all. She didn't fault Ames for getting him out of there... she probably would have done the same for the safety of an authority figure even if they weren't the most well-liked, but it was everything that Mr. Delatosso seemed to be trying to build that had her fearful that Amelia's frustrations were putting her in a dangerous position to lose sight of who she truly was.

Everything, from Amelia's attitude seemingly growing closer to that of the 'Blythe prodigy' she had been forced to embrace by her parents, to seemingly not caring about the fact that she was going to be teaming with Gavin Taylor next week, and even Mr. Delatosso's insistence that Amelia was one of his handpicked gems for SCW's future... it was rubbing Luz the wrong way. Admittedly, she may have been holding her tongue longer than she probably should have about CHBK not giving Amelia the same opportunities to prove she could step up and be a singles champion on par with Luz's efforts, but something about the way Frank was conducting business had her feeling iffy for entirely different reasons.

This was why she hated the politics of the business and preferred the philosophy of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring, where everyone was equal once the bell rang to kick things off.

She had other concerns about Amelia though, but they also led into the other bizarre occurrences that had cropped up following Retribution... but this had less to do with that show itself and more the nightmare that had occurred just before it had taken place.

Before any of their found family had made their way over to Madison Square Garden for Breakdown tonight, Paul had started acting... she wanted to say unusual, but something about him was always off in a way Luz couldn't quite seem to put her finger on. She didn't want to blame him for feeling skittish after their group had been ambushed by whatever remnants still existed of The Empire's splinter cell... how could she? He had found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded gun before Luz had intervened, and Luz herself owed Amelia her life more than she already did for saving her in turn.

The memory still haunted her... prying the gun out of that man's hand, threatening him with it in hopes he'd back off. He had called her bluff, though... begged her to end his life, just as she had ended that of the splinter cell's leader. She knew, deep down, she hadn't killed Stephen Crane on that day, but the nightmares proclaiming she had persisted, and he had taken full advantage. If Amelia hadn't cut her therapy session short and showed up when she did, Luz wouldn't be standing here today, would have never made it to the Thunderdome to face Meghan Strader. Amelia, however, was now in the same boat... the man, either accidentally or intentionally, had shot himself in the skull when Amelia suplexed him. Like Luz, she hadn't been the one to pull the trigger, but it could be argued she still had blood on her hands.

While she worried about whether or not that was further playing into Amelia's recent decisions about throwing her lot in with the CEO, as much as Luz worried about how far her beloved may be falling if she'd let her frustrations consume her that much, Paul almost seemed more paranoid than ever before. Earlier, he had told the group that he'd been in contact with members of his family and he desperately needed to leave for a bit to check on them. Luz could sympathize, even if she had insisted it was still safer with their found family and he could just get his family to come join theirs, but what felt weird to her was that this was the first time she or anybody else had even heard of Paul having any family. She refused to pry into someone else's life... she'd made that mistake one too many times before and the fact that it had somehow worked out with Amelia on several occasions felt like a miracle in hindsight, but something about it all just felt off.

She tried to chalk it up to Paul needing some time to assess whether or not he was still safe being with them... which, sadly, wasn't an answer Luz could fully promise after the chaos that had gone down in London prior to Retribution.

“I just wish there was some way to fix everything...” she lamented to herself.

Part of it was because she was always such a kind and caring person, even when others were more than happy to take advantage of that kindness and burn her, but Luz especially hated knowing things were not going well with the people she cared about and she seemingly couldn't do anything about it. She wished she knew why her wife had been passed over several times for opportunities and had fallen into a losing streak that had frustrated her so much she truly seemed to be losing herself and walking a very dangerous path. She wished she had a solution that would rid their lives of The Empire once and for all and finally allow them to just live like a normal married couple.

She could wish all she wanted, though... there didn't seem to be any sort of magical solution to fix where things were at, and she was going to have to figure something out the hard way.

