FFW Breaking Point - January 29, 2022

[Adam Grant]

 
Live  from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico
January 29, 2022

The exterior of FFW headquarters is shown at night as Savannah Star walks through the front doors into the lobby, giving a little wave to the receptionist as she passes her. As soon as the Siren is out of her sight, she pulls the fire alarm and causes sprinklers to go off as “One Woman Army” by Porcelain Black begins to play.

I'm on the battlefield
Like, oh my God (ooh la la)
Knocking soldiers down
Like house of cards (ooh la la)

In another part of the building as employees are evacuating due to the fire alarm, two women step off the elevator with grins on their face before it’s revealed to be Bianca Salvador and Mel Avilo. They head into a room and slam the door behind them before the power shuts off and emergency flood lights illuminate the hallways as they head back out.

Let's march tonight
The music is still playin'
So get and up fight
You know dat you want it
You know dat you would

The next shot shows the FFW Championship sitting inside an office, now bathed in lasers as part of an emergency theft system. Then all of a sudden, a woman descends from the ceiling in front of it. She’s hanging on a wire and has a mask over her face as she starts cutting the glass surrounding the title. Quickly as she does so, the lasers are deactivated and she lands on her feet. The mask comes off, and Missy is revealed to be the cat burglar.

I hit cha with dat kung-fu Jackie Chan
Boom, boom, boom, pow
I'm super fast
High heels, big deal
I'll kick your ass

She tosses the title over her shoulder before the lights come back up, and she finds herself surrounded by Harley Shannon, Cassandra Steen, Savannah Star, Tara Cortez, and Nevaeh Summers. Missy lays the title down on the table near her, and waves them forward. And as the group closes in on her, that’s when the show goes live inside the arena to a roaring crowd.

I'm on the battlefield
Like, oh my God (ooh la la)
Knocking soldiers down
Like house of cards (ooh la la)
I'm a one woman army (ooh la la)
Yes, I'm a one woman army
(ooh la la, ooh la la, ooh la la)

Fireworks explode from the stage and across the top of the arena while the fans make a thunderous amount of noise. The ring mat has the Breaking Point logo on it, which is shown before the shot changes to the broadcast booth with Zack and Lexi.

Zack: Welcome to one of the most beautiful places on Earth here in San Juan, Puerto Rico! You’re watching Breaking Point, and this is FFW’s first visit to this gorgeous island just before they begin an international tour. I’m Zack Hudson, and I’m joined by the breathtaking Lexi Carmichael, also known as Future Shock’s ring announcer.

Lexi: I’m more than happy to be here tonight, and I’m sure the girls are going to give us one hell of a show here in Puerto Rico before they jet off for their international tour. 

Zack: Our main event tonight will feature the No Surrender Champion Lilly Arthur meeting Lacey in a non-title match. That one’s a pick’em for me, because it’s hard to find two more consistent performers on this roster. 

Lexi: I don’t think the fans will agree with you there because I’m betting they’ll very definitely be picking Lilly to cheer for, but in terms of consistency and accomplishments, they are two that can’t be denied. 

Zack: The FFW Phoenix Championship is on the line when Mara Werth challenges Nevaeh Summers tonight. Mara proved she can pin Nevaeh, so tonight it’s on the champion to prove she still deserves to hold that title. 

Lexi: Mara has shot up the ladder since joining the FFW roster and I’m sure that she’s going to give Nevaeh one hell of a challenge tonight. 

Zack: The “Lioness” Elizabeth Lannister will meet Alysson Gardner one on one. They’ll be the first match in FFW history to take place right here in Puerto Rico, and that’s an honor all it’s own.

Lexi: The opening match of any show always sets the tone for the rest of the night, and I’m sure both Elizabeth and Alysson are going to make it one for the fans to remember. 

Zack: Also tonight, we are going to hear from Rebecka Hate after her surprise arrival on our last broadcast here on Breaking Point. I know the fans and myself are all interested to hear what brought Rebecka back for the first time since 2014. 

Lexi: I’m sure everyone will be on the edge of their seats to hear what Miss Hate has to say. It’s always good to find out what someone’s intentions are after a surprise entrance like she had two weeks ago. 

Zack: There could be more surprises too on tap, I have no idea. 2022 started off with a bang for FFW, and I suspect tonight will only build on that. Let’s send it up to the beautiful Kat Grayson in the ring to get the action started.

The show cuts to the ring, and finds the Aussie ring announcer standing front and center with a smile on her face. She waves her arms to get the crowd louder before she begins. 


 

Kat: Good evening San Juan, Puerto Rico!!

The fans cheered loudly at the announcement, settling down as the ring announcer pressed on with the introductions.

Kat: The opening contest of Breaking Point is scheduled for one fall to a finish!!

Zack: For the first time in FFW history, we’re live in gorgeous Puerto Rico and showing them the most talented women in the sport today.

Lexi: This really is a beautiful place to hold a show and I personally wouldn’t be that upset if we had to stay here a few days longer.

As the fans sit in their seats in anticipation of what is to come, they are greeted by the lights dimming. A brilliant golden spotlight focuses on the stage as the opening strains of “Massive Addictive” by Amaranthe begin to play.

“Give me purity, strength and affection
Give me lust to ignite my devotion for life
It's where beauty comes alive
Can't you see I'm a slave to the darkness
Cutting down
And I know I have done this before
As I stare into the wall
And now it's time to let it shine
Cause don't you know I'm addicted”

The curtains rustle a bit before the dapper figure of one Kyle Kilmeade emerges from the back, his ever present smirk etched on his face. He steps out onto the stage and glances at either side of the stage at the crowd before stepping to the side, holding out his hand to the curtain. Out from the back emerges the beautiful Elizabeth Lannister. Stepping out onto the stage, she takes Kyle’s outstretched hand and promptly twirls around slowly, showing off the intricate work on her robe. Dropping his hand, Elizabeth nods and starts to walk down the aisle, Kyle walking in stride next to her.

“Massive addictive
And suddenly I'm greatly affected
Like burning fire inside
My cyanide
Scared of losing my mind
Massive addictive
I'm totally completely afflicted
As I inspire the lie like a lullaby
Crawling around in my mind
My mind”

The pair slowly make their way down the aisle, Elizabeth’s gold and red robe flowing with each step she took, completely ignoring the fans on either side of her. As the pair walk, the spotlight changes so that the entire arena is soon engulfed in gold light.

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, making her way to the ring, being accompanied by her manager Kyle Kilmeade…..from Scottsdale, Arizona…’THE LIONESS’ ELIZABETH LANNISTER!!

Once she reaches the ring she begins to climb the steel steps, with Kyle hopping up onto the apron and holding the ropes open for her. She carefully climbs through the opened ropes and steps into the middle of the ring, flipping her hair over her shoulders and sticking her arms out to the sides, her head tilted back, a confident smirk etched on her angelic features. She then returns her head to it’s normal position and unclasps her robe, shrugging it off as Kyle reaches forward to carefully hand it to a nearby stagehand. She then moves her arms back and forth to loosen up as the lights return to normal and the music begins to fade out.

Zack: It has not been a good couple weeks for the Gold Standard, to say the least. If I know anything about Elizabeth at all, that’s playing in her mind tonight as she wants to be the one who changes the momentum.

Lexi: I think Kyle and the Gold Standard themselves might be about the only ones actually disappointed that it hasn’t been a good couple of weeks for them though, they’re not exactly the top of people’s Christmas card lists - and for good reason really.

The intro to Shinedown's "Adrenaline" hits the sound system and the arena lights follow it, blinking mad in shades of red. The music halts, and the arena is engulfed in darkness. When the beat comes back, the lights go crazy again, but now with something new in the center stage: a gigantic "A for Anarchy" symbol blinking as well. When the beats come back for good, the Anarchy symbol is fully lit, and the headlights of the arena are going HAM in red and white. That's the cue for Alysson Gardner to walk onto the stage, holding her crowbar on one hand. She stares into the cheering audience before pointing into the two sides of the crowds, inviting them to join the show before slamming the crowbar on the floor twice, leaving it there on the third and then throwing the cross-arm horns to the sky, at which point a volley of red fireworks go off behind her.

Kat: And her opponent... From Paris, France... "THE OUTLAW"... ALYSSON! GARDNER!!!

Zack: Alysson has had plenty of history with this group, and she knows what to expect. And that’s pretty much anything and everything.

Lexi: I think Alysson’s faced them all at least once at this point hasn’t she? At least the ones that were on the main roster last year.

Alysson then power walks down the ramp, indulging in a high-five with the fans who have their hands out of her, before stopping right at the foot of the ramp, taking a step back and then dashing towards the ring, spearing herself into the ring, kicking up and then climbing the turnbuckles, throwing her arms up with the crossed horns and soaking in the cheers, before jumping down and doing it all over again with another turnbuckle. After covering two of them, she retreats to her corner, and started to remove her coat, barely getting it down to her elbows before Lannister charged across the ring and caught her with a running high knee to the jaw, following it up by raking her nails down her face and over both eyes as Malcolm Parks called for the bell and immediately started to reprimand the Gold Standard member, trying to get her to back up as Alysson tried to clear her vision.

Zack: And we’ve got action now! These two women will be the first to ever compete in Puerto Rico for FFW, and it’s obviously starting with underhanded tactics from the “Lioness.”

Lexi: And not a soul watching here or at home are surprised by that fact I’m sure. There’s not a rule around that the Gold Standard won’t bend or break.

The Lioness backed up only a step before she raised her boot and pressed it against her opponent’s throat causing the Frenchwoman to try and shove it away with little success; the blonde being told to release by the official who began the count. He reached four and three quarters before the Scottsdale native lowered her boot. It was only for a second before Lannister raised her boot and started to choke the former Ultraviolence Champion out once again. Yet again Parks ordered the break and started the count, seeing it milked to the brink of disqualification before the Lioness lowered her boot once more. The referee stepped between them, trying to force the Gold Standard member back only for her to step beyond the man in stripes, grabbing hold of the top rope as she did so and started to fire off side kicks into the Parisian’s gut. Again Parks demanded that the American back up, starting the count once more and when the blonde stepped away just before the five, he started to read her the riot act which allowed Gardner to step out of the corner, holding the top rope with one hand, while trying to clear her vision with the other.

Zack: You tell me, Lexi. You’ve sat as close to the ring as I have for a little while now. Do you think all the shortcuts are a confession that some wrestlers don’t think they can hang with the competition on skills alone?

Lexi: You know, I actually don’t think that. In some cases yeah, they take shortcuts because they don’t think they can cut it otherwise, but I genuinely think in some cases they do it purely because they want to or get some kind of enjoyment from it.

Lannister once more pushed past the referee and launched herself into a chop block that took Alysson’s legs out from under her and quickly the Lioness got back to her feet where she began to stomp away at her foe’s chest. Once more the referee tried to back the blonde up and started another count, this time as Elizabeth backed up, Parks told her that if she kept pushing him then he’d disqualify her. The Scottsdale native rolled her eyes and told him she had till five before she stepped towards the former Ultraviolence Champion once more, grabbing hold of Gardner as she made it to her hands and knees and scraped her eye sockets down across her bootlaces. Alysson rolled away, rubbing her eyes again with her hands only to be pulled back to her feet and fired across the ring and into the far corner.

Zack: If you can’t see clearly, that does make it a lot more difficult to compete. And the eyes certainly seem to be a favorite target for Elizabeth.

Lexi: It’s not a body part that wrestlers usually tend to focus on as a general rule… but hey, whatever works right?

As Gardner hit the turnbuckles, Lannister was hot on her heels and left her feet to deliver a superman punch to the jaw, following it up by stepping up onto the middle rope where she drove a knee into the underside of her foe’s jaw. Alysson leaned back in the corner where Elizabeth placed a hand on her forehead, pushing her head back and began to drive her knuckles into her forehead with ten closed fists into her skull. The Gold Standard member dropped to her feet and stepped backwards, measuring up her opponent as the French woman stumbled forward and Elizabeth caught her with a discus forearm to the jaw that caused her to step backwards. Before Gardner could recover, Elizabeth grabbed hold of her wrist, shoving her back into the ropes before she fired her across the ring and caught her as she came back off the opposite with a spear to her midsection, driving Gardner down into the mat. Quickly the Lioness made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Hard hitting spear, and Elizabeth’s looking to hear the bell ring in three!

One…

Two…

Lexi: I think that was a rather large dose of wishful thinking from Elizabeth. Alysson is a lot more resilient than that.

Gardner kicked out and Lannnister didn’t waste any time at all in pulling her foe up to her feet. As she did so, the Lioness drove knees into her opponent’s chest, landing six blows before she changed tack and delivered an elbow strike to the back of the neck, dropping the Paris born wrestler to her knees. Lannister backed up and as Alysson pushed up from her knees to her feet, the Lioness caught her with a thrust kick to the underside of her jaw. Gardner stumbled back a step and for her troubles she got a boot driven into her midsection. The Ultraviolence native started to double over and as she did so, the Gold Standard member grabbed hold of two handfuls of hair, pulling her head downwards into a single knee facebreaker before she followed it up by jerking violently on her hair once more to send her crashing face first into the canvas. Gardner took a moment before she began to push upwards, coming to all fours once more as Lannister headed towards the ropes and used the bottom rope to springboard into a mushroom stomp to the back of her shoulders, sending her face first into the mat yet again.

Zack: I haven’t seen a stomp like that too much outside of a Super Mario game. The “Lioness” has firm control of this match, to say the least.

Lexi: Is that your way of calling Alysson a mushroom, Zack?

Kyle applauded his client from the outside, encouraging her onwards, telling her not to let up as he stood in her corner before turning to the crowd and told they were watching one of the very best wrestlers in the world, who was their superior in every way. The crowd booed him and his client louder as Elizabeth smirked in the middle of the ring, waving the Frenchwoman back up to her feet. The Parisian slowly came back to her feet and as soon as she was vertical, Lannister connected with the Kingslayer reverse roundhouse kick that sent her stumbling back into the ropes. Alysson started to collapse as she bounced off them and the Gold Standard member pulled her down into a small package pinning combination.

Zack: Lannister with a quick package aiming to end it early!

