FFW Relentless - March 6, 2021

[Adam Grant]

Live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
March 6, 2021

The FFW logo is shown in spotlights over the night sky before the video shows the ending of Sin & Sacrifice last September. “When Legends Rise” by Godsmack begins to play in the background.

The referee checked with Lozano, getting no sign she wanted to stop the match. Lozano tried to pull them again to the ropes, but she was too weakened at this point. Her hand stretched out again in a desperate attempt as Missy pushed up on her feet to give her even more pressure before Valentina’s arm fell back to the mat. The referee asked the Lat Goddess again, but got no response. Lozano’s eyes were closed as the referee checked once again, telling her if she didn’t respond that she would stop the match. Valentina didn’t respond...and the referee kept her word.

Dante: WHAT?!

Zack: Valentina’s out! She wouldn’t give up, but her body did! The referee had no other choice, and Missy has retained her title!

As soon as the bell sounded, Missy rolled away from Lozano and struggled to get back to her feet. The referee raised her hand, and retrieved her FFW Championship as a trainer headed down to the ring to help Valentina.

Kat: Your winner of the match by referee stoppage……...and still FFW Champion………..MISSY!!!

Dante: This is horrible! She didn’t pin Valentina, and she damn sure didn’t make her submit either! How is she the champion still?!

Legs are tied, these hands are broken
Alone I try with words unspoken
Silent cry, a breath is frozen
With blinded eyes, I fear myself

The shot then changed to after the show had gone off the air, and showed Valentina angry as she rolled out of the ring. She kicked the steps and held the back of her neck. She storms through the curtain towards the back, shoving a trainer away from her as she muttered about not quitting. Then the clip changes to Crossed Out.

It's burning down, it's burning high
When ashes fall, the legends rise
We burn it out a mile wide
When ashes fall, the legends rise

As Valentina came to her feet she spun around and caught Star with a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. The Las Vegas native staggered backwards and Lozano caught her wrist to pull her into an inverted stomp facebreaker quickly followed by a rolling cutter as Valentina caught her opponent with the Divine Intervention. Lozano wasted no time at all in making the cover and hooking the leg.

Zack: Valentina caught Savannah as flush as an embarrassed woman with that DIVINE INTERVENTION!

One...

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dante: FANTASTIC!! SHE’S GONNA GET HER REMATCH!!

Kevin Fisk called for the bell as Valentina rolled onto her back and took a couple of moments breathing deeply before she started to sit up with a grin on her face.

Kat: Here is your winner, by way of pinfall...and the Number One Contender to the FFW Championship……”THE LATIN GODDESS” VALENTINA LOZANO!!!!

Dante; Mark it down, folks! Valentina Lozano has a rematch at Relentless with the FFW Champion, and she’s gonna stomp her through the damn mat!

Throat is dry, my vision's fading
I'm paralyzed, and left here waiting
Taking time, just one step forward
Won't lose my mind, I'm here to stay[/color]

The next image shows Valentina watching both of these clips herself on a monitor somewhere at her training camp. Sweat drips off her body as she lays back down, and starts doing lifts with her legs with the same determined face seen in both of the previous matches. Her attention diverts to a poster of Missy holding the FFW Championship over her head, causing her to start pumping her legs more quickly. Then we head into the arena as pyro erupts from the stage. Fans make a tremendous amount of noise as the music continues to play. The stage is designed like a train station with a subway train barreling past every few seconds on the video wall.

It's burning down, it's burning high
When ashes fall, the legends rise
We burn it out a mile wide
When ashes fall, the legends rise

Zack: FFW has come home for it’s first special event of 2021 here in the City of Angels in Los Angeles, California! Welcome to the Staples Center, and welcome to the 8th annual Relentless! 

We next see Zack and Leona together in the booth at ringside. 

Zack: Tonight, we got three grudge matches and four championships on the line, but none bigger than the FFW Championship in a rematch from Sin & Sacrifice when Missy and Valentina Lozano meet one last time!

Leona: The Latin Goddess’s mouth has been watering for the FFW Championship since the Winners’ Circle series, but she was three seconds short of a win when she went for that belt the first time! Glory is within reach, but she has to do to the Mischievous One what she did to Savannah Star at Crossed Out!

Zack: The Evolution Championship will be on the line in a ladder match when Casey Atherton and Scarlett Silver settle things between one last time with the real Evolution title hanging above the ring. And that counterfeit title Casey has will be up there too.

Leona: Not that it has any real meaning, but we might as well put it on the line too! Scarlett may have shocked Casey and her cult when she left the Glorious Leader empty-handed the last time they met, to the point they tried to get even Future Shock’s Arabella Townshend suspended! But the only thing getting suspended tonight is the Evolution belt, and becoming or staying a champion may be a matter of scaling towards heaven!

Zack: It’ll be the one of the most anticipated returns in FFW history when Mika Demidov returns to a FFW ring to try to stop Nevaeh Summers before the gauntlet even gets started for her to get her Phoenix Championship match.

Leona: This is Mika Demidov’s second hitjob in a row, and there’s been a good year and change since the last one! And boy oh boy, did the Empress tap into a nasty side of the World’s Finest! It’s gonna be a nasty match between two of the most vicious blondes in FFW!

Zack: Speaking of the Phoenix Championship, Harley Shannon faces a familiar foe in Tara Cortez when ol’ “10 Star” looks to repeat history from the night she took the Future Shock Championship in Mexico City!

Leona: There’s been a lot of talk about their last encounter in Mexico City, but Tara Cortez has promised that this is a different match, and that Harley has learned nothing! But we all know Harley knows like few people to step up to a good challenge when it comes a-knocking, so maybe this rematch may have more to it than Ciudad de México was witness to!

Zack: Cassandra Steen and Bianca Salvador for the No Surrender Championship as well as Lilly Arthur and Valerie McKinley meet to find out who the next contender for the title will be. The No Surrender division is the hottest it’s ever been, and we’ll be reminded why tonight.

Leona: It’s one mess of a situation, with the current champion and her former Gold Standard sister at odds, an angry Lilly vying to get her belt back, and a Typhoon enforcing a rematch from when she was still a champion! All four women will be inside that ring tonight, and there’s gonna be a lot of emotion being poured out with every submission hold! Welcome, once again, to scenic Los Angeles, California! He’s Zachary Hudson, I’m Leona Vega, and you, Faithful, are in for a treat!

Zack: We got a packed card, and thank you for joining us on FFW All Access! Relentless starts NOW!

With the noise still very high in the arena, the next shot shows us Kat Grayson standing in the center of the ring with a bright smile and wearing a silver sequin dress.




Kat: The opening contest of Relentless is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the FFW Phoenix Championship!

Zack: It tells you what kind of a packed show we have tonight when the opening match is for a championship. Not to mention the newest title in FFW.

Leona: And what everyone’s been talking about is how this is, like we just said, a re-do of the Future Shock Championship match that took place in Ciudad de México in 2019! One woman wants to get her W back and stay a champ; the other promises that her opponent has learned nothing!

Look out, they're closing in on you now
Wake up, or you’ll wake up six feet down
Nobody's got your back in this town
Knock 'em. In the. Teeth. NOW!

The intro to Set It Off's "Killer in the Mirror" starts on the sound system, and lights start blinking in random colors as Tara Cortez struts onto the entrance ramp, with her manager Christian Kincaid right there with her. She stops right before the descent and pulls off a short dance move, crouching down only and taking a spin, proceeding to get back up, sliding her palms against her midriff before raising her hands to her head... Only to nonchalantly wave the booing audience off as she brings her arms down again. Blowing raspberries, she then starts strutting down the entrance ramp, shaking her head at the fans in attendance as she makes her way to the ring.

Kat: Introducing first, escorted to the ring by Christian Kincaid... From Fort Worth, Texas... "The 10-Star Prodigy..." TARA CORTEZ!

When Tara climbs into the ring, she makes her way to the ropes facing the hard camera, leaning onto them and posing for the audience, moving her arms much like in the same way she did earlier with her starting dance, raising her hands up high again, only to then wave the crowd off once again before she hops back down to the ring, making her way to her corner and sharing some last minute strategy with Christian.

Zack: It was a little over 2 years ago almost to the day when Tara Cortez met Harley Shannon for the first time at Future Shock’s Mexico City Supershow for the Future Shock Championship. She ended Harley’s reign that night, and now plans to do the same on the FFW roster in a matter of moments.

Leona: It would be quite the feather on Tara’s cap if she pulled it off twice in a row. It’s been two years, though, and I’m not sure either woman has been on the other’s radar for a while. Tara Cortez defeated Jana Rikar and Angel at Crossed Out to be in this match tonight, and you can tell by the fire in her eyes that the 10-Star Prodigy is ready for a repeat performance.

There’s a short silence as the arena falls dark, building up the tension before “Seven Notes in Black” by The Vince Tempera Orchestra starts to play and a single spotlight falls on the middle of the stage, straight onto the flame haired Future Shock Prospect with the Future Shock Championship held high above her head. As the crowd cheer wildly for her, Harley holds the pose for a couple of moments, until the song stops playing for a couple of seconds. The girl was wearing a leather jacket over her ring gear; her head tied up in a bun, held in place by two chopsticks.

Kat: Weighing in at 122 lbs, standing 5’6” tall and coming from Hanover, New Hampshire. She is the reigning and defending FFW PHOENIX CHAMPION...HARLEY SHANNON!!!

After a couple of moments of silence the song starts up once more - with a more eerie tone and at that moment Harley starts off down the ramp, shedding her leather jacket before reaching back and pulling the chopsticks out of her hair and shaking her head to let her bright, flame red hair fall down around her shoulders. As she got to the bottom of the ramp, the girl picked out a young fan at ringside, giving the chopsticks to the fan before she slides into the ring and popped to her feet. Heading for the corner, Harley climbed to the middle rope, holding the title high into the air to get cheers from the fans before she dropped back down to the canvas in the corner. She held the title up in front of her, giving the faceplate a kiss before she surrendered the championship to the referee and waited for the match to start.

Zack: Since becoming the Phoenix Champion in August of last year, Harley Shannon has been a very active champion as well. She hasn’t backed down from any challenge, and I gotta believe this rematch is one she’d like to avenge from Mexico City.

Leona: She said so, too! The loss to Tara back then is one that still stings her, because she had to leave the Future Shock Championship behind and, because she graduated immediately following that match, she never got to prove herself against the self-proclaimed Mastermind. No woman wants a re-do of this match more than Harley, and she’s finally getting it.

Referee Malcolm Parks takes the title from Harley and holds it over his head. As Kat leaves the ring with it, he checks both women for hidden objects and calls for the bell to start the match. Tara shows her usual swagger as she heads out to the center, smirking towards the champion as Harley looks entirely focused. Tara asks her if she feels like this is going to be deja vu at all, but doesn’t get an answer before Harley looks out at the Los Angeles crowd...and decks Tara with a right cross she wasn’t ready for. The champion opened up with several more shots to the head before jerking the challenger forward into a short knee to the ribs. It briefly stunned Tara for a second before Harley used a leg sweep to take her down to the mat. Shannong grabbed her leg, and tried to roll over onto her stomach. But Tara brought her other foot up, and shoved Harley backwards with both of them. Cortez quickly got to her feet, but turned into a Japanese armdrag takedown followed by the three more as Tara kept popping up to her feet. And the champion immediately applied an armbar before she could stand up again.

Zack: I’m telling you what happened 2 years ago in Mexico City has lingered inside Harley’s head all this time, and she’s out to prove a point tonight. So far, she’s doing a helluva job!

Leona: Who said she learned nothing?! Right out the gate with a fast paced offense, straight out from the ancient Japanese playbook, and Harley has already discombobulated Tara!

The situation was starting to get under Tara’s skin as she tried to escape the armbar by getting her to her feet. Harley kept it applied though, and used an arm wringer to bring her to one knee. Tara grimaced and got back to her feet again. Before Harley could twist her arm again, Cortez caught her with a standing sidekick to the stomach. She finally broke her grip, and pulled her into a side headlock. She then dragged her to the ropes, and rakd her face along the top rope to blind her. Cortez shook her arm to try to work out the pain before dropping her with a swinging neckbreaker. 

Zack: Tara has taken control of this match, and you could tell by her expression that wasn’t how she envisioned this Phoenix title shot beginning.

Leona: A mule kick to the stomach will always do the job if you’re gunning to halt your opponent’s breakneck offense. Maybe Tara believes a more grounded match will be a bit more her speed, especially if Harley’s gonna try to daze her with high octane stuff.

The challenger started stomping the back of Harley’s head before grabbing her arms behind to lift her up a little off the mat. The stomps continued as she drove her boot into the back of Harley’s head repeatedly before a much more emphatic stomp drove her face down into the mat. She draped Harley’s neck over the bottom rope before standing on her back to choke her, causing Parks to count to three before she stepped off with her hands up. The Los Angeles crowd was solidly behind Harley as they started chanting her name. The Phoenix Champion did start to get up, and Tara quickly went for her head to go for a DDT. She didn’t get her in position in enough time before Harley began firing elbows into her stomach one after another. She finally shook Tara off, and tried to whip her across to the far side. Cortez rebounded, and hooked the rope with her arms when Harley went for a high angle dropkick. It missed, and she crashed to the mat instead.

Leona: Say what you want about Tara, she has great ring awareness. One of the fastest rising stars in FFW, too, outdone by very few people, such as, wouldn’t you know it, Harley Shannon. I think Tara has found her gameplan, and the name of the game is outsmart the opponent.

Zack: I expect these two have done their homework on each other ever since this meeting was officially announced. I also have the feeling this won’t be the first or last time we see them trying to outfox the other.

Tara started grinning now as she moved forward. When Harley was beginning to rise again, she got pulled up the rest of the way, and whipped into the far corner. She landed chest first before staggering backwards out of it. Tara hit the near side ropes with a running lariat that snapped her down to the mat before she went for the cover. 

Leona: OOF! Talk about taking a page from the ancient Japanese strong style -- how about that lariat?!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOO!!

Harley kicked out before the three had a chance to come down, and Tara drilled the side of her head with sharp elbows before getting back to her feet. She pulled the champion up with her, using the ropes for a slingshot suplex. But the champion ended up on her feet behind her, grabbing her arms and spinning around in a double underhook facebuster! The fans came to their feet as Harley went for the cover!

Zack: I’ve never seen her use that, and Harley’s gonna retain her title in three seconds!!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

TH-NO!

Tara got her shoulder up as the three was on the way down. Harley rolled away from her to get back to her feet, waving the challenger to get up too. Tara was slow to do so. But when she did, Shannon bolted towards her and left her feet. She hooked her head and springboarded off the ropes for an orbiting DDT that drove Tara headfirst into the mat. 

Leona: Harley brought her whole arsenal to the ring tonight, from puro to lucha! Tara’s gonna have to work a little harder to outfox her tonight!

The fans were getting louder now as Harley headed for the corner. She made her way to the top rope, and launched into an elbow drop that landed perfectly to Tara’s body. Shannon got back to her feet, still a little dazed from the offense she had taken but gave the fans the signal for her finisher. As the challenger was getting to her feet, Harley went for a kick to start it off but Tara grabbed her foot. The champion hopped on her other foot as Tara swept it out from under her, landing her on her back on the mat. Cortez was taking in deep breaths as she got to her feet, holding the back of her head after what Harley had done a few moments ago.

Zack: Tara stopped Harley from going for the ERUPTION for the time being, but that leg sweep isn’t going to keep the champion down very long at all. 

Leona: Tara is playing defense right now, and it’s the whole tory right here. Harley has messed with every single one of Cortez’s game plans so far, and it shows.

Zack was proven right as Harley was already starting to get back to her feet. Tara was there to greet her with a flurry of forearms to the side of her head. She whipped the flame-haired girl across the for the ride, and caught her on the rebound by lifting her up into a flapjack. Harley faceplanted on the mat, and Tara scrambled to get to her feet. She watched the champion starting to get up again, and circled around behind her to apply a cobra clutch. She applied it perfectly, and tried to get Harley off her feet. That was proving to be a problem though as the champion was trying to avoid just that.

Leona: I don’t think Harley was expecting that! Tara with the technical switch-up, and a perfect form on that cobra clutch! Punishment on the neck and the upper arm, and they’re dead center in the ring!

Zack: The last place you want to be is on the mat in that move, and the champion knows it too. She’s fighting like hell to avoid it here.

Harley was trying to pull them both towards the ropes, but Tara was doing everything she could to stop her. The champion only made it about three steps before she countered out of the submission with a stunner that bounced Tara off the mat. Harley sat slumped over on the canvas as the fans were chanting her name again. She managed to regain her senses before rolling over and going for a cover with a leg hook.

Leona: STUNNER!!! But that took just as much out of Harley as it did Tara! Will that do the job?!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THR-NO!

Tara’s shoulder came up off the mat, and Harley was slow to rise back to her feet. Parks reminded her it was just a two, and Shannon grabbed Tara’s feet. She catapulted the brunette face first into the top turnbuckle before moving in behind her quickly to snap off a full nelson suplex into a bridge!

Leona: OH! Harley just flattened Tara’s face with that, and here comes a PERFECT bridge!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREE-NOOO!!!

Once again, Tara kicked out in time before the three. Harley was starting to feel the adrenaline pumping now though. She hopped back to her feet, and gave the sign for her finisher once again. Christian shouted to Tara what she was setting up for, but it wasn’t clear if she had heard him.

Zack: Here she comes again! Harley’s looking for the ERUPTION, and retaining the Phoenix Championship one more time!

She went for the flash kick while Tara was getting to her feet. But the challenger ducked  underneath it, catching Shannon as she turned by pulling her into a leg hook Saito suplex that sent her upside down into the corner. Before she could right herself, Tara descended on her and began stomping away at her body as Harley was still upside down against the turnbuckles. Tara dragged her out of the corner, and pulled her back to her feet and into a Gotch-style piledriver! But Harley started swinging her leg as she was upside down, catching Tara on top of her head till she dropped her back to her feet. 

Zack: That’s one hell of a counter from the piledriver, and the champion is back on her feet again! I don’t know how much either of these two have left!

Leona: They have a lot to prove to one another, this has been about so much more than just the Phoenix Championship! And they’re willing to put their own bodies on the line for this!

Harley was throwing hands once more, backing Tara up into the ropes. She went to whip her across for the ride, but Tara rolled over her back onto her feet when Harley ducked down for a back body drop. The champion popped up and turned into a cutter from Tara that planted her. And the challenger immediately bolted for the ropes, using them to execute her corkscrew Arabian press! She hooked both legs for the cover as Parks dropped into position!

Zack: There’s the C-BOMB!! 

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

The referee called for the bell as Tara rolled off the cover. She propped up and sat against the bottom rope, taking in deep breaths of air before the referee raised her hand.

Leona: HOLY COW, SHE DID IT!!! WE HAVE A REPEAT OF MEXICO CITY!!!

