Message #29484

[Adam Grant]

The show returns to the ring, and finds Kat once again front and center as she begins the introductions for the next match.

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

Zack: We’re about to see the in-ring return of Bianca Salvador. She certainly made her presence felt back at Unstoppable by preventing one third of the triple threat, Rose Gardner, from stopping Josephine Star in getting the win over Rebecka Hate. She’ll have to fight her own fight tonight, and I don’t know that I envy her for who her return match is against.

Gaby: Not that Bianca didn’t seem hyped about it. As soon as the match was announced, it looked like the Witch of Winds was pretty satisfied, and she even thanked FFW for “respecting her history” by putting none other than the iconic Emma Mackenzie in her way. This is gonna be one for the history books, darlings.

We have the passion of the unbroken
And our souls we will not sell
You can beat us down but when we come around
We’ll damn you all to hell.

The familiar combination of blue and black lighting heralds the entrance of Emma Mackenzie, which brings about cheers from the crowd. Ryan Mackenzie emerges first, and his wife follows on the song kicking in.

Kat: On her way to the ring from Glasgow, Scotland, please welcome EMMAAAAA MACKENZIEEEEEEEEE!!

Waiting for a sign, I guess I missed it on the way
I tried to walk the line but it's more than I could take
I get so tired of waiting; your signal's fading out
You're on the outside before you even know you're out of place

Emma starts towards the ring, seemingly avoiding any fan contact, with Ryan a step or so behind her. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she pauses to remove the bobble from her head, then looks at Ryan with a grin on her face.

I've had enough and your time is up
So give me something, that one thing real
And I'll say yeah, 'cause I've been going out of my head again
Just waiting for a lifeline

Emma bounces up onto the apron and crouches to enter the ring between the bottom and middle ropes, where she heads to her corner, looking out at the fans in attendance. After a moment, she hops back down to join Ryan on the canvas, and the pair talk between themselves as the music fades out

Zack: So far, Emma is 1-0 since her return when she defeated Sofia Hilton at Unstoppable 15. The opponents don’t get any more lovable either, because Salvador is far from a fan favorite herself.

Gaby: With the exception that where Sofia is too self-absorbed to be taken seriously, Bianca is a beast of her own. But let’s talk about Emma, who’s still getting used to being the Hitwoman in a way that the Faithful actually loves. The last two years were of returns of iconic women who made a huge name for themselves in the company, and they don’t get any bigger than Emma!

“Something New” starts up over the speakers, and the jeers have almost drowned out the music before the Witch of Winds has even arrived. Blue spotlights dance around the arena, while the tron shows images of the Franchise. Suddenly, the music stops and the tron cuts out...only for the sound of crashing thunder to echo loudly through the arena.

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

As a curtain of dry ice smoke fills up the entrance stage, the Brazilian wrestler walks up to the top of the ram, with her manager Kyle Kilmeade right behind her. Once there, she looks over the booing crowd with a smirk on her face before she goes to a knee and opens her arms wide in the Witch of Winds pose. After a couple of seconds in that pose, Bianca lunges forth and punches the air with a loud war cry, then walks down the entrance ramp, with her manager following her with a lonely round of applause.

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

Kat: And their opponent, representing the Franchise… Escorted to the ring by Kyle Kilmeade… From Porto Alegre, Brazil… BIANCA SALVADOR!!!

Instead of going straight to the ring though, Bianca walks up to a camera, getting right up to the lens, and flexes her biceps for the gun show, kissing the bulging muscle and giving the TV audience some choice words about her opponents. After that, she rolls into the ring and moves to the turnbuckles, climbing onto the second rope and staring into the booing crowd, only to wave them off and sit on the top turnbuckle, waiting for the match to begin strategizing with Kyle.

Zack: It’s been a few years since the last time we saw Bianca in a FFW ring. I’m positive Kyle has her ready to go, but I wonder about any ring rust she may have. Sparring and training are great, but it’s not a substitute for someone trying to beat the hell out of you, which Emma will most certainly do.

Gaby: We know for a fact Bianca has been getting ready for matches like this with none other than Josephine Star, her Franchise teammate, so it’s not like she’s expecting this to be a picnic at Central Park! While they’re both adversarial and loud mouthed women, where Sofia Rojas is too self-absorbed and dependant on her cronies to do her thing, Bianca is a former No Surrender and Unity Tag Team Champion, and she’s proven time and again that she can be as dangerous on her own as she is when the rest of the cadre is with her.

Referee Kevin Fisk called for the bell to start the match as the two women met in the center of the ring. It was Bianca who offered Emma a handshake, but the shit-eating grin on her face didn’t do her any favors before the blue-haired veteran grabbed her hand and yanked her forward into a pair of forearms to the side of the head. She spun into her with a back elbow to the jaw next, then grabbed her other arm and fell backwards into a monkey flip that sent Salvador to the canvas. The blonde popped up, and Emma offered her a handshake with the same smirk on her face Bianca had.

