Post by EmmaWoods007 on Aug 5, 2018 20:50:37 GMT
The chaos of the last match was still fresh in everyone’s mind, yet that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm in the slightest when the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for our Main Event! The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit and it is for the FAWN World Championship. Introducing first, she is the challenger, hailing from the Red Hook Section of Brooklyn New York, she weighs one hundred and twenty five pounds and stands at five feet five inches tall. She is the Queen of the Facebusters Tribe, the Happy Anarchist, the Glad Bomber and everybody’s favorite heathen… MADDY CRANE!”
MADDY CRANE:
The sold out crowd greeted her at the top of their lungs, everyone who was able leaping to their feet with a roar as Shinedown’s ‘Cut The Cord’ rang out in the dark. Maddy appeared with her music and raised a fist to her supporters, then started down the ramp with none of her usual pre-match conversation. Lest one worry that Crane’s recent stint in Europe and Japan had silenced her infamous tongue, rest assured this was not the case, she was simply honed in on making the most of her very first pay-per-view Main Event in the course of her eight year career. For tonight’s match against Miranda’s Deacon of Doom she wore a simple black sports bra top and matching bikini bottoms crisscrossed with thin white belts worn bandolier style while her boots and pads were done in a matching matte black. And as per tradition, the seat of her trunks featured an appropriate message:
‘GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION’
Heading down the ramp like a woman on a mission from God, Maddy circled the cage once, then stomped up the steps and dipped through the ropes. Alone for the moment (save for Nick Castle, who, as senior official, wasn’t known for his cheap shots) Mads rushed to the far corner, mounted the second rope and stretched her arms wide. “ONCE UPON A TIME I HELPED BRING A CRUSADE TO ITS KNEES!” she roared to the sea of faces and flashbulbs. “AND TONIGHT I MOVE THAT CLOCK TO TWELVE OH ONE!” On the heels of that promise she dropped to the mat and settled in against the buckles so Castle could check on her pads and boots.
“And introducing her opponent--”
“Silence your tongue, heathen. This is far too important an occasion for the likes of you.” The Announcer hung his head in disappointment as Miranda Wainright, the Septa of Sorrow, stepped from the shadows at the back of the stage. Dressed in a gray paisley skirt, a purple ‘Virtue in Suffering’ tank-top and her ever present round black hat, the blonde’s attention was for Maddy and Maddy alone.
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT:
“Hello Madeline, it’s good to see you again. I hear the foreign tour went well. It must have, considering your victories over the last five weeks. Certainly I’d never let our past history interfere with an honestly earned World Title match, but rest assured your recent accolades do not make up for past transgressions, not in the slightest. Because you DID play a crucial role in ending my righteous Crusade and I much as it pains me, I’ve never properly avenged that slight. Thankfully, I know someone who would love to do it for me.”
The implication of her statement brought even more boos from the FAWNatics, so Miranda smiled and waited them to fade into obscurity. When they did she said, “Take a deep breath and steady your nerves, heathens! Because you are about to be graced by the woman that ended the Year of Bliss and tamed the Penthouse Panther! Hailing from Oxrun Station, Connecticut, she stands at five feet six inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and twenty-five pounds. She is the Daughter of Darkness, the Queen of Nightmares and last but certainly not least, YOUR FAWN World Champion! Now drop to your knees and denigrate yourselves before the might of ADELAIDE BREWSTER!”
ADELAIDE BREWSTER:
The lights died as her name reached the rafters and the speakers answered the call with the soft, eerie opening of Lorde’s ‘Glory and Gore’. For a moment there was nothing but darkness and pinpricks of cell phone light, then a few lights on either side of the stage ‘whoomped’ on to reveal Miranda waiting in a carpet of ankle deep fog. Still no sign of the third Churchgoer and that was the way it stayed until a cold blue light illuminated the gloomy recession leading to the curtain. A figure swung down from the ceiling of that narrow throat, a figure hanging by her knees from a bar suspended just out of camera view. Arms crossed over her chest, Adelaide Brewster opened her eyes, then twisted loose and landed on her feet just as her anthem warned ‘Now we’re in the ring and we’re coming for blood.’
Flanked by the Messiah of Misery, Adelaide reached to the small of her back and undid the clasp that held the World Title in place. Raising it to shoulder level, she extended her tongue and sloooooooooowly licked the glimmering faceplate, much to the disgust of those in attendance. Brewster paid them absolutely no mind, focusing instead on a brief conference with Wainwright. When it was over Miranda disappeared into the dark and Adelaide started down the ramp with the title slung over one shoulder. For this defense against one of her mentor’s oldest enemies the brawny brunette wore a gleaming black two-piece done in crushed velvet that showed off the power in her hips and shoulders in almost agonizing detail. The look was accented with a clunky black belt complete with a buckle done up as a snarling wolf’s head and matching black boots and pads.
Reaching the ring quickly (because no one quite dared extend a hand) Adelaide slunk under the bottom ropes, pushed to her feet and took possession of the center. Dark eyes trained on Maddy, she hoisted the belt high and threw her head back to ‘FWOOOOOOOOSH’ a cloud of Crimson Mist into the air. Galvanized by the soft patter of this red rain, she handed the strap to Castle and backed into her corner to await the start of hunting season.
Eerily calm despite the task at hand, Maddy Crane took a deep breath and let it out with the CLANG of the bell. In no mood to make these people wait for one more ass kicking, the Princess of the Punchline made for the center of the squared circle in a loose, almost casual grappler’s crouch she’d picked up from none other than Sydney Deschain. Say what you will about the Church of Eternal Midnight and their toothy World Champion, but Adelaide Brewster did not shy from the redhead’s approach, in fact she set her pace to ensure she’d reach mid-ring when Crane did.
“Old ‘Randa talked me up a lot more than I’d expected.” Mads admitted as she drew within dancing distance of the champion. “Almost made me a little nostalgic, but don’t think charm’s going to keep the title around your waist.”
She lunged for a Collar & Elbow but Brewster spun out of the way with a whisper to spare. “I didn’t need charm to domesticate the Penthouse Panther.” Adelaide replied without a hint of malice. “Nor will I need it to add yet another disappointment to your professional career. But sister Miranda has suggested that I afford you the respect shown a truly dangerous threat and that is what I will do.”
The Daughter of Darkness pounced for a clench of her own only to face a stern rebuke in the form of a pushing Kneelift to the belly. Smiling as the brawny brunette reset her balance, Crane chided, “That almost sounded like a compliment, Addy. You goin’ soft on me?”
“Ask again when my teeth are at your neck.”
This brought on a mutual lunge, champion and challenger coming together on tiptoes in a tummy on tummy collision. Brewster sought the Collar & Elbow and Maddy didn’t argue, she simply out-quicked the zealot with a surprisingly burly Side Headlock. “I’d be careful going after my neck, Chompy. I made sure to order triple garlic on the pizza I had for dinner. Surprised you couldn’t smell it alreNNGHH!”
Brewster pounded a palm into her belly, repeated it twice more, then grabbed hold of the challenger’s waistband to guide her backward into the ropes. “Garlic, you say?” Adelaide muttered. “I thought that was the rancid stink of flop sweHHUUUFFFHHHH!”
Maddy drove her hip into the other woman’s belly and twisted in a half circle to smear Brewster against the rubber-coated steel. Another Hip Check stopped Adelaide from grabbing hold of the ropes and allowed Crane to dump her to the canvas with a textbook Headlock Takedown. “No flops tonight, sweetie.” Mads promised once she’d wrenched on the brunette’s noggin for several seconds. “Just a whole lot of thuds as your face hits the mat over and over agnnnnnhhUUURRRGGHHH!”
Brewster wedged a hand beneath the challenger’s chin and forced her head back at an awkward angle. It didn’t break the Headlock, it just let Adelaide bring her legs up and ’smeck’ them around the redhead’s neck. Bearing down on the Headscissors as soon as her ankles crossed, the Weeping Angel sat up while the Sultana of Slapstick was forced to her back where she slapped and worried at the encroaching stems. “You will not ‘bust’ that which cannot break, Madeline.” Adelaide murmured amidst a short but unpleasant flurry of Hammer Punches to her opponent’s midsection. “To even attempt such a feat is to invite ruination and destruction at a time when you can hardly afford eith--”
Maddy drew her knees up to her chest and pistoned them out straight even as she shoved up on Brewster’s thigh. The result was a gorgeous little kip up that returned her to boot leather as neat as you please. “You might want to get some new shtick, Brewster.” Crane snapped when Adelaide joined her a moment later. “I heard the same thing from your boss back in the day and we all know how that turned out, don’t--”
The champion swept her foe into what looked like a Collar & Elbow at first glance but was in actuality nothing more than a chin pull and a huge handful of hair. These she used to force Crane back against the buckles whereupon arrival she delivered a short sermon in the form of two hard punches to the midsection. Mads grunted, tried to wrest free and endured a Kneelift for her efforts. Snuggling in close to defend against further escape efforts, Brewster took hold of Maddy’s left wrist and shoved it under the top rope before bending it behind Crane’s head in the sort of upside down Hammerlock the FAWNatics knew all too well.
Indeed the Daughter of Darkness did curl her free hand into a fist, only instead of the Heart Punch she clouted her foe across the jaw instead! Maddy’s head snapped back only to get yanked forward when Brewster snatched a handful of hair. “It would be extremely unwise to believe you are the only one that’s changed these last few years.” Adelaide hissed to the trapped redhead. “Because I assure you the Church is far more dangerous than the Crusade ever could have hoped. So show it the proper respect or I’ll NNNNNNGGGHHH!”
Maddy caught her between the eyes with a short Headbutt! Eyes watering in an instant, Brewster couldn’t prevent Crane from freeing her arm, nor could she escape the Mule Kick that THWHUMPED against her chest immediately thereafter. Knocked sprawling, Adelaide hit the canvas on the back of her shoulders and used the rest of the momentum to somersault to her feet. She’d just returned to verticality when the Red Hook Joker came flying in with both knees raised to hip level. Cinching an arm around Brewster’s head in the split-second before gravity reasserted itself, Mads pulled down and laid out on her back to bring the World Champion down in a THWHUNKING knees-on-forehead collision!
