The video begins and we see that we’re inside another hotel room somewhere on the road. There’s nothing that makes this particular room stand out as different, the walls are a light beige colour, there is a painting of an ocean scene on the wall and a double bed with the sheets perfectly tucked in all around it. The room seems to be like so many others, but one thing that makes this room different, and makes it our focus, is the woman standing in front of the camera. Zoe Sperling, preferring in these moments to be known by her ring name of Syren, stands in front of the camera with a crooked smile on her face as she looks around the room. “Hey everyone,” she begins before letting out a little sigh. “So, we’re on the road again. We’re in another city, tonight we’ll be competing in front of another set of fans, and right now I’m standing in a hotel room that’s just another hotel room. Everything here is just as it always seems to be. There’s a bible in the drawer, the walls are the same boring colour as just about every other place and it’s all just the same old thing, you know? Now I could have taken the camera somewhere else, I could have filmed in a more scenic location, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to film right here because I wanted to use this setting to prove a point. The surroundings are the same and when you’ve been on the road for a while every hotel room starts to look the same, and every day becomes similar as well. You get up early, you get some breakfast, you head to the gym and you train and when you’re done at the gym you come back to the hotel room, you shower, you check out and then you get in a car or on a bus and you head off to the next city. You get to the next city, you check in to another hotel, you get your stuff, you head off to the event and you fight, and when you’re fighting you come back here all beaten up and you sleep, before starting the whole thing over again.”

She laughs a little. “Ok, so I’ve missed out more than a few other things that happen along the way, but you get the point I’m making here, right? When you’re on the road this much, when you’re in this business, every day becomes similar. Every moment becomes similar. You start to forget which hotel you were at when you watched something on television because they all blur in to one fuzzy memory. Some mornings when you wake up things are different, because your body hurts so much from the night before that you can’t get out of bed when you first try and you’ve got to lay there a little longer than usual before you force yourself up, and believe me when it comes to being hurt the day after an event I know just about everything there is to know about it,” she says before laughing again. “It’s not even just the steel cage matches that hurt either. Last week on Breakdown I went forty minutes in the ring with Thomas Valentine, one of the best this business has ever produced. For forty minutes we gave each other everything we had, we took risks with our bodies, we put everything on the line, and in the end I beat him in the middle of the ring and I got my hand raised but the next morning believe me I felt every single minute of that match. Tommy proved why he is one of the greatest ever. He proved why he’s one of a select list who’ve won a main event match at Rise to Greatness. He proved why he’s only one championship away from being a Supreme Champion. Tommy Valentine showed everyone why he’s a genuine contender for the SCW World Heavyweight Championship, but in the middle of that ring I showed everyone why I’m the Best Female Wrestler in the World! The next morning every part of me hurt, but I still got out of bed, I still went to the gym, I still continued doing the same things you do every day in this business when you want to be at the top of it.”

“That’s what it’s all about as well,” she says before pausing for a moment. “You see the hotel rooms may all blur in to one boring, blurry memory, each city you only see a tiny part of may get forgotten, and your life on the road may not be full of adventure and intrigue but every time you step in to that ring, every time you compete in front of tens of thousands of fans chanting your name, then every little bit of it becomes worth it because no matter how many times that happens, no matter how many times I hear twenty thousand people chanting my name I can promise you that I will NEVER get bored of it! There is only one better feeling in the world than being in the middle of that ring with your hand raised high above your head and thousands of fans all around you, whether they’re cheering or booing. That one feeling is being in the middle of that ring, with one hand raised high above your head with the same number of fans around you, and in other hand you’re clutching championship gold. And I’ve spent a lot of my time, a lot of my career, holding championship gold. Two hundred and seventy three days as the SCW Women’s Champion, four hundred and six days as the SCW Women’s Champion, six hundred and two days as one half of the SCW World Tag Team Champions, and a combined two hundred and five days with a feeling even better than those, as the SCW World Heavyweight Champion! I have loved every moment of every one of those reigns. I have treasured every day that I got to put one of those championship belts across my shoulder or walk out in front of thousands of people with the belt around my waist. And it’s been a while now since I had that feeling, it’s been a while now since I got to raise a championship belt above my head, but no matter what else has happened to me, no matter what other people have done to me, I’ve never stopped wanting to get that feeling back again.”