Kat: Your winner by pinfall….AND NEEEEEEEEEWWWW FFW Phoenix Champion…..’10 STAR’ TARA CORTEZ!!!

Zack: And the first of four title matches tonight ends in a new champion! Could Tara’s win be an omen for the other three champions who will be defending later? 

Christian retrieved the title from Kat as she was moving to hand it to the referee. He joined Tara in the ring, who took off towards him with a hug wrapping her arms and legs around him. When she dropped back to her feet, he handed her the title to boos from the Los Angeles crowd.

Zack: Unlike the last time these two met, there was no twin magic here! Just two women who did their homework on one another, and Tara Cortez has made history to kick off Relentless as the new Phoenix Champion!

Leona: But just like the last time they met, Tara ends up with her hand raised! They went to war over this belt, their own prides as their main weapons, but Cortez has outfoxed Harley Shannon, and for the first time since graduating, the 10-Star Mastermind… is a 10-Star Champion!

The “10 Star” champion rolled out to the floor, thrusting her title over her head as Christian helped her while she started to head to the back. Next, we go to a commercial for the next edition of Future Shock. 



Denouncing Casey

The show cuts to a video that shows a car parking outside a Catholic church before Christian Kincaid and his client, the reigning FFW Evolution Champion Scarlett Silver, steps out. Christian is dressed in a dress shirt and slacks with a tie, while Scarlett is wearing an almost skintight, red micro mini dress and matching stiletto heels. 

The sign in front of the church reads Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, which the camera shows us quickly before going back to the champion and her manager. 

Christian: With Scarlett’s championship ladder match tomorrow night here in Los Angeles and considering who she’s facing, I thought we might see if any actual churches recognize Casey Atherton as anything close to what she claims to be. As a result, we’re here at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on Sunset Boulevard to see if we can talk with one of the priests that may be in the building. 

Scarlett: I’m betting the only thing they’re going to recognize her as is crazy… because hey, that’s exactly what she is. I’d be surprised if she’s ever even been inside one of these places, let alone be what she claims to be. 

Christian: I’m sure you’ll be a big hit too. Let’s go inside.

He says that checking out her dress before the shot cuts indoors. Next we find the pair standing outside the sanctuary with an older man wearing a priest’s habit. He’s standing between the pair, and keeps looking Scarlett up and down.

Christian: This is Father O’Malley, and I appreciate you speaking with Scarlett and I on camera, sir.

Father O’Malley points to Scarlett before asking her with a smile. 

Father: Are you cold? I’m sure we can find a jacket if you’re chilly.

The Evolution Champion smiles and shakes her head. 

Scarlett: Awww… that’s sweet. But no, I’m perfectly fine thank you, besides, we don’t want to deny the FFW fans this kind of view, especially not when we’re filming in stuffy locations. No offence. 

Father: I see. 

The priest takes a deep breath, and looks back to Christian.

Christian: The reason I wanted to talk with you is because Scarlett here is a world class professional wrestler who is defending her title tomorrow night against a woman who claims to run a ministry, very much like the Church does. 

Father: Well that is most wonderful of this woman. We always appreciate when others help us spread the word. What parish is she part of? 

Christian: Uh...she doesn’t have one. Her name is Casey Atherton. 

Scarlett: She has an app… if that helps? There really is an app for everything these days apparently. Unfortunately, I haven’t found one yet that can filter out the crazies, such as Casey. 

Father: Hm, what can you tell me about this Casey Atherton?

Christian: Well she used to travel around the country with a bunch of women portraying themselves as nuns. They were mostly former convicts and parolees who would strongarm fans out of their money, and oh yeah, they’d attack her opponents before, during and after their matches. 

O’Malley’s eyes widen as he listens to this description.

Scarlett: Don’t forget the loaded bible… I’d say that’s a pretty important bit of information about her, don’t you think Father?

Father: A loaded Bible? What was it loaded with?

Christian: Usually a brick. She’s also in business with a man who claims to be Canadian, and hasn’t told the truth a day in his life that I’m aware of. And they are trying to collect money to..well...save Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Father: I wasn’t aware it was in need. 

Scarlett: Neither was anyone else but those two. They also worshipped a false idol. 

The brunette nodded her head solemnly. 

Scarlett: A cheap, fake, knockoff Evolution Championship title… it’s okay though, I saved everyone from that monstrosity by dumping it in the river. 

Christian: Like I said, they’ll have a match tomorrow night in the Staples Center. We just wanted to get an official response from an actual church on someone who claims to be part of a ministry.

Father: Well the Church does not condone violence in any form, so I should start with that. But this woman you speak of sounds like a fraud to me, and I assure you she would have no place in our Ministry unless she was the one seeking our help and guidance. While I do not know this Casey Atherton, she sounds like a charlatan to me.

Christian: That’s just what we thought you might say. Don’t you worry, she’ll be handled tomorrow night in the Staples Center. I’d offer you tickets, but like you say...you’re not big on any kind of violence. Trust me, she has it coming though.

Scarlett: She’s going to get everything she has coming to her and more. I’m very generous like that. 

Christian reaches into his pocket, and produces a folded up check which he offers the priest. 

Christian: I’d like to make a donation to the Church here as thanks for your time in talking with us today on camera.

O’Malley takes it with a smile before it starts to fade as he looks back to Scarlett’s chosen attire. 

Father: Good luck tomorrow night, Miss Silver. I hope the Staples Center will be warm enough for you. 

Scarlett’s manager rubs his nose to hide a grin before the pair head past the camera. And then we cut back to the live broadcast. 

[Adam Grant]

Kat: The following contest is a No Surrender Rules Match, with the winner earning herself a No Surrender Championship match! And as enforced by Starla McCloud… Kyle Kilmeade is barred from ringside!

Zack: You can bet both Bianca Salvador and Cassandra Steen have the monitor turned on in their locker rooms and are watching this as they prepare to face each other a little later.

Leona: One of these ladies WILL have a date with the No Surrender Champion, whoever it is, real soon. They’re already gonna know who their next dance partner is when they walk into the ring later tonight.

“All Stand Up” by Status Quo starts to play as the young lady runs out onto stage, heading to one side she urges the crowd to their feet, clapping her hands above her head. Skipping across to the other side, she waves them to their feet as she once more claps her hands over head. Quickly moving back to the ramp, she sprints down to the ring, sliding underneath the bottom rope and getting to her feet quickly. Bouncing off the ropes she powerslides across the ring on her knees before hopping to her feet and continuing to rally the crowd by stomping on the mat and clapping as she heads for her corner.

Kat: The young lady approaching the ring comes from Sheffield, England by way of New York City, New York. She is 5’7” tall and weighs 144lbs….LILLY ARTHUR!!!

Zack: This match was booked as a result of Valerie McKinley using a low blow at Crossed Out when she was trapped in a triangle choke by Lilly. Then she beat her with a chair before Cassandra came to the ring.

Leona: And I have some backstage intel that the assigned ref for this match, Ms. Ashley Pruitt, isn’t gonna let that fly. Valerie will be disqualified at the drop of a dime if she attempts to do that again. So Lilly has twice an advantage tonight: Pruitt’s deadeye, and the striking absence of Kyle Kilmeade.

The lights in the arena sharply cut off, leaving everything in complete darkness. The chiming of a clock is heard echoing in the darkness, followed by a chipper, circus like chime tone. As the tone chimes on, a vibrant gold spotlight shines down on the top of the stage. The circus chimes are soon replaced by the opening chorus of “Villain” by Wild Fire.
 
"Tic tic toc, the time bomb clock
Ticks grinning ear to ear here baby
Tic Tic Toc, the time bomb clock
ticks counting down...
tic, tic stop!"
 
At the exact moment “stop” is sung, the song kicks into full gear, setting off a series of shimmering gold strobe lights going off on either side of the ramp. A few seconds pass before the controversial redhead, Valerie McKinley makes her way out from behind the curtain and stands in the immediate center of the stage, standing in the gold spotlight.
 
"You know I speak in riddles,
And I’m plotting to destroy
Villain as I always was
Crazy is as crazy does"
 
Clad in a mid-thigh length leather jacket worn open over her gear, Valerie looks around at the crowd showering her with a rousing chorus of boos. She looks over at where Kyle Kilmeade would be, and sighs at the sight of nobody, before simply shaking her head. The strobe lights begin to lessen in intensity as she makes their way down the aisle, her arms at her side and a focused look on her face. As she makes her way to the ring, the fans on either side of the aisle make their displeasure at her appearance rather noticeable, which Valerie simply dismisses with an arrogant flip of her hand.
 
"My sanity's in short supply
Mad as a hatter, hey surprise!
T-T-T-Ticking bomb on the inside
Livin' with the villain pacing in my mind."
 
Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, making her way down to the ring… From Providence, Rhode Island…….Valerie McKinley!!
 
Valerie hops up onto the apron and spins around so her back is resting on the ropes. With her head bowed, she lifts both arms up towards her head and has her pointer finger and thumb on both hands close to her head. She lifts her head up and extends her arms out, her fingers pointing out at the crowd like pistols. She then makes a motion like she was firing her finger guns at the crowd before turning around to step through the ropes and into the ring.
 
"I'm blowing up the mystery
And all the pretty things you see
Light flame to fuse
And Sparks will fly
You said goodnight
Now say goodbye."
 
Once in the ring, she walks around with her arms extended outward, reveling in the heat from the crowd. She walks over to the corner and peels off her jacket, letting it drop to the apron as the lights return to normal and her music fades out. She rests her back against the turnbuckles and brushes a few stray strands of hair out of her face, awaiting the start of the action.

Zack: Valerie McKinley made it clear some months ago that she wanted to be the next No Surrender Champion. She has the opportunity to get a match with the champion here, either a rematch with Cassandra or meeting Bianca one on one for the first time.

Leona: But she’s coming out to the ring alone already! Maybe she already has a gameplan at the ready for Lilly? Hopefully one that doesn’t involve, you know, chairs? And C-word punts?

The assigned referee for this match, Ashley Pruitt, makes sure to check both women for concealed weaponry, and then gives the ringside another glance to double check for concealed managers before calling the bell. Lilly is the first to move from her corner towards the center of the ring, crouching where she stands and waiting for Valerie to make a move. When the redhead finally moves out of her corner, Lilly straightens up again and raises one hand, inviting Valerie to a lock-up. The One-Percenter doesn’t seem to be too keen on playing along, but ends up raising her hand as well. Except she isn’t interested in a lock-up: McKinley immediately nabs Arthur by the wrist and trips her, sending the Brit face first into the mat and wrapping her neck with her own arm, putting her in a laid out cobra clutch.

Leona: Oh! Strong start by Valerie McKinley with that deluxe cobra clutch! Not just does Lilly have to contend with the blood flow to her head being cut off, she also has Valerie’s whole weight on top of her!

Zack: Choking her out is exactly how Lilly tried to end their last match at Crossed Out, a little bit of serendipity going on here.

Pruitt immediately slides in to ask Lilly how she’s feeling, but the Brit just growls negatively as she tries to move around and shake free of that hold, while Valerie kept wrenching harder and harder, trying to lock it into perfection. Arthur used Valerie’s own momentum against her when their bodies shifted in a way that she could get her footing back, pushing backwards and rolling Valerie up in what would’ve been a pin reversal if pins counted; instead, Lilly just did a full backflip and forced Valerie to break the hold. Both women rolled to their feet and Lilly immediately floated around Valerie, putting the redhead in a hammerlock. Valerie reacted immediately by reaching behind Lilly’s knee with one foot and tipping it, tripping the Brit again. And as Lilly collapsed on her back, Valerie turned around and reached for the former No Surrender Champion’s ankle, twisting it into an ankle lock while she attempted to flip her opponent over for a Boston crab.

Zack: Lilly’s fighting for her life to keep out of that ankle lock, and Valerie may be sending a little reminder to the champion. That’s one of Cassandra’s favorite submissions.

Leona: Apparently Valerie wants to end this quickly at the same time she sends her Gold Standard partner-turned-bitter rival a reminder that everything the champ can do, she can do too.

Lilly’s hands ground against the mat as she avoided being rolled over by Valerie, buying herself enough time to kick McKinley on the shoulder and forcing her to break that hold as well. As the former Unity Champion reeled, Lilly rose back to her feet, hooking her opponent by the neck and putting her in a side headlock. Valerie reacted by throwing her knuckles as venomously as possible into the small of Lilly’s back -- once, twice, three times -- before Lilly gave in and let her go. Grabbing a handful of the brunette’s hair, Valerie pulled Lilly into her own side hadlock, ignoring the referee’s admonishment of how she shouldn’t be going for the hair. Lilly forced Valerie to backtrack into the ropes as she stepped backwards, and as Valerie was coaxed to let go of the headlock and get sent running, she prepared to jump and catch her opponent unprepared. Valerie did dodge Lilly’s first idea, forcing the Brit to leapfrog over her, but wasn’t ready for the dropkick that found her chest as she came back running off another rope bounce, immediately collapsing to the mat. Before Lilly could do anything else, though, Valerie bolted out of the ring, seething at ringside with nobody to come for her support.

Zack: Starla barred Kyle from ringside for this match, and understandably so. Valerie’s gonna have to navigate this match without his immoral support.

Leona: I don’t think that’s gonna be a challenge per se, but I guess Valerie has just grown used to having him around at all times. It’s always a paradigm shift when your emotional support guard dog isn’t there anymore, but them’s the breaks.

Valerie just walked back and forth at ringside, staring at a smug Lilly as the Brit just waved for her to come back to the ring. As the two wrestlers exchanged some choice words, Valerie eventually slinked back into the ring, as Lilly just watched, mockingly still where she stood. But just as Valerie reached the ring, Lilly walked up to the center of the mat and-- WHAP!!! Slapped the everloving TASTE out of her mouth!

Zack: Well that definitely wasn’t a submission, but Lilly has been seething since Crossed Out. And I imagine that’s just the tip of the iceberg for what she wants to do to Valerie tonight.

Leona: Some people would say getting into your opponent’s skin is half a submission, and Lord as my witness, Valerie knows how to do that like few others in this company!

As Lilly’s head still tilts to one side after that slap, Valerie drives a toe kick to Lilly’s stomach, folding her and making her backtrack as she gasps. McKinley immediately follows that up with some kneelifts, until Lilly is gasping for air on her fours, at which point Valerie drives more knees into Arthur’s ribs until she’s satisfied. She then forces Lilly to stand up and presses her against the nearest corner, delivering more and more kicks and soles to her stomach, watching with unbridled glee as the former No Surrender champion coughs with every stomp. The One-Percenter does so until Lilly has fully slumped on the corner, clutching her midsection and gasping.

Leona: I think the game plan for Valerie here is keep Lilly out of air. Those stomps were aimed directly at her diaphragm; if that is injured, we may not see that high-octane striking power we usually see from Lilly!

Zack: It’s a smart strategy. You can’t train someone how to survive not being able to breathe. That’ll put the lights out in a hurry.

As Lilly attempts to lift back to her feet, Valerie opens a full ring of distance from her, tapping her arm as if telegraphing a lariat. Arthur sits on the bottom turnbuckle, and McKinley dashes forth. Out of nothing but intuition, Lilly dives to the mat and rolls out of the ring to the apron, and Valerie ends up splashing the turnbuckles, being bounced back towards the center of the ring clutching her shoulder after she missed her shot. Arthur immediately pops back to her feet and immediately hops onto the top rope, sidestepping to the turnbuckle right beside her and turning her back to Valerie, only to come crashing down on the redhead with a thunderous moonsault!

Zack: Lilly’s an all-rounder when it comes to the ring. She can do a little bit of everything, and there you just saw her showing off some of her aerial skills to Valerie’s dismay.

Leona: She’s better known as a brawler, somewhat of a scrapper, but she’ll never miss a chance to prove she’s a complete package, and it shows! How about some lucha for a change?

Valerie writhed on the mat as Lilly got up, taking the time to get her breath back and even checking if she was bleeding from the mouth (she wasn’t) before grabbing the One-Percenter by the head and whipping her to the far corner. McKinley hit the turnbuckles and Lilly bounced on the balls of her feet before bolting in her direction striking her with a jumping double knee to the chest that squished the redhead into the tensors. Valerie slumped and Lilly opened a ring’s distance from her again, dashing once more and striking her with another double knee to the chest, backflipping towards the center of the ring and indulging in the crowd’s cheering for a moment before grabbing Valerie by the legs and dragging her to the center of the ring like a sack of bricks. Once they were in the perfect center of the mat, Lilly brought Valerie to her feet, and the dazed redhead could do absolutely nothing to protect herself from the boxing-esque shots that the former No Surrender champion took at her, connecting jab after jab after jab until her opponent was again out on her feet. Hooking Valerie by the head, Lilly then prepared to connect with a vertical suplex… But Valerie blocked it by tying her leg to Lilly’s at the last moment.

Zack: Smart counter from Valerie. It’s easy to get distracted by all the Gold Standard stuff and forget she has always been a brilliantly sound technical wrestler.

Leona: She’s not a former champion for no reason, but you can’t win a match just by parrying stuff. She needs to find a new game plan quickly.

Lilly attempted to lift Valerie again, only for Valerie to block it and kneelift Arthur’s stomach again. Over and over, until the brunette was coughing and folded over again. Valerie took this chance to dash to the ropes and struck luck as Lilly rose just as she came back, allowing the One-Percenter to take her down with a sling blade. Arthur’s skull hit the mat as Valerie quickly rolled back to her feet, hooking Lilly’s leg once more, and easily connecting the half Boston crab she attempted to do before, flipping Lilly onto her back while pulling on her leg. After some torture in the compact version of the submission, Valerie stood up and forther bent Lilly’s leg, basically putting the brunette upside down.

Leona: That’s that submission she was trying earlier in the match, Zack, that elevated Boston crab! Look at how Valerie positions Lilly’s body and puts all the pressure on her shoulder!

Zack: If she keeps this hold on much longer, Lilly’s liable to be an inch or two taller after Valerie gets done stretching her like this.

Pruitt quickly slid in to ask Lilly if she’d give in, and received a resounding “no” amidst Valerie’s screams that she should say otherwise. McKinley held Arthut in that position as much as she could, but quickly noticed Lilly was about to take advantage of the elevated version of the Boston crab to flip, which forced the One-Percenter to take a step forth and put Lilly in the compact version of the hold again, drawing another gasp from Lilly. Again the referee was made to ask if she’d quit, getting another negative. Trying to take advantage of the compact Boston crab, Lilly put her own self on the line as she propped herself on her arms and attempted to crawl over to the ropes, managing to drag Valerie along with her. When Lilly finally grabbed the ropes, Valerie took a full 5-count before releasing her opponent.

Zack: This is not the situation for another disqualification like Crossed Out. If Valerie wants that title match, she has to make Lilly quit. It’s the only way she finds herself challenging either Bianca or Cassandra.

Leona: Like I said earlier, Ashley Pruitt isn’t gonna let Valerie get away with a lot tonight! Express orders from Starla McCloud -- McKinley is having tabs taken on her!

