SCW Underground Championship Breakdown Turmoil (Open to everyone)

[Wisteria Waltz]

It's a cloudy day in Cleveland, Ohio, but that doesn't stop the hustle and bustle of daily life as people go about their business. There is a sense of excitement in the air, however, mostly centered around Rocket Arena (the former Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse) as the site of SCW Breakdown this week, where a chaotic show-wide event will take place all to give the vacant Underground Championship a new home. Who it may end up with is anybody's guess, especially since anyone can enter the fray and odds are the title will change hands several times throughout the night until only one can claim final ownership of it by show's end.

One person you probably didn't expect to even consider this match is who we find ourselves here to see today.

Roughly a five minute drive away from Rocket Arena, situated right next to Huntington Bank Field where the Cleveland Browns currently call their home, lies the Port of Cleveland, and the docks are abuzz with activity as workers load and unload cargo from the freight ships that have pulled in while the weather is decently nice for a change. As we pan around the various workers doing their thing, we find ourselves stopping at a particular 10 foot tall shipping container, and the reason why becomes apparent as we look up and find Amelia Nevado sitting on the edge of it, legs crossed and hands folded in a manner that makes her look like a proper young lady even if she's dressed in faded blue jeans and one of the various Light In The Darkness t-shirts SCW has produced and sold. And yet, she also appears to be wearing wrist tape and her wrestling boots, almost as if she's expecting the chaos revolving around the Underground Title to start right here and now.

“I bet you weren't expecting to see me speaking about this little idea for the Underground Championship, were you?”

Amelia gives us a sheepish smile as she looks down at us from her perch, though the smile fades and she turns her attention out towards Lake Erie, looking as if she's thinking about something. She gaze doesn't break even as we back up a bit to allow for a better viewing angle, though we can certainly feel that she's had a lot on her mind lately.

“I wouldn't blame you, to be honest. The Underground Championship... isn't normally my cup of tea. That isn't a knock against anybody who values this title or prefers this kind of style, because wrestling is and always will be a melting pot born from all walks of life that shape this sport into what it is today, and there will never be one style that trumps all others between those ropes, contrary to what some purists out there may try to tell you. It's just... I think it's been made a point of that my personal style doesn't always mesh well with a more 'hardcore' environment. I was raised to be a grappler, after all, a submissions machine capable of flowing from hold to hold until my opponent finally gives up. Adding weapons to the mix, changing up some of the traditional rules that are the core of a standard wrestling match? It's not something that someone like me can just adapt to overnight and all of a sudden I can call myself a 'queen of deathmatches' or anything like that.

If I've ever given the impression that I was against the very idea of hardcore wrestling itself, then I apologize now... it may not have ever been something I've been completely comfortable being a part of, but I know wrestlers both inside and out of SCW who have wholly embraced this style because it's who they are, it's what they feel the most comfortable with... it's what makes them enjoy their wrestling career the most. Any biases I may have shown for this beforehand are definite holdovers from how I was raised... keep in mind, my parents, my father especially, established themselves as some of the best pure wrestlers in England and across all of Europe. When they decided I was going to be the heir apparent to the Blythe legacy, that included the purist mentality that insisted I view hardcore wrestling as 'worthless' or other such adjectives. Then again... they also thought that way about any wrestling style that wasn't pure grappling and technical prowess on display, which is part of why they hated the idea that someone like Luz could prove herself to be my equal very early in my career.”

Amelia sighs, though it's hard to tell if it's in pain from the memory of a time that we know well by now was never kind to her or if it's a byproduct of the frustration we know has been brewing within her for months now, considering she just mentioned her wife.

“And yet, look back on my time in SCW thus far. This isn't the first time I've considered including myself in something like what CHBK proposed to crown a new Underground Champion. Luz and I both took part in a very similar kind of match three years ago, when Kim Williams concocted it through her Trios contract. Maybe we didn't have the best showing on that night, but I think we did decently well for ourselves when the final results were tallied. Let's also not forget that we've willingly embraced competing with Underground Rules to silence the European Fiery Nation who claimed we were too afraid to beat them at their own game, or that I'm the one who invoked the Chamber Match where we ran the table from start to finish two years ago. We've fought inside steel cages, Fatal Fortunes has thrown us in a Dumpster Match, a Clockwork Orange House of Fun Deathmatch, two years ago it drew me into a First Blood Match. I may not have been the most comfortable in any of those situations, but I still tackled every challenge head-on, without fear, and I adapted to what was before me to the best of my abilities.

That is what I intend to do this Thursday night, right here in Cleveland... adapt to a challenge I'm willingly taking on so I can prove myself.”

'A true Blythe sees every situation as an opportunity,' she could hear the 'true' Amelia chiming in with glee within her thoughts. All we see, however, is Amelia seemingly wince for no apparent reason briefly before she takes a deep breath and regains her focus.

“Look... it's been no secret that I've been incredibly frustrated for a while now. Everyone's talking about Luz, seeing her as the next big thing here in SCW, and I'm truly happy for her because she does deserve it. But I'm also allowed to feel sick and tired of being seen as an afterthought or treated like I'm not on her level. Luz and I have spent almost our entire careers pushing each other to greater and greater heights, so the fact that people see where we're at now and believe it's the perfect opportunity to just bury me entirely and try to be rid of me so I'm not 'holding Luz back' or thinking I'm just an easy win to get themselves back on track... if the roles were reversed, if I was still the same arrogant, cold-hearted bitch my parents raised me to be in this sport, you would feel just as angry and frustrated if I started piling on about how often you've been failing recently and acting like you weren't worth a spot on this roster, wouldn't you?

