Post by hawkeye on Apr 11, 2022 2:11:11 GMT
With a burst of success after settling on a consistent two of the three members of Muy Caliente wrestling, the lovely Latinas edge within three slaps of the mat from becoming FAWN Tag Team Champions. And as had become the new norm, Mendoza and Soto would carry the standard, Tex-Mex assigned to push Caliente past the title finish line.
Their last chance for the belts was tarnished by a deflating, devastating loss to the now defunct Gold Standard. Tonight had to be…would be...different.
The crowd hopped out of their seats at the first sign of the challengers’ familiar accompaniment, the sellout throng using the space in front of them as their own personal dance floors, shifting their hips in time with the music.
MUY CALIENTE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0hDQLcWTg
Muy Caliente, all three, pushed through the curtains and sambaed to center stage the night’s combatants joined by a supportive Cuban firecracker in Sofia Garcia.
The Latina Strike Force had the multitudes in the palms of their hands, the throngs obviously excited about the opportunity to see if Caliente could climb the Cosmic Mountain upon which the title holders now sat at the peak.
With supportive signs scattered throughout the bowl, Mendoza, Soto and Garcia pointed and pumped fists at their fans before breaking toward the ramp and ring, Gabby embracing the hard-won positive energy from the FAWNatics.
SOFIA GARCIA:
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SOSHANA SOTO:
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GABBY MENDOZA:
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The sultry Sofia led the way in a two-piece, neon, violet number that caught eyes and stirred hearts. The white-hot Cuban waved her hands then slapped those extended toward her by the adoring masses.
Close behind were the duo scheduled for the battleground.
The spicy little lucha, Soshana Soto was next in line. Lil So-So’s wardrobe included a purple sports bra top with gold trim, her bottoms the same color as her top, flaps covering the back, also with a gold trim. On her right arm was a gold sleeve with purple and white streamers running from her wrist to mid bicep. She finished her togs with black knee pads, a pair of gold-colored boots and kick pads with purple trim.
The Babyfaced Bubblicious connoisseur was the tail of this delectable parade, her once iconic mini-skirt and bustier long since replaced by a purple and gold number, the two piece of crop-top and booty shorts showing solidarity with Soto痴 color scheme ( www.etsy.com/no-en/listing/671209460/pro-wrestling-gear-womens-crop-top-and ). Black pads and gold boots completed the makeover.
Mendoza and Soto seemed focused, though Gabs still chewed on her trademark wad enthusiastically, blowing the requisite bubbles then popping them with a darting tongue.
Reaching the ring, Soshana circled, trading high fives. Garcia completed the lap in the opposite direction, doing the same. A single-minded Gabby waited at the steel steps for her partners to return. When they do, Mendoza acceded to Lil So-So, Soshana taking the lead onto the apron as Sofia claimed her station on the floor next to the Latinas’ corner.
Soto wiped her boots and moved halfway down the ropes. She grabbed the top cable and flung herself over in a front flip, hitting the landing flawlessly.
The veteran slid through surreptitiously, leaving the spotlight to her partner. The only thing that mattered to Mendoza was the result, a winning one.
With Tex and Mex center stage, the ring announcer intercedes, Caliente’s music fading.
“Ladies and gentlemen the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute time limit and is for the FAWN Tag Team Championships! Being accompanied to the ring by Sofia Garcia , they are the challengers! Introducing first, from La Paz Mexico…she stands five feet one inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and twelve pounds… Pequeno Dinamita… SOSHANA SOTO! Her partner… from Irving Texas, standing five feet five inches tall and weighing one hundred and twenty-two pounds, G-Money…GABBY MENDOZA! Together they are MUY CALIENTE!”
The arena thundered with an enthusiastic ovation, eager to see if the Latina Strike Force could vault the ultimate hurdle.
Eventually the Caliente cacophony died down and the Announcer picked up where he left off. “And introducing their opponents! Hailing from Bridgeport, California and Stovington, Vermont respectively and weighing in at combined total of two hundred and forty-four pounds. They are the Neo-Noir Knockout VERONICA TREYMANE and the Girl that Gravity Forgot, LILY BURLINGAME! Together they are the FAWN Tag Team Champions… COSMIC NOIR!”
The low lights of the Crimson Comet’s entrance were interrupted by a tongue of flamesparking out of the floor at the bottom of the ramp and burning rapidly up its wick until itreached the pool of darkness at the top. And all at once the predicted explosion of noise and pyrowent off, a huge KA-BOOM of red bursting loud enough to swallow the introductory riff of 'Comeback Kid’. When the lights came back the music immediately cut to the first verse of‘Machine Gun Blues’ and the Heartbroken mob roared for all they were worth togreet the Galactic Gumshoes.
LILY BURLINGAME:
VERONICA TREYMANE:
“Hmmmmmhhhh, this reminds me.” Lily noted as she surveyed the challengers. “Margaritas when we're done?”
“Only if there's nachos.” 'Ronnie replied. “I don't have margaritas without nachos.”
“When have I ever said you can't get nachos? Also, Gabby is mine.”
Treymane snorted, raised the replica Thompson. “I won't fight ya for her, but if she gets in my way... no promises.”
“She won't be vertical long enough to get in your way.” Burlingame replied. On the heels of that statement she hoisted her invisible detonator overhead and brought her thumb down to get an earth-shattering ‘KA-BOOM!’ from the FAWNatics and an explosive line of pyro from Veronica’s barking iron. When it fell silent Treymane and Burlingame blew smoke off the barrel, then started toward the ring with the Crimson Comet a few steps ahead.
For tonight's battle against a pair of extremely dangerous Lightweights, Lily wore a gleaming black variation of her usual midnight blue and starry white halter and bottoms, galaxies swirling and shimmering with her every move. Her knee pads were white on one side and purple on the other, matching her togs perfectly. Behind her, the Gorgeous Gangster wore matching togs, the black replacing charcoal gray in her usual boy-cut pinstripe trunks and bustier. The accompanying suspenders and belt gleamed bright white, as did her pads and wrist-tape, while her boots were a mellow, celestial purple.
They were about halfway to the squared circle when Burlingame raised her right hand and started a silent countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Blastoff!
The Girl That Gravity Forgot went flying down the rest of the ramp to leap onto the apron in a single bound. From there she raced along the narrow ledge to the far corner, the top of which she reached just as easily. This display of effortless acrobatics was capped off with a soaring and undeniably gorgeous back-flip which landed her perfectly within the confines of the squaredcircle. A couple heartbeats passed and Veronica slid in behind her, the Magnificent Moll having doffed her coat and Thompson as soon as the countdown began.
A jaunty pose with both belts raised to the rafters earned a loud roar from the Star Gazers and the quick arrival of one Al Carpenter, who set to work checking their pads and boots. “Hope you took your Dramamine tonight, Al.” Lily chided as she headed toward the champ's corner. “This one's going from zero to sixty before you can blink.”
Both teams were still conversing when the bell CLANGED to start the match. Over in the Caliente corner, Gabby and Soshana exchanged a look before the former nodded and said, “I got this.”
Soto nodded in return and offered her partner a knuckle bump, but concern was writ large on her face. “You sure, Gabs?” they could start Veronica real easy.”
Mendoza chomped her gum, looked over to the far side of the squared circle. “They could.” she agreed. “But I don't think they will.” With that she turned her full attention to the champions and skipped toward the center.
Elsewhere, Veronica and Lily were having a similar exchange. “I really think I should start, Lil.” Treymane argued. “Yeah they're fast, but I happen to have the fastest sparring partner on the roster.”
“Damn right you do. But I know Gabby. She might be rolling with the forces of sweetness and light these days, but we still have history.” A cheer from the crowd drew their gaze to the challengers side of town and damned if the Baby-Faced Killer wasn't starting for her squad.
“All right.” Veronica raised her hands, then slipped through the strands to the apron. “But remember, it's Tag TEAM titles. Win or lose, we do it together.”
Burlingame smiled, but her eyes were already locked on Mendoza. “Don't worry, 'Ronnie. I'll save ya plenty.” Another wave of applause as the Girl That Gravity Forgot made a beeline for her longtime rival.
“Hey Lil.” Gabby favored Burlingame with a knowing smile as they began to circle one another. “Been a while, how's it going?”
“Just fine, Gabs.” Lily's tone was friendly but her hands were up and ready and her dark eyes were flinty. “On top of the world, really. It's a good feeling whippin' each team that sets foot in the ring with--”
Mendoza lunged, hooked an arm under the smaller brunette's right bicep and laid out on her side to sling Lily halfway to Soshana with a blink and you'll miss it Arm Drag! Lily recovered just as fast which was quite fortuitous because it meant she was upright by the time Gabby rushed in and hopped into a sturdy landing atop the champion's thighs! Locking her hands across the nape of Burlingame's neck, the Bubblicious Badass dropped down and back and pistoned both legs straight up to hurl Lily into the lights with a gorgeous Monkey Fl-NOOOO!
The Star Strider transformed the potential pratfall into a perfect landing, Burlingame waggling her finger 'no, no, no!' the instant her boots returned to the mat. “Don't think so!” she called over the cheers of those gathered for this March to War. “You wanna take me off my feet? You better come correcRRRGGHH!”
Gabby didn't knock the smaller brunette down, she just spun her around and laid lightning across her chest with a CRAAACKING Knife-Edge Chop! “That correct enough for ya, gringa?” Mendoza snapped as the cringing champ pressed a forearm to her chest. “Wanna make sure I get it right when I beat you for a second titLLRRRGGHHH!”
Where Gabby had chopped, Lily chose to slap, a hard, open-handed swat that THWHAPPED her opponent's sternum! Gabs flinched and raised her hands without thinking only to curse through clenched teeth when Lily laid claim to her right hand with a Greco-Roman Knuckle-Lock. No one would've balked at a Test of Strength between the rivals, yet no one was particularly surprised when Burlingame ran to a neutral set of strands and hopped onto the middle rope. From there she jumped off and twisted around midair to land on her feet while tossing Gabby offa hers!
SPRINGBOARD ARM DRAG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtwlZe27JQ
Mendoza rolled through, came up on one knee and was back on her feet after a quick adjustment to her top. She'd thought the heiress might beckon her forward but Lily came to her instead, the smaller brunette apparently seeking to jump ahead in the Arm Drag ra-'Ooooohhhhhhhh's' all around as the Lightweight staples locked arms and tugged in opposite directions, their identical attempts freezing 'em both in a mirrored pose that looked far more cooperative than their gazes suggested.
“Should've let Soshana start.” Lily muttered. “At least she's got a chance to keep up with NGH!”
Gabs put a stop to that sass with a brisk little slap across that mouth that earned a glare of 'how could you?' shock from the Tag Champ. “You should've let Veronica start.” Mendoza countered. “We'd run rings around her too, but at least you'd have another excuse to hind behind when I take ANOTHER title from NGH!”
Lily answered with a smack of her own, then jabbed an index finger into the challenger's chest. “That's what you're taking from me tonight, cutie.” she promised. “It's not gold, but you can have as many as you wanRGH! RGH! RGH!”
Gabby shut her up with a flurry of quick punches to the forehead that Lily returned in kind, the two highflyers ignoring everything they knew about finesse and technique to go at one another hockey fight style! Well, maybe not everything they knew, the brunettes were still tethered by their locked forearms and leeeeeaaaned backward in an effort to seize control of the stalled Arm Drag. It was a strenuous arrangement that couldn't be maintained for very long (especially while someone was punching you in the head) but Burlingame and Mendoza kept at it for about fifteen seconds before they broke loose and spun away to gather their faculties.
Soshana and Veronica each extended a hand to their partners in the hopes that they'd want a breather, alas Gabby and Lily rebuked the offers with a stern shake of the head. Apparently they weren't done with one another just yet.
“I think those titles are slowing you down, rich girl.” Mendoza sniped as the brunettes began to circle once more. “You're definitely slower than the last time we met. Or maybe it's not the belts. Maybe you're just getting complacent knowing Treymane's always there to save your ass.”
