April 30th, 2022, I signed on the dotted lines and became an official EAW Elitist.
For Pandora, it was October 21, 2021.
We came up within season fifteen, having our own dreams and ideals of how far we wanted to go in EAW. Even with how vastly different the two of us were at the time, we shared a common goal: to make a mark in EAW and to elevate ourselves to the top of the competition. For Pandora, she aligned herself with the Rogues Gallery, while I was a lone wolf, unconventional and not fitting the prototypical aspect of what it means to be a future star. Of course, this was back in my ‘professional wrestling has become boring’ heyday, but I was still on the mission of trying to shake up this sport in any way that I can. I wanted to interject a fresh perspective. I wanted to make some kind of difference, as did she. Of course, things didn’t work out as we thought they would. Pandora became injured and sat on the shelf while I lost my way. We were dealt with huge blow after huge blow, and at least on my end, things were quite shitty. By the time we eventually joined forces for season seventeen, there was that need for change. We lost so much time, through our own fault or not, and we knew we had to do everything we can to make up for it. We were forgotten about. Looked down upon. Disrespected and bismirched. We don’t need to go in depth with any history lessons, as all of you bore witness to our downfall. Ultimtely, the rise needed to be just as memorable, and we decided that we would ascend together, no matter what.
That is why this whole thing has been personal for us.
People see us as entitled, arrogant, suffocating oppressors on the surface, and while I won’t deny that, it wasn’t like we woke up one day and decided we would be relentless for the fuck of it. The actions we have taken have spurred from a deep-seated desire to claim our place in EAW, to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we are not to be underestimated or overlooked. We've been through the highs and lows, the triumphs and setbacks, and each experience has shaped us into the competitors we are today. People can bitch and moan about the path we have decided to take, but it has panned out for the better. Had Pandora and I remained two listless, unmotivated women who were content standing in the back of the line, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t have risen to be two notable names on Showdown. We wouldn’t have people have our names in their mouths on a week on week basis. Our faces wouldn’t be on posters, promotional material, billboards, commercials, and everything else in between. We didn’t do things the right or moral way, but there’s no denying that our methods have worked to help us rather than harm us. Of course, it hasn’t always been perfect. Have we had to endure bumps of our own this season? Yes. Undoubtedly. We had some big matches we lost. We allowed for some of our most bitter enemies to get the better of us. However, we’re in a better spot than we were last season, and all that matters is that now, we have garnered the visibility and attention we’ve longed crawled towards and fought for. People might have their opinions about us, but they can't deny the results. They cannot deny the fact that Pandora and I have grown, and it’s hard to ignore us now. For better, for worse, it holds little relevance. The point is that we have dramatically turned the tides of our careers, and we've done it on our own terms. We didn't wait for opportunities to come to us; we seized them with both hands, and while our journey hasn't been without its challenges, every obstacle we've faced has only made us stronger.
Now, all we need to do is ensure that everything we have done won’t go to waste.
Pandora was right. This match was always going to be personal. However, it goes far beyond just reaching a certain breaking point and snapping. Far beyond what we did to ARIA. Far beyond the fighting and scraping we’ve done with NICHOLISM before. No matter what, whenever Pandora and I were going to stake our claim as the next ones to challenge for the tag team championships, it was always going to have that element of personal investment, because for us, this moment right here is everything. It's personal because we've poured our hearts and souls into this journey. It's personal because we refuse to let anyone stand in our way, and it's personal because we know that this is our moment, our opportunity to shine and to make everything worth it. This match means a lot for Pandora and I. Heaven forbid the two of us who are hated by everyone express our genuine feelings, but honestly, it cannot be overstated how huge this is for us. This match is personal beyond the usual connotations that such a phrase paints. Since the turn of the season, the two of us have worked to do all that we can to dramatically turn around the floundering reputations that we had. We came into this with a purpose, a drive, and a certain vengeance to get back at every and anyone who has said that we wouldn’t make it far in our careers at all. The past ten months have been our own redemption story. We weren’t going to be denied for much longer. We were going to force the same world who saw us as nothing to wake up and recognize us, come hell or high water. It didn’t matter the methods that we took. It didn’t matter if people were going to favor or like us. All we wanted more than anything else was to finally be seen as threats, to have the spotlight to ourselves, and sure enough, we’ve done well to earn it. Of course, people will say we’re still unworthy because we had to step over their favorites and press forward with force. We didn’t wait for our seat by the table. We snatched the chairs from others we deemed to be unfit of getting their piece of the pie, and we took it for ourselves. We said we were going to be taking every single thing for ourselves, and now, we are on the precipice of accomplishing just that.
And I suppose that places pressure on us to win, because if we don’t, then everything that everyone has said about us would be justified. You would all gain a smug sense of satisfaction that all of the excuses have run dry. We can’t say we wasted our time in Devolution. We can’t blame anyone else for our own incompetence. The fault would solely be on us, and given how close we are to this season ending, it’s safe to say that there will be no second chances afforded for Pandora and I. This is our one and only chance to win the Unified Tag Team Championships, and for everyone who will be watching Grand Rampage, they want for us to blow this chance. After everything we have done, the entirety of the EAW Universe are banking on us being given our karma, and they want for NICHOLISM to put that final nail in our coffin, effectively proving that Pandora Paisley and Halsey Neel will never, ever matter in the grand scheme of things. There is a lot at stake that goes beyond just championship gold and the typical sense of glory. This is about making sure that all that we have done will culminate in us giving each and every single one of you that final proverbial middle finger, and I will be damned if I were to let you all get the last laugh over us. I will not allow for Alex and Ruler to undo all of the work we put in to get here, and neither will Pandora. It took us an agonizingly long time to get here, but we’ve reached our destination, and we will not relent until we walk out of Phoenix, Arizona with those tag titles.