DOUBLE KNEE FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCWDMTX4q7I
Bounced onto her back by the Double Knee Facebuster, Adelaide quickly rolled to her stomach, so Crane shot the Half Nelson and kept on rollin’ so she could catch the stunned brunette in a Crossbody good for…
ONE…
Adelaide kicked out before ‘TWO’ and sat up straight, so Maddy stayed close on her left side. Set on one knee, the challenger hooked her right arm under Brewster’s chin and joined her hands in an S-Grip cinched across the nape of her neck. Cravate complete she twisted Addy’s head to one side at a decidedly unpleasant angle. “Anything about this feel disrespectful, Adelaide?” Crane muttered as she bore down on the hold. “Because to me it feels like I’m putting everything I’ve got into wringing your neck!”
GROUND CRAVATE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_EyVy3_93Q
Brewster’s response came in the form of some irritated grunts and a few awkward elbows to the challenger’s belly, however the angle was such that she couldn’t put much force behind them. Maddy on the other hand worked the Cravate like a champ, the redhead patiently wrenching and pulling at her foe’s vulnerable neck.
Noting a particularly frustrated fist pounded against the mat, Nick Castle strode over to his charges and said, “How you doing, Adelaide? Need me to call for the bell?”
She paused long enough to flip him the bird, then went right back to worrying at Crane’s knotted hands. “No easy way out of this, Addy.” Crane promised after she’d angled her head to the side to avoid the zealot’s questing fingers. “You’re either gonna break my grip… or you’re going to subOOWWW! Hair, Nick! Hair!”
The Queen of Nightmares repaid the neck strain with some follicular torture strong enough to bend Maddy’s head to the side. Doing so shifted her position just enough for Adelaide to make it to one knee. Nick forced her to break the hair-hold at that point, but Brewster already had what she wanted. With one knee under her it was the work of a few seconds to power to verticality. She was still trapped in the Cravate though, so she suggested Mads break her grip with a pair of elbows to the gut that were far stronger than her earlier efforts.
Crane endured with an angry grimace and twisted her opponent’s neck harder than ever! To make matters worse (or much better, depending on one’s theological outlook as it pertained to COEM doctrine) the Queen of the Facebusters Tribe pulled the zealot’s noggin down and pumped her left knee into Brewster’s forehead. “Wanna pull my hair again?” Crane asked after another jarring Kneelift. “Maybe next time I can bust your lip or split your eyebrAAAAAHHHH!” Mads stamped one foot in surprise and pain as the World Champion secured a Belly Claw that saw her thumb gouge deep into the challenger’s navel. “That how you want to play it, Addy?” the redhead grunted, her voice clearly strained by the power of her opponent’s talons.
“Don’t sound so surprised, heathen.” Brewster snapped back. “You of all people should know I always play for blooNNEERRGGHH!” Maddy caught her with a third Kneelift, this one striking the bridge of Adelaide’s nose. The Claw loosened to something that was almost bearable, so Crane rose up on tiptoe and dropped to one knee to sling the brunette over onto her butt with a beautiful Cravate Snapmare.
CRAVATE SNAPMARE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CACokN1GsCY
Attention divided between the sting in her tailbone and the ache in her neck, Brewster made no effort to defend her back, which proved a painful miscalculation when Maddy simply stepped up and THWHACKED a stiff Soccer Kick between her shoulders.
“BYTCH!” Adelaide’s back arched violently and she clawed at the air, her circuits slowed to the point that she didn’t even register Crane running the ropes on her six. But the sold out crowd noted this development with keen interest and they cheered quite emphatically when the Princess of the Punchline somersaulted over Adelaide, caught her head in both hands and THUMPED her forehead against the deck with a quick Rolling Neck Snap.
ROLLING NECK SNAP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVhOgHneG08
Brewster bounced up and sprawled back in a stunned starfish, prompting several in the audience to call for a cover, but Mads knew it would take more than that to put this particular sucker down, so she hurried to her feet and pasted a single taunting slap across Adelaide’s tits. “C’mon Chompy, you haven’t even shown me your literature yet!” Crane barked. “How’s Miranda going to feel about you slacking in your door to door duties?”
The Weeping Angel didn’t much appreciate this shoddy treatment, as evidenced by the volcanic hate in her eyes as she scrambled to verticality. The Clothesline that followed would’ve floored anyone who wasn’t hopped up on the adrenaline high of her first World Title match, unfortunately Maddy wasn’t just hopped up on adrenaline, she was operating at top gear and she ducked the heavy blow with ease. Positioned just behind her startled adversary, Maddy hooked her right arm under Adelaide’s right armpit and angled it across her chest so she could grip the left side of the brunette’s neck. Then she dipped forward and yanked Brewster over her hip in a sort of inside out toss that turned into a gorgeous Facebuster when Mads dropped to her tush and THWHUMPED the champ down flat on her face, chest and belly!
INVERTED FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKHMpnq0PY
Adelaide landed with more than enough impact to bounce onto her back, so Crane scrambled around in a quarter circle and dropped across her chest to hook the far leg nice and tight. Already close, Castle dropped into position and counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
Adelaide kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO’, but didn’t get much time to celebrate her freedom because Maddy immediately wrapped her up in a tight Sleeper! “Ask her.” the challenger said to Nick as she mashed Brewster’s cheeks between forearm and bicep. “See if the Church will let her tap out before she passes out.”
Castle would’ve asked the question if Adelaide hadn’t waggled a finger in his direction before it could leave his lips. Squirming and adjusting to keep the redhead from cutting off more of her air, Brewster managed to turn into Crane’s grip so it was more of an extremely unpleasant Headlock than genuine air deprivation. Even so, she was coming to loathe the heathen’s touch, so she stuffed half a dozen punches into Maddy’s abs on her way back to one knee.
“Damn girl, you are actively seeking that Front Sleeper, aren’t ya?” Crane huffed as she kept Adelaide’s cheek glued to her chest. “It’s not really my strong suite, but if that’s how you wanna go out I’ll do my besSSEEERRRAAAHHHHHHH!”
Brewster didn’t just snatch a handful of hair, she gouged her thumb into the challenger’s left eye and went to work like she meant to scoop it from her head!” An illegal hold of course, one guaranteed by Nick Castle to last no more than five seconds, yet that was more than enough time for Adelaide to return to full verticality. Removing her thumb from Maddy’s eye at ‘FOUR!’, the Daughter of Darkness backpedaled toward the ropes, but rather than ask for sanctuary she laid out on one side and slung Crane between the top and middle strands! Half blinded by the champion’s vicious tactics, Maddy should’ve spilled all the way to the floor, yet somehow she managed to hook on mid-tumble and land on the apron.
“Nuuuhhh, not gonna be that easy, Addy.” Mads huffed as she struggled to all fours. “Didn’t ‘Randa fill you in? I don’t die easNNNNGGGHHH!”
On her knees as well, Adelaide snatched a handful of hair and tugged her into a short Elbow Smash that collected solidly with the redhead’s temple. Maddy still didn’t go down but that was fine with Brewster as she’d yet to have her fill of punishing this particularly tenacious nonbeliever. Returned to her feet with a small assist from the ropes, Adelaide leaned over, grabbed a huge handful of hair and hauled Maddy into a Front Facelock. Quick to sling the challenger’s near arm over her shoulders, Brewster followed up with a sturdy grip on Crane’s trunks and hoisted her all the way to high noon!
Adelaide could’ve laid out then and there for a perfectly acceptable Vertical Suplex, however the World Champion was in a supremely vindictive mood following Maddy’s strong start, so rather than merely finish the throw she backed her way to the center of the ring and demanded, “COUNT IF YOU DARE, HEATHENS!” The crowd didn’t much care for the ‘H’ word (at least not when delivered by Adelaide Brewster) and yet the ancient rites of the arena could not be ignored, meaning they started a count almost as soon as the order was made. ‘ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN! ELEVEN! TWELVE! THIRTEEN!’ Adelaide rocked back on her heels and let gravity do the rest, just THAWHAMMING Maddy to the thinly-sheathed plywood. Crane sat up in the aftermath, albeit only for a second as the Queen of Nightmares grabbed her by the shoulder and drew her back down a Lateral Press good for…
DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRMIj3um2ik
ONE…
TWO…
Maddy got a shoulder up with a full second to spare because Brewster hadn’t bothered to hook the far leg. “Tell me, Madeline.” Adelaide sounded much more relaxed now that she was dictating pace with a double handful of hair. “Was that instinct that made you kick out? Or are you actually seeking to continue this fight?”
“Lemme drop you on your face a few more times.” Mads muttered. “That should settle the issWHOAAANNNNGGHHH!”
Adelaide gave up the hair-hold for a Wristlock which promptly gave to an Irish Whip aimed at the far corner. Crane noted the swift approach of the buckles and turned to absorb the worst of it with her back. In this she was successful, however the leftover momentum bounced her out of the corner at a decent clip, meaning she effectively walked into the big Running Dropkick Brewster tacked to her sternum. Maddy went down on her back, flopped onto her belly and clambered to boot-leather far quicker than Adelaide would’ve liked. And yet even the durability of heathens could prove useful, as the Weeping Angel reminded herself when she charged into the breach, sprang off her lead foot and THUNKED a beautiful Bicycle Knee into the side of Crane’s skull! Maddy went down in a heap with Brewster kneeling alongside, the champ quick to cover her stunned adversary in a Lateral Press good for…
DROPKICK & KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vKfyWS9Rv4
ONE…
TWO…
The challenger bridged out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ as the true believer hadn’t bothered to hook a leg. This escape didn’t seem to bother Adelaide in the slightest, in fact she was as all smiles amidst dragging the New Yorker to her feet with a double handful of hair. “Training with Deschain seems to have toughened you up, it’s certainly taken the edge off that miserable tongue.”
Kind in word but callous in deed, Brewster punctuated her observation with a heavy Kneelift to Crane’s midsection. As Mads doubled up with both arms crisscrossed over her chest, Adelaide added, “But has her tutelage done enough to make you a champion? Or merely a more interesting victim?” Maddy didn’t have the breath to answer, so the Daughter of Darkness whipped around and bounced into the ropes on her foe’s left.
Groans from the crowd when Adelaide clouted Crane’s chest with another heavy Kneelift, though Maddy’s most ardent supporters raised a round of applause when their heroine only rocked back on her heels instead of crashing to her back. Alas this might’ve proved a more preferable outcome because Adelaide quickly laid claim to the redhead’s left wrist and spun the attached arm in a wide, smooth circle. Set a little off to Maddy’s left, the lithesome brunette flicked her right leg up and back in a Hook Kick that THWHACKED her heel off the point of Crane’s chin!