While the referee admonished Valerie, telling her not to abuse the count again, Lilly used the ropes to try and get up, but as soon as she stood on her feet, Valerie brushed Pruitt aside and went straight after Arthur, connecting with some elbow shots to the side of her head before striking with her trademark gamengiri. Lilly slumped on the ropes and Valerie watched as her opponent just melted where she stood.

Zack: Good Lord, I’m not sure Lilly even knew that last shot was coming before it literally floored her. She folded up like a house of cards!

Leona: Valerie calls it the ONE-PERCENTER, and she’s hoping Lilly has less than that of a chance to get up from that! That was one heck of a knockout shot -- now she has to make Lilly quit!

Valerie then threw Lilly to the center of the ring and laid her out on her back, before bending her arms in a way that her elbow pointed up while her palm was flat against the mat. From there, she laid a nasty stomp to that elbow, making Arthur scream in agony while Valerie paraded around her and did the same thing to the other arm. After punishing both arms, Valerie proceeded to lay stomps on Lilly’s shoulders, one at a time. McKinley allowed Arthur to live through that pain for a moment, but immediately saw the chance to wrap it all up when Lilly flipped onto her stomach, immediately grabbing one of her legs and preparing her for the surfboard submission. Lilly IMMEDIATELY kicked the shin of Valerie’s other leg, scrambling to the ropes, and clutching the bottom rope for dear life.

Leona: Valerie was softening Lilly up for the ORDO AB CHAO, but I don’t think Lilly wants anything to do with that! She saw it coming and she dipped out as fast as she could!

Zack: I don’t blame her. If you can avoid being put into a submission, you do it. This isn’t the time to be a hero, not with these stakes.

McKinley groaned in pain as she clutched her shin for a moment, walking away from Lilly as she limped… Only to look back at the brunette, anger flaring in her eyes, and make a beeline to her. Except Lilly wasn’t going to sit and wait for her, as she took off from the corner and brought Valerie down to the mat with a spear! The One-Percenter collapsed and immediately saw the brawler mount on top of her and start delivering a barrage of elbows and punches. Pruit immediately jumped in to tell Lilly to back off since Valerie was defenseless on the mat, and after a two-count, Lilly got up to her feet and popped off to get the adrenaline running through her body again.

Zack: Lilly’s temper is getting the better of her, and these fans in the Staples Center are certainly providing her with all the encouragement. Valerie is about as popular as polio!

Leona: And can you blame the crowd?! Anyone would pick a giant meteor over the Gold Standard, and when someone as popular as Lilly is in the match, it’s gonna get DEAFENING!

Grabbing Valerie by the scruff of her neck, Lilly brought the redhead back to her feet and then led her to the corner, smashing the One-Percenter’s forehead into the top turnbuckle before pressing her frame against the tensors, taking some time to breathe again before grabbing McKinley by the wrist. She then made the move to whip Valerie across the ring, but then using her other hand, she grabbed the redhead by the tights, yanking her back and pulling her into a full nelson hold, promptly sweeping the inside leg to plant McKinley on her face. With Valerie down on her stomach, Lilly immediately transitioned into the Sugar Hold!

Zack: There it is, I’ve seen it a dozen times! One Tiger Lilly into the LILLY PAD! I’ve seen her tap out some of the best in the business with this hold.

Leona: And I don’t think Valerie was expecting that! Lilly took her time as if she was going to transition into something else, but she just… went for it! That’s Lilly Arthur’s trademark unexpectedness right there!

Valerie screamed in pain as she attempted to spin and reach for the ropes with her feet, but Lilly had her exactly where she wanted. Pruitt immediately asked Valerie if she quit, and got a shaky negative as Val attempted to reach for the bottom rope with the tip of her toes, coming up short by mere inches. Seeing Valerie’s resistance, Lilly drove her knee into her ribs even harder, making the redhead’s eyes pop open wide as she howled, making Pruitt again ask if she quit. This time, there was no cognizable response.

Leona: The Lilly Pad is locked in perfect form here, and the punishment Lilly is putting on Valerie’s ribcage is showing! Look at McKinley’s face, she’s getting red with the struggle!

Zack: How much more can she take? All that fighting she’s doing is only exacerbating its effect on her! I don’t think she’s got a choice, and no Kyle to provide a distraction.

As Valerie refused to give up, Lilly kept yanking back, and Valerie kept screaming and trying to reach for the ropes. It would be at that point that Kyle would’ve done something to stop it, but in her distress, Valerie’s mind slipped for a moment. With a shout of “MAKE IT STOP!!!”, Valerie ended up conceding, and Lilly only let go of the hold when she heard the bells. As soon as Arthur’s music hit, though, Valerie’s eyes went wide as she realized what had just taken place.

Zack: And that’ll do it! Valerie knew when she was stuck, and made the smart decision! And now, half the stage is set for Lilly Arthur to have a rematch with either Bianca or the latest in a series of matches with Cassandra for the No Surrender Championship

Kat: The winner of this match, and new #1 contender for the No Surrender Championship… LILLY! ARTHUR!!!

Leona: I don’t think that was Valerie being smart, Zack -- I think she just begged for some divine intervention, because Kyle wasn’t there! There’s a whole lot of pride involved here, and Valerie has never been one to admit she’s been defeated!

Zack: All true. And coming up next, it’s going to be another woman trying to get a title shot. In this case, it’s one she already earned. That’s right, Nevaeh Summers and the returning “Red Empress” is coming up momentarily.

Lilly immediately collapsed to one of the corners, and Pruitt rose her hand right there and then, as the British brunette took the time to breathe in more deeply after all the damage to her diaphragm. Valerie, on the other hand, just seethed where she laid.




On The Hunt

When the show diverts to the back, it’s there we find both halves of KO/TO along with their agent, Carson Black. He’s reading something off his phone as the pair are sat watching the show. At least they were till he taps the mute button on the remote.

Carson: Well ladies, I just received word that you both will be back in tag team action on the next Breaking Point. Seems with the crowning of new Unity Champions in FFW, there’s a bit of a pecking order of teams to be fleshed out. 

He glances towards Claire, in particular. 

Carson: I’m sure many of the girls who listen to you call their matches in Future Shock will be eager to see you in the ring. You and Serafina might spark something in the tag teams there chasing the Doomsday Sisters.

Claire gave a very slight nod of her head.

Claire: Maybe. But a lot of the teams that are in Future Shock are already pretty hungry and determined to hunt down the Doomsday Sisters and take the Future Shock Tag Titles. And I have to be honest, they just keep on pushing that bar higher and higher every time any of them step into the ring. As a trainer, it’s really good to see. As someone who could end up competing with them…

Serafina: It’s still good to see. That’s how we’re going to get better too and push on to hopefully win the Unity titles for the third time. 

Claire: We’d be the first team to win them three times.

Serafina: So, with Target Acquired turning the division upside down in one night and a new pecking order trying to be established...who are we going to be facing at the next Breaking Point?

Carson: It appears Mr. Kilmeade has put together two of his clients for the first time, and they too may be potentially looking to take the top spot in the pecking order after NHB. And surprisingly, not the Gold Standard. You know he does like to keep them busy.

He shows them both the message he had received on his phone.

Carson: You can do some scouting later tonight since your opponents are also competing on this show. I’m referring to Miss Salvador and Miss Demidov. That’s...an interesting team.

Serafina: That’s certainly going to be a test. Miss Demidov is a Hall of Fame talent and a former FFW Champion with one heck of a mean streak and a lot of viciousness to her. A very well rounded athlete and certainly is a threat to everyone. While Bianca Salvador has proven herself often as a tag team wrestler - the Brazilian Storm are one of the best in the world without a doubt. I’m sure given their links in The Franchise they’ll work excellently together too.

Claire: Yeah, they are both talented and both really good. We’ll not write them off or overlook them in any way at all. Looks like we’re really going to have to hit the ground running at the next Breaking Point given that it’s been a little while since we’ve been in an FFW ring together. Good chance for you, Fina, to extract a little bit of karma after Mika wrecked your match with Nev a few weeks back. A win there could’ve been massive for you.

Carson: I’m sure she will look to show Miss Demidov and potentially the next No Surrender Champion the error of their ways in your tag match. Speaking of that , I believe Miss Demidov’s match is next.

Carson tapped the mute button on the remote again to restore the sound before the show cut back to the ring.

[Adam Grant]

 

Kat: The following match is scheduled for one fall to a finish.

Zack: This one’s been a while coming, and possibly one of Relentless’ most anticipated matches as well. I’ve been joined by Christian Kincaid for some reason.

Christian: For some reason? Why don’t you just ask me why I’m out here? This match is part of the gauntlet to see if Nevaeh gets a Phoenix title shot. Well now that Tara is the champion, seems like a good time to get a closer look.

As “Rise” by Sixx A.M. we see the arena lights blinking in sync with the lyrics of the music. Nevaeh Summers eventually storms her way onto the stage , fired up, and motioning to the crowd, before stopping at the top of the ramp and looking out at the people. Nevaeh is wearing yellow rimmed sunglasses as well as a white Poisoned by Ivy military jacket with yellow trim. As we keep looking at Nevaeh we see she is wearing yellow colored leather pants running down her leg. The side of each leg is laced up with white colored fabric, showing off her skin. On her feet we see black boots and white kick pads. On the front of each kick pad appears her logo as there is a circle with “NS” in the center of it in Yellow. While “The" scrolls on the top and “Finest” scrolls on the bottom, also in yellow.

Nevaeh looks around the building, nodding her head, as she starts feeling the crowd. “Feel that energy” is what can be heard coming from Nevaeh as she goes about heading down the ramp halfway and begins pointing her left hand out to the crowd and moves it around as if she was conducting them. The crowd moves from left to right, linking arms. Nevaeh then points to the opposite side of the crowd with her right hand, urging that side of the building on the same way, to which they do. Nevaeh lowers her head, her hands still swaying to the crowd till she raises her head up and snaps her arms out to the side.

As Nevaeh strikes her signature pose a row of pyro goes off next to her, starting far out and rushing close to her, before a big unified explosion happens behind her. Nevaeh now lowered her head back down and looked towards the ring and began walking down the ramp with a purpose.

Kat: Making her way to the ring at this time she resides in Los Angeles, California by way of Atlanta, Georgia. She weighs in tonight at 120 pounds. She is Nevaeh Summers!!!

Nevaeh reaches the bottom of the ramp and goes about slapping hands with the fans. Nevaeh now heads to the opposite side and slaps a few more hands before removing her sunglasses and just casually tosses them out towards the crowd. Nevaeh then quickly runs to the ring, sliding in under the bottom rope, and gets to a knee. Nevaeh just looks out for a moment before getting to her feet and shimmies out of her jacket.

Nevaeh then approaches the middle of the ropes facing the hard camera. Nevaeh climbs up them, hooking a leg over the top rope and straddling it. Nevaeh now sits there and looks out to the capacity crowd. The blonde began motioning them to get louder, which they do. She eventually lowers her head and starts motioning her arms as if she's conducting them again. This time we zoom out and capture the front row all around motioning along with her. After a moment Nevaeh snaps her head back and her arms out. Multiple spotlights soon shift down onto her, basking her in the light.

Nevaeh keeps striking the pose till she sees fit. Once she has, she gets off the ropes and makes her way to the opposite side of the ring where she puts one foot on the bottom rope and the other on the middle. She bounces on them while looking out to the crowd and stretches her arms out yet again, encouraging them to get louder.

Nevaeh bounces off the ropes and lands on her feet. She starts psyching herself up as she paces back and forth along a corner.

Zack: Congratulations to your client on becoming the new PHoenix Champion earlier tonight, and she may end up having to face this woman again in the not too distant future for her new title.

Christian: Now you see why I’m here, and giving Leona a little break. Tara’s been in the ring with Nevaeh more than once, and she has an even more vested interest in whether Nevaeh passes Samantha’s gauntlet.

The eerie pianos of “15 Minutes” echo through the sound system as the image of the Red Empress’s dilapidated throne is shown on screen. Right before the beat drops, the all too known cries of sea eagles rings out, as the name of the Russian rogue flashes on the big tron. Accompanied by her manager Kyle Kilmeade, Mika Demidov walks through the entrance gate, dressed like the true royal she is. Kilmeade removes the cape from over the Empress' shoulders, allowing the Red Star to throw her right hand in the air, index, middle and ring fingers fully extended upwards, at which point a volley of white, blue and red pyros shoot behind her back, and her manager presents her to the crowd.

Kat: And her opponent, escorted to the ring by Kyle Kilmeade... From Saint Petersburg, western Russia... "The Red Empress"... MIKA DEMIDOV!

She then walks down the entrance aisle, scowling at the crowd and ignoring the outstretched hands who wish for a high-five, before she's offered a hand by Kyle to climb the steel steps leading into the ring. She enters the square passing between the mid and bottom ropes and, once inside, she climbs a random turnbuckle, taunting the crowd by basically screaming smack at them. After soaking in the boos, she shakes her head and leaps back into the ring and prepares for her match.

Zack: It has been quite a while since we’ve seen Mika in a FFW ring. And from what I am told, this isn’t just a one off. She’s back on the active roster starting tonight.

Christian: See, that intrigues me. There’s not a lot Mika hasn’t accomplished in FFW, so I’m more than a little curious what her long term plan is. If it’s not just to defeat Nevaeh, there’s something else she’s eyeing, I bet.

Stephen Wilson was the referee in charge of the match and as both competitors confirmed they were ready to begin, he called for the bell. Mika walked out of the corner with a swagger and met Summers in the middle of the ring where she started to berate her before she slapped the taste out of her mouth, snapping the Georgia native’s head to the side. Nevaeh slowly turned her head back towards the Russian who gave her another slap to the jaw, calling the American a disgrace and as soon as the blow landed, the World’s Finest ducked down and took Demidov to the mat with a double leg takedown. As soon as they landed, the World’s Finest moved forwards into the mount position and started to slam right and left forearms into her jaw. 

Zack: Have you ever seen anyone have to go through all these hoops just to get a title shot they already won?

Christian: No, not really. But I mean this is new ground honestly. Nevaeh admitted she made a mistake last year at Fury, and Samantha clearly doesn’t think she’s paid enough for it.

The St. Petersburg native managed to roll Summers off of her before she rolled the other way and came back to her feet only to be met by a furious right hand to the jaw from her opponent. The Red Empress staggered backwards and caught four more right hands as Nevaeh backed her into the ropes with the strikes before she switched up her point of attack and began to lay in stiff knife edge chops to her fellow blondes body. The official called for the break and started the count as Summers continued to deliver chops to her foe’s chest. As Wilson reached four, the World’s Finest sent her fellow Hall of Famer in for the ride, catching her as she came off the ring ropes with a spinebuster to a loud cheer from the sold out crowd. Immediately Mika rolled to the side and out of the ring, holding her back as she did so. 

Christian: There’s no experience for in-ring preparation, Zack. You can train and spar all you want, but it’s no comparison to someone actually trying to beat you up in there. 

Zack: That’s what I’ve heard. And we have no idea what Mika’s been up to in her time away. Has she stayed in ring shape that whole time?

Wilson tried to back Nevaeh to a neutral corner as Kyle rounded the ring to meet up with Mika only for Summers to follow her out of the ring and make a beeline for her opponent. The Red Empress saw her coming and took off around the ring, passing Kilmeade who tried to put his body in the way and slow down the Georgia native only to get a shoulder block for his efforts, sending him down to the floor. Mika rolled back into the ring and came to her feet before she charged across the ring towards the opposite ropes with Nevaeh hot on her heels. As Demidov came back towards her, Nevaeh caught her with a standing dropkick, sending the St. Petersburg born wrestler to the canvas once more. 

Zack: I’m sure Nevaeh watched that title match between Harley and Tara closely tonight, and her eyes are focused on getting what she earned.

Christian: Well that’s going to be an issue for her then. If she’s thinking about Tara and the Phoenix Championship, Mika’s likely to humble her tonight.

Demidov sat up immediately holding her jaw as she did so and Summers jerked her upwards and straight into a snap DDT that planted her into the mat. Mika rolled to the side, holding her back for a moment before she pushed up onto all fours and the World’s Finest delivered a punt kick into her ribcage. Mika pushed up onto her knees, holding her arms against her body and Nevaeh fired off a stiff kick into her spine. It saw the Russian force her way up to one knee only for her opponent to move a couple of steps backwards before skipping forwards and delivered a big boot to the side of her head. The Franchise mentor fell to the side, catching herself on one outstretched arm as the Atlanta born grappler moved around behind her foe, wrapping her arms around her waist only to jerk her upwards and straight into a German suplex.

Zack: We’re not gonna see Tara getting involved in this match, are we? I mean it wouldn’t be the first time.

Christian: Of course not. Tara’s cooling down and icing some bruises in the back. She’s watching this match, and that’s all. 

Summers kept the rear waistlock applied as she pulled Mika up to her feet and into a second German suplex. A third followed and still Nevaeh hauled her opponent up to her feet once more and this time she let out a roar as she hurled the St. Petersburg wrestler backwards again, releasing the German suplex as she did so. It saw Demidov hit the mat and roll backwards onto her knees, coming up to her feet on instinct only for Nevaeh to launch herself into a leaping knee strike to her chest. Mika fell back against the ropes, stumbling forwards off them and got taken down to a sitting position with a snapmare takedown. The World’s Finest wasted little time at all in diving forwards and catching her opponent with a rolling neckbreaker that sent the Russian falling to the side holding her neck as Summers used her momentum to come to her feet.

Zack: Nevaeh’s really taken control here. What makes you think that if Mika wins here that she won’t go after Tara’s title?

Christian: I doubt that’s the case. She’s a Hall of Famer and former FFW Champion. If I know her at all, the top of the card is where she prefers to keep herself.

Mika started to sit up with an agonised expression on her face. The referee went to check on her and Nevaeh took off across the ring, hitting the ropes before she faceplanted into the canvas thanks to Kyle grabbing her ankle from the outside. The manager strolled away, adjusting his tie and pretending nothing had happened while he headed towards the corner. Summers pushed up to her knees, staring daggers at Kyle while continuing to rise to her feet and as she turned her attention back to her fellow blonde, Mika caught her with a codebreaker. Summers fell backwards into the ropes only to stumble forwards and Demidov caught her with an eye rake before she jerked her down into a small package pinning combination.

Zack: Mika’s looking to end it early right here!

One…

Two…

...THR-

Christian: Maybe, but she’s not gonna catch Nevaeh like that this early on.

Nevaeh kicked out and quickly came back to her feet only for Mika to catch her with a throat thrust. Summers choked for air and and the Russian stepped towards her, grabbing hold of her hair before she dove over the top rope, snapping the Georgia born wrestler throat first over the top rope with a suicide hair pull. It saw the American wrestler fall backwards onto the mat, gasping for air as Demidov landed on her feet and held her back for a moment before she yanked her opponent of the ring by the ankles. As Nevaeh landed on her feet, Mika caught her with a palm thrust to the underside of her jaw, causing her fellow blonde to step backwards. The Red Empress stepped forwards and delivered a knee into her foes midriff before she Irish whipped her into the ring steps. The Atlanta native crashed into the steel, dropping down to her knees as she hit them and Mika charged in behind her and drove a two footed dropkick into her shoulders, bouncing her face first into the ring steps. 

