Post by hawkeye on Nov 7, 2021 23:37:41 GMT
“Ladies and gentlemen, the next match is for the Intercontinental Championship! The following contest is scheduled for one fall and has a 30-minute time limit. Introducing first! Our challenger…”
NEMO: youtu.be/fWm7BLoY9wI
The light piano of the Nightwish classic heralds the arrival of tonight’s challenger. “...From parts unknown, she stands five feet, nine inches tall, and weighs in tonight at one hundred thirty-three pounds...She is The Faceless, The Nameless; she is ZERO!!!”
ZERO:
The masked redhead walks out to the stage and looks out from behind her heart-shaped mirrored mask that completely hides her face, visibly taking a deep breath. For her official FAWN debut, she is wearing her normal ring gear of a basic white one-piece with silver accents, black elbow and kneepads, and red boots. The enigmatic grappler had won a battle royal in FAWN’s developmental territory in Bangor, Maine, to earn this shot at the Intercontinental Championship, and she had been training meticulously ever since, watching tapes of the champion and formulating a game plan based on that.
As she makes her way to the ring, she high-fives several fans at ringside before climbing into the ring and raising her right arm in a gesture meant to pump up the crowd, which accomplishes its intended effect FAWNatics respond with a loud cheer and applause. Zero then retreats to a neutral corner to wait for the champion and runs through her fight plan move by move.
After Zero’s entrance theme fades out, there is a beat of silence. And another. And another. The lights go out. The speakers blare a symphony that has half the crowd on their feet, screaming moments before the spotlights turn on.
TURNADOT- FINALE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTa-b7cUw0
The air fills with sounds of a full orchestra playing alongside powerful, classically trained singers. The audio of Giacomo Puccini’s three-stage opera feels perfectly appropriate with the sight of the stage illuminated with blinding white spotlights, all focused on the towering sentinel that was the Intercontinental champion, Victoria Hackenschmidt.
VICTORIA HACKENSCHMIDT
Victoria drinks in the uproarious response the FAWNatics give. Some of them change their attitudes once the bell starts, but they always love her when the music’s playing. Hackenschmidt takes in a calming breath through her nose and sets down the ramp. The German Giant stood tall and imposing in gleaming silver armour that reflected the bright lights shining down, making her appear as a descended archangel. Her head is covered in a Corinthian helmet that protects the back and sides of her head but leaves her high-boned cheeks free, a strip of metal stretched down from the center opening to cover her nose. The helm is smooth other than an artful etching that circles the top of the skull resembling a bejewelled crown. A fitted plackart covered Vic’s modest chest and firm belly connected to a pair of pauldrons covering her shoulders, and an armoured skirt of brown leather with steel plating extends past her knees. All detailed in similar etchings to her helmet, which gave the young veteran an aura of royalty. But the most crucial thing on Victoria’s person is around her waist, the Intercontinental Championship belt. Under the spotlight, it shone the brightest beacon to any potential challenger, employed by FAWN or not, to try and pry it from the Destroyer’s grasp.
Head bowed in silent prayer; her gauntleted hands clutch the handle of a cross-hilted broadsword nearly four feet in length, a replica of an old family heirloom that hung over the fireplace in her family estate in Hesse, Germany. With a mighty roar, she flexes her powerful arms and hefts the blade up to a cheering audience, then onto her shoulder before beginning her march towards the ring, the spotlights following her every step.
"Standing at 5 feet 11 inches and weighing in at 152 pounds!! From Phoenix, Arizona by way of Hesse, Germany!! She is The Valiant One!! The Intercontinental Champion, Victoria “The Knight” Hackenschmidt!!!”
Before the bell, Victoria tries to keep her mind on the match ahead, but she still reaches her free arm out to slap the hands of the FAWNatics leaning over the guardrail. The Valiant One briefly detours to a set of steel steps where a solid-looking metal box with a small slit cut into the top sat by the ring apron. Hackenschmidt takes the sword off her shoulder, swings in a broad and swift circle before plunging it down into the box with one hand in a single smooth motion. She hands the belt to an attendant who takes the prize to the commentator's table and takes off her armour, placing it neatly on the step to be collected later, along with the belt, after she wins. The Knight’s no longer armed and fortified but somehow looks more dangerous in her usual ring attire. White halter top with matching boy-cut shorts, white boots and knee pads, and an elbow-length fingerless white glove on her right arm. All her gear has thin black lines that resemble plate armour similar to what she just discarded.
Champion and challenger move to meet each other in the center of the Squared Circle; Victoria tries to keep her gait and expression non-aggressive. She wants to keep the match respectful unless Zero tries something underhanded. Victoria couldn’t find any history of her masked opponent outside FAWN footage; as far she could tell, the Jungle mainstay had appeared out of nowhere. Going by what footage there was, Zero fought clean but will do what it takes to win even her opponent needed a sling for a week or two. Going by body language alone, The Knight couldn’t tell if the Faceless One enjoyed the pain of other women, and all she got from the mask was her purposefully calm expression reflected. The two stand a couple of feet apart, taking a measure of each other. Social interactions were never Hackenschimdt’s bailiwick, that more her ex-partner, Danica’s role. Struggling to break the awkward silence, Victoria voices, "....I like your mask. The mirror is quite innovative; does it have some meaning?" Zero nods and traces the edge of the reflective surface with her finger, ”I suffer from memory loss. I woke up in a hospital with little knowledge of who I am or where I’m from, just that I was a wrestler. So until I get my memories back, I won’t be anything else. I’m a blank slate with skills, no false identities.” Vic is wide-eyed at the unexpectedly heavy answer. She runs a hand through her hair, “Mein Gott, that is quite the predicament...And the heart?"
Zero chirps, "Oh, I just thought it was cute!"
Victoria purses her lips, then smiles and nods, “It is.” The official comes by and urges the combatants to their corners to do his mandatory pre-match pat-down for foreign objects. He finds nothing to report and motions for the bell.
DING! DING!
Both combatants push out of their corners and quickly travel the ring in concentric circles till they’re close enough to dart out their hands for a quick shake before locking together in an Elbow and Collar. The height difference usually heavy in Victoria’s favour is scant in this matchup. However, she still has a sizable weight advantage, a recurring trait Victoria has associated with very self-conscious feelings. The giant German leans into her opponent and forces Zero back step by step; the masked mystery adapts quickly, taking Victoria up and over with an Armdrag, the champ landing on her hip. Victoria recovers instantly, bursting off the mat and darting for the masked mystery just to be nailed in the chin by Zero’s impressive standing dropkick. Hackenschmidt drops flat on her back, stunned and vulnerable. Zero snags her left ankle as she rises and seals it under an armpit. Whipping herself to the canvas while turning onto her side, The Nameless One tries to pop Victoria's knee and ankle with a viscous Heel Hook!
youtu.be/pfrpr_TB0s0?t=185
Victoria sits up like a sprung mousetrap and bites down a scream into a growl, “GGRRrr!!” She can tell the hold is expertly applied, so no sense in looking for an escape. Placing her hands flat on the mat, Victoria’s hand walks both her and Zero the short distance to the nearest set of ropes. The impressed applause the FAWNatics gave Zero switches to lauding the champion’s impressive show of strength. Vic wraps her palm around the bottom coil, getting the ref’s attention with a bark of “Break!” Zero works the hold for a count of two before letting go. She crabwalks a couple of feet away before backrolling to her feet and starting a walk of the ring. The Jungle Main-eventer starts a rhythmic clap that the crowd quickly follows, Zero’s trying to get the crowd’s energy on her side, and it’s a relatively easy task. About 65% of the Orlando audience is hoping for Zero to take the strap from the talented yet, largely unliked babyface, while the rest are diehard followers of The Valiant One.
Victoria gets up with a slight assist from the ropes and gives her leg a few testing stretches before stepping further into the ring. Giving a nod of respect for the reprieve, Victoria waves Zero closer from across the ring as she raises her arms for another Elbow and Collar, “Shall we try that again?”
