The video begins, and we see a bobble headed blonde Syren figure in the centre of the frame. It certainly isn’t something that seems to be on sale currently, and it’s standing on a piece of clear plastic which is hard to read from the straight-on angle we’re seeing it but appears to say ‘prototype’. The camera lingers on the bobble-head for a while for us to take in all the details, including the pink outfit that she’s wearing that matches Syren’s normal in-ring attire along with a championship around her waist, and while it’s only small it’s clearly a plastic variation of the SCW World Championship. After leaving that image on the screen for a few moments we hear the sound of the reigning – and this weekend defending – SCW World Champion giggling more than a little. “Super cute, right? Got it in the post the other day. Part of my contract has a clause about approving new merchandise, since it used to mean a lot to me that SCW didn’t just market complete crap with my name on it to try to make money off of fans I cared about. Well, it still does mean a lot to me that SCW doesn’t market complete crap to make money off me, but weirdly what merchandise they sell of mine has become somewhat of a lower priority of mine lately. Can’t think why. Still, the doll is crazy cute and I’ve given my approval for it to go on sale whenever. Best thing about it? It’s actually really smart too. Just watch this. Hey little Syren doll, is Syren the most underappreciated performer in SCW today?” she asks before touching its head, and the doll nods it’s head up and down causing the World Champion to giggle again. “See, look at that, it agrees I am. And you know the best part about that? That makes it smarter than most of you.”

The camera switches from focusing on the little prototype figure to focusing on Syren now. She’s dressed in pink leggings with a white shirt and has a confident look on her face. “What can I say, guys? Maybe I’m getting bored of hearing the same shit over and over again about how I ‘don’t deserve’ to be where I am. Seriously, it’s become tiresome. You guys need to come up with new lines. I guess there are a few you can’t really use on me this week though, aren’t there? You know, the ones you’ve also used before about how I’m a slut, a whore, and blah, blah, blah, because using terms like that against me would… well, it’d just be hilarious given who I’m facing. And while I have a pretty low opinion of most of you these days I like to think that most of you are still smart enough to know that when you’re crowding into a glass house to hero-worship someone like Kennedy Street you maybe don’t want to start throwing rocks around. But, before I get to my upcoming opponent there is just one thing I need to do regarding my previous opponent,” she says, snarling angrily like she’s about to say something disparaging, and then she just smiles and starts applauding slowly. “What? Did you think I was going to say something else? No. No insults. No snide comments. Nothing negative to say at all. Amy Chastaine stepped up on Breakdown and we put on a show for the world, and I gave her a little bit but she came out on top. And I’m woman enough to admit when I lost. So, bravo Amy Chastaine, did I not say you deserved to be in position challenging for the title?”

She applauds a moment longer before reaching off screen for the aforementioned title which she casually places over her shoulder. “But… well, you’re not, are you? And while you got the big win in London, we’re walking into Tampa Bay this Sunday and I’m still your reigning and defending SCW World Champion. Now that could be different. Amy Chastaine could step up and challenge for the top prize again, as she’s done a few times before… if she was smart. But she’s not. She’s naïve. She’s naïve enough to believe that working hard and picking up wins is how you get to where you want to be, but ladies and gentleman right now you are looking at the winningest person in SCW history – winningest? Is that a word? Hope so – and I can tell you right now what that’s gotten me… but I’d be repeating my old material, because you all know what it got me. It didn’t get me into position to challenge for this title, did it? No. Alex and Ravyn did that. And yet, if you believe Amy Chastaine, everything I’ve done before now doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve changed so much that the damn-near two hundred career victories I have in the middle of the SCW ring don’t mean shit, because I can’t fight without Ravyn and Alex in my corner,” she says before rolling her eyes and laughing. “Yah, I’m meant to be upset by criticism like that. It’s meant to burn away at my soul to the point that I send them both off to the back and want to ‘prove something’ to Amy. She thinks I’m that stupid. Quite frankly it’s insulting. And here she is insulting me when all I did was try to help her last week by giving her a chance to open her eyes before it was too late…”

