The video begins and we see a shot to the SCW World Heavyweight Championship. The title itself has the straps folded behind the main plate and it’s resting on the straps, sitting upright on a bed. The camera stays focused on the title belt for a moment before we hear a voice we recognise immediately as that of the current titleholder, Syren, from behind the camera. “You know for a lot of people this is what it’s all about,” she says with the camera still focused on the title. “For a lot of people what you see in front of you right now is the most important thing in the entire world. I don’t think there’s any way we can count how many people have been hurt over the years in the name of this title, either by hurting themselves in pursuit or defence of it or because they were hurt by others who only had eyes for this. But we can name some recent examples, can’t we? I could tell you about the lengths that some people will go to try to get their hands on it. People like Jake Starr. Now I’ve known Jake a long time and I’ve seen the things he’s willing to do to hold this title. I remember back when he was willing to run his friends’ reputation through the dirt just to try to disparage him and give himself some kind of mental edge. I remember him pursuing another friend, putting the value of this title far above the value of their friendship. And I even remember the things he’s done to me…”

She laughs and turns the camera around, focusing it on herself rather than on the championship. “You see for most of my time with SCW I’ve watched from afar as men like Jake Starr have lusted after this title. That’s because for a long time I wasn’t the champion, nor was I even considered as a challenger. What I was, back then, was the Women’s Champion. I was one half of the World Tag Team Champions. But I’ve always watched from afar, I’ve always seen what people were willing to do, and then I got to experience it for the very first time on the first show that I actually held that title in my hands,” she says before letting out a sigh and smiling at the camera. “Do you remember that, Jake? Do you remember attacking me from behind with a chair on my very first show as the Interim World Champion? I remember. That was more than two years ago, and your lust for the title was pretty insane then. I remember what happened two years ago as well, almost to the day. You remember as well, don’t you? Because that was at Retribution 2013! That was the night that Syren, Tactical Warfare winner, challenged Jake Starr. You know I think back and I think how crazy it is that I was so different back then. But you? You were exactly the same as you are today. All you cared about was the SCW World Championship.”

“I remember the way that match ended. I listened to other people, and not for the first time. I mean, I love Ravyn to bits and I don’t doubt that she can scheme with the best of them, but that night her scheming and my ambition were in direct conflict. For those of you who don’t remember, let me tell you what happened. She was messing with Jake’s head, messing with his wife, and Jake vowed the same vow he’s vowed so many times before. He promised me that he’d teach me a lesson. He promised me that he’d show me how dominant he is. He beat me that night as well. He denied me my dream of proving myself as the undisputed World Champion. But he didn’t do it alone. Roeper hit me in the back with that title, Jake smacked me in the head with it, and he retained the World title not by proving he was the best, but definitely by proving that he would do anything for it,” she says before smiling. “That started a pretty crazy chain of events. Thanks to what happened on that night I stepped in to a cage six weeks later, but not with Jake. I stepped in there with the woman who’d beaten him the night before. I’ve never forgotten that night. I will never forget that night. That night defined my career, and defined the kind of person I was. I won the title on that night, but I didn’t cheat my way to it. I won it the right way. I got the job done in the ring.”

“I wasn’t the best person then. I didn’t see things the way I see them now. I didn’t ‘get it’ back then,” she admits before laughing. She reaches down and picks up the World title, unclipping the straps from the back and places it over her shoulder, holding it in place with her free hand. “You see I viewed this title the same way the rest of them did. I thought I needed it. I thought that it alone would legitimise my career. And like the rest of them I was willing to do anything to get my hands on it, and anything to keep it. But then I realised something. It took a long time, it took a lot of mistakes along the way, but I realised something about this time last year. I realised it when I stepped inside the Thunderdome with Rachel Frost and I got my ass-kicked. I realised it when twenty thousand people showed me their support. I realised it when I saw the looks in their eyes. And it wasn’t jealousy I saw, it wasn’t hatred, it wasn’t loathing, I was pretty used to seeing that. No, what I saw in their eyes was respect. And Ivy, she used to tell me that that’s what this business was built on. When I was training with her she used to tell me that that was what mattered the most in the world. And I saw the way that everyone else was, I saw the things that they were willing to do to lay their hands on this, and I used to think she was wrong… until I looked in all their faces and I saw that respect. And when I saw that it changed me.”

