We click play on the video and as we do, a small loading icon appears in the middle of the blank screen, turning slowly as the video buffers for a split second before it disappears and the video begins to play. And now that it's playing, the first thing we see is none other than Supreme Championship Wrestling star and Hall of Famer himself, David Helms, standing in front of the desk of his home-office in the Hollywood Hills. He wears a black Regan Street shirt from a handful of years earlier, which has faded more to a charcoal grey color, paired with blue ripped jeans and trademark red Converse sneakers, as he brings a finger up to his brow to knock off a casual salute to the camera and those watching at home. As he does so, a date stamp appears in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, reading 05.23.2020, before fading out again as he slips his hand back into the pocket of his jeans and begins to speak. “Sup guys,” he says with a  warm smile that accentuates the wrinkles at the corners of his world-weary eyes. “And here we go, huh? The go-home show before Taking Hold of the Flame, which as you all know is basically the start of the greatest time of the year, Rise to Greatness season! Okay, so Christmas is magical, and easter is cool for the kids on their egg hunts and all, but if you’re in this business, if you enjoy this sport, then you know that Rise to Greatness season is the single most important time of year and it’s also the most fucking exciting too! And I know I’ve got plenty of reason not to be in a happy place right now, whether it’s worrying about my brother and the state he’s been left in by that douche canoe Giovanni Aries or whether it’s dealing with my ex-best friend Thomas Valentine’s gargantuan ego, I’ve got my fair share of issues right now that are weighing on my mind, but it’s difficult not to be excited about Taking Hold of the Flame and hopefully a new World Heavyweight Champion in Aaron Blackbourne as well as finding out who he or Bree will face in the main event of Rise To Greatness when the Flame battle royal gets underway! And you know, it’s funny… this morning, when I woke up, I was still convinced that I wasn’t going to enter; over the years, I’ve never fared that well in rumble’s, it’s one of the few matches that I just can’t seem to break the back of. Go ahead bro, tell me it’s because I’m from New Jersey and when I start getting to numbers bigger than five I start to get confused… Seriously, throw em at me dude, I’ve heard all the jokes that exist at this point. Fact is, I’ve been in the flame twice in my time in SCW, once in I think twenty ten, and then again a couple years later, twelve or thirteen. And the first time, I stunk the place up and did virtually nothing. The second, I think I finished in the top five, but even then, it’s four places away from good enough… so when I woke up this morning, I was still of the opinion that I didn’t want to enter…”

“...but things change,” He admits, grinning sheepishly as he brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “When you’ve been around the business as long as I have, you learn to start looking at things objectively as well as subjectively… and you know, I thought about the fucking pop you guys gave when that mask came off at Day Of Infamy, and I think about the support you guys have given me since me, Jason and Lucas returned, the merchandise sales that spiked since my return and even the sales of Infamously Dangerous… and I realised, regardless of my own insecurities or my own discomfort with matches like the Flame… I’m being a selfish ass-hat for not throwing my name into the hat and at least trying! The sure fire way to one hundred percent fail is to not bother trying in the first place, right? And so what if I fuck up, so what if I get dumped out early on or I get embarrassed during the match, the fact is, I’d rather be able to stand here in my next promo after Taking Hold of the Flame and say I tried than not grab a loss and have to stand here knowing I didn’t have the balls to give it a shot! So you’re hearing it here first guys… fuck it, I’m all in! Let’s take the battle royal to the Next Level, huh?!” he says before a dark cloud seems to overtake him, or perhaps a shadow is more fitting given the old moniker he used to go by during his previous run in the company. “Or maybe I shouldn’t… I mean, that whole journey has been shit on lately, hasn’t it? I think of the things me and Tommy did as The Next Level, the matches we put on, the two tag championship runs we had, and the whole damn lot of it just feels dirty now, like it didn’t mean anything because Tommy has turned into a self serving, self pitying, arrogant prick… who knew you could catch arrogance the same way you catch syphilis, huh?! Jesus. But that’s the only conclusion I can draw right now guys, because I’m pretty damn sure that Tommy wasn’t this much of a jerk until he started dipping his wick in Mt. Kandis, navigating her enormous peaks and dingy valleys, so maybe being a douche bag is a fucking STD because he clearly caught that shit from somewhere, and for as long as I’ve known Tommy Valentine, which is longer than the woman he loves has been fucking wrestling I should add, I never thought he would do the shit he has lately, destroying a decade-long friendship and turning his back on those who were like a family too him for sex! But hey, if that’s all it takes, if getting your dick wet is more important than trust, honor, friendship and family then fuck Thomas Valentine, I don’t want to be around him anymore anyway!” 