Christian: I think we can both see that Mika’s not lost her mean streak in her time away from the ring. 

Zack:: No question about that. Mika’s mean streak is a mile wide, and it’s obvious she’s trying to make a point with Nevaeh.

Mika pulled the World’s Finest away from the steps and rolled her back into the ring before she pulled herself up onto the apron and climbed the top rope. The Russian perched on the top turnbuckle for a moment as she watched Nevaeh get her feet underneath her before she launched herself into a knee strike to Summers’ temple. The American Hall of Fame talent dropped down to one knee from the shot and was immediately pulled back up to her feet with a handful of hair before Mika used a chop to drive the side of her hand across her foe’s throat. Summers staggered backwards, gasping for breath once more only for Mika to Irish whip her across the ring into the corner. Nevaeh hit the turnbuckles hard and started to step out of the corner only for Mika to drive her back against the pads with a clothesline. Once more the Franchise’s mentor stepped backwards a couple of steps only to charge forwards and drive a running knee into her opponent’s gut. 

Zack: Mika has surgical precision with every bit of her offense. She’s going to flat out punish Nevaeh, and enjoy every second of it.

Christian: I think Mika loves what she does, and it shows through in every move she makes. You can’t be that good and not enjoy your job.

Four more knees followed as Wilson asked for the break and started the count, getting to four before Demidov pulled her opponent away from the turnbuckle pads and into an Irish whip sending her across into the opposite corner. Again Nevaeh hit the corner pads hard and a moment later Mika crashed a running big boot into her jaw; the impact causing the Atlanta native’s feet to fly up off the canvas before she slumped in the corner, her arms over the top rope to help hold her up. Mika stepped away from her opponent and took hold of the top rope before she started to fire off side kicks into Nevaeh’s gut. Again the referee told her to let her fellow Hall of Famer out of the corner and found himself having to use the count. He reached four once more before Mika stepped backwards once more then spun around to deliver a spinning back fist to her jaw. Nevaeh started to step out of the corner and as she did so, Mika took her down to the mat with the Hiptoss Of Doom. The Red Empress immediately played up to the crowd and posing for them as Nevaeh rolled onto her side and started to slowly push herself upright.

Zack: No one here in the Staples Center is interested in Mika’s bicep curls, but she’s giving Nevaeh some time to get up.

Christian: I guess that means Nevaeh is interested in her doing them, because she’s getting a second win during it.

As the World’s Finest started to get to her feet, Mika took her off her feet with a running neckbreaker. As Nevaeh sat up, the Russian wrestler moved in behind her and applied a rear chinlock, driving a knee into the top of her spine as she did so and started to ask loudly if this was the best that Summer’s had and telling her that she was a disappointment and a disgrace to the Hell of Fame and to FFW in general. As Mika made her pronouncements she pulled back further on her opponent’s head and the official asked the American if she wanted to quit, getting a defiant ‘No’ from her. Slowly the Georgia born competitor began to push upwards, starting to get her feet beneath her and as she got her feet underneath her, Demidov transitioned out of the submission hold to hoist the American onto her shoulders and drove her down into the canvas with the Olympic Slam. As Mika landed the move, she made a lazy cover as she sought the win.

Zack: Nicely executed, and the gauntlet ends here for Nevaeh possibly!

One…

Two-

Christian: I don’t think Nevaeh’s ready to give up on what she earned just yet.

Summers kicked out as the two landed and Mika shook her head as she looked towards the referee’s two fingers. The Russian pulled her opponent up from the canvas by the hair, an arrogant look on her face as she did so and once more was expressing her disappointment in the fan favourite Hall of Famer, scooping her up off her feet as she did so and took off towards the corner, looking for a snake eyes. As she neared the corner though, Summers slipped out of the back of the hold and landed on her feet before she shoved Mika in the back, sending her chest first into the turnbuckle pads. The Red Empress staggered backwards and as she did so, the Atlanta native lifted her off her feet and drove her down into the mat with a back suplex.

Zack: You tell me, Christian. You’re the trainer and manager. What do you tell Mika if you’re her manager?

Christian: First, I’ll tell you that’s ever likely to happen. She’s been with Kyle as long as I’ve known her. But otherwise, I’d say go after Nevaeh’s knees. 

Summers held her head as both her and her opponent rose to their feet simultaneously. As the two wrestler got upright, Nevaeh struck first with a closed fist haymaker of a right hand to the Russian’s jaw. Mika staggered for a moment and Nevaeh caught her with a second right hand before she suddenly hit a drop toe hold that sent Mika face first into the middle turnbuckle. The Red Star began to push back up to her feet and was spun around by the American wrestler who snapped her head back with a European uppercut. A second followed that and then a third as she forced Demidov back against the turnbuckles then lowered her shoulder to deliver four vicious shoulder thrusts into her opponent’s stomach as the referee called for the break and started the count. He got to four before Summers relented with the blows and stood up, jerking Mika into an Irish whip that sent her across the ring into the opposite corner. 

Christian: And you’re seeing why I say go after her knees, because Nevaeh can’t throw all those shots if she can’t stand up in the ring.

Zack: She’s got a lot of frustration to work out, no two ways about that. Mika’s had this coming with her recent actions, if you ask me.

Demidov hit the opposite turnbuckle pads as the Atlanta native stared at her for a moment from across the ring before she darted forward and launched herself into a handspring back elbow that caught the Franchise mentor to the side of her face. Mika slumped against the pads as a result and Nevaeh stepped up onto the middle rope, raising her fist into the air to the cheers from the crowd before she started to drive her knuckles into her opponent’s head; the crowd counted each strike. Even as the referee asked for the break and started the count, trying to make sure he had the attention of the World’s Finest.

ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SI-

Zack: Nevaeh’s got an axe to grind, and she’s not really paying this official a great deal of attention.

Christian: She will if he calls for the bel.

Before the sixth blow could land, Mika countered with an uppercut between her foes legs. The referee immediately started to read Demidov the riot act as Summers leaned backwards in pain, holding the top rope to try and stay on the middle rope...only for Mika to ignore the official as she wrapped her arms around her foe’s thighs and drove her back first into the mat with a modified powerbomb. The Red Empress kept the legs of the World’s Finest hooked as she went for the pinfall. Wilson slid into position to make the cover and as he did so, the Russian athlete kicked her feet up onto the middle rope. 

Christian: That powerbomb was a thing of beauty...using her feet not so much!

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Zack: Thank goodness Nevaeh was able to get her shoulder up, that was too close!

Before Wilson could complete the count, Nevaeh’s shoulder shot up from the canvas, causing Mika’s knees to land on the canvas. Summers rolled to the side, holding her groin for a moment before she was pulled upwards by the rising Demidov who scooped the World’s Finest off her feet into  a bodyslam. Nevaeh landed on the mat and before she could sit up, the Russian jumped into the air to deliver a double footstomp to her foe’s midsection. The St. Petersburg native played to the crowd, revelling in their boos as the World’s Finest rolled to her side, cradling her gut with her arms before she pulled herself up into a sitting position. As she did so, Mika took off towards the ropes, bouncing off them and came back to send her foe back to the canvas with a sliding forearm. Demidov rolled onto one knee and taunted Nevaeh as she stretched out her arms and asked the crowd “How good was that?” They responded with deafening boos while Kyle applauded her enthusiastically from her corner. 

Christian: Some mind games here, Zack. Mika’s very familiar with Nevaeh and what she likes to do. Now she’s reminding her of it.

Zack: But isn’t that a waste of time when you’ve got the woman down on the mat?

Summers began to rise from the mat, getting as far as her knees before she found herself ensnared in a side headlock. Despite the hold, the World’s Finest continued to rise, getting back to her feet and all the while Mika told the camera they were looking at a true Hall of Famer dominating a cheap imitation. Nevaeh ignored her foe, walking her back to the ring ropes and attempted to fire her off...only for Demidov to slam on the brakes by dropping down to one knee, wrenching the hold on tighter. Summers once more forced her way up to her feet and as she did so, Mika released the hold and delivered a thumb to the eye as she did so.

Zack: Clearly Mika hasn’t changed her opinions on observing the rules in her time away.

Christian: I guess that falls under the saying of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

The World’s Finest staggered backwards, trying to clear her vision and as she did so, 
Mika skipped forwards and delivered a pump  kick into her foe’s body, dropping her down to one knee. The wicked smile was still fixed into position on the face of Red Empress as she grabbed hold of two handfuls of her opponent’s hair and jerked her towards the middle of the ring before she spiked her face first into the mat with a sit out facebuster. Demidov came to her feet as Summers rolled onto her back and Mika took off towards the ropes, bouncing off them and came back to deliver a double knee drop to her foe’s body before she made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Christian: Ever felt a double knee drop to your body? It’s not a fun time.

One…

Two…

...THRE---

Zack: I would have never guessed that it was. 

Again Summers rolled her shoulder before the three count could be completed and rolled onto her front. Mika asked the referee for the three count only for Stephen Wilson to confirm the two count which caused the Russian to roll her eyes before coming quickly to her feet. Nevaeh started to push upright, getting to all fours before Mika drove her boot into the side of her head that saw Summers roll onto her back once more. Quickly Demidov went and took a page of Bianca Salvador’s playbook as she applied the Paradise Lock to her opponent, tousling her hair as she finished locking it in before she slid out of the ring in front of the announce desk and asked the two announcers if that was what they considered to be a real Hall of Famer.

Zack: Why don’t you focus on your opponent instead of us? She’s the one you have to get the win over!

Christian: Geez, Zack. Is this why you became a commentator instead of an interviewer? 

Mika shook her head as she headed back to the ring and popped back up to her feet as Nevaeh was coming back up to a vertical base and Demidov charged forwards to catch her with a shotgun dropkick to the chest. Nevaeh fell back against the ropes which sprung her forwards towards the rising Russian who caught her with another knee strike to the chest before she hooked her head and lifted her up into the air. Mika held Nevaeh vertically upside down for about twenty to thirty seconds before she completed the stalling vertical suplex and then floated over into the cover, hooking the leg as she did so. 

Zack: How long is Mika gonna keep Nevaeh suspended in midair like this?! That had to be half a minute!

One…

Two…

...THRE-

Christian: Apparently she should have kept her up a little while longer, after all.

Nevaeh kicked out once more and Mika glared at the referee this time, a look of frustration on her face as he showed her the two once more. Still Demidov didn’t argue with the official as she instead pulled Summers up from the canvas and drove a right hand into the side of her face. A second right hand followed before the Red Empress delivered a kick to her gut, doubling her foe over which allowed her to twist Nevaeh’s arm up behind her back into a hammerlock before she took her spiked the top of her skull into the mat with the Golden Buster hammerlock DDT. Quickly she rolled Summers over onto her back and hooked the leg for the cover. 

Zack: I haven’t seen the GOLDEN BUSTER in a long time, but Nevaeh felt it!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian: That was very close, Zack. Very very close. I think Mika’s closing in on the win.

At the last moment Nevaeh’s shoulder came up from the canvas and Mika came to her feet, staring at Stephen Wilson and demanded the three count from the official. He shook his head, telling her that the shoulder came up before he could complete the count. She told him that Samantha Star would be told about his incompetence before she turned back towards Summers, watching as the Atlanta born wrestler started to come to all fours. Demidov shook her head and then spat at her opponent; the glob of phlegm landing square on her back. Mika gave the sign to the crowd and then went to wrestle Nevaeh back to her feet and into position for the Do Svidanya side Russian legsweep clutch backbreaker...only for Nevaeh to surprise her foe with a cutter that saw both women lay flat out on the mat.

Zack: Mika wanted that backbreaker she loves so much, but Nevaeh did her homework!

Christian: As well she should have. You don’t get to this level without knowing how to prepare for your matches.

Mika started to pull herself up from the canvas, holding her jaw, staggering backwards slightly as she got to her feet. Demidov found her balance and went towards the rising Nevaeh. As she neared her though, Summers launched herself from one knee into a shoulder tackle that took the Red Empress down to her back. The Russian rolled over and started to get back to her feet once more only for Summers to mow her down with a running clothesline. Again, Mika began to rise but still didn’t make it all the way back to a vertical base before Summers delivered a spinning wheel kick to the side of her head, sending her down to one knee. Nevaeh forced herself to come quickly to her feet, hooking her foe’s head as she did and quickly lifted her upwards before dropping her straight down with a brainbuster. Summers rolled away to the ropes and used them to start to pull herself to her feet as Mika lay on the canvas for a moment before she began to pull herself upright. 

Christian: What you’re seeing here is fatigue rearing its ugly head, Zack. Both of them have pounded each other, and their bodies are suffering for it.

Zack: No question about that. There’s been no quarter asked and none given.

As the mentor to the Franchise started to get her feet underneath her, Nevaeh moved forwards quickly, catching her with a spinning back fist to the jaw  before she followed it up with three quick forearm shivers. Each blow sent Mika back a step before Summers Irish whipped her across the ring and caught the St. Petersburg wrestler back to the mat with a standing dropkick which saw her drive both feet into the Russian’s face. Demidov hit the mat and immediately sat up only to collapse straight back down. Meanwhile the World’s Finest came up to one knee, outstretched her arms and took a moment to ask the fans “How good was that?” The fans cheered her loudly in response 

Zack: Now the right person is asking the questions as far as these fans in the Staples Center are concerned.

Christian: But the same rule applies for Nevaeh as it did for Mika earlier. She’s letting her get her senses back here.

As Mika began to rise, Nevaeh didn’t waste any time as she pulled Demidov upwards and flipped her up onto her shoulders and started to build up steam as she headed towards the corner and threw the Red Empress spine first into the turnbuckle pads. Mika slumped against the turnbuckle pads and Summers stepped up onto the middle rope to drive a boot into the side of her foes head with the step-up enzuigiri. The Russian collapsed down to a sitting position in the corner and Summers headed across the ring, bouncing off the ring ropes and came back with a knee strike to Mika’s head, driving it backwards into the middle turnbuckle pad. Summers held her position, knee pressed against Demidov’s skull for a couple of moments while she rallied the crowd to get even louder. 

Zack: I don’t think Nevaeh needs to incite these fans. They are already behind her as much as they could be.

Christian: She has an ego too, and needs to feed it just like most wrestlers do. 

Nevaeh smiled for a moment before she pulled Mika roughly out of the corner and sent her sprawling forwards in the direction of the middle of the ring and hopped up onto the middle rope. Demidov dropped to one knee only to immediately start to push upwards, staying hunched over before Summers leapt from the middle rope into a modified Golden State of Mind leg drop bulldog, driving Demidov face first into the canvas. Quickly Summers rolled her foe onto her back and hooked the leg for the pinfall.

Zack There’s the GOLDEN STATE OF MIND, and that’ll do it!!

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Christian: No, it won’t. You know, I think Mika must have just stayed in ring shape all this time.

Demidov rolled her shoulder before the three count and Summers nodded her head in agreement with the officials count before she went to pull her foe up to her feet. As she got to her feet, the World’s Finest pulled her opponent into a standing headscissors before attempting to lift her into a piledriver. Mika though blocked the move, landing back on her feet as she did so. Nevaeh attempted the piledriver again and again found it blocked. This time the Red Empress countered with a back body drop that sent Summers flipping head over heels to the canvas. 

Zack: I agree with you. I don’t think Mika’s lost a single step since the last time we saw her in this ring. She’s as good as she ever was.

Christian: Hell, she might be better, if I’m being honest.

Mika dropped to one knee for a moment before she glanced back at her opponent who was beginning to pull herself up from the mat. The Franchise mentor looked to press home her advantage as she forced herself to her feet and took off towards the ropes with Nevaeh following a step or three behind her. As Demidov hit the ropes she slowed to a halt as she didn’t see her foe and spun around where she caught a forearm smash knocking her down to one knee. Mika went to rise to her feet as Summers came off the ropes once again and caught her with a second running forearm smash to the jaw which sent Mika down to the mat this time. The St. Petersburg native scrambled to her feet and threw a wild right hand at her fellow Hall of Famer...which saw the World’s Finest duck underneath the shot, stepping past her and took her down to the mat with a jumping neckbreaker. The pair lay on the mat for a moment and the referee checked both competitors to make sure they were okay before he started a ten count.

Christian: Referees hate making these ten counts, Zack. They never want to see a match potentially end like that.

Zack: They have that in common with the fans, Christian. No one wants a match to end like that.

As the referee got to four, Nevaeh continued to lay on the mat while Mika started to stir, rolling onto her knees and continued to slowly push upwards. As the referee made it to six, Demidov got her feet beneath her unsteadily and Nevaeh kipped up to her feet with a look of fire in her eyes. Quickly the World’s Finest stepped forwards and caught Mika on the point of the jaw with a bicycle kick. Demidov looked to be about to collapse to the canvas only for Summers to catch her by the wrist and yank her down into an inverted stomp facebreaker, following that up with a rolling cutter that drove Mika into the mat as Kyle hopped up onto the apron. Wilson immediately went to cut him off and Nevaeh dove on top of her opponent to make the cover, hooking the leg as she did so. The crowd started the count.

Zack: Big time cutter, and---get him off the apron!

ONE!!

TWO!!

...THREE!!

Christian: He and I have had our differences, but he definitely earns his money.

…No official count was forthcoming as Wilson was still arguing with Kyle, telling him to get off the apron and return to Mika’s corner.

Zack: Throw him the hell out of here!

...FOUR!?!?!

..FIVE?!?!

Christian: If I were managing Nevaeh, this wouldn’t have gone on as long as it has! And still is….

Finally the official looked around and dove into position to check the shoulders and made the count. Kyle dropping off the mat and slapping the apron as he tried to wake Mika up.

Zack: FINALLY!! But I think it’s too late now!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian: You got that right. Mika soaked up all that time with Nevaeh covering her, and I’ll be surprised if she’s not renewed with a second wind.

A heartbeat before the three count could be completed, Mika rolled her shoulder and broke up the pinfall. Nevaeh sat up and stared at the official, asking him for the three count as he showed her the two, telling her the shoulder came up. Summers shook her head, telling him that it had to be a three count - that it was a ten count! She looked at him in disbelief as he again told her that he only made a two count and saw the shoulder come up in time once he’d gotten Kyle to return to his corner. Kyle gave the World’s Finest a cold look as she stared at him, with a shake of her head before she came to her feet, telling the referee to keep his eyes on the action. As Summers made it to her feet she started to wave her hands around as though she was conducting an orchestra, the crowd getting louder. 

Zack: I’m surprised Nevaeh hasn’t knocked him into the next county already. He’s damn sure earned it! 

