Taking Hold of the Flame 2026

[Digitox]

RP 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CaDu...sp=sharing

[Asher_Hayes]

A New Heroin, Chapter 004-THOTF

[James Evans]

The Anti-Psychotic, 002

[Shaun2025]

PREVIOUSLY – OFF CAMERA

(Another two weeks had passed, and the police seemed no closer to finding Drew, nor had there been any further instances with Kai. Conveniently, the CCTV camera across the road wasn’t working at the time Kai had visited, so there was no footage to look at, and because Shaun hadn’t seen the registration, they had once again hit a dead end. Shaun was rightly frustrated, and having spoken with Owen, the subject of getting Chris Clay on it had once again risen, but Shaun had resisted. To try and take his mind off it, Shaun had started looking for a job, knowing that he couldn’t live off the rest of his savings forever, but as yet nothing had really come up suitable. If he was honest with himself, Shaun wasn’t even sure what he would be able to do, and looking for a job certainly seemed like a massive come down for him… he’d even thought that maybe, just maybe, he could get back into the wrestling industry, but that had to be a last resort. As he scrolls through the vacancies on the internet, a knock at the door distracts him. Looking through the window, he is relieved to see it is the Chief of Police. He opens the door, and lets him in, wondering what the reason for the visit could be, and the potential that they had good news.)

Shaun: Chief… to what do I owe the pleasure. Do you have news?

(He nods, but there is no enjoyment in his emotions, and a sense of dread forms over Shaun.)

Police Chief Wilson: I do; we believe we have found Mr. Bryant.

Shaun: You have? That’s fantastic news.

Police Chief Wilson: Not really Shaun, can I suggest you sit down?

(Shaun does as requested and takes a seat.)

Police Chief Wilson: We believe we have found the remains of Mr. Bryant.

Shaun: Remains?

Police Chief Wilson: Yes. Not identified yet… the body had been burnt till it was unrecognizable by normal methods.

Shaun: Fuck…

Police Chief Wilson: Not only that… the remains were found at the bottom of a ravine… the same ravine in which your brother perished. If this ‘Kai’ is truly involved, it seems like he was sending you a message.

(Like he promised to, but how did he know.)

Police Chief Wilson: We don’t have any more than that right now, I shall of course let you know once confirmed. I’ll see myself out if you don’t need anything else?

Shaun: Of course, thank you…

(The chief leaves, and no sooner is he through the door, Shaun’s phone pings. He lifts it and reads the text message.)

‘I told you to give this up. NO POLICE.’

(It had to be from Kai. But how did he know… was Shaun being watched. Or was he being listened to. He gets to his feet, turning things over, feeling around the edges of tables until he looks at the wall clock. Taking it down and looking at the back, there he sees it. The bug that Kai must have placed when he was here. He throws it to the floor and stamps on it, immediately going on the hunt for more, till his phone pings again.)

‘You’ll never find them all.’

(How did he know? How could he constantly be watching? Shaun didn’t know. His phone pings for a third time.)

‘LAST warning.’

(Shaun sighs, resigned to his fate. Knowing he no longer had a choice. He now wanted to get Chris Clay involved, but how did he do that, without Kai knowing. How could he now keep those he loved safe? All those questions led him in one direction, the only option left to him, and so he types in the only message he can and presses send.)

‘You win.’

RECORDING – ON CAMERA

“Without question, Taking Hold of the Flame is one of the hardest matches on the SCW calendar to win. The Cruze family knows that better than anyone, because neither Orlando, Owen nor I have ever won this event, even though we all came close. When it comes to this match, there are just too many cogs in the wheel, too many moving parts. The draw, who’s in the match, how much luck you get. All of it comes into play and as such, it is much more difficult to win than say an Elimination Chamber and thus is the reason why there are very few that can say they have conquered it. If you are the last person to enter, it gives you a better chance yes, but still, it’s never a certainty. Even the biggest behemoths in the world are not guaranteed if seven or eight people decide that it’s your time to leave and gang up on them. Yes, it’s a marquee match that the SCW Universe looks forward to, it’s the ultimate test of both skill and stamina with a dose of luck on the side. But even with all of that said, how difficult I have made Taking Hold of the Flame sound, on the opposite side of the coin, it is also one of the funniest matches to behold. And when I say ‘match’ I don’t mean the action itself, I mean everything that comes before.”

