06-13-2026, 06:05 PM
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)
(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)
![[Image: Shaun-Cruze.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/SX5Ng4rx/Shaun-Cruze.jpg)