Chris Lawler vs. La Pequena Luz

[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.

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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.