She rolls her eyes again and sighs. “Some people can’t be helped, I guess. Oh well, don’t say I didn’t try, Amy. And in a year’s time, when you’re still waiting on a shot on this title despite having pinned the champion on Breakdown, don’t say I didn’t tell you it would happen. Don’t say I didn’t warn you of how they’d treat you. And don’t say you couldn’t have made a difference in your own career,” she says before shaking her head. “You know, just like your bestie Kennedy has done. And I should take a moment right now to applaud Kennedy Street, shouldn’t I? Because she’s certainly made a difference in her career. Don’t believe me? Just ask her, she’ll be happy to tell you all about it. She’ll be happy to tell you what Retribution meant to her. She’ll be happy to tell you what this match this Sunday means to her. She’ll be happy to tell you how she’s going to beat me, how she’s going to take this title, how she’s going to achieve redemption, how she’s going to come back from so much, and blah, blah, blah. In fact, if you ever need someone to tell you how amazing Kennedy Street is, just ask Kennedy Street. It’s her favourite subject. It’s something she can talk endlessly about. But it’s possibly something she should consider talking about less considering whenever she does it kinda makes me hate her. Then again, I have this natural hatred for conceited bitches. Don’t know what it is. Just always rub me the wrong way, you know? It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me whenever they talk. I just hear this screeching sound and am overcome with the desire to punch them in the throat to make it stop.”

She laughs and shrugs her shoulders. “Call it a character flaw, I guess. I’m woman enough to admit to that as well. But while Kennedy may be obsessing over this idea that this Sunday – just like Retribution – is the story of Kennedy Street, how much she’s changed and how much she’s come back from, let me educate everyone listening today on what the story this Sunday is actually going to be. If you’ve bought your ticket on the strength of Kennedy’s dream, then I’m sorry guys but you’re going home disappointed. If you’ve rushed to your operator and demanded SCW on pay per view on the strength of the dream that Kennedy claims will be fulfilled on Sunday, then you might want to see if you guys can maybe get a refund? You know, before it’s too late. Or – and this is what I’d do if I were you – you can tune in this Sunday and you can watch Syren walk out still your SCW World Champion, and not just tell you one story, the story of Kennedy Street, but three…” she says, holding up her hand with her index finger and thumb held together so that she’s displaying her middle, ring and little fingers to indicate three. “Yah, that’s right guys, this Sunday is about three different stories, and not a single one of them is Kennedy Street and her redemption. But, since I’m paid to promote this show first and foremost, let me tell you all about those three stories. And, since I don’t want Kennedy getting bored because I’ve heard she’s a lot like Donald Trump and if you don’t say her name often enough she’ll just tune out, let me begin with her, shall I?”

She smiles and nods encouragingly. “Ok, so where do we begin? Well, we begin by telling you that I know what you guys have been listening to this week, and I know how excited it’s making you. You’ve been listening to Kennedy tell her story all week long, haven’t you? It’s the story of how hard her life has been. It’s the story of how much she’s struggled. It’s the story of how she felt so worthless that the only way she could imagine being relevant was to take off all her clothes on TV. That poor, sweet girl. Gosh, I felt so bad for her, just imagine that that’s the only way she could think to get noticed. I mean, I do feel bad for her… but not in the way she wanted me to. I didn’t pity her because I felt so bad for her. I pitied her because she’s genuinely stupid enough that that is the only way she could think she could be relevant. She never thought ‘if I work hard I can prove to them I’m more than just a sex symbol’. She never thought ‘if I bust my ass then eventually those fans will notice me for more than just my ass, they’ll notice me as a great competitor’. No, these thoughts never occurred to Kennedy. So while I was in SCW, stepping up and bringing to the forefront equality amongst the sexes, showing that female competitors could take on ANY challenge and overcome them just like any man, the ONLY way Kennedy Street could think to become relevant was riding horses naked… and I’m meant to feel bad for her because this dumb bitch stood for the polar opposite of everything I’ve spent my career fighting for?” she asks before pausing and just staring at the camera for a long moment. “Like, for real? And you guys actually feel bad for her because of this? ‘Oh, boohoo, poor Kennedy, how troubled she’s been because she had to take her clothes off’.”