Lily grimaced like the challenger had just punched her in the belly. “You're really going to talk to me about having back-up? First you had Rose. Then Ginnifer. Now it's Soshana, Sofia and Soledad. You've never won anything on your own. Not the Lightweight title, not the Tag Titles... certainly not a cage match.”
Gabs' dark eyes narrowed to black slots, the pain of her humiliating 'Mania defeat still a sore subject almost two years later. “That how this is gonna be, Lily?” she almost whispered.
“It's how it always is with you, Gabby.” the champion's tone was just as tense. “Your new friends might not care who you used to be, but that's because they never limped through the curtain with a wad of your gum in their hair or had to listen to a whole crowd singing along while you bounced that bubble butt on their face over and over and ov--”
Mendoza leapt on her, the challenger sweeping Lily into a Collar & Elbow Tie-Up that she returned with equal enthusiasm. Though both women were exceptionally skilled technicians their clench showed no evidence of this talent as it was really more an excuse for each wrestler to grab onto one of her foe's shoulder-straps while stuffing the other hand into her face! This rough treatment did nothing to ease the simmering hostilities and it was a matter of mere seconds before they were stamping and stumbling around the ring, just skidding along the ropes and pin-balling off of corners as each wrestler tried to walk through her rival. Inevitably the chin-pushing turned to hair pulling, Burlingame and Mendoza each snatching a handful of dark locks for an eye-watering tug that made them hiss with pain.
Al Carpenter had observed the tension between two usually good-natured charges with growing concern, yet he'd remained silent because their exchanges up to this point had remained well within the confines of the rules. Now however he had the perfect excuse to hurry up beside the action and order, “Get off each other's hair, right now! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!” Lily and Gabby did as bade, but finished with a mutual shove that would've started a fresh round of snarling if the zebra hadn't stepped between them. “Knock that shit off right now.” he warned. “This is a Tag Team wrestling match and the titles are on the line in case you forgot. You want to indulge that catty garbage, you settle it on the carpet, understand?”
The wrestlers glowered at one another like two kids that'd just been chewed out by the principle. After a moment, Lily muttered, “She started WHUUGGGHH!” The Baby-Faced Killer lunged in, looped her arms around Lily's knees and swept her feet out from underneath with a Double-Leg Takedown! In the next instant she somersaulted forward over the startled heiress to land with her feet planted flat and her back pressed to Lily's chest in a Jackknife Pin good for...
JACKKNIFE PIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCDgA-DD48
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Lily powered loose and scrambled to her feet with a whisper to spare, much to the relief of a wide-eyed Veronica Treymane. “Get your head straight, Lil!” she called. “Daisy's no match for you, don't let her tell you otherwise!”
“Oh, I've always been BETTER than she is, tuff girl!” Gabby shouted to the Pinstripe Powerhouse. “She's just too gutless to admit WHOOAAAH!”
Lily slapped on a Front Facelock and dropped back, the former Lightweight Champion stacking Mendoza on her shoulders while deftly scissoring her legs around the challenger's right stem to keep her grounded and wriggling for...
SMALL PACKAGE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vyOwLqbW0
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Gabby exploded loose from the Small Package, shot to boot-leather and would've gone at Burlingame again if Soto hadn't called, “TAG OUT, GABS! RIGHT NOW!”
“You too, Lily.” Veronica said in an unusual show of solidarity with the opposition. “This is out of hand.”
Mendoza and Burlingame locked eyes for several seconds before they started backing away toward their respective corners. “This isn't over, rich girl.” Gabby warned. “Not by a long shot.”
“I look forward to it, chica.” Lily countered. “Whenever you're ready.”
With that she turned around and headed for the outstretched hand of her partner.
Perhaps a bit too soon as it turned out, Gabby spinning on her heels and racing into a Forearm Smash to the back of Burlingame’s skull! Lily lurched forward but not quite within range of Veronica’s hand before she fell to all fours, grimacing.
Unconcerned about appearances when gold was on the line, Gabby sank a set of nails into Lily’s scalp and ripped the Star Strider to her feet. Trading in her grip for a wrist, Mendoza flung the former Cherry Bomb to Caliente territory, Lily turning and flying into a back-first collision with the buckles.
Gabby mouthed an insincere ‘sorry!’ to the red-faced Treymane then spun and raced into a Texas-sized splash of the champion, blasting Burlingame with all the momentum Gabby could muster.
Leaning into the sagging Lily, Mendoza handed the reins over to Lil So-So with a slap of her palm. Soto grasped the top rope and leapt over, clipping Lily’s temple with a kick to the cranium on the way in.
Burlingame tried to stagger toward her corner, but Gabby still had a grip on a wrist and spun the title holder into a charging Soshana. Pequeno Dinamita showed how she got her below-the-border moniker, vaulting with legs raised and extended. The abbreviated stems clamped tight around Lily’s skull and the Mexican flung Lily through the air with a Flying Headscissors.
Dark eyes spinning like tops, Burlingame had the wherewithal to use the energy to roll to her feet, but it’s only in time to EAT a perfectly placed Dropkick to the chops that sent the Roseate Rocket tumbling in a backpedal to a neutral corner.
“You think I want anything to do with her?” Soshana waved toward the fidgeting Treymane in the champs’ corner as she paced to her foe. “You must be loco.”
Increasing her velocity the last few steps, Soshana bounced into a European Uppercut that straightened the slumping Lily, snapping the brunette’s head back. Soto leans in close.
“You and your sister have been monopolizing the gold in this company long enough. Time for some new blood, gringa.”
Lil So-So started to hurl Lily to the opposite buckles, but Burlingame planted and pivoted. Instead, it’s Soto who’s sent sprinting with Lily right on her tail. Soshana headed in chest-first, but her gata-like reflexes were at the ready, hopping to the middle ropes as she arrived, then back-flipping over the hard-charging Crimson Comet.
Landing behind a startled Burlingame, Soshana reached for her foe to corral Burlingame in a Waistlock, only to have the veteran GUT HER with a blind Mule Kick to the Mexican’s golden-brown tummy. Wide-eyed and gasping, bent at the waist, Soto’s easy pickings for a rough Side Headlock. Lily grinds the noggin of the challenger against her hip as she tugged the diminutive Latina toward the champions’ first tag.
Soshana got palms to Lily’s hips and shoved her foe off. A flustered Burlingame spun to Soto, a Spinning Heel Kick from the Latina heading toward her chin. The Star Strider deftly dodged the effort and twirled into a CRACKING punt to Soshana’s jaw. Lil’ So-So staggers drunkenly from the impact, falling to her knees when reaching the rubber-coated steel strands, chest and arms draping over the middle rope as she stared blankly into the roaring crowd.
“You really should choose your friends better, chica,” Lily informed more for Mendoza’s benefit than the dazed Soto. Hitting the cables directly behind the kneeling Soshana, Lily raced toward her rival’s six, sweeping through the ropes by So-So’s side. Grabbing them as she flew through, Lily U-turned and NAILED Soto in the mush with a Tiger Feint Kick.
TIGER FEINT KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhF83BrOko
As Soshana sprawled to the deck, Burlingame raced to her corner and tagged in the Pinstripe Powerhouse. Veronica slid through the ropes, Lily noticeably remaining. The dark-haired lightweight bowed in front of her Destroyer-class partner, allowing Ronnie to wrap her arms around the taut midriff of Burlingame.
The Gorgeous Gangster lifted her teammate to a seat on her shoulders Powerbomb-style the Star Strider twisted into an electric chair seat. Ronnie surged to the splayed Mexican where she heaved Lily off, the former Cherry Bomb exploding across the belly of Lil So-So in a SPLASHING sandwiching descent.
Burlingame rolled off just in time to avoid a CRUSHING follow-up Senton by the brawny blonde. Soto did not. The little firecracker jackknifes beneath the force of Veronica’s arrival. Treymane snatched both raised legs, rolling Soshana into a ‘C’ beneath her, Caliente ass pointed to the rafters for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Soto wriggled free, throwing a shoulder off the deck before Al could slap for the third time.
“Aw Daisy,” 'Ronnie chuckled softly. “You should have stayed planted.”
Soto had other ideas, pushing to hands and knees and crawling toward the Caliente corner.
Veronica got up quickly, grabbing an ankle and easily dragging Soto into safer space. 'Ronnie raised Soshana to vertical, heels over head and THUMPED a series of kicks into the runt’s breadbasket. She dropped a gurgling Soto to the canvas, the Latina curling into a ball, hugging her bruised abdomen.
“Time for a siesta, little lady,” Treymane assured, grabbing Soshana by a wrist and shoulder and ripping the raven-haired grappler to her feet. Running the challenger a few steps toward a neutral corner, Veronica sent Soshana into the stratosphere with a Biel Toss that got enough air to deliver Lil So-So across the entirety of the ring.
Soto CRASHED to earth with a ring-rattling BANG before sliding into the buckles, both Gabby, on the apron, and Sofia, on the floor, wincing in sympathy pains. Concern was evident in the eyes of each at the astonishing power the blonde can bring to bear.
Veronica scraped the wincing challenger off the deck and ‘hupped’ the Mexican across her shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry. Soshana wriggles fitfully within the curled guns of the Gangster but couldn't find an escape as Ronnie climbed first to the bottom cables then to the middle versions.
Deciding she’s reached an appropriate altitude, Veronica let gravity take its course, laying out and plummeting to the deck, POUNDING Lil So-So’s frame into the canvas with an Avalanche Samoan Drop that left Soto spasming while a beaming 'Ronnie climbs to her feet.
AVALANCHE SAMOAN DROP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc6--g2yt5o
Treymane hustled to the ropes at Soto’s side and rebounded, springing into the air with both legs extended. The lengthy lower limbs SLAMMED down across Soshana’s throat and chest, the challenger’s body jerking spasmodically after impact then falling still. Veronica’s stems laid across the chest of the battered Mexican beauty for the inevitable…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Soshana pushed out from under, nudging the blonde’s sinewy pins enough to slip a shoulder off the canvas and keep Caliente alive in its effort to claim the crowns.
Veronica hardly seemed upset, giving Soshana a golf clap for her stubborn tenacity. As 'Ronnie rose, she sank a set of nails into Soto’s raven locks and ‘helped’ the diminutive Latina to vertical, leading the stumbling challenger back to the Cosmic corner.
Veronica pulled Soshana’s noggin WAY BACK and THUMPED Lil So-So’s forehead into the thin padding of the uppermost buckle before handing the keys back to Burlingame.
“Teach this girl what a REAL highflyer can do.”
“Oh, she's plenty real.” Lily noted as she hopped over the top rope. “She's just not the best. And against us? That's gonna cost her.” She punctuated that statement with a huge overhand Chop delivered between Soshana's shoulders, the echoing CRACK enough to earn winces from dozens of floor seat fans, not to mention a sharp wail from Little Dynamite herself. After that she grabbed hold of the challenger's hair, scraped her out of the corner and said, “Hold onto her for me, would ya? Inverted Atomic Drop set-up.”
Treymane nodded, dipped slightly and wrapped her arms around the lightweight's upper thighs. “DOUBLE TEAMING, REF!” Gabby shouted as her partner was moved into position for something unpleasant. “GET HER OUTTA TH--”
Burlingame ran the ropes on Muy Caliente's side of the squared circle, causing Mendoza to break off in fuming silence at her old rival's encroachment. Lily didn't stick around though, she just bounced off the rubber-coated steel and raced back the way she'd came. Elsewhere, Veronica saw she had a second or two before the Star Strider returned to she went up on tiptoe, then down on one knee to THUMP Soto's undercarriage with the aforementioned Inverted Atomic Drop! The knee on crotch collision sent an agonizing jolt through the smaller grappler, one so all consuming she didn't notice Lily shooting by to hit the ropes she was facing. Thus it came as even more of a shock when the heiress caught tagged Soshana across the chest with a Clothesline and deftly dropped to one knee so that the challenger THUMPED down spine-first atop the posted joint in a hellacious Backbreaker!