(Shaun shifts in his seat, getting comfortable as he settles into his narrative.)

“See, with a match like this there are no guarantees, other than the guarantee that there will be at least one individual that will guarantee the fact that they are going to come out of this match victorious. They won’t stop there however, because as they then continue their meandering rhetoric, they will then also guarantee that they will go to Rise to Greatness as the number one contender and become the SCW World Champion. I mean, they make this statement knowing that there could be 39 other individuals, all trying to claim the same thing. They will drive this narrative, not knowing whether they will open the proceedings at number one, two, or luck out with the final spot. They won’t know if legendary Hall of Famers will team up against them. They won’t know if an enemy from their past would make a surprise return and eliminate them. Shit, they don’t even know of someone will just take it upon themselves and hide under the ring, just for that one moment where they can pull them over the top rope. This won’t be in their mindset for one reason and one reason alone. They think so damn highly of themselves, they believe that nothing else matters. The worst thing of all is even after being pulled up on their inconsistencies. Even though it will be widely recognized that luck, more than skill will probably be on the side of the winner. They will double down and make even more of a fool of themselves. And there is no need to take my word on that, check the archives for every single Taking Hold of the Flame there ever was, and you’ll recognize them, bold and brass.

Do you know the other thing I can guarantee?

For all that bluster, all that confidence and arrogance. For all that bullshit that spewed from their mouths like raw sewage, they were NOT the one who was the one left standing in the middle of that ring. They were NOT the ones who headed into Rise to Greatness. And they were NOT the ones that became the SCW World Champion. You don’t win Taking Hold of the Flame ladies and gentlemen; you endure and then survive it. And even if you do come out the other side with your faculties intact, even then you are not guaranteed success. You’ll have those that will dispute it upon hearing my words, and to those I say one thing. Educate yourselves. Because those that do, give themselves a chance… and it is just that, a chance. Even more telling is there will be those that spout this crap, having endured this match for themselves already. That is just prime stupidity.

Another thing that you will hear is this notion that focusing on individuals is the way to go about things, basing their narrative on nothing more than a list, even though their paths may not even cross with that person throughout the sixty minutes or so this match will last. Competitor A disses Competitor B and claims they have the skill and stamina to overcome, and one on one that might make a little sense. But in this instance Competitor A comes in at number one and is eliminated before Competitor B even gets his hands dirty, thus Competitor A wasted both his and our time with his diatribe. Statements only made because of a need to have everyone’s attention. When the truth is no matter who you are, being someone’s attention is the very last thing you need. Don’t believe me, then here’s another scenario for you. Two individuals have been involved in a pointless feud in the weeks prior, they get so consumed with each other, they forget about everyone else in the match. One might get the better of the other, but they take their eyes off the prize and then immediately eliminate themselves. How many times have you seen that happen? How can someone even consider focusing on the World Championship, when they can only focus on one person of many? It’s a common denominator throughout the years that only those focused on the very end of Taking Hold of the Flame are the ones that make it. Petty feuds are never settled by eliminating someone out of an obvious clusterfuck. The ones that emerge victoriously from this event are the very same ones that DON’T draw attention to themselves and instead fly under the radar until it really matters. Draw attention to yourself by mentioning every other individual in this match, get under the skin of those that really will emerge as TRUE favorites, and you’re not showing yourself as prepared, far from it. Instead, you’ve set yourself up for failure before the first bell has even rung. Mistakes made, in a tale that is as old as time.

Let me give you another dose of reality.

Everyone else doesn’t give a fuck what you say. No, I mean it, there are those now who were listening to me that have already switched off, and those are the ones who may well find success this weekend. People get so bent out of shape by others telling them that they believe they can win, in some way entertaining the fact that takes away from them what they are trying to do. Yep, that’s right… some peoples egos really are that fragile. I could name names right now, compartmentalize them for all our enjoyment, but the fact is they already know it for themselves. Those that get butt hurt because another individual believes they stand a better chance. So what? I mean, it’s the same in regular matches, but at least it’s understandable. Picture the scenario, win this match and you get to Rise to Greatness. Obviously, you can’t think about the biggest event on the wrestling calendar yet, but it’s the target, of course it is. And yet with all that on offer, the dickwads out there lose their shit because someone dared to claim that they have the tools to overcome it all. Going on to waste their designated time on a camera to try and polish up their damaged egos. Me, I say do your worst. Fact is, there are those in the field with more stamina, strength or skill, but that doesn’t deflect on what I intend on doing. Again, I reflect on my previous point, they may well not be even in the match when I join, so how stupid will they look then? Even more so, if I had the audacity to win.