RUNNING KNEELIFT AND HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BsxybEV1nk
Maddy hit the deck again and Brewster moved in for a cover only to draw back when the Princess of the Punchline barrel rolled under the bottom rope. “Take five, Adelaide.” Nick suggested. “She’s in the ropes.”
“I can see that, arbiter. But mere rubber and steel will offer her no sanctuary from my wrath.” the World Champion growled.
“It will until I say otherwise.” the Senior Official countered. “Now back up.”
Brewster did as she was told, but she looked far from happy as she stomped a path on the far side of the squared circle while she waited for the heathen to rise. In truth Crane didn’t make her wait long, she’d made it to one knee by the time Castle reached the end of his internal five count. “You doin’ ok, Mads? he asked when she grabbed the middle rope in both hands.
Maddy nodded, took a deep breath before returning to boot-leather. “Just needed a breather, Nick. The Hot Topic funk was starting to get to OOOFFFHH!”
Brewster streaked past the ref, twisted into Maddy and THWHUMPED those sturdy abs with yet another brawny Kneelift! Crane doubled over while still holding the middle rope for support, meaning she had no way to defend her noggin when Adelaide snatched it in both hands. With Mads drawn between the top and middle rope, Brewster made her claim for Queen of the Facebusters Tribe by dropping to her knees and THWHUNKING Crane down flat on her mug with a nasty little rope-hung Facebuster.
ROPE HUNG FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxhMFsPIjQA
Maddy somersaulted through to her back, though she was still a little close to the strands for Adelaide’s liking, so the World Champion grabbed the heathen by the ankles and draaaaaaagged her out just far enough to make the ropes a non-issue when she folded her in half with a strong Back Press good for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Maddy wrenched free of the predicament and turned onto her stomach with half a second to spare. Adelaide flashed Castle a withering look, but saved her ire for the challenger, who she peeled off the canvas thanks to a nasty grip on both ears. Positioning herself behind the unworthy penitent, Brewster planted her feet wide so she could wrap Crane’s arms around the planks of her thighs. It looked like the set-up to a Camel Clutch variant and the Weeping Angel DID cup her prey’s chin with one hand, but rather than double down on the Chinlock she stretched her other arm out full length and THWHAPPED Maddy’s jaw with a heavy Cross-Face Punch! Crane jolted hard, reached up to grab at the brunette’s wrist and got an Eye Rake for her trouble. The infraction drew a warning from Castle, not that it offered much protection for Maddy when Adelaide switched up her grip so she could cuff her from the other side. Brewster picked up her pace after the first iteration, doling out a half dozen shots in perhaps fifteen seconds.
GROUNDED CROSSFACE PUNCHES:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDiwGBMUpo
Releasing Crane’s chin with a flourish, Adelaide raised her arms in a wide ‘V’ and proclaimed, “DO NOT BOTHER TO CONSULT YOUR WATCHES AND CLOCKS, HEATHENS! FOR IN THIS RING IT IS NOW AND SHALL ALWAYS BE MIDNIGHT!”
The reaction to this bit of sermonizing was less than favorable, so Brewster took out her irritation on the vulnerable challenger by cinching her left arm around Crane’s throat. Palming her own right bicep for extra leverage, Adelaide cupped her right palm against the back of Maddy’s noggin and used the Sleeper to haul her to verticality. “Don’t tell me you’re flagging already.” she murmured in Maddy’s ear. “It’d be such a shame if your first Main Event ended so… quietERRRRGGGGHHHH!”
The Sultana of Slapstick pressed the heel of her left boot against Adelaide’s shin and raaaaaaaaaaked down not once, not twice, but thrice! Brewster snarled but didn’t release the hold, so Crane laced both hands behind her head and “AAAAAARRRRHH!” Maddy’s counter Jawbreaker fell by the wayside as soon as Adelaide buried her muzzle in the side of the New Yorker’s neck and chomped down. “BITING!” Mads barked. “BYTCH IS BITING, NICKWHOOOAAAHHH!”
Those assembled for Red, White & Bruised couldn’t help but murmur in appreciation of the Churchgoer’s brute strength when she muscled Crane off her feet long enough to swing her around for three full rotations before laying out on her stomach to plant Maddy on the canvas with a ring-shivering THAWHAM!
SWINGING SLEEPER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBOt8FYIrM
Adelaide reared back from the impact only to flop down across the redhead’s chest with the far leg hooked for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Crane didn’t just shoot a hand into the air, she stuffed it under Brewster’s chin and flicked her off in the same motion! Defiant yet, but not exactly well thought out, as Adelaide responded with a hateful flurry of closed right hands directed between her eyes! Halting the affair only when Castle hit ‘FOUR!’ on his count, the Weeping Angel got to her feet and delivered a spiteful stomp to the other woman’s belly. “You’re not tough at all, Crane.” she sneered. “You’re just persistent. And that doesn’t make you a champion. That makes you a cockroach.”
Maddy only grunted, so Brewster grabbed her at wrist and ankle and draaaaaaaaaagged her closer to the nearest corner. Satisfied with the placement of her heathen crash-pad, Adelaide dropped the redhead’s limbs and stalked over to the corner, where she grabbed hold of the top rope and vaulted to the high rent district in a single smooth leap. Rising to her full height from that menacing crouch, Brewster made a show of brushing some invisible dust off her kneepads before she leapt into the lights and grabbed hold of her ankles to make sure both knees were pointed straight down when she dropped out of the sky and crashed down full force onto--the recently vacated patch of canvas!
Shocked by an explosion of pain that racked her from knee to thigh and back again, Adelaide shrieked like one of her beloved children of the night while Maddy Crane dragged herself under the bottom rope, then hauled herself into a weary but unquestionably predatory crouch. Understandably distracted by the shooting pain in her knees, Adelaide Brewster made no effort to pinpoint the challenger’s location as she clambered her way to boot-leather. Only then did Crane’s absence register and she whipped around in a lurching half circle in case-too late. Rocked back on her heels thanks to a strong grip on the second rope, Maddy launched herself between the top and middle strand with a gorgeous somersault that popped her up directly in front of the startled champion. Catching Brewster’s hair as she took to the sky, the Sultana of Slapstick yanked the zealot along for the ride and ultimately dropped to her tush to THAWHUNK Adelaide’s mush into the mat with a cringe-worthy Rolling Thunder Facebuster!
ROLLING THUNDER FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY8jxmU_1ak
The Daughter of Darkness bounced onto her back in perfect position for a cover, so the FAWNatics were a little surprised when Crane only helped herself to a double handful of hair and scraped her off the canvas. This consternation died a quick death once the redhead slipped an arm between her foe’s legs and hoisted Brewster up across her chest for a Body Slam of the most emphatic variety, if the dip of Maddy’s hips were to be believed. Indeed hips don’t lie, though apparently they can mislead for instead of a Body Slam the Red Hook Joker tossed Adelaide up n’ out, then laced both hands across the back of her neck and sat out to deliver the second ring-rattling Facebuster in less than a minute!
SWINGING SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4UM-LUjZuA
Brewster bounced again, this time to all fours, though damned if she didn’t return to verticality shortly thereafter. Alas her back was to Maddy and in the champion’s slowed state it was all the opening her adversary required. Settling into a deep squat behind the brunette, Crane stuffed her head between Adelaide’s thighs and muscled her into the air so neatly it was almost effortless. “Don’t think anyone’s ever thought to strap a vampire in the electric chair.” Maddy huffed after she’d braced both hands against the other wrestler’s glutes. “Bet it makes for some interesting snap, crackle and pop.” In actuality this particular seat produced only a single tone, a low, shivery THWHUMP that came when Crane slung Brewster off her perch and came down on her for yet another feature-flattening Facebuster!
ELECTRIC CHAIR FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_YXXuXndb8
Adelaide tumbled onto her back in slow motion, yet the Princess of the Punchline still didn’t go for the cover. Rather she sprang to her feet and hurried over to the nearest corner to claim the high rent district for her very own. The Red, White & Bruised crowd came alive as Maddy stood tall and though she wanted to thank them for the support she wanted the World Title that much more, so she lined up her shot and leapt out into the void with her right elbow cocked and raised just behind her ear. A padded Elbow wasn’t nearly so sharp as a freshly carved stake, though you never would’ve known it by the way Adelaide flopped and jounced on impact. Now Crane did go for the cover, a quick no-frills Back Press that trapped the near leg and pointed Brewster’s backside at the rafters for…
DIVING ELBOW DROP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9juIdEpYns
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Adelaide proved a lively corpse, one with the strength to kick out half a second before what would’ve been the end of her world title reign. Crane sighed heavily, but there was no real disappointment on her face as she cupped the champ’s ears to drag her to all fours. This was followed by a Standing Headscissors and a Waistlock, both of which proved little more than groundwork for the challenger’s next move. Muscling Brewster up so the small of her back was snugged against the ball of her right shoulder, Maddy took care to hook the brunette’s shins across her thighs before she laid claim to Adelaide’s chin with a pair of cupped hands. “Maybe not as effective as wiring your jaw shut.” Crane muttered once she yaaaaaaaaaaaanked down on the Chinlock and settled into a deep crouch. “But it’ll sure as hell teach you not to bite!”
GORY SPECIAL JAW STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amrgws3LR28
Bent in a pair of painful arches thanks to the redhead’s twist on the Gory Special, Adelaide focused on prizing at Crane’s wrists instead of wasting breath on a retort. Mildly irked by the Churchgoer’s lack of villainous banter, Crane jounced the hold half a dozen times in half as many seconds, then said, “Better start talking, Chompy. Otherwise I’ll have to forsake you in favor of Nick and all HE’LL wanna talk about is when you’re going to submit. Ya know what, let’s just get that out of the way right now. Nick, ask this chump if she’s done.”
Castle enjoyed his life far too much to even consider referring to Adelaide Brewster as a chump, so he made sure to keep his tone respectful and properly grave when he asked, “What do you say, champ? Need me to call for the bell?”
The Chinlock was so tight it prevented proper words, so Brewster waggled a finger ‘no’, then grunted something that sounded an awful lot like ‘F*ck off.’
“She’s hanging in there, Maddy.” Nick said blandly.