HART ATTACK BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=67zSYmNoSns
Treymane didn't stick around to admire their handiwork, choosing instead to dip out to the apron so Carpenter wouldn't have any reason to delay the count when Lily threw herself atop Soto for the...
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Gabby Mendoza swooped in from the opposite side of the ring to smash a Double Axehandle into the center of Burlingame's back. “That's not how this ends, rich girl!” the Baby-Faced Killer explained as she scrambled up and backpedaled to her corner. “I TAKE gold from you, don't forget it!”
Fighting down a very strong urge to drag Soshana over to the Caliente corner, Lily filled her hands with Lil' Dynamite's hair and treated her to a few extra tugs before hauling her to verticality. Didn't stay there for long though, Soto had barely found her footing when Lily dipped down and muscled her up across her shoulders in a Fireman's Carry. Very deliberately turning away from Mendoza, Lily took a little stroll around the middle of the ring so she could warn the FAWNatics, “THERE'S NO ESCAPE...”
'FROM THE BLACK HOLE!' they finished for her in a thundering chorus.
With that Burlingame began to turn. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until the former Lightweight Champion and her burden were nothing but twin blurs. Twenty seconds in Lily came to a grinding halt with her eyes locked on Gabby. After a moment's pause she went up on tiptoe and snapped forward to drive Soshana into the deck with a heavy THUMP.
THE BLACK HOLE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8fAot5UGA
Still honed in on the challenger, Lily made a point of stamping on Soto's tummy as she stepped toward Gabby. Seething at the disrespect, Mendoza hopped onto the bottom rope and leaned in as close as she could. “C'mon bitch face, you want to get catty with me? Step up and see what happ--”
Lily flipped her off, bent her knees deep and launched herself back and over in a gorgeous Standing Moonsault that brought her down on Soshana's midriff with a loud THWHAP! The Maroon Meteor hooked Soto's far leg when it popped up so she wasn't slacking on the cover but it would be a lie to claim her focus was on Lil' Dynamite while Al counted out...
STANDING MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEtLdBOCw2U
ONE...
TWO....
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Soshana kicked free of the cover with half a second to spare, much to the delight of Muy Caliente fans worldwide, not to mention Gabby Mendoza herself. “That's right babe, you're too strong for that poseur!” she called to her partner even as Lily dragged her up with a big handful of shoulder-straps. “Girl breaks into a sweat even thinking about mild, she can't handle the heat you're—”
Burlingame hurled Soto into the Noir corner and followed along behind to deliver a tummy on tits Avalanche Splash virtually identical to the one Gabby had smooshed her with earlier in the bout. Welcoming 'Ronnie back to the fray with a quick tag, Lily murmured, “Your turn to play chiropractor, I'll get everything ready for ya.”
Dragging Soto out of the buckles so Treymane could enter in short order, the heiress turned Soshana around and sent her stumbling into the strands with a rough shove. Lil Dynamite hit, bounced out and right into Lily, who'd dipped low enough to stuff her head beneath the other brunette's right arm. Cinching on a Waistlock in the same breath, Lily dropped low, then popped her hips to take Soto up, over and down with a Northern Lights Suplex made all the more vicious because she landed spine-first across the right knee of the conveniently arranged Veronica Treymane! Soshana bounced away and landed awkwardly on her shoulder and hip so the Dangerous Dame stretched her out flat and bundled both legs into a snug Back Press good for the...
NORTHERN LIGHTS BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGEA9SYoc0
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
The La Paz native kicked out again, her resilience earning a single curt nod from Treymane. Latching onto the luchadora by the hair, 'Ronnie hauled Soto up and-- “HRRGGHH!” Soshana countered with an answering hair pull, then wedged her head beneath the crown of 'Ronnie's chin and dropped to her knees to rock the Destroyer back on her heels with a Jawbreaker! Treymane reeled but didn't go down so the diminutive brunette closed in and crac-crac-CRACKED a trio of Knife-Edge Chops across her chest!
“Back it up, big girl!” Lil' Dynamite ordered as Treymane stumbled closer to the Caliente corner. “It's time you finally felt the heaTTNNGGHH!”
Veronica swatted the latest Chop aside like it was nothing, then swept behind the started brunette and looped her right arm around Soto's throat! “I've got no problem with heat, Daisy.” the Magnificent Moll chided as she hooked the Sleeper in tight. “But tell me, how are you at handling pressRRRHHHH!”
Desperate to escape Treymane's grip before she could really bear down, Soshana grabbed a double handful of hair and tugged Veronica's chin down against her right shoulder even as she went up on tiptoe and dropped to her butt! The impromptu Stunner blew the Sleeper apart, set Treymane reeling and most importantly, cleared Soto's path to Gabby Mendoza. That's why the capacity crowd was so surprised when Soshana ran to the middle of the ropes instead of the corner. This surprise quickly transformed to delight once Soto took flight in a low leap that deposited her butt-first on the bottom rope before shooting her back in the opposite direction, Lil' Dynamite snatching another Three Quarters Facelock let her put some extra spice on the Springboard Stunner she stapled to the point of Treymane's jaw! Veronica went down like a felled tree and Soto was right there to capitalize with the deepest Crossbody she could apply for the...
SPRINGBOARD STUNNER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce6-uDyYm20
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Treymane shot an arm into the air, the former World Champion too tuff to be felled by a single stroke no matter the heat behind it. But this didn't bother Soshana for more than the span between heartbeats, indeed she was grinning ferociously as she bounded to her feet and raced for the outstretched hand of her partner. Of course Soto didn't simply tag out, she hopped onto the second rope (feet planted on each side of the middle buckle) and exchanged a high five with Gabs only to launch herself out into the void to THWAP every bit of her hundred and twelve pounds down on Treymane's tummy in a gorgeous Moonsault that avenged the low-altitude version she'd endured earlier in the bout!
MIDDLE ROPE MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1KinzLURis
As for Mendoza, she leapt to the high rent district as soon as Soshana took flight and she did the same once Soto rolled clear of their big blonde crash-pad. Vaulting higher than that little trust fund brat could ever hope to reach (yeah, she said it) Gabby folded herself in half with a toe-touch at the zenith, then stretched out full length to THAWHAM down on Veronica's chest with a Frog Splash that had the FAWNatics whispering 'title change'.
FROG SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVMzC9je6W0
Lily heard that voice too and she hopped over the ropes to thwart—“NNNNNGGGGHH!” Soshana intercepted her with a pinpoint Dropkick that left the Crimson Comet slumped against the buckles while Gabby sat on Treymane's chest and pulled both legs backward in a domineering Reverse Matchbook good for the...
ONE...
TWO...
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Veronica shifted to one side, lifting a shoulder off the mat and dumping Mendoza off her perch at the last possible second.
Eyes wide with shock, Gabs almost called to Soshana for a hand before she realized the other brunette was being trundled back to the corner by Al Carpenter. “That's OK, that's fine.” the Texan huffed as she hauled 'Ronnie to a slumped, gasping seat. “You're pretty damn big, bitch-face, but there's no one on this roster who's so big I can't chew 'em up and spit 'em out!”
With that she threaded her legs around Treymane's neck and dropped backward, Gabs hooking her right shin into the pit of her left knee to secure a crushing Figure Four Headscissors! Hands pressed flat to the canvas, Mendoza hoisted her butt up by a good six inches and thrust her hips forward to put even more strain on the Pinstripe Powerhouse! “Tap out, gringa!” she shouted at the suffering grappler. “You may be a champion to everyone else, but to me you're just gum that needs scraping off my boots!”
FIGURE FOUR HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRHkTmZ4gOY
Mendoza struggled with control of the bigger blonde. Realizing there’s no submission imminent, the Baby-Faced Killer pivoted herself and her foe so they’re facing the canvas. Thrusting her hips forward, the Terrible Texan SLAMMED Treymane’s face into the thinly-sheathed plywood time after time, enough so the crowd started chanting 'QUIT BITCH-FACE QUIT!'
The sound brought a smile to both Gabby and the two members of Caliente on the sidelines, Sofia pumping her fist to the beat of 'Ronnie’s mug being THUMPED into the deck.
Still, there’s no quit in the champion and Gabby released her Scissors, pushing a slumped Veronica to her back and climbing aboard in a lateral press for the…
ONE…
TWO…
The Pinstripe Powerhouse showed some, heaving Mendoza up to her haunches. Gabby swept ebony locks off her face, unable to hide a hint of concern at the strength behind Veronica’s escape.
Mendoza tugged the bleary-eyed blonde to a seated position and painted a cheek with a nasty slap as punishment for preventing her from becoming a champion. As Veronica’s head swiveled back in place, her face flushing, not only from the contact.
The hand of a steaming Treymane shot forward, fingers clutching around the throat of a suddenly bug-eyed Gabby. As Ronnie spun up to one knee, her grasp around Mendoza’s neck tightening, G-Money chopped the choke away with a forearm blow, turned and scurried toward her corner.
But as she got a few steps away and Veronica was struggling toward vertical from her genuflection, Mendoza turned on a dime and raced to the title holder, flipping over a shoulder of the blonde while grabbing her foe’s noggin on the fly-by and POUNDING Veronica’s spine and the back of her skull into the canvas with a running Neckbreaker.
The collision rocked Treymane, but 'Ronnie, even while cradling her throbbing cranium, climbed to her feet, only to be NAILED again with a second helping of the maneuver, this time remaining on her back after the ring-rattler, boot soles pattering against the canvas.
TWO SPOT OF THE RUNNING NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygB6tUyiJsQ
Mendoza dove on Treymane in a Crossbody pin, hooking a muscular leg with one arm while raising the other high and pumping her fist to Al’s slaps of the canvas for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Though the force wasn't the same, Veronica had enough to push Gabby from her chest and shift a shoulder off the canvas, saving Noir’s belts for the moment.
Mendoza gnashed her perfect pearlies in frustration, pulling 'Ronnie up by her hair as she rose. She tugged the doubled, wobbling Gangster to the Caliente corner, keeping her grip as she tagged Lil’ So-So.
As Soto moved to a neutral corner, Gabby pivoted and flung Veronica toward the buckles opposite her teammate with an Irish Whip. Ronnie turned into a harsh back-first impact that had enough strength to send a grimacing Treymane staggering back toward the challenger. Showing she had a little muscle of her own, Gabby dipped and collected Veronica behind her thighs then vaulted the blonde into the air where an arriving Soshana leapt into an elevated Front Facelock and POUNDED the champ into the canvas with a modified DDT.
DOUBLE TEAM DDT @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIvpxT4UMPQ
As Mendoza moved toward the exit, the FAWNatics cheering on the display of teamwork in taking down the bigger woman, Soto rolled a splayed 'Ronnie to her back, grabbed the near leg, and rolled to a Back Press, Treymane’s ass pointed to the rafters for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Whether Veronica might have kicked out in time remains a mystery. Taking no chances, Lily enters and drops an elbow to the chest of Little Dynamite, breaking the pin.
With Mendoza having yet to fully leave the squared circle, G-Money U-turned and sprinted at a rising Burlingame only to be sent flying with a spectacular Tilt-a-Whirl Headscissors from the Roseate Rocket.
TILT-A-WHIRL HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hll9R5iNY
As Gabby landed hard and slid across the canvas, an upright Soto charged Lily from behind only to be gutted by a blind, Spinning Heel Kick to the navel, Burlingame showing her veteran awareness.
Having used her momentum to reach her feet, Mendoza surged toward the Crimson Comet.
Thinking quickly, Burlingame spun the doubled and gasping Soshana and stuffed the Mexican between herself and Gabby, the dipped shoulder of Lil’ So-So stabbing Gabby in the midriff and halting her advance. Reflexively, Mendoza’s right arm slipped over the back of her partner’s neck and, when Lily NAILED Gabs with a Dropkick to the chin, laying her out, Mendoza SPIKED her own partner with an involuntary DDT.
