Amelia Nevado vs. Kirsten Scott

[Wisteria Waltz]

There's nothing particularly fancy that greets our eyes this time, though maybe that's not too much of a surprise at this point. Instead, we find ourselves in a gym, moving towards a training ring set up near the back, where a couple of people are standing around it almost reminiscent of a Lumberjack Match, except they're all watching and cheering on. La Pequeña Luz is one of the individuals out on the floor, shouting words of encouragement in Spanish as Amelia Nevado is in the ring, going through a full speed sparring match with a woman SCW fans might remember as Ivy Plume from the End of the Year Open Invitational two years ago. While Ivy is certainly using her power to try and overwhelm Amelia, the more noteworthy thing is that Ivy is using a lot of moves that are known staples of “The One” Kirsten Scott, which makes sense given that's who Amelia will meet on Breakdown right here in Newark. We see Ivy manage to lift Amelia up onto her shoulders for The One's Downward Spiral, but Amelia manages to slip free and immediately puts her oldest friend into the Blight Choke, to which Ivy immediately taps out before Amelia can bring her to the mat. The two of them smile and shake hands after Amelia lets go of the hold, with Luz tossing water bottles into the ring for the both of them to rehydrate.

It's at this point that a woman with long black hair notices us and says something to Luz, motioning in our direction. Luz glances towards us and grins, nodding to Amelia and Ivy as the latter leaves the ring. They all continue to surround the practice ring, however, their presence supporting Amelia even as they make sure they're out of the way as Amelia leans on the top rope, taking a big drink of water and wiping some sweat from her brow before she smiles down at us.

“So... be honest with me for a moment. How many of you might have forgotten about me as of late?”

She pauses to take another drink of her water, even if she knows she won't be getting any sort of answer.

“I wouldn't be upset if you did, truth be told. After all, Luz and I haven't exactly made any moves regarding our rematch for the World Tag Team Titles quite yet, but make no mistake: to the Fall of Man, we haven't forgotten, nor are we just going to accept that loss from Retribution and fade away as easily as you probably hoped. Obviously the focus as of late has been on mon bien-aimé and her desire to reclaim the interim U.S. Championship from a certain woman who clearly thinks too highly of herself and will hopefully soon get the reality check she's certainly asking for. That does, however, raise an interesting question: if Luz is gunning for singles gold again, where does that leave me?

It is quite the curious conundrum, especially when you consider the landscape at the moment. Just about every title is already locked up tight or feels like it is heading into Rebirth, SCW's next pay-per-view. The Television Title might be an exception if it's getting defended on pay-per-views now, to which I'd like to offer a reminder that I did defeat the current champion prior to Retribution. But... even if nothing comes of that, there's nothing that says I can't start making a case for myself for beyond Rebirth. Prove myself in the ring, put some champions on notice, perhaps see how Luz and I might fare reigning simultaneously as singles champions for a time. It's an interesting thought, and one that I'm sure might get under the skin of the Fall of Man since I doubt they expected us to be patient and make sure that if and when we get our rematch with them, we'd be good and ready to take them down this time.

That said, I am very much aware that I still have a Trios contract in my possession that I could do just about anything with... but at this point in time? I'd rather earn an opportunity the old fashioned way, just to prove that I can and erase any doubts that I can't find success on my own the same way that Luz has.”

Amelia turns her head, locking eyes with Luz, who just nods back at her. It's clear that while that thought does seem to be something bothering Amelia, it's also something that she and Luz have talked about already at some point, and that's why there are no hints of jealousy or problems between the couple. Just Luz showing her support for Amelia's quest, just as Amelia has done for hers for so very long. With that, Amelia nods back to her before her gaze returns to us.

“In essence, I feel as though this is what makes Kirsten Scott the perfect opponent for me at this point in time. Like me, Kirsten is a woman who is looking to prove herself and won't back down from a fight to prove that she deserves an opportunity more than I do. She certainly hasn't been shy about wanting to try and take Selena's World Title match she's still holding in her back pocket away from her, or believing she's overdue for a title opportunity of some other kind.