A hard, competitive gleam showed in the redhead’s dark eyes. “We’ll see about that.” Leaning forward to strengthen her control over Brewster’s legs, the Maiden of Mirth relinquished her Chinlocks for a pair of Wristlocks which she used to pull Adelaide’s arms almost straight down. Her head book-ended by Adelaide’s biceps, Maddy let the strain work its painful magic for another fifteen seconds before she said, “You’re cool, Brewster. Just not cool enough to get out of this hold. So give up before I rack you any worse.”
Adelaide shook her head ‘no’ at once, the brunette’s expression a mixture of denial and disgust. “Once again your attempts at humor fall flat, heathen. Do you really think any of these laughable punishments would be enough to crack my EEERRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!” Crane stretched the other woman’s arms out in a wide ‘T’ and rolled them in short quick circles that put a whole lotta pressure on the champion’s shoulders. After several seconds of this punishment she pulled Brewster’s wings down again only to release the right so she could hook her left arm across the zealot’s chest. Eyes wide as she realized Maddy’s game, Adelaide tried to wrest her way free of the trap, but the Sultana of Slapstick dropped straight back and THAWHAMMED Brewster down flat on her face, chest and belly with one helluva Reverse STO.
REVERSE ST-OH DAMN!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUnS9XJdtxo
Crane somersaulted out of the landing whereas Adelaide remained facedown, thus forcing the challenger to shoot the Half Nelson before she could slide into a Crossbody good for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Brewster threw a hand into the air just before ‘THREE’ thus dashing the hopes of an entire arena in a single stroke. Far less concerned about the pace of the count than some of her fans, Crane helped herself to the champion’s hair and hauled her up into a Front Facelock. Such a basic set-up could’ve led to any number of Maddy’s Facebuster collection so it caught the fans (and more importantly, Adelaide) off guard when the redhead twisted around behind her foe, sprang up and locked her legs around Brewster’s waist. Catching the Chickenwing before she’d delivered even a single squeeze, Crane wedged her right forearm in beneath Adelaide’s chin and laid out on her back with the Crossface Chickenwing sank in DEEP!
CROSSFACE CHICKENWING:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwISaTbLSM8
“Tap out.” Maddy muttered as she bore down on the painfully simple hold. “Tap out before I separate your shoulder.” She slipped her left arm up through the narrow triangle created by Brewster’s forearm and bicep and locked her hands against the champ’s jaw to show her this was no small concern.
Nick Castle must’ve shared this sentiment because he knelt beside the action and asked, “How you doing, Adelaide? Do I have to call for the bell?”
“Uuuhhhhh… only at your own peril, arbiter.” she moaned.
The ref didn’t look entirely convinced, but he backed off so the Queen of Nightmares could try to extricate herself from this dire predicament.
Careful to keep her face protected against the brunette’s remaining hand, Crane stayed silent as she alternated constrictions of the Scissors with steadily increasing pressure on Brewster’s left arm. It wasn’t until the Churchgoer groaned and raaaaaaaaaaaked her forearm that the redhead murmured, “Tap out, Addy. I’ve got you dead to rights and we both know--” she cut herself off as the champion filled her hand with a fistful of the heathen’s hair. Mads didn’t call for the referee, she could already hear Nick’s quick approach. Instead she yoked up on the Chickenwing, possibly to carry out on her earlier threat on Adelaide’s shoulder. “Not enough, sweetheart.” the challenger promised. “Not NEARLY enoughHHEERRRRGGHHHH!”
The Weeping Angel got her muzzle against Crane’s encroaching forearm and chomped down like she was in search of a late-match snack. Credit the resolve of one Maddy Crane, she never once mentioned the toothy infraction, just poured on the pressure like she meant to put Brewster out right then and there. This goal was well within reach given world enough and time, alas Adelaide had her own hooks in place now and she used them to tumble to her knees and one awkwardly pointed elbow. Using every ounce of her considerable resolve to manage the miserable ache in her neck and shoulder, Brewster slowly but surely clambered to her feet in a show of infernal fortitude that drew a round of grudging applause from even the most ardent heathens. She paid them no mind of course, Adelaide’s attention was focused on a corner on the far side of the squared circle and after a moment she began to lope toward it.
Maddy knew what the brunette had in mind as she’d used a similar tactic on more than one occasion. Hellbent on keeping the Daughter of Darkness locked up tight, Crane shook the Crossface Chickenwing like a terrier shakes a rat and while it earned a piercing yowl of pain, Brewster’s progress never slowed. Indeed she seemed to pick up speed, so much so that the true believer was full on running by the time she-- Adelaide got low and launched herself into the corner, only she twisted to the right a heartbeat before impact to BWUUUUNNNG Maddy’s skull into the second turnbuckle. Crane let loose at once, the stunned Sultana collapsing onto her knees in the corner with one arm draped limp over the second rope while the other swaddled her throbbing skull.
Brewster didn’t fare much better, though she did muster the strength to crawl away from buckles after several long seconds. Using the ropes to guide her progress, Adelaide made it to the next corner and returned to verticality, though she did so without the use of her left arm which ached so bad it might as well have been numb. Even attempting to roll it brought another nauseating jolt of pain, so the World Champion gnashed her teeth and rounded on the woman who’d brought her so close to the brink.
What she saw raised a brittle smile.
Maddy still knelt like a penitent with her forehead against the middle turnbuckle, though now both elbows rested on the second rope so she could massage the hurt from her noggin. Adelaide allowed her this minor peace only because it gave her the time to continue onto the next corner, the one directly opposite her kneeling prey. From there it was another quick run, this one even faster than her earlier trip because there wasn’t a heathen strapped to her back. This proved disastrous for the Princess of the Punchline since it meant Brewster was going full speed ahead when she hopped up and THWHUMPED her knees into the redhead’s shoulders! Maddy’s head bounced off the thinly-sheathed steel for the second time in as many minutes and only the erratic tapping of one boot against the mat told those concerned FAWNatics that she still clung to consciousness.
Adelaide was concerned too, albeit for completely different reasons. Knowing very well the heathen had effectively taken one arm, she gathered as much of Crane’s battle damp hair as she could and used it to draaaaaaaaaaag her to boot-leather. Maddy almost crumpled more than once, but Brewster stayed close and eventually worked her head under the challenger’s right arm. “Darkness is closing in, sister.” Adelaide huffed in the midst of grabbing Maddy’s right kneepad. “It’s time you had one last look at the sky.”
On the heels of that statement she looped her gimpy left arm around Mads’s waist and prized her out of the corner just far enough to muscle her onto one shoulder. No Backdrop Suplex this, Adelaide staggered forward so she could dump her burden into an uncomfortable seat on the top turnbuckle. Now positioned directly behind Crane, Brewster reached up n’ around with her left hand, grabbed hold of Maddy’s right wrist and pulled it tight under her chin, cut-throat style. It wasn’t as snug as usual because she couldn’t apply much (read: any) torque with her injured shoulder, but it was just enough to draw the glassy-eyed grappler backward across her shoulders in a modified Torture Rack.
Cringing under the other woman’s practically dead weight, Brewster kept her good arm hooked around Maddy’s left thigh as she stomped out of the corner en route to the middle of the ring. Already on their feet, the sold-out crowd implored Mads to wriggle loose, but the prone Princess barely moved until Adelaide kicked both feet forward and dropped hard left to THAWHONK the back of her head and shoulders into the canvas courtesy of Blood & Black Lace. Left arm held tight against her chest (the landing had done it no favors) Adelaide crawled over to the starfished challenger and hooked the near leg in an exhausted Back Press that had everyone counting along for the…
BLOOD & BLACK LACE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQhjXPD_fA
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Maddy didn’t so much kick out as she did lift a shoulder, yet it was still enough for a wide-eyed Nick Castle to throw a ‘IT’S NOT OVER!’ signal to the Timekeeper. As flabbergasted as the official and the rest of those braying heathens, Brewster reared back on her haunches and showed him three fingers only to see two in return. “Just two, Adelaide. Match is still going!” Nick shouted over the cacophonous roar.
Eyes narrowed to black slots, Adelaide raked a hand through her hair and hissed, “That’s where you’re wrong. The clock’s already struck Midnight, you just can’t hear it yet.”
Sidling into a seat on Crane’s right side, Brewster cinched her right arm around Maddy’s head, then seized hold of the challenger’s right wrist and wrenched that arm behind Crane’s head, which in turn allowed her to double down on the Wristlock and CRAAAAAAAAANK back on the captured limb while simultaneously forcing the New Yorker’s face into her chest. “SUBMIT!” Adelaide screamed at the top of her lungs as she tried to extinguish Maddy’s light with Near Dark. “SUBMIT DAMN YOU!”
NEAR DARK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZOS2SSBypM
Lifeless until the Churchgoer cut off her air, Crane twisted like a downed powerline and pounded punch after punch into Brewster’s shoulder, but it was the uninjured right and the Weeping Angel punished this resistance with that much more pressure. “What do you say, Maddy?” Castle asked over his charge’s muffled sob. “Do you gi--”
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Maddy stopped punching long enough to waggle out a ‘no, no, no!’, then she buried her hand in Brewster’s hair and pulled as hard as she could.
Adelaide ignored it, at least until Crane started THUMPING her right knee into the brunette’s devastated left shoulder. Genuinely afraid her grip might give out if Maddy continued unchecked, Adelaide abruptly scooted back a little and sat up as straight as she could. Drawing Crane’s head into her lap, she continued to twist and tear at that captured arm, but now she hunched over the heathen to keep those damned pumping knees away from her shoulder. And make no mistake about it, Crane was still fighting. Adelaide could feel her twisting and squirming, bucking and writhing, clawing and scra--”
The bell CLANGED, snapping Brewster out of her battle lust. She looked down and understood Crane had gone limp in her grasp a mere whisper before the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via knock-out and STILL FAWN World Champion… ADELAIDE BREWSTER!”
Her golden prize safe for another night, the Queen of Nightmares clenched her jaw to stifle a scream of pain when she released her grip on the unconscious woman. Clutching at her left shoulder like she thought it might fall off in a stiff breeze, Brewster caught her breath for several seconds before she leaned down to whisper, “You are lucky, heathen. So VERY LUCKY that I am too tired to feed tonight. Should our paths cross again…” Adelaide twisted her head to one side so she could plant a kiss on the redhead’s jawline. Then she got to her feet, accepted the big belt from Castle and very carefully laid it across her good shoulder. Feet planted on either side of Maddy’s slumbering pate, the Weeping Angel looked directly into the camera to explain, “Laughter abounds within this decadent hall… yet Midnight comes for one and all.”