To say that Luz was feeling uneasy when she and Amelia finally returned to their hotel after Breakdown were an understatement, and it had nothing to do with any negative effects from her injuries. They had left a bit early, with Amelia surprisingly agreeing because she felt Luz needed to get back to resting. As a result, neither one of them had any involvement with the chaos that had gone down to end the show, the reveal that Gavin's mysterious 'problem solver' seemed to have ties to Dean Black and the road agents all seemed aligned with him and whatever Mr. Delatosso may want... it left Luz questioning if Amelia had left because Frank had suggested it or to preserve a pay-per-view main event that left her more and more worried about her wife being involved.

For the moment, Amelia had wandered off, claiming she needed to make a phone call and refusing to answer when Luz questioned her about whether or not it was to the CEO, which only further worried her even despite her wife's reassurances. Hating the idea of staying still even when she probably should, Luz ignored some of the pain still coursing through her body as she stepped out of their room as well, not having to go very far to reach the room she was looking for. One knock later, and the door was opening and Marilyn was looking down at her in concern.

“You probably shouldn't be up and about so much with those injuries, kid,” she lightly scolded. “Been through more than my fair share of violent matches to know the more rest you get, the faster they heal.”

“I know,” Luz groaned. “I just needed to be up and moving. Laying down with nothing but my thoughts... it's driving me nuts and I need some insight.”

Marilyn raised an eyebrow. “Is Bossy Boots still being moody despite things going her way finally?”

“She stepped out to take a phone call,” Luz replied. She hadn't meant to sound as upset as she did, but she couldn't suppress her own frustration and Marilyn quickly picked up on it. Slowly, she stepped aside and allowed Luz to carefully enter her room. As Marilyn closed the door behind them, Luz realized that Marilyn wasn't alone in here.

“Luz?” Avery said in surprise. “Shouldn't you be resting?”

“Already tried that, Rainestorm,” Marilyn chimed in, chuckling at how red Avery's face got at the old nickname. “Kid's got too much on her mind and her wife's off making questionable business deals.”

Luz winced at that, but it went unnoticed, probably because Avery just assumed Luz was reacting to some pain still shooting through her bones and muscles. Still, Avery did look concerned all the same as Marilyn helped Luz sit down in a comfortable position on the edge of her bed.

“You want to talk about it, Luz?” they offered.

“Not going to lie... I'm a little too tempted to know why you're sharing a room with Marilyn, Avery,” Luz somehow managed a grin, and Marilyn couldn't help but bark out a laugh at the abrupt shift in tone even as Avery sputtered trying to respond.

“Ah kid, you truly are something else,” Marilyn laughed. “I just offered Avery the chance to room with me so they didn't have to figure out sleeping arrangements with Darius and Evie.”

“Yes, that's it!” Avery said maybe a little too quickly before clearing their throat. “And before you ask, no, Evie's size does not make that any easier to figure out.”

If Luz was capable of doing so without her jaw bothering her too much, she would've cracked a shit-eating grin at the two older figures, not fully buying that explanation for a second. Luckily for them, and unluckily for Luz, her brain found itself drifting back towards what was going on with Amelia and what had happened prior to Retribution, and she dropped all prospects of teasing the NCA agent and the woman who had taken on a sort-of mentor role to all the kids as far as wrestling went.

“I'm just really worried about Ames,” Luz finally cracked, and Marilyn didn't even resist the urge to sit down beside her and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She could tell herself all she wanted that she wasn't cut out for this 'maternal' stuff, but Luz would happily disagree under any other circumstances.

“I don't blame you, kiddo,” Marilyn tried to offer. “That's a dangerous road she's walking down, but it's a hard temptation to pass up. A chance to reverse all your fortunes, especially if you've gotten so tired of being told someone close to you is your superior... it's the same trap Lily fell into that ultimately got her tangled up with The Empire before they went from wrestling stable full of religious-spouting elitist pricks to full-on cult of lunatics. Someone with the power to help offered her the chance to finally prove she was every bit as good as, if not better than, yours truly, and she was so desperate she took it without a second thought.”

“Lily ultimately managed to get out of The Empire, though...” Luz pointed out.

