Post by hawkeye on Sept 8, 2019 22:49:45 GMT
The calculus was simple, all the variables in place.
Win, and write her name in history with indelible ink as the latest in the FAWN's storied lineage of world champions.
She had cut a swath of destruction through the federation to get to this stage, ignominiously dispatching one contender after another en route to a reign with the EurAsian title that spanned the entirety of the past year before Samantha Sinclair finally dethroned her the following May. Thanks in part to a ladder match gimmick, that setback did little to diminish her cachet, and now in the waning days of summer, she had her sights set on the greatest prize of them all.
Win, and stand alone at the peak of the mountain.
All her life, in every endeavor she'd undertaken, she was always perhaps a half-step short of being the absolute best – stuck at 99 when she wanted, needed, to be at 100. It gnawed at her, feeding her insecurities and whispering poisonous thoughts into her ear at her worst moments. Given just three seconds, however, she could silence that traitorous voice forever.
Win, and wash away her sins in a baptism of champagne and tears.
She'd done terrible things, that much she understood. Even at the time, she'd known it was cowardly and craven to leave her family and her life behind with nary a word, and in the seven years since, she'd accrued enough negative karma for both this life and the next. Nothing she did now would change the things she'd done then, but in the World Title she saw validation, and if not validation, then at least absolution.
Win, and go home.
With one last victory, her vow would be fulfilled, her task complete. Sisyphus no more, she could return to her family with her head held high and ten pounds of leather and gold as her garland. Her girlfriend was already at the airport with suitcases packed and two tickets from Orlando to Seoul by way of Atlanta – first class and one-way. Surely, there would be an uproar over her abdicating the throne so soon after claiming it, though she didn't care in the slightest. She would be – however briefly – Yoona Park, World Champion, but more importantly, she would be – again and forever – Yoona Park, daughter.
Win.
And go home.
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, hailing from Seoul, South Korea, she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty eight pounds. She is the Slim Reaper・ YOONA PARK!"
PACIFIC RIM (ORCHESTRAL):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvrR2Lbfl_s
Heavy orchestral strings and a dimming of the lights heralded the arrival of the Slim Reaper and the start of the evening's main event. The fans who had taken up permanent residence in Park Place rumbled to life, growing louder and louder and louder as the music's tempo pumped faster and faster and faster for more than a minute. Finally, at the seventy second mark and just in time to catch the hook, Yoona Park tore through the curtains to a thunderclap of applause.
YOONA PARK:
If she were feeling the pressure of her first main event and World Title challenge, it didn't show on Yoona's face, her lopsided grin remaining as cocksure and inscrutable as ever as she strode towards the ring. Her black and gold-trimmed one piece along with matching fingerless gauntlets and leg-sheaths that ran from knee to ankle were a familiar sight with fans, though for the first time in nearly two years she was unadorned by the EurAsian title belt. A red silk ribbon tied around one thigh signified that Camille Cosworth was there in spirit if not in flesh, the Girl of Tomorrow too nervous to even follow the results of the match online as she sat in the Departures area of Orlando International Airport many miles away.
“I expected Camille to be here. Is she alright?・ head referee Nick Castle remarked as he checked the challenger's gear once she'd stepped through the ropes and claimed a corner.
“Kill yourself!・ Park cheerfully replied, the smile never leaving her lips.
Nick sighed heavily, immediately regretting having said anything at all to the Slim Reaper.
Yoona was still giving Castle a ration of shyt when the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Stovington Vermont, she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty pounds! Representing the Black Court she is the three time, three time, THREE TIME FAWN World Champion! I give to you THE ACE…SUSANNAH BURLINGAME!”
CROWN ON THE GROUND:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGEZpSQEhls
Those assembled for Slaybor Day festivities let out a bellowing roar when ‘Crown on the Ground’ barged its way into the arena. Shortly thereafter the Ace of the Black Court stepped into view and stretched her arms in a wide ‘T’ to call forth a ‘BOOM’ of zappy blue pyro.
SUSANNAH BURLINGAME:
For tonight‘s war against the Slim Reaper Sue sported her younger sister’s original ’Crimson Comet’ tank-top complete with comic Cherry Bomb logo. Bobbing along to the beat of her music, Burlingame gripped the garment in both hands and peeled it up overhead to unveil the big golden belt strapped around her bronzed waist. Armor thus doffed, she undid the belt and hoisted it for the fans and more importantly Yoona, to see. As per usual the Rainmaker wore her trademark dark blue two-piece with mellow golden trim and matching boots and pads at knee and elbow. Park paid it no mind but it raised an ‘ACE!’ chant from the faithful and that was enough to set Sue strutting down the aisle to the squared circle.
Ignoring the scores of hands extended in her direction, Burlingame made quick time down the ramp, then hooked a left and bounded up the steel steps to the apron. A quick scuffing made sure the soles of her boots were appropriately clean before she slipped through the ropes and strolled into the ring, title raised high. Burlingame claimed the center as her own but extended a beckoning hand to Yoona. She’d expected the challenger to storm out or dismiss the invitation outright (a slow jerking off motion seemed quite likely) but the Korean stayed in the buckles, her eyes flitting from Susan to the title and back again.
Lips curling in a smirk, Sue lowered the ten pounds of leather and gold and handed it off to Nick Castle. Eyes locked on Yoona, Sue purred, “See ya soon, cutie.” Eager to keep this promise, she backed into the opposite corner so the ref could check her pads and boots in peace.
The bell sounded and champion and challenger moved out quickly, neither actually running but there was no mistaking the urgency in their approaches. “F*cking finally.” Yoona said to no one in particular as she raised her fists. “Been asking for this match for goddamned ever. Thought the front office was never gonna let me at your overrated ass.”
Sue answered with a testing kick to the Korean’s right thigh, a blow Park blocked by raising her leg to take it on the shin. She countered with an equally snappy response only for Burlingame to absorb it in identical fashion. “Brass has always been a little hesitant to put us in the same ring, babe.” Susan noted as the brunettes began to circle. “Rumor has it they were worried I’d submit you with a Heel Hook thirty seconds in and they’ve invested too much in marketing you as a bad-ass to have your reputation trashed like--”
The Slim Reaper flicked out a Front Kick with her left leg only to snap it back and leap in with a Superman Punch aimed at the Ace’s chNO! Sue twisted aside, caught Yoona in a rough Waistlock as she took the challenger’s six. Fists knotted against the other brunette’s belly, Burlingame dipped low and popped her hips to send the former Eurasian Champion tumbling head over heels with a Release German Sup-- Park flipped through the descent to land in a crouch behind the champ. Straightening up as Burlingame spun to one knee, Yoona planted on her left foot and lashed out with the right in a Buzzsaw Kick aimed at the Courtier’s temp-PWAK!
Sue blocked the strike with her forearm, trapped Park’s lower leg beneath her arm and got to her fee- Yoona sprang and whipped her free foot straight at Burlingame’s skull. The challenger’s aim was true but her target was not, Sue dropping into a deep crouch to let the Enzugiri pass harmlessly overhead. Park landed on her palms easily enough and pushed back to verticality despite being down a leg. Whatever she’d been planning next went out the window when Sue wedged the challenger’s trapped ankle against the left side of her neck, then laid out flat on her back and threaded her legs around Yoona’s exposed thigh to bring her down in an Ankle Lock!
ANKLE LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDQR8W3zkA
“F*CK!” Park roared in anger and pain as the Ace tried to twist her foot off her leg. Shaking her head ‘no’ so that idiot Castle wouldn’t waste any of her time, Yoona scrambled up on her palms and crawled / dragged their combined weight to the nearest set of strands and grabbed hold of the bottom rope. “Break!” she demanded. “Break it, cunt!”
Susan eased the pressure on Park’s ankle to almost nothing, though she kept the Scissor around her thigh quite snug. “Break? Don’t worry cutie, I don’t think it’s even sprained!” She tickled Yoona’s foot ever so slightly, earning a poisonous curse from the Korean and a count from the referee. Burlingame released at ‘THREE!’ disengaged and pulled away, the three time World Champ rising to her feet while Yoona pushed to one knee.
“Think you’re pretty f*cking clever, don’t you Suzie?” Park growled.
“I think you’re f*cking delusional if you think I’m going to ignore the bulls-eyes on your ankles.” Sue snapped in response. “Now you want to keep fighting or do you need a few more seconds to compose your--”
Yoona was up and moving in a flash, the black-clad brunette going airborne for a Flying Knee that would’ve caved in Burlingame’s chin if the Rainmaker hadn’t blocked it with both forearms at the last possible second. This didn’t bother Park at all, in fact she’d thrown the knee hoping the champ would react as just as she had. Lacing her hands behind Burlingame’s head before her feet touched down, Yoona bent her foe over double and thum-thum-thum-THUMPED a quartet of vicious Kneelifts into those tawny abs.
“You thought Dufresne worked you over last month?” Park muttered as she transitioned from the Thai Plum to a standard Front Facelock. “Just wait ‘til I’m finished with you, rich girl. You’re gonna be a puddle on the f*cking mat.”
Sue was too busy sucking wind to respond, so Park slung the near arm over her shoulders, then reached down and collected Burlingame’s left leg behind the knee for a snug Standing Cradle. Without further ado she muscled the champion directly overhead and dropped to her back to THWONK the heiress’ head and shoulders against the deck with a perfect Fisherman’s Buster.
FISHERMAN'S BUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYx6xhi7jpY
Burlingame bobbled to a seat after the landing and Park was right there to palm a shoulder, but rather than pull her down for a cover the former Eurasian Champion doubled down on her grips and got to her feet. From there she switched over to grips on the Rainmaker’s wrists, tugging her arms into a rude ‘T’ shape so Park could step over the seated brunette’s shoulders. “I could break your neck just like that.” Yoona taunted as she cupped Burlingame’s noggin at crown and chin and began to twist. “But why make you a cripple when I can humiliate you instead?”
“You’re not capable of either.” Sue grunted as she pulled at Park’s wrists. “Social Media is the toughest aspect of your game and that’s not enough to--”
Yoona released the Neck Wrench, bent over her prone adversary and grabbed her right ankle so she could angle it across the Bankable Bombshell’s left thigh in a tight Figure Four. “Don’t stop running your mouth on my account, f*ck stick.” Yoona said cheerily as she threaded her fingers together beneath Sue’s left calf. “I’m just going to make you scream at the top of your lungs, that’s all.”
Burlingame didn’t get a chance to reply before Park pulled that leg up over her head to secure the Stump Puller. Sue bit back a groan that didn’t go unnoticed by the Senior Official. “What do you say, Susan? Want to give it--”
“Would you shut up, Castle?” the Slim Reaper chided. “I said I wanted to humiliate her, that takes time.” To that end Park worked her hips in an undulating S-curve, Yoona just grrrrrrrrinding her crotch against the nape of the World Champion’s neck. Sue hissed in pain, replied to the tawdry show by dragging her nails down Yoona’s thighs three times in rapid succession. Park sniffed in disdain, reached back with one hand and grabbed a handful of Sue’s hair. “Like a little tugging, huh bytch? Should’ve known a rich f*ck like you would nnnnnngggghhhhh!”
Yoona abandoned the hair-pull to double down on the calf-grip again when Burlingame dug a practiced thumb into the pits of the challenger’s knees. Park endured, tugged up on the captured limb that much harder and was rewarded with a pained groan from the heiress. “Let go right now, Suzie.” Yoona demanded. “Or I’ll tear this leg off and beat you with faaaaaaaahhhhhhhk!”
A violent shiver passed through Park’s usually steady legs as Burlingame tested the tensile strength of her leg-sheaths with those insistent thumbs. Unwilling to abandon the Stump Puller despite the creeping ache in her legs, Yoona dropped to her butt, a shift that stacked Burlingame on her shoulders while pointing her rump at the rafters for…
STUMP PULLER & PIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHGsk3CAUtU
ONE…
TWO…
The Ace kicked loose and somersaulted backward to land on Park’s chest in what would’ve been a pin if she hadn’t pushed to one knee and half a dozen straight punches into Yoona’s trim midsection. Groaning beneath the Courtier’s heavy knuckles, Park raised her knees to protect her belly, so Sue reached back and snatched a huge handful of hair. Shifting into a sort of splay-legged three point stance even as she lifted Park’s head off the canvas, Susan slid backward, wedged Yoona’s chin into the southern slope of her glutes, then ‘smecked’ her legs closed around the other brunette’s head.
Hands palmed against Yoona’s knees, Burlingame pushed her foe’s legs down flat, then squeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed the Headscissors hard enough to raise an instant flush in Yoona’s features. “Swagger all you want, sweetie.” Sue muttered as she bore down on the challenger‘s skull. “But we both know what sort of pressure you’re under. And I’m not talking these.” She sent another strong pulse through the Scissors, earning a flurry of quick, hard punches to her flanks from Park.
When all that got her was another squeeze around her neck, Yoona shifted her attention to Susan’s bottoms, slipping her thumbs into the legholes and pulling until she made a thong. The Wedgie got an irritated hiss from the champion, but still didn’t loosen the Scissors and now Park’s face was starting to turn purple.
With time running out, the challenger took a more direct approach, shoving both hands into Burlingame’s trunks and clenching down on a ferocious Crotch Claw. That finally drew a surprised, indignant yelp from the Ace, and disrupted her concentration just enough for Yoona to wrench a leg free of her grasps, whip it upwards, and tag her with a knee to the mouth. The blow sent Susan sprawling off to the side and each wrestler took a moment to gather her wits after the opening flurry, one rubbing her jaw and the other her neck.
Posted on one knee and readjusting her bottoms into a more comfortable position, Burlingame hissed, “Not five minutes in and already with the cheap shit, Park?”
A few feet away, Yoona suckled on her own fingers, smacked her lips, and chortled, “Get fucked, asshole! You might fight like an Ace, but you still taste like a Tijuana street-whore.”
“You would know…” Susan growled as she launched herself forward.