Soshana tumbled over to a stilled spreadeagle while a confused Gabby cradles her noggin from her own bad landing.
Impressed with Lily’s display but having seen enough, Carpenter ushered Burlingame toward the champions’ corner while Gabby struggled to bring Soto back to her senses. She finally had some success in rousing the dazed Soshana, Sofia on the outside, slapping the mat to help in any way she can, when a rickety but vertical Veronica grabbed each by their raven locks. Treymane turned the wide-eyed Caliente cuties to face each other for a meeting of the minds.
'Ronnie THUMPED foreheads, creating her own version of TexMex. As Gabby was sent into a staggering backpedal from the collision, ending in the buckles of the Caliente corner, Lil’ So-So did a drunken pirouette into the arms of the Destroyer-class blonde.
The Gorgeous Gangster LAUNCHED the diminutive Mexican HIGH into the Orlando sky with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex, Soto landing halfway across the ring. Thankfully for Sofia and other fans of the challengers, it’s toward Caliente’s corner and, while Veronica reached and tagged Lily into the party, Gabby was able to slip out, tag, and slip back in.
Less fortunately for the new entrant, the former Cherry Bomb was mid-assault, leaping into another Avalanche Splash. But Mendoza showed her wiles, throwing her body clear. It’s Lily’s whose eyes bulge as she had no crash-pad, save her head against the thinly padded top buckle. Burlingame spun away from the corner, staggering in a stupor from the impact.
Gabby collected her rival from behind, racing past while snatching her foe’s head and Bulldogging Lily to deck, PLANTING the champ’s face into the canvas in emphatic fashion.
“You’re going to quit, bitchface,” Gabby informs as she pulled Burlingame to a seated position in her lap. “But first I’m going to have a little fun.”
Capturing the dazed Lily in a Full Nelson and wrapping a Scissors around Burlingame’s taut midriff, Gabby leeeeeeeaned back, taking Lily with her. She launched up, forward, then down, SPIKING the champ’s tailbone into the deck with a Keister Bounce, though the maneuver was ill-named as Burlingame was BLASTED more than bounced.
As Lily mewled in pain from the throbbing below, Mendoza leaned back again, dropping to her spine, and repeated the process a second and third time, each butt blow drawing a more pained visage from the veteran.
Gabby released her Full Nelson but kept her Scissors secure. She rolled to her chest, stacking Lily onto her shoulders, Burlingame’s legs bracketing her face as she’s placed in a jackknife pin between her foe’s pressurizing stems for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Lily rocks enough to tumble to her side and Gabby unlocks her scissors to push to her feet and finish off her long-time adversary.
Burying one hand in Burlingame's hair even as the other goes to her mouth, Mendoza hauled Lily to her feet, then pulled out her gum and held it high for the inspection of the FAWNatics. “We're gonna take those titles and in exchange I'll give Lily my gum!”
The Cosmic Noir contingent booed this prospect quite heartily, but the Caliente approved with equal vigor, their mixed reaction leading to a state of general cacophony when Gabby used a thumb to glue the big purple wad to the center of her rival's forehead! This was followed by a Toe Kick and a quick bit of backpedaling, the Baby-Faced Killer clearing off on the champ's left before she sprinted forward, leapt and threaded her right leg over the back of Burlingame's bowed head for a Famous-NO! Lily straightened up and twisted around in one dizzying motion to hoist Mendoza up onto her shoulders in an Electric Chair! Startled but not rattled, Mendoza stretched her arms out at her sides, then dipped her head and snapped forward to tumble between the Crimson Comet's planted stems for a Victory Roll that would effectively counter Lily's coun-NO AGAIN! Lily dropped to her knees as Gabs passed through, a rough adjustment that drove her butt into the Texan's chest and allowed her to pin Mendoza's thighs beneath her arms in a taut Reverse Matchbook! Desperation for Mendoza meant delight for Burlingame, the latter beaming from ear to ear as she pattered out a spanking little bongo-beat on the former's squirming buttocks while Al Carpenter counted off...
ONE...
TWO...
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Gabby got her hands against Burlingame's backside and shoved off with no more than a whisper to spare! The race to verticality was neck and neck, though Mendoza must've won by the tiniest bit because she was the first to charge, the former Lightweight Champion bearing down on Lily with a Clothesline that would've taken her head off if the other brunette hadn't pirouetted out of the way! Gabs never missed a beat, she continued on toward the ropes, leapt onto the second strand and returned for a second pass, the tenacious Texan twisting 'round mid-flight to thread her legs around Burlingame's noggin for a beautiful Hurricanra--“AAAAAARRRRHHHHHHH!”
Mendoza let out a wail of abject agony when Lily wrapped her arms around the challenger's encroaching thighs and hurled her not to the canvas, but onto the point of Burlingame's right knee! Gabby bounced away like her opponent was electrified and hurried to her feet just as quickly, though careful observers noted she did so with none of her usual poise. Indeed the challenger seemed to have dismissed all thoughts of offense in favor of pressing both hands to the small of her back, an understandable choice that proved calamitous when Burlingame skewered her with a vengeful Toe Kick only moments later. Reeling her foe into a tight Standing Headscissors, Lily seemed about to secure the brunette's arms when she realized Gabby's gum was still spackled between her eyes. Pretty features crimping in disgust, she reached up and plucked it off, but rather than toss it aside she reached down with both hands and slipped them beneath the Texan's biceps. Once she clasped her hands it would be a proper Double Underhook, in the meantime it was a good way to keep Gabby's arms out of the way while the champ hooked her fingers into the leg holes of those purple and gold briefs.
“Don't you dare!” Mendoza warned as she heard the crowd start to buzz with anticipation. “I mean it gringa, you don't want that heEEEAAAAAAOOOOWWWW!”
Alas, Lily was in a particularly spicy mood as Gabby discovered when the Maroon Meteor split her cheeks with a savage wedgie! “Here's your gum back, baby!” Burlingame giggled as she pressed the damp purple chaw to her opponent's right glute. Mendoza wailed in outrage and stamped her feet, though all this did was provide a bit more jiggle for the hard camera before Lily locked her hands and flipped her ass over teakettle. Lily held her that way for a few seconds, just letting the blood rush to Gabby's head (and OK, maybe she was showing her off a little) until she 'hupped' her up and dropped to one knee, Burlingame once again delivering the challenger's spine across one knee in most painful fashion.
DOUBLE UNDERHOOK BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOoUuW7LNoQ
Gabby didn't bounce away this time, she just slopped off the champ's leg and landed on her tummy in a damp, groaning heap.
“Keep an eye on Soshana while I finish this.” Lily called to Veronica as she plunged her hands into Mendoza's battle damp hair.
Veronica nodded, though her response was tinged with concern. “Can do, Lil. Sure you don't need help?”
“Not for this one.” Burlingame scraped Gabby off the mat. “This one I finish alone.”
“Don't listen to her, Gabby!” Soto called from the Caliente corner. “You beat her before, you'll beat her again! Show this brat you're the hot--”
Soto trailed off into silence when Lily snatched hold of her partner's left wrist and twisted that arm in a wide, smooth circle that let her snuggle into position behind the challenger's back. In the next instant she halved the Wristlock and reached around with her free (right) arm and slipped it around Mendoza's right bicep. From there she bent over almost double to muscle the bigger wrestler up across her back while also hooking Gabby's left arm around her right thigh to keep it out of the way. With her left arm now free to wreak more havoc, Lily drew Mendoza's ankles into a bundle and pulled them tight against her left hip. Trap now set, Lily jounced in place a few times, the vindictive Star Strider putting all her considerable efforts toward bending Gabby into a hellacious arch!
CELESTIAL DAWN @ 15:24
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAgwBqjG1kE
“What do you say, Gabs?” Al asked over the din. “You hanging in there? Tell me something!”
“BACK OFF!” the Baby-Faced Killer barked. “AND TELL THAT BITCH-FACE GRINGA TO KISS MY ASSWHOOOAAAAAAAAHHHH!”
Lily began to spin in place as fast as she could, the dizzying rotations of this Celestial Dawn doing nothing for her foe's physical or mental well-being. To make matters worse, the heiress had very deliberately moved them toward the Cosmic Noir corner, meaning Soshana Soto had quite a bit more ground to cover when she hopped over the ropes and raced toward the tangled rivals! Veronica was a step behind but the blonde's longer stride meant she between Soto and her partner when Lil' So-So took to the skies for a Running Crossbod--
'OOOOOOOOOHHHHH!' from the FAWNatics when Treymane caught the luchadora out of the air like she was a sack of laundry. “Let's let them finish this their own way, ok, Daisy?” Soshana didn't get a chance to answer, 'Ronnie just set the brunette down on her feet and immediately cinched her right arm around Soto's throat! The challenger had demonstrated an aptitude for escaping Treymane's Sleeper earlier in the bout, but now she found her neck crimped tight and the world transformed into a spinning nightmare when the Magnificent Moll muscled her off the canvas and started spinning like her partner! An impressive sight to be sure, Veronica twirling her prey toward the Big Sleep while Lily kept Gabby spiraling with the Celestial Dawn and Sofia pounded the apron with both hands in a valiant, albeit doomed effort to support her friends.
Eventually Treymane dropped to the mat and slipped her legs around Soto's waist, the big blonde Destroyer just squeeeeeeeezing until the lightweight was slumbering in her grasp.
Elsewhere, Lily hit the brakes on her spin cycle and began to bounce again, her every movement designed to bring Gabby's heels closer to the back of her own head. Even then Mendoza refused to concede, shaking her head frantically 'no' whenever Al asked if she'd had enough. “NO! NO! NO! STOP ASKING, I'M NOT GONNA WHOOAAAAAHHH STAAAAAAAAAAHP! STAAAAAAAAAHHP!”
Burlingame's latest round of spinning proved to be too much for Gabby and she swatted madly at the champ's left thigh only a few seconds later. Carpenter noted it and called for the bell, however Lily didn't let her rival go. She only stopped in place and bounced a little harder as the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners via submission and STILL the FAWN Tag Team Champions... COSMIC NOIR!”
“Hear that, Gabby? AND STILL! Who's the bitch-face now, loser?”
“YOU ARE!” Mendoza sobbed. “YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A NNNGGGHHH!”
Lily wasn't through with her rival yet, but Al Carpenter was approaching with the belts in hand so she dropped Mendoza to the mat and grabbed the gold when offered. “Let's leave it at that, ok, Lil?” the ref said as Burlingame strapped the title around her waist. “No need to pile on any--”
“Oh yes there is. She'd have done the same to me, so this is just what she deserves!”
Shooing Carpenter off toward Veronica (who'd recently nudged free of an insensate Soshana Soto) Lily turned the belt around so the faceplate was above the seat of her trunks, an arrangement that meant Gabby got an excellent view of the tag division's top prize before Lily sat down on her gasping features! “You can think whatever you want, honey.” Lily grabbed hold of Mendoza's wrists and stuffed them into the pit of her tummy when she tried to push the victrix off her seat. “But my name's on this belt and my ass is on your nose, so as far as I'm concerned that makes YOU the bitch-face!”
Gabby squealed in protest, stamped her heels against the canvas and wriggled for all she was worth, but it had been a long, grueling match and she didn't have the energy to rob Burlingame of her perch. Another fifteen seconds and she drifted off into dreamland, no doubt already spinning plans of vengeance for the next time she and the heiress crossed paths.
Lily didn't care one way or another, she was all smiles when she bounced to her feet and exchanged a high five with the Dangerous Dame. “Feel better?” Treymane asked. “Seems like you got something out of your system.”
A sour look crossed Lily's face and she shook her head 'no'. “Just settled an old score is more like it. Gabby's had that coming for a while, but there's no way we're done. We don't like each other. Never have, never will.”
Veronica nodded, she had a few rivals that evoked a similar reaction. “Well she can think about revenge after she's washed her face and picked up her check at the loser's window. As for us, we've earned a celebration, don't you think?”