“Exactly, which should help you keep in mind that Amelia isn't lost for good either,” Marilyn pressed. “I made the mistake of not supporting my sister when she needed me most, and instead treated her like she was my enemy until Caleb showed his true colors like the bastard I always knew he was. If you keep being there for your wife and supporting her even despite this turn of events, it'll help keep her from falling too far.”

“I've been trying, though!” Luz snapped, pausing as she rubbed her jaw from already attempting to speak too much. Despite the concern on the faces of Marilyn and Avery, though, she kept going. “I've been as supportive as I can despite everything, I've given her space even when I didn't want to... it just feels like something in her head is just... consuming her, trying to prey on her struggles and convince her that she's inferior to me when she's not! And so many other wrestlers and fans trying to claim the same isn't helping...”

“Eh, they can all be fickle, sadly,” Marilyn sighed. “Most wrestlers aren't like you, kid... they only think of themselves. Too many even convince themselves that the whole business has to revolve around them or else. Pretty sure that's what happened to that one woman who was supposed to be one of your friends.”

Luz frowned at the reminder of how far Selena Frost had fallen, up to and including whatever had happened recently regarding her using the contract Deanna had earned, fair and square, from Shot of Adrenaline to try and insert herself back into the World Title picture. Luz had attempted to open a dialogue with Deanna about it so she had someone to vent to if she needed it, but even Deanna had insisted she just drop the subject and Luz had reluctantly obliged.

“I'm just not a fan of the direction everything seems to be going in...” she lamented. “And then there was what happened in London...”

Marilyn opened her mouth, but closed it immediately after catching a glance out of the corner of Avery's eye. They seemed to pick up on the fact that Luz wasn't referring to her title loss, but rather, the other significant thing that had happened in London.

“Are you worried about Paul abruptly leaving us?” they started to ask.

“A little bit,” Luz admitted. “I can't fault him if he thinks it's not too safe around us anymore after the stunt that splinter cell pulled... I had hoped they were all taken care of after Rise to Greatness last year. I also can't fault him for wanting to make sure his family's safe... but why are we only finding out he's had a family now, just as he disappears on us?”

“It is a little strange...” Avery sighs. “Then again... I'm sorry to be the one to say something Luz, but Darius, Evie and I have all been suspicious of that guy for some time now, and I'm sure some of the others have started getting bad feelings about him to. We've tried to look into him so we could figure out how best to help protect him from The Empire, but just a first name to go off of hasn't narrowed anything down, nor has using his face in any group photos you guys have taken lately to try and actually help with that using facial recognition software. The guy's a complete unknown, and we have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing anymore.”

“Well, if The Empire wanted him so damn bad, surely he has to have some value, right?” Marilyn pitched.

“Who knows...” Avery sighed before noticing Luz's frown. “I want to hope we've been helping someone who desperately needed it this whole time, but given some of the things he's been saying and the way he's been acting...”

Luz nodded, hating what Avery might be implying but trying to keep an open mind. The idea of someone taking advantage of her kindness, yet again, just to infiltrate their group had crossed her mind on a handful of occasions, but she always tried to justify to herself that The Empire, in any form, wanting a piece of this guy surely had to mean he was on the up and up, right? But she had needed to talk with him maybe a little too much for her liking about how overzealous he was as a supposed fan of theirs...

“You don't think he contributed to the way Amelia's been struggling mentally lately, do you?” she suddenly asked.

“Hard to say,” Avery unfortunately answered, their lips forming a thin line as they knew that wasn't the best thing to say probably, but they were trying to help Luz figure out answers as best as they could. “For now, we're hoping that The Empire's once again distracted with putting out some internal fires, because I can't see Caleb letting this slide if he still has an active splinter cell within his ranks, not when he's still hellbent on bringing you and Amelia into his flock to 'redeem' himself.”

“He's getting either of them over my dead body,” Marilyn fiercely declared.

“Don't give him any ideas, Marilyn...” Avery warned, using a tone that Luz knew all too well. The fierce concern had her wanting to grin and tease them about perhaps rekindling the spark they once had between each other at long last, but she resisted... not because of her healing jaw, but because she was mulling over everything she'd gotten out of this conversation.