Christian: It would make her feel better, but it wouldn’t win her the match.

Mika made it to her knees before Nevaeh stepped towards her and looked to pull her upwards and into the double underhook for the Grand Finale DDT. Before she got her arms trapped though, Demidov managed to fight her way free, wrapping her arms around Summers legs to lift her up and slammed her down into the canvas with an Alabama Slam. Demidov falling back onto the mat as she landed the move. The Russian took a couple of moments before she started to make it back to her feet as Nevaeh started to do likewise and Mika caught her with a knee to the jaw as the World’s Finest made it to one knee. Quickly she went to lift Nevaeh upwards into a powerbomb position only for Summers to push away from her. As the Atlanta born wrestler landed on her feet she lashed out with a kick into Mika’s gut, doubling her over and this time she made no mistake as she hooked both of the Russian’s arms and drove her down into the canvas with the Grand Finale. Summers muscled her opponent onto her back and made the cover, hooking both legs as she did so.

Zack: That’s the GRAND FINALE!! Nevaeh’s three seconds from victory!

One…

Two…

….THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian: Well you called that one, Zack. Good job! Nevaeh clears the first hurdle. 

Nevaeh rolled away, laying on her back and breathing deeply before she slowly started to get to her feet. As she made it back upright the referee raised her hand in the air to the loud cheers of the crowd. Meanwhile Kyle entered the ring to check on Mika and helped her to feet.

Kat: Here is your winner, by way of pinfall… NEVAEH SUMMERS!!!!

Christian: She wasted a lot of time in there to get to this point, but she made it happen regardless. So I guess you can’t fault her too much.

Zack: You’re right about that! Nevaeh scores the win, but that just leaves one woman left in the Hall of Fame gauntlet….who is it?!

Summers began to celebrate her victory, telling Tara and Harley that she was coming for whoever walked out with the Phoenix Championship only for Mika to blindside her from behind, catching her with a forearm to the back of her head. Summers stumbled forwards only for Mika to quickly catch hold of her and jerk her into the Do Svidanya Russian leg sweep clutch backbreaker. 

Christian: Mika clearly didn’t care for how that match ended, and voiced her displeasure as a result.

Zack: Call her a sore loser, that’s what she is!

The crowd booed her loudly as Mika snarled at her opponent before she left the ring and headed back up the ramp with her manager by her side, applauding her as the show cut elsewhere.


A Wild Alysson Approaches

The next shot takes us elsewhere in the Staples Center, and finds the “Outlaw” alongside Allison Marx. The reporter has her hand to her earpiece as she’s being given some kind of instructions before she begins to speak.

Allison: Hello, everyone! Relentless rolls on here from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. And I’m here with the “Outlaw” Alysson Gardner, who I just received some news pertaining to as we were about to begin. Welcome to the show, Alysson.

The Outlaw crosses her arms and smirks.

Gardner: Thanks! It’s always nice when the show is pretty much on the corner of your house… And I wouldn’t miss a big, eventful night for anything in the world. So, what do you have for me, namesake sis?

Allison: You’re booked for Fury, our next FFW special event here on All Access, which will take place in Sin City itself. I’m talking about Las Vegas. How do you feel about gambling?

The Big Red seems to be thoughtful.

Gardner: I’ve played the slots before, but I have better uses for my money. But I’m not missing a trip to Sin City if FFW is in town.

Allison: Nor should you, because just as you walked up, I was told that you would be challenging for the FFW Evolution Champion that night against the winner of tonight’s ladder match between Casey Atherton and the champion Scarlett Silver. I’d say that’s a great reason to visit Vegas in May!

Gardner: Let’s fucking GO!

Gardner pops off as soon as she hears about it, cracking a massive smirk.

Gardner: I’ve been chasing the Evolution Championship for several years. Over four, I think. FFW has changed a lot since then, but one thing hasn’t: I want that damn belt. And it’s very interesting that the championship will be decided tonight in one of my FAVORITE match types:  ladder match. Do you know what that means, Marx? That means that when they walk into that ring, they’re not walking into a run of the mill match, oh no. They’ll be walking into a test of resistance.

Alysson cracks her knuckles.

Gardner: And a match against me… Is itself a test of resistance. Let’s see how much punishment these girls can take. This is gonna be fun!

Allison: Let’s discuss those two for just a moment. You’ve been in the ring with Casey before, so you know very well what to expect. And I doubt you want anything to do with her Evolution title special edition with her face all over it, right? 

Gardner: I don’t fight over belts without value. Put a sanctioned belt in front of me and you know I’m gonna fight tooth and nail for it. But I don’t hunt for chump change. Now, if Casey does win that match, it’ll be a complete do-over on our January 30th match. Because back then, she got lucky. I don’t tend to let people get away with it more than once.

Allison: The other possibility is Scarlett Silver, someone you have not faced so far. She’s been dealing with Casey for a while now. I assume you have more respect for her than Casey, all things considered. Is that right? 

Gardner: Definitely. Because she doesn’t have a belt with her face on it, you see.

Gardner shrugs.

Gardner: She’s got a mean streak to her, and I like it. I rather enjoy it when they can be naughty, and Scarlett is as naughty as they come. Not to mention she’s a stablemate of one my best friends, Emma Mackenzie. I think it would be an awesome match. Don’t you?

Allison: Absolutely. Going by that though, sounds to me like if you had your preference, you’d rather it be Scarlett you meet in Las Vegas. Is that fair? Or would you prefer to get a win back against the “Savior” slash charlatan? 

Gardner: I don’t pick my battles. I’ll be watching that championship match really close, and whoever wins, I’ll be ready. Do I wanna get my win back from Casey? Hell yeah. Do I wanna kick Scarlett’s butt? Hell yeah too. And since I’m gonna be wrestling one of them come Fury, I want to put something on the record.

The Big Red stares right into the camera lens and smirks.

Gardner: Tonight, whatever you guys give one another… It’ll just be a small taste of what I’ll be willing to do when we meet in Vegas. And if I were a betting woman… I’d bet every single one of my chips on you not being ready for what I’m about to rain upon y’all. ‘Cause I’m coming to ROCK YOUR WORLDS.

Then the show cuts to a commercial for Fury live from Las Vegas in May.

[Adam Grant]

 

Kat: The following match is scheduled for one fall with a sixty minute time limit and is for the FFW NO SURRENDER CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

Zack: It’s time for the titanium title to be on the line. Still with me is Christian Kincaid.  Decided to stick around after the match with Nevaeh and Mika, eh?

Christian: Absolutely. I don’t have anyone immediately in contention for this title right now, but I do have an idea or two on who I manage who might be dipping her toe into this division.

“Something New” starts up over the speakers, and the jeers have almost drowned out the music before Brazilian Storm have even arrived (though in fairness, the beginning is pretty quiet). Yellow, green and blue spotlights dance around the arena, while the tron shows images of both halves of the team in action. Suddenly, the music stops and the tron cuts out...only for the sound of crashing thunder to echo loudly through the arena.

Love to hate,
Repeating my mistakes.
But there’s no one left to listen,
No one left to listen.
Take a chance, and fuck the consequence
When there’s no one left to listen,
No one left to listen.

As a curtain of dry ice smoke fills up the entrance stage, the two Brazilian wrestlers walk up to the top of the ramp together, with their manager Kyle Kilmeade right behind them. Once there, they look over the booing crowd with matching smirks on their face before they stop for a pose: Bianca goes to a knee and opens her arms wide in the Witch of the Winds pose, as Mel does her own pose, twirling on her feet and taking a soft dip of a bow, also with her arms open. After a couple of seconds in that pose, Bianca lunges forth and twirls herself, as Mel swings an arm, and the best friends indulge in a loud high-five. Then, side by side, they walk down the entrance ramp, with their manager following them with a lonely round of applause.

Right now! We’re taking control!
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for something new!
Right now! We’re taking control!
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for something new!

Kat: Introducing first, escorted to the ring by Mel Avilo and Kyle Kilmeade… From Brazil… BIANCA SALVADOR!!!

Instead of going straight to the ring though, the girls walk up to a camera, getting right up to the lens with their mischievous smirks. As Bianca flexes her biceps for the gun show, kissing the bulging muscle, Mel’s smirk becomes a grin as she gives the camera, and the viewers at home, some choice words about their opponents. After that, the best friends roll into the ring and move to opposite turnbuckles, climbing onto the second rope and staring into the booing crowd, only to wave them off and regroup, going to their corner. Bianca sits on the top turnbuckle and Mel docks herself there, as they wait for their match to begin while they strategize, Kyle joining in their conversation.

Zack: Bianca Salvador never was tapped out to lose the No Surrender Championship, and this is a long overdue rematch, I suppose.

Christian: Can’t really fault her for wanting a rematch for it. Luna in Future Shock had a similar gripe, and she proved when she got her shot that it was the right call to make.

The opening bars of “You Call Me A Bitch Like It’s A Bad Thing” begin to play through the speakers around the arena and the lights on the stage go out leaving it darkness.

You took me to your little crib
Guess it must have been a big deal
Got me starring in your wet dream
Now it's time to get real
I'm not looking for love
No not today
But you call me up and had the nerve to say
See you next Tuesday

A white spotlight hits the centre of stage to see Cassandra Steen standing in the middle of it with her manager, Dante Knox standing slightly to the side. The crowd instantly show their disdain for the pair with a loud chorus of boos. Neither Cassandra nor Dante seem phased at all by this and in fact seem to revel in it. A smirk curling on Cassandra’s lips as she surveys the crowd and runs her fingers over the title belt sitting across her shoulder.

You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing
You call me a freak like that means something
Can't get your way so you're sulking
I think we know the rest
Get it off your chest
I don't give a shit
I love it when you call me a bitch like it's a bad thing

Cassandra begins her walk down the ramp to the ring slowly with Dante walking beside her, Cassandra surveying the crowd either side of her as she does. Still she doesn’t seem particularly bothered by the less than favourable yells from the crowd as she whispers something to her manager.

Kat: Making her way to the ring, from Leeds, England, and accompanied by her manager, Dante Knox, she is your FFW NO SURRENDER CHAMPION...….CASSANDRA STEEN!

You show up everywhere I go
Get a grip you're acting so weird
I don't need your jager bombs
I think I can take it from here
You gotta learn to leave when the party ends
I don't really care what you tell your friends
Tell me again

As she reaches the ring, Cassandra climbs the steps and takes another moment to look around at the crowd as Dante holds the ropes open for her to enter between the middle and top ropes.

You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing
You call me a freak like that means something
Can't get your way so you're angry
I think we know the rest
Get it off your chest
I don't give a shit
I love it when you call me a bitch

Cassandra’s music comes to an end and as it fades out, she makes her way to her corner and leans back against the turnbuckles and rests one arm on the ropes beside her, as she shares some last minute words with her manager.

Zack: What do you make of the reigning No Surrender Champion, Christian? I know you manage her sister after all.

Christian: I personally have no issues with Cassandra. She was a juggernaut in Future shock, and won a title faster than just about anyone when she came to the FFW roster.

Kevin Fisk was the referee in charge of the contest and immediately he pointed towards Kyle and Mel and Dante and ordered all three of them to the back. All three complained to the official about the decision only for Fisk to shake his head, telling them all to head to the back. Kyle and Mel continued to argue as Dante threw up his hands and headed back towards the Champion’s corner, exchanging a couple more last minute words with her. As he talked to his client something fell from his hand to the floor next to the ring step before he shoved it underneath the ring skirt with his foot as security came down to ringside and began to escort the three back up the ramp - Mel and Kyle still arguing with security. 

Zack: I’m glad the referee is getting rid of all of them. Not a single one of them is going to add a thing to this match other than aggravation.

Christian: I know Starla had them removed during Lilly and Valerie. Clearly she decided to keep them out of this one too.

With the managers dealt with, Fisk turned his attention to the competitors, checking them for illegal objects. When he was satisfied both were clean he took the Titanium title belt, showing it to Bianca and then holding it aloft for the fans before handing it off to Kat at ringside. He called for the bell and the two competitors moved towards the middle of the ring, the Typhoon telling her opponent that she was going to reclaim her property and become a three time No Surrender Champion. Cassandra rolled her eyes and Bianca flexed her muscles, showing the Champion the gun show...only for the Leeds born wrestler to grab hold of the challenger’s arm, pulling her down to the canvas and went to lock in the crippler crossface. The No Surrender Champion didn’t quite manage to lock the hold in before Salvador scrambled away from her. 

Zack: Have you ever seen the No Surrender Championship enjoying the popularity it is in the current day?

Christian: Not in a while, not at least since the title’s inception. It’s really sparked a lot of interest though.

The pair came back to their feet and Cassandra, with a confident look on her face, told the Brazilian how close she came to getting the hold locked in and waved her forwards. Bianca darted towards her and Cassandra caught her as she came forwards with a hiptoss. Salvador rolled over and immediately came back to her feet where Steen caught her with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head, following it up with a discus forearm to Bianca’s jaw, keeping her off balance for a moment before the Yorkshirewoman jerked her into a short arm clothesline, sending her foe down to the canvas. Bianca once more went to get back to her feet quickly only for Cassandra to apply a side headlock which was quickly transitioned into a running bulldog. 

Zack: What do you attribute the resurgent interest to when it comes to the titanium title?

Christian: Honestly Cassandra. I think a few people may have underestimated her when she first arrived, maybe wrote her off. Maybe they thought since she was fresh out of Future Shock, she’d be easy to dethrone. Those people would be wrong.

Immediately Bianca pushed upwards, coming to all fours as Cassandra took off towards the ropes, bouncing off them and catching Salvador with a running knee to the jaw as she came to one knee. Salvador held her jaw as she came to her feet and Steen drove a boot into her midsection before she planted the Franchise member into the canvas with a DDT. Quickly the No Surrender Champion floated over to apply a fujiwara armbar to her opponent. Fisk quickly dropped down in front of Bianca, asking her if she wanted to quit and got a ‘No’ from the Brazilian who started to use her upper body strength to push her chest of the mat - despite Cassandra’s weight bearing down on her back - and started to edge across the canvas towards the ring ropes. Steen kept the hold locked in as Salvador dragged them both across the ring and finally managed to wrap her fingers around the bottom rope. Fisk called for the break and started the count, getting to four before Cassandra released the hold.

Zack: I’m not sure that anyone thought Cassandra would be an easy target. If they watched her days in Future Shock, they’d know better than that.

Christian: I didn’t say all of them may have felt that way. But look at it like this. Not many come onto the main roster and end up with this title almost immediately afterwards. I think she may be the catalyst.

Bianca quickly rolled out of the ring underneath the bottom rope and came to her feet, holding her shoulder. The official tried to back the No Surrender Champion into a neutral corner only for Steen to shake him off as she took hold of the top rope and launched herself over the top and into a crossbody that caught the Franchise member perfectly, sending her down to the floor. Cassandra came back to her feet, pulling Bianca upwards as she did so before lifting her up and dropping her chest first into the crowd barrier. Bianca landed on her feet and staggered backwards only for Cassandra to wrap her arms around her waist, spinning her around as she lifted her and snapped off a release German suplex that drove the Brazilian back first into the floor.  The Brazilian rolled onto all fours, holding her spine with one hand only for Steen to pull her up by her hair and shove her roughly back first into the ring apron. Steen lowered her shoulder and delivered a series of four shoulder thrusts to her opponent’s midriff, driving her spine into the ring apron each time before she rolled the challenger into the ring underneath the bottom rope. 

Zack: We found out earlier that Lilly is going to be facing the winner of this match to try to regain the No Surrender title. Who do you think she’d prefer?

Christian: Cassandra. They have a long history, and it’s one I’m pretty sure she’d like to come out on the winning side of before it’s all said and done.

Cassandra followed her foe into the ring as Bianca pushed up to her hands and knees. Steen pulled her the rest of the way to her feet and forced her back into the ring ropes with a series of knife edge chops to the chest. As the Franchise member leaned back against the ropes, the Yorkshirewoman fired her across the ring, catching her on the return with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker that saw her slam the Brazilian born competitor back first across her knee. Salvador rolled away and landed on her chest, holding her back once more only for Steen to deliver a double knee drop to her opponent’s spine. She kept her knees in the small of her back as she corralled her foes legs and wrapped a hand underneath her jaw before she started to rock back and forth, building up momentum to roll to her back and pull Bianca into a bow and arrow submission over her knees.

Zack: Bianca’s getting some rough treatment here. The last time we saw her, she was scoring a victory over Mila Martin.

Christian: Mila is the piece of this division that I think could really skyrocket at any moment. She has come close so many times.

Fisk dropped down and asked Bianca if she wanted to quit but got a ‘No’ despite the pained expression on her face. Steen continued to pull on her foes jaw as she tried to make the submission as painful as possible. Still Salvador refused to submit as the referee asked her the question and Cassandra let out a loud groan of frustration before she released her hold on her foe, shoving Bianca off her knees and to the mat. Salvador held her spine with one hand, kicking her foot against the canvas as Steen came back to her feet. The Leeds born wrestler pulled the Franchise member up from the canvas and as she did so, Bianca suddenly caught her with a thumb to the eye. Cassandra stepped backwards, trying to clear her vision and the Franchise member used the opening to deliver an inverted atomic drop. 

Zack: Bianca’s found her opening, and you’re right about Mila. She gave Bianca all kinds of hell the last time they met.

Christian: I remember that match. I watched it back a couple times, and I’d be happy to offer some guidance if she ever wants it.

A pained look came across Steens face as the move landed and Bianca staggered backwards, holding her back for a moment before she dropped back into the ropes and used them to fly forwards into a slingblade clothesline that took Cassandra down to the mat. The No Surrender Champion started to quickly get back to her feet which saw Salvador take off towards the ropes once again, coming back towards her opponent and as soon as the Englishwoman made it to her feet, sent her down to the canvas with a shoulder tackle. Again Steen looked to rise, getting upright once more a second before she was sent to her back yet again by a second shoulder tackle.

Zack: One area that Cassandra isn’t going to be able to match Bianca in is her strength. The “Typhoon” is a rock even though she doesn’t look it entirely.

Christian: Looks can be deceiving though. I know  how tough Bianca is, we used to be pretty tight back in the Ferocious days.

Again the Champion tried to come quickly back to her feet only for the Franchise member to take her down to the mat with a swinging neckbreaker. This time as the pair hit the mat, Bianca rolled on top of her opponent and started to fire off hammer-like forearms into her face. Steen tried to cover up and as she did so, Bianca instead wrapped her hands around her opponent’s throat to choke her out. The referee demanded the break only for the Brazilian to ignore him as she kept her hands around her foe’s throat, Cassandra trying to pull them away before she drove a palm strike into her side just below her ribcage. A second palm strike connected before Bianca rolled away, holding her side in pain. The Typhoon came to her feet as Cassandra gasped for breath before she started to push up from the canvas causing the Brazilian to drop back to the ropes, bouncing off them once more and charging towards the Leeds born wrestler to catch her with a knee trembler which brought Steen to her feet where she stumbled backwards.