She laughs again, looking at the World title over her shoulder before smiling back at the camera again. “I always tried to be the best that I could be when I was the Women’s Champion, but I’ll admit that I took shortcuts when I could. I justified them to myself. I told myself that they were necessary evils. The same was true of the World Tag Team Championships. Mr D changed that though. He forced us to change our game plan. He made it so that we couldn’t risk shortcuts anymore, and we went out and we showed we didn’t need them. With no championship advantage, Dark Fantasy proved ourselves time and again on every stage in front of us. Yet when it came to the World title, I was still looking at it all wrong. Not anymore. On July 27th, when I became the World Champion for the third time – or second time, depending on which way you count it – I knew then that I was going to do things differently,” she says with another smile. “And that’s what I’ve done. And here we are, more than seven months later, and I’ve lived up to the promises I made when I won this title. I’ve never sold out. I’ve never stabbed anyone in the back. Every time I’m asked to – and I’ve been asked to a lot – I get in to that ring, title match or non-title, and I give everything I have. And I don’t just fight for me. I fight for something so much more than me, so much bigger…”

She nods her head again. “I’ve been the SCW World Heavyweight Champion for seven months, more than anyone has managed in history, and I’ve defended this championship seven times,” she says proudly. “And I don’t run, I don’t hide, and I’ve never backed down from anyone. William Mason stepped up to challenge me and I beat him. Shaun Cruze stepped up for his rematch and I beat him. Regan Street won a tournament to challenge, and I beat her. James Marsh-Asher was the lucky one at Fatal Fortunes, and I beat him. Dylan Howell got his golden opportunity, and I walked away the winner again. Chris Cannon was voted by all you guys as the next challenge, and I beat him as well, And then Donovan Kayl, someone who proved to be more of a man than anyone else, shook my head in the middle of the ring instead of trying to lay me out, and guess what? I beat him too. Seven months, seven title defences against the BEST in the company, against the BIGGEST names, against the TOUGHEST opponents, and one thing in common between all of them – I have NEVER backed down. So when they told me Kennedy Street was next, when they told me that they think she’s earned it by beating Jake, I told the world that nothing was going to change and it hasn’t. But Kennedy, she’s not like Donovan Kayl, she’s just like Jake Starr.”

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Let me ask you guys something for a moment, ok? Can you imagine an SCW with Kennedy Street as the champion? We were over in Asia recently. We did five shows in five days in four different countries. It was insane, but it was super fun. Before every single one of them there was a press conference, and I was at every one. And in SCW we have a hell of a schedule, we’re the biggest goddamn company in the world and there’s a lot of people who want to see us so why wouldn’t we have? But that schedule, it doesn’t just include live events, television shows and pay per views. It includes publicity events, it includes talk show appearances, it includes meeting fans, it includes press conferences all over the country, and for seven straight months I’ve attended every single one of them. That’s my responsibility as champion. Now, can you imagine what happens in the next several months if Kennedy Street holds this title? Keenie doesn’t do tournaments, right? We know that because she threw away a chance at the number one contendership before, deciding that she’d rather run her mouth than fight for it. And Keenie doesn’t do Battle Royals, right? Keenie doesn’t do anything that’s actually a challenge, actually. So what happens at the first event following Retribution when SCW officials are standing on the stage only to be told Keenie doesn’t do press events?”

