The video begins and we see an empty room. The camera is set up a distance from a counter top in the background but whatever is on that counter is blurred due to the camera’s focus being more on the empty foreground of the room. Its focus has obviously been set as such and the reason for that soon becomes obvious when we hear a voice speaking from off camera. “I have waited a long, long, long time to do this… over a goddamn year, in fact…” we hear said by the voice of the iconic figure known across the wrestling world as Syren. It’s then, after a few moments, that she walks into the foreground of the shot, perfectly in focus, with both arms down by her sides, and turns to the camera when she’s in the middle of the shot, slowly lifting her left arm up to reveal she’s holding the SCW World Championship. She raises the title up and slowly places it across her right shoulder, holding onto it with her right hand before patting it proudly with her left. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have been waiting an entire year to proudly say to you that for the sixth time in my career I am back where I belong. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been waiting since December 11th, 2016, and through nine – count them, NINE – different champions to say without doubt, fear or hesitation that I have once again climbed to the mountaintop, that the Queen is back on her Throne, and that I now stand alone in second place on the list of the most accomplished World Champions in SCW history… and I’m still not even close to being done!”

She laughs, smiling proudly and patting the World Championship while taking a long moment to look at it. She looks back into the camera again, a confident grin on her face, before letting out a long sigh. “And man, does this feel good. You know what? This feels so good it should probably be criminal… and apparently a whole bunch of you seem to think it is,” she says before scoffing and rolling her eyes. “Is that right, guys? Am I a criminal now? Is that what you think? Am I a ‘bad girl’? Did I cheat my way to the top? Did I break every rule in front of me? Is that how you think I got here? Well, that just shows you how goddamn stupid you actually are then, doesn’t it? Because you know what? I could walk the senior referee, Aaron Demitra, out in front of this camera right now and I could ask him one simple question, and I know the answer he’d give me. That question? ‘How many rules did I break on Sunday, January 21st’? Do you want to know what his answer would be? None. Hell, he was in the ring when everything happened. He was looking right at Alex at ringside, looking right at Ravyn in the middle of the ring, looking right at Jake Starr’s shoulders as I covered him and pinned those shoulders to the mat one-two-three, and do you know how many infractions he saw? Zero. None. Not a goddamn one! Because I didn’t cheat my way to a damn thing. I won the SCW World Championship without breaking a single rule and yet there are so many people crying and whining right now, and do you know why? They’re not angry I ‘cheated’. They’re angry it wasn’t them in the middle of that ring doing the EXACT SAME THING!”

She laughs before nodding her head and looking at the World Championship again. “I mean honestly, can you give me the name of a SINGLE SCW wrestler who wouldn’t have done what I did in that moment? Can you honestly stand there and tell me that there is ONE of them who wouldn’t have gone for the pin the moment they saw Jake lying there unconscious? No. Because every last one of them would have done it. Do you think I’m wrong? Do you think Kennedy Street wouldn’t have scampered across that ring as fast as her daddy’s-money-abusing legs could have carried her? Do you think that the ‘Perfect’ Kelcey Wallace wouldn’t have been across that ring in a shot and making the cover as tightly as she could? Hell, are you honestly telling me that even SELENA FROST, the bitch who styles herself as holier than holy, wouldn’t have dived on top of Jake before the deafening thud of the steel smashing against his thick skull had even stopped echoing off the walls of the Bridgestone Arena? No. They’d have been in there like a shot. And every single one of you would be saying how glorious it was. Do you know how I know that? Because every one of those bitches have taken advantage of EVERY opportunity that’s fallen their way before now. There is not a single one of them who would have stood there and said the whole situation is wrong. Not a SINGLE ONE, no matter what they’ll pompously claim to your faces. Do you want to know the ONLY person in SCW who would have had a problem with doing that?” she asks before looking down at herself and shrugging. “Yah, this dumb bitch right here would have. Well, she would have…”