Christian: I don’t think either of these two need to assume Valerie McKinley is just going to give up wanting that title either. They could be seeing her again in the near future.

Zack: The One Percenter is nothing if not persistent. Her last match with Cassandra was something to behold!

Before the No Surrender Champion could find her balance, Bianca jerked her forwards, lifting her up onto her shoulder as she did so and took off towards the corner, dropping Cassandra face first into the top turnbuckle with a stun gun. Steen landed on her feet but staggered backwards, holding her face and the Franchise member caught her from behind and drove her into the canvas with a back suplex. Salvador held the small of her back as she sat up, with a slight grimace on her face but despite this she came back to her feet and stepped into the corner, pushing up onto the middle turnbuckle as Cassandra started back to her feet, measuring the Englishwoman up before she launched herself into a knee strike to the side of the Leeds natives head. The No Surrender Champion fell backwards to the mat and quickly the Brazilian Storm member grabbed hold of her foe by her thighs and fell backwards, catapulting the brunette chest first into the turnbuckles.

Zack: Put on your manager’s hat again, Christian. What do you tell Bianca right about now?

Christian: Keep doing what you’re doing. She can pretty much brute force her way through this match if she wanted.

Again Cassandra stumbled backwards out of the corner and Bianca wrapped her arms around her head and neck to lock in a sleeper hold. Steen reached for the ropes, finding them just a little too far away as Salvador used the hold to jerk the Champion back towards the middle of the ring then fell backwards, keeping the hold locked in as she brought her foe down to the canvas. Fisk dropped down in front of the Leeds native asking her if she wanted to quit and got a ‘No’ as the Leeds born grappler tried to pull the arms away from around her head and lessen the pressure being applied. Salvador kept the hold locked in as she flexed her arms to tighten the hold further. Still the No Surrender Champion refused to submit and instead planted her foot on the mat, using it to push off and roll the her and her challenger onto the side where she could kick out her leg and hook the toe of her boot over the bottom rope.  The referee called for the break and started the count as Bianca kept the sleeper hold locked in until he reached four before she released.

Christian: But that’s the thing with Bianca. Just because she’s a powerful girl doesn’t mean she isn’t as technically sound as they come.

Zack: No one in their right mind is going to overlook the “Typhoon” if they have any sense.

The Franchise member came back up to her feet and took a couple of steps backwards before she posed for the crowd who booed her loudly. Bianca grinned at the response and made a title belt motion around her waist as Steen pulled herself up, getting to one knee before Salvador skipped forwards and drove a boot into the back of her head, causing her to sprawl forwards over the middle rope. Immediately Bianca fell across her foe’s shoulder, driving her down across the ring rope to choke her out and again the referee asked for the break, starting the count before the official pulled Bianca away from her. The Franchise member rounded on the referee, berating him for pulling her away and reminding him that this was a submission match then turned back towards the No Surrender Champion. The Typhoon pulled the Corporate Killer away from the ring ropes with a handful of hair, yanking her up to her feet before she hooked her head and lifted her off her feet. Bianca held the Leeds native upside down for about thirty seconds before she dropped the Englishwoman into the mat with a brainbuster. 

Christian: I can’t begin to describe to you what that feels like. Your head feels like it’s about to explode. I hate that move.

Zack: Glad that I never have felt it, and have no desire to.

Bianca held her back as she landed the move but still had a broad smile on her face, coming up to her feet as she did so and placed a boot upon Steen’s chest, holding up three fingers to the camera then made the title belt motion around her waist again. Cassandra shoved the boot away from her and went to sit up only for Bianca to stalk around behind her before she swooped in, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling backwards as she went for the Elegant Decadence straightjacket choke. The No Surrender Champion though had it well scouted as she suddenly jerked her arms forward, pulling the Brazilian off balance. Bianca stumbled forwards and hit the ring ropes chest first and as she stepped backwards, Cassandra grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her down into an O’Connor roll before she rolled through and with a roar jerked Bianca up and into a release German suplex.

Zack: Wow, look at Cassandra snapping off that German suplex! She must have found a little more adrenaline right there!

Christian: Adrenaline comes and goes in the ring, and Cassandra is making the most of it when she has it.

The two wrestlers started to get back to their feet and as they did so, Cassandra scowled at Bianca and caught the Brazilian with a throat thrust before she jerked the Storm member downwards into a single knee facebreaker. Salvador staggered backwards holding her nose and Steen followed her, grabbing hold of her hair once more before she delivered a headbutt to the challengers. Again Bianca stepped backwards, holding her nose and Steen delivered an European uppercut to her jaw, followed by a second before she sent her in for the ride. On her return the Leeds native slammed the Brazilian into the canvas with a spinebuster. The Typhoon rolled onto her front and pushed up onto her hands and knees only for the Englishwoman to bounce off the ropes, leave her feet and deliver a seated splash to her spine, forcing her down onto the mat. As the Brazilian landed, Cassandra pulled her up and applied a camel clutch, sitting down low on her foe’s back as she pulled back on her head.

Christian: This is a wear down hold. I know it’s a submission technically, but show me the person who submitted to it. She’s trying to drain Bianca’s reserves here.

Zack: And judging by the looks of it, it might just be working too.

The Franchise member refused to submit when Fisk asked her, despite a look of pain on her face as the No Surrender Champion pulled back on her head; Salvador shook her head as Fisk asked her again, trying to burrow down into her opponent’s interlocked fingers. Before she managed to accomplish her goal, Steen adjusted her grip to hook her fingers into Bianca’s nostrils using this hold to pull the challengers head back and used her other arm to hammer away at Bianca’s chest. The referee started to read Steen the riot act for pulling back on her opponent’s nose the way she was and Cassandra shrugged her shoulders as she released the hold and stood up before jumping into the air and driving a butt drop into her foe’s spine as Salvador tried to get to her hands and knees once more. As Bianca collapsed to the mat, the Englishwoman once more pulled her up into the camel clutch. 

Zack: And right back into the camel clutch. Cassandra is hellbent on keeping Bianca grounded here. 

Christian: It’s not a bad strategy at all. If Bianca is face down on the mat, there’s not a lot of offense she’s gonna throw at Cassandra.

Again Fisk dropped down in front of the Typhoon, asking her if she wanted to quit but got no answer this time as the Franchise member started to move her feet forward to force her way to her knees. Steen continued to pull back on her opponent’s jaw as Bianca wrapped her arms around her leg and used her strength to come back to her feet before she fell backwards, driving Cassandra back first into the canvas. Steen released her hold and the Brazilian rolled away from her and to the ropes. The Franchise member held her lower back with her hand as she used the ring ropes to pull herself back to her feet. Once more the two wrestlers made it to their feet simultaneously and Cassandra started towards the challenger. As the Englishwoman came near to her opponent, she looked to fire off a haymaker of a right hand to the side of her jaw only for the Typhoon to block the shot and land one of her own. Again Cassandra tried to catch her with a right hand but again found it blocked before Bianca landed a second right hand of her own. 

Christian: That’s one thing I would have advised Cassandra against doing. It’s not a wise move to throw hands with someone who is stronger than you. I get why she did it, but still.

Zack :if Knox were out here, I’m sure he’d argue with you on that. But he’s not, and I’m thankful.

Salvador followed it up with three more stiff right hands which saw Steen step backwards, trying to put some space between her and her opponent only for Salvador to spin forwards and drop the Leeds born champion with a discus forearm to the jaw. Cassandra rolled over and hurriedly began to come to her feet only for Bianca to catch her as she did so with an ace cutter. Steen bounced out of the move and landed on her back, reaching for her jaw as she did so while Bianca sat on the canvas holding, the small of her back as she did so. 

Christian: See what I mean about not throwing hands with Bianca? That usually ends up the wrong way for whoever is doing it.

Zack: Sometimes I think these women, like most wrestlers, fight on instinct after a match wears on. And instinct can fail you.

The Franchise member forced herself to get back to her feet and cut off Cassandra as she made it to her knees, driving shoot kicks into her chest before she grabbed hold of two handfuls of hair and slammed her face first into the canvas. As Steen lay down on the mat, Bianca quickly grabbed hold of her foot and pulled her into a single leg Boston crab. The challenger pulled back on Cassandra’s foot as she tried to keep low, putting as much pressure as she could on her spine. The Corporate Killer refused to submit to the hold when she was asked by Fisk and instead started to scratch and claw at the canvas, dragging her and her foe towards the ring ropes. Fisk again asked Steen if she wanted to quit, getting another shake of her head as she stretched out for the ring ropes and found them just beyond her fingertips. Fisk asked again and got no answer as Cassandra pulled at her hair for a moment, had hand wavering over the mat before she made one more effort to pull herself forwards and this time managed to grab hold of the bottom rope. Fisk called for the break and started the count, getting to four before Bianca delivered a curb stomp to the back of Cassandra’s head and released her grip on her ankle as she completed the Face Flattener.

Zack: One of her favorites there, the FACE FLATTENER.

Christian: Appropriately named too.

The No Surrender Champion lay flat out on the mat and unmoving, hand only gripping the bottom rope and Bianca grinned as a result. Once more the Franchise member pulled a pose straight out of a fitness magazine before she moved towards the Englishwoman, grabbing hold of her foot to pull her away from the rope and towards the middle of the ring. Steen still didn’t move as she was dragged towards the middle of the ring and Bianca pulled her opponent’s leg upwards, feeding it behind her neck before she stood up straight, pulling on Cassandra’s ankle as she lifted her up off the canvas. Fisk dropped down next to Cassandra and asked her if she wanted to quit but didn’t get an answer as Salvador twisted and turned, spinning Steen around. As she stopped shaking the Champion, Fisk asked again, getting a quiet ‘No’ from the Leeds born wrestler which saw Bianca complete the Outflow, slamming Cassandra down into the canvas.

Zack: The OUTFLOW didn’t get the job done, but clearly Bianca’s feeling pretty confident right about now.

Christian: Yeah, but that’s also ill-advised. If Kilmeade was out here, he’d probably be telling her to stay on top of Cassandra.

Bianca took a moment to play to the crowd once more before she moved forwards and went to grab Cassandra by the leg again and lifted upwards, looking to go for another Outflow. Steen, though, was ready and took her opponent by surprise as she suddenly grabbed hold of Bianca’s ankle and rolled through, taking the Brazilian down to the mat and twisted her foot as she locked in an ankle lock. Salvador thrashed on the mat as Cassandra wrenched in the hold, applying all the torque she could to the joint. The Brazilian shook her head as Fisk asked her if she wanted to quit, even as her body thrashed around and she desperately reached for the ropes to no avail. Cassandra came to her feet and leaned forwards, trying to tighten her grip up even further and as she did so, Salvador brought her knees up to her chest and used all of the power in her legs to kick the defending Champion off, the Englishwoman staggering backwards and falling through the ropes to the outside near her corner. 

Zack: I’m not sure how long that’s going to keep Cassandra at bay, but it worked for the moment.

Christian: My guess is not very long at all. Cassandra is very tenacious.

Bianca sat up on the mat, holding her ankle and looked to be in pain as Steen took a moment on the outside to gain her bearings before she crawled towards her corner, retrieving something from underneath the ring skirt. Slowly the Leeds native pulled herself up onto the apron and rolled underneath the bottom rope before she came to her feet, keeping her right hand behind her back. Fisk came to check on her as Salvador started back to her feet and Cassandra nodded that she was fine before she asked the official for a time check. The official turned his back and headed towards the time keepers to ask on behalf of the No Surrender Champion and the Leeds native made a beeline for her opponent. 

Christian: That’s a classic right there, haven’t seen it lately either. And the crazy part is the referee is obliged to answer questions during a match.

Zack: Cassandra shows a lot of veteran tactics out there. Playing the referee is just one of them.

Bianca was on her feet, with her back towards her opponent and was hobbling slightly as she tried to put weight on her ankle. Steen spun her around and immediately went to clock her with the right hand to the jaw… only for Bianca to catch her wrist and counter with a kick right between her legs. Cassandra dropped a roll of quarters to the mat as she grabbed hold of her groin and crumpled to her knees. As she dropped Bianca hooked her head and slammed her down into the mat with a DDT then rolled forwards into a bridging arm triangle choke as Fisk turned around. Immediately the official slid into position to ask for the submission and got a shake of the head from Cassandra as her hand wavered against the mat. Bianca kept the hold locked in tightly and Steen’s motions began to fade before she kicked out her foot and just managed to get her boot onto the bottom rope. 

Zack: That was a game of inches right there! If Bianca didn’t make the ropes, this would have been over already, I think.

Christian: it wouldn’t surprise me if it had been, but that’s all a moot point.

Once more the referee called for the break and used the count, getting to four before Bianca collapsed the bridge and released the hold, holding her back as she did so while the No Surrender Champion rolled over onto her back. Salvador forced herself up to her knees and moved towards her opponent, grabbing hold of her arm and feeding the limb between her legs as she was setting her up for the Paradise lock only for Cassandra to grab hold of the Typhoon by the head and brought her legs up to lock in a triangle choke. Bianca struggled to find an escape as Steen quickly had it locked in tightly; the Brazilian unable to pull herself free, her questing foot unable to find the bottom rope. Steen tightened up her grip further and Bianca’s movements slowed to a stop, giving Fisk no answer as he asked the question. He raised the hand of the Franchise member and watched it drop down limply. He raised it again and once more it dropped. He raised it a third time.

Christian: Once more, and Cassandra’s retained her title here, Zack.

And this time it stayed upright. Salvador slowly started to push upwards, getting her feet beneath her as she lifted her opponent up from the canvas and drove her straight back downwards with a modified powerbomb to get the Leeds born wrestler to release the hold. Salvador fell backwards to the mat, gasping for air as she did so. Both wrestlers seemed to take a couple of moments before they began to rise to their feet. Cassandra made it upright first and started to walk towards her opponent as Bianca sat up. As the No Surrender Champion neared her foe, Bianca suddenly grabbed hold of her tights and fell backwards, jerking Steen off balance and sending her face first into the top turnbuckle. Cassandra staggered backwards and Bianca quickly trapped her arms and flung through the air with a dragon sleeper.

Christian: Beautifully executed right there! I couldn’t have told her a better way to do that.

Zack: I have no doubt Kyle brought in the best submission trainers in the world to get Bianca ready for tonight.

Steen hit the mat hard and rolled to the side, holding the back of her head as Bianca held her back before she looked over towards the Champion and scrambled towards her. Quickly Salvador went to lock in the Elegant Decadence, pulling Cassandra’s arms back across her throat in a straight jacket choke but as soon as she did so, the Champion began to squirm, preventing Bianca from firmly planting her boot in between her shoulder blades. Bianca jerked back on her arms trying to stop her foe from squirming but instead it saw Cassandra fall backwards and bring her feet up, planting them in Bianca’s midriff and used a variant of a monkey flip to throw Salvador down to the mat. The Franchise member held her back and rolled over, quickly getting back to her feet and moving towards Cassandra. As she did so, the Leeds native caught her with a drop toe hold that sent the challenger face first into the mat. The No Surrender Champion wasted no time at all in transitioning into the Duplicity Muta lock.

Christian: I recognize DUPLICITY when I see it! And Bianca is in major trouble right here!

Zack: You got that right! Not one of Cassandra’s more often used submissions, but that may be why it was best to bring out here.

Fisk dropped down into position, asking Bianca if she wanted to submit and got a ‘No’ from the Typhoon as she tried to pull herself the short distance to the ring ropes. Cassandra though, bridged up further, applying more pressure to her foes back and spine. Bianca’s face scrunched up in agony, screaming out a ‘NO’ at the referee when she asked her the question. Desperately, Salvador reached for the bottom rope again, finding it out of reach. Bianca shook her head once more when the referee asked her the question but moments later, with no escape route available, started to tap her hand against the mat. Fisk called for the bell and Cassandra kept the hold locked in until Fisk returned and told her to break the hold. Steen let go and slowly came to her feet, the official helping her upwards and raised her hand in the air.

Zack: Bianca realized she didn’t have a choice in the matter, and did what she had to do! Cassandra Steen has retained her title tonight at Relentless!

Kat: Here is your winner… and STILL FFW NO SURRENDER CHAMPION… CASSANDRA STEEN!!!

Christian: Looks like we’re going to see one more round with her and Lilly after all. Congratulations to the champion, and I’ll tip my imaginary hat to Bianca because she had an outstanding plan of attack tonight.

Bianca rolled to the apron, holding her back with a look of agony on her face still as Fisk retrieved the No Surrender Championship and presented it to Cassandra. The crowd booed loudly as Steen held the title above her head before placing it on her shoulder as Dante joined her in the ring, holding her hand aloft before the show cut elsewhere.


Kelly’s Mission

Recorded Earlier Today…..

The next image we see is that of Kelly Kincaid and her husband. The camera shows he’s looking through the lineup on tonight’s card, specifically the main event.

Christian: That Valentina….she definitely is persistent. Here I had been thinking after Sin & Sacrifice, we’d see some new talent getting in line to challenge Missy. 

He nodded towards his wife with a smile.

Christian: But then she goes and wins at Crossed Out, and now is here at Relentless looking to do what she couldn’t do in September. And I certainly hope, along with Missy as well, that this is the last shot for Valentina. She’s about to have two bites of the apple, so to speak. And I’d like to remind her there’s other people who would very much like to be in her spot.

He gave another nod towards Kelly.

Christian: People like Kelly here, in case you weren’t picking up my hints.

Kelly: Yeah, I’d love to be challenging for the FFW Championship. The truth is, I’m one of the most consistently successful wrestlers in this company. I’ve held pretty much every title that I’ve challenged for. Except for the FFW Championship. Somehow it keeps on eluding me. Even the chance to challenge for it seems to somehow slip through my fingers - look at how close I came in all the Femme For All tournaments, for example.

There was a shake of her head.

Kelly: But not this year. This year I am getting that shot come Hell or high water. I WILL challenge for the FFW Championship and goddamn it, I am going to win it. I don’t care what I have to do. I don’t care who I have to beat, what hoops I have to jump through or what gauntlets I have to run. I WILL do it. Whoever walks out of here with the FFW Championship - be it Missy or Valentina - you best be looking over your shoulder because I am coming after you. I am going to be hunting you down.

Christian: They aren’t the only ones hunting it either. I don’t think it’s been made any secret that Savannah is wanting to face Missy for the title. And I can tell you firsthand from what she’s told me and said on television, Missy wants to face her too. But she nor I book the matches, so… Just saying the shark pool is getting thick.

Kelly: I don’t care.

Kelly glared at the camera.

Kelly: I don’t care if Savannah is next in line and Missy gets that match she wants. That’s fine and dandy. I’ve waited this long, another month or two won’t kill me, right? BUT I will be right there, ready to get in the face of whoever wins that match between them; whoever walks out of there with the FFW Championship, I will be right there waiting for them.  Like the Predator, like the Terminator, like Pepe LePew, like the Mounties, I will get my woman - I will get my shot at the FFW Championship. You can try to slow me down, but you’re not going to be able to stop me.