She was trying hard to ignore any implications about Paul, reserving that for if and when she saw him again so she could get those answers directly if she had to. As for Amelia... like it or not, she was going to try her best to support her wife and hope that once she became World Champion, it would put this whole mess to bed once and for all. Amelia would have proven herself by accomplishing something Luz had yet to, she could pull herself away from any of this nonsense Mr. Delatosso was attempting to pull, and everything could go back to the way it was... the way it deserved to be. They could figure out how to proceed with The Empire, take them down once and for all, finally live the lives they deserved together without fear...

“We'll make this work... somehow...” she said out loud, not even realizing it, but she held firm all the same.

Marilyn and Avery exchanged looks, deeply hoping that Luz was right. Having Amelia struggling with where she was at was bad enough, and they doubted being denied the chance to finish her therapy session in London helped matters.

If Luz started spiraling into oblivion as well, things could truly turn catastrophic for their found family.

[Chris Lawler]

Walk the Line

[Wisteria Waltz]

For someone who many believed deserved to be in the discussion for who should challenge for the World Title, La Pequeña Luz has had very little to do towards proving it lately.

Part of that was obviously due to needing to be medically cleared after everything she endured inside the Thunderdome, but the bigger reason had everything to do with her other half.

To say that Luz was at a loss for words about where Amelia was headed would be an understatement, but it was becoming a concerning trend in SCW as of late. Selena Frost had arguably started it, becoming so fed up with not being World Champion that she had convinced herself that she absolutely needed to be SCW's one and only World Champion forever or else SCW would die, even to the point of taking credit recently for any success Luz or Amelia had ever had, as if they hadn't busted their behinds to conquer the world for years before Selena even knew they existed.

Asher Hayes had a period of time where his obsession with finally becoming World Champion had him acting like more of an asshole than usual and adopting that same belief of “SCW needs me as champion or else it's as good as dead.”

Polly Pingotti had gotten so frustrated with her constant setbacks that she was betting it all on a shortcut offered to her by a CEO who clearly had his own twisted vision for what the wrestling business should be.

Even Chris Lawler, who she would meet in her return to the ring next week, had started letting the shifting landscape affect him, as he was assaulting Simon Lyman without provocation and now threatening to keep her on a losing streak purely because he was convinced he needed this win no matter how he got it.

To see Amelia walking this same path that so many others were, all because her frustrations had opened the door for this nonsense about her being the superior of the two of them to infect her thoughts... it broken Luz's heart, and she was struggling to figure out how to fix this. She'd tried talking with her wife to work through things, she'd given her space, she'd offered up ideas on how to get Amelia the opportunities she deserved, but it all seemed to just make things worse.

“There has to be some way to fix everything...” she mumbled as she watched the Breakdown main event play out from backstage.

The thought crossed her mind briefly... the fact that despite everyone claiming Luz was the superior wrestler between the two of them, Amelia had far more main event appearances than her, including two pay-per-view main events with a third on the horizon. It was proof of Amelia's dedication and hard work that had earned her a place in any title picture, something that people like Selena had long forgotten because being the best had consumed her to the point of destroying her own life outside the ring, reminding Luz that she really needed to talk with Deanna at some point, maybe to support one another and figure out what to do when their loves were letting themselves fall into oblivion.

Her thoughts found themselves derailing as the match continued, though. Her heart sank when she saw Amelia willingly pull a fake tag gambit with Gavin, blatantly cheating... something she never did even when her parents still controlled her life and career, believing they were so good that they were simply above the need. They had tagged together for so long that they knew the fair limitations of having both of them in the ring, and they were allowed to play more loosely with it in Mexico were tags weren't actually needed, but this was outright bending the rules.