The problem, however, is that she might've stretched herself a little too thin by picking a fight with someone who clearly loves to play head games and is using that against her.

Now, make no mistake, Kirsten... I actually empathize with you on what The Enigma did to Jake Starr and fully understand why you want to finish the job with him because of it. If anything similar ever happened to Luz, you'd better believe I would be furious and want revenge too. Heck, that pretty much sums up why things between us and the Fall of Man escalated in the first place after they thought they could take us out for good. The problem, however, is that, like it or not, the wrestling business doesn't just stop and wait until you've gotten a measure of revenge before putting you in matches that aren't what you want but could open other doors for you down the line. That's something Luz and I have had to learn since coming back to SCW a few years ago, and proving we can split our focus to deal with other matters at hand is the kind of challenge that we need to prove we're able to handle if we're going to keep picking up the pieces after Retribution and get ourselves back to the level we wish to be at.

That's why I feel this match is perfect for the both of us, Kirsten. For you, I want to be the kind of opponent that forces you to forget about The Enigma until the bell rings and one of us is standing with our hand raised in victory. I want to give you that reprieve to remember that The Enigma isn't your only challenge right now, that proving you want this win more than I do will set the stage so that once you finally get him off your plate, you have an opportunity of some kind waiting for you that you've earned, fair and square.

For me, however... I want you to be the same kind of challenge that Luz had to overcome about a year and a half ago. You remember that night, don't you? Breakdown, shortly after Halloween 2023, where Luz got the opportunity to challenge you for the Television Title and proceeded to end your reign. Going into that match, you challenged her to prove herself a worthy successor to your reign if she managed to prevail, and while she may not have reigned as long as you did, I would argue that win is what helped to put her on the map and show her that she deserved to have the same kind of singles opportunities that I had gotten up to that point. Somewhere along the line, it seems like people have reversed those roles when looking at us, but that's why I want you to push me the same way you pushed Luz on that night. Sure, maybe there's no title on the line, but who knows what the future holds for whoever wins this match, and that alone is all the motivation I need to prove that I, too, can defeat you in that ring and make a statement to the locker room that, either together or on our own, The Light In The Darkness is a threat in any form and we're always ready to keep fighting to prove we belong here and we're not afraid to shed blood, sweat and tears to earn our accomplishments the hard way, the wrestler's way.”

It's at this point that Amelia steps through the ropes and climbs out of the ring, landing right in front of us as she takes another drink of her water before staring straight at us, her eyes narrowing as she looks as intense and focused as ever now.

“I want you to understand one thing, though, Kirsten... I know you're no doubt angry, even if that anger isn't directed towards me specifically. But for as furious and frustrated as you may be, I'm not going to meet you in that ring over in the Prudential Center come Thursday night just so you can try to beat me senseless all to send a message to The Enigma. If he wants to get involved... well, Luz and I aren't afraid of him, and we still have a tiny bit of unfinished business with him ourselves from last year, but this match? This is about you and me Kirsten, throwing everything that we've got at one another to see which of us is the better wrestler on this night. As far as I'm concerned, that's all this match needs to be about, and if you think you can just make me into some sort of victim all to prove a point to a man who hides in the shadows and fancies himself a demonic entity of some kind, then you'll only have yourself to blame for losing focus and giving me the opening I need to take you down.

That's why I want you to heed my words and give me your undivided focus and your absolute best, Kirsten. That's why I want you to step into that ring and prove to me why you are 'The One' as you claimed from the very beginning. I am not someone you want to lose focus against, because trust me... I will make you pay for it, and I will make you tap out the second you give me the opening to do so. I want this win just as bad as you do... but I'm not The Enigma and I will not let you treat me like a proxy just so you can use me to vent. I know you're better than that, and that's why I want you to show me on Thursday night that The Enigma is not in your head like you claim.

I wish you the best of luck, Kirsten... give me your best shot, and may the best woman win.”

Amelia takes a deep breath before nodding to us, certain that her message has gotten through loud and clear. She sets her water bottle aside and rolls back into the ring as Luz rolls in now, the two of them nodding and looking about ready to start sparring with one another as we fade out, leaving them to their training.