And we are going to get them.
After all that we had to endure, it is our time now. I am not going to let down Pandora. I’m not going to let down myself. I have come too fucking far to let all of this blow up in my face. I have had to go through so much, and if Alex Myers and Ruler think they’re going to be the two who will shut the door in my face, then they are sorely mistaken. I’m kicking that shit down with full force, and Pandora and I will be collecting what is ours. Especially with all of this stupid arrogance that has been pouring from them for weeks on end when the simple fact is that they wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Jaded Hearts cleanly anyways, it’s about time for Pandora and I to wake these two up and show them that they truly aren’t as great as they portray themselves out to be.
Besides, considering the long list of talent we have faced and even beaten, these two are far from the best we have wrestled.
Alex and Ruler have spoken, and after taking the time to digest their words, I am left unmoved. I don’t have any doubts creeping in. I don’t feel as if I am faced with an impossible task to conquer. Neither does Pandora. All we’re met with is two people with arrogance going along the same lines as others have before them, but the only difference is that their words don’t hold the same weight. They lack the same punch. It isn’t like Ruler and Alex have been setting the world on fire since the beginning of this season. They themselves had their own struggles, their own bouts of failures, and quite frankly, compared to a lot of the people we have faced, they aren’t exactly these heavyweight world beaters. The only feather they have in their cap is the fact that they have seen some success before prior to becoming a tag team with their respective New Breed title runs, but other than that? They aren’t the future of their brand, of this division, or even this promotion as they have continued to portray themselves as. The fact of the matter is that there are people who came after and even before them who are bigger stars than them, who have solidified themselves, while it wasn’t all that long ago that Alex and Ruler were straight up struggling to get their feet out of the cement that they were stuck in. I mean, no one in their right minds places Alex Myers and Ruler alongside the likes of Minerva, Bethany, Jamie, Charlie, Rex, Holly and Harper, and I can say that with the most certainty. People like Bea are better candidates for the future mantle than them. However, hearing the two of them speak this week, you would think that isn’t the case. They talk with the confidence of hall of famers while little old me and Pandora are peons compared to them. They may not outright say it, but it’s heavily implied, and when you pair all of that up with the things they have said for weeks on end leading up to this very match here, it’s laughable at best, and downright sad at worst. Still, I’m not surprised. In this business, there’s a certain level of faking it until you make it, and Alex and Ruler have done well enough in that regard. They need to talk themselves up in order to believe they have what it takes to win. From nullifying how they won the tag titles still to trying to paint us a team who’s only bound to lose, they have to ooze a certain level of unfounded confidence to try and fluster Pandora and I in any way. Unfortunately, not only does it not work — beyond it just being unoriginal and tired — but it’s not believable at all. Not from these two.
To put it simply, there is no considerable gap between NICHOLISM and British Invasion as competitors.
There’s literally not one.
At the very least, I had nerves heading into The Last Stand. I was desperate to prove myself against the likes of Madison Kaline and Raven Roberts at Road to Redemption. I had the faintest of jitters when I saw my name across the likes of PJ Hendrx and Terry Chambers, knowing good and well that literally everyone wasn’t counting on me and Solomon Stane to beat them at Reasonable Doubt. However, the feeling that I have now is different. It’s not indifference. I take this match seriously enough considering what I explained earlier and the fact that the Unified Tag Team championships are on the line. However, there are no pins or butterflies in my stomach. I am comfortably numb, immune to whatever shit Alex and Ruler want to say. I’m focused. I’m prepared. I’m in an entirely different zone, and nothing they say can shake me from it. Neither will it bother Pandora. We’re just not going to back down, and we certainly aren’t going to head into this week thinking that we don’t stand a chance against our opponents. However, our own confidence seems to rub these two the wrong way. I mean, Alex is saying that I’m talking crazy, and it makes me laugh. Then again, that’s all people ever say. “Halsey, you’re out of your mind.” “Halsey, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Halsey, you shouldn’t be coming at me in this way.” Yet, I still do and always will. I know people tend to get real nostalgic about me being a bare minimum bitch and all of that, but she’s dead guys, and if you’re thinking that I’m not gonna prop myself or my friend up as two women who are more than capable of winning the tag championships at Grand Rampage, then I don’t know what else to tell you. I have been able to found my voice and strengthen it. I don’t plan on losing it again, especially when I am on the cusp of winning my first-ever championship here in EAW. I've faced doubts and naysayers all season long, but I've never let that stop me from speaking my mind or chasing my dreams. Alex and Ruler might not like the confidence we're exuding, but tough luck for them. We're not here to play small or tiptoe around their egos. We're here to win, plain and simple.