She rolls her eyes before letting out a sigh. “A year ago, I’d have stood in that ring and told you that I wasn’t going to win like that. Six months ago, I’d have stood in that ring and said that there was no way I wanted to take advantage like that. Hell, three months ago I’d have shaken my head, stamped my feet and said that no, the medics should attend to Jake Starr and get him back on his feet before the match can continue. And you know that that’s the truth. And do you know why? Because I was a goddamn fool,” she says before beginning to laugh and shaking her head in disappointment of herself. “Yah, you heard me. I was an idiot. And I was the ONLY idiot in this company. Do you know how I know that? Because I’M the dumb bitch who volunteered to defend this title whenever and wherever the challenges came up. Because I’M the fucking idiot who thought that if she fought as hard as she could and she won again and again and again it would set the standard for EVERYONE who came after me and EVERYONE who wanted to outdo me, but I was wrong, wasn’t I? And do you know how I know I was wrong? Because less than two months after I lost this title a year ago a new champion held it, proclaiming herself to be a fighting champion, proclaiming herself to stand for everything right and just in the world of wrestling, and SHE was issued a challenge… and she replied to ‘get in line’. That’s the CHAMPION that Selena Frost was, ladies and gentlemen. That’s the HERO that you all can’t get enough of. And while SHE told people to ‘get in line’, two months before I took that line – Tommy Valentine, Dawn Lohan and Alexis Quinne – and I told them all to GET IN THE RING and I’d fight them all at once!”

She starts laughing again, propping the World title up on her relatively small shoulders next to the size of the championship, and grinning once more at the camera. “And let me ask you this, was ANY champion after her any different? Did the ‘Perfect Champion’ actually want to DEFEND this title, or would she have done anything to hold onto it? Did Ace Marshall offer to fight in fatal four-way matches to prove he was the best, or did he prefer to scramble in the shadows and wither down his opponents to make them easier prey? Did Alistair Allocco have a set of balls on him after he won this title in possibly the biggest upset victory of 2017? And what about Jake Starr? Has Jake Starr EVER had a set of balls in this business at any point in his goddamn career? Hell no! Hell, I’m shocked that Jake’s whole body isn’t covered in needle marks considering I figure he must have been injecting testosterone his entire life to account for the fact that he’s as smooth as a Ken Doll between his legs,” she proclaims before shaking her head in disgust. “But despite all these ‘worthy champions’ taking advantage of everything they could, slinking away from challenges and refusing to stand up and fight when it mattered, I’M the one who gets criticised for what happened at Learning From History, in spite of the fact that I took the name of the Pay Per View to heart, actually LEARNED from my mistakes, and decided that for the first time in SIX MOTHER FUCKING YEARS since I first won the World title I WASN’T going to let opportunity pass me by once again! That makes me a villain, does it? That makes me a terrible person? That makes me a bad girl? Then fuck you, I wear that badge with pride!”

She slaps the title with pride and anger. “I broke NO rules at Learning From History, I became World Champion for the SIXTH time, and do you want to know the craziest thing about that night? THAT win, in Nashville, Tennessee, may just have been the most meaningful of my entire career for me not because of the way it came about because of what happened to put me in that position. Now give me one goddamn reason why I should be ashamed of what happened that night? Give me ONE goddamn reason why I should hang my head in shame considering what we saw happen that night, the backup plan held by CHBK and Ravyn Taylor that they executed to the shock of everyone in that arena – INCLUDING me – with a grace and ease that nobody could have seen it coming. I mean, I didn’t, and I spent every day with them in the build-up to the pay per view. I didn’t, and I’ve been travelling the road with them since they concocted the whole thing. And do you know why they did what they did? Well, first off because they had to in order to even the score against the BULLSHIT that SCW management have put me through in the past year, and secondly – and more importantly – because they wanted to,” she says, beaming with pride as she does so. “Do you understand what I just said? They wanted to do what they did. Nobody put them up to it. Nobody forced them into it. They wanted to put that whole thing together. They WANTED to give me the opportunity I should have had twelve fucking months earlier. And they wanted that not because they HAD to want it but because they knew it was the right thing, because they knew I deserved that opportunity, and because they had faith that putting this title on my shoulder was the right thing to do.”