As she was talking, Christian rubbed his chin. Something apparently had occurred to him during Kelly’s thoughts being shared.

Christian: I just remembered something. The next pay per view on All Access for FFW is Fury, right? Which is in May. And in May, isn’t that the month that Adam and Samantha switch places and he gets to book matches on this roster while she does the same in Future Shock? 

Kelly nodded her head.

Kelly: That’s what Samantha said. They were going to switch places and each take control of the other’s rosters and shows. Certainly should be an interesting month. 

Christian: Well if he’s booking Fury, maybe we don’t have to convince Samantha of anything. I think maybe you should schedule a meeting with him and make your case. The main event of Fury hasn’t been decided yet, right? It could be Valentina with the title, which I’m betting against personally. Could be Missy retaining. Maybe if you talk with him, you go to Fury and claim the main event shot at the title. Or we just make a side trip to Boston soon, if necessary. What do you think?

Kelly: I think that’s a great idea. After all, I think I have a pretty good case to put forward to get that shot and I’m sure as much as Missy would love to face Savannah, she wouldn’t have any issue with facing me instead. Hell, she might enjoy going up against a little bit of fresh blood too, meeting somebody who hasn’t already had the chance to challenge for the FFW Championship and failed. Unless...of course, she’d rather face me in London, at Wembley Stadium on the biggest show of the year - Unstoppable - that could be one heck of a homecoming for her, couldn’t it?

Christian: I certainly have no problem with either of those scenarios. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go check on my clients before the show gets underway. Good thing I wore my running shoes tonight.

He told her with a grin before heading out of the locker room. And then the show cuts to a commercial for Fury in May.

[Adam Grant]

A short video package reminds the viewers of the long rivalry between Casey Atherton and Scarlett Silver before the show heads back to the ring. And there, Kat Grayson awaits to begin the introductions. Several ladders of all sizes are shown scattered around the ring.

Kat: The following contest is a ladder match for the FFW Evolution Championship!

Zack: We’re about to bring this rivalry to a close for now, I think. We’re gonna have two Evolution titles hanging above the ring: the Casey Atherton version she paid to create and the actual historic Evolution title held by Scarlett Silver. 

Leona: Only one of them is worth the hassle, however, and it’s not the one with Casey’s face on it. Not that it’ll matter -- whoever wins this one… Takes all the hardware.

The arena is plunged into darkness, punctuated only by the soft, subtle, plucking of harp strings picking out the tune from the hymn “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” only just loud enough to be audible by the capacity crowd. As it plays the video wall starts to show a group of people formed up in ranks against a pure black background. The song got louder as the voices of the people on the video wall began to sing the hymn with great enthusiasm and verve, clapping their hands together as they did so. Then, suddenly it was cut off and became a fanfare of trumpets. A sudden blinding white light flooded the whole building before it narrowed down to a single point high above the stage where a single figure is slowly descending from the heavens. The woman almost seems to be glowing in her bright white robes, her hair almost a flame red crown around her head. The eyes of the choir on the video wall all turned towards her, singing out an awed ‘Aaaah aaaaah aaaah’ to accompany the angel’s descent only for her to become more and more recognisable as Casey Atherton the lower that she gets. The crowd dropping down to their knees on the wall and starting to bow towards the angelic figure. As Casey landed she shrugged herself out of her white robes with the aid of a stagehand, leaving herself in brilliant white ring tights and a white smock top. Cradling her hands together, the red haired woman began to slowly walk down the entrance ramp; bathed in the same bright, pure white light. On the video wall, the Choir began to sing, slowly growing to a crescendo!

She's got the whole world in her hands
She's got the whole wide world in her hands
She's got the whole wide world in her hands
She's got the whole world in her hands

As she makes it to the ring, she climbed up the ring steps and onto the apron before slowly and as respectfully and reverentially as possible stepped through the ropes into the ring. Atherton flashed a bright smile to the crowd, circling the ring only to stop on each side of the ring and blessed those in attendance.

Kat: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome at this time…”THE SAVIOUR” CASEY ATHERTON!!!!

Casey finally returns to her corner, eyes turned to the heavens as she seems to be praying while she waits for the match to begin and the choir faded off the video wall.

Zack: Casey Atherton has been a thorn in the side of Scarlett Silver ever since she decided she wanted to become the Evolution Champion. She managed to do that, but Silver reclaimed it only a few weeks later, not to mention disposing of Casey’s title in the Rogue River.

Leona: In one hand, why would you throw trash in a body of water? Not cool, Scarlett. In the other, the self-professed Prophet has a chance to take the actual belt if she manages to get rid of the thorn on her shoe that is Scarlett Silver. Either that, or take the dignified way of, you know… Leaving the arena with her hands empty. Not that I expect her to be able to do it.

“Body Say” by Demi Lovato starts to play through the speakers around the arena and the lights dim to almost full darkness.

If I had it my way, I would take you down
If I had it my way, I would turn you out
And if my body had a say, I would come again
Scared of what I might say, 'cause I'm at the edge

As the opening lyrics end Christian Kincaid steps out and holds the curtain back to allow Scarlett Silver to make her way out onto the stage. As she steps forward a red spotlight lights up the stage where she walks, making the effect almost like a red carpet for her to walk on. When she stops center stage the spotlight raises to shine down on her, as she stands with one hand on her hip and the other holding her title belt over her shoulder.

And our eyes are crossing paths across the room
There's only one thing left for us to do

Kat: Introducing at this time… Hailing from Los Angeles, California and accompanied to the ring by her manager….Your reigning and defending FFW Evolution Champion…….”The Star Distraction” Scarlett Silver!

You can touch me with slow hands
Speed it up, baby, make me sweat
Dreamland, take me there 'cause I want your sex
If my body had a say, I wouldn't turn away
Touch, make love, taste you
If my body told the truth, baby I would do
Just what I want to

Scarlett struts down the ramp running her hands slowly down her sides to her hips, with a smirk on her face, while Christian follows a few steps behind. Pausing halfway down she sways her hips in rhythm with the music and slowly blows a kiss out to the crowd. She gives her hair a fluff and gives her title a pat before she continues on her way.

If I had it my way, I would take the lead
And if I had it my way, I would take you deep
If my body had a say, I'd get it off my chest
Show you all the red lace underneath this dress

Silver reaches the ring and slides under the bottom rope before taking her time to push up to her knees. After a few seconds she jumps to her feet and then climbs onto the turnbuckle facing the stage. She raises her title up high above her head and then jumps down to join Christian in her corner, for a last minute, pre-match discussion.

Zack: In the promotion Scarlett worked for before coming to FFW, she won her last title there in a ladder match. So we know it’s not a foreign concept to the champion, and she knows how to get the job done. 

Leona: Not to mention Scarlett has shown far more to her than the easily distracted greenhorn we once knew her to be! But she’s still gonna have a long night ahead of her, because she has to be wary not only of where Casey is… but also Dante Knox.

Referee Ashley Pruitt takes Casey’s mock title and Scarlett’s from them. She hangs them on a hook hanging over the mat, and they are quickly lifted over the ring. Christian and Dante exit to the floor as Scarlett and Casey look up to the two championships until they hear the bell sound. Then their mutual attention falls on one another before Casey moves to the center of the ring. She gives Scarlett a smile, and begins to tell her she forgives her for her sins and promises the Lord will do the same...as long as she lets her reclaim the titles right now. Scarlett steps out to the floor, folding up one of the ladders and slid it into the ring for her. Casey looks genuinely surprised by the gesture as she leans down to pick it up.

Zack: I can’t believe Scarlett is just gonna let Casey have a free shot at grabbing the titles right here, or that Casey believes it. 

Leona: Yyyyyeeeeeaaaaah, no, that’s not how repentance works. I couldn’t trust Casey as far as I could throw her, and I’m a Christian.

But as soon as the redhead grabs the ladder after bending over, Scarlett charges out of the corner with a punt kick to her ribs. She pulls her back up, and starts hammering away with rights to the head before bouncing off the ropes behind her to deliver a bulldog into the ladder. That gets a pop from the LA crowd as she kicks the ladder out of the way, then drags Casey back to her feet. A few quick forearms to the side of her head lands before Scarlett fires her across into the far corner. Atherton lands back first just before Scarlett follows her in with a handspring back elbow to the jaw. As the Hall of Famer stumbles away, Silver hits the near side ropes to deliver a running kneelift followed by a discus clothesline that takes the prophet down to the mat.

Zack: I don’t think Scarlett is interested in Casey’s forgiveness. All she wants is what’s hanging several feet over her head right now.

Leona: Neither does she need it! Scarlett has never been one to take verbal abuse standing down, and that’s her answer! A big spin-out forearm right to the kisser!

With the crowd behind her, she ducks through the ropes and asks Christian to hand her the step ladder. He quickly scoops it up and gives it to her before Scarlett measures her opponent. As soon as Casey is on her feet, that’s when the Evolution Champion bolts towards her, driving it into her abdomen to double her over. Another shot lands against her back, dropping her to her hands and knees. The brunette hits the ropes again, putting the ladder behind her when she jumps up to land with a seated senton across Casey’s back with the ladder!

Zack: Scarlett used that ladder like a seat, and drove it into Casey’s back. She really does know her way around these ladders, doesn’t she? 

Leona: You did say she’s had experience with ladders before, and… Well, it’s showing. I think it goes without saying that Ladder Matches can get pretty graphic, and that’s just skimming the surface.

Scarlett kept the small ladder folded as she drove the top of it into Casey’s body repeatedly. A baseball slide sent the redhead rolling out of the ring before the champion grabbed the first ladder and set it up underneath the titles. Dante immediately began trying to help Casey to her feet as Scarlett began her ascent quickly up the ladder. Atherton made it back into the ring as Scarlett was about halfway up, and immediately grabbed her leg. The champion tried to kick her off with the other feet, but Casey grabbed it too and jerked them out from under her. Scarlett’s head hit one of the rungs on the way down, and Casey snapped her to the mat immediately with a side Russian leg sweep.

Leona: OUCH! Scarlett’s forehead just bounced off the ladder with a NASTY leg sweep, and Casey is gonna capitalize off of that as much as she can!

Zack: That’s going to be a bruise that Scarlett’s makeup will struggle to conceal for a few days.

Knox applauded from the outside as Casey held one arm against her ribs after the damage Scarlett had done. She folded the taller ladder back up, then lifted it up to drop it on top of the champion’s body. It pinned Scarlett underneath it as Casey started stomping the top side of the ladder, driving it into Scarlett’s body repeatedly. A scowl formed on her face as she scooped up the step ladder, opened it, and stuck it between the top and middle ropes int he corner. She followed that by grabbing Scarlett into position for a bulldog, but instead ran her headfirst into the top of the ladder in the corner. The champion collapsed on the mat as Casey seemed pleased with herself. 

Zack: A bulldog head first into that step ladder! And now the challenger is admiring her handiwork. Now’s not the time to do that. I’d be trying to head up for the titles.

Leona: Casey seems to have taken a page right out of Scarlett’s book herself, wasting time with vanity. I thought she was a Savior who turned away from the Original Sins?

The challenger headed back to the taller ladder on the mat, and set it up underneath the two titles hanging over the ring. She was only about three steps up when she noticed Scarlett was getting up again. That made her frown for a moment before she measured and delivered a leg drop from halfway up the ladder to the back of Scarlett’s head to put her down on the mat. Casey mounted her back, and locked in a camel clutch. And even though Scarlett was touching the ropes with her body, there was nothing referee Ashley Pruitt could do about it.

Zack: The ropes mean nothing in a ladder match other than being used for offense. Casey is trying to wear Scarlett out here, and she can keep this on as long as she wants.

Leona: Like I said, it can get graphic! Ladder matches are hardcore by default, and here’s another reminder of what one can do in that situation! No rope breaks means working for a break!

Christian moved around the ring closest to Scarlett, trying to encourage her as the brunette’s face was scrunched up in pain. Casey leaned back a little more, trying to get more pressure from the hold as her manager praised her from the outside. She let go with one hand as she kept the hold applied, and rained fists into the side of her head. Casey then grasped her chin with both hands a second time as Scarlett was seemingly stuck. 

Leona: Scarlett is in a rather precarious situation here -- Casey had that camel clutch very well applied and even dazed, she still has half the hold on lock.

Zack: Atherton is doing everything in her power to drain every ounce of energy out of the champion. And grabbing the ropes or even tapping won’t make a difference here.

Unfortunately for Casey, one of her fingers was too close to Scarlett’s mouth. And the champion chomped into it as hard as she could, causing the challenger to shriek in pain before pulling her hands away. Casey got back to her feet, clutching her hand to her chest as Scarlett was slowly starting to get up. When the challenger turned around, Scarlett was back to her feet and caught her with a bicycle knee that sent her backwards into the ropes. The Los Angeles crowd was making a lot of noise for her again before Scarlett delivered a shotgun dropkick that sent Casey through the ropes to the floor. Silver turned around and looked up at the titles before making a beeline for the already set up ladder underneath them.

Zack: Casey’s out here on the floor, and Scarlett’s heading for the sky right now to reclaim her Evolution Championship!

Leona: Talk about some imagery -- Casey, the Savior, watching a hater ascend to heavens and achieve glory! We’re gonna have a successful retention!

Dante once more was at Casey’s side, trying to help her up. But the redhead was moving fairly slowly. When she was finally to her feet, she scooped up another step ladder from the outside and launched into Scarlett’s back as she was more than halfway up the ladder. It caused the brunette to stop in her tracks, and clutch her back. Casey slid into the ring after her, and brought her down with an electric chair to the canvas.

Zack: Casey used that other step ladder like a missile, and now the challenger is back in control. But what do you do, Casey? Start climbing or try to keep Scarlett down longer?

Leona: That’s one heck of a situational compass, right?! It’s all about having confidence in your own strength -- Casey either has to be faster than Scarlett, or more resilient!

Casey seemed to get an idea as she pulled Scarlett’s body towards the center of the ring, and then positioned the ladder over her to pin her to the mat. Scarlett realized what was going on, but she was already pinned underneath it when she tried to grab Casey’s legs. The challenger started climbing up the opposite side out of her reach, stepping rung by rung towards the two Evolution titles dangling over her head. 

Leona: Casey is using her WHOLE WEIGHT to pin Scarlett down with that ladder! I-- I don’t think Scarlett has many options here, I think she can only try to brute force her way out of this… Or else!

Zack: You’re not kidding! This is actually kinda brilliant, and I’m surprised Casey and Dante ever came up with it on their own.

Scarlett tried to get free, but wasn’t finding a way until she got her hands under the bottom rung. Her face contorted as she was struggling a few seconds until she began to lift that side of the ladder off the mat. Casey was looking skyward and was within arm’s reach as she grabbed one of the titles with her hand. That was until Scarlett used all her strength to tip the ladder over backwards! Casey’s eyes widened as the ladder fell against the ropes, and she dropped like a rock to the outside through the broadcast table! Leona and Zack darted in opposite directions as their table imploded beneath her!

Zack: INCOMING...INCOMING!!! Casey Atherton fell over ten feet through our table, and this is academic all of a sudden for Scarlett! I...I think Casey’s out!

Leona: WHOA!!! Casey is completely unresponsive right here at our feet, and it’s a mess! Good thing my water bottle was closed, by the way!

The redhead lay unmoving in the table wreckage as Dante darted around to her, his eyes wide with alarm as he leaned down to check on her. Casey wasn’t responding though, and Scarlett was getting back to her feet in the ring. The Los Angeles crowd was solidly behind her as she set the ladder back up in the ring. She glanced over to see Casey still down, and then began to make a slow ascent towards the titles overhead.

Zack: Scarlett’s gonna retain the Evolution Championship! Casey Atherton has not budged an inch since she went through our table! 

Leona: Yep, Casey is out cold right here by the commentary table, and all Scarlett needs to do is wrap it up! It’s all but a done deal at this point-- Hey! That’s MY water!!!

Dante glanced between the ring and Casey, then grabbing a water bottle to pour over the redhead’s face. That seemed to revive her...slightly. She was extremely slow moving, and Dante glanced back towards the ring. He immediately climbed inside and started up the other side of the ladder to boos from the crowd. Scarlett spotted him with an annoyed look. He berated her, calling her foul names before a hand tapped him on the shoulder. He looked behind him just a split second before Christian yanked him down into a backstabber!

Zack: He forgot about Christian! And I know there are a lot of great chiropractors in Los Angeles. Knox can have his pick of any of them!

Leona: If Casey can have an extra pair of eyes for this match, so can Scarlett! Serves you right, Knox -- and you owe me a bottle!

Christian rolled Dante out to the floor, and Scarlett started to smile before she resumed her climb towards the top of the ladder. Casey was finally back to her feet on the floor, and getting her bearings before rolling inside the ring. She began to climb up the other side. And as soon as she was eye to eye with Scarlett on top of the ladder, that’s when the champion started peppering her with rights. Casey fired back with shots of her own, ultimately gouging at Scarlett’s eye to blind her. As soon as she covered her face, Casey reached up to grab the titles. But Scarlett grabbed the second title, and they both slammed their title into the other one’s head, causing them both to teeter over the ring.

Zack: I can’t believe Casey is back up, and those two are teetering over fifteen feet in the air. Not to mention clobbering each other with those Evolution titles at the same time.

Leona: Atherton did fall from a dangerous height and pretty much head first; it’s something else that she even has any idea where she’s at! But Lord as my witness, they’re battling over the belt at the highest of places!

The two continued trading shots at one another’s head until Scarlett grabbed Casey’s hair and banged her face on the top of the ladder. The redhead nearly fell off after that, but one hand was still gripping the top step. Scarlett swung the title in her face again, causing Atherton to wobble more over the ring. But it also sent the titles swinging as well. The champion shook her head, and stepped up another rung. She pulled Casey’s head under her arm into position for what looked like a superplex!

Zack: Scarlett’s got Casey in the launch position! And it’ll be the most thunderous superplex we’ve possibly ever seen!

Leona: Oh Lord, this is gonna be nasty if she pulls it off… She really wants to do it, how much more are they willing to punish one another?!

Scarlett grabbed Casey with her other hand, and went to flip her over with the superplex. But the challenger held on, and let Scarlett fall backwards off the ladder. She bounced off the mat on impact as Casey climbed up one more step. Christian tried to get Scarlett up quickly, but it was too late when Casey freed both titles from the hook! The crowd didn’t like that at all as the referee called for the bell. 

Leona: Wha-- Scarlett-- CASEY OUTFOXED SCARLETT IN THE MOST BRILLIANT OF WAYS!!! Silver collapsed ON HER OWN, and… Good Lord, Casey pulls it off!!!

Dante erupted in jubilation at ringside before joining his client in the ring as she made her descent back to the mat. Casey hugged the titles to her chest before she nearly collapsed due to physical exhaustion. The referee rolled into the ring, and raised her hand in victory.