Zero nods and gets into a similar stance, measuredly closing the gap with the international star. “Watching footage of your matches doesn’t do you justice,” the redhead commented from behind her mask, “if anything, your strength is understated!” The Destroyer class dames are about to touch fingertips when Zero peks! a low kick to the side of Victoria’s left thigh. Vic stumbles but regains her footing and lunges for the masked woman, but Zero jukes around The Knight and fires another low kick, this one rippling the muscles in Victoria’s calf. Zero makes the eternal composed Victoria dance a jig by peppering her left leg up and down with kicks, following the time-tested battle plan of picking a limb and working it. Victoria mutters curses in her native tongue, “Scheiße! Scheiße!” as she’s bullied into the ropes and forced to hang onto the top coil as Zero puts boot marks on her leg for a count of three before backing away. The Nameless one races across the ring to hit the opposite set of ropes and comes back with a head of steam. What she has planned remains a mystery; Vic shoves off the ropes and hits a meaty clothesline across Zero’s chest. The Jungle Dweller coughs and rocks back on her heels a few steps before getting back into the fray and gets slapped on the gurls with another strong Clothesline. Zero nearly crumples under the champ’s force, and Victoria almost falls on her face with the momentum, but both women steady themselves at the last moment, now off-center of the ring. Zero crosses her arms over her chest, her expression hides behind the mirrored mask, but the wheezes escaping it tells Victoria she’s on a roll. The Intercontinental champion throws back an arm, the muscles on the limb shredding into definition as Vic builds up power and releases it in a flash of movement. Zero prevents the third impact with a high-angle roundhouse kick to the bicep that knocks the German’s arm back; Victoria reaches out as Zero presents her back mid-turn and gets a handful of her white one-piece above the buttocks. Victoria completes the trio of Clotheslines in brutal fashion, her arm connecting with the back of Zero’s neck with an echoing slap that makes the arena cringe!
Oh No!
youtu.be/-bJ7zNvJp1s?list=PLeRPsdtvusXiROvHPBxh0BXVkuPhU_QUs&t=1
Zero drops like a marionette with its strings cut. The challenger lies on her side in a heap with legs akimbo. Victoria flattens her foe with some light stomps to get Zero on her stomach, then piles on the neck punishment with a Leg Drop. The Faceless one lets out a squeaking moan and shudders when Hackenschmidt’s stem lands on the base of her neck like a falling tree. The champ swiftly rises off the luchadora drops another guillotine-like Leg Drop to a raucous blend of cheers and boos. Fans used to love Victoria’s dominance, but they’ve grown tired of seeing the tall blonde reduce competitors to rubble. Victoria mentally notes their response but tries to push it out of her mind, rhetorically muttering, ”I can’t just lie down for her, can I?” She rolls Zero face up, lies across her chest and takes control of her wrists for a cover. The official slaps the mat.
One!
Two!
Zero kicks up her feet and shoves free with a second to spare. Victoria doesn’t waste time arguing with the zebra, preferring to pull compliant Zero to her boots with a Cravate headlock and switches to a standard Front Facelock. Raising a brawny arm, Victoria crooks it into a V and hammers her forearm over and over between Zero’s shoulders. The masked wrestler’s legs waver with each blow, but she remains standing if forced into a hunch. Victoria releases the facelock, takes Zero by the wrist and sends her running to the coils with an Irish Whip. As Zero returns, Vic raises a long leg to send the Jungle wrestler’s head into the stands with a Big Boot. Zero’s about to get a big taste of shoe leather when she ducks into a somersault, dodging the German’s seismic stem. Vic whirls back to her slippery enemy and comes at The Faceless One with a Clothesline. Still, Zero evades in the same fashion, somersaulting under the limb to pop up in a crouch behind the Teutonic Terror. Zero teaches Victoria how to get rough in American sports with a chop block, driving her shoulder into the pit of Victoria’s left knee!
Hackenschmidt lets out a sharp cry, “HARrrgh!!” and crumbles to her back, cradling her wounded leg. The referee and the fans worry the champion may have popped a kneecap, but The Knight doesn’t give time for doubts to linger. Blocking out the pain with sheer will, Victoria rolls to her front and tries to crawl on three points for a rope break to assess and restrategize; Zero renders those plans to rubble by leaping onto Victoria’s back and slapping on a tight Sleeperhold with a Bodyscissors chaser! Zero squeezes like the blonde is a stress ball and whispers, “Just let go.” Victoria gurgles in response as the edges of her vision begin to grow dark and fuzzy.
A shiver runs through The Knight’s body as Zero gives a long, tortuous pulse with her gorgeous gams as she tries with all her might to pop off Victoria’s noggin with a constriction of her arms. The referee kneels by Victoria’s pinking face and asks, “Do you give?” Victoria’s answer is a wordless rasp, a bit of saliva falling from her lips as Zero clamps down on both holds, Vic’s been holding steady on her fours, but now she starts to sink, now propped on the ring floor by her elbows. Duelling chants sprout from the audience, an echoing, "ZER-O! ZER-O! ZER-O!" And a much weaker chant of, "Vic-Tor-Ia! Vic-Tor-Ia! Vic-Tor-Ia!"
While far from the loudest chant yelled within FAWN halls, it’s the most positive chorus The Valiant One’s received in some time, the prior ones being insulting comments on her body or her ex-partner’s name Danica. Clearing this low bar made this lukewarm chant feel like an arena twice the size of FAWN is cheering for Victoria like she's Shea London and Sammie Sinclaire combined! Zero feeds off the crowd and puts more effort into trisecting the beautiful blonde she’s pasted herself to while Victoria bucks like a straddled bull.
Like a Kaju emerging from the sea, Hackenschmidt slowly rises with the shocked Zero riding her back. The Jungle Dweller pours all she can into putting the giant to sleep, but Victoria gets one boot under her, then another, then straightens to her full height. Now wearing Zero like a backpack, The Valiant One runs as fast as possible to the farthest corner and pivots to smear the masked challenger against the turnbuckles. The collision with the padded steel makes Zero break her holds on the German grappler. Now Zero’s limbs hang listless, her cheek resting on the nape of Victoria’s neck as her insides adjust to being flattened.
Hackenschmidt's chest heaves as she greedily takes in glorious air. Wiping sweat from her hot brow, Victoria reaches down and takes Zero's wrists and brings them up and back to trap the Challenger's arms behind the top rope. Victoria exhaustedly compliments the woman who almost choked her out, "You have great technique. We should train together sometime." Hackenschmidt thrusts her pelvis out and swings it back, bashing Zero's belly with her toned booty. Zero utters a deep, guttural groan with each hip attack, "Guh! Guh! Guh!" The Nameless One gets beaten into a seat on the second buckle. Victoria looks over her shoulder to make sure her opponent's stable before she walks off, rolling her head to work out the kinks in her neck.
Stopping near the farthest corner from the dazed Zero, Vic plants a foot back and kicks into a long-striding run towards the mysterious amnesiac; Victoria’s going to reduce Zero to a fine mist with a Running Splash in the corner- Victoria staggers! Zero hangs on the ropes and kicks her legs straight out, tagging The Knight on the chin. Off-balance, eyes unfocused, and arms windmilling, Victoria follows her jaw and turns away from The Jungle Dweller and the corner. She loses strength in her legs and drops hard on her left knee; the leg Zero had concentrated her offence on for most of the match. The joint flares in pain like an expensive firework; the shock takes brings Hackenschmidt back into harsh reality with a blurt of, “Verdammt!” And she immediately stands back up, only for Zero to leap past as she palms the back of Hackenschmidt’s head. Zero lands semi-comfortably on her firm tush while Victoria hits the ring floor face first with thunderous force!
HIGH-RISE BULLDOG
youtu.be/7b1h3BoAho0?t=506
Hackenschmidt rolls onto her back and holds her aching head, those last couple of moves has the young veteran seeing stars. A woman with a plan; Zero shifts to the German’s right side and lifts Victoria’s left stem up and away. She hops in the air and hits a Leg Drop across the knee pit; Victoria jerks and gives a strangled cry while Zero seizes her right leg and bends it over her left ankle. The Faceless One hooks her right ankle around the champion’s and straightens, so their bodies form an L on the canvas. Zero completes insidious entwinement of stems by extending her free leg to push and prod at Victoria’s right knee, any movement no matter how small, creating a chain reaction that made Hackenschimdt regret getting up that morning. Her foot revving the proverbial gas pedal, Zero salutes the crowd as thanks for impressed applause raining down on the interwoven women. The FAWNatics love the side variation of an old classic.
INDIAN DEATHLOCK
youtu.be/1jfIzpk6O5g?t=10
Hackenschmidt tugs at her hair and lets out an angry sound similar to a steaming kettle, "GGRRREEE!!!!" As she tries to deal with the inferno running up and down her lower body. Zero pushes harder on Vic’s kneecap and grinds in with her heel. The champion shudders like she's been electrocuted and swipes at Zero's face in anger, but the challenger infuriatingly tilts her head out of reach each time. Victoria stops her thrashing and pounds the mat in a frenzy, trying to get her adrenaline up to dull the agony churning in her leg. Vic halts her squirming and stares angrily into the middle distance, counting in German, “Eins! Zwei! Drei!” A focusing technique taught to The Knight by her mother. Now properly composed, she starts a plodding hand walk to the ropes to force a break.