She smiles again before nodding her head slowly and certainly. “And just think about that for a moment, will you? Think about all the others in history who’ve sucked up to Hall of Famers in the hopes of getting a pat on the back or of the Hall of Famer ‘passing the torch’ to them. And for that matter think about all the things CHBK himself has done for others in the past, the battles he’s fought for them, all the different ways in which he’s tried to help them, and yet it was me who he picked above all of them to take this title. And he didn’t have to do that. He doesn’t gain anything from it. Hell, I just broke away from his record of five World title reigns, so if anything he had something to gain by making sure I DIDN’T surpass him, but that’s not Alex. That’s not what he wanted. All he’s EVER wanted is for the person he sees as the one at the top rung to be where they belong. He’s tried to do that for others in the past, when he thought THEY were where I am right now, when he thought THEY were ready to take the next step, and ultimately they all failed him. The fact is that on that night Alex Desoubrais – THE legend in SCW, THE ICON of this company – didn’t just aid me in becoming a six-time World Champion, he ENDORSED me as a six-time World Champion, and the respect of someone like that, the respect of someone I’ve IDOLISED in the past, means more to me than the whining words of a thousand jealous bitches in the locker room,” she spits with venom mixed equally with an almost humble sense of pride. “So, tell me again how wrong I was, and watch me not give a fuck, because if you think I’m going to value YOUR opinion over his you’re out of your tiny, tiny little mind.”

She takes a deep breath, patting the title again with pride before smirking again as she seems ready to move on to another subject. “But let’s not dwell too much longer on how this title came back home, shall we? There will be plenty of time for that next week when Jake Starr whines about how unfair the whole situation is and dares to compare his ‘anger’ over what happened to all the bullshit I’ve been through over the last six years. So instead of focusing on that, let’s talk about the future instead. Let’s talk about my first match as SCW World Champion. Let’s talk about this Sunday, in Philadelphia, where I aim to metaphorically climb another mountain and celebrate at its peak like Rocky celebrating on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Let’s talk about this Sunday where I intend to do all I can to set two new records, as the first four-time winner of the prestigious Trios Tournament, and the first World Champion in SCW history to win herself a contract for any match she wants. And won’t that be fun? Because we know what every single person who’s entering this tournament is thinking about already, don’t we?” she asks before looking at her shoulder again and nodding with certainty. “Yep. They’re all licking their lips like ol’ Jakey did this time last year. And, after Christy Matthews showed us it was possible to crash the biggest showcase match of the year using the Trios Contract and upped the stakes of what that contact could do, Jake Starr upped the stakes even further this past year by fighting every champion in one match. And you know what, you guys? I’m begging whoever wins this tournament to try the same thing against me.”

She laughs, nodding her head and almost daring the viewers to give it a go, even going so far as to slide the title off her shoulder and hold it out invitingly before scoffing and slapping it back across her shoulder again. “Yah, you try it, and watch how it turns out for you,” she warns threateningly before giggling and rolling her eyes yet again. “Now you’re probably looking at me and looking at this belt and thinking that this belt gives me a disadvantage this week, right? Why wouldn’t it? I mean, every single opponent I step into that ring with is going to see this title as a target on my back, right? They’re all going to be coming at me twice as hard in the hopes that them pinning me pushes them right to the top of the rankings and whoever walks out of the match on Breakdown between Jake and me – which will be me, just eff-why-eye – will be forced into the next match against them. I mean, that seems logical. It’ll give them a huge step up. Who wouldn’t want that kind of chance? And what could possibly be wrong with that plan? Well, two things. First off, do you think this whole ‘target on your back’ thing is intimidating to me? Bitch, please! Not only have I been there, done that, and made a fortune off the t-shirt sales, but in case you haven’t noticed I’ve got a target on my back even WITHOUT this title around my waist! Being the woman that everyone on this roster wants a win over is just part of everyday life for me, so do you think I haven’t gotten used to that pressure by now? But I did say there were TWO things wrong with that particular train of thought, so here’s the second thing… what do those two partners of yours think about your plan to beat me and make yourself the number one contender?”