Now, I know I might not be painting a picture for my fans, or a blueprint for victory like many of my colleagues have tried to do. I know that the reality is this, my odds are lengthy coming into this match, but the thing is, I know my opponents are in the same predicament. Someone like Ace Marshall gets eliminated, our odds change. Syren gets kicked out; the odds reflect that. Gavin Taylor drops the last spot, anyone else in that match has an uphill struggle. But that is what I have been trying to put across, that there are no certainties. And throughout those sixty minutes plus, there will be no constant, and the match will be forever in flux. There are surprise competitors every single year, that changes the narrative again. These are the mechanics of everything that we shall deal with, and yet only those that know this are the ones that will make that final five so important. And there are only two ways to understand this, one being like I said earlier, or two having the most important attribute for this match of all. It’s not said enough, but the people that pull this off are usually the ones who have this attribute in spades. Do you know what it is ladies and gentlemen?

EXPERIENCE

See, there will be those, you may have already heard them. Those that ‘believe’ that they have everything necessary to win a match of this time, when the truth is that they have never even competed in one. There will also be those that have reviewed all the footage, delved into the archives and believe that they are prepared. They won’t necessarily come into the boundary of over-confidence, I’m not going to pull them up on cockiness, or a blasé attitude. What I will say however is that whatever you believe you are walking into, you need to take that and times it by ten. When I said it was a match like no other, I wasn’t stating such a fact for likes or views. When I made it clear that there is no real plan for a match like this, I wasn’t trying to scare anyone into submission or get into an individual’s head. There is no Plan A, B or C that is going to bring you success, just a knowledge of what you are about to endure. Some of the greatest competitors in the world have fallen in this match and never managed to win one. And like I said before, I don’t necessarily put myself in amongst the greatest in the world right now, but I AM a Hall of Famer. But I have never been that last person standing. That said, I think I’ve been in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal three times and never finished outside the top ten. Last time out, I finished second, the closest a Cruze has ever come. Perhaps I’ll stack up short again this year… because the simple fact of a matter is I’m not in control… none of us are. It all comes back to all those moving parts… and more importantly, who is going to get that biggest dose of luck.

For some, winning this match isn’t about the prestige of being the Battle Royal winner, it’s about what winning this match can bring them. This match is about the opportunity to them, and even that shows an element of inexperience. This match is an accolade of its own, and if you are already looking forward to the main event of Rise to Greatness, then I can tell you right now, you’ve probably already lost. Of course I want to go to Rise to Greatness, of course I want to compete for the SCW World Championship, but if you have a contract to compete for this company, that should be given. If you don’t want to be World Champion, you shouldn’t be here. But I’m not looking towards that… my only goal right now it to be the Taking Hold of the Flame winner for 2026, and the extra shine that will give to my resume. Even something like that could turn out to be an advantage. The fact that I would never consider this event to be a ‘means to an end’. In fact, it’s probably the one thing I have missing… other than the Supreme Championship. All of this is added to an already solid case, and ultimately, constitutes part of the reason for my return.

Because this was never about reliving former glories, or putting more value on a company that already sits proudly atop this industry. It was never about me wanting or needing handouts to reclaim a place I already knew was never my right. The Cruze family love them or hate them, have never desire or sheer commitment to a cause. Every single one of us was always ‘all-in’. Coming back was about proving myself… not to me, but to those that I had let down. And once again giving them a reason to be proud of the person I was, and not the one I had become. I said that word there, desire, and it is something inbuilt. Desire doesn’t give a certainty. You can absolutely want something, but it doesn’t mean you are going to get it. However, when you have hit rock bottom. When you have been on the shitty end of the stick, there is something that manifests in your heart. The intensity to ensure that you never go back to that darkest of places. There are better wrestlers in this match, those with almost unhuman stamina that betters mine, to endure over sixty minutes of torture. But there is NO ONE with the heart of Shaun Cruze in this field. NO ONE. NO ONE that NEEDS this result more than I do. Does that guarantee me victory? If you’re asking that question now, then you are one of those that switched off earlier. But to answer you, no, not it doesn’t. But with that, and all the experience I have gained in this kind of match, it gives me one heck of a platform to build on, that is undeniable. It gives me a foundation that so many of you may not be aware you lack. So, whilst I may buck the trend and not tell the world that I’m going to walk into that match and win it, I can assure you all that I’m going to be moving heaven and earth to do exactly that, denying individuals that which they think is their right. I can also assure anyone that is the last person standing, that last freeze frame not being myself. I can assure that person that they will have earned it, because they did what many obviously didn’t. Understood this match and what it was going to take to succeed and not taken it as some kind of ‘destiny’ like a certain individual who remains unnamed.