One…

Two…

…THRE–

Lexi: It’s still way too soon to count Alysson out of this. She’s proven time and time again how much it takes to keep her down.

Gardner kicked out of the pinning combination and rolled away and out of the ring as Lannister stared a hole through the referee, telling him it was three as Parks confirmed the two. The Lioness shook her head at him as she came back to her feet and stepped towards the rope, measuring up the former Ultraviolence Champion as she stood on the outside, holding her jaw and the Scottsdale native launched herself over the top and into a crossbody block that sent Alysson down to the floor in a heap with the Gold Standard member on top of her. Elizabeth came back to her feet and threw her arms out to the side; the crowd booing her loudly as she told them she was better than all of them before turning her attention back to her opponent. She pulled Gardner up to her feet and Irish whipped her towards the steps. The Paris born wrestler stopped herself before she crashed into the steel.

Zack: That wasn’t gonna end well for the “Outlaw”, but Alysson put on the brakes!

Lexi: She really did save herself from a world of hurt there, and potentially a trip to the dentist maybe.

Lannister shook her head and went after her, grabbing hold of her foe by the hair yet again as she this time went to slam her face first into the top of the steps. Alysson blocked the attempt which saw the Lioness try once more, getting it blocked again and this time Gardner countered with an elbow into her midsection. The American stepped backwards and caught a mule kick to the gut as she did so and then a running knee lift from Gardner, spinning Lannister around and causing her to drop to one knee, holding her jaw as she did so then came to her feet a moment later; Alysson grabbed hold of the back of the blonde’s head, spun her around and hurled her back into the ring underneath the bottom rope. The Arizona native rolled away and up to her feet, taking off towards the opposite ropes and rebounded, coming back towards Gardner as she pulled herself up onto the apron and brought up her boot to catch her in the face…but missed as Gardner stepped to the side at the last moment causing the blonde to get caught straddling the top rope. Alysson grabbed hold of the top rope, a mischievous grin appearing on her face as she waved towards the crowd, causing them to cheer her loudly as she started to bounce the rope up and down, giving Lannister a rough ride on the steel cable.

Zack: That hurts just to watch no matter what gender you may be.

Lexi: Alysson looks like she’s getting way too much enjoyment from that if you ask me.

The referee called on her to stop and started the count, getting to four before Gardner released her grip and stepped back, holding her hands up as she did so. Parks went to reprimand her, Alysson nodding her head as she seemed to ignore the official, watching her foe before she left her feet and delivered an enzugiri to the side of her head, causing Elizabeth to fall to the side and land hard in the ring. The Frenchwoman had a smile on her face as she stepped through the ropes and towards Lannister, pulling her upwards as she did while Kyle climbed up onto the apron, complaining to the official about the way Alysson had been using the ropes against his client. Parks moved to tell him to get down; the manager continuing to argue his case with the referee which allowed the Lioness to catch the Frenchwoman with a low blow.

Zack: And that right there was the only way, I think, Elizabeth was going to get to regain control with the tide of momentum.

Lexi: Oh look, Kyle distracting a referee… must be a day ending in Y.

Alysson fell to her knees, holding her groin as Kyle finally gave up arguing with the referee, returning to the corner while Lannister came back to her feet where she spiked the Paris native into the mat with a snap single arm DDT. The Lioness didn’t waste any time as she transitioned through into a fujiwara armbar to the left arm. Parks dropped into position to check on the former Ultraviolence Champion, asking her if she wanted to submit as the Gold Standard Member wrenched on the limb, leaning back and trying to pull it out of the shoulder. Gardner shook her head, refusing to quit as the referee asked, reaching out towards the ring ropes which were out of reach. Lannister leaned back to apply more pressure to the arm and joint. Still the Frenchwoman refused to quit when the official asked, choosing instead to push upwards on her free hand and started to drag them both towards the ring ropes.

Zack: Look at the strength on display here for Alysson to be able to do this. Not to mention that’s a lot of determination too.

Lexi: I’ve got a feeling there’s probably an amount of anger mixed in there too, which you know can be quite motivating sometimes.

As they got closer to them, Elizabeth transitioned from the fujiwara armbar into a double arm scissors. Alysson grimaced in pain, the referee asking her again if she quit but getting a shake of the head as she looked towards the ropes, refusing to quit. The Lioness continued to pull back on both arms only for her foe to kick out a foot and hook it over the bottom rope. Parks called for the break and used the count, getting to four before the Scottsdale native released the hold and rolled away from her opponent to come to her feet. Alysson held her shoulder for a moment before she began to push up from the canvas, only getting to all fours before the Paris born grappler was pulled upright where Lannister spun her around to send her through the turnbuckles and left shoulder first into the steel ring post.

Zack: I imagine Kyle couldn’t be more pleased with how things are going so far. But we can’t count Alysson out of this yet.

Lexi: The worst thing Elizabeth could do now would be to count Alysson out and get too overconfident.

The former Ultraviolence Champion stepped backwards, holding her shoulder once more and was spun around and shoved back into the corner by the Lioness who started to fire off a series of knife edge chops to the chest. Parks once more told the blonde to allow her opponent out of the corner, starting the count and getting to four before Lannister stepped back with her hands raised. It was only a momentary relief for Gardner as the Gold Standard member immediately stepped back towards her, grabbing hold of her left wrist, feeding her arm over the top rope and using it for leverage as she tried to pull the limb from the socket. It caused the official to again demand the break and reached a count of four before Lannister stepped backwards, hands raised once more causing the fans to boo her loudy. The American ignored them as she moved forward yet again, grabbing her opponent by the hand and as she went to jerk her out of the corner, Gardner struck with a headbutt that sent Lannister staggering backwards two steps, holding her head as she did.

Zack: What a headbutt! She dimmed Elizabeth’s running light right there.

Lexi: I got a headache just watching that!

The Lioness recovered and instantly looked to go back on the attack only for Alysson to catch her as she came forwards with an inverted atomic drop. Lannister stepped backwards as Gardner released her only to be sent face first into the middle turnbuckle with a drop toe hold. The fans were cheering loudly as Gardner rolled to the middle of the ring and pulled herself back up to her feet, holding her shoulder while Lannister also rose back to a vertical base in the corner. As the Gold Standard member turned to face her opponent, the former Ultraviolence champion darted forwards and left her feet to drive the blonde backwards into the turnbuckle pads with a shotgun dropkick.

Zack: That’ll drive all the air out of your body, and leave a couple boot sizes on your chest in the process.

Lexi: Not to mention the impact of those pads against her back, that’ll be a double whammy right there.

Yet again, Alysson rolled away to get her feet underneath her and once more Elizabeth tried to step out of the corner only to have her spine driven back into the turnbuckle pads once again by a shoulder thrust from the Paris native. Three more shoulder thrusts followed that before Gardner pulled her out of the corner and into an inverted stomp facebreaker. Lannister fell backwards into a sitting position in the corner, the Paris native coming to her feet holding her shoulder before she took off, building up speed as she circled the ring and came back to launch herself into a bronco buster, bouncing up and down on the chest of the Gold Standard member. The referee called for the break and started the count, getting to four before Alysson rolled backwards to her feet; the crowd cheering her loudly as she grabbed hold of her foe by the foot, dragging Lannister back towards the middle of the ring as the Arizona born wrestler tried to escape to the outside, following it up with an elbow drop to her shoulder blades.

Zack: Elizabeth wants a little timeout here, but Alysson is wisely not going to let her have it.

Lexi: It’s gonna take something monumental for Alysson to give up control now that she has it.

Lannister rose back up to all fours and found herself dragged upwards by Alysson who Irish whipped her into the ropes, the Frenchwoman setting off in the opposite direction and coming back to meet the blonde with a running knee to the stomach that flipped the Lioness over. Elizabeth hit the mat and sat up almost immediately only for Gardner to freeze her in place with a stiff kick to her spine then followed that with a rolling neckbreaker that snapped her backwards to the canvas. The former Ultraviolence Champion hold her shoulder as she came to her feet, looking back towards the blonde as the woman held her neck on the canvas. The Paris born wrestler started towards the corner, climbing to the top rope and when the Lioness made it to her feet, Gardner launched herself off into a hurricanrana, holding on as she landed for the pinfall.

Zack: Beautifully executed, and Lannister may be out cold!

One…

Two…

…THR-

Lexi: How did she kick out?! I thought for sure she was out cold and that was gonna be it.

Lannister kicked out and Gardner didn’t even look at the referee confirming the count to her, choosing instead to come to her feet quickly, holding her shoulder still as she did so and took off across the ring. The Parisian hit the ropes and came back towards Lannister, catching her as she made it to her knees with a running knee lift to the jaw. It brought the blonde to her feet and caused her to stagger backwards which enabled Alysson to catch her with a backhand to the side of the jaw to keep her off balance. Gardner gave her no chance to recover as she stepped towards her foe and caught her with a vicious bell clap, before a trio of European uppercuts sent her reeling all the way back into the ropes. The former Ultraviolence Champion Irish whipped the Gold Standard member into the opposite ropes and as Lannister returned, Alysson hopped onto the middle and launched herself backwards into a spingboard leg lariat that took the Lioness down to the mat. Almost immediately Lannister sat up, looking to be in pain as she did so and Alysson again took off across the ring, hitting the ropes in front of her opponent and came charging back to catch her foe with a busaiku knee strike to her face that flattened her. Quickly the Frenchwoman made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Good Lord, that’d knock out a rhino! Alysson could have it here!

One…

Two…

…THRE-

Lexi: I think Elizabeth is a lot more resilient than some might give her credit for.

Again the Lioness kicked out before the three could be completed and Gardner confirmed the count with the referee as she pulled the Gold Standard member up to her feet, snapping her head back with a pair of European uppercuts before she sent her barrelling across the ring and into the turnbuckle pads. Alysson took a moment to measure her opponent up as she slumped in the corner before darting in after her and launched herself into a cannonball senton that caught Lannister square in the body. The blonde began to slump, slowly collapsing downwards against the pads until Gardner cut her off, pulling her back upwards and into a side headlock that she used to bring her away from the turnbuckles and pull her all the way across the ring where she used the opposite corner to step up and deliver a tornado DDT.

Zack: This is what Elizabeth had been trying to avoid the whole match, and now the “Outlaw” is rolling in Puerto Rico!

Lexi: After that tornado DDT I’m sure Elizabeth’s gonna be thinking she ain’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Alysson sat up, taking a moment to massage her shoulder before she came back to her feet and headed towards the ropes. The crowd cheered loudly for the Outlaw as she began to wave Lannister upwards. Elizabeth pushed upwards, trying to get to her feet, Alysson circling around behind her as she did and when the blonde was upright, Gardner charged her, leaving her feet and drove her back down into the canvas with a leg drop bulldog. The Lioness rolled over onto her back as she hit the canvas and Gardner again headed towards the ring ropes, leaping up onto the middle rope and coming back off them with a lionsault, landing it perfectly across her foe’s body and then moved the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Lexi: That was an almost textbook Lionsault, it’s looking now like Alysson is ready to call it a night.

One…

Two…

…THRE-

Zack: Elizabeth couldn’t have timed that much better before we heard the bell.

The Lioness rolled her shoulder to break up the pinfall and Gardner knelt up, looking at the referee with three fingers held up only for Parks to shake his head and tell her it was only a two count. The Frenchwoman accepted his decision and came back to her feet where she started to wave Elizabeth upwards, the Lioness began to rise and as she got to her feet, Alyson came off the ring ropes once more with a springboard into a disaster kick to the side of the head which dropped the Lioness back down to the mat, the blonde rolling over onto her front to prevent the pin as she held the side of her head. At ringside Kyle was looking anxious, slapping his hands against the canvas and trying to encourage Elizabeth as he started to move around the ring to get her into her eye line. Slowly the Arizona born wrestler started to push upwards only to be driven down into the canvas with a mushroom stomp to the small of her back from the Frenchwoman.

Zack: Another one of those Mario-like goomba stomps from the “Outlaw" and she may be borrowing from her niece!

Lexi: That’s a possibility or she’s just getting a measure of revenge for Elizabeth’s own stomp to her earlier.

The Outlaw didn’t give her opponent any chance to recover, pulling the Lioness up from the canvas while the blonde held her back. As she got her upright, Alysson shook out her left arm for a couple of seconds and then went to lift her opponent onto her shoulders, appearing to set her up for the Red Tide. The Frenchwoman lifted her up and got her into position with a slight grimace on her face as she did, adjusting her position on her shoulders. The moment that it took to set herself ready for the move was all the Gold Standard needed as she reached over and raked her nails over Gardner’s eyes, causing her to release her grip. Lannister landed on her feet behind her and took full advantage when she grabbed hold of her foes left arm, extending it out to the side and yanked her downwards into a double knee armbreaker. Gardner rolled away, holding her shoulder, kicking her feet against the mat in pain.

Zack: Seems like Elizabeth wants to set up for her cross armbreaker, and she’s probably thrilled not to be on defense like she has been.

Lexi: Elizabeth might want to set up for her cross armbreaker, but I think that was a definite ‘Hell No’ from Alysson on the subject.

Lannister took a second to compose herself as she forced herself onto her knees and launched herself on top of Gardner, taking up the mount position on her back where she began to club away at the back of her foe’s head with a vicious series of forearm strikes. Malcolm Parks demanded the break and counted to four before Lannister came back to her feet, holding her foes left wrist as she did so and began to viciously stomp down on the left shoulder while pulling the left arm up. Gardner gritted her teeth but despite trying as hard as she could, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out in pain. Again Parks told Lannister to let go and allow her foe to get up from the mat, starting the count and getting to four before the Gold Standard member delivered a leg drop to her opponent’s arm. Quickly the Lioness transitioned through into a LeBell lock.

Zack: Alysson’s in trouble, this move was innovated by a martial arts expert by the name of  “Gentleman” Gene LeBell and it wasn’t named after him because he didn’t win a lot of matches with it.

Lexi: You could see the pain Alysson was in before Elizabeth locked this in, so I’m not sure how long she’s going to be able to put up with it if she doesn’t find a way to escape it soon.