She raises her eyebrows teasingly before giggling some more. “See, that’s the bind you’re all in this week. You want to be the one who pins me. But so do each of them. And in this first round match, for example, is there any one of you who wouldn’t stab the other two in the back in order to take that win for yourself? We know Bree Lancaster would. Oh, sorry, do you want to be called something else now? Yah, bitch, I don’t give a fuck what you want to be called. Why should I, considering you’re running around at the moment bitching and moaning louder than anyone about how you should be next in line to face me, and for why, exactly? Because you got lucky at Learning From History and it wasn’t your ass that was pinned in the middle of the ring? If I recall you weren’t exactly up and fighting at the end of the match now, were you Bree? No. You were slumped over seeing just as many stars floating around your head as Jake was… well, one less than he WANTED you to be seeing, considering you were missing a Shooting Five Star from that collection. Ravyn and Alex want you to know that you’re welcome, by the way. I mean, they could easily have let him finish kicking your ass before doing what they did, couldn’t they?” she asks before laughing. “But no, you don’t show gratitude. Instead you try to make it all about you. But it’s not. This show isn’t about Bree Lancaster anymore. This is the mother fucking DARK FANTASY HOUR right now and I am sick and I am tired of jumped up, egotistical, little over-paid, over-pampered BITCHES stepping into MY RING and thinking that they belong there because they don’t.”

She glares at the camera, the venom coming out with every word she spits at it. “I don’t care who you’re fucking. I don’t care how much money he has. I don’t care how many people he can buy and sell on a daily basis. Blake Mason couldn’t take this from me. He tried. He failed. And he can throw every penny his DADDY gave him at everyone from here to the SCW Headquarters for all I care because it’s like I said before, Bree. I’ve actually LEARNED FROM HISTORY, and the major thing I’ve learned about people like you is that this SELF-MADE BITCH, who wasn’t given the keys to the kingdom by daddy – hell, ask Alex about that one, considering he got my own father to disown me on national TV once upon a time and I rose up in spite of that – doesn’t have to give a fuck about the demands of people like you anymore. Once upon a time I would have. Once upon a time I’d have been right there in that ring, throwing this title down and daring you to step up to me, but tell me… what did that get me? It got me sitting on the side-lines while REGAN FUCKING STREET was given MY opportunity. No more. I am done letting myself get manipulated by the likes of you. I am done giving into your demands so you can do everything you and your cronies can think of lie, cheat and steal this belt away from me, only to have SCW management ABANDON me all over again! I am DONE letting the likes of you into my head, so you want to scream at the top of your lungs that I don’t deserve what I have and it should be yours?” she asks before reaching into her jeans pocket and pulling out a tissue, then tossing it at the camera. “Cry me a river, and go drown yourself in it.”

She shakes her head in disgust. “I mean honestly, do you think she’d feel the way she does if it was Blake who’d knocked Jake out cold for her to take the pin? Hell no. She’d be crowing about how dominant she was and what a worthy champion she made. And she wouldn’t care about me. History has shown one thing as well: Mr Drachewych wouldn’t care about me either, would he? Do you think he’d give me a rematch? Sure, like all those OTHER rematches he’s given me when I’ve been legitimately screwed over in the past. The best thing is that Bree wasn’t even ‘screwed’. We didn’t break a single rule in that match. She lost fair and square, exactly as the rules of a triple threat match allow, and she’s still whining about how she deserves more. Well come at me in this first round, Bree. Prove you should be fighting me for the title. Prove it should be you instead of me. Just be sure to watch your back, yah? I mean, ‘God’s Bitch’ is gonna be behind you, do you think she doesn’t have ambitions to take this from me? Do you think Chad doesn’t want to get in that ring with me, and that he wouldn’t be happy to use her to do it? Hell, do you think Jason Helms wouldn’t stab you between the shoulders as well if he thought pinning me would further his career or get him a shot? He’s a Helms. Trust me when I tell you I KNOW that family, and I know when it comes down to it they may talk the talk but they think with their dicks and their egos. Something tells me that you being so ‘classy’ means his dick won’t be the thing he’s thinking with in the moment,” she says before winking at the camera. “So, do you think your partners will stand by and let you take what they want just as much as you, Bree?”