The pace is slower than Victoria would like but unavoidable, given she’s dragging Zero's bodyweight by their painful knot of legs. This made the submission far more severe and the trip twice as draining. But it's all worth it to be free of the Deathloc-
"NNooo!!"
Zero breaks the hold on her own accord to drag the giant woman away from the oasis of the ropes by the ankles, then lifts those stems into a V. Zero raises her boot above the German’s kitty and tauntingly dangles it in a small circle. Hackenschmidt braces herself potential low-blow, but she won’t plead for any mercy. Instead, she balls her fists and grits her teeth in a ‘Don’t you dare!’ expression. It was impossible to tell for sure, but somehow Victoria could tell Zero was chuckling behind her mask; the American(?) luchadora swings her foot back just to pepper the back of Victoria’s thighs with painful, little kicks. The Knight yipped with each annoying peck of boot leather, “Err! Ee! Stop that!” And Zero did. With a cheeky parting shot that goes low to ripple the blonde’s cheeks, Zero bends Hackenschmidt’s right shin behind her left knee, then tucks The Knight’s left ankle in an armpit. Zero reaches between the gap of Hackenschmidt’s stems and locks her hands in an S grip. A huff of exertion later, The Faceless One turns the champion onto her belly and settles into a leaning squat, putting miles on Victoria’s back and abusing her left leg.
TEXAS CLOVERLEAF
youtu.be/kQfs8ddmF9w?t=39
Victoria puts her face into the pit of her right elbow and bites hard, silencing the scream that bubbles insistently at the back of her throat. She will not submit in her first title defence! Zero leeeeaaannns back, testing the structural integrity of Hackenschmidt's spine. She shouts over her shoulder, “Give up! I don’t want to hurt you!” When Zero gets a negatively toned grunt in response, she gives the terrorized Teuton some incentive by halving her grip to apply a hateful claw into the pit of Hackenschmidt’s knee, playing with the muscles and nerves in the joint like it was a piano she hated. Shivers run up and down Victoria’s back as she audibly sobs at the sensation of what must be Zero reshaping her joint into some abstract art piece. Vic shakes her head vehemently at the official's instance that she pack it in, tears and sweat flying off her face. Taking in a shuddering breath, she hoarsely counts off, “Eins! Zwei! Drei!” And Victoria twists hard onto her back, upsetting Zero’s footing and undoing the back portion of the Texas Cloverleaf. Zero still has the balance and determination to keep the knot of the champion’s legs intact; she may come to regret that as Victoria pulls in her legs to draw Zero closer and work an arm around her head, pulling the challenger into a Small Package.
youtu.be/RXa7lhLTWqg?t=201
ONE!
TWO!!
THR- Zero escapes!
Zero squirms free and side rolls away, frantically holding up two fingers to the referee, who nods in the affirmative. The Masked Mystery sighs in relief and pushes to her feet. She stalks over to Victoria, who’s just pulled herself to the second rope. Approaching quickly from her side, Zero reaches for Hackenschmidt’s short locks.
“Gouh!”
Victoria digs her fist deep into Zero's navel as The Masked Mystery nears, doubling Zero over so deep she has to brace a hand against the mat. Victoria pounces, quickly straddling Zero's head and taking the challenger by the waist. She flips the Nameless One up her tall form, lifting Zero into a higher seat with handfuls of her one-piece and hurls into the ring floor Zero head and shoulders first with authority!
JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB
youtu.be/lu1VBP4kVGY
The tips of Zero's boots touchdown around her ears, the reverberations of the ring making her upturned rump a-jiggle. Victoria throws herself onto those haunches and clasps Zero tight around the ankles, pressing all her weight onto the Jungle Dweller to keep her still throughout the count.
ONE!!
TWO!!
THRNNOO!!!
Zero forcibly twists out of the hold and Vic's grasp, flipping face to mat and saving the match. The FAWNatics lose their minds seeing the Jungle main-eventer is still in the game and try rose the Challenger's spirit with another echoing "ZER-O! ZER-O! ZER-O!...."
It seems to work. Zero slowly, staggeringly gets to all fours. She’s not ready to give up the ghost. She's returning to The Jungle a champion, or she'll die trying. Victoria looks around at the crowd and back down at her worthy opponent and mutters to herself, "if they're lukewarm about me, now, they'll hate me after this…." She walks over to Zero's head. Hackenschmidt collects The Faceless one's arms in a Double Underhook and lifts the wrestler off the canvas. Fans brace themselves to see the underdog driven to the mat with a Butterfly Suplex or a DDT variation but are surprised and made uncomfortable with the move The Valiant One performs.
What's thought to be an innovation at the moment will later be revealed to be a near-forgotten old-school technique. Victoria lifts Zero to the point where her neck painfully presses against the champion's abdomen and keeps her there; Zero’s bodyweight works against her to apply tremendous pressure on her neck, spine and arms.
REVERSE FULL NELSON LIFT
youtu.be/es_CfKtMkVw?t=2048
Zero kicks and wails pitifully, "Aiee! Aaaiie! AAAAH!!" Pure fire is coursing through her shoulders and neck, and she's SO CLOSE to giving up. The official looks distressed; he’s weighing getting chewed out by Bethany for stopping the match versus Zero getting injured. The zebra's about to risk his career and make the call when Victoria decides for him. She lets go of Zero, letting her plop to the canvas.
The FAWNatics boo relentlessly! In their minds, Victoria's playing with her food. Like Pandora or Hailey Kennedy at the height of their heeldom, she could finish the match but wants to make a statement out of this poor girl. Victoria wipes sweat from her face and bites the inside of her cheek, trying to steel herself from this mass negativity. This idea couldn't be farther from the truth: the Double Suplex is very effective but draining. Most people can't do it for long. And even if you can, you have to either cut the move short or purposely hurt the victim and put them on the shelf for months. It’s a real damned if you do, damned if you don’t move, but it’s turned the tide in The Valiant One’s favour more than once and may have once again.
Hackenschmidt gets side to side with the masked mystery and collects Zero about the waist, lifting the wrestler like she was a bag of leaves. Balancing the Jungle Wrestler on her shoulder, Hackenschmidt walks the perimeter to show off Zero's backside and splayed legs to the masses. Victoria's a respectful fighter, but she's still the champion; you have to set a pecking order. Once she's certain everyone gets the message, Vic sets Zero down, making sure to get the pliant grappler's arm across her shoulders and puts the waistlock higher, so it's around Zero's abs. Her grip situated, The Knight whips herself backward, obliterating her quarry with a high angle Back Suplex. Again, Zero's thoracic spine takes the brunt of the fall.
SAITO SUPLEX
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4zeSWzM0VA
Zero hits the ground in another matchbook and slowly unfolds; her heels bounce once on the canvas, then Zero lays still, aside from the slow fluttering of her hands. As alternating waves of pain and numbness radiate down her body, The Jungle Dweller realizes Victoria is utilizing the same strategy as her; pick a body part and work it. Whereas Zero is dissecting The Knight's left leg to slow her down and weaken her moves, Victoria is paralyzing the competition by attacking the neck. Judging by how difficult it is for Zero even to sit up, Victoria may have made the better choice.
The giant German in question rolls to her feet and shoves off the mat, clapping rhythmically as her opponent did earlier to hype herself up. Another loud, yet divisive reaction greets Victoria as she trudges toward the supine Zero, a noticeable limp plaguing the champion from the mirrored wrestler’s persistent attacks. The camera broadcasts a tableau of crushing inevitability, the prominent, intimidating established name from an enduring dynasty looming over a disheartened challenger with no name and no past.
"Gahh!!"
Zero's legs shoot out and hit the champ's left leg on the joint and shin! Vic howls and topples as the mirror masked woman bolts up like a sprung trap! It’s Do or Die time, and she will get the belt or die trying. Zero’s trained, fast hands catch Victoria before she can fully fall and encircle her in a headlock while bending Victoria’s left arm by the wrist, so the elbow points up. Reaching through the gap created by the crooked arm, Zero latches onto The Knight’s arm with both hands and pulls her forward. The challenger has abandoned her design and stolen the champion’s, attacking the neck with all the strength she can muster.