So, in closing, and making no apologies for it, I am more than aware that what I am looking at here is a comeback story for the ages. Someone who lost everything and is now trying to piece together what life he still has left. I know, there are people on this roster who look at my results since I returned and consider me ‘washed’ and unable to make good on my statements. These people will be the self-same ones that will guarantee their success. They will be the ones who believe I don’t deserve a place in this match, never mind the SCW roster. And right now, I can’t deny it, my results thus far have given them all the ammunition that they needed, they haven’t been great.

But Shaun Cruze is made for the big stage.

I built a career off the back of claiming results when no one thought it possible. I gained a nickname off the back of not just winning but also making an Impact. When the odds were against me, and a situation seemingly lost, that was when I always found a way.

Say what you want to, believe what you want, but Taking Hold of the Flame is made for me. It’s the ultimate opportunity to raise my middle finger up to those doubters because I don’t crumble when challenged, I thrive. And Taking Hold of the Flame is the biggest challenge of them all.

There is a reason why the winner goes to face the World Champion and that’s because it’s conclusive proof. The Flame cannot be given to you, and can only be taken, and Taking Hold of said Flame is EXACTLY what I intend on doing. Winning Taking Hold of the Flame will prove that hard work, heart, and determination can outlast anything. And I promise that victory will only be the start.”

(He winks at the camera.)

“The start, of a new beginning for Supreme Championship Wrestling. The new era, of the Impact Player.”

(Scene fades)

[Syren]

Second for Taking Hold of the Flame. This was really fun to write.

Enjoy.



The Syren Song: Verse 432
"What exactly is the Pope supposed to do?"

[Sean]

Xavier Holloway | The Hell I Overcome

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: My second for Luz, posted in both this and the Lingerie Showdown thread to count for both matches.
----------------------------------

The very first thing we see is a close-up shot of what looks like a craps table you'd find in a casino, which feels fitting with Taking Hold of the Flame going down in Las Vegas. We don't see much else at first, as any glimpses we get beyond the table show nothing but darkness. After a moment, we see a single hand sliding a poker chip forward, though this chip has a very familiar logo upon it: a crescent moon inside of a sun, the logo we've come to associate with one particular tag team in SCW. As the hand pulls out of the shot, we see a pair of purple and gold dice thrown onto the table, rolling around for a moment before they both land on sixes. The single poker chip suddenly has a massive stack pushed in to join it, every chip bearing the iconic symbol of The Light In The Darkness.

It's at this point that we pan up and off the table, rotating around to find the hand we saw belongs to none other than La Pequeña Luz. She stands at this table under a spotlight that cuts through the darkness, as there appears to be nothing beyond the warm, inviting light. Contrary to what some people may have been hoping for, given what she's going to be walking into on Sunday night, Luz is dressed in a pair of black jean shorts and an old Light In The Darkness t-shirt along with her familiar mask, and she seems to be perfectly comfortable in this attire no matter what two certain women might believe. Despite the impressive dice roll, Luz's signature smile is absent, the only jarring thing about this whole scene.

“Wrestling has always been a dream of mine... that's easy to say when mi papá was a luchador who fought to become one of the greatest to ever wear the mask. But even if wrestling wasn't in my blood, it's still something I wanted to pursue from a young age. I loved the athleticism, I loved the devotion to turning something as simple as a mask into an entire identity that could redefine who you are, as long as you were willing to put in the work to make it happen. Yes, I am a caring soul and maybe you think that doesn't belong in this world, but when push comes to shove, I will fight with all my heart for this sport and the people who matter to me, that helped me define who La Pequeña Luz truly is.