She shakes her head slowly. “But all this talk about partners means there is a little thing I should probably address as well, shouldn’t I? I mean, I’ve won this tournament before with some pretty lousy partners at my side – hi Brittany, how’s things? – but I’ve got a real challenge on my hands this weekend with Ikiro Yoshida and Tommy Valentine to call partners. I mean, I have nothing against Ikiro. Hell, he plays his cards right and this weekend could be THE breakout weekend for him, and to be honest he needs something like this. He’s got ambition. He didn’t come here to be another faceless body in the middle of the card. He’s got the potential to become the greatest foreign import that SCW has ever had, and SCW would love some of the sweet, sweet dollars that they’d rake in from all the marketing potential in Japan if they got Ikiro at the top of the card. If he wins this tournament it’ll be a lot better for his career than spanking my former Dark Triad running buddy, won’t it? But he’s got to win it first, and he may not speak English but he and I both speak the language of WRESTLING. He puts any potential problems he may share with all the others who’ve whined on Twitter about my ‘change in attitude’ aside and together we could go all the way, but he doesn’t…” she says before shaking her head slowly. “Well, let’s just say I’ve got a very powerful ally as my mentor, and he’s the kind of guy Ikiro doesn’t want as an enemy considering the ears he can whisper in and the things he can make happen. Just ask Kennedy Street what it’s like, huh?”

She winks again. “But Tommy? Now there’s an interesting partner. Six months ago, the thought of teaming up with Tommy Valentine would have been equal parts thrilling and terrifying for me. Thrilling because I know him better than anyone else, because I’ve travelled the roads with him, I’ve trained with him, we’ve stolen shows together and we’ve put on matches that will be talked about for years to come. Oh yah, six months ago teaming with Tommy would have been thrilling, but terrifying as well because as good as Tommy can be on his day… well, we all know what a disappointment he can be when he’s NOT on his day, don’t we?” she asks before nodding her head and sighing. “Let’s face it Tommy, you’re one of the best who’ve ever laced up your boots when you’re on form, but when you’re not you’re a liability and every partner you’ve ever had would tell you the same thing if they weren’t so afraid of hurting your precious feelings. I’ve wanted to tell you that for YEARS! Hell, I’ve wanted to tell you that since December 2012. Do you remember what happened then, Tommy? Do you remember the faith Ravyn and me put in you then? And do you remember how you cost us the SCW World Tag Team Championships, belts we’ve not seen again since? I do. But that wasn’t your fault, right? You only ended the legendary reign of the greatest tag team in the history of this company by being pinned in my place, but I shouldn’t hold you accountable for that, right? No, because I’m your friend and I can’t tell you how badly you fucked up on that night! Well, considering how ‘friendly’ you’ve been to me the last few weeks, let me return that friendship in kind and tell you now.”

She begins to laugh. “But there is another special parallel I’ve been thinking about since Learning From History, and I bet you’ve been thinking about it too. That’s the ‘Superkick Heard Around The World’. No, I’m not talking about CHBK kicking your teeth in on January 21st, 2018. I’m talking about THE Superkick that everyone remembers from waaaaaaay back in 2010. You remember it too, don’t you? Jake Starr, Tommy Valentine, David Helms, Greg Cherry and CHBK, enemies of the Infamous, the squad unified to take down those evil-doers… until CHBK kicked your face in and made out with Ravyn in the middle of our ring. Oh, I remember that Tommy, and I felt so bad for you at the time… but now? Now I look back and smile considering you trusted Alex again, he actually got you to believe in him all over again… and then he kicked your face in for a second time, didn’t he?” she asks before giggling to herself. “And now you’re my partner this week, and you’re likely determined to do something about the fact that Alex and Ravyn have ‘corrupted’ me, or whatever bullshit you’re telling yourself to explain away the fact that we used to be the best of friends because I was too nice to cut you loose and tell you how I really felt.  Well sweetie, now you know how I feel. Now you know how I’ve ALWAYS felt. But here’s the thing, this week I need you Tommy, and you need me, so just one more time for old times’ sake how’s about you come into this tournament as the man I respected, the man who beat Greg Cherry on the grandest stage, the multi-time World Tag Team Champion with multiple partners… and not the fuck-up you’re so capable of being.”