Parks dropped down into position to ask the Parisian if she wanted to quit, getting a ‘No’ from her as Lannister wrenched back on her head. Still Gardner refused to submit when the referee asked, choosing instead to dig in with the toes of her boots and push them both forwards on the mat, turning as they did so. Elizabeth pulled back further on her opponent’s head in an attempt to stop her but Gardner refused to be denied as she continued to push against the mat with her toes. Still Lannister pulled back on her foes head, Gardner’s hand starting to waver over the canvas as she appeared to be on the verge of tapping out, her face a mask of agony till she let out a pained cry of refusal, planted her fist on the mat and used it to lever herself to the side. Then kicked out her foot, stretching her leg as far as she could and hook the end of her boot over the bottom rope. The referee called for the break and was about to start the count only for the American wrestler to release the submission and instead fire vicious elbow strikes into the back of Alysson’s head before she rolled away and came back to her feet while the French wrestler held her shoulder in agony.

Zack: One thing you have to give Lannister credit for is the fact that she is absolutely relentless. She is 100% focused on that arm and shoulder.

Lexi: It makes a change from her targeting Alysson’s eyes… though I’m not sure which Alysson would prefer in all fairness, pain is pain wherever it is.

The crowd booed the Gold Standard member loudly as she played to them for a couple of moments while the former Ultraviolence Champion slowly started to pull herself up to her feet. As Gardner made it back to her feet, the Lioness moved around behind her to apply a rear waistlock and jerked her away from the ropes  towards the middle of the ring. Lannister kept the waistlock applied as she went to lift the Outlaw off her feet and into the #HearMeRoar wheelbarrow facebuster. Alysson though managed to block the attempt. The Lioness delivered a pair of forearms to the back of her opponent’s shoulders before she tried once more, lifting her up off her feet before but still Gardner blocked her attempt to execute the move. As the Frenchwoman was dropped back down to her feet and Lannister went to deliver more forearms to the back of her head and shoulders, Alysson reached back behind her and countered with a stunner. Lannister landed hard and bounced backwards to land on her back, holding her jaw as Gardner collapsed to the side, holding her shoulder with a grimace of pain on her face.

Zack: IF Alysson wasn’t in such pain right now, I’m positive she would have made a cover immediately after that stunner. It shows you how much she’s suffering with that shoulder.

Lexi: She needs to try and work through it though, otherwise she’s just giving Elizabeth a chance to recover.

On the outside Kyle moved around so that Lannister could see him as she held her jaw, waving her upwards and shouting advice to her while behind her Gardner crawled towards the ropes and used them as she forced her way to her feet. The pair got to a vertical base simultaneously and the Lioness started towards her opponent only for Alysson to suddenly skip forwards and catch her in the jaw with a brogue kick. Elizabeth staggered backwards before she fell to one knee which saw Alysson quickly step forwards, wrapping her arms around her midriff and jerking her into the air then dropped her onto her back with a ragged looking gutwrench powerbomb. Gardner fell on top of her foe and reached to hook the leg with a pained look on her face.

Zack: Where’s she getting the strength?! Big time gutwrench powerbomb from the “Outlaw!”

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: There is no way that will have helped Alysson’s shoulder pain, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it had worked.

At the last possible moment Lannister’s shoulder popped up from the canvas causing the referee to wave off the count. Gardner stared at him in disbelief as she sat up, holding up three fingers. Parks shook his head, telling the Frenchwoman that it was just a two and that the shoulder came up in time. Lannister rolled onto her front while Gardner still looked a little shocked but even so, still came to her feet and backed up to the ropes as she measured her opponent, waving her upwards. Parks moved towards the Gold Standard member, stooping down to check she was okay as she lay down on the mat which saw the Lioness grab hold of his pant leg and start to use him to pull herself up from the canvas while the official tried to move backwards and get her to release him as she rose with his unwilling assistance.

Zack: Malcolm Parks isn’t known for having women at his feet, but there’s a first time for everything. Even if it isn’t how you might have suspected.

Lexi: I guess that’s one way to get back to your feet.. I’m not sure it’s one the referee is too keen on though.

She kept hold of him all the way to her feet before pushing him away, sending him off balance as she turned towards Alysson….who stumbled a step as she looked to explode out of the corner into a spear thanks to Kyle trying and failing to catch her ankle. Gardner stared back at him for a half second, the manager holding up his hands innocently before she turned her attention back towards Lannister just in the nick of time to duck beneath an attempted clothesline. The Outlaw took off across the ring, hitting the ropes and came back to meet the Lioness with a spear to the midsection that folded her in half and bounced the back of her skull off the canvas as she landed. Gardner rolled to the side and quickly came back to her feet where she headed towards the corner, throwing up the cross arm rock horns that saw the crowd cheer her loudly before she flipped the bird to both Kyle and Lannister and took off into the G-Effect Shooting Star Senton.

Zack: OH! Alysson showing Elizabeth and Kyle are number one with her!

Lexi: This could be it for Elizabeth… no.. wait…

But Alysson only got mat as Lannister rolled out of the way at the last moment and into the corner. Gardner sat up as she landed, her eyes wide and her mouth a wide open ‘O’ of agony. The Lioness used the ring ropes to pull herself upwards in the corner, leaning back against them, Gardner already starting to rise. Elizabeth waved her the rest of the way up to her feet and as soon as the Outlaw was vertical, Lannister stepped forwards and delivered a picture perfect Kingslayer reverse roundhouse kick to the side of her head. Alysson’s legs immediately gave way beneath her, dropping her to her knees and Lannister delivered a second Kingslayer to the side of the head. Gardner fell forwards, catching herself on all fours as she did and Elizabeth quickly hooked her head, pulling her upwards into the Debt Fulfilled swinging leg hook fisherman’s carry slam and made the cover, hooking her legs as she did so. Parks slid into position to make the count and Elizabeth kicked up her feet onto the middle rope.

Zack: DEBT FULFILLED, and I don’t know if Alysson’s gonna make it this time!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: Alysson just didn’t have enough left in her to counter Elizabeth’s feet on the ropes.

Before Parks could look up, Lannister kicked her feet off the middle rope and landed on her knees, grinning as she raised her hand in the air in victory as the bell sounded at the official’s instruction. Alysson rolled to the side, holding her jaw as Kyle climbed the stairs and stepped through the ropes to join his client in the ring where Malcolm Parks was raising her hand to the boos of the crowd.

Kat: Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner, by way of pinfall… “THE LIONESS” ELIZABETH LANNISTER!!!

Zack: Elizabeth Lannister has flipped the fortunes of her squad tonight in Puerto Rico, and picked up a bruiser of a win.

Lexi: With a little help from some of the Gold Standards shadier tactics.

Kyle raised his clients hand in the air, the crowd booing louder as the Lioness began to celebrate her victory. The referee checked on Alysson who assured him she was okay before she rolled out of the ring to her feet, holding her jaw and looking pained as she leaned against the apron. In the ring, Lannister was climbing each ring post, telling the crowd that they were honoured to see it, celebrating as she did while they booed her even louder as the show cut elsewhere.





Nosy Reporters

The show cuts to behind the curtain at the gorilla position as Elizabeth and her manager head through. Allison stops Kyle before he encourages Elizabeth to go cool down. As she disappears from the screen, Kyle folds his arms across his chest.

Kyle: What do you want, Allison? You had a chance to congratulate Elizabeth just now, but obviously that’s not what this is about. Make it quick, I have to go do last minute preparations with Lacey.

Allison: I only wanted to get your reaction to the surprise return of Rebecka Hate two weeks ago on this show. 

Kyle: My reaction? Gee, Stacey got jumped after a match and I got kicked in the chest for absolutely nothing. What reaction do you think I had? You think I decided to throw a ticker tape parade? Maybe we all got together after the show for some sushi? You want my reaction? I’ll tell you what I think of Rebecka–

Kyle gets cut off as a redhead enters the shot, and whispers something in his ear. When the camera catches a glimpse of who it is, it causes Allison’s eyebrows to raise.

Kyle: You know what? In due time, you’ll see my reaction and Stacey’s. We’re done here.

Kyle and the redhead head off in another direction discussing something before the camera pans back to Allison.

Allison: That was Abigail Lindsay.. Why is she here? 

No answers were forthcoming though as the camera pans back to see Kyle and Abi round the corner out of sight before the show cuts to a commercial for Future Shock this Tuesday night.



Samantha Clears It Up

When the show returns from the Future Shock commercial, that’s where we once again find the owner of FFW alongside Ambar Carano. Just like the previous show, Samantha appears to be in a good mood.

Amber: Thank you for joining me, Miss Star.

Samantha: You’re welcome, this is beginning to become a tradition for the new year, isn’t it? What’s on your mind, Miss Carano?

Amber: The last Breaking Point ended in a surprising way, to say the least, with Rebecka Hate showing up at the end of the main event. Was she one of the talents you mentioned recently that had been signed to FFW? 

Samantha: Indeed, she was. But I obviously was not made aware that she was planning to make her presence felt on the last Breaking Point. She had re-signed with FFW not long after we began the New Year. Picking a fight with Miss Sky on her first night back is a provocative decision. I look forward to hearing her reasoning later. But I can tell you she isn’t the only one. 

Amber: So we can expect more then?

Samantha: Without question, and you only need stay tuned to the show tonight to find out about some of them. 

Amber: And there’s still more besides who we may see tonight?

Samantha: That’s correct. It also holds true for Future Shock. In 2022, it was a business resolution to add to what I already consider to be the best of the best in the world to both rosters. And it so happens that the closure of SVW helped with some of that.

Amber: We just saw Abigail Lindsay a moment ago for the first time in months. Is she one of the women you brought back to FFW?

Samantha: Miss Lindsay is not under FFW contract, so your guess as to why she is here tonight is as good as mine.

Amber: Fair enough. I’d like to refer to something you said during our last interview. You were pretty hard on your assessment of their former CEO and your former second-in-command, Cody Kincaid. Is there some hurt feelings after all these years when he left to work there?

Samantha: None whatsoever. He did what he thought was best for him, and you all now see why I was never going to put him in charge of anything that I didn’t have full oversight of. He couldn’t handle it. I knew that all along, and he cracked under the pressure. Like I said last time, some are meant to be on top. But the upshot of that failure of leadership is that it has given several women an opportunity to prove themselves on this stage…and Future Shock. As a matter of fact, one former member of that roster has just signed a contract with FFW. Mr. Grant is welcoming her, as we speak.

Amber: Do we get to find out who it is he’s welcoming now? 

Samantha: Certainly, you know where his office is.

Amber nods and heads towards the office in question with the camera following behind her. She is about to knock on the door when it opens on its own, and out walks a woman who gets quite a pop from the crowd. 

Amber: VIVI TRAEGER?!

The shot focuses on the smiling face of the former Future Shock Champion before Breaking Point cuts to a commercial.

[Adam Grant]

The camera cut back to the ring and found the ring announcer ready to continue proceedings.

Zack: Time for our championship match of the evening that was borne out of the fact that Mara was able to defeat Nevaeh late last year in a non-title match. She’s more than earned it.

Lexi: This is a pick ‘em as far as I’m concerned, both of these two are exceptionally talented and the fans are the real winners tonight.

Kat: Ladies and gentleman, the following contest is scheduled for one fall to a finish and it is for the FFW PHOENIX CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

"I'm only human
I'm only—I'm only—
I'm only human, human

“Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man starts to play over the soundsystem as the video screen shows a jail cell door sliding backwards and a pair of black ring boots with legs going all the way up to a simple blue skirt step out onto the landing only to suddenly stumble as if given a push in the small of the back from the man who appeared behind her in shiny black shoes and black pants.

Maybe I'm foolish,
Maybe I'm blind
Thinking I can see through this
And see what's behind
Got no way to prove it
So maybe I'm lying

As the pair pass by, the camera gets a shot from behind before it cuts to more grainy CCTV footage that shows the guard escorting the raven haired prisoner across a prison yard of patchy grass and into another building. There’s another cut as we see a shot of exposed midriff on the other side of a counter that has a pack of gum, some loose change on it and a hair bobble on it. A hand reaches forward, picking up a pen and signs a name quickly before scooping up the possessions as she stiffly pushed to move onwards.

But I'm only human after all,
I'm only human after all
Don't put your blame on me
Don't put your blame on me

There’s another cut; this time to show the back of the black haired woman as she reaches up to tie her long loose hair back with the bobble while still walking forward, coming to a stop in front of a large closed door. The camera cuts to the opposite side of the door and low down, watching as it swung open and the woman stepped out; only for the blazing sun to obscure her face and body; the video screens becoming a blazing yellow-white sun glare with a spotlight shining bright as the same woman has appeared at the top of the entrance ramp. The spotlight dims to reveal Mara Werth standing there in her black boots, blue skirt and white vest top.

Take a look in the mirror
And what do you see?
Do you see it clearer
Or are you deceived
In what you believe?

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen please welcome from Tuscaloosa, Alabama… MARA WERTH!!!

'Cause I'm only human after all,
You're only human after all
Don't put the blame on me
Don't put your blame on me

With a smile on her face she begins to head down the ramp to the ring, running up the ring steps. She moved down the apron, facing out to the crowd and threw her arms up into the air before she stepped through the ropes. Heading to the corner, the girl carefully stepped up onto the middle ropes, throwing her hands up into the air again before she bounced back onto her feet and stretched as she waited for the match to start.

Zack: With only one exception I can think of, Mara has never faced anyone with all the accolades that Nevaeh Summers has earned in her career. But it’s safe to say she’s never had a bigger opportunity either.

Lexi: There’s a reason that people call Mara a fast rising star and it’s because she’s proven herself worthy to stand across the ring from talents such as Nevaeh Summers. She’s just got better and better since she first appeared in Future Shock.

As “Just Like Fire” by P!nk begins to play we see Nevaeh Summers storms her way onto the stage , fired up, and motioning to the crowd as the FFW Phoenix Championship is wrapped around her waist.. Nevaeh is looking out to them, from the front row, all the way to the upper deck, shouting for them to make noise. Nevaeh eventually makes her way between the stage and ramp area wearing yellow rimmed sunglasses as well as a white 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 kickpads. On the front of each kickpad appears her logo as there is a circle with “NS” in the center of it in Yellow. While “The" scrolls on the top, “World’s” is straight in the middle, 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  and fire 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.