“Hell yeah.” Lily and 'Ronnie bumped knuckles, then raised a salute to the throng and made their way out of the ring while Sofia Garcia joined Al Carpenter in rousing Muy Caliente from their cosmic slumber.
Their last chance for the belts was tarnished by a deflating, devastating loss to the now defunct Gold Standard. Tonight had to be…would be...different.
The crowd hopped out of their seats at the first sign of the challengers’ familiar accompaniment, the sellout throng using the space in front of them as their own personal dance floors, shifting their hips in time with the music.
MUY CALIENTE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0hDQLcWTg
Muy Caliente, all three, pushed through the curtains and sambaed to center stage the night’s combatants joined by a supportive Cuban firecracker in Sofia Garcia.
The Latina Strike Force had the multitudes in the palms of their hands, the throngs obviously excited about the opportunity to see if Caliente could climb the Cosmic Mountain upon which the title holders now sat at the peak.
With supportive signs scattered throughout the bowl, Mendoza, Soto and Garcia pointed and pumped fists at their fans before breaking toward the ramp and ring, Gabby embracing the hard-won positive energy from the FAWNatics.
SOFIA GARCIA:
SOSHANA SOTO:
GABBY MENDOZA:
The sultry Sofia led the way in a two-piece, neon, violet number that caught eyes and stirred hearts. The white-hot Cuban waved her hands then slapped those extended toward her by the adoring masses.
Close behind were the duo scheduled for the battleground.
The spicy little lucha, Soshana Soto was next in line. Lil So-So’s wardrobe included a purple sports bra top with gold trim, her bottoms the same color as her top, flaps covering the back, also with a gold trim. On her right arm was a gold sleeve with purple and white streamers running from her wrist to mid bicep. She finished her togs with black knee pads, a pair of gold-colored boots and kick pads with purple trim.
The Babyfaced Bubblicious connoisseur was the tail of this delectable parade, her once iconic mini-skirt and bustier long since replaced by a purple and gold number, the two piece of crop-top and booty shorts showing solidarity with Soto痴 color scheme ( www.etsy.com/no-en/listing/671209460/pro-wrestling-gear-womens-crop-top-and ). Black pads and gold boots completed the makeover.
Mendoza and Soto seemed focused, though Gabs still chewed on her trademark wad enthusiastically, blowing the requisite bubbles then popping them with a darting tongue.
Reaching the ring, Soshana circled, trading high fives. Garcia completed the lap in the opposite direction, doing the same. A single-minded Gabby waited at the steel steps for her partners to return. When they do, Mendoza acceded to Lil So-So, Soshana taking the lead onto the apron as Sofia claimed her station on the floor next to the Latinas’ corner.
Soto wiped her boots and moved halfway down the ropes. She grabbed the top cable and flung herself over in a front flip, hitting the landing flawlessly.
The veteran slid through surreptitiously, leaving the spotlight to her partner. The only thing that mattered to Mendoza was the result, a winning one.
With Tex and Mex center stage, the ring announcer intercedes, Caliente’s music fading.
“Ladies and gentlemen the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute time limit and is for the FAWN Tag Team Championships! Being accompanied to the ring by Sofia Garcia , they are the challengers! Introducing first, from La Paz Mexico…she stands five feet one inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and twelve pounds… Pequeno Dinamita… SOSHANA SOTO! Her partner… from Irving Texas, standing five feet five inches tall and weighing one hundred and twenty-two pounds, G-Money…GABBY MENDOZA! Together they are MUY CALIENTE!”
The arena thundered with an enthusiastic ovation, eager to see if the Latina Strike Force could vault the ultimate hurdle.
Eventually the Caliente cacophony died down and the Announcer picked up where he left off. “And introducing their opponents! Hailing from Bridgeport, California and Stovington, Vermont respectively and weighing in at combined total of two hundred and forty-four pounds. They are the Neo-Noir Knockout VERONICA TREYMANE and the Girl that Gravity Forgot, LILY BURLINGAME! Together they are the FAWN Tag Team Champions… COSMIC NOIR!”
The low lights of the Crimson Comet’s entrance were interrupted by a tongue of flamesparking out of the floor at the bottom of the ramp and burning rapidly up its wick until itreached the pool of darkness at the top. And all at once the predicted explosion of noise and pyrowent off, a huge KA-BOOM of red bursting loud enough to swallow the introductory riff of 'Comeback Kid’. When the lights came back the music immediately cut to the first verse of‘Machine Gun Blues’ and the Heartbroken mob roared for all they were worth togreet the Galactic Gumshoes.
LILY BURLINGAME:
VERONICA TREYMANE:
“Hmmmmmhhhh, this reminds me.” Lily noted as she surveyed the challengers. “Margaritas when we're done?”
“Only if there's nachos.” 'Ronnie replied. “I don't have margaritas without nachos.”
“When have I ever said you can't get nachos? Also, Gabby is mine.”
Treymane snorted, raised the replica Thompson. “I won't fight ya for her, but if she gets in my way... no promises.”
“She won't be vertical long enough to get in your way.” Burlingame replied. On the heels of that statement she hoisted her invisible detonator overhead and brought her thumb down to get an earth-shattering ‘KA-BOOM!’ from the FAWNatics and an explosive line of pyro from Veronica’s barking iron. When it fell silent Treymane and Burlingame blew smoke off the barrel, then started toward the ring with the Crimson Comet a few steps ahead.
For tonight's battle against a pair of extremely dangerous Lightweights, Lily wore a gleaming black variation of her usual midnight blue and starry white halter and bottoms, galaxies swirling and shimmering with her every move. Her knee pads were white on one side and purple on the other, matching her togs perfectly. Behind her, the Gorgeous Gangster wore matching togs, the black replacing charcoal gray in her usual boy-cut pinstripe trunks and bustier. The accompanying suspenders and belt gleamed bright white, as did her pads and wrist-tape, while her boots were a mellow, celestial purple.
They were about halfway to the squared circle when Burlingame raised her right hand and started a silent countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Blastoff!
The Girl That Gravity Forgot went flying down the rest of the ramp to leap onto the apron in a single bound. From there she raced along the narrow ledge to the far corner, the top of which she reached just as easily. This display of effortless acrobatics was capped off with a soaring and undeniably gorgeous back-flip which landed her perfectly within the confines of the squaredcircle. A couple heartbeats passed and Veronica slid in behind her, the Magnificent Moll having doffed her coat and Thompson as soon as the countdown began.
A jaunty pose with both belts raised to the rafters earned a loud roar from the Star Gazers and the quick arrival of one Al Carpenter, who set to work checking their pads and boots. “Hope you took your Dramamine tonight, Al.” Lily chided as she headed toward the champ's corner. “This one's going from zero to sixty before you can blink.”
Both teams were still conversing when the bell CLANGED to start the match. Over in the Caliente corner, Gabby and Soshana exchanged a look before the former nodded and said, “I got this.”
Soto nodded in return and offered her partner a knuckle bump, but concern was writ large on her face. “You sure, Gabs?” they could start Veronica real easy.”
Mendoza chomped her gum, looked over to the far side of the squared circle. “They could.” she agreed. “But I don't think they will.” With that she turned her full attention to the champions and skipped toward the center.
Elsewhere, Veronica and Lily were having a similar exchange. “I really think I should start, Lil.” Treymane argued. “Yeah they're fast, but I happen to have the fastest sparring partner on the roster.”
“Damn right you do. But I know Gabby. She might be rolling with the forces of sweetness and light these days, but we still have history.” A cheer from the crowd drew their gaze to the challengers side of town and damned if the Baby-Faced Killer wasn't starting for her squad.
“All right.” Veronica raised her hands, then slipped through the strands to the apron. “But remember, it's Tag TEAM titles. Win or lose, we do it together.”
Burlingame smiled, but her eyes were already locked on Mendoza. “Don't worry, 'Ronnie. I'll save ya plenty.” Another wave of applause as the Girl That Gravity Forgot made a beeline for her longtime rival.
“Hey Lil.” Gabby favored Burlingame with a knowing smile as they began to circle one another. “Been a while, how's it going?”
“Just fine, Gabs.” Lily's tone was friendly but her hands were up and ready and her dark eyes were flinty. “On top of the world, really. It's a good feeling whippin' each team that sets foot in the ring with--”
Mendoza lunged, hooked an arm under the smaller brunette's right bicep and laid out on her side to sling Lily halfway to Soshana with a blink and you'll miss it Arm Drag! Lily recovered just as fast which was quite fortuitous because it meant she was upright by the time Gabby rushed in and hopped into a sturdy landing atop the champion's thighs! Locking her hands across the nape of Burlingame's neck, the Bubblicious Badass dropped down and back and pistoned both legs straight up to hurl Lily into the lights with a gorgeous Monkey Fl-NOOOO!
The Star Strider transformed the potential pratfall into a perfect landing, Burlingame waggling her finger 'no, no, no!' the instant her boots returned to the mat. “Don't think so!” she called over the cheers of those gathered for this March to War. “You wanna take me off my feet? You better come correcRRRGGHH!”
Gabby didn't knock the smaller brunette down, she just spun her around and laid lightning across her chest with a CRAAACKING Knife-Edge Chop! “That correct enough for ya, gringa?” Mendoza snapped as the cringing champ pressed a forearm to her chest. “Wanna make sure I get it right when I beat you for a second titLLRRRGGHHH!”
Where Gabby had chopped, Lily chose to slap, a hard, open-handed swat that THWHAPPED her opponent's sternum! Gabs flinched and raised her hands without thinking only to curse through clenched teeth when Lily laid claim to her right hand with a Greco-Roman Knuckle-Lock. No one would've balked at a Test of Strength between the rivals, yet no one was particularly surprised when Burlingame ran to a neutral set of strands and hopped onto the middle rope. From there she jumped off and twisted around midair to land on her feet while tossing Gabby offa hers!
SPRINGBOARD ARM DRAG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtwlZe27JQ
Mendoza rolled through, came up on one knee and was back on her feet after a quick adjustment to her top. She'd thought the heiress might beckon her forward but Lily came to her instead, the smaller brunette apparently seeking to jump ahead in the Arm Drag ra-'Ooooohhhhhhhh's' all around as the Lightweight staples locked arms and tugged in opposite directions, their identical attempts freezing 'em both in a mirrored pose that looked far more cooperative than their gazes suggested.
“Should've let Soshana start.” Lily muttered. “At least she's got a chance to keep up with NGH!”
Gabs put a stop to that sass with a brisk little slap across that mouth that earned a glare of 'how could you?' shock from the Tag Champ. “You should've let Veronica start.” Mendoza countered. “We'd run rings around her too, but at least you'd have another excuse to hind behind when I take ANOTHER title from NGH!”
Lily answered with a smack of her own, then jabbed an index finger into the challenger's chest. “That's what you're taking from me tonight, cutie.” she promised. “It's not gold, but you can have as many as you wanRGH! RGH! RGH!”
Gabby shut her up with a flurry of quick punches to the forehead that Lily returned in kind, the two highflyers ignoring everything they knew about finesse and technique to go at one another hockey fight style! Well, maybe not everything they knew, the brunettes were still tethered by their locked forearms and leeeeeaaaned backward in an effort to seize control of the stalled Arm Drag. It was a strenuous arrangement that couldn't be maintained for very long (especially while someone was punching you in the head) but Burlingame and Mendoza kept at it for about fifteen seconds before they broke loose and spun away to gather their faculties.
Soshana and Veronica each extended a hand to their partners in the hopes that they'd want a breather, alas Gabby and Lily rebuked the offers with a stern shake of the head. Apparently they weren't done with one another just yet.
“I think those titles are slowing you down, rich girl.” Mendoza sniped as the brunettes began to circle once more. “You're definitely slower than the last time we met. Or maybe it's not the belts. Maybe you're just getting complacent knowing Treymane's always there to save your ass.”
Lily grimaced like the challenger had just punched her in the belly. “You're really going to talk to me about having back-up? First you had Rose. Then Ginnifer. Now it's Soshana, Sofia and Soledad. You've never won anything on your own. Not the Lightweight title, not the Tag Titles... certainly not a cage match.”