The moment the bell rang, Luz had turned away from the monitor and wasted no time making her way towards the gorilla position. Even despite the pain that still shot through her every now and then, she needed to talk with Amelia. They needed to figure this out, because Luz didn't know if she could do this dance again. Saving Amelia from herself the first time, all those years ago? Luz honestly believed it had to be some kind of fluke that she managed to penetrate Amelia's walls and show her that there was a better path more fitting to who she wanted to be. If she had to do this a second time, when Amelia was willingly falling into the abyss this time... she was afraid she wouldn't be able to replicate that magic and would ultimately fall just to try and catch her.

Luz waited in the production area, ready to grab Amelia the moment she saw her step through the curtain. She saw Selena march through, head held high like she was the most important person in SCW history. The two of them briefly locked eyes before she saw Selena scoff and continue on her way, as if what she said to Amelia leading up to the match that just happened applied to her as well. It wasn't long after that when she saw Gavin being helped through by his entourage, giving them space because she was not in the mood to deal with him or his antics right now. Syren wasn't too far behind them, ignoring Luz entirely as she was more focused on the headache she no doubt had after Selena's sneak attack following their win.

Luz waited... and waited... and waited. By now, the show had long since gone off the air, the crew was on their way out to start tearing everything down, and there was still no sign of Amelia. Her frown only deepened as she moved to head out as well...

“Luz?”

She turned, a bit surprised someone was addressing her, as she locked eyes with one of the production assistants.

“If you're looking for your wife, she left through the crowd after the cameras stopped rolling,” he told her.

“...gracias,” was all Luz could find herself able to say as her frown deepened. She didn't want to say it was unusual, especially considering things around here were escalating to the point where it was getting harder to tell what was real and what was just an act for the cameras, but she knew Amelia was always a consummate professional, always willing even when her frustrations began to overwhelm her to have a brief talk with everyone back here for some suggestions and insight on what she could do better for next time, win or lose. She and Luz had always been wired the same way, so to hear that Amelia had skipped that altogether...

Was it because she knew Luz would be waiting for her and was trying to avoid her?

Luz wasted little time in leaving the gorilla position, heading back to where Amelia's locker room was. Frank Delatosso, as if sensing that Luz wasn't quite as on board with whatever he thought he was helping Amelia become, had given them separate locker rooms for the first time since they'd arrived in SCW, but she still knew exactly where to find it. As soon as she was standing in front of the closed door, she knocked.

“Ames?” she called out.

To her surprise, the door slowly opened as soon as her knuckles made contact with it.

Luz peeked inside, but there was no sign of life to be found. The lights were off, the room was empty... not even the sound of water dripping from a showerhead to indicate Amelia has taken the world's fastest shower. She was long gone...

Luz quickly left the room, making her way towards the parking lot. If Amelia were trying to leave without her, all just to avoid any sort of talk about what had happened out there, then their rental car would be missing. They had driven to the arena together, and given the massive crowds that were leaving, there was no way Amelia was going to be able to just slip away in a taxi or Uber or anything before Luz could find her. She stepped outside, hissing a bit at the slight strain she'd put on her recovering body trying to move quickly, and her breath caught in her throat.

Their rental car was still here, untouched.

And there was no sign of Amelia.

“Luz?”

She turned at the sound of her name, wanting to breathe a sigh of relief at seeing Ivy, Gage and Henry approaching her, but she couldn't dislodge it from her throat despite her best efforts.

“OK, you guys are still here...” she finally managed to get out. “I'm assuming Marilyn or Darius or somebody just took Ames back to the hotel?”

Her three friends all exchanged looks that had Luz's nerves feeling more and more hypersensitive by the minute.

“No...” Gage carefully replied. “They're all waiting out front for us to let them know if you and Amelia had left for the hotel yet. We haven't seen her.”

“We figured you guys might be talking about... whatever happened out there,” Henry vaguely waved towards the arena, referring to Amelia's tag match.

“You can't find her?” Ivy asked, her own voice growing worried now.

Luz, however, was full-on panicking now. She didn't know what was going through Amelia's head, but she needed something, anything, to reassure her that things were still alright and her beloved was just blowing off steam or something. She whipped out her phone, quickly navigating to Amelia's number and giving her a call. She felt herself chewing on her bottom lip as she heard one ring...