The women battle on their knees like snakes mating, bellies clap together over and over as they struggle for dominance; Hackenschmidt’s desperately claws at Zero with her free hand but can't manage more than rough pawing and slaps from her position. Zero wrenches on the hold with a growl, twisting them side to side, getting a shriek from Victoria and turning her frenzied thrashing into something more pitiful.
Zero SQUEEZES down for all she's worth and hisses into Victoria's ear, "Submit, dammit! I don't want to injure you, but I'm not going to let thiswaitwaitWAIT!!" With a warbling roar, Victoria surges up, bringing a shocked Zero with her and starts forcibly shambling to the nearest set of ropes. The Nameless One digs in her heels trying to halt the giant German' path to freedom but Victoria strength is undenia-
“Rraah!!” WHAM!
Like she driving a pickaxe into hell, Zero keeps her finishing submission intact as she slams Hackenschmidt face up on the ring floor so hard the German loses her breath!
ANACONDA VICE To ANACONDA BUSTER
youtu.be/wJOPdp9ZEuE?t=4548
The masked wrestler works the hold like a woman possessed, screaming with all the effort she puts into rendering the larger woman unconscious; Zero spreads her legs wide to apply more of her weight in the choke and yells at the champ to give up. Victoria doesn’t have enough air in her lungs to answer, so she only rasps as she looks up into Zero’s mirrored mask and sees her own miserable, teary-eyed, red face.
“GIVEUP! GIVEUPGIVEUP! GIV-!”
“Break!”
Zero whips her head up to look at official, there’s no way to tell her true expression, but anyone can see she’s angry. Keeping Vic locked in the hellish choke, she barks angrily, “What? Why?” The unfazed zebra points behind the woman to a set of ropes, where Victoria has an ankle on the bottom strand. Zero failed to account for the towering Teutonic Teror’s longer-than-average legs. The Nameless One shouts, “Dammit!” and makes Vic suffer her bad mood by going all out for four a count of four and tries to pop the blonde’s head off like a balloon, the domineering amazon turns into a little girl kicking her legs and flapping her one free arm trying to get the official’s attention. The Knight’s pleas muffled by her arm and Zero’s bulging bicep, “Mmreph! Mmreph!”
Zero breaks the Anaconda Vice an instant before disqualification and rolls a few feet away to lie her back physically and mentally exhausted, the heels of her palms against her eyes. Too tired to move, Victoria lies where Zero left her with one hand rubbing her neck and trapezius, her taut tummy moving up, and she gulps down oxygen. The Mirrored Mauler breaks the peace first; Zero punches a fist into the mat to push to a seat, then yanks on the second rope to get vertical. Ignoring the throbbing ache in her upper back and neck, Zero marches over to the champion and drags the unresisting champ to the dead center of the ring, matter-of-factly stating, “No rope breaks coming now.” She settles into another widespread seat by Victoria and grabs a wrist to reapply the- Victoria’s hand flashes up and grabs Zero by the front of her one-piece and pulls her into a savage headbutt!
“OOOH!!”
The FAWNatics groan in unison, seeing Victoria’s head collide with Zero’s with sickening force; Zero reels looking dazed, but Hackenschmidt’s grip keeps her from falling backwards. Hackenschmidt pushes herself to a seat revealing a scowl on her beautiful features; with a low, angry grunt, The Knight rips Zero toward her so she can bludgeon the challenger with another sick headbutt. Another “OOOH!” sounds from the audience while The Nameless One goes limp aside from one hand weakly tugging Haclenschmidt’s wrist, Victoria bolts to her feet and uses her handful of ring togs to pull Zero to her feet.
Victoria drops, slips an arm between Zero’s unsteady stem with machine-like precision, and pops up with the challenger in a Fireman’s Carry, “Eins!” She goes into a deep crouch, her body tensing, “Zwei!” She springs up, popping Zero off her shoulders so Zero will land feet first, “Drei!” in the exact moment, the masked wrestler’s boots touch canvas, Victoria’s powerful right fist blasts Zero in the cheek!
THE IRON HAND
youtu.be/yXuhCmGEqB8?t=113
This isn’t a wrestling match; it’s the end of a boxing match! Zero’s face follows the momentum of The Valiant One’s punch, her body following suit, twisting away from Victoria, buckling to her knees and flopping to the canvas. Zero’s right arm is lying crooked ahead of her as if reaching for the ropes. The blonde makes a little show of earned arrogance by blowing across her knuckles and gets a bit of pop from the crowd. Victoria shakes her head perplexed, “I vill never understand them.” She quickly goes to her knees by the prone Zero.
“This isn’t me piling on,” explains Hackenschmidt as she leans over the groaning Zero’s back, “I believe you’re capable of anything, and I need to pull out all the stops.” The Intercontinental champion sweeps her right arm under Zero’s left, lifting the challenger partial onto her side in a sort of Armbar. Hackenschmidt links her hands across Zero’s far cheek and PULLS the Jungle Dwellers’ head in her direction in The Knight’s favourite version of a Crossface. And as a safety measure, with just a hint of animosity for the Anaconda Vice, Hackenschmidt extends her right leg to dig the heel of her boot into Zero’s free wrist. Zero wakes up moaning into a scream, with no leverage to crawl or drag herself to the safety of a rope break.
BRIMIR’S BITE
youtu.be/j1GQe0KZLRc?t=105
While Zero lets loose agonized screams and beats her feet against the mat, Victoria acts as a silent tormentor. Expertly working three pain points to drive The Faceless one insane; the excruciating pull on Zero’s already sore neck, her arm and shoulder slowly angling near dislocation, and the sharp, crystalline pain of Victoria’s heel grinding on challenger’s wrist bones. The ref keeps asking if Zero wants to call it quits but howls out rejection after rejection, “NNNO! NOOO! NOokoff! Kauff!” Victoria takes a grim look and tightens her grip, reducing Zero’s screams to a worrying coughing fit. If she wanted to verbalize a surrender, it looks like she’s incapable of it now, thankfully the black-and-white spots a frantic flapping of Zero’s trapped hand grazing Victoria’s shoulder. The ref shoots up and waves emphatically at the timekeeper.
DING! DING! DING!
“Your winner…. and still, Intercontinental champion…. Victoria Hackenschmidt!”
The exhausted, relieved, and victorious Victoria Hackenschmidt lets go of Zero at first the chime of the bell and falls back on her ass, with fists raised high and a grateful smile on her face. The defeated luchadora slowly leans in on her side and curls up, caught between conserving her dignity and tending to her neck and back. And by what Zero feels, they must be swollen three times over and actively hates being alive.
Victoria takes a helpful hand from the referee and awkwardly stands up, keeping most of her weight on her good leg. An attendant hands The Valiant One HER Intercontinental Championship belt, which she takes with gratitude and holds the prize close as the referee raises Victoria's hand. The hard cam gets an excellent shot of the belt draped on her right shoulder with the Orlando masses giving the young veteran another loud yet mixed response. They’re divided, but it's the warmest the FAWNatics have treated Victoria all night; she raises the title so the faceplate shines in the house lights gives her loyal fans a heartfelt nod.
Lowering the title to her shoulder, Victora limps over to Zero, who’s made it to her knees and leans heavily against a set of ropes to stay up. Victoria politely offers a helping hand, wanting no ill-will after the fighting is done, “Good Fight.” Zero stares at the gesture, reliving the loss, then takes it. Better luck next time. Victoria tentatively asks about the subject she pushed to the back of her mind at the start of the match.
"You truly do not remember anything about your life?" Zero shakes her head as Vic helps her to her feet, “No, I knew professional wrestling meant something to me, other than that I’m a walking Jane Doe. Seriously, that’s what I go by.” Victoria speaks softly, not wanting to blunder into someone’s personal life, “Not to be too forward, my family has connections to excellent doctors; could I arrange a meeting with some top neurologists?” Zero’s a little taken aback. Most women offer a beer after losing a match. After a pregnant pause, Zero gently pats Hackenschmidt on the shoulder, “Thank you for the offer. Could I think about it for a bit?”
The champion nods, “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.”
Zero gives the tall blonde a one-armed hug getting applause from respect from the crowd, the fans ignorant of the heavy topic they’re discussing. “Thank you. Find me before you leave, and we’ll exchange phone numbers. I’ll head up the ramp first, do a victory lap. You’ve earned it.“
Victoria smiles and squeezes her before letting go, I did.” As Victoria Hackenschmidt turns and again lifts her title to the sky, Zero makes the lonely loser’s walk to the back. Though if you could see the small smile hidden under the mask, you wouldn’t know it.