After all, Alex, how am I supposed to talk? Like a woman who doesn’t believe in myself? As if I’m doomed from the very start? Like I’m supposed to kiss your arse? Sorry, but that’s ARIA job. I have no interest in that. What I do have an interest in is beating you to a pulp and making sure you’ll never forget about how Pandora and I were able to outclass, outsmart and outwrestle you and Ruler at Grand Rampage. Oh, but maybe I shouldn’t say that! I’m talking crazy for a woman who last peaked with the #DisneyBesties! Never mind the fact that I am a literal main eventer. Never mind the fact that I have stood toe to toe with a multitude of former champions and current icons in EAW and have even beaten them of my own volition.
You want to say I’m talking crazy, but clearly, you’re the one who is so deluded you think making the same stupid joke that others before you have done was going to make me shut up. No, Alex. I will talk however the fuck I wanna talk because I aim to win. I will speak and address you with nothing less than confidence and assurance on my part. I know how to win. I know what it’s like to be in these big matches when the spotlight is shining the brightest on me. I’m not going to buckle my knees and act as if I don’t stand a chance when I have proven time and time again I can give every kind of Elitist a run for their money, and that has been shown many times throughout the course of the season. Things may not be perfect, I myself have a few losses underneath my belt, but all of that experience, be it good and bad, are driving me to bring everything together so that I can be the best partner possible for Pandora. Playing the backhanded “I’m not trying to downplay you, but what have you done again???” game with me is not the route you want to go, especially when you are far from the most dominant competitor here. The question can easily be flipped back to you. Before you and Ruler became a unit, you had losses on top of losses. For a good while, you were winless in marquee events. You could hardly keep a hot streak going for yourself, and all throughout this time, it became commonplace to hear you open up your videos or stand in the ring and moan to the fans about how sick and tired you are of losing or things never progressing for you. Yet all of a sudden, you’re all perked up, acting as if you are the sole carrier of this division, and no other team, especially not the British Invasion, can ever match up to you.
Look, I get it, you snapped your streak of being a glorified fucking loser, but let’s not act as if it was always inevitable that you and Ruler were going to be champions. You weren’t these unwavering favorites for the entirety of your run as a team either, but this is exactly what I was talking about when I said it’s funny how winning a title can change a person. All of a sudden, all of their past demons are supposed to be vindicated. People are supposed to forget about the hardships and blatant, brutal losses. You want to say that the one thing that separates you and us is credibility, but are you sure about that? Mentioning you and Ruler are former champions is cute and all, but clearly, there’s no real basis for that if being a former New Breed champion didn’t help you become a world champion, didn’t stop you from losing to Minerva and Jack Ripley (who didn’t have much chemistry), didn’t stop you from losing to La Familia (who were still in their infancy), didn’t save you from being stuck in a pointless multi-person tag team match that never amounted to much, or even help you make history at King of Elite. The same thing can be applied to Ruler, by the way, sans making it to the finals of the King of Elite tournament. So all this talk about credibility? It’s pretty bloody meaningless. There's no real credibility on your part, and doing the “at least we were champions before!!!” schtick doesn’t work well on me. I mean, Miku fucking Sakai went that route and it didn’t stop me from pistol whipping her ass the first two times we faced off. If anything, you and Ruler could’ve been champions again a lot sooner, even before the start of this season, but ever since the two of you lost your titles, there have hardly been any noticeable peaks for yourselves. These are just facts. You say you run this division, but all this season you have been done a half-assed jog compared to a lot of people on the roster. The only person I see talking crazy is you. Your confidence is unfounded. Trying to find a single bright spot that you had this season that isn’t dubious – which I will touch on real soon – is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Getting pressed by the Jaded Hearts and barely beating them out hardly is a groundbreaking win, and I don’t give a fuck if you’re tired of hearing it, but it needs to be said again.
You.
Would.
Not.
Be.
Here.
Without.
Us.
Cry and moan about it, but it’s the damn truth. With your background and abysmal track record, you and Ruler never stood a chance of beating the Jaded Hearts clean. Stop pretending otherwise or trying to dismiss it. You’re quite literally trying to change history to suit you, but it does you no favors. It makes you sad, pathetic, and pretty much weak-minded. You’re a frail little bitch who can’t come to terms that you would’ve lost to two literal hall of fame talent, but if you want to continue being delusional, then be my guest. I personally can’t wait to see the mental gymnastics you’ll have to undertake once Pandora and I are able to wipe the mat with you. You and your friend over there will have no choice but to accept the fact that the British Invasion are superior to you, and you won’t have anything to fall back on. But speaking of which…
Hi, Ruler.
I think the mantle of overhyped and disappointing actually belongs to you.