She leapt into a Scissor Kick, flicking her feet in a lightning quick left-right staccato burst in mid-air. Of course, Park mirrored the motion with an equally quick left-right tilt of her neck to dodge both kicks, then created some space for herself with a two-handed shove to Burlingame’s shoulders.
As Susan back-peddled to maintain balance, Yoona sprang into a Flying Knee only for the champion to duck underneath by allowing herself to fall to the mat. Burlingame was back on her feet in a flash, however, and she scrambled to thread her arms underneath the Slim Reaper’s in a Full Nelson just as the challenger landed after the missed connection. Taking a deep breath, Susan sank into a crouch before popping her hips and bridging backwards a heartbeat later, managing to get Yoona perhaps one-quarter of the way through a Dragon Suplex before their momentum was abruptly halted when the Korean wrapped both legs around her right.
The momentary imbalance was all Park needed to rip her arms free of the Full Nelson, and as soon as her toes found purchase against the canvas, she threw herself into a forward somersault and pulled Susan along for the ride by their tangled legs. At the end of their tumble, Burlingame found herself lying on her stomach with her right shin still trapped between her opponent’s thighs, and the next thing she knew, Park was lying on top of her back with an S-grip in front of her face.
STF:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJb_e-_h1Kc
“Gotcha now, Suzie B!” Yoona said as she wrenched Susan’s neck and upper spine backwards with her STF.
If Burlingame had a retort, it was rendered unintelligible by the challenger’s hands wedged across her jaw. Susan started crawling towards the edge of the ring, and to her dismay she succeeded only in making a lopsided circle with one leg trapped and Yoona twisting her entire torso towards the left. She angrily bit down on an intruding wrist -- hard -- but that too was fruitless when Park’s gauntlets proved to be impervious to her pearly white incisors.
“Already with the cheap shit?” Yoona echoed with a smug, superior smirk, not that Susan could see it.
The Rainmaker blindly and angrily waved at where she thought the referee might be, lest the man think that she would give up the title so soon. Knowing that it would be futile to try to pry her way out of Park’s grasp and quickly running out of options, Burlingame instead planted both palms against the mat and rolled hard to her left. That did nothing to free Susan from the STF, but it did put her belly-up and Yoona shoulders-down, and being the astute official that he was, Nick Castle quickly dropped down to count…
ONE!
TWO!
...before Park rolled to the left again, once more putting herself atop the facedown champion with the STF still secured.
“Sneaky motherfucker, aren’t you?” Yoona muttered while she reefed back further. “I’m gonna enjoy -- SHIT!”
Susan forced the entwined pair to roll left for the third time, yet again putting Park in a pinning predicament with shoulders down. This time Yoona went with the momentum, however, going straight into the fourth roll and putting Burlingame back on her belly before Castle could even get down to the mat.
“Really, Suzie? Be honest with me,” the challenger chuckled, “West and the rest of her dick-riders call you ‘the dumb one,’ don’t they? Like the token --”
“Break it, cunt,” the Ace spat back, her first words since Park put her in the STF.
Yoona looked to the side, and saw Susan’s left arm stretched all the way out to the side, just barely able to reach the bottom rope with her fingertips. A moment later, the referee was demanding that she release the hold too, which she did only after working the man’s count down to the last fraction of a second.
Park only gave her opponent the bare minimum time required by the official though, and a scant five seconds later, she was dragging the stumbling champion to the center of the ring with two handfuls of hair. A quick knee to the gut doubled Susan over, then Yoona’s arms looped around her waist and wrenched her up into the Powerbomb position, seated backwards atop the Korean’s shoulders.
Hundreds if not thousands of phones came out all at once, the fans wanting to capture the moment on video should Park employ the same salacious strategy she’d recently used to destroy Eliza Bliss. To their barely-concealed disappointment, however, the Rainmaker still had far too much in her tank, and before the Slim Reaper did what the Slim Reaper does, Susan snapped her thighs shut, threw herself into a backflip, and launched Yoona into the corner with a Hail Mary Hurricanrana.
HAIL MARY HURRICANRANA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3qc-dKlrG4
Sent flipping head-over-heels, Park slammed spine-first into the turnbuckles before crumbling into a heap. Meanwhile, Burlingame seemed to be doing only slightly better as she was propped up on knees and elbows, her athletic maneuver taking its toll on her body after she’d endured the prolonged rigors of the STF.
“No, Park,” Susan huffed between big gulps of air, “they call me ‘champion.’”
Park answered with a single raised index finger so Burlingame reached out, grabbed hold and bent it backward like she meant to touch it to the challenger’s wrist. “F*cking shytbird!” Yoona barked as the two brunettes clambered toward verticality. “Small joint manipulation is for OOOFFFHH!”
Sue stopped the sass with a quick Kneelift to the belly, then used that finger-clamp to draw Park close enough to hook her right arm across the Korean’s chest. Cupping Yoona’s left shoulder with a stern hand, Burlingame angled her right leg behind her foe’s feet, then pushed forward and went down on one knee to THWHUMP Yoona’s back across the posted joint!
STO BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy2q9JgTIJg
The former Eurasian Champion tumbled off the Ace’s knee to land on all fours. She’d hadn’t even had a chance to reach for her aching vertebrae when Burlingame caught hold of a wrist and used it to haul her up alongside. This segued nicely into a Front Facelock that could’ve turned into just about anything if the Slim Reaper hadn’t slipped free and paid Burlingame back with a Wristlock of her own. Wrenching the limb in a smooth circle while simultaneously stepping off to the champ’s left, Yoona shifted all her weight to her left foot and, without breaking her grip on Burlingame’s wrist, snapped off a Hook Kick that THWHACKED off the point of the Courtier’s chin!
ARM WRENCH HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGwnT3K7Lbo
Sue’s noggin whipped back but she didn’t go down so Park tossed the Wristlock aside and whipped around on her plant foot to flick out a Uraken at the heiress’ chee-THUMP! Sue got her forearms up and together, creating a quick but effective guard that had Yoona shaking a twinge out of her-- Park went for cheek again, this time with a looping right Haymaker only to curse aloud when Sue hooked an arm around her exposed bicep and dipped ‘round behind, the three time World Champ catching a Waistlock even as she turned upside down to take Yoona off her feet with a gorgeous Sunset FliNO!
Burlingame did indeed take Park to the canvas, she stacked her up in a quick Matchbook in fact. Yet Nick was still getting into position when Susan straightened up and muscled the other brunette into a startled handstand, Yoona’s arms flailing in confusion until the Bankable Bombshell stepped over and then the other. With Park’s torso effectively exposed, Burlingame hopped up and fell forward to land on her knees whereas Yoona was THAWHAMMED down flat on her chest and belly! Legs still hooked in place, Sue rolled onto her tush to finish the much delayed Sunset Flip, the champ pressing both hands to the Korean’s upturned haunches through…
BANKABLE CLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbEYjy176L4
ONE…
TWO…
Park twisted free with a full second to spare, the challenger coming to rest on her stomach with both arms swaddling her thrumming ribs. “What’s wrong sweetie, butterflies in your stomach?” Sue chided as she moved into place on the grounded brunette’s right side. “I understand. Big matches can do that to you when you’re not ready for--”
“F*ck off, cum dumpster.” Yoona grunted. “There’s nothing you can bring that’d make me break a swNNNNGGGGHHHH!”
Burlingame braced one hand between Park’s shoulders and another on the swell of her buttocks, all the better to launch herself into a handstand that became a Double Kneedrop driven deep into her opponent’s flank. “I might actually respect you if you weren’t such a miserable liar.” Susan hooked her fingers into the leg-holes of Yoona’s one-piece and yanked it north, returning the wedgie with scathing interest just because she could. “But since you can’t even admit how f*cking desperate you are to be World Champion…” Burlingame hoisted herself up again, held the position for a good three seconds, then swung down and in to THWUMP every bit of her weight into those suffering ribs.
“Stuff it, cunt.” Yoona grumbled as she tried to get up without offering the Rainmaker any more free shots. “If anyone in this ring reeks of desperation, it’s you. You wanna be Shea London so badly it’s pathetOOHH NO YOU F*CKING DONEEERRRRRRHHHHHH!”
Park was so concerned about defending her midsection that she was caught off guard when Burlingame seized her right wrist and yanked her arm out from underneath. Scissoring Yoona’s bicep between her thighs in a single serpentine twist, Sue stretched out atop the Korean’s lower back and reached over to claim Park’s left wrist. The resultant Armbar earned a curse from Yoona, it wasn’t until Burlingame began to wrench at her index and middle fingers that she shrieked in earnest.
MODIFIED RINGS OF SATURN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5rD5egCCV4
Castle heard the hurt in his charge’s voice and hurried in to check on her only to slow when Sue waved him off. “Don’t bother Nick, she’d just insult you. Isn’t that right, tuff girl?”
“Get fucked with an iron pipe, rich bytAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHH VICIOUS CUNT!” Park’s feet beat a ferocious tattoo against the canvas as Sue continued to wage war against her fingers.
“Coming from you that actually means something.” Burlingame teased. “Oh and whenever you’re ready to submit, address me directly. Castle’s only here to ring the bell.”
Yoona shook her head ‘no’ either in negation or disgust, possibly both. “Dream on, trust fund twat. You’re gonna be the one tapping out when I’ve got you split right up the middOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Sue collected all four fingers and continued to bend them in way those poor digits were never meant to bend.
Noting the very un-Yoona-like way Park’s forehead was pressed to the canvas, Nick spoke up in spite of the earlier warning. “What do you say, Yoona? Need me to call for the bell?”
The Slim Reaper shook her head ‘no’, then muttered, “F*ck that. I didn’t come this far to submit to this bytch.”
“Then fight out.” Sue said flatly. “Or get to the ropes. Because I’m not going to let you--”
Yoona stretched out flat as she could and began twist her hips, the Slim Reaper moving through a wide, pendulous arc that would eventually let her drape an ankle over the bottom rope. Sue saw this, noted the rate of Park’s progress and judged she had maybe fifteen seconds before the challenger earned her freedom. Happy to make that short stretch of time feel absolutely endless, the Rainmaker abruptly abandoned her finger torture so she could shift from her back to her side and wedge Park’s left arm beneath her left bicep. Yoona grimaced at the bolt that touched her from shoulder to elbow, but it didn’t stop her progress. Knowing damned well what Susan had in store (she’d have done the same if their positions were reversed and if she had her way, they soon would be) Park grunted, “Do it, f*ck-wad. I know you want NGH! NGH! NGH! NGH!”
Sue brought her right arm up and down over and over again, the Ace just pounding the point of her elbow into the side of Yoona’s defenseless skull. Teeth clenched against the heavy impacts, Park tucked her chin as best she could and kept on slogging, the challenger absorbing an ungodly amount of punishment en route to-- a roar from those assembled when Yoona hooked an ankle over the bottom rope. “F*CKING GET OFFA ME BURLINGSLUT!”
Susan did as Park demanded, unfortunately she also did as Yoona had earlier, hauling the wounded brunette to her feet without so much as a moment to catch her--Yoona swatted the champ’s hands aside, sprang straight up and THWHONKED a Jumping Kneelift between her eyes!
JUMPING KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i81laJXIqg
Sue stumbled all the way to mid-ring with Park in hot pursuit. Catching Sue’s wrist in a clasp of her own, Yoona dropped into a deep crouch and sent the Courtier on her way with an Irish Whip. No following now, the Slim Reaper set up shop in the center of the squared circle and greeted Sue’s return with a whistling Roundho--“DAMMIT!” Yoona didn’t bother to hide her disgust when Burlingame went under the kick and kept right on running. “F*ck it.” Yoona spat in the heartbeat before she ran the ropes opposite her foe. Reaching the strands at the same time as her opposition, the brunettes rushed headlong into--
THWHA-THWHAP!
Yoona and Sue took flight at the same time, champion and challenger each twisting to the right which meant they collided torso against torso and not skull to skull. Even so, the thwarted Crossbodies sent them tumbling to the deck in a tangle of groaning, glistening flesh that hadn’t started to prize itself apart by the time Nick began his count.
After about five seconds, Park staggered upright first, muttering a string of curses and standing hunched over on unsteady legs with palms pressed against her knees for support while Burlingame was still down on all fours. The challenger didn’t stay vertical for long, however, because Susan quickly lashed out with a low kick that swept her ankles out from under her and sent her crashing back down to the mat.
The THUD of Yoona’s spine slamming into the canvas seemed to reinvigorate both the crowd and the champion, the former popping into a burst of cheers as the latter kipped onto her feet. Susan glanced down at her momentarily downed opponent and recognized she had an opportunity, so she raced for the opposite side and bounced off the far ropes to build speed and momentum. Just as Park was getting re-combobulated after being discombobulated, Burlingame dropped into a Baseball Slide and slammed both heels into her flank.
The impact sent Yoona rolling under the bottom rope before falling out onto the floor, and for the second time in as many seconds, Susan kipped up to an ovation from the fans. Curiously, the four-foot tumble from the apron to the ground seemed to be a jolt to Park’s system, and she clambered to her feet almost as quickly as Burlingame. Almost was never going to cut it against the Ace of the Black Court though, and Yoona regained her bearings just in time to see the champion flying towards her knees-first.
DIVING METEORA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bn1Kc_H8tg
Burlingame’s shins collided into Park’s chest and collarbones, the runaway momentum of the Diving Meteora letting her violently ride the Slim Reaper all the way to the thinly-padded cement. This time Yoona stayed down, offering nothing more than a burbling, agonized wheeze as the other wrestler climbed off her body. The referee scrambled over to the edge of the ring and leaned over the ropes to get a better look of his charges, but the champion cut him off with a wave of her arm before he could start his count.
“Save your breath, Castle!” Susan informed the man as she hauled up her opponent by the hair. “I’m not defending the title with a goddamn count-out!”
Burlingame promptly made good on her words by roughly shoving the challenger back into the legal field of play before rolling into the ring herself. With the Korean’s braid wrapped around her hand and wrist, Susan dragged her stumbling opponent to the center of the ring, far away from the safety of the ropes and in perfect position for a coup de grȃce.