NEMO: youtu.be/fWm7BLoY9wI
The light piano of the Nightwish classic heralds the arrival of tonight’s challenger. “...From parts unknown, she stands five feet, nine inches tall, and weighs in tonight at one hundred thirty-three pounds...She is The Faceless, The Nameless; she is ZERO!!!”
ZERO:
The masked redhead walks out to the stage and looks out from behind her heart-shaped mirrored mask that completely hides her face, visibly taking a deep breath. For her official FAWN debut, she is wearing her normal ring gear of a basic white one-piece with silver accents, black elbow and kneepads, and red boots. The enigmatic grappler had won a battle royal in FAWN’s developmental territory in Bangor, Maine, to earn this shot at the Intercontinental Championship, and she had been training meticulously ever since, watching tapes of the champion and formulating a game plan based on that.
As she makes her way to the ring, she high-fives several fans at ringside before climbing into the ring and raising her right arm in a gesture meant to pump up the crowd, which accomplishes its intended effect FAWNatics respond with a loud cheer and applause. Zero then retreats to a neutral corner to wait for the champion and runs through her fight plan move by move.
After Zero’s entrance theme fades out, there is a beat of silence. And another. And another. The lights go out. The speakers blare a symphony that has half the crowd on their feet, screaming moments before the spotlights turn on.
TURNADOT- FINALE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTa-b7cUw0
The air fills with sounds of a full orchestra playing alongside powerful, classically trained singers. The audio of Giacomo Puccini’s three-stage opera feels perfectly appropriate with the sight of the stage illuminated with blinding white spotlights, all focused on the towering sentinel that was the Intercontinental champion, Victoria Hackenschmidt.
VICTORIA HACKENSCHMIDT
Victoria drinks in the uproarious response the FAWNatics give. Some of them change their attitudes once the bell starts, but they always love her when the music’s playing. Hackenschmidt takes in a calming breath through her nose and sets down the ramp. The German Giant stood tall and imposing in gleaming silver armour that reflected the bright lights shining down, making her appear as a descended archangel. Her head is covered in a Corinthian helmet that protects the back and sides of her head but leaves her high-boned cheeks free, a strip of metal stretched down from the center opening to cover her nose. The helm is smooth other than an artful etching that circles the top of the skull resembling a bejewelled crown. A fitted plackart covered Vic’s modest chest and firm belly connected to a pair of pauldrons covering her shoulders, and an armoured skirt of brown leather with steel plating extends past her knees. All detailed in similar etchings to her helmet, which gave the young veteran an aura of royalty. But the most crucial thing on Victoria’s person is around her waist, the Intercontinental Championship belt. Under the spotlight, it shone the brightest beacon to any potential challenger, employed by FAWN or not, to try and pry it from the Destroyer’s grasp.
Head bowed in silent prayer; her gauntleted hands clutch the handle of a cross-hilted broadsword nearly four feet in length, a replica of an old family heirloom that hung over the fireplace in her family estate in Hesse, Germany. With a mighty roar, she flexes her powerful arms and hefts the blade up to a cheering audience, then onto her shoulder before beginning her march towards the ring, the spotlights following her every step.
"Standing at 5 feet 11 inches and weighing in at 152 pounds!! From Phoenix, Arizona by way of Hesse, Germany!! She is The Valiant One!! The Intercontinental Champion, Victoria “The Knight” Hackenschmidt!!!”
Before the bell, Victoria tries to keep her mind on the match ahead, but she still reaches her free arm out to slap the hands of the FAWNatics leaning over the guardrail. The Valiant One briefly detours to a set of steel steps where a solid-looking metal box with a small slit cut into the top sat by the ring apron. Hackenschmidt takes the sword off her shoulder, swings in a broad and swift circle before plunging it down into the box with one hand in a single smooth motion. She hands the belt to an attendant who takes the prize to the commentator's table and takes off her armour, placing it neatly on the step to be collected later, along with the belt, after she wins. The Knight’s no longer armed and fortified but somehow looks more dangerous in her usual ring attire. White halter top with matching boy-cut shorts, white boots and knee pads, and an elbow-length fingerless white glove on her right arm. All her gear has thin black lines that resemble plate armour similar to what she just discarded.
Champion and challenger move to meet each other in the center of the Squared Circle; Victoria tries to keep her gait and expression non-aggressive. She wants to keep the match respectful unless Zero tries something underhanded. Victoria couldn’t find any history of her masked opponent outside FAWN footage; as far she could tell, the Jungle mainstay had appeared out of nowhere. Going by what footage there was, Zero fought clean but will do what it takes to win even her opponent needed a sling for a week or two. Going by body language alone, The Knight couldn’t tell if the Faceless One enjoyed the pain of other women, and all she got from the mask was her purposefully calm expression reflected. The two stand a couple of feet apart, taking a measure of each other. Social interactions were never Hackenschimdt’s bailiwick, that more her ex-partner, Danica’s role. Struggling to break the awkward silence, Victoria voices, "....I like your mask. The mirror is quite innovative; does it have some meaning?" Zero nods and traces the edge of the reflective surface with her finger, ”I suffer from memory loss. I woke up in a hospital with little knowledge of who I am or where I’m from, just that I was a wrestler. So until I get my memories back, I won’t be anything else. I’m a blank slate with skills, no false identities.” Vic is wide-eyed at the unexpectedly heavy answer. She runs a hand through her hair, “Mein Gott, that is quite the predicament...And the heart?"
Zero chirps, "Oh, I just thought it was cute!"
Victoria purses her lips, then smiles and nods, “It is.” The official comes by and urges the combatants to their corners to do his mandatory pre-match pat-down for foreign objects. He finds nothing to report and motions for the bell.
DING! DING!
Both combatants push out of their corners and quickly travel the ring in concentric circles till they’re close enough to dart out their hands for a quick shake before locking together in an Elbow and Collar. The height difference usually heavy in Victoria’s favour is scant in this matchup. However, she still has a sizable weight advantage, a recurring trait Victoria has associated with very self-conscious feelings. The giant German leans into her opponent and forces Zero back step by step; the masked mystery adapts quickly, taking Victoria up and over with an Armdrag, the champ landing on her hip. Victoria recovers instantly, bursting off the mat and darting for the masked mystery just to be nailed in the chin by Zero’s impressive standing dropkick. Hackenschmidt drops flat on her back, stunned and vulnerable. Zero snags her left ankle as she rises and seals it under an armpit. Whipping herself to the canvas while turning onto her side, The Nameless One tries to pop Victoria's knee and ankle with a viscous Heel Hook!
youtu.be/pfrpr_TB0s0?t=185
Victoria sits up like a sprung mousetrap and bites down a scream into a growl, “GGRRrr!!” She can tell the hold is expertly applied, so no sense in looking for an escape. Placing her hands flat on the mat, Victoria’s hand walks both her and Zero the short distance to the nearest set of ropes. The impressed applause the FAWNatics gave Zero switches to lauding the champion’s impressive show of strength. Vic wraps her palm around the bottom coil, getting the ref’s attention with a bark of “Break!” Zero works the hold for a count of two before letting go. She crabwalks a couple of feet away before backrolling to her feet and starting a walk of the ring. The Jungle Main-eventer starts a rhythmic clap that the crowd quickly follows, Zero’s trying to get the crowd’s energy on her side, and it’s a relatively easy task. About 65% of the Orlando audience is hoping for Zero to take the strap from the talented yet, largely unliked babyface, while the rest are diehard followers of The Valiant One.
Victoria gets up with a slight assist from the ropes and gives her leg a few testing stretches before stepping further into the ring. Giving a nod of respect for the reprieve, Victoria waves Zero closer from across the ring as she raises her arms for another Elbow and Collar, “Shall we try that again?”