After all, what exactly have you done here? Play a hand at having Joso claim that he was the one to take Andre Walker’s Interwire championship and snap his winning streak? Have an underwhelming New Breed title reign? Pave the way for Caroline to develop herself into a noteworthy name at your expense? Continue to develop yourself into one of the most unjustifiably arrogant and self-centered talent on the roster when you’ve continued to fumble big match after big match? I honestly don’t know where this ego is stemming from, but it needs to stop, Ruler. What also needs to top is the tip-toing around events that happen plainly. Saying that our involvement in your match is one huge maybe for the position that you are in now is hilarious. “NICHOLISM in the long run? Maybe it did considering she was out for the rest of the contest, or maybe not, considering the fact that neither I nor Alexis then took advantage of Kassidy’s disposal to steal the win.” Like, seriously, maybe? As if that’s seriously going to make a difference. Even if you never pinned her, the point is that Kassidy was taken out so that Sienna couldn’t get to her partner. She was isolated, and you took advantage of that by misting her in the face. I like to think that getting rid of one participant does play a direct hand in the outcome and the win you both now have, but then again, maybe I shouldn’t be frustrated by how you’re still trying to spin this as inconsequential and that the idea that we gifted you those pretty titles that situate on your shoulders is just one big hypothetical. Some of you and Alex’s biggest wins this season come with asterisk marks right beside them, like when Alex and their useless stain of a friend in Jamie Cross got a win against TLA and Roberto, when Alex was able to get a win over Charlie Marr, or how the two of you were even able to sneak away with a win against Rex and Charlie before then. It should come as no surprise that the two of you will take that moment and run far with it.
But Pandora and I have no real credibility. We’re stepping into the ring with two people who are just going to embarrass and maul us from pillar to post.
Right. Makes sense.
Honestly, I was expecting better. I was hoping for better. I was hoping that the two of you wouldn’t go down this weird rabbithole of denial and dismissal, but sure enough, the titles have clouded your senses and made you forget about the unremarkable runs the two of you have been one since this season began. It’s as if the two of you don’t see this match for the high stakes that are truly involved here, and it doesn’t make any sense. If anything, this match should’ve always been personal for you two. This is your biggest test to date after all of the times you’ve failed in big stages just like these. This is the match where the two of you are really going to have to put on the performance of a lifetime in order to try and keep your championships. Treating this as if this is just another rudimentary match for you isn’t disrespectful to us, but it’s mostly for yourselves. The simple fact of the matter is your general body of work thus far does not warrant the unjustified egos the two of you are displaying. You’re talking to us just in the same way the Jaded Hearts talked down on you all week long, and seeing as how their ever-growing arrogance was part of the reason for the demise of their reunion tour, the two of you are already starting off on the wrong foot. You barely survived them. That’s just the truth. Everyone can go back to the match and see for themselves that that much is apparent.
But who am I kidding. I’m just Halsey Neel. I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’m someone who has never touched gold. I’m someone who is somehow on the bottom of the totem pole compared to NICHOLISM. I am someone who, along with Pandora, doesn’t stand a chance this weekend. I am a nobody! So is Pandora! We’re just going to be known as the women who gave NICHOLISM their first successful title defense and nothing more!
If only that were the case.
This bravado the two of you are displaying? This whole act? It’s been done by people far better than you. It does not fit you whatsoever. It sounds unnatural and forced, and it’s because the two of you know deep down inside that you’re nothing more than pretenders. You can say what you want, try and deny it all that you like, try and pain this picture that NICHOLISM was always bound to be at the top of this division, but it wasn’t all that long ago when that idea was in jeopardy. Say what you will about Pandora and I, but we have never had our relationship fractured to the point where we fought each other. Good on you two to have gotten that ironed out, hugging it out and all, but when we beat you, I wonder, Ruler, if your own ego will be quelled long enough for you to try and work things out with Alex again. After all, you looked down on them. Belittled them. Didn’t think they had what it took to stand on their own two feet. Meanwhile, Pandora and I have never seen each other as weak. When either of us slips up, we were mature enough to discuss it together and not come to blows. Hell, Pandora has taken accountability for some of the losses we had, like at the Last Stand and Road to Redemption. You would think that I would snap on her, but I have never done that, and never will. You talk about chemistry, how no one can rival the years of friendship the two of you have, and while arguments and disagreements are natural, Pandora and I have never reached the point where we were at risk of having our relationship fall apart. Through every setback and every hurdle, we held each other’s hand and pressed forward nonetheless.
And because of that? We have found our way towards the Unified Tag Team Championships.
Because we’re resilient. We’re tough. We’re not fragile little man babies like you. We aren’t overinflated dickheads like your mate over there. We are two women with a genuine personal connection to one another and want for each other to succeed, no matter what. It has been our goal ever since Pandora and I joined up in Devolution that we would reach the top together, and now that the opportunity is right their in our face, we aren’t going to fail. We won’t let everything we had to sacrifice and give up to get here be in vain. We've weathered every storm, faced every obstacle, and emerged stronger than ever. Our bond goes beyond just being tag team partners; it's a sisterhood, a partnership built on trust, respect, and unwavering support. We've been there for each other through the highs and lows, lifting each other up when we needed it most, and never have either of us thought of breaking away from the other. We don’t care how long you’ve been teaming or known each other for. You talk about how you went through far worse, but that is a blatant lie. We’ve had to see a group we worked so hard to elevate fall apart before our very eyes. We had close relationships fragment and sour. We had to make the hardest decision yet in letting go a man who has helped us with so much. However, we’re still here. Our demise haven’t come. As much as the two of you and the rest of the world want us to fail, we NEVER will. We are going to make due on this opportunity, defeat you, win the tag team championships, and stand at the top, finally breaking away from all of the time we have spent at the bottom. Will will solidify the rise we have been on by having our waists adorned in gold, and on the April 20 or 21 of 2024, the British Invasion will forever be immortalized as the Unified Tag Team Champions.
It’s all we have striven for. All we have wanted. All we have fought for. All we have worked towards.
And NICHOLISM will not deny us of this moment.