She sighs. “The fact is you need me Tommy, and you need that contract, and don’t think I didn’t hear what you had to say about it so I’ll tell you what, you want me in that ring? You’ve got it. You don’t even need to use that contract. We win those contracts this weekend and I’ll happily fight you any time and any place you choose. But you screw me again, like you screwed me before, and you’ll not only lose the respect I have left for you but you’ll also lose any chance you ever have of getting a shot at this,” she says, holding up the World title to the camera, “ever again, because c’mon Tommy, we both know even if Jake wins it back he’ll never VOLUNTEER to fight you. ‘Ken Doll’ Starr doesn’t have what it takes for that. You want a shot at this belt? Show you’ve got what it takes to go all the way and WIN this tournament. Because I want that contract. You hear me? Do all of you hear me? I want that contract. And I don’t just want it for me. I want it for Alex. I want it for Ravyn. I want it for the two people who helped put me back where I deserve to me, and I want it to even the scales when I do finally lose this belt – which won’t be for a long time if I have my way – because we’ve already seen while Jake Starr has a little cry and is handed a rematch, and Selena Frost pouts her frowny face and gets a rematch, and Kelcey Wallace’s friends all say how perfect she is and she gets a rematch, what do I get? A year of waiting for nothing. My opportunities handed out to others. And now Ravyn has done what she’s done FOR ME and she’s going to suffer for it.”

She shakes her head. “Do you think Drachewych is going to hand her chances now? The greatest US Champion in history, and do you think she’ll get ANY chance, or do you think Drachewych will do all he can to keep her away from every belt? Hell, he wouldn’t even let her hold the belts SHE WON, would he? So, we’re supposed to believe he’ll play fair when it comes to Dark Fantasy? Never has before… why would now be different? No, he won’t and we know it… but that Trios Contract in my hands? That’s a guarantee that Ravyn gets fair treatment. That Trios contract in my hands is a guarantee that CHBK gets the respect he deserves. They sacrificed for me, and I’m more than happy to sacrifice for them. So, this weekend if I win the Trios Contract then DARK FANTASY wins the Trios Contract, and if Ravyn wins the Trios Contract… well, you get the idea. Dark Fantasy has two chances to bring it home this weekend, but we’ll only need one, because Bree Lancaster isn’t going to stop me, Lexi Von Aaron isn’t going to stop me, Jason Helms isn’t going to stop me, and neither are any of the other eighteen in this tournament. This weekend Syren wins her fourth Trios Contract, DARK FANTASY holds the World Title and the power to get the justice we deserve, and every one of you who wants to whine about me, who wants to bitch about me, who wants to make claims about my ‘betrayal’, can do just one thing for me,” she warns before smirking. “You know what, it’s been a long time since I got to say this properly, and mean it in the way I do, so I’m going to enjoy this even more than the intro. Every single one of you can look at this belt, can see me back on my throne in my ring, and can do nothing about it but BE. TOTALLY. JEALOUS!”

She kisses her finger tips, as she’s done so many times before, but rather than blow the kiss at the camera she smirks and slams her own ass with her hand. “Did I betray you? Did I betray my morals? Did I get corrupted? Did I break your heart? I don’t care anymore, because not a single one of you ever cared about me when I was where you are right now, did you? Not a single one of you fought to get me the rematches I deserved, the opportunities I earned, because I didn’t throw lavish parties and let you all fuck my sisters. No, boys, my sister is way too good for you. And so am I. And because I didn’t kiss your asses you’d never come to bat for me, but Alex did, and Ravyn did, and now we have what you all want…” she says as she slides the World title off her shoulder and holds it up to the camera again. “So, you think I care what you think right now? I don’t. I wouldn’t kiss your ass so you wouldn’t be my friend… well now you can kiss mine. I’m done being the only one with actual morals around here… so it’s like I said, on January 21st I LEARNED FROM HISTORY… and now Dark Fantasy are set to teach you all the lessons you can handle. See you at the Trios Tournament, boys and girls. It’s going to be a fun weekend!”

She waves dismissively before putting the title back over her shoulder and walking off again. The camera stays focused on the empty room for a moment or two before fading to black, and as it finally fades out the replay button flashes up on the screen.