Zero nods and gets into a similar stance, measuredly closing the gap with the international star. “Watching footage of your matches doesn’t do you justice,” the redhead commented from behind her mask, “if anything, your strength is understated!” The Destroyer class dames are about to touch fingertips when Zero peks! a low kick to the side of Victoria’s left thigh. Vic stumbles but regains her footing and lunges for the masked woman, but Zero jukes around The Knight and fires another low kick, this one rippling the muscles in Victoria’s calf. Zero makes the eternal composed Victoria dance a jig by peppering her left leg up and down with kicks, following the time-tested battle plan of picking a limb and working it. Victoria mutters curses in her native tongue, “Scheiße! Scheiße!” as she’s bullied into the ropes and forced to hang onto the top coil as Zero puts boot marks on her leg for a count of three before backing away. The Nameless one races across the ring to hit the opposite set of ropes and comes back with a head of steam. What she has planned remains a mystery; Vic shoves off the ropes and hits a meaty clothesline across Zero’s chest. The Jungle Dweller coughs and rocks back on her heels a few steps before getting back into the fray and gets slapped on the gurls with another strong Clothesline. Zero nearly crumples under the champ’s force, and Victoria almost falls on her face with the momentum, but both women steady themselves at the last moment, now off-center of the ring. Zero crosses her arms over her chest, her expression hides behind the mirrored mask, but the wheezes escaping it tells Victoria she’s on a roll. The Intercontinental champion throws back an arm, the muscles on the limb shredding into definition as Vic builds up power and releases it in a flash of movement. Zero prevents the third impact with a high-angle roundhouse kick to the bicep that knocks the German’s arm back; Victoria reaches out as Zero presents her back mid-turn and gets a handful of her white one-piece above the buttocks. Victoria completes the trio of Clotheslines in brutal fashion, her arm connecting with the back of Zero’s neck with an echoing slap that makes the arena cringe!
Oh No!
youtu.be/-bJ7zNvJp1s?list=PLeRPsdtvusXiROvHPBxh0BXVkuPhU_QUs&t=1
Zero drops like a marionette with its strings cut. The challenger lies on her side in a heap with legs akimbo. Victoria flattens her foe with some light stomps to get Zero on her stomach, then piles on the neck punishment with a Leg Drop. The Faceless one lets out a squeaking moan and shudders when Hackenschmidt’s stem lands on the base of her neck like a falling tree. The champ swiftly rises off the luchadora drops another guillotine-like Leg Drop to a raucous blend of cheers and boos. Fans used to love Victoria’s dominance, but they’ve grown tired of seeing the tall blonde reduce competitors to rubble. Victoria mentally notes their response but tries to push it out of her mind, rhetorically muttering, ”I can’t just lie down for her, can I?” She rolls Zero face up, lies across her chest and takes control of her wrists for a cover. The official slaps the mat.
One!
Two!
Zero kicks up her feet and shoves free with a second to spare. Victoria doesn’t waste time arguing with the zebra, preferring to pull compliant Zero to her boots with a Cravate headlock and switches to a standard Front Facelock. Raising a brawny arm, Victoria crooks it into a V and hammers her forearm over and over between Zero’s shoulders. The masked wrestler’s legs waver with each blow, but she remains standing if forced into a hunch. Victoria releases the facelock, takes Zero by the wrist and sends her running to the coils with an Irish Whip. As Zero returns, Vic raises a long leg to send the Jungle wrestler’s head into the stands with a Big Boot. Zero’s about to get a big taste of shoe leather when she ducks into a somersault, dodging the German’s seismic stem. Vic whirls back to her slippery enemy and comes at The Faceless One with a Clothesline. Still, Zero evades in the same fashion, somersaulting under the limb to pop up in a crouch behind the Teutonic Terror. Zero teaches Victoria how to get rough in American sports with a chop block, driving her shoulder into the pit of Victoria’s left knee!
Hackenschmidt lets out a sharp cry, “HARrrgh!!” and crumbles to her back, cradling her wounded leg. The referee and the fans worry the champion may have popped a kneecap, but The Knight doesn’t give time for doubts to linger. Blocking out the pain with sheer will, Victoria rolls to her front and tries to crawl on three points for a rope break to assess and restrategize; Zero renders those plans to rubble by leaping onto Victoria’s back and slapping on a tight Sleeperhold with a Bodyscissors chaser! Zero squeezes like the blonde is a stress ball and whispers, “Just let go.” Victoria gurgles in response as the edges of her vision begin to grow dark and fuzzy.
A shiver runs through The Knight’s body as Zero gives a long, tortuous pulse with her gorgeous gams as she tries with all her might to pop off Victoria’s noggin with a constriction of her arms. The referee kneels by Victoria’s pinking face and asks, “Do you give?” Victoria’s answer is a wordless rasp, a bit of saliva falling from her lips as Zero clamps down on both holds, Vic’s been holding steady on her fours, but now she starts to sink, now propped on the ring floor by her elbows. Duelling chants sprout from the audience, an echoing, "ZER-O! ZER-O! ZER-O!" And a much weaker chant of, "Vic-Tor-Ia! Vic-Tor-Ia! Vic-Tor-Ia!"
While far from the loudest chant yelled within FAWN halls, it’s the most positive chorus The Valiant One’s received in some time, the prior ones being insulting comments on her body or her ex-partner’s name Danica. Clearing this low bar made this lukewarm chant feel like an arena twice the size of FAWN is cheering for Victoria like she's Shea London and Sammie Sinclaire combined! Zero feeds off the crowd and puts more effort into trisecting the beautiful blonde she’s pasted herself to while Victoria bucks like a straddled bull.
Like a Kaju emerging from the sea, Hackenschmidt slowly rises with the shocked Zero riding her back. The Jungle Dweller pours all she can into putting the giant to sleep, but Victoria gets one boot under her, then another, then straightens to her full height. Now wearing Zero like a backpack, The Valiant One runs as fast as possible to the farthest corner and pivots to smear the masked challenger against the turnbuckles. The collision with the padded steel makes Zero break her holds on the German grappler. Now Zero’s limbs hang listless, her cheek resting on the nape of Victoria’s neck as her insides adjust to being flattened.
Hackenschmidt's chest heaves as she greedily takes in glorious air. Wiping sweat from her hot brow, Victoria reaches down and takes Zero's wrists and brings them up and back to trap the Challenger's arms behind the top rope. Victoria exhaustedly compliments the woman who almost choked her out, "You have great technique. We should train together sometime." Hackenschmidt thrusts her pelvis out and swings it back, bashing Zero's belly with her toned booty. Zero utters a deep, guttural groan with each hip attack, "Guh! Guh! Guh!" The Nameless One gets beaten into a seat on the second buckle. Victoria looks over her shoulder to make sure her opponent's stable before she walks off, rolling her head to work out the kinks in her neck.
Stopping near the farthest corner from the dazed Zero, Vic plants a foot back and kicks into a long-striding run towards the mysterious amnesiac; Victoria’s going to reduce Zero to a fine mist with a Running Splash in the corner- Victoria staggers! Zero hangs on the ropes and kicks her legs straight out, tagging The Knight on the chin. Off-balance, eyes unfocused, and arms windmilling, Victoria follows her jaw and turns away from The Jungle Dweller and the corner. She loses strength in her legs and drops hard on her left knee; the leg Zero had concentrated her offence on for most of the match. The joint flares in pain like an expensive firework; the shock takes brings Hackenschmidt back into harsh reality with a blurt of, “Verdammt!” And she immediately stands back up, only for Zero to leap past as she palms the back of Hackenschmidt’s head. Zero lands semi-comfortably on her firm tush while Victoria hits the ring floor face first with thunderous force!
HIGH-RISE BULLDOG
youtu.be/7b1h3BoAho0?t=506
Hackenschmidt rolls onto her back and holds her aching head, those last couple of moves has the young veteran seeing stars. A woman with a plan; Zero shifts to the German’s right side and lifts Victoria’s left stem up and away. She hops in the air and hits a Leg Drop across the knee pit; Victoria jerks and gives a strangled cry while Zero seizes her right leg and bends it over her left ankle. The Faceless One hooks her right ankle around the champion’s and straightens, so their bodies form an L on the canvas. Zero completes insidious entwinement of stems by extending her free leg to push and prod at Victoria’s right knee, any movement no matter how small, creating a chain reaction that made Hackenschimdt regret getting up that morning. Her foot revving the proverbial gas pedal, Zero salutes the crowd as thanks for impressed applause raining down on the interwoven women. The FAWNatics love the side variation of an old classic.
INDIAN DEATHLOCK
youtu.be/1jfIzpk6O5g?t=10
Hackenschmidt tugs at her hair and lets out an angry sound similar to a steaming kettle, "GGRRREEE!!!!" As she tries to deal with the inferno running up and down her lower body. Zero pushes harder on Vic’s kneecap and grinds in with her heel. The champion shudders like she's been electrocuted and swipes at Zero's face in anger, but the challenger infuriatingly tilts her head out of reach each time. Victoria stops her thrashing and pounds the mat in a frenzy, trying to get her adrenaline up to dull the agony churning in her leg. Vic halts her squirming and stares angrily into the middle distance, counting in German, “Eins! Zwei! Drei!” A focusing technique taught to The Knight by her mother. Now properly composed, she starts a plodding hand walk to the ropes to force a break.