Kat: Your winner..AND NEEEEEEEEEEEWW FFW Evolution Champion……….CASEY ATHERTON!!!

Zack: Casey Atherton has become a 2x Evolution Champion, but I bet she isn’t going to feel like one for several days after this match. Hopefully she doesn’t get rid of the actual title again in favor of that awful one she bought.

Leona: Ladder matches are always something else, and Casey Atherton had the perfect epiphany at the perfect moment. Scarlett Silver came out to HURT her, but in the end, all Casey needed to do… was let Scarlett fall from grace all on her own!

Casey kissed both titles as she tried to get to her feet, only for Dante to help her out of the ring. Christian attended to Scarlett inside the ring, who was obviously not happy and also in pain as well.

Zack: Well that may close the chapter between these two for the time being, and we know who’s next, Leona! Alysson Gardner is the mandatory challenger for the Evolution Championship, and I doubt she’s gonna want the one with Casey’s face on it.

Leona: That writing’s been on the wall -- the Outlaw and the Savior have a date now! And let’s hope it’s not another Ladder match -- Gardner isn’t known as the Goddess of Extreme for no reason!

Dante put Casey’s arm around him to help her up the aisle. She looked skyward and thanked the Lord as they headed to the back. We then cut to a commercial for Future Shock Global Wars on FFW All Access April 6th.

[Adam Grant]

A video package shows the history between Missy and Valentina over the FFW Championship dating back to last fall before we head back to the ring for the main event. Kat stands waiting in the ring.

Kat: The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the FFW Championship!

Zack: Sin & Sacrifice was the last time these two women met over the FFW Championship. And Valentina was hellbent on getting a rematch, which she earned two months later at Crossed Out. Tonight, it’s “put up or shut up” time for the “Latin Goddess!”

Leona: Missy may have, in Valentina’s mind, “gotten away with it” the first time, but tonight, I guess it’s safe to say, it’s the Privileged Circle representative’s last stand! Hold on to your seats, Faithful -- this is our MAIN EVENT!

The intro of "I Want It All/We Will Rock You (Mash-up)" by Queen featuring Armageddon blares into the arena, the lights of the stage and the ramp illuminate in gold while the spotlight focuses on the stage.

As the song officially begins, Valentina comes out and steps onto the stage, standing in a dominant pose, hands on her hips and glancing at the crowd in a look of detest, but nonetheless, ready to take care of business.

Kat: Making her way to the ring, representing The Privileged Circle, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, weighing one hundred and thirty-five pounds. She is “The Latin Goddess”…

VALENTINA LOZANO!!!!!!

Valentina then confidently strides her way to the ring, with the spotlight completely focused on her and the arena erupts with a thunderous array of boos from the capacity crowd showering down on her, Valentina is soaking up the reaction, even though she ignores it. Meanwhile, while she is walking down, Valentina's entrance video is shown on the big screen, profiling her likeness and footage of her in action.

As Valentina reaches the ringside area, she walks up and walks across the edge of the ring. She looks around the arena, not directly seeing the crowd through the darkness, but knowing that they are out there as she sees the consistent flashing lights of the cameras and the still boisterous reaction from the crowd.

After wiping her feet on the apron and entering the ring, Valentina strides towards two opposite ring posts in which she climbs up and extends her arms out, looking on with a smirk and posing to the crowd with complete confidence. She is taking in the atmosphere while the crowd reaction continues and the cameras flashing.

After going through her ritual, Valentina climbs down and makes her way towards the corner to take off her coat and then readies herself as she waits for her opponent to arrive.

Zack: I think we’re going to see the most vicious form of Valentina Lozano we have ever seen. This is the prize she’s wanted from day one. And now almost 8 years after she signed her first FFW contract, she’s once again on a big stage with everything to gain and nothing to lose!

Leona: This is Valentina’s second attempt at the Big One, too. Speaking from the point of view of someone who was once in that same position: losing when it counts HURTS. And having another chance to prove yourself ALWAYS lits a different fire under your butt. Valentina, I expect, will come guns blazing in a way we’ve rarely seen before, if ever.

The lights in the arena go off before a single purple spotlight hits the stage. As the opening bars of Wild Side by Cross My Heart Hope To Die starts to play Missy appears at the entrance way. Missy stands perfectly still, as her head stays bent, looking towards the ground and her manager Christian Kincaid walks out to stand behind her.

I've been on my best behavior
But I've heard that good girls finish last
And once you're gone they say no one can save you
But who knows if I go I may never want to ever come back
We've all fell victim to temptation
It seems that I'm the last one holding on
What's the use in fighting for my salvation
And why does it feel so damn right to want to be so wrong

At the side of Missy purple lights flash on and off, looking almost like fireworks, as she remains perfectly still. As the lights subside, Missy raises her title high up to the air and a single white spotlight accompanies the move.

I just wanna dance with the devil tonight
I wanna know what it feels like
I wanna close my eyes, put my hands in the sky
I wanna walk on the wild side

Kat: Introducing at this time…. Hailing from Leeds, England, the reigning and defending FFW Champion … she is MIIIIISSSSSY!

Missy makes her way down the ramp to the ring keeping her eyes straight ahead, focussing on the ring, with Christian following a few steps behind. When she reaches the ring she slowly climbs the steel steps, surveying the crowd as she does until she reaches the top. She steps onto the apron and gives one final look around before she enters the ring between the top and middle rope. She raises the title in the air again, before leaning over the top rope to share a few last minute words with her manager as her theme music ends.

Zack: Missy is tired of dealing with Valentina. If she puts her away tonight, there’ll be no excuses left for the challenger. I think the champion is coming into this match annoyed with a point to prove that she didn’t impress on Valentina hard enough at Sin & Sacrifice.

Leona: Valentina is a polarizing presence in FFW, and being the woman with the most prestigious belt in women’s wrestling, Missy may have had her patience worn too thin by Lozano’s persistence. There comes a point when it becomes bigger than the belt, you know? Because not only is Missy putting the FFW Championship on the line, but also a great deal of honor.

Referee Jennifer Stringer took the title from Missy after checking both women for hidden objects. She raised it over her head before handing it off to Kat before she left the ring. The bell sounded after that before the two went straight towards each other chest to chest. Missy told Valentina she was sick of dealing with her and that tonight was the last time. Valentina only responded by surprising her with a headbutt to the face that stunned the champion. Lozano backed up a couple steps and immediately went for her bicycle kick to take Missy down before diving into the cover.

Zack: She hit the PRICELESS KISS!! Valentina’s gonna shock the world in record time!!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOO!!!

T-NO.

Missy kicked out in time, only for the challenger to start wailing away with right hands to the side of her head with a vengeance. She dragged the Brit to her feet, and sent her chest first into the corner. Lozano followed her in, pulling her head over the top rope and raining forearms to her chest before the referee got to a four count.

Leona: Like I said, there’s a different kind of fire under Valentina’s butt tonight! We ALMOST had a 10-second FFW Championship match, but it’s gonna take more than that to overwhelm the Mischievous One!

Valentina showed a relentless streak as she dragged Missy by the head back into the ring, only to rain elbows down across the back of her head. It dropped the champion to her knees, allowing Valentina to bounce off the near side with an axe kick to the back of her head. It drove the champion face down onto the mat again before Valentina rolled her over to make another cover.

Leona: Another cover, and Valentina went from zero to a million in NO TIME! Fastest FFW Championship match EVER?!

ONE!!!!

TWOOOOO!!!

T-NO.

Again the champion managed to kick out before the three came down. Valentina responded by grinding her forearm against Missy’s face for a few seconds. When she finally stopped, she pulled the champion back to her feet and scooped her over her shoulder. The challenger darted towards the corner with a snake eyes in mind, but Missy slipped down to her feet behind her. As Lozano spun around, Missy started firing back with furious rights of her own. It brought the Los Angeles crowd to their feet as the champion pulled Valentina into a short arm clothesline that almost put her down. Missy headed for the corner, hopping up onto the second turnbuckle from the inside to leap off with a knee strike to Valentina’s head. That did put her down on the mat finally, and the champion kept her there with a knee drop to the back of her head.

Zack: Missy brought this LA crowd to life when she started laying in those big right hands, and now the champion is running the show at Relentless!

Leona: Valentina attempted to end the match as soon as she could, I guess she didn’t send Missy that memo!

Lozano tried to get to all fours, but Missy grabbed her and sent her head first into the middle turnbuckle. It collapsed her to a seat in that same corner before Missy darted for the far side, rebounding back with a facewash boot to the challenger’s head. She hit it a second time before dragging Lozano out of the corner to make the cover before the referee dropped to count.

Leona: Missy is now punishing Valentina for being too cheeky, and here’s a cover! Lozano may end up being punished for her hubris!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

TH-NO.

Valentina kicked out after the two, allowing Missy to grab her head into a front facelock. She pulled her to her feet to drive repeated knees into her head followed by an impaler DDT. 

Zack: They are just going for knockout shots so far in this match. That goes to show you how much disdain there is between these two.

Missy dragged Valentina back to her feet and hooked her head into position for a suplex. But Lozano spun her around and drove her backwards into the corner. It knocked the wind out of her for a moment, and Valentina followed up with a back elbow to the side of her head. Two more landed after that before she sat the champion up on the top turnbuckle. The challenger was still a little worn down after all she’d absorbed, but she climbed up with her to the second rope and executed a superplex. Both women’s bodies bounced off the mat, and Valentina slowly began crawling towards the ropes.

Zack: The pace is starting to slow down now, Leona. These two have hammered each other, and it’s having an accumulative effect on how much energy they have left.

Leona: There was an explosion of energy at the word go, and that’ll take something away from you, especially when you don’t expect the match to go for a lot longer than you expect. Missy has a clear advantage here, because she’s probably planned for a longer contest, while Valentina attempted to put the champ out as quickly as she could, and probably wasn’t counting on being forced to work for it.

Valentina made it back to her feet, and leaned against the ropes for a moment. A look of ire came over her face as she saw Missy starting to get up to her hands and knees. Lozano bounced off the ropes, and connected with Missy’s own curb stomp to the back of her head. She immediately dropped down to make the cover as the referee moved into position!

Zack: That’s one of Missy’s signatures! She’s gonna try to beat the champion with her own MISCHIEF MAKER!!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THRE-NOO!!

Missy got her shoulder off the mat as the three was coming down, and Valentina rose back to her feet. Muttering angrily to herself, she sat the champion up and applied a stump puller submission next.

Leona: Do you know what that’s called, Zack? DISRESPECT! Valentina is gonna use everything in her power, even Missy’s own stuff, to get what she wants! And now there’s a submission I haven’t seen in a while, look at how Lozano is punishing Missy’s neck and loin by forcing her to bend and stretch like that!

Stringer moved around in front of Missy to see if she wanted to quit, but the champion refused to do so. Valentina tried to tighten the grip she had to make the hold worse, causing Missy’s face to darken in color. Christian moved around the corner closer to his client on the outside, sharing some advice with her. Valentina told him to shut up, and cinched the hold in even more tightly. She applied the submission more tightly still, causing the referee to check again with Missy.

Zack: Valentina’s definitely more vicious tonight, like I thought. Plus with this hold, she’s getting a chance to find her second wind.

Leona: I think she’s gonna injure Missy’s trachea with that, too -- she’s getting blue on the face, that means she can’t breathe!

Missy pounded the mat with her free hand, and that ended up getting the crowd to stomp their feet along with her. She started driving that fist into the side of Valentina’s head. None of them broke the hold till she managed to catch her with a punch over her eye. That sent Lozano backwards a couple steps, and allowed Missy to try to get back to her feet. The challenger regained her senses ultimately, and came forward with a double axe handle blow aimed at the champion. Missy ducked out of the way, and turned around. Lozano stopped herself from hitting the ropes with her momentum, and turned around into her own bicycle kick from the champion! It dropped her like a rock before Missy dove into the cover!

Zack: First Valentina steals a move, and Missy returns the favor! Valentina just ate her own PRICELESS KISS!! Is that gonna be enough?

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

THRE-NOO!!!

Valentina got her foot across the bottom rope in time, and Missy rolled away from her. The British champion started back to her feet, and began waving the challenger to get up again. Valentina was slow to do so, but when she finally did, Missy rushed her with an inverted stomp facebreaker that sent Valentina staggering backwards before the champion connected with a rolling cutter! She dove across her to make another cover.

Zack: And she did it again! Another of Valentina’s moves, this time...Missy connects with DIVINE PROVIDENCE!!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-NO!!

Once again, Valentina managed to get her shoulder up in time before the three, And Missy rolled back to her feet. She glanced towards the corner for a moment, and then headed towards it to make her way up to the top rope. But as she was climbing, Valentina was getting back to her feet behind her.

Leona: Missy can do disrespect too, and it goes to show just how fed up with one another they are! And now we’re going to the high risk district, she may be looking to end it with that 5-star frog splash!

The champion didn’t make it all the way up before Valentina’s head popped up between her legs and dropped her with an electric chair. But Lozano was slow to get herself together, taking several seconds to get back to her feet. When she finally made it, she leaned against the ropes and kept a vengeful eye on Missy. As the champion began to rise, Lozano blasted off the ropes with a lariat! But Missy ducked underneath it, and she caught the referee instead. Stringer dropped like a sack of bricks just as Missy grabbed the challenger from behind. It looked like she was going for a full nelson slam, but Lozano broke her grip and countered with a stunner instead. It sent Missy to the mat in a heap before Lozano crawled over to make the cover with the leg hooked. However, there was no count.

Zack: Good Lord, Valentina damn near decapitated the referee with that lariat! And she can hook the leg as long as she wants to, but there’s no count coming! We need another referee!

Leona: The ref just got BLASTED with that misfired lariat, we need a replacement ref QUICK! I don’t think Ms. Stringer is gonna get up from that, and I don’t know how much patience either woman has left!

Valentina let Missy’s leg go when she saw Stringer barely moving on the mat. She cursed to herself before sitting up. A glance towards the title sitting at the timekeeper’s table was followed by her rolling out to the floor. She headed towards it, lifting it up and looking at it for a moment before laying it back down. Then...she grabbed the ring bell before heading back into the ring.

Leona: H-Hey, that’s-- Valentina may have misfired that lariat, but she wants to CAPITALIZE ON IT! Bring that bell right quick, that’s not yours to use!!!

Zack: She’ll do anything….absolutely anything to achieve her goals! Valentina only cares about being FFW Champion, and she’ll do whatever she can to make it happen. Even with that bell in hand!

The boos grew louder as Valentina stood in the corner, muttering angrily as she told Missy to get up. She held the bell tightly, waving at the champion to move. Missy was slow to do so though, and was starting to get to all fours. Valentina glanced at the bell again as Missy was almost back to her feet.

Zack: Valentina’s gonna take Missy’s head off with the ring bell, and it’s not gonna prove a damn thing other than she couldn’t do it on her own if she uses it!

Leona: Pride always comes before the fall, and Valentina is willing to give up her honor to put Missy out… AND WE STILL DON’T HAVE ANY ENFORCEMENT OUT HERE!

Missy finally made it to a vertical base, and Valentina glanced towards the bell again. She tossed it to the floor instead, choosing not to use it. But when she looked back, she saw Missy darting towards her with a ripcord knee strike to the head. It snapped Lozano’s head backwards before the champion grabbed it for a springboard bulldog. She immediately went for the cover, and then noticed the referee was down. But then another one was seen darting towards the ring as Kevin Fisk slid under the bottom rope to make the count.

Leona: WE HAVE A REFEREE! And we have a count too! Valentina chose honor, but she may have lost her chance!!!

ONE!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-NO!!

The challenger managed to kick out in time, and Missy shook her head. She glanced towards Christian, who shared some thoughts with her before she took off for the near side this time. With Lozano starting to get up, Missy hit her own curb stomp this time and then headed for the corner. 

Zack: There’s the curb stomp right there! Nothing like the original MISCHIEF MAKER, and now Missy’s heading to the high rent district!

Leona: And here’s that 5-star frog splash she was planning earlier, coming right up! Missy wants to top this match once and for all!

The champion made her way up to the top rope, and immediately came off with her frog splash finisher. But as the referee was getting in position to count, she rolled off and headed to the corner again. Missy made the ascent, and launched off into a second frog splash! 

Zack: Jesus, that’s two LI’L MISS MISCHIEFs in a row!! She really wants to prove a point tonight against Valentina! And she’s going up again!

Leona: This is the biggest EFF YOU I’ve seen in a while! Two LI’L MISS MISCHIEFs...

Missy headed for the corner once again, and launched herself into a third frog splash that landed perfectly on target before she hooked both of Valentina’s legs for the cover. The referee dropped into position to make the count.

Leona: THREE LI’L MISS MISCHIEFS! ONE FOR EVERY COUNT, ONE FOR EVERY EFF YOU!

ONE!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Zack: Good Lord, three frog splashes and Missy has shut the door on any possible excuses with this emphatic victory!

Kat: Your winner by pinfall…..AND STIILLLL FFW CHAMPION…………..MISSY!!!

She slowly got to her feet, favoring her ribs after all those splashes before Christian joined her in the ring. He raised her hand at the same time as the referee. The official went to collect the title as Valentina slowly sat up, holding her ribs in pain. Lozano got to her feet, and snatched the title away from the referee as he was about to hand it back to Missy. The two glare at one another for a few seconds.

Zack: Uh oh….don’t tell me that wasn’t definitive enough still for Valentina! 

Valentina stared down at the title for a moment, and then handed it to Missy herself. That seemed to surprise both the champion and her manager before Valentina made her exit from the ring. 

Leona: For a moment I thought we were gonna see the ultimate meltdown. But for the second time tonight, and actually proving she’s capable of it… Valentina Lozano chose honor!

Zack: I’ll give her a lot of credit. She could have done much worse, but she didn’t let herself sink to it. Valentina showed some class, and Missy will head home to Boston with the richest prize in FFW intact.

Missy headed for the corner, and raised the FFW Championship above her head to a pop from the crowd. Christian was applauding her in the ring as the camera caught Valentina heading up the aisle. She glanced back to see Missy standing triumphant in the ring, and the words “You deserve it” were mouthed before the shot returns to the ring with the champion.

Zack: Valentina showed a lot of class tonight. She could have stolen this win and the title with the ring bell, but she wanted it to do it the right way. It sounds like she knows who was the better woman tonight.

Leona: And it wasn’t for a lack of chances to do Missy dirty! But the book has been officially closed between the Mischievous One and the Latin Goddess, with the British wrestler coming out on top for the second time in a row! And I guess that’s all we have for tonight…!

Zack: Thank you for joining us for the 8th annual Relentless! The next time we’ll be live on FFW All Access is April 6th for Future Shock Global Wars! We’ll see you then, and good night from the City of Angels!

Missy hopped down off the corner, and laid the FFW Championship over her shoulder with a deep breath before Relentless faded off the air on All Access.