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 than 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. Nevaeh pats the title around her waist quickly and than began motioning to the crowd 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.

Kat: Making her way to the ring at this time she resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. She weighs in tonight at 120 pounds. She is the reigning and defending FFW Phoenix Champion, Nevaeh Summers!!!

As soon as Kat is done 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: For my money, there’s no one much better in big match situations than Nevaeh Summers. She became Phoenix Champion at Unstoppable last July, upending Tara Cortez who doesn’t drop all that many matches.

Lexi: And she managed to retain against Stacey Sky when she had an injured arm too, so tonight when she’s back to 100% Mara really is going to have her work cut out for her.

Jennifer Stringer was the official in charge of the match and she stepped towards Nevaeh, asking her for the title. Summers unfastened it from around her waist and raised it above her head, encouraging the crowd to get loud for a moment while she kept her eyes locked on the challenger. Mara stared back at her from across the ring, the two keeping their eyes on each other as Stringer brought the title to show Mara and then returned to the ring, holding it aloft for the crowd, finally handing it to Kat at ringside. The referee checked that both contestants were ready for action, getting the nod from Nevaeh only for Mara to ask for a moment. The referee took a deep breath as Mara did a couple of lunges and some stretches, seeming to explain to Stringer that she had to warm up a little after the time Summers took to get to the ring. It caused the Phoenix Champion to roll her eyes as Mara jog on the spot for a couple of moments…then dropped down into the splits and reached a couple of times towards her toes as Nevaeh gave her a short round of applause at the display of flexibility. The challenger popped back to her feet and told the referee she was ready now which caused Stringer to call for the bell.

Zack: It certainly is no secret how agile that Mara is. I don’t know of anyone more flexible on this roster than her, or Future Shock for that matter.

Lexi: I’ve seen some of the pictures of Mara and I swear she’s actually a pretzel in human form!

As it sounded the two wrestlers came out of the corner and towards the middle of the ring, circling each other for a moment as the World’s Finest double checked that her opponent was definitely ready, getting a nod of the head from Mara as they closed the gap and fist bumped before backing up again, circling for another step or two before they entered into a lock up. For a second or two they appeared to be at a stalemate before Werth started to force the Champion backwards, shoving her all the way back into the corner. The official called for the break and got it; Mara releasing and stepping back smartly towards the middle of the ring as Summers looked at her with a little nod of her head, rubbing at her elbow almost absent mindedly for a moment before she stepped out of the corner. Once more the pair circled for a second or two before entering into another collar and elbow tie up. Summers tried to dig in her heels and lower her center of gravity, keeping Mara’s strength at bay for a couple of seconds this time before Werth yet again forced her back into the corner, releasing cleanly when the referee asked.

Zack: One benefit with these two women is we can be pretty much assured that we’ll get a clean match unlike the previous one or likely the one coming up after this.

Lexi: I definitely don’t think we’re going to have to worry about any underhanded tactics in this one, but I think we’ll maybe have just as much fire between these two.

This time as Nevaeh stepped out of the corner she stared coldly at her opponent and this time raised her hand in the air, offering up a test of strength to Werth. The challenger asked the World’s Finest if she was sure she wanted to do this, getting a nod from the blonde again before Mara locked fingers with her. Nevaeh raised her other hand and Mara quickly took it. Again Nevaeh held her own for a second or so before she was forced back a step by the Alabama native. The Phoenix Champion tried to adjust her grip only for Mara to start to pull her hands downwards before she could though Nevaeh raised her boot as she fell backwards and sent Mara down to the mat with a monkey flip, keeping their fingers interlocked as they landed. Summers rolled to the side and rose back to her feet, Werth coming up with her as they still had fingers locked and the moment they were upright, Nevaeh left her feet and pulled the challenger into a lungblower, releasing one hand as she did so. Again the World’s Finest came back to her feet, pulling Mara up with her and quickly moved towards the corner using the ropes to deliver a Japanese arm drag, sending Mara rolling across the ring.

Zack: You’ve watched a lot of Mara matches. What do you think should be her strategy for tonight?

Lexi: Honestly? I think her strategy should be to win… or at least to try to.

Werth rolled through and started to come back to her feet only for Nevaeh to run her over with a clothesline that took the challenger straight back down to the mat. Quickly the Tuscaloosa native came back to her feet and Summers skipped forwards and drove her boot into her midriff. It saw Mara double over and as she did, Nevaeh went to double underhook her arms for the Grand Finale which saw Mara fall back onto her ass and scrabble away before even one of her arm could be trapped. Summers grinned and held her thumb and forefinger up, pinched together, telling her opponent she was so close to ending it while Mara came back to her feet. Summers darted towards her opponent and looked to catch her with a running knee lift to the stomach only for Mara to spin away and out of the way.

Zack: There’s still a fair amount of feeling each other out in this match, Lexi. As you mentioned earlier, Nevaeh’s arm is all healed up by now. So Mara may look to test another part of her here.

Lexi: I actually think these two are fairly evenly matched so it’s going to be interesting to see how the momentum falls.

Nevaeh turned to look at Mara who had moved across the ring and the pair started to circle around the ring again for a moment before Nevaeh raised her hand, offering another test of strength. Mara didn’t waste any time in taking her hand and then took her other hand as it was offered, immediately starting to try and change hand position, twisting the blonde’s hands down towards her body. Nevaeh again took a half step backwards and then went for the monkey flip again. This time though Mara had it scouted, leaning back to block the attempt as she kept the Phoenix Champions hands trapped and used her grip to jerk the World’s Finest up to her feet and delivered a headbutt to her face. Summers stepped backwards and Mara pulled her straight forwards, releasing her hands so that she could wrap her arms around her body to haul her up and slam her into the canvas with a belly to belly slam.

Zack: Textbook belly to belly from the Phoenix Champion. She’s got years of experience over Mara, and that’ll usually serve you well in any sport.

Lexi: Experience is not to be discounted, but there’s something to be said for raw talent too which Mara has in spades.

Summers rolled to the side and quickly started to come back upright only to get caught once more by the former Future Shock Champion who caught her with a high knee to the chest. The Tuscaloosa born grappler landed on her feet and instantly fell backwards to catch the Champion in the underside of the jaw with a backflip kick. Nevaeh staggered backwards and fell into the ropes where Mara moved forwards quickly, grabbing hold of her wrist and hurled her across the ring with an Irish whip, scooping her up on her return and driving her downwards into her bent knee with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Werth kept the blonde over her knee and placed her hand under her jaw, forcing her head backwards and bending Nevaeh’s spine backwards over her knee. Summers grimaced a little but then brought her leg up and caught the former jailbird with a knee strike to the side of the head. Two more knees followed that before Mara released and shoved the World’s Finest away from her. Summers hit the mat and rolled away coming to her feet and as Mara charged towards her, the Phoenix Champion fired off a savate kick that saw Werth drop to the mat like a sack of bricks.

Zack: What a kick from Nevaeh! Mara collapsed like a house of cards.

Lexi: She’s going to be feeling that in the morning that’s for sure.

The challenger rolled to the side and started to come back upright but as she did Nevaeh moved around behind her and quickly trapped her arms from behind and flung Mara roughly to the mat with a snap dragon suplex. Mara folded up as she landed on the mat, staying there for a second before she unfolded and rolled to the side, beginning to come to her feet once more only to again get thrown through the air with another dragon suplex, landing on the back of her head and shoulders as she did so, folding almost in half yet again. Once more Mara unfolded and rolled to the side where she began to come back upwards from the mat and Nevaeh again stepped towards her, looking to catch hold of her arms for the double underhook DDT but again Werth pushed away from her before she could trap an arm. Mara straightened up as she escaped her foe’s clutches and was instantly sent down to the canvas as Nevaeh delivered a slingblade clothesline to take her down to the mat; Werth bouncing as she landed and coming back to a sitting position.

Zack: I can tell that the Phoenix Champion has been watching plenty of tape on Mara. I imagine she watched their last match a few times by now, looking for mistakes she made.

Lexi: There’s no way that someone with Nevaeh’s experience wouldn’t go over, and over any match that didn’t end exactly as they wanted it to.

The Phoenix Champion measured her up and skipped forwards to unload a vicious kick into the middle of her spine, freezing the challenger in position for long enough that Summers could reach down to grab hold of her wrists and pull them back behind Mara as she planted her boot in between her shoulder blades to lock in a submission hold. The referee dropped down in front of the challenger and asked her if she wanted to quit, getting a shake of the head from the former Future Shock Champion. Nevaeh leaned back, extending her leg a little more as she pulled on her foe’s arms, applying more and more pressure. Mara’s face screwed up in agony, shaking her head as Stringer asked her if she wanted to quit again, the powerhouse starting to try and jerk her arms free to little success. Stringer asked again, getting another shake of the head which saw Nevaeh drive her boot into Mara’s spine with a stomp as she released her arms. The World’s Finest then pulled her opponent up to her feet, scooping her off her feet and straight into a back suplex that saw Mara bridge upwards; arching her spine off the canvas in pain.  Nevaeh rolled over and threw herself on top of the challenger to make the cover.

Zack: First attempted fall of the match, and Nevaeh could be seconds from a successful retention!

One…

Two…

…THR-

Lexi: I think she could almost taste that then, but Mara is not going to give up her opportunity to be Phoenix Champion that easily.

Mara shot her arm up off the mat before the three could be completed and Nevaeh nodded her head in respect of her foe and in acceptance of the officials count. The World’s Finest brought her opponent back to her feet and Irish whipped her across the ring towards the corner, putting all of her effort into the attempt  - even leaving her feet and landing on her knees for extra oomph. Werth hit the turnbuckles back first at a high rate of knots and immediately let out a cry of pain as she gingerly stepped forwards and out of the corner, straight into an exploder suplex from her opponent. Again as Mara landed she rolled away and finished on her front, holding the small of her back with one hand while she kicked her feet against the mat. The Phoenix Champion advanced quickly upon her, pulling her up to her feet once more and again she fired her across the ring and into the corner. Mara’s back arched away from the turnbuckle pads on impact and the World’s Finest took a moment to measure her up before she charged forwards, stepping up onto the middle rope as she caught her foe with an enzuigiri to the side of the head. The Tuscaloosa natives legs turned to spaghetti and her hand on the ropes the only thing seemingly keeping her upright as she half staggered, half fell all the way to the opposite corner as Summers watched for a moment.

Zack: If the ropes weren’t there, Mara would be on the floor out here in front of us right now.

Lexi: I can almost see the birds flying around her head from that impact. I’m surprised she’s still standing at all, even with the ropes to help her.

The Phoenix Champion moved to the corner opposite Mara, measuring her up once more before she took off towards her, getting to the middle of the ring before she launched herself into a handspring, looking to drive a back elbow into her opponent’s jaw…but as she came in to connect with the blow, the former jailbird brought both of her feet up and kicked out, catching Summers in the shoulder blades. Nevaeh stumbled forwards before she caught her balance and turned towards her foe. This time Summers didn’t rush in towards her, choosing instead to step forwards and started to fire off a series of kicks into her midsection. Stringer called for the break and used the count, getting to three before Nevaeh pulled the challenger out of the corner and went to fire off a spinning backfist. It only got air as Mara dropped to one knee to avoid it before she popped back up, wrapping her arms around her foe’s midsection and hurled her spine first into the middle turnbuckle with a release German suplex but as she landed the move, Mara cried out in pain and rolled to the side and out of the ring, holding her back in agony as she did so.

Zack: Not often you see Mara retreating to the floor to get a break, but it’s a very smart decision on her part. She has to break up Nevaeh’s momentum.

Lexi: This match is more of a marathon than a sprint and Mara knows that.

Nevaeh pulled herself up to her feet and looked down at Mara, the referee making a very slow and deliberate count, telling the challenger to get back into the ring. Summers told the referee to move as she stepped out of the corner and took off across the ring, hitting the far ropes and rebounding back towards Mara who spotted her coming. As Neveah launched herself into the air as though she was going to dive to the outside, Mara left her feet with a superman punch but only got air as Summers hit the top rope with her shoulders, bouncing off and landing on her feet before rolling backwards and coming to one knee, extending her arms out to the side with a grin on her face before she waved the challenger back into the ring, getting to her feet and backing up. The Tuscaloosa native stared a hole through the champion as she kept one hand pressed to her lower back while climbing the ring steps and stepped through the ropes into the ring.

Zack: I’m not sure I’d have let Mara have all this time like Nevaeh has done. I’d have gone out after her and gotten it back in the ring. This is pure recovery time for Werth.

Lexi: I’m not sure that Nevaeh really did give her the time, she pulled a nice cat and mouse maneuver there, but it really hasn’t earned her any love from the challenger.

Summers immediately came forwards and looked to catch her challenger with a thrust kick to the chest. Werth though managed to fend off the blow with her forearms, shoving the leg to one side so that it caught her a glancing blow at worst. As the Phoenix Champion brought her foot down to the mat, Mara caught hold of her head and dropped to her knees to deliver a jawbreaker. It saw the World’s Finest stagger backwards, holding her jaw for a moment as Werth held her back as she came back to her feet and stepped forwards to unload on Neveah with heavy right and left hands to both sides of her head. Summers covered up. The former jailbird scooped her opponent off her feet and slammed her down into the mat and as Nevaeh landed, one of Mara’s hands went to her back as she grimaced in pain.

Zack: Everything targeted at Mara’s back, and that’s a perfect way to try to take her power base away from her. We know Mara is as stout as they come.

Lexi: I think in Mara’s case her determination is outweighing the pain she’s feeling at the moment, but that’s not going to last forever.

The World’s Finest quickly came back to her feet and as she did so, Werth started to fire off kicks to her legs and body, landing seven in quick succession before the blonde caught her foot as it connected with her hip. Mara hopped on one leg before Nevaeh jerked her held foot forwards, causing the former Future Shock Champion to drop down into the splits which saw Summer take a second to measure up before she fired off a stiff kick aimed at her opponent’s head. The powerhouse dodged the kick by rolling backwards and came to one knee. Nevaeh spun around to face her and as she did so, the Alabama born wrestler came up to her feet, wrapping her arms around the waist of the Phoenix Champion, hoisting her up into the air before she snapped her back down to the mat with an Alabama slam - immediately Mara staggered backwards, holding her spine with one hand as she did so.