Zack: I don’t know how much ring rust Bianca has, but Emma is more than happy to help her shake it off. She knew that handshake was nothing but a ruse.

Gaby: Two weeks ago, Bianca offered that same handshake to Emma, claiming that they could “save the nasty shit” for Sabotage. Well, here we are, and Bianca should know that Emma knows mind games like the best of them.

But the blonde wasn’t back to her feet very long before the veteran surprised her with a running shoulder tackle that drove her into the nearest corner. Emma followed up with repeated shoulder thrusts to the body, trying to knock the wind out of her before she scooped her onto her shoulders and fell backwards with a Samoan drop. She was in motion a half second later as she took off for the ropes, catching the “Typhoon” as she was starting to get up with a float over DDT followed by a leg hook for the cover.

Zack: A cover already! Emma must have left the gas on at home!

ONE!!

TW-NO.

But Bianca was far from worn down enough for that, and kicked out as the two was on the way down. Emma yanked her back to her feet by the arm, and whipped her into the far corner. But the Brazilian stopped herself before she collided with it, and caught Emma running towards her from behind with a discus elbow to the jaw that staggered her.

Gaby: And there’s one of the things Bianca is known for, finding unexpected or just plain smart ways to get out of danger.

She followed that with straight right hands to the jaw. A drop toe hold sent the FFW Hall of Famer’s neck across the middle rope before Salvador hopped onto her back with both knees. She choked her against the rope as she bounced on her back until Fisk got to a four count. She only stopped for a half second before climbing back again for another four count. Salvador grabbed the middle rope and snapped it backwards to send Emma to the mat, clutching her throat as she coughed heavily.

Zack: I see that her time away hasn’t made Bianca any more of a stickler for the rules, has it? Just as vicious as she ever was.

Gaby: I mean, with that man over there Kilmeade managing her, and Josephine Star being one of her best friends, I don’t expect her to ever play the rules paladin. Another thing that ties Bianca Salvador to the McFarlane family, remember: the Typhoon was trained by none other than Thomas McFarlane in the FS Development Center. She KNOWS what it means to be vicious while skirting the rules.

When the former FFW Champion was getting to all fours to try to get up, Bianca put a stop to that with a guillotine leg drop to the back of her head. She delivered a barrage of forearms to the back of her head before applying a single leg Boston crab, but only to deliver stomps to the back of her head for further damage. She stepped back with a smile on her face as Kyle watched with approval at ringside.

Zack: I haven’t seen what she calls the FACE FLATTENER in a while, and you can see Bianca’s got her swagger back now. She didn’t exactly draw the shortest straw in terms of opponents to start her FFW return with, did she?

Gaby: It’s hard to tell if this is exactly what she wanted, or if she would like to reach for the low-hanging fruit for a comeback match, but you said it best, Z: she’s got that Latina swagger and that hubris that only someone handpicked to be Samantha Star’s secret weapon could ever have.

She pulled the Hall of Famer back to her feet, and fired her into the far corner. Emma’s back struck against the turnbuckles as Bianca bolted towards her, looking for a running boot to her face. But the veteran sidestepped out of the way, causing the blonde to get her foot caught for a moment. Emma freed her in a very unkind way as she scooped her up for an atomic drop, and then dropped her across the top rope instead. Bianca’s mouth fell open in pain, but it only got worse as Emma began shaking the top rope under her till she bounced down to the mat.

Zack: It’s not exactly like riding the mechanical horse at the supermarket, is it? I thought Emma was gonna start working the leg off that miss, but she decided to aim just above the leg.

Gaby: If you can use the ropes as your partner, especially when someone as crafty as Bianca Salvador is concerned, you do it! Sometimes you may just have to fight fire with a flamethrower!

As the blonde started to get back to her feet, Emma bounced off the near side ropes and put an end to that with a one-handed bulldog. The Brooklyn crowd got behind her as she dragged Bianca to her feet, hooking her head and hoisting her up for a brainbuster. As soon as it landed, she hooked the far leg for the cover as Fisk slid into position.

Zack: Right to the dome for Emma Mack, who’s looking to go 2-0 since her return to FFW at the Fatale Royale!

ONE!!

TWOOO!!

NO.

But two was all she got when Bianca kicked out, prompting the former FFW Champion to hammer her with elbows to the side of her head before she got back to her feet. Bianca rolled away from her after that, and out to the floor where Kyle was quick to meet her.

Gaby: Emma with the right strat here, never take your eyes off the ball, but of course, here’s another staple of the Typhoon’s MO: call a water break for herself.

He started sharing some thoughts in her ear, but Emma wasn’t going to leave her out there for very long. She reached through the ropes to grab her back into the ring, and that’s when Bianca surprised her with a palm thrust to the throat, choking her up for the second time during the mat. With Mackenzie leaned over the middle rope trying to get her breath back, Bianca hopped up onto the apron and charged across with a running kneelift to the face that sent the Hall of Famer staggering backwards.

Zack: Whatever Kyle told her clearly worked out well, and Bianca’s got Emma choking again. This match has gone back and forth like a pendulum, Gaby.