“One year ago, at Riding the Lightning Night Two, I stepped out in front of the world as a former champion with everything on the line and on that night I walked out of that building as a two-time SCW World Heavyweight Champion. A few months later, at Rise to Greatness, I had that championship ripped from my fingers and it’s the last time that I got to call myself a champion, and I want that feeling back again. Now I know what I could have done. I could have sold my soul to any number of potential devils in order to try and achieve that goal like so many others have. Every week it seems we see people that we thought we knew, people that we thought we understood, selling out everything they stood for, and most of the time it’s for the sole purpose of achieving a dream. The most recent one of those people was Ivy Knight. A few months ago she was one of my biggest critics because of all the things I’ve done in my career that she wasn’t proud of, and now I see her doing all the things she told me I was doing wrong. I’m not going to stand here and criticise her though, I’m sure she has her reasons for everything she’s done, but the reason I even bring it up is because that’s not what I want to be. Not anymore! There is no Infamous anymore, there is no Pinnacle, there is no backup plan, there is no Ravyn Taylor at ringside, for me there’s only ONE focus and that’s competing in the middle of that ring, overcoming whatever odds are thrown my way, and moving back up the ladder, moving back up the rankings, beating everyone in front of me – whether it’s Thirteen, Tommy Valentine, William Mason or Jessica Howell – and making it impossible for the match makers to ignore me forever. Every moment outside the ring right now may seem like any other, but every time I step in to that ring I want only one thing, to prove myself as the best once again,” she says before pausing for a moment and smiling, “and to become SCW World Heavyweight Champion for a third time.”

“That brings me to a few weeks ago, it brings me to my quest to fight my way back to what I want, and a few weeks ago when I stepped out in front of the world and I issued a challenge to anyone who wanted a fight at Battle in Brooklyn and Heaven Knows. I didn’t exactly have to look far to fill the first of those spots, considering I already had one man trying to put himself in the spotlight by jumping me in the back. The second person to step up though, the second person to accept that challenge, was one I can honestly say I didn’t expect. Now ahead of me I have two opportunities, two matches in two nights, and while other people may view these matches as a step down, I see them as a chance to step up,” she says with passion in her voice. “Two challenges in two nights, and each one couldn’t be more different. The first is against a megalomaniac, a man who claims his sole focus is on becoming United States Champion, and then decides to attack me in the back during an interview. William Mason isn’t the kind of guy interested in proving how good he is, he’s the kind of asshole who pays people to tell him how good he is. The second is against Jessica Howell, a girl who’s personal dreams have already come true and now who’s looking to extend that to her professional ones as well. It seems to me that all she wants is the opportunity to prove herself and given how long I’ve fought for similar opportunities who am I to deny her that? Two very different opponents with two vastly different styles, two vastly different backgrounds, two vastly different agendas, and yet between them they make up a completely unique challenge. Riding the Lightning, since its inception, was always about the unique challenge. It wasn’t just a pay per view, it was a double-shot weekend with so many wrestlers competing twice in two nights. I’m one of few who’ve WON twice in two nights before. This year I intend to do it again.”

“Now that’s not me trying to take anything away from the challenge posed by either one of these two. I’m by no means standing here trying to tell you that this is going to be easy, that I’m going to walk over either one of them. The truth is that if it was easy it wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun, would it? But this weekend I’m not looking for easy. This weekend I’m not looking for the simple match. This weekend I’m looking for a challenge! We’re only a few short weeks away from Taking Hold of the Flame, and when we reach that event then we all know what comes next – Rise to Greatness. Last year I was in the main event, defending my SCW World Heavyweight Championship. This year I want to be in that main event again, and this year I fully intend on walking out of Rise to Greatness with the SCW World Heavyweight Championship around my waist. To do that I need to do one of two things, prove myself as the best and get my shot at the championship, walk in with the championship at Rise to Greatness and defend it once again on the biggest stage, or walk out at Taking Hold of the Flame and beat twenty nine others to become number one contender and book my spot in the match. Right now, those are my goals. That’s what I want. And this weekend if I win two straight matches, if I take on two of the up and coming stars of the company and walk away with two more victories, I’ll be building the momentum to exactly that,” she says with pride and confidence before pausing again. “William and Jessica both have goals of their own though. They both have ambition, they both have focus, and they both view this weekend as a stepping stone. They both know the momentum they could build if they can leave with victories. The problem is I’m not anyone’s stepping stone!”