Sensing that victory was at hand, Susan whispered to Yoona, “This is where I’d like to tell you ‘close but no cigar,’ but you weren’t all that close, were you?”
With that, Burlingame spun in a deft circle, putting her back to the challenger as she reached over her shoulder with both hands to secure a Three Quarters Facelock on Park’s head. All at once, the FAWNatics roared and Susan kicked her legs out in front, intending to let gravity take its course and complete the Ace Crusher, as it had so many times throughout her three championship reigns.
This time, however, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe appeared to malfunction.
The building abruptly went silent as Susan remained suspended five feet above the mat with her legs pointed outwards in a V, only for the cacophony to return with a vengeance a heartbeat later, the noise level doubling and re-doubling again when the fans realized that Yoona had short-circuited the Ace Crusher by scooping both arms underneath Susan’s haunches and catching her in mid-air.
“Get fucked, Suzie,” Park snarled, then she laid out and drove the crown of Burlingame’s skull into the deck with a vicious Backdrop Suplex.
BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3aKG5P7q1k
Susan’s neck folded inwards at a gruesome angle for a moment before the recoil from the impact shook her free from Yoona’s grasps, leaving her in a crumpled heap in the middle of the ring. Just a couple of feet away, Park was splayed out and breathing heavily while she stared up at the arena lights, her eyes glassy and vacant as old memories of the sights and sounds and smells from Seoul drifted through her thoughts.
“SEVEN!”
The fans collectively counting along with the referee jolted Yoona out of her daydream. She still had work to do if she wanted to fulfill her vow of returning to her homeland with the World Title around her waist, so she forced herself back up with just a tick and a half to spare. Opposite of her, Susan was slower to recover after the nasty head drop, just now crawling to hands and knees.
That was as far as she would get before the Slim Reaper surged forward and delivered a heartless punt to the side of her head, heel meeting skull with a savage POP that had the crowd gasping. The Ace went slack like a puppet with its strings cut, and she collapsed face-first to the mat again with nary a twitch. Blood oozed from the fresh laceration on her temple in a thin rivulet before puddling in front of her nose and staining the canvas red.
“GET FUCKED, SUZIE! GET FUCKED!” Yoona repeated, this time roaring at the top of her lungs while she stalked around the edges of the ring and pounded her chest. “LAST MONTH YOU COULDN’T WIN CLEAN AGAINST THE ASS-END OF WICKED’S HUMAN CENTIPEDE, AND NOW YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST THE MOTHERFUCKING REAPER?!”
For all her vehemence and volume, however, Park couldn’t elicit an answer from the waylaid champion. In fact, the only signs of life at all from Burlingame were her rapid fluttering eyelids. Meanwhile, Yoona took another couple of laps around the ring to catch her breath, and somewhere in the back of her head, she heard her own voice.
Win, and go home.
Park’s brow twitched ever-so-slightly in irritation.
“On your feet, Susan,” she said, more measured and menacing now than a few moments ago. “It’s too goddamn early to kill a queen.”
When that still didn’t provoke a response from her opponent, the voice in her head spoke again, louder and more persistent this time than before.
Win, and go home.
“I SAID, ‘GET UP, SUSAN!’” Park screamed as her temper flared back to life, rolling Burlingame onto her back with a stiff kick to the ribs but accomplishing little in terms of rousing the Ace back to consciousness.
“GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!” Yoona repeated, punctuating each demand with a stomp to the breadbasket as her voice grew more and more desperate, almost pleading for her fallen foe to rise again.
Win, and go home.
“GET UUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP!” she screeched one last time as she dropped to her knees and hunched over so that her lips were just inches from Susan’s face.
Park’s voice echoed throughout the building, the audience mesmerized and silenced by the bizarre tableau playing out in front of them. Having emptied her lungs, Yoona rocked back onto her haunches and ran her hands through her hair, gazing down upon Susan’s battered body with a thousand-yard stare but making zero effort to claim the World Title by pinning the champion.
...go home.
“Is that it...? Is this all there is...? It’s not enough...” she muttered, meek and despondent. “...it’s not enough…”
Utterly baffled by what was happening, Nick Castle cautiously approached her and softly laid a hand on her shoulder, though she immediately shrugged it away with a violent shudder.
“Yoona, what -- what are you doing?” the referee asked. “What’s not enough? Just pin her.”
Park turned her head around to look at the official, her eyes bleary and unfocused, then she looked back towards Susan.
Then back to the official, then back to Susan.
Go home.
“No... No, no, no no no no… NO!” Yoona growled as her resolve hardened once more. “This can’t be it! There has to be more! There HAS to be MORE!”
By now, Burlingame was finally starting to shake off the two consecutive blows to the head, groaning softly as she tried to push up to a sitting position. Yoona grabbed her by the hair and roughly hauled her all the way vertical, however, then the Slim Reaper spun about and hurled her towards the nearest corner.
Susan pivoted to take the turnbuckles to her back rather than her chest, and she threw her arms over the intersecting ropes for support. Just a heartbeat later, Park was already bearing down on her with a blistering slap that smeared her blood over her cheek and turned her head to the opposite side.
“Fight back, you lazy fuck!” Yoona yelled in her face even as the slaps continued to rain down from both sides. “Fight back! FIGHT BACK!”
The Korean might have continued on indefinitely, but the champion being in the corner entitled her to a rope break. Castle gave an internal five-count, then risking life and limb to do his duty, the referee looped both arms around the Slim Reaper’s waist and dragged her all the way back to the center of the ring.
“Knock it off, Park! Or I WILL throw out this whole damn match!” Nick sternly warned, even though he feared he may lose at least one -- if not both -- of his testicles for his actions.
To his great surprise and relief, Yoona ripped herself free and turned her attention towards Susan without giving Nick so much as a backwards glance or a raised middle finger. She grabbed Burlingame’s wrist with both hands, then she planted her feet against the mat, dropped her hips, and gave a forceful yank to send the champion hurtling towards the opposite corner.
The inertia sent Susan halfway across the ring, but there she managed to corral her runaway momentum. Slamming on the brakes and pivoting on a dime, she reversed the Irish Whip and reeled in the very startled challenger before diving forward and smashing her free arm right across Yoona’s collarbones.
RAINMAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9damVJyb71M
Taken clean off her feet by the Rainmaker, Park’s ragdolled body did half a somersault in the air before she crashed to the deck on the back of her neck. Exhausted and lying on the mat after the vicious counter, Burlingame wiped the back of her hand across her face to get the blood and sweat out of her eyes.
“Careful what you wish for, Park,” Susan huffed as she rolled onto her side and propped herself up on an elbow.
Yoona replied by slopping onto her stomach, which wasn’t nearly enough for Burlingame so she helped herself to the brunette’s braid and dragged them both to their feet in stages. The return to verticality started at least some of Park’s synapses firing again as she gouged a few halfhearted punches into the Ace’s midsection. Sue absorbed the shots with little more than a grimace, though you’d have thought Yoona hauled off and spit in her eye by the way the World Champion planted on her left foot and just THWHUMPED a heartless Kneelift in opposing belly. Yoona’s hips shot backward but she managed a sloppy clinch around Sue’s neck, presumably to answer with some knees of her own.
Whatever her intentions, they remained strictly in the realm of ‘what if’ because Burlingame curled her left hand into a fist and buried it above Park’s right hip. Hooking the liver was far from pretty, not that anyone could argue with results that left the Slim Reaper doubled over in gut-shot agony. Sue’s upper rip curled in a snarl as she took in the view of her opponent’s exposed back. Without really thinking about it, she crooked her hands into claws, set them just north of Park’s glutes and raaaaaaaaaaked her all the way to the shoulders!
“BYTCH!” Yoona jolted upright at once, yet instead of engaging the Courtier she swung around on one foot and wobbled her way toward the ropes with her right arm pressed tight to her throbbing liver. Such a retreat would’ve raised a smirk from Burlingame on any other occasion, tonight however her dark eyes flared menacingly and she stalked after the Korean to score her rapidly-reddening back almost half a dozen times before Yoona finally crumpled to a knee with her free arm wrapped around the middle ropes.
“Buuuuhhh… back off, rich girl.” Yoona rasped with a trace of her usual attitude. “Your shytty press-on nails won’t work herAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGHHH!”
Sue pressed in close to make sure the other brunette couldn’t squirm away while she reached over the strands to catch Park’s biceps. Jerking Yoona to her feet immediately thereafter forced the challenger’s upper body through the space between top and middle ropes, thus giving the Bankable Bombshell a perfect excuse to drape Park’s arms across the former. Soon as that was done she slipped not one, not two, but three fingers from each hand into Yoona’s mouth and yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back like she meant to peel the challenger’s skin clean off her head!
“Did you really call me lazy?” Sue almost whispered it to the sputtering striker. “DID YOU F*CKING CALL ME LAZY YOU ARROGANT LITTLE SHYT?” Burlingame roared the question, the heiress pulling those hooks harder than ever despite Castle’s growing insistence and Yoona’s nails gouging at her forearms and wrists.
Coming to understand that Sue had no intention of stopping, Nick barked out a count that only reached ‘TWO’ before Susan cleared off with both encroaching hands raised high overhead. This abrupt cessation flummoxed the Senior Official for a second or two, more than enough time for Burlingame to sneak back in and peel her rival away from the ropes. A rough Full Nelson kept Park’s chin snug to her breastbone for the span of heartbeats it took Susan to haul her to the center of the squared circle. No sooner had they reached their destination did the World Champion dip deep and snap off a high speed bridge that THWHUNKED Yoona down flat on the back of her increasingly sore neck! Burlingame broke the Nelson on impact, leaving Park to roll through to her stomach and use the last little bit of momentum to power to her knees.
“Luuuuhhhh…. lazy twat.” she beckoned Sue in with both hands, daring the Ace to engage. “If you really wanted to win I’d be bleeding by--”
There was a ‘THWHUMP’ followed by a resounding ‘OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!’ from the crowd when Susan exploded off the ropes and smashed Yoona with a low flying Kneelift, not to the forehead, but the side of her neck just above the Korean’s right shoulder. The Slim Reaper went down in a heap, Park literally bowled over to the point that she came to a nauseated stop within easy reach of the bottom rope.
SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX & RUNNING KNEE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOJ1UTe86mQ
As for Sue, she was within easy reach of a Crossbody that she declined due to Park’s proximity to the ropes. Instead she caught Park at elbow and wrist and dragged her out to the middle, then ditched the wrist in favor of doubling down on her opponent’s feet.
“Stupid… stupid bytch.” Yoona huffed. “You can’t beat me to the f*cking legs. No one can beat me to the NNNGGGGHHH!”
Susan wrenched those dangerous legs wide, raised her right foot and buried that heel deep in Park’s exposed midsection. “Not gonna beat you to the legs, sweetie.” Burlingame explained as she began knotting Park’s stems around the post of her encroaching leg. “Just gonna keep ‘em out of the way for a while.”
Yoona’s eyes widened and she made to sit up, which would have been a sound strategic choice if Susan hadn’t dropped down to greet her with a Forearm Smash that clouted her upside the face! Park hit the deck flat, raised her forearms in a crude guard that survived about three direct shots before Burlingame ripped through it to continue smashing away at the Korean’s skull.
BANKABLE BEATDOWN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPzup8TPlds
Without the guard Yoona’s resistance amounted to little more than woozy pawing, but it was enough to keep her shoulders off the mat and prevented Castle from calling for a stopp-- Susan swatted the other brunette’s arms aside, palmed her shoulders and pressed down to glue Yoona to the mat through…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Park twisted onto her side a whisper before the ‘THREE!’
“Still want to fight, huh?” Susan didn’t slap her so much as she pie-faced her, the Ace pressing down to smoosh the other half of Yoona’s face into the rough canvas. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Yoona shoved her hand away so Burlingame gave her a real slap, then caught a handful of braid and hauled her to-- “NGH! NGH! NGH!” Park landed a flurry of tummy punches from one knee, surged to her feet and created some much needed separation with a weary Push Kick to Burlingame’s chest. “F*ck off, Suzie.” she growled. “I’m not the one who was facedown and bleed-”
Sue leapt in, caught the challenger in a Three Quarters Facelock and laid out full force to SPIKE Park’s face into the mat courtesy of the Ace Crusher she’d missed earlier. Park bounced up and rolled onto her back, the former Eurasian Champion seemingly unaware of Burlingame’s presence when the heiress collected both legs and pointed her ass to the overhead lights with a Back Press good for…
ACE CRUSHER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyo-0UXxxzk
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Yoona twitched free of the cover, turned onto her stomach and fell still, utterly oblivious to the cacophony of the FAWN Arena.
Beside her, Sue didn’t argue with the referee or even spare him a second look. Rather she bounced to her feet and sank into a deep crouch directly behind her flattened adversary. “Get up, bytch.” Burlingame murmured as her hips swayed back and forth. “I know the air is thin up here, but there’ll be more of it if you can knock me off the top, so get the f*ck up.”
Yoona didn’t get up, she stayed right where she was, facedown drawing in shallow breaths with one arm draped over the back of her pounding skull. “Get up.” Susan’s tone was more demanding now. “Get up. Get up. GET UP! GET UP! GET--”
Yoona rolled to the right, the challenger making a slow but unmistakable break for the edge of the ring.
Sheer surprise almost got her there, alas Burlingame pounced at the last second and drove a vicious stomp into the small of her back!
“Call me lazy, then have the nerve to pull that shyt?” Sue hissed as she laid claim to the other brunette’s braid. “At least I’m not a gutless cuOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Park drilled her with a Back Elbow from one knee, tore loose of the champ’s clutches and scrambled to verticality to follow with a CRAAACKING Super Kick that sent Sue reeling back on her heels! Honing in on the point of Burlingame’s chin, Yoona cooed, “Eat a dick, rich girl.” then charged and leapt, her right hand already cocked back behind her ear for--
Sue caught her outta the air with another Three Quarters Facelock and brought the challenger THWHAMMING down with her second Ace Crusher of the evening. Only this time Burlingame kept hold of the other brunette’s head, all the better to tuck it under her arm after she’d rolled back into a seat on Yoona’s back. Flicking Park’s left leg across the plank of her left thigh, Sue set her feet and craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Root of All Evil.
