Adam Brock vs. La Pequena Luz

[Wisteria Waltz]

Even in the ugly winter weather that most cities have endured in early 2024 so far, there is beauty to be found if you know where to look. That seems to be the case today as we find ourselves surrounded by beautiful plants of all shapes and sizes. While Brooklyn may be the host of Breakdown this week, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden stands as a peaceful retreat from the Barclays Center where another week of chaos and intrigue will greet the SCW fan base. Specifically, we're currently wandering through the conservatory of the Botanic Garden, and it's not hard to see why through all the windows surrounding us, feeding the plants the sunlight they need to thrive. Right now, the weather outside isn't the greatest between the heavy rainfall and the high winds that, in a few days' time, may very well give way to the first truly nasty winter storm of the season. Breakdown will come first, however, just as it will come first for a tandem that have been slowly but surely earning the respect of everyone around them.

To that point, we round a corner and find just who we're looking for as La Pequeña Luz and Amelia Blythe have come out here for a date and a chance to clear their heads, unfazed by the terrible weather outside. They seem to be talking about something before they turn and notice us approaching, to which Amelia says something quietly to Luz that we don't pick up on as she digs around in a bag the two have brought with them, ultimately finding what she's looking for as she pulls out the SCW Television Championship and hands it to Luz, who nods and smiles as she places it over her shoulder and takes a moment to adjust it to her liking. The two exchange a gentle kiss before Amelia grabs the bag and starts walking off to see more of the plant life around them, leaving Luz to give us her undivided attention.

“Buenas tardes, everyone. Hope you're all having a good start to the new year thus far, and if you're in an area that may be hit by this winter storm that's supposedly rolling through the Midwest this weekend, then please stay safe. I will be the first to admit that Amelia and I have had an... odd start to the year, to say the least. It almost seems to be a theme of sorts with our first Breakdown match of a brand new year. We started off last year facing the Happy Farmstead Friends after my efforts to team with Hairless Penguin for the Trios Tournament kind of fell apart because of his partner and manager, only for that match to see us get disqualified because of someone getting involved to get her hands on them.

This year, we opted to give Diamond Steele and a partner of her choosing a shot at our World Tag Team Titles in the aftermath of Fatal Fortunes, and... I'm sorry, but I can't truly say that we're happy with how that match played out at all. Diamond's original choice of partner apparently got trapped in her locker room so The Enigma could slot himself into that role, and he ultimately left her high and dry when they could have very well cut our reign short just when it was still getting started. At least we can say that Diamond actually gave us the kind of fight we wanted out of her all along, but the circumstances weren't exactly what we had in mind even if you feel she got her karma for having a similar situation be to her benefit against Amelia back during Fatal Fortunes.

Diamond... if I can say anything to you based on how things did play out, then I hope you learned your lesson because it's not fun when you're the one staring down that proverbial handicap scenario, and we encourage you and Crystal Zdunich to regroup and work your way back up to us so we can have this match properly. As much as we'd love to make this right and try offering you a rematch, we really can't ignore the other teams around us who have made it clear they've earned their shot and they don't want to wait any longer. And to The Enigma... I hope you're proud of yourself, managing to get one over on us in short order only to let it all slip through your fingers the way you did. I can promise you this: next time you cross paths with The Light In The Darkness, we'll be ready.”

Luz sighs a bit as she looks around at all the foliage that surrounds her, using the beautiful scene to help ground herself before she continues. It's clear to see that the way things went down last Breakdown is bothering her, but she knows she can't afford to let it consume her because there's still business to attend to and one slip in her focus could be all it takes to lose everything that she and Amelia have worked so hard to gain recently.

“There's a lot that happened last Breakdown that I could address, and I'm sure there are plenty of fans who want my two cents about who Amelia and I believe should be next in line for a Tag Title shot or what we think about the turn of events regarding Selena Frost. However, I need to shift my focus forward because while I may have gotten a reprieve from it last week to fulfill the duties of the other championship I proudly carry alongside mi amor, this week I'm right back to the challenge of defending this Television Championship every single week to see how long I can go with it. Truth be told... it actually means quite a lot to be holding this title over my shoulder around this specific time of year. After all, it was the final Breakdown before Body, Heart & Soul where Amelia won this very title... the first piece of SCW championship gold that The Light In The Darkness ever held in some fashion. If Amelia hadn't prevailed on that night, then maybe I would've never had enough of a fire burning inside to join her among the ranks of Television Champions, maybe I wouldn't have the drive to keep embracing this challenge each and every week to see just how long I can hang on to this title so Amelia has a new benchmark to aim for in her own future singles title pursuits. Where I am right now, I owe it all to her for breaking through that barrier in the first place, which is why I know that whenever she gets that opportunity to stand tall in singles glory once again, I will gladly cheer her on to see just how far she'll go and how much farther she'll push me in the process.

Maybe there are some of you out there who think it's weird the way we approach this business, especially considering how hard Ravyn Taylor tried to gaslight us a few months ago into believing that the allure of singles glory will eventually tear us apart, but we've always acknowledged each other as our respective greatest rivals even throughout our time as a tag team and as a couple. That's how we know we will always have someone pushing each of us to keep fighting to make all our dreams a reality, no matter what happens.