Gabs' dark eyes narrowed to black slots, the pain of her humiliating 'Mania defeat still a sore subject almost two years later. “That how this is gonna be, Lily?” she almost whispered.
“It's how it always is with you, Gabby.” the champion's tone was just as tense. “Your new friends might not care who you used to be, but that's because they never limped through the curtain with a wad of your gum in their hair or had to listen to a whole crowd singing along while you bounced that bubble butt on their face over and over and ov--”
Mendoza leapt on her, the challenger sweeping Lily into a Collar & Elbow Tie-Up that she returned with equal enthusiasm. Though both women were exceptionally skilled technicians their clench showed no evidence of this talent as it was really more an excuse for each wrestler to grab onto one of her foe's shoulder-straps while stuffing the other hand into her face! This rough treatment did nothing to ease the simmering hostilities and it was a matter of mere seconds before they were stamping and stumbling around the ring, just skidding along the ropes and pin-balling off of corners as each wrestler tried to walk through her rival. Inevitably the chin-pushing turned to hair pulling, Burlingame and Mendoza each snatching a handful of dark locks for an eye-watering tug that made them hiss with pain.
Al Carpenter had observed the tension between two usually good-natured charges with growing concern, yet he'd remained silent because their exchanges up to this point had remained well within the confines of the rules. Now however he had the perfect excuse to hurry up beside the action and order, “Get off each other's hair, right now! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!” Lily and Gabby did as bade, but finished with a mutual shove that would've started a fresh round of snarling if the zebra hadn't stepped between them. “Knock that shit off right now.” he warned. “This is a Tag Team wrestling match and the titles are on the line in case you forgot. You want to indulge that catty garbage, you settle it on the carpet, understand?”
The wrestlers glowered at one another like two kids that'd just been chewed out by the principle. After a moment, Lily muttered, “She started WHUUGGGHH!” The Baby-Faced Killer lunged in, looped her arms around Lily's knees and swept her feet out from underneath with a Double-Leg Takedown! In the next instant she somersaulted forward over the startled heiress to land with her feet planted flat and her back pressed to Lily's chest in a Jackknife Pin good for...
JACKKNIFE PIN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCDgA-DD48
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Lily powered loose and scrambled to her feet with a whisper to spare, much to the relief of a wide-eyed Veronica Treymane. “Get your head straight, Lil!” she called. “Daisy's no match for you, don't let her tell you otherwise!”
“Oh, I've always been BETTER than she is, tuff girl!” Gabby shouted to the Pinstripe Powerhouse. “She's just too gutless to admit WHOOAAAH!”
Lily slapped on a Front Facelock and dropped back, the former Lightweight Champion stacking Mendoza on her shoulders while deftly scissoring her legs around the challenger's right stem to keep her grounded and wriggling for...
SMALL PACKAGE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vyOwLqbW0
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Gabby exploded loose from the Small Package, shot to boot-leather and would've gone at Burlingame again if Soto hadn't called, “TAG OUT, GABS! RIGHT NOW!”
“You too, Lily.” Veronica said in an unusual show of solidarity with the opposition. “This is out of hand.”
Mendoza and Burlingame locked eyes for several seconds before they started backing away toward their respective corners. “This isn't over, rich girl.” Gabby warned. “Not by a long shot.”
“I look forward to it, chica.” Lily countered. “Whenever you're ready.”
With that she turned around and headed for the outstretched hand of her partner.
Perhaps a bit too soon as it turned out, Gabby spinning on her heels and racing into a Forearm Smash to the back of Burlingame’s skull! Lily lurched forward but not quite within range of Veronica’s hand before she fell to all fours, grimacing.
Unconcerned about appearances when gold was on the line, Gabby sank a set of nails into Lily’s scalp and ripped the Star Strider to her feet. Trading in her grip for a wrist, Mendoza flung the former Cherry Bomb to Caliente territory, Lily turning and flying into a back-first collision with the buckles.
Gabby mouthed an insincere ‘sorry!’ to the red-faced Treymane then spun and raced into a Texas-sized splash of the champion, blasting Burlingame with all the momentum Gabby could muster.
Leaning into the sagging Lily, Mendoza handed the reins over to Lil So-So with a slap of her palm. Soto grasped the top rope and leapt over, clipping Lily’s temple with a kick to the cranium on the way in.
Burlingame tried to stagger toward her corner, but Gabby still had a grip on a wrist and spun the title holder into a charging Soshana. Pequeno Dinamita showed how she got her below-the-border moniker, vaulting with legs raised and extended. The abbreviated stems clamped tight around Lily’s skull and the Mexican flung Lily through the air with a Flying Headscissors.
Dark eyes spinning like tops, Burlingame had the wherewithal to use the energy to roll to her feet, but it’s only in time to EAT a perfectly placed Dropkick to the chops that sent the Roseate Rocket tumbling in a backpedal to a neutral corner.
“You think I want anything to do with her?” Soshana waved toward the fidgeting Treymane in the champs’ corner as she paced to her foe. “You must be loco.”
Increasing her velocity the last few steps, Soshana bounced into a European Uppercut that straightened the slumping Lily, snapping the brunette’s head back. Soto leans in close.
“You and your sister have been monopolizing the gold in this company long enough. Time for some new blood, gringa.”
Lil So-So started to hurl Lily to the opposite buckles, but Burlingame planted and pivoted. Instead, it’s Soto who’s sent sprinting with Lily right on her tail. Soshana headed in chest-first, but her gata-like reflexes were at the ready, hopping to the middle ropes as she arrived, then back-flipping over the hard-charging Crimson Comet.
Landing behind a startled Burlingame, Soshana reached for her foe to corral Burlingame in a Waistlock, only to have the veteran GUT HER with a blind Mule Kick to the Mexican’s golden-brown tummy. Wide-eyed and gasping, bent at the waist, Soto’s easy pickings for a rough Side Headlock. Lily grinds the noggin of the challenger against her hip as she tugged the diminutive Latina toward the champions’ first tag.
Soshana got palms to Lily’s hips and shoved her foe off. A flustered Burlingame spun to Soto, a Spinning Heel Kick from the Latina heading toward her chin. The Star Strider deftly dodged the effort and twirled into a CRACKING punt to Soshana’s jaw. Lil’ So-So staggers drunkenly from the impact, falling to her knees when reaching the rubber-coated steel strands, chest and arms draping over the middle rope as she stared blankly into the roaring crowd.
“You really should choose your friends better, chica,” Lily informed more for Mendoza’s benefit than the dazed Soto. Hitting the cables directly behind the kneeling Soshana, Lily raced toward her rival’s six, sweeping through the ropes by So-So’s side. Grabbing them as she flew through, Lily U-turned and NAILED Soto in the mush with a Tiger Feint Kick.
TIGER FEINT KICK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhF83BrOko
As Soshana sprawled to the deck, Burlingame raced to her corner and tagged in the Pinstripe Powerhouse. Veronica slid through the ropes, Lily noticeably remaining. The dark-haired lightweight bowed in front of her Destroyer-class partner, allowing Ronnie to wrap her arms around the taut midriff of Burlingame.
The Gorgeous Gangster lifted her teammate to a seat on her shoulders Powerbomb-style the Star Strider twisted into an electric chair seat. Ronnie surged to the splayed Mexican where she heaved Lily off, the former Cherry Bomb exploding across the belly of Lil So-So in a SPLASHING sandwiching descent.
Burlingame rolled off just in time to avoid a CRUSHING follow-up Senton by the brawny blonde. Soto did not. The little firecracker jackknifes beneath the force of Veronica’s arrival. Treymane snatched both raised legs, rolling Soshana into a ‘C’ beneath her, Caliente ass pointed to the rafters for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Soto wriggled free, throwing a shoulder off the deck before Al could slap for the third time.
“Aw Daisy,” 'Ronnie chuckled softly. “You should have stayed planted.”
Soto had other ideas, pushing to hands and knees and crawling toward the Caliente corner.
Veronica got up quickly, grabbing an ankle and easily dragging Soto into safer space. 'Ronnie raised Soshana to vertical, heels over head and THUMPED a series of kicks into the runt’s breadbasket. She dropped a gurgling Soto to the canvas, the Latina curling into a ball, hugging her bruised abdomen.
“Time for a siesta, little lady,” Treymane assured, grabbing Soshana by a wrist and shoulder and ripping the raven-haired grappler to her feet. Running the challenger a few steps toward a neutral corner, Veronica sent Soshana into the stratosphere with a Biel Toss that got enough air to deliver Lil So-So across the entirety of the ring.
Soto CRASHED to earth with a ring-rattling BANG before sliding into the buckles, both Gabby, on the apron, and Sofia, on the floor, wincing in sympathy pains. Concern was evident in the eyes of each at the astonishing power the blonde can bring to bear.
Veronica scraped the wincing challenger off the deck and ‘hupped’ the Mexican across her shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry. Soshana wriggles fitfully within the curled guns of the Gangster but couldn't find an escape as Ronnie climbed first to the bottom cables then to the middle versions.
Deciding she’s reached an appropriate altitude, Veronica let gravity take its course, laying out and plummeting to the deck, POUNDING Lil So-So’s frame into the canvas with an Avalanche Samoan Drop that left Soto spasming while a beaming 'Ronnie climbs to her feet.
AVALANCHE SAMOAN DROP:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc6--g2yt5o
Treymane hustled to the ropes at Soto’s side and rebounded, springing into the air with both legs extended. The lengthy lower limbs SLAMMED down across Soshana’s throat and chest, the challenger’s body jerking spasmodically after impact then falling still. Veronica’s stems laid across the chest of the battered Mexican beauty for the inevitable…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Soshana pushed out from under, nudging the blonde’s sinewy pins enough to slip a shoulder off the canvas and keep Caliente alive in its effort to claim the crowns.
Veronica hardly seemed upset, giving Soshana a golf clap for her stubborn tenacity. As 'Ronnie rose, she sank a set of nails into Soto’s raven locks and ‘helped’ the diminutive Latina to vertical, leading the stumbling challenger back to the Cosmic corner.
Veronica pulled Soshana’s noggin WAY BACK and THUMPED Lil So-So’s forehead into the thin padding of the uppermost buckle before handing the keys back to Burlingame.
“Teach this girl what a REAL highflyer can do.”
“Oh, she's plenty real.” Lily noted as she hopped over the top rope. “She's just not the best. And against us? That's gonna cost her.” She punctuated that statement with a huge overhand Chop delivered between Soshana's shoulders, the echoing CRACK enough to earn winces from dozens of floor seat fans, not to mention a sharp wail from Little Dynamite herself. After that she grabbed hold of the challenger's hair, scraped her out of the corner and said, “Hold onto her for me, would ya? Inverted Atomic Drop set-up.”
Treymane nodded, dipped slightly and wrapped her arms around the lightweight's upper thighs. “DOUBLE TEAMING, REF!” Gabby shouted as her partner was moved into position for something unpleasant. “GET HER OUTTA TH--”
Burlingame ran the ropes on Muy Caliente's side of the squared circle, causing Mendoza to break off in fuming silence at her old rival's encroachment. Lily didn't stick around though, she just bounced off the rubber-coated steel and raced back the way she'd came. Elsewhere, Veronica saw she had a second or two before the Star Strider returned to she went up on tiptoe, then down on one knee to THUMP Soto's undercarriage with the aforementioned Inverted Atomic Drop! The knee on crotch collision sent an agonizing jolt through the smaller grappler, one so all consuming she didn't notice Lily shooting by to hit the ropes she was facing. Thus it came as even more of a shock when the heiress caught tagged Soshana across the chest with a Clothesline and deftly dropped to one knee so that the challenger THUMPED down spine-first atop the posted joint in a hellacious Backbreaker!
HART ATTACK BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=67zSYmNoSns
Treymane didn't stick around to admire their handiwork, choosing instead to dip out to the apron so Carpenter wouldn't have any reason to delay the count when Lily threw herself atop Soto for the...
