Leona "I won't be a failure any more."

This online exclusive video shows “1 Shot” Leona sitting in her locker room, moments after her thrilling, yet hard-fought victory, against the ever resilient, and her old foe, Nancy Hurt.

Leona doesn’t look too happy despite beating Hurt clean in the middle of the ring. There’s a pained expression on her face, and not one just born of the punishment she endured taking on her opponent.

She stands and stares into the camera as if she could see into the eyes of everyone watching this. When she speaks, her voice comes out pained, strained. It’s a hoarse voice that makes it sound like she’s forcing every word through her lips.

LEONA: Wanna know what failure looks like?

She stretches out her arms at her sides as though she were about to give the camera a big hug.

LEONA: Well, you’re lookin’ at ‘er. Wanna know what failure feels like?

She smiles weakly, but the humor she’s found is ironic at best; it feels like there’s something holding her back from being truly happy.

LEONA: Failure is when you know, you just know that you can be as good as any other vixen, or man, on the roster, but something just doesn’t click. You fight as hard as you can in every match, from bell to bell you give it everything you’ve got, using every move in your arsenal, kicking out of moves despite your body crying out for the pain to end, you hit your biggest move and they kick out..then before you know it, you’re laying on your back with someone else’s music playing.

She runs a hand over her head followed by a deep sigh.

LEONA: Failure is when they taunt you, they mock for for creating history by being the first ever Intercontinental Champion and the first ever two-time holder of the belt, and winning that title meant everything to me, because for a brief moment it felt like...the second the belt rings it feels like your career and everything you’ve worked for and done is justified. In that moment...those sweet, precious, yet fleeting, seconds, you feel invincible. But how can I look back at those reigns and feel anything by guilt?

Her eyes have lost that fire, that sharp edge that these became infamous for during her first run in the company.

LEONA: Guilt because those reigns coulda have been so much more, they coulda been something special. But the only thing keeping them in anyone’s memory is when they happened, not who held it. I tried so hard to get my name on every page in the history books, but as the days went on i was getting dangerously close to being nothing more than a footnote. Cyborg meant the world to me, but he’s off doing his own thing, HALO meant the world to me, but that’s all but over. I’m here alone now, and I’ll admit it...I gave up.

She closes her eyes and looks away; the guilt is still eating at her.

LEONA: I wasn’t sure I was ever coming back, my love for so many things was all but gone….but I couldn’t make the hunger disappear. I couldn’t make my pride fade into the background. I couldn’t stop myself from tuning into the shows and watch as the Vixen’s here put on some of the best matches the company has ever seen, and as the weeks went on, I couldn’t help but wonder if my career and my legacy was salvageable. That’s when Brett forced my hand.

She smiles genuinely at the mention of Angel’s name.

LEONA: I watched as he came back and won the World Title his first match back, and I felt the envy burning deep within me. If Brett left today, he’d be remembered as a legend yet he still came back. I don’t have that luxury of a career to fall back on, and I started to feel stupid for all the weeks I psyched myself out. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and got back into the gym until I felt I was ready to come back. And you all saw the results from that. But I know I’m not Brett Angel. Match by match, I’m going to work my way back to where I was, and then I’ll go beyond that.

Her voices hardens up and turns serious.

LEONA: I won’t be a failure any more.

I enjoyed this<3