That brings me to Breakdown this Thursday night right here in Brooklyn. While the situation regarding who will meet us for the World Tag Team Titles at Body, Heart & Soul will hopefully be resolved—and we look forward to meeting whoever that is in the ring on that night—I will be defending this title over my shoulder for the first time this year against Adam Brock, a man who started wrestling when I was only six years old and has been going strong ever since. Even after stepping away from the ring for a while, he came back and has been competing as though he never left. That, to me, speaks volumes about how much this business means to him and how dedicated he is to being a wrestler, and that's the kind of challenge I could use right now to kind of make sure my head is screwed back on straight after last week.

After all, who better to make sure I'm able to keep fighting both as the Television Champion and as a double champion than a longtime veteran of the ring wars who will make sure I'm pushed to my limits and kept sharp for whatever the future has in store for me?”

Luz smiles at the thought, hoping deep down that she does get that kind of challenge come Breakdown so she can keep pushing herself to get better and better. In the back of her mind, she knows Amelia has been doing the same, preparing as much as possible even despite their current booking circumstances so that both women can make a strong case for 2024 to be their year both as individuals and as a tag team. The smile does falter briefly as something seems to flicker through her mind, but she quickly shakes it off.

“Adam, can I be honest with you for a moment? I wasn't sure what to think about you at first... when you came back to SCW initially, you were managing Chance Owens since I believe he was someone you trained for this business. Somewhere along the line, though, you started trying to pick fights with the likes of that Sal Darius creep or Kirsten Scott, which... I can understand wanting to help out your student, but getting to the point of trying to cause distractions and cost them matches to the degree that you were suspended because of it for a time kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. I know I have no right to judge a book by its cover, though, which is why I'm glad to see you seemingly handling your business the right way now: in-between those ropes, backing up your words in actual matches.

Maybe it's the fact that you took issue with Simon Lyman last week and want him in a match, which kind of has me worried about him trying to get involved in our match this Thursday night... I don't blame you for calling him out on his nonsense and wanting him to back it up in the ring against you. It was honestly heartbreaking to see what he became when I defended this title against him some time back compared to the man I respected and considered it an honor to meet him in that ring early last year, and I really don't want that to be the case with me facing you as well. Veterans of this industry deserve respect and I have no problem giving it to them, but the thing about respect is that it's always a two-way street and more and more often lately it feels like I'm coming across veterans who feel entitled to treating everyone else, including the very business itself, like garbage.

You're not one of those kinds of veterans though Adam, and I deeply thank you for that. You've gone out of way to make it clear that your only goal for this Breakdown is to give me the best fight possible for this title and then shake my hand afterward, regardless of the end result. That means so much more to me than I think you realize. Where I come from, the veterans of lucha libre are revered as true larger-than-life icons, regardless of whether they're heroes or villains in the eyes of the fans. Beneath it all, there's a deep respect for everything they've done to pave the way for people like me, who hope to accomplish the same thing ourselves for the next generation. Mi papá was one such veteran, always pushing himself above and beyond not just for the stories he could tell in that ring, but because he wanted to leave the business one day knowing that he'd given me the best possible starting point for my own story. Maybe someday, when I finally hang up my boots, Amelia and I could do the same for a potential child of our own, or perhaps even a student like how you opened that door for Chance. To face you in that ring, straight up, and earn your respect is proof that I'm well on my way to that bright future that Amelia and I seek to create for both SCW and wrestling as a whole.

The fact that we have every tag team in the company putting their best feet forward to earn the right to challenge us for our tag team gold is already a step in the right direction, as is being able to defend this title every single week knowing that when my reign does eventually end, the person who takes this title from me will have well and truly earned it.”

As Luz speaks, we see Amelia slowly approaching her from behind, having heard everything she's had to say and smiling at all of it, even through a blush at the mention of her and Luz perhaps having children of their own that will follow in their footsteps as wrestlers someday. As Luz reaches a point where she's taking a breath to maintain her focus before wrapping up, Amelia can't resist draping her arms over her fiancée's shoulders and kissing the back of her neck, which only brings a brighter smile to Luz's lips as she leans back in her love's embrace.

“With all of that said Adam, I hope there will be no hard feelings come Breakdown this week. As much as I respect you for helping to lay the path that I now travel, I'm not quite ready to let go of this championship quite yet. I swear to you, on my mask, that you will get La Pequeña Luz at her best right here in Brooklyn as we put on a show for these fans and prove to the world what wrestling is truly all about.

And to Syren, Ravyn, Glory and Brittany... I hope you all watch closely, because no matter if it's one team among you or if we even do battle with all of you come Body, Heart & Soul, what I'm hoping to do against Adam this Thursday night is only a taste of what 2024 has to offer courtesy of The Light In The Darkness.”

With that, Luz turns to face Amelia as the two share a tender moment of hugging one another and quietly talking, and out of respect we fade out to leave them to their date as they set their sights on making this year even better than the last, no matter how hard they have to fight to make it happen and keep earning the respect of everyone around them to prove that what they accomplished last year was no fluke and the couple is here to stay, come hell or high water, and ready to fight with everything that they have no matter the challenge.