That's why Sunday night is going to be one of the hardest nights of my entire career... and I didn't even get a choice in the matter.

When people go out and gamble, that's a conscious decision they're making. If they aren't able to control themselves and find out they have a problem, an addiction, to the danger of losing everything by trusting in Lady Luck... first off, please get help, I beg of you. But ultimately, that discovery, that downward spiral when luck is no longer in your favor, can all be traced back to that one choice you made. No one can take that choice away from you, and you're free to own every thrill and every consequence that comes with it. That's a choice I made when I decided to enter my name into the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal, betting on myself to go all the way even knowing what may await me at the end of that road.

One thing I did not get to choose was whether or not I also wanted to compete in front of a Las Vegas crowd in nothing but my underwear.”

Luz's eyes turn away from us, and while it might be hard to see because of her mask, there is definitely an embarrassed blush burning on her face at the mere thought of having to go through with such a thing. The fact that she doesn't even want to be in this position is obvious, but like it or not, this was the hand she was dealt. She eventually sighs and turns back to us, trying to regain her composure.

“I hope the Glimmer Sisters are happy with themselves. I've seen them waltzing around backstage and strutting down to the ring in barely anything, always pushing boundaries all because they want attention. They want a big pay day without doing the actual work to deserve it. They want to call themselves champions while spitting in the face of everything that the rest of us have done to prove we belong here. The highs, the lows, the mental struggles when we've found ourselves faced with setbacks until we finally broke free and rose above... they know none of that. They just walked into SCW on their very first day like they owned the place and have taken advantage of everybody they've faced by shoving their sex appeal down everyone's throats and exploiting how uncomfortable that makes everyone to act like they deserve to be acknowledged as the best. If that doesn't work, then they lie and cheat and resort to whatever they have to in order to escape and act like they deserve any of their wins.

Now, if you two are actually comfortable in your own skin and want to flaunt what you've got, I'm not going to tell you not to. I have built my own career on the premise of being able to embrace who you truly want to be through the art of wrestling, and telling you two not to do something that clearly makes you happy and comfortable would make me a hypocrite. But trying to force not only me, but someone I love with all my heart and soul, to join you in these antics? That's where the line is crossed, and if I were Derek Adonis, I'd be reevaluating how much the two of you fit his KABLAMia brand because neither Amelia nor myself consented to any of this.

Let me make something clear to the two of you: whether or not I can be considered attractive never has and never will matter. As much as you two seem all too happy to try and mess with it, I have a woman in my life who loves me for more than just my looks. Those fans all pay their hard-earned money not to see what I look like, but what I can do in that ring to make it all worth the investment. I don't need to strip down or flaunt anything to be loved and respected... and at the end of the day, that's what this is all about, isn't it?

For as much as the two of you have tried to dominate the tag team division, you can't stand the talk of how The Light In The Darkness is still considered arguably the greatest modern-day tag team in SCW. You can't comprehend just why everyone, from the fans to the locker room, have put Amelia and I on such a pedestal, and you're so desperate to try and replace us up there that you're trying to drag us down to your level. You're going to force us to strip down to nothing but bras and panties and parade ourselves around in front of thousands of people all just to laugh and say we're no different than you after all. You claim to respect my culture because you're letting me keep my mask on for this, but I'm not stupid, Glimmers... given the first half of this Lingerie Showdown is a contest being judged, you're banking on either me removing my mask and disgracing the culture I came from just to try and better our chances of winning an advantage, or that by clinging to one of the most important things that makes me who I am in a sport that means everything to me, it may as well make it a cakewalk to win the judges' favor just so you can claim you beat us at something.

You know what, though? You can have the advantage... Amelia and I don't need the numbers in our favor to beat you two. Take every advantage you need, because you're going to learn the hard way that The Light In The Darkness earned the right to be considered one of the best tag teams in SCW history. We fought with everything we had to overcome arguably the greatest tag team of all time around here, we busted our butts to carry the tag team division on our backs and rebuild it into what it was before the two of you thought you could just take it over and claim dominance off the back of stolen valor.