“What happens when the fans queue for hours and hours, they show up two days before with deck chairs and tents and they camp outside buildings just to be the first ones inside to meet their heroes, to meet the biggest stars in the business, and they go inside and they find an empty desk and they get told ‘sorry, Keenie doesn’t do autograph sessions’?” she asks before laughing again. “And do you think I’m joking? Let me tell you a little something about Kennedy Street, let me tell you the difference between Kennedy Street and me. Halloween 2014, the day before my birthday, a day that I just wanted to celebrate come midnight, do you know where I was that night? In the ring! SCW had an event in Milwaukee. I was there. Do you know where Kennedy was? At a Halloween party hundreds of miles away. Do you know why? Probably because Keenie doesn’t do live events. And that, right there, ladies and gentlemen, is one of my biggest problems with Kennedy Street. You see it’s not that she’s not got the talent. Oh hell no, that bitch is way too talented for my liking. When she actually applies herself, when she actually tries, she’s one of the best in the world. But my problem with her is she’s also one of the laziest. Anything that’s difficult, anything that’s hard, anything that is in any way a challenge, we find out ‘Keenie doesn’t do challenges’.”

She stops and shakes her head slowly, letting out a long sigh. “Now you can say what you want about me today, you can say what you want about the person I used to be, and I know I have my critics, I have a ton of them in the locker room who even after SEVEN MONTHS of holding this title tell me that I’m not good enough, but one thing you can NEVER say about me is that I don’t bust my ass for EVERYTHING that I’ve ever had,” she says proudly. “Now I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I may have been born to a good father, a provider, a man who made a lot of money, a man who Kennedy wants you to believe is a nothing quack and I’m seriously not even going to justify that crap with a response, and I may have been born in to money but I never had that silver spoon. I was raised right. I was raised to appreciate the value of work. And my father, he pushed me every day. I hated it at the time. I resented him so much for it. But he was forever pushing me to be better. He wanted me to be the best that I could be, not to coast along in life posting pictures of myself on social media so that fourteen-year-old kids can masturbate over them and I can feel special. And that’s another point, actually. Do you know what I’m likely doing while Kennedy is in her bra and panties and posing in studios for photographers that she’ll later claim are ‘selfies’ when she posts them on Twitter? I’m probably in the gym, training, working hard to be the BEST that I can be!”

“See, it’s like I said, it’s not that Kennedy doesn’t have talent. It’s that she’s a lazy bitch who’d rather run her mouth than back up anything she has to say. And she’s the proud owner of an undefeated streak, right? Well it’s pretty easy to remain undefeated when you only wrestle four times a year, and when you go out of your way to bitch out of every fight against anyone who could actually beat you,” she says before shaking her head. “But that list of names I mentioned before, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This last year I’ve fought EVERYONE, from Matt Auclair to Alex Young to Ben McCaron to Thomas Valentine to the whole of New Eden. And I don’t need to say ‘I’m undefeated’, I don’t need to brag on Twitter endlessly, I don’t need to run my mouth about everyone I’ve had help to overcome because the fans do that for me. You guys know the people I’ve fought. You guys know the challenges I’ve faced. You guys know everything that I’ve done and that’s why you cheer, that’s why you chant, that’s why you support me and it’s why I love you guys. But Kennedy, she’s not like that. She’s proven it so many times, and she proved it again a few weeks ago when rather than fight me herself she had her new bodyguard, or whatever he is, attack me from behind. And that’s Kennedy Street all over. You guys ask if me I respect her? As a competitor? Of course! As a woman? Not even the slightest bit.”

“But she doesn’t care. No, she doesn’t give a damn about whether or not I respect her because she’s too busy running down my family, running down my friends, running down the place I grew up, running her mouth about everything she can because that’s all she’s got. And she wants us to know how much Mikaela loves her. She wants us to know how much Jonathan Knots loves her. She wants us to know how much Porno Lad loves her. She wants us to know that they all support her, that they say she’s going to be the next World Champion, that they say it’s her time, and that’s great. That’s fantastic. That’s so wonderful. Only there’s a problem: I don’t give a damn what ANY of them think,” she says before shaking her head again. “So you’ve got an entourage coming to the ring with you who are singing your praises, right? You’ve got an IWC legend loving every word you say. You’ve got a new big muscle man that’s willing to hurt people because Keenie probably doesn’t do physical confrontation – what’s the matter ‘honey’; worried someone might break that pretty face? Well, I say ‘pretty’ but you know, she’s got family a lot hotter – and I’ve got no one. Nobody. Not a single person. This Sunday I’ll be walking out to the ring on my own. But you know why that is, Kennedy? Because I’ve proven time after time after time that I don’t NEED anyone else!”