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Gabby Mendoza swooped in from the opposite side of the ring to smash a Double Axehandle into the center of Burlingame's back. “That's not how this ends, rich girl!” the Baby-Faced Killer explained as she scrambled up and backpedaled to her corner. “I TAKE gold from you, don't forget it!”
Fighting down a very strong urge to drag Soshana over to the Caliente corner, Lily filled her hands with Lil' Dynamite's hair and treated her to a few extra tugs before hauling her to verticality. Didn't stay there for long though, Soto had barely found her footing when Lily dipped down and muscled her up across her shoulders in a Fireman's Carry. Very deliberately turning away from Mendoza, Lily took a little stroll around the middle of the ring so she could warn the FAWNatics, “THERE'S NO ESCAPE...”
'FROM THE BLACK HOLE!' they finished for her in a thundering chorus.
With that Burlingame began to turn. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until the former Lightweight Champion and her burden were nothing but twin blurs. Twenty seconds in Lily came to a grinding halt with her eyes locked on Gabby. After a moment's pause she went up on tiptoe and snapped forward to drive Soshana into the deck with a heavy THUMP.
THE BLACK HOLE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8fAot5UGA
Still honed in on the challenger, Lily made a point of stamping on Soto's tummy as she stepped toward Gabby. Seething at the disrespect, Mendoza hopped onto the bottom rope and leaned in as close as she could. “C'mon bitch face, you want to get catty with me? Step up and see what happ--”
Lily flipped her off, bent her knees deep and launched herself back and over in a gorgeous Standing Moonsault that brought her down on Soshana's midriff with a loud THWHAP! The Maroon Meteor hooked Soto's far leg when it popped up so she wasn't slacking on the cover but it would be a lie to claim her focus was on Lil' Dynamite while Al counted out...
STANDING MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEtLdBOCw2U
ONE...
TWO....
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Soshana kicked free of the cover with half a second to spare, much to the delight of Muy Caliente fans worldwide, not to mention Gabby Mendoza herself. “That's right babe, you're too strong for that poseur!” she called to her partner even as Lily dragged her up with a big handful of shoulder-straps. “Girl breaks into a sweat even thinking about mild, she can't handle the heat you're—”
Burlingame hurled Soto into the Noir corner and followed along behind to deliver a tummy on tits Avalanche Splash virtually identical to the one Gabby had smooshed her with earlier in the bout. Welcoming 'Ronnie back to the fray with a quick tag, Lily murmured, “Your turn to play chiropractor, I'll get everything ready for ya.”
Dragging Soto out of the buckles so Treymane could enter in short order, the heiress turned Soshana around and sent her stumbling into the strands with a rough shove. Lil Dynamite hit, bounced out and right into Lily, who'd dipped low enough to stuff her head beneath the other brunette's right arm. Cinching on a Waistlock in the same breath, Lily dropped low, then popped her hips to take Soto up, over and down with a Northern Lights Suplex made all the more vicious because she landed spine-first across the right knee of the conveniently arranged Veronica Treymane! Soshana bounced away and landed awkwardly on her shoulder and hip so the Dangerous Dame stretched her out flat and bundled both legs into a snug Back Press good for the...
NORTHERN LIGHTS BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGEA9SYoc0
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
The La Paz native kicked out again, her resilience earning a single curt nod from Treymane. Latching onto the luchadora by the hair, 'Ronnie hauled Soto up and-- “HRRGGHH!” Soshana countered with an answering hair pull, then wedged her head beneath the crown of 'Ronnie's chin and dropped to her knees to rock the Destroyer back on her heels with a Jawbreaker! Treymane reeled but didn't go down so the diminutive brunette closed in and crac-crac-CRACKED a trio of Knife-Edge Chops across her chest!
“Back it up, big girl!” Lil' Dynamite ordered as Treymane stumbled closer to the Caliente corner. “It's time you finally felt the heaTTNNGGHH!”
Veronica swatted the latest Chop aside like it was nothing, then swept behind the started brunette and looped her right arm around Soto's throat! “I've got no problem with heat, Daisy.” the Magnificent Moll chided as she hooked the Sleeper in tight. “But tell me, how are you at handling pressRRRHHHH!”
Desperate to escape Treymane's grip before she could really bear down, Soshana grabbed a double handful of hair and tugged Veronica's chin down against her right shoulder even as she went up on tiptoe and dropped to her butt! The impromptu Stunner blew the Sleeper apart, set Treymane reeling and most importantly, cleared Soto's path to Gabby Mendoza. That's why the capacity crowd was so surprised when Soshana ran to the middle of the ropes instead of the corner. This surprise quickly transformed to delight once Soto took flight in a low leap that deposited her butt-first on the bottom rope before shooting her back in the opposite direction, Lil' Dynamite snatching another Three Quarters Facelock let her put some extra spice on the Springboard Stunner she stapled to the point of Treymane's jaw! Veronica went down like a felled tree and Soto was right there to capitalize with the deepest Crossbody she could apply for the...
SPRINGBOARD STUNNER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce6-uDyYm20
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Treymane shot an arm into the air, the former World Champion too tuff to be felled by a single stroke no matter the heat behind it. But this didn't bother Soshana for more than the span between heartbeats, indeed she was grinning ferociously as she bounded to her feet and raced for the outstretched hand of her partner. Of course Soto didn't simply tag out, she hopped onto the second rope (feet planted on each side of the middle buckle) and exchanged a high five with Gabs only to launch herself out into the void to THWAP every bit of her hundred and twelve pounds down on Treymane's tummy in a gorgeous Moonsault that avenged the low-altitude version she'd endured earlier in the bout!
MIDDLE ROPE MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1KinzLURis
As for Mendoza, she leapt to the high rent district as soon as Soshana took flight and she did the same once Soto rolled clear of their big blonde crash-pad. Vaulting higher than that little trust fund brat could ever hope to reach (yeah, she said it) Gabby folded herself in half with a toe-touch at the zenith, then stretched out full length to THAWHAM down on Veronica's chest with a Frog Splash that had the FAWNatics whispering 'title change'.
FROG SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVMzC9je6W0
Lily heard that voice too and she hopped over the ropes to thwart—“NNNNNGGGGHH!” Soshana intercepted her with a pinpoint Dropkick that left the Crimson Comet slumped against the buckles while Gabby sat on Treymane's chest and pulled both legs backward in a domineering Reverse Matchbook good for the...
ONE...
TWO...
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Veronica shifted to one side, lifting a shoulder off the mat and dumping Mendoza off her perch at the last possible second.
Eyes wide with shock, Gabs almost called to Soshana for a hand before she realized the other brunette was being trundled back to the corner by Al Carpenter. “That's OK, that's fine.” the Texan huffed as she hauled 'Ronnie to a slumped, gasping seat. “You're pretty damn big, bitch-face, but there's no one on this roster who's so big I can't chew 'em up and spit 'em out!”
With that she threaded her legs around Treymane's neck and dropped backward, Gabs hooking her right shin into the pit of her left knee to secure a crushing Figure Four Headscissors! Hands pressed flat to the canvas, Mendoza hoisted her butt up by a good six inches and thrust her hips forward to put even more strain on the Pinstripe Powerhouse! “Tap out, gringa!” she shouted at the suffering grappler. “You may be a champion to everyone else, but to me you're just gum that needs scraping off my boots!”
FIGURE FOUR HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRHkTmZ4gOY
Mendoza struggled with control of the bigger blonde. Realizing there’s no submission imminent, the Baby-Faced Killer pivoted herself and her foe so they’re facing the canvas. Thrusting her hips forward, the Terrible Texan SLAMMED Treymane’s face into the thinly-sheathed plywood time after time, enough so the crowd started chanting 'QUIT BITCH-FACE QUIT!'
The sound brought a smile to both Gabby and the two members of Caliente on the sidelines, Sofia pumping her fist to the beat of 'Ronnie’s mug being THUMPED into the deck.
Still, there’s no quit in the champion and Gabby released her Scissors, pushing a slumped Veronica to her back and climbing aboard in a lateral press for the…
ONE…
TWO…
The Pinstripe Powerhouse showed some, heaving Mendoza up to her haunches. Gabby swept ebony locks off her face, unable to hide a hint of concern at the strength behind Veronica’s escape.
Mendoza tugged the bleary-eyed blonde to a seated position and painted a cheek with a nasty slap as punishment for preventing her from becoming a champion. As Veronica’s head swiveled back in place, her face flushing, not only from the contact.
The hand of a steaming Treymane shot forward, fingers clutching around the throat of a suddenly bug-eyed Gabby. As Ronnie spun up to one knee, her grasp around Mendoza’s neck tightening, G-Money chopped the choke away with a forearm blow, turned and scurried toward her corner.
But as she got a few steps away and Veronica was struggling toward vertical from her genuflection, Mendoza turned on a dime and raced to the title holder, flipping over a shoulder of the blonde while grabbing her foe’s noggin on the fly-by and POUNDING Veronica’s spine and the back of her skull into the canvas with a running Neckbreaker.
The collision rocked Treymane, but 'Ronnie, even while cradling her throbbing cranium, climbed to her feet, only to be NAILED again with a second helping of the maneuver, this time remaining on her back after the ring-rattler, boot soles pattering against the canvas.
TWO SPOT OF THE RUNNING NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygB6tUyiJsQ
Mendoza dove on Treymane in a Crossbody pin, hooking a muscular leg with one arm while raising the other high and pumping her fist to Al’s slaps of the canvas for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Though the force wasn't the same, Veronica had enough to push Gabby from her chest and shift a shoulder off the canvas, saving Noir’s belts for the moment.
Mendoza gnashed her perfect pearlies in frustration, pulling 'Ronnie up by her hair as she rose. She tugged the doubled, wobbling Gangster to the Caliente corner, keeping her grip as she tagged Lil’ So-So.
As Soto moved to a neutral corner, Gabby pivoted and flung Veronica toward the buckles opposite her teammate with an Irish Whip. Ronnie turned into a harsh back-first impact that had enough strength to send a grimacing Treymane staggering back toward the challenger. Showing she had a little muscle of her own, Gabby dipped and collected Veronica behind her thighs then vaulted the blonde into the air where an arriving Soshana leapt into an elevated Front Facelock and POUNDED the champ into the canvas with a modified DDT.
DOUBLE TEAM DDT @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIvpxT4UMPQ
As Mendoza moved toward the exit, the FAWNatics cheering on the display of teamwork in taking down the bigger woman, Soto rolled a splayed 'Ronnie to her back, grabbed the near leg, and rolled to a Back Press, Treymane’s ass pointed to the rafters for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Whether Veronica might have kicked out in time remains a mystery. Taking no chances, Lily enters and drops an elbow to the chest of Little Dynamite, breaking the pin.
With Mendoza having yet to fully leave the squared circle, G-Money U-turned and sprinted at a rising Burlingame only to be sent flying with a spectacular Tilt-a-Whirl Headscissors from the Roseate Rocket.
TILT-A-WHIRL HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hll9R5iNY
As Gabby landed hard and slid across the canvas, an upright Soto charged Lily from behind only to be gutted by a blind, Spinning Heel Kick to the navel, Burlingame showing her veteran awareness.
Having used her momentum to reach her feet, Mendoza surged toward the Crimson Comet.
Thinking quickly, Burlingame spun the doubled and gasping Soshana and stuffed the Mexican between herself and Gabby, the dipped shoulder of Lil’ So-So stabbing Gabby in the midriff and halting her advance. Reflexively, Mendoza’s right arm slipped over the back of her partner’s neck and, when Lily NAILED Gabs with a Dropkick to the chin, laying her out, Mendoza SPIKED her own partner with an involuntary DDT.
Soshana tumbled over to a stilled spreadeagle while a confused Gabby cradles her noggin from her own bad landing.