The fact that we care, that this means everything to us, that we're willing to push ourselves further beyond to prove we deserve everything we've fought tooth and nail to earn... it bothers you, doesn't it? Gia and Gina Glimmer can laugh and shake their booties and claim they're the best, but you can't fool the people who've believed in us since the very beginning, and you certainly can't fool us. That's why you used Gina's Trios contract to create a scenario that, on paper, can only benefit you and humiliate us. That's why you wanted to take away my ability to decide, on my terms, when I decided to pursue the World Tag Title opportunity I earned back during Fatal Fortunes. That's why you thought it was brilliant to strike when Amelia and I are clearly not entirely on the same page, why you chose to put the World Title she earned up for grabs, and why you thought you were so clever with that little detail I didn't miss about how whoever scores the fall becomes World Champion.

You think you can tear us apart to claim an easy win and brag like you accomplished anything... but for as much as you're banking on us to underestimate the two of you, you've gone and made that very mistake yourselves.”

Luz places her hands on the edges of the craps table and leans forward, a fury in her eyes the likes of which we've never seen before. The fire burning within her... it's far more intense than we've ever known, a raging inferno that didn't even burn this hot when she and Amelia were being targeted week after week by the likes of the Fall of Man. This is a very different La Pequeña Luz, but it can't be denied that the raw passion we feel in the air right now is unmistakably the luchadora we've all grown to love and respect.

“Gia, Gina, you can think you've come up with the most clever plan anyone's ever devised, but in doing so, you've only set yourselves up to fall harder than you ever have since you arrived here. If you actually knew anything about us, you'd know that Amelia and I never take anybody lightly and treat every opponent, no matter how they present themselves, as though they're our toughest challenge to date. Even if we weren't entirely cohesive, we didn't take Hollywood lightly on Breakdown, and we're not going to treat the two of you any different come Taking Hold of the Flame. You've put in all this effort to rip us out of our comfort zone, force us to meet you on your level, manufacture a way to try and pit us against each other... but The Light In The Darkness has always risen to any challenge thrown at us, and this one will be no different. As much as I hate everything about this, it's not going to stop me from teaching the two of you a lesson you're long overdue for: if you want to overcome The Light In The Darkness, then you better be ready to work harder than you ever have before and prove you've actually earned it.

And before you think I'm getting ahead of myself and trying to drive a wedge between us, let me address that little line you're hoping will keep Amelia and I from truly being on the same page come Sunday night: Amelia can trust me to have her back, because I have no interest in walking out of this pay-per-view as World Champion. Say what you will about the decisions she made to get there, when it comes to that ring, Amelia has done what you two never have and that's earned the right to call herself World Champion, on nothing more than her own blood, sweat and tears. It'll be my honor to help her walk out of Allegiant Stadium with that title still around her waist, where it belongs... I'll be happy enough being able to call myself World Tag Team Champion alongside her again and treating those titles that mean the world to us with far more respect than the two of you have while dancing around wearing them like bras.

Amelia deserves to be able to go on to main event Rise to Greatness as World Champion... and I plan on meeting her there.”

Luz's gaze slowly shifts down to the craps table for a moment before she reaches down and picks up one of the poker chips, her eyes fixated on the logo that has been a proud calling card for her and Amelia for so many years. Her expression shifts a bit... the passion is still there, but there's a deep contemplation we can see going on in her head right now.

“Despite the fact that the Glimmer Sisters have tried to manufacture a scenario where I can take the World Title from my own wife and partner depending on where the chips fall come Sunday night, my name is still among the forty participants entering the battle royal to try and earn a shot at that very title in the main event of Rise to Greatness. Maybe some of you think I'm simply creating a backup plan for myself, maybe some like Jonathan Knots think it's a stunt to get in Amelia's head and try to steal her spotlight. If you believe either of those, then you clearly don't know me as well as you might think you do.

If you did, then perhaps you would know why I've been going about this the way I have... and why I'm not afraid to say, right here and now, that I need to be the one who wins this battle royal.

Everyone is in this match for reasons that are very understandable: you want a shot at the World Championship, you want to prove you're one of the best in SCW, you want to make a statement if you're new or coming in from somewhere else, you want to go on to claim that coveted main event spot at Rise to Greatness. I can understand all of that, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want any of that for myself. But there's a difference between me and each and every one of you who are going to bet on yourselves come Sunday night... and that's the woman who I'm going to make sure walks into the biggest show of the year as the defending World Champion.