“We're sorry, but the person you are calling is unavailable.”

“No...” Luz's eyes went wide, her hand dropping her phone as she sank to her knees, tears beginning to form. Her friends were quickly by her side, but their words and efforts were like white noise right now.

Amelia had disappeared completely on her... and Luz had no idea what to do anymore.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About an hour away from Los Angeles, where Breakdown is set to take place this week, lies the city of Anaheim. A beautiful city, known perhaps best for being the home of Disneyland, is also the current residence for the couple known as The Light In The Darkness. A beautiful home to call their very own, which initially served as their escape from the troubles of their lives to start something brand new together, complete with a beautiful balcony view of the sunrise that they enjoyed every morning whenever they could be here. Any time their SCW touring schedule brought them back to the state of California, they would happily return to the safety and comfort of their home, their sanctuary from everything to allow them to pick themselves back up and throw themselves back into the fray with renewed vigor.

And yet, on this particular dawn, something feels amiss.

La Pequeña Luz is sitting on the familiar balcony in her mask and a fluffy bathrobe, sipping from a nice hot cup of tea to help keep her grounded as she watches the sun slowly rise into the sky to begin a brand new day. It's the kind of sight we've seen before, but something feels like it's missing. We see Luz look around for a moment before a sigh escapes her lips, and maybe it starts to click now... her wife, Amelia, is missing. Even if she was just giving Luz space knowing she's being recorded right now, there would usually be some hint from Luz that Amelia is somewhere nearby. But Luz's usual radiant smile is nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a defeated look. There's no sign that we're going to find Amelia anywhere if we help Luz to look, so all we're left with is a little light who looks a little dimmer. Even still, she turns her head to address us, though even her voice lacks the joy and energy it usually possesses.

“Lo siento... I know I don't look the best right now. Kind of happens when you put yourself through hell, and especially if you don't come out of it as the victor. I won't sugarcoat anything... I lost, fair and square, at Retribution. I am, once again, no longer your United States Champion. Congratulations to Meghan Strader... you earned it, and after that definitive outcome, I have no reason to come knocking for a rematch anytime soon. If I were to earn another shot at that title and you still happen to hold it... well, we'll see what happens then.

Right now, though? I have other problems I need to deal with first, which is also why, while I'm flattered that you and so many others are willing to prop me up and say I deserve to be in the World Title discussion, I'm respectfully going to have to disagree.

SCW has changed a lot over the past few years... and I'd be lying if I said I liked the direction it's heading. More and more often lately, you have so many people getting frustrated and letting themselves lose sight of what's truly important in this business, all because they hate the fact that they're not getting what they want or being where they think they belong and they're lashing out, tainting this business and corrupting others into believing that if this is going to be the new standard, then what use is there for morals and a sense of respect when you can just throw away who you are and brute force your way to where you think you belong.

It was bad enough seeing Selena Frost, a woman I once considered a friend, someone who I invited to my own wedding even despite the public perception of her at the time, fall so far that she now genuinely believes that SCW will die without her and her alone as World Champion, irregardless of the efforts of people like myself to uphold the vision she once had for this company because it wasn't too far off from her own. It's to the point now where she believes The Light In The Darkness wouldn't even be what it is today without her, as if she had been molding us from the very beginning when she didn't even know we existed until we earned our way into SCW on our own merits.

But... seeing Amelia start to crack as well...”

Luz takes another deep drink of her tea, as if using it as a means of trying to keep herself from fully breaking down right here in front of us.

“I get it... I understand better than any of you might believe. The wrestling business is hard, and it is not kind to many of us who leave our blood, sweat and tears on that mat for each and every one of you. Over the years, Ames and I have gone through so much both in and out of the ring, we've made no secret of any of it. Heck, when we first started branching out beyond our tag team efforts, Amelia was the one finding all sorts of success, becoming Television Champion and almost becoming United States Champion... while I was struggling to even get a win on the board that was all my own. But reverse the roles, and all of a sudden people are acting like I've always been the one destined for greatness while Amelia was meant to disappear in my shadow.