ACE CRUSHER TO ROOT OF ALL EVIL @ 1:07
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j53ygI28ZM8&t=67s
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH FAAAAAAAAAAAAHK!” Park wailed in abject agony as the earlier damage done to her neck was compounded exponentially by the merciless stretch.
Sue only bared her teeth in a hard smile and ground her hips a few inches above Park’s own straining tush. “You want out? Get to the ropes. Because you know what happens if you don’t.” Sue bounced her butt against Yoona’s, then lifted up and shifted ’em both around in a quarter circle and sat down deep, the Ace perched on her prey’s upper thighs.
Park was wrenched at a hellacious angle, the bendy-back doing her best impression of a ‘J’ that wanted to be a ‘U’.
“Gotcha facing the hard camera now, baby. Go show these people how much you want to be World Champion while I play with your tits.”
“Guuuuhhhh…. get f*cked OH F*CK YOU SUZIEEEEERRRRRGGGHHHH STAAAAAAAAHHHHHP!”
Burlingame plucked the left cup of Park’s bustier aside and treated her nipple to a merciless pinch!
The tactic was absolutely unnecessary given the already gawd-awful curve in Yoona’s neck and spine, yet there was no denying the cheers that ran through the capacity crowd when Susan went to work. And not entirely surprising perhaps, considering the carnal depredations Yoona had unleashed on her victims during her reign atop the Eurasian Division. Malicious though it was, it was *just* a titty twister. The real torment came from Sue’s latest southward slide, which left the Ace seated atop her prey’s knees. No one else on the roster save perhaps Dominique Daly could’ve endured such an arrangement for more than a few heartbeats, yet a full ten seconds ticked off the clock with Yoona strapped in the vile arrangement, each of them tallied by a thunderous ‘TAP!’ chant.
Noting the lethargy settling over the challenger, Castle dropped to one knee beside the action and asked, “What do you say, Yoona? Do you need me to call for the bell?”
“Nuuuuuuuhhhhh….. noooooooooooooo…” Park groaned pitiably and Nick couldn’t tell if it was a negation of his question or resignation over another round of white-knuckle tweaking. He was about to ask her again when Park pulled her right hand off the mat and swatted Sue’s left forearm three times. Nick called for the bell before he even stood up, but Burlingame didn’t release her grip just yet.
“Say it.” she sighed to the defenseless challenger. “You know what I want to hear.”
Yoona did, she would’ve done the same if their positions were reversed. “Submit.” she croaked. “I submit you f*cking bytch.”
Sue let go at the sound of this concession, but rather break away she turned Park onto her back, then wheeled around in a half circle and scooted up just high enough to engulf the Slim Reaper in buttocks before the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via submission and STILL FAWN World Champion… SUSANNAH BURLINGAME!”
Soles braced against the sides of Yoona’s protesting skull, the Rainmaker pressed her palms to the Korean’s fluttering tummy and worked her hips in taut little figure eights, an arrangement designed to smother rather than stimulate. “You have no idea how much I want to draw this out.” Sue admitted as she felt the huff and pull of Yoona’s breath against her trunks. “Unfortunately I have an appointment that cannot wait. This was fun though. Don’t think I’ll forget the head wound.”
With that spread her knees a little wider and bore down that much harder. Give the devil her due, Yoona fought and wriggled for another ten seconds before finally, mercifully succumbing unconsciousness. Fetching a sigh that mixed satisfaction and relief, Burlingame made a show of ‘snapping’ her briefs into place as soon as she’d pushed to one knee. Castle moved in to offer her the World Title, which she accepted with a nod and a simple request. “Mic me, Nick.”
The Senior Official obliged in short order, then turned his attention to Yoona once Susan stood up and moved toward the side of the ring facing the ramp. She raised the mic to her lips, hesitated, shook her head and smiled.
“Sorry. Sorry.” she said to the expectant crowd. “It’s just, well for one, I’ve been through a war tonight. And two, I’ve been waiting more than ten years to say… Shea London, get your ass out here.”
Those seven words sent an electric jolt through the capacity crowd. It was a proclamation greeted by raucous cheers, excited whispers, and even incredulous murmurs emanating from the stands… but, for the moment, no response from the stage. But, just when it looked like Sue might be ready to check her wrist for an imaginary watch, a voice came over the sound system…
“Do you wanna get rocked?”
It was already loud, but whenever the Leppard began to pump over the PA inside the FAWN Arena, “loudness” was redefined. And that was never more true tonight, when the FAWNatics erupted into a roar moments before the Sensational One stepped through the curtains.
SHEA LONDON:
Even the fact that Shea London wasn’t dressed for battle did little to dampen the atmosphere. Having already hit the showers following the successful debut of FAWN’s latest tag team pairing, the gorgeous British blonde sporting a pair of white sneaks, black yoga pants, and a fresh from the merch stand gold Honey Harris tee under a light blue denim jacket. Only those stylish shades remain from her usual entrance apparel.
And it was one of the legs of those stylish shades that the Sensational One pinched between index finger and thumb, raising them with more than a little bit of cheek to meet Susannah’s gaze from the ring. “Alright, Burlingame,” the living legend said, “ya ‘ave my attention. Whattaya wanna say?”
Sue arched an eyebrow. “DO I have your attention, Shea? I’m not so sure. Because if another THREE TIME World Champion called ME out at the end of a pay-per-view, I’d damned sure be curious enough to make my way all the way down to the ring so I could look her in the eye.” Burlingame lowered her mic for a moment, then shrugged as if she’d just remembered something. “Of course you DID earn a big win earlier tonight. I understand if you’re too tired to make it up and down the ramp more than once a night, you being a woman of a certain age and all.”
She paused, allowing time for the colossal ’OH NO SHE DIN’T!’ roar that passed through the crowd.
“I could always come to you, if you’re not feeling up to the trip.”
Shea’s lips curled upward in something of an ironic smile, the Sensational One offering a hollow chuckle to the jab at her maturity. “Well, I DO ‘ave ta make sure I can get up fer tha Early Bird Special…” London replied, the snark in her voice drawing encouraging the crowd to laugh along with her self-deprecating jab. But then, the British blonde shook her head. “Actually, ya know ‘ow it is with kids,” she noted, taking special care to place the emphasis on those last two words. “Ya never wanna reward their bad behavior. It only encourages ‘em.”
Now it was Shea’s turn to pause, and allow the FAWNatics to “oooh!” at her barb.
“Then again,” London added with a shrug of her shoulders, “they ALSO say spare tha rod an’ spoil tha child. An’ they don’t come much more spoiled an’ entitled as you already are, so…”
Without another word, the FAWN Original started down the ramp, a crowd that still couldn’t quite believe they were witnessing what was transpiring pushing it into overdrive as the British Bombshell closed in on the ring. Climbing onto the apron, Shea slid through the ropes and marched directly over to the reigning and defending, three-time FAWN World Champion, and asked her one simple question:
“Satisfied?”
“Getting there.” Sue said softly. She took a step back, grabbed the belt draped across her shoulder and raised it high. Shea spared it a glance, but only a glance. The Sensational One was far too cagey to take her eyes off the Rainmaker for even a second and Sue appreciated her for it.
“I’ve been in this company for more than ten years, London. In that time I’ve been loved and I’ve been hated, sometimes both at the same time. I’ve been a lot of other things too, not the least of which is a three time World Champion. The only thing I’ve never been is complacent or lazy. Doesn’t matter how big, how bad, how busty or how busted the opposition, I took on all comers for one simple reason. To prove that when it comes to FAWN competition there’s good.” Sue laid the belt across her shoulder again so she could hold that hand level with London’s shoulder.
“There’s great.” That hand rose to even with the top of Shea’s head.
“And then there’s standardbearer.” She lifted her hand a good foot higher. “Or as I like to call it, ME.”
That got a rise out of the Sensational Squadron, but neither London or Burlingame so much as blinked during the ensuing stare down.
Eventually Susan went on. “As far as I’m concerned there’s only one woman in this arena who can make a legitimate challenge to that claim. Only one woman in this arena I’ve never shared a ring with through ten plus years. And only one woman in this arena that I want to BEAT at Fawnamania.” The Ace took another step back, bent low and laid the World Championship on the canvas between she and London.
“What do you say, Sheasie? Think you’re Sensational enough for one more London Run in the Main Event of the biggest show of the year? Or can I offer you a box of chocolates to go with all those cupcakes you’ve been feasting on?”
Now that Sue had laid her cards on the table, Shea knew that she wouldn’t want to tarnish what was no doubt already in Burlingame’s mind a victory on the biggest and brightest stage in the world with a cheap shot the month before. And that afforded the Sensational One the luxury of casting a fleeting glance down, at the championship that now rested between them literally, as well as metaphorically.
But ONLY a brief glance. Best not to tempt fate too much.
“Ya know tha’s MY belt, right?” London asked, once her eyes had again met the Rainmaker’s. “I mean, tha’s LITERALLY tha very same belt tha’ went around MY waist back in September of Oh-Three, before it went around anyone else’s. Tha’s tha very same belt I’ve not only been fortunate enough, but GOOD ENOUGH, ta claim on three separate occasions.”
After allowing herself a moment to regard Sue’s smirk, Shea pointedly added, “Tha’s a belt I never ‘ad ta bend a knee ta claim.”
And that spurred another round of “OH NO SHE DI’N’T!” hoots and hollers.
“Ya might be a three time champion,” London continued, “but I only recall ya winnin’ that belt once while I’ve actually been around… an’ I don’t recall ya bein’ so eager ta put it on tha line against me THEN. Which makes me wonder just what’s changed, ta make ya call me out NOW… other than, of course, tha passage of time. Ya accuse me of feastin’ on cupcakes, but could it be ya’re only challengin’ me cause ya think I’M one now, too?”
Anger flashed across Burlingame’s face at the mention of knee-bending, but rather than snap back she took a deep breath and noted, “I didn’t join the Court to win the World Title, London. I joined the Court to make sure I had a fair shot against Pandora. You remember her, right? She made a grease spot out of you, ended one of your title reigns as I recall. How DID her tummy taste? I never had the pleasure of learning.”
Shea’s eyes narrowed, but Sue held her tongue and her ground.
“But to your question… no, I don’t think you’re a cupcake. I don’t think you’re washed up, I don’t think your best days are behind you and I sure as hell don’t think you’re as close to retiring as you’d like everyone to believe. That legendary top gear of yours might not run as long and as hot as it used to, but it’s still there. Know what else is still there?” She reached out a finger and jabbed London in the chest, over her heart, specifically. “The drive to prove yourself the absolute best this promotion has to offer. Because you didn’t have to come back at all. You’ve proven more than enough, but you came back to this ring because you still want everyone to know why FAWN is synonymous with Shea London. I admire that. I respect that, whether you believe it or not. But here’s the thing… I’m the World Champion. I am the standard bearer, the vanguard, the workhorse, the goddamned ACE of this company. It means that as great as you were then… as great as you are right now, I’m still better. And I’m willing to put everything on the line to prove it. If you win, you don’t just stand tall to close FAWN’s show of shows. You make history as the only FOUR TIME World Champion. But if you lose, you’ll know that everything I’ve said tonight is true.” She trailed off as a knowing smile curled her lips. “That’ll come later, though. After I’ve shown you the best seat in the house.”
Burlingame backed off, offered an exaggerated shrug. “Or you could always say no. I’m sure the folks in the pre-show booth would love your expert analysis breaking down the video packages.”
Shea bristled at that particular jab—Cassie did a brilliant job there, as far as London was concerned—but she didn’t take the bait. “Ya know wha’ I think, Sue?” the living legend asked. “I don’t think this is really about ME at all. It’s about YOU. I mean, ‘Ooooh, Sue Burlingame thinks it’s all about ‘er’ isn’t exactly tha most scorchin’ ‘ot take there is ‘round ‘ere…”
The FAWNatics gave that line a particularly hearty laugh.
“… but it’s more than that,” Shea pressed on. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever thought of accusin’ ya of lackin’ in self-confidence before now, but everything ya just said about yerself? Tha’ ya’re ‘tha vanguard’, ‘tha workhorse’…? Deep down, in YOUR ‘eart…”
London returned the Rainmaker’s earlier poke to the chest.
“… I’m not sure ya really believe ANY of tha’. I mean, THA REST OF US all know it’s garbage, but in yer ‘eart of ‘earts, YOU can’t be sure about tha’... At least, not until ya’ve put my shoulders ta tha mat. Ya know what I think, Sue? I think ya NEED this.”
Shea paused, allowing Burlingame the opportunity for a rebuttal. One she didn’t take.
“Well,” the Sensational One finally said, “I’m sorry ta disappoint ya.”
And with that, a confused and disappointed murmur ran through the crowd, along with a scattering of boos.
“Ya’re NOT gonna put my shoulders ta tha mat at Mania, Sue. No, at Mania, I’m gonna be reunitin’ with a very old, an’ very dear friend. Sue Burlingame, I’m walkin’ out of Mania A FOUR TIME CHAMPION.”
Sue chested into Shea hard enough to knock the Briton off balance, albeit only for a second. Then she was up in Burlingame’s business to the pair of first-ballot Hall of Famers going nose to nose (despite the three inch height difference) while the crowd urged them ever onward.
Didn’t happen though.
After a long pause the Rainmaker admitted. “You’re right about one thing, Shea. I DO need this. I need it more than you’ll ever know. But you’re wrong about everything else. Because you’re not walking out of ‘Mania. In fact something tells me you’ll still be starfished in the middle of this f*cking ring when the broadcast times out. Don’t worry about hiding your face in shame though. I’ve got that covered.”
Sue dropped the mic, shouldered London out of the way and scooped up the World Title all in the same motion.
Shea caught her balance, then reared back to slap the taste out of Burlingame’s mouth only to stay her hand when the ring flooded with late arriving referees. “Tha’s tha only free shot ye’ll be gettin’, Sue.” London promised just before the Ace dipped through the ropes. “And at ‘Mania there’s gonna be one last London Run straight through yer nasty black heart.”