Impressed with Lily’s display but having seen enough, Carpenter ushered Burlingame toward the champions’ corner while Gabby struggled to bring Soto back to her senses. She finally had some success in rousing the dazed Soshana, Sofia on the outside, slapping the mat to help in any way she can, when a rickety but vertical Veronica grabbed each by their raven locks. Treymane turned the wide-eyed Caliente cuties to face each other for a meeting of the minds.
'Ronnie THUMPED foreheads, creating her own version of TexMex. As Gabby was sent into a staggering backpedal from the collision, ending in the buckles of the Caliente corner, Lil’ So-So did a drunken pirouette into the arms of the Destroyer-class blonde.
The Gorgeous Gangster LAUNCHED the diminutive Mexican HIGH into the Orlando sky with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex, Soto landing halfway across the ring. Thankfully for Sofia and other fans of the challengers, it’s toward Caliente’s corner and, while Veronica reached and tagged Lily into the party, Gabby was able to slip out, tag, and slip back in.
Less fortunately for the new entrant, the former Cherry Bomb was mid-assault, leaping into another Avalanche Splash. But Mendoza showed her wiles, throwing her body clear. It’s Lily’s whose eyes bulge as she had no crash-pad, save her head against the thinly padded top buckle. Burlingame spun away from the corner, staggering in a stupor from the impact.
Gabby collected her rival from behind, racing past while snatching her foe’s head and Bulldogging Lily to deck, PLANTING the champ’s face into the canvas in emphatic fashion.
“You’re going to quit, bitchface,” Gabby informs as she pulled Burlingame to a seated position in her lap. “But first I’m going to have a little fun.”
Capturing the dazed Lily in a Full Nelson and wrapping a Scissors around Burlingame’s taut midriff, Gabby leeeeeeeaned back, taking Lily with her. She launched up, forward, then down, SPIKING the champ’s tailbone into the deck with a Keister Bounce, though the maneuver was ill-named as Burlingame was BLASTED more than bounced.
As Lily mewled in pain from the throbbing below, Mendoza leaned back again, dropping to her spine, and repeated the process a second and third time, each butt blow drawing a more pained visage from the veteran.
Gabby released her Full Nelson but kept her Scissors secure. She rolled to her chest, stacking Lily onto her shoulders, Burlingame’s legs bracketing her face as she’s placed in a jackknife pin between her foe’s pressurizing stems for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOO!
Lily rocks enough to tumble to her side and Gabby unlocks her scissors to push to her feet and finish off her long-time adversary.
Burying one hand in Burlingame's hair even as the other goes to her mouth, Mendoza hauled Lily to her feet, then pulled out her gum and held it high for the inspection of the FAWNatics. “We're gonna take those titles and in exchange I'll give Lily my gum!”
The Cosmic Noir contingent booed this prospect quite heartily, but the Caliente approved with equal vigor, their mixed reaction leading to a state of general cacophony when Gabby used a thumb to glue the big purple wad to the center of her rival's forehead! This was followed by a Toe Kick and a quick bit of backpedaling, the Baby-Faced Killer clearing off on the champ's left before she sprinted forward, leapt and threaded her right leg over the back of Burlingame's bowed head for a Famous-NO! Lily straightened up and twisted around in one dizzying motion to hoist Mendoza up onto her shoulders in an Electric Chair! Startled but not rattled, Mendoza stretched her arms out at her sides, then dipped her head and snapped forward to tumble between the Crimson Comet's planted stems for a Victory Roll that would effectively counter Lily's coun-NO AGAIN! Lily dropped to her knees as Gabs passed through, a rough adjustment that drove her butt into the Texan's chest and allowed her to pin Mendoza's thighs beneath her arms in a taut Reverse Matchbook! Desperation for Mendoza meant delight for Burlingame, the latter beaming from ear to ear as she pattered out a spanking little bongo-beat on the former's squirming buttocks while Al Carpenter counted off...
ONE...
TWO...
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Gabby got her hands against Burlingame's backside and shoved off with no more than a whisper to spare! The race to verticality was neck and neck, though Mendoza must've won by the tiniest bit because she was the first to charge, the former Lightweight Champion bearing down on Lily with a Clothesline that would've taken her head off if the other brunette hadn't pirouetted out of the way! Gabs never missed a beat, she continued on toward the ropes, leapt onto the second strand and returned for a second pass, the tenacious Texan twisting 'round mid-flight to thread her legs around Burlingame's noggin for a beautiful Hurricanra--“AAAAAARRRRHHHHHHH!”
Mendoza let out a wail of abject agony when Lily wrapped her arms around the challenger's encroaching thighs and hurled her not to the canvas, but onto the point of Burlingame's right knee! Gabby bounced away like her opponent was electrified and hurried to her feet just as quickly, though careful observers noted she did so with none of her usual poise. Indeed the challenger seemed to have dismissed all thoughts of offense in favor of pressing both hands to the small of her back, an understandable choice that proved calamitous when Burlingame skewered her with a vengeful Toe Kick only moments later. Reeling her foe into a tight Standing Headscissors, Lily seemed about to secure the brunette's arms when she realized Gabby's gum was still spackled between her eyes. Pretty features crimping in disgust, she reached up and plucked it off, but rather than toss it aside she reached down with both hands and slipped them beneath the Texan's biceps. Once she clasped her hands it would be a proper Double Underhook, in the meantime it was a good way to keep Gabby's arms out of the way while the champ hooked her fingers into the leg holes of those purple and gold briefs.
“Don't you dare!” Mendoza warned as she heard the crowd start to buzz with anticipation. “I mean it gringa, you don't want that heEEEAAAAAAOOOOWWWW!”
Alas, Lily was in a particularly spicy mood as Gabby discovered when the Maroon Meteor split her cheeks with a savage wedgie! “Here's your gum back, baby!” Burlingame giggled as she pressed the damp purple chaw to her opponent's right glute. Mendoza wailed in outrage and stamped her feet, though all this did was provide a bit more jiggle for the hard camera before Lily locked her hands and flipped her ass over teakettle. Lily held her that way for a few seconds, just letting the blood rush to Gabby's head (and OK, maybe she was showing her off a little) until she 'hupped' her up and dropped to one knee, Burlingame once again delivering the challenger's spine across one knee in most painful fashion.
DOUBLE UNDERHOOK BACKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOoUuW7LNoQ
Gabby didn't bounce away this time, she just slopped off the champ's leg and landed on her tummy in a damp, groaning heap.
“Keep an eye on Soshana while I finish this.” Lily called to Veronica as she plunged her hands into Mendoza's battle damp hair.
Veronica nodded, though her response was tinged with concern. “Can do, Lil. Sure you don't need help?”
“Not for this one.” Burlingame scraped Gabby off the mat. “This one I finish alone.”
“Don't listen to her, Gabby!” Soto called from the Caliente corner. “You beat her before, you'll beat her again! Show this brat you're the hot--”
Soto trailed off into silence when Lily snatched hold of her partner's left wrist and twisted that arm in a wide, smooth circle that let her snuggle into position behind the challenger's back. In the next instant she halved the Wristlock and reached around with her free (right) arm and slipped it around Mendoza's right bicep. From there she bent over almost double to muscle the bigger wrestler up across her back while also hooking Gabby's left arm around her right thigh to keep it out of the way. With her left arm now free to wreak more havoc, Lily drew Mendoza's ankles into a bundle and pulled them tight against her left hip. Trap now set, Lily jounced in place a few times, the vindictive Star Strider putting all her considerable efforts toward bending Gabby into a hellacious arch!
CELESTIAL DAWN @ 15:24
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAgwBqjG1kE
“What do you say, Gabs?” Al asked over the din. “You hanging in there? Tell me something!”
“BACK OFF!” the Baby-Faced Killer barked. “AND TELL THAT BITCH-FACE GRINGA TO KISS MY ASSWHOOOAAAAAAAAHHHH!”
Lily began to spin in place as fast as she could, the dizzying rotations of this Celestial Dawn doing nothing for her foe's physical or mental well-being. To make matters worse, the heiress had very deliberately moved them toward the Cosmic Noir corner, meaning Soshana Soto had quite a bit more ground to cover when she hopped over the ropes and raced toward the tangled rivals! Veronica was a step behind but the blonde's longer stride meant she between Soto and her partner when Lil' So-So took to the skies for a Running Crossbod--
'OOOOOOOOOHHHHH!' from the FAWNatics when Treymane caught the luchadora out of the air like she was a sack of laundry. “Let's let them finish this their own way, ok, Daisy?” Soshana didn't get a chance to answer, 'Ronnie just set the brunette down on her feet and immediately cinched her right arm around Soto's throat! The challenger had demonstrated an aptitude for escaping Treymane's Sleeper earlier in the bout, but now she found her neck crimped tight and the world transformed into a spinning nightmare when the Magnificent Moll muscled her off the canvas and started spinning like her partner! An impressive sight to be sure, Veronica twirling her prey toward the Big Sleep while Lily kept Gabby spiraling with the Celestial Dawn and Sofia pounded the apron with both hands in a valiant, albeit doomed effort to support her friends.
Eventually Treymane dropped to the mat and slipped her legs around Soto's waist, the big blonde Destroyer just squeeeeeeeezing until the lightweight was slumbering in her grasp.
Elsewhere, Lily hit the brakes on her spin cycle and began to bounce again, her every movement designed to bring Gabby's heels closer to the back of her own head. Even then Mendoza refused to concede, shaking her head frantically 'no' whenever Al asked if she'd had enough. “NO! NO! NO! STOP ASKING, I'M NOT GONNA WHOOAAAAAHHH STAAAAAAAAAAHP! STAAAAAAAAAHHP!”
Burlingame's latest round of spinning proved to be too much for Gabby and she swatted madly at the champ's left thigh only a few seconds later. Carpenter noted it and called for the bell, however Lily didn't let her rival go. She only stopped in place and bounced a little harder as the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners via submission and STILL the FAWN Tag Team Champions... COSMIC NOIR!”
“Hear that, Gabby? AND STILL! Who's the bitch-face now, loser?”
“YOU ARE!” Mendoza sobbed. “YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A NNNGGGHHH!”
Lily wasn't through with her rival yet, but Al Carpenter was approaching with the belts in hand so she dropped Mendoza to the mat and grabbed the gold when offered. “Let's leave it at that, ok, Lil?” the ref said as Burlingame strapped the title around her waist. “No need to pile on any--”
“Oh yes there is. She'd have done the same to me, so this is just what she deserves!”
Shooing Carpenter off toward Veronica (who'd recently nudged free of an insensate Soshana Soto) Lily turned the belt around so the faceplate was above the seat of her trunks, an arrangement that meant Gabby got an excellent view of the tag division's top prize before Lily sat down on her gasping features! “You can think whatever you want, honey.” Lily grabbed hold of Mendoza's wrists and stuffed them into the pit of her tummy when she tried to push the victrix off her seat. “But my name's on this belt and my ass is on your nose, so as far as I'm concerned that makes YOU the bitch-face!”
Gabby squealed in protest, stamped her heels against the canvas and wriggled for all she was worth, but it had been a long, grueling match and she didn't have the energy to rob Burlingame of her perch. Another fifteen seconds and she drifted off into dreamland, no doubt already spinning plans of vengeance for the next time she and the heiress crossed paths.
Lily didn't care one way or another, she was all smiles when she bounced to her feet and exchanged a high five with the Dangerous Dame. “Feel better?” Treymane asked. “Seems like you got something out of your system.”
A sour look crossed Lily's face and she shook her head 'no'. “Just settled an old score is more like it. Gabby's had that coming for a while, but there's no way we're done. We don't like each other. Never have, never will.”
Veronica nodded, she had a few rivals that evoked a similar reaction. “Well she can think about revenge after she's washed her face and picked up her check at the loser's window. As for us, we've earned a celebration, don't you think?”
“Hell yeah.” Lily and 'Ronnie bumped knuckles, then raised a salute to the throng and made their way out of the ring while Sofia Garcia joined Al Carpenter in rousing Muy Caliente from their cosmic slumber.