I have watched that woman work herself to the bone, far more than I know anybody else in this entire company, myself included, has been willing to push themselves to prove that she is every bit as capable as I am. When I sit here and tell you that I believe, ignoring all the accolades people want to keep bringing up, that Amelia is the better wrestler of the two of us, I mean it. That's why it hurts me so much to see everyone getting to her and pushing her down this path, thinking they're doing me some kind of favor by breaking us up so I can shine... not realizing that I care more about the woman I love than my own career and would willingly step back and never accept any title opportunity again if it meant getting through to all of you that Amelia deserves to be a champion just as much as I do... I just wish she could stop letting you guys make her think otherwise and feeling she needs to ruin her life, just like Selena did, because it might actually get her to where she's always belonged.

But I know that's not just a problem that's infected the people closest to me... it's also affecting the people I respect and convincing them that we can't just have a wrestling match, but I need to be destroyed and thrown aside like some kind of obstacle just because cold ruthlessness is the new norm in place of honest-to-God skill and dedication.”

Luz lets out a pained sigh as she finished off her tea, setting the cup aside before she runs her hands along some of the bandages still present from her injuries in the Thunderdome.

“Chris Lawler... a man I've only really crossed paths with when we were Trios partners a few years ago, but I man I held respect for all the same. Still do, actually, in terms of your skills. You and I were a lot alike, Chris... we're both dedicated to this business, passionate, willing to push ourselves to earn our way up the proverbial ladder. Unfortunately, you've made it pretty clear that the same problems that have caused the love of my life to start losing herself are doing the same thing to you. You're letting your setbacks cloud your judgment, convincing you that you have to throw everything away to finally be able to find success.

I am living proof of that not being the case... I'm arguably one of the nicest and fairest wrestlers you'll ever meet, and that didn't hinder me once from earning my place around here.

While I can only hope my wife hears this and realizes she's always had the capability to succeed and even call herself a World Champion without losing who she truly is in the process, this week I get the chance to show you, firsthand, the same thing that I showed her so very long ago that helped her to see the light and break free. You can threaten me all you want Chris, make it seem like this match is a foregone conclusion all because you're ready to cross that line like so many others have been lately... but if watching what I went through inside the Thunderdome, or anything else I've endured over the years hasn't made it clear, then you're going to find that La Pequeña Luz isn't someone who just rolls over and dies just because you're desperate. If you want this win, you're going to have to earn it, like it or not.

I know you're capable of doing it... I saw it firsthand as your Trios partner. But no matter what you throw at me, I'm going to get back up. No matter how much you overpower me, I will find away back into the fight. It's what I've always done and will keep doing because I'm a fighter and it's all I know. But this Breakdown in Los Angeles isn't just going to be some grand return for me now that I'm cleared to compete again, nor am I looking at it as some easy way back into the winner's column to turn things around, because I know full well you can beat me Chris.

The question becomes... win or lose, where is your head going to be at once you're done understanding firsthand just how much this all means to me and how hard I'm willing to fight to fix everything that's been breaking lately?

When Amelia experienced that years ago... she understood that there's nothing wrong with being herself and she didn't have to be burdened by unreasonable expectations. And if I have to fight my way back to her to unshackle her from these new burdens everyone around us are trying to bury her under, then I will do so without a second thought. And in the process, I'm going to save you from yourself as well Chris. You, just like everyone else, are starting to lose sight of what any of this means, and if I have to become the guiding light that truly restores things back to the way they should be...

Then I promise I will do everything that I can to help elevate everyone around me to where they truly deserve to be, without the temptation of destroying everything that makes you who you are just to achieve some warped version of success that will ultimately mean nothing when it dawns on you that all of it means nothing without the people who helped you get there... or the satisfaction of knowing, deep down, that you truly earned it by making all of your hard work finally pay off.”

Luz slowly rises to a stand, her back against the rising sun as she's silhouetted in those beautiful golden hues. As stern and determined as her warning is, however, we can see the slight tremble in her hands, but she does her best to hold firm.