Win, and write her name in history with indelible ink as the latest in the FAWN's storied lineage of world champions.
She had cut a swath of destruction through the federation to get to this stage, ignominiously dispatching one contender after another en route to a reign with the EurAsian title that spanned the entirety of the past year before Samantha Sinclair finally dethroned her the following May. Thanks in part to a ladder match gimmick, that setback did little to diminish her cachet, and now in the waning days of summer, she had her sights set on the greatest prize of them all.
Win, and stand alone at the peak of the mountain.
All her life, in every endeavor she'd undertaken, she was always perhaps a half-step short of being the absolute best – stuck at 99 when she wanted, needed, to be at 100. It gnawed at her, feeding her insecurities and whispering poisonous thoughts into her ear at her worst moments. Given just three seconds, however, she could silence that traitorous voice forever.
Win, and wash away her sins in a baptism of champagne and tears.
She'd done terrible things, that much she understood. Even at the time, she'd known it was cowardly and craven to leave her family and her life behind with nary a word, and in the seven years since, she'd accrued enough negative karma for both this life and the next. Nothing she did now would change the things she'd done then, but in the World Title she saw validation, and if not validation, then at least absolution.
Win, and go home.
With one last victory, her vow would be fulfilled, her task complete. Sisyphus no more, she could return to her family with her head held high and ten pounds of leather and gold as her garland. Her girlfriend was already at the airport with suitcases packed and two tickets from Orlando to Seoul by way of Atlanta – first class and one-way. Surely, there would be an uproar over her abdicating the throne so soon after claiming it, though she didn't care in the slightest. She would be – however briefly – Yoona Park, World Champion, but more importantly, she would be – again and forever – Yoona Park, daughter.
Win.
And go home.
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, hailing from Seoul, South Korea, she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty eight pounds. She is the Slim Reaper・ YOONA PARK!"
PACIFIC RIM (ORCHESTRAL):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvrR2Lbfl_s
Heavy orchestral strings and a dimming of the lights heralded the arrival of the Slim Reaper and the start of the evening's main event. The fans who had taken up permanent residence in Park Place rumbled to life, growing louder and louder and louder as the music's tempo pumped faster and faster and faster for more than a minute. Finally, at the seventy second mark and just in time to catch the hook, Yoona Park tore through the curtains to a thunderclap of applause.
YOONA PARK:
If she were feeling the pressure of her first main event and World Title challenge, it didn't show on Yoona's face, her lopsided grin remaining as cocksure and inscrutable as ever as she strode towards the ring. Her black and gold-trimmed one piece along with matching fingerless gauntlets and leg-sheaths that ran from knee to ankle were a familiar sight with fans, though for the first time in nearly two years she was unadorned by the EurAsian title belt. A red silk ribbon tied around one thigh signified that Camille Cosworth was there in spirit if not in flesh, the Girl of Tomorrow too nervous to even follow the results of the match online as she sat in the Departures area of Orlando International Airport many miles away.
“I expected Camille to be here. Is she alright?・ head referee Nick Castle remarked as he checked the challenger's gear once she'd stepped through the ropes and claimed a corner.
“Kill yourself!・ Park cheerfully replied, the smile never leaving her lips.
Nick sighed heavily, immediately regretting having said anything at all to the Slim Reaper.
Yoona was still giving Castle a ration of shyt when the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Stovington Vermont, she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty pounds! Representing the Black Court she is the three time, three time, THREE TIME FAWN World Champion! I give to you THE ACE…SUSANNAH BURLINGAME!”
CROWN ON THE GROUND:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGEZpSQEhls
Those assembled for Slaybor Day festivities let out a bellowing roar when ‘Crown on the Ground’ barged its way into the arena. Shortly thereafter the Ace of the Black Court stepped into view and stretched her arms in a wide ‘T’ to call forth a ‘BOOM’ of zappy blue pyro.
SUSANNAH BURLINGAME:
For tonight‘s war against the Slim Reaper Sue sported her younger sister’s original ’Crimson Comet’ tank-top complete with comic Cherry Bomb logo. Bobbing along to the beat of her music, Burlingame gripped the garment in both hands and peeled it up overhead to unveil the big golden belt strapped around her bronzed waist. Armor thus doffed, she undid the belt and hoisted it for the fans and more importantly Yoona, to see. As per usual the Rainmaker wore her trademark dark blue two-piece with mellow golden trim and matching boots and pads at knee and elbow. Park paid it no mind but it raised an ‘ACE!’ chant from the faithful and that was enough to set Sue strutting down the aisle to the squared circle.
Ignoring the scores of hands extended in her direction, Burlingame made quick time down the ramp, then hooked a left and bounded up the steel steps to the apron. A quick scuffing made sure the soles of her boots were appropriately clean before she slipped through the ropes and strolled into the ring, title raised high. Burlingame claimed the center as her own but extended a beckoning hand to Yoona. She’d expected the challenger to storm out or dismiss the invitation outright (a slow jerking off motion seemed quite likely) but the Korean stayed in the buckles, her eyes flitting from Susan to the title and back again.
Lips curling in a smirk, Sue lowered the ten pounds of leather and gold and handed it off to Nick Castle. Eyes locked on Yoona, Sue purred, “See ya soon, cutie.” Eager to keep this promise, she backed into the opposite corner so the ref could check her pads and boots in peace.
The bell sounded and champion and challenger moved out quickly, neither actually running but there was no mistaking the urgency in their approaches. “F*cking finally.” Yoona said to no one in particular as she raised her fists. “Been asking for this match for goddamned ever. Thought the front office was never gonna let me at your overrated ass.”
Sue answered with a testing kick to the Korean’s right thigh, a blow Park blocked by raising her leg to take it on the shin. She countered with an equally snappy response only for Burlingame to absorb it in identical fashion. “Brass has always been a little hesitant to put us in the same ring, babe.” Susan noted as the brunettes began to circle. “Rumor has it they were worried I’d submit you with a Heel Hook thirty seconds in and they’ve invested too much in marketing you as a bad-ass to have your reputation trashed like--”
The Slim Reaper flicked out a Front Kick with her left leg only to snap it back and leap in with a Superman Punch aimed at the Ace’s chNO! Sue twisted aside, caught Yoona in a rough Waistlock as she took the challenger’s six. Fists knotted against the other brunette’s belly, Burlingame dipped low and popped her hips to send the former Eurasian Champion tumbling head over heels with a Release German Sup-- Park flipped through the descent to land in a crouch behind the champ. Straightening up as Burlingame spun to one knee, Yoona planted on her left foot and lashed out with the right in a Buzzsaw Kick aimed at the Courtier’s temp-PWAK!
Sue blocked the strike with her forearm, trapped Park’s lower leg beneath her arm and got to her fee- Yoona sprang and whipped her free foot straight at Burlingame’s skull. The challenger’s aim was true but her target was not, Sue dropping into a deep crouch to let the Enzugiri pass harmlessly overhead. Park landed on her palms easily enough and pushed back to verticality despite being down a leg. Whatever she’d been planning next went out the window when Sue wedged the challenger’s trapped ankle against the left side of her neck, then laid out flat on her back and threaded her legs around Yoona’s exposed thigh to bring her down in an Ankle Lock!
ANKLE LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDQR8W3zkA
“F*CK!” Park roared in anger and pain as the Ace tried to twist her foot off her leg. Shaking her head ‘no’ so that idiot Castle wouldn’t waste any of her time, Yoona scrambled up on her palms and crawled / dragged their combined weight to the nearest set of strands and grabbed hold of the bottom rope. “Break!” she demanded. “Break it, cunt!”
Susan eased the pressure on Park’s ankle to almost nothing, though she kept the Scissor around her thigh quite snug. “Break? Don’t worry cutie, I don’t think it’s even sprained!” She tickled Yoona’s foot ever so slightly, earning a poisonous curse from the Korean and a count from the referee. Burlingame released at ‘THREE!’ disengaged and pulled away, the three time World Champ rising to her feet while Yoona pushed to one knee.
“Think you’re pretty f*cking clever, don’t you Suzie?” Park growled.
“I think you’re f*cking delusional if you think I’m going to ignore the bulls-eyes on your ankles.” Sue snapped in response. “Now you want to keep fighting or do you need a few more seconds to compose your--”
Yoona was up and moving in a flash, the black-clad brunette going airborne for a Flying Knee that would’ve caved in Burlingame’s chin if the Rainmaker hadn’t blocked it with both forearms at the last possible second. This didn’t bother Park at all, in fact she’d thrown the knee hoping the champ would react as just as she had. Lacing her hands behind Burlingame’s head before her feet touched down, Yoona bent her foe over double and thum-thum-thum-THUMPED a quartet of vicious Kneelifts into those tawny abs.
“You thought Dufresne worked you over last month?” Park muttered as she transitioned from the Thai Plum to a standard Front Facelock. “Just wait ‘til I’m finished with you, rich girl. You’re gonna be a puddle on the f*cking mat.”
Sue was too busy sucking wind to respond, so Park slung the near arm over her shoulders, then reached down and collected Burlingame’s left leg behind the knee for a snug Standing Cradle. Without further ado she muscled the champion directly overhead and dropped to her back to THWONK the heiress’ head and shoulders against the deck with a perfect Fisherman’s Buster.
FISHERMAN'S BUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYx6xhi7jpY
Burlingame bobbled to a seat after the landing and Park was right there to palm a shoulder, but rather than pull her down for a cover the former Eurasian Champion doubled down on her grips and got to her feet. From there she switched over to grips on the Rainmaker’s wrists, tugging her arms into a rude ‘T’ shape so Park could step over the seated brunette’s shoulders. “I could break your neck just like that.” Yoona taunted as she cupped Burlingame’s noggin at crown and chin and began to twist. “But why make you a cripple when I can humiliate you instead?”
“You’re not capable of either.” Sue grunted as she pulled at Park’s wrists. “Social Media is the toughest aspect of your game and that’s not enough to--”
Yoona released the Neck Wrench, bent over her prone adversary and grabbed her right ankle so she could angle it across the Bankable Bombshell’s left thigh in a tight Figure Four. “Don’t stop running your mouth on my account, f*ck stick.” Yoona said cheerily as she threaded her fingers together beneath Sue’s left calf. “I’m just going to make you scream at the top of your lungs, that’s all.”
Burlingame didn’t get a chance to reply before Park pulled that leg up over her head to secure the Stump Puller. Sue bit back a groan that didn’t go unnoticed by the Senior Official. “What do you say, Susan? Want to give it--”
“Would you shut up, Castle?” the Slim Reaper chided. “I said I wanted to humiliate her, that takes time.” To that end Park worked her hips in an undulating S-curve, Yoona just grrrrrrrrinding her crotch against the nape of the World Champion’s neck. Sue hissed in pain, replied to the tawdry show by dragging her nails down Yoona’s thighs three times in rapid succession. Park sniffed in disdain, reached back with one hand and grabbed a handful of Sue’s hair. “Like a little tugging, huh bytch? Should’ve known a rich f*ck like you would nnnnnngggghhhhh!”
Yoona abandoned the hair-pull to double down on the calf-grip again when Burlingame dug a practiced thumb into the pits of the challenger’s knees. Park endured, tugged up on the captured limb that much harder and was rewarded with a pained groan from the heiress. “Let go right now, Suzie.” Yoona demanded. “Or I’ll tear this leg off and beat you with faaaaaaaahhhhhhhk!”
A violent shiver passed through Park’s usually steady legs as Burlingame tested the tensile strength of her leg-sheaths with those insistent thumbs. Unwilling to abandon the Stump Puller despite the creeping ache in her legs, Yoona dropped to her butt, a shift that stacked Burlingame on her shoulders while pointing her rump at the rafters for…
STUMP PULLER & PIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHGsk3CAUtU
ONE…
TWO…
The Ace kicked loose and somersaulted backward to land on Park’s chest in what would’ve been a pin if she hadn’t pushed to one knee and half a dozen straight punches into Yoona’s trim midsection. Groaning beneath the Courtier’s heavy knuckles, Park raised her knees to protect her belly, so Sue reached back and snatched a huge handful of hair. Shifting into a sort of splay-legged three point stance even as she lifted Park’s head off the canvas, Susan slid backward, wedged Yoona’s chin into the southern slope of her glutes, then ‘smecked’ her legs closed around the other brunette’s head.
Hands palmed against Yoona’s knees, Burlingame pushed her foe’s legs down flat, then squeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed the Headscissors hard enough to raise an instant flush in Yoona’s features. “Swagger all you want, sweetie.” Sue muttered as she bore down on the challenger‘s skull. “But we both know what sort of pressure you’re under. And I’m not talking these.” She sent another strong pulse through the Scissors, earning a flurry of quick, hard punches to her flanks from Park.
When all that got her was another squeeze around her neck, Yoona shifted her attention to Susan’s bottoms, slipping her thumbs into the legholes and pulling until she made a thong. The Wedgie got an irritated hiss from the champion, but still didn’t loosen the Scissors and now Park’s face was starting to turn purple.
With time running out, the challenger took a more direct approach, shoving both hands into Burlingame’s trunks and clenching down on a ferocious Crotch Claw. That finally drew a surprised, indignant yelp from the Ace, and disrupted her concentration just enough for Yoona to wrench a leg free of her grasps, whip it upwards, and tag her with a knee to the mouth. The blow sent Susan sprawling off to the side and each wrestler took a moment to gather her wits after the opening flurry, one rubbing her jaw and the other her neck.
Posted on one knee and readjusting her bottoms into a more comfortable position, Burlingame hissed, “Not five minutes in and already with the cheap shit, Park?”
A few feet away, Yoona suckled on her own fingers, smacked her lips, and chortled, “Get fucked, asshole! You might fight like an Ace, but you still taste like a Tijuana street-whore.”
“You would know…” Susan growled as she launched herself forward.
She leapt into a Scissor Kick, flicking her feet in a lightning quick left-right staccato burst in mid-air. Of course, Park mirrored the motion with an equally quick left-right tilt of her neck to dodge both kicks, then created some space for herself with a two-handed shove to Burlingame’s shoulders.