Zack: Devastating impact from the challenger, but you can see how much executing it took out of her too.

Lexi: You know what they say, Zack, no pain, no gain.

Nevaeh rolled to the side, hands cradling the back of her head for a moment before she began to rise, Mara allowing her to get all the way to her feet before the challenger skipped forwards and caught the World’s Finest with a bicycle kick to the side of the jaw. Summers dropped to one knee but immediately pushed upright where she got a forearm shot to the jaw delivered with  such ferocity from the powerhouse that it caused the defending Champion to stagger a step to the side, quickly Mara landed another before she grabbed the Georgia born wrestler by the wrist and fired her into the ropes. Summers bounced off them and came back towards Werth who quickly stepped forwards to meet her and sent Nevaeh flipping and crashing to the mat with a kitchen sink knee to the midriff. Again Summers started to push up to her feet but was quickly cut off as Werth wrapped an arm around her head and neck, lifting her up off her feet and into a vertical suplex position. The powerhouse grimaced and gritted her teeth as she held Nevaeh upside down, letting the blood rush to the blonde’s head.

Zack: Mara’s letting all that blood fill Summers’ head, and that makes this even worse whenever she opts to deliver it.

Lexi: You can’t help but be impressed by the sheer power Mara has to be able to hold Nevaeh like that, especially given the pain she’s already feeling in her back.

The look of pain got worse on Mara’s face as she kept her foe held in position for ten…twenty seconds before finally letting out a cry of pain as she slammed Nevaeh face first into the canvas with a Falcon Arrow. The Phoenix Champion started to try and push up to all fours only for Mara to stomp down on her back, driving her down into the canvas, holding her back and grimacing as she did so. Again Summers tried to push up only for Werth to again stomp down on her back, forcing her back down to the mat before the challenger followed it up with another stomp and another and another and another. The Alabama native’s stomps were getting faster and faster until her boot was almost a blur with the short, sharp stomps that she was delivering while the referee called for the break and got to four before Mara reeled away and took off across the ring, hitting the ropes and came back to catch her opponent with a leaping knee drop into her spine. Werth moved away as she used the ropes to pull herself back up to her feet, holding her back as she did so while Nevaeh kicked her feet against the mat, a grimace showing on her own face as a result of the rapid fire stomps to her body.

Zack: With all the punishment Mara absorbed up to now, I imagine she’s got plenty of aggression to work out on Nevaeh.

Lexi: A combination of aggression and sheer determination from the Challenger could prove dangerous for the Champion.

Mara took a couple of seconds to try and stretch out her back, moving towards Nevaeh as the blonde made it to her hands and knees and pulled her back to her feet where she Irish whipped her into the ropes and on her return she used a back body drop to elevate Summers into the air. The Phoenix Champion landed hard and immediately sat up before she rolled to the side and started to push upwards where Mara caught her with a discus forearm to the jaw, wobbling Summers as she made it to a vertical base then followed it with a snap suplex. Mara held her back with one hand as she landed the move, taking just a moment before she moved to make the cover.

Zack: San Juan may be about to see a title change right here!

One…

Two…

Lexi: Only a two for the challenger and you just know Nevaeh is breathing a sigh of relief, at least for the moment.

Nevaeh kicked out just after the two was completed and Mara nodded her head in acceptance of the referee’s count before she slowly pushed her way back to her feet. Summers was also starting to rise and made it as far as one knee before Werth came off the ropes and crashed a knee into the side of her opponent’s head. The powerhouse followed that up by pulled the World’s Finest the rest of the way up to her feet and snapped her head backwards with a trio of European uppercuts to the jaw. Summers tried to step backwards to get some separation between herself and her opponent but it only served to allow the former Future Shock Champion to jerk her foes head downwards and into a single knee facebreaker. Again the Georgia born champion stumbled backwards but as she did so, Mara went after her, leaving her feet and grabbing hold of the sides of her head to jerk her down and slam her head first into the canvas with a jumping sit out facebuster. Mara looked up to the heavens with an expression of agony on her face as the landing sent a shockwave right up her spine freezing her in place for a second or two while Nevaeh held her head in both hands. Werth finally hooked Nevaeh’s arm and used it to flip her over to her back in order to make a lateral press cover.

Zack: Everything Mara does causes her pain, thanks to the Phoenix Champion. I don’t think she’s done enough yet though to put Nevaeh away.

One…

Two…

…THR-

Lexi: I think the only thing that could possibly match Mara’s determination right now, is Nevaeh’s own determination. After their last meeting, Nevaeh is going to go the extra mile to try and not only get her win back, but also to retain the Phoenix Championship.

Once more Nevaeh kicked out and Mara rolled away to lay on the mat, holding the small of her back with one hand as the official confirmed the two count. The two wrestlers sat up simultaneously and started to rise, Werth getting to a vertical base as Summers made it to one knee. The ex-con waved the World’s Finest up to her feet and as soon as the blonde pushed up, the challenger caught her with a stiff boot to the stomach, that caused Nevaeh to double up and allowed Mara to jerk her forwards and into a pulling piledriver that dropped Summers on her head. Again though, Werth felt the impact of the landing all the way up her spine, shaking her head as she sat on the canvas before she rolled to the side and out to the apron. The Tuscaloosa native used the ropes to pull herself up to her feet and headed towards the corner where she began to climb to the top, pausing at each step up to hold her back for a moment as Nevaeh was starting to writhe on the mat and show signs of recovery. As the challenger made it to the top, holding onto the top rope with both hands as she tried to find her balance, Nevaeh suddenly kipped up to her feet and charged towards the corner, stepping up onto the middle rope and caught her foe with a step-up enzuigiri.

Lexi: There’s those tweetie birds again for Mara, I’ll be surprised if she knows what day of the week it is right now, nevermind where she is and what she’s supposed to be doing.

Mara teetered for a moment before she collapsed and landed in a sitting position on the top turnbuckle as Summers landed on her feet in the corner. Nevaeh quickly started to climb up the inside of the corner, coming to the top rope where she held onto her foe, taking a second after all the head shots she’d absorbed before she delivered a pair of ridgehand chops to both sides of Mara’s neck before hopping up onto her shoulders and went to rip off a frankensteiner. Werth though blocked it, grabbing hold of the top rope for a moment while Nevaeh kept her legs locked around her neck and started to sit up. Werth pushed up to stand on the top rope, lifting Nevaeh up into position for a powerbomb but as she did, Summers drove a trio of elbows into her head to delay her long enough for her to try the frankensteiner once more and this time hit it perfectly. Mara crashed hard spine first into the canvas, the Phoenix Champion diving on top of her and hooking both legs for the cover.

Zack: Right on top of her head, Nevaeh’s gonna retain the Phoenix title!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: Holy… how the hell did Mara come out of that?! I think that was pure instinct alone.

At the very last possible moment, Mara’s shoulder popped up from the canvas to stop the count before falling lifelessly back to the canvas, Stringer waving off the three count and showing the two to all concerned. Nevaeh knelt up and looked pleadingly at Stringer, asking for the three once more but got a shake of the head from the official who explained to her that the shoulder came up in the nick of time to stop the count. Nevaeh looked down at Mara - who had managed to halfway roll onto her side and press a hand to her back - with a mix of respect and disbelief before the World’s Finest came to her feet and started to conduct the crowd who got behind her loudly. The blonde then stepped towards Mara, pulling her up from the canvas and went to hook both of her arms as she looked for the Grand Finale for the third time. As she went to lock in the hook on the second arm though Mara started to stand up straight, lifting her opponent up and over her shoulder as she did so, adjusting her grip to grab hold of Summers legs before she dropped to her knees, spiking the World’s Finest head first into the mat with a cradle belly to back piledriver. Werth then collapsed forwards, falling out of the cover as she held her back with a look of absolute agony on her face. The referee went to check on both wrestlers, as they lay on the canvas.

Zack: Even the senior referee is concerned with how much these two have hammered each other. Now it’s about to be a race to see who can get up first.

Lexi: One or both of them need to get up quick smart, there’s no way either of them, or this crowd will be happy with anything less than a definitive ending to this match.

There was a look of misgiving on the face of the senior official as both wrestlers confirmed to her they were okay to continue and she started a slow ten count on the pair. At two, Mara started to crawl towards the ring ropes and at five started to use them to pull herself upwards before she fell along the ropes and into the corner. Meanwhile Summers had managed to sit up, holding her head and started to come back to her feet, looking woozy as she finally made it back to a vertical base. The referee called off the ten count as Nevaeh made it to her feet only for the blonde to find herself sent back down to the canvas a moment later as Mara lumbered out of the corner and caught her with a clothesline. Werth turned around and grimaced again as she pulled the Phoenix Champion upwards again and caught her with a discus punch to the jaw. The World’s Finest stumbled backwards on jelly legs before she again was dropped to the mat as Mara connected with a superman punch to the jaw.

Zack: Paint a S on her chest, that was one hell of a Superman punch from Mara!

Lexi: And she didn’t even need a telephone booth to change in!

Again Mara took a couple of seconds to hold her back, the look of pain etched on her face as she did so before she again went to pull the Hall of Famer upwards and straight into a reverse DDT that saw her drive the back of Nevaeh’s head into the canvas. Mara rolled over to make the cover and reached down to hook the leg.

Zack: That inverted DDT could be the end of the night for the champion!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: This is getting way too close to call now. I’m not sure how much more either one of them can take.

Before Stringer could complete the three count, Nevaeh rolled her shoulder to break up the cover; the referee showing the two to everyone as Mara rolled away to the ropes and used them to pull herself upwards, a look of pain still on her face. The challenger looked towards the referee, asking if she was absolutely sure that it was only a two and being told it definitely was. The Tuscaloosa native nodded her head as she pulled herself the rest of the way to her feet, holding her back as she did so and began to rally the crowd, getting them louder before she patted her kneepad. Summers started to pull herself upwards and as she did so, Mara lumbered towards her and left her feet looking for her Werthwhile shining knee strike to the temple which connected perfectly. Nevaeh slumped to the side on the mat as Mara fell on top of her to make the cover, hooking the leg and holding it tightly as Stringer slid into position to make the count.

Zack: She got it that time! Nevaeh avoided one, but the second WERTHWHILE landed on target!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: Oh my god! She’s done it, Mara’s determination has paid off.

Stringer called for the bell before checking on Summers as Mara rolled to the side and took a couple of moments to gather herself, holding her head and still looking pained, before she rose to her feet, the crowd cheering loudly for both. Stringer came to her feet too as Nevaeh had rolled to her side, holding her head still and the official raised Mara’s hand.

Kat: Here is your winner, by way of pinfall… and NNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW FFW PHOENIX CHAMPION… MARA WERTH!!!

Zack: Congratulations to Mara on one hell of a win! She’s made history tonight in Puerto Rico by knocking off one of the best to ever do it! And you know Stacey was watching this one.

Lexi: The first ever woman to win any FFW title in Puerto Rico, and you know that’s something that’s gonna stick with her long past tonight

The official retrieved the Phoenix Championship and presented it to the winner, Mara holding it above her head as the referee raised her hand once more while Nevaeh had managed to push up to her knees. Werth headed towards the World’s Finest helping her to her feet and giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder and a shake of the hand as they exchanged words before the blonde raised the hand of the former convict, causing the fans to cheer loudly again as the show cut elsewhere.





The Oncoming Storm

The next shot takes the viewers outside of the arena, and poolside at what looks to be a very upscale hotel. The camera pans the crystal blue water of the pool, and then finds three familiar people on lounge chairs. One is Dante Knox in a pair of board shorts. One is Michelle Storm of the Wicked Storm in a Black Bikini And then between them was Vee Chandler in a White Bikini, a white lace robe over her shoulders and sunglasses 

Dante: You know, I used to think Puerto Rico was pretty much a hellhole. A place where there would be nothing that I’d ever want to see in person. But then I found out they had very warm weather and very nice hotels. So while all of you are stuck in that old arena and the ones watching at home are probably snowed in, I’m happy that myself and these two were able to enjoy the pool on a balmy Saturday in Puerto Rico.

Vee lifts up a glass of Bubbly and clicks her glass with Dante and takes a sip before speaking.

Vee: I couldn't agree more. At first I thought Kristina had it right when she refused to come here. A total hellhole unworthy of her presence or her time but I must admit Dante you truly found the perfect place to be if we had to come here.

Dante: I aim to please, Vee. I aim to please. But let me tell these people why I brought this cameraman here so I can get rid of him that much quicker. I have news that is going to send so many in FFW under a table in despair. That’s right, I have brought Vee and my own shared clients to FFW. After embarrassing the tag ranks last year without a contract, I want you to know that the best tag team in the business today? Well they are part of FFW now! And Vee and I couldn’t be prouder!

Vee: That’s right The Wicked Storm have arrived in FFW and now that we are here we want our tag title shot that Adam promised us when he was in charge. However, that can wait till later because it is much too beautiful here to worry about that. What we can talk about is how all the so called tag teams here are in for a world of hurt right Michelle?

Michelle who is in the pool swims over to the edge of the pool

Michelle: Damn right. Last time we were here we made a bunch of teams cry and complain how it wasn’t fair. Well ladies you will all be crying again very soon because I plan to slap all you bitches and then you will have something to cry about!

Dante: I got sick to death of hearing commentators say “They don’t work here!” “They don’t have any business here!” Well guess what, buttercup? They got all the business to be there now. There’s some old scores to settle, and some new people who haven’t suffered enough yet, and we’ll be seeing all of them soon enough. Just not today, because honestly, all of us needed a little R&R.

Vee: Oh we definitely need some R&R as it has been a very rough few weeks since Christian Kincaid single handedly caused SVW to close.

Vee pretends to be sad about the whole thing.