Not with how personal this all has been for us.
For Pandora, it was October 21, 2021.
We came up within season fifteen, having our own dreams and ideals of how far we wanted to go in EAW. Even with how vastly different the two of us were at the time, we shared a common goal: to make a mark in EAW and to elevate ourselves to the top of the competition. For Pandora, she aligned herself with the Rogues Gallery, while I was a lone wolf, unconventional and not fitting the prototypical aspect of what it means to be a future star. Of course, this was back in my ‘professional wrestling has become boring’ heyday, but I was still on the mission of trying to shake up this sport in any way that I can. I wanted to interject a fresh perspective. I wanted to make some kind of difference, as did she. Of course, things didn’t work out as we thought they would. Pandora became injured and sat on the shelf while I lost my way. We were dealt with huge blow after huge blow, and at least on my end, things were quite shitty. By the time we eventually joined forces for season seventeen, there was that need for change. We lost so much time, through our own fault or not, and we knew we had to do everything we can to make up for it. We were forgotten about. Looked down upon. Disrespected and bismirched. We don’t need to go in depth with any history lessons, as all of you bore witness to our downfall. Ultimtely, the rise needed to be just as memorable, and we decided that we would ascend together, no matter what.
That is why this whole thing has been personal for us.
People see us as entitled, arrogant, suffocating oppressors on the surface, and while I won’t deny that, it wasn’t like we woke up one day and decided we would be relentless for the fuck of it. The actions we have taken have spurred from a deep-seated desire to claim our place in EAW, to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we are not to be underestimated or overlooked. We've been through the highs and lows, the triumphs and setbacks, and each experience has shaped us into the competitors we are today. People can bitch and moan about the path we have decided to take, but it has panned out for the better. Had Pandora and I remained two listless, unmotivated women who were content standing in the back of the line, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t have risen to be two notable names on Showdown. We wouldn’t have people have our names in their mouths on a week on week basis. Our faces wouldn’t be on posters, promotional material, billboards, commercials, and everything else in between. We didn’t do things the right or moral way, but there’s no denying that our methods have worked to help us rather than harm us. Of course, it hasn’t always been perfect. Have we had to endure bumps of our own this season? Yes. Undoubtedly. We had some big matches we lost. We allowed for some of our most bitter enemies to get the better of us. However, we’re in a better spot than we were last season, and all that matters is that now, we have garnered the visibility and attention we’ve longed crawled towards and fought for. People might have their opinions about us, but they can't deny the results. They cannot deny the fact that Pandora and I have grown, and it’s hard to ignore us now. For better, for worse, it holds little relevance. The point is that we have dramatically turned the tides of our careers, and we've done it on our own terms. We didn't wait for opportunities to come to us; we seized them with both hands, and while our journey hasn't been without its challenges, every obstacle we've faced has only made us stronger.
Now, all we need to do is ensure that everything we have done won’t go to waste.
Pandora was right. This match was always going to be personal. However, it goes far beyond just reaching a certain breaking point and snapping. Far beyond what we did to ARIA. Far beyond the fighting and scraping we’ve done with NICHOLISM before. No matter what, whenever Pandora and I were going to stake our claim as the next ones to challenge for the tag team championships, it was always going to have that element of personal investment, because for us, this moment right here is everything. It's personal because we've poured our hearts and souls into this journey. It's personal because we refuse to let anyone stand in our way, and it's personal because we know that this is our moment, our opportunity to shine and to make everything worth it. This match means a lot for Pandora and I. Heaven forbid the two of us who are hated by everyone express our genuine feelings, but honestly, it cannot be overstated how huge this is for us. This match is personal beyond the usual connotations that such a phrase paints. Since the turn of the season, the two of us have worked to do all that we can to dramatically turn around the floundering reputations that we had. We came into this with a purpose, a drive, and a certain vengeance to get back at every and anyone who has said that we wouldn’t make it far in our careers at all. The past ten months have been our own redemption story. We weren’t going to be denied for much longer. We were going to force the same world who saw us as nothing to wake up and recognize us, come hell or high water. It didn’t matter the methods that we took. It didn’t matter if people were going to favor or like us. All we wanted more than anything else was to finally be seen as threats, to have the spotlight to ourselves, and sure enough, we’ve done well to earn it. Of course, people will say we’re still unworthy because we had to step over their favorites and press forward with force. We didn’t wait for our seat by the table. We snatched the chairs from others we deemed to be unfit of getting their piece of the pie, and we took it for ourselves. We said we were going to be taking every single thing for ourselves, and now, we are on the precipice of accomplishing just that.
And I suppose that places pressure on us to win, because if we don’t, then everything that everyone has said about us would be justified. You would all gain a smug sense of satisfaction that all of the excuses have run dry. We can’t say we wasted our time in Devolution. We can’t blame anyone else for our own incompetence. The fault would solely be on us, and given how close we are to this season ending, it’s safe to say that there will be no second chances afforded for Pandora and I. This is our one and only chance to win the Unified Tag Team Championships, and for everyone who will be watching Grand Rampage, they want for us to blow this chance. After everything we have done, the entirety of the EAW Universe are banking on us being given our karma, and they want for NICHOLISM to put that final nail in our coffin, effectively proving that Pandora Paisley and Halsey Neel will never, ever matter in the grand scheme of things. There is a lot at stake that goes beyond just championship gold and the typical sense of glory. This is about making sure that all that we have done will culminate in us giving each and every single one of you that final proverbial middle finger, and I will be damned if I were to let you all get the last laugh over us. I will not allow for Alex and Ruler to undo all of the work we put in to get here, and neither will Pandora. It took us an agonizingly long time to get here, but we’ve reached our destination, and we will not relent until we walk out of Phoenix, Arizona with those tag titles.