As Susan back-peddled to maintain balance, Yoona sprang into a Flying Knee only for the champion to duck underneath by allowing herself to fall to the mat. Burlingame was back on her feet in a flash, however, and she scrambled to thread her arms underneath the Slim Reaper’s in a Full Nelson just as the challenger landed after the missed connection. Taking a deep breath, Susan sank into a crouch before popping her hips and bridging backwards a heartbeat later, managing to get Yoona perhaps one-quarter of the way through a Dragon Suplex before their momentum was abruptly halted when the Korean wrapped both legs around her right.
The momentary imbalance was all Park needed to rip her arms free of the Full Nelson, and as soon as her toes found purchase against the canvas, she threw herself into a forward somersault and pulled Susan along for the ride by their tangled legs. At the end of their tumble, Burlingame found herself lying on her stomach with her right shin still trapped between her opponent’s thighs, and the next thing she knew, Park was lying on top of her back with an S-grip in front of her face.
STF:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJb_e-_h1Kc
“Gotcha now, Suzie B!” Yoona said as she wrenched Susan’s neck and upper spine backwards with her STF.
If Burlingame had a retort, it was rendered unintelligible by the challenger’s hands wedged across her jaw. Susan started crawling towards the edge of the ring, and to her dismay she succeeded only in making a lopsided circle with one leg trapped and Yoona twisting her entire torso towards the left. She angrily bit down on an intruding wrist -- hard -- but that too was fruitless when Park’s gauntlets proved to be impervious to her pearly white incisors.
“Already with the cheap shit?” Yoona echoed with a smug, superior smirk, not that Susan could see it.
The Rainmaker blindly and angrily waved at where she thought the referee might be, lest the man think that she would give up the title so soon. Knowing that it would be futile to try to pry her way out of Park’s grasp and quickly running out of options, Burlingame instead planted both palms against the mat and rolled hard to her left. That did nothing to free Susan from the STF, but it did put her belly-up and Yoona shoulders-down, and being the astute official that he was, Nick Castle quickly dropped down to count…
ONE!
TWO!
...before Park rolled to the left again, once more putting herself atop the facedown champion with the STF still secured.
“Sneaky motherfucker, aren’t you?” Yoona muttered while she reefed back further. “I’m gonna enjoy -- SHIT!”
Susan forced the entwined pair to roll left for the third time, yet again putting Park in a pinning predicament with shoulders down. This time Yoona went with the momentum, however, going straight into the fourth roll and putting Burlingame back on her belly before Castle could even get down to the mat.
“Really, Suzie? Be honest with me,” the challenger chuckled, “West and the rest of her dick-riders call you ‘the dumb one,’ don’t they? Like the token --”
“Break it, cunt,” the Ace spat back, her first words since Park put her in the STF.
Yoona looked to the side, and saw Susan’s left arm stretched all the way out to the side, just barely able to reach the bottom rope with her fingertips. A moment later, the referee was demanding that she release the hold too, which she did only after working the man’s count down to the last fraction of a second.
Park only gave her opponent the bare minimum time required by the official though, and a scant five seconds later, she was dragging the stumbling champion to the center of the ring with two handfuls of hair. A quick knee to the gut doubled Susan over, then Yoona’s arms looped around her waist and wrenched her up into the Powerbomb position, seated backwards atop the Korean’s shoulders.
Hundreds if not thousands of phones came out all at once, the fans wanting to capture the moment on video should Park employ the same salacious strategy she’d recently used to destroy Eliza Bliss. To their barely-concealed disappointment, however, the Rainmaker still had far too much in her tank, and before the Slim Reaper did what the Slim Reaper does, Susan snapped her thighs shut, threw herself into a backflip, and launched Yoona into the corner with a Hail Mary Hurricanrana.
HAIL MARY HURRICANRANA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3qc-dKlrG4
Sent flipping head-over-heels, Park slammed spine-first into the turnbuckles before crumbling into a heap. Meanwhile, Burlingame seemed to be doing only slightly better as she was propped up on knees and elbows, her athletic maneuver taking its toll on her body after she’d endured the prolonged rigors of the STF.
“No, Park,” Susan huffed between big gulps of air, “they call me ‘champion.’”
Park answered with a single raised index finger so Burlingame reached out, grabbed hold and bent it backward like she meant to touch it to the challenger’s wrist. “F*cking shytbird!” Yoona barked as the two brunettes clambered toward verticality. “Small joint manipulation is for OOOFFFHH!”
Sue stopped the sass with a quick Kneelift to the belly, then used that finger-clamp to draw Park close enough to hook her right arm across the Korean’s chest. Cupping Yoona’s left shoulder with a stern hand, Burlingame angled her right leg behind her foe’s feet, then pushed forward and went down on one knee to THWHUMP Yoona’s back across the posted joint!
STO BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy2q9JgTIJg
The former Eurasian Champion tumbled off the Ace’s knee to land on all fours. She’d hadn’t even had a chance to reach for her aching vertebrae when Burlingame caught hold of a wrist and used it to haul her up alongside. This segued nicely into a Front Facelock that could’ve turned into just about anything if the Slim Reaper hadn’t slipped free and paid Burlingame back with a Wristlock of her own. Wrenching the limb in a smooth circle while simultaneously stepping off to the champ’s left, Yoona shifted all her weight to her left foot and, without breaking her grip on Burlingame’s wrist, snapped off a Hook Kick that THWHACKED off the point of the Courtier’s chin!
ARM WRENCH HOOK KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGwnT3K7Lbo
Sue’s noggin whipped back but she didn’t go down so Park tossed the Wristlock aside and whipped around on her plant foot to flick out a Uraken at the heiress’ chee-THUMP! Sue got her forearms up and together, creating a quick but effective guard that had Yoona shaking a twinge out of her-- Park went for cheek again, this time with a looping right Haymaker only to curse aloud when Sue hooked an arm around her exposed bicep and dipped ‘round behind, the three time World Champ catching a Waistlock even as she turned upside down to take Yoona off her feet with a gorgeous Sunset FliNO!
Burlingame did indeed take Park to the canvas, she stacked her up in a quick Matchbook in fact. Yet Nick was still getting into position when Susan straightened up and muscled the other brunette into a startled handstand, Yoona’s arms flailing in confusion until the Bankable Bombshell stepped over and then the other. With Park’s torso effectively exposed, Burlingame hopped up and fell forward to land on her knees whereas Yoona was THAWHAMMED down flat on her chest and belly! Legs still hooked in place, Sue rolled onto her tush to finish the much delayed Sunset Flip, the champ pressing both hands to the Korean’s upturned haunches through…
BANKABLE CLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbEYjy176L4
ONE…
TWO…
Park twisted free with a full second to spare, the challenger coming to rest on her stomach with both arms swaddling her thrumming ribs. “What’s wrong sweetie, butterflies in your stomach?” Sue chided as she moved into place on the grounded brunette’s right side. “I understand. Big matches can do that to you when you’re not ready for--”
“F*ck off, cum dumpster.” Yoona grunted. “There’s nothing you can bring that’d make me break a swNNNNGGGGHHHH!”
Burlingame braced one hand between Park’s shoulders and another on the swell of her buttocks, all the better to launch herself into a handstand that became a Double Kneedrop driven deep into her opponent’s flank. “I might actually respect you if you weren’t such a miserable liar.” Susan hooked her fingers into the leg-holes of Yoona’s one-piece and yanked it north, returning the wedgie with scathing interest just because she could. “But since you can’t even admit how f*cking desperate you are to be World Champion…” Burlingame hoisted herself up again, held the position for a good three seconds, then swung down and in to THWUMP every bit of her weight into those suffering ribs.
“Stuff it, cunt.” Yoona grumbled as she tried to get up without offering the Rainmaker any more free shots. “If anyone in this ring reeks of desperation, it’s you. You wanna be Shea London so badly it’s pathetOOHH NO YOU F*CKING DONEEERRRRRRHHHHHH!”
Park was so concerned about defending her midsection that she was caught off guard when Burlingame seized her right wrist and yanked her arm out from underneath. Scissoring Yoona’s bicep between her thighs in a single serpentine twist, Sue stretched out atop the Korean’s lower back and reached over to claim Park’s left wrist. The resultant Armbar earned a curse from Yoona, it wasn’t until Burlingame began to wrench at her index and middle fingers that she shrieked in earnest.
MODIFIED RINGS OF SATURN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5rD5egCCV4
Castle heard the hurt in his charge’s voice and hurried in to check on her only to slow when Sue waved him off. “Don’t bother Nick, she’d just insult you. Isn’t that right, tuff girl?”
“Get fucked with an iron pipe, rich bytAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHH VICIOUS CUNT!” Park’s feet beat a ferocious tattoo against the canvas as Sue continued to wage war against her fingers.
“Coming from you that actually means something.” Burlingame teased. “Oh and whenever you’re ready to submit, address me directly. Castle’s only here to ring the bell.”
Yoona shook her head ‘no’ either in negation or disgust, possibly both. “Dream on, trust fund twat. You’re gonna be the one tapping out when I’ve got you split right up the middOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Sue collected all four fingers and continued to bend them in way those poor digits were never meant to bend.
Noting the very un-Yoona-like way Park’s forehead was pressed to the canvas, Nick spoke up in spite of the earlier warning. “What do you say, Yoona? Need me to call for the bell?”
The Slim Reaper shook her head ‘no’, then muttered, “F*ck that. I didn’t come this far to submit to this bytch.”
“Then fight out.” Sue said flatly. “Or get to the ropes. Because I’m not going to let you--”
Yoona stretched out flat as she could and began twist her hips, the Slim Reaper moving through a wide, pendulous arc that would eventually let her drape an ankle over the bottom rope. Sue saw this, noted the rate of Park’s progress and judged she had maybe fifteen seconds before the challenger earned her freedom. Happy to make that short stretch of time feel absolutely endless, the Rainmaker abruptly abandoned her finger torture so she could shift from her back to her side and wedge Park’s left arm beneath her left bicep. Yoona grimaced at the bolt that touched her from shoulder to elbow, but it didn’t stop her progress. Knowing damned well what Susan had in store (she’d have done the same if their positions were reversed and if she had her way, they soon would be) Park grunted, “Do it, f*ck-wad. I know you want NGH! NGH! NGH! NGH!”
Sue brought her right arm up and down over and over again, the Ace just pounding the point of her elbow into the side of Yoona’s defenseless skull. Teeth clenched against the heavy impacts, Park tucked her chin as best she could and kept on slogging, the challenger absorbing an ungodly amount of punishment en route to-- a roar from those assembled when Yoona hooked an ankle over the bottom rope. “F*CKING GET OFFA ME BURLINGSLUT!”
Susan did as Park demanded, unfortunately she also did as Yoona had earlier, hauling the wounded brunette to her feet without so much as a moment to catch her--Yoona swatted the champ’s hands aside, sprang straight up and THWHONKED a Jumping Kneelift between her eyes!
JUMPING KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i81laJXIqg
Sue stumbled all the way to mid-ring with Park in hot pursuit. Catching Sue’s wrist in a clasp of her own, Yoona dropped into a deep crouch and sent the Courtier on her way with an Irish Whip. No following now, the Slim Reaper set up shop in the center of the squared circle and greeted Sue’s return with a whistling Roundho--“DAMMIT!” Yoona didn’t bother to hide her disgust when Burlingame went under the kick and kept right on running. “F*ck it.” Yoona spat in the heartbeat before she ran the ropes opposite her foe. Reaching the strands at the same time as her opposition, the brunettes rushed headlong into--
THWHA-THWHAP!
Yoona and Sue took flight at the same time, champion and challenger each twisting to the right which meant they collided torso against torso and not skull to skull. Even so, the thwarted Crossbodies sent them tumbling to the deck in a tangle of groaning, glistening flesh that hadn’t started to prize itself apart by the time Nick began his count.
After about five seconds, Park staggered upright first, muttering a string of curses and standing hunched over on unsteady legs with palms pressed against her knees for support while Burlingame was still down on all fours. The challenger didn’t stay vertical for long, however, because Susan quickly lashed out with a low kick that swept her ankles out from under her and sent her crashing back down to the mat.
The THUD of Yoona’s spine slamming into the canvas seemed to reinvigorate both the crowd and the champion, the former popping into a burst of cheers as the latter kipped onto her feet. Susan glanced down at her momentarily downed opponent and recognized she had an opportunity, so she raced for the opposite side and bounced off the far ropes to build speed and momentum. Just as Park was getting re-combobulated after being discombobulated, Burlingame dropped into a Baseball Slide and slammed both heels into her flank.
The impact sent Yoona rolling under the bottom rope before falling out onto the floor, and for the second time in as many seconds, Susan kipped up to an ovation from the fans. Curiously, the four-foot tumble from the apron to the ground seemed to be a jolt to Park’s system, and she clambered to her feet almost as quickly as Burlingame. Almost was never going to cut it against the Ace of the Black Court though, and Yoona regained her bearings just in time to see the champion flying towards her knees-first.
DIVING METEORA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bn1Kc_H8tg
Burlingame’s shins collided into Park’s chest and collarbones, the runaway momentum of the Diving Meteora letting her violently ride the Slim Reaper all the way to the thinly-padded cement. This time Yoona stayed down, offering nothing more than a burbling, agonized wheeze as the other wrestler climbed off her body. The referee scrambled over to the edge of the ring and leaned over the ropes to get a better look of his charges, but the champion cut him off with a wave of her arm before he could start his count.
“Save your breath, Castle!” Susan informed the man as she hauled up her opponent by the hair. “I’m not defending the title with a goddamn count-out!”
Burlingame promptly made good on her words by roughly shoving the challenger back into the legal field of play before rolling into the ring herself. With the Korean’s braid wrapped around her hand and wrist, Susan dragged her stumbling opponent to the center of the ring, far away from the safety of the ropes and in perfect position for a coup de grȃce.
Sensing that victory was at hand, Susan whispered to Yoona, “This is where I’d like to tell you ‘close but no cigar,’ but you weren’t all that close, were you?”