She just starts laughing and shaking her head in disbelief. “Like I said before, she really should stop talking so much about herself, because the more she says the more I realise what dumbfuck this bitch really is,” she snaps. She rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. “But it doesn’t stop there, because along with recapping how difficult she had it outside of SCW she’s also spent so long telling us all how hard she’s had it in SCW as well. My favourite one of those stories? That would be the story about how I can’t possibly understand how she felt because a year and a half ago she almost got fired. I can’t relate to that, can I? I have no idea what that’s like, right? Ask her. She’ll tell you. Syren can’t possibly understand what it means to be so low that you almost lose your job. Now, a year ago I was attacked from behind by Josh Hudson and doctors feared I’d never compete again. I almost lost my career, but I fought back, I never let that stop me, and I beat Josh Hudson on the grandest stage of them all last year. But… well, THAT story doesn’t fit into the Kennedy Street tale of woe, so I guess we’ll ignore that detail. Instead I’ll just agree with her, because guys she’s right. She’s absolutely right. I don’t know what it was like for her. I can’t imagine what it was like to almost be fired. I’ve never been in that position. Eight and a half years in SCW and they’ve never almost fired me. I must be one of the special ones, right? Or, and here’s a wild thought, maybe the reason that I’ve never almost gotten fired is because for eight and a half years I’ve done this thing called ‘showing up to work’. It’s wild. It’s this crazy thing where you come to work and actually do what they pay you for!”

She feigns shock, like she’s just come up with some original concept that nobody has ever thought of before. “I know, whaaaaat? That’s weird, right? Can you even imagine that? Like, can you even imagine doing your job and not being an incompetent employee? Wow. What a crazy thought! And I’ve heard – and I could be wrong about this, so you’d need to check the terms of your contract there Keenie, why don’t you pause the video here and go and do that – that if you DO show up for work, and you DO actually do your job, then they WON’T THREATEN TO FIRE YOU! It’s crazy, I know, but I hear that millions upon millions of Americans have figured out that concept too at their own jobs. In fact – and this is where it gets REALLY wild – I hear that MOST of those Americans, who go to work every day and do their jobs, actually NEED that money for things like food and rent. And I know, sweetie, I know that that concept is totally alien to you. I know the concept of holding down a job to pay your bills is something you can’t relate to, and I don’t know, MAYBE it’s different over in England or whatever, but like I said, millions upon millions of Americans have figured that out for themselves. They go to work. They get paid for it. And none of them act like they’re special, entitled little princesses for doing something that fucking basic,” she says, nodding her head like she’s now talking to one of her kids. “But, if you subscribe to the Kennedy Street way of thinking, then good news guys, Kennedy has actually NOT been an incompetent employee for a whole eighteen months. Somebody throw her a fucking parade!”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out as a very long sigh. “Let me just stop a second, because I need to address Donovan Kayl and Amy Chastaine. You two are her biggest cheerleaders, right? You two are the two who are supporting her the most. Did it actually occur to either one of you that maybe you’d want to talk to her about this thing called the ‘real world’ before she tried to relate to actual normal people? You know, people who work for a living. People who do their jobs. People who need the money. Not rich, spoiled princesses born with silver spoons in their mouths who treat ‘coming to work on time’ like something they should be applauded for, rather than just the minimum requirement of employment. Did it not occur to you that when you let her run off her mouth about how special she is that she might just be making it more and more obvious with every word how conceited she actually is? Did it not occur to either of you that the best way you could support your friend was to help her realise that this ‘redemption’ she’s trying to achieve is a joke?” she asks before letting out another sigh. “I mean, most of this whole ‘redemption’ path she’s on is about making excuses, trying to make us feel like she had ‘no other choice’, and then pretending none of it happened. There’s no apologising. There’s no legitimate regret. Kennedy’s trying to pretend that the person she was just disappeared in a puff of smoke, when the truth is that person she’s spent months trying to pretend is no more is the same bitch I’m facing this Sunday night, and it’s genuinely astonishing to me that more people haven’t figured that out.”

She rolls her eyes again. “I swear to god, she went from ‘flawless’ to ‘unflawed’, which is apparently completely different in the eyes of Mr Drachewych, even though what it boils down to is that he’s a fucking idiot. Every single person he picks has turned around and stabbed him in the back, only begging for forgiveness when these same people threw their little fits and found they couldn't back up their claims to world conquest, and Kennedy is no different. That’s what she’s doing now, pretending to be ‘different’ even though every word she speaks shows us she’s not changed even a little,” she says before shaking her head again. “But here’s the thing when it comes to Kennedy, see. I don’t care how many people buy into her shit. I don’t care how many babies she kisses or how many selfies she takes with adoring fans. Believe it or not, this isn’t a beauty pageant, and doing the absolute minimum to get by isn’t something that you should be applauded for. I know that better than anyone, but the difference between Kennedy and me is that I was never spewing this shit for ‘redemption’, I actually believed in every word I said. But I’ll come back to that in a moment. Before I do, let me tell you what the first of the three stories this Sunday is going to be about is. It’s going to be about Syren walking into Tampa Bay and breaking Kennedy Street’s heart. It’s going to be the story of the hardest working woman in this industry beating the laziest, most self-absorbed one in it, and showing her that you don’t deserve a title belt for actually working, you deserve a title belt when you’re the BEST IN THE WORLD… and Kennedy, that’s what you’re looking at right here.”