The pace is slower than Victoria would like but unavoidable, given she’s dragging Zero's bodyweight by their painful knot of legs. This made the submission far more severe and the trip twice as draining. But it's all worth it to be free of the Deathloc-
"NNooo!!"
Zero breaks the hold on her own accord to drag the giant woman away from the oasis of the ropes by the ankles, then lifts those stems into a V. Zero raises her boot above the German’s kitty and tauntingly dangles it in a small circle. Hackenschmidt braces herself potential low-blow, but she won’t plead for any mercy. Instead, she balls her fists and grits her teeth in a ‘Don’t you dare!’ expression. It was impossible to tell for sure, but somehow Victoria could tell Zero was chuckling behind her mask; the American(?) luchadora swings her foot back just to pepper the back of Victoria’s thighs with painful, little kicks. The Knight yipped with each annoying peck of boot leather, “Err! Ee! Stop that!” And Zero did. With a cheeky parting shot that goes low to ripple the blonde’s cheeks, Zero bends Hackenschmidt’s right shin behind her left knee, then tucks The Knight’s left ankle in an armpit. Zero reaches between the gap of Hackenschmidt’s stems and locks her hands in an S grip. A huff of exertion later, The Faceless One turns the champion onto her belly and settles into a leaning squat, putting miles on Victoria’s back and abusing her left leg.
TEXAS CLOVERLEAF
youtu.be/kQfs8ddmF9w?t=39
Victoria puts her face into the pit of her right elbow and bites hard, silencing the scream that bubbles insistently at the back of her throat. She will not submit in her first title defence! Zero leeeeaaannns back, testing the structural integrity of Hackenschmidt's spine. She shouts over her shoulder, “Give up! I don’t want to hurt you!” When Zero gets a negatively toned grunt in response, she gives the terrorized Teuton some incentive by halving her grip to apply a hateful claw into the pit of Hackenschmidt’s knee, playing with the muscles and nerves in the joint like it was a piano she hated. Shivers run up and down Victoria’s back as she audibly sobs at the sensation of what must be Zero reshaping her joint into some abstract art piece. Vic shakes her head vehemently at the official's instance that she pack it in, tears and sweat flying off her face. Taking in a shuddering breath, she hoarsely counts off, “Eins! Zwei! Drei!” And Victoria twists hard onto her back, upsetting Zero’s footing and undoing the back portion of the Texas Cloverleaf. Zero still has the balance and determination to keep the knot of the champion’s legs intact; she may come to regret that as Victoria pulls in her legs to draw Zero closer and work an arm around her head, pulling the challenger into a Small Package.
youtu.be/RXa7lhLTWqg?t=201
ONE!
TWO!!
THR- Zero escapes!
Zero squirms free and side rolls away, frantically holding up two fingers to the referee, who nods in the affirmative. The Masked Mystery sighs in relief and pushes to her feet. She stalks over to Victoria, who’s just pulled herself to the second rope. Approaching quickly from her side, Zero reaches for Hackenschmidt’s short locks.
“Gouh!”
Victoria digs her fist deep into Zero's navel as The Masked Mystery nears, doubling Zero over so deep she has to brace a hand against the mat. Victoria pounces, quickly straddling Zero's head and taking the challenger by the waist. She flips the Nameless One up her tall form, lifting Zero into a higher seat with handfuls of her one-piece and hurls into the ring floor Zero head and shoulders first with authority!
JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB
youtu.be/lu1VBP4kVGY
The tips of Zero's boots touchdown around her ears, the reverberations of the ring making her upturned rump a-jiggle. Victoria throws herself onto those haunches and clasps Zero tight around the ankles, pressing all her weight onto the Jungle Dweller to keep her still throughout the count.
ONE!!
TWO!!
THRNNOO!!!
Zero forcibly twists out of the hold and Vic's grasp, flipping face to mat and saving the match. The FAWNatics lose their minds seeing the Jungle main-eventer is still in the game and try rose the Challenger's spirit with another echoing "ZER-O! ZER-O! ZER-O!...."
It seems to work. Zero slowly, staggeringly gets to all fours. She’s not ready to give up the ghost. She's returning to The Jungle a champion, or she'll die trying. Victoria looks around at the crowd and back down at her worthy opponent and mutters to herself, "if they're lukewarm about me, now, they'll hate me after this…." She walks over to Zero's head. Hackenschmidt collects The Faceless one's arms in a Double Underhook and lifts the wrestler off the canvas. Fans brace themselves to see the underdog driven to the mat with a Butterfly Suplex or a DDT variation but are surprised and made uncomfortable with the move The Valiant One performs.
What's thought to be an innovation at the moment will later be revealed to be a near-forgotten old-school technique. Victoria lifts Zero to the point where her neck painfully presses against the champion's abdomen and keeps her there; Zero’s bodyweight works against her to apply tremendous pressure on her neck, spine and arms.
REVERSE FULL NELSON LIFT
youtu.be/es_CfKtMkVw?t=2048
Zero kicks and wails pitifully, "Aiee! Aaaiie! AAAAH!!" Pure fire is coursing through her shoulders and neck, and she's SO CLOSE to giving up. The official looks distressed; he’s weighing getting chewed out by Bethany for stopping the match versus Zero getting injured. The zebra's about to risk his career and make the call when Victoria decides for him. She lets go of Zero, letting her plop to the canvas.
The FAWNatics boo relentlessly! In their minds, Victoria's playing with her food. Like Pandora or Hailey Kennedy at the height of their heeldom, she could finish the match but wants to make a statement out of this poor girl. Victoria wipes sweat from her face and bites the inside of her cheek, trying to steel herself from this mass negativity. This idea couldn't be farther from the truth: the Double Suplex is very effective but draining. Most people can't do it for long. And even if you can, you have to either cut the move short or purposely hurt the victim and put them on the shelf for months. It’s a real damned if you do, damned if you don’t move, but it’s turned the tide in The Valiant One’s favour more than once and may have once again.
Hackenschmidt gets side to side with the masked mystery and collects Zero about the waist, lifting the wrestler like she was a bag of leaves. Balancing the Jungle Wrestler on her shoulder, Hackenschmidt walks the perimeter to show off Zero's backside and splayed legs to the masses. Victoria's a respectful fighter, but she's still the champion; you have to set a pecking order. Once she's certain everyone gets the message, Vic sets Zero down, making sure to get the pliant grappler's arm across her shoulders and puts the waistlock higher, so it's around Zero's abs. Her grip situated, The Knight whips herself backward, obliterating her quarry with a high angle Back Suplex. Again, Zero's thoracic spine takes the brunt of the fall.
SAITO SUPLEX
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4zeSWzM0VA
Zero hits the ground in another matchbook and slowly unfolds; her heels bounce once on the canvas, then Zero lays still, aside from the slow fluttering of her hands. As alternating waves of pain and numbness radiate down her body, The Jungle Dweller realizes Victoria is utilizing the same strategy as her; pick a body part and work it. Whereas Zero is dissecting The Knight's left leg to slow her down and weaken her moves, Victoria is paralyzing the competition by attacking the neck. Judging by how difficult it is for Zero even to sit up, Victoria may have made the better choice.
The giant German in question rolls to her feet and shoves off the mat, clapping rhythmically as her opponent did earlier to hype herself up. Another loud, yet divisive reaction greets Victoria as she trudges toward the supine Zero, a noticeable limp plaguing the champion from the mirrored wrestler’s persistent attacks. The camera broadcasts a tableau of crushing inevitability, the prominent, intimidating established name from an enduring dynasty looming over a disheartened challenger with no name and no past.
"Gahh!!"
Zero's legs shoot out and hit the champ's left leg on the joint and shin! Vic howls and topples as the mirror masked woman bolts up like a sprung trap! It’s Do or Die time, and she will get the belt or die trying. Zero’s trained, fast hands catch Victoria before she can fully fall and encircle her in a headlock while bending Victoria’s left arm by the wrist, so the elbow points up. Reaching through the gap created by the crooked arm, Zero latches onto The Knight’s arm with both hands and pulls her forward. The challenger has abandoned her design and stolen the champion’s, attacking the neck with all the strength she can muster.