“You know the nicknames. You’ve mocked them enough. You know that there are probably a few hundred thousand people out there who’ll agree when I tell you that I am the BEST FEMALE WRESTLER IN THE WORLD, and that I am SECOND TO NO MAN. I’m also the SCW World Heavyweight Champion, and what are you, ‘honey’? A glorified stripper who, while I was standing up for this company, while I was putting everything on the line to represent this company, was engaged in a feud with a beauty queen over which one of them was prettier. You seriously cannot even make that shit up,” she says before laughing out loud. “And while she’s probably not done taking her clothes off, a subject that believe me I have a lot to say about that I’ll save for another time, she’s determined to add the ultimate accessory to her outfit, right? Because that’s the way people like you view this title. That’s the way people like you view the World title. You want it so you can show off, so you can pose with it, and so you can hide behind everyone else in your entourage when it comes time to fight. Well you have a lot of support in IWC as well, I hear. You’ve got a legend in your corner, you’ve got a troll who thinks he’s a cyborg alien supporting you on social media, and hey, maybe Porno Lad can pull some strings for you Kennedy, maybe he can get you a shot at Mika Koslov, maybe he can get you a shot at their top title after this Sunday is over and I show you that you’re not getting your hands on this one!”

“You’re great at running down people Kennedy, but this Sunday there’s no time for talking about it, this Sunday you’ve got to get in to the ring and you’ve got to prove it. Alex Young can’t help you then. Maximillion can’t help you then. Porno Lad can’t help you then. And all Jonathan Knots can do is cheer you on and hide his boner beneath the announce table,” she says before laughing again. “Believe me guys, I’ve sat next to him when she’s been in the ring and it’s super awkward trying not to mention that. Because here’s the thing Kennedy, this Sunday it’s all about you, it’s all about Kennedy Street, the spotlight will shine on you brighter than it ever has, all the eyes of the world will be focused on you more than ever before, and there will come a time in that ring when you’ve got to prove to the world that I’m as pathetic as you claim, that I’m the fraud that you claim, that I’m the nothing that you’re going to replace, and when that time comes I’m going to tell you right now what’s going to happen, ok? Spoiler alert! You’re going to try to beat me, just like so many others have tried to beat me. You’re going to try to take this title from me, just like so many others have tried to take this title from me. And you’re going to fail, just like so many others have failed. Because we already know that Keenie doesn’t do proper competition, but this Sunday there will be one thing that Keenie does do. This Sunday Keenie is going to be lying on her back in the middle of the ring looking up at me holding the title high over my head…”

She takes the title off her shoulder and smiles, holding it up above her head. “…and when Keenie does that, there’s one more thing that Keenie’s going to do. That’s BE TOTALLY JEALOUS!”

She smiles at the camera and nods with confidence before putting the title back over her shoulder again. “You see there are a lot of people out there who’ll do anything to get their hands on this title, but for seven months this title has been mine, for seven months I’ve overcome every obstacle in front of me, and that’s not changing this Sunday,” she promises the camera. “So if you’re listening to this and you’re supporting Kennedy Street and you’re sure that she’s got this won then good for you, but if you’re out there and you’re listening to this and you’re as sick of her as I am then this Sunday I’m going to do what we’ve all wanted to do for a long time. I’m going to kick her ass. She’s got a lot of talent, but she doesn’t have the commitment. Keenie doesn’t do hard work. But when it comes to ensuring that the World title remains the most prestigious title in this business, and not a beauty queen’s fashion accessory, Syren STANDS TALL!”

She pulls the camera in and kisses the lens before smiling at it once again. The video ends then with the scene fading out and the replay button flashing up on the screen.