“Is that what you were thinking about William when you decided to attack me a few weeks ago? You’ve run your mouth about what you claim to want so many times and every time you do it the thing you want is something different, so which one of your thousand different agendas were you trying to advance when you jumped me in the back? The truth is it doesn’t matter, because I know the one thing you want that never changes and that’s the same thing that I want, the spotlight. You want your name mentioned amongst the top names in the company, don’t you? Your problem with that, and the reason that there is nobody in that locker room who respects you, is because you didn’t jump me during that interview because you stood for something. You stand for nothing! I’m not the first one who’s noticed that either. Last month you took on Thirteen, and he saw you the exact same way I do, and the same way so many others do. You said he was passed his prime, that he was a shell of what he once was, but yet when you got in the ring with him nothing you could do was good enough to keep him down. The only way you thought you could beat him was to grab a steel chair, and that didn’t work out so well for you, did it William? You won the match, but by disqualification. I’ve been there. I’ve beaten Thirteen by disqualification. The difference between you and me when that happened was that I went out in front of the world and I challenged him to a rematch, whereas you? You talked big about how much better than him you were, and then you slinked away with your tail between your legs like you always do. So what happened? You thought you were better than him, but you no longer feel the need to prove it? Or you realised you weren’t? If it was me I’d be itching for a rematch, but you? The first thing you do is jump me in the back. Like I said William, you stand for nothing. And they say when you stand for nothing you fall for anything!”

She laughs a little and nods her head slowly. “Well, let’s see if that’s true, shall we?” she asks before counting off the different things she mentions on her fingers. “I remember you being Katie Steward’s loyal minion, but you didn’t stay that loyal to her. I remember you being the rich guy, the one who loved to flaunt how much money he had. I remember you calling yourself a playboy and telling the world you’d give them all the Blake Mason Experience – seriously, on behalf of every girl ever, let me just say ‘ew’ – and I remember your numerous quests for gold. You wanted to be United States Champion. Next you want to be Underground Champion. Then you wanted to be World Champion. Then you wanted to be Adrenaline Champion, and that one you achieved and bragged about it and then turned your back on that title reign and the legacy of that championship the moment that Thomas Watson came along and took it from you. Then you’re back to claiming what you truly want is the United States Championship, but your focus on that lasts how long exactly? It’s not Jake Starr you’ve been trying to make your name off of, it’s me. And seriously, let’s not even go in to all the different people you’ve aligned yourself with, all the different partnerships you’ve tried to form only to completely turn your back on each and every one of them the moment that another one came along. The sad part about that though is that you think everything you’ve done makes you worthy of respect. No William, it makes you worthy of ridicule. You think over the past four years you’ve proven what a man you are? Is that what men do William? Do they turn their backs on their friends when their friends get hurt? Do they jump ship to new allies whenever they get bored of the old ones? What was it you said, that it’s time the whole roster understands there’s no stopping you? Well then you’re in for more disappointment because this Saturday I’m stopping you.”

She smiles confidently at the camera. “I don’t expect it to be easy though. You see, as much as I may not respect you as a man there is a reason you’ve been a part of this company for as long as you have. You don’t stay here without drive, without determination and without talent, and you have all three William. In fact you’ve proven in some of the biggest matches that you have the talent to go toe to toe with so many of the very best in the company, and I know how it feels to get so close to victory on those occasions and see it slip away from you. Maybe what you really need is that one chance to prove everyone wrong, that one opportunity to finally prove that you can win on the big stage. Well this Saturday night I’ve given you that opportunity. There’s no championship on the line between us, instead there’s something far more important,” she says with a determined look. “If you beat me in Brooklyn then you prove that maybe half the things you’ve been saying are true after all. If you beat me in Brooklyn maybe you’ll get some of that respect you want. You’ve got everything to gain in this match, and all it’ll take is just three seconds to get it all. But if you don’t, what happens then? You’re the one who started this. You could have been a man and stepped up to me the same way Jessica did in the back, you could have issued a challenge to me, you could have shown respect to GET respect, but instead you did the same thing countless others have done and attacked me. In doing that you put yourself in this position, and this Saturday night I’m going to show you what it feels like to face someone who does stand for something. What I stand for is being the best, and it’s what I’ve stood for since my very first match. In Brooklyn I’m going to show you what that’s like William, and prove to you that if you don’t stand for something, you fall to me!”