Vee: Very stressful time so I really needed this vacation but don’t worry because before you know it my girls will be kicking the asses of all your favorites. Once we get back to the United States of course because let's be serious Puerto Rico doesn’t really deserve to have Wicked Storm’s FFW debut. 

The three of them have a laugh

 Dante: And the greatest thing about the Storm is you never know when they might pop up.  Sometimes it’s when you least expect it. Now….get out of here!

Dante shoos the cameraman away before the video cuts to black, and the show cuts to a video.



Behind The Music

The screen changes and as it does we are treated to a huge sparkling Diamond Icon across the screen. We see the word GEMSTONES in shiny writing before the screen shifts over to a shot of a girls band playing a live show. The shot shows five women all with completely different hair colours playing in front of a sold out show at the 02 Arena in London. A familiar face with purple hair appears in front of the camera with a microphone in her hands. She smiles, clapping her hands together as she paces across the stage. That figure happens to be none other than longtime FFW Veteran Kate Steele. Kate chuckles, raising the microphone to her mouth. However before we hear her sing we hear a voice over.

"The Gem Stones, a band formed from natural pressures and forged by manmade ones. Everyone said they were a mistake, that they'd never last. Intenal friction was cited. But through everything, they have lasted, endured. and prospered.  This is their story...  The Gem Stones: Behind The Luster"

Kate yelled at her fellow English crowd.

Kate: Cheers to everybody in attendance! Just in case you may not know who we are, let me introduce you all to us. Of course everybody knows me. I am the MISTRESS OF THE MICROPHONE, THE SHINING STAR, THE SPARKLING SENSATION, THE SADISTIC SIREN, THE GLITTERING GODDESS, THE SORCERESS OF SUBMISSIONS, THE CONQUERER OF CATCH WRESTLING!!!

We see a raven haired Goddess shredding on a guitar however she seems annoyed as she walks up to a microphone stand and screams. 

Phoebe: They get the bloody fucking point. Stop being such a git and a muppet. You are taking the piss out of this show and this crowd can’t be arsed to hear you go on and on. Anyway I will do your job for you. Ladies and gents this is our front woman Diamond Steele!!!!

Diamond stands there sighing as she is about to say something but then a wonderful bass solo occurs and that’s when we see an aqua haired beauty smirking. She stands in front of a mic stand smiling.

Ruby:OUTRAGEOUS!!! And my name is Ruby Steele. I am the writer, the bass player, the youngest member, and Diamond’s first cousin!

Diamond: I AM THE LEAD SINGER… I am the….

Phoebe cuts her off shredding right on a guitar.

Sapphire: And I am Sapphire Taylor. I don’t know what she is leading because I am the LEAD GUITARIST and clearly the most musical talented out of the group. Not to mention I am half sister to Ruby, and half sister to this next member!

That is when a voiceover begins to speak again. "And, as you can see, this interplay... is why everyone expected this to go to pot in quick, emphatic fashion. But it is also the creative driving force that makes the band the dynamic musical force that it is! Every Gem shines brightly in the end here… There are no fools, you won’t find any Pyrite in these BIRDS!"

A red-haired woman steps up to a side microphone. 

Jenni: My name is Jenni Taylor, they’ve asked me to be Garnet, and I play guitar next to be my half sister. 

Diamond storms across the stage towards the guitarists.

Diamond: IT’S GARNET… GARNET TAYLOR!!! Stage names exist for a reason. Ruby you better talk to your sister and her sister because I swear these Taylors are really going…

Ruby: To cause you to throw a wobbly?! OUTRAGEOUS… Be nice I mean they both know that the Steeles are the face of this band right.

Ruby smiles widely.

Sapphire: Excuse me?!

Garnet turns to face the drummer and nods to her. 

Garnet: Start the next one, quick, Love! 

Emerald begins to drum loudly as the crowd loves it.

Emerald: And my name is.. Pen…. Emerald McAdams!!! I am not related to any of them. I just happened to dorm with Sapphire in University together and she’s my best friend. I am the drummer!

"Internal tensions like this happen on the daily but they are what make the band what it is.  The pressures asserted by all those involved take the raw materials that in others' hands would be crushed under their own weight but in these hands, create greatness. The Gem Stones shine bright and allow the world to feel their luster! Outrageous... indeed!"

They all actually sound great in unison as we are taken to the backstage area of Breaking Point. It is there where we see Allison Marx. She is holding a microphone in her hands as she begins to speak.

Allison: I am Allison Marx and standing in front of me is that very band you just see. Making their way to the world of FFW I give to you the Gem Stones.

It’s at that moment where we are able to see Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, and a cardboard cutout of Garnet standing there. Diamond smiles as she can hear the cheers of “Welcome Back” in the background.

Diamond: Damn you think these fans would have actually missed me these past six years. Let me just say that it does feel good to be back but not for all of these idiots. It feels amazing for me to be back for me. After six years I return to my old stomping grounds, I return back to the place that made me. Well to be honest I always knew I was a star. I knew I was always destined to be the best even though nobody gave two bloody shits about me. When I was here all of you abused Kate Steele. You mocked her. You bullied her on the internet. You developed Kate hate and no matter what I did you just didn’t care about my accomplishments.

Diamond cracks a wicked grin.

Diamond: Maybe it’s because you all put your faith in Misty Whitmore and didn’t give one shit about her tag team partner. However when her partner became more successful than her you all really lost your shit. Well I am here to tell you she eventually became something of herself over in SVW but that’s when I wasn’t in the picture anymore. Everybody kicked me out of everything. My sister disowned me. I got kicked out of various wrestling schools. Kicked out of Eternal Suffering, kicked out of the Scarborough Fair, kicked out of Iggy Dis, and even Guilty Pleasure. It’s been a long journey but I am on top of the world, and I am here to say I am back!

Allison: So does this mean you are back in…

Diamond: I wasn’t done! Yes I am back and I have one goal while I am here in FFW. I want to enter the Hall of Fame. All of those times that people wanted to boo me go ahead do it. You think I give a damn?! Don’t get upset because I am a star. Although I am not that cruel. I promised that when I became a megastar I would shout out all the little people that wish to fill my shoes. Hiya River… I see you mentioning me in your Future Shock bio girl. I am happy that you actually stepped out of the shadows of me carrying your sorry ass. It was sad seeing Sydney Holt beat that ass over and over again, but hey you made it. Anyway the Gem Stones are here to not only rule FFW but we will also dominate Future Shock as well. The Steeles will be in FFW whereas Sapphire will take her talent to Future Shock!

Sapphire smiles as she steps into the shot and speaks.

Sapphire: First and foremost I want to send a special birthday shoutout to my sister Garnet who couldn’t be here tonight. She wanted to be here on this beautiful Island but San Juan but she is spending the day with her boo in Orlando. So cheers to that. This place seems like an amazing place to be but to be honest we are a bit pissed with joining this company.

Ruby: It’s OUTRAGEOUS!

Diamond: Exactly you get such an amazing British band in your ranks and there’s no stops in the UK at all for the next 6 months?!

It’s at this moment that the rest of the girls take out United Kingdom flags and fly them proudly.

Diamond: We are represented by many countries. I am English and Scottish. I am from London.

Ruby: I am English and Welsh by way of London.

Sapphire: English and Welsh by way of Manchester. Garnet who isn’t here is English by way of Surrey.

Emerald: And I am from Glasgow Scotland.

Diamond smirks.

Diamond: Anyway this is the part where we would all just talk in multiple languages just to showcase how disgusted we are like the lack of no stops in our homeland but we will take it easy. After all it won’t be long until these Gems shine brightly. Just remember whenever you see me you are getting a woman who is the MISTRESS of the MICROPHONE, the…

Sapphire: And on that note we are out. See myself out as nobody is Gobsmacked that Diamond is trying to take the spotlight as usual. Why don’t we head out of here and go get plastered at the hotel.

Ruby and Emerald both smile in return as they follow Sapphire out as Diamond stands picking up a UK flag and waves it proud.

Diamond: God save the precious queen that is me who shines like a Diamond!

With that they all leave as we go back to the live show.



Rebecka Returns

As the show comes back from the break, we are taken to a clip from the last Breaking Point at the end of the show in the main event.

Courtesy of FFW Breaking Point - January 15, 2022

Harley turned to the crowd with a smile on her face as she raised her hands, and then turned back around to a bull hammer elbow shot from Stacey that put her down. The blonde stumbled into the ropes, still dazed and looking none too pleased.

Zack: Stacey doesn’t take defeat very well, does she? Harley won fair and square, but Sky doesn’t give a damn! I think that elbow pad is loaded!

Lexi: Talk about a sore loser! 

The cheers turned to boos immediately as Sky looked down at the reeling Harley on the mat. And as she leaned down to get her, the lights went out. 

Zack: Wait a minute!

Lexi: Oh lord, what’s going on here then?!

The lights came back up as Stacey and Kyle both looked around, and standing in the ring behind them was…

Zack: That’s REBECKA HATE!! We haven’t seen her in FFW in about 8 years!!

Stacey turned into a flurry of right hands before Hate grabbed her around the neck. She said something with anger etched all over her face and then lifted Stacey up high for a chokeslam! A standing sidekick to Kyle’s chest sent him through the ropes to the floor as the SVW Hall of Famer looked around the ring and listened to the crowd’s roar.

Lexi: Of all the people I would expect to come to Harley Shannon’s aid, Rebecka Hate would definitely not have been at the top of my list. 

Zack: I’m not sure why she’s back…or what her issues are with Stacey! But I can’t wait to find out! Listen to this place!

~ ~ ~

When the show returns to the live broadcast, we find Christian Kincaid on the stage with a microphone in his hand and a grin on his face.

Christian: You guys wanted some answers? Good news, because I brought the woman who has them here to Puerto Rico tonight. So for the first time in nearly 8 years, help me welcome back to FFW…….REBECKA HATE!!!

The brunette gets a roar of a response from the San Juan crowd as she joins Christian on the stage. Her manager is still grinning as he gives her some applause before she stands next to him on the stage.

Becka smiled as she waved to the crowd of fans who were cheering for her.  Her smile is genuine as she looks around.

Becka:  Wow, it is great to be back in a company that knows how to do things.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun over there but it just wasn’t the same as it is to stand here.  I have missed this a lot and I am happy to be back here.

Becka’s smile fades a little as a thought crosses her mind.

Becka:  I am sure everyone is wondering why did I help Harley two weeks ago and the answer is simple:  I do not like Kyle Kilmeade or anyone associated with him.  As for why Stacey in particular, she is the wrestler that ended this wonderful manager’s wrestling career at the whim of his brother.

Christian: But unlike the Gold Standard, Becka didn’t make her presence felt during the match. Nope, she waited till it was over…and might I add after Stacey took a swing at her. Harley won her match fair and square, no one can deny her that. But Becka here has been clear for a while how she feels about the group, and she couldn’t think of a better person to start with on that crusade in FFW. I may not wrestle anymore, but my influence and training is all around FFW. So whenever Kyle wants to put her name on the contract, Rebecka is more than happy to meet Stacey in any arena in any country across the world.

Becka:  Now, CK, we both know that Kyle is a coward and would never agree to put any of his wrestlers in a one on one match that wasn’t stacked in their favor.  I mean look what happened to Stacey the last time she fought straight up:  she lost to Harley Shannon and lost her mind.  She knows that facing me straight up is a fight she has no chance of winning.  Even if Kyle was to try and cheat for her, it wouldn’t be enough.

She looks right into the camera as she continues.

Becka:  Stacey and Kyle, know that I will be watching and I will have no problem taking out the trash if you attempt the same actions as you did against Harley.  I may not know the person that I am defending but if it means I get to put my hands on the Gold Standard ilk, especially Stacey or Kyle, I am all for it.

Christian: Well let’s go see the woman in charge. Waiting on them to sign the contract, that could take a while.

He gives her a wink before the pair heads towards the back, and the show cuts to a commercial for Future Shock. 

[Adam Grant]

Kat: The following match is scheduled for one fall to a finish. It is a non-title match and it is your main event of the evening!!

Zack: No more commercial breaks tonight, fans. That was it, and it’s time for the feature match of the night between two of the most consistent women in the history of this promotion.

Lexi: It’s been a hell of a night so far, and I’m sure this is just going to be the icing on the cake.

The lights dim as the opening bars of Turn You On by Stitched Up Heart hit the speakers around the arena.

Are you awake, You're gonna have to hear the words I say
Don't you try turn away, I'm everything you ever dreamed I'd be
I'll make you wish that you never talked, Back to me
I can't wait to watch your ego bleed
Your pain will set me free

A red spotlight hits the curtain and Kyle Kilmeade walks out and proceeds to hold it open for Lacey to walk through. Stepping onto the stage in front of Kyle, Lacey wears a green and black one piece, which has a deep vee cut all the way to her navel, black fishnet tights and matching green and black boots. She runs her hands down her curves, while giving a little sway of her hips and then stands with her arms folded across her chest and her head lowers.

I'd bite I'd scratch I'd hold you down, Just to turn you on
I'd leave you waiting tied and bound, Just to turn you on
Close your eyes, And come with me tonight
I'd burn this whole room to the ground, Just to turn, just to turn you on

She snaps her head up and flings her arms out at the sides of her in one fluid motion, almost as if someone has just pulled the strings on a puppet. Keeping her gaze straight ahead she slowly smirks before lowering her arms to her sides and making her way down the ramp with Kyle walking beside her.

I'll make you beg, I'm gonna teach you things you won't forget
Don't you try turn away, I'm everything you ever dreamed I'd be
I'll make you wish that you never talked, Back to me
I can't wait to watch your ego bleed
Your pain will set me free

Kat: Making her way to the ring at this time….from parts unknown…..LAAAAACEEEEEY!!!

I'd bite I'd scratch I'd hold you down, Just to turn you on
I'd leave you waiting tied and bound, Just to turn you on
Close your eyes, And come with me tonight
I'd burn this whole room to the ground, Just to turn, just to turn you on

Completely ignoring the crowd at either side of the ramp, Lacey speeds up as she reaches the ring and jumps up onto the apron. Taking hold of the top rope with both hands, she slowly and seductively sways her hips and wiggles her way down and back up, almost like a serpent, before springboarding over the top rope. When she lands in the ring she immediately drops down into the splits and stays there for a moment with her arms outstretched. After getting back to her feet, she climbs up onto the top turnbuckle facing the outside. Pulling something from her top she opens her palm and blows the contents into the crowd.

