Seraphina Blaze vs. Diamond Steele

[Kemal Yilmaz]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 word max limit

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Wednesday, October 7, 2026

[Ruppy]

June 27, 2026

Wade Perkins had seen a lot in his time involving with wrestling.

He'd had a pretty decent career of his very own, even if he'd never reached the 'big time' or had the desperate desire to be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. Wrestling was a passion of his, there was no denying that, but he also knew that thinking too big and reaching too far was only going to cause him to crash and burn if he wasn't careful. It's why he kept his expectations realistic and didn't take offense when he never found himself scouted by any of the big stages out there.

He'd still met plenty of interesting people, both ones he'd form lasting bonds with and ones he genuinely never wanted to see again in his entire life. He'd gotten to put his body on the line doing what he loved in some wild matches that even those bigger stages sometimes hesitated to consider. He'd forged connections and he'd been able to go out on his terms, and he was somebody who was content with how things had panned out.

That attitude had gone a long way in helping him to keep a realistic perspective when it came to the men and women he trained at his wrestling school in Miami.

He understood why so many prospective wrestlers came to him with starry eyes and dreams bigger than even they could fathom. So many people took one look at the likes of wrestlers on the SCW roster and felt inspired to believe they were destined for those letters once they got their foot in the doors. True, he would probably agree that some of the talent under that banner was... questionable, at least in the actual wrestling department, but it was hard for him to argue against people who believed he and his fellow instructors were the gateway to standing beside the likes of The Light In The Darkness, the Frosts, Asher Hayes, Glory Braddock, Syren, and a list he could keep reading from if he really wanted to.

He hated having to be the one to be realistic, but he never did it because he wanted to crush anybody's dreams. No, the point of being upfront with his own experiences was to make it clear that while he wanted them to reach those heights, he didn't want that to be the only reason they were doing this at all and see them throw in the towel the longer they struggled to get the attention of SCW and companies like it.

Unfortunately, his realistic perspective was harder to apply to one particular student who was arguably one of his best... because twice now, she'd had a taste of what could be and was still on the outside looking in, and even he was bothered by this game now even when he wasn't the one playing.

While Wade was currently running through the final set of drills for the night with his current class of up-and-coming wrestlers-to-be, his attention kept drifting every now and then to a corner of the gym that wasn't devoted to his current efforts. Some might be tempted to accuse him of simply eyeing up a very hot piece of ass, but those people would quickly find themselves on the mat wondering how they got there if they so much as uttered the idea. No, that corner was occupied by the woman who might very well be considered the best graduate Wade's ever had from his little wrestling school, a woman who had reached World Champion status on the independent scene and proven several times over by now that just because she had some impressive tits and ass didn't mean she couldn't also kick your ass.

Wade wasn't keeping tabs on Seraphina Blaze because of her curves... hell, if it wasn't for the fact he'd lived here in Miami all his life and seen every shape of the female body and every possible way to show it off, he might've been one of those sleazy instructors who wouldn't think twice about hooking up with one of his students, implications and consequences be damned.

No, if anything, Wade had been worried about his star graduate for some time now, and SCW and the potential beliefs and politics he'd always hated seeing out of some of the bigger promotions were absolutely to blame for it.

Twice now, Seraphina had shown up at an SCW pay-per-view, not under contract but fully prepared to show that she deserved to have one. Wade could maybe give a bit of a pass, for better or worse, to the KABLAMia show from last year, because despite an impressive showing and being the runner-up to that open invitational battle royal that ultimately had an SCW U.S. Title shot up for grabs, one could definitely question a lot of the participants in that thing and the current CEO of the company seemed to have a problem with the idea of the show as a whole. It was why Wade had taken a chance to intervene on Seraphina's behalf through someone on their Board of Directors, someone he had connections with from his own time as a wrestler, and gotten Seraphina a spot in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal.