She pats the World title, full of confidence. “But let’s move on from her, shall we? Let’s move on to the second story that this Sunday is about. And it’s good news for all of you, and bad news for Kennedy, because I’m not going to be saying her name so much anymore. Guess she’ll get distracted by something else shiny and wander off. Good for her. I’m going to continue by addressing all of you. All of you in the back. All of you in the arena. All of you watching from home this Sunday. Because the second thing this weekend is about is every single one of you. It’s about every fan who’s been booing me the past few months. It’s about every fan who cheers their little ‘unflawed diva’. It’s about every person in the locker room who’s talked down to me, who’s acted like I’m some dumb bitch who’s sold out what she is, and who’s told me that I don’t deserve to be where I am. The second story of this weekend is about proving something to every single one of you, because I know you don’t like me holding this title. I know it. But that’s not anything new, is it?” she asks before shaking her head. “See, here’s the funny thing about this. Right now, you’re all screaming this bullshit about how I don’t deserve to hold this belt because I didn’t ‘earn’ it. Remember the comment earlier about glasses houses and stones, considering who you think has? Not the point. The point is that’s what you’re all saying now… but how is that different to 2016? Now back then I didn’t deserve it either, right? Nah. I mean, Dawn Lohan deserved it. Tommy Valentine deserved it. Alexis Quinne deserved it. Yah, I heard that shit every week and I just brushed it off. And now, because I ‘betrayed my principles’, and because of Alex and Ravyn I don’t deserve it… but the fact is for almost nine years I’ve never been good enough for you.”

She lets out a long sigh. “No matter what I did, no matter who I beat, no matter how long I was champion or how many times I defended that belt, it was NEVER enough. You can go all the way back to my reign as SCW Women’s Champion where I was breaking records every week and I had Marina coming after me telling me I wasn’t good enough, telling me that I was failing the division, telling me that I wasn’t focused enough, and when she FINALLY took that belt from me – finally, after FOUR HUNDRED AND SIX DAYS I was on top – do you know what she did with it? She lost every single match she had while she held it. But it was ME who wasn’t good enough, right? Yah, that’s all I hear. That’s all I hear from the Jake Starrs of this company. All I hear from the Kennedy Streets of this company. The fault is never with them. It’s always on me. It’s always me who’s not good enough. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s been about four months now since I opened my eyes and I realised that nothing I ever do is going to be enough for you,” she says before shaking her head slowly. “I could hold this title another day, another week, or another year. I could beat one more challenger, ten more challengers or a thousand, and I’ll still hear the same shit. ‘I’m not good enough’. ‘Someone else deserves it more’. ‘I didn’t earn it’. The same shit every week from a new mouth. But that’s the second story of this weekend. It’s not just about breaking Kennedy Street’s heart. It’s about shattering all of YOURS as well.”

She pats the World title proudly. “If I can never be good enough in your eyes then why should I try? If you’d rather see someone like Kennedy as your champion ahead of me then why should I give a damn what you think? So, to people like Amy Chastaine and everyone else who thinks I’m stupid enough to rise to these ‘she doesn’t have the guts to fight me under my terms’ challenges of yours, just think about what you’re saying, think about what you’re challenging me to do, and then think about how many fucks I give about your opinions of me. Here’s a hint: it’s a number less than one,” she says confidently. “But do you know what I do care about? Walking out this Sunday with this belt. Walking out this Sunday STILL your World Champion. And that is what I am GOING to do. The second story of this weekend is going to be that I don’t give a fuck what ANY of you think of me anymore because I’ve opened my eyes and I’m far, far beyond caring about any of your opinions any more. I’m a six-time World Champion. I’m a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. And the opinions I care about, the opinions that mean everything to me, are the opinions of men like Alex Desoubrais – CHBK – who knows me, who knows what I can do, and is going to be at ringside this Sunday when I retain this title over Oleksa Drachewych’s hand-picked challenger. And actually, that brings me beautifully to the final story of this weekend, because it involves sending a message to our injured boss. Hey Oleksa. You doing ok?”