And we are going to get them.
After all that we had to endure, it is our time now. I am not going to let down Pandora. I’m not going to let down myself. I have come too fucking far to let all of this blow up in my face. I have had to go through so much, and if Alex Myers and Ruler think they’re going to be the two who will shut the door in my face, then they are sorely mistaken. I’m kicking that shit down with full force, and Pandora and I will be collecting what is ours. Especially with all of this stupid arrogance that has been pouring from them for weeks on end when the simple fact is that they wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Jaded Hearts cleanly anyways, it’s about time for Pandora and I to wake these two up and show them that they truly aren’t as great as they portray themselves out to be.
Besides, considering the long list of talent we have faced and even beaten, these two are far from the best we have wrestled.
Alex and Ruler have spoken, and after taking the time to digest their words, I am left unmoved. I don’t have any doubts creeping in. I don’t feel as if I am faced with an impossible task to conquer. Neither does Pandora. All we’re met with is two people with arrogance going along the same lines as others have before them, but the only difference is that their words don’t hold the same weight. They lack the same punch. It isn’t like Ruler and Alex have been setting the world on fire since the beginning of this season. They themselves had their own struggles, their own bouts of failures, and quite frankly, compared to a lot of the people we have faced, they aren’t exactly these heavyweight world beaters. The only feather they have in their cap is the fact that they have seen some success before prior to becoming a tag team with their respective New Breed title runs, but other than that? They aren’t the future of their brand, of this division, or even this promotion as they have continued to portray themselves as. The fact of the matter is that there are people who came after and even before them who are bigger stars than them, who have solidified themselves, while it wasn’t all that long ago that Alex and Ruler were straight up struggling to get their feet out of the cement that they were stuck in. I mean, no one in their right minds places Alex Myers and Ruler alongside the likes of Minerva, Bethany, Jamie, Charlie, Rex, Holly and Harper, and I can say that with the most certainty. People like Bea are better candidates for the future mantle than them. However, hearing the two of them speak this week, you would think that isn’t the case. They talk with the confidence of hall of famers while little old me and Pandora are peons compared to them. They may not outright say it, but it’s heavily implied, and when you pair all of that up with the things they have said for weeks on end leading up to this very match here, it’s laughable at best, and downright sad at worst. Still, I’m not surprised. In this business, there’s a certain level of faking it until you make it, and Alex and Ruler have done well enough in that regard. They need to talk themselves up in order to believe they have what it takes to win. From nullifying how they won the tag titles still to trying to paint us a team who’s only bound to lose, they have to ooze a certain level of unfounded confidence to try and fluster Pandora and I in any way. Unfortunately, not only does it not work — beyond it just being unoriginal and tired — but it’s not believable at all. Not from these two.
To put it simply, there is no considerable gap between NICHOLISM and British Invasion as competitors.
There’s literally not one.
At the very least, I had nerves heading into The Last Stand. I was desperate to prove myself against the likes of Madison Kaline and Raven Roberts at Road to Redemption. I had the faintest of jitters when I saw my name across the likes of PJ Hendrx and Terry Chambers, knowing good and well that literally everyone wasn’t counting on me and Solomon Stane to beat them at Reasonable Doubt. However, the feeling that I have now is different. It’s not indifference. I take this match seriously enough considering what I explained earlier and the fact that the Unified Tag Team championships are on the line. However, there are no pins or butterflies in my stomach. I am comfortably numb, immune to whatever shit Alex and Ruler want to say. I’m focused. I’m prepared. I’m in an entirely different zone, and nothing they say can shake me from it. Neither will it bother Pandora. We’re just not going to back down, and we certainly aren’t going to head into this week thinking that we don’t stand a chance against our opponents. However, our own confidence seems to rub these two the wrong way. I mean, Alex is saying that I’m talking crazy, and it makes me laugh. Then again, that’s all people ever say. “Halsey, you’re out of your mind.” “Halsey, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Halsey, you shouldn’t be coming at me in this way.” Yet, I still do and always will. I know people tend to get real nostalgic about me being a bare minimum bitch and all of that, but she’s dead guys, and if you’re thinking that I’m not gonna prop myself or my friend up as two women who are more than capable of winning the tag championships at Grand Rampage, then I don’t know what else to tell you. I have been able to found my voice and strengthen it. I don’t plan on losing it again, especially when I am on the cusp of winning my first-ever championship here in EAW. I've faced doubts and naysayers all season long, but I've never let that stop me from speaking my mind or chasing my dreams. Alex and Ruler might not like the confidence we're exuding, but tough luck for them. We're not here to play small or tiptoe around their egos. We're here to win, plain and simple.