With that, Burlingame spun in a deft circle, putting her back to the challenger as she reached over her shoulder with both hands to secure a Three Quarters Facelock on Park’s head. All at once, the FAWNatics roared and Susan kicked her legs out in front, intending to let gravity take its course and complete the Ace Crusher, as it had so many times throughout her three championship reigns.
This time, however, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe appeared to malfunction.
The building abruptly went silent as Susan remained suspended five feet above the mat with her legs pointed outwards in a V, only for the cacophony to return with a vengeance a heartbeat later, the noise level doubling and re-doubling again when the fans realized that Yoona had short-circuited the Ace Crusher by scooping both arms underneath Susan’s haunches and catching her in mid-air.
“Get fucked, Suzie,” Park snarled, then she laid out and drove the crown of Burlingame’s skull into the deck with a vicious Backdrop Suplex.
BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3aKG5P7q1k
Susan’s neck folded inwards at a gruesome angle for a moment before the recoil from the impact shook her free from Yoona’s grasps, leaving her in a crumpled heap in the middle of the ring. Just a couple of feet away, Park was splayed out and breathing heavily while she stared up at the arena lights, her eyes glassy and vacant as old memories of the sights and sounds and smells from Seoul drifted through her thoughts.
“SEVEN!”
The fans collectively counting along with the referee jolted Yoona out of her daydream. She still had work to do if she wanted to fulfill her vow of returning to her homeland with the World Title around her waist, so she forced herself back up with just a tick and a half to spare. Opposite of her, Susan was slower to recover after the nasty head drop, just now crawling to hands and knees.
That was as far as she would get before the Slim Reaper surged forward and delivered a heartless punt to the side of her head, heel meeting skull with a savage POP that had the crowd gasping. The Ace went slack like a puppet with its strings cut, and she collapsed face-first to the mat again with nary a twitch. Blood oozed from the fresh laceration on her temple in a thin rivulet before puddling in front of her nose and staining the canvas red.
“GET FUCKED, SUZIE! GET FUCKED!” Yoona repeated, this time roaring at the top of her lungs while she stalked around the edges of the ring and pounded her chest. “LAST MONTH YOU COULDN’T WIN CLEAN AGAINST THE ASS-END OF WICKED’S HUMAN CENTIPEDE, AND NOW YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST THE MOTHERFUCKING REAPER?!”
For all her vehemence and volume, however, Park couldn’t elicit an answer from the waylaid champion. In fact, the only signs of life at all from Burlingame were her rapid fluttering eyelids. Meanwhile, Yoona took another couple of laps around the ring to catch her breath, and somewhere in the back of her head, she heard her own voice.
Win, and go home.
Park’s brow twitched ever-so-slightly in irritation.
“On your feet, Susan,” she said, more measured and menacing now than a few moments ago. “It’s too goddamn early to kill a queen.”
When that still didn’t provoke a response from her opponent, the voice in her head spoke again, louder and more persistent this time than before.
Win, and go home.
“I SAID, ‘GET UP, SUSAN!’” Park screamed as her temper flared back to life, rolling Burlingame onto her back with a stiff kick to the ribs but accomplishing little in terms of rousing the Ace back to consciousness.
“GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!” Yoona repeated, punctuating each demand with a stomp to the breadbasket as her voice grew more and more desperate, almost pleading for her fallen foe to rise again.
Win, and go home.
“GET UUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP!” she screeched one last time as she dropped to her knees and hunched over so that her lips were just inches from Susan’s face.
Park’s voice echoed throughout the building, the audience mesmerized and silenced by the bizarre tableau playing out in front of them. Having emptied her lungs, Yoona rocked back onto her haunches and ran her hands through her hair, gazing down upon Susan’s battered body with a thousand-yard stare but making zero effort to claim the World Title by pinning the champion.
...go home.
“Is that it...? Is this all there is...? It’s not enough...” she muttered, meek and despondent. “...it’s not enough…”
Utterly baffled by what was happening, Nick Castle cautiously approached her and softly laid a hand on her shoulder, though she immediately shrugged it away with a violent shudder.
“Yoona, what -- what are you doing?” the referee asked. “What’s not enough? Just pin her.”
Park turned her head around to look at the official, her eyes bleary and unfocused, then she looked back towards Susan.
Then back to the official, then back to Susan.
Go home.
“No... No, no, no no no no… NO!” Yoona growled as her resolve hardened once more. “This can’t be it! There has to be more! There HAS to be MORE!”
By now, Burlingame was finally starting to shake off the two consecutive blows to the head, groaning softly as she tried to push up to a sitting position. Yoona grabbed her by the hair and roughly hauled her all the way vertical, however, then the Slim Reaper spun about and hurled her towards the nearest corner.
Susan pivoted to take the turnbuckles to her back rather than her chest, and she threw her arms over the intersecting ropes for support. Just a heartbeat later, Park was already bearing down on her with a blistering slap that smeared her blood over her cheek and turned her head to the opposite side.
“Fight back, you lazy fuck!” Yoona yelled in her face even as the slaps continued to rain down from both sides. “Fight back! FIGHT BACK!”
The Korean might have continued on indefinitely, but the champion being in the corner entitled her to a rope break. Castle gave an internal five-count, then risking life and limb to do his duty, the referee looped both arms around the Slim Reaper’s waist and dragged her all the way back to the center of the ring.
“Knock it off, Park! Or I WILL throw out this whole damn match!” Nick sternly warned, even though he feared he may lose at least one -- if not both -- of his testicles for his actions.
To his great surprise and relief, Yoona ripped herself free and turned her attention towards Susan without giving Nick so much as a backwards glance or a raised middle finger. She grabbed Burlingame’s wrist with both hands, then she planted her feet against the mat, dropped her hips, and gave a forceful yank to send the champion hurtling towards the opposite corner.
The inertia sent Susan halfway across the ring, but there she managed to corral her runaway momentum. Slamming on the brakes and pivoting on a dime, she reversed the Irish Whip and reeled in the very startled challenger before diving forward and smashing her free arm right across Yoona’s collarbones.
RAINMAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9damVJyb71M
Taken clean off her feet by the Rainmaker, Park’s ragdolled body did half a somersault in the air before she crashed to the deck on the back of her neck. Exhausted and lying on the mat after the vicious counter, Burlingame wiped the back of her hand across her face to get the blood and sweat out of her eyes.
“Careful what you wish for, Park,” Susan huffed as she rolled onto her side and propped herself up on an elbow.
Yoona replied by slopping onto her stomach, which wasn’t nearly enough for Burlingame so she helped herself to the brunette’s braid and dragged them both to their feet in stages. The return to verticality started at least some of Park’s synapses firing again as she gouged a few halfhearted punches into the Ace’s midsection. Sue absorbed the shots with little more than a grimace, though you’d have thought Yoona hauled off and spit in her eye by the way the World Champion planted on her left foot and just THWHUMPED a heartless Kneelift in opposing belly. Yoona’s hips shot backward but she managed a sloppy clinch around Sue’s neck, presumably to answer with some knees of her own.
Whatever her intentions, they remained strictly in the realm of ‘what if’ because Burlingame curled her left hand into a fist and buried it above Park’s right hip. Hooking the liver was far from pretty, not that anyone could argue with results that left the Slim Reaper doubled over in gut-shot agony. Sue’s upper rip curled in a snarl as she took in the view of her opponent’s exposed back. Without really thinking about it, she crooked her hands into claws, set them just north of Park’s glutes and raaaaaaaaaaked her all the way to the shoulders!
“BYTCH!” Yoona jolted upright at once, yet instead of engaging the Courtier she swung around on one foot and wobbled her way toward the ropes with her right arm pressed tight to her throbbing liver. Such a retreat would’ve raised a smirk from Burlingame on any other occasion, tonight however her dark eyes flared menacingly and she stalked after the Korean to score her rapidly-reddening back almost half a dozen times before Yoona finally crumpled to a knee with her free arm wrapped around the middle ropes.
“Buuuuhhh… back off, rich girl.” Yoona rasped with a trace of her usual attitude. “Your shytty press-on nails won’t work herAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGHHH!”
Sue pressed in close to make sure the other brunette couldn’t squirm away while she reached over the strands to catch Park’s biceps. Jerking Yoona to her feet immediately thereafter forced the challenger’s upper body through the space between top and middle ropes, thus giving the Bankable Bombshell a perfect excuse to drape Park’s arms across the former. Soon as that was done she slipped not one, not two, but three fingers from each hand into Yoona’s mouth and yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back like she meant to peel the challenger’s skin clean off her head!
“Did you really call me lazy?” Sue almost whispered it to the sputtering striker. “DID YOU F*CKING CALL ME LAZY YOU ARROGANT LITTLE SHYT?” Burlingame roared the question, the heiress pulling those hooks harder than ever despite Castle’s growing insistence and Yoona’s nails gouging at her forearms and wrists.
Coming to understand that Sue had no intention of stopping, Nick barked out a count that only reached ‘TWO’ before Susan cleared off with both encroaching hands raised high overhead. This abrupt cessation flummoxed the Senior Official for a second or two, more than enough time for Burlingame to sneak back in and peel her rival away from the ropes. A rough Full Nelson kept Park’s chin snug to her breastbone for the span of heartbeats it took Susan to haul her to the center of the squared circle. No sooner had they reached their destination did the World Champion dip deep and snap off a high speed bridge that THWHUNKED Yoona down flat on the back of her increasingly sore neck! Burlingame broke the Nelson on impact, leaving Park to roll through to her stomach and use the last little bit of momentum to power to her knees.
“Luuuuhhhh…. lazy twat.” she beckoned Sue in with both hands, daring the Ace to engage. “If you really wanted to win I’d be bleeding by--”
There was a ‘THWHUMP’ followed by a resounding ‘OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!’ from the crowd when Susan exploded off the ropes and smashed Yoona with a low flying Kneelift, not to the forehead, but the side of her neck just above the Korean’s right shoulder. The Slim Reaper went down in a heap, Park literally bowled over to the point that she came to a nauseated stop within easy reach of the bottom rope.
SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX & RUNNING KNEE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOJ1UTe86mQ
As for Sue, she was within easy reach of a Crossbody that she declined due to Park’s proximity to the ropes. Instead she caught Park at elbow and wrist and dragged her out to the middle, then ditched the wrist in favor of doubling down on her opponent’s feet.
“Stupid… stupid bytch.” Yoona huffed. “You can’t beat me to the f*cking legs. No one can beat me to the NNNGGGGHHH!”
Susan wrenched those dangerous legs wide, raised her right foot and buried that heel deep in Park’s exposed midsection. “Not gonna beat you to the legs, sweetie.” Burlingame explained as she began knotting Park’s stems around the post of her encroaching leg. “Just gonna keep ‘em out of the way for a while.”
Yoona’s eyes widened and she made to sit up, which would have been a sound strategic choice if Susan hadn’t dropped down to greet her with a Forearm Smash that clouted her upside the face! Park hit the deck flat, raised her forearms in a crude guard that survived about three direct shots before Burlingame ripped through it to continue smashing away at the Korean’s skull.
BANKABLE BEATDOWN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPzup8TPlds
Without the guard Yoona’s resistance amounted to little more than woozy pawing, but it was enough to keep her shoulders off the mat and prevented Castle from calling for a stopp-- Susan swatted the other brunette’s arms aside, palmed her shoulders and pressed down to glue Yoona to the mat through…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Park twisted onto her side a whisper before the ‘THREE!’
“Still want to fight, huh?” Susan didn’t slap her so much as she pie-faced her, the Ace pressing down to smoosh the other half of Yoona’s face into the rough canvas. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Yoona shoved her hand away so Burlingame gave her a real slap, then caught a handful of braid and hauled her to-- “NGH! NGH! NGH!” Park landed a flurry of tummy punches from one knee, surged to her feet and created some much needed separation with a weary Push Kick to Burlingame’s chest. “F*ck off, Suzie.” she growled. “I’m not the one who was facedown and bleed-”
Sue leapt in, caught the challenger in a Three Quarters Facelock and laid out full force to SPIKE Park’s face into the mat courtesy of the Ace Crusher she’d missed earlier. Park bounced up and rolled onto her back, the former Eurasian Champion seemingly unaware of Burlingame’s presence when the heiress collected both legs and pointed her ass to the overhead lights with a Back Press good for…
ACE CRUSHER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyo-0UXxxzk
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Yoona twitched free of the cover, turned onto her stomach and fell still, utterly oblivious to the cacophony of the FAWN Arena.
Beside her, Sue didn’t argue with the referee or even spare him a second look. Rather she bounced to her feet and sank into a deep crouch directly behind her flattened adversary. “Get up, bytch.” Burlingame murmured as her hips swayed back and forth. “I know the air is thin up here, but there’ll be more of it if you can knock me off the top, so get the f*ck up.”
Yoona didn’t get up, she stayed right where she was, facedown drawing in shallow breaths with one arm draped over the back of her pounding skull. “Get up.” Susan’s tone was more demanding now. “Get up. Get up. GET UP! GET UP! GET--”
Yoona rolled to the right, the challenger making a slow but unmistakable break for the edge of the ring.
Sheer surprise almost got her there, alas Burlingame pounced at the last second and drove a vicious stomp into the small of her back!
“Call me lazy, then have the nerve to pull that shyt?” Sue hissed as she laid claim to the other brunette’s braid. “At least I’m not a gutless cuOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Park drilled her with a Back Elbow from one knee, tore loose of the champ’s clutches and scrambled to verticality to follow with a CRAAACKING Super Kick that sent Sue reeling back on her heels! Honing in on the point of Burlingame’s chin, Yoona cooed, “Eat a dick, rich girl.” then charged and leapt, her right hand already cocked back behind her ear for--
Sue caught her outta the air with another Three Quarters Facelock and brought the challenger THWHAMMING down with her second Ace Crusher of the evening. Only this time Burlingame kept hold of the other brunette’s head, all the better to tuck it under her arm after she’d rolled back into a seat on Yoona’s back. Flicking Park’s left leg across the plank of her left thigh, Sue set her feet and craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Root of All Evil.