She pauses for a moment, nodding at the camera and giving it a little wave. “Now I need you to know a few things. First, I don’t like what happened to you. As little as you might think of me right now you know my opinions on what happened two weeks ago, right? You know how outraged I was when commentators got involved. You know I stood and fought against those who did that. So I didn’t agree with what happened to you, Oleksa. But the worst part about it is that it means you won’t be there this Sunday… to watch Kennedy fail,” she says with a smirk on her face. “I know how much you want to see her succeed. I know what it would mean to you to see her win. I know how much you want to believe that someone like her is capable of redemption. And now you don’t get to see that for yourself. But tune in on Sunday, ok? Prop yourself up in that hospital bed, get them to hand you the remote – you can still use remotes, right? SCW have been weirdly quiet on the extent of your injuries, but I figure they’ve got to be serious if they brought in David to take your spot – and keep a close eye on the TV screen. You can do that, right? Because Oleksa, you can use me as your inspiration if you like. A year ago, I was lying in a hospital bed. A year ago, Josh Hudson almost broke my neck. A year ago, I was where you are now… and remind me of something, Oleksa. How many fucks did you give about me then? Hmm… that’s what I thought. The same number I give your opinion of me right now, isn’t it?”

She smirks again. “But it didn’t have to be that way, Oleksa. All you needed to do was believe in me the same way you believe in this project you’ve got going on with Kennedy. But you couldn’t. Why is that? Is it because of Ravyn? Is it because you don’t trust her? Or is it because she kissed your little girl on live TV? Is it because she’s embarrassed you time and again? Or is it just because you thought I’d always be there, I’d always be loyal, and I’d always put your company first? You got pretty used to that, didn’t you? But this Sunday, you’re going to watch as I put Syren first. This Sunday, you’re going to watch as I put this title first. And that’s the third story of this show. The third reason that all the fans from around the world should tune in. They should tune in to see who ultimately gets what they want. Is it Mr D? Will he get his wish from his hospital bed? Will his hand-picked challenger finally topple the nasty, evil champion? He thinks she will. But what’s new? He never believed in me in the first place, did he?” she asks with a laugh. “But here’s what’s really happening this Sunday, Oleksa. I’m walking out with this belt, again. Tell David to throw whatever roadblocks he wants at me. It won’t change it. Because I’m the same girl I’ve always been, and somewhere deep inside you know that. You made me this way, Oleksa. You pushed me into this. I believed in this company. I believed in doing the right thing. I believed in you. I had to learn the hard way that when you put yourself up like that, you're going to be trampled over. I carried this place for years as the underappreciated, underutilized fill in that you kept on reserve, knowing that if your hand-picked one at the time dropped the ball, I was there. YEARS, I was here to be used. No more. I’m done with that. And that’s the story of this weekend.”

“And this Sunday you picked her, Oleksa. Ladies and gentleman, are you ready for the big event this weekend? Are you ready to see me defend this title? Are you ready for me to face Oleksa’s challenger? She’s sexy. She’s ‘unflawed’. She preaches the gospel according to Keenie… and it’s all the fucking same to me. Repackage her however you want and I’ll still roll my eyes at what she is, and has always been. So, you could demand a refund right now… or you could tune in anyway and see what’s going to happen. Maybe she’ll prove me wrong, right? Maybe she’ll deliver. Maybe I’m wrong about her. Maybe she’s different after all,” she says before rolling her eyes. “Do I need to get the little figure back and ask it if Kennedy’s the same bitch she’s always been? Nah, I think we know the answer. But I’m not. I’m no longer here to be walked over. I’m no longer here to ‘prove myself to the world’. I know who I am. I know what I am. I am the Best Female Wrestler in the World. This Sunday I prove it. This Sunday I walk out of that ring with my title belt high over my head, and I know I’m in for a fight… but you should know by now that fighting is what I do better than anyone else alive. So now you know the real stories ahead of Sunday night. Now you know what’s on the line. Now you know my mindset going into this. Now you know I’m walking out again. And now you need to just know one more thing. You need to know that you’re not going to get your ‘Flawless Diva’ moment. This Sunday I’m going to break the bitch’s heart, and when it’s over I’ll be walking away with a smile on my face, and she’ll be sat in that ring with nothing left to do but BE. TOTALLY. JEALOUS!”

And with that she walks away as the scene slowly fades to black and the replay button flashes up on the screen.