This... this isn't about trying to outshine Amelia or to forcibly share the spotlight with her, like some might believe, especially those who have followed Frank Delatosso's whims like Amelia's found herself doing. This isn't even about trying to become World Champion, because we've already established I could pull that off at Taking Hold of the Flame without needing the battle royal if I really wanted to. No... I need to win the battle royal, I need to main event Rise to Greatness, I need to meet Amelia there because I am the only one on this entire roster who can actually be the light that guides her back from the darkness!”

Luz slams the poker chip back down onto the impressive stack on the table before her, which causes the stack to fall and the chips to scatter everywhere. This doesn't seem to deter her, though, as she takes a few deep breaths before looking right at us with that same intensity that was directed at the Glimmers not that long ago.

“Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I'm the only one in this match who can actually go on to beat her, because I know that thought is going to drive each and every one of you who are only thinking about this in terms of the top title in this company and the biggest moment you could maybe ever have in your career. I'm saying that out of everyone in this match, out of everyone in SCW, I'm the only one who has the best possible odds of saving Amelia from the path she's chosen. I appreciate the efforts of some of you to try and talk her down from that ledge, I really do... but this is my mess to clean up, and mine alone. This all started because I wasn't a little more mindful of how Amelia was feeling when she was struggling with setbacks while I was fighting to prove myself as United States Champion. It's easy to say this could've been resolved simply by talking things out... but if there's one thing Amelia and I both know, it's that love isn't always easy, and sometimes you need to take a different approach and be ready to fight with everything you have to save the people that are most important to you.

Whenever I've said that Amelia deserves to be World Champion and has earned that right, I've meant it every single time. When it comes to the two of us, I could never lie. But Amelia let her frustrations consume her and I didn't fight hard enough to save her... hence why she's letting herself be guided by a man who is no different than her parents when it comes to telling her everything she wants to hear and molding her into something that isn't her. Sorry Mr. Delatosso, but everything I'm going to do at Taking Hold of the Flame, from helping Amelia retain her World Title in the most uncomfortable circumstances we've ever dealt with to overcoming even your own handpicked army in the battle royal? I'm not doing it for you or your New Order... I'm doing it for her.

I saved Amelia from this same scenario once before... early in our careers, in my home country, long before we were ever even friends, we put on one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time against each other. On that night, not only did I shatter Amelia's then-undefeated streak across her career... I also shattered the walls she'd been made to put up that were making her miserable and keeping her from being who she truly wants to be, who she truly deserves to be. And I plan to do it again... the brightest spotlight, the biggest stage, the highest stakes, the greatest challenge either one of us could ever face in our entire careers.

This is about so much more than the World Championship or main eventing Rise to Greatness... this is about fighting for what means the most to you and being willing to do whatever it takes to pierce the darkness and fix everything that was broken. This is the burden I bear entering Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night, and that is why there is only one right way that Taking Hold of the Flame can end.”

Luz reaches down and slowly grabs the dice off the table, taking a moment to shake them in her hand as she looks at us with an intensity that burns hotter than the proverbial flame she seeks to take hold of.

“Me llamo La Pequeña Luz. I am the daughter of the late, great El Espíritu Angélico, but I have made my own name and earned my right to be here. And at Taking Hold of the Flame, I am going to rise above the shallow games of the Glimmer Sisters.

I am going to become a record-tying four time World Tag Team Champion alongside Amelia.

I am going to help my wife retain the World Title she's more than earned.

And I am going to win the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal and meet her in the main event of Rise to Greatness.

I'm going to do all these things because love is not for cowards, and to save the woman I love from the abyss threatening to claim her, I am willing to walk through Hell itself if that's what it takes to bring her back.

And on Sunday night? That will be more valuable than any reason anybody else has to try and stop me from making things right.”

With that, Luz tilts her hand and lets the dice fall, clattering down the pile of chips before finally stopping their roll. She gives us one last fierce look before she directs our gaze down to the table, the dice resting atop a pile of chips devoted to The Light In The Darkness, the result being another pair of sixes. It's this sight, with Luz clearly betting on herself and willing to gamble it all, that we fade out on.

[Simple77]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/135OF...sp=sharing

[Ryan Lecavalier]

Rp2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12hNc...sp=sharing

[Thunderhorse]

(Striker) "Heavy Rain"