She threw her head back and blew a cloud of Red Mist into the air just as the FAWN Arena went dark. When the lights came back the red was still hung in the firmament, but Adelaide Brewster was long gone.
MADDY CRANE:
The sold out crowd greeted her at the top of their lungs, everyone who was able leaping to their feet with a roar as Shinedown’s ‘Cut The Cord’ rang out in the dark. Maddy appeared with her music and raised a fist to her supporters, then started down the ramp with none of her usual pre-match conversation. Lest one worry that Crane’s recent stint in Europe and Japan had silenced her infamous tongue, rest assured this was not the case, she was simply honed in on making the most of her very first pay-per-view Main Event in the course of her eight year career. For tonight’s match against Miranda’s Deacon of Doom she wore a simple black sports bra top and matching bikini bottoms crisscrossed with thin white belts worn bandolier style while her boots and pads were done in a matching matte black. And as per tradition, the seat of her trunks featured an appropriate message:
‘GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION’
Heading down the ramp like a woman on a mission from God, Maddy circled the cage once, then stomped up the steps and dipped through the ropes. Alone for the moment (save for Nick Castle, who, as senior official, wasn’t known for his cheap shots) Mads rushed to the far corner, mounted the second rope and stretched her arms wide. “ONCE UPON A TIME I HELPED BRING A CRUSADE TO ITS KNEES!” she roared to the sea of faces and flashbulbs. “AND TONIGHT I MOVE THAT CLOCK TO TWELVE OH ONE!” On the heels of that promise she dropped to the mat and settled in against the buckles so Castle could check on her pads and boots.
“And introducing her opponent--”
“Silence your tongue, heathen. This is far too important an occasion for the likes of you.” The Announcer hung his head in disappointment as Miranda Wainright, the Septa of Sorrow, stepped from the shadows at the back of the stage. Dressed in a gray paisley skirt, a purple ‘Virtue in Suffering’ tank-top and her ever present round black hat, the blonde’s attention was for Maddy and Maddy alone.
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT:
“Hello Madeline, it’s good to see you again. I hear the foreign tour went well. It must have, considering your victories over the last five weeks. Certainly I’d never let our past history interfere with an honestly earned World Title match, but rest assured your recent accolades do not make up for past transgressions, not in the slightest. Because you DID play a crucial role in ending my righteous Crusade and I much as it pains me, I’ve never properly avenged that slight. Thankfully, I know someone who would love to do it for me.”
The implication of her statement brought even more boos from the FAWNatics, so Miranda smiled and waited them to fade into obscurity. When they did she said, “Take a deep breath and steady your nerves, heathens! Because you are about to be graced by the woman that ended the Year of Bliss and tamed the Penthouse Panther! Hailing from Oxrun Station, Connecticut, she stands at five feet six inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and twenty-five pounds. She is the Daughter of Darkness, the Queen of Nightmares and last but certainly not least, YOUR FAWN World Champion! Now drop to your knees and denigrate yourselves before the might of ADELAIDE BREWSTER!”
ADELAIDE BREWSTER:
The lights died as her name reached the rafters and the speakers answered the call with the soft, eerie opening of Lorde’s ‘Glory and Gore’. For a moment there was nothing but darkness and pinpricks of cell phone light, then a few lights on either side of the stage ‘whoomped’ on to reveal Miranda waiting in a carpet of ankle deep fog. Still no sign of the third Churchgoer and that was the way it stayed until a cold blue light illuminated the gloomy recession leading to the curtain. A figure swung down from the ceiling of that narrow throat, a figure hanging by her knees from a bar suspended just out of camera view. Arms crossed over her chest, Adelaide Brewster opened her eyes, then twisted loose and landed on her feet just as her anthem warned ‘Now we’re in the ring and we’re coming for blood.’
Flanked by the Messiah of Misery, Adelaide reached to the small of her back and undid the clasp that held the World Title in place. Raising it to shoulder level, she extended her tongue and sloooooooooowly licked the glimmering faceplate, much to the disgust of those in attendance. Brewster paid them absolutely no mind, focusing instead on a brief conference with Wainwright. When it was over Miranda disappeared into the dark and Adelaide started down the ramp with the title slung over one shoulder. For this defense against one of her mentor’s oldest enemies the brawny brunette wore a gleaming black two-piece done in crushed velvet that showed off the power in her hips and shoulders in almost agonizing detail. The look was accented with a clunky black belt complete with a buckle done up as a snarling wolf’s head and matching black boots and pads.
Reaching the ring quickly (because no one quite dared extend a hand) Adelaide slunk under the bottom ropes, pushed to her feet and took possession of the center. Dark eyes trained on Maddy, she hoisted the belt high and threw her head back to ‘FWOOOOOOOOSH’ a cloud of Crimson Mist into the air. Galvanized by the soft patter of this red rain, she handed the strap to Castle and backed into her corner to await the start of hunting season.
Eerily calm despite the task at hand, Maddy Crane took a deep breath and let it out with the CLANG of the bell. In no mood to make these people wait for one more ass kicking, the Princess of the Punchline made for the center of the squared circle in a loose, almost casual grappler’s crouch she’d picked up from none other than Sydney Deschain. Say what you will about the Church of Eternal Midnight and their toothy World Champion, but Adelaide Brewster did not shy from the redhead’s approach, in fact she set her pace to ensure she’d reach mid-ring when Crane did.
“Old ‘Randa talked me up a lot more than I’d expected.” Mads admitted as she drew within dancing distance of the champion. “Almost made me a little nostalgic, but don’t think charm’s going to keep the title around your waist.”
She lunged for a Collar & Elbow but Brewster spun out of the way with a whisper to spare. “I didn’t need charm to domesticate the Penthouse Panther.” Adelaide replied without a hint of malice. “Nor will I need it to add yet another disappointment to your professional career. But sister Miranda has suggested that I afford you the respect shown a truly dangerous threat and that is what I will do.”
The Daughter of Darkness pounced for a clench of her own only to face a stern rebuke in the form of a pushing Kneelift to the belly. Smiling as the brawny brunette reset her balance, Crane chided, “That almost sounded like a compliment, Addy. You goin’ soft on me?”
“Ask again when my teeth are at your neck.”
This brought on a mutual lunge, champion and challenger coming together on tiptoes in a tummy on tummy collision. Brewster sought the Collar & Elbow and Maddy didn’t argue, she simply out-quicked the zealot with a surprisingly burly Side Headlock. “I’d be careful going after my neck, Chompy. I made sure to order triple garlic on the pizza I had for dinner. Surprised you couldn’t smell it alreNNGHH!”
Brewster pounded a palm into her belly, repeated it twice more, then grabbed hold of the challenger’s waistband to guide her backward into the ropes. “Garlic, you say?” Adelaide muttered. “I thought that was the rancid stink of flop sweHHUUUFFFHHHH!”
Maddy drove her hip into the other woman’s belly and twisted in a half circle to smear Brewster against the rubber-coated steel. Another Hip Check stopped Adelaide from grabbing hold of the ropes and allowed Crane to dump her to the canvas with a textbook Headlock Takedown. “No flops tonight, sweetie.” Mads promised once she’d wrenched on the brunette’s noggin for several seconds. “Just a whole lot of thuds as your face hits the mat over and over agnnnnnhhUUURRRGGHHH!”
Brewster wedged a hand beneath the challenger’s chin and forced her head back at an awkward angle. It didn’t break the Headlock, it just let Adelaide bring her legs up and ’smeck’ them around the redhead’s neck. Bearing down on the Headscissors as soon as her ankles crossed, the Weeping Angel sat up while the Sultana of Slapstick was forced to her back where she slapped and worried at the encroaching stems. “You will not ‘bust’ that which cannot break, Madeline.” Adelaide murmured amidst a short but unpleasant flurry of Hammer Punches to her opponent’s midsection. “To even attempt such a feat is to invite ruination and destruction at a time when you can hardly afford eith--”
Maddy drew her knees up to her chest and pistoned them out straight even as she shoved up on Brewster’s thigh. The result was a gorgeous little kip up that returned her to boot leather as neat as you please. “You might want to get some new shtick, Brewster.” Crane snapped when Adelaide joined her a moment later. “I heard the same thing from your boss back in the day and we all know how that turned out, don’t--”
The champion swept her foe into what looked like a Collar & Elbow at first glance but was in actuality nothing more than a chin pull and a huge handful of hair. These she used to force Crane back against the buckles whereupon arrival she delivered a short sermon in the form of two hard punches to the midsection. Mads grunted, tried to wrest free and endured a Kneelift for her efforts. Snuggling in close to defend against further escape efforts, Brewster took hold of Maddy’s left wrist and shoved it under the top rope before bending it behind Crane’s head in the sort of upside down Hammerlock the FAWNatics knew all too well.
Indeed the Daughter of Darkness did curl her free hand into a fist, only instead of the Heart Punch she clouted her foe across the jaw instead! Maddy’s head snapped back only to get yanked forward when Brewster snatched a handful of hair. “It would be extremely unwise to believe you are the only one that’s changed these last few years.” Adelaide hissed to the trapped redhead. “Because I assure you the Church is far more dangerous than the Crusade ever could have hoped. So show it the proper respect or I’ll NNNNNNGGGHHH!”
Maddy caught her between the eyes with a short Headbutt! Eyes watering in an instant, Brewster couldn’t prevent Crane from freeing her arm, nor could she escape the Mule Kick that THWHUMPED against her chest immediately thereafter. Knocked sprawling, Adelaide hit the canvas on the back of her shoulders and used the rest of the momentum to somersault to her feet. She’d just returned to verticality when the Red Hook Joker came flying in with both knees raised to hip level. Cinching an arm around Brewster’s head in the split-second before gravity reasserted itself, Mads pulled down and laid out on her back to bring the World Champion down in a THWHUNKING knees-on-forehead collision!
DOUBLE KNEE FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCWDMTX4q7I
Bounced onto her back by the Double Knee Facebuster, Adelaide quickly rolled to her stomach, so Crane shot the Half Nelson and kept on rollin’ so she could catch the stunned brunette in a Crossbody good for…
ONE…
Adelaide kicked out before ‘TWO’ and sat up straight, so Maddy stayed close on her left side. Set on one knee, the challenger hooked her right arm under Brewster’s chin and joined her hands in an S-Grip cinched across the nape of her neck. Cravate complete she twisted Addy’s head to one side at a decidedly unpleasant angle. “Anything about this feel disrespectful, Adelaide?” Crane muttered as she bore down on the hold. “Because to me it feels like I’m putting everything I’ve got into wringing your neck!”