Again, Seraphina hadn't won, but she'd still had a strong showing against some of SCW's regulars and some fairly big names from elsewhere who'd entered as well, proving that she was far more than just her looks and a show concept that might've been more geared towards highlighting said looks.

And yet, SCW was kicking their road to Rise to Greatness into high gear tonight for its final stretch over in Houston, and Seraphina had heard nothing about potentially being given a contract for her efforts.

Wade wasn't blind... he could see how much it was eating away at the 28-year-old, to have stepped up to the plate and held her own under those bright lights only to once again be ignored instead of rewarded for the fire she had shown. It had him genuinely wondering if the fact that she was being overlooked was because of the efforts and influence of that CEO who was intentionally ignoring the talent Seraphina did possess all because he felt her curves alone were worth disqualifying any consideration. Surely someone with the supposed business sense of Frank Delatosso wouldn't be that shallow and the asshole he portrayed was all an act when the cameras were rolling... at least, Wade could hope, but he knew all too well reality did unfortunately include some assholes who would be that petty and sabotage a good thing so long as they got to uphold their claimed values.

“Alright, time's up!” Wade called out to bring his students and fellow instructors to a stop, giving everyone a moment to separate and line up before he continued. “Great work tonight, guys and girls. Keep some of the answers I gave tonight in mind when it comes to a healthy diet when you're pushing yourselves this hard, remember to keep your expectations of this endeavor realistic, and I'll see you all on Monday.”

The obligatory congratulations and last-minute questions and coordinating for the next classes would follow, but Wade kept the woman who had dubbed herself 'Temptation Incarnate' in his peripheral vision the whole time, clocking that while she was doing her own exercises, her attention was partially diverted to a TV that was playing, and he had a good idea of what was on. Once he finally had the free moment to do so, he headed over to her little corner and confirmed that tonight's SCW Breakdown was indeed playing, currently showing a match between the disgruntled geography teacher Wade recalls her mentioning from the KABLAMia battle royal and what looked like a brand new wrestler making his debut.

The irritation in Seraphina's eyes at this fact wasn't hard for him to miss.

“You're usually not here this late, Blaze,” he noted, trying to create an easy on-ramp for where he knew this conversation was eventually going to turn. “Not unless you're really locked-in for a big match coming up, but I don't believe the match you told me about for your return qualifies unless there's something you're not telling me.”

“Nah, it's a bit of a 'welcome back' warmup to make sure I'm all good before they start throwing me back into the fire,” Seraphina grinned up at Wade from where she was doing crunches, though the grin didn't last long as she watched Upshaw eat a german suplex from the SCW newcomer that wasn't her. “I know they're being careful, but the fact that I lasted for a good while in SCW's Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal should've been a good indication that I'm ready to go again.”

“I presume that battle royal is also the reason why you're watching Breakdown tonight as you work out?” Wade asked, folding his arms across his chest and giving her a look that made it clear he already knew the answer.

“I just don't get it,” Seraphina complained even through her crunches. “I thought I did pretty well in that match, I held my own against some of SCW's best. Delatosso's golden children save for the World Champion herself, as much as I hate seeing a wrestler like Amelia fall the way she has. Men and women who may as well be modern-day legends. Heck, even the winner and runner-up, Deanna Frost and La Pequeña Luz, were extremely good wrestlers I stepped up to and threw everything I had at them. I even managed to suppress the showwoman's mindset as best as I could and played that battle royal super seriously. Yet, I heard they signed two other guys who popped up for the first time in that battle royal who did just as well, plus this Marquis Dawson guy who wasn't even in the battle royal... but no call for me wanting to talk about an opportunity.”

Seraphina huffed, not because of the burning of her abs as she sustained her sit-up, but in frustration at the whole situation. Wade couldn't say he blamed her, considering nothing about how this had all panned out made any sense to him even in his own experience. The two of them watched as Marquis Dawson nearly took Upshaw's head off with what he called The OG Kicks before he folded up the poor man like an accordion in a rather impressive move he called Stackin' Dem Bands, and Wade had to roll his eyes a bit at the obvious effort to inject some of what some more narrow-minded individuals would consider 'his culture' into a persona just because the one thing he and Marquis would have in common is the color of their skin.