We're all human, we're all prone to getting frustrated when things don't go our way... and yeah, things maybe haven't been going my way for longer than I'd have liked. But that's hopefully where things change come Breakdown this week, because I'm more than willing to put myself in a match that may not be my style and adapt to it if it means stepping up and making a case for myself. Maybe I don't win the Underground Title, or maybe I do but don't get to hold it for very long... this is a match that is going to last the entire show and will no doubt cover the entire arena, which means I have all that time to step up to the plate and prove to management that, despite what everyone seems to think, I am good enough to be in the discussion for opportunities, no matter what they may be for. I'm not sitting here, letting myself be consumed by frustration and anger... I'm showing initiative.

Put yourself in my boots for a moment. Ever since Luz and I came back near the end of 2022, I have fought tooth and nail to not only prove I belong in this company, but also prove that I am someone that can be relied on to carry it on my back if asked to. Luz and I busted our butts to not only earn every single opportunity we got to become World Tag Team Champions, but also elevate that division and everyone within it by advocating for the kind of performances you saw from every team that was hungry for that opportunity to rise to the occasion and give us their best shot, hoping to dethrone us. When we failed in our very first shot, we went straight to the then-champions, Selena and Deanna, and put our careers in their hands, wanting them to tell us when they thought we were ready to be champions. Maybe that sounds insane to all of you, but it gave me something to strive for and a reason to keep working hard until I earned that stamp of approval.

Luz and I have always strived to be the best and earn our place here. It's why we went out of our way to assist security when we had no reason to, just to ensure things are settled within a sanctioned match that will actually mean something. It's why Luz has pushed herself so hard with her U.S. Title runs to earn her first opportunity, then prove she was a true champion despite the 'interim' tag she had to carry at the time, and even still to this day. It's why, after I failed to become World Champion back at Apocalypse, I was more than happy to step up to the plate and test myself against anybody who was also hunting for that same title, fighting to prove I deserve to stay in that discussion and can call myself World Champion someday.

A chance to prove myself... that's all I want, that's why I keep stepping up to the plate and fighting my heart out, getting better with each and every match even if I lose. Yeah, losing so often lately sucks, but I'm still here, still trying, still just as dedicated to working hard and earning my chances in that ring. Not once have I ever demanded anything, not once have I ever complained about my place around here... and yet... nobody thinks I deserve it. The last time I was given a proper singles opportunity, it was three years ago, when I fought my way to the finals of a tournament when the U.S. Title was vacant, only to fall short in the finals. Yes, I won Trios, and yes, I used my contract to take a shot at the World Title, but it's clear no one wants to count those because I won Trios with a team, or I needed help I never asked for to earn that contract, which is exactly why I waited until I felt I'd truly proven myself ready for what I wanted before I even used it. Nobody even wants to count my World Title effort because I used the contract instead of 'properly earning it' like Glory or Syren.”

Amelia sighs again before she slowly stands up on top of the shipping container. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly jumps off, taking the ten foot drop before doing a proper rolling landing, something that almost seems more reminiscent of Luz than her. Despite the dirt that's now being brushed out of her hair and covers her clothes, Amelia's look only grows more determined as she stands before us now.

“Maybe none of you will think anything I do in this match on Thursday night is 'properly' earning anything either, but I disagree. I don't care who's in this match, I plan on adapting to the challenge at hand and proving that I'm just as worthy as Luz or anybody else in SCW of being able to call myself a champion. I'll prove it... not by complaining about never being given opportunities like some who have gotten plenty and just haven't been able to break that glass ceiling, not by trying to game the system and use this match to simply 'match' Luz in singles title reigns when a literal minutes-long reign with a title is no metric that proves anything. I have a goal I'm not afraid to say out loud because it's just as much a reminder to myself of what I'm striving for as it is an incentive for all of you to try your best to stop me to increase the difficulty for myself.

I don't just plan on leaving Cleveland as the new Underground Champion. I intend to score the first fall, to be the first to hold that title... as well as the only one. I want to be the champion everyone hunts throughout the entire show, proving that I can survive such odds against anyone who steps up to the plate, armed or not, and make this a night that no one ever forgets what Amelia Nevado is truly capable of, even outside of her element. I want to survive the gauntlet... but even if I don't, even if I'm unable to ever touch that title or can't hold onto it, above all else, I want to walk out of this Breakdown having finally proven to management that I'm ready and willing to be given a chance. It's not so different from the likes of Glory, Syren, Selena, Xander... letting their winning streaks be a display of their efforts to prove they're ready. Maybe it's not a winning streak, but I aim to impress all the same.

I am Amelia Nevado... and I'm not just Luz's wife and tag partner, nor am I the 'weak link' of The Light In The Darkness. I belong here in SCW... and by the time this Breakdown is done, hopefully all of you will finally accept that as well.”

Amelia gives us a final nod before she turns to walk off, the camera following her as she leaves, eyes locked on the Rocket Arena in the foggy distance as she walks into battle, fully prepared to fight like hell and prove, even outside of her element, that she's ever bit as worthy of being regarded as one of SCW's top stars and workhorses, just like how everyone already regards her wife.