GROUND CRAVATE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_EyVy3_93Q
Brewster’s response came in the form of some irritated grunts and a few awkward elbows to the challenger’s belly, however the angle was such that she couldn’t put much force behind them. Maddy on the other hand worked the Cravate like a champ, the redhead patiently wrenching and pulling at her foe’s vulnerable neck.
Noting a particularly frustrated fist pounded against the mat, Nick Castle strode over to his charges and said, “How you doing, Adelaide? Need me to call for the bell?”
She paused long enough to flip him the bird, then went right back to worrying at Crane’s knotted hands. “No easy way out of this, Addy.” Crane promised after she’d angled her head to the side to avoid the zealot’s questing fingers. “You’re either gonna break my grip… or you’re going to subOOWWW! Hair, Nick! Hair!”
The Queen of Nightmares repaid the neck strain with some follicular torture strong enough to bend Maddy’s head to the side. Doing so shifted her position just enough for Adelaide to make it to one knee. Nick forced her to break the hair-hold at that point, but Brewster already had what she wanted. With one knee under her it was the work of a few seconds to power to verticality. She was still trapped in the Cravate though, so she suggested Mads break her grip with a pair of elbows to the gut that were far stronger than her earlier efforts.
Crane endured with an angry grimace and twisted her opponent’s neck harder than ever! To make matters worse (or much better, depending on one’s theological outlook as it pertained to COEM doctrine) the Queen of the Facebusters Tribe pulled the zealot’s noggin down and pumped her left knee into Brewster’s forehead. “Wanna pull my hair again?” Crane asked after another jarring Kneelift. “Maybe next time I can bust your lip or split your eyebrAAAAAHHHH!” Mads stamped one foot in surprise and pain as the World Champion secured a Belly Claw that saw her thumb gouge deep into the challenger’s navel. “That how you want to play it, Addy?” the redhead grunted, her voice clearly strained by the power of her opponent’s talons.
“Don’t sound so surprised, heathen.” Brewster snapped back. “You of all people should know I always play for blooNNEERRGGHH!” Maddy caught her with a third Kneelift, this one striking the bridge of Adelaide’s nose. The Claw loosened to something that was almost bearable, so Crane rose up on tiptoe and dropped to one knee to sling the brunette over onto her butt with a beautiful Cravate Snapmare.
CRAVATE SNAPMARE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CACokN1GsCY
Attention divided between the sting in her tailbone and the ache in her neck, Brewster made no effort to defend her back, which proved a painful miscalculation when Maddy simply stepped up and THWHACKED a stiff Soccer Kick between her shoulders.
“BYTCH!” Adelaide’s back arched violently and she clawed at the air, her circuits slowed to the point that she didn’t even register Crane running the ropes on her six. But the sold out crowd noted this development with keen interest and they cheered quite emphatically when the Princess of the Punchline somersaulted over Adelaide, caught her head in both hands and THUMPED her forehead against the deck with a quick Rolling Neck Snap.
ROLLING NECK SNAP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVhOgHneG08
Brewster bounced up and sprawled back in a stunned starfish, prompting several in the audience to call for a cover, but Mads knew it would take more than that to put this particular sucker down, so she hurried to her feet and pasted a single taunting slap across Adelaide’s tits. “C’mon Chompy, you haven’t even shown me your literature yet!” Crane barked. “How’s Miranda going to feel about you slacking in your door to door duties?”
The Weeping Angel didn’t much appreciate this shoddy treatment, as evidenced by the volcanic hate in her eyes as she scrambled to verticality. The Clothesline that followed would’ve floored anyone who wasn’t hopped up on the adrenaline high of her first World Title match, unfortunately Maddy wasn’t just hopped up on adrenaline, she was operating at top gear and she ducked the heavy blow with ease. Positioned just behind her startled adversary, Maddy hooked her right arm under Adelaide’s right armpit and angled it across her chest so she could grip the left side of the brunette’s neck. Then she dipped forward and yanked Brewster over her hip in a sort of inside out toss that turned into a gorgeous Facebuster when Mads dropped to her tush and THWHUMPED the champ down flat on her face, chest and belly!
INVERTED FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKHMpnq0PY
Adelaide landed with more than enough impact to bounce onto her back, so Crane scrambled around in a quarter circle and dropped across her chest to hook the far leg nice and tight. Already close, Castle dropped into position and counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
Adelaide kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO’, but didn’t get much time to celebrate her freedom because Maddy immediately wrapped her up in a tight Sleeper! “Ask her.” the challenger said to Nick as she mashed Brewster’s cheeks between forearm and bicep. “See if the Church will let her tap out before she passes out.”
Castle would’ve asked the question if Adelaide hadn’t waggled a finger in his direction before it could leave his lips. Squirming and adjusting to keep the redhead from cutting off more of her air, Brewster managed to turn into Crane’s grip so it was more of an extremely unpleasant Headlock than genuine air deprivation. Even so, she was coming to loathe the heathen’s touch, so she stuffed half a dozen punches into Maddy’s abs on her way back to one knee.
“Damn girl, you are actively seeking that Front Sleeper, aren’t ya?” Crane huffed as she kept Adelaide’s cheek glued to her chest. “It’s not really my strong suite, but if that’s how you wanna go out I’ll do my besSSEEERRRAAAHHHHHHH!”
Brewster didn’t just snatch a handful of hair, she gouged her thumb into the challenger’s left eye and went to work like she meant to scoop it from her head!” An illegal hold of course, one guaranteed by Nick Castle to last no more than five seconds, yet that was more than enough time for Adelaide to return to full verticality. Removing her thumb from Maddy’s eye at ‘FOUR!’, the Daughter of Darkness backpedaled toward the ropes, but rather than ask for sanctuary she laid out on one side and slung Crane between the top and middle strands! Half blinded by the champion’s vicious tactics, Maddy should’ve spilled all the way to the floor, yet somehow she managed to hook on mid-tumble and land on the apron.
“Nuuuhhh, not gonna be that easy, Addy.” Mads huffed as she struggled to all fours. “Didn’t ‘Randa fill you in? I don’t die easNNNNGGGHHH!”
On her knees as well, Adelaide snatched a handful of hair and tugged her into a short Elbow Smash that collected solidly with the redhead’s temple. Maddy still didn’t go down but that was fine with Brewster as she’d yet to have her fill of punishing this particularly tenacious nonbeliever. Returned to her feet with a small assist from the ropes, Adelaide leaned over, grabbed a huge handful of hair and hauled Maddy into a Front Facelock. Quick to sling the challenger’s near arm over her shoulders, Brewster followed up with a sturdy grip on Crane’s trunks and hoisted her all the way to high noon!
Adelaide could’ve laid out then and there for a perfectly acceptable Vertical Suplex, however the World Champion was in a supremely vindictive mood following Maddy’s strong start, so rather than merely finish the throw she backed her way to the center of the ring and demanded, “COUNT IF YOU DARE, HEATHENS!” The crowd didn’t much care for the ‘H’ word (at least not when delivered by Adelaide Brewster) and yet the ancient rites of the arena could not be ignored, meaning they started a count almost as soon as the order was made. ‘ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN! ELEVEN! TWELVE! THIRTEEN!’ Adelaide rocked back on her heels and let gravity do the rest, just THAWHAMMING Maddy to the thinly-sheathed plywood. Crane sat up in the aftermath, albeit only for a second as the Queen of Nightmares grabbed her by the shoulder and drew her back down a Lateral Press good for…
DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRMIj3um2ik
ONE…
TWO…
Maddy got a shoulder up with a full second to spare because Brewster hadn’t bothered to hook the far leg. “Tell me, Madeline.” Adelaide sounded much more relaxed now that she was dictating pace with a double handful of hair. “Was that instinct that made you kick out? Or are you actually seeking to continue this fight?”
“Lemme drop you on your face a few more times.” Mads muttered. “That should settle the issWHOAAANNNNGGHHH!”
Adelaide gave up the hair-hold for a Wristlock which promptly gave to an Irish Whip aimed at the far corner. Crane noted the swift approach of the buckles and turned to absorb the worst of it with her back. In this she was successful, however the leftover momentum bounced her out of the corner at a decent clip, meaning she effectively walked into the big Running Dropkick Brewster tacked to her sternum. Maddy went down on her back, flopped onto her belly and clambered to boot-leather far quicker than Adelaide would’ve liked. And yet even the durability of heathens could prove useful, as the Weeping Angel reminded herself when she charged into the breach, sprang off her lead foot and THUNKED a beautiful Bicycle Knee into the side of Crane’s skull! Maddy went down in a heap with Brewster kneeling alongside, the champ quick to cover her stunned adversary in a Lateral Press good for…
DROPKICK & KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vKfyWS9Rv4
ONE…
TWO…
The challenger bridged out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ as the true believer hadn’t bothered to hook a leg. This escape didn’t seem to bother Adelaide in the slightest, in fact she was as all smiles amidst dragging the New Yorker to her feet with a double handful of hair. “Training with Deschain seems to have toughened you up, it’s certainly taken the edge off that miserable tongue.”
Kind in word but callous in deed, Brewster punctuated her observation with a heavy Kneelift to Crane’s midsection. As Mads doubled up with both arms crisscrossed over her chest, Adelaide added, “But has her tutelage done enough to make you a champion? Or merely a more interesting victim?” Maddy didn’t have the breath to answer, so the Daughter of Darkness whipped around and bounced into the ropes on her foe’s left.
Groans from the crowd when Adelaide clouted Crane’s chest with another heavy Kneelift, though Maddy’s most ardent supporters raised a round of applause when their heroine only rocked back on her heels instead of crashing to her back. Alas this might’ve proved a more preferable outcome because Adelaide quickly laid claim to the redhead’s left wrist and spun the attached arm in a wide, smooth circle. Set a little off to Maddy’s left, the lithesome brunette flicked her right leg up and back in a Hook Kick that THWHACKED her heel off the point of Crane’s chin!
RUNNING KNEELIFT AND HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BsxybEV1nk
Maddy hit the deck again and Brewster moved in for a cover only to draw back when the Princess of the Punchline barrel rolled under the bottom rope. “Take five, Adelaide.” Nick suggested. “She’s in the ropes.”