“He's got size and talent, that's for sure,” Wade noted. “Maybe a solid career ahead of him with SCW, but I'd hardly call this a confirmation of anything without seeing his previous body of work or how he fares against one of SCW's more well-seasoned talents.”

“He certainly likes to think he's the 'seasoning' SCW's been lacking,” Seraphina rolled her eyes before she rolled backwards into a headstand that ultimately led to her being back on her feet, the grace and flexibility from her dancing days fully on display in that moment. “Had a whole bunch of crazy nicknames thrown out as part of his entrance. I'm pretty sure I could take him, though... if only SCW would let me.”

Seraphina turned her gaze away from the TV, but before she could slip into any sort of spiral, Wade put a hand on her shoulder to ground her.

“Look, Blaze,” he told her. “I can't even begin to understand why SCW seems so determined to overlook you. If it's because of some dumb bias that shouldn't exist in the first place, then I can promise you their corporate team's going to have to reckon with that problem sooner rather than later. What I can tell you is what you already know: you're a phenomenal wrestler, any promotion would be lucky to have you just because you know how to get the fans invested, and you're a fighter who won't hesitate to make anybody pay for thinking you're just another pretty face or bangin' bod. Don't let small-minded idiots who happen to be running one of the biggest wrestling promotions out there today change that definition just because they can't comprehend what you bring to the table.”

Part of Seraphina wanted to laugh at the audacity of her trainer and mentor, especially when he'd purposely tried to avoid any of the wrestling politics by keeping his head down throughout his career, but she knew he was right. As much as it stung after two showings with SCW without being part of the roster, she had a body of work that made it clear she was more genuinely talented than her appearance and occasional antics would suggest. If she never ended up with SCW even after all of this, it wasn't the end of the world... she could still think it sucked, though.

She'd started to open her mouth to thank Wade for keeping her from overexerting herself for a company that clearly didn't know what they were missing out on, but before a single sound could leave her throat, her ears were graced with something that would get her blood boiling all over again.

“I know people are talking about them new kinds,” Marquis Dawson proclaimed on the TV as he was being interviewed in the ring following his debut win. “What? Soar and Crash... some Xavier kid. I saw another Cruze kid trotted out. Some Blaze chick. Flash... take some more facepaint and cover your losing ass up some more. You give them their spot in the Taking Hold of the Flame. Well, cast 'em aside, because I’m where you put your money while I whoop everyone’s ass! BET!”

While Wade could only shake his head at the brazen audacity of the man, Seraphina found herself gritting her teeth and trembling with rage beneath her mentor's hand.

“What... the hell...” she breathed out, barely restraining herself from just destroying a perfectly good TV right here and now. “Are you kidding me right now? I'm sitting here, wondering why SCW doesn't seem so keen on giving me a proper shot after what I've fought to show them, and this puta has the balls to throw my name out like I'm someone he's already conquered?”

“Come on, Blaze, ignore him,” Wade waved off the TV as the scene on it shifted to something backstage between Shaun Cruze and Polly Playtime. “Just another arrogant new guy trying to talk a big game right out of the gate. Trust me, guys like him are a dime a dozen.”

“But I can't step up and shut him up!” Seraphina snapped, and honestly? Wade couldn't blame her for the fiery fury that was starting to consume her. “The fact that he had the balls to drop my name makes it pretty clear I made a lasting impression at Taking Hold of the Flame if someone's trying to call me out for a fight. So why am I not being given a contract to answer that fight and show this asshole I'm just as much kickass as I am tits and ass? Why does he get to feel safe taking potshots at me and not have to worry about 'this chick' sitting his cocky ass down in a Blaze of Glory?”