After all, Alex, how am I supposed to talk? Like a woman who doesn’t believe in myself? As if I’m doomed from the very start? Like I’m supposed to kiss your arse? Sorry, but that’s ARIA job. I have no interest in that. What I do have an interest in is beating you to a pulp and making sure you’ll never forget about how Pandora and I were able to outclass, outsmart and outwrestle you and Ruler at Grand Rampage. Oh, but maybe I shouldn’t say that! I’m talking crazy for a woman who last peaked with the #DisneyBesties! Never mind the fact that I am a literal main eventer. Never mind the fact that I have stood toe to toe with a multitude of former champions and current icons in EAW and have even beaten them of my own volition.
You want to say I’m talking crazy, but clearly, you’re the one who is so deluded you think making the same stupid joke that others before you have done was going to make me shut up. No, Alex. I will talk however the fuck I wanna talk because I aim to win. I will speak and address you with nothing less than confidence and assurance on my part. I know how to win. I know what it’s like to be in these big matches when the spotlight is shining the brightest on me. I’m not going to buckle my knees and act as if I don’t stand a chance when I have proven time and time again I can give every kind of Elitist a run for their money, and that has been shown many times throughout the course of the season. Things may not be perfect, I myself have a few losses underneath my belt, but all of that experience, be it good and bad, are driving me to bring everything together so that I can be the best partner possible for Pandora. Playing the backhanded “I’m not trying to downplay you, but what have you done again???” game with me is not the route you want to go, especially when you are far from the most dominant competitor here. The question can easily be flipped back to you. Before you and Ruler became a unit, you had losses on top of losses. For a good while, you were winless in marquee events. You could hardly keep a hot streak going for yourself, and all throughout this time, it became commonplace to hear you open up your videos or stand in the ring and moan to the fans about how sick and tired you are of losing or things never progressing for you. Yet all of a sudden, you’re all perked up, acting as if you are the sole carrier of this division, and no other team, especially not the British Invasion, can ever match up to you.Look, I get it, you snapped your streak of being a glorified fucking loser, but let’s not act as if it was always inevitable that you and Ruler were going to be champions. You weren’t these unwavering favorites for the entirety of your run as a team either, but this is exactly what I was talking about when I said it’s funny how winning a title can change a person. All of a sudden, all of their past demons are supposed to be vindicated. People are supposed to forget about the hardships and blatant, brutal losses. You want to say that the one thing that separates you and us is credibility, but are you sure about that? Mentioning you and Ruler are former champions is cute and all, but clearly, there’s no real basis for that if being a former New Breed champion didn’t help you become a world champion, didn’t stop you from losing to Minerva and Jack Ripley (who didn’t have much chemistry), didn’t stop you from losing to La Familia (who were still in their infancy), didn’t save you from being stuck in a pointless multi-person tag team match that never amounted to much, or even help you make history at King of Elite. The same thing can be applied to Ruler, by the way, sans making it to the finals of the King of Elite tournament. So all this talk about credibility? It’s pretty bloody meaningless. There's no real credibility on your part, and doing the “at least we were champions before!!!” schtick doesn’t work well on me. I mean, Miku fucking Sakai went that route and it didn’t stop me from pistol whipping her ass the first two times we faced off. If anything, you and Ruler could’ve been champions again a lot sooner, even before the start of this season, but ever since the two of you lost your titles, there have hardly been any noticeable peaks for yourselves. These are just facts. You say you run this division, but all this season you have been done a half-assed jog compared to a lot of people on the roster. The only person I see talking crazy is you. Your confidence is unfounded. Trying to find a single bright spot that you had this season that isn’t dubious – which I will touch on real soon – is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Getting pressed by the Jaded Hearts and barely beating them out hardly is a groundbreaking win, and I don’t give a fuck if you’re tired of hearing it, but it needs to be said again.
You.
Would.
Not.
Be.
Here.
Without.
Us.
Cry and moan about it, but it’s the damn truth. With your background and abysmal track record, you and Ruler never stood a chance of beating the Jaded Hearts clean. Stop pretending otherwise or trying to dismiss it. You’re quite literally trying to change history to suit you, but it does you no favors. It makes you sad, pathetic, and pretty much weak-minded. You’re a frail little bitch who can’t come to terms that you would’ve lost to two literal hall of fame talent, but if you want to continue being delusional, then be my guest. I personally can’t wait to see the mental gymnastics you’ll have to undertake once Pandora and I are able to wipe the mat with you. You and your friend over there will have no choice but to accept the fact that the British Invasion are superior to you, and you won’t have anything to fall back on. But speaking of which…
Hi, Ruler.
I think the mantle of overhyped and disappointing actually belongs to you.
After all, what exactly have you done here? Play a hand at having Joso claim that he was the one to take Andre Walker’s Interwire championship and snap his winning streak? Have an underwhelming New Breed title reign? Pave the way for Caroline to develop herself into a noteworthy name at your expense? Continue to develop yourself into one of the most unjustifiably arrogant and self-centered talent on the roster when you’ve continued to fumble big match after big match? I honestly don’t know where this ego is stemming from, but it needs to stop, Ruler. What also needs to top is the tip-toing around events that happen plainly. Saying that our involvement in your match is one huge maybe for the position that you are in now is hilarious. “NICHOLISM in the long run? Maybe it did considering she was out for the rest of the contest, or maybe not, considering the fact that neither I nor Alexis then took advantage of Kassidy’s disposal to steal the win.” Like, seriously, maybe? As if that’s seriously going to make a difference. Even if you never pinned her, the point is that Kassidy was taken out so that Sienna couldn’t get to her partner. She was isolated, and you took advantage of that by misting her in the face. I like to think that getting rid of one participant does play a direct hand in the outcome and the win you both now have, but then again, maybe I shouldn’t be frustrated by how you’re still trying to spin this as inconsequential and that the idea that we gifted you those pretty titles that situate on your shoulders is just one big hypothetical. Some of you and Alex’s biggest wins this season come with asterisk marks right beside them, like when Alex and their useless stain of a friend in Jamie Cross got a win against TLA and Roberto, when Alex was able to get a win over Charlie Marr, or how the two of you were even able to sneak away with a win against Rex and Charlie before then. It should come as no surprise that the two of you will take that moment and run far with it.