Gaby: Not any different from what we should expect from two seasoned wrestlers trying to not just outpower, but outsmart one another!

The blonde rolled back into the ring with her, quickly getting back to her feet. Bianca circled behind her as she was getting back to her feet, and immediately applied a cobra clutch as soon as she was back to a vertical base. Emma began struggling quickly to try to break her grip, and then started to head towards the ropes. But the Brazilian wasn’t going to allow that as she hopped onto a piggyback ride on Emma’s back, ultimately bringing her down to the mat and then adding a body scissors to the hold as the referee moved into position.

Zack: This is where Bianca excels in the ring, it’s always been her ground game. She’s an outstanding technical wrestler, and she may not be far from putting Emma into unconsciousness here.

Gaby: Again, we’re watching a former No Surrender Champion in action. Bianca is versed in holds from at least three different martial arts if her word is to be believed. Though, honestly, last time someone made a claim that bold, it turned out to be phonier than a household line.

Fisk began checking to see if Emma wanted to stop the match, but he never got any such sign that she did. Bianca, however, added a bit of insult to injury as she began singing a lullaby, trying to put Emma to sleep. It wasn’t clear how well it was working, but Emma’s movements did begin to falter and slow. The Brooklyn crowd began chanting her name, in an attempt to keep her awake as Salvador told them to shut up as she kept the hold applied.

Zack: I’ve never seen someone sing a lullaby to their opponent as they tried to put them to sleep. And from what I can hear, it’s probably for the best that Bianca didn’t pursue a career in music instead of wrestling.

Gaby: Think of the mind games, though! Bianca’s really playing her biggest hits tonight: from the Face Flattener to the anger tactics. This is made to rile her opponents up and make them waste more energy to get out. Emma needs to keep her wits at her and not succumb to the harpy’s melody.

Fisk began to lift Emma’s arm at this point. It dropped twice before Emma’s eyes opened briefly, rolling Bianca onto her back and looking as though she were going to pin her that way. But instead, Bianca rolled her over in the other direction quickly. That’s when Mackenzie stretched her foot and got it under the bottom rope. The referee called for the break, and the blonde shoved her away at the count of four.

Gaby: Like that! Enough energy to flip the move around and get yourself a rope break! And since it’s a Team Kyle girl we’re talking about, OF COURSE she’s gonna milk it as much as she can.

Zack: I’d expect nothing less. And Bianca’s quick to try to get back onto the Hall of Famer, but Emma has excellent positioning at the moment.

When the Brazilian went to grab her, Emma was under the bottom rope and the referee had to stop her. Salvador tried to get around him for a moment, at least until Emma rolled back into the ring and was grabbing the ropes to help her get back to her feet. Salvador went for her at that point, but grabbing her from behind to pull her away from the ropes turned out to be a mistake as Emma caught her with a stunner that brought the Brooklyn crowd to their feet!

Zack: She pulled that out of thin air, and Emma dropped Bianca like a bad habit! Now if she’d just roll over and make the cover!

Gaby: Sadly for her, it may be a little hard to do that after being choked out like that! Just follow your instincts, Emma!

The blue-haired veteran was still groggy after the cobra clutch, but she did manage to see where Bianca was. She rolled back towards her, draping an arm over her chest before Fisk slid into position to make the count.

Zack: Bianca hasn’t even twitched since the stunner that no one saw coming, and Emma may be three seconds from her second win since returning to FFW!

ONE!!

TWOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEE-NO.

But the cocky blonde still got her shoulder off the mat in time, causing Emma to raise her hand to be sure that it wasn't a three count. Mackenzie rolled towards the ropes, using them to help get back to her feet as she was still groggy as she headed towards the corner.

Gaby: The cobra clutch may have taken some gas away from her, but it feels like that stunner flipped the off switch for Bianca as well!

She dragged herself to her feet, and scaled the corner before launching herself into her reverse high angle senton from the top rope!

Zack: There’s the FALL FROM GRACE!!

It landed with precision accuracy on target as Emma scooped both legs for the cover as Fisk slid into position to make the count.

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

The referee called for the bell to a pop from the Brooklyn crowd before she rolled off the cover. She sat up in a slump, slapping herself to get reoriented before rising to her feet and getting her hand raised.

Gaby: Goddamn, Emma really DID flip Bianca’s off switch with the stunner, and she just did not get up – not like anyone can easily get up from THAT!

Kat: Your winner by pinfall…..EMMA MACKENZIE!!!

Emma got her bearings as she leaned against the ropes, hearing her music start to play again. It brought a bit of a smile to her face as she raised her hand once again.

Zack: In a match that went both ways more times than you can count, it was veteran instinct that sealed the deal and has put Emma Mack into an undefeated run since her return to FFW.

Gaby: Don’t count it as a sullied return for Bianca Salvador, but definitely not how she expected her first night back on the job to be!

She rolled out of the ring as Kyle attended to Bianca, and that was when the show went to a commercial for Future Shock’s Throwback Show this coming Tuesday.