Wade started to answer as best as he could, but Seraphina was already worked up and in a mood now, pulling away and going to find something to hit so she could get it out of her system while cursing up a storm in Spanish as she moved. He hadn't seen it too often, but Wade was familiar enough with Seraphina and her family's roots to recognize the Puerto Rican rage that burned in her veins, and he knew better than to stand in the way of her Latina fury until she'd worked through some of it.

Still, as he glanced back at the TV and saw tonight's Breakdown continuing without any knowledge of what that particular interview had ignited, Wade was bothered enough by questions he felt deserved to be answered. For that reason, he turned away from the TV and started moving to the little office he had set up, mostly for one-on-one private discussions and keeping paperwork organized, but right now some privacy was needed so he could get to the bottom of this, and he'd even let one of his fellow trainers know so he wouldn't be disturbed for the next few minutes. Closing and locking the door behind him, Wade moved to sit down at the desk and take a deep, tired breath before he picked up the phone off its cradle and dialed a number he didn't think he'd be dialing again so soon.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

“Hey,” Wade responded, keeping things maybe a little more casual than he'd have liked, but he wasn't going to be a dick about this delicate and weird situation. “It's been a minute.”

“Wasn't expecting to hear from an old friend again so soon,” the man on the other end chuckled.

“Wasn't expecting to reach out again so soon,” Wade shrugged, even though he knew the man he was talking with couldn't see him. “I happened to catch some of the Breakdown currently going on in Houston tonight... unfortunately, so did my student I talked with you about regarding a spot in that battle royal. She's wondering why that seemed to be another one-off appearance, especially after another new hire saw fit to include her in his trash talk he just wrapped up, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wanting some answers myself.”

Wade heard a sigh from his SCW Board contact on the other end. “Look Wade, I wish I had an easy answer for you, I really do. Unfortunately, things are a bit chaotic up here at SCW HQ right now. The COO being put on the shelf, the CEO trying to just seize more control... that alone's tied up a lot of us who have some pushback regarding some of Frank's vision.”

“Is it safe to assume a potential contract is up in the air because he's got an issue with the fact that Seraphina's got a curvy figure?” Wade asked, dropping the pleasantries and simply being blunt. “Because you and I both know internal power struggles might be the least of your worries in that scenario, especially in this day and age.”

“Look, I can't confirm or deny anything,” the man on the other end tried to stress. “All I will say is that Frank's made things a bit complicated and we're trying to clear things up before we start looking into other matters.”

“No offense, and I really hate to sound like an asshole here, but that sounds like deflection,” Wade sternly shot back. “I'm not asking for you to rocket her straight to the moon or anything. I can vouch for Seraphina's legit talent as her trainer, you saw what she can do in two battle royals now, including one I don't think Delatosso can gripe about because of KABLAMia or whatever. Maybe you can even discuss it with anybody in that battle royal she battled with whose unbiased opinion you can trust. All I'm saying is that Blaze deserves a proper chance, especially if her name's still on a few lips backstage judging by that little interview from one Marquis Dawson.”

Things went silent for a moment, and if it wasn't for the background noise of discussion about something between any other Board members present over there, Wade would've started to wonder if he'd been hung up on. After what felt like an eternity, though, he got an answer.

“I'll see what I can do,” his contact finally said. “I can tell you that many of us were impressed by her efforts in Taking Hold of the Flame, but I'm afraid that's the best I can give you right now until we sort out this mess Frank and his group has kind of left us with. I promise I'll do what I can to get her a contract, and I'll keep you posted.”

It wasn't exactly the answer Wade wanted to hear, but it was the best he was going to have to accept for right now. It bothered him, knowing that Seraphina Blaze was a name worthy of an SCW contract, but for now, he was going to have to settle with keeping her focused on what she did have.

And hope that professional sensibility prevailed before SCW found itself facing a problem he knew they couldn't afford right now.