“I can see that, arbiter. But mere rubber and steel will offer her no sanctuary from my wrath.” the World Champion growled.
“It will until I say otherwise.” the Senior Official countered. “Now back up.”
Brewster did as she was told, but she looked far from happy as she stomped a path on the far side of the squared circle while she waited for the heathen to rise. In truth Crane didn’t make her wait long, she’d made it to one knee by the time Castle reached the end of his internal five count. “You doin’ ok, Mads? he asked when she grabbed the middle rope in both hands.
Maddy nodded, took a deep breath before returning to boot-leather. “Just needed a breather, Nick. The Hot Topic funk was starting to get to OOOFFFHH!”
Brewster streaked past the ref, twisted into Maddy and THWHUMPED those sturdy abs with yet another brawny Kneelift! Crane doubled over while still holding the middle rope for support, meaning she had no way to defend her noggin when Adelaide snatched it in both hands. With Mads drawn between the top and middle rope, Brewster made her claim for Queen of the Facebusters Tribe by dropping to her knees and THWHUNKING Crane down flat on her mug with a nasty little rope-hung Facebuster.
ROPE HUNG FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxhMFsPIjQA
Maddy somersaulted through to her back, though she was still a little close to the strands for Adelaide’s liking, so the World Champion grabbed the heathen by the ankles and draaaaaaagged her out just far enough to make the ropes a non-issue when she folded her in half with a strong Back Press good for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Maddy wrenched free of the predicament and turned onto her stomach with half a second to spare. Adelaide flashed Castle a withering look, but saved her ire for the challenger, who she peeled off the canvas thanks to a nasty grip on both ears. Positioning herself behind the unworthy penitent, Brewster planted her feet wide so she could wrap Crane’s arms around the planks of her thighs. It looked like the set-up to a Camel Clutch variant and the Weeping Angel DID cup her prey’s chin with one hand, but rather than double down on the Chinlock she stretched her other arm out full length and THWHAPPED Maddy’s jaw with a heavy Cross-Face Punch! Crane jolted hard, reached up to grab at the brunette’s wrist and got an Eye Rake for her trouble. The infraction drew a warning from Castle, not that it offered much protection for Maddy when Adelaide switched up her grip so she could cuff her from the other side. Brewster picked up her pace after the first iteration, doling out a half dozen shots in perhaps fifteen seconds.
GROUNDED CROSSFACE PUNCHES:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDiwGBMUpo
Releasing Crane’s chin with a flourish, Adelaide raised her arms in a wide ‘V’ and proclaimed, “DO NOT BOTHER TO CONSULT YOUR WATCHES AND CLOCKS, HEATHENS! FOR IN THIS RING IT IS NOW AND SHALL ALWAYS BE MIDNIGHT!”
The reaction to this bit of sermonizing was less than favorable, so Brewster took out her irritation on the vulnerable challenger by cinching her left arm around Crane’s throat. Palming her own right bicep for extra leverage, Adelaide cupped her right palm against the back of Maddy’s noggin and used the Sleeper to haul her to verticality. “Don’t tell me you’re flagging already.” she murmured in Maddy’s ear. “It’d be such a shame if your first Main Event ended so… quietERRRRGGGGHHHH!”
The Sultana of Slapstick pressed the heel of her left boot against Adelaide’s shin and raaaaaaaaaaked down not once, not twice, but thrice! Brewster snarled but didn’t release the hold, so Crane laced both hands behind her head and “AAAAAARRRRHH!” Maddy’s counter Jawbreaker fell by the wayside as soon as Adelaide buried her muzzle in the side of the New Yorker’s neck and chomped down. “BITING!” Mads barked. “BYTCH IS BITING, NICKWHOOOAAAHHH!”
Those assembled for Red, White & Bruised couldn’t help but murmur in appreciation of the Churchgoer’s brute strength when she muscled Crane off her feet long enough to swing her around for three full rotations before laying out on her stomach to plant Maddy on the canvas with a ring-shivering THAWHAM!
SWINGING SLEEPER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBOt8FYIrM
Adelaide reared back from the impact only to flop down across the redhead’s chest with the far leg hooked for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Crane didn’t just shoot a hand into the air, she stuffed it under Brewster’s chin and flicked her off in the same motion! Defiant yet, but not exactly well thought out, as Adelaide responded with a hateful flurry of closed right hands directed between her eyes! Halting the affair only when Castle hit ‘FOUR!’ on his count, the Weeping Angel got to her feet and delivered a spiteful stomp to the other woman’s belly. “You’re not tough at all, Crane.” she sneered. “You’re just persistent. And that doesn’t make you a champion. That makes you a cockroach.”
Maddy only grunted, so Brewster grabbed her at wrist and ankle and draaaaaaaaaagged her closer to the nearest corner. Satisfied with the placement of her heathen crash-pad, Adelaide dropped the redhead’s limbs and stalked over to the corner, where she grabbed hold of the top rope and vaulted to the high rent district in a single smooth leap. Rising to her full height from that menacing crouch, Brewster made a show of brushing some invisible dust off her kneepads before she leapt into the lights and grabbed hold of her ankles to make sure both knees were pointed straight down when she dropped out of the sky and crashed down full force onto--the recently vacated patch of canvas!
Shocked by an explosion of pain that racked her from knee to thigh and back again, Adelaide shrieked like one of her beloved children of the night while Maddy Crane dragged herself under the bottom rope, then hauled herself into a weary but unquestionably predatory crouch. Understandably distracted by the shooting pain in her knees, Adelaide Brewster made no effort to pinpoint the challenger’s location as she clambered her way to boot-leather. Only then did Crane’s absence register and she whipped around in a lurching half circle in case-too late. Rocked back on her heels thanks to a strong grip on the second rope, Maddy launched herself between the top and middle strand with a gorgeous somersault that popped her up directly in front of the startled champion. Catching Brewster’s hair as she took to the sky, the Sultana of Slapstick yanked the zealot along for the ride and ultimately dropped to her tush to THAWHUNK Adelaide’s mush into the mat with a cringe-worthy Rolling Thunder Facebuster!
ROLLING THUNDER FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY8jxmU_1ak
The Daughter of Darkness bounced onto her back in perfect position for a cover, so the FAWNatics were a little surprised when Crane only helped herself to a double handful of hair and scraped her off the canvas. This consternation died a quick death once the redhead slipped an arm between her foe’s legs and hoisted Brewster up across her chest for a Body Slam of the most emphatic variety, if the dip of Maddy’s hips were to be believed. Indeed hips don’t lie, though apparently they can mislead for instead of a Body Slam the Red Hook Joker tossed Adelaide up n’ out, then laced both hands across the back of her neck and sat out to deliver the second ring-rattling Facebuster in less than a minute!
SWINGING SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4UM-LUjZuA
Brewster bounced again, this time to all fours, though damned if she didn’t return to verticality shortly thereafter. Alas her back was to Maddy and in the champion’s slowed state it was all the opening her adversary required. Settling into a deep squat behind the brunette, Crane stuffed her head between Adelaide’s thighs and muscled her into the air so neatly it was almost effortless. “Don’t think anyone’s ever thought to strap a vampire in the electric chair.” Maddy huffed after she’d braced both hands against the other wrestler’s glutes. “Bet it makes for some interesting snap, crackle and pop.” In actuality this particular seat produced only a single tone, a low, shivery THWHUMP that came when Crane slung Brewster off her perch and came down on her for yet another feature-flattening Facebuster!
ELECTRIC CHAIR FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_YXXuXndb8
Adelaide tumbled onto her back in slow motion, yet the Princess of the Punchline still didn’t go for the cover. Rather she sprang to her feet and hurried over to the nearest corner to claim the high rent district for her very own. The Red, White & Bruised crowd came alive as Maddy stood tall and though she wanted to thank them for the support she wanted the World Title that much more, so she lined up her shot and leapt out into the void with her right elbow cocked and raised just behind her ear. A padded Elbow wasn’t nearly so sharp as a freshly carved stake, though you never would’ve known it by the way Adelaide flopped and jounced on impact. Now Crane did go for the cover, a quick no-frills Back Press that trapped the near leg and pointed Brewster’s backside at the rafters for…
DIVING ELBOW DROP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9juIdEpYns
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Adelaide proved a lively corpse, one with the strength to kick out half a second before what would’ve been the end of her world title reign. Crane sighed heavily, but there was no real disappointment on her face as she cupped the champ’s ears to drag her to all fours. This was followed by a Standing Headscissors and a Waistlock, both of which proved little more than groundwork for the challenger’s next move. Muscling Brewster up so the small of her back was snugged against the ball of her right shoulder, Maddy took care to hook the brunette’s shins across her thighs before she laid claim to Adelaide’s chin with a pair of cupped hands. “Maybe not as effective as wiring your jaw shut.” Crane muttered once she yaaaaaaaaaaaanked down on the Chinlock and settled into a deep crouch. “But it’ll sure as hell teach you not to bite!”
GORY SPECIAL JAW STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amrgws3LR28
Bent in a pair of painful arches thanks to the redhead’s twist on the Gory Special, Adelaide focused on prizing at Crane’s wrists instead of wasting breath on a retort. Mildly irked by the Churchgoer’s lack of villainous banter, Crane jounced the hold half a dozen times in half as many seconds, then said, “Better start talking, Chompy. Otherwise I’ll have to forsake you in favor of Nick and all HE’LL wanna talk about is when you’re going to submit. Ya know what, let’s just get that out of the way right now. Nick, ask this chump if she’s done.”
Castle enjoyed his life far too much to even consider referring to Adelaide Brewster as a chump, so he made sure to keep his tone respectful and properly grave when he asked, “What do you say, champ? Need me to call for the bell?”
The Chinlock was so tight it prevented proper words, so Brewster waggled a finger ‘no’, then grunted something that sounded an awful lot like ‘F*ck off.’
“She’s hanging in there, Maddy.” Nick said blandly.
A hard, competitive gleam showed in the redhead’s dark eyes. “We’ll see about that.” Leaning forward to strengthen her control over Brewster’s legs, the Maiden of Mirth relinquished her Chinlocks for a pair of Wristlocks which she used to pull Adelaide’s arms almost straight down. Her head book-ended by Adelaide’s biceps, Maddy let the strain work its painful magic for another fifteen seconds before she said, “You’re cool, Brewster. Just not cool enough to get out of this hold. So give up before I rack you any worse.”