The words stung as they come from his mouth and in truth, there isn’t just hesitation in his voice but regret too… but the battle lines have been drawn and David has been pushed into a corner, or at least that’s how he feels with everything that has been going on, and when forced to make a choice, he made one. And he didn’t feel it should be on him that Tommy hadn’t taken that well and chose to lash out because he was butthurt. “But it is what it is there, I guess… and I’ll deal with it when I get my hands on the douchebag inside of a ring. For now, I should be concentrating on next Wednesday shouldn’t I? Because in what was ultimately a change to the card, I went from having the week off, to not only finding myself booked on Breakdown but also that I’d be entering the rumble at Taking Hold of the Flame. Clearly I don’t know how to take it easy in my return to the ring… and okay, so maybe I didn’t choose to be booked on Breakdown this coming week, but I’m actually glad that the card was changed for whatever reason, because I’m expecting this one to be fun! Star Of Tomorrow twenty ten versus Star Of Tomorrow twenty nineteen. A former Adrenaline Champion versus the former Adrenaline champion. Hall of Famer versus Up and comer. This week, it’s David Helms versus Jordan Majors and I am legitimately psyched about this match bro, I really am!” He says, and the bitterness that was in his face when talking about Tommy is gone, replaced by a warm smile similar to that which he wore on his face at the start of the video. “It’s funny how quickly things can change in this business though, and Jordan is a prime example of that. I’ll be honest, obviously I knew who she was but it was only recently that I actually really got to know Jordan. I saw what you guys saw on the shows, saw her choice in friends and I admit I jumped to conclusions about who she was and what she stood for. And maybe I should have listened to my bro when he told me she wasn’t like that, because he actually knew her a little bit due to her relationship with Jaina, who you know is the daughter of… well, you guys know that story, I don’t need to spell it out. But other than what things appeared on shows and second hand stories from Jason, I can honestly say that I didn’t really know that much about her. And then the cutter that shakes the world happened, and the whole SCW fanbase is awestruck… I watched the show back the day after Cold Blooded and for one small moment in time, I dunno who was more shocked, Sienna Swann or you guys in the arena. But that night, Jordan Majors proved me, Sienne and Bree, and every single person that had lumped her in with bitches like those I just mentioned wrong. And I’m going to say it now; for the second time this week Jordan, I’m going to apologise to you, because I admit that I had you wrong. I thought you were like Bree and Sienna and nothing could be further from the truth, so I’m sorry doll, I’m sorry that I judged you by the standards of the people you surrounded yourself with and I won’t be doing that again, I can assure you.”

“And as I said, that’s the second time I’ve apologised to her this week,” David says as he continues after a slight respectful bow of his head in recognition of his mistakes. “The first was on the plane from San Jose on Wednesday night after she hopped a ride on our jet back to Los Angeles, which is the night we learned that this match was happening. But that wasn’t the first real conversation we had, guys, because that happened around the start of may if I remember right. A mutual friend gave me a call and told me that Jordan was coming down to AnteUp to check the place out and asked me to give her the guided tour, which I obviously couldn’t refuse, least of all because of who was asking, but I guess I also found it interesting that Jordan would be considering AnteUp as a new place to work out. Not that I’m going to complain about that fact, because the more names that attend, the better business seems to do and that’s not something to sniff at, but obviously at the time I wasn’t aware of the circumstances surrounding Jordan’s leaving New Orleans… now, with everything that’s come out in the wash, I understand it all too well, because I’m not exactly new to the idea of fucking off to another state entirely in order to get a fresh start, am I? I moved to California from Raleigh several years ago, and I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this on camera before, but I also nearly moved back to New Jersey a few years ago too, before Regan stopped me from doing so. That was before we were married obviously, before we were dating even, but it would have been the second time that I packed my life into boxes and attempted to leave my troubles behind, so I get why Jordan suddenly appeared in a new city… which I guess is why I can empathise with her situation as well as I can?” he says with a shrug. “Or maybe I’m talking crap and it’s easy to understand in general… but dude, I have so much fucking respect for this chick after the tough decision she made at Cold Blooded. Can you imagine being in a situation where it feels like you have to decide between your own principles and saving your relationship? A situation where you have to choose between your friends or your brother? Now put both of those scenarios side by side so they’re running concurrently and add in the pressure of trying to both make people recognise your talent and prove you have what it takes to be a star… yeah, I’m surprised Jordan didn’t fucking explode over the course of time she was friends with Bree and Sienna, I really am. But damn bro, what a shocker at Cold Blooded, you know? That cutter. The roar from the fans after they realised that they actually had seen what happened in front of them. The pure moment of excitement as Jordan made her decision… and it cost her dearly yet she continues to stand proud of what she chose, despite what she lost by doing so!” 