I can't wait to watch your ego bleed
And all the pain you feel will set you free
If you behave this night will never end
Turn off the lights and start again

The lights shut off completely for a second at the end of the theme, when they come back on, Lacey is standing in her corner sharing some last minute words with Kyle.

Zack: For my money, Lacey is the most successful member of the Gold Standard. She can do it all, and she’s proven she can hang at the highest levels when she was SVW Champion for most of 2021.

Lexi: Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that she does back up what she says a lot of the time.. It’s just a shame she’s such an insufferable bitch with it.

“All Stand Up” by Status Quo starts to play as the young lady runs out onto stage with the championship belt around her waist, 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, climbing to the middle turnbuckle and holding the title high above her head before getting ready for the match to start.

Kat: The young lady approaching the ring comes from Sheffield, England by way of New York City, New York. She is 5’7” tall, she weighs 144lbs and she is the FFW NO SURRENDER CHAMPION….LILLY ARTHUR!!!

Zack: Lilly Arthur is a thinking woman’s wrestler. She is one of the best at breaking down tape and bringing almost surgical precision into a match. And that’s something you need to be able to call yourself the No Surrender Champion, as she has been.

Lexi: Lilly already has a win over Lacey, but you just know that’s not going to have her resting on her laurels at all tonight.

Ashley Pruitt was the referee in charge of the match and checked that both wrestlers were ready for action after Lilly had handed the title belt to Kat on the outside to take to the timekeeper’s desk. Getting the okay from both, the official called for the bell and saw both step out of their corners but as Lacey reached the next corner she turned her back on Lilly and climbed up onto the middle rope, the crowd booing her loudly as she told the sold out Puerto Rico audience that she was going to make the No Surrender Champion tap out. As Lacey dropped back down to the mat, Lilly climbed up the opposite corner, waving her arms in the air which caused the crowd to cheer loudly before she dropped down to the mat and spun, stopping the onrushing Lacey in her tracks before the Gold Standard member could jump her from behind. The red haired wrestler gave her opponent a tiny, insincere smile as she took a couple of steps backwards.

Zack: I don’t think it takes a lot of discussion to recognize who these fans in Puerto Rico prefer in this match. I don’t think Lacey’s gonna show Lilly any tricks she hasn’t seen either.

Lexi: To be honest, I don’t think Lacey could even manage to get a hometown crowd to cheer for her, nevermind one she’s never been to before.

Lilly stepped out of the corner, towards the middle of the ring and as she did so, Lacey invited her into a collar and elbow tie-up. Lilly didn’t hesitate in stepping forwards and locking up. A moment later Lacey turned the lock up into a rear waistlock, only for Lilly to take a moment before she managed to part her foes arms and reverse into a rear waistlock of her own. There was a momentary scowl from the Gold Standard member before she managed to counter it herself to apply an arm wringer to the Sheffield native. With a small grin Lacey went to torque up further on the hold as she twisted her foes arm around in the socket yet again, causing the No Surrender Champion to hold her shoulder.

Zack: Lacey’s taken the early advantage. She’s not really known for a vast submission repertoire though, but she hasn’t really needed it either. That Throe Of Passion has won her many matches.

Lexi: Getting into a submission contest with the current No Surrender Champion is not the best of ideas at most times, nevermind when you’re not exactly a specialist, she could be opening up a can of worms for herself.

Lacey kept the hold applied with one hand as she played to the crowd, telling them that she was by far and away the better technical wrestler in this match. At which point Lilly looked to counter with a one handed cartwheel, followed by a forward roll to ease the tension on her shoulder before she sent Lacey down to the mat with an arm drag takedown. The red haired wrestler rolled through and came back to her feet where Lilly waved her forwards and got her wish as the pair entered into another tie up. This time it was Arthur who came out with the upper hand as she spun behind Lacey to lock in a hammerlock. Lacey shook her head, slapping her shoulder for a moment with a look of displeasure on her face before she threw an elbow back towards her foe’s head. The attempt missed but it was enough for Lacey to reverse into a hammerlock of her own. Again an overconfident look crossed the face of the former Unity Champion which was short lived as a matter of seconds later Lilly managed to duck underneath and behind the red haired wrestler as she reversed into a hammerlock once more, twisting Lacey’s arm further up her back this time and the woman from Parts Unknown wasted no time at all in in stepping forwards and hooking her arm over the top rope.  The referee called for the break and started the count, Lilly taking a moment before she let go and immediately skipping backwards and out of range of a discus forearm attempt from her opponent.

Zack: It’s hard to do, but if I’m Kyle, I’ve told Lacey to stay as close to the ropes as much as she can through this match. Lilly loves her submissions, and that’s the easiest way out of them.

Lexi: I’m betting he’s told her a few things, and I’ll double down on at least half them not being exactly legal in matches.

Lacey glowered at the brunette as the No Surrender Champion asked her what else she had. Immediately the Gold Standard member darted forwards only to be sent face first into the canvas with a drop toe hold from the Sheffield born competitor who then went to transition through into an STF only to catch an elbow to the chest before she could lock it in. The former Unity member rolled away and quickly made it to her feet a second before Lilly got back to hers and skipped forwards to deliver a thrust kick into the brunette’s midsection before gathering the No Surrender Champion’s head into a standing side headlock. A grin started to spread across her face as she wrenched the hold tighter on the brunette, even as the submission specialist started to try and break her grip.

Zack: Lilly’s trying to break Lacey’s grip, and I’m not sure who is the stronger of the two. They seem about evenly matched to me.

Lexi: I’d say Lacey maybe has a small strength advantage, but Lilly’s resilience and fortitude are an even counter for it.

Lilly had little success but continued to try even as she walked Lacey back into the ring ropes and attempted to shoot her off, out of the headlock. The redhead, though, put on the brakes, spinning them around as she stopped them both in her tracks, quickly tightening up and securing the hold once more. Again Lilly went to walk her opponent back to the ropes with the intention of shooting her off but Lacey stopped her before she could get there, delivering a closed fist into her face then sent the brunette down to the mat with a side headlock takedown, keeping the hold applied as she did so. The referee dropped down and asked Lilly if she wanted to quit only for the Sheffield born wrestler to bring her legs up and trap Lacey in a headscissors, causing her to break the headlock as she used her leg strength to pull Lacey away from her and break the headlock.

Zack: I know the referee has to ask, but I have never seen anyone give up in a headscissors in my entire career.

Lexi: You know what they say, there’s a first time for everything, Zack.

The Gold Standard member slapped the mat in frustration before she kicked up to escape the head scissors, rolling to the side as she did and started to rise. Lilly did likewise and as she did so, Lacey launched herself, going low as she caught the brunette with a shoulder tackle to the side of the knee, sending Arthur crashing down to the canvas. Quickly the red head went to grab hold of her foes leg by the ankle and went to apply the figure four only to be shot off as she turned her back on Lilly. The Gold Standard member caught herself on the ropes and turned towards her foe as the Englishwoman made it back to her feet and charged forwards. As she neared, Lilly dropped to one knee and caught her opponent around the waist to pull her into a rear waistlock that turned into a German suplex.

Zack: Well executed by Lilly, and the champion is controlling the action. I want to remind everyone to check out Future Shock this Tuesday from Ohio. Both of these women are alumni of that brand.

Lexi: Plus they have the best ring announcer in the business!

Lilly kept hold of the rear waistlock as she landed the move and pulled Lacey upwards and straight into a second German suplex. Again Lilly kept her hands locked and went to again bring her opponent up to her feet which saw Lacey grab hold of the referee. Pruitt demanded that she release her and tried to break the grip of the former Unity Champion as she pulled away which gave the red haired wrestler the perfect opening to stop the triple suplex attempt with a mule kick that caught Lilly squarely between the legs. The brunette staggered backwards, her knees coming together as Lacey spun around and unloaded with a stiff closed fist right to the side of the jaw that dropped Lilly the rest of the way to her knees. The crowd booed as the Gold Standard member hooked her foe’s head, jerking her upwards and straight into a DDT that planted the brunette on the canvas.

Zack: Right on the crown of her head, Lacey planted Lilly. We also should thank the people here in Puerto Rico, who have embraced FFW warmly since we arrived. FFW has fans all over the globe.

Lexi: I don’t think we could have asked for a better welcome than we’ve received here in Puerto Rico, I know that I’m going to be sad to leave when we’re done.

Lacey came back to her feet and watched as her opponent started to push up before she took off across the ring, bouncing off the ropes and came back to deliver a running knee lift to the jaw that snapped Lilly’s head backwards. The No Surrender Champion held her jaw as the former Unity Champion pulled her back to her feet with two handfuls of hair only to use her grip to return her foe to the canvas with a neckbreaker. Arthur rolled to the side, holding the back of her neck with her hands before she was pulled upright once more by the Gold Standard member - once more with a handful of hair which the referee started to reprimand her for, demanding she let go only for the red haired wrestler to jerk the Sheffield born wrestler backwards, slamming the back of her head into her knee. Lilly collapsed to her knees on the mat, holding her neck and the back of her head as she pressed her forehead to the canvas.

Zack: Lilly’s in a bad way here, and that’s when Lacey is at her best. When she knows she has you hurt, she doesn’t tend to make a lot of mistakes.

Lexi: Lacey can be pretty vicious at times, I still remember watching what she did to Kelly Kincaid awhile back in SVW.

Arthur got no chance to recover as her foe started to stomp away at the back of her head and neck, her blows mostly catching the brunette on the hands while Pruitt told her to back up and started the count. The official made it to four before Lacey backed up two steps with her arms raised, showing the referee that she had let up before she dove back on top of her opponent and, with two handfuls of hair, she started to grate her face back and forth against the mat. The referee called the break yet and started the count, getting to four before Lacey again released, holding her hands up once more to demonstrate that to the referee. As Pruitt told Lacey not to keep pushing it, the Gold Standard member came back to her feet, bringing her foe upright as she did so and Irish whipped her across the ring into the corner where Kyle was standing. As Lilly’s body crashed into the turnbuckle pads, Kilmeade turned and stepped away with his arms raised, telling the crowd that Lacey had this under control and she was going to make the No Surrender Champion tap out, ignoring their boos and heckles as he turned back to face the match.

Zack: Kyle posted 2 pictures on his Twitter of him with two fans through the years. And it’s clear neither of those two fans are here in San Juan. They may be the only two.

Lexi: They probably mistook him for someone else… either that or they’re hoping to join the Gold Standard some day.

He was just in time to see Lacey crash into Lilly with a clothesline that she followed up with a trio of European uppercuts to the brunette’s jaw before she lowered her shoulder and delivered the first of four shoulder thrusts. The referee calling for the break and making the count while Lacey was driving her shoulder into the Englishwoman’s midriff. As the referee got to four, Lacey buried her shoulder deep in her opponent’s gut as her arms wrapped around her body allowing the red haired wrestler to lift her off her feet as she turned out of the corner and dropped the No Surrender Champion face first into the top turnbuckle. Arthur staggered backwards, holding her face with both hands as Lacey took off across the ring, hitting the ropes and bouncing back, leaving her feet and with a high knee to the middle of her back sent the submissionist down to her knees and face first into the middle turnbuckle.

Zack: It hadn’t dawned on me till now, but Lacey may be looking to win this by submission, if for no other reason than to say she did it against the No Surrender Champion. She has gone for not one pinfall yet.

Lexi: It’s probably the kind of train of thought she’d have, but between you, me and the fence post, I don’t fancy her chances much. Lilly isn’t going to want to give her that kind of satisfaction and that can be a massive motivator.

Lilly tried to push away from the turnbuckle pad only for Lacey to press her boot against the back of her head, forcing her face back into the turnbuckle pad, smothering her. Arthur tried to push backwards, but Lacey had too much strength in her legs for the Englishwoman to be able to get herself any breathing room. The referee demanded the break and made the count who she didn’t get it. Pruit reached four before Lacey released, turning on her heel as she did so and taking off across the ring, delivering a hip check that drove Lilly’s face into the middle turnbuckle once more. The Gold Standard member held her position, keeping her foe’s face squashed between her body and the turnbuckle, ignoring the referee’s demand that she break while playing to the crowd instead. They booed her loudly and when the referee reached four once more, Lacey backed away. Pruitt began to reprimand the final Fast Track Champion for her actions warning her to heed her instructions or get disqualified which caused the red haired wrestler to argue with the official that she had a five count and had always broken before that mark was reached. With the referee’s attention diverted, Kyle took full advantage as he grabbed hold of Lilly’s arms, planting his foot against the ring post to pull Arthur’s face into the turnbuckle pad yet again.

Zack: There’s not a low road that the Gold Standard or the man in charge of it won’t take to ensure victory. They haven’t had a good couple weeks till tonight in our opening match, so he may be feeling desperate.

Lexi: I’m actually thinking at this point they should be considering changing their name to the Gold plated Standard… they’ve definitely lost a lot of the shine they had in recent years.

The crowd booed the manager loudly as Lilly struggled to try and break free, only achieving success when Kilmeade released his grip on her wrists mere moments before the referee turned around. And when Pruitt did, she’d see the manager smoothing down his tie and jacket, snapping at the front row and telling the morons to shut up. Meanwhile in the ring Lilly had sat back on her heels and was gasping for breath as Lacey swooped in behind her, wrapping her arms around her head and throat for a rear naked choke that she used to pull her away from the corner and down to the mat. As soon as they were down on the mat, Lacey hooked her legs around Lilly’s torso in a body scissors, squeezing the air out of her lungs. The referee slid into position to check the hold and asked the Englishwoman if she wanted to quit as Arthur ineffectually clawed and grasped at the arms around her head while refusing to submit. Lacey had a snarl on her features as she flexed her arms and tightened her legs, telling Lilly to quit already. Once more the official asked the question and Lilly refused as she began to rock from side to side, building momentum before she made it onto her side and was able to kick out her foot to hook it over the bottom rope while the official was checking on the hold once more.