Adelaide shook her head ‘no’ at once, the brunette’s expression a mixture of denial and disgust. “Once again your attempts at humor fall flat, heathen. Do you really think any of these laughable punishments would be enough to crack my EEERRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!” Crane stretched the other woman’s arms out in a wide ‘T’ and rolled them in short quick circles that put a whole lotta pressure on the champion’s shoulders. After several seconds of this punishment she pulled Brewster’s wings down again only to release the right so she could hook her left arm across the zealot’s chest. Eyes wide as she realized Maddy’s game, Adelaide tried to wrest her way free of the trap, but the Sultana of Slapstick dropped straight back and THAWHAMMED Brewster down flat on her face, chest and belly with one helluva Reverse STO.
REVERSE ST-OH DAMN!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUnS9XJdtxo
Crane somersaulted out of the landing whereas Adelaide remained facedown, thus forcing the challenger to shoot the Half Nelson before she could slide into a Crossbody good for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Brewster threw a hand into the air just before ‘THREE’ thus dashing the hopes of an entire arena in a single stroke. Far less concerned about the pace of the count than some of her fans, Crane helped herself to the champion’s hair and hauled her up into a Front Facelock. Such a basic set-up could’ve led to any number of Maddy’s Facebuster collection so it caught the fans (and more importantly, Adelaide) off guard when the redhead twisted around behind her foe, sprang up and locked her legs around Brewster’s waist. Catching the Chickenwing before she’d delivered even a single squeeze, Crane wedged her right forearm in beneath Adelaide’s chin and laid out on her back with the Crossface Chickenwing sank in DEEP!
CROSSFACE CHICKENWING:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwISaTbLSM8
“Tap out.” Maddy muttered as she bore down on the painfully simple hold. “Tap out before I separate your shoulder.” She slipped her left arm up through the narrow triangle created by Brewster’s forearm and bicep and locked her hands against the champ’s jaw to show her this was no small concern.
Nick Castle must’ve shared this sentiment because he knelt beside the action and asked, “How you doing, Adelaide? Do I have to call for the bell?”
“Uuuhhhhh… only at your own peril, arbiter.” she moaned.
The ref didn’t look entirely convinced, but he backed off so the Queen of Nightmares could try to extricate herself from this dire predicament.
Careful to keep her face protected against the brunette’s remaining hand, Crane stayed silent as she alternated constrictions of the Scissors with steadily increasing pressure on Brewster’s left arm. It wasn’t until the Churchgoer groaned and raaaaaaaaaaaked her forearm that the redhead murmured, “Tap out, Addy. I’ve got you dead to rights and we both know--” she cut herself off as the champion filled her hand with a fistful of the heathen’s hair. Mads didn’t call for the referee, she could already hear Nick’s quick approach. Instead she yoked up on the Chickenwing, possibly to carry out on her earlier threat on Adelaide’s shoulder. “Not enough, sweetheart.” the challenger promised. “Not NEARLY enoughHHEERRRRGGHHHH!”
The Weeping Angel got her muzzle against Crane’s encroaching forearm and chomped down like she was in search of a late-match snack. Credit the resolve of one Maddy Crane, she never once mentioned the toothy infraction, just poured on the pressure like she meant to put Brewster out right then and there. This goal was well within reach given world enough and time, alas Adelaide had her own hooks in place now and she used them to tumble to her knees and one awkwardly pointed elbow. Using every ounce of her considerable resolve to manage the miserable ache in her neck and shoulder, Brewster slowly but surely clambered to her feet in a show of infernal fortitude that drew a round of grudging applause from even the most ardent heathens. She paid them no mind of course, Adelaide’s attention was focused on a corner on the far side of the squared circle and after a moment she began to lope toward it.
Maddy knew what the brunette had in mind as she’d used a similar tactic on more than one occasion. Hellbent on keeping the Daughter of Darkness locked up tight, Crane shook the Crossface Chickenwing like a terrier shakes a rat and while it earned a piercing yowl of pain, Brewster’s progress never slowed. Indeed she seemed to pick up speed, so much so that the true believer was full on running by the time she-- Adelaide got low and launched herself into the corner, only she twisted to the right a heartbeat before impact to BWUUUUNNNG Maddy’s skull into the second turnbuckle. Crane let loose at once, the stunned Sultana collapsing onto her knees in the corner with one arm draped limp over the second rope while the other swaddled her throbbing skull.
Brewster didn’t fare much better, though she did muster the strength to crawl away from buckles after several long seconds. Using the ropes to guide her progress, Adelaide made it to the next corner and returned to verticality, though she did so without the use of her left arm which ached so bad it might as well have been numb. Even attempting to roll it brought another nauseating jolt of pain, so the World Champion gnashed her teeth and rounded on the woman who’d brought her so close to the brink.
What she saw raised a brittle smile.
Maddy still knelt like a penitent with her forehead against the middle turnbuckle, though now both elbows rested on the second rope so she could massage the hurt from her noggin. Adelaide allowed her this minor peace only because it gave her the time to continue onto the next corner, the one directly opposite her kneeling prey. From there it was another quick run, this one even faster than her earlier trip because there wasn’t a heathen strapped to her back. This proved disastrous for the Princess of the Punchline since it meant Brewster was going full speed ahead when she hopped up and THWHUMPED her knees into the redhead’s shoulders! Maddy’s head bounced off the thinly-sheathed steel for the second time in as many minutes and only the erratic tapping of one boot against the mat told those concerned FAWNatics that she still clung to consciousness.
Adelaide was concerned too, albeit for completely different reasons. Knowing very well the heathen had effectively taken one arm, she gathered as much of Crane’s battle damp hair as she could and used it to draaaaaaaaaaag her to boot-leather. Maddy almost crumpled more than once, but Brewster stayed close and eventually worked her head under the challenger’s right arm. “Darkness is closing in, sister.” Adelaide huffed in the midst of grabbing Maddy’s right kneepad. “It’s time you had one last look at the sky.”
On the heels of that statement she looped her gimpy left arm around Mads’s waist and prized her out of the corner just far enough to muscle her onto one shoulder. No Backdrop Suplex this, Adelaide staggered forward so she could dump her burden into an uncomfortable seat on the top turnbuckle. Now positioned directly behind Crane, Brewster reached up n’ around with her left hand, grabbed hold of Maddy’s right wrist and pulled it tight under her chin, cut-throat style. It wasn’t as snug as usual because she couldn’t apply much (read: any) torque with her injured shoulder, but it was just enough to draw the glassy-eyed grappler backward across her shoulders in a modified Torture Rack.
Cringing under the other woman’s practically dead weight, Brewster kept her good arm hooked around Maddy’s left thigh as she stomped out of the corner en route to the middle of the ring. Already on their feet, the sold-out crowd implored Mads to wriggle loose, but the prone Princess barely moved until Adelaide kicked both feet forward and dropped hard left to THAWHONK the back of her head and shoulders into the canvas courtesy of Blood & Black Lace. Left arm held tight against her chest (the landing had done it no favors) Adelaide crawled over to the starfished challenger and hooked the near leg in an exhausted Back Press that had everyone counting along for the…
BLOOD & BLACK LACE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQhjXPD_fA
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Maddy didn’t so much kick out as she did lift a shoulder, yet it was still enough for a wide-eyed Nick Castle to throw a ‘IT’S NOT OVER!’ signal to the Timekeeper. As flabbergasted as the official and the rest of those braying heathens, Brewster reared back on her haunches and showed him three fingers only to see two in return. “Just two, Adelaide. Match is still going!” Nick shouted over the cacophonous roar.
Eyes narrowed to black slots, Adelaide raked a hand through her hair and hissed, “That’s where you’re wrong. The clock’s already struck Midnight, you just can’t hear it yet.”
Sidling into a seat on Crane’s right side, Brewster cinched her right arm around Maddy’s head, then seized hold of the challenger’s right wrist and wrenched that arm behind Crane’s head, which in turn allowed her to double down on the Wristlock and CRAAAAAAAAANK back on the captured limb while simultaneously forcing the New Yorker’s face into her chest. “SUBMIT!” Adelaide screamed at the top of her lungs as she tried to extinguish Maddy’s light with Near Dark. “SUBMIT DAMN YOU!”
NEAR DARK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZOS2SSBypM
Lifeless until the Churchgoer cut off her air, Crane twisted like a downed powerline and pounded punch after punch into Brewster’s shoulder, but it was the uninjured right and the Weeping Angel punished this resistance with that much more pressure. “What do you say, Maddy?” Castle asked over his charge’s muffled sob. “Do you gi--”
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Maddy stopped punching long enough to waggle out a ‘no, no, no!’, then she buried her hand in Brewster’s hair and pulled as hard as she could.
Adelaide ignored it, at least until Crane started THUMPING her right knee into the brunette’s devastated left shoulder. Genuinely afraid her grip might give out if Maddy continued unchecked, Adelaide abruptly scooted back a little and sat up as straight as she could. Drawing Crane’s head into her lap, she continued to twist and tear at that captured arm, but now she hunched over the heathen to keep those damned pumping knees away from her shoulder. And make no mistake about it, Crane was still fighting. Adelaide could feel her twisting and squirming, bucking and writhing, clawing and scra--”
The bell CLANGED, snapping Brewster out of her battle lust. She looked down and understood Crane had gone limp in her grasp a mere whisper before the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via knock-out and STILL FAWN World Champion… ADELAIDE BREWSTER!”
Her golden prize safe for another night, the Queen of Nightmares clenched her jaw to stifle a scream of pain when she released her grip on the unconscious woman. Clutching at her left shoulder like she thought it might fall off in a stiff breeze, Brewster caught her breath for several seconds before she leaned down to whisper, “You are lucky, heathen. So VERY LUCKY that I am too tired to feed tonight. Should our paths cross again…” Adelaide twisted her head to one side so she could plant a kiss on the redhead’s jawline. Then she got to her feet, accepted the big belt from Castle and very carefully laid it across her good shoulder. Feet planted on either side of Maddy’s slumbering pate, the Weeping Angel looked directly into the camera to explain, “Laughter abounds within this decadent hall… yet Midnight comes for one and all.”
She threw her head back and blew a cloud of Red Mist into the air just as the FAWN Arena went dark. When the lights came back the red was still hung in the firmament, but Adelaide Brewster was long gone.