David nods his head, clearly impressed with the strength of conviction shown by the young blonde, sacrificing so much in order to stick with her principles and fight for herself instead of being a follower of those who simply took her for granted. “But here’s the thing Jordan,” he says, giving a kind smile, but definitely one that should not be mistaken for weakness. “Much as I do applaud what you did at the pay per view, and as nice as I think you are now we’ve started to get to know each other, the fact is doll, I’m not going to gift you a win on Wednesday night,  just because I think it may or may not give you a hell of a boost going forward. I know what you’re probably thinking doll, that if you can beat me, it’s going to speak volumes about you as a wrestler and maybe even catapult you into the upper reaches of the company, though I’d say the latter is probably a stretch given my stock was much higher before I retired than it is now, but even then I guess I have to acknowledge the name value alone in beating me probably makes it worth it in your eyes. I’m a Supreme Champion, I’m a Hall of Famer and still one of the biggest names in the industry despite the fact I stepped away for almost five years… so I know you’re going to be telling yourself that a victory over me could do you a lot of favours. I don’t plan on being that giving…” David says with a slow shake of his head. “I’ve given everything to this business over the years, and I continued to give to it when I stepped away, opening up AnteUp in Santa Barbara and even buying the school in New York from the late great Orlando Cruze which became the AnteUp east coast location. But what I won’t give is an easy ride and if you’re going to beat me Jordan, you’re going to have to bust your fucking ass to do so, because as much as you think beating me will probably give you a boost and add some credibility, I have to walk into every match now with a similar mindset… only while you’re trying to build or further a reputation, I’m trying to maintain one! Every match, I have to justify my return to the ring, Jordan. Every match I have to prove I’m good enough to compete with the current generation of talent and at thirty nine I know that task is only going to get harder with time so while you’re probably motivated right now, you better fucking believe that I’m matching it with every ounce of energy I actually have! We share some mutual friends, and I’ve had it pointed out to me - painfully so by one in particular - that you’ve been watching me wrestle for years, since you were basically a kid… and you know dude, as happy as I am that I can count you among my fans, that only makes me more determined to beat you on Wednesday because if I don’t? How long before the questions start getting asked? How long before the remarks about me making the wrong call are thrown around? The comments that I shouldn’t have come out of retirement, that I’m tarnishing a legacy, burying my own dynasty or reputation! And I’m not ready for the scrapheap just yet, Jordan. I’m not ready for people to lump me in with the Sugar Ray Leonard’s and the Claude Lemieux’s of the world, who came back and blew it. I want people to talk about my comeback like they do when Michael Jordan returned to Chicago after his attempt at swapping to baseball, not his single season in Washington… and that means beating people like you, kiddo. Beating the people who are undoubtedly the future of this sport for years to come, long after I’ve run out of stuff left in the basement and walk away for good!” 

David takes a deep breath and lets it out long and slow. His eye falls to the replica championship belts which hang on the wall behind where the camera stands and he focuses on the SCW World Championship for a moment, out of view of the camera. His stature visibly grows as he looks at the face plate, gleaming in the sunlight which streams in through the open drapes and he turns back to the camera with a look of confidence on his face, ready to finish his promo. “Every show is a reminder for me, Jordan, that the clock is ticking. And it’s funny, but the older I get, the more I can truly appreciate everything that this business has given me and everything it can still give me. You’re young, you probably feel invincible at times… especially after finally stepping out of the shadows of an ‘angel’ and a ambitchous patriot… but you can take it from me Jordan, that it quickly fades. Fame that is. And while the pop may always be there, the fans will always mark out for a return or cheer a person, boo them even, for years to come… it’s so fucking easy to watch a career pass by until it’s too late. You need to make the most of every single moment, the good and the bad, in this business and I’d like to think that you’re smart enough to know that, even if you’ve made your fair share of mistakes since arriving here. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all make them; I think most SCW fans know what my biggest mistake is without me having to mention it, and I’d like to think I’ve made up for that in the years that followed. Just as you started your journey to make up for yours when you planted Sienna with the Cash Out at Cold Blooded… but your journey, Jordan? It crosses paths with mine this coming Wednesday night. And that’s where the problems begin… because while I’m happy to have you come to AnteUp to train and maybe even help our students out if I can talk you into it, while I’m happy to let you fly with us to shows as a favour to our mutual friend and while I’m happy to go on record and say I’ll have your back if you ever need it… I’m not going to divert my own path in order to accommodate yours! You’ve got a bright future Jordan, but I’m dealing in the present. And I have a metric fuck tonne more to give before I’m ready to concede that the future is now. This is the new. A New Jersey legend showing he’s as good now as he ever was! And that’s what you have to get past on wednesday kid. Not a Hall of Famer, not a legend from years ago… but a guy as motivated to this day as he ever was before. A guy in the best shape he has ever been in, as pain free as he has been in years and a guy as motivated to prove himself than he could want to be! Put up or shut up time Jordan. Let’s see what you’re truly made of…” he says before smirking as he ends in the only way he knows how to at this point. “BANG!” he shouts into the camera, before popping off a wink and as he does so, the video comes to an end, the final frame frozen in place as the video dims as the replay button appears in the middle of the screen.