Zack: If you didn’t know better, you’d think Lilly’s title was on the line tonight. But we know it’s not,.

Lexi: It’s no surprise that Lilly will want to win this by submission, it’s her bread and butter after all, but I am surprised that Lacey hasn’t tried to go for a quick pinfall.

Before the official could see it, Kyle shoved the boot off the bottom rope as he moved past the referee on the outside and encouraged his client to roll over. Lacey tried to follow her manager’s advice, wrenching on her opponent’s head in the hold in an attempt to roll her over but the No Surrender Champion planted her foot and dug in her heels to stop the redhead from being able to turn it out. Kyle continued to offer her encouragement as Lacey tried once more. Again Lilly just about stopped her as the camera saw her eyes starting to flutter close; Kyle told his client that the No Surrender Champion was fading but Lacey went to regroup to try once more, Lilly used all the strength that she had to push against the canvas and roll them closer to the ropes, throwing her leg over the bottom rope. The official saw it this time and called for the break, Lacey applying it even tighter before finally letting go on four and rolling away.

Zack: It comes as no surprise that Lacey is milking that five count for as long as she can. Lilly should have been released from that hold long before now.

Lexi: It’s a universal thing I think, most do try and push the counts as far as they can and dare to if for no other reason than a few seconds breather and to contemplate the next move.

Lilly grabbed hold of the bottom rope as she tried to catch her breath and Lacey went straight back on the attack, grabbing hold of her wrists and pulling them back behind her into a standing surfboard. The No Submission Champion still had her leg underneath the bottom rope and the referee immediately told Lacey to break which saw the red haired woman drive Lilly’s face into the mat with a curbstomp. Pruitt backed her up, reading her the riot act as she did so while Arthur rolled away from the ropes and towards the middle of the ring. Lacey argued with the referee who argued right back, reminding the wrestler who had the ultimate authority in the ring, that saw the Gold Standard member wave her away. Lilly was slowly pushing up from the mat, still gulping down air and made it as far as her knees before Lacey dropped back to the ropes and came back with the Kneel Before Me running big boot to the head.

Zack: That’s one of her favorites, and you all heard what it’s called. That said, I’ve never seen anyone kneel of their own accord.

Lexi: I’d be concerned about their state of mind if anyone did kneel of their own accord to be fair.

However, as the boot came towards her head, Lilly leaned to the side to avoid the blow and instead wrapped her arm around the limb, pushing up to one knee and twisting to the side with a dragon screw leg whip. As soon as Lacey hit the mat, Lilly grapevine her leg and applied an ankle lock, wrenching on the joint as she did so which caused the red haired wrestlers eyes to open wide as she immediately clawed and scrabbled at the mat before she lunged to the side, stretching out both arms as far as she could and managed to hook her fingers over the bottom rope. The official called for the break, and almost immediately, Lilly released the hold and rolled away to come to her feet. Lacey also started to rise, getting to her feet and turned towards Lilly who stepped forwards as she delivered a stinging chop to the chest of the Gold Standard member; the sound of the impact quieting the cheers as the crowd almost seemed to wince in sympathy with the object of their ire.

Zack: That was one hell of a chop from Lilly. It resonated throughout this arena, and I bet Lacey’s chest is gonna have a red handprint on it tomorrow.

Lexi: It might actually have a hand shaped indent, nevermind a print!

Quickly Lilly followed that up with a second and a third chop into her opponent’s chest causing her to step backwards into the ropes before the fourth and fifth chop saw her lean back into the ropes. The Sheffield born wrestler then fired her opponent across the ring and caught her on the return with a back body drop that sent Lacey high into the air before she crashed down into the mat. Quickly the final Fast Track Champion rolled to the side and came back to her feet only for Lilly to catch her with a forearm shiver to the jaw that allowed her to hook her arm and send her down to the mat face first with a variant of the side Russian leg sweep. As the two competitors hit the mat, Lilly rolled through and applied a front facelock to her foe. Lacey started to slowly push from the canvas, using her power to try and get back to her feet but didn’t get any further than her hands and knees before the No Surrender Champion threw all her body weight to the side and began to gator roll her opponent back and forth across the ring.

Zack: The gator roll is designed to sap your opponent’s energy in a hurry, and Lacey must feel like she got stuck in the dryer with all that rolling.

Lexi: Or on a spin cycle. I’m feeling dizzy just watching it.

As they returned to their original position, Lacey took a couple of seconds before she started to force her way upwards from the canvas. This time Lilly didn’t stop her - choosing instead to beat her opponent to a vertical base, keeping the front facelock applied as she did so and used it to deliver a snap suplex. The Englishwoman kept her arms wrapped around her opponent’s head as she twisted her hips and pulled Lacey upwards once more and this time lifted her up and dropped her down on the top of the head with a snap brainbuster. This time the No Surrender Champion rolled away, taking a moment to come to her feet and as the Gold Standard member began to rise, the brunette took off across the ring, bouncing off the ropes behind the rising woman and came back to spike her face first into the canvas with a bulldog. The English moved quickly to follow that up by taking Lacey’s back and applying a camel clutch, locking her fingers under her chin as she sat low and leaned back to bend the red head’s spine backwards.

Zack: Look at the arch in Lacey’s back, courtesy of the No Surrender Champion. That’s not a fun way to spend a Saturday night in Puerto Rico.

Lexi: I can definitely think of a few fun activities that result in an arching back, and that sure ain’t one of them.

There was a pained expression on Lacey’s face as the referee dropped down and asked her if she wanted to quit, getting a ‘No’ from the final Fast Track Champion as she squirmed the best she could in the hold in an effort to find an escape route. Lilly, though, kept the hold applied, pulling back as much as she could, keeping the pained expression upon the Gold Standard member’s face as she kicked her feet against the canvas in pain. Still Lacey refused to submit when the referee asked her the question again, Kyle urging her on and encouraging her from the corner. The Sheffield native tried to lean back a touch further and as she did so, her fingers slipped for a moment to cover her opponent’s mouth. The official tried to tell Lilly that she needed to re-adjust her grip but as she did so, the former Unity Champion bit down on the brunette’s fingers which got her the break.

Zack: That’s one way to break the hold. Lacey used a shark bite practically on Lilly’s fingers to get free.

Lexi: Lilly might want to see about getting a tetanus shot after the show, hell only knows where Lacey’s been!

Lilly rolled away to one knee, holding her hand as she checked for blood whilst Lacey held the small of her back for a moment before the red haired wrestler started to push her way upwards. The Gold Standard member got no further than her knees before Arthur crashed a running knee into the side of her opponent’s head, knocking her to the side where the woman from Parts Unknown caught herself with an outstretched arm to stop herself from crashing to the mat. Lilly pulled her up to her feet and fired her opponent across the ring into the corner, following in close behind her and leaving her feet to deliver a running two footed dropkick to her chest. Rolling back up to her feet, the No Surrender Champion stepped forwards smartly and drove a quartet of European uppercuts to her opponent’s jaw then brought her out of the corner with a fireman’s carry takeover. Lacey hit the mat and immediately scrambled back to her feet only for Lilly to come off the middle rope and catch her on the top of her head with a double ax handle smash to the top of her head.

Zack: Lacey got her headlights dimmed there, and looks to be on Wobbly Leg Street now. Impressively she hasn’t gone down!

Lexi: I think that’s more luck than anything, she looks like she doesn’t even know where she is… or that she’s drunk a few bottles of Tequila.

The Gold Standard member stumbled back from her opponent, holding the top of her head as she did so and the No Surrender Champion moved around behind her quickly, lifting her up off her feet and dropping her to the canvas with a back suplex. Lacey rolled to the side, holding her back but before she could get any further Lilly had pulled her upwards to her feet and straight into an atomic drop. It saw the final Fast Track Champion step forwards, her mouth opening in an ‘O’ of pain due to the shock wave that had traveled up her back but she never got to take more than two steps before the No Surrender Champion left her feet, jerking the red head down into a backstabber. Lacey bounced off her foe’s knees and landed face down on the canvas, pushing upwards to get to her hands and knees where Lilly rolled her over into a pinning combination.

Zack: Lilly’s looking for the win, and would you believe that’s the first pinfall of the whole match?!

One…

Two…

…THR-

Lexi: And unfortunately for Lilly it’s only a two.

Lilly didn’t even question the referee’s count as she pulled Lacey back up to her feet and fired her across the ring into the ropes, catching her as she returned with a flying forearm to the jaw. It dropped the red head to the mat but only for a moment before Lacey rolled to the side and began to pull herself back to her feet only for Lilly to bring her the rest of the way to a vertical base where she shoved her chest first into the ropes. The Gold Standard member stepped backwards off the ropes and straight into a trio of forearms to the small of her back from the Englishwoman. A stern jab to the kidneys followed that before Lilly took off across the ring, hitting the ropes and coming back to drive a high knee into her foe’s spine, sending her chest first into the ropes once more. This time Lilly spun her around and grabbed her by the wrist, Irish whipping her into the opposite ropes, catching her on the return with a huge spinebuster before she made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Lexi: Holy shit, Lilly looked like she was trying to put a Lacey shaped hole in the ring! This could be it.

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack: Lacey’s still showing how resilient she is. To be that full of yourself, you better have some resiliency in this sport.

Lacey’s shoulder came up just before the three count and she rolled to the side. Lilly nodded her head in acceptance of the referee’s count, coming quickly to her feet and performed an Ali shuffle, getting cheered loudly by the crowd. The Gold Standard member was beginning to rise to her feet only for Lilly to cut her off as she made it to her knees with a bionic elbow to the top of her head. It saw Lacey rock backwards, sitting on her heels and prompted Kyle to pull himself up onto the apron where he started to shout at Lilly, looking to distract her and ignoring the referee who told him to get down and started to threaten to throw him out. For a moment, Lilly turned back to him and waved him bye bye as Pruitt began a count, telling him that if she reached five, she’d have security hurl him out, as he scowled as the Sheffield native. The official made it to four before Kyle began to move towards the ring steps. Lilly headed back towards her foe and started to pull her up from the canvas and went to lock in a full Nelson to set up for the Tiger Lilly facebuster. Lacey felt it was coming and dropped to her knees to escape the hold before she spun around and came back upright, cutting Lilly off with a thumb to the eye.

Zack: We’ve seen those thumbs to the eyes more than once tonight. It’s as old as the sport, and still as effective. You can’t train your eyes for that kind of thing.

Lexi: It’s like Gold Standard 101… if in doubt, poke them in the eye. Guess, if it works, it works.

The crowd booed her loudly as the official reprimanded her and Lacey didn’t give a damn as she stepped backwards. The red haired wrestler measured up her opponent and skipped forwards to catch her with a kick to the gut. The No Surrender Champion doubled over and as she did was immediately dropped on her head with a pulling piledriver. Lacey held her back as she sat on the mat after delivering the move. Slowly Lilly began to push herself upright but as she did, the red head beat her to a vertical base and circled around behind her. As soon as the Englishwoman was upright, the Gold Standard member caught her in a Full Nelson and drove her face first into the mat with a Full Nelson facebuster before she rolled her over and made the cover.

Zack: That could be a knockout! Lacey’s first pin attempt…and possibly the only one she’ll need!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: Lilly’s not giving it up easily at all.

At the last moment, Lilly rolled her shoulder to break up the count; the official showing the two count as Kyle started once more to berate her from ringside and Lacey looked at her with disgust and gave a shake of the head as she demanded the three count. Pruitt told her unequivocally that it was just a two count. It saw Lacey shake her head once more as she turned her attention back towards her opponent, pulling her up to her feet by her head only so that she could drive repeated knee strikes into her face, releasing her as she struck with one final particularly vicious knee strike. Lilly staggered backwards a couple of steps before she suddenly found her balance and almost instinctively fired off a savate kick that caught Lacey on the jaw by surprise.

Zack: Where did that come from?! Lacey’s teeth may be rolling around in her mouth right now!

Lexi: Nobody saw that coming, least of all Lacey. I hope Kyle has a good dentist on the payroll.

The red haired staggered backwards a step before she started to come forwards again and once more walked into another flash kick from Lilly that backed her up. Once more the Gold Standard member found her balance and this time rushed towards her opponent which saw Lilly dropstep around and behind her, hooking her arms and driving her into the canvas with the Tiger Lilly Full Nelson facebuster. Lilly didn’t waste any time at all in transitioning into the Lilly Pad sugar hold, pressing her knees into the small of Lacey’s back while she used the Full Nelson to pull her foe upwards. The official dropped down in front of Lacey, asking her if she wanted to submit but got a shake of the head as the red haired wrestler let out a scream of pain. The No Surrender Champion leaned back, pulling back further on her trapped foe’s arms, arching her spine as she did so. Again Lacey let out a strangled cry of agony and defiance as she refused to submit, desperately kicking out with her feet to try and find the ropes - which were all out of reach - or build enough momentum to buck Lilly off. All her attempts were to no avail and with no other option she tapped out. Pruitt called for the bell and as it sounded, Lilly released the hold and came to her feet as Lacey rolled away from her. The crowd cheered as the official raised the Sheffield native’s hand in victory.

Zack: I’ve seen a lot of women fall victim to the LILLY PAD, and Lacey gets to be on that list too. Fantastic effort from both women, and I’ll give Lacey her due. She showed us why she belongs in the conversation for virtually any title she wants.

Kat: Here is your winner, by way of submission… the FFW NO SURRENDER CHAMPION!!! … LILLY ARTHUR!!!

Lexi: What a great way to end the show! The No Surrender Champion gets her submission and Lacey and her manager get to scamper off with their tails between their legs.

Zack: Don’t miss Future Shock this Tuesday night from the Buckeye State, and good night from the gorgeous city of San Juan, Puerto Rico!

The referee retrieved the title belt and presented it to Lilly who headed towards each corner in turn, climbing onto the middle rope and holding the belt aloft which caused the crowd to cheer her louder. Meanwhile Kyle helped Lacey out of the ring, the red head holding her back with both hands; her manager assured her that she’d receive the finest care and treatment and that she’d get her chance at a title soon enough after tonight as the show faded out.