“And then there’s Sunday. Challenge number two. Another up and coming star so vastly different to William Mason! You and me aren’t friends, are we Jessica? We never have been, and that’s mostly because most of the involvement we’ve had in this business has been as a result of the people you’ve called allies. You’ve been right there in the past while I’ve fought Rachel Foxx. Your husband has been right there, attacking me from behind after just such an occasion. For the record, I am sorry about the last involvement I had with him. I never meant for him to get hurt, but considering he didn’t show me that same courtesy and considering just how many others have jumped me from behind I lost my temper, and I’m not proud of that,” she says softly before letting out a sigh. “In truth I’m not proud of a great many things that have happened in my past, but I am proud of the decision I made to accept your challenge. You’ve got ability, you’ve got so much talent, and you’ve got a personality that people just adore. I know how many people in this company attended your wedding, for example, just because they wanted to be there on your special day and share that moment with you, and that’s a tribute to you. Making that many friends in this business isn’t something a lot of people do, but it’s something you’ve done. And I’ve seen all the different tweets about you and your husband and honestly it’s sweet. I’m a romantic, and I honestly thought I could find love in this business, so to see that happen to someone else keeps that dream alive not just for me but for everyone. Out of the ring you’re evidently one of the best people, but in the ring you’re a fighter. In the ring you’ve proven no matter how things go for you that you don’t give up, and you need that in this business because succeeding in this business takes more than most people have to give it.”

“You’ve got the potential to be one of the best Jesse, that’s why I accepted your challenge, and it’s why this Sunday, no matter what happens in Brooklyn, I’m going to get in that ring and I’m going to give you everything I have,” she says with a smile. “Everyone needs a chance to show what they can do. Everyone needs an opportunity to step up to another level. This Sunday, that’s what you wanted and that’s what you’re going to get. This Sunday I’m going to get in that ring with you and we’re going to tear the house down. This Sunday we’re going to put on the best show of the night and I’m going to give you the opportunity to prove yourself against me, to beat me and put your name in the mix with all the others who are crying out for their opportunities. But I didn’t do this completely unselfishly, because this Sunday I’ve got an opportunity as well. This Sunday I’ve got the opportunity to show that I can beat anyone. I don’t know much about you in the ring, I’ve watched some matches but you’ve not got anything like the résumé that William Mason has. As the result you’re the definite underdog, and we’ve all seen what kind of upsets the underdog can cause when they step in to the big matches. So my opportunity on Sunday comes in proving that I can stop that. My opportunity on Sunday comes from proving not only do I step up for the big matches but I step up for every match. I’m a hockey fan, did you know that? I’ve watched the LA Kings more times than I can remember, and I’ve watched the greatest teams come to the Staples Center and I’ve seen the fight that the Kings have put up against them. When the big matches come along it’s not hard to get yourself motivated after all. But I’ve also sat in the stands and watched as the little teams have come, the teams that people underestimate, and won. I’m not going to underestimate you this Sunday Jessica; you have my word on that.”

She smiles at the camera again. “This weekend I’ve got two opportunities in two nights against two opponents and this weekend I intend to give it all. This weekend I’m going to fight for my place, this weekend I’m going to prove where I belong, this weekend I’m going to build momentum and this weekend I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that as the crowd leaves those arenas after each night what they’re talking about are my matches. This weekend I intend to steal the show not once but TWICE and just like always I’ll never give up, so if that means defying those at ringside, if that means struggling in forty minute matches or if that means putting everything on the line it’s what I’m going to do. This weekend, Battle in Brooklyn and Heaven Knows, I’m going to make another little bit of history. And when I step in that ring I intend to prove that I’m the best, so you can either prove me wrong, or JUST BE JEALOUS!”

She steps up and kisses the camera before the video ends and the replay button flicks up on the screen.