The women battle on their knees like snakes mating, bellies clap together over and over as they struggle for dominance; Hackenschmidt’s desperately claws at Zero with her free hand but can't manage more than rough pawing and slaps from her position. Zero wrenches on the hold with a growl, twisting them side to side, getting a shriek from Victoria and turning her frenzied thrashing into something more pitiful.
Zero SQUEEZES down for all she's worth and hisses into Victoria's ear, "Submit, dammit! I don't want to injure you, but I'm not going to let thiswaitwaitWAIT!!" With a warbling roar, Victoria surges up, bringing a shocked Zero with her and starts forcibly shambling to the nearest set of ropes. The Nameless One digs in her heels trying to halt the giant German' path to freedom but Victoria strength is undenia-
“Rraah!!” WHAM!
Like she driving a pickaxe into hell, Zero keeps her finishing submission intact as she slams Hackenschmidt face up on the ring floor so hard the German loses her breath!
ANACONDA VICE To ANACONDA BUSTER
youtu.be/wJOPdp9ZEuE?t=4548
The masked wrestler works the hold like a woman possessed, screaming with all the effort she puts into rendering the larger woman unconscious; Zero spreads her legs wide to apply more of her weight in the choke and yells at the champ to give up. Victoria doesn’t have enough air in her lungs to answer, so she only rasps as she looks up into Zero’s mirrored mask and sees her own miserable, teary-eyed, red face.
“GIVEUP! GIVEUPGIVEUP! GIV-!”
“Break!”
Zero whips her head up to look at official, there’s no way to tell her true expression, but anyone can see she’s angry. Keeping Vic locked in the hellish choke, she barks angrily, “What? Why?” The unfazed zebra points behind the woman to a set of ropes, where Victoria has an ankle on the bottom strand. Zero failed to account for the towering Teutonic Teror’s longer-than-average legs. The Nameless One shouts, “Dammit!” and makes Vic suffer her bad mood by going all out for four a count of four and tries to pop the blonde’s head off like a balloon, the domineering amazon turns into a little girl kicking her legs and flapping her one free arm trying to get the official’s attention. The Knight’s pleas muffled by her arm and Zero’s bulging bicep, “Mmreph! Mmreph!”
Zero breaks the Anaconda Vice an instant before disqualification and rolls a few feet away to lie her back physically and mentally exhausted, the heels of her palms against her eyes. Too tired to move, Victoria lies where Zero left her with one hand rubbing her neck and trapezius, her taut tummy moving up, and she gulps down oxygen. The Mirrored Mauler breaks the peace first; Zero punches a fist into the mat to push to a seat, then yanks on the second rope to get vertical. Ignoring the throbbing ache in her upper back and neck, Zero marches over to the champion and drags the unresisting champ to the dead center of the ring, matter-of-factly stating, “No rope breaks coming now.” She settles into another widespread seat by Victoria and grabs a wrist to reapply the- Victoria’s hand flashes up and grabs Zero by the front of her one-piece and pulls her into a savage headbutt!
“OOOH!!”
The FAWNatics groan in unison, seeing Victoria’s head collide with Zero’s with sickening force; Zero reels looking dazed, but Hackenschmidt’s grip keeps her from falling backwards. Hackenschmidt pushes herself to a seat revealing a scowl on her beautiful features; with a low, angry grunt, The Knight rips Zero toward her so she can bludgeon the challenger with another sick headbutt. Another “OOOH!” sounds from the audience while The Nameless One goes limp aside from one hand weakly tugging Haclenschmidt’s wrist, Victoria bolts to her feet and uses her handful of ring togs to pull Zero to her feet.
Victoria drops, slips an arm between Zero’s unsteady stem with machine-like precision, and pops up with the challenger in a Fireman’s Carry, “Eins!” She goes into a deep crouch, her body tensing, “Zwei!” She springs up, popping Zero off her shoulders so Zero will land feet first, “Drei!” in the exact moment, the masked wrestler’s boots touch canvas, Victoria’s powerful right fist blasts Zero in the cheek!
THE IRON HAND
youtu.be/yXuhCmGEqB8?t=113
This isn’t a wrestling match; it’s the end of a boxing match! Zero’s face follows the momentum of The Valiant One’s punch, her body following suit, twisting away from Victoria, buckling to her knees and flopping to the canvas. Zero’s right arm is lying crooked ahead of her as if reaching for the ropes. The blonde makes a little show of earned arrogance by blowing across her knuckles and gets a bit of pop from the crowd. Victoria shakes her head perplexed, “I vill never understand them.” She quickly goes to her knees by the prone Zero.
“This isn’t me piling on,” explains Hackenschmidt as she leans over the groaning Zero’s back, “I believe you’re capable of anything, and I need to pull out all the stops.” The Intercontinental champion sweeps her right arm under Zero’s left, lifting the challenger partial onto her side in a sort of Armbar. Hackenschmidt links her hands across Zero’s far cheek and PULLS the Jungle Dwellers’ head in her direction in The Knight’s favourite version of a Crossface. And as a safety measure, with just a hint of animosity for the Anaconda Vice, Hackenschmidt extends her right leg to dig the heel of her boot into Zero’s free wrist. Zero wakes up moaning into a scream, with no leverage to crawl or drag herself to the safety of a rope break.
BRIMIR’S BITE
youtu.be/j1GQe0KZLRc?t=105
While Zero lets loose agonized screams and beats her feet against the mat, Victoria acts as a silent tormentor. Expertly working three pain points to drive The Faceless one insane; the excruciating pull on Zero’s already sore neck, her arm and shoulder slowly angling near dislocation, and the sharp, crystalline pain of Victoria’s heel grinding on challenger’s wrist bones. The ref keeps asking if Zero wants to call it quits but howls out rejection after rejection, “NNNO! NOOO! NOokoff! Kauff!” Victoria takes a grim look and tightens her grip, reducing Zero’s screams to a worrying coughing fit. If she wanted to verbalize a surrender, it looks like she’s incapable of it now, thankfully the black-and-white spots a frantic flapping of Zero’s trapped hand grazing Victoria’s shoulder. The ref shoots up and waves emphatically at the timekeeper.
DING! DING! DING!
“Your winner…. and still, Intercontinental champion…. Victoria Hackenschmidt!”
The exhausted, relieved, and victorious Victoria Hackenschmidt lets go of Zero at first the chime of the bell and falls back on her ass, with fists raised high and a grateful smile on her face. The defeated luchadora slowly leans in on her side and curls up, caught between conserving her dignity and tending to her neck and back. And by what Zero feels, they must be swollen three times over and actively hates being alive.
Victoria takes a helpful hand from the referee and awkwardly stands up, keeping most of her weight on her good leg. An attendant hands The Valiant One HER Intercontinental Championship belt, which she takes with gratitude and holds the prize close as the referee raises Victoria's hand. The hard cam gets an excellent shot of the belt draped on her right shoulder with the Orlando masses giving the young veteran another loud yet mixed response. They’re divided, but it's the warmest the FAWNatics have treated Victoria all night; she raises the title so the faceplate shines in the house lights gives her loyal fans a heartfelt nod.
Lowering the title to her shoulder, Victora limps over to Zero, who’s made it to her knees and leans heavily against a set of ropes to stay up. Victoria politely offers a helping hand, wanting no ill-will after the fighting is done, “Good Fight.” Zero stares at the gesture, reliving the loss, then takes it. Better luck next time. Victoria tentatively asks about the subject she pushed to the back of her mind at the start of the match.
"You truly do not remember anything about your life?" Zero shakes her head as Vic helps her to her feet, “No, I knew professional wrestling meant something to me, other than that I’m a walking Jane Doe. Seriously, that’s what I go by.” Victoria speaks softly, not wanting to blunder into someone’s personal life, “Not to be too forward, my family has connections to excellent doctors; could I arrange a meeting with some top neurologists?” Zero’s a little taken aback. Most women offer a beer after losing a match. After a pregnant pause, Zero gently pats Hackenschmidt on the shoulder, “Thank you for the offer. Could I think about it for a bit?”
The champion nods, “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.”
Zero gives the tall blonde a one-armed hug getting applause from respect from the crowd, the fans ignorant of the heavy topic they’re discussing. “Thank you. Find me before you leave, and we’ll exchange phone numbers. I’ll head up the ramp first, do a victory lap. You’ve earned it.“
Victoria smiles and squeezes her before letting go, I did.” As Victoria Hackenschmidt turns and again lifts her title to the sky, Zero makes the lonely loser’s walk to the back. Though if you could see the small smile hidden under the mask, you wouldn’t know it.