But Pandora and I have no real credibility. We’re stepping into the ring with two people who are just going to embarrass and maul us from pillar to post.
Right. Makes sense.
Honestly, I was expecting better. I was hoping for better. I was hoping that the two of you wouldn’t go down this weird rabbithole of denial and dismissal, but sure enough, the titles have clouded your senses and made you forget about the unremarkable runs the two of you have been one since this season began. It’s as if the two of you don’t see this match for the high stakes that are truly involved here, and it doesn’t make any sense. If anything, this match should’ve always been personal for you two. This is your biggest test to date after all of the times you’ve failed in big stages just like these. This is the match where the two of you are really going to have to put on the performance of a lifetime in order to try and keep your championships. Treating this as if this is just another rudimentary match for you isn’t disrespectful to us, but it’s mostly for yourselves. The simple fact of the matter is your general body of work thus far does not warrant the unjustified egos the two of you are displaying. You’re talking to us just in the same way the Jaded Hearts talked down on you all week long, and seeing as how their ever-growing arrogance was part of the reason for the demise of their reunion tour, the two of you are already starting off on the wrong foot. You barely survived them. That’s just the truth. Everyone can go back to the match and see for themselves that that much is apparent.
But who am I kidding. I’m just Halsey Neel. I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’m someone who has never touched gold. I’m someone who is somehow on the bottom of the totem pole compared to NICHOLISM. I am someone who, along with Pandora, doesn’t stand a chance this weekend. I am a nobody! So is Pandora! We’re just going to be known as the women who gave NICHOLISM their first successful title defense and nothing more!
If only that were the case.
This bravado the two of you are displaying? This whole act? It’s been done by people far better than you. It does not fit you whatsoever. It sounds unnatural and forced, and it’s because the two of you know deep down inside that you’re nothing more than pretenders. You can say what you want, try and deny it all that you like, try and pain this picture that NICHOLISM was always bound to be at the top of this division, but it wasn’t all that long ago when that idea was in jeopardy. Say what you will about Pandora and I, but we have never had our relationship fractured to the point where we fought each other. Good on you two to have gotten that ironed out, hugging it out and all, but when we beat you, I wonder, Ruler, if your own ego will be quelled long enough for you to try and work things out with Alex again. After all, you looked down on them. Belittled them. Didn’t think they had what it took to stand on their own two feet. Meanwhile, Pandora and I have never seen each other as weak. When either of us slips up, we were mature enough to discuss it together and not come to blows. Hell, Pandora has taken accountability for some of the losses we had, like at the Last Stand and Road to Redemption. You would think that I would snap on her, but I have never done that, and never will. You talk about chemistry, how no one can rival the years of friendship the two of you have, and while arguments and disagreements are natural, Pandora and I have never reached the point where we were at risk of having our relationship fall apart. Through every setback and every hurdle, we held each other’s hand and pressed forward nonetheless.
And because of that? We have found our way towards the Unified Tag Team Championships.
Because we’re resilient. We’re tough. We’re not fragile little man babies like you. We aren’t overinflated dickheads like your mate over there. We are two women with a genuine personal connection to one another and want for each other to succeed, no matter what. It has been our goal ever since Pandora and I joined up in Devolution that we would reach the top together, and now that the opportunity is right their in our face, we aren’t going to fail. We won’t let everything we had to sacrifice and give up to get here be in vain. We've weathered every storm, faced every obstacle, and emerged stronger than ever. Our bond goes beyond just being tag team partners; it's a sisterhood, a partnership built on trust, respect, and unwavering support. We've been there for each other through the highs and lows, lifting each other up when we needed it most, and never have either of us thought of breaking away from the other. We don’t care how long you’ve been teaming or known each other for. You talk about how you went through far worse, but that is a blatant lie. We’ve had to see a group we worked so hard to elevate fall apart before our very eyes. We had close relationships fragment and sour. We had to make the hardest decision yet in letting go a man who has helped us with so much. However, we’re still here. Our demise haven’t come. As much as the two of you and the rest of the world want us to fail, we NEVER will. We are going to make due on this opportunity, defeat you, win the tag team championships, and stand at the top, finally breaking away from all of the time we have spent at the bottom. Will will solidify the rise we have been on by having our waists adorned in gold, and on the April 20 or 21 of 2024, the British Invasion will forever be immortalized as the Unified Tag Team Champions.
It’s all we have striven for. All we have wanted. All we have fought for. All we have worked towards.
And NICHOLISM will not deny us of this moment.
Not with how personal this all has been for us.