ACE CRUSHER TO ROOT OF ALL EVIL @ 1:07
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j53ygI28ZM8&t=67s
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH FAAAAAAAAAAAAHK!” Park wailed in abject agony as the earlier damage done to her neck was compounded exponentially by the merciless stretch.
Sue only bared her teeth in a hard smile and ground her hips a few inches above Park’s own straining tush. “You want out? Get to the ropes. Because you know what happens if you don’t.” Sue bounced her butt against Yoona’s, then lifted up and shifted ’em both around in a quarter circle and sat down deep, the Ace perched on her prey’s upper thighs.
Park was wrenched at a hellacious angle, the bendy-back doing her best impression of a ‘J’ that wanted to be a ‘U’.
“Gotcha facing the hard camera now, baby. Go show these people how much you want to be World Champion while I play with your tits.”
“Guuuuhhhh…. get f*cked OH F*CK YOU SUZIEEEEERRRRRGGGHHHH STAAAAAAAAHHHHHP!”
Burlingame plucked the left cup of Park’s bustier aside and treated her nipple to a merciless pinch!
The tactic was absolutely unnecessary given the already gawd-awful curve in Yoona’s neck and spine, yet there was no denying the cheers that ran through the capacity crowd when Susan went to work. And not entirely surprising perhaps, considering the carnal depredations Yoona had unleashed on her victims during her reign atop the Eurasian Division. Malicious though it was, it was *just* a titty twister. The real torment came from Sue’s latest southward slide, which left the Ace seated atop her prey’s knees. No one else on the roster save perhaps Dominique Daly could’ve endured such an arrangement for more than a few heartbeats, yet a full ten seconds ticked off the clock with Yoona strapped in the vile arrangement, each of them tallied by a thunderous ‘TAP!’ chant.
Noting the lethargy settling over the challenger, Castle dropped to one knee beside the action and asked, “What do you say, Yoona? Do you need me to call for the bell?”
“Nuuuuuuuhhhhh….. noooooooooooooo…” Park groaned pitiably and Nick couldn’t tell if it was a negation of his question or resignation over another round of white-knuckle tweaking. He was about to ask her again when Park pulled her right hand off the mat and swatted Sue’s left forearm three times. Nick called for the bell before he even stood up, but Burlingame didn’t release her grip just yet.
“Say it.” she sighed to the defenseless challenger. “You know what I want to hear.”
Yoona did, she would’ve done the same if their positions were reversed. “Submit.” she croaked. “I submit you f*cking bytch.”
Sue let go at the sound of this concession, but rather break away she turned Park onto her back, then wheeled around in a half circle and scooted up just high enough to engulf the Slim Reaper in buttocks before the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via submission and STILL FAWN World Champion… SUSANNAH BURLINGAME!”
Soles braced against the sides of Yoona’s protesting skull, the Rainmaker pressed her palms to the Korean’s fluttering tummy and worked her hips in taut little figure eights, an arrangement designed to smother rather than stimulate. “You have no idea how much I want to draw this out.” Sue admitted as she felt the huff and pull of Yoona’s breath against her trunks. “Unfortunately I have an appointment that cannot wait. This was fun though. Don’t think I’ll forget the head wound.”
With that spread her knees a little wider and bore down that much harder. Give the devil her due, Yoona fought and wriggled for another ten seconds before finally, mercifully succumbing unconsciousness. Fetching a sigh that mixed satisfaction and relief, Burlingame made a show of ‘snapping’ her briefs into place as soon as she’d pushed to one knee. Castle moved in to offer her the World Title, which she accepted with a nod and a simple request. “Mic me, Nick.”
The Senior Official obliged in short order, then turned his attention to Yoona once Susan stood up and moved toward the side of the ring facing the ramp. She raised the mic to her lips, hesitated, shook her head and smiled.
“Sorry. Sorry.” she said to the expectant crowd. “It’s just, well for one, I’ve been through a war tonight. And two, I’ve been waiting more than ten years to say… Shea London, get your ass out here.”
Those seven words sent an electric jolt through the capacity crowd. It was a proclamation greeted by raucous cheers, excited whispers, and even incredulous murmurs emanating from the stands… but, for the moment, no response from the stage. But, just when it looked like Sue might be ready to check her wrist for an imaginary watch, a voice came over the sound system…
“Do you wanna get rocked?”
It was already loud, but whenever the Leppard began to pump over the PA inside the FAWN Arena, “loudness” was redefined. And that was never more true tonight, when the FAWNatics erupted into a roar moments before the Sensational One stepped through the curtains.
SHEA LONDON:
Even the fact that Shea London wasn’t dressed for battle did little to dampen the atmosphere. Having already hit the showers following the successful debut of FAWN’s latest tag team pairing, the gorgeous British blonde sporting a pair of white sneaks, black yoga pants, and a fresh from the merch stand gold Honey Harris tee under a light blue denim jacket. Only those stylish shades remain from her usual entrance apparel.
And it was one of the legs of those stylish shades that the Sensational One pinched between index finger and thumb, raising them with more than a little bit of cheek to meet Susannah’s gaze from the ring. “Alright, Burlingame,” the living legend said, “ya ‘ave my attention. Whattaya wanna say?”
Sue arched an eyebrow. “DO I have your attention, Shea? I’m not so sure. Because if another THREE TIME World Champion called ME out at the end of a pay-per-view, I’d damned sure be curious enough to make my way all the way down to the ring so I could look her in the eye.” Burlingame lowered her mic for a moment, then shrugged as if she’d just remembered something. “Of course you DID earn a big win earlier tonight. I understand if you’re too tired to make it up and down the ramp more than once a night, you being a woman of a certain age and all.”
She paused, allowing time for the colossal ’OH NO SHE DIN’T!’ roar that passed through the crowd.
“I could always come to you, if you’re not feeling up to the trip.”
Shea’s lips curled upward in something of an ironic smile, the Sensational One offering a hollow chuckle to the jab at her maturity. “Well, I DO ‘ave ta make sure I can get up fer tha Early Bird Special…” London replied, the snark in her voice drawing encouraging the crowd to laugh along with her self-deprecating jab. But then, the British blonde shook her head. “Actually, ya know ‘ow it is with kids,” she noted, taking special care to place the emphasis on those last two words. “Ya never wanna reward their bad behavior. It only encourages ‘em.”
Now it was Shea’s turn to pause, and allow the FAWNatics to “oooh!” at her barb.
“Then again,” London added with a shrug of her shoulders, “they ALSO say spare tha rod an’ spoil tha child. An’ they don’t come much more spoiled an’ entitled as you already are, so…”
Without another word, the FAWN Original started down the ramp, a crowd that still couldn’t quite believe they were witnessing what was transpiring pushing it into overdrive as the British Bombshell closed in on the ring. Climbing onto the apron, Shea slid through the ropes and marched directly over to the reigning and defending, three-time FAWN World Champion, and asked her one simple question:
“Satisfied?”
“Getting there.” Sue said softly. She took a step back, grabbed the belt draped across her shoulder and raised it high. Shea spared it a glance, but only a glance. The Sensational One was far too cagey to take her eyes off the Rainmaker for even a second and Sue appreciated her for it.
“I’ve been in this company for more than ten years, London. In that time I’ve been loved and I’ve been hated, sometimes both at the same time. I’ve been a lot of other things too, not the least of which is a three time World Champion. The only thing I’ve never been is complacent or lazy. Doesn’t matter how big, how bad, how busty or how busted the opposition, I took on all comers for one simple reason. To prove that when it comes to FAWN competition there’s good.” Sue laid the belt across her shoulder again so she could hold that hand level with London’s shoulder.
“There’s great.” That hand rose to even with the top of Shea’s head.
“And then there’s standardbearer.” She lifted her hand a good foot higher. “Or as I like to call it, ME.”
That got a rise out of the Sensational Squadron, but neither London or Burlingame so much as blinked during the ensuing stare down.
Eventually Susan went on. “As far as I’m concerned there’s only one woman in this arena who can make a legitimate challenge to that claim. Only one woman in this arena I’ve never shared a ring with through ten plus years. And only one woman in this arena that I want to BEAT at Fawnamania.” The Ace took another step back, bent low and laid the World Championship on the canvas between she and London.
“What do you say, Sheasie? Think you’re Sensational enough for one more London Run in the Main Event of the biggest show of the year? Or can I offer you a box of chocolates to go with all those cupcakes you’ve been feasting on?”
Now that Sue had laid her cards on the table, Shea knew that she wouldn’t want to tarnish what was no doubt already in Burlingame’s mind a victory on the biggest and brightest stage in the world with a cheap shot the month before. And that afforded the Sensational One the luxury of casting a fleeting glance down, at the championship that now rested between them literally, as well as metaphorically.
But ONLY a brief glance. Best not to tempt fate too much.
“Ya know tha’s MY belt, right?” London asked, once her eyes had again met the Rainmaker’s. “I mean, tha’s LITERALLY tha very same belt tha’ went around MY waist back in September of Oh-Three, before it went around anyone else’s. Tha’s tha very same belt I’ve not only been fortunate enough, but GOOD ENOUGH, ta claim on three separate occasions.”
After allowing herself a moment to regard Sue’s smirk, Shea pointedly added, “Tha’s a belt I never ‘ad ta bend a knee ta claim.”
And that spurred another round of “OH NO SHE DI’N’T!” hoots and hollers.
“Ya might be a three time champion,” London continued, “but I only recall ya winnin’ that belt once while I’ve actually been around… an’ I don’t recall ya bein’ so eager ta put it on tha line against me THEN. Which makes me wonder just what’s changed, ta make ya call me out NOW… other than, of course, tha passage of time. Ya accuse me of feastin’ on cupcakes, but could it be ya’re only challengin’ me cause ya think I’M one now, too?”
Anger flashed across Burlingame’s face at the mention of knee-bending, but rather than snap back she took a deep breath and noted, “I didn’t join the Court to win the World Title, London. I joined the Court to make sure I had a fair shot against Pandora. You remember her, right? She made a grease spot out of you, ended one of your title reigns as I recall. How DID her tummy taste? I never had the pleasure of learning.”
Shea’s eyes narrowed, but Sue held her tongue and her ground.
“But to your question… no, I don’t think you’re a cupcake. I don’t think you’re washed up, I don’t think your best days are behind you and I sure as hell don’t think you’re as close to retiring as you’d like everyone to believe. That legendary top gear of yours might not run as long and as hot as it used to, but it’s still there. Know what else is still there?” She reached out a finger and jabbed London in the chest, over her heart, specifically. “The drive to prove yourself the absolute best this promotion has to offer. Because you didn’t have to come back at all. You’ve proven more than enough, but you came back to this ring because you still want everyone to know why FAWN is synonymous with Shea London. I admire that. I respect that, whether you believe it or not. But here’s the thing… I’m the World Champion. I am the standard bearer, the vanguard, the workhorse, the goddamned ACE of this company. It means that as great as you were then… as great as you are right now, I’m still better. And I’m willing to put everything on the line to prove it. If you win, you don’t just stand tall to close FAWN’s show of shows. You make history as the only FOUR TIME World Champion. But if you lose, you’ll know that everything I’ve said tonight is true.” She trailed off as a knowing smile curled her lips. “That’ll come later, though. After I’ve shown you the best seat in the house.”
Burlingame backed off, offered an exaggerated shrug. “Or you could always say no. I’m sure the folks in the pre-show booth would love your expert analysis breaking down the video packages.”
Shea bristled at that particular jab—Cassie did a brilliant job there, as far as London was concerned—but she didn’t take the bait. “Ya know wha’ I think, Sue?” the living legend asked. “I don’t think this is really about ME at all. It’s about YOU. I mean, ‘Ooooh, Sue Burlingame thinks it’s all about ‘er’ isn’t exactly tha most scorchin’ ‘ot take there is ‘round ‘ere…”
The FAWNatics gave that line a particularly hearty laugh.
“… but it’s more than that,” Shea pressed on. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever thought of accusin’ ya of lackin’ in self-confidence before now, but everything ya just said about yerself? Tha’ ya’re ‘tha vanguard’, ‘tha workhorse’…? Deep down, in YOUR ‘eart…”
London returned the Rainmaker’s earlier poke to the chest.
“… I’m not sure ya really believe ANY of tha’. I mean, THA REST OF US all know it’s garbage, but in yer ‘eart of ‘earts, YOU can’t be sure about tha’... At least, not until ya’ve put my shoulders ta tha mat. Ya know what I think, Sue? I think ya NEED this.”
Shea paused, allowing Burlingame the opportunity for a rebuttal. One she didn’t take.
“Well,” the Sensational One finally said, “I’m sorry ta disappoint ya.”
And with that, a confused and disappointed murmur ran through the crowd, along with a scattering of boos.
“Ya’re NOT gonna put my shoulders ta tha mat at Mania, Sue. No, at Mania, I’m gonna be reunitin’ with a very old, an’ very dear friend. Sue Burlingame, I’m walkin’ out of Mania A FOUR TIME CHAMPION.”
Sue chested into Shea hard enough to knock the Briton off balance, albeit only for a second. Then she was up in Burlingame’s business to the pair of first-ballot Hall of Famers going nose to nose (despite the three inch height difference) while the crowd urged them ever onward.
Didn’t happen though.
After a long pause the Rainmaker admitted. “You’re right about one thing, Shea. I DO need this. I need it more than you’ll ever know. But you’re wrong about everything else. Because you’re not walking out of ‘Mania. In fact something tells me you’ll still be starfished in the middle of this f*cking ring when the broadcast times out. Don’t worry about hiding your face in shame though. I’ve got that covered.”
Sue dropped the mic, shouldered London out of the way and scooped up the World Title all in the same motion.
Shea caught her balance, then reared back to slap the taste out of Burlingame’s mouth only to stay her hand when the ring flooded with late arriving referees. “Tha’s tha only free shot ye’ll be gettin’, Sue.” London promised just before the Ace dipped through the ropes. “And at ‘Mania there’s gonna be